#found this and got blasted with the existence of that fic

[erineas]

OH my god I gotta continue Tilikum!!

[changbunnies]

Devourance (18+)

♡ Pairing: Dracula / Nosferatu!Hyunjin x Fem!Reader

♡ Genre: vampire au, dracula / nosferatu au, 1800s au, human / vampire relationship, horror themes, reincarnation, soulmates, smut

♡ Word Count: 3.9k

♡ Summary: Hyunjin has crossed oceans of time to find you– the one who's blood calls to him, who beckons for him in the dead of night, who yearns for his touch against all conceptions of what one must and must not desire. The ancient Vampyr has an appetite for you; an appetite that won't ever be sated.

♡ General Warnings: reader has depression (referred to as melancholy), reader is a lucid dreamer, usage of vampire abilities (invading dreams, shapeshifting, heightened senses), hyun's true form is very Creature Vampire so. still sexy if ur a monster fucker like me but some of y'all may not like that lmao

♡ Smut Warnings: does having sex with someone inside their dream count as somnophilia? idk !!, outdoor sex (kind of; it's a dream so they're not really outside lol), wet dreams, pet names (my love, my heart), referenced biting and blood drinking, unprotected piv, creampie

♡ Notes: originally, when i was planning my late kinktober fics, this was strictly a dracula au (as i love the 1992 movie and have a beautiful copy of the book sitting in my horror novel collection <3) but i saw the nosferatu remake in theaters and it rotted my fucking brain lmao so this became a blend of both ! i hope you enjoy it, cause i had a blast writing it <3

♡ Disclaimer: please read responsibly, and remember that this work is fiction and meant strictly for imaginative fun. the idols used in fics are more accurately faceclaims and personality outlines for imaginary characters, and should not be interpreted as factual representations of existing people.

It starts as a dream; a waking one, so vivid and lucid that the line between conscious reality and imagination blurs, all perception of time and space bending and warping to what your subconscious mind feels most safe and familiar.

Your hands clasped together, a deep breath before you close your teary eyes, your souls desires laid out in a whispered prayer– "Come to me."

Who are you asking for? Who will heed your call? A friend you wish to have, but have yet to obtain? An imaginary prince charming who will right all the wrongs of your life with his presence alone? God himself? Death?

You do not know– all you know is that you are desperate for an escape from the melancholy that permeates your life, seeping its way into every crack of your porcelain heart, as thick and murky black as tar. It sticks to you, wraps itself around every cell, clinging to you in a loveless embrace.

Even in your dreams you cannot escape it; so often you hear tale of joyous dreams. Dreams in which you stand upon the altar, waiting to be wed to the love of your life, dreams in which you share a dinner with one you admire, or dreams in which you have coveted all that you desire.

You are regaled with recollections of dreams full of simple pleasures; warm and nostalgic, dreams of playing in the front yard as a child, with your mother's freshly baked bread wafting to you from the open window. Dreams of early school days, where one's only worry in the world was what they'd play when they got back home.

For some, dreams are entirely nonsensical; there is often no clear purpose, nor story, nor concrete feeling– but it is pleasant in its own right, and entertaining to recall the absurdities in which you found yourself in the middle of.

You do not experience such simple pleasures.

While for others, dreams are a pleasant escape from everyday life, a blissful end to an arduous day of work, your dreams are an extension of your reality. They offer no comfort, nor joy, nor escape from your bleak, mundane existence. You are ever as aware of yourself whilst asleep as you are while conscious, feeling every emotion just as strongly as you do in the light of day.

You wish you could say you have adapted to life with your melancholy, or learned to be at peace with it, or that you don't mind having no escape. But the truth of the matter is that your dreams being not a safe haven as they should be tolls on you, made worse by the fact that even in the sanctuary that should be your mind, you are utterly alone and miserable.

So there you stand in your waking dream, wishing for a change. A mirror of your reality, your status within your dream reflects the state you were in before falling to sleep. You are in your bedroom, as pitch dark as you left it when blowing out the candles, the only illumination coming from the moon shining through your balcony doors.

You stand in the middle of the room, hands clasped and eyes closed as you whisper your prayers, the same lily-white chemise you wore to bed draping your body. So perfect a recreation of your surroundings, that were it not for the fact that you so vividly remember adhering to your sleep routine and laying your head against the pillows, you might not even be able to say that this was a dream at all.

And though it is just the confines of your mind, and you are certain no one but God can hear you (if he will listen, and hasn't yet turned his back on you), you plead. 

"Come to me. A guardian angel, a spirit of comfort, a spirit of any celestial sphere– anyone, anything. Please, hear my call."

There is naught in the room but silence when you are finished; you are as alone with your thoughts as you ever are. You take a breath, blink away building tears, readying yourself to try again– and then, to your greatest surprise, there is a response.

For the first time in all your many dreams, a voice answers you– soft, an indistinct whisper akin to your own, but you hear it echo in the silence of your bedroom. Your eyes shoot open, a soft gasp leaving your parted lips as you look around the room.

Slowly, you lower your hands, taking an unconscious step forward, closer to where the voice calls to you from your balcony. You cannot yet discern what the voice is saying, nor can you see their figure, but you watch breathlessly as the lock on your balcony doors seems to unlatch itself, a sudden gust of wind pushing it open.

The air is cooler than you'd expect for a late spring's breeze, but you do not shiver or shrink away from the sudden chill; instead, you tentatively take another step, following the unfamiliar, beckoning voice. The voice becomes clearer the closer you step to the balcony, and though you see nothing out of the ordinary before you, you feel them.

No, to say you do not see them is not right– invisible in your mortal gaze, yes, but the moon casts their shadow on your wall, your curtains billowing with the steady breeze capturing their inhuman silhouette. And surely it is merely a trick of shadow that makes the figure appear so inhuman– because how else can you grapple with so foreign a creature standing before you?

You rationalize the impossibly tall silhouette as the moon elongating their shadow, the sharp and pointy length of their nails having simply become exaggerated, the unnatural point of their ears the result of a penumbra trick. Their figure vanishes with each fall of your curtains, reappearing with each rise; but their shadow ever lingers, eerie black against your ivory walls.

Their shadow serves as a reminder, you think– that even when you cannot see them, they will be there. Watching, beckoning, waiting; the voice, once so indistinct and otherworldly, is now crystal clear in your ears. Soft but luminous, it calls you as you take another cautious step closer.

"You," the voice starts, and though soft, it is an aching rasp– reminiscent, you think, of when one has fallen ill, or of times when one's throat has grown stiff from disuse. You have no further time to ponder if this is the man's– creature's?– natural inflection; for in just a few more careful utterances, their tone smooths, the soft voice becoming silken.

"You," the male voice repeats, smooth as satin and utterly mesmerizing, "I have heard you. And I answer in turn– come to me."

The shadow moves along your wall then, creeping closer to you; it feels as if it envelops you, embracing you with a blissful warmth you've never before felt. It clings to you with each step, but it does not feel like the melancholic tar you are accustomed to; it is a gentle ribbon, guiding you further with promises of sweetness you have so long craved.

Holding now to the railing of your balcony, you look to the gardens below. There you see him, standing amongst the tall, twisting trees and blooming lilacs. He gazes up at you, eyes black as a void, and yet they still shine in the light of the moon.

And just as a void promises to, his look swallows you whole. You lose yourself in the dark, hypnotic pool of his eyes, stumbling forward almost blindly, with one simple thought– you must go to him.

You are before him in an instant, though you have no recollection or understanding as to how. Did you walk off the balcony and fall below? Did you turn back and trek through the house to make it to the gardens? Is this the absurdity of dreams that normally eludes you, or is a greater power at work?

The answer seems of little importance; bewitched by the man standing before you, you find that logic and rationality hold no value. He is here, perfection and beauty embodied wholly– the answer to your prayers; that is all you care to know.

Your hand trembles, your utmost desire now to reach out and feel him beneath your fingertips, to confirm that he is not just a figment of your dream– that there really was someone in this world who could hear you from beyond, and cared enough to respond to your call.

Hair as black as his eyes, a few long strands falling over his perfect cheekbones, while the rest is tucked behind his normal, and not at all pointed, ears. He has full, plush lips shaded in an enchanting, muted red, with a little mole under his left eye and utterly flawless, pristine skin.

He is ethereal, and radiant, and he is here for you– and while his eyes hold a darkness you have never before seen, his smile is impossibly tender. He takes your trembling hand in his own, and you can feel his nails poke your skin as he closes it around you.

They are long, yes, but not as long and pointed as his shadow would've led you to believe them to be. There is a part of you that decides you were correct to think his features were simply exaggerated and warped by shadow, though the deep recesses of your heart and mind know this isn't true.

Whatever he is, whoever he may be– he is not of this world, you know that for certain. For who else in the world could hear you? Who would have the power to meet you in your mind? A trickster, an angel, a devil? It matters not, you decide; for perhaps, in some ways, you are not of this world either.

Perhaps you have always felt melancholic, twisted, and odd, because your destiny did not reside with your fellow man– perhaps it lied here, with this creature who wears the mask of the beautiful sort of prince charming you've yearned for.

His shadow was the truth of his being, you innately know, and yet it gives you no fear. He squeezes your hand, a reassurance, while the other rises to cup your cheek in his palm, a tender rub of his thumb along the skin where he holds you. His gentle touch is ice cold, but it spreads warmth through your body regardless– because oh, how you've longed for the companionship of another.

"You are for me," he whispers as he inches closer, your noses on the precipice of touching, "and I, you. Do you believe in destiny?" He stares at you, observing you closely as he awaits your answer. You swallow, heart quickening as you hold his gaze.

"Yes," you utter softly; for in the depths of your soul, you feel it– the immutable pull that tells you this is where you must be. Beside him, in his arms, at his side for all eternity– and he will love you, this you know true; because even down to the very marrow of your bones, your body says it is so.

He has searched for you for an age; not someone like you, no. You. Only you. And his delight to finally have heard his beloved's call, and to answer– it is an unparalleled joy, one that he expects you to share. For even in your mortal life, your blood sings for him just the same as it did those many, long centuries ago.

You were promised to him then, as you are now– and he will have you, just as he did then. First in sleep, as you are now, but someday soon he will find you in the physical world once more. He will hold you in his arms, your reunion as joyous as it is profane. Rejoice, as you join him back to your true home; the castle, your castle, where every moment was spent in unholy exuberance.

"Do you remember?" he asks, voice honey-sweet, "remember how we once were?"

You do not, not really– your mind has no recollection of the man before you. But your soul remembers, has carried the weight of centuries of love and longing with it all this time, waiting for the moment all the feelings harbored within could finally be unearthed.

"I know you," you answer, truthfully; because while this is your first meeting in this life, you recognize him all the same. In the deepest recesses of your memory, he is there, gazing upon you with the same reverence he does now. He holds you close, kisses you tender, his touch along your skin slow and gentle, his name a whispered prayer on your lips.

Hyunjin.

His eyes light up when you call his name, a smile growing on his perfect lips. Hyunjin would know you anywhere, and there was never any doubt you were his love– but all the same, it is a great relief to hear his name fall from your lips again after so many years spent longing for it.

He kisses you then, doing his utmost to relay the depths of his passion, while also holding the carnality he feels for you at bay– the last thing he wishes to do is overwhelm you with his appetite too soon. You are his affliction, his every desire, he must have you; and he can only pray that you will not deny him, or yourself, the pleasure– but only when the time is right.

"You will be mine once more," he says; a statement, not a question, between kisses to your lips, "as I am eternally yours." Your nerves tingle, blood alight as you return his affections, meeting his lips with urgency.

"I will have you," he continues, almost breathless as his lips begin to trail down your neck, "Will you swear it? That again, we are for no one but each other?" His breath tickles your skin, the points of two sharp teeth touching the sensitive pulse point. You shiver as his fangs linger there, closing your eyes as your heart thunders in your chest.

Hyunjin can not truly drink from you here, not in the confines of your dream, but his teeth against your neck serve as a reminder– that your blood is his greatest temptation. Should you promise yourself to him once more, he won't be able to resist you– as there is no taste sweeter than the blood of his beloved.

"I swear," you whisper your promise; for you will never fear him, nor can you deny the ecstasy that comes when he drinks from you. “ever-eternally, I am yours.” 

He is a beast of nightmares, a plague set upon the world, a ruinous omen of death, your immortal Vampyr; and you are safe in his hold. For he loves you and needs you too greatly to cause you any harm– an affection that contradicts his nature, but what a welcome contradiction it is. 

When you meet his gaze once more, his eyes burn with desire; it has been an agony, truly, to have such carnal desire for you all these centuries. And he could do naught with his desires but wait– wait for the day you would return to this world, and pray that your body and soul would still sing for him the way it once had. 

Hyunjin could have taken concubines, could’ve shared his castle with any great number of men or women– but they would not have been you. None can sate him the way you can, none can spread such flames of passion through his icy veins, none can make his eternally still heart feel as if it beats. It is not a vain promise when he says you are the only one for him– he means it with every fiber of his immortal being.

Your heart and soul, now free from their sepulchre, burn with need. He can hear the erratic thump of your heart, the blood rushing through your veins, can smell the arousal pooling between your legs. You desire him, just as he desires you– and he decides then that the time is right; there is no need to be cautious and careful with his affections.

You want him, and he wants you– and you will have each other, now and forever.

Hyunjin kisses you once more, hungry and urgent. He pulls your body flush to his own, holds you tightly as the wind rolls quickly past you. You realize, when you pull away to catch a breath, that your surroundings have shifted. Now in the center of the estate’s hedge maze, he lies you down on the stone bench beneath the grand statue of Mnemosyne.

You shiver against the cold stone, but he warms you with another kiss. His tongue meets your lips as his hand dances around the bottom of your chemise, lifting it up just enough to expose your lower half. His hands find your thighs, the points of his nails digging at the soft flesh as he squeezes you in his palms. 

It elicits a needy sound from deep within, one that you almost don’t recognize as your own. You feel the sharp points of his teeth with your tongue, while he spreads your legs apart to make more room for himself between them. He tugs your panties away with haste, and there is no shyness to be had when he separates to look at the way you glisten under the moonlight for him. 

He takes a moment to stare, licks his lips before looking back up to meet your eyes. You hold his gaze as he frees his cock from his trousers, swallowing as you look down for just a moment, and then back up to him. You are both eager, it is clear– and he will have neither of you wait any longer; you have both waited long enough. 

“I will have you,” Hyunjin repeats as he grabs your hips, lifting your bottom up from the stone bench and aligning you with himself. His thighs support you, while his feet stay firmly planted on the grass and stone below. You wrap your legs around his waist, and he removes one of his hands from your hips, using it to find leverage on the stone as he leans over you. 

You can feel his cock pulsing against you, excitement and anticipation building exponentially in your gut. “Mine again,” he whispers as he captures your lips in another kiss, “You are mine, my love.” 

He presses inside you as slowly as he can manage to, and you gasp, hands reaching out to cling to his arms. Thick and full, you let out a shuddering moan when his cock is sheathed fully inside your wet heat. He moans with you, the centuries of building need finally melting into the pure bliss he’d been longing for. 

But he refuses to rush– his thrusts are slow and fluid, precise and calculated, searching for the spot he knows will bring you utmost euphoria. You let out a high-pitched moan, followed by a curse, when he succeeds; and he smiles before he grits his teeth, determined to bring you to the heights of pleasure.

“Hyunjin, oh, please–” you whimper, nails digging into the fabric of his sleeves as he picks up his pace. He wanted to drag it out longer, truly, he did; but the mind is a powerful thing, and even whilst in a dream, the pleasure that you both feel is entirely real. 

And how much longer can one who has held centuries of lust and yearning hold back? Especially when the object of his every desire is moaning and begging for him so sweetly?

He could never resist you– not then, and especially not now. And long has he craved to hear his name spill from your lips like this again; so much so that the sound of it sends him into a frenzy. 

“Again,” he utters, equal parts desperate plea and urgent demand, “call to me, say my name.” You oblige easily, his name falling from your lips in a tantalizing mantra; and you feel his cock throb violently with each salacious whimper, his every thrust laced with desire and urgency.

He releases his grip on your hip, moving his hand to your center and pressing his thumb on your clit. Your breath catches, eyes rolling back as he rubs your clit in steady, practiced circles.

“Cum for me, my love,” Hyunjin urges; he is on the precipice of release himself, and he needs you to fall apart with him– it is the only way he can truly be satisfied. Your thighs tremble, whimpers broken by harsh breaths; and you let go of his arms, reach up to his face and pull him down into a desperate, needy kiss. 

He moans, and if his flesh were mortal, he is sure that goosebumps would’ve risen over every inch of his body. His thrusts lose their fluidity, becoming quick and choppy as he chases the high your body promises him. You clench tighter, toes curling and body quivering as you finally cum, your every moan of pleasure captured by his lips. 

His hips still as his own high takes him, his cock fully pressed inside, his cum spurting in long, sticky spurts. Your kisses are breathless, impassioned, but no longer urgent– they are soft promises of love, of eternity together in bliss.

You smile at him when he pulls away, and he looks at you just as tenderly as he had before, stroking your cheek and indulging in the heat it offers his thumb. You’ve never felt so relaxed, happy and at peace– but just then, you feel a sudden jolt.

It is a sign that your consciousness is returning to reality, and you will soon find yourself back in your bed, with the morning light shining on you from your balcony. Hyunjin, an invader in your mind, feels himself being pushed out– for he can not stay by your side beyond the bounds of your dream just yet. 

There is fear and uncertainty that peaks within you as you fight to stay asleep just a moment longer– but he is quick to calm you, kissing you one last time before you the sun’s rays shine down on you.

“I will find you again in the waking world, my heart,” he says, squeezing your hand in his before he starts to fade once more into shadow, “this, I promise.”

You rise with a start, blinking rapidly and lingering, unshed tears falling from your eyes as you raise your hand to your heart. Just as expected, it is morning now– the late spring sun is bright and warm, and birds chirp in delight as they welcome the dawn of a new day.

You frown, feeling the erratic thumb of your heart beneath your fingertips as the melancholy claws its way back around you, reminding you that it has not left. Your inner thighs are sticky and wet, you realize a short moment later, and for the first time, you blush.

And then you giggle– and the melancholy, though ever present, now has a weaker grasp. You wonder, as you rise from the bed and prepare for your day, how long it will take for Hyunjin to find you. Days, weeks, months? 

You hope it is soon– but if it is not, you know what you will do. Every night, when you blow out the candles and fall asleep, you will call to him. You’ll invite him back into your mind, greet him with a soft kiss, and revel in his tender touch.

You will make love, you will smile, and you will talk of the future with greater enthusiasm than you have ever known– for he is your destiny, your truest love, your one and only immortal Vampyr. Ever-eternally.

[https-bobreynolds]

reluctant heart

pairings: platonic! thunderbolts* x enchantress! reader, robert ‘bob’ reynolds/the void x enchantress! reader

summary: moments where the enchantress shows that she cares, even though she would never admit it.

warnings: curse words, enchantress should be a warning herself, blood, injuries, and magic.

author’s note: look man i’m sorry, this is so ass i hope this is readable😭😭 this is… what you call a brain vomit??? i have a major headache rn, have tons of my finals exam deadline DUE IN A FEW HOURS, but i really wanted to include two fic scenes for each members (i got carried away oops) READ TILL THE END IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ENCHANTRESS X READER AS WELL

james ‘bucky’ barnes

“this one broods like it is a full-time occupation. what century is he mourning? all of them?”

bucky didn’t talk much, which the enchantress liked. but he watched. he analyzed. he asked smart questions, even if he only used five words at a time.

over time, they developed a rhythm in battle. she’d clear the path, he’d cover her blind spots. quiet, efficient.

one time, he handed her a knife mid-fight, the kind made of vibranium with a leather-wrapped hilt. she spun it in her hand, then raised a brow.

“you gift weapons like they are poetry.”

he didn’t answer, but he smirked.

she almost smiled.

bucky was always first to clock danger, always had your back. he didn’t flinch around her magic, didn’t fear her like the rest of them.

she once called him “the least irritating man with a metal limb”.

she would stand behind him during briefings.

he once left a knife near her altar. her fingers hovered over it, then left a spell tucked in its leather grip. a rune of silence. of peace.

she lets him train in her magical barrier zones to test his knives.

she once stitched a cut on his jaw with glowing thread and didn’t insult him for bleeding.

once, after a particularly vicious mission, she found him alone on the rooftop, sharpening his knife in silence.

she appeared beside him in a blink.

“you mourn with such commitment. what would the winter soldier say?”

he didn’t look up. “he’d probably ask you to stop reading his mind.”

a beat of silence.

then she sat beside him, not close, but close enough.

“i do not mourn. but i have known what it means to carry blood like it is your own.”

he nodded.

they didn’t speak again for an hour. and she stayed.

ava starr

“this one walks like she is moments from ceasing to exist. how fitting.”

enchantress saw ava as volatile, broken, and far too reactive. magic and quantum instability do not mix.

but then she saw her fight.

uncontrolled but brutal. ava would tear through enemies like smoke with teeth. no flair. no showboating. just pain.

she respected that.

once, when ava phased through a collapsing bridge to save a child, enchantress shielded the exit, not because she cared, obviously, but because the structure was “inefficiently designed and offensive to the eye.”

later, ava said, “thanks.”

enchantress replied, “i merely wished to avoid your atoms becoming someone else’s mess.”

but her magic was gentler the next time ava faltered.

“i tolerate her presence. she is… hauntingly efficient.”

enchantress subtly adjusts her spell radius so ava can phase safely.

once, when ava collapsed mid-fight, phasing out, half-conscious, it was enchantress who caught her mid-fall. “you will not die. not until I say so.”

she once left a note on ava’s locker: “stabilization rune. do not waste it.” no signature, but ava kept it anyway.

another time when ava got cornered by tech-augmented soldiers, glitching, faltering. it was enchantress who threw a wall of shimmering emerald fire to block the incoming blast.

“do not shatter. it is… irritating to repair quantum dust.”

ava, catching her breath, replied, “you’re such a bitch.”

enchantress tilted her head. “flattery will not win me over.”

later, ava phased through her shield during a drill, a stupid dare from yelena, and landed a hit.

instead of retaliation, enchantress smirked. “impressive. try that again and i’ll atomize your molecules into alphabet soup.”

ava grinned back. “you’re learning how to joke. that’s terrifying.”

yelena belova

“this one laughs too easily. she dances in fire as if it cannot burn.”

yelena is everything the enchantress is not: snarky, warm, reckless in joy. she jokes with knives, flirts with chaos, and annoys with purpose.

enchantress loathed her.

until one mission, yelena cracked a joke mid-battle, something absurd about “stabby girls sticking together”, and enchantress laughed.

out loud.

everyone heard it.

she incinerated the next five hydra agents in cold fury.

later, yelena nudged her and said, “you’ve got a soul under all that goddess drama, huh?”

enchantress’s eye twitched.

“speak again and i will summon a basilisk to dine on your bones.”

yelena winked. “so we’re friends now. got it.”

she sometimes lets yelena braid flowers into her hair after training, which she “forgot to vaporize.”

she lets yelena sleep against her shoulder on long flights. she hexes away yelena’s migraines in silence.

after one mission, where yelena deflected a shot meant for enchantress with her bare forearm, she looked up and said, grinning through the pain, “bet you’ll miss me when i’m gone.”

“do not test that theory,” enchantress whispered, sealing the wound with glowing green magic. “it is the only kindness you’ll get.”

enchantress once muttered, “i will burn the world if she dies” but only to you.

“why does she mock death like it’s a punchline? she is chaos without consequence.”

yelena annoyed her. with the relentless teasing. with the sarcasm. with the friendship bracelets.

yes, yelena made her one.

it said “MAGIC BAD BITCH 💅” in pink beads.

enchantress vaporized it. but the next day… she found it again. reconstructed. stronger. with added charms.

“try again,” yelena grinned. “this one has protective runes.”

enchantress incinerated them again.

later that week though, she replaced the destroyed bracelet with one of her own, etched in runes, disguised as a joke.

yelena wears it everywhere now.

she also once dared to sneak enchanted glitter into her cloak.

enchantress didn’t hex her.

instead, she made her levitate for three hours as punishment, but never once said, “i hate you.”

yelena, upside-down, shouted “this means we’re besties!”

john walker

“this one worships authority like it is a god, yet cannot comprehend divinity when it speaks to him.”

walker is everything she dislikes about men, loud, moralizing, self-important, and carrying that cursed shield like it holds weight in her realm.

he teases her constantly. calls her “witchy” and “disney villain-coded”, says she secretly likes them. once said she had a heart after she pulled him out of a crumbling helijet mid-mission.

she flung him into a wall so hard it cracked the plaster.

“you talk so much for a mortal whose strength lies in a puny shield.”

he groaned and said, “admit it. you like us.”

“i liked you better unconscious.”

still, she shows up first when he’s injured. always last to leave him behind.

she’d rather resurrect hela than ever admit that she has a soft spot for him.

she always shields him in battle “only because you’re a lightning rod for stupidity.”

but during a mission gone wrong, walker tackled a bomb off a bridge and almost didn’t make it back. his shield cracked. his ribs broke. but he saved a dozen lives. when he woke up in medbay, she stood over him. “you are a fool.”

he winced. “missed you too.”

she laid a rune on his chest and turned to leave.“that will heal the bone. but not the idiocy.”

“a man who clings to a shield like it’s the only part of himself worth preserving.”

“you know,” he once said after a mission, wiping blood from his lip, “you’re not that scary.”

she blasted him against a truck.

“speak again, and i shall reduce your tongue to ash.”

“still not that scary.” he wheezed.

they fought constantly, verbally, magically, and once in a team spar where she almost turned him into a goat. almost.

byt when he shielded ava from a blast with his own body, enchantress watched him differently. the next time he made a joke, she let it pass without comment.

once, during a blackout, the team sat around sharing stories. he shared one about his friend who tragically passed, quiet, genuine.

she didn’t speak after that.

but the next day, she conjured a charm and said: “wear it. not for you. for your friend’s memory.”

he blinked. “so you do care.”

alexei shostakov

“a relic. much like myself, only louder, and fueled by pickled ego.”

alexei is boisterous. boastful. calls her “mystical lady” and “magic mama” and once tried to arm-wrestle her.

she hexed his biceps into noodles for an hour.

but he’s also weirdly endearing. he means well, fights hard, bleeds without complaint, and disturbingly, sometimes makes her laugh.

he once handed her a hammer mid-mission and said, “now you look like a god.”

she didn’t hex him for three days after that.

she tolerates his proximity.

she lets him spar near her sacred altar (“you must stop bleeding on the glyphs”).

she healed his broken ribs after a mission, then denied it. “you imagined it. likely brain trauma.”

once, she saw him throw himself in front of a plasma cannon aimed for her. when she tried to chide him, he interrupted: “you are part of the team. i protect team.”

“foolish. sentimental. moron.” he grinned. “you say that like it’s new.”

she sighed and cast a protection spell on his bones. “you will live. regrettably.”

alexei always defends the team like a bear would its cubs. no hesitation. no fear. just fists, heart, and delusion.

he once stood in front of a hydra tank to shield her spell casting. took the hit. didn’t flinch.

“you’re welcome, my glowing queen.”

she stared at him. “you are the dumbest mortal i’ve ever begrudgingly admired.”

he grinned. “that’s basically love in your language, no?”

robert ‘bob’ reynolds/the void

“i knew you before light had a name. i remember the collapse of stars with you at my side.”

she never doubted bob.

and the void? he knows her. the ache of eternity. the gravity of being too much and too lonely for too long.

their bond is old. deeper than names. stranger than time. a flicker of love that doesn’t always look soft, but it’s there.

sometimes they float outside the tower, silent, watching the sky fracture in distant colors. saying nothing. needing nothing.

he once reached out, brushed her cheek with a shadowed hand, and said, “you’re softer than you pretend.”

she replied, “and you’re gentler than you believe.”

she doesn’t have to admit that she has a soft spot. the void already knows.

she calls him “beloved” in ancient tongues.

casts protective runes on him that glow only in darkness.

if the void breaks, she will break the world to rebuild him.

“he is the beginning and the ending. my mirror. my ruin. my solace.”

they understand each other beyond words.

oncr, during a night thick with stormlight, they stood side-by-side, watching lightning split the sky in silence.

“you miss it too.” she said, softly.

he nodded. “the quiet. the before.”

they rarely touch, but when they do, it’s like galaxies breathing against each other.

she once placed her hand over his chest and whispered a spell older than this universe.

“you are too much,” he whispered.

“so are you,” she replied.

“and still not enough for each other.”

“yet we stay.”

you

“a flame that believes in rain. beautiful. foolish. necessary.”

you’re the only one who speaks to her like she’s real. not a god. not a weapon. not a curse.

you call her out gently. you tell her things like “they’re not as bad as you think.”

and over time… she believes you.

she watches how you talk to them. how you protect them. and she learns. for you.

she once shielded the entire team with a dome of magic that pulsed in your color, but when asked, she said she did it to preserve her own resources.

you smiled anyway. you knew.

“you care about them,” you said one night, “you’re becoming part of this.”

she looked at you like you were the most terrifying thing in any dimension.

“speak of this again,” she whispered, “and i shall turn your tongue to ash.”

then added, quieter

“…but only briefly.”

you are the only one who can calm her when her powers spiral.

the only one who can summon enchantress with a whisper.

you’re the reason she protects the team. why she hasn’t scorched the earth clean. why she stays.

“a mortal. too kind. too soft. a flame dancing too close to gods.”

you were her tether. her reason.

the one who taught her that humanity wasn’t just weakness, it was choice.

you talked her down when her magic raged. held her hand after nightmares. defended her when the world called her a monster.

“they’re family.” you told her once, after she called the team a circus of fools.

“they are.” she said.

“they’re your circus now.”

she stared at you like you broke the sky.

“you are absurd.”

“you’re soft.”

“i will turn your lungs into lilacs.”

you smiled.

author’s note: so yes i do headcanon that since enchantress only comes out during the night or when ‘you’ summon her (which is always on the battlefield) most of their soft moments would appear during battle.

if i write another action-sequence fic centered around the enchantress being soft and protecting the others would y’all read it🥺 (i feel like you guys hate action sequences lmaooo)

tag list: @spongelll @lovetoalll

[whizzing-fizzbee]

Very NSFW request if you don’t mind 😂 Idk if this is sexy (I think it is lol) but can you imagine writing a fic/ one shot where they’re in 7th year, and Sebastian and MC are alone somewhere chatting, and they start talking about sex - both having some experience in this. They’re just friends (but like each other) Seb reveals quite sheepishly in convo that he cums too quickly through bjs/sex. And she… offers to help ‘coach’ him lol? Which seems insane at first but then she says that she can help him through it, how he can trust her blah blah, and it convinces him (plus I think deep down he’s dying to be with her like this, and so is she). So they do it. And I can imagine it being quite intimate, hot, and maybe kinda funny at times.

(I asked you and applin by the way. I’m not sure if you’d both want to write different takes on it, collab, or decide who should write it - but I thought I’d mention it)

Hellooo lovely! Thank you for this fun request. Here's Part I -- this'll be at least a two-, maybe three-part series, so buckle up. (:

What Are Friends For? | Part I

Sebastian Sallow x F!OC

Rating: Explicit/MDNI (smut, language); all characters are 18+ Words: ~8,300 Tags: friends with benefits, friends to lovers, sexual exploration, oral sex, semi-public sex, mutual pining, 3rd person POV

Notes: Characters are 18-year-old seventh-year Slytherins.

Read on AO3 or below the cut.

Spring had settled nicely over the Scottish Highlands, meaning Sebastian Sallow could be found outdoors. He took advantage of the favorable weather whenever he could, as the winter months tended to make him rather stir crazy. 

On this particularly warm afternoon – or at least warm by April’s standards – Sebastian lounged lazily on his back in the grass near the edge of the Great Lake. He had charmed pebbles from the lakeshore to hover above him, perfect for some Confringo target practice.

Sebastian squinted an eye as he aimed and blasted the small rocks apart, leaving little trace of their existence, until one final rock remained. Sebastian followed it with the tip of his wand, waiting for the right moment, when–

“Accio!” 

The rock zipped from the air above Sebastian straight to the open hand of Stella Alves. She smirked at Sebastian, her wand hand still outstretched as she tossed the rock lazily toward him. It bounced off his stomach and into the grass.

“There you are,” Stella said as she approached. She sank to the ground next to Sebastian, her legs outstretched as she sat back on her hands. “I thought maybe Sharp had given you detention for Friday’s incident.”

“That incident wasn’t my fault,” Sebastian drawled. “It was Weasley’s.”

“Oh? Garreth forced you to add lionfish spine to your cauldron?” Stella mused.

“No, but he left it on the table near my ingredients, and I accidentally picked some up while I was adding griffin claw,” Sebastian noted. “Not my fault.”

“Fair enough,” Stella snorted. “Guess I should’ve known you’d be out here. Though we do have that arithmancy exam to be studying for.”

“Callum’s got Violet McDowell in our dorm room,” Sebastian explained. “Can’t study in there.”

“And you can’t study in the library? Or the Undercroft?”

“I suppose,” Sebastian said with a dramatic sigh. “But it’s far too nice out to be cooped up inside.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

The pair fell quiet for a moment, interrupted only by the occasional chirps from the birds perched in the surrounding trees. They both stared outward at the lake, its shimmering surface guarding the inhabitants of its indigo depths.

“Wait,” Stella finally said with a furrowed brow. “I thought Violet was going out with Andrew.”

“That was last month, apparently.”

“Oh.”

“That doesn’t mean you should get back with your ex, by the way.”

Stella turned her head to glare at Sebastian. “And who said anything about that? Andrew and I broke up ages ago.”

“Just checking,” Sebastian said in a sing-song tone. Stella scoffed at him. 

“Do you really think that poorly of me?”

“Of course not. But I do remember how in love with Larson you were.”

“I was not!” Stella insisted, her cheeks tinged with a treasonous shade of strawberry. “It was nothing more than a harmless fling.”

Sebastian tilted his head for dramatic effect. “A harmless fling,” he deadpanned. “Stella, darling, the two of you had to be damn near pried apart with a wedge every day.”

“So?” Stella countered with narrowed eyes. “A healthy sex life is nothing to be ashamed of. You of all people should know that.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you’ve no right to judge me for any of my past romantic encounters.”

“Oh, that’s what we’re calling them now,” Sebastian snickered. Stella smacked him gently on the back of the head.

“Sounds like you’re just bitter that you’re not the one in your dorm room with Violet McDowell,” she teased. Sebastian barked a sharp laugh.

“Darling, I’ve had Violet McDowell,” he noted. “Twice. Maybe three times. Can’t remember.”

“Charming,” Stella muttered blankly. Sebastian flashed her a cheeky grin. “Is there anyone you haven’t defiled?” Stella demanded.

“Other than you? Maybe a handful,” Sebastian chirped. He laughed at Stella’s disgusted expression. “Only joking, doll. Despite your harsh and judgmental assumptions, I haven’t made it a point to bed half of Hogwarts.”

“Oh? Then how many of our classmates have you had?”

They were inching toward tricky territory. Sure, Stella and Sebastian talked about sex, but they rarely revealed explicit details. Doing so always felt too suggestive, too flirtatious; it crossed an unspoken line that the pair avoided at all costs. But Stella had grown tired of the boys Hogwarts had to offer. It made her impatient and impulsive. Sebastian was the last man standing, because he was truly the only one standing – the one man she wanted and couldn’t have.

Meanwhile, Sebastian swallowed. He and Stella kept very few secrets from one another. After all, Stella had kept quiet about Sebastian’s sinister slip-up their fifth year, meaning Sebastian’s secrets couldn’t get much worse.

But there was one, tiny thing he didn’t want Stella to know. It was a secret that caused him constant stress, fearful that one of their female classmates would spill it. That was why Sebastian sometimes embellished his sexual escapades – to conceal the embarrassing occurrences that made him insecure.

“A-are you really asking me how many girls I’ve been with?” Sebastian asked, hopeful his tone sounded more amused than anxious.

“Why not?” Stella challenged. She, too, silently prayed her confidence was masking her pounding heart. “I’ll tell you the same.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. Now this was an intriguing offer. Though he knew Stella had sexual experience, she had never disclosed just how many of their classmates she’d granted such a privilege. 

But that would also mean revealing his own number of past partners. And while he would never judge Stella for her number, whatever it was, he feared she’d judge him for his. It wasn’t nearly as high as he often implied, though he’d never explicitly revealed it.

“All right,” Sebastian finally agreed. “Out with it then.”

Stella blanched. “What? No, you have to go first.”

“That hardly seems fair.”

“Fine. On the count of three?”

“Fine. One, two… three– four,” Sebastian revealed. He couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like Stella said the same.

“Well?” Stella demanded with narrowed eyes. “What is it?”

Sebastian frowned in confusion. “I told you – four.”

“Oh. I thought you were still counting.”

“No, four is… is the number.”

“Oh.”

Sebastian suddenly felt like he was going to be sick. He wasn’t sure how Stella would react, but certainly not like that. Not with a simple, anticlimactic oh.

“Oh?” he demanded. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Stella’s cheeks were deep crimson now. “Nothing,” she said quickly, her voice squeaking several octaves higher than usual. “It’s just… I just…” Her eyes suddenly became fascinated by her own shoes. “I just thought yours would be higher, is all.”

“Why do you sound disappointed?”

“I’m not!” Stella insisted. “I mean, it’s not like it matters. It’s not like I care. I’m just surprised, is all.”

“Did you really think I’ve been with half the school?”

“Maybe not that many,” Stella said as she fidgeted uncomfortably. “Just more than me.”

“It’s not a competition,” Sebastian laughed. 

“I know that! I just- I really thought yours would be higher.”

“You really think I’m like that?”

“You know I don’t,” Stella huffed. “I just thought you were way more experienced than me.”

“Why, you want me to teach you a few things?”

“Sebastian!”

“Only joking, darling.”

Sebastian could sense the shift in their connection. Stella was genuinely surprised by his revelation, and seemed to feel guilty for it. Sebastian, ever the protector of Stella and her feelings, decided some vulnerability might relieve her discomfort.

“You’d be surprised,” Sebastian said, his eyes decisively avoiding hers. “By my experience – or lack of. It’s… it’s not been easy for me.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Stella asked with a curious gaze that Sebastian couldn’t bring himself to meet. 

“It means that sometimes… I struggle,” Sebastian said carefully. Stella clearly wasn’t catching on, because she was staring at him in utter confusion. 

“Struggle with what?” 

“With… sex,” Sebastian answered through a clenched jaw. He couldn’t believe he was revealing any of this to her of all people. He could have sworn he’d dig an early grave before ever admitting this, especially to the one and only girl whose opinion actually mattered to him.

“How do you mean?” Stella had now turned to face him fully, her attention clearly engrossed by this exchange.

Sebastian chickened out. “The details aren’t important,” he said, unable to quell the surge in fear that gripped his nerves.

“Seb, it’s me,” Stella said in her best encouraging tone. In truth, it only made Sebastian more uneasy. “You can tell me.”

There was no turning back from this. They hadn’t just toed the boundary, they’d leapt over it with a running start. Sebastian sighed.

“Sometimes I… finish quicker than I’d like,” he said through gritted teeth. Silence answered him. He considered flinging himself into the lake and sinking to its onyx depths, never to return and never to address such an embarrassing revelation.

“I see,” Stella finally said tactfully. Sebastian’s insecurities weren’t squashed.

“Yeah,” was all he could manage. The wheels in Stella’s head were turning at breakneck speed, desperate to find the right words. She was stunned. She’d never met someone as confident and self-assured as Sebastian. Though his bravado sometimes stoked her ire, she’d always assumed it carried over into the bedroom.

It was a vulnerable admission and Stella was touched to know Sebastian trusted her with it.

“Does… does it happen every time?” she asked gently.

Sebastian shrugged. “Not every time. But more often than I’d like to admit.”

“Oh.” Stella bit her lip, unsure how to proceed, but even more unsure of just how much information she was willing to seek. The thought – the dreadfully detailed visions – of Sebastian doing those acts with their classmates made Stella want to drive her own wand through her right temple. “Is it… do you think it’s because you’re just… excited to be with them?”

Sebastian began to sweat. Beads formed over his brow and hairline as he shifted in his spot on the grass. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I mean, it’s always exciting for me. I am an 18-year-old bloke, after all. But it’s not like I’ve ever been too enamored with any of the girls I’ve been with. Especially since I’ve been with a few of them more than once.”

“I see.”

“I guess maybe I just overthink it.” Sebastian was rambling now. His brain screamed at him to stop talking, that shutting the fuck up would be his best bet, but untamed words kept pouring from his mouth. “And maybe overthinking it makes me tense up. And maybe all that tension makes it hard for me to… contain myself.”

“I see.” Stella was quite aware that she wasn’t contributing much to the discussion at this point, but she couldn’t speak freely. She couldn’t tell Sebastian she was secretly relieved he hadn’t had dozens of girls in his bed. She couldn’t reveal that she wanted to be one of those girls. And she certainly couldn’t tell him that his admission only made her want him more.

Could she?

What if there was a way she could get what she had always wanted without admitting it? Would that be wrong and deceitful? She wouldn’t act without Sebastian’s full consent, but would it be wrong to initiate sex with him when she was secretly in love with him? And what if doing so made her fall even harder for him? 

Or worse, what if she offered and he said no?

But would it be so wrong for two friends to rely on each other to improve their natural desires to be good in bed? And shouldn’t two friends be the ideal participants in something as simple as self-improvement? 

Stella’s silence was driving Sebastian mad. He began to wonder how immoral it would be to obliviate her and make her forget they’d ever had such a conversation. But just as he was reminding himself that doing so was absolutely demented, she smiled kindly at him.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll sort it all out in time,” she said, hoping he understood her sincerity. “Maybe you just need a little more practice.”

“Er, right,” Sebastian agreed. Shame creeped across his cheeks in the form of a deep blush. He felt like an absolute fool. Surely, she must think he was a pathetic, sorry excuse of a man – an amateur who had no idea how to please a woman. And surely, she’d never see him on a romantic level now.

But Sebastian noticed that Stella was chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. He waited for her to speak her mind, squirming as he fought to suppress his impatience.

Stella was working up the courage to propose something so bold, so forbidden, she’d surely die if Sebastian said no. And there was a very good chance he would. After all, they’d formed an impenetrable bond over the last near-three years. If Sebastian had any romantic interest in her, he would have certainly acted upon his feelings, right? 

Such a proposition could absolutely disintegrate their friendship. But this might be Stella’s only shot at exploring Sebastian Sallow in the one way she’d never known. She willed herself to be bold enough to take a chance.

“What if…” she began slowly, her palms sweating as she spoke. “What if I helped you practice?”

Her offer hovered in the air between them, a heavy haze that damn near made Sebastian choke as he processed the words. He had to have heard wrong. 

“Wh-what?” he said stupidly. “Practice what?”

“You know,” Stella said, fighting to maintain a casual air though her breathless words betrayed her. “Sex. I could help you practice.”

Sebastian shifted, certain that doing so would wake him from the very obvious dream he was having. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d dreamt of Stella in such a shameful manner. There was no other explanation for this. In no other realm of possibility would his best friend and the object of his unrequited desires be offering to have sex with him. But he wasn’t waking up. There were no bed curtains mocking him to remind him he was alone. There was no cold sweat or arousal that would need relieving in the boys’ showers. This was real.

“A-and how exactly would we do that?” Sebastian stuttered.

“We could just practice,” Stella said simply. “I could, you know, coach you through things. Different acts and positions and whatnot. We could practice them together until you, you know, gain more confidence.” When Sebastian didn’t immediately reply, it was Stella’s turn to babble on anxiously. “I just figure it makes sense, you know? We help each other out with everything else. It wouldn’t have to be any different than how we practice dueling together, or study together, right?”

But it would be different. They both knew that. But they were both too driven by desire to think better of it.

“And you’d… you’d be okay doing all that?” Sebastian asked softly. “With me?”

“Why not?” Stella offered boldly, though her shaking hands suggested otherwise. “I mean, we trust each other, right?”

“Right.”

“So why not? It seems like this could benefit us both. We can learn from each other, like everything else we do.”

Sebastian wasn’t sure how to respond. Of course he was going to say yes. He knew this arrangement could send their entire friendship spiraling south, but he was too desperate to know how it would feel to be with Stella to say no. This was his one and only chance to feel her, and to potentially convince her to consider him romantically. He could sweep her off her feet and make it impossible for her to think of anyone else.

Except there was that tiny, little problem of his inability to last long enough to prove himself to her. 

But if there was one thing Sebastian couldn’t resist (other than Stella), it was a challenge. He would learn. He’d figure it out or die trying. If this was his only shot at winning Stella over, he’d find a way, because he sure as hell wasn’t going to squander it.

But he also didn’t want to appear too eager. He didn’t want Stella to know he’d spent damn near every night dreaming about her in ways that would make her hair curl. She couldn’t know he’d spent day in and day out scheming ways to make her fall for him. He couldn’t let her know he was hopelessly, haphazardly in love with her.

“Well, I do suppose we tend to work together on everything else,” Sebastian mused carefully. 

“Do you… find me attractive enough that you could… you know…” Stella paused, terrified to ask such a question. “Become aroused.”

“Huh? Oh! Erm, of course.” The moment Sebastian answered, he wanted to sink into the ground, never to be seen again. But how else was he supposed to answer such a loaded question?

Stella was fucking stunning. Surely, she knew that. Surely, Sebastian didn’t have to tell her so. But he wanted to more than anything. He wanted to yank her by the collar of her shirt, pull her in close and tell her she was so beautiful, it made the heart inside his chest hurt and scream for relief.

“You’re beautiful, Stell. Do… do you find me, er, handsome enough to… you know?” Sebastian stammered.

Stella rolled her eyes. It was her most common defensive mechanism, her strongest veil for her insecurities. “Seb, come on,” she said, gazing at him with a pointed stare. She blinked for emphasis. “All the girls in our year practically fling themselves at you in hopes you’ll make them your wife when we graduate. You have to know you’re handsome.”

“Was just making sure.” 

And then came the silence. It squeezed itself around them until both of their airways felt constricted.

“So, are you saying you want to try it then?” Stella finally had the nerve to ask. She tucked her hands beneath her thighs in an attempt to keep herself from fiddling with her hair. It was her common tell for nervousness.

“I do if you do,” Sebastian replied, far too aware of the tightening sensation happening within his trousers. All this talk of sex was forcing the blood to rush from his brain to the one place he didn’t want Stella to see. But she’d see it all soon enough. 

“Alright,” Stella said with an air of forced confidence that she prayed sounded sexy and alluring. “When would you like to start?”

“Um, whenever it’s convenient for you.” Sebastian wanted to smack his palm against his forehead. He was speaking like he was in a formal job interview or having tea with the Minister of Magic, not agreeing to sex with his own best friend.

“We could start now,” Stella offered shyly. She glanced downward at the tent forming in Sebastian’s lap. Sebastian reddened even more.

“Oh. Okay, sure.”

Stella swallowed. This was it. She and Sebastian were going to plunge into the very risky waters of intimacy. But more importantly, he trusted her enough to guide him through one of life’s most personal, vulnerable endeavors. She wanted to get this right.

“We could use the Beasts classroom,” Stella offered. There were no classes that day. There’d be no reason for anyone to go anywhere near the classroom. At least that’s what Sebastian told himself as he found himself nodding in agreement.

Stella climbed to her feet and brushed loose blades of grass from the backs of her legs. It was then that Sebastian noticed how her skirt clung to her thighs. The pressure in his pants mounted.

Stella offered him her hand to help him up, her eyes averted as she led him toward the empty Beasts classroom. When they reached Professor Howin’s desk, Stella finally gathered the nerve to look Sebastian in the eye. Her gaze softened as she realized he was just as nervous as she was. The ever-confident Sebastian Sallow was unsure.

They didn’t speak at first, staring at one another as they both waited for the other to initiate action. Finally, Stella cleared her throat.

“Maybe we should start small,” she offered gently. “You know, foreplay stuff. Does that… does that sound good to you?”

“Yeah, sure,” Sebastian croaked.

Stella’s eyes shifted to Sebastian’s very evident erection. Her breath hitched at the notion that it was all for her; because of her. She’d touched herself in the quiet solitude of her bed to the very thought on countless occasions.

As Stella subconsciously ran her tongue across her bottom lip in thought, Sebastian clenched his jaw. His cock was pressing far too hard against the stiff fabric of his trousers for his liking, and the sight of Stella looking so fucking seductive was already testing his control.

“Maybe you should lean back against the desk?” Stella suggested. Sebastian obeyed without a word. Stella stepped toward him, her nerves still evident as she slowly lifted a hand to reach toward Sebastian’s erection. “May I…”

Sebastian nodded silently, too terrified that words would ruin the moment. Stella eyed him for a moment longer until her fingertips traced gently along the length of Sebastian’s erection. He inhaled sharply through his nose.

“I’ll go slow,” Stella whispered. Her fingers moved with tact over his taut trousers, tracing tantalizing lines over him. She suppressed a moan as she realized just how hard – and big – he was. She could swear she felt Sebastian’s cock twitch beneath her touch. “Does that feel good?” she asked innocently.

Sebastian nodded slowly, his failing attempts at controlling his breathing evident.

“I’m going to pick up the pace,” Stella warned, her eyes searching Sebastian’s for any indication he wanted her to stop. Instead, he nodded earnestly. “Tell me if it’s too much. Just… just keep breathing.”

She stroked his length faster, the friction of the fabric rough beneath the pads of her fingers. A grunt rumbled from Sebastian’s throat.

He knew this would be difficult. It always was. But he hadn’t properly accounted for the fact that this was Stella touching him. The way she was determined to take care of him, the way her voice purred as she spoke… it all made his self-control even slimmer. He was terrified he was going to embarrass himself.

“Relax,” Stella ordered gently. “Remember, it’s just me, Seb. Trust me.”

She clearly had no idea how much she affected Sebastian. So as she gazed at him with a soft, doe-eyed stare, Sebastian’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the desk behind him. 

Sebastian squeezed his eyes shut as he fought for control over his body. He didn’t want to tense, certain that would result in an accident. But when he felt Stella’s fingers fumbling with the button of his trousers, his eyes shot open wide and his spine straightened.

“Alright?” Stella asked, her voice raspier than usual. Sebastian pretended not to notice and nodded his reply. His throat dried as he watched Stella reach inside his open trousers and fish his erection out. It popped eagerly from the fabric, but remained rigid in Stella’s hand. Sebastian held his breath as he watched her fingers curl around him before she began to stroke him with her soft hand. The surreal sight felt like a vision only meant for one of Sebastian’s most explicit dreams.

Sebastian cursed under his breath at the sensation. It certainly wasn’t the first time he’d been touched like this, but this was Stella. This actually meant something, because she meant everything.

“Relax,” Stella repeated. “Stop tensing so much. It’s just me.” She flashed him a reassuring smile, unaware that her curved lips and bright eyes were Sebastian’s very undoing. “Take a deep breath and exhale slowly, okay?”

Sebastian nodded and obeyed, exhaling until his shoulders slackened and the tightness in his abdomen eased.

“Now close your eyes,” Stella added. Sebastian’s eyes fluttered shut. “Tell me what you feel.”

“I feel… fuck, that feels so good,” Sebastian breathed. 

“Tell me. Describe it.”

“Huh?”

“Just do what I say, you git.”

Sebastian wasn’t sure how describing their current sex act would help, but he certainly was in no position to argue. The only position he wanted to be in was on top of – or beneath – Stella, preferably with much less clothing between them.

“Your hands… they’re smooth,” Sebastian murmured with closed eyes. “Warm, too.”

“What do you usually think about when you come?”

Sebastian resisted the urge to pop open a panicked eye. He couldn’t exactly tell Stella that the answer was always her. He couldn’t possibly explain that picturing her plump lips, curious eyes and the curve of her full hips was always the tipping point that sent his body into a euphoric state. She couldn’t know she was the cause for his filthiest behavior. 

“Erm, I don’t know,” Sebastian lied. “I think about lots of different things.” He grunted as he felt Stella’s thumb swipe over the tip of his cock. 

“How’s this feel?” Stella asked, her hand pumping harder. 

“S-so good,” Sebastian panted. 

“Do you feel like you’re going to… you know?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Stella’s line of questioning stopped for a moment as she continued to stroke him. She was thankful Sebastian’s closed eyes couldn’t see the flush creeping over her, or the way her eyes lingered on his cock. He felt like velvet and looked like he was big enough to fill her completely – and then some. It made the ache between her thighs throb.

Stella watched as Sebastian’s chest began to rise and fall, his labored breaths audible inside the classroom. He didn’t notice as Stella fell to her knees, her hand still dragging around his shaft.

Sebastian’s eyes shot open again the moment he felt the moisture of her mouth surrounding him. This was a display beyond anything he could envision – such a sinful act performed by an angelic figure was a paradox his brain could never conjure. It was enough to make him moan. 

“Remember to breathe, okay?” Stella said, her eyes peering up at him. She returned her lips to his cock and Sebastian bit back a groan as they tugged around his tip. 

The classroom soon filled with the coarse sounds of lips pulling around wet skin. Sebastian’s hands tangled in Stella’s hair, tightening as the coil inside him did the same. He was careening toward the edge, unsure how to stop himself.

He tried to breathe through it, but he was far beyond the threshold of sensory overload. The feeling of Stella’s mouth hungrily engulfing his cock, the vision of her on her knees before him, the sounds of her gurgling around his length – Sebastian was sure there wasn’t a single soul who would be immune to such divine sensations.

“Stella,” Sebastian panted. “I can’t-”

Stella hummed, the vibrations coursing around Sebastian’s cock until he was surging toward his ending. He didn’t want this to stop, but couldn’t help but feel impressed with himself for lasting as long as he had, especially given the circumstances.

“Stella…” Sebastian repeated. The warning merely spurred Stella on. She was eager to prove to him just how worthy she was to coach him through this. She'd show him just how good she could be at this - better than Violet McDowell or any other dumb girl who dared to approach Sebastian. Her cheeks hollowed and she sucked harder, her eyes watering as Sebastian’s tip dabbed the back of her throat. 

Sebastian let out a sharp shout, his hips jutting forward as his cock twitched. The small of his back pressed against the edge of the desk as he spilled into Stella’s mouth. Her throat closed around his tip, the warmth of her flesh guiding his release downward as she swallowed.

When it was over, Stella released him, his cock bobbing as it popped from her mouth. She remained on her knees while Sebastian caught his breath, his chest quietly rising and falling as he slumped against the desk. 

They didn’t speak. Sebastian quelled the urge to thank Stella, to praise her and tell her how fucking good she was, while Stella withheld the desire to beg Sebastian for more.

“You alright?” Sebastian finally asked, his eyes searching Stella for any signs that she was upset. But she smiled upward at him and nodded assuredly. 

Sebastian extended a hand to help her to her feet until the pair stood, the awkward silence exposing their uncertainty on how to proceed. But Stella reminded herself that she had promised to help Sebastian, and she was never one to back out on her word.

“So how was that?” she asked casually as Sebastian tucked himself back into his trousers.

Sebastian’s brain stuttered. The truth was it was the most incredible encounter he’d ever had, simply because he’d shared it with her. But that kind of honesty would surely sever whatever this was – and the entirety of their friendship.

“It was… you… you’re brilliant,” Sebastian finally managed, still shocked that such a lewd act had just occurred with the girl he'd deemed his best friend for more than two years. Stella seemed content with his analysis.

“I think the problem is you’re just so damn tense the entire time,” she noted. It was bizarre to be assessing a sexual encounter with her best friend like they were discussing quidditch tactics, but she had offered to coach him, hadn’t she?

But her evaluation had fallen on deaf ears, because now, Sebastian’s guilt was dissecting his brain. 

“You didn’t… I didn’t…” he started, his voice trailing off. “...How can I repay the favor?”

“You don’t need to,” Stella said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Not this time.”

Sebastian frowned – mostly because he didn’t want to be greedy, but also because he was desperate to touch her and wouldn’t forgive himself if he missed the opportunity to do so. He had to know how she felt, so yielding beneath his touch, how she moaned, how she looked when she fell apart at his orchestration.

“Please,” Sebastian pressed. “I can’t let you walk away without your share.”

Stella snorted. “Seb, really, it’s fine,” she promised. “You can make it up to me later.” She smirked as she smoothed out her skirt. “I’m pretty sure we’re just getting started.”

—

Sebastian was certain the entire afternoon had been some kind of demented dream when he woke up the following morning. But the details were far too vivid in his memory to have been a figment of his imagination; Stella’s fingers tracing over every ridge of his cock, her lips raw and red after they had wrapped around him, the plush sensation of her throat hugging his tip. It was better than any dream.

But now, how was he meant to face her? Guilt had clawed away at him the entire evening for not returning the favor. Now, all he could think about was how eager he was to do so. And what about their friendship? Had they really been stupid enough to jeopardize their entire bond all because of some suppressed sexual tension?

The war within his head made Sebastian want to sink into his porridge at breakfast. Ominis, sensing his friend’s tension, raised an eyebrow from the seat across from him.

“Alright mate?” Ominis asked. But Sebastian was too busy straightening in his seat to hear him. Stella was approaching the Slytherin table.

“Good morning,” she said breezily as she took the seat next to Ominis. Sebastian watched as she reached for a pastry, his eyes glued to her hands – those same hands that grabbed at his cock just hours before. He swallowed.

“Morning,” he managed. His eyes searched Stella for any indication of awkward tension, but she seemed as calm and content as ever.

“Have you two studied for tomorrow’s arithmancy exam?” Ominis asked. 

“No,” Stella said as she shook her head, her right cheek puffed out from a large bite of pastry. “Not yet. Haven’t had the time.”

“Me neither,” Sebastian chimed in.

“Haven’t had the time? What were the two of you doing all day yesterday? I didn’t see either of you after lunch,” Ominis said suspiciously. Stella shrugged while Sebastian began to spiral toward a panic attack. 

“Oh, we went to Hogsmeade,” Stella explained with casual ease. “I rescued a handful of diricrawl the other day and took them to Brood and Peck.” 

Sebastian blinked. It was rather alarming – and impressive – how easily the lie left Stella’s lips. Of course, Ominis wouldn’t mind if he learned his two closest friends had spent an afternoon engaged in illicit sex acts, but none of it actually meant anything, right? Meaning there was no point in disclosing such details to Ominis.

Sebastian was pulled from his spiraling thoughts when Stella’s stare shifted to him. “Perhaps we can study tonight?” she asked him. Her eyes glimmered pointedly and Sebastian picked up on her implication.

“Er, yeah,” he agreed as his stomach performed a series of somersaults. “Tonight.”

“Well, as enthralling as it would be to pour over charts tonight, I’ll have to leave you two to it,” Ominis prattled on, unaware that no one would be studying numerical values that evening. “I’ve got to pen an ancient runes essay and I promised to help Violet McDowell.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but snicker. “That all you’re helping her with, mate?”

Ominis scowled as Stella snorted. “Unlike some people, I actually care about my studies,” he said, his tone taking on a self-righteous air. “Right, Stella?”

Sebastian couldn’t help but bite back a laugh as Stella nearly choked on her pumpkin juice. “Oh, right you are, Ominis,” she said as she stole a quick glance at Sebastian. “Some of us are quite dedicated to our studies.”

Sebastian smirked into his own juice.

—

Hours later, Sebastian found himself pacing outside of the library. Stella had instructed him to meet her there, which sent Sebastian into a confused, manic state.

Had she decided she’d no longer help him with his little problem? Had yesterday been a letdown? Had she expected more from him? Why weren’t they meeting someplace more private? Had Sebastian misread Stella’s eyes? Were they actually going to study? He’d left all his books in his dormitory.

“Hey.”

Sebastian looked up to see Stella approaching. She wore another skirt that barely draped from her curves, making it difficult for Sebastian to focus on much else – though the top button of her blouse had popped open, serving as another excruciating distraction.

“Hey,” Sebastian croaked. Stella raised an amused eyebrow at him.

“Alright?” she asked.

Sebastian nodded. “Ready to… study?” 

Something flickered in Stella’s eyes that told Sebastian books and notes were not on the evening’s itinerary. “Ready,” she said, hoping she sounded more intriguing than nervous.

She started toward the nearest library door and Sebastian followed as she descended the staircase. The library was quiet, even for its usual standards. A small group of students sat at the right table, anxiously shuffling through Transfiguration notes. A fifth-year girl sat quietly in one corner, a romance novel open in her lap, while Duncan Hobhouse was flipping through an Herbology book at a table to himself.

“Come on,” Stella whispered as she led Sebastian to a table at the far end of the library, free from any students. She gathered an armful of books from the nearest shelf and dropped them on the table, her chair quietly scraping against the wood floor. She opened one to a random page to make it appear as if she was studying.

Sebastian took the seat next to her, his knees feeling wobbly as he lowered himself. He sat with a stiff back, his posture uncharacteristically prim and proper. It made Stella smirk.

“Relax!” she hissed quietly, one hand finding the top of Sebastian’s left knee beneath the table. It was anything but soothing. The muscles of Sebastian’s thighs went rigid and Stella gave his knee a gentle squeeze. His trousers were already feeling tight. Stella snuck a sideways glance at Sebastian, who was holding his breath. “If you make it through this test, I’ll reward you with something even better.”

Merlin, help him. He was a goner.

Stella slid a book in front of him. “Here,” she instructed. “Pretend you’re reading this.”

If her hand hadn’t been wandering up his leg, Sebastian would have laughed. It was an Introduction to Dueling book meant for first-years.

Sebastian flipped the book open to its center pages and focused on the words to keep himself from reacting to Stella’s hand, which was presently exploring his inner thigh. He gripped the edge of the table when it found his erection.

“How are you so hard already?” Stella whispered in his ear. Sebastian shot her a sideways glare.

“Kind of difficult to be anything but hard when you’re making lofty promises,” he growled back.

The friction of Stella’s hand running over the fabric of Sebastian’s trousers was just as glorious and agonizing as it had been the day before. Sebastian began to wonder if he was a hopeless case; a lost cause, meant to live his days in misery because he was too infatuated with his best friend to focus on their “practice.”

Stella shuffled in her seat and before Sebastian could react, she was unbuttoning his pants. 

“Are you mad?” he hissed. Stella merely shrugged.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“...No.”

"That's what I thought."

Stella’s hand disappeared, her fingers grazing the skin of Sebastian’s waist before they found the base of his cock inside his pants. Sebastian chewed his bottom lip to stifle a groan. Stella traced a teasing finger down the full length of his shaft until it found the tip, where she made tiny circular motions. Her movements were slow and tantalizing, signaling her genuine intent to help Sebastian learn to withstand such pleasure.

But the forbidden nature of their act was making it far too difficult for Sebastian to focus on the task at hand. The thrill of sharing such a salacious moment with Stella made his heightened arousal evident in his flushed cheeks and strained breathing. Stella seemed to notice he was struggling, because her strokes around his cock became slower and gentler.

“Close your eyes,” she hummed quietly. Sebastian nodded and let his eyelids flutter shut. Stella squirmed against her chair, her own arousal testing her patience. As much as she enjoyed the power of controlling Sebastian’s ultimate undoing, she was desperate for her own. She wanted nothing more than for him to treat her the same.

But for now, Stella was content with studying Sebastian’s face. She gazed at him in quiet adoration, her eyes scanning his flushed cheeks and the locs of tousled hair that had fallen out of place. She watched as his jaw clenched and unclenched with certain strokes of his cock, particularly the way the muscles strained whenever her thumb pressed against his tip. She would have sold her soul to merely climb into his lap and kiss every freckle on his face.

Her focus on Sebastian’s handsome features forced Stella’s attention to falter. Just as she found herself wondering if Sebastian was good with his own hands, Sophronia Franklin rounded a corner and strode into view.

Stella jumped, her surprise causing her fist to squeeze around Sebastian’s shaft as her elbow smashed against the table with a sharp bang. She swore loudly as the pain stung through her arm while Sebastian yelped, his eyes popping open in surprise.

Stella did her best to remain still, her palm pressed against Sebastian’s cock as she smiled politely at Sophronia, who was studying the pair with a quizzical stare. Stella returned her eyes to the book in front of her, pretending to think critically about the prose on its pages.

“Perhaps this spell would conjure manacles to bind the person on the receiving end,” she mused loud enough for Sophronia to hear. But her plan backfired, as Sophronia stopped in her tracks to double back.

“Were you two just talking about the alternate form of Incarcerous?” she asked curiously. She stood about three feet from the table, seemingly oblivious to the debauchery occurring beneath it.

“Oh,” Stella blinked. “Um, sort of. But doesn’t Incarcerous conjure ropes?”

“It does.” Sophronia nodded in approval of Stella’s knowledge. “But a modified version of the spell can conjure manacles.”

“Manacles,” Stella repeated blankly.

“Yes. You know, like shackles used for fastening hands or ankles,” Sophronia offered.

“Right.” 

“I can’t imagine what one would use them for nowadays,” Sophronia continued. “But I suppose they have their uses.”

“Can’t imagine,” Sebastian chimed in tersely through gritted teeth. Stella squeezed her hand gently to send a message. Sebastian wheezed.

“I suppose manacles might be a bit sturdier than rope,” Sophronia rattled on. “Much more secure, at least. They’d certainly be more likely to keep people in their place.”

“How wonderful for them,” Stella said stupidly.

Sophronia, seemingly bored with the rather one-sided discussion, shrugged and spun on her heels to continue toward the spiral staircase. Stella and Sebastian sat in still silence as she ascended, waiting in searing agony until her footsteps faded.

“Fucking hell,” Sebastian whined, his shoulders slumping forward. “Can you be more careful?” 

Stella clearly found the encounter more amusing than unsettling. She shot Sebastian a sheepish smile, which instantly dissolved his aggravation.

“Sorry,” she offered. “My bad. Didn’t notice her coming.”

“Yeah well, keep it up and she won’t be the only one.”

Stella snorted, eliciting a shush from Sebastian, who was looking positively distressed. 

“We should probably move,” Stella noted, her eyes scanning the area for any more potential intruders. “Consider this the passage of your test and the start of your reward. I’ve got just the place.”

“We can’t risk the Restricted Section just yet,” Sebastian said. “It’s too early. Scribner’s still around.”

“Not the Restricted Section,” Stella said as she removed her hand from Sebastian’s trousers. He swallowed a whimper at the sudden absence of her touch. “I know a better place.”

She waited for Sebastian to adjust his clothing before she stood, the books forgotten on the tabletop. She made a sweeping glance around the room before brandishing her wand to apply a disillusionment charm. Sebastian blinked at her invisible form and followed suit. 

“Where are you? I can’t follow you if I can’t see you,” he hissed. The sudden feeling of Stella’s hand closing around his wrist was his answer. Stella guided him quietly across the library toward the fireplace.

“Glacius,” Stella breathed. The flames dissolved and she tugged Sebastian through the fireplace to the small, discreet room on the other side to shed her disillusionment spell. “See? Told you this is better.”

“How the hell did you even find this place?” Sebastian demanded as his own disillusionment charm fell. He gazed around the space, impressed by the tapestries on the walls and furniture in the corner.

“Shh!” Stella clapped a hand over his mouth and shot him a sharp look. “No one can see us but they can still hear us. Remember, we’re in the library so silencing charms won’t work.”

“Still one of Scribner’s most asinine ideas,” Sebastian muttered. 

Stella whispered “Incendio” to reignite the flames in the fireplace, closing them in and guarding them from any wandering passerby. When she turned to face Sebastian again, her eyes drifted downward. His trousers were still tented. Now completely alone, Stella’s mind began to run wild with ideas of all the things she wanted to do with him.

“Wait,” Sebastian whispered as Stella reached to unbutton his pants again. He stopped her with a gentle hand around her wrist. “When do I get to return the favor for you?”

Stella squeezed her thighs together. The thought of Sebastian touching her had been burning between her legs for quite some time.  “Now, if you want.”

Sebastian didn’t hesitate. His hands snapped to her waist and he pulled her closer. “Now’s as good a time as any,” he murmured. He nudged her gently toward the armchair in the corner, guiding her backward until the backs of her legs met the seat. Stella sat and Sebastian dropped to his knees in front of her. 

His hands skimmed beneath the hem of her skirt and over her porcelain thighs. The heat between them made his cock stir with desire. As Sebastian bunched her skirt up around her waist, Stella held her breath. His eyes settled on the damp spot at the center of her panties. He stared for a moment as he mustered the courage to touch her.

It was finally happening. He was going to discover the depths of Stella he’d assumed were only reserved for his dreams. But he could feel himself starting to freeze, gripped by his insecurities that he wouldn’t be able to impress her. 

As Stella caught his gaze, Sebastian could feel his intensity soften. She smiled at him, her warmth radiating through him with a sense of comfort only she could offer. Sebastian decided he wasn’t going to leave that library until he had Stella squirming from his touch.

He planted a trail of kisses up Stella’s right thigh. He could hear her inhale sharply, her hips lifting off the chair as the ache became unbearable within her core.

Sebastian’s hands drifted toward her hips, peeling the waistband of her panties downward until they pooled around her ankles. The sight of her soaked entrance ignited an invigorating surge of avidity in him. He’d fling himself into the flames of that fireplace before he allowed anyone to deny him a taste.

But first, he needed to touch her. He had to know how soft, how slick she felt. When his thumb made contact with her clit, Stella whimpered. He pressed against it, the pink flesh warm, wet and arousing. 

Sebastian swiped his thumb, drawing a soft moan of approval from Stella. He began dragging his thumb back and forth in a steady rhythm while he sank a slow finger inside her. The surge of moisture surrounding his finger made Sebastian curse under his breath. There was no way he’d last long enough to bend Stella over the desk like he wanted, but if there was one thing he would ensure, it was to make Stella moan his name by any means possible.

Sebastian’s index finger pulled upward against her front wall as his thumb continued its assault on her clit. The fireplace room soon filled with the lewd sound of slick flesh, but the library’s visitors remained none the wiser.

Stella’s knees parted more as Sebastian added a second finger inside her, dipping and dragging against her walls in desperate determination to incite her undoing.

“God, Sebastian,” she breathed, her fingers gripping the armrests as she clenched her cunt around his fingers to coax her release. Sebastian hastened his movements, his fingers dabbing at the sensitive and spongy flesh until Stella was practically riding his hand. 

She let out a quiet whine as her hips lifted off the chair, grinding her cunt around Sebastian’s fingers until she was hurtling toward her pinnacle. The pressure within her core mounted, her walls pulling greedily at Sebastian’s fingers until they began to quiver. 

Stella unleashed a breathy hiss as she climaxed, her thighs clamped around Sebastian’s fingers in an attempt to prolong her peak. Her walls pulsed as his fingers continued to beckon. When the quaking subsided, she was breathless and sweaty, albeit fully satisfied.

But Sebastian wasn’t. Now, it was time for a taste.

Stella flinched when Sebastian’s tongue made contact with her sensitive entrance, but her hands immediately pulled at his hair, demanding more from him. Sebastian lapped at her folds and hummed in arousal at her taste. The pressure in his pants was excruciating.

His tongue flattened against her clit, pressing and prodding until Stella’s legs were shaking.

“Sebastian,” she panted, unsure if she could withstand the sensitivity between her thighs. But the way her hips were jutting upward, pressing her entrance against his tongue, told him she wanted more.

He drove his tongue harder against her clit, forcing it in swift, short swipes until Stella’s feet were kicking from the pleasure swelling inside her nerve endings. 

Her back arched and her nails sank into the back of Sebastian’s neck as heat sprawled across her cunt, its ripples triggering a blissful shriek from her. Sebastian was too preoccupied to address the sinful sounds threatening to expose them. The tight, binding tension inside him cracked. He swore loudly as the sensation of Stella’s seeping arousal against his tongue sent him over the edge.

When both of their highs had subsided, they froze, fearful for the sound of approaching footsteps that never came. Sebastian remained rooted in place, shame spreading over his features. 

This had never happened to him before. Sure, he’d had those premature incidents, but those always occurred as a result of someone touching him. It had never happened at the mere sight of someone else’s orgasm.

Stella couldn’t help but smirk at the damp spot that had appeared on his pants. The sheer thought of her release triggering Sebastian’s own undoing was more empowering than any bit of ancient magic. Sure, it was counterproductive to the coaching she had promised, but considering he had satisfied her – twice – she decided there’d be plenty more opportunities for carnal education.

And selfishly, there was something quite satisfying about causing the temporary downfall of the great Sebastian Sallow. She’d never admit to it, though.

“Alright?” Stella asked tenderly.

“What do you think?” Sebastian muttered as he brandished his wand. “Scourgify.”

“I think,” Stella mused as she pulled her panties back up, “Maybe we started with the stakes too high.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe we should try a more private setting – someplace where you’ll actually relax,” Stella explained. “Maybe these… public places are causing you too much stress.”

“What are you, my therapist now?”

“Sex therapist,” Stella quipped with a smirk. Sebastian turned red again. “To be fair,” Stella continued in a serious tone, “This therapy session was quite a stress reliever for me, so at least one of us benefited from it.” She frowned slightly as she rose to her feet. “I really was going to reward you, though.”

“Trust me,” Sebastian mumbled. “You’ve done plenty.”

Stella grinned as she flicked her wand toward the fireplace to freeze the flames. “What are friends for?”

[gallifreyan85]

Before the day is done

pairing: Agatha x reader

summary: cast out of the only life you've ever known, you find yourself in the imposing presence of agatha harkness herself, set to get revenge on the witches you're with. she deals with them accordingly, but what to do with you?

A/n: had this in my WIPs for a while now, thought I'd try and make something out of it. This is sort of a part zero?? for this fic, but can be read as a standalone. enjoy!!

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆

Your head ached. You had only yourself to blame for the situation you found yourself in, seeing as everyone else had already given up on you. Your village, your family, your acquaintances... everyone. And so, alone, naive, defenseless, you managed to stumble into the path of none other than one of the most feared witches in existence.

Agatha Harkness.

The Agatha Harkness.

You realized it soon enough, but it was already too late. It seemed the witches that had so kindly taken you in, showed you sympathy by letting you stay for a night, had also angered her. And she came to get her revenge. It was only a matter of time before she captured you too, bound you with magic and who knows what, and you couldn't- you didn't see a way out of this. You were already cold, exhausted, trembling before her in fear while she sighed. Tilted her head. To one side, then the other, like a predator looking at some helpless animal they had caught, debating the best way to--

„My, my." she murmured to herself, voice low yet intrigued. „It seems I've got myself a little extra this time. What do you think, darling? Should I go ahead and—" she waved a hand, making you flinch.

You followed her calm gaze to the bodies of the witches she'd fought. Well. It wasn't exactly much of a fight. One second they were all turning on her, blasting her with magic, and the next---

Purple.

Blinding.

All-consuming.

And she just laughed, held out her hands as if saying come and get me, go on, as if teasingly luring them to their demise. And that was indeed what happened.

They dropped like ragdolls after that, one by one, drained, powerless.

Dead.

Everyone but you. You had hid, of course, too afraid and surprised and taken off guard by being woken from the first sleep in two days by all the magical crossfire and spells in the air.

When you raised your head a little more the air felt heavy with power, the aftermath of wilting magic, cast and now split into nothing. You allowed yourself a shaky inhale. Agatha, still in front of you, just smirked.

She moved her hand about, enjoying the way you almost winced every time it shifted in your direction.

"Go on, dear." she said coolly, "Give me a good reason to keep you alive. Or else... well..." she smiled, giving the clearing you were in another glance. No words left your mouth. You wanted to speak, to plead, anything, really you did, but you were just... frozen.

You blinked.

She blinked.

Her hand paused in the air, movements ceasing momentarily.

You felt the back of your throat tighten, the threat of tears in your eyes as heavy as the weight holding your bound hands, magic pressing against you from all sides. You were trapped. Alone. There was no changing her mind, and you had no real, good enough reason for her to spare you. A tear slipped down your cheek. Then another. And another. She sighed.

"Oh, Hecate." you heard her scoffing. "Are you seriously crying?"

A sob escaped you, shaky and uncertain. Almost apologetic. She sighed again, looking annoyed, not that you saw it through your endless steam of tears.

"If you're going to sob at my feet at least try to have some-- hey!" you flinched when she lowered herself down to look at you, blinking at her tearfully.

"Are you listening to me?" she asked.

You nodded quickly.

"Do actually know anything useful? Like, at all?"

A shake of your head. And another sigh from her, frustrated this time.

"Hell's sake." she murmured. "You really are useless. Fine."

She stepped back, and you almost stepped forward.

You weren't even sure why.

You should have kept a distance, a safe distance, but nothing you did felt safe anymore, not for a long time until she--

The movement was a mistake. Because she paused. Stood up. Looked down at you. She was frowning now. It only made you cry harder.

"What was that?" she asked.

You gulped.

Words seemed to find you, your voice, returning.

"I- I'm sorry—" but she cut you off at once, looking affronted,

"No-- no. Don't you dare lie to me or so help me I'll look into your head for myself."

That made you freeze. You knew a little about her. Famous, ancient, scary witch. But could she really do that? You supposed she could. So instead of letting her make up her mind you simply blurted,

"I-- I don't-- know."

An eyebrow raised. She looked unimpressed.

"You don't know?"

You shook your head pathetically.

"You don't know why I caught and bound you here and instead of pleading for your little life you actually move closer towards me?"

"I-it's just-- I've been..."

"Yes?"

"I just- I've been... alone... for so long... and I didn't r-really feel safe, at all, but then when you..."

Oh, now she was listening. With a sort of bewildered expression on her very-much-not-349-years-old-looking face. And you just went on. You already lost your dignity. Might as well tell her everything now. What was the last time you were so honest with someone? You found it sad that you couldn't even remember.

"I just... thought... you... you took them down so quickly, like... like you weren't even trying, and I thought, whoever is on your side must feel really, really safe." you said.

It was an odd thing to say. But it was the truth. However terrifying she did seem, there was something about her that seemed to lure you in. Made you want to find out more.

She gave you a look.

Frowning. Processing. As if your words had made zero sense.

"This is so depressing." she muttered, stepping away, disappointed almost. "Honestly, I was about to threaten you and everything and you're already so close to falling apart I didn't even get to making you beg."

"I-- I can still—"

"Oh, can you?" she retorted sarcastically, tilting her head in an exaggerated move. You winced.

"Are you really so pathetic that—" she turned abruptly, then stopped, as if really, really begrudgingly deciding something.

You stayed quiet.

And then, just barely, slowly, so faintly, you felt her magic around your hands loosen a little. You sniffled. Looked up. She was still standing there, stock still, lost in thought. You hesitantly got up. Stumbled. Caught yourself.

She turned so abruptly again that you startled. Her eyes went over you. It seemed she wasn't expecting you to stand up.

A moment of silence. Then-

"Alright, I see this has been a complete waste of my time," she sighed, annoyed, "and you did show some self restraint not attacking me like they did... of course I suppose that was just..." her words trailed off. "But I'm feeling generous today, and this pity party going on in your head really is very pathetic, so... you're free to go."

You said nothing. What was wrong with you? Why did a part of you want to come with her? You let yourself see it for a moment, not alone anymore, but by her side, gaining insight into magical knowledge and-- maybe even learning how to control it. How to do what she can do.

And you scrambled after her.

"W-wait--- wait- please..."

"Oh, now she pleads." Agatha sighed, turning around. "I think I told you to leave. Not many people get the chance to walk away from me unscathed, dearie, so consider yourself lucky and be on your merry way."

"But I want to come with you." you blurted.

She turned. Fully. Facing you again, looking utterly confused. Like no one had said those words to her before.

"With me." she echoed. "You're so desperate, aren't you? Willing to tag along with any powerful witch you meet? Darling that'll only get you more problems. You want to be safe? Learn to protect yourself. And don't get in my way again."

"But I don't know how." you said, a little more sure of yourself but still desperate. You took another tentative step closer.

"Does that sound like my problem?" she said flatly.

You looked up at her, pleading.

"Don't give me those eyes, kid, that won't work."

You blinked. Came just a little closer.

"I'll do anything you want—" you offered hopefully.

"Anything, you say?" a sly smirk on her face, prefect teeth smiling, "Anything at all?"

A nod.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into darling. I'm not much of a caring teacher."

"I don't care. Just please. Let me come with you, I can- help. I can be useful, please—"

"Alright, alright, enough of that. I don't want to listen to more of this pathetic nonsense." She scrutinized you once more, as if assessing whether or not you'd be good on your word.

"And you'll do anything I say."

You nodded. "I promise."

She smiled. Not a cruel smile, but something mocking, teasing you almost, as if saying you'll regret that later, darling. You blinked, eyes still teary, and before you could say another word she nodded. The faintest, barest, hint of a nod.

"Fine."

You swore you wanted to jump up and down. But you stayed put. Didn't move. Scared you misheard her. When you turned around again she was already walking, going down the grassy path, leaving you in the mess of her destruction.

"Come on then, hun." she called, pausing for the merest second, "magic won't wait for you, and neither will I. Let that be your first lesson."

You watched her for a moment, imposing, confident, formidable. Perhaps things would be different now. You'd make them different. You'd make sure of it. You hurried after her, trailing by her side, absentmindedly rubbing over your sore wrists and standing just a little taller. Like an apprentice. Like a witch. 

A/n: title is from Seven Devils by Florence + The Machine. Feel free to comment if there's something more you'd like to see from Agatha in the future. Also, I'm thinking of making a tag list (tagging people when posting a new agatha fic) so if anyone is interested in that comment here or send me a message on private. Love y'all!! <3

[l-starsz]

a/n: i’m currently falling asleep but it took me all day to write this and it’s like 2.6k words. idk if it’s good or it’s it’s just a whole load of yap, but it’s based on this poem (idk if you can even call it a poem really) i wrote and i thought it’d make a cute fic so here it is. i’m gonna brush my teeth then go to sleep, goodnight🩷

(the poem or whatever you want to call it⬆️)

i felt like i couldn’t leave my bed. nothing felt right. everything was wrong. nobody called. nobody texted. and i didn’t bother texting or calling first. i didn’t want to be a burden. obviously i didn’t want to be alone. how difficult can it be to meet new people? to find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with? well the answer is that it seems very difficult.

everyone i’d ever loved had screwed me over in some way or another, so i’d given up even trying. there was no point. i just wanted to go home. not to my house. i was in the comfort of my own house, yet my heart still ached. my chest ached just as much. almost as if every breath i took was more painful than the last. simply just breathing could make me anxious. my heart raced, and my breathing sped up, making me worry more. it was a never ending cycle.

i knew i longed for something way more than just ‘home’, but i couldn’t quite place it. was it a place? somewhere i’d visited before? or maybe a person. but who? i had nobody. i longed for a girl i’d never met. who i didn’t even know existed, and she didn’t know i existed. but i needed her. whoever she was.

the feeling was a permanent weight on my shoulders, pushing me further down day after day. i wasn’t sad. i just felt empty. the pit in my stomach grew more the longer time passed. and it stuck there. burrowed deep, clinging onto me. but the feeling would often make its way up to my chest, clawing at my heart, trying to rip me to pieces from the inside out. the more i thought about it, the further it allowed itself to travel. to grow. it crawled to my throat, trying to make its way out through small sobs.

it never left, though. no matter how much i cried for someone, i never felt any better. the feeling was glued to me. attached. my eyes stung with unshed tears. until they fell. each one hurt more than the last. each one a sign of my loneliness. nobody but myself there to wipe away my tears. nobody to catch me when i was falling. nobody to hold me close and remind me that everything would be okay. just myself.

the silence of my bedroom rang louder than my thoughts. louder than the noise of the tv. it never filled the silence. it somehow made it worse. constant echoing that i hadn’t found the one. not yet. maybe not ever. i’d almost given up hoping. i hadn’t found anyone. not my person.

but i continued hoping even when it felt useless. longing for somebody to come along and stop this loneliness i was drowning in. someone to save me from myself.

and i found her. just when i thought i was trapped, by myself forever. she came along. billie.

i decided to get myself out of the house for a bit to try to feel a little better. i went for a walk, music blasting through my headphones whilst i wandered to a nearby cafe. i only wanted to get a pastry. i walked slow, kicking the autumn leaves every step i took.

once i got there, i sat at a table in the corner after paying for my food, music still easing my thoughts, just quieter this time. in such a public place, i still felt lonely. but it softened things just slightly. honestly, i got lost in my thoughts again, completely forgetting about the untouched pastry in front of me, instead just staring blankly towards the door.

my mind was in a completely different place until she walked in. she caught my eye immediately. she may have been the most beautiful girl i’d ever seen in my life. i could tell she was kind just by looking at her. she was by herself, wrapped in warm clothes. she looked cosy. and i didn’t even realise i was staring until she scanned the cafe, looking for somewhere to sit before she paid, and made direct eye contact with me.

i quickly looked away, letting my head hang down, trying to avoid her gaze. trying to act as if i wasn’t just practically staring into her soul. i scrambled to grab my phone to distract myself, waiting for her to sit down and trying to resist the urge to glance over at her again. i opened and closed a few apps mindlessly, but to my surprise, i heard a quiet voice, and a shadow covered over my figure.

i looked up slowly, hoping for my sake that it wasn’t her because i would definitely embarrass myself. and of course, it was her. i mean, i wasn’t disappointed, just nervous.

“hey,” she smiled. soft and welcoming, “can i sit..?”

i nodded my head before answering, “uhh yeah, go ahead.”

her smile was contagious, i couldn’t help but smile back. a genuine smile. when she’d settled down, taking her jacket off and placing her things on the table, she leaned forward with her arms pressed against the table.

“sooo, you waiting for somebody or did you come here by yourself?” her voice was gentle. pretty, just like her.

“i mean, i’ve got no one to wait for, sooo.. yeah by myself.” my lips pressed together in a thin line, “sorry, sorry.. that sounds stupid, i have friends, i just don’t see them much so i’m usually by myself.”

andddd there it was. i embarrassed myself. i should’ve kept quiet, she probably thought i was some weird loner. but she just frowned slightly before continuing to speak.

“looks like i made a good choice coming over here then, hm?” a small smile showed on her face when she finished her sentence.

and i couldn’t help but smile back and look down, nodding my head.

“yeah. yeah i suppose so.” i laughed breathily.

she was sweet. people usually just avoided me, but not her. she was friendly, and seemingly caring.

“what about your food? did you forget about it?” she giggled.

my eyes snapped towards the plate in front of me with shock on my face.

“oh- oh yeah i did, i got carried away with my thoughts..” i laughed back.

luckily, she didn’t mention me staring at her, but she definitely saw me. after a while of talking and eating together, we got to know eachother pretty well, but good things come to an end. her phone rang and at first she ignored it, but it rang again, making her realise it must be important. when she answered, her eyes went wide, before speaking to me once the call had ended.

“oh gosh.. i gotta go, i’ve got a meeting that i forgot about.” she rushed to put her jacket back on and collect her things, “can i.. could i maybe get your number? this was fun..”

“yeah of course.” she handed me her phone as i typed my number in, and my name, trying to hide the huge smile that came to my face.

“i’ll message you. or call you. or- yeah!! sorry i need to go! i’ll see you around.” she spoke quickly, waving goodbye to me as i answered, before rushing out the door.

wow. i didn’t even expect her to look at me, let alone speak to me. i sat in the cafe a little longer, my cheeks burning and heart racing, replaying the whole conversation we’d had. once i realised how long i’d been there, i got up and left too, only this time, my heart felt warm. it still ached slightly, but a little less than before.

later that day, she stuck to her word. she messaged me.

‘hey!’

‘it’s the girl from the cafe:)’

‘wait i never told you my name sorry’

‘i’m billie’

i immediately smiled when i saw the messages. i tried to wait to answer for a little bit, not wanting to seem desperate, but i wanted to talk to her so bad. so i answered within less than ten minutes.

‘hey billie:)’

‘how did the meeting go?’

we spoke for a little while. almost for the rest of the day. days passed like this. we messaged eachother every single day, never failing to find something to talk about. it got to the point where i looked forward to waking up to see her name on my phone, or getting to message her the second my eyes opened.

after days of messaging, she finally asked me to call her. i knew i could have asked, but i didn’t want to seem clingy or weird, and i didn’t want her to feel like she had to say yes just because i’d asked. after that first call, we just got closer from there. calling at any opportunity we got. spending free time together. i really really liked her. she filled that pit in my stomach. made my heart full. she made me feel loved, even though we weren’t together. she was there.

she felt like my person. things felt right again when i was with her. i felt complete. but even with billie there for me, i still struggled sometimes. the loneliness of my bedroom still haunted me. and one night it got particularly bad.

billie didn’t know about this feeling i had, i’d buried it so deep and pushed it down, making sure she never knew, but now it was coming up. i needed her. i couldn’t stay here any longer. i felt trapped again. i needed to be with billie. so i called her. she answered on the first ring, of course.

“billie?” i spoke, my voice barely above a whisper.

“you okay, angel? you sound upset, what’s going on?” i could hear the concern in her voice.

billie knew me inside and out. she could tell when something was bothering me, so of course this time was no different. i took a shaky breath before answering.

“can i..” i paused, hesitating slightly before continuing, “come over please?”

part of me hoped she wouldn’t hear me. i knew she would say yes, but i didn’t know if i could be this vulnerable around her. not because of her, but because of me. i had trouble telling people things sometimes, and this was one of those things. but my desperation to have billie with me overpowered this.

“of course you can. can i come and pick you up?”

“you don’t have to, love, it’s okay i can walk.” i answered as i started putting my shoes on and grabbing a jacket.

“no, no. i’ll be there in a couple minutes, don’t worry.”

i sighed and agreed, although i couldn’t help but smile.

sure enough, she pulled up after a few minutes. the drive to her house was calm. relaxing. just what i needed.

it didn’t take long at all to reach her house, and the second we stepped inside and our shoes were off, we made our way to her sofa, and i curled up against her side. billie pressed play on whatever she was watching when i called her, then spoke.

“what’s the matter, baby? what’s going on?”

i bit my lip, trying to put my feelings into words without sounding stupid.

“before i met you.. i felt lonely all the time. i felt like i was longing for somebody to come into my life, but i didn’t know who. i just needed somebody. and that person was you. but sometimes when it’s late at night, and i’m alone in my room, i still get that ache in my chest of loneliness. not because i have nobody. because i know i have you always. just because i’m alone in the moment. and it hurts really bad sometimes. tonight was just one of those nights..” i spoke, my voice breathy.

her face softened, her fingers started running up and down my back as she moved her free hand to brush my hair away from my face. i tried to look away, but it was no use. she just moved my head so that i’d look back at her. my eyes watered, but not from sadness, i felt embarrassed. too vulnerable.

“why didn’t you tell me sooner? i’d happily come and pick you up any time you feel like that.”

“i know. i’m sorry i didn’t tell you. i just feel.. i don’t know. small? vulnerable? i feel like i sound dramatic if i try to speak about it.”

she nodded as i spoke, taking in every word i said. her hands continued their movements on my back and through my hair, reminding me that she wasn’t going anywhere. that she was actually listening. she always listened. no matter what i was talking about, even if it wasn’t important, billie was there to listen. always.

“you’re not dramatic, my love. that’s a normal feeling. feeling lonely is normal. i’ve got you. you’re never going to be lonely with me around, i promise you.”

in that moment, it felt right. i needed to tell her. i didn’t know if she felt the same way, but if i didn’t tell her now i was never going to. and maybe that would be for the better, just in case?

“billie.”

“hmm?” she kept stroking my hair.

“i love you. in more than just a best friend way.”

she froze. no. no no no. why did i say that? i knew she didn’t feel the same. and now i was going to lose her because i couldn’t keep my mouth shut. she didn’t say anything for what felt like hours. but then she did.

“i love you so much, my pretty baby. in more than just a best friend way too.” she breathily laughed.

and then i froze. just like she had. was i imagining it? surely not. but she was staring back at me with a huge smile spread across her face, and tears welling up in her eyes. she was being serious.

i launched forwards further into her arms, my lips pressing against hers in a kiss that we both had clearly been waiting forever for. and that’s how billie became my girlfriend. that night she held me and didn’t let go. didn’t let me go anywhere alone. she made sure that the feeling went away. the never ending ache. it went away. billie was the person i had been waiting for forever.

when i started struggling with my mental health again, billie was right there to pick me back up. to make things easier. and vice versa. we didn’t leave each others sides.

and we would often go on walks together. sometimes back to the cafe from the first day we met. sometimes just to watch the sunset. as long as we were spending time together, we were happy.

~~~~~

“you know, i’m glad you were staring at me that first day we met.” billie laughed, taking my hand into hers as we walked towards the cafe.

“stopp!!” i rolled my eyes, laughing too, “you’re the one who came and spoke to me and sat with me.”

“i know, baby. and i’m so happy i did.”

“i’m so happy you did too. you feel like home to me, bils. you’re definitely my person. i’ve never once felt alone with you.” our hands swung slightly as we walked.

“you’re my home too, angel. always. my baby.”

and i knew i’d never feel that ache of loneliness again. not with billie by my side. and i knew she wasn’t going anywhere. so maybe, finding the right person wasn’t that difficult after all. they just appear in your life when you need them the most.

[eggcompany]

Gonna do a jayvik fic, a fluff fic, where it’s Jayce and Viktor after the finale, existing in a nice little time bubble where they love each other and invent stuff and everything is perfect and happy.

And then there’s a big flash, there’s a pop, and then there’s two kids stumbling out from the epicenter of the blast.

Little Jayce and little Viktor, maybe seven? Little kids. Jayce is first to get to them, looking if they’re okay. Viktor keeps him from touching the young version of himself, warning it might damage their timeline.

Viktor looks at himself, the wheezing, shaking little thing in tattered ill fitting clothes. Did he really look so… pathetic? So wretched and weak? And then Jayce is picking up that big eyed little kid asking what his name is.

Viktor went to the little Jayce. His heart swelled as he looked at the young boy, his bottom lip wobbling and his dark hair a mess. He knelt down in front of him, looking him over. He was so small. So adorable and his hands were so small. He giggled and hugged onto Viktor, wanting to be lifted up.

Him and Jayce agreed to keep the younger versions of themselves away from each other and look after them until they could figure out a way to send them back.

When Jayce figures it out it’s been hours, they don’t sleep and there’s no night in their time bubble but baby Vik had slept some so maybe it had been more than a day? But when he comes into the lab where Viktor had been hidden away, he found Viktor smiling as he swayed in the window, sun lighting up his body. He was holding little Jayce in his arms, they were both smiling widely as Viktor kissed his face and tickled him, bouncing him up and down and laughing.

“Viktor, I figured it out. I think it’s time they go home.” Jayce said gently but Viktor turned around with a pout, arms wrapping around his baby protectively.

“This is my baby now, he’s mine. He’s perfect and warm and mine.” Viktor said and little Jayce just giggled, eyes sparkly.

They eventually sent the two boys back to their own timelines. Viktor pouted about it for a while but got over it. He just loved Jayce in any timeline, in any form.

[changenameno]

Fingerblast PART 1

(Complete, link for the second part, down below ⬇️)

Summary:

It’s the middle of summer and therefore incredibly hot. Of course right then something had to be wrong with your AC. How fortunate for you that a handyman can come right over…

Pairing: Syverson x Short Fem. Reader

Warnings: 18+, MDNI, cursing, explicit description of sex, thirst trap named Sy, teasing, size kink, chasing?, choking (if you squint?), p in v (use of y/n = Your first name) -> most of these warnings apply to the second part

Word count: 1.3 K

A/N: Okay here goes my first attempt at writing smut…This is way longer than I intended it to become, whoops. Honestly this just came to me while stumbling over a song (aka the title of this specific fic 🤣). Also I think this reads a little like a bad porn video SORRY…but anyway….here goes nothing🙈😅….

It’s not proofread, any mistakes are my own. Please be kind, comments/reblogs are very appreciated…Thank you❤️✨

!Syverson is not my own creation (unfortunately)! And the song/lyrics don’t belong to me either!

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PART 1

It hadn’t even been twenty minutes since you’ve called but apparently the handyman had just arrived, if the heavy rumble of tires on gravel was anything to go by. So you made your way onto your porch, because honestly it didn’t make any difference if you’d wait in- or outside.

The heat had been crawling into your house since sunrise and now it was nearly more stifling inside, than out on your shaded porch. And at least here the stone beneath your bare feet was somewhat cooling.

You squinted at the huge red pickup truck now parked not far from your house.

Whoever was still seated inside was listening to music, clearly above a healthy decibel level, because you could hear it blasting even from where you stood quite a distance away.

At that exact moment the door swung open and you heard just a snippet of the song still playing, “Use my index, I can use my thumb.

Even use my pinky, it'll make you come. Close your eyes, it'll happen real fast

I just got you off with a fingerblast…”.Before you could hear more the door of the truck shut loudly. The sudden noise almost startling you.

Shaking your head you tried to compose yourself after overhearing what must have been a most charming song. You took a step forward, hell bent on pretending you hadn’t heard anything. Only now you’d noticed the mammoth of a man that had existed the truck.

Chiding yourself on how you hadn’t noticed him before.

You wrote it off as shock, because how else could you not have noticed the biggest fricking man you’ve ever laid eyes on.

Said man raised his left hand in greeting, while pushing his sunglasses up on his shaved head with the other. He wore a red T-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. Realizing you stared way too long at the handsome stranger without reciprocating his greeting, you quickly waved back; albeit a bit too late, as he had already turned his back to you.

Fortunately for you, he took his sweet time getting to his toolbox or whatever. Giving you the perfect opportunity to stare some more and that you did.

Good god, how did his shirt not rip when he moved? All that muscle had you salivating.

As he turned towards you, with his toolbox in hand, you couldn’t help but notice the ominous bulge in his shorts.

And then one thought lead to another, having you think about, how something entirely different would most certainly rip, upon his movement. That image had you clenching and swallowing thickly.

“Hey, I take it, you’re hav’n problems with your AC?” he drawled in a rough southern accent. You didn’t trust your voice, lest only a squeak would leave you, so you shook your head yes.

“Alright then, may I come ‘n?” He continued, an amused expression on his face, after you didn’t make a move to let him past you or into your house.

Finally you found your voice again, “Mmh yes, please do come…in,” you finished awkwardly, wanting to hit yourself for behaving like a middle schooler with a major crush.

It didn’t seem to bother him though, he simply chuckled deeply and entered your living room. As he walked by, you caught a whiff of his colon along with what must be his own natural musk, making you swoon on the spot. Damn it, he even smelled fucking fantastic.

From inside he called, “The name ‘s Syverson by the way, if you were wonderin’. But everyone calls me Sy anyway.”

Taking a second to draw a deep breath to calm your nerves and more accurately calm your ovaries, you headed in, after him.

He was standing in the middle of your living room, toolbox standing on your little coffee table, taking in your interior. Shaking your head, as if you could rid yourself of any indecent thoughts, you studied him once more.

Sy was big in every way possible, from his height, to his built and presence. Easily taking over your normally at least middle sized living room, making it seem shrunken.

This time you were a little bit more prepared when his sparkling blue eyes landed on you. Smiling you replied, “I’m y/n. Thank you for being here so quickly. The AC is right over there.” With a wave of your hand, you gestured in the direction of your adjacent kitchen, where the damned thing was let into the wall. He picked up the toolbox once more, before he followed closely behind.

As you lead the way into the kitchen, you could feel him staring at you hungrily, making you shiver from anticipation alone.

Sy swallowed thickly as the white dress you wore, showed even more of your pretty legs, with every bouncy step you took. Once in the kitchen you pointed up, at the opened AC. “I don’t know what seems to be the problem, normally if I do this…” you tried reaching the green button, even going as far as getting on your tiptoes, to show him, what normally did the trick.

As if hypnotized, he kept staring at the hem of your dress continuing to ride up, now almost getting a glimpse of your perfectly white panties. Fuck it, he thought as he drew impossibly closer, putting the toolbox on the kitchen counter in one swift movement.

You squeaked in response, when you felt his broad chest collide with your back. Before you could lose your balance, a beefy arm pulled you back by your midsection and against his sturdy body. A hot breath tickled your ear as he growled, “Darlin’ that dress of yours, might be a tad short for what you had in mind.”

His deep, lust filled voice made you reckless so you purred right back,” Mmmh I think it’s quite perfect for what I had in mind, no?” To emphasize your point, you pushed your rear purposefully against his groin, making him growl some more. “Careful there sweetheart, once the beast is awakened, it got a hankering…and…for one thing only.” You could undoubtedly hear his cocky grin. So you playfully replied, “Oh no, we certainly don’t want that now, do we? You know what they say, about sleeping dogs …”

Following your teasing you grabbed his arm and swiftly pulled it away to be able to slip from his grasp. Striding over to the door, making sure to sway your hips, all the while stifling your giggles. When you turned around, lightly leaning against the doorway, Sy still stood unmoving, glaring at you with dilated pupils. He was sure he’d never wanted a woman as much as he wanted to have you.

One more push and you knew you had him right where you wanted him. You bit the insides of your cheeks, trying to conceal the gleeful smile forming on your lips. Deliberately slow you blinked up at him, readying yourself for what you were about to do next, “Catch me if you can…” You didn’t wait for his reaction, you just bolted through the doorway and straight up the stairs.

PART 2

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Taglist:

If you're interested in being on my taglist, please let me know! And if you want to be taken off (my taglist), feel free to tell me!❤️✨

[radioisntdead]

Good morning, as you have requests open can I get some Velvette x g/n! reader angst (perhaps ending with comfort) romance?

One night they overhear her talking negatively about them (not an overlord, lack of confidence, whatever) so they leave behind a note saying they were right to feel like she didn't actually love them and they've left, not saying where.

Good evening my dear! We are ending the cannibal streak with Velvette! WOO, It's late and I'm woozy, this became a song fic I'm sorry.

Velvette x reader,

Warnings!

Light angst, Valentino,

The song used: Moral of the story

You and Velvette met at a New Years party back in the 2000's, the air was heavy, you had a red solo cup with heavens knew what was in it, maybe Vodka and something? You didn't know, people were kissing, yelling, and whatever else.

So I never really knew you

When Velvette approached you, you felt like the luckiest person in the world, like nothing else in the room exist, she was only person there in your eyes,

When she talked about how boring the party was you found yourself agreeing with every word she said, her voice soothing to you.

God, I really tried to, Blindsided, addicted

The two of you died in a car accident, music was blasting from the radio, you were looking outside the window, and Velvette was texting and driving,

It was quick, she ran a red light and BAM, a truck hit the two of you causing the car to roll, glass shattered and the one thing you remember is reaching out to Velvette before everything went dark.

Felt we could really do this

You once told Velvette that you'd follow her to hell and back,

Guess that was true because guess where you ended up?

But really I was foolish

Things didn't change much as she rose to the top, becoming an overlord, teaming up with some guys named Vox and Valentino, Vox was decent enough but Valentino gave you the chills, he never did anything but still.

Velvette made sure to shield you from his business, you weren't allowed on his floor.

Hindsight, it's obvious

Velvette was never scared to demand things, to order things around, to get her hands somewhat dirty if needed, if she wanted it she got it

You weren't like that, you didn't like having blood on your hands, While Velvette treated service staff like they were an inconvenience you treated them with respect, like they were people.

Velvette didn't like that part of you, she liked it when it was towards her or maybe the other Vee's but no one else.

Talking with the cannibal She said, "Where'd you find this girl?"

You weren't having a good day, you and Velvette got into a argument over her spending too much time on her phone, you said that she loved that stupid thing more then you, she didn't deny it, just said that you were acting fucking crazy and left.

I said, "Young people fall in love, with the wrong people sometimes"

You had several things to do, some employees couldn't do their job properly and you didn't want to lash out of them, all you wanted to do was just relax with your fiancee, you got some flowers and an Emoji plush to give her as an apology.

Some mistakes get made

As you stood outside the door that lead to the Vee's living room you could hear muffled talking, a voice you could recognize was Velvette's.

That's alright, that's okay

You cracked the door open and peaked in, She was talking to Valentino.

You can think that you're in love

"Then They say that I love my phone then them! Like maybe if you weren't such a fuckin' loser that can't even order a coffee without almost crying I'd pay more attention to you!"

When you're really just in pain

You clutched the flowers, crushing the stems as you took a step back.

Some mistakes get made

"They aren't an overlord, the only they have any of this is because of me!" She said throwing herself onto the couch and went back to her phone, that damned phone.

That's alright, that's okay

Quietly and quickly you made your way to the room you shared with Velvette, you did your best not to slam the door indicating that you were back, you threw the flowers and plush into a trashcan before taking out a few suitcases.

No tears were shed, just anger, betrayal and disappointment flooded you.

In the end, it's better for me

You packed the clothes that were your favorites, you couldn't take everything since for one, Velvette gave you the majority, and two, she gave you a bunch of clothes.

Once You had everything packed you wrote a note giving a brief explanation, that you had heard what she said, and that since you were SUCH a loser, she should date a overlord instead.

That's the moral of the story, babe

You left the Vee's tower, without a single soul noticing, now standing on a random street corner you took a deep breath, you had enough money, from your OWN means, to get a hotel to stay at for maybe a week? Just until you could get an apartment or something.

It's funny how a memory

Velvette didn't notice you were gone until late the next day, she thought you were being petty avoiding her because of a little fight and she had decided to let you take the bedroom, sleeping in her office instead.

She supposed she should apologize because she loved you and she was tired of this.

Turns into a bad dream

She stepped into your shared room, not noticing anything missing, until a colorful object caught her eye from the trashcan, leaning down it was an emoji plush, cringey but it was soft, it was covering a bouquet of flowers, her favorites infact.

When running wild turns volatile

Her face twisted into confusion as she looked around, spotting the note you left on the bed.

She hadn't meant for you to hear her.

Remember how we painted our room, Just like the other Vee's did?

You were gone. She fucked up.

So romantic, but we fought the whole time

It was just a small fight right? The two of you would kiss and make up like usual, maybe watch a movie after, but you had left, you left her!

Should have seen the signs

She couldn't find you, anywhere.

Vox only got footage of you leaving the tower and nothing else, he spied on the ENTIRE ring and he couldn't find YOU?

Talking with the cannibal, She said, "Where'd you find this girl?"

You had stumbled upon the Hazbin hotel, you were welcomed by Charlie with open arms, she was ecstatic, you were the first sinner to join them after the extermination.

Said, "Some people fall in love with the wrong people sometimes"

Being away from Velvette was so...

Some mistakes get made

Freeing, it was as if you were spreading your wings for the first time in years, which you were! You'd been with Velvette for over a decade, not counting your life beforehand.

That's alright, that's okay

You loved Velvette, you truly did, but she didn't love you like you did her, she didn't act like it,

She thought you were on the weaker side.

You can think that you're in love

You had no interest in rising up the ranks, working instead on becoming a better person, with every exercise with the hotel residents you got more and more confident, changing your appearance along the way.

When you're really just in pain

After you more sinners came to the hotel, a few ready for redemption.

Some mistakes get made

You met someone, she had the most beautiful pink eyes that reminded you of pink lemonade, she was different then Velvette, you couldn't help but compare the two, Velvette was so... Cruel and she was so Soft, kind, she just killed a guy but that wasn't a deal breaker in your book.

That's alright, that's okay

It took time but the two of you grew close, you'd have lunch together, eventually that moved to sleepovers, movie nights, sweet words exchanged between the two of you.

You were apprehensive about entering a new relationship after Velvette, but it just felt right.

In the end it's better for me

Charlie was excited when you went to her for date ideas to take your newest sweetheart, she was so proud of you, you had come so far!

That's the moral of the story, babe

They say it's better to have loved and lost

Velvette searched for you, you due to plot armour and your changed appearance had managed to completely avoid Vox's cameras or Velvette's hunting you down, she regretted saying what she did, she wouldn't have said it if she knew you were listening!

Than never to have loved at all

You had decided to step out of the hotel with your dearest sweetheart, deciding to go out for a simple date, watch a movie and maybe shop around and grab a bite to eat

That could be a load of shit

Velvette had decided to go check out her competition's stores, going shopping at the same stores you did.

But I just need to tell you all

You didn't see her, and she almost didn't recognize you but she did.

Some mistakes get made

Her blood ran cold, or colder as she watched you dote on the lady next to you, arm wrapped around hers, holding her bags for her.

You had done that for her once upon a time.

That's alright, that's okay

She wanted to say something, like where have you been, I'm sorry, who the fuck is this, come home! Or something but she couldn't, she could only watch as you laughed at something she said, you used to laugh like that with her,

You SHOULD be laughing like that with her.

You can think that you're in love

Velvette's hand clenched into a fist, her fingers digging into her palm making indents.

When you're really just engaged

You should be with her, not whoever that wench was! The engagement ring she had accepted from you ages ago was still on her finger.

Where was yours?

Some mistakes get made

She watched as you walked away with her.

That's alright, that's okay

She finally moved, following in pursuit.

In the end it's better for me

You and your sweetheart were having a wonderful time, shopping around and the two of you were finally getting something to eat, you went to the cutest little café, and you walked back to the hotel holding hands.

That's the moral of this story

Some mistakes get made

Velvette knew where you were now.

That's alright, that's okay

You were so happy, Velvette hasn't crossed your mind in ages.

You can think that you're in love

She didn't know how to get you, she didn't want you to hate her.

When you're really just in pain

You squealed as you landed on your bed kicking your legs back and forth like a lovesick fool.

Some mistakes get made

You had to come back to her willingly, once you were done with this little fling, she would leave you heartbroken and Velvette would welcome you back with open arms, hugs and kisses.

That's alright, that's okay

You sighed happily, a dumb love filled grin on your face.

In the end it's better for me

You had come SO far from how you were before, you were proud of yourself, you had a healthy relationship with your lovely girlfriend, you had amazing friends, and you were on the road to redemption with them! You couldn't ask for more.

That's the moral of the story, babe

You will never go back to Velvette, you loved her once yes, you truly did, but that was in the past, and you deserved better, and you got better.

Good evening folks! Thank you for tuning in! It's late for me and I wrote this in one sitting, I'm gonna go knock out now, have a wonderful night folks!

[mystrangeadd1ct1on]

College days

Pairing: Stephen!Strange x Fem!reader

Summary: You and Stephen went to college together, but after senior year, you had to separate. Now, years later, you meet again unexpectedly, which makes things tense.

Tags: fluff, slight angst?

Word count: barely 3k

A/n: thought this would be much longer, but I really cannot write long fics — tips and advices are very welcomed! Anyways, enjoy!

Last few weeks of your life were very... floaty. Literally. Objects levitating around you without a reason and random blasts of energy escaping your palms. What is that even supposed to mean? This can't be some magic, can it? Magic doesn't exist, it was just made up as entertainment for fairytales — you thought. Though, there was no other reasonable explanation. But what you knew was, that you can't possibly deal with this on your own.

What first came to your mind, was to seek help from the Avengers. People who daily deal with danger and some of them have superpowers on their own. They'll know what to do, you thought.

So now, here you were, sitting in the Avengers tower while the famous Tony Stark stood infront of you trying to figure out what to do.

“We’re not exactly experts on magic, so we can't really help you.” he simply said. Well, that was disappointing.

You still sat there dumbfounded and practically hopeless. Honestly, Tony Stark didn't even really look like someone who would be interested in helping people with such things. Just some another arrogant man. It felt almost... Familiar.

You hummed as a response. You looked down, deep in your thoughts. Thinking where you should look for help now. You didn't know anything about magic, nor know someone who deals with it.

Tony's voice cut through your thoughts: “You can stay here for a few days until we find someone to help you.” he sighed.

You briefly smiled. “Thank you.”

He exited the room, probably heading to do more important things. Leaving you alone with thoughts and feelings. You never wanted this power, not really. But they'll find someone to help you, right?

***

It was just the next day and to your surprise, Tony already found a solution.

You walked out of the room they gave you to stay in and saw Tony chatting with a tall man. He was dressed in blue robes and a red cape with a collar. His hair was dark with grey streaks on his temples and a perfectly trimmed goatee on his chin.

They both turned around when they heard you enter and that’s when it hit you.

This couldn’t be... It would be too coincidental. You’re probably imagining things.

“Y/N, this is Doctor Strange. He’s a wizard and will help you with your powers.”

Oh, God. It was him. You weren’t sure if you should be happy or upset now that you’re in the same room as him again.

You glanced up at him just to find him with the same realization on his face.

“Stephen?”

“Y/N?” you both said almost at the same time. The way he said your name still sounded so familiar. A wave of nostalgia tingled through you.

Tony confusely looked between you and shook his head. “Alright... I'll give you two space.” and he left.

Still in shock you both stood there. Silence hanging in the air. What should you possibly say after seeing someone after almost a decade?

“Didn’t expect they’d call you to help me.” you broke the silence awkwardly.

“Didn’t expect you'd be the one needing help.” he said back. He still got that damn smirk he always did. The one that made your stomach flutter and apparently, it still does.

It was visible he tried to avoid eye contact. You could tell he was taken away by the sudden meeting just as much as you were.

“What happened with you? After college, I mean.” you hesitantly asked.

“I started my career as a neurosurgeon. Then I endured a car accident — which made me unable to do my job — and now im here.” he finally looked up at you, but something in his expression was unsure. Like he was regretting everything that caused being away from you for years.

“And you?” he added.

“I discovered this power I need help with,” you chuckled, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. But Stephen did not laugh, his mouth didn't even twitch. He still stayed composed and serious.

“We should get going then,” he quickly opened a portal to the Sanctum leaving you in shock, but you didn't comment on it. You just disbelievingly shook your head and stepped through.

*FLASHBACK*

You ran through the halls, trying to find your class. First day of the freshman year in college and you were already late.

Not the best first impression for your first big lecture, but the campus map had been confusing, and now you stood at the doorway, scanning the room for an empty seat.

The professor didn’t look up as he continued his lecture. You could tell he was probably more than used to people arriving late.

Most seats were taken — groups had already formed, students seated together like they’d known each other for years instead of hours.

Except—

“Hey,” a voice called quietly from the back.

A guy sat there, leaning back in his chair. Dark hair, sharp features, fingers lazily twirling a pen between them.

“There’s a seat here.”

With a deep breath, you walked over, sliding into the chair without looking at him.

“Rough first day?” he asked, voice low enough that only you could hear.

You kept your eyes on the professor. “Map's confusing.”

He chuckled under his breath. “Or you’re just bad with directions.”

Your head snapped toward him, ready to snap back with a sharp remark, but the grin on his face made you pause.

Cocky. Unapologetic.

"Stephen," he said, offering his hand.

"Y/N," you replied, shaking it briefly.

"Nice to meet you,Y/N," he repeated your name slowly, like he was testing how it sounded. “Stick with me. I don’t get lost.”

You rolled your eyes, pulling your hand back. “Right. Because you’re perfect, aren’t you?”

Stephen smiled wider, leaning in just slightly.

“Maybe.”

Considering you've met him just few minutes ago, you could already tell he was an arrogant man you did not want to stick with.

You turned your attention back to the professor, determined not to let him get under your skin. But you could feel his eyes on you. And somehow, you knew this wasn’t the last time you’d hear that voice.

***

You stood by the board, scanning the list of names for study groups forming for the semester. Most groups were already full.

"Looking for someone to keep up with?"

You didn’t have to turn to know who it was. The voice was already stuck in your mind since the first day you heard it.

“Stephen,” you sighed. “Do you follow me around, or is it just my bad luck?”

He didn't answer. He stepped beside you, glancing at the sheet.

“Lucky for you, I saved a spot in my group.”

You raised a brow. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Figured you might get lost again.”

You scoffed slightly and rolled your eyes. You stared at the paper, then back at him.

Cocky. Persistent. But something about him wasn’t as put-together as he seemed.

"Fine," you muttered, scribbling your name under his. "But this doesn't mean we're some friends or anything."

Stephen smirked. “Of course not.”

***

Days, then weeks went on. And guess what? You did not get rid of him. He actually offered you free lectures.

He wasn’t that type of a guy to play football and pick up hot girls, no. But he was such a nerd.

“I still think you’re wrong about that nerve pathway,” you said as you packed your notes.

Stephen laughed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Prove me wrong then.”

You shot him a look. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

The teasing came so natural with him. You didn’t even notice how much you looked forward to those study sessions until they became routine.

And maybe you should’ve realized sooner—

The late nights in the library. The way he always waited for you after class. The coffee orders he remembered without asking. Maybe Stephen Strange was going to matter more than you ever expected.

*PRESENT DAY*

“So... You live here?” you looked around. Everything looked ancient — the walls, the furniture, the equipment...

“Guess you can say that.” he paced around the room, his back turned to you and his cloak was swinging with each movement.

“How did you even turn into...” you wave around with your hand. ”...this? I thought you never believed in magic.”

“You’re asking too much questions, Y/N.” he stopped mid-step to turn around and look at you.

“You’re really that surprised? I haven't seen you in years. And yet you still look...”

“...the same?” he guessed.

“Familiar.” you murmured and looked away.

After a moment, which felt like eternity of silence, he gently asked in a low voice:

“Did you move on? Found someone else?”

Hesitating at first, but eventually you shaked your head.

“what about you?”

“No one.” he took a step closer.

You chuckled slightly. “I thought you forgot about me.”

He chuckled as well. “I would never.”

He had the same look in his eyes like he looked at you years ago. The look he only had for you. The one that made you feel like you're the only person on Earth. But he broke the gaze eventually.

“But you're not here to talk about the past, are you? Tell me something about the powers.” he took a step back to pace around the room again.

“I don't even know how I got them. Things just started being weird and I couldn’t control it.”

“Started being weird... how?” he echoed.

“Things flying around, random blasts of energy...” you hesitated. Unable to focus on the actual problem. “I just really can't believe im seeing you again. You're here and alive and... You've become something you apparently never wanted.”

Stephen smiled and looked down.

“Yeah, I can't believe it either.” he muttered.

*FLASHBACK*

A knock echoed through your dorm room coming from the hall. It couldn’t possibly be your rommate, she went to her family’s house for the weekend. Unlike you, stuck in the campus. Then obviously it couldn’t be anyone else than Stephen, you thought. Interrupting your late-night studying, sneaking in your room so you can't have anything done. Like a needy puppy that needs attention all the time.

You eventually got up from your bed and headed towards the door. As soon as you opened you saw that familiar face that has been following you around since you officially accepted his request to be his girlfriend. And he had that smirk on his face he always did.

“Well, about time you let me in. I almost got caught by the RA's for sneaking out past curfew.” he slipped into the room past you.

“It’s not my fault you’re coming over, like, every night.”

“You’re saying it like it bothers you,” he sat down on your bed like it belongs to him.

“Maybe because I can't get anything done.” you slowly walked towards him. He was staring up at you.

“You should thank me then. We both know you're already too smart to bother with studying.”

“Very funny.” You sarcastically snorted.

“I mean it.” he reached for your hand. His touch was so soft and warm. He gently guided you to sit beside him.

Silently he glazed into your eyes like he was searching a sign of discomfort — which he didn't find. He slowly leaned in and the next you felt was his warm lips against yours. Everything around faded, it was just you two. Or so you thought. It wasn't long until it was interrupted.

Another knock on the door following with a voice saying: “Room check.”

The RA's ruining everything once again.

Instinctively you pulled away. You two stared at each other for a while. Stephen then quickly realized they shouldn't see them in the same room at such time, so, he got up and quickly hid in the closet.

The RA's opened the door and peaked in while you sat innocently on the bed. Soon they realized everything is fine, and they left.

You exhaled in relief and got up to open the closet Stephen was hiding in. He quickly stepped out.

“That was close.” he said.

“Yeah,” you chuckled.

“Thought you’d be mad,��� he said almost confused. “y’know, giving me lectures how this is all my fault, that we almost got caught being together after curfew.”

“I could,” you stepped closer to him. “but I think I’m enjoying this more.”

He smiled down at you. You couldn’t hold back, so you pressed your lips to his again. He was being very annoying sometimes, but you still loved him. And the campus rules did not stop you.

*PRESENT DAY*

“I don't know what to do” you looked anywhere but his face.

“Lucky for you, because I’m here to help you with the powers.” he said casually.

“I didn’t mean that. I mean, what should we do now? We can't pretend like nothing happened years ago, but at the same time it would be weird to...” you stopped mid-sentence.

“Get together again?” he finished for you.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You meant it.”

You sighed at his statement. You couldn't deny he was right, because he was.

“Well, just so you know... Im open.” he suddenly said. “I wouldn’t mind getting back together. After all, I never really moved on...”

You looked up at him, really looked at him. This is so weird. How did you even ended up here? You were never supposed to see each other again after you separated. And now, you we're trying to figure out, if you even still have feelings for him.

“I'll think about it.” you eventually said. He silently nodded before showing you a room in the Sanctum where you could stay for now until you sort out all this mess.

***

It was late, but sleeping felt like a challenge. You stared at the ceiling, mind wandering to him — Stephen. It was too much happening at once. You were here with him, in some ancient building you never even noticed before while walking through New York streets. And apparently, he was still the same nerd like he was in college, just not to medicine anymore.

You knew there was not any point in trying to sleep, so you got up and walked around the halls. You reached the top floor and found a big, oddly-looking window. It had a nice view to the night sky. What a nice place to think. Thats what he’s been probably doing here too.

*FLASHBACK*

“So... This is it?”

You stood across from each other in graduation clothes. His warm hands held yours. You were leaving to another country to start a career, while he was staying in New York.

“I don't want you to go.” he muttered.

“I know. I don't want to go either.”

“Then stay.”

“It doesn't work like that, Stephen.”

He pulled you closer and rested his head on top of yours. He held you close as if he was afraid you might disappear if he’d let go.

“We'll see each other again,” you pulled back slightly, just to meet his eyes. “right?”

He took your face in his hands. His look said it all. He hesitated. As if he wanted to promise you, you'll see each other again, but couldn’t believe it himself. But he wanted you to know he'll come back, for your sake.

“This might sound very delusional and crazy, but...” he sighed. “I believe, I will marry you one day, Y/N.”

You let out a soft chuckle, but he — he did not laugh. He was being serious.

“I mean it. I love you so much, Y/N. And I'll do anything to see you again. I don't want one stupid graduation to be the reason we never see each other again.”

“Stop it,” you mumbled.

He chuckled: “Too much?”

“You’re ridiculous.” you shook your head.

You wanted to believe him. That he'll marry you one day, but you had your doubts. After all, you're just about to go separated ways. You loved him, but sometimes world decides to go against you and separate you from people you love. And then you either find someone else, or in rare cases, you find your way back to them.

*PRESENT*

A voice from not far away startled you.

“Can’t sleep?”

You turned around to see the now Sorcerer Supreme in more casual clothes. You shook your head as an answer.

“Neither can I.”

You both stared at the stars shining on the night sky. You didn't even realize it when he leaned closer.

“Stephen?”

He hummed.

“I think.. I might want to try it again. If you're still open.” you turned your head to notice he was already admiring you.

“Of course.”

“But don't expect it to be the same as 15 years ago.” you joked.

“I wouldn’t.” he smiled warmly. His arms wrapped around your shoulders as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Being next to him again felt like home. Like his arms were a place you were always meant to be. The forehead kisses that were still your favorite thing in your relationship (from both ends). Right now, you didn't care about the problem with your powers, all that mattered now was, that you were right where you were always meant to be — by his side.

[lovetaroandtaemin]

Not Quite Strangers

Song Eunseok x Reader

Word Count: 2,566 Genre: Smut/Fluff Rating: Explicit, MINORS DNI!

Summary: You and Eunseok work for the same company, but you have no idea that he exists. No idea, that is, until you see him at the club, and the two of you get along much better than expected.

Warnings: Slightly mean dom!Eunseok, bimbo!Reader, unprotected sex, creampie, blowjobs, biting, drunk sex (EVERYTHING IS CONSENSUAL), men at her job are kind of weird to Reader. If you think I missed a warning, please let me know!

Fic is under the cut.

Eunseok was amazed that you were still employed, frankly. Every day that you were both scheduled, you spent more time applying lip gloss and playing with your hair than paying attention during meetings. On top of that, your work never seemed to be done in a timely manner. Most of your outfits, usually crop tops and miniskirts, were egregious dress code violations as well. Your blatant disregard for your job pissed him off, and it only solidified his belief that you had to be fucking your boss. The twinge of jealousy at the thought was both embarrassing and infuriating, and the realization that he wanted to be the one fucking you pissed him off more.

You had no idea that Eunseok even existed. You didn’t know many of your coworkers, actually. You were far more preoccupied with more important things at work, like planning outings with your friends and making sure that your hair looked okay. Your work did get done too, of course. Did it get done on time? Not always, but your boss never seemed to care. He was too busy staring at your boobs to even notice how little you actually did during the day.

At the end of another boring workday, your best friend Minnie suggested that you go to the club for a little bit of fun. Whether she meant alcohol, sex, or dancing was anyone’s guess. You, however, were looking forward to finding someone to hook up with. It had been far too long since you had been fucked properly, and you were desperately hoping to fix that with the help of a night out.

When you and Minnie got to the club, you could hardly contain your excitement. Your favorite song was playing, and there were people everywhere. You always loved being around crowds of people, and tonight was no exception. Plus, you were certain that some of the people in the club had to be attractive guys that you could take home for a night. Before seeking out your next hookup, however, you and Minnie approached the bar for a bit of liquid confidence. You didn’t necessarily need it, but a little boost could never hurt.

When you felt sufficiently tipsy, you started looking around to see who your options were for the night. As your eyes scanned every inch of the club, it didn’t take long for a certain guy standing by the bar to catch your attention. He was tall, with messy hair, a smile that gave you butterflies, and dark eyes that you could easily imagine yourself getting lost in. After a deep breath and a quick reapplication of your lip gloss, you decided to approach him.

“Hi, I’m (Y/N), what’s your name?” you asked.

“Do you really not recognize me?” he asked. The blank look on your face indicated that you did not, so he continued, “I’m Eunseok, we work in the same office.”

“Oops, sorry,” you said with a giggle, “I’m bad at recognizing faces.”

“That’s ok, sweetheart. Would you like to dance?”

“That sounds great!”

The two of you made your way to the dance floor while a shitty remix of a cheesy pop song blasted through the club. Once you found a spot with enough room for both of you to move comfortably, you started dancing. Eunseok had his hands around your waist while you swayed to the music, and you couldn’t help but think about the other parts of your body that you wanted his hands on. While you danced, he whispered in your ear about how sexy he thought you were and how he couldn’t wait to take you home.

By the time the song ended, the tension between the two of you was palpable. In a moment of poor judgement that you would later blame on the alcohol and horniness coursing through your veins, you asked Eunseok to follow you to the club’s bathroom. He did just that, but he had to admit that he was confused. The bathroom was empty, which was perfect for what you wanted to do. So, you sank to your knees, and that was when Eunseok’s confusion went away.

Before you continued, you looked up at him and asked, “Can I?”

“Go ahead, sweetheart.”

That was all you needed to hear to carefully unbutton Eunseok’s jeans and pull them down along with his boxers. Once his cock was free from its constraints, you started by gently kissing the tip. He sucked in a sharp inhale, and that was your signal that he was enjoying himself. So, you started to gently suck on his tip instead of just kissing it, and he let out soft groans as he felt you take him into your mouth.

As you carefully took more of Eunseok’s cock into your mouth, the moans and groans that slipped from his lips only got louder. You weren’t complaining, though. He had a sexy voice, and with each soft curse or moan of your name, you felt yourself getting just a little bit more turned on than you were before.

Eunseok would have been a liar if he’d said that he hadn’t imagined this exact scene before. When he was alone at night, he frequently pictured you on your knees in front of him, your mouth around his cock. Now that he was actually experiencing it, however, he found that none of his fantasies could ever come close to the real thing. Your movements were exactly the right speed, and every so often, you swirled your tongue around his tip, earning extra moans of pleasure.

It didn’t take long at all for Eunseok to feel his release approaching. With a loud groan, he said, “I’m close, sweetheart. Keep going.”

You did exactly as you were told, excited for what was coming next. With one more well-timed swirl of your tongue around his tip, Eunseok stilled in your mouth. As he came undone, a warm, familiar liquid hit your throat, and you loved the feeling.

Once you were certain that you had swallowed all of it, you carefully stood up. As soon as you found your footing, Eunseok pulled you close and kissed you. Though you’d definitely kissed a lot of people over the years, no one had made you feel quite like he could. Whether it was the alcohol that was coursing through your veins or genuine attraction, you had no idea, but you couldn’t help but think that you really wanted to see him again.

You were distracted from your thoughts by Eunseok asking, “What do you think about taking this back to my place, gorgeous?”

“I’d love to! I just need to let Minnie know that I’m leaving.”

When you found your friend, she was dancing with a very attractive guy. Not wanting to disrupt her fun too much, you just tapped her shoulder and let her know that you were leaving with someone. She gave you a knowing smile and said, “Have fun!” before turning back to the guy she was dancing with.

Both you and Eunseok were too tipsy to drive, so when you were ready to leave, he called an Uber back to his apartment. While you waited, you continued to flirt with him shamelessly. It all started with a seemingly innocent comment from you about how good Eunseok looked in the jeans he’d chosen to wear. He smiled at the compliment and said, “You don’t look too bad yourself, sweetheart. I have a feeling that dress will look better on my floor, though.”

“I don’t know, I think it looks pretty good on me.”

Eunseok laughed a little bit at your comment and said, “Yes it does, sweetheart.”

Before you could think of something else to say, the Uber arrived, and Eunseok helped you into the backseat before getting in himself. Once the two of you were settled and the car started moving, he gently placed his hand on your thigh. The gesture seemed innocent enough, but you knew that he had other intentions.

While you waited to get back to Eunseok’s apartment, you found that it was difficult to control yourself, to say the least. Each moment the two of you spent so close together was another moment that you thought about how good it would feel when you finally got the chance to be even closer. If the noticeable bulge in his pants was any indication, he was probably thinking about the same thing.

Once you got out of the car and started to walk up the steps to Eunseok’s apartment, the wait got even more torturous. Especially when you saw the way he stared at your chest before turning away to unlock the door. Once the door was open, he grabbed your hand and pulled you inside.

As soon as the front door to his apartment was shut, Eunseok pushed you against it and kissed you. You moaned softly, loving how his lips felt against yours. However, before you could enjoy the feeling for too long, he pulled away and said, “I need you to tell me now if you don’t want this.”

“I want it. I want you.”

That was all Eunseok needed to hear to grab your hand and basically drag you to his room. Once you were there, he pulled you closer to him and said, “Strip. Now.” You did exactly as you were told, putting on a bit of a show as you slowly pulled your dress off of your body. When he finally saw you entirely bare in front of him, he groaned and said, “Fuck, baby. You’re so fucking sexy.”

“Please fuck me. Can’t take it anymore.”

“Are you sure, sweetheart?”

“I’m sure. Want you inside me.”

Within seconds, Eunseok’s clothes joined yours on the floor, and he climbed onto his bed. Once he was seated, he patted his lap, a signal that he wanted you to ride him. You didn’t waste another second once you realized what he wanted, carefully climbing into his lap and lowering yourself onto his cock.

The groan that slipped from Eunseok’s mouth as he felt you around him was straight-up sinful, and you loved it. It probably made you a bad person, but something about the way men seemed to just fall apart when you had sex with them was a massive boost to your ego. You loved being the reason that someone was turned on, and you loved the way men acted when they were turned on even more.

Once you took a moment to adjust to the way Eunseok stretched you out, you slowly started to move up and down. While you bounced on his cock, soft groans left his mouth that were like music to your ears. As the sounds of pleasure filled the room, you couldn’t help but think that you really wanted to do this again soon.

Eunseok was pretty sure that he was in heaven when he felt you bouncing up and down on his cock. You were easily one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, and he had no problem telling you that in between the moans that slipped out of his mouth.

It didn’t take long at all before the only sounds in the room where Eunseok’s groans, your whines and moans, and skin slapping skin. Neither of you spoke for a while, too lost in pleasure and each other to even try to fill the space with words. You were the first one to break the silence, saying “Feels so good, sir. Love the way you fill me up.”

“Fuck, baby. Don’t call me that.”

“Why?”

“Because when somebody as pretty as you are calls me something like ‘sir,’ it gets a hell of a lot harder to control myself.”

“But I don’t want you to control yourself, sir.”

That was all Eunseok needed to hear to completely snap, grabbing your hips and moving you up and down himself. When he started fucking into you harder, your soft whimpers turned into loud moans that could have only been described as pornographic. Both of you loved every second, and while neither of you wanted to admit it just yet, you both really wanted to do it again.

Just when you thought that you couldn’t feel any more pleasure at Eunseok’s hands, you felt him start kissing and biting your tits. When you felt his mouth on you again, your moans got even louder, if that was even possible, and he felt like he was going crazy. Though to be fair, he felt the same way about basically everything about you, from the way you smiled at him to the way your tits bounced as he fucked you.

Eunseok was snapped out of his admiration of your body when he heard you cry out, “I’m close, sir. Can I please please please cum?” as you felt your release drawing closer.

“Hold it for just a little bit longer, baby. Wanna do it at the same time.”

“Please, sir?”

Hearing you beg was the last little push that Eunseok needed for his release to start to creep up on him. With a groan, he said, “Fuck, I’m close baby. Where do you want it?”

“Inside. Want you to fill me up.”

“Fuck. Cum with me, sweetheart.”

You came undone with a loud moan of Eunseok’s name at the same time that he stilled inside of you. Something about the way he groaned as he filled you made you want even more of him, if that was even possible. It was a feeling that you weren’t quite used to having about the guys that you hooked up with, but as you came down from your high, you couldn’t help but think that you liked the feeling.

Once you’d both recovered from your orgasms and he was absolutely sure that you were ok, Eunseok lifted you off of him so he could go get each of you a glass of water. When he came back and handed you your glass, you smiled and said, “Thank you.”

“No problem, sweetheart,” he responded before taking a sip from his own glass.

Once he was satisfied with the amount of water that you drank, Eunseok took your glass and set it on the nightstand next to his own. Then, he carefully got back into bed with you and held you close. While you relaxed in his hold, the two of you talked about whatever came to mind as you drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, you were relieved to find that Eunseok was still in bed with you with his arms wrapped around your waist. You knew that you should get out of bed soon to start getting ready to go back home, but you really didn’t want to. Eunseok’s bed was so comfortable, and you really wanted to stay comfortable for just a few more minutes. Plus, you weren’t quite ready to leave Eunseok yet.

Eunseok woke up a few minutes after you did, also relieved that you were still in bed with him. He liked you a lot, and he really wanted to spend as much time with you as he could before you left. Sure, he thought you were really fucking sexy, but his interest in you ran deeper than that. He didn’t just want to fuck you once. He wanted to be yours, and he could only hope that you felt the same.

Thank you so much for reading my first fic of 2025! I cannot wait for you guys to see what I have in store. If you liked this one, please like and reblog! If you'd like to read more of my work, you can find my masterlist here. If you wanna see what I have in the works, my upcoming works list is here. If none of that catches your attention, or there's something specific that you want to see, send a request via my asks or dms! If you want to be tagged in my new fics, you can leave a comment on any of my posts, send an ask, or send a dm with the username that you'd like tagged!

Thank you again for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day and an incredible year!

[gffa]

could you give your opinion, or examples from canon, about balance and the light and dark sides of the force? I keep running across fics where people argue that the Jedi are wrong and the dark side is just as necessary, and I feel like canon was clear that’s not what balance means in the Star Wars universe

Hi! First off, I'll say that I would recommend going around arguing with people's fic (not you're necessarily planning to do this! just that I think it's a good reminder), because those people must be allowed their space in fandom, just as we're allowed our space in fandom. I have found that I actually have a much better time in fandom when I'm just in my own space doing my own thing and ultimately this is just fandom, what other people do in their fic, so long as it's not hurting real people, is their choice and not mine, if I let that kind of thing go, it gives me more time to have fun with the things I do enjoy.

That said, sometimes we often get people coming into our spaces to argue and I do like to have my citations ready when it comes to that. Within canon, you're always going to be able to argue about unreliable narrators, even when you point out that all the Force-using dark siders are pretty much miserable villains, there's going to be people who argue.

And one thing that's tricky in my opinion is that the dark side is "necessary" in that it exists. It will always exist. It exists within the Jedi--but they have never denied that it exists or that it's part of life. It's just that they don't embrace it, they don't let it bite into their heart, because Yoda's speech in The Phantom Menace is 100% accurate. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.

And if people want to argue about in-canon stuff like that, my response is usually just to go, "I tend to follow George Lucas' Star Wars." and leave room for others to enjoy Star Wars from other creators, if they wish. It's not a value judgement, if someone wants to enjoy something from the Legends continuity--that's what it's there for! And it's not my place to tell them that they're not allowed to enjoy it or follow that version instead. I hope they're having a blast! We'll just agree that we're working with incompatible views on authorial intentions priorities. People are not obligated to take Lucas' commentary with the same weight that I do, so I always advise that we learn to let go of things when someone doesn't hold the same views as we do on this kind of thing, because ultimately that is the message of Star Wars!

SO, THE DARK SIDE, here's what George Lucas directly has said about it:

“The core of the Force–I mean, you got the dark side, the light side, one is selfless, one is selfish, and you wanna keep them in balance. What happens when you go to the dark side is it goes out of balance and you get really selfish and you forget about everybody … because when you get selfish you get stuff, or you want stuff, and when you want stuff and you get stuff then you are afraid somebody is going to take it away from you, whether it’s a person or a thing or a particular pleasure or experience. "Once you become afraid that somebody’s going to take it away from you or you’re gonna lose it, then you start to become angry, especially if you’re losing it, and that anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. Mostly on the part of the person who’s selfish, because you spend all your time being afraid of losing everything you’ve got instead of actually living. "Where joy, by giving to other people you can’t think about yourself, and therefore there’s no pain. But the pleasure factor of greed and of selfishness is a short-lived experience, therefore you’re constantly trying to replenish it, but of course the more you replenish it, the harder it is to, so you have to keep upping the ante. You’re actually afraid of the pain of not having the joy. "So that is ultimately the core of the whole dark side/light side of the Force. And everything flows from that. Obviously the Sith are always unhappy because they never get enough of anything they want. Mostly, their selfishness centers around power and control. And the struggle is always to be able to let go of all that stuff. "And of course that’s the problem with Anakin ultimately. You’re allowed to love people, but you’re not allowed to possess them. And what he did is he fell in love and married her and then became jealous. Then he saw in his visions that she was going to die, and he couldn’t stand losing her. So in order to not lose her, he made a pact with the devil to be able to become all-powerful. When he did that, she didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore, so he lost her. "Once you are powerful, being able to bring her back from the dead, if I can do that, I can become emperor of the universe. I can get rid of the Emperor. I can make everything the way I want it. Once you do that, you’ll never be satiated. You’re always going to be consumed by this driving desire to have more stuff and be afraid that others are going to take it away from you. And they are. Every time you get two Sith together, you have the master, the apprentice, and the apprentice is always trying to recruit another apprentice to join with him to kill the master. The master knows that basically everybody below him wants his job.     “Only way to overcome the dark side is through discipline. The dark side is pleasure, biological and temporary and easy to achieve. The light side is joy, everlasting and difficult to achieve. A great challenge. Must overcome laziness, give up quick pleasures, and overcome fear which leads to hate.”  –George Lucas, Clone Wars Writers’ Meeting

“Happiness is pleasure and happiness is joy. It can be either one, you add them up and it can be the uber category of happiness. “Pleasure is short lived. It lasts an hour, it lasts a minute, it lasts a month. It peaks and then it goes down–it peaks very high, but the next time you want to get that same peak you have to do it twice as much. It’s like drugs, you have to keep doing it because it insulates itself. No matter what it is, whether you’re shopping or you’re engaged in any other kind of pleasure. It all has the same quality about it. “On the other hand is joy and joy is the thing that doesn’t go as high as pleasure, in terms of your emotional reaction. But it stays with you. Joy is something you can recall, pleasure you can’t.  So the secret is that, even though it’s not as intense as pleasure, the joy will last you a lot longer. “People who get the pleasure they keep saying, ‘Well, if I can just get richer and get more cars–!’ You’ll never relive the moment you got your first car, that’s it, that’s the highest peak. Yes, you could get three Ferraris and a new gulf stream jet and maybe you’ll get close. But you have to keep going and eventually you’ll run out.  You just can’t do it, it doesn’t work. “If you’re trying to sustain that level of peak pleasure, you’re doomed. It’s a very American idea, but it just can’t happen. You just let it go. Peak.  Break. Pleasure is fun it’s great, but you can’t keep it going forever. “Just accept the fact that it’s here and it’s gone, and maybe again it’ll come back and you’ll get to do it again. Joy lasts forever. Pleasure is purely self-centered. It’s all about your pleasure, it’s about you. It’s a selfish self-centered emotion, that’s created by self-centered motive of greed. “Joy is compassion, joy is giving yourself to somebody else or something else. And it’s the kind of thing that is in it’s subtlty and lowness more powerful than pleasure.  If you get hung up on pleasure you’re doomed. If you pursue joy you will find everlasting happiness.” --George Lucas, Academy of Achievement Speech, 2013

"Knowing that the film was made for a young audience, I was trying to say, in a simple way, that there is a God and that there is both a good side and a bad side. You have a choice between them, but the world works better if you're on the good side." --George Lucas Interviews

     ”[The Jedi] trained more than anything else to understand the transitional nature of life, that things are constantly changing and you can’t hold on to anything. You can love things but you can’t be attached to them, You must be willing to let the flow of life and the flow of the Force move through your life, move through you. So that you can be compassionate and loving and caring, but not be possessive and grabbing and holding on to things and trying to keep things the way they are. Letting go is the central theme of the film.“ –George Lucas, Star Wars Archives 1999-2005

BILL MOYERS: “Do you know yet what, in a future episode, is going to transform Anakin Skywalker to the dark side?”      GEORGE LUCAS: “Yes, I know what that is. The groundwork has been laid in this episode. The film is ultimately about the dark side and the light side, and those sides are designed around compassion and greed. The issue of greed, of getting things and owning things and having things and not being able to let go of things, is the opposite of compassion–of not thinking of yourself all the time. These are the two sides–the good force and the bad force. They’re the simplest parts of a complex cosmic construction.” --George Lucas and Bill Moyers 1999, Time Magazine

     “The core issue, ultimately, is greed, possessiveness - the inability to let go. Not only to hold on to material things, which is greed, but to hold on to life, to the people you love - to not accept the reality of life’s passages and changes, which is to say things come, things go. Everything changes. Anakin becomes emotionally attached to things, his mother, his wife. That’s why he falls - because he does not have the ability to let go.      “No human can let go. It’s very hard. Ultimately, we do let go because it’s inevitable; you do die, and you do lose your loved ones. But while you’re alive, you can’t be obsessed with holding on. As Yoda says in this one, [The scene in which Anakin seeks Yoda’s counsel] You must learn to let go of everything you’re afraid to let go of.’ Because holding on is in the same category and the precursor to greed. And that’s what a Sith is. A Sith is somebody that is absolutely obsessed with gaining more and more power - but for what? Nothing, except that it becomes an obsession to get more. The Jedi are trained to let go. They’re trained from birth, they’re not supposed to form attachments. They can love people- in fact, they should love everybody. They should love their enemies; they should love the Sith. But they can’t form attachments. So, what all these movies are about is: greed. Greed is a source of pain and suffering for everybody. And the ultimate state of greed is the desire to cheat death.” --George Lucas, The Making of Revenge of the Sith, 2005

     “The thing about Anakin is, Anakin started out as a nice kid. He was kind, and sweet, and lovely, and he was then trained as a Jedi. But the Jedi can’t be selfish. They can love but they can’t love people to the point of possession. You can’t really possess somebody, because people are free. It’s possession that causes a lot of trouble, and that causes people to kill people, and causes people to be bad. Ultimately it has to do with being unwilling to give things up.      “The whole basis here is if you’re selfish, if you’re a Sith Lord, you’re greedy. You’re constantly trying to get something. And you’re constantly in fear of not getting it, or, when you get it, you’re in constant fear of losing it. And it’s that fear that takes you to the dark side. It’s that fear of losing what you have or want.

     “Sometimes it’s ambition, but sometimes, like in the case of Anakin, it was fear of losing his wife. He knew she was going to die. He didn’t quite know how, so he was able to make a pact with a devil that if he could learn how to keep people from dying, he would help the Emperor. And he became a Sith Lord. Once he started saying, “Well, we could take over the galaxy, I could take over from the Emperor, I could have ultimate power,” Padmé saw right through him immediately. She said, “You’re not the person I married. You’re a greedy person.” So that’s ultimately how he fell and he went to the dark side.      “And then Luke had the chance to do the same thing. He didn’t do it.” --George Lucas, The Phantom Menace, An Oral History, 2019

 “The secret ultimately like in Star Wars is that you have to not be afraid. Fear is the enemy; fear is the Dark Side. If you afraid, you are going to the Dark Side. The Light Side is compassion. As long as you love other people and treat them kindly, you won’t be afraid. So, the secret is to just love everybody - I know that sounds very 60s but that’s what I grew up in - but it its fear that cause the problem. So you have to stop being afraid and be kind to everybody.      “The main theme of Star Wars is that compassion is the good side, fear is the bad side.” --George Lucas, Mellody Hobson George Lucas - Virtual Speaker Interview, 2021

     “The thing with Anakin is that he started out a great kid he was very compassionate, so the issue was how did he turn bad. How did he go to the Dark Side? He went to the Dark Side, Jedi aren’t supposed to have attachments. They can love people, they can do that, but they can’t attach, that’s the problem in the world of fear. Once you are attached to something then you become afraid of losing it. And when you become afraid of losing it, than you turn to the Dark Side, and you want to hold onto it, and that was Anakin’s issue ultimately, that he wanted to hold onto his wife who he knew, he had a premonition that she was going to die, he didn’t know how to stop it, so he went to the Dark Side to find, in mythology you do to hades, and you talk to the devil, and the devil says ‘this is what you do’ and basically you sell your soul to the devil. When you do that, and you’re afraid and you’re on the Dark Side and you fall off the golden path of compassion because you are greedy, you want to hold on to something that you love and he didn’t do the right thing and as a result he turned bad.” --George Lucas, Mellody Hobson George Lucas - Virtual Speaker Interview, 2021

    “Obviously, there are people that just do the easy thing, and the easy thing is to be angry, which turns to hate. It’s not an active thing; it’s a passive thing. Being angry with somebody is a passive thing. You have to work not to be angry, and if you don’t work at it, you’ll just be angry for the rest of your life. Bitter, angry, and of course that leads to suffering - it’s the bad side.” --George Lucas, The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005

    “In this film, [The Phantom Menace] you begin to see that he has a fear of losing things, a fear of losing his mother, and as a result, he wants to begin to control things, he wants to become powerful, and these are not Jedi traits. And part of these are because he was starting to be trained so late in life, that he’d already formed these attachments. And for a Jedi, attachment is forbidden.” --George Lucas, CNN, 2002

There's probably more, if you want to scan through my Jedi Culture and Teachings in Canon guide, just look for chapter 2 of any given part, the section on "How the Force works" is where I put any of these quotes, and you can look around if you're looking for more examples of how the dark side needs to be faced and overcome, that it's part of the nature of life, but that we and the Jedi both should be choosing the light, because that's the way to eternal joy, the dark is the way to eternal suffering. (Check out "Jedi and the need to focus, to be calm when using the Force" section especially, because the Force becomes unreliable for a Jedi when they get angry.)

Overall, it's about how the dark side is consistently, repeatedly tied to attachment (the fear of living without someone, so desperate that you'll let a thousand people die to save that one person you can't live without, as it's more aligned with the Buddhist meaning), tied to fear and anger and hate, which are parts of our lives, but that we must work to overcome. The Jedi don't deny this--look at any scene where they express negative emotions, Mace does it on Geonosis, Yoda does it at Palpatine before their big fight, Obi-Wan is mad on Geonosis when Anakin almost abandons his post, etc., but they don't let it bite into their heart, they let those feelings pass, they let them go and find their way back to calm and peace, because "the world works better when you're on the side of good (the light side)".

[loquaciousquark]

Hello! Not a question just wanted to drop in and say I loved watching your playthrough of Veilguard. I’ve been a long time lurker reading and enjoying practically every fic of yours so it was really fun to hear your process of developing Kata’s personality and motivations.

Most days I’d have it on while I was at work but I finished it on Friday so now I don’t know what I’m gonna do to make the workday go faster haha. Anyway just wanted to say thank you for sharing it! The DA fandom can be cranky to say the least so seeing you genuinely enjoy the game was like a breath of fresh air (not to mention a lot of your reactions to characters and lore drops were very similar to mine)!

Hope you’re having a lovely weekend!

Ahh, I'm so glad! I had a blast with this game, start to finish, & I'm very close to starting a fresh Nightmare runthrough which I do intend to stream. I have such a better idea of who Kata is now, and I want to take her through the game again and get her narrative really right, especially as regards the timing & story structure. Plus, I want to figure out exactly where the Lucanis romance beats fall for her; I don't think that kiss at the end is their actual first kiss, but I don't know where it actually is!

Plus, I found that combat honestly so fun, and I want to enjoy the early levels again where it's no powers, all skill. I want to feel rewarded for my perfect parry timing & my headshots!! I want to go back to the fundamentals!!

Yeah, I've heard the game had its controversy, but I've done what I can to stay away from that, ahaha. I went into this game prepared to be pleased and with very low expectations, and keeping the mindset of "this game development was restarted twice & it's a miracle it exists at all" helped a lot. It also helped that my immediate circle of DA fans (who played well before I did) really loved the game as well, which I'm sure colored my opinion.

Plus, I think my total detachment from Veilguard's development period honestly was a huge boon. Because Inquisition didn't land for me the first time I played it, I didn't touch that sandbox at all! I didn't spend ten years thinking about Veilguard's possible storylines or Solas's outcomes or writing speculative meta about the Veil; I stayed firmly in my very Kirkwallian DA2 playground & was happy there. I think I wrote Solas's name in fic literally once. If I'd been invested at all in his story back then, if I'd had a decade to think about what I wanted from VG and for Solas and my Lavellan, I think I would have gotten super invested in certain ideas and concepts and possibilities and been inevitably disappointed.

(This segues into a half-thought I've been tossing around—I was quite shocked when a friend told me some people were sad there wasn't an option to side with Solas & complete the ritual, which had literally never once occurred to me as a desirable thing in all my DAI/VG playtime. I wonder if that's because I spent so many millions of words & thousands of hours in DA2's very Veiled-Off universe; to destroy or remake that world would feel like its own death to me, and a death of the future I wanted for Hawke & Fenris. Maybe that's why I felt so strongly against it the whole time. Food for thought!)

Anyway, not having an Inquisitor I loved until about five months ago I think really benefited my experience, as did not having to wait before playing the game. I'd never read a Solavellan fic in my life! I'd never had one iota of investment in his outcome! I'd spent ten years watching tragic fanart float over my dash and sadly shaking my head at those woeful Solas girlies! While the reversal of my own investment was an absolute slap in the face, it did mean I was able to go into VG with the emptiest head & the lowest romance expectations, which meant I was super easy to please from the start, hahahah.

It also helped that the stuff VG got right for me was way more important than the stuff I didn't like as much. The Solas material, Rook, the combat system, the Inquisitor they built, the companions, the back third of the Lucanis romance—those were great. I loved those. I left those events with a huge smile on my face. Those things were infinitely more important to me than the stuff I struggled with (some vocabulary/world tonal mismatches, the middle third of the Lucanis romance, some storylines/quest beats I thought were pretty heavyhanded). It's not a perfect game in any sense, but it did so many things I loved that to dwell on the misses doesn't seem productive.

I mean, I have a million words of DA2 on AO3. I lived in that world for like fourteen years, and boy does that world have holes. Plot, mechanics, combat, characters, even the non-brown-ness of the graphics—it was a complete break from so many of the Origins systems. I remember the huge outcry when that game was released. I remember seeing posts of people shredding their DA2 discs and burning the case inserts. I remember people absolutely railing against Anders' characterization and getting in huge arguments on the kink meme about the Arishok & Elthina & Isabela's pants. There've always been huge jumps in world implementation from game to game, and with the super long dev time, I figured VG would be the same. I guess I just tried to keep that in mind as I moved forward.

(I think it also helps that while I loved my Inquisitor and grew very fond of Solas over my replay, I still don't think DAI is a very good game. I do not like the map design, the combat system, or some choices they made with some of the companions; I think the inventory & UI systems are criminally clumsy. Those are really important aspects of modern gaming to me [I was much more tolerant the first time I played DA2, sue me], and for VG to polish those so well significantly improved my enjoyment of actually playing the thing.)

(Another side thought: I do wonder how some of VG would have been received had it released eight years ago instead of right before the election last year. The world was different then, and I wonder if some material would have seemed less graceless at that time, and if some voices would have been less virulent.)

Anyway, this reply has completely gotten away from me; if nothing else, thanks for giving me a place to finally get down some of these thoughts! Like I said, I'm really eager to get back into the game & Kata's story, & I'll post here when those streams start. Thank you so much! <3 <3

[justagalwhowrites]

New in Town - Ch. 8: First Thanksgiving

Sarah comes to town for the holidays. A continuation of New in Town chapters 1-7 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Best Friend's Dad!Joel Miller x Female Reader

CW: No use of Y/N. Age gap (reader is 35 Joel is 47, not a focus of the fic). Minors DNI, 18+ only

Length: 6.7k

AO3 | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“You’re sure?” Joel asked, his thumb brushing over your cheek as he held you close. 

“I’m sure,” you smiled a little and he sighed, pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“Not lookin’ forward to not seeing you for a few days,” he said, his skin warm and soft on yours. 

“I’ll be around all the time,” you laughed a little. “I’m coming over for dinner and for the Christmas stuff Sarah has planned…” 

“Not the same,” he replied. “Can’t just touch you whenever I want, kiss you whenever I want… You sure you want to wait to tell her until after the holidays?”

Joel’s face was drawn and concerned and, if it didn’t make him look so sad it would have made you laugh. It was just a few days. A few days of not being together all the time, a few days of sleeping apart, a few days where the tangle your separate lives had knotted themselves into had to untwist and exist independent of each other. 

Joel was, apparently, not a fan. 

In his defense, neither were you. Though you were taking it better than Joel. But you didn’t want to change how things had been going any more than he did. In the few weeks since the football game, you’d practically been living together. It just wasn’t at any house in particular. Joel had a drawer and a razor at your place, you had a dedicated corner of the closet and a whole separate set of skin care products and makeup at his. You’d started doing everything together, not able to really get enough of each other, the only time you were really apart when the two of you were at work. 

The last hurdle your relationship had was talking to Sarah, something Joel was far more ready to do than you were. 

You’d had one good scare right after the football game while snuggling with Joel the next morning. You were reading the news on your phone and sipping coffee he’d been nice enough to get out of bed to make after fucking you silly. You hadn’t even put underwear back on, considering asking for round two by just sucking him off when you got a text from Sarah. 

“Have fun at the Longhorns game?” She wrote. 

“Oh shit!” You yelped, sitting bolt upright so fast your coffee sloshed out of your mug and onto your comforter. 

“You alright?” Joel frowned as you set your mug on your bedside table with a little too much force.

“Sarah knows,” you looked at him, eyes wide, turning the phone so he could see the text. “She knows, Joel. She knows and she found out from someone who isn’t us, oh my GOD…” 

He took the phone, his hand in the middle of your back as you quietly panicked. 

“She just knows you were at the game,” Joel said, handing you your phone and kissing your bare shoulder. “She could have just texted Tommy and maybe he mentioned you.” 

You took the phone back and read the message two more times. 

“Right,” you said, your heart still racing. “Right, OK…” 

You texted back. 

“It was a blast! How’d you know I was there? Haven’t talked to you in a few days. How’s Tinder boy btw?” 

You gnawed on your lower lip while you waited for the text back, your stomach in knots. 

“Saw you on TV!” She replied. “Or my friend from HS did because she recognized my dad. She got excited and texted to tell me with photo evidence that he was famous now lol” 

You suddenly remembered the kiss cam. Your stomach sank.

“Can I see the pic?” You sent back. “Gotta see me as a TV star!” 

It took a minute but she texted you a picture of a zoomed in crowd shot. You were looking intently up at Joel as he gestured to something down at the field with a serious look on his face. It was probably while he was explaining the game to you, before you’d blurted out that you were in love with him. It would be perfectly platonic if you didn’t read into the look on your face. 

“Oh thank fuck,” you flopped back down in the bed, leaning against Joel. “It’s just this, sounds like she didn’t watch the game. We’re safe.” 

That had been the big push behind figuring out how to tell Sarah. You both agreed it had to happen and sooner rather than later. You loved Joel too much to give him up and he seemed to feel the same about you. 

It had been Joel who proposed telling her over Thanksgiving. She was coming to town and he wanted to talk with her in person. Get her on board and then have you over as his girlfriend for the holiday. 

You’d vetoed that. 

Not that you didn’t want to tell Sarah. Or want Sarah to know, at least. She was your best friend and you weren’t good at all the sneaking around this relationship apparently required. You wanted her to know and be happy and excited for you and to be able to tell her how fucking happy you were. 

But you’d always envied Sarah’s relationship with her father and she’d told you just how important the holidays had been for the two of them. 

“My dad always really tried,” she’d told you once, when Christmas decor had started going up around Seattle and she was feeling nostalgic. “He made it all magic, you know? Now that I’m all grown up and shit, I know money was tight but he always made sure I had the perfect Christmas. He learned to cook a turkey so we’d have actual Thanksgiving, he always watched the parade with me and made those cinnamon rolls that came in a can and we always decorated for Christmas the day after then watched a bunch of Christmas movies. I hate to think of what he had to give up to make sure I got what I wanted under the tree but I know he must have.” 

It was the kind of relationship you’d dreamed of having with your parents when you were a girl. Not even the part where they scrimped and saved to give you whatever toy you were clamoring for at the time, just the part where they cared enough to make the world seem like there was magic in it. Things like ornaments and cinnamon rolls and watching Christmas movies with purpose instead just because they were on TV and your aunt was bored with channel scrolling. Now that you were an adult, you thought it was probably because your mom couldn’t afford anything that she just pretended Christmas wasn’t happening. The fact that there were no gifts was less noticeable when there was no sign they should be there at all. 

But regardless of the reason, it left a hollow place in you where you felt like some sort of fond memory - some echo of the childish notion that the world was soft and good - should be. 

You didn’t want to disrupt that for Sarah and Joel. 

If you waited until after the new year to tell her, you figured that would give her some time to move past it before it would be too disruptive to their lives. Because of course she would need to move past it. 

Sarah had every reason to be upset about this. Regardless of the fact that you were in love with Joel and he with you, that you made each other happy, that you were starting to hope that you’d get to love him forever, you’d still gone behind her back and fucked her dad. The person she loved most and was closest to. It was a betrayal of trust you weren’t sure she could move past. You wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. 

Your biggest concern with it all was how she would feel toward Joel after she found out. The fact that he wasn’t all that much older than you - just 12 years, about the age you tended to seek out, anyway - you didn’t think that was going to matter much to Sarah. She was your friend and he was her father and you were terrified that she might think less of him for going after a woman who was her peer. 

If your relationship caused a rift between Sarah and Joel, you weren’t sure you’d ever forgive yourself for that. Of course you wanted to keep Sarah in your life, too. You didn’t have many friends, losing most of them when you moved because adult life wasn’t exactly conducive to maintaining dozens of long distances friendships and you stayed off social media to dodge your father. But Sarah was different. You’d spent more time with her when you were in Seattle than you had with other friends in other places. You’d kept in touch more since you left. She’d become interwoven into the fabric of your life in ways other people never really had and you treasured that. 

But if she hated your relationship with Joel so much that she needed to cut one of you out, you’d let her and Joel go before she even needed to make the call. There was no way you’d let yourself be the thing that ruined the father-daughter relationship you’d wished you had your entire life. 

No, it was worth spending the holidays on your own if it meant preserving Sarah and Joel’s relationship and giving them both a chance to have another year of the traditions that meant so much to them both. 

While you thought just avoiding Joel while Sarah was in town was the smart thing to do - you’d gotten too in the habit of touching him and kissing him all the time - Sarah hadn’t left you much choice. She’d all but begged you to come to Thanksgiving on your most recent FaceTime, her eyes looking almost suspiciously wide when she did. 

“I know you don’t have plans,” she said when you’d tried to say no. 

“Maybe I already have dinner reservations,” you said. “Maybe I have a boyfriend I’m going to go with.” 

She scoffed. 

“I know you,” she rolled her eyes. “If you had one of those you’d have gushed to me about his dick already.” 

You almost choked on your coffee at that. The only reason you weren’t with your boyfriend that second was because you were going to his place that night and he was still at work. And you certainly weren’t about to talk about his dick with Sarah. 

“I just don’t want to crash in on family time,” you said once you stopped coughing and had wiped your phone screen clean of the splatter. “I know you’ve got your traditions and shit, I don’t want to get in the way of that.” 

“It’s just my dad and Tommy and Maria,” she rolled her eyes. “Not like it’s tea with the queen. And you’ve hung out with them already. Come on! I want to see you! And you should have a nice Thanksgiving, too! Don’t make me beg, I’m really obnoxious when I beg.” 

“Fine,” you sighed, flopping back against the couch a little harder than you should. “I’ll come to Thanksgiving…” 

“Yes!” She punched the air in victory. “Believe it or not, my dad makes a good turkey. And you’re going to love the Christmas movie marathon, we always eat popcorn mixed with the holiday chocolate…” 

You frowned. 

“I said I was coming for Thanksgiving,” you said. “Not the whole weekend.” 

“Black Friday is part of Thanksgiving,” she waved you off. “You eat leftovers all day, it’s basically the same thing. And you already said yes so you’re coming. I can’t wait!” 

Sarah’s plane was landing in two hours. Well, just under. One hour and 57 minutes but who was counting. You were soaking up the last of your time with Joel before the holiday started. You’d fully intended on doing something besides fuck him but that had quickly fallen through, the two of you ending up in bed before you could even fully discuss where to possibly get food.

“I know you’re worried,” he said softly and you sighed. 

“She has every reason to be upset about this,” you said. “And I’d rather the issues come up when there’s time and space to work on them, not during the holidays where she might feel like she has to get over stuff too soon and ends up resenting it.” 

And there was, of course, the things you weren’t saying to Joel. What if she didn’t get over it? What if she gave Joel an ultimatum: you or her? 

Of course he would choose her. He wouldn’t even hesitate to choose her. And he should choose her, you wouldn’t even try to fight him on it. If he called and told you it was over because of Sarah, you’d be heartbroken but you’d understand it and then you’d be without them both. 

What if it didn’t come to that but things got so rocky between the two of them that he made the call that it had to end? Joel was nothing if not an amazing father, he would always do whatever he could to do right by his daughter and that would include cutting you out of his life. 

You weren’t ready to face that possibility. You wanted a chance to brace yourself for it first, have some more time with Joel first. Something you could hang on to if you were stuck starting from scratch and had to download the stupid dating apps again. 

“She’s going to be happy for us,” he brushed your hair back, his large hand warm and comforting against you. “She might be freaked out at first but she’ll be happy that we’re happy.” 

“And you know this because the large sample size of ex girlfriends you’ve introduced to her?” You asked, brows raised. He glared at you. You knew he’d never had anyone he’d even considered introducing to Sarah before. “Yeah. Exactly.” 

“It’s going to be OK,” he said, kissing you again. “Promise it is. But we’ll wait if that’s really what you want to do. This is about us, not gonna do anything without you.” 

You walked Joel to his truck when he had to leave for the airport, wrapping your arms around his waist and breathing him in as he held onto you. 

“See you in a day and a half,” he said, kissing your forehead. “Miss you already.” 

“Miss you too,” you said, separating from him reluctantly. You stood in front of your building, watching his truck drive away until he was out of sight. 

***

The turkey was in the oven, Maria had volunteered pies and sweet potatoes, you were bringing rolls and green bean casserole, there were a few hours before potatoes needed to go on the stove. Joel was pretty sure he had things under control. 

He poured himself a cup of coffee and added the Bailey’s Sarah had insisted on picking up the day before before putting a few cinnamon rolls on a plate and joining her in the living room. 

“Remember how much SpongeBob annoyed you when I was a kid?” She asked, holding up the other side of the blanket she was curled up under for Joel to join her. 

“Hard to forget,” Joel smiled a little, sitting beside her. She draped the blanket over his legs before getting her spiked coffee off the side table. “God, that voice was so annoying.” 

“He’s been a balloon in the parade almost 20 years now apparently,” she said, smiling a little smugly as she nodded toward the giant yellow sponge on TV. “Looks like you’re the odd man out.” 

He smiled broader. 

“Used to that,” he replied. 

Joel loved having Sarah home, especially this time of year. It felt right, like the two of them were always supposed to be together. They didn’t need to even be doing anything special, just sitting at home and watching TV or having dinner. It seemed like they were meant to live their lives side by side, sharing in all the highs and lows. 

But, for the first time around the holidays, it felt like something was missing. Joel just kept picturing you there, where you were supposed to be. He reached over and searched for your soft warmth when he woke up, disoriented when he didn’t find you. He almost made you a cup of coffee this morning on autopilot, some part of him knowing that you were supposed to be there, too. You were supposed to be there the night before when he and Sarah made the annual pre-Thanksgiving fridge clean out meal, finding a way to eat through anything that might disrupt the placement of feast leftovers the next day as the turkey finished defrosting in the sink. You were supposed to be there laughing at the stand up comedy Sarah put on while they cut up carrots and celery and onions for stuffing before going to bed. You were definitely supposed to be there watching the parade, tucked against his side and drinking coffee while the balloons and the floats went by. 

He loved you so much he wanted you in every part of his life. You were supposed to be there, making all of it better. 

“Everything OK?” Sarah frowned as the parade went to commercial. 

“Course,” Joel said, putting his arm over the back of the couch so she could lean against him. She’d know soon. Then you’d be here, too. “You’re here.” 

You came over a little early. Sarah was in her room getting ready when the doorbell rang and Joel all but raced to answer it. Your hands were full and he took a dish from you before pulling you in for a hug and a kiss, your eyes wide as he did. 

“Sarah’s getting dressed,” he said quickly before giving you another kiss. “Gettin’ it in while I can.” 

“Oh, well in that case,” you smiled against him, kissing him deeply before stepping back. “I do need to use the oven. Or at least the toaster oven. Which is why I came by early.” 

“Oh, is that why?” He teased, leading you inside and closing the door behind you. 

“Yes,” you said, following him to the kitchen. “No ulterior motives at all. Just wanted to make sure things could work logistically, I’m nice like that. Very weird ringing the doorbell, by the way. Don’t think I like it.” 

“Know I don’t,” he said, putting the dish on the counter. You set the other one next to it. “Gave you a key for a reason. Like you just comin’ in like you live here.” 

“Oh yeah?” You bit your lip and backed into the counter before you took a handful of Joel’s button down shirt and tugged him against you. Your eyes were practically shining and you looked so fucking pretty, your hair all done up, a soft velvet dress that hugged your curves that Joel desperately wanted to shove up around your waist so he could fuck you deep. “Like me in your house?” 

“My house,” he kissed you and pressed himself against you. “My bed.” He kissed you again. “My whole damn life.” 

“Was that the door bell?” Sarah yelled from her room and you practically shoved Joel back from you. He leaned in and gave you a final kiss to the temple. 

“Just me!” You yelled back. “The best friend you insisted on having around, don’t rush on my account!” 

Joel smiled a little. Everything was going to work out. One day, you’d be living here and Sarah would come over and he’d smile while the the two of you talked like the old friends you were. It was all going to be OK. He could feel it. 

Sarah shrieked as she hurtled into the kitchen, sliding on the tile and slamming into you as you laughed, hugging her. 

“It’s so good to see you! Want a drink?” She stepped back before checking her watch. “I’m still on Irish coffee but it’s not too early to move on to wine. Oh! Or! I found this Thanksgiving cocktail recipe online the other day, I’ve got enough to make a few pitchers and there’s no reason we can’t start that right now.” 

“Coffee sounds great,” you smiled. “And then we can talk about the cocktails because I want to see this recipe of yours.” 

“It’s not a Miller Family Thanksgiving without plenty of booze,” Sarah laughed as she poured you a mug of coffee and got the Bailey’s out. “But in a fun way, not a dysfunctional way.” She handed you the mug and you took a sip. She smiled. “There. You’re officially a Miller now. Give me like two minutes, I’m only half way done with my hair, be right back.” 

She went back to her room and you raised your brows at Joel over your mug. 

“Hear that?” You teased. “I’m a Miller now.” 

Joel’s heart soared at that thought. You with his name, you in his house, you living your life alongside his. 

“We should be so lucky.” 

You, Sarah and Joel laughed and drank and finished making dinner until the doorbell rang again and Joel went to answer it, leaving you and Sarah alone at the kitchen table. 

“Hey hey!” Tommy said, a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a pie in the other when Joel opened the door. “Smells good in here!” 

“Sure hope so,” Joel laughed, taking a casserole dish and a pie from Maria. She turned to her husband as she took off her coat. 

“Tommy, do not mention anything about Joel and…” 

“I know,” he smiled but sounded exasperated. “You’ve drilled this into me. Lips are sealed. Course seems like a moot point because we all know he’s gonna fuck her in the bathroom before dessert…” 

“Tommy!” Maria hissed at him. Joel glared. 

“What!” He laughed. “Just sayin’, don’t think they’re gonna keep their hands off each other, it’s gonna come out…” 

“If it comes out because of you, I’ll deck you,” Joel said. “Mean it.” 

“Fine, fine,” he waved him off. “Told you, your secret’s safe with me. Just don’t think it’s all that safe with you.” 

Joel ground his teeth a little at that but he had to acknowledge that Tommy had a point. You were here, so close and he couldn’t touch you. All he wanted was to touch you. When Sarah had gotten up to use the bathroom, the second the door clicked shut you grabbed Joel’s shirt again and pulled him in for a deep and desperate kiss. You licked into his mouth and he tried to hold back the needy moan that slipped from his mouth to yours. 

“Sorry,” you panted after a second, close enough that he could feel your hot breath on his skin. “Just… needed that.” 

“Never apologize for kissin’ me,” he said, a little breathless himself. “Always want you kissing me.” 

At dinner, you sat next to Sarah and Joel sat across from her so at least he’d have some distance. He hoped it would make things easier. Instead, it meant that he was just stuck looking at you all through dinner, wishing you weren’t going back to your place after it was done. 

“Seemed like y’all picked a great game to go to by the way,” Sarah said as everyone ate. “Texas is having a good season this year, they’re definitely getting a bowl game.”

“Oh, definitely. Always fun to watch those. Would the two of you wanna come over for it?” Tommy asked, looking between you and Joel. 

You froze mid chew and your eyes darted to Joel. He looked quickly to Tommy, whose eyes went wide. 

“That’s right!” Sarah laughed, not noticing the small meltdown happening around her at the table. “You’re a Longhorns fan now!” 

You coughed a little and cleared your throat. 

“Yup, basically a college football expert,” you said. “I definitely know what a down is now, for sure.” 

Tommy mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ at Joel once Sarah was focused on something else and Joel tried to keep calm. He should have just talked you into telling her now. This felt like a ticking time bomb and Joel was already tired of acting like you were something he should hide. 

“Told you you’d have fun!” Sarah said, giving you a hug as she and Joel saw you to the door. “It’ll be even more fun tomorrow. I’m getting roped into going out with a friend from high school for a late lunch but I’ll be home right after and then the movie marathon can begin!” 

“Can’t wait,” you gave her a squeeze and gave Joel a smile over her shoulder. 

Joel went to hug you goodbye, too. It wouldn’t be that strange, right? Sarah knew you hung out at least occasionally, after all. 

“Come by early,” he whispered in your ear before stepping back and speaking at a normal volume. “Good to see you again. Thanks for comin’.” 

“Thanks for having me,” you smiled, looking at him with those shining eyes of yours. Fuck, he loved you. 

Which is why he wanted you to come over early. 

He and Sarah got up at damn near the crack of dawn and hauled the Christmas decorations down from the attic, setting up the nativity scene that was as old as Sarah was, putting out the pictures of her with Santa, the little North Pole village made out of cardboard with paper glued to the side that he and Sarah had colored in when she was nine. She held the ladder still while he strung up the lights outside and they went together to get bagels and coffee and pick out the tree. 

Joel remembered getting the tree with Sarah when she was little. He steered her toward the imperfect trees, talking about how much character they had, how the gaps in the branches were perfect for ornaments. He could usually talk the guy in the tree lot down in price because of it and Sarah was excited to have a perfectly imperfect, one of a kind tree. 

She still gravitated toward the imperfect trees. Looking for the evergreens with patches and brown spots and finding the tree that looked least like the others on the lot before taking it home and lovingly covering it in tinsel and ornaments until it looked like the most beautiful tree you could find anywhere. 

He wanted to share this with you, too. When Sarah had called to tell him that she wanted to invite you for Thanksgiving and for Christmas movies, she’d told him things he didn’t know about you. Things he could have guessed, especially now that he knew about your family, but things that hadn’t occurred to him until she said it. 

“She never really did the whole Christmas thing, I don’t think,” she said. “When I asked her about it she just shrugged and said they didn’t celebrate it and I asked if they had some other holiday and she said no, they just didn’t. Isn’t that sad?” 

“Some people just don’t enjoy the holidays, baby girl,” he said, even though his heart hurt for you. 

“I don’t think that’s what it is, though,” she said. “Come on, we have to invite her for Christmas stuff. She should get to do the fun shit at least once!” 

Of course he said yes. He’d want you there anyway but especially now. Even if it was hard with Sarah, he’d want you there. 

But Sarah going out for a bit with her friends made it easier. He was usually very selfish with her days at home, having to consciously avoid guilting her for spending time with anyone who wasn’t him. Now, he was thankful for the chance to see you for a little bit without the watchful eye of his daughter there. 

Because Sarah was right. You did deserve to have the fun stuff, at least once. 

You knocked when you got there while Sarah was gone and smiled when Joel answered the door. 

“Hey,” you said, looking at him like just him being there made your entire day. 

“Hey,” he said back before grabbing you and kissing you, his fingers knotting in your hair, holding you close to him. He pulled back from you a bit, just to look at you. “Damn. I’ve missed doing that.” 

You laughed. 

“Me too.” 

You went inside and gasped at the living room, your hands covering your mouth. 

“What?” He asked. 

“It’s gorgeous!” Your eyes were wide. “It’s like the North Pole in here!” You walked slowly around the room, stopping at the little Christmas village and bending over to look at it closer. “Did you make these?” 

“Yeah,” Joel smiled, going to stand next to you. “Sarah saw one of these little village things at a friend’s house and wanted one but those damn houses were like 80 bucks a pop. But she really wanted a village, so I brought some empty boxes home from work and got some printer paper and drew out some Christmas house looking patterns on it and we colored it in and glued it all together. I gotta do the annual patch up yet, there’s some peeling paper on the corners…” 

You stood up and turned to him, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him, all gentle at first but then needier, harder. 

“Don’t think we have much time,” you said, your voice think with want. “Should probably take your clothes off.” 

“As much as I’d love to fuck you,” Joel said, kissing you once more before pulling back from you just a bit, close enough that his nose still brushed yours. “That’s not why I asked you to come over.” 

You frowned. 

“It’s not?” 

“Got something for you,” he kissed you again before separating from you entirely, going to a cabinet against the wall. Inside was a plain white box, tied with a bow. He handed it to you and you smiled a little, taking it. 

You untied the ribbon and he watched it float to the floor for a second as you carefully opened the box and you gasped, looking inside it for a moment before looking up at him. 

“Joel,” you whispered, tears in your eyes. 

He smiled a little. 

“I’ll hold the box,” he said, taking it from you so you could use both hands. “Sarah said you didn’t do Christmas as a kid. Thought you might want to here. So you needed a few things…” 

You pulled the first piece out of the box, a little ornament of the Chicago flag. 

“For where you went to college,” he said. You laughed wetly and set it aside, pulling out the little blown glass bottle of Tabasco sauce next. “Because you love your spicy foods.” You laughed harder at that, actually crying now, and turned the delicate bottle over in your fingers before setting it aside, too. Next was a little metal Space Needle and you laughed, holding it up and watching it glint in the light. “That’s for obvious reasons.” 

“Clearly,” you laughed again, drying your eyes with the ornament still in your hands. “Joel…” 

“Should be a few more in there,” he said, smiling. You gave him a look and went back into the box. There was a little Texas ornament with a heart over Austin and you held it up, turning it back and forth in the light. “Figured the lone star state needed representation…” 

“Of course,” you laughed, setting that ornament next to the others and pulling out the last one. “Oh, Joel…” 

It was a little couple with the words “Our First Christmas” written on a ribbon over their heads. Joel’s name was painted on the scarf of one, yours on the other. 

“Since I was kinda hoping you’d be around next Christmas, too, thought we could start a collection,” he said. “And now you’ve got a few ornaments of your own.” 

“This is…” you said running your thumb over the little people in your palm. “I don’t even have a tree!” 

“Sure you do,” he said, nodding to the one in the corner. “You heard Sarah. You’re a Miller now. One more thing in there, Beautiful.” 

You frowned, setting the ornament down and nudging aside tissue paper until you got to the bottom. You gasped again and Joel smiled at the sound as you pulled a stocking out of the box. It was simple, red velvet with a forest green trim and a white fur top, your name embroidered across the top of it. 

“Not Christmas without a stocking,” he smiled. 

You held it in your hands, your fingers running over the soft fur at the top, tracing the gold thread of your name. He set the box aside and put his hands in his back pockets. 

“No one’s ever…” your voice was thick and wet and you looked up at him. “This is incredible, Joel. I don’t even know what to say…” 

“Just say you’ll spend Christmas with me,” he said. “At least this Christmas. Hopefully a lot more, too, but we’ll start with this one.” 

You laughed. 

“Good luck getting me to spend time anywhere else now,” you kissed him, your arms around his neck, pressing your front tightly to his. He held you close, his arms going around you, fingers gripping your ribs and hip tight and he kissed you back, kissed you like he never wanted to stop kissing you. Because he didn’t want to stop kissing you. Not now, not ever. 

Not even when the two of you realized Sarah was standing in the entry way. 

***

“What the fuck?” 

The sound of Sarah’s voice made you jump. You all but leapt away from Joel, your eyes wide and wet, the stocking still in your hand. 

Joel’s gift had been so damn thoughtful and kind and perfect you’d completely forgotten that Sarah was in town and due home eventually. Even though she arrived a bit earlier than you or apparently Joel had expected. 

The gift really had floored you. No one had ever done anything like that for you, had found things just for you, put something together for you so you could be a part of something like a holiday. The only time you’d ever been gone to things like this it had been on the fringes, tacked on as an extra. Which was fine, you understood that. But feeling welcomed into the middle of it all was something else entirely and you were so in love with Joel at that moment it felt like your heart might burst with it. 

And then Sarah was there. 

“Sarah…” your voice cracked. “I… This…” 

“Have you two seriously been fucking this whole time?” She gaped at you. 

Your eyes darted to Joel who looked back at you, eyes wide. He clearly wasn’t ready for this conversation right now either. 

“I should go,” you said quickly, all but running for the door. “Let you two talk…”

“No, wait!” Joel called after you but you ignored him, ducking around Sarah and out into the yard. 

It had gotten dark since you’d come to Joel’s and the Christmas lights on the neighboring houses had turned on, the red and green and white twinkling in the dark as you fought to not sob on your boyfriend’s lawn. 

“Shit,” you swore when you realized you’d left your purse inside the house and had no way to get into your damn car to drive yourself home. 

Your phone was in your back pocket at least. You pulled it out and went into Uber to order a ride. You could come back later to pick up your car. And your purse. And you had some credit cards loaded on your phone and the corner store down the street from your apartment accepted that at least so you wouldn’t be totally screwed if you needed something before Sarah left town….

The Christmas lights on Joel’s house flipped on and the brightness of it made you flinch. 

“Hey,” Joel called and you turned without thinking, wiping your tears on the backs of your sleeve. He was barefoot, his breath rising on the air in front of him.

“I’m leaving,” you managed, holding up your phone. “Go back in, talk to Sarah…” 

“Don’t go,” he cut you off, hands up as he cautiously reached for you. “Come back inside, we can all talk and…” 

“I’m not going to ruin your relationship with your daughter, Joel,” you sniffed, looking down at the stocking that was still in your hand. “I love you both too much for that…” 

“You love him?” Sarah was in the doorway, pulling the door closed behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist as she jogged over to you both. “Ugh, it’s cold out here!” 

“Sarah…” you tried to find the words. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t… It’s not like… I know you’re upset…” 

“What?” She gaped at you and laughed a little. “Babes, I’m not mad!” 

You sniffed and dried your eyes with your sleeve again. 

“You’re not?” 

“No!” She laughed. “I mean I guess I’m a little ticked that you both hid this from me but I’m just glad I’m not insane!”

“What do you mean?” You shook your head. “I don’t…” 

“Bestie!” She came and grabbed your shoulders and met your eyes. “It was a set up! I’ve thought you two would be a great couple for fucking years but I knew you’d freak out if I actually told you that. I kind of hoped things would get there on their own and that you two would hit it off and be friends, why do you think I was so let down when you said you weren’t `hanging out?” 

“You…” you frowned, the tears finally slowing. “You were trying to set us up?” 

“Yes!” She laughed. “I mean, yeah, it might be a little weird - and please don’t talk to me about my dad the way you have past boyfriends because ew - but you two are my favorite people! You have so much in common and you both deserve something good and I know you’ll be good to each other. I just felt like I was insane for thinking you two would want to hang out once you met and then you didn’t. But I was right!” 

“You’re such a dick!” You laughed and she laughed too. “I’ve been freaking out for like two months!” 

“Well that’s what you get for not telling me everything,” she smiled. “Except you’ll need to find someone else to talk to about sex now. I might be weird enough to set my best friend up with my dad but even I have my limits. Also, I’m not going to call you mom.” 

You laughed and Joel draped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders, kissing the top of her head. 

“Shouldn’t be so sneaky, baby girl,” he said, but he was smiling. 

“Well you never listen any other way,” she said. “Now I’m still cold and there’s hot cocoa and snacks waiting inside…” 

“Oh!” You said. “I forgot, I have something in the car…” 

You ran back inside and grabbed your keys and pulled some covered dishes out of the back seat. Sarah frowned, her arms still around her waist. 

“It might be dumb, but…” You held up the containers. “I made a bunch of gingerbread and frosting and got candy and stuff…” 

“You brought stuff to make gingerbread houses?” Sarah practically squealed. “Knew you’d make a great Miller!” 

You laughed and Joel took the dishes from you as the three of you turned to head back inside. You stopped for a second and looked up at the house, the whole thing trimmed in colorful lights, a family of light up reindeer in the front yard. You smiled at it, looking like the home you always wished you had as a girl. 

“You really made something amazing here, Joel,” you said. 

“Did my best,” he shrugged. “But now that you and Sarah are here? It’s perfect.” 

You smiled at him and your best friend before going inside to hang your stocking up next to theirs where it belonged. 

Next Chapter

A/N: AHHHHHH Sarah finally knows and YES, for those playing along at home, it was indeed a set up from the start. She's sneaky, that one!

Also, in case you're wondering, the ornament Joel gets Beautiful for the two of them? A variation on something like this. Isn't it the fucking cutest thing???

I hope you've loved this fic because I've loved writing it. Just one chapter left to put a bow on everything! Thank you so much for reading and for being here. Love you!!

Taglist: @fanficismydrug

[goddesspharo]

three sentence fic: phoenix/hangman, dragons' den au

[hit me up with an AU prompt!]

100% had to google what Dragons' Den was and then because I have never watched a single episode of Shark Tank either, I went with the version that would appeal to me.

"We are five minutes to air! Where are Seresin and Trace?" Beau Simpson shouts through the channel, the walkie-talkie static pausing just long enough to let his voice blast into Bob's ear even though he turned the volume down to the lowest setting. "On it, boss!" Bob flashes an apologetic smile at the woman who is about to present her business proposal to break into the wellness sphere with New Age salt crystals in powder form. Bob would rather continue assuring Callie Bassett that even though marketing them in little baggies totally doesn't bring to mind cocaine connotations, it might be worthwhile to put them in a commemorative box so she can upsell to the Goops of the world. Bob's been on the job for a month but his favorite is talking to the entrepreneurs before they go out there to present their ideas to the sharks. He likes getting one last glimpse of their unfettered excitement before Bradshaw pokes holes into their unrealistic timelines for success or Mitchell points out fifteen different products that already exist that serve the same purpose or Seresin straight up tells them that they've wasted four years not paying attention to their expensive Ivy League business classes because this new protein powder will not revolutionize the gym-tan-laundry market, prompting Trace to snicker, "As one of the founding frat bros of said market, Jake would know." But Beau is constantly shouting at Bob that lying to the people who come on the show about how smart they are is not his job. Bob's not really sure what his job is, but one day, he's  going to tell Beau that he didn't leave the family cattle ranch in Montana to wrangle the talent in LA either. However, Bob's got car payments to make and a B.A. in Film and Television from UCLA that is worth even less than the cardstock his diploma was printed on so today is not that day. Instead, Bob zooms down the hallway opening empty dressing room doors and dodging PAs carrying cardboard trays with half-caf lattes. Finding no sign of Jake and Natasha, Bob peeks his head into the break room and asks, "Hey Mick, have you seen—" Mickey glances up from the fan-made Star Wars trailer he's watching on his phone to ask with a smirk, "Ever wonder why production has a film room when we shoot on digital, Bob?" But Bob doesn't have time to wonder because he's already running down the hall and taking the stairs two at a time to the film room. His knuckles give a cursory rap on the door, but his right hand is already turning the knob before the sound has a chance to settle. In retrospect, he doesn't know what he thought would be happening in a film room without film, but he did not expect the light from the hallway to catch Jake Seresin's bare ass the moment he opened the door. "Oh my God." "Close the door!" Natasha shouts and, in a moment that he's sure will continue to mortify him when he is on his deathbed, Bob closes the door behind him so that now it's the three of them in a film closet meant for one and he's the only one who the networks wouldn't fine for indecency. "Uh, Beau wants you back on set," Bob declares stupidly instead of leaving the room. He realizes a moment too late that even though he's trying to be respectful by staring at Natasha's ankles, it looks like Bob is staring at the heels of her Jimmy Choos digging into Jake's toned ass while he's got her pressed against the wall.  "Thanks, Bob," Jake says cheerfully like they're having a conversation over the craft services table. "We'll be out in two." "Right," Bob stammers. "Good. Great." And then he's scrambling for the door knob and launching himself back into the hallway where everyone is at least wearing pants. He tries to tell himself that it could've gone a lot worse – surely, an example of how will come to him one day – but as he's closing the door, Bob hears Natasha snap, "Promises, promises. I told you not to start something that you can't finish, Seresin." "When have you ever not finished, Trace?" Jake chuckles before the rest of what he says is muffled against her lips and the door closing behind Bob.

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest 2024

day 23: a crossover or AU fic

this one was a bit challenging as I’ve never read crossovers and rarely read AUs - but I thought I’d follow my trend from last year (you can check my recs here) and continue on the sports theme since that’s my favourite AU trope! as someone who’s never cared much about F1 (I know! the heresy of being Brazilian and not caring one bit 😂) I gotta say I’ve had such a blast with Rush (For a Gap that Exists) by @sleepstxtic.

what a fabulous emotional ride. the rivalry! the angst! the hate sex!!!! everything is so intense and dramatic, I love it. I was really impressed by how Kat expertly re-created the racing universe, even including bits of news and thirsty social media commentary, it’s so much fun. she captured the inherently homoerotic tension thrill of the sport and the rush of competition so perfectly. H & D are two strong leads with amazing voices and determined personalities; their explosive fight & fuck chemistry first as enemies, then as rivals and lovers (my fave dynamic!) is absolutely addictive. I couldn’t put this story down even when the pace slowed down towards the second act. speaking of, kudos to the gorgeous recovery arc - I won’t spoil it for those who are not familiar with the source material, but suffice to say their healing journey is very moving and satisfying. there’s something about watching two reckless idiots go from fierce antagonism to a mature, caring type of love, that I found deeply romantic.

if you’re looking for a cinematic read with lots of UST, drama and peak romance, this is it! and if you find yourself in the mood for more AUs, Kat’s got you covered: go check her other sports fics The Pirc Defense♟️ and The Greatest Game 🎾

for @hprecfest