#I love LOVE worn down elevators that shouldn't work

[octuscle]

I work as a janitor at a local hospital and I'm tired of all the snobby attitudes around here. There's this new young doctor who everyone keeps fawning over and I totally get why. Young, smart, incredibly attractive- I'm sure you get the picture. But the other day I heard him talking about the janitorial staff and saying stuff like "this is why I did well in school." Earlier when he was helping perform a surgery, I nabbed his laptop and input some changes to bring him down a few levels and give him a new appreciation for the janitors here. I'd love to see his face tonight when he starts slowly changing.

You can't help being born with a golden spoon in your mouth. No one can help being handsome and intelligent. But the question is always what you do with it. Or if you are suddenly no longer born with a golden spoon in your mouth. And not quite as intelligent. But beautiful in a different way.

When Shawn walks to the parking lot after a hard day in the OR, something is different… Where his brand-new model should be, among all the flashy Porsches, there's a 911 that's about ten years old. The leather seats are a little worn. But didn't his parents just give him a new one for Christmas? Shit, maybe it was just too much work today. Maybe he shouldn't go out for a fancy dinner with the others tonight. Just go to bed early instead.

Normally, Shwan would have had to chase his sports car, engine howling, toward downtown. Into the underground garage beneath his apartment building. The apartment his parents gave him. But as if in a trance, he drives toward the high-rise housing complex on the outskirts of the city. Fatima's hand dangles from the rearview mirror. Arabic music plays on the radio.

Shawn curses the idiots who can't park. He spends more than half an hour looking for a place to park his beat-up old van. If all the Sunday drivers had parked properly, there would have been five or six spaces available. Idiots! The leftovers he took from the hospital cafeteria have long since gone cold, of course. He takes the bags and carries them up to the apartment on the sixth floor. Of course, the elevator doesn't work again. That's a bit of his own fault. After working at the hospital, he is the janitor here in the apartment complex. He puts the food on the kitchen table. His parents and younger siblings eat it greedily. They don't care that it's pork. Shawn doesn't tell them either. It's pointless anyway. Before collapsing on the bed, exhausted, he grabs the toolbox again and goes to the elevator machine room.

Yahya never planned to be the breadwinner for his family. But after fleeing Syria, he was the only one who spoke English. How he would have loved to finish his mechanical engineering degree, which he had almost completed. But earning money was a higher priority. And the hospital job wasn't bad. It paid well. He might even be able to continue his studies. He worked hard for two things: his body, which he was proud of. And for his career. It was easy to stay rich if you were born rich. Yahya wanted to be rich because he was born poor.

[leiawritesstories]

illicit affairs, 2

PART ONE

Word count: ~2.2k

Warnings: angst, language, degrading terms, mentions of domestic violence

@rowanaelinn once again thank you for inspiring this au, i hope you love it ;)

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

Aelin swore she didn't breathe for the next four or five days, half expecting to come home and find Chaol standing in the kitchen with that accusatory look of his on his face. He'd worn that look when he told her they didn't talk anymore--when he'd blamed that problem on her. He'd worn that look the last time she saw him.

Then he'd disappeared from the house.

She hadn't seen him in the weeks since he left. Which was odd, considering their workplaces were on the same city block, but she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. And thank all the gods he hadn't been out for a drink that night--that night.

The night she'd gone out for a girls' night and gone home dripping a stranger's cum down her thighs.

Days later, she was still thinking about it. The memory alone was enough to get her riled up, to have her core heating and warmth pooling deep in her stomach. She had to force herself away from those thoughts, especially when she was at work--she was far too professional to be taking a "bathroom break."

Hell. She was thinking about it.

Muttering a curse under her breath, Aelin turned back to her computer, pulling up the quarterly reports to drive her mind away from its traitorous fixation. As one of the head accountants, she and her partners split the report-checking duties, and this quarter was all Aelin's. She shook her head, tugged her reading glasses up her nose, and focused on the columns of numbers, scanning for any errors or anything that seemed off.

The distraction worked--the next time she glanced at the clock down in the bottom corner of her computer screen, nearly four hours had passed. And it was almost five o'clock, thank the gods. She closed the file, logged off, and shut down her computer, making sure to wait until it was past five before she clocked out. Damn picky boss. She grabbed her ridiculously expensive designer tote bag and slung it over her shoulder, heels clicking smartly against the smooth flooring of the office as she walked out.

Elide met her by the elevator. "Long day, Ae?"

"And then some," Aelin grumbled. "Hate quarterlies."

The petite woman huffed in agreement. "Don't know much about that myself, but HR's been a real bitch lately."

"I swear I've got no idea how you manage to stay in that job, Ells," Aelin returned. "I'd probably go stark raving mad after an hour."

"I just yell at people," Elide smirked.

Aelin chuckled and bumped her friend's shoulder. "Hey, want to grab a drink?"

"Gods, absolutely!"

~

"...and then I wake up and he's just fucking gone." Aelin hadn't expected the venom to slip into her tone. She took another sip of her vodka tonic, relishing the burn of the alcohol. Shit, Fenrys knew how to make a good drink.

"Asshole," was Elide's simple, emphatic reply. The brunette's dark eyes flashed dangerously. "Y'know, if you ever need anything..." She sipped on her Long Island. "I'm always here, babes."

"Not yet," was all that Aelin said. "But if it ever--oh, fucking hell!"

Elide followed Aelin's gaze, finding none other than Chaol Westfall himself at the receiving end of Aelin's fury. Before the blonde could get up and storm over to him, Elide grabbed her sleeve. "Hold on a fuckin' second, Ae."

"I'm going to fucking castrate him," Aelin growled, tugging free of Elide's grasp.

"Yeah, but wait a goddamn minute!" Elide hissed. Aelin stopped, raising a brow at her.

"Why?"

"Because we're in a public bar, and you don't need anyone trying to film you giving that jackass a piece of your mind. You know how horrific the internet is."

"Dammit," Aelin sighed, settling back down. "I hate it when you're right, Ells."

"It's my job, Ae." Elide clinked her glass to Aelin's. "Wait until you leave, then go rip his balls off."

Before she could snark a reply, Aelin froze with her drink halfway to her mouth, staring at the other figure who'd approached Chaol.

Where the hell had Rowan come from?

~

Rowan had decided to stop by Fen's bar for a quick drink before heading home, hoping to toss back a good strong drink and swap a few jokes with his friend before going back to his too-empty house and dreaming of Aelin. Probably with his cock in his hand. And that plan had been going flawlessly, until he spotted a certain someone.

There, over in a booth, was Aelin. She sat with a petite brunette Rowan vaguely recognized--her coworker, probably--and she was staring burning daggers across the bar. Following her gaze, Rowan located a brunette man of average height and build, who seemed to be doing his utter best to hide from Aelin's wrath.

Fuck, he wasn't sure how that man was related to Aelin, but he knew one thing--if she was glaring murder at him like that, he didn't deserve her.

Before his mind caught up with him, Rowan strode over to the brunette man, sticking his hand out to introduce himself. "Name's Whitethorn."

The other man shook Rowan's hand warily, his forehead creasing in confusion. "Chaol Westfall. Do I know you?"

Rowan shook his head. "Nah. I'm a friend of Fen's, he said something about how we have a mutual friend?"

Chaol frowned. "Not sure who that'd be; I've never seen you before."

Rowan flicked a covert glance at the shorter man, unable to help his detective's instincts. He was dressed in a normal suit, had a briefcase at his feet, and wore a plain gold wedding band on his left hand. Something about that ring looked familiar...well, shit.

Aelin hadn't been wearing a ring when he...met her, but on her left ring finger had been a band of paler skin just the right size for a wedding band, indicating that she typically wore a ring.

Rowan shrugged. "Hmm. Well, maybe someone you know comes to this bar often, and Fen knows them."

"Well, my wife likes this place," Chaol mused. "But I don't see why you'd know her; she doesn't tend to keep company with other men. She's taken."

"She wouldn't happen to be here now, would she?" Rowan deadpanned.

Chaol's glance darted over to Aelin, finding her burning gaze averted but no less furious. "Yeah, she's with her friend."

As much as his rational brain screamed at him to restrain himself, Rowan couldn't resist. "So you're Aelin's husband, then?" he asked with a slow, insolent smirk. "Wonder how she ever settled for someone like you."

"How the hell do you know my wife?" Chaol snarled, fists clenching.

"Didn't seem to be very interested in your marriage when I met her," Rowan shrugged, casually draining the rest of his drink.

"She what?" Chaol spat, incredulous and enraged all at once. "I--Aelin would never--"

"Seems like you don't know your 'wife' very well, Westfall."

Chaol's eyes narrowed. "I certainly didn't know she'd actually go and be a whore."

The only sound in the suddenly-silent bar was the crack of Rowan's fist smashing into Chaol's face. "Keep that fucking word out of your worthless mouth," he snarled, vicious rage coloring his tone.

The other man lifted his hand to his swelling cheek, furious. "It's the fucking truth," he growled.

Wordlessly, Rowan grabbed Chaol by the collar, shoving him up against the wall. "Don't you fucking dare speak like that--shit!" Fenrys and Lorcan appeared out of nowhere and dragged him away, hissing at him to back the hell off, goddammit! He shook himself free, glaring daggers at Westfall. "That piece of shit is Aelin's husband?"

"Yeah," Fen snapped, "and he's goddamn proud of it." He handed a plastic bag full of ice to another staff member, who rushed it over to Chaol. And Aelin, who for some impossible reason was by her husband's side, placing the ice pack on his bruised face.

Rowan suppressed a growl, his keen gaze noticing how Chaol allowed Aelin to help him up, draping his arm around her shoulders, and lead him out of the bar. Fen swatted him upside the head. "Get your raging ass out of my bar before you pull something even worse, Whitethorn."

"Sorry, Fen," Rowan muttered. He dropped some cash on the bartop and left, muscle memory leading him to mount his motorcycle and drive home. There, he grabbed a bottle of cheap whiskey from his liquor cabinet and drained three or four shots, only stopping when his vision blurred.

He was so utterly screwed.

~

Aelin stared blankly at the door in front of her, twisting a ring around her right middle finger. The lettering on the glass stared her back in the face. Cadre Private Investigation. Elide had slipped her the address, saying that the firm was one of the best in its field, known for being as discreet as they were good.

She just hoped whoever worked here would be able to help her gather the evidence she needed for her divorce.

Steeling herself, Aelin entered the office. The reception area was small but cozy, paneled in warm-toned wood and smelling ever so faintly of evergreen forests. The redheaded woman sitting at the desk glanced up, offering Aelin a professional, polite smile.

"Welcome to Cadre Investigation. May I help you?"

"I--yes." Aelin laid her hands flat on the edge of the desk, willing her voice not to waver. "I'd like to speak with an investigator about a potential contract."

The receptionist clicked a few things on her computer. "Would this be an introduction, a consult, or...?"

"Just an introduction."

"Alright." The woman tapped a few more keys. "Come with me, then. I believe Agent Doranelle is available." She led Aelin through a set of doors and down a quiet hallway, stopping at one of the office doors. "Knock three times," she said. "I'll leave you to it--privacy rules and all that."

Exhaling deeply, Aelin knocked three times. The door swung open, revealing..."You?"

Rowan looked just as stunned to see Aelin standing there. "Aelin?" he whispered. Swiftly, he guided her into his office and closed the door, offering her a comfortable chair in front of his desk. He raked a hand through his pale hair, concern and confusion warring in his eyes.

"Forgive me, I--"

"I need--"

They spoke at the same time.

Rowan gestured to her. "Please."

Aelin took another deep, deep breath. "I need...your help. Ells recommended this place, said it's one of the best investigative firms in the city." She clutched her hands together. "I need help getting evidence for my--for my divorce case."

Rowan waited a few seconds before responding, forcing himself to be calm. "You've filed for divorce?"

She nodded. "I have, yes. It's a long story." Again, her gaze flicked downwards. "Chaol and I married young. Our marriage isn't working anymore." Such a simple, sanitized explanation.

Something dark, almost violent, crossed his face. "What kind of evidence are you needing, Aelin? We're a detective firm, not a law firm."

"I have a lawyer," she replied. "Chaol has decided to contest the divorce claim, so I need--" Her throat clogged, shame and pain choking her voice. "I need to prove he--he--hurt me." The last two words were a bare whisper.

Rage glittered deep in Rowan's emerald eyes. His gaze swept over her, cataloguing the sweater she wore--unusual for late spring--and the silk scarf draped around her neck. Also unusual, more of a fall fashion than a spring one. He stood, walked around to her, and leaned against the front of his desk. "May I?" he asked gently, touching the corner of her scarf.

Fear--terror--flashed bright and swift across her stunning face, but she masked it behind a blank look and nodded. He couldn't stop himself from softly caressing her shoulder as he reached for her scarf, carefully lifting the material from around her neck, relieved when she arched ever so imperceptibly into his touch. Nor could he keep his detective's mind from noticing the thickness of her makeup, enough to not quite match the color of her neck.

Before he looked at her, Rowan instinctively slid his hand down to wrap around hers. Aelin tucked her slender fingers into his and straightened her posture, her spine going steel-stiff. He brushed his thumb across the back of her hand, steadying her, steadying himself, and swept a probing look over her.

White-hot anger rippled across his features when his keen eyes landed on her collarbones and throat. When he saw the purple-blue patterns splotched across her skin. When the pieces clicked in his mind and he knew what those bruises meant.

"He did this to you?" The question was no more than a vehement, deadly whisper.

Not trusting her stone-faced façade, Aelin just nodded.

Rowan's expression settled into grim determination. "When we're done with that fucking bastard, he won't be able to come within fifty miles of you, Aelin."

~~~

TAGS:

@live-the-fangirl-life

@superspiritfestival

@thegreyj

@wordsafterhours

@elentiyawhitethorn

@morganofthewildfire

@backtobl4ck

@rowanaelinn

@house-of-galathynius

@tomtenadia

@julemmaes

@swankii-art-teacher

@charlizeed

@booknerdproblems

@chronicchthonic14

@earthtolinds

@goddess-aelin

@sweet-but-stormy

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@darling-im-the-queen-of-hell

@llyncooljones

@silentquartz

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

A/N = I'm so fuckin' in love with this idea of Toji being the caretaker. I spent about 8 hours working on this yesterday and today fine-tuning it. Hope you guys like my take on Nurse!Toji au

C/W = mentions of surgery, more specifically breast augmentation, infection, heart stops beating, death but not dying kinda, y/n's mom is there for her, person in position of power having their way with patient but patient is more than ok with it), fingering, squirting, grinding, not-so-dry humping, oral [M->F], if I missed anything please let me know.

WC = just over 10k.

I'll add this to my m.list when I'm home.

NSFW // MDNI under the cut.

"NATURAL WOMAN"

Saturday, 7pm

"Is, is it, ahh-owwww!!" You were just coming out of anesthesia from your elective surgery.

"Hi, y/n. You're at the hospital, and you're waking up from surgery. How is your pain on a scale of 1 - 10?" The man asked you. His voice almost lulled you back to sleep as it came out in velvet waves washing over your ears.

"I don't ... like a 6?" You said as you laid there with your eyes closed against the bright lights above you. "I definitely feel it. But it's not unbearable."

"Ok, good. That's good. Well, I'm going to be the one who helps get you up and on your feet again. My name is Toji Fushiguro. You can call me whatever. Toji. Toj'. Nurse Toji. Nurse F. You get the idea. I'll be your nurse for the foreseeable future. Can I get you anything right now? Water, ice chips? You probably shouldn't eat until the anesthetic has worn all the way off. But water will help flush it out faster." He stared at you as you tried to process all of the information he just dumped on you.

The only thing that made sense to you was how fucking hot your male nurse was.

"Y/n? Miss L/n? Are you doing ok?" He came over to you and grabbed your hand to check your pulse. "It's slightly elevated."

"I'm fine! Ok? I'm fine. It's just ... ugh. Never mind." You spit out, grumpily. You wanted to say that your heart was beating so damn fast because he made it beat like that.

"Well shit. Ok, then. Push the call button if you need anything. I'll be at the nurses' station." You watched his ass fill out his scrubs with each step he took. You could've screamed, but that might have popped some stitches.

Sunday, 2am

All you knew was that you were in immense pain and it was late when you woke up. The recovery room was at the back of the hospital near the last nurses station on the floor. The lights were dim, and everyone spoke in a hushed tone.

You reached for the call button, but it hurt to stretch your arm, and you cried out.

"FUCK! Nurse!? Tommy! Timothy? Toby!? FUCK WHAT WAS HIS NAME!?"

Your nurse stuck his head in the room. "Hey! Shut ... the ... hell ... up!" He said in a whisper-yell. "You're not the only one on this floor that's recuperating from a surgery, ok? Jesus. Now what? Why are you screaming the wrong name? My name is TOJI. T-O-J-I. Ok? Now say it with me, sweetheart, TO-JI."

You slouched down into the hospital bed and pouted. You hated getting reprimanded. Even though you were 19, it still stung. It still pissed you off.

"I'm in pain." You grumbled.

"Yeah, I gathered as much." He shot back sarcastically. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Excuse me? You're supposed to help me. So fucking help me." You glared at him. He looked almost smug, the way he was staring back at you. Like he was going to enjoy what was about to happen next.

Toji pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat, manspreading his hot ass all over the place.

"Now, darlin', that? Right there? What you and I just went through? THAT is not the way to get on my good side. I can make your stay here heaven. Or," he leaned up, resting his elbows on his thighs, "I can make it a hell your worst nightmares haven't even considered. SO, sweetheart, I know which route I'd like to go. But it's allll up to you." He smiled at you, the scar on his lips looking a lot like you needed to lick it.

You took a shallow breath. The size breath you wanted to take would have surely blown your new tits out.

"Tojiiii," in your sweetest voice, you said his name. Correct, this time. "I'm sorry. I just had silicone shoved into my chest and it fucking hurts. Would you be so kind as to help me alleviate this pain that I'm in? Please. No, pretty please?" If it didn't hurt so much you'd have shoved your chest out at him to sway him to your favor. But you were shit out of luck on that front.

He sat back and looked at his hands, picked imaginary dirt out of his fingernails then sighed.

"I have some work that I could go do while you continue to sweet talk me. I can bring the tablet in here and finish everything while you're on your knees, beggin' me to help you. Figuratively, of course. This floor is fuckin' filthy. Seriously, always wear your socks if you can."

You sighed heavily as your train of thought drifted from pain management to flicking your tongue over the head of his cock. On the slit from whence life shot.

Toji sat there watching your face phase from one twisted in discomfort to something reminiscent of a happy daydreamer.

"You good, kid?" He asked, feeling a little bad for bringing you back to reality.

"Hm? Mmm, uh-huh. But I - I'm not a kid. I'm going to be 20 in 4 days. God willing, I won't have to celebrate in this place." You rolled your eyes at the horrible thought. Why did you even opt for surgery this close to your birthday, anyway? Stupid idiot.

"No offense, Your Highness." Toji bowed, his hair brushing your hand as he bent over. It was so soft. You wanted to grab it. Like, run your fingers through, get a good grip, and grab it. But it hurt to move your arms so you left well enough alone.

"'Your highness.' I like that, Nurse Toji. I think I'll dub thee … Sir Care-A-Lot. Does that work?" You asked sarcastically. Forgetting yourself for a moment to be a total shit to him. It just seemed like so much fun to push his buttons.

He scoffed, "That's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard. Just call me Toji, ok? I'll come back in a bit to check on you, sweetheart."

You watched him in his 1 man parade out the door and wished that he'd stop and stretch for a moment and give you a little glimpse of his lower back. He turned one more time to see that you were ok and headed off down the hall.

Sunday, 6:30am

"Hi, girl. I'm headin' out for my blessed 3 day weekend. I'll be back on Thursday for my 12'er to steal your jello cups, ok? I'll catch you later, kid. And hey, didn't you say your birthday was on Thursday? Maybe I won't steal your jello then. But Friday, it's mine. Do you need anything before I go? Kid? You sleepin' or somethin'? Hey ..."

Toji walked over to you to see if you were even awake. He should have thought about that before he started talking to you. It was early in the morning for everyone else, but late at night for him.

"Girl, if you're ignorin' me, that's a game you can't win. Trust me. I got plenty of exes that can attest to me being the master of ignorin' stuff. Sweetheart?"

Your blood pressure bottomed out and the machines went haywire. Toji hit the blue button on the wall and started to administer CPR immediately.

"Goddamn it, baby girl, c'mon. C'mon! SHIT!" He laid the bed back and began chest compressions. He pushed so hard on your chest that something cracked. "Sorry, sweetheart. That's gonna hurt when you wake up."

He tilted your head and began mouth-to-mouth. He toyed with the idea of what it’d be like to kiss you. But never like this. He never thought his lips would touch yours because of something like this. It's not at all what he wanted.

About 30 seconds after Toji started, a doctor came barreling into the room and took over. Toji had already prepared you for him with all the medications you had in your IV line. All they had to do now was hope that this doctor could do the rest.

Within moments you were gasping for air. You sputtered and choked as your throat relaxed and lungs filled with air. Your chest burned as it expanded because of the surgery.

You raised your head and looked around, but you couldn't keep your eyes open because everything was blurry.

"Baby girl, I need you to take slow, shallow breaths, ok? It's too soon for anything deep. Just listen to the machine. The way that it cycles ... match that rhythm. Just breathe with it and calm down, sweetheart." Nurse Toji wiped the tears off your cheeks. "Are you cold?" He asked and looked around. Your covers were in the closet, so he motioned for another nurse to get them for him. They grabbed them and handed them to Toji, where he carefully placed them on top of you, tucking you in.

"Now, I know that it's probably a bad time for you to be moving around too much and freakin' out. So let's make sure that everything stays calm and easy. The good doctor that brought you back has recommended a light sedative. Ok, darlin'? You'll feel really tired and like you might fall asleep in a few moments. The doctor is just outside, and we'll be sure to tell them when you're resting. Let's just get this settled first, and we'll talk more tomorrow, alright?"

He rolled a chair back behind him so he could sit while he put a 5 ml vial on the IV tower. His massive form barely fit inside the tiny seat, making the legs dig into the hard tile floor as he fidgeted. Once he got situated and hooked everything up , he locked eyes with you one last time.

He asked, "It's 1:29 in the morning, and I've got your left wrist, yes or no?"

"W - what the hell are you talking about? It's almost 7 in the morning and you're not even touching me." You answered. "I almost died, I'm not an idiot, Toby." You smirked at Toji, waiting for him to catch on to your gibe.

"Cute! You're ... just ... the cutest and funniest little thing ever, aren'cha? Jesus. You scared the shit out of me just now, baby girl."

You slowly reached up to wipe the tears from your eyes. "I'm not a baby."

It occurred to you that he might just be this attentive with all of his patients. You hoped you were wrong though. In just the short time he's been taking care of you, you're pretty sure you're really starting to see him as more than just a nurse. And that's probably going to be an issue later on. Though there was a part of you that couldn't help it. Or you could, but chose to let the cards fall where they may.

"Relax, princess. I call everyone some kinda name or another. I'm bad with names. An' I know what you're gonna say. 'As a nurse, Toji, you should be better at remembering people's names, Toji. It's a huge part of your job to know who you're administering medications to, Toji.' An' I know all of this. I check charts 3, 4, 5 times before I'm sure of who's gettin' what. I know what I'm doing. I'm good at my job. I worked my ass off to get here, and I'm proud of where I'm at now. So just quit bein' so damn dramatic about it. It's just a nickname. Ok? Nothin' else."

Your heart may as well have stopped beating again. That hurt. Deep down, you'd hoped that you were somehow more special than all of his other patients. Past or present. But he's right. It's just a nickname. You tried to straighten yourself up in the bed, and something inside of you sent you reeling in pain.

"Oh god, fuck fuck fuck!!! Oh my god, Toji! It hurts, my chest hurts!" Heavy tears fell from your {e/c} eyes and all you could do was lay there while your own body betrayed you. "Why does it feel like I'm on fire? Toji! Help me!"

He was out of the chair and trying to find what the cause of your pain could be before you could say his name again.

"Where does it hurt, y/n! Point to where it hurts!"

You pointed to your breasts and he ripped your hospital gown off, as gentle as he was fast.

And that's when he saw it. Your breasts were way more red and swollen than they should have been for nearly 36 hours post-op.

Your skin was so red, and your sutures were bleeding. Though that may have been from the strain of Toji pressing on your chest. All you knew was that you felt like you swallowed a lit match and you were burning from the inside out.

The look on Toji's face told you everything you needed to know. This was bad. And it was probably going to take time to make it go away.

"Baby girl, we have to run some tests to determine why you're dealing with this infection. Ok? Is it painful when you breathe?"

You nodded.

"Ok. Try to take slow, shallow breaths for now. See if that helps."

Another doctor walked in and began poking and prodding you all over your torso. Everywhere hurt. There's no point in telling them which areas because he had to check everywhere, and each little jab was another fresh, hot, stinging needle being stabbed in your body.

You did your best to focus on Toji's green eyes and just breathing while he finished up his examination. Just breathing. Even that was laborious.

Once the doctor had completed the exam, and his team had taken even more fluid samples and drawn blood from you, they determined that this could be a complication from your augmentation surgery.

There were 2 main sources of infection. 1, the saline itself was contaminated and caused all sorts of bacterial issues. 2, the bacteria in your skin could have caused your suture line to erode and leak and that's where the sepsis started to set in.

Everything came together to create a literal cocktail that has now wreaked havoc with your system. The antibiotics and medication you're going to receive are a first line defense and have 50/50 odds of curing everything.

Sunday 4pm

Your mom came to see you as soon as she could get a flight. You appreciated her being there. But you found yourself looking around for Toji. He was nowhere to be seen. You guessed he'd slipped out when the doctor had the other nurses administering your meds. You were sad he didn't say goodbye to you. He saved your life. Granted, it was his job. But still. There was some connection between the two of you that you hoped was real.

"Shit," you say as you realize that Toji has the next 3 days off.

"You ok, honey?" Your mom asks in her mom voice.

"Y-yeah. Just my nurse is off for the next 3 days and I'm bummed."

Your mom gave you 'the look'. "Is that all, sweetheart? I haven't even met the guy, and I feel like I know so much about him. You seriously won't stop talking about him. Green eyes this. Black hair that. Muscles, muscles, muscles. I swear. You sound like you're obsessed with him."

You looked out the door into the hallway, and you're sure you saw him standing there. "W-was he just here, Mama?"

"Get some rest, my baby. I'll be right here."

Monday, 2am

You slept hard for about 10 hours and you dreamt about Toji a lot. But when you got close to him he'd turn into a wolf and eat you. The only time you woke up was when the staff had to come in and give you more medicine. You always seemed to get back to the dream right where you left off.

Your mom was stretched out on the cot they brought her to rest on. She was so beautiful. Everything you wanted to be when you were a little girl. There was nothing about her that was impure or fake.

"Hey, honey? Are you ok? Do you need the nurse? OH!" She put her fingers to her lips, "Do you need .... T-O-J-I!? I'll have them call him in for you." She laughed a bit too hard at her own little joke. It was cute how she did that, cracking herself up.

"No, mama. Ha-ha-ha. I don't need anything. You can fly out today if you need to get back home. I'm in really good hands here. I mean, they've already saved my life once."

She scowled at you, "That's not funny, y/n. And I'm not going anywhere until you're home again and off of these medications. Now, I'm going back to sleep. You just - just sit there and think about how you told me to leave. Tch. Leave. You obviously don't know me very well if you think I'm going to skip off to the plane and head home." She rolled over and cuddled up with the weird amount of blankets the nurses had given her. Now that you think of it, your room was extra cold. Just the way you liked it.

Monday, 7:05 pm

"Hey girl." You heard a familiar voice whisper at you from the door. "This is your conscience, and you should feel really bad because you're the reason Toji has to come in and work on his day - possibly days - off."

You laughed. "Conscience? I've been meaning to talk to you about this 'Toji'."

The voice continued, "Is that right? What did you want to talk about? How strong and muscular he is? How his green eyes remind you of looking at emeralds held up to the sun? Do. Tell."

"Toji! What are you doing here?" You couldn't hide your excitement as he came sauntering into the room.

"It's fuckin' freezin' in here, girl! You need anything? Blankets, pillows, you name it."

Your mind went dark, and so did your face. It was all you could do to not blurt out that you needed him. That you wanted him. To touch him, taste him. You felt like shit. He was the only thing that made it better. You forgot about your pain. The nausea. All of it. HE was the best medicine. You wanted a shot of Toji, fuckin' STAT.

"How come you're here on your days off, Toj'?" You tried your hardest to sound sad that he had to work when he should be home. Probably with his girlfriend. The thought puts you in a bad mood.

"I just couldn't stay away from ya, darlin'." He came close to your face and smiled. His green eyes burned into yours. All it would have taken was one swift move forward, and you could've kissed him. But you were still in so much pain that you didn't want to cause yourself any more unnecessary suffering. So you settled for daydreaming. "Once my lips met yours ... it was all over for me. Seriously, though, I should've used PPE when I did that. God knows what kind of nasty shit your mouth has done." He winked at you.

"I tend to have that effect on people, making them want to barf after their lips touch mine. Um, what the hell is 'PPE'?" You rubbed your eyes.

"PPE, petty civilian, is Personal Protective Equipment. It keeps us important people safe from the germs you disgusting mortals have crawling all over your filthy bodies." He looked so serious when he said this. You almost believed him.

"I'll have you know, men and women alike have cried after they kissed me. They've said they saw God. So ... so fuck you." You stuck your tongue out at him and he laughed.

"They said they saw God? All that tells me is the kiss was so goddamn terrible that they almost died. You shouldn't go around admitting shit like that, princess. It's not as flattering as you think. Anyway, I gotta run. You're not the only one I have to babysit while I'm here. On my damn day off." He scoffed and put his fist out for you to bump. "I'll see ya 'round, kid. Oh, and I'll walk out extra slow today so you can stare at my ass a little longer, 'k? You're. Welcome."

You slunk down into the bed until the covers are completely over your head. But he was true to his word. He walked out painfully slow. And you couldn't help but peek from the side of the blankets and stare at him as he left.

"There she is! I'll be back in a while, princess. Get some rest." He hit the door jam with an open palm and wandered away to some other lucky person that got to be with him.

After things quieted down in your room, you felt a little sleepy. You managed to get comfortable laying on your left side, and you were almost asleep when your hand hit something next to you on the bed and under the blankets.

"...the hell?" You pulled it out, and it was a folded piece of printer paper that had "Princess Brat" written on the front of it. You knew immediately who it was from, and your heart was racing in your chest. Anticipating what it would say was the sweetest frustration. You wanted to open it and see right away. But there was a part of you that wanted to hold onto it until you hit a low point and needed cheering up.

Impatience won.

You opened it slowly and carefully, not wanting to tear this note from the man who saved your life and was the only thing in this whole hospital that made you feel human again. The tubes and IV's hanging from your body made you feel more like a weird science experiment than a person.

"Dear Bad Kisser ...

What are the chances you have a sexy ass nurse fall for you while you're lying on a hospital bed recovering from surgery? Slim, probably. At least, that's what most of my exes used to tell me. Wait, what? Fuck. Never mind that shit.

I really suck at opening lines. Guess I'm a lot like my kitten; I’m adorable on the outside but a complete dumbass on the other side. But that's a story for another day. Today, I want to talk about what goes on around here. (But seriously, you should see my li'l girl. She's the cutest damn thing you ever saw. Soon, maybe? She'd love you.)

Cupid must be mad that you wanted new tits. He decided that was the perfect time to hit you with his arrows right through your surgery sites. Why not show me to you in the hopes that I'd fall for you as well?

He had every right to. 1, You're beautiful. And no one's said that to you since we've met. 2, Your recovery has taken more from you than you'd ever give willingly, and I wanna ease that shit you feel by taking care of you for as long as you'll let me. And I mean all of you, in any and every way. If that's something you might enjoy. I've been told people have seen pearly gates when ... Well, I dunno. Maybe I'm bad at it, too. Maybe we can help each other get better at this kissin' shit?

Anyway ... there was this woman in the waiting room just before I started my shift on Friday, and I asked her what she was doing here. She looked upset and was crying, and I thought, shit, did somebody die? Turns out she's there for her daughter's pre-op consultation. Said they were addin' a little meat to the chicken. And, well, that's not very fuckin' polite.

Then, right before I saw you, I talked to a young girl, around 17, who'd just had her nose done. She said, and I quote, "He may have botched this job, but I got half the money back." It'll make a good boob job later. I tell ya, I've seen a lotta nutzos working as nurses, but you guys ... Holy shit. You guys take the cake.

If you need me, day or night, (don't worry about time zones, Princess Brat, I'm available any and all of the time) send me a text or give me a ring. I'll call you as soon as I can. You have my number now. Don't forget to put it in your phone. Please ... don't lose it, baby.

Yours, Sir Care-A-Lot"

He scribbled a little picture at the bottom of the paper. It was a stick figure holding a giant needle like it was a jousting stick.

You fell back against your pillows laughing and were asleep within minutes. You couldn't have had any better dreams. The nightmares you endured had vanished and were replaced with pleasant thoughts of Toji and you walking hand in hand down a beach on the coast somewhere. It was sunny and the sea breeze blew softly through your hair and clothes, tickling your skin, making you feel free.

The warm salt water licked the heels of your feet as the waves rolled lazily on shore. It was exactly what you'd wanted. Then. But you didn't realize what was happening. He was giving you a piece of the life that he could've shared with you. Could. Present tense, not past. The future has opened a gate of infinite possibilities to you. You just had to accept this one with open arms.

Tuesday, 3:38am

You woke from what seemed to be hour's worth of a glorious sleep with a big smile on your face.

"Feeling good, my girl? Did you get some sleep?" The sunshine voice of your mom echoed inside your mind, waking you up even more.

You turned your head slightly and gave her a soft grin and nodded a bit. "I feel a little bit better. Yeah."

She smiled at you, tilting her head, "Does that have anything to do with the love letter that hot nurse man gave to you a while ago?"

Your whole body flushed with nice heat. All you could think about was Toji. Literally, he was the only thing on your mind. You wanted so badly to push the call button so he'd come back to you. But you knew he was working hard already. And on his days off. So you fought off the urge.

"I'm going to go to your apartment and take care of a few things, and shower, sweetie. Will you be ok until I get back? I might not be back until later Wednesday. I want to sleep in a real bed, eat and maybe do some laundry. But I'll have my phone with me the whole time." She hugged you gingerly and made sure to not touch your chest. You missed her full, arms wrapped around you, crazy tight hugs. All because you wanted bigger boobs. You shook your head in disgust at your piss poor decision making skills.

"I'll be fine, mama. You go. Eat, shower, rest, and do laundry. Whatever else you need to do, ok? I promise, I'll be fine. Toji is here now. Also, will you put this in my safe, please? You remember the code, yeah?

She drew the right side of her mouth up into a weird half-smile and chuckled. "Girl, you got it bad, don'cha? Ok, I'll be back as soon as I can. Unless you need me back sooner, in which case call me or have this hunky nurse of yours call me. I want to hear his voice!" She scrunched her nose and waved to you as she walked out of your room.

You were feeling so restless. It had been days since you last walked. You'd been catheterized so there was little reason for you to get up. But it was starting to annoy you how tied down you were to your bed. So you unhooked some stupid little pulse/ox monitor from your finger and stretched out a little more than you were able to yesterday.

All of a sudden, one of the machines started to freak out. Beeping and buzzing loudly. You had no idea what was happening. You felt fine so what was with all of the noise?

You could hear someone running toward your end of the hall, yelling "Get the hell outta my way, watch out, sorry, gotta check on somethin' right NOW!"

Toji burst through the door and into your room wild-eyed and breathing heavily. "Y/n, y/n! Are you ok? Where - what's going on?"

It startled you, the slamming of the door and all the yelling he came to you with. "I, I, I -" You sat there, your arms up like you were about to be arrested. "I just need to get out of this bed, Toji. I took something off of my finger and things went crazy! I'm sorry!"

He bent over and put his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Fuck, baby girl. You scare the everlovin' shit outta me there. Heh, goddamn it." He walked over to your bed and sat down next to you. "Don't. Don't fuck with things, ok? I really thought something was happening with you here. An' your ma's gone. So there was no one ... there was no one in here with you. Fuck, princess. You almost gave me a heart attack."

You had no words for him. He was genuinely upset by this. He was worried. The sick satisfaction you got out of knowing that he was really concerned about you brought you more joy than you'd felt in 10 years.

"You wanna get up and move around? I'll have to either remove the catheter or I can attach it to your waist with a little belty deal. It's more glamorous than it sounds. What's it gonna be?"

The thought of dragging your own piss around was mortifying. The thought of pissing all over the floor in front of Toji was worse. You opted to bring the piss bag along with you.

"Are you wanting to actually walk here? Or do you want me to get a wheelchair and push your lazy ass around the grounds?" Toji asked.

You pursed your lips, "My tits are broken, not my legs, ya asshole." You never dreamed that you'd be able to talk to a healthcare provider like this. Or, more importantly, that they'd talk to you they way he is. You love it. Every little smart quip he throws your way. You want to talk to him for hours.

"Yeah, about that, ah, fuuuckk. Listen, y/n ..."

"Oh, mm-mm. Please don't, Toji." You had no idea what he was about to say, but the look on his face wasn't his usual cocky expression.

"I'm sorry, swee'heart. I can't keep bein’ your nurse. In fact, I could lose my job for even givin’ you that note I slipped you the other night. What'd you do with that, by the way?" He looked more serious than he did when you almost died. This feels worse than dying. You don't want to not see him anymore. He's the only reason you're here; He makes you happy. "Toji. I sealed it in an envelope and gave it to my mom to drop off at my place. I told her if she opened it I'd never speak to her again."

His eyes met yours, "Tell me you didn't really say that to your ma. Jesus. That was harsh."

You looked out the window to the cloudy and wet world. "It's fine, she knows I didn't mean it. But she said she'd put it away for me. So, relax. There's no trace of it anywhere around here. I don't want to go for a walk now. Sorry. Just go, go take care of other people. I get it. I crossed several lines. I'm sorry. Thanks ... f-for saving my ..." You couldn't talk through your tears now. It hurts your throat to choke back your sobs. All it would take was one wrong swallow as you were getting ready to let loose and your windpipe would feel like it was being crushed.

"Ahhh. Fuck, darlin'. I don't wan'cha to cry about it. I ... I'm not sayin' I don't ever wanna see you again. The opposite, actually. I wanna see you all the time. I wanna fall asleep on the couch with you after I get off work. I wanna shower with you on the weekends. Drink good coffee with you in the morning and beer with you at night - Wait, you're not 21 yet, scratch that. Shit. Ha! Do you get it, now? I can't be objective in my role as your nurse when I wanna bend you over my lap and spank ya until your ass is as pink as your lips."

You wanted to ask which set of lips he was referring to. The internal dialogue you had going over that was too hard to ignore. You HAD to say something. After all, he was unofficially not your nurse anymore. Although you regret not asking for a sponge bath before this moment.

"These?" You said seductively as you brought your index finger up to your pouty bottom lip and dragged it down a little bit. "These lips? Or ..." Your finger trailed down your chin to your chest. "Ow! FUCK that hurt ... Shit. So much for being sexy." You rolled your eyes. "I'm such a loser," you said, laughing harder than you have in months.

"You're a nerd, you know that? My god. I really, really like it." He put his hand on top of yours. "I'm goin’ to talk to the lead nurse and tell them what's goin' on here. If you want me to. I just assumed you felt the same as I do." He stood up and flapped his hands in front of his hard stomach, "Do you like me? OMG!"

You laughed so hard it was uncomfortable to breathe. "Yes, Toji, I do. I like you a lot. And while I'm pissed you can't be my nurse anymore, I am looking forward to looking you up when I'm discharged."

He narrowed his eyes. "Looking me up? What the hell you talkin' about? Looking me up."

"I uh, well, I mean, ugh. I looked up 'Can nurses date patients'.

"Whoooaa. No shit!?" He chuckled at your desperate, but sweet act. "Well, what'd it say? I'm tinklin' myself here, c'mon, tell me, baby girl."

"They can't. Unless ... said nurse stops treating said patient and doesn't see them again until they're released from the hospital. Can you do that, Toji? Can you resist seeing me until I'm freed from these eggshell-colored walls? Cuz, I don't know if I can stay away from you." You'd have donated a kidney and a lung for just one 15 second long kiss from this man. What the hell has he done to you.

"So, lemme get this straight. I have to stop seeing you altogether until you're discharged, and then you have to track my ass down? That sounds like so many dates I've been on, except you'll have to find me." He bent over laughing. "I'm just fuckin' with ya. I mean, I really want to see where this goes. I can wait. It'll be hell. But I can wait. I'll see if I can't be assigned to another floor so I'm not tempted to slip into your bed when the lights shift to the nighttime settings."

The thought of him slipping anything into you or your bed had you feeling things you hadn't felt in so long. Your pussy ached for his attention. God, to have him touch you now would have sent you into some kind of episode.

"Ok, baby girl. Shit, well, I guess this is goodbye for now?"

"Toji, how much longer do I have to stay here? When will I be well enough to go home? Find that out before you get signed off of my treatment. Please?"

He nodded as he got up, he began to close the blinds and your door. When everything was closed, he turned to you with a look on his face you'd not seen before. Then he made his way back to you and he stood next to the bed.

"Gimme your hand." Toji waved for your hand and you put it in his much larger palm. He had such big hands. Thick fingers that felt rougher than they looked. You were in heaven, the way he touched you.

You let him guide your hand to the fat bulge in his black scrub bottoms.

Gasping as he ran your smaller hand over his hard cock, your little gasps leveled out and became deep, chest heaving breaths.

His brows furrowed and his mouth was opened slightly. "Oh, fffuuuckk, I've been waiting ... for, ahh, this. Y/n, fuck, y/n." He bent over, keeping your hand on him, and he kissed you deeply.

His other hand snaked under the hem of your hospital gown and as he found you ready for him, slick and swollen with want for him, he said, "You say the words and I'll stop, ok, baby g-"

You pushed his hand further into you while your other one was reaching past the knot on his pants, "Don't ... don't you fucking dare stop what you're doing,Toji ..."

The two of you stayed like this for at least 15 minutes. Stroking and exploring each other the best you could given the circumstances. He laid down at the foot of the bed and you were straddling his massive frame. Grinding yourself all over him. Wishing you had more contact with his skin. But this would have to be ok for the time being.

Toji pulled your upper half to his chest and licked and sucked all the way down the right side of your throat.

You winced as you got caught up in the moment and rested your chest against his.

"Oh, oh shit, baby girl. Fuck. I - here, lean back. Get comfy."

"Toji, I don't want you to go. I don't want to stop. I can't stop. I need ... more. Just a little more." You had no idea what has you this insanely riled up. Maybe it's the idea of doing this without someone seeing you. That no one will know this was even happening. Just the two of you. His hot breath and even hotter skin ... You wished you were skin on skin, the feeling of his body against your body.

He eased himself down onto you. "Uhhhh ... hholyy, Christ! Whhh - hhhy is this feelin' so good?" You rocked and rolled your hips, meeting him halfway until you were moaning so loud it was echoing in your room.

"Y-yeeesss. Go ahead, baby girl. Use me. Mm-hm," He squeezed your waist. You felt his hands become clammy against your skin.

He licked and sucked and did everything within his power not to touch your sutured chest. You were responding really well to the antibiotics they'd given you. But it was killing you a little bit that he couldn't touch you there. He was being so sweet and gentle about it. That turned you on even more, this huge guy treating you so softly. You couldn't wait to get to a place where you could do this without having to hold back.

You could tell he was close by the way the pace of his breathing and his soft panting changed. He was still kissing you all over your neck and lips. His hips bucked up into your bare cunt and he started grunting. It sounded almost primal. You loved that shit.

You weren't sure you would be able to keep the noises to a minimum as his big cock slammed up against you. The pressure was immense and as you pushed your clit against the head of his dick, even though it was through his pants, you were sent into an orgasmic tizzy. He rests his hands on either side of your waist, grinding into your aching wet pussy. "Cum on my fucking dick, babe, yeah - YES." His head fell forward and he hummed a little with each breath that escaped his mouth.

You screamed and yelled as the world turned into a dark swirling mess of the most addictive high you've ever experienced. A heat coursing through you and through him and through him and through you. Each of you milking the other dry of your climax.

"Fuck. My whole fuckin' body feels like it's on pins. Whoo. You ... you're really somethin' else." His forehead touched yours as the both of you attempted to come down from the best release either of you has ever had.

A couple minutes passed and Toji's phone vibrated. "Mmm-mm," you heard him whisper, "don't go anywhere. This might take a sec'. It's the doctor."

"Listen, can she, ok, ok. Thanks, Doc."

"What, is everything ok, Toji?"

He was sitting next to you, still hard, on top of the blankets. He had a nice firm ass and you wondered what it would take to convince him to take it all the way with you. Right then you heard voices outside the door and you instantly thought someone overheard the commotion the two of you just made in here.

“Is it locked? I can’t remember anything after that … what we …” You blushed.

As he was moving his tall and muscular body over to the door, he was adjusting himself so as not to give himself away. "C'mere." You put out a hand for him. "I see you, don't hide that from me, please. I like it."

"I was gonna sneak over later, after the doctors did their thing. I figured I'd let your ma come back in and spend some time with you before I went on rounds. But the doctors want to check out how the healing is going, on an op/exam table, instead of just looking over you in your room. They want bright lights to show them every suture in your skin. They said you might be released in a day or 2 depending on how you're lookin'."

Your eyes got big with excitement. "You, you mean I'll be able to leave here soon? Like, Wednesday or Thursday? Ohh, my birthday is -"

Toji interrupted you, "On Thursday. I - I know. I made reservations at my favorite place, just in case you were released." He smiled awkwardly at you. This was just not like him. He never thought ahead like this. But you ... you were so different. He couldn't place what it was. But he was drawn to you. Maybe it was your bold nature. Maybe it was the softer side of your personality. How you called only for him when you needed help.

"Get some rest, princess. I got some shit to take care of, a couple of people I gotta pop in on and give them their meds. I'll find out when the docs are going to take you into the op/exam room and sit with you for a bit before you go and I'll come by when you're back. Um, I don't ... I don't quite know what to say here. I've never been ... involved with a patient before. What should I say right now? Before I go?"

He looked like a lost little boy. It was so sweet watching him fiddle under your gaze.

"Kiss me, Toji. Kiss me and say you'll see me later?"

He nodded and took your face, cupping it in both of his massive hands. The kiss was so soft you could barely process the connection of your lips to his. And yet, it was the best goodbye kiss you've ever had. It was full of promise.

Tuesday, 6:40am

A couple of people you'd never seen before walked into your room and woke you up.

"Y/n L/n?"

You took a minute to process them being there. "Yeah, I'm she. Are you taking me to the place the doctor is going to look over me?"

"Yep, we are. I'm {F/n} and this is {F/n}. We're the plastics nurses for Dr. {L/n} and we have to verify a few things with you before we take you down."

"Sure, fine. Ask away." You tried to sound like you weren't nervous. This whole thing was so fucked you couldn't believe it was really happening. All because you thought your tits were too small. You could've kicked your own ass if it didn't hurt so much.

They asked you question after question and finally, you'd given them the information they needed to get you out of there to be examined.

"Oh,” A nurse said, sounding a little suspicious, “one more thing, y/n, Toji Fushiguro, he's your nurse, is he not?"

You didn't miss a beat. Answering so casually like you weren't excited by the simple mention of his name.

"Oh, the tall guy who uses bad language?" Leave it vague, y/n. "Yeah, he's my nurse. Or he was, I don't know if he's being reassigned or not. Why?"

The shorter of the two women answered, "We just needed to know where to send the doctors new instructions after the exam is finished. In case there's a change in your treatment or something. No biggie, right?"

Relief.

"Ok, let's get you to your appointment." One nurse stood at the head of the bed, the other at the foot. The bed where you and Toji did that.

"Will I still have the same bed when you bring me back to my room? I just, well, I have the settings exactly how I want them. Is that possible?" You little liar. You just wanted the bed that had Toji on it.

"Sure! I know when I was here having my kid, I had to switch beds after I messed with it all night to get it just right ... I was so mad!" She laughed.

More relief.

Tuesday, 7:45am

"Good morning, Miss l/n! How are we doing this morning?"

You wanted to shout from the rooftops what you and Toji did to each other. But this was definitely not the time or place.

"I'm feeling a lot stronger. I'm about a 2 on the pain scale. Maybe a 3 if I sit still for too long. But I feel lots better. Do you think I'll be discharged soon?" You asked hopefully.

The doctor smiled warmly at you. "Let's take this a step at a time. Can you lower your gown for me? I want to take a look at these sutures here and see what needs to happen."

The 2 nurses that brought you to this place helped you pull your gown off the front of your body and the doctor went right into checking everything out.

"Ohh-kayy. Ok, can I have some gauze and some iodine?" The nurses got what the doctor needed and the doctor went back to work snipping some stitches away. "That was a nasty infection you had, wasn't it, y/n? You're lucky that it was caught when it was. This sort of thing so rarely happens. I'm sorry you had to go through this. Now, this could be healed as well as possible if it's taken care of at home. Tell me, did you want to keep on the same path? Do you want to try again to have the augmentation mammoplasty?

"Oh, wow. I hadn't really thought about it. I was really just focusing on getting better right now. They've been completely removed, correct? There's little chance of reinfection?"

"I mean, don't tell anyone I told you this. But there should have been a small chance of infection in the first place. You see what I mean? Well, aside from that, you look great. You're healing up very nicely. The skin color is nice and pink. There's very little scarring."

You smiled. The idea of going through this fucking surgery again was tugging at the back of your mind. And Toji was off at 7 so you probably won't see him until he comes to work tonight. If he comes in to work tonight. Your body aches for him. As stupid as that sounds. You want to feel him again.

Tuesday, 12pm

"There's my baby." Your mom had returned from your place. She looked good; Well-rested and she had clean clothes on. It made you happy that she had taken a break from this damn place. "Have you seen the doctor today, yet?"

You nodded. "I saw them a few hours ago." The tears welled up in your eyes and she saw that. You could never hide the fact you were crying from your mother. She knew you better than anyone in the world. And she always knew when you were upset about something, hiding something, or acting suspicious in any way.

"Tell me what happened, sweetie. Let me carry this with you." She climbed up on the bed with you and you scooted to make room for her small body.

You sniffed hard. At a loss for words and frustrated with everything, you tried to tell her the most important thing first; Toji was asking to be signed off of your care.

"HE'S WHAT!?" She yelled. "Who the hell does he think he is, treating you like this. Like you're just some random ... a-, ugh, asshole!" Your mother seldom used bad language. But apparently, this was one of those times she'd make an exception. You were often her exception to the rules she's put in place for herself.

"Noo, mama, it's not like that. He, well we, want to start seeing each other." You looked closely at her face, waiting for whatever reaction she was going to have.

A minute or two went by when she'd still said nothing.

"Mom? Are you going to say anything?" You were preparing yourself to cry again.

She sat down in a chair by the window and looked at you like she was seeing you as an adult for the first time.

"Do you have feelings for him? Like, real feelings? You're not just attracted to him because he's this big, strong man in tight scrubs that saved your life?"

"Oh my god, mom!" The two of you laughed. "I do. I mean, I don't know everything about him yet. But I really do like him, so far."

"Well, my sweet girl, I can only tell you to follow the path that you think will suit you the best. And I love you so, so much." She wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. "I'm with you. 100%." She came over to you and wrapped her arms gently around your body.

"I feel a lot better now, mom. You can hug me tighter if you want to."

So she did. She hugged you so tightly you had to tap her on the shoulder and tell her to loosen her grip a little. But it felt so good to be in her arms again.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, baby. I might have to go back to work sooner than I'd like to. But I told them to buzz off if they thought I was going to miss your 20th birthday. I'm not missing the chance to welcome my girl into her 20th year of life. Into a new decade! Of her life ... something like that. Anyway, I had some work overnighted for me at your place and I need to go check and see if it's been delivered yet. Will you be ok here while I go?"

You nodded. "Yeah, even though Toji won't be able to see me, I'm sure they're going to reassign a good nurse for me for the last little bit of my stay here. Go, I'll be fine. And if for some reason, shit does hit the fan, Toj' gave me his cell #."

She kissed you on the forehead and left the room without looking back.

Tuesday, 7:10pm

You woke up to someone rubbing your legs in an inappropriate way. "Excuse?" You said without opening your eyes. Just praying to ANY gods that would hear your plea that it be Toji who's rubbing you to consciousness.

"Hey princess ..."

Your eyes flew open at the first sound of his voice.

"Toji!!! You're here! How long have you been here? What time is it?"

"Baby girl, slow down heh. I got here about 10 minutes ago. They called me in to talk to me about somethin'. Somethin' about you an' me. I hope to shit I don't get fired. But I told them that you and I mutually decided this is what we wanted. So I think things will be fine."

You were chewing on your bottom lip. Remembering his touch from the night before, it had you rubbing your thighs together.

"What - what's happenin' down here, darlin'? Under these covers, under ..." He stood up to close the blinds and lock the door again. "... under this sexy ass hospital gown here. Hmm," he hummed in a deep voice. "Let ... *kiss* ... me *kiss* ... check *kiss* ... this *kiss* ... out *kiss* ..."

He'd pulled the light blue blankets all the way off of you and let them pool at the foot of the bed. Kissing from your bare feet all the way up your closed legs until he got to the apex of your thigh. He stopped there where skin pressed into skin and stuck his tongue out to urge you to open up for him.

You obliged, spreading your legs as far as you could spread them and watched him dip his head in between them.

His unshaven skin scratched a sensitive spot right on your upper left thigh and you were wiggling from his contact.

He put an arm over one of your thighs, holding it down against the bed.

Toji leaned his mouth in and the hot heat coming from it was driving you insane. The way his tongue pressed up against your pussy was unlike anything you'd ever experienced before. You've had guys go down on you. But it wasn't something you had gone crazy about. Maybe it was you, being shy to let someone have you so thoroughly. Maybe it was the guys, being completely clueless about what they're doing. God knows they wouldn't take direction from you. They just assured you they knew what they were doing and you needed to relax or 'this won't be any fun for you.' You pitied the guys you've been with before Toji. And you haven't even fully been with Toji. There was still so much to discover. And you couldn't wait to dive into it.

"Ohhh, Godddd. I'm gonna- to- fuuu-" Toji gripped you harder and lifted you slightly so he could make sure you had a couple of pillows under your lower back and hips to allow you to fully relax under him.

Then he doubled down; Taking his hand from your thigh and reaching it up to spread you apart for him, putting more of you out there and it opened up something deep inside of you. You knew you were about to experience something that would change your perspective on everything you thought you knew about sex with men.

"Fuckk - FUUCK." You pressed both of your feet against him, your legs trying to straighten out. With Toji still working over your clit like a man who was put on this planet just to please you, you lifted your upper half just enough to watch his long and thick fingers delve into your heat.

"Bend your legs back a bit, baby girl. I promise, relax, I got'cha."

And there it is, you thought. "Relax? Really? Why did I think you were any different fro-ohhh my fuck! Oh, Toji, oh my god, TojiTojiToji!! Fffffuuuuckkk!"

Your fingers grasped at anything they could. Digging them into the stiff blankets on either side of you, the firm pillows behind your shoulders, his hair ... fuck. "I'm sorry. Don't stop - Ahhh - stop, Toji. Stop -" You wailed as he hit another spot with his middle finger that you were sure was somewhere on the inside of your skull. "But don't stop. Oh god, oh god ..."

It didn't take long, only a few minutes, before you were covered in the thinnest layer of sweat. All the blood in your body pulsing just under your skin. And then you knew. It was happening and there was no stopping the electric energy flowing through you.

"Go ahead, darlin'. Show me what it feels like to have your insides coat my fingers. Shiiittt." He rubbed the back of his knuckles along the inside of your thigh, encouraging you further. "You gonna squirt for me, baby girl?"

He smirked up at you, the asshole. You would give in just to prove a point. You lifted a shaky hand and rested it on top of your lower tummy. Your body tensed up, then relaxed and you pressed down on his hand.

Toji began sucking your clit as your orgasm washed over you. You clamped your other hand over your mouth and screamed into it as best you could. You did not want anyone hearing what was going on. As if it wasn't the best feeling that'd ever passed through your body, the fact that it was being shared with someone else was the second best feeling.

"C'mon, y/n," He coaxed, "couple'a more little spurts." And there were, a couple more small orgasms after the one he'd coax from you. Toji finally gave you a chance to stop and breathe.

He sounded out of breath himself and his eyes were looking half-lidded with what could be arousal, exhaustion, or possibly both. He looked like you felt; Tired and ready to fuck for 100+ hours.

"Why don'cha let me lay with ya, ok? Lemme hold ya for a bit, yeah, before ya drift off."

He guided you onto your side and got onto the bed with his shoes hanging off the end. He nestled in behind you and let his right arm lay under you, his hand rubbed from your tummy, to your rib cage and rest underneath your sore chest. The other he let curl over your hip.

The gentle care he took of you was enough to lull you to sleep with a smile on your lips.

Wednesday, 4am

You woke up and he was gone. There was a little piece of paper tucked into your hand. You opened it and saw that it was a note from Toji.

"Hey Princess Squirts,

Sorry I left ya. But if you could've seen your face. It was so damn peaceful, I couldn't bother you. I got called to HR to meet with the lead nurse and the person from human resources. No biggie. I am officially not your nurse anymore. When you get outta here, we're gonna light this city up. Anywhere you wanna go. I'll take ya. I'll stop by later. Call or text if you need anything, baby girl. Even a repeat of what we did a while ago. Ya know what, fuck it. I want a repeat anyway.

Did you feel me kiss you before I left?

T.

Wednesday, 1:00pm

Your surgeon made their final rounds and was talking about getting you checked out. You could see your mother out of the corner of your eye, hiding behind the thick wall outside your door. She was being sneaky. Like she thought you wouldn't notice her trying to catch every word that came from your surgeon's mouth. You waved for her to come in. She didn't waste a second in coming to you to hear what was being said about how you're doing.

The doctor did their checks and was surprised when you came out with 10/10's all the way around.

"Listen, we've discussed the implants that became infected. Is there any possible chance you'd want to try again? I see that you have good insurance. So it won't have to come out of pocket." They said 'again', not having to pay for this mistake, how, you wondering. "When it happened, you seemed a little eager. When you're released today, would you like to schedule your consult for another surgery? You can still choose your preferred size and style of impla-"

A new, but familiar voice interrupted the doctor that was talking.

"NO. She will be doing nothing of the sort. She's perfect just the way she is. I'm not going to sit around while you people spew your poison onto people who don't need a single fuckin' thing changed on 'em. Y/n, mama Y/n, let's go." Toji was your knight in slightly tarnished armor. It was happening. You were falling harder and harder for him.

Your mom stood up with a look on her face that was nothing short of amazed that he spoke up for you like this. And more importantly, that you listened. She stuck her hand out for Toji to take and he grabbed her up like she was his own mother. She looked back at you as you sat watching them and she gave you a knowing smile and nodded with tears in her eyes.

"You know, now that I've healed, maybe I should just keep my little boobies."

[boop-le-snoot]

Doll Parts | tony stark x reader

i love him so much it just turns to hate // he only loves those things because he loves to see them break // and someday you will ache like i ache // Hole - Doll Parts

all hurt comfort. angst. no happy ending. big sad. tony could have been like this, you know. he was like this to pepper at some point. i don't know why i am like this today. rated M for themes of (implied) addiction & cheating and non-explicit mentions of intimacy. word count: 3,3k

It wasn't as if she was blind or dumb. She saw the way he treated everyone around him; whenever a single person got too close he'd push them away, consciously or not. The man loved pushing everybody's buttons as if he was playing Galaga for a living; rapidly, mercilessly, with intent. Tony Stark was not a man to whom a person would give their heart willingly.

It was her own fault she went and gave hers away, to him, of all people. And sometimes, it did feel like he loved her, in his own way. Tony would shower her with gifts and affection, cling to her whenever he wasn't away on SI business, and God, the sex was out of this world. Sometimes, she felt as if she would suddenly burst into a blinding flash of light, scalding and deafening, that would sprout from the invisible wounds his fingers left on her skin. Like fine china, she cracked little by little under his steady, tender hands.

The first time he'd ended their short, by average standards, but long - by his, relationship, it didn't come as a surprise. She had never held illusions on ensnaring the world's most notorious playboy. Younger and less jaded, she amicably agreed to get her things that very same day, blocked his number and left for an overdue vacation in the tropics. Being able to browse the gossip sites speculating on their lack of public appearances whilst sipping a Strawberry Daiquiri was a much better alternative to spending her nights holed up in rainy Manhattan, having to answer numerous "I told you so" calls from friends and relatives.

Maybe, three daiquiris should've been enough. But she'd quit smoking because he said the smell bothered him and she- well, she could do anything she wanted now. Being alone and not dating a very public figure definitely had way more perks than she previously had taken for granted in her much less exposed life. That's how the heartache began to recede: it was hard to mope when fun was calling for you by your name.

Some of Tony's character traits had migrated onto her. Which wasn't bad per se, she had been told she could use to loosen up. Her friends rejoiced in the newfound adventurousness, never missing an opportunity to go out, throw a party, go on a clubbing spree. She was game and she was enjoying it. Dolled up and eyes sparkling, the newfound confidence radiated off her like a beacon, attracting just about every single like-minded person in a five mile radius.

Tony's champagne he had sent to their table meant nothing. Her friends laughed and giggled and asked her all about the juicy details about the billionaire; as much as she searched the rowdy crowd for a familiar pair of baby doe browns, they weren't anywhere within sight. So she went back to talking and smiled as bright as the strobe lights, throwing down a whiskey shot to water the burning ache in her chest.

She found him on the dancefloor. Seconds after she stepped her foot into the mass of grinding bodies Tony was there, an equally happy and intoxicated smile on his face and arms wide open, as if they hadn't parted ways at all. She wanted to be angry with him, she really did, she wanted to snide his frivolity and the possessive way that he had the audacity to treat her.

His eyes, they were her untold weakness. She hadn't seen him so happy in months. Just once, she agreed, she'd let it slide. And so they danced, bodies accustomed to each other in the way that seemed to be impossible for her to achieve with anyone since the day that she left Tony Stark.

A splitting headache and a cold, empty bed greeted her the next morning. Thankfully, her clothes were laying haphazardly on the floor of the bedroom - the bed that was not his own but, rather, as she assumed, one of the many guest rooms in his tower.

Not the one to usually harbour shame of her very human needs, she felt like a cheap whore when she got dressed and grabbed her purse, making a beeline for the door to the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, she was greeted with a woman in a professional suit - tall, strawberry blonde and as cold as the Arctic, beautiful in the Vogue-magazine, unattainable way.

"Good morning," The woman spoke in a pleasant tone.

She wanted to retch from the false cheerfulness. "Good morning, ma'am. I was just leaving," Refusing to bow to her own shame, she flashed an equally cheerful grin towards the blonde.

"I'm Mr. Stark's personal assistant, my name is Pepper Potts," They briefly shook hands, neither of them wanting to touch the other longer than it was necessary. "There is a car waiting for you downstairs. Be sure to take the left exit."

Internally fuming, she smiled slightly wider, seeing no need to introduce herself or prolong the awkward interaction longer than necessary. "Thank you, Ms. Potts, that will not be necessary. I have arranged my own ride. Have a nice day, ma'am," With that, she pressed the button once again, entering the elevator with the expression of polite contentment glued to her face like a persistent piece of dog shit she couldn't shake off the bottom of her shoe.

Ms. Potts' façade slipped slightly - she must've been new - as the blonde ran a sharply observant look over the woman in the elevator, pulling out her phone as soon as the elevator door was halfway closed. That was quickly forgotten, her head growing clearer with each second it was pressed against the cold window of the cab she'd called on the way downstairs.

It was a mistake, a perfectly human accident that happened to the best of them. Only it left a bitter residue somewhere south of her ribcage, something acrid and viscous that even alcohol couldn't melt. The more she drank, the thicker that ball of rolled up frustration became, bleeding into her work, her relationships with her friends. It was tiresome to keep craving something so far out of her reach.

The exhaustion grew day by day, until her chest felt constricted for most part of the day and all the oxygen in the whole wide world wasn't enough. Her heartache was saved, strangely enough, by aliens - they rained down on New York city like frogs during the Plague in the book of Exodus; as if God himself was angry at the state of affairs of his favourite pet earthlings. For a time, she couldn't afford to worry about her broken heart and focused on the dilapidated city, landing her resources and skills whenever, whenever she could.

Late at night, exhausted and drained, she allowed herself to flick through the news, eagerly soaking up the new details that seemed to pop up every other day. Aliens were real, Thor was one, Captain America was alive and her ex-boyfriend was now a member of the merry band of misfit superheroes.

She had never taken his hero sidegig too seriously. Tony had some good in him, he wasn't the attention-demanding supervillain-waiting-to-happen, but neither he was hero material. The Tony she knew was akin to a hyperintelligent kid left without supervision. Consequences were a slight setback, not a surefire deterrent for this man.

Her building remained mostly intact - some cosmetic damages that were repaired quickly and did not concern her apartment at all - so she stayed in the same place, much to everyone's dismay. A good chunk of her friends had moved away from NYC as soon as they could - not that she blamed them - but the calls of her family, consisting of begging and nagging her to move states, were beginning to climb over the annoying line very quickly. More often than not, she ignored all calls that weren't from her friends or work.

It shouldn't have surprised her that Tony showed up on her balcony one night - but the shriek that left her was utterly involuntary. His armored suit was noisy and clunky, just like was expected from a huge chunk of metal. Tony's face was a ghost of the man she used to know: he was pale, the bags under his eyes were fit to carry groceries in and he'd lost more than a few pounds around his middle.

Not that she had a glow-up. Work hours were long, volunteer work was by far more exhausting and emotionally draining. With her support system scattered across the country and free hours few and in-between, she'd acquired a shrink. Nightmares went away and the sluggishness, too, thanks to a couple of convenient prescriptions. It seemed like the professionals were as clueless as any in dealing with the aftermath of an alien invasion.

"You weren't returning my calls," Tony stated in the way of hello. It was so like him, to be skipping the pleasantries and glossing over the details.

"I have your number blocked," She replied unkindly, raising an eyebrow as the suit retracted and the man, wearing worn jeans and an oil-stained tee, stepped into the twilight of her home without an invitation.

"I wanted to make sure you are alive and your home is being rebuilt in case it was demolished. Stark foundation is shouldering most of the expenses," He offered in the way of explanation, beelining for the nice whiskey she kept in a tumbler in the living room.

The snort escaped her lips before she could help it; brain chronically overtired but medicated; Adderall and weariness. He was never a good liar, only a good faker. "Why are you here, Tony?" All of it: the damages, the casualties, all of it was public record, accessible 24/7. All he had to do was open Google.

He turned around, scanning her head-to-toe, in that not-quite-convinced way. "Just wanted to see if you're okay," He tried for nonchalant but his eyes were haunted. The whiskey glass he was holding empty in seconds.

She walked up to him, staying at an arm's distance from the man, before doing a slow, sarcastic twirl. "I'm fine. Not a scratch. Was in Staten Island that day."

He nodded, not at all convinced. "Good," Before slamming the glass down with such force, she was afraid the countertop now sported a rounded indent. Fingers twitching, he pulled the woman into himself before she could utter a peep, smashing their lips together without any grace, paying no attention to the way she froze as still as a statue. "God, I missed you. Couldn't bear the thought of you dying..." He mumbled in between harshly biting the plump of her bottom lip and steering the kiss towards his wishes, hand tangled in the hair on the back of her head.

He tasted like whiskey and desperation.

She couldn't not give in. She'd felt the same way when she watched his red and gold armor fly into that wormhole, missile in tow. She'd felt the same despair clawing at her ribcage when his lifeless body flew back from it before being caught by the rabid green monstrosity.

It wasn't graceful and it wasn't pretty; feeling like a monster herself, she responded the same way he did. She shredded his clothes, she clawed his back, leaving wet crimson streaks in the wake of her nails and whispered the ugliest, nastiest truths she had denied herself for so long. He left with the promise to stay in contact and for once, he did.

Nothing was the same. Tony was far from the careless, extravagant billionaire he used to be. These days he was a cynical, analytical asshole that one-upped people even before he had a real need to do so. Both of them had changed, really. She was not the tender uptown girl either.

The nights with him were rare and long; the nights alone with her work were recurrent and longer. The tower stood out on the NYC skyline like a sore thumb, beckoning with the unattainable snipe hunt of having something stable with the world's #1 superhero, Tony Stark. Each time they met, she felt almost as dirty as the time she stood in the elevator under the scrutiny of Pepper Potts.

Even if he didn't outright hide her. She'd ran into Black Widow and Clint Barton once or twice, each of them casting a glance at her Special Visitor badge before muttering niceties and moving on with their day. It was only slightly better with the Captain: he got in the elevator two floors below Tony's penthouse at 8 AM in the morning, just as she was leaving for work - dressed in a sharp pantsuit that was not-quite on Pepper's level. The soldier must've assumed she was a high-rank employee or a friend, the tips of his cheeks blushing as he spoke a quiet: "Good morning, ma'am," In that semi-formal tone of his.

Seeing a grown man get so flustered was quite adorable. "Good morning, Captain Rogers, sir," She replied in a matching tone, humoring him.

The elevator stopped suddenly and a few employees got in, staring openly at the national icon, who had his eyebrows slanted in confusion. The woman shared his sentiment: it was Tony's private elevator. She guessed all the other ones were too full in the mornings so the tower's AI put the underused one to work.

Or, at least, that's what she tried to convince herself of anyway. It wouldn't be past Tony to get jealous over something as trivial as sharing an elevator car with Captain America.

The plateau of normalcy didn't last long. Just as she was opening her third bottle of wine for the night, laptop open on the kitchen counter and proudly displaying "Tony Stark and Pepper Potts - America's newest power couple?" article, she realised he was a coward, too. Slowly but surely, he had ghosted her, not even bothering with an explanation of his sudden unavailability, the several dates missed and even more postponed indefinitely.

They were never going to be a normal couple. She had made her peace with that, ugly and depressing - but it was real. She thought what they had was real. She finally had admitted to herself that she loved him, loved an impossible man, loved to the bottom of Hell and pitfire. The fireworks under her skin had never fully gone away, she realised as more and more ugly sobs broke from her chapped lips.

She blocked his number again and bought herself a new one, deleting the "Tony Stark" contact for good. There was more than enough work to do and the time to feel sorry for herself was sparse. And if she picked up a habit to make sure the time working was spent with proper efficiency, without soaking documents in saltwater that her eyes seemed to overproduce those days? It wasn't a big deal. She needed to get back on her feet somehow, without being dragged by a man who wasn't even present to actively be ruining her life anymore.

If anything, she thought she should feel grateful. The blinding light, the stars that exploded and shone inside her only for Tony, became something poisonous and vile. It wasn't the bitter taste of regret; rather, she felt a flash of ravenous, burning anger every time his name or his face popped up in a press article within her eyesight. Love and hate weren't that different when it came to the intensity: she basked in those newfound feelings, taking care to pick apart and neatly sort each of his perceived flaws on a cute little shelf in her overtaxed brain and fatigued heart.

It wasn't healthy. A convenient escape for the summer; a cabin far, far away from the busy New York city - she took up the offer and relocated there, being content with working remotely, drinking strawberry mimosas by the lakeside. Day by day, the clarity of her mind returned, lulled into a false sense of security by the tranquil trees slowly swaying in the breeze and wide ripples in the water.

Tony seemed to be enjoying bringing chaos into her life and making her miserable. The quinjet landed right on the neatly manicured lawn in front of the cabin, several obviously exhausted and wounded superheroes dismounting the vehicle, Tony looking sheepish but determined in the lead.

She wasn't completely unaware of the rest of the world and knew of the fiasco the Avengers recently had. Was it the half-dead, limping Widow or the baby blues of the Captain, she couldn't tell, but the woman ushered them into her house, gathering the tools needed for first aid with haste. Fate wasn't looking to give her a break.

As soon as she stepped foot in the kitchen, alone, Tony was there, looking much like that time on the balcony, baby doe browns turned up to eleven and a groveling speech prepared on demand. He'd noticed her weight loss and the ashen tone of her skin, the prominent veins and the bags under her eyes. She was as obvious as a brick to the face with her vices.

She slapped him. He winced, but stayed quiet, preparing himself for the storm - and storm him she did, keeping quiet enough for most of the team to be able to tactfully ignore the scolding Tony was getting. "I despise, you, Stark. You're a coward. Do not dare to set foot in my house ever again."

Needless to say, the superheroes departed shortly after Natasha's injuries were stabilised and frowning, disappointed Thor and Steve (they'd asked her to address them by their first names) bashfully apologized for their sudden intrusion and any discomfort they might have caused. She smiled at Steve, wide and big; refusing to admit it was done just to spite Tony, she joked and blushed in response to the Captain.

Tony did not attempt to contact her again. For some time, she lived in fear - irrational one at that - he'd appear and wreck her life one more, final time, before admiring the destruction and leaving her a steaming pile of ashes on the floor. But seasons passed and all of it faded, like a vivid, terrible nightmare.

Piece by piece, her life was getting put back together. His name stopped invoking a swarm of feelings she needed to drown just to stay afloat; there were news regarding him, another violent altercation, and she simply flicked the TV back to adult swim. New friends and new hobbies were being made; the fine cracks made by his agile fingers were being filled with the gold of newer, better discoveries.

There was always something going on in the superhero world and finally one of the topics reached her line of work: mutant rights. She'd never stopped being a volunteer after that NYC invasion, making new connections in a domain previously unexplored, it paid off in spades regarding her career growth. The connections were vital to be able to climb the corporate ladder successfully.

Stark showed up at her door three days after half of his merry band of misfits were pronounced fugitives. This time, she expected it. She knew better than to expect him to assume responsibility by himself - a quick Google search and his relationship status was listed as once again single - the Virginia Potts she knew would not have let anything like that happen. Stark was on his own.

"They betrayed me," He'd said, from behind the door she had cracked open a few inches, to make him know he wasn't welcome in her home.

"I think you know now, how I felt then," She didn't falter, ignoring the way his still freshly-bruised face darkened. "As far as I am concerned, you deserve it. Goodbye, Tony." She shut the door without waiting for his response, hearing his footsteps slowly back away as she made herself another coffee.

Tony Stark taglist: @another-stark-sub @letsby @mostly-marvel-musings @rdjesus4ever @ladyeliot

Well um 💀 yeah. I'll go and attempt to scavenge some serotonin somewhere now. Thanks for reading! 💖✨

[nemo-draco]

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear that! I... I know I'm not good at this sort of stuff, but hope your friend gets better soon. And I dunno if this is what you were implying, but you shouldn't be blaming yourself for whatever happened. From what it sounds like, you're still there with him, and that's the important thing. I don't know if this is too much to ask, but it's there anything I can do to help? What are your names?

“Bor’s...?” 

Despite its faintness, the wolf’s name snaps him from his misery, face looking up to meet Bendy’s eyes as they blearily open and focus on Boris. 

“Pal, wassamatter? Why’re you cryin’?” The question is barely out of the devil’s mouth before an answer occurs to him, causing Bendy to verbally plow on ahead before Boris can even work up an answer. “‘s okay, ‘m fine-.” 

“B-Bendy-!” Boris bleats, and ordinarily he’s not one to interrupt, but in his dazed zeal the smaller toon pushes himself up from the cot, making the aged frame rock a bit. Thankfully, it doesn’t topple, and Bendy’s little spurt of energy ebbs in the face of his still-aching and abused frame. Boris’s first impulse is to ease the devil back onto the cot as gently as he can, but Bendy’s concern for the wolf makes him reach out, smaller hands weakly clasping over the taller toon’s arms. Looking at the devil’s face and noticing that Bendy is too wound up to go back to sleep, not to mention the wolf himself realizing that he really wouldn’t turn down a hug, cajoles Boris into reversing his decision. 

The wolf carefully levies Bendy out of the cot, apologies hissing out as Boris situates the smaller toon on his lap. A few stifled groans aside, the devil hardly puts in a word of complaint, quickly wrapping the wolf’s ribcage in as firm a hug as he can. The silence only lasts a moment, before another cheery Ding! comes from the machine still sitting on the desk. Boris looks up with more or less exhausted interest, but Bendy is more than a little wary. His left eye is still swollen and grayed with a bruise, but his right eye catches sight of the computer sitting innocently on the desk, clearly telegraphing the thought of ‘what the hell is that’ despite the fact that Bendy doesn’t make a sound. It’s only when Boris starts to turn towards the screen that the devil speaks up, gingerly turning to keep the machine in his view as it announces the presence of more mail. 

“Boris, wh-what’s that?”

It’s really a testament to how worn out this whole event has been that Boris hardly thinks much of answering with exactly the function of the machine that he’s been interacting with. 

“It’s a mailbox, I think.”

Now that very skeptical look is being turned to Boris, Bendy’s expression the perfect picture of someone who thought that either they were having one pulled over them or that their conversation partner had no idea what they were talking about. Granted, the devil’s expression could also pass as someone who put in time to be Mohammed Ali’s punching bag, so perhaps it might have been the injuries adding to some of the stubborn wariness. 

“That’s, that’s not a mailbox, Boris. I’ve seen mailboxes. They sure don’ look like that, an’ they don’ make noise.��

“Well, that’s what it says when mail comes in.” The explanation doesn’t ease any of Bendy’s worry. Matter of fact, it confuses him even more.

“Wait, it’s sendin’ you mail? From who?” 

“S-Someone named Fiddle.”

The skepticism is steadily transforming into worry, as Bendy pauses for a moment to be sure he’s heard Boris right and the multiple hard knocks aren’t messing with his brain. The wolf he’s not so sure about, and his memory is choosing this exact moment to remind him that Boris was in the falling elevator too. 

“Pal, y-y’sure you’re feelin’-?”

“Bendy, I’m...look, look, y’can see for yourself, ‘m not makin’ it up, an’...” Boris pauses just long enough to reach out and tap the ‘Enter’ key, bringing the message up on the screen. “...it’s a lil’ too real to be all in my head.” 

The devil half-hears, already starting to scan through the text. It does indeed sound like someone, a completely new party, but the content of the message gives him pause. The words read like there’s been something of a conversation happening for a while now, making Bendy wonder just what he’s missed. It doesn’t help that smack in the middle is something about the wolf blaming himself for...for ‘whatever happened’. Given that he seems to be mentioned, ‘cause as far as Bendy knows, Boris doesn’t have any other friends down here to be feeling guilty over, the devil can guess what the whatever part is. 

Did Boris blame himself? The smaller toon wasn’t sure he wanted to turn around and just ask, though his search to try to find a way to pull up the rest of the messages is interrupted by Boris, who indicates the microphone.

“Y’can answer with that. What it records it makes inta writin’, an’ then it sends it like a letter.” 

“No kiddin’.” Bendy responds, hesitantly tapping at the microphone. Boris, meanwhile, busies himself with reading the message too. His progress is a little slower than the smaller toon’s, but eventually he makes it through, ears falling as he gets to the last line. 

“Oh.”

“Oh, what?” Bendy asks, only to end up scrunching down as Boris leans over him to get to the microphone. 

“I didn’...I didn’ realize I sent that. I gotta send somethin’ back, they might think we’re in trouble, an’ I dunno if they’d even be able t’find us down here.”

This is something that’s occurring to Bendy too, coupled with the fact that even if this Fiddle was able to send someone to get them, like the cops or maybe the fire department, the idea of being seen by anyone is still something that Bendy wants to avoid. Especially considering that while he is more approachable, a person might immediately assume the worst regarding Boris. Meanwhile, the wolf speaks into the microphone to answer as best he can. 

“Th-Thank you, we’re, I’m gonna definitely stick close t’him while we’re-.” Nope, not the best conversation topic, so Boris decides to jump ahead a little. “A-Anyway, I’m Boris, an’ he’s Bendy. An’...I dunno what-.”

“Uh, Boris?” Bendy abruptly warbles from where he’s scrunched up in the wolf’s lap. “Pal, you’re stickin’ a lil’ too close-.”

Immediately, the wolf straightens, pulling away from the microphone to give Bendy some room to stretch, which the devil does so gingerly as his still- bandaged hurts are pulled a little with his movements.

“‘m sorry, Bendy, I’m so sorry-!” 

“D-Don’ be, it’s fine.” Despite the smaller toon’s willingness to let bygones be bygones, Boris couldn’t help but find his mood sinking with more than just personal guilt. 

“...Th’ ink wasn’ enough t’fix everythin’ though, an’ we don’ got no more.” 

“We can try t’find more somewhere else, later.” Bendy dismisses, though Boris takes a more immediate approach.

“Maybe I could look around outside? I-I mean, there’s gotta be somethin’, maybe a bunch’a inkwells tucked away somewhere-.”

“Would love that too, but no splitting up, alright pal? It’s not, it’s not a good idea, right now.” Bendy’s argument did stymie the resistance from the wolf some, though Boris was about to point out that if they wanted to be able to move, then the devil would need ink to heal faster anyway. However, before he can, Boris looks up just in time to notice that the message has been, answered?

Bendy glances over at the screen too, following the wolf’s line of sight until he notices that the letter they’d been reading a few short minutes ago is gone.

“Where’d it...?”

“I think we answered it.” Boris replies after the devil’s trailing question, to which Bendy glances from the wolf’s face to the screen again, confusion taking hold.

“But, wait, we can’t have. Y’didn’ finish talkin’.” 

“It must’ve got us talkin’ b’fore.” Boris thought aloud, eyes squinting at the screen for a moment as he tries to read the response. “Oh, it did. It sent right after y’mentioned not splitting up.”

“Fan-tastic.” Bendy dryly answers, a brief thought going through the devil’s mind about how it might be a little confusing to read a letter that looked like it was written by two different people. Oh well, wasn’t like there was much they could do about it now...

(A/N: Bendy has joined the available cast! Want to see who else is? Send them a message!)