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ellethespaceunicorn · 6 months

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The Howling in Claw Creek Forest, Chapter Two

Chapter Two: The Cabin in the Woods

Rating: Mature, 18+, Minors - DNI

Pairing: Werewolf!Walter Marshall x Reader

Word Count: 3K

Series Summary: You live in a small town called Claw Creek, surrounded by a deep, dark forest. Since you were a kid, an urban legend of the creature in the woods has been told. If the distant howls at night and mutilated livestock are anything to go by, you fear the stories to be true.

Chapter Summary: You search the woods for the house you were taken to that night. It’s been hours and you’re lost. Your phone has no service, it is getting dark, and your dumbass didn’t tell anyone you were going on an adventure.

Warnings: mutual pining

A/N: A special thank you to @peyton-warren for being my lovely beta and soundboard for this. I really hope y’all enjoy this one. It was a tough one to write, Walter was so feisty!

Dividers by me

Support/Reblog banner by me

Cover Art by me

Series Masterlist

My Masterlist

When you arrived at the hospital, you had another nurse and colleague check out your head injury on your next shift. Armed with a clean bill of health and a brain bursting with unanswered questions, you try to go about your day.

The entirety of your workday was spent having coworkers break you out of a trance. Every few minutes, you’d gaze off into nothingness until those around you noticed and snapped their fingers in front of your face. You kept thinking about the wolf and Walter, trying to piece the two together.

After work, you change your clothes and put on your hiking boots. Even though the drive from the cabin to Liv’s house was short, that was in a vehicle. On foot, you will need to cover a lot of ground. You decided against driving your car down the road that splits the forest.

If you parked at the entrance to the forest near the park grounds, you could easily sneak back to your car and bypass the curfew checkpoint at the tree line. Not that you planned on being out until nightfall.

Parking your car in the gravel-filled lot, you tighten your scarf around your neck and start your journey into the woods. Walking takes you about ten minutes to get to the clearing where you and Olivia enjoyed wine coolers. It didn’t seem like it took you this long to get to the clearing a couple of days ago, but you don’t stay long enough to dwell on it.

Retracing your steps, you walk for another few minutes in search of the tree with the giant roots jutting out from the forest floor. After ten minutes of wandering, you think about giving up because daylight is in short supply. Looking down at your phone, you curse when you see the battery percentage looking back at you. Eleven percent wouldn’t get you far should you need to make an urgent call or use the flashlight since you forgot to bring one.

After another few minutes of traipsing through the forest, you trip over a large root and accidentally find your tree. Following the roots, you find the little alcove that you had planned to hide in during your game with Liv. You notice the setting sun as you turn to sit on the higher roots.

Taking out your phone, you realize that it had shut off due to low power. Shoving it back in your pocket, you stand up and wipe a hand down your face. You’re pissed off, cold, and now have no way to contact anyone should you need to. Anger boils your blood as you stand in the now-dark forest.

Pacing for a few seconds doesn’t calm you down. You start to hear all the little nocturnal animals coming alive and usually, you would find this peaceful. However, you would give anything to hear a certain howl. But it’s just crickets, frogs, and owls out tonight.

You don’t know what else to do but…

“Fuck. Fuck! Fuuuuuuuuuck!” You scream out into the void, it would seem.

Until you hear a response in the form of a huff behind you.

When you turn around, you're only a little surprised to see the same wolf from before walking toward you. You stand still until it stops about a foot from you. You look down and study its paws, large enough to rip your throat out. But the wolf just sits down as a dog would and looks up at you before yawning, showing off its sharp teeth and long dusty-mauve tongue.

If this were a dog, you would have reached out a hand to pet it. But the sheer size of it was enough to keep your hands to yourself. You didn't have to think about that for long before the wolf was back on all fours walking around you and nudging at your leg as it started to walk away. It doesn't make it far before it turns around to look at you.

"Oh, am I supposed to follow you or something?" You feel silly asking the wolf a question, but only less so when it huffs in response, "Okay. Following a wolf wasn't on the itinerary. But it isn't attacking me so whatever," You finish, mostly to yourself.

Following the wolf, you notice you are going in a completely different direction through the forest. Of course, the last time you were here was an inebriated adventure but you could've sworn you would go right instead of left. Either way, you're putting your faith in a four-legged carnivore so you stop thinking about what should or shouldn't be happening.

A light in the distance can be seen through the trees and once you reach it, you find yourself in front of a medium-sized cabin. There is a light at the little fence encircling the property. The black Ford F-150 that Walter drove is parked to the side in the driveway. You have to admit you didn't expect to see this place look so...normal. It almost looks quaint.

You shuffle on your feet and are suddenly too nervous to propel you forward. Whining at your side reminds you that you aren't alone. You absentmindedly reach your hand out to stroke the wolf's fur. Thick, coarse fur slides through your fingers. Glowing, yellow eyes look into yours and your fear starts to dissipate. The wolf licks at your hand and then takes off around the back of the cabin.

You think about shouting after it or running after it, but instead, you walk up to the fencing. You could swear you hear a door being closed in the back of the cabin, but you can't be sure and you don't want to snoop. Opening the latch to the gate, you walk through the front yard dragging your feet. Your fight or flight response makes an appearance when you hear movement in the house.

'It's now or never,' you think, raising your hand to knock on the door.

Three sharp knocks and you shove your hands in your pockets, waiting for the door to be opened. You jump at the sound of something crashing to the ground and soon the light above the door is turned on. You hold up a hand over your eyes as the harsh fluorescent beams down on you in the dark of night. The door is opened and you take your hand down to see Walter standing there. You’re once again under the spell of him.

He stands tall at about 6’1", and his hair is a disheveled mess but it only adds to the sex appeal. His brows are scrunched together and it doesn’t look like he needs you at his doorstep right now by the scowl across his pretty pink lips. He’s shirtless, sweaty, breathing hard, and smells like a wet dog. The denim shorts he wears are tattered at the ends and his defined calves are on display. His bare feet are a bit dirty as if he’s been running barefoot.

Your eyes shoot back up to his, a faint glow makes his blue eyes look almost golden. He blinks a few times and the glow is gone, aquamarine replaces gold.

You run through a mental checklist. Wet dog smell, check. Frayed shorts that were probably thrown on in a hurry, check. Golden eyes, check. You feel so stupid thinking about the last item. Walter’s hair color is the same as the wolf that brought you here.

“Are you going to come in or are you going to just stare at me like I’m a–”

“Werewolf?” You blurt out, cutting off Walter’s sentence.

“Just come in, and I can explain everything,” He opens the door and steps aside to let you in, but you don’t move, “I won’t hurt you, I promise. Please come in?”

His sincere tone and pleading eyes get the better of you. You sigh, chewing the inside of your cheek. Walking in, you step just inside the living room, giving Walter enough space to close the door behind you. You notice a side table knocked over, a lamp, and small knickknacks on the floor next to it. You turn back to look at him and his face is that of a kicked puppy.

Of course, it is.

“Look, I didn’t–”

“As much as I want to have this conversation right now, I can’t get over how much you smell. I’m gonna need you to take care of that ASAP. Go get clean and I’ll tidy up. And where is the kitchen? I need coffee if I’m gonna have this conversation sober.” You say, taking off your coat and laying on the back of the couch.

Walter walks you to the kitchen and watches as you busy yourself with the coffee maker. You tell him politely to get out of his kitchen and go shower. He opens his mouth to talk but closes it when he sees your eyebrows raise and your hand go to your hip. He simply nods and walks away. You hear him walk up the stairs and soon the faint sound of a shower being turned on before a door is closed.

You fill the coffee maker with grounds and water, setting it then make your way to the living room. Picking up the end table, you turn it right side up and set it on its legs. You bend down to pick up the figurines from the floor. You’re not surprised when they turn out to be two wolves, the larger one made of light wood and the smaller wolf a dark mahogany.

You hear the coffee maker sputtering and go in to check on it. Pulling out two mugs from their spot in the corner cabinet, you fill one and leave one for Walter, not sure if he even wants coffee so late at night. Did werewolves even drink coffee?

So, that’s it. You’re just entertaining the idea that werewolves not only exist but that you’re in a cabin with one. In the back of your mind, your grandfather’s tale of the Claw Creek creature demands attention. You were going over it when you heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

You bring your mug to your mouth to take a sip when Walter appears in the doorway, just as beautiful as when you saw him for the first time. His wet hair curls around his ears. He’s wearing a tighter-than-necessary heather gray henley, the front of it holding onto his pecs for dear life while the sleeves are pulled up to show off muscular forearms. A pair of jeans hug his meaty legs and boots cover his feet.

“You stare a lot.” His words break you out of your ogling and you finally pull down the mug from your lips.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Wolfie,” you comment, suddenly hyperaware that you may have just said something rude.

Walter’s chuckle surprises you, and you’re put at ease, “Wolfie?” He challenges, walking toward you.

You shrug your shoulders and stand your ground, looking up at him as he stops in front of you. He nods to the coffee maker and you step back to let him make a cup for himself. He takes a sip and hums at the flavor. He turns to ask you about it and you answer before he can open his mouth.

“Cinnamon. Just a few shakes and it takes away the sharp bitterness. Now, if you’re done talking about coffee, can we talk about how you can turn into a wolf?” Your frustration peeks through and Walter nods, leading you back into the living room.

Once you get to the couch, you set down your coffee on the table in front of you and turn to face Walter. He takes the cue and starts to speak.

“So, what do you want to know? Do you want me to go through my entire lifetime? It’s quite long, so far. Or start where I was attacked and bitten by someone I thought was a friend? Should I dispel werewolf myths about uncontrollable shifting during the full moon?” He rambles on, probably trying to confuse you or overwhelm you.

Luckily, you’re already overwhelmed so his attempt is in vain.

“I have a couple of questions. The first one is: Do you eat people? The second one is: Could you follow my scent to find me?” you offer, pulling your leg up to sit on it while leaning against the back of the couch.

“I don’t eat people. I don’t think Werewolves as a whole, ever eat people. Attack? Sure. But no, I don’t crave human flesh,” he pauses, looking down at his hands, “How’d you know about the scent thing?” He’s suddenly super interested in his fingernails.

“I didn’t know about the scent thing. You just confirmed a hunch, is all,” You reach for your mug, bringing it closer to your lips before taking a sip, “One more question and I’ll release you from the hot seat. Are you safe out here? Like, I mean, with the animal mutilations in the town, they were talking about sending hunters out to look for whatever was doing it.”

“That wasn’t me, just so you know. I’m safe out here. I actually live in town, I just come here to shift and get some time away. No one comes out this way. This used to be an abandoned shack, but I fixed it up over the past years. Got electricity going and made it...wait. You care if I’m safe out here?” he presses, a toothy grin showing off his sharp canines.

“You saved my life, I can’t care about your wellbeing? I’m being nice, don’t push it, Wolfie,” you snap, a little harsher than you meant to. You did feel lied to, but he was being honest with you. You shake your head before insisting, “I’m sorry, I just...this is a lot. And I need you to know that I was really pissed off with you in the beginning, but I know why you didn’t tell me. Safety and all that. Maybe you can drive me back to my car so I can start the drive back home?” You were cut off by an intense yawn that came out of nowhere.

“Speaking of safety, you look like you’re ready to fall over. You’ve had all of about two sips of coffee and that yawn almost unhinged your jaw a bit there. Just, I won’t be able to sleep if I know you’re tired behind the wheel,” he admits, turning concerned eyes on you.

“You know, as a wolf, using puppy dog eyes on me should be considered unfair. And how do I know this is not some elaborate excuse to get me into your bed so you can have your way with me, huh?” you huff, squinting at him as his eyes glimmer in the low light of the room.

“Do you want me to have my way with you?” he leans back, head over his shoulder, and crosses his arms over his broad chest.

Your hand flies out to slap his bicep. You figure that was easier than giving him the answer that was on the tip of your tongue.

He rolls his eyes and gets up from the couch, pointing to your coffee cup in your hand and motioning for you to give it to him. He takes both of your unfinished cups to the kitchen and when he comes back, he heads for the stairs. “You coming, pup?”

“Pup? Is that because I called you Wolfie?” You stand up from the couch, tilting your head at him before walking to follow him up the steps.

“I don’t know, give me time and I’ll think of something better.” He winks at you and smiles when you duck your head.

Once Walter shows you to his bedroom, you don’t hide your urge to look over everything in the room while he leans against the open door. You almost get upset when you see that his bedspread isn’t a large picture of a wolf’s face. Somehow you thought it would just fit in with his vibe. But the midnight blue damask comforter that covers the bed is actually way more fitting.

“Wait, where are you gonna sleep if I sleep in here?” You question as you sit on the bed and take off your boots.

“I figured I would sleep on the couch. I don’t need much sleep anyway. Unless that was an invitation…?” he smirks and is surprised when you look to be thinking it over.

“Can you stay in here ‘til I fall asleep? I don’t want to be alone.” you confess, looking everywhere but who you were talking to. You can’t believe the words coming out of your mouth, but you also know you won’t sleep in a bed that’s not yours all by your lonesome.

“Are you alright? I mean, of course, you’re not. What am I saying?” he rambles, coming into the room fully and hunching his shoulders so he can seem less intimidating.

Walter walks over to the bed, pulls back the bedspread, and motions for you to crawl under the covers. Once you are comfortable, he turns on a low light on his dresser and turns off the overhead light of the room. Coming back to the bed, he sits at the edge and toes off his boots before you pull him to lie down next to you.

Turning to face him as he lays on his back, you stare at his face as he looks up at the ceiling. You’re interlacing your fingers so that you don’t reach out and trace his jawline when a thought pops into your head.

“When’s the last time you had a woman in your bed?” You breathe, mentally kicking yourself for not thinking longer before you voice your thoughts.

“It’s been a while. Years. I don’t really...mingle much.” He murmurs, eyes never moving from one particular spot.

You refuse to acknowledge the “lone wolf” analogy, instead, you steady yourself before putting a hand on his. “Thank you for saving me, Walter. Goodnight.” Taking your hand back, you close your eyes and let tiredness take its course.

“You’re welcome.” His soft voice is barely above a whisper, but it’s the last thing you hear before you’re fully asleep.

To be continued…

A/N: Wow, you mean to tell me I got these two folks in bed together and they’re both dressed still? What?! Don’t hate me!

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247 notes · View notes

mal-urameshi · 4 months

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may i request a fic where shuri and riri have the house to themselves or they spend the weekend together? and can there be smut maybee

It's My Bday!!! So I decided to gift you guys with a story. 🥰

Anon, I kinda focused too much on the smut aspect, and for that I apologize in advance. I'm rusty guys, so bear with me.

Shoutout to @neptoons1998 in the DMs. We had a blast brainstorming a bunch of ideas.

Warning: 18+

Riri had her back against the wall, mindlessly wiggling her toes as Shuri’s own smile played on her face while she scribbled something on a piece of paper. The two of them were cuddled up on the bed before this. But Riri’s mind was other places as ‘Tokyo Godfathers’ played in the background. Shuri was completely engrossed in the narrative, absolutely oblivious to Riri’s growing unease. Or restlessness, what have you.

Shuri shifted, pulling Riri closer with her movements.

Riri inaudibly swallowed as her mind continued to wander. They had made things official a few months ago. They’re Girlfriend and Girlfriend. But besides kissing and cuddling, they never went further than that. And Shuri never initiates anything. However, she didn’t either.

She knew it was because they were both too chicken to say and do anything. Riri took a staggering deep breath and sharply exhaled.

“Are you okay?” Shuri questioned after breaking her concentration from the movie.

“Um...yea.” Riri gazed into Shuri’s eyes before dropping them to her lips and gazing into her eyes again.

“Are you sure?” Shuri turned on her side, “Are you bored?”

“No. The movie’s really heartfelt.” Riri shrugged while idly rubbing the basotho blanket between her fingers. She cast her gaze over to the movie before locking eyes with Shuri again, “I kinda wanna play a game.”

Shuri paused the movie, “What kind of game?”

Riri felt her palms start to sweat. She was too scared to say it out loud. But she didn’t want to backtrack. Her eyes traveled about the room and saw two notebooks. She got off the bed and retrieved them before digging around Shuri’s desk to get a couple of rubber bands and pens. She then held up the materials.

“We write messages to each other on the paper and flick them across the room with the rubber bands.”

Shuri raised a delicate eyebrow.

“It’ll be fun! We can write stuff we’re too chicken to say to each other.” She gave Shuri a pile of rubber bands and a notebook along with a pen before she sat down on the floor on the other side of the room.

“I’ll go first.” Riri scribbled something on a piece of paper, folded it over the rubber band and then shot the note across the room right into Shuri’s lap.

“Damn! My aim is good!”

Shuri opened up the paper and laughed at its contents, “You broke three of my prototypes? Which ones?”

Riri grinned and shrugged, “I fixed them before you would have noticed. Thank Bast I work well under pressure.”

Shuri shook her head and picked up her own book. She tapped the pen on her chin as she scrunched her nose in thought. She gave a small ‘aha’ before she scribbled her own message and shot it over to Riri.

Riri opened up her note and clapped a hand over her mouth to cover her laughs, “You sniffed me when I slept?”

Shuri stretched her legs and chuckled, “Not my proudest moments. But you were always right there when we were younger. You always smelled like that bubblegum bubble bath Okoye brought back for you.”

Riri scribbled another message and shot it at Shuri. She couldn’t be too blatant. She had to ease into the topic.

So that’s how it went for the past five minutes. Sharing notes and giggles in the otherwise silent room.

Shuri finally shot her message across the room. Riri opened it and ‘I Love You’ was written in block letters with hearts, X’s and O’s shaded around the phrase. Riri gazed across the room to see Shuri holding up a heart with her hands.

Riri grinned while forming her own heart, “I love you, too.”

She dropped her head to the blank page and fisted palms. ‘Don’t be a pussy, Riri.’

Riri tightened her grip on her pen and curled her toes as she carefully phrased her question on the sheet of paper. Carefully, she tore out the page, neatly folded it more times than she could count before closing her eyes and shooting it across the room.

Shuri caught it and Riri pulled her knees up to her chest; worried, nervous, yet intrigued about the other girl’s reaction.

Shuri excitedly opened up the note but her grin faltered when she read the words scribbled on the page.

“Have you ever thought about having sex?”

She felt her heart stutter as she looked over at Riri who was looking nervous. Shuri’s mouth felt dry. She licked her lips and looked at the note again.

She’d be a heathenous liar if she wrote ‘No’. Because she thought about having sex with Riri more times than she could count. Before they got together. Hell, she wanted to go all the way with her the moment they agreed to be girlfriends. She’d been thinking about that moment forever. Even her dreams starred Riri more than she’d dare to admit.

When would it happen? What would be the appropriate time to initiate? Would Riri be ready? Was she ready?

Shuri picked up her pen and scribbled on the paper.

Riri’s stomach was in knots. Shuri was awfully quiet over there and she hadn’t said anything. She did that thing where she went into deep thought and her face was unreadable. She curled and uncurled her toes as Shuri scripted her reply before shooting it across to her.

Riri wasted no time unraveling the paper and drinking in the words.

“Yes, I have. Do you want to have sex?”

She looked up at Shuri who gave her her undivided attention.

Riri interlaced her fingers together and nodded before standing up. Suddenly, she felt extremely self-conscious as she walked over to Shuri.

Shuri swung her legs off the side of the bed as Riri closed the distance between them. Her heart thundered against her chest, following Riri’s every movement.

They were going to do it right now? Oh, Bast. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen Riri naked before. Shuri’s eyes raked over her form. But being able to do something about her urges had her heating up. Shuri pressed her legs together. Bast. Bast. Bast!

Riri walked directly in front of Shuri, and as she’d heard in Christianity, she parted her legs as Moses did the Red Sea.

The shorter girl closed the distance between them. The kiss started off innocent at first, until Riri lightly nipped on Shuri’s bottom lip. One of Shuri’s palms cupped Riri’s cheek as she eased herself backward, onto the bed, all while their tongues slid debaucherously against each other.

Okay, okay. This wasn’t too different from all the other times they kissed. She shouldn’t be feeling so lightheaded right now. Riri’s trembling hands found purchase on the blankets regardless, afraid her elbows would buckle under the pressure of her nerves

Shuri’s free hand didn’t know what to do with itself; it rubbed against her waist, before playing with the waistband of Riri’s shorts and finally cupping the swell of Riri’s ass, giving it a light squeeze. She could die and cross over to the Ancestral plane right now.

Riri moaned into Shuri’s mouth at the sensation and Bast, if Shuri’s eyes weren’t closed they would have rolled into the back of her head.

Riri broke the kiss to catch her breath but Shuri lifted her head to chase after her lips while trying to tug down her shorts, but to no avail.

The closest Shuri got to was her neck, but it would do. She licked against the pulse point of Riri’s neck which had her leaning into her touch and grinding against her. Shuri groaned in appreciation and mirrored Riri’s actions.

“Mm. Shuri…” Riri whined and panted into her ear. Her breath fanned against the shell of Shuri’s ear which had a shiver reverberating up her spine.

Shuri’s own breath escaped her lungs faster than she could replace it, causing her to become somewhat lightheaded.

This is the first time she’s ever heard Riri make those sounds. And she wanted to know what others she could make. Bast have mercy.

But lightheaded or not, Shuri was unable to resist the urge to slip her fingers into Riri’s shorts. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she was going to learn today. She slid her panties to the side and-

Riri’s beads pinged, causing both girls to halt their activities.

“Are you going to get that?” Shuri asked, not being able to hide the frustration in her voice.

Riri sat up straight, “Yea.” She cleared her throat a few times to get it back to normal.

Shuri’s gaze fell to Riri’s chest. She was basically eye level with it. How could she not? Her nipples had pebbled through the material of her shirt. Shuri looked up at Riri who was speaking into her beads. Her pupils were still blown wide from their new development and Shuri couldn’t help herself from rubbing her palms against Riri’s exposed midriff.

Riri shivered and voice hitched before she swatted away Shuri’s hand, “No, Mama. I’m fine. There was a bug on me.” Riri shot her a glare.

Shuri gave a shrug. She couldn’t blame her for being handsy. Their moment was unjustly interrupted. Her groin ached in protest.

Riri shifted above her and she was now very much conscious of the wet spot in Riri’s shorts. She curiously thumbed the area, completely forgetting about the conversation that was going on above her.

Riri staggered at the stimulation, causing her to lose her equilibrium. A hand braced itself against Shuri’s chest, fisting her shirt for purchase.

“Okay, Ma. See you in a bit.” Riri hung up the call.

Shuri fell back onto her back with her arms spread out, the heat of the moment being permanently extinguished.

“Are you leaving now?” She turned her head to the side to look at Riri.

Riri sighed and nodded, suddenly feeling self-conscious again. She got off of Shuri and stood up on semi-wobbly legs.

Shuri sat up and walked behind Riri as she gathered her things, “Do you want new pants?”

“Yea, I’ll get one out your closet.” She already made her way over.

Shuri sighed as she heard Riri rummage through her things. They were so close. She bit her lip as her mind replayed what went down barely two minutes ago. Happy and frustrated at the same time. She wanted to do more. She was operating purely on instinct but she was partially happy things ended. What if she wasn’t good enough?

Riri reappeared, causing Shuri to grin. She walked over, gathered Riri into her arms and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Riri folded her arms after they broke apart, looking contemplative for a moment, “Mama’s going on a mission for a few days, so I was wondering if you’d wanna come over for the weekend?”

“Yes! Yes! I’d love to stay over the weekend.” Shuri couldn’t help but pull Riri in for another hug.

Riri blew out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

Shuri walked Riri out to the entrance, “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home?”

Riri shook her head and rubbed the back of her neck, “I’m good. Besides, I have to cool down before I get back home and you’re still making me titillated.” She snickered, not being able to help the joke.

Shuri doubled over with laughter, “I’m flattered that I make you titillated. Call me when you get home, okay?”

Riri nodded, pressed one last kiss to her girlfriend’s lips before walking home.

Once Riri was out of view, Shuri ran back to her room and started stripping herself of her pants, “Griot! Initiate ‘Do Not Disturb’ sequence for my room.”

“At once, Princess.”

When Riri got home, she wasted no time giving herself a cold shower after announcing to her mother that she was home.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. We were so close!” She allowed the water to drench the crown of her head to douse her desires, if but only for a moment..

The next day, Riri found herself at her Aunts’ home. Aneka and Ayo were the best people she could come to for all of her questions and queries. They were basically her second Umamas. They always made their home a safe space for her throughout her lifetime and she was comfortable to ask them about just about anything. So she didn’t have any second thoughts as she waited for an answer at their doorstep.

Ayo opened the door and welcomed her niece with a warm smile and hug.

“How are you, Riri?”

Riri smiled, “I’m good Aunty Ayo. I came here for some advice.”

Ayo nodded, “Of course.” She guided Riri to the back porch and got refreshments for the both of them.

Riri immediately drunk down half the glass which had Ayo looking at her with intrigue.

Riri wiped her mouth and dug into her backpack for a pen and notepad. Writing always helped her make sense of her thoughts.

“I need some advice. And I thought there’s nobody better to help me out but you.”

“Whatever it is you need, I‘m here for you, Riri.” Ayo encouraged gently.

Riri bounced her knee and took a deep breath, “I’m planning on having sex with my girlfriend but I want some pointers. We got close but weren’t able to go all the way. But I’m glad we ended up stopping because I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Ayo slowly nodded her head, not expecting the nature of the question, but willing to help nonetheless. One look at Riri and she knew this was eating her up inside.

“Okay, Riri. First thing’s first is that you have to go at your own pace. Make sure that you’re comfortable around each other. Take your time with one another. Have the both of you done anything sexual in nature at all?”

Riri shook her head, “Nah. The craziest thing we ever did was slap each other’s ass. Other than that we just hold each other and cuddle and kiss.”

Ayo smiled, “Okay, that’s good. You’re familiar with nonsexual intimacy. And from what you tell me you both are comfortable.”

“Yea, but my stomach is in knots. Thinking about the actual sex has me nervous. My heart feels like it’s racing out my chest. What if I do something embarrassing? Or I make a fool of myself? I’ve never done this before. Ugh! What if she doesn’t like it, Aunty? And she breaks up with me because of it.”

Ayo leaned over and gently rubbed Riri’s knee, “Relax, Riri. Shuri doesn’t have any experience either, right?”

Riri hunched over and held her chin in her palm, “She better not. We’re each other’s first relationship.”

“Okay, that’s good! You can learn your likes and dislikes together. I just want you to know that what you see in Pornography isn’t real. All those fake moans and tricks for the camera isn’t how it is supposed to be. And it isn’t a race. You have all the time in the world to take care of each other. And don’t be afraid to communicate.”

“Communicate? Like during sex?” Riri leaned closer.

Ayo nodded, “Yes. Like telling her that you like what she’s doing, or if there’s something she can do better or in a particular way that you would like if you were to do it solo.”

Riri covered her face, “Ugh! Isn’t that going to be like, embarrassing? What if my voice cracks or I sound weird? Or I ruin the mood.”

Ayo chucked, “You won’t be thinking that when in the moment. Besides, don’t you trust Shuri?”

Riri hugged her arms together, “Yea, I do.”

“She won’t make fun of you or anything. And neither of you are going to be professionals from the get-go.” Ayo crossed her legs and leaned back in her seat, “And I’m not saying things aren’t going to be awkward, it is your first time after all. You both are going to fumble and make mistakes, but it’s all about taking your time and learning each other.”

Riri nodded, “Okay. I gotchu, Aunty.”

“Be experimental with your touches, take note of how she reacts, the sounds she makes and you can take those as cues. Don’t be rough at first. Don’t put too much pressure on anything unless she’s vocal about it. The same applies for you.”

Riri took breaks between taking her notes, but she paused when a particular question came to mind, “Um, what- what about teeth and stuff?”

Ayo thoughtfully stroked her nose, “Hm. It depends on how she reacts to it. Don’t go biting like she’s your last meal or anything like that. But light nips here and there. Again, communication and also reading your partner comes into play. If she reacts well, continue what you’re doing. If she doesn’t like what you’re doing, she’ll say something.”

Riri quickly scribbled that down, “Teeth but not too…crazy. Okay!”

Ayo couldn’t help but find it amusing that Riri is taking this lesson so seriously, but she didn’t fault her. She was happy she could offer guidance to her very lost and eager niece.

“Any pointers on foreplay?” Riri idly tapped her pen on her notepad.

“Foreplay?!” Aneka appeared in the doorway which made Riri jump, “What’s going on here?” She walked closer to the duo and put her hand on her hips while looking between wife and niece.

Ayo looked up at her love, “Riri wanted help on how to make love to her girlfriend.”

Aneka gasped as her eyes shone with stars, ”You’re already at that age!”

She carelessly dropped herself into Ayo’s lap which caused her wife to sit up straighter and wrap her arms around her waist to prevent her from falling off.

“Ayo! Why didn’t you call me? I have lots of sage advice for Riri.” Aneka threw her arm around Ayo’s neck and hugged her close, “Get your notepad ready.” She flapped her wrist excitedly at the pen and paper in Riri’s hands.

Ayo smiled and pressed her cheek against her wife’s chest. Here we go.

“Don’t be scared to use your tongue. You can’t go wrong with your tongue. But not like a slobbery dog either, Riri. You have to finesse it. Like you’re flicking the most delicate of ice cream cones. Really savoring it.” Aneka closed her eyes and stuck the tip of her tongue out while gently flicking it at the air.

“You are being too raunchy, my love.” Ayo lightly chided.

Aneka sucked her teeth, “How else is she supposed to learn, Ayo? She’s a visual learner.”

Aneka turned her focus on Riri again, “Don’t go too fast. I know how teenagers get. Remember how we were the first few times Ayo? She was so shy, Riri! Almost too scared to touch me like I was going to break.”

Ayo lightly patted Aneka’s leg while looking up at her, “She doesn’t need to know all of that, my sweet.”

Riri gripped her pen, wondering if she should write that down or not.

“Okay, okay!” Aneka waved her arms around, “Back to business. Make sure you take your time. You kiss, really get in the moment. Fondling is great for everyone. Don’t be afraid to touch her.”

“Remember I mentioned the tongue? Don’t be shy. And that foreplay you mentioned? Go crazy with the kissing. Really explore her body. Worship every inch of her skin. Be sensual. But don’t get too carried away. You get lost in the sensations, you start moving too fast and you accidentally tear something. Especially if the both of you aren’t wet enough.”

Riri stopped her scribbling and shot her head up, looking completely spooked, “Tear?!”

Aneka cackled while Ayo kept a firm grip on her love so she wouldn’t fall, “Don’t mind her Riri, nothing will tear because you’re going to do things at your own pace.”

Anea wiped her eyes, “You looked so scared. I was joking. But make sure you’re both wet enough. Which I’m sure wouldn’t be a problem the way teenagers are so hot in their pants these days. But if you aren’t wet enough, don’t be scared to suck on your fingers before you start exploring. Oh, right! Make sure your fingernails are short and clean!”

As raunchy as her Aunt was being, Riri appreciated the details as she jotted down the points. She then looked at her hands. She’ll file down her nails when she gets home. They weren’t super long, but she’d hate to accidentally scratch Shuri in there.

“How would I know if I’m making her feel real good?”

“It’s all about response. If she’s pulling you close, sounds like she’s breathless, and she’s restless, not knowing what to do with herself, just squirming and borderline whining like a cat in hea-”

“She has the idea, Aneka.” Ayo cleared her throat as Aneka was coming a bit too close to home.

Aneka’s smile was cheshire as she gazed down at Ayo who held her gaze, “And eye contact is key, Riri.” She pressed her forehead to Ayo’s before pressing a kiss to her lips. She then turned her attention to Riri again.

“You may be shy and self-conscious at first, but being able to look into her eyes, as you trust each other to be there for one another in one of your most vulnerable moments. It’s an absolutely amazing feeling. It makes the experience more intense, intimate as all your walls come tumbling down.”

Aneka released a whimsical sigh as she allowed her body to melt against Ayo, who hugged her body closer to hers.

Riri’s chest bloomed with warmth as her Aunts’ display of affection. They were goals, for real. Her eyes dropped down to her notes and she did a quick flip through a sequence of pages. She had enough material to work with, she thought. Coming over was an absolutely fruitful venture.

Shuri was by her lonesome in her personal lab. She was running some calculations, yet more often than not, she found herself unable to concentrate. Her mind refused to stay in the present moment, whether it was reliving what happened yesterday with Riri or what has yet to come when she goes to her house for the weekend.

She decided not to fight it anymore. She had to do her research.

“Griot! Pull up what the Americans call ‘The Bird App.’”

“Task initiation commencing.” It took all of two seconds for a holographic screen to pop up with the platform’s signature blue and white color scheme.

“Pull up an archive of all profiles that feature lesbian content. X rated in nature.”

“One moment, Princess.”

Griot pulled up all relevant profiles but Shuri made a face of displeasure, “Black lesbian content, Griot. Bast. Do I have to debug you?”

“My apologies, Princess.” The AI filtered all the content that best suited Shuri’s needs.

“Hmm.” She cupped her chin between her thumb and index as she clicked on a profile and scrolled through the media tab., “I have to start somewhere.”

Half an hour later, Shuri found herself with several holographic tabs open, a video playing in the background of a stud strapping her girlfriend, their moans echoing throughout the lab.

She scrolled through one of the pages she was on, staring at several different designs, makes, sizes, colors, shapes, you name it.

“Bast, this is more difficult than I thought. Should Riri be with me to decide this?” She scrolled down some more when her eyes bulged in horror at one image where the dildo had veins as thick as her wrist, ”Oh my Bast! Are people in their right minds? How is that to fit into someone?”

Shuri pulled up one of the saved images of a phallic that was simpler in design and of decent length as a starter for them both, “This will do.”

She walked over to her 3D printer and got to work.

“Princess, I must inform-”

“Not now, Griot.” She toggled with the design a bit of a holographic field before she sent it off to be printed. It needed a harness as well.

“But Princess-”

“I’m busy!” She hit print once she was satisfied with the specs of the dildo.

“Shuri?” Her mother called.

“Mother?!” She squeaked out before tapping on her kimoyo beads which killed all of her research that was up.

Ramonda finally appeared in Shuri’s line of sight.

“Mother! What are you doing here?!” Shuri cleared her throat to erase any guilty tones in her voice.

Ramonda clasped her hands together, “Even though this is your lab, it is still a part of my home. Am I not allowed entry?”

Shuri quickly shook her head and gave a frightened glance at the printer that was carefully constructing the dildo.

“Yes, yes. You’re never denied entry.”

Ramonda walked closer to her daughter, “Are you alright? What was that sound just now?”

“What sound?” Shuri shrugged, she internally cringed at her stiffness.

Ramond looked up in thought, “I can’t quite place it. Was somebody hurt? It sounded like moans of agony.”

Shuri smacked her head, “Oh yes. I was watching a video of someone in pain. There were interviews of civilians after the fallout from Avenger level threats. I was listening to them, but..it just began to be too much so I had to cut it off. All those people, whimpering…in pain.”

“Oh, Shuri. Be mindful of how much of that you consume. It may get you depressed.” Ramonda’s eyes wandered and noticed the active printer, “What are you making?”

“Just a part for an experiment. Nothing to talk about! It’s very mundane. For my own leisure, really.”

“Really? What is it about?” Ramonda’s intrigue had been sparked and began walking towards it.

“No! No! Mother, I’m very self-conscious about it!” Shuri put herself between the printer and Ramonda.

“But you’re always excited to show me your projects.”

Shuri viciously shook her head, “Well this one is extremely personal Mother, and I don’t want anybody to see it.”

Ramonda could take a hint and didn’t press the issue further, “All right. I was just checking in. Don’t stay in the lab too long now.”

Shuri gave a smile and nodded, “I won’t, Mother.”

Ramonda exited the lab and Shuri completely deflated, “Oh thank Bast! Griot! Why didn’t you tell me my mother was in the lab?!”

“I tried to alert you, Princess, yet you did not heed my attempts.” The Ai quipped.

Shuri found herself walking over to the finished product and a grin slipped its way onto her features as she raised the phallic up.

“Success! All I need is the harness.”

Shuri ordered Griot to pull up all previously closed pages and sat down in her chair as she clicked on her favorite profile. She admired this one the most because unlike some of the others she’d happened upon.

This couple wasn’t just having sex. The way their bodies moved in tune to a rhythm known and natural only to them. They weren’t performing for the camera. They were lost in their own world that was reflected in each other’s eyes. It was just them. In a tangle of limbs that was the perfect personification of ‘The Lovers’ Embrace’. Appreciating one another in a duet of sensuality.

They were making love.

Riri didn’t know what to do with herself. Her mother left for her mission. The house was all hers. She was home alone. Not for long, though. Riri paced and fiddled with her hands. She took several deep breaths to ease her roaring heart.

Riri didn’t know why she was doing this to herself. Psyching herself out for no reason. It was Shuri. She walked into her bedroom for the thousandth time that evening, scanning the area to make sure nothing was amiss. She made sure her room was clean and the bed was made up, which was probably stupid because Shuri has seen it at its worst over the years. Regardless, she wanted things to be perfect.

The mattress bounced as Riri face-planted into her pillows and let out a scream. She then rolled over, stared at the sealing and licked her lips, “Okay, I’m good.”

Shuri folded the last of her clothes and placed them on the bed. Her gaze slid over to the satin drawstring bag resting on her sheets. She idled her jaw, contemplating if she should bring it. They had the whole weekend to determine if they’d be willing to use it or not. She burned a hole into the bag. Thinking of the contents it holds.

Shuri exhaled in displeasure, “I decided to make the stupid thing! Why am I second-guessing now?!”

Shuri fiddled with a few of her loose braids. “I should not be intimidated. It is going to be an exciting experience. It is supposed to be an…exhilarating exchange.”

Her eyes fell shut and images of Riri’s naked brown skin played in her mind’s eye.

Knock Knock.

“Princess? Are you ready?” One of the Doras who were tasked with escorting her to Riri’s residence called.

“One moment!” Shuri shoved her clothes into her backpack. She then glanced at the drawstring bag and threw it into her bag as well before rushing out the door.

Shuri gripped the straps of her backpack, trying to quiet her nerves on her trek over to Riri’s residence. She looked at both Dora’s on either side of her before speaking, “I don’t want the both of you too close to the house.”

The Dora to her right responded, “Princess, we are to keep a reasonable distance at all times.”

The Dora to Shuri’s left nodded once in agreement.

“I don’t plan on leaving the house so you can keep your distance. That’s an order.” She pointed at both of them. The last thing she wanted was the Dora’s being too close, hearing something they shouldn’t and embarrassment ensuing for all parties involved.

“Yes, Princess.” Both Doras responded.

Once in front of Riri’s home, the Doras saluted Shuri before making themself scarce. Not perceived, yet still around.

The door flew open before Shuri could knock. She looked down and smiled at Riri, “Hi.”

“Hey.” Riri smiled back.

The two of them stood there for several moments before Riri caught herself and opened the door wider, “Come inside.”

Shuri walked into the all too familiar abode and straight in the direction of Riri’s bedroom.

“Does she want to do it now?” Shuri found herself wondering as she settled her things.

“Does she want to do it now?” Riri questioned herself. Her palms were starting to feel sweaty as she softly shut the door behind her.

Shuri sat on the bed and looked at Riri. She supposed that was the signal?

Riri noted Shuri looking at her expectantly. Okay, she was signaling that she definitely was ready to get down. SHe started walking over.

Shuri kicked off her shoes, a little too eagerly which caused Riri to laugh.

Shuri paused, “What? Why are you laughing?”

“You’re just super excited.” She held a hand on her hip with a teasing smirk.

Shuri rolled her eyes with her own smile, “You basically trapped me in the room, locked the door and stared at me like I’m your prey. I was just getting ready for you to pounce.”

Their laughter permeated the air, causing a great amount of tension to evaporate from their beings.

Riri joined Shuri on the bed, peppering her lips with kisses. Shuri smiled through the affection and returned it in full.

They found themselves a tangle of limbs on the bed before Riri managed to roll on top of Shuri.

Riri’s hands found themselves beneath Shuri’s shirt and gently caressed the expanse of her stomach, “C’mon Princess, let me help you get this off.”

Shuri’s skin felt as though it had been set ablaze beneath Riri’s touch. Her face fared no better as she found herself flustered. That nickname she used from time to time tended to do that to her. Princess was her title, yes. But when Riri called her that, it was used as a pet name. A term of endearment.

Her stomach spasmed as Riri’s gentle touch played whispered unrecognizable shapes there. Carefully, Riri helped Shuri out of her shirt, followed by her pants and underwear.

Riri took a moment to admire her girlfriend, “You’re gorgeous, Shuri.”

Shuri covered her face at the praise, “Thank you.”

Feeling a bit more confident, Riri dipped her head and pressed a kiss to Shuri’s neck. Shuri braced her hand on Riri’s shoulder as her neck was licked, nipped and sucked.

“That feels nice.” Shuri barely said above a whisper. She had come over fully prepared to take the lead, but didn’t mind the unfolding of these events.

Riri excitedly hummed in acknowledgement and drew away from her neck. She cupped Shuri’s waist but the clearing of her throat caught her attention.

“Why am I the only one naked?”

Riri’s eyes widened in realization, “Shit, sorry!”

Shuri shook her head, “Don’t worry about it.” She gestured to Riri’s clothes, “May I?”

Riri nodded and raised her arms as Shuri helped her out of her clothes, just as she did her.

Shuri couldn’t help her grin as she ogled her girlfriend’s form, but it was soon cut short by Riri’s eagerness.

“Okay, now, where were we?” Riri grinned as she slowly pushed Shuri onto the bed, followed by pressing kisses down her chest.

Riri’s mouth latched onto one of Shuri’s breasts and gently sucked it. Her tongue flicked her nipple until it pebbled.

Shuri gasped in a breath which was followed by a stifled moan.

Shuri felt a gentle kiss on her chin before Riri spoke up, “You don’t have to try to be quiet, Princess. I want to hear you. Can you do that for me?”

Shuri felt wetness permeate between her legs under the intensity of Riri’s gaze. She was unable to look away, she gave a nod, ”Okay, Riri.”

“Good.” She initiated a languid kiss while teasing her girlfriend’s nipple.

The stimulation getting the better of her, Shuri was unable to focus on the liplock. She panted against Riri’s lips while simultaneously squeezing the swell of her backside to get a grip on something.

Slick warmth pooled on Shuri’s stomach, which could have only come from Riri.

Not being able to help herself, Shuri teased the weeping slit of Riri’s entrance, causing the shorter girl to buck at the sensation.

“Is that okay?” Shuri paused, searching Riri’s face for any hesitation.

Riri gazed into Shuri’s eyes, “Yea. Yea. It’s fine. I was just caught by surprise. You can go ahead. It’s okay.”

Shuri found her place again, gently sliding her fingertips along Riri’s entrance, coating them in her essence, before finally reaching her clit. She softly rubbed circles onto the bundle of nerves while looking in awe at Riri’s reactions.

Eye contact had long been broken, her eyes were screwed shut as she basked in the sensations Shuri was giving her.

Shuri slowly slipped a finger into Riri’s center and was rewarded with a soul-suck clench around the digit.

Carefully, Shuri experimented with different rhythms until Riri vocalized, ”Mm, just like that baby.”

Pleased by the praise and not wanting to disappoint, Shuri kept her pace against Riri’s folds .

“Do you think you can handle another finger?”

“I’ll take whatever you give me. You’re making me feel so good.” Riri cupped the side of Shuri’s neck while giving her jaw lazy kisses.

Shuri added another finger while searching for one angle in particular, she propped a leg up in concentration. Sighing in dissatisfaction she unsheathed herself from Riri’s channel. Much to the other’s chagrin.

“Shuri, what the hell?” She whined.

“Raise your hips for me.”

Not needing to be told twice, she raised her hips, revealing a thin thread of slick that connected their bodies. Shuri swallowed at the sight, but remained focused on the task at hand.

She placed her hand between their bodies before her fingers found home within Riri once more.

“There we go.” She smiled up at her girlfriend.

Like a moth to fame, she immediately found what she was looking for. She caressed her fingers against the spongy surface of Riri’s walls.

“Oh, Bast, Shuri.” She moaned into Shuri’s ear. Her hips suddenly having a mind of their own, met the thrusts of Shuri’s fingers.

Using her free hand, she added pressure to Riri’s clit. Lost in the throes of pleasure, Riri bit into Shuri’s shoulder as the bouncing on her fingers grew more wanton; unfortunately, this caused Shuri’s fingers to slip out.

This caused Riri to whine in displeasure. She tried lowering her hips, but Shuri’s leg was in the way. So she found herself mindlessly humping her girlfriend’s thigh for release instead. Anything to regain the sensation she lost.

“C’mon babygirl, my fingers are better than my thighs. Let me help you. You’re almost there.” She playfully nipped Riri’s skin.

Riri eagerly accepted Shuri’s resumption of her ministrations, “You’re doing so good Princess.”

“Yea?” She looked up at her with a hooded gaze.

“Mhm.” Riri couldn’t think straight.

Shuri placed a kiss to her chest. “I should be telling you the same thing.” Another kiss. “You look so sexy like this.”

Riri’s breathing became even more labored, if that was even possible as her orgasm washed over her. Her blunted fingernails dug into Shuri’s waist as she rode out her climax.

Riri planted her head on Shuri’s chest to give herself a breather. Shuri gently wiped her brow, “Are you alright?”

Riri took a few breaths as the cloud of ecstasy cleared itself from her senses, “I’m blissed out right now, not gonna lie.”

“That’s good.” Shuri grinned, feeling proud of herself.

“Okay. Your turn!” She shot up with newfound energy and slowly made her way down Shuri’s body.

Shuri propped herself up on her elbows, “Are you sure? We can wait. We have the entire night and weekend.”

“Nah, you gotta get yours too. Just lay back and enjoy yourself, Princess.” She placed a kiss on Shuri’s stomach that left tingles in its wake.

Shuri parted her legs some more for Riri to have better access, causing the other to grin.

“You look good from this angle.” She placed one of Shuri’s legs over her shoulder and trailed kisses up her inner thigh.

Riri bit her lip to hold back a smile, but her efforts were futile. She coaxed Shuri’s slit, causing her to twitch. She gently parted her labia and took an experimental lick.

“Ooh!” Shuri threw her head back, trying to keep herself together. Riri barely did anything, but her breath alone was overstimulating.

Riri observed as Shuri’s chest heaved. Hm.

She gently sucked her clit next but Riri wasn’t prepared for her head to be ensnared between her thighs and a fist full of her hair.

“S-sorry, Riri.”

Before Shuri could free her girlfriend from her unintentional clutches, Riri’s sinuous tongue worked against her folds in ways Shuri never thought imaginable.

She couldn’t form a coherent thought and her grip had yet to loosen from Shuri’s hair. She ground her pussy against Riri’s tongue, chasing the release Riri was so dutifully trying to give her.

“Riri, Riri, Riri!”

Riri slurped and sucked all Shuri had to offer, thoroughly enjoying the fruits of her labour. She hummed in contentment.

Shuri whined, finally letting her hand out of Riri’s tresses.

Riri rose from her perch between Shuri’s legs and smile while she wiped her nose and mouth of wetness.

Shuri threw an arm over her eye as she caught her breath.

“Princess, you wanna taste yourself?” She felt Riri climb over her.

Shuri couldn’t even find it in herself to feel embarrassed. She chuckled at Riri’s proposition. She stuck out her tongue but wasn’t surprised when she felt her girlfriend sucking on it. She wrapped her arms around her middle to properly kiss her. She grabbed her ass for good measure.

“I didn’t know you were so sensitive.” Riri mused.

“And I didn’t know you could work your hips like that.” She chuckled.

Riri grinned, “I found out I definitely love hair pulling. It’s so hot.”

“I found out I like biting.” She squeezed Riri closer.

“Wait, what? I bit you?” Her eyes roamed Shuri’s body for the offense, “I’m sorry.”

Shuri showed off the deep bite impression on her shoulder. “Don’t apologize. It happened when you orgasmed. I don’t think you broke the skin. But it felt so good. I loved it!” Shuri stretched and happily kicked her feet, slightly jostling Riri.

“Damn. I went primal.” She chuckled as she felt her body start to get tired.

She then grabbed a blanket at the foot of her bed and covered both of them with it.

“This was nice.” She hugged Riri under the sheets as her fatigue set in.

“It was. I’m excited to try other stuff too. But I’m beat right now.” She snuggled closer to Shuri.

Shuri stifled a yawn, “We don’t have to rush anything. We have the whole weekend to make our names.”

#shuri x riri #shuriri #shuri udaku #riri williams #black panther wakanda forever

107 notes · View notes

beaker1636 · 4 months

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Baby It's Cold Outside - Vinny Mauro College AU Smut

A/N: So I know I said no requests posted until Fridays and Saturdays but I am so excited about this one, I absolutely love it. It may be my best smut story to date at almost 6,000 words! So I decided to post it early because I am too excited and can't wait to share it! The request was literally just Vinny Christmas Smut, and while this doesn't touch a lot on Christmas it is where my mind went. Hope you enjoy!!

God damnit, you groan in your head as you trudge through the cold weather towards the house of your classmate. Of course Vinny would skip one of the final classes before winter break, making your teacher ask you to take the assignment to him… meaning you had to walk out in the cold, and had to do it this morning before the storm hit.

Truthfully you could have done it last night but you just didn’t want to, preferring to return to your dorm room so that you could sulk about the task you are currently doing in your head. You’re hoping that the rest of the guys he lives with are gone already, so you only have to deal with him, but who knows. You honestly were shocked when you found out he hasn’t left to go home for the holiday yet, he is extremely close to his family. Yet another reason for you to be jealous of him, but you would never admit that.

You finally walk up the sidewalk to the house, knocking on the door. You don’t expect him to answer right away given it is only 10 in the morning, and any usual college student would still be sleeping in at this point in the day on a day of no classes. So when the door opens almost immediately you are almost caught off guard, to be met with Vinny standing there, tousled hair from sleep and a smile on his face.

“Hi, I was sent to give you the homework you missed. Because Prof decided you needed to be miserable over Christmas break.”

Apparently you shouldn’t have said that, because Vinny immediately laughs, his bright grin on his face while you try to dampen the emotions in your chest that it made you feel, reminding yourself that he doesn’t like you in that way. Bringing yourself back down to earth not focusing on how attractive he looks right now.

“Thank you, why don’t you come in for a moment before you get too cold. Have a cup of coffee in thanks for bringing this all the way here for me,” he offers, stepping aside so that you could step inside the house around him, his voice still rough from sleep.

You slowly step inside, taking in the warmth that your body was craving and letting your eyes wander around the empty and clean house that he shares with his band that they’ve formed. Last time you were here was for a party where a window was broken by Ryan while playing a dumb game and people were everywhere, a moment that had you too close to Vinny that you are praying he was too drunk to remember.

“Where is everyone else?” You ask curiously, not taking off your coat or boots to give the wrong impression that you were going to get comfortable.

“They all left already for the holidays, I was the last one to get a flight that leaves in a few days unfortunately.”

Oh, so it was just the two of you alone. You tried your best to look normal, unfazed by this revelation despite the fact that you are currently nervous being in such close proximity, worried that your crush that you have been hiding for years is going to break through. Though you had to admit it was painful, the fact you have waited for years hoping that he would notice you but he never did. You were still boring old y/n from highschool, despite the fact you are now in college together. You have always just been friends, and you accepted that years ago unfortunately. Nothing has changed through the years except he somehow got hotter than is fair, more than any other guys your age, but that is besides the point.

With you lost in your mind it gave Vin a chance to watch you, trying to figure out what he did wrong. Ever since that party a few weeks ago things have been different between both of you, you giving him the cold shoulder most of the time, and he can’t even remember what he did. He noticed you looked stiff, but didn’t want to ask what you we’re thinking about and scaring you off like he has always been good at.

“Come on, let's get coffee,” he offered, moving to lead you towards the kitchen but noticing that you hadn’t moved.

Truthfully, you are trying to figure out what your excuse to leave can be, wanting to head out the door and never come back, not able to ignore the clear edge in his voice. He didn’t seem upset though, in fact something a bit more was in his gaze, even if he seemed friendly, not on guard.

“I’m serious, you have to be freezing, it is damn near below zero and windy because of the storm moving in. You’re still shivering and have your coat on. I can even loan you a cup to take it in if you want to leave that bad but I would rather you at least come in and warm up some,” he says, giving you a warm smile. Hoping to coax you into staying for at least a little bit, so he can pick your brain, figure out what he did to upset you so much.

Damn him, now you can’t leave without looking like a jerk, he is being so friendly it would look bad if you said no. And truthfully as cold as you are coffee does sound nice right about now.

“Sure,” you say. “I could use some heat, but I want to get out of here and to my dorm before this storm officially hits.”

The tension in the air disappears as you follow him into the kitchen. You watch as Vinny pours you a cup when suddenly you hear the wind pick up, the lights flickering in the house and you panic. This was not good at all. The weatherman said the snow storm wasn’t going to be here until tomorrow and now it is hitting early, you never would have left your house if you knew it would hit early.

“Should we be worried?” You ask, you hate storms of any kind and the lights flickering makes you anxious, worried that the lights will go out and that you will be stuck here, you don’t want that.

“The house doesn’t always like wind and storms, especially as windy as it is getting. Cream and Sugar for your coffee, correct?” He says, deflecting your question, trying to distract you because he remembers how much you hate storms.

“Yes please, so anyways should we be worried?” You ask again, watching him pull some creamer out and pour it into your cup and adding a little sugar before handing it back to you with a smile, hoping that it was correct. Watching your expression when you take the first sip, hoping that you enjoy it.

“Good?”

“It is good, thank you,” you say with a smile, taking another sip as you close your eyes to take in the warmth from the cup before you glance at him with a stern look. “Okay now stop distracting me please, I want you to answer my question.

You meet his eyes, watching his reaction closely as he goes to answer, but as he does the house goes dark, like something has been pulled over the windows as the power goes out. You glance out the windows and notice that it is dumping snow, suddenly anxious at the weather change.

“Fuck, that actually just happened. Thank god you got here before it suddenly hit,” he says, giving you a nervous look before helping you to the couch and pulling his phone out of his pocket to pull the weather up. “They’re talking about downed wires and power outages, that we need to stay inside. Guess you are stuck with me for now. Thank god we have the fireplace and a lot of wood in here, I will get that going.”

Vinny says before scurrying off, getting started at lighting the fireplace so that the two of you have some heat, even if it isn’t a lot it will be enough for you both as you watch him, your nerves growing as you listen to the wind howl.

He gets it going and then walks off, before returning with a thick blanket for you, laying it over your lap before starting to light some candles that he found, bringing a little more light to the room around you. “I’m going to grab some blankets to insulate the house as much as I can, fill the gaps under the door and windows. Want to help?” He asks.

You get up and help him do that, to help prevent the cold air from making its way into the house that is already getting cooler, both of you somewhat miserable in the rest of the house and letting out a sigh when you sit on the couch, pulling the blanket over both of you.

It is now that it hits you that you are stuck here with Vinny, sitting closely to him on the couch. You try to ignore the fact your stomach is in knots, you aren’t sure if it is nerves because of the storm or because you are so close to him right now… or maybe it is both.

“Hey, I know storms freak you out. How are you feeling?” His voice startled you, but you quickly relaxed into the warmth of the blanket.

“Uhh a little cold, but alright I think. At least I am not stuck weathering the storm alone in the dorm,” you say softly, trying not to let out just how cold or freaked out you actually are at the moment.

“Shit, you are cold,” he says the second his hand rests on yours to comfort you, able to tell it is bothering you more than you are letting on. “Stand up for a second, I will move the couch closer to the fireplace.”

You do as he asks, watching as he moves it closer to the fireplace before both of you settle on it again. This time he sits a lot closer to you, pulling you into his side without a word, you know you are blushing at this.

“This will help keep you warm, if you are okay with this,” he says sheepishly, realizing that he probably shouldn’t have just done that, hoping that you aren’t mad.

You nod, not responding as you sigh contently, curling up next to him and taking advantage of his body heat. Truthfully, he only did this so he could be close to you, wanting to feel your touch, but he wouldn’t admit that out loud. He adjusted to pull you onto his lap, letting you soak in his body heat that he is sharing while your face is pressed into his neck.

“Thank you, this is…. Nice,” you say shyly, glad he can’t see the look on your face as you are probably blushing again. You are gladly going to take advantage of this, it’ll haunt your dreams for months to come. You move, your hands resting on his arms, making him jump.

“Fuck, you are freezing. Why are you like this,” he says, shivering slightly at your cold touch, making you giggle.

“I don’t know, I just always have cold hands. I’m sorry,” you say softly, moving to pull them away but his hands rest on yours, holding them to him.

Neither of you say much for awhile, just basking in the warmth from the fireplace while curled up together under the blankets. Eventually a hand is in your hair, gently stroking it, letting it run between his fingers for several moments, making you sigh and lean into him more, enjoying the gentle touches. He hears your quiet sigh in his ear and continues, enjoying the fact that he can tell just how sensitive you are to his touch.

“You’re sensitive there… Where else?” He asks you, you are almost able to hear the smile in voice as you try not to answer, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. You also are not wanting to admit this to him in fear that he will stop touching you, and you are enjoying it, even if it is only your hair too much to let him stop.

He takes your silence as his permission to keep going and slowly slides his hand down the side of your neck before settling close to your collarbone, gently stroking it while trying to gauge your reaction. Satisfied when you let out a soft moan, letting him know that you are enjoying his touch right now, more than you probably should when he is barely touching you.

“You are a mess huh,” he says lowly, continuing to lightly run his fingers along your collarbone, teasing you, wanting to draw more sounds out of you. “I can keep touching you if you want, doesn’t have to be anything naughty, just this.”

You want to be alarmed, want to say no and fight him off when his hands move down, roving your covered hips and thighs briefly before returning to rub circles along your neck, happy that you are now leaning into his touch. He is pretty sure he knows your answer even if you won’t say it out loud.

“I- I mean I guess. It was… it felt good. But won’t this change things between us?” You ask, embarrassed at everything that is currently taking place. To be admitting that the man is barely touching you and you are already thoroughly enjoying it.

“I think things changed at the party, don’t you? Can I ask you a question about that night?” he asks you, hands leaving soothing circles against your lower back. Trying to keep you relaxed enough that you won’t try to run when he asks what he wants to ask.

You nod, him feeling the movement against his neck where you still have your face nestled, glad he couldn’t see how much you were blushing.

“Would you have actually slept with me that night if Rick didn’t walk into the room?” He asks, his hands moving to your hair again as his nails lightly move across your scalp, the feeling almost distracting you from his question, you trying to think of the best answer you could come up with. When you don’t answer him in the time frame he feels like waiting he lightly pulls on your hair, making you gasp.

“I asked you a question y/n, don’t be rude and ignore it.”

“I-I don’t know, maybe?” You mumble, embarrassed that he is asking you this. That he is bringing up that night again. That you are being forced to think about the night you shamelessly kissed him while drunk and it led to more between the two of you… and the fact that you fled the second you got the chance when Rick accidentally walked in on both of you.

“You don’t have to be so shy, you can admit that you would have. It’s only us here and I think you are just as into me as I have been into you for years at this point,” he says cockily, knowing that you are getting anxious and will want to end this conversation.

He distracts you by moving his hands down the back of your neck, trailing along the soft skin with light pressure, trying to work the tension out of your body as his hands slowly work on it. Wanting to relax you, to make you comfortable with him.

“Okay, so I do have a crush on you. But I can’t say yes for sure because I-well I’ve never done that before so I don’t know if I would have agreed or not that night,” you admit, somehow feeling safe and comfortable in his arms, with him, to admit to him that you are a virgin despite being in college now and aren’t sure what you want or wanted that night.

“Okay, now it is my turn to be caught off guard. I didn’t expect that to be what was holding you back. I shouldn’t have asked, I’m sorry,” he says softly, worried that he embarrassed you too much and made you uncomfortable, if he made you admit to a secret that you weren’t ready to share with anyone.

Neither one of you speaks as he continues to lightly rub your neck, something that you feel like you should not be enjoying but you are. You are enjoying his hands on you much more than you probably should, and the way he gets you to shift every so often on his lap is making him a little harder than he feels like he should be right now. Worried you will notice it and it will bother you that he is.

“Is this okay,” he asks, reaching for the zipper of your hoodie that you have on, hoping that you will let him remove it. When it hit you what you were asking you said sure, pulling away from him a little so that he could do so, letting him slide it off your shoulders.

He slips his hands under your thighs for a moment so he can move you, your back now against his chest as you lean into him, into his touch and warmth as he settles his hands against your now exposed collarbone, running his hand over it gently as he continues to lightly touch you. His goal now is to make you enjoy his touch, make you crave it and possibly allow him to touch you elsewhere, get you to recognize that you enjoy it.

His fingers brush over your throat as he moves to your other collarbone, making you quite aware of where his hand is. You breathe in, and hope that he can’t feel it, that you are aware that if he barely moved he would be able to choke you, something that you don’t feel should be such an arousing thought to you but it is. But he does realize what the barely there touch just did to you and settles his hand at the base of your throat, not applying any pressure but rather lightly stroking it with his thumb as he feels you take a couple shaky breaths. Praying that he can’t see the more than likely flushed look on your face, the half closed aroused look on your face because you don’t want him to know what he is doing to you right now.

“You still good?” He asks, checking in on you with a low chuckle. He knows that you are, can tell by how you are shifting and breathing but he wants to hear you say it.

“Great,” you say softly, regretting the word choice that you just used. You don’t want to come across desperate despite the fact that is how you feel at the moment.

“I’m glad, tell me if you want me to stop.”

His hands start to slide down, lightly gliding over your breasts, making you gasp slightly but his hands keep going, settling on your stomach while he lets out a chuckle.

“It’s just us, you don’t have to hold anything in. Please don’t, let me hear what I am doing to you,” he whispers in your ear, his hands settling on your hips.

His fingers lightly digging into the soft flesh there, rubbing circles just barely under your shirt as you continue to try and hide how you are feeling, not wanting him to stop but also still not willing to show just how much you are enjoying this, enjoying him. When the hell had you gotten so warm, maybe it was a bad idea to let him move the couch up closer to the fireplace.

Before too long his hands settle on your lower back, between the two of you. Firming massaging your tight muscles there, trying to work out all your anxiety you are holding, because again, he wants you relaxed, enjoying this. He wants to enjoy having his hands on you, getting to worship your body as much as you will allow him because he doesn’t know if you will ever give him this chance again, and even if you will he now knows that this is your first time doing anything like this and wants you to enjoy it, not feel used at all.

His hands slowly work there way up as he feels you continue to slowly unwind under his touch, now much closer to your ribcage when they slide back to your front, teasing you right under where your bra sits, trying to gauge if he is allowed to keep going or not. Judging on how you sighed into his touch and leaned into him he is pretty sure that you are allowing this.

You stiffen slightly when you lean back into him, you are able to feel how hard he is against you, but quickly relax again, and shift yourself against him slightly because while you haven’t done much you have read plenty and are confident that he will hopefully enjoy it.

“Sorry,” he says sheepishly, slightly embarrassed that you noticed, worried that it will make you retreat back into yourself, but it doesn’t.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” you say softly, playing dumb. And while you know that he isn’t stupid and that he knows that you know why he’s apologizing, you felt that would be easier. To ignore it and pretend that you aren’t aware of what is happening with him, because honestly you are too far gone at this point, he could do just about anything he wants to with you and you would let him.

The tension between the two of you finally snapped, him urging you to turn back towards him and the second you do his lips are on yours. Moving against your own urgently, wanting nothing more than to feel you closer to him as you now straddle his lap, your own arms around his neck as you lightly move your hips against his own.

One of his hands is still under your shirt as he slowly slips it off of you, his hand starting to slowly ease the cup of your bra out of his way before he gives up and unhooks it with his other hand, giving himself more room to touch you. To lightly squeeze and palm your breast underneath the cup of your bra, holding back his own groan when he hears you lightly moan against his lips. His fingers move so that they can lightly rub over our nipple, feeling it harden almost immediately from his touch. He hesitantly slides the straps off his arms, going slowly so that you have time to stop him if you want to, but you don’t.

He pulls his lips away from yours, looking at your face as he continues to toy with your nipple between his fingers, trying to read your face, loving the flushed cheeks and half lidded eyes that he sees.

“You’re so sensitive. Has anyone ever touched you like this?” He asks, face moving to your neck as he begins to lightly kiss and suck on the sensitive skin there while he moves his hand to your other breast, giving it the same attention as you continue to move your hips, now seeking that friction between both of you.

“N-no,” you whimper, trying hard to keep your composure and failing, it is so hard to focus with his lips in such a sensitive place and his hands teasing you so much. You never expected to enjoy any of this so much and now that you are, well it’s making it hard to think, all your reservations now slowly slipping.

His hands slowly move, now slipping down your torso towards your waist, leaving more teasing and light touches right above the waistband of your jeans, dipping barely under it before slipping back out while his lips find yours again.

“Can I take your jeans off?” He asks you in between kisses as he slowly moves, laying your back down against the couch while he leans over the top of you, aching to touch you, to feel how wet he has made you.

You tense at his words and he immediately notices, pulling his hand away to settle on your cheek, stroking your jaw lightly as he pulls his lips away from yours, making you look at him.

“We don’t have to keep going, again, this is whatever you are comfortable with.” He says gently, eyes meeting yours as he tries to give you a reassuring smile, one that slightly worked.

“Jeans can come off, but I- I don’t think I am ready to go all the way, so panties are staying on please,” you answer, hoping that he won’t be upset with you.

“I can work with that,” he says gently, moving so that he can slip his own off, kicking them off his foot while you slowly slip out of your own.

You watch as he removes his own shirt too before he settles back over you, bringing his lips to yours again, much softer than before, as if he was trying to reassure you that everything is going to be alright, that he isn’t upset that you aren’t willing to completely go there yet.

His hand slowly slips down between both of you while you held your breath, unsure what to think, embarrassed because you know that you are soaked and he is going to feel it, know just how much of an effect his hands are having on you.

His eyes go wide when he finally settles his fingers over your covered slit, moving lightly against it, able to feel how damp your panties are under his touch, incredibly turned on by the fact he has made you this way. He slowly moves them to the side so that he can actually touch you, feeling your arousal on his skin as he lightly moves his fingers between your folds, coating them before using one to circle your clit, making you suck in a sharp breath.

“Fuck,” he groans softly, pulling away so that he can look at your face, taking note of how you seem to be a permanent shade of red at this point, and enjoying that you are.

His attention returns to his hand where it is down below, now really starting to work his fingers against your clit, giving you more pleasure than you have thought imaginable. This is definitely much better than when you get yourself off in your bed at night, it feels so much better. You don’t try to hide your moan when it slips out of your lips, encouraging him more.

Your hands winding into his hair as you pull his lips to your own again, you honestly don’t think you can get enough of them at this point. Of his lips on yours, swallowing all your sounds as he drags you closer and closer to the edge, making you question why you never let him do this sooner.

When he finally pulls you over the edge your whole body tenses for a moment, your back arching and pressing your chest into his as you come undone at the hands of someone else for the first time. He pulls his lips away from yours again so he can watch you as you do, the sight more arousing than any of the porn he has ever watched, than any of the other women he has been with before.

When you relax under his touch he leaves a couple gentle kisses on your lips, wanting you to feel comfortable and able to tell that he cares about how you are doing as you both smile at each other as your chest heaves from your heavy breaths as you come back down.

You don’t say a word as you push on his shoulder, urging him off of you before you glance at him, shy but determined. Feeling a new sort of confidence as you want to return the favor, want to make him enjoy himself too.

“Lay down Vin, please,” you ask him shyly, hoping that he listens and allows you to do this without questioning you. He looks at you for a second, reading your face before speaking.

“You don’t have to touch me you know,” he says softly, wanting to make sure you don’t feel forced into anything. While you appreciate this, and find it incredibly sweet you still want to return the favor.

“I know, but please?” you ask again, watching as he processes your question and lays back, his back against the cushions of the couch as he listens.

You slowly move the band of his boxers down, watching as his length springs free from its confines before you hesitantly wrap your hand around it, barely gripping it as you move your hand up and down, stroking him gently. You’re assuming that you are doing this right based on the groan that leaves his lips as he watches you, egging you on to continue your touch.

His hand wraps around yours, encouraging you to grip him tighter before letting it go, letting you continue on your own as he throws his head back for a moment, almost unbelieving that this is happening right now, but it is.

He moves to watch you again, seeing you gain confidence as he grows closer and closer from your touch, before he finally finishes his cum decorating your pretty hand while you watch his face for a moment, looking away the second his eyes meet yours, embarrassed.

“Hey, don’t be shy with me now. Let me go grab something to clean your hand up, yeah?” He asks, sitting up and giving you a soft kiss before walking away, returning with a towel and a shirt for you to slip on after you are both cleaned up as you both sit in the awkward silence for a moment, watching the fire. You can tell he is thinking something, but you aren’t sure what.

“What’s wrong,” you ask him quietly, turning to look at him.

“Don’t worry about it, it is nothing bad, promise,” he says softly. “Just stupid shit.”

“It’s not stupid if it is bothering you Vin,” you respond, reaching out to lightly rub his arm, wanting him to be open with you as you just were with him.

“I’m worried I fucked up by doing this, because I gladly would do it again but would you? I feel like I pressured you into it,” he admits, refusing to meet your gaze as he continues watching the fire.

“You asked more than once if I wanted you to stop, and I didn’t. And you were right, things changed at the party a few weeks ago between us and no matter how much I want to deny that I can’t. You were sweet, making sure that I was alright the entire time, and even if I wanted to I can’t deny I’ve wanted more between us for a while,” you respond, somehow having a new found confidence after everything. Maybe it is just because you have seeing him unhappy, unsure of himself but you felt the need to reassure him, to let him know just how you feel about him even if you are risking him feeling the same.

“It has always been you y/n, since we were stupid kids in highschool until now. I guess mauve I should have told you sooner but it’s true,” he says, now turning towards you. Hoping you can tell that he is telling you the truth, that you are happy with the truth.

“Really?” you ask with a slight smile, unable to help yourself when it spreads across your face.

“Yes, now if you don’t mind I want to kiss you until you ask me to stop, until this blizzard stops and we can’t anymore,” he says with a smile. “How long was this even supposed to go on?”

“A couple days, so we may wind up stuck here for Christmas unfortunately,” you respond softly, a little disappointed that you might not be home for the holiday, it didn’t hit you until just now when you two started talking about the storm again.

“Well, good thing we have enough wood for a few days, and we just may wind up having our first Christmas together in the process. And that gives me plenty of time to enjoy this” he says, pulling you into him so that he could kiss you again, making you giggle.

“I guess so.”

#motionless in white #fanfiction #vinny mauro #bree sucks at fanfiction #motionless in white imagine #vinny mauro x reader smut #vinny mauro x reader #vinny mauro fanfiction #vinny mauro fic #vinny mauro imagine #vinny mauro smut #vinny mauro fluff #vinny x reader #vinny mauro fanfic #Vinny

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saigawrites · 1 year

Text

Unusual casual everyday.

Wanderer x Platonic! Gn! Reader

Part 3 of my series | part 1 ; part 2

Tags : fluff, crack, scenarios.

Warnings : mentions of leaving

Summary : you've been in the fictional world of genshin impact for a while. Kunikuzushi, as the character introduced himself, has been by your side since your first meeting. Not going to lie, you grew quite close to each other in the time spent together. So, how exactly do you spend your casual day life with him?

Tired. Exhausted, even. Deep, heavy breathes escape your form as your heart pounds and beats so fast it aches. It is painful to get any oxygen in your lungs at this point, your head hurts as if it is going to explode right then and there. You stop in your tracks, bringing your hands to your knees and bending down a bit to take a break. Pace unchanging in front of you, the same sound of footsteps are heard with the occasional breeze. You reach out your hand to latch it on the shoulder of your guide, pushing him back a little. You see his bland textured feet turn around as he now is facing you. Letting out a simple sigh, he watches you with worry in his eyes while you cough on the sourness of your throat.

Seriously, how is he not out of breath yet? Were characters in this game really conditioned to be unstoppable forces of power? Or is it just him? Either way, all you could do was widen out your eyes whenever you would move on to another location together. Because the stamina of this travel-partner of yours did shock you a lot of times. You both never stayed at one place, always travelling around to gather more and more information on the topic of multidimensional jumping, lapping, whatever you wanna call it. You made it clear on the first few days of your acquaintance that you didn't want to stay here. This is not your home at all, and never could be.

Gladly, he understood you and your wishes, and accepted to help you out on your mission. You were truly thankful of that as you don't actually think that you could've survived without him on your side, you know. Afterall, he's the one that have made the first move, overcoming his fear at the sight of you and burying it deep down his stomach. Eventually, this fear of his disappeared without a trace of existence, as you have warmed up to his heart with your nature. Even now, when you were crouching, coughing, and tugging on his clothes with such a pathetic look and crumpled outfit he still was fascinated with you.

He was nearly shocked when you bringed your face on his level and literal sweat was dripping down your face. As if scared that you're gonna melt down like a candle, he gently brushed the drops coming down from your forehead with his hands, staring at you with a questioning look. You recognized it as his way of asking "Are you okay? Is this normal for your physiology?", as he have already done that before several times. So many new and unknown to him physical behaviors demonstrated on your body made his mind heat up. If you would think that he's quite odd with his biology, he does the same with you but hundred times more.

An almost imperceptible smile grows on his lips whenever he watches you run to get something he pointed to you, whether it's some otherworldly fruit from the tree, or a unrecognizable flower beside a rock. He just can't help but be amazed at how fast you can get to the destination, how swiftly you could get the thing he wanted, how without much struggle you could return to his side and hand the item to him.

To him, the unstoppable force of power was you, as you have shown him your strength in all it's glory with your sharp wit, (simply go around a ginormous temple with tons of quizzes instead of entering it) attentiveness, (noticing hilichurls about to jump you with your peripheral vision) and cautiousness. (instinctively looking from side to side because of car influence)

You simply nod at him, bringing your hand up to wipe off the drops coming down. You sigh from fatigue, heat pulsating in your body from head to toe. An inner urge inside of you makes you unconsciously open your mouth and- ah there it is, his favourite thing you do.

Yawning, you show him the two diverse row of teeth, the gum walls of your mouth, the immense veins under your tongue and the darkness of your throat. Some trails of saliva evident on the roof of your so mesmerizing, so defined, so itemized mouth that he was oh so eager to gaze at. He was so painfully curious about your insides, but he of course kept some decency in himself and didn't want to overstep your personal boundaries.

At this, he chuckles lightly, breaking his serious expression. The balladeer cannot help himself but feel a rather warm feeling sprouting in his chest, sparking an invisible smirk and tenderness from your actions. The sight of your eyelids constantly dropping and shooting open back up always amused him, the way you would look like a sleepy kid whenever you would rub your eyes wouldn't go unnoticed by him either.

He really wishes he could just squish your cheeks at this types of moments, playing with the softness of your flesh and coo at you like a parent would at their baby. But, he has to resist, he has to hold in his inner desires in place, or else he'll completely shed that tough and brutal image he shows everyone around him. Well, you're an exception, of course.

Another thing he loves to do with you is play. Play literally anything, chasing each other, play-fighting, literally any game that comes to mind. Most of the time it was you who would initiate this childish activity, dragging his hand and annoying him on purpose. Acting irritated by your behavior, he would actually enjoy it deep inside his gut. He'll never admit it, though. He'd better bury himself 7 meters underground rather than admit that he likes seeing you all worked up, laughing and giggling when he would tickle you till you cry and beg for him to stop.

But he particularly favors this new game you teached him, passing a ball without it touching the ground. Well, that's at least how he understood it, as for you it was just volleyball. You were incredibly bored one day, and your dear caretaker couldn't unnotice your rather plain look, and the slouched state you were in. Bothered by your condition, he couldn't bring himself to do anything other than deciding to do something about it.

And that was, as foolish as it may sound to him, buying you a ball from the local market. Well, you can't blame him, he doesn't know what type of entertainment you would enjoy! All he could do is this, as the other toys seemed to be too childish for someone as big as you.

Though, the expression you made when he first tossed you the thing made him think it was worth it. You were instantly cheered up, all happy go lucky again, and he finally felt piece at that. What he did not expect, though, for you to call out his name and point at the ball, as if asking if he could play with you. Now, he already got as far as buying you such a thing, and now you want him to engage in it with you? Oh, just how naive your are.

Strangely though, he did what you have gestured him to do, even if he acted hesitant at first. Standing not so far from your form, he waited for your movements, thinking what in teyvat are you two gonna do now. Rising the ball in the air, you tossed it to him. He caught it, and then looked at you with a raised eyebrow. Signing him to toss the toy back, he thought the game you just initiated was lame as hell.

Not until he tossed the ball to you, and you beat it back, like they do in volleyball. Not gonna lie, he was taken aback by your actions, and stumbling over his decisions he got a ball hit right in his face. You, horrified and flabbergasted you, rushed to his laying posture with an impossible speed, examining his features intensely and profusely apologizing by clasping your hands together and violently shaking up and down.

Sitting up, he could only look at you in an exhausted manner, pinching the bridge of his nose and exclaiming a tired sigh. Uncertainty and nervousness arised in your soul as you tugged your lips to the side of your cheek, hissing quietly, hoping that he won't get too mad at you.

Unbeknownst to you, that would never be a possibility, don't even try. Even in a such short amount of time, you grew on him, warmed his hollow chest with adoration. He may only be your rescuer to you, but to him, you are already his family member. As much as he hates to admit it, deep inside him his nonexistent heart aches from the thought of you leaving. But, he knows you are not going to stay, and he can't disagree with you on that.

Standing up and picking up the ball, he pointed you to go back to your designated place, completely ignoring the pulsating pain around his nose area. All you could do is simply comply, seeing as he was determined to beat the game and announce his victory, as usual. With a courageous look on his face, he tossed you again and watched attentively your movements.

Success! He got it, well, only after receiving multiple hits from you literally everywhere on his body. At last, that didn't matter to him, as the new exciting temp of the game and your gleeful expressions overshadowed the process of learning how to beat back and do innings.

It's not a surprise to say that you were quite excited to try the new crops, not like anything else on your mother planet. What a disappointment it was though when you first sniffed the other worldly meal. No scent at all. You almost had a panic attack thinking that you lost your senses after waking up here.

Another one of the dissatisfactions was that you never really felt full even after eating a big sized dish. You always needed atleast two of whatever you were eating, since for some reason genshin impact food doesn't feel fulfilling for your real self. Not only that, but the taste was also most of the time bland, almost imperceptible to tons of your taste buds located on your tongue. You would only really feel the flavours when the food was deemed inedible by Kunikuzushi.

So as the best caretaker the wanderer is, he would always make sure to buy you two portions of whatever you wanted to eat, and tell the chefs to add extra seasoning to the order.

Cooking was not an easy thing to do, especially with your condition of not having the proper tools for it, and being extremely puzzled with the choice of ingredients, as most of the products did not resemble earth ones. Questions like 'which one of these is suitable?' or 'is this sweet? Is it sour?' would turn your brain into mush, and the fact that you couldn't properly taste flavours was not helping either.

So you both agreed for wanderer to go out and order both of you pre-cooked take out, meanwhile you would stay in the hotel room, resting on one of the beds from going around in heavy camouflage all day. Strolling covered from head to toe in another layer of clothing above your own is not an easy task, you know. Out of concern, the wandering puppet would offer to spoon feed you, forcefully pushing a bite to your lips with a grimace. But you know that he is not actually upset he has to do this, maybe, rather happy.

AGGHHH,,,,, FINALLYYYYYYYY....... I am sincerely sorry for my hiatus and milking the hell out of my last fics,,,, I really hope that this is not exhausting to read, since I'm kinda scared it is😭.

Tag : @0rah-s cuz you haven't even seen the 2 part >:0

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smolgloves · 5 months

Text

The Blood and The Heart

A/n: We were all thinking of it, so lets get some baulder's gate 3 G/t 💅

Tw: descriptions of blood, fearplay, mentions of death/murder attempted crushing, and dehumanizing language.

Food had grown scarce during this time, between the goblins that hunted travelers on the road and the town being inflicted with an unnatural plague; borrowers who lived on the outskirts of town could barely find enough resources to last a week. But Freya dared to be braver than most of her kind, she ventured further out past the border and collected berries. It was dangerous but it was enough for the borrower to survive better than others back home, and if she was lucky she could find the occasional traveler who would make camp nearby, that's when Freya would hit the jackpot! And today was her lucky day as a large group had set up camp tonight. It was a more diverse group, with humans, elves, a halfling, a tiefling, and even a githyanki traveling together. They all gathered together by the fire and shared stories together, some were enjoying the company more than others but all still enjoying the night together.

~~~

It was the dead of night when Freya had decided to strike. She had crept around the campsite while everyone was sleeping in their tents picking up scraps that had been discarded, however, she noticed one tent remained empty; an elf had wandered out and ventured into the woods halfway through the night, he had not returned yet, Freya wondered if something happened to him but no one else seemed to be concerned. So she took the opportunity to sneak into his tent. She was greeted with a cozy area filled with satin pillows and stacks of books but a metallic stench lingered inside. As the golden haired borrower ventured further she saw a couple bottles of red wine…. But no food in sight. Strange, most travelers carried a personal stash of rations on them, where was this guy's stash?

The sound of footsteps rumbled just outside the tent, Freya gasped and quickly dove behind a dark red pillow that laid on the ground.

The elf had strolled back into his tent with the stench of death lingering behind him. Freya had to swallow a gag in order to keep quiet, she had to get out of here now! Peeking out from her hiding spot, she noticed him sitting on the bedroll with his back to her rummaging through a sack that reeked; that must have explained the rotting stench. Perfect time to escape!

Freya held her breath as she tiptoed out in the open, she glanced over at the elf and saw him still preoccupied with his bag, she took another few steps and another just to test his perception before she broke out in a sprint, she was about halfway across the tent before a blood stained dagger cut down directly in her path.

"Well well, looks like I have a pest in my tent." The Elf spoke with a cold tone.

Dread formed inside the borrower as she dared to look up, her gray eyes widened as she stared at a pale elf with curly silver hair that tucked behind his pointed ears, intense red eyes locked onto her with a menacing glare, blood was splattered across his face, with a little bit dribbling out of the corner of his mouth, but the most terrifying thing was when he parted his lips to show pointed fangs that were sharp enough to impale Freya.

"Vampire…" Ice coursed through her veins.

"So the pest can speak." A cruel smile twisted upon his lips as his spender hand loomed over Freya. "I'm sure your explanation will be good."

Adrenaline forced the tiny woman to break out in a sprint, she ducked from the ghastly fingers, twisting and turning from the maze of books that almost seem to be conspiring against her!

"I love a good hunt." He said with a purr, causing a sick knot to twist in Freya's gut. Her life was a game to this monster, if Freya didn't get out of this tent, she was as good as dead! Like a stalking cat, the vampire moved with agility, each time Freya thought she was free, he blocked her way to safety, her energy slowly drained until he had her right where he wanted her, cornered like a helpless mouse.

"Aww, no more fight?" He clicked his tongue. "And here I thought this would be more fun."

Before Freya could even react, a swift hand came and snatched her up. She let out a shriek, long fingers curled around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. "Unhand me!" The borrower shouted as she squirmed in his grip.

"Not until you explain why you're in my tent." He spoke in a cold voice, red eyes glaring down at her.

"I was just looking for something to eat!" Freya exclaimed. "I wasn't going to take much, I swear!"

The pale man narrowed his eyes. "Stealing food from a vampire's tent? That doesn't seem smart for a multitude of reasons."

"Had I known you were a vampire I wouldn't have come in, trust me." She snapped back. "Now let me go!"

"You know, we've been dealing with a lot of attacks lately," He spoke in a low tone. "And I can't shake the feeling that they always seem to figure out exactly where we are…"

"You can't seriously think I have something to do with it?" Freya's eyes shot daggers at the vampire.

The man scoffed. "Bounty hunters have been after me and suddenly a borrower shows up in my tent?!" His grip shifted to where Freya laid in an open palm but his thumb pinned her down, pressing firmly on her sternum. "Little convenient, don't you think?"

Freya gasped as he pressed down on her chest, forcing the air to slowly leave her lungs. "I have… nothing to do… with that!"

"It wouldn't be hard, you know." A coy smile appeared on his face, his thumb pressing harder into the borrower. "To make you choke on your own blood, just a little more pressure and you'll be nothing more than a bloody mess in my hand." He pulled her in closer, a hungry look flickering in his eyes. "I suggest you start talking."

"Please!" Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she tried using her strength to push his thumb off, but it only made him exert more. "I'm not a part of... whatever you're… dealing with!"

"You're really going to keep this up?" He let out a sigh, as if this was some game he was growing bored with.

Breaths became more shallow for the borrower, she looked up at him with pleading eyes as if that was her only hope to get through to him.

"Astarion?"

Both Freya and the vampire snapped their heads over to the source of the voice. There was a halfling standing at the opening of the tent. Choppy black hair that reached their shoulders and tanned skin, they were dressed in a casual white shirt, similar to the one the vampire- or Astarion was wearing.

"Tav?" Astarion said in a much softer tone. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you came back to camp safely, is that a borrower?" They asked as they walked closer to the vampire like it was no big deal. Their eyes were a bright shade of green as they looked at the captive Freya in awe.

"More like a spy." Astarion grumbled. "Found her sneaking around my tent."

"I'm not a fucking spy!" Freya shouted through her shallow breaths.

"Shut up!" Astarion hissed. "You're not leaving until you tell me who sent you!"

"Astarion, I don't think she's with the bounty hunters." Tav spoke in a soft voice.

"That's what she wants you to think." Astarion said, anger lacing his voice. "I know she's with them."

Tav stared at Astarion for a moment, as if they were reading them like a book. "You're scared of who's sending the bounty hunters…"

"Get out of my head, Tav!" He snapped back. "You know he's the one behind this."

"Maybe so, but…" The halfling put a hand on his wrist, giving a soft squeeze. "She's not the reason we keep finding trouble."

Freya watched as Astarion's face twisted, as if he was debating what to do with the borrower in hand. "How can you be so sure she's not with them?"

Tav gave a smug look and looked down at Freya. "Earlier this evening, you were hiding in the trees, watching us as we ate, right?"

Freya's eyes widened as Tav spoke, how did they know? She debated whether or not admitting that would be better for her survival.

"I spotted you earlier and thought about offering you a plate." Tav let out a chuckle before turning to the vampire. "You weren't around when I spotted her, don't you think she would have followed you into the forest when you were alone instead of waiting for all of us to go to bed?"

It felt like an eternity, as Astarion stared at Freya, his crimson eyes froze her in place, until she was suddenly shoved into the hands of the Halfling. "Take the wretched girl."

Pressure was finally released from Freya's sternum and she took deep breaths to make up the amount of air that was stolen from her. "You're bloody insane!" Freya choked out between breaths.

"Bold words from someone who was trembling in my hand a second ago." He gave her a smug smile.

"Play nice." Tav warned, unlike Astarion; the halfling kept Freya cupped in their open hands, their fingers slightly curled around the borrower as if to provide a shield from the vampire. That small gesture didn't go unnoticed.

“Please, just let me go and I promise you'll never see me again.” Freya stared up at Tav, hoping her pleas could sway the more reasonable one.

“The little one steals our food and begs to be released?” A chuckle slipped from Astarion as he stared daggers at Freya. “Not without a price, darling.”

A panic threatened to take hold of Freya once more, her throat closed off before words could form. Then a sigh from behind broke her from her thoughts, she turned back to Tav who couldn't contain the annoyance on their face.

“Let's talk privately.” Tav said with a sweet smile. They began walking towards the exit but paused for a moment to turn their head to Astarion. “I will speak with you later.”

The cool breeze hit Freya's skin as she was carried off to the dying embers of the campfire.

“Sorry about that,” They set Freya down on a stone. “Astarion can be a little… much sometimes.”

“A little?!” Freya hissed out. “He nearly killed me!”

Tav let out a chuckle. “Don't take it personally, he put a knife to my throat when we first met.”

“And you kept him around?!”

“Believe it or not, he's actually a good companion.” Tav gave a soft smile and glanced over at the vampire's tent. “But… he's been through a lot.”

Freya noticed Tav's gave lingered at the tent, sympathy glazed over their green eyes. It was hard to believe that such a monster would warrant sympathy from a much kinder person, if Freya didn't still feel the aches from her chest, she might have been inclined to forgive him. But vampires are always out for blood, she just hopes that Tav doesn't forget that.

Tav snapped their attention back to Freya. “Sorry, I was lost in thought, but how about I give you something to eat.”

“I uh… already got food.” Freya spoke softly, clutching the strap of her bag.

“Yeah, but I imagine you just grabbed some scraps off the ground.” They moved over to a supply pack on the ground. “I can get you something more fresh and filling.”

Pride took hold of the borrower, bad enough that she had to be caught and rescued, she didn't need help being fed. “I don't need your charity.”

Tav just flashed a grin. “Don't think of it as a charity, think of it as… compensation for dealing with Astarion.”

Freya couldn't help but let a soft chuckle slip out, making Tav's smile broaden.

“I knew that would ease you up.” they rummaged around their bag and pulled out some dried meat to offer it to her.

Freya gingerly took the food with both hands and took a small nibble of it. Her eyes widened as the spices that peppered the meat danced on her tongue, it had been a while since she had something this good.

“There's more of that if you'd like.” Tav said. “Would you mind telling me your name?”

“My name is Freya.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Freya. I'm Tav and that was Astarion back there.” Tav sat back, still keeping their gaze on Freya. “I have to ask, what is a borrower doing all the way out here? Your kind usually stays closer to civilization.”

“Well… the town I live near is dealing with a plague and goblins.” Freya explained. “Not many merchants are wanting to go down to Skaars Hollow, so I venture out a little further.”

“What a coincidence, we were just heading down that way!” Tav exclaimed. “We're going to be taking care of that little goblin problem, but I must say, I wasn't aware there was a plague there.”

“I'm not surprised, it just came out of nowhere one day.” The air seemed to grow colder as Freya talked about the plague. “There's rumors that this plague is actually a curse.”

Tav's eyes widened. “You wouldn't happen to know more about that, would you?”

“I'm not sure how true it all is.” Freya pondered. “I overheard it while I was borrowing at our Tavern one night. This could all be drunken banter.”

“Maybe so, but it's definitely something I'd like to look into.” Tav lost themselves in a deep thought, letting the silence hang in the air. Then they glanced back at Freya, green eyes looking her up and down. “Are you going to head back to the village soon?”

“That was the plan.”

Tav shot a wearily look towards the borrower. “It's awfully late to be walking back there, might I recommend you stay the night at camp and we can all head to Skaars Hollow together.”

Freya mirrored Tav's uncertainty. “I don't think that's a good idea.”

“I understand you borrowers don't normally seek aid from larger folks but heading back to your village at your height must be dangerous, I don't think I could live with myself if you got hurt.” Tav said softly. They weren't wrong, the road to Skaars Hollow is a rather long walk through the forest where owls stalk the night, if Freya left now she probably wouldn't get back to her colony until morning, yet pride still took hold of her. “I can handle myself!”

“I'm sure you can but I would just feel better if I escorted you back there.” They replied. “And after tonight, I think you deserve it.”

The borrower folded her arms. “Your companion wouldn't agree, and I don't think I want to meet the rest of your group if they're anything like your vampire friend.”

“I can promise you that most of the group is nothing like Astarion.” Tav laughed. “But if it makes you feel better, I won't force you to meet the rest of the group unless you wish too.”

“You'd do that for me?” Freya whispered, she stared at Tav as if she was expecting them to burst out laughing and reveal it to be a trick, but Tav just flashed a warm smile that made her heart flutter.

“Of course, I understand that being around larger folks is not something you're used to, I won't reveal you to anyone you don't feel comfortable with.” The halfling said softly. “Besides, we shortys must stick together, right?”

Freya let out a hearty chuckle, something about Tav made it so easy for her to drop her guard. “Would you mind sparing some materials for me then? Nothing much, just maybe some rags, sewing needles, scraps of food?”

“It would be my pleasure, Freya.” They smiled.

“Alright, deal.” Freya felt her cheeks grow pink as she stared into Tav's eyes, but she quickly shied away before it became noticeable.“I will accompany you to the tavern but that's where we need to split.”

Tav rested a hand over their heart. “Then I shall cherish the moments we will spend together.”

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slytherin-paramour · 6 months

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Hello Tumblr! It's been a while since I contributed actual content! I actually started this a few months ago but only finished it today, haha. It's a very obscure little drabble that is centred around the very handsome man who plays the lute just above central hall in the game! Lute Guy, yeah!

It's probably really bad, but remember, it is just a drabble of nonsense! I just imagine that this guy has a name and a story of sorts, so just go with it ❤️🤣

Nicholas Willow

The sound of your heeled boots echoed all around the empty space that was Central Hall as you wandered listlessly up to the beautiful mermaid fountain that dominated the room. You stopped to stare up at the intricate design, eyes blankly running over the stone carving that depicted a Werewolf fighting a majestic Unicorn.

Your heart lurched and your fists clenched by your sides as you tried and failed to not think about the last hour and the humiliation that it had wrought upon you.

Your mind refused to grant you peace as it replayed images of him, the one who'd claimed to love you with body and soul, his arms wrapped around an unfamiliar girl. Their bodies pressed tightly together as his lips claimed hers. Their sounds of pleasure striking you like a dagger to the chest.

Your first instinct had been to hex them both on the spot, but there were far too many bodies waltzing on the dance floor. And so, defeated and heartbroken, you'd fled from the ball, trying desperately not to break down in front of everyone.

You began to pace toward the steps that would lead you up to the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower, your sparkling verdant-hued dress trailing out behind you as you walked. A familiar euphonious melody could be heard playing softly throughout the halls, each note that sounded plucking further at your unsteady emotions.

With each weary step upwards, you felt the dams containing your emotions begin to break. Unable to stop it, a tear fell from your eye and cut a path over your cheek. Followed by another. And another.

Following the aching in your chest, the dam finally broke and you sobbed uncontrollably into the balls of your hands. You sat down at the top of the stairs, leaning your head against the wooden banister as you rubbed at your eyes furiously, willing yourself to not succumb to something so pathetic.

So distraught were you, so wrapped up in your own misery, that you hadn't noticed that the constant thrum of instrumental music had stopped entirely. What did rouse your attention, however, was the sudden voice that rang out behind you in a deep, rich tone.

"Tis a shame indeed to see such a fair maiden so forlorn." Your eyes widened and you jumped to your feet, spinning on your heel toward the source of the voice, almost toppling backwards in the process. Steadying yourself using the railing beside you, your eyes darted about the open landing, searching for the one who had spoken.

"Hello? Who's there?"

There was no physical form to be seen, but you soon solved the puzzle. Your eyes rove over the far wall that overlooked the staircase. A familiar moving painting hung there, usually to be found playing his enchanting music as he gazed off longingly into the distance. However, now he held his instrument in front of him and was standing up, seemingly a tad closer than his usual position. And he was staring right at you with his dark eyes.

Your racing heart slowed to an acceptable speed and you took slow, tentative steps towards the giant painting. His gaze followed your approach, a gentle smile adorning his handsome face. You stood in front of him now, sniffling a little as you gave your cheek another rub to wipe away any stray tears.

"Excuse me, but were you speaking to me?" Your voice sounded slightly croaky as it echoed through the empty landing. The man in the painting nodded his head, his perfect chocolate coloured curls bouncing with the motion.

"Indeed. My apologies if I caused you alarm." You blinked and looked at him in confusion, but then smiled politely.

"No, no, it's quite alright...I just, I've attended Hogwarts for years now and this is the first time I've heard you speak." The brunette haired man chuckled, running a hand over the neck of his lute as he continued to stare at you.

"And for that, again, I can only apologise. I know of you, Hero of Hogwarts. Word travels even among we paintings. And I've seen you many times throughout the years. My painting was not actually enchanted with instruction to speak, merely to gift these halls with the notes of my songs. However, upon witnessing your sorrowful state this evening, I felt that I simply must at least attempt to comfort you."

You felt heat flood to your cheeks at his words, and butterflies seemed to flit about in your chest when you made eye contact with him. What in Merlin!? Before you could reply, he spoke again.

"Forgive me, but why do you weep, my lady? It grieves me to see one so fair with tears falling so heavily."

Your breath hitched, a confusing mixture of wanting to pour your heart out to this beautiful man and wanting to run away and hide in your dormitory overcoming you. You sighed and walked closer to the painting, and though it pained you, you spoke of all that had transpired at the ball that night.

You stopped speaking, realising that tears had started to fall once more. The dark haired lute player held a palm out to press against his side of the canvas, a look of sorrow on his features. "My heart bleeds for you. Truly. He is a man of no honour, and certainly not worthy of your tears."

You sniffed and stared up at him, eyes red rimmed from your emotional outburst. A soft smile graced your features, a blush running over your cheeks as you watched the painted man. He really was handsome. And kind hearted. You found yourself interested in him, and deigned to ask him a few questions.

"Would it be completely ridiculous to ask you for your name? I don't think there has ever been a nameplate on your painting, and I've never thought to ask." You spoke quietly, brushing your fingers against the framework of his canvas. He gave you a full, grateful smile, eyes filled with mirth as he watched you from above.

"I would consider it an honour for such a beautiful maiden to know of my name. It is Nicholas Willow."

"Nicholas...." The name rolled off your tongue smoothly. You smiled at him, speaking sincerely. "It really suits you. Nice to meet you, Nicholas. My name is MC."

Nicholas fell into a perfect bow, his dark eye's fixed on yours from underneath his almost ebony curls. It sent a pleasant shudder through you, heat crawling over your cheeks. You cleared your throat awkwardly and looked around his painting, anything to distract you from his overwhelming presence. Your eye's landed on his instrument.

"You play the lute beautifully, Nicholas. You must have been a fine musician in life."

Your comment caught Nicholas off guard, a slightly forlorn expression darkening his face. He looked off into the distance once more and you panicked, afraid that you may have spoken out of term in some way.

"I'm so sorry, I do hope I haven't offended you! I only meant to compliment your lovely melodies."

The man in the painting gave a soft sigh, a smile tinged with sadness appearing on his angular face. He took the intricately carved lute into his arms once again, strumming the strings one by one to produce a harmonious little tune. The movement of his fingers combined with the melancholic notes of music had your mind somewhat transfixed. Your own heart, already scorned this evening felt even heavier in your chest.

"Do not apologise, MC. It is only that the playing of this music has been both a blessing and a curse upon my life."

He then wove a tale of romance and joy, of betrayal and heartache and of utmost tragedy. Each word spoken bringing your tears close to the surface once again. Your own grievances this evening seemed to pale in comparison to his, and you wished there were some way to comfort his injured soul, a soul forever painted into this canvas.

Your hand brushed gently against what would be his, albeit larger hand inside the painting. It was all you could think to do as he recounted his sad tale.

"And then my beloveds body was taken from my grasp, stolen away from me to be buried in some unknown resting place."

Such a forlorn expression fell upon his features that you could hardly bear it. You sniffled quietly, your gaze never leaving his face.

"She did so love to hear me play my music. And so I wrote the piece that you hear echoing around this tower. I played it often in my darkened day's of grief, and will continue to do so in memory of my sweet Jane."

You flattened your palm agains the canvas, trying to muster the correct words to say in response to such a tale of woe.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that, Nic. You didn't deserve that, nor did your lovely Jane. I do wish I could have met her, she's sounds like an amazing witch. I hope the one's responsible for her murder are suffering now, wherever they may be."

Nicholas' eyes returned from whatever horrific past he was dwelling in at that moment, looking down at you again with a little smile.

"Thank you for your kind words. They mean much to me. You know, you remind me of Jane in a way."

It felt completely out of place to blush at a time like this, but you couldn't help the way that heat ran over your cheeks at his words. This handsome, talented man had just compared you to his lost lover, afterall. You looked at you feet, brushing imaginary dust away from your dress.

"Oh...well thank you. May I ask in what way?"

He was silent for a moment, but spoke his next words with absolute conviction.

"Courage. I see the same fire in you that she had within her. Will you do me a favour, before you retire for the evening, dear MC?"

You waited, holding in your breath instinctively. Your heart fluttering within the confines of your chest.

"Hold on to that courage. That fire. Hold on to it and rise above those who have wronged you this evening. I would see your smile over your tears the next time you cross my path."

You swallowed a thick lump at his sincerity, rubbing at your eye with your fist to eradicate a traitorous tear before it had the chance to fall. You beamed up at him with a genuine smile and placed a palm back onto the canvas, fingers running gently over the tiny ridges of it's surface.

"Thank you, Nicholas. I know that it may not seem it, but you've cheered me up greatly tonight. And I think I know what I need to do now. Please don't hesitate to speak to me again. I think that I would enjoy that very much."

Nicholas chuckled, maneuvering his lute back into place as he grinned down at you with a fond look in his eye.

"It can be our little secret, MC. I bid you farewell, for now."

With that, you turned around to hide the growing blush on your cheeks and took a few steps upwards and away from Nick's painting. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the strum of strings once again and you glanced over your shoulder. Nicholas was in his original position, playing his beautiful song as he stared off into his personal memories once more, as if he'd never spoken at all.

You continued up the stairs, a little smile breaking out on your face as the music grew quieter. Your heart felt a bit less heavy than it had been.

"Thank you, Nick."

#hogwarts legacy fandom #hogwarts legacy #harry potter #hogwarts legacy oc #hogwarts legacy drabbles #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #hogwarts legacy lute guy #hogwarts legacy mc

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defining-skyology · 2 months

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Defining Light.

(For real this time)

Alright, I'll admit it. We throw around the word 'light' in here quite often. I'm not proud of it, but it's unfortunately a necessity.

To clear up some possible misconceptions, let's understand that throughout this blog's lifetime, I'll be using 3 primary versions of the word 'light'.

Light, or visible light, is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye.

The Light (in the Sky), also known as the Megabird.

Light; the direct physical substance/energy found in Sky's world.

So as we begin to prepare to Define Light, we have to remember that the subject matter for the day is #3:

Light: the direct physical substance/energy found in Sky's world.

Let's begin. [[[Long read/article ahead]]]

[[[Continue Reading]]]

Loremoths and even most non-Lore players do a fun little double take when first realizing that Light (the substance, not the Beings) has been around them in-game all along.

Walking across the butterfly field, as you step through the prairie, the blades of grass, tiny dandelions, and quaint colorful red yellow and white flowers light up around your feet, reacting and breathing in response to your presence and footfall. Their glow is genuinely incandescent; their light feeling alive.

You look around at the butterflies in the distance, the mantas beyond that, the birds traveling far beyond where you can catch them.

You think back to the tales of the conceptual Megabird, and how everything is made of Light. All things.

The Flora (plants) of Daylight Prairie are made of Light too.

We can determine this due to the way they react to our presence. It's not even the ones you touch; just that you get near them is enough. The fields are not just sensing you, they are sensing your Light.

This is intriguing, but it's not even the strangest thing to focus on here. Reliving the memory of the Laughing Lightcatcher, we watch them as they harvest Light orbs from the Stream of creatures migrating through the land.

We can also see the Green Light Orb from Bird's Nest behave very similarly to the cutscenes, but since it is an Elemental Light, we can't be sure it's a perfect sample of evidence. These Orbs are tricky to analyze just from these two 10-second shots from a cutscene, but lets lay out both what we understand and what is a possibility.

What we know:

The Orbs travel inside the Stream just as the creatures do.

They are generally found closely gathered to/by groups of mantas.

They eventually fall out of the stream on their own.

Possible meanings:

The Orbs get stuck to the mantas.

The Orbs are Light shed from the mantas.

In general, what the existence of Light Orbs means for our investigation is that, in a broad sake of making sense; Light can gather itself into a substance.

Time to Define. Cambridge.org's dictionary has the most preferable wording on Substance, for our purposes anyhow.

substance

noun

material with particular physical characteristcs

We need to break this concept of 'Light' being a 'thing' down until it is truly just a material, a substance; a collection of mere utter compounds, atomic particles even. But in order to do that we need to Observe it.

Just like when we investigated Darkness, we need to find a Source. Well that's easy, due to concept art (and our work so far with Defining ol Megan); all Light falls down into the world, shed from the Megabird.

We have to assume this Light falls:

As shapeless content.

Anywhere and everywhere into the world.

Which means it can end up collecting anywhere and onto anything, clumping up, mixing together; and generally forming however it wants.

We know from here-on, that from here it can take the form of living Beings. (For reasons and with details we'll study on another day).

But this means that there has to naturally always be some sort of building blocks of life inside our substance of Light.

We can see from the Elemental Orbs found throughout the world that Orbs wander. Moving through the world, they float around listlessly, circling random spots. Even without consistently larger forms such as normal creatures of Light, this fallen substance of the Megabird (Orbs) seemingly are still naturally seeking purpose. With the visual affirmation of the Orbs shooting along in the Stream of Light, alongside creatures migrating to Eden, we can decide that the purpose is still the same as materialized Beings of Light; to rejoin the Megabird.

Perhaps it is easier for the Orbs to make the migration if they properly form into full creatures, and this is why they wander when outside of the stream; seeking some way to take the form of a creature. (Again, this formation will be discussed another day.) Otherwise, if they get caught/stuck on a creature of Light, or land conveniently in a Stream of migration, then they'll hopefully make it that much further to Eden. (Though it does show that they fall out of the Stream quite easily.)

Regardless, this intentional momentum shows that even Light substance is alive.

We can't assume it is technically a 'creature'; or even just an ill-bodied 'basic' creature of Light. Which means it has to be a group of organisms... organisms smaller than butterflies, perhaps smaller than singularly visible by the Ancestor's eye.

I'm talking about insinuating a concept of Light micro-organisms.

"A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic size, which may exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells."

--Wikipedia

We're not gonna get too complicated trying to rationalize micro-organisms in Sky (in this post anyways ehe) but going forward with assuming that this is something along the lines of what our substance is supposed to be; this can change a lot about explaining why the traits of Light occur, as well as how they occur within our set environments.

Because now we observe the main, supernatural trait of Light;

the distortion of Space.

space /spās/

noun

"the dimensions of height, depth, and width within which all things exist and move."

[Sky concept art by Tom Zhao]

The most notable features of Light are as follows:

Defiance of gravity

Distortion of visible lightwaves

Ability to dramatically morph itself

Ability to draw in external content/material

Functionality as tether/access-point to the Megabird

We observe the first trait virtually everywhere in the world of Sky; with Captured Light levitating the kingdom's contraptions, corrupted Light swirling shattered power diamond shards through the air, and biologically through creatures of Light, Orbs, and Descendants.

The best example for the second trait is found all throughout the Vault of Knowledge. Captured Light is used to project holographic images, warping the imagery in front of us. This concept of Light visually distorting what we can see in front of us will also be important another day.

It's ability to draw in and absorb external material is Observed in the creation of Elemental Lights and the birth of Beings of Light; both of which draw on residual matter in their environment and are then influenced to create a form.

This distortion of Space occurs on multiple levels, notably:

visual

gravitational

[irregularly] polymorphic (inexplicable biological changes)

psychic/telepathic

Absolutely none of these traits are able to be 'explained' through 'science' as I traditionally do, unless someone in the Lore community wants to donate some useful information from Einstein's Theory of Relativity that I wasn't aware of yet. When we don't understand something, the best course of action is to just do our best to continue and observe. Perhaps it'll someday make more sense.

Either way, now that we can 'visually' comprehend our Substance of Light, we can understand that these 'micro-organisms' of Light are the substance somehow causing all of these traits.

And here we are at the end, after all. I packed a lot of information in, and without explaining half of it due to avoiding tangents, but there's still a lot we can put in our summary here, so let's roll and get Defining.

Light, as in the substance, is:

any collection of genetic (or biological) material/soup shed from the Light in the Sky

capable of distorting Space on a visual, gravitational, biological, and telepathic level

And we're done! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Of course there's a million nuances and a million unanswered questions, but I think this Definition is quite suitable to leave this topic on for now. And after all, aren't unanswered questions the Lore community's most favorite thing ever anyway?

I'm not sure if it'll be 'soon', but we will eventually tackle the Anatomy and phase of life of the creatures of Light; so the foundational groundwork we've made today will be incredibly important when that day comes. ⏳⏳⏳

I don't think this one was as important as some of the other groundwork articles I've worked on so far, but every little foothold of content I make will help so that, when I get to articles where it's just 100% my theories; the 2 people who read these all the way through will understand everything. But even if you're just one of the skimmers, I still thank you for checking out the deets. It's all important. ❤️💪

Have a good day/night y'all, and remember to check back on Friday night for the next post!

#sky children of the light #sky children of the light lore #sky cotl #sky cotl lore #sky game #sky lore #sky rambles #skychildrenofthelight #skychildrenofthelightlore #skycotl

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moonstruckmelancholic · 8 months

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Rebis

Had this rolling around in my head for a couple of days and fancied getting it out. Excuse me while I go to horny jail.

FYI, haven't written anything smutty for ages so hopefully it's not terrible.

Ikemen Vampire: Faust x Reader 18 + #NSFW

choking, religious themes, bondage Faust gets a dose of his own medicine, and surprisingly it's to his taste...

The control was an illusion, the silken ropes binding his wrists to the bed would be easy enough to break with his vampiric strength so it was by choice that he was letting himself be restrained, but the temptation to rip them off and take back the reigns of this experiment was painfully strong, it would be a simple feat. However, he promised he would indulge his versuchskaninchen and despite his taste for control, seeing her astride him, baring her fangs at him and playing at predator was more stimulating than he had imagined.

His eyes slowly wandered up and down her form, taking in every curve, every detail - no matter how many times he saw her nude, skin flushed and glowing, hair cascading wildly over her form, lips darker and eyes blown in lust, it never got old. He is certain that he noticed something new every time, tonight’s discovery was the subtle but sadistic glint as she looked down upon him, perhaps a mirror of his own when he gazes down at her. Hungry and desperate to be sated.

He wasn’t one to care for deities but he fancied that perhaps tonight she was his personal goddess and he wanted to pray to her, worship her, revere her with every part of his being even if that meant being her toy. Although, her game of bringing him to the edge of sanity then refusing to let him fall off the cliff was beginning to become excruciating, especially now as he felt her rub her cunt along the tip of his sensitised cock. He couldn’t even enjoy the sight of it as hands were wrapped around his throat making his head stay on the pillow while her eyes bore into his, the force of her grip was surprising, her gaze more so. Hypnotic almost.

He felt high off the mix of restricted movement, oxygen and painful pleasure, reality long slipping away and only her eyes, her body anchoring him to any sense of the earthly. Slowly she rolled her hips, letting wet folds graze along his tip, dragging him closer to bliss but not allowing him to actually enter her divine body. He was content to be a sinner, but right now he would do anything for absolution and relief.

“You look good like this Johann, like you were made to be underneath me” she purred releasing the grip on his neck allowing the air to flow back into his lungs. Stilling her hips again and pulling her warmth away from his, the cold air a stark reminder of the sudden loss, another denial. It was somewhat amusing to have his own sadism thrown back at him, he couldn’t help but laugh “Perhaps I’ve been too much of a corrupting influence on you my love, you look positively fiendish right now” he said admiringly, wanting more than anything to touch her cheek and kiss everywhere his lips can reach, but the snug ropes prevented him.

Thankfully, his goddess rewarded him with a taste of her lips, opening to allow their tongues to dance together, mixing their taste into something whole, something perfect. The thirst burnt his throat, all he could think about was wanting to drink the blood from her delicate neck and the water pouring from between her legs; although there was a little voice in the back of his mind saying it still wouldn’t sate him. To think, the terrified prey he’d cornered all those months ago had this kind of voracious, lewd appetite. What a surprising development indeed.

Now it was her hands clawing over his skin and her mouth leaving vibrant red bite marks all over him. Charles would comment on the state of his neck at breakfast, he could just hear it now because even without seeing it he could feel the mess she’d made of him, it was throbbing in places where her teeth had been. He was impressed. The bites would look deeply inappropriate with his clerical collar too, as much as he found the thought of taking confessions in this state amusing, he also had no real desire to explain the mechanics of life to the children who would of course come into play, notice and ask about it. Or he could just say he was attacked by a vampire, the irony of the lie would be delightful.

“What has you so distracted?” Her voice cutting through Faust’s unintentional reverie. Straining his neck he took in the view of her lips hovering over his abdomen “if you’re finding my attention lacking, I can always leave you to entertain yourself” she smirked lifting her lips from him and settling herself beside him, ghosting her fingers across his abs. “Forgive me mistress for I have sinned” Faust pleaded, his voice laced with desperation as his body ached for her. His body arched of its own accord looking for more touch, more heat, anything to quench the thirst ripping his sanity to shreds.

She lifted herself over him, straddling his middle so he could feel her cunt, hot, wet and wanting leaving her fluid over his torso. It was like being marked. Bringing her face to him, eyes never leaving his, she lent down for what he thought was a kiss only to be rewarded with a sharp pain through his bottom lip.

She bit him, she actually bit his lip. Not enough to make him bleed but how the tables had turned, his shock giving way to amusement. Yes, they really were made for each other.

She moved, settling her thighs either side of his head. Her cunt hovering over his face filling his nose with sweetness and musk “Show penitence lamb and perhaps you’ll be forgiven” came her voice as she lowered herself onto him. He dove into his penitent act diligently, using his nose to rub against her clit while burying his tongue deep into her as fast as he could. He was desperate to cast aside his bindings and use his fingers to open her up for him, lavish attention on every little piece of her but for now he’d have to be content with burying his face as deep as he could, diving as far as possible. Her waters poured over his face as she rode his mouth, dripping down his neck; he could feel every twitch and shiver, how her body urged his contact further. Her walls fluttering around his tongue, sight, smell, touch, vision, everything was filled with her and deeper he was being drawn in. This prayer was the most truthful one he’d ever managed. Her voice filled the air, the moans of his name paired with the creaking bed made for the most beautiful music could think of, choirs of angels be damned. This was heaven, right here between her legs, this was his salvation.

There, he could feel it. The juddering beginning to take her hips, the tone of her voice pitching higher, she was reaching her peak and he was determined to push her over. Then, before he even quite realised it she lifted away from him, her warmth replaced but cool and feeling rather bereft of her touch. He’d speculated on it over the night, but now it confirmed that it wasn’t just his orgasm being denied, but she was saving hers too.

“You did well lamb, you have earned not only forgiveness, but a reward” she whispered in his ear after taking her place back astride him. She brought her index finger to her mouth, gently sucking upon it in a way that made his cock throb. Removing in only to run it down her body and slide it between her legs, into her. Giving herself a fleeting touch, but enough to bring it out slick with her. She took the digit and used it to anoint his forehead. He thought fucking her over the alter had been sacrilege.

“Open your mouth Johann” she commanded and he did as he was compelled. She took the finger back between her legs, bringing it back slicker and gently dipped it into his mouth, running it along his teeth till she found he fangs. It only took light pressure on the pad of her finger but her blood began to flow for him. She moaned as the pleasure of the bite washed over her already aroused body and he got drunk off the little taste she gave him. Her blood, mixed with her arousal, fuck, it was almost too much to take but as he lost himself in drinking she sunk onto his cock. The sudden burst of pressure and pleasure made them both moan in unison, he bucked his hips instinctively forcing her off balance.

Her finger vanished from his mouth but before he could complain she adjusted and drew him deeper. He hissed at the sensation, and threw back his head as she began to set and unexpectedly harsh pace. Nails dug into his chest and the sound of slapping flesh filled the room, he could feel her arousal pouring onto his balls. Faster, harder, her heart was thundering over him, her body slamming into his. Hot, so very hot was her body gripping onto his, her walls squeezing his cock every time she took him deeper. He couldn’t stand to lose the feeling so he bucked, chasing her warmth, chasing that closeness. She sung his name, moaning louder and louder, echoing through the room and probably to Vald and Charles’ ears thanks to their sensitive hearing. The idea of their exhibition winding him up further; he wanted to make it clear, she was his, it was his name she moaned in the highs of pleasure. She called for him, not for God, him.

“Break them Johann, cast aside your constraints” she pleaded, tears of pleasure slipping from her eyes. He didn’t need much encouragement, the silken ropes breaking with little effort. His freed hands going straight to her hips, taking control of the pace. He felt it, her walls beginning to convulse. She was going to hit her high soon and he wanted to push her into it quickly, he wanted to make her feel so much pleasure it begun to be painful. That would be his revenge.

As her cunt trembled more, he took his thumb and pressed it into the oversensitive bundle of nerves at her apex, the force on the border between pleasure and pain, sending her into bliss. She collapsed onto him, liquid pouring from her, breath shaky and he took the opportunity to switch their positions. He wasn’t far off himself, an evening of denial causing him to fuck her roughly, sinking his fangs into her neck. Pleasure hit her again, she wrapped her legs around as waist as tightly as she could and held on for dear life as he let himself go feral.

Everything was her, her body pressed into him, her blood filling his mouth making him drunk on the taste, her warmth melting him. He was filling her, as she was filling him. Everything else was gone, she was all that was left, she was his completion.

His climax hit him hard and felt like it went on forever, she fell back over the edge too. Two bodies, became one beast with two backs, breath flowed from one set of lungs to another. Their eyes locked together, and there was peace.

In the stillness that followed, the warm candle light fell across their forms, morphing and altering them, making it impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. An erotic rebis created; the harmonious union of opposites, the sun and moon, quicksilver and sulphur as one.

One body falling into sleep.

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp faust #ikevamp #ikevamp smut #ikemen series #ikevamp fanfic

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pandorafallz · 5 months

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Vampire AU | A night at Hometree

As predicted, the rain got to the point where the return was not an option, even for the early return and everyone had returned to the shelter of Hometree with their work or to play games and settle for peaceful tasks and since most of the humans were still getting to know Hometree and the general location, they didn’t wander out either and stuck close to their assigned jobs.

A few children had gotten interested in some of the newcomers and were playfully asking questions and convincing them to play a few games with them. Jerome had put together a makeshift soccer ball made of dried Yerik Bladder that had some weight to it- enough to feel like a kickable ball in the gravity of Pandora—and Harper had taught a group of kids how to play. A new game for the children and enough players, Jake reasoned that it allowed some of the more stressed parents to get a break by the fire with some tea.

“You know, we could give them coloured strips to tuck into their loincloths for each side?” Kendra spoke to Harper, watching the kids score.

“You think they need that? I think them just having fun is the goal. Turning it into a competition is another thing if you put real sides to it.” Harper mused, snorting as Ashley failed at dribbling before the ball was gone by a quicker teen.

It was remarkable, as Jake watched, to see how quickly the children had picked up the sport though his main gripe about it was the fact Kendra had introduced it as Football, not Soccer. She must have some Britishness to her to be calling it that. American football, he knew wouldn’t do well with the Na’vi; it was far more violent than kicking a ball around but still…. a good portion of humans here came from America. He would have thought they’d use the same names for shit to not confuse the Na’vi.

Kendra patted Harper’s arm, bending down to pick up her basket of tiny (relative to Na’vi) animal bones then headed his way.

“Did you live in England for a bit, by any chance?” He couldn’t help but ask as she passed.

Kendra paused, giving him an odd look. “What makes you say that?”

“You called it Football, not Soccer.” Jake pointed out, “We all know Soccer is the correct term.”

“The British invented its current form, so they have the right to call it football,” Kendra spoke, her eyes twinkling though her tone disapproving. “You Americans just changed British Rugby a little and slapped a new name on it by calling it football and got enough of your population to believe it.” She said.

Jake blew a raspberry. “It is better.”

“Well, given your version of the sport isn’t being played right now on this planet, I think it’s safe to say that Football is the correct term that the Na’vi can understand. Playing Ball with the feet.” She said with a victorious grin. “And yes, I was born in England. My grandparents moved out of Japan to the UK when my mother was seven after the 2100 Earthquake and Tsunami. It was rough but they made it work.”

Jake hummed, wincing a little but she just carried on to deliver the bones towards the far ring of weavers which had grown as young adults were putting together new clothes of near-complete works. As soon as the bones were delivered, there was a mild scramble for them to get a good look and to see if they were suitable. Many looked like they’d be going to rider’s flight visors or women’s shirts.

It was perhaps reflex that Jake dropped his spindle of thread as a shadow quickly appeared in his peripheral. His hands rose automatically before—

Bam!

“Fuck!” His hands stung painfully, the ball launching off elsewhere by rebound but at a lesser speed. His skin tingled and he could feel the crawling burn rise to the surface of his palms.

“Oh my god, Jake!” Harper’s voice was muffled by a few others.

He hissed a little, his palms turning redder and redder but his heart hammered out of sheer surprise of it but he sucked in a few calming breaths. An accident, it was just an accident. Fuck that it was him in its way though.

“Back off guys,” Nadine’s voice called, her presence appearing beside him, her cold limb coming to his wrist to check. “Let’s help him back to Mo’at. He’ll need something cold to reduce swelling.”

“I will help.”

Jake’s head turned up in surprise though the stinging to see Neytiri of all people appear from the depth of Hometree and then crouch next to him in concern.

“May I?”

“Okay.” He leaned into her, allowing her to scoop him up but… he found that he didn’t quite mind and it made his heart flutter. She was gentle but swift—also her necklaces barely covered her breasts which made him realise his elbow was no doubt digging into those wonderful parts of the female body. He debated for a moment if moving his arm was worth bringing it to attention or just ignore. Na’vi clothing had some rules but not as strict or as prude as humans. The body, especially female breasts wasn’t sexualised so… he reasoned that ignoring was the best course of action and keep his hands to himself. It was his elbow that was in contact given the type of hold she had him in.

Plus his hands fucking hurt. He didn’t need another injury and…lest not from inappropriate behaviour.

But, before he knew it, he was being set down on a mat where the den was empty of the resident Tsahìk who was no doubt attending elsewhere. It crossed his mind that Mo’at couldn’t spend all her days in the den but it was amusing for a second to think that. Like every human kid thinking that their teacher lived in the school.

“I will fetch water. Keep your hands elevated.” Neytiri said.

He nodded, keeping his hand sup though he didn’t wait long before she returned with a bowl of water and set it down in front of him. He sunk his burning hands into it, almost withdrawing it by the sharpness of the water but breathed through the discomforting throb. It was like his hands had little heartbeats.

But, it did feel a little better as the intensity of the burning began to recede, he swirled his hands in the basin for a moment and felt the flow of the water between his fingers.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you.” He sighed out heavily. “Just…a little surprised.”

“Hm, you have fast reflexes,” Neytiri remarked, eyeing the cups before she found the new ingredients of what she was looking for. “Especially reflecting something that you didn’t see coming.” If he didn’t know any better, he was sure she almost sounded impressed.

“I saw a shadow in the corner of my eye, I guess my marine reflexes kicked in.” He reasoned off casually.

“Still, its markings are of that of a warrior or a hunter.” She mused.

“Well, we haven’t started lessons yet. Can I start coming over in my avatar more often than every other if it’s for training days? I can’t train as a warrior in my human body and… I don’t think it’s effective training if it’s every other visit that I get trained.”

Neytiri eyes him for a moment, contemplating for a moment. “No, at least not at Hometree. I can suggest to my father that I will come on your days away from Hometree to continue your training.”

“You will need days of rest if you are to care for your human body.” Mo’at’s voice echoed, making them both jump.

Jake almost tipped the water out of the bowl, leaning up from his slouch and staring up at the Tsahìk in alarm. Neytiri simply jumped to her feet with her tail high and ears perked before they softened back.

“But, that is a good suggestion. You should talk to your camp about it as your absence or training may affect your chores required. Now, hands?” Mo’at requested.

Jake held his hands out, allowing her to examine.“I suppose. N’deh says I’m not ready to hunt, only fish, that I need to learn to See the world around me or to start Seeing.”

“Did he now?” Mo’at didn’t sound…disapproving, which often would be in someone’s tone for that question. “You do not see?”

“I don’t…know what that means,” Jake admitted. “No one’s explained it's...signficance to me. I think the others assumed I knew or knew enough at this point. Felt…kinda awkward to ask them.” It was like not getting someone’s name at a group when instructions happened but it was too deep into a conversation to stop and ask.

Mo’at glanced at Neytiri for a moment. “It is…not something that is strictly taught. It is felt. A connection to one another or as N’deh implied, a connection to life and Eywa herself. You do not believe in Eywa? Not her gifts around her? What she provide even for you?”

Jake refrained from shrinking under her sharp gaze. “Belief is...is a strong word. I do not…fully believe on the account of me…not seeing such proof in understandable qualities I can understand.” He said carefully, “Humans love proof of concepts to believe. I’m sure you know Grace and the scientist’s habits in that regard.”

Mo’at tipped her head. “I have…seen their difficulties in acceptance. But…I’ve come to realise with you sky people that…you hold onto proof far too tightly, you demand more proof despite evidence. The Dreamwalker couple of your camp have passed through the eye of Eywa and returned with new bodies. Is that not enough proof?”

Jake frowned curiously. Mulling her words over. There was no…denying the possibility but… he could feel that there was some part of him unconvinced. That there was some scientific reason for it.

“It’s a culture thing to deny like that.”

All three heads turned to see Ruby in the den entryway, her arm up and her hand bleeding. She looked a little sheepish having been overhearing but Neytiri moved first to offer a space to her and reached for her arm to examine.

“In what way?” Mo’at asked, “I fail to understand why sky people hold onto distrust, even here and for you, Jakesully to be out here for over a month.”

“It’s a culture thing, Mo’at,” Ruby said tightly. “You don’t know Earth. What daily life is like? Belief has to come with scepticism for survival. If a child comes to you for help, claiming that their mother or sibling is sick then that is either a child genuine or a child tasked to lure someone away to a bad fate. Happened to my second cousin once, they found his skeleton six months later under a bridge.”

“I’m sorry,” Jake said, sympathetically.

“You cannot trust at face value. Trust on Earth can kill.” Ruby sucked in a heavy breath, letting Neytiri wipe the blood. “That carried into other aspects of life in our culture. Someone might be playing around, making a joke or simply lying. If you believe that, then you’re considered a fool. Someone to be laughed at or ridiculed at.”

“It is linked back to your closed hearts, then,” Mo’at concluded from her words. “I am sorry for the loss of your family member. Truly.”

Ruby just nodded, “Thank you.”

Neytiri continued to tend to Ruby’s hand quietly, though a simple binding was used as the cut wasn’t too deep or long for stitches. Mo’at set Jake’s hands back into the water.

“I also think humans don’t like their beliefs challenged.” Jake mused, “It pushed us into denial very quickly and we get defensive.”

“Pride?” Ruby suggested.

“That too.” Jake wasn’t a fool to dismiss that motion. “Like…I get why the Na’vi believe. It’s their culture and I understand the concept that they can bond and connect and all but… humans don’t have that. We have no tswin. We have no foundation of which that belief can grow.”

“You need proof,” Neytiri said simply. “You need to see her around her, to hear her in the wind or to hear her voice in your ear…”

Mo’at spared a quiet moment of contemplation, her lips pursed tightly and her brow pulled in then spoke to Neytiri in Na’vi. Jake caught fragments but their words were quicker than he could translate. Ruby though looked to be following along, examining her bandage to look busy.

Mo’at didn’t look thrilled by a suggestion coming from Neytiri, though Jake for some reason held the Tsahìk’s gaze before something looked decided.

“We can…show you means of finding a connection with Eywa, but for now we do not know how to show sky people. With your Dreamwalkers, it is possible. If enough of you were convinced, would convincing the others be easier?”

Jake spared a glance to Ruby who frowned, uncertain but looking curious enough to not shy away.

“Possibly, but…how?” Ruby asked carefully.

“Tsaheylu. Nothing more. Your Dreamwalkers can bond with the Great Mother that your native bodies cannot. However, the sites are forbidden for outsiders….unless permission of either Tsahìk or Olo'eyktan is granted.” Neytiri spoke.

“You don’t look thrilled, Mo’at.” Ruby remarked, “You’re not for it?”

“I am protective of our sacred sites. It is the duty of Tsahìk to ensure the sanity of our ancestral sites.” Mo’at spoke. “It is not a…easy suggestion but it is one that makes sense and has plausibility to show you our belief.”

“Four Dreamwalkers, both myself and you. No one brings any equipment but their own Dreamwalker bodies.” Neytiri suggested. “They would not offend to bring unsanctioned items with them.”

“Do we…have to do this?” Ruby asked next.

“No, the choice is yours.”

Ruby relaxed a little. “I’ll…talk to Zane about it.” She got to her feet, pushing the long plat of hair off her lap then over her shoulder and padded out quickly.

Neytiri watched her leave before something clicked, her head tilting away though Jake was surprised she looked at him. “Have they been told of your blood demons yet?”

“No. I was gonna wait till morning to tell them. It’s…not gonna be easy.” Then he snorted, “You know, getting us to believe in Eywa is probably gonna be far easier than getting them to believe in vampires.”

Mo’at considered. “That may be, but both require the sky people to change their beliefs. I suppose you may understand our frustration at your disbelief.”

Jake hummed. That was…not an unfair statement. Accurate. He knew he was missing the pieces that can’t just be learned so simply. He flexed his fingers under the cool water, lifting them out as Neytiri gestured but she looked satisfied to see the redness was less intense.

He was soon cleared from the healing den but his usage of sore hand were to be kept to a minimum so Neytiri set him next to the fires to watch the cooks and Nadine work. She was happy to wheel him closer and help sort through fresh, live Teylu from the dead that would be returned to Eywa rather than be served to the people. Apparently, children picked many without seeing the harm of being too rough in their harvesting.

“Teylu is safe for humans,” Nadine said, “Rich in protein and apparently sweet as well, but they’re going to steam them with… some vegetables. I’m managing the ones for humans since they added a herb that’s not safe for humans into their Teylu’s food prior to being cooked. It adds to the flavour but I’d rather not be on the loo all night.”

Jake snorted, staring a little at the giant grub in his hands. Massive in his hands but…in the Na’vi they looked small. The Teylu were at least ten centimetres long and very fat, but seemed to be curled up and trying to search for its natural food, not realising it was going to be his dinner. It…was uneasy. He didn’t like the idea of eating bugs but…this was normal for the Na’vi. He was gonna have to grit his teeth and bear it.

“I’m going to wrap them in edible leaves. Lots of veg so the crunch will not be the teylu.” Nadine assured, clearly sensing his discomfort. “The flavour will make up for the texture.”

He hoped so.

The humans stuck together as dinner was handed out, not as close as Jake had been before to the fire, but more off to the left their smaller size made them feel puny sitting next to so many big people so, a group made sense. Jake was carried and sat between Morgan and Nadine.

Nadine was vague in her description of the food when Mingxia asked what it was when she started to eat. Neither Ruby nor Ashely seemed to add to it for clarification and both ate without questioning it; they knew what they were eating. Ruby with a little more upturned nose until she actually got to taste then her attitude lightened up.

Jake eyed his lead wrap for a moment, then took a solid breath and lifted his mask for the first bite.

The taste was…better than Jake expected and he didn’t let his intrusive thoughts go off and gross him out. The flavours were a mix between sweet and savoury with a surprising kick of spice that tingled at his palette. His stomach rumbled for more and he was handed a few more when his first was done.

“This is amazing. Thank you, Nad.”

Nadine smiled around her bite, “The other cooks are wonderful teachers. I might see about what other things we have that might work. Teylu don’t eat spice but they do marinade in it. It’s fascinating how they basically marinate it alive first by letting them consume selective herbs and then steaming them before full digestion.”

“Have you never had Teylu before?” Neytiri moved from her place to join behind him. “Not at your camp?”

Morgan hummed, shaking his head as an answer. “Jerome has a slight phobia with caterpillars or…insects with a similar form. Apparently when he was seven, his older sister pulled maggots out of a dead pigeon and put them in his bed because he stole her toy and refused to give it back. He can tolerate them now but he won’t eat them.”

“Plus, plenty of fish and meat with our small numbers. So we don’t need to rely on Teylu.” Jake reasoned, taking another bite after an inhale of safe breath.

Neytiri lent down, sniffing a little. “What did you put in that? It smells…different. Hotter.”

“Just some Capsaicin-based fruits,” Nadine said, much to Neytiri’s horror who lent away from his leaf wrap. “Gives it a nice kick.”

“You eat the burning plants?!”

“Yep,” Nadine gave the woman a grin, “Humans love spice, we’ve made Capsaicin-based sauces called hot sauce, and we’ve had wars over the spice trade because they’re so desired. It went global. Na’vi can’t eat Capsaicin like us. They can tolerate Menthol-based plants a little, like…their version of mint but nothing stronger.” Nadine added to the group. "I bet that some of our spices could probably kill a Na'vi but we'd be fine."

Neyriri eyed their Teylu rolls more wearily.

Ashley cocked her head. “You added capsaicin to mine too?” though she looked down thoughtfully but she looked very weary. “I…feel a kick but I’m not suffering.”

Nadine’s eyes widened for a moment, “Oh god, I forgot that the avatars—wait, you’re good? No burn-y-burn-y mouth? I definitely gave you the human version. I didn’t think….”

Ashley nodded, ears flicking as she took another test bite. “It…kinda tastes sharp, some heat but nothing that’s hurting or burning. It’s…normal. Could do with some more spice.”

“You still have human fragments in your avatar’s DNA. We may have a better tolerance for us in our other bodies.” Jake pointed out, though he felt a deep sense of relief. “Oh, that’s wonderful news. If we get more spicy plants, we can make our own hot sauce. I have pepper and chilli seeds in Tommy’s seed collection. I bet we could get a few seeds and get them growing. Add more to our variety. We could do camp trades.”

The group seemed to perk up at that.

“That…sounds like a good suggestion. Our areas are very remote to yours.” Harper said, eyeing the Teylu thoughtfully. “We have found a good few plants. We can take pictures and show them when we’re next here. Do you have a radio?”

“No,” Morgan said, “but I knew a few places we can get one. There are a few abandoned link shacks we can raid. I’ve seen a few there we can repurpose any of them.”

“Abandoned? How many?”

“We used a virus to wipe Hell’s Gate’s server of Link Shack locations. We should have free pickings.” Nadine said.

“Not entirely.” Ruby shook her head. “Dr Augustine had memorised a portion of the link shacks. The ones we stole were from the recovered list.”

“Which shacks? I can cross them off as potential targets.” Nadine mused.

“Site 7, which was the one you stole, Jake,” Ruby added to him.

Jake just grinned. A little victory of making the RDA pissed off at him was very good. Still, shame it was recovered so soon that they couldn’t struggle for longer on what he took.

“Then… Site twenty-six, thirty-two, Thirty-six, thirty-seven, forty-seven….sixteen and seventeen.” Ruby considered, counting on her fingers as she spoke. “We stole site thirty-six and thirty-seven’s modules and remote lab. Two other groups are stationed at Thirty-two and sixteen, so those are to be avoided. Dr Augustine’s favourite link shack is at Site 26 in the floating mountain.”

“Ooh, that’s a tempting site to go for. I bet that shack is kitted out with the best stuff.” Harper mused, “Head of SciOps, she probably has position perks to get what she wants in that. Last year, they refurbished it with plans of adding another few modules or a remote lab like what Ruby stole. It was put on hold after there was some sort of crash. Dr Augustine, Captain Hale and the pilot survived.”

Jake’s thrill of raiding link shacks dampened the more he heard. It was a tempting target and if Augustine wasn’t a vampire, he would have been one-hundred per cent down for raiding it and to annoy the fuck out of her by stealing all the good shit out of it for their needs; they’ll just get a replacement at the end of the day.

But… she was a vampire. A dangerous creature that… he wasn’t willing to put their neck into the noose, even if it was for their needs.

“You will leave Grace’s home as it is.” Neytiri spoke first, “It is quite the distance, after all, and high in the mountains. It would be in your best interest to avoid it as one would with a Palulukan den.” Her eyes fixed them with a heavy stare, one at a time to ensure each of them nodded. “Good. There is another metal home you are to avoid as it appears to be closeted to your home, Ruby….” Neytiri mentioned, directing this to the woman in question, going on to derive it and its appearance. Jake realised she was talking about the vampire home he had heard about. Another wise choice.

“In a few weeks’ time, we’ll have weed,” Nadine announced once they had settled into a lapse following Neytiri’s words.

“Bullshit.” Harper scoffed.

“Let’s not dismiss this so quickly, Trin.” Mingxia elbowed the soldier, “Go on, and please… for the love of god not be kidding.”

“Nope. Thanks to Jake’s dearly departed brother, we have the glorious seeds planted and growing as we speak. Far faster than anticipated but growing fast indeed. Jerome thinks the first batch will be in two weeks’ time.” Nadine said gleefully, though she reached to pat Jake’s arm softly.

“Add that to a trades list we have yet to get up,” Kendra said, her eyes alight. “It’s been so long since I hit a joint and it was shit. We need to see if there’s local flora that’ll work with it. Enhance the experience.”

“I can have a look.” Ashley said, “Tomorrow once we’re back.”

“I’ll help,” Mingxia added in.

Soon enough the people began to vanish away for their hammocks. Jerome and Kim seemed to vanish up as well with the rest of the people with a brief good night. The humans stayed around, waiting to see what arrangements could be made for them.

“Not all of the sky people are suited to hammocks.” Tsu’tey’s voice was questioning as he spoke to Eytukan, standing close to being heard. “Nor did we expect them all to spend the night.”

“Their size makes them suitable for a few to share a single hammock, they can pair up. Those who cannot have a hammock may simply rest in the healing den for ease of movement.” Eytukan decided,

“I guess, Nad and I are going in the healing den. You can put your arm and leg on charge.”

Nadine hummed, moving to find her bag that was hung up near the spire and pulled it off and carried it with her to the healing den. Ashely didn’t bother with the hammocks for some reason but Jake accepted her help up and allowed her to carry him up and set him onto a mat, avoiding Nadine pulling off her arm.

“Thank you,” he nodded to her. “No hammock?”

Ashley nodded at his thanks, as she pulled a mat from the side though shook her head at the question. “I’d rather stick to the floor for now. I don’t…want to leave my avatar there. Even if Kendra volunteered to small-spoon me.”

“Alright.” Jake adjusted his legs out on the mat and then lay back, making sure to test the seal on his mask was good. He was gonna wake up with rim marks, that was certain.

“Night.” Nadine yawned.

Grace should have expected the visit long before the two came to her quarters directly, although she had heard noise isolation headphones on, their steps were easy to identify when they crossed the 5-meter threshold and opened up her door without knocking as well but Grace didn’t look up from her datapad to greet them.

“You know, knocking in polite.” She reminded, reaching up to remove her headgear. “I could have had company or be in a far more awkward predicament.”

Mansk moved in, shutting the door after Walker. “Your attempt to get out of Site 26 has failed. Selfridge has reconsidered his options. He wants you there in two weeks maximum.”

Grace groaned. “Asshole.”

“We could steal the modules and set them up with 43’s RoLab we have hidden away. That way, they can’t put you there.” Walker suggested. “That’s the simplest option. It could be blamed on the people who took off on us.”

“There are at least six spare modules in Hell’s Gate mass storage bay. They’ll just bring them with them if the original modules are gone.” Mansk answered. “We can brainstorm ideas but let’s just tackle the fact that your food situation is our first priority, even for a few days.”

“Trudy will be the pilot, I’m assuming.” Grace sucked on her teeth for a moment. It wasn’t a bad choice; she did like Trudy. “but…it can’t be more than one vampire going out there with me. I can’t feed on the humans I have as well; that’ll draw up more suspicion and I won’t have as much access to drugs to up their blood count in the meantime.”

“We can stop using blood bags ourselves unless we have to, there’s a supply run every week the pilots would do. We can send the bags through her to you or you’ll have to run back to Hell’s Gate to eat, the latter not ideal.” Mansk decided, coming to lean against the door.

“We could decorate the bags with opaque medical covering. Make it look like dietary supplements that you need.” Walker added. “No one would think about it. If the humans of your group ask and wonder then you have a plausible reason.”

“I can last three days without feeding but I’d need two bags to satisfy for another three days. That’s if I don’t expand my energy with my abilities.” She could do the math easily to see it would be quite the stretch on their supply and more so on the long-term side of things. “If I have to, I’ll get back to Hell’s Gate. I can convince the humans to not question if they notice.”

“Who will you have with you?”

“Norm Spellman. He’s a new face as well which may help the cause. I could have a second researcher but… with him and the pilot, that’s less eyes on me. I can cover enough with another driver beside myself.” She did consider a few faces to join. One bright and idealistic soul was Bibi Levson but she wasn’t yet due here for a few months on the next resupply but she had heard good things of the woman’s work. Also rumours the woman was easily excitable about Pandoran plants but also, she may have a fangirl which would be awkward as hell so she’d need to get the girl saturated with work and less about her.

“Two humans. Good.” Mansk scratched his jaw thoughtfully.

“I’ll talk to Shen about getting the ‘suppliants’ logged into the standard request rather than it being flagged as contraband. Dr Solis can get the packs ready. You can bulk-take some in advance as well.” Walker mused.

“I’ll start getting the staff prepped tomorrow.” Things hopefully should be ready and stable by the time she’d have to go. She still wanted to talk to Hale about getting her memories back but, she could another time.

She waved the two out of her room, reaching for her headphones. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”

Of course, the peace didn’t last for more than ten minutes before there was a flutter of steps at her door but it was the little heartbeat of the baby that stopped Grace from dismissing whoever it was from interrupting her again.

“It’s open.” She called, though she smiled a little at the sight of the sleeping baby as Paz came in though her expression fell as Paz looked worried. “Everything okay?” Grace set her headset back off to the side.

“His more vampire side is starting to become more obvious,” Paz said, coming to sit straight on Grace’s bed to better support her child. “He’s teething and… I think they’re sharp teeth. Not blunt human teeth.”

Grace’s eyes flickered down to the infant, her eyebrows pulling in before she leaned forward. “Which makes feeding him a lot harder too.”

Paz’z hand came to her breasts. “Yep, I am well aware.”

“He can’t be on your milk forever. His diet… may be more human than ours but… he won’t suit for fruit or veg if his teeth are sharp.” A meat eater, most likely seemed the next logical conclusion that made sense for his biology. His body would need more than blood.

“I was thinking that but… where are we to get his food without questions? People will wonder why he won’t eat fruit. Hell, if anyone sees him licking some bloody meat, they’re gonna be concerned.”

“Humans can eat Hexepede meat, maybe we could get him onto Pandoran meat?” Grace suggested.

“We can’t consume Pandoran blood, Grace. I doubt he’ll be able to stomach it.” Paz stroked her son’s hair cautiously.

Grace sighed but Paz wasn’t incorrect. It wasn’t for the lack of trying but for some reason, they couldn’t keep animal blood from the wildlife down. She had tried, Mansk had tried when he first turned and even Choi had tried. It was weird, the blood was more or less the same in iron-based composition, with the same necessary proteins and nutrients but…they just couldn’t keep it down.

“He still has his human side, that’s still vastly more prominent.” Grace tried, “We should at least try. If not, we can rethink on blood redistribution with me. Soak what meat the mess has in blood and let him have that.”

Paz wrinkled her nose but nodded. “I suppose. But…his breathing is also different. The gaps between his breaths are longer now. I… I think he’s becoming less dependent on oxygen, or at least is more tolerant of lower oxygen levels.”

“His fingers not changed colour?”

“No, his heart is normal, skin nice and pink.” Paz tugged a little hand into view, Mile’s little hands coming to clench around her index finger.

“Tomorrow night, have Solis take a look at his lungs. Medical scanners may show something. If his lungs are different, we should see if he’s able to breathe Pandoran air—not actually test it!” she added at the alarmed expression on Paz’s face. “I mean a simple biopsy should reveal. We won’t hurt him but…if he’s caught out; you’re caught out, you need to know if he’s safe to leave at a moment’s notice. A mask won’t fit him until he’s about six unless you hand-make him masks.” She clarified.

Paz’s expression didn’t waver, looking down at the baby in concern. “I can’t leave him with my human friends when his teeth erupt. His bites will be less than amusing. He won’t understand…”

“I can’t be around as much but… Maze or the other scientists would be at your disposal.” She didn’t trust Shen or Hendrick within ten paces of a baby, she cared little about Mansk or Walker on their childcare expertise. Hale would be another option but the woman was the new MineOps head. Less time on her hands.

“If I could join you at Site 26…”

Grace moved from her desk to sit beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Right now, I can’t be sure that’s a good idea. I need to know how one vampire works remotely with a small supply drop. Another with a half-human…might be too much.” She couldn’t say no, but she couldn’t say yes either.

Paz slouched a little, shifting Miles to rest against her shoulder. “I’m just…worried. If his vampire abilities kick in early…he could start climbing the walls…or morph or…something.”

“If he’s babysat with a vampire, then we’ll stop him from doing anything in the company of humans,” Grace assured.

“Okay… but can you look after him now? I need to eat.”

Grace opened her arms for the near-five-month-old. “Of course.” She wouldn’t say no to this. He was deep asleep and a comforting weight of warmth. She had fed a little earlier, so she was good for now.

Jake woke groggily the next morning, his mouth feeling dry and a weight on his stomach. The rim of his mask dug straight in to the side of his face which promised a lingering ache. It took a moment to fully wake up, blinking to see Nadine was using his stomach as a pillow and had somehow wiggled across the den floor to her current position without her other arm or leg still.

Jake tapped on the front of her mask to wake her.

“No.” She grumbled.

“You’re on me. Get off.” He grumbled.

“Comfy.”

“I’m not.” He tapped on her mask until she got annoyed enough to sit up and flash him a middle finger then slunked across the den to retrieve her limbs.

Jake tested his neck, feeling the relieving cracks as the pressure changed then waited.

Tsu’tey was the first to come in. His eyes remained to the still avatar on the mat. “We’ve got Pa’li ready to take you back to your camp, Jakesully. Ikran will take the other camps back.”

“Have they left yet?” Jake asked.

“No, but they’re preparing to. One team is waiting for the Dreamwalker to stir first.”

Jake nodded, “I need to talk to all of them before they leave. They don’t know about vampires. They should be told.”

Tsu’tey’s head tilted. “They are eager to return. You do not have a lot of time, and Neytiri mentioned it would be hard for them to believe you.”

Jake considered his words for a moment. “Would you help me? They know that you are a serious and fierce warrior and unlikely to joke and… well you’ve seen two vampires yourself.”

Tsu’tey’s expression turned somewhat into a frown but he reflected his words. “I can if it’s required.”

“Thank you.”

Getting the hungry and tired groups together took longer than Jake planned, and they sat waiting in a ring near the spiral for the last of the dregs to arrive. Jake sat in his chair, Tsu’tey standing tall beside him as they waited.

“What’s this about, Jake?” Harper yawned, “I wanna go home.”

“I’ve got something to say and…it’s…kinda important for the long-term knowledge.” Jake started, “it…sort of needs an open mind from all of you.”

There was a non-committed, tired confirmation from them as a whole.

“So, Kim and Jerome know about this,” Jake started, seeing the realising cross over the two avatars quickly before Kim rolled her eyes in exasperation, Jerome just…stood there awkwardly. “They don’t really believe and I’m not asking you to believe me either but…as a culture, we’ve been led to believe that myths and stories are just fictional and that…some things don’t exist when…they do.” He started, “So, I will say this thing is real because on Earth I saw shit in the war that validated this thing’s existence, Morgan himself got attacked in Hell’s Gate about it and I’ve seen all evidence on a few people.”

“What is going on here?” Eytukan appeared, eyeing their overly large group forming up. “Is there a problem to be resolved? You are due to return back to your camps, are you not?”

“They are, Eytukan. But Jake is simply informing the new sky people about the blood demons that live in the sky people's village before they go.” Tsu’tey spoke suddenly.

Eytukan nodded softly in understanding. “Now?”

“Blood demon?” Mingxia cocked her head, her voice more of a whisper as she proposed the question to her group. “What the fuck is that?”

“Your people call them Vampires,” Tsu’tey answered as if it was obvious.

The looks of disbelief were immediate, making Jake groan internally at their blatant dismissive nature. Though Jake noted a little of how Ashley’s ears pinned back uncertainly though Kendra’s face lost all colour and tensed up.

Eytukan looked a little surprised at their reaction then seemed to snort in amusement. “Interesting, you do not believe so easily?”

Tsu’tey shorted a little. “<Morons.>”

Jake gave Tsu’tey a soft look, understanding enough to know what he said.

“Jake, please tell me you didn’t convince these people that they actually exist,” Harper sighed. “Vampires are fictional.”

Ashely made an odd noise in the back of her throat, coming to fiddle the end of her tail in her blue fingers. “Not…well, I wouldn’t dismiss it.”

Harper and a few others looked to their camp mate in surprise, “Wait, you believe him?”

Ashely’s ears turned pink, “Look… I saw a few weird things with no context and… I do. Kinda.”

“What weird thing?” Eytukan asked before any of the others could talk her down. “I am interested to know how these beings are living among your kind so silently and with little notice.”

Ashely dropped her tail. “Well, the main thing I sorta remember was…after I got stabbed. I was found by a pilot, Socorro. I was a little out of it but…she got Dr Augustine to help. They must have thought I was too out of it to remember. The pilot’s eyes were like…a black. She used to have brown eyes yet they like…blacked out.” She said, her tail swishing anxiously.

“Entirely or just the iris?” Jake asked.

“Just the iris.” Ashly said, “But… I mostly remember how cold their hand were. Augustine had to hold my neck to keep the blade from slippin’, you see. There might have been some hissing, I think I may have seen some sharp teeth but… I can’t fully recall the details. I didn’t know what I was seeing.”

“You were bleeding out, hallucinations aren’t uncommon.” Harper pointed out dryly.

“What would make you believe?” Jake asked, “Like, Morgan’s got a few bites. I’m sure he can show it to you for proof.”

Morgan squirmed a little to be in the limelight of the uncertain gaze.

“I have seen them myself. You would not call me a liar now, would you?” Tsu’tey spoke.

There was no comment, but uncertainly and some natural disbelief remained in a few of their eyes.

“Wait, I have an idea…” Kendra stood up and pulled a torch from her belt, one of three she had then stepped around the group towards the former soldier. “Where?”

“What are you doing?” Morgan asked wearily, eyeing the torch

“Looking for proof, now show me, boy.” She asked, though a little impatient.

Morgan glowered but nonetheless shrugged off his vest and leaned his head to the side. It took a second to see before they noticed the reflection across the skin in how the light caught the scars. The bites seemed to reflect almost silvery against Morgan’s dark skin, the one along his neck and shoulder were more prominent of course but…Jake realised that it wasn’t just two scars that lined his skin. If you didn’t include the bite set (like top and lower jaw), then there were at least seven more marks that lingered as she shone the light further across and checked the other side of his neck and shoulders.

“Oh…fuck.” Ashley winced, a little taken back, “Okay, yep that’s nasty.”

“Guys?” Morgan looked worried, “How many times was I bitten? What do you see?”

“A few,” Jake said tightly, glad that one of the others in the group had shut up and looked far more seriously.

Both Tsu’tey and Eytukan watched with a more weary eye.

“They must be venomous, and from…my assumption since I found this out last week, is that the venom contains a fluorescent molecule that lingers in human flesh. Humans have things in our own biology that glow under black light like saliva or blood, so not foreign enough that our bodies don’t break it down. The skin scars have been healed but…the scars of their bites are otherwise still present, even if we can’t see them.” Kendra summarised, though to prove her point, she turned the light to her own neck which showed a horrifying litter of bite marks that disappeared down clothes.

No one was laughing. No one was dismissive. Just shocked silence as Kendra shone the light onto Harper next who squeaked as at learning least three bites were on her neck, one on her left forearm close to her elbow.

“What is that light?” Eytukan asked, following along as Kendra continued to check everyone over.

“Blacklight. Like Na’vi, there’s a visual spectrum of light that we can and cannot see. UV light is a light a little out of our visual spectrum though your people would see it more clearly than us. If we lit a room with UV light or this version of UVA; the black light, the room would look dark to us. UV light can be reflective off certain things. Biological things can…reflect into our visual spectrum when in contact with UV light. Blood, saliva…other bodily fluids than show up in this light as well.” Kendra explained to the chief.

“Oh, come on!” Nadine groaned as a few marks shone up on her flesh arm and shoulder “Me?!”

Jake leant into the light when she got to him with it, allowing her to check his neck and arms though she had to double-check before she answered, “You’re clear. No bites.”

“Oh, good.” Jake felt a swell of relief; he hadn’t been someone’s snack, ever. What a relief. Still, he could pity the others a little. That was one nasty wake-up call to the reality of their monsters.

“Hey, why’s he clear and we’re not?” Nadine asked, looking a little offended.

“To be fair, he has—relatively speaking— just arrived at Pandora” Morgan pointed out, thumbing grumpily over an invisible scar. “Piped up on cryo drugs no doubt, no one wants a snack from that. You’ve been in Hell’s Gate for years. ”

“Lucky ass.” One of the group complained.

“So, I hope that’s enough proof to believe me,” Jake said, glad for one for this discovery; that should shed away disbelief in case anyone else came. “Right now—“

“Oh, what the fuc—What is that!”

Heads turned to see Zane under the light and while he too wasn’t spared the bites, it was the skeletal hand on the back of his flesh one that threw Kendra off.

“It’s okay! It’s okay! It’s my tattoo!” Zane laughed, “It’s a UV Tattoo. It only shows up under UV light.”

“Why didn’t you mention it before?! You freaked me out!”

“I forgot! I can’t see it and I’ve been busy!”

Jake sniggered a little, the tension easing a little. “As I was saying, it’s a lot to process so let’s take today to process this. You can ask questions when we next meet up. But… this is something you need to be aware of. We don’t know how long they’ve been in Hell’s Gate for but we know that they’re using secrecy to keep the peace and eat undisturbed. We don’t want that secret to be spilled—”

“We don’t?!” Harper scoffed, shaking her head. “

“If Hell’s Gate finds out, then the vampires can leave then we’re on the menu. We’re not so protected. The Na’vi cannot protect us against these creatures. So, if you have garlic cloves in your supplies, get them growing then we can trade with them.”

“We have some garlic, and some other root veg” Ruby spoke, “I hate working with garlic. So much fucking paperwork to get into the damn cloves.” She mimed the peeling process with distaste as she got to her feet, tugging Zane up to his feet.

With a dismissing word from Eytukan, the group got up and began to disperse to their rides home.

“Thank you,” Jake added to Tsu’tey mostly.

Tsu’tey’s head nose, curtly nodding. “You are welcome, Jakesully.”

Masterlist

#avatar #avatar au #grace augustine #avatar james cameron #avatar the way of water #jake sully #mo'at #neytiri #avatar rda #norm spellman #vampire #vampire au #vampire grace #neytiri te tskaha mo'at'ite #tsu'tey #eytukan

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inactive-hellish-hyperfixation · 2 years

Text

Happy early birthday | Stephen Strange x gn!reader

genre: fluff

requested: no

summary: Stephen Strange becomes familiar with the soft violin playing of his new assistant at the New York Sanctum, and falls. Hard.

a/n: I didn't plan out what gender reader was gonna be for this, so please let me know if there were any gendered terms i need to fix! Also, his birthday is November 18th. Also also, I'm considering making a second part to this, so lmk if thats something you'd like!

word count: 2.4k

To anybody else, the sounds of the violin echoing through the seemingly endless expanse of the sanctum may have been eerie. Scary, even. Doctor Strange wasn’t anybody else. To him, each stroke of the bow across the four strings was as close to heaven on earth as he could get. The melody flowed not only through the building but through his entire body, intertwining with each muscle and bone, filling him to the brim with relaxation and comfort. He never was very music-inclined, the only experience being in the OR when he played the song guessing games with the other surgeons to help pass the time, but this touched every musical cell in his body and brought them to life.

It began when you became a resident of the sanctum. Mostly to be backup for when Stephen couldn’t be there, Wong assigned you to become an assistant to the master of the New York sanctum (you liked to call it co-master). It took a while for Stephen to drop his serious exterior around you, but considering the fact that the two of you spent the majority of your time together, it was hard for the man to keep it up. More than that, though, the sorcerer found that he had a weak spot for you. You who stayed up to greet him when he came back home late, waiting with drooping eyes and a smile just to make sure he was safe; you who reminded him to take breaks, eat, and stay hydrated throughout the day; you who healed his wounds when he came back from a fight bloodied and bruised; and finally, you who played the violin at late hours of the night so beautifully that it soothed the fear from his nightmares or relaxed him when his mind couldn’t shut off.

The first time Stephen heard it, he had woken up in a cold sweat after having a recurring nightmare of the night of the car crash. He was disoriented for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath and calm down, when he heard it. It was soft and far away, as though it were coming from a room down the hallway, but it was there. It was so soothing he didn’t realize his breathing had regulated and his grip on the sheets had loosened. His first instinct was to get closer, to hear it clearer, to fill his mind up with the gorgeous melody, but his body was tired and he fell back asleep soon after laying down.

The second time Stephen heard it, he was sitting at a desk in his room poring over a number of books he borrowed from the library at Kamar-Taj. It was late and he couldn’t help but hear your chastising voice telling him “you should sleep more, Stephen! You of all people should know how important sleep is as a doctor. Besides, you get even grumpier than usual when you sleep late.” He chuckled at the thought before his mind wandered off. He wondered if you were asleep, what you would be doing awake, what you were dreaming about, and generally thought about you until the sound of the violin wandered into his room.

It sounded more like warm ups at the start. Notes ascending up then down with varying rhythms and speeds and a couple simple tunes like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or Mary Had A Little Lamb. A few minutes of that passed by when the first piece began. He recognized it, though he didn’t know the name. Stephen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, allowing himself to thoroughly enjoy the soothing melody. When that piece ended and another one began, he stood and left the room, determined to find the source and get closer to it.

He tread softly through the hallway, following the sound of the now lively music. His search ended when he saw your form in front of the large circular window, body moving accordingly to what you were playing. You swayed slightly at slower parts, slightly dipped down as emphasis on heavier notes, and sometimes even did turns on rests, soft laughter becoming part of the music. Stephen couldn’t take his eyes off of you. He was captivated by the passion you exuded and the gorgeous melody that you produced. The moonlight and soft lamplight only highlighted the beauty of the scene as it hugged your form, making you look like you were glowing.

He stood there and watched you play from beginning to end without a sound, and only after you began putting the instrument in its case did he snap out of it and approach you. He bathed you in genuine compliments and the two of you somehow ended up sitting together on Stephen’s bed with you talking about how you came to love the violin and him absorbing every word as though they were water and he were a man stranded in the Sahara Desert. A few hours later, Stephen woke to the sight of you still sleeping peacefully next to him in an undeniably funny, yet endearing because it was you, position.

That day was still fresh in his mind as though it were mere minutes ago. Every time he thought about whether that was because of how breathtaking you were or because it was when he realized he was in love with you, his answer was both. He fell in love with you and your playing months ago, but the flame burned brighter than ever. In fact, every interaction he had with you only added fuel to it.

***

“Who pissed in your breakfast?”

You were currently in a corner of the library tucked away somewhere in the sanctum, full bookshelves creating a nice secluded area and a large window allowing natural evening light into the room. You were standing in front of the wall, a couple pages of music sheets taped along it, and holding your violin. Stephen happened to find you while he was “looking for a book.”(In truth, he was looking for you as he hadn’t seen you in a couple hours and missed you, but he would never admit it.) His initial relief at seeing you in the library dissipated when he noticed the distressed expression on your face.

“Myself, apparently. I don’t know why I can’t get this right.” You sighed and placed your instrument on the desk next to you before dragging the chair away from the desk and flopping down onto it.

“How long have you been at this?” Stephen approached you and placed a tentative hand on your shoulder, noticing the exhaustion in your eyes and hair that looked like upset hands ran through them multiple times. You leaned your head back onto the chair and looked at him.

“Not sure. A couple hours, I think? The sun moved a lot since I started.” Knowing the signs of overworking as a person who overworks himself, Stephen grew worried.

“Have you eaten anything? Or at least drank some water?” Your eyes widened in the slightest, so small most people would’ve missed it, but he noticed. He grew more suspicious when you turned your head to look at the sheet music covered wall in front of you.

“Yeah, of course I have.” As if on cue, your stomach made a strange gurgling sound. You now turned your head entirely away from the sorcerer to the desk on your left. Stephen rolled his eyes and quickly portaled away. Just as you started questioning what he was doing, he portaled back with a few takeout boxes of food and two plates in his hands. It smelled amazing. Your stomach made another embarrassing sound.

“Let’s eat.”

It turns out that Stephen had popped into your favorite restaurant and bought dinner for the both of you, being somewhat lacking in the cooking department. Now the two of you sat at the desk, Stephen taking his time with his meal while you tried your hardest to not shove the entire plate down your throat.

“Now that you’re less hungry, what’s so important that you worked on it for multiple hours straight with no break or food?” As a response, you stared at your food more intensely and shoveled more of it into your mouth for more time to think as you chewed.

“It’s nothing. Just a piece I like, nothing special.” You decided to keep it vague, and the sorcerer obviously didn’t believe a word judging by the exasperated sigh that left his lips.

“You look worse than I did after spending 5 years in oblivion, y/n. Cut the crap.” You finally looked up from your food to make eye contact with the man sitting across from you. At first glance, he appeared to be irritated at the lack of a direct answer, but you knew better. You saw the worry in his eyes and in the furrow of his brow, and felt guilty for making him concerned about you.

“Beethoven’s Romance in F major,” you mumbled and looked back down at your plate, unable to keep eye contact anymore.

“What? Is that the song you were working on?” The tone of his voice became a little softer, recognizing the hesitance in your voice at sharing this information with him.

“Piece—but yeah. Beethoven’s Romance. It’s supposed to be played with an orchestra, but I changed it to make it an unaccompanied solo." You were avoiding the real point of practicing this piece in particular, and he knew it.

"Why is it bothering you so much?" At this point, exasperation was entirely replaced with curiosity.

"It's the 17th of November today." You said it as though the date was supposed to explain everything. It didn’t.

"And? What does that have to do with anything?" At this, you finally looked back up at him and huffed, embarrassed to explain.

"What can you give a man who has everything?" The confusion didn’t leave his face, so you huffed and steeled your nerves before continuing to explain.

“That’s the question I’ve been asking myself for about a month now. Wong told me your birthday was coming up and I didn’t have any good ideas for a present, but I didn’t want to get you something shitty, I care about you too much to do that!” At this, Stephen raised an eyebrow and you felt your face get hot, but you pressed on. “So I decided to play something for you, since you say you like it so much.”

“And you chose something called Romance?”

“That, and Elgar’s Salut D’amour. Means greeting of love.”

Silence followed your words and you risked taking a glance at his face, a million possibilities of what expression he would have running through your mind. Out of all of them, you never could have imagined the red that dusted his cheeks and soaked the tips of his ears.

“You’re not very subtle, are you?” His lips turned up into a smirk, and a laugh followed. Not the mocking kind—he wouldn’t do that to you—but the kind that comes out instinctively when you don’t know how to react. You didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not. Subconsciously, your muscles tensed up even more and you felt tears pricking at your eyes. Looking away was the safest option in trying not to show your vulnerability.

“Shit, I didn’t mean it like that.” You felt a hand fall shakily on top of your own. “Hey, look at me,” his voice was soft in comparison to the spoken words. With a deep inhale, you managed to force your head back into position to look at the man sitting across from you.

“I couldn’t ask for a better gift. Nobody’s ever even considered giving me something so personal and intimate before, and I couldn’t imagine it being anybody else.” The redness subsided only slightly, but the smile on his face went from amused to warm—maybe even loving. The hand that only lightly grazed yours now grasped it, trembling yet firm.

“I… You like it? You don’t… hate me for it, or anything?” You asked tentatively, shoulders beginning to drop and tears no longer threatening to fall from your eyes.

“I love it. Though, I could think of one thing that would make it better,” he spoke with a teasing tilt now, sensing that your anxiety was abating. “Tonight—now, if possible—do you want to go on a date?” At the words, you burst out into a wide grin.

“Absolutely not.” You pulled your hand away from Stephen’s and stood, placing your hands on your hips. The shocked look on his face only served to make the smile on your face bigger. “It’s not your birthday until tomorrow, and this is supposed to be a birthday present! Unfortunately for you, I don’t give early gifts.” You reached for his hands and tugged him out of his chair into a standing position, the man now wearing a smile that was smaller in size in comparison to yours, but held the same amount of bliss. You turned away, made a portal to his room, and lightly pushed him in.

“You don’t get to listen to my playing until tomorrow, got it?” At this, the sorcerer rolled his eyes and pulled you into the portal too, holding you close with hands at your waist.

“What about a preview kiss? Can I have one of those?” He leaned down until your faces were so close he could graze the tip of his nose against yours, and could feel your breath. Unsurprisingly, it smelled like dinner, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at that moment. You made a similar movement, leaning up until you felt the scratchiness of his facial hair, made a humming sound as an indication that you were about to bring your lips to meet his, and left a peck right on the corner of his mouth before pulling away entirely to step back into the other side of the portal.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” You waved, took in one last look at the Sorcerer Supreme standing there, arms wrapped around air, leaning down at an awkward angle, a dazed look on his face as though he hadn’t processed what just happened quite yet. Then you closed the portal.

Stephen ended up staying in that position in the middle of his room for about a minute before finally unfreezing, and let out the most genuine laugh he’d had in a long while. Although he could’ve easily made a portal to go back to the library and get revenge on you, he decided to listen to your words and eagerly got ready for bed, mind racing with all the ideas of what he could do for his first date with you, his violinist.

#stephen strange x reader #stephen strange x male reader #stephen strange fanfic #dr strange x reader #dr strange x male reader #reader is a tease #gender neutral reader #marvel x reader #marvel x male reader #stephen strange fluff #doctor strange x reader #doctor strange imagines #stephen strange x gender neutral reader #stephen strange x gn!reader

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hockeylvr59 · 1 year

Text

Here With Me Part 21 || Taylor Makar

Author’s Note: Taylor heads home for spring break and he and Kelsey hit another bump in the road because of it. FC: Marina Laswick (@marooshk on instagram).

Warnings: cursing, anxiety // Word Count: 4,748

~~~~

Twenty

With Taylor’s season now officially over, Laura and Gary had no reason to stick around in Amherst. But not wanting their goodbye to Kelsey to be a wave during the quick exchange of the room key before Taylor and Kelsey had headed off to class Thursday morning, they invited Kelsey to join them at the arcade at the mall Thursday evening for a bit more casual of a setting since they were taking Taylor shopping Thursday afternoon anyway.

Though Kelsey couldn’t stick around too long because she had promised to do some alterations for her roommate before they left for spring break, she played a few games with and against Taylor and his parents. She also learned from her boyfriend that he was going to go home to Calgary for spring break since he didn’t have hockey anymore and that he and his roommates were doing something Friday evening for T’s and Mercs’ birthdays.

In a way, Kelsey was glad she had other plans for the evening because she couldn’t help but be disappointed which she knew would be hard to hide. She’d had so many plans for his birthday in her head but now he wasn’t even going to be here. And not only was he leaving but the one night he was going to be here before then, he was going to spend with his roommates.

She knew it was selfish and he should see his family and spend time with his friends too but she couldn’t help but feel like he really hadn’t spent much time alone with her lately and she missed it. If his love language was physical touch, hers was quality time and even if they’d had the time part of that, the quality certainly had been missing.

Instead, she kept her expression neutral until after she had said goodbye to his parents and said goodnight to Taylor and slipped back into her car. It was only then that she let her body language slump because this really kind of sucked. It was definitely a night to pop open a bottle of wine while she sewed her roommates clothes.

****

Taylor: We’re just going to hang out at the apartment tonight with some people, come over?

Kelsey: Okay.

****

On one hand, Kelsey was relieved that she’d get to see Taylor before he left for break, but on the other now she was going to have to share him with even more people and she was not looking forward to that at all.

Arriving at Taylor’s apartment around seven, Kelsey found it full of not just the roommates but a few other friends and teammates. The music wasn’t overly loud but it was clear a get together was happening.

“T! Kels is here.” Mikey called out upon spotting her.

Within a moment, Taylor was popping around the corner and pulling her into a hug kissing her softly.

“There’s my girl.” He declared clearly already having had at least one drink if the shitty taste of beer on his tongue was any indication.

“Yo T where’d you go!” Someone called and though Taylor hesitated for a moment, Kelsey urged him off with a soft ‘go’ before making her way into the kitchen.

Watching Taylor play some form of beer pong or whatever it was, Kelsey moved to put drinks in the fridge so they were cold and refilled the bins of snacks before cleaning up the kitchen.

When the game was over he wandered to drape himself over her again, but she maybe had his attention for five minutes before he was engaged in conversation with someone else and Kelsey dipped out of his grasp to wander around the apartment grabbing empty bottles to put in the trash.

“Hey Kels…” Mikey stated softly upon her reentry to the kitchen. “You okay?”

“Fine.” She replied, her fake smile on display. If he noticed her lie, he didn’t say anything and just nodded, grabbing another drink before leaving her in the kitchen to watch as the small party went on around her.

Honestly she wasn’t sure why Taylor had even invited her. She was literally the only girl here and while she knew his roommates it wasn’t like she was friends with them or any of the other guys on the team. And besides a single kiss and five minutes worth of clinging it was like she wasn’t even there.

And like she couldn’t fault him for having fun but she definitely wasn’t even if she usually loved parties like this.

It was probably 8:45 when she slipped into the bathroom to let out a sigh and just have a few minutes of quiet, not leaving until there was a knock on the door with someone wanting to use the bathroom.

Doing another round of cleaning and restocking, Kelsey ended up sitting on Taylor’s lap for a few minutes until he was dragged into another party game.

Shortly before eleven, Kelsey decided she’d had enough and moved to find Taylor, wrapping her arms around his shoulders while he played cards.

“Hey T. I’m gonna go. Happy Birthday. Let me know when you get to Calgary.” She whispered softly in his ear before kissing his cheek and moving to head out. He didn’t stop her, barely even acknowledged hearing her and that told Kelsey everything she needed to know about this week.

As much as she had thought she was a priority in his life, she wasn’t.

Driving back to her apartment, Kelsey threw everything she wanted to take home for break into bags and then unceremoniously tossed them into the backseat before making the drive back to her parents house, arriving just after midnight.

Grateful that they were in Arizona for a long weekend for a conference, she made her way up to her room after locking up and just fell into bed, sobbing into her pillow.

*****

With Taylor due to get into town in the afternoon, Laura and Gary were finishing their own unpacking and tidying up the house while finally catching up with their older son beyond the brief check ins they’d had throughout the week.

“You guys were particularly hard to get ahold of this week.” Cale commented.

“Eh you know, taking Taylor shopping, the game and trip to and from Boston, having dinner with and getting to know Kelsey.” Gary listed while unloading the dishwasher.

For nearly five minutes, Cale went on a ramble about the Costco they’d go to in Massachusetts vs the one in Denver before he stopped suddenly.

“Wait. Who the fuck is Kelsey?” He questioned, like he’d never heard the name before in his life. Laura’s eyes went wide but Gary just rolled with it, continuing his conversation with his son.

“She’s Tay’s girlfriend. Crazy smart, sweet, and a firecracker.” Gary declared.

“T has a girlfriend?!?! Since when???”

“January or so.” Gary replied before regaling Cale with how Amherst and the surrounding area had changed in the few years since he’d been there.

****

It wasn’t until Taylor was on his flight to Calgary that he really had time to sit and think. He’d listened to music while waiting for his flight just like normal until a song came on that he’d added after hearing it play in Kelsey’s car. Though he’d had to focus on boarding, now that he was situated he couldn’t get Kelsey out of his mind.

She’d left last night before it was even really late. She’d dropped a kiss to his cheek, wished him a happy birthday, and then was gone. She didn’t even say I love you.

And when he’d texted her that he was boarding and that he loves her she’d left him on read.

Fuck.

Taylor rubbed his face before starting to replay last night in his mind to figure out how he had fucked things up.

He’d greeted her when she arrived and then she’d sent him to go finish his game. Admittedly one game had turned into a couple before he’d gone looking for her and it hadn’t been long with her in his arms before Kenny was talking to him about a whole range of things.

Fuck, he’d kind of abandoned and ignored her hadn’t he?

Opening up the notepad on his phone since he couldn’t send a text right now, Taylor tried to figure out how to apologize to Kelsey for being an idiot.

Kels. I’m sorry for last night. It was pretty fucking shitty of me to abandon you and not include you more. Can’t say I blame you for leaving. I’m so sorry. I’ll make it up to you when I get back.

Mentally cursing himself again, Taylor switched back to his music just trying to distract himself for the rest of his flight.

When his flight landed, Taylor gathered up his carry-on and made his way through the airport to the gate he was usually picked up at.

As soon as he turned airplane mode off his phone almost exploded with missed calls, voicemails, and texts from his brother. Eyes going wide he shoved his phone in his pocket again until the buzzing stopped. Then he pulled it out to send off his apology text to Kelsey and notify her he was safe in Calgary before resuming his quest to meet his ride.

Finding his cousin Lucas’ vehicle didn’t take too long and Taylor tossed his bag into the back before climbing into the passenger seat, thanking him for picking him up.

As Lucas caught him up on some family gossip, Taylor checked his phone just to see why Cale blew him up.

Cale: WHAT THE FUCK DUDE

Cale: You have a girlfriend???

Cale: Since January???

Cale: And I found out from dad!

Cale: Because he and mom fucking met her!

Cale: You gotta be fucking kidding me.

Cale: Don’t think you’re gonna get to ignore me about this.

Cale: Even if you are on a cross country flight right now.

Cale: I can’t believe you have a girlfriend and didn’t tell me for two fucking months.

Cale: Technically still haven’t told me. Dad did.

Cale: You fucking suck.

Cale: But congrats I guess.

Cale: Mom and dad seemed to like her.

Cale: Fuck you Taylor. Mark knew?

Cale: Way too pretty for you T.

Cale: But you’re kinda cute together I guess.

Taylor was sure that the voicemails contained similar vibes and he closed the thread checking to see if Kelsey had responded to him yet. Nothing.

Closing his eyes, Taylor tried to focus on the family dinner Lucas was telling him he was being dragged to since he was back in town.

Thankfully it was easy to lose himself in the love of his family and the end of Cale’s game and not think about how his phone was still silent.

Eventually though it buzzed once and Taylor excused himself from the room for a moment before checking it.

Kelsey: apology accepted.

That was it. Kelsey was only a brief texter if she was in a hurry or upset so the fact that she didn’t send more left a sinking feeling in his gut. But again he tried not to dwell and returned to his family centering the conversations on them and not on him.

By the time he got home with his parents he was torn between not wanting to be alone and just wanting to bury himself under the covers. Deciding for a bit of both he said goodnight to his parents and then headed to his room to call Cale so that his brother wouldn't kill him for ignoring him.

Thankfully he was able to steer Cale to talk about hockey and things in Denver and not Kelsey and how he had apparently fucked things up.

By the time he got Cale off the phone Taylor was just jetlagged and exhausted enough that he might be able to get a few hours of fitful sleep.

Eventually Taylor woke up and went for a long run before he showered and got ready to go hang out with his cousins again. The busier he was the easier it was to not think about Kelsey though he did try to call her midday with no answer leaving him starting to question everything. Again he stalled as long as he could going home before finally resigning himself to crawling into bed alone.

Around ten o’clock birthday messages started rolling in from people he knew on the east coast where it was already basically his birthday.

For some reason he wasn’t expecting his phone to light up with a series of texts from Kelsey at 10:01 pm, yet it did.

Kelsey: It took 21.60273973 revolutions of the sun from when you were born until we met. In that time you became the well-mannered, lighthearted, intelligent, funny, kind, respectful, persevering, passionate, gentle, and loving man that knocked me off my feet and kept me steady all at the same time. You remind me every day that while there are times to be serious, life isn’t worth living without a little fun and laughter too. Though we’ve only known each other for four-tenths a revolution of the sun, I can’t wait to see what the next 21+ will bring.

Kelsey: All of that to say Happy Birthday T. I wish I were there to celebrate with you in person especially since your present isn’t exactly mailable but I hope you have the best day and I love you.

Kelsey: Hopefully these will suffice in the meantime.

As he read over his girlfriend’s sweet messages his phone buzzed again with a handful of photos. Photos of his girlfriend in a burgundy lace lingerie set. Immediately his dick responded because Kelsey was so fucking beautiful. Scrolling back up to read her texts, Taylor found himself hoping that maybe he had misread her energy the past few days and things really were fine.

Then he opened one of the photos to take a closer look and his dick immediately softened.

It wasn’t that she didn’t look gorgeous because she absolutely did. But as Taylor looked closer at her face, it was plain as day that the smile she was wearing didn’t reach her eyes. Despite having clearly done her hair and makeup before taking the photos, her gaze into the camera looked hollow. It looked like taking the photos was the last thing she wanted to do. It was an act. And there was no bigger turn off in the world than that.

Tossing his phone down on the bed, Taylor threw his pillow across the room before getting up and crossing the hall to the bathroom. Starting up a cold shower, Taylor stripped and stepped under the spray. He didn’t know what to believe because those messages said one thing while the pictures said another. The girl in those pictures…that wasn’t his girlfriend.

He couldn’t help but wonder if she even wanted to do this anymore.

As tears of frustration spilled from his eyes Taylor leaned against the shower wall. How had things gotten so messed up when a week ago they had said I love you for the first time. Had meeting his parents been too much for her to handle? Had he fucked up in some other way? Was she still pissed about Friday after saying she accepted his apology? Taylor just didn’t understand.

When chills finally overtook his body, Taylor wiped at his eyes and climbed out, drying off and redressing before returning to his room to gather the pillow from the floor and crawl under the blankets.

Knocking his phone, Taylor reached for it before it hit the floor and looked at the lock screen picture of he and Kelsey postgame Wednesday that Merc’s mom had taken and sent him. Sighing he unlocked his phone and opened his text thread with Kelsey.

Taylor: Thanks Kels.

Taylor: Are you okay?

It wasn’t a question he was actually expecting her to answer but he had to ask. Especially right away because he was sure she was asleep.

Taylor wasn’t sure how long he scrolled through various social media platforms, sighing every time something made him think of Kelsey, before his eyes finally drifted shut causing him to doze lightly.

Having not really slept, Taylor couldn’t help but groan a little while his mom declared that she was dragging him out shopping after breakfast, insisting that they needed to make sure that he had clothes that fit.

After shopping, they met up with his dad for lunch and then went to see a movie before having some extended family over for a birthday potluck dinner. By the time everyone left, Taylor felt very loved but also was a little bit exhausted. Yet with all the uncertainties on his mind, Taylor found sleep evading him until the early hours of the morning when his body finally gave in.

Waking just a few hours later, the second straight morning with no replies from his girlfriend, Taylor had had enough.

Taylor: Do you even want this…me anymore?

He wasn’t sure what to expect anymore so when her reply came less than ten minutes later he was actually a little surprised.

Kelsey: Feels like you’re the one that doesn’t want this.

Clicking on her contact, Taylor called her, each ring of the phone only making him more annoyed.

Taylor: Kelsey….answer the phone.

As soon as he sent the message Taylor was calling her back and though she answered the phone it was with silence.

“What did I do to make you think I don’t want this?” He asked.

"Because I can count the number of waking hours we've spent alone together since the snow day on one hand.”

Taylor racked his brain to think of the days since the snow day. There was the Maine trip and then his parents had been in town plus playoffs and yeah he guessed they really hadn’t spent much time together alone in the last two weeks. There might have been a few missed opportunities like inviting her over before the party or taking her into his room for a bit during the party but he’d basically done the best he could.

“And I know I’m being a little bit selfish.” Kelsey mumbled, her voice pure sadness. “Of course hockey is important and school is important. And of course you should spend time with your parents when they come to see you and you have every right to want to spend time with friends. And I’ve never once complained about any of those things. But I can’t help but feel like I’m last on the priority list lately if I’m even on there at all.”

Taylor could hear her starting to cry through the phone and his heart shattered.

“And I can’t blame you for wanting to go home for break, I really can’t, but I was so looking forward to the thought of spending your birthday with you. Of…assuming you remembered to go get tested even though I haven’t seen results…surprising you with being comfortable forgoing protection for oral and taking that next step since we’ve been exclusive for awhile.”

Her words knocked the wind out of him and Taylor cursed under his breath.

“Kels…I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Kelsey whispered. “Like I said, I’m being selfish. This is more a me problem than a you problem. And I didn’t want to explode on you like this, which is why I was distant. So I’m gonna go before I ruin your trip home more.”

“Kels, don’t. Don’t hang up.” Taylor pleaded.

“Taylor, enjoy your trip home. I’ll see you when you get back.” Kelsey insisted. “And I do love you even if I’m hurting. Don’t doubt that.”

Before Taylor could say anything else the call had dropped and he stared at his phone, body in shock. Kelsey’s words ran through his head on repeat leaving a deeper and deeper sinking feeling inside of him each time. He wasn’t going to be able to get the sound of her crying out of his head anytime soon.

Fuck. He’d fucked up so bad even if Kelsey insisted on bearing the blame. And to make things worse he didn’t know how to fix it.

After about twenty minutes trying to figure out how the fuck to fix it, Taylor wandered out of his room in search of his mom, wrapping his arms around her and burying his head into her neck when he found her.

“I fucked up mom.” He mumbled, his voice shaky.

Rubbing his back, Laura guided him to go sit down and instructed him to start from the beginning. After Taylor spilled his guts, recounting exactly what Kelsey had said to him, Laura hugged him softly.

“Have you heard of love languages Taylor?” She questioned, only to receive a shake of her son’s head. “Love languages are ways we prefer to receive and to give love. And there are five ways: Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.” As she listed them she could see Taylor’s ears perk up.

“I’d bet you could probably guess yours without even thinking about it for more than a second, right?” She asked and Taylor nodded.

“Physical touch. Kelsey calls me her koala.” Taylor mumbled.

“So since the snow day has your love language been met?” Laura prompted.

“I mean yeah….” Taylor replied. “We cuddled when I got back from Maine, hand on thigh at dinner with you guys, the hug and kiss and car snuggles and sleeping beside her after the game, her sitting on my lap at the party.”

“So to you nothing was wrong.” Laura confirmed. “Based on everything Kelsey just told you, does her love language also seem like physical touch?” Immediately, Taylor shook his head.

“No. Hers is quality time.” Taylor admitted. “And I didn’t meet her love language at all mom.” Sighing, Taylor rubbed his face. “But how do I meet her love language when sometimes quality time isn’t possible like when I’m on the road?”

“We don’t have just one love language Tay. It’s not that one applies and none of the others do. It’s more that it’s a ranking. You have a primary love language, it fills your needs fastest. But you also have a secondary love language or combination of other love languages that will meet that need but not as strongly or quickly.” Laura paused to breathe. “Because I’d like to think that as your mom I know you, I’d say that acts of service and words of affirmation are secondary for you and gifts and quality time are at the bottom. So you need to figure out what Kelsey’s secondary love language or combination of love languages are and when quality time isn’t possible, focus on meeting the others. To me it sounds like physical touch is at the bottom of Kelsey’s rankings, it just doesn’t meet her needs at all. But maybe words of affirmation, gifts, or acts of service would in some shape or form.”

“She does like when I clean her car off from snow.” Taylor admitted. “And I honestly didn’t expect her to wear the hat with my number on it when I gave it to her but she’s worn it at every game since. And I doubt I’ll ever see the hoodie I gave her in my closet again.”

Quiet for a minute, Taylor sighed.

“I guess I haven’t met any of those other love languages since the snow day either.” A small pout formed on his face. “No wonder she doesn’t feel like she’s a priority to me and is wondering whether I want her. She’s so much better at this than I am mom.”

“It sounds like she’s familiar with love languages Taylor, and figured yours out a while ago.”

Taylor thought of how she always was willing to let him touch her or snuggle, how she would mend his clothes, make him things, and the notes she wrote him for Valentine's day and his birthday in addition to constantly telling him she was proud of him. She was regularly hitting basically every love language in addition to physical touch to make sure that all of his needs were met.

And yet he couldn’t meet a single one of hers.

“We both know that you know how to meet every single one of those Taylor. It’s just something that requires a little bit of effort and intentional focus. Relationships aren’t easy Tay. But if you love someone the way I think you love Kelsey, putting in the effort is worth it.” Laura murmured. “Now let me make you some breakfast because you need to eat something.”

While his mom made breakfast, Taylor moved to wash his face and then returned to his room for his phone.

Taylor: My mom taught me about love languages and it all makes so much more sense now. I promise I’m going to be better about meeting your needs moving forward.

Taylor: If you want to talk we can, and if you want to wait until I’m back then I guess that’s okay too.

****

Kelsey hadn’t replied back and Taylor tried not to let it bother him knowing that she was working on some things herself. Instead he worked on a project of his own making sure it was perfect. It was only when he received the notice that it was ready that he texted her again.

Taylor: If you’re out and about today you should stop by 100 Charlton Rd, Sturbridge, MA 01566, there’s something there for you.

Kelsey: What are you up to?

This time it was Taylor that didn’t respond and after finishing her current errand, Kelsey headed to that address to find herself at walmart.

Kelsey: Why am I at Walmart?

Taylor: [attaches photo center order information]

Confused, Kelsey climbed out of her car, locking it, and headed inside, straight back to the photo center.

“My boyfriend sent me to pick up an order I think.” She declared to the attendant showing them the confirmation number. After just a minute she was handed a shopping bag and told that she was all set and it was already paid for online.

Heading back to her car, Kelsey opened the bag to reveal a photobook. On the front cover was their kiss in the car on Valentine’s day and Kelsey had to swallow a lump in her throat. Opening the front cover there was a picture of a qr code attached with photo corners and when she used her phone’s camera over it, it directed her to a spotify playlist.

With her phone connected to her car’s speakers immediately a song started playing and Kelsey quickly recognized Kane Brown’s voice.

I’m just scared of losing you.

Kelsey instantly knew that Taylor was bearing his heart to her in the best way he knew how…through music.

Flipping through the book Kelsey saw the pictures from valentine’s day as she expected, but she was amazed by how many other photos there were. She didn’t realize any of these photos existed. A picture of her sleeping on his chest while he looked at her with the fondest eyes, one of their linked hands in her car while she drove, a couple from the night they’d gone bowling with his roommates, even one that judging by her outfit was from postgame Wednesday night as they just held each other in the bowels of Conte Forum. There was a picture of the fireplace and singer at the restaurant in Deerfield before Christmas, one of the band they saw play in Northampton, one of her just sitting at his desk doing homework and another of her on his floor meditating. He’d even taken one of her making eggs in his apartment kitchen on their snow day.

How had she never known that all of these moments had been captured?

Tucked at the very back was a picture that made the tears pooling in her eyes finally fall. A picture of them in the parking lot at Mullins, with Taylor clearly in the middle of spinning her around after she’d told him she loves him too.

Above it was a photo of a piece of paper with 'All the love songs in the world couldn't encapsulate the ways I love you, Kelsey’ written in Taylor’s neat formal printing.

He didn’t have to do any of this. Really he didn’t.

But Kelsey couldn’t deny that she felt so very loved because he had.

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