Horny ADHD thing you can't get rid of. I write MOSTLY smut. To be honest, most of it will be absolutely deplorable shit. Yeah dw I am legally classified as an adult.
Please note that while I am willing to write deplorable shit, I do have limits. Just because you see an anime where most the characters are minors (cough, cough, The Promised Neverland, cough cough), that I write for the enjoyment of others and reserve the right to refuse any requests. However rare that event may be, I can and will refuse if need be. I DO NOT CONDONE OR SUPPORT ILLEGAL BEHAIVOR OF ANY KIND.
Also, I will not be making a masterlist for a fandom until I get a request from it (UuU)
๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ: Toge Inumaki โญ Yuta Okkotsu
๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ: Adult content, smut, fem!reader, yan!Toge, yan!Yuta, yandere!char x darling!reader, noncon/dubcon improper use of CT (Toge), somnophila (Toge), coercion (Yuta), rough sex, oral (fem receiving), mild corruption (Yuta), bloodplay (Toge), yandere shenanigans, not proofread bc I ain't built like that, and more.
๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ: What kind of woman is their type? You. What kind of man is your type? Not them. So they fuck you in hopes of changing your mind.
I do not condone this bs. It's just for entertainment.
๐๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ข doesn't usually like to waste his time listening to pointless gossip. But when it's about you, that changes. He overheard Maki talking with you, asking your interests, something that felt almost sacred in its timing. What gods allowed him this chance? He'd have to thank them later.
With his back pressed against the wall, Toge hid around the corner like some stalker with nowhere to go other than wherever you led him. He listened, silent, merely enjoying the sound of your voice with closed eyes. If only you were speaking to him, but he was too shy to ever dare asking you the questions Maki was so lucky to get away with.
"So what kinda man's your type?" Maki eventually asked as the two of you walked right past him, failing to notice him as he stood there in perfect silence. "Oh, you know." You'd start, giggling as you started off rattling several little adjectives. "I like my boys cute and soft, a little antisocial."
"Like Fushiguro."
It was an insult, a horrible one. Toge's poor heart throbbed within his chest, causing him to cough quietly as he turned and walked away before either of you could notice him. Within his mind, Toge was reeling. You wanted a boy that was soft and cute, he's cute! And way softer than that damn Fushiguro! Speaking of, he isn't a little antisocial, Megumi's the damn definition at this point!
If you want a little antisocial, then look at the right boy at least! Stewing in his jealous fit, Toge was already too far away to hear what Maki and you said next.
"I think Toge fits that description better." She'd said, smirking as she crossed her arms. You'd ponder that for a moment, then respond with a giggle Toge would surely regret not hearing. "Does he? Yeah, I guess he does."
How does it feel to be so peacefully asleep, wrapped in the arms of slumber while he sits between your thighs, clinging to your sleeping body as he gropes every inch of your pretty flesh.
"Love me." He says, tears falling as he pulls your shorts down without even a hint of the hesitation he'd have if you were awake. "Love me." He can feel you, soft and warm while he buries his face into your perfect cunt, mouthing desperate orders for you to love him while your body can do nothing to wake up.
He can feel the scratch on his throat, clawing at his flesh, tearing it apart. He coughs, pouring blood onto your wet folds, thighs, and the sheets beneath you before he dives back in to devour you.
Toge relishes in your taste, something sweet and tangy and all you, tainted with his blood as he rolls his tongue over your puffy clit. Again he demands your love, again he vomits his crimson onto you, and again he dives back in to devour you.
At this point he can't tell if you're actually wet or if it's just all the blood he's coughed onto you, but you take his fingers well, sucking him in while they sink into your gummy walls. Fuck, you have no idea how much he wants to see your pretty eyes wake up and look at him with the same love he desperately wants to give you.
You could be awake for all he cares, hiding under those lids of yours, begging for him to stop, but unable to so long as sleep holds you in that chokehold he put you in.
Pressing his tongue flat to your clit, he's whining as he grinds his hips onto the bed beneath him. Tears fall, his own, mixing with his blood and saliva as he painfully parts from your mound.
"Wake up."
Seeing you, gasping for air while his two fingers are buried knuckle-deep in your cunt has him shaking. You're beautiful, absolutely perfect. You're making him cry. How can one be so beautiful, so perfect? He doesn't know, but fuck if he doesn't love it.
"Toge!" You cry, whining as his fingers curl up into a spot that has you seeing stars. Now you've got him smiling, leaning down into your ear to whisper "I love you" just before dragging you into a kiss.
You're behaving well, really well, letting him touch you so boldly. He didn't think Cursed Speech could work if you were asleep, but he wasn't complaining. Your moans turn him on, and its after you cum on his fingers that Toge realizes how wrong he was. You didn't hear his begging for you to love him at all.
Now you're crying, shaking as he grabs your chin and shakes his head. "I can fix it," His raspy voice whispers as he peppers your face with a few bloody kisses. "Just love me."
๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐จ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฎ hadn't thought it was possible for you to be this... adorable! Here you are, his sweet little friend, playing games on your phone while sitting in his lap with his arms around your waist. You're talking, and he's listening very, very attentively.
He just loves your voice.
At some point your ramblings turned into questions, which turned into a back and forth, which turned into him finding out the answer to a question that had been bugging him for weeks now. You see, your silly little mouth had said Yuta wasn't your type.
So Yuta, naturally, got upset, cried about it, got over it, and was now asking you why.
"Uh," You start, staring up at a wall rather than at any part of him. "I dunno, I don't really have a type."
Oh, well that makes things easy, doesn't it? "So..." Yuta drawls, brows furrowing slightly as he tried to put the pieces together. "I'm not your type, because you don't know your type?" You laughed at that. "Yeah, pretty much." He grunted at that.
It made perfect sense to anyone else. It made perfect sense in general. But Yuta just saw a possibility in your lack of distaste for him. "What would help you figure it out?" He'd press himself closer now, lowering his voice to a murmur in your ear while his arms around your waist lowered so his grip could have your hips.
You giggle softly, but only because his breath on your ear tickles. "I dunno, something stupid probably."
Here you are, still in his lap, a ragdoll in his firm grip. Yuta's eyes brim with unshed tears, his lips hovering over the junction of your neck and shoulder while his hands hold your hips so tight they'd definitely bruise.
You're boneless at this point, your head thrown back, lips parted in moans that couldn't stop because of every drag of Yuta's cock in your greedy cunt. Every ridge drags you along, bumping on every gummy dip of your walls that feel like they're trying to milk him dry.
"Yutaaaaa!" You whine, hands trembling and fingers twitching as you manage to reach up and hook your hand around the back of his neck for support. Yuta doesn't respond, he's too lost in watching your tits bounce and feeling you squeeze him as a second orgasm washes over you.
"Do me a favor," Yuta whispers, grunting as he stuffs you full for a hot second before dragging himself right back out. "Touch yourself f'me."
You whine, but eventually you give in, keening as you let yourself touch your puffy, neglected clit. "Yeah, good, just like that honey." His voice sounds a little deeper than usual, something that makes your thighs tremble as he picks up the pace. "Can you rub her as fast as I'm going? Hm?"
Of course you nod along. He can see it in your eyes, you're falling in love with this. "Feels good, don't it?" He croons tongue slipping out to lick a long stripe up your neck. When you whimper and nod along, he rewards you with a shallow thrust right into your g-spot, something you weren't given the time to question how he knew the location of.
"No one knows you as well as I do," Yuta whispered, his lips curling into a smile as he felt his own pace start to stutter. "No one knows what you want like I do. Am I still not your type, baby?"
โโ: .โฝ . :โโ
When I started writing the first part, I wanted to have these guys be in it, but I figured it would be better to just have two per bc of how long they got... I the proceeded to write a slow burn Yan!Biker!Sukuna but like what're ya gonna do? ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
Two in one day? It's like I made a playlist to get rid of my writing block.
๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ: Sukuna Ryomen
๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ: Yandere!char x darling!reader, fem!reader, biker!Sukuna, left-handed Sukuna bc I can and it's my hc, very self-indulgent, non-curse au, slow burn ts, uncle!Sukuna, satosugu mention, oh yeah Yuuji's here and he's like 14, alcoholism, (mentioned) gang wars/violence, size difference (he's like 6'5 and you're around 5'0 give or take), homocidal ideations, character death (both mentioned and murdered), drunk sex, sloppy kissing, multiple orgasms, clit overstim, overstim in general, unprotected sex, mating press, not proofread we too feral for that shit, and more.
๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ: Freshly forced into taking care of Yuuji, Sukuna takes the boy to a diner you happen to work to avoid hearing him complain about dinner. When you happen to be the unfortunate waitress, Sukuna hardly spares a glance at you. Yuuji seems to really like you, and Sukuna only falls from there.
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ: 2,786 pre-smut. 3,978 with smut.
I do not condone this bs. It's just for entertainment.
๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง is a man whose hunger had never known any bounds, especially not with the things he wants.
What he wants more than anything is you.
It didn't start that way. Fuck, at first, he wanted nothing to do with you. Yuuji had just moved in after his parents died, his grandpa was also just hospitalized, so Sukuna was trying to just get Yuuji to shut up.
"Put this on." Sukuna's gruff voice ordered as he roughly pushed his helmet into Yuuji's thin arms. The boy had been about to let out an indigent whine that Sukuna shut down with a sharp glare. "Fine, fine." He huffed as he tossed his bag onto the floor of the apartment entrance and followed the much larger man out.
Yuuji had never seen Sukuna's motorcycle, so to saw he was a little in awe when they got to his parking spot in the sub-terrain garage was an understatement. "Ho, cool!" He cheered, his lips curling into a beam as he watched Sukuna walk several steps ahead. In his excitement, Yuuji picked up his pace. "How much did it cost?"
"Adult money." Sukuna replied with a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't exactly in the mood for this, but what could he do? It was either this plan or leaving him home alone. He's sure Jin would've been rolling in his grave to come fight him if he did.
"Is that why your place is ass?" Yuuji asked, his brown eyes looking up just in time for Sukuna to grab his helmet from the boy and then shove it down on his head. "You ain't even seen the whole place yet, brat."
"Welcome to Jujo's! For here or to go?" The voice of the woman at the counter meant nothing to Sukuna as he held his helmet under his arm and scratched the back of his neck. "For here."
Ignoring the glances from other customers, Sukuna followed the woman to the booth she'd immediately flagged as occupied on whatever tablet she was using. Yuuji trailed along, walking between him and the woman. His eyes would wander, which Sukuna followed to some couple in a booth making out like long-lost-lovers or something. Recognizing the one with white hair was enough for Sukuna to scoff and grab Yuuji by the top of his head to put his eyes forward.
Of course Satoru was here. "Just had to bring his man with him, too." Sukuna thought to himself, further worsening his mood and his scowl.
Sitting down, Sukuna made sure to have Yuuji on the side that put his back to the two of them while he took the opposite side. "Your server will be here soon." The woman promised before walking back.
These booths are not made for men of his height and build. That's for damn sure.
"Yo, we got a mean one in big B-13." Shoko's voice is calm as she leans on the door to the disability stall, you'd been in the process of scrubbing clean from the last couple who came through it. "A mean one?" You huff back. "Why do I always get them?"
"Big 13 was the only open one where he wouldn't be bothered." She replied, her deep brown eyes watching your shoulders rise and fall as you sighed. "What's his type?" You mutter back, though you fear what might come of that. Shoko smiles at the sight of you giving in. You're too young to by her cigarettes in this area, meaning you can't bribe her into taking it for you. "Biker with a brat."
"You trying to kill me or something?"
You're careful to calm your nerves before you even leave the bathroom. On your way to the booth with Sukuna and his "brat", you make sure to check on a few others in your section, including the two gentlemen who seem to be more than ready for their check.
When you finally make it over to Big 13, you put on a smile and get ready to introduce yourself to the customers for the hundredth time this week, only for Sukuna to cut you off while Yuuji stares at you.
"Water for the brat. Coffee for me, black."
His voice is deep, the kind that rumbles even when softly spoken. You nod along, humming as you write down the order as quickly as you can. "Sugar?"
"Do I look like I want that shit?"
"Nothing with it, understood. Are we ready for food?"
Yuuji swallowed at your question. No, he wasn't, so Sukuna just told you to move on. You simply smile and promise to be back in a few. "She's pretty." You'd hear Yuuji say as you walked back to the kitchen to put in the order. "She is, isn't she?" Sukuna replied, eyes narrowed as he watched you walk away with a tilt in his head and his arm slung over the back of the booth.
Don't ask Sukuna why he frequents the diner, he doesn't know either. The food is mediocre at best, and the coffee is barely bitter enough for him. Yuuji might be why. The brat really likes seeing you, so maybe that was why this big, burly man in charge of the local bike gang decided this place was fine to come visit every other week.
He, eventually, learned your name. But only because Yuuji talks about you being his favorite waitress.
He also discovered that you have a bad habit of covering other employees shifts. He'd been standing at the back of the diner with a few others, smoking late in the evening when he saw you walk up to the back door.
His crimson eyes caught sight of you before you saw them. "I thought you didn't work on weekends." Sukuna's mouth moved before he thought about it, but he honestly didn't care. You're just another woman to him.
Apparently, you'd been lost enough in thought to startle when he spoke. "Oh, Mr. Ryomen." Your voice pissed him off. Why did you sound relieved to hear him? "I don't," You added, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear without conscious thought. "But Shoko called sick." Sukuna hardly cared about the reason, just the fact that you were breaking schedule, which meant you'd either take Monday or Friday off to make up for your missing off-hours.
"Take Monday off." He demanded with a huff before returning to his buddies. You probably smiled before going in for work, because now they were teasing Sukuna about being so soft. "I'll show ya soft when your dicks been snaped and can't get up no more." He'd growl back.
---
Sukuna didn't take you for the party type. Honestly, he thought you were just some boring woman with cats who'd rather stay home and read shitty romance novels.
But here he was, sitting in a bar while Yuuji was over at some friends place for the four-day weekend his school put him on. Someone must've been having a birthday or something, but he didn't care. He just kept sipping his Awamori and kept to himself.
That was until he felt someone bump into him. He originally just let out a grunt of shock, then glanced over to glare at whatever drunkard was trying to cause a problem. All he saw was a brunette bob before he heard the two women beside him giggling at the bar while making their orders together.
Glancing past Shoko, Sukuna's eyes caught on you, all dolled up and flushed from alcohol. You were rather breathtaking in some actual damn clothes and not in stom stupid diner uniform.
Because you were there, looking so happy with your friends, he decided to tolerate the one disruption to his night. Rather, he listened to Shoko and you talk about whatever college bullshit had you two giggling as you waited on the bartender to deliver with your request.
Sukuna would make note to ask which school you went to next time he was at Jujo's.
When you were foolish enough to tell him not only what school, but what class you were in, Sukuna took that as an invitation to show up when he found out you usually took the bus to and from.
"Wha- holy big man!" Your classmate suddenly grew distracted on your guys' walk to the bus stop. Classes had just got out, and today had been especially boring, so Yorozu was just begging for a good distraction. Following her gaze and pointed finger, your innocent gaze fell on Sukuna standing several meters away. He was dressed in his usual leather jacket and black jeans, some old combats, and fingerless leather gloves you got to see because his arms were crossed just under his broad chest.
"The hell is he doing here?" You asked yourself as you waved off Yorozu's awestruck attention span. "It's the guy with his nephew I told you about." You explained as you walked over in the hopes of striking conversation.
"Took you long enough." Sukuna's voice was out before yours was, causing you to flinch and Yorozu to assume all the wrong things as he grabbed his helmet and put it in your arms. "What do you think we're doing?" You asked, to which Sukuna scoffed and pushed off his bike. "You asked me to pick you up."
You never did.
"I think you misunder--" Sukuna just grabbed the handlebar to rev up his engine. "You're eating my gas, woman. Say goodbye to your friend."
---
Word began to spread among your friends that you were dating Sukuna, no that to Yorozu. Sukuna didn't have the time to bother with the rumors, mostly because he could honestly care less. He only started caring when Yuuji had the gall to ask about it.
"Megumi said you're seeing someone." The boy asked while leaning on the doorway to the living room, where Sukuna was taking up the couch for a nap. "Which one is that?" He huffed, not even bothering to open his eyes while Yuuji continued to stand there. He was probably trying to bug Sukuna into moving so he could play his stupid videogame, but Sukuna had already firmly planted his ass and had no plans of moving.
"The adopted one." Yuuji grumbled, his face turning into a scowl as he started to see through Sukuna's act. "An where'd he hear it?" Not from your friends, that's for damn sure. "His dad."
"Satoru?"
"Is that Mr. Gojo's name?"
The question dragged a sharp sigh out of Sukuna as he sat up and dragged a hand over his face. "Tell your friend to keep his mouth shut." Was all he said before he got up and started moving to his room. "Where're you going?" Yuuji called, his scowl turning confused as he heard Sukuna rummage through his room for a few minutes. "I'm throwin' hands with Satoru. Call your friend over or something."
"For real?" Yuuji asked as stars began to overtake his eyes. The only times Sukuna allowed Megumi over was when Sukuna knew he'd be gone for a while, leaving the boy to whip out his phone and eagerly shoot his friend the confirmation text.
"Keep outta my room." Was all Sukuna sat as he dropped his heavy hand on Yuuji's head and ruffled his pink hair.
---
It's one thing for a friend group to tease within its ranks, it's another thing for Satoru to put your name in his mouth, even indirectly. A little coordination with Kenjaku, some pulled strings, and it wasn't long after dark when Sukuna watched as Satoru fell into the middle of the road, drunk out of his mind and passed the fuck out.
There was something satisfying about the way Satoru's spine crushed and his guts exploded out under the weight of Sukuna and his bike. But that wasn't quite enough for him. "Drag him." Sukuna demanded, brows furrowed as he raised his finger and circled it. "An call for backs."
Satoru had been rather obviously dead after being split apart at the waist, but that wasn't enough for Sukuna. It just didn't sit right with him that this bastard got to talk about you like some common whore. You could be, for all he cared, but damn it if he wasn't gonna let Satoru deal with the consequences of talking shit he wasn't ready to run the fade for.
Gang violence isn't uncommon in this area. So when a war sparked between the Curses and the Kaisen's, no one was surprised.
"That makes two in ten years." Shoko sighed as she clocked in with you one Friday night. "What does?" You'd naively asked, sparking Shoko to look at you like you were stupid before she seemed to remember you'd only been in town for about a year. "Oh, like five years ago or something, Kenjaku started a fight with Satoru over him dating his brother or something."
"Who was dating who?" You'd asked, face twisting in preparation to realize your misunderstanding might be right. "Satoru dating Suguru, Kenjaku's brother." You'd never sighed in relief so fast.
"And what's this new one about?" You asked, glancing away just long enough to clock yourself in. Shoko let out a sigh as she reached up and ruffled the nape of her hair. "Uh, Satoru just got murdered the other day."
Oh.
"You look upset about it." You mutter, hand lowering with your card as you watch Shoko breathe in and look away. "I mean, we were friends. I guess. We weren't as close after high school."
"Oh."
"Don't worry about it."
Easier said than done, clearly. Shoko was not forgetting about it. Drinks were on you the next day. You'd been comforting Shoko with Utahime and Mei Mei as best as you could. Then Suguru showed up and took Shoko home.
---
Things stayed calm at the dinner for a while. Sometimes Suguru came around, but only when Shoko on shift. He didn't stay for very long whenever he came around. Just long enough to check on her.
Sukuna, however, still came in regularly with Yuuji.
"For two?" You'd ask, smiling as you stood behind the counter one Thursday night they came in. Yuuji had eagerly nodded along, then followed you back to whatever booth you took the two of them to.
Satoru's death meant nothing to you, which was good. Sukuna would rather not see you try to take time off because of someone who shouldn't be worth anything to a woman like you.
The two made their usual orders, and you filled them as best as you could. You hardly even remembered their visits anymore, they were always pleasent enough, even if Sukuna was a big, scary guy. He was fine as long as you didn't ask stupid questions and answered any of his. Honestly, he was just another regular to you at this point. A regular who tipped you a fifty, every time.
---
It was another night at the bar when Sukuna saw you alone for the first time. You came in with Shoko, but she left early. Seeing you alone, minding yourself like this was just another night had Sukuna decide he'd had enough waiting around for you to gain the tits to actually approach him.
He knew you knew he was here, you even made eye contact when you walked into the building.
"What's got you drinking?" His deep voice rumbled in your bones as he sat down across the table, his big body hunched over to rest on the surface while you glanced up. "Felt like it." You'd reply. Fair enough.
"You come here often," Sukuna noted, not asked, that would imply he knew nothing or was trying to pick you up like some common hook up. "Is it always because you feel like it?"
You shake your head with a hum. "It was for a birthday a little bit ago." Sukuna grunted in acknowledgement, his crimson eyes glancing you over, then to your drink, then back to your pretty face. "Whose?" Was all he said as he shifted his weight to rest his chin on the back of his hand. "Mine. I finally got old enough to drink legally."
Well, that was certainly nice to know.
"You enjoy it?"
"I suppose."
"How strong do you handle?"
You'd give him a look he didn't understand when he asked that. What? Had he fucked up? Say so. "Is there something you want me to try?" You asked, stilling her frayed nerves before he ever expressed they were lit up in preparation to drop the conversation. Breathing out through his nose, you'd swear he grumbled something under his breath before replying with, "Have you tried awamori?"
Your small body was easy to carry, tucked under one arm, he strapped his helmet under your chin while you giggled about how you weren't a child. "Grow a few inches and I'll believe you." He grumbled back, prompting you to playfully hit him while pouting that you weren't that short.
Anyone would look small compared to him.
His apartment was better kept than you thought it would be, though you didn't bother to comment on it. "Where's your nephew?" You'd ask, but Sukuna just grunted. "C'mon, Ryo." You drawled. "Where's the boy."
"Don't worry about the brat, woman."
You made the mistake of pressing him further. You were just teasing, so he bit back when he had you caged against the kitchen counter. Sukuna's lips were rough on yours, but not unkind. He was slow with you, letting you gasp and sigh against him as his large hands held your hips in place.
What starts slow always picks up. This was no different. You opened your mouth, and he responded by pushing his tongue in and tasting the remains of the alcohol in your small mouth. His right hand moves up, grabbing you by your jaw while pressing closer. He wants to suffocate you in his form, he wants to devour you.
And you're gonna let him.
"Ryo," You call, panting when he finally lets up to give you air. "Sukuna." He corrects, a rumble in his chest vibrating through your weakened bones while he puts one hand under your ass to lift you onto the counter. Once you've sat, whining while his hand slips between your thighs to rub the pad of his thumb over your clothed cunt.
"Say it." Sukuna grumbled, smirking as he saw your face twist and contort with the first signs of pleasure. "Sukuna." You manage, which pleased him immensely. "Good, now try it again."
Whining his name once more, Sukuna nodded in approval once, then brought you back in for another kiss.
---
Somewhere along the way, you ended up in his bed, trapped under his heavy body as he rubbed the tip of his massive dick along your slick folds, which have gone sloppy from a number done on them from his hands and mouth.
Seeing you like this was doing a number on him. Breathless, sobbing, clit throbbing from all the abuse he'd given it. It had his lips curled into a smile as you mewled under the pressure of his heavy body. His right hand found your thigh, grabbing a tight hold to keep the sweat-slicked flesh separate from the other mound of meat you held. At your whine, his expression softens, but only slightly.
"What is it woman?" Frankly, he's too buzzed to care about whatever petty excuse you might make. "Too much." You insist, causing just the meanest snicker to leave him. "Weren't you the one begging me to put it in?" He mused back, using his grip on his shaft to give your pussy a good lil smack.
He reveled in hearing your little squeal and seeing you squirm. "Don't back out now. You were taking me just fine a minute ago." Insist you couldn't take it anymore, he didn't care. Actually, do it. Let him hear you whine like he'd even listen. You'll learn the hard way that he certainly won't.
"Nah, c'mon woman. We both know you can handle it." Ignoring the gasp on your lips, he'd push in just the slightest bit, chuckling to himself as he slid right in. He wasn't a total monster, after all. He'd made sure you were good and stretched out for him. "There we go, see how good it feels?"
You can't help but nod along. He'd find great amusement in you, in your chest rising and falling with every breathless gasp, in your gummy walls clenching around him as he went as deep as he possibly could before he was cozy with your cervix. "Yeah, feels good 'cause it's me, doll."
"Sukuna!" You whimper, high-pitched mewls following as you reach under his arms and dig your nails into his broad back. "Too full, too full, 'm gunna tear!"
Sukuna just shuts you up with another rough kiss, which seems to distract you well enough before he starts dragging himself back out, then pushed right back in just before you could expect him to get off you.
Tongues together, Sukuna has you too busy focusing on his mouth to notice anything else until he decides to pick up the pace. He doesn't care about the creak in the bed, he just cradles the top of your head with his hand and keeps you close. "Not deep 'nough yet?" He teased with a snicker, crimson eyes narrowing as he dared to smile at you like he wasn't threatening your sanity. You've still got a few inches to take, a few inches he full plans to have inside you by the end of the night.
"Too deep!" You try to protest, but he's got your leg in his free hand hiked up to his shoulder while he sits back up. "What's that? Not enough? Don't worry doll, I got you."
His hand leaves your head, but only long enough to rest it over the bump in your belly that comes and goes with every deep thrust of his. "See how well you take this much? You can handle it all babygirl." Leaving your belly, his thick fingers wrap around your thigh to drag it up with the other to his shoulders before he's hunched back over you and moving harder.
"You like it rough, doll?" You shake your head. "You lyin'?" You nod. "Thought so."
Right hand going back on the back of your head, his left trails inbetween your pretty legs to press the pad of his thumb right back onto your clit likes its home, causing you to cry out as he picks up the pace for the last time tonight. "Yeah? Like that?" He'd snicker, knowing damn well you we're gonna respond to him properly.
You're honestly soaking his sheets, putting a puddle beneath you while he abuses this clit of yours without mercy. You hadn't done it yet, but he was gonna squeeze every drop outta this body until it squirted. Mark his words.
"Doin' so good for me, babygirl." Sukuna's rumbling voice has your thighs shaking like earthquakes as he finally managed to get himself bottomed out in this cunt he was, admitedly rather quickly, becoming rather addicted to. "Gonna make sure she's nice an happy. Sound good?"
Of course you nod along to that. Between trying to cry out his name and absolutely losing it on his dick, why would you try and say no to feeling good? He's pleased, from the sounds of it.
"Now where am I cummin', pretty girl?" His words would have broken your haze, if not for the sharp thrust that felt like he was breaking into your womb that left your back arching and mind blank for too long to reconcile what he was even trying to ask, let alone his follow-up statement. "Shit, keep that up an it'll be inside."
โโ: .โฝ . :โโ
I went on Pinterest, searched "yandere jjk", found the first image I liked and used the guy in it for the suitor. You're welcome. Btw all the images I use for the banner thingies are from Pinterest, I just crop them.
Any fics I have written will be listed below their respective characters. This post will be updated as much as possible. More characters will be added if they are requested.
I'm happy to write almost anything, so go ahead and request whatever you want. More likely than not, I'll write it. Plus, it motivates me to write more when someone requests.
This was originally gonna be a dmc post, believe it or not.
๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ: Megumi Fushiguro โญ Yuuji Itadori
๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ: Ages not specified, reader is a sorcerer, fem!reader, yandere!char x darling!reader, noncon/dubcon, babytrapping (Gumi), biting (Yuu), asphixiation (Gumi, sort of Yuuji), mild hairpulling (Gumi), headlock sex (Yuuji), improper use of cursed techniques (Gumi), infidelity (Gumi implies it, Yuu literally refuses to acknowledge your bf), neither of them feel guilty lets be so fr, not proofread bc we ball, and more.
๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ: What kind of woman is their type? You. What kind of man is your type? Not them. So they fuck you in the hopes of changing your mind.
I do not condone this bs. It's just for entertainment.
๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ฎ๐ซ๐จ had been so damn careful to be nice. Pretty flowers, small gifts, softer voice; he even tried to keep his bitching around you to a minimum. Things had been going so damn well until you told him you wanted to settle down with someone and have a baby.
You, his girlfriend, wanted to settle down and have a kid with some other dickbag? Fine, maybe you weren't dating yet, but was it really so hard to imagine your life with him?
"Why not me?" Had been such a stupid question for him to ask. He saw how you looked at him, he saw how weirded out you were at the idea of even being more than friends. "Gumi," You'd started, but damn it all if Megumi wasn't fed up. "No! tell me why it isn't me."
You made the foolish assumption to think it was the brat he learned to be from Satoru.
You were the one to try and tell him you guys were just friends, that relationships between sorcerers can't happen, that it's just a waste of time. Those were your words. Your. Words.
"If I hadn't been a sorcerer, would you love me?" Megumi made the foolish assumption to think he had a chance with you either way. Your gentle promise that, no, you don't like boys like him, was his final straw.
You were clearly ungrateful for a man like him.
"That's fine," He told himself, scooting closer to you on the bed that, prior to the conversation, you two had been cuddling on. "Keep leading me on, do it. See how I react."
Megumi was most certainly not fine with this, and you dared to keep telling him that he wasn't seeing things right. You're friends, that's it, soon to be less if he tried anything. Megumi didn't listen to that; he refused to listen to someone who was so unwilling to see the reality Megumi had gone through the effort to set up. He didn't survive everything with the hopes of coming home to your pretty face for nothing, you were not about to screw up your relationship.
"Shut up." Megumi's order came quietly, lost under your insistence that he was making things weird. That made his fingers twitch. How was he being weird? He was the one going out of his way to be everything you needed, but you wanted to get away from him. You were being wierd.
"I said shut up!" Megumi finally snapped, his voice as breathless as you became when his hand found your neck. He threw you into the wall, his free hand coming to your forehead before slipping into your hair. He was panting, green eyes welling with tears as he sat above you with this horrible look of pure betrayal on his pretty face. "Just shut up. You always make things worse whenever you run that stupid mouth of yours."
He didn't want it to come to this. He wanted to take it slow; he'd been trying to have that cute slow burn between you two. But you'd forced his hand, now he had you on your back, his left hand on your throat while the right held your thigh up. He was crying, the bastard with his Divine Dog laying down in the corner in case you tried something, was crying. You weren't allowed to speak, not with how tight his grip on your neck was.
"You wanted a baby with that fucker, right?"
The question had thrown you off from your own wallowing in self-pity. "Don't look at me like that." Megumi scoffed, furrowing his brows in disappointment when he saw the confusion on your face. "You wanted a baby, wasn't that right?" You nod, and he hums, a ghost of his smile returning as he dragged himself almost all the way out.
"Yeah, you want a baby." He'd murmur, his hand finally loosening on your throat to let your voice come through as his previously slow pace picked up to something more substantial. Panting, Megumi leaned forward, until his lips found your ear and his hand wrapped around the back of your head to find purchase in your hair. "You wanted a baby so bad you were willing to forget where you belong."
"Wh, Gumi, please, just stop--!" Your voice, only allowed to show itself because he allowed it, was just a squeeze away from losing itself again. But Megumi is merciful.
Rather, he just tugged on your hair to drag you too far back to close your pretty lips. "Don't tell me to stop, pretty girl." He murmurs, eyes closing as he sighed against your cheek. "You wanted a baby, I'll give you one. Fuck, I'll give you as many as you want if you stay with me."
He'd drag a high-pitched whine when his hips drew all the way back, reangling, only to plunge right back in until he was kissing your cervix with his tip.
"You wanted this." He huffs indigently, eyes rolling back behind his closed lids. "God, you wanted this. You wanted a baby, I'm gunna give you 'im." He didn't care that you were sobbing and shaking your head. Megumi only cared about making you see right. "Yes, you did, baby. You said you wanted a baby. Don't cry, don't cry, I'm gunna give you what you want."
Fight it all you want; you'll forgive him eventually. He'll make sure you do. The worst part about this is probably just the fact that he's fucking you good enough to bring you to orgasm. Tired of his hand on your thigh, he moves to your puffy clit, previously neglected save for the grind of his pubic hair giving you minimal stimulation. First it was just his thumb, caught under, pushing it up, before rubbing a slow circle on it.
"You wanna cum to, is that it? Will it feel better if you cum?" You shake your head, but Megumi just punishes you with another hard thrust. Your resistance is pissing him off, especially considering he'd been holding himself in just to see you fall apart first. "Will it feel better if you cum?"
This time, you swallow the mewl that threatened to spill. He'd watch through his thick lashes, a smirk forming on his lips as you pressed your own together and forced yourself to nod. "That's what I thought, pretty girl." For someone so against this, not once had you actually tried to fight him. Don't pretend you're just doing it to be nice. "And... will this help you out?"
The feeling of his thumb rubbing your clit, up and down, up and down, has an arch in your back while he croons. "Feeling better?" He asked that, despite seeing your rather obvious reaction. No, you didn't like this, but yes, it felt better. Even your stubborn ass wouldn't deny it. "So that baby?" He'd ask, his own stubborn self showing through in that stupidly playful tone he adopted.
"You can fucking have it!" You cried, sobbing as you failed to control your own body against his deep pace and his thumb on your clit. It made Megumi smile; it filled his chest with pride as he realized he'd finally started to get you back on track. "There she is."
๐๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข ๐๐ญ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ข clung to you like you were the only lifeline he had anymore. Over and over, every day, another dead, another crime. But you, you stayed. You swore to him. You let him love you.
"Yuu," He hears you call his name, but all he cares about is your smaller body on his lap, your back to his chest. He's got one arm around your neck, resting on your shoulders while the other is wound around your waist. "Mmh?" He eventually calls back, eyes sore from the tears of his latest sob story.
"We can't keep doing this."
"Yes we can."
"No, we can't."
Yuuji could feel his heart lurch when you tried to separate yourself from him. How dare you? You're here to comfort him, don't do this now. "What's so important now?" He asked, voice muffled in your shoulder. His teeth itch with the nerve to bite down on your pretty flesh, but he holds back for now.
When you opened that pretty mouth, he expected some dumb excuse he'd already heard you give a dozen times. "My boyfriend thinks I--" Nothing about a man he somehow didn't know about. His strong arms tightened their hold the moment you made your attempt to get out of his grip, both of them clamping you down as he hissed out the only logical response he could think of. "No I don't."
"You're not my boyfriend, Yuu." Now you were getting on his nerves. "Yes I am," His response was immediate, as if the idea of you guys being together was the only thing keeping him from falling into tears again. "I only let my girlfriend hold me like this."
"I'm not even holding you." Had been a bad response. "Yes, you are." Yuuji protested the idea of you being anything less than his girlfriend, of you doing anything other than holding him. Why else would you comfort him?
He'd lean his body forward, forcing you to hunch slightly as his teeth finally gave into the urge and sink in just enough to taste your perfect flesh. He wouldn't dare hurt you, couldn't even dream of it. Hurting you would scare you, and scared people don't love him.
"Yuu!"
"Stop fighting me." You could hear it in his tone, weak and pathetic, as his tears started back up. "Just take it back, please. Let's go back to cuddling like the lovers we are." You're hurting him, can't you see that? "But we're not--" Just take it back!" Clearly, you weren't going to. You just wanted to keep hurting him with your words. Yuuji couldn't handle the stress of you possibly hating him, so he pulled you back, laying with you on your sides as the hand on your hip trailed down, down, down, under the waistband of you uniform.
"Yuu--" Whatever attempt to push him away you were about to make was never going to hold up. "Don't, please, just don't talk anymore. Let's just enjoy this, m'kay?" Yuuji's mind, whatever morality it had, was forgetting why you might not want this. To him, you're his girlfriend, he's your boyfriend. This is what people who are dating do.
Yuuji's hand is gentle with you, rubbing soft circles on your clit before dipping down into your closed thighs in an attempt to open you up. "Stop hiding from me." His voice is soft in your ear, even if he's still crying into your hair. When you shake your head, the arm around your neck squeezes just enough to have you reach up with both hands in a desperate attempt to pull him off. Only when you tap a weak hand on his bicep and force your own legs to relax does he gentle his hold.
"Good girl, that's so much better." Listening to your soft pants, your building mewls, Yuuji follows mostly his own instinct to interpret what is good and what isn't. His fingers are slow, thick digits dragging along your gummy walls.
"If it's so hard to be my girlfriend," Yuuji whispers, lips dragging along your earlobe while he fights the urge to bite you again. His arm loosens around your neck, only to catch your jaw in his firm grip while he grinds his palm against your clit. "Just pretend I am whatever boyfriend you think I'm not."
Such words were not comforting for either of you. Yuuji desperately needed to be the one you called your boyfriend; he wanted to be the one you came home to and kissed in the late hours of the night.
So he held you down, gasping and grunting into your ear while he watched you fall apart on him. He'd take you through this high over, and over, and over again until you finally admitted what he'd been trying to tell you this whole time.
"Yeah," Yuuji murmured, panting as he sat up just enough to tug your uniform off. "I know, baby. I know, I'll make it better. Don't cry now."
You looked so good beneath him, squirming, mewling, gasping as he notched the tip of his aching dick along your entrance. "Here we go, baby. That better?" He'd croon, his face nearly a pout as he inched his way right up into your womb. He'd watch you shake your head, but he just assumed it was because he hadn't started moving yet. "No? That's okay pretty girl; I'll make it better."
warnings: implied non-con, off-screen character death, graphic depictions of gore, grotesque imagery, cruelty, supernatural psychological manipulation, monster/human relationship (dragon fae x human), slow burn (?), no happy ending, malleus is just not nice dude, dead dove: do not eat
greensleeves โ a traditional english folk song, commonly attributed to king henry viii for his second wife; anne boleyn, whom he later had executed.
o death, rock me asleep โ a tudor-era poem and lament, famously attributed to anne boleyn, believed to have been written while she awaited execution.
a/n: this was written over the course of a few months; you can actively see my writing style change throughout the story...
(wc: 23.8k words)
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐, you wish youโd slammed the door in their faces. How dare they show at your doorstep unannounced, after a year of no-contact? Ace and Deuce. Your two idiot boys, as you so fondly nicknamed them, whom youโd grown up alongsideโ theyโd taken to a life of adventuring together, leaving poor little you at home to strum the lyre and read booksโฆ only to appear once more with even bigger dreams than when theyโd left.
It all happened so quickly you hadnโt even the time to resent them for leaving. If you could, youโd go back in time and say no. But the version of you from way back whenโฆ was clearly too nice for that, and too high off the joy of seeing your boys again. And now, you found yourself at the foot of a castle. A castle unlike anything youโd ever seenโ even in the grandest illustrations from your books.
It towered impossibly high, a strange fusion of cathedral-like scale and fortress-like strength. Every spire stretched toward the dark heavens, their tips nearly swallowed by the thick clouds above. The sheer scale of it was almost incomprehensibleโ it begged the question; who could possibly need a castle this massive? The archways were wide enough to fit entire caravans side by side, and the doors stood taller than any building youโd ever entered. It felt less like a home and more like a monument to something far beyond human understanding, and the thought made your stomach churn uneasily.
You clutched your lyre tighter, the polished wood now slick under your damp palms. With the backdrop of the full moon, combined with the surrounding, never-ending forestโฆ this place reeked of foreboding. And truthfully, you were never meant for such things. There was a reason youโd stayed behind while Ace and Deuce chased glory. Ahโฆ even in childhood, it seemed, they were always two daring boys with swords (stolen from your fatherโs collection, mind you), and you, a shy little girl with her worn lyre.
Somewhere ahead, said duo stumbled through the shadows with all the grace of a pair of toddlers in a glass workshop. Some things truly never change. Count on Ace and Deuce to foolishly decide to explore a castle well after daybreak, with nothing but lanterns and weapons in hand. You huffed lightly, observing their clumsy demeanour with a nostalgic fondness before forcing yourself to catch up with them.
The inside of the castle was just as strange as the exterior. The moment you stepped inside, the lanternsโ glow spilled across the vast interior, casting flickering shadows on walls that stretched unnaturally high into the darkness above. The sheer size of the space felt overwhelmingโ tooโฆ massive for what it actually seemed to hold. Sparse clusters of comically normal sized furniture scattered across the floor, each piece dwarfed by its surroundings. The tables and chairs, though intricately carved, seemed misplaced, almost absurdly small against the towering columns and endless walls. It were as if the castle was designed for something far larger, and these furnishings were added later, an afterthought to make it appear more lived-in.
Candlesticks stood upright yet unlit on the tables, their golden polish dulled by time but not tarnished. Tapestries, faded yet untouched by the dampness that often claimed abandoned places, hung from the walls, depicting scenes you couldnโt make sense of. It was all just so... odd.
"Guys... check this out." Ace whispered in awe, his voice cutting through your thoughts.ย
He stood crouched in front of a giant door, the iron bands reinforcing the wood looking thick enough to withstand a battering ram. He pushed it open with a groan, revealing a grand hall beyond. The room was cavernous, lit faintly by beams of pale moonlight filtering through the countless high windows lining the hall. Better lit than the rooms before, at least. You stepped inside hesitantly, the soft echo of your footsteps engulfed almost immediately by the sheer space. Despite its grandeurโ or perhaps because of itโ there was something unsettling about the hall.
โDoesnโt it feel...โ Deuce trailed off, glancing around nervously.
โEmpty?โ You offered, to which your companion nodded in agreement.
โYeah. That.โ
Ace, of course, seemed entirely unfazed, already crossing to the center of the room where a massive stone table sat. He ran a hand along its surface, then rubbed his fingers together, inspecting the layer of dust.ย
โWhoever left this place behind had some serious cash...โ he muttered, โlook at this stuff! That chandelier alone could probably buy us a small town.โ
You glanced up. The chandelier was an intricate mass, all crystals and gold, hanging precariously from the ceiling like some kind of jewelled leviathan. It looked heavy enough to crush anyone unfortunate enough to stand beneath it if it fell. It was mesmerising indeedโฆ but the unsettling feeling only grew stronger. It wasnโt particularly that the castle was too big (though thatโs not to say it wasnโt ornate and strange), so much as it was the sense that it wasnโt as abandoned as it seemedโ that somewhere, in the silence and stillness, something was watching.
"Iโm telling you," Ace hissed, his voice a notch louder than a hush, "this place has to be loaded with treasure. No one wouldโve guarded a dump like this unless there was something worth hiding."
Deuce shot him a glare. "Yeah, and what if the 'guardian' is still here? Just look at the size of this place! Thatโs nothing any ordinary human would live in. Did you forget what happened in Greystone Keep?!"
Your expression was utterly blank as you listened in the background, trailing a finger against the surface of the table in front of you. Youโฆ had no fucking idea what the hell these two were prattling on about. โGreystone Keepโ might ring a bellโ you think youโd heard of it in the drunken gossip in an inn, onceโ but that was the extent of your knowledge.
"Relaaax," Ace drawled from somewhere in the background, snapping you out of it, "if anythingโs still alive in this shithole, weโll hear it before it hears us."
As if on cue, a deep, bone-rattling rumble echoed through the hall.
The three of you froze in your tracks.
"Uhโฆ" Aceโs voice cracked. "That was the wind, right?"
Another rumble followed, this time accompanied by a tremor that shook dust from the ancient rafters above.
Your heart plummeted. "Ace. Deuce."
"Yeah?" Their voices came in unison.
โโฆI fucking hate you two.โ
It all happened in a blur.
Ace shrieking, Deuce yanking him by the collarโ you think the two of them blindly threw around some of their weapons all for three seconds, before they bolted back down the corridor. And you in all your inexperienced gloryโฆ made the terrible, terrible mistake of looking backโ something Ace and Deuce hard learned the hard way to never do. Something you couldnโt have known not to do.
The creature that emerged from the shadows stole the breath from your lungs. Black scales gleamed like a finely polished obsidian, and its enormous wings stretched out, blotting out the light trickling through the panes of the windows. Eyes like shining pools of emeraldโ and though it had no pupils, or any slits youโd associate with all things reptilian, you knew that it must be glaring down at you.
Deuce was right. Of course such an impossibly large structureโฆ would be made to house an impossibly large creature.
You tried to swallow, but your throat had turned to sandpaper.
The dragon moved so very slow, each step sending tremors through the floor that reverberated up your legs. Its wings curled inwardโ even folded they dwarfed your formโ giving the illusion that it loomed even closer than it already did. If you had to guess, youโd say it was at least fifty feet long.
You stood immobile. Every gasp was painful to your lungs, heavy with the scent of ash and metal, and every shallow breath you managed only served to fill your insides with that suffocating presence. Your limbs betrayed you, rooted to the spot as if the sheer weight of your terror had anchored you to the floorโ some poor joke played by your body, leaving you to face this monstrosity upright; a lamb awaiting slaughter.
Your breath hitched as it lowered its head, its sharp snout a mere few feet from you now. It sniffed its surroundings, a low growl rumbling deep within its chest. The sound so loud it vibrated down your spine to the rest of your body, and the pull of air so strong it almost brought you closer to the dragon.
โฆIn being the local bookworm, youโd read about death a great many times. Reports, studies, storiesโ all speculations and beliefs of what it must feel like to be inches away from deathโ to know you're about to have your life taken from you. To have your life flash before your eyes was such a timeless conceptโฆ something you'd admittedly thought of in the past. You had always contemplated how youโd dieโ what it would be like at the end of your life. But never would you have thought it would be like this. So visceral, so immediate, so unrelentingly real.
And as you stood in the face of certain peril, head beginning to grow hazy in overwhelm, there was only one conclusion to be drawn, one conclusion to be written within those odd reports, studies, storiesโ
Life does not flash before the eyes. There are no poignant memories or final epiphanies to bring you solace. Instead, you are entirely in the moment, every fiber of your being hyper-aware of the being before you.ย
Is this truly how you die? Will you stand in place like a foolโ let yourself die before you can hardly experience life? This canโt be.ย
All youโd hoped for was to become close to your only true friends once moreโ and look where that led you. Straight into the jaws of an inconsolable beast, ready to end your life for simply stepping past an entrance.
The realisation clawed its way through the reaches of your mind.ย
What a cruel jest, this all was.
Youโd read about moments like thisโ when sheer terror renders someone deathly still, when survival instincts fail, and they can only wait for death to claim them. Youโd always assumed that, if ever faced with such a fate, you would at least scream and run. But noโ here you stood, the perfectly pathetic portrait of fear, awaiting the inevitable.
You are nothing to this creature.ย
Every emotion, thought, memory, and experience that has made you who you areโ it might as well be dust on the wind. You are but another insect to be ground beneath its heel, another trespasser to be erased from existence.
And yet, a desperate, absurd thought flickered to life in the back of your mind. If this was truly the end, why not go out with words? You were, after all, a bard. Words were all you hadโ all you ever excelled at. Maybe, just maybe, they could save you now. Or, at the very least, delay what was coming to you.
"Y-You areโฆ" you stammered, your voice barely more than a whisper, "you are magnificent. Truly. To stand in the presence of such power and beautyโฆ Iโ I can hardly believe it."
The words tumbled out shaky but oddly eloquent, as if your fear had sharpened your tongue rather than silenced it.
"If this is how I die," you continued, your trembling hands clutching the lyre so tightly your fingers ached, "then I supposeโฆ I canโt think of a more fitting end than being claimed by a creature as awe-inspiring as you.โ
The words barely got to settle in before the dragonโs glare sharpened. Its wings stretched, the tips brushing the walls, making the vast hall feel small. โฆIf anything, the flattery only seemed to agitate it furtherโ and as it directed that nasty glare onto you, its expression was impossible to misread;
It wasnโt buying your bullshit.
You froze, feeling uncomfortable beads of perspiration form at your brow. This wasnโt working. Of course it wasnโt working! What kind of dumbass tries to butter up a dragon like this? You were seriously, seriously done for. Your shoulders slumped in defeat, the weight of its stare pressing you further down. The act, the excusesโ they all melted away, leaving only the raw truth.ย
In the face of death, is it really worth not being yourself?
โAlright, listen man, Iโm sorry. I give up, damnโฆโ you admitted, "I shouldnโt have come here. None of us should have. I didnโt mean to disturb you, or your home, or anything else. I didnโt even WANT to be here. I was just trying to get on my friendsโ good sides, yโknow? I mean, theyโre all I haveโ otherwise Iโd just be a sore loser stuck in my home with nobody to talk to but the pigeons in my ceiling."
Truly, is it worth wasting your last moments?ย
โฆYou know what? If this damned lizard was going to kill you, it might as well hear all of your life problems first. Let it be known that you are more than just verminโ that it is taking your life away before you can even make it all right.
โI mean, all I do is sit in my room all day reading books and strumming the lyre all night for whatโ less than minimum wage? Iโm not interested in your โtreasureโ donโt get me wrong, but I just wanted ONE thing to spice up my life, you know? Itโs just so frustrating beingโฆ beingโฆโ You paused, stumbling over your words.
โBeing so damn idle all the time.โ
The dragon stilled. The growl in its throat subsided, replaced by an eerie silence that felt, strangely, even heavier than its anger. It tilted its head slightly, as if your new words had been entirely unexpected. The nasty glare had yet to fade, but upon further inspection of its face, there was something different in its gaze now. It wasnโt anger, but rather it was something else entirelyโ Curiosity, perhaps? โฆNevertheless, encouraged by the lack of immediate incineration, you continued.
โNow Iโm going to fucking die for just trying to look out for my friends. Do you know how pathetic that is? To go out for ONCE in your life only for it to end so abruptly. Iโve hardly seen twenty wintersโ I canโt even legally DRINK in any of the taverns I play in. Would a dragon like you know what that feels likeโ?โย
You paused, your own words cutting you deep. Are you really going to die with nobody to hear your last words but a merciless dragon? What a pathetic fucking death.
At your sudden silence, the creatureโs massive eyes narrowedโ fully studying you. Then, after what felt like an eternity, it huffedโ a short, sharp sound that sent a gust of warm air ruffling your hair. Its posture eased just a little, and you almost dared to hope that you werenโt about to be a snack.
"โฆAh,โ you leaned your head back in defeat, examining the ornate decor of the ceiling above you, โyou really are magnificent, you know."ย
The words slipped out before you could think them over. As you looked back at him, into his eyesโฆ this time there was no ulterior motive, no desperate attempt to placate. It was the simple truth, spoken without expectation.
โAll my life, Iโve only read about things like you. Dragons. Faeries that watch over sleeping children. Talking gargoyles that come to lifeโฆ They were all precious stories in picture-books of unknown authors that I clung to while the other children played outside. I could only dream of seeing things as marvelous as you. Everyone else, even those two jackassesโฆโย
Your took a peek to the nearest window, thinking about Ace and Deuceโ you wondered how far they must have gotten, by now.
โThey all fantasised about slaying great beasts like you while I only ever dreamed of getting to SEE one.โ
โโฆAnd how I so feel like a fool, being the only child to be killed by one, now.โ
You couldnโt place the feeling in your chestโ nor could you place the look in the dragonโs eyes, anymore.
Nowโฆ one thing about you is that once you begin to talk, you never seem to be able to quiet yourself. Thoughts spill into voiceโ words that spill into a spielโ and soon, that stream becomes a river too swift to dam.
Perhaps, in this case, it was the fear wound tight within your chest. Perhaps it was despairโ despair of the last rites belonging to a person who knows they are not long for this world. Or perhapsโ and most shamefully perhapsโ it was because some wretched part of you liked being listened toโฆ even if your audience was a beast large enough to gobble an army whole.
โโฆIt is wonderful. Your home, I mean. Iโve never seen anything quite like it. I never even knew suchโฆ grand structures could exist. I canโt even begin to think about how much effort must have gone into constructing something like this. This kind of architecture just isn't possible for humans, Iโm sure of it.โ
โHonestly, itโs not even fair.โ You continued, shifting your grip on the lyre. โPeople like meโฆ Weโre notโฆ afforded the luxury to see things like this. We read about them. Hell, maybe even dream about them when itโs raining too hard outside and weโve got nothing better to do.โ
You gesture vaguely at the spires, the windows, the endless dark beauty around you. โAnd now itโs all justโฆ here. Right in front of me. Itโs like falling into the pages of the oldest book on the highest shelf. You know, the ones youโre not supposed to touch because theyโre so fragile and cursed and probably bound in someoneโs skin.โ
Your voice trembled on a laugh. Now you find yourself remembering the old, superstitious woman who ran the local bookshop. A little sweet and a little crude. Clearly lived to see many things. Sometimes, she reminded you of yourselfโ of who you would become. A lonely lady with nobody to talk to but those who would kindly spare a little time out of their day to lend an ear. Thatโs what you did for her. And oh, she filled your head with such magnificent storiesโฆ and warnings that were twice as so. You always found her endearing, but now you realise you shouldโve invested a little more than just affection when listening to herโ for she was completely right; โNever fuck around and find outโ.
โAnd Iโm not even going to get to tell anyone about it. Thatโs the worst part, really. All of this. Every column, every decor, every inch of this ridiculously excessive, ludicrous chandelierโ what is WITH this, anyway? Did you bedazzle it with your entire hoard?โย
You pressed the heel of your palm into your forehead in an attempt to soothe the oncoming headache. โItโs not fair. Itโs really not fairโ YOUโRE not fair. Am I really going to get slimed by an overgrown lizard with six limbs? Why do you have four legs and two wings? Is that biologically feasibleโ?โ
โDo you playโฆโ
The voice that reached you did not reach like any other youโve heard.ย
Perhaps it would be wrong to even refer to it as something to be heard. The words arrived all at once, like cold iron plunged straight into your brainโ inside you before you even registered they were said. A voice with no mouth. A breath without ever having been breathed. It clawed its way into your head, heavy and wrong, vibrating beneath your skin. You did not hear this dragon speakโ rather you felt it. Something never meant for a humanโs mind.ย
โโฆAs well as you prattle?โ
Do you playโฆ Do you playโฆ Do youโ
It looped ceaselessly within the confines of your mind, ricocheting against the walls of your skull until it bloomed into a headache. Yet, by sheer force of will, you bit the inside of your cheek, willing the voice into silence.
โUhโโ you managed, voice cracking in a sharp wince as the sound of your own vocals nailed the coffin on your internal agony, โโฆdepends on what you want playedโฆ?โ
โAnything that will convince me to spare your life.โ
Fortunately for you, the second time he spoke settled in your mind with greater clarity than the first. Yet it was hardly a comfort, for the only thought that gripped you in that instant was that you would much prefer to die here and now. Were youโฆ really understanding this correctly? Did this dragon honestly mean toโฆ Must you reallyโ
Play your stupid little lyre to a dragon to save your life?
โโฆJust kill meโฆโย
Only a fool would mistake the growl that followed as anything but a warning. Low and guttural, it rolled from deep within his chest and rattled the very air, vibrating through the floor and up your legs. He stepped forward, one singular footfallโ
That was all it took to send a primal jolt of terror through your spine.
โNOโ No no NOโ!โ You scrambled back, clutching your lyre tighter to yourย chest. โThat was justโ a force of habit, okay?! Just sarcasm! I didnโt mean it, I swearโ!โ
You shut your mouth so fast your teeth ached within the muscles of your jaw.
Music. He wanted musicโฆ Okay. You could do music. Youโve done music for coin, for food, for polite applause and for drunken sobbing. Youโve done it at weddings, at funerals, in taverns so loud no one even noticed. Surely, this was no differentโฆ except for the whole โdragon threatening to end your miserable lifeโ part. You shifted your grip on the instrument, fingers twitching. Thinkโฆ Your hands were trembling, so you should play something easyโฆ Something that always works, that gets a reaction from the crowd just from a few plucks drawn from muscle memoryโฆ
And soโย
Greensleeves.
Reliableโฆ check. Calmingโฆ double check. The song that makes even the angriest drunk at the far table soften his glare and listen if only for a moment and hopefully, in your case, enough to soothe the slightly sadisticโ who the hell makes a poor bard play for their life?โ dragon before youโฆ hopefully check?
Still, there was something humourlessly funny about it all. A song written for a queenโฆ by the man who would later send her to the executionerโs block. Thatโs how some rumours go. You glanced at the dragonโ your possible executionerโ and huffed a weak breath of laughter through your nose.
Fitting, you thought. How very fitting.
You donโt think heโd know the tune or its history. You doubt he caresโฆ But you care. Thatโs the joke, isnโt it? Playing the supposed ballad of an ill-fated queen while trying to soothe the king of the castle who could very well kill you before the last note. The notion almost pulls a dry laugh from your lungs. Just why the hell have you of all people ended up in this situation? But if there had to be a light at the end of the tunnel, howeverโฆ you would like to think that you're rather skilled with your fingersโ adept enough, at least, to strum a lyre with confidence. So if this was the task required to preserve your miserable life, perhaps you havenโt drawn the worst hand imaginableโฆ yet.
The melody that spilled forth was as lulling as it usually wasโ each note coaxed into existence by trembling fingers that, thankfully, needed not be steady to sound true. The lyre didnโt betray your panic, for its strings sang the same whether touched by grace or desperation. The sound drifted, delicate and sure, and were you not the one clinging to life with every pluck, you think you could almost fall asleep to it.
Truthfully, you dreaded the moment the final note would fall silent. So you slowed the tempo, drawing out each chord as long as your trembling fingers would allow, desperate to stretch the moment between life and whatever came after. If this was to be your death ballad, then better it lastโ a painful, aching farewell rather than a sharp, sudden cut. The thought gnawed at you, and a persistent ache twisted low in your belly; what fate awaited you once the music faded?
And when the dreaded moment finally arrivedโฆ silence was not what you were expecting. Your death, perhaps. A growl. Maybe even an ego-shattering belittlement for mediocre playingโ anything but silence. And after enduring the excruciating discordance of experiencing the creatureโs voice for the first timeโฆ you could say you were qualified to know that his silence was infinitely worse. You wiped your clammy palms against the folds of your skirt, fingers trembling despite yourself. Your eyes flicked upward, searching his immense faceโ almost pleading, though youโd never want to admit it aloud.ย
The dragonโs massive head tilted, his glowing eyes narrowing as he studied you. Then, with a deliberate slowness that made your heart skip, he lowered himself closerโฆ and the faintest puff of air brushed against your face as he sniffed around.
โUhmโฆโย
You breathed out, flinching backward as his massive snout brushed against you. The roughness of his scales was undeniableโ each one like a hardened shield, easily the size of your hand, scraping softly against the tender skin of your chest. You squirmed, eyes fluttering closed as your lips parted just barely before pressing into a thin line of restrained breath. Times like these were when you cursed the low neckline of your kirtleโ as turning your head away only bared more of your neck to him. The heat was so scorching you swore it would melt you down to the bone.
For a long, heavy pause, you stayed just like that; eyes wound shut in anticipation of something more. Every exhale from the dragon stirred the fabric of your clothes with a force more powerful than any stormโs gust, and you were almost convinced a spike of fire would follow.
โPlay it again.โ
It was a request no sane person would dare refuse. So there you stood, like some hapless jester, fumbling to recreate the melody youโd just played. This time, though, you let the notes unfurl as they were meant to, each one ringing truer than before. The dragon seemed to notice the difference in quality; his great head inched nearer, closing the space between you. You could only assume he was studying your hands, tracking the nimble dance of your fingers across the strings.
It was on his fourth time demanding the same song in a row that you paused. Your brows knitted together as you stared up at him, confused. โYou want to hear the same song again? Would you not rather I play something else?โ
"Do as I say. There will be time enough to wring every last melody from that clever little head of yoursโฆ but for now, I wish to hear that song.โ
The words sank in slowly, much akin to spilled ink bleeding into paperโ seeping deeper, staining more than they should. โTime enoughโ. Enough for what? Enough for him to hear every song youโd ever known, ever madeโฆ to keep you until there were none left?
You forced a laugh, though it came out thinner than youโd have liked. โRightโฆ โtime enoughโ. Iโm guessing that means Iโll have to charge by the hour.โ
The dragon stilled completely. For a moment youโd begun to wonder if youโd broken himโ but eventually his nostrils flared, sending another puff of hot air over your face. โYou will not be leaving until I say so.โ
โOhโฆ!โ Your fingers tightened around the strings. โSoโฆ Iโm under your patronage, then?โ
Slowly, he bowed his massive head until it pressed heavily against the floor, his eyes locking onto yours with a piercing, jagged sharpness that sent a cold shiver clawing beneath your skin.
โLabel it as you might, but in the end, your freedom is no longer yours to barter.โ
You forced another, even shakier laughโ clinging to the tattered edges of your playful facade. Some instinct within you whispered that if you kept playing dumb, youโd soon be playing deadโ but nonetheless, you persisted.ย
โB-Barterโฆ? What, like a pig? Two pigs? For my lyre? Iโll take itโโ
โFoolish mortal.โย
The dragon snapped at last, for it seemed even Lady Luck had become tired of your imbecilic ploys.ย
"Must I spell it out for you? I intend to keep you for myself. You will speak. You will play. And it will be for me, and only for meโ whenever I so desire. Now, the song?โ
The harsh finality of his words stunned you into complete, feeble stillness. Whatever gambit youโd been trying to play was dismissed outrightโ This creature wanted no part of your tricks or pleas. And in that moment, it became painfully clear to you that your fate rested solely at the impulses of this beast.ย
There was really no way out of this.ย
Quietly, you accepted that you might very well end up as nothing more than dragon kibble, and let your fingers resume their candenceโ the melody of Greensleeves.
At the very least, for all that, you were able to console yourself with the notion that Ace and Deuce had gotten away unscathed. So perhaps, in the grand scheme of thingsโฆ this wasnโt the worst possible outcome. And in any caseโ
When, in all the years of your life, had you not taken the suffering for your boysโ betterment, anyway?
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ dragon seemed utterly enthralled by every minor thing you did. He was no stranger to commands, either, and you were not one to deny a monster within its own dominion. For a good hour, he was transfixed by the way your body movedโ so he instructed you to walk, to run, to leap, to climb atop heaps of goldโฆ and then delighted in the way you slipped halfway through that. But to be fair, you couldnโt exactly gain proper footing on a great stack of metal.ย
Furthermoreโฆ he appeared to be fond of suspending you from various heights to assess the strength of your armsโ a habit you most definitely did not share an affection for in return. In fact, he seemed drawn to the idea of arranging you in different corners of the chamber altogetherโฆ almost like finding the perfect place on a shelf to set down a flowerpot. So in a matter of that first day, you were intimately acquainted with the vast cavern he called his own.
But for all his partiality to seeing you in different corners of his hoard, the same could not be said for the rest of the castle. On the second day, you were near certain he would kill you when he cast that glare down upon you for setting a single foot past the entranceโs threshold. โฆAfter that, you did not try again. The subsequent nights were spent curled on an old carpet (this particular one reminded you of the one displayed in your own home) spread across a mound of gold, so high that every shift or stir set coins sliding. It was a trap disguised as bedding; if you moved, the sound would wake him.
Though you were no doubt used to a solitary life, this one was unbearably dullโ the sort of dull that made hours drag like weighted chains. Day in and day out, you found yourself trapped in the same cycle of gilded idleness, with nothing to measure the passing time but the whims of your captor. And those whims, you soon learned, could be mercurial at best. Some days he would lounge nearby, trading quips with you as if the two of you were old companions; other days, he became so cold and severe you swore the very air in the cavern sharpened around you, and you found yourself imagining the pyre that would follow.ย
Yet without fail, what always framed this idleness was the music you brought him. Other nights, when you werenโt lazing around (the dragon was quite the sleeper himself, you see, soย his routine quickly became yours), you would pluck the strings until dawn. You offered him every melody you knew, every melody you were refining, and every melody you could conjure on the spot. Above all, though, his most beloved remained the first youโd ever given to himโ Greensleeves.ย
You werenโt sure how many days had passedโ only that it was several, and that some days you went without speaking to the creature at all. The silence should have been a reliefโฆ but instead it gnawed at you, until the only highlight of your day became those rare moments he deigned to speak. You told yourself it was only because it broke the monotonyโ because in this endless, stagnant gold-dusted prison, even a single new word was a change in the atmosphere. Yet somewhere between one meaningless exchange and the next, you began to notice how your ears pricked at the sound of his voice, how you found yourself measuring time not by the sun or moon, but by when he might next decide you were worth probing at.
You knew not if he had a name, or if he even knew yoursโ for you never told him, and he never asked for it.ย But over the days that ignorance festered into an insatiable curiousity, and the longer you remained in his company, the more intolerable it became not to know. Every word he withheld felt deliberate, a game you hadnโt agreed to play but could not stop participating in. You caught yourself watching him when you thought he wouldnโt noticeโ straining to glean something, anything, from that tilt of his head or the pause between his sentences. Even the smallest slip, the briefest hint, felt like a stolen jewel in a hoard you had no right to.
In the endโ and you had realised this suddenly, with much bitternessโ he had essentially made you into his mirror; just as fixated, just as incapable of letting go. Your hunger for the workings of his mind was as ravenous as his hunger for yours.
Perhaps it was because of this that you never ran, even when the chance was laid bare before you.ย
On occasion, the dragon would vanish into the wilderness, returning with some unfortunate creatureโ scorched beyond recognition, its flesh blackened and bitter, the sort of meal meant only to keep you alive rather than thriving. (It was such a pitiful sight that you felt cruel each time you sliced into it with the knife at your girdleโ the knife Ace had pressed into your hand on the eve of your birthday.) And during these times, when the dragon was gone, the opportunity presented itself to you on a silver platter. The world beyond was there, waiting, the open mouth of freedom gaping wide before you. Yetโฆ your feet remained rooted. So the only taste of freedom you permitted yourself came in those rare, fleeting moments when you leaned out of the gargantuan windows (and you mean this quite literallyโฆ they were large enough for the dragon to crawl out) of the chamber, flask in hand, to catch rainwater for drink.
Ahโฆ You remembered the times youโd complained of thirst, buzzing in the dragonโs ear (the general direction of it, at least) like some persistent mosquito. He would only huff (just a singular huff, without fail) and turn his head awayโ yet, almost unfailingly, a storm would break minutes later. The coincidence occurred so often you began to wonder if the rain answered to him, bending itself to his whims as easily as the rest of your world seemed to.
Because of all thisโฆ at the very least, life here had been survivable. You had food, you had waterโ and little else, perhaps, but that was enough. Enough to keep breathing, enough to carry on, and in these idle daysโฆ you were able to get by on the fact that this small mercy had seemed sufficient.ย
โฆHowever, as of todayโ as you lay atop your carpet staring up at the unnecessarily high ceilingโย
Sufficientโฆ was not that sufficient.
There was a certainโฆ โproblemโ with your life hereโ one that you could no longer ignore. Every part of you strained toward confronting it, until it made your skin crawl, your garments clung damp and close, and you felt swallowed whole by your own body.ย
With a weary sigh, you let yourself sink down, sliding along the mound of gold until the coins shifted and clattered beneath your weight. The sound stirred the resting dragon; But when he saw your path bent not toward escape, but toward himโฆ he merely closed his eyes againโ completely unbothered by your presence.
โAhemโฆ Oh, fair dragonโฆ I DO believe I am wasting away inside this dreary place!โย
Your voice carried an annoyingly theatrical flourish as you beckoned. Had you been any more familiar with the beast, you might have clambered onto his immense frame and made your boredom his problem. But alasโฆ intimacy had not yet reached such heightsโ so you were reduced to planting yourself before his head, hands holding tightly to your lyre lest he request music as some odd payment.
One great eyelid lifted, revealing a pool of green that regarded you with indifference. (For a brute lizard, he was disarmingly expressiveโ and that made the weight of his empty stares all the more cutting when he chose to use them.) But after a single second his eye shut again, head angling away with deliberate dismissal.
โI do not recall requesting the sound of your voice or music. Why do you disturb my rest?โย
Your jaw fell open at the sheer audacity. (Yet beneath the offense was a flicker of gratitude; as it meant your strange companionship had evolved far enough that you could be sassed rather than sizzled. It was a dangerous kind of luck, perhaps, but luck all the same.) Still, you were not so easily deterredโ so you darted around his muzzle once more, determined to recapture his attention.
โWonโt you at least hear me outโฆ? I have a requestโฆ andโ itโs an important request, too! Iโve been putting off asking you for daysโฆ But now itโs very unavoidableโฆ!โย
The dragon did not agree to hear you outโฆ but he did not refuse, either.
โIโฆ I needโฆโย
Now that you actually stood here, having to say what you needed out loudโฆ it dawned on you how odd (i.e, embarrassingly human and therefore belittling in the face of a mighty dragon) your โproblemโ was. Your shoulders slumped, and you fidgeted, glancing around as if the walls themselves might bear witness to your mortification.ย
โโฆI need to batheโฆ!โ You admitted in a rush, each word heavier with embarrassment than the last. โItโsโฆ itโs been a few days, and Iโve beenโฆ coping, yes, butโฆ itโsโ well, itโs uncomfortable, and, frankly, humiliating!โ
The dragon cracked his eye open again, narrowing. โBathe?โ His tone was flatโ and dare you say amused. โSurely, you can survive without it. You have managed thus far.โ
โYes!โ You said, waving your handsโ taking your instrument with it. โI have MANAGED! But Iโm a human, rememberโฆ? We clean ourselves regularly, and Iโฆ I insist upon it! Itโs only natural!โ
A low, almost imperceptible bellow sounded from his throat, the closest thing he had to a laugh. He stood from where he laid, peering down at your ant-like form.ย
โYouโฆ insist upon it?โ
You puffed your chest out despite the heat rising in your face. โYes, yes thatโs right. I insist upon it.โ
The dragon lowered his head, eyes boring into yours with unflinching scrutiny.ย
โโฆDo not say that phrase again. Such language ill suits your youth. You sound like a fool.โ
Yikes. You were quiet for a long time after that.ย
โโฆSo do I get to bathe, orโฆ?โ
What the dragon did nextโฆ it would only be right to say that it scared the living shit out of you.
His colossal jaws began to part, until a cavernous darkness framed by jagged pearls yawned before you. Heat and a faint smoky scent rolled over you, making your stomach pitch. You stumbled backward, a comically high-pitched scream tearing out of your throat.ย
โWait! Please donโt eat me! I didnโt meanโ!โ
โShut up. Why would I eat you for that?โ He interrupted sharply, the word vibrating through your body. โJust be quiet.โ
The sheer absurdity of it struck you like a slapโ this massive, terrifying dragon, scolding you like a schoolchild. Your terror cracked, and you froze mid-apology, lips pressed together to stifle the snort threatening to escape. Oopsโฆ
โClimb inside.โ He ordered bluntly. โI am taking you outside. You will bathe in the mountainsโ stream, but itโs quite a while to get there on foot. I have seen you move aboutโ youโre not good at it. I shall carry you.โ
โฆOuch. You flinched, but forced yourself to ignore the jab at your physical capabilities. โC-climbโฆ inside? You meanโฆ like an alligator?โ
A low exhale of impatience rolled from him.ย
โโฆYes, like an alligator. Now move.โ
He tilted his monstrous head and, with an almost unnerving delicacy, scooped you into his maw. The gesture was more reptilian than draconicโ really like an alligator ferrying its hatchlingsโ jaw unhinged just enough to cradle you in the cavern of his mouth. You hardly dared to breathe, lest a twitch of his tongue press you against the serrated ivory surrounding you.
Then the ground lurched. Stone groaned beneath his weight as he coiled through the towerโs circular chamberโ your gilded idleness, your prison. For all its grandeur, you were beginning to resent it; the massive doors that never once opened for you unless it was to relieve yourself in the nearby chamberpot (and even then the dragon followed closely behind); the jewelled relics heaped in careless mounds; the shafts of light that pierced the gloom only when the sun angled through the windowsโ On such days, the chamber glittered like a cathedral of glass, colours scattering across the ceiling in rainbows, and it truly was a beautiful sight. โฆBut more often than not, it had been little more than a dark vault, its treasures piled high as though mocking your insignificance.
The scrape of his talons along the walls reverberated as he pressed forward, squeezing through the window large enough to fit lesser beasts whole.ย
And then, suddenlyโ wind.
You felt the air through the cracks of his mouth. Gone were the shadowed piles of metal and velvetโ before you stretched an endless canvas of green and blue, rolling hills veined with rivers that caught the shining sun like threads of silver. The horizon unfurled into forests bristling like emerald seas, into distant mountains hazed in storybook blue. And the sky felt impossibly vast, clouds rearing like little castles of their own, shifting all the while.
Despite yourself, you leaned forward, craning your neck past the bars of his teeth to drink it all in. The wind whipped at your hair, tugged at your sleeves. For one delirious moment you felt as though you might tumble into the wide, bright world belowโ free at last.
โBack inside.โ His voice came, low and warning. โDo you have a death wish, Child of Man?โ
โฆBut you barely heard him. Your heart pounded against your ribs as though trying to answer the sky itself, every page of every story you had ever read suddenly made real before your eyes.
โYou have these sights around you all day and you choose to stay in that towerโ?โ You shouted, your voice nearly put away by the rush of wind.
โI have watched these lands for centuries, long before your bloodline ever came to be.โ He responded, and that was all he chose to say.
โOhโฆ I guess even beautiful sights can get boring, huhโฆ? You know what, I actually understand that. When I was a kid the whole town was my playground and then it becameโฆโย
The words died off on your tongue, your shoulders sagging with them. At the mere thought of your hometown, your mind began to unravel. First came the memory of your solitude thereโ quiet, unremarkable, utterly stifling. Cobblestone streets washed in grey, hemmed in by rows of timber houses so tightly packed they seemed to lean over the narrow lanes. Air that always felt heavy, steeped in the dark smoke that came from a hundred chimneys. Yet the longer you dwelled on it, the sharper the irony became to you; For all its monotonyโฆ you found yourself missing it, now.
โIt became merely the place you lived?โ
โHuh?โ You snapped out of it, blinking a few times in surprise. Hearing his voice invade your mind after thinking to yourself was always a sort of whiplash. โOh, yeah! Justโฆ where I lived. When youโre young everything seems so magical and when youโre grown it justโฆโ You paused. โโฆI told you how I always read storybooks as a kid, right? Wellโฆ This is a sight straight out of one, I swear. Yourโฆ โmundaneโ really is amazing.โย
โI would say your mundane holds its own fascinations, as well. But what draws me most is your sharpness of opinion. Only twenty winters youโve lived to see, was it? How swiftly your kind ripens.โ
โฆIt seemed, perhaps, that fortune had favored you todayโ for the dragon seemed to be in a talkative mood for once. Such moments were rare, and youโd be damned to let this chance slip from your grasp.
โI just like to talk, thatโs all!โ You blurted, your voice fraying as the wind tugged it thin. In hindsightโฆ maybe sticking your head out of his mouth to get a good view wasnโt the smartest idea.
A low, rumbling sound rolled in his throatโ shaking you with it. His great wings beat once, twice, and the whole world seemed to shudder with the force of them. โThat much is evident.โ He said at last, his tone even. โAnd I would call it one of your strengths, little one. Youโฆ amuse me. When I was younger, I was often told that I was a quiet one myself.โ
You gawked up at him, squinting past the press of his jaw. โReally?โ The mental image of a cute, quiet little baby dragon got a snort out of you. โCanโt imagine you being youngโฆโ You muttered, a laugh finally breaking loose. โWhat, were you also once a tiny thing, getting scooped up in a bigger dragonโs mouth? Ooh! Waitโ do all dragons carry their kids like this?โ
โHm.โ He only hummed, and nothing else after thatโฆ leaving you to wonder if youโd actually close to the truth or missed embarrassingly by a mile. You were still caught in that thought when his voice finally followed;
โYou may want to hold onto something.โ
โWhaโ?โย
Suddenly, your stomach was lurching out of your mouth alongside a scream. The world tilted on its axis, and you found yourself clinging to one of the dragonโs teeth. Wind battered your face, sharp and unrelenting, tearing tears from the corners of your eyes as the once dazzling outside spun into an incomprehensible blur of green and blue.
The dragon had plunged downwardsโฆ and like a complete and utter jackassโ hadnโt bothered to actually warn you. The sheer drop made your insides somersault, so you pressed yourself tighter against the toothโ arms scrambling for purchase on smooth enamel. Every bone in your body swore you were about to be flung free, hurled into the dizzying expanse of sky.
But suddenly, as if the whole ordeal had never happenedโ all was still. At some point, you'd shut your eyes, and now they refused to open. You didnโt know where you were just yet, but as you stayed there in silence, you let yourself listen to the world around you. The low roar of rushing water rolled steady in your ears, a constant thunder that seemed to seep into your bones. Beneath it came the lighter soundsโ the trickle of smaller streams, the soft lapping of water against stone, the sigh of a breeze stirring through unseen leaves.
And thenโ without ceremonyโ you were dropped. One moment surrounded by warmth and shadow, the next colliding with damp grass and stone, a startled yelp breaking out of you before you could stop it.
โHonestly!โ You huffed, pushing yourself up, brushing at your clothes. โI couldโve climbed out on my own, you knowโโ You stopped, shaking your head with a mutter. โWhatever. Fine.โ
โOh? I believe what you mean to say is โthank you for bringing me hereโ.โ His voice rolled over you, smooth as everโ if the dragon had eyebrows, you were certain one would be arched right now.
You froze. Then, with a reluctant sigh, you parroted back, โ...Thank you for bringing me here.โ
A soft puff of air came from his nostrils, and you could swear it was amusement.
At last, you dared to lift your eyes. The sight stole the rest of your irritation clean away. What you saw could only be compared to a scene being opened to you in a bookโ the kind that makes you wonder if such places could even exist outside of imagination. But the waterfall spilling into a clear, running stream cradled in by a meadow of bright, swaying green and scattered stone, with tall pines climbing skyward beyond was proof that they really, truly could. Your chest rose with a sigh you hadnโt meant to release. Almost without thinking, you stepped forward, drawn by the sheer beauty of it all.
The ground trembled with the weight of the dragonโs sudden growl. You froze mid-step, heart kicking against your ribs. The reminder was sudden and brutal; you werenโt here aloneโ nor were you even with a friend.
โSorryโ!โ You blurted quickly, turning back toward him, hands raised in peace. โIโm not trying to run away. I justโ this place is beautiful. I got a little carried away.โ
โI brought you here to bathe. Do not run off, unless it is to the water.โย
To your relief, the dragon did not seem irritated. If anything, it felt more like a gentle correction. Swallowing, you turned toward a broad rock near the bank and moved to stand before it. Your hands found the ties of your bodiceโ but as you tugged them loose, unease prickled at the back of your neck. Slowly, you turned around to look at him once more.
โUhm, can youโฆ look awayโฆ?โย
He did not respond to that. So for a moment you hesitated, before continuing with what you were doing. With deliberate care, you pulled the lacing free, your kirtle slipping from your shoulders in one smooth motion to pool at your feet. One by one, you released the sleeves tacked over your shift, letting them join the rest of the fabric in a small heap. You were still clothedโ your shift hung modestly over your formโ but even soโฆ you couldnโt help but feel a little more conscious of your body and your being under such an intense gaze.
โโฆI will do as I please.โ He quipped suddenly, as if reminded abruptly that a response was still needed. โNow tell me, Child of Manโฆ are such garments common where you come from?โ
โOh?โ Your mouth parted in surprise. โYou want to know about my clothes, is that it? Wellโฆ Yeah, it is common, I guess. Everyone wears uhmโฆโ Your line of sight fell to the kirtle, now laid across a large rock. โWell, that right there is a kirtle. Thatโs the outer garment. If youโre not royalty, that is. Royalty will wear a gown over that, andโโ
โI am aware of the garments of nobility. Tell me about you.โ
You flinched at the interruption. There was no cruelty in his tone, and yetโฆ he spoke with the kind of easeful command that left no room for disobedience. How could someone manage to speak like that in such a casual manner?ย
โMeโฆ?โ You pointed to yourself, pursing your lips in thought. โโฆThis is an old kirtle. I wear it when Iโm running errands and donโt really care about what happens to it. Next to it is my girdleโ thatโs what I hold my flask and knife on, see?โ You picked up the items, the ones youโd been sustaining yourself with for the past weeks. โIโve never really understood the point in attaching a girdle book and wellโ pomanders would be nice but thatโs much too expensive for me. Andโฆ this is my shift. And petticoat.โ You ran your hands over the cloth on your body for emphasis. โThereโs meant to be a bum pad too to support all the weight but I forgot itโฆ Uhm, anyways, Iโฆ change and wash these often and thatโs what helps keep the kirtle clean. That one is just a pain in the ass to washโฆโย
You grumbled, reflecting back on all those dreadful wash days. It was times like those you truly did appreciate your mother, who used to take it upon herself to launder not only her familyโs clothes but the neighboursโ as well. If she were still around, she would no doubt chide you for your disdain of washing.
โOh! And these are my stockings. Theyโre tight on my skin so I never have to tie them in place like other people do.โย
You gathered the weight of your petticoat into your hands, lifting the firm fabric with care. Beneath it, your leg was sheathed in soft whiteโ stockings pristine as porcelain. Youโd long since outgrown them, but you took a satisfied sort of pride in how spotless youโd maintained them over the years.ย
โI even say that theyโre my lucky pair. Thatโs why I havenโt replaced them, you seeโฆโ A fond smile ghosted your lips. It was nice to talk about the niche thingsโ things youโd kept to yourself with a quiet passion.
Then, as though doused with cold water, the warmth in your expression faltered.
Right. You were explaining stockingsโฆ to a dragon. You blinked hard, fighting the flush threatening to creep up your neck.
โSoโฆ yeah! Thatโsโฆ what I wear.โ You rushed, the words tumbling out in a panic. โAnd most people in my town wear it like that too. Uh, some people donโt bother to tack on extra sleeves because, wellโฆโ You gave a little gesture to the sleeves of your shift, flapping them for emphasis. โBut I think extra sleeves are pretty, and theyโre nice to perform in. The ones from the shifts are just so plain, you know? Actually, those ones over there were a gift fromโโ
Deuce.ย
A gift from Deuce.
It had been raining that day, you remembered. Not hardโ just the soft, steady kind that darkened cobblestones and made everything smell of petrichor thereafter. Youโd been practicing an original composition beneath the awning of the smithy when heโd come bounding over, soaked to the bone, with a grin far too wide for someone dripping water onto your clothes.
The smithy was owned by a kindly widower with two childrenโ a son and a daughter who reminded you far too much of yourself and Ace in your younger years. Perhaps that was why you so often chose to practice there, where you knew their curious ears would catch your musicโ especially the little boy, who thought you hadnโt been aware of his presence each time he hid behind the workbench. In time, it became your favoured haunt whenever you were not engaged in some performanceโ rivaled only by the old womanโs bookshop. More often than not, you could be found in one of those two placesโ so much so that your boys had long since learned to seek you there rather than at your own lonelier, emptier home.
Deuce hadnโt even waited for you to ask when heโd arrived in town or what he was doing there. He hadnโt said a word eitherโ merely held out a strange parcel to you.
โI bartered for them in town!โ Heโd exclaimed, breathless and proud. โThe man said heโd done work for nobles, evenโ andโฆ well, you deserve nice things too.โ
โฆYou deserve nice things, too.
Your hand tightened around the folds of your petticoat, fingers curling into it until your own nails began to dig into your palm. For a moment, the forest around you seemed quieter, as though it, too, had been caught in the warmth of that memory. Every luxury you owned, from your beautiful sleeves to your beautiful knifeโ all of it was thanks to your boys. But then you shook your headโ just enough to scatter the mist from your thoughts, just enough to return to the reality of where you were and who was watching you.
โThey were a gift.โ You said, voice quite soft now. โFrom a very good friend.โ A pause. Then, with a sharper breath, you straightened your shoulders and cleared your throat. โNowโฆ I have to bathe, soโฆโ You met the dragonโs eyes, steady as you could manage. โWill you look away?โ
The dragon did not speak for a long, long time.
โNo. I do not think I will. I have not looked upon anyone in a very, very long time, you seeโฆ Allow me to indulge myself.โ He said at last, and lowered his head so as to allow him a better view of you.ย
Indulgeโฆ? Your shoulders tensed as you measured him in quiet disbelief. He truly meant toโฆ watch you as you bathed? You swallowed thickly. โฆWell, you supposed there wasnโt any point in arguing. Not with something that could rend the forest apart with one lazy swipe of its claws. And certainly not with someone who thought your discomfort counted as indulgence. So you turned without a word, sliding your shoes off in the process, and you let the river greet you with its hush. Its waters trickled gently over stones worn smooth by centuries. Moss clung to the banks, soft and vibrant, and the air hung heavy with the scent of pine and something older still.ย
Your hands trembled as you peeled your lucky little stockings from your legs. One, then the otherโ timid and slow, folded neatly away. You moved on to your shift without pause, lifting it over your head in a single breathless motion, folding it with a similar, rushed sort of precision.
The breezy air pressed in at once, cool against the places of your body it ought not touch. Places another personโ let alone a dragonโ ought not see. And only then, as you stood fully exposed, did you cover yourselfโ one arm curling instinctively across your chest, the other dipping low in a gesture both modest and childlike.
The dragon chortled. His head tilted, ever so slightly, as his eyes grazed slowly over you in a manner too measured to be anything but deliberate.
โYouโฆ Youโre seriously laughing at me right nowโ?โ
โOh, why do you look at me so?โ He asked, voice lilting with false innocence. โYour cheeks are flushed, and you seem even smaller than before. Surely you are notโฆ embarrassed? Tell meโ why is that, little one?โย
โฆWhat an unfair dragon. That stare of his couldnโt possibly warrant anything but embarrassment. Had it come from a personโ youโre sure it would have sent ghost-hands trailing down the slopes of your hips, cupping your breasts without so much as a whisper of permission.
โHumansโโ You winced at the crack in your voice. โWe donโtโฆ show ourselves bare to just anybody! You wouldnโt know because youโreโฆ well, youโreโฆโ You squeezed your legs together to conceal the meeting of your thighs, using your now free hand to gesture vaguely at the dragonโs entirety. โYouโre a dragon! Youโre covered in scalesโฆ! I donโt have scales.โ
โYou donโt have scales, no.โ The dragon agreed, and you couldnโt tell if he was missing your point out of genuine ignorance or pure spite. โQuite the observant Child of Man, you are.โย
โฆSo it was pure spite.
โOh, haha.โ You laughed dryly, completely unimpressed. โYes, very funny. Quite the funny dragon, you are. Now SHUT UP.โ You huffed, inching toward the river with the stiff caution of someone very much aware they were being watched.
It was harder than it shouldโve beenโ because you refused to turn your bare back to the creature. Instead, you moved in clumsy reverse, each step accompanied by the rustle of grass and your own mounting dread. Then, your foot caught on a rootโ or a stone, or a curse sent by your worst enemiesโ and you very nearly wobbled straight into the water. A sharp yelp escaped you as your arms pinwheeled for balance. The cool splash that followed as you stumbled knee-deep was insult enough.ย
But worseโ so much worseโ was the dragonโs laughter.
โUghโฆโ You grimaced, kneeling on the riverbed with your hands curled into fists on your lap. You glared up at the dragon, a newfound sense of bravery now that you were covered by the water. โYeah, yeah, laugh it up!โย
The dragon only responded by inching his massive head closerโ close enough that the weight of his breath stirred the water and sent your hair dancing behind you. You squinted against the gust and stiffened as the tip of his snout brushed against your shoulderโ then he pressed.
โHeyโ!โ
With a gentle nudge, he tipped you clean off balance. You fell back with a splash, the cold closing over your chest before you managed to scramble upright againโ sputtering, soaked, and thoroughly humiliated.
He chuffed at that. A pleased sound, low and rumbling, not unlike a purr.
โGo on.โ He urged, eyes gleaming with that slow-burning curiosity of his. โBathe. As you normally would.โ
You froze.
He tilted his headโ again. That strange little habit, as though mimicking the mannerisms of something more human than beast.
โI want to see.โ
The river curled at your waist as you reached down, cupping water in your hands and dragging it up the length of your arms. There was no cloth, no soap, no oils to perfume the airโ only the biting chill of the stream and the weight of his expectant gaze. It was either this dragon was a massive (and you mean that quite literally) pervert orโฆ
โOh. You want me to tell you, huh?โ You murmured, voice barely louder than the sound of the current. โYou want to hear how I do it, am I right?โ
The dragon was silent for only a moment.ย
โTell me.โ
โ...Okay.โ
You reached again, dragging water up over your chest this time. Your hands swept over your collarbones, then slowly circledโ palms flat, pressure firmโ just above the area of your breasts.
โI start here.โ You said, as clinically as you could manage. โOver the chest and under the arms. Itโs where I sweat the most.โ
Your hands slipped lower, dipping beneath the surface, dragging slowly along the undercurve of your chest. The motion was smooth, habitualโ but under his stare, it felt foreign. Lecherous. Was it wrong to feel violated? Heโs just a dragon, after all. Though his gaze may have felt like that of a manโฆ he still wasnโt.
But as you worked your way down your sides, your waist, your hipsโ you couldnโt convince yourself of that. You shifted, twisting lightly as your palms swept over the place where thigh met pelvis.
โโฆI wash here after.โ You whispered. โAnd then here. Between the legs. Itโsโฆ delicate, so I go gently.โ
Your fingers slowed at your inner thighs, a feigned act of precision masking your trembling. Then your hands slid back up, along the swell of your hips and the gentle dip of your lower belly.
โThen the arms. The legs. Behind the knees. The back of the neck.โ
Heโs just a dragon. You hated that your voice had gone breathless. Heโs just a dragon.
โEvery part.โ You finished finally. โUntil the skin is clean. Uhmโฆโ You quickly submerged yourself beneath the surface of the water, relieved that you were done with it. โItโs normally easier at home because I have a brush to scrub myself with. Andโฆ soap. I mean, you can clean yourself with water and your hands just fine butโฆ itโs just nicer with soap andโฆโย
You trailed off. You couldnโt hide your bashfulness behind rambling any longer. โฆWhy was he staring at you so intently? Your skin prickled at the sight. Heโs just a dragon. Heโs just a dragonโฆ You had to keep reminding yourself, over and over. Heโs just a dragonโฆ but why did his wandering eyes, wandering over every bare inch of you feel so human?ย
He hadnโt moved since youโd begun, nor spoken. It was as if he were memorising the sight of youโฆ and not with the hunger youโd expect from a predator of his kindโ but with a strange, unnerving persistence that made you wish you could vanish beneath the riverbed entirely. Is this what blushing brides felt on their wedding nightsโ? You wondered. It was only when you were completely finished did his voice break the uncomfortable silence;
โPlay for me, Child of Man, the song I like best. Let me hear it, just as you are. I want to remember you like this, for I find I much prefer you in this state.โ
โฆAny discomfort you may have feltโ clearly, it mattered not to him. So you did the only thing left to you; reached for your lyre, where it rested beside the folded remnants of your dignity, and kneeled once more in the water, body still bared to this creature of stories. And you knelt there in the river, and you playedโ fingers steady despite the heat of his looking.ย
And you pretended for your own sake that the musicโ Greensleevesโ was for your ears alone. That in this act of playing, you may reclaim something that no eyes, not even his, can take from you.
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ allowed you to explore the forestsโ as long as he was there to accompany you. He had taken to overseeingโ like a parent supervising their giddy child running around the streetsโ never interacting or partaking in the fun, but never letting you out of his sight. But even if he were not there, you couldnโt say you would have been alone. As you soon realisedโฆ the woods were far from empty.ย
One day you strayed from the path with a laugh, chasing after the scatter of wildflowers that grew in the shade of the towering pines. Sunlight spilled through the branches in broken shafts, catching on your hair as you darted from mossy rock to fern-covered hollow. It felt almost like play, (and it would have been exactly like when you were a child, had it not been for the absence of your boys) though you could sense the dragonโs gaze following your every step, heavy and unblinking. Still, you spun through the clearing as if the whole forest might belong to you, and for a fleeting moment youโd nearly forgotten the dragonโs presence.ย
It was just then, you noticed, that there were tiny lights which blinked in the canopy. Darting quick and erratic, they couldnโt have possibly been beams of the sun. In a sense, they almost looked like firefliesโฆ and upon further inspection you realised they were not fireflies or any insects to nameโ but rather little beings no larger than your hand. They came in twos and threes, flickering just past your visionโ glimpses of wings, comforting laughter that sounded just as the windchimes of your town did. They circled you the way minnows dart about a dropped crumb, not quite daring to touch, not quite able to resist.ย
It continued this way for a few days, until they realised that the dragon took you here quite frequentlyโ and that you were a new addition to their world. So eventually, they learned to interact with you as a dynamic being, rather than something to be observed.
And today, it seemed, the silent little things had unanimously decided to confront you directly.ย
One creature stood on your shoulder and pulled at a strand of your hair until you swatted it away by reflex. You felt terribly bad at first, but if anything, it only served as entertainment to them. Another hovered near your ear, whispering syllables like secrets in a language you thought you understood at firstโ only to listen closer and hear nothing but nonsense. When you tried to swat at that one, three more tugged at your boots until you stumbled. Their laughter rose, the sound of the wonderful windchimes, high and bright.
You were absolutely charmed. They plucked flowers and wove them into chains to drape around your wrists, your throat, your crown; they tugged your fingers toward them and danced along your palms as though the creases in your skin were paths to follow. You laughed and played alongโ because how could you not? Nothing in your books or stories could compare to the delight of having them here, weaving daisies into your hair and tugging at your nose.
A bold one fluttered before your face, balancing a ring of blooms precariously on your head. You clapped your hands at their craft, only to feel a sudden warmth stir the crown. The dragon had lowered his head to peer at you more closely, and with a faint, amused huff of breath, the crown tumbled from your hair into your lap.
Your laughter spilled outโ but for once, the faeries did not share it. In the instant the dragonโs shadow fell over you, their tinkling mirth snapped silent. They darted for the safety of leaf and branch, vanishing so quickly the clearing seemed empty again. Only when he drew back did one or two daring stragglers peek out from the undergrowth, their glow faint and watchful.
โYouโre scaring them!โ You chided playfully, putting the crown back atop your head. โThese are my only friends now, you know. Please donโt run them off like you did my other ones.โย
โHa.โ The dragon laughed dryly. โThey merely observe the proper respect that I require. You alone are the exception, little one.โ
You tilted the crown slightly, glancing toward the shrubbery where more faeries trickled out. Watching, but not quite approachingโ like how they first treated you.ย
โHuh. So I guess theyโre respectful, huh? Canโt say the same about me. Youโve really got to stop sabotaging my friendships, though.โ You murmured, still smiling, though your thoughts had begun to drift elsewhere. For a moment, you imagined Ace and Deuce running through these woods instead of you. How would they have reacted, seeing these creatures? How you wish they could be here to experience it with you.
โHm? What is the matter? Your mind is suddenly elsewhere.โ The dragon said quietly, almost as if to tease. โDo not tell me you are thinking of those two?โ
โWho? Ace and Deuce?โ You questioned, not quite present in the conversation. But as soon as you uttered their namesโฆย
Everything in the forest stilled.ย
The tinkling of the faeries vanished; their movements froze, suspended in midair. Every sound seemed to drain from the clearing. The dragonโs stare snapped to you, sudden and unwavering, his attention fixed with an intensity that made the air feel heavy.
โThose are their names, then?โ He leaned in, so much so that his snout brushed against you.
โฆYou hadnโt really thought about it. Hadnโt really dwelled on the old, cautionary talesโ the warnings murmured about the nature of fae. Youโd assumed the ones you were warned about would be different than the ones you interacted with here, considering that these ones didnโt seem malicious. And thereforeโฆ you hadnโt really thought about one of the biggest cautions;
Never give a fae your name.ย
A cold shiver ran down your spine. Words caught in your throat, and for a heartbeat, you froze, unsure how to respond. Surely, if that superstition were trueโฆ it could not have applied to your boys, as well?
Then, forcing your voice steady, you shifted the topic.ย
โAh, those boysโฆ always argued about the silliest things.โ You began, describing the way Ace and Deuce bickered over trivial matters, laughing quietly at the memories.ย
You told of their little quirks, the clever tricks they played on one anotherโฆ things you knew the faeries would find appealing. But you never, ever repeated their names. You just spoke about them, letting the warmth of the recollection fill your words, attempting to draw attention away from what youโd just revealed. At some point, you werenโt even sure of what you were sayingโ only that, at the very least, you werenโt confirming or denying the dragonโs question.
By the time you had stoppedโ and this was only because youโd become overwhelmed by the dragonโs undivided attention to every last wordโ the forest seemed a little more normal now.
The dragon was silent, looking down at you rather blankly.
โโฆYou speak of theseโฆ cowardly fools rather fondly.โ
Your chest tightened at the words, but you didnโt respond immediately. You shifted the crown slightly, your fingers lingering over the delicate petals as if they could anchor your thoughts. โฆCowardly fools? Fools, for sure. Butโฆ cowardly?
โMy friendsโฆโ You corrected carefully, almost to yourself at first. โTheyโreโฆ wonderful. Clever, brave, and kind in ways you couldnโt understand unless you were there with them.โย
You glanced at him, and though you tried to keep your voice light, a subtle edge crept inโ a rising passion within you.ย
โWhen I was a child I had nobody else but themโ they were the only people who didnโt ridicule me for being such a recluse. You like me, donโt you? They were the ones who taught me how to be like this in the first placeโฆ How could you be so quick to insult them like that?โ
The dragonโs lips curled upwards in a snide manner. You didnโt know he could smileโ let alone look so deliberatelyโฆ cruel.ย
โFriends? Is that truly what you insist on calling those who dragged you here? Who left you trembling at my mercy while they fled with their tails between their legs? So you have fond memories of them. What good does that do now, now that they have abandonedโโ
โOh, come on, youโre talking nonsenseโ thatโs not fair!โ You interrupted sharper than you initially intendedโ but you did not regret it.โThey didnโt abandon me on purposeโฆ it was you that was the problemโ! They wouldnโt have left me otherwiseโฆโ
But the rest withered on your tongue. You knew the truth of your friends. You knew them better than anyone. Yet when you tried to pull the memories forward, tried to shape them into something solid to hold against the dragonโs claims, they slipped like water through your grasp. The more you reached, the less you caught.
Your thoughts tripped over each other, a dozen reasons surging to the surface only to tangle in your throat. It was a horrible, nasty feelingโ one that brought tears to your eyes. You were certain, werenโt you? You were certain they would never leave you on purpose. So then why couldnโt you say it? Why couldnโt you answer him civilly, simply, the very way he spoke to you right now?
The heat rising in your chest wasnโt anger aloneโ it was panic, it was humiliation. He was speaking to you as though this were nothing more than a fair discussion, and you were the one floundering, flustered and foolish. But how could you argue against him, when your own thoughts betrayed you?
โDo not cut me off.โ What scorned you most was that he did not even seem offended by your attitude. โIt is the truth and you know it, donโt you? I did not think you to be blindly unreasonable. Tell me, am I wrong?โ
His composure stung worse than any raised voice. Among all of the questions he presented to you, there was only one on your mind; How could you lash out at him so, when he is only trying to talk to youโ?
โYou stand here because they abandoned you. If they still valued you as you claim they did, they would not have let you fall into my claws. Yes, I intimidated them. Yes, I intended to kill you all. But circumstances do not matter when, in the end, your loved ones chose their own lives above yours. Selfishness is the nature of menโ but nature can be changed, if one loves another enough to do so. But did they change that innate, selfish part of themselves for you? Did they strain every fiber of their being to shield you from me? I think not. I think they fled at the first hint of danger, and now you are here with me. Is that not exactly what happened, in truth?โ
Too many questions. Too many questions.ย
An unrelenting torrent of information coursed directly into your mind, each fragment pushing insistently for attention. You had grown accustomed to his voiceโ had come to accept its intrusion without the need for spoken words. Yet, just as it did in your first meeting, it began to reverberate within you, echoing with an almost unbearable insistence, and in an instant, all of your composure shattered.
A tear slid down your cheek before you even knew it.ย
You jerked at a soft brush against your skinโ tiny hands, delicate wings. A faerie hovered near, carefully wiping the tear away. The gesture, meant as comfort, only burned deeper. They were watching. All of them. Your humiliation laid bare before a court of silent eyes.
You stiffened, curling your fingers so the little creature had no choice but to rest on your palm. You forced yourself to meet the dragonโs eyes again, calmer this time, though the tear track on your face betrayed you.ย
โโฆWe will agree to disagree.โ You said, and your voice almost held.
He regarded you for a long, unreadable moment before inclining his head.ย
โAs you wish.โ
Your attention was already turned back to the faerie in your palm, who had now taken to toying with your fingers. It tugged gently at your fingertip, tiny hands pulling your attention down to where it played. You let it, stroking its gossamer wings with a trembling thumbโฆ though your thoughts were far from present.ย
Every word youโd thrown in anger replayed in your head, harsher with each remembrance, until you almost wished you could snatch them back. It wasโฆ incredibly embarrassing knowing that this faerie, along with all its companions, had to witness you in such a state. So letting the little one inspect your finger, tolerating the surprising and odd strength of its vigour, was your way of apologising to itโ for making it get caught in your outburst.
โYou will not speak of them again.โ
Your head jerked up, startled. โWhat?โ
โI do not want to hear their mention on your tongue. Not once more.โ
The words landed like an unavoidable commandโ the ones that are final and absolute. You stared, mouth parting, some protest fumbling to riseโ Why? Why canโt you? He canโt tell you to do thatโ But nothing left your lips.
โButโฆ why?โ Your voice cracked.โWhy canโt Iโโ
โBecause you must not.โ His interruption was firm, and he offered no explanation beyond thatโ only expectation.
And suddenly, you felt it againโ that cornered, breathless shame, as though your refusal alone made you childish, and as heโd said; unreasonable. You shook your head, cradling the faerie closer as if it may bring you comfort.
โโฆI hope youโre not trying to make me forget them. You canโt expect me to.โ
โThat is not what I ask of you. I merely ask for your obedience in what I command. Hmโฆ How should I explain this?โย
The dragon mused to himself. It only served to make you feel even more of a dimwitโ something you knew he must have intended.
โLook around you, Child of Manโโ His words eventually fell with an even tone. โThe trees that crown this valley, the skies stretched above them, the very grass beneath your feet. The faerie that perches in your palm, and the ones who hide among the leaves. Do you not see how they bend to my will?โ
He looked to the riverโ and though he did not tell you to goโฆ that is what you did. So you stood there, where the current caught the light in a resplendent show of glittered little dottings.
โLook there. Look at your reflection. I wonder, do you see it? That, too, is mine. The face you wear is not your own. The hand that holds the faerie is not your own. You breathe because I allow it. You live because I keep you. Every part of you has been claimed. Now do you see why you must listen to me?โ
(And just like that, any affection youโd gained for him throughout the weeks seemed to vanish in all but an instant.)
As if you had fallen into an enchantment to forget the chains beneath the flowers, it was clear that youโd forgotten your placeโ grown much too comfortable, much too bold. But the dragon did not need to reprimand you for that. You did that just fine on your own. For you understood, then, the purpose of his words; not to reason with you, but to leave you cornered with nothing to stand on. To remind you that you were in no position to deny him, that disobedience itself was made absurd when the very earth bent to his command.ย
His stare honed to a point, striking through you as clean and cold as steel. It was clear, now. Unlike the faeries, who accepted you as a guest in their realmโ the dragon did not see you as so. It was all so, very clear. So clear, in fact, that you found yourself finishing his words in your mind before he put them there.
โYou are mine to keep. Body, voice, and mind. And I shall eliminate anything to preserve what belongs to me. So, I will say it again; I do not want to hear of these boysโ not even once."
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ wonder about your captor, youโd have to wonder if he knew exactly what he was doing. Too quickly, too cruelly, he had reminded you of your realityโ while robbing you of the one thing that could have kept you sane; the freedom to speak. Now, what had once consoled your captivity was the belief that you could tell the dragon anything. A foolish hope, perhaps, but it softened the edgesโ that if all else was lost, at least you had someone to confide in. Someone to keep your memories alive, to let your thoughts spill into air instead of festering and wasting away inside you. But what you had failed to truly digest thenโฆ was that this โsomeoneโ was the very being who had caged you here in the first place.
You never felt the need to go outside after thatโ and so, you never did. You never felt the need to talk to your captor, eitherโ and so, you never did. (Unless he demanded itโ which was something you used to find almost endearingโฆ However, now it only makes you feel sick.) There was a fleeting thought that he would become irritated at your silenceโ but surprisingly (and if you cared to wonder, youโd wonder if you should be offended) he didnโt seem to notice. Or if he did notice, he didnโt mind it.
Yet even above the grief of settling into this quick, cruel realityโฆ something else ran deeper still; offense on behalf of your friendsโ Ace and Deuce. To be trapped with a creature who, magnificent in his malignity, mocked to death the two boys you loved most in the world made a black, sticky hatred curdle inside your heart. So you sank into the carpet most days, refusing even to glance at himโ because to look at him meant remembering, and remembering meant rage.
But for all your hatred, you were obedient. And so your captor, with a twisted tenderness, gave you one small allowance; to walk the corridors alone. It was meant as mercy, you supposedโ though the stone passages did not feel merciful. And you could not enjoy the secrets within the walls eitherโฆ for what purpose would it have served, if it was not in the company of the boys who were the ones truly interested in the first place? Still, you wandered those corridors, if only to keep your flesh from melting into the carpet.
It was during one of these meanderings that you saw them.
At first, you thought the castle was playing tricks on you, as everything else in this strange, new world did. Too many days in silence, too many nights curled in on yourself, and now your mind conjured what your heart ached for most. Two figures stood at the far end of the hall, blurred and trembling in the torchlight, as though stitched from memory itself. You rubbed at your eyes and blinked hard, then you looked againโ expecting the mirage to vanish. It couldn't have been them. You had thought you heard their laughter before too, had felt their hands brush yours in dreams. You had woken to the echo of voices that werenโt there. This was no different. It had to be no different.
โฆBut this timeโ not like the other timesโ they didnโt vanish.
Instead, they moved. And not like tricks of the eye, either. One careless and quick, the other desperate and wild. Aceโs sprint, Deuceโs chargeโ exactly as you remembered. And when they shouted your name, the sound split the silence so violently that your heart nearly stopped. No dream could shout like that. No vision could breathe your name so raggedlyโ breathe life into you.
โWhat are you doing hereโ?โย
But before you could finish your own sentence, you were already rushing to meet them. For a moment you were terrified your arms would pass through empty airโ until they didnโt. You were able to take both boys into your arms. And you kissed themโ right at the corner of their mouths as you always used to do. Right as youโd always dreamt of doing. And soon that kiss turned into multiple, and you werenโt sure where you were peppering them anymoreโ only that it was all over both of their faces as you squished their cheeks together.
โWe came back for you, of course. Fuckโฆ I didnโt think youโd be aliveโฆโ Ace breathed in between your flurry of affections, wrapping a single arm around your waist. The intimate gesture confirmed to you that this couldn't have been anything but realโ and that was enough for you.ย
So for the first time in months, your soul crawled out of its hiding place.ย
โYou could say it less like an assโฆ!โ Deuce choked, glaring at his companion as he, too, cradled his arm across your back. โWeโre so sorry, (Y/N), we thought bringing you here wouldnโt have been a big dealโ we just wanted to let you go out and experience something with us for onceโฆ If weโd known that thing was here weโd never even have thought of letting you comeโ let alone have left you by yourself. I couldโve sworn I was holding your hand as we ran butโฆโ His words came forward all at once and you could tell they must have been waiting to be let free for a long, long while. His shoulders slumped, and he looked nothing short of dejected. Then his hands moved to cup both sides of your face, pressing his forehead to yours. โIโm sorry. That was my fault.โ
But you didnโt care for any of their apologies. All you were glad for was that they were hereโ that they were really hereโฆ and more importantly, that they were here for you. Every mean-spirited word from your captor, every implication of doubt he tried to force onto youโ it all abated. Now, you were reminded just how much you loved these twoโ and how much they loved you in return.ย
He was wrongโ your captor; he was wrong. They love you. You love them. Nothing could change that.
You shook your head in dismissal, an overjoyed smile plastered on your face. Soon you were nuzzling your face into their necks, pushing yourself into them with such force they nearly lost their footing. Deuce was stroking the back of your headโ you knew his hand by heart, so even though you couldnโt see, you knew it was him. And you knew it was Aceโs hand trailing from your waist to the small of your backโ then down to your hips in a comforting gesture.
But the reality you had been forced to swallowโฆ came rushing back as quickly as it fell away.
โI love you. And thereโs so many things I wish I could tell you but you need to goโฆ now! Before he finds youโ!โ You ushered, face contorted with worry. You pressed your hands against their chests, urging them back.
Ace didnโt seem deterred by your warnings. In fact, it only seemed to strengthen his resolve. He caught your arm and held it firmly. โYeah, I donโt doubt you on that.โ He said quickly. โAll the more reason we have to move. Letโs go, before it DOES find us!โ
โWe wonโt leave until weโre sure youโre with us.โ Deuce assured, taking your other arm into his. โYou have to trust us, okay? Just listen to what we say and weโll explain everything after.โ
Your feet dragged a little, the way a child drags when they donโt want to goโ but your boys were strong and it did not slow them. They carried you along those long corridors you had never walked alone, past doors you had not dared to open, under arches where the lamps burned low. And then you looked at them proper and saw how their faces had gone solemn. You had never seen them like that before.
Outside waited for you like a basin of cold water. The air hit your chest and the night was wide. And with the night came the sound. Steel on steel like many bells. Men shouting and calling to one another. And above all of it a great roaring, the kind that shakes a rib. You knew that sound without seeing it. Your captor, the dragon.
Your head went light, full of the noise. โWhatโs going on?โ You asked. โWhatโs going on? Whatโs going onโ?โ You asked again, because the answers did not come.
Now your boys looked troubled. They did not answer, only tightened their hold and pulled you from the noise. The clash of men and the roar of your captor slipped further, further, muffled as if under water. Your heart beat wild against their silence. Still they would not explain. Still they drew you onโ and the forest opened to swallow you whole.
The trees grew thick and dark about you, branches low, shrubs scratching at your shift, and you had to keep close to them or else be lost. This wasnโt like the clearings your captor had carried you to, no meadows, no open sky. Only dark, and the hush of leaves, and the three of you moving quick through a new side of the world you were forced to acceptโ the one you were finally being taken away from.
Aceโs mouth was tense, set like stone. Deuce kept looking back, eyes shining too much, like he might cry if you asked him. And you did ask. Whispered, quick, before your courage left youโ โTell me whatโs going on.โ
Neither answered at first. They pulled you on, gaining quite a bit of distance until the noise was all gone. At last Deuce spoke, voice low, heavy;
โWe sent those men to die.โ
It caught you off guard entirely. You didnโt understand it much at allโ but you did see the sorrow in him. You did see the guilt under Aceโs scowl. And in that moment you knew; Whatever fight had been raised behind youโ for youโฆ it wasnโt one to winโ wasnโt one that could ever be won.
An execution.
Your eyes blurred. The steps went on, but you couldnโt stop the tears, sliding hot down your face. โIโm sorry.โ You sobbed. โFuckโฆ Iโm so sorryโโ
Aceโs grip softened then, his fingers threading through yours, squeezing warm and steady. โDonโt. None of this is on you. If you were a burden, we wouldnโt have even come. All of this is worth it. Donโt cry now.โ
Deuce leaned in close on your other side, pressing a kiss to your temple without the slightest bit of hesitation. โYou hear him? Nothingโs your fault. Just keep walking. Weโre never letting you leave us again.โ
And so you cried between them, their hands sure, their words a shield, their closeness like shelter in the dark. And to be in their presence again was of the utmost reassurance. So for a little while, you let yourself believe what they were telling you; None of this was your fault. Youโll be with your boys forevermore, and that is all that could ever be.
Your boys, forevermore.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ to an end. That was what the old woman of the bookshop told you once, her voice quiet as she stacked the shelves, her back bent, her eyes lost far past what she was looking at. You had respected her words, for she carried a wisdom you never doubted, but you did not know what to make of them. At the time you thoughtโ perhaps one day their meaning would come clear, and perhaps then you would understand. And so you put them away with the rest of the things that elder folk often said, the riddles and warnings, laid deep in the mind and left to rest. And that is where they stayed.
But you knew now. The time had come, it seemed, to understand what she meant. You understood because the sky parted with a roar, and the forest shuddered and bowed to himโ as all the other things in this world did. Wings beat overhead, blacking the stars, and the air rushed cold against your face, past the shrubbery which was meant to be your coverโ and down onto you. Your captor had come. Your captor had come for you. So now, you understood.ย
As abruptly as it started, the good timesโฆ had now come to an end.ย
The time of execution had come. Now, it was only a matter of who would be the executed. But you werenโt afforded the luxury of grief. Ace caught your wrist, Deuce pressed a hand to your back; both urging you down into the cover of particularly dense bushes.ย
โStay low.โ Ace hissed. โKeep to the trees. He canโt fit in here.โ
โRun.โ Deuce urged, eyes too bright in the dark. โDonโt look back. No matter what you hear.โ
And in that moment you understood what they meant to do for you. The memory of that first day returnedโ their flight, their fearโ but tonight they did not run. So you kissed them, and they kissed back. Quick, desperate, a blessing and a promise all at once. Your lips to Aceโs, your lips to Deuceโs. It was something you wished you could take your time with, but no such thing was given. Tonight, you were the one running.ย
You ran with the thicket tearing holes into your shift and wounds into your skin. Sharp branches and brambles opened streaks of blood across your arms and legs. Each inhale burned in your lungs; each heartbeat pounded like a drum in your temples. Behind you came the sound of battleโ the crash of trees, the shatter of branches, the cry of your captor, the cries of your boys. Your strength wavered, hot pain and fatigue coiling through your limbs, yet still you ran, and you never looked back.
โฆBut under all the weightโ your fragile soul, which had only now gained freedom, finally split apart.ย
So, though you had fought it, darkness had taken you for a while. Blood and screaming and execution put you under, and it laid heavy on you till it let you go. You did not know how long you were out, but you knew it couldnโt have been for much timeโ for the forest looked no different than when you left it momentarily. But when you regained all senses, it wasnโt to your boys calling you, nor to safety waitingโย
It was to arms pulling you up into a chest.ย
A body was there to hold you up. But when you turnedโ no face was given to you. Your eyes went searching, but nothing would settle there. The shape of a man was made, yet the head was not made for seeing. Something blurred, something refused. Mind reaching, mind slipping. Your breath quickened, your chest rose hard. โฆWho was this? Why couldnโt you see his face? It was as if everything in the world came together to stop you from seeing the man in front of your eyes.
โHad I known what a sight you make from this close, I would have taken this form sooner and never let my eyes off you.โ
The voice that reached you now was nothing like before. No iron in the brain, no thought forced beneath your skin. This one came pressed from lungs, shaped by a throat. A sound in the air, a sound the world could hear. That was what made it worse. For all its human weight, for all its mortal sound, you knew it was the same. The words came walking to you dressed in flesh. Your ears took them in, but your mind rejected them, staggering back from what it knew and what it could not bear to know. It was a voice with breath nowโ real breath, living breathโ when it should never have been so.
Your captor, the dragon, the executioner; had taken the form of a man.ย
And this man touched you in ways you never thought you would be touched. His hands gathered your shift as if he meant to wring it dry, bunching it slow, slow, hiking it higher up your thighs till the night air kissed what should have stayed covered. His palm slid over the dip of your waist, the soft hollow under your ribs, the valley of your chest, pressing as if to mold the shape into his own keeping. There was no shame in himโ only the same hunger you had felt in his eyes when he watched you before, when his stare alone had set ghost-hands on your hips. Now those hands were real, and they traveled bold as any thief, claiming, groping, learning you as though proving you were his to unmake.
You looked down and saw the truth of his hands at last; claws dragging blood across you, smearing red into the white of your clothes. Not your blood. Not his.
Your boys. Your boys, your boys, your boysโ
That thought alone was enough to bring the world rushing back. You shoved at him, desperate, and slipped free of his armsโ and of his lips against your nape. You fell hard onto your stomach, then hastily flipped yourself over, scrambling backwards on hands and heels, dragging your body away from the monster who looked like a man without a face.
Roots clutched at your clothes, stones pressed themselves into your palms, until your hand slid across something sharper still. You hissed, pulling back instinctivelyโ only to see blood beading on your fingertips. And there, half-buried in the dirt, was the knife. Your knife. Torn loose from your girdle at some point in time, now waiting as though it had been set there for you to find.
The opportunity was not lost to you. So with a shuddering breath, your fingers closed around the knife. And before you could think, you movedโ heaving yourself up from the ground in a wild lunge. You drove it into him with all the strength you had, the blade sinking through his flesh with a sickening resistance before it slid deeper. And you twistedโ savagelyโ dragging the steel down.ย
You felt it tear a jagged path through muscle, felt the tremor of his ribs beneath the force of your strike, hot gushes of blood spurting over your hand, your wrist, your sleeve. For one frantic heartbeat, hope flaredโ surely, this was not a wound any living human should bearโฆ But he only looked down at the ruin of his own chest with something almost like mirth, lips curving into a weary smile; a smile without a face.
Leisurely, he wrapped his hand around the knifeโs hilt and pulled it free, the steel singing as it grated against torn bone, opening the wound wider so that blood spilled in torrents. He held the blade up between you, crimson dripping steadily. (It was a horrifying sight; the flesh of his chest flayed open, and yet he smiled at you.)
โLittle one,โ he murmured, โdid you think iron could part me from you? An army? Come, now. I expected better from you.โ
His hand caught your chin, forcing your lips apart. Then the knifeโ your knife, your wonderful knife given to you by your beloved Aceโ was pressed into your mouth.ย
Its edge carved messily against your tongue as he shoved it deeper, slicing its way past soft flesh, filling your throat with fire and iron. The taste was unbearable, metallic, salt-thick, a mingling of his blood and yours. You gagged, choking on the bubbling liquid as the blade cut its way down your gullet, warm rivulets running back up and over your lips, staining you in a mixture that was both him and you.
โGood.โ He breathed, eyes without a face fixed on the convulsions of your body. โEven your rebellion leaves you stretched open, swallowing me whole. Youโll never be empty of me again.โย
Inch by inch, he dragged the blade back out, its edge rasping cruelly against torn muscle, leaving your mouth spilling blood instead of soundโ your scream mangled, trapped forever in the ruins of your throat. You clutched at your neck with shaking hands, nails raking desperate fissures into your own skin as if you could claw the agony free, but it only spread like fire through every nerve, leaving your limbs trembling, your body buckling beneath the weight of it.
Your vision swam red, not just from the blood in your eyes but from the sheer, consuming hatred that clawed at your chest. You did not know if he was still smiling, for whatever sense you had was lost in the haze of your fury. Fury to him. Fury for your boys. Fury for everything he had taken from you and everything he was still tearing apart. You wanted to fight, to sink your nails into his skin, to scream until your throat shredded furtherโ but the pain pinned you down, a white-hot spike through every vein.ย
(It hurtsโit hurtsโit HURTSโ)ย
Instinct drove you to move, to escape. You clawed at the ground, dragged yourself forward, every twitch of muscle sparking agony through your ruined body. (You had to get away. You had toโ) But before you could even crawl more than an inch, his hand clamped around your ankle. The strength in it was effortless, dragging you back into the shadow you hated more than death itself.
Crouching low, his shadow blocked out what little light you had left. Your legs kicked weakly, uselessly, until his hand caught at your thigh and tore downward. The delicate stockings you had cherishedโ once white, once untouched, once yoursโ ripped apart in his fist. The once pristine white, now soaked through with blood, clung wetly before peeling awayโ the ruin of it a mockery of everything that had been clean, everything that had been yours alone. A desecration of all things innocent.
โWhere are you going?โ He asked softly, as if you were a child caught in some silly mischief. The faceless smile reappeared to you as he leaned closer, voice curling into your ear. โI intend to fill you with much more than just blood, you seeโฆ So donโt go anywhere.โ
โNoโ!โย
The word should not have existed. The very utterance of it should have been impossibleโ for just a moment ago, you know he pushed the knife into your mouth. Had your tongue shredded against steelโ and you know the taste of nothing but iron and fire. You should not have been able to speak, and yet here you wereโ screaming, protestingโฆ as though you had never been torn apart at all.
Your mind reeled, grasping for what was realโ What was realโ? You swore the memory was clear; of him split open from collarbone to navel, of the blood pouring in the torrents, of the sight of his chest flayed rawโ โฆWas that real? What was realโ? Here he crouched, looming over youโ whole, unbroken, skin unmarked save for the grin that stretched widely across his lips. Nothing made sense. Nothing held. Pain drifted, sharp and sure, yet the evidence of it dissolved in front of your eyes.
Now he was crawling over you. The ground took your spine, and his limbs closed in, claws biting earth on either side of your head till you lay inside the prison of him. Now you could see that he was bare of any clothesโ his body sculpted and naked like the statues meant to represent gods. But there was no beauty in this bareness, in the art of the pure human body; because this man could hardly be considered a man at all.
His mouth came onto yours, but this was no kiss. This was not a kiss at all. Kisses were supposed to be sweet, or passionate, or tender. A kiss was supposed to carry laughter and sorrow and every vulnerability hanging upon the lips, love spilling easy and steady out into your beloved. That was a kissโ you already knew about kisses. Your boys had taught you that muchโ shown you it, let you experience it. But this? What was being done to you? This was no kiss.
This was a brand, hot and heavy, but not in the way that made the world seem brighter and made life feel good. You wonder, was the world always so dull? Was it only your boys that filled your life with light, or did this monster just sap everything out naturally? Now everything seemed lifeless to you. Were the trees always dead?ย
โฆAnd were these thorns always here?ย
Now there were thorns wrapping around you. Barbed vines crawling, twisting, finding every soft place to bite. Thorns in your arms, in your legs, in the thin skin over your ribs. His claws too, cutting and wandering, so that you couldnโt tell where the plant ended and the man began. The air stung, the earth swayed. Breathing hurt. Thinking hurt. The thorns kissed and tore. He kissed and tore. His claws pressed and opened. Everything was red and black and moving. You felt his eyes on you as much as you could see them, and you felt them deeper than the wounds on your body. You wanted to close your own, but you couldnโt. You wanted to run, but there was nowhere left to run.
And through all of it, the questions fell away, one by one, until only one remained.ย
What have you done to deserve this?
A gasp tore free at last from you, sharp on the lungs and wet upon your lips, for it came blood. It bubbled up your throat and spilled from your mouth in a thin red stream, slipping past and staining your chin. You choked on the taste of iron, gagging, coughing, spattering yourself.
And heโ he bent to it as though you were a chalice poured for him alone. His mouth found the spill, tongue dragging up the line of your jaw, greedy as a beast lapping from the ground. He licked you clean as though none of it belonged to you at all. Then his lips pressed hard to yours once more. But this time the action managed to be even worse, and you hoped you would die before he did what he wanted to do; His tongue forcing its way past your teeth, sweeping the blood from the inside of your mouth, your cheeks, savouring it with a deep groan.ย
But no matter how erotic and obscene he sounded, it would never make it a loverโs touch. He drank your pain but it was for himselfโ not in the selfless way a lover would.
โAhโฆโ His head lolled backward, and he licked his lips clean of any remaining fluid. โWhen I realised you were gone, I was going to find you and kill you. I would have kept your corpse aroundโฆ but I think Iโve found a much better purpose for you. You shall be my mate. Would you like that?โย
Anything but that. Anything but this.ย
Your head jerked side to side before the thought could stick, before the sentence could even take shape in your conscious thoughts.ย
Not that. Not this. Not him. Not ever.ย
The thorns knew what you wanted before you did, and they didnโt like it. They tightened at your throat, coiling and biting deeper, drawing a wet heat up into your collar, pressing, constricting, silencing. More gagging, more choking, more sobbing. Spit and blood and the hurt of it. Tears spilling hot. All you knew was that you were shaking your head no, and that you couldnโt muster a single word.
โPlease, just let me dieโ.
The thorns were angry at you for that. They hated you. They hurt you because they hated you. But he didnโt hate you. The sick glint in his eye said so. He smiled at youโ right at you, only at youโ and that made your wish all the more apparent. You wanted to die. His finger pressed to your lips, shushing you so sweetly, so softly, consoling you as one would with a child. You wanted to die then, too. Then the finger left your mouth, a claw snagging at your lower lip and leaving blood behind. He hurt you because he wanted you. That made you yearn for death. And then there was the way he held your head and kissed your temple in kindnessโ but it was no favour.ย
โYou donโt want to be my mate?โ He frowned, and tilted his head in that familiar way. Now he was back to your cheek, holding your face gently. โWhy?โ
โฆWhy? Why? Your mind grew all fuzzy with anger and confusion. Why? Finally, your voice returned. A strangled cry left you, ragged and raw, spilling out in a sound that was no longer despairโ rather the unbridled rage that had simmered just beneath the hopelessness. Why? The vines constricted your arm, but you didnโt care anymoreโ you didnโt care for pain, or even in this moment; death. You jerked your limb upward with all the force you could muster. The thorns ripped through your flesh, tearing open your skin in long, jagged strips. Muscle knotted and pulsed beneath the exposed wounds, sinew stretched and glimmered wet with blood.ย
Every nerve sang agony, every heartbeat roared, but still you tore freeโ and your hand struck for all your anger. Why? Your nail plunged into his eye, and it gave way beneath the pressure with a wet squelchโ a horrible sound that made your stomach twist in disgust. You gripped, twisted, yanked at him with a feral desperation, and threw him offโ and every muscle trembled but you ran.
โฆBut why? Why were you still on the ground? Why was he here? Didnโt you just throw him off? Didnโt you justโ? Why? Why? Why? Your arms strained, your legs kicked, but nothing moved. The weightโ his weight pressed you flat. His handsโ his impossibly heavy, unyielding hands, a constant to your bodyโ pinned you to the earth. Why? Why? Why? Didnโt you hurt him? Didnโt youโ? And yet, he was whole, above you, pressing you into the soil, bending everything you knew into something you could not understand. Why? Why? Why?
Now his fist was in your hair, yanking your head back harshly until his lips grazed your ear. Then his voice was back to how you always knew it to beโ felt, not heard. And it felt horrible.
โI was going to make our first time sweet, but I think you need some discipline.โ
(All you remember was the feeling of cool air against your bare skin. The feeling of being split apart, of blood running down your thighs, of other fluids filling up your insides. Of bites to your nape, your back, your shoulders. Of begging, pleading the word noโ over and over. Yet through it all, only one thing stands out to you, nowโ)
โLook at me in my face, (Y/N), tell meโฆ do you still think I am magnificent?โ
(โฆThat was the first time you heard him say your name. You couldnโt recall ever giving it to himโ but you couldnโt think of that, then. You couldnโt even think of looking at him. No matter how hard he clawed at your neck, twisting it to force your eyes upon himโ you couldnโt. No matter how roughly he made โloveโ to youโ you couldnโt. Instead, you closed yourself shut and let yourself drift off to what you could only hope was a land of no return. But even as you had shunned all the sights of the cruel world you would never escapeโฆ all you would see were the lifeless eyes of your boys forevermore; And that was all you could think ofโ)
(Your boys, nevermore.)
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ you was a constant nightmare. Normally, rest was solace; a moment of respite from the every dayโ but what happened to you was far from what was normal. What happened to you was so traumatic that your mind was unable to do anything but relive itโ even in sleep, which so often provided you peace. Ironically, when you opened your eyes and sank yourself back into the living nightmare, it was all much calmer than what you saw behind closed eyelidsโ and what youโd experienced before that.
You shot up from your position, atop your ragged carpet strewn. (The uneven surface is just as uncomfortable as it has been all these days, but at the very least it is something that is yours. The same could not be said for your body.) The first thing you noticed about yourself was how ordinary you felt. Your body wasโฆ fine. Unexplainably so. It was strange. How present the sensation of thorns did feel upon your skinโ just as they did before, but there were no marks to show for it. You traced your clavicle lightly with the tips of your fingers to confirm, and indeed all that was met was smooth, untouched skin. You are fine. Your skin was unblemished, free from the physical scars you were so sure he would leave.ย
A soft exhale escaped you, and your eyes drifted around the room. It looked the same, just as it always did. All towering arches and gilded patterns carved into dark stone, the faint flicker of candles casting shadows onto everything but what you actually wanted to see. You didnโt dwell on the sightโ what would be the point in that? You already knew this place by heart.
And then your gaze found him.
Malleus.ย
For whatever the reason, the name appeared to you, and it felt wrong to think of itโ so you knew it must have belonged to him. So this was the dragon. And this was what he truly looked like.ย ย
He sat atop a pile of gold, still as a statue, and like a living portrait; something too perfectly framed to be real. Regal, and utterly otherworldly. Dragon horns curled back from his head, wicked in their shape but elegant in design. His green eyes gleamed, brilliant and luminous in the dim, and there was an old cruelty hidden behind them. His face was as pale as it was beautifulโ feminine in its elegance, masculine in its structure. Heโd be perfectly handsome by any societyโs standards.
What was most curious was the garments he adorned. Faintly, at the back of your mind, you recalled him assuring you that he was well aware of royaltyโs embellishments. Now, you understood whyโ for the clothes he wore currently would be fit only upon the body of a king. They were not clothes typical of any fashion youโd associate with modern times, but that didnโt negate the fact it was gorgeous. Midnight velvet clung to him in sweeping folds, parted at the chest to reveal the pale expanse beneath. Silver wrapped around the base of his horns, casting a faint gleam over their black surfacesโ framing a single emerald set into the metal like a crown jewel. But nothing commanded your attention so wholly as the shoulder guardsโ carved from gleaming metal, curved like the wings of the beast he once was.
You wouldnโt be surprised if he were a king, himself.ย
You, by contrast, wore only a shift. Even your lucky stockings were gone. But like the body it clung to, this shift did not belong to youโ for it was much too clean to be so. You were sure your old one, the one that was yours, had been ruinedโ stained with blood and whatever fluid that had passed between you and the man before you. (You think the same could be said for your own being, as well).
Your hand slipped from your neck and came to rest in your lap. You found yourself unable to look away from him, and in the silence of his gaze, fixed so intently upon youโฆ all you could see were the things he had done. Yet for all the terror, disgust, resentment and humiliationโ your expression remained empty. As long as you held his wordless stare, those ugly emotions became mutedโ just as the cusp of bubbling over, but ultimately unable to as you wish they could.
โYou askedโฆ if I still thought you were magnificent.โ You began, and if you werenโt feeling the way you felt, you would have been surprised at the flatness in your voice. You looked him over once more, taking in the sight of him in full. You didnโt see him properly while heโฆ
โI didnโt answer you then. But I have my answer now.โย
Malleusโ eyes narrowed, a sight youโve long since been acquainted withโ if only in the form of a great dragon. But no longer did you feel anything by it, not even with his new appearance. What should have made you sink back into the carpet instead made you rise. And you approached himโ not with the caution you should have exercised, but with a sense of tranquility that could only come from one whoโd already accepted their fate.ย
For a moment, you remembered the song that forced your involvement with this man. And suddenly, the irony of it all became much more apparent. You approached himโฆ as a queen approaches the executionerโs block. ย
It was a cruel joke just waiting to deliver its even crueler punchline.
โI think you are horrible. The very sight of you makes me sick to my stomach.โ
Malleus rose slowly. You had braced yourself for a snarl, perhaps even a threatโ but none came. Instead, his ashen lips curved into something resembling a smile, and he drew himself closer to you. In moments, he stood mere inches away.
โYou are rather cruel in your words.โ He muttered. In this form, and in the still silence, his voice was no longer one that resounded within your head. It was grounded and real and it came from his throatโ and it was right in front of you, just as he was. โI cannot imagine what Iโve done to deserve such disdain from you.โ
โWhat you have done to me goes beyond cruelty! You are a vile, perverse creature.โย
His hand lifted to your face, a caress too soft for the malice you knew he carriedโ yet still, you did not falter.
โHm? I have no recollection of doing such things to you. I merely presented you the most intimate parts of myself, and loved you to my fullest.โ He responded quite calmly for an accusation that should have enraged the average person. Instead of that, he sounded almost amused.
โStop that. Donโt say that. You always do this, youโre always getting in my headโฆ! Telling me half-truths and giving me an illusion of choiceโ I know what you do to me! I shouldโฆ I should strike you for what youโve done. I should be terrified. My insides should be shredded. My body should be cut. Iโm sure I should be deadโฆ! And I should lash out at you for thatโ But when I look at you, when I look into those eyesโฆโ
Cool palms, careful and deliberate, cradled you nowโ one on either cheek, as though you were something delicate and precious. It was obscene, and surely was audacious on all accounts, but you couldnโt pull away; neither physically nor mentally.
His face was inches from yours now, eyes fixed and unblinking. Everything else seemed to fall away, swallowed whole by the green glow of his gaze. It was all you could seeโ two glaring, unnatural lights, boring into your own.
โWhat is it that you feel?โ His voice was impossibly soft. โLook into my eyesโ do not look away. Tell me, how do you feel?โ
โWhat do I feelโฆ?โ You echoed, as soft as him. โI hate you. Thatโฆ That is what I feel.โ
Now his nose brushed against yours, and you could feel his breath brush against your lips. His eyes eclipsed the world. He eclipsed your world. Everything you were, are, and would be. And without realising it, your body leaned inโ drawn forward, head angled just slightly, as if pulled by the magnetic gravity of his mouth. His gaze flickered to your lips. Yours to his.
โIs that so?โ He smiled, the words nearly a kiss themselves. โDo you truly hate me?โ
Your lips trembled against the air that separated them. โYes.โ You whisperedโ if it could even be called that; for your voice had all but died in your throat. โI hate youโฆโ
โMmhโฆ Do you know what I think?โ Malleus asked, studying your face in between his grip. โI think youโre hiding something from me. Youโre not telling me how you truly feel. How I make you feel. What were you going to say earlier, hm? Tell me, (Y/N), what do you feel when you look into my eyes? You know I do so adore when you start with your spiels. I have missed them, you know.โ There was a pleading look in his eyes, one that was more mocking than genuine.
โโฆI feelโฆ like a shell. But I also feelโฆ like a pot that is about to boil over. Whenโฆ the bubbles are just at the edge of spillingโ then you take it off the heat, and they simmer down. Only to put it back on, and repeat the proccessโฆ Everytime I think about what you did, how you killed them, how you raped me, violated me in front of themโฆ I want to lash out at you but I justโฆโย
Now, your head was starting to feel hazy. You couldnโt say you were entirely aware of what you spokeโ only that, somehow, you meant every word and that Malleus hummed thoughtfully at them. A simple conversation, he made it seem like.
โI wantโฆ I want to hate you. I know I should hate you. Iโฆ I do hate you. I shouldnโt be talking to you like this. But Iโฆ justโโ
โBut you just canโt bring yourself to act on your hatred, is that right? Clever girl. Then let me be honest with you, as youโve been with me. All of this, everything you feel, and everything you cannot feelโฆ is because of me. And it will always be so, and never has been anything else.โ His lips, still curved in a small grin, brushed against your eyelid. It was a soft kiss. Youโd shut your eyes to block him out, but even that small refusal was trespassedโ just as heโd trespassed into your conscience.ย
โBecause of youโฆโย
The voice that came out of you was not a voice that you recognised. Soon, you were leaning into his touch, into his kissesโ peppered all throughout your face. (You swore you didnโt want it. Youโll always swear that. By God, you didnโt want it.) Even more did that confirm your suspicionsโ he was doing something to you. You didnโt know whatโ only that it was something that subdued you. Something that rendered you immobile, standing in the worship of a man made of everything unholy in the world. The man you hated most.
You had so many questions. So, so many. (Why bother with all this? Why was he kissing you so tenderly? Why was he revering you? Why was his touch so loving? Why did it feel worse than any act of hate he couldโve given to you? Did he always intend to do this to you? Just what about you could have been so possibly alluringโ Why you? Why your Ace and Deuce? Your boys?) But every one seemed to die on your tongue before you could get it out. You stood there in silence, letting him practically drape himself onto you.
โYour friends are dead.โย
Heโd said it after a moment of silence. So plainly, so without warningโฆ that for a moment you thought youโd misheard him.ย
โI devoured that foolish army in its entirety.โ He went on, almost idly in thought as he continued with his affections. โBut those boysโฆ I reserved them. I placed them at the fore, impaled them upon stakes myself. A fitting display.โ
โฆSomething within you surgedโ the pot just about to boil over. For a single second, the heat stayed on. And in that second, you shoved him away, staggering back so hard you nearly lost your footing.
โWhat are you talking about? What are you talking aboutโ? Tell me this is your poor attempt at a jokeโ!โ
But there was no reply. No correction. No cruel smile to betray a lie. If anything, the man only seemed confused at your sudden parting from him. You staggered back another step as if it would distance you from the images forming in your mindโ
Ace, mouth open in a scream that never finished, lips split down the center by a sharpened stake. Deuce, crumpled around the spike like a rag doll, impaled clean through the gut. Their skin waxen and bloodless, eyes wide and dry in the sun. Or worseโ already picked out by birds, the sockets hollow and oozing, tongues black with rot, flies and maggots and every parasite of the world nesting, wriggling in their throats.
You stared down at your hands.
Would you even recognise them, if you touched their faces now? Would you be able to kiss them tenderly as you always didโ or would their jaws fall slack at your contact, flesh sloughing off like overripe fruit, teeth slick with decay clattering to the mud?
A sharp breath hitched in your throat. The pot boiled overโ only to be yanked from the fire again. And in that space, something else returned. Your pain.
You remembered the feeling of thorns burrowing into your bodyโ how easily theyโd split your skin, tracing lines down your arms, your thighs, your ribs. Slicing through muscle, tearing through cloth, and everything else that belonged to you. But when you looked now, there was no mark. No sign that youโd ever bled. He had done thatโ the destruction and the mending. With a flick of his wrist, no less, or perhaps not even that.
โSurely, if you healed me completely when I was in such a stateโฆ You could bring them back? And let them go far from here, never to bother youโโ You paused as you rethought your phrasing. Every word was a dance upon jagged glass. โโฆNever to botherโ usโฆ again.โ
Malleusโ face contorted into an expression of what you could only describe to be pure, unfiltered disgust. As if the very proposal of showing your loved ones mercy were an insult to his very being. It was apparent, he wasnโt going to entertain the ideaโ not in the slightest.
Terror, disgust, resentment and humiliation. Of all those emotions within youโ desperation was what surged through. You stumbled forward, right into the arms of the man you hated most, bunching the fabric of his clothing in your trembling fists. And you looked up at him with shaky eyes so pleading, with tears gracing just at the cusp of your lashlineโ if you could feel anything other than mania, you would feel ashamed of yourself.
โWe have spent so much time together. You have listened to everything I have said about themโ you know how much I care for them, how much I cherish themโฆ and you take them away from me? Was taking me away from them not enough? Why must they suffer forโโ
One moment, the words were still scattering from your lips. The next, they were strangled mid-sentence, caught in your throat as sobs often are.ย
His fingers wrapped tight around your jawโ his palm flat across your windpipe, not quite crushing, not quite letting you breathe. You were silenced. He was silencing you. And soon after your silence did his grip on your throat loosenโ though not in mercy, but in transition. Fingers that had crushed the words from your windpipe slid higher, curling beneath your jaw, then sweeping up the sides of your face. His palm held your cheek while his thumb and forefinger pressed inโ firm and deliberateโ squishing your cheeks until your lips jutted out in a helpless, involuntary pout.
"I recall telling you that I would kill for anything that belonged to me. I also recall saying that I never wanted to hear of them again. I do not understand why you are so confusedโฆ Was their deaths not the only plausible outcome from your foolishness?โ His brows furrowed. โYou know I am positively enraptured by your way of thinking, but I must caution youโฆ this subject wearies me, (Y/N). For now, I merely wish to dote on my mate. Is that so horrible?โ
You couldnโt believe what he was telling you. You wish you were too rattled to understand what he was sayingโ for that would have been a much more merciful fate. But you were painfully aware of the point he madeโ and of the blatant, twisted barbarity of it.
Malleus tilted his head in the way he frequently did as a beast. His eyes were half-lidded, almost curious as he stared down at the shape he'd made of your mouth. Then, with a ghost of a smile, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to the center of your puckered lipsโ so soft, so chaste it may have very well been mistaken for tenderness, had it not been him.
The kiss broke, but he didnโt move far. Instead, his fingers uncurled from your face only to slip around the back of your neckโ and in the same breath, he pulled you back in. His mouth found yours again, no longer light nor gentle. His right arm remained firm around your back, caging you against his chest as his left hand held your nape fast, keeping you exactly where he wanted.
โMmfhโ!โย
Your mind only caught up to your body once the bastardโs mouth was already on yours againโ hot and consuming and relentless. You gasped into that kiss, and that alone seemed to urge him on, as though the sound was something heโd been starving to hear. But then your hands, shaking but certain, found his chest. You pushed.
At first, he didnโt budge. Then, slowly, the pressure of your palms seemed to guide his mouth lower, until open-mouthed kisses scattered down your cheek, your jawโ no less fervent, but less precise.ย
You thought that might buy you a moment, but it didn't. His right arm crushed tighter around you, locking your spine to his chest with such force it emptied the air from your lungs. His left hand at your neck kept you fast in place. Your head tipped backwardsโ and in that second, your fingers shot up.
You found them; the smooth curve of his horns.
You grabbed hold and tugged it as tightly as you could. He hissedโ and it was a rather inhuman sound. Sharp and serpentine-like, and forced through bared teeth. Such a noise paired with the utter rage painted across his features took you back to the moment youโd first met himโ a jolt of primal fear passed through you. This was the first time youโd ever seen him like this.
And in that singular moment as you found yourself paralysed in fearโ in that singular momentโฆ that was when he struck.
In one swift, brutal motion, his grip vanished from your neckโ only to reappear elsewhere. Your body was yanked from the cradle of his chest and thrown down hard. The air punched from your lungs when you landed on your stomach. Your arms had scrambled to brace the fall, but they barely slowed it, and now your palms stung harshly.
โโฆYou beg for your idiot friends, yet youโve not once mentioned the countless lives they threw away in the process of โsaving youโ.โย
He spat the last phrase as if it were poison to his very tongue.ย
โAre you so selfish a person? Do you not cherish the other men of the army who came to save you? I seeโฆ So, you only cherish those boys? Then, listen to me well.โ
You were on the ground. You didnโt want to get up from there and you didnโt want to look at him. But you felt his footsteps stop right near your legs, and even without lookingโฆ you knew he must be looming over you right now. Your tears had begun to fall.
(And when he spoke, he killed you with wordsโ)
โYou would do me wrong, my love, to cast me off so discourteouslyโ for now, I am all that you have. Those boys are dead, and I will never bring them back no matter how much of your pleas I must endure. Do you understand me? They will rot upon those stakes as long as I live to see it through. Thereforeโฆโ
(โyour execution, your death.)
โYou will either cherish me, or cherish nothing at all.โ
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ and itโs a lazy sort of day. The sort of day which slows time to a crawl. Still, the street is far from empty. Carriages rattle by, and the scent of bread and ash drifts from a nearby bakerโs stall. The tavern behind them groans under its usual weightโ creaking doors, clinking tankards, the low roar of patrons arguing over dice games and spilled drinks. Its crooked sign swings above the entrance, the painted name faded, almost illegible, from too many summers.ย
A brother and sister have gathered just outside, sitting on the step where a young bard once perched with a serene smile and a lyre in her lap, weaving melodies so lovely they made even the loudest drunk hush to listen.
โSheโs not coming back.โ The brother says, arms folded tightly across his chest. โTold you. Sheโs gone.โ
โYou donโt know that!โ The sister pouts, sticking her tongue out with a childish stubbornness. โButโฆ Papa did say she might have run awayโฆโ She deflates at that, puffing her cheeks in thought. Then, just as quickly, her eyes light up again. โOoh! Maybe she ran away with a prince!โ
The boy groans, tossing his head back with exasperation. โShe didnโt run off with a prince. Thatโs dumb.โ
โYouโre dumb!โ
โMaybe she got married?โ A smaller voice pipes up from behind a stack of crates. One of the siblingsโ friends peeks his head out shyly, cheeks round and flushed with the heat of the day. โWhen you get married, you have babies. Thatโs what happens. Sheโs probably really busyโฆโ
โHmm? How many babies?โ The sister asks, already invested.
The two children fall into thoughtful silence, squinting up at the sky as if the answer might be written among the fluffy clouds. The brother rolls his eyes and mutters under his breath, but he doesnโt walk away.
โMaybe three!โ The friend chirps at last, grinning. โLikeโฆ One for each wish, you know?โ
โTwo boys and one girl.โ The sister adds, beaming. โJust like us! And like the bard and her two friendsโฆ Ooh, do you think I could be a bard one day? Iโll play the lyre just like her!โย
The girlโs eyes sparkle and her friend nods along fondly to her words. Heโs clearly engrossed in her ramblingsโ but the same could not be said for the brother.
โShe left us behind for some other kids? That sucks.โ He mutters, scowling now as he kicks at a loose stone by his feet. โI bet you she only plays for them, now.โ
His words carry a bitter edge, but they donโt fool anyone. Any adult watching would see it for what it wasโ a boy sulking not out of anger, but because he misses the songs of the pretty bard under the awning. The pretty bard whose name could never be remembered, no matter how beloved she was by all. The pretty bard who was only truly understood by the old woman of the bookshop.
Alas; no more bookshops, no more laughter in the smithy or melodies floating out into the street. Just rumours now, of over the hills and far, far away.
Somewhere no man shall ever reach.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ to the lyre. The memory eludes you; the last time youโve played it. But for whatever neglect that has been shown to it on behalf of yourself over the past few years, your daughter certainly makes up for it. She seems positively obsessed with the old thing, grabbing at it with chubby hands that look too much like yours, pestering you to no end to teach her to play. And unfortunately for you, her father is just as fond of pestering you over it as she is. So you sit for hours at a time, with four pairs of the same, carbon copied green eyes (your sons love to do whatever their father and sister are doing) watching you strum strings with a rusted muscle memory.
A faraway part of youโ a fond part that you suppressed a long time goneโ reignites with an assured affection when you see your children stumbling around together. Two daring boys with swords (stolen from their fatherโs hoard, of course) and a shy little girl with her worn lyre. Itโs all too familiar a sight, and really, itโs a miracle that your husband let you name them what you didโ
Ace, Deuce, and (Y/N).ย
Oh, your precious babiesโฆ Theyโre all you have, so you try to make it count. You wonder, is it wrong to project your childhood onto your little ones? To give your daughter your own name, and your sons the name of the boys you yearn for? Ahโฆ maybe it is wrong. (Your husband, for one, never seems to try to hide his discontent for your frequent reminiscing of the life youโll never get back.) But you canโt help it; pestering your boys to treat their sister just a little bit nicerโ because theyโll never know when they may interact for the last time. Youโve yet to tell them the last part, thoughโ theyโre much too young to have their head filled with old musings like that. Such musings belong in bookshops, spoken to young bards by older, lonely women.
Buried deep within the confines of your subconscious, you have a hope that someday you will regain some sense of normalcy. That some day, your husband will bring back what was lost to you. But the present part of you that has long since wilted with an idle content reminds you that the only life he would allow is the life that you both have created. And that is all that will ever be.
Ace, Deuce, and (Y/N).ย
As far as the rest of the world is concerned,ย the three of them are dead. But you know. You know it is not entirely so. The rotting bodies of your boys rejuvenate in the little ones you and your husband call your own. You, as well, live on through the little girl who sits atop her motherโs carpet and her fatherโs gold. You may not rot with your boys upon stakes, but your spirit has long since rotted with them.ย
There are always two deathsโ the real one, and the one people know about. That is how the saying goes, and you couldnโt agree more. Death has rocked you asleep; brought you to quiet rest. So for your first death, youโll give yourself to your husbandโ to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till the second do you part. Youโll let your boys prance around the castle grounds, a little too close to the bodies from which they received their namesakes. And youโll let your daughter live where you couldnโt, and carry on the refrain of your deathโs balladโ
Greensleeves.
โ Farewell โฆ my pleasures past,
Welcome, my present pain!
I feel my torments so increase
That life cannot remain. โ
โ O Death, Rock Me Asleep
thank you for reading, please consider reblogging? <3
OH MY GOD YOURE DOING OBEY ME!!! BONES, GIVE ME DOWN BAD SIMEON AND MY LIFE IS YOURS
Mkay, but you promised.
โ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐๐โ
๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ: Simeon
๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ: Suggestive themes, slight religious guilt, m!masturbation, pining, angel x human, one mention of reader as a mother, not proofread bc I'd rather die, and more.
โฆ Simeon who is so down bad to the point that thinking about you has become his favorite form of torture.
You're just too wonderful, and he's somehow got himself feeling pathetic around you. He can't help it, you're wonderful, and he's barely holding back every little sinful whim. Oh, how he wants to kiss you, maybe bite you, but mostly hold you close. He'd be gentle, for sure, but he's also too ashamed to do anything like the demon brothers would.
โฆ Simeon who is so down bad craves to hold you every waking moment, and is very affectionate before he realizes how much he wants you for himself.
Simeon thinks you'd look really, really good on his lap. But for now, he simply holds your hands and calls it close enough. It wasn't until the first time you came to his room for a study date that he realized how much softer his voice always seems to get around you.
โฆ Guilt, among other things, cloud his mind.
Simeon's meant to be a saintly thing, yes? Then why does he crave depravity when in your midst? Your damnable smile, your stupidly naive personality, everything about your soul is simply too good for him to handle. Just being around you has him popping boners.
โฆ An angel, and yet he lays awake at night, imagining himself all over you.
From just kissing you, to even the consideration of putting a damn baby in you. He wants it. Would you like his baby? Would you beg for one? He'd be such a good father, you know. Haven't you seen how he handles Luke? God, and you'd make such a pretty mother.
โฆ Simeon, who in his thousands of years, had never wanted something this badly.
A man who craves you so much, but for fear of tainting your pretty soul, keeps his full intentions to himself. At least, until he thinks you can both handle them and reciprocate his desires.
โฆ He doesn't like to, but the thought of you replacing his hands is enough to have him getting off on exceedingly desperate nights.
Even if those nights occasionally land on a Sunday. Hell, he wouldn't mind breaking vows of chastity if it meant keeping you happy. He's already a whining mess on his bed, fist pumping around his soaked dick as he cums repeatedly from the thought of you.
โฆ Simeon who is so down bad that if he manages to get close enough, he'll invite you over as often as possible.
He wants you in his arms, maybe his bed, but his room is enough. Having you there, having your scent fall into some of his things, it drives him insane in the best of ways. Once you stay over once, he has you over as much and as often as humanly possible.
โฆ If he can get you to have a sleepover, then his patience is really tested.
On one hand, he tried to keep the thoughts of you at bay. On the other, your precious face was too much to ignore. He felt bad about getting into your space on your side of the bed, but he played it off as just being asleep. You're too kind to push him away, but he'll still keep the act so you don't totally freak out. The last thing he wants is to mess things up with you.
โฆ He did steal just one kiss that night. But you'll forgive him, right?
are you still taking requests?? if you are yan twst basketball club pleasssssuh ๐ฅบ literally any yan smut of them, maybe cheerleader reader, maybe manager reader, i am desperate ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ
Soon, pookie. Soon. I'm switching primary fandoms to avoid burnout. In the meantime, you'll get your down bad Simeon soon enough.
Less a request and more just one of my thoughts I need to share (that Iโd love if u write for, but I donโt have a specific char in mind) but I love the idea for Obey me of an mc who brushes off any of the brothersโ perverted behavior as just a devildom custom. MC being too polite and scared of offending the demons to say itโs weird to them. Hope this makes sense-
๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ: Lucifer โ Mammon โ Satan โ Leviathan โ Asmodeus โ Beelzebub โ Belphegor
๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ: Suggestive themes and content, predatory/stalking behaviors, not implied to be all of them doing it at once but I'm delulu so I'm pretending anyways, reader sees the relationships as platonic, dubcon, mentions of noncon, possible yandere but like what do you want from me, not proofread, and more.
โฆ Was it that naive nature of yours? Or maybe your polite demeanor? He didn't know for sure, and he didn't really care.
โฆ Highly enjoys seeing you flush when he kisses the back of your hand.
โฆ At some point it stopped being just the back of your hand. On occasion, he likes dipping his face into your neck.
โฆ He doesn't bite, doesn't physically leave marks. He doesn't need to.
โฆ Loves giving you gifts, expensive ones of his taste. You wearing those gifts are his marks.
โฆ Very calm about you. Always sweet-talking and offering you gentle looks. Even when jealous, he hardly does anything. He's that confident in himself.
โฆ If, for some reason, you reject a gift from him or fail to wear it around him in a timely manner, he does get a bit pressed. He'll question you, asking if you don't have pride in having his favors.
โฆ Most of his perverted acts comes in the form of texting you. It's professional, to an extent. Until his pride is wounded.
โฆ A wounded pride leaves him less composed. He might call you to his room, hold you a bit more firmly, but he still won't impose his marks.
โฆ Confront him. I dare you. He'll play it off, especially if you voice it as a possible Devildom custom. He'll feed that, knowing that your human naivete is better than knowing his intentions fully.
โฆ He's already constantly trying to find you and spoil you. But here? He's about three times worse.
โฆ He splurges on your whims, but only if you let him kiss you.
โฆ If you want to go somewhere, he'll drop class the moment you ask. Especially if you ask to go on a casino date.
โฆ Also does not bite you, not often at least. When he does, it's more gentle nibbles that leave no mark longer than a few hours.
โฆ If he can, he likes buying VIP rooms for the sake of having you alone and away from his brothers. It's here in these moments where he clings the most.
โฆ It's mostly in private, but kisses, kisses, kisses! He has a bit of a fixation with kissing you.
โฆ He isn't as angry when you don't wear his gifts, mostly because he gets you so many. But when you wear something gifted from someone else, he feels threatened.
โฆ A threatened Mammon is a clingy Mammon. Her wraps himself around you more tightly and might just whine until you replace the other persons gift with one of his own. He'll even buy the same thing just to replace it with his touch.
โฆ When confronted with his act, Mammon is defensive. He calls you silly and blames you for being narrow minded.
โฆ But that's okay! He'll teach you all about being more open!
โฆ He's quite a bit more physical with his behavior. He likes to have his hands on you at all times, even when it's just the two of you reading in the library.
โฆ He insists on buying you at least one gift every week. Something, even if a small trinket.
โฆ If you like cats, he's more than willing to get one or two, just for you.
โฆ Also enjoys the way you flush when he kisses you in public. He can be a biter, but not usually.
โฆ He loves when you sit on his lap. Yes, he will be extra clingy and demand you do it more often.
โฆ The more comfortable he gets, the more often he demands things from you. He begs for kisses, whines when you don't sit close enough, and gets angry when you avoid him.
โฆ It's even worse when you don't show appreciation for the gifts he brings you. He goes out of his way to find ones you'd like, so he expects you to be grateful.
โฆ I wouldn't say he would noncon (unless he's a Yandere, but that's different), but he's definitely hitting that dubcon territory. He's really handsy when you let him get close.
โฆ On the bright side, a firm enough "no" will get him to back off.
โฆ Quality time, cozy game sessions, gifts, gentle voice. And he's desperately holding in his jealousy.
โฆ You're just... so sweet. You let him hold you, play with your hands, ramble for hours about his interests. He doesn't understand you, and he loves it.
โฆ He doesn't buy you many gifts compared to the others, but he makes you food when you game with him.
โฆ He's... surprisingly good at making meals.
โฆ Every bit of attention you give him, he doubles in his head and returns double of that. You're a normie, sure, but he can't help himself from loving you.
โฆ Literally 70% of his brain is jealousy, and every moment you're away, he slowly starts to crave your return.
โฆ He tracks your phone, and messages you frequently. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is how most of his offers for you to come to his room happen.
โฆ One time he had an idea about kissing you. He immediately thought of how stupid that idea was, until he saw how you interact with his brothers. Being the jealous type, it was your next gaming session, when you finally beat the boss you'd been struggling on, when he kissed you for the first time.
โฆ After that, he started kissing you every time you came over and every time you left, at a minimum.
โฆ When he starts learning things you like better, he starts gifting more.
โฆ Every bit of praise goes to his head, which often finds your shoulder to rest on.
โฆ He also really likes your name. Every compliment you give is followed my him whining you name and dragging you onto his lap. You're too good for him, honestly.
โฆ If you call him out on his behavior, which does slowly get worse over time, he panics and tries to distract you. When that fails, he just kicks you from his room until he can figure out how to face you again.
โฆ Literally will not leave you alone. He's clingy, he whines, and he bites. He also constantly says how much he loves you.
โฆ It's always faint marks, but they last significantly longer than what Mammon would leave, like a day or two longer.
โฆ He really wants you in his bed, less to sleep with you and more to keep track of you. He loves you, okay? How many times does he have to say it?
โฆ He doesn't even have a full understanding of the idea, he just knows he doesn't want you anywhere he can't be.
โฆ Asmodeus isn't exactly aggressive, but he is pushy. He'll give you a gift, and pout when you don't give him a kiss as thank you. Don't you like the choker he got you? It looks amazing on you, so why haven't you thanked him yet?
โฆ Heavily believes in actions speaking louder than words, so he barely believes you when you say thank you like a normal person would. How does he know you like it if you aren't thanking him properly?
โฆ Also texts you a lot. He wants you, and he won't say he doesn't.
โฆ Does he act too submissive for you? Is that why you're so cold? He doesn't get it, but he will.
โฆ When you tell him you're uncomfortable, he gets hurt and asks why.
โฆ Probably the only one who would straight-up lie about his behavior being a Devildom custom.
โฆ Once he understands your silly human boundaries, he's doing everything to get you over them. More cuddles, less bites, more kisses, better gifts.
โฆ He doesn't even care if he fucks you or not. He just wants you to be his, really.
โฆ He bites the most, which shouldn't a surprise. He kinda wants to eat you. Do with that what you will.
โฆ Beelzebub has an oral fixation, you can't change my mind. His biggest forms of affection is nibbling on you and sharing good food.
โฆ He also really likes when you join his workouts.
โฆ He's very affectionate, less pervy than some of the others. If you ignore the constant want to have his mouth on you.
โฆ It's less about a demon eating a human and more of a man wanting to devour his sweet little lover. Oh, wait, you don't see him as a lover?
โฆ No big deal, he just won't say "I love you". Not until you do, of course.
โฆ Beel has massive hands, so sometimes he touches the wrong place when holding you. He swears it's an accident. You get it, right? Of course you do.
โฆ Possibly the most perverted thing he ever really does is when he's licking food off of you. You're such a messy eater, and he can't let good food go to waste.
โฆ If you were to make a pact with him, that would change things quite a bit.
โฆ He takes that as an "I love you" from you, and now he does this all shit more intentionally.
โฆ But now it can happen in public.
โฆ He likes the way people look at the two of you when he's eating from the palm of your hand, usually at his request. And he adores even more when you let him lay on top of you after a long day.
โฆ You don't mind if he leaves a hickey on your shoulder, right?
โฆ He doesn't not care. But he's too tired all the time to do much of anything. You will, however, come to him anyway. He calls you, often. Begging you like a little voice in the back of your head.
โฆ He knows how you live with the brothers, he knows how you feel about them. He wants that. He wants it for himself.
โฆ Belphie doesn't bring you gifts, but when you leave, its always with something of his. A pillow, a hoodie, anything that smells like him. You, in return, have to leave something for him.
โฆ I saw a mini comic on Pinterest where MC is poking him, and he lifts his head and starts growling. So, yeah, he does that. Usually as a stim when he can't fully pass out. Something to keep him occupied.
โฆ When he found out it intimidated you, he made use of small threats to keep you close. Always with a little growl until you agreed.
โฆ He does kiss you, and quite often. Though his affection isn't as intensely romantic as the others, it is no less clear.
โฆ Much like Beelzebub, he doesn't start saying "I love you" until after a pact is made with him. But by then, he's started getting way worse than simple threats and constant nagging for you to come to him.
โฆ The only one I see an in-character noncon for is Belphie, but its not like... fully non? It's more dubcon. He "asks" if he can put you to sleep, and when you foolishly agree, he gets more handsy than he would with you awake.
โฆ It would only get to the noncon point if you let him do it enough times.
โฆ Belphie is a lazy person, but not a lazy lover. He does it in his own way, which isn't always the right way. He loves you, really, but you make it so hard for him to trust you.
โฆ If you confront him soon enough before he gets to the noncon point, he feels so guilty it's not even funny. Give him an edge, please.
โฆ When you ask if it's like, a Devildom custom, or something like that, he's desperately nodding along while crying against your chest. He didn't mean to be a creep, really!
โฆ If you forgive him, he doesn't really change. He's just more careful and slows down. He just can't help the way he is, okay?
โฆ Don't worry, he would never intentionally hurt you. That would be unforgivable if he did.
โฆ Also, you should really wear his clothes more often.
Read my work at your own risk.
Any fics I have written will be listed below respective their characters. This post will be updated as much as possible.
I'm happy to write almost anything, so go ahead and request whatever you want. More likely than not, I'll write it. Plus, it motivates me to write more when someone requests.
Someone did, in fact. It's not a spicy fic, but it's still pretty good. I'm trying out a new writing style, and its formatted as a headcanon post hehehe
have you watched any new shows during your hiatus? gachiakuta is a really REALLY good one if you havenโt watched it! เดฆเตเดฆเดฟ(แตแแต)
I did, in fact watch Gachiakuta. I also rewatched Record of Ragnarok, and binged season 2 of Devil May Cry. Most of my hiatus was spent sleeping and trying to survive the American public high school system.
I think I got into other things but I can't remember off the top of my head.
For the love of GOD more lactation kink twst pleaseeeeee
โ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ค!! -- ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐งโ
(Only the NRC students I've missed up to this point, excluding Ortho.)
๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ: Trey Clover โญ Cater Diamond โญ Deuce Spade โญ Jack Howl โญ Jade Leech โญ Floyd Leech โญ Jamil Viper โญ Rook Hunt โญ Lilia Vanrouge โญ Sebek Zigvolt
๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ: Mostly gn!Reader, adult content, lactation (Trey, Jack, Lilia), established relationships, service dom (Trey, Jamil, Sebek), porno mentions (Cater), Mommy kink (Deuce), Tweels are a couple of ignorant dumbasses, teasing (Cater, Rook, Lilia), begging (Deuce), dom!Reader (Rook), not proofread because I need to pump these suckers out, and more.
These boys aren't labeled as Yandere in this series, so I'll be keeping it within their normal personalities for all to enjoy.
He hadn't meant for this to be so perverted, really. It had started, in his mind, as his poor baby momma needing help. You'd just put the baby down for a nap, and he'd been busy making another batch of friskets when you came into the kitchen, crying because you were lactating while the baby was asleep.
"I swear I just fed him!" He'd heard you whimper, and immediately had pulled from his work to wipe his hands and come to your aid. "Shh, you're alright, you're alright."
Always the gentle giant, he'd been careful to lift you onto the counter, the same way he used to when you were horny teenagers in the kitchen. "Don't cry, it's nothing bad." His voice was soft as he cradled your head to his shoulder. His thick fingers would trace your skull, gentle as they found their path to your breast.
Kneading it gently like the dough of a loaf, he'd crack a small smile at the way a little came out and made your shirt just a little wetter. "How about I drink it?" He'd murmured, still smirking, still kneading gently, still the same horndog he always hid under his sweetness. He promised to make it better, and to his credit; he did. He was happily suckling on every drop he could squeeze out, savoring the rather sweet taste your milk had. He loved it, every second of it.
He'd watched one porno where the guy sucked a tit and immediately wanted to try it on you. He figured it would be like giving you another hicky, but gentler and with less teeth. And let me tell ya, the moment he was on, he didn't want to leave. He'd found a way to make you whine and arch your back into him, and every little gasp had him eagerly grinding down on your poor thigh. Seeing a specific little gasp and the tossing of your head to the side, Cater could only giggle and tease you more than he already was.
"You sound like you're getting close. D'you like it that much? Huh, pretty baby?" He spoke as if his hand wasn't currently rubbing slow circles on your aching center. If not for the fact that he was adorable this way, below your shoulder, suckling and grinding, you might've kicked him off by now.
"Baby?" You called back, an indignant laugh following it. "You're the one trying to nurse."
"And? You're still my baby."
"Mommy, please, I swear I deserve it. 'M good, aren't I? Didn't I do everything you asked?" Deuce felt as pathetic as he knew he sounded, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Your hand wrapped around his twitching dick, your other hand cradling the back of his head, tangled in the navy locks while he looked at you with teary little eyes. His mouth hung open, dry and feeling useless from a lack of being able to kiss you.
His pointless begging only seemed to serve a point to you babying him. He cries when he doesn't get to have you the way he wants, he whines when he can't mark you with his teeth, and he squirms whenever you make him take charge. "Please, Mommy, please, 'm good, 'm good. Lemme kiss you, please, I need t'... need t'kiss you."
But he wasn't getting the kisses he wanted. When you brough him, face to chest, skin to skin, and told him to nurse like the baby he is, he seemed to finally get that this was how he should put his mouth to use. He's hesitant at first, like his first kisses of the day. He's slow, gentle, but when you coo praises in his ear, he'd melting right into it. Anything for you, as long as you're happy. And he'd be a liar to say he didn't sob against your teat the moment you finally let him cum.
Jack had barely managed to contain himself when you first offered him to drink from you. He didn't understand, but if the pups weren't getting all of it anyway, then why would he waste something? Especially since it was so good for them. Surely it'd be good for him!
Within the hour, Jack found himself taking every last drop like water after a forty-day hike in the desert. You tasted sweet, and he loves sweet things. "Tastes as good as you." He'd murmur, eyes half-lidded and ears pressed flat while he tried to be gentle on your sore body. He felt bad enough that his babies were the ones nipping you during feedings, he really didn't need to accidentally piss you off by getting too excited.
When you eventually run dry, his appetite isn't satisfied. He liked it. He liked it far too much. "Can I have more? No, no, not now. When you have more, obviously."
Jade hadn't originally thought about mammalian milk beyond its intended purpose. Not until he heard something about it being good for the skin. Of course, that hadn't been what piqued his interest. It was Floyd directly asking you during a cuddle session how it tasted.
"How should I know? I haven't had any since I was a baby."
Your answer had been reasonable enough. But now you had Jade curious. One after the other, they were prying you for answers to questions about human milk, what it was made of, babies, anything. But with all the answers came the lanky arms of Floyd around your waist as he'd tugged you onto his lap. "Why don't we make a baby ourselves? It'd need milk because Shimpy's a human, right?" The prospect amused Jade, who was already joining his eager twin brother to undress you.
You had been such a pretty fool when you offered to help him manage his stress. And after thoroughly devouring you repeatedly, you couldn't imagine how he was calling this a management of his stress. It felt more like you were being managed. "Milly," You'd call, your hand in his ebony locks to tug him back from your thighs. "Is this really enough? It feels like I'm not helping you."
"You're helping."
His response was soft, but short enough to tell you that, no, you weren't. He was still pent up. "Milly." Your whine had his ears perk up this time, and those sharp eyes would go soft when you pulled him to your chest. Being the man he was, Jamil protested your attempts to distract him. "I already said you were helping."
"But it doesn't feel like it. You're treating this like we're adults." Something in your tone must've gotten to him, because he'd let out his usual sigh of defeat before sitting back on his heels. "Then what do you suggest we do? Stop?"
No! Anything but stopping! When your arms wrap tight around his neck, Jamil found himself grunting in dismay for the moment before once more finding himself on your chest. "Oh, I see." Slow. His voice was slow. His voice was a whisper.
Drawing out his tongue, Jamil let his saliva pool down over your nipple before taking it in his mouth for the first time. He was careful of his teeth, but your squeal was enough to tell him he was going the right direction. As if he was seeking your pretty sounds, he'd mock the action again and again, until eventually he was mindlessly suckling. It was oddly soothing, not unlike a child sucking their thumb. He'd make note of that for next time.
Rook is a goddamned pervert and we all know it. So when you found out he'd never sucked a boobaโข before, you, the amazing lover he'd managed to bag, immediately sought to fix that.
He'd made a show of enjoying how you dragged him to his room, and just as much excitement went through him when he figured out what this was. "Oh mon, for me?" You being on his lap was one thing, but for you to strip without letting him help? That was another. Now, his gloved hands slid along your hips while his head rested on your shoulder.
He was quite enjoying the sight of you exposed, so much so that he brought his right hand up just enough to lightly flick the pebbled nub you'd offered. He didn't mind your forwardness, he never would, but this was unusual, even for you.
"Then who am I to deny such a generous offer?"
Lips, teeth, tongue, all clumsy from inexperience, but all which quickly learned. He can tie a knot in a cherry stem with his tongue; did you really think it would be hard for him to figure this out? Suffice to say, you'd be here for a while, under praise and under tongue.
In all his years.
He'd never thought to consider his mouth on the pebbled nubs of your nipples. It had always been his hands, his fingers. Never his mouth. So, when watching your firstborn suckle for the first time, the thought finally crossed his mind that he could do that too.
He didn't immediately act on the whim, but when the idea had festered for a few months, he wasn't as patient as he thought he'd be.
Lilia had been marking your pretty neck and thighs, humming some tune to calm your frayed nerves when he made his move. With you lying in bed already, that meant all he had to do was crawl up to you and beg with the crimson cat eyes of his. He'd be gentle, he promised. Had your husband ever broken a promise?
The answer was now yes.
He didn't realize how easily you'd start lactating under his usual touch on your breast, and your milk was simply divine to him. The taste, the smell, everything about the fact that it came from you, had him greedily feeding on what was meant for your infant child. But then again, he'd live. You'd make more by the time he actually needed his next feeding. Lilia, however, couldn't be sure when he'd get the next chance.
"Do you enjoy this?" From one side to the other, lapping up the mess he'd made from squeezing your tit just to nurse on it the same way he had the first, he was watching you pant and squirm like the pathetic thing he knew you could be. "Don't worry, I'll make sure this becomes a habit."
Sebek could hardly believe you. How could you want him to do something so perverse? Had you no shame? Honestly, what would he do if you weren't smart enough to only run your mouth with him.
It had taken a lot of convincing to get him to try it, and though he didn't like it at first, he warmed up to it when he saw how much you liked it, he began to see the appeal. You felt good there, which made you tighten up a little, which felt good when he was inside you.
Having the math click was one thing, having the math work, that was a whole other side to heaven. He'd learned how to tug with his teeth, how to lather it with his tongue, and the way you squealed when he dragged you only his lap so he could handle you better. And best yet, he was shutting up. Minus the growling, obviously.
Now you need only imagine how long it'd take to convince him to drink the milk that comes with it one day.
