The pictures do not belong to me. I only created the mood board. Do not repost my work anywhere.
Content: NSFW/Lemon; injury (brief, not to reader), mild aggression, mentions of death, soul bonding, fluff, receiving oral, penetrative sex (+ knotting), marking (no biting - tattoo), more fluff to top it off, with the NSFW only at the very end - (if there is anything else anyone would like tagged here that I haven't caught, let me know!)
Wordcount: 3715
Masterlist
The creature rested at your front door had been your shadow for some time now.
The raven fur thick at its scruff tinged with a crimson the nearer you came, and though you doubted its domesticity - its claws were far too long for any house pet, not to mention in place of fluffy ears were ram horns, wide and curled back to its neck - you still felt sympathy for the creature, wounded as it was.
You first saw it nearly a month ago, trailing at your shadow when the evening fell into night. If the creature had wanted to have you then, it would have. The flash of fanged teeth hadn't been so unusual, until the muzzle almost tore back, sinew and tendons sewing flesh together, up to it skull. Then you'd known it wasn't quite a dog, nor some odd breeding anomaly, and had fought to ignore the memory.
Until the creature was at your backdoor come dawn when you went to the river for water and herbs for medicine. You were no healer, not properly, but your parents had passed down knowledge you cherished and made use of. Poultices ready-made waited for collection, all the while your stalker sat by the tree line, waiting; you weren't sure what for.
To see it so defeated when it was usually full of life tugged you down to your knees. The first time you had confronted it - in a rage of foolishness, really, considering how lucky you had been to avoid any harm at its infliction, the creature had staggered back almost in shock at having stones thrown, before letting loose a growl so low your muscles locked, and you thought then you had incited your own death, as its muzzle nudged up at your fist, the creature large enough to come to your hips like a pony.
The memory was nothing now. You whispered, hoping to soothe the dog-like demon when you brushed its fur. It gave a low whine, and tail thin like a whip with an arrowed tip tucked neater to its belly. Whatever it was, was decisively male, but your focus was more on the scratches curled deep into its stomach, and the wound on its throat must have been from another creature of the same kind.
"Hey, boy," you said and offered your hand for him to sniff. The notion struck you as pointless; obviously he recognised you, laying at your door after following for so long, but the press of a hot nose was more reassurance to you than anything. "Stay still. You'll be okay, boy."
The idea of letting him inside was daunting, but you couldn't just leave him there to die. No matter why he followed you, he had come to you now for help, and you pressed onto his back carefully. When he snarled, you winced through gritted teeth.
"Come on, boy." You tucked your hands beneath his back enough to encourage him up. Your door was open. All he had to do was collapse inside. "Go on-"
With a pitiful whine, he fell heavily against your thigh as you led him in. He managed to carry himself to the fireplace before landing with a thud, and though he still breathed, you weren't surprised to find him now unconscious.
Treating a dog was different from humans but you made do with what you had, and you couldn't do anything more than that. What you noticed, even as you tried not to, was the thick stench of something foul and smoky on washing away blood, and something about it twisted at you. Like it was unnatural. There wasn't anything natural to a dog of his size, with horns and a tail like that, nor a muzzle so wide and sharp, but you had already invited him in and tended to his wounds, so you moved on.
You left a bowl of water and some old meat at his side but when you retreated to your room, sharp canines snatched your wrist. His eyes flicked up to you, a bright, burning red against his ashen body. When you conceded and sat at his side, a soft whimper enticed your fingers to his scruff, careful to avoid the horns and shallow wound.
"You're okay," you hummed, holding still when he inched close enough to lay a heavy head on your thighs. "You'll be okay, boy. You’ll be healthy again, and you won't even try to eat me, will you? No," you whispered, and spoke until his eyes fell shut.
That night you spent curled uncomfortably back against the sofa, falling in and out of a restless sleep. You woke before dawn to find the beast gone, and in his place was a man. The first, natural instinct that came to you was to scream; his head was nuzzled against your thighs, a hand curled at your hip and clutching loosely, but the familiarity struck you before the screech came.
His body was the same black of his fur, a rich, almost obsidian, but the giveaway was the tail twined to his bare legs. Even still, his mouth seemed off, a little too wide, and the short nubs at his temples, though dramatically smaller horns, were the same.
So you yawned, snatching the blanket off the sofa and laying it across his thin body, too. Waking hours later with daylight on your face, you were alone. He had rested you on the sofa with a pillow beneath your head and the blanket up to your neck. It melted away remnants of fear, after being alone with not only some demonic hound, but a strange man, too, more than capable of harming you.
It was a struggle to continue your day as you normally would, but it was a weekend, so a short trip out was all you needed. You were back before midday but still alone. Alone until well into the evening, almost convinced it had been a fever dream until you had finished changing into comfortable clothes, and the silhouette standing in your kitchen turned, tail wound at his bare ankle.
"Oh."
The tail flicked and he watched you with glowing eyes, which darted back from you to the door. "If you would rather I leave-"
"No. No, stay." His head canted much like it had when he was the creature, and you smiled, offering him a change of clothes you had bought; not so much a change, but something to cover up with. "I'd like the company, and an explanation."
He apparently had no shame, and you had to admit, he needn't have any. His body was taut, and once more you were drawn to admiring him. The clothes hung off his frame, adding to his general unruliness - his hair particularly, ruffed with thick curls nearly enshrouding the nubby horns.
The stranger was a foot or so taller than you, stiffening when you reached out towards him. He blinked when you introduced yourself, before whispering, "my name is Danon. It's okay," he said, and tipped his head down.
They were rough, thick at the base, and Danon's breath caught when you stroked up to the tips. Horns of a devil, yet he stood before you still weakened by wounds visible, though closed over at his throat, at least. No blood stained the white shirt yet, so you instead moved past to make a drink for you each.
"Start from the beginning, Danon."
His lips twitched, though the smile didn't last. "I am a hellhound. We guide souls on from their lives here. My life is owed to you."
You sipped in quiet until it helped calm your thoughts. Sat opposite a hellhound, you needed the strength. "Sounds lonely."
His voice trembled. "It is."
When Danon chose not to elaborate, you embraced the quiet. He had only sniffed at the tea, but you wouldn't force him to drink it. With his hands so large, clawed, the mug shrunk between them.
He still remained quiet, so you watched him carefully and said, "you followed me for a month."
"It was meant to be you."
Danon's lips pulled back like he was snarling down at his mug, but the action somehow only made a smile grow on your face. He snapped his head up, slamming the mug down hard enough the handle shattered free.
"It was your life I was sent for. Not the elder man. You. Say something," he bit out, a snarl coming audibly now when you just looked at him, heart-pounding but face unchanging. "Is that it? You don't care about your own life? I could snatch it from you now, leave you there breathless until-" he bit his cheek sharp as his tail swung out in short whips. "I chose to give you time."
The only sound you could make was a breathless, "why?"
"I watched you long before revealing myself."
"Oh, don't tell me," you cut in, rolling your eyes. "You fell in love with me? Is that it?"
"Yes."
"Very funny," you snapped, and Danon's throat bobbed. Like you had done, he said nothing, and you began to grip your mug tighter. "Tell me you're lying. You killed someone because you love me?"
"His time had come. I sent him in place of your soul. The world cannot lose you. The way you care for these people… not one other soul is so caring. You deserve to live."
"But he didn't?"
Danon's long tipped ears twitched, almost pinning back once your voice sharpened. He thumbed the crack in the mug with his claw and grunted, "we can claim a soul. I fought for yours and until I choose to let you pass," he glanced up, finding your face ashen. "You will live. The elder was sickly. Longer for him would be a cruelty. His soul was so far gone I couldn't resist guiding him. It's like… like an itch."
Questions sprouted endlessly the more he spoke, and you fully intended to return to the matter of him claiming your soul, but he hunched over, and you wondered if it took a toll on him, being the one to cart people from this life. Better to have a guide than not, but your mind drifted to the man whose passing you'd heard of nearby; very old, very sick, and in a way, it was an easing of pain.
"Don't I itch?"
His warm laughter came as a surprise. Danon's tail swayed gently. "No. You're like a beacon to me. I need to scratch the itch, but your soul is where I return to. When you healed me, you accepted my claim. For simplicity," he murmured, canting his head a little to hold your eyes. "We are bound, 'til death do us part. It is late."
Like that, Danon dismissed the questions burning in your mind. He rose, his form slender and lean, before rounding the table towards you. His claws pressed beneath your chin and he fell low, so close his breath brushed your face. The warmth in your stomach tightened your chest. If Danon lowered himself a little more, you would lean into his kiss without pause.
"I will never apologise for choosing you."
Sleep evaded you for a long time. Knowing that a creature of hell was resting in the lounge gave you plenty to torment over, and like he knew, the soft padding of paws entered your room. The beast huffed a heavy breath against your hand before curling at the foot of your bed, a weight that left you curled into yourself. His presence was a comfort, even as you struggled to stop thinking of him.
He loved you. He loved you, and he had bound your souls together.
Sometime in the night as your thoughts became heavier, the bed dipped. The creature rose, a yawn baring sharp teeth in a display that had frightened you nights ago, before whining quietly. He nudged at your arm until you let him lay close, nosing at your throat and whining again until you were able to rest.
Danon wasn't by your side when you woke. There wasn't a trace of him left. The shattered mug had been cleared away, the smoky scent that followed him was gone, and the comfort with it. You almost thought it had been a dream, a delirious lie after being alone too long, and forced yourself to go about your day as you would normally. If Danon came home, it would be of his own choice.
He staggered into your room three nights gone and collapsed to his knees in reaching out to you. It was the thick of night, so you woke with a cry at somebody waking you. Danon caught your face in clammy palms and hushed you. It was without a word that you kicked back the sheets for him, and he crawled beside you - bare, but so exhausted you couldn't find it in you to care as he clutched you tight with a rough sigh.
It wasn't the time for questions, but you leaned back as far as you could with his arms snaked against you, brushing your hand against his burning cheek. "I missed you."
His glowing eyes blinked down at you. "You missed me?"
You hummed and leaned into his chest. "Did you have an itch?"
His chest rose beneath you but it was answer enough. Danon's kiss was tentative, pressed to your temple like a breath, fleeting when he laid his cheek to your crown. "I missed you, too."
"Tell me what it means to have my soul claimed."
"Come morning, you may ask me anything."
"Will you be here?"
The hellhound paused a breath. "I'm never far," he said, but it was answer enough as you woke entwined, cheek to his shoulder and with a tail draped over your hips.
For a creature of hell, sunlight blessed him. The sharp angles of his face looked softer in the golden hue, and you were free to admire him until he grumbled and peeked open an eye at you. Danon's brows dipped when he found you already awake, but you were quick to catch his arm before he could lean away.
"I fought for the right to your soul," he murmured, thick with sleep and slightly slurred. "It is mine. Nothing can take you without me releasing you."
"Don't I own my own soul?"
"It is mine," he said against the pillows, grumbling and turning away. Though as he fought to muffle himself, his arm around you tightened. "Pretty soul, too."
"Am I immortal?" Danon breathed a laugh. His tail flicked down your legs and he shook his head. "Are you?"
"If I wish to pass on, I may."
The words were rough and muffled now he had found a spot on the pillow to hide from the light, but you spoke still. If he was in your bed, he would answer your questions. "Will you pass on when I do?"
He hummed, "I might." You frowned, and he let out a rumble of a growl, turning fully from the pillow. Danon rose over you until you were laid back beneath him. "It is dependent on you."
"Me?" You blanched, "why me?"
"How attached I am. I never," he growled, and would have lurched back if not for your touch brushing his arm. "I never intended to claim someone. Your soul is my burden-"
"I'm a burden?"
Danon snarled, but you bit back a smile at the gesture. He brought himself close, forehead to yours, and whispered, "I loved you before claiming you. That is my burden alone. May I?"
Throat tight, you tried to hold your voice steady when you asked, "may you?"
"May I sleep?"
Your breath rushed from you and you forced a nod, laying still as he nestled back into the pillows. Danon's hand skimmed your stomach when you slid free, and his tail snagged at your ankle before unwinding.
Days passed much like that, and each in his presence weakened you. Confessions came in soft whispers when, to him, they were the only possible answer to yet another of your questions. You asked him if he had a home. He did; loose curls fell against his horns, brushed his dark eyes, and the answer, though he never did anything more than smile at you, echoed in your chest. It was the same reason he came back after a soul needed guiding, and the isolation of what he was struck you when he returned, falling into your arms no matter where he found you.
The worst came when he was gone nearly a fortnight. Some nights you doubted if he would come back to you, and the memory of him seeing you as beacon became your clutch. You had taken to resting on the small sofa in the days, knowing that if he came back in the light, you would wake.
His whine was so soft you thought him to be the beast when a warmth brushed your cheek, but arms tucked beneath you and curled you into a bare chest. Danon's lips lingered on your forehead before he laid you on your bed, whispering your name as he began to free you from your dress. The lace parted easily for him, and you brought his hands up to your sleeves when he made to turn, helping him undress you until you were left only in your underwear.
"Don't stay away so long," you whispered, reaching out to brush back his loose curls. Danon trembled when you ran your thumb against his horns. "What if you didn't come back to me?"
He closed his eyes and leaned into your palm. "That will never happen."
"This isn't one-sided," you said. Lengthened teeth cut into his lower lip when you slowly parted your legs beneath him, and Danon's hips fell against yours. He let out a breathless moan when your touch pressed to his lips and he let them part, tongue hot against you. "Did you not think I loved you?"
He whined, and his head fell heavy onto your chest. You gasped when he kissed the soft skin as it fell low, and his hands settled on your hips. "Tell me you do."
"I might," you said, and he was peppering softer kisses across your breast, hot lips drawing on your nipple until you groaned. "You'll have to do more than that first."
Danon's lips curled up against your stomach, and relief flooded you when he moved lower. His thumbs stroked small circles into your thighs when he pressed his hot tongue to the fabric clinging to your body, tasting you through it. His teeth caught at the hem and as you lifted your hips, he snatched them off and returned as fast, kissing purple flushes onto your legs before pausing.
"Tell me now."
With a small smile, you reached low to hook a finger against his horn, and breathed, "not yet, love."
He snarled half-heartedly before a long drag of his tongue made you choke. Danon flicked the muscle up until it nudged to your nerves, earning a sharp cry of his name in pleasure. The heat now rushing through you began to pool in your gut, and tightened with the passion he began to lap at you with. The hound growled low, and the shock of it ran in shivers through you.
Claws curled against your skin and he pressed your legs back to your chest. The same fire you felt throbbing glowed in his eyes, and he almost held your stare for as long as he stretched your tight body around his tongue, if you hadn't shuddered and bucked against him.
"Danon-" His nose forced hot air against you, nosing up at your clit and you stuttered out a plea, grasping at his hair and grinding your hips up to his face. "I need you. I need you to-Danon-"
He yelped when you dragged him up, and his body rubbed hard against you. The weight of him slick and nudging to your core made you wriggle, and he palmed your stomach with a small smile, the other hand circling his cock and guiding it up so his head rubbed to your nerves.
"If we do this, you will wear my mark." He turned to kiss your knee as it came against his shoulder. "Am I what you want?"
The shine to eyes was so innocent that you nodded, tangling your fingers in his hair again to drag him against you. "I love you."
Your voice broke on a hoarse cry. Danon laid over you, your legs strained up against him a way that had your body so tight and stuffed when his cock drove deep. His lips, thick and sweetened by your taste, parted on a heady groan with each thrust, each clench of your thighs dragging him deeper.
At that moment, your souls recognised the other; they must have done, with a feeling of belonging overcoming you as Danon cradled your face, running away a tear of pleasure. He rutted up as he began to gasp and shake, a weight slamming against your centre. He soothed you with a whisper of his love, and grinned at your answering whine before the claw of his thumb flicked your clit. Bolts of pleasure knotted in your core. You cried, seeing white and locking tight in the same second Danon thrust hard, the knot forced into you and sticking.
You felt him come, thick and hard until he was panting and kissing down your throat. The black swirls of his mark formed across your chest and Danon held you close as his knot swelled all the more.
"Stay here." He swallowed, nipping at your jaw before meeting your eyes. "Stop travelling," you said quietly, and Danon's fingers running down your hips paused, splaying wide as he looked down at you. Your traced his chest, drawn to the stretch of his skin where a matching mark laid. "Care for this village, the neighbouring ones. You said you only take souls at their time. Guide theirs."
"Stay with you?" His small smile tugged at your heart. Danon slid his arm lower to lift you up against him, brushing a soft kiss to your lips. "I will try."
I wrote Danon in like one sitting and honestly? He stole my heart. I don't know how it happened but this is the longest thing I've written that wasn't intended to be two parts. Danon is now my baby, and I hope you all loved him too - let me know if you did! Threw in the NSFW as a treat to myself. We love indulgent writing. Thank you for getting this far <3
Hey <3 love-lies-bleeding or jonquil if I may, for my absolute favourite of yours, Casimir?
Casimir
male reptilian fae x female reader
423 words
sfw | fluff, mention of alcohol
Jonquil: Has your character ever confessed their love for someone? How did it go?
————- ♢ ————-
“Problems with the pet?” Warde muses, settling down in the violet grass, all the better to follow Casimir’s unblinking gaze to you. The phrasing, coupled with the stretch of a smile on Warde’s semi-transparent lips, has Casimir gritting his teeth. “If you’re bored with her, I would be happy to-”
“I’ll warn you once,” he bites out, eyes narrowed, “I love her, and I have no intention of giving her up, let alone to you.”
Warde, sylph that he is, with near colorless skin and misty eyes, picks up the color of the grass he’s sitting on. His cheeks flush violet, though the smile stays fixed upon his mouth as he promptly offers Casimir a flagon of myrtle wine. It’s a poor substitute for an apology, but he doubts Warde could even attempt to offer him one. He might wish he’d kept his mouth shut, but Casimir knows he isn’t sorry, because the statement had been true.
As true as his own declaration of love. Casimir sucks in a startled breath.
“A problem of a different kind, then,” Warde says softly and doesn’t relax until Casimir takes a swallow of wine.
“It’s not a problem.”
“Isn’t it? You still look a bit-”
Casimir gets to his feet, dropping the flagon into Warde’s unready hands. He curses, juggling the damn thing as Casimir strides away, coat flaring wide as a breeze twists it’s way through the market stalls.
The problem isn’t that he loves you—he’s known it now for a while, even if he hasn’t readily admitted it outloud—the problem is telling you. There is so very much that he keeps to himself, and this could well be yet another secret, hidden away to keep others from using it against him. But if he does…
You turn away from a stall to meet him, almost unconsciously, smile blooming as you catch sight of him. You lift your hand, reaching for him, absolutely sure that he will take it, that he will reel you into his arms and brush an idle kiss over your cheek or your lips.
Casimir steps in close, ignoring your reaching hand to cradle your cheeks between his palms, long nails careful against your fragile skin. You grab hold of his wrists, brow furrowing when he doesn’t close the distance to grace you with a kiss.
“I love you, dear one,” Casimir says, seriously, earnestly, enraptured by the truth of his own words.
The haze of confusion in your eyes clears, delight curling your lips.
Hi so - I am in LOVE with your account, like, I adore it beyond belief - if I were to write a fic based off a post, would that be okay? Credit would be given - I just have so many fic ideas from your forest gods I love them!! <3
Thank you so much, friend. And yes, you aren’t the first to ask - writing based on my posts is always welcome.
19. Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favourite verb, something you describe ‘too often’, trope you can’t get enough of?)
*stares deep into the void that has become filled with all my repetition* Please don’t make me face this now.
20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)
I could speak endlessly about Mr. Faire, Robin, Puck, and their history endlessly. They’ve been everywhere, seen everything. The relationship between these three men alone is worthy of entire books just explaining how much they mean to each other, how each has formed the other. They’re all so interlinked with other worlds that they have probably appeared seamlessly in them without notice. Robin’s antiques, his collections come from the Ruby Empire and elsewhere. Puck’s medicines have been used everywhere, he’s taught so many healers (maybe even a certain prince.) Mr. Faire has lovingly touched so many lives he’s probably persuaded politics and history in other universes. Let’s not get started on the Underneath! Farrow! Barbol! Muna! Fye! Bron!
Your "reminds me of my early 20s" tags have made my DAY because they did the same thing to me as I wrote Raynar, and you tagged exactly my thought process as I wanted an orc then too !!! (I came to same thank you for the tags because I loved them <3)
Thank YOU for the lovely story. I read it this morning and it started off my day right! :)
The pictures do not belong to me. I only created the mood board. Do not repost my work anywhere.
Content: SFW/Orange, mild fae trickery, swearing, a rude goblin, mention of past heartbreak + cheating, alluding to past sex, one cute lil kiss - if there is anything below which needs to be mentioned here in future, let me know!
Wordcount: 2256
Notes: so... this isn’t really the prompt (and knowing me I will be writing the prompt again because I can’t help myself, and creating Huddle Haven just has so much opportunity for cuddly monsters) but I read it and my brain just ran off with it and thus, Vardelk was born. Credit to @monsterkinkmeme for the original prompt!!
Masterlist
"Nobody else is available," Lacey said. Her keen, fae-folk eyes fell to where your knuckles cracked in the uncomfortable silence. "He looks so sad. Just for an hour? He told me to find someone for him, and, well," she drew in a breath. "I'm trying."
Huddle Haven was always busiest on the weekends, though tonight was one of the busiest evenings you had ever seen. The ache in your chest reminded you that this weekend had just followed Valentine's Day. Most of the patrons crowding the small café now had come with broken hearts, from failed dates and relationships ended only a day prior, and you had told Lacey - you had, you remembered, even texted her, that more volunteers were needed for today.
You were only supposed to be staff behind the counter, helping clean and take orders, sometimes assisting in the baking, not one of the volunteers for dates. No less being a human, and not what the customer had come for.
"Double pay "
"Lacey-"
"Permanently."
Fae could only articulate the truth. If she truly offered you double pay, a permanent rise, then Lacey now was beyond desperate. In bringing you out to customers - hardly presentable under the guise of a date, too, then the patron had to be more than just “sad.”
Her unwavering resolve made you frown. "Are you trying to trick me into this?"
"Permanent double pay raise," she said - a deliberate avoidance, then she pursed her black lips, the same glossy colour as her gossamer wings. "I would owe you a favour, too."
"Deal."
Lacey’s jaw fell baring sharpened teeth, her eyes sparking at the weight of the binding deal. Though, you wasted no time on the burden of the oral contract, nor on what you could claim from it, already passing over your sugar-stained apron. An exchange of forced smiles worsened the knot forming in your stomach.
"He's in the corner booth."
Chest tight, you nodded, whispering, "what-?"
"Goblin."
It wasn't like you were seeing anyone. You hadn't for a while, and the nerves forced a lump to your throat. The only real reason you were against this was a panic beginning to cloud your thoughts. He must have come with a broken heart, and you weren't so sure how much help you would be, rusty as you were.
Lacey's gentle nod was a push out of the kitchen. The sight already overwhelmed you; booths filled mainly with couples, though some sat as more, partners hurt by another in a polyamorous relationship leaving. Today wasn't the first time you had seen someone crying on a volunteer’s shoulder, though admittedly the first time you had seen both a tiefling and harpy cry here.
The goblin in question wasn't visible above the booth until you squeezed by an octomer - one you had seen surprisingly frequently, well-versed in walking on tentacles curled together in an effort to find a mate - before hesitating just before the table to steady yourself.
Lacey was right; he looked miserable, and bitter. From first impression alone, the atmosphere he exuded was one you were reluctant to disturb, and served only to lock your body tighter. Even still, he had made an effort; smart clothes, a black shirt crisp against his dark green skin, trimmed gold at the collar like his thin septum ring. Another two gold rings sat at his thin lips, gnawed at now by sharp teeth.
He might have looked miserable, but when he looked up, the softening of his face softened yours, too, and he looked cute, with his bright eyes rounded and long ears twitching; before he scowled, and turned back to staring at his hands.
"May I?" The goblin tipped his chin, though didn't say a word, so you sat slowly and introduced yourself. In silence, too, waiting for the goblin to say anything.
Only after a minute of silence did he grunt, "Vardelk."
"So," you hummed, and his face fell. Questions raced through your mind, but each seemed too cliché, too date-like too soon. Some came to Huddle Haven for comfort, for a distraction or a date, but if you had to guess, his deadpan stare wasn't one of wanting a date. "Have you been waiting long?"
Vardelk only shrugged one light shoulder, but his eyes narrowed. They ran over you in a way that had you squirming and struggling for words.
"Are you hungry? Their sundaes are good. Cakes, too, but I prefer the brownies. Hot chocolate over coffee," you mumbled, itching to draw a response, anything from the pensive goblin, but nothing worked. With nothing coming to mind - and in a last ditch effort before you began to ramble all the more, you asked, "what brought you here today?"
Vardelk's nails tapped at the faded cloth. "You work here, don't you?"
For such a sudden change in conversation, albeit a one-sided one, you stared at him for a second before your thoughts caught up. In the moment that passed, he scoffed, and his sharp eyes pierced you. They struck you like Lacey’s had, narrowed and biting.
"They had to pay someone to sit with me, huh? Forget it. Fuck this."
Guilt twisted at you when he began to shift out of the booth, but you made no move to stop him, only speaking quietly. "We ran out of volunteers. They didn't anticipate it being so busy. I'm sorry. I usually only work in the kitchens."
His dark eyes rolled and his voice hardened. "You didn't anticipate monsters having their hearts broken? Typical. Never the humans."
The initial shock of him realising that you were, in fact, human, wore off fast. Unhindered pain replaced all guilt and lodged at the back of your throat, but your words held steady and hopefully, hit as hard as his stare. "I first came here like you months ago, not for a job, but because I'd had my heart broken. By a drider, by the way," you added, and Vardelk had the nerve to shrug. "I sat with-" breath rushed from you at the memory of the day warmed in the hug of a volunteer. "He was a minotaur, and he sat with me as I cried. We went out again on a real date. For a while, actually. Until I finally put out, as he so eloquently said, because apparently broken-hearted people make for the best fucks. So no, it isn't only monsters, and our time is up, I think."
The sting blurring your vision wasn't worth the glimmer of regret on the goblin's features. He didn't deserve to know the hell you'd been through, and you were almost from the small booth when a soft touch caught your hand.
Needless to say, you snatched back from his touch, unashamed of the tears now brimming when you finally met his dark stare again. Thick ears you had earlier thought of as cute twitched back when his shoulders hunched over.
"I'm sorry."
It was your turn to don the mask of an empty expression, voice blank. "Thanks."
“We were together a year,” Vardelk whispered. Blunt nails tapped at the cloth as he cleared his throat. “Someone else was in our bed. Goblins can’t be enough for anyone, apparently. That we wouldn’t ever be enough. I’m quoting,” he said then, finally looking up.
His eyes were misty, too. "You left?"
Vardelk's smile was pained. "The offer of an open relationship didn’t appeal after being cheated on."
"Human?" His small chest puffed out and he sunk back with a weak nod. "I'm sorry, too."
Little could be said beyond your whispered apologies. There was little you wanted to say. Silence in your booth was nothing in the warmth of Huddle Haven, soft laughs echoing among deeper conversations at other tables. This weekend would be the hardest, not only with the rush of heartbroken patrons, but the reminder of your own pain, thanks to your “date.”
"Do you… do you want a brownie?"
"Me?"
Vardelk's smile was small, but it was there. "Hot chocolate, maybe?"
With an equally tentative smile, you said, "your treat for being an ass."
Then to your surprise - and relief, the goblin grinned, small legs tucking beneath him on the cushioned booth when he reached for a menu. Your rambling hadn’t fallen ignored, as Vardelk ordered a salted caramel sundae from Lacey, then, smiling, two hot chocolates and a brownie for you.
"Let me clarify first," you said. Vardelk’s ears drooped with his body shrinking back, and you spoke softer when his hands fell beneath the table to wring in his lap. "This doesn't have to be a date. Do you want to talk about it, or do you want to be distracted?"
With the desserts laid down, Vardelk brightened. "Distract me."
So you did. Obviously, a little unfortunately, Vardelk was aware of where you worked and how you were paid to accompany him. Under your careful shift in conversation, you learned he worked only across the road in a small flower shop, one he loathed more than anything at this time of year; as much as you hated the crowding in your café.
“I’d never been interested in coming here before... before yesterday, but,” Vardelk sipped at the hot chocolate, frowning at it. “People rush here. I see it all the time, coming to buy flowers then crossing the road. I don’t like blind dates. Never have,” he bit out. "They only start in disappointment and end in wasted time."
“I’m not disappointed.”
Vardelk rolled his eyes, but you only laughed, even after inadvertently calling this a date.
Until today, dating, the mere thought of it, sickened you, and with good reason, too. Even this had come at the coercion and bargaining of a fae, which said enough about your aversion to dating.
But something about Vardelk made your cheeks warm. The longer you sat with him, the easier conversation flowed. He was prickly and pessimistic, but you laughed, and his smiles grew until enough time passed for you to return the favour - you had been a little bit of an ass, too - and you shared churros together. Over the second dessert, small mannerisms began to warm you to him, your stomach fluttering with each eye roll. His earrings would clink when his head tilted, or when they trembled and tucked back at his embarrassment, or how when he was listening, really listening, he would draw his lips rings between sharp teeth and hum quietly. It was endearing to see his legs swinging gently beneath the table, too.
Huddle Haven closed at seven. Not late, but it wasn’t a bar, only a café, and any later welcoming the heartbroken would have the café open infinitely. Lacey came when Vardelk was absent from the table with the reminder that you were still on shift, and would be staying behind as usual to clean with everyone; "so don't get any ideas about leaving just yet," she'd said, her feathered eyebrows raised, but with the way she nudged you, there would be more probing for gossip about your forced date than any cleaning.
The goblin stood tucked into the wall beside you, bundled beneath a thick coat and a scarf almost his height. He was the last to leave, and reluctantly so, scuffing his heels and fiddling with the frayed ends of his sleeves, enough that you had to turn to hide your smile when he fumbled buttoning the coat, too.
"I know I was a prick," he began, and there was no avoiding the warmth to his eyes when he looked up. He stood a couple of feet smaller than you, the difference in height more obvious when he looked down again. "But I want it to be a date. To have another date."
The inclination to continue this into the evening shocked you, the want to agree on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t. As much as you longed to, you whispered, "I'm not looking to be a rebound."
Vardelk flinched. He began to deny it, words stuttered and softening into whispers, before biting down on his lip with a sharp nod. This was your first date in a long while, and after a reluctance to pursue any relationship for as long a time. He had been in a year long one, too, and if he only used you to move on once you had grown attached, your heart couldn’t take it.
But...
Beyond the resurfaced pain, the initial spat and his outwardly cruel demeanor, the afternoon together had been pleasant. For the first time in a long time, you wanted to go out again, to spend time with someone knowing you could be more than just friends, and you wanted that to be with him.
And he was cute.
"Come back in a month," you said. Vardelk's teeth caught at his lip ring when he choked, a nod shaking his gold earrings. "I'll say yes in a month."
The goblin came back the next day, a small smile enough for you weaken into accepting the bunch of flowers, and he returned each week with a brighter bunch. Keeping your word was a struggle, and on the second week you may have bowed to kiss him that night, just once, and Vardelk tucked a flower against your ear when you crouched, promising you would be worth the wait.
A month to the day of meeting, you saw him leaving the florist, and met him outside with a smile as big as his.
These will be updated on my main masterlist too but without the summaries. They will be linked here once published so keep an eye out!! <3
Tropemas Idea // Main Masterlist
Snowed In - 1st December
M Naga (Kaan) x F Human (Reader)
NSFW - Lemon
While caring for the naga in hibernation, snowfall worsens overnight, leaving you stranded in his cave
Bet - 4th December
M Werewolf (Cane) x GN Human (Reader)
SFW - Lime
After accepting the bet to refuse all company while alone at the bar, the werewolf you’ve fancied for weeks finally makes a move
Only One Bed - 9th December
F Succubus (Leigh) x GN Human (Reader)
NSFW - Lemon
While travelling together as you have for many years, you share a bed, and a dream
Sick Fic - 12th December
M Dullahan (Lars) x M Human (Reader)
NSFW - Lemon
Unable to hide the sudden cold from the dullahan, your boyfriend came home to take care of you
Soulmate AU - 15th December
M Orc (Eladan) x GN Human (Reader)
SFW - Orange
Soulmate AU - the first words overheard by your soulmate are marked on your forearm, but they aren’t so nice
Secret Relationship - 19th December
F Demon (Idella) x GN Human (Reader)
SFW - Lime
Hiding your relationship from your marrying friends became more and more difficult, and worse when they tried to set your demon girlfriend up with someone else
Fake Dating - 23rd December
NB Lich (Farren) x GN Human (Reader)
SFW - Orange
To help the lich deter suitors vying for their wealth and status, you pretended to be their partner, until it no longer felt like pretend
Previously was “Marriage of Convenience” but fake dating definitely fits better.
Friends with Benefits - 26th December
M Gnoll (Ollie) x GN Human (Reader)
SFW – Lime
The agreement was for intimacy, not love, so why did you regret turning him away?
Dare - 29th December
M Merman (Brae) x M Human (Reader)
NSFW - Lemon
When the mer insisting on befriending you returned day after day, falling for him was inevitable
This was a request!!
Tutoring - 31st December
F Firbolg (Gwynna) x F Human (Reader)
NSFW - Lemon
For months, the firbolg hadn’t made any progress in her module, until you found out she had already passed it
This will be updated as I publish the stories (and to help me keep track). Unfortunately, I’m a tad behind for faebruary despite my excitement for it. This masterlist has little summaries of the stories, and the link to my main masterlist too. Hope you love them! <3
Main Masterlist
Kelpie - 11th February
M Kelpie (Cathair) x F Human (Reader)
NSFW
Of the kelpie distancing himself from you and your persistence
“You are too comfortable around me.”
Nokken - 28th February
M Nokken (Edel) x F Human (Reader)
NSFW
Of your new neighbour and struggling to befriend him
