𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎—𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗

Silk Ribbons and Captured Hearts

Caitlyn x girly girl!reader

cw: 2K words | no warnings, just Caitlyn and her lovely femme <3

-----------------

Caitlyn is infatuated with you.

Your relationship with Caitlyn is somewhere on the line between acquaintances and friends, running in the same high circles. Your family, much like the Kirammans, is respected and known within Piltover. You've met Caitlyn on many occasions: galas, banquets, other fancy events your parents had dragged you to. 

Most of your time spent together had come from conversing casually at events, or during council meetings whenever you both had been waiting for your parents to finish their work. You’re a few years younger than Caitlyn, so she had offered to help you with any work you had been doing at Piltover Academy. You were a good student as well, matching her intellect. Caitlyn, despite trying to focus on your homework, would find her gaze drawn to you. Watching your eyes light up whenever you talked about something you were interested in, a small, unconscious smile gracing your lips, had easily captivated her.

That was when you were both younger, though. Now, she can't help but take notice of the beautiful woman you had become. All short skirts and fitted tops, sundresses and carefully chosen accessories, you’re like a warm sunbeam that Caitlyn can’t draw her eyes away from. 

It all starts with Caitlyn going shopping in the main streets of Piltover, and she steps into a local boutique filled with cute clothes and handmade jewelry. It's not really her style, but her eyes catch on a stand filled with silk ribbon, and it reminds her of the ribbons you occasionally wear in your hair. And oh, you'd just look so pretty in that shade of purple and-

She leaves with three of them.

A few days later, you’re at a statue unveiling of some old general in Piltover’s army, and Caitlyn sees you again. And fuck you just look so pretty in your white maxi skirt and cropped tank that shows off just a hint of midriff, and Caitlyn can’t stop staring. She finally gets herself together, glancing down at the lavender silk ribbon in her hand. Should she give it to you now? Should she wait? What if you didn’t like it? Worse, what if you don’t like her even after figuring out she’s smitten with you?

Caitlyn immediately clams up, deciding it’s better to give it to you anonymously. She darts off to the area where everyone’s bags and coats are under the guise of finding something she had forgotten in her bag. Once there, she grabs a notepad from her own bag and writes a note:

I thought this would look lovely on you. 

Yours,

Anonymous 

After attaching it to the ribbon and quietly slipping back into the crowd, Caitlyn can’t really focus on the ceremony. She tries, she really does, but the sound of your casual laughter in conversation unwillingly draws her attention. She also tries not to eye you when you politely make conversation with Caitlyn’s own parents, but, well, she’s long since given up on that one. Maybe she’ll have better self-control in the future.

______

Any thoughts of self-control die the moment you step into the coffee shop where Caitlyn is sitting with Jayce. Because you’re just so beautiful, wearing some lavender sundress and sandals and holy shit is that-?

Caitlyn’s mouth goes dry at the sight of the silky lavender ribbon in your hair — the one she had bought for you — tied around two pigtails hold your hair half-up. She can’t tear her eyes away, even as you step up to order and smile brightly at the barista. So much so that Jayce turns around to see what she’s looking at before turning back to her with a puzzled expression. “Uh, Cait? You good?”

She snaps her jaw shut, nodding tightly. “Yeah,” she lets her eyes linger on you for a second longer. “Everything’s perfectly fine.”

Jayce glances in your direction once again before a knowing smile dawns on his face. “Oh,” he turns back to Caitlyn, eyes smug and teasing. “You like-"

“Shut up,” Caitlyn hisses, glaring deeply at him, half because she doesn’t want you to overhear this and half because she doesn’t want Jayce to have another thing to hold over her. 

Jayce just raises his eyebrows, taking a sip of tea as if waiting for her to explain.

Caitlyn just sighs, glancing down at her own pristine teacup. “I- how can I not?” She mumbles, glancing at you. “She’s, well…perfect.”

________

And because you just had to go and look so ridiculously, effortlessly, beyond gorgeous in the lavender ribbon, of course Caitlyn has to go and buy five other colors. Because who is Caitlyn if not willing to spend her seemingly endless amounts of money on the little things her love crush likes. A tiny part of her also preens at seeing you so happy to wear something she gave you, as if she’s subtly showing everyone that you’re hers. But she’d never admit to that, of course.

And every time she manages to slip you a ribbon, she leaves another tiny note.

These suit you so much, I thought it would be a shame not to have more.

I think this color will look so nice with your hair.

Please take these ribbons as my way of telling you how beautiful you are.

Your ribbon collection continues to build: baby pink, forest green, crimson red, the lightest grey that reminds you of clouds on a cozy winter morning. You smile every time you find a new one in your bag, keeping the notes safely tucked away in a small box in your closet. You read them from time to time, gently tracing a finger over the words as if you can feel the affection they convey. 

Experimentally, with all this ribbon, you don’t confine it to just your hair. You tie it around your ankle, thinking it looks cute (Caitlyn agrees, smiles way too long when she sees it on you in passing). Then, around your wrists: a pair of bows. And when you show up at her house to drop off something from your family to the Kirammans, Caitlyn’s eyes go wide when she catches sight of the ribbon carefully tied around your upper thigh — just peeking out from the short skirt you’re wearing. 

Holy fucking shit is all Caitlyn manages to register in her mind. She doesn’t pay attention to whatever you’re talking about with her mother. She just pays attention to the gift she gave you, a symbol of her, tied around your thigh. She’s highly tempted to step forward and grab the end of it, untying it just to replace it with her hand and squeeze-

Pull yourself together.

And she does, barely. Manages to mumble out a few weak words as you depart, missing the smug smile that graces your features as you turn to leave. Misses the way you turn a little faster than necessary so your skirt spins and she gets another view of the ribbon wrapped around your thigh. You leave, Cassandra goes on with her business, and all is normal again.

You’re a strong presence in Caitlyn’s dreams that night.

______

And then one day, there’s a knock on Caitlyn’s office door, and she calls an official-sounding “come in” only for you to enter. Caitlyn stands up a little too quickly, clearing her throat and straightening her uniform. She moves out from behind her desk to face you. “This is- uh- a surprise,” Caitlyn murmurs, eyes flitting to the navy blue ribbon laced through your high ponytail, your hair half up. She’s sure she hasn’t bought you a navy ribbon yet.

“My father sent me to ask if the gala for your mother’s birthday next week will still be in your ballroom?” You ask, shifting nervously. It’s a simple question, one that you don’t really need an answer to.

Luckily, Caitlyn is too distracted to notice. She just blinks, forcing her mouth to move. “Um, right. Yes, it’s going to be held there.”

You nod, your eyes locked with her piercing blue ones. “Okay. Yeah. Sorry for the interruption, I just happened to be nearby and he, uh, wanted to know.”

Even still, Caitlyn only half registers your weak excuse. Her eyes narrow at the ribbon. It’s different than the silky ones she’s bought you: thinner and less shiny. So, instead of formulating one of her usual, sensible responses to you, she can’t help but let her curiosity spill out. “Your ribbon.”

“My-" you touch your hair lightly. “My ribbon?”

“Where is it from?” She asks, flatly. For the past weeks, the only ribbon you've been wearing has been the ones she's been giving you. Was this an old one of yours? Did you buy it recently? Or is it from someone else? Something in her chest tightens at the last idea.

She’s not prepared for the smile you flash her. “Well” you sigh, tilting your head a little as if the answer is obvious. “I thought that since my anonymous gifter keeps buying me ribbon, I should have one in her color.”

…

Wait.

It takes a second of blank staring before Caitlyn’s jaw drops. “You-" she stumbles in her wording — an extremely rare occasion she’s been taught to avoid. But all her composure is lost with you.

“Me,” your smile holds a hint of satisfaction that Caitlyn kind of just wants to scream at. Or kiss off your face. Either one.

“You knew?!” Her tone is incredulous, like she’s been so secretive that she can’t conceive how you found out she was the one gifting you these ribbons. “How?!”

“First of all, I know your handwriting. Remember how you gave me corrections on my schoolwork when we were younger and our parents had council meetings?”

“I-" Caitlyn stutters, a hue of pink dusting her cheeks. 

“And second,” you continue, not quite done. “You haven’t been very subtle about it. You seem to forget something in your bag at every event we’re at together, and then the ribbon happens to appear in mine after you come back.”

Caitlyn’s quiet for a few moments. “Oh.”

You smile. "Yeah, oh."

Caitlyn's blue eyes meet your own, devoid of her usual composure to show her slight nerves. "So...?" her voice is almost anxious.

"So," you repeat, gently reaching up to touch the navy ribbon in your hair again. The one that perfectly matches her navy Enforcer's uniform she's wearing right now. "I wore this...for you."

Caitlyn takes a shaky breath, heart pounding. "Does that mean-?"

She's cut off by your soft lips against her own. Your kiss is gentle and chaste, just a peck, and she barely has enough time to process what's happening before you pull away. "I like you," you say, your smile turning shy.

Caitlyn blinks at you, dazed. She's normally always so in command, so in control of her every action — whether that's in her Enforcer duties or her sharpshooting competitions or just her life in general — but with you, all hope of control always seems to fade. 

She steps even closer to you, gently reaching out a hand to trail along your cheek. "I like you too," she murmurs, and this time, you fear you're the one that's losing your composure because her gaze looks so loving and tender that it makes your cheeks burn. 

And when Caitlyn kisses you again, deeper this time, you allow yourself to sigh against her lips. She kisses you as if you're something fragile, something to be treasured and cared for. And you know, in that moment, that she'll do anything for you.  That, if you asked for the moon, she'd personally find away to fly amongst the stars to take it for you. 

"Are you mine?" Caitlyn asks the second she pulls away with a gentle nip to your bottom lip that makes you shiver. 

"I always have been," you mumble, letting yourself bury your face in her shoulder to hide your flushed cheeks. 

And Caitlyn just smiles, her arms snaking around your waist to pull you against her chest. "That's all I could ever ask for, darling."

⋆ arcane headcanons but they're all vampires.

multi. vampire!f!characters x f!reader. men & minors dni.

synopsis: what it says on the tin, baby doll.

cw: vampire-related violence, mentions of gore (nothing graphic), mentions of blood-drinking (duh), dom/sub, vaginal sex, vaginal fingering, masturbation, cunnilingus, power dynamics, power play, impact play, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, semi-public sex on occasion, unhealthy relationships (in the sense of vampires + their fledglings! no abuse i swear), manipulation, gothic themes, mutual obsession, age difference, older woman/younger woman, morally gray characters.

notes: this includes jinx, caitlyn, ambessa, sevika, + vi. i just watched nosferatu and it’s now one of my absolute favorite movies. i loved it and so now i must invoke the spirit of the vampire into every fictional woman i’m desperately in love with.

this is also fully for @digit4lslut who wanted more evil women. i concur.

The winter is long and arduous and you find yourself hungering for something dark and warm. The world has always seemed to press against you, take from you, eat at you. You’re in bed now, and the spot next to you is plush and warm from your lover’s recent departure. Your neck stings and you press a hand to it, pull it away to find a gleaming sweet mixture of venom and blood. Beyond your hand the door opens and with a few more steps the curtain shielding from around the bed are pulled back. 

This is your lover's return. You look at her, smile softly as she crawls over you and hovers with a blood-wet mouth. Her chest rises, body fevered and aching after a hunt. She places a hand on your stomach, pushes down until you gasp and clutch at her. Yes, this is your forever. You cup her face, turn her toward the light. 

You see her. You see your history. Who is she? What is your history? What is her name?

jinx.

♱ you both were small when you first met. you had a tendency to sneak out into the gardens, tuck yourself under the thicket of white hydrangeas and stare out into the water. one day, the darkness shifted and she was staring back.

♱ she was all wild hair and wilder eyes, skin pale as moonlight. her hair was crystal, ocean blue. you weren't scared—maybe you should have been. instead, you reached out your hand and she took it, fingers cold against yours. 

♱ you let her trace your palm, intertwine your fingers. something began to hum deep and low in your body and her eyes went pink, bright and starlike. she smelled so overwhelmingly of rose and plum, almost sickly sweet. you breathed in deeply, from your stomach up through your chest—like you were swimming.

♱ that was the beginning.

♱ for years, she was your shadow companion. you'd meet in the garden at midnight, sharing secrets and stolen sweets. You’d tuck a cake under the flat of her tongue and she’d hold it, smile close-lipped while it turned to ash. she'd braid flowers into your hair while telling you stories about magic and monsters to distract you while she spit it out.

♱ then one spring, she vanished. you woke to nothing but a puncture wound on the flesh of your palm, the holes almost tender with their dried blood and lack of pain. you didn’t know it then, but she’d spread her saliva, her venom over it to spare you from any pain.

♱ the hydrangeas bloomed without her, and you learned what it meant to mourn someone who left no trace behind. you grew into yourself slowly, carefully, always feeling half-formed without her there.

♱ when you saw her again, you were twenty-three and she was everything you'd dreamed of in the dark. she stood in her cousin's drawing room, all sharp edges and sharper smile. "this is jinx," they said, "she's been abroad." you knew better—the girl from your garden had never left, she'd just become something else entirely. maybe she always had been.

♱ her cousin, viktor, spoke of marriage within weeks. you agreed, but your eyes were always on her. you caught her watching you too, gaze heavy with something that made your blood sing. this was what you'd been waiting for, you realized. this hunger. this need.

♱ you couldn’t be alone with her. you recognized your lack of will, your deference almost immediately and set about avoiding her when you could. you only realized she allowed it, was indulging your fancy, when she cinched your waist with an arm just outside of the dining room and pressed her thumb into your chin until your jaw hinged wide enough for her to see the tissue of your cheek.

♱ “enough of this,” she told you, and then closed your mouth. she leaned forward, flooding your mind with her saccharine perfume as she held your head inbetween her spindly fingers and pressed a kiss to your forehead. 

♱ she took to painting you. at first, it was formal portraits, the kind viktor commissioned. but soon the paintings changed—you in the garden, surrounded by hydrangeas, then by roses. you sleeping, hair spilled across silk pillows. you with bitten lips and eyes that held secrets. 

♱ you never told anyone how you'd pose for her in the dead of night, how your skin would flush under her gaze.

♱ "you're my best work," she'd whisper, fingers trailing over fresh canvas. "my masterpiece." her studio became your sanctuary, far from viktor's polite affections and careful touches. she never kissed you, but god, how you wanted her to.

♱ the sculptures started after your engagement was announced. you in marble, you in bronze, you eternally preserved in cold, beautiful stone. she worked feverishly, possessed by something you both couldn't name. "i'm making you immortal," she'd say, and her eyes would glow like embers. "isn't that what you want?" it was. it is.

♱ you found her old sketches one night—drawings of you as a child, then a teenager right before her abandonment of you, then a woman, dated through all the years she'd been gone. she'd never stopped watching you, never truly left. 

♱ the pages were stained with something dark at the edges. you traced them with your fingers, understanding finally what it meant to be beloved by something inhuman.

♱ "do you ever think about that night in the garden?" she asked once, hands covered in clay as she shaped your likeness. "when we first met?" you nodded, remembering the cold touch of her hand. "i knew then," she said, "that you'd be mine. but you didn’t understand it." 

♱ the way your heart raced at those words should have frightened you. instead, you whispered back, "i understand now."

♱ viktor speaks of jinx with a mixture of fear and reverence. "she's not right," he whispers against your neck one night, and you feel nothing but impatience at his touch. "the things she does in that studio..." but he never finishes the thought. the family—the coven, jinx’s voice corrected you—needs her, so they keep her close. 

♱ you need her too, but for entirely different reasons.

♱ sometimes she watches viktor touch you—at dinner parties, in the garden, during your dancing lessons. her eyes are molten in those moments, and later you find your face torn to pieces, canvas slashed with violent strokes of red. 

♱ anyone else would be terrified, but the desperation with which she wants you makes your body riot with heat. you begin to leave your windows open at night, hoping she'll come to claim what's hers.

♱ "sit still," she commands, and you do. you always do. she's sculpting your hands now, obsessing over every line, every vein. "beautiful," she murmurs, and her fingers trace the paths her chisel will follow. your pulse jumps beneath her touch. she smiles, knowing. you smile back, trembling and wanting.

♱ the studio walls are covered with you now. sleeping, laughing, reading, dancing—moments you don't remember posing for. "my muse," she calls you, but it feels more like worship. every angle of you captured, preserved, devoured by her artistry. you wonder if this is what it feels like to be transformed into myth, and if she would lash out at your desire to be her priestess instead of her god.

♱ you find her one night in the garden, beneath your hydrangeas. she's painting with something dark and wet, and the flowers are turning red beneath her brush. she’s upset, her spin flexing agitatedly. "your wedding is in a month," she says without looking up. "i'm running out of time." 

♱ you kneel beside her in the dirt, press your fingers to her cold cheek. "what do you need me to say in order for you to just take me?" you whisper. her eyes flash in the dark.

♱ the paintings change again. now they're fever dreams—you with wings of thorn, you with a crown of bones, you surrounded by writhing shadows. in every one, there's a crimson figure reaching for you. in every one, you're reaching back. they're no longer paintings but prophecies, and you ache for their fulfillment.

♱ "he'll never see you like i do," she tells you, circling your latest statue. “i know,” you answer. "he'll never capture your essence." her hand hovers over the marble's heart. “i—i know.” "he'll never make you eternal." the way she says it sounds like a promise. "i know,” your breathing is erratic now. “i don't want him to," you answer. "i only want you." 

♱ the sculpture shatters that night; neither of you mention the blood on her hands.

♱ you start finding dead hydrangeas on your pillow, their petals black with age. beneath them, sketches of you in a wedding dress, the train stained scarlet, the veil made of lace and gray shadow. her signature is always in red. you press the flowers between book pages, collecting them like love notes.

♱ "tell me about the night you disappeared," you ask her once, lying among the ruined canvases of her studio. she traces patterns on your throat instead of answering. "i had to become worthy of you," she finally says. "i had to learn how to keep you forever." you turn your head, bare your neck and spread your legs. she lies against you, begins to drag two finger to your center. "show me," you breathe. “please.”

♱ she eats you like she does everything else: wildly, insatiably, and relentless. you feel out of control, grasping at your thighs as you finish over her.

♱ the night before your wedding, she asks to paint you one last time. viktor warns against it, but you go anyway. her studio smells of copper and roses. 

♱ she doesn't use canvas this time. instead, her fingers trace runes on your throat, your wrists, your heart. "art needs sacrifice," she says, and her teeth gleam in the candlelight. "and i've waited so patiently. given you up for long enough." you think of all the years she watched, waited, wanted. your hands find her hair.  “stop waiting."

♱ your first night as her creature, you understand why she always painted in red. the world explodes into color you never knew existed—violets deeper than bruises, blues that pulse like veins, reds that sing of life itself. "everything's so beautiful," you whisper. she laughs against your throat. "this is just the beginning, baby."

♱ viktor never makes it to the altar. the coven whispers that he fled, abandoned his bride-to-be. only you and jinx know the truth of his final portrait, painted in shades of crimson and hung in the deepest chamber of her studio. his last gift to art. you understand now—true art should hurt a little.

♱ the garden blooms year-round now, hydrangeas stained perpetually dark with your midnight feedings. 

♱ "do you remember when you were afraid of me?" she asks one night, centuries after. you're both covered in bed, her mouth slick from where she’s been drinking. "i was never afraid," you correct her, licking the color from her fingers. "i think i just always loved you and found myself incomplete. that’s terrifying at thirteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty. and it never stops.”

♱ “good” she murmurs, and you know then that if you ever die she will be the thing that kills you.

caitlyn.

♱ she's been watching you grow into yourself for years. quiet, careful, always maintaining that perfect distance. you think she's just being professional—the respected vampire mediator, keeping an eye on the human liaison to her kind. 

♱ she knows better, knows what you are. she feels the pull every time you enter a room, like gravity shifting to accommodate your presence.

♱ you begin to speak to her, lay yourself bare. you find that she’s so attentive when she listens, her body twisting to match the shape of yours as she leans her chin on hands and never breaks her gaze.

♱ "you'll find them," she tells you one night, when you're crying in her study about another failed relationship. her hand hovers over your shoulder, not quite touching. "your perfect one is out there." 

♱ the lie tastes of rot in her mouth. she knows exactly where your perfect match is—sitting across from you, centuries old and terrified of how young you are.

♱ you bring her wine she can't drink and tell her your secrets. your life spills out of you, a thin timeline that is a speck in how long she’s lived. she collects each one like precious stones, storing them away with all the other pieces of you she's gathered over the years. 

♱ "i just want someone to look at me and know," you confess. she grips her desk until the wood creaks, fighting the urge to say: i know. i've always known.

♱  she can’t help herself in some ways. there are some things she can't hide, one of them being her favor. books appear on your desk about subjects you mentioned wanting to learn. your favorite flowers stay blossomed in winter outside your window. a shadow follows you home on dangerous nights. you think she's just being kind. she's being careful—so, so careful.

♱ "do you ever feel it?" you ask her once. "that pull toward someone? like your whole body already knows them?" she looks at you for a long moment, memorizing the way moonlight catches in your dilated eyes. for a moment, she zones out and listens to your body pump and pulse. she hears your sudden arousal, the sticky syrupy run of your cunt as you watch her the swell of her chest.

♱ "yes," she says finally, slightly breathless. "i know exactly what you mean." you smile, relieved to be understood. she turns away, centuries of control cracking.

♱ when you finally find out, it's not gentle. there's a fight, an ancient vampire who gets too close, wounds you and tells you too much. 

♱ "ask your protector why she keeps you close," he sneers before caitlyn tears him apart. "ask her why she won't let anyone else have you."

♱ you're magnificent in your rage. "all this time!" you seethe, hurling books at her head. "watching me cry about being alone. letting me think—" she catches a particularly heavy tome before it hits her face. 

♱ "i was trying to protect you," she starts. "from what?" you roar. "from me," she whispers. 

♱ you settle and she finds it worse than the rage.“caitlyn, you are my mate. out of everyone, you could only ever save me.” 

♱ "i've lived centuries," she tries to explain. "i've seen everything this world has to offer. i didn't want to take your chance at a normal life. you will resent me as time passes. that is the truth." you laugh, bitter and broken. "that wasn't your choice to make. and it was the wrong one. resent you? it’s as if you don’t even know me."

♱ she finds you in her study at midnight, surrounded by her journals. centuries of entries about you, dreams at frist—about the pull, about fighting it. then you came into the world and it was real, more terrifying. 

♱ "when?" you ask, voice raw. "when did you know?" she kneels beside your chair, finally letting herself touch your hand. "the moment you walked into my office five years ago. it felt like walking into sunlight after an endless night."

♱ "i've memorized all your habits," she confesses one night, when you're still angry but can't stay away. "the way you tap your fingers when you're thinking. how you always have to turn to an even-numbered page in a book before you leave it. the exact sound of your heartbeat when you're about to cry." 

♱ you want to hate how well she knows you. instead, you ache.

♱ she starts leaving collections of letters for you, months of longing bound in leather. you read about the first time she saw you smile, how she had to leave the room because the wanting was too much. about all the times she nearly shattered, nearly told you, nearly gave in. 

♱ "i wrote novels of you," she whispers when you confront her. "i just couldn't let you read them."

♱ "i want to know," you demand one evening, tired of careful distance. "show me what it feels like." 

♱ she presses her hand to your chest, lets you feel the pull that's been tormenting her for years. it's like drowning in fire, like every love poem ever written condensed into a single touch. 

♱ "oh," you breathe. "why did you keep this from me?"

♱ you find her old paintings hidden away—you in every season, every light. she's captured moments you didn't even know she witnessed. 

♱ "i told myself it wasn't possessive if i never showed anyone," she admits. you trace a picture of yourself sleeping, rendered in oils and longing. you turn to her, face open and wet. "what if i wanted to be possessed?"

♱ the first time she kisses you, it's like coming home. "i'm still angry," you murmur against her lips. “furious even.” her hands shake as they frame your face. "i know. i'll spend decades earning your forgiveness." 

♱ you bite her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. "decades? is that all?"

♱ she tries to maintain control even now—always asking permission, always holding back. you learn to break her resolve with casual touches, with bared skin, with whispered confessions. "let go," you tell her, pressing closer. "i want you to trust yourself so implicitly, that you let yourself go. i'm not made of glass." 

♱ when she finally does, there are stars exploding behind your eyes and gunfire in your head. you will never forget the feel of her, her cunt swollen and pink and weeping against you.

♱ "i used to stand outside your door at night," she admits, tracing patterns on your bare shoulder. "listening to you breathe, making sure you were safe." you should find it creepy. instead, you think of all the nights you felt protected without knowing why.

♱  "next time," you say, "come inside."

♱ you start finding little gifts—first editions of books you mentioned loving, antique jewelry that matches your eyes, pressed flowers from centuries ago. "i've been collecting things for you," she explains, shy suddenly. "since before the day we met." 

♱ you wear her history around your neck, let her sink into your blood.

♱ sometimes you catch her watching you with that old hesitation. you've learned to read it now—the fear that she's taking too much, loving too deeply. "i choose this," you remind her, pressing your wrist to her mouth. "i choose you." she kisses your pulse point like a prayer.

♱ "i thought i was protecting you," she whispers one night, when you're tangled in her sheets and her guilt. "but i was really protecting myself. from how much i could love you. from how much it would destroy me to lose you." 

♱ you kiss the confession from her lips. "you will never lose me. but i will ruin you, if you ever try to keep me from you again. in any fashion.”

♱ she shivers, understands that you are saying this as a vow. she rolls you over, climbs on top of you, tries to tear apart your body to find a place to stay.

ambessa.

♱ she never looks at you. not really. you're furniture to her, useful and invisible. you clean lip stains from her wine glasses, replace torn sheets, erase all evidence of her endless parade of lovers. sometimes you find drops of blood on the marble floor and wonder what it would taste like to be wanted by her.

♱ "excellent work as always," she says without turning around. you've just finished clearing away another morning-after scene—scattered clothes, broken crystal, the lingering scent of sex and copper in the air. her praise feels like acid in your chest. 

♱ you want her to see you. you want her to devour you. you want, you want, you want.

♱ you keep track of her lovers in your mind, a masochistic catalog. the willowy blonde who screamed her name. the dark-haired man who left claw marks on her sheets. the redhead who stayed for three nights (a record). 

♱ none of them last. none of them matter. but they get to taste her, and you're just the ghost who cleans up their remains.

♱ "my perfect attendant," she calls you, when she bothers to speak to you at all. she doesn’t even know your name, yet you know every detail of her life—how she takes her blood (warm, with a drop of rum), which silk sheets she prefers (harvest gold, 800 thread count), the exact temperature she likes her chambers (a cool 65 degrees). 

♱ you know everything except what her fangs would feel like against your throat.

♱ it breaks on a tuesday. you find another lover's scarf wound around her bedpost, stained with blood and something else. your hands shake as you untie it. maybe they were kept captive with it. ungrateful. she wouldn’t have to hold you down for anything. you would prostate, beg for her. you would be good.

♱ "leave it," her voice commands from the doorway. you turn, and finally, finally she's looking at you. but all you can see is the fresh bite mark on her neck, already healing. 

♱ something about it needles at you, guts you. she usually doesn’t let them bite her back. "no," you whisper. then louder: "no." 

♱ she raises an eyebrow, amused at your defiance. "excuse me?" the scarf falls from your trembling fingers. 

♱ "i can't—i won't do this anymore. i can't keep cleaning up after them. after you. i can't—" your voice breaks. tears spill down your cheeks. her amusement vanishes. 

♱ “my entire life, i’ve been right there. and i know you know. i know you can smell it.” you practically hiss it. “every day, i debase myself in front of you. i can never hate you but i want to get close.”

♱ "you're dismissed," she says quietly. you laugh through your tears. of course. of course she'd throw you away the moment you showed weakness. 

♱ you leave without packing your things, without looking back. you don't see her expression as she watches you go, the way her fingers dig into the doorframe hard enough to splinter wood.

♱ another coven takes you in. lesser nobles, but they're kind enough. you don't have to clean up after anyone's trysts. you don't have to smell blood on sheets or wonder about the sounds coming from behind closed doors. you should be happy. 

♱ instead, you dream of her every night. hot, detailed, torrid visions that make you wake weak and wet.

♱ a month passes. then two. you learn to breathe again, to exist in spaces that don't smell like her perfume. "you seem sad," your new mistress says. you force a smile. "only tired." 

♱ gyou don't tell her that every room feels wrong, that every bed you make feels empty without gold upon it.

♱ she comes for you on a moonless night. you're changing linens (always changing linens, even here) when the temperature drops. "did you think i would let you go so easily?" her voice slides down your spine like ice. you don't turn around. you can't. “i thought you’d have returned by now, would have reconsidered what you gave up.”

♱ "look at me," she commands. you've never been able to deny her anything. she's exactly as beautiful as you remember, but her eyes are different. starved. "my perfect attendant," she purrs. "do you know how many lovers i've taken since you left?" you flinch. she smiles. "none."

♱ "come home," she says, like it's that simple. you gather your pride around you like armor. “why should i?” her eyes flash. "because you're mine." you laugh, bitter and bright. "i am—i’m not a medarda. i was never yours. i was your furniture, remember? you didn’t even call me by name." 

♱ for the first time in centuries, ambessa medarda looks uncertain.

♱ she starts leaving gifts—not just jewelry and silk, but tokens of attention. oysters, shelled and presented to make your consumption easier. books you'd mentioned wanting to read, when you thought she wasn't listening. a bottle of the perfume you wear, worth more than your yearly salary. you send them all back. she needs to learn that you can't be bought.

♱ "tell me how to fix this," she demands one night, appearing in your chambers. you're still in your evening dress from serving at the coven's gathering, throat on display and adorned with delicate chains. her eyes fix on your nervous swallow. 

♱ "you can't just command everything better," you say softly. "not this time."

♱ she follows you to another gathering, watching from shadows as you serve blood-wine to lesser vampires. you're dressed in black silk, your neck a graceful line adorned with gold. the whole room's attention shifts when you move—too many hungry eyes, too many sharp smiles. you pretend not to notice. the attention means nothing; it isn’t hers.

♱ you hear her growl when one of them gets too close, asking if you'd like to "serve privately." before she can move, you handle it yourself: a polite smile, a steel-edged refusal. you've learned to navigate these waters. you don't need her protection.

♱  (but oh, how your heart races when you feel her rage across the room. you’re almost sick with it.)

♱ "they want to devour you," she seethes later, cornering you in an empty hallway. "i can smell their desire. their need." you meet her gaze steadily. "now you know how it feels." 

♱ understanding dawns in her eyes, followed by something darker. "is this what you felt? watching me with them?" you turn away. her hand catches your wrist. "answer me."

♱ "yes," you whisper. "every night. every morning. watching you choose everyone but me. wanting—" your voice breaks. her grip tightens. "wanting what?" you pull away. "everything. anything. just one taste of being yours."

♱ she moves differently after that. 

♱ no more commands, no more assumptions. she courts you properly, like you're something precious. leaves letters detailing all the things she noticed but never said. how graceful your hands are when you pour wine. how your hair settles against your back when you sleep. how she missed your scent in her chambers.

♱ "i may have taken you for granted," she admits one evening. you're both in her study, you perched carefully out of reach. "i thought you would always be there. my perfect girl." her laugh is self-deprecating. "i didn't realize i was losing my only match."

♱ another gathering. another dress. this time when the vampires stare, she's at your side. "she’s spoken for," she says evenly. you raise an eyebrow. "am i?" her hand finds your waist, possessive but questioning. "if you wish to be."

♱ "make me believe it," you challenge. she watches you, then sinks low. she’s kneeling before you and the sight makes you dizzy—ambessa medarda, on her knees. the room goes silent. 

♱ "i have loved you," she says, loud enough for all to hear, "in all the wrong ways. let me love you properly." you touch her chin, tilt her face up. "prove it."

♱ she relearns you slowly, deliberately. no more invisible servant—now she watches openly as you move through her chambers. "tell me if you want me to stop," she says, but you don't. you want her to see everything she missed before.

♱ "you've redecorated," she notes one night, when you finally return to her rooms. you've replaced the golden silk with deep purple, changed the artwork, rearranged the furniture. made it yours. "i'm not here to clean up after you anymore," you remind her. she traces a finger along your jaw. "no. you aren’t."

♱ the first time she feeds from you, it's like death— you are breaking apart all at once; you are coming together and it is sweet.

♱ "you taste like nectar," she breathes against your throat. you thread fingers through her hair, holding her close. "you taste like mine," you answer. she shudders against you.

♱ the next time she kneels for you is in the drawing room, her head beneath your skirts and your legs on her shoulders. she laps at you, pulls orgasm after orgasm from you until you kick at her back. even then she continues, with fingers instead of tongue. the pain, the pleasure—it’s endless.

♱ old habits die hard—sometimes she still tries to command rather than ask. but now when she slips, you arch an eyebrow and wait. "please," she'll correct herself, the word foreign and stilted on her tongue. you reward her with kisses that always spiral out of control.

♱ you keep one of her old lover's scarves, tucked away in a drawer. sometimes when she's being particularly imperious, you take it out, let her see it. "i could leave again," you remind her. she pulls you into her lap, buries her face in your neck. "you won’t. it won’t be as easy. you know this." you gasp as her teeth sink in.

♱ "do you miss it?" she asks once. "taking care of me?" you run your fingers along her spine. "i still take care of you. i just do it as your equal now."

♱ she presses you into silk sheets, whispers "show me" against your skin. you do.

♱ you catch her watching you dress for bed, something vulnerable in her eyes. "what is it?" you ask. "i suppose i keep waiting," she admits, "for you to decide that you would like something different." you straddle her lap, cradle her face in your hands. "i decided that i deserve exactly what i chose."

♱ the other covens still whisper—about how the great ambessa medarda let a servant become her consort, about how she kneels for you in private (did it in public, even). they don't understand that she's never been stronger than when she's yielding to you.

♱ besides, it is you who often submits. she drives you insane with how much you need her. you just force her to work for it. 

♱ "sweet girl," she calls you now, never attendant. occasionally, she speaks your name, usually in the midst of pleasure. you're arranging flowers in her study (old habits), and she's watching you like you're something holy. 

♱  you meet her eyes in the mirror. "yes, mistress?" 

♱ her eyes darken. she rolls up her sleeves, comes over.

sevika.

♱ she comes to collect on a sunday. you're serving tea to your mother when the door creaks open—no knock, no warning. just sevika, silco's enforcer, filling the doorway like an omen. 

♱ "time to pay up," she drawls, flashes teeth. your mother starts to cry. you pour another cup of tea.

♱ "would you like some?" you ask, steady-handed despite your racing heart. she blinks, caught off-guard by your composure. "what?" you gesture to the cup. "it's jasmine. very soothing." 

♱ her laugh is sharp as broken glass. "you think tea will save you from your family's debts?" "no," you say simply. "but it might buy me an hour to pack." 

♱ she studies you over the rim of the teacup she doesn't remember accepting. you pretend not to notice how she watches your throat when you swallow hard. "one hour," she agrees. you hide a smile in your cup.

♱ one hour becomes one day. becomes one week. becomes one month. you're clever with your delays—always just reasonable enough, always with something to offer. "you're playing a dangerous game, priya," she warns you. 

♱ your fingers brush hers as you hand her another cup of tea. "i know."

♱ she begins to linger after delivering silco's threats and your family home becomes a strange fairytale in this winter—ice flowers blooming on windows, shadows moving like living things, sevika's footsteps echoing on wooden floors. you serve tea in your grandmother's bone china cups, and sometimes there are teeth marks on the rims that weren't there before.

♱ you always meet in your mother's parlor, all faded elegance and desperate pride. snow falls outside like ash, and the samovar steams in the corner, waiting. when sevika enters, the dark worn world follows her—frost crawling up the windows, ice crystallizing in your lungs. you never stood a chance at escape. so you just shift the goal.

♱ you learn that her mechanical arm aches in the cold, the phantom of the real one haunting her. that she has a secret fondness for your mother's butter cookies. 

♱ "you're stalling," she tells you over and over. "yes," you agree. "is it working?"

♱ your mother catches on first. "oh, clever girl," she whispers, watching sevika watch you over dinner. "but be careful. a jaguar is still a jaguar even if it hides its teeth." you think of the way sevika's hands shook when you touched her last, how she pulls back if you flinch even slightly at her approach. "mmm. the jaguar is still a cat."

♱ your first kiss tastes like smoke and metal. she's furious about something—another clever excuse, another day bought—and you silence her with your mouth. she pulls back, eyes wide. 

♱ "you can't seduce your way out of this," she tells you, her voice almost dead. you trace her bottom lip with your thumb. "i’m not trying to. my desire for you is a separate thing."

♱ she brings you gifts that feel like warnings: a silver hairpin sharp enough to kill, a red cloak lined with raven feathers, a ring set with stones that look like frozen blood. "are you trying to save me or damn me?" you ask, letting her fasten the clasp at your throat. she kisses your pulse point. "both. neither. everything."

♱ you find out she's older than your great-grandmother's grandmother. "does it bother you?" she asks roughly. you're curled in her lap, mapping the scars on her human hand. "does what bother me? that you're ancient?" she pinches your side. you kiss her neck. "you're just well-preserved."

♱ eventually, your meddling works. after one too many unsuccessful collections, silco summons you both. 

♱ "fascinating," he muses, taking in sevika's protective stance, your carefully blank expression. "you've found quite an interesting solution to your family's situation." you meet his knowing gaze. you let your heart marr your face with its emotion. "oh, how sweet,” he murmurs. “marry my enforcer, erase the debt. is this what you want?"

♱ “i want to live,” you answer, with your jutting out. you feel sevika turn and look at you, feel the realiztion come that she’s been a (delightful) means to an end. 

♱ "you’ve been using me," she accuses later, pressing you against your bedroom wall. "from the first day.” you wrap your arms around her neck. pull at her hair until her head falls back."yes." she shudders. "why?" you kiss her mechanical knuckles. "because i see you and you see me. really see me. you know i am wicked and you still drink my tea.”

♱ she fucks you hard, fast. your stomach is bruised from where she holds you, your legs nicked by her claws as she grabs you when you try to scramble away. she’s mean, understandably confused and maybe even feeling betrayed. you let her rut her frustration onto your cunt, gasp softly as she laps her slick from between your folds. 

♱ “i should drain you,” she murmurs into your sweat-slick neck. you pull away, grasp her jaw. “i often thought that you should eat me. dreamed of it. sometimes,” you confess, “i even came. i had to squirrel away the sheets before my mother could find them.” she shakes, slips a finger inside of you. “liar,” she accuses. “if that makes it easier,” you respond.

♱ "my mother believes i did this to save us" you tell her one night, snow gathering on the windowsills like secrets. "she thinks i'm sacrificing myself." sevika's hand whirs as she pulls you closer. "aren't you?" you smile against her throat. "i only reward myself in this life. it’s not a sacrifice if you really want it."

♱ your wedding preparations become a dance of power and submission. you choose a lavish black dress with silver threading for the rehersal, drape yourself in diamonds cold as death. "you look like you're already one of us," sevika murmurs, and you can't tell if she's pleased or terrified. "isn't that what you really want?" you ask. her silence tastes pleasant.

♱ the night before your wedding, you find her in the garden, snow melting around her feet. "having second thoughts?" you ask, wrapping your arms around her waist. she rocks into you. "wondering when exactly i lost control of this," she admits. you press closer, sharing warmth she doesn't need. "bold of you to assume you ever had it."

♱ your wedding is a power play, a business transaction, a love story written in blood and tea leaves. you wear red and gold, traditional colors for a vampire's bride. sevika looks at you like she's drowning. "still think i'm just a clever little girl?" you whisper during your first dance. she kisses you hard enough to break your jaw. "you're the most dangerous woman i've ever met."

♱ you move into her quarters in silco's mansion—all dark wood and darker secrets. at night, you hear screams from the lower levels, but you never flinch. instead, you pour tea rigidly in cups rimmed with gold, light candles that smell of grape and amber, create a home in the heart of a monster's lair.

♱ "you should be more afraid of me," she tells you one night, after you've watched her tear someone apart. you're helping her clean blood from her joints, gentle and thorough. "what’s the point? i’m in this now. anway, you should be afraid of me," you counter, pressing a kiss to her gore-stained knuckles. her laugh catches in her throat.

♱ silco watches you at dinner parties, amused by how you've tamed his beast. but he doesn't see how you feed her morsels from your fingers, how your soft touches leave her trembling, how your love is its own kind of violence. how you aren’t afraid to lash her with it, refuse her affection to keep her in line. you know she needs this, that she’s rarely had it before.

♱ "you've made her weak," he accuses. you smile, all teeth. "i've made her mine."

♱ you develop rituals together, sacred as prayer and sharp as knives. every night, you clean her mechanical arm—each gear, each plate, each deadly piece. your hands never shake, even when they're stained with someone else's blood. "my good girl," she murmurs, and you pretend not to notice how her voice trembles.

♱ the tea ceremony becomes something close to holy between you. your grandmother's samovar, polished until it shines like a mirror, brewing tea dark as sin. you pour with steady hands while she tells you about the night's violence. 

♱ sometimes you taste copper in the cup and realize she's kissed the rim, leaving traces of her work behind. you drink it anyway.

♱ you draw her baths after hunts, water turning pink with vicera that isn't hers. she lets you wash her hair, lets you trace the scars on her back, lets you piece her together again. "i could kill you just like this," she says when you massage her scalp. you kiss her shoulder. "i’d drag you down."

♱ on cold nights, you brush and braid her hair, weaving in strips of leather and small, sharp blades. your touches are gentle but your intentions aren't, and she knows it. "am i pretty enough yet?" she teases. you rest your chin on her shoulder, dig down. "you’re easily the most beautiful thing i’ve ever seen." her pupils dilate and her legs part, so you reach a hand around her waist to drag between them.

♱ the other vampires think it's sweet, how you wait up for her. they don't see how you position yourself by windows, arranging your reflection to watch all the doors. how your devotion has teeth.

♱ you keep her schedule in a leather-bound book, writing in codes you invented as a child. meetings marked in red ink, kills in black, feeding times in gold. "my good little wife," she coos, but you catch her studying the patterns you create, trying to decode your secrets.

♱ sometimes she brings you presents from her hunts—jewelry still warm from its previous owners, books with bloodstained pages. you accept them with genuine delight, arrange them carefully in your shared space. "magpie," she calls you fondly. "collecting pretty things." you don't tell her that she was your first collection. your most prized.

♱ your bedroom becomes a museum of decadent violence—diamond necklaces with broken clasps, antique daggers hung like artwork, silk sheets that have seen both birth and death. you keep her arm's spare parts in a velvet-lined box beside your perfumes.

♱ "do you ever regret it?" she asks one night, watching you stitch up a wound on her human arm. your needle is silver, your thread is silk, your hands are sure. "falling in love with someone—someone like me?" 

♱ you tie off the suture with precise fingers. "you simply have claws and i’ve always believed love was meant to scar." she kisses you, surging forward to suck you up.

bonus: vi. 

♱ you first notice her at the local underground fighting rings, all raw power and feral grins. you can smell what she is - werewolf, obviously - but she's so young and unrefined in her movements that you assume she must be newly turned. still, something about her draws your centuries-old heart.

♱ you only dare to attend the fights under the guise of accompanying your brother, a known patron of these brutal entertainments. each night you tell yourself you'll stop coming, stop watching her. each night you fail, drawn to the way she dominates the ring with savage grace. you wonder if she could make you fall like that. 

♱  she catches you watching one night, corners you in the shadowy hallway with a grin that's all teeth. "see something you like, vamp?" she asks, and you flush. 

♱ you turn, run away, your chest clenching tightly as you remember her in the privacy of your rooms. your fingers work deep inside you and you let out a small wail as you think of her tattooed hands inside you instead.

♱ she keeps showing up at your usual haunts, those golden eyes following you with an intensity that makes your dead heart flutter. when she finally approaches you again, her flirting is clumsier but endearing, and you find yourself charmed by this baby wolf despite yourself. 

♱ “it’s good to meet you under proper circumstances, vi,” you say and her eyes shine at her name.

♱ your "guidance" begins with teaching her to hunt properly, but she always seems to know exactly where to find her prey. you chalk it up to natural instinct until you notice how the other wolves defer to her in passing. still, the way she looks at you with those eager eyes makes you forget your suspicions.

♱ quiet moments become your undoing - the way she brings you still-warm blood in crystal glasses, how she curls around you on cold mornings like you're pack. you find yourself sharing centuries of secrets, and she listens with an ancient patience that should have been your first clue.

♱ the first time she takes you to her territory, deep in the woods where the trees whisper ancient songs, you feel the power thrumming through the earth. she presses you against the bark and holds you as you’re ravaged by the first feel of the werewolf bond. you let her. her hands leave bruises that heal too quickly.

♱ you convince yourself it's only in your head, her unwavering attention, just the mental thrill of forbidden fruit. but then she starts leaving little gifts where only you'll find them - a baby blue ribbon for your throat or hair, a wolf's tooth on a golden chain. each token makes your dead heart ache with something you dare not name.

♱ but the world cannot allow you peace. the tension between covens and packs grows thicker than old blood. you see it in the way your kind bare their fangs at passing wolves, in how the wolves' eyes gleam with barely contained violence in return.

♱ still, you meet her in secret, pretending the world isn't fracturing around you.

♱  when the council announces the marriage alliances, you volunteer quickly - anything to make living easier for her. she is young, has so much ahead of her. you arrive at court in your finest blacks, ready to do your duty. then you see her standing among the pack leaders, power radiating from her like the sun.

♱ it's when, in the middle of this supernatural court, that someone addresses her as "heir apparent" and your world tilts on its axis. the realization hits like a stake to the heart. 

♱ vi, heir to the most powerful pack in the territory, had been letting you believe she was some untrained pup. the way you’ve been treating her is deeply disgraceful. you can feel her eyes burning into you as you swear your agreement to whatever contract, make your excuses, and flee under the pretense of preparing for the following diplomatic talks.

♱ your pride wounded, you avoid her for days that stretch into weeks. but she's persistent - leaving gifts at your door, handwritten notes that smell of earth and pine. your resolve weakens with each gesture, even as you try to stay angry

♱ she finds you anyway, because of course she does. she corners you in your own haven, and there's nothing puppy-like about her now. her power fills the room like smoke, making your knees weak. "enough games," she orders, and when she kisses you this time, there's no pretense of submission.

♱ "i know i withheld, but i only wanted to keep this.” you say nothing, raise a hand to sound the servants bell. she grasps your fingers, holds your hand. “i know you’re upset, but did you really think i'd let them marry you off to some other wolf?" she’s walking you forward, backing you against the library shelves. 

♱ "i've been working for months to position myself as the logical choice for this alliance." her laugh is dark and rich against your throat. “even brought up the damn idea myself.”

♱ “i wasn’t listening,” you finally say. “i only answered to leave faster. to be less humiliated.” she softens at that.

♱ "that wasn’t ever the intention, my love.” you look away. “but did you really think i was some newborn pup?" she whispers against your throat, teeth grazing your skin. "i've been alpha-in-training since before you noticed your first gray hair, little bat."

♱ "all those nights at the fights," she continues, "watching you try to hide your interest from your brother, from everyone. knowing you thought you were being so careful with the naïve little wolf." her hands grip your hips possessively. "when really, i was just waiting for the perfect moment to claim what's mine.”

♱ the way she manhandles you onto your own bed leaves no doubt about who's really in charge. 

♱ "my sweet girl," she groans as she marks your throat, your chest, your thighs. "watching you try to show me how to track when i could smell your desire from miles away. how to fight when i've led warriors. but gods, the way you touched me like i was new to this world…"

♱  she bullies her fingers into you, milks you until you cry. after, her mouth finds your cunt and she eats of you—slurping so loudly that you cover your face with embarrassment. she only grins, laps at you harder. you white out as she orders you to cum again.

♱ and so the war that threatened to tear your worlds apart becomes the very thing that lets you keep her. your nights are filled with new lessons now - how her pack honors the old ways, how the moon-song flows through her bloodline. in public, you play the part of diplomatic necessity. in private, she follows your body like law until your weeping and can barely stay up.

♱ she returns from hunts, blood-drunk and fierce but still gentle as she pulls you close. you think that perhaps being prey wasn’t the worst thing. this was your way of finally belonging to something wild and true.

© hcneymooners.

I keep seeing Sevika with glasses

So here this

• Denial Is a River in Zaun, Sevika is 1000% convinced her eyes are fine. “I don’t need glasses, you’re just blurry,” she says while squinting directly at your forehead instead of your eyes.

• Hot Girl Nearsightedness, She tries to play it off like she’s intimidating when she’s really just trying to figure out if she’s glaring at Silco or a lamp. You once caught her threatening a coat rack.

• You teasingly call her “Granny Vika” every time she squints or holds something at arm’s length. She grumbles and grabs your ass in retaliation. “Still strong enough to put you over my knee, sweetheart.”

• She Hates the Exam, You finally drag her to an eye exam. She tries to flirt her way out of it. until you sit in her lap and whisper, “If you behave, I’ll let you keep them on while you wreck me later.”

• First Time With Glasses, She puts them on and blinks a few times. “Shit… is that what you look like?” now she won’t stop staring at you like you’re the Mona Lisa with thighs.

• She only wears them around the house, mostly shirtless, reading a book while lounging on the couch. “Ma’am… you can’t just look like someone’s sexy literature professor and expect me to focus.” You tell her. She adjusts glasses slowly “Then don’t.”

• You once walked in on her wearing her glasses, hair messy, tank top half-riding up, reading and you just melted.

• Glasses Stay On, First time you kissed her while she was wearing them, you fogged them up so bad she had to take them off. Now she keeps lens wipes by the bed. She calls it “battle prep.”

• Ultimate Weakness, You grab her glasses and wear nothing else. She stops whatever she’s doing—mid-sentence, mid-sip, mid-growl—and just stares. “…Goddamn. Come here. I can’t even be mad.”

"If I cannot be wanted, I will be needed and if I cannot be needed let me be used until there's nothing left of me."

I swear I heard this quote and their faces just popped up in my head both Sevika and Vi even though hold polar opposite views and stand on opposite sides still manage to be unbelievably similar to eachother how they both at the end of the day are big emotionally messed up kind hearted women whose situations just made it impossible for them to love freely and of course live without opression god I am so down bad...

Hello 😊

I want to request some soft morning fluff with Sevika or Ambessa. Waking up in each other arms, slow morning vibes.

Thank you so much ❤️

Love youuu and your writing 😘

- t.04 🦇

Waking Up With Them (Ft. Sevika & Ambessa Medarda)

₊˚⊹ᰔ Sevika ₊˚⊹ᰔ

When you wake up next to Sevika, she's snoring softly. Not as loud as she is during the night but the sound is now soft and relaxed. Her arm is wrapped around your waist and mechanical arm rested on the bedside table so she wouldn't hurt you by accident.

Sevika's eyebrows were slightly knitted together into some sort of expression of relaxation but you couldn't exactly place it. You sigh and place your arms around her broad shoulders as you run your hands through her hair. The chirping of the birds outside wakes you up every morning and so the both of you don't need to set an alarm.

You yawn, squeezing your eyes shut for a bit before reopening them and looking at Sevika.

"Baby, wake up," you mumble and kiss down her jaw, "Wakey, darling," you call out again.

Sevika groans and lets go of your waist, turning around and hogging most of the blanket. You shake your head and grab her shoulder, pulling it to make her turn to your side again, "Baby, wake up! You'll be late!"

Sevika's grey eyes snap open and she groans. Her flesh hand reaches to rub her eyes groggily as she sits up hastily. You remain laid next to her as you watch her regain her bearings. She looks at you with her tired, sunken eyes.

"Another Tuesday," Sevika grumbles.

"Another Tuesday," you repeat and pull her into your chest so her her head was laid on your chest, listening to the soothing sound of your heartbeat, "I'll make you pancakes for breakfast."

Sevika grins, "The fluffy ones?"

"Mhm," you hum back.

"I love you."

"I love you too, you big cuddle bear."

₊˚⊹ᰔ Ambessa Medarda ₊˚⊹ᰔ

When you wake up next to Ambessa, you're suddenly not next to her anymore. She's not there. The luxurious, silken bedsheets now feel worthless without her warmth and imposing figure snuggled close to you. You groan and turn onto your back, staring at the expensive ceiling with squinting eyes.

"Good morning, dearest," Ambessa's voice rings out suddenly and you look at her, eyes slightly wide.

"Oh, hi..." You shuffle to sit up, back leaning against the headboard, "Good morning." You yawn, "When did you wake up?"

"5:00 am," Ambessa answers and stirs with a spoon that was dwarfed by her hand, the small china cup of tea on the table forms a small cloud of honey tea, "I was training."

"Oh," you watch her walk to you with the tea, grinning at her, "Thanks," you take it and take a sip from the cup, "It's really good," you say with a smile. You set the cup away, "Come here."

"I'm—" Ambessa sighs, "—sweaty."

She finishes and takes a step away from the bed. Not a big step, just a little bit distance. You sigh and extend your arms, "Get over here." You say, you knew all Ambessa wants to do, seeing your sleep-drunken figure, is hug you tight.

"I hope you know, this is less than ideal," Ambessa says but she doesn't waste a second, diving in and tackling you to lay back onto the bed. You squeak and giggle heartily. Ambessa stuffs her face in your neck and kisses down your collarbone.

"Now, it's a good morning."

★ — MY BLOODY VALENTINE | Ch 4

3.3ᴋ ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ | ꜱᴛᴀʟᴋᴇʀ!ꜱᴇᴠɪᴋᴀ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

CW: Stalking, Angst, Smut, TOXIC yuri, death, murder, 1980s, mention of blood, depression, homophobia, masturbation, dub-con, size kink if you squint, mommy kink, corruption, virginity, fingering, this shit is dark - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

A/N: alright guys i really struggled with this chapter

You had barely disappeared around the corner—shoulders hunched, eyes burning, your footsteps echoing fast and uneven—when Sevika stepped out from the stairwell.

She’d seen everything.

The yelling. The tears. The way Jinx shouted those words like knives. The way everyone looked at you like you were a freak show instead of a person.

Her jaw was tight. Her fists clenched at her sides.

She was already planning it.

What she was going to say to Jinx. How far she’d have to go. Whether she could make it look like an accident.

But then—

“Um—hey.”

Sevika blinked.

A girl was standing awkwardly near her locker a few feet away. You recognized her vaguely—junior class, soft features, big glasses, sleeves too long for her arms. She was wringing the strap of her backpack like it had personally wronged her.

“I—I’m sorry,” she said quickly, voice pitching up. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop or anything—well, okay, I was. Kind of. But not on purpose!”

Sevika raised a brow. “Okay.”

The girl took a breath. “I was just wondering if, um, if you maybe wanted to go to the fall dance. With me. As my date.”

Silence.

Sevika blinked once. “What?”

The girl turned bright red.

“You don’t have to! I just thought—y’know, since you’re, like, really cool. And tall. And mysterious. And terrifying in kind of a sexy way—”

Behind her, two more girls peeked around the corner. One of them hissed, “Did she do it?!”

“Shut up, she’s doing it!” the other whispered.

Sevika looked past her, eyes narrowing.

There were at least four more girls across the hall blatantly staring, whispering, giggling behind their hands.

One of them had drawn a little heart on her binder with S + ? = a little doodle of a knife and a heart

“…What the fuck,” Sevika muttered under her breath.

The girl in front of her looked mortified. “I—um—I really admire your... shoulders?”

Sevika exhaled through her nose and ran a hand down her face.

“I’m busy,” she said flatly. “But… thanks?”

The girl lit up like she just got proposed to.

“Ohmygodokaycoolthankyousomuchbye!”

She scampered off, nearly tripping over her untied shoelaces as the rest of the little fan club squealed behind her and scattered like pigeons.

Sevika stood there for a moment, blinking at the empty hallway.

And muttered to herself, “This is so fucked.”

Because somehow, she was the one being stalked.

And still, the only person she wanted…

Was already slipping further away.

You ran until your lungs burned.

Away from the hallway. Away from the whispers. Away from Jinx. From everything.

You pushed open the side doors and stumbled into the courtyard, the quiet suddenly deafening after the chaos inside. The fall breeze hit your face, sharp and cold, your cheeks flushed and damp. Your chest heaved, your heart still thundering in your ears.

And then—you heard it.

A soft, frantic splashing.

Your head snapped toward the old stone fountain at the center of the courtyard. The water inside was murky from falling leaves, coins long-rusted beneath the surface.

Something small and pale flailed near the edge.

A bunny. Tiny. Soaked. Terrified.

Its fur clung to its body, ears flattened, back legs kicking helplessly as it tried to reach the ledge. You gasped and rushed over, dropping to your knees.

“Hey, hey—it’s okay, I’ve got you,” you whispered, reaching into the cold water and carefully scooping it up.

The bunny trembled in your hands, but didn’t fight.

You pulled off your jacket and wrapped it gently around the creature, cradling it like something precious. Fragile. Worth saving.

And you didn't even notice the eyes on you.

Sevika.

She stood by the edge of the courtyard, half-hidden behind the archway, watching in silence.

Her fists, once clenched in anger, were now loose at her sides.

She watched you pet the bunny’s wet head, your lips moving gently as you cooed to it. She watched you blink away tears—not for yourself, but for a tiny creature who couldn’t save itself.

And in that moment, she felt it again.

That aching pull toward you.

The way you were good. Still good.

Even in a world that chewed people up and left them hollow.

She swallowed thickly, something bitter caught in her throat.

You were soft. Bright. And she was the opposite. All edges and shadow. She’d killed. Lied. Manipulated.

She didn’t deserve you.

But she still wanted you.

She finally stepped into the courtyard fully, her boots crunching across the gravel.

You looked up, startled. “Sevika—”

Her eyes dropped to the bunny still curled in your arms, then back to you.

“I didn’t think anyone would come out here,” she said quietly.

You gave a shaky laugh. “I needed a break.”

She nodded, walking closer. Slowly. Carefully. Like you might scatter if she came too fast.

“You helped it,” she murmured, eyeing the bunny.

“Of course I did,” you said softly. “It would’ve drowned.”

She stared at you. Really stared.

You didn’t even realize you were still crying. You looked down, brushing your fingers over the bunny’s ear.

“The world needs more people like you”

Sevika looked at you like you were something she couldn’t figure out whether to touch or protect—or destroy just to keep.

And she thought: God, you don’t even realize what you’ve saved me from. Or what she was willing to do to keep you.

You sat there on the stone edge of the fountain, bunny wrapped snug in your jacket, its little chest rising and falling in tiny, panicked pants. You kept petting it gently, hoping your touch meant safety—meant life.

Sevika knelt beside you now, her elbows resting on her knees, watching you. Watching everything.

The curve of your lip when you focused. The way your thumb moved in slow, calming circles on the bunny’s fur. The faint redness in your eyes from crying.

You looked breakable.

And yet, you were the only thing in her life that felt real.

“Do you ever wonder,” Sevika said after a moment, voice low, “what people would do if they saw who you really are?”

You blinked over at her. “What?”

She didn’t look at you.

She kept her eyes on the water. The ripples left from the bunny’s panic still moved across the surface like echoes.

“If you screamed everything you ever felt in the middle of a hallway,” she continued, “told everyone your worst secrets. Who do you think would stay?”

You thought of Jinx. You thought of everyone’s faces turning. You thought of the silence.

“…I don’t know,” you said. “But it’d be nice if someone did.”

She finally looked at you. And there was something in her eyes that scared you more than the letter in your drawer or the camera in the bear.

Not anger. Not cruelty.

Devotion. The kind that swallows.

“I would,” Sevika said. “I will. No matter what.”

Your lips parted, something fragile forming in your throat, but the words never came.

She shifted closer, her shoulder brushing yours. Warm. Solid. Familiar.

“You’re so good,” she murmured, her eyes flicking to your hands still cradling the bunny. “And I’m…”

She trailed off. Her voice felt like it came from somewhere deep and rotten.

“You’re not bad,” you said softly, without thinking. “You’re just… hurt.”

That landed hard.

She looked away, jaw flexing like she might laugh or cry or destroy something. Maybe all three.

You didn’t see it—but she had to clench her hands into fists to stop herself from reaching out.

She didn’t deserve this. Your kindness. Your softness. Your mercy.

But she wanted it more than anything in the world.

Before you could say anything else, the bunny twitched slightly and tried to climb from your arms. You helped guide it to the ground gently. It paused there—drenched, tiny, trembling—then hopped off into the grass and disappeared.

You both watched in silence.

The sun was starting to dip, casting long golden shadows through the windows of the record store. Dust danced in the air, caught in the light between spinning racks of vinyl and fading posters of Bowie and Blondie. You were behind the counter, elbows on the register, flipping absentmindedly through an old zine while a synth-pop track played faintly in the background.

You didn’t notice her across the street.

But Sevika did.

She stood half-shielded in the alley beside the pharmacy, camera in hand, finger on the shutter.

Click.

Through the glass, she captured you mid-laugh as you leaned over the counter to grab something from under the register. Click. You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. Click. You looked up toward the window like you’d felt her—but your gaze passed right through.

She lowered the camera slowly, lips parted just slightly, like even now—after everything—she was stunned by how much she wanted.

Then—

“Creepy.”

The voice came from just behind her.

Sevika turned fast, hand tightening around the camera.

Mel.

Hands in her coat pockets, one brow raised, that casual, too-cool smirk on her face.

“You always do that with girls you like?” she asked. “Hide behind a dumpster with a telephoto lens?”

Sevika didn’t say anything.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t lie.

She just stared at her.

Mel’s smirk faded, but not into disgust.

Into… something more curious. Calculating.

After a beat, she tilted her head. “You know, most people would run away screaming.”

Sevika raised a brow. “But not you?”

Mel shrugged. “Not judging. I’ve done some stupid shit for people who didn’t even look at me the same way. Let alone the way she looks at you.”

That got Sevika’s attention.

Mel stepped forward, her voice quieter now, the smirk gone.

“I’m not saying I get it,” she said. “But I understand wanting someone so bad you forget where the line is. Hell, sometimes you don’t even see it anymore.”

Sevika studied her for a long moment.

“…You gonna tell her?”

Mel snorted. “Please. I’ve got my own mess to worry about.”

Then she turned to walk off, only pausing once to glance back.

“Just don’t hurt her,” she said. “At least not more than you already have.”

Sevika watched her go, fingers tightening around the camera.

And behind the lens?

Still you.

Still perfect.

Still hers.

The doorbell above the record store jingled softly as Mel walked in, letting the warmth and hum of the place wash over her. The light inside felt too normal compared to the weird, charged moment she’d just left outside.

You looked up from behind the counter instantly, eyes lighting up. “Hey! I thought you were off today?”

Mel shrugged coolly, brushing a few curls behind her ear. “I was bored. Figured I’d stop by and bug you for free music”

You smiled faintly. “Bold of you to assume I’d give you free music.”

“Bold of you to assume I’d pay for it,” she shot back, grinning as she leaned on the counter like nothing was wrong. Like she hadn’t just caught Sevika creeping in the alley with a camera like a slasher in a leather jacket.

You turned to adjust a display behind the register, and for a moment—just a moment—Mel’s smile faded.

Her eyes flicked to the window.

To the alley.

She knew Sevika was still out there. Watching. Lurking like she always did.

And yet… Mel said nothing.

No warnings. No dramatic confrontation. No “hey, I just caught your maybe-girlfriend being very weird.”

She just leaned back, hands in her jacket pockets, and said casually, “You seem lighter today. Happier.”

You glanced back at her, a little shy. “I think things are finally settling.”

Mel gave you a nod and a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Good,” she said. “You deserve that.”

And still—she didn’t say a word.

Because some people keep secrets out of fear. But Mel? She kept them because sometimes, it’s easier to let someone else carry the madness.

Especially when you’ve carried your own.

It was one of those rare moments—so rare, it felt weird—when Sevika wasn’t hovering. No shadow at your back. No lingering stare from across the hall. Just sun, breeze, and a quiet spot on the edge of the courtyard where you were sitting alone, eating a peanut butter sandwich and rereading an old issue of Sassy like it might magically cure your social anxiety.

Then—

“Mind if I sit?”

You looked up.

Vi.

Pink hair, chipped nail polish, black leather jacket that looked more lived-in than most houses. She wasn’t new. You’d seen her around plenty. She mostly stuck to her own crowd—loud kids, band kids, the ones who made out behind the gym and smoked behind the auto shop. The ones who knew stuff.

You blinked. “Uh… sure.”

She dropped down next to you with zero hesitation, pulling an apple from her jacket pocket and taking a bite like she’d been planning to sit with you all along.

“Didn’t feel like dealing with the mouth-breathers today,” she said, nodding toward the crowded picnic tables.

You laughed, just a little.

“Been meaning to talk to you,” Vi added, a little more casually. “You’ve had… a lot going on.”

You tensed slightly but nodded. “Yeah. That’s one way to put it.”

Vi glanced over at you, eyes sharp but not unkind. “You holding up?”

You looked down at your lunch. “Trying to.”

Vi just hummed. “Good. You don’t seem like the type to fall apart.”

And across the courtyard—

Click.

A camera shutter snapped from the shadows of the main building’s overhang.

Sevika.

Standing perfectly still, one foot braced against the wall, camera raised to her eye. She didn’t lower it right away. She just stared through the lens, watching Vi’s hand gesturing mid-sentence, watching you smile—not forced, not scared, just… soft.

Too soft.

Sevika’s eyes narrowed.

Click.

Another photo.

This one perfectly framed. Vi laughing. Your head tilted toward her. Almost close.

She lowered the camera slowly.

Her jaw tightened. And in her chest, that heavy, cold thing started pulsing again.

Because she hadn’t decided what Vi was yet.

But after that smile?

She knew she’d be watching.

The bell rang, loud and final, cutting through the courtyard chatter like a blade. Around you, kids scrambled to grab backpacks and shove the rest of their lunch in their mouths as they shuffled toward the building.

You stood up slowly, tucking your magazine into your bag, and turned to Vi with a soft smile.

“This was nice,” you said honestly. “I, uh… didn’t expect company today.”

Vi slung her bag over one shoulder and gave you a lopsided grin. “Yeah, well. I like catching people off guard.”

You started walking together toward the doors when she suddenly nudged you gently with her elbow.

“Hey,” she said. “You got a number I can call? Y’know—if I wanna check in, or drag you to a punk show.”

You blinked, caught off guard. “Uh—yeah. But it’s my house line.”

“Old school,” Vi grinned. “I respect it.”

You reached into your bag, pulled out a pen, and scribbled your number onto the back of an old concert flyer she handed you.

“There,” you said, handing it back. “Just don’t call too late. My mom gets weird.”

“No promises,” she teased, tucking the paper into her pocket with a wink before disappearing into the building.

Across the courtyard, Sevika was still standing in the shadows.

She hadn’t moved.

Not when the bell rang. Not when the crowd shifted. Not even when Vi smiled at you like that.

Her fingers flexed around the camera. She didn’t take another photo.

She didn’t need to.

She had you memorized.

And now… someone else does too.

Backpacks were gone. Students filed inside, the bell echoing off the brick walls, swallowed by the closing doors.

Sevika hadn’t moved.

She stood in the shadow of the building, fists clenched at her sides, eyes still locked on the spot where you and Vi had stood—laughing, smiling, talking like Sevika wasn’t even real anymore. Like she was just background.

Her jaw ticked.

She was still holding the camera.

And then—

“Hey, Sevika!”

The voice was light. Breathless. Stupid.

She turned slowly.

Her. One of the fanclub girls. The one with the braces and glitter lip gloss. Her name might’ve been Marcy, or Macy—it didn’t matter.

She was alone. Too excited. Too trusting.

“I saw you out here and I was wondering if you wanted to, like, hang sometime? Just us?” She smiled, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. “I know it’s lame but I think you’re, like, the hottest girl in school and—”

Sevika didn’t speak.

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t even pretend to be polite.

She took one slow step forward.

The girl faltered. “I—I mean, I’m not weird or anything, I just—”

Another step.

The smile on the girl’s face flickered. “Are you… okay?”

Sevika didn’t answer.

And the school?

Didn’t have cameras. Couldn’t afford them.

No one else was around. No teachers. No students. Just the soft breeze brushing through the trees and the quiet snap of her camera as it slipped back into her bag.

She didn’t even need a weapon.

Not really.

By the time the bell for the next period rang, the courtyard was still empty.

Too empty.

And Sevika?

She walked back inside like nothing happened—just another student.

Marcy’s body wouldn’t be found until late that evening, stuffed behind the supply shed, her lip gloss crushed beneath a bootprint that didn’t match her size.

The local news blared in the living room while your mom chopped vegetables in the kitchen, half-paying attention. You were frozen in place, standing just inside the hallway, watching the screen like it might swallow you.

“—the victim, identified as seventeen-year-old Marcy Blanchard, was found earlier this evening behind the Southside supply shed on the campus of Silverpine High. Officials say the scene was ‘brutal,’ and that the student body is being advised to travel in pairs—”

You felt sick.

Your heart pounded as the anchor droned on about school safety policies and increased police presence. You barely made it up the stairs before your legs gave out and you collapsed onto your bed, trying to blink back the tears stinging behind your eyes.

You were about to go grab the phone to call Sevika when—

Rrrriiiiing.

The house phone on your nightstand lit up, the old green LED blinking with an incoming call. You grabbed it quickly, expecting her name. Hoping for it.

“Hello?”

At first, just static.

Then— A voice.

Disoriented. Distorted. Like it was being dragged through broken wires.

“Stay. Away. From. Her.”

Your breath caught. “Wh—who is this?”

“You think you’re special?” the voice hissed. “You think you get to smile and flirt and walk away untouched?”

“Please,” you whispered. “What do you want—”

“Stop talking to her. Or next time, they won’t find the body.”

Click.

The line went dead.

You sat there shaking, your fingers white-knuckled around the receiver as you slowly hung it up. Then you turned and immediately redialed Sevika’s number.

She picked up after two rings.

“Hey,” she said, calm as ever.

“Someone just called me,” you gasped. “They were—distorted, I don’t know who it was, but they knew about Vi. They said—God, Sevika, they said next time they won’t find the body—”

“Shhh,” she soothed. “Breathe. I’ve got you.”

You nodded against the receiver, trying not to fall apart completely. “Can you come over?”

A pause.

“I don’t think I should tonight.”

Your chest caved in.

“What? Why not?”

“It’s not safe,” she said carefully. “Whoever that was—if they’re watching, I can’t risk leading them to you. I’ll call tomorrow.”

You tried not to cry. Tried to be brave. But the line went quiet for a second too long, and your voice cracked.

“Okay.”

You hung up. You didn’t want to.

And when you turned your light off and crawled into bed, you couldn’t stop the tears from spilling down your cheeks.

Across town, in a dimly-lit room—

Sevika sat in front of her boxy CRT TV, the grainy black-and-white feed humming softly.

On the screen: you.

Curled up under your blanket, shoulders shaking.

Tears sliding silently down your cheeks.

She leaned back, arms crossed, eyes glued to the screen.

She could’ve come over.

But this?

This was better.

This was punishment. This was reminder. This was control.

And God, you were beautiful when you cried.

@glittzygorilla @vxtanne31 @leeidk87 @spinback-kiva @ half-of-a-gay @alessabriel @h3rprinc3zz

Hi! I suffer from Baldur's Gate brainrot. I just stumbled upon your blog and love your writing! Could you do some Astarion, Gale and Karlach headcanons for taking care of Tav after they're badly injured in battle?

Reckless Attack ❣

Grieve, weep, and agonize over a corpse - but know that death is never final in Faerun. The burden of injuries will instead always be present: pain is eternal, no matter how numb. ❥ Astarion/Tav, Gale/Tav, Karlach/Tav. ❥ TW: Descriptive mentions of injuries and gore. ❥ Act 2 spoilers. ❥ They/them pronouns for Tav. ❥ Tav is the nickname for the reader/oc insert. Their real name is up to you!

An Absolutist cult has gathered deep in the bowels of the forests of Rivington. Nothing out of the ordinary... Other than the sheer numbers they possess, creating a dense population of Absolute extremists gathered in stone ruins.

Adventuring parties that dare to end their machinations perished slowly and painfully. Their corpses - what is left of them - are displayed pierced from the gnarled branches of the trees, where they bleed out on the forest ground.

Tav, Astarion, Gale, and Karlach had a plan: throw a barrel full of smoke bombs into the middle of the ruins, firebolt, and profit. Except things didn’t go according to plan (they never do). That barrel was supposed to be at their rendezvous point, but the cultists found it before they did and thought it a gift from their Goddess.

Trapped in hiding, Tav decided to do what they do best: attack.

A potent necromancy curse was successfully cast on Tav, negating any healing spells thrown their way.

Well.

Fuck.

ASTARION

"As always, you refuse to listen to me. And now look at you: a mess. What did I say about running afool to the vanguard?" Astarion does not wait for their response. “Don't do it. It is smarter to be in the shadows in this instance. And what did you do? Ran alone into a quarry of cultists with no sense of self-preservation!”

Anger, pure anger, is present in his voice, sharpening his typical melodic lilt into daggers. If he cared about the present company - Shadowheart, Halsin, and Gale crowded into a tent, surrounding Tav upon their cot - it is nonexistent in his wine-red eyes. They could get lost in those bloody depths for hours. But not now. Not when seething rage roils off of his body like a cloud of darkness.

They look away.

"Nothing to say for yourself, darling?” he mocks. Astarion’s visage twists into a sneer, sharply turning his face away from them. He finds an unused rag, wets it, wrings it of excess water, and then moves past Shadowheart. “Allow me,” he murmurs to her, gentler.

Shadowheart’s inquisitive green eyes understand the depth of the situation immediately. She sighs, clearly annoyed he has taken over her job, but is dissuaded by Astarion’s next string of words: “I’ll clean them up. Magic and healing and all that wonderful nonsense are not necessarily my area of expertise. A firebolt here and there, surely, but I wouldn’t know where to begin with a curse that... Negates healing magic.”

“Sure,” Shadowheart replies, eyes flicking to Tav. Worry is evident over her features. Worry hangs heavy around everyone. Emerging out of battles victorious and grievously injured is commonplace; nothing a mass healing word couldn't fix along with a good night’s rest. Open wounds would be closed scars, ailments would be cured, and broken bones would be unbroken. Rinse and repeat.

This time, it is different.

They, and they alone, were cursed with a necromancy spell that makes all healing magic useless to their wounds.

Their wounds are appalling: Broken ribs evident with the pain swelling in their chest and labored breathing, purple and black blotchy bruises from the hammer blows they took to the shoulder, an open laceration across their chest, their ankle snapped in two, burns on their left leg crawling up their thigh. Blood all over their face from their own and from the enemies they felled.

“Hey, it’s fine,” they wheeze out. "Nothing I can't handle. The cultists are down and dead and buried - everything else can come after."

Hesitantly, Gale opens his mouth to reply, but is abruptly cut off by Astarion snapping out: "No."

"No," they echo. Their brows furrow.

"What a saint you are," Astarion snarls. His lips are down-turned, fangs bared as he speaks, but his ministrations upon their face are soothing. Gently, he rubs off the blood with a cool washcloth, eyes focusing on the task at hand as he cannot bear to look at them.

"Throwing yourself into the heat of battle like that, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Tell me, my dear, do you enjoy watching rational fly past you when you make your impulsive decisions?"

They flush with humiliation and hurt. Broken and battered, they dig their elbow into the cot to prop themselves up and face Astarion head-on, but Halsin presses a hand into their shoulder and pushes them down.

Fuck. Their head spins in circles.

"You're one to talk. Impulsivity is your middle name; you said yourself that planning is not your forte." Even raising their voice hurts but they do it anyway. Their eyes, threatening to slip into oblivion, flood with frustrated tears. "What the fuck is your problem, Astarion?"

"Must I really spell it out for you, sweetheart? You go around, telling everyone exactly what they need to hear. You tell them they aren't alone. That you will help them, that you will ensure they see the future that they want." The words are venom: petty and spiteful and yearning to be understood. "You," Astarion hisses out, "are so blind."

Tempers rising to fever pitch, Halsin tenses from his spot at the foot of the cot. From the corner of Tav's eye, they see Gale murmur something to him, something like, Let this play out. Astarion would never hurt them.

"I am the only one who will take the first step!" Tav cries. The words explode out of their broken chest faster than they realize, flying like an arrow straight toward Astarion's unbeating heart. "I risk my life - every day - for all of YOU! For all the people that need me! For all that I am because-"

"Because what?" He taunts. "Because it is the right thing to do? Look at yourself, Tav! You are on death's door if not for everyone in this room!"

"Because no one else will do it! Not anyone in this damn camp cares enough to- to help the people we could-" They cough violently, but they slam their elbows into the cot to prop themselves up. No one stops them this time as they meet Astarion's burning eyes. "No one cares but ME-"

"WE care about you!" Louder. Vicious. Astarion's voice splits in the air in two in one fell swoop, striking them down like lightning into silence.

He's breathing heavily, panting, as if exhausted. The adrenaline pumping in his veins is begging him to swoop Tav up and run away with them. Away from all of this bullshit and into hiding within the shadows. Maybe the Underdark. Maybe the Shadowcursed Lands. They can descend into madness together.

At least there, they will be safe.

"I care about you," Astarion chokes out before he can stop himself. "More than anything. Do you know that? I hope you know that."

Their mouth forms the words to reply, Of course I do, but it doesn't leave their throat. Instead, it stays stuck there like a fluttering butterfly, forced into silence. It hurts to speak. It hurts to talk. It hurts to see him like this.

He calls out their name so quietly it could have been a trick of the wind.

"Astarion," they plead.

He shakes his head, stubborn and unconvinced. "You don't owe these people anything. You certainly do not owe them your life for their burdens. I," he breathes out, voice as shaky as a leaf in the wind. He screws his eyes shut and clenches his fist around the rag, where their blood stains his palm.

"I almost lost the sun of my life today."

When Astarion opens his eyes, they are steeled with resilience and fury as they gaze into theirs. It is hypnotic. It is lonely. They yearn to comfort him.

"It will not happen again."

GALE

"Easy," Gale murmurs, a strong arm laying them down in his tent. Soft blankets and pillows meet their back, and the cushy grass beneath makes for a cool and comforting sleep. Their breath stutters, but Gale gazes at them so fondly as he pushes their hair from their face that the pain eases.

He does not miss their labored breathing. "Shhh shh shh. I've got you. Just focus on me."

His thumb lingers on the swell of their cheek. His eyes flutter close. A gentle glow of purple surrounds him, and eventually, that gentleness extends to Tav. The agonizing, piercing sensation in their chest numbs into a cool, muted nothingness. They gasp - then exhale in relief, slower than their panicky, short breaths from before.

"That's it," he encourages. "Well done, my love. How are you feeling?"

"So-so," they reply. Their voice aches and croaks, but for some reason, it makes Gale smile.

Oh no. He knows that look.

They study his handsome, tired face, looking for any signs of alarm. Is he hungry? Does he need to feed on another artefact? Was there an envoy telling them they missed another Absolutist hideout? Did they miss something? Did they do something wrong?

No. Nope. "Enough of that." He takes their hand, kisses their knuckles, then sighs. "You're the last person who should be worrying about someone. Such a pest, hm? Always buzzing around me like I'm seconds away from disappearing in front of your eyes..."

"You are," they say. Their brows furrow, and they pant out, "The-- your burden to carry, the--"

"The orb, I know. I know." His heart twists. It aches. He failed Mystra before and that was painful. But this is another subject entirely; it couldn't come close. Watching sheer heartbreak in their expression because of him? Oh, Goddess forgive him, he has failed them.

Gale can scarcely celebrate his victory, too. He undid the damned curse that affected Tav's ability to receive magic. The necromancy spell was so potent that Tav rejected any healing spells thrown at them. Late into the hours of experimentation, he, Halsin, and Shadowheart considered allowing the effects to wither and die rather than exterminating it outright. It was Jaheira who told them it would be inefficient, because how long would they have to wait in camp while Tav rode out the effects of the curse? Ideally? Hours. But days? Weeks? Months?

He spent the long night following and feeling out the curse with the Weave. It was a complicated hex - a tangled knot of magic that had to be unwoven carefully, thread by thread. Every connotation, every intent was traced back to the heart of the curse, and he followed it with abandon.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble, then," they whisper.

"You should be," he jests. "Nearly made my heart collapse, seeing you like that."

The image is still burned into his mind. He can't stop thinking about it. His mortality has always been a dreadful afterthought pushed into the further recesses of his tadpole-addled brain, but was he so taken with Tav that he never realized how mortal they were, too?

No. No. Gale tightens his grip on their hand, giving them a comforting squeeze as they breathe in and out, in and out. It's not that he never realized how susceptible they are to death and danger. He just never wanted to confront it.

"You are changing the very premise of my life," he says softly. An exasperated chuckle leaves him as he shakes his head, adding, "as always. I don't know what I would have done if I actually lost you, back there." What wouldn't I do? "No scrolls of revivifies, no Withers to bring you back. I wouldn't be able to accept it."

He understands Ketheric Thorm all too well, now.

"Come here," they whisper. Gale lets their hands press into the back of his head. He thinks, absently, that he would let them do much of anything. In their care, he is no grand wizard with a plethora of achievements under his belt. No. He is as humble as the Weave itself, and their hands compose music and art for him to simply bear witness to.

They rest his head upon their chest, where his ear can listen to the comforting sound of their beating heart.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud thud.

"Good night, my love," Gale says, when their breathing evens and they have finally fallen into peaceful slumber. He does not sleep at all.

KARLACH

"Oh gods. Oh gods!" Karlach clasps Tav's left hand between hers, holding tightly and vowing to never let go. Their blood stains her hand and chest and clothes. It's everywhere. Sickly sweet and sticky, drawing all of her attention from the room to the sensation of it dripping down her skin.

They've lost so much blood. It's nauseating, like an unsettling reality has just settled in her stomach.

"Tav!" She exclaims, helpless and pathetic. "Why did you do that, you big idiot? You seriously could have gotten killed out there, why-- why aren't you..."

Responding? Where are their quips, their sass, their brightness she fell so fast and hard for? Tav lays there upon the cot, broken and battered. Karlach has seen the remains of her enemies after she has slaughtered them and has barely flinched. She can barely stomach the sight of them bloodied, bones twisted in the wrong way, bruises so purple they're as black as a chasm.

All they can do is breathe. Their eyes focus distantly above them to the roof of the tent, but nothing else.

Panic seizes her faster than she can control it. "Are they breathing?! Are they going to survive this?! Fuck," she growls, running a frustrated hand through her dark hair, matted with blood. "I should have made those sons of bitches suffer."

"Karlach," Shadowheart says, firm but gentle, her hands bloody too as she applied pressure down on Tav's wounds, "it was important that you returned them to camp as fast as you did. Sometimes, we do not have the luxuries to let our enemies die in pain."

Right. Right. Karlach watched an Absolutist barbarian slam his warhammer into Tav's back. Once to knock them down. Twice to keep them plastered on the ground. Once more to keep them unconscious. She saw red, then: the rage she slipped into boiled her veins so hot, the howl she let out sent her surroundings enemies into a frightened frenzy. She hacked her great axe into the barbarian over and over and over until he was nothing but a bloodied pulp of a man, more gore than flesh.

She scooped Tav up from the ground. Karlach never let anyone else touch them. She snarled and snapped at the others who tried to come too close and dead sprinted as fast as she could back to camp.

She heard their choked sobs of pain in her arms. They choked out her name, and Karlach couldn't offer them much of anything other than an, "We're going home, bubs, just hang on. 'Kay? You just focus on me."

"Can I stay here?" She begs Shadowheart. "I won't get in the way. Just let me hold their hand, please."

Shadowheart exchanges a conflicted glance at Halsin. He nods, and she sighs. "Fine," she says. "But - I need you to stand to the side for now. You can hold their hand after we're done figuring out how to undo this curse."

"A fine specimen of a curse, really," Gale adds, his hand curled under his chin. "I'm almost impressed."

"I would be too," huffs Shadowheart, "if our reckless leader wasn't caught up in this mess. Really, what were you thinking?"

"Right?" Karlach shoves off into the corner of the tent, doing her best to keep herself as small and as out-of-the-way as possible. Tears flood her eyes, and she chokes out, "Of all the things to do, why did it have to be that? I thought you said you trusted me! To have your back! I have your back, don't I? Don't I?"

"Of course you do," Halsin croons. He hooks his finger into a bottle of salve, and spreads it on Tav's burns. Tav visibly winces and tenses, whimpering in pain.

"Stop whatever you're doing right now!" Karlach wails. "You're hurting them! I'll kill you, Halsin, I swear it!"

Gale exchanges a look with Shadowheart. He ponders deeply for a moment as Karlach sobs devastatingly behind them. He opens his mouth, then shuts it promptly.

"Just say it," Shadowheart urges impatiently.

"We should play a game," he suggests. "The quiet game."

"No way," Karlach hiccups. "I'm dogshit at that game. Anyway, focus on Tav or I'll gut you, seriously."

❥ Additional links: kofi | ao3

Could you do something with loser vi cuming to quick so reader punishes them? Like over her knee even tho vi is like bigger and could easily get away she stays to be a good girl 💕

uhhhmmm fuck yeah i can! thank u sm for this ask i love my subby girl vi<3

Not so big & bad after all

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ sub!loser!vi x dom!reader

There Vi was, thighs trembling between your face as your tongue circled around her clit, keeping the same pace you knew she liked. She was close, you knew that. Her breathy, high pitched moans sped up, hands tangled in your hair, sweat dripping down her chest. She was a mess, really. She wasn’t allowed to come though, not yet, not so soon. Needy thing always came so fucking early, it irritated you. So you put up one rule for her, one simple rule:

Don’t come in less than ten minutes.

Seemed easy enough, right?

Not for our sensitive girl. This was torturing her. Her eyes watered, whining about how she was right there, just so, so close. Begging, pleading, using her puppy eyes, all the works. None of that worked on you though, you knew better. Her legs began to want to clam up, squishing your cheeks together. You growled against her wetness, forcing them back open, sucking on her clit harder as your tongue swirled around it. Your eyes darted up towards her face as her nose scrunched up, eyes shut tightly, chest rising and falling quickly. You could feel her clit tensing up inside your mouth, making you swat at the inside of her thigh.

“Don’t—mmh—you dare come, Violet!” You muffled out, lips still stuck on her bud, though it was too late. She bucked her hips forward, “Mmh—I-I’m c-com-” Was all she could let out before she reached her orgasm, moaning your name out as her cum dripped along your tongue. You rolled your eyes as you watched, letting her orgasm roll out, then quickly smacked your lips off her clit.

“You lasted,” You turned to look at the clock. “Five fucking minutes. That’s the best you could do, really?” You questioned, sitting up and staring at her angrily, eyebrows furrowed. She laid there, panting, acting like she had just fucked for hours. Again, it irritated you.

“I’m sorry, okay! I just—I’m sensitive, I guess. You make me come real fast, princess.” Your eyes glared at the pet name, which didn’t quite suit the situation.

“Did you even try to hold back?” You asked. She opened one eye and looked at you, shrugging off your question. She totally fucking did not. You felt your eye twitch as you stared at her, blood boiling underneath your skin. You sat on the edge of the bed, legs dangling off, then reached over to swat the side of her leg. “Get over here.”

Her eyes shot open, staring at you with her big eyes confusingly. “What? What are y—”

“I said get over here, Violet. Crawl to me.”

Vi blinked at you for a second before huffing, making her way over to your side of the bed. She held onto your shoulder as she spoke, lips meeting the side of your neck. “Look, I’m sorry, alright? I’ll last longer next time, I promise—” Her sentence was cut off by your arm reaching around her back and pushing her down, landing ass up on your knees. She gasped as her face pressed against the mattress, quickly trying to push herself back up. “Hey! Princess, what the fuck?!” Your hand landed on her plump ass with a hard smack! Her whole body jerked, tensing up under your palm. “Ow! What—What are you doing?!”

“You know, I’ve had enough of you doing whatever the hell you want all day then not listening to the one very simple instruction I give you.” You squeezed the skin pressing against your hand firmly, nails digging into it. “To answer your question, I’m punishing you, Violet.”

Her head snapped back to look at you the very best she could, putting on those puppy eyes that she knew killed you inside. “But, I apologized! I won’t do it again, I swear!”

You rolled your eyes at the same words you’d already heard of time and time again. Another slap landed on her cheek, making her wince and whine out. “I don’t believe you.” She wiggled around, crying out as two more followed after. “Hey!” Your other arm pressed against her back, forcing her down the best you could. “If you be a good girl and take what I’m giving you, I’ll give you another chance to redeem yourself.”

Vi buried her face in the sheets, body melting under your skin, accepting her defeat. “Mm… O-Okay.”

You scoffed, lifting up your hand to catch air, landing it back on the red marks that were already being left on her skin. “Okay, what?”

Her back arched, face twisting up as her eyes began to water. “Okay, Mommy, okay!”

“Good girl, Vi.”

The room echoed with the sounds of your hand continuously landing back on her ass, a flush of red spreading all over it. Her blubbering apologies, whines, and cries every single time your hand met her skin, and your mocking coos, telling her that it would all be over soon. Vi was a strong girl, certainly stronger than you, so she could’ve easily gotten away if she wanted to. You knew that deep down inside, she was taking it because she liked it. She enjoyed this ‘punishment’ more than she actually should, more than she’d ever admit. Seeing her smart ass, oh so big and bad self completely ruined as she bent over your knee made your heart flutter. You spread her cheeks, her wet slick glistening against the light. A smirk crept up on your face, tutting at her as she hid her face in the sheets as you did so.

“Are you enjoying this, sweet girl?” You asked, your head tilting as you lightly gripped her hair back, forcing her to look up. “Answer.”

“N-No.” She muttered out, face flushed and painted with tear streaks.

You sighed, lifting up your hand to land another blow on her ass. “You know, I hate liars.”

She gasped, shaking her head before you could even lift it up all the way. “No, no, no! I-I do like it, Mommy. I like it a lot!”

“Mm… Is that so?” You said, staring at her cute pained face. Gods, you could only punish your girl for so long, those eyes really did kill you. Plus, watching the bounce back from her ass every time you spanked it totally had you dripping wet. You pressed a digit against her hole, making her cry turn into a whiny moan. “Are you ready to redeem yourself?”

Her glossy eyes grazed towards you, biting her lip and arching her back for you before she spoke. “Gods, please. I’ll be good for you this time, I promise!”

You snickered as you slowly pushed the finger in, feeling her soft walls tightening around it, almost sucking you in. “Such a good girl.”

I was wondering if you could do something about Ambessa with a reader who is a high-ranking military officer (colonel, commander, general, captain, etc.) or someone very important. (I just need to know how she would behave towards an "equal") thank u sm! ♥

♡♥︎Unyielding Resolve♥︎♡

The war room was dimly lit, the faintest sliver of sunlight breaking through the dark curtains, casting muted shadows over the long, polished table where the world’s most powerful figures had gathered. Ambessa Medarda stood at the front, her regal stature towering above the rest. Her gaze was intense, as always, her sharp, amber eyes surveying each of the gathered commanders, diplomats, and soldiers, her voice commanding and clear as she presented her case.

“You must understand,” Ambessa’s voice cut through the murmur of debates, silencing the room instantly, “that our people cannot be left to suffer the consequences of your hesitations.”

You were no stranger to these kinds of meetings. A high-ranking military commander from the opposing faction, you had earned your place through years of fierce dedication, your loyalty unwavering, your skills honed to perfection. Your posture was rigid, your uniform impeccable, yet your eyes never wavered from Ambessa’s figure at the front of the room. There was an undeniable power about her—an edge that came from both the iron grip she held over her nation and the quiet, unspoken confidence that radiated from her every move. Her dark hair, tied neatly at the nape of her neck, contrasted with the intricate tattoos that danced along her neck and wrists, symbols of both power and sacrifice.

She was a force to be reckoned with.

But you were too.

“You seem to misunderstand the balance we’ve achieved,” you spoke, your voice calm but firm. “Your actions only tip the scale toward chaos. The people deserve peace, not your demands.”

Ambessa tilted her head, her lips curving into something between a smirk and a challenge. The amber of her eyes gleamed with something more—an admiration, perhaps, for your defiance. Your boldness was something she respected. It wasn’t often that someone stood so firmly against her, unwavering in the face of her presence

“I respect your resolve,” she said, her words slow, deliberate. “But this… peace you speak of, Commander, comes at the expense of far too many. You know it as well as I do.”

You knew that too. But in the depths of your heart, you couldn’t bring yourself to compromise on the principles that had guided you for so long. The lives of your soldiers, your people—none of them would be sacrificed for anything less than true peace. Not under your watch.

The debate raged on, tensions rising with every passing moment, but you and Ambessa remained locked in a silent contest, the weight of the room’s words falling heavy between the two of you. It was as if the entire world faded away, and for a brief second, the only two people who mattered were you and her, the room holding its breath as you exchanged not only words but a battle of wills.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the meeting adjourned. The voices of your colleagues faded as you straightened from your seat, a deep sigh escaping your lips. You were used to the weight of these discussions, but today’s had been particularly taxing. Your mind, sharp as it was, felt clouded by the lingering tension in the air.

Before you could retreat to your quarters for some much-needed rest, you felt a presence behind you. It was familiar, the quiet, confident steps that could only belong to one person.

Ambessa

“Commander,” she said, her voice low, but carrying an undeniable command. “A word?”

You turned to face her, your gaze meeting hers once more. She stood a few feet away, arms crossed over her chest, her stance proud but not unapproachable. Her gaze flickered over you, assessing you as if trying to read every nuance, every layer you carefully kept hidden. There was no malice in her eyes, no threat, just an unwavering sense of curiosity, of respect.

You raised an eyebrow, the corners of your lips lifting in a quiet challenge. “What is it, Medarda?”

“Perhaps,” she began, her voice measured, “we can discuss this matter further… without the interruptions of others.” There was a flicker of something in her expression, a softness that contradicted her usual commanding demeanor. “I find that I admire your strength, Commander. Few have the courage to speak so directly to me.”

There was a flicker of surprise that passed over you, but you quickly masked it. “And what exactly do you hope to achieve by this conversation, Ambessa? Another attempt to sway me to your cause?”

Ambessa took a step closer, her eyes narrowing slightly, her presence still as formidable as ever, yet there was something different in the way she held herself now. There was no longer any tension between the two of you, only the quiet understanding that you were both two of the most powerful leaders in the room, capable of seeing through the facades of politics and war.

“You’ve been fighting your whole life, haven’t you?” she asked suddenly, her voice soft but laced with a quiet understanding. “Against your own people, against the world around you. I can see it in your eyes, Commander. A fire that won’t go out.”

You weren’t sure if it was her words or the weight of her gaze that made your heart beat a little faster. But whatever it was, it made you pause, if only for a moment.

“I’m no different than you, Medarda,” you replied, your voice steady despite the knot in your chest. “We both fight for our people, even when the cost is too high.”

Ambessa’s lips curled into a small smile, a rare expression that seemed to soften the usual edge of her features. She stepped closer still, close enough that you could feel the heat of her body, close enough to sense the subtle shift in the air between you.

“You are,” she agreed, her voice barely above a whisper, “but your fight… it’s different. There’s something in you that draws me, Commander.”

Your breath caught, the weight of her words settling over you like a heavy cloak. It wasn’t just the admiration she felt for your strength, you realized. There was something deeper, something that spoke to the very essence of who you were. And, despite the tension that still lingered from the meeting, despite the weight of your duties, there was a part of you that found yourself captivated by her.

Ambessa’s eyes flickered down briefly, as though contemplating something before she looked back up at you. “Come with me,” she said, her voice steady, yet there was a hint of something more—a warmth, an invitation. “I would like you to join me for dinner at my estate. A place to discuss… other matters.”

The invitation was unexpected, but not unwelcome. You couldn’t deny the allure of her presence, the way she commanded every room she entered, the way she challenged you, both intellectually and physically. She had caught you off guard with her quiet admiration, and now she was offering you a chance to see the other side of her—the side that wasn’t always masked by politics or power.

You hesitated for only a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing your mind. But then you realized: this wasn’t just about the war, or the meeting. This was about something more.

“Very well,” you said, your voice steady, yet there was a spark of curiosity in your gaze. “I’ll join you, Medarda. But know this: I’m no fool. I won’t be swayed so easily.”

Ambessa’s smile widened, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, Commander.”

————————————————————————

The Medarda estate was unlike any place you had ever been. It was a perfect blend of elegance and strength, much like Ambessa herself. The estate, perched high on a cliff, had sweeping views of the valley below, the faintest touch of moonlight illuminating the sprawling gardens. Inside, the atmosphere was warm and inviting, with soft candlelight flickering in every corner and the faint hum of classical music playing in the background.

Ambessa had led you to a long, polished dining table, where an elaborate spread of dishes awaited. The scents of roasted meats, rich sauces, and fresh bread filled the air, their warmth promising a night of indulgence. The table was set with the finest china, silverware gleaming in the dim light, and the glasses already filled with wine, the deep red liquid catching the light in a way that seemed almost too perfect.

You settled into your seat across from Ambessa, noting the way her posture remained impeccably straight, the elegant curve of her neck as she glanced at the dishes laid out before you. Her amber eyes met yours with an intensity that made it impossible to ignore the unspoken tension between you. There was a certain weight to the air, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. No, it was something far more intriguing—something far more dangerous.

The meal began in silence, the soft clink of cutlery the only sound as you both indulged in the meal. Ambessa ate with the same controlled grace that defined everything about her. Each bite was deliberate, as if she were savoring not just the food but the moment.

When she set her fork down, her eyes never left yours. “So,” she said, her voice smooth and low, laced with a subtle challenge, “how do you manage it all? The responsibility, the endless decisions, the weight of your command? It must be exhausting.”

You leaned back in your chair, savoring the bite you’d just taken. Her question had been expected—leaders like you didn’t rise to power without bearing the heavy burden of their choices. But there was something in the way she asked that made you pause, something in her gaze that suggested she wasn’t simply curious. She was testing you.

“I do what I must,” you replied, your voice steady but laced with a quiet intensity. “Sometimes it feels like I’m balancing on a knife’s edge, but it’s what I signed up for. The duty to my people—it never stops, even when I’d like it to.”

Ambessa’s lips curled into a soft, knowing smile. “I can’t imagine a life without this… constant push. It’s almost… addictive, isn’t it?” Her words hung in the air, wrapped in a kind of daring playfulness that you couldn’t help but feel was aimed at you.

There was a shift in the atmosphere. Her gaze dropped briefly to your lips before flicking back up to meet your eyes, and in that split second, you knew exactly what she was doing. Testing the waters. Drawing you in. She had a way of making you feel seen in a way few others ever could.

“Perhaps,” you replied, meeting her gaze head-on, unwilling to back down. “But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the challenge. The thrill of the game, the strategy. It keeps things interesting.”

Ambessa chuckled softly, the sound rich and warm. “You have a sharp mind, Commander. I can see why you’ve earned your place. But I wonder…” Her eyes glimmered with an unreadable thought. “Do you ever think about what you want when all of this is over? When the battles have been fought and the decisions have been made?”

The question was softer this time, quieter. But the weight of it hung between you like a delicate thread, a question that neither of you had yet answered, and perhaps never would. Ambessa’s eyes didn’t leave yours as she leaned forward slightly, the golden light reflecting off her skin, making her appear even more untouchable, more mesmerizing.

You paused, your fork still in your hand as you considered her words. “I think about it,” you said, your voice low, carrying the weight of unspoken things. “But I can’t afford to indulge those thoughts. Not yet. I have too much at stake.”

Ambessa studied you for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, her lips curved into a small, knowing smile once again. “How exhausting,” she said, a touch of humor in her voice. “Always looking ahead, never looking at what’s right in front of you.” She took a sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving yours, and the heat in the air between you only intensified.

There was a certain magnetism about her. A quiet, unspoken tension that seemed to pull you in, urging you to confront the very things you’d been avoiding. For someone who was so composed, so measured, there was an underlying ferocity in the way she carried herself, in the way she spoke, and in the way she watched you.

The conversation shifted then, as you both continued to discuss tactics, strategies, and the political landscape, but beneath the words was an unspoken current, a thread that pulled you both closer together despite the careful control you both maintained. It was a dance—one of words, of glances, of unvoiced challenges and flirtations that neither of you dared fully acknowledge.

Ambessa’s voice was smooth as she spoke of her nation’s defenses, detailing her strategies with the kind of ease that came from years of experience. “I’ve always believed in being unpredictable,” she said, a hint of pride in her tone. “Keeping them guessing, ensuring they never know what’s coming next.”

“Sounds like something I’d say,” you replied, your smile playful, but your gaze locked on her. “It’s the only way to keep an advantage.”

Ambessa tilted her head, her expression softening ever so slightly. “I admire that,” she said, her voice carrying a warmth that sent a shiver down your spine. “It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t play by the usual rules.” She paused, then added with a faint smirk, “Perhaps you and I are more alike than I realized.”

The statement lingered in the air, the weight of it undeniable. You leaned in slightly, your voice quieter, more intimate. “I’d like to think so. But, of course, you’d never admit to that, would you?”

Ambessa’s gaze never faltered as she leaned forward too, her lips curling into a smile that was as dangerous as it was alluring. “I never admit to anything I don’t want to, Commander. But I’m willing to consider that… maybe I’m wrong.”

For a moment, neither of you spoke. The tension between you both was palpable, crackling in the air like electricity, the unspoken challenge hanging thick between you. The world outside the estate seemed so far away in that moment, as though nothing existed except the two of you and the carefully woven web of words you were spinning.

Ambessa broke the silence, her voice a low murmur that made your pulse quicken. “Tell me, Commander, do you ever think about how all of this could end?”

Your lips parted to reply, but her gaze, intense and searching, held you in place, as though she could see right through you. And in that moment, you realized something you hadn’t allowed yourself to acknowledge before: there was more to Ambessa Medarda than just power, more to her than the commanding presence she projected to the world. Beneath the surface, there was something darker, more complex, something that resonated with you in a way you hadn’t expected.

You leaned back slightly, your tone softer now, tinged with something you couldn’t quite place. “I don’t know how it ends. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder… if you and I could find a way to work together after all of this.”

Ambessa’s eyes flickered with something unreadable, and for a split second, the air between you two was thick with possibility. Then, she reached for her wine glass, her fingers brushing the edge delicately before taking another sip. Her gaze never wavered from yours.

“We’ll see, Commander,” she said quietly, her voice both challenging and inviting. “We’ll see.”

And with that, the night stretched on, the conversation continuing to unfold between you two like the unraveling of a carefully constructed puzzle, each word, each glance pulling you deeper into the web of intrigue she had woven around you.

————————————————————————

lamb to the slaughter.

ghost. part ii ┃ sevika x reader WC: 4.4K

ⓘ: wrote n proofread while crossed. chop shit fr. will reread when sober n correct errors if needed. ⚠︎: kissing, alcohol consumption, mild misogyny, blood, psychological horror/thriller elements

As you enter the elevator, the world outside seems to blur; your polished fingernail quivers while pressing the button for floor thirteen. The brass numbers shine brightly beneath the harsh fluorescent lights, and in the mirrored doors, you glimpse your reflection—pale, weary, haunted.

Your mind is a mess, running a million miles a minute as it replays the previous night. The pounding in your skull is relentless, a hangover blooming behind your eyes. You rub your temple, trying to will away the ache, the scent of stale perfume and coffee clinging to your skin.

Just as the doors begin to close, an arm darts through the narrowing gap. You flinch, causing one of the coffees in your tray to slosh over, scalding your wrist. You wince, looking up—straight into Sevika’s steely gaze. Your breath catches, the air between you charged.

She doesn’t say a word, just steps in beside you. The elevator hums upward, the tinny jingle and mechanical whirring filling the silence. You risk a glance at her—she’s staring straight ahead, jaw set, eyes shadowed. You look away, heart hammering.

The elevator shudders to a stop. Sevika slips out, brushing past you and Matt. Her stride is purposeful, and her presence leaves a chill in her wake.

A cackle leaves his lips, snapping you back to the present moment. “Damn, Sevika, you ain’t got no sleep last night, eh?” His tone is crude, the words hanging in the air like smoke.

He turns his attention to you, lips curling in a smirk. “Jesus, little miss. You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“W-what…?” you stammer, eyes fixed on the door Sevika just disappeared through.

He scoffs, rolling his eyes as he snatches a cup from your tray.“Damn woman, can’t handle yer liquor.” He steps into the elevator, leaving you in the hallway, the scent of burnt coffee and cologne lingering.

You move on autopilot, feet carrying you to the office. The familiar clatter of typewriters and the low drone of voices fill your ears, the normalcy of it all jarring against the chaos inside your head.

Your gaze finds Sevika instantly. She looks… different. Her hair, usually pulled back with military precision, hangs loose around her face. Dark circles bruise the skin beneath her eyes, her posture tense, almost harrowing. She’s the picture of exhaustion, of something unraveling.

Though your head snaps in the opposite direction, the second her eyes meet yours, your heart rate increases. You can almost feel her gaze piercing through you like a blade.

‘Get Out’

Sevikas previous words linger in the air, sending a biting chill down your spine. 

She was usually so meticulously eloquent. Every word uttered seemed to be carefully thought out, practised, and planned. To see that crumbling down within the blink of an eye was beyond disconcerting. 

You force your mind to redirect, focusing on the mundane. Allowing the soft hiss from the coffee machine, measured typing of keys, and hum of fluorescent lights to steady your racing heart. Anything to drown out the memory gnawing at the edges of your mind. 

Last night had to have been a trick, too much alcohol, not enough sleep. People dont change…not like that. Not Sevika.

You catch yourself glancing at her once again, searching for any sign of the monster you thought you saw last night. But she just looks tired. Human. Vulnerable, even.

Maybe you imagined it, maybe you saw something that wasn't there. It had to be a hallucination, a nightmare. It had to be.

Then you remember the way her voice cut through the air, sharp and cutting. The glint in her eyes-wild, ravenous. No. That’s impossible. There’s no such thing as…

You shake your head, pressing a clammy palm to your forehead, trying to force the memory away. 

Get it together. You think as you throw yourself into work, determined to free your brain from the tormenting recollection of the night prior.

The flashing green numbers from the Quotron terminal begin to jumble on the screen, only worsening your headache. You decide to take a break, heading to the break room.

You almost stop in your tracks when you see Sevika’s figure looming over the counter, her head hung low. A soft gulp breaks the silence, her head snapping up to you, eyes softening ever so slightly.

"Sev..." you start, voice hesitant, unsure how to put your thoughts into words.

She sighs, turning to lean against the counter, crossing her arms. "Doll, I-"

Stomping footsteps echo from behind you. Sevika’s gaze diverts to Chris, who looks pale and frantic.

"Sevika—fuck—everyone’s selling..." His tone is panicked, voice cracking.

Sevika curses under her breath. "Fuckin’ market’s crashing," she mutters, her focus darting between you and Chris.

Your eyes widen, apprehension setting in. "..What do we do?" you ask, voice small.

Chris is already wringing his hands, glancing at the clock. "Clients are calling-some are demanding we sell everything; others are freaking out about margin calls-"

Sevika’s response is eerily calm, her tone shifting into something practiced and commanding, like she’s done this a hundred times. "Chris, you know the drill. No panic selling. Remind clients of their long-term plans. If they have cash, look for bargains—selectively. The worst thing we can do is dump everything at the bottom."

He nods, bolting back to his desk. The office buzz has shifted—phones ring off the hook, voices are raised, and the air is thick with anxiety. Coworkers cluster in tense knots, faces drawn, eyes glued to tumbling numbers on their screens.

Sevika’s eyes meet yours again, her composure returning even as exhaustion shadows her face. 

"Remember what we discussed about market crashes, doll. Stay calm, don’t let anyone deviate from their financial plan. The market always rebounds—maybe not tomorrow, but it will. Trust me."

You nod, letting her words anchor you as you settle in at your desk. The calls are relentless, clients desperate for reassurance, some on the verge of panic. You repeat Sevika’s advice: stay on course, don’t make decisions out of fear, focus on the long-term. The chaos inside your head mirrors the chaos outside, but you cling to the routine, to Sevika’s steadiness.

Even so, you notice Sevika snapping at a junior analyst, her hands moving so fast they blur, her nerves frayed beneath the surface calm.

The atmosphere grows increasingly distressing as the day wears on. Shouts fill the bustling office, and the clacking of keyboards becomes frenzied. The flashy green numbers change so quickly that you can barely read them.

You struggle to push away your own panic as percentage drops reach double digits, your hand moving on autopilot as it reaches to dial a client.

This call is like the others— the client stammers out various concerns about his portfolio, his voice rising in frustration as you exhaust his options.

The man seethes, hurling insults into the mouthpiece before a rough click echoes through the phone. You wince, the pain behind your eyes seeming to spread through every corner of your body. A deep sigh escapes your lips as you set your phone down and run a hand through your hair.

The chaos in the office is relentless. Phones ringing, numbers tumbling, voices raised in panic. You glance up, eyes searching for Sevika. She’s in the center of the storm, sleeves rolled up, barking orders with a clipped authority.

You approach her, hesitating at the edge of her desk, clutching a stack of client reports. “Sevika—”

She doesn’t spare you a glance. “Not now, doll. Handle your calls. We’ll talk later.” Her tone is brisk, almost cold.

Swallowing your disappointment, you retreat, dialing another anxious client. As usual, the man’s voice blares in your ear, frantic and accusatory., “You see what’s happening out there? I’m losing my shit! Why aren’t you selling?” You do your best to reassure him, parroting Sevika’s advice about riding out the storm, but your words feel thin, artificial. When he hangs up—hard—you realize your hands are shaking.

Sevika’s voice slices through the din, booming across the room. “Keep calm! Don’t let clients dump everything. Remind them of their long-term plans!” Her gaze sweeps the floor, sharp and commanding, but when it lands on you, it softens for a heartbeat, and she gives you a small, almost imperceptible nod of approval before her attention snaps to a junior analyst hovering at her side.

He stammers something about investment calls, clutching a fistful of slips, and Sevika’s patience cracks. “Figure it out and get the hell out of my face,” she snarls, voice like a whip. Almost instantly, she reaches up to brush sweat from her brow, her shoulders slumping, exhaustion plain in the way she leans against her desk. The analyst scurries away, eager to escape the heat of her glare.

Chris paces behind you, letting out a huff at the sight in front of him. “Never seen Sevika this rattled. She’s usually ice.”

You survey her expression, heartstrings clenching at the dreary look on her face. She’s visibly lost in thought, eyes distant as she stares at the wall.

Last night must have affected her, you think, lips down, turning into a small frown.

Her eyes meet yours, expression hardening immediately as she notices the stares from you and Chris. Causing you to avert your eyes down to your trembling hands.

Waiting for your nerves to steady, the next caller lights up your phone. You’re about to answer when you feel a cool hand brush against your blouse.

Sevika’s voice, lower now, cuts through the chaos. “Doll, take a breath. You’re no good to anyone if you crack up.” It’s barely more than a murmur, meant for you alone, and for a moment, the noise fades.

You nod, swallowing hard as you force yourself to focus. Another client, another round of panic. She gives your waist a comforting squeeze before pulling away, her touch lingering longer than necessary.

Hours pass and the final bell rings through the cavernous trading floor, cutting sharply through the lingering noise. Phones went silent and the frantic buzz of voices faded into a low murmur. The glowing green on the Quotron terminals slowed their frantic dance, setting into a steady, muted glow.

You let out a long breath, feeling the tight knot in your shoulders loosen just a bit. Around you, traders rubbed their tired eyes and stretched still limbs, exchanging exhausted glances. The air, heavy with the scent of stale coffee and sweat, felt less oppressive, more resigned.

Sevika stood near the window, her silhouette framed by the fading dusk. Her tie was loosened, sleeves rolled up, but her posture remained rigid, her gaze sharp as she surveyed the city below.

You approached cautiously, unsure if she wanted company. “We made it through,” you said quietly.

She didn’t turn immediately, then finally glanced your way with a brief, almost dismissive nod. “Barely,” she replied, voice clipped. Then, softer, almost reluctant: “Not pretty, but it’s over.”

You swallowed, sensing the wall she’d put up. “It felt endless today.”

She shrugged, eyes flickering away. “Markets don’t care about how we feel. They just keep moving.” Then, catching your gaze, she added, “You held up better than I expected.”

A flicker of warmth, quickly masked by her usual guarded expression.

“I tried…” You reply, trying to gauge her expression.

Sevika exhales, the tension in the air almost palpable.

“You did good today, doll. I’m… sorry I was so short with you,” she says quietly, her gaze dropping to the floor.

You nod, voice hesitant. “It’s alright, Sev… I just…” Your words falter as you glance around at the other traders gathering their things, the day winding down. “…Can we talk about last night?” The question barely escapes your lips, little more than a whisper.

Her jaw tightens, shoulders stiffening. “Doll-” Her tone is sharper than you expect, as if she’s chastising you for even mentioning it.

You cut in, desperate. “Please…”

She sighs again, resignation flickering in her eyes. “Go grab your stuff. I’ll drive you home.”

Relief and apprehension twist together in your chest as you pack up, hands trembling. She’s willing to talk, but the uncertainty gnaws at you.

The walk to her car is thick with silence, awkward and strained-so unlike the easy camaraderie you’re used to. The drive is worse; Sevika keeps her eyes on the road, her posture rigid, tension radiating off her in waves. You stare out the window, heart pounding, wishing you could read her mind.

When she finally parks, you both head upstairs in silence. She trails behind you, hands shoved deep in her pockets, every step heavy with unspoken words.

You unlock your apartment, flicking on the lights. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. She’s just here to talk, you tell yourself, but the attempted mantra does little to slow your racing pulse.

Sevika steps inside, glancing around as if she’s never been here before. Her presence feels strange, unfamiliar. You hate it.

“Want a drink…?” you offer, fidgeting with your hands.

She looks at you, unreadable, eyes searching your face for something you can’t name.

“Sure.”

“Please, sit down.” You gesture stiffly toward the couch, wincing at how formal the words sound as they fall from your lips.

She sits, sinking into the cushions, her posture guarded.

You turn toward the kitchen, but freeze. Down the hall, your reflection stares back at you from the mirror–alone. Sevika should be visible in the glass, shouldn’t she? You glance back at her, still seated, close enough to be seen. Your stomach knots.

No, you’re imagining things. That’s impossible. Sevika isn’t a… No. You won’t let your mind go there.

You move to the kitchen, feeling detached, as if you’re watching yourself from a distance. Your eyes flick to Sevika, half-expecting her to vanish, half-afraid she’ll move.

Your hand shakes as you pour her a glass of scotch–her favorite. Nearly spilling the malt liquid as you cross the room; nerves fraying.

You sit beside her, careful to leave a considerable amount of space. Her gaze lingers, intense, as if she can sense every tremor of your anxiety.

“Relax, doll.” Her voice is gentler now, a command softened by concern. She takes a sip, sets the glass down. You mimic her, letting the whiskey burn some of the fear away.

She leans back, eyelid’s hooded, the air between you thick with anticipation. She’s waiting–for you to bring it up, to ask.

You fold your hands in your lap, voice barely steady. “What happened last night, Sev?”

Sevika’s eyes flicker away, her jaw working as she searches for words. For a moment, you think she might shut down again, but then she sighs, running a hand through her hair.

“It’s… complicated,” she says, voice low, almost gravelly. “What you saw-” She stops, glancing at you, as if gauging how much you already know, or how much you can handle.

You grip your glass tighter, knuckles whitening. “I need to know, Sev. I need to hear it from you. I can’t keep pretending nothing happened.”

She leans forward, elbows on her knees, head bowed. The Sevika you know–the unshakable, commanding presence seems smaller now, weighed down by something you can’t name.

“I never wanted you to get dragged into this,” she murmurs, barely audible. “You weren’t supposed to see. Any of it.”

You swallow, heart thudding in your chest. “But I did. And I can’t unsee it.”

Her gaze snaps to yours, sharp and searching, as if she’s looking for any sign of fear or revulsion. “You’re scared of me.” It’s not a question.

You hesitate, then nod, honesty trembling in your voice. “A little. But I’m more scared of not knowing the truth.”

She lets out a shaky breath, her posture softening. “You always were stubborn,” she says, a ghost of a smile flickering across her lips before fading.

You manage a weak laugh, the tension in the room thick as fog.

Sevika’s eyes darken, her voice dropping to a whisper. “What I am… it’s not something I chose. It’s not something I’m proud of. But I’ve kept it hidden for a reason. For your safety. For mine.”

You lean in, searching her face for any trace of the monster you glimpsed–or thought you glimpsed-the night before. All you see is exhaustion, regret, and something achingly human.

“Are you going to hurt me?” you ask, voice barely above a whisper.

She shakes her head, fierce and immediate. “Never. I’d sooner hurt myself.”

A heavy silence settles between you, broken only by the distant city sounds filtering through the window.

You look down at your hands, then back at her. “So… what now?”

Sevika leans back, her expression unreadable. “That’s up to you, doll. You want answers, I’ll give them. But once you know, there’s no going back.”

You nod, resolve settling in your chest. “Tell me. I want to understand.”

For the first time all night, Sevika looks almost relieved. She picks up her glass, takes a long sip.

The silence between you stretches, taut and uneasy. Sevika’s gaze drifts to the window, the city lights glinting in her eyes. She doesn’t speak right away; when she does, her voice is barely above a whisper.

“There are things about me I can’t explain–not really,” she begins, words measured, careful. “Things I’ve carried for a long time. It’s not something you’d read about in a paper, or see in a movie. It’s… older than that. Heavier.”

You wait, pulse thrumming in your ears. “Sevika, I saw–” She cuts you off, a flash of something like fear in her eyes. “You saw more than you were meant to. I’m sorry for that.” She rubs her hands together, restless. “I try to keep it contained. Most days, I manage.”

You swallow, the air thick with questions. “Contained? What do you mean?”

She smiles, but it's a brittle mask that doesn’t quite fit. “Let’s just say I have… needs. Hungers. Not the kind you can fix with ordinary food or drink.” Her gaze flicks to you, searching, almost pleading for you to understand without asking more.

Your mind races, piecing together memories—the missing reflection, the way she moved in the dark, the chill in the air. “You’re a-” She shakes her head, almost violently. “Don’t say it. Names have weight. I’m still me, doll. I’m still the person you know. Just… with shadows you haven’t seen before.”

You notice her hands clenching, the tension in her jaw. She’s holding something back, something sharp and dangerous.

“Are you safe?” you ask, voice trembling.

Her answer is slow, deliberate. “I’m careful. I have to be. I don’t want to hurt anyone—not you, especially.” She looks away, voice thinning. “That’s why I keep my distance. Why I don’t let people get close.”

A silence settles, heavy with all the things she isn’t saying. You realize she’s given you just enough to keep you close, but not enough to set you free from wondering.

She finally meets your eyes, haunted and resolute. “I can’t give you more than that. Not tonight.”

You frown, desperate for answers, but before you can form another question, she cuts you off.

“That’s enough, doll.” Her voice is gentle, but there’s a finality to it that makes your chest tighten.

“Sev, please…” You reach for her hand, fingers curling around hers, clinging to the connection. “Don’t shut me out. I know what I saw-”

“I know you know,” she murmurs, her tone softening for a heartbeat. She slips her hand from yours and stands up, the distance between you suddenly vast.

Panic claws at your insides. She’s going to leave. You can feel it–a cold certainty. Something inside you begs you not to let her go.

“How do you feed?” The words tumble out, raw and intrusive, slicing through the heavy air. Sevika freezes, already halfway to the door. She turns, her expression unreadable, eyes shadowed.

She doesn’t speak at first, doesn’t move. The silence throbs.

“…How–?”

“Sheep’s blood,” she says at last, voice strained. “I… I use ferrous sulfate to mimic the taste of…” She trails off, but you know what she means. The truth hangs between you, sharp and metallic.

You nod, heart pounding. “Is it… hard to get?”

A bitter glint flickers across her lips. “Yeah. It is. But I can go months without it if I have to. Last night, I just… I hadn’t fed in a while.” Her words are brittle, shame threaded through every syllable.

You sit with this, the silence prickling your skin. Then, before you can stop yourself, you blurt out the thought that’s been lurking in the back of your mind.

“Why don’t you just… feed on me? If it’s easier.”

The room seems to contract, the air thickening until it’s hard to breathe. Sevika stands utterly still, her eyes darkening, something dangerous flickering in their depths.

“No.” Her voice is low, almost a growl.

“But–”

“No.” She takes a step closer, her presence suddenly overwhelming. “You have no idea what you’re offering. You can’t possibly understand what that would mean.” Her words vibrate with something wild, barely leashed.

You swallow, pulse racing, the reality of what you’ve suggested settling over you like a cloak. Sevika’s gaze is fierce, protective, and for the first time, you glimpse the full weight of what she’s been holding back—not just hunger, but fear. Fear for you.

You barely have time to draw a breath before Sevika is on you, her strength startling, pinning you against the arm of the couch. The world narrows to the press of her body and the wild, ravenous look in her eyes–a hunger that both terrifies and mesmerizes you.

Instinct screams at you to shrink away, but instead, you tilt your head, fingers trembling as you sweep your hair aside, baring your throat. You squeeze your eyes shut, heart pounding so hard you think it might burst.

You feel her breath hitch, a low, guttural sound escaping her. She leans in, her lips ghosting over your skin, and you shudder as her tongue flicks out, tracing a slow, deliberate line from your collarbone up the column of your neck. The contact is electric, sending a jolt through your nerves.

She sighs–a sound that’s almost a growl, inhuman, primal. Her mouth finds your neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses along your pulse, her grip tightening at your waist. Her other hand is gentle, brushing your hair further aside, her touch almost reverent.

“I apologize for any… discomfort,” she murmurs, voice rough, vibrating against your skin. She presses one last kiss to your throat, and then you feel the sharp, decisive puncture as her fangs sink in.

A strangled gasp tears from your lips. Pain–sharp and blinding–blooms through you. But then the sensation shifts, ache melting into something strange and exquisite; a rush of euphoria that leaves you dizzy, weightless. Every nerve alight, every sense sharpened, the world dissolving into the heat of her mouth and the pounding of your heart.

You clutch at her shoulders, breath coming out in short, desperate bursts as she feeds. The room spins, your awareness narrowing to the rhythm of her drinking and the press of her body. The impossible intimacy of the moment terrifying, exhilarating, and utterly consuming.

When Sevika finally pulls away, you’re left gasping, your head spinning with a dizzying cocktail of exhaustion and something dangerously close to bliss. The world feels muffled, as if you’re underwater. Sevika’s face hovers above yours. Her lips stained, eyes wild and haunted.

Her chest rising and falling in ragged waves. For a moment, neither of you moves. Her hand lingers at your waist, steadying you, but her gaze is distant, as if she’s already retreating somewhere unreachable.

You reach up, fingertips brushing her cheek, searching for reassurance, for some sign that you haven’t just crossed an invisible, irreversible line. But Sevika flinches away, guilt and shame flickering across her features. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes squeezed shut.

“I shouldn’t have…” she whispers, voice raw. “I lost control. I’m sorry, doll. I’m so damn sorry.”

You try to speak, but your tongue feels thick, your body heavy and boneless. There’s a strange warmth blooming in your chest, a sense of connection that’s both comforting and terrifying. You can still feel the echo of her hunger inside you, the memory of her mouth at your throat.

“It’s okay,” you manage, though you’re not sure if you believe it. “I offered. I wanted to help.”

She shakes her head, jaw clenched. “You don’t understand. It’s not supposed to be like this. I’m not supposed to want–” She cuts herself off, standing abruptly. The loss of her touch is jarring, cold.

You watch her pace the room, running a trembling hand through her hair. The apartment feels cavernous, the silence between you thick and suffocating.

“Are you… are you alright?” you ask, voice small.

She stops, back to you. “I’ll be fine. You need to rest. Drink some water. If you feel dizzy, lie down.” Her tone is clipped, reverting to the Sevika you know from the office. Distant, controlled, untouchable.

You nod, but a lump forms in your throat. You want to reach for her, to bridge the gulf that’s opened between you, but your limbs are leaden, your mind foggy. You wonder if you’ll ever be able to look at her the same way again–if she’ll let you.

Sevika lingers in the doorway, silhouetted by the hall light. For a moment, you think she might say something more, offer comfort or explanation. But she just stands there, shadowed and uncertain.

“I’ll check on you tomorrow,” she says at last, voice barely audible. Then she slips out, the door clicking shut behind her.

You’re left alone in the quiet, the taste of copper still lingering on your tongue, your pulse fluttering like a trapped bird. The night presses in, thick with questions and fear and something you dare not name.

You close your eyes, replaying every moment, every touch, every word. The world feels irrevocably changed, the boundaries between fear and desire, trust and danger, blurred beyond recognition.

You wonder if you’ve saved Sevika from her hunger, or if you’ve only fed something far more complicated and dangerous.

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