#orcs!

He was busy with the last sheet of the comprehensive workout routine he was setting up for Thrug. Convincing him to go was just the first part. And even though he’d only did it so he could show Thrug off and convince his gym friends that he did, in fact, have a real boyfriend, Zeke found himself enjoying the process of getting said boyfriend prepared. Especially after he found out over Christmas that Thrug would wear just about anything he gave him. He got him some respectable attire of course, no taking advantage of him here. Though if the shorts he gave him happen to be a little too short, well…what a rare and fortuitous mistake for him.

Although now he had to keep his attention on the worksheet under his hands because a glance in Thrug’s direction, checking himself out in the mirror with a bloom of scarlet on his face and neck, nearly made him call the whole thing off and spend the night figuring out how he could get that blush to spread further. If he could get Thrug interested enough in this to come with him regularly he’d consider it a plus, and they couldn’t do that if he was hovering over his body trying to find all the ways to play his favorite instrument.

“Come on, we’ll be late,” he said after clearing his throat, closing and setting his books into a haphazard pile on whatever available space he could find. It wasn’t strictly true, they had plenty of time, but Zeke wanted to get there before any of his meathead friends did. That moment where they would walk in was prime show-off material.

“Yeah yeah, I’m coming.”

Thrug gave up trying to see his own rear in the mirror and grabbed his hat which did nothing to stop the constant wild bed of hair atop his head that always seemed to look like he’d just been ravaged. Or perhaps his hair looked like that because of his hat? Zeke hadn’t started that particular branch of research yet.

The gym was thankfully barren at this time of day. Not only did he not have to deal with a large amount of people but it also meant that there would be a clear line of sight to Thrug, who was staring at the folder of work-out notes Zeke had given him. There was something about his concentration face, brows so furrowed it made them look like one large ridge and his tongue pushing at a tusk, that always managed to grab his attention. Time seemed to shrink down until the world only contained the two of them as he showed Thrug how to use the machines, finding any excuse he could to touch him.

He almost missed when someone called his name and Zeke forced himself to forget the way Thrug would push back against his torso, turning to watch the pack of jocks that was The Gym Bros make their way in. They waved him down with meaty arms, strangely in tandem with each other as if they shared a single brain cell. There was evidence enough to uphold that theory.

“BRO!”

“Bro.”

“Bro?”

“Bro…”

“Bro!”

A series of one word sentences followed, The Gym Bros having entire conversations with a single syllable and the look on their face. An entire language that took Zeke a year to interpret. Enough for him to reply with a quieter “Bro,” and a polite almost-there smile he reserved for public situations.

“You’re early, Bookworm Bro!” The Bro in the lead declared happily.

“Had to get the jump on you and get the boyfriend started,” Zeke replied with a grin.

“Holy shit, you actually brought him?”

“Bro!”

“No shit, where?!”

Zeke motioned confidently in his boyfriend’s direction, grin growing slightly at the sight of Thrug handling the machine with all the grace of a boar in a china shop. His concentration face mixed with a healthy dose of resting bitch face which combined sent people in wide circles around him, afraid to get too close.

“What the hell?”

“There’s no way.”

“Yeah, there’s no way that’s your boyfriend, bro.”

“Probably just some random guy you brought along.”

“Yeah, that’s why he looks so pissed, bro.”

A cacophony of chuckles followed shortly after as Zeke turned around, indignant.

“Oh yeah!? I’ll fuckin’ prove it!”

With a huff he turned away from the pack of jocks and stomped over to where Thrug was checking the weight of the machine he was using. The druid looked up just in time for Zeke to wrap his hand around his neck and pull him in for a bruising kiss before he could even ask what was happening. The effect was immediate, lips parted to allow the scholar to dive in. He dominated him, tongue running over gums and teeth and the ridged roof of his mouth, bushing against the tusks that gently clacked together with every move of his lips. Thrug reached up to grasp at his shirt, tugging it down as he was left needy and wanting for more. Zeke’s hands traveled, one found its way under Thrug’s shirt, wrapped around his back and pushed him tighter against his body. The other grabbed a heaping helping of ass, kneading the flesh under too thin fabric until he could feel their arousal push against each other. Hard, the pressure so alluring that Zeke almost forgot he was in public. A display that would normally push at the edges of what he was comfortable with, but his stubborn need to win pushed drowned what anxiety it would normally cause to a whisper. Before long they both had to come up for air, parting with finger shaped bruises on Zeke’s skin and Thrug blushing so brightly one could swear he was born that way. The druids’ lips were bruised and kiss swollen, his eyes in a daze as he breathed deeply.

“Wh-what's happening? Was that a good set?” he asked in a blissed haze.

“Oh yeah,” Zeke said, “You’re doing great, babe.”

Thrug’s smile was so wide it made his ears wiggle as he turned to get back to the machine with that same look of determination he’d been so fond of.

He turned back to the pack of Gym Bros with the largest grin on his face and drank in their shocked faces.

“DUDE!”

“Bro! You weren’t fuckin’ kiddin’!”

“Well shit. That settles it, bro. You have to bring him to the New Years party…” followed by a series of affirmations, most of which boiled down to ‘Hell yeah!’. Zeke’s smug grin had turned back to a pair of wiggling ears launching into his next workout with even more enthusiasm. A kind of solid heat settled in his chest that he chalked up to watching Thrug bend over in shorts much too short for him to pick up the weights, along with a second undefined thing that begged for attention. But before he could examine it too closely a heavy hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his mind and back into the fresh air of his victory.

“Seriously, bro. Y’all have to come!” his friend insisted, and Zeke found himself nodding before the rest of the conversation solidified in his head. “Great!”

When the words finally registered in his head the Gym Bros had already migrated to their respective work outs. Zeke groaned quietly, kicking himself for not paying better attention. He’d rather not go at all, but he already agreed and one night of social discomfort was preferable to the weeks, if not months, of joyful ribbing the Bros would give him if he backed out now. His eyes wandered back over to his boyfriend, smirking at the way his legs were crossed, knowing that Thrug had noticed his erection and was waiting for it to die down. Maybe if he convinced him, the New Years party wouldn’t be so bad.

—

“No. No, absolutely not.”

Zeke figured he’d try to convince him on the way home, he had it all laid out and Thrug was having none of it, as he expected.

“That sounds awful. A whole night at a party with the roving pack of meatheads?” he continued, his resting bitch face quickly moving into an active one.

“They’re not all meatheads,” Zeke supplied defensively.

“Aren’t they the ones who laughed at you when you asked them to join the book club?”

“To be fair, they thought I was telling a joke.”

Thrug stared back at him silently, waiting for that sentence to connect. Zeke sighed and shook his head.

“Okay, yeah the meatheads. But I promised I would go and it would suck way less if you came with me,” he continued, pleading with his eyes now to supplement his words. Thrug looked unconvinced. In fact he started to get that look on his face that Zeke recognized as the offer of sexual favors to get out of an argument. It’s how he got out of Zeke’s Dragon Ball Z marathon.

“They have a dog!” he offered quickly, which made the look on his partner’s face change considerably. Hell yeah, Zeke thought, get him with the animals. And like he thought, Thrug eventually sighed and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll go.”

Zeke actually cheered in victory, moving behind Thrug to wrap his arms around him as he planted a huge, wet kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, babe!,” he whispered in his ear, hands bunching up the legs of the short shorts as they walked, “How ‘bout we finish what we started when we get home, huh? Show you how much I liked seeing you in the gym.”

He felt the blush before he could see it, his hand sneaking inside Thrug’s shorts as the druid nodded rapidly. He’d make it worth his while.

—

“I regret everything,” Thrug muttered in such a resonating way that Zeke couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

They stood together staring up at what appeared to be a normal, every day, suburban home. But they could feel the thrumming of the music playing inside from the front lawn, which was littered in various detritus. The Gym Bros all lived here together, living out their college days in wasteful merriment day after day.

At the very least the roving pack of jocks seemed to want everyone they met to be as content and carefree as they were. Zeke wasn’t absolutely sure how they did it, and in some small way envied the ease at which it came to them. The harsh tones of his father’s “advice” began to ring in his head. He shook it to drown them out, unwilling to make tonight worse than it needed to be. Thrug’s hand held him firmly in the moment, tucked in the cup of his palm like for all the world it belonged there, for which he was thankful.

“An hour, tops,” he explained quietly while leading his boyfriend by the hand towards the porch, “By then they’ll be too drunk to remember we left.”

Once they were inside, however, Zeke suddenly wondered if an hour might be a bit much. A wave of beer, weed, and axe body spray washed over them as the door opened and an unbearable heat permeated the place. The music’s dull thrum had turned into a cacophony of a clearly overtuned bass equalizer.

Before Zeke could turn around and decide that a week of ribbing was worth missing this party, he was enveloped in a cage of muscle, sweat, and joyful (and loud) affirmation.

“Yo, dude! You came! BROS! HE CAME!”

The resounding cheer that followed nearly knocked the breath out of him. How could they be this excited that Zeke came to a stupid party? The question would remain unanswered as he was finally released from his entrapment only to find that the mass of man had rounded on Thrug.

Despite how uncomfortable he knew it must have been for him, Zeke couldn’t help but grin and stare at the bloom of blush upon Thrug’s skin. Which only intensified when the Gym Bros had gathered and began to tease them, thanking the druid for his existence because Zeke would never have come otherwise so he must be the determining factor. A statement that began to roll the cogs in Zeke’s head but he wasn’t allowed to dwell on that too long as they were tugged into the main parlor.

Drinks were shoved into their hands and they had meatheads take up stations on either side of them on a couch that had clearly had enough of large men sitting upon it and given up on supporting anything.

Zeke immediately began sipping from his drink, counting a personal victory that he didn’t cringe at the taste of the concoction they’d made. Normally he wouldn’t drink anything handed to him but the Gym Bros had long since proven that they had no nefarious purpose. Just idiotic well meaning party vibes.

He looked over and saw Thrug eyeing his own drink with trepidation and smirked. He provided a gentle nudge to get his lover’s attention and nodded when he looked up, assuring him it was safe. In part because it was, but also because he was curious what Thrug was like with a little alcohol in him. Several months together and he’d never seen him drink a drop ever.

Thrug, who was slowly sinking into the cushions, gave Zeke a look before offering a shrug and taking a sip of the swill inside the red plastic cup. The following grimace was enough to make Zeke chuckle, but immediately afterwards when a meaty hand collided with Thrug’s back and caused him to chug more than he was prepared to drink at once.

“There you go, bro! Whoa, easy, don’t breathe it in!” the jock warned while Zeke saw to Thrug, unable to stop his laughter and worry at the same time.

When it became apparent that the druid would be fine, his worry ebbed and the liquor proved loosen Thrug up a bit. The effect was nearly immediate, little rosy spots blooming on his cheeks. Zeke watched him intently as he drank more, nodding in encouragement any time his lover looked at him. He was curious, and resolved to see where this would lead and gave him an excuse to turn down any drinks as the designated driver, now.

It didn’t take long, by the second drink, Thrug was one of the Gym Bros. Participating in beer pong, succumbing to the allure of karaoke and belting out a love song that earned Zeke more than a few jabs in the ribs, and even managed to vanish from his site for a split second only to return wearing a bedsheet as a toga. The latter of which caused a loud chant of “TOGA TOGA TOGA” as bro after bro stripped on the spot and donned whatever bed sheets they could find.

Such displays normally would have Zeke slowly edging for the door. But to his surprise, he found himself playing along. If only a little. With Thrug there, none of it grated on his nerves as much as it normally would.

Before he knew it they had been there for three hours, seated across the den with a new glass of water as he watched Thrug squatting to be face level with the dog the bros collectively took care of.

“Bro, your boyfriend is so drunk he’s talkin’ to the dog,” The largest bro said, dropping on the sofa so hard Zeke nearly spilled his drink from the jostle.

“That’s normal for him,” he said flatly, checking for wet spots on the fabric, “The dog was actually how I convinced him to come.”

Just as he was satisfied he hadn’t spilled a drop, his friend nudged him with his beefy arm and knocked half his drink out of his glass anyway.

“Dude!” Zeke started in, turning towards the jock but found a knowing smile pinning him on the spot, “Wha-”

“He’s good for you.”

“Who, Thrug? I-” Zeke started, but the bro cut him off.

“No seriously, bro. I seen you watching him all night and, yeah, that’s good lookin’ out right? But also you would have left waaaaay before now normally and just been a grumpy doofus all night,” he continued, wrapping that same arm around Zeke and pulling him into a one-armed hug, “Plus I’ve never seen you smile before. Ever. Smirk? Yeah. Sneer? Definitely. But with him you smile. It’s nice, bro.”

Zeke stared up into his friend’s face, bewildered at the sudden wisdom of the meathead. Heat washed over him as his own blush flooded his face, eyes finding the figure of his lover. Thrug was occupied with placing a pair of earmuffs made out of plants over the dog's ears and Zeke couldn’t stop the smile that marked his face.

“See, bro!” The jock cheered, unwinding his arm from Zeke at the slightest hint of resistance, “It’s like come fairytale shit!”

Zeke winced at that, though his smile didn’t completely fade. Thrug at this point had joined the dog in howling some melody he couldn’t recognize. Clearly he had to get his boyfriend home before he did something he’d regret. He was surprised at the lack of joyful teasing when the words “I should probably get him home” left his mouth, instead coordinating with the cognizant Bros to convince Thrug it was time to leave and helped them to the car. For the first time he could recall, Zeke left a social event with a lingering warmth he’d examine later.

Aside from an incident through a drive thru where Thrug had climbed across Zeke’s lap to hang out the driver window and shout an order, the ride home was thankfully uneventful. The same could not be said on the way up to the apartment.

Drunk Thrug was an unruly force of nature. With nothing else to distract him, his clothes nearly abandoned before they got to the elevator, his hands grasping at places Zeke would definitely appreciate more behind closed doors. Doors it took longer and longer to get to as he dragged his boyfriend carefully along. .

“Weeeee should, go aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall theway,” Thrug slurred, having given up on his own stubborn clothing and begun investigating how best to rid Zeke of his own. “Y’know? We should…should do that.”

Zeke stopped in his tracks for a moment, Thrugs words seeping into his body sending warmth and blood to his core which was now very much on board with the druid’s attempt to release it from its confines. His brain recognized what his lover meant by that, the implications involved, screaming the news to his heart which leapt in his chest. But the stench of alcohol put the breaks on everything, giving Zeke the focus he needed to push forward and tug his pants up.

“Yeah,” he agreed, throat a little dry but he knew he’d have to wait for Thrug to sober up to talk about that. Make sure he knew what he was doing, not floating down a river of liquor and poor life choices.

“Yeah, yeah,” he started again with a clear throat, finally having enough of this squirmy asshole and lifting him over his shoulder as easily as one would carry a sack of potatoes, “I’m real tired though, you know? We should do it in the morning.”

“Oooooh! You’re so right, baby. You’re so smart. The smartest ever,” Thrug hiccupped behind him, doing neither of them any favors as he openly groped at Zeke’s backside.

Eventually they made it to the door, a small seed of relief settling in the scholar’s chest. The door swung open to familiarity, cozy and made just for him. Or, them, now he realized as he set Thrug down in a nearby chair and locked out the rest of the world with a turn of the key. He hadn’t noticed until now just how much of Thrug’s presence had taken over the place. All of which were small additions that Zeke had come to think of fondly without realizing it. Not least of which, the very man who put it there…and was currently pulling Zeke’s pants down.

Getting ready for bed luckily wasn’t nearly as tedious as getting into the apartment itself, and once Zeke was naked Thrug was a lot more cooperative. The larger orc couldn’t help but smirk and soak in the attention like sunlight for his ego. He wanted to wash the smell of party off of both of them, but decided that would also be best left in the morning when Thrug was no longer inebriated and trying to convince him the non-orc half of him was some sort of goblin. Instead they settled into bed, the druid tucked into his side as they let the dark blanket them. Zeke wrapped his arm around his lover, sighing softly while he waited for sleep to take him.

It felt as though he had just begun to drift off to sleep when he felt himself being gently shaken. A single eye pulled open, blinking while it adjusted to the dark.

“Zeke, you awake?” came Thrug’s voice, now without the sting of liquor carried on his breath. Maybe it had been a few hours after all.

“I am now,” he grumbled, shifting to look out the window. The moon was still high in the sky, shining into their bedroom.

“Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. I…” Zeke’s eyes turned back to the moment at hand, curious.

Thrug shifted on the bed, moving himself closer and running a hand up Zeke’s torso, threading his fingers through his chest hair because the scholar secretly liked it.

"I was serious, you know..."

Thrug whispered into the silvery dark, his voice impossibly soft. As though if he said it too loudly he'd wake up from whatever dream he found himself in. It made something in Zeke's chest jump as he looked down into eyes that stared back. Watching. Waiting. That little jumping bean in his chest pulled his limbs into motion and before he could register what the swelling in his gut meant his lips found Thrug's, the moonlight banished behind closed eyelids and a sudden waking need to have every inch of that body connected to his.

He situated himself over Thrug’s body like they’d done so many times before, foreheads resting together as they shared the same air. It wasn’t at all how he thought this would go. Zeke had done the research, he knew the first time should be on all fours because it was easier. But he wanted to see Thrug’s face. Had to.

His cock twitched happily, already leaking as his hips drew forward, sliding wetly against Thrug’s weeping length. They groaned together at the contact, Zeke reaching down to take both of them in hand while he rocked forward.

“Remember our first time?” he muttered quietly, nipping at the line of Thrug’s jaw. The air filled with the slick sound of their cocks sliding against each other and the druid’s moans.

“Shit, Zeke…I-”

“Yeah.”

Even in the dim moonlight he could see the blush bloom, darkening his partner’s skin across his nose and creeping down his cheeks onto his chest. Zeke paused to stare at the pull of his lips against his teeth. He needed more. He smirked, nudging against Thrug’s skin with his nose as he moved down his body.

“Ah, f-fuck,” Thrug’s breathy voice like a loudspeaker in the quiet of their room, lifting in octave when Zeke turned his attention to his nipples. Tongue dragging over it before his teeth grazed the raised nub, all the while he watched and committed the druid’s face to memory. Thick arms shifted, pulling Thrug’s legs up and apart, spreading his lover out for him like the feast he was.

Further and further down Zeke traveled, running through his lists and diagrams as he pulled moan after groan out of Thrug. Touching those special places, rubbing him a certain way, dragging his tongue along his cock in the same manner one would play an instrument.

“Zeeeeeeke,” Thrug whined, his hands in Zeke’s hair. The tugs were gentle, even as the scholar suckled on the tip of his engorged member just so he could watch his facial expressions. “Zeke, please! Need you…!”

There was a brief consideration to dip between his cheeks, pull more of these melodic notes out of the druid with his tongue. His own ignored length twitched angrily, eager to get inside and the thought was abandoned. Zeke was just as impatient.

He crawled back up his body, straddling over the half-orc’s chest, cock pressed against his face and leaving glistening streaks in its wake. But Thrug’s face turned not towards it, but the fingers Zeke offered and pulled them between his tusks.

Amber eyes never broke contact, holding Zeke captive. “Fuck, babe,” he encouraged quietly, moving his fingers against the wet heat and watching the pull of lips, somehow equally as alluring here as they were wrapped around his length. He reached out with his other hand, grabbing the bottle they kept by the bed and set it in the druid’s hand. Thrug followed his lead, popping the lid and gently applying a thick layer of lube along Zeke’s leaking cock. All the while never taking his eyes or his mouth away from his lover.

Thrug let loose a throaty moan when Zeke pulled his spit-soaked fingers free, sending a ripple through his body that traveled down his spine to his lubed up cock. It ached for more touch, more friction, but he held off. It was coming. But he had to make sure they were ready.

Passages of books, instructions he’d read, videos watched replayed in Zeke’s head while his thick, spit-slick finger ran up and down, circling his entrance.

Zeke hummed, leaning forward to offer a gentle kiss. “Ready, babe?”

Thrug nodded quickly, reaching down to grasp his abandoned cock too eagerly as he hissed, “Pleaaaase.” His eyes close as Zeke’s finger pushed passed the ring of muscle.

“You’re so tight,” he said, working the finger in and pushing in a second with the practiced ease of someone well versed in this body.

He pushed his partner’s legs further apart, while his own hulking body made a home between them. His hand joined Thrug’s around his length, in part to anchor himself and in part to pull more of those life-giving noises from his lover. Mewling and sweet, they grew in volume into mouth watering moans as his fingers pushed their way inside and worked to spread him open. They’d done this part before, of course. Many times over, one particular evening came to mind where Zeke decided to pull Thrug apart by the seams until well into the night. Familiar and exhilarating all at once, every time.

By the time he’d reached the third, twisting and rubbing against that bundle of nerves that had the druid shouting and his cock beliver another burst of precome, Thrug had reduced himself to a being of sensation, clutching at Zeke’s arms so hard they would leave bruises before a final, breathy “I’m ready, Zeke, I’m ready! Fuck me!” broke through his lips.

Zeke dove in to swallow the whimpering moan that escaped Thrug when he pulled his fingers out and lined up his swollen cock with his rim. The druid nodded when he felt the swell of the cock head press against him, then enter. A gasp escaped him, Zeke all too happy to capture it for himself before he leaned back on his haunches.

For the first time that night, his eyes were torn from Thrug’s face to watch where they connected. Eyes trained on the way his cock slid slowly inside and watching, feeling his lover stretch around him. Inch by solid inch he was swallowed, until the messy nest of his hairs pushed flush against Thrug’s rear. There he stayed, buried to the hilt as Zeke tried to catch his breath. And then came the squeeze, Thrug tightening down against him like a vice.

“N-No, don’t! FUCK! Don’t, don’t do that,” he cried in his own desperate tone, overwhelmed for just a moment. For the longest time, neither of them moved. And then Zeke pulled out slowly, relishing the drag of his cock against Thrug’s inner walls and the mewling groans that came with them.

He set a pace, slow and focused. Staring down and watching himself inter and leave his lover over, and over again. He could do this for an eternity, watching the way his body gripped at him. The way his cock glistened before pushing back in. “I wish you could see this,” Zeke breathes, making a mental note to convince Thrug to let him do just this for hours sometime. Maybe record it. For science.

But tonight was not that night, not the way Thrug’s legs had hooked around his waist. Heels dug into the dimple above his ass, pushing, urging him onward. How was he to deny that?

Suddenly Zeke is much closer, having dropped onto his forearms so they are chest to chest, already devouring Thrug’s moans with a kiss. His legs pushed him up, his ass raised into the air. And all the wonderfully flowery words that were floating around in his head for this moment blur into nothing as he started to move in earnest. Each thrust, each loud smack of their skin against skin, the steady ‘thwack’ of his balls against Thrug’s ass driving him onward. Faster. Harder.

He finally relinquished Thrug’s lips, traveling lower to bury his face in his neck. To nibble at the skin, his tusks pressed so firmly there he was sure to leave bruises. But he needed to leave more. More evidence of tonight. The druid’s moans filled the air, loud and broken with each brutal push. Thrug’s fingers curled, dragging against Zeke’s back with an intensity that would leave a mark for days.

This had to be what bliss was, Zeke thought, sweaty and growling. He bit down as Thrug let loose a garbled “I’m coming!” and felt the way his partner clamped down on him repeatedly through his orgasm for he felt the warm spill between them. The druid’s face turned, biting firmly but gently against Zeke’s neck as he rode out his climax. And still Zeke kept fucking him. Immensely proud that he was able to pull that from him first but now chasing his own. It did not take long with Thrug’s pulsing walls before the blinding pleasure overtook him, burying himself to the hilt and emptying himself deep inside his lover.

They stay there for several long moments, pressed as close as they can possibly be, Zeke rocking slowly into Thrug while coming down from the physical high. He pulled his face back enough to line their foreheads up again, pressing lazy kisses against Thrug’s lips. The druid’s hands cupped his face, thumb tracing every line, every ridge it could reach.

“That was…wow,” Thrug was the first to speak, out of breath and smiling broadly.

“Yeah? Was it awesome enough?” Zeke said, grinning.

“Yeah, yeah. It was so awesome,” Thrug said back, laughing softly.

Zeke pulled away again, but only just enough so he could watch himself pull out of Thrug, earning him a whimpering moan in the process. “Oh, shit yeah,” he crooned, going in for another kiss, “One more question.”

“Hmm?”

“You wanna do that again?”

Thrug laughed, deep and from his chest as he nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, fuck yeah I want to do that again.”

“Cool. Give me like, fifteen minutes,” Zeke said and rolled over onto his back, pulling Thrug on top of him.

“Zeke?” Thrug asked after a quiet moment.

“Hmm?”

“What do you want out of life?”

The question hit him like a ton of bricks, settling something strange in the bottom of his gut that was making his slowly rebuilding erection falter, “Damn, Uhh... I dunno. This is pretty good."

"This is pretty great, yeah. I just wondered if there was anything more you wanted to do. What you wanted to be."

"Hmm. I just wanna do things I like, you know? I never really thought much past that,” he all but whispered, staring up at the ceiling in thought. And yet Thrug’s warmth remained, Zeke’s arm pulling tightly around him, “At some point even this much seemed unlikely."

"Live in the moment. Hmh,” Thrug said thoughtfully, “Hold nothing back. Wild."

Zeke smirked, and asked, "You got any grand plans figured out for your future?"

Thrug looked up at him, because of course he did. No matter the situation Zeke always ended up nearly a head higher than him, which meant he always had the high ground. A benefit of being so bloody tall.

"Nah," he sighed, content, "Turns out what I was looking for ended up being here." The druid’s eyes turned back towards the ceiling, “The rest I'll figure out as we go."

this filled a hole i didn’t even know could be filled (which despite being ace is oftentimes what i’m looking for with orcs, hey-o), with the only problem being that whenever i go out looking for more orc fiction i’m looking for this specific vibe and nothing else has it. woof.

(in all seriousness i wouldn’t want every orc story to have this vibe because that would make it less special, but still i want more of this than this and its immediate sequel, y’know?)

2. the witch boy by molly ostertag (2017)

given the title & author i am less than 0% surprised how strongly i vibed with this. this gave me so many gender feels.

3. batman/teenage mutant ninja turtles (2015-16) writer: james tyrnion iv / artist: freddie williams ii

a love letter to fans of both franchises. this is one of the all-time great crossovers between two totally separate franchises. it might be the best ever.

4. the adventure zone, vol. 4: the crystal kingdom (2021) writers: clint mcelroy & griffin mcelroy & justin mcelroy & travis mcelroy artist: carey pietsch

it took me a minute to get into adventure zone because i was so thoroughly spoiled by the frankly superior dimension 20, but it really does grow on you. and i think the crystal kingdom story is the first one where the comic adaptation actually noticeably improved upon the podcast. the ending especially was just so arresting seeing it in comic form, and it really had an impact on me that i don’t remember it having when i was listening to the pod.

5. superman: birthright (2003-04) writer: mark waid / artists: leinil francis yu & gerry alanguilan

not only is this the best verison of superman’s origin story i’ve ever seen, it’s one of the best superman comics i’ve ever read.

6. batman, vol. 2: the city of owls (2012) writers: scott snyder & james tynion iv / artists: greg capulo & rafael albuquerque & more

what made this so special is not just that it was the epic confrontation between batman and the court (and possibly his long-lost brother). it also had two side stories, one that showed that the new 52 version of mr. freeze is kind of a unique twist on the character, but i'm actually way more interested in the last issue of the volume. this issue featured a pair of super gay siblings named harper and cullen row. harper will eventually become the hero bluebird, but for now we just see her civilian life and how she first comes into contact with batman. and honestly, just seeing these two low-income queer siblings existing and being extremely relatable was such a joy.

7. avatar: tsu’tey’s path (2019) writer: sherri l. smith / artists: dan parsons & jay durresma

basically a drastically better version of the first movie with less human stuff. it couldn’t totally remove the shitty white savior stuff from the narrative obviously since it is following the same events, but it did at least push them off to the side as much as it could.

8. batman: hush (2002) writer: jeph loeb / artist: jim lee

i’ve been a batman/catwoman shipper since before i knew that shipping was a thing, so obviously i loved this. ivy being blatantly femdommy, and bisexual at that, was also extremely, extremely, extremely my jam. yes please. more of that, please.

9. pleasure & corruption, vol. 1 by you someya (2019)

*pounding fist on table in rhythm to words* more. boy. subs. more. boy. subs. more. boy. subs.

i do wish so many authors didn’t seem so convinced that subby boys always have to “deserve it” by being pervs or whatever in stories like this, it makes them way harder to relate to. but yeah. seeing a boy get tied up and bullied a bunch is extremely wish fulfillment imo. also, loveloveloved the heavy emphasis on bondage, obviously.

10. 5 seconds before a witch falls in love by zeniko sumiya (2021)

So I’ve been low-key following Christine Larsen’s work around Orcs for a while now – what she does, giving them their real due as a whole people instead of cookie-cutter monsters is VERY important, and veryverygood. I’ve read the original, indie copy of the first issue of this story MANY times. So to say that I was thrilled to find out about and finally read this fuller version of the tale would be a massive understatement. And I was not disappointed.

(Minor spoilers follow BUT I will try to keep them to a minimum.)

The world-building and tone-setting is spot on from the very first scene. Not only is the art even more adorable than it was in the indie issue (and, as before, very body positive!), we get to start off with the Legend of Drod – which I love, legends within a greater story/world are absolutely my cup of tea. Drod’s tale is used brilliantly to latch us into the world of the Orcs – carrying us through it in every issue, even tying into the way the series wraps up later, too (I won’t spoil that, it’s too good!).

So not only do we get to start falling in love with this people through their legends, we also get introduced to their culture right away – which is, of course, handled with respect. They have homes, and art, and games, and music, and relationships to each other – children, who have a life experience all their own – and a place in the history of the world…. basically all they deserve as a sentient race in their own right (I’m looking at you, John Ronald).

At the same time, the rough and tumble vibe one usually expects from Orcs is still there, intact – so, delightful to read and still the vibe one would expect from Orcish content. On top that that, she also addresses the darker side of that “violent” nature – when it goes too far, and what lasting impact that has on a person. That’s a really challenging balance to hit, and it’s managed perfectly and beautifully. That roughness, but admission of trauma, all tempered with the love and care these Orcs genuinely have for one another.

And on that note, speaking of culture again, another excellent balance is hit between the jovial, chaotic bonds of the whole tribe and the found family vibe of the group the story focuses on. We see through that interaction – this one group, as part of a larger whole – how Orcish culture is structured. Not a lot of time is needed to establish that, the way Larsen set things up, so we understand quickly where things stand and move forward with that solid foundation.

(Also, Tuesday. Just saying.)

She does amazing things with other fantasy peoples as well – especially, the Elves ( Leonard is just….everything, and poor Daniel deserves a vacation)and the Dwarves (so much adoration for the inclusion of Mea and Siri!!). Staples of their usual depictions are leaned on, with details that firmly base them in this world while still making them feel familiar. The fact that we, as readers, would know what to expect based on previous story settings is used with skill, to both the story’s advantage and our own advantage, experiencing this world for the first time.

(Though again, my only non-positive notes in this area or in general are about the treatment of Gnomes, but I already processed that here.)

(And I should also mention that if you’re terribly arachnophobic, like myself, there ARE spider characters. Not like, a whole lot of them or in long scenes, but they pop up a few times.)

The fantasy genre itself is also used to the reader’s advantage, with the plot hitting both a Grand Quest vibe but with the freshness of the characters’ unique motivations (again, spoilers, sorry! Just go read it!) and a bit of a D&D feel, thanks to certain details and pit-stops. I absolutely want to go campaigning with both adventuring groups focused on throughout the tale!

To pivot back to Orcs and the other peoples, not only do we get more time to see what Orc culture is really like, but we get hints of inter-cultural relationships too. Which, as you know, is also 8,000% my cup of tea.

And not all of these relationships are hetero-presenting – far from it. Queerness is visible and accepted in this world, which is a welcome sigh of relief in a genre that is often still dominated by heteronormative assumptions. Technically, the whole story starts with queerness, since we get Drod’s first interaction with the Siren right off the bat (not that that goes as expected, but any Siren tale comes with the backstory of all siren stories before it, which are more than often romantically coded at least). This is so especially welcome since this series is marketed under BOOM’s ‘kaboom!’ label – I wish dearly that I had read this as a kid. Queer kids reading this will see right away that people like them exist in this world, and are not unwelcome. And I would argue that there’s space for a polyamorous reading of the friendships between 3 of the characters, in particular, leaving space for all kinds of loves to exist in this world.

On that note as well, though there doesn’t seem to be much overt nonbinary representation, both masculine-presenting and feminine-presenting individuals are included in both life at home and on the adventure of the story. Utzu is in fact an adventuring “wife” (well, mated woman) and mother, who ends up with her mate and child on the quest with her. She, and all the other feminine-presenting characters we meet throughout the tale, is presented as a complex, well-rounded individual who is just as multifaceted as any of the male-presenting folk, even more so, in a lot of ways. There is a realism to how everyone of any gender lives and moves through this world and the drama of the plot, which is another inspiring thing.

Really, this whole series is just so wonderfully done!! So fun, with amazing plot, gorgeous art and deep, respectful world building underneath.

Highly, highly recommended.

Check it out here at BOOM! Studios website, here on Comixology, or better yet – call your local comic shop!!

~

Previous Orctober drawings here (this year’s theme – Stones)

Prompt list from qdnox 💚

Prompt list from hitorikart ⚔

~~~