Alenseress - Alen

They said jump gay people and I said how high

"I like the new hair"

"I fail to see how any of this is amusing to you"

"Well, fancy meeting you here."

The main hall is quiet at night. Not for long, of course, just a moment between the midnight's fall and just before the sunrise, when the room gets so eerily quiet Dushan thinks he could count the mice around the corners just by the sound of them. The fireplace is the only light inside, he squints at its gleam with slightly blurry eyes before slumping down a and finding Dorian's worried gaze.

"Fancy indeed," Dushan echoes, eyes following the slope of the mage's shoulders, buried beneath the fur — it's one of those robes he managed to salvage from home, he knows it just by the shape.

From the Trevelyan house, that is. Something about the way the fibers cling to Dorian's slightly sweat-damp skin, how he shivers barely noticeably, something about that makes Dushan's guts ache, dull and weary. He gets up from the throne with some unexpected effort and crosses the distance to the chamber's door, pulling Dorian into a hug.

"Why are you up?" his lips find the left temple, his fingers find the back of his neck, pulling the heavy head into a cautious embrace.

Dorian, unusually cold palms hidden beneath the fabric, wraps his arms around his middle in return. Stands like that for a few seconds, chest to chest, beat to beat, breathing shallow and just a bit too fast.

"Couldn't sleep without you."

There's an unspoken implication that something woke him, one of those heavy night terrors that leave him panicked and gasping for air. Dushan kisses his temple again and hears a quiet chuckle muted by the layers of fabric. "You look terrible like that, you know?"

Dushan pulls away slightly, arching a brow. "Like what?"

Dorian breaks the embrace, taking a few steps aside and slumping down on the throne — legs thrown over the armrest, arms folded over the chest. He bounces a foot in the air, eyes finding the fire Dushan was staring daggers into minutes ago. "Like this. Like a ghost of an emperor looming over his lost kingdom. Was afraid that if I look at you for too long you'll start turning green."

Dushan snorts and makes a scary face, letting the anchor shine and light his frame. Dorian rolls his eyes to that, idly bumping his heel into the golden binding. "Oh shut up."

He doesn't see the painful vince, Dushan makes sure of that, grabbing him and turning him in his seat like the mage weighs nothing. Dorian yelps, almost offended, as Dushan kneels down in front of him. A brief eye contact — the Inquisitor marvels at the sight of him against the starry skies, and then lets his own head fall, burying his face into the robe, into the tense thighs. I'm tired, he wants to confess. I'm so tired and I can't keep my eyes shut for more than mere seconds no matter how close I hold you.

Dorian doesn't really need him to spell it out, does he. Dorian runs his fingers through his thinning out hair and whispers gentle words Dushan can't yet understand.

"Amatus, come back to bed."

"Marry me."

The silence rings. Dushan doesn't lift his head, not until Dorian lifts it up for him, hands squeezing his cheeks in a deadly grip.

"Have you gone mad on me?"

They stare and stare at each other, Dorian's sheer panic against Dushan's stone calm. He palms at his forehead, grips his cheeks again, something hysterical in his posture. "No, really, you impossible bastard, have you lost your mind?"

Dushan's stoic expression turns to amusement, as he finds a wrist to kiss. "I'm on my knees already, I can beg."

Dorian huffs. Dorian puffs, one hand flying up to cover his mouth, the other pushing Dushan away with a force he doesn't really mean. The Inquisitor sits back willingly, looking up open and offering, eyes squinted in loving humour.

Dorian shakes his head. "Absolutely I will not."

And weak, awed curses follow, as he stares down at the man at his feet.

Dushan leans forward again and pulls one bare, frozen foot into his own lap. Kisses the knee, does the same with the other. There are hands in his hair, still feverishly pushing him away without any real strength to them, lips whispering something inaudible and "get up, get up before anyone sees you, matula" as they grow trembling and unsure. Dushan hugs his legs, like he's afraid Dorian will set off running, and looks up, face suddenly stern.

"I've done many things wrong and I will do much more. But I want to do this, this, right, while time remains."

The anchor burns, his eyes burn, as the hall grows green in color. His own panic rises as he speaks urgently.

"Whatever you want, however you will have me. But when the Herald dies I want him to bring your name to the grave, Dorian Pavus. I'm no Trevelyan. I'm no Inquisitor. I'm but a man devoted to you and I want to go as one."

There are tears, Dushan can't see them gleaming in the dark but Dorian chokes on his breaths like he can't find his voice or any air around them. He hits his shoulder last time, then slides down to the ground until there's nothing but his limbs and chest and the oh so familiar smell of his oils as he grips Dushan so hard that neither of them can breathe now.

Merely a whisper, "You cannot say such things. It's cruel."

Dushan nods and kisses his lips pressed together in a salty line.

"I know. I am."

"You're not," comes out as a louder cry.

"Now you're talking nonsense."

"The whole castle just heard you pledge allegiance to my father's name. Don't nonsense me."

"I did no such thing. I asked you to marry me."

"And I told you I won't."

"No trouble," Dushan says contently, leaning against the base of the throne. "I will ask you again."

a little repost but happy ace awareness week to all my fellow aces!!!!!

Okay I thought thoughts and I really want to fixate on some horror for the month so here's the modern mishanks horror au breakdown

Mihawk and Shanks grew up and went to school in the same town on a gloomy coast. Never actually interacted, I mean, beyond small town casualty.

Shanks graduates and dives head first into the fishing industry instead of college and lives completely off-shore, inspired by Roger, who at some point retires and takes on the local lighthouse.

In the meantime, Mihawk stays put. He's Ray's kid, who's the town's preacher but more in an idgaf way. They come from a long religious line but by the time it comes to Ray, the church on their property is a complete ruin and Ray fulfills more of a governor's role than a spiritual guide. They're an okay family, actually.

Ray passes from cancer pretty young and Rodger follows soon. By that time Mihawk already has teen Perona and Shanks has already lost his arm, work and life long passion. So, he goes back home for Roger's funeral, learns that Mihawk is now kinda the town's phantom of the coast with his enormous empty property and the lighthouse, so he takes on the lighthouse for "the full recovery and rehabilitation period".

He asks Mihawk one day randomly, as his basically only immediate neighbor, to help him dye his hair and they kinda just bond after it becomes a regular occurrence.

Only kids present from the main-er cast are Perona, Zoro and Luffy per phone calls.

Perona is, again, Mihawk's kinda weird alternative kid, 16-17 something years of age, lived her whole life in the town

Zoro (14-15) volunteers to move back to town with his divorced dad after Kuina (his sister in this) has the stair accident and requires constant home care. They all hope for a quick recovery but the situation doesn't change even after a year (by the time of Shanks' arrival). So Zoro, even tho he loves his sister very much, becomes kind of a demotivated glass child. So Mihawk makes a deal — Zoro can come in and tweak with Ray's old abandoned bike projects any time and if he gets one of them moving, he can do with it whatever he feels like on Mihawk's enormous empty property under Mihawk's watchful eye. And that's he basically becomes the extra child in the house

Luffy (13) lives with Garp very much far away from the action but Shanks and Garp (coast guard his whole life) kinda have a long history of Shanks being a bastard, so at some point he became the unspoken uncle mentor hero family friend. Luffy calls him a lot because he feels that Shanks is lonely and sad for now

Haven't decided on the horror aspect yet but I'm getting there

Hold me like water

Or Christ, hold me like a knife

I don't think I mentioned these here yet!!

INPRINT (10% off code: VLLQWBR) | RedBubble

We're so back agegap yaoi for the win

Every few days I think about them

my horrible horrible wife (regency twink obsessed with horrors beyond human comprehension)