nicanotnika

[nicanotnika]

And so damn expensive

labubus are so fucking ugly

[nicanotnika]

MICHAEL B. JORDAN BEHIND THE SCENES SINNERS (2025) dir. Ryan Coogler

[nicanotnika]

Thank you for this😭. Really wish this is how it played out

Mending Hearts.

A reimaginging of Smoke and Annie's reunion with the idea that she doesn't take him back immediately, that Smoke has to work for it. This is from @margepimpson 's idea list that I was tagged in, thank you so much! Here's chapter 1, chapter 2 for sure (continuing from Annie's POV) will follow but maybe a chapter 3 as far as I can tell. No vampires! No KKK ambush. Just a good time and rekindling hearts 🥺 (love the film in entirety but I'm a sap for romance)

Smoke's heart rate raised when Annie's workplace came into view as he drove in his truck. Parking, stepping out and walking towards the shack, his legs shook a little with the surreal feeling of being back. He heard from people around town about Annie, few kids next to him in Bo's shop whispered about needing to visit 'Miss Annie' to pick up what their mother asked them to collect. Though the 'Miss' part annoyed him, his fault, he promised to buy better rings for the both of them when he gets back, it was relief to his ears hearing about her. On the way to the back, he saw through the front window a figure moving inside and his heart swelled.

Reaching their daughter's grave, he placed the flowers down by it and traced the small hand print on the stone. His fingers tingled remembering the small hand that had held his finger years ago. "Papa's here" He calmed her cries that remained in his mind. From his crouched position on the ground, he looked over his shoulder at the shack's back door and saw it was shut. Either she didn't notice him or she's ignoring him. Smoke raised to his feet and walked up to the door, knocking twice.

No response.

He peered through the screen door and a gap within the main door behind it, seeing her movements at the main table in the center winding up a root. The screen door covered up many details of her but his heart pounded against his chest from laying eyes on her. He needed to see her clearly.

She definitely heard the knock.

He knocked again though, watching her.

"I don't open the door to haints" Her rich, homely voice sent a shiver down his spine. He missed hearing her so much that her words took a second to register.

"You told me haints don't come out until nightfall" He never forgot the many things she taught him, including the make-believe hoodoo. He didn't really care about it but it was her livelihood, and he believed in her. His right hand ghosted over his jacket above where her mojo bag rested on his chest.

She didn't answer and Smoke watched her leave into the room connected to the main area of her shop. Where her stock was usually kept. He sucked his teeth and stepped back down the stairs towards his daughter again. Crouched down by her, he pondered in silence for a while before his thoughts began tangling in his head.

"Your mother won't let me in" He tapped the hand print stone "Send help". The babbling of his daughter echoing in his memories. "She'll listen to you" He continued talking to her.

He knew he took too long to come back. The plan in Chicago went sideways a few times and Stack and him had to reign it in to bring it back on track. He thought about Annie every day, every night, nearly drove all the way back to her one night. Stack kept him grounded in reality of their plan. Being here now, pockets full, he wasn't sure if it was worth it.

But the juke-joint will pay off somehow. They'll make it work. He can provide for his family then.

"Maybe I can-" The sound of her back door opening made him pause his conversation with his daughter and whip his head around, turning on his feet as he stood up straight.

There she stood, holding the door handle on the inside, his view of her clear as the sky. Blue patchwork dress hugging her body sculpted by God. The dreams he had of every part of her kept him going and also made him more insane than he already was before he met her. His feet brought him closer without thinking much of it until he reached the bottom of the steps and she spoke.

"Don't come any closer" She looked down to him with her piercing eyes.

He halted. It hurt but he wasn't going to disobey her.

"You come alone?" Her hand was still on the door, holding on to it as if ready to shut him out for good if he messes up.

"Yeah, Stack is on the other side of town" He held his hands together in front of him, looking up to her. There was silence that hung between their conversation, just staring.

"What you come back for?"

"We bought that ol' saw mill, gonna patch it up, make it into a juke-joint" He kept his composure under her discerning stare, and his fast beating heart. The adrenaline at shoot outs didn't compare to the rush of seeing his wife, let alone talking to her.

A smile played on her face and Smoke tried his best to hold it together.

"A juke-joint" She tilted her head down a little, a habit she has that always flattered her features. "This one of Stack's ideas?"

"Yeah, he figured tonight gonna be grand opening"

Annie chewed the corner of her mouth and rested her free hand on the door frame. "Thought you was done with the Delta, given how you never replied to my letters" Her smile disappearing, replaced by a serious one. "Through with me"

Smoke's mouth parted as his heart leaped to his throat. What the hell did she mea-. "You wrote to me baby?" His voice weaker than he meant to sound.

"Course I did, I was careful, with your plan and all, but I did."

"I didn't get any....We moved around a lot." He looked back and forth between her eyes. "I wanted to write to you but I couldn't risk the trouble we were in, heading back to you"

Her brows furrowed as she kept his eye contact. "You're lying"

That made him mad that she would say that. He placed a foot onto the first step to try and reason with her, get close so he can reassure her but she stood back. So he waited again. "Have I ever lied to you?!" His voice didn't raise but it started off strained. "It was one of my vows, that I never would lie to you"

He could tell she was getting worked up, her chest rising and falling faster and her mouth pursing her lips. It was the sound of kids walking in her front door that brought them both out of their stand-off, she let the screen door hang open and walked towards them. He climed higher and stood just outside the door frame.

"Just this Miss Annie" A small girl held up a jar. "And a pinch of High John". The other girl next to her stared at Smoke.

"Now, don't sell this on the way home, I don't want your mama coming at me crazy later" Annie's voice softened for the two children, gathering some of the High John into a small paper pouch and traded it for money that he clicked wasn't the money that'd work anywhere else.  The wad of real cash sitting fat in his pocket, ready to spend on his wife.

He glanced around the shop while they were discussing a few questions the girls had and realised the place didn't change much from how he remembered. New shelves were added in and Smoke wondered who nailed them to the wall for her. He watched Annie take out the blade from her dress pocket to slice open a packet she pulled from the drawer. Same blade she always carried.

He realised the other girl was still staring at him.

"Miss Annie, who's that man?" She pointed a finger to him.

Annie looked over her shoulder at him, brows raised and he slightly raised a brow back to her, wondering what she'll answer with. "Just someone I know, he means no harm, you can call him Mr Smoke Moore"

The girl with the jar whispered to the other in her ear and the same girl who asked about him had gasped, pointing again to him. "Momma told me you shot Mr Terry and that other guy in the town today!" She blurted out and the other girl smacked her arm shushing her.

Smoke almost laughed if it wasn't for Annie glaring at him, kids always made him laugh. He shrugged his shoulders. "Bo's patching them up" He reasoned and she shook her head, hurrying the children out the shop. On the way out he heard them gossip.

"Momma said Miss Annie was married"

"Mr Moore must of been her husband"

"Momma said the SmokeStack twins rob people"

The corner of his mouth tugged barely into a smile listening to them. First the girl outside of the Chow Family's shop and now these two. All three made him picture what his daughter would of grown up into if she had the chance. The hint of his smile wiped away when Annie approached him again, now more level in their eye contact and closer that he could smell the freshness from her body. Her soaps always had a citrus smell to them.

She gripped the inside door handle again. "Why you here Smoke? What you want with me?"

"We want you to come down to the opening, cook for us" He didn't lie. It was the truth. He just didn't say what was in his heart. She already looked like she wanted to kill him. He'd let her.

"Elijah"

He suppressed a groan of desire at hearing her voice with his real name. His emotions were all mixed up. So much of him is tied to her and he wouldn't have it any other way but it wasn't the time to be horny. Well...if she wanted to....

"It still hurts coming back here, but I told you I'd make so much money we wouldn't have to worry, and I did." His thumb ran over the knuckles of his other hand, maintaining eye contact. "I love you, and I miss you"

Her eyes shake in the eye contact until it breaks and she looks to the floorboards, between where they stood.

One of Smoke's fears before he left her was what if he took too long to come back that she fell out of love with him. When they initially spoke, the fear festered in his mind. But the longer they continued to talk, he knew it, could see it, that she was battling her mind and her heart. She loved him still, but she was hurt. His fault. He took too long.

She raised her head, eyes set firm. "I'll be there" She confirmed.

Smoke lost control a little and leaned towards her but she took a large step back and shut the screen door. "For that crazy brother of yours" She concluded.

She folded her arms under her chest and her hips tilted to the side. They stared at each other again for a moment until Smoke remembered how to speak. "I'll drive you down"

She turned away from him and walked back to the center table. "I don't need your help, I'll ask Grace"

He checked his watch and cursed under his breath at time slipping away from him. If he didn't leave now, it'll postpone the Juke's opening and they were already short on time due to that cracker Hogwood being late. He took one last look at her and turned, walking back down. "I'll see you there Annie, thank you"

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

"So she didn't kill you!" Stack wrapped his arms around Smoke's, squeezing him in a bear hug and Smoke grunted from the force. He held him back by his shoulders and looked over him. "What happened? Is she coming down?" His wide grin glinted with the gold outlining one of his teeth. Smoke shrugged his hands off his shoulders and moved into the barn, glancing around at what needed fixing and where everything would be.

"Why didn't you offer to drive her down?" Stack hovered behind him with his hands on his shoulders again, kneading the muscles. "Did she say no? She isn't coming?"

"She didn't want me to, said she'll go with Grace" Smoke mumbled.

"I'm going by to pick them up soon, dropped Grace off at Annie's house" Bo appeared by their side, staring up at a hole in the ceiling that Smoke was checking out.

Stack cheered at seeing their old friend, Bo pulling him in for a hug "Good man!". He stood back and turned to Smoke again.

"I knew she couldn't resist, I dressed you well so she wouldn't!" He hit Smoke's back and Smoke couldn't help the glare that surfaced, aiming it to him.

"She's coming down to help you, not me" Smoke rubbed the side of his head.

"Really? Her words?" Stack and Bo glanced to each other and then both waited for Smoke to continue but he had enough of the interrogation.

"I'm not doing this, shut up" Smoke marched on forward, figuring out where to go and get away from the two but they trailed behind. He found Cornbread out the back of the barn loading up crates of beer they had smuggled down from Chicago. He greeted his old friend, the taller man happy to see him and asking how he was. They chatted more, helping him carry the crates in to the kitchen area when Stack spoke again.

"Cornbread, how's Annie been? My brother went to see her"

The taller man turned around slowly, eyes wide and watching Smoke. "You-you went to her workplace?" He asked quietly.

Confusion settled on Smoke's face. Why the hell would Cornbread be worried about him visiting his own wife?

"Sure did, what about it?" Smoke stared him down.

"I didn't mean nothing by it Smoke, just that uh..."

"Annie has a rifle" Bo chimed in and Smoke turned to him so fast he nearly lost balance. "Cornbread's thinking why you didn't get shot at".

At that explanation, Stack doubled over and hollered so loud, one hand clutching his stomach and the other smacking the counter top.

[nicanotnika]

i need yall to write jealous smoke x annie THANKS! 😁

[nicanotnika]

When the writer uploads a new chapter while I’m finishing up the previous one

[nicanotnika]

Seeing this serious, battle-hardened gangster smile while holding his baby girl, being able to be with Annie for all eternity, and finally finding peace makes my heart melt.

[nicanotnika]

i need yall to write jealous smoke x annie THANKS! 😁

[nicanotnika]

I need a woman like THIS

That scene where they hug and his head is resting on her titties THATS WHAT I NEEEEEEED

[nicanotnika]

First Time (Smoke x Annie

Summary: Annie smokes for the first time

Warnings: mentions of weed, smut

An: I don't smoke,so some things might not sound right. Didn't proof read ,so excuse the errors , or point them out so I can fix it. Enjoy!

Ib: @nahimjustfeelingit-writes

Smoke sat up in bed, rolling up some blunts ,as Annie laid beside him in thought.”I wanna try”,Annie says, snapping Smoke out of what he was doing . “Try what?”, Smoke says with confusion written on his face. Sitting up Annie points to the previous joints Smoke rolled. “You sure? This shit strong”, Smoke says, finishing rolling the last blunt. Annie looks at Smoke with a soft look in her eyes nodding . “Alright, come here”, Smoke says, moving stuff off his lap, motioning Annie over.

“Wait we gotta set the vibe first”, Annie says getting up ,changing the song in the background to “Didn't Cha Know by Erykah Badu”. Settling down in his lap , Annie starts to hum along to the song-rocking back and forth. Turning her attention back to Smoke ,seeing him bringing the lighter up to the blunt settled in between his lips. Settling the lighter down, closing his eyes, inhaling- opening his eyes , looking straight at Annie's exhaling. “You still wanna try it”,Smoke says, sitting his hand on Annie's thigh. Annie answers him with a nod, “Open yo mouth” taking another breath of his blunt ,he grabs Annie's neck bringing her forward.

Their lips almost touching, smoke blows out his mouth into hers. Catching on she inhales, exhaling the smoke in his face. Framing the smile that's settled on his lips. Letting going of her neck ,he holds the blunt up to her. “Go on, try it”, Smoke says with a nod of his head. Leaning forward Annie takes the blunt in her mouth- Smoke lets go of it letting her take it as she inhales. Smoke leans back watching as Annie grabs the blunt in between her fingers exhaling with her hand titled back.

Slowly bringing her head down- her eyes wandering over Elijah,” I think I like it”, She says with a grin on her face. So they sat there passing the blunt back and forth ,until they got to the third one and the tension got high. “Can't Take My Eyes Off of You by Lauryn Hill” starts to play in the background. High out of her mind Annie just stares at Eligh- admiring him.

Leaning forward she grabs his face in her hand while the other trails her thumb across his brows .

Trailing her hand down to his lips- thumb brushing over the top lip. Moving down, tapping the area near his bottom lip. Smoke, knowing what Annie is trying to tell him, untucks his bottom lip. Parting his lips- allowing her thumb to push forward. Closing his full lips around her thumb. Moving her other hand to the back of his durag covered head, slowly tilting his head back. Smoke taking it all, eyes rolled to the back of his head. Easing her thumb out his mouth ,she reaches over, picking the still lit blunt up,” I wanna try something”, Annie says, before bringing the blunt up to her lips.

Getting off his lap ,she hands the blunt back to Smoke, undressing herself. Lips parted , Elijah stared at Annie with lust in his eyes. Trailing his eyes down her body-doe eyes staring back at him. Bottom lip tucked between her teeth. Full- heavy breast,with a silver shine going through her nipples. Soft, round belly- thick thighs that any man would be willing to lay in between.

“So, you gonna keep staring or-”,Smoke not letting Annie finish- setting the blunt down. Pulling off his white tank top- gold chain laying idle on his chest. Feeling Annie moves towards him, he pauses his movements . Saying nothing - she dragged her hands from his shoulders, down his muscular arms. Trailing down his thick ,but muscular abdomen. Feeling his stomach quivering underneath her touch.” What you doing”, Smoke's voice shakes as Annie gets on her knees.

Without answering him ,she leans her face into the bulge of his gray sweatpants-breathing him in. Settling her hands on the band of his pants. Pulling them down inch by inch until his dick was exposed. Stepping out his pants-knees feeling weak. Moving back, sitting on the bed. Getting harder-tip leaking, as Annie crawls over to him.

Now settled in between his legs,once again. Hands gripping his thighs. Smoke leans back onto his hands. “You gonna keep staring or suck it”, Smoke says ,staring at Annie's doe eyes admiring his dick. The curve of it. The chocolate length with a pink tip. Thick veins trailing all around it. Lifting her hand-she wraps around him. Swiping her thumb across his tip. “Shit”, Smoke whispers under his breath ,as Annie leans her head down, swiping her tongue from the base of his dick to his head. Closing her warm mouth around him.She moans at the taste that sits on her tongue.

Lowering her mouth down until her nose hits his pelvic bone. Holding her mouth there until she couldn't. Not slick with her spit ,she twists her hands around him. Staring up at him, his eyes already looking at her. Low groans leaving his lips. Letting go of his dick ,she grabs her breasts fitting them around his tall dick. Smoke's eyes rolled to the back of his head;the feeling of her soft breasts against his hot leaking dick almost made him cum.

Moving her breasts up and down , she leans down, sticking her tongue in his slit. Humming at the taste of him. Still looking up at him she let's spit dribble from her mouth on to her breast and his dick. Repeating the motion until she hears and sees Smoke moaning loudly, falling back on to the bed. White liquid shooting out his tip-catching some of it in her mouth, the rest getting on her chest.

Leaning up on his arms the site in front of him almost makes him cum aging. With no patience left he reaches down, yanking Annie off the floor. “What are you doing?”Annie says, shocked by the sudden action. “I need to get inside you now”, Smoke says . Looking up at Annie with lust in his eyes. “Alright, but do something for me real quick”, Annie says; Smoke looking at her with confusion on his face. When Annie took her fingers, scooping some of his cum off her breast onto her fingers , putting her fingers up to his mouth-he got what she meant. Without hesitation he leaned forward taking her fingers into his mouth. Annie stepped further in between his legs- taking her fingers, using them to slowly guide him on his back.

Other hand lying on his chest. Easing her fingers out his mouth, she straddles him , and kisses him. Moaning at the taste of him. Grinding on his lap. Smoke's hands found her hips, moving her against him more. As she kissed him down his neck leaving marks he said “come on baby I wanna feel you now”, through moans. Lifting her head from his neck , she leans down planting a kiss on his lips.

Reaching her arm down ,she lifts up a bit, settling down on his dick. Both their moans fill the room as she finally reaches his base. Smoke's hands digging into her thick hips; trying to stop himself from cumming. Without warning Annie starts to rock back and forth. Hands planted on his chest , she starts to lift herself until she gets to his tip. Teasing Smoke and herself. “Please, baby don't tease me”, Smoke says through clenched teeth ,holding it together by a thread.

Slamming herself down onto him , they moan so loud, breaking sound barriers. Choked moans come from Smoke's mouth ,as Annie feels his warm cum filling her up. She continues bouncing up and down , fucking him through his orgasm . “Wait baby slow down”, Elijah says feeling overstimulated from what he just felt . Annie listens, slowly rocking herself on him. Smoke leans up taking one of her nipples into his mouth, while toying with the other one. He continued to do that , feeling Annie getting faster, feeling her clenching down on him. Knowing she was close to cumming he freed her breast; moving his hands down to her ass. Gripping her , taking control, making her go harder.

“Fuck!”, Annie moans loudly as her orgasm crashes over her. With no more energy she falls flat on Smoke's with soft breaths. Bringing his hands up, rubbing her back , trying to calm her down.”You think you got a little bit left in you”,Smoke says, finishing with a kiss to Annie's forehead . Annie raises her head looking at Smoke with a tired look in her eyes,”To do what”, she says.”To taste you-to taste us”,Smoke says, easing himself out of her . Annie now feels some of his cum seeping out of her hole.

Without another word Annie moves , setting herself against the head of the bed leaning back on the pillows. Leaning over grabbing a blunt ,and lighter. Lighting it , she inhales-blowing smoke in the air. Looking at Smoke with now hooded eyes she says ,” What you waiting for”, spreading her legs apart. Eagerly getting up moving in between Annie's thick thighs. Breathing her in , watching his cum mixed with her juices, leaking out of her. Leaning down dipping his tongue in her hole, moaning as the taste of them together hits his tongue.

Getting even close, gripping her thighs enough to leave a mark-he starts to fuck her with his tongue. Bringing his thumb down , circling Annie's clit.Annie looks down at Smoke blunt settled between her full lips, grinding against his face. Replacing his fingers with mouth , he wraps his lips around her clit, sucking her in. Which drags a loud moan out of Annie. Bringing two fingers to her hole, without warning he starts fucking her hard. Annie arches her back off the bed. Using his other hand, he pushes her back down, pushing down on her stomach. Feeling her tremble under his hand.

Feeling her tighten around his fingers, knowing she was close. His eyes looked up, breath caught in his throat at the image. Annie's head tilted back , one hand gripping her full breast, the other hand holding the lit blunt,smoke in the air framing her body in the best way. Skin glistening, Smoke wanted to taste her. Bringing his body forward he sucks a nipple into his mouth. Annie's hand lands on the back of his head. This pushes her over the edge. Smoke feels a wet liquid splashing against his lower half. Prompting a moan to fly out of Elijah's mouth, as he cums again.

They lay against each other in silence, nothing but light music playing in the background.

“I gotta get you high more”.

[nicanotnika]

Someone said “Smoke commanded every room he walked into except for Annie’s” and so I’m rewatching Sinners again 🤷‍♀️

[nicanotnika]

if you're black, reblog this

[nicanotnika]

I’m actually dieing for you to start Hush right now 😂 I need them

You all hype me so much I wanna update Hush and pause FADED for a while BUT naaaah lemme focus, ADHD won’t get me this time !!!

[nicanotnika]

I know there are a lot of writers who are struggling right now with ideas for my babies(Smoke and Annie). I absolutely loved these.

Sinners Fanfic Ideas

Smoke and Annie

Based around Canon:

Annie meeting the twins—when she moves from Louisiana and figuring out which one she likes best (She just toying with Smoke a lil bit bc they are OBVIOUSLY fated/destined/meant to be/soulmates)

Smoke courting Annie, maybe even fighting off other suitors. (Stack doing his hair and helping him dress)

The moment Smoke realizes he loves someone other than his brother

Annie cooking for Smoke

Annie and Smokes first time

Smoke leaving and coming back from the ‘great war’ (WWI) a very changed man but Annie is his solace and only comfort (much to Stack’s chagrin)

Annie and Smoke on a peaceful day

Annie and Smoke getting married/ how Smoke asks or more likely told Annie

Smoke building Annie her work-shed/house

How Annie got pregnant/How she tells Smoke —something tells me she woulda known the moment it happened

Smokes reaction to becoming a dad—he talks to Stack

Exploring how Annie came between the twins

How Smoke tells Annie he’s leaving for Chicago.

What happened with Annie and how did she change while Smoke was gone them 7 years (bonus if it includes their reunion)

Annie waiting, praying, & working root for Smoke at different times in their life (maybe exploring all the times it worked with out Smoke realizing it)

AU:

Annie and Smoke’s life if there were no vampires

Stack wanted/had Annie first

Smoke left before he knew about the baby/comes back to a daughter

Girl dad Smoke and spoiling Uncle Stack

Smoke is bit and Annie has to kill him and avenges his death

Annie leaves Smoke and is the one to return

Annie goes to find Smoke in Chicago— he comes home or she stays there

Smoke never left for Chicago, he stays with Annie or they move somewhere new

Smoke never killed his daddy so they can all go to Mound Bayou

Annie and Smoke grow old together

Smoke has to work to reunite with Annie bc she is not willing to see him after 7 years

Modern World:

Smoke was locked up (for at least 7yrs) and comes home to Annie but everything isn’t as he left it (open-ended interpretation)

Modern world but Smoke & Stack still leave, but now technology makes it easier to keep in contact (or not)

Modern world with Vamps

Annie and Smoke time travel to present time (and see Stack ?)

Smoke as a husband/dad in a modern world.

Smoke loving prerolls & prepacked cigarettes (the penjamin perhaps)

Smoke getting Annie high for the first time

Annie blocking Smoke bc he pissed her off (big mistake)

Annie’s family doesn’t like Smoke and he has to prove himself

Smoke and Annie get married in the modern world—but Annie still keeps her traditions alive

Annie is pregnant and they go for an ultrasound

Smoke and Annie dating/courting in the modern world

Annie and Smoke meet in a big city

Smoke gets Annie’s name tattooed on him

Annie and Smoke go see live music—contemporary music

Music/Song Inspo

All I Do x Stevie Wonder

Love Ballad x Jeffrey Osborne - Chorus/1st Verse

Soon as I Get Home x Faith Evans

PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA x Beyoncé

Tell Him x Lauryn Hill

About Him x Alex Isley

Moon River x Frank Ocean

[nicanotnika]

I need more of them😩

[nicanotnika]

Real i dont know if it is just me but I've been saying ts. I HATE anything other than Smoke and Annie. I literally can't read about anything or anyone else. UGHHHHH. I literally scroll past anytime i see smoke x reader(Sometimes because these do be lashing, just a little) or annie with anyone else. Like i dont blame the writers at all it's just me i prefer not to se it.

I still feel like Smoke x Reader fics are sacrilegious to me. Because that man is Anniesexual! Why are we fucking Annie’s man?

We can easily take Stack. Mary’s already an adulterer. She’d understand.

[nicanotnika]

Hold on…. did I talk too soon?😭 Seeeeeee, this is what I’m talking about.

STRONGER • THAN • PRIDE

annie x smoke

summary: after returning home from Club Juke’s opening night, annie and smoke have a real conversation about their years spent apart and the pain and tears shed.

cw: angstyyy, mentions of childhood trauma, mentions of the death of a child

a/n: here y’all goooo. i’m so torn apart by their love like goddamn. inspired by Sade’s “Love Is Stronger Than Your Pride.”

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The air in their home felt heavy with uncertainty and draining emotion. The home Annie had made her own after seven years without the love of her life felt different now that he had found his way back. It was like the walls could sense his presence. Like the hardwood floors were buzzing under his footsteps—knowing he would so easily fall back into the routine he held seven years ago.

Smoke had been gone so long, but Annie hadn’t forgotten anything about him. About their life together.

It was like her mind paused when he left her, conserving every emotion, memory, and conversation they ever shared. She wanted to hate him, wanted to stop living when he tore their family apart, but now that he was back, she realized that no matter how hard she tried to feel that way, she couldn’t do that to him.

She wanted and needed that man like she needed air to breathe. When he was gone, nothing felt the same. Her spiritual life faltered as she put every ounce of her body and soul into keeping him safe until he was to return.

Him being back made her body reverberate again. It felt like she had confidence in her power again.

Elijah’s body moved through the house, stronger and wilder than it was seven years ago. His form was stormier than she remembered, but it didn’t overwhelm her. As she eyed the way he moved in a calculated and routine manner, ridding his upper body of his pressed, sweat-drenched button-up and throwing it over a chair, she vowed to quell those storms in him like she once had.

She promised—quietly—to take care of her man and cast out every one of those demons in him.

“I ain’t ever been good at forgiveness, Elijah,” Annie spoke up after staring at him boldly. Her eyes were cloudy with every emotion she had felt over the course of their relationship:

Devotion.

Shame.

Pride.

Heartbreak.

Love.

She didn’t know how to quiet the litany of swirling thoughts in her. He looked at her, confusion etched into his face—and something close to sorrow.

“Annie,” his bottom lip quivered, hands shook violently at his sides. He tried to reach for her even in his trembling, but she pulled back sharply. Hurt flashed across his face, but she was just trying to not give in as easily as she had earlier. She was so embarrassed that she let him back into her body so quickly—that she had facilitated the entire event.

Their bodies craved each other, and not once in their time apart had she thought to find solace in another hot, needy body.

“Don’t,” she warned, pushing past him and to the tin wash basin tucked into a corner of the front room. She drenched her hands in water as a distraction from the conversation they needed to have, trying to wash away her pain. “I wanted ‘tah hate you so bad, ‘Lijah. I wanted ‘tah forget you the way you forgot me. I wanted ‘tah curse you. Put roots on you so bad that you wouldn’t be able to rest well without me hauntin’ yo’ mind.”

She huffed, turning to face him sharply. She roughly raked her hands against her haint blue velvet dress to dry them. Annie’s eyes burned with fire as she made him trembled under her hardened gaze.

“You ain’t have to put no roots on me, woman,” Smoke blew out a heavy breath of air. “Thoughts of you haunted me day and night for seven years. Didn’t let up on me ‘til I stepped foot in that yard earlier.” He gripped violently at his own hands to calm the tremble. He had never seen her so mad. Not when he admitted to killing his father. No when he admitted to enlisting in the military. Not even when he left her during the heat of a Mississippi night.

Annie always gave him the benefit of the doubt, but here, seven years and a bunch of heartache later, things had dramatically changed.

She laughed exasperatedly, shaking her head in disbelief.

“So you mean to tell me you left me, left our home, left our baby girl just for you ‘tah come back talkin’ ‘bout some I was hauntin’ you?” Her voice shook with anger, tone carried very bit of pain she had held in just waiting for him to be standing in front of her again. “You left our baby to rot in that ground without her daddy here—”

“Don’t you dare say that,” Smoke challenged, walking into her heaving body. It was like smoke blew out of his ears and nose as he pressed his chest to hers in an attempt to intimidate her. “Don’t say that about her,” he tried again with a more steady voice, but he didn’t realize that there was nothing that could stop a grieving mother from saying her peace.

Her head reared back at his audacity to limit her speech. He knew better than to keep her from doing anything she had set her mind to.

“Don’t say what, Smoke,” the use of his nickname made his heart break just slightly, “that she dead? That you left? That I go out to that grave everyday to sit with my baby? That I remind her that her daddy love her even if you ain’t here?” Annie fumed; Her voice raised, threatening him to come at her crazy again.

“Please,” Smoke broke down, tears spilling from his eyes and a sob tearing his throat apart.

The quietness he had developed over the years had only worsened in his time in Chicago. He sat within himself everyday blaming himself, cursing his own name, finding dishonor in the man he had become.

He never wanted to be a man that left his family and couldn’t deal with his emotions so much so that he neglected the people he vowed to be committed to. He saw himself as worse than his father. He didn’t beat his wife, and he didn’t utter a foul word her way, but he left her. His body was ridden with cowardice, and he didn’t know how to contend with the truth in words she was spitting.

Annie bit her bottom lip, trying her damndest to not break out in a mirrored cry. She had cried so much in the past years that she hated the idea of letting him see her cry now. She bowed her head, shielding her eyes from his trembling form.

The man she knew was a crumbled lump of sadness. Emotions passed over him that she had never seen before. His pride had collapsed. The sure fire man she knew wasn’t standing before her any longer.

It made her own pride and ego chip away ever so slightly.

“I’m sorry, Annie, baby. I swear wanted to come back,” he cried, kneeling before her with thick tears streaming down his face and across his dimpled cheeks. He gripped at her hips, bunching the fabric of her dress as he pleaded and cried bloody murder for his words to pierce her ears. “I just ‘bout left Stack up there ‘bout twenty times ‘cause you all I ever wanted.”

Annie rolled her eyes. She didn’t point out the irony in him wanting her but still leaving her or the heartbreak in him not departing from his twin even with her constantly on his mind. She watched him fall apart at the seems and fell apart right beside him.

“Elijah,” she uttered, pulling his body up off the floor. His feet scrambled but he stood before her—back slouched, eyebrows draw together. He still didn’t look at her fully—he couldn’t—forcing her to grab ahold of his face and stare directly into his eyes. “As much as I want to hate you, you all I ever wanted, too.”

Their bodies shook against each other as the house ran quiet again. The rising sun was beginning to peek out from behind the horizon. It marked a new day full of possibilities and lost chances.

Their minds ran wild.

Smoke thought about the first time her ever saw Annie: big, brown eyes looking through his body like she saw everything he was and could be. Annie thought about the day their baby girl was born: Smoke smiling wider than she had ever seen, toting around their tiny, eight-pound baby in his big arms.

They didn’t think about the fights they had.

Or the nights they spent crying over their sick child.

Or the agony it was to bury her little body before she had even surpassed that newborn weight.

Or any of the lonely nights spent apart for seven whole years.

They just thought about the love they shared—the good times and how they could create so many new memories together.

“I love ya’,” Elijah chirped, voice clipped but full of hope. He rested his forehead against Annie’s, attempting to search her brain for what thoughts she was having, coming up unlucky. She was as hard to read as he was.

But as her arm began to stroke up and down his arm, Annie slowly let the rest of her pride slip away. Nothing was gonna ever keep her from her man.

“I love you, too, Elijah.”

That had him smiling a melancholy smile. He had waited so long to hear her utter those words again. He thought that he’d never get to have a place in her heart after the foolishness he had done.

“I vow to make it up ‘tah you every day of my life, baby,” he assured. He punctuated his words with a gentle squeeze to her waist, eyes refusing to leaves hers. “My love for you is stronger than everything. Stronger than the depth of German trenches. Than the thousands of miles of the Mississippi River. Than any level of pride in my body.” Annie finally let her tears flow. He placed a warm hand on her cheek to steady himself. “You my everythin’, Annie.”

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[nicanotnika]

Don’t get me wrong I love Annie and Smoke. Obsessed actually. However, I realized after just reading another “Reunited” story with them, it really hit me. This man left his wife for 7 years after the lost of their baby. Do yall know what is 7 YEARS BRUH, almost a decade. And then comes back demanding and expecting her to just up and accept his request for her to work for them. Like cmon man. I understand both of their points when it came to how they dealt with the death of their child and everyone’s different so some people would be able to battle through it and deal with it like Annie and there are those who are like Smoke and can’t truly deal with that type of loss and pain. Anyways, all I really wanted to say was to all, writers keep the Annie and Smoke stories coming as I said I’m obsessed and enthralled with their love but let’s change our perspectives a bit and be realistic. Let when he comes back he is cursed tf out and abused by Annie’s ass😭 like I’m talking about slaps, pushes everything. Let when he returns she immediately kicks him out and tells him to gtf out of her face and her house. Let when he comes back she gives him the hardest time and Smoke actually has to WORK and put in his all to be in her space and earn her trust and love again. Let. Him. Feel. And. Understand. What. He. Put. His. Wife. Through. Allow Annie to be the boss bitch she is said to be and let her stand her ground.

Let’s fucking gooooooo!❤️🫡