⌈ B L O O D ⌋

Part I An assortment of prompts and/or starters using only four words. Adjust as necessary to fit pronoun and/or descriptor. Reblog, please do not repost or add.

“ I don't need you. ”

“ Celebrate while you can. ”

“ It was too much. ”

“ I'm so, so sorry. ”

“ Let me love you. ”

“ Where have you been? ”

“ Why am I here? ”

“ I would love to. ”

“ I tried but failed. ”

“ You'll never forgive me. ”

“ I want to confess. ”

“ I will protect you. ”

“ You don't deserve me. ”

“ I don't deserve you. ”

“ You are safe here. ”

“ You choose your fate. ”

“ I have lost control. ”

“ I don't recognize myself. ”

“ You are to blame. ”

“ You lack the skills. ”

“ Be still, don't move. ”

“ Yet again you lie. ”

“ You are so beautiful. ”

“ Take it off. Now. ”

“ Look at you now. ”

“ Shoot before it escapes! ”

“ You can't do this! ”

“ Please don't leave me. ”

“ Please leave me along. ”

“ Worship me or die. ”

“ Bow before me, peasant. ”

“ Did you make this? ”

“ I can't believe this! ”

“ You are my villain. ”

“ You are my hero. ”

“ I don't take sides. ”

“ Run, don't look back. ”

“ My life is perfect. ”

“ Don't lie to me. ”

“ When is it over? ”

“ What is this madness? ”

“ Cut loose, have fun! ”

“ I hate you all. ”

“ I love you, dear. ”

caretaker.

i'll  stay  until  you  fall  asleep.

you're  not  a  burden.  not  to  me.

you  don't  have  to  act  tough  with  me.

let  me  help.

if  you  need  to  cry,  i'll  look  the  other  way.

you  don't  have  to  talk.

let  me  handle  it,  just  for  a  minute.

rest,  i'll  watch  over  you.

i  don't  care  if  you  think  you're  fine.  i'm  staying.

deep  breaths.

just  lean  on  me.

you're  safe  now,  okay?  just  breathe.

i  know  it  hurts.  i'll  sit  here  as  long  as  it  takes.

i'm  not  leaving  until  i  know  you're  okay.

you  don't  need  to  hide.

let  me  take  care  of  you  this  time.

shh.  i'm  right  here.

you  don't  have  to  put  on  a  smile  for  me.

i  don't  think  less  of  you.

i'll  be  here  when  you  wake  up.

you're  allowed  to  lean  on  me.  that's  what  i'm  here  for.

you  don't  have  to  be  okay.

scoot  over,  i'm  not  letting  you  sleep  alone.

your  hair's  a  mess.  let  me  brush  it.

don't  apologize.

cared  for.

i'm  tired,  that's  all.

please  don't  go.

i  don't  know  what  i  need.

you  didn't  need  to  come.

you  shouldn't  have  to  see  me  like  this.

i  hate  feeling  like  this.

i  was  trying  to  push  through.  i  think  i  made  it  worse.

this  is  so  embarrassing.

can  you  just...  stay  a  little  longer?

i  didn't  think  anyone  would  notice...

i'm  not  safe  in  my  own  head  right  now.

why  are  you  being  so  gentle  with  me?

i  don't  want  you  to  fix  me.

today's  just...  one  of  the  harder  days.

i  didn't  know  i  needed  to  hear  that.

can  you  stay?  after  i  fall  asleep?

sorry.  i  didn't  mean  to  flinch.

i  don't  always  know  what's  going  to  help.

this  is  the  nicest  anyone’s  been  to  me  all  week.

i'm  sorry.  i  know  i'm  a  lot.

i  don't  even  know  why  i'm  crying...

i  think  i'm  broken.

you  didn't  have  to  do  all  this  for  me.

i  don't  want  to  be  a  burden.

a pleased hum vibrates low in his throat, velvety and satisfied. he doesn’t pull back. he doesn’t need to. ellis is already in place, trembling with conviction. such a good reaction. such a lovely contradiction.

" there it is, " cutter murmurs, brushing his nose along ellis’ temple in approval. " that’s what i wanted to hear. "

his hand trails slowly up ellis’ back, resting between his shoulder blades like a brand. it isn’t possessive — not exactly. more like he’s marking compliance, not territory.

" fear is fine. it means you understand the stakes. " a pause, deliberate. " you should be terrified. it tells me your instincts still work. "

he draws back just enough to meet ellis’ eyes, the look he gives him brimming with amused authority... and something darker, deeper. something dangerously close to reverence.

" but offering yourself anyway? that’s devotion. " he presses a kiss to the corner of ellis’ mouth, light and mocking. " and devotion, darling, is all i’ve ever asked of you. "

" i can twist it into whatever shape you prefer, " as long as you'll take it. as long as you want it. as long as you can handle it. each sentiment passes through ellis' mind, making his heartbeat feel louder in his ears. perhaps he would be horrified by the scene before him if cutter's smile wasn't so addictive. if the approval that warped his features wasn't like a high he could chase for the rest of his life. if cutter let him, " i swear i will, no matter how it might change. "

" no need to twist, sweetheart. " he hums, the smile sharpening as his eyes flicker open, their glint unmistakably fond—predatory, but fond. he watches ellis with the patience of a man who already knows the outcome.

" i’ll take it as it is. bruised, burning, unbeautiful. i don’t collect ornaments. i collect truths. " he tilts his head slightly, voice dropping. " and you’re a truth, aren’t you? one the world tried to bury. "

he shifts forward, slow, unthreatening only to the foolish. there is no danger in the movement—only inevitability.

" you belong in my hands. not reshaped. not broken in. just witnessed properly." a pause. "and refined, if necessary. "

he reaches, almost gently, thumb brushing ellis’ chin like he might appraise him—like he already has.

" you swear you’ll offer it, no matter how it changes. " his grin returns, razor-bright. " then be warned, lovely thing. everything changes under my attention. "

@wardencutter liked for a lyric one liner from zephyr. august - taylor swift.

dorian's lips curl into something of a smirk, though the action feels different on an aged face. each deviation from what he had been accustomed to for so long is a knife to the gut, a desperate reminder of his need to return to his world.

" i prefer to think of it as... reminiscing with a purpose. "

he watches them in amusement, quirking a brow and letting out a soft laugh when the other bites his finger. well, he certainly did pick someone interesting; good play. " love~? how charming. "

oh, cutter endears the idea of love. he falls in love every day for any number of reasons— call him a monster if you must, but he has nothing but love for the world.

grinning, he presses into them and brushes his lips over the shell of their ear, whispering, " show me what you've got, then. "