#I almost cried writing it

[demigods-posts]

just imagine percy at fifteen years old. feeling like his life is slipping through his fingers. feeling like he's running out of time to give his life purpose outside of being a child soldier. feeling like the only control he has over is life is by pushing people away. is by running away. so when annabeth calls him a coward. he can't help but agree with her.

[missviviii]

a/n: zayne my boo <3 im sobbing over the fact that the game killed off mc’s grandma and caleb 😭

.

ミ★ Love & Deep Space ミ★

pairing: zayne x fem!reader

warning(s): mentions of death, mentions of the explosion that killed mc’s grandma + childhood best friend (caleb) in game, spoilers(?)

Summary: Ever since that day, you’ve fallen in a deep, dark pit. Why did you have to be the one that they decide to destroy? Why did Caleb and Grandma have to die? Is it your fault they did? Zayne, as your primary care physician and a family friend, is concerned for your well-being.

“Sometimes, a small gesture is all it takes.”

The sound of the news on your TV, the thundering rain outside, the sound of the cars driving by your apartment—it all blurs out as you stared at the TV screen, eyes dead and unfocused on the news of the Wanderers attacking and the explosions. Some 22 casualties, two deaths. Grandma and Caleb. His necklace that you bought him as a goodbye gift when he left for the Aerospace Academy sits beside a picture of you, him, and Grandma on the coffee table, the cheerful smiles making you wished that you could revisit time.

Your apartment, once somewhat organized and clean, is now messy with things being knocked down and dirty dishes long discarded. You stare at the one last thing your Grandma left for you, some..tablet(?) with a final letter on it. You haven’t gotten the energy or the ability to open it. It pains you, seeing that you haven’t visited for so long yet when you do, this was the time her house had to explode right in front of you, flames engulfing the house and the only thing that remained was Caleb’s necklace.

“I miss you, Grandma..” You mumbled to nobody, rubbing the tears threatening to spill out your eyes as you glanced down at the item she left you with. Besides that, a small box of her old recipes of those notecards, and other small things that she had entrusted to you years before.

Around you was your laptop, papers and files on the latest Wanderer attacks around you. Yes, Captain Jenna dismissed you and said that you should take some days off to regain your energy, since you haven’t been getting the sleep or the energy you needed, but you just couldn’t.

Your door opened, yet you didn’t bother to look at who entered. “Still sitting in front of the TV?” A familiar voice spoke out, flipping the light switch on and shutting the door behind him. It was Zayne, a long time family friend and your primary care physician. “You haven’t eaten,” he bluntly says as he sets a bag of food on your table and walked into the kitchen. He bites back a sigh, knowing that you were going through a tough time, and people tended to discard everything and grieve and grieve their hearts out.

“Hello to you too, Zayne,” you replied as you shut off the news and got up off your sofa. You pile up all the papers and files you’ve scattered around and set them on the coffee table before you walk into the kitchen as Zayne is cleaning up your dirty dishes. He checks in on you whenever he’s free or when he’s off his shift. He looks back at you, only making a small hum of acknowledgment before cleaning up your dirty kitchen. You looked terrible—eyes red and puffy from crying, obvious eye bags, and the sparkles from your eyes were gone.

You yawn as you take out a bowl and some utensils for whatever food he brought in for you. You unpacked the bag as he cleaned up the dishes you couldn’t bother doing last week. Potatoes, avocado on the side, tuna salad, salmon and rice you said to yourself as you took out the food that he had carefully backed in those plastic containers for you. Then you took out the last thing. Cookie..dough? He remembered your favorite childhood snack. The kind of cookie dough you liked.

“Your grandma gave me a recipe for the cookie dough. She said that if she couldn’t make it, I should since it lightens your mood,” Zayne says as he puts your clean dishes back into the cabinet. He dries his hand off before walking over to you, watching how you stare at it like a piece of gold. Disbelief and shock were etched on your face.

Zayne puts his hand on your back, soothingly rubbing circles as you opened the container and took a bite. Your eyes almost brimmed with tears again. You could remember how your grandma used to bake in the kitchen and you’d always sneak a bite or two of the cookie dough, no care in the world if you could get salmonella.

“Thank..you, Zayne,” you finally said, turning around tightly hugging him. He was a bit hesitant at first, but he put his hand on your head, massaging your scalp as he looked down at you with a gentle look on his face.

“..You’re welcome. I miss her too.”

Zayne’s eyes looked away at the picture on the counter of your grandma. She didn’t have to go out this way.

[hamletisintown]

If ZJ didn't have a regulator... 🥲

And then, somewhere in the aetherial sea...

(Zoraal Ja gets the lecture of his fucking life after that. And then, a proper hug or 2. God knows he deserved both.)

[newvision]

— Richard Siken, from „Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out“ in Crush

[daturabouquet]

Love Worth Dying For

[Angst, comfort ish?, SFW, Dottore x reader]

-----------------------

even after dating Dottore for years, you can't help but still believe that every single piece of affection he gives you is all a lie, like a social experiment. He's always a man of knowledge, willing to crush everything that gets in his way. You can't help but keep believing that he'll crush you next, it's in his principles after all.

Even with this belief, you always play along and enjoy his affection, as it is much much better than being dead. Deep down, you feel like everything he does is a social experiment, a lie, an act to fulfill his desire for knowledge, maybe this one is an experiment about "Human Affection".

You can't trust him at all, and his occasional anger outbursts that he unleashes on you doesn't make it any better. You are always ready for him to drop the act, and dispose of you just like his other experiments.

You don't trust him.

But on Dottore's side, you were his first ever love. He didn't know how to show love properly, so he stayed up at night, secretly researching how to show affection.

He knew he was a heartless madman, yet he fell in love with you. He fell for your genuine nature, how you still viewed him as human while others would view him as a demon.

He loved you, he really did. He's never had someone "trust" him, someone who still saw something good in him, someone who cared for his well being, someone like you.

He saw you as special, someone who somehow tolerated his actions. You are such a sweetheart, someone with good intentions, and would never want to harm anyone. How did someone like you, gain a relationship with him?

Dottore never viewed you as an experiment. He tries his best to show what's in his cold heart, he wants to give you affection, to tell you that he loves you too. He adores your trust in him.

But, you don't trust him.

When you finally communicated this, your lover was crushed. Turns out, you are just like all the others; fearful, distrustful, intimidated. He fell for you, just to be slapped in the face by reality. He is a monster, and even though you love the monster, you still can't trust the monster.

He was angry, he was disappointed, he was... devastated.

In a way, it made sense to him. Why would someone like you fully trust him? A murderer, a sadistic maniac, a man with little to no morals.

He couldn't believe it, all the times he held you, you were bracing for impact. All the times he kissed you, you were ready to be hurt.

But worst of all, whenever he decides to open up to you, you listen so lovingly, your smile always decorating your face, and you always manage to whisk all of his concerns away. You still did this while believing you might die the next day by his bloody gloved hands.

but deep down, both of you knew that you loved each other. He'd never hurt you, and you'll continue loving him, even if it's the last thing you do.

It both crushed him and comforted him, when he realized that you were willing to risk your own life everyday, to love him.

[gcslingss]

heart to heart. colt seavers.

summary: the last two days were being especially shitty. your close friend colt invites you over to a scene shoot, and suddenly everything becomes a little bit better.

pairing: colt seavers x gn!reader

warnings: heavy fluff, slight angst, kissing, mild swearing.

word count: 1.8k

notes: firstly, yes, the fic's name is mac demarco's song. i recommend listening to it while reading this. secondly, i had a terrible day today, thus the birth of this fic. hope you guys enjoy :)

p.s: colt is the sweetest guy ever. i wish he was real.

Today had been the worst day of the week.

You’d been told off, looked down at, or backhandedly insulted by nearly everyone you spoke to, and that didn’t leave the best feeling in you by the time it was nearly midnight and you were still awake, staring at the ceiling of your room.

Even your mum had called you clingy and ignored you, and your neighbour had started to pretend you didn’t exist, ignoring your attempts to talk to him, to give him the cake you’d made that afternoon, and he made sure to make you see how much of a good time he was having with his girlfriend.

And to top it all off, your best friend hadn’t contacted you in a week. You knew he was a stuntman and therefore was often busy, but that didn’t mean he could completely ignore you.

You really didn’t know what you’d done wrong to be having such a shitty day.

that’s when your phone pinged beside your pillow. You wouldn’t have checked it, but it pinged with the special sound you’d set for Colt Seavers.

What the fuck? There was no way Colt was texting after an entire fucking week.

You were bitter about it, but not enough to ignore it. So you picked up the phone, and saw two new texts from him in the lock screen preview.

Hi :)

You’re probably sleeping right now, but I’m way too excited not to tell you right now

You waited to see where he was going with this. A minute later, the third text came.

We’re shooting a really special scene for the movie I’m part of tomorrow - I have a big role

And then another one.

D’you wanna come? It would be so cool if you did

You would’ve been lying if you said you didn’t feel your heart warm up when you read that, a smile tugging at your lips. Any irritation you felt for him melted away.

You didn’t hesitate to properly open the text and send him a quick reply.

I’m up, shockingly

Yeah, I’d love to come :]]

There was an enthusiastic response, and then he went offline. 

Well. 

At least there was something to look forward to now.

You placed the phone aside and shuffled into the covers of your bed. You needed sleep if you were going to support him right tomorrow.

… … …

“-and apparently it’s some sort of sci-fi movie, and he’s got a whole lot of-“

“Sorry, I kinda need to go.”

And just like that, your so-called childhood friend walked away, eyes still glued to her phone’s screen, still giggling, not bothering to ever give you a wave or second look.

You stared at her leaving figure rather desolately, feeling numb, yet highly irritated. It only took a few seconds for the irritation to simmer down into severe self-doubt.

Were you annoying? Is that why nobody wanted to talk to you? 

Did you say too much? Or were you not interesting enough? 

What the hell was everyone’s problem?

The only who’d shown any signs of tolerating you recently was Colt, but there was this heavy feeling in your heart that even he was being fake. 

Maybe you shouldn’t go to the shoot. He probably only invited you as a courtesy. he probably didn’t even want you there.

Like a fucking sign from the sky, your phone pinged, and a new message from him read-

Hope you didn’t forget you’ve got an appointment with me today doofus

You didn’t want to laugh, but it bubbled through your throat anyway, and something akin to the feeling of holding a warm candle on a winter day spread through your fingers.

He was so annoying.

… … …

You hadn’t moved a single muscle out of your little square for the past 2 hours, your arms stiff by your sides, your hands anxiously fiddling with each other, your bottom barely touching the chair you were given, and your eyes downcast, staring emptily at the sand.

There had been 3 takes of Colt’s super-actiony ‘falling from the sky’ stunt to be approved by the director. 

It was break time now, and all the present actors and the director had retreated to their trailers. the only people outside were some of the snacking stuntmen, two extras fanning themselves, and you, too absorbed in your self-deprecating thoughts to have even realized the shoot was on break.

“You alright?”

Your neck could’ve snapped with the speed you looked up at, and you physically felt your face muscles cramp when you shifted expressions from despairing to absolutely peachy in less than a second.

“Hey! Yeah, I’m good,” you said, forcing a smile, “Just peachy.”

No. That word should’ve stayed in your head. Fuck.

Colt frowned, smiling almost suspiciously, “When have you ever used that word out loud?”

“…Just now,” you unconvincingly said. You were far too tired to come up with a good response.

“Was I good?” he asked, brushing past it, and you nodded, the smile becoming a little bit more genuine than before. 

“You were great.”

He smiled too, and then observed you for a moment, his eyes searching, searching for any sign that you weren’t okay.

That was the plain truth, but you couldn’t let him know - not on his big day. 

“I’m okay, Colty,” you said, patting him on his shoulder. You could see the extras watching your interaction, and your skin prickled.

“I’m gonna get going now, okay?” you said, standing up as stiff as ever, and turned, only to feel Colt’s hand pull on your wrist, stopping you.

“What?” you whined. Colt turned you by the shoulders to face you and watched your face, and you tried to ignore the way his lips formed the softest, fondest smile as he said, “Don’t go yet, c’mon.”

“You…you’re going to be busy, and I probably have something waiting for me at home, and I don’t want to imp-“

“D’you wanna talk for a bit? Maybe in Tom’s trailer?”

It became clear to you that he was not planning on letting you leave yet. 

You thought about how tired you were, mentally and physically. Your brain hurt from all the buzzing, and your muscles hurt from the constant rigidity.

But then you thought about Colt, and his pretty smile, and his big blue eyes, and his husky laughter, and your mouth mumbled a soft “Okay.”

Colt nodded, and slung an arm over your shoulder as the two of you walked across the set towards the trailers.

… … …

“So Tom doesn’t mind if you use his trailer?”

“I mean, it’s not like he knows about it, so…”

You laughed and punched Colt in the arm, causing him to make a face that made you laugh harder.

But then the laughter died down, and your brain started buzzing again. You went silent, a dormant smile still on your face.

Colt noticed.

“I can tell when you’re feeling shitty,” he murmured, and as his hand slid into yours, you wondered how he even managed to use the exact word you used to describe your day.

You shook your head and shrugged, muttering a “I’m fine,” but then he scooted closed to you and began to rub gentle circles on your palm, uttering your name so softly, and something in you snapped.

Tears came to your eyes as your head drooped and you softly sobbed, throat feeling awfully tight.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, voice muddled, “I didn’t mean to cry, I’m sorry…”

“Hey, no, c’mon,” you heard him say softly, and his two arms wrapped around you, engulfing you in a hug you wished you’d gotten ages ago.

His fingers carded through your hair, his left hand held you close, and you could feel his lips by your temple, silent but reassuring.

You cried for an entire six minutes, because every time you told yourself to stop, the nonchalant gaze of your neighbour or the sharp words of your mum flashed in your mind and the tears came back twice as heavy.

Colt let you cry, and didn’t say a word about how you were drenching his jacket in tears, his little movements being the only thing keeping you from collapsing in your head.

When the weight you’d been feeling the entire day seemed to finally disappear, you pulled away, but only partly, still seeking Colt’s warmth.

“You alright?” he asked, voice softer than a whisper, and you felt so relieved when you smiled so naturally, and nodded.

“Yeah.” You wiped away the tear streaks on your cheeks. “I just… had a really bad few days. Everyone sounds a little extra rude.”

“I hope I’m not on the list,” he said, and you chuckled, shaking your head.

“Of course not,” you said. “You made everything better, if anything.”

“Well, I’m glad.”

You looked up at him. His gaze was keen, concerned, and so warm. His fingers were still caressing your palm. 

What a wonderful creature he was.

You found yourself leaning in and kissing him, something he most certainly did not expect, but the  faint sigh he elicited told you he didn’t mind it whatsoever. 

He kissed you back, harder.

Shit.

The heat of his mouth, the feeling of his chapped lips against yours, his large hands cupping your face, and the little sounds he made when you brought his head close seemed to complete the healing of your tired heart, and after what seemed like an eternity, the two of you broke away.

His eyes were fixed on you, flustered, but appreciative now. His face was flushed. 

After a moment’s silence, he looked down at his watch.

“Tom’s gonna be here any minute,” he muttered, his voice hoarse and hesitating. “We should leave this little hellhole.”

“Yeah. Okay.” It was an automatic response, because your brain really wasn’t functioning.

You got down the trailer, and thankfully no one spotted either of you, because of how Tom liked his privacy. 

“There’s a little bit of the scene left,” Colt explained. “They probably don’t need me, but I should go check it out.”

“Of course. Yeah. I-I should probably head home too. I really enjoyed watching you stunt, by the way. It was great.” You gave him a a pat on his back. 

“Good. That’s good.”

Colt nodded, giving you one final grin, and then turned to leave.

No, wait.

“...Colt?” you called out. 

He stopped in his tracks and spun around. He looked expectant.

“Yeah?”

You didn’t know if you were crossing any lines with what you were going to say, but at that moment, you didn’t exactly care. 

“I love you,” you said, and the words came so easily. “And thank you.”

You could see Colt’s breathing hitch, his chest raised mid-breath. Then, slowly breathing out, he murmured the words “I love you too” back, before he asked-

“Could I, um, come over tonight, maybe? I’m gonna be free,so....”

You’d forgotten anything and everything that had annoyed you at this point. All you could hear in your head was Colt now.

“Yeah, of course. Please.”

He grinned at your response, and he gave you a little goodbye wave, before walking away.

Two little hearts became whole that moment.

[standing-flowers]

"omg when I get drunk literally everything makes me laugh!!"

when I get drunk I stand in my bathroom crying bcs bill Murray and Harold Ramis didn't talk for over two decades after they fell out when making groundhog day. I cry bcs the last time they ever spoke was when Harold was on his deathbed. I cry because bill Murray spoke to him for hours, while harold couldn't say much anymore because of his illness. I love them.

[delulluart]

A Personal Ritual Check out the amazing fic by the lovely @da-rulah based on this painting

mesmerized by his immaculate sideburns and mustache, I've wanted to draw this for years - and after a quick sketch I was blessed to be sent a fic based on it (thank you so, so much!), so we decided to cooperate for this. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did. Please, please check the link above or I'll steal half of your socks!

[screechingfromthevoid]

@disastertourwaterdeepedition

Sorry for the weird fucking post but like tumblr straight up ate your ask?? I had to search and screenshot from my email??

Its like super fine I love big rants and big feelings (especially about the blorbo of the month).

Whoa buddy if you wanna talk about a rant. This got so long I'm putting it under a read more.

I'm not sure any of this is above board conscious thought process. When he looks to Orym, when he thinks about how he feels about Orym, I think Dorian, king of compartmentalizing, gets a rush of all three of the things in the post. He gets a little too lost in thought looking at the way Orym's hair now tries to curl against his ear or how well tailored the armor is to his body, he first gets hit with the Will guilt. Then he thinks about "ohmygodtheresawaron" and he'd shovel all of that down. Because its not time to think about Orym and him. But he knows by the way Orym watches him "sleep". He knows by the way Orym refused to be princess carried in Aeror. (Seriously dude Dorian princess carries everyone. It would have been less suspicious if you let it happen). He knows because Orym didn't see his husband when they were in Zephrah. But when he dares himself to actually think about a possible future together, he uses the big three to shove it down. And no, he has no clue that Orym thinks he doesn't return his feelings. (Wow you're right. Pronouns are hard)

Lol to finally answer your question: I'm not sure! Because the thing is! Orym has gone down twice in a battle with Dorian there! And honestly if Orym being on death's door doesn't make either of them confess, i'm not sure what will! (thats a lie I do have an idea). But like Orym went to the moon and back and almost died on the moon and all the count communicate to Dorian was "I miss you"!! Orym nearly died twice in one battle and he didn't think to give Dorian a sloppy, "If I die again I want to have kissed you once" kiss before going in for another round of getting hacked on. Dorian watched him go down and had to bring him back from death's door (one failed save scared the shit out of me) and he didn't think to give Orym a "We need you, I need you" kiss.

My unfortunate thought process, which I can't decide if I want it to come true or not, is that Dorian has to get hurt. Like when I say hurt I fucking mean it. Taken down in a round or two, two failed death saves, hurt. Because then Orym will have to face losing Dorian again. Face losing the man he loves, again. He pours a healing potion into Dorian's mouth because warlocks don't have a single healing spell. (Just checked). Orym feels so helpless in saving Dorian, because a healing potion isn't nearly enough to keep him up. He starts to cry over Dorian's (now conscious) body. He whispers between sobs "Not again, not again. Dorian you can't leave me. I love you, please, I never got to tell you, please stay alive." and Dorian, having heard all of that, reaches up to cup Orym's cheek and says. "Alright, just for you though."

Or something like that.

As much as I would love for them to be adults and just talk to each other. I know thats not going to happen. (Please, Robbie, Liam, prove me wrong.) So I think major tragedy will be the reason they confess to each other. Because they're idiots in love with a lot of weight on their shoulders.

[gloomysoup]

i was just going thru some notes i have for brainstorming purposes and came across something i forgot ab

picture it w me, if you will:

no upside down modern au, alpha!eddie/omega!steve (bc apparently that's where my brain always goes)

steve is drunk at a party and either billy or tommy (also drunk) takes advantage of him. he ends up pregnant, kicked out, b/t wants nothing to do w any of it. steve's mom (bc we appreciate one good parent in this house) sends him money every month in exchange for pictures and updates of child w/o his dad's knowledge.

eddie meet him at some kind of organization event for underprivileged kids that he volunteers at bc he was that kid and knows how important they are. at first, he thinks steve is another volunteer & is absolutely enamored by him. but once he sees steve's kid run up to him, he decides to back off bc he assumes this means steve is in a relationship. he keeps seeing steve around and silently pines the whole time bc he's accepted that he'll never have him.

until eddie is at the library, hosting d&d. the party joins a few campaigns, and he gets to know them a little. he likes them, they're good kids (teenagers, technically). one day steve brings his toddler to the library bc they like to look thru the picture books on steve's days off. he also knows that the party goes to d&d that day and wants to say hi. when he leaves, eddie asks the party if they know him, and they explain that steve used to babysit them and drove them around a lot when they were in middle school. he uses this as an in w steve, resolved to just talk to him once and maybe be his friend.

he asks ab the kid's other parent simply for small talk purposes, wondering what they're like and why eddie's never seen them around. steve explains that he's a single parent; the kid's father was an asshole that didn't want to face the consequences of his actions.

cue eddie desperately doing everything possible to impress this child so he can prove to steve just how serious he is ab being w them. i like the think of it in the same vein as your moms new boyfriend trying to make you like him, even tho you already do and there's no need for him to try That Hard. but much more ridiculous and dramatic in true eddie munson fashion.

[anthony-crowleys-left-nut]

i just got genuinely sad thinking about claudia and how it must have felt when she could see her relationship with lestat deteriorating. when they spent more and more time fighting and less and less loving each other, like the good times before when he'd spoil her, go out to hunt with her, teach her to drive. i hope when she saw his face in that last exchange of looks they made, she at least knew that he loved her. i don't even wish that in a hope to redeem lestat in her eyes (even as a lestat lover), i just wish that for her. cause i know she had to have carried an emotional wound from their relationship even if she wouldn't admit it. as someone who once had a terrible relationship with their parent, i still carry mine to this day, and learning that he did give a fuck about me in times when i swore he didn't actually did mean something. that's all i want for claudia in that final look. so much of her anger had to have stemmed from genuine hurt, and to have that hurt assuaged even just a little bit... she deserved that much at the very least.

[kinardsevan]

for a thousand years (and a thousand more).

“I don’t think you get it, Evan. This isn’t something that started after a failed date for me.” Tommy’s voice is soft as he drums his fingers gently against the back of the couch, inches away from Evan’s where he’s sitting across from him. They'd just been talking about when things had started shifting between them, realizing they were interested in one another. Evan insisted it was during fake mouth static. But Tommy disagreed.

“No?” There’s a hint of a smile on Evan’s face; that look he gets when he’s genuinely curious about what’s going on in Tommy’s head or why feels a certain way. 

“No. I was already falling in love with you when you showed up for the tour at Harbor.” His voice is soft, rasped by the nerves of admitting something so vulnerable out loud. 

Evan doesn’t respond. Not because he doesn’t want to, but because he doesn’t have the words to respond to the volume of open honesty about god’s to honest real love directed towards him. Something he’s certainly had come up in past relationships, but it’s never felt like this. It has never been this honest, deep, clear…easy. 

“Falling in love with you was like waking up in the middle of October after being asleep for years,” Tommy continues. “Like I’d been stuck in this endless state of sleepwalking, and then I walked into you. And suddenly the world had air, and color, and meaning. And I just kind of realized, ‘oh’.” 

Evan shakes his head in these small, almost imperceptible movements as tears fill his waterline and he bites the inside of his bottom lip between his teeth. His eyes drop to where Tommy’s index finger is brushing lightly over the first knuckle of Evan’s. 

And he wants to find the words to match Tommy’s, to tell him that everything in his chest feels exactly the same way, but they’re all dead in his throat because he’s not sure there are words that can match what the man he’s in love with has just said to him. 

Evan pushes up from the side of the couch where his hand is still resting, closing the space between him and Tommy until his knee is between both of Tommy’s, his other leg straddling over Tommy’s right leg on the outside of the couch as he slides his hand around the older man’s neck, just under the base of his skull and he sinks down into him, meeting Tommy’s parted lips with his own as Tommy’s hand comes up to his ribcage, holding him in place.

It’s so simple, the way their mouths sink into one another. Lips taking on lips, tongues sliding gently into the other. Passion being met on a level that has nothing to do with tearing clothes off, and everything to do with the fact that by some miracle, two hearts managed to match one another’s at the same time.

He doesn’t want to let go; just wants to remain in this moment and never have it end. But time doesn’t work like that, and Evan eventually sinks back, still on his knee, leg still straddled over Tommy's, but seated once more.

Tommy’s hand slides out from its space on Evan’s rib cage, up around his shoulder and to the side of his neck, brushing his thumb lightly back and forth on Evan’s jaw line. The tears clinging to his waterline finally fall, running fast down the side of Evan’s cheek until it slides over Tommy’s thumb. 

Evan pulls his left hand from behind Tommy’s head and lifts it to where Tommy has his on Evan’s jaw, still staring deeply into the brown-haired man’s eyes as he slides his hand off his neck, down to the center of his chest. Tommy watches the movements of their hands until they come to rest over Evan’s heart. Steady, but pounding. He looks back up at the blonde. 

“Oh.” Evan repeats back to him. 

Tommy gives a small nod, the quietest of sighs slipping past his lips as his expression softens. 

“Oh.” 

[comic-sans-chan]

obsessed with julian asking "what did they do to you? is it some kind of punishment device?" in the wire because my god if this man didn’t go from "this is garak my super cool spy pal who i go on secret missions with and sometimes fuck teehee but also yeah his planet’s kinda fucked up and he’s got some weird ideas but we’re working on it" to "this is garak he's my precious little angel babyman who has been horribly traumatized and brainwashed by his government but it's okay because i'm a doctor and i will fuck and suck the fascism out of him if it’s the last thing i do" in just two years. shit's wild

[hearts-hunger]

evergreen — part four

Read on AO3 | Masterlist | Cabin Fever Masterlist | Join my taglist here!

Series Summary: Jake takes you on your first vacation to the cabin the gang stays at every year. When memories of past relationships loom heavy, will this vacation send cracks through the foundation of safety and trust you have in each other?

Chapter Summary: It's raining, and you wake up alone.

Pairings: Jake x Reader, Josh x Baby, Sam x Danny | Genre: fluff, angst, emotional h/c | Word Count: 2.3k | Warnings: sexual innuendo

A/N: You voted not to make Jake and Sparrow suffer any more, so I only put in a teensy bit more angst. Let the comfort part of the hurt/comfort commence ♡

You woke with a start, listening to the steady roll of thunder that washed over the sound of the heavy rain in the darkness. The window was still open; you could feel the cold, wet breeze and heard the way it had started to settle in your chest with congestion. You shivered and lay in bed for a long while, watching the way streaks of lightning lit up the room in brief silver flashes.

Jake’s side of the bed was empty. You didn’t know whether to be relieved or bereft that he was gone; part of you wanted to let yourself be held, but the other part of you was ashamed to even be near him. This whole mess was your fault, and you were sick with guilt and regret as thoughts spiraled and spun their wheels in your head.

What had gotten into you? Talking to Jake like that, fighting with him, using him and letting him use you — all of it made you bleakly ill, a rockiness of the mind rather than the body. For its part, though, your body ached and protested every moment; neither of you had been gentle, and the consequences of it made themselves known in the soreness of your muscles and the tenderness of places you knew would be marked on your skin.

You wished Jake were with you, if only so you could let him brush his fingers over the places he’d left bruises and hickeys and red stripes from his nails. To feel his touch be gentler, to return it with a soft glance of your own fingers over his marks; you thought it might help. It felt wrong, unfinished, to leave each other without the conversation and soft laughter and tenderness you always shared after you slept together. Like a puzzle missing the middle piece.

You looked at your phone to see what time it was, and under the glowing numbers reading 7:43 pm, you saw a text from Jake. 

Went for a drive, he'd said. I hope I'm back before you wake up, but if I'm not, I love you. Don't be upset, sparrow. We'll talk when I get back. Love you love you.

You felt a weak smile surface as you read it. “Love you love you” was an inside joke, started when you accidently sent the same message twice a few months ago. You set your phone on the bedside table and rose to take a shower, examining the marks on your skin as the hot water ran over them; you hurt all over, in your heart as badly as anywhere physical.

Out in the living room, you found Josh and Baby on the couch, unsurprised to see Dirty Dancing playing in the background as they worked on a puzzle spread out on the coffee table. Danny and Sam were in the kitchen making what smelled like cookies, and you heard the kettle whistle before Sam took it off the heat.

Josh looked up at your entrance and nudged Baby. She looked up too, and their twin looks of concern and mild panic could almost have been comical if you’d been feeling any better.

“Hi, honey,” she said, patting the spot next to her on the couch. “Come here.”

You did as she said, sinking into the overstuffed couch and gratefully accepting the blanket she spread over you. She brushed her hand through your tangled hair, very gently.

“How are you?” she asked.

You shook your head and buried your face in the blanket. 

“Okay, sparrow,” she cooed. “Sit tight.” She got up and asked Danny to make you a cup of tea; when she returned, she sat on your other side, squeezing you between her and Josh, and started to brush your hair.

“Joshy?” she asked. He hummed in answer.

“Will you go get your conditioning spray from the bag in the bathroom?” she asked. “I didn’t think to grab it.”

He went to get it for her, and Danny and Sam came in bearing several mugs of tea and a plate of Danny’s famous chocolate chip cookies. 

“Here, sparrow,” Sam said, handing your treats to you. “Might be a little warm.”

Josh came back with his fancy, expensive conditioning spray and handed it to Baby.

“Are you sure?” you asked.

His smile was a touch bemused. “‘S just hair stuff, sparrow. I don't mind if you use it.”

The five of you settled in around the coffee table: Sam sat in the easy chair with Danny at his feet, playing with Danny’s hair; Josh sat on the floor to keep working on his puzzle, giving your knee a comforting pat as he did; Baby gently brushed through your hair in slow, methodical movements.

You felt your throat get tight like it did before you started crying. You were so thankful for your family, for their patient and selfless care even when you’d been the one to start all the trouble.

“Jake went out earlier,” Baby told you. “In case you were wondering where he was.”

You nodded. “He texted me.”

“Oh. That's good.” She started to gather your hair into sections to braid it. “He didn’t say when he’d be back, but... maybe you're okay with having a little break, huh?”

You chewed on your bottom lip. “Maybe.”

When your braid was finished, she tilted your head back and kissed the crown of your head. “It’s gonna be alright, sparrow. He can't stay mad at you.”

“Oh, I don't know,” you said weakly. “This one was a doozy. You heard it yourself.”

Josh arranged a set of edge pieces into place. “Yeah, but you... you made up, right?”

The pink in his cheeks made you blush, knowing that your “making up” had been loud enough to be broadcast to everyone else.

“Well, it was sort of... It wasn't really...” You trailed off, embarrassed and sick with yourself. “It was a mistake. Not that we didn't mean to do it, but... we shouldn’t have. Not like that.”

Baby ran a comforting hand up and down your arm. “Yeah. It happens. Heat of the moment and all that. You’ll feel better when you talk to him.”

You gave a bitter, heartsick laugh. “That’s what started the whole thing. I tried to talk to him about the bedroom thing, and... you heard what happened. It was my fault, really. I made it a huge mess.”

Josh frowned. “What bedroom thing?” He looked around and saw that everyone else knew what you were talking about. “I’m out of the loop.”

“Jake picked his old room yesterday,” Danny said, a little dazed and dreamy as Sam played with his hair.

Josh grimaced. “You mean his one from last year? Why? Even I could have told him that was stupid.” He looked up at you. “Now I get why you were yelling at him.”

You couldn't help the tears that spilled over then. As foolish and oblivious as Jake had been, the real fault was with you for not saying anything.

Josh’s expression softened. “Aw, sparrow. I didn't mean to make you upset. I’m sorry.”

You only cried harder, thankful you’d heard that from Josh, wishing desperately that you'd heard it from his twin. Jake had every right to be upset with your passive-agressiveness, but you couldn't help but need some kind of understanding and apology from him.

Josh came to join your on the couch, taking your hands in his. “Sparrow. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I mean, yeah,” you said pathetically, “but I really need to talk about it with him, and he's not here.”

“He shouldn't be gone too much longer,” Sam offered kindly.

“Did he say when he'd be back?” you asked hopefully.

“No, sparrow. I'm sorry. Do you want me to ask him?”

“No,” you said miserably. “Let him go drive around creation for all I care.”

If you hadn't been too busy crying, you would have seen Danny slip his phone out of his pocket to text Jake. Your dear friends, your family, watched you with careful, worried gazes and tried to ask each other silently what to do.

Baby took the lead, maybe in tune with your feminine needs more than the guys could be. She leaned back on the couch and pulled you close to her, stroking a hand over your neatly braided hair.

“Okay, sparrow,” she said gently. “Let’s just sit for a while. You want to watch something else?”

You shrugged helplessly, burying your face against her shoulder.

“I know what we should watch,” Danny said. He pulled something else up on the tv. “This’ll work, right?”

You heard Sam give a soft laugh. “Yeah. Worth a try, anyway.”

The unmistakable sound of the Bluey theme song started to play, and you gave a watery laugh and managed to lift your head from Baby’s shoulder.

“Now you’re just trying to see how much I can cry,” you joked, and you got four sympathetic smiles in return. 

“I tried to pick a funny one,” Danny said. “But it’s okay if you want to cry some more, sparrow.”

You settled in to watch a few episodes, and as you laughed together at the antics and tender moments of the show, you decided Danny’s choice had been a good one. Tea mugs were refilled, another batch of cookies taken out of the oven; the only thing that was missing was Jake, and if he’d been there, despite everything, you would have been content.

At the end of the fourth episode, all gazes turned towards the door to see a wet, bedraggled Jake come inside. It was clear he’d hoped to sneak in unnoticed, and when he saw he hadn't, a dull blush showed under the shadowed look on his face. 

“Uh, hi,” he said awkwardly. 

Josh cleared his throat. “We’re watching Bluey.”

“I see that.” He ran a hand through his damp hair that had started to curl. “Can I... can I borrow sparrow for a minute?”

They all looked to you, and you felt your face heat. Jake was watching for your response with some kind of need you were helpless to resist, not knowing if you could meet whatever need it was but determined to try.

“Sure,” you said, untangling yourself from the blanket and the protective care of your friends to go to the one who needed you, your partner, the love of your life no matter what had happened between you. His look of relief cut you to the quick, and you came close to him and hoped your face showed how much you wanted to love him like he was asking you to.

“Can you get dressed in something warm?” he asked quietly. “I want to... well, I have something to show you.”

“Okay,” you agreed. He could have asked you for the moon, looking rain-soaked and tired as he did, and you would have tried to get it for him. You gave his hand a quick squeeze and left him to get dressed, hearing a quiet conversation between him and your friends drift down the hall.

Dressed warmly as he’d asked, you rejoined him at the door and gladly accepted his hand when he offered it. He led you outside and stood on the porch with you, looking out at the rain.

“You up for a little walk?” he asked.

“Sure,” you said. Anything for him.

You walked together in the rain, holding his hand as he led you through the darkness. You didn't ask where he was taking you; he could be leading you out for a late-night swim in the freezing cold river and you’d still go. This was your apology, your assurance that you trusted him, your reminder that you would stick with him in the rain and the dark as willingly as you would on a bright, sunny day. He seemed to know and kept you tucked close to his side, safe and warm and loved, always.

You stopped short when you saw where he was taking you, that sad, strange something that had twisted inside you in bed now untangling into something warm and deep and heartsick with love for him. Under the sheltering canopy of the evergreen trees stood a little tent, snug and cosy and lit with fairy lights, a safe haven in the middle of the storm. 

“A love nest,” he said. His voice was hesitant, unsure. “A real one. For you, sparrow.”

You swallowed. You didn't know what to say.

“You don't like it,” he said. It was a statement, not a question, and it broke your heart.

“No,” you said quickly, softly, turning to look at him. He was soaked and cold and tired for love of you, and you felt you could never really tell him how much you loved him.

“A love nest,” you said. You touched his cheek. “For sparrow and her Jake-bird.”

He gave a watery laugh, desperate and sorrowful and so, so relieved. “Yeah. For sparrow and her Jake-bird.”

Your little love nest was only a few paces away, but he needed you here, in this moment, and you wouldn't have denied him for anything in the world. You pressed close and kissed him as the cold rain fell on both of you, and he gave a shuddering sigh as he held your face in his hands and gave you all the love you needed, more love than you could ever deserve.

“I love you, sparrow,” he said. “I’m so sorry. For everything. I love you.”

“Jake.” You hugged him tight, resting in his warmth and safety and the feeling of home he would always give you. “I love you too.”

taglist: @viagvf @allieisacrybaby @itsafullmoon @spark-my-nature @anthemheatwave @xserenax-13 @musicspeaks @mountain-in-springtime @stardustsecret @alwaysonthemend @madneedshelp @josh-iamyour-mama @dannythedog @thecoldwind @woyayaofdreams @joshkiszkapunchmeintheface

and some cabin fever besties who were excited for this one :)  @shutupdevvie @gold-mines-melting @earthlysorrows @brooke-gvf

join my taglist here!

[nevaroonie]

Done

TW- IMPLIED CHEATING, Misunderstandings, Cursing, break-up?, abandonment I feel like I missed some WC - 1193 A/N- The funny thing is Asher wasn't even in the lineup for a fic, but when I got tagged in a post. I bumped him up! so enjoy fresh asher angst.

Baaabe looked down at their phone. Canceled again, the third time this week. What the hell was he doing? It wasn’t just pack stuff, it wasn’t something they shouldn’t worry about. Ever since that last pack meeting.. He and Milo have been closer than usual, why should they be worried about it? They didn’t know.. But no doubt he canceled their date to go do something with him. What were they doing? No clue. Baaabe sat their phone down. They looked at the television. Had their relationship really come to this?

They saw a future with Asher. Did he see a future with another? Was Milo helping him achieve that? They could’ve just asked Milos's mate about it. But what they would be implying would be less than savory. ‘’ oh yeah I think your mate is helping mine cheat.’’ they didn’t want to involve them in this mess. This is something Asher and them needed to talk about. Whenever he chose to get home. After all instead of going out to the nice dinner you planned. 

He had decided to go out and do something with that.. Person. Hell you don’t even know them, you missed the introduction meeting. And Asher never properly introduced you two. Maybe that made you a little upset..no it made you jealous. The man who slept beside you every night. Who brought you flowers. Who’d cried with you whenever you two watched those cheesy rom-coms. The same man who built you up, so you were confident even to meet the pack. the same man you promised to spend the rest of your life with. The same damn man who you helped recover after the inversion. The same man who you comforted throughout every bad moment. Every sad one.

The man who you swore was being unfaithful.. Baaabe got up and walked over to the counter. Still lost in their thoughts. Were they just being paranoid? Were they worrying for no reason? God why was this so fucking annoying! Why did they love him so damn much? How could someone not? He is perfect.. And when he laughs.. His smile..his everything. The tears in the back of their eyes threatened to spill as they took off their engagement ring. The fact they couldn’t trust a man who would lay down his life for them.

They stopped holding back the tears as they held their ring close to their chest. Was it jealousy? Or paranoia? Because it wasn’t trust. To think one person ruined their loving home without even trying made their heart hurt more. Someone you hadn’t even met had you convinced the man you’ve known for almost 5 years was cheating on you. What was wrong with you? Did you really think so lowly of the man you planned on calling your husband? Baaabe’s legs started to feel like jelly. Shaking as if they were about to give out from up under them. 

Until they didn’t. Strong arms caught them. They always did, and they always would. They wanted to speak. They wanted to let them know how they felt. They wanted him to know they were done feeling like this. They would leave if they needed to. But they needed to speak. But once again.. Asher was calming them down. Whispering sweet nothings in their ear. Holding them. Telling them everything was going to be okay. Baaabe didn’t notice him sliding the fallen ring back on their finger. And like that, they were reminded why they loved him so much. 

Asher had no idea why his partner was crying. Was it something he did?.. Maybe.. He didn’t know. All he knew was that they were crying and he didn’t like that. He had already felt bad for canceling the date. They had spent so long planning it, and the new member needed help with something. Yeah, he could have said no.. but he couldn’t. And he guessed this was his punishment. Seeing them like this stung, but actions have consequences. 

Asher and his partner made their way to the bedroom. Asher laid them down on the sloppy mess he called a bed. They weren’t sleeping, they did look tired though. And in need of some cuddle time. Moving, some of the blankets and joining them. He wrapped them in his arms, they didn’t protest. They looked him in the eyes. 

‘’ i.. I’ll miss this..’’ baaabe muttered under their breath. Ash eyed them weirdly, before placing a single kiss on their forehead. He’d missed them too. A lot.. His worry disappeared when he saw them smile and snuggle closer into him. The warmth was overwhelming for the wolfie boy. He closed his eyes and drifted off into the sleepy lands. 

However the other in his arms could not sleep. They turned to face the other direction. The ring found its way back on their finger. The guilt began to eat at them again… he came home and wrapped you in his arms while you were crying because you were jealous of a random stranger you nothing about. You thought your man.. The one holding you.. The one who would do anything for you.. 

Baaabe felt the tears build up in their eyes again. Soon it spilled on the pillows. They couldn’t do it anymore. They couldn’t lie in the same bed. They couldn’t sit here with this one thought in their mind constantly. They needed to know he was being loyal.. There was no doubt he was being loyal. It’s Asher.. He doesn’t have a cheating bone in his body. They carefully climbed out of his arms and reached for his phone. As they unlocked it and scrolled through his messages their heart sank. Nothing.. Like they thought, Ash didn’t have a cheating bone in his body. 

They felt sick to their stomach. In the back of their mind, they hoped Asher cheated.. Hoping he wasn’t what he seemed. But.. he continued to prove them wrong… by being that same man from the elevator. The same man they fell head over heels for. The same fucking man they proposed to. The same man who cared about them more than they seemed to trust him. They didn’t deserve him.. And he deserved better. 

Baabe stood and once again they took off their ring. Placing it on the nightstand right next to his phone. They needed to go. They didn’t know where but they needed to leave. They had to go. What good was this relationship if they didn’t trust their lover? Could they just up and leave him like this?

they’d have to.. Just before they left their eyes glanced longingly at their wolf lover. Sleeping peacefully, his chest going up and down. His hair a mess over the bed, and a little line of drool going down the side of his mouth. 

The sight only caused more tears to roll down their face. Committing the sight to memory they shut the door. And walked out of his life for good. It was best this way. Or at least that’s what they’re telling themself. As they leave and start driving wherever the night will take them.  

~~~~~~

Taglist @ashertickler

[ohbo-ohno]

scene in that conqueror ghost au where he sends his best hounds into the forest to find the runaway princess <3

cw for noncon sex & rough sex & just lots of fear and anger

when she hears the hounds start barking and baying she doesn’t even think, just runs. sprints through the woods, tearing her feet to shreds and kept moving purely due to adrenaline. she’s seen ghost’s beasts tear a man limb-from-limb and play tug of war with his arm, she’s terrified to think of what they’ll do to her.

she’s tackled to the ground without any warning, sent flying and slammed to the dirt floor with a shout. there’s something heavy and hot panting on top of her, something she holds her arms over her face to try and hide from.

but it’s not a hound, it’s johnny.

johnny, who’s been her most loyal confidant and her best friend since she learned what those things were. johnny, who she’s been a little bit in love with for as long as she can remember. johnny, who at the last minute decided not to run away with her. johnny who decided he’d rather stay with her parents’ murderer, their people’s conqueror.

he’s angry and upset, his face gone red with exertion and his veins bulging from his neck. he’s panting nearly as harshly as she is when he locks both of her wrists in one hand, lifts her off the ground when he pulls her up so she’s hovering mid-air.

barks in her face, just like the hounds she can still hear hunting. “why did you do that? why did you run? you know we can’t protect you out here, you know it isn’t safe, i’ve told you a thousand times! what if someone else found you? a rebel or a raider would tear you to shreds. we’re supposed to stay with ghost, you know that. he keeps us safe.”

she rears back as far as she can, screams, “how dare you! you were supposed to run with me, you swore to protect me! you’ve betrayed our kingdom, our people, and given in to that evil brute!”

johnny’s snarl is loud and almost all anger. he slams her back to the ground without any care for her head, flips her onto her stomach when she cries out and can’t see much more than black spots in her vision.

“ghost keeps us safe,” he spits again, hand heavy on the back of her neck and keeping her forced into the dirt, one cheek squished as she desperately glares at him in her peripheral. “he’s good to me, and he’d be good to you too if you behaved. why can’t you just listen to him? he gave us everything.”

“he took everything from us-“

“not from me,” johnny’s teeth click in the air right by your ear, sweat dripping from his forehead to yours. “he taught me how to fight, how to truly fight - how to protect you. he gave me bedchambers, pillows stuffed with feathers not straw. he gave me you. how could you leave him?”

she can only bite back a sob at johnny’s words, hardly able to believe what he’s saying. “he killed my parents.”

there’s a silence, long and heavy, and then -

“maybe they deserved to die.”

she lets out a true cry at that, loud and high and all grief. she tries to struggle, can’t do more than wriggle in the dirt.

“how could you say that?!” she heaves, eyes screwed up as she desperately tries to get some sort of hold in the dirt, tries to slam herself back into him and get him off.

he’s saying something, but she’s too worked up, to lost in her cries and her panting and her pounding heartbeat, to hear him.

she goes still when he gets a hand around the bottom of her torn and dirtied skirts, can hardly believe what’s happening when she feels cool air against her thighs.

he presses against her bared behind, the thick leather of his pants smooth.

“j-johnny-“ she tries, voice hardly more than a whisper as she feels his other fiddle with his pants behind her. “johnny, what’re you-?”

“hush,” johnny says harshly in her ear, tone closer to command than comfort then it’s ever been before. “ghost gave me you. i gave myself to you, but he gave you to me. how could you run away from that?”

she cries out when she feels the best of his manhood slide between her thighs, starts fighting with a renewed vigor.

“stop, stop, you can’t-!” she tries to kick him, tries to roll from underneath him, even resorts to throwing her head back and trying to hit him. she makes no progress, just gets a growing pressure against the nape of her neck that forces her to the dirt, forces her down. “johnny, get off of me!”

“you ran from me,” johnny spits in your ear, and you recognize his tone now. it doesn’t happen often, but sometimes johnny will work himself up so much, become so enraged or impassioned about something, that he’ll begin to cry. he’s always hated it but she’s loved it, loved the vulnerability of her favorite knight, the proof of his humanity.

his voice is a little bit teary now, tense with anger but wavering too.

“you ran from me,” he repeats. “why, princess? I’ve given you everything. i thought you liked me.”

“i do,” she gasps. “i did - but if you put your cock anywhere near me i swear to you that will change. i will never again even look you in the eye.”

a small whine sounds over her shoulder, then a louder growl.

“that’s not true,” he rumbles, teeth locking onto her shoulder for just a moment, pulling away when she cries out. “ghost can make you. we’ll go back home and ghost will show you why it was stupid to run. he’ll fix all of this.”

she shouts and screams a little, continue to kick and squirm as he rearranges her skirts and ignores her completely. he tucks the bottom hem into the back of her neckline, never taking his dominant hand from her nape.

when he lines the head of his cock up against her dry entrance, she screams in fear instead of anger.

“no, no, nonono, johnny, stop! please, please, i’ll tear, you can’t-!” she heaves a breath, coughs on the exhale. “oh, please don’t, johnny, i can’t- i can’t take it.”

there’s a sound over her shoulder, something between a whine and a coo, and she thinks maybe she’s talked some sense into him. maybe he’ll even let her up, let her go-

she shouts when two of his fingers slips into her, bone dry. the sensation is uncomfortable, even the slight stretch a sting. he’s silent as he grinds his palm against her clit, doesn’t speak as he slowly works her body against her.

she cries, tries to fight every hint of unwilling arousal. but she’s never been able to fight johnny, never really been able to say no to him, and her cunt begins to leak around his digits. he slips another in, locks his teeth onto the meat of her shoulder and gnaws while he stretches her.

she continues to cry, little hiccuping breaths that make her sound like a child with a scraped knee, not a woman being brutalized by the man she trusted most.

eventually, he decides she’s ready. he pulls his face away from her skin, pushes himself up to stare down and her cheek further into the dirt in the process. she whines again when she feels him line back up at her hole, unable to speak with the way her face is squished.

she nearly screams when he sinks in. johnny isn’t as large as ghost but he’s not small, either, and he never takes his time entering her. there’s hardly a heartbeat between his tip forcing itself into her hole and his sac resting against her thighs.

he pants in her ear when he’s buried inside, ignores her whimpers and gives her a small kiss to the cheek. it only makes her cry harder, makes her squeeze her eyes tightly shut and pray this ends as soon as possible.

he’s rough when he fucks her, as he always is. ghost always says johnny’s too needy to take his time, that if she wants him to be softer she should spread her legs more often, let him rut more regularly so he doesn’t need to beg for a release before it’s given.

she always glares at that. they both know it’s not her who decides when her legs are spread, but it’s just another idea that lures johnny away from her side and to his.

they’re both nearly silent while he fucks her. she whines a bit at every thrust, air forced out of her and her head too pinned to do anything about it. he groans when she squeezes involuntarily, loud and long like he’s seeing God.

the hounds continue to bark, but they don’t sound any closer.

it doesn’t take him long to come, planting himself deep inside of her and dumping his cum. his moan is loud, comes straight from the soul and nearly rattles her bones.

his free hand, the one that’s held a bruising grip throughout the fucking, slips down her stomach. she whines again when she realizes what he’s doing.

“shh,” he soothes, the thumb on her neck stroking in soft circles just as the fingers over her clit begin to. “i have to make you feel good too. those are the rules.”

she squeezes her eyes shut with a sob, goes limp beneath his hold. those are the rules - ghost tells them that unless he says otherwise, they’re each to come once before johnny pulls out of her.

she tries to fight the climax, finds that she’s too tired, to heartbroken, to keep it from pulling her under. johnny talks her through it, she can hear and feel the rumble of his voice, but she has no idea what he says.

he only pulls out when he goes fully soft. his fingers stroke over her swollen cunt for just a moment, but obediently back away when she closes her legs.

he helps her stand, helps her lay her skirts flat. they hold eye contact for a heavy moment, both of them angry for their own reasons and unwilling to back down.

she breaks first. “please,” she rasps, glancing away from him and flushing at the crack in her voice. “please let me go, johnny.”

he makes a sad sound, wraps his arms around her shoulder and waist and tugs her beneath his chin. “this is why we need ghost. i can’t teach you properly, he’s the only one who knows how.”

she sobs into his skin, the familiarity of the hug mixed with his horrible words sending her mind reeling.

“don’t worry,” he tries to soothe. “it’ll be okay. ghost will make it all okay.”

he sounds like he’s trying to convince himself as much as he is her.

he doesn’t let go of her hand for the entire walk back to the castle. he doesn’t speak to her, and she doesn’t speak to him. the tension between them is thicker than it’s ever been, both so sure of their convictions against the other.

ghost is waiting at the castle gates when they arrive. johnny pulls her along even more quickly, seems to almost forget about her entirely when he sets eyes on ghost.

“ghost,” johnny says on a sigh, tentatively smiling as he stops just a foot or so away from the man. “i got her. see?” he gestures over at her, like she’s not the only other living thing anywhere nearby.

ghost’s smirk is evil to her, a mean curl to his lips that promises nothing but cruelty and punishment.

he steps forward until he’s nearly chest to chest with johnny, curls a hand around the nape of the man’s neck and softly taps their foreheads together.

“i see that. you did well, good boy.”

johnny fucking melts, goes loose in ghost’s grip and needs to be held up for a moment. “i didn’t run away,” he reassures, a little desperate tinge to his voice. “didn’t even think about it, not for a second.”

“hush,” ghost soothes as johnny’s volume grows, kneading at the back of his neck. “i know, pup. you’re too loyal for that, huh? you know exactly who you come home to every night.”

johnny nods, tucks his face forward into ghost’s chest and lets out a happy noise when he’s allowed to burrow as closely as he wants.

the princess’ hand is dead weight in johnny’s palm, slick with sweat and going cold as she stares with wide eyes at ghost.

it’s so much worse than she thought, she would never have imagined johnny was so twisted up in ghost’s web already.

“now,” ghost rumbles, running a hand through johnny’s sweat-slick mohawk. “how will we treat our little wayward princess a lesson?”

she raised her chin high, steels herself against the mockery in ghost’s eyes and tells herself that whatever he does, she will not cry.

he only smiles at her. he reaches out with his free hand, grips her firmly by her trembling chin and pulls her forward until she’s shoulder to shoulder with johnny. he ducks lower, until they’re on eye-level.

“i will break you princess. you’ll learn to kneel, to obey, just like my dog has. you can fight it all you want, but we both knows there’s one way this ends.”

she bites her tongue against a retort, puts all of her energy into not letting a single tear fall past her waterline.

ghost rumbles another noise, one that’s comforting to johnny at the very least, the knight burrowing further into his king’s throat.

the princess is tugged forward until ghost can wrap his other arm around her, tuck her into his chest so she’s nearly sandwiched between the two of them.

she takes a deep breath, she closes her eyes, and she does not cry.