#// safe from a lecture for now...
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oceansabove · 4 months ago
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studying public health in the us right now is just a constant every day "we can't mutual aid/state government/community care our way out of this one boys" and then for me personally several times per day "maybe i could move back to vancouver if i doubled the dose on my antidepressants." it is not looking good
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monogatcri · 2 years ago
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❝ Ugh, great. Now I’m the bad guy. ❞
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━━ ˟ ⊰🍁MORAL AMBIGUITY NEVER OCCURRED TO the mind of thousands , writhing onward toward their moral high ground or the depravity of forgoing the quandary of day by deciding solely on the night ; Niwa had taken the high horse in his past, moral righteousness a folly that had led to his own premature burial. Black and white. Black and white... Black and white... That's how he wanted to desperately keep the world, a disgusting habit that made him feel so uneasy when there came those of shades that entered his life ; unfortunately, he knew that the world would never just be a grey spectrum... After all, he currently traversed the lands of Sumeru with the one who'd all but destroyed his lineage.
        From their conversations of mercenaries and shady scholars, the whole of this nation felt painted in hues of silver with the sprinkling of gold mixed in to outline their motivations. Can he blame a hawk for snatching an innocent rabbit when that was the circle of life? Something so haunting about that statement clung to him, soaking into his clothing like the sweat off his neck into the cotton fabric worn upon his back...
        A breath, hot had left him, attempting to cool himself off by swiping a hand over forehead when he'd felt his arms grabbed tightly. Whether by mistaken identity or a random act of violence, Niwa couldn't be sure, but the tightening of joints 'round his skin beneath was enough for him to wince.
        Everything happened so fast -- the yank of his arm hard enough to pull it nearly from its socket, his other arm reaching for his blade at his hip, the gruff vocals that complemented the rugged appearance, the rising of his own sharpened -- oh, no, he could clearly recall how rusted and poorly maintained his blade was -- weapon above his head.
        By chance, the confrontation had an equal chance to end with one of them managing a hit off the other ; however, the one whose bloodlust surpassed that of the one ready to end a life wasn't even in the midst of the battle -- wasn't initially aware in the moment...
        Barely a second to process it, the wind he so cherished on days he sat upon sandy shores to fall into bouts of nostalgia, flew by his countenance, assailant's body flung so aggressively back that the resounding crack! against ruined walls must have been heard for miles, voices were immediately descending upon the scene and irises were quick to flinch as it dawned upon him that who'd once been alive seconds ago no longer released air from his lungs -- what's worse? beneath the exterior was a flash of lightly hued blue fabric -- the worst? the second man standing directly next to him, whose voice called out fiercely for help.
        All possibilities came flooding his mind -- a set up? Was it rational to come to such a conclusion? Were they meant to harm that man...for some purpose to be accounted for?
        Expression lit up in horror, his mind reeled but he'd bury down his feelings, slamming the dirt with the shovel to keep them at bay while hand snatched the wrist of his companion, yanking him away from the scene as the forest path came to life with those who monitored the wellbeing of flora and fauna alike within -- or were they accomplices to this duo...? It was that thought that caused his feet to move, unwilling to risk their lives in disadvantaged territory. The blur of the bark only ceased as breath finally leaves him and the sounds of distressed yelling faded behind, his arm pressed to ancient Adhigama.
        ❝ Ugh, great. Now I’m the bad guy. ❞
        If not for the dire circumstances of what'd transpired earlier, he might have already snapped at him, demanding to know what he was THINKING exerting that much force upon a man like that, but...luck would have it, he cannot find enough energy to unleash a lecture -- not for the moment... There might have been no intention to forgo caution to the wind and cause serious injury such as that ; it must have been an accident -- a slip of power. He, instead, inhales deeply, pulling back a fraction of his energy to turn, pressing back to surface to lean...
        An apology lingered on his tongue for being so distracted to not sense the shift in aura around him, but he resisted ; it'd accomplish nothing except delegating pity. Anger, remorse, swirling repressions spun like a spider weaves a web, yet what comes out is a mess instead of an intricate display: ❝ Is that why you warned me about them? I thought...I thought they weren't scholars. ❞
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⊰🍁ᴛᴀɴɢʟᴇᴅ sᴇɴᴛᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴍᴇᴍᴇ
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camarei · 3 months ago
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older bf kento who always manages to take you to your university even if he’s running late himself. he always has to make sure that you get there safe.
older bf kento who is used to receiving your little messages whenever you find your class ‘boring’...
you : kennnnnnnnnnn :((
ken :3 : hey, love. aren’t you in the middle of a lecture right now?
kento : you shouldn’t be using your phone.
you : but i miss youuuuuuuuu and this class is making me feel sleepyyyy :((
kento : silly girl, you’ll see me later when i pick you up... just a couple more hours, yeah?
you : okayyyy, i love you !! (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ
kento : i love you more, sweetheart. ❤️
older bf kento who always smiles whenever he sees your cute little messages accompanied by some random emoticons...
older bf kento who just can’t wait to get off work. he actually needs to see you, like right now... he’s so desperate but he doesn’t like to admit it...
older bf kento who sees you with a guy who seems to be... clingy.
the car ride home was silent, none of the usual chatters or your stories that you call tea. breaking the silence, kento spoke.
“who was that?”
“who was who?”
“the guy who was all over you earlier, sweetheart, who else?”
“that’s just my friend, ken...”
“i don’t think friends do that to each other, love.”
“he has a boyfriend.”
“oh.”
older bf kento who never stopped apologizing for doubting you. he’s matured enough to not prolong fights but sometimes, his insecurities get the worst of him.
older bf kento who gets fed with constant reassurance from you. and according to him, he really doesn’t deserve you.
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mariasont · 1 month ago
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Craving Like A Lungful - S.R
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you ask spencer a question about breath play. he gives you a lecture, a safety demonstration, and a mind-shattering orgasm. in that order.
pairings: spencer reid x fem!reader warnings: 18+ MDNI, AFAB, reader wearing a skirt, breath play, choking (consensual), fingering, dirty talk, praise, experimentation, soft dom reid, power exchange, pet names, 75% smut and 25% love letter to spencer reid's fingers wc: 4.1k
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He’s torturing you. Actually, genuinely torturing you. Spencer Reid, certified genius, closeted sadist, worst man on Earth. 
Except, well, obviously, he isn’t. You would qualify him as your favorite person in existence on any given day, and therein lies half the problem. 
Because right now, he’s just sitting there, reading, while his fingertips scrap absent-minded shapes along the slope of your neck. Each harmless pass managing to turn your thoughts to mush and bones to jelly. 
At this point, you’re convinced you’re less a person and more a limp collection of nerves slumped against his side, pretending (poorly, might you add) to watch a show you mentally abandoned about ten minutes ago.
You’re too busy contemplating just how blatantly you’d need to behave to distract him from those words and coax him into pursuits you deem far more exciting. Pursuits that involve significantly more touching.
His grasp on you briefly firms, just a heartbeat of strain if that.
You know it was surely accidental, but your body can’t compensate for the difference. You try to swallow the intrusion of indecent thoughts like sour medicine.
The dose doesn’t take.
You can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be pinned beneath him, discovering firsthand the perfect contradiction that is Spencer’s innate gentleness and the strength you’re suddenly craving from his hands.
You’re not crazy for this, you reassure yourself desperately. He’s safe. He’s the literal personification of comfort, disguised in scholarly tweed and tender kisses. 
Fantasizing him into something rougher, a little less cautious... it doesn't cancel that out. It just colors it deeper. Some might consider it acceptable, even. Right?
“Spence?”
“Hmm?” He answers preoccupiedly, the pad of his finger wetting against his tongue before flipping another page.
“What do you, um… what do you know about breath play?”
You hate the way your throat tightens immediately as the question leaves your mouth. (The universe is a huge fan of irony, you’ve discovered.)
“You know I love when you ask me questions,” he begins slowly. “But something tells me this one isn’t purely theoretical.” His regard eases as his eyes track over your shoulders, now curving inward. “Am I right?”
“Yeah.” 
You could try to pretend otherwise, but you’ve come to realize, faking it is futile with Spencer. You’re sure he already knows. He’s had months to figure you out, and he treats that like a privilege — just one he’s very good at using to his advantage.
“Alright, sweetheart. Enlighten me. What exactly has you curious?”
You flap your hand, unsure what you’re even trying to say with it, and instantly feel ridiculous. Silly even. 
But Spencer smiles like he thinks you’re charming and suddenly your embarrassment feels a little less terminal.
“I guess like, what’s the science behind it? Is it an adrenaline thing? A psychological thing? Or is it just, you know… a thing?”
Spencer’s hand drops from your neck, sliding to rest on your shoulder instead. It’s not exactly abrupt, but it’s unexpected enough to spark a little twinge of disappointment that sneaks out in the form of a tiny frown.
You hurry to erase it, but not fast enough.
“I only moved my hand,” he clarifies, “because I don’t want to introduce any external variables into this discussion.”
You stare, brows pinching together. “External variables?”
“Yes.” He nods. “If I kept touching your neck while describing breath play, I'd risk subconsciously steering your reactions. Maybe stirring up curiosity, maybe aversion, or maybe something more complicated. Removing the physical cue ensures you form your opinion independently.”
You squint at him. “That’s… weirdly considerate. And possibly a tiny bit intense, Professor.”
“It’s an intense topic.”
“Oh. Right. Guess that tracks.”
He’s got that look now, that particular smile he only pulls out when you’ve made him laugh without intending to. You should feel annoyed. You’re not. It's more like lucking into treasure when you were content sifting through scraps. 
“Okay, so… think of it like this,” he starts, already slipping into that half-professor, half-boyfriend tone. “When you restrict airflow, even briefly, your body interprets it as a stressor. That triggers a fight-or-flight response. Your heart rate spikes, adrenaline kicks in, and your brain releases dopamine to counteract the stress.”
He pauses slightly, eyes searching yours to ensure you’re still with him. You are, mostly. Enough, anyway.
“That dopamine rush is what makes it feel so good to some people. It’s the same principle behind things like sky-diving or high-intensity workouts, the brain perceives a mild, controlled threat and rewards you with a chemical high.”
You open your mouth to interrupt but Spencer’s lips are already curling into a sideways grin, like he’s already one step ahead of you.
“And before you ask, yes, it’s completely safe when done correctly. The key is control. It’s never about actual danger, just the illusion of it.”
You hesitate for a second, then ask, “I mean… how do you know when someone’s doing it right versus, like, actively trying to murder you?”
“First of all, it shouldn’t feel aggressive or sudden. You should feel an edge of intensity without genuine fear or distress. Your body’s reactions shouldn’t tip over into panic or actual pain.” He leans forward, his proximity suddenly sharpened. “And secondly, it has to be with someone you trust implicitly. This isn’t the sort of activity you’d want to try after a few drinks at a questionable frat party.” He lifts a brow. “Selfishly, I’d much rather you not explore something this delicate with anyone but me.”
“Spencer.”
“Just being responsible, angel,” he says lightly, completely unrepentant as he dips forward, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek. “I’d hate to imagine you in the inexperienced hands of someone less qualified.”
You press your lips together, glaring in a way you hope reads as stern instead of hopelessly flustered. “Don’t make fun.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Which, given his shit-eating grin, is an outright lie. His hand finds your knee and squeezes. “Any other pressing questions?”
“Have you ever done it?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” You fumble momentarily, grasping to find footing that doesn’t involve imagining him with someone else. “Um, so, was it — did you like it?”
He tugs your knee a little closer. “I think you’re asking because you hope my experience will give you some clarity about your own feelings.”
You freeze, because, well, yeah, that’s exactly what you were doing. And hearing it out loud makes it harder to dodge.
“The thing is,” he continues softly, patiently, “my answer won’t really help, sweetheart. My role is fundamentally different, both physically and psychologically, from yours. You're the one feeling the rush. I’d be the one carefully controlling it.” He tilts his head, studying your reaction. “What you need to ask yourself is how the idea itself makes you feel.”
You stare down at your hands, willing an answer to manifest. But the truth is, you don’t have one.
Everything you know about this is secondhand. The way your friends talk about it, joking over drinks like it’s no big deal. The way it’s portrayed in movies, always intense and dramatic. The way a passage in a book makes you pause, reread it over again, just to be sure.
But all of that is distant, safely removed from your actual life. None of it feels like you.
“It’s complicated,” you admit, squirming under his gaze. “It feels interesting in theory. Like, hypothetically exciting. But actually enjoying it? That’s still an enormous, intimidating question mark.”
Spencer’s eyes flick over you once, assessing, before he nods. 
“Alright,” he says. “Well, this is a safe, controlled environment. We can take it step by step, nice and logical, okay?”
You nod quickly — probably too quickly. Spencer’s mouth twitches, but he’s kind enough not to call you on it.
His hand moves back to one side of your neck.
“Let’s start by narrowing it down,” he continues, “If I touched you right here —” his voice dipping intimately, “— what’s the first thing you feel? Excited? Nervous? Both?”
Spencer’s hand is cold, just on the edge of uncomfortably so, but by now, you’ve learned to anticipate it.
The first time, he’d explained away the chill, intertwining your fingers while he launched into a gentle explanation about blood vessels, circulation, and temperature regulation, as if medical jargon might warm you up faster. Your dazed, crush-drunk state had earnestly tried to soak up every word.
The second time, however, there had been no hope of retaining anything. His fingers tracing circles around your clit, whispering against your neck something vaguely scientific — vasoconstriction, maybe? — the words entirely lost beneath your own breathy sighs.
Maybe some responsible corner of your brain caught it and tucked it away for later. But right now, all you can feel is the heat flooding your skin, surging up to meet those same chilly fingers, smothering any hope of remembering a damn thing.
You wet your lips. “Yeah, I…I think I like it.”
Spencer raises an eyebrow. “Think?”
You try to swallow, but it’s clumsy. Like your brain forgot how, his touch is so light, it barely registers, and you're honestly not even sure he is touching you or if your brain's inventing it, already drunk on the idea.
“I do like it,” you clarify quickly, ears burning. “But it’s not like you’re doing anything unusual yet.”
“That's because I’d rather ease you into it than overwhelm you.” 
His eyes remain locked with yours as he slowly adjusts his hand, four fingers resting on one side of your neck, thumb curving around to the opposite side. 
“And this? How does this make you feel?”
You don’t plan to react, but your breath tangles mid-inhale, catching on something sharp. Too fast in, not enough out.
Your fingers tap aimlessly against your thigh, unsure where to go, what to do with all this feeling and nothing to burn it on.
Spencer must notice, because a second later, his free hand finds yours, cold fusing with warm.
“I like the weight of it,” you whisper, barely trusting your voice. “Feels… assertive. In a good way.”
Spencer hums before leaning in, close enough for you to see where his lashes clump at the tips, impossibly dark. 
“Yeah, it probably does feel that way,” he says, thumb brushing under your ear. “Doesn’t mean I’m trying to take control. Just means I like knowing I have your attention.”
You almost laugh. He has your attention, your focus, your heart, and a few other things you probably shouldn’t name. But you just nod like he’s not entirely right.
“What now?”
“That depends on you,” he says. “We can take the next step, and I can apply gradual pressure to let you experience the sensation, monitor your response.” His eyes drag over your face. “Or we can pause. Talk it through. Or we can stop.” A squeeze to your hand. “There’s no wrong answer.”
“I want to take the next step,” you say, trying to hide the urgency. “But I might not react the way I’m supposed to.”
“There’s no supposed to,” he says, thumb sweeping over your wrist. “You don’t have to react in any particular way. We’re just exploring. No expectations.”
“Okay,” you nod. “Just… talk me through it?”
“Always.”
His fingers tighten. Just a little. Almost like a symphony getting louder, but one instrument, one beat at a time. You don’t breathe, just to feel it better.
“Let’s stay here a second. Let you get used to it.”
The size of his hand dwarfs your throat, fingers splayed wide directly over your jugular, encompassing delicate skin and fragile bone. 
You’re not blind to the strength of him. But what strikes you is the control he exercises over it. The ease with which he could hurt and instead chooses to draw out something else entirely. Every move angled towards pleasure, not power.
He’s studying you now. You know it without meeting his gaze. You can feel the scrutiny everywhere, razor-sharp eyes stripping back every layer you thought you were hiding. Measuring. Tracking. 
But you realize it’s more than just simple observation. It’s also craving, masked behind patience. 
“Still okay?”
You nod.
“Alright I’m gonna tighten a bit. Tell me if it’s too much.”
He thumb sweeps over your windpipe without closing off any air. Your thighs clamp together accordingly, locking around your joined hands.
Spencer laughs, not at you, never that, but with the same quiet pride he gets when one of his obscure theories turns out to be correct. 
Trust you to be another equation effortlessly solved by his clever fingers.
His hand slips from yours, redirecting to nudge your legs apart, stern enough that resistance doesn’t even cross your mind. 
As he nestles between your thighs, you wonder if maybe you were purpose-built for this. Shaped by fate into the perfect receptacle for Spencer. It’s not the most absurd thought you’ve had when it comes to him.
“You know why this works?” His voice dips into something possessive, fingers kneading into the plush give of your thighs, sliding upward, a constellation of goosebumps being left in their wake. “Because you like knowing I could keep you here, but also knowing I’d never have to.”
You’ll never understand it — how Spencer manages to reach into the depths of your mind, extracting the exact words there, murmuring them back to you as though they were born on his tongue.
Your hips shift restlessly beneath him, craving friction you hadn’t even consciously acknowledged, your skirt climbs higher, revealing inch by betraying inch of skin without an ounce of remorse. 
Spencer’s gaze falls instantly, eyes growing heavy, pupils expanding into endless darkness, mirroring the ache brewing inside you.
“I’m going to introduce something called intermittent restriction, okay?” he says. “That means I’ll apply pressure for just a few seconds, long enough for your brain to notice, but not long enough to make you light-headed. Then I’ll release. That cycle, restriction and releasing, triggers a rush of oxygen back into your system.”
His mouth finds your jaw, so softly that the rush of your pulse seems premature.
“Your nerve endings will become hypersensitive, responsive to even the slightest touch.” And just to prove a point, his fingertips slip between your thighs, tracing fire over already scorching skin. “This, for example,” he whispers, “will feel ten times as intense.”
The pressure on your throat fades as his hand shifts upward, finding a new home cradling the back of your neck, fingertips twining through your hair. 
You’re left staring at his mouth, every heartbeat a fervent prayer — kiss me, please, please, kiss me.
Then, slowly, he tilts your chin upward, sweetening your unspoken wish.
When he draws away, your breath trembles, coming in shattered fragments. Your vision dims slightly at the edges, leaving only Spencer in vivid clarity.
“Is that something you’d like me to do?”
“Yes,” you breathe, everything in you reaching. “Yes, please.”
He nods slowly, pressing a kiss to your nose.
“Good. You know the safe word, but if you can’t talk and want me to stop, just tap my wrist twice.” He demonstrates against your neck. “The second it stops feeling good, we stop. No explanations needed.”
His hand settles again at the column of your throat, fingertips fitting into the tender hollow beneath your jawline. He tilts your head back, and for a second all you can think about is how exposed you are. The weird crease on your collarbone. That one spot that gets blotchy when you’re turned on.
You wonder if he sees all of it. If he likes all of it. 
He looks at you like none of it surprises you. Like he expected every detail and already decided it was his favorite part.
“What if I do it wrong? Like, should I be —?”
“Hey,” he soothes, thumb gently rubbing slow circles against the underside of your chin. Gentle kisses trail along the line of your jaw toward your ear. “You can’t do anything wrong.” He catches your earlobe between his teeth, tugging. “Just relax and let me do all the work, angel.”
“Oh,” you exhale quietly as every part of you goes warm and liquid.
“That’s it,” Spencer murmurs. “There’s my girl. You ready?”
“Yeah,” you mumble, “love you.”
His smile deepens, fondness glowing through him as he bumps your chin with his nose. “Love you.”
His breath is minty when it brushes yours again, tinged with that strange clove candy he orders from some European site. You’re still trying to place it when his hand moves — and just like that, you’re out of air.
It should set off alarms, should terrify you, but strangely all it does is strip away the noise, everything crystallizing. 
It’s exactly like the first morning after you fell asleep beside him, waking up in tangled limbs, realizing you’d never truly rested before him, the world realigning itself in high definition, as though you’d finally found the perfect pair of glasses after years of blurry half-truths.
Time seems to move in slow motion, each elongated second stretching into something much more infinite. When his fingers ease up, you feel the air whoosh back into your lungs, somehow sweeter than before.
“Good girl,” Spencer praises softly, lips curving into a smile you can feel even with half-closed eyes. “How did that feel for you?”
You pause. “I think I need a little more evidence before I can give a definitive answer.”
You conveniently omit just how much you liked it. How every cell in your body is quietly pleading for him to do it again, and soon. Immediately, if possible. Though judging by the look in his eyes, you’re not exactly fooling anyone.
“Ah,” he chuckles softly, thumb stamping over your bottom lip, “spoken like a true scientist.”
“Well,” you breathe, “there are worse traits I could’ve picked up from you.”
His fingers squeeze around your throat once more.
You’re dimly aware that his other hand has taken up occupancy on your thigh. How long had it been there? Five seconds? Five years? 
Both seem plausible, neither important. It’s there, and your lower half is already chasing the feeling, searching in desperate little movements. Anything — his palm, the couch cushion, a miracle — would suffice to ease the fever spreading through your hypoxic brain down to the sticky heat between your legs.
His fingers skim down to the edge of your panties just as his grip on your throat dissolves. One sensation gives way to the other, making it impossible to know where relief ends, and desire begins.
You, however, don’t take the opportunity to gasp for breath. Instead, you chase Spencer’s lips, gifting him your last lungful of air in a kiss that is decidedly messy and anything but falling under the category of graceful. He takes your clumsy devotion in stride, hands moving to haul you tighter against him, slotting your legs tighter around his waist.
You pull back only when your body calls for it, not your heart. And when you do, your head spins a little, most likely oxygen-related, but it feels more Reid-related. 
His mouth lingers barely an inch from yours. “Take a deep breath for me, angel.”
One shallow inhale, and then it’s gone. But it doesn’t matter, because his fingertips are dipping beneath your panties in the same motion, stroking through your folds, dragging pleasure through you so intensely, you’re scared you’ll break apart right then and there. 
He was right, you’re so unbearably sensitive, nerves bursting open beneath his touch, each one catching like a spark on dry glass, spreading before you can stop it.
He clicks his tongue softly, clearly pleased. “Look at you, making such a mess for me.”
There’s nothing rushed about the way he moves, but your body doesn't seem to know that. Frantic anyway, trembling anyway, gasping like he himself is a trap you’ve willingly walked into. 
He doles out air like it’s been earned, a mercy, always paired to the slow tease of his finger gliding up and down your folds, spreading you open, painting your clit with everything he’s pulled from you.
He gives you just the tip of his index, barely inside, and then pulls back like he's punishing you for wanting more than he offered.
You’re soaked now. Slick enough that it’s starting to drip where your pelvis meets his thighs, a growing mess that’s probably already bled through to the couch.
“Tell me what you’re feeling,” he murmurs. “I wanna hear everything running through that beautiful head.”
“I’m not — there’s not much going on up there,” you confess. “Just need your fingers. ”
“You have them,” he says.
“Inside,” you whimper. “Need you inside.”
He releases your throat just as his finger slides in.
“That’s what you needed, huh?” He smirks. “You sound so pretty when you beg for it.”
And your body answers for you, clenching around the intrusion, like it’s trying to hold onto him, pull him closer, keep him.
You used to watch his fingers like a secret obsession. Long before he’d ever touched you. The slope of his knuckle, the faint ridge of old scars, the exact spacing between his middle and index finger — you’d count it, like maybe the detail meant something.
Now one of them is buried inside you, barely, and it’s already too much.
When the second slides in, it feels like being opened from the inside out. Again. Like every other time he’s had his fingers in you. Or his tongue. Or his cock. You’d think your body would be used to this by now. It never is.
A moan punches out of your chest unfiltered. Your hands reach up for something to hold, finding purchase at the overgrown curls at the nape of his neck, fingers tightening there.
He leans in, eyes half-lidded, voice hushed. “Always so tight for me.”
“Spencer…” You reach, fingers closing around his wrist, moving his hand back to your throat. Your voice comes out pleading, every bit as vulnerable as you feel. “Please?”
He stops. Breathes. Absorbs it like a gift he hadn’t expected to be given twice. But he doesn’t hesitate. Doesn’t need to.
“So polite, baby.” 
Your next inhale gets caught beneath his palm. Your lungs stay empty, but your body lights up in its place. Pulsing. Drenched. Stretched open around his fingers. The sound of it is filthy, wet and messy and loud enough to drown out whatever noise you just tried to make.
You’re grinding down on him now, mindless, rutting against the heel of his palm like shame doesn't even exist anymore.
Your head is light, skin buzzing, orgasm barreling toward you like a tsunami you can’t outrun.
“I wish you could see yourself like this,” he murmurs, breath warm against your cheek.  “You’re so beautiful. Every single time.”
You want to answer. Maybe cry. Maybe laugh. Maybe beg. But your core answers first — vision goes spotty, thighs twitching uncontrollably.
And then everything clenches, cracks open and takes you with it.
There’s a second of silence, brain fogged with nothing but static. Heat, stars, white noise. You only notice his absence when your body jerks, still chasing pressure that’s no longer there.
Your hands find him clumsily, clutching at his wrist, trying to pull him back without a word.
“I’m here. You’re okay. Come here, angel,” Spencer says, already folding you into his chest.
Your face stays pressed to his shirt, breath still shaky where it escapes in uneven puffs. Spencer’s hands stay steady on your back, but you can feel his heart beating a little too fast under your cheek.
“Not gonna ask yet,” he says lightly, “but my brain is running a post-scene checklist at full speed. So just… squeeze my hand if anything feels wrong. Please.”
“What counts as feeling wrong?” You ask. His heart skips a beat beneath you, and you wince. “Not that I feel that way. I definitely don’t. I promise. I’m just curious.” 
He strokes your hair once, twice.
“You’re sure?”
You nod, eyes fluttering closed as you nuzzle closer, lips brushing his jaw. “Mm. Yeah. Just a little floaty. And in love with you. But that’s normal.”
“Floaty and in love,” he repeats, pretending to consider. “Dangerous combination. Might have to keep you under observation.” He kisses your temple, voice gentling, “But seriously, if you feel off in any way. Dizziness, fingertips tingling, even a little headache, I need to know right away, okay?”
“Okay, okay,” you say, squeezing his shirt. “And, um… totally unrelated… how long is the average recovery time before we can do that again?”
“Realistically,” he starts, “we should wait a while. Especially since it was your first time experimenting with that.” Your lower lip starts to just slightly. He grins. “But… if you were interested in cutting off my oxygen, I might have a few ideas.”
You don’t even get the chance to react. One second, you’re in his lap, and the next — you’re airborne, guided up, forward, and set down over his face like he’s been planning this all night.
You let him take your breath. Now he gives you his in return.
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💌 masterlist taglist has been disbanned! if you want to get updates about my writings follow and turn notifications on for my account strictly for reblogging my works! @mariasreblogs
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shadowykittengladiator · 5 months ago
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Damian looks at the green letter that simply appeared in his room a few minutes ago. He wasn't sure if he is supposed to be happy or crying.
He still thinks about Danyal all the time. It has been a long time since his brother died. Damian still mournes him two times a year, at their birthday and the day Danyal died.
He told his family, on his fifteenth birthday. Father hadnt been happy but he tearfully hugged Damian the next day and apologized for ever making him feel like he couldn't talk about his brother.
He still thinks of his brother every time he goes to the Watchtower. Father thankfully gives him a minute. Sometimes he joins him too.
But he wasn't expecting this. He looks at the green letter again. He already read it. A bit idiotic, touching an unknown like that. But the code on the side of the letter almost caused him a struck, because it was the code. The code that him Danyal came up with and nobody else knows about.
Dear Damian Wayne
The note reads.
You are invited to the coronation of the Prince of the Infinite Realms, Danyal 'Danny' Phantom, formerly Al-Ghul. The coronation is set to take place two weeks from now. As a part of the Royal Family, you are obligated to join the coronation at your brother's side. You are to wear formal clothes of whichever culture you subscribe to. A knight will take you to place at which coronation is set to take place.
The letter continues on and on about the coronation, about his brothers numerous titles, about proper ettique and many more things. But Damian does not care about that.
What was the possibility of this thing being fake? Maybe, but he doesn't think so. The code alone would confirm its authenticity.
A knock sound from the door and his father enters the room with a familiar copy of the green letter in his hands.
---------------------------------------------------
Constantine has been looking at the letter for the past ten minutes and he looks more like he is about to faint with each line he reads. Finally Damian can't hold it anymore.
"Say something magician! Is that thing real? What is the Infinite Realms!? "
Constantine looks up from the letter and takes out a cigarette to smoke, only to put it down at his father's glare.
"Of course you people would get tangled in the business of the bloody Infinite Realms." Constantine stops for a second. "Basically it's the dimension between dimensions. Thing of it like the glue holding the multiverse together. It's also where ghosts live."
Oh.
Of course.
Damian is an idiot for thinking his brother might be alive. Danyal is dead.
He hears his father turn around and sitting down on the bat computer.
"Ghost?" Richard thankfully asks. "Like Deadman?"
"No."
As Constantine starts a lecture about the difference between magical and ectoplasmic ghosts, Damian's mind wanders towards his brother again.
His brother is still dead, he still died. And of course his brother, his wonderful, idiotic, amazing brother would somehow make himself a king of an entire dimension after death. One of the strongest beings in existence, according to Constantine.
"Damian!" Richard is snapping his fingers in front of his face. "Are you alright? "
"I am fine." Damian says, "I am fine." He repeats a second later.
"It would be a shock if I learned my brother is going to be a king." Constantine is staring him weirdly. "How in the bloody hell that happened? I never knew bats had another kid."
"Doesn't matter." Damian snarks, "Is it safe to assume this coronation will take place in this Infinite Realms? "
Constantine shrughs his shoulders.
"Wouldn't know. Not exactly my area of expertise."
Great, just great.
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saltymarshmall0w · 6 months ago
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beatdown buddies
(You always read fics where the pit is instantly calmed by Danny’s presence, but what if it didn’t?)
Now, you have to understand, that Jason was long past attacking strangers in a blind fury. The Bats? Sure, all the time--- but he was working on that.
This particular scrawny, possibly-homeless stranger hadn’t done anything more than simply exist in Jason’s proximity. If it was any other Crime Alley resident, Jason would be much more likely feel a surge of protectiveness.
This guy though– he was different.
Locking toxic-green eyes to toxic-green eyes made the pit in his skin violently react. Before he knew it, he was hitting the guy with everything he had, and the guy was hitting back.
The groceries Jason had left his apartment to get spilled all over the ground as the two rolled.
Pulled hair, split knuckles, and bruised bodies, the guy’s fist hit Jason’s jaw for the umpteenth time, cracking his head back and making him look at the gloomy sky.
They only used their fists. Jason could feel the familiar ghost of weapons hidden under the other guy’s hoodie, but neither pulled their hidden weapons.
Despite it all, Jason and the guy shared blood-tinged smiles. Blood boiled under his skin in an exciting trill. He was angry, and it was fantastic.
He’s pretty sure he just made a new best friend.
Someone hit Jason’s back with what could distinctly be identified as a broom. He vaguely heard the sound of yelling around him, but Jason’s only focus was getting his next hit in.
Eventually, they were stopped by a familiar shade of blue and black. Strong arms pulled him off the stranger and pinned his arms down, locking their arms over his chest to prevent Jason from getting free.
“You need to calm down!” Dickwing’s voice lectured in his ear. “You’re going to kill him!”
Surprisingly, Jason settled in Dick’s hold, fight and anger drained out of him in the space of a breath. The fire under his skin didn’t keep flaming and flaming and building it just– stopped.
“Oh, Please.” The stranger was grinning widely, despite the model of developing bruises and cuts across his face. A burly man who Jason vaguely recognized worked at the store they were standing right in front of was both holding up and holding back the guy. “We were just saying ‘Hi’.”
The guy made eye contact with Jason. Blue, no hints of green anywhere. The guy winked. “Danny.”
Frankly, Jason couldn’t quite explain his actions. He felt stupidly chastized by Nightwing’s patented older brother stare of disappointment. Apparently, the guy couldn’t explain his actions either, as he disappeared the instant no one’s eyes were on him.
-
Jason arrived an hour early to Wayne Sunday family dinner. He missed cooking alongside Alfred, and offered his help.
He let Dick wrap an arm around his shoulder for a few seconds as a welcome. He didn’t seethe at Bruce simply being there. He chose to sit between Tim and the Demon brat when it looked like new fratricide plans were being drawn up by the younger.
The pit didn’t scream under his skin to hurt. Little things didn’t set him off, making him have to leave early. He wasn’t tempted to throttle anyone for existing around him.
The pit was just… quiet. Peaceful even. Well, as peaceful as it could get in the Wayne household.
It was a massive improvement compared to six months ago— hell, compared to last month.
He shrugged off inquiries about his black eye, citing it would heal quickly anyway.
-
Jason should have known he wasn’t safe.
Sure, he was on a roof one could only grapple to, across the city from crime alley, and dressed up as Red Hood.
However, Danny always reappeared periodically like a well-timed extremely therapeutic punching bag.
One moment, Jason was looking down over the streets of Gotham the next, he was being flying-kicked by a lithe frame. Something instantly recognized Danny so, rather the putting a bullet in him, Jason picked himself back up into a crouch and lunged at Danny.
“Hood? Hood what’s going on?” Someone called in his ear— Oh, right he had connected comms with his family that night.
Danny stopped suddenly, straddling Jason’s stomach, one hand fisting his collar, the other posed to strike. He blinked. glowing green eyes turned blue. “You’re not like, busy doing vigilante stuff, are you?” He asked.
Every bruise and cut from their last fight was gone, his baby face appeared as though it had never been punched in his life, making him look all the more punchable.
“Nope.” Jason answered, driving an elbow into the kid’s stomach and in the same motion ripped the comm out of his ear to toss it to the side.
Minutes later Danny was pulled off him, and the fire under his skin died down.
He blinked back into his surroundings to find himself on a rooftop with half of Gotham’s vigilantes standing in a circle around him, an unease that he could only read because he was so familiar with them written in all of their body languages. Batman held Danny slightly behind himself, keeping a firm grasp on the guy so he couldn’t escape.
“You claimed the rage was getting better.” Bruce stated in the way that meant he was supposed to answer his unasked questions..
Jason waited for rage and indignance to rise up in him, but rather he just considered that Bruce saw glowing green eyes and a brutal beat down and made a logical leap.
“It has!” Jason argued anyway. He sniffed and ran a hand under his slightly bleeding nose. It didn’t sting enough to be broken. “I haven’t lost my cool in months.”
“That’s what he has me for!” Danny chimed happily. His nose was broken, but Danny didn’t seem to mind the twin streaks of blood running down his face. “We’re friends with Benefits. It’s always healthy to have a little dead-guy on dead-guy action. You guys should really fight with him more often, his ectoplasm is rank.”
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honey-tongued-devil · 7 months ago
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↞[arcane preference] founding out you were injured in crossfire↠
Since I've created a Bluesky profile and wrote my thesis on Arcane, I'll be posting both old and new drawings there as soon as the time comes. I'm taking advantage of this little space to promote my other social account. honey-tongued.bsky.social Also, I've received both comments and requests, but Tumblr decided I couldn’t post for a week (my internet connection is terrible). I want to let you know that I appreciate them, and I'll get to everything as soon as I can. So, feel free to leave comments, feedback, or requests!
Jayce: 
- This is the worst news he could receive: he's a scholar, he has no idea how to handle these situations, and, most of all, he's forced to confront his pride.  
- Not only was he unable to protect you now, but what if it happens again? Even if he's there, he wouldn't know what to do.  
- What if there's a next time? What if it doesn't turn out as well next time?  
- His self-sabotage leads him to distance himself from you for a few days, not because he doesn't want to be near you while you're hurting, but because he's ashamed of not being able to protect the person he loves.  
- On the bright side, for even just a second, he remembers the original purpose of his research: making the city safe, helping people.  
- But on the negative side, with no one to blame, more than ever, the people of Zaun appear to him as beasts, second-class humans who can't be redeemed in any way.  
- When he finally gathers the courage to see you again, he tries to make amends for everything: for not protecting you, for not being able to, for allowing someone to hurt you, and for not being there during your recovery.  
- He'll literally do anything to be forgiven: every morning you'll find breakfast in bed, if it's cold at night he'll prepare a warmer for your feet, and despite his squeamishness, he'll personally tend to your wounds, even if it makes him feel queasy.
Viktor:
- He tries to help you in every way possible, even ignoring his own pain.  
- He feels sadness, regrets that you went out alone and ended up in such a situation. He can't help but imagine the fear you must have felt, the confusion, and the loneliness when the guards intervened, and you woke up alone in the hospital.  
- He may be a scholar, but first and foremost he's a man with a moral code, and secondly, he's from Zaun: if he has any work, appointments, or lectures, he'll skip them all, maybe muttering a few insults in his thick accent at the most insistent people, and make up for it at night.  
- Plans, ideas, codes, anything – but he won't leave you alone unless you ask him to.  
- He takes care of you meticulously, respecting schedules, bringing you meals in bed, changing your bandages until your skin heals, and you're able to stand on your own again.  
- He doesn't mind helping you – as a chronically ill person who refuses others' help, he's learned to do everything on his own, and he's almost happy that his skills can be useful to someone else.
Ekko:
- Is it something totally normal in the lanes? Yes.  
- Does this stop Ekko from panicking? No.  
- He's the one who finds you and brings you to the others, but he doesn't want, nor can he afford, to be seen panicking. So, he swallows his despair and tries to act as normal as possible while ten other people rush to help you.  
- His face remains expressionless as the most skilled remove debris, clean the wound, stitch your torn flesh, and bandage you, but his foot keeps tapping the floor with force and speed, revealing his anxiety.  
- When the others insist that it's best you stay in the makeshift infirmary, he tries not to protest, but suddenly every moment of the day becomes an excuse to pass by: to bring you stolen sweets from Piltover, to tell you about some expedition, maybe even steal a kiss or fall asleep leaning against your mattress.  
- It's an overwhelming fear, but the fear of losing you makes him unable to think rationally, and all he feels is how much he misses you, even while you're right there with him.
Vander:
- A crossfire from the other side of the river was already a big enough provocation to alert him and prepare to defend the city or, if absolutely necessary, to strike back.  
- But you, as an accidental victim, are a huge problem.  
- He doesn’t have the heart to pull away from you, and when he does, he can’t help but feel frustrated, angry at himself, knowing he hasn’t been able to keep his city under control like he promised—to you, to Piltover, to everyone.  
- He’ll ask for your forgiveness by kissing the scarred skin every day, even if you insist it’s not his fault, and if you remember even one of the faces, he’ll go and handle the problem.  
- Not with violence, unless necessary, but it’s not about personal justice; rather, it’s about protecting the other citizens of the alleys too.  
- Even after you’ve healed, he’ll insist it’s absolutely necessary to carry you everywhere you need to go, claiming a very good doctor told him so.  
- And the memory of the scar will be tiny compared to all the marks Vander has left on you.  
Silco:
- Private justice is absolutely the first option, even though you were an accidental victim.  
- He’ll call all his goons and associates for a meeting while you’re still bedridden, to see if they’ve heard, seen, or been involved in any armed conflict, and if he doesn’t get a face or a name from them, he’ll turn to the brothel, the house of all information,  
- Until he finds who hurt you and makes sure they can’t do it again.  
- Silco isn’t fazed by blood or open wounds, but despite having enough experience to handle it himself, at least on the first day, he’ll take you to Singed to make sure you’re in the best condition.  
- In the following days, he’ll take care of you himself, but he has pride, a façade, and little emotional communication skills, so he won’t openly show how worried he is, relying entirely on the fact that you don’t know about the murder of your assailant and remember nothing of the visit to Singed.  
- But the only reason you heal so well and so quickly is that, even if he doesn’t know how to express it, all the love he feels is poured into the care he gives you.  
Jinx:
- Flashbacks. So many. Too many.  
- At some point, she’ll even convince herself that she’s the one who shot you, leading to a complete breakdown.  
- She punches her head, scratches herself without realizing it, her nose bleeds, and her eyes are bloodshot.  
- It takes her a while to convince herself that she wasn’t the one who shot you, even though the hallucinations overlap images of you with memories of her armed, creating waking nightmares that feel increasingly real.  
- As much as she’d like to ask her father for help, even just to give you a cleaner room, she feels responsible and is too scared that if she stays away from you, you’ll forget her. That’s why she sets up a little space for you and takes care of you herself, though not always painlessly.  
- She’s pulled bullets out of her own body more times than not after missions; what might seem like dangerous, delicate work to someone else is almost routine for her by now.  
- Once she has a suspicion of who might have done it, she’ll make sure they learn their lesson. 
 
Vi:
- Anger.  
- Why were you out alone? Why didn’t you leave as soon as you saw the crowd getting too big? Why were you in that area?  
- But her anger is just panic pouring out like a flood, the fear of not being able to protect the one she loves twists her stomach, making her feel like she might throw up, like she’s dying inside.  
- None of those questions mean she blames you, but she doesn’t know how to feel, what to think, or even what to do.  
- She’ll do everything to help you—bandaging you, cleaning your wounds, staying silent and giving her full attention to make up for not being there when you needed her, even though that’s not true.  
- And when the scar forms, she’ll kiss it every single day, every single night, like a little ritual between the two of you.  
Caitlyn:
- Safety first.  
- She’ll be the one to assess how bad the injury is, and if there are any foreign objects in your body, there’s a good chance she’ll try to handle it herself, even though at first it might seem a bit barbaric.  
- She’ll give you the guest room and call the family doctor to make sure you’re okay, that you don’t need anything else, and she’ll take care of what’s necessary, even teasing you a bit to hide her worry.  
- "A bullet in the leg from being caught in crossfire? Very vintage, I must say."  
- What you won’t know is that she’ll quietly increase security, not in an oppressive way, but just enough to make both you and the other citizens feel safer.  
- Her family won’t get involved directly, but they won’t stop her either. Sometimes Cassandra herself will make sure her daughter finds the tray to bring up to you, though she’ll never be too open about it.  
- The perfect rehabilitation? Long walks in the villa’s garden, so you can stop for some cookies or tea when you get tired.  
Mel:
- Flashbacks, but less personal than Jinx’s.  
- Her mother would call her weak if she knew how it kills her to see someone barely scratched by crossfire, and that realization soon turns into frustration, which then becomes anger.  
- She tries to stay calm, but her voice sounds like she’s scolding you, and then like she’s scolding the servants, or anyone else who crosses her path.  
- Two hours of lecture if you’re lucky—why you shouldn’t go out without a guard, why you shouldn’t put yourself in dangerous situations, why the enforcers are utterly useless and can’t find anyone responsible, even though the fight was so intense.  
- She’ll focus entirely on the bureaucratic side because little Mel was never taught how to deal with strong emotions, and she’s definitely feeling them now but can’t afford that vulnerability, even though she knows you’re safe.  
- She won’t take care of you herself, but she’ll always stay in the room. Not because she doesn’t want to, to be clear, but because she wants you to have the best care possible and prefers to leave it to a top professional rather than her inexperienced hands.  
- In return, she’ll triple the amount of affection and caresses—more to calm herself than you, but you won’t be the one to complain.  
Sevika:
- She needs a moment.  
- She knows she has to report to Silco that there was a firefight, that someone is threatening the people, but part of her just wants to grab those responsible and crush their heads with her bare hands, doing both you and her boss a favor. Yet, another part of her doesn’t want to leave you alone or take you with her.  
- She knows how to handle these things; she’s lost an arm, and Silco’s goons often come back in worse shape, which is why she’ll take care of you herself, in complete silence.  
- She’ll wait until you’re asleep to place a water bottle, a glass, some painkillers, and some bread on the nightstand next to your bed. And when she’s sure you’re fully asleep, she’ll leave a soft kiss on your forehead before putting on her cloak and heading out to the Last Drop.  
- There, she’ll release her anger in a brawl or two, talk to her boss, and search for the reason why she feels so awful at the bottom of her third glass of whiskey.  
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st4ringlow · 8 months ago
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"you shouldnt wear that,"
you were taken aback by the unexpected comment from the man you hardly knew, your mouth agape as words failed to come forth. "i-im sorry..?" you asked, your voice tinged with hesitation and confusion. the man has a bored look on his face, but his words is totally striking your pride. "you're miya's girlfriend arent you? but people cant seem to differentiate between you and a slut because of that dress you're wearing," you were really surprised by his rudeness, and the word 'slut' hurts you like shit. no one has ever called you that, and why is this random stranger degrading you like you're some low women?
"what the hell did you just say to my girl?" atsumu's voice was cold and harsh, his angry tone evident. "who the fuck are you to tell my girl what to wear?" he asked, his fists clenched and jaw tightening. before you could speak, atsumu punched the guy. a commotion ensued, and you both left the party as the situation worsened. its safe to say atsumu made some new enemies that night, and now he's enduring a lecture from you while you apply ice to his bruised jaw.
you know atsumu is not a weak man; he will throw punches if needed for you. he doesn't mind being your knight in shining armor, because it's you.
"dont mind his words, you can wear whatever the fuck you want because i can and will fight if anyone opposes," a smile formed on your lips as you heard atsumu's words.
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i-get-obsessed-fast · 2 months ago
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Under Watch
.・゜✭・. Spencer Reid x Hotch’s Daughter .・゜✭・.
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Summary: A string of murders on your college campus brings your estranged father and his team to investigate. To keep you safe, he assigns Spencer Reid to watch over you.
A/N: this takes place in the season 6, I just wanted glasses Reid to be in the pics, also not proofread I will come back and correct it later :) xoxox
BYR(b4 u Reid): babysitter Reid, Strict Hotch, Murder, guns, knives, SA, semi-detailed murder description, cuss words, talks of alcohol, kidnappings, stalking, and detailed make out sesh. | hopefully I don’t forget anything!
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“I’m free tonight. We can start working on the project.” You tell the guy walking beside you as you both step out of the lecture hall.
“Yeah, that works. How’s seven?” He asks, holding the door open for you.
“That should be fine.” You say with a small smile
You don’t know him well, barely noticed him until today when he’d ask if you’d be his partner. But before the conversation could continue, a voice cuts through the noise of campus.
“Y/n!”
You turn, scanning the crowd until your eyes land on him. Your father stands in the middle of the quad, his team beside him. The weight of their stares settles over you.
Your brows furrow as you step toward them.
“Why are you here?” The words come out sharper than you intend, but you don’t back down.
Your father’s expression hardens. “You don’t know? Do you not stay informed on what happens around you?”
His tone makes you stiffen. “Mr. Hotchner.” The dean interjects carefully, stepping forward. “We’ve chosen to keep things as contained as possible. We don’t want to incite panic among the students.”
“Not warning them is more dangerous.” Rossi counters, unimpressed.
The dean exhales. “I understand your concerns but unless you’ve run a college campus, you don’t understand the position we’re in.”
You glance past your father at his team. Faces you recognize from home but haven’t seen since you left Virginia. They watch the exchange closely, some with sympathy, others with quiet apprehension.
“What’s going on?” You finally ask.
Your father doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he reaches for your arm, his grip firm but not forceful. “Come with us.”
You were led into the campus security building, where case files are scattered across tables. Your eyes flick to a white-board in the next room, crime scene photos pinned in a neat but unsettling arrangement.
“Shut that.” his voice is sharp, and when you glance back at him, his expression his unreadable.
“We were called here because there's been a series of murders on campus. Young woman.” he says, locking eyes with you.
For the first time, you see it, the fear beneath his controlled demeanor.
You don’t know how to respond, but when he lays down three photographs, fear settles in your chest.
“Sarah Johnston, Abigail Smith, Elizabeth Adam’s.” He lists “Do you see a pattern?”
Your stomach twists. Hair color, similar build. Even the way they smiled in their photos. You and these girls resembled each other.
“Could be a coincidence,” you murmur, though you don't believe it.
“It’s not, he has a type.” he firmly says “You can't be alone on this campus. Travel in groups, carry your pepper spray, and you are not to be alone with any male students.”
You exhale, shaking your head. “I have a project to do with a guy from my class-”
“Meet in a public space, surrounded by people.” Rossi interjects.
“The library is packed, and the study rooms are booked.”
“Cancel.” your father orders. “Tell him you're sick, do it now.”
Your eyes widen. “Are you serious?”
Your father stares. That look, the one that's ended entire arguments without him saying another word. You hesitate, but your fingers move, typing the message before holding up your phone for his approval.
“Good.” he nods, then turns to Reid. “Take her to her dorm, please.”
“I can walk myself.”
He exhales sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. “Why can't you just listen for once?” his voice rises, frustration creeping in.
Your mouth opens, then snaps shut.
“What about everyone else?” you challenge, voice tight. “The girls who aren't getting warnings? The ones who don't have an agent escorting them to their dorms? This isn't fair. I'm just a student like the rest of them. I don't need your protection.”
“You don't understand, and right now, I don't care if you do.” he says, his tone final. “My only concern is getting you to your room. And you're staying there for the rest of the night. Reid, take her.”
“If it helps.” Emily adds gently, resting a hand on your shoulder. “A statement is going out today. The school is setting up hotlines, resources, and people will be warned.”
You let out a slow breath. It doesn't make you feel better. Not really.
“Fine.” you turn on your heel, heading for the door. Spencer Reid following right behind you.
The walk back to your dorm is quiet, not awkward, just silent.
When you step inside, you toss your bag onto your bed and gesture toward the other one. “You can sit there. My roommate dropped out a while ago, so no one uses it.”
Reid hesitates before sitting. “Does your dad know?”
You glance at home, confused. “Why would he?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I just thought that’s something a father would want to know.”
You let out a short, humorless laugh. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our relationship is… complicated.”
“Yeah.” He says, nodding slightly. “I get that.”
You eye him for a second. “You and your dad close?”
Reid shifts in his seat, before you can take it back, he says. “He left my mom and me when I was a kid.”
You frown. “I’m sorry.”
He shakes his head. “Doesn’t affect me anymore.”
There’s a moment of quiet before you decide to change the subject. “I have some games. Do you like Jenga?”
That earns a small chuckle from him. “Yeah.”
You kneel beside your bed, pulling out the game. There were probably better things you could be doing, like assignments or your project, but this seemed like a better way to pass the time.
As you both set up the blocks on the floor, you smirk. “Usually when I play, my friends and I have a rule. Whoever knocks it over takes two shots.”
Reid gives you an amused look. “Are you even legal to drink?” You raise an eyebrow. “What, are you gonna tell my dad?”
He tilts his head. “Should I?”
You laugh. “I don’t think it’ll surprise him, I’m pretty sure he expects worse.”
Reid’s expression shifts slightly. “You know, your dad talks about you a lot. He’s very proud of you.” You freeze for a second. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Reid nodded.
You swallow, shifting slightly. “Huh. Didn’t know that.”
He doesn’t say anything else, instead gestures to the game. “You go first.”
The game begins, each turn making the tower more unsteady. Eventually, Spencer study’s the blocks carefully, trying to find a safe one to pull.
“This is getting difficult.” He mutters, eyes narrowed.
You laugh, watching as he finally picks one and pushes it, only for the entire tower to collapse.
“Shit.” He murmurs under his breath causing your eyes to widen. “Did you just cuss?” You teased.
Reid shakes his head with a smirk, while you get up and dig through your closet. When you return, you hold up a bottle. “Two shots?”
His eyes practically pop out of their sockets. “I’m working.” You scrunch your face. “Is it really called working when you’re watching an adult?”
“I’m still on duty.” He argues. “Your dad would fire me.”
You roll your eyes. “My dad loves you. But fine Spencer, be lame.” Before he could reply, there’s a knock at the door. You both glance at each other.
“I got it, " you say, heading toward the door forgetting there was a killer on the loose and Spencer Reid wasn’t in your room to play games.
Spencer moves ahead of you. “I’ll get it.” His voice is firm, leaving no room for argument. You step back as he opens the door.
Standing there is Eli, the guy from your class.
“Oh, uh… is y/n here?” Eli asks, looking past Spencer. You step forward going to the door. “Eli? What are you doing here?”
“I saw your message. Just wanted to check on you.” He says, then glances at the bottle in your hand. His lips twitch into a smirk. “Having a party?”
You quickly lower the bottle. “No, I was just-no.” You stutter.
Eli raises an eyebrow. “You don’t look sick.”
You sigh. “Yeah…I’m not. I just can’t do the project tonight. I’m sorry.” Eli glances between you and Reid before nodding slowly. “Yeah, I get it.”
Silence lingers between the three of you. It’s awkward.
“Wait.” You ask suddenly. “How did you find my room?”
“Lisa.” He answers quickly. “I asked her.”
You nod, but something about it feels… off. You glance at Spencer, who’s watching Eli closely, brows drawn together like he’s analyzing something.
Eli clears his throat. “Well, I’ll let you guys be. Let me know when we can start the project.”
“Yeah, I will.” You say, before shutting the door.
You turn to Spencer. “That was awkward.” He nodded. “Is that your friend?”
“No. Barely know him. Just a project partner.” You say.
“Hmm.” Spencer’s eyes narrow slightly, his expression unreadable. You raise an eyebrow. “What?”
“Nothing.” He says, but there’s a trace of suspicion in his voice. “You just can’t be too sure about people.”
You nod. “Do you think the unsub will be caught tonight?” He exhales, his lips pressing together in thought. “I’m not sure. So far, he hasn’t left much evidence behind.”
“How does he do it?” You ask, curiosity outweighing your nerves. Spencer hesitates. “I don’t think your dad would appreciate me telling you.”
You cross your arms. “Well, I don’t think that’s my dad’s choice.”
He sighs, clearly understanding your frustration. After a moment, he finally gives in.
“He stalks them.” Spencer says, his voice lower now. “He waits until they’re alone, takes them somewhere secluded. He hurts them… bad. And then he.” His jaw tightens before finishing. “He assaults them. It’s brutal y/n. That’s why Hotch is so worried.”
Your breath catches. His gaze is firm, searching yours, waiting for a reaction. And for a second, you don’t know what to say. You had meant what you said to your dad about it not being fair, but hearing this… it makes you feel something else.
“If he stalks them, does that make his killings far apart?” You ask, your voice quieter now.
Spencer nods. “He’s projected to strike again in a few days, but we are trying to prevent that. He only keeps his victims for a few hours, but he takes his time choosing them. He studies them.”
Goosebumps rise along your arms, and suddenly, the walls of your dorm feel too close. “I need air.”
Spencer watches you for a moment before offering. “Well can walk around?”
You nod.
The two of you walk with no destination, the sky shifting into soft oranges and purples as the sun starts to set. The air is cooler now, and the silence between you isn’t uncomfortable.
“So.” Spencer finally says, breaking the quiet. “How are you liking college?”
You glance at him, appreciating his efforts. “It’s been good. A lot of people to meet, a lot of things to do.”
He nods. “When I was in college, I didn’t really… do much.” You let out a small laugh. “Weren’t you, like, fourteen?”
He smirks. “Yeah. That might have had something to do with it.” You tilt your head. “What’s it like? Being that smart?”
Spencer thinks for a moment before answering. “Uh- I don’t know. Sometimes it’s good. Other times it feels like… too much. Even for myself.”
“Must be exhausting.” You murmur
“Can be.” He admits.
The wind picks up slightly, and you shiver without meaning to. You mentally curse yourself for not bringing a jacket.
Spencer notices. without a word, he shrugs off his own. “Here. Take mine.”
You shake your head. “What? No, it’s cold. You need it.”
“I was starting to feel hot in it anyway.” He says, holding it out to you. You narrow your eyes. “You’re a terrible liar, Spencer.”
He doesn’t argue. Instead, he just steps closer and drapes the jacket over your shoulders himself, his hands brushing against you for just a second longer than necessary.
You blink up at him, caught off guard.
“Now you have to take it.” He says simply.
You huff but pull it tighter around yourself, the fabric warm. “Fine.” Spencer smirks, satisfied.
You glance down, smiling softly. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He replied, giving you the same soft smile, and with that you both continued walking.
The conversation mostly consisting of Spencer throwing out random facts.
Just as he finished explaining why flamingoes stand on one leg, you glanced down and noticed your shoelace had come undone.
“Damn.” You muttered
Before you could react, Spencer crouched down without hesitation, his long fingers grabbing the laces. He tied them quickly, but his movements were gentle, careful.
You swallowed, feeling a rush of warmth crawl up your neck. It was a simple sweet gesture.
“Thanks.” You murmured.
He looked up at you, his eyes catching yours for just a second too long before he stood back up. You cleared your throat, motioning toward a nearby bench.
The two of you sat down, silence setting over for a brief moment before you turned toward him. “So, Spencer, do you have a girlfriend?”
The question clearly caught him off guard. His capture stiffened slightly, and he glanced at you, one eyebrow raised. “Uh-no. Why?”
You shrugged. “Because you do all these nice little things. Feels like there has to be a girl.”
He shook his head. “No girlfriend.”
“Hmm.” You tilted your head, studying him. “That’s surprising.” Spencer gave you a skeptical look. “Why?”
“Because.” You said simply, “You’re sweet. You’re smart.” Then, without much thought, you reached up and lightly brushed your fingers through his hair. “And you’re pretty good-looking.”
The reaction was instant. His whole face turned red, his lips parting slightly as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words. Even his ears betrayed him, turning an adorable shade of pink.
“I-I just… I don’t know.” He stammered. “I’m busy, I guess.”
“Yeah.” You hummed, leaning back against the bench. Then, he smirked slightly, his confidence suddenly returning. “Why do you care?”
You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Spencer. I’m just nosey, must be genetic.”
“Right.” He said, nodding as if he didn’t believe you for a second. You narrowed your eyes at him, amused by his boldness. Before you could stop yourself, you turned the question back on him.
“Well, do you think I have a boyfriend?”
He tilted his head, considering you for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know. Do you?”
“Yeah.” You answered casually, watching as his smirk faltered for just a second. His expression was unreadable, but you caught the small shift, the way his shoulders tensed, the way his fingers curled slightly against his lap.
“Oh. I didn’t know that.” He said
You let the silence hang for a bit too long before grinning. “I’m joking, Spencer. I don’t have one.”
He exhaled, shaking his head as he turned toward you, unimpressed. “Yeah, I think I can see why.”
You gasped, shoving his shoulder slightly. “Wow. Sassy.”
Spencer just laughed, and you found yourself staring at him a little too long, watching the way his smile softened his features.
Then, almost instinctively, the teasing faded. The space between you seemed smaller. His gaze flickering to your lips, so quick you almost thought you imagined it.
Your heart picked up speed.
“You know.” You said, your voice lower now. “For someone who’s never had a girlfriend, you sure don’t suck at flirting.”
Spencer’s eyes darkened with amusement. “Who says I’m flirting?” You arched a brow. “Oh, so you just tie everyone’s shoes for them, and hand out your coat?”
He smirked but didn’t answer. Instead, he shifted just slightly toward you.
Neither of you spoke, but something was different now, he was watching you in a way he hadn’t before, like he was debating something.
And then, before you could overthink it, you leaned in first. He met you halfway.
The kiss was slow at first, hesitant, like neither of you wanted to acknowledge it was happening. But then Spencer’s hand found your jaw, his touch delicate, and suddenly, it wasn’t hesitant anymore.
Your fingers curled around the fabric of his button up, pulling him just a little closer, feeling the warmth of him against you.
Spencer’s lips moved against yours with surprising confidence, his fingers firm against your jaw as he deepened the kiss. His tongue traced the seam of your lips, pleading for entrance, and you don’t hesitate to grant it.
A quiet sigh escaped you, your hands instinctively tightening around the fabric of his shirt.
“Spencer.” You breathed between kisses, your voice barely more than a whisper.
His lips left your mouth only to find the curve of your jaw, then lower, pressing hot, open mouthed kisses along your neck. The contrast was dizzying.
The Spencer you knew, the one who rattled off statistics and fidgeted when people stood too close felt miles away from the one currently leaving a trail of heat against your skin.
Had you really been gone that long?
Deep down, a part of you had always wondered about him.
You’d always thought he was cute. He was different from you in almost every way. Careful where you are reckless, and logical where you are impulsive.
Maybe that was why you found yourself so drawn to him.
His hands moved from your jaw to your throat, his fingers grazing lower, trailing down your body until they landed on your waist. His touch was warm, grounding.
You weren’t sure if you were pulling him closer or if he was the one doing it, but the space between you two was practically nonexistent.
Then, suddenly, he stiffened.
Spencer pulled back so fast it left you breathless, his wide eyes darting around. “Did you hear that?”
You blinked, still dazed. “What?”
“I think I heard something.” His body tensed, one hand instinctively resting on his gun as he stood, scanning the area.
You quickly straightened, glancing around. The campus was quiet, the only sound being the distant hum of crickets and rustling leaves from the breeze.
“Maybe we should head back.” You suggested, still trying to catch your breath.
Spencer nodded, but not before his gaze flickered back to you, his lips slightly swollen from the kiss you’d just shared.
“Yeah.” He said, his voice quieter now. “It’s late.”
The both of you walk back in silence, both thinking about the actions that took place a moment ago.
As you finally reach your dorm, something on the floor catches your eye. A pink envelope.
Spencer notices it too, his sharp gaze narrowing. Without hesitation, he bends down to grab it. “It just has your name.” He says, his voice low. He hands it over, and you take it.
You open it without thinking much, assuming it’s some harmless note. But the moment you pull out what’s inside, a wave of fear washes over you.
“Oh my god.”
Your voice trembles as your fingers clutch the two Polaroid photos. The first is of you and Spencer kissing. His hand cupping your jaw, the image capturing the undeniable intimacy of the moment.
The second photo was when Spencer was scanning the area after hearing a strange noise, his hand on his gun. Someone had been watching. Someone had been right there.
You shove the photos toward Spencer. His expression hardens as he studies them, brows furrowing deeply. He looked furious.
“We have to give these to the team.” He says firmly.
“No, it’s probably just a prank.” You argue, though your voice is weak. You’re desperate to convince yourself, but even you don’t believe it.
Spencer shakes his head. “We can’t be too sure. I’m sorry.” He apologizes as he slides the photos back into the envelope.
You swallow hard, the weight of it all crashing down. “My dad’s going to be upset.”
Spencer steps toward you, his fingers brushing the strands of your hair behind your ear. “It’s going to be alright.” He assures you.
Your eyes scan him, and you can see guilt flashing across his face. You know he feels responsible, and you can’t help but feel the same.
Without another word, he pulls out his phone. “We have something that might be connected.” He says into the receiver, his voice clipped. “Alright. We’ll be on our way.”
The walk to campus security is silent, the dread growing heavier with every step. When you arrive, your father is already there, his signature stoic expression barely concealing his concern.
“What is it?” He asks, striding toward you both.
You and Spencer exchange a quick, uneasy glance. Spencer hands him the envelope.
Your father opens the envelope, his eyes flickering over the contents. The tension in the room is unbearable. You swear you can hear Spencer’s heartbeat.
“What is this?” Hotch’s voice is low, but the restrained anger is clear. His gaze shifts to you, demanding answers.
“They were taken of us… not too long ago.” you manage to say, your voice barely above a whisper.
He doesn't respond immediately. The weight of his silence is crushing.
“So, I send an agent to watch over you, and instead, you make him go against orders. You kiss him while a murderer is on the loose, on your campus, targeting girls.” his words cut through you.
“I-I know. I'm sorry.” you stammer, instinctively glancing at Spencer. “It was my fault.”
But Spencer immediately shakes his head. “No it wasn’t. I’m the one that didn’t follow orders, it’s not her fault.”
“I don’t care whose fault it is. You both had orders, and you failed to comply.” He looks directly at Spencer. “Reid, join JJ. Now.”
Spencer hesitates, clearly torn, but nods. He gives you one last glance before walking away.
“Y/n.” Your father’s voice lowers. “We need to talk.”
You follow him into an empty room, the door clicking shut behind you. The air is thick with unspoken words. You brace yourself, expecting the worst. But when your father finally speaks, it isn’t the scolding you anticipated.
“Do you think you might know who took these?” His tone is calm, but his eyes remain sharp.
You’re caught off guard. “No. I don’t.”
“Think y/n. Is there anyone - someone you’ve been seeing? Someone who might have been watching you?”
You rack your brain, the panic making it hard to focus. “There’s… Eli. The guy I’m working on a project with. He came by to check on me, but that’s really the only person I’ve talked to.”
Your father nods, processing. “And your roommate, do you think she seems like the type to give out your whereabouts? Does she seem untrustworthy?”
You shake your head. “I don’t have one.”
His jaw tightens. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“I didn’t think it was important.” You admit, your voice small.
“You didn’t think it was important to tell me you were alone in your dorm? That was the one thing I take comfort in while you are away, knowing there was someone else there.”
“I’m sorry.” You whisper.
His expression softens just a fraction, but the frustration is still evident. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, I need to question Eli. What class?”
“Psychology.” You say
He gives you a short nod and turns to leave. You follow him out, but the tension lingers.
“Garcia can you look through the schools files for an Eli, a class he takes is psychology with y/n.” He says on the phone.
“I don’t think it’s him.” You say quietly. “I’ve barely seen him around.”
“And that.” Derek interjects, stepping beside you, “Makes him even more suspicious.”
Emily nods in agreement. “If he’s the unsub, he could’ve been targeting you. Sudden appearances aren’t always coincidences.”
You sigh, and take a seat in one of the chairs, the weight of everything pressing down on you. Despite the hum of voices around you, exhaustion wins. Your eyes fluttered close, and before you realize it, sleep over takes you.
“Okay, Garcia gave me the location of Eli’s apartment.” Your dad’s stern voice snaps you awake. “Morgan and JJ, come with me. Prentiss and Rossi, stay here and keep an eye on them.”
Blinking the sleep from your eyes, you sit up. “What’s going on?”
Your father doesn’t answer, already halfway through to door. Emily steps closer, her expression a mixture of concern and relief. “They found Eli’s apartment. But, y/n … Eli was never enrolled in your class.”
Your stomach dropped. “What?”
“He’s been sneaking in.” She says softly. “Pretending to be a student. We think he’s been watching you for a while.”
You stare at her, the words sinking in. Your pulse races as the realization hits. “Oh my god.”
“It’s becoming clear that you were most likely one of his next victims.” Rossi joins in, their eyes both full of empathy.
“But he seemed so…” you trail off, struggling to find the right word. Normal doesn’t feel right. Not now.
“I know.” Emily says, nodding. “It’s difficult. But we’re close to figuring this out. You’re safe now.”
You swallow, the reassurance barely easing your nerves. Rossi lays a reassuring hand on your should giving it a gentle squeeze “It’s going to be okay kid.” He says you nodded and watched as he walked away.
You sit back down, gathering the information you’ve just been told.
Just as the heavy silence settles in, Emily tilts her head, smirking slightly. “That’s a nice sweater.”
Confused, you glance down. It’s only then you remember, Spencer’s sweater. The sleeves are a little long, the faint scent of his cologne lingering.
“Oh. Uh it’s not mine.” You mumble, tugging at the hem. Emily’s smirk deepens. “I know.”
Without another word, she stands and walks toward one of the other rooms, leaving you with your thoughts. You let out a long breath, rubbing your hands over your face. The stress is unbearable.
“Here.” Spencer’s voice pulls you from your thoughts. He holds out a cup of coffee, his fingers brushing yours as you take it.
“Thank you.” You murmur, the warmth of the cup grounding you, he gave you a soft warm smile. “I’m sorry Spencer.” You apologize.
His eyes scan your face. “You don’t have to keep apologizing.”
You blink at him. “You’re acting as if I didn’t kiss you back.” He says. Heat creeps up your neck. “I just feel like this is my fault.” You admit, voice barely above a whisper. “You’re stuck here instead of searching Eli’s apartment. Emily having to babysit now. And all because-”
“Because we went for a walk?” Spencer finishes, raising an eyebrow. “And kissed? You do realize that without that walk, and that kiss, we probably wouldn’t have gotten this close to catching him.”
His words sink in. The guilt that’s been gnawing at you lessens, just a little.
“So in some weird, messed-up way.” He continues, his voice softer. “It’s a good thing.”
You manage a small smile. “I guess.”
Spencer’s grin grows, and for a second, the tension in the air lightens. “Well, I should get out of here before Emily comes back.”
“Probably a good idea.”
With one last lingering look, he turns and heads out. The warmth of the moment fades as the waiting continues. Minutes pass, then thirty. You sip the last of your coffee, anxiety prickling beneath your skin.
The sudden sound of the door opening draws your attention. Your father and Morgan stride inside, and between them, handcuffed and smirking, is Eli.
“Prentiss, Reid.” Hotch says, his voice sharp. “Join JJ at Eli’s apartment. She’s going through it now.”
Spencer and Emily don’t waste a second, slipping out of the building. You barely register them leaving, your focus locked on Eli. He walks past you, and despite the restraints, his presence feels suffocating.
“It’s not over.” He evilly smiles as the words left his mouth, your blood runs cold.
“Don’t speak to her!” Your father snaps, his voice booming. In an instant, Hotch has Eli shoved against the wall, his face pressed hard against the surface.
You flinch, heart stammering. Eli only laughs. The sound sends a shiver down your spine.
“y/n.” Morgan’s voice is calm but firm as he steps closer. “If you need anything, we’re here. Don’t go anywhere alone. Got it?”
You nod, barely able to find your voice. “Got it.”
Morgan gives you a reassuring nod before following your father into the makeshift interrogation room. You’re left there, your mind racing. Emily’s words from earlier echo in your head.
“You’re safe now”
You want to believe that, but with Eli’s words burned into your memory, it’s hard to feel safe at all.
After what felt like hours, you made your way to the restroom, you splash cold water on your face, the droplets sliding down your skin as you brace your hands on the sink.
The reflection staring back at you is pale and exhausted, the weight of everything visible in your eyes. You close them for a moment, willing the lingering feeling to disappear.
But then, the sound of a lock clicking behind you jolts you awake.
Your heart leaps as you whip around. A man stands in the front of the door, his expression twisted with excitement. He’s holding a gun, the metallic glint catching the harsh bathroom light.
“We’re going to do this the easy way, okay Claire?” His voice is disturbingly calm, like he’s rehearsed these words a thousand times.
“Claire?” Your voice is barely above a whisper. “I’m not Claire.”
But he doesn’t listen. He steps forward, his grip tightening around the gun. You instinctively back away.
“It’s okay.” He soothes, though his eyes are wild. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want you with me.”
He’s closing in now, his body looming. You can feel the panic rising, your chest tightening. Every part of you screams to run, but the barrel of the gun hovers dangerously close.
“Let’s go home, Claire.”
The words send a chill down your spine. You open your mouth to scream, but before you can make a sound, the gun is at your temple. The cold steel sends a shock through you.
“We’re going to be quiet, okay?” He growls, his lips brushing against your ear. “Don’t make me shoot you, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Your pulse pounds. You can feel his erratic breathing, the tension in the air thick and suffocating. Every instinct tells you to fight, to scream, but you don’t.
“Okay.” You force out, your voice trembling.
He grabs your arm, his fingers digging into your skin as he pulls you towards the door. Each step is slow, calculated. He cracks the door open, peering down the empty hallway. You silently pray that someone will come, your dad, Morgan, Rossi, anyone.
But the hall remains empty.
No one sees.
No one hears.
And then, he’s dragging you through the exit.
——
Back in the interrogation room, Eli sits slouched in the chair, a smug grin plastered across his face.
“You’re making a mistake.” He taunts, his voice dripping with satisfaction.
Rossi narrowed his eyes. “A mistake?”
Eli nods, chuckling to himself. “I knew you’d come. That’s why I was home. You’re too predictable. And while you’re all in here wasting time on me…” he leans forward, savoring every word. “No one’s watching your daughter.”
The room shifts in an instant. The air turns cold. Hotch’s face darkens, fear flashing through his eyes.
“Morgan, Rossi. Stay here.” Hotch orders, his voice sharp. Without another word, he storms out. His movements are frantic, searching every corner of the building. Empty chairs, empty hallways. The tension grows unbearable.
“Where the hell is she?” He demands, slamming his fists on the table when he returns. The sound echoes through the room.
Eli simply smirks. “I don’t know.”
——
The van jerks violently as the man speeds through the dark streets. Your wrists ache from the rope biting into your skin, and the duct tape over your mouth muffles your desperate pleads.
He’s erratic, mumbling to himself as he drives. You pray for the sight of flashing police lights, for anyone who might notice how reckless he’s being. But the roads remain empty.
After what feels like eternity, the van screeches to a stop.
“We’re here.” He announces, giddy like a child on Christmas morning.
He yanks open the back doors, his rough hands grabbing at you. You scream, the sound muffled and desperate. You kick, pounding your fists against his back as he hauls you over his shoulder. But it doesn’t faze him.
The air shifts as he carries you inside. The stench is unbearable, a rancid mixture of mildew, rot, and something metallic. The walls are stained, rust creeping across the cracked concrete. Water pools around the floor, dark and slick.
He dumps you onto the ground, the impact knocking the air from your lungs. Before you can react, he pulls a heavy chain from the corner, the rusted links clinking together.
“This is so you don’t try and leave like the others.” He sneers
The chain clamps around your neck, the padlock snapping shut. The weight is suffocating, restricting your movements to only a few feet. You twist and pull, but it’s useless.
He crouches in front of you, his grin wide with satisfaction. “We’re finally together, Claire. Just like I promised.”
Tears burn your eyes as you stare at him, your heart continues to pound violently. The panic threatens to consume you, but you fight it. You have to stay calm. You have to find a way out.
But as he watches you with twisted delight, the truth sinks in. No one knows where you are.
The tape rips from your mouth, the sting sharp against your skin. You gasp, your chest heaving, but before you can speak, the man crouches in front of you, his eyes wild and desperate.
“Before we continue, Claire.” He says, his voice low and deliberate “I need you to be truthful.”
Your glare sharpens, every nerve in your body screaming to fight. “I’m not Claire, you psycho! Let me go!”
The words barely leave your lips before his hands snap to your face, gripping your chin tightly. The veins in his neck bulge with fury.
“You are Claire!”
His trembling hand digs into his pocket, pulling out a worn photo. He shoves it into your view. “This is us, Claire! Before you decided to leave!”
The woman in the photo has your face, or almost. The same features, the same hair.
“That’s not me.” You whisper, shaking your head.
“You always like to lie!” He growls, his voice cracking. He finally lets go, pushing you back against the cold wall as he paces, running his free hand through his greasy hair.
Then he stops.
“Who was that guy?” His voice drops, seething. “The scrawny agent. Why were you with him?”
You blink, confused. “What?”
His teeth clench. “Why did you let him touch you?” He snarls. “Why did you let him look at you like that?!”
He’s talking about Spencer.
“No, no.” You stammer, your pulse racing. “He’s no one. You don’t have to worry about him.”
But it’s too late. The idea is planted, festering in his mind. He shakes his head, a bitter grin twisting his lips.
“I need him here.” He says, his voice trembling with conviction. “I’m going to bring him here.”
“No!” You cry, panic lacing your voice. “You don’t need him! You have me!”
“You need to help me, Claire!” He pleads, crouching down once more. His eyes are wide, frantic. “You have to get him here.”
Tears burn your eyes as you shake your head. “I can't do that.”
He reaches forward, his rough thumb swiping a tear from your cheek. “Don’t cry, darling. It's going to be okay.”
But it won't be.
“Tell me the number.” his voice cracks, dangerous edge creeping in. “I wont.” you whisper.
His hand snaps to his belt, pulling out a small knife. The light catches the dull blade.
“Why are you making me do this?!” he roars, the knife flashing. Before you can move, the cold steel slices across your arm. The pain is immediate, searing. You scream, clutching at the bleeding wound.
——
“Y/n is missing.”
JJ’s words hit like a bullet. Spencer’s heart drops.
“What?” He breathes, his voice sharp. “How? Someone was supposed to be watching her.”
“We don’t know, but Hotch needs us.”
Without another thought, they leave Eli’s apartment and rush back to campus. Spencer’s mind races, his breath short. This can’t be happening.
Emily and JJ make their way into the building but before Spencer reaches the door behind them, his phone rings.
His hands fumble as he answers.
“Hello?”
“Spencer.” Your voice quivers on the other end. “It’s me.”
His chest tightens. “Y/n! Where are you? Hold on! Let me get Hotch.”
“No!” Your voice cracks. “Spencer, don’t. Please… just come. He wants you here, and he says he’ll hurt me if you bring the team.”
“Y/n.” Spencer runs a trembling hand through his hair, panic gripping him.
“Come unarmed.” You whisper. “The address is 3840 Cherry road.”
The line crackles. And then-
“Don’t come, Spencer! Please!”
A sickening thud enters through the phone, your muffled cries follow.
“y/n!” Spencer shouts, his voice breaking. But there’s no answer.
The line goes dead.
His hands shake as he scribbles the address onto a scrap of paper, dropping it where someone will find it. Without another word, he bolts for the SUV.
——
The building looms ahead, rotting, desolate. Spencer moves quickly, his steps silent. The walls are damp, stained with water and time. The stench of mold lingers.
Then he sees you. Sitting against a wall, your head hanging low.
“Y/n.” He gasps, rushing to your side. Blood stains your lips, your nose, and a fresh cut marks your cheek. You’re barely conscious, your head lolling.
“Spencer?” You murmur, your voice weak. But as your eyes adjust, terror flashes across your face.
“No.” You whisper, your hands weakly pushing him away. “Why did you come? I told you not to.”
Before Spencer can respond, a voice rings out.
“Stop touchin’ her.”
Spencer freezes. You both turn, dread pulling in your stomach. The man stands, his eyes blazing with fury.
He lunges, grabbing Spencer and shoving him to the ground, he then pulls out a gun.
“You don’t want to do this.” Spencer says, his hands raised. “We can talk.”
“Why were you with Claire?” The man’s voice booms, echoing through the building. “She doesn’t want you! She wants me!”
“Claire?” Spencer asks cautiously, trying to keep him talking. “Don’t say her name!”
“You want the truth?” Spencer’s voice is steady now, his eyes never leaving the gun. “She doesn’t want you. She never did.”
You stare at him in shock, wondering if he’s gone crazy.
“She wants me.” Spencer presses, his voice low “She doesn’t want you.”
“Do you want me to explain more of what we did?, what you didn’t get to see?” Spencer asked. “What is he talking about?” The unsub asked as he made his way towards you angrily. “You slut!” He spat in your face, but before he could strike you a gunshot echos.
The man in front of you crumbles, blood stains his chest. His eyes go wide, and the life drains from him.
You gasp, and look to see Spencer standing, his gun drawn, chest heaving.
He rushes to get the keys out of the pockets of the dead man, then to you unlocking the chain from your neck, and untying your wrists. The moment you’re free, you collapse into his arms.
“It’s okay.” He whispers, holding you tightly, his hand going up and down your back. “You’re safe now.”
You cling to him, sobbing. “I was so scared.”
“I know.” Spencer breathes, his voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”
The sound of footsteps echo. “They’re in here!” Morgan’s voice rings out.
Hotch bursts through the doors, his eyes locking onto you and Spencer. You let go of Spencer and make your way towards your dad, stumbling, but he needs you halfway and catches you in his arms, tightly pulling you against him.
He was scared to let you go, scared you’d disappear.
“I’m so sorry.” He whispers, his voice thick with guilt.
You shook your head not wanting to hear his apologies, you were just thankful to be able to see him again.
“I want to go home.” You whisper, your tears soaking into his shirt.
Hotch’s hand gently cups your face, his fingers tracing the cuts. He nods, his voice trembling.
“We’ll go home, baby.”
——
1 month later…
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and stepped into the familiar hum of the BAU office. Jacks small hand gripped yours tightly while the other held a plate of cookies, still warm from the oven. As you passed through the glass doors, a wave of familiar faces greeted you, their smiles wide with excitement.
“Y/n!” JJ’s voice rang out first, her arms already reaching for you. She pulled you into a tight hug, swaying you slightly before Emily joined in.
“I was wondering when we’d get a visit!” Emily grinned, her dark eyes bright.
“Yeah, I would’ve come sooner but-”
“But I told her to stay home and rest.” Your dad cut in, his voice warm as he appeared beside you. Jack immediately wiggled free to run into his arms.
“Makes sense, recovery is important.” Rossi added, his fatherly tone laced with relief.
“Yeah, but it could’ve been worse.” You said, shrugging. “I’m just glad I healed up so quickly.”
“We all are, kid.” Derek said, squeezing your shoulder. His easy grin was one you’d miss.
“And what do we have here?” Penelope asked, her bright eyes locked on the plate in your hands.
“Cookies.” You answered, holding the plate up. “I wanted to thank you all. For everything. For helping me.”
A chorus of “Aww’s” and “Yay’s” echoed through the bullpen, and you set the plate on the nearest desk as the team eagerly grabbed a treat. Your father’s arms wrapped around your shoulders, his grip, strong and steady.
“Thank you.” He said softly, his voice just for you.
you met his gaze, the tension that had once existed between you now barely a shadow. “Thank you, dad. I wouldn’t be here without you. I’m sorry for how things were before. But I’m glad we’re…better now.”
His eyes softened, and he kissed the top of your head, a rare display of affection that made your chest ache in the best possible way.
As the others laughed and chatted, you scanned the room instinctively. And there he was.
Through the glass walls of an office, Spencer Reid stood, his tall frame slightly hunched as he watched you. His eyes met yours, warm and hesitant. Without thinking, you smiled. He moved towards you, his steps quick.
“Y/n.” He said
“Spencer.” The way his name left your lips felt far too easy. “How are you feeling? Are you- are you okay?” His voice was careful, but the concern was evident.
“I’m good. Really good.” You reassured him, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Better than ever, actually.”
His smile mirrored yours, though his eyes lingered on you like he was still checking for any sign of pain. “That’s…that’s good. I’m happy to hear that.”
“You should grab a cookie before Morgan eats the whole plate.” You joked, tilting your head toward the group. “yeah, I probably should.” He laughed softly, but he didn’t move.
His gaze held yours, something unspoken passing between you.
“How about you? How’ve you been?” you asked, shifting slightly closer. “Oh, you know. Same old routine,” he said with a small shrug. “Books. Cases. A lot of facts no one asked for.”
You grinned. “Still no girlfriend then?”
His eyes widened, and he stammered. “Uh, no. No girlfriend.”
“Shame.” You teased. “I finally turn twenty-one tomorrow, you know. So if you’re free we can finally have that drink you denied me last time at my dorm.”
He blinked, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You remember that?”
“Of course I do.” You grinned. “And now you don’t have an excuse.”
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I’d like that a lot.”
“Good.” You lingered on the word, savoring how his cheeks turned reddened.
“I could pick you up.” He offered quickly. “If you want.”
“Perfect.” You nodded. “I live with my dad now, so just come by.”
“You moved back to Virginia?”
“Yeah, I transferred. It’s… nice being here. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I came back.”
“I’m glad you’re back.” Spencer said softly. “Maybe we can, uh, hang out more.”
You tilted your head, biting back a grin. “I’d like that. A lot.”
“Cool.” His voice cracked slightly, and the way his eyes flickered down to the floor only made him more endearing.
“Cool.” You echoed playfully, reaching for his hand. “But first, cookies!”
You tugged him gently, his hand gently squeezed yours, neither of you said anything, but the warmth lingered.
You and Jack stayed a bit longer, but the team eventually had to get back to work. With a few more laughs and lingering hugs, it was time to go.
“Well, it was nice seeing you guys,” you said, gripping Jack’s small hand. “Don’t be a stranger!” Penelope called with a wide grin.
“You’re always welcome,” Emily added. “And next time, bring cupcakes,” Rossi teased, flashing his signature smirk.
You laughed, the warmth of their affection lingering. “I will. Promise.”
After waving goodbye, you led Jack through the glass doors and out to the parking lot. Once you reached your car, you carefully buckled him into the backseat, ensuring he was comfortable.
“y/n.”
You froze, the sound of your name stirring something electric inside you. Turning, you saw Spencer walking toward you, his long strides closing the distance quickly. Before you could even process it, his hands cupped your jaw, fingers tracing the delicate lines of your face. And then, his lips were on yours.
It was sudden, desperate. His mouth moved against yours, soft and warm, but the urgency behind it set your skin on fire. The faint scent of his cologne mixed with the crisp air, and the world seemed to blur around you.
You pulled back, breathless, your wide eyes meeting his. “What was that?” you asked, though your lips still tingled from the kiss.
“I-I don’t know,” Spencer stammered, just as stunned as you were. His thumb brushed your cheek as if trying to memorize the moment. “I just felt like… I needed to do that.”
A slow smile spread across your face. “Well, I’m glad you did.”
And before he could respond, you pulled him back in. This time, it wasn’t rushed. Your hands slipped around his neck, fingertips tangling in his hair as his lips met yours once more. He responded instantly, his body pressing closer, the kiss deepening. Your tongue traced along his, and a soft, quiet groan escaped him, a sound that made warmth coil low in your stomach.
You could’ve stayed like that forever. The way he held you, the way his mouth tasted like coffee and something distinctly Spencer, it all felt intoxicating.
But then you remembered, the kid you’re responsible for in the back of your car.
“Spencer,” you murmured against his lips, reluctantly pulling away. “I have to go.”
He nodded, his forehead resting against yours. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” You smiled, brushing your fingers over his cheek. “If you’re free tonight… I’d love to come over. Maybe we can pick up where we left off.”
His eyes darkened just slightly, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. “I’m free.”
“Good.”
He stepped back, but not without stealing one last lingering glance. Ever the gentleman, he opened the car door for you, waiting as you slipped inside.
“Drive safe,” he said softly, his hand still resting on the doorframe. You gave him a playful wink. “I will.”
As you pulled out of the parking lot, Jack’s voice piped up from the backseat.
“Eww.”
You caught his grin in the rearview mirror and brought a finger to your lips. “Shhh.”
He burst into laughter, and despite the embarrassment, a giddy warmth settled in your chest. . .
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hope you guys love this, it took so long to write but I’m glad it’s finally finished! Lmk your thoughts<3
Thank you to everyone who reposts, and leave kind messages, you guys are the reason I continue writing! I appreciate it so much!
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millers-angel · 3 months ago
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patrol!joel x female reader
summary: joel scolds you because you messed up a patrol, until he makes you cry and realizes he crossed the line. warnings: scolding, mean joel, thumb sucking, smut ig, they get caught by tommy.
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“are you stupid? you wanna die?” he grunted, clearly upset with you.
ha had been upset for a while, lecturing you on how you have to be more careful, but as he did, you both kept walking till you got inside the safe place—an abandoned house in the middle of the woods.
“i always have to repeat myself every goddamn time. stay quiet, do what i say, and most importantly, don't do anything stupid," he said, dropping his gear onto a table. "and that's exactly what you do."
you stayed quiet, holding back tears. you liked coming on patrols with him, except this time tommy came with you, but you fucked up. you didn’t listen, you put yourself in danger, and joel had to come find you—again.
he scoffed, shaking his head. “should’ve just left you out there. maybe then you’d finally learn.”
his words hit hard, and you felt your throat tighten, your vision blurring.
“you don’t listen, you never fucking listen,” he went on, voice rough with frustration. “i tell you to stay close, i tell you to stay quiet, and what do you do? the exact opposite. every goddamn time.”
he ran a hand over his face, exhaling sharply. “you think this is a game? you think i like risking my ass for you every time you decide to be reckless?”
you bit your lip, trying to keep it together, but the lump in your throat only grew. he was mad—really mad. you were looking at your boots wipping your tears away, you didn't want him to see you like this.
he exhaled hard through his nose, his breath heavy with frustration. his hands were on his hips, fingers digging into his belt as he tried to calm down. but when he looked down, he saw you sitting there on a worn couch, head bowed, your pants dotted with tiny dark spots.
tears.
his jaw clenched. maybe he’d been too harsh. maybe he’d gone too far.
“you good?” his voice was still rough, but quieter now.
you nodded quickly, wiping at your face.
“use your words,” he muttered. “now you're quiet, huh?”
you swallowed thickly, voice barely above a whisper. “i’m fine.”
he huffed, unconvinced. “look at me.”
you shook your head.
joel sighed, deep and slow, forcing himself to be patient. then, with a gentleness that didn’t match his earlier anger, he reached out, fingers curling under your chin, tilting your face up.
watercolor eyes. tear-streaked cheeks. swollen lips.
his grip tightened just slightly, his own frustration shifting into something else.
you sniffled, wiping at your nose with your sleeve, but it didn’t do much to stop the way your shoulders shook. joel exhaled, rubbing a hand over his beard. without a word, he grabbed you and pulled you onto his lap, his arms firm around you as he sat.
you didn’t resist. you never did.
“i’m sorry,” you murmured, voice unsteady. “i didn’t mean to put you at risk. or tommy. i won’t do it again.” you swallowed, fingers curling into the fabric of his jacket. “i get it if you don’t want me on patrols with you anymore. or if you just want to give me the easy routes.”
joel sighed, his chest rising and falling against your back.
“i tell you this shit for a reason,” he said, voice quieter now. “it’s dangerous out here. you keep acting like this, and it’s gonna catch up to you. and i don’t want that. i don’t want anything happening to you.”
you hesitated, then whispered, “really?”
“yeah, really.” his grip on you tightened just slightly. “i get so goddamn mad ‘cause you’re stubborn. you don’t listen. you scare the hell outta me.”
you were still new to patrols, still learning the way things worked out here. and you liked going with joel for two reasons—because you wanted to learn from him, to be as capable as he was, and because no matter how bad things got, no matter how much he yelled, it always ended the same way. with him pulling you close, keeping you safe... and his cock deep down inside you.
you loved being with joel on patrol, the way he moved with such ease, like he was made for this. every step was calculated, every decision precise. the way he handled the knife, the rifle—how it all seemed so natural to him, like he was in complete control. when danger came, he didn’t hesitate. he knew exactly what to do, and you couldn’t help but admire how effortlessly he commanded the situation.
and when things got tough, when he needed to push you out of harm’s way or pull you into cover, there was something about the way he manhandled you that drove you crazy. it was rough, but it was him taking control, keeping you safe. and in those moments, with his hands on you, you felt safe. you felt protected—like now.
you hiccupped, the sound shaky from how much you’d cried. joel’s thumb brushed your cheek, his hands gentle as he lifted your face to meet his eyes.
“i’m not gonna put you with anyone else,” he said softly. “we’re gonna keep going together, on patrols.”
you looked up at him, surprised. “really?”
“yeah, really,” he muttered, his voice a little rough. “i wouldn’t leave you with anyone else, not when you’re putting yourself at risk every damn minute. no one else is gonna risk their ass for you like i do.” he paused, a flash of frustration in his eyes before he noticed your lip trembling.
he softened, his thumb tracing your bottom lip, trying to calm you. “you’re damn stubborn, you know that?”
he pressed his thumb on your lips, parting them, so you sucked him. "that it," he said softly—too softly. "that's gonna calm you down."
you closed your eyes, holding his hand close to you, sucking his thumb as if your life depends on it, you pressed your tongue on it, lips tight around him. he loved the sensation, he loved when you sucked on his fingers just as you suck on his cock.
you opened your eyes when you felt a growing bulge beneath your thighs, meeting his gaze, all dark. nothing but desire behind them. he could yell at you all he wants—make you cry even, but you'll always end up like this.
his other hand made its way under your shirt, the feeling made you squirm. he played with the tip, squeezing it between his fingers, pulling it gently, getting muffled moans on his thumb in response.
and that was enough for him, he needed to fuck you now. he took his thumb out your mouth to tug your shirt over your head, your skin prickled when the breeze hit your bare breasts. he loved seeing thoes perky tips all hard for him. he got rid of your jeans too, throwing them somewhere in the dusty cabin.
"joel... we should go looking for tommy," you mumbled between gasps.
"he can take care of himself, i'm taking care of you."
he loved having you like this, all naked and vulnerable. he had fucked you behind a tree, over a rock, on the grass, in old cabins like this one, even in the back of an abandoned jeep, its wheels long deflated and covered in dust. he knows he's the only one who got to see you like this, back in jackson you're all shy with everyone, they don't know you're his personal little sex toy.
he made you stand up for him to unzip his jeans and then, he made you lean over the coach, while you positioned yourself on your hands and knees, you knew the drill, you knew what he liked. what he liked to see.
by god he loved the view.
all you felt then, was his dick trailing your slit, you were wet, and he can tell you got a while like that. you love being scolded, the tone of his voice, the way his eyes gets dark, the way you know it's because he wants to protect you. yeah, it got you wet.
he slammed his cock in you, you let out a gasp and gripped to the backrest of the couch. he dug his fingers on your hips when he thrusted. you were warm, too warm and soft inside, always making him feel like he's about to come as soon as he gets in, like a goddamn teenager.
"you take this cock so good," he muttered.
you were biting your lip to not moan, cause you had to be careful, right? he said it. you must be careful from now on.
"lemme hear you, baby," he grunted, fingers going white from his grip on you.
your grip on the couch loosened. "b-but you said we must be quiet and careful—"
he almost chuckled, you're adorable. "i don't want you quiet when i'm fucking you"
and his approval was all you need to let those breathy little moans bubble up from your mouth. he went harder, couldn’t stop once he saw how your skin jiggled with every thrust. he loved that.
he was leaving his fingerprints on your skin. one of his hands slipped between your thighs, making its way to your clit. you held your breath. he could feel it, swollen, probably aching and needy. he drew circles around it.
“poor baby,” he cooed, your legs trembled cause it was too much, he was too thick, and his fingers stroking your most sensitive spot, you went weak. “you like causing trouble?”
he pressed his fingers on your clit, feeling how it throbs. “no—“
he slapped it. “be fucking honest.”
you squirmed, it felt too good. “i do.” you admitted in a moan. “i like causing trouble.”
he rubbed the little button harder. “i know," of course he does, weird thing you always do the same to end up with his cock buried deep inside you. you love being trouble so he can fuck you right after. "stubborn as hell."
you curl your toes, his fingers worked so good, he sent you to a bliss, your walls choking him. he wasn't being gentle. he loved seeing you falling apart, seeing your legs get weak.
"joel, please—" you cried out.
"this mine, yeah?" you. you're his. "you ain't goin' on patrols with anyone but me, understood?"
you whimpered. "ah—yes."
he let out a chuckle, delighted to see you like this. he knows you're his, but he likes to remind you.
"i'm gonna get you all round so everyone in town knows you're mine too." his hand drifted to your belly. "right here."
he moved his hand a little lower just enough to feel himself, stretching you out. "attagirl," he cooed. "come f'me."
you fell apart beneath him, your body squirming, trembling legs, spasming walls that milked him out, but he didn't stop thrusting, not until he was sure you were filled up.
the cabin was a bunch of whimpering from both of you.
until…
the door swung open. you’ve been caught.
by tommy.
he had been looking for you since you didn’t show up to the meeting point they have in case something happened—so he came looking for you, thinking the worst, it’s been a while and he’s exhausted, sweating. he should be upset because you made him worry and waste his time when all you were doing was fucking.
but more than upset he was… aroused. the quiet girl he knew back in town wasn’t being that quiet and shy right now. the quiet girl loved having a cock buried inside her.
he had to adjust his jeans before coming further. “what the fuck is this?” he asked.
your face went pale and you tried to cover yourself but it was pointless—joel didn’t let you. he knew his brother well enough.
“‘s this what you’ve been doing? you have an idea how many time i’ve been looking for you? you—“
“cut the shit tommy,” joel growled.
“so this is the quiet girl from jackson, huh?” he leaned, fingers on your jaw, making you look at him. your lip was trembling.
joel pulled out with a loud pop sound, his cum dripping from your cunt, your thighs all sticky with the mess you made.
"you're gonna explain?" tommy asked to his brother, but not letting go his grip on your jaw, you were curling your toes, being in the middle of the miller brothers always got you nervous. "is she your
"she's mine," joel said firmly. "but i'm sure she wants you to fill her up, don't you sweetheart?"
you nodded, holding eye contact with tommy, then your eyes drifted to the bulge on his pants.
"she can be our secret."
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daryltwdixon · 3 months ago
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Joel Miller x Reader
summary: Joel never meant to let you get under his skin, but you did—slowly, quietly, until you were all he could think about. When you go missing on patrol, the months of keeping his distance end in an instant. Finding you hurt, vulnerable, waiting for him— he finally stops fighting what was inevitable.
babes idk this has been plaguing me all damn day okay? angsty, grumpy, eventually fluffy Joel Miller. im all about the drama today I've been getting a lot of requests about Joel tending to reader on a patrol gone wrong / Jackson!Joel so here is a whole one shot dedicated to all of you ♥︎
When Joel Miller came back to Jackson after taking Ellie from that hospital, he was on edge. Always on edge. The bags under his eyes darkened by the day, deep-set proof of sleepless nights spent tangled in sweat-drenched sheets, jolting awake from nightmares that left him breathless and clawing at the past. So he worked. Took on more patrols, fixed fences, chopped wood—kept his hands busy, his mind busier. If he let up, even for a second, the memories crept in like rot in the walls. That way when his head hit the pillow at night, he was too exhausted for dreams.
Then spring came, and with it, something new. Something warm. Something bright.
You.
He didn’t know where the hell you came from at first. Just that Tommy had dragged you in, half-dead and shaking, after your group got torn apart by Infected out near the old hunting cabins. He heard about it once Tommy could stomach telling the story—another tragedy, more unknown lives lost—but you? You survived.
And now he hardly recognized you as that scared, bloody thing they found in the snow. You were—Jesus—you were everywhere. Helping in the garden, stacking supplies, chattering with the old folks who baked you fresh bread or cookies because they liked how sweet you were. It was annoying. Distracting. You were too...bright. Too alive. Too much of a reminder of something he shouldn’t want. He didn’t even want to know your name, but it found him anyway.
“She wants to start helping on patrols,” Tommy said casually, slicing into his steak one Sunday night over dinner. Maria nodded, considering.
“We could always put her with—”
No. It was all Joel could think. Not you, not out there in the wilderness again. There was so much shit out there, you’d faced enough. Couldn't you just stay here, safe?
Tommy narrowed his eyes. “No?” he echoed, a little amused, a little suspicious.
Joel clenched his jaw, shoving another bite of food in his mouth, chewing slow to buy himself time as he realized he must’ve said it out loud. His throat went dry as he forced himself to swallow.
Joel forced a grunt, waved a hand vaguely. “Just think she’s too young to be goin’ out there. Didn’t she just get here?”
“She’s older than Ellie,” Tommy pointed out, spearing a potato on his fork. “And Ellie’s out there right now, you know that.”
Joel’s fingers curled tight around his knife. Yeah, he knew. Ellie was out on her first real two-day patrol, and he’d spent the last twenty-four hours half-sick over it. His eyes flickered to her empty seat, and he sent up a silent prayer that she was still safe.
“Well,” Tommy continued, oblivious, “I’m plannin’ on buddyin’ her up with one of my best guys. Jesse can take her. Shouldn’t be an issue. He’s quick on his feet, got a good eye.”
Jesse. Joel barely held back a sneer. The kid was fine, sure. But Jesse wasn’t the issue.
You were.
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Joel sipped his shitty, lukewarm coffee from a chipped mug, scowling at how diluted it was as it settled on his tongue. He missed real coffee. Hated that he had to drink this watered-down bullshit. The only thing worse was the sharp knock at his door.
His jaw clenched.
With a heavy sigh, he set down the mug, already annoyed, and stomped over. If this was Tommy with more goddamn chores or Maria with another lecture about community responsibility, he was gonna—
Joel yanked the door open, glare already in place. But then he saw you, and his stomach dropped.
You stood there, a little breathless, strands of hair falling loose around your face despite how you’d tied it back. Morning sun caught on your skin, the warm glow of sweat making you look… Fuck. His grip tightened on the doorframe.
"Oh–Hi," you said, a little uncertain, shifting on your feet.
Joel just stared.
He hadn’t spoken to you. Not once. Hadn’t let himself. You were too damn…well, whatever you were, whatever part of him that couldn’t quite place what you did to him…he wanted no part of it. But now you were standing at his door, looking at him with those bright, wide eyes, and he felt like a teenage boy again.
His brows furrowed, lips pressed into a hard line. He didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. He had no clue what the hell to even say.
Your blush deepened under his stare. "Um," you murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "Ellie told me to come grab her before I left for patrol. First time and all." A nervous laugh puffed out of you, light and breathy. "She said she keeps a map of the area—marked with all the bad spots. Ya know."
Joel blinked. His brain finally caught up.
Patrol.
Your patrol.
His jaw ticked. So Tommy still had you paired with Jessie then?
"Ellie," Joel called behind him, finally tearing his gaze from you.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs before Ellie appeared, still in her pajamas, rubbing at her eye with the heel of her hand.
"Hey!" she called when she met your gaze, brightening.
Joel grumbled something low and incoherent, something that excused him as he turned on his heel and headed back toward the kitchen. He didn’t dare look at you again. But he felt your eyes on him. Questioning. Curious.
He hated it.
You were in his house.
Moving around upstairs. Talking to Ellie. When the hell had you two become friends? Your voice filtered down, mixing with the soft creak of the floorboards, and Joel stood in the kitchen, fuming.
He shouldn’t care.
Shouldn’t give a shit about where Tommy had you stationed, who you were paired with, how ready you were or weren’t for the outside. It wasn’t his goddamn business. But the thought of you out there—stumbling into an ambush, stepping too loud in a place you shouldn’t, a clicker lurking just out of sight, waiting for one wrong move—made his chest tighten in a way he really didn’t like.
He braced a hand on the counter, fingers drumming against the wood.
A few minutes later, your footsteps padded back down as Joel was heading out the door for his own chores. He didn’t turn, didn’t move as you crossed through the house. Just as you made your way past him, your flowery scent, so feminine and light and soft—
"Bye, Joel."
Your voice was light. Casual. Like it was nothing. Like saying his name didn’t do anything.
But it did.
His body went rigid, like something had yanked him back into himself, back into that dark and tangled place in his head where things got real complicated real quick. His name in your mouth, soft and easy, made his skin prickle, made something heavy settle deep in his chest. It stuck to him like a damn burr, taking place and nestling tight in his mind. His name on your lips was like a song, something like a siren’s call made specifically for him. And he wanted to hear it again and again and again.
He was so fucked.
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Joel spent the day trying not to think about you.
And managed to do a shit job of it.
His hands worked—fixing a busted stable door, making sure the latch held, leading the horses out into the pasture on the warmest day so far—but his mind stayed locked on one thing. Had you made it to the outpost? Was the trip quiet? Had Jesse kept you close? Had he been watching your back?
It was pissing him off, all this worrying about someone he barely even knew.
Joel huffed, trying to shake the gnawing in his chest. He just needed to get through the work. Keep his head down, get home, and sleep it off.
Then he saw Jesse.
The kid was near the stables, talking to Dina, grinning like he didn’t have a single worry in the goddamn world. Joel’s brow furrowed. His steps slowed as he stared, confusion creeping in. Jesse was back? Already? That didn’t make sense. It had only been half a day. Patrols didn’t wrap this early, not unless something had happened.
For a moment, he almost convinced himself he was grateful that the hours had passed without sight of you. Maybe that meant his mind was finally loosening the barb you’d stuck in him. Maybe, after today, he wouldn’t waste any more time thinking about you.
But that was a damn lie.
Because hadn’t he thought of you every single hour since you left his house this morning? Hadn’t his eyes kept tracking the road, half-expecting you to appear? Hadn’t he been waiting—hoping—for some confirmation that you were fine, that patrol had been canceled, that you had never even needed to go in the first place?
Something was wrong. He felt it.
His jaw clenched. “Jesse.”
The kid turned, hands shoved in his pockets. “Hey, Mr. Miller. What’s up?”
Joel frowned, eyes narrowing. “You’re already back?”
Jesse tilted his head, looking confused. “Uh… yeah?”
Joel exhaled sharply through his nose, patience wearing thin. His fingers twitched at his side, a slow, creeping sense of unease taking root in his chest. “Patrols don’t usually wrap this early.”
Jesse blinked, then let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “Oh, right—yeah, I didn’t go. Switched last minute, said it was some schedule mix-up.”
Joel barely heard the rest of the explanation.
I didn’t go.
The words hammered around his skull, his stomach twisting. You hadn’t been with Jesse.
You’d been out there—out in those woods—this whole time without one of the few people in this place who could actually handle themselves.
His fingers twitched at his side, curling and uncurling. His breathing stayed slow, even, controlled—but that was only because every part of him was focusing on not snapping. “Who’d you switch with?” His voice came out too sharp, too flat, but he didn’t care.
Jesse shrugged, completely unaware of the storm brewing behind Joel’s eyes. “Uh… can’t remember his name. New guy. Kinda scrawny, blond—”
Joel didn’t need to hear any more.
He knew exactly who Jesse was talking about.
Fucking Caleb.
Barely twenty. Couldn’t shoot for shit. Slow on his feet. Jumpy. The kind of kid who hesitated. And Joel had seen firsthand what hesitation got people. It got them killed.
His vision went red. You. Out there. With some stupid kid.
His pulse was a dull, thudding roar in his ears. He should’ve put his foot down with Tommy. Should’ve stopped you from leaving his house this morning. You might've thought he was insane, maybe even hated him for it. But he had known it was a bad idea. He felt it in his gut. And now you were out in the goddamn wilderness with someone who barely knew his left from his right, and there wasn’t a damn thing Joel could do about it.
His chest rose and fell in slow, controlled breaths. His hands curled into fists.
Dina and Jesse went back to talking, still existing like everything was fine, like nothing had shifted, like nothing had gone wrong.
But Joel was already moving.
He needed his gun, he needed a horse.
And he needed to get to you—now.
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Joel stormed toward the gates, his blood hot in his veins, fists clenched so tight his knuckles ached. The second he spotted Tommy, standing near the watch post, chatting with one of the patrol leads, he nearly exploded.
"What the hell were you thinkin’?" Joel’s voice came sharp, cutting through the quiet.
Tommy turned, brow furrowing. "What?"
"You sent that girl out with Caleb for her first patrol?" Joel seethed, stepping closer, his frame tense, his breath coming out hard and fast. "Are you kidding me? You said she was goin’ with Jesse, and I just saw him at the barn."
Tommy’s face darkened. "I didn’t do that."
Joel let out a harsh, humorless laugh, his hands going to his hips like he was physically holding himself back from breaking something, “That so? So why is Jesse tellin’ me you did?”
Tommy exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. "No, Joel, I wouldn’t send two damn novices out together. They must’ve switched last minute and didn’t tell anybody."
Joel’s jaw locked. That answer didn’t make him feel any better.
"Christ," Tommy muttered, shaking his head. "Look, we’ll deal with it when they get back—"
"Deal with it?" Joel barked. "If they get back, Tommy. That dumbass kid don’t know his left from his right. He hesitates, he panics—she’s out there alone."
Tommy held up a hand, voice leveling. "Joel. Just wait. We don’t even—"
"RIDERLESS HORSE COMING IN!"
The shout came from above.
Both brothers whipped their heads toward the gate as someone from the watchtower pointed out toward the open plains.
Joel’s stomach plummeted. Every muscle in his body went tight as the gallop of hooves thundered against the dirt, stirrups flapping madly at its sides, the dark blur of a horse sprinting toward the gates.
"Shit," Tommy muttered, already waving for them to get it open. "Whose is it?"
The guard peered over the ledge, adjusting his scope. "Looks like… it’s Eclipse. Who took him out today?"
The world dropped out from under Joel’s feet. The barn door he was working on, it was that horse. He saw your name on the check out clipboard by his stall. No, no no. This was all some sick nightmare he was in. 
Tommy’s eyes went wide as he looked at Joel, all the color draining from his face.
The sound of his own breath—too loud, too ragged—roared in his ears. That was your horse. Your only goddamn way back. And now it was here. Without you.
He didn’t hesitate. Didn’t think. His feet were already moving, shoving past Tommy, heading straight for the stables.
"Joel—"
He ignored Tommy, grabbing his saddle, moving with a purpose that wouldn’t be stopped. Strapped on his rifle as he checked it out at the booth, barely sparing a glance at the patrol guard logging the weapons. His hands worked fast, quicker than they had in a long time, muscle memory kicking in as he moved on autopilot.
He made his way straight to his usual horse, Diablo, getting him tacked up in record speed. The gelding shifted under his hands, picking up on the tight, coiled tension radiating off of him. Joel didn’t ease him. Didn’t whisper the usual steadying words, consumed only with thoughts of where you could be.
"Joel, dammit—think about this," Tommy’s voice rang out behind him, stepping up into the stall, frustration biting at the edges of his words. "You can’t just go out there alone. We’ll send a group—"
"Don’t have time," Joel muttered, cinching the saddle tight.
"You don’t even know what happened—"
"Exactly."
Joel’s voice came sharp, bitter, final. He turned, finally looking at Tommy, and his brother must’ve seen something in his face—something dark, something unmoving—because whatever argument he was about to make died on his tongue.
Joel led the horse out of the stables quickly, boots heavy against the dirt. Diablo tossed his head, nostrils flaring, sensing the shift in him. Once they were outside, Joel hoisted himself into the saddle in one swift motion, gathering the reins, already angling the horse toward the gates.
"Joel, for fuck’s sake—"
"Open the gate."
His voice was low, commanding.
The men guarding the post hesitated, glancing at each other, then at Tommy.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Joel’s jaw ticked, grip tightening. "Open the damn gate!" he snapped, his voice a sharp crack of thunder, booming across the yard. Diablo snorted beneath him, ears pinning back as his hooves shifted nervously in the dirt.
Still, no one made a move. Joel’s patience snapped.
He swung his glare back to Tommy, voice low, dangerous. "You can stay here and play it safe, but I’m going."
Tommy exhaled sharply through his nose, rubbing a hand down his face, muttering something under his breath. But he gave a quick nod to the men at the gate.
The locks disengaged. The doors groaned.
Joel didn’t wait.
The second the opening was wide enough, he kicked his heels in, sending Diablo into a hard gallop, tearing out into the open.
He didn’t care what Tommy had to say.
Didn’t care that he was riding into the unknown, alone.
Didn’t care that this wasn’t his fight.
He didn’t care that he hardly knew you.
Because he did know you, after all.
You were light and soft and gentle in a world that hardened even the best of souls. You smiled at people when they spoke to you, laughed easily, touched others when you talked—little brushes of your fingers over an arm, a squeeze to a shoulder, things Joel wasn’t used to seeing anymore. You had no reason to be kind, no reason to be so goddamn good, and yet, you were.
And now the world had you.
It didn’t matter that he’d never spoken to you, that he had tried so damn hard to keep his distance. He had stayed away, convinced himself it was better that way, easier. But that hadn’t stopped you from getting into his head, hadn’t stopped you from settling into the places he didn’t have room for you, hadn’t stopped his chest from tightening all goddamn day wondering if you were still breathing.
Because he knew what was out there.
He knew what waited in the trees, in the shadows, in the abandoned places people never came back from. He knew how quickly a routine patrol could turn into a massacre, how easy it was to be there one second and gone the next. He knew how fast infected could pop up from the dark, how quickly a gun barrel could press against a skull, how little it took for someone like you to disappear forever.
And if that happened—if he found you out there, lifeless and cold—Joel didn’t know what the hell he’d do.
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Joel spotted the outpost cabin up ahead, barely visible through the dense green of the trees, its frame old and weather-worn. A lone horse stood tied outside, shifting restlessly. As he rode closer, his eyes flicked to the J brand on its croup. Caleb’s.
His stomach twisted.
He swung off Diablo without thinking, barely registering his own movements as he tied the reins to the nearest branch. His heart was hammering, his breath coming hard and fast, sweat slicking the back of his neck as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
His heart launched into his throat when he first saw you. You were slightly slumped against the wall, your fingers curled tenderly around your leg, face pale.
Joel could barely breathe. His body moved quickly, crossing the space in seconds. You were alive, you were alive. Everything was fine.
Your eyes widened in surprise, but then something in your face softened—relief, gratitude. "Joel?"
His throat was dry. "What happened?" His voice came rough, low, sharp with something too close to panic.
Your lips parted like you weren’t sure if you were hearing him right. This was the first time he had ever spoken to you—really spoken to you—but right now, none of that mattered.
You exhaled shakily. "Eclipse spooked at something. Threw me off. I-I landed wrong." You grimaced, shifting slightly as you gripped your leg. "I think it’s broken.”
Joel’s chest went tight. Broke your leg. Out here. With no way back.
The scenario was too damn close to something worse, and he hated how easily his brain filled in the gaps. If you hadn’t made it to the outpost…if you’d landed just a little worse. Where the hell was your supposed patrol partner and why wasn’t he taking you back to Jackson?
"How long you been here?" His voice was clipped, his hands already moving, pushing back the fabric of your pants to see the damage.
"Couple hours," you murmured, watching him. "We managed to get here, checked the logbook like we were told to. I didn’t know what else to do."
Joel’s jaw flexed. You were trying to be strong. He could see it in the way you held yourself, in the way you downplayed the situation, like you weren’t sitting here with a broken goddamn leg and no real protection.
Before he could say anything else, footsteps sounded at the doorway.
Caleb.
Joel looked up, and something in him snapped.
The kid had the nerve to look relieved. "Oh—Joel, you found us."
Joel was already on his feet, moving. He shoved the kid—hard.
Caleb stumbled back, barely catching himself against the doorframe. "H-hey—!"
"The hell were you doin' leaving her here?," Joel seethed, stepping forward, voice low and dangerous. "You left her here hurt and alone while you what? Sat on your ass?"
Caleb swallowed hard, eyes flickering between him and you. "I didn’t—I didn’t leave, I was out checking the perimeter—"
"Checking the perimeter?" Joel’s breath came sharp, bitter. "She’s got a broken goddamn leg. What the hell were you gonna do if something came through that door? If infected caught her like this? Why didn’t you turn back and take her home?!”
Caleb’s face flushed, his mouth opening like he wanted to argue, but Joel was already done listening.
"Get back to Jackson." He shoved the kid toward the door again, barely resisting the urge to do worse. "Tell ‘em she’s alive. Tell ‘em we’ll be back once I've patched her up.” Joel leaned in, voice dropping into something dangerous. "I’ll deal with you later."
Caleb hesitated, like he wanted to say something, but one more look at Joel’s face must’ve changed his mind.
He left, the door shutting behind him, and only silence followed.
Joel exhaled hard through his nose, still standing there, still furious, still running too hot, his hands clenched into fists.
“You didn’t need to be so hard on him,” you said softly from where you sat.
Joel’s scowl was back in full force as he turned toward you. "And you—" His voice came sharp, and that was when it hit him.
He was here. With you. Alone. And he was speaking to you for the first time. He had been so panicked when he walked in he barely noticed.  The words he was ready to lash at you to you weren’t kind, weren’t measured. They were biting. They came with anger and frustration and fear and all the shit he hadn’t let himself process on the ride over.
He scrubbed a rough hand down his face, trying to reel himself in. "What the hell were you thinkin’? Switching out Jesse from your crew? Ain’t this your first patrol?"
Your mouth parted slightly, caught off guard. "I didn’t—" you hesitated. "I didn’t think it was a big deal. Jesse misses Dina, they wanted to spend more time—"
"Jesus, girl," Joel muttered, shaking his head. "That shit don’t matter! He was supposed to watch you because this is your first time out here. You needed someone in charge. Someone who knows the way."
You scrunched your nose, a flicker of irritation sparking across your face. "We were doin’ just fine."
Joel let out a dry, humorless scoff. "Yeah, looks fine to me."
And then—he stopped himself.
The words sat between you both, heavy, cutting.
This wasn’t how this should go.
He didn’t want this to go like this. Didn’t want the first real conversation between you to be this snappy, this barbed. You’d just made him so goddamn angry with your irresponsibility, had scared him too damn bad, and now he was running his mouth like some short-tempered asshole.
He needed to breathe. He needed to calm down.
Joel took a slow breath, scratching his beard before crouching back down in front of you. His fingers were still twitching, his body still wired too tight, but he forced himself to focus.
"Let me see again," he muttered, voice still gruff, but quieter now.
Your eyes flickered over his face, searching, but you didn’t argue. You shifted slightly, biting down a wince as you let him push the fabric of your pants up further to assess the break.
Joel’s jaw ticked. It was swelling badly already, bruising and tender to the touch, but at least it was something that could be fixed. That he could fix.
"Don’t look too bad," he murmured, rolling his shoulders to shake off some of the tension.
"Really?" you huffed, shaking your head. "Cause it sure hurts."
Joel reached for his pack, pulling out what little medical supplies he had before scanning the cabin. "Just need to make a splint," he muttered.
His hands moved carefully, barely grazing you, barely touching you any more than he needed to. He worked in silence at first, securing the wood, wrapping the bandage around your leg in tight, practiced motions. You kept still, your breath catching here and there when he adjusted the angle, but otherwise, you didn’t complain.
And maybe that should have been his first sign.
Joel wasn’t sure when he noticed it—the way you were watching him, the way your fingers curled just slightly into the fabric of your pants, like you were bracing yourself for something more than just the pain in your leg.
He should have ignored it. Should have finished his work and moved on. 
But something about the way you stayed quiet, your lips pressed together like you were holding something back, made him pause.
"You’re quiet," he murmured, tying the last knot in place.
You blinked. "What?"
Joel smirked, just slightly. "Was expectin’ more complainin’. But you’re sittin’ awful still."
You swallowed, your eyes flicking away for just a second before you forced a small, breathless laugh. "Just tryin’ to be a good patient, I guess."
He could tell that wasn’t the whole truth. And for some reason, he couldn’t stop himself from pushing.
"That so?" His fingers lingered a little longer than necessary, grazing against the bandage before he pulled back. "You ain’t the nervous type, are ya?"
You let out a soft scoff, but your voice was quieter now. "No."
But you hesitated, and Joel noticed. He wasn’t supposed to like that. Wasn’t supposed to let it sit in his chest the way it did. But you did things to him, even from the very moment you’d arrived. You’d gotten under his skin in ways he hadn’t been prepared for, and even now, as he knelt beside you, his fingers still lingering over the bandage, he wondered—
He thought he’d been the one avoiding you at all costs. He thought he’d been keeping clear of the girl who was too bright and bushy-tailed, someone who was so different from him, so good. He thought he’d done a damn good job of steering clear, of making sure he was just another face in Jackson to you.
But now, looking at you—your cheeks tinged pink, your breath just a little uneven, your hands clenching and unclenching like you didn’t know what to do with them—his mind pulled back to the little things. The way you would duck out of his way every time too. The way, if he ever caught your eye across a room, your cheeks would flush, your fingers would twitch, and you’d excuse yourself just as quickly as he had. 
And when you had come to his house to find Ellie… You had been flustered then, just as uncertain as him, though he had been too wrapped up in his own damn head to see it. He���d been too focused on why the hell you were standing there in his doorway, too busy trying to tamp down the immediate, sharp pull in his chest that had threatened to unravel him the second he saw you in the morning light. He had been so sure he was the only one feeling it, so convinced he was the only one being rattled by your presence. 
But he remembered the way you had blushed under his stare, shifting on your feet, your voice softer than usual, your breath catching just slightly when he didn’t say anything right away.
Jesus. Had you felt it too? 
Had you been trying to stay away from him just as much as he had been trying to stay away from you?
Had it been there this whole time?
And if it had…
Then Joel didn’t stand a goddamn chance.
Something slow and warm uncurled in his chest, something dangerous that he swore he’d lost for forever. His fingers brushed against your knee as he adjusted the wrap, just the lightest graze, but it was enough to make you shift, to make you pull in a breath.
His throat very dry suddenly as he spoke, "Somethin’ wrong?" His voice was low, quiet.
You blinked, shaking your head too quickly. "No."
But you hesitated. Joel smirked. "No?"
You exhaled sharply, dropping your gaze. "Joel—"
His name in your mouth did something to him. Something deep and warm and dangerous.
"Hm?" he hummed in question, his voice quieter now, rougher at the edges.
You hesitated, shifting slightly under his touch again, your fingers tightening against the fabric of your pants before you finally looked up at him again. There was something in your eyes—uncertainty, hesitation, something else—and for a second, he almost thought you wouldn’t say it.
Then, softly, you whispered, "Why’d you come all the way out here?"
His chest went tight, his breath uneven. There were a hundred ways he could answer, a hundred ways he could try to explain what had driven him out here, why he had stormed out of Jackson without a second thought, why he had spent every damn second of the day thinking about whether you were still alive.
His fingers found yours, brushing over your knuckles before he took them, his touch hesitant at first, like he wasn’t sure if he had any business holding you like this. His grip was steady, warm, his thumb grazing over your skin in slow, careful circles—maybe to soothe you, maybe to soothe himself.
Joel exhaled sharply through his nose, forcing himself to just say it.
"I had to," he murmured.
And then, before he could stop himself, before he could think about how much of a fool he was making of himself if you pulled away, how out of his depth he was, he kissed your hand.
Your fingers were so soft, so small in his wide grip, his calloused palm swallowing yours as his lips pressed into your knuckles. His eyes stayed on you all the while, drinking in every shift, every reaction—how your pupils blew wide, how the flush crept hot across your cheeks, how your tongue darted out to wet your lips like you didn’t even realize you were doing it.
Joel didn’t move, didn’t let go, didn’t do a damn thing but hold you there, feel you there, his lips pressed against you like he had any right to be touching you like this.
Slowly and carefully, as if you didn’t want to startle him, you lifted your free hand. Your fingers brushed tentatively along his jaw, skimming through the rough patch of stubble on his cheek, tracing over the lines life had carved into him. You were watching him now, your eyes flickering down, settling on his lips.
Joel only released your knuckles from his lips when he felt your hand pulling him closer to you, and he let you. 
For once, after so many years of feeling like he needed to always be thinking of the next move, to be in control at every turn, his mind went quiet.
It was never quiet.
Not since the world had ended. Not since he’d lost everything. His thoughts had become a constant, grinding machine—always assessing, always calculating, always searching for the next threat, the next weak spot, the next thing that could go wrong. He had learned, too many times over, that the second you let your guard down, you paid for it in blood.
So he never let himself stop.
But now, you were touching him. So soft, so gentle, so careful. Your fingers running over his jaw like he was something worth handling carefully. Like you weren’t afraid of him.
And for the first time in years, that instinct—the one that told him to always be ready, to be hard, detached, sharp—just… stopped.
His mind went quiet.
And then your mouth found his.
The kiss was tentative at first, cautious, like neither of you wanted to be the one to break it, to admit this was happening. But then your fingers curled into the nape of his neck, your breath warm against his, and Joel—god help him—tipped his head and deepened it.
His hand found your jaw, his thumb brushing against your cheek, holding you there, steadying you like he needed to, like he had to.
And for the first time in a long, long time,
Joel let himself have something good.
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erensfeed · 4 months ago
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Hello!! Can you please do lnd men where the reader gets dizzy easily for example in car if there's no music or they're not sitting at the window they get dizzy orif there's a strong smell at the vehicle they get dizzy like how would they react to that?
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⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀。 WHEN YOU FEEL DIZZY IN THE CAR .ᐟ 。
featuring: rafayel. zayne. sylus. xavier. caleb x reader.
៹ cw. fluff. mentions of dizziness + lightheadedness.
⌞ an⌝ hiii pookieee!!!! omg i literally apologize for how this took longer but i hope you enjoy these bunch & it’s sweet enough for you! also, make sure you take care during/after times you may feel a bit dizzy ♡︎ future doc orders here👻
wc. 1.4k
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rafayel.
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has this tender worried look etched onto his face the moment he notices you looking uneasy.
if you admit to him that you were feeling dizzy in the car, he would roll down the windows so you could get some cool fresh air and then ask how you feel after.
"should i take you to the hospital? no? are you sure?"
closing your eyes now, you’d manage to laugh about how it doesn’t feel that serious, just to make him less worried because ironically, he would be the one who’s more stressed.
if he’s driving & can pull over, he will. if not, he’ll drive slower, smoother—making sure you feel safe until he can stop somewhere or even home.
knows how woozy you may be feeling regardless, so he would hold your hand in his to keep you grounded as his way of not wanting you to go through the feeling alone and would keep glancing back at you more than the road.
when you get home, he’d ask if you can walk or if you'd want him to carry you.
settles you to rest on the couch then comes over to add more pillows to keep you comfortable so you can relax for the rest of the day.
makes you drink lots of water too then moves to open the windows at home too.
asks how you’re doing again after the 110th time you told him you’re better because he really wants to make sure.
"it's hard for me to see you unwell you know."
also asks if you need anything and when you tell him you just want to cuddle, he’d be happy to and reassures you that you’ll fully be a-okay after sleeping and waking up.
still talks gently here and there while you’re sound asleep in his arms.
when you wake up he asks again how you feel. “feeling better? good.”
lightly chuckles with you after on how you looked like a dizzy bean emoji but in a cute endearing teasing way of course (even though seeing you dizzy made him a worried parent.)
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zayne.
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zayne notices before you even say anything. the second your posture shifts or your breathing changes, his attention would be on you.
“dizzy?” he would ask softly and all it would take is for you to confirm it before he would already either have the window up with the ac on or down for fresh air depending on what needed to be done to avoid making you nauseous.
prioritizes you no matter the level of how bad it feels for you.
parks somewhere better, safe and quiet & would have a bottle of water ready in the center console storage.
helps hold it for you with one hand and the other behind your head.
his doctor instincts would kick in without thinking and he’d ask questions and give instructions.
“how bad is it? “do you feel lightheaded or nauseous?”
“okay, close your eyes. now breathe slowly. here—gently press your forehead against the seat. it’ll help.”
when you get home, he would also carry you and would help you take off extra layers of clothes so you feel less suffocated and so it doesn’t happen again.
would make you herbal tea or some sugar tea to drink then gives you medication to help.
“your blood sugar levels might’ve dropped."
if you tease him for being in ‘doctor mode’ he would just simply smile a little and crouch to your level then say something like
“tease me all you want but i’ll always put your health first.”
because doctor or not, you’re his #1 priority.
(affectionately) lectures you about you needing to stay away from doing things that’ll trigger your stress/dizziness while you’re in his arms in bed.
if you tried to talk he shushes you and kisses the top of your head instead so you sleep.
monitors you a lot more (than usual) since then.
you'd hear more "no. and i mean it, doctor’s orders."
you won’t ever have to face dizziness/lightheadedness when you’re with him as much after that. and in the car, in most cases, the window would be already down/up depending on whether you need fresh air or not, to prevent it from happening .
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sylus.
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notices when you instinctively touch his arm and asks “what’s wrong?”
the moment you tell him how you feel, he doesn’t panic since he also doesn’t want you to too.
slows down the car and helps you recline your seat back a little and adjusts your seatbelt/unbuckles you so you can relax your head.
“lie down, and close your eyes. do you need me to get you water from the nearest store?”
asks if it’s okay to continue driving & if it is, he drives carefully making sure the car ride is smooth as well.
“here, take my hand and keep closing your eyes if it gets bad.”
plays a calming & soothing music right after to help you.
later, whether or not you can walk & are feeling better, he’d carry you bridal style inside and would gently settle you on the bed when you’re home.
reads about what to do to stop/prevent it again and what to make for you to eat.
spoon feeds you soups/meals he made that can help.
“sylus you do know i can feed myself right?”
“i know sweetie, but let me.”
pampers you the whole day.
although he notices when you act even more dizzy for his attention, he chuckles to himself about it but still obliges by taking care of you and doesn’t mention it.
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xavier.
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super gentle about it. his whole demeanor softens the second you tell him.
places a hand on top of your head to see if you’re running a temperature first.
“are you sick?”
when you tell him it’s from a super strong random smell from outside that's getting you this way, he’d have the windows up and turn on the ac.
“will it help if you lean on me? i don’t mind, i just want you to feel okay.”
once you get home, he doesn't leave your side unless it's to go get you water or medicine he got.
offers to cook you something.
orders it instead because it’s already one thing to worry about than burnt food.
searches online and finds out that meat helps.
“i knew it. see, it's like i told you. meat always helps everything.”
he would say to you, making you both laugh.
makes you some ginger tea before the food arrives.
“i read this will help too. careful, it’s a little hot so take slow sips. here, let me..”
while feeding you, he would ask if you overworked yourself these past few and if you say yes he would do everything else for you from then on.
“if you take a nap now, you’ll feel even better soon”
if you ask if he wants to sleep too he’d say “no, not yet” and that he prefers watching you fall asleep first as he puts a blanket over you.
plays quiet music as well at home to help you & comes back next to you, to watch you slowly fall asleep.
(ends up falling asleep next to you once you're long asleep)
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caleb.
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catches it when you stop midway your sentence and start blinking and shaking your head.
“hey what's the matter?”
when you let him know, he gently takes your hand in his as he drives carefully to looks for a parking spot.
he has even more reason to protect you by the way.
he’d be worried but keeps a calm face for you as he tells you to relax your head and to lie back on your seat.
cracks the window down just right as well.
“easy, i’ve got you. yeah just close your eyes for a sec and breathe with me, okay? yeah, just like that.”
praises you softly as he comforts you all through.
"good girl."
when you get home, he would do anything that wouldn’t have you stressed or bending down.
if you tried to do something, he’s got it covered instead.
“oh no you don’t.”/“not on my watch.”
while you're resting your eyes, he would ask “do you need anything else?.. like more water? more pillows?.. or maybe… me?”
you’d fully open your eyes to give him this look
(depending on your reaction *mild shock, a smirk or a ??*)
“*softly laughs* geez i meant like a cuddle, princess.”
rubs his thumb over your knuckles absentmindedly during the cuddle, not even realizing he’s doing it and talks with you on how you fit perfectly into him because of times like these too.
even days after you say you’re fine, he still watches you more from the corner of his eye, until you call him out on it.
still does everything and around the house for you even after you feel better and makes sure you eat/drink enough, exercise & sleep better.
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© 𝟤𝟢𝟤4 erensfeed. 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝖽
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crows-rook · 6 months ago
Text
Newly minted ambassador Josephine Montilyet is being shown around the Grand Necropolis by the snivelling nobility. They intend to show her how Mourn Watch take care of the Necropolis as well as boast about their ethically sourced workforce. When they enter, the first thing Ambassador Montilyet notices is a skeleton wearing a flower crown. It's poorly constructed yet surprisingly holds together as the skeleton swings it pickaxe.
They come across another and another until now even the skeleton guards are wearing them. The noble is getting noticeably upset, confused and somewhat angry thinking someone is playing a prank on them and trying to ruin the ambassadors opinion of Nevarra. They decide to take her to the memorial gardens only to find the source of the disruption.
A young Foundling who goes by the name Ingellvar is offering anyone they come across a flower crown, grinning from ear to ear when they take it. Vorgoth assists. The noble intends to take the being aside and lecture them on keeping their ward in check only for Ingellvar to offer Josephine a flower crown.
She accepts.
Twenty years later, Josephine still has that flower crown pressed and safely preserved behind framed glass. It's one of her favorite gifts and a fond memory of a child happy amongst the dead and their eldritch guardian watching over them.
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lemmesayimyourbiggestfan · 4 months ago
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frontman x reader whos a player but not because of debt but because she was investigating with gi-hun and ju-hon and got in the limousine and then in-ho falls in love with her and gets her out of the game with him like at the end of the season
can u also like not write it like a hate love relationship? like readers conflicted but still likes in-ho
Keeping you safe
Hwang In-ho x reader
hiii, pleasure writing your request! hope it’s the way you imagined :)
Word count: 3,3k
Warnings: violence, murder,…
Requests are open! i would also like to write something about Jun-ho or the salesman, so hmu
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When you jumped into the limousine after Gi-hun you didn’t consider its consequences. Jun-ho trusted you to keep your eyes on Gi-hun at all costs and you were going to keep your word, even when it meant making yourself vulnerable.
The gas was sweet on your tongue and Gi-hun already slumped down on the plush leather of the limo seats. But you were wide awake, somehow defying sleep’s influence, shaking, still processing what the deep voice implied and Gi-hun demanded. “Put me in the game. But leave her out of it.”
Those words were followed by a dry laugh. You knew that meant there was no way out of it now. You started whispering into the intercom to Jun-ho, saying how sorry you were. His panicked voice was cut off by you turning off the device while you prepared yourself for the Frontman’s reaction, closing your eyes and taking shallow breaths.
“No. Those are my games and my rules. Might make them more interesting, don’t you agree, player 456?”
Then the gas started rising up from the floor. Gi-hun grabbed your hand, rumbling about how sorry he was. You smiled wearily, pressing his hand. “It’s okay, Gi-hun.” You both knew it wasn’t. It was as far from ‘okay’ as possible.
His fingers went limp and you resigned, waiting for the inevitable. With muted senses you watched the tinted protection shield go down. Behind it was the man in the mask himself, looking at you over his shoulder. Just when his gloved hand hovered over his mask, shrugging it off, you were engulfed in darkness.
***
After the first game, you thought that nothing could surprise you anymore. As much as Gi-hun tried to keep you from all the bloodshed, even he couldn’t cover your eyes and ears every time there was a gunshot. Still pale and shaken, digging dirt and blood from beneath your nails, you sat on your bed with the provided food in your lap, watching your surroundings. At least Gi-hun could be happy he found here his long lost friend, with whom he was now talking. You still didn’t speak to anyone else. You were scared that if you did, they would be dead by tomorrow.
You barely noticed there was any commotion until the sudden silence peaked your interest. There was a skirmish between three guys, two of them working together, which made the outcome of the fight quite obvious. There was another player stalking towards the group, trying to break up the fight.
“I said save the lecture for your own damn kids.” one of the guys shouted at him. That’s when you noticed the player’s still frame, like a cat before launching at its prey. And you were right; within a blink of an eye, he put both of the guys on their backs, not even breaking a sweat. You looked closer at him, reading the number 001 on his back. Even from afar you could see how deadly calm he was while choking one of them. After a moment the rage left his body and he released his grip. You didn’t expect the applause that followed his actions. You exchanged a look with Gi-hun. Were you the only one who sensed something foreboding?
You turned your attention back to the food in your lap and decided that even though you weren’t hungry, you desperately needed the energy. But in your mind, all you could think about was the player 001. Was he a police detective like Jun-ho or a former marine like Jung-bae or Dae-ho? Or something else entirely?
It took you a while to get out of your head and notice that his bed was right next to yours. With a sigh, player 001 sat down, grabbing his unfinished food. Just then he noticed your searching look and gave you a tentative smile.
“Hello, sir,” you began, looking down at your hands. A sudden wave of nervousness came over you. “I’m Y/N. Do you mind telling me your name?”
“No bother, Y/N,” he replied and you stared at his lips, at how perfectly they formed your name. “I’m Young-il. Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” you grinned at him in response, holding out your hand that he tentatively shook.
“Nice moves there,” you pointed your chin to the middle of the dormitory where the fight took place. “You could teach me if you had time, I’m terrible in combat.” A lie. Jun-ho himself taught you how to hold yourself and how to hold a gun. You were just trying to find out who Young-il was.
“If we have time, yes.” he nodded absentmindedly, scooping up a mouthful of rice.
“Do you mind me asking? I was just wondering if you have any children.” you said carefully.
“No, I don't.” Young-il replied, suddenly his gaze sharp.
“Well, I just thought that, based on your reaction to what that other player told you-“ you searched for the answer in his closely guarded expression. “You lost your child, didn’t you?”
Young-il didn’t say anything to that, his cutlery going limp in his hand.
“I just- I’d know that look anywhere. I know it’s not something to bond over,” you gave a startled laugh, fidgeting under his everlasting gaze, “but if you’d like to talk about it-“
“Thank you.” He reached out and squeezed your hand. His touch was calloused and warm. “I mean it.”
You smiled softly, squeezing his fingers in response. “I know.”
Preparing yourself for lights out, you couldn’t ignore his lingering gaze following your movements. Thankfully Gi-hun approached you and sat next to you on the bed, guilt visible in his expression.
“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I never wanted to drag you into this. And I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe-“
“Don’t worry about that, sir. I can take care of myself. Anyways, I was only following Jun-ho’s orders. It had nothing to do with you.”
Unconvinced, Gi-hun sighed and moved to his own bed, not having the energy at the moment to argue with you. You finally lay down, moving the thin blanket over your body, curling up on your side.
“I overheard you talking about Jun-ho, and I couldn’t help but notice how familiar that name sounds to me,” Young-il broke the silence, looking at you with curiosity in his eyes.
“Well, he used to work as a police detective so that’s why you might know him.”
“Oh, yes, that might be possible,” Young-il gave you a restrained smile. “And he is to you-?”
“A friend. I used to work as a secretary in his department, that’s all.” you smiled back.
“Oh, sorry to pry.” he looked at his hands.
“Not at all.” He looked into your eyes and your eyes crinkled with another smile. Only when he looked away did you turn around in your bed. A few minutes later you heard Gi-hun and Young-il talking and even though you didn’t want to, it was impossible to not overhear. Young-il was explaining the story of why he’s in the games and why he chose to continue playing - how his pregnant wife was gravely ill and he needed the money due to her medical bills. Somehow, this answer shocked you, even though you shouldn't have been thrown off by it. Of course he was married.
Only after the whole dormitory fell silent did you finally fall into a fitful sleep.
***
“Thank you, Young-il.” you whispered to him, gratefully touching his shoulder. Young-il turned his gaze your way and the corners of his eyes crinkled under the influence of a smile. Only his supportive words during the six legged pentathlon could calm you down, which resulted in you successfully completing your mini game. The memory flashed through your mind - tears welling in your eyes, hands shaking as you reached again and again for the gong-gi pebbles. You could sense your teammates’ growing unease but that even worsened your situation. After the third attempt, Young-il grabbed you by the elbow, leaning closer as he said: “Ignore everything else okay? Just listen to me and focus.”
You nodded, bewildered eyes setting again on the pebbles. You were kneeling in a puddle of blood, which didn’t exactly help calm your nerves.
“Just concentrate. I know you can do it. Look at you, all flushed red and focused. This look suits you.” The pebbles balanced on the knuckles of your hand, just one more throw. You looked up at Young-il, lips slightly parted. Were you hearing correctly? Maintaining eye contact, you threw the pebbles op with a sudden surge of confidence and caught them flawlessly. Everyone cheered and you were hoisted up by your team, but all you could hear were Young-il’s last words whispered in your ear: “Good girl.”
Now he was looking at you, this new tension between you two palpable.
“Anytime.”
***
While you tried to act nonchalant, it was just impossible. The way Young-il now watched you at all times drove you crazy, feeling his gaze like a branding on your body. You were grateful for keeping a watch during the lights off, thinking that it could distract you from your own dirty thoughts. But it was quite the contrary.
Overlooking the silent dark room, those words echoed in you even more soundly. Good girl. With a sigh you stretched out your legs, trying to ignore the tightness in your underbelly. You were annoyed with yourself. Why did the words of a stranger make you feel this way? Words of a married stranger, more like it.
“You seem distracted.”
You jumped at that impassive raspy voice. Thankfully, once Young-ho sat down next to you, he couldn’t notice your flushed cheeks due to the impassable darkness. Your shoulders touched and to your surprise he didn’t immediately move away.
“Oh, it’s nothing, really.” you smiled with your head bowed, nearly chuckling at how clueless he must be.
There was an awkward silence following your reply, so, without thinking about it, you said: “Thank you again for today, truly. You helped me a lot.”
Young-il looked at you, searching for something in your expression. Apparently he found it. “You think about that a lot, don’t you?”
“Sorry?” you stumbled over your words, not knowing how to react, what to say.
“My words alone made you quiver. Now imagine what my tongue could do.” he whispered, teasing you, a spark in his eyes.
“Young-il-“ you breathed out, suddenly aware of how close his face was to yours. You felt your underwear getting wetter by the minute. But you put that all in the back of your mind as you said: “I know you are married. Expecting a child, even. You shouldn’t say things like that.”
He blinked, taken aback. “Does that bother you? Or are you bothered by the effect I have on you?”
You sighed, looking away from his handsome face. Was he sent here just to test your boundaries?
“I still have enough self control to know right from wrong.” But your body wasn’t in line with your thoughts.
Young-il stared at you for a moment, then sighed, irritated. “My wife and my child are gone. I just don’t enjoy talking about them in past tense. I joined the games out of misery, nothing more. Are you happy now?”
You froze, looking at the way his arms formed into fists at his sides. It was like having ice cold water poured all over you.
“Young-il, I’m so-“
“Don’t be. It’s been a long time.” Eyes meeting, he smiled at you tentatively. You squeezed his warm hand and he relaxed, loosening his fist.
“Right now, I don’t care about anything but you.” He caressed your cheek with the back of his hand, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. Moving closer, he kissed the bruise already blossoming on your jaw. And you let him.
“I don’t want to scare you away with my… infatuation. But right now, I’m so desperately weak for you.” Your breathing hitched as he moved his lips to your ear.
Just when you thought he would kiss you, he suddenly pulled away.
“I’ll take over the watch. You should sleep, muster some energy for tomorrow.” You nodded as if in a trance. He helped you stand up and led you to your bed. Young-il left you standing there, leaving only the whisper of his lips branding your cheek.
***
The third game was a whirlwind of movement. Only thanks to Young-il were you still alive and breathing. Every time a number was announced, he firmly grasped your wrist and dragged you with him wherever he went. Not that you were complaining - you were so overstimulated by all the commotion that you were glad you could keep up with him.
When one player tried to separate you from him, Young-il bared his teeth and kicked him square in the chest. “She’s mine,” There it was, the cold expression and clenched jaw. Even though you were on the brink of dying, a shiver ran down your spine.
You made it safe with your group into one of the rooms and soon were walking out to play the last round. You knew exactly what the woman’s voice was going to announce and you were right: “Two.”
Young-il was already moving, pushing people out of your way. Everything seemed to go smoothly, until you reached the room; a player was already inside.
“Get out.” Young-il growled and reached the man, trying to get him on his legs and out of the room.
“We were here first,” the player whimpered. You noticed other players running to the door you were standing next to and panicking, you closed it, pushing your whole body against it.
You looked over your shoulder at Young-il, wanting to see if he was any closer to pushing the player out through the doors. But you froze when you saw he was holding the man in a headlock, choking him. All you could do was stare.
Young-il was looking straight back at you. And with one smooth motion of his arms he broke the man’s spine, leaving him staring at the ceiling, going limp in Young-il’s grip.
“I’d do anything for you, Y/N.” Young-il said, slowly getting up. You couldn’t tear your gaze from the lifeless body on the ground.
Only when he knelt in front of you did your eyes meet his. He grabbed your cold, shaking hands, kissing the knuckles while staring into your eyes.
“You’re scaring me,” you whispered, a tear rolling down your cheek.
“You poor thing,” Young-il said absentmindedly, wiping your tears away. “I can keep you safe, Y/N. I promise. All I’ve done was to prove that to you.”
“It’s scaring me how far you’re willing to go for me,” you sobbed, fighting the urge to flinch when he caressed your cheek. Still, you couldn’t find a reason to hate him. All the things he was saying were true, he did all of this for you, he killed a man for you, for your own safety.
The lock on the doors clicked and you closed your eyes, letting yourself be guided by Young-il out of the room. You knew that if you looked once more at the corpse, you would never let Young-il touch you again.
So you kept your eyes closed, choosing the easier path.
***
When the lights went out, all you could do was hold Young-il as hard as possible and count the minutes until the slaughter was over. Head against his chest, you concentrated on the sound of his heartbeat, every other sound pushed into the background. His hand was on your lower back, holding you as close as possible.
“I want to go home.” you whispered, clutching the front of his T-shirt like a small child. It was all a mistake. You shouldn’t be here.
“Okay, you will, okay? When we disarm the guards, you stay hidden, but once we take control of the rest, you have to come to my side, you understand?”
You nodded into his chest. Young-il kissed the crown of your head before leaving you under the bed as the guards tried to take control of the situation.
After many gunshots fired, you were crawling to the group of players formed in front of the main doors. Without hesitation you claimed one of the smaller guns for yourself. Somehow, the familiar weight of it calmed you down a bit. Young-il looked at you with tenseness.
“Keeping secrets, I see.” In reply you just loaded the gun, staring back.
Gi-hun looked your way over his shoulder, sending you a quick nod. The group exited the room, moving quickly down the corridor. Young-il stayed back, moving slower than the rest. Once the first guards got in your way, he pushed you to the side, saying: “This way!” Looking over your shoulder, everyone was shooting at the enemy, moving the other way. You looked back at him, unsure.
“You wanted to go home, didn’t you? Well, this is it.” seeing how indecisive you were, he sighed, “You trust me, don’t you?”
Hesitant, you followed his lead. You took the side stairs up and you got a bad feeling in your stomach. Young-il didn’t bother to check the corners, nor the other stories as you climbed the stairs. He walked like someone who knew this place, someone who wasn’t scared that he might be shot.
You stopped in your tracks, aiming your gun with a trembling hand. Young-il, upon noticing you were not following him, turned around. There was something like betrayal shining through his demeanour.
“You’re going to explain.” you said, trying to keep your voice and hand steady.
“Oh, Y/N, I think you already know.” Young-il pointed out, a corner of his lips curling up. He took one step towards you.
“What. Is. Your. Real. Name.” you said through gritted teeth, cocking your gun.
“Hwang In-ho.”
All this time, he was the long lost brother Jun-ho was trying to find. You felt the sting of betrayal in your bones.
“Was any of this real?” Tears stung in your eyes and you hated yourself for being so vulnerable.
“Oh, baby,” In-ho sighed, walking to you, kneeling in front of you again. The muzzle of the gun touched his forehead, which he seemed unbothered by.
“Everything.” he said, looking up at you.
“I keep trying to hate you,” you whispered, trying to muster at least some hatred that would make you pull the trigger. “It would be so much easier if I did.”
In-ho reached out and gently took the gun from your trembling hand. He threw in on the ground, making it slide on the floor.
“I know,” he whispered, grabbing your hips with his hands. He stared at you yearningly. There was a burning ache in your chest clawing its way into your throat.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“I can’t. And I don’t think you want me to either.”
The worst part was that he was right.
“I know I should stay away from you, but I can’t. It’s not that simple.” A sob tore out of your throat, making it hard for you to breathe. There were so many emotions in you that your head was spinning. All you knew was the fact that you couldn’t hate the one person who deserved it the most.
“Stay with me, love. I beg you,” In-ho said hoarsely, gripping you harder, trying to make you understand. “You will be safe with me. I will not break that promise.” His eyes were filled with hope. “You felt it too, I know.”
You closed your eyes, composing yourself and your thoughts. You knew it was wrong. But you always had a weakness for the forbidden.
In-ho stood up, taking your face in his hands. He kissed your forehead, your temples, your jaw. And when he kissed you on the lips, you let yourself melt into the touch, forgetting everything else.
“You’ll be the death of me.” you whispered against his lips and he smiled into the kiss, knowing you were his.
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river-taxbird · 2 years ago
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There is no such thing as AI.
How to help the non technical and less online people in your life navigate the latest techbro grift.
I've seen other people say stuff to this effect but it's worth reiterating. Today in class, my professor was talking about a news article where a celebrity's likeness was used in an ai image without their permission. Then she mentioned a guest lecture about how AI is going to help finance professionals. Then I pointed out, those two things aren't really related.
The term AI is being used to obfuscate details about multiple semi-related technologies.
Traditionally in sci-fi, AI means artificial general intelligence like Data from star trek, or the terminator. This, I shouldn't need to say, doesn't exist. Techbros use the term AI to trick investors into funding their projects. It's largely a grift.
What is the term AI being used to obfuscate?
If you want to help the less online and less tech literate people in your life navigate the hype around AI, the best way to do it is to encourage them to change their language around AI topics.
By calling these technologies what they really are, and encouraging the people around us to know the real names, we can help lift the veil, kill the hype, and keep people safe from scams. Here are some starting points, which I am just pulling from Wikipedia. I'd highly encourage you to do your own research.
Machine learning (ML): is an umbrella term for solving problems for which development of algorithms by human programmers would be cost-prohibitive, and instead the problems are solved by helping machines "discover" their "own" algorithms, without needing to be explicitly told what to do by any human-developed algorithms. (This is the basis of most technologically people call AI)
Language model: (LM or LLM) is a probabilistic model of a natural language that can generate probabilities of a series of words, based on text corpora in one or multiple languages it was trained on. (This would be your ChatGPT.)
Generative adversarial network (GAN): is a class of machine learning framework and a prominent framework for approaching generative AI. In a GAN, two neural networks contest with each other in the form of a zero-sum game, where one agent's gain is another agent's loss. (This is the source of some AI images and deepfakes.)
Diffusion Models: Models that generate the probability distribution of a given dataset. In image generation, a neural network is trained to denoise images with added gaussian noise by learning to remove the noise. After the training is complete, it can then be used for image generation by starting with a random noise image and denoise that. (This is the more common technology behind AI images, including Dall-E and Stable Diffusion. I added this one to the post after as it was brought to my attention it is now more common than GANs.)
I know these terms are more technical, but they are also more accurate, and they can easily be explained in a way non-technical people can understand. The grifters are using language to give this technology its power, so we can use language to take it's power away and let people see it for what it really is.
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l1tw1ck · 6 months ago
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The Ferret and the Fox
Bottom!FTM!Omega!Ferret Draco x Top!AMAB!Alpha!Fox Reader
🪄 Word Count: 3k 🪄
Draco's suppressants decide to stop working in the middle of a lecture, forcing him to leave and rest in your office. Draco wasn't thinking straight when he willingly entered an alpha's territory and inadvertently tied himself to you permanently
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AFAB Language Used | Hogwarts University AU | Event Request
CW: Non-Con, Brief Somnophilia, Teacher/Student (Draco is 20) Heat, Virginity Loss, Victim Blaming, Marking, Creampie, Fingering, Manipulation, Knotting
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As you're teaching your class, you and the rest of your students begin to smell someone’s pheromones. Everyone seems to be looking at Draco Malfoy, who's very red. He must be in heat. You walk over to him and lean in close to him. “Malfoy, are you alright?” 
‎ 
He jumps in surprise. He looks up at you with an adorable expression. His tail is curled up on his lap. “It looks like your heat started,” You speak to him softly. “Why don't you go rest in my office until class is over?” You should tell him to see the nurse but she's so far and he’d be safe from all the other alphas. And you might get a chance with him. Draco nods gently. You help him pack up his stuff and walk him to your office, not trusting anyone to let him go by himself.
‎ 
He sits down on the couch and takes off his coat to drape it over himself. You give him the blanket you often use during your free time to nap. “I’ll lock the door so no one can come in. If you get hungry or thirsty, you can use my water bottle and take whatever you like from my mini fridge.”
‎ 
“Okay…” He turns away from you. “Thanks.”  
‎ 
You could barely hear him but you could tell what he said based on how embarrassed he seemed. You smile and leave the room. As soon as you do so, Draco kicks off his shoes and socks before properly laying down. It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep with his and your scent mixed together to comfort him. He won't say it out loud but you're his favorite teacher and the only person in Hogwarts that he truly feels safe around and trusts. While he doesn't have any romantic feelings for you, your scent is still very comforting.
‎ 
‎ 
You walk into your office now that class is over. Since you don't have any more classes to teach today, you plan on taking him home. Most students take suppressants during the school year but when a student isn't able to do so for whatever reason, they take time off to go home since it’d be dangerous to be in their dorms. Draco shouldn't have any problems with taking suppressants but something obviously went wrong. You look at him sleeping on the couch, some of his clothes on the floor. You do a double take when you realize that he's only wearing underwear and his dress shirt. His clothes are conveniently placed in a way that allows you to see his light colored underwear soaked with slick, along with a small pool of it on the couch. You’ll never get over seeing an omega in heat. 
It doesn't help that the room is completely filled with his scent. You should resist and take him home but he looks too tempting. All of the alpha teachers are able to control themselves when met with the strong smell of an omega but there's something different about Draco. Or, really, something different about you.
You're willingly giving in to your instincts this time. You could go and do the right thing but you don't want to and you never really planned to in the first place. You’ve been attracted to Draco since he started your class this year. You never thought you’d have the opportunity to fuck him and now that you do, you're not going to give it up. You unbuckle your belt and free your hard cock, leaving your pants on to make the clean up easier.
You move onto the couch and stare at Draco’s sleeping face with a small smile. You feel sort of bad doing this while he's asleep but it's not like you’ll be taking his virginity. He’s 20, he must've had his first and many others by now. Right? Who wouldn't want him? If you ignore his personality, he's irresistible. You shrug off your uncertainty and take off his underwear. You bring it to your face and smell it, your cock aching for him. You move it away and focus on the real thing.
Draco makes a cute noise in his sleep, his fluffy ears twitching. He's just too adorable. You look at his soaked pussy in awe and run your finger up it, causing him to shiver. You bring your finger to your lips and taste his slick. As you thought, he tastes amazing. His tail curls up in response to your touch. 
You bite your bottom lip as you slowly inch your cock inside him. He’s tight but very slippery, it's not too hard to penetrate him. You moan at the feeling of being inside him. Nothing can compare to his pussy. You grin as an outline of your cock starts to appear on his stomach. You begin to slowly fuck into him. “God, you feel so good, baby.” 
Draco moans. His eyes flutter open. “Huh..?” He blinks a few more times. “Stop! What are you doing?!” He feels like crying. You're so big, it hurts like hell.
“Shh, this is your fault, Malfoy. You shouldn't have let me keep you here. Your pheromones are all over the room, you practically forced me to fuck you.”
“No…I…”
“Isn't this better than having some random person fuck you? Or do you have a boyfriend?”
Draco shakes his head, tears rapidly falling down his cheeks. “This…this is my first time!”
You pause. You’ve never seen him cry before, it's hot. “Really?” You feel your heart pounding. “That's okay, I’ll take care of you from now on.” You resume your gentle thrusts.
Draco sobs. “Why…?”
“If you didn't want this to happen, you shouldn't have let me bring you here. You don't understand how tempting you looked when I saw you sleeping.” You brush his hair out of his face. “You looked so sexy ruining my couch with your slick.”
He looks really embarrassed. Your pheromones seem to be calming him down though. Plus being in heat is really helping to sedate him.
“So just relax, okay? You deserve this.”
Draco nods teary eyed. You hold onto his waist and start to fuck him at a rough pace. He squeals and moans in pleasure, face red from embarrassment. “That’s a good boy, taking me so well.” You purr. You lean into his ear. “Love your pussy so fucking much, sweetheart.” You trail down to his neck and lightly suck on his skin.
He squeaks. “Ah…[Name]~ I’m sorry..”
You pause for a brief moment then slow down. You're shocked that he apologized. Despite the major changes he went through in the past, he's still prideful. He's really different when he's in heat. “If you're sorry then let me mark you. Now that I’ve had a taste of you, it’d be cruel to not let me have you. Besides, I should also take responsibility.”
Draco sniffles. You should feel bad for taking advantage of his current state but you just can't. He's too cute for you to let go. “Okay..” He closes his eyes and moves his head to show you his neck. 
You sink your teeth into his skin, immediately causing him to come. You lick up his blood and thrust harder. “You won't have to worry about anything from now on, sweetheart.” You come inside of him.
────────────────── 
Draco wakes up in an unfamiliar room with aches all over his body. He remembers going into heat during class…then going into your office…
Draco brings his hand to his mouth in shock. Tears run down his cheeks as he slowly begins to remember everything. He was waiting to fall in love and now he's stuck with you.
“You're finally up.” You walk into the room, holding a hot cup of tea. “I made you lemon ginger, it’ll make you feel a bit better. Oh, I also gave you some medicine for your heat. You should be okay now, at least mentally.”
He looks at you scornfully. His eyes are watery and puffy. He doesn't understand how much that's turning you on. He takes the tea despite his anger.
“You’re angry, aren't you?” You ask, sitting down at the edge of the bed. “Why didn't you take your suppressants?”
“I– I did take them!” He shouts. “I don't know what happened!”
“Shh, it's okay, sweetheart.” You rub his thigh. “Sometimes, suppressants stop working. It's rare but you’ll have to change to a different medication.”
“Don't…please don't touch me.” He's shaking very badly.
“We’re bonded now, Draco. You remember, right?”
He sniffles. “Why…”
“You know why. You let that happen to yourself. I’m sure you were conscious enough to know why you shouldn't have done that.”
“I trusted you..”
“That was a mistake. You shouldn't trust an alpha to take care of an omega in heat. In any other circumstance, I wouldn't have done anything to you, but you willingly came into my office and filled it with your scent.” You take the tea from him and place it onto the nightstand, he's shaking so much you're worried he’ll spill it and burn himself. “You know alphas have a hard time resisting.”
Draco begins to cry again. He’s whimpering and trying hard not to choke on his own tears.
“It's okay. I’ll take care of you from now on. Anything you want, I’ll do it.” You caress his cheek, pushing his hair away from his face. He begins to sob vocally, letting out visceral cries of pain. “It’ll be okay, Draco.”
You let him cry for a while and urge him to drink some tea in between. He eventually calms down.
“What will I tell my mother?” He sighs, refusing to look at you.
“Don't worry about her. I’ll make sure she won't say anything, even if you move in.”
“Wh- move in?”
“If you want to. Since you're in the university now, it won't be an issue to move out and commute from here.”
“The school wouldn't allow me to live with you.”
“You're an adult, Draco. As long as we spin the story around a bit, they’ll even insist that we live together.” You smile. “We could say you came onto me and forced me to mark you. It’s not too far from the truth.”
He frowns. He doesn't know how to feel. He finally looks at you. His cheeks redden when he notices your boner. “You- have you been hard this entire time?!”
You chuckle. “Maybe. You're just so cute when you cry.”
He looks down at his hands. “...I don’t remember what it felt like..”
“You don't?”
“It just…I know that it hurt but…”
“Do you want me to show you?”
He nods softly. “I have to be with you from now on…” He's still a little affected by his heat.
“Alright.”
Draco looks up at you timidly, his ears folded down. He’s only wearing boxers now. Your tail is swishing from side to side.
“I’ve always liked you, you know?” You happily run your hands down his body. “You're just so pretty. When I saw you walk into my class…I couldn't stop thinking about you.”
Is that why you were so kind to him?
“You always kept to yourself…it made me want to take care of you. So when I smelled your scent…I was overwhelmed.” You bring one of your hands down to his underwear. “I should've tried harder to resist but you made it so difficult.”
He whimpers at the feeling of your fingers sliding up his clothed cunt. “So….you really…hnh-”
“I love you, Draco.” 
He blushes. Even though he didn't choose you, you're the kind of person he was looking for. Someone who would love and take care of him. You smile as you notice the change in his demeanor. He's opening up to you.
“When you graduate, you won't have to worry about getting a job. You can just stay home and do whatever you like.” You remove his underwear. “You won't have to worry about anything.”
“Do…do I have to graduate?” He asks, looking at you solemnly. He's sick of Hogwarts. Even after everything that's happened, he doesn't have a single friend. Nobody trusts him or even tries to pretend they like him. Not even Harry and his friends really talk to him, they're too busy. If he doesn't have to get a job, why even bother going to that miserable place? Hogwarts used to feel more like home but after losing his friends and becoming isolated, it feels like a prison.
“Well..” You smile. “That’d make things easier.” You remove your shirt.
“I can stay here..” He feels dizzy from your scent. He triggered your alpha instincts and now you can't stop yourself from drowning him in your pheromones. “...Give you an heir..” He says almost mindlessly. You're from a long line of well respected wizards so he figures you’ll want someone to carry on that legacy.
“Draco.” Your cock is straining in your pants. “You can't say things like that to an alpha so casually.”
His tail curls. “‘M sorry..” He looks at you cutely. He's intimidated and turned on at the same time.
“It's okay, sweetheart.” You gently slide two fingers inside him. “You just have to take responsibility.”
Draco gulps, shivering with pleasure thanks to the size and roughness of your fingers. He's never been able to get off just by using his fingers but he probably could with yours.
“You're the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid my eyes on, Draco.” You look at him lovingly as you skillfully play with his pussy. “I wish our relationship started differently.”
He feels less hesitant hearing you say that. He truly believes it's his fault. “It's…it’s okay.” He looks at you with a slight smile.
“Maybe we could've had a slow burn. Where I’d help you out after class and you’d lean in a little too close…You’d blush and act like nothing happened..”
Draco starts to fantasize along with you.
“Then, some day, we'd finally go for it. My hand on your thigh, your soft lips on mine…I’d take it real slow for you.” You swarm him with loving kisses. “I’d give your pretty little tits lots of love.” You aim your kisses onto his chest. He whimpers. 
“Then I’d finger you, just like this.” You start aiming for his weak points, causing adorable moans and squirms. He shudders with pleasure and grabs your arms for stability. He's gonna come.
Draco calls out your name, toes curling as he squirts. You bring your fingers to your mouth and lick them before moving your head in between his cunt and doing the same thing. He shudders with pleasure.
You pull away. “Are you ready?”
He nods softly. His eyes trail over to your crotch, watching intently as you pull your pants down. Just seeing your hard cock through your underwear is throwing him for a loop. He has to admit, he really likes it. Draco’s mouth hangs open when he finally sees your cock in his more sober state of mind. He knows alpha’s are beyond average but this is…
“I’ll be more gentle this time.” You say, rubbing your dick along his pussy and coating it with his wetness before slowly inching it inside him. It feels agonizingly slow for you but it feels great for Draco, which is all that matters. You interlock your hand with his. His face scrunches up cutely
“Don't– don't stop–” He moans. You're stretching him out well.  
“How do you feel, baby?”
“Good– I feel good, sir~” He throws his head back and instinctively reaches for his t-cock, sliding back the hood and stroking himself gently as a dick shaped bump appears on his stomach. He looks great when he's getting fucked but there's something special about seeing him touch himself. It's hot.
You bottom out and pause. “Keep touching yourself like that for me, okay?” You gently knead his thighs.
Draco lets out a high pitched “Mhm~” as he raises his hips. He didn't think it'd ever feel this good to be so full. His eyelashes flutter beautifully as he comes again.
“Good boy.” You praise him.
He pulls his hand away and lays down, trying to catch his breath. “I…I wanna keep- keep going..”
“Are you sure?”
He nods. He's never been as sure as he is now. He's glad you didn't hold back in your office. If you didn't, he'd have no idea how amazing it feels to have you inside him, stretching him out like a new pair of boots. “I wanna feel it move..” He places his hand on his stomach. He has no clue how seductive he's being right now.
You start making short thrusts, getting him used to the feeling. “Feels okay?”
Draco nods. “‘s good-” He twitches. “You're so…so big…professor…I’m so full…”
“You like being full, baby?”
“Mhm~ I love it~” He bites his lip. There's no better tranquilizer than the combination of an alpha’s cock and pheromones. “Faster…”
You lift his legs up and roughly pound into him. “Like this?”
“Ye- yes–!” Draco moans. It looks like his heat is coming back in full swing. The medicine you gave him was pretty useless. “Ba- baby– I wanna have—” He gasps, having another orgasm.
“Don't worry, I’ll make sure to breed you properly tonight.”
His lips stretch into a wide grin. His moans get louder the longer you fuck him. His hair is a mess and his face is so, so red. You hope he remembers this time, although you're not opposed to showing him again. You cup his cheek and he leans in. His eyelids are just barely open. You’ve never felt so possessive of something or someone in your life. “Mine.” You lean into his neck and suck on the spot where you marked him. 
Draco shivers. He feels hot and dizzy. All he can think is: “knot me” “breed me” “so big” “so good” 
Your movements suddenly stutter as you feel your orgasm drawing closer. You thrust one last time before pumping him full of your seed. Draco comes again. You’re still hard.
You pull away from his neck and move him into a mating press. “One more, then I’ll knot you.” You promise, thrusting more roughly and sloppily than before. Draco wraps his arms around your back as his tail brushes against you. His head is pounding, the words “knot me” are on loop in his mind. He digs his nails into your skin.
“So deep~” He shudders, making his own markings on your back.
You're finally starting to really get affected by his pheromones. It was already pretty bad before but now, you don't feel like you're in control anymore. “‘M gonna knot you, Draco, breed you til you can't walk…fill you up with my seed..” You kiss him roughly, lightly biting on his bottom lip. Usually, it's not hard for you to go multiple rounds but there's something about Draco’s scent that’s making you more sensitive. Maybe it's because you're a pair.
“I’m coming, sweetheart-” You groan as Draco’s warm walls drag another orgasm out of you, a knot forms to keep it all inside. 
Draco smiles drunkenly, grinding his hips. “I love you..”
“I love you too.”
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