Aostrolf's Weed

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook 20k+ wc | NSFW 18+ for explicit sexual content After an unexpected discovery in the Necropolis, Emmrich and Agnes are forced to contend with their feelings for each other. *AU, Pre-Veilguard, Mourn Watch origin Rook

Anyway the fic got so long it crashed Google Docs multiple times and at some point the find + replace tool stopped working entirely, so sorry y'all, but I'm not going to cross post this one—AO3 only this time. I don't think Tumblr's UX is quite suited to reading 20k+ of smut.

From This Day Forward

Emmrich/F!Rook *Emmrich POV 1.5k+ wc Summary: With the Veilguard's task nearly complete, Rook and Emmrich are left to wonder what will come next.

my ass has been absolutely haunted by that bone zaddy concept art that I was soOoOo excited about three years ago. Is that Emmrich?? Will that BE Emmrich?? Is that the culmination of 4+ decades of necromancy study, or something he does on a reckless impulse? Why would he do that?

until I had the cursed realization that actually he would probably absolutely do exactly that if a high approval and/or romanced rook was in danger of being hormak’d and he thought that transfiguring himself into some unalive Thing was the only way he’d be strong enough to save them

i’m good i’m all good i swear

When We Were Young

Emmrich/F!Rook 1.5k+ wc / Mostly SFW but strongly implied sexual content Things don't always work the way they used to when you are older. Rook assures Emmrich that's just fine by her.

Dilemma

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook 5k+ wc | SFW, CW profane language (Johanna drops some f-bombs) EXCERPT: “Ah, yes, Emmrich. Come in. Close the door behind you.”

That had the alarms in his head ringing. What did Johanna have to say to him that she did not want anyone else in the Mourn Watch to overhear? His stomach flipped, terrified that she had ill news to share with him.

“Did you find something?” he asked, his voice both keen and fearful. “Is she—”

“No,” Johanna said, shaking her head, dragging the heels of her palms over her forehead as though she were trying to smooth away a budding migraine. Bitterly, she continued, “No, there is still no sign of her. It is like the Maker himself scooped her up in his hands and set her down half a continent away.” But then, with a frustrated sigh and a shake of her head, Johanna changed tact. “But I did not call you here to talk about her. I wanted to talk about you.”

“About me?”

“Yes, you.” Johanna put both her elbows on the desk, folding her hands together, and gave him an unbearable look of concern. “How are you, Emmrich?"

All Things Grow, All Things Go - Pt. II

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook (*Emmrich POV) 3k+ | SFW EXCERPT: Mindful of the fact that Wilfred had needed to rouse him—that Agnes herself might still be asleep—he knocked on her door, softly at first.

“Agnes?”

Emmrich waited… and waited. Listening for the rustle of bedsheets or the pad of her footsteps. When only silence greeted him, he knocked again, a bit more loudly this time. 

“Agnes, it’s Emmrich. You needn’t speak to me if you don’t want to, I understand if you are still upset. But you missed breakfast—I did not want you to go hungry. Will you please open the door?”

All Things Grow, All Things Go

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook 4k+ wc | SFW EXCEPRT: “...you do know how deeply, how profoundly I care for you, don’t you?”

Did she? Agnes had thought she knew, but the fact that Emmrich saw fit in this particular moment to remind her had her calling that knowledge into question. A mild terror seized her of what could possibly follow, if it had to be qualified by that preamble. Given the choice, she would have gladly faced any of the uncatalogued horrors of the Necropolis in place of whatever it was Emmrich was going to say next. 

“Emmrich, you’re frightening me,” Agnes said, flashing him a nervous smile. Trying to work a teasing lilt into her voice, as though it were all in good fun. “Just tell me. It can’t be that bad, can it?”

Appearances

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook (*Emmrich POV) 1.5k+ | SFW A chance meeting with Myrna in the dining hall yields some unexpected revelations. EXCERPT: “If you ever left the Mourn Watch, what would happen to Agnes, then?”

Emmrich swallowed around the sudden dryness in his throat. “Whatever do you mean by that?”

Myrna flashed him a skeptical look before refocusing on her hand. Her fingers wavered over the discard pile, then changed course and plucked one from the deck. “Aren’t the two of you…?”

Tipsy

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook (*Emmrich POV) 2k+ wc | SFW Emmrich and Agnes share a night at the opera. EXCEPRT: In the fifteen years that they had worked together, Emmrich had not once heard Agnes sing, nor hum, nor even tap her feet in time with a tune. Oh, she loved music—she subscribed to several periodicals that reviewed the latest compositions being performed across the continent, and was happy to debate the merits of various composers with anyone who would listen. But what enjoyment she took in music had always seemed clipped, contained within the bounds of her characteristic restraint. Now, the grass was tickling her bare feet; her heeled shoes were swinging precariously, playfully, from two hooked fingers of her left hand. The dark, velvet purr of her humming, endearing her to him as deeply as ever.

What privilege, Emmrich thought! To see this hidden side of her.

Death

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook 1.5k+ wc | SFW Possibly as a result of the massive breach in the Veil to the south, the Necropolis is more dangerous than ever. When Agnes is wounded while on patrol, Emmrich is forced to take drastic measures to protect her. EXCERPT: Impossible not to feel it, then. Emmrich’s magic, coursing through her body. Emmrich’s hands, firm on her chest, pushing her spirit back into her flesh before it got too far away—pushing air into her lungs, pushing life back into her veins. 

Agnes tried to speak, but her throat was so dry she had to swallow and try again. “Was I dead?”

Exquisite

Emmrich Volkarin/F!Rook 2.5k+ wc | SFW Agnes tries to find a way to express to Emmrich how much he means to her. EXCERPT: Behind her, Emmrich was speaking lowly to Alfred, paying her no mind. She heard the clink of beakers and flasks, and the low hiss of reaction as two elements came together. Before Agnes could reconsider, she drew the small box she had been carrying from her skirt pockets, and set it delicately on the table next to Emmrich’s cup. 

Almost as soon as she had set it down, everything within her was screaming to take it back, to snatch it up and shove it back in her pockets before Emmrich caught sight of it. Somehow, incredibly—despite how deeply she had grown to care for Emmrich (could barely admit to herself: had fallen in love with him ) and despite the fact that they worked alongside each other almost every day, Emmrich seemed just as unaware of her true feelings towards him as he had always been. What did she have to gain, by putting that safety at risk now? What if it backfired on her?