#I came up with this at work today and now I’ve spent way too long on it. enjoy

[anystalker707]

Healing

Pairing: Vinsmoke Sanji x [gender neutral] Reader Summary: Reader seems burnt out, so Sanji does his best to help his partner feel better Tags: Boyfriend material Sanji (the usual / lots of fluff a/n: i need him carnally

MASTERLIST

          Sanji looked at the door of the galley the moment you walked in, blinking in curiosity as he observed you walk past him and right to the cabinets, all in feigned casualty. Once you closed the door to the cabinet, and he saw what you had in hand, Sanji rolled his eyes and grabbed you by the collar before you could walk away.

“Sanji…” You clicked your tongue, turning around with a sigh.

“No, no,” Sanji scoffed. “Go put it back, dear! I already told you not to eat those! I use them, and they’re hard to find!” He put his hands on his hips, brows low as he looked at you.

“But Sanji…” You recurred to pouting; it was not new that he would get soft way too easily when it came to you. “I need to munch on something! Anything!”

Sanji pointed to the cabinet, face unchanging. “Put it back, dear. Come on.”

A sigh escaped your lips as you put the jar back into the cabinet, then turned to him, still with a pout and also slumping a little now. “Why can’t I have it? No love for (y/n)? You don’t love me?” You pressed your lips together, shaking your head in disappointment.

“Quit being dramatic, you know I love you very much!” He cupped both of your cheeks and pressed a kiss to your forehead. He smiled softly, observing you for a solid minute. “What’s wrong, hm? I’ve seen you come in here a little too much today. That or the way you simply spent all day long in the quarters, like yesterday, with no in-between. What’s going on, sweetheart? I didn’t even see you work out or train for a while, and you seemed very hyped up about it.” His thumbs ran across both your cheeks, caressing them gently.

You frowned a little bit. Was it that noticeable? Maybe it wasn’t just something as pointless as you thought it’d be. The past few days had been a little too monotonous. Too long without any interesting island, summed up with the nonstop training after the last battle—which you lost terribly—, left you in that terrible state. It slowly crept in after you took the first proper break when Sanji asked you to help him in the kitchen one day.

“Don’t overthink,” Sanji said as if he could read your thoughts, playing lightly with your hair. “Just tell me, sweetheart.”

Those blue eyes looking into yours with so much worry and care… Your heart fluttered as you looked back at him for a second before averting your gaze away.

“I’m not sure,” you said with a soft sigh, wrapping your hands around his wrists and caressing them gently. “I’m kind of bored of everything. Tired, even if I’m barely doing anything. I mean, I did try to do something else, but…” You shrugged.

On the previous days, you’d helped Nami with organizing her maps and clothes and also hung out with Usopp to listen to his stories while watching him construct stuff. Luffy was showing you the beetles he’d found around the ship as well. Even with all the laughing and good time you’d spent with them, you still had the same feeling afterward. It all was so bland. You just felt the urge to do something different from the usual and to lie down all day long at the same time.

Sanji furrowed his eyebrows. “Sounds like you’re burnt out, dear. Do you think that’s it?”

Burnt out… It made sense, honestly. “Hm, maybe,” you mumbled in defeat.

“Okay, at least we already have an idea of what’s going on,” he said as he ran his fingers through your hair and kissed your cheek, pecking your lips after. “I’ll finish what I’m doing and be back in a second, okay?” He smiled before he walked away to finish the dishes he’d been preparing.

You took a seat at the dining table in the meantime, silently observing Sanji cook. Sanji was so pretty and also so caring… It made your heart flutter in your chest while your cheeks heated up. At the same time that you didn’t want to bother Sanji, you also liked it a lot when he took care of you, so you didn’t really argue. He put some platters in the fridge and others in the oven before he started cleaning everything. The only thing he neglected was drying the dishes to put them back into the cabinets, but it was for a good reason.

“I’m all yours now,” Sanji said as he took his apron off and hung it before walking over, offering you a hand. “Come on, let’s do something relaxing, my dear.”

For a moment, you observed his hand. Would his touch be overwhelming? It was a fact Sanji could be quite touchy, even more so if you already started by giving him the freedom to, hence you needed to take a moment to decide whether you wanted it. It’s not that Sanji didn��t know boundaries—he did, and he made sure to respect each one of them very so carefully—, but it was more about how hard it was to let Sanji know about them or push him away.

Holding back a sigh was difficult. You slowly slipped your hand in his and stood up, quietly following Sanji out of the galley. As much as holding his hand and being with him was nice, everything felt so bland.

The shadow cast over the back part of the upper deck, near the tangerine trees, so Sanji took you there. There was just an unending sea to be seen, so you weren’t exactly excited while leaning against the railing to observe it. Some clouds littered the sky, but not that many.

As you turned your head to the side to look for Sanji, he showed up right in front of you, pressing his lips to yours immediately. The kiss was sweet and very gentle; he was treating you as if you were made out of thin glass, placing a hand on your hip with a light touch and another on the railing as he held the kiss. Sanji pulled away only for a brief moment, kissing you once more right after. The position wasn’t the best, with your head to the side like that, but the kiss was so loving. It made you feel so loved.

Eventually, the kiss was over. Sanji’s arms wrapped around you in a hug from behind, settling themselves around your waist. He kissed your shoulder through your clothes, then rested his chin on it. His touch was so comforting.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” His voice was soft next to your ear. “But I don’t think it’s as beautiful as you. Well, I don’t think anything is as beautiful as you.” And there he went with his cheesiness again, but you wouldn’t complain about it. As pathetic as it could be, it never failed to make you all fuzzy inside.

You hummed softly in response, leaning back against him.

“Sorry for neglecting you,” Sanji whispered. “Maybe if I’d given you more attention, this wouldn’t have gotten to this point.”

“It’s my fault,” you mumbled. “Maybe I pushed myself too much.” The way you’d been so immersed in your goals only became clear now, unfortunately, but trying to get it off your head never made you feel any lighter as it should’ve.

“If I had noticed, I’m sure things would’ve been different.” He sighed softly, hugging you tighter and burying his face into the crook of your neck. It tickled a little, but it was also so nice; you could barely hold back the smile that tugged on your lips. “But I’m helping you feel better, that’s for sure.” He kissed your shoulder again, slowly loosening his grip.

Your hand reached back to Sanji’s hair, stroking it lightly. “Don’t blame yourself!”

“But—”

“Sanji,” you groaned, making him click his tongue.

“Damn it,” he whispered with an air of playfulness in his sharp tone, making you chuckle.

“If you keep blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens to me, you’ll go crazy,” you said, turning your head to kiss the side of his face.

Only silence came from Sanji for a moment until he finally moved, kissing the side of your neck a couple of times. “Can’t help it,” he sighed and straightened his posture, but kept holding you. “Let’s talk about something else, though, pardon for bringing it up, my love.” He kissed your temple.

All the little touches were making you feel fuzzy. The worries you’d had about Sanji’s touches making you overwhelmed slowly faded away—you actually wanted to melt into his arms and spend the rest of the day there. He probably noticed how you felt, nuzzling your hair gently.

For a few minutes, Sanji let the silence hang between the two of you. He just held you there while the two of you observed the sea, getting lost in thoughts for a moment. Eventually, you snapped back to reality with a deep sigh, rolling your shoulders a little.

“Sanji,” you mumbled, “can we sit down or go somewhere else? My legs are kinda tired already.”

“Of course!” Sanji let go of you with a sigh. “Let me think about something else we can do, my dear.”

Sanji’s hand wrapped around yours, taking you with him as he walked down the stairs to the main deck again. He’d left you there for a moment before coming back with a blanket, which he extended over the ground, on a spot under the shadow, before he sat down. He set a pillow over his crossed legs.

You raised an eyebrow before lying down with your head on the pillow. “We could’ve done this inside,” you mumbled, looking up at him.

“Maybe.” Sanji shrugged. “But you’ve spent way too long in the quarters already. Breathe some fresh air. Do something different.” His fingers ran through your hair, sometimes gently massaging your scalp as he played with your strands. It was weirdly relaxing, even if you weren’t in the most comfortable place. Being with Sanji itself was comfortable.

You didn’t really know at what point it happened, but the next thing you knew was that you were waking up with Sanji gently tapping your shoulder. The afternoon sun seemed to be excusing itself already, giving place to the stars. The shade of blue that took over the sky was different from the one you remembered. For how long did you sleep?

“My love,” Sanji said softly, caressing your cheek. “I need to go get dinner ready. Do you want me to carry you back to the quarters?”

A soft groan escaped your lips as you stretched, your back aching a little from lying on the floor. “Can I help you with it?” You didn’t feel like leaving Sanji’s side just yet. Even if you couldn’t feel direct improvement in your burn-out state—at least yet—, being with Sanji felt so much better than anything else. You feared it’d all get even worse if you left him now.

Sanji smiled. “Of course. Get up so I can put these away.”

You felt a little light-headed when you stood up, groaning softly. Honestly, you could feel like you’d either have a headache or just be unable to sleep later on, but it wasn’t much different from what was going on the previous days. The fact Sanji was now helping you gave you some hope, though. Some comfort.

Sanji returned before you could notice, a hand on your lower back as he smiled softly and nodded to the galley, heading there with you.

At least, your mind was empty. There weren’t many thoughts bothering you now that you helped Sanji out with preparing the dinner—practically just assembling and heating up the stuff he’d started preparing earlier. All you focused on was getting everything done, making sure it was all perfect. You weren’t exactly inexperienced when it came to the kitchen; being around Sanji for so long did give you some practice that you could rely on.

A sense of pride and accomplishment took over you as you observed the table all set now. Sanji probably felt the same thing, but not only for the cooking. He wrapped an arm around your waist, enjoying the last few moments you had alone before dinner, and pressed his lips to yours softly.

“I’m here for you, okay?” He smiled.

.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.

[sehnsuchts-trunken]

Nail Polish

Bradley Bradshaw x reader 1k words 

summary: You just did your nails. And freshly painted nails mean not touching anything. 

got the idea for this one because i did do my nails today and then also dyed my hair and so had to shower and while i was undressing had to pull down my pants with like, my fingertips, and my mind was just going “Bradley Bradshaw would NOT let me do this. he would NOT let me do this.” 

top gun masterlist | top gun blurbs

You grunted as you pinched at your waistband, trying to peel the button of your jeans away and not mess up the fresh paint you’d put on your nails - which was easier said than done. 

You probably should have just showered first. Done your nails afterwards. But you were stressed, alright, so none of this was your fault. The squad was going to be here in less than an hour and you’d only got off work at six, then had to eat, then had to get ready. In the span of like, two hours. 

With a sigh, you leaned your forehead against the mirror above the sink and closed your eyes. You had to get out of these jeans. You’d already spent way too long dwelling on it. 

A soft knock at the door ripped you from your thoughts. You looked up - it stood open (you hadn’t bothered closing it) and Bradley was leaning against the frame with an arm above his head, his knuckles resting on the wood, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

“Need some help there, baby?”, he asked. You huffed. 

“I should’ve showered first”, you pouted. “I’ve been trying to get my jeans off without ruining my nails for the past five minutes and so far I’ve done this.” 

You gestured at your opened zipper. 

It was kind of sad, really, but he knew you inside out, all the most embarassing parts of you, so you found no reason to blush and hide anything. 

“You could’ve just asked me to do it”, he chuckled, already moving away from the door and closer to you. 

“I didn’t want to bother you.” 

Your breath hitched in your throat when he came close enough to touch, sinking down on one knee in front of you. You had to swallow at the sight. One of the best navy fighter pilots in the world, down on his knees for you. It still surprised you that out of all the people on this goddamn planet, you’d somehow managed to find him and keep him. 

You’d always joked that you wouldn’t settle for a man unless he worshipped you like a goddess. 

Now, as Bradley kneeled in front of you, his hands so gently on your thighs as he worked the button on your jeans for you, as he hooked his thumbs into your waistband, grazing your skin softly, you weren’t so sure it was a joke anymore. 

It had been at first, yes. But he seemed to have made it his mission in life to treat you like a queen, and you had to say you were not complaining. No one in your place would. 

“You never bother me”, he muttered, pressing a kiss to the exposed skin of your leg as he pulled your jeans down ever so carefully. You had to fight the desire to bury your hands in his hair - for the sake of your nails. So instead, you braced your palms on the edge of the sink and watched him work. 

You lifted your feet off the floor when he motioned for you to, shifted your weight when he left a slow trail of kisses up your legs, met his eyes when he stood up and brushed his thumbs below the hem of your shirt. 

“Arms over your head”, he instructed and you followed like some senseless robot, “I’ll be careful with your nails.” 

He pulled your shirt up, slowly exposing your skin to the cool air of the bathroom, sliding it up your arms - then grabbing for your right wrist, keeping it steady as he slipped it over your hand, not catching any of your nails even once, and doing the same for your left. 

Bare in just underwear before him, maybe you should have felt indecent - embarrassed, uncomfortable, naked - but you didn’t. Even under his watchful eye, you never felt any sense of dread, only a pleasant warm haze spreading from your chest through the rest of your body. He was smiling, dropping your shirt and putting his hands to your waist instead, pulling you to him until you were pressed against him, arms crossing behind his neck as if in reflex. 

“You’re beautiful”, he muttered, and you could feel his breath on your lips. “I’m so lucky.” 

“You’re lucky?”, you chuckled. “You? Bradshaw, do you know how amazing you are? I mean-”

You were ready to ramble on about just how great he was for hours on end (you’d already proven you could do that before, when he’d said something bad about himself once and you’d set him down at the kitchen table and presented a 167 arguments-long list of why he was the absolute best) but he cut you off with a kiss, the words dying on your lips.

You nothing short of melted into him, his body so warm and comfortable and simply perfect around you, fingers snaking up to thread through the hair at the back of his head - 

He pulled back. 

There was a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He grabbed for your wrists, pulling your arms back and settling them on his chest instead. 

“Careful”, he murmured. “Don’t want to ruin your nail polish.” 

And then he was leaning in again and you forgot that you’d wanted to say “Fuck the nail polish”. 

You could only think that yes, this was the perfect example of Bradley Bradshaw, ever the gentleman. 

[babydollmarauders]

SPEAK NOW — QUINN HUGHES

quinn hughes x fem!reader

part of the Speak Now Fic List

summary: in which y/n attends her ex-boyfriend, Quinn’s wedding and can’t hold her peace

notes: barely any dialogue. like i’m so serious, very little dialogue. also not proofread and i think i hate this but it’s fine because i don’t think i could do any better and i worked way too long on this.

it was the last thing i expected.

to receive the elegant white cardstock that sits in my hand. flowers of muted colors are printed across the bottom, cursive lettering across the top.

‘You Are Formally Invited to the Wedding of Quinn Hughes & Lindsay Carter’

it’s not that i didn’t think this day would come. quite on the contrary, i feared it would come sooner. i know firsthand how special Quinn is. i knew some lucky girl would lock him down. Quinn is the type of love that you never let go.

but i did.

i made the mistake of letting go of his love.

letting go of him.

and now i’ll be forced to watch as he marries another girl. one who provided comfort and a shoulder for him to cry on when i broke his heart. one who helped him glue the pieces back together after i left.

we had both known the risks. getting together despite the warnings of his brothers. and Jack was right.

“romance is not worth risking a lifelong friendship.”

because in the end, i lost both.

i lost the love of my life and my best friend since kindergarten.

now reduced to awkward tension at conjoined family events, and pity invites to major events like these. more awkward to invite me than it is to face me afterwards, knowing that i knew what was happening and was deliberately left out.

setting the invitation on the counter, i check yes on the guest list website on my phone. confirming that i’ll be in attendance.

despite the envy that weighs heavy in my heart, and the irrational feeling of betrayal that eats at me, i know i’ll feel worse missing this milestone in Quinn’s life.

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

i’ve had months to prepare for this moment. to guard my heart and get ready to watch the only man i’ve ever loved, get married to another woman.

and in spite of that, all i’ve done is the very thing i spent the last two years keeping myself from doing.

asking about Lindsay.

i never thought they would get this far. under the impression that this was a fling and wouldn’t last long. the only thing i knew for two years was that they were opposites.

Quinn is a responsible, down-to-earth guy, focusing on feelings and equality in relationships. whereas she was more materialistic; never attending Quinn’s games unless she was guaranteed a photo opportunity, using his card to buy luxury items, and according to Jack, constantly reminding Quinn how low he had felt before she came into his life.

and now, after asking around and learning everything i could, i can guarantee that Quinn doesn’t know half the things that i do.

i can guarantee he doesn’t know that she was a bully in high school, that that mean girl attitude never left. i can guarantee he doesn’t know that she brags to all her friends that she bagged a rich fiancé and she’ll never have to work to afford her luxury lifestyle, or that she has no issue in saying he isn’t attractive but his money makes up for it. and i know he doesn’t know she’s been sleeping with her personal trainer when Quinn is out of town.

and i know what i must do today, despite my nerves.

there’s still thirty minutes until the ceremony actually begins, and no matter how much i’ve steeled myself, i’ll never be ready to face the pity filled glances and the sympathetic words of Quinn and i’s families and friends. so, i wander the halls of the stuffy church, thinking about how unlike Quinn this all is.

perhaps he’s changed his mind since we had fantasizingly planned our own wedding. laid in bed, the golden sunrise lighting his face in a greek god-like way, speaking in hushed whispers, discussing our dream wedding. nothing like this one.

my feet pause on their own accord as yelling reaches my ears, and i identify the sound coming from an open door down the hall as Lindsay.

“are you stupid?” her voice drifts out of the room, carried by the empty space. “i told you to get nude heels, not cream!”

i make quick work to pass by the room, catching just a glimpse of the blonde bride, her fluffy white gown swallowing her.

heaving out a relieved sigh, i try to ignore the pounding in my chest, turning left down the hall and towards the main room. maybe it’s best for me to just get the pity and commiseration over with.

my heels click against the hardwood floor of the crowded room, and a hush falls over most of the right side. Quinn’s side.

scanning the room, i’m grateful to find Trevor and Cole. i know Quinn’s family is with him getting ready, but i at least have these two to bring me some comfort amongst the sea of strangers.

“y/n, you came!”

pop! the comfort bubble has broken. i thought i could trust Cole to treat me normally, but the gentle incredulous tone of his voice tells me otherwise. a mix of shock and sympathy.

“yeah, of course i did.” my lips quirk in a forced smile, shoving any resentment and nerves down deep inside me. “i wouldn’t miss Quinny’s big day.”

“y/n/n, you know you don’t have to act strong in front of us, right?” Trevor’s hand rubs my arm, providing the perfect grounding for me.

“yeah, no, i know that.” i nod. “but seriously, guys, i’m fine. i knew this day would come.”

“it’s not too late.” Cole jokes. “the priest does say that whole ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’ thing, right?”

i let out a genuine chuckle at the deep and ominous tone he uses to imitate the priest; the first real laugh i’ve had all day. if only he knew.

i join Trevor and Cole in finding seats, sitting in the 4th row. not quite at the front, but also not quite the middle. i perch in the seat closest to the aisle, open for a quick getaway if needed.

the guys engage me in small talk, asking me about my job and frowning when i give the generic answer of ‘it’s okay.’

but i couldn’t tell them the truth, could i? that i hated it. that i regretted ever taking it. that it wasn’t the job that was bad, but rather that i was filled to the brim with resentment that it took me away from the man i love.

i knew i had brought it upon myself. i made myself this miserable. i chose this job over him. i got the internship and thought Quinn and i could withstand the distance while i was in Boston, but i was wrong. we didn’t make it more than two months before i was forced to watch our relationship crumble before me; knowing there was nothing i could do to fix us, i had to let him go.

i knew he would live on. i knew he would be able to put our relationship in the past. but i was only more disconsolate than ever. stuck in a mournful heartbreak. unable to move on and unwilling to try.

i’m shaken from my thoughts by Cole, who points out the mother of the bride walking down the aisle, signifying that the ceremony is getting underway.

i strain my back, twisting around in my seat. my eyes are drawn to the open double doors, where Quinn makes his entrance. his parents on either side of him.

my heart races in my chest, my nerves settling low within my stomach. he looks breath taking. but i can’t help noticing the lack of spark in his eyes. the once lively eyes that used to be so full of emotion, now seem empty.

my gaze tracks his movement, following as he walks down the aisle and to the altar, coming to a stop in front of the priest. his parents take their seats as he scans the room, seemingly searching, and when our eyes meet, he seems to stiffen. his back straightening and his jaw locking.

i can only hope my eyes convey everything i’m thinking.

i’m sorry.

please don’t do this.

his brothers are quick to follow down the aisle, decked out in navy blue suits, joining him at the altar as his groomsmen.

Jack’s lips quirk up in a smirk when he sees me, and he sends me a wink, but i can’t muster anything more than a simple straight lipped expression.

the next 20 minutes go by in a blur, a haze of bridesmaids and eventually Lindsay making her entrance.

“dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore - is not by any - to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly - but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly.”

the priest begins, and i’ve been to enough weddings to know what comes next. steeling my nerves, i take a deep breath in, letting it escape back past my lips with a silent whoosh.

“should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

a silence falls over the room, the priest looking out over the seated crowd.

my hands tremble by my sides, anxiety growing deep within me, but i know this is my last chance.

i rise to my feet, slowly and shakily. i can hear whispers start from the left side of the room, and i glance around to find everyone staring at me with horrified looks. everyone but Quinn’s immediate family and friends.

Jack and Luke share a glance before letting out relieved sighs; but i’m only focused on Quinn, who stares back at me with wide eyes and parted lips.

“go on.” the priest urges me, an annoyed expression painting his face.

Lindsay’s face turns red, hands balled into fists at her sides.

“don’t say ‘yes’.” i plead of Quinn.

“y/n-” he sighs, and my heart skips a beat in my chest, the well-known effect he has on me.

“you need to hear me out.” i beg. “Quinn, i’m sorry. i’m sorry i let us go, i’m sorry i didn’t fight harder for us, and i’m sorry i ever even took that stupid internship. but even if i’m too late to win you back, you deserve better than this.

“she’s been using you for your name and your money.” i continue, but Quinn squeezes his eyes shut in disbelief. whether he’s in disbelief of Lindsay or me, i can’t be sure. “and she’s been cheating on you.”

gasps sound out across the room and his eyes snap open wide again. his gaze flickers between me and his bride, who has now turned a pale white; all color draining from her face at my accusation.

“she’s lying! she just wants you to herself! she had her chance and she lost it and now she doesn’t want you happy.” Lindsay cries out.

“i have it on good authority that she’s been sleeping with her trainer when you’re out of town. you know i wouldn’t say anything if i weren’t completely sure. if i didn’t have proof.” i tell him “and you don’t deserve that. you deserve someone who will be absolutely head over heels, purely, and loyally in love with you. and i’m not saying that i’m that person for you. this isn’t me begging for a second chance, even if i am still out of my mind in love with you. i just can’t stand idly by and watch you make a mistake. i can’t let you marry her without knowing the truth.”

i take a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. silence plagues the room, astonishment written all over the faces over every guest in attendance.

“okay, that’s all i wanted to say.” i purse my lips and nod, stepping out into the aisle. my heels click against the floor as i make my exit, not staying to see the outcome of my outburst.

***

i sit on my couch, staring at my hands fidgeting in my lap; my phone shut down entirely and sitting face down on the coffee table in front of me, not ready to face the consequences of my earlier actions.

a movie plays on my tv, but i pay no attention, only having put it on in attempt to escape my thoughts and avoid the quiet.

it’s been approximately twelve hours since i objected to my ex’s wedding. now midnight, and my anxiety has not lessened. i have no clue whether Quinn carried on with his marriage or if he took my words to hold the truth. too afraid to find out.

i’m broken out of my trance by a heavy knock sounding out on the door of my apartment, and i stand frantically. i expect that it’s Jack or one of the many other friends in attendance of the wedding this afternoon, but my heart rate picks up when i look through the peephole to find the very man i confessed my love to today.

my hand shakes as i unlock the door, opening it to reveal Quinn. he’s no longer in his tux, rather adorning sweatpants and a t-shirt, but he still looks handsome to me.

“Quinn.”

“i didn’t say my vows.” he rushes out.

“what?” i question, fearing i heard him wrong.

“i didn’t say my vows.” he repeats, pushing past me and into my entry hall. “she tried to deny what you told me, but i trust you. i held my ground, and she confessed everything. you were right.”

“Quinn, please.” i plead. “i’m happy that you’re not upset with me but i can’t-”

“i’m so glad you were there.” he cuts me off, snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him. “were you telling the truth?”

“Quinn, you just said she confessed-” i push against his chest, tears gathering in my eyes.

“about being sorry. about still being in love with me. were you telling the truth?” he clarifies, his free hand coming up to hold both of mine in his clutch, and my arms go slack.

“yes.” the tension in the air is palpable, and i’m unsure whether it’s worrisome or comforting.

“say it again.” he breathes out, a subtle smile resting on his lips.

“i love you.” a lone tear spills over my waterline, rolling down my cheek. “i am absolutely and irrevocably in love with you.”

his lips crash upon mine in a bruising kiss, finally letting go of my hands in favor of resting his right one against my cheek. i stiffen against him, seizing up in his hold, and he pulls back. his eyes scan my face, his face etched in worry.

“did i do something wrong?” a hoarse whisper, our faces still millimeters apart.

my hands raise to cup the back of his neck, pulling his lips back down to mine. my eyes flutter shut,this time it’s slow and passionate; holding my heart on my sleeve as i pour my soul out to him in the form of a kiss.

he pulls away, pressing his forehead against mine, but my eyes remain shut. we’re both silent, nothing but the sound of our mingling breaths and the tv lowly drifting in from the other room.

“i love you too.”

[slutforleeminho]

Here is a cute little Bangchan drabble i thought of last night while trying to sleep:)

warnings: marking, hickey, jealousy, suggestive

you walked into your boyfriends room after showering and putting on one of his hoodies that was so big on you that the sleeves hung past your wrists and the hem reached your lower thighs, almost to your knees. today was the first time you and bangchan properly spent time together in weeks due to his busy schedule. but he made sure to show you just how much he missed you by fucking your brains out and sending you off to shower while he changed the sheets, so that when you got back you two could cuddle.

he was now sprawled out on the bed mindlessly scrolling through his phone. he noticed the slight click from you closing and locking the door and raised his head to meet your gaze. you flashed him a big smile and giggled, just so happy to be with him.

“that’s crazy” he smiled back at you while hitting the button on the side of his phone to power it off.

“what is?” you questioned

“you were in such a bad mood earlier and now you’re like a ray off sunshine. it’s crazy how a little bit off dick can change you.” he laughed as your jaw dropped and you approached the bed.

“i’m literally gonna kill you!” you swatted at his arm but he swiftly dodged it.

he gasped and slapped his hand over his heart as if he was hurt by your words. you crawled across the bed until you were right next to him, wrapping your arms around his waist and laying you head on his chest. “i’m just kidding chan! i wouldn’t kill you. who would fuck me if you weren’t here?”

“i’m sure the other members would love to” he scoffed.

“oh i know they would”

“what do you mean?!?!” his voice was high pitched as he asked you.

“i’ve seen the way they look at me. but it’s fine cause i’m looking too.”

“you’re what?!”

you lifted your upper body to lean on your elbows. “ oh come on chan. you know i love you and would never do anything but they are attractive.”

he didn’t respond.

“chan? baby?” you cupped the side of his face, making him look at you. you were met with a quiet “hmm” “please forgive me?” you knew he wasn’t actually upset, he was just being playfully dramatic. he never cared if you looked at other people or not, as long as you always came back to him.

“promise you won’t look at the other members”

“i promise” you inched forward until your lips met. it was nothing to much, just a few soft and sweet pecks to his pouty lips. “do you wanna leave your mark?” his eyes widened and a big smile grew on his face. “can i?” he was already so eager. “of course you can”

he hovered over you and brushed your hair out of your face and leaned down to your neck to scan over his favorite place to mark you— right behind your ear, where most people wouldn’t see it unless you wore your hair up, and he knew you only really wore your hair up when you were at the dorms— it was like his signature.

he started licking and sucking, trying to make sure it was dark and would last awhile. “it tickles” you giggled and started to jerk away from him but tried your best to sit still for him. once he deemed it was good enough he sat back and admired his work.

“does it look good?” you asked teasingly.

“of course it does. everything looks good on you”

“no i think it looks good cause these pretty lips put it there.” you ran your index finger across his bottom lip.

“nonsense” he replied

“oh shut up and cuddle with me, idiot” you pulled him down on top of you.

“now that i won’t argue with”

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 300 FOLLOWERS <33

@yumiblogs @fawnpeaks

[milktei]

hi! i really fell in love with your “again” fic with sakusa. it was so amazing & i really liked how you wrote it. i was wondering if you can write another fic with that same concept but with suna?

Fine

Suna Rintarou x Reader

Genre: Angst, hurt/comfort

Warnings: Suna is probably a bit ooc. not edited

Requests: Open

a/n: first of all i would like to let anon know HOW SORRY I AM FOR TAKING LITERALLY OVER A YEAR TO POST THIS. I LOVE YOU ANON AND IF YOU ARE STILL IN THE FANDOM I HOPE THIS IS OKAY. THIS WAS HALF FINISHED IN MY DRAFTS FOR SO LONG AND I FINALLY BIT THE BULLET

on another note requests are still open somehow but i can’t guarantee that they will be finished efficiently :’)

You weren’t sure when the rift started.

You two were happy, at least you thought you were.

He would bring you little gifts after practice, eat meals with you any chance he got, either plan or agree to go on dates with you.

Until he didn’t.

Maybe he got too comfortable after so long of together. Maybe he thought he didn’t need to do much to woo you anymore. To an extent he didn’t, but him completely failing to put any effort into the relationship hurt.

He was on his phone more, staying at practice late, practically ignoring you when you would hang out, all without any explanation.

One date. One night not spent in an apartment is all you asked for.

After weeks of trying he finally agreed. An awkward dinner were trying to keep a conversation going felt like pulling teeth.

Your displeasure with him was palpable from when you got in the car all they way to his apartment where you two now stood.

“What is it?” he asked with annoyance ringing through the air.

You sighed as you sat on the couch “I…” you swallowed, almost afraid to tell him “I’m not very happy with how today went.”

Suna scoffed, “You’re talking as if that’s fault or something.

You winced “Well it didn’t seem like you were enjoying yourself either.”

He raised an eyebrow at you tone and threw his arms in the air. “I did what you asked y/n! We went on that damn date didn’t we? I even invited you over! What more could you possibly want?”

Time seemed to slow down in that moment. What more could you possibly want? Surely he knew? How could you possibly answer that without making him even more mad?

Clenching your hands, staring angrily at the ground, you could only say what came to mind.

“How did we end up like this Rin? It’s like we’re strangers again.”

For a moment you could have sworn you saw a shift in his posture, a subtle recoil, but it disappeared in a moment and was replaced by a more rigid stance.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you y/n but I’ve been feeling just fine. if you don’t like it you can just leave.”

The venom in his words was unlike anything you have ever heard come from his mouth. This wasn’t the man who you fell in love with. The man who stuttered endlessly when he first asked you out. The same man who took pictures of you any chance he could because you always looked good in his eyes.

No. This man was aloof, uncaring, detached.

He was not your Suna Rintarou.

“Fine.”

A beat of silence.

“Fine?” Suna echoed back. You hated that you couldn’t read any emotions in the tone of voice he used.

“Fine,” you said feeling more confident with your decision.

No longer feeling cemented to where you sat, you grabbed your bag from the couch, storming to the front door where you ripped open the closet to grab your coat. as you jammed your feet into your shoes you took a couple deep breaths.

“So you’re leaving? Just like that?”

You inhaled sharply and turned to him, angry tears filling your eyes. “You don’t get to talk to me like that,” you pointed at him accusingly “not after everything you did, not after everything I did to try to make this work. This isn’t my fault and you don’t get to make it seem like it was.”

The only sound that filled the room was your angry breathing and in a moment you turned on your heel and left the apartment

——————

That memory from months ago rang clear in your mind as you stared at the man in front of you dumbfounded. There he was, standing at your door. He nervously scratched the back of his head as he held out a bouquet of flowers to you

The state he was in was nearly a mirror image of when he first asked you out.

“I’m sorry.”

You had half the mind to slam the door in his face.

But you didn’t

That lovesick part of your brain that you desperately tried to shove back wriggled its way free and you take back the man that had put you through so much pain.

That leads to where the two of you are right now. Months after he showed up with those flowers.

You had initially planned to go to the mall alone, just to buy a friend a gift for their upcoming birthday.

Suna had the day off and when you told him of your plans, he surprised you by asking to tag along.

While at first you were elated to be in his company. A cloud of dread sat in the back of your mind.

He was trying, you could give him that.

Flowers, home cooked meals, cafe dates, and daily calls. Everything you could’ve dreamed and asked for all those months ago.

That was the problem though. He was doing everything you begged for and now you couldn’t tell for the life of you if it was genuine or not.

It was irrational and unhealthy to be thinking this way. To think that Suna was only being a better boyfriend because you asked him to and not because he actually wanted to.

But how could you think any other way with how he had treated you before?

Still, you walked through the mall with him, hand in hand, just like before.

A particular shift caught you eye in a store, one that wasn’t your friends style, but definitely yours. Suna could tell from the look in your eyes that you liked it.

“You thinking of getting that shirt babe? I can get it for you.”

You looked at him like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar and forced out a giggle “No thank you Rin, I was just looking.”

His smile faltered the tiniest bit “Alright.”

The rest of your shopping trip was uneventful and you eventually found what you were looking for.

It was when you got in the car that he tried again, “Why don’t we grab some ice cream before we go home? There’s a new place on the way to your apartment.”

He rejoiced at the subtle excitement that showed on your face

“Only if you would like to. We don’t have to.”

He nearly groaned in despair at your response.

“y/n”

You stiffened in shock at the seriousness in his voice “Yes?”

“Somethings bothering you.”

it wasn’t a question, it was a statement that Suna was waiting for you to confirm.

“What are you talking about?”

He sighed “I’m not going to sit here in silence again when I know somethings wrong. Something has been wrong for a while now.”

“Nothings wrong!” you shout defensively. Shocking even yourself. You turn your gaze to your lap and nervously wrench your hands together.

Silence filled the car

“Well now I’m even less inclined to believe you.”

You let out a sad chuckle at his response and take a deep breath before telling him what’s been on your mind since you got back together.

“It just feels like nothing will ever be like how it used to be.”

He kept silent and you took it as a cue to keep talking. You weren’t sure you would be able to stop even if you tried

“How am I supposed to act like nothing happened! They way you spoke to me back then…and then expected me to stay, getting mad at me for “throwing away” what we had, even though you knew I was unhappy.”

Tears fill your eyes but Suna dared not invade your space in a moment so vulnerable

“Then all of a sudden you come back and I can’t find it in myself to day no because I wanted you to do better so badly- and you are!

You’re putting more effort into this, but I can’t help but feel bitter sweet because I can only think about how your only trying because I asked. I wonder everyday if any of this is genuine or if you’re just comfortable having me around and then one day you’ll realize that this isn’t for you and leave again.”

The amount of despair that filled Suna was immeasurable. His mind filled with doubt and screamed at him at all the ways he could’ve done better and how he never deserved you.

Still, he reached out a hand and waited for you to grab it.

“I should have never let you leave that day y/n. I knew that from the moment that door shut, but I was too stupid, too proud, too afraid of what would happen if I chased after you.”

His grip tightened, “and like a coward I waited, hoping that maybe you would come back instead of me having to take that step.”

Suns let out a self deprecating laugh “It took me way too long to realize that’s what got us into this mess in the first place. Me waiting for all you love on a silver platter when you got none in return.”

He turned as much as he could in his spot and grabbed your other hand. You looked up at his face and almost gasped at the amount of love and earnest that showed on a normally expressionless face.

“I understand that you think that I may only be putting this much effort because you asked. But you shouldn’t be afraid to ask y/n, not anymore. Trust me, while I am doing what you asked it’s also because I want to make you happy. Every time I think about that day I get so angry at the fact that I made you so desperate for the bare minimum.”

“Please y/n, anything you want just ask and I will do everything in my power to make sure that I don’t make you sad again.”

You couldn’t help yourself and leaned across the centre console of the car, hugging him as best as you could as tears finally began to flow.

“How do I know this isn’t just going to go back to the way it was? You could very easily fall back into that habit.” You said through sobs.

“I know” Suna sighed

You pulled back “You know?”

“I know” he confirmed, “but I promise to do whatever I can to make this right y/n, you tell me if your unhappy and I will do my best to fix whatever I’ve done and ensure that we’ll be fine.”

A beat of silence filled the car before you let out a small laugh through your sobs. Suna’s heart fluttered at the first sound of happiness you let escape for the first time in a while.

You lifted a hand and messily wiped away your tears, “This is an awful place to have a heart to heart moment���

He smiled at you with all the love under the sun and cupped your cheek. “There’s a lot that we still need to work through, it’ll take some time. But how about I take you to that ice cream place first?”

You beamed at him, “Okay”

Yeah, you two would be just fine.

[adventuresinobx]

A Trip to the Alps

Drew Starkey x fem!reader

Summary: Your boyfriend Drew invites you to join him for some golfing weekend in the Swiss Alps. Your only interest is sharing the hot tub with him to help relieve his aching muscles in more ways than one.

A/N: OK I really am back this time around, I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get this up, but here’s some hot tub sex with Drew because let’s be honest who wouldn’t want to have sex with this man in a hot tub... Shout out to my bestie @starkeyobx​ for giving me the details of the idea!

Warnings: All the smut - sex in a hot tub, the usual x

Drew had to head to some event in Switzerland and was offered a plus one. Frankly, if he hadn’t been offered a plus one, he’d still find a way to get you there. You two had been together for several months now, but work kept you apart enough as it was, so when you found out he was heading abroad for some special golf event, you wanted to come too. He was grateful to have you there. In his career, he’d seen so many places in the world but it was obviously different when he had someone special by his side - and you were that person to him.

“How was golf today baby? Did you win?” you asked as you heard Drew let himself into the alpine style lodge you were staying in with him. It was beautiful; there was so much wood everywhere, views of the mountains for days, and a big balcony with a hot tub on it. Perfect for the pair of you to relax in after a long day. Even at this time of year, the snow was still falling over the Alps and it made quite the beautiful scene. You’d spent the days on the balcony wrapped in (Drew’s) warm clothes and painting the scenes in front of you. Work had been hectic for you recently, so you definitely needed all this time to enjoy yourself and do something a little different.

He came behind you, arms wrapping around your body tightly as he crouched down and looked over your shoulder at what you were painting. He loved how you managed to capture the scenes in front of you so perfectly and how you just had an eye for drawing. He could sit and admire your paintings every single day.

“Exhausted. My muscles are aching. I think I’ve walked seven kilometres today,” he murmured, his arms still wrapped tight around you as you put your paintbrush down and gave him your full focus. He glanced to the side, his eyes landing on the hot tub nearby. "Think it might finally be time to get that going, don't you think?"

It only took 10 minutes for Drew to fire it up and he was already waiting for you in it when you returned to the balcony in your favourite bikini and a big fluffy hotel dressing gown draped around you.

"There's my girl," he mumbled, scooting over in the hot tub to make more space for you. You would have rathered him stay where he was mind, so you could be sat even closer together. Ignoring his plan to give you more space, you just settled yourself on his lap and took his hands, wrapping them around your waist. His camera was perched nearby and you grabbed it, turning it so you could snap a picture of the two of you together. It was a digital camera, housed in an old fashioned styled one, and a gift from his mom. He never went anywhere without it. It was the third person in your relationship,  but you loved it and the way he captured your memories. There was nothing better than seeing life from his eyes.

"Smile baby," you said, leaning back into him as you took a few photos. In true photographer fashion, Drew had always encouraged you to take more than one photo. He kissed you softly on the head for another photo, his eyes trailing the path your hands made as you placed the camera on the table.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing your head softly as he took in the view of you and also the surroundings. It was truly beautiful, the way the sky was almost dark blue as day turned to night. There were hardly any lights,so the stars and moon lit up the clear sky. It was beautiful. Light pollution in Los Angeles, which you both called your home, was insane but out here in the middle of the Swiss Alps, you could see the sparkling of the stars stretching right out in the distance.

"I love you too." You turned around to cuddle into him, adjusting comfily in your seat (his lap). You felt your bikini top, a little tight, almost painfully tug at your body. You shifted uncomfortably, stretching around to tug at the strap. "Do you mind -" you asked, already knowing the answer. He reached around to help untie it for you, carefully and delicately undoing the strings as you held it onto your body and sunk under the water to keep away from prying eyes from nearby rooms whilst it was still a little bit light. Once under the water, you tossed it onto a nearby chair and resumed your position on his lap.

"So much better," you sighed, leaning your back on his shoulder and Drew's hands moved to your tummy. He rested them on your bare skin, smiling at you as he gently dragged his arms around your body. You sighed, mumbling into his skin as you turned your head and buried yourself in his neck. You pressed a kiss to his neck, grinning into the kiss as you heard a little moan escape from his lips. He had told you once, whilst drunk, that he didn’t really moan in bed - but it wasn’t that he wasn’t enjoying it, it was just one of those things he didn’t realise he had been missing until he met you.

“Baby, gotta stop that,” he mumbled, his hands moving eagerly all over you as he explored your body like it was the first time again. “Making me feel too good.”

“That’s the aim,” you teased back, only sucking harder on his neck now and leaving a little purple shaped bruise there to tell everyone he was yours. Hopefully someone could cover that when he had to have his interview for the event he was at the next day.

“Fuck,” he groaned out, pulling you around so you were now facing him and straddling his lap. You made a point to push your hips down on his, letting him feel you against him. The water almost escaped from between the two of you as you wiggled yourself and your hips down on him. He was desperate for more, pulling and clutching at your body to feel more of you. He tugged you onto him and let his hands explore your body, moving up and down your bare sides and gently massaging your wet skin and making your mind race.

He needed more of you and rushed to tug at the little strings on your bikini bottoms. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured letting his kisses trail down your chest to your breasts. He used his body to hold yours up, exposing you to the cool air surrounding you. He attached his lips to your nipple, running his tongue over the hard nub. He swirled his tongue in slow circles, moving his hand up to play with the other one. It felt so good; his tongue moving across your hot burning skin. He flicked his tongue furiously over your nipple, only spurred on by your desperate moans and your hands clawing at his body.

“I love you, I love you,” you said, your words being punctuated by moans as you grinded yourself down on his lap. “Need you inside me, need to feel you stretching me out, please,” you said, your lips against his ear.

He couldn’t even reply, furiously pulling your bikini bottoms off as he pulled his own swimming shorts down too. He held himself in his hand, stroking himself a few times as he lined himself up with you. “Sure you’re wrt enough for me?” he said with a grin on his face, biting his lip. He scanned down your body too, looking at your beautiful skin through the ripples of the water. “Hips up baby,” he mumbled, his lips against your skin as he ran the tip of his dick over your soaking wet core a few times.  You bit your lip, bracing yourself for it as he pushed inside you. Your hands were desperately gripping at his shoulders as he did. Immediately there was the feeling of stretch and warmth and a fire ignited inside you.

He helped you ease down on him, you still gasping and moaning about his size like every time before. “Cmon be a good girl and bounce for me,” he groaned, his hands moving to rest under your bum to help you with your movements. Once you were ready and could cope with the stretch, he helped to lift you up and then you sunk down on him again, matching each other’s movements in perfect harmony as you enjoyed him making you feel so incredible. You were squeezing around him, tightening with every movement and your whole body was electric with whatever he did. He grabbed at your waist, pulling himself closer to you as you rocked your hips with his. The speed and positioning matched so perfectly.

You rolled your hips in circles, his hands on your hips as he helped you control the movements the perfect amount as you felt that familiar build up in your stomach. You started tensing around him, him feeling you squeeze his cock and sending him hurtling over the edge too. “That’s it baby, keep pulsing around my cock.” His filthy words were sending you crazy and you could barely contain yourself with all feelings. Love, passion, and complete euphoria. He moved his hand down between your bodies, brushing his fingers against your clit as you rocked your hips slowly as your orgasm approached. You rode out your high, him thrusting up into you at a blinding pace as he chased his own high, it moments away too.

He felt you tense around him and that final squeeze sent him into orgasm too. A few more thrusts in as you orgasmed yourself had him coming hard. As he came, his head fell on your shoulder, his breathing so heavy and desperate. “I love you,” he mumbled, his lips hot against your shoulder as he placed fever kisses on your skin.

“I love you too.”

taglist (pls let me know if you want to be added 🥰)

@starkeyobx @gryffindorpouge11 @jjmaybankmakesmecry @pankhoeforlife @bayy2452 @proactivelytypeofgirl @hoebx @fangirlfree @severa-kane @lovedetlost @slutforsmutsstuff @raiinyhood @samxslaughter @valeriiecameron @burgstead @mayceelou @my-baexht-ls @i-always-come-back-xoxo @0fucsgivenon @heesbestlover @storytellingwitht @ishipit1420 @fiction-is-life @im-julessssss @meadzy2 @onmykneesforrafe @strokesofstokes @wannabestarkeysgirl @babeyglo @infatuatedjanes @ailee-celeste @malums-trash-can @itsalexwin @kkmstblog

[annikin-annotates]

Lady of the Lake

Hi y’all! I’m so glad to be writing this for my dear kindred spirit for her 1,000 followers celebration! I hope you all enjoy the One Shot I’ve created using Hozier's Butchered Tongues as my base. Congratulations my dear @arcielee, you deserve all the love you receive, I hope this lives up to your expectations!. 

Let me know if you would like to be added to my taglists!

Happy reading.

Pairing: Aemond x Siren!Reader

Word Count: 3,069 (Nice)

Warnings; Blood, mentions of death, thoughts of ripping Aemond limb from limb. Minors DNI 18+

Chosen lyrics; They are buried without scalp in the shattered bedrock of our home.

The lake had been covered in misty fog, its eerie tendrils dancing just above the surface of the water, if one looked close enough they could see water sprites at work. Humans believed that magic was gone from the world, but if they only looked a little closer they would see that it was still here, barely; like the final embers on a candle wick. 

She lived beneath the surface of a pond, a safe haven under the ever changing waters of the stream that flows into it. It was always quiet in her small pond, the blue gills and catfish her only company. Though she would not say that it was entirely awful, it may be secluded and quiet but it was always safe, and being safe meant staying alive. 

Trees twisted and wrapped their way around one another, strangling one another for a chance at seeing the sun, oh how she longed for the sun’s warmth. The dense dark green thickets surrounding the edge of the lake, pointed thorns dipping into the water, another reminder of the cage she had put herself in. 

She slipped below the surface once more, sinking to the mossy floor, her head resting on a mossy rock, staring up at the underside of the lily pads. She spent the rest of her day hunting catfish and playing with the small water spiders that skimmed across the surface of the water.

She spent her night curled up in a patch of Hydrilla, its green tips making a space in the water. She stared up into the inky expanse and wondered what it was like above the surface. She wondered if perhaps one day, she too could walk amongst them. She had walked on land before, some centuries ago when she was only a girl.

Back when humans knew and respected the creatures that dwell out of sight, the rulers of nature. For a time they had lived in peace, silently walking amongst them, helping when needed, fighting in wars that were not ours, and aiding the sick with cures and magic long forgotten by mankind.

Somewhere along the path, we had become a threat, a danger to humans, they began to push them back into the woods and lakes, away from civilisations. Her mother was forced from her job as a maid in a keep not far from where she dwelled, it was not long after that, they began to cull them. All her family were snuffed out within a night, now all of them laid at the bottom of the God’s Eye.

All except her. 

She shook the thoughts from her head, she couldn’t bear to think about it any more. She reached a webbed hand toward the starry sky, the rippled surface obscuring the true beauty of it. Her arm came to rest by her side, disturbing the sediment as she sighed, an air pocket travelling all the way to the surface.  

Shimmering sunlight awoke her from her slumber, she sat up and stretched her arms and leant forward to stretch her back, the dorsal fin waying with the current. Perhaps today she would sun herself on the boulder in her lake, enjoy the sound of birdsong and they trickling water. The warmth of the flat rock warmed her cold flesh, her tail swishing in the clear water beneath her. 

The sun had just begun to beam down into her pond, refracting different colours like light onto a thousand precious gems. She spent time braiding her hair down the length of her back, small river flowers delicately weaved into it. She hummed the melody of a song her mother used to sing to her when she was young, the same one she would use to lure men to their watery graves. 

The sound of approaching hooves sent her beneath the water again, resurfacing in the safety of the water reeds. Directly across from her was a lithe man knelt by the running water of the stream, drinking handfuls of water. He was marvellous to look at, his deep green clothes and gold trimmed armour and his hair that looked like spun silver fluttering in the gentle wind. 

A familiar primal feeling came over her, it was stronger than she had ever felt before: have him, have him, devour him, feast upon his bones, it chanted. It frightened her, but she followed the feeling, diving below the water once more only to look at him from between the reeds. She could see all the features of his face now, a strong chin and pronounced nose and eyes that glittered like amethysts in the sun. He was handsome, but she could taste the sadness permeating from him, the wish to be anywhere other than where he was, she empathised with him. 

‘Come and find me,’ she whispered, edging him closer and closer to the water ‘Let me free you from your burdens,’ she cooed, watching him fall deeper and deeper under her spell. 

He was within her grasp, she surfaced from beneath the water, scaled chest glimmering in the sunlight, a webbed hand extended for him to take. Their fingers ghosted one another, his hands were soft and warm while hers were cold and slippery, ‘Come to me, my sweet,’ she hummed melodically. She could practically feel her teeth sinking into his flesh, tearing him limb from limb, the thought sent her milky eyes rolling back into her head. 

A woman with long dark hair grasped his shoulder, pulling him from her carefully laid trance, “You mustn’t venture too close to the water, my Prince,” she said firmly. By the time he had flicked his eyes towards the other woman and back to the water, she was gone. 

“Why?” she heard him ask, standing from the waters edge, his eyes hadn’t yet left the spot where he saw her. 

“Dark creatures lurk below the surface of these waters,” the woman replied, though the conversation had become less clear the further they ventured from the water. 

The woman in the water haunted him for days after returning to Harrenhal, the word she spoke to him ringing in his ears, ‘Let me free you from your burdens,’ she had said. She was slowly consuming him, mind, body and soul, and he had no desire to break free from her hold. He would never forget the feeling of being lured by her, both horrifying and euphoric. 

He saw flashes of her everywhere, peeking around corners, the melody of birdsong and in his dark haired lover. He saw her in the pursuit of his own high, chasing her from the recesses of his mind, Alys’ face slowly morphing into the face he saw below the water. Aemond could almost feel her talons ghosting along his skin, leaving rippling heat in its wake.

The feeling of fangs pressing against the column of his throat sent him into a frenzy of thrusts, his large hands guiding the body above him. The melodic song he had heard from her, guiding him like a boat through a tempest, had driven him over the edge. ‘Aemond,’ Alys moaned, though he heard only the melodic voice of the woman in the water. 

He didn’t dare look up at her, instead he slipped from beneath her, choosing to stand at the windowsill, looking over the God’s Eye, wondering about her. Slender fingers and soft lips trailed over his shoulder and down his arm, and yet it did not stoke the fire that burned deep within him as it usually did. 

“It’s her, isn’t it?” Alys asked her nose softly nudging the nape of his neck, her hands never leaving him.

Aemond thought for a moment, “Yes,” he replied, a cold edge to his voice. 

Alys pulled away from him, recoiling from the coldness of the  response “I see,” she said, clearing her throat. “I shall leave you be, my Prince,” she continued, making her way to where her clothes lay. She dressed silently and left through the servants corridor, to remain unseen. 

—

Muffled dragon cries woke her abruptly from her slumber, she broke the surface of the water, a panicked gasp tearing from her as she looked helplessly at the sky. She looked around her, as flickering embers and ash fell from the sky, she couldn’t stay here. Today would be the day where she would face her fears and leave the safety of her pond.

She heaved herself up through the bramble that surrounded her pond, thorns pricking and scratching her tender skin, half blind from the sun. Her legs wobbled as she took a few steps before breaking out into a stumbling run, similar to that of a newborn foal. She cried out in pain as she began to run, nothing good could come from two dragons warring above, she needed to clear out of the pond, she could return when it was safe. 

The pain in her legs and feet was extraordinary, each log she cleared felt as though she was stepping on shards of glass when she landed. It was so loud, the overlapping shouts of soldiers, the clanking of armour and screeching of metal on metal, it was cacophonous; it reeked of self assured destruction. Every bone inside her wanted to turn around and leap back into the safety of her pond, but now wasn’t the time for hiding, it was the time for running. 

She veered deeper into the forest, but something made her stop to look up at the sky, to the dragons wrapping themselves around one another. She turned away once more, determined to find some other body of water to bide her time, when an ear piercing screech sent her to a screeching halt. Her breath heaved in her chest, her lungs working overtime ‘He needs you,’ a pleading voice whispered.

It was enough to send her careening towards the waters of the God’s Eye. 

The larger of the dragons was falling towards the lake, its throat had been ripped open, flames escaping the wound. If its rider was to stand any chance of living she would need to rescue him, humans didn’t live long once they entered her domain. She threw herself head first into its frigid waters, disappearing into its depths untraced. Her eyes only needed a minute to adjust to her surroundings once more, the world around her becoming a little clearer, and it would be any moment before that scaled beast would hit the water.

The crash was unimaginable, sediment and rocks flew past her as she braced herself by a sunken boulder, she could hear the sound of the heart drumming in his chest. It was now a race to find him before The Stranger did, she at the very least could follow his heart beat. She had no idea why she was putting herself in danger for a human who was supposed to be her next meal, she was designed to consume them - not save them. 

She dove deeper and deeper into the lake, the sunlight filtering away, total blackness enveloping her. Though she could not see very well above the water in the sunlight, she could see perfectly in the dark. She did not dare look at the bedrock of the lake, in fear of discovering corpses she did not wish to see. She could see the roiling bubbles ascending to the surface and the immense heat emanating from directly beneath her, she wasted no time in diving again. 

She very quickly discovered the corpse of the beast, resting peacefully in the bedrock, her rider still saddled. She stopped directly in front of him, watching his hands shake as he struggled with the chains. Malicious thoughts slithered into her head; she could feast for ages on both dragon and rider, she would have no need to think about the surface for a long time. It would be so easy, all she had to do was wait for him to drown.

No. He didn’t deserve this, at the very least she could unbind him and send him to the surface, what happened to him beyond that was not her problem. Against her better judgement, she rushed him, shoving his hands away from the ropes around his waist and ripping them away with her nails. He struggled and thrashed in her grip, using all his might to get away from her.

‘Stop struggling! I’m trying to help you!’ She hissed. He ceased his struggling immediately, having become sluggish and slow, the lack of oxygen finally taking its toll on him, leaving him weak and defenceless. Everything in her screamed at her to devour him, to gut him like a fish and swallow him whole.

A helpless groan left her as she threw his arm around her broad shoulders, heaving him up towards the rippling light of the surface. They wouldn’t be looking for his body yet, but she didn’t have long before they would be descending upon them, she’d be damned if she would die for a human. With one final forceful push of her tail, she was able to push his lithe body halfway up on to a secluded bank, her heartbeat thundering in her chest.

He wasn’t breathing. Gods, he wasn’t breathing!

With the last of her strength she threw herself up onto the bank, kneeling beside him; his heartbeat was there, but faint, she needed to work quickly if he was to survive the day. His body felt as though it was made of lead as she dragged him away from the water, the further away they were from the water, the less temptation there was. 

He had taken water into his lungs, which meant she needed to get it out as soon as possible. She opened his mouth, placing her own on his, pulling the water from his lungs mouthful after mouthful, spitting it onto the lush grass. He had other wounds, cuts and scrapes but it was nothing she couldn’t use her magic to heal. With a final mouthful of water, air rushed into his lungs, sending him bolt upright coughing and hacking. 

The movement sent her toppling over into the grass, where he descended upon her, blade against her throat. Her slender taloned fingers spread out across his face, daring to take his other eye. 

“I saved your life, and this is how you repay me? By slitting my throat?” she asked, half daring him to do it, maybe then she would get some peace. His face seemed to shift in that moment, furrowed brows relaxed his clenched jaw loosening. 

“You are right, I am sorry,” He replied, taking the blade from her throat.

The woman in front of him was full of contradictions, she was both dark and light, sharp edges and softness, terrifying and beautiful. She had almost lured him to his death one day and then saved him the very next. She held no fear in her eyes, even as he had held the blade to her throat, her beautiful, supple throat, he shook the thoughts from his head. 

“Stop looking at me like you wish to swallow me whole, and let me heal you,” she bit at him, a gentle push sending him into the plush grass. She struggled with taking his chest plate, the leather straps far too finicky for her liking she took a sharp talon to the supple leather, slicing into it. 

“No, leave me here,” he told her, trying to force her hands away. 

“You will die if I don’t tend to your wounds!” she said through gritted teeth, pulling the chest plate away and straddling him, pinning his arms underneath her legs. Her hand hovered over the gaping wound in his shoulder, a calming blue light emanating from her palm. She watched the wound pull the deep red ichor back into his body, skin stitching itself shut, leaving no trace that there was ever a wound there. 

I’d like to see his witch heal him in such a manner. 

—

They took shelter in a cave deep in the woods outside Harrenhal, out of the sight of prying eyes and away from hands that would do them harm. In the time they had spent in the cave, she had learnt that the Prince's name was Aemond and that he was not one for conversation. 

“I wish I could leave all of this behind,” Aemond whispered, his voice laced with pain and exhaustion. She sat cross legged across from him, a pleasant prickling feeling crawling up her legs from sitting in one place. 

She tilted her head to the side slightly “Why can’t you?” she asked, her brows furrowed.

“I have a duty to my family, it's a matter of honour,” was the silver haired Prince's response, his jaw twitching as his arms came to rest across his broad chest. The dim embers illuminating the way his lip twitched upward as she leant forward, to press him further.

“Your family would rather send you to die than allow you to leave?” She responded, her voice laced with disbelief, she shook her head. It slowly became clear to her about what happened just hours ago, when he demanded she leave him to die. He had wanted that fate, he would have preferred death to failure. 

Aemond pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice taking on an edge “It is about honour, as I said,” his response did not invite any further conversation between them. And for a while there was nothing but the crackle of logs on a fire and the sound of their breaths. 

“Run away with me, it's not safe for either of us here. We can board a ship tonight and be gone by morning,” she offered, they could board a ship for Essos or Yi-Ti and never be found again. She would forsake the waters of her home for him, if it meant that he could live the life he desired. 

“No,” was Aemond's immediate response, face contorting into a scowl. She was beginning to break down the barrier of duty and honour he had surrounded himself with, for without those virtues, what would he become? 

She stood from her perch on a boulder, allowing the silk shoulder cape Aemond had given her to cover herself to slip away. Exposing the mounds and valleys of her body, the scales on her legs and cheekbones catching the firelight. “Come, My Darling. Please just give me your hand,” she cooed into his ear, running her delicate fingers over his shoulder and up the column of his throat, stopping to stroke his jaw. 

And so he did. 

Thank you to my darling @sylasthegrim for beta reading this! And creating the wonderful header/moodboard!

Please reblog my work if you enjoy it! it helps keep fan fiction alive <3

[octuscle]

Full time barista here I’ve always been envious of the men on stage especially the heavy weights. Don’t want to over work the chronivac but help me become a muscle bull as big as jean pierre fux.

Mate, I understand you only too well…. There are few things hotter than the real heavy beefcakes. I've tried it long enough myself… But I didn't make it either. Jean Pierre is a pretty good role model… But I have an idea…

Friday morning. It's 06:00, you have to hurry, in one hour you have to prepare the first coffee. You don't have time for much more than a few situps and pushups. In the bathroom you have to hurry. You need longer and longer to conceal your receding hairline. You are now 40 years old, slowly you just notice that you are getting older. If you go out tonight to party, it will take you almost the whole Saturday to recover. The cosmetic industry has nothing effective to offer against the wrinkles in the corners of your eyes. And even if you don't need to be ashamed of your body: You won't gain much more muscle in your lifetime.

Shit, at 07:00 o'clock people are already queuing up. You hate it when you can't open the store in peace. But as it looks, it will be 10:00 o'clock, until you have the first moment of rest. In fact, it's even 10:30 when your colleague thinks you can take a break. If you need it, he adds with a wink. You look fantastic today! You take a mineral water and sit down in the warehouse. In fact, you feel pretty damn good right now. You drink the water in one go. You don't have much time for a break. And you have to piss again before the lunch business starts. Your lower jaw drops as you wash your hands. Fuck, what happened to you. There are no more receding hairlines or laugh lines. You look ten years younger than when you got up today. The only difference is that you look as if you'd spent the last ten years doing little else but lifting iron. Your T-shirt is almost blown up by your biceps and pecs. And your jeans look like they're painted on your monstrous legs. How could you not notice that? As you tie the apron back on your way back to the counter, you wonder why you were just amazed. Since your 20th birthday, you've spent every spare minute at the gym, investing every penny you earn in protein and supplements. Hell, if you didn't look the way you do, you would have wasted a hell of a lot of time and money.

The calm in your coffee bar begins to subside again. The lunch business is starting up. There's a beefcake in your line that makes you jealous. Yo, bro! he greets you. It's nice to see that there are real men working here, too. What you can recommend to him. You suggest the protein bomb. A scramble of 10 eggs with 400 grams of chicken breast. He grins and nods. And a liter of still mineral water. The bro shares your taste. While you type everything into the register, he asks you if you're all-natural. Of course you are. With the money for the meal, he slides you a card. In case you want to think about it.

It is 17:00 o'clock, when you tie off your apron. Fuck' according to your watch you have walked 12,000 steps today on the few square meters behind the counter. But it also looks like it's been a pretty good day so far. You're 20 now, and the idea of opening your own café with healthy and, above all, protein-rich food came to you when you were 16. That's when you started getting into high performance bodybuilding. And a place like this was missing at that time. And then you built this place with your mentor and trainer as a straw man. But you can't stand behind the counter for more than ten hours. Even if you are the best advertisement for your products, you have to work out at least four hours every day. Otherwise you don't stand a chance on the big stage.

You might not be one of the big ones yet… But you are on a really good way to get there. You met Jean Pierre Fux once at a fitness fair in Germany. A great role model for you. And he said that at your age he would have been a linnet compared to you. The prerequisites for a brilliant career are there. Enjoy it and make the best of it!

This and other hot pics @anton227ludwig

[ourtearsofrain]

Greek God (D.R.W)

Summary: You get home from a stressful day at work to find your boyfriend troubled by some negative comments on the internet.

Pairings: Danny Wagner x Reader

Genre: Fluff, little angst, mutual hurt/comfort

Word Count: 1.1 k

Warnings: small mentions of negative self image, mentions of working customer service, other than that nothing

Walking into yours and Danny’s apartment, you set your keys down on the small table next to the front door and kick off your shoes, discarding them in a messy pile under it. You make a mental note to clean them up later; your shift at work was long and stressful, and the only thing on your mind is finding Danny and cuddling up with him. He had been home on a break from tour for 3 days, yet you still felt like you hadn’t seen him in months. You found yourself wanting, needing, to spend as much time with your boyfriend as you could before he left again for weeks on end. You call out for Danny, and begin to walk towards your living room, looking for him. You find him sitting in the middle of your couch, staring at his phone screen, body tense with a frustrated and almost hurt expression.

“Are you ok love?” you ask as you make your way towards him. When he doesn’t respond, you gently take ahold of his chin, tilting his head back to look at you now standing in front of him.

“Danny, are you ok?”

His gaze softens as he turns his phone off and lightly tosses it to the end of the couch. “Uh yeah, I’m fine. How was your day love?”

Remembering the events of the day, you move onto his lap, facing him with your thighs on top of his own, your calves on either side of them. You wrap your arms around his torso and nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck, breathing in the scent of his fancy hair products and cologne. A wave of comfort rolls over you, allowing you to relax into his arms. You feel him relax as well, the tension slowly leaving his body.

“Not great. It was especially busy today, and it felt like every other customer that walked in wanted to start an argument over the smallest things. One lady full on yelled at me ten minutes before my shift ended because we didn’t have this specific product or something, I don’t even remember what it was. And I was on my feet all day, so I’m tired and sore.”

He moves his hands to your hips, massaging gentle circles into them, soothing the ache. “Aw sweetheart, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, s’ok though. This is helping. Been waiting to get back into your arms all day.”

You pull away from the warmth of his neck to look at him. “What about you, are you alright? You looked upset when I came in.”

“Yeah, I’m ok.”

“You didn’t look ok love… talk to me, please. What’s wrong?”

He looks down at his hands, still working gentle but firm circles into your hips. “I… I just spent too long on social media today. Sort of fell into the black hole of comments that I know I should ignore.”

You let concern flood your features as you bring your hands up his sides to rest on his shoulders, gently giving the muscles there a comforting squeeze. “Oh honey… I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about them?”

Letting his head fall forward against your shoulder, he lets out a deep sigh, and you can feel the speed of his thumbs still rubbing small circles into your hips quicken and become more erratic, the pace of his thumbs matching his mind as his thoughts race, fueled by nerves. “I don’t know, I just…”

The movements of his thumbs halt to a stop as he trails off and brings his head back up slightly, eyes refusing to meet your own.

“Do you ever… do you ever think it would be better, that I would look better, if my nose was smaller? I know I shouldn’t care but… I’ve seen so many comments about it, and not just today. Comments saying I should get a nose job or just negativity in general… I feel like it gets in the way sometimes you know? That must be annoying right? You have to be constantly bumping into it when we kiss. I don’t know, like I said I shouldn’t care, it’s stupid.”

Still refusing to meet your gaze, you move your hands to cradle the sides of his jaw in both hands, leaning forward and gently kissing the bridge of his nose. You lean back, and he finally looks you in the eyes again as he becomes visibly bashful, a slight blush beginning to creep into his cheeks.

“Sweetheart, I adore your nose. It’s beautiful, you’re beautiful. Just the way you are. There’s a reason that renaissance statues of Greek gods have a nose like yours. Its unique, its powerful, and it’s gorgeous.”

“You mean it?”

“Yes, I promise sweetheart.”

Burying his face in your neck, he brings his hands up your back and draws you into him, holding you flush against him. He nuzzles his nose into you, his breath warm against your neck. “Thank you honey.” he mumbles against you.

You plant a kiss to the top of his head. “Of course, my love.” You rest your cheek against the side of his head, once again feeling comfort and relaxation seep into you as you breathe in his scent. A yawn from you causes him to sit upright and take his head away from your shoulder where it was resting.

“Are you tired sweetheart?” You rub at your eyelids and meet his warm gaze.

“Little bit. Like I said, long day.” A soft, slight smile dances on his lips.

“How about we go take a nap? Curl up in bed together, and when we wake up, we can order takeout and cuddle on the couch watching whatever we want. Just relax for the rest of the night; how does that sound honey?”

Thinking of spending the rest of your day with your boyfriend, you let out a content sigh. “That sounds amazing, Danny.”

A full smile breaks onto his face then, and he brings his mouth to yours, kissing you softly. Moving his hands down from your hips to the tops of your thighs, he lightly motions for you to stand up, following close behind when you are off his lap. You take his hands in your own, and begin to walk backwards, leading him in the direction of your bedroom. “One thing,” he starts quietly, causing you to stop and stare expectantly up at him. “Can I be little spoon?”

You laugh lightly and stand on your tiptoes to place a quick kiss to his lips. “Of course. Anything for my Greek god.”

[vivalas-vega]

hello again! I was the anon who asked if you were taking requests for Phoenix 💞 lord knows I've spent too much time on the #natasha trace x reader tag HAHSAHAJS tumblr needs more nat content (I'm pleading on my knees 🧎🏻‍♀️)

I was thinking about Nat having a girlfriend but struggling to come out to her friends. She has been dating reader for long enough that they've moved in together and has yet to mention to them that the reason she's been leaving the hard deck earlier than usual is because she has a girlfriend at home.

She thinks nobody suspects a thing but bob found out somehow (it's up to you) and asked her directly. She gives up the facade and tells him everything and they have a long talk about her struggles with her sexuality and her fear of coming out to her friends and actually showing off her gf. That night, she talks to her gf too and decides she's going to finally introduce reader to the dagger squad.

I would looooove to see their reactions on this, bc in my head, everyone must've thought she was into guys like hangman or whatever and she's shows up with this pretty girl by her side. They're already planning on who's gonna get her number first and nat just "uh.. guys this is my girlfriend😄"

Just super fluffy and kinda angsty too? Maybe throw in some smut if you feel like it 👀💞 It's totally up to you!!!

mwah!💋

- Syd

syd !!! thank you so much for sending this in, I absolutely loved this idea and I hope I did it justice!

The Hard Deck wasn’t as crowded as it usually was and Phoenix was grateful for the breathing room as she sipped her beer at the bar and checked her phone, letting you know she’d be leaving soon… Friday night was always bar night for the squad, a way to relax and unwind heading into the weekend after a long week of training and she really loved it… it was always fun getting to spend time with them, the squad had turned into its own little family but that didn’t stop her from always being the first to leave to get home to you as quickly as she could. 

No one knew about you yet… she’d wanted to tell the team for weeks now but every time she thought she worked up the nerve she backed out at the last minute, anxiety overruling and shutting it down before she could even get the words out. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t even notice Bob slide into the seat next to her until he was tapping her shoulder and pulling her focus back to the present.

“Hey Nat, can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked softly as she nodded, turning to give him her full attention. “Why haven’t you told anyone you have a girlfriend?” he whispered and her eyes widened at the question… she’d been thinking he might want to talk about the training exercise today, she’d made a decision in the air he didn’t agree with and it was normal for them to talk it out afterwards but this felt like Bob had dropped a bomb on her.

“What do you… how did you know?” she asked and he gave her a soft smile.

“Overheard you on the phone at lunch,” he replied and she thought back to the conversation she’d had with you… she’d laughed while you filled her in on some of your coworker’s antics and told you what time she’d be home before calling you her sweet girl and telling you how much she loved you. She’d thought she was alone in the locker room, otherwise she wouldn’t have let that slip. 

“Oh… uh, just haven’t felt ready to, I guess.” she answered and Bob nodded, giving her the space to continue when she gathered her thoughts. “I’ve gotten mixed reactions from other squads in the past and… I don’t know, we’ve just got a good thing going here and I don’t want to ruin it.”

“Why do you think you would ruin it?” he asked, genuinely interested in the answer and she sighed.

“It’s not easy… being a woman in the Navy, let alone being a gay woman in the Navy. We’ve never talked about that kind of stuff before, I don’t really know what everyone’s views on that are. My parents struggled with it when I came out to them and it’s been an issue in the past at my other stations and I guess I just didn’t want to deal with the fallout again,” she shrugged. 

“If it helps, I really don’t think anyone here would have a problem with it,” he said, and she lifted her attention from her glass to look at him questioningly. “I know we’ve never talked about it but… I can’t see anyone on the squad treating you differently because of it. I think they might be a little shocked, but that’s mainly because of how you banter with Hangman, everyone kind of thinks you two might be a thing on the down low-”

“Wait, what?” She cut him off and his eyes widened.

“You guys just have this like… thing, you’re very competitive and playfully mean to each other, I guess some of the squad just assumed it was because you were a thing,” he explained and she chuckled as she shook her head. “But once they get over the shock of being wrong, I think they’d be happy for you.”

“I just don’t know what I’d do if it doesn’t go that way. I’ve tried to get to a place where I don’t care if people aren’t accepting but… I’m just not there yet,” she sighed.

“I understand… I mean, as well as I can understand. It can’t be easy but you shouldn’t have to hide who you are, and I can at least speak for myself when I say I’m really happy for you… but I really think they’d like to meet her, they’re probably going to figure it out anyways because they all want to know what has you slipping out early every night. Whatever you decide, I’m in your corner… if you don’t want to, your secret’s safe with me,” he said, giving her a soft smile and a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before he rejoined the group to leave her alone with her thoughts. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to introduce you to them, she really did… she’d told you everything she knew about each of them and you’d expressed your interest in tagging along one night but were understanding when she said she wasn’t ready for that yet.

If she had it her way she’d be screaming from the rooftops how in love with you she was… she’d invite the squad over so they could try your amazing cooking, and you’d be by her side every Friday night but there was truly no way to know how everyone else would feel until she came clean, and that idea absolutely terrified her.

“Hey honey, I’m home!” Phoenix called out as you heard her keys rattle against the dish on the entryway table and you padded down the hallway to greet her with a warm smile.

“Hey Nat, how was work today?” you asked, giving her a sweet peck on her lips before watching her pull her boots off and you immediately noticed the slump in her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and gave you a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the couch, “Bob found out about us.”

“Yeah? What’d he say?” you asked as the two of you sat beside each other and you instantly pulled her legs over your lap. 

“He was really supportive, he said I should tell everyone else,” she sighed.

“How do you feel about that? Are you ready?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know… once I open that can of worms it’s not like I can stuff it back in,” she said and you nodded, your thumb rubbing reassuring circles against her uniform-clad thigh. “It’s not that I don’t want to… I don’t want you to think for a minute it’s because I want to hide you, I just don’t want it to blow up in my face.”

“I never thought that sweetheart,” you said with a reassuring smile. “I know it’s hard, and I know you’ve been burned before in previous squads but you speak so highly of them… from what I’ve heard they all sound like really great people and I think it would be good to finally clue them in,” you said. “You know I’m okay either way, it’s at your pace, Nat… but this has been stressing you out ever since you got permanently stationed here, and they are probably going to find out sooner or later… I think you might feel better if you get to control the conversation instead of more people piecing it together like Bob did.” She knew you were right… you always were, it really was only a matter of time. Sure, Bob was the most observant of everyone else so she couldn’t be surprised he was the first one to piece it together but it’s not like her squad was stupid. “It’s up to you, but I think you should get it over with. Just rip off the bandaid and whatever happens we’ll deal with it together just like we always do.”

She gave you a soft smile, the first real one of the evening as she looked at you with nothing but love in her eyes, “what do you think about meeting me at The Hard Deck after work next week?”

“I think that’s a really great idea,” you answered, leaning in to press your lips to hers. 

“I really love you, you know that?” she asked and you nodded with a chuckle.

“I know, I love you too.” 

The entire week leading up to their usual hangout at the bar had Phoenix on edge… logically she knew you and Bob were right, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had settled deep in her bones as the day creeped closer and closer. She didn’t want to call it off (though she’d thought about it a dozen times), she had to stick with it and follow through otherwise she never would and as she stood around the pool table with the rest of the boys she honestly felt like she might throw up.

“You good, Nix?” Hangman asked, looking her over curiously, “worried I’m going to kick your ass again?” He gestured over to the pool table and she just rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know what you mean by again, you’ve never beaten me,” she replied and he scoffed. “Revisionist history, I see how it is,” he teased and when the bar door swung open she whipped her head around to see you walking in looking as beautiful as ever… you were wearing her favorite dress of yours, a simple little wrap dress that really brought out your eyes and she couldn’t help the smile that overtook her face but no one around her could notice as they all stared at you too. 

“Damn, she is gorgeous,” Rooster said, eyes tracking you as you scanned the bar and Hangman just shoved his shoulder.

“In your dreams, Chicken, watch how the professionals do it,” he said, straightening his posture as he started to move towards you but he stopped in his tracks when recognition flashed over your face and watched as you walked directly towards their group. You gave her a bright smile, not standing too close and waiting to see how she wanted to proceed… you didn’t want to toss her into the deep end by planting a kiss on those lips you loved so much (despite how you really wanted to) and you watched as she laughed nervously, grabbing your hand as she introduced you.

“This is my girlfriend,” she said, squeezing your hand and waiting for everyone’s reaction and you watched the variety of emotions that passed over their faces before they all seemed to put the pieces together in their heads and soon they were giving you big smiles and extending their hands as they told you their callsigns. 

“Well, I see why she’s been hiding you away… you are beautiful,” Bob said with a genuine smile and you chuckled as you shook his hand. 

“How long have you two been together?” Rooster asked and Phoenix shifted her weight nervously.

“A few years,” she answered and you bit back a smile at their shocked expressions.

“Years? Nix, why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Hangman asked, and you thought the concern in his voice was out of character for him… well, as much as you knew about his character from what she had told you. 

“I uh.. Well, I didn’t know how you guys would react,” she said honestly with a shrug and you saw the understanding pass over their features.

“Phoenix…” Rooster said, giving her a sad look before wrapping an arm around her. “I’m sorry if anyone ever gave you the impression you couldn’t tell us,” he said and she shook her head.

“No one did… it’s just, not necessarily a well-recepted thing in the Navy even though times are changing.” she replied.

“Well I speak for everyone when I say the squad just gained its newest member… and if anyone has a problem with that I will not-so-kindly throw you overboard,” Hangman said as he slung an arm over your shoulders. “You and I have much to catch up on, I want all the details,” he said and you chuckled as you walked down to the bar with him. You knew Phoenix would have nothing to worry about, you could tell from your after-work conversations she immensely respected all of them (even Hangman) and after meeting them you honestly felt like she might have been selling them short all this time. The way they welcomed you with open arms had your chest feeling warm and you could just tell it was all genuine as Hangman started talking your ear off and ordering you a beer.

You’d been passed around from person to person all night, barely getting a moment alone with your girlfriend but that was fine with you… you knew the novelty of a new person hanging around would wear off and they were all just excited to get to know you. 

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” you asked when Fanboy finally relinquished you from the very intense discussion you’d both had about Star Wars. You wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into you, smiling softly as she melted against you.

“Good. So good, you were right… I should have gotten this over with sooner. I love seeing you with them,” she said and you pressed a kiss to her lips. 

“And I love getting to know them. It doesn’t matter if I was right, you needed to do this when you were ready to,” you said and she just beamed at you before pulling you back in and kissing you passionately… earning some whistles and cheers from her friends and making your cheeks burn.

“I love you so damn much, you know that?” she asked and you nodded as you giggled.

“Yeah, I know. I love you too,” you said, pecking her lips once more before dragging her over to the dartboard where Hangman had all but promised to take it easy on you (you didn’t believe him one bit). Phoenix had found her family, and you were so grateful to now be a part of that.

taglist: @callsignspirit @thegodessc @failuretothrivesstuff @olliepig @cruelmissdior @underaveragefangirl @grxcieluvr (if your username is struck through it means I couldn't tag you - sorry!)

[candy-ishu]

apple pie (part 2)

pairings: yandere!austin!elvis presley x female reader

summary: it’s been a year since elvis took you from everything you’ve ever known. he keeps you trapped in graceland as his perfect little housewife, knocked up and docile, just the way he likes. as your baby’s arrival date comes closer you become determined to get your child away from your monster. whatever the cost may be.

warnings: rated M for yandere themes, dark themes, obsessive behavior, abuse of power, age gap, elvis is in his early-mid 30s, reader is in early 20s, elvis is mysognist in this, mild smut, oral male receiving, spanking, daddy kink, reader calls elvis daddy when he’s angry, belting, pregnancy, escape attempts, murder, violence, unhealthy relationship, branding, toxicity, abusive relationship, graphic content.

note: there is smut in this one and mentions of vomiting in the past! remember i do not condone any of this behavior in real life and all of this is just fiction! how you all enjoy and let me know if you want part 3. 

word count: 2,776

part one 

two weeks.

that’s how long it had been since you sold your first slice of pie, two weeks. 

you ended up making pie almost every day. if there were leftovers, you’d store them in the oven and then heat them up the next day to sell.

depending on the day you made as much as 75 cents an afternoon. you only had 2 dollars left to make before you could finally get that train ticket and run.

and it had to happen fast. your stomach felt heavier and heavier as every day went by. your sleep was interrupted every night by feather light kicks in your tummy, always reminding you of the life that was growing in there. 

elvis was particularly excited for the baby to arrive. he had helped set up a nursery, built a crib, he had even picked a customized onesie with his initials imprinted on them. he was excited to be a father…or maybe he was excited to have something to tie you down to him.

however you wouldn’t let him do that. you and your baby were going to get out of this hellhole no matter what.

today you made 50 cents. it was a good profit considering some days you didn’t make any money. after serving the children their pie you took the money and buried it underneath the soil of a houseplant in the kitchen. that’s where you kept all of it. you knew it was somewhere that elvis would have absolutely no reason to check.

after washing your hands to rid them of the soil, you decided to pretty yourself for when elvis got home. he liked it when you put effort into your looks for him considering he was always well dressed wherever he went, and the happier you made him the less suspicious he would be on you. so you untied your hair and styled it and put on a dress that you had not spent the whole day working in.

you weren’t able to do much more so you patiently waited in the living room preparing to greet him when he got home. it wasn’t long until the door finally opened.

“i’m home darlin!”

you got up from your spot and hurried to the door, it was never a good idea to make elvis presley wait. 

“welcome home,” you say softly with a kind smile. the expression you were trained to have when he came home. one of happiness and relief. you swiftly take his blazer off of him. hanging it up in the closet near the door before coming back to give him a kiss.

“i missed you…”

he gives you a warm smile and kisses you back. a sweet deep kiss that makes the hairs on his side burns tickle against your face.

“i’ve missed you too, baby girl.”

once you two have released, he sighs and cracks his neck before walking over to the sofa in the living room.

“doll c’mere,” he says to you, motioning over to come with his finger.

of course, you comply. walking over to him and sitting on his lap.

his hand immediately goes to your swollen belly. rubbing smooth circles on it with his thumb.

“the little one will be here any day now i reckon…” he muses with a fond smile. “i bet it’ll just be as pretty as it’s mama…well, i don’t think anything could be as pretty as it’s mama…” he says with a dangerous lust beginning to fill his voice.

a large hand begins to move up your body to a swollen breast where it squeezes the doughy flesh. your face goes red and panic begins to rise in your chest. “you’ve grown so much here…s’pose it’s natural for a mother though…i bet they’re all nice and full with milk hm?”

“e-elvis…”

the king smacks your thigh, a warning. “settle.” he says firmly. and by instinct, you do.

his hand makes its way to your mouth. his thumb begins to toy with your lower lip and soon, it begins to put pressure on it, a request to go into your mouth. you hesitantly open and his thump begins to run over your tongue.

“y’know baby, i was thinkin’ at work today. we haven’t had sex in so long, seeing as we’re expectin soon n’ all. i know the doc said that we should avoid doing anything down there, but he never said anything about your mouth.”

you look back at him. your face begging him not to. he grabs your face with his thumb and forefinger and growls.

“now baby…that ain’t no way to treat your husband is it? i’ve been so patient. i’ve given you your space, i’ve gotten you your medication, hell i’ve held off from enjoying that sweet lil pussy of yours which has been no easy task. i think a little blowjob is the least you could do for me…don’t you?”

you shake a bit and look down but eventually you nod.

“yes elvis…”

he smiles in satisfaction. “that’s my good girl…now, on your knees for daddy.”

you obey. carefully getting on your knees. your pregnant belly resting on them when you do. you look up at him and a calloused hand caresses your cheek,

“go on baby doll, you know what to do.”

you shiver but begin to delicately pull him out. gently fingers pulling down his zipper and popping the buttons on his pants. careful hands pulled out his member, handling it like it was a fine piece of gold. from there your tongue was in charge.

elvis simply was enjoying your show. you were just too cute when you were being so careful, like a little bird scared to fly in fear of falling.

you began by carefully licking his tip. the familiar taste of precum hits your tongue. small kitten licks are left around the head just the way he liked it. after a small while of this the man was beginning to grow impatient. he grabs your head and pushes you onto his tip. 

you’re immediately reminded of how big the man is. your jaw already aches and it’s only been a few seconds. he was quite girthy and decently large. he never failed to make you feel full. 

as the king pushes you further and further on his member you feel a familiar vein on the underside of his cock slide along your tongue. you massage it with your tongue and the man above you groans in satisfaction. 

“fuck baby! that’s it…just like that pretty girl.” he groans, as the hand that’s in your hair pushes you further down on him.

you hate this. you want it to be over. you feel salty drops of precum drip down your throat and shudder in disgust. 

“just get it over with,” you think. “just get it over with and then you can be alone.”

he forces his cock into your throat. he’s done this so many times, however you’ll never get used to it. the only thing you could absolutely not allow yourself to do was vomit. once you had vomited on him and he gave you one of the worst spankings you’ve had since you got here. your rear was red and blistered for almost a week and sitting became a awful task.

your throat convulses around his shaft and you focus on keeping any bile that may threaten to come up, down. once your nose is nestled into his pubes and you can feel his balls against your chin, he begins moving your head up and down his shaft.

hot tears stream from your eyes but you take it. there was simply no other option after all. not as long as you were elvis’ wife…

“well ain’t this a pretty picture?” he says with a smile, thumb brushing away tears. “you look so beautiful like this satnin…all knocked up and docile…i knew that this was the life that was meant for you, i knew from the very moment i saw you, i needed you to share my last name. i’m glad your finally acceptin’ it yourself.” his electric blue eyes look into yours so lovingly, like they didn’t even see what was going on.

you sniffle and continue sucking, hoping to finish this quickly.

“atta girl…just-hng! j-just like that baby!” elvis groans, thrusting deeper and deeper into your mouth every stroke.

you don’t know how much longer it goes on for but it feels like an eternity. your jaw is sore and your throat feels raw. hot tears constantly spill for your eyes until eventually elvis cums. he pulls out just enough that all his cum lands on your tongue. this made what you were meant to do next even more obvious.

elvis grunts as he shoots his load, painting before pulling out of your mouth. “you know what to do darlin’...” he said through staggered breaths.

you look away from him and swallow his cum. it’s hot and feels slimy going down. once it’s all gone, you open your mouth to show him what a good girl you had been. 

he looks at you with a pleased smile on his face. a look one would give to a beloved pet.

a large thumb brushes the side of your mouth and scoops up a little bit of semen that had leaked out. he brushes it on your tongue and watches as you swallow the very last drop of his load.

“good girl baby…such a good little girl for me…” he praises as he puts himself back into his pants and stands up. 

he holds out a hand to help you up, which you gladly take as your heavy stomach makes things like standing up exponentially harder.

“what you are gonna make for dinner tonight darlin?”

“chicken and dumplings…” you say looking at your feet.

elvis smiles and kisses your head, “sounds good pretty doll. i’ll leave you to it.” he says with a smile. he yells, “call me when dinner’s done!” as he ascends up the stairs and disappears into his home office to get on a conference call with the colonel and other people that worked for him.

you sigh as you watch him leave.

you had to get out.

you had to get out fast.

–

it has been five days since the blowjob.

you count the coins in your palm…28 quarters.

seven dollars…

you had done it.

you feel so happy you could almost cry. you counted the coins over and over again. 28 quarters very single time you counted.

you tearily smile down at your stomach and rub your belly.

“mama’s done it…mama’s gonna get us out of here.” you whispered through misty eyes.

you’d buy the ticket tonight, pack a bag while elvis was at work, a leave before elvis could ever get home. you’d figure something out when you got to mississippi. all that mattered was that you weren’t in this mansion anymore.

you quickly shuffled the quarters back into the pot and cover them in dirt.

you didn’t want any complications tonight. you were going to be perfect. elvis would come home tonight to a happy loving wife, a warm meal on the table and a freshly baked apple pie.

his favorite.

you giggle to yourself as you begin preparing for when he finally gets home.

at 6:15 the door of your home opened and elvis walked in. he was immediately greeted by two things, a smiling wife and the smell of apple pie right out of the oven.

the man was clearly shocked. you never smiled when he got home. maybe you had finally decided to accept that you weren’t leaving and didn’t want the baby to grow with a mommy and daddy that don’t get along.

“why darlin, i haven’t seen you smile that wide since the day we first met.” the man returned your smile when you swoop in to kiss him he happily kisses back.

“welcome home elvis.” you say cheerily. you take his blazer just like you do everyday and hang it in the closet. “i suppose i’m just in a good mood today.”

elvis chuckles, “i oughta find a way to put my baby in a good mood everyday.”

you smile and take his hand and walk him to the table. you had made his favorite, and of course you had made him an apple pie. 

elvis’ eyes widen and he smiles, “dear god what is goin’ on in that pretty little head of yours huh baby? i’m bein’ treated like it’s my birthday.”

the two of you continue to have a lovely night. you serve his every need attentively and he treats you with kindness in return. you have to hold your tongue when he makes comments about what a good little wife you are, but you remind yourself that it would be all worth it when you were on the train tomorrow on your way to mississippi. 

that night you two go to bed. elvis falls asleep slowly. you lie completely awaken bed as you wait for the mad to begin snoring. when you finally hear the snores begin, you ever so delicately lift the covers off yourself. you move the pillows to create an illusion that your body was still there and you carefully tiptoe down the stairs.

right before you go to open the door you hear a groggy grumble.

“where’ya goin’ baby?” elvis asks, clearly half asleep.

your heart ponds and your throat goes dry. you manage to squeak out, “just to the bathroom honey…i’ll be right back.”

elvis grumbles and puts his head into his pillow, “hurry back satnin…” you hear him say and soft snores tell you that he’s gone back to sleep.

you genuinely can’t believe that works. relief floods through your body and you slowly and carefully make your way downstairs.

you carefully take all twenty eight of your quarters out of the flower pot and put them in your pocket. not daring to drop a single coin.

you walk into the kitchen and move the pie from the window you had convinced elvis to leave open. “so the pie stays good…”

you knew full well that the pie would be fine sitting on the counter, however you convinced the man that you had read in the women’s newsletter that leaving a pie in an open window kept it fresh longer.

the truth was you simply needed a way out that night.

you take a deep breath and move the pie from the windowsil and carefully climb out. bare feet hit the dirt ground. you wiggled your toes at the foreign sensation.

you hadn’t been outside in so long…

you reminded yourself of the task at hand and began walking to the train station. it was hard to miss, smack in the middle of memphis. you ran up to the 24 hour ticket booth and knocked on the window.

a clearly tired man with a large mustache appeared in your right after just a couple of seconds. “hello miss, how can i help you…” the man said groggily. 

“a ticket for 1 to mississippi please.”

the man sighed, clearly confused to why someone was awake at this hour and forcing him to do his job.

“that’ll be sevn’ dollars please.”

you took the coins out from your pocket and placed them on the counter.

the man slid your coins over to him. he began counting.

“twenty six…twenty seven…twenty eight. yup all there.” he sighs and puts your coins into his cash register. you hear the ripping of paper and the man hands you a white slip with writing on it.

“yer’ train rides at 1 o’clock tomorrow. don’t be late.”

you look at the ticket and then back at him. you feel so happy you feel like you could be floating.

“y-yes! thank you sir! have a good night!”

you run home with your prize. tears of joy stream down your face. you were finally free!

you got to the house and began climbing back into the window quietly. what should you pack? a blanket for the baby surely…maybe a gun for self defense? some food to hold you over until you found work? and what about clothes for the-

your thoughts are interrupted by a familiar whistle tune and you freeze.

the glow of a freshly lit cigar fills the room. once the tune is done, the man who lit it takes a drag from it.

your heart falls into your chest.

“openin’ the window keeps the pie fresh huh…” elvis asks from across the kitchen, taking a long puff from his cigar then blowing it out through his lips.

“baby you must think i’m a damn fool.”

to be continued..

[azureseacloud]

Stage Lights

Ghost (Band) ficlet

Part 4

Swiss x Reader

Warnings: none

Words: 1,150

Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait, I’ve been a little distracted with things but here is the next part! I hope you like it :)

Backstage, the excitement of the crowd was already apparent from the cheers and whistling echoing out. There was just a few moments until you all went on stage.

You and Dewdrop had spent the last day planning, the two of you working out interactions on stage that would interrupt Swiss’s usual timings for trying to screw you both over. You’d added some extra ones as well—they were small and subtle, leading up to the biggest one that Dew had suggested. It was going to be front and centre of the crowd, and there was no way that it wouldn’t be circulating online for, well, forever.

You hadn’t told any of the other ghouls or even Papa—you couldn’t risk Swiss finding out. Although now you were beginning to feel a little nervous, fidgeting with your guitar to distract yourself, while anticipation and excitement buzzed through your body. You couldn’t wait to see the look on the Multi ghoul’s face after.

Your eyes darted up as Swiss waltzed over to you, a teasing grin on his face. Great.

“You seem anxious,” he said casually, as his hand closed over yours that had been skittering along the frets of your guitar, his whole hand wrapping around yours and the guitar neck. You scowled, but didn’t shake him off.

“I’m not. Just have a lot of energy right now,” you answered, your voice sickeningly sweet as you strummed a muted string with your free hand. His eyes followed the movement, and you wondered if he was going to trap that hand too.

Swiss leaned in closer. “Oh is that what it is? You just can’t wait for me to visit you again hm?”

He did not just say that.

You smiled, too excited to enact your plan that his words didn’t get the reaction you knew he wanted out of you. You were feeling bold and confident right now—today, you would be the one who was teasing, not him. Cocking your head to the side, you leant in so your faces were inches away, goggles almost touching.

His hand on yours tightened momentarily and you smirked, bringing your mouth barely an inch away from his. You hovered there for a moment, your free hand running gently along his forearm, amused at how the ghoul in front of you seemed to have stilled completely.

Dew’s theory ran through your mind and you pulled back, Swiss’s hand falling from yours. You played a high note, flashing a smile.

“I’ll see you on stage, Swiss.”

With that, you stepped around him, leaving the ghoul staring after you as you joined Dewdrop.

“Finally admitted your feelings?” Dew asked quietly, his voice low enough that only you could hear.

You rolled your eyes. “Just don’t forget the plan.”

You felt Swiss’s eyes linger on you until the cue was given to head out on stage.

*****

The plan was working.

You could feel and see Swiss’s frustration in his exaggerated movements, his dancing becoming more aggressive and beginning to lose the smooth seductiveness.

You’d beaten him to Dew during Watcher in the Sky, letting your hands grip the fire ghoul’s hips as you buried your face in the curve of his shoulder and neck. You’d trailed your hands higher, nuzzling into his neck as your fingers ran across his chest.

You’d left then, spotting Swiss on his platform, staring directly at you. He’d flipped you off and you’d only smiled.

There was another moment when Dew came up behind you as you were leaning back, reaching his arm over your shoulder to grab your chin and tilt your head back further until you could see his masked face. He flattened his hands on either side of your helmet, leaning down to kiss you. It wasn’t a proper kiss, with the fabric covering both of your mouths. Yet it was all part of the little show the two of you were putting on. And the crowd was shrieking.

Dew made sure to swagger past Swiss’s platform after, and you were sure the multi-ghoul would be able to feel the smug satisfaction practically rolling off the smaller ghoul.

Papa and the others were definitely aware of your behaviour, Rain giving you a sideways look and shaking his head slightly, while Phantom had openly stared at your little demonstrations, tilting his head as if to question what was going on.

It finally reached the chorus of Mary on a cross, the instruments fading away to Papa Copia’s voice. You watched as Dew turned to you, stalking toward you in an almost predatory way. Although you had planned this, it still left you jittering in anticipation. You forced yourself not to look toward Swiss.

Watching Dew as his slim form stopped in front of you, your hand stilled on your guitar at the same time as his, the song passing on to Papa’s solo, his voice ringing out beautifully across the stage.

You go down…

You watched as Dew dropped to his knees in front of you. The crowd went deathly silent.

Just like Holy Mary…

You took a step forward, reaching your hands to smooth over the sides of his mask, tilting his head to look up at you.

Mary on a, Mary on a cross…

The crowd was screaming now. Their screams grew impossibly louder as Dew reached up to run his hands almost reverently up your legs. His hands settled for firmly gripping your thighs.

Not just another Bloody Mary…

You threw your head back, arching your body as you leant back, Dew’s hold on your thighs keeping you safely balanced. The call of the crowd was an absolute roar now—the two of you had chosen the front and centre of the stage to pull this stunt off. Even Copia had his eyes on you—his ghouls stealing his spotlight once again through their shenanigans.

As you leant back, your eyes found Swiss at his podium behind you. The multi ghoul’s grip on his microphone was nothing short of suffocating, his body rigid as he stared at the spectacle you and Dew were putting on.

Moving one of your hands away from Dew, you held your arm over your head gracefully, and smoothly flipped off the ghoul behind you.

His hands twisted on the mic.

Mary on a…

You tilted back to standing, fingers slipping back to your guitar. Dew slid his hands away from your thighs as you took a step back, whirling away, getting a glimpse of the stunned crowd as the music returned.

Biting your lip behind the mask, you kept replaying Swiss’s reaction over and over. Was Dew…was Dew right? Did Swiss actually…no. He was just pissed that you two had stolen the spotlight from him. There was nothing he could do that would beat what you and Dew had just done.

This time you had won. And he knew it.

[dandelionprints]

You’ll Catch A Cold

Pairing: Tommy x Y/N

Summary: Y/N catches a cold and it’s up to Tommy to look after her

Warnings: Fluff, explicit language

Word Count: 3060

A/N: I currently have a cold so I’ve used it as ‘inspiration’ for this one shot, I hope you enjoy!

I do not give permission for my work to be posted anywhere else but reblogs, comments and likes are greatly appreciated!

Tag list is here if you’d like to be added to it

Credit for GIF to creator

A warm glow from outside shone through his office window as the sun was beginning to set. He’d been stuck in his office all day making various phone calls and writing letters to people he’d rather brush off to his secretary, but he couldn’t do that, he was Thomas Shelby OBE. A politician had to keep up appearances and at least pretend they gave a shit about what other people in power had to say. Yes, he’d worked hard to get to where he was today but he couldn’t deny that he’d rather have spent his day with his wife, Y/N, out in the autumn sunshine catching the last of the years warm rays from the sun, for no doubt the mornings would soon be filled with frost and the skies clouded over with sheets of white by early afternoon.

He reached into his pocket to check the time on his pocket watch. Five thirty PM.

He took a cigarette from its holder on the desk, rolling it slightly on his lips before placing it between them and lighting it. He took a pull and allowed himself to slump a little further into his chair, exhaling as he did so. Sure, five thirty was a lot earlier for him to finish work for the day than usual but he decided that he’d allow himself that luxury. He missed Y/N.

He continued to pull on his cigarette, not really enjoying the taste any more but still craving the nicotine he was getting, as he stood from where he was sitting and began walking over to the door, grabbing his coat on the way.

“Mr. Shelby, sir”, came the voice of his head maid, Frances. She’d been on her way towards his office and looked almost surprised to see him already exiting his office so early in the day.

“Yes?”

“Do you know where Mrs. Shelby is? I haven’t seen her since early afternoon. I thought she might have popped out with Ada but I saw Ada leaving on her own not too long ago”

His heart started to pick up pace a bit although he was sure Y/N would be absolutely fine, she’d probably gone for a walk around the grounds of Arrow House as she quite often did, or to the stables where he often found her when she was feeling down. ‘The horses listen, I don’t need to try with them. I can just talk and talk without the fear of judgement’, she’d say.

“No, I haven't seen her, Frances. It’s okay, I’m just on my way outside to find her. She’s probably in the stables grooming her horse”

“Yes Mr. Shelby”, she nodded, “I’ll pop the kettle on and make some tea, I can imagine she’ll need to be warmed up after being out there, the temperatures dropped something rotten”, she turned on her heel and started walking towards the kitchen.

Tommy continued to make his way towards the door leading out onto the grounds forecourt and made sure to grab his peaky cap on the way. He couldn’t deny the truth in Frances’ words as he stepped out onto the gravelled floor, there really was a bite in the air. The sun looked deceiving as it shone through the slowly yellowing leaves on the trees, you’d think you could still go without a coat if you knew no better than to trust the inconsistent British weather. He threw his now burnt out cigarette onto the floor.

The stables weren’t too far from the house and as he made his approach, he could hear his wife softly singing to herself, or to the horses in fact, a sound that he always loved. A smile crept onto his face as she came into view.

“Thought I’d find you here”, he spoke.

She jumped slightly at the sudden sound, bringing up a hand towards her chest.

“God, you fucking frightened me!”

Tommy only let out a chuckle in response and made his way over to his wife, the smile from the sound of her singing still placed on his lips.

“I love hearing you sing to yourself, it’s one of my favourite sounds in the world you know”. He placed a hand on either side of her waist and pulled her in slightly to give her a kiss as her hands gently reached up to grab his coat by the lapels.

“What time is it? It’s still light, I didn’t think you’d be finished with work until much later this evening”

“Five thirty or thereabouts. I thought I’d give myself the evening off to spend with my beautiful wife who I’d usually be happy with not wearing many layers of clothing but who in this instance I’m worried is going to catch a cold from the lack of layers”

She was wearing a light blue summer dress with no tights and a cream coloured cardigan, not nearly enough to keep the late autumn chill off. She’d fallen victim to the deceit of the sun, believing it to be a lot warmer than it looked outside that morning when she’d rolled out of bed alone and stood in front of the window that had the curtains already pulled apart slightly. She knew Tommy must have gotten up and gone over to the same spot that she was now standing in to check that no unwanted visitors were outside, he did the same thing every morning.

She couldn’t deny that she’d begun to lose the feeling in her fingertips and the tip of her nose felt numb from the bitter bite of the breeze that came in through the slats of the stable door, she could just about feel her nose dripping slightly. She quickly gave her nose a swift wipe with the handkerchief that she kept up her cardigan sleeve.

“I figured that it wouldn’t be as cold as it is and I didn’t plan on being out here for too long, I only came outside to wave goodbye to Ada then I thought I’d check on the horses, before I knew it I’d been out here for at least an hour. Y’know, you get quite used to the cold when you’re distracted. The horses are good company”.

“That they might be, love, but I need to know that my wife is looking after herself and isn’t suffering from hypothermia, now c’mon, lets get inside. Frances has made you a fresh pot of tea”, he was already removing his coat and placing it around Y/N’s shoulders.

“Tea sounds delightful Mr. Shelby, will you be joining me?”

“It would be my pleasure, love”.

He playfully smacked her bum as his signal to start moving towards the stable door and back to the house. She giggled and did as she was instructed, wrapping Tommys coat tightly around her frame.

***

Once inside the house, Tommy had insisted that Y/N go upstairs to their bedroom and get into something warmer. She’d chosen to go for a pair of his boxer shorts and one of his knitted jumpers that he only wore when it was the two of them, usually during the winter months in the evening when they were relaxing in front of the fire before bed. Sure the items of clothing she’d chosen certainly weren't the warmest but the boxers felt comfortable and the jumper was big on her, perfect to snuggle up in. She lifted it up towards her nose and tried to breathe in his scent, only to find that her nose had now lost its ability to smell and instead was now completely blocked. Shit.

‘Tommy’s not going to shut up about this, guess I’ll have to try and pretend I’m not ill’, she thought to herself.

Putting on the boxers and the jumper, she went to the chest at the end of the bed and took out her favourite blanket, the one that Tommy had bought her for her birthday knowing that she loved nothing more than to be wrapped up in a blanket in front of the fire with a cup of tea when the nights were chilly. She smiled at the memory of opening it on her birthday, the joy and excitement that came with it, as she wrapped it around herself and sat in front of the already lit fire. Frances must have been in to light it just before they got back into the house.

“One cup of tea, Mrs. Shelby”

Tommy walked into the room holding a cup of tea on a saucer in each hand, a biscuit or two placed next to the cups.

“Oh why thank you, my love. You do spoil me”, she reached out and took one of the saucers, giving Tommy a peck on the cheek as she did so.

“That’s my job, to keep you happy”, he bent down further to place a soft kiss on her lips.

Frances had insisted on bringing them the tea herself but Tommy had told her he wanted to spend the evening with his wife alone and that although he was grateful for her help, he wanted to be the one to do the basic everyday things he quite often forgot he used to do before the money was rolling in and maids were there at the drop of a hat to tend to his every need. Even if that was something as simple as bringing a cup of tea to his wife.

He took a seat opposite Y/N in front of the fire and placed his own cup and saucer down onto the table that sat between them.

“How was it with Ada? What did you talk about?”

“Oh you know, the usual. About the kids, about politics, about how you work such long hours…”

“You know I have to, Y/N, there’s business that needs to be done”

“I know, Tom. I’ve heard it all before, business first, personal life second, I should really be used to it now”, she paused, “it’s just, I wish we could have at least one day a week where you put the business second and personal life first, just one”

“So that’s why you were out with the horses? To talk to them about your thoughts?”

She nodded in response and he felt his heart drop, he hated the fact that his wife was feeling the way she was and it was all because of him.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t be putting business first all the time, I know that. It’s just, I’ve worked so fucking hard to get to where I am I’m afraid that if I slow down, even for a second, that I’ll drop the ball and it’ll all be gone”

Y/N stood from her chair and closed the small gap between herself and Tommy, cupping his face with one hand and holding her blanket around her with the other. Tommy wrapped both arms around her.

“That, Mr. Shelby, won’t happen. You’re too headstrong and determined to let that happen. All I ask is for one day a week where you let yourself relax and at least spend a bit of time with me, I feel like I spend most of my days missing you”

Another pang to his chest.

“I miss you too, I really do. I’ll do everything I can to make sure I spend as much time with you as possible and I’ll start doing the one day a week thing too, someone’s got to make sure you bundle up before you go outside”, he chuckled as Y/N tried to hide her smile, giving him a playful nudge to the chest.

“Thank you, it’ll mean the world to me”, she bent back down so that her face was level with Tommy’s, giving him a kiss before standing up straight again.

His eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Is that my jumper?”

Y/N took the two steps back towards her chair and sat down, picking up her tea and taking a sip. She jokingly looked around the room, ignoring his gaze as his eyes bore into her chest, the cream coloured material showing through the gap between either side of the blanket that had come away from each other.

“Hmm, thought it was”, he chuckled and shook his head slightly, he couldn’t give a fuck if it was his or not, he just knew she looked good in it. Then again, he thought she looked good in anything she wore.

His eyes wandered upwards and began to study her face properly, he noticed that her eyes looked a bit glassy and that her nose was slightly red, he could see her fighting the urge to sniff.

“I knew it! I fucking told you! You’ve caught a cold”, he seemed almost smug that he’d been right about the amount of layers she’d been wearing earlier, “looks like you’ll be getting the Doctor Shelby treatment”

“I have not!”, she exclaimed, her eyes widening, so much for trying to hide that she was ill, “Anyway, what's the ‘Doctor Shelby’ treatment?”

“Well“, it appears that you are in fact ill, and will be requiring someone to look after you. Therefore, I see it as my duty to fulfil that post and tend to your every need. I shall bring you cups of tea, fetch you more blankets, bring you tissues, run baths and lay in bed with you for as long as you so wish. You may not lift a finger to do anything, your husband, or in this case, doctor, will do everything for you”.

“Well doctor, that all sounds amazing! And how long may I ask is this service valid for?”

“For tonight and tomorrow, my love. Shit, sorry, that was unprofessional. You have my services tonight and tomorrow, Mrs Shelby”

“You mean you’re taking the day off of work to look after me? What will you tell them? That your idiot wife didn’t wear enough layers outside and that you’re now stuck at home while she lays in bed sniffing and sneezing her pathetic little nose off with a cold?”

Almost as if to give an example, her nose began twitching and she let out a sneeze, managing to stop herself from making as loud of a noise as she could have. Tommy handed her his handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket.

“Yes I’ll tell them exactly that”

She rolled her eyes and smiled, bringing her now cooling cup of tea to her lips again.

“Do you really think that’s wise? Missing a day off work because I have a cold? You’ve got a reputation to uphold. I mean I know I’ve just said to you that I want to spend more time with you but it doesn’t need to be for you to look after me. Please, Tom, go to work. I’ll be fine! I’ve got Frances and the rest of the staff I…”

“No I won’t hear of it, I want to take the day off to look after you. Besides, when was the last time we actually got to spend time together, eh?”

She pondered for a moment, she knew that he was right. Tommy would get up so early in the morning that she either slept right through or was half asleep when he’d roll over to her and place a kiss on her face before pulling himself out from underneath the covers and to the bathroom. The only times she’d see him in the day if he was at home would be when she’d go to say good morning once she’d gone downstairs, sometimes at lunch when she’d convince him to stop his work for fifteen minutes and get some food down him and then again in the evening once work was over if he’d finished early enough to catch her before she went to bed. She’d lost count of the amount of times she’d stay up waiting for him to come to bed, only to find her eyes growing heavier by the minute, finally allowing them to close fully and drift off into a much needed sleep. She would often wake in the middle of the night to find a blanket draped over her along with Tommy’s arm pulling her in towards him.

She couldn’t deny that getting to spend a whole day with him at home sounded like an absolute dream, even if she was ill.

“Okay, but promise me you’ll come up with something better than ‘my wife is an idiot’ when you tell them you won’t be in please”.

She sniffed again as she felt her nose tickle, trying, but failing, to stop another sneeze from coming.

He laughed, “yes love, don’t worry about that. Besides, I’m Tommy fucking Shelby, I do what I want, when I want”, the cheeky smile that she loved so much appeared on his face and she felt her stomach flip.

She composed herself and managed to utter the words, “Oh, is that so?”

“You know it is, love”

“Well then Tommy fucking Shelby, what is it you want to do now?”, a smirk was playing on her lips, she loved watching his mind race, it was almost as though she could see it happening behind his bright, blue eyes.

“That’s doctor Shelby to you”

“Oh yes, sorry ‘doctor’ Shelby, how are you going to cure me?”

“Well, first things first, let’s get you into bed, you need your rest”

He stood from his chair and made his way over to Y/N, scooping her up in his arms, blanket and all. He softly kissed her forehead as he felt his arms wrap around her.

“It’s still early, you haven’t even had a sip of your tea or had your supper yet”, Y/N wrapped her arms around the back of Tommy’s neck, enjoying the warmth that she could feel radiating from his body.

“That's okay, I’m about to do something really unprofessional and have a snack”

With that he threw Y/N onto the bed, ready to devour her, every inch.

[devnmon]

Long, Long Time.

'Cause I've done everything I know To try and make you mine And I think I'm gonna love you For a long, long time

Summary: Irrevocably in love with the woman you can’t have, a wine drunk night over classical reading and a fireplace aids in decision making.

Ao3 version | tess masterlist

prequel fic

Warnings: smut [a tiny bit], reader hopelessly in love with Tess, use of y/n (a couple times); based on ep 3 of TLOU

wc: 13k

A/n: Okay ummm first of all don’t blame me for writing this much on one character that i’ve never written before, but this fic is literally my baby. It’s my favorite thing i’ve written. I thought it was my turn to take a spin with writing for Tess. Since tlou came out i’ve been obsessed with her and… well you can tell by how much I wrote. Here it is, my perfect Tess fic. Enjoy <3

Today was the day.

A warm morning in September, 20 years after the Cordyceps infection sunk into the deepest depths of society, crumbling down its once high, strong walls, to a brittle, cracked dictatorship of community. The Boston Quarantine Zone was one of your least favorite places in the world, but from what you heard about other cities' QZ's, it was a walk in the park.

As a smuggler, you handled runs for more than 75% of the place, with the help of a few desperate FEDRA officers that offered to look the other way for a price.

If risking your life for bottles of pills and useful supplies was the most dangerous thing to do, then so be it; you were the unlucky one.

Most runs, you were accompanied by one of your two partners, Tess Servopolous or Joel Miller. They were older, skilled, smart, and resourceful, and they knew how to kill. Especially Tess. She could handle her own like it was nobody's business. Hard headed and courageous, Tess became a good partner and soon enough, a close friend.

Although, there was another part of you that found her alluring, captivating and so, so gorgeous. She was confident in herself no matter what, which only drew you towards her more.

Ever since the early days of the outbreak, you three had each other's backs, and nothing could come between you. To you, they were the only thing you'd known after being found by the older woman and taken in. The day she found you, beat up and bloody with several injuries, was the day she had quite genuinely saved your life.

Now a part of Joel and Tess's smuggling business, you were off to a town called Lincoln, a five hour hike from the walls of the QZ.

The hot sun glared down on your skin, a chill September breeze flowing in gusts that kept you cooled off enough throughout your journey.

A majority of the trip was spent in silence, lost in your enamor for Tess, eyes trailing over the back of her figure. She had glanced back once or twice at you, like she could feel your eyes burning into her body.

Some nights you lay awake wondering what it would be like to drag your fingers up and down the expanses of her skin, trailing over her back and caressing the soft skin of her figure till you fell asleep.

Time passed as you traveled behind Tess and Joel, and the image of a metal fence coming into view.

"This is it," Joel stated before approaching the gate. You begin to follow the two older individuals before you pause, stopping a minute to remember something that Frank had mentioned about their gate.

"Wait, I thought you said this thing was booby-trapped or something.. How do we know it won't get triggered?" The concern of your safety was imminent, the unknown patiently waiting behind the metal gates.

"Well we don't, but Frank said if we came from the road instead of the forest that it wouldn't get triggered. They'd see us coming that way, too. Trust me, I know Frank. He wouldn't lie, not when he knows we can work together."

Tess was the expert on the two men that lived behind the gates of the completely deserted town; she was the one who arranged their meeting, after all.

"Alright.." You sighed, walking right up to the gate with them.

There was a box attached to the entry gate with a few buttons on it. You watched Joel walk up to the gate and press a button labeled 'Call'.

A loud buzzing sounded out after he'd pushed the red button in, and a moment later, a male voice responded from the intercom.

"Password."

The voice sounded deeper than Frank's, only assuming the speaker was Bill, the other half of the couple that resided in Lincoln.

"Uh- Ahem," Joel cleared his throat, before stating the code word Frank had given you three before coming.

The feedback rang out as Joel spoke, another buzzing sound coming from the gate as you hear it unlock.

"Alright, let's go. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, since we really don't know what we're walkin' into here."

Tess scoffed at her male partner's words, a smirk on her face saying otherwise from your tense anxiety of meeting new people.

"Tess, hey," you grabbed her arm ever so softly as you trailed behind her, and she looked toward you, "Are you sure we can trust these guys?"

A tiny smile formed on her face as she recognized your nervousness. She thought it was adorable and sweet how you went to her for comfort at any point in time. It warmed her heart and made her feel important to somebody again.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Frank wouldn't hurt a fly. Bill on the other hand.. he might be a bit standoffish at first. From what Frank said, I'm sure he'll warm up to us with time. Don't worry."

Tess rubbed your arm up and down a couple times, hoping it would soothe your worries. As she did, your face broke out into a small smile, nodding before you dropped your grip and continued walking. You could get lost in the hazel of her eyes like it was hypnosis, or something close to that. The way Tess made your world stop by even being in your presence was something entirely familiar to you, and it kept you up at night, pondering about the simplest things.

It seemed the little town of Lincoln, Massachusetts was surrounded by this perfect bubble of safety and security. Like a dream, the familiarity of a place as different from the QZ.. felt a bit unreal. You never thought you'd have the chance to make friends in a world with infected, much less one with access to such a large range of supplies in a deserted town, highly protected by its sole residents.

The feeling surrounding you was oddly similar to how you felt around Tess, her warmth and beauty heart-warming, much like a hug.

Your focus is brought back to reality as you almost bump into Tess's back, her and Joel had abruptly stopped walking.

"Oof- sorry Tess-"

"Y/n.." Joel says abruptly, not realizing they're both holding their hands out to the side, the cocking of what sounded like a gun putting the realization into place.

"Shit.." You whispered, stepping out from behind Tess, arms out in the same fashion as your partners, and you realize there's a man holding a gun out at the three of you.

Then, from the house the man stood in front of, another man came running out. He calls the name of the man who's holding his pistol at you, Bill.

Which means.. that's Frank. You thought to yourself, as the sweater-wearing man approached and tried to beckon the other man to lower his weapon.

"Bill, these are the people I met over the radio. We can trust them.. they aren't going to hurt us. Put the gun down, please? I don't want to scare off people we could potentially be working with.." The man named Frank said with a chuckle, almost having to force the gun down himself. After another moment of brooding stares being passed between Bill and Joel, he lowers the gun and places it in his holster at his thigh.

Your hands drop to your sides after freezing with them out in the air due to fear. It wasn't the first time someone's pointed a gun at you, but it sure as hell was one of the times you thought someone would actually shoot. Relief washed over you as Bill's arms lowered.

"Perfect, thank you," Frank says to Bill, before wrapping his arm around the man's shoulder, "Welcome to our home, I'm Frank, and this is Bill. I'm so glad to finally meet you guys. We have a lot to talk about! Come on, follow me."

Frank had a home-like smile that was warm and welcoming. It was the first time in a long time you'd seen anyone smile like that. So carefree. You guessed it was the effect of not being behind the walls of a QZ for too long. That, or Frank knew how to stay true to himself in such a rugged, rough around the edges world.

The uncomfortable gaze Bill shot your way made you realize that it probably took a lot for him to even agree to let the three of you come into their town, much less want to work with complete strangers.

While being led back to Bill and Frank's home, you can't help but marvel at everything around you. Lincoln was much different than the QZ and open city; a town quite literally frozen in time from when it had been evacuated. A place like this was one you dreamed of settling down in, with a partner before the outbreak; it seemed like the perfect place to do so. Quiet, quaint, and bare of any infected or dangerous militia and resistance groups.

As their home came into view, it was exactly as you thought it'd be: another one of the huge houses a place like suburbia always had. It was one of the biggest you'd ever seen, almost out of a storybook. Except for the leaves blowing through the streets, it was as if the house hadn't aged a day. Everything about their home and its surrounding yard looked as if it had been tended to regularly; a mowed lawn, bushes with budding flowers, and not a single area of chipped paint to be seen.

"This is our place, I do my best to keep it looking its best and Bill... well he's just one hell of a cook. Aren't you, dear?" Frank turned to Bill with a smile, only to look away from his lover and back at you three.

"It's true, one of the many things I'm good at. Including defending my home." Bill's hand went to the gun strapped on his thigh.

"Yes, of course you are. Now, could you whip us up some lunch while I get to know our lovely guests here?" Frank turns his head towards Bill again.

"But-" Bill begins to speak, wanting to name all the reasons he doesn't want to leave his lover alone with strangers. Though, you notice Frank is quick to reassure Bill that everything will be alright.

"I'll be fine, I promise. They aren't going to hurt me, I've been extra careful with who I talk to, you know that. These people aren't dangerous. At least not to us." Frank's smile breaks Bill's resolve, trusting his lover enough to retreat into the house with haste.

Now alone with Frank, he guides the three of you over to the table on their lawn. You sit down next to Tess on your right side and Frank on the left.

"So.. Tess, I assume the lovely man you arrived with is the famous Joel Miller?" Frank turned to Joel with his hand out, receiving a firm handshake and nod from the Texan man.

"And you must be..." He turns to you.

"I'm y/n, the secret.. not-so-secret third partner." You laughed awkwardly, feeling somewhat out of place with the man and woman.

"That's right, I've only heard your name a handful of times, but it is so nice to finally meet you in person." Frank read your nervous state like a book, giving you peace of mind with a warm smile. Your nervous state diminishes when Frank's words set in, easing a smile onto your face and raising your eyebrows in slight surprise.

He's heard of me? I wonder what Tess's told him...

"It's nice to meet you too, Frank."

The four of you conversed with small talk, only butting in here and there to add something in, mostly keeping to yourself and not wanting to make the wrong impression on Frank. Tess and Joel discuss the details of a trading business between you all.

Soon enough, Bill began to come out with plates and silverware, to which Frank jumped up to help with setting the table.

"I can help if-" You started to speak, feeling a little guilty at not doing anything to help out as a guest.

"No, no. Sit, relax. You're our guests here, and I'm sure your trip has been long and tiring. Besides, it's been a while since I've set the table for more people than just me and Bill, and it's something I've always loved doing." Frank's kind smile once again eases your worries. But you swore to yourself you'd find a way to repay them for this.

You nodded as the two men made several trips to set the table, appreciating every little thing they added to it one after another. Spices, napkins, fine china plates and silverware with no scratches or rust on them. It was all a marvelous sight, one that reminded you of the old world and missing little things like this in times like these.

The amount of objects they'd placed on the table made you forget just how many of those material things you realized living without was doable. Even if you wished there were more aspects of the old world in the present one.

Fiddling with your thumbs again, you listened in to Joel and Tess's muttering about whether or not they could convince the two males on agreeing to work together, until you heard an exclamation from Tess.

"Oh my god.."

Your head jolted up towards the woman, about to ask her the reason for her outburst, until you picked up what had caught her attention.

The smell of fresh, hot food surrounded the three of you, hunger scraping at the edges of your stomach, making it even more evident that your last meal hadn't been as much of a hearty one as you'd wished. Dishes with meat and vegetables were all neatly placed in the same portion sizes as Frank and Bill put each plate down.

Before you dug in, you heard a familiar pop of cork from what you could only assume was a wine bottle. Sure enough, as you looked at Frank, the bottle he'd brought out resembled one you'd buy for a nice meal like this.

It wasn't until you heard the same cocking of Bill's pistol that you froze in your place. You watched as he placed it on the table for you all to see, a statement of protection and untrustworthiness he clearly still saw in the three of you.

Maybe not you or Tess specifically, but Joel, most definitely.

You decide to ignore the firearm's presence on the table, and begin eating the food that's so delicately placed on each of your plates. Instead of scarfing it all down like some rabid animal, you savored each bite of the flavorful, nutritious food and sip of wine like it was your last.

It might as well have been, since you had no idea whether or not you would be working together.

You wondered how people even ate on china plates that were as delicate and prettily detailed in the most extravagant ways. The silverware and wine glasses were also detailed and etched in such a beautiful way. It made you appreciate the smallest things before you had to go without them again.

A while passes, and everyone's finishing their food up. Light gusts of wind flow through Tess's hair as you look over to her, holding the glass of wine in her hand.

"Well, this really is just-- it's amazing." A slight smile on her face brings warmth to your chest, heating your body despite the cool air.

"Right?" Frank looks from Tess to Bill, who still has his pistol on the table, "Can you not please?"

He reaches over Tess's glass to fill it with the dark red alcohol, then reaches over to yours to do the same as you smile at him.

"I'm the same way," Joel states, understanding where Bill's actions are coming from. You realized in that moment that Bill and Joel are more alike than you thought.

"Oh, you're a paranoid schizophrenic too?" There's a slight chuckle that sounds out from you and Tess as Frank speaks.

"I'm not schizophrenic." Bill suddenly retorts, knowing the validity behind the methods to his madness.

Tess clears her throat, attempting to break the awkward tension that's so clearly grown between Bill and Joel.

"Well can I just say, gun aside, which I get, by the way, how nice this is to have a civilized meal in such a beautiful place? It's been so long. I mean it, I just- I wanna thank you. Even if we don't end up working together. I really needed this."

Her words seemed genuine, a slight twinge of silent and repressed pain in what she said. You only knew an extent of Tess's emotional wounds, ones she pushed down to do her job better.

As Frank lifts his wine glass to Tess with a small smile, he states, "We are working together."

The two clink their glasses together, making you raise yours to do the same.

"Cheers." Tess and Frank clink their glasses, and then Tess turns to you in the same fashion, quickly lifting your glass to clink together.

You all finish up your meals, occasionally glancing over to Tess with appreciation that you got to share something this special with your best friend.

And then the realization hit you, she was only your best friend, and you'd wanted to be more with her since she'd revealed a different side of her to you throughout the years. It was a kind, warm, caring side of Tess that made her feel like the familiarity of those strawberry candies that were hard on the outside, but soft, sweet and gooey on the inside. Tess was rough around the edges, but when she was alone with you were the times she revealed a softer side of herself.

Frank hadn't glanced anywhere other than Tess and Joel, picking up the way they discussed with one another, as if they were good business partners and friends. He'd been blinded by the fact that you sat furthest from Joel, barely even glancing his way for a split second.

The moment Frank gets a good look at you at the table is when he picks up on the way you look at Tess; it's different than the way you look at Bill and Joel, and by god does it open his eyes a mile wide. He only hides it behind his all-knowing warm persona and recognizes a light in your eyes that he saw similarly in Bill's the minute before he'd kissed him, that one day in 2007. Three years later, he saw that same spark of light in you, whenever your eyes glazed over to the only other woman at the table.

The warm younger man looks to his partner, who's anything but, to reassure you all again.

"We are." A moment passes as he sips from the wine glass and speaks again, "You know what? Let's go inside. Tess and y/n, I wanna show you something."

Frank begins to stand, lifting his wine glass from the table, Tess following next before you stand as well.

"Oh yes, it sounds amazing, I'd love to see inside." Now more sociable with the two glasses of wine in your system, you catch your balance before pushing your chair out from the table.

"Actually, I have been wanting to see inside, thank you."

Your words and Tess's overlap at the same time, chuckling a little at the synchronized movements and words between you and the older woman.

"Bring your wine. There's more inside."

"No, not inside. Frank.. Frank!" Bill's voice echoes from the table, as Frank holds the front door open for you two.

You're looking down at your feet as you walk up the porch and into the house, unaware that Tess was glancing back every few seconds to see if you followed. As you step inside, you wipe your boots off on the mat and Frank shuts the door behind him.

Your eyes finally pull away from the mat you've wiped your boots off on, to the inside of Bill and Frank's home. A deep breath of air fills your lungs to the brim as the sight of it all is a bit overwhelming.

"Wow..." you sigh, Frank stood behind you, Tess a few feet ahead, "I haven't seen anything like this in so.. long..."

You trail off as the sight of it all renders you speechless. There's candelabras with fresh wax from candles and picture frames with black and white photos. The image of inside makes it feel like a home, something you haven't felt in a very long time.

"Come on, it's right over here." Frank speaks out loud to the both of you, only you're still standing a few feet in front of the door, as the two walk into the open room just right of the stairway.

"Oh wow, look at these photo albums! I haven't seen one of these in forever.. Are they all Bill's?" Tess's voice carries to you from the other room, noticing her slight chuckle as you gaze over to where she's flipping through one of the albums.

"Yeah, yeah they are. Just don't tell him I showed you.." The two continue to giggle to themselves over the old pictures.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't even notice the extensive vinyl collection.. You know, I used to have a turntable back in college. I'd play the same old records every day, annoyed the hell out of my roommates.." Tess chuckles as she talks about her past life, something you always enjoyed hearing about when she brought it up.

With you, she could bring up anything from her old life, and you'd listen to every word.

You still had the suspicion that she and Joel had a thing going on, and your not-so-little crush on her was doing more harm for you than good in that aspect.

Tess and Frank are looking through the collections of vinyl and photos while you nonchalantly watch from afar, eyes glazing over to the massive shelves of books. Most of the ones on lower shelves were Bill's books on survival and guns, but the ones resting on the higher shelves were classics.

Before the outbreak, you'd been a sucker for those. There was something about the art of classic literature, the subtext and deeper meanings under every word. The beauty of those stories was unmatched.

I'd love to read one of those over some wine.. Matter of fact-

"Hey Frank? Where's that other bottle of wine?" You call out to him from the doorway, with your glass still in hand. Frank glances over to you from a few feet away.

"It's in the fridge, wine opener is uh- somewhere in there. You'll find it."

"Okay, thanks."

You finally break off from the two, eyes glazing over every single picture Bill and Frank have of themselves in their home, as well as the paintings Frank's done of Bill and himself.

Striding into the other room, the kitchen was in a state of what looked freshly used; pots and pans were everywhere, the scent of once heated oil lingering.

Your curious eyes peel over all the older pictures, then notice one in color that's stuck to the fridge with a rainbow magnet.

A twinge in your chest comes as well as joy for the two men that happened to find each other among a world of infected and dictatorships.

You just wish it would have happened to you already.

Bill must have had some vintage cameras lying around, ones Frank knew how to use, or learned to use for things like this. You crouched closer to look at the picture of the two men, bodies pressed together and hands clasped in each other's like they never wanted to let go.

And in such a world, why would they want to?

You pull the refrigerator door open, spotting the unopened bottle of red wine in the door. Reaching for it, you read the label, Beaujolais.

Huh, fancy name for a wine. It'll get me drunk all the same though.. Now where is that damn cork opener?

You're rummaging around in the kitchen drawers until you finally find it, oblivious to the fact that Tess has walked up behind you in your haste to find the damn thing. Her grey shirt is unbuttoned, with a white tee underneath. She always had the simplest style, but it didn't stop her from looking fucking stunning in anything she wore. Tess makes her presence known to you, arms folded across her chest as she leans against the doorway. Picturesque light chestnut strands of hair frame the soft features of her face.

"Whatcha got there?" your body whips around, wine bottle and opener in each of your hands (and almost slipping from them), to which Tess smirks a little at the sight.

You were surprised to not have heard the sound of her boots on the wooden floor, but Tess always had a way of surprising you like that.

You smile sheepishly, raising the bottle and wine opener in both your hands. Truth was, Tess popped in at the perfect time; you could never get the hang of opening things like this.

Opening bottles of liquor for you was always Tess's thing, since you didn't have the skill or strength for it. Your hands were just naturally smaller than hers as well, which meant it was only a job for a person with bigger hands.

How you wished you could hold them.

"Just in time. Could you open this for me? It's more your thing than mine.. Please? Before I drop it or something.."

Tess strides towards you and grabs both objects from your hands. She inserts the opener into the cork and twists until the similar pop from earlier indicates she'd removed it, the wine's aroma filling the area between you two.

Her strength was so attractive, the way she could make the simplest things such as opening a wine bottle look hot. The veins in her hands protruded when her grip strained, making you wonder what her hands would look like doing different things.

Tess lifts the cork to her nose, smelling the wine more intensely now, looking angelic as she breaths it in. Then, she lifts it to your nose, the gesture so familiar to you, but yet you've never seen Tess in a moment like this before.

The scent of the liquor paired with how Tess looks in the sunlight peering through the window is intoxicating in itself, as she places the bottle on the counter. Glancing outside, the golden light began to fade fast, darkness approaching quicker than you'd like it to.

With a smile, you walk over to the countertop and pour yourself another glass of wine.

"Thanks... you'll have to teach me that sometime." You couldn't tell if the flush on your cheeks was from the wine, or the gesture Tess just did for you.

"Yeah, but then what would you need me for?" Tess cocks her head to the side, a slight smirk on her face again. That damn smirk.

Rolling your eyes, you scoffed.

As if I could ever go without you, Theresa.

"Oh, please. I'll always need you, Tess."

"Right.. So, Frank said we could stay the night, since it's more dangerous to travel when it isn't daytime. Our visit was longer than expected.." Tess's eyes move from you to outside, where Bill and Joel were still sat, discussing in what looked like a more civilized way than earlier.

"They have enough room for us?" You asked, sipping at the red wine.

"Yeah, they've got two extra bedrooms. So, I figure you and I could share one and give Joel the other room for himself. Plus they said we could use their shower," Tess shuffled closer to you and lowered her voice, "I hear they have hot water.."

Your eyes widened at the thought of a hot shower, something you hadn't realized was accessible anymore. Though, before speaking, you cleared your throat to minimize any indication of nervousness in the fact that you and Tess would be sharing a bed tonight.

"You sure you wouldn't rather room with Joel? I.. move around a lot in my sleep."

A confused look displays itself across Tess's face.

"I mean- I wouldn't want you to wake up with me on top of you or.. anything.." A nervous chuckle erupts from your chest as you laugh your awkwardness off.

"I think that second bottle of wine is what I should be worried about, not your restlessness." She smirks again, "But have fun with that. I'm gonna go wash up. Talk later?"

You only nodded, not wanting to embarrass yourself in front of your best friend any more.

As Tess left the room, the strain of your journey finally set in. Soles of your feet began to twinge with pain, carrying you to the next room with the wine bottle and glass in hand.

You saunter into the living room, the amount of wine you've consumed making your cheeks, not to mention your whole body, flush with heat. The weight of your figure flopped down in a corner of the room as you placed the wine bottle down.

You gulped at the rest of the liquid in your glass, putting it on the side table. Gazing around the room at all the vintage items in perfect condition, your eyes meet the tall shelf of classic literature once again.

Pulling yourself from the chair, you pick up the bottle of wine by its neck, instead of pouring yourself another glass.

They're not gonna miss one little bottle... they've got a whole vineyard to themselves.

It's then you hear the front door open finally, Bill and Joel coming in, their discussion a little lighter than the one they were having earlier. You hear a chuckle fall from Joel in his Texan accent and your eyebrows raise.

Wow, they're finally getting along. Maybe we will have new business partners after all..

You stumble over to the bookshelf, about three glasses of wine making your bodily strength diminish with every sip you took. You were in a more tipsy state than usual; not having drank alcohol for years had more of an effect on you than it usually would.

The higher bookshelves are littered with dust, not having been touched since who knows when; you're just tall enough to drag your fingers across the top shelf on your tippy toes, the one below it littered with the many classic stories.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence, Emma by Jane Austen.

You read the titles off in your head, fingers trickling over the necks of each hardcover novel, stopping at Little Women and pulling it from the bookshelf. You also grabbed Pride and Prejudice, planning to ask Frank or Bill in the morning to borrow them till your next visit.

Slumping over in the chair again, you open Little Women, pages crinkling as the smell of the vintage book hits your face. It almost makes you sneeze, but you stifle it and begin reading.

You're mumbling to yourself in the little cozy corner of Frank and Bill's house, perched in a red armchair, and it's the most domestic you've ever seen yourself be in a long time. Granted, you were becoming more intoxicated with each gulp of the bitter alcohol you ingested. It floods your insides with warmth, your train of thought sidetracking from the story in your hand to the thought of the gorgeous woman that was Tess Servopolous.

She felt like home, the sweet smile she revealed to you your favorite thing about her. Her hardened exterior cracked and withered away bit by bit with every day you lay in her apartment healing from your injuries.

You're pulled out of the daydream when footsteps descend down the stairway, until the figure turns the corner. Frank's face comes into the warm lamp light, silently walking into the room and fiddling around with a few things before making his way over nearby where you sat.

Over the edges of the book, you watch him grab a few logs of firewood, placing one in the brick fire pit, before lowering your eyes back to the book. A few more minutes pass of his fidgeting before you realize the fireplace has come alive with flames of light.

Waves of heat flood the room, completely bringing your attention away from the book in your hands.

"No way..." Your voice draws Frank's eyes to you.

"Way. You know, my favorite thing to do in the fall is make fires.. Bonfires, campfires, any kind of natural warmth feels so home-like and safe. Don't you think so?"

"Yeah.. my childhood home had such a nice fireplace like this. It's really nice to see and feel again after so long." The two of you share a smile and look at the fire. Flames crackle and burn high, popping at times, the same way it used to before. Silence is adamant throughout the room, clutching the novel in your arms as the flames continue to burn.

"So.. you gonna tell me what's got you slumped over in a corner reading classic literature? I can't imagine it's that riveting.." Frank's tone tells you that he's joking, but you can't help from being at least a little offended in your drunken state.

"Classic literature is actually my favorite genre of novel, for your information. And you wouldn't get it…" The irony of your words slaps you in the face the minute they manifest themselves because.. Frank does know what it's like to feel the way you do. He’s just still in the dark about it.

"Hey, hey. You can tell me what's going on. I may or... may not have any experience on what you're going through."

Then the realization sets in that he's probably felt the way you do his whole life.

It's at that moment you decide to trust him. You close the book over, and look Frank in the eye.

"Okay, but this stays between us. Promise?"

"Of course."

A sigh leaves your chest and you begin to tell him how you feel about a certain one of your smuggling partners.

"Tess saved me... however many years ago it was... I can't remember how long it's been now. I've just always been around her since then. She's done things for me and- and I've done things for her... But I never knew why I always wanted to be around her.. until one night when I had a really, really rough day and she comforted me. I never wanted to leave her arms, and that's when I realized.. I liked her. She's my best friend, Frank.. What would I do if she doesn't feel the same? I don't think I could live with myself if I ruin our friendship because of some stupid fucking crush."

You finished speaking, letting out another sigh like you'd just thrown up all the thoughts reverberating in your head the second you made it out of the QZ walls.

Frank's silent until he speaks, analyzing and connecting dots in his head about this afternoon and the way you'd been acting.

"All that... doesn't sound just like a little crush to me, hon. You love her.. and you want what's best for her. Protecting yourself from the hypothetical hurt of her not feeling the same is valid.. but you're not gonna know how she feels about you if you don't tell her. Take the night, and think on it. Or... go ahead and keep on reading your classic literature while the love of your life goes to sleep upstairs. I'm just saying, if you don't try, then what's the point?"

The next time you look Frank in the eyes, they're filled with kindness, and you can tell he sees you for who you really are. There's no hiding your true self around him, he reads you the same way he read Bill the day he fell in that hole in the ground.

"You know what, you're right. I'm gonna take the night to think about it, thanks, Frank. I don't know what I'd do if I was alone in this."

Frank places his hand over yours in a compassionate and friendly way. He understood where you'd been coming from, especially with the way you both were.

The rest of your night is spent cuddling up under a blanket Frank had placed over your legs before he headed up to bed for the night. The wine drunk put you in an exhausted state, eyelids as heavy as weights until you ended up falling asleep curled up in the chair, fire dwindling away to nothing but embers.

A nudge to your arm slightly pulls you from your slumber, wine bottle abandoned on the floor from earlier. The next thing you feel is a strong grip lifting your body from the chair. With a groan, your arms flail weightlessly to the side, as you're picked up bridal style, the creaking under the wood indicating you were being carried up the stairs.

It's probably Joel who's lifted you like this with no effort at all, no chance it was Frank or Bill. Tess was already asleep too, and once she rested her head, there was no waking her. She slept like a rock.

You figure you're finally up the stairs as the steps steady, pushing the door open silently to the dark bedroom. Finally, you're placed down onto the soft bed, boots being tugged from your feet and placed on the floor. Rolling over a bit, you groan at the comfortable state of the bed.

Already comforted by the blankets, the heat of your body diminishes in the cool, dark room, as you doze off to sleep for the night.

As morning peeks through the shades of the cool bedroom, a pounding headache rammed behind your skull as your eyes inch open. Fluttering profusely, your pupils adjust to the rays of sunlight slowly, head still spinning.

Groaning at the pain, your eyes shift from the window to the side table, where there'd been a glass of water and two pills of Tylenol placed next to a small piece of paper. You sit upright in the bed, truly unable to recall the events of the previous night. The only thing you remembered vaguely was that second bottle of wine, one you regretted even picking up.

You reached for the note, headache only pounding harder as you attempted to read it.

For your head, since you really thought that second bottle of wine was a good idea. We've got breakfast made when you feel well enough. - Frank

It's at that moment you realize your mouth is bone dry, concluding on the fact that you hadn't drank one drop of water last night. As if a desperate plea for the quenching of your thirst, you drop the note in your lap abruptly, gravitating towards the very full glass of water sitting just a foot away.

The liquid slides down your throat as you desperately gulp it down, only stopping for a moment to pop both Tylenol into your mouth. After finishing the glass of water, you look down at the note again.

Signed Frank, but I've seen this handwriting before. Somewhere.. My hungover brain cannot remember right now for the life of me.

A yawn breaks through your chest, your hand instinctively going up to cover your mouth. When the smell of your breath hit your nose, it became apparent to you that you should probably take advantage of the hot and running water in the home.

Quickly, you threw the covers to the side, glancing down at your legs, body covered in the same clothes as yesterday. You didn't even dare attempt to sniff those articles of clothing, knowing how sweat stained they had become on the hike yesterday.

Yeah, you really needed to shower.

Standing from the bed now, you reach over to grab your bag, when you realize you've left it downstairs. Only when you look around the room is when you see a plain grey t-shirt sitting on the arm of a chair.

Tess's shirt, no doubt.

You pick it up and hold it in your hands, the scent of her sure enough surrounding your head.

As tempting as it would be to head back to sleep, you walk over to the bedroom door, opening it to the hallway. It seemed there was nobody remaining upstairs, evident due to the light conversation coming from downstairs. Your socked feet patter across the hall, peeping around a corner before b-lining straight for the bathroom.

Placing the clothing on the countertop, you reach into the shower and start the running water. As it slowly heats the small room, you stride over to a closet, pulling it open to find an abundance of everything you could've ever needed to bathe in the world before. Shampoos, conditioners, body wash, shaving cream and razors.

Wow, these guys really know how to keep inventory. They won't mind if I make use of some of this stuff, I definitely need it more than they do right now.

Steam fills the bathroom as you pull each article of sweat-stained clothing from your body, landing all together in a pile. As you pull the curtain back and step in, the warm water washes over your work-weathered body, goosebumps rising at the comfortably warm liquid.

It was euphoric, the temperature of clean, filtered water paired with the privacy of the shower.

You can only stand still as the dirt and other liquids patter to the tub floor, bringing you lighter in mood and vibrance as well.

As you scrub your scalp with the shampoo, the events of last night finally return to you.

Reading Little Women, admitting how you felt about Tess to Frank- the decision you told him you'd take the night on and think about.

You caught your head in your hands as embarrassment for yourself washed over you, much like the warm water of the shower.

"Ughh, I can't believe I told Frank that stuff.." Although you didn't regret it, not completely. The chat you had actually made you feel better, getting it off your chest after so long of holding it in.

You just wished it would be that easy to tell the person of your affection.

The spray of water from the shower ceased as you turned it off, stepping out onto the bath mat and wrapping a towel around you.

Regrettably, you had no other clothes to change into, so you pull on everything you'd worn the day before, except for your shirt. You put on the grey one for now.

Yep, it definitely smelled like Tess.

Pulling your cargo pants on, you stride out of the steam-filled bathroom, and your feet lead you into Bill and Frank's room.

Though you feel it's trespassing on an already stepped-over line, you head towards their closet, quickly opening the door and taking in the massive amount of flannel shirts hanging there.

Frank had impeccable taste in clothes, deciding to yank one or two of the darkly colored button ups from their hangers. You took a pair of socks as well, since yours had holes in them from their constant use.

You thought about not telling Frank about your thievery, but it's going to become imminent when you walk down the stairs with his shirts in your arms. So you shove them in your bag once you find it resting next to the bed.

Heading back into the guest bedroom, you pull the fresh pair of socks onto your feet, beginning to reach for your black boots sitting on the floor. Reaching down for one, you hear a knock at the door before you can grab it.

Quickly, you stride over to the door, expecting to see Frank or Bill on the other side with a message from your partners about hurrying to leave or something along those lines.

To your surprise, the face on the other side of the door is Tess.

Shit, Tess. The person you promised Frank you'd confess to last night over a drunken conversation.

She looks well rested, wearing a different shirt than the one from yesterday. It's a dark green, that compliments her eye color and the wisps of her caramel hair framing her face. Her hair is in that half up-half down bun, the rest of it resting behind her shoulders.

She looks fucking perfect, and you look like a wet dog, hair still damp from your shower.

"Hey, morning. How'd you sleep? I uh-" Tess is pulling at her collar awkwardly, standing in the same fashion as your eyes finally trail down to what she'd holding in her hands.

She had a plate in her grip, covered in freshly made, very appetizing breakfast foods. Some so freshly made, there was still steam coming off of it.

You're thankful in this moment to have taken those Tylenol earlier, or else the smell of any food whatsoever would've sent you hurling over the toilet like a hungover sorority girl.

"Oh my god, Tess. What is all this?" Your eyes widened in surprise, the smell catching your attention even before you had seen the plate of food in her hands.

"Well, you need a big breakfast for the journey back to Boston today, and I figured you could use it after last night.." A chuckle breaks through her chest, head dipping downwards before looking at your freshened state.

"Come- come in." You move aside for Tess to enter the bedroom, assuming you'd slept alone in here for the night. As she places the tray down on the bed, you sit down, Tess standing a few feet away.

"Tess, did you make this? What the hell- This looks amazing.. Eggs, sausage, hash browns? These are all my favorites.. Seriously, thank you. Wh-what can I do to make it up to you?"

"Well, first of all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And second of all, don't thank me, thank Bill and Frank, it's their food I cooked. Consider it a hangover cure. Once I get so drunk that I fall asleep in an armchair with a classic book in my lap, then you can pay me back. It better be a damn good breakfast." She chuckles again, in that low voice that keeps you up at night when you think about it.

The way it says your name, her low tone when she curses under her breath, the way she sounds in the early mornings when the sun still hasn't risen and she's drowsy enough to not make any sense in her muttering.

Tess went through all the trouble of making everything she knew you favored, the mere thought of her thinking about you as she cooked it all only made your enamor for her grow stronger, a fire of love burning behind your chest for the woman in front of you.

It's then she takes a seat on the bed with you, watching as you poke into the eggs and begin devouring the food on your plate. She wasn't leaving, by the looks of it.

In the middle of chewing your food, you speak again.

"Did Frank tell you I passed out down there?"

Her grin becomes larger now as her eyes move from the plate of food to your face as you consume your breakfast.

I wonder what else he told her. Hopefully nothing I haven't yet...

"No, I'm the one that found you, silly. Carried you up the stairs and put you to bed myself."

You continue chewing as your eyes widen, another realization from last night coming back to mind.

It wasn't Joel carrying you, it was Tess.

"You carried me up the stairs? Wow, I'm gonna have to start lifting weights if I have to do the same for you."

While you speak, you're enjoying every morsel of this delicious food Tess has made you, and you're grateful for her in so many more ways than you could express presently.

"You better," Tess says with a scoff. A couple more minutes pass by as you're finishing up the food on your plate. You notice that she's still sitting in the room with you, taking your silence as a sign of comfortability around her.

"So, what's up, Tess?" You say, shoving another fork full of hash browns into your mouth.

"Well, I came to check on you, since last night Frank told me you were drinking a whole 'nother bottle of wine by yourself.. and reading classic literature? For fun?" She laughs.. "I figured you might be hungover this morning and wanted to bring you something to fill your stomach. I can't have you fainting on me when we hike back to the QZ, now can I? Gotta keep your strength up, hun."

The name melts your heart a little and you smile. It was such a simple thing, one that indicated she cared about your wellbeing and didn't want to see you unwell.

"Yeah, always gotta be nourished and shit. Just human things, I guess. Though, a meal like this never gets old." You said with a smile.

It became more difficult to hold back the thoughts of holding and kissing the woman before you, her green button down shirt just aching to be pulled in order to kiss her. Those perfect hazel eyes of hers that resembled gems when they hit the sun just right, getting effortlessly lost in them every time they locked with yours. Her hands that completed her daily tasks so beautifully, with such care and concern in everything she did making you think she'd hold you the same way, love you the same beautiful way she did everything in her life with.

"I'm guessing you're feeling alright, then? Tylenol helped?" It was cute that Tess was still worrying about how you were feeling from the night before. Putting the fork down finally, you looked up at her.

"Yeah I- Wait, how'd you know I took Tylenol?" You hadn't mentioned anything to her about taking medicine.. so how did she know?

"Well I uh- I just.." She scoffed lightly before continuing, "I asked Frank to leave some by your bedside earlier and I was really worried about you, since yesterday. You don't drink like that unless something's bothering you."

Her eyes focused on you, hair lightly spilling over her shoulder, and she's in the moment with you now more than she had ever been. It's almost like she's reading you when you glance up again, pulling at the collar of your shirt.

"I know, Tess. It's just-" you sigh, thumbs fiddling with each other, palms beginning to prick ever so lightly with sweat.

"You can tell me anything, you know that right?" Her voice was sweet and soft, lowering a bit to hopefully ease your worries. One of her hands grabs yours, and the sensation is enough to make the breath in your lungs hitch.

If there was any perfect moment to confess, this was it.

"Tess, there's something I need to tell you." A slight quiver of your voice tells her that this thing that had been bothering you clearly meant a lot. You keeping things from her wasn't a common occurrence, which only happens when something was beyond frustrating for you to talk about.

"Okay, what is it?"

You're infuriatingly beautiful and I want to kiss you right now.

"It's the fact that I'm over here pining like an idiot for you and you can't even see it.." You mutter, not wanting to look Tess's way for fear of judgment or rejection. She notices, and in that very moment she longs to see the fire in your eyes burn its brightest. "It's the fact that- that I love you, and you probably love someone else.."

"Someone else?" Tess scoffed, "And who do you think that is, huh?"

"I don't know.. Joel, maybe.." Head still hung, your hands shake slightly, chest filled to the brim with uneasiness and anxiety.

Was it just you, or did the temperature in here get hotter?

"Y/n, look at me." You hesitate for a moment, then slowly your eyes move from their locked position on your hands.

Tess's hands are fidgeting in her lap too, you notice.

The second you lift your head, the glossy state of your eyes catches her attention, and her face eases once you're looking directly at her. Tess's bottom lip catches between her teeth for a moment, and she glances down swiftly, then back up at you.

"Joel and I are nothing but friends, you understand? I don't want him, never have." The words hit your ears and it's as if a weight lights off your shoulders.

It's the most clarifying moment that makes you giddy to spill everything onto her lap.

"Tess.." you breathe, closing your eyes for a moment and making a decision, "Please don't shoot me for this..."

You begin to lean in towards her, eyelids hooded as you glance down to her lips, watching intently as she does the same. It feels like an eternity before you're close enough to pick up on her natural scent, consuming your brain and going fuzzy upon the close proximity.

A warm tingling fills your hands as they brush over Tess's thighs and hover just over the dark denim covering them.

Once, twice, three times you glanced down at her lips, pausing to drag your eyes across her flawless face.

"Are you gonna kiss me, or what?" Her snarky tone pulls your eyes back to gaze into her hazel ones, almost getting lost in them before getting the courage to do something you couldn't come back from.

"Shut up," You say, before your hands grab onto her collar, and pull her lips to yours. Her kiss takes your breath away, crawling into her lap, collar of Tess's shirt still in your grip. Sparks flicker in your chest, and they're coming off of Tess's as well, deepening the kiss with another push of your lips against hers.

The weight of you in her lap pulls a groan from the woman opposite you, separating your lips from hers. You almost couldn't pull away, but the thought of hurting her made your worry jump a mile high.

"Shit.. Are-are you okay?" Tess gives you another peck on your lips, before trailing her eyes down your face and neck. The smirk on her face makes the heat from your cheeks travel down your torso.

"Oh, I'm better than ever... you wanna know why?"

Nodding your head fervently, her hands trail up your shirt to your collar, watching as her pupils dilate around the hazel in her eyes. The grasp on your shirt is tight, even tighter when she beckons you impossibly closer to her. The next moment, she's pulling your lips to hers in another passionate kiss. Your lips are pressed together for so long, it feels like you're out of breath by the time she pulls away.

"It's because I love you." The three words fall from her lips like a siren beckoning you with its song. Her voice has never sounded more perfect, and when she says those words to you, it's an indescribable amount of joy that fills your chest.

Her panting is an indication of not being able to breathe, but she doesn't fucking care if she got to kiss you like that.

"You love me, too?" Out of curiosity, you ask again, just to make sure it registers in your brain. Disbelief makes your heart jump, even though you've just kissed her, and you never wanted to stop.

Even though she told you she felt the same way, it was still a dream.

"Of fucking course I do. Ever since I took care of you, those few months you were living in my apartment. How could I not?" One of her hands trails up your face, brushing some stray hairs obstructing her view, so she could look at you fully.

The woman you've pined after for years has loved you all the same, and the realization feels a lot like you've wasted so much time behind a closed door. Sleepless nights went by with you writing about her in your journal, detailing all the ways you would love her if she only loved you back.

Tess adored you, she just hadn't let herself show it or feel any other way than a friend, and she'd been terrified to lose you if she fucked any of that up. The years and years of pining built to this very moment, tension in the room thick as you gazed at her lovingly.

"Tess.. kiss me again..."

It was a desperate plea for that fucking woman to press your lips to hers so you could taste her even stronger than you thought you could handle.

"I don't think I'll be able to stop if I do." Her low voice made your legs tremble, a new kind of desire growing due to her.

"Then don't." Your lips clashed together with hers, tongues exploring each other's mouths in a feverish attempt to taste even more of you than she already had.

The truth was, she had all of you for a long time, and now she couldn't imagine needing anything more.

A soft moan is pulled from your chest as Tess's teeth nip at your bottom lip. The both of you seem breathless as you pull away again, but every time you glance down at her swollen lips is when you want to just press them to yours over and over again.

"God, you're so beautiful, it's hard to look directly at you sometimes." Her words catch you off guard, feeling your eager hands travel up her neck, one resting on her shoulder while the other sneaks your fingers between her soft strands of hair. Twirling a lock of it, the blush on your face makes her smirk.

"Stop it, I mean just look at yourself. You're so hot and intimidating and perfect and-"

"You saying you're not those things?" Her brows furrow in distaste, because how dare you suggest otherwise.

"I'm saying you are. Pretty girl." A giggle erupts from your chest, raking your fingers through her hair with appreciation.

"If you don't say you're all of those things right this second, love, I'm just gonna have to prove it to you. And you know I will."

Your eyebrows raise, wanting to pull a little sneaky trick on her.

"Say that I'm what?" The smirk on your face makes Tess blush a little, chuckling to herself because she knows exactly what you're doing.

"Say that you're..." One of her hands goes to the top button of your shirt and unbuttons it as she places a quick peck on your cheek, "Perfect, intimidating, hot, everything I want.. God, fuck. Look at what you do to me.."

Her nimble fingers trail down your shirt, undoing each button carefully, letting the shirt fall open to your sides. Hands rest on the skin of your sides, just under the shirt you're wearing. Her shirt you're wearing.

"Tess.." You sigh breathlessly, still trying to gain back whatever air was pulled out of your lungs just a moment earlier.

"Hmm? Tell me what you want, baby." She tilts her head ever so slightly, the smirk on her face only enlarging when she sees the desire in your lust-blown eyes. Her pet name all but pulls a squeal from your chest, scrunching your nose upon hearing her low words.

"I want you, Tess. God, I want all of you.. But we can't-" Your hands run up and down her sides, shaking ever so slightly at her intimidating smirk.

"We can do anything we want, sweetheart. I've got you, now. No one's gonna take you away from me, ever. And no one's taking me from you. Got it?"

It's so warm, so Tess, such a loving and nurturing side of her that spills those words into your chest like a goddamn golden light, and it brings tears to your eyes. Sniffling, you try to blink them away every second they threaten to fall from your eyes.

The close proximity of her immediately pulls you into a safe hug, tears dropping on the cloth of her shirt, dampening the fabric bit by bit. Her hand rubs up and down your back, comfort surrounding you in the moment like nothing else in the world.

"So-sorry, Tess, I didn't mean to get your shirt all wet," You say, pulling back from her embrace, "I'm just.. so fucking happy because I love you and- and you're finally mine."

The words come out like the easiest thing in the world, like you could tell her your deepest darkest secrets and she'd still love you completely as you are.

"Aw, you look so pretty when you're in love. 'Bout the most perfect thing in the whole world to me, pretty girl."

"Well, yeah. It's all your fault that I'm crying like a sap, dummy." You playfully punch her shoulder and wipe your face, tears finally ceasing their descent from your eyes.

"You love me that much, huh?" This time, Tess's smile is sweet, intimate and all but this time your eyes lock with hers in a deep gaze.

"Love you even more than that, Tess." A giggle erupts from your chest as her lips press ever so lightly to your neck, ghosting feather light kisses across your skin. Before she pulls back, she attaches her lips to your skin and sucks obsessively, in the same spot. A particularly sensitive spot she gets to pulls a whimper from your chest, the sound making her pull away from kissing you, eyebrows raised with curiosity.

"What was that, baby?" You whimper again, embarrassment washing over you while your cheeks are being painted with a blush.

"Need you, Tess. Need you so bad.." The last word comes out rather quickly, hips rolling against hers ever so slightly.

"I'm right here, honey. Tell me what you need from me, and I'll give it to you." Her words come out like a plead, work-worn hands and fingers trailing over the waistband of your pants. "Come on, we don't have much time. Joel wants to get on the road soon.."

Oh God. Joel. Bill. Frank.

Your thoughts freeze and think to the three other men in the house, or probably somewhere nearby, if not lingering just a few feet away down the stairs.

"Shit, should we-"

"Yes, my love, we should. After all this time, we should."

"But the door-"

The bedroom door; it was swung almost completely open.

"Guess you better be quiet then." She mutters, voice low with lust and the need for you to fall apart for her just once before their travels.

"Tess-" You whimper breathlessly, and before you can speak another word, her lips attach to yours again. Her hair smells like lavender, and her lips taste like strawberries.

"Do you trust me?" She asks, wanting to know you're okay with her going further.

"You know I do. I trust you with my life." You reply, almost immediately. Her soft eyes gaze into yours and she nods.

It's the most perfect vision of Tess you've had your entire life, and nothing in this world could tear you away from that.

Once you feel her hands unbuckling your pants successfully, one of her hands slips down under the fabric, bypassing your underwear right down to where she knows you need her.

Her middle and ring finger slide through the arousal between your legs, and the second she feels you throbbing against her, is when her kisses trail from your mouth to your neck.

"Tess, fuck-" You whimper out, as her fingertips swirl around the most sensitive part of you.

"Needy girl, aren't you? So gorgeous..." The smirk on her face turns devious when her eyes meet yours again, catching how your face contorts with pleasure under her doing.

Another mewl leaves your chest, nodding fervently once again.

"Shit, all wet for me? You really know how to make a woman happy.." The slight laughter from her chest makes you clench around nothing. Nothing, until her fingers pursue lower than your sensitive bundle of nerves. Deep breaths of air make your chest heave, and Tess is only relishing in the way you're falling apart completely for her.

Before you feel her fingers prodding at your entrance, your hand grabs her forearm and she halts her movements.

"What about you?" Your eyes seem to beg for her without saying another word more, and she hesitates for a moment, until she speaks.

"You don't have to, love. You feeling good makes me feel good and-"

She pauses her words, because your doe eyes make whatever was left of her resolve break, the instant she looks into them.

"Alright, baby. Go ahead, touch me.. I need you, too." A smile breaks out onto your face, hands gravitating towards her belt, undoing it as fast as she can complete her sentence to satisfy you.

One of your hands slips down between her legs, watching as her eyes close in bliss at the first light drag of your fingers down her heat.

"Fuck.." Her head gets thrown back while her eyes shut at the amount of pleasure and love you have for her in that very moment. Tess curses under her breath as you begin slow circles on her most sensitive part of her body, goosebumps trailing all over her skin.

"Now who's the needy one?" She glances back up to your eyes, and just like that, her intimidating demeanor returns.

You almost yelp aloud when she pushes a finger inside of you, but her lips press against yours before you could do so. The fervent exchange of moans between each swirl of your fingers, and each thrust of Tess's fingers inside of you makes the moment feel infinite.

Everything you've ever wanted, you finally had.

She was yours to touch, to hold, to please. Tess gave you all of her, completely and irrevocably.

"Tess.. fuck, I love you.. I- never wanna be with anyone else but you.." Your tone of voice is pitched higher, submerged in the pleasure she brought. She could tell you were inching closer to release with every swirl of her fingers.

"I love you, baby. With everything inside of me. It's you. Only you.. Now be a good girl and come with me."

"Are you gonna-"

"Yeah, I am. Fuck- keep going, just like that. Cmon, baby." The hand that wasn't inside your pants snuck up to your hair, grabbing a handful and pulling in silent demand.

Sighing dreamily, Tess pulled her fingers out of you and rubbed incessantly at your precious bundle of nerves, triggering your hips to rock against hers.

"Tess.." You moan out loud, almost too loud for the people downstairs to hear, but at the same time, you don't care. Not when Tess is giving you the most pleasure you think you've ever experienced in your life.

"I love it when you moan my name.. Say it again." Her fingers swirl to no end, feeling a jolt of pleasure wash through you as your high began to rush towards you.

"Tess, fuck. Oh my god Tess- baby I'm gonna come.." Your sounds are uncontrollable now as your release is beckoning you further.

"Yeah, hun? Gonna come for me?" Your hand speeds up your movements on her sensitive bud of nerves, another low moan leaving her chest, dripping with desire.

"Oh, baby, I'm-I'm.."

"Me too baby, yeah..." Tess calls out, her movements on your clit pushing you over the edge, her high washing over her intensely.

A few more filthy moans leave your chest, release crashing over you like a wave, running throughout your body with relief, your partner helping you ride it out before you finally look back up at her.

Sweat adorns her skin, chest heaving as she pulls her fingers from your pants. You do the same, only watching as she licks her fingers seductively. Another wave of pleasure threatens to overtake you, just by watching her do that.

"Holy shit... that was amazing. I knew your hands were good for more than just holding a gun and punching people." Your head tilts back the slightest bit as you try to catch your breath after the immense pleasure washed over you only moments ago.

"For our first time, that's nothing compared to what I've been thinking about doing to you for months now.." The smirk on her face threatens the rise of arousal again, though you're too exhausted now to even think about doing that, with what a long journey you've got ahead of you.

"You-" Tess raises an eyebrow at your speechlessness, "are the most beautiful woman in the whole world, and you chose to love me. Isn't that something."

Your words make her blush again, leaving a few small pecks on your cheeks, before pressing one to your lips again. Then, Tess's hands reach to your pants once more, doing the zipper up and buttoning them so she could do the same to hers.

"Well, I don't think we choose who we love. But if it was.. it's because you're the most perfect person in the world. Isn't that something.."

You look to Tess with a soft smile, one that makes both of you appreciate the domesticity of your conversation at hand.

"Yeah, it is," You say, taking her hands in yours and interlocking your fingers together, "So, what does all this make us?"

You catch Tess staring into your eyes again, and it takes a second for her to respond.

"Well, I'm already in love with you, so whatever you want, I want it too. I'm all in, for you. That sound good?"

God, you've waited forever to hear those words.

Attaching your lips with hers, it's a slow, soft kiss, almost stopping time with how you craved more every second that went by. As you pull away, Tess looks radiant in the sunlight that's pouring through the window even more now.

Her words turn you speechless, already knowing you called her 'mine' but hearing it from the velvet voice of your lover made your heart swell ten times bigger.

"It sounds wonderful, Tess." You lean in for another kiss, soft and sweet, until you pull back again, "You'll have to teach me how to open wine bottles, though."

"Nah, I think I'd rather just keep doing it for you." Your lips locked in another kiss, one you wished would last forever.

"Oh, one more thing," Tess goes digging in her back pocket, pulling out a blue tube, "Deodorant. You stink like sex."

"And whose fault is that?" You quip, grabbing the tube from her and rubbing it under your armpits.

Tess shrugged, almost pulling you in for another kiss, until the sound of a male voice from downstairs snapped both of you out of the daydream.

"Shit, Joel. He's gonna be mad that I took so long up here.. that-that we took so long-" You begin to speak, pulling yourself from the bed, reaching down to slip your boots on.

"Joel Miller is not gonna say anything when he sees that hickey." Tess mumbles, standing from the bed as well, adjusting her shirt from where you'd grasped it before.

"What mark? Oh, Tess.. you didn't.." You rush over to the mirror hanging on the wall, and pull your collar to the side abruptly to see the darkening purple bruise on your neck. You scoff, only buttoning up your shirt with haste to get out the door.

"I did. Couldn't help myself, you know. You're all mine now, had to make sure everyone in Boston knows you're spoken for."

She walks up behind you, placing her hands on your hips as you continue buttoning the flannel up. You scoff, flipping your head around to kiss her on the lips again.

"Yeah, well did you have to make it so dark?" You questioned, knowing she could've gone lighter but didn't.

"You already know the answer to that. Now c'mon, let's not keep the man waiting." Tess pulls you by your hand to the door, looking back once more as you exit the room and walk down the stairs with her hand in yours.

Just as you thought he'd be, Joel was pacing downstairs with his pack already on his back.

"There y'all are.. was starting to get worried about- Oh." The tall, Texan man clears his throat when his eyes spot the mark on your neck, eyes immediately avoiding yours.

"Yeah.. I'll grab our packs and meet you outside. Cool?" Tess says, before sharing a look with Joel, not saying anything more as he turns to walk out to the front yard. Her hand slips from yours every so slightly, and you already miss the warmth and love in her contact the second it drops from you.

"Hey, wait- where's Frank?" You call out to Joel, but he's already to the gate of their yard before he can hear you.

"In here!" Frank's voice comes from the living room, and you saunter over to him.

"Hey, morning. Listen, I wanted to thank you for everything. What you said to me last night, and just your hospitality and all you're gonna help us with when we start working together. I mean it- I'm really grateful."

Frank looks up from the vinyl he's sifting through, and meets your eyes with a compassionate smile.

"I take it this morning went... well?" He gestures to the mark on your neck, one of your hands going up to sheepishly cover it, a bit embarrassed that you let her go that far.

"Oh, um. Yeah, very well. I did that thing we talked about." As soon as the words hit his ears, he's grinning from ear to ear and throws his arms around you with a tight embrace, one that caught you off guard, but you hugged back, nonetheless. The smile is still beaming on his face as he pulls away.

"I knew it would go well. You two.." He shakes his head, hands on his hips, "Sparks were basically flying over lunch yesterday, every time one of you looked at each other.. Wait- Is that my shirt? Nevermind, keep it. Looks better on you anyway."

Frank laughs at the realization that you didn't have fresh clothes after showering, so he understood.

"Seriously, thank you. For everything, again."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm such a matchmaker. Now go, run to your lover, and never let her go, okay? She's one special woman."

"Yeah, that she is.." Your gaze shifts from Frank to Tess appearing in the doorway with your pack in her hand.

"Oh, one more thing." Frank hands you the books you'd taken down from their shelves last night, Little Women and Pride and Prejudice. "Don't worry, Bill said it's alright. He doesn't read classics, anyways. You'll come back, and we'll trade."

That's the last thing Frank says before Tess beckons you back to her.

"You ready to go? Joel's gonna lose his marbles if we make him wait any longer, so.." Tess asks you, standing a few feet away, but it felt like miles before you could get back to her.

"Oh, God forbid a man wait on two fine ladies, such as yourselves." Frank says, turning Tess's way as you walk towards her, grabbing your pack from her hand and putting the two books into it, before slinging it onto your back.

"You make a good point, but he's gonna be grouchy the whole hike. He'll be done with our lovesick asses once we get back to the QZ." You say with a giggle, pressing a quick kiss to Tess's lips.

"Well, it's been lovely having you here, I'm not sure where Bill's run off to, but I'm sure he says goodbye as well. I'll walk you to the gate, since there's an idea I have as to how we can communicate back and forth on the radio.. I'll tell you on the way."

Frank follows you both out the door, spotting Bill already at the gate, the same holster with his pistol sticking out from his otherwise plain outfit.

As Joel finally spots the three of you coming from the house, he darts right out of their front yard, b-lining for the gate.

"Guess he's got a new friend..." You mutter to Tess, Joel's steps bringing him towards the gate faster than you three were walking.

"Maybe he just doesn't wanna look at the huge hickey on your neck." She retorts, her reasoning better than anything else you came up with.

Chuckling, you nudge her side, hands falling beside each other's before locking your fingers together again.

Frank catches up, walking alongside Tess as he begins to explain his idea for communication back and forth.

"So, I had this idea that we should use codes for the radio, in case anyone's listening."

"That's a good idea. Like, with what?" Tess tilts her head over to the man in curiosity.

"I was thinking, like, the decades. Like- 80's, trouble, of course." Frank states, as if he's put immense thought into something as simple as this.

"Yeah..?"

"70's- for when we get new stuff to trade with.. and 60's for not having anything new. Sound good?"

"Yeah, Frank. That's actually really clever. I mean, I wouldn't have thought of that. Right, babe?" It's the first use of any pet name around people, and you can tell it puts Tess in a lighter mood just by hearing you say it.

"Right. Well, radio back to me when you guys are ready to start our business together." He reaches out to shake Tess's hand, "Otherwise, it has been lovely having you three here, and I'm so ecstatic to have you back whenever." Frank stood still, watching you all walk ahead.

The sound of Joel's boots on the pavement approaching you all force you to turn your heads towards the third partner in your group.

"What are y'all lookin' at? Let's head out, already. Whenever you lovebirds are done.."

Grumpy exterior, but an ally, all the same.

"What are we gonna do with him..."

"Yeah, he's not nearly as much fun as you." Nudging her shoulder again, your bottom lip catches between your teeth for a slight moment. Tess's hair is blowing in the wind slightly, and you can't help but smile at the beauty of the woman you called the love of your life.

You share a look between Tess's eyes and your own, before tugging her along as you walk ahead, attached by a soul tie at your hands, linked together for a lifetime.

[milfjuulpod]

Hey here’s a prompt for Abbott Elementary you if you want it 🥹

Melissa and F!Reader are together but haven’t said “I love you” and after reader has a bad day because a parent had a go at her. Melissa tries to cheer her up by cuddling her and saying “Hey, hey I love you ok?”

I Love You

notes: sorry for taking so long to get to this 😭 i’ve had such writers block & busy w my new job, but i’m trying to post more! thank you so much for the request <33

warnings: none

The entire day was full of more “downs” than “ups” for you, but you didn’t think even after the bell had rung for students to go home, it would get worse. A student of yours has had a lot of trouble paying attention in class, and after doing everything you could inside the classroom, you decided to reach out to the parents to have a meeting after school. Your student having the meeting stayed behind in class, and shortly after the bell his mother came in through the door.

Immediately, she had an attitude with you. A whole lot of “You think I don’t know my kid?” and “He’s fine,” but when she called you a bad teacher, that hit your heart a bit too hard. It relieved you when the mother finally decided to stop yelling at you and leave with her child. Once they were out of the room, you took a deep breath and decided to save the tears and frustration for the car ride home.

Today of all days, Melissa was at work later than usual, working on a project with some of her students. Finally, after a couple hours of sitting and crying on the couch, you heard Melissa come into your house. “Hey hon, sorry it took me so long to get here, the project went on a little longer and I swear to you, some of these kids, I-“ she stopped herself as she turned and finally got a look at you. Wiping away tears, balled up on the couch, in the crewneck of Melissa’s you always wore when you were upset.

Melissa wasted no time getting over to you, leaving all her belongings right by the door. She sat next to you and took you in her arms, gently stroking your head as she asked you what was going on. “Today was awful, from when I had breakfast this morning all the way until now. The worst part though was this parent after school. She called me a bad teacher and all I wanted to do was help,” you started to tear up again and felt Melissa’s grip around you tighten. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry she did that. Just give me the last name and I’ll handle it, your hands will be clean,” she joked to you. You giggled and snuggled into her more, already feeling ten times better than you were just a few minutes ago.

“Really though, babe. I am sorry that happened, you’re a great teacher and it’s not your fault she can’t see that. I love you, okay?” You picked your head up from her chest to meet her eyes. You’ve never heard Melissa say she loved you. You knew she did, but this was the first time she said it. The smile you had was paired with heat rushing to your cheeks, which only got worse once Melissa closed the distance and kissed you. “I love you too,” you said against her lips, and the rest of the night was spent in heaven.

[lunamaraproject]

LUNAMARA: Fragments [1]

🦢

It’s not like Felix enjoys unpleasant jobs - it just seems that it always falls to him to be the one to do them. 

Perhaps he has too much of an approachable face, so people feel comfortable with asking him to do more than others would. He would like to think it’s because he’s more capable, but he knows he isn’t. He doesn’t enjoy paperwork and slogs through it with gritted teeth. He’s much more comfortable dealing with people face to face, but knows that even in that area, some people find him too chummy and familiar for their tastes. 

Still. Unpleasant jobs must be done.

Felix takes a deep breath, and knocks on the door of the Office for Administration of Internal Affairs. It’s a name as vague as its purpose - a catch-all term for rooms full of people who pick up the pieces when things go wrong. 

“Identification,” says a tired voice from the other side, muffled by the door. It used to be that an automated responder would ask and identify him, but now they’re back to the old fashioned way. It’s funny, really.

“Case Manager Felix Cygnus,” he replies, smiling to himself. 

“Access denied,” comes the sour-sounding not-auto response.

“Awww, come on,” Felix pouts, leaning against the door forlornly. “I’ve traipsed all over Amethyst Ward today and you’re going to shut me out? Me? Your beloved Fifi?”

“You aren’t my beloved anything.”

Felix gasps. “Liar!”

Behind the door, there is a heavy sigh like all the moon's fragments have weighed themselves upon one set of stooped shoulders. Then, Felix practically falls to the floor as the door swings open, unlocked. He makes sure to sprawl himself out dramatically, including fanning his hair out in a way pleasing to the eye.

“Ow! Owwie! Owch! I think I chipped something!” he cries, writhing this way and that. “Rufie, I will sue for compensation!"

Sat behind a wide desk and nearly obscured by the sheer amount of paperwork, an impassive and unimpressed face stares down at him. Rufus Canis is young in years but with the soul of an ancient, and was already tired of Felix’s attempts to lighten the dour atmosphere of this place by hour 2 of working there. Felix fully suspects that the only reason Rufus hasn’t fired him is out of a sense of respect for a colleague he eventually came to be promoted ahead of, despite Felix having worked there since before Rufus was even born. His golden hair is cropped short for ease of care, and his dark green eyes have lost most of their shine from how long he’s spent staring at case files. There’s no glimmer to any of him, actually. He probably needs a nap. Lunamara will fall out of the sky before he ever takes one.

“Are you going to get up off my floor, or are you going to stare at me, Cygnus,” he gripes, already turning his gaze back to his work. “I’m busy. If you have enough time to play around, I have errands for you to run.”

“Ehh, but I just got back!” Felix whines, though he does get (gracefully) to his feet. 

This, too, is ignored. “Is Amethyst fully closed up yet?” 

“Ah, mmm…” The hesitation is answer enough.

“Those selfish bastards,” Rufus mutters under his breath. “The more districts and wards we have to keep open and supplied, the worse off the essential services are. Can’t even afford to run power to my intercom…”

“I’m working on it, Rufus, I promise,” Felix assures him, placing four more case folders on his in-tray. With how full it is, one would think he wouldn’t be keen for more. “They just need some time to come to terms with it. Find the right people to settle with.”

“If they don’t hurry it up I’ll put them to work myself or throw them off this stupid rock.”

Felix can’t help but smile at him. Rufus would, of course, never resort to such a thing. He’s all bark and no bite, like those adorable animals from down below. Dogs, that’s it. Still, it won’t do to tease a creature with teeth. 

“What else can I assist you with today?”

Rufus reaches to the left and picks up a folder with several colourful tabs sticking out of it. “I need you to run this report to Her Royal Highness for her perusal and approval.”

“Poor Elsie,” Felix pouts, taking the folder - and nearly dropping it, now that it’s become so dense and heavy. “She might start crying again if she sees this.”

“Every day I wonder how you haven’t been arrested for treason, Cygnus,” Rufus mutters. “Princess Elsennae is perfectly capable. She’s only 20 years younger than me.”

“Aww, Rufie, that means you could have a chance! Think of it like an office romance–”

“OUT.”

Felix makes quick on his escape with the folder, before Rufus really does start throwing something at him. The banter has cheered him up though, enough that the long walk from the offices to the palace’s main halls doesn’t seem quite so daunting. 

There was a time when this information would be transferred over connected terminals, rather than on foot by one particularly good looking Case Manager, but such frivolous uses of power are long since past. He steps over another chunk of stone and makes note of the gap in the archway that it came from - nobody will do anything to fix it, at this point, he knows, but he’d like not to get hit on the head if he can avoid it. At least the lights work. It really would be something desperate if even the palace couldn’t keep the lights on. 

Not that they aren’t in rather dire straits already.

🌗

More from LUNAMARA:

Fragments [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]<-- More every Thursday!

Comic [Prologue]

Art by Luka (http://nousanti.tumblr.com/) Story by Pidge (http://pidgestories.tumblr.com/)