Araman snippets for Araman folks

Cock cages for Hal’s harem? I’m rotating some thoughts but I want to know yours.

- Willow

Oh interesting. I have not. Let's do so, but then I want to hear yours.

Azune: Enjoys wearing one in a scene, it's grounding and s promise that he's going to be allowed to focus on someone else's pleasure. Hal doesn't take it off until they're finished and settled. He's worn one outside of s scene but it didn't do much for him, if Hal's going to do that he'd rather have a collar or cuff on.

Julien: Hates them. Punishment for he's really acting out, but Hal has never kept it on for a whole scene, it's always until Julien is worn out enough to be good and then he's allowed to come. Ironically enjoys wearing them under his clothes outside of a scene? Makes him feel sexy and wanted and a little owned and reminds him he's going to get laid tonight. Has done it for Azune sometimes. Hasn't always told Azune until partly though the day.

Occtis: Finds them curious but unsure how he feels wearing them in a scene, and hard no outside very bad sensation. Does oddly really enjoy playing with other people's cocks when they're caged up but it's almost more clinical than anything, not really in a dominant way.

That was about my thought for Azune. Esp for longer scenes it gets him into the headspace that he's just there for other people's enjoyment and lets him relax.

Julien: What Is This Thing On His Dick. He will escape. No cage can hold him. Rogue levels activate. Nooo don't punish him he was only doing what came naturally

Occtis: Personally I think he has a pretty strong disconnect to his body in the day to day, and out of scene it barely registers if he has one on or not. Then when he remembers it he's immediately hot and bothered and has to go bite himself to calm down.

Yeah wick I'm still trying to wrap my brain around for this one, and partly that's because he's still trying to wrap his brain around.... Everything. Like there's an attraction towards degradation but he's still so tentative towards a lot of this but also he doesn't want to be treated that way? Like he's young and inexperienced and unsure but he IS those things? Hal doesn't play with him with the others much yet because of that, but when they're all over its not like he can stop them talking or stop Azune and Julien from being Them and wicks not stupid so..... We'll see?

Cock cages for Hal’s harem? I’m rotating some thoughts but I want to know yours.

- Willow

Oh interesting. I have not. Let's do so, but then I want to hear yours.

Azune: Enjoys wearing one in a scene, it's grounding and s promise that he's going to be allowed to focus on someone else's pleasure. Hal doesn't take it off until they're finished and settled. He's worn one outside of s scene but it didn't do much for him, if Hal's going to do that he'd rather have a collar or cuff on.

Julien: Hates them. Punishment for he's really acting out, but Hal has never kept it on for a whole scene, it's always until Julien is worn out enough to be good and then he's allowed to come. Ironically enjoys wearing them under his clothes outside of a scene? Makes him feel sexy and wanted and a little owned and reminds him he's going to get laid tonight. Has done it for Azune sometimes. Hasn't always told Azune until partly though the day.

Occtis: Finds them curious but unsure how he feels wearing them in a scene, and hard no outside very bad sensation. Does oddly really enjoy playing with other people's cocks when they're caged up but it's almost more clinical than anything, not really in a dominant way.

That was about my thought for Azune. Esp for longer scenes it gets him into the headspace that he's just there for other people's enjoyment and lets him relax.

Julien: What Is This Thing On His Dick. He will escape. No cage can hold him. Rogue levels activate. Nooo don't punish him he was only doing what came naturally

Occtis: Personally I think he has a pretty strong disconnect to his body in the day to day, and out of scene it barely registers if he has one on or not. Then when he remembers it he's immediately hot and bothered and has to go bite himself to calm down.

Yes and: send me a headcanon and I’ll expand on it

Crack ships: give me your most deranged headcanon and I’ll do what I can to make it worse

[WORK IN PROGRESS - feel free to ignore. Working on tagging, if you happen to see anything that should be tagged if you drop me a comment or an ask (I'll just delete the ask after I tag) I'll get to it]

What's all this?

A playground for people to hang out on and chat about and play with different version of the characters from Critical Role's Campaign Four

Content Note: Please note the 'after dark' part... we get horny sometimes, we get weird sometimes, and Tumblr just doesn't have a great way to do CNs with asks, so just mind where you step a bit.

Common AUs:

If you're lost, that's fine, there's a handful of different AUs we play in here, most don't really follow an exact cannon, it's just vibes that are fun to play with. Different people may have different versions on a theme and that's encouraged, so don't be confused if say you're poking through, say, Hal's Harem and suddenly there's a post that has Occtis as undead rather than alive, it's just people playing with different ideas.

Hal's Harem (aka Hal and the Sad Bois) Basic Concept: Hal deserves to have a few boys. He's in a relationship with dom/sub dynamics with: Azune, Julien, Occtis and Wick in that order. Bolaire is also involved (mostly with Hal and Julien), as is Thaisha when she visits (Hal and Occtis). Different variations but I really feel like spin!anon's Planner should be involved. Mood: Usually domestic, fluffy or ansty Tag: Hal's Harem

Azune and the Einfasen's Basic Concept: Yeah it's pretty much just Azune getting with various Einfasens. There's a couple different threads in here, a lot leaning more dub-con/non-con. There's also "Opps, All Einfasens" which is less dark and more just smutty. Mood: Dark, leaning or straight up non-con Tags: AU: Azune and the Einfasen's, Opps, All Einfasens

Wick With Wings Basic Concept: What if Wick's wings were physical ones? How to people react to them, how does Wick react to people touching them. It also can include Wick going a little feral, considering his heritage and the very dead state of the gods Mood: Often more fluffy, but watch your step, esp around feral!Wick Tags: AU: Wick With Wings, Feral!Wick

Meet the Parents Polycule Basic Concept: Julien starts dating Azune... and then starts to learn about the Greater Dol-makjar Polycule. No one here is normal about each other. Julien's wisdom score of 8 struggles. Mood: Smutty, kinky Tags:

Aramán After Dark Basic Concept: Okay this does actually have a cannon, it's just decided by committee via tumblr polls. The Hallowed Round is now a brothel, and most of the PCs work there. Mood: Smutty, but also may gain a plot?? Tags: Aramán After Dark and Aramán After Dark Meta

Other interesting reads: Spin the Bottle Ask Kissing Booth

How do I Play??

Yes and: send me a headcanon and I’ll expand on it

Crack ships: give me your most deranged headcanon and I’ll do what I can to make it worse

-taper anon

I can't tell you how long it would take Azune to even open his eyes. He doesn't come down easily from something like that, he doesn't like being unstrapped and left moorless, although Julien holding him would help with that. There's a lot of whining and crying and trying to hide (hal is a little particular about not allowing the hiding). Hal's voice helps, Hal's hand on his throat helps, he knows he'll get through this, and it's part of the entire thing for him being vulnerable enough to be helped the other end.

Eventually he would want Wick and Occtis in his lap in turns, to be allowed to hold them close and make sure they are still safe even though he wasn't there for a little bit, maybe fuss over them a bit. There are other things he wants from Julien but he won't ask in front of the others, and he's not willing to leave Hal's presence for quite a while.

A warm body lies down, positioned just perfectly for him to wrap an arm around and hold it close. He buries his nose in Wick's soft, downy hair and breathes deep.

Thoughts are starting to trickle in. It took so long today. He was... terrible. Started bad, took too long to break, made Hal work so hard to put him back together. The urge to get up and apologize and make it better, make it right, is creeping into the back of his mind. Or to smile and be okay until he can be alone and deal with the raw edges himself. Or to beg to be broken in a way that can't be fixed. Or to just... disappear. He could leave. He could be gone by tomorrow and no one would ever have to deal with him again.

He feels Hal's fingers gentle on his chin and blinks back tears, he must have been hiding his face too much in Wicks hair, he had just wanted to feel the hair and breathe him in. He let's Hal move his head just enough so he can see his face and Azune struggles to keep it there. It would be so easy to pull away from the soft touch, to make Hal force it... But he had taken so much already, it was time to be good again.

Occtis has his eyes on the tray of mugs and is shuffling across the floor to keep from spilling. "I've got a hot-sweet, a cold-sweet, and a cold just for hydration. I wasn't sure about the electrolyte situation so I have a mix settling and can take another trip down depending on how the temperature equalization works out."

He sets the tray on the edge of the bed and resettles things so handles are all pointing the same way, fussing and fidgeting.

Azune looks at the three mugs. One has just a little steam playing on the surface. The other two are sweating condensation. "Which one is for me?" Three mugs, four of them in the room now. He knows one is for him, Hal always makes him drink something after, but he can't tell yet if he's hot or cold. He still feels shaky and distant.

"...All of them. You're extremely dehydrated," Occtis says.

Azune tries to understand the whole... everything of it. Thoughts skip across the surface of his brain without landing. The urge to run comes back, but he can't figure out why. Occtis isn't looking at him. He's still deciding between cups.

Slowly he shifted more upright up, doing his best to shift Wick with him, keeping his eyes down and grateful for Hal's steady hand still on him. He tried to reach out a hand to take whichever cup Occtis had decided on, surprised at how shaky it was.

Occtis kneels carefully on the bed, getting close enough to hold the cup to his lips, still so careful to avert his gaze, even tending to him like this. "Here... '

There was a lighting stab of wrongness as the liquid touched his lips, as something inside him cried out for Julien, but he wasn't here, he didn't know why but he had to trust Hal, if Hal was keeping them apart there was a reason. And that reason was never cruelty.

Hot, sweet tea is poured into him. Not too hot, it's been cooled enough not to burn his tongue. Not too fast, there's an incredible amount of attention paid to how fast he drinks and when he needs a pause to breathe.

Wick and Hal trade off who plays with his hair and who pets down his neck and back. Between cups of hot and cold Occtis touches the skin on his hands and makes noises about improvement and hydration.

"How pretty," Wick says, touching the hair Hal has been braiding.

The tea in his stomach helps. His insides are in reality now, and he supposes that's an improvement.

He focuses a bit, and the next time Occtis touches his hand he turns it. He's too slow, but Occtis lets him catch his hand anyway, looking down at their hands and not up at Azune.

Azune feels his pulse, steady, and slides his hand under his shirt to check core temperature. He's a little chilled, but Occtis is always a little chilled. Wick runs hot. Occtis runs cold. Julien depends on the day.

"Where's Julien?" he asks. His throat is still raw from crying.

"Azune," Hal starts into the 'we're focused on you,' talk. He gets the talk every time they do this.

Hal sighed. "He's fine. He'll be up soon. Right now we're going to focus on you...."

"Bolaire's with him." Occtis added quietly, trying to reassure him.

Azune took a deep breath, let it out. Breath in, breathe out. They wouldn't bring him up until he was calm. Breath in, breathe out. Shoulders down. Julien was fine. He was with Bolaire. That was fine, he was Bolaire's.

Instead of saying anything, he nudged everyone around so he could sit behind Azune and hold him against his warmth.

"I'm ready," Azune said again, weaker.

"We're going to wait just a little bit longer," Hal said.

Azune made a noise that was supposed to be an argument, but got lost in his throat.

"Wick, can you go run a bath for Azune?" Hal asked.

"I will be right down the hall," Wick told Azune. He gave him a kiss on the cheek before he left.

"Occtis, why don't you go check on the boys downstairs? I bet they would like an update."

"Yeah," Occtis said. He gave Azune's hand a kiss. "I can do that."

Then it was just the two of them. Hal held Azune and traced his hands over his chest. He was sore and aching, a mess of sweat and fluids. He could feel his body and feel the edges between it and the rest of the world, clear and present.

Azune nodded slowly, swallowing hard. "It was hard," he whispered roughly, the ache of coming back to the world fading a bit with those arms around.

"I know sweet boy, I know... and I am so proud of you." Hal sat and breathed with him for and few minutes, fingers never ceasing those gentle patterns on his chest.

Hal doesn't misspeak. He says the things he does for a reason. Azune's job is to trust him, not to ask for those reasons. He breathes out all the air he was holding in his chest and lays his head back against Hal's shoulder.

"There's my good boy," Hal says against his throat.

Azune sinks into the settled feeling and rests there. "It came faster this time," he tells Hal. Usually it takes a lot longer for him to go from absent to completely calm.

"I thought it might." Hal doesn't explain why. If Azune needed to know, he would.

There's a knock at the door. It opens before anyone can answer, or get embarrassed about being walked in on.

He let his fingers drift over Julien's neck, touching the marks there, indents were a collar had been not that long ago. Carefully, he started to gather the other man closer, leaning down to nuzzle along where his fingers had touched, but a firm hand in his hair stopped him.

Confused, he looked up at Hal with a little whine.

"By committee, do you think?" Bolaire asks.

"I have my boy if you can handle yours," Hal says.

Azune wrapped his head around what they meant when Bolaire picked Julien up under his armpits, Hal gathered Azune into his arms, and the four of them made a short parade down the hall.

Wick gets the door for them. Azune is lowered into a bath hot enough to drive the breath from him. His mind spirals out of his skin again, shock driving him from his body. The settling is quicker, barely a few minutes, while heat sinks into him and the sting fades.

Julien is holding his face. Their foreheads are pressed together. Azune can smell wine and chemical on his breath.

"Poured too long from an empty glass," Julien is saying.

"...I drink plenty of water," Azune says. He just drank everything Occtis brought him. He's always careful to stay hydrated, especially when it's hot out.

"Bolaire said it," Julien explains.

-taper anon

I can't tell you how long it would take Azune to even open his eyes. He doesn't come down easily from something like that, he doesn't like being unstrapped and left moorless, although Julien holding him would help with that. There's a lot of whining and crying and trying to hide (hal is a little particular about not allowing the hiding). Hal's voice helps, Hal's hand on his throat helps, he knows he'll get through this, and it's part of the entire thing for him being vulnerable enough to be helped the other end.

Eventually he would want Wick and Occtis in his lap in turns, to be allowed to hold them close and make sure they are still safe even though he wasn't there for a little bit, maybe fuss over them a bit. There are other things he wants from Julien but he won't ask in front of the others, and he's not willing to leave Hal's presence for quite a while.

A warm body lies down, positioned just perfectly for him to wrap an arm around and hold it close. He buries his nose in Wick's soft, downy hair and breathes deep.

Thoughts are starting to trickle in. It took so long today. He was... terrible. Started bad, took too long to break, made Hal work so hard to put him back together. The urge to get up and apologize and make it better, make it right, is creeping into the back of his mind. Or to smile and be okay until he can be alone and deal with the raw edges himself. Or to beg to be broken in a way that can't be fixed. Or to just... disappear. He could leave. He could be gone by tomorrow and no one would ever have to deal with him again.

He feels Hal's fingers gentle on his chin and blinks back tears, he must have been hiding his face too much in Wicks hair, he had just wanted to feel the hair and breathe him in. He let's Hal move his head just enough so he can see his face and Azune struggles to keep it there. It would be so easy to pull away from the soft touch, to make Hal force it... But he had taken so much already, it was time to be good again.

Occtis has his eyes on the tray of mugs and is shuffling across the floor to keep from spilling. "I've got a hot-sweet, a cold-sweet, and a cold just for hydration. I wasn't sure about the electrolyte situation so I have a mix settling and can take another trip down depending on how the temperature equalization works out."

He sets the tray on the edge of the bed and resettles things so handles are all pointing the same way, fussing and fidgeting.

Azune looks at the three mugs. One has just a little steam playing on the surface. The other two are sweating condensation. "Which one is for me?" Three mugs, four of them in the room now. He knows one is for him, Hal always makes him drink something after, but he can't tell yet if he's hot or cold. He still feels shaky and distant.

"...All of them. You're extremely dehydrated," Occtis says.

Azune tries to understand the whole... everything of it. Thoughts skip across the surface of his brain without landing. The urge to run comes back, but he can't figure out why. Occtis isn't looking at him. He's still deciding between cups.

Slowly he shifted more upright up, doing his best to shift Wick with him, keeping his eyes down and grateful for Hal's steady hand still on him. He tried to reach out a hand to take whichever cup Occtis had decided on, surprised at how shaky it was.

Occtis kneels carefully on the bed, getting close enough to hold the cup to his lips, still so careful to avert his gaze, even tending to him like this. "Here... '

There was a lighting stab of wrongness as the liquid touched his lips, as something inside him cried out for Julien, but he wasn't here, he didn't know why but he had to trust Hal, if Hal was keeping them apart there was a reason. And that reason was never cruelty.

Hot, sweet tea is poured into him. Not too hot, it's been cooled enough not to burn his tongue. Not too fast, there's an incredible amount of attention paid to how fast he drinks and when he needs a pause to breathe.

Wick and Hal trade off who plays with his hair and who pets down his neck and back. Between cups of hot and cold Occtis touches the skin on his hands and makes noises about improvement and hydration.

"How pretty," Wick says, touching the hair Hal has been braiding.

The tea in his stomach helps. His insides are in reality now, and he supposes that's an improvement.

He focuses a bit, and the next time Occtis touches his hand he turns it. He's too slow, but Occtis lets him catch his hand anyway, looking down at their hands and not up at Azune.

Azune feels his pulse, steady, and slides his hand under his shirt to check core temperature. He's a little chilled, but Occtis is always a little chilled. Wick runs hot. Occtis runs cold. Julien depends on the day.

"Where's Julien?" he asks. His throat is still raw from crying.

"Azune," Hal starts into the 'we're focused on you,' talk. He gets the talk every time they do this.

Hal sighed. "He's fine. He'll be up soon. Right now we're going to focus on you...."

"Bolaire's with him." Occtis added quietly, trying to reassure him.

Azune took a deep breath, let it out. Breath in, breathe out. They wouldn't bring him up until he was calm. Breath in, breathe out. Shoulders down. Julien was fine. He was with Bolaire. That was fine, he was Bolaire's.

Instead of saying anything, he nudged everyone around so he could sit behind Azune and hold him against his warmth.

"I'm ready," Azune said again, weaker.

"We're going to wait just a little bit longer," Hal said.

Azune made a noise that was supposed to be an argument, but got lost in his throat.

"Wick, can you go run a bath for Azune?" Hal asked.

"I will be right down the hall," Wick told Azune. He gave him a kiss on the cheek before he left.

"Occtis, why don't you go check on the boys downstairs? I bet they would like an update."

"Yeah," Occtis said. He gave Azune's hand a kiss. "I can do that."

Then it was just the two of them. Hal held Azune and traced his hands over his chest. He was sore and aching, a mess of sweat and fluids. He could feel his body and feel the edges between it and the rest of the world, clear and present.

Azune nodded slowly, swallowing hard. "It was hard," he whispered roughly, the ache of coming back to the world fading a bit with those arms around.

"I know sweet boy, I know... and I am so proud of you." Hal sat and breathed with him for and few minutes, fingers never ceasing those gentle patterns on his chest.

Hal doesn't misspeak. He says the things he does for a reason. Azune's job is to trust him, not to ask for those reasons. He breathes out all the air he was holding in his chest and lays his head back against Hal's shoulder.

"There's my good boy," Hal says against his throat.

Azune sinks into the settled feeling and rests there. "It came faster this time," he tells Hal. Usually it takes a lot longer for him to go from absent to completely calm.

"I thought it might." Hal doesn't explain why. If Azune needed to know, he would.

There's a knock at the door. It opens before anyone can answer, or get embarrassed about being walked in on.

-taper anon

I can't tell you how long it would take Azune to even open his eyes. He doesn't come down easily from something like that, he doesn't like being unstrapped and left moorless, although Julien holding him would help with that. There's a lot of whining and crying and trying to hide (hal is a little particular about not allowing the hiding). Hal's voice helps, Hal's hand on his throat helps, he knows he'll get through this, and it's part of the entire thing for him being vulnerable enough to be helped the other end.

Eventually he would want Wick and Occtis in his lap in turns, to be allowed to hold them close and make sure they are still safe even though he wasn't there for a little bit, maybe fuss over them a bit. There are other things he wants from Julien but he won't ask in front of the others, and he's not willing to leave Hal's presence for quite a while.

A warm body lies down, positioned just perfectly for him to wrap an arm around and hold it close. He buries his nose in Wick's soft, downy hair and breathes deep.

Thoughts are starting to trickle in. It took so long today. He was... terrible. Started bad, took too long to break, made Hal work so hard to put him back together. The urge to get up and apologize and make it better, make it right, is creeping into the back of his mind. Or to smile and be okay until he can be alone and deal with the raw edges himself. Or to beg to be broken in a way that can't be fixed. Or to just... disappear. He could leave. He could be gone by tomorrow and no one would ever have to deal with him again.

He feels Hal's fingers gentle on his chin and blinks back tears, he must have been hiding his face too much in Wicks hair, he had just wanted to feel the hair and breathe him in. He let's Hal move his head just enough so he can see his face and Azune struggles to keep it there. It would be so easy to pull away from the soft touch, to make Hal force it... But he had taken so much already, it was time to be good again.

Occtis has his eyes on the tray of mugs and is shuffling across the floor to keep from spilling. "I've got a hot-sweet, a cold-sweet, and a cold just for hydration. I wasn't sure about the electrolyte situation so I have a mix settling and can take another trip down depending on how the temperature equalization works out."

He sets the tray on the edge of the bed and resettles things so handles are all pointing the same way, fussing and fidgeting.

Azune looks at the three mugs. One has just a little steam playing on the surface. The other two are sweating condensation. "Which one is for me?" Three mugs, four of them in the room now. He knows one is for him, Hal always makes him drink something after, but he can't tell yet if he's hot or cold. He still feels shaky and distant.

"...All of them. You're extremely dehydrated," Occtis says.

Azune tries to understand the whole... everything of it. Thoughts skip across the surface of his brain without landing. The urge to run comes back, but he can't figure out why. Occtis isn't looking at him. He's still deciding between cups.

Slowly he shifted more upright up, doing his best to shift Wick with him, keeping his eyes down and grateful for Hal's steady hand still on him. He tried to reach out a hand to take whichever cup Occtis had decided on, surprised at how shaky it was.

Occtis kneels carefully on the bed, getting close enough to hold the cup to his lips, still so careful to avert his gaze, even tending to him like this. "Here... '

There was a lighting stab of wrongness as the liquid touched his lips, as something inside him cried out for Julien, but he wasn't here, he didn't know why but he had to trust Hal, if Hal was keeping them apart there was a reason. And that reason was never cruelty.

Hot, sweet tea is poured into him. Not too hot, it's been cooled enough not to burn his tongue. Not too fast, there's an incredible amount of attention paid to how fast he drinks and when he needs a pause to breathe.

Wick and Hal trade off who plays with his hair and who pets down his neck and back. Between cups of hot and cold Occtis touches the skin on his hands and makes noises about improvement and hydration.

"How pretty," Wick says, touching the hair Hal has been braiding.

The tea in his stomach helps. His insides are in reality now, and he supposes that's an improvement.

He focuses a bit, and the next time Occtis touches his hand he turns it. He's too slow, but Occtis lets him catch his hand anyway, looking down at their hands and not up at Azune.

Azune feels his pulse, steady, and slides his hand under his shirt to check core temperature. He's a little chilled, but Occtis is always a little chilled. Wick runs hot. Occtis runs cold. Julien depends on the day.

"Where's Julien?" he asks. His throat is still raw from crying.

"Azune," Hal starts into the 'we're focused on you,' talk. He gets the talk every time they do this.

Hal sighed. "He's fine. He'll be up soon. Right now we're going to focus on you...."

"Bolaire's with him." Occtis added quietly, trying to reassure him.

Azune took a deep breath, let it out. Breath in, breathe out. They wouldn't bring him up until he was calm. Breath in, breathe out. Shoulders down. Julien was fine. He was with Bolaire. That was fine, he was Bolaire's.

Instead of saying anything, he nudged everyone around so he could sit behind Azune and hold him against his warmth.

"I'm ready," Azune said again, weaker.

"We're going to wait just a little bit longer," Hal said.

Azune made a noise that was supposed to be an argument, but got lost in his throat.

"Wick, can you go run a bath for Azune?" Hal asked.

"I will be right down the hall," Wick told Azune. He gave him a kiss on the cheek before he left.

"Occtis, why don't you go check on the boys downstairs? I bet they would like an update."

"Yeah," Occtis said. He gave Azune's hand a kiss. "I can do that."

Then it was just the two of them. Hal held Azune and traced his hands over his chest. He was sore and aching, a mess of sweat and fluids. He could feel his body and feel the edges between it and the rest of the world, clear and present.

Thunder crashed, close enough to shake the house. Hal sat bolt upright and reached for his boys automatically. Next to him, Julien was panting and shaking. He had grabbed Occtis and rolled on top of him instinctively, protecting the smaller boy from sorcery. Azune fell asleep curled up between Hal's legs like usual. He was gripping Hal's thigh and trembling. Hal lay a hand between Julien's shoulder blades and rested the other in Azune's hair. "Just a storm," he said, soothing as well as he could in the aftermath of lightning. It was one of the worst things that could strike a sleeping camp. "Natural summer storm." "Fuck," Julien said. "Wa's gon' on?" Occtis asked from under him. He sounded like he was still half asleep, squashed under Julien's chest. "Fuck," he spat. He sounded near tears. "Azune, sweet boy? Can you come up and let me see you?" Hal asked. Azune crawled up Hal's body in the dark and clung to him, still trembling. He'd lived in a war camp a lot longer than Julien had. He'd fought sorcerers for half his childhood. "There you are. Do you think you can do something for me?" Azune nodded. "Julien is going to shift over to my other side. Can you lie on top of him?" "Don't patronize me," Julien said. "If you don't want him to lie on you, I can keep holding him. But you need to get off of Occtis and let him breathe." "I'm okay," came Occtis's muffled voice from under him. "Are you?" "Kind of squashed. Nothing's broken." Julien grumbled swears and climbed off of Occtis, over Hal and Azune in the center of the bed, and lay down flat as a disgruntled corpse on the other side. "Azune, baby?" Azune moved off of Hal and onto Julien's chest instead. He was big enough to almost completely cover him. One arm came up to encircle his head and protect it. Three humans in the dark were relying on a lack of dark vision to preserve their pride. Hal didn't say anything about how Julien's expression crumpled when he was the one being shielded, or the relief on Occtis's face when he could move freely again. Hal ran hands over him, checking for hot spots or anything that made him wince. "Not scared of storms?" he asked. "No. Are all three of you?" "It's a pretty common fear when you've fought sorcerers." "Oh," Occtis said quietly. "Sorry." "Don't be. I'm just glad everyone is okay." "Did that hit the house?" Occtis asked. He sat up and was looking out the window. The rain was still light, not hard enough to blow past the overhang and hit the glass. "Somewhere on the street, definitely. If I had to guess, it struck the lightning rod at the top of the row." "Oh. Wow." Night storms were more dramatic for people who couldn't see in the dark. The flashes of light were mesmerizing and Occtis watched them in the distance. Hal's window looked all the way out over the valley. He couldn't see much over the other houses, his view wasn't that good, but the sky over the Tantazi woods and the colors it turned at dawn and dusk were just as good. And he supposed the way storms rolled in toward the mountains would be exciting for someone who could only see the lightning. "No biting," Azune said. Julien grumbled. "If you're nice I'll take care of it." Hal tried not to watch the two of them frotting against each other. Not too closely. They could have a little privacy for their late night, while Hal held onto Occtis and enjoyed him enjoying the storm.

Man this is really where the stage director in Hal gets ro shine doesn't it?

How many times does Hal manage to get away with Hal asking Julien to do something "for Azune" or "for Occtis"?

-taper anon

I can't tell you how long it would take Azune to even open his eyes. He doesn't come down easily from something like that, he doesn't like being unstrapped and left moorless, although Julien holding him would help with that. There's a lot of whining and crying and trying to hide (hal is a little particular about not allowing the hiding). Hal's voice helps, Hal's hand on his throat helps, he knows he'll get through this, and it's part of the entire thing for him being vulnerable enough to be helped the other end.

Eventually he would want Wick and Occtis in his lap in turns, to be allowed to hold them close and make sure they are still safe even though he wasn't there for a little bit, maybe fuss over them a bit. There are other things he wants from Julien but he won't ask in front of the others, and he's not willing to leave Hal's presence for quite a while.

A warm body lies down, positioned just perfectly for him to wrap an arm around and hold it close. He buries his nose in Wick's soft, downy hair and breathes deep.

Thoughts are starting to trickle in. It took so long today. He was... terrible. Started bad, took too long to break, made Hal work so hard to put him back together. The urge to get up and apologize and make it better, make it right, is creeping into the back of his mind. Or to smile and be okay until he can be alone and deal with the raw edges himself. Or to beg to be broken in a way that can't be fixed. Or to just... disappear. He could leave. He could be gone by tomorrow and no one would ever have to deal with him again.

He feels Hal's fingers gentle on his chin and blinks back tears, he must have been hiding his face too much in Wicks hair, he had just wanted to feel the hair and breathe him in. He let's Hal move his head just enough so he can see his face and Azune struggles to keep it there. It would be so easy to pull away from the soft touch, to make Hal force it... But he had taken so much already, it was time to be good again.

Occtis has his eyes on the tray of mugs and is shuffling across the floor to keep from spilling. "I've got a hot-sweet, a cold-sweet, and a cold just for hydration. I wasn't sure about the electrolyte situation so I have a mix settling and can take another trip down depending on how the temperature equalization works out."

He sets the tray on the edge of the bed and resettles things so handles are all pointing the same way, fussing and fidgeting.

Azune looks at the three mugs. One has just a little steam playing on the surface. The other two are sweating condensation. "Which one is for me?" Three mugs, four of them in the room now. He knows one is for him, Hal always makes him drink something after, but he can't tell yet if he's hot or cold. He still feels shaky and distant.

"...All of them. You're extremely dehydrated," Occtis says.

Azune tries to understand the whole... everything of it. Thoughts skip across the surface of his brain without landing. The urge to run comes back, but he can't figure out why. Occtis isn't looking at him. He's still deciding between cups.

Slowly he shifted more upright up, doing his best to shift Wick with him, keeping his eyes down and grateful for Hal's steady hand still on him. He tried to reach out a hand to take whichever cup Occtis had decided on, surprised at how shaky it was.

Occtis kneels carefully on the bed, getting close enough to hold the cup to his lips, still so careful to avert his gaze, even tending to him like this. "Here... '

There was a lighting stab of wrongness as the liquid touched his lips, as something inside him cried out for Julien, but he wasn't here, he didn't know why but he had to trust Hal, if Hal was keeping them apart there was a reason. And that reason was never cruelty.

Hot, sweet tea is poured into him. Not too hot, it's been cooled enough not to burn his tongue. Not too fast, there's an incredible amount of attention paid to how fast he drinks and when he needs a pause to breathe.

Wick and Hal trade off who plays with his hair and who pets down his neck and back. Between cups of hot and cold Occtis touches the skin on his hands and makes noises about improvement and hydration.

"How pretty," Wick says, touching the hair Hal has been braiding.

The tea in his stomach helps. His insides are in reality now, and he supposes that's an improvement.

He focuses a bit, and the next time Occtis touches his hand he turns it. He's too slow, but Occtis lets him catch his hand anyway, looking down at their hands and not up at Azune.

Azune feels his pulse, steady, and slides his hand under his shirt to check core temperature. He's a little chilled, but Occtis is always a little chilled. Wick runs hot. Occtis runs cold. Julien depends on the day.

"Where's Julien?" he asks. His throat is still raw from crying.

"Azune," Hal starts into the 'we're focused on you,' talk. He gets the talk every time they do this.

-taper anon

I can't tell you how long it would take Azune to even open his eyes. He doesn't come down easily from something like that, he doesn't like being unstrapped and left moorless, although Julien holding him would help with that. There's a lot of whining and crying and trying to hide (hal is a little particular about not allowing the hiding). Hal's voice helps, Hal's hand on his throat helps, he knows he'll get through this, and it's part of the entire thing for him being vulnerable enough to be helped the other end.

Eventually he would want Wick and Occtis in his lap in turns, to be allowed to hold them close and make sure they are still safe even though he wasn't there for a little bit, maybe fuss over them a bit. There are other things he wants from Julien but he won't ask in front of the others, and he's not willing to leave Hal's presence for quite a while.

A warm body lies down, positioned just perfectly for him to wrap an arm around and hold it close. He buries his nose in Wick's soft, downy hair and breathes deep.

Thoughts are starting to trickle in. It took so long today. He was... terrible. Started bad, took too long to break, made Hal work so hard to put him back together. The urge to get up and apologize and make it better, make it right, is creeping into the back of his mind. Or to smile and be okay until he can be alone and deal with the raw edges himself. Or to beg to be broken in a way that can't be fixed. Or to just... disappear. He could leave. He could be gone by tomorrow and no one would ever have to deal with him again.

He feels Hal's fingers gentle on his chin and blinks back tears, he must have been hiding his face too much in Wicks hair, he had just wanted to feel the hair and breathe him in. He let's Hal move his head just enough so he can see his face and Azune struggles to keep it there. It would be so easy to pull away from the soft touch, to make Hal force it... But he had taken so much already, it was time to be good again.

Occtis has his eyes on the tray of mugs and is shuffling across the floor to keep from spilling. "I've got a hot-sweet, a cold-sweet, and a cold just for hydration. I wasn't sure about the electrolyte situation so I have a mix settling and can take another trip down depending on how the temperature equalization works out."

He sets the tray on the edge of the bed and resettles things so handles are all pointing the same way, fussing and fidgeting.

Azune looks at the three mugs. One has just a little steam playing on the surface. The other two are sweating condensation. "Which one is for me?" Three mugs, four of them in the room now. He knows one is for him, Hal always makes him drink something after, but he can't tell yet if he's hot or cold. He still feels shaky and distant.

"...All of them. You're extremely dehydrated," Occtis says.

Azune tries to understand the whole... everything of it. Thoughts skip across the surface of his brain without landing. The urge to run comes back, but he can't figure out why. Occtis isn't looking at him. He's still deciding between cups.

Slowly he shifted more upright up, doing his best to shift Wick with him, keeping his eyes down and grateful for Hal's steady hand still on him. He tried to reach out a hand to take whichever cup Occtis had decided on, surprised at how shaky it was.

Occtis kneels carefully on the bed, getting close enough to hold the cup to his lips, still so careful to avert his gaze, even tending to him like this. "Here... '

There was a lighting stab of wrongness as the liquid touched his lips, as something inside him cried out for Julien, but he wasn't here, he didn't know why but he had to trust Hal, if Hal was keeping them apart there was a reason. And that reason was never cruelty.

Hot, sweet tea is poured into him. Not too hot, it's been cooled enough not to burn his tongue. Not too fast, there's an incredible amount of attention paid to how fast he drinks and when he needs a pause to breathe.

Wick and Hal trade off who plays with his hair and who pets down his neck and back. Between cups of hot and cold Occtis touches the skin on his hands and makes noises about improvement and hydration.

"How pretty," Wick says, touching the hair Hal has been braiding.

Yes and: send me a headcanon and I’ll expand on it

Crack ships: give me your most deranged headcanon and I’ll do what I can to make it worse

-taper anon

I can't tell you how long it would take Azune to even open his eyes. He doesn't come down easily from something like that, he doesn't like being unstrapped and left moorless, although Julien holding him would help with that. There's a lot of whining and crying and trying to hide (hal is a little particular about not allowing the hiding). Hal's voice helps, Hal's hand on his throat helps, he knows he'll get through this, and it's part of the entire thing for him being vulnerable enough to be helped the other end.

Eventually he would want Wick and Occtis in his lap in turns, to be allowed to hold them close and make sure they are still safe even though he wasn't there for a little bit, maybe fuss over them a bit. There are other things he wants from Julien but he won't ask in front of the others, and he's not willing to leave Hal's presence for quite a while.

A warm body lies down, positioned just perfectly for him to wrap an arm around and hold it close. He buries his nose in Wick's soft, downy hair and breathes deep.

Thoughts are starting to trickle in. It took so long today. He was... terrible. Started bad, took too long to break, made Hal work so hard to put him back together. The urge to get up and apologize and make it better, make it right, is creeping into the back of his mind. Or to smile and be okay until he can be alone and deal with the raw edges himself. Or to beg to be broken in a way that can't be fixed. Or to just... disappear. He could leave. He could be gone by tomorrow and no one would ever have to deal with him again.

He feels Hal's fingers gentle on his chin and blinks back tears, he must have been hiding his face too much in Wicks hair, he had just wanted to feel the hair and breathe him in. He let's Hal move his head just enough so he can see his face and Azune struggles to keep it there. It would be so easy to pull away from the soft touch, to make Hal force it... But he had taken so much already, it was time to be good again.

Occtis has his eyes on the tray of mugs and is shuffling across the floor to keep from spilling. "I've got a hot-sweet, a cold-sweet, and a cold just for hydration. I wasn't sure about the electrolyte situation so I have a mix settling and can take another trip down depending on how the temperature equalization works out."

He sets the tray on the edge of the bed and resettles things so handles are all pointing the same way, fussing and fidgeting.

Azune looks at the three mugs. One has just a little steam playing on the surface. The other two are sweating condensation. "Which one is for me?" Three mugs, four of them in the room now. He knows one is for him, Hal always makes him drink something after, but he can't tell yet if he's hot or cold. He still feels shaky and distant.

"...All of them. You're extremely dehydrated," Occtis says.

Azune tries to understand the whole... everything of it. Thoughts skip across the surface of his brain without landing. The urge to run comes back, but he can't figure out why. Occtis isn't looking at him. He's still deciding between cups.

-taper anon

I can't tell you how long it would take Azune to even open his eyes. He doesn't come down easily from something like that, he doesn't like being unstrapped and left moorless, although Julien holding him would help with that. There's a lot of whining and crying and trying to hide (hal is a little particular about not allowing the hiding). Hal's voice helps, Hal's hand on his throat helps, he knows he'll get through this, and it's part of the entire thing for him being vulnerable enough to be helped the other end.

Eventually he would want Wick and Occtis in his lap in turns, to be allowed to hold them close and make sure they are still safe even though he wasn't there for a little bit, maybe fuss over them a bit. There are other things he wants from Julien but he won't ask in front of the others, and he's not willing to leave Hal's presence for quite a while.

A warm body lies down, positioned just perfectly for him to wrap an arm around and hold it close. He buries his nose in Wick's soft, downy hair and breathes deep.

Thoughts are starting to trickle in. It took so long today. He was... terrible. Started bad, took too long to break, made Hal work so hard to put him back together. The urge to get up and apologize and make it better, make it right, is creeping into the back of his mind. Or to smile and be okay until he can be alone and deal with the raw edges himself. Or to beg to be broken in a way that can't be fixed. Or to just... disappear. He could leave. He could be gone by tomorrow and no one would ever have to deal with him again.