#I imagine they’d team up eventually & this is the first time I imagine it really explicitly happening | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

raccoon-eyed-rebel · 9 months

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Don't knock it till you try it

Masterlist

Pairing: Syverson x reader x Walter Marshall (technically college AU. I needed to make the road trip scenario plausible.)

Summary: Your friends Walter and Sy have offered to drive you home for the summer, and you have decided to turn it into a nice relaxed camping trip on the way...

Word count: 9146 (yes, really...)

Warnings: SMUT, NSFW, 18+, MINORS DNI, fingering (vaginal, anal - f receiving), oral sex (f and m receiving), penetrative sex (vaginal, anal, DP - f receiving), masturbation (f), smug and dirty talking Sy, sex in a tent, hint of a size kink (blink and you miss it), silly bets, and an astonishingly solid bromance. I think that's all, but call me if I missed any.

A/N: I've finally really stopped hurting the boys and now we're just going for some nice relaxed sex in a goddamn tent, dammit! Also yeah I'm going to keep imagining the boys in college until the day I die, I don't know why (maybe because I'm young), but just... idk, read it as a memory or something? idk :')

@geralts-yenn @deandoesthingstome @ellethespaceunicorn @peaches1958 @sillyrabbit81 @peyton-warren @summersong69 @mayloma @livisss

You were not – by a long shot – the first girl to see the backseat of the beat-up chevy pickup you were sitting in. Fact. A fact so factual, in fact, that Sy hadn’t complained when you demanded he put a blanket down for you to sit on, which told you more than you really wanted to know.

Now, your eyes kept drifting shut to the sound of tires on asphalt and the bickering of soothing baritone voices in the front seat. The outside world consisted of mountain views and clear blue skies, and the fresh breeze of early summer that worked just hard enough to raise goosebumps on skin, but inside this rusty old vehicle the atmosphere was dominated by two pairs of broad shoulders, deep voices, and what you always mockingly referred to as ‘disgusting man sweat’ – always hoping neither of them would ever find out how often you dreamt of licking those salty droplets off their abs after a workout.

Both of them had shown up, first semester, in a class they didn’t have a prayer of passing, and you’d been teamed up with them because of what you then thought to be a hideous trick of fate. Somehow, you whipping them into shape for that tutorial hadn’t put them off you, and what started as whatever the educational equivalent of ‘frenemies’ is, turned into study buddies and eventually friends. The only downside to your friendship was that you chronically had to explain to your entire dorm that, no, you weren’t sleeping with either of them – let alone both of them.

As you still toed the line between asleep and awake, a heavy hand on your knee – belonging to Walter – made a decision for you in favor of consciousness.

“We’re hungry,” he said.

“You’re always hungry,” you grumbled as you reached for the bag of food and snacks on the other side of the backseat. It was a good thing they didn’t bother to deny it, because you would have strangled them both. God forbid you ever left a bag of Doritos out in your dorm. Seconds! Gone!

Sy had the stones to ask for a tuna sandwich. Absolutely the fuck not!

“I’m not opening that bag in this car, Sy.” It already smelled like stale beer and weed in there. Not in a bad way, but in a ‘you’re not allowed to smoke on campus, so this is our only option’ way. That said, adding tuna to the mix would be a complete disaster.

“Suit yourself,” he snapped. You rolled your eyes. For the love of God, it was all of ten minutes past feeding time! Walter snickered as he held out a hand. Turkey on wheat for Walter, BLT for Sy, mozzarella pesto for you. You’d splurged on groceries, because the boys had offered to take the lion’s share of the drive.

“We were thinkin’ of callin’ it a day soon, sugar.” They’d had morning classes, and you were falling asleep while on snack-duty… Plus, you’d agreed to just take it easy the whole drive. It was summer; there was no need to rush home.

Sy pulled off the highway, quickly ending the smooth, rhythmic hum of the tires on the road, until the asphalt finally made way for the crackling of gravel. Without Sy, you never would have found the campsite at which you pulled over. Camping ran through that guy’s veins, as you could tell from the impressive amount of camping gear in the bed of the pickup – all his.

Even though he helped you get out of the truck, you still lost your footing and stumbled into him, leaving Walter grinning to the side of the spectacle, commenting on your horrible clumsiness.

“Dunno,” Sy replied with a sly smile. “Guess she’s just fallin’ for me.” The cheesy joke made Walter stop dead in his tracks.

“I think that’s twenty-five,” he deadpanned, looking at you. In a less-than-sober state, somewhere in the past year, you had made a deal: if either of them managed to make that joke twenty-five times before the end of the year, you’d… Alright, let the records show that when you made that bet, you had been entirely convinced they’d never take you up on the offer to let them kiss you. But they had.

“You’re not gonna hold me to what I said back then, are you?” you asked in a small voice, your cheeks so hot you could probably fry an egg on them. The door of the truck slammed shut behind you, and Sy slowly stepped forward, forcing you to step back, until you were backed up against the truck, with him leaning over you – completely caged in between his solid body and the car.

“Deal’s a deal, sugar.” There was no trace of his usual grin, no hint of the mischievous glint in his eyes that normally told you he was kidding. He just came closer and closer as your eyes went wide – Walter did nothing. Jackass.

Not that kissing Sy was something you didn’t want. Oh no! In fact, it was something a fairly large part of you wanted so badly you thought you might burst. On some days, being close to either of them – let alone both – was torture, where your heart raced every time they came near you, and you unconsciously held your breath when they touched you… And while the guys just freely admitted to having sex dreams about you, you kept the little nugget of truth that you had similar dreams about them, tightly under wraps. Not because you thought they’d tease you about it, or anything, just… No, wait, actually that’s exactly why you didn’t tell them.

A few more seconds passed in which your heart tried its best to jump out of your chest.

“This isn’t funny, Sy,” you snapped on a sharp exhale when his mouth curled at the corners into that signature smirk you loved to hate. Finally able to gather your thoughts as well as your strength, you put your hands on his chest and pushed. It was a good thing he let you go, because if he had decided to stay put, you wouldn’t have stood a chance in hell.

“I want my kiss, sugar,” he called after you as you paced away to… alright, you didn’t actually know where you were going, but away, at least. “One way or another.”

As pissed – or confused – as you were, this was ‘the outdoors’ and therefore absolutely not the type of environment you were well equipped for in any kind of way, thus you decided it was best to stay close – within earshot, at least – to the boys. But they could take care of unpacking and pitching tents and whatever the fuck else needed doing.

“Hey.” Sy sat down next to you on the rock you had claimed, and put an arm around you. This was oddly comfortable, especially compared to the tense situation by the car, earlier. “I was messin’ with ya back there, you know that, right?” Whether it was to make a point, or simply because Walter wasn’t watching – or maybe because the threatening wall of man from before was now your familiar gentle giant again, you had no idea, but you impulsively reached for Sy and kissed him on the cheek. A low chuckle escaped him, and he pulled you closer.

“There’s a trail up to a waterfall we maybe wanted to check out, you in? Easy hike.” The good thing about hanging out with the guys was that they really considered your level of… adventurous ineptitude. If they suggested this hike, it meant they were at least medium convinced you could actually make it there and back in one piece – or that they could make it at least halfway with you on their backs.

The hike led up to a beautiful, clear river, and a spectacular waterfall. Between the smell of the woods, the sun comfortably warm on your skin, and the phenomenal view, this hike had been more than worth it – never mind that you were all sticky and sweaty from trying to keep up with the guys and their superhuman pace.

“On the way back, can we please remember that I have little legs?” you complained as you sank down onto the rock at the river bank the boys had selected to eat yet another sandwich on. Sy hummed, finally contently munching on the tuna sandwich you’d denied him in the car, and Walter laughed. You sat in silence while your friends ate their food, which meant the rock inevitably became too boring for your limited attention span.

What started off as a relatively sure-footed expedition over the rocks that stuck out of the water, inevitably ended with your very accurate portrayal of a soaking wet person regretting most – if not all – of their life choices. Sy sighed and rolled his eyes as he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, taking his sweet time to get up and make his way over to you to fish you out of the water – which he then called ‘refreshing’ instead of ‘freezing fucking cold’. That didn’t improve your mood. Next, Walter had to dive for your phone – which, luckily, could swim, but was still going to be next to useless to you at the bottom of this far-deeper-than-anticipated vein of icy death.

Shivering, covered in goosebumps and with chattering teeth, you stood on the bank of the river.

“Take your shirt off,” Walter commanded, plucking his own off the dry rock.

“What?” you stammered, staring at him in disbelief. Now, that alone would have been just fine, if your eyes hadn’t dropped from his face to his chest. Small droplets of water dripped from his hair and beard onto his shoulders and chest and… somehow trickled down his body in slow motion. If they knew how much willpower it took to lift your eyes to his again, they would never let you live it down. Sy repeated his words from a distance – there went your excuse that Walter had just been talking too softly. Sy was still up to his knees in the river, unbothered by the cold, just hanging out there as if that water didn’t rival the fucking arctic ocean for temperature.

As you looked at him, he started to walk back to the riverside. The sun was starting to set, changing the light in a way that made it look like Sy, much like those fucking drops of water, was moving in slow motion, flecks of sunlight dancing over his skin… These guys were distracting enough when they were dry and dressed, but now that they were wet and half naked, with damp, coarse curls sticking to their chest and abs, catching the water that dripped down from their heads… These boys were fucking with your head. Big time.

“Sugar, take off your shirt, please,” Sy repeated when he stood next to you. “You’re freezin’, let’s get you a dry t-shirt, at least.” Oh. So, they weren’t putting the moves on you. Good to know. Hopefully, your exasperated sigh didn’t give away any of the disappointment you felt. With a little help from Walter, you lifted your soaking top over your head, not caring that they saw you in your bra until it was already too late. Sy used his t-shirt to dry you off a bit, before handing you Walter’s to put on. The whole time, they kept their eyes in decent places, and their hands didn’t wander anywhere they shouldn’t. Now, why did that make you feel sad?

“We should head back,” Walter said – mostly to Sy. The sun disappeared rather quickly, and without the heat from it, that dry t-shirt – save for the two tit-shaped wet spots where your soaked bra touched it – didn’t do much to keep you warm.

By the time you made it back to the campsite, you were shivering again. The walk had done next to nothing to warm you, and your still wet jean shorts chafed painfully against your thighs. Not to mention your thighs were starting to chafe painfully against your thighs. So, the first thing you did was disappear into the tiny single tent that was meant for you – as you had made it abundantly clear that sharing a tent with the boys was out of the question – and change into something dry, warm, and comfortable. The guys did the same, although – as it turns out – their version of ‘warm’ included no shirts. Did they ever get cold?

It was tough enough to keep your eyes off Sy in cargo shorts – although Walter in jeans was just as much of a sight for sore eyes – but now that it was getting dark, the sweats came out to play. You silently thanked Walter for his choice of black sweatpants, because keeping your thoughts out of the gutter was hard enough already. Sy was shamelessly sporting a pair of grey sweats, filling them out just about as nicely as humanly possible as he sat there, getting a fire started. The sly glances and that godforsaken smirk he flung your way from time to time told you that he was more than aware that you were checking him out.

The heat from the fire alone wasn’t enough to warm you up. Sy’s solution was tequila – which helped, but not quite enough, so Walter wrapped you in a blanket, pulling you close to his side as he ran his hands over your arms in an attempt to stop your shivering. At the same time, Sy inched closer, and before you knew it, four arms were wrapped around you.

Apart from being hot, proverbially, these guys were hot in the literal sense, too, warming you up slightly more effectively than the blanket around your shoulders and moderate amount of alcohol in your system. Still, the icy temperatures from the ground you were sitting on seeped into you without mercy. Of course, the boys took notice, both getting the same idea, and each grabbing one of your legs to try and pull you into their respective laps. Needless to say; it didn’t work, and you just ended up with spread legs, sitting between them on the floor. Sy had that twinkle in his eye, that smirk on his face that was dripping with confidence and indecency… You had to get out of there before he could speak!

As you scrambled to your feet, mumbling something about getting another blanket for yourself to sit on, you tripped and fell into Walter’s lap. Of course! You had been keeping score on that bet as well, and you knew you had come here – fucking camping – with both of the guys stuck on twenty-four counts of the same lame fucking joke… This was your fault, really.

To your surprise, however, Walter said nothing – instead, he smiled politely, pulling you into a more comfortable position in his lap.

“You’ve earned it,” you whispered, although you had absolutely no idea why. Maybe because it was the truth, maybe because you just wanted this bet to be over. Either way, it hurt you that he didn’t make the dumb joke, and asked to collect his reward the way Sy had. Hoping to get up before Walter looked into your eyes – where your thoughts were no doubt displayed for everyone to see – you made a move that was entirely too advanced for your mediocre balance and agility, and you crashed down again, this time falling harder than before. As Walter grunted, panic shot through you…

“Darling, I’d ask you if it hurt when you fell from heaven, but so far the only person who got hurt in that process, is me,” he blurted out in a strangled voice, while Sy was losing it next to you, howling from laughter.

Was it the booze? The fire? The tension from this afternoon? The fact that you were sitting in his lap, with his hands maybe a tad too low on your hips, but high enough to not rouse suspicion? Or maybe just your complete lack of self-control? Whatever it was, it caused you to move to straddle his thighs, and without thinking about it for so much as a second, you kissed him. If you’d had a sliver of hope before that Walter would break the kiss after an at least semi-decent amount of time, it was gone now, because the hand on your hip pulled you tighter against him, and his other hand tangled in your hair.

Walter kissed you. It took far more effort than you had ever expected to really let that sink in, but at the same time there was no way around it. He was kissing you, and it was eager, and rough, accompanied by ragged breaths and the occasional moan. It managed to make you forget everything around you. Everything except for Sy – mainly because he let out a pained grunt just as you were about to stick your tongue down Walter’s throat.

“I got a kiss on the cheek, man,” he groaned as he leaned in slightly on one elbow.

Now, if you had been thinking clearly, you would have laughed it off, gotten up and gone to bed. Safe to say, you were not thinking clearly.

Sy’s mouth felt just as good on yours as Walter’s had, with similarly soft lips, a similarly coarse beard scraping your skin, and a similar roughness to him that only wound you tighter. You moaned, your hips unconsciously grinding into Walter’s, his growing hard-on providing extra friction to soothe the ache between your legs. When you briefly opened your eyes to see if Sy was as involved in this as you were, you saw him palm his own erection through his sweats – casually adjusting its position before focusing on you again. In that moment – timed perfectly with a moan from Walter – something inside of you snapped.

“I’m going to bed,” you stuttered as you broke the kiss with Sy, at the same time scrambling to get to your feet – this time succeeding without falling into anyone, and making it to your own tent without a hitch. ‘

Now, if it had been a sober conversation, and it hadn’t been in the middle of nowhere without a sound to be heard for miles other than crickets, the occasional owl, and the crackling of the fire, at least half of it would have been inaudible from where you had pitched your tents. But the boys were too drunk, and their voices too deep and dark – the sound just traveled too far. You could have ignored them. You could have turned around, pulled your sleeping bag over your ears, and pretended to be asleep until it became the truth. Instead, you listened, sometimes straining to understand what they were saying.

“So, who do we say got her first?”

“I’m asking for a do-over.”

“Because it was me?”

“We could just… Y’know…”

“Think she’d go for it?”

“What, both of us? My ex did…”

“But she was nuts.”

“Hey! Okay, fair enough.”

Both of them? Both of them? As in… Separately? Or… Oh, what the fuck did it matter! The answer was yes.

What surprised you most about your thoughts was how completely unsurprised you were by them. Somehow, the idea of sleeping with both Sy and Walter felt as natural as could be, and left you not only stumped, but with another problem that needed tending to…

Without thinking, you slid your hand down your body, and into your sweatpants. Kissing the boys had definitely had its effect on you, you had known that as soon as it had happened, but the extent of the mess between your thighs was still quite surprising. Somehow, tasting both of them, followed by your eavesdropping, had made you dripping wet and craving something more than just your fingers. Unfortunately, they’d have to do.

You thought of that first kiss with Walter, then the one with Sy, then wondered what it would feel like to have those beards scratch the skin of your neck, slowly making their way down to your chest. Would they lick? Bite? Moan? You pictured Sy, eagerly making his way further down, while Walter kept his attention on your chest. Would he be as quiet as he always was? Was Sy as loud as you imagined him to be?

There were so many things to wonder about, besides the obvious size question, that the thoughts consumed you completely as you worked yourself up to your peak. So completely, in fact, that you didn’t hear the guys return to the tents – just as you squealed from pleasure while you came. Hard.

“Fuck, sugar,” Sy said from outside. Walter warned him to stop talking, but he didn’t listen. “Tell me if you want any help.”

It was tempting to say ‘yes’. It was tempting to crawl into that tent and tell them you had heard everything they said by the fire. It was tempting to offer yourself up on a silver platter, hoping they’d make good on their promises from before by fucking the life out of you. But things that are tempting can also still be difficult, so you did nothing. Well, nothing… If ‘dying of embarrassment’ counts as ‘something’, you were definitely not doing nothing.

The sound of your own teeth chattering prevented you from falling asleep, even though you could hardly keep your eyes open. And who knew goosebumps could hurt like this? The boys had warned you beforehand that it would get cold at night, and you’d even told Sy what you had planned on wearing as pajamas, and he’d said you’d be good. Well, you weren’t good. You were covered from head to toe, and you were not – by any definition of the word – ‘good’.

As hard and painful as it was to just lay there and freeze, it was harder to get up, worm your double-socked feet into your sneakers and get out of your tent. Outside, it was pitch black, and the dim light of your phone was barely enough to prevent you from falling flat on your face. You had to credit the boys with their incredible foresight to keep the path from your tent to theirs free of tripping hazards – something you were so delighted in at that moment that you forgot to question whether or not there was some sort of ploy, or whatever in place. Lewd scheme or not, you were glad to make it without a hitch.

“Eh, guys?” you whispered after zipping open the tent and poking your head in.

“Hm? What?” It was Walter – and from Sy’s continued snoring, you deduced that you shouldn’t wait for him to answer; he wasn’t waking up.

“I’m really fucking cold,” you admitted reluctantly. That seemed to wake Walter up a little more…

“Cold? You could go on an expedition to the north pole dressed the way you are!” The sleep-drunk slur of his voice was… adorable, in a way. To his left – no, his right… To his left from where you were standing? The left side of the air-mattress they were on when you looked at it, standing at the foot of the bed, the right side if you were actually lying in… oh for fuck’s sake! Next to him, Sy groaned and turned – although you couldn’t see any of that, because it was very dark.

“The fuck is going on?” he grunted, his voice gravelly and dark – which did a good job of making your knees weak.

“She’s cold,” Walter replied dryly.

“There’s no way,” Sy said in disbelief, “she’s dressed for winter in Alaska.”

“If you two are done mocking me, I’m actually freezing my ass off out here. Do you have an extra blanket or something?” you snapped.

“Sugar, we’re not even wearin’ shirts,” Sy said, his voice steadier now that he was waking up.

“Great, so you put on a shirt, and I’ll take your sleeping bag.” It was a shame they couldn’t see you roll your eyes, but the snippy tone would surely get your point across.

“Or you could just come here, love,” Walter said all of a sudden. There was rustling in the tent and then a dim red light over your heads turned on.

“Interesting choice…” you started, but Walter and Sy chuckled.

“It’s easier on your eyes, sugar.” Shit, Sy was easy on your eyes, god damn. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and the way he casually lounged on that fucking mattress right now, with that arm behind his head, eyes half shut…

Walter was sitting up, holding a hand out to you, waiting patiently until you had zipped open the door further – which took so long that he ended up helping you with it. As you got in, he got out, and for a moment you were scared he would offer to leave you with Sy while he took your tent, but after a while he returned holding your backpack and sleeping bag.

The bed was a bit small for the three of you, especially since the guys were so bulky, but you managed to make it work. The only thing was… shivering in between them was hardly more comfortable than shivering by yourself, and now there wasn’t enough space to curl up into a ball and hope for the best.

“Sugar, stop squirmin’, c’mere.” Sy’s strong arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you close, when up until now you’d been trying desperately not to touch either of them. “Alright, I take it back, she is freezin’.” A gesture to Walter you could feel but not see, made him scooch over, too, until his body was flush against yours.

Your heart raced in your throat when warm hands slipped underneath your hoodie, stroking your side and – eventually – your stomach. Somewhere down the line, you forgot how to breathe properly, taking in shallow breaths, hoping the guys wouldn’t notice. Of course, they did, because they were inches away from you.

“You should take this off, sugar,” Sy mumbled into your ear. Every muscle in your body tensed up at the suggestion, and it felt like the air was knocked out of your lungs.

“C-can’t,” you stammered, “I’m not… eh… I’m not wearing a bra.”

“Fairly sure we’ve seen a pair of tits before, love,” Walter replied, right at the time Sy muttered ‘neither are we’, making you laugh. Somehow, all of this seemed innocent – or rather; you were convincing yourself it felt innocent, and any subtext and undertones were a figment of your imagination, instead, when in fact, it was far more likely that it was exactly the other way around…

“Not mine,” you protested, biting your lip as a third hand, belonging to Walter, began to roam your back.

“We’re aware of that,” Sy said, his voice dangerously close to your ear. His breath was hot against your cold skin – a sensation that made you shiver.

“In fact, we try not to think about it. It makes us sad,” Walter said, leaning his forehead against yours, sliding his hand down your back and then up your side until his thumb was less than an inch away from the underside of your boobs.

For a moment, the thought that this was just a tactic to actually warm you up flashed through your head, because – in all fairness – it was working. Every part of you was suddenly glowing, breath quick and ragged in anticipation of whatever it was that would come next. What surprised you, though, was how calm they both seemed. Then again, they had already – unknowingly – admitted to having done this before. If that was where this was headed, which you still didn’t quite know for sure… It was as if the guys were both waiting for something. Waiting for… you.

Your lips trembled as you tilted your head up, Walter taking your hint and pressing his lips to yours. Sy pushed your hair out of the way and latched on to your neck. Neither of them went straight to groping you – not more than they had been up until now – but it was only a matter of time before you felt Walter’s hand creep up to your chest. He broke your kiss, his eyes silently asking for permission, which you gave him with the flash of a smile and a slight nod, gasping when his fingers brushed past your nipple. Despite the rising temperatures in the tent – even though most of that was likely just your imagination – the difference between your skin and Walter’s was striking, and you moaned when his warm hand cupped your breast.

Sy was less subtle by about a million degrees, boldly grabbing as much of your other boob as humanly possible – and he had big hands, so you quickly ran out of tit for him to dig his fingers into.

“Can you take it easy,” you blurted out as you laughed in surprise at his – as far as you were concerned – unwarranted enthusiasm.

“Darlin’, I’ve been dreamin’ of these tits for weeks, throw a man a bone.” He groaned when you backed a hip into him the same way you would have if he had been standing next to you.

“Looks like you’re the one throwing me a bone, Syverson,” you teased when you felt his cock push against your ass. It was a horrible joke; Walter laughed, Sy did not – possibly because he was the one on the receiving end of your mockery. Instead, you heard a low, arrogant chuckle in your ear, that told you exactly how he wasn’t going to give you the upper hand.

“I ain’t throwin’ you nothin’, sugar,” he growled, putting a hand on your hip, gripping you tight. “I’m gonna make you fuckin’ beg for it.”

“Promises, promises.” Teasing the boys was fun when you were studying, because you very clearly had a head start in that department, and they would get frustrated, and it was very cute. But now, sandwiched between their bodies, gone was your head start. Any advantage you had over them, in any other way, was useless here. The worst part? They fucking knew it. It was as if they grew bigger and you got smaller, and you were loving every second of it.

Suddenly, the hands underneath your sweater grew impatient, tugging the fabric up until there was no point in keeping it on. Rough hands turned you on your back, which left you staring up at both guys while they raked their eyes over your naked upper body. The knowledge that they were far from unaffected by you graced you with a sense of pride that helped keep doubts and shyness away as you reveled in their attention and the appreciative grunts and moans they let out as they looked at you.

“Fuck,” Walter muttered, licking his lips, completely focused on your bare skin. He scooched closer to you, grinding his hips into your side as he did, and turned your face to his to kiss you.

It was as eager as before, this time with Sy descending, pressing his lips to your neck, exceeding every expectation you had created in your fantasy from before; their lips were softer, their tongues wetter, and the way the coarse hair felt on your skin better than anything you could ever imagine. You whined and squirmed as their hands glided over your body, paying plenty of attention to your boobs, their fingers treating the soft flesh in remarkably similar ways. After a while, they switched places; Sy kissed you, Walter explored your body, making you gasp into Sy’s mouth as he wrapped his lips around your nipple, sucking gently on the hardened little bud while his fingers worked the other.

Eventually, he came back up to kiss you, a situation Sy took advantage of by diving straight back between your boobs, this time sliding his hand down your stomach and into your sweatpants – which is when you grabbed his wrist.

“Stop.” Stern and very effective – not that you were about to give the boys any credit for not assaulting you; that sounded like common fucking decency to you, actually. “Before this goes any further; did either of you, with your infinite wisdom and incredible foresight, pack condoms? Because if not…” Before you finished that sentence, both of them sat up and reached for their bag, leaving you there, taken aback by… You didn’t actually know what had you so shocked about this.

Sy made it back to your side first, tucking a handful of condoms beneath his pillow before laying down again. “Oral?” he asked. It was only half the question, but you understood perfectly. You quickly established that everyone was clean, making the short answer to his half-question ‘without’. Sy responded to that agreement by promptly sliding his hand into your pants, not wasting any more time. His fingers slipped between your folds, and he let out a low chuckle.

“For a moment I was worried you didn’t want this as much as we do,” he growled in your ear. “Guess I was wrong.” One quick, skilled swirl of his finger around your swollen clit made you whine – a sound he clearly found very motivational, because his fingers picked up a steady rhythm. You tried to hide your face in Walter’s neck to cover up the sound of your moans, but he caught you and kissed you instead.

Sy somehow found the time to kiss your neck, your jaw, your ear – sinking his teeth into you ever so slightly, stopping just before he hurt you – while he continued what he was doing. His fingers were absolute magic, making you swear under your breath as he effortlessly slipped two of them inside you. Next, he kissed his way down again, not stopping at your breasts, but continuing over your abs, until he reached your sweatpants, pulling them down eagerly without waiting for your permission. Of course, he had it – and you’d had plenty of time to stop him while he was headed there. It’s just that… That was about the very last thing you wanted.

Next to you, Walter kept busy pressing lazy kisses to your neck and jaw, occasionally pulling away to look at you, while he held you and played with your boobs. A few times you tried to move your hand to the bulge in his sweatpants, but he stopped you every time.

“Would you just...”

“Darling, been there, done that. You’ll be useless to me within seconds.” He nodded towards Sy, who was taking a moment to find a decent position between your legs. You raised your eyebrow at Walter, questioning his words, but he didn’t budge. “I’m gonna wait my turn, love.”

“I know this one,” Sy said, running his fingers over the fabric of your thong. You chuckled – he was right; he’d barged into your room one night while you were changing into whatever you were going to wear out to the club, and he’d seen you in your underwear. This underwear. He took his sweet time taking it off, teasing you with kisses on the inside of your thighs, his beard rough against your sensitive skin, until you were almost begging him to keep going. Finally, he pulled your panties down.

“You were right,” he said to Walter, leaving you to wonder what the fuck… “It is her natural hair color.” Oh. You fought the urge to kick Sy – instead, you lightly squeezed your thighs shut around his head. It didn’t seem to bother him. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The urge disappeared altogether when you – finally – felt his tongue on your pussy. He wasn’t subtle, but damn, he was good. Walter had absolutely had a point; barely ten seconds in and you couldn’t keep your eyes open, let alone focus on anything other than the feeling of Sy’s tongue on your clit. He impatiently spread your legs further while mumbling some very dirty things about how much he wanted to taste you. Involuntarily, you chuckled – causing both guys to stop what they were doing and looking at you in suspicion. Lying was pointless; they knew you well enough by now to effortlessly see through that, and you sighed.

“I… eh…” you stammered, unable to find the words.

“Come on,” Walter said, “if you’ve still got things to hide from us now…” He was right, of course, this wasn’t a position you’d have found yourself in at all if you hadn’t been so comfortable with – and hot for – these guys. Then again, you were already exposed and vulnerable… Why make that worse?

You hid your face in Walter’s neck as you just said what was on your mind without thinking about it: “I always imagined you to be the quiet one and Sy the loud one.”

“Always?” Sy teased you. His usual cocky attitude transferred seemly to the bedroom – or… tent – as it would seem. Except now, for once, you had a decent shot at shutting him the fuck up – although you did have a feeling you were going to like his smug confidence for a change. Sy had been growing out his buzzcut for a few weeks now, which made his hair just about long enough to grab – a fact you used to your advantage when you tangled your fingers in his hair and pulled his face back to where you wanted it.

“That’s just going to make it harder to answer the question, darling,” Walter muttered next to you while drawing circles around your nipples with impatient fingers.

“Fuck!” you shrieked as Sy’s tongue hit your clit just right – a note he took to heart, because he didn’t leave that spot again, leaving you wishing that all men were that smart. Because why – for the love of God – did they always change their approach as soon as they found a spot you let them know you really liked? Right… The question at hand… “You really thought it was just the two of you dreaming about me?” They had to be smart enough to figure out what you meant on their own, right? The flustered look on Walter’s face told you enough, as did the deep chuckle and gentle bite on the inside of your thigh.

Apparently fed up with your conversation, Sy doubled down on his efforts, eating you out like a man starved, more chuckles escaping him as he watched you pull his pillow over your face in an attempt to keep quiet. ‘Attempt’ because you still failed quite horribly when he pushed two fingers into your pussy and curled them, finding your g-spot without any effort. The orgasm that followed was the kind of toe-curling, earth-shattering, life-changing thing that made you really mad at yourself for one particular reason…

“Jesus fucking Christ, I should have taken you up on your offer when my useless ex broke up with me,” you moaned as Sy made his way up again, pulling in the pillow that you had haphazardly thrown aside – after you were done screaming, that is – so you could catch your breath. Sy immediately pulled you on top of him, kissing you hard and deep, allowing you to taste yourself on his tongue. It was something that had always made you feel weird and – if you were being perfectly honest – mildly disgusted when it had been your ex doing it, but there was something about the way Sy had gone down on you, and the way he was kissing you now, something unapologetic, passionate, and enthusiastic, that made you want to kiss him.

In fact, you were just about to commit to the bit when someone – and that someone had to be Walter – grabbed you by your hips and dragged you back until you were on your knees. You tried to lie down again as you heard him rummage around, looking for something – the obvious, really. The smack on your ass made you shriek in surprise, only making you slightly worried that either sound would have been audible well outside the tent.

“Stay there,” Walter’s husky voice commanded. “My turn.” Maybe he was the quiet one, but when he did speak… Oh my! You didn’t dare to move a muscle, leaving you sitting there, exposed as you heard the pretty familiar crinkling of foil. Shortly after, you felt the tip of Walter’s cock glide along the length of your slit. He teased you for a moment before lining himself up and slowly pushing into you. Sy laughed as your eyes went wide, and he grabbed your hand, guiding it to the bulge in his pants. Jackass. As soon as you got a good sense of what he was equipped with, you squealed. Not with any particular emotion in mind, just… Right now, you didn’t know what to think. In fact, Walter was well on his way to at least semi-permanently turning the whole thinking-function of your brain off.

“You alright, love?” Walter asked as he slowly pushed further into you.

“So far so good,” you moaned, “but I hope you’re running out of dick, because I’m running out of places to put it.” Cue roaring laughter from both guys…

“If you ever wonder why we love you,” Sy said, his sentence interrupted by more laughter, “that, right there. That’s why.”

You wanted to respond to that, you really did, but Walter pulling out of you already left you breathless, meaning all you could do was gasp when he slammed back into you. You’d never pictured either of them to be gentle. Concerned for your comfort, sure, but not tender. You’d been right. Luckily, gentle lovemaking was very low on your list of priorities in this particular situation – or ever – which meant you reveled in the brutish attention you got and soon found yourself wanting to beg Walter to fuck you harder.

Sy, as vocal as he’d been before, turned out to also be a champion in impatiently nudging your hand, vaguely suggesting he wanted you to do something, and for a moment it felt like you were about to regain some control of the situation, but no… He was also not above manhandling you into a position where your face hovered over his crotch, and taking his dick out himself once he got really fed up with your stalling. With your eyes wide, you looked at him – something he enjoyed for a moment before tapping the tip of his cock to your lips.

“Don’t make me ask, Sugar,” he growled. As much as you wanted to protest and act out, with Walter fucking the attitude out of you, there was nothing you could do but open your mouth and carefully wrapping your lips around him. The chuckle you let out as Sy grunted appreciatively when you swirled your tongue around his cock was interrupted by your own moan when Walter did… whatever it was that he did to cause it.

Slowly but surely, you made your way further down Sy’s dick, until a particularly violent thrust from Walter threw you off, accidentally forcing Sy deeper than you could handle. Choking and sputtering, you moved away from Sy, only scared for a moment that he’d be disappointed, but he had a different reaction – similar to Walter’s: checking to see if you were okay. Again, you were not in the habit of handing out bonus points for normal behavior, but it was nice, regardless.

“I’m fine,” you said between ragged breaths. “Note to self: deepthroating while getting railed from behind; bad idea.” The guys laughed, and as soon as you’d caught your breath, you joined them.

“There’s one way we all get attention without any risk of choking,” Sy mentioned casually, wiggling an eyebrow suggestively. Yes, you knew what he meant instantly, but… both of them? At the same time? All it took to convince you to at least give it a try was Walter slipping out of you, leaving you empty and nowhere near sated. One of Sy’s sly glances was a question to Walter, who ‘hmmph’-ed. You didn’t like the sound of that, per se, and looked over your shoulder to see what he was on about.

“Definitely depends,” he said, taking your lack of an immediate ‘absolutely the fuck not’-reaction as a sign you were considering it. And he was correct in that interpretation of the situation. “There’s a time and place for first time anal, and this is not it.” That was a sentiment you could absolutely get behind. Luckily, it didn’t matter, because it was hardly applicable. You assured the guys you had plenty of experience in that area.

Another potential spanner in the works that Sy mentioned, was the lack of lube. Somehow, Walter surprised you by mentioning you should have some with you – you did, but how did he know that?

“You use it to keep your hair from going frizzy,” he deadpanned. You looked at him as if you’d seen a ghost, while Sy looked at you as if you’d gone completely nuts.

“What?” you said, turning to Sy again. “It works!” With one hand, you reached for the strap of your backpack, pulling it towards you so you could look for the bottle. It was just under half full, but that should be enough…

Walter wasn’t stingy with the stuff, which was a good thing. There were few things more annoying to you than continuously having to tell a guy to use more lube. One, then two, then three fingers disappeared into you without a hitch, and although the fourth was a nice reminder that you had to relax, that went over without too much trouble as well. Somehow, somewhere in your mind, the fact that Walter seemed to know exactly what he was doing irked you – it was completely hypocritical of you, for obvious reasons, but right now the thought of him with anyone else made you mad.

The boys laughed when you voiced the absurd thought, and Sy didn’t neglect to point out that they hadn’t been too happy about several of the ‘scum’ (yes, really) you’d gotten together with in the time they’d known you. It was a weird thing to be joking about with two of your closest friends while one of them had several fingers stuck up your ass, but at the same time it felt very natural and on-brand for your relationship with the guys.

You whined when Walter pulled his fingers out, making Sy chuckle in a way you didn’t like at all.

“Maybe we should go to sleep,” he suggested with a smug grin on his face that only widened when you told him you were definitely not going to do that. “Why not, sugar?”

Fuck, he was making good on that promise from before. Now, of course, you could convince yourself that begging for cock was beneath you, and you weren’t going to do it, but that would leave you – relatively – unfucked, which was… not desirable, to say the least. Or you could admit to yourself and them how much you wanted both of them inside of you, and have a great time.

Somehow, the red light that no one had bothered to turn off – luckily, as everything you had been doing so far would have been more or less impossible in the dark – already made the tent feel like… a brothel, quite frankly, you put your doubts aside and looked at Sy.

“We’re not going to sleep, because you’re not done fucking me,” you said, giving him your best bedroom eyes. Sy seemed impressed at first, but his eyes flitted to Walter and…

A strong hand grabbed your shoulder and pulled you up until your back hit Walter’s chest. His arm reached around, grabbing you by your throat – lightly, almost as if to ask for permission, but demanding.

“What do you want?” he asked, his voice dark and gravelly. Down on the air mattress, Sy smirked up at you, making it painfully obvious that you wouldn’t get out of this, no matter how hard you tried. You quickly scanned your brain for all your options, sadly coming up completely empty. No matter which way you sliced it, they were going to come out on top.

“I want you to fuck me,” you snapped, “both of you.” A sarcastic chuckle behind you and Sy shaking his head as he looked up at you told you that that wasn’t good enough. After a deep breath, your voice softened as you spoke again, finally saying the word they wanted to hear: “Please.”

For a long, dull moment all you really heard was the sound of two more condoms being unwrapped, and the top of the bottle of lube clicking. Then, Sy pulled you towards him. As soon as you felt his tip at your entrance, you sat down, fighting the urge to slap him when he threw a smirk and that godforsaken horrible wink your way. Under normal circumstances you considered yourself very well versed in resisting that desire, but today… He laughed when your palm landed lightly on his cheek and thrust up into you for good measure, making you squeal and fall over. Luckily, he caught you just in time.

Just as you wanted to sit up again, Walter put a hand on your back. Right. In that little moment of silliness, you’d almost forgotten what the endgame was, but now that you felt Walter’s cock pushing against your ass…

“Keep talking to us, okay?” Sy whispered softly as he saw your expression change. He cupped your cheek, gently stroking your cheekbone with his thumb. “Breathe.” You took his advice immediately – no doubt a nice change of pace for him, as he was used to your stubbornness at this point – taking a few deep breaths. It wasn’t until the third or fourth one that Walter moved, slowly pushing into you. Keeping your eyes open was absolutely impossible, the sensation of both of them filling you up at the same time too much to even really wrap your head around. “Sugar, you okay?”

“Uhuh.” You nodded, showcasing your current full extent of your ability to answer. When Walter moved, you swore under your breath – when they both moved you hid your face in Sy’s neck and let out a loud moan, followed by an out-of-breath ‘fuck yes’, and that was all the confirmation they needed.

They established a rhythm suspiciously quickly, pumping in and out of you in sync. Yeah. They’d definitely done this before. As you pushed the thought away and focused on the incredible sensations of their cocks moving inside of you, their eager – and mostly greedy – hands on your hips, shoulders, ass, thighs, and tits, you felt a familiar pressure inside of you.

“Don’t stop,” you blurted out – and the boys seemed more than happy to oblige. With one little disclaimer…

“Make it quick, love… Not gonna last,” Walter grunted, digging his fingers into the flesh of your hips. It hurt, causing you to swat at his hand, which made him relax his grip a bit. Judging from Sy’s rapid breaths and a concentrated look on his face that gave away just how much difficulty he was having with keeping his rhythm steady, he was getting pretty damn close, too. In fact, pretty much the second their thrusts dragged you over the edge, both of them grit their teeth and gave in to their own pleasure, growling profanities as they came.

The boys were nice enough to handle most of the cleanup for you – which was, given that you were camping, largely a matter of wet wipes, which was definitely not even close to the shower you would have loved to take right about now. And you couldn’t really appreciate Sy’s joke about a lovely, refreshing river near where you were, either.

“Maybe tomorrow,” you yawned, turning around in the middle of the bed, wrapping your sleeping bag tightly around your shoulders. It didn’t take the guys long to join you, and soon you were sandwiched between them again, strong arms wrapped around you – clearly not planning on letting go anytime soon.

Walter pressed his lips to your shoulder and let out a low chuckle. “Still cold, darling?”

The next morning, you woke up in an empty bed, in a tent that was already slightly warmer than comfortable, with just your sleeping bag on it. The guys had somehow already managed to worm theirs into the tiny little bags they came in, and all without waking you. Then again, it was safe to say that by now they’d proven themselves to be experts in the field of putting pretty big things in relatively tiny places…

For a moment, you wondered if you should feel weird about getting up and going outside, seeing the guys, but something about the whole thing felt so oddly natural that you didn’t give it a second thought.

“Mornin’, sugar,” Sy said as he held out some coffee to you when you joined him on the ground by the fire, where you’d spent the start of last night, as well. The two of you called Walter over, who was just about done putting your tent – the one that had been meant to be yours, anyway – away. He tossed the bag into the bed of the truck as if it weighed nothing – and maybe it indeed didn’t, you wouldn’t know, because you hadn’t touched the entire thing – and made his way over to you, gratefully taking the other cup of coffee Sy had poured.

You knew better than to try striking up a conversation with either of them before they’d finished their morning coffee – it was so bad that whenever you had classes together in the mornings, you showed up there with two double espressos for them and a latte for you, because if you didn’t do that, they’d just grouch and snap at you all the way through the first half of class.

It was all the more surprising, then, when Sy suddenly asked Walter a very unexpected question: “Have you ever kissed a dude?” The answer was no, he hadn’t - to which followed an even more surprising question: “Ever wanted to try it?”

The casual energy of the shrug with which Walter answered that question was absolutely unmatched by anything you had ever seen, and you stared at the guys, wide-eyed as they leaned in until their lips touched. It wasn’t just a quick peck, either! No, there was tongue involved in this… And by the end of it?

“Eh,” Walter said, “not for me.” Sy agreed.

“I’m sorry,” you said, completely taken aback by the unexpectedness of what had just happened. “What? You can’t just… Stick your tongue down your friend’s throat and then casually decide… What?”

“Hey,” Sy said, his tone still infuriatingly indifferent, “don’t knock it till you try it.”

#syverson x reader #captain syverson fanfiction #syverson fanfiction #captain syverson #syverson #henry cavill characters #henrycavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #walter marshall #syverson smut #walter marshall x reader #walter marshall fanfiction #walter marshall fanfic

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whinlatter · 1 year

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hope (harry/ginny) | a microfic

for @hinnymicrofic day 14 | prompt: hope (slightly nsfw!)

They lug their trunks across the Burrow’s yard in sweaty, stony silence. ‘Beautiful evening,’ her mother remarks, as her children clamber back over the threshold of the rickety old house. ‘I do hope we get more of this lovely sunshine.’

Stupid thing to say, she thinks, stupid thing to hope for. There's a wishbone out drying on the kitchen window sill. Wonders if her mother plans to waste it wishing for more good weather in the middle of a war.

Dinner is shepherd’s pie - her old favourite, a Molly classic, and yet it tastes like dust, like ash, like nothing. ‘I know you’ve had a tricky time, dear,’ her mother says gently. She stiffens, glares at Ron, traitor, but then - ‘what with your exams being cancelled - and right when you’d done all that work -’ so she's safe, then, goes back to moving mash potato around her plate. ‘Made of real shepherds,’ her dad says, weak smile, trying his best. She gulps down her mouthful and excuses herself, slams the bedroom door shut, finds she's shaking.

Lying on her back on her bed, staring at the sunset’s stains on the ceiling, the only sound the late summer birdsong out of the open window. Quiet, too quiet, for a house this full. Downstairs, the kitchen’s all whispers. Every now and then she hears an unfamiliar footstep creak on the landing, strangers on the staircase. Headquarters, now. The war’s come home, and it’s using their loo.

She’d got her hopes up, that's the thing. First mistake, stupid. He’d been telling the story of Ron’s camp-bed collapsing in on him that time, lying back on his elbows under their tree with his hair ragged, handsome. She’d laughed, see, and said well, maybe this summer we’ll spare you the indignity of the campbed and being dense, he’d said well Fred and George’s room was nice if you don’t mind the smell of soot. She’d rolled her eyes, said Potter can you really not notice when a girl’s trying to get you into her bed. He’d gone red, then, stammered a bit, but it was all over his face: the wonder, the want. Your mum will go ballistic, he’d muttered, but he’d said will not would, and his hand had toyed with her hip, fingertips trailed her thigh. He’d wanted it too. He’d thought they’d have it, thought they'd get the summer, at least.

We could’ve had ages, he’d said. Months, years, maybe. Stupid, stupidest thing, hope. No use for it.

It’d have been cramped. He’d have had to sneak down from Ron’s room, under the cloak. She’d have shown him her Harpies poster, now this is what a proper team looks like, Potter, worn her nice pyjamas, the ones with the shorts, asked him to take them off. Cleared a space for his glasses on the bedside table. He'd have slept on the right, nearest the door, ever on guard, and stroked her cheek with his knuckles, looked at her that way, like she’s precious. It would have been like that time they’d fallen asleep under their tree, heads together - the time she’d slipped up, let herself imagine it: two bodies in a bed in a house with a garden, laughter, little people running around who’d look a bit like them both.

Stupid, stupid thing. Grips the bedspread in both fists, banishes it: all of it, all the hope. File away that future, bury it. Kill your darlings, push them out to sea.

Knock at the door. Ron, with two cups of tea and a half-empty box of Caramel Kappas. ‘Thought you might want some company,’ he mutters, sheepish, sitting on the bed. She sighs, no fight in her, and so brother and sister sit, sipping, in birdsonged silence.

‘How are you doing?’ he asks. She means to snap - how do you think I’m doing - but takes one look at him and finds she’s fresh out of spite. ‘You’re going away with him, aren’t you?’ she says, instead. Ron nods, and it’s awful, all ache, terrible, gaping grief, all this filling in the blanks of everything that she’s losing.

‘I just hoped,’ she says, eventually, eyes on her knees, ‘we’d have more time. I know - I know it was stupid.’

That’s all of it, really, isn’t it: her great failing, uttered aloud. Crumples, then, beside her big brother, and cries, heaping earth on all the hope as they lower it into the grave. Stupid thing, useless thing.

She thinks about the wishbone downstairs on the window sill. Thinks how stupid, how stupid it is, for something to die, and someone to make wishes out of its bones.

A/N: did not intend to write this, blame @brightlybound for this one - turns out gentle demands for a ginny's pov companion piece to yesterday’s fic will absolutely work on me, also Twenty-Two Days remains the h/g dual pov love story of all time for me so wanted to do a tribute. enjoy/sorry! back to regular writing now i swear!

now up on AO3 here | ask me anything

#really am stopping now #i'm so sorry gin #alexa play lorde - stoned at the nail salon #nobody is enjoying their shepherd’s pie #hinny #hinny microfic #ginny weasley #harry x ginny #harry potter #writing #missing moment #HBP #DH #microfic

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lonelywhalien22 · 1 year

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pretty lies - part nine (finale)

pairing: vernon x reader

rating/genre: enemies to lovers, slow burn, ANGSTY fluff, band au

summary: supporting your friend mingyu becomes way more than you ever could have bargained for when you become involved with one of his bandmates

warnings: cussing, vernon has issues in this story but please remember this is a work of fiction, mingyu stans don’t hate me but mingyu and reader are just friends

*credit: the lyrics referenced in this chapter are not mine, they are from the actual song black eye by vernon. and if you really wanna nerd out with me, listen to the band live session version he released, as that is what i imagined specifically while writing this part - trust me, it hits different.*

word count: 6.4k

prev. chapt. | series masterlist

~One year later~

“Ok, I think that’s enough for today,” you said to yourself, wiping the back of your hand across your brow as you stood up from your crouched position. You glanced around your apartment, trying to find your glass of water as you caught your breath.

Your living room was full of cardboard boxes, some of them taped shut with short descriptions scribbled hastily on the outside while others were still open, various items thrown inside haphazardly. It was spring once again, but instead of the seasonal cleaning you loved to indulge in at the first sign of sunny skies and warmer temperatures, you were moving out.

When you’d first been contacted about a competitive job offer a few months ago, you had immediately dismissed the idea. Though the hiring manager had been highly impressed with your skillset, the work would be notably different from what you were used to doing at your old job, and you doubted whether you could handle the requirements of the role. Your hesitation only became stronger when you were informed that you’d also have to relocate to take on the position.

What about my family? Mingyu and the rest of my friends? The life I have here? You’d spent weeks pondering the possible scenarios and all the things that would change if you took the offer, and you’d almost talked yourself into declining it. That was until you realized how much had already changed.

It had been nine months since the guys had left to go work on their recording with Woozi. You still remembered the final hugs you’d given to Jay and Mingyu at the airport before they’d gone through security, a certain third person having not yet arrived. You still wondered to this day if he’d purposely chosen to show up as late as possible or if it was you who had come extra early to avoid having to interact. Perhaps it was both.

You and Mingyu had facetimed pretty regularly for the first month that they were gone. Sometimes you’d even see Jay in the background during your video chats as well, the two of you exchanging greetings and asking how the other was doing. By the time the second month had come around however, the distance made it hard to always remember to keep in touch. Eventually you all became busier and busier, your lives naturally moving in different directions. No matter how much time passed though, Mingyu always made sure to at the very least share the bigger updates with you:

“Why’s it taking so long to finish recording? I thought you guys would have been back by now,” you asked during one of your monthly catch ups. It had been four months at this point since they’d left.

“Yeah me too. Woozi wanted it out sooner but his team advised against it. They thought it’d be best to let some time pass between the competition and the release so there would be less of a chance of his image getting tarnished with all the drama from the fight.” Mingyu skirted over that last part quickly, knowing that it was still a sore subject for you. “But in a weird way it works out well - with the extra time, we’re gonna be able to write some more stuff and put together a whole EP.”

“What is that? Like five or six songs? That’s so amazing, I can’t wait to hear them!”

“You know, you could always get a sneak peak if you flew out here for a few days,” Mingyu offered once again. He’d been trying to get you to come for weeks now. “Nikki’s already seen me twice since we left!”

“She’s your girlfriend, of course she has. And you know I don’t have the time anyways - my boss would never let me take off for that long.” It was true that your job was a pain in the ass, but you and Mingyu both knew you had other reasons for not coming to visit in person.

“Just promise you’ll come see us perform when the EP is released.”

“Of course. I’ll be there.”

Now in the present, when you really thought about it, you realized that there wasn’t much tying you to the place in which you currently resided. Watching Mingyu and the guys for so long had given you a taste of all the possibilities life had to offer, and you were tired of limiting yourself to what you currently knew when it wasn’t really doing you any favors anyways. The job offer had just been the final push you needed, and at last you felt ready and excited to pursue your own little sort of adventure. Even if it wasn’t as glamorous as flying across the country to work with world-renowned producers, it was yours and yours alone.

You pushed the boxes you’d been working on packing up to a corner of the room, ready to call it a day, when you heard your phone ring from somewhere in your apartment. Taking a few moments to find it amongst all the disarray, you managed to answer right before it went to voicemail.

“Hey, what time did you say your flight was landing?” It was Mingyu. You could hear lots of commotion in the background wherever he was, voices and instruments faintly reaching your ears.

“Should be around eleven in the morning.” With the career change you had several weeks of cherished personal time before you began your new job. Besides the time you’d need to relocate, you were finally able to take a few days to visit Mingyu and see what the band had been working on for yourself.

“Shit, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to meet you at the airport. We’re putting the final touches on some stuff and won’t be done until around one.” You could hear the regret in his voice, but all you could do was chuckle in response.

“I’m gonna get there Thursday and I’ll be staying all the way through the weekend. Trust me, you’re not missing much. Airports suck anyways.”

“I know, but still. We’re all looking forward to seeing you. It’s been way too long.”

You couldn’t help but wonder who was included in that “we,” but there was no way you were gonna ask.

“Well, that’ll all be fixed very soon,” you said instead, glancing over at your half packed suitcase.

“I’ll see if Nikki can meet you at the airport instead since she’s also visiting,” Mingyu offered. You squealed in excitement. Since the guys had left, you and Mingyu’s girlfriend had become pretty close, unsurprisingly. What had at first seemed like an obligatory relationship born out of a common bond had over time blossomed into a true friendship. She was definitely going to be someone you missed hanging out with when you moved.

“You should have started with that option,” you joked as you tried to figure out how many pairs of socks you needed to pack and where on earth you’d put them. “Tell her I need someone to show me around when I get there.”

“She’ll be glad to hear that,” Mingyu said happily before he was interrupted by someone on his end. “Y/n, I gotta go. But we’ll see you soon, ok?” he finished quickly.

“See you soon.”

—————

When your flight landed, it only took you a handful of minutes to find Nikki, the brunette jumping up and down excitedly as soon as she caught sight of you in baggage claim.

“Hey -” you greeted, letting out a slight “oof” as she gave you a big hug before immediately taking the bags you’d been carrying out of your hands.

“I’m so excited you’re here! How was the flight?”

“Good, just glad there weren’t any delays,” you said as you took a deep breath. You couldn’t believe you were really here, about to see the guys in person again after nearly a year.

“I know you’re probably hungry, but do you think you’d be good with just some snacks for now?” Nikki asked. “I tried talking him out of it but Mingyu’s insisting on everyone meeting up for lunch after they finish for today.”

“That’s fine,” you said as you began looking around for some place where you could buy some fruit or a salad, craving something fresh after being forced to eat airplane food. Nikki noticed the look in your eye, the way in which you immediately distracted yourself at the mention of the lunch. It was something that only she could have picked up on besides Mingyu, the two of them knowing the most about your past with a certain someone.

“In case you were wondering, he will be there,” she said softly, following behind you as you picked out a snack from a nearby stall and found your wallet to pay. “I just thought you’d wanna know.”

You let out a sigh.

“I appreciate that, but I’m fine. It’s been months,” you said simply.

Nikki only stared back at you, her brow raised slightly as she tried to keep herself from calling you out on your bullshit.

“Really. I am,” you insisted. “Is it gonna be awkward at first? Yeah, probably. But this was bound to happen at some point. Let’s hope he doesn’t hate me and everything should be fine,” you said jokingly at the end, hoping she’d believe you then.

“Ok…” Nikki said. She piped up again after a few beats. “You know y/n, he’s changed - since being out here.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s not the same person he was the night of the Battle of the Bands competition.”

“Nikki,” you said with a warning tone, not liking where this was going.

“I’m not telling you to get back with him or anything,” her hands raised themselves innocently into the air. “I just don’t want you to let the way things ended between you two a year ago get in the way of you having a good time while you’re here,” she said gently.

“Thank you for that, but for the last time, I promise I am fine. Now - no more guy talk. Wasn’t there some thrift store you wanted to show me?” You brought up her weakness for clothes in an effort to change the subject once and for all.

“Say less,” Nikki said eagerly as she ushered you out of the airport and the two of you caught a ride to the hotel.

—————

“Y/n!”

Mingyu immediately pulled you into a hug that was even stronger than Nikki’s from earlier when he saw you. You couldn’t help the toothy smile that emerged on your face.

“Hey Mingyu,” you said simply. You really had missed your friend so much.

“Let her breathe,” Nikki chided playfully.

“Yeah, leave some hugs for the rest of us,” Jay said, arms open wide as you gave him a hug next.

“It’s so great to see you guys. I missed everyone so much.”

It was a little after one, and you and Nikki had finally met up with the guys to have a late lunch at a spot near the studio where they were recording. It was a bright and sunny day so you all had elected to eat at the patio seating out front. There was just one person missing though.

“Vernon’s running a little late but he’ll be here,” Mingyu said, seeing the question in your eyes. “He just had to finish going over some edits.”

Some things never change, you thought before you could stop yourself. You wondered if they were just covering for him with empty promises - if he’d somehow manage to avoid you for this entire trip.

You all finally sat down at a circular table outside. Mingyu and Nikki were to your right and Jay was to your left, leaving one last spot for Vernon just across from you.

“So what’s this I hear about you moving? And a new job? Congrats!” Jay started once a waitress had brought you all drinks. The four of you immediately began to catch up, most of the focus on you.

“I still can’t believe you’re gonna be gone,” Mingyu whined.

“I’m not dying, just moving. And now you know how I felt when you guys left,” you said playfully. “Who could have predicted we’d be spread all over the place like this?”

As you continued to chat, you couldn’t help but reminisce about where you all had been just a year ago - struggling to get by and constantly putting in overtime to make things work with the band, your day jobs, and your personal lives. And now look at you all, on your way to better things. It made you feel so proud when you really thought about it.

“I’m really sorry I’m late you guys.”

You all looked up at the interruption, seeing Vernon approach the table in a bit of disarray. He was clad in a simple white tee and light wash denim jeans, an unbuttoned light blue collared shirt layered over his tee. As he sat down, his hand came up to brush some hair out of his face, but a few stray strands fell onto his forehead anyways.

“Was it the sound engineer guy again?” Mingyu asked him knowingly with a smirk. Vernon laughed in response.

“Yeah - he went on a rant about compression techniques this time.”

“I told you to stop asking him questions,” Jay threw in, “you’re too curious for your own good sometimes man.”

“I know, I can’t help it, but anyways - ”

He looked over at you, a polite smile on his face as he scooted up his chair.

“Hi y/n.”

“Hi Vernon,” you said curtly with a tight-lipped smile. You looked down at the menu in your hands, eyes skimming over the entrees again even though you already knew what you wanted to order.

“So,” Nikki started, clearing her throat in the lingering silence. “What did you all work on today?”

“Just rehearsing the songs from the EP in preparation for the showcase,” Mingyu responded, the two of them tag-teaming on moving the conversation along.

“Vern’s been instrumental in helping us craft some amazing songs,” Jay propped the man up with a pat to his back.

“It’s all thanks to Woozi really,” Vernon brushed off shyly, but Mingyu shook his head adamantly.

“Don’t sell yourself short bro, you’ve done some great work on this.”

“I can’t wait to hear it,” Nikki piled on another compliment.

“Thanks guys.” Vernon let out a cheeky smile, looking down at his lap for a moment before fiddling with the menu on the table to distract himself, his cheeks burning.

You hadn’t really taken Nikki seriously at first when she’d said so earlier, but she was right - something was different about Vernon. He seemed lighter somehow. And it was quickly becoming apparent to you that the guys had grown much closer after working on music together for the last nine months. You could see it immediately in the way they interacted with each other, the three of them trading jokes and stories easily as you all waited for the waitress to come back.

“What’s that you mentioned about a showcase?” you asked.

“We’re putting on a performance the day after the EP is released,” Jay explained. “Woozi and Seventeen are gonna make an appearance as well, so we’ll likely be performing in front of thousands.”

“That’s incredible,” you said with a stunned expression.

“It’s part of the reason I wanted you to come this weekend specifically,” Mingyu said. “I’m not sure the timing would have lined up so nicely if you didn’t already happen to be moving -”

Nikki nudged Mingyu, cutting him off with a stern look, but it was too late.

“Wait, you’re moving?”

You looked back over at Vernon, his brow furrowing as he looked at you with a crestfallen expression. No one had told him?

“Yeah,” you said nervously, glancing over at him for a second before looking away again. You reached for your glass of lemonade, taking a sip so you didn’t have to say anything else, another awkward silence filling the table.

“So, what can I get you all,” the waitress finally appeared, ready to take your orders.

You’d never felt more thankful for a distraction.

—————

The rest of lunch had gone as smoothly as it could have considering the circumstances, with everyone mainly focused on their food. Mingyu, Jay and Nikki did most of the talking, sharing more stories from their time away from home as you politely listened along, soaking up just how much you had missed and throwing in a question or two from time to time. You tried your best to keep from looking at Vernon, which wasn’t really all that hard considering he stayed quiet for the rest of the meal. When his name came up in the conversation he’d always give a smile or a nod, laughing along at Mingyu’s ridiculous exaggerations, but besides that he gave no input.

“Well this was fun,” you said as you all walked out of the restaurant. “I guess we can hang out more tomorrow when you guys are finished with work again?”

“Actually…we were wondering if you’d come with us to the studio,” Mingyu suggested. “We wanna show you what we’ve been working on.”

“Really? Now?” you said in surprise. “Are you sure?” You’d assumed you wouldn’t be able to hear any of the actual songs until the official release of the EP.

Jay nodded before adding on, “As of today, the mastering is done so the songs are officially finished.” You noticed how he looked over at Vernon briefly, the man’s face a little red with eyes averted and hands tucked in his pockets quietly, before he continued. “We all agreed awhile ago that we wanted you to be the first outside of the production team to listen to it, as a thank you for all of your support.”

You felt honored, nearly tearing up at their words. It was such a kind gesture that you didn’t bother worrying too much about the fact that you’d have to spend even more time around Vernon. Like Nikki had said earlier, you didn’t want your history with him to stop you from sharing in such a precious moment.

“You guys…this is really sweet…”

“We know. Now come on,” Mingyu ushered you towards him eagerly.

You looked back at Nikki in confusion as she kept her place on the sidewalk.

“Go on,” she said with a smile. “The guys insisted you had to hear it first. Alone.” She said that last part with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I’ll be waiting for you back at the hotel.”

—————

“Wow,” was the first word that left your mouth when you and the guys arrived at the studio.

The main area was bigger than the living room of your old apartment, a bunch of fancy recording equipment with hundreds of knobs and dials against one wall to your right. Comfy couches and chairs adorned the wall that was directly across, with plush carpets and decorative little knickknacks accenting the space. The recording booth was its own room, separated from everything else by a shiny sleek glass. When you peeked inside you saw a plethora of instruments and mic stands, and you even recognized Vernon’s guitar sitting in one corner.

“Crazy, right?” Mingyu urged you on with an elbow to your arm before he plopped himself into one of the chairs near the control booth. Vernon and Jay had already seated themselves.

“Sit down!” Mingyu said, patting the last empty chair, which was beside him but also just so happened to be next to Vernon. You knew it was just by chance and that Mingyu would never set you up like that purposely, but that didn’t stop the nervousness that bubbled in your stomach.

“No way am I sitting that close to the controls,” you tried joking as an excuse. “I’m scared I’ll break something.”

You backed up towards the couch against the opposite wall, planning to sit there instead, but the devastated look on Mingyu’s face made you stop in your tracks. Unable to take anymore of his expression, you glanced over at Vernon on instinct and your heart fell even more when you saw the way he immediately looked down at his lap, scratching the back of his head despondently.

Fuck. Was I that obvious? you thought, immediately feeling stupid for making things awkward.

“I can switch with Jay if - ” Vernon started, but you quickly cut him off.

“No! No it’s fine,” you said, shaking your head before taking a step forward. “I’ll just - ” you didn’t bother finishing that sentence because what were you supposed to say exactly? No, it’s fine, I’ll just sit down next to my ex instead of making you all switch chairs because I still feel weird about breaking up with him? That would have been even more embarrassing. Maybe Nikki was right - you weren’t as over your past with Vernon as you’d thought.

You finished making your way to the final seat at the booth and promptly sat down, folding your hands in your lap as you tried to muster up some semblance of poise.

“Show me what you guys have been working on.”

Mingyu looked at you seriously for a moment, making sure you were really ok first. Once you gave him a genuine smile and elbowed him playfully, he released a breath, the anticipation growing on his face again.

“Jay, can you play the first track?” he asked.

“Sure thing man.” The bassist clicked away on a nearby monitor before sitting back, sound beginning to flow from the speakers.

For the next half hour or so, you listened to several of the songs the guys had spent months crafting, worries quickly melting away as you couldn’t help but absorb yourself completely into the music. At the end of each one you immediately gushed over the melody, production elements, or other details, Mingyu and Jay eagerly offering in-depth input on more of the behind-the-scenes process. Vernon also chimed in from time to time, slowly becoming more comfortable as he gave insight on lyrical choices or even helped to elaborate upon your comments when you struggled to articulate in technical terms what it was you’d noticed in each song - “We added some more reverb here in the bridge,” “Woozi had them redo the mixing so many times on this song so they could capture Jay’s pedaling,” “That bit you’re hearing is a layer of syncopation over the main melody.” It was hard not to notice the passion in his voice. It exuded from him every time he spoke - an unbridled joy you had never seen before. You found it endearing, a smile slowly growing on your face the more you watched him.

The fourth track was the official recording of Visions. The four of you stayed completely quiet throughout the entirety of this song, fully absorbing Vernon’s raw vocals and the way they glided over the rich instrumental. Goosebumps covered your skin by the end.

“Vernon…that was beautiful.”

You were the first to interrupt the silence that filled the space afterwards, unable to stop yourself from looking directly at him. Despite everything that had happened, Visions would always make you feel something that was hard to put into words. You two didn’t have to still be together for you to regard that song with incredible care and awe.

“Thank you…that means a lot,” Vernon said, holding your gaze timidly for a moment before looking down, rubbing his hands across his jeans. He hoped you couldn’t see in his eyes how much your words still meant to him, after all this time.

“Thank you for trusting us with it,” Jay added in, Mingyu nodding along.

No more words had to be said, the group of you sitting comfortably in the silence for a little longer before Mingyu quietly spoke up again.

“There’s just one more song left,” he said, eyebrows beginning to wiggle mischievously.

“There is?” you asked, curiosity peaked at the thought of even more music to listen to. But Vernon’s head jerked back up in panic at Mingyu’s words.

“N-No. There’s not,” he said abruptly, eyes wide as he quickly shook his head in denial. He looked legitimately scared.

“We discussed this already and you said you’d do it. I really think it’s best you stick to your word,” Mingyu said to Vernon, getting up from his chair and patting him on the back before walking towards the door. “Y/n. You good?”

“Yes…?” you said, appreciating his checking in before he seemingly left you alone with your ex.

“No - Mingyu wait -” Vernon said.

“You got this bro.”

“Rarely do I say it, but for once I’d have to agree with Mingyu here,” Jay said as he also got up and retreated towards the studio door. “Plus he stole my guitar pics and won’t give them back unless I agree to this plan so…”

The two bandmates exited the room, the door closing with a sort of finality as you and Vernon were left alone together in the studio.

What is happening right now? Why the hell would I tell Mingyu I was ok with this? Your mind went into overdrive as you fully processed the situation you’d so easily gotten yourself into, and yet, there was another part of you with so many questions that you found yourself glued to your seat.

If it was any consolation, Vernon looked just as unnerved as you.

“I’m sorry. I swear I had no idea they were gonna do this, I promise,” he said as he glanced over at you, immediately feeling the need to explain.

This wasn’t how he’d imagined sharing this last song with you. If he was being honest, he’d never been able to figure out how to go about it, or if he should even try at all. So now that you were right here, sitting beside him again after a whole year had passed, he felt himself panicking. When all he heard was your silence in response, he continued to ramble on nervously.

“You can totally leave if you want. I won’t stop you.” It may have sounded like a cruel suggestion, but to Vernon it would actually have been so much easier if you did - if you left him again just like you had at that bench by the river a year ago. That way he wouldn’t have to reopen an old wound - wouldn’t have to rub salt in something he wasn’t entirely sure had healed. He could just continue to live in denial, never again having to confront the pain that had been so much of his existence or the hurt from his past with you.

“Why did you decide to record Visions? After everything that happened?” Vernon finally heard you ask instead.

It was something that had tormented you nearly every day since your breakup, the question coming to you randomly late at night or when, against your better judgement, you’d listen to certain songs you knew would make you think of him. If you’d been in his shoes you didn’t think you could have done it, and so in this moment you found yourself desperate for an answer.

“I almost didn’t,” Vernon admitted, the confession spilling from his lips rather effortlessly once he’d recovered from his surprise. “But every time I tried to convince myself not to, I would think about the times I’d gotten to perform it on stage…” He looked forward, focusing on the recording booth before continuing. “I didn’t have the words for it then, but now I realize that it was healing - getting to share that song with others. And I think deep down there was a part of me that was tired of hurting myself as a way to cope with the things that had happened to me. So when you still asked me to record it, even after the way things ended, I couldn’t ignore that.” He looked over at you again, repeating your words from a year ago: “It’s like you said, I was tired of hiding in silence. So thank you - for encouraging me. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

You weren’t sure what you thought you’d hear, but you certainly hadn’t expected something so…introspective.

“I’m glad. That it was healing for you.”

His words were their own kind of salve, freeing you from a self-inflicted purgatory you hadn’t realized you were in until that very moment.

“Sometimes I worried that maybe you hated me for it,” you acknowledged the last bit of fear you’d been holding in your heart.

“I can’t deny that I wasn’t upset at times, but I’ve never once hated you,” Vernon said earnestly. “Not even the first night we met - and not after you told me goodbye either.” He desperately needed you to know that.

You let his words seep into your heart, the look in his eyes telling you that he truly meant it, before you finally moved on. Once and for all.

“So,” you said with a deep exhale, suddenly finding it hard to hold his gaze. “What’s this last song? The one the guys want you to play for me?”

“Right. The song…” Vernon began with an anxious gulp - he’d almost forgotten why the two of you were in this situation to begin with. He mulled it over in his head for a second, trying to find the right words to explain what the song meant and why he’d written it, but eventually he realized that defeated the purpose. The song existed for this precisely - because he had always struggled to adequately articulate his feelings in any other way. So instead of stumbling over his words for any longer, he leaned over the control booth and pressed play:

Running 'round the whole city for someone

To look me in my eyes and tell me pretty lies

Teardrops keep blurring up my sight

And right now I'm driving in my car

Going so fast, baby, so fast, baby

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Don't leave me in the dark

You said you won't be far

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

I can't stand the quiet

Is anyone out there?

I'm on my worst behavior

Don't stop me now

I fucking hate this world

So show me a way out

Wake me up from this nightmare, please

I can't stand this reality

I'm on my worst behavior

How you like me now?

Put a muzzle on me

I'll spit in your mouth

Wake me up from this nightmarе, please

I'm scarred and bruisеd with a black eyed face

Woke up on the highway

I didn't go home last night

What you know 'bout me?

I ain't got nothing

So why you keep coming to me?

With your innocent eyes, you smile so bright

Stop wasting your sunshine on me

'Cause I can't tell if it's real or a lie

Solitude

I got a couple friends

Just me, myself, and I

We play with fireworks all night

I'm okay

I'll just let it burn everything around me

'Cause you can't save me from my sadness

No, don't save me

I'm on my worst behavior

Don't stop me now

I fucking hate this world

So show me a way out

Wake me up from this nightmare, please

I can't stand this reality

I'm on my worst behavior

How you like me now?

Put a muzzle on me

I'll spit in your mouth

Wake me up from this nightmare, please

I'm scarred and bruised with a black eyed face

Turn on the radio all the way up

'Til your eardrums explode

Let's dance all night long

But if you come too close

I might just burn you whole

Turn my back and shut the door

Knock, knock

Is there anybody out there?

You couldn’t bring yourself to look at Vernon as the song filled the studio, body frozen in your seat even after it was finished. So many lyrics had stood out to you:

pretty lies

tears blurring up my sight

don’t leave me in the dark

you said you won’t be far

I can’t stand the quiet

on my worst behavior

didn't go home last night

what you know 'bout me?

your innocent eyes, you smile so bright

stop wasting your sunshine on me

can't tell if it's real or a lie

just let it burn everything around me

you can't save me from my sadness

black eyed face

“Y/n? Are you ok?” Vernon asked, turning his chair to face you fully as he saw your expression. He was terrified of what your reaction would be.

“I’m not sure…” you said honestly, finally looking over at him. “Are you ok?”

“I am, I promise. This is something I started writing around the time I joined the band. Right before I met you,” he tried to explain.

“But clearly that’s not when you wrote all of it - black eyed face? ” The more you went over the bits of lyrics you could remember, the more you saw parts of your relationship and his time with the band sprinkled all over it. You didn’t really know how to feel.

“You're right - I added different parts at different times until it all came together. It was my way of coping with what I was going through at the time…and eventually that included pieces of you too - pieces of us.”

“Pretty lies? Wasting my sunshine on you? Is that really all you remember when you think of our relationship? The painful parts?” you asked quietly, a little afraid to hear his answer.

“No, of course not,” Vernon looked at you gently. He wished he could hold your hand in that moment but he held himself back.

“Then I don’t understand. Why write this -”

“Because I love you,” Vernon said finally, his stomach dropping at the confession. He couldn’t bear the thought of you misinterpreting his words any longer. “I love you and I’m sorry for how things ended. For what I put you through. This song was my way of acknowledging that - not by attacking our relationship, but by putting myself back in that negative headspace and being open for once about the fact that I still had things to work through. When it was too late to be better for you or for the guys, I had to find a reason to be better for myself. And so I wrote this song as a reminder.”

You heard everything he said, but you could only focus on one thing.

“You love me?” you couldn’t help but ask, feeling strangely emotional for someone who had supposedly moved on.

“I mean…yeah. I’m not sure the feeling will ever go away,” Vernon’s face turned red as he decided to be completely honest with you.

“I…”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not asking you to take me back - it’s just something I want you to know.”

Just then you heard a noise on the other side of the door, the two of you looking over just in time to see Mingyu peek his head into the room.

“Sooo…the song’s good isn’t it???” the man blurted out, brows once again wiggling. “I was thinking we could call it Pretty Lies.”

You rolled your eyes playfully, ready to tell him to knock it off, but someone else beat you to it.

“Leave them alone!” you heard Nikki say, dragging him back by the collar of his shirt. You thought she was at the hotel, but apparently even she couldn’t stay away for long.

“What? I just wanna -” but the door promptly shut, blocking out Mingyu’s antics.

The two of them really were made for each other, you thought with a bit of admiration. You and Vernon couldn’t help but begin to laugh.

“I guess that means it’s time to wrap it up,” you started, standing as you gathered your belongings. Vernon followed suit, still facing you.

“Just so you know - the label doesn’t know about this song,” Vernon said. “And regardless of what Mingyu wants, I’m not sharing it unless you’re comfortable. The EP is great as is.”

“You’re right that it’s great,” you started, “but it’d be even better with this song. It’s really, really, good Vernon,” you said honestly. You couldn’t deny that, even if it had been a little surreal to listen to in the beginning.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure,” you said, walking towards him and reaching out for a hug. He was the only person you hadn’t given one to since arriving, though this one felt notably different from the others, the familiarity of his touch sparking something in you.

Vernon held on to you tightly, his head instinctively tucking into that familiar spot on the side of your neck while you rubbed his back softly, neither of you letting go.

“We’re gonna miss you. I’m gonna miss you,” he admitted once you two had lessened your hold enough to look at each other, the thought finally dawning on him that whenever he did finally return home, you wouldn’t be there waiting for him.

“I know. I will too,” you said wistfully. “But this doesn’t have to be goodbye forever, you know?”

You stood up on your tip toes then and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. It wasn’t one of fiery passion, nor was it one loaded with secrecy or shame or hurt. And to Vernon, it was his absolute favorite of any of the kisses you two had ever shared. When you looked up at him, you could barely hold in your laughter, his face morphing into the perfect mixture of bliss and confusion.

“But how? You’re moving,” Vernon couldn’t help but ask despite the happiness he felt.

“Slowly. We can visit each other. With my new job I’ve got more flexibility, and you’re all gonna be famous soon anyways,” you only half-joked. “Even when you guys finally do come home, I have a feeling you won’t be there for long…”

He looked down bashfully at that but you placed a hand to his face, angling it back towards you as you looked at him seriously again.

“Vernon. I want us to explore this - the way we are now. If you want to.”

“I do,” Vernon said confidently.

“Then we’ll figure it out,” you said assuredly. “I trust this. I trust us. Ok?”

“Ok.”

—————

When you and Vernon finally left the studio, you found Mingyu, Jay, and Nikki all waiting for you out in the lobby with bated breath. Nikki let out a near shriek when she saw that the two of you were holding hands.

“You guys have my blessing to include the final song,” you said immediately, deciding not to keep them in suspense for any longer.

“Oh thank god,” Mingyu immediately blurted out. “If I’m being honest it’s my favorite and I really wanna make it the single -” Nikki smacked Mingyu’s arm.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“‘Gyu would you please think before you speak???”

“What are you talking about??? You screamed before I said anything and have been gushing about double dates for the last five minutes.”

The two of them continued bickering playfully.

“What they’re trying to say is - we’re really thankful we get to share the song,” Jay translated. “And we’re happy for you guys.”

“I am too,” you chuckled lightly. “Although now that I think about it, I have one request - can you call it Black Eye instead of Pretty Lies?”

The guys all looked at each other for less than a second before speaking in unison.

“Deal!”

—————

It was the day of the showcase. You stood in the crowd once again, just a speck in a sea of thousands of fans as you watched the guys perform. It brought you back to the best parts of old times, sitting around on Jay’s beaten up couch when all they could have hoped for were a hundred people to show up if they were lucky. But now you got to see them on their biggest stage yet, Mingyu happily tapping away at the drums, his head of hair moving all over the place as he kept the beat going. Jay was his usual chill self, just vibing out on the bass contentedly. And then there was Vernon, looking a little shy as the opening chords of Black Eye began to ring out from the strings of his guitar for the first time live. It reminded you of when you’d seen him take the mic at the first gig the guys had ever performed at together, except that now there was a distinct sense of determination in his eyes despite the trepidation that you couldn’t help but admire - the sight awakening a long lost feeling of butterflies in your stomach. He caught you looking at him, gazing at you fondly for one last time before leaning into the mic and beginning to sing.

prev. chapt. | series masterlist

a/n: if you made it all the way here to the end, I just wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you who took the time to read this story! if you've got feels, feel free to share them with me here or reblog the ml if you're so inclined. please take care <3

taglist: @twogyuu @yourfavoritefreakyhan

#vernon fluff #vernon smut #seventeen fluff #seventeen smut #seventeen #vernon x reader

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deannagrey · 4 months

Text

A Mendell Christmas: Part One

A little Christmas short for the holiday season! This occurs toward the end of Team Players, before Aderyn (spoiler alert for Team Players ending!) reveals she's leaving Mendell. (please excuse any errors, I'm not the best editor lol)

Naomi

“Naomi?” A soft, rhythmic knock at the door called for my attention. “It’s me.”

I tugged off my headphones and glanced at the clock. I’d been so knee-deep into online Christmas shopping I didn’t realize the time.

"You ready?" Lincoln was out of breath — undoubtedly from taking the stairs two by two because he couldn’t stand the time it took to climb them.

I smiled at him. His eyes were bright and full of infectious excitement. He bounced on the balls of his feet like he was ready to take action at a moment’s notice.

“For what?” I couldn't help but tease.

“Naomi.” His shoulders sagged and his smile tapered off into near non-existence. “They’re all downstairs right now and in the worst mood ever. We have a job to do and you’re going to tell me you forgot?”

I laughed and got up from my desk to reveal the bottom half of my outfit. Relief smoothed Lincoln’s brow. He chuckled at the spin I did to make my green, tree skirt light up. His bouncing was back.

“You really thought I forgot?” I tugged off my sweatshirt to reveal the ugliest Christmas t-shirt I could find at the local thrift shop. It had reindeer patches, a multitude of Santa Clauses, and enough colorful candy cane to make one feel cross-eyed.

“You’re just so good at bluffing, Sunshine,” Lincoln said and pulled out two Santa hats from his bag. Both were green and trimmed with gold fabric. My name was embroidered in black thread on one.

I gasped and stood still as he placed it on my head carefully as if it were a crown.

“There, now you’re all set,” he said.

“This is so cute! Where did you get it? Wait…do you know how to sew?”

“No, I wish. I just know people who know people who know how to sew.” He nodded in approval at how the hat looked on me and then, placed his own on. “I got one made for all of us. I wanted it to be perfect. A holiday to remember despite…well, you know.”

Lincoln had been planning this for weeks. And as his partner in crime (or elf in crime depending on the level of Christmas spirit), I was committed to helping him.

“It will be perfect,” I promised while adjusting my hat. “They’re going to cheer up and we’re going to make this a time to remember. They’ll be so holly and jolly we’ll probably get sick of them.”

Lincoln laughed. “God, imagine.”

“Anything is possible this time of year,” I said even though seeing Sam, Henrik, and especially Finn more excited than Lincoln and I would be a sight to behold.

“Are we all set?” I grabbed my phone, ready to record reactions for the eventual short film Lincoln wanted to put together. He was going to call it “Our First Christmas.” When I asked if they’d spent holidays together before he said, of course.

“Why first then?” I’d wondered.

“Because you’re here and now, our family’s bigger. It’s our first Christmas together,” he’d said so casually like it was simple and my inclusion vital. I’d cried that day and Finn almost got into it with Lincoln until he realized it was good tears.

“Almost set,” Lincoln answered me. “Just one more thing…”

He tossed a garland around my neck. I snorted but didn’t protest.

“Now you’re perfect!” He grinned. “Remember your cues?”

I rolled my eyes, good-naturedly. “Of course I remember my cues. I’m a professional.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” He started out the room and I followed with an equal amount of pep in my step.

Lincoln had big plans for his Secret Santa event – something of which I didn't originally think needed much of any planning. But in any event Lincoln put together, he committed ten times the necessary energy and focus. And I was lucky enough to also be his second. We wreaked havoc on our household with our combined forces. The guys feigned fear of our events, pretending they hated being roped into the fun. It was a farce they kept up even now as I marched into the living room.

"Uh oh," Henrik teased from his spot on the couch. He closed the book he was reading, using his index finger as a temporary bookmark.

Sam was lying on the loveseat with his legs hanging over the edge of the armrest and a glassed gaze on the ceiling. My heart tugged at the small smile he flashed in my direction. He'd been in a dark place after his relationship with Aderyn had been left in a state of limbo. I couldn't get much out of him but Finn relayed some of his fear. Sam was a large chunk of the reason why Lincoln wanted to go so hard this holiday season. The guys didn't usually exchange gifts but retail therapy was something Lincoln thought could cheer everyone up.

"What's this?" Finn was in the kitchen, loading the last bit of dishes into the dishwasher. He smiled when I twirled once for him to admire the lights on my skirt. I’d been sworn to secrecy about Lincoln’s plans but that didn’t keep me from at least showing my boyfriend the outfit earlier.

Finn loved a lot of things about my skirt…mainly how it clung to my waist and provided easy access for him to do what he wanted. My cheeks burned when I remembered how long we’d spent in our room this morning. How long he insisted on being underneath me.

Finn flashed me a knowing smile before finishing up the dishes.

“Uh…” I cleared my throat, trying to get back on track.

“The lights,” Lincoln whispered from the staircase. He tried to keep out of view, readying for his big entrance. “If I may have your attention and then, the lights.”

Sam laughed at Lincoln’s obvious coaching. Score. It wasn’t his carefree laugh but it was better than his forlorn staring.

Henrik was polite enough to pretend like he didn’t hear Lincoln. He made a noise of wonder when I clapped and the lights went out.

“Since when did we have that?” Sam sat up, completely intrigued.

“Irrelevant,” Lincoln said and then whispered to me, “Tell them it’s irrelevant.”

“I installed them last weekend,” Finn explained.

“You rewired our living room in a weekend?” Sam asked, impressed.

“It didn’t require rewiring,” Finn said.

“Nowadays, sound-sensitive lights are pretty common and simple to install,” Henrik added.

“Irrelevant,” Lincoln repeated, this time it was a plea.

“Right!” I called in a voice louder than usual. The guys jumped and turned their attention back to me. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is our main event.”

“What?” Sam glanced at his friends, searching for explanations. There was enough light from the sun setting outside to bleed into the living room and flood the floor with a warm red. The red painted their faces, revealing similar expressions of curiosity.

“All I know is that she needed sound-sensitive lights.” Finn shrugged and joined Henrik on the couch. “What she needs, I get.”

“Simple and straightforward,” Henrik said when Sam looked at him in exasperation. “Did you expect he’d be anything else?”

Sam chuckled and sighed. “No, I guess not.”

“Gentlemen,” I said and unlocked my phone to start the music. An instrumental version of A Holly Jolly Christmas played. “Tonight is our first annual Mystery Secret Santa.”

“Mystery Secret Santa?” Sam asked. “That feels repetitive. Isn’t Secret Santa already a mystery?’

I frowned. “Okay, are you going to let me finish my introduction or not? We have a dance to get through.”

“Oh, there’s a dance?” Sam’s face lit up. He pulled out his phone, ready to record. “Say less.”

Henrik and Finn tried to hold in their laughter, succeeding only when I shot them silencing glares.

“I would like to present to you this night's host,” I announced with a dramatic gesture of my arm. “Lincoln Hill.”

Henrik set his book to the side and clapped at his friend’s entrance. His smile grew wider when he saw Lincoln’s dramatic fur-lined, red cape and the oversized carpet bag he toted.

“Good evening,” Lincoln started in a deeper voice than usual. He bowed to our audience. That was my cue to turn on the multi-colored, twinkling Christmas lights I’d lined around the living room’s entrance.

Henrik’s clapping got louder and Finn joined in. Even Sam looked impressed, whistling at the light show as he directed his camera to them briefly.

“Taught her that,” Finn said quietly with pride.

I smiled at him and continued, “Mr. Hill will tell you all how our mystery will unfold.”

“Okay, Mr. Hill,” Sam teased. “Let’s see what you got for us.”

“In the two-story house, right off Highbury Lane, lived five very studious university students.” Lincoln walked around the living room as he spoke. With each sentence he said, I lit a candle. Warm light slowly brought life back into the house.

“We live off of a street,” Finn mumbled. “Right?”

“We do,” Sam assured.

“Ssh.” Henrik patted Finn’s shoulder. “It’s fine.”

“All of which,” Lincoln continued, choosing to ignore the interruption. “Had a bloody, red secret.”

“The best kind,” I said.

“Very,” Lincoln agreed and winked at me. “Each secret was written down and hidden to quell their guilt. Due to sacred law, that secret was to be revealed once a year. And during that time, they were cursed to read a fellow housemate's secret. Once the secret was shared, they would temporarily be free of guilt during the holidays. Free to be merry and bright.”

“That’s kind of sad when you think about it,” Finn mused.

“It is.” Henrik hummed in agreement.

“Okay, guys, it’s not supposed to be sad,” Lincoln quickly abandoned his spooky deep voice for his normal tone. “It’s supposed to be fun lore.”

“But we’re cursed,” Henrik teased. “How is that fun?”

“Yeah, since when are curses fun?” Sam wondered.

“I can’t.” Lincoln turned to me with a groan. “They’re so…them.”

I laughed and hurried to his side to unzip the carpet bag. “It’s fine. We’ll just move on to the picking.”

Lincoln sighed, shook out his shoulders, and resumed his narrator's voice. “One sheet for each housemate. One chance to end their guilt by confessing to their murder.”

“You’re first.” I took the bag and hurried over to Sam.

“The broody leader with a heart more tender and kind than he lets on,” Lincoln said.

“Alright, cool it with the titles,” Sam grumbled and dug his hand into the bag.

“Well?” I asked when he opened the sheet.

“Um…I can read it aloud?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s a mere riddle. Something only you and the murderer will connect on,” Lincoln said.

“That makes no sense,” Sam said and shrugged. “But whatever. It says, I murdered in secret. My feet made no sound. I can construct the coffin easily. My hands are skillful enough to handle the ground…What the hell?”

“Next,” I sang and moved to Finn.

He reached into the bag with one hand and snuck his free hand to the back of my knee. I breathed easily under his warm touch as he read his riddle.

“I murdered between jokes. Made a sound like no other. I’m an easy catch. Just remember I’m nobody's brother.”

“Can we trade?” Sam asked. “I think I know that one.”

“No trades!” Lincoln demanded. “The bag has chosen.”

“Your turn.” I smiled at Henrik and he returned it before retrieving his confession.

“I murdered in daylight. I was drowning in yellow. My fingers typed fast. I felt nothing but mellow.” Henrik chuckled. “Cute. I like this one.”

“And you.” I skipped to Lincoln and shook the bag a little. He used a hand to cover his eyes before picking.

“I murdered with a spoon. Or maybe it was a fork? Whatever it was, it happened under the moon. Whatever it was, I didn’t do it for sport.” Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief.

“And me,” I claimed the final sheet. “I murdered determined. I did it first. As a leader, I wasn’t afraid. As a person, I don’t fear any curse.”

I smiled, pleased.

“Well, there you have it,” Lincoln said.

“No, I really don’t.” Finn frowned down at his paper.

“You can get the help of one murderer,” I said. “But only one so choose wisely.”

Lincoln nodded in agreement.

“I got you,” Sam said and Finn sighed with relief. Sam whispered a name into his best friend’s ear and the guy lit up.

“Ah, that makes a lot more sense," Finn said.

“Are we good then?” Lincoln bounced on his feet again, already geared to start his Christmas shopping.

“No, not yet,” Sam said and pulled his camera back up. “We’re going to need that dance you two promised us.”

“Oh right.” I started toward the Bluetooth speaker. Lincoln caught my elbow before I could leave.

“Nope, they don’t deserve our dance.” Lincoln shook his head. “Not unless they stop laughing and appreciate our efforts.”

“No one’s laughing,” Sam said while…well, laughing.

“You're such an asshole,” Lincoln said with a smile. “No dance this time. We will reveal our talents when we know they’ll be appreciated. Right, Naomi?”

“Right, exactly.” I nodded. Finn caught my eye and something in his gaze told me I could be convinced to do a private show later.

“That’s all we have for now, folks,” Lincoln announced. “It’s up to you to do the rest. To figure out your fellow murderer and make sure your present is the best.”

“I do love it when he rhymes,” Henrik noted.

“And I don’t,” Sam joked. “But this is entertaining so I’ll allow it.”

“Come on,” Lincoln said. “Get off your butts and start looking for gifts. You’ve got twenty days until Christmas Eve. Let’s make every one of them count.”

#mendellhawksseries

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jflemings · 3 months

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jessie introducing you to all her friends<3 meeting the chelsea girls and eventually taking you to meet the canada team when she’s on national duty and you are so nervous about making a good impression but she knows you’ll be fine

the chelsea girls have spotted you a few times in the stands wearing jessie’s jersey but don’t really think anything of it until niamh walks straight up to you and starts a conversation (bc she’d obviously be the first to know aside from ashley and kadeisha)

sam and millie immediately knowing that you’re not just some random and becoming so curious that they can’t help but talk to erin and guro about it, which means that soon enough the whole team knows about the girl in the stands wearing jessie’s jersey.

jessie is oblivious to it until you bring it up

“i got stared down by sam kerr today”

“you what”

she then knows that she’s just gotta bite the bullet because they all obviously know about you and you’ve been dating for a little while so it probably is time for you to meet them. she brings up the idea and of course you agree, because jessie spends most of her time with these girls and she absolutely adores them, but you’re so nervous and intimidated to meet them all at once. she’d probably start off by having you meet a few of them after a game, just casually introducing you

“this is y/n, my girlfriend”

“so you’re the girl jessie’s been hiding from us”

(because they knew something was up but no one except niamh knew what it was)

you get so embarrassed bc hello??? 😭😭😭 but once you meet them all jess takes you out to hang out with them at a bar and you end up fitting right in. you do get bombarded with questions the whole night though

“did jessie con you into dating her?”

“how did you meet?”

“i feel like you support arsenal, are you a gunner?”

some questions are SOOOOO out of pocket when the girls are a few rounds in and jessie’s face is bright red the whole time, especially if you guys are out after a big win

“that’s a huuuge hickey, didn’t realise jess was into that”

meeting the canada squad is so much more tame because unlike the chelsea girls, they all kind of knew who you were. i can imagine jess being more loose lipped around them because of how long she’s known them (and also bc janine totally got that shit out of her)

they’d probably be a little bit less overwhelming but you’d still be just as intimidated because jessie has been playing for canada since she was fifteen. some of these women have known her for almost half her life and you want nothing more then to prove you’re good enough to date jess.

“what if they don’t like me?”

“y/n, they’re gonna love you”

“…okay but what if they don’t! what then?”

she thinks you’re being absolutely fucking ridiculous but she also knows that you’re only doubting yourself because you want to make a good impression.

you pick jess up after training because the two of you wanted to go out for dinner and she pulls you in to meet the squad. she very confidently introduces you whilst holding your hand tight and they all give you the warmest reception, eager to finally meet you after all that jessie had said about you.

when the two of you finally leave jess gets a text from janine. it says canada approved with a selfie of all of them smiling and giving a thumbs up.

jessie smiles because she just knew that both her teams would adore you.

#pegs talks #pegs answers #jessie fleming

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incorrect-fnaf-quotes · 5 days

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A bunch of things being thrown around involving the Game AU that I wanted to mention? Yes. Yes indeed. :) @universewolfpup

RXQ/Shadow Bonnie is basically like... a character that one of the villains/bosses made at some point, hoping that they would help with their plans.

...Though the villain/boss was quickly proven wrong. Very quickly. Because RXQ was genuinely just like: “No.” and left, and eventually joined the team (Freddy, Crimson, etc).

Earlier, I was basically like: “What would Jack-O-Bonnie sound like?” and right now, I’ve just kind of settled on King Andrias’s VA from Amphibia. Might change, might not.

Jack-O was the first one who actually happened to find Crimson once she arrived. No matter if he actually had been or not, though, Crimson still becomes attached to him quite quickly.

There’s... just so many father-daughter things that I’m imagining with these two. And just little things here and there. He’s a decent singer, and will occasionally sing her lullabies.

Crimson just... absolutely doesn’t know how she’s supposed to get out of the game. She assumes, for a short time, that it’ll happen when she wins... but she has no idea.

And, even then, as she spends more time there, she honestly doesn’t really want to leave all that much, and is kind of starting to dread the eventual day. But, she knows she has to go.

Speaking of her being in and out of the game: In a previous post, I (think) I mentioned how her consciousness gets sent into the Game Avatar, while her body remains, and is simply unconscious/in a coma.

By the very end of it—when she does go back, her body has basically been like that for a couple of months at that point.

There would be game-overs that could be experienced—but they technically aren’t death ones. So it’s not like Crimson would repeatedly deal with that happening.

Instead, if she and the others were in a fight, and they all lost, they’d basically faint, and wake back up somewhere else (like Pokemon? There’s other comparisons.)

It doesn’t stop her from being anxious during battles, though. As also mentioned before, Crimson can see a lot of the stuff—text boxes, health, etc. So, when one keeps getting low... she keeps getting scared.

Mangle wasn’t torn apart by kids here or anything. But, for quite some time, she’s still sort of hesitant around Crimson—it just takes some time.

Crimson likes to get piggyback rides from Jack-O.

Whenever she does eventually leave, I keep comparing it to the endings of the Mystery Dungeon games—it’s angsty, but there’s still way more to it. She never returns.

Except for a smaller AU of this AU—where she does, and there’s less angst. She just sticks around 👍. Happy times, I guess.

While the other characters, in battle and everything, do have moves to use, Crimson doesn’t. At least, not immediately. So, she focuses on healing them with the items she has.

She does eventually start calling Jack-O “Dad.”

...This was a lot—anyways, I think that’s it. It’s late.

#Not a quote #Game AU #FNaF AU #Crimson #FNaF OC #There’s still a lot more though #I probably will eventually start doing fics for this—there’s a ton of ideas in my brain #The first time Jack-O goes down in a sort of battle (after not being healed/etc). She PANICS #Save tag #Jack-O-Bonnie #Mangle #RXQ/Shadow Bonnie #I imagine that she has her *own* text boxes and stuff that she can see as well #Eventually she gets used to it all or just continues trying to ignore it all #But for a while she’s definitely constantly messing with the stuff—poking at the text boxes/etc #And nobody else understands what she’s doing since they can’t see it #FNaF #I can answer anything

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hypnotisedfireflies · 8 months

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William seems to be one of the few parts of Tess’ past that she doesn’t mind looking back on, she always remembers him fondly. But whatever became of dear William? We know that he eventually dies?? but do you have any behind the scenes ideas about his fate? What did the time after outbreak look like for him?

In a different timeline, what would a William and Tess reunion look like post outbreak/Jackson times? How would their friendship change? What would William think of Joel? (I know we get some idea of this in Blood Orange when Tess is bantering with him in her head. (I love that scene)) I’m imagining a lot of teasing and embarrassing stories that make Rachel’s look down right tame.

I hope this ask isn’t too niche btw, I just love all the details you add into your stories and would love to know more.

Oh, what a cool ask! Thank you anon, we don’t talk about William Szulc much so this is nice to explore.

Driftersverse canon, William is definitely gone. Tess imagines in that Blood Orange banter that cause of death was waffles, which is her way of hoping that he went quickly and didn’t suffer through everything that happened. She tells herself that he was one of the first directly infected and was put down that first night.

The truth isn’t too dissimilar from that. William didn’t make it very far. He was never infected, though. He was killed in the chaos of that first weekend - Tess will never know it, but he was caught up in one of the explosions she saw from her home.

Had he lived, William would have been a pretty cunning survivor, not unlike Tess. They got along so well because they recognised a certain callousness in one another, I guess? Not the nicest thing, but they knew how to care for someone who held the world at a distance. They had an extremely low-maintenance friendship. They could be fucking horrible to one another and it was just water off a duck’s back; they could go without speaking because life was busy for months and pick up right where they left off; they had one another’s backs especially when the other person was in the wrong. But they didn’t necessarily hold one another accountable or dig too deep below the surface. Their friendship was close, but it was indulgent. All about the good times – which is kind of why Tess can’t call him in Snowqueen. I think we all have some friendships like that. There's nothing wrong with them, it's just the way some relationships are.

Had he lived and made it to Jackson it would have been a very different dynamic. They wouldn’t have been just able to pick up like they used to. Too much had happened, and I think William probably went Full Villain in those years. I mean, Tess and Joel aren’t really the good guys either, but I can imagine William going around with a title like The Commodore and living a very long-term raider/hunter existence. The kind of survivor group with FEDRA tanks and equipment, cutting FEDRA supply lines and also being a total menace to the Fireflies, too.

So I can see if William had showed up in Jackson – all that left behind for one reason or another – that it would be a kind of strange and heartbreaking time rather than joyous. Our guys would have their Spidey senses tingling that something is not right with this guy, and Joel and Lachie would come to an agreement that Tess is not to be left alone with him. So you know, Tess is trying to hang out with William and Lachie is doing a Sam Gamgee outside the window, trimming the verge.

Lachie and William, btw, on paper should be the best of friends. Both strangers in a strange land, and Australians and Brits tend to gravitate together abroad. But they have taken very different paths of survival and have different outcomes. They’d start a cricket team and teaching Jacksonites how to play, but then end up arguing about the Ashes and batting averages and spin bowling. Lachie would call him a pom, William would call him a convict, Lachie would argue that he’s only second gen on his dad’s side and third on his mum’s so he’s not a convict, blah blah blah.

Over time, William would start to get better, but I think he would be one of those people who would always be a bit unstable. But he would have a plethora of stories to tell Joel, anon! You are very right about that. Rachel was positively PG compared to what William could tell Joel. In fact, Joel probably doesn’t really want to know some of the stuff William can tell him. And here also is a person who could give Joel a more unbiased opinion of Tess and Mike’s relationship – but Joel actually doesn’t care about that anymore at this point in time. 🥹 So he never asks.

In return, William would be very mistrustful of Joel to begin with. Not really Joel’s fault; William doesn’t trust anyone (not even Tess) by this juncture. Plus, he's very obviously watching him. But over time he would start to respect him, especially given how long he has been in Tess’s life and helped keep her alive.

Ouch, that got dark. I hope that’s not a downer, anon.

Not all reunions are happy ones.

#driftersverse #asks

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lordjimp · 1 year

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Discombobulated rant about Fallout 4 companion dynamics I think would go hard;

Deacon and Cait:

fully believe they would complete each over in so many ways if they became friends. They both deal with alot of the same issues. They both regret enacting violent revenge, they both struggled with drug addiction, they both put up emotion walls to seem more aloof, both have serious anger issues (deacon hides it well, but i think he even admits it to the player a little bit at some point), and neither of them really have any allies they feel like they can trust.

cait is on the younger side, i think. she’s desperately still searching for the nurture she never received, even in her final dialogue the most positive thing you can say is that you’re proud of her. Then think of deacon. he’s gotta be at least 40, cause the terminals suggest hes been with the railroad for a long while. he wanted a kid, he was so ready to become a dad, but he never got that opportunity. so uh… found family anyone? I think they’d see through each-overs masks, and see themself in the other.

Imagine if Cait didn’t have sole, and found the railroad desperate for agents and saw it as a way out. deacon and cait would butt heads at first, and the path wouldn’t be an easy one. but eventually they’d end up in a place where Deacon is alot like Cait’s mentor, heping her get off the chems, cait convincing deacon to be more emotionally honest and not repressive, and deacon teaching cait how to keep her chill- like a perfect balance. I actually think that cait has the possibility of having a much deeper relationship with deacon than the player. just because of their connection and how she’d poke and prod and deacon unit he’d been worn down enough to fully open up.

Piper and hancock;

No, piper hates hancock. Hes a weird pervert, and a drug user, and always on his high horse, he hasn’t got any morals, hes litterally a killer! and a thief, and a criminal, and a-… oops, he wore her down.

Piper is a hot head, whos got a very passionate and ‘correct’ moral compass. but ultimately her and hancock kinda have the same beliefs. they both have hope for the commonwealth, they want people to be united and to have strong leaders with the peoples issues in mind. i think that given enough time to get to know hancock, piper would eventually come to see they have much more in common. which id imagine shed have a hard time admitting shes grown attached.

hancock on the other hand, doesn’t super mind her at first. i mean yeah, she’s a bit uptight about some things and he might get a little pissed off when she mutters something about good neighbour being unsafe and dirty. but pipers right isn’t she? hes a killer, and a theif, and a criminal, and all that other stuff. loves to hear her rant about stuff. especially mc donough. shes gonna be completely shocked when she finds out this whole time shes been talking crap about mcdonough… to another mcdonough.

thats how theyed really get to know eachover though, theyed get into the habit of meeting up just to rant at eachover and talk shit, maybe eventually they’d realise they could make a power team and actually start doing stuff instead of just talking about it. when they finally get out there, piper is like a loose cannon and hancock has got to actually play a responsible roll every now and then to stop her from going off the walls. its a roll he plays terribly btw. piper, no matter how close they get, will never want to admit their friends. ultimately whats holding them back a little is the chems and hancocks ability to rock it with anyone, even if its someone piper would really rather not. but maybe they could work it out.

Deacon and macready (thirdwheel preston):

its just guys being dudes. dudes being guys. honestly preston is always to busy and stressed he just needs mates. not ones hes got to work with. just people he can drink with and talk to. maccready it so gullible and dumb, its like deacon’s wet dream. he’d constantly be throwing mac fast ones every chance he gets, and mac would give him reactions. every. single. time. he’s like the gift that keeps on giving. also since they both use sniper rifles, mac is always trying to one up deacon to be a better shot. it doesn’t even matter whos better cause deacon always cheats.

then theres preston. poor, poor preston. mac and deacon might screw around with eachover, but when it comes to preston hes the target. you’d swear those two have a script the way they bounce off of eachover to make fun of him. preston is that guy in every friend group that everyone makes fun of (you guys are the real ones). but at the end of the day, they dont mean any of it. when its just mac and deeks, they talk about how Preston is ‘such a nice guy’ and ‘a really good friend’.

they laugh and drink with eachover, preston is usually busy so it’s mostly mac and deacon. maccready has no idea deacon is a spy and only really finds it sort of strange that every time deacon invites him to do a job its almost always synth related. honestly those three are just good buds and its not really much deeper than that.

#fallout #fallout 4 #fo4 #fo4 companions #deacon #hancock #deacon fo4 #john hancock #fo4 maccready #macready #fo4 curie #curie #fo4 x6 88 #x6 88 #fo4 piper #piper wright #fo4 cait #cait #fo4 headcanons

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starry-lemonaid · 7 days

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Hiiiii so this ended up so so much longer than I meant it to and I didn’t even write most of them 😭 Sorry im physically unwell about your au lol. Some are definitely only your au specific others are really any teenager au :>>>>>

Team Bolas would carry around a tamagotchi and pass it off every so often. Rn Carre has it >:3

Since you have it canonized that Pac and Mike are neighbors in this, and in canon they were in an orphanage: Adopted and fostercare pac and Mike. (Pac eventually adopted by his foster dad and mom — who happens to be pals with Cellbit’s mom — and Mike still in foster care, but more in a permanent sense)

Like. Have you seen Alexa and Katie? That’s how I picture the two of them with being neighbors.

Team Bolas will go to roller skating rinks with the sluttiest and most fabulous outfits known to man

I don’t know the status of Skeppy in this story but he’s the kid that everyone on the team (soulfire) knows about without ever having actually met him because of Bbh

Like in canon, Carre almost never talks in the gc (despite being present a ton of the time), but when he does it’s a fucking *hit* (aka he’s amazing) (aka holding out for a Carre mention in either fic /j /lh /t)

One time all of Bolas’ spirit days for their respective schools lined up and they all collaborated to wear gas masks. They do this for Halloween too.

(I’m a scare actor) Team Bolas goes to Haunted Attractions together every Autumn and each of them are little babies about it in different ways (I have ideas about what types of customers they’d be for the scare actors omg)

In the Bolas Minecraft server they have builds that relate to Jrwi and Ordem Paranormal (like Cellbit’s castle in canon) (I have no idea how that’d work with Bagi)

BBQ’s with Foolish and his big family just. Are chaos incarnate

Slime and Baghera once got really really into karaoke at a hotel and got a noise complaint

Somewhere in his lore: Child actor slime who used to work with Niki (as well as a buncha other people). The two of them got extremely screwed over by the company — Showfall. (Like, them exploiting Slime’s hypermobility to the point where it genuinely hurts him, or scaring Niki with gunshots just because she’d sit there and take it so’s not to ruin her “nice” cover with skating) (genloss)

I’m still not quite over BAGI AND MIKE being the two to see Cellbit and PAC first after their fight. The two people who care the most about them being the ones to see each other bloody and sobbing and Jesus Christ. Not really a headcanon but. Omg. Trauma?

TW PARANOIA: Cellbit gets really really bad psychosis and paranoia sometimes that his friends have learned to help him down out of (you’ve written him so so ocd. It’s lovely — not for him, but for us)

Bpd q!cellbit 🤝 Bipolar q!Pac (in your au) (someday I’ll go into depth about this. That day it’s over for the rest of y’all)

Adore that Tazercraft prankwarring each other is canon in at least one of your series’ fics. I don’t know how their mind link would translate in this buttttttt I think it fits them very well

I also think they’d have a little collection of crap they’ve stolen from different rinks they’ve traveled to

The seven of bolas have matching friendship bracelets

(Sorry most of these are just Tazercraft and Bolas. I’m so insanely unwell about them in your au)

i’m literally right about to go to bed so i apologize if this isn’t coherent but i love all of these so much!

-in thr chat fic Bolas actually has smth like that! it’s name is iris (like their creature from purgatory) and you’re correct in the fact rn carre has it in the irl fic! :D

-that’s how i imagine it to be in the chat fic au! idk how it translates into irl one but in my mind it’s a similar situation!!

-you’re so right for this actually i will be drawing this

-skeppy lore! he’s a hockey skater at the soul fire rink :) i might make a one shot about him and bad soon :)

-THERES A CARRE MENTION IN THE NEXT TO CHAPTERS I SWEAR (/lh)

-i see your head cannon and raise you: they made their own gas masks one year out of monster cans because Phil raised the point if “our actual ones risk breaking if we wear them to school” (i made my own bolas mask out of monster cans lmaooo)

-(that’s so cool omg?) the way i would read the hell outta that- (i’m such baby when it comes to those things so i’ve never actually gone but i’ve always wanted to participate in it)

-BOLAS MINECRAFT SERVER!!! IRONICALLY THATS CANNON!!!!

-Foolish and Phil’s families at fourth of july BBQs? the fireworks are crazy

-lmao i almost put that in the 10th chapter and then didn’t 😭

-I FORGOT ABOUT GENLOSS LORE OMG *notes that down to use later*

:P no regerts (i had to tone it down when i was writing it )

i feel like the fact i’ve written him ocd when i wrote him similar to me says smth…(my psychiatrist said i have ocd tendencies lmaoooo)

im so intrigued about this because i didn’t realize they lined up with that- ngl they’re just me if i got to go feral a little more when i was 11

you know those online friends that you message like every sing,e thing about your day to? like you liveblog your life to them? that’s how pac and mike are! :D

its cannon to the irl!!! if not stated otherwise all oneshots are irl universe (i’ll say what chapter it correlates to if it’s a chat fic one) and they absolutely have stolen things- especially cuz for a while people would bring tradables to comp so the two of them absolutely stole each others trandeables when they were younger

THEY DO!!!! they have multiple!!! rn they all have hand made beaded ones that say “BOLAS” on ‘‘em!

(you’re so right tho i love them and i didn’t even write abiut them that much

#new chapter tomorrow btw!#mooshifcs #ao3 #writing #i love answering asks #theyrr so fun #i’m in love with yiu op have i ever said thst #ok goodnight fr nie

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mythgirlimagines · 6 months

Note

Imagine a scenario of Mondo Owada hanging out with his Pokémon:

Growlith: (He has a soft spot for dogs)

Mankey: (His most stubborn Pokémon Mankey literally tried to attack him when they left first met yet despite that his Mankey is loyal to him. People tend to joke him and his Mankey are twins)

Cyclizar: He’s into motorcycles so yeah he’d love this

Revaroom: He had Revaroom integrated with his motorcycle for extra kick and now it’s a fast and loud powerhouse

Scrafty: Hair bros

Cubone: Was his brother’s Cubone they both silently mourn Daiya. Will eventually evolve into Marowak once they both grow and improve themselves

I really like these picks for his team!

Outside of riding with the Crazy Diamonds, Mondo actually did spend a lot of time with his pokemon. That was a habit he started growing up, when Growlithe was the only one on his team.

Since then, though, he’d built a pretty solid team. A very energetic one, too, so they’d all often be training for the battles they’d inevitably run into with rival gangs.

Mankey and Scrafty liked battling the most, so Mondo more often relied on them. The others had activities they liked, like Cyclizar and Revavroom just riding around together.

Mondo did his best to split their time evenly so no one pokemon was getting favored over the others. Cubone kind of stuck a lot closer to him and Growlithe, though, mourning its trainer.

They all had their charms, and Mondo liked to think that they’d be able to conquer anything together. And to be fair, he had the strength to back up that statement, for the most part.

#answered ask #anon #headcanons #mondo owada #danganronpa #dr1 #pokemon

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hankwritten · 10 months

Text

No Fuss No Muss No Coconuts

Soldier/Pyro 1K

Friday (July 7) : Vacation | Relaxation | Holiday

If Pyro wanted to find Soldier, all they had to do was follow the trail of destruction.

Usually. Except this time, when Soldier disappeared from base with no word, no note, no screaming match that could be pointed to as the inciting incident, there was no trail of destruction. Somehow, that was most concerning of all.

Consequently, it took them a while to track Soldier to the off-season beach town, a lonely stretch of coast that had taken weeks to get to by foot. Even then, they’d only happened upon it because a few loose tongues in neighboring areas had been talking about escaped convicts and a man supposedly on the FBI’s most wanted list—and only then because the locals weren’t confident about their assumptions due to his partially covered face. Eventually, one week past the Soldier’s disappearance, Pyro took off after him, despite their teammates warning them strongly against it, claiming the stray dogs always find their way home.

Soldier was no stray dog. Not anymore! The team was his family, and they had adopted him, and if he’d gone off voluntarily then something was terribly wrong.

When they found him, he was facing away, staring into the setting ocean with his fatigues rolled up to his knees. The water lapped leisurely against his shins, damp crawling up skin to turn the balled part of fabric a slightly darker color.

“Soldier!” Pyro called, worry forgotten, replaced by only the uncomplicated joy of seeing their favorite person.

Soldier didn’t turn around at first, so Pyro splashed through the surf toward him.

“Soldier! It took me ages to find you,” they hudda-hu’d.

“Did it?” Soldier replied. “Y’don’t say. Can’t imagine how abandoning my post, disappearing without a word, and marching to the middle of nowhere would make me difficult to find.”

Pyro was mildly shocked. They’d never heard Soldier be sarcastic—his frank, matter of fact way of speaking was one of the reasons they found him easy to talk to. Pyro didn’t do well with metaphors and mincing words, already finding normal conversation to be an exhausting game of Schrödinger’s genuineness. Add on top of that that, since mercenaries tended to be a bunch of surly, grumpypuses that couldn’t say what they were really feeling if Medic cracked them open and pointed at it, it was little wondered they gravitated toward the simple man with straightforward goals.

The anomalism made them uncomfortable. Their hands found their way to one another, wringing close to their chest.

“We all miss you, Soldier. And also we’ve been losing pretty badly without you.” When he didn’t reply to that, they tried, “Why’d you come out here?”

“…Needed a vacation.”

He was smoking. He was quite pretty like that, the ember in the end of his cigar like his own shard of sun, tapping the ashes into the sea that wanted to swallow him.

“Oh okay. Can I go on vacation with you?” they asked.

He paused for a moment, silently wrestling with something. Then he sighed, dropping his stogie into the water. “Sure. Why not.”

They got drinks at the local tiki bar. Soldier had obviously been here long enough that everyone was skittish of him, but not long enough to know that severing alcohol to the ole’ war dog is even worse than trying to cut him off. Pyro got something fruity served in a coconut. Soldier got a plain beer.

“So…” Pyro mused. “These roofs, huh?”

Soldier grunted.

“All made of dried palms and stuff. Looks really…flammable.” Pyro wasn’t so good at winking, but they could wiggle excitedly in their seat.

“I guess,” Soldier said.

Soldier? Not jumping at wanton property destruction? Everything was so wrong and Pyro didn’t know what to do about it. They felt a flush of frustration; at Soldier’s obtuseness, at the fact he made them track all the way here in the first place. And he was being hard to decipher again, which made them feel stupid for not getting what was wrong. They hated feeling stupid at the best of times, but Soldier was one of the few that never made them feel that way.

Usually.

Fed up with all this insincerity, they scooted out their stool with force, curly straw spinning round its coconut.

“If you’re going to be like that, then I’ll just go light all those fires by myself!”

Before they could take another step, they were jolted back, a hand clamped around their shoulder.

“Not so fast, Smokey!” Soldier said. “Do not go getting up to that on your own.”

“Why the heck not?”

“Because you could get hu-” Soldier cut himself off. “Because you’ll get in trouble.”

“So?” Pyro demanded. “Why do you care?”

Soldier’s mouth opened, then closed sharply, his hand ungripping their suit. “I don’t. Whatever. Get to it then.”

Now it was Soldier evacuating his chair, storming out of the bar and forcing Pyro to be the one chasing after him. Which wasn’t fair! It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t fun, and they chased him with muffled yelling all the way up the beach where the last of the sun had long since evacuated. They couldn’t get him to stop until they grabbed his arm with both hands and dug in their heels.

“Soldier! Tell me why you keep running away!” they demanded as his unstoppable force dragged them along behind him like a child’s toy.

Several feet of sand was excavated before Soldier finally whipped around. “You want to know why I am trying to get away, maggot? It is because this god-forsaken Team weakens me.”

Pyro dropped their arms.

“There is no escape from any of you! No relief in the intoxicating mother’s milk of battle, not when I am watching eight civilians running in blind and getting their asses handed to them! How can a man fight like this? How can a Soldier function when he is worrying if his strategy might get the men under his command killed? He should be able to sacrifice as many blood-brothers necessary! As many Lady Liberty demands for victory, and those blood-brothers should be proud to go!”

Soldier dropped his fist. The helmet pointed at the ground, where midnight sand had gathered on his boots, his whole body slumping to point at them.

“A real Soldier shouldn’t care.”

“It’s…not permanent Soldier. Us dying.”

“I know that, maggot,” Soldier said. “And yet.”

“You don’t have to worry about us. We’re all always fine! Just come back with me and we’ll-”

“With you?” Soldier spat. “I can’t come back with you when you are the worst of the lot!”

Pyro took a step back.

“You never question me!” Soldier said desperately. “Whatever stupid, suicidal thing your commanding officer comes up with in the moment, you go ahead and do it! The others, they at least will stop sometimes when all I’m doing is dragging us into shit. But you…”

“I don’t question you because I trust you.”

“That is my point. You shouldn’t.” Soldier grit his teeth. “I keep trying not to care, and it keeps not working, and the thought of you being hurt…The one person who…”

He reached out, as though trying to take hold of Pyro more concretely, to dig his fingers into their suit and not let go, but he gave up. The fist closed, reaching on to air.

Before it could fall back to his side, Pyro lunged for it, forcing their fingers between his.

“I won’t get hurt, Soldier,” they promised.

“You do,” Soldier said glumly. “All the time.”

“But it’s like you said,” Pyro pointed out. “All those blood-brothers who are going to their deaths because of Mrs. Liberty: they’re doing it willingly. Because they want to. Because maybe because they want to burn some stuff on the way. And even if they die, we have to be okay with caring about people.”

“Easy for you to say. A Pyro can get caught caring. A Soldier shouldn’t.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Then say different!”

Soldier turned to his grit-cloaked boots again.

“Come home Solly, please.” Pyro tugged his arm. “Loving the team doesn’t weaken you. I promise it doesn’t. And when everyone sees you back, they’ll prove it to you.”

They could see how much he wanted to come back. That being alone out here didn’t suit him anymore. He wasn’t the lone wolf taking bitter relish in his own solitude that he had been when he’d first joined the team.

Still, it was a monstrous relief when he finally relented, loosening his hand enough to let Pyro clasp it fully.

“…I am sorry for going AWOL,” he said. “I will…come back. It was wrong to deprive the team of their lone tactical commander of any skill.”

“Good. And Soldier?”

“Yeah?” he asked as they began walking hand in hand in the vague direction of the closest teleporter hub.

“Next time we go on vacation, can we go somewhere that sells saltwater taffy?”

#rocketfire #solpy #TF2RarePairMini2023 #tf2 fanfiction

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voidfishing · 1 year

Note

I am extremely intrigued by your hyperspecific taagnus lore if you feel like expanding 👀

oh absolutely 💚💚 this. turned out to be. insanely long <3

okay so. I think that after they met while joining the IPRE, Magnus became interested in Taako pretty quickly. Taako is handsome and tough and pretty and smart as hell, of course Magnus notices all of that immediately. but I can’t imagine him actively trying to pursue a relationship given the whole, yknow, they’re about to literally leave their planet. he’s got bigger picture things to focus on. but I think they do spend quite a bit of time together. Taako actively seeks him out because, despite how much he pokes fun at him, he does think Magnus is fun and cute and sweet. they get along really well, and I like to think Magnus’ pure optimism and general sweetheart behavior made him the first member of the IPRE to really get to spend quality time with Taako without Lup present.

and then I think. there was definitely some light flirting on Taako’s end that was very casual. not super forward or anything, just little things like slightly-more-affectionate pet names or passive compliments that indicated he was paying close attention. and Magnus picked up on maybe half of it. the rest of the time he was like “man Taako’s such a nice guy. what a good friend.” and meanwhile Taako was pulling his hair out going “how is he not in love with me yet I’m being so alluring”

and this dynamic continued for a little while. they got closer. the stolen century actually began. and I think things stayed that way for a handful of cycles, because I don’t feel like either of them would be super focused on starting a relationship while trying to navigate their new lives. but I do think they got closer and closer as teammates and began to rely on each other more, which neither of them placed any extra emphasis on because they were growing closer with everyone else too.

and then I think their relationship started building again a little less than a decade into the century. they’d gotten used to the pattern and their new life, they had a better grasp on the entire situation. and I think they started to lean on each other more and more. Magnus would come to Taako to vent or theorize or talk about their home, and Taako would pick up on the fact that he was seeking comfort and offer it to him, usually through small gestures like making him something to eat and patting him on the shoulder while they talked. Taako would eventually start doing the same sort of thing, showing up to Magnus’ room just to sit quietly when he was struggling in some way and needed to be near someone else. and Magnus would be so sweet and careful about offering him support without hurting his ego, which Taako definitely appreciated.

so. I think things went on like that for a bit and they just continued to get closer and more reliant on one another. and then one day Magnus is sitting in Taako’s room watching him scribble out plans for dodging the hunger and it suddenly strikes him that he’s in love with him. and he says it. and Taako just stops what he’s doing and looks and him and goes “did we not already know this?” & naturally Magnus is a little surprised that Taako recognized his own feelings before him, but he doesn’t have time to worry about that before Taako kisses him.

and I think they date for a while. they work well together and understand how to support one another. they’re a good team!! and both of them are able to find a certain kind of shelter with each other, feeling safe and loved despite facing the end of the world annually. it’s not always easy, but they make a point to work things out when it gets hard.

I don’t really have a timeline for how long they’re officially dating, but I think by the fiftieth cycle, things have changed a little bit. not in a bad way, there’s just been a shift in their dynamic that has changed the way their relationship looks; they’re no longer calling themselves boyfriends, but they’re still super familiar with and supportive of each other. I don’t think they really label the dynamic but they’ve essentially just naturally shifted into being queer platonic partners. they’re technically exes but no one would guess that from seeing them interact. they love each other so much

and oh boy. after the stolen century, after losing their memories, after being (unbeknownst to them) reunited. I think Taako is a little interested in this handsome human he’s working with. the guy’s a little dense but it’s sort of charming to him! Magnus thinks the elf he’s traveling with is very pretty, but he’s not exactly planning on dating anyone anytime soon. he wants to be good buds! and so over the course of their time with the BOB they get closer and a little more intimate with each other, but never to the point of potentially dating. there’s love there and it feels rather platonic for both of them.

and then they get their memories back. and I think it takes Taako a very long time to talk to Magnus about any of it. which is probably a good thing, it gives them both time to digest everything they've been through, and I think their friendship starts to deepen again once they do talk about their history. the love they had lost is back and only reinforced by the fact that they managed to cultivate such a meaningful relationship even without those memories. they eventually get back to where they were during the stolen century, although that takes a couple of years. their relationship is defined by mutual love and they look out for each other as they navigate living (sort of) normal lives

#I literally. ok. uhm. well. that was a lot this is rather long. honestly didn’t think I had this much to say about them. I . okay!#SO. YEAH. here you go <3 #it’s uhm. past 1 am now . goodnight !!#toon talking #taagnus #text #asks #long post #headcanons #tumblr REALLY doesn’t want this under a readmore I’m so fucking sorry it keeps deleting chunks. oh my god.

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authordanielleforrest · 1 month

Text

Fated Mates of the Drakoan: Episode 19

Jess felt a little sad as she hugged her friends goodbye. This time was different. This time, she wasn’t slinking off into the night. But in a way, that made it worse. Her chest felt tight, and she was afraid she might cry.

I never cry.

I’m not going to cry.

When she pulled back, she forced a smile on her face, and before she knew it, she was outside, her fingers intertwined with Davin’s as Van took the lead in front of them.

“Are you sure about this?” Davin asked as he squeezed her hand gently before relaxing it.

She looked over at him and nodded. “I am. It feels… monumental for some weird reason, like I’m taking some huge step, and there’s no turning back, but I’m okay with it.”

“Good.”

“And you’ll keep me safe.” It wasn’t a question.

“I will. No matter what.”

She nodded. “So, what do we do now?”

“Well, I’m not sure. We introduce you to the rest of the team, of course, but after that, I’m not sure. Van has the details on the most recent interactions with Earth forces…”

Jess nodded. “Scottie mentioned trying to get the power back up. Van had seemed intrigued. Do you think that’ll become part of the plan?” Jess pressed into his arm as they walked, which was awkward, but she kind of liked it. It brought her back to high school.

“Not at the moment, no. I’m sure it will eventually, but our plan has been and continues to be reestablishing contact. This isn’t our planet, our home. We don’t have authority here. This is a path forward we agreed on with human military leaders. We are supporting them.”

Jess nodded, though she wasn’t sure if Davin could see it.

“So Scottie…”

“Yes?”

“You two seem close.”

Jess smiled. “Yeah. I’m closer to him than anyone else in the house.” But then it occurred to her that maybe he thought something else was going on, something… romantic. She jerked away, alarm rushing through her.

They both stopped.

“We’re just friends, though. Nothing more. Scottie is a diehard fan of dick.”

“A… diehard fan of dick…”

Jess nodded her head vigorously. “Yes. Scottie is one thousand percent gay, Davin.” She smirked, leaning in. “In fact, if you’ll recall, he seemed more than a little enamored with Van back there.”

“Van?” He jerked his head to the side, watching as Van continued forward, not yet realizing they’d stopped. Then he remembered the conversation they’d had earlier, with Scottie calling Van names like Spock and boo. And yes, he’d clearly seen that there’d been some sort of spark in Scottie’s eye, though he doubted the feeling was mutual.

Jess nodded. “Van. Scottie has always had a thing for serious types. Like I said, he has the biggest crush on Spock, and that character is like the epitome of serious.”

“I… can’t quite picture it.” He tried to imagine them together, his mind conjuring Scottie fawning over Van, and Van just standing there looking… bewildered.

Jess pulled back, shrugging. “I’ll admit. Scottie does have a tendency to come off as a bit of a goofball at first. He’s playful and loves his games and fandoms, but he’s no slouch. He works as hard as he plays.”

“What’s he do?”

“He’s an electrical engineer, though I’m not sure exactly what he does. Some sort of design work, I think.” Jess frowned, but really, Scottie rarely ever talked about work in any detail. And in the rare instances he brought work home, he was more grumbling about the absurdly heavy laptop he had to lug with him than about the projects themselves.

“Do you think he could be of help with getting the power back up?”

They started moving again.

“I… maybe? Hadn’t really thought about it. He doesn’t have any connections to the power companies, but he might be more familiar with the technology than most. You’d have to ask him.”

He nodded, the motion visible in her periphery.

Jess thought about it, about what it might take to get the power back up. He’d said it wasn’t part of the plan right yet, but everything else just seemed so nebulous, giving her nothing to hold on to, to focus on.

To stress over.

“How many people are on your team?” she said, scrambling for a topic that wasn’t likely to stress her out.

He looked down at her. “Including me and Van? Six.”

Jess frowned. It wasn’t a tiny team necessarily, but would it be enough? She wouldn’t say she necessarily understood electricity and electrical grids that much, but power failures tended to be all-encompassing. And even if they could get the power plants up and running again, would it matter? What if there were parts of the grid that were damaged? Parts that couldn’t transmit or store electricity? The enormity of the potential problem suddenly overwhelmed her, and she pushed it out of her mind, instead focusing on their surroundings.

Everything looked a little different in daylight so it took her brain a moment to connect the dots, but she recognized these little cookie cutter houses with too many cars out front.

We’re close.

She picked up the pace with a smile, excited to reach their destination.

Slightly behind her, Davin chuckled, but she didn’t care. Letting him follow as he may, she jogged to catch up with Van, who she now saw turning toward the little park where they’d landed the shuttle.

Not even a minute later, she had a view of the shuttle itself. She was still halfway across the lawn when four people, all with varying shades of red scales, poured out of the back, greeting Van. They seem like a jovial enough bunch, and she smiled, excited to meet them.

These people are important to him.

Then they all seemed to shift as one and she froze.

A hand touched the small of her back, and Davin’s voice whispered in her ear. “Come on. Let me introduce you.”

Anxious butterflies dive bombed in her stomach, but she nodded and let him lead her forward.

What were they thinking?

Were they going to like her?

Would they hate her?

Shit, maybe this was a bad idea.

“Everyone, this is Jess. My mate.”

Jess looked up, surprised at the warmth and pride in Davin’s voice. Their relationship so far had been build on passion and compulsion more than anything else, so hearing the softness in his voice was a surprise. He was smiling down at her, and he leaned down, nuzzling her hair. Jess smiled, shaking her head.

“Mate?” one of them said, sounding incredulous.

“Damn, why not me?” another said, the words coming from the only female in the group.

“Congratulations?”

The last one only laughed.

“Jess, this is Erik, Grace, Lane, and Heath,” Davin said, pointing at each in the order they’d spoken.

“Pleasure,” she said, nodding in greeting.

“What’s going on here, Commander?” Heath said, though there was a slight smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, like he was looking for a joke to make.

Davin took a deep breath, but didn’t immediately speak up.

Instead, Van did the talking. “Jess will be coming with us for the foreseeable future. We’ll be switching to protection detail protocols moving forward.”

“Why?” Erik crossed his arms in front of him as a snide look crossed his face. Behind him, his tail whipped back and forth agitatedly.

Davin flinched, and Jess reached out, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “Because this is new,” she said, “and until we’ve got a better handle on things, this is the best plan we’ve got.”

Grace smirked, the expression quickly stretching into a massive grin. “Oh, somebody’s got it bad.”

Davin flinched again, and Jess sighed quietly.

Did they have to give him hell for it?

“That’s enough,” Van said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Be ready to move out in fifteen minutes. Jess, come with me.”

She nodded, following all of them up the ramp. They each stopped almost immediately upon entering and started pulling stuff off the walls. Van turned to her with something like a black vest in his hands. “Put this on.”

She reached out and grabbed it. “Fuck.” It was heavy, dragging her down almost immediately. It reminded her of the leaded aprons they used for x-rays, though maybe not quite that heavy. Still, as she slipped her arms through and pulled it over her shoulders, she groaned, not looking forward to wearing it for any length of time.

As soon as it was weighing her down, Davin came before her and started working at the front of it, shutting the opening with a series of deft movements. “There. You’re perfect,” he said before turning to the wall and donning his own gear.

Jess turned to Van. “Where are we going? Is it a long walk?”

“It will be, but first we have to fly in close.”

“It’s not close?”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry. We’ll be at the next landing site fairly shortly.”

Jess nodded, then followed them through the shuttle. The first room emptied into a hallway with several doors, all of which were closed. When the hallway opened up into another open area, she froze, immediately seeing a problem. “There’s only six seats.”

Davin looked down at her and was that a blush?

She wasn’t sure. It was really hard to tell with scales, but they did look like they’d gotten darker.

Van turned around. “You’ll have to sit with Davin. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I… hadn’t thought of that concern when we’d come up with this plan. I apologize, Jess.” He turned to someone, Heath, who had just sat in one of the seats directly next to the front window. “Be sure to be careful as the shuttle is currently over capacity.”

“Yes, sir.”

It took no time for each of them to take their seats. Davin buckled in, then reached his arms out to her. She sat down, letting his hands curl around her waist. Unfortunately, this wasn’t like sitting on his lap in her living room. For one, her options were limited. She had to sit with her back flush to his front, which meant balancing on his thighs instead of across them.

And yet, the longer she sat there, the more his heat permeated her, relaxing her muscles. And the way his fingertips traced little circles on her stomach wasn’t bad either.

Then the shuttle rumbled to life, and she slipped, now straddling one of his thighs. It was uncomfortable, her outer thigh now pressing hard into the arm rest, but she almost didn’t care because the engine noise was vibrating straight through her, leaving her a bit breathless.

Oh, this is embarrassing.

But at least most of the team had their backs to her. They didn’t get to see the way her cheeks had just flooded with heat.

Then the shuttle took off, and she grunted as the force ground her against his leg.

Damn, should have worn jeans for this.

The stretchy fabric of her yoga pants was just a bit too accommodating. And as she tried to fight against the force of takeoff, tried to get herself properly back on Davin’s lap, she just managed to rub herself on him more.

Which was when she realized that she wasn’t the only one getting aroused from a stupid shuttle launch. She could feel Davin’s erection starting to press against her ass cheek, and now she was doomed. Just the thought of that cock so close and ready had her thinking naughty thoughts that just revved her up even more. She was starting to pant, and now she was actively rubbing against his leg, shifting slightly to get just the right amount of pressure. Davin’s hands tensed, but then one arm curled around, holding her steady, while the other slipped inside her waistband. She leaned back, moaning into his throat at the blessed feel of skin on skin.

His hand dived quickly between her legs, finding her clit like his finger was a heat-seeking missile. There was no hesitation, no awkwardness. No, he just went for the gold and had heat blooming for her more and more until she could feel it rushing down her legs and curling her toes. Jess whined, completely unselfconscious as he rubbed her off and she rubbed against him, his hardness somehow thrusting tauntingly along her clothed ass crack. She wanted it closer. She wanted it touching. She wanted her damned pants gone, but then he did something absolutely wicked with his fingers and it set her off, her throat locking up in release.

Gradually, her breathing slowed and awareness trickled in. She opened her eyes as the chill air pressed in on her heated skin. Which was when it finally hit her.

Shit, we’re not alone.

Four sets of eyes were staring back at them.

Oh fuck.

I just let Davin get me off in front of his entire team.

#fated mates #alien x human #alien romance #dragon #serial fiction

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