#since then i've entered a few more times and i have mixed feelings about it because i get absolutely exhausted from it

[rafecameronssl4t]

73 Questions with Vogue || Drew Starkey x actress!reader

Summary: just you participating in 73 Questions with Vogue and it goes viral!!!

Warnings: fluff!!!

Word count: 1,935

A/n: It's been so long since I've written a Drew fic!!!!!!! Also I got inspired by my previous acc's fic so if it seems familiar to some of you who followed me from there, don't come at me, I loved the idea too much lol. CAN SOMEONE PLS SEND ME REQUESTS FOR DREW FICS???

MASTERLIST

divider by @h-aewo

"Hello!" You greet the interviewer with a bright smile, swinging open the door to reveal him and his camera. "Hi, Y/n! Mind if we come in and ask you 73 questions?" he asks, his tone friendly and warm. "Yeah, of course! Come on in," you say, stepping aside and holding the door wide open, gesturing for them to enter as the camera pans through the foyer of your house. The space is beautifully designed, with soft lighting that gives it a cozy, inviting atmosphere.

"Wow, what a gorgeous house you have," the interviewer remarks, his voice filled with genuine awe as his eyes take in the sophisticated yet comfortable décor. "Thank you!" you respond, the compliment warming you as you flash a radiant smile. "Is this your favourite house?" The interviewer asks, already settling into the rhythm of the questions as you lead them down the hallway and into the open-plan living area.

"Yes, it definitely is. It's in my home city, and Charleston means so much to me, just like this house does," you say, your eyes lighting up as you gesture around. The view of the beach through the large windows makes the space feel even more special. "I love the view," the interviewer comments, looking out at the sunset that bathes the room in warm golden light. "The sunset looks amazing from here."

"It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?" you say with a soft chuckle. "I love spending time in this room specifically. It feels like a little sanctuary." You both share a laugh, enjoying the peaceful moment. "What's your morning routine like?" The interviewer asks as the camera follows you through the coastal-themed living room toward the kitchen. You pause for a moment, thinking about your answer.

"I haven't had much of a routine the past few months because of work, but currently, I wake up to a strong cup of coffee and a walk through downtown," you share with a soft smile. "It’s become a little ritual to clear my mind before everything gets too busy." As you stroll through the warm, inviting spaces of your home, the camera captures the personal touches that reflect your personality—a mix of elegance and laid-back comfort.

A question about your career comes next, and you happily share some behind-the-scenes anecdotes from your latest film. "This," you begin, the affection in your tone unmistakable, "is a magnet Sydney gave me when we wrapped filming Immaculate earlier this year." You glance at the picture, a grin spreading across your face. "It’s a photo of the two of us in our nun costumes... let’s just say, not doing very nun-like things." You laugh, the absurdity of the memory still fresh, and hold the magnet up for the camera to focus.

The image shows the two of you mid-laughter, each holding a cigarette with exaggerated defiance, your habits slightly askew, as though caught mid-rebellion. "What's the best compliment you've received?" the interviewer asks, a hint of curiosity in their voice. You pause, your expression thoughtful. "Oh, that's a tough one," you say, your lips curling into a playful smile.

"I think the best compliment I’ve ever gotten was when someone said, 'You're like Meryl Streep… but, you know, with fewer Oscars.’" You chuckle, shaking your head in amusement. "It was the kind of backhanded compliment that made me laugh for days." The interviewer laughs along with you. "That’s a good one," he says, clearly entertained. As you make your way towards the outside deck, the interviewer continues with another question. "Texting, calling, or FaceTiming?"

You grin as you lean casually against the railing, looking out at the beach below. "Oh, definitely FaceTiming," you say with a mischievous glint in your eyes. "I’m terrible at replying to text messages. I’d much rather see people's live reactions, y’know?" A more personal question comes next, and you smile thoughtfully as the interviewer asks, “How do you handle the pressures of fame?”

You nod, taking a moment before responding. "I lean on my family and friends—they keep me grounded. And I remind myself that pressure is a privilege. It means people care about what I do, and that means a lot." Your voice softens as you speak, the sincerity of your words clear as you step into your home office, showcasing the awards and accolades lining the shelves. The conversation turns to your personal life, and a warm, affectionate smile spreads across your face.

"Congratulations on reaching your two-year anniversary with Drew!" The interviewer says with a grin, and you beam in response. "Thank you!" you reply, your eyes sparkling as you think of him. "Drew is incredible. He’s my biggest supporter, my partner in everything, and honestly, just my favourite person. It’s been such a special journey since starting my career, and I’m so grateful to have him by my side."

"What's the key to a successful relationship?" He asks. You pause as you walk through the hallway, your gaze softening as you think. "I think it’s communication and a lot of patience. No relationship is perfect, but being able to talk things through and genuinely listen to each other makes all the difference." You smile, adding, "Oh, and laughter—if you can laugh together, you can get through just about anything."

The sound of the front door creaking open interrupts the moment, and a familiar voice rings out, instantly making your face light up. "Oh, there’s Drew right now!" you say, smiling brightly as you move toward the foyer. The camera follows you, capturing the scene as Drew enters, with Nellie, your cocker spaniel, bounding beside him. "Hey, baby," He greets you as he slips off his sunglasses, pulling you close for a tender kiss

When he pulls back, his eyes widen slightly as he spots the camera. "Oh, 73 Questions with Vogue?" he asks, a playful grin tugging at his lips. You giggle, nodding your head. "I forgot you were doing that today," he chuckles. “Go ahead, continue your interview," he adds with a fond look before walking off with Nellie. As the camera returns to you, you make your way toward the stairs, glancing over your shoulder to find Drew already on the floor, happily playing with Nellie.

A soft giggle escapes your lips, captured by the camera momentarily fixated on the fleeting connection. "What's something people don’t know about you?" the interviewer asks, pulling you back into the conversation. You pause, thinking for a second. "I’m actually allergic to most flowers," you reveal with a sheepish laugh. "Really? I wouldn’t have known," the interviewer responds, clearly surprised. "Oh, absolutely! When we film Outer Banks, they have to shoot around the flowers, or I'd be a sneezing mess," you confess, casually walking backward while maintaining a steady gaze with the camera.

The tour continues through luxurious walk-in closet, filled with designer attire. “What’s your pet peeve?” You laugh, shaking your head in mock exasperation. "Oh, definitely when people chew loudly. It’s like nails on a chalkboard for me. Chase is notorious for doing it on purpose, so I avoid him during my lunch breaks," you add, giggling at the memory. "Where was the best vacation you’ve been taken to?" the interviewer inquires as you step into your shared bedroom with Drew, the ocean stretching out just outside the windows.

"I think I’d have to say Vienna with Drew for my birthday," you say, smiling over your shoulder as you look out at the view. “A song you replay often?” "Hm, I think Charlie, Last Name Wilson," you say with a grin, rifling through the records. "It never gets old, and it’s super catchy." You smile as you pick it out. "Most of you guys would know that this song is also Drew and Austin’s favourite, so we always play it on set," you chuckle. "Does the rest of the Outer Banks cast like it too?" the interviewer asks, laughing along. "They don’t have much choice," you joke with a grin.

"Is there anything from any set that you've taken home with you?" The interviewer asks eagerly. “Oh, I love this question!" you exclaim, opening a drawer to reveal a variety of souvenirs. "This is the bag my character 'Whiskey' from Glass Onion owned," you say, showing off the brown frill bag. "And here’s a pack of Italian cigarettes from Immaculate, they’re just props, by the way," you add with a wink.

You pull out a cowboy hat. "This one’s from Tom on the set of Billy the Kid," you explain. "And this," you say with a smile, holding up a ring on a necklace. "This is Rafe's ring, the one he gave my character." "What a beautiful photo of the two of you," the interviewer notes, pointing to the large black-and-white photo of you and Drew at a Vogue photoshoot above your bed.

"It is! That day was actually so special for us. We both got the call saying we’d been cast in our respective roles that we’d been auditioning for," you explain, your face lighting up with nostalgia. The interviewer then asks about Drew’s upcoming movie. "Speaking of which, Drew’s film Queer is coming out very soon. Are you excited to watch it on the big screen?" "Yes, of course!" you say, your voice full of pride.

"I was so incredibly proud of him when he got the role. He was definitely excited too, especially since it’s, you know, the Luca Guadagnino." You chuckle. "I got the privilege to actually be on set for a bit, and it was amazing. Plus, I got to catch up with Daniel," you mention. "It was really nice to see him again." You smile, the pride evident in your expression as you talk about Drew's accomplishments.

The conversation is interrupted by a gentle knock at the door, and both you and the interviewer turn your attention toward it. Drew’s head peeks around the corner, his grin lighting up the frame as the camera zooms in on him. "I made some iced teas—yours is half and half," he says casually, stepping into the room with a tray holding two glasses. You can’t help but beam as he hands you your drink. "Aww, thanks, babe," you say gratefully, your fingers brushing his for a brief moment as you take the glass.

Drew hands the other glass to the interviewer, who looks pleasantly surprised. "Wow, thank you, Drew!" he says with a wide smile. "Of course," Drew replies warmly before glancing at you. "Let me know if you need anything else," he says, shooting you a quick wink before stepping out of the room. The camera lingers on him for a beat as he walks away, capturing his effortless charm.

You take a sip of the iced tea, the cool, refreshing taste spreading through you as you let out a content sigh. "Is this something you drink often?" the interviewer asks, clearly curious. You nod enthusiastically. "Oh, absolutely. I like mine half and half, and I drink it like 24/7," you say with a chuckle, the glass still in your hand. The interviewer grins before asking a more personal question. "I can tell Drew is very thoughtful. What’s your favourite trait of his?"

You laugh softly, caught off guard by the difficult question. "You can’t make me choose—I love everything about him!" you say with a playful grin, your tone light but sincere. The interviewer chuckles along with you, clearly charmed by your response. "Okay, okay, fair enough. But if you had to pick just one thing that comes to mind?"

You pause for a moment, your expression softening as you think. "Hmmm," you hum, swirling your iced tea absentmindedly. "I love the little things he does," you begin, your voice warm with affection. "Like how he always remembers my coffee order or when he leaves me little notes when I’m on set. It’s those small, thoughtful moments that really mean the most to me."

The camera captures your tender smile, and the interviewer smiles himself, visibly touched by your response. "That’s so sweet," he says, his tone genuine. "It really is," you smile, a soft, almost bashful grin spreading across your face. "He’s the best boyfriend I could have ever asked for," you say, your tone filled with warmth and sincerity.

The interviewer watches you with an amused smile, clearly endeared by the dreamy, almost schoolgirl-like look on your face as you think about Drew.

~

The Vogue 73 Questions interview quickly becomes an internet sensation, captivating fans. It was everywhere. Clips of your candid answers and sweet, unscripted moments—especially the one where Drew casually walked in with iced tea—became the ultimate proof of why you were Hollywood’s darling. Within hours of its release, the hashtag #73QuestionsWithY/n trends worldwide.

The comments section was flooded with fans losing their minds over the glimpse into your life. "Can we talk about how Drew KNOWS her iced tea order by heart? If this isn’t relationship goals, I don’t know what is." "Y/n casually being gorgeous, funny, and real in her Charleston dream home? I’m in love." "The way Drew looked at her when he walked in… I CAN’T. He’s so whipped, and I’m here for it."

Memes circulate, celebrating your witty remarks and playful demeanor, while your thoughtful insights and open vulnerability spark heartfelt discussions. The part where Drew sneaks into the interview with iced tea becomes a fan-favourite, with many dubbing it "the cutest boyfriend moment of the year."

“I love how real she is,” one fan tweeted, accompanied by screenshots of your answer about Drew’s little notes and coffee orders. Another post with a screenshot of you laughing at Drew’s confused “Oh, Vogue’s here” reaction read, “You can just tell they’re best friends. I want a love like this.”

The media couldn’t get enough, either. Everyone from gossip sites to prestigious magazines weighed in on how you’d managed to blend the glamour of your career with the warmth of your personality. The buzz reignites interest in your past projects and elevates anticipation for your upcoming ones. Your social media following soars as fans, old and new, praise your ability to remain grounded despite your success.

Meanwhile, Drew’s small but sweet cameo sparks renewed admiration for your relationship, with countless threads and videos dedicated to celebrating your bond. “Y/n and Drew are proof that true love exists,” one viral tweet declares, garnering thousands of likes and retweets. Another fan edits together a montage of your cutest moments from the interview, set to a romantic song, which quickly racks up millions of views.

Drew couldn’t stop teasing you about how viral the iced tea moment had become. “You’re lucky I didn’t walk in shirtless,” he joked one night as you scrolled through TikTok, finding yet another edit of you two. “Please,” you said, giggling, your hand affectionately stroking Nellie, “half the internet would’ve fainted.” “Half?” He raised an eyebrow, smirking. “I think you’re underestimating me, babe.”

[dragon-kazansky]

Symphony of dreams

Morpheus x Female Reader

Times are changing, and nothing is as it once was. The Dreaming is being rebuilt, but much is happening. The siblings reunite once more, Hell becomes vacant, and Delirium seeks out their missing brother. Dream faces his past, and his wife questions her place beside him.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Chapter Fifteen - Fare thee all well

The evening had been… eventful. Cain sawed Abel in half, the guests tried to catch Dream alone, and Loki had been skulking around the halls where you were. It had been quite a banquet indeed.

Now you are retiring to your room. You caught your reflection in the mirror. Not a hair out of place since you dressed earlier. You smile softly as you take in how beautiful you looked.

Alas, you needed to change for bed. Once out of the gown, you hung it up with great care. You were thankful Dream created something so gorgeous just for you. It was the little things like that reminded you how much he did love you.

Even if his heart yearned for Nada, he still loved you. It didn't change that he would have to choose, but you would be forever grateful that you had his love for so many years.

You change for bed and climb under the sheets. You didn't expect Dream to join you. With such responsibility, he probably wouldn't dare sleep. He didn't need it.

Just as your head settles on the pillow, the door to your room opens. You turn around and see Dream enter. He's carrying a balloon…

“Did I wake you?” He asks, voice soft and apologetic.

“No. I've only just laid down.”

He is comforted by that. He comes closer to the bed, his eyes not once shifting from you. You sit up and look at him in return.

“I brought you something,” he holds the balloon out.

“For me?” You reach out and take the string. Your fingers brush against his pale ones. His hand feels cold. You take the balloon from him.

“Are you well?”

You smile softly. “Are you?”

“I am… not.”

“Neither am I,” you tell him.

Dream takes a seat on the edge of the bed and lets the silence linger between you for a bit before he breaks it. “I should have done things differently.”

“Hm?” You tilt your head curiously.

“I shouldn't have left you with my siblings. I should have also spoken to you about my plans to go to Hell. I should have discussed Nada with you.” He meets your eyes. “I should have done more.”

“Dream…”

“No. Let me finish.” He turns his body so he's facing you. You can see the pain and regret on his face. His heart was bleeding and he needed you to listen. “I have been… a terrible husband to you. I am not good at this… I hurt everyone I love, and it's at this time that I realise how much suffering I have caused.”

You can see how hard it is for him to accept that he's the problem, despite you not being able to fault him for feeling.

“Morpheus, though I fear what will come of me, I can not think of you any less for following your instinct. You want to put right what you did wrong and that is honourable indeed. You always go to great lengths for those you care about. I haven't forgotten how much trouble you went to to get your powers back to save me.”

You reach out and grasp his pale hand with both of yours. The balloon rises up to the ceiling. Dream seems a mix of relief and shock when you take his hand in yours.

“Dream of the Endless, I will never stop loving you, no matter what you do. I am honoured that I was able to be your wife, if even for a few centuries.” You smile at him.

“You plan to leave me? For good?” He asks. He squeezes your hands.

“I… haven't decided anything for certain. Dream, if you find her and make things right, I will not stand in your way.”

Hearing you say that felt like a stab to the heart. What would you do? Where would you go? He can't imagine the Dreaming without you in it. You notice the look on his face and find yourself pulling him closer. Dream lets you. He melts into your arms and inhales softly. He lies down with you in the bed and wraps himself around you. This right here is what he has been missing. Dream rests his head on your chest and listens to the soft beating of your heart. Your fingers tangle in his black hair, soothing him with every touch.

“Have you decided what you're going to do?” You ask him softly, referring to the key.

“I have an idea. I shall wait until tomorrow.”

He couldn't bring himself to tell you about Azazel. Nada.

You don't ask further. Dream closes his eyes and focuses on having you back in his arms. He's going to make everything better.

Come morning, Dream is gone when you wake. You're a little disappointed, but you can't hold it against him. Today he was going to announce his decision. You rise from the bed and get ready.

Just as you turn to exit the room, the string from the balloon dangles in front of you. You smile softly as you look up at it. Silly Dream with his silly little gifts. You would miss him if you left…

You join everyone at the entrance of the palace. All the guests are already gathered. A moment after you arrive, Dream appears.

“Thank you all for waiting. I apologise for the delay. But I am sure none of you would have wished me to rush into my decision. I confess, I am tempted to accede to Queen Titania’s appeal that Hell remain empty.” He looks at Cluracan and Nuala.

He then turns to the demons. “But Lord Azazel has persuaded me that the demons and the dawned must have a home. A refuge.” He walks over to them. “But a dominion that may only be ruled by one whose sole ambition is to serve them.”

“Just give me the key… and be done with it,” Azazel says to him, an underlying threat in his voice.

Dream turns away from him. “A leader with wisdom and acuity to understand Hell can never be a mere extension of their own realm. For Hell is Heaven’s reflection.” He stands before everyone. “They define one another. Without Hell, Heaven has no meaning.”

Dream turns around. “Which is why I am obligated to entrust it with those that serve in Heaven’s name.” He looks up at the angels above. “Remiel. Duma. The key is yours. I have made my decision.” He turns back around. He catches your eye. You nod softly at him. “I hope it causes none of you undie distress,” he says.

“What about the distress it's going to cause you?” Azazel asks. You look at him with confusion. What did he mean? “I know your rules. You offered us your hospitality when we arrived.” He walks over to where your husband stands.

Something was off.

“You can do nothing now to harm any of us. Even if I devour the soul of your lady love.”

You stiffen. You move your gaze over to Dream, but he doesn't look at you. He's got his eyes trained solely on Azazel. What was he talking about.

“Dream?”

He doesn't respond to you.

“What you say is true. Azazel. But… I offered my hospitality to all of my guests. Those I knew about… and those I did not. So yes, you are under my protection. But so, too, is Queen Nada.”

You inhale sharply. What?

“And I will not see her hurt.”

“Very well. If you want her…” Azazel inhales and transforms in front of everyone. “...then come and get her.”

Within the mass of his demonic form, you can see and hear Nada, trapped. You stare in horror at the sight. She had been here all along, unable to escape. So this is what Azazel was holding over Dream.

Dream approaches Azazel with purpose. You go to stop him, but Lucienne places a hand on your shoulder. You can't interfere with whatever he's going to do.

Nada reaches out for him. Dream kneels and reaches out for her. He grasps her hand and pulls hard. Nada comes flying out and lands behind him with a thud. On instinct, you rush over to her. “Come on. Come on, I've got you.” You help her to her feet. She clings to you. Dream watches you. Your eyes meet his.

He turns slowly and faces Azazel once more. “I renounce your hospitality. You are mine now, Dream Lord. Mine to consume at my leisure.”

Azazel swallows him.

“No!”

Then, faster than you can blink, Dream stands there with Azazel trapped. “It was unwise for you to attempt to harm me. Elsewhere, perhaps. But not here. This is my home. My place of power. Reality here conforms to my design. Now, does anyone else in this place… have a problem with my decision?”

No one answers.

“Good.”

“How is she?” Dream asks Lucienne, who had been helping you with Nada.

“She's with the doctors now. She's sustained no injuries, but she's traumatised, obviously, and exhausted.” Lucienne explains.

“May I see her?” He asks desperately.

“They've given her something to help her sleep. Perhaps when she wakes up and has time to recover. I'll let her know the moment she wakes up you wish to see her,” Lucienne tells him. She can see how worried he was.

“Thank you, Lucienne.”

“She'll be fine,” she tries to comfort him. “It's your other guests you need to worry about.” Lucienne takes her leave.

One by one, Dream bid his guests farewell as they returned to their realms. Most of them went without much issue. The decision was made, and there wasn't much anyone could do about it. Dream has been seeing them off by himself, but he hears your voice behind him. You were with Cluracan and Nuala as they approached him. He was glad to see you.

“Lord Morpheus, my brother and I wish to thank you,” Nuala speaks softly.

“Oh yes, Lord Shaper, thank you for a lovely night,” Cluracan smiles. “It was truly… epic. I mean-”

“We will send your regards to our king and queen, if we may,” Nuala cuts him off.

“Ah, sister, did I not tell you?”

“Not tell me what?” She asks her brother, eyeing him with confusion.

You come to stand beside Dream while the two talk. Dream casts his gaze on you. He wants to reach out and touch your hand, but resists as Cluracan and Nuala return to speak to him.

“Lord Shaper, I will be returning to Faerie alone,” Cluracan states. “My sister, Nuala… is a gift to you. From Faerie.”

You look at Nuala with concern.

Cluracan looks at his sister sadly. Nuala hadn't known beforehand.

“With respect to your queen, I cannot accept,” Dream replies, just as confused by the situation.

“Reject the queen's gift, if you will, but she will not be best pleased. Nuala, if she returns to Faerie, risks her severest displeasure. She's your now, Sire. To do with as you will.”

You frown softly.

“If the lady does not wish to stay-” Dream begins.

“I am afraid she has no choice on the matter,” Cluracan cuts him off.

“The lady does wish to stay, Lord.” Nuala speaks up. “I would far rather be received here as a gift than return to a queen and a brother who would think so little of me that he would give me away.”

“Very well,” Dream accepts. “It would be an honour to have Lady Nuala remain with us as our guest.”

You offer Nuala a smile, and she offers one back, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

“It was her diplomacy that led to the abolition of Faerie’s tithe to Hell, to which the angels agreed.”

Both Cluracan and Nuala looked surprised at the news.

“Thank you, Lord Shaper.” Nuala was rather proud of that news.

“In that case, perhaps Titania will allow you to come back from time to time to see old friends, visit your brother.” Cluracan says.

“I have no wish to do so,” Nuala stated firmly.

“Then I will come and see you,” Cluracan responds, a little desperate. “Thank you again, Lord Shaper.”

Cluracan leaves alone.

“Lady Nuala. If you are to remain with us, I would ask that you remove the Glamour that you wear. I mislike little magics in this realm.”

“But Queen Titania insists that everyone in her court-”

“You are no longer in her court. And priorities are different to mine.”

“You have no idea,” Nuala smiles softly.

Nuala removes her Glamour. You smile at the sight of her with her cute little bob haircut. She looks a little more herself.

“Is this alright with you?” She asks, her natural accent coming through. You smile at her.

“Your voice.” Dream smiles softly.

“Titania always hated my accent. She's very… posh. God love her.”

Lucienne and Taramis approach. Dream addresses them. “The lady Nuala will be staying with us from now on.”

“Is she?” Lucienne asks, confused by this news.

“How lovely,” Taramis says, looking at her. “I have a garden full of flowers, and now finally someone to eat them.”

Dream looks at Lucienne. “And Queen Nada? How is she?”

You lower your gaze to the floor.

“Recuperating nicely, but… she needs rest,” Lucienne replies.

You glance at Dream and sigh softly. “Come, Lady Nuala, let us get you settled in.” You leave with her.

Dream watches you go. His heart felt heavy.

@missdreamofendless @kpopgirlbtssvt @thoughtsfromlayla @errantsomnium @terrancelovesyouu @rousrm @bes2005 @qardasngan @adrestlyd @jeshomie @deadwizzardlover @missbeesentertainment @cardiganswillow @catchmeupimgettingoutofhere @lunesmai @insanedreamer296 @twowrongsarearight @sam--sara @lilchickensworld @edynmeyer1 @pityfulldeer

[sadboyeddie]

𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫: 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝

Summary: Miles has been driving for far too long and decided to stop in at the El Royale.

Warnings: (MDNI 18+) Fem!Reader, No Use Of Y/N, Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, CNC, Non-Con Maybe

A/N: Whilst I wait for my other fic to be ready have some Miles. Was on,y meant to be a few thousand words but oh well.

WC: 6.1k

Miles lets out a small defeated sigh as he switches off his car ignition, bright lights from the hotel sign reflecting in his eyes. 

He really didn't want to return to the El Royale, not after what had happened three years ago but he would surely pass out if he kept driving.  

After the main lodge burnt down the El Royale garnered a lot of sympathy from the media, people were devastated that such a nostalgic heritage site had been destroyed, so all the clients (the rich ones) pooled some of their funds together and invested in the restoration and revival of the El Royale. 

Miles was able to cut his loses and quit, taking a payout from his boss in return for his silence. He didn't feel great about it but compared to the other stuff he had to do for them that was nothing. 

The sun was already passing the mountains, the chill in the evening air making him wrap his sweater tighter around his chest as he slowly made his way to grab his duffel bag off the backseat.

The car park was full, fuller then he had seen it in a long time. Since the media storm had hit, the El Royale received its gambling license back and now it was almost back to being as popular as it once was. 

What a shame.

As he enters through the large doors he lets out a cringe at the lobby, almost the exact same as before. Like nothing had changed. 

Except it was louder, people filled the booths and the irritating ringing of the slot machine music filled the room, and grated on his nerves. 

He kept his head low, he's sure there's no way he'd be recognised as a past employee but he still didn't want to invite any unwanted attention.

He made his way to the reception counter, glad that there was someone standing behind it and that he wouldn't have to wait. 

"Uh, excuse me," his voice was a bit low and he was worried he wouldn't be heard, but the figure behind the desk suddenly span to face him, a blinding smile on her face. 

"Hi!" You greet enthusiastically, remembering to use your best customer service voice. "Welcome to the El Royale."

Miles' breath hitches at the melodic sound of your voice, you seem so sweet. His eyes catches on your plain name tag and he says it in his mind, committing it to memory. As you make your way to leave the counter, ready to give him the introduction he gently stops you. 

"That's okay," his smile is forced, "I've stayed here before, I know the story." 

"You sure?" You ask, although you're actually quite pleased.

"Yeah," he nods and places his duffel on the ground beside his feet. 

"Great," you say with a smile, not seeming at all offended by his refusal as you make your way over to him on your side of the counter. "These are the rooms we have available."

You tear off one of the site maps and quickly draw a line through the rooms already taken.

After a quick glance he taps on the California side. "Room 4, please."

"No problem," with a small smile you turn to the wooden box on the back wall to retrieve the key. "What brings you to the El Royale this evening?"

"J-Just, ah, passing through," his answer is full of nerves, after the incident he became even more of a recluse and isn't exactly great with conversations and small talk. Not that he ever really was to begin with.

While your back is to him, Miles can't help but let his gaze drift over to the wooden door, chest suddenly feeling tight with many mixed emotions; all bad. 

He wonders if they still have the underground hallways. 

The sound of you placing the key on the counter snaps his attention back to you. 

"How long are you planning on staying with us?" As you move around the counter the scent of your perfume fills his senses, he bites back a groan not wanting to seem weird. 

"Ah, um, only o-one night." He coughs, trying to regain his composure.

"That's a shame," You playfully smile and he feels his cheeks heat up as you make eye contact before grabbing the leather bound book. "Well, that will be $12 and please sign the ledger."

"$12?" He asks, shock evident in his tone.

"Yep," you nod with a sympathetic smile. "After the place started getting popular again," you gestured over to the casino specifically, "management decided to hike up the prices."

"Of course they did," he mumbles as he fishes the money out of his wallet, you let out a small laugh at his frustration; understanding how he feels.

He goes to grab the keys and leave but the sound of you tapping your finger against the ledgers page draws his attention. 

"Please sign the ledger," you repeat softly. "Sorry, company policy."

He really didn't want to but he knows how strict they could be about it. 

He offers an apologetic smile before scribbling his name across the page. 

"Thank you, Miles," you read out his name as you slowly take the book back and close it offering him one last smile before he grabs his bag and the key and heads to the door.

His heart is beating heavily in his chest at how his name sounded falling from your lips and he tries to make eye contact with you one last time as he opens the door to leave but you're already making your way through the door into the backrooms. 

You're all he can seem to think about as he makes his way to his room, your smile, your voice, your smell. All consuming his mind that he almost walks past his door. 

- 

Closing the door behind you with a soft thud you make your way to the utility closet, the previous interaction replaying over in your head. 

Why did he seem so familiar?

When you started working here a year ago you got tasked with a lot of menial jobs; cleaning, cooking and waitressing mainly but after proving how reliable you could be you got bumped up to some better jobs. 

Not much better but you did get a small pay rise. 

Your manager did tell you that if you continue with your great worth ethic then he will have a special work assignment he'll task you with. He sounded really weird when he said that but he did tell you that not only did it come with a bigger pay but you also get some bonuses; paid leave and dental. 

One of the first tasks you had done when you started was clean out the utility closet, the fire had done a lot of damage to the main lobby and some of the rooms but by the time they put it out a lot was salvageable. The closet was untouched by fire but it had seemed like a homeless man and his raccoon had been sleeping in here. 

A large mess with a stale smell, a needle and a container with what you could only assume was cocaine. You were honestly surprised that no one had cleaned this room up in the two years the El Royale had been back open but your manager said they just used a different room.

He wasn't a very good manager. 

When you cleaned you had completely emptied out the room, scrubbed it clean from top to bottom and put in a new shelving unit, desk and couch. Things were much more organised. 

You kneel down and pull out a small box that you have shoved away to the back of the bottom shelf. It was filled with old documents from before; shipping documents, receipts and an employee form. 

You pull out the form and flip the page, smiling when the picture stapled to the form matched the man you just checked in. 

Your eyes scan the form before you slip his picture into your pocket. He's very cute. 

You put the box away and go back out to the lobby before you get in trouble for being away from your post. 

Your manager, Tim, wasn't around tonight, he only shows up whenever there's a big client staying at the hotel. Not that you mind. He always made you feel uncomfortable. 

But Tim's side piece, Angelica, is working the sitting area and she really doesn't like you for some unfathomable reason. Not that you care. She always annoyed you. 

Only a few more hours and she will be gone for the night, unfortunately you're stuck doing the overnight shift. People didn't really come in the middle of the night but it wasn't unheard of. Usually you slip into the backroom and crash on the couch until someone calling for room service or an extra pillow would wake you. 

Until then you man the counter, taking calls and answering questions. 

- 

The first thing Miles does when he enters the room is head for the bathroom. He's been on the road for a while and he desperately needs to relieve himself. 

When finished he grabs some clothes from his duffel and makes his way back to the bathroom but the large mirror on the wall makes him stop in his tracks. 

He knows the deal; he knows there's tunnels behind the mirror, knows someone could be watching him. He should call reception, you, and ask for another blanket so he can cover it up but there's a scratch in his lower abdomen, a scratch he's been feeling for a while. 

He doesn't miss the El Royale, doesn't miss what they made him do. But there is a part of him that like the idea of it.

Of someone watching him.

Of you watching him.

Do you even do that? He's sure the hotel still would. They wouldn't give up that much revenue. But you seemed so sweet and kind. Too innocent. After many years behind the counter, behind the mirror, he likes to think he's good at reading people and you just didn't seem to be burdened by that darkness.

Part of him hopes you were.

He decides to forgo the blanket, he's not a high enough profile that they would film him and even if you didn't come down to watch him to idea that you might sits heavy and warm in his gut. 

He strips down as he waits for the bathroom to fill with steam from the shower, letting a small hiss fall from his throat as he removes his slacks and underwear, the material grazing roughly over his leaking cock.

Christ, he's so pent up that just the thought of you has him leaking. 

He reaches down and squeezes his length, moan echoing loudly around the tiled room at his touch. He runs his thumb over the tip, smudging the pre come, using the salty discharge to slick up his throbbing cock as he slowly starts to stroke himself. 

He steps under the spray of the water, letting out a groan at the welcomed warmth to his back, hand not leaving his pulsating member as he situates himself in the cubicle. 

He's too turned on to draw this out; hand speeding up as he thrusts his hips to match the pace. His other hand slaps against the wall by his head as small whimpers slip out of his mouth; eyes shut tight as he pictures you, your hand wrapped tightly around him, your thumb flicking his tip, your lips on his neck moaning his name. 

In record time he feels his orgasm approaching, he bites his lips as his balls tighten, the throbbing of his cock practically vibrating against his closed fist before a wrecked moan tears itself from his throat. 

Warm spurts of come paint the tile wall in front of him, he continues the rough pace of his strokes; working himself through the high. High pitched whimpers fall from his lips as he thumbs over his sensitive head, all the while picturing you on your knees, your face covered in his seed. 

- 

You force out a strained smile as you turn to the box of keys behind you, a customer has locked themselves out of their room. Thankfully there is a master key to all the rooms, but as you open the cupboard door a small confused sound leaves you; where's the key?

Okay, don't panic. Someone probably misplaced it, you're sure no one has taken it. Why would they?

"One moment," you smile to the irritated woman behind the counter, taking her frustrations out on you like this is your fault. 

You enter the hallway and go to the utility closet, maybe someone left it on the desk. You lift up papers and search around but nothing. You really hope you won't have to call in Tim.

All the workers left to go home half an hour ago so you have no one to ask if they've seen it. 

You step back out into the hallway and just as you're about to panic, Angelica walks through the door at the end of the hall. The door that's always locked. The door your manager said led to the generator rooms. The room your manager said to never go into. 

Angelica doesn't notice you're standing there until she's re-locked the door and is halfway up the corridor, a look of disgust covering her face when she sees you. 

"What?" She sneers. 

"What were you doing in that room?" You ask, deciding to ignore her tone, "I thought we weren't allowed in there." 

"Were not," she emphasised, "I am."

"Whatever," you roll your eyes, "I need the key." 

She only scoffs and throws the key too high causing you to stumble; her cruel laugh echoes around the hall as she exits the corridor. 

Asshole. 

You help the woman back to her room, ignoring her mutterings of "about damn time" and other jabs, resisting the urge to lock her in her room and board over the door.

On your way back to the lobby you watch as Angelica's car pulls out of the lot and you feel lighter. Her presence like a dark cloud. 

Your eyes catch on Room 4 and without properly thinking things through and with quiet steps you walk close to the door and press your ear to the cold wood, smiling slightly when you hear the soft hums of the radio playing. 

Miles has been on your mind all night, he intrigues you but more than that you're completely and utterly attracted to him. He blushes so easily, his ears turn pink and the stutter in his words is so cute. 

You wonder if there were other ways you could make him stutter. You do have the master key...

The thought catches you off guard and you step away from the door suddenly coming back to your senses. 

Not once in the entire time you've worked here have you had an attraction to a customer. Sure, you've found a few of them attractive but that was just noticing their beauty. With Miles you felt a deep want of his attention. An ache growing in your lower abdomen the more you thought of him.

Sexual dalliances were rather common between the staff and the guests, more often then not you'd walk into the breakroom and overhear yet another erotic tale from the night before, but you never partook in such activities. You didn't really shame any one but it just wasn't for you.

Or so you thought until a certain blue eyed beauty walked in the lobby and into your every waking thought.   

You want to talk to him again but it's almost midnight and that would be very improper. Maybe you could hang back late in the morning until check out so you can see him one last time before he goes, the brief thought of him leaving sending a slight pang of confused hurt through your chest.

You force yourself away from his door before anyone can see you and head back to the lobby. 

The large room is completely devoid of people and you let out a small smile. You liked when it got like this. 

You head over to the wooden cupboard to put the key back when you're reminded of the door at the end of the hall. 

Why was Angelica down there? Was it a secret rendezvous for her and Tim? Why didn't they just use an empty room like the other employees?

You let your nosiness get the better of you as you head behind the counter, you take one last look around the room before making your way down the hall. 

You were expecting to see a room with generators or power boxes of some sort; maybe some blankets or evidence of a love nest. What you did not expect was a large staircase leading down to a dark... basement? 

All your instincts are telling you to turn back but you push them to the back of your mind, curiousity getting the better of you. Perhaps the generators are under ground?

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs you see there are two large tunnels going opposite ways; one way to the Nevada side of the hotel, the other to the California side. 

After almost no thought you decide to go the California way, cursing yourself when you're plunged into almost complete darkness; you should have grabbed a flashlight. 

Thankfully a light up ahead starts to illuminate the tunnel, as you get closer you realise the light is coming from a window. A window? 

You slowly peak ahead and look into the window and instantly wish you hadn't. You're greeted with the image of an older couple really going to town on one another.

You guess it's kind of sweet, this old and still attracted to each other. 

But you really didn't need to see the saggy and flabby skin. Thankfully it's soundless but judging by the small switch beside the window you have a feeling that could change.

Once the shock wears off you're filled with guilt and confusion, you turn around and stare back down the dark tunnel you came from. 

What is this place? Why are these windows here? Was this the 'special task' Tim mentioned? 

You don't want this. 

But as you go to leave the imagine of Miles' blushing face fills your mind. Looking down the dark corridor it looks like all the rooms have a window. It couldn't hurt to just have a peak, right?

He's probably just sleeping? And that's okay... right?

You let out a groan as you already know you're going to violate Miles' privacy.

As you walk past the windows you throw up your hand to cover your eyes. You really don't want to accidentally see anymore then you needed to. 

When you come to Miles' window you take a second to breath in, desperately hoping you come to your senses and leave. Do you really want to be this type of person? 

For Miles? Yes. 

Looking up you're filled with relief and disappointment, the room is cast in darkness save for the small lamp on the bedside table. Miles is wearing cute wire frame glasses and is reading a paperback book, torso bare and surprisingly toned.

It seems so domestic. 

You decide to continue to push the boundary as you lean down and flick the switch, a small crackle followed by soothing music fills the empty tunnel.

You bite your lip as you take in his form, the blanket rests low around his hips and his body is shockingly defined. Not too muscled but there's a hint of abs. 

As you try to get closer you trip on your shoelace; stumbling forward you try to catch yourself on the wall but half of you palm hits the glass. 

That was loud. 

Your whole entire body stills and you squeeze your eyes shut in a wince, there's no way he didn't hear that. Maybe he thought it was an earthquake. Earthquakes happen in California. Or wind. Inside wind. That'stotally  a thing. 

Your heart is beating a mile a minute but you can't stand here with your eyes closed all night. What if he's left to go to reception to see what that noise was?

With that panicked thought you snap your eyes open and are shocked to find Miles still sitting in bed, the same exact position he was in mere minutes ago; seemingly ignorant to the bang that came from his mirror.

You let out a sigh of relief as you take a second to rest back against the concrete wall and catch your breath. That was far too close. 

-

Miles looks at the small clock hanging on the wall opposite to the bed; 11:15pm. When he was working here; and there were staff, the day/afternoon shift workers usually left around 10:30-11pm. With you on reception he assumes you'll be doing the night shift. 

He pulls back the covers and rests against the headboard before grabbing his book and opening it to the marked page, glasses already resting on his nose. He'll read for a while and then maybe he'll call reception and request an extra pillow or something. Desperate to hear your voice again. 

Like the universe can hear his prayers his attention is brought to his door as he hears the faint voice of a snippy woman followed by the polite, yet exhausted, voice belonging to you. 

He gently hops from the mattress and makes he way over to the door, pressing his ear against the cold wood. He hears you helping the woman before having the door rudely slammed in your face.

He definitely doesn't miss working in hospitality. 

Your footsteps are soft as they make their way down the path, his heart starts to beat louder in his chest as you get closer to his door. 

When you stop by his door he clenches his hands into a fist, resisting the urge to open it and ask you to come in. But before he can build up the courage he hears you quickly walking away back towards the lobby. He lets out a disappointed sigh and heads back towards his bed. 

He's deep in thought as he reads his book, completely unaware of his surroundings, he barely registers the song on the radio as he's caught up in the passages. 

What does bring him back the moment is the thud coming from the mirror, he slightly startles at the sound, heart beating wildly in his chest as he collects himself. Until he remembers where he is and who is behind the mirror. 

You.

And now his heart is beating fast for an entirely different reason. 

He bites the inside of his cheek as he now pretends to read his book, thinking of what his next move should be. He never thought this far ahead, not really thinking that this could really happen. 

He doubts the thud was intentional but he can't be sure, either way he decides to just go for it. 

He slowly places his book on the bedside table before removing his glasses; he makes a show of stretching his arms high above his head. He's always been very self-conscious of his body, an insecurity that has followed him since childhood but if all the late night call girls were to be believed he actually had a great body. 

He wonders what you think of it.

He keeps the lamp on as he slides down the bed, keeping his chest bare and the sheets gathered around his hips. He starts by tracing his fingers over his chest, using every ounce of inner strength he possesses to fight through his self-doubt and second guessing. He lets out a soft moan; loud enough for the speaker to pick up, as he grazes his fingers over his left nipple. 

His chest is flushed and his face a deep crimson, he hopes the shadows from the lamp hide how shamelessly embarrassed and aroused he is. 

He lets out a hiss as he pinches the same nipple before scratching his nails lightly down his toned stomach with his other hand, he pulls the nub taut and bucks his hips at the stinging sensation, loving the burn it illicits.

Deciding to be a bit of a tease, he slides his hand under the sheet making sure to keep your view obscured of his lower half, hoping that the more he drags it out the more you enjoy yourself.

Removing his hand from his chest he slides his boxers from his hips before slowly dropping them on the ground beside the bed.

When he wraps his fist around his hardened cock he drops his head back against the pillow and lets out a deep moan at the feeling. He takes a second to ground himself before slowly starting to stroke his throbbing member.

High pitched whimpers fall from his lips as he watches his fist under the sheet, the fabric around the head starting to dampen with his pre come. He brings his other hand back to his chest and starts to tease himself again, pinching and pulling; the sensations dragging more debauched sounds from the back of his throat.

He drives his hips upwards to meet the pace his hand has set, choking out a groan every time his thumb rubs over the head, smearing the pre come down his cock to help the glide of his fist.

The thought of you possibly standing behind the mirror, watching him with your hand in your panties touching yourself to him has him careening towards the edge way too fast.

He reluctantly slows his hand down and squeezes tightly around the base of his cock to push back the desperate need to come, at least for a little while longer.

-

You let out a cracked desperate sound as you watch Miles grind his hips upwards, humping his fist as he's lost in pleasure.

You couldn't believe your luck when Miles' started to tease himself, at first you were disappointed when he put his book on the nightstand; fully believing he was turning in for the night but boy were you wrong.

You squeeze your legs together, in dire need for some pressure on the growing heat between your thighs.

You press your head against the cool surface of the glass as you pry open your pants, guilt forgotten as Miles' sounds of pleasure fill your senses.

With a quick ease you slip your hand into your underwear and bring your fingers to your clit, your moan fogging up the glass as you press down on the bundle; you're not surprised with how soaked your panties are, the mere thought of Miles has made you surprisingly desperate all night.

You gyrate your hips forward as you begin to rub furiously against your clit, too far gone and aroused to draw this out and appreciate it. With your other hand you push your pants down around your thighs to allow better access as you start to run your fingers through your puffy folds.

You bite down hard on your bottom lip to silence your whines, desperate to only want to hear Miles' pleasure. You swear you could come untouched just by his voice alone.

Spreading some of your slick over your clit to help with the slide of your fingers causes you to shut your eyes as a shockwave of pleasure ripples through your lower abdomen, your legs slightly buckle but thankfully the wall is there to take the majority of your weight.

A long drawn out whine from the other side of the mirror makes you instantly snap your eyes open, you briefly curse yourself for closing them in the first place and missing out on some of the action.

Miles has pulled the sheet to the side and the image of his bare, glistening cock is almost too much for you.

"Fuck," you cry out as you rip your hands completely away from the sopping wet mess between your legs, an irritated feeling courses through your body as your impending orgasm is halted.

You don't want to come yet, you want to come with Miles.

You clench around nothing as you allow yourself to watch him for a moment, mind running wild with the urge to break this window and crawl into bed with him.

His cock is far bigger then you thought it would be, you believed it would be average size but judging by how big it looks in his own hand you'd say it’s a bit bigger. You feel your mouth fill with saliva as he brings his other hand down to cup his balls.

Your breath hitches in your throat as his chest slightly glistens in the low light of the lamp, sweat covering his upper body. You want to lick the sweat clean from his body.

The throbbing between your thighs is becoming hard to ignore and you desperately hope Miles is close because you've never been a fan of edging. Especially not to yourself.

You can hear the faint mumblings of intelligible words coming through the speaker and you try your hardest to listen and make out what he is saying, but unfortunately the sound of the radio is just a little too loud.

You let out a needy sigh as your slick starts to trail down your legs, you can't remember the last time you were this turned on. If you're being honest with yourself you don’t think you have ever been this turned on.

You can no longer hold yourself back as you push your fingers through your folds and instantly impale yourself on two of your digits, you cry out from the slight burn of the stretch but thankfully your arousal has coated your insides enough that it only stings for a second.

You bring your other hand down to rub against your clit, the desire to come outweighing the want of coming in tandem with Miles. When your head isn't so foggy with need you might regret your decision; but that’s a future You problem.

You speed your thrusts up to match Miles' and slowly allow yourself to give into the pleasure, to your ultimate surprise the needy groans coming from the other side followed by a cry of "close!" brings a warm relief to your chest. Maybe you will come together after all.

-

"F-Fuck," his voice is slightly hoarse as he continues his harsh pace, no longer wanting to draw this out, the uncontrollable need to come taking over his body completely.

He closes his hand a little tighter around his heavy sac, adding a firm pleasure; the sensation making him buck up into his fist.

With the urge drawing close he can feel himself on the cusp of bliss, he cries out as the word "close!" spills out of his lips, hoping you heard and would come with him.

Part of him hopes you heard him earlier when he was moaning your name and begging you to come into the room and fuck him, but he knows how shitty the speakers can be and with the radio playing it would be tough to make out his words. He inwardly curses himself for not turning off the radio before hand but that could have been too suspicious.

He can't continue to think about that as the heat in his lower stomach starts to grow and his balls start to go tight.

He plants his feet flat against the bed and bends his knees as he lifts his hips of the bed and fucks madly into his fist, cries and moans mixing together as come starts to shoot from his cock and land on his abdomen.

He doesn't stop gyrating his hips until every last drop of spend has coated his stomach, the slick mess pooling by his bellybutton.

He falls back against the bed, legs laying out flat as he catches his breath. His eyes are closed and his brings a hand to push the hair out of his face, chest heaving as his heart hammers against his ribs.

He brings his fingers down to run through the come on his stomach, mind far too blissed out to worry if you'd find this disgusting. He swirls the mess around, slightly rubbing it into his skin before bringing a generous amount to his lips and sucking his fingers into his mouth.

He allows himself this moment as he slowly comes down.

-

The imagine of Miles rutting his hands into his fist as his feet drive him upwards, his come spilling out over his stomach and chest; spend coming so close to landing on his chin, will live forever in your head.

The action alone is what pushes you to your own climax, the debauched cries of his pleasure as he empties his balls on to his abdomen had you flying over the edge.

Your lower stomach clenches as your hips grind down to meet the impaling of your fingers into your wet heat, your soft walls accommodating the stretch as you add a third finger to the mix, scissoring and flexing them inside to bring you to completion.

Your eyes pinch close at the electric feeling of your orgasm, moans and whimpers being torn from your throat as the pressure of your fingers rubbing tirelessly over your clit and your thrusting digits help you through your bliss.

Slick covers your palm and dribbles down your wrist landing in your panties and making a bigger mess, your chest is on fire as you catch your breath; feeling as though you just ran a marathon.

The glass is fogged up and moist from your hot breath, you feel far too weak move away from the mirror so you slide your head a little to the side.

The view of Miles fucked out and dazed; breathing hard and still panting as he plays with his come and cleans his fingers by sucking them into between his lips, is reigniting the fire and you have to force your eyes closed unless you want to be here all night.

Not a bad idea.

You wait until your breathing is steady before you pull your fingers from your sensitive wet heat, whining slightly from the sensation.

A few minutes later Miles stands and makes his way to the bathroom, most likely to clean himself up properly. The guilt is starting to return but so is your desire as your eyes are drawn to his softened cock, red and slick.

You need you leave.

The rest of your shift goes torturously slow. You constantly have to fight the urge to go back down into the tunnels and watch Miles. You know he'll only be sleeping but the creepy part of you, a part that you didn’t even know existed before tonight, wants to watch him sleep.

-

You rub your eyes to remove some of the sleep, your shift ended an hour ago; you told your coworker that you can man the desk while they had breakfast, they were more then happy to oblige not questions asked.

It's almost time for check out and you didn’t want to miss seeing Miles one last time. The sadness hits you hard, you've only known this guy for a few hours, talked to him once and violated his privacy but you feel an odd sense of a connection there.

You're pulled from your misery as the aforementioned man walks through the lobby doors looking well rested, a smile on his face as he makes his way to the counter.

"Good morning, Miles," you muster the warmest smile you can manage but you can feel the red hot blush covering your cheeks.

He greets you with a gentle "good morning," followed by the soft sound of your name, making you to almost choke.

You haven't heard him say your name before. It's nice.

"How was your stay with us," you can no longer make eye contact, your nerves feeling like a live wire. You swear there's a knowing glint in his eyes but you're probably over reacting.

"It was great," there's no longer a nervous stutter to his voice, it's still soft and gentle but he has a bit more confidence.

"That's good to hear!" Your voice a little loud, you miss the way he smiles at your reaction. "Well, we hope to see you again soon."

This time you force yourself to make eye contact, breath catching in your throat when you're met with his intense gaze already on you.

"I'll definitely be back," he promises, after a second he leans in and you follow on instinct, "I hope you enjoyed the show."

With eyes blown wide you open and shut your mouth, before you can offer any sort of excuse or even feign ignorance he flashes you a shy smile and walks out the lobby.

[lannister-rose]

Duty Ends Where Love Starts - Aegon II Targaryen x Fem!Reader

Summary: Sweethearts since childhood, you and Aegon were always meant to be together, but when duty, love, and political rivalry all clash together, you both find yourselves in loveless marriages with other people. After an argument breaks out between your husband, Aemond, and his brother you seek to help mend the issue. When you find yourself in Aegon's chambers alone with only him, suppressed emotions bubble their way to the surface.

Warnings: Reader is Rhaenyra's daughter, Slight Aemond x Reader (One Sided), Infidelity, Heavy emphasis on infidelity, Targcest (Uncle and Niece), Arranged marriages, Smut, P in V sex, Creampie, Mentions of pregnancy, use of Moon Tea, Minors Do Not Interact (MDNI)

Word Count: 2.9k

You were three and ten when Aegon kissed you for the first time in the library of the Red Keep while you were both supposed to be studying. It was your first kiss, and his, too; neither of you knowing what to do as your lips met each other's. It was clumsy and awkward, lasting only a few seconds, but it felt like a bliss-filled eternity before you pulled away, your cheeks burning as a deep shade of bright red covered them, you stuttering as you failed to find the right words to tell the boy who you had fallen for.

After that day you begged your mother, Rhaenyra, to speak with your Grandsire about having you wed to Aegon when you both came of age, telling her that you'd never have another take your hand in marriage. Your mother honored your request, but it was Aegon's mother, the Queen Consort Alicent Hightower, who refused to betroth her eldest to you.

When the time came, you found yourself Aemond Targaryen's wife, a marriage that would prove itself to be far from fulfilling. Aemond loved you, as he claimed, but the feelings were far from reciprocated, even as you spent more time with him over the years. He wasn't Aegon. Still, duty always called to those who held it, and you were his wife by law.

"Where is Aegon?" Your Grandsire, Viserys, questioned one night over supper, looking around the table for his son. "Do any of you know where he is?" He asked again, looking to the fellow members of your family for any insight. You had to admit, you were curious, too. It wasn't like him to miss supper, especially not when his favorite wine was being served.

"He and I had an argument," Your husband answered from beside you, the traces of a smug smirk on his face as he glanced over at you. "He had some choice words regarding my Lady Wife and I, and I made sure to put him in his place." You raised a brow at the information, unable to feign disinterest any longer. "My elder brother is likely sulking in his room right now as any child would." You watched as Alicent shot him a look, a warning to her son not to bring further drama to the already tense table.

"You two have been at each other's throats since we were children, Aemond." You stated plainly, standing up from your seat. "I do not wish to hear of your bickering with him, not at supper." You moved, heading towards the room's entrance. "I've lost my appetite, please excuse me."

You left, moving through the halls and towards Aegon's chambers. It had been your job since you were young to be your uncles' mediator, helping mend, or at least calm them both after their arguments. This one would be no different. You didn't bother knocking on the door once you were at his room, quickly dismissing the guards before stepping in.

He sat at his desk, staring down into a cup of wine with a mix of irritation and what looked to be a hint of hurt on his face as he swirled the dark liquid around in its cup. His deep purple eyes turned upwards to look at you briefly as you entered before returning down, the prince not bothering to react much to your sudden intrusion into his chambers.

"Has anyone ever taught you it's rude to barge into someone else's chambers without knocking first, Lady Velaryon?" He asked, the statement more of a playful jab than a question, even despite his slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"You and Aemond fought, and I hear it involved me, Uncle." You said, skipping straight to the point as you grabbed a spare chair from elsewhere in the room and pulled it up to the desk, sitting next to Aegon. "My husband said you had some 'choice words' regarding him and myself, may I ask what you said?"

Aegon set his cup down, finally looking at you fully. "I was drunk and said some things I should not have said; that is all that happened between him and me." He confessed, and you knew he was only speaking half of the truth, the half you already knew.

"Really? Is that all? Then why have you isolated yourself to your room then?" You pried, determined to get to the bottom of the issue. "What did you say, Aegon?"

Your uncle looked away, refusing to meet your gaze and you two fell into silence for a long moment, the prince trying to decide what he would say. "Do you ever know what our lives would be like if we had been wed to each other? If all the pleading we had done hadn't fallen on the deaf ears of our mothers?" He turned his head back up, looking at you with eyes swirling deep with conflicted emotion.

"Of course I do, Aegon." You answered simply, taking a deep breath. "But fate had other plans for us all, and we must adapt to it. Duty is scarcely something we desire." You felt your heart ache at your admission, the cruel reality of your situation sinking in once more after you'd spent years trying to bury how it made you feel.

"What do you desire?" He took your hand in his, squeezing it gently before he continued. "Are you happy with Aemond? Do you want to be with him? Has your heart begun to yearn for my brother after all these years with him?" Aegon awaited your answer, every second of your silence felt like a lifetime.

"It does not matter what I desire," You finally spoke, removing your hand from his. "I must fulfill my duty as—"

"Fuck duty." He interrupted, tone laced with bitterness. "I asked what you wanted, not what you must." He grabbed his wine, taking a long drink of it before speaking again. "I told Aemond that he didn't deserve you. That's why we argued, sweetling." The last word, filled with hate as it left his lips, felt like a sharp dagger to the chest. "My brother doesn't love you as I do, doesn't understand how much it infuriates me to hear the talk of him neglecting you while claiming to cherish you, his darling wife." Aegon's grip on his cup tightened, fingers digging into the metal.

You stood from your seat, making your way towards the door. "I think you're drunk again, Aegon. I'll see you once you've sobered up and stopped talking nonsense." Before you could leave he stood up quickly, grabbing your arm and pulling you back, flipping you around to face him. Your eyes widened as you stared back at him, and your mouth opened to scold him for what he just did.

Before you could take the chance to speak, he kissed you, lips moving with fervor against yours as he poured every emotion he ever felt for you into it. You hesitated before kissing back, melting into his touch as you relaxed, your hands resting on his shoulders as he pulled you closer, arms wrapping around your waist. It was wrong, you knew it, but emotion overpowered logic as you gave into him, tasting the fruity, almost sweet taste of wine on his lips as he kissed you.

"Aegon," You breathed out once you separated, your heart racing in your chest as you stared into his Indigo eyes filled with love and affection only he had ever shown you. You hadn't kissed him since before his wedding to Helaena so many years ago, and doing it once more after so long brought every feeling you had suppressed for him back to the surface.

"I need you to know that I'm not drunk when I say this." He paused, tenderly cupping your face in his hands. "I love you. With every part of my being. I swear it by the Gods." He leaned in further, your lips nearly touching again. "You may be Aemond's by law, but you are mine. We both know it, and we've gone too long denying it. What's stopping us from loving one another behind closed doors? What the rest of our family doesn't know will bring no harm."

You took a shaky breath at the proposition. It was a risky one should you follow through with it, but the risk made it all the more exciting to think about. Being able to be with the one you loved after so long would be worth the sneaking around, the guilt, and the shame.

"I'd kill for you, man or woman. I'd burn our house to the ground, burn the Seven Kingdoms to ash if it meant I'd be with you at the end of it all." His lips pressed against yours once more in another passion-filled kiss. You wanted him, needed him. No man had touched you in so long, not your husband, and not Aegon; you craved more of it, hungered for it like a starved animal staring at its first meal in ages.

You kissed him back with equal desire, moaning against his lips as you led him towards his bed, carefully pushing him down onto the mattress below. You straddled him, pressing up against the growing budget in his breeches as he held your hips, looking up at you with uncertainty, a rare state to see the prince in when with women.

"What's wrong, Aegon? You've bedded many women before. Don't tell me you've grown scared of them now." You teased, hands running over the expensive fabric of his dark forest green tunic.

"I've bedded whores, not the noble lady who I've loved since childhood." He corrected, letting you slip off his shirt and throw it to the stone ground below, leaving his chest bare and free for you to see and drink in the sight of. "Is it so wrong of me to wish to please you properly?"

You chuckled lightly at his words. "You're already doing better than Aemond by spending this time with me. My husband rarely has me in such a position." It was Aegon's turn to chuckle, slipping your gown off your shoulders as he did so. He watched your breasts spill out of your dress, cock hardening even further at the beautiful sight

"Gods, your beauty is unmatched." His hand found your soft breast, kneading it as you moaned lewdly, the sound like music to his ears. "Do you know how long I've yearned to hear those sounds come from you? How many nights I had spent wishing you were the one with me instead of some whore?" He pressed open-mouthed kisses to the soft skin of your chest, savoring each and every noise that escaped you.

You helped him remove your gown fully, leaving your fully nude figure on full display to your lover. He drank in the sight, the look of you being more fulfilling and delicious than any other person or thing he had ever experienced. You weren't from a brothel, nor were you Helaena or any other woman who had ever been with. You were his first and only love, and here you were in front of him, letting him do to you what he had always desired.

"You're staring, Aegon." You observed, your voice low and sultry, utterly intoxicating.

"What man wouldn't when faced with such a pretty thing?" His hands roamed your body as he smirked.

You pulled off his breeches, letting his cock spring out, the tip already leaking small translucent pearls of precum from the excitement of it all. You bit your lip as you realized how big he was. You'd struggle to take him. You stroked him slowly, bringing your hand up and down his thick length. Aegon watched through half-lidded violet eyes as you touched him, a groan of your name leaving his lips. Then you placed his cock, hard and ready, at your entrance, sinking down onto it, struggling to hold back a loud moan as you did so.

"I've wanted this for so long. I've wanted you." Aegon's hands grabbed at your hips as you began to bring yourself up and down, riding his cock. You felt like no other woman he had ever been with; to him, you were perfection. For the first time in his life he was overwhelmed by sex, the emotions he held for you combined with the feeling of the velvety walls of your cunt wrapped around him combined in a way that had his head blissfully empty except for the thought of you.

"Kiss me." The words sounded more desperate than he intended, but that's what he was: desperate. The prince had never been one to kiss when he did these things, but he had gone years without you, and he'd be damned if he didn't take all you had to offer, savoring it as he did.

You listened to him, leaning down, your body pressing up against his as your lips moved together sloppily. Aegon gripped your hips tighter, beginning to thrust his own upwards, driving his cock deep into you. You whimpered against his lips, trying to meet his movements with yours to get more of him.

"You're going to make me cum." Aegon announced through his groans, unable to last long with how well you were taking him. "I'm going to fill you up, little dove. You want that, don't you? I'll make you mine." You let out a mix between a moan and a whine as his thrusts up into you grew rougher, the sounds of your shared pleasure filling the otherwise quiet room. You buried your face into the crook of his neck, mouth wide open as you failed to do much else other than let him fuck you.

"Fuck! Aegon!" You managed to get out as the tip of his cock grazed your sweet spot, pushing you closer to your impending climax. All it took was one more touch of that same spot, more head-on this time, for you to cum around him, your cunt fluttering with the force of your orgasm. He followed soon after, losing his rhythm before his hips stilled, warm cum coating your insides and spilling out down your thighs.

You slumped over, breathing heavily as you lay next to him, placing your head on his chest as your post-orgasmic haze set it. His fingers combed through your hair, deep violet eyes closing as his lips curled up into a satisfied smile; the silver-haired man being pleasantly exhausted.

"I love you." You spoke softly, breaking the silence. "They say love is where duty ends, Aegon." The prince tucked a stray lock of your hair behind your ear before caressing your cheek.

"That's because love feels a lot better, sweetling. We all indulge despite what's expected of us. Tonight we chose to indulge in each other," he leaned in, a sweet kiss soon finding its way to you. "It's wrong, isn't it? What we've done here. I don't care how wrong things may be, not when you're next to me, warming my bed." He moved on top of you, being to press chaste, loving kisses to your neck. You smiled tiredly, wrapping your arms around him, enjoying the warmth he radiated.

No one would keep you from him, not after tonight. You'd both have to return to your spouses eventually when duty overpowered love, but for now, you were each other's.

When what was expected of you did make its call you separated from Aegon, bathing away the remnants of your night together before leaving his chambers, thankful that the servants who fetched the water didn't pry further. Later on, you found yourself in the library, pretending to read a book while you reminisced about that first kiss with Aegon that started it all between you and him. The sound of shoes stepping against the hard floor drew you out of your thoughts, and you looked up toward the source, finding it to be your mother.

"We need to talk," Rhaenyra said with concern in her voice, making her way to you quickly, a small cup held carefully in her hands. She sat beside you, handing you the cup. You took it, a confused look on your face.

"What's this?" You asked, looking down at the currently unidentified liquid that smelled of tansy and sweet honey.

"I don't know what you've done, what risks you've already taken, but rumors have spread of your infidelity." Your mother explained. "I do not wish to interrogate you, but I have a feeling I already know who it is whom you've spent your time with, and knowing who he is, I know these words are likely more than just gossip spread by those wishing to sully your name."

Your heart sunk at her words, and it was then that you knew what she had handed you. It was moon tea, that's why it smelled of tansy. "Mother, I'm—" She stopped you, placing her hands onto yours, comforting you.

"I know what it's like to choose love over all else, and the dangers which come. You mentioned in passing a few days ago how Aemond hadn't touched you in a long while. He's no fool. He'll know if you fall pregnant that the child isn't his, and I fear what he may do once that realization comes.

You took a deep breath, bringing the cup up to your lips and taking a sip, the taste both bitter and sweet as it reached your tongue. Your mother understood like no other could.

"It is just a precaution, sweet girl. I trust you to be cautious from now on. Duty ends where love starts." She stood up, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You needed your mother in this moment, and here she was. She was right. Duty ends where love starts. That phrase would become your mantra.

[passionatefanficgirl]

Let Me Help (Part 1)

A/N: I've been writing a lot of Jake recently, so I figured I'd switch it up a little, and write some Bradley for a change. Hope you enjoy. (Sorry the writing's a little clunky.)

Pairing: Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Autistic!Fem!Shy!Reader

Summary: You're injured, but you don't want to be seen as weak or incapable. Well, until you fall into the arms of a certain aviator.

Warnings/tags: Soft Bradley, lots and lots of fluff, some angst, reader is written as a WSO, crying, pining, mention of injuries, insecure reader

****************************************************

You don't see the step until you miss it, falling heavily to the ground.

Groaning softly, you roll over onto your back, trying to collect your thoughts. Your ankle's throbbing, and your hands are grazed, but fortunately, you don't feel any pain or swelling on your head.

Dragging yourself off the ground, you try and put some weight on your ankle. It hurts a lot, but it's not unbearable, and your ankle feels fairly stable, so you decide you'll just try and walk it off for now.

You're not going to tell anyone you're injured, of course.

Sure, the Dagger Squad all seem like nice people, for the most part (apart from Hangman, of course), but you don't know them that well, and you've no idea how they'll react to you being injured. You don't want to know how they'd react.

Especially Rooster.

You've been telling yourself for ages now that you do not have a crush on him. No, you just look up to him. After all, he's handsome, and nice, and you want to be friends with him. Just friends.

And you definitely do not have dreams about him taking care of you in this sort of situation. About him cuddling you while you cry on his shoulder. About him carrying you in his arms…

The thought of him finding you like this is enough to make you shudder.

What would he think of me? What would he say? Would he think I'm a weakling who can't take care of herself? Would he-

"Hey, C/S!"

You jump in fright at the sound of Bob's voice. "Oh! You scared me."

He gives you a funny look. "What are you doing hanging around the stairs? It's almost time for training."

"Oh, I - I must have lost track of time…" It's not a complete lie.

Bob doesn't look convinced. "I heard a crash a few minutes ago. Did you fall down the stairs?"

"No!" Seeing the look on Bob's face, you hastily amend your statement. "Well, yes. But I only grazed my hands. I'll be fine. Look, the skin isn't even broken."

You even hold out your hands for Bob to inspect, which he does with an extremely serious, focused look on his face.

Once he's satisfied that you're telling the truth, he lets your hands go. "Okay. Well, we'd better go to training."

You regretfully pull yourself away from the daydream you were having of Rooster inspecting your hands for grazes. "Oh. Yeah. Training. Right…"

"You sure you're okay?" asks Bob, as you walk down to the briefing room. "Sure you didn't hit your head or anything?"

"No. I - um - I guess falling down the stairs kind of rattled me. You know, it's just been so long since it last happened…"

You're still aimlessly rambling as you both enter the briefing room, but you fall silent the minute you notice Fanboy give you a funny look.

Looking around, you notice that most of the seats are taken.

Except for the one next to Rooster.

When he sees you, he smiles at you, and pats the seat next to him.

Blushing, you take it, sitting rather stiffly, partly because you're in such close proximity to him, and partly because your ankle really is throbbing now.

It seems like no time at all before you have to be back on your feet.

They're mixing things up a little, having the pilots choose different WSOs, presumably as some sort of teambuilding exercise (you weren't really paying attention).

You're disappointed that Rooster didn't pick you, but Payback beat him to it. And it's not as if he flies like Hangman. He's more inclined to go a bit slower, which suits you just fine, especially because you don't want to jar your ankle any more than necessary.

It's difficult to walk out to the hangar with your ankle feeling like it's going to buckle any second, but you somehow manage it, which makes you feel rather pleased with yourself.

You manage to get through training without telling anyone about your ankle. Of course, it helps that you've been sitting down most of the time, which gave you a chance to rest your ankle.

Unfortunately, you didn't realise that means your ankle's gone stiff. You very nearly fall when you get out of the plane, but Payback manages to catch you just in time.

"You okay, C/S?" he asks as he helps you stand.

You nod. "Just a bit stiff."

Payback doesn't look completely convinced, but he doesn't argue, fortunately.

Not that he would, anyway. You two aren't really close enough for that.

Neither are you and Rooster, as a matter of fact.

It's very difficult for you not to limp as you walk back to the building. Your ankle's getting more and more painful with every step, but you're determined to at least get through today.

Once you're in the briefing room, though, it's impossible to not let out a sigh of relief as you sit down, which prompts funny looks from the others, but you pretend not to notice.

"So, we're meeting at The Hard Deck tonight, then?" asks Phoenix.

She's answered by sounds of assent from the others.

You curse silently. You'd forgotten about the meet-up at the bar after work.

And you've already promised Bob that you'll be there tonight.

Wonderful. Just what I wanted.

It's not just because of your sprained ankle, though. You're already tired from work, and the last thing you need is more socialising in a noisy, crowded bar.

"Can't we do something different?" asks Hangman. "We're always at the bar."

Phoenix shrugs. "What were you thinking?"

"Dogfight football."

Fortunately, the protests at this shuts him up very quickly.

"Okay, okay!" Jake holds his hands up in surrender. "Geez…"

*****************************************************

Sighing, you collapse on your sofa almost immediately after entering your house. You're really not looking forward to tonight.

For one thing, you've still got to hide your injury. For another, you just don't like loud, rowdy places - like bars.

What if I just didn't go? you wonder suddenly. What if I stayed home and watched a movie or something?

At first, you try to dismiss the thought, but the more you think about what you'd do if you stayed home, the more you realise that you'd actually prefer to stay home.

So you end up deciding to stay home, and order some food.

Normally, the only time you have is when you're rushing around trying to get ready for work, so it's nice to finally be able to have some quality time with yourself.

By the time you finish dinner, you're pretty tired, and you don't want to risk falling asleep on the sofa, so you decide to skip on the movie, and just go straight to bed.

As you're getting ready for bed, you suddenly remember that you should probably ice your ankle, so after rummaging through the freezer to find something to wrap around your ankle, you go to bed.

But despite your exhaustion, it still takes you ages to fall asleep.

*****************************************************

The next morning, judging by the way the others are buzzing, it sounds like some crazy stuff went on at the bar yesterday, and you're very, very glad that you didn't go.

Rooster smiles when he sees you, and pats the seat next to him. "Hey, C/S."

As you sit down, you try desperately not to wince. The ice did help some, but your ankle's definitely feeling worse than yesterday.

"Missed you last night," says Rooster. "Were you okay?" Is it your imagination, or is his voice just a little softer than usual?

You nod, wishing your face wouldn't go so red. "Just - just tired."

Rooster doesn't look convinced, but nods.

He looks like he's about to say something else, but just then, Maverick calls for everyone's attention, and you've got no more time to chat.

"Well, as it so happens, Cyclone happened to be in a good mood today," he begins.

Oh no. Chills run over your body. You already know what Maverick's got in mind.

"So, since he's given everyone the afternoon off, I was thinking we play some dogfight football at the beach."

The room erupts into cheers.

Except for you.

You feel sick to your stomach. Sports were never really your thing, although you don't usually mind playing with the squad, but - you can't possibly play with an injury, and if you hide it, you won't be able to duck out of the match.

*****************************************************

What am I supposed to do? you wonder, as you try not to limp on your way to the beach.

Training's gone pretty badly. You were so distracted by your throbbing ankle, and trying to think of ways to get out of the game this afternoon that you ended up getting 'killed' at least twice (you lost count).

You were flying with Phoenix today, who isn't too impressed with you, but she's not as annoyed as you thought you'd be, although that might be because you didn't get 'killed' by Hangman.

But Phoenix's annoyance at you is the last thing on your mind.

Your ankle's feeling less and less stable the further you walk, and the pain's so bad that you're giving yourself a headache trying to bite back the groans and winces that you'd usually let out.

But you're still determined to not tell anyone.

You're not really sure why you're so bent on being independent. Maybe it stems back to the fact that you're autistic, and you've always felt like you've had to work twice as hard as your neurotypical peers to prove your worth…

Of course, it doesn't help that when you first applied to be a Naval aviator, the military didn't want to let you in, on account of you being autistic, and you had to fight to prove that you were worth taking on.

But your problems didn't end there. No, even while training to become an aviator, there was still the horrible cliquey situation that you thought you'd left behind in high school. All the other women seemed to know each other, and you didn't really feel comfortable trying to make friends with the men.

Except for Bob, of course. But then, you've both been friends since you were in high school. And Bob's always been a very kind, accepting person.

But you're not even going to tell him about your ankle. He's too conscientious to be able to help you hide an injury, and he'd have you in the sickbay in no time, which is the last thing you need when you're with the Dagger Squad

Everyone else seems happy and excited, pretty much the opposite of how you're feeling right now, and you really don't want to put a damper on their afternoon.

I wish I could just go home, you think. It's not like anyone would really miss me. And we'd be an odd number anyway, if Mav wanted to play.

You pause for a moment, turning the idea over in your head.

After all, why not? Why shouldn't I go home? It's my afternoon off. And anyway, what if my ankle played up, and they all noticed? Isn't that what I was worried about in the first place?

But I told Bob I'd be there.

You didn't promise.

Yeah, but bailing on him twice in two days? Isn't that a bit much?

*****************************************************

Hi, Bob. Sorry for the short notice, but I'm going to have to bail on the football game.

You pause for a moment, before hitting send. Well, no going back now.

Bob's reply comes up almost immediately. To Y/N: Oh, no. Why? Bob.

You manage a small smile as you reply. I'm just feeling kind of tired.

To Y/N: Do you want me to come over? Bob.

No, it's ok. I'll be fine by myself. Maybe tomorrow?

To Y/N: Okay. Hope you feel better soon. Bob.

Sighing, you put your phone aside, before immediately picking it up again so you can order some food. You feel bad bailing on Bob twice in quick succession, but you weren't lying. You are really tired, not least because of this stupid injury.

Maybe I'll take a sick day tomorrow, you wonder, before quickly dismissing the idea. You've only got a finite amount of sick leave, and you want to save it for - well, for a very rainy day, i.e. when you're really sick.

Which, if truth be told, hasn't happened this year. And you're past flu season, so…

There's a knock at the door.

You nearly jump out of your skin in fright, before groaning, and dragging yourself up to go and see who it is. It won't be the delivery guy, because you haven't even finished your order yet.

Your heart nearly stops when you open the door.

It's Rooster.

"Hey, C/S," he says. "Just came by to see how you're doing."

Him just being alone with you is enough to render your brain mush, and you have absolutely no idea how to reply, so you try stepping back as a way of inviting him in.

It's just bad luck that you completely forget about your ankle, which gives out beneath you, sending you to the floor.

Rooster catches you just in time.

Lifting you in his arms, he carries you to the living room, where he sets you down on the sofa.

"Where'd you hurt yourself?" he demands.

You stare at the floor. "My ankle," you whisper, wishing your cheeks wouldn't burn so much.

Very gently, Rooster takes your sock off. Judging by his soft gasp, he doesn't even need to touch your ankle to know that it's badly swollen.

"Is it broken or sprained?" he asks at last, his voice surprisingly thick.

"Sprained."

"Okay." Rooster takes a deep breath. "I'm gonna go get some ice for this. I'll only be a minute, so just stay put, okay?"

Once he's left the room, you scrub at your eyes, trying hard to keep the tears away. You expected him to yell at you for hiding an injury, but his quiet concern somehow makes you feel much, much worse.

And it doesn't help that your brain keeps replaying what happened over and over again.

That look on his face when you fell…

You don't even realise that you've started to cry until you feel a pair of strong arms around you, and a large hand cradling your head.

"Oh, sweetheart," murmurs Rooster. "I'm so sorry, I know it hurts…"

Sniffling, you lean into him as he strokes your hair, and murmurs sweet nothings in an attempt to calm you down. Despite how awkward you feel, you'd be lying if you said that a small part of you doesn't enjoy his fussing just a little bit.

It takes you a while to calm down, because every time your crying subsides, you see that look on Rooster's face again, and another wave of guilt washes over you, which makes you cry even more.

But once you're calm, you immediately pull away from him, feeling horribly embarrassed.

"Sorry," you mumble, staring at the floor once again.

"It's okay." Rooster moves to put the now partially melted ice pack on your ankle. "That better?"

You nod, feeling your throat go tight.

"Good."

There's a long, awkward silence. Not that you're complaining. You're still feeling a little fragile, and like you might cry any minute, so you don't really feel much like talking anyway.

"Hey, C/S?"

You look up.

"Do you - uh, need anything?"

You shake your head. "I'm fine. You should go back to the game."

Rooster shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you here."

"You should," you mumble.

"I don't want to leave you like this. You're tired, you're hurt, and you're in pain. Please let me help."

You can feel tears welling up again. "Okay," you whisper. "Thank you. And - I'm sorry about ruining your afternoon off."

"Don't be sorry." Rooster gives you a soft smile, although his eyes look suspiciously glassy. "I was worried about you, and this was the least I could do."

"You were worried?"

Rooster nods. "And it turns out I was right to be worried."

"What do you-"

Rooster suddenly takes your hand in his, holding it so tightly that you're worried he might break it. "You're very lucky that your ankle didn't give out when you were by yourself, and that you weren't more hurt when you fell. Please, never hide an injury like this again."

You nod. "Okay."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

Rooster lets go of your hand, although the worried expression doesn't fully leave his face.

You take a deep breath, feeling you should probably turn the conversation in a different direction. "Um, I was just about to order some food. Do you want any?"

Rooster smiles, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Sure. But I'm paying."

You shake your head. "I'll pay. It's the least I can do."

Rooster looks like he's about to argue, but thinks better of it. "You sure you're comfortable?" he asks. "I could go and get you a blanket if you want…"

"A blanket sounds good," you say, smiling shyly. "Oh, and could you hand me the TV remote, please?"

Smiling, Rooster hands you the TV remote, before going upstairs.

You let out a soft sigh of relief as you relax into the sofa cushions, and turn on one of your favourite comfort shows. You're exhausted from today, so you decide to rest your eyes a bit.

Just for a few minutes…

*****************************************************

It seems like only a few seconds later when you suddenly wake up to feel Rooster tucking you into bed.

You let out a soft grunt. "Mm. What're you doing?"

Rooster smiles softly. "You fell asleep on the couch, sweetie. I figured you'd be more comfortable sleeping in bed. You still up for dinner?"

You shake your head. "Too tired. Can you just stay with me until I sleep?"

"Of course." Rooster's very gentle as he props your ankle up, and carefully wraps it in a fresh ice pack.

The slight shock from the cold wakes you up for a brief moment, but exhaustion soon takes over again, and you have to fight to try and keep your eyes open.

You feel the bed shift, and then Rooster's hand tenderly stroking your hair.

The last thing you remember before sinking into oblivion is his soft voice.

"Go to sleep, sweetheart. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

****************************************************

Part 2

As always, I do not give permission for anyone to copy my work, post it elsewhere, etc.

[iwritefanfictionsnottragedies]

Friendly Fire (John Walker x Reader, Frank Castle x Reader)

I've had it in my head that John Walker and Frank Castle met at Kandahar early in John's military career, and that they HATE eachother. Here she is!

Pairings: John Walker x Reader, Frank Castle x Reader

Warnings: 18+, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. Profanity, friends with benefits, jealousy, unresolved sexual tension, big buff men feeling big difficult feelings, tw: knitting, discussion of injuries / medical talk.

Word Count: 2K

The Watchtower-

The air inside the Watchtower always felt a little bit too clean, like a hospital. It smelled like it was trying too hard not to smell like blood and sweat and ammunition. It was quiet for the first time in a while, though no one would dare to say it out loud. Surely, the universe would hear you and provide chaos. You sat curled on the couch in the common room, thick forest-green yarn draped across your lap and needles clicking together as your muscle memory worked without much input from your brain. Your mind had wandered after a few rows, when you noticed that despite having been on this couch for most of the day, you hadn’t seen John Walker once. Not that you were waiting to see him. Not that you’d admit, anyway.

John had this way of hovering without hovering. He, with his square jaw and clipped tone and aggressive military posture, was always observing people. He observed you. He always had, since the moment Val brought you into the team. You were the team’s “low profile wet work specialist” according to Val, which was a very classy way to say you killed people for a living. You were unassuming, and it seemed to really throw John off. On missions, you were the most skilled, heartless, and terrifying thing he’d seen in ages. After missions, you came home to decompress by knitting or, god forbid, baking. The more violent the mission, the more complex the baked goods. You once made an obscene number of honeysuckle macarons, and John called you “a weird mix of homemaker and harbinger of death”. You laughed and said, “I contain multitudes.” You liked the way that he looked at you like you were a puzzle to solve. But you weren’t sure if he looked at you like you were a friend, and certainly nothing more than that; a teammate at best.

“Fuckin hell,” you muttered under your breath as you dropped a stitch. Then, as if the universe heard your frustration and chose to double down, the Watchtower’s alarm blared out a single, short tone meant to alert you that the lobby cameras picked up a potential threat entering the building. You straightened, yarn forgotten in your lap, and grabbed your radio from the coffee table.

Bucky’s voice was the first through the radio. “Is anyone expecting any company tonight?”

You heard Ava let out a chuckle and say “I don’t suspect it’s my UberEats driver. The cameras detected that the guy has a gun, and he looks like he’s had one hell of a bad day. He looks like he’s bleeding.” 

Moments later, the whole team was assembled in the common room with you. John entered the room the same way that he always did: distractingly. You briefly forgot you were supposed to be worried about the active security risk. 

Bucky pulled up the surveillance video on the TV screen, and the potential intruder was standing at the security desk, speaking with the guard. 

“Try to get another angle,” John said. 

Bucky pulled up another angle and before he could display it on the screen he said, “Is that, uh… is that the Frank Castle?” His name hit your chest like a rubber bullet. Not fatal, but still it bruised like hell. Yelena’s eyes snapped to you, searching your face for your reaction. She had heard the stories from you. It always happened like this. Out of nowhere. Uninvited. Bleeding and bruised.

John’s voice came from behind you, rough and tense. “Son of a bitch. What is Castle doing here?” You looked over your shoulder. John stood leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, brows drawn tight.

“You know Frank?” you asked, pretending you weren’t on the verge of an absolute crashout. 

John didn’t look at you. “Met him in Afghanistan,” he said, “At Kandahar. He’s a Marine, so obviously we didn’t exactly run in the same circles, but you know… he was around enough for me to know that he’s a real fuckin-” John rubbed a hand down his face in frustration. “Let’s just say we didn’t exactly get along.”

You nodded and let out a sigh, looking down at your feet. “How do you know each other?” John asked. “Biblically,” Yelena quipped. “It means they used to fu-” “Thank you, Lena,” you snapped, cheeks burning. “That’s enough.”

John’s eyes locked onto yours, and his face became alarmingly neutral. The same kind of forced neutrality that came right before he absolutely lost his temper in a briefing. 

You felt compelled to explain, and the words started flying out of you. “Not recently,” you blurted out, “Nothing serious. He’s more like an old friend, or a colleague, or… something.” Bucky rolled his eyes. “Okay, well those aren’t the details I’m seeking here.” He pointed at the screen, where Frank was surprisingly still talking to the security guard, but becoming increasingly more animated the longer he was denied entry. “Do we let him in?” “Yes.” “No!” You and John answered at the same time. 

Ava, meanwhile, already had the phone in hand, and was taking the liberty of calling down to the security desk. “Send him up,” she said.

Ten Minutes Later -

The elevator door opened, and Frank Castle walked out like a walking obituary. Blood down the side of his ribs. A rip in his black shirt. A busted lip, five-day stubble, and that haunted stare that always looked like he was expecting gunfire. It had only been a year since you’d last seen him, but he looked older; there were a few grays in his hair.

“Hey, sweetheart.” The gravel in his voice scratched down your spine. “Still play nurse? I could use some help.”

You stared. Your brain short-circuited for a second. “Jesus, Frank-”

He gave you a weak grin.

John made a low noise in this throat, half scoff, half snarl. You didn’t look at him, you were almost afraid to. Frank raised an eyebrow, “Interesting.”

You grabbed Frank by the wrist and dragged him down the hall to the medical bay without a word. Most of the team stood silently, exchanging glances that varied from concerned to thoroughly entertained. But not John. John followed you both down the hall.

In The Medical Bay-

As you silently patched him up, Frank’s eyes were on you the whole time. So were John’s. Watching. Quiet. Heavy. Your hands worked quickly- gloves, antiseptic, gauze. You’d been here before. Putting Frank back together after he’d disappeared for months at a time.

When you finished your last stitch, Frank’s eyes met yours. And you’d forgotten what it felt like to have Frank look at you like that. Like you were a secret he’d buried under his skin. Like he could still taste you in his memory. He reached out and brushed a knuckle along your cheek, eyes dropping briefly to your lips. “I missed you,” he said.

John cleared his throat. “Okay buddy,” he said as he stepped further into the room, “That’s enough of that.” Frank’s eyes didn’t leave yours, but he spoke to John. “Still got a stick up your ass, Walker?”

John laughed coldly. “Of course I do. You still a cocky piece of shit?”

“Of course I am.” Frank said, winking at you before standing up to admire your handiwork in the mirror.

You looked at Walker. John, who you repeatedly trusted with your life on missions; who you daydreamed about like an out of control teenager with a crush; who seemingly had no interest in you… Who was now staring into you in an unusually territorial way. He shook his head subtly and mumbled, “Let me know when the stray is ready to leave, I’ll escort him out.”

“We’re good, Walker.” Frank called out from across the room. “I need a place to lay low for a bit but she knows the drill, she’ll take care of me.” He smirked as he looked at you. “Always does.” John stepped forward, face unreadable. “You’re not welcome here.”

“I didn’t come for you.”

“That supposed to make me feel better?”

You shot between them before something cracked.

“That’s enough,” you snapped. “Both of you. Jesus Christ.”

Frank back off a step, but his expression never changed. He was enjoying this.

John didn’t say another word. But the way he looked at you- tight jaw, flickering eyes, fists clenched at his sides- said plenty.

Later that night, your room-

You were stress-knitting. You stopped counting rows an hour ago.

Frank was here, in the Watchtower. Just down the hall, on the couch.

You weren’t an idiot, you knew that Frank wanted something more than just medical attention. He wanted to pick back up where you left off, like he’d never left. And, just as surely, he’d leave again.

And John? You had no idea what the hell was going on in his head. The only thing you knew was that it contradicted all of your notions of how he thought of you.

There was a knock on your door. Not soft, firm and controlled. You opened it to find John standing there, arms crossed the same way he stood in the field, like he was waiting for something to explode.

His eyes met yours. “You okay?”

You blinked. “You’re asking me that? You two… I mean, it was tense back there.” You walked back to your chair to sit down and picked your yarn back up.

He shifted slightly. “From the sound of it, you’ve got a complicated history with him too. And I know what Castle is like, he gets in your head.”

You leaned against your dresser. “You think I can’t handle that?”

“No, I just think you shouldn’t have to.”

Your heart skipped a beat.

He stepped further into your room, taking a seat on the edge of your bed. Then his eyes dropped to your hands, where you were still mindlessly knitting round after round. A smile broke across his face. “I know you can handle it, but I can tell you’re not handling it well.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “What exactly do you mean by that, Walker?”

He let out a laugh. “Either you’re knitting a sweater for a snake, or you’re spiraling.”

You looked down at your work, and what was meant to be a sock had become a two-foot long tube of frustration. You threw it to the ground and groaned.

He leaned forward towards you, putting a hand on your knee. “I don’t know everything about the situation with Castle,” he said, his voice low and soft. “But you’re not alone anymore, not like you used to be. You’ve got a tower full of people that give a shit. So let me know if, uh…” he hesitated, “if you need someone to talk to about it. I can’t promise I’ll be neutral about it though.”

You glanced down to his hand on your knee, and back up to his eyes, and briefly to his lips before looking away. He pulled his hand back quickly and stood up to leave.

“Thanks, John.” You said. “That means a lot to me.” He turned back towards you and leaned against the doorframe. “Anytime.” he whispered, and then closed your door.

So now, it was your turn to look at John like he was a puzzle. You had a puzzle in the hallway, ticking time bomb in the living room on the couch, and a text message from Yelena that said “What is your bloody sexy man doing here? What happened tonight? Do not withhold details.” 

[alwayssassydreamer]

Words Are Unnecessary

Day 12 of Kikitober

Plot: the mysterious man with the mask was attracting your attention with his own special love language.

A/N: just some fluffy? story i wrote while waiting at the hospital (and I've waited for quite some time so this story got a little longer than planned) sorry for the abrupt ending. Oh and i have no idea how you play darts so . NOT proofread

Warnings: none

Characters: Killer x F!Reader, Kid (minor role)

Once again the bar was full of drunken idiots. But you didn't mind too much - especially since drunken men gave the best tips.

You were mixing some drinks when a pirate crew entered the bar. Looking closer you recognized them as the kid pirates.

They took a seat at the biggest table - right next to the door and motioned you to bring them something to drink. You prepared a few glasses for the waitress to bring them over to them.

It got late and the bar was more crowded than usual. Though there were so many people in there you could still hear the roaring laughter from the pirate's table.

You were just cleaning a few glasses when a tall man with a wild blonde mane and a blue-white mask appeared.

"Could i get a bottle of rum" he asked leaning over the counter.

"Sure" you turned to get the bottle when out of the corner of your eye you saw a few, obviously drunken, men approached the blonde.

"The fuck is wrong with yer" a man with dark greasy hair asked. The blonde ignored him.

"Yer wearing that mask cause yer so fucking horrendous" another asked making the others laugh. Still no reaction from the masked man.

"I bet he's just some freak who escaped a laboratory" a third man said, looking closely at the blonde who let out a laugh

"What's so funny idiot" the first one asked slighlty hitting the blondes shoulder. That only caused another laugh to leave his lips.

"Yer must be a freak, with that embarrassing weird laughter" he continued as they were laughing. The man with the mask made a barely visible move. The one you make when someone's getting under your skin.

You started to feel sorry for him when he let out another strange laugh. The others laughing at him, making fun of him. It was but a small reaction but one that told you that he felt ashamed.

"You should thank him for wearing the mask" you said angrily as you put the bottle on the counter. "Otherwise no woman in this bar would even bother to give you more than a small glance for how handsome this man is." you almost shouted.

"Now get your ugly ass faces out of the bar, you're hurting my eyes" you were so full of rage as you pointed to the door.

"What if we don't want to" they taunted you.

"Well then it seems you don't value your life" you said as you grabbed the gun under the counter and pointed it right at the greasy haired man.

"Your choice" you said smugly. The men growled, insulting you but decided not to mess with you.

"I'm sorry about that" you said as you handed the blonde the rum.

He didn't move too dumbstruck from what just happened.

It took him a few more seconds before a small thanks escaped his lips.

He rummaged in his pocket to pay you but you put your hand on his.

"This one's on me." You said a soft smile on your face while another small laugh bubbled up from him.

"By the way, i really like your laugh" you said giving his hand a small squeeze. He grabbed the bottle and walked back to the table while you continued cleaning up glasses the whole time glancing over to this mysterious man.

You were surprised that this whole scene got to you this badly. Thinking about the three drunks made you so mad that your hands started to involuntarily shake. On the other hand you couldn't believe that all this feelings were because of a stranger.

But there was just something about him that attracted you. Maybe it was the mask the thrill of not knowing what he looks like. You were sure that even though he's a pirate, he was sweet and kind - something inside you told you thst he had to. Or maybe it was his laugh, which seemed like he didn't like it though you enjoyed hearing it. . Maybe it was his calm demeanor, his silence and his shyness.

You were not sure what it was but you had caught yourself thinking about him for the rest of the shift.

What you didn't know was that he was having the same problem.

~~~~~~~~

"Oi killer you there" Kid asked moving his hand in front of Killers eyes ripping him out of his thoughts and blocking his view to the counter.

"What?" He asked startled.

Kid looked over to where you were handing out a drink and smiled smugly.

"Got an eye on her" he asked Killer teasingly.

"Shut up" Killer snapped thankful that the mask hid his reddened cheeks.

"She's hot, you should make a move before I'm too drunk and I can't guarantee you that I won't hit on her" Kid let out a low laugh.

~~~~~~~~

"Oh god those pirates are heavy drinker." The waitress complained to you.

"Unfortunately but they leave a lot of moeny here so" you said shrugging though you had to admit that you started to feel your bones ache.

The bar became increasingly empty but the pirates were still in a good mood and continued ordering drink after drink until they were they only customers left.

You sighed looking over to the pirates - no sign that they would be leaving any time soon.

Sure you could've kicked them out but the owner of the bar always said that as long as there are customers willing to pay you had to serve them. Besides you were a little too anxious to kick the infamous kid pirates out.

"You know you can go home if you want, they're the last ones here I'm sure i can handle them by myself" you said as you looked wt the waitress who almost fell asleep.

"You sure?" She asked tiredly.

"Yeah" you nodded with a small smile.

"Thank you"she replied gratefully as she got her stuff and left.

~~~~~~~~

"Oi doll, another bottle of rum" the red haired captain shouted to you.

You grabbed the bottle and made your way to the table. Realizing that most of the crew fell drunkenly asleep in the weirdest positions. Besides the captain only the blonde and 2 other men were still awake though the alcohol was alraedy settling in.

Placing the bottle down you took a quick glance at the blonde before a metal hand wrapped around your waist.

"A beauty like you should not be working in a bar like this" Kid said as he pulled you closer to him.

"Where else should i be working then" you asked smiling. You were used to men hitting on you especially drunk men and you were more than capable of handling them.

"My ship" he said chuckling lowly tightening his grip around you pulling you closer once again. You had to put your hands on the armrest to steady yourself and not fall straight into him.

Your face was now so close to his that you could smell the rum on him.

"And what should i be doing on your ship? Handing out drinks? I'm pretty sure that you're able to do this without me" you teased with a playful smile.

"You could give Killer a hand with the cooking." He said motioning to the blonde who let out a small laugh.

"I can't cook I'd be more of a burden" you stated gaze still on Killer.

"Well in that case i could always use someone to f-"

"Kid that's enough" the blonde yelled cutting his captain off. The latter groaned but let go of you.

"spoilsport" Kid mumbled winking at you.

You smiled at them before grabbing the empty bottles from the table. The moment you leaned forward you could feel their eyes on your booty and cleavage.

"You can look but don't touch" you mocked as you walked back to the counter.

A few minutes later you jumped at the sound of a loud thump. Seems like that was too much alcohol as one off the pirates fell off his chair and the captain hit his head at the table -now sleeping and snoring.

"Sorry" a low voice mumbled. Killer was the only one who had not passed out drunkenly.

"It's fine, happens every now and then" you said as you took a seat at one of the bar stools rubbing your sching shoulder and neck.

"I, uhm I could help with that" he said taking the stool next to you.

"That's really sweet but you don't have to, I'm fine" you explained.

"I really don't mind. I mean it's kinda our fault" he said shyly.

"No it's not, hsppens at almost every shift" you grabbed his hand again and gave him a reassuringly squeeze.

"But i feel like I owe you one" he explained nervously.

"You don't owe me anything" you started but feeling like he wouldn't give up you sighed "fine I'd appreciate it if you could help me with the tension in my shoulders"

You felt a little nervous. Having a strangers massaging you wasn't something you would usually do - wouldn't even think about. But again you were mysteriously drawn to him and his calm demeanor.

He got behind you and put your hair aside. He placed his hands gently on your shoulders, applying light pressure as he began to knead the muscles. His fingers moved in slow, rhythmic circles, gradually working out the tension with firm but careful motions.

Damn that felt good. Almost too good as you were about to drift off.

"Wow that felt really good, thanks" you exclaimed after a while.

"You were rather tense" he replied.

You smiled at him as you sat there, enjoying the comfortable silence between the two of you.

"You're not really talkative aren't you?" You teased

"I uhm sorry"

"Please stop apologizing. That is not a bad thing." you said when you heard some loud snoring from the blacked out pirates.

"Wow they are horribly loud" you pointed out making both of you chuckle.

"It can get worse" he said sighing. "I guess i should start carrying them back to the ship so you can finally go home" he added

"You wanna carry them? Like all of them?" He nodded. "No let them sleep here. I'm not tired yet so i don't mind staying here....with you" you said though you mumbled the last part.

"But i have to put on some music their snoring is driving me crazy" you said laughing.

"So how about a little game of darts" you asked grabbing his hand pulling him to the darts board not waiting for an answer.

"I have to warn you, I'm really terrible at it"

You weren't lying you were really bad.

"Wow that was bad" you laughed after barely even hitting the board. "Now show me what you got big boy" you teased turning to him.

Unlike you Killer was really good at it.

"I'm not sure what's more impressive you being so good or me being so terrible" you joked.

"you're too tense and too impatient. Let me help you"

He wrapped one arm carefully around your waist steadying you and with the other moved your arm till it was in the right angle

"throw out of your wrist not your whole arm" he explained. His body pressed against yours making you a little nervous.

"looks like you're a good teacher" you stated as you finally managed a good score.

"you're a good student" he teased nudging your shoulder carefully.

It seemed as if he was loosening up around you and you had to admit you enjoyed his company.

"whats wrong?".

"i really like that song" he said humming softly as he grabbed your hand and pulled you closer.

"what are you doing" you asked chuckling

"I'd like to dance with you" he replied as he looked at you. "If that's ok" he added nervously.

You nodded and grabbed his hands placing them on your hips while yours wrapped around his neck. You started to sway to the song moving closer and closer to his body until you were completely pressed against him.

You looked up at him a little disappointed to not see his face before placing your head on his chest. You felt his muscles tense for a moment before relaxing as he placed his chin gently on the top of your head his arms wrapping tightly around your small frame.

"You know Kid was right with what he said" he whispered calmly.

"What?" You asked lifitng your head from his cest to look up at him.

"You shouldn't work here" he stopped taking a deep breath.

"You could come with us" he said though it seemed he regretted it the moment it left his lips as he laughed nervously.

He let go of you and turned his head, avoiding to look at you.

Ok you were not expecting this and therefore didn't know what to say. You only just met him and the kid pirates had a rather let's call it unpleasant reputation. Did you really want to join this pirate crew?

"sorry, forget it. I should get them back to the ship" he said embarrassed as he saw the hesitation in your eyes.

"Killer wait" You grabbed his arm. "I don't think that I'd fit a pirates' life, I can't fight nor navigate, I'm certainly not of any use" you explained with a small smile. You didn't want to disappoint or even hurt him.

"You were good with the gun" he said as you shook your head.

"I can teach you how to fight and yu see people for who they truly are, not just their appearance otherwise someone so beautiful like you wouldn't be talking to me, and that is worth more than anything else" he mumbled barely audible as he carefully took your hand in his.

You smiled feeling a blush on your cheeks.

"For a man who's been so quiet the whole time you sure know how to talk to a woman to have her wrapped around your finger." you teased with a big smile.

"Still....I'm not sure if it's a good idea" you stated biting your lower lip looking down, thinking.

"It would mean a lot to me" he replied not letting go of your hand as his other gently lifted your chin.

He wasn't a man of many words but the silence between the two of you was so comforting it felt like he needn't to say anything his little actions spoke more than words.

Though you only just met him he made you feel safe and special.

"God dammit this whole thing between you two is getting annoying. Either you convince her to come or I'll just drag her to the ship" Kid blurted out, slowly getting up.

You both were startled, your eyes widening at the last part.

"Don’t you think I should have a say in this too?" You complained but he waved you off.

"No cause if you stay here I'm the one who has to listen to his complaints" Kid taunted dramatically, as you looked surprised.

"Shut up" Killer hissed clearly embarrassed.

"Would you yearn over me" you asked curiously and he nodded.

"Well in that case - i guess i can't leave your side"

[spidybaby]

Delicate | Part One

Summary: A bad reputation, one contract, a very stubborn singer and a calm footballer was the perfect mix for disaster.

Warnings: cursing.

Face claim: Madison Beer (She's just the face claim. We are using songs from other artists too)

What are you supposed to do when the whole world is watching every single one of your movements?

What are you supposed to do when you feel like a deer in headlights?

What to do when your reputation is the worst?

That's the type of questions you make yourself everyday after what happened.

You blame yourself. "Maybe if I wasn't that stupid to trust people I shouldn't have, I would be fine."

But here you are. Trapped in a room with the people who tell you every single day that they told you, that you needed to be careful. And you are not happy but you took the I told you.

Do you deserve it? yes.

You thoughts were interrupted by the door being opened. You noticed the man that enters the room. A little tired, a little older than thirty five.

"I'm sorry about the time. Traffic was crazy." he says, hugging your manager. "Barcelona is crazy this time of the year."

"There's worst days." you manager says, laughing. "Y/n, come here."

You look at her, walking over to them. "Hi!"

"This is Hector, he's a friend of mine." she introduced you to the man. "He's the manager of two football players from Barcelona."

"That's so cool" you smile. "Nice to meet you, Mister Hector."

"Just Hector, love." he smiles. "I love your new song, so good."

You smile, thanking him.

"Where's your boy?" you manager asks. "I want to see him, so good he's better now."

"He's downstairs, some fans recognize him and asked him for pictures."

You look over at your manager, wondering what was going on. You try not to care and wait for this guy. You stay quiet while Hector and Aleek, your manager, talk very happy.

The door was open by a dark haired boy, he looks about your age. He was wearing some cargo jeans and a hoodie. "I'm sorry, more and more people were asking for pictures."

"Don't worry, love." Aleek says, hugging him. "You are so handsome, it's been a while since I've seen you."

"The last time was during my last game at Las Palmas." he smiles. "Nice to see you."

"Come here, love." she grab him by the arm. "Let me introduce you to Pedri." she says to you. "He's the number eight of the first team at the fc barcelona."

"Hola!" Pedri smiles.

You shake his hand, smiling at him. You still don't understand what are you doing there so early in the morning and what was the need for Pedri and Hector to be there.

"I know you are questioning what are we doing here." Hector says, standing up. "We are here to talk about a small," he pauses for a while. "Let's say a small feature."

You turn to see your manager, you are more confused than before, not understanding what they meant. How can you do a feature with him when you do music and he is a football player.

"In these past months we have register both of your activities on social media, press notes, work activities. Pedri, we know that you had a bit of a hard time with injures and with all of the rumors about girls." Aleek says.

You frown, why does that even matter?

"And you, Y/n." Hector says. "You had the success of a lifetime, you last singles were on the top of billboard, and you are even competing with Taylor Swift on the charts." he says, happy. "The thing is, you are known for partying, for being a not serious person to work with."

"That's no-" you try to say.

"Let me finish." he says, you nod. "You have a reputation that's not giving you the best times. Your campaign with Dior was over because of the rumors about you doing substance during Kylie Jenner party."

"What's the point?" you say. "Aleek, what is going on? I've never done any of those things, just freaking rumors." you try to defend yourself.

"I know that." she says, lifting her hands. "But they don't."

She threw a few magazines and some printed news titles. You grab them, you know you don't have the best reputation on US. Feeling weird that they are showing you this.

"Anywho, Hector and I have an amazing idea that involves the two of you." She smiles.

Pedri frowns, understanding before they even explain.

"We did a contract, a PR one." Hector says to Pedri. "The contract is that you two will pretend to have a relationship to change the rumours around. This will help how the two of you are perceived."

You shake your head no, "I'm not doing this." you laugh, standing up. "What gave you the right? We are people, what if Pedri has a girlfriend? what if I have someone? Where is our own will of choosing?"

"Pedri doesn't have a girlfriend," Hector says. "Pedri has groupies who mess up his reputation."

Pedri frowns again. "I don't have groupies."

"We," Aleek says louder. "are your managers." she smiles. "And WE will do whatever is necessary for the two of you to get back to a good reputation path."

You shake your head. "I won't sign." you say.

"I won't either." Pedri seconds you.

Hector laughs, "We don't need your signature." he explains, showing us a copy of the contract. "We have legal power over decisions regarding your brands."

"You can't do this." you say, feeling trapped. "Aleek, why?"

"Because, Pedri and you need this." she explains. "You don't want this rumors to make your album to flop. Do you?"

You shake your head, standing up. "I can't." you threw the papers on the table, walking outside of the room.

You run stairs down, feeling tired of the way people see you as a product. You don't want to feel like a normal person, being able to walk and not have a phone on your face.

You know that the rumors of you partying were creating problems. Even when you don't do any kind of drugs or anything bad. People like to pretend you are a junkie who pass the days drunk.

You slam the door of your apartment, throwing yourself on the couch. You cry the feelings out. Your phone is ringing, you ignore it, you know it was Aleek.

You try to calm yourself down. You hate to feel like a product of the industry. You hate to feel like an addict when you don't even live that life. You hate that when you asked your friends to defend you, they ignored you.

You grab your phone from your bag, answering without even looking. "Qué cojones quieres, Aleek?" you say, stern tone.

You were about to say more, until you hear the voice of Pedri.

"Soy Pedri." he says. "I just want to know if you are okay."

"I don't care who you are." you say, even more angry. "I don't need you worrying about me, Pedri." you say his name in this spiteful tone.

You were too angry to care who was it. You don't even think about the fact that Pedri was in the same problem that you are.

He doesn't answer, he knows you are mad and that you won't have the best answer to anybody calling you.

You then feel guilt, Pedri doesn't have to take the blame of what your manager and his did. "Pedri, I'm so sorry!" you cry. "I didn't meant to treat you like that. I'm not like this, I promise." you say, rambling a little.

You cry after saying this, sobbing and feeling even worse that Pedri took time to call you to check on you.

"Bonita, please don't cry." he says, softly.

"I don't want to do this." you say, crying on the phone. "I don't want to stain you with my reputation."

"You won't!" he reassures you. "I don't want to either, but I'm not letting you feel alone in this."

You smile at that, feeling a little bit better than you are less alone in this shit show.

"They actually already have something that we need to do." he scoff. "I feel like a fucking voodoo doll."

You chuckle at that. "That's a good term." you say to him. "I will check to see what's going on, thank you for reaching to me" you say softly, more calmed.

"Venga, don't stress." he jokes. "It's best for us to just do what they ask us. I know it's horrible to have to pretend and lie to everybody, however, I do believe that we can take something good out of this."

"Okay, I'll trust your words." you laugh, making him laugh. "I'm reading the text they sent us, I guess I'll see you."

You say your goodbyes to him. Promising to not keep crying.

You feel anxiety.

You know you have to be back to the studio to record a few songs. You don't want to, not cause of the way you left last time.

Aleek tried to contact you, she texted, she email you, even sent you a message over pinterest.

But you weren't giving up. You were mad and you wanted to show that to her. Even when you know you have to talk to her because you need to approve the album cover.

"Hello." You say, walking into the recording room.

Aleek looks at you, smiling at you. She knows you were mad but at the same time she knows this is something that you needs.

"Hola, bebé." She says.

You walk over to her, hugging her from behind. You needed this more than ever. "I don't like you right now, but I love you."

"I know you are mad, but trust me on this, okay?"

You nod, separating and walking over to the table where all the options are. You two start working on picking an album cover.

"I think this one is prettier." You say.

You hear three knocks on the door. Jake, you publicist walk in, an iPad in hand. He shows Aleek something, which she smiles to.

You don't paint mind to it. Knowing that whatever she's into, you would have to say yes in the end.

"Do you have like football, Cinderella?" Jake asks you.

You roll your eyes, knowing by your best friends boyfriend insta stories that tomorrow is going to be the clasico of la liga.

"Can I say no?"

"No." Jake laughs, making you pout.

yourusername

Liked by pedri, fcbarcelona and 2,383,385

yourusername first time coming to a game and we got a victory ✌🏻✨️ can I call myself a lucky charm?

View all 283,382 comments

fcbarcelona 🍀🏆😎

pedri 💪🏻🏆

barcelonafan PEDRI?

frenkietupatron wait... he's following her and have been liking her post for over a month... Pedri????

"Do you even know how much I hate you right now?" You ask Aleek over the phone. "I was thinking about getting take out and rawdog my show last season."

"Now you can go out and see the sunset." She says, happy tone.

"I was looking at information about Pedri, and Hector did not lie about him having groupies who got him a reputation."

"Really?" She asks, curious. "When I met him he was such a shy boy."

"Well, not anymore." You laugh. "His last rumor was an influencer whose boyfriend apparently found them in bed." You tell her.

"Well, that's what this is for." She says, explaining again the purpose of the contract. "For you to drop the reputation you have, look at yours. Missing junkie."

"Ughh." You buff, mad. "I will require you to order me take out later just for that comment."

"will do." she says, chuckling. "Text me when you are home and to tell me how it was."

"Yes, boss." You laugh, hanging up the call.

You finish with your touch up of makeup. You added mascara, some brow gel and your beloved blush.

You move from your bathroom to your room, packing everything that you were taking, a blanket to sit on, your sunglasses, some sunscreen.

You feel the vibration of your phone in the back of your shorts. You See Pedri's text, he was waiting for you in the parkin lot.

You texted back that you were going down, to give you a minute. You press the basement button, texting Aleek a picture of you in the elevator.

When the doors open you noticed Pedri's car parked in front of the elevator. You smile at him and wave.

He was about to get down and open your door but you knockn on the wintond. "Just open." You chuckle.

He does that, unlocking the door. "I was going to open it for you." he says.

"Not necessary."

"Joder, que bien huele tu perfume." (your perfume smells amazing) he says, turning to you.

You blush a little at the comment, you love when people tell you that you smelled good.

"Gracias." You smile at him. "It's Armani." You say, making a face that makes him laugh.

"It's good." he smiles. "You can leave the bag on the backseat." he says, pointing towards the back of his car.

You nod, turning to place your bag. You notice a black box with his name and some barca design. You can see some letters, some pictures, notes with hearts.

"Someone got a gift." You tell him.

"Sip, these girls who follows me since the begging of my barca career came to Barcelona for the clasico and I saw them today when I left the camp nou."

You pout, you love how cute his fans were. "That's so cute."

You love getting things from your fans, it was a little piece of them that you get to keep with yourself.

"I have a Playlist on." he says, referee to the music that playing. "Here's my phone for you to change it."

"I like bad bunny, it's fine." You smile.

The rest of the trip was calmed, you two were silent, just listening to the music. You feel weird, you don't really know what to ask him.

When you got to the beach you notice that he was wearing a pair of sneakers.

"Pedri, you can't wear that on the sand, you'll ruin them."

He sees his sneakers, nodding his head. "I was going to go to my house and get my sandals." he explains. "But if I got home, I was going to be late for picking you."

You nod, understanding his motives. "Let's do this." You smile at him., I'll take my shoes off and we both can be barefoot."

He nods, smiling at your suggestion. You two take your shoes off, leaving them in the car. You walk together to the beach. You ask him for help with the beach towel.

"So I brought fruit, I brought some juice in a box because Hector told Aleek you don't drink and I also got sunscreen cause I can tell you are not wearing any." You say, pointing at everything you got.

You pass him his juice box and the tupper with some fruit. "I love watermelon." He smiles, eating the fruit. "Gracias."

You two stay quiet for a while, the two of you just enjoying the food and juice. You want to ask him something but you are not sure what.

"How was your day?" You ask.

"E'tuvo bueno, I'm a little bit tired because of the game and todays training, but I'm good." He explains. "Yours?"

"Oh, it was good." You smile. "I recorded some snips for my next album."

"I like your music."

"En serio?" You raise an eyebrow

"Qué va!" He laughs. "Do you think I'm a liar?"

"Not at all." You lift both your hands. "What's your favorite song of mine?"

"Underground, I like that song so much." You nod, smiling at him. "But I don't think you beat Quevedo."

"No way!" You say happily. "I love Quevedo."

"Favorite song?'

"La playa del inglés."

"No, que va, you are kidding." He smiles. "That's my favorite song too."

"That crazyyyy." You say. "Okay, what's your favorite movie?"

"Buaf, I think creed."

"No, you are lying." You say, looking away.

Pedri took a little bit to catch up on your answer. "Dios, Y/n." He smiles. "No way."

"I love creed." You say.

You two laugh at how crazy the things were. Because you did not believe that it was possible for you two to have that much in common.

"Do you have siblings?" You ask, eating some of the fruit.

"Sip." He smiles at the thought of his brother. "His name is Fernando, he's a chef and lives with me." You smile at that, you can tell he's very family oriented. "You?"

"I have one brother." You say. "His name is Austin. He lives in Tennessee."

"A little bit far." He chuckles. "Do you live alone or with your parents?"

"I live alone." You smile. "I have an apartment, but I think of getting a house."

"A house is better." He confess. "When I moved on here, I was in an apartment with my brother, and we felt so weird. Apartment complex are small and a little bit expensive for what you get."

You nod, agreeing with what he's saying. "Your brother is a chef, so you don't cook?" You ask.

"Not really." He chuckles. "My mom knows how to and my dad too. They own a restaurant, Tasca Fernando."

You smile at that, feeling happy at that confession. "Here in Barcelona?"

"In Tegueste, Tenerife."

"Right, you are Canarian." You say, remembering what you read. "You played in Palmas?"

"Sip, Las Palmas. They were my first big team and now I'm in Barcelona."

"I want to say that I love your style of playing, but I don't know anything about football." You chuckle.

"I can teach you." He smiles. "I'm kinda good at it." He jokes, making you laugh.

You two keep talking about more of your likes, getting to know yourselves. You find it very interesting how someone so quiet and so reserved has such a reputation.

"And the next home match is this Friday." He tells you, after a large explanation of how La Liga works.

"Are your parents coming?" You ask him.

He then changed his demeanor. He got a lot more silent. "No, they are not coming."

"Oh no, why?"

"Well." He thinks if telling you is the right thing. "Hector won't allow me to because we are supposed to be our and be seen and having my family will distract me."

You frown, not sure how to react but surely mad that his manager dared to tell him such a thing.

"I'm sorry," you apologize.

"It's not your fault." He whispers. "It's fucked up, but I know it will be worth it."

You stayed quiet, enjoying the sound of the people around, the music that you can hear, the laughs, the screams of kids playing, the small talk that's not understandable.

You then got the idea.

"I can help you see your family." You smile at him.

He lifts his head quickly, turning to you. "What? How?"

"Okay, what if I ask my manager that we can use your family for our pr?"

He thinks for a few seconds, confused about how that would be beneficial for the two of you.

"Hector says that you have a reputation on having a lot of girls, but have you ever introduced one of those girls to your family?"

"No!"

"That's what we can say." You smile. "If you introduce me to your parents and we are seen together in the public at a game, then that means that we are serious, it's more believable."

You smile at your idea. Feeling like a smart girl.

You can't catch the look on his face, but in his mind, he's thanking you a thousand times while lifting you in the air.

"I'll tell my manager tomorrow, I have to go to the studio." You smile at him.

"Would you really?" He asks, eyes shinning with hope.

"Si!" You smile. "I'll promise I will make everything I can to get them to be at these home game."

Pedri hugs you, thanking you for making an extra effort for him to be fine.

"Now, what if we go get an ice cream?" You suggest.

He nods happy. He would give you anything you want right now. "It's on me." He says, helping you get up.

"I'll agree just because I forgot my wallet." You laugh, making him laugh.

holacom

Liked by 12,482 others

holacom Spain Golden Boy Pedri González was caught on a romantic beach getaway with our Favorite Pop Girl Y/n.

The two of them are rumored to be having more than just romance. Fans of the two of them on social media X are pointing how she was at the home game and wearing the emblematic number 8 from Pedri.

View all 2,472 comments

pedrilover35 isn't she like a junkie?

y/nxharry no 😡 that's just rumors

ferminmipatron I think she is because she's friends with the jenners and they are junkies too

y/nfan23 love this new couple ❤️ I need to get his jersey

sugarmelon I ordered his and someone named gavi 😎

messicomeback10 get a messi one

sugarmelon @messicomeback10 who tf is messi?

"Can you lower the volume on that note?" You ask your technician. "Yes, right there."

You sing the note one more time. Trying to make it perfect for layering it into the melody of the background.

"Okay, that's amazing." He says.

"Let's do the same with the chorus."

You spend the next hours doing that with other several songs. Trying to make them sound better and more effortlessly likable.

You thank Bruno, the technician. You worked with him before and you know that he knows your moods and your vibe.

"Lunch is on me tomorrow." You smile at him. "Drive safe." You hug him goodbye, walking with him to the elevator.

You press the button of the floor where Aleek's office is. You need to talk to her about bringing Pedri's parents.

You knock three times. "Come in." You hear her. You open the door and walk inside, finding her reading some papers. "Hello, baby."

"Hola." You smile.

"Are you done?"

"Yes, we got amazing beats." You smile. "Hey, I want to talk to you about something." You sigh.

She stays quiet, signal for you to keep talking an to tell her what's on your mind. You take a deep breath.

"Pedri told me that Hector told him that he can't see his family or bring them to Barcelona because that would be a distraction for our plan." You say to her.

She frowns, not aware of that. "I didn't knew that."

"I know, I just want to know if you can help me convince him to let him bring his family."

"Oh baby, but I don't thin-"

"I have a plan." You interrupt her.

She nods, making a hand signal for you to keep talking.

"So, I was doing my research on Pedri, I found out that he never once introduced his flings to his parents." You began. "And fans always say that on x, with every girl he's rumored."

You open your phone, sending her the screenshots of people tweeting that they don't believe that Pedri is with anyone because not one of his family members follow the girls.

"And if we can get people to see us together with his family, then get bag the football girls. That means that the media would stop seeing us as a fling or a fuck thing situation."

"Okay, you got my attention."

"And if we can be seen with his parents and brother, then after, we can start to post more about each other. Things here and there, discreet."

"Something private but not secret." She says.

"Exactly." You smile. "And what better than this Friday's game."

"That's in three days." She turns to see her calendar.

"Please, I know this can work." You beg. "We are doing this, all I'm asking is for you to help me get Pedri to see his family."

She narrows her eyes. "Fine, I'll help you convince Hector." She says, making you smile. "I'll show him all of these that you have."

You feel happy. You would help feel like this is less a forced situation but more like a small trade.

"Now go home, you need to rest for your interview with Vogue." She says.

"Yes, ma'am." You smile. "Bye."

You hug her goodbye and walk outside of the building. You drive home, listening to some pop for a change.

You get home and cook something easy for dinner. Watching some of your show whole eating.

You feel your phone vibrate. You picked it and see Pedri's name displayed. "Hola, camarón sin cola." You say, happily.

"Eres una jodida genio," He says. You can tell he's happy by the tone. "Hector called me and told me that he booked my parents' tickets for them to come a day before the game."

You feel happy that your plan worked. "Oh my God!" You say, jumping happy. "It worked, that's such a good news."

"Gracias, Y/n." He says softly. "I really needed this."

You pout happy. "Don't thank me." You say. "Go tell your brother or calm your parents to tell them. We can talk later."

"Vale, but I promise I'm making it up for you." He laughs. "Adiós."

You say goodbye to him. Watching your shoe for a little while. You can't help but to have a smile on your face.

You then remember that you need to post something from fenty beauty. Opening insta to post your picture with the product.

You let it there, you were focused on your show and on finishing your third plate of food. You then feel your phone get notifications.

>Aleek: kiddo, Pedri will comment on your post. Please answer.

Aleek: Let's stick with emojis for now. <

You check insta, opening the comment section. Pedri's comment was there, freshly made. You reply with two emojis. Letting people go crazy about it.

yourusername

Liked by pedri, fentybeauty and 3,273,482 others

yourusername Nothing feels better than glowing like a star with my Fenty Killawatt Glow ✨️🌙 Don't forget to get yours at @sephora_spain #FentyPartner ❤️

View all 253,382 comments

fentybeauty you are glowing ✨️

pedri 🤩✨️

yourusername ✨️🌙

pedrixferran hard launching I see 👀😦

frenkietupatron @pedri don't engage with her because the Kardashian curse might get us 😣😣😣

🏷: @gadriezmannsgirl

[mayajadewrites]

tattoo artist suguru geto

✦ synopsis: your usual tattoo artist shoko, had an emergency, so she scheduled you with the mysterious, intimidating shop owner: suguru geto.

✦ content warnings: tattoo artist geto, pierced geto, geto is controlling af and no one can tell me otherwise, unprotected sex, riding, mirror sex, just overall smut.

✦ relationships: suguru geto x fem! reader

✦ comments are always appreciated <3 besitos muahhhhh

ao3

Neon lights reflect on your face as you walk into the tattoo shop, where you're at almost every other week with new ideas.

To your left is a shiny, black motorcycle, presumably belonging to the owner.

Your usual tattoo artist, Shoko Ieiri had a family emergency so she had to reschedule your appointment with the shop owner, Suguru Geto.

You've only seen him a handful of times when you're there, but he's always so stealthy that you just barely notice him. You've never even heard his voice.

His face is on their Instagram though, which you can't lie - you check constantly for new updates from him. He rarely tattoos anyone anymore, only his select few clients and he's always booked out for months.

You open the door to the shop, bells jingling as a sign that someone's entered.

The shop is perfectly clean, rnb music playing in the background at a medium volume.

"Hello?" You walk up to the front desk, pressing your chest against the counter. You opted for a black, tight romper for todays session since you're getting a thigh tattoo. The thickness of your thighs peeking out of the shorts, like they're gasping for air.

Then you hear footsteps.

A tall, muscular man with long black hair emerges from one of the rooms. He has a black tank top on with black jeans - his hair half pulled up. You feel your breath hitch when his eyes meet yours.

"You must be Shoko's client. My name is Suguru Geto." He gathered the papers for you to sign. "Fill these out and let me know when you're done. I'm gonna set up." He turned away from you, but you couldn't help but watch as his back muscles moved when he walked. He has tattoos all over his arms down to his hands, along with a few chest tattoos. You can't see the rest of him, but there's definitely more ink under there.

He has a few ear piercings, one ear has a dangly earring pared with gauges, while the other just has the black gauges and a hoop around the top of his ear.

After you fill out the forms, you set them nicely on the counter. "I'm done." You say quietly, but since there's no one in the shop you're practically yelling.

"Excellent." He emerged again, his lips forming a slight smile. "Shoko sent me your design idea, can I show you what I've done to it?"

"Of course." You follow him into his room. He's so fucking tall. And big. You wonder if he's also big -

"I redrew the dragon that Shoko did, not that it was bad but, I think this suits your thigh a bit better." He showed you the iPad screen with the dragon on it. The tattoo would live on your thigh. It's beautiful, though - a dragon with gold eyes and white scales.

"That's perfect, it's like you're in my head." You smile as you nod. "Yes, let's do that."

"Sit." He instructed, getting out his gloves and the razor. You sat down on the chair, your thigh thighs pooling at the seat.

Something you're very insecure about. Which is why you want to put a tattoo on it.

Geto placed a hand on your thigh, running the razor over your skin gently. You watch him as he watches you, his eyes scanning down your leg. His gloves feel so cold against you but the heat from his fingertips send mixed signals to your brain.

Once he placed the stencil, it was time to start. He sat on his chair, which he rolled over to you and his his head near your thigh. You pressed your palms to the arm rests, bracing yourself for the needle.

"You have all these tattoos, and you're nervous?" Geto looked up at you with a smirk. "No reason to be scared."

"It's not the tattoo that's making me nervous." You turn your head to the side. Why the fuck did you just say that?

Geto presses the needle to your skin, gently drawing the first line. He has one hand on the needle, the other holding onto your meaty thigh.

You stayed quiet for about an hour as he worked, too scared to ask any questions.

"You know I can feel your heartbeat in your leg right now, right?" His chocolate eyes peered up at you. "What's making you so nervous, hm?"

You bit your bottom lip, debating on saying what's actually on your mind.

You.

You, Suguru Geto are the reason.

"You." You let out a sigh as he continues his work. A smirk crept onto his face as he nods, like he was waiting for you to say that.

He was so satisfied with that answer.

Throughout the appointment, he would slowly touch you in different places to test how you're feeling. First, your outer thigh. Then you're inner thigh. Then closer to your aching core. You wonder if he can feel the wetness thats soaking in your cunt.

"I've seen you here a lot." He finally spoke after an hour.

"I've seen you, but you never say hi." You watch as the needle runs over your skin.

"Your Shoko's client, I didn't want to intrude."

"Why, you think you would steal me as a client?" You laugh, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Mm, no. I would just have a hard time controlling myself is all."

You raise your eyebrow as you look at him, his eyes still boring into your skin as he tattoos.

Your heart beats even faster now as he gets more comfortable with you. He glides his hand down your thigh to your calf, massaging it gently. "Almost done."

But God, you didn't want this appointment to be over.

________________________________

"What do you think?" He did one last wipe of your new ink. You stand up and look in the mirror, gasping at the beautiful art that is now on your body.

"It's beautiful! Thank you, Suguru." You walk over to him so he can wrap your thigh with the second skin.

He kneeled down as he wrapped your skin. You felt his nose brush against your inner thigh - he's so close to you. You stand completely still as he wraps, but his lips attach to other parts of your skin.

He places a trail of hot kisses down your thigh to the bottom of your leg, his large hands following the trail of his kisses.

You gasp, restraining yourself from burying your hands in his raven hair. Those dangerous brown eyes looked at you once more and you knew you were done for.

"You can touch me, baby." He murmured against your skin as he made his way to your face. His tall, muscular stature covered you as you gazed up at him. "I said, you can touch me." He repeated.

You nod, your manicured hands slowly reaching for his chest. Once you make contact you feel his heartbeat, its just as fast as yours. You drag your hands to his neck, wrapping your arms around him.

His greedy lips find yours in a heated kiss as his hands land on the fat of your ass with a slight 'slap'. Your chest presses into him as you slip your tongue into his mouth, opening your mouth wide as he devours you.

Suguru squeezes your ass roughly, no doubt leaving a hand mark after the next smack.

"You come in here in this outfit when you know I'm tattooing you?" He groans against your mouth. "One piece of clothing that barely covers your curves? Fuck, what did you think was gonna happen?" His lips moved to your neck as he left open mouthed kisses that felt like fire.

You didn't answer, you only pressed your hand to the back of his head to push him into you.

"Answer me." He bit your skin, making you yelp.

"I-I wore it for you." You dug your fingers into his hair. "I wanted to, to get your attention."

"You've had my attention, angel." He purred as his bites turned into kisses. He brings his mouth to your clavicle, kissing your skin softly as looks at you through his thick lashes.

"Why didn't you say anything?" You bring his face to yours, his lips only inches from you. You could practically feel his breath.

"Why do you think Shoko's not here right now?" He smirked as he pressed his plump lips to yours, reaching down yo your ass to squeeze your cheeks again.

"She said she had a-"

"I told her you cancelled so she had the day off."

"You're a menace." You push him backwards slightly onto the chair you were just sitting on. "I've thought about you almost every day since I started coming here." Your hand pushed his shoulder gently so he sits on the seat. "I thought it was like a schoolgirl crush."

"I can say the same for you." He looked up at you, his eyes almost pleading for you. "I wanted you alone, though." He snaked his hands to your hips, lowering you gently onto his lap.

You spread your legs wider as your mouth gravitated to his, your wet clothed core rubbing against his big cock. Your fingers tangled in his long hair, nails dragging down his scalp.

You rock your hips gently back and forth as Suguru smacks your ass, his other hand creeping up the front side of your body.

"You can't wear this shit in here again, got it?" He placed his hand on the front of your neck, squeezing your throat gently.

You nod, to which he kisses your lips once more. This time he's needy. He's craving you, and he will indulge.

"Think you can ride me, baby?" His words vibrate through you as his lips attack yours. You whimper involuntarily thinking about your cunt milking his fat cock.

Suguru grabs your face roughly, squeezing your cheeks with his thumb and index finger. "Answer me."

"Y-Yes." You nod, his hands roaming to your aching core.

"So wet already, were you this wet when I was tattooing you?"

"Yes. God, yes." He rubs gently circles on your clothed cunt, a smirk rising on his face.

"We'll have to do something about that then, hm?" His voice was so smooth as he pushed the straps down on your tight romper, revealing your tits as they gasped for air with the new freedom.

"No bra? You're a dirty slut, aren't you?" His mouth attached to your neck again, making new hickeys over the ones he made just a few minutes ago. He dragged his mouth to your bare tit, landing on your erect nipple. Suguru's mouth covered the nub, sucking gently as his eyes closed.

You threw your head back as he went to work on your tits, going from one to another. You press your palm to the back of his head as he sucks, bites, and licks your sensitive nub.

You feel his hard, diamond cutting cock pressed against your thigh, begging to be touched. Your fingers danced to the button of his jeans, pushing them down gently to reveal his black boxer briefs.

He helped you take off his clothes, along with the rest of your romper. Just a black thong remained on your body.

Suguru's lips kissed down your sternum to your soft stomach, down to the string of your thong. "You gonna ride me, pretty?"

"Yes Suguru." You slid the thong off, your soaking wet cunt pressing against his waist.

Suguru swiveled the chair to face the mirror, your ass on full display as he grabs his throbbing cock, shaking it below you. "I want to watch you ride me. Watch your beautiful pussy milk my cock."

You grab his thick cock, the girth almost too much for your hand. You lined the head with your slit, coating his tip with your arousal. His head leaned back into the chair with the immense pleasure he was already feeling.

You push yourself onto your knees, taking one last look behind you at the mirror as you watch your body push down on his cock. You both let out sinful moans, your gummy walls stretching with his big size.

"Fuck baby." Suguru planted his hands on the fat of your hips, guiding you up and down his cock. Your hands found his neck, wrapping your arms around him into his hair.

You milked his cock as you moved, lewd noises and squelches filling the room. Suguru opened his eyes to look in the mirror, watching the fat of your ass jiggle with your movements.

"This pussy, god damn." He moaned with a slap to your ass. "Milking me till the last drop, hm?"

"Yes baby." You throw your head back as you shake your ass on his cock.

"Your pretty cunt was made for me. You won't be fucking anyone else, got it?" He used his other hand to grab your hair, pulling you gently to look at him. "Answer me."

"Y-Yes Suguru." Your breath is wavering as you grind yourself against him. "O-only yours."

Those words sent Suguru over the edge. His fingers found your thick thighs, squeezing harshly as he approached his high. He started jabbing his cock into you, watching your body bounce in the mirror. His hand found your throbbing clit, massaging it gently in circles. Your pussy clenches around him at his touch.

"It's too much, Sugu - I need to come."

"Come undone on me, baby." He circles your clit with his index and middle finger. "I want to feel your juices all over me."

He looked down as you moved up on his cock, a creamy ring forming at the hilt. He pushed you down on him once more as the coil in your stomach snapped.

"That's it." He whispered in your ear as he fucked his cock into you, your body only twitching from the pleasure that's terrorizing your body. His hands clutched your face as your eyes squeezed shut. "Look at me when you come."

You obeyed, your vision blurry as you open your eyes to his chocolate ones. His mouth is parted slightly as his thrusts become more sloppy with the sight of your orgasm.

"I'm gonna come inside you, cover you with my seed, yeah?"

"Y-yes Suguru. Please fill me up." You whimper as you grind yourself against his cock. "I want to be full of you."

With one last thrust he unloaded everything he had into you. You swear you felt some of his juices seeping onto the chair, leaving a sticky residue. He's panting now but his hands are still planted on your hips.

"What a mess we made." Suguru kissed your lips slowly, the sounds of your mouths dancing together filling your ears.

"Again?"

[updownlately]

i like shiny things (but i'd marry you with paper rings)

randomly thinking about esme morgan and how she made bracelets for the engwnt during their down time and just picturing a reader x alessia where r does origami when they're anxious or in between games. idk if anyone's written this idea before so mb if it's repetitive (i feel like i read an origami-reader fic before but i believe it was with jessie fleming x r) not a fic, not a blurb, just an idea/storyline :) fun fact: an instagram reel prompted this 😅 | alessia russo x reader

~~~

like imagine the first time alessia walks into your shared hotel room to see a handful of paper cranes of different colours laid across the bed, your tongue poking out slightly, eyebrows furrowed as you had a website open on your phone showing you how to make a dragon.

and you're so concentrated you don't hear alessia come in, you just fiddle with the paper and let out a huff when you realize you have to unwind the folds you just did.

it's only when she clears her throat at you, still standing near the door that you snap out of what you're doing, eyes going wide, the dinosaur that looks more like a worm flying out of your hands.

and you'd look at her with an embarrassed look, quickly gathering the seven or so different paper cranes, bringing them towards your lap in a futile attempt to hide em, as alessia would watch you with a fond smile on her face.

or can we talk about how she'd quietly get you more origami paper the next time she goes out with the girls to explore the city, shyly coming back with a fresh pack of origami sheets, this time in pastel colours, shades you absolutely adored.

the way she'd enter the room anxiously, thumb playing with the ring on her finger as she'd hide the package behind her with her other hand, shoulder's curled in, skittish smile on her face.

how you'd wave her in, a huge smile on her face, not suspecting a thing as you chatted with your mother on the phone.

she'd maybe sit on the edge of the bed, a few feet away from you, the papers still hidden as you'd talk animatedly on the phone for a couple more minutes.

it's during that time that alessia would cast her gaze across the room, taking in how many different little paper creations, varying from flowers to cranes to butterflies to shapes like stars and hearts littered the room, smiling tenderly to herself.

and when you'd finish up the call, looking over at the blonde with a large grin on your face you'd already be excited by her mere presence, your golden retriever personality making itself known.

that grin would only grow wider as she would shuffle closer to you, the origami sheets still miraculously hidden (not hard to do really since all your focus was on alessia, your eyes nearly in the shape of a heart) and she'd give you a gentle kiss on your forehead and then lips, before pulling back shyly, the words quiet as they left her.

'i got you a little something...'

you'd tilt your head in question, a singular eyebrow raising as you'd finally notice how her other arm was somewhat awkwardly positioned behind her.

and you'd kind of tense up into a sitting position, concerned at what it could be.

'relax, it's nothing crazy, just a small little item i've been meaning to grab for you'

the words would be gentle, with a slight teasing lilt.

and she'd carefully present you the origami sheets, placing them on the sheet between you two, biting her lip nervously as she'd wait for a reaction.

your eyebrows would scrunch up immediately, hands reaching out to grab the plastic package, examining it as your jaw would drop in a pleasant mix of shock and joy.

and the way your eyes would widen as you'd read the text on around the item, the words 'origami paper' written clear as day, your heart feeling so full, warmth coursing through your veins as you'd realize that alessia had noticed your stack was running out, even going as far as to get them in colours you loved.

the papers would gently be thrown to the side as everything would click, you launching yourself at the blonde, arms coming to immediately wrap around her shoulders and neck as you'd bury your face in her neck.

your excited 'thank you' would be muffled with how tightly you were hugging her, your grin from earlier returning, only now it was nearly twice the size.

the blonde would chuckle gently at your delighted state, hugging you back with just as much enthusiasm, placing a gentle kiss to your temple just before you'd pull back, nearly shaking with elation.

placing a few loving kisses onto her lips you'd mumble another thank you in between them, pulling away once your couldn't contain your excitement.

and you'd rip into the new packaging, old papers be damned because your girlfriend got you these and they were immediately, undoubtedly the better papers now.

and eventually, as it would become time to check out of the hotel a few days later, alessia would find herself once again standing in the middle of the room, this time the whole room nearly taken over by butterflies, dragons (which you now finally mastered), toads, cranes, rabbits, stars, hearts, chains, and like twenty other things, some in various colours of the rainbow, and more than half of them made of the pastel origami sheets. (it was clear to see you had a favourite, evident by the way nearly half the pastel paper had already been used).

and then can we talk about how maybe you both would be coming back from a really tiring game, the whole engwnt sat on the bus, the two of you choosing to sit closer to the middle-front-ish area, alessia knowing you preferred the peace and quiet as you'd fold paper and calm down from the exhilarating events of the game.

so you'd sit there, a pair of wired earbuds shared between you two as the paper pad would be precariously balancing on your thighs, rattling with every bump and uneven surface of the road.

alessia would be sat beside you, watching you with a lovestruck face as you'd continue to do fold after fold, making something new this time, what it was, alessia didn't know, you wanting to surprise her.

what she did notice however was that you had two pieces of paper out, one that was her favourite colour, and one that was your favourite colour- surely that couldn't be a coincidence, right?

and as teammates saw you back at your usual task, very much accustomed to your tendency to relax by creating little items, they let you be, a few gently requesting you for a rabbit or dragon (stanway nearly begging you to make her dinosaur, pestering you until you had finally agreed with a quiet 'later' with a fond eye roll).

you'd been very much focused since though, head nodding along to the music, the familiar 'furrowed eyebrows' look on your face, tip of your tongue peeking out as you did meticulous fold after fold, tilting your body ever so slightly so alessia couldn't make out exactly what you were creating.

it was only when you were done, two small heart rings resting in the palm of your hand, one each in your and alessia's favourite colour, did you turn around, a bashful smile on your face as you hid the two papers in a loosely closed fist.

quickly scanning to make sure no one was watching, your fear of being teased for your sappiness emerging, your leg shook with nervous energy as you realized the coast was clear.

'i made you- us- i made us paper rings in our favourite colours.'

the words would come out slightly rushed, a soft blush coming to coat your cheeks as alessia's eyes widened in joyful shock,

'i'll get you a proper one eventually, this is just a promise of that in the meantime...'

and alessia would shrug at your words, a lovesick smile crossing her face as she'd examine the heart-shaped ring intently, absolutely adoring the way it rested on her hand, loving it more than any other jewellery she owned simply because it was made by you.

and placing the ring-clad hand up to rest on your cheek, the blonde would nudge you to look at her, bringing your faces close as she'd place a gentle but loving kiss on your lips, pulling back only a few centimetres as sky blue eyes would meet yours, her next words a whispered secret between you, eliciting twin smiles, lovestruck looks crossing both of your faces.

'as long as it's you i'm marrying, i'd happily do it with paper rings.'

[creativestorylove]

After endless waiting...

I have been noticing you since we were kids. I always watched you from afar, and sometimes, rarely, you looked back at me and waved friendly until your hand was put down hastily as you and your mum walked by.

I've seen you playing in the garden, always alone but in a very creative way. At some point, you started to craft your own toys, your own fight enemies. You showed great talent, but your parents had no encouraging words for you. I saw how frustrated you were, practicing all day long just to prove that you were worthy.

As a young teenager, you've kept training several fighting styles, but you had to do it in the late evening because you had to study all day long. Your father started to train you for being his heir, so you finally were seen in a way. I always hid behind a corner or a column, stealing me away from my chores, just to be near you. When you noticed me though, your reaction was way less than in your childhood. You flashed a slight smile, but then your face grew cold. The early precautions of your parents were working.

As we grew older, being in our late teenage years, your reactions got more from time to time. We both got more brave, knowing we had something for each other, though we hadn't exchanged a word. When no one was looking, you smiled at me, almost cracking up in some chuckling, when I tried to wave walking by and just ran into another person. When your father noticed weird noises of you not paying attention to him, you came back to the topics that were discussed without struggle. You had your mimic trained so well over the last few years because our interest in each other grew more, and we both craved those little glimpses of each other.

Now, a few years later, you came back from a long trip being the new Ceasar. I was looking forward to seeing you again after months of absence. I felt my heart racing as I noticed you walking up to me through the halls. But you weren't alone. You were followed by almost the whole senate, so I knew, I couldn't look at you and greet you back. You slowed down, still seriously talking to them but you brushed the back of your hand against mine as you walked by.

I will always remember this airy, wavering touch of yours, inhaling your fresh scent and going back to the lingering sensation on my hand that faded too quickly. I knew that this sparked the fire inside of me and you, like to matches being lit. Now, my desire to be near you was growing stronger every minute since.

Really late in the night, my feet carried me through the palace, like I hadn't control over them. Nobody was awake anymore, but you. I knew where I would find you. Too many times, we had tried to meet up there - in your private rooms, where the gap between my status and yours would mean nothing.

With thousands of mixed feelings, I entered without knocking and closed the door behind me carefully. There wasn't any light from torches or the fireplace. Just the blue moonlight was shining through the open windows and revealing your dark figure, waiting for me.

Want a second part? What do you think about it?

@darknessisafriend

@satlun

@kaffeina23 (do you want to be added to the taglist?)

[jukkaricity]

WIP Wednesday Thursday + A word with friends

About 2 weeks ago I shared this WIP and I've been poking at it slowly since then. I have a weird feeling I'm overthinking this whole thing. But I genuinely feel like I don't know what I'm doing: where to start, how much to plan and at this point wondering if 2k words is a reasonable amount for a fic chapter. I think I'm going insane, please put me down, it will be a mercy.

Many thanks for the past longer-than-expected tags from @serensama, @serstolas, @chaosherald, @dancing--lights and @redheadsramblings (I'm so sorry if I mixed you up or forgot about someone) for the WIP WED-ever and once more to serstolas for the tag in A word with friends:

Assiduously

Showing great care, attention, and effort : marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application

Constantly; ceaselessly.

Rules: Use the challenge word to write a sentence or scene and then tag a few friends.

🪶🌿🪶🌿🪶🌿🪶🌿🪶🌿

The Wardens claim the sixth Blight to be over. What remains of the Darkspawn masses scatter and return underground. Additionally, unlike in the past, many affected people report recovery. The confirmation however needs to be applied on a case to case basis. The Viper appears to be among those healed. I… 

Bellara’s hand jerked before the words could be put down on the page–before she could not hold them back anymore. Like a painful reminder of what she knew was true but didn’t want to admit. She wrote them down on a spare piece of paper. Then crossed them out carefully–assiduously even–telling herself such private details had no place in a scientific journal. Then she crumpled the paper and tossed it to the floor. Another discarded note among many. 

She straightened out her spine with a quiet crack. Having pain in the lower back was a familiar sensation, one she both did and didn’t miss in the last weeks. It meant things were kind of getting back to where they were before. It meant she was writing again.

She stretched and looked around, a half-full cup of tea was long cold, her bed remained untouched and field notes still littered the floor. The sense of time may have escaped her again. What was she doing before? And what was the time? 

What was a spot of flickering blue and red light from the magical city signs now turned to golden hues of the early sunrise. She must have been writing for a while–a 

“Bell, you said you wanted to go to sleep.” Neve entered the room, gripping a cup of coffee like it was the last thing keeping her upright. She looked exhausted, deep shadows under her eyes alone spoke of days without proper sleep. 

“I, well, I wanted to. But then I wanted to make notes and… You know I think it’s now early enough to get up anyway.” Bellara gave a last glance to the journal and gathered up her notes, shoving them between the pages, before slamming the notebook shut. There was still so much to do. Too much.

So much to note before everyone forgets. She’s already heard some humans murmuring about an intervention from their Maker. A miracle from the prophetess Andraste. It’s been maybe two weeks and the legends were already forming. If she doesn’t keep things straight, who would? 

“You don’t have to run yourself ragged. The world will not end if you get some sleep.” Neve smiled, a tired but knowing smile, one that makes the crow’s feet around her eyes visible. Bellara knew that she meant well. But she also knew that Neve was the last person to give her that sort of advice. 

“I really would rather get back to work.” she shook her head, gathering up her supplies and dropping them into her bag. There were still so many people she needed to talk to. She had to make sure their experiences were preserved.  “Thank you, Neve. It means a lot to me. But I just need to keep moving for now.” 

A murmur in her head grew louder, overflowing with anger. How dare Neve Gallus stroll in with that condescending smirk and ’good advice’. How dare she look at Bellara with this mix of concern and care. It could have been her instead. But Rook chose Bellara to deal with the wards and…

Bellara shook her head with a wince. These were not her feelings. Not her thoughts. It was never as overt as Elgar’nan’s voice thundering right inside her mind, and has substantially quieted down since his fall, but it was still hard to separate her own emotions from the song of the Blight. It was not words, not exactly. But also more than just feelings and to be entirely honest Bellara didn’t want to unpack this problem right now. There was a lot to be done and to be fixed and people needed help.

Yes. 

It was best to focus on what she could fix right now. Fixing and archiving. These were kind of her things. And maybe her skin was a bit more pale and her eyes were still blood-shot and there was this weird anger whispering in the corners of her mind, but she was still Bellara and that was what mattered. 

“Bell… You know you can tell me if something’s wrong, don’t you?” Neve navigated the note-infested minefield that was the floor of the room in the Pavus Estate that Bellara was occupying and leaned in on the table with her usual grace. 

“Oh, I know, Neve. I know” Bellara tapped her fingers on the notebook. Then the desk. Then folded them in her lap. “It’s just been a lot, you know? I’m still trying to figure out what has happened.” 

The smell of coffee hung heavy between them. Bellara didn’t want it to feel this way. Smelling coffee shouldn’t feel like regrets. She shifted and got up to try and busy herself with arranging her notes. Babbling came naturally right after. 

“Oh, Neve, you need to tell me how you catalogue your notes, I mean look at this mess?” She shuffled through the papers on the desk first, checking the dates and marvelling at how shaky her writing was in those first days. “I tried to note down everything we’ve discussed with Lady Morrigan. And Vorgoth too. Strife promised to send his thoughts as soon as the Jumpers settled back down in Arlathan.” 

With a couple piles seemingly looking like they were now arranged, Bellara moved on to the floor. Neve didn’t move so far, watching carefully, a soft smile on her lips and worry in her heavy-lidded eyes. Knowing Bellara was knowing she needed to let her nervous energy go somewhere before they could get to the heart of the problem.

Neve still didn’t believe in miracles. Or good luck. Or even things going her way from time to  time and yet seeing Bellara returned to them filled her with a kind of hope and relief she didn’t know was possible. 

“So I’ve been making notes on all the changes we’ve been seeing. I sometimes regret that I cannot make my own Nadas Dirthalen! Imagine how much time we’d save if we could just have a spirit record all the discussions?” Bellara gathered the crumpled up, discarded notes and threw them one by one into a bin by the door. All of them found their way inside without a miss except for the last one that bounced out of the overflowing bin. “And we’d save ourselves so much paper!? I always had to be so careful about my notes, you know, so that I don’t waste my notebooks. They are so hard to barter for, people either don’t have them or don’t want to trade them? And I mean I understand why, especially at the villages at the edge of the forest. Who would own a notebook there? Well the herbalists often did, but those were important for them to keep, so they can write their own notes.”

Bellara was now circling the room, her arms pressed tightly to her sides. Neve sighed. She knew now. 

“You didn’t speak to Evka yet, did you?” 

Bellara halted as if struck by one of Neve’s signature ice spells, then spun around to look at her friend–best friend–nervously playing with the edge of her glove. 

“I’ve been avoiding Davrin too.” 

[tams-writeblr]

Love in a hopeless Place 3

Synopsis: She was barely grown up, when she stepped into the bar that was the center of Zaun's resistance. The people she met there would forever change her life, and one of them especially. Silco x reader/OC; first-person POV; overall rating: E for Explicit; canon-compliant (though I might make a stretch on the timeline here and there to make things fit my symbolism); age gap! (younger female, older male); 9 chapters; 45k; cis female reader/POV; no beta-reader; completed Chapter ratings/warnings: T for Teen, mentions of alcohol and smoking, canon typical representation of those Wordcount: 2k Author's note: It's getting sweeter dear reader! Our POV character is feeling a little bold today and talks against the grown-ups. And aparently boldness wins. Have fun! Comments would be appreciated!

Today's music recomentation: Cake - Short Skirt | Long Jacket

<- previous | next ->

Act I

Chapter II

Part 2/2

The rest of the week went by, and soon Saturday came around.

I contemplated wearing the same dress as on my birthday, but instead went for a shoulder free blouse, a wide, laced belt and black pants. When had I started to care so much what I wore again? As I left the house, I called out for my family to not wait for me and threw Silco's jacket over my shoulders. 

The arms were so long, it was more comfortable wearing it as a cape. It still encapsulated me in that scent mix that made my head go dizzy for a few seconds every time I passed the heavy fabric in my room. 

I walked past familiar streets, familiar faces, sounds and scents, yet still something felt different - I felt different. As I entered "The Last Drop", the bar was busting as the last time I had been here, music loud and energy high. I straightened my clothes and walked through the crowd right towards the bar. 

The place right next to Silco was taken by a woman with dark purple hair.  I also knew her from somewhere, but at that time, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

So I headed for the next best empty stool. In pants, it was easier getting on these things gracefully.

Vander, Silco and the woman were lost in their conversation, so I ordered a beer from Vander's aide.

I hadn't really liked the beer the punks gave me on my birthday, but I didn't want to get as drunk as last time, and I was still curious about "the real drink" Silco wanted to serve me. I've watched them for a while interact before I caught Vander's eye.

He greeted me friendly with my name and walked towards me behind his bar. "Ah, I see, you're already served." His glance landed on my "cape". "So, Silco took you home, well?" He pulled up an eyebrow, and I quickly took the cape off. It was way too warm in here for it anyway.

"Yes, he was a true gentleman."

"That he sure is," Vander chuckled, ogling his friend from the corner of his eye. "And those kinds of men are hard to be found down here, you know?"

I sipped from my beer, avoiding his glance. "I've noticed."

"Hey," Vander made me look at him. "I gave that punk a good speech the other day. He won't bother you again."

I smiled. "Thank you, but honestly, I haven't been thinking about him anymore since then." I couldn't help but let my eye wander over the bar to the very end, where Silco was still vividly conversing with that beautiful woman. 

She was about his age, not a kid like me.

Vander's dark chuckle made me look back at him. "This is Felicia, and she's as much my sister as Silco is my brother. She's got two kids with a guy called Connol who's currently home, watching them and giving this woman a much-deserved night out."

I couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Silco! Look who's come to say hi to you!"

Now he finally raised his head and placed his green eyes on me. His face lit up ever so slightly, and excusing himself from Felicia, he slid down his stool. "Hey kid," he greeted, tapping two fingers to his forehead. "You really came."

I shrugged. "We had a date, hadn't we?"

Vander busted out laughing at the sight of Silco's perplexed face. "Hear, hear! Now, Silco, there you've picked up one!" His laughter hollered through half of the bar, and I felt my cheeks turn hot.

Silco tried to hide his anger by ignoring his brother. Sliding onto the stool next to me, he threw a glance at my beer. "What the hell are you drinking again, kid? I told you, let me choose your drink tonight. Get her what I have, Vander, and stop playing matchmaker. I'm way too old for a kid like her."

Vander chuckled and exchanged my bottle of beer with a glass of red liquid. 

I raised an eyebrow, questioning.

"Wine," Silco explained. "Does its work, but keeps your senses inside your head. And tastes better than that stuff." He pointed at my old bottle.

I took a sip. The wine was sweet and sour at the same time, thick and rich against my tongue. I tasted the alcohol, but not as bad as in the liquor I had on my birthday. "It's... good," I made surprised.

"Told ya." Silco held his glass in front of me. 

I clicked glassed with him and took another sip.

His green eyes didn't leave my face, as much as mine didn't leave his. For a while, we engaged in pleasant chatter. 

I tried to ask if my father's delivery had been to his liking, but he told me not to talk about these matters here and now. I wasn't sure if he tried to flirt with me from time to time, and I wasn't sure if he noticed that I was constantly flirting with him.

Vander left us the whole bottle of wine, so we were unbothered for a good junk of the evening.

It was fascinating hearing him talk about his plans for Zaun's future, but just as much was he willing to listen to me ramble about my upbringing. He hadn't known that Claus had tried to get me into Piltover's University. "It would have been a shame if we'd lost another bright mind to the topsiders."

I knew I was blushing over the compliment, so I hid my face in my hand.

That moment, Felicia's voice calling Silco's name cut through the white noise of the bar. From the other side of the counter, she was giving him a stern look.

Silco sighed and slid from his stool. "You excuse me?" He walked towards his friend, who had her hands rammed into her sides.

"What the heck are you doing?", she snapped. "She's still a child. She's Claus' child! And he'll kill you when he finds you messing with his daughter."

I was sure, she wasn't expecting me to hear her, but my ears had always been very good.

"I'm not messing with her, Felicia, and she isn't a child anymore. She's a full-grown woman."

Felicia huffed, and Vander walked towards them as a voice of reason.

"What's your problem, Felicia? She clearly took a liking to him."

"Oh great, now the great Vander also is on his side. This is just not right. You're too old for her!"

"I know," Silco sighed and ran a hand through his hair, leaving it messier than before. 

"We've known her since she was the same age as Violet is now. This is just not right."

"Silco says he never noticed her in Claus' store."

"I really don't!", Silco defended himself. "I don't know where my eyes were, but not on her!"

"And we both know why, right, Felicia? 'cause our Silco here hates children and ignores them as good as he can."

Silco faced Vander, now with an even angrier look on his face. "I don't hate children - per se. I don't like brats, but some kids are kinda okay. Felicia's, for example. The little one is kind of cute. I mean Violet..."

Felicia now had to restrain a chuckle. "Yeah, Vi is clearly a brat. And Pow is too small to be anything yet." She made her straight facade reappear. "This still doesn't feel right. Maybe it's because I'm a mother myself now, but this just - it bothers me."

"I know." Silco's voice got so low, that I now really had difficulties hearing him. "Trust me, I won't make it strange. I'll leave it all in her power of decision. I promise." He placed both hands on her upper arms, petting them slightly. 

When Vander chuckled, they both snapped at him. "Shut up, this is all your fault anyway!"

I finally felt the urge to advocate for my cause too, so I slid down my stool, took my drink and approached them. "This is none of their faults, Felicia. The second I took a seat on this stool on my birthday, the second I laid an eye on him, it was all lost for me. I knew I wanted that man, and I knew I'd get him."

They all looked at me with their jaws hanging. "Hear, hear," Vander made again, then busied himself with the dishes.

Felicia raised an eyebrow at me and patted my shoulder. "Good luck with this knucklehead then."

Now it was just Silco and me, and he still hadn't closed his mouth. "I'm sorry you heard that," he finally found his composure again. "Momma bear can be a little overprotective."

I avoided looking him in the eye and instead looked into my wine. "Well, maybe this one had made me braver than I actually am."

Silco tapped my cheek with two fingers. "You know, there's an old saying, that goes, "In wine lies the truth", so maybe you just don't know how brave you actually are."

"Are you lecturing me now, old man?"

Silco chuckled. "I wouldn't dare to." He took the glass out of my hand and pulled me into the crowd. "Let's dance a bit."

Hours later, my feet hurt like crazy, and Silco was walking me home again. 

He wore his other jacket, which almost looked exactly like the one he had given me. Must have looked funny as we were walking down the lanes side by side. He was quietly smoking next to me.

I didn't know what to say after this eventful night, and Silco, I supposed, wasn't a man of many words. As we reached my house again, I was able to put the key into the hole myself. As I turned towards the door, Silco hovered over me.

"So, what about a goodnight's kiss now?", he whispered to my ear, and his voice left my knees shaky.

I searched his glance, but his eyes were fixed on my lips. So I turned to him, placed a hand on his cheek, and pressed a slow, chaste kiss on his mouth. "Good night, Silco," I whispered and heard him gulp loudly.

He was moving away from me. "Good night, kid." Before he could straighten up to his full height, though, I grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him close again, lips crashing into each other like falling on your couch after a long, hard day. He gasped in surprise, but quickly he recovered, melting his body around mine, embracing me with his long, slender arms, hugging me tight.

I felt the strong muscle of his shoulder under my hands, and he pressed me against the door frame, kissing me like a madman. For a moment, time seemed to have stopped. It was just us and nothing else around us - no streets, no houses, not even my family that was sleeping upstairs - just the two of us and the growing urgency with which our mouths worked against each other.

Finally, Silco pulled away. He pressed his forehead against mine for a second, planted then a kiss on top of my head, and stood straight. His pupils were fully widened as he looked at me. "I should go now, or else I can't keep the promise I gave Felicia."

I smiled sheepishly. Of course, I had felt it too. I was also going to get lost in the moment. But it was better to wait. "Good night, Silco," I said again, brushing some loose strands of his black hair behind his ear.

He mimicked the gesture with my hair, then turned around and left.

My knees were so weak at first, I didn't even make the stairs. I crash-landed on the sofa for a while before retreating to my upstairs bedroom.

[dc418writes]

✨Pairing✨: mob!Ari Levinsonxblack!reader

Summary🪄: Things seem to be looking up again for you and Ari

🚨: 18+ NO MINORS!, Ari (as we all know), Ari admittedly being a bit of a creep (but reader is fine with it) mention of nudity, happy adult fun times (everyone please be safe!), violence (man to man), fluff mixed in throughout, language

A/N🎤: So uh..this was a long time in the making🫣 lol. Hopefully you guys like this newest addition!

*DISCLAIMER!: although visual made by me via Canva, I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP of pictures used as they were all found via Pinterest*

Part V

"Thanks. Have a good night," Ari politely tells the delivery guy after exchanging his tip for the Chinese already beginning to spread its savory scent throughout your apartment. Ever the protective caregiver, he insisted you eat even though you didn't have an appetite; especially at this time of night.

"I'll be fine. I usually get cereal or just make a big breakfast the next morning," you explained. It fell on deaf ears though as the suave businessman tapped on his phone ordering something for the both of you.

"You need something Y/N, even you said yourself you haven't had anything since lunch. I know you're hungry."

So as you showered trying to rid your skin of the day's work and the touch of the desperate intruder, he patiently waited on your couch. Listening to the running water pattering on the tub floor and for that eventual knock of your arrived food.

You shouldn't feel shy having given this man every part of you, but that doesn't stop your timid steps entering your small kitchen to see the muscles of his broad back and shoulders flex and move under his button up as he carefully takes out the two containers. One for your soup; the other his box of Lo Mein.

"Hey, just in time," he smiles over his shoulder feeling your presence.

"Thanks," you softly smile taking the plastic bowl from his hand. "Y-You really didn't have to."

"When are you gonna realize that everything I do for you is because I want to?," he smirks handing you a plastic spoon.

You wish he wasn't so nice to you. He shouldn't want anything to do with you right now let alone feed you. That's how any other man would be. Sat on your couch, knee occasionally brushing against his, you were slowly beginning to realize Ari wasn't like other men though. He was trying to show you that from the way he cared for you; wanting to give you everything you wanted, deserved, and more.

And finally, you were ready to surrender and let him.

"It's okay?," he asks wiping the corners of his mouth.

"Mhm," you nod gently smiling. "Yours?"

"Good. Wanna try?"

Leaning down slightly, you let him lift his chopsticks to your mouth placing a few noodles on your tongue. The sweet and spicy chili comfortably tingling your mouth and making you want more. "Mm, that is good!"

"I've never gotten it from this place, but it's just as good as the other one I get it from. Maybe better," he lightly chuckles before silence overtakes the both of you again.

Why was this so difficult? It was just two small words, it shouldn't feel this awkward.

"A-Ari?"

"Hm?"

"I'm...I'm sorry...about everything."

"It's in the past-"

"No, don't. I should've come to you earlier or-or said something that same day.."

"Y/N listen to me," he begins placing both of your respective containers on the table in front of you before turning to hold your hands in his larger ones. His deep blue eyes seemingly boring into your soul but in the most comforting way. "I appreciate your apology. Do I wish you would've come to me first? Yes, but I understand that things didn't look right, and you were just looking after yourself. Truthfully, all of this could've been avoided if I told you I was a father from day one."

He did have a point.

"I just didn't want to scare you off."

Scooting closer, you free your hand to caress his cheek. Inwardly smiling at the prickles of his soft beard against your skin again. Your fingers even drift to the strands flowing just at the base of his neck; equally as soft as you brush them behind his pierced ear. "You having a kid isn't gonna scare me away."

"I'm glad," he softly smiles kissing the inside of your sweet smelling wrist.

"Mind telling me about her?"

"Of course not." Settling into the cushions behind you both, your legs naturally find their way to his lap while his arm on your shoulders brings you closer into his side. "For starters, she's four with the attitude of a 40-year-old."

For hours you sat there happily listening to Ari tell you stories about his daughter and her already budding personality that would surely make his hair fall out by the time she was 20. It was cute really. Watching his soft smile as he scrolled through the images that went with said stories and those she simply insisted her grandma send on her behalf.

"Clearly she got everything from her mom," he stated with a light chuckle.

"I'm not disagreeing, but she seems like the type to not take no for an answer and go for what she wants no matter what. Reminds me of a certain someone in particular," you smirk gently scratching his chin and making him smile harder.

As he searched for one picture in particular, you couldn't help but smile, dreamily gazing at the side of his face. His features illuminated by the blue light of his screen.

There's a hint of pink rising to his cheeks to your kind eyes after feeling them on the side of his head. For the first time tonight he's noticed the time at the top of his phone which now reads 1:23 am.

"You're probably sick of my voice by now." He could be reading the phone book and you'd hang on to every word that passed by his lips. His soothing voice paired with his overall calming aura made him even more addicting to you.

"Never," you smile before a small yawn has you covering your mouth a little embarrassed.

"It's late. I should let you sleep." Carefully moving your legs, he stands throwing away your empty containers before collecting his jacket and keys. "You're not working tomorrow are you?"

"Well, I'm still on schedule," you respond slowly following him to your door. "I guess I should try to."

Sighing, his arms cross in front of his chest clearly not pleased by that answer. "It's your choice, but after tonight I think you should consider taking some time for yourself. Make sure you're really okay."

You knew he was right, and there was even a part of you that felt anxious about being in that building again. Walking down that sidewalk or any other one for that matter.

Twirling the hem of your oversized shirt in your fingers behind your back, you could feel your nerves getting the best of you the longer you stood there under Ari's gaze. You really didn't want him to leave, but he already stayed for so long.

Plus you were sure he had important meetings and other business to tend to tomorrow that you'd hate to jeopardize or come in the way of somehow.

"I-I'll think about it."

He gently nods. "Get some rest. I'll check on you tomorrow."

"Or..." you finally speak up making him halt opening your door any wider. "You could stay?...I-If you want that is."

"Is that what you want?," he asks closing the door behind him. If only you could see how your words lit up every cell in his body. How they set off a batch of butterflies he hadn't felt since Ariane's mother.

"Yea, but-"

"No, no buts. If you want me to stay, then I'll stay. Like I said, I'll give you any and everything you want but you have to use your words."

"I want you to stay with me. Please," you whisper.

Closing the space between you, his hand softly finds the side of your neck with thumb gliding back and forth along your cool jaw. You swear you feel your heart stop then restart faster than it was before as soon as he met your skin. His cologne making its way around you, wrapping your body in the most sensual hug.

"Alright."

"T-This doesn't mean we're having sex though." Your outburst paints him amused chuckling as you try not to cower to your room from further embarrassing yourself in front of this man.

You really needed to stop being so awkward.

"Not that I'm saying it's the only reason you're staying I mean!...A-At least I hope it's not?"

"It is not."

"I-I just read that being so focused on the sex part of making up, you don't truly get to the root of problems you know? Which makes sense-"

"Y/N whatever you want," he smiles trying to calm your rambling. "I'm your guest, I follow your rules ang-"

He stops himself before the rest of the word can leave, clearing his throat as if to collect himself.

You hate you told him to stop calling you that. You missed the way it sounded rolling off his tongue. To you, it was the strongest aphrodisiac around.

"Um if you need to shower you can use my soap, and there's an extra towel and washcloth. I should have another toothbrush somewhere too."

"Lead the way."

-

For the second time tonight, you find yourself nervous. You try to focus on the tv screen perfectly set on top of your dresser showing some nighttime talk show, but it's a difficult task with the man in your bathroom being the biggest distraction you've encountered. Having the bathroom door cracked, the backside of his bare body briefly comes into view as he dries his chest making your eyes immediately dart away and cheeks warm - your thighs clenching a bit as well.

You don't even know why you're nervous, it's not like you haven't spent the night together before.

There was something about the way he carried himself and his confidence though that always made you flustered when around him. Always feeling as if you were in the presence of one of the popular kids you were desperately trying to impress when you didn't need to.

A bit of leftover steam follows behind when he opens the door with his grey sweats hanging low (endless thanks to past Ari for leaving that pair in his trunk). The smell of soap drifting from his skin as he slides in bed beside you.

"You sure this is okay?," he asks. "I don't mind the couch."

"It's fine! U-Unless you'd rather..."

"If you're fine, then so am I," he smiles with hands slightly raised. "Just wanted to make sure."

"Okay," you nod. "Um you can turn the channel if you're not tired yet. O-Or you can turn it off, whichever you want."

"I might sit up for a bit. You go ahead and get some sleep, you had a long day." It's like a reaction how you hear the word 'sleep' and your body feels just how drained it actually is. A yawn even slipping past your lips again as you get comfortable making Ari smile to himself.

"Okay, goodnight," you whisper with eyes closed and glad to be in your bed.

"Goodnight Y/N."

There's something still eating at your brain though, making that deep sleep you need just out of reach. Opening your eyes, you watch Ari's chest slowly rise and fall as his eyes stay trained on the talk show host playing some game with his guest. Quietly chuckling along with the crowd as his hand brushes his hair out of his face.

"Ari?," you barely whisper nervously biting the corner of your lip. His eyes immediately find yours giving you all of his attention.

"...for some reason, I get the feeling that it wasn't a coincidence you were there. I mean, you haven't come to the restaurant in weeks but then show up tonight..."

Scratching the back of his neck he sighs, a bit apprehensive about how you'd react to his explanation.

"It wasn't...because I've uh, I've been checking in on you the past few days."

"You have?," you ask sitting up against the headboard.

"I saw you were working nights now when walking by to meet with a client one night. You were sweeping then to trying to close up. From that day, I walked by just on the other side of the street to make sure you got out okay. I-I would've said something, but I didn't want to freak you out or anything since we weren't really talking at the time."

Your silence is unsettling as your eyes never leave his, only making him even more worried he'd lost you once again. Possibly for good this time.

"I promise I wasn't stalking you or anything. I was just worried with it bein' so late and you by yourself-,"

He's unable to finish his sentence with your soft lips on his. Soon your body is following too, straddling his hips while his hands gently find the sides of your face keeping you attached as if he was afraid you'd disappear or let go. It wasn't until this moment he realizes just how much he missed your lips. How your skin felt under his touch.

A pinch to your hip has you gasping and leaving enough of an opening his minty tongue can explore yours making you softly moan, and feel as if you'd melt into a puddle at any moment. Hands on his chest, you're reluctant to pull away but your need for air is beginning to outweigh your need for Ari right now.

Neither of you completely separate though, as you catch your breaths. Short giggles and chuckles occasionally filling the air around you while your noses tap against each other and Ari sneaks light pecks against your skin. "Thank you...for looking out for me that is," you shyly smile.

"That's something you never have to thank me for." The deeper timbre of his voice against your lips has a shiver running over your body and a pulse coming from your core undoubtedly felt by him as well. Tracing one of the many tattoos forming the half sleeve that carried from his right bicep to his chest, his face nuzzles against your neck - with beard tickling against your berry scented skin - and mouth soon finds the spot he knows easily makes you purr.

And the fact that he remembered only has your body heating up even more.

"A-Ari?...One last thing?," you ask stopping his work along your jaw.

"Hm?"

"Can...can I be your angel again?" Oh, you'd be the death of him for sure.

The way your soft, midnight eyes met his filled with this nervousness like you were admitting you'd done something wrong, was a direct hit to his heart. Your curled lashes daintily hitting your cheeks with every blink making him internally groan.

He was really trying to be good and follow your rule, but the part of him filling with lust just wanted to ruin you right then and there.

"Who said you ever stopped?," he smirks shifting his hand on your cheek so his thumb could glide back and forth over your bottom lip. And when you daringly - yet slowly - part your lips giving careful kitten licks to the tip all the while maintaining eye contact, he feels himself swell and throb harder than it ever has before.

Leaning forward, this kiss is a bit rougher and needier than the one before. Feeling a twitch below you, your hips seem to develop a mind of their own starting to grind and buck in small movements. Ari's deep groan vibrates your fingers on his chest as he holds you impossibly closer messaging the little space between your thigh and lower abdomen with his thumb only making your want grow until you couldn't take it anymore.

Slightly parting again, you try to lift your shirt over your head only to be stopped by strong hands over your wrists.

"Wait," he sighs, trying to gain his breath as well. "I don't want you to breaking your rule.”

A small smile graces your partially swollen lips at how sweet he was respecting your boundaries, but it was only making that pulse worse as you felt more slick follow. "I appreciate that..but since I made the rule I'm also allowed to choose exceptions right?"

"True," he answers with a gentle nod letting go of your wrists to place his hands on your heated thighs. "If it's what you truly want angel."

Your shirt discarded to the floor, his eyes take in your body on display before him - so intimately and full of desire - as his lips curl into his signature, swooning smile making your cheeks heat along with the rest of your body. "W-What?", you nervously giggle.

He simply shakes his head gliding his hands along your thighs. "Do you realize how perfect you are?"

You can't help but shyly duck your head momentarily stunned hearing those words. You've never heard them from any man before, nor believed it for yourself no matter how long you tried those self-help books to increase your confidence. There were so many things you'd immediately change right now if you could.

As if knowing you were about to politely disagree, his lips are on yours. One of his hands smoothing up your back and pulling you closer to his chest, while the other shifts to your front groping and pinching until tiny moans are vibrating your throat. His mouth hungrily makes its way from your jaw to your bare chest causing you to slightly arch your back attempting to give him all the access he wanted. You can't help but place your hand over his - slightly begging for more and encouraging him - eagerly groping and plucking at whatever side wasn't occupied by his mouth. Louder mewls and moans crawl from your throat as your hips move faster needing something more to satisfy you.

"Ari..p-please," you whisper on the tail end of a moan, but he already knows easily rolling you both over with one hand pressing your hip to the bed while the other is just by your head.

"I know sweetheart, I know," he whispers - slightly panting himself trying to control his urge to immediately push his way into your dripping core and feel you tightly wrapped around him again - before kissing your pout away. "Be patient for me though okay?"

Nodding your head gets you another dizzying kiss as his free hand pulls his sweats down until he can kick them off. His member at full attention and red making you squirm and more slick flow needing him to fill you again.

You would usually have a problem with him pilfering through your nightstand as if it was his own, but your already hazy and lustful brain is only focused on the small, square foil between his lips. How he easily rips it open and rolls it up, giving himself a couple strokes after; making him grunt and his hips lightly rut forward.

The first time, you credited his probable years of experience to how he was able to know just where to go and the right amount of pressure or speed to apply to have you a moaning, babbling mess. But now, as you both moved scarily perfect together you thought otherwise.

The way your legs fit along the contours of his sides wrapping along his hips reminded you of an intricate puzzle piece as your bodies slapped and slid together adding to the already present vocals in the room. There was no fumbling or awkwardness as you easily met or punctuated each of his movements, and vice versa, as if you were finishing each other's sentence.

"A-Ari," you pant. Your nails raking down his back only spurring the rapid movement of his hips more as he moans against your neck. "I'm-"

"I know. Go ahead angel I'm here. I got you," he states against your ear knowing how the sound of his voice could push you to that shattering release only he'd been able to get you to.

This wasn't just experience at work. This...thing between you and Ari was something rare that took people years and countless tries to achieve that seemed to come naturally as if you were truly meant for each other.

And as he gave his final, deep rut - careful not to crush you with his entire weight when exhaustion finally took over - Ari certainly felt it too.

-

The tip of his index finger softly draws circles along the smooth skin of your thigh lying across his leg as he watches the sun rise outside your window. Shallow breaths from your nostrils fanning against the hairs of his chest making him smile down at your still sleeping form partially covered by your thin, pale green sheet. After four rounds, he should still be asleep too, but his internal clock just wouldn't let him rest for long.

That plus his excitement about having you in his arms again.

"You're so beautiful," he quietly speaks leaning down to kiss the top of your head. Meanwhile you lie unfazed as you continue sleeping. The comfortable silence is soon interrupted though with the dull thud of a bass vibrating the walls. Then he hears the loud laugh of someone in the hall clearly on the phone from not hearing another voice as he continued talking.

"Must be that neighbor you talked about," he thinks carefully getting out of bed trying not to wake you. You only groan as you roll deeper onto his side of the bed sinking your face further into his pillow.

Once his sweats are back on and he's quickly brushed his teeth, he's walking towards the front door and opening it to find Tate (or was it Nate?) with his door wide open as he drops a large trash bag outside the door. Clearly there was mostly bottles inside from the clinking as he walked with it.

The heavy metal coming from the speaker a step below blaring as Ari cracked your door behind him stepping further into the outdated hall with chipped paint and creaky floors. "Hey! 'Scuse me," Ari calls getting the man's attention just as he comes out with another bag.

He appeared to be in his 20s and like most of the spoiled frat boys that tried to huff and puff their way into Shiloh's club. Or anywhere really.

Short blonde hair, Ari could tell he mostly trained his upper body from the disproportion in his upper and lower half, while the tattoos that littered his arms looked as if a child did them.

"Yea?"

"Could you turn that down a bit? S'kinda loud and some of us are tryin to sleep."

"Oh, well in that case..no," he sarcastically smiles placing his bags of trash in the shoot right next to his door.

"Look, you don't have to cut it off alright? Just dial back the bass."

"And as I said earlier, no."

Ari was losing his patience with this kid.

"You see, I pay rent and live here just like everyone else, which means I have the right to do whatever and play my music however loud I want," he retorts taking a step closer and closer until he meets Ari in the hall trying to be the intimidating one even though the top of his head just barely reached Ari's chin. It nearly made Ari laugh in his face. "If you, that shy, sweet little snack of a girlfriend of yours, or anyone else has a problem then tough."

At the mention of you, Ari's hand was clutching his neck pinning him to the wall so he could really be at his eye level. Sputtering, the younger boy's hands try to grip and slap at Ari's to let him go as his legs flail about, but nothing seems to work.

"L-Let me go you psycho!"

"Mention my girl ever again, and your dismembered body goes down this fucking shoot like the trash you are." He can only gasp for breath still trying to loosen Ari's grip as he nods.

"Now be a good boy and turn down the music before I shove that speaker so far up your ass, the only language you'll be able to speak is static." Finally letting him go, he immediately falls to the floor coughing and trying to hurriedly wipe away the tears running down his face.

A simple smile quickly appears on Ari's face gazing down at your neighbor as if nothing happened. "Who the hell is this guy?," he thought holding onto his sore neck as he scurried back to his door.

"Thanks for understanding man, really means a lot," Ari winks returning to your door. "Oh! And let's not have this talk again, yea? The moment I hear you're bothering my girl, I don't think you'd like to see what's gonna happen."

Hurrying into his apartment and quickly locking the door, the music immediately stops and a chuckle not belonging to Ari breaks through the momentary silence. He was so focused on his target, he didn't notice the elderly lady step out her door wondering what was happening hearing arguing outside.

Shit.

Clearing his throat, a nervous hand passes through his hair as he offers her a small smile. "I-I'm sorry if I-"

"Why are you apologizing? 'Bout time that little shit got what he deserved," she states making Ari chuckle to himself.

"Well uh you have a good day," he politely waves walking back to your apartment unknowingly being checked out by the older woman.

"Mhm you too dear," she smiles tilting her thin, silver frames down on her nose as her eyes followed the muscles in his back and butt until they were no longer in sight.

"Ari?," you call from your bed. You quickly reach over to grab your shirt from the floor throwing it over your head just in case.

"I'm right here," he answers appearing in the doorway with that tilted smile you adored so much.

He knew it was impolite to stare, but how could he not with you sitting there radiant as the morning sun gently beaming on the waiting petals of wildflowers wanting to be warmed. Your curls beautifully disheveled atop your head just barely affected by your vigorous late night activities. He never let them know, but he could tell when the few women of his past would sneak out of bed to primp themselves. Lightly dusting foundation, blush, or whatever else they thought would help on their face before slipping back into his arms pretending as if they'd just woken up themselves.

You didn't need it though.

Not to say he didn't appreciate when you did have your face done up and lips painted that glossy brown or deep pinkish red he loved so much. It took every ounce of willpower not to take you in the nearest room and mess it up the night of his uncle's party. But that natural glow also had a hold on him he'd never be rid of.

Then again, that was probably just your doing all on your own.

"Hi."

"H-Hi," you shyly smile tucking a loose curl behind your ear trying to clear the hoarseness from your throat. "Quite a sight, huh?"

"Angel you have no idea." He smoothly strides over to you and your unmade bed holding himself up by his fists on the mattress as he leans forward to meet your lips. Your hand instinctively cupping the side of his neck while a cloud of haze joins - though still present in your mind from last night - as your lips move together similar to the intimate dance of your bodies just a few hours ago.

"Sei bella al mattino," he whispers against your lips leaving a minty tingle.

"Wha-? I don't know what that means.."

"I said you're beautiful in the morning," he softly smiles pecking your lips once more. He's like a prince from a fairytale, and you can't help but feel giddy letting him woo you speaking the sweetest words.

"Oh..um thank you. You're not bad yourself." Especially when he's in front of you as if sculpted by Michelangelo himself. His bare chest perfectly dusted with hair and sweats just low enough you could see that hair eventually disappear beneath the band teasing you.

"Thank you angel," he grins before noticing your furrowed brows as you gaze towards the wall. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing it's just quiet for once," you smile slightly tilting your head in the direction of your usually noisy neighbor just to make sure your ears weren't lying to you. Sure enough, all you could hear was the cars as they passed with the occasional blow of their horn. Even the birds calling as they flew by. "Must be gone."

"Or maybe he finally had a change of heart?," Ari turns to sit on the edge of the bed.

If the idiot knew what's good for him, he'd already be looking up apartments across the country and halfway moved out.

"We can only dream," you sigh removing the sheets from across you to try to stand on somehow still tingly legs. It makes him bite his lip trying to keep his proud grin hidden watching you quickly try to recover from your slight stumble as if nothing happened.

"So, what's the plan for today?"

"Well I got a text from my boss earlier saying how I could take off for a while with everything that happened. Recommended it really until I'm okay."

"Good."

"And I usually volunteer at this kids center on weekends.”

A soft smile forms on his lips remembering one of your early morning talks at the restaurant. How your eyes brightened more than he'd ever seen when you spoke about your time at the center and the many interactions with various kids.

He's fairly sure that was the same day he fell for you.

"But with my car still being fixed-,"

"If you wanna go, I can always take you."

"No it's fine," you reply waving him off as you begin to open drawers and move about the room trying to find something to wear for the day. "Plus you have work, and I don't want to take your time."

His hand quickly reaches out grabbing yours to stop you from walking by. Slowly bringing you closer to stand between his legs, his warm palms find the back of your thighs as he peers up at you with cyan eyes and hair still perfectly framing his beautiful face.

"You wouldn't be taking it if I'm offering," he smirks running his thumbs along the soft skin just below your bare cheeks. "And I thought we settled this last night? Or was I not convincing enough?"

The deepened timbre of his voice paired with that soft yet intensely ardent gaze has your breath stuck in your throat. You desperately want to clinch your legs together in fear of your growing slick dripping on his fingers and down to the carpet but his grip has you stuck in place. As if that's what he wants to happen.

Surely he was able to see your heart's increased pace against your chest as you stood strongly considering pouncing on the man in front of you and staying in. "N-No, you were."

"Then you know what I'm gonna say next."

"Ask a-and whatever I want is mine," you timidly answer lightly biting the corner of your lip - and unbeknownst to you, making a slight tent form in his pants as a silent groan of want sits unreleased in his head.

"Good girl."

You'd never expect those two words to cause such a reaction out of you, but leave it to Ari and his sinfully smooth voice to leave you nearly feral.

Your entire body heats and a moan almost slips feeling too flustered for your own good. "I-I'm gonna go and um shower then," you nervously smile, begrudgingly leaving his grasp as he stands.

Just like last night, watching him nearly walk away has a surge of confidence - or maybe it was your now throbbing core - overtaking you, reaching to curl your finger in the pocket of his sweats and gently pulling him towards you. His brow slightly raises, but he easily follows waiting for whatever comes next.

"Come with me. Please?"

Without words, he grasps the back of your thighs easily lifting you so your legs wrap around his middle and your arms around his neck making you giggle as his lips desperately find yours.

“See? Not so hard now was it?,” he whispers against your lips before walking both of you into the bathroom.

-

Parking in front of the center, the eyes of those passing by are on the luxury car not usually seen in this area. And you can’t help but feel your cheeks heat at how those eyes would be on you once you leave said car.

“What time’s pickup?,” he asks. His hand gently squeezing your thigh bringing you out of your brief anxiousness.

“Oh um it’s okay. I can ride with Tyla o-or someone else. I don’t want you riding all around town-,”

“I’d drive across the country if you needed me to angel. Hell, if you just wanted to.” The look in his eyes tells you he’d do it with no hesitation. “Now, when you get ready let me know. Okay?”

You nod as his hand moves from your thigh to the back of your neck bringing your mouths together in one of those numbing kisses you were becoming addicted to. Already were if you were honest.

“I’ll see you later then,” you softly smile securing your backpack on your shoulders.

“Think about what you want for dinner,” Ari winks as you take that final step on the sidewalk. Your chest - and everywhere else - tingling and filled with a type of joy only those in romantic movies seemed to convey.

-

“This the building?”

“Yea.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes! I’ve been hanging around here long enough; that’s where he lives. Top floor penthouse.”

“Not surprised. Pretty boy’s always been used to the finer side of life.”

“So, when do we get him?”

“Soon, but we wait until timing’s right. Make sure Levinson doesn’t see it coming.”

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Fateful Love in Motion

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies.

➼ Prologue

One day, some time after entering the Ooku.

Mai: "Excuse me."

I visited Ieyasu's room to learn about mixing medicines.

Ieyasu: "You came again. You really are a weird one."

Mai: "Yes, but knowing about medicine is useful, and I enjoy talking with you."

Ieyasu: "That’s what makes you weird."

(Even so, you never kick me out.)

Feeling his subtle kindness, my cheeks relaxed into a smile.

Our current relationship began a while ago when I called him to my room.

------------Flashback-----------

Ieyasu: "What do you want? I'm not interested in you."

Mai: "Sorry for the sudden request. I heard you know a lot about medicine."

Ieyasu: "So what? I'm here because of my archery skills."

Mai: "I want your help to treat an injured sparrow!"

Ieyasu: "Huh? Why should I?"

Mai: "The court physicians won't take it seriously, and I couldn't think of anyone else to ask."

Mai: "Please, help me."

Ieyasu: ".........."

Ieyasu: "Where's the sparrow?"

Mai: "You'll help!?"

Ieyasu: "If I ignored it, I'd be the bad guy."

After that, he mixed medicine for the sparrow and treated it carefully.

Ieyasu: "You should be the one asking for help. You're such a goody two shoes."

While waiting for the medicine, Ieyasu listened to my story about being forcibly brought to the Ooku, and he sighed in exasperation.

Ieyasu: "Well, I'm in a similar situation."

Mai: "You're also here against your will?"

Ieyasu: "Your father pressured me to be here."

Mai: "I'm sorry."

Ieyasu: "It's not something you need to apologize for."

Ieyasu: "Anyway, if you have no one to rely on, you should at least learn to prepare your own medicine."

Ieyasu: "If you watch my work closely, you'll learn whether you like it or not."

Mai: "You mean you'll teach me about medicine?"

Ieyasu: "If you're willing to learn, yes."

Mai: "Thank you, Ieyasu!"

---------Flashback Ends--------

Since then, I've been receiving instructions from Ieyasu.

Ieyasu: "Hey, that’s too sloppy. The medicine won’t work properly like this."

Ieyasu: "For a princess, not being able to make an antidote is like asking to be poisoned."

(He still speaks bluntly, but I know he's worried about me.)

I came to understand his indirect kindness, which made my heart race.

As we spent more time together, I found myself drawn to him.

(But he’s also a victim of my father. I have no right to express my feelings.)

(I'll keep these feelings locked in my heart for the rest of my life.)

That's what I thought, but...

Ieyasu: ".........."

(What should I do?)

A few days later, we were in the bedroom, sitting silently across from each other.

Ieyasu: "Why did you call me? Are you underestimating me, thinking I wouldn't do anything to you?"

Mai: "That's not it! Rather, I wouldn't mind if you did anything to me."

Ieyasu: "Ha?"

Mai: "Crap."

(There's no turning back now.)

Mai: "I like you."

Ieyasu: "----!"

Mai: "Today at noon, my father pressured me to call someone to the bedroom tonight, and the only person I could think of was you."

Mai: "I know it's only a bother for you, but... Ah."

I felt his hand grip my shoulder, and our lips met.

Mai: "Mmm..."

As the soft sensation left, Ieyasu's eyes, filled with heat, met mine.

Ieyasu: "Don't misunderstand. I never thought of it as a bother."

Mai: "Eh?"

Ieyasu: "The day you called me to help the sparrow, I was dazzled to see you living straightforwardly, even in a place like this."

Ieyasu: "I was irresistibly drawn to you from that moment."

Mai: "Ieyasu."

Ieyasu: "I'm not one to share my love life with others, so if you choose me, you'll have to run away from here. Are you ready for that?"

Mai: "I am!"

Ieyasu: "Then, let me say it again. I love you. I'll make you happy, so live with me."

Mai: "Okay!"

We clasped hands and kissed again.

➼ Collection Events Masterlist

[zombiequeens]

I liked your fic about Creature Perpetua breeding Reader. It was… wow that was something.

I wonder if you’ll write something when Reader learns that she’s pregnant. She & Perpetua would likely be a mix of happy / nervous.

Perpetua’s Ghouls are happy about the news, however.

Thank you so much!!! I've never written any of the ghouls before but I can try!!! I hope you like it <3

You come to in Perpetua's arms, being held in the exact same position you fell asleep in. He's stroking your hair and beaming at you as you shake your head. "Did you sleep at all, darling?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," He soothes, tucking a stray hair behind your ear.

It's been two weeks now since Perpetua's been in heat, and you can take your first pregnancy test of the season. Perpetua had been to the pharmacy a week ago, of course, buying a triple stock of each brand of test.

Perpetua's creatural sensibilities have alerted him to a change in you, but he can't be certain at this stage that he's not picking up on nerves or the fluctuating hormones of your cycle. He's been paying close attention to your body, sniffing and nuzzling at your stomach all the time as his fatherly instincts begin to develop.

As you get up, Perpetua dashes around to the other side of the bed to help you. "Even if I am pregnant, I think I can walk, for now, my love..." You snicker as his arm wraps around your waist, eyes wide and alert.

Without a thought, Perpetua follows behind you as you enter the bathroom and sits on the edge of the tub, not considering or entertaining the idea that you may want some privacy while you relieve yourself.

You look at the various brands of pregnancy test lined up on the counter and take a deep breath. Please, please be positive.

No words are exchanged between the two of you as you delicately take each test and lay them all out so the results are clearly on display. You wonder what Perpetua is thinking as he studies you, sharpening a claw on one of his fangs. He only sharpens his claws when he feels ill at ease or they have grown too long, and they look the perfect length to you.

"Only a few minutes now, my heart, and then we'll know..." You muse, washing your hands in the sink as Perpetua stands over the tests, already growing impatient.

"I know." He mumbles, gaze fixed intensely on the tests.

Of course he knows, he's read the boxes all over at least one hundred times by now.

You lean against his chest as he drapes an arm around you. What if it's negative? What if there's something wrong with my body? What if-

Perpetua springs forward, placing both hands flat on the counter and scrutinizing the tests. "Two!" He exclaims. "Two lines, my heart!"

You peer at the tests and sure enough, two of the tests have a clear positive result. A wave of shock hits you, and then elation, and then relief. "We did it, V." You whisper, eyes welling up.

Perpetua begins to frantically kiss your neck, and then chest before moving down to your stomach as the pecks become slower and more deliberate.

"We did it," He chokes out, close to tears himself. You've never seen him cry before and it's enough to open the floodgates.

Tears roll down your cheek as you play with his hair, letting him familiarize himself with the scent of your body so he has a basis of comparison if something should go awry.

"Don't cry, vita mia..." [My life] He reaches up to delicately swipe a tear away with his claw. "We did it, we made a baby."

All six of the tests are now showing the same result. Perpetua can't take his hands away from your stomach as he kisses the top of your head, repeating over and over again how amazing your body is.

You both return to bed, sitting beside each other as you chat about calling the clinic on Monday. Perpetua reveals that he's already visited many times to scout out a doctor he feels is suitable and you can't help but laugh as he lists the desirable and not so desirable qualities of each medical professional that he's been stalking over the past weeks.

"We need to tell the ghouls, don't we?"

Before Perpetua can answer, the door of your bedroom bursts open. The ghouls had known what an important day it was and had been camped outside the door, bickering with each other over who is going to be the best adoptive aunt or uncle and who had come up with the superior baby names.

Both Perpetua and you are startled when Dew uses a party popper as the rest of the ghouls stare daggers at him. Instinctively, his clawed hand had reached down to cover your stomach, now housing your precious child.

"Dewdrop!" Aurora frowns, rushing over to kneel at your bedside. "I made you something," She beams, laying a tiny knitted sweater on your lap.

"Oh!" Your heart swells with gratitude as you study the expert stitching and embroidery of the pink cardigan. "I love pink. Thank you, Aurora!"

Aurora blinks at you before pulling out another little sweater from behind her with her right hand. Blue, this time. You lean down and kiss her on the cheek. "Thank you, really..."

Aurora gingerly reveals yet another garment. Yellow. "You've covered all bases, I see, Aurora." Perpetua chuckles as Rain makes his way over and sits at the foot of the bed.

"If there's anything I can do for either of you..." He murmurs. "Please let me know."

You nod, offering him a warm, grateful smile.

"We're so happy for you," A deep, resounding voice delivers from across the room. Storm is standing behind Cirrus, Mountain, Phantom and Haze as they all fight tears, beaming at you and Perpetua.

"Now, let's get one thing straight..." Dew begins to pace the room as Perpetua raises an eyebrow, glancing at you. "I'm going to keep this kid safe, no matter what."

The ghouls groan as Dew begins his monologue, sparing no detail as he tells all of you what he's going to do in various scenarios - if your child is bullied at school, when they go through their first break-up, if they're ever sick or scared or alone. Uncle Dew has got their back, no matter what, he's determined to prove to you both.

It's not long before the baby name debate is sparked once again and you and Perpetua fall silent as the ghouls light up the room with laughter and excitement. Your eyes meet and he pulls you onto his lap, stroking and kissing your hair as you smile at each other, still trying to process what's transpired this morning and everything it entails.

"I don't know what's going to happen, amore," Perpetua whispers into your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. "But I do know that our little one is going to be so very loved."