#I swear they wanted me to go away even as I was waitin for a good half hour for the bus to come 😭

[twola]

Hi there! Saw your request for ideas, maybe smutty ones….what if Arthur and s/o have a bet or challenge for trying to entice the other into sex is a public place? The fear and/or embarrassment of getting caught? Doesn’t matter where-in camp, in an alley in town, in some random person’s barn….can’t keep their hands off each other, yet trying to see how far the other is wiling to go. You can make this a headcannon, one-shot story, or weave it into something else?

Just an idea. No pressure. 😉

Ohh - I kinda did a little twist on this, I hope you still like it!

Barely Hidden

Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader Smut (18+), MDNI

There’s a certain thrill with getting away with it. Like robbing an idiot blind or sneaking away right from under the law’s nose. It should be no surprise that outlaws like to live on the edge, always on the verge of getting caught.

➵ Fic Masterlist ➵ AO3 Link

Your nails dig into the bark of the tree as Arthur’s breath ghosts over your neck. His large hands encircle your hips, as he presses his up against yours, breathing heavily, gritting his teeth, trying to keep quiet.

He fists your skirts in one hand, the other spread wide over your back, as you’re bent halfway over, leaning on the tree, his large frame moving behind you.

A soft, quiet moan spills from your lips as he slides his cock in and out of your warmth. His hand moves from your back to cover your mouth.

“Swear, agh, yer tryin’ to get us caught.” He whispers, leaning to plaster his front against your back.

“You’re the one, oh, that couldn’t wait-” You hiss back at him, nudging his hand away from your mouth as you press your hips backward to meet his thrusts.

He rolls his hips against your rear, his breathing getting heavier as he increases the speed of his thrusts. You want to mewl aloud, he’s hitting that spot with every stroke.

“Who’s there?” John calls out into the night from his post of guard duty.

Arthur grunts, jutting hard into your hips in surprise, and before he can slow himself down or collect himself, he’s rapidly jerking his cock from your hips, spurting on the backs of your thighs seemingly without warning.

You gasp, pulling away from him, letting your skirts fall to your ankles as the uncomfortable dribble of his hot spend trails down your thighs. Leaning your back against the tree, you catch your breath, facing him.

“It’s just me, idiot.” Arthur calls into the night, very quickly collecting himself and tucking his still-hard cock into his pants and rebuttoning them. 

“You - you liked that.” You point at his chest, “We almost got caught and you…”

“Hush, woman. We’ve done enough tonight. Back to your tent before someone really catches us.” Arthur pushes you back toward the camp, and in the dark night, you cannot see how deeply he’s blushing.

But you have an idea. A terribly wonderful idea.

-

Several days pass before you have a chance to test your idea. Clemens Point was blessedly spread out along the shores of Flat Iron Lake, with a ridge just north of the camp that served as a place of refuge should someone from the gang want to be alone.

“Hey there, darlin’. What’re you doin out here?”

You squint against the setting sun in the west, placing your hand in front of your face looking up at your gunslinger, as he moseys toward where you sit, at the bottom of the small ridge where the dirt meets the sand.

“Waitin’ for you there, cowboy.” You smile as he stands several steps in front of you, blocking the sun from your eyes.

“Waitin’ for me to what?” Arthur asks, hands on his gunbelt.

You give him a sweet, overly saccharine smile. 

You pull your skirts up, baring your knees, then your thighs…

“What are you doin?” Arthur’s eyes widen as he jerks his head to see where people are mulling about, not fifty feet away in the evening sun, just over the ridge of rock along the shoreline.

“Mmm, nothin.” You sigh, your skirts flicking upward to show him that you forewent bloomers today. A devious smirk crosses your face as you expose your cunt to him, your folds glistening with moisture, already aroused thinking of him taking you in the daylight, just on the outskirts of camp, with everyone awake.

“You goddamn tease.” He grits, narrowing his eyes as he stalks closer to you. You would think he’s angry, but you don’t miss the growing bulge in his pants and how his hand nudges at it to adjust himself.

“Ain’t a tease if I put out for you, love,” You lay back against the stone, opening your legs wider, “Come and get me, Arthur.”

His gunbelt is on the ground in a single step as he starts unbuttoning his pants. Before he sinks to his knees, he gives one last look over the ridge, scanning the gang finishing their dinner and mulling about the campfire before the sun sets.

“Scared of gettin’ caught?”  You ask in a kittenish way, baring your neck as your knees swing open and closed, open and closed, as he gets on his knees a step away from you.

“I think you like that idea, woman.” With one hand, he pulls his cock from his trousers, the other, he grabs your thigh, pulling your body closer to his. 

“Mm, I think you-” You are cut off as you gasp, he presses the head of his cock within you with the practiced ease of being lovers, so intimately familiar with each other’s bodies.

He spreads himself over you, pressing his lips to yours, his days old beard scratching against your chin. You grab at his hat, tossing it to the side, and run your fingers through his short hair as you open your mouth and let his tongue press against yours as he slides completely within you. 

You cant your hips forward, taking him deeper, and a rumble moves up from his throat into your mouth as he starts to thrust his hips into yours, digging his hands into the sandy dirt beneath you.

You moan into his mouth as he moves above you, thrusting hard and fast, and the excitement of it all has you careen headlong into an orgasm that makes your back arch and him grunt in approval.

He retracts his hips just in time, shooting his spend on the ground between your legs, panting, his forehead pressed against yours.

You smirk against his lips as he pants, giggling softly.

“Yer a goddamn minx, woman.”

“Yeah, and you like it.”

-

Arthur knew what you were doing the second he saw that glimmer in your eye. Two could play at this game.

You should have known what this would turn into.

It was turning into a raging, burning fire between the two of you, reigniting passion and neediness like in the beginning of your relationship, when you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other.

Which is exactly the problem you have now. 

It was just a ride to Rhodes and back. Just to check the mail. But as the moon shone high above Scarlett Meadows, Arthur swings off his horse outside a work barn outside of town, dragging you down before handily hauling your body against him.

“You keep talking like that, woman, I swear, I’m gonna-”

“You’re gonna what, cowboy?”

Arthur nearly growls, shoving his mouth against yours and near devouring you whole. He walks you backwards, taking only a moment to unlatch the door to the barn and pushing you inside before closing it behind him.

He grabs your shoulders, manhandling you into a shadowed, empty stall as he presses himself against you, the long line of him hard and ready.

“C’mon, little lady.” He rumbles and a shiver of delight rolls down your spine. 

“Get on the floor. Gonna ride you the way you deserve it.” You pant against him, your hands pressing against the hard muscles of his abdomen, in vain trying move the mountain of him.

Arthur grins like a damn Cheshire cat, moving himself next to a crate and sinking down to his knees as he undoes his gun belt, tossing it next to him as he lays out on the wooden floor. You hike up your skirts as you stand above his hips, to show him, again, that you forwent bloomers.

“Christ, woman.” Arthur’s eyes widen as he desperately shrugs his suspenders down his arms before unbuttoning his trousers and shoving them down his thighs, his heavy, engorged cock bobbing against his stomach.

You lower yourself to your knees, and without pretense or preamble, grasp his cock and guide yourself onto it, sliding down his hard inches until your rear meets his hips. He swears, blinking up to the roof, his hands flying to your waist as you place yours upon the planes of his hard chest, your fingers grasping at the black work shirt he was wearing.

You roll your hips forward, slowly at first, as you grow used to the stretch of him within you, but soon enough, your speed picks up, and he pants, his mouth falling open as you gyrate over his cock.

“Tha’s it, that’s it, come on, ride me-” Arthur groans, thrusting his hips upward against your movements, until, that is, the barn door swings open.

“Whoever’s in here, get the hell out before I shoot ya!” A voice calls out in the stillness, and you hear the racking of a shotgun and heavy footfalls as a man enters the space.

You slap a hand over Arthur’s mouth, as his eyes widen. You try to sit still, splayed over Arthur’s hips, but you can see his eyes flutter and feel his stomach muscles clench against your other hand.

You give him a warning look, and he squeezes his eyes shut, his fingers tightening almost painfully around your waist.

The farmer walks past the stall, the rifle in his hands as he scans the barn. All he would need to do is take one step in your direction and he would find you two behind the crate, Arthur laid out with you atop him, blessedly hidden by your skirts, but it would be obvious what you were doing.

Arthur’s hips jut up and your eyes shoot back to him, about to throttle the damn man, when you see it's a lost cause. With the farmer only a few steps away, Arthur’s eyes cross and you can feel his cock twitch within you, warmth flooding your hips as he spends himself buried in your cunt.

It's everything you are not to moan aloud, and with your free hand, you cover your own mouth as you watch the man unravel beneath you, breathing hard against your palm, his eyes rolling back into his head, his hips giving little pulses upward as he fills you, unable to hold back, utterly and completely wrecked. 

The farmer is still mulling about the barn, and you’re close to yanking one of the revolvers from Arthur’s discarded belt and shooting the man dead so you can continue to ride this man as his convulsing cock finally stills.

Arthur seems to regain some of his wits, but none of his caution, as one of his hands leaves your waist and burrows under your skirt, his thumb pressing right above where he’s buried within you. You jolt as he finds what he’s looking for, that nub of nerve endings that drives you wild.

Your eyes widen as your breathing gets shallow, the damn farmer is still in the barn, and Arthur is hell bent on making you come. If you two get out of this without getting shot, lord, is he going to get it from you.

You grind down on his hand as he feverishly rubs at you, throwing your head back, your hands still covering both of your mouths.

When you fall over that edge, it’s everything you are not to cry out, not to scream his name, not to gasp and moan and cry and tell him you love him as he works you through a shuddering release, his blue eyes locked on you and his head nodding back and forth to spur you on.

You basically collapse over him, his arms wrap tightly around your waist as you try to control your breathing.

The barn door shuts and you give a sigh of relief.

“I cannot believe you, Arthur Morgan.” You scold him, finally removing your hand from over his mouth. You press yourself up on his chest to sit above him.

Arthur pants, a smile crossing his features before he sits up and chases your lips. With him still nestled within your hips, he tangles his hands in your hair as he kisses you with a passion not nearly fazed by coming down from his orgasm. He pulls away only slightly, kissing the underside of your jaw.

“Maybe I do enjoy it.”

[irisxstardust]

abby anderson hcs!!

CW: swearing, kind of nsfw but nothing like majorly explicit

here's a lil something while i write p2 - a little gift, if you will 🤍

also yes, i just naturally assumed if you're here for the ellie stuff then you're also here for the abby stuff. i love abby so i'm sorry if you don't

also guys like A/N - this is all my opinion. its not canon and doesn't have to resonate with everyone. pls be nice <3 also i use the word "like" too much and i apologize in advance

- very light on the PDA but everyone knows (everyone knows... that he fucks you - ifykyk). but like actually there's just this air around you both. she doesn't even need to try to intimidate random wolves - they take one look at you both standing together and they are gone. she thinks its quite comical, tbh. also like, no free chairs? no worries, she's got two big ass thighs right here waitin for ya. pick your poison sweetheart 🫶🏻

- you eat first. if she gets her food first then she'll sit at the table and wait for you, or she'll sometimes even go up and make your plate for you before you even get the chance to get near the food. she may not even do it consciously, its just second nature to her: you get your plate first, you eat first, you finish your food first, and you get seconds first.

- i've seen this on hc posts before but she is definitely like really keen on manners. you might be in the midst of an apocalypse, but you best say your "thank you's" "please" and watch your language if you don't want to listen to some bullshit lecture about it.

- you are not alone often, especially when there's people (specifically men) that she doesn't know personally. it definitely has something to do with joel and her father but she'd never admit that. keeping you beside her or always in her line of sight is her subtle way of doing her mf job and protecting you (but you're not stupid and you totally picked up on it right away).

- she literally takes up so much fucking space that when you first met her you would fight about personal bubbles and how she needs to stay in hers. you'd gotten over it by the time you two got together, but you still like to tease her about it. she definitely takes the teasing to heart and either puffs herself up to take up even more room, or stares you straight in the face as she explains the new exercises she's doing to build up her arms or something.

- adding onto the last one, i think she's petty but not petty enough for it to be like a problem (stay with me on this one). like when it comes to a disagreement between you both, she is absolutely the first one to address it and she's not gonna let it strain your relationship. but when it comes to your little pet peeves? yeah she totally teases you about it or like purposefully does it just to get under your skin.

- at first she was hesitant to let her hair down - let alone let you touch it - but once she got comfortable enough she began to ask you to brush it out for her. she definitely savors the feeling of your hands just running through her scalp and massaging the tender skin. having her hair tied back and braided all day definitely makes her very tender-headed, so every little bump makes her wince and ask you to be softer.

-STRENGTH. KINK. (size kink too😋) this is like the most obvious one but like she will literally do anything to prove she's stronger than you or anyone else who "challenges" her. like if one of you doesn't want to walk all the way to your bedroom, thats okay, she'll just have to hold you up against this wall. oh you're making out in the kitchen? she's picking your ass up and swiping an arm across the counter, throwing everything across the floor (and probably breaking stuff), just to drop you on top so your heads are level with each other. she does still underestimate her strength and will like throw you across the room on accident.

- (if you're both fem/afab) she's always seen as the "masculine" partner in the relationship but at home in bed she's like a lil baby cuddling up with her fav stuffie. i can totally see modern!abby being posted to the sound "i want mommy, i want milk, i want to be held, i want to be comforted" on tiktok. and she doesn't mind either. she doesn't mind being the smaller one when it comes to you. she honestly thinks its really lovely how flexible you guys can be with each other and how you always work to meet the other's needs.

- really versatile when it comes to doing the dirty too. she doesn't mind being the one in the harness (the strap's her fav when it comes to sex with you), but she also doesnt mind receiving oral every once and a while too. your relationship is very much 50/50 and that definitely translates into the bedroom.

- and even while you guys are mostly 50/50, abby is just in general a very dominant person who usually takes on the role of the leader.

- abby when she comes home from an early morning patrol to find you still dozing off in bed, wrapped up in the whole duvet and wearing one of her cut off tee's: ☠️. she is deceased. you in her clothes = abby in heaven. no i will not elaborate. i feel like this makes enough sense as is.

- modern!abby is totally a classic metal/alt rock music listener. like of every song available to her she will always pick her favs; nirvana, metallica, maybe kiss, fleetwood mac, ac/dc. like idk they give me mostly "abby in the gym" vibes yk.

- strap game for days. she does not spend every waking moment at the gym only to tap out after one round, absolutely not. she will totally go all night if she wants (and if you want ofc) and like hardly loses breath

- always wants verbal consent. for anything and everything. you have to verbally confirm that yes you want it or no you don't otherwise she will not touch you. she knows shes bigger than you and she knows sometimes she underestimates herself, so unless you verbally agree she will literally move away from you and wait until you're ready. it doesn't matter how far gone you are, she needs you to verbally acknowledge and consent to whatever you're doing.

- if you ever find and wear a skirt around her, definitely prepare to have some finger shaped bruises on your ass from how hard she was squeezing it throughout the day. if you're in a skirt, forget the "no PDA" rule bc she will literally be like drooling

-okay, i know a lot of people see abby as a tits girl but i just cant. maybe its a reflection of me but i think she's totally an ass girl. like just reaching an arm back and rubbing your back before just grabbing a handful like okay mommy whatever you say😇

- i personally don't like choking (trauma✨) but like i think abby would kinda be into it. seeing her big ass hand just engulf your neck like its nothing. she doesn't even have to tighten her grip or press on your pulse points, she'll just rest her hand right there on your neck and be happy. you don't mind it either, ofc.

- she's absolutely the type to be walking next to you while on patrol or out of seattle for whatever reason and notice that you're like shivering and (without a word) just shed her coat and drape it around your shoulders. and don't even bother telling her you didn't want it and that you felt bad - she doesn't give a shit. "can't have my pretty girl getting sick now, huh?"

wow yay so fun!! i love abby so much i'm not even kidding. i've literally consumed all of the abby stuff i can like i'm on this tag everyday. shoutout to all you lovely horny people who keep my obsession alive 🫶🏻 anyway love u bye!

[crabcollectorskykid]

Hey it’s moi again coming at you live!

Can the reader be arora male reader from sky children of the light x metkayina clan

May I request where the metkayina family meeting arora male reader for the first time and then being so fascinated with the male reader who’s gentle and kind and them being for fascinated when they sing because it’s so calming and it attracts the sea animals.

It’s okay if you don’t want to do this but I saw on you resent post that you wanted a request from someone so here I am gracing your presence :>

Metkayina family x aurora/M!Reader

Genre: pure fluff, I swear it's pure fluff

Warnings: none

Pronouns: he/him

HEYY, sorry I haven't been active lately. I was a bit stress thinking about how I'm going back to school soon and got writers block :'>.

Now how did you get here hmmm, oh right. You fell from the sky like meteor right-/hj

But seriously you really did fell from the sky, so the clan was a bit cautious of you.

But once you showed them that you really can't harm them because of how fragile you are, they tolerated you.

They liked how you were kind,gentle,and helpful you are to them.

You even made an effort to learn and try their ways of life.

But uh-like I said before, you were fragile. Like a glass.

So you only helped around inside the village, not aloud to go outside the reef.

The tsahik and the olo'eyktan were surprised to see how the sea animals would go to you, they were surprised how easy it was for you to attract them easily even after living a few days with them.

Aonung and Tsiyera would start to hang out with you more. Mostly tsiyera

Aonung would help you learn a few self defense tips,teaches you how to hunt,ride an ilu too. The ilu part was a bit hard but was surprisingly patient with you, maybe it's because you very small compared to them. He was there when you caught your first fish, he praised you alot. He would always try to avoid you when he's with his friends not because he's embarrassed that he hangs out with you. No never, it's because he doesn't you getting made fun of.

Tsiyera was like a big sister to you! She helped you with your breathing, you were honestly happy that she was the one who taught you because aonung was a bit intimidating. Meditating during free time is a must, after getting lost and don't know how to get back to your original home caused you to be a bit stressed, so meditating helped you alot. Especially with Tsiyera because how calm and gentle she was with you.

Tonowari and Ronal, wellll...your relationship with them..is complicated-

I mean they aren't bad or harsh on you, you interacted with them but not much. But they are very much happy how kind and gentle you are with their children. They were even suprised how aonung hanged out with you. They tolerated you (ended up adopting you at the end-)

In the middle of the night, you couldn't sleep. You don't really sleep much in your original home, you would pretend to sleep incase they check on you. But when the village are asleep you would sneek out and go to the shore.

Singing helps you relax but you were a bit shy to show your voice yet so you just sneek out in the middle of the night since you know everyone is gonna be asleep.

Unfortunately, aonung wasn't very tired that night and heard singing. It almost made him go to sleep but he had to investigate who was singing at this time of the night.

He also woke up Tsiyera since he ain't going alone.

They saw you at the shore, singing or humming to the sea animals around you.

They were fascinated. Fascinated on how you attracted the sea animals. Fascinated how you sang or hum. Fascinated how gentle and calming your voice was. They were in awe on how your voice goes well with your personality.

" 🎵 hmmmm, hmmm...

I was listenin' to the ocean

I saw a face in the sand

But when I picked it up

Then it vanished away from my hands, dah

I had a dream, I was seven

Climbin' my way in a tree

I saw a piece of Heaven

Waitin' in patience for me, dah

And I was runnin' far away

Would I run off the world someday?

Nobody knows, nobody knows

And I was dancing in the rain

I felt alive and I can't complain

But no, take me home

Take me home where I belong

I can't take it anymore🎵"

You sang while petting the sea animals around you, you didn't even notice the two metkayina admiring you from afar.

Aonung accidentally stepped on a twig and that caught your attention "huh-is anyone there?" You asked looking back, the two of them covered their mouths and signalled to eachother to go. You just shrugged and thought you were just imagining things.

The next day, the two tried to summon their confidence to talk to you about last night but no word came out of their mouth. "Were you guys spying on me last night" you spoke in their language, you suprisingly caught up to their language well which was very help and useful to you when talking to them. Aonung and Tsiyera eyes widen at the sudden question "H-how did you-" "I heard your hurried footsteps last night and muttering about me about last night" you answered aonung.

"Tsiyera this is your fault" aonung said looking at Tsiyera who had an offended look on her face "no it isnt-you were the one who stepped on a twig." She defended, the two kept arguing completely forgetting you were there until you giggled.

"no worries, I don't mind. Besides I would be curious too on who was singing in the middle of the night." You smiled, aonung and Tsiyera watched as your smile reflect the sun...you were certainly an angel-

"I uhm-ahem. I'm just wondering, how are you so good at singing." Aonung asked you scratched the back of your neck "In my original home I was a singer, many skykids liked me and majority of the time they wanted to be my friend."

That day on, you always sang in the morning instead of the night. Many metkayina would watch you sing, some even stayed till the very end.

[moonswolfie]

Capricious feelings

Atsumu x gn!reader

(this could be read as pre or post timeskip tsumu so have fun with it 💙)

I am back on my "haikyuu fics based off vocaloid songs" grind after the first one was moderately successful, so I bring you:

Kimagure Mercy and Atsumu except the ending is good because i am smitten for atsumu and cannot write him as an asshole even though he absolutely would be one😭

Warnings: a few swear words, sort of angst to sort of fluff

He's calling you again. You only roll your eyes, waiting for your phone to stop ringing and turning away to focus on whatever else you're doing.

You know why he's calling, anyways. It's cuz he wants your help, or wants to borrow some money, or has some other favour that he wants from you.

You see, Atsumu's your boyfriend on paper, but in practice, things couldn't be more different. The "relationship", if you can even still call it that, is on the verge of collapsing. He only ever calls you when he needs favours, constantly making excuses for his distant behaviour.

The phone stops ringing, and you take a breath of relief, only for it to start ringing again a few seconds. God, he must really want a favour if he bothered calling twice in a row. You sigh, picking up the phone.

"Hi, how are ya?" He's using a sweet, gentle tone to butter you up as always. You regretfully know all of his little tricks by now.

"I'm fine. Why are you calling?" You're aware that you sound a little cold and harsh, but what's the point in useless small talk when you already know that isn't why he's calling?

"Come over, will ya?"

Those words froze you for a second. Whenever he asked you to come over, it would always end with him sucking your face off and then ignoring you until you leave. It always leaves you feeling sick and empty, knowing those kisses mean nothing to him.

Yet someway, somehow, you find yourself feeling giddy whenever he takes your hand or wraps his arms around your waist. And you hate that you do.

You absolutely hate the thought of falling in love with him. Not with that selfish, self-obsessed asshole who only uses you for favours and doesn't give a damn about you. But your heart insists on betraying your mind, your reason.

"Are ya there? You've been real quiet..." his voice snaps you out of your train of thought. "Yeah, I'm coming."

You don't know why you still bend to his will every time, you could easily say no, break up with him and never talk to him again. Maybe you actually do know why... and you don't like the reason.

"Lovely, I'll be waitin'. Bye now." he hung up the phone. As always, he has you wrapped around his finger, otherwise you wouldn't be making your way to his house right now. You live relatively close to him, so the walk isn't long. You briefly think about turning around and going back home. But once again, your stupid heart wins.

You ring the doorbell, and a sudden wave of regret flushes over you. Should you really be falling into his arms again? Should you have ignored your mind, telling you to turn back?

Before you even have a chance to run away, the door opens. "Heya, sweets. Come on in." That smile is a deceptive mask, and you know it. You silently walk in, sitting down on the couch, your usual make-out spot. You just have to get it over with and hope your stomach doesn't churn from guilt later.

He sits down beside you, and you close your eyes in anticipation to be roughly grabbed by him. But it doesn't come.

"Are you good? Ya look a lil' pale." the concern in his voice was completely unexpected.

"Since when do you care how I'm doing?" You have no idea what came over you in that moment. Normally you would brush it off, lie to him, or assure him you're fine. But he'd never asked you that with such concern before, and you don't know what to do with yourself anymore.

"I'm yer boyfriend, of course I-"

"Oh, shut up! You only care when you want a favour from me!" You stood up, clenching your hands into fists. "You don't actually give a damn about me, do you?! You don't love me, you only love yourself!!" All your repressed feelings suddenly came spilling out.

He looked awfully surprised by your behaviour, probably because you finally didn't bend to his will once. Because you finally said what's on your mind. It felt good, but at the same time, your heart felt a pang of pain once the words you said finally registered in your brain.

"I... this is what I called ya over for, actually...." he looked to the ground, wearing a solemn expression. His mask of confidence was breaking.

"...What?"

"I know that I'm a horrible boyfriend, but I'm goin' ta fix that." He looked back up at you, determination shining in his eyes.

This was a conversation you never ever expected to have. Is this a cruel prank? Would Atsumu do that to you?

"I don't... understand. Why now?" You weren't sure what to think right now. You're honestly thinking too many things, feeling too many emotions at once right now.

"Because, I ended up realisin' that ya deserve better than this. Honestly, yer too good fer me." Knowing Atsumu, it must've taken a lot for him to throw away his pride and ego just to admit this.

At your silence, he continued. "My point is, I wanna be better for ya, give this whole love thing a shot, ya know? But if ya really feel that way, you can break up with me, I won't mind..."

"Atsumu, you ass." He flinched slightly at your response, searching your face for your emotions. "You can't do this to me." Right when you finally felt strong enough to call him out, he decides to pull you right back in and make you feel all horrible.

You sigh. "You're a lucky man, Atsumu. But these better not be empty promises." Your hopeless heart wins you over once again. Yet this time, you feel assured. Assured that Atsumu will do the right thing.

Atsumu finally felt like he could breathe again, placing a hand on his chest. "Would I ever break a promise I made?" He asked with a relieved smile.

"Honestly.... you seem like you would." You rolled your eyes playfully.

"Hey, I didn't promise to better myself just so you can insult me!"

[seichira]

[ 12:00 ] — early birthday presents

ੈ✩‧₊˚ it’s the first of october and you just can’t wait to greet your boyfriend a happy birthday, which isn’t supposed to be for another three weeks.

ੈ✩‧₊˚ hanma shuji fluff!

your dainty little fingers poke hanma shuji’s waist as soon as the clock hit midnight and your digital calendar by the bedside displays today’s date.

october first. it calls for a celebration in your book of things to do for hanma shuji to show your love.

“wakey wakey, baby,” you say in a sing-song voice but that doesn’t seem to be enough to wake up your heavy sleeper of a boyfriend. “wake up, shuji.”

your boyfriend lets out a low groan of complaint, which you shrug of since it’s better than nothing. you continue poking him until it turns into soft and playful tickles that travel from his side to his arms.

“wake up! you have to wake up!”

“damn it, doll. a man needs to get some sleep,” he growls, but you only smile because you know he has no choice but pay attention now.

“pretty please?”

“no.”

“shuji,” you fake a sob. “wake up!”

his eyes flutters open to be welcomed by your enthusiastic ones, and hanma thinks you better be thankful that you are too pretty for him to be mad at you for waking him up.

damn, he swears he’s grumpy but there is already a growing smile on his face because he can’t help but mirror your expressions when you’re this close to him he can feel your breath on his skin.

“so? hm? what’s the big reason for you to tickle me away from my beauty sleep? let’s hear it, it better be worth it, baby doll.”

you beam at him with a huge smile that doesn’t always necessarily mean trouble, but most of the time, it is the smile of someone who is up to no good, or someone who is just too in love with hanma shuji.

“happy birthday, my shuji…” you whisper softly, which you follow with peppering kisses all over his face but missing his lips on purpose.

“it’s not my birthday.”

you chuckle when hanma pretends he doesn’t understand why you’re doing this, but by the way his hands crawled to pull you in closer by your waist is telling you something else.

“well, it’s your birth month and i wanted to celebrate by greeting you. wanted to show you how grateful i am that you’re here.”

he frowns, but he doesn’t mean to. he just can’t wrap his head around how you love him. you met him when he was on the run as a fugitive, you fell in love with him even after he confessed every crime he has ever done, and you stayed with him when he was wishing he wasn’t alive.

now, he can’t bring himself to hate this life.

not when he can hold you this close. not when he has too much to love and protect. fuck his gang, fuck his abusive parents, fuck everything—he has you.

“this was what you’re waitin’ for, huh? that’s why you won’t go to sleep even when i’ve heard you yawn for a thousand times already,” he lazily says.

you nod eagerly, “of course! i won’t miss it for the world! we have to celebrate every day, shuji!”

“damn, woman. if you want to greet me that much, at least give my lonely lips a kiss.”

hanma shuji doesn’t wait to claim his gift. he leans to kiss you on your lips. he starts by placing three shallow kisses until he decides it’s not enough, so he pulls you in deeper by holding your face like it’s the most delicate thing in the world, and he kisses you deeply. hoping it’s enough to let you know that he is much grateful for you, even if you wake him up in the wee hours of the night.

“i love you, brat,” he adds after the sincerest kiss you have ever shared for good measure.

[hcneygemini]

𝖝. 𝖆. 𝖓. 𝖆. — lyrics sentence starters.

A collection of sentence starters from some singles released, minus anything featured in Tantrums ( the meme featuring those is here ). Do not add to or steal this meme. Feel free to change pronouns, edits phrasing, or generally slightly edit or combine lines as needed. Some lines have already been slightly rephrased for rp purposes. tw: cheating, toxic relationships, suggestive

MONSTER

i hold your mistakes high over your head, especially when they look like mine.

i'm not one to hand out forgiveness.

it pains me to admit you were right.

someday i will be someone you resent.

honey, the pleasure is all mine.

i heard you're calling me a traitor.

i owe you a good apology, i'll do it later.

i paint myself the good guy.

i heard you're calling me a monster.

after all the shit i pulled, you could do better.

i'll do what i want over what's right.

you gave me your all.

it was intimate.

i guess it ain't your fault that i can't commit.

i never listen.

i couldn't help but feel so indifferent.

all my failures are visceral.

i still taste blood from years ago.

you ain't good enough.

i can't even be honest with myself.

how could you believe i'd do that for someone else?

i don't want that life.

i'm kissing boys in the back of their cars.

it's half past 3.

you were fast asleep while i was on the phone with [ Jodie ].

will i ever know why i am like this?

i go for what i can't have, like i'm righteous.

i can't face the shame.

if you wanna place blame, just say my name.

i go home alone and i think it's strange.

i got what i want but it don't taste the same.

everyone who's ever loved me is the enemy.

i get high on all the jealousy.

you can't forgive the infidelity.

i don't wanna be someone who lives like that.

i was supposed to be a good friend, trusted.

i snuck around with the love of your life.

after all the shit i pulled, you should do better.

HOMEWRECKING ERA

wrap your thighs around me.

i could keep all your secrets.

cross my heart and hope i mean it.

think of all the damage i could do.

say less.

push me on the counter.

call me princess.

wish i could say no, but it's hopeless.

i'm losing focus.

i wonder if [ she ] knows about those pictures on your phone.

you should feel guilty, but you don't.

i'm in my homewrecking era.

got things i wanna do to you.

i feel bad for a minute.

you make me feel so good.

i taste something bitter in my mouth.

i left my bralette on the ground.

i can't help myself.

nobody fucks like me.

i'm the [ girl ] of your dirty dreams

the silence is deafening.

do you miss me?

i think [ she ] can taste me.

i can give you what you want.

we called it love.

we might've fucked it up.

baby, just fuck me up.

i'm the flame that keeps you warm at night.

don't i bring out the green in her eyes?

you like how pretty [ she ] is when [ she ] cries.

[ she ] loves you so much, even the lies.

we're both the one, but never the only.

you get so lonely

crown me the villain and hero tonight.

fucking me brought you together so nice.

i got a taste for the drama.

i spilled your guts 'cause i wanted.

look at all this damage that i do.

BETTER KIND OF BEST FRIEND

i can see [ her ] in my dreams.

i see [ her ] in my bed.

[ she's ] the goddamn vision that ringin' in my head.

i'm waitin', patient.

we could be good together.

let me release the pressure.

i think i found my treasure.

[ she ] tastes like heaven and she knows it.

i'm eager.

i just wanna please you.

she's got me prayin'.

i could be a better kind of best friend.

i'm a fan.

i don't die for my [ women ] anymore.

i'll do anything to have you.

i swear to be true.

i don't die for my [ women ] anymore, i kill for them.

you don't need to ask, you got my permission.

lord knows we tried.

can't stay away from each other.

you know i'm a sucker.

watch as i swallow my pride.

i wanna make it intimate.

i've got my finger on the trigger.

they come and go.

YOU DON'T WANT ME LIKE THAT ( also by Rachel Bochner )

if you hated me it'd be easier.

i know what's coming is really gonna hurt.

if i hated you, i would've never tried.

it's a habit you conditioned.

i wonder if you know you're bad.

i wanna tell you that i miss you.

you wouldn't say it back.

you don't want me like that.

you don't want a picture of me sitting on your nightstand.

you don't wanna touch me in the way we both know you can.

you just like the way i feel stuck in the palm of your hand.

where do you get off on it?

i do the extra credit but you're never satisfied.

i keep you center stage.

you keep me on the side.

i'm crossing all the lines.

you won't call it what it is.

you just call me when you're blue.

the fantasy is cute.

i would give you all i have.

i stay up waiting for you.

i can't keep waiting.

BABYBLUE

baby blue was always your color.

it's a little strange how we're seeing each other.

god, you look just as i remembered.

it's been a few years.

i've known you forever.

you packed your bags and moved to [ Boston. ]

you needed a place that you could get lost in.

time will tell.

you got my youth on your bedpost.

say it ain't so.

our picture's getting dusty.

you smell vanilla and don't think about me.

i hope it's alright, your life without me.

you ran to my house in the pouring rain.

i've cried every damn day since you left.

i don't mind if i never get over it.

i've been watching reruns.

i should call my little sister, i worry about her all the time.

you hold other hands.

i'm biting my tongue.

you're making new plans.

i'm coming undone.

i watch your old films.

looking at it now, i think i love you still.

i try to be cool.

if i never say a word, does it make it less true?

i feel the time go.

i fear the unknown.

it's getting so old.

all of my anxieties are filling up my diaries.

the water ran cold.

there's so much i don't know.

i think i gotta go.

you see green and don't think about me.

BAD BANDIT

i've been lonely for awhile now.

i'm tired of this ghost town.

[ she ] looks pretty on [ her ] poster.

i'm thinking i could hold [ her ].

i want you on my body.

won't you face it?

you wanna make or break it.

you wanna feel me naked.

i'll show you how to take it.

count your blessings when the devil ain't got nowhere to go.

maybe i'm bratty.

i taught that [ man ] a lesson.

[ he ] was charming and i loved [ him ].

[ his ] urges were disgusting.

i bed [ him ] down to nothing.

that little [ lady ] wanted love.

it's such a damn shame.

you better run, babe.

[ she's ] taking aim.

[ she ] promised me [ her ] best.

i could see forever in [ her ] golden eyes.

my baby told me lies.

i swear i'm gonna die.

but i ain't the one biting the dust tonight.

i swear i'm gonna miss [ her ] for the rest of my days.

i still hear [ her ] voice.

BET YOU'LL GET OFF ON THIS

maybe in another year you might be different.

i'd rather not admit how many years i've been insisting.

you showed me your true colors.

you used to be the prettiest thing i'd ever seen.

what you said to me last sunday was disgusting.

i don't need to look at you to know you feel nothing.

you feel nothing.

maybe you like it better when i'm cool.

i don't give a shit.

did you really have to be so cruel?

all i ever did was try to love you.

i don't know who you are.

i saw the façade slip, and it was alarming.

i'm left with confusion.

how did you not ever learn to be human?

what did i expect?

you never grew up.

you think you're so deep, but you're so out of touch.

[ Natalie ] was right when [ she ] said that you were heartless.

i don't ever want you to touch me again.

i really can't stand the way you talk about your [ girlfriend ].

bet it hurts to know i'm no longer your forever.

i won't hold my breath, but i hope you get better.

i don't wanna belittle my love.

all we ever did was try to love you.

[grippingbeskar]

salt, ice and fire | frank castle

chapter twenty six - you bring me home

frank castle x fem! reader

warnings: 18+ content minors dni! (car sex lmaooo, mxf nothing you haven’t seen before, its pretty sweet <3) swearing, canon typical violence, mention of scars, injuries, blood, literally packed everything into this chapter its a big one

a/n: wow. this was so rough oh my god. the entire first draft deleted itself and i had to re write the whole thing from memory, so i lost my planned chapter. i really hope i got everything in here, and im sorry for the wait AND how long it is lmao but i just. can’t believe i really finished it. ill rant at the end, but if you only read this part, i love you. thank you for letting me share the absolute vomit that is my brain. you are the best.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“How was the drive?” Franks voice sends a shiver down your spine, even hundreds of miles away through a crappy phone line.

“Boring.” You sigh, pacing around the tiny motel room.

“You were meant to call an hour ago. Got me waitin’ up for you.” He sounds tired, and it makes your heart skip a beat. It’s stupid, but the image makes you a little giddy. Waiting up for you. 

“There was… traffic.”

“You get lost?”

“Fuck you.” You bite automatically and he groans.

“So yeah?” 

“Yes, Frank. I got lost.” He laughs, the sound managing to take your mind off the dark room you’d managed to secure for the night, the bedside light doing nothing to brighten the small space.

“I gave you a map. It’s a straight shot from where you started.” Rolling your eyes, you look at the map you’d now bundled into a ball and thrown into the trash.

“Who uses a printed map? Seriously, how fucking old are you?” It’s playful and familiar, and all the frustration of driving for 10 hours melts into the bed.

Being a key witness in a now ongoing case apparently didn’t come with any frequent flyer miles, because both Matt and Frank had said you couldn’t risk going through airport security and being flagged in a system, so it meant you had to drive nearly 18 hours to Florida. You thought you didn’t mind road trips, but after today you think it’s only road trips with Frank you don’t mind.

“Maps don’t change, baby. Besides, you’d drive yourself into a god damn tree the second that voice in the car told you you’d missed a turn.” You hate that he’s right— even the thought of that monotone voice droning in your ear for ten hours makes you cringe.

“Whatever. Tell me about something. You said you were going to speak to Madani today?” He’s the one sighing now, and clearly the talk was about as fun as your drive.

“She’s all over the place. Some mishandled evidence fucked their entire case, and Bobby’s lawyers were too well paid to let it go. Murdock said they’ll be able to find more— the appeal’s already been approved cause of how high profile it is, but he’s got no new evidence. He said he doesn’t know if they can get him.”

“That’s… what I expected, I guess.” Frank agrees, and your sudden silence only serves to bring the real issue to hand. “You know where he is?”

“Yeah. I got it covered.” The line goes quiet, and you don’t really know what to say.

On one hand, you want Bobby dead. You know can’t do it- it wasn’t smart, and the last thing you were going to do is drag everything Matt and Madani had worked for through the mud for someone like him, let alone put Sam in danger. Some fucked up part of you is a little mad that it won’t be you, but Frank has every reason to hate him as much as you. You know Frank wants this, and that telling him to stop is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Your hesitation would only spur him to do it faster, be more impulsive. You don’t want to say anything to put him off.

On the other, you just want him with you. You worry like some love sick child, scared he’s walked out the door and isn’t coming back. You worry he’ll get caught, and end up in the exact spot he was trying to get you out of. You’re scared he’ll get hurt, or worse. Every time you close your eyes you can see him bleeding out, dark red staining your hands until you can scream yourself awake. There’s so many things that could go wrong, and ten hours staring over the hood of your car gives you way too much time to think about hypotheticals.

“It’s gonna be okay.” Frank says softly, and you flop yourself back on the single bed.

“Are you?” He huffs like the question is irrelevant.

“Madani asked about your dad today.” He ignores the question, and you’re too interested to poke him on it.

“Oh?”

“Asked what he knew about your time there. If he ever worked with the Gnucci’s.” A lump forms in your throat.

“You think she knows about the weird... blood stuff?”

“Don’t see why she would. Either way, it’s not gonna matter once he’s dead.” The bluntness of it almost makes you laugh. “He’ll be gone, and no one will come for it. Or you.”

“You don’t have to do this for me, Frank.”

“I’m not.” He pauses, and then sighs. “Alright, I am, but not just that. The shit he said to me in there— the things he said about you. The way he looked at you in there… I watched that shit, and there’s no way in hell that asshole does what he did and lives.”

“What if he was found guilty? Would you of left it alone?” Maybe if you’d been more helpful to Matt and Madani, it would of gone better, and Frank would be here.

“You want me to answer that?” A part of you knew he wasn’t going to let it go. That wasn’t who he was. It shouldn’t make you feel the way it does to know that Frank would kill for you— just to make you safe. It does anyway, and heat flushes over your face.

“Maybe you shouldn’t.” He agrees, a low sound rumbling from his end of the phone. “I spent most of the day wishing you were with me, you know.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Turns out I fucking hate driving.” He laughs again, and if you could listen to the sound all night you think you’d sleep peacefully.

“You remember how mad you were that first time I didn’t let you drive?” Shaking your head, you flick off the lights slide under the covers.

“I was mad because you had a concussion and tried to fucking kill us.”

“Least I was gonna go the right way.”

“You tried switching drivers on the freeway, Castle.”

“Alright, I was a a bit out of it.” He says plainly and you smile so wide it hurts your cheeks. “Wished you were here, too.”

“I bet you did.” He groans, and you hear him shift on the bed. Your bed.

“Too much space in here. Didn’t even know we had this much blanket.” He makes a real noisy show of it, tossing around the blankets you usually roll yourself up in. It’s meant to be a light hearted thing, but for some reason the idea of Frank spread out on your shared bed, one that you’ve both used extensively— it makes your heart race.

“Dickhead.” He groans again, shuffling around some more. “This one’s too small. Probably have to sleep on top of each other if you were here.”

“M’alright with that.”

“Not a lot of room to move, though.” You look around at the room, hardly enough space to stand in the corner.

“We’d figure something out.” You let your eyes flutter closed, humming high pitched at the idea. “What are you thinkin’ about, sweetheart?”

“You.” You admit, and he seems to like it.

“Me too. Haven’t gone a night in this apartment without fuckin’ you in this bed. Drivin’ me crazy.” You hum again, pressing your thighs together to try and dissipate the heat that’s suddenly overtaken your whole body. “You thinkin’ about it now too, aren’t you baby?”

“Yeah, Frank.”

“Don’t say my name like that.” He growls, and you bite your lip to hide your laugh.

“Why not, Frank?” You practically purr the word, drawing it out and saying it all breathy like you do when he’s teasing you.

“Cause you’re gonna make me drive ten hours just to fuck you in whatever dirty motel you pulled off into.” You’re still smiling, but you think if you keep messing with him, he’d do it. He’d drive ten hours, a hundred of them if it meant teaching you a lesson. Or just being with you. “I’ll see you soon. Real soon, yeah?”

“Yeah.” You breathe out, knowing if you keep talking to him your entire plan will crumble in front of you, because you’re half considering driving home just to sleep next to him. “Soon. Be safe, okay?”

The words tumble out, and you try to hide the guilt you feel when you say them. He was only not safe because of you— because you couldn’t finish the job yourself. You’re glad he can’t see your face, because you hear him mumble on the other end and your eyes close listening to him.

“Always. Tell the kid I said hi.” With that, Frank hangs up the phone, and you slide it onto the table right next to the pistol you keep loaded and ready to fire.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Frank pulls the saturated beanie over his head, and it’s probably doing more harm than good at this point, but he doesn’t have a second to really give a shit. His eye-line is perfect— directed straight into the penthouse apartment Bobby Gnucci was driven to three hours ago. He’s been tucked away in the corner of the rooftop for just as long, watching the man pace and yell on the phone.

It had taken him a few goes to get the right frequency to listen in on the calls he was making, but once he had he took as much information done as he could. He’d had enough of watching, and now he was satisfied with the phones calls he’d listened to that the man was alone for the night; not counting his extensive security team layered through the apartment block. Frank felt the familiar hum in his veins, shoving his loaded pistol in his jeans and swinging the strap of a rifle over his shoulder, he headed down the stairs, across the street and slipped into the back of the building.

There’d be witnesses if he didn’t take the right route, and to make this work he needed every chance at an alibi he could get. He was so used to not caring— every time he’d gone into something like this, he didn’t have something to get back to. He had no preservation, no concern for what came after. Hell, if he was honest, he didn’t care if he went out doing something like this. He would of preferred it, maybe even hoped he’d die somewhere in the cross fire.

Even just talking to you on the phone had him itching to get back to you now. He wanted to be careful— something he never really thought of before. A heavy ache in his stomach that twisted something violent when he thought about not getting home, not making good on his promise from a few hours ago, it made him sick. He planned as much as he could, as much as he was capable of, and hoped to God it was enough.

Frank hid his body behind the corner of the wall. He hid his face, too, even though he’d already had Micro’s help shutting out the cameras. He knew it would set off alarms for the security team, but he planned for that. They’d spread out, follow orders that he’d listened to over the radio, three men on all the entries and exits, and then ten through the penthouse. If he timed it right, he could clear the first few levels before the guards arrived.

He didn’t care about making noise now— slamming his way up the fire access while Gnucci’s men no doubt got into position. He’d just past a number 6, and Bobby was on the top floor. 23. He kept going, not hearing any doors open. When he passed 9, the door on the level below him cracked open and he jammed through the next exit he reached, getting into position.

He could hear voices coming from his right, and steadied himself as he turned the safety off his gun. He had a small army of men to get through, but he knew if he could make it, landing the hit on Bobby would be easy.

He wasn’t nervous. Pure adrenaline flooded him, like it always did, and he didn’t think twice before standing out of cover and pulling the trigger.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“How have you grown so much?!” You nearly shout, hugging Sam tighter as he all but latches onto your leg. “God, you’re gonna be my height soon.”

“I missed you!” He says, words muffled in your jacket. You don’t even have to bend really, he’s that tall. It is even possible for him to grow that much in just a month? “Come! I want to show you my stuff. Me and Niko share a room, and it’s the coolest thing…”

You let him drag you around the house, showing you the bunk beds that are set up for him and Nikolai. He shows you books he’s brought home from school, and it makes you smile how chaotic his room is. There’s piles of books and papers everywhere, stuffed under the bed and nearly toppling on the tables. It looks like it’s lived in… like a home, and your heart warms and breaks all at once.

When he finally finishes his impromptu tour, he pulls you outside where the rest of the family has set themselves up, and runs out into the giant back yard to chase after Nikolai. You hardly had a chance to say hello to them, but if you were honest you hadn’t thought of anything but Sam since you saw him.

“Did he show you the bunk beds?” The doctor— Zaed, you remind yourself, comes up behind you on the deck. “He hasn’t stopped talking about showing you.”

“I thought he was gonna explode.” Zaed laughs, and you turn to look at him. He’s still sporting a scar across his forehead, and it somehow makes his older features look slightly hardened. His face was still soft, something about him gesturing kindness, an observation you never made in the months you were locked away. “He told me you made them.”

“It took me weeks. I am not very… handy.” Smiling, you turn back to watch Sam and Nikolai screaming and laughing as they chase each other with Nerf guns. “I am sorry for what happened with the case.”

“So am I. If he’d gone away, you wouldn’t have to stay in Witness Protection.” He nods, turning away for a second only to return and offer you a can of something. “What is it?”

“It’s Russian. You’ll like it— it’s strong.” You crack it open and take a long drink, hoping to drown the rising anxiety that kneads the back of your mind at the thought of what Frank was doing right now. “We don’t mind it so much here.”

“Florida?” He nods.

“We want to stay. Corinne thinks the children— with what they’ve been through, shouldn’t move too much. They seem happy here.” You hum in agreement, listening  to the light squeals of the youngest girl, who’s name you haven’t learnt yet, who’s got the biggest Nerf gun of all and is shooting the shit out of both boys. “It was my idea. To offer to take him in. If you are upset, please lay the blame with me—“

“Upset? God, why would I ever be upset?” He blinks in surprise, looking to you.

“You are here with him, and yet you still seem far away. I figured the suggestion was weighing on you. We only offer because… well, we have all grown quite fond of him, and for you— to you we owe our lives. I thought if we could make any of this easier…” You shake your head, finishing the bitter liquid in the can.

“You looking after Sam is about one of two good things I have going right now.” Zaed seems to relax, leaning forward onto the railing as you both stare out to watch the kids. “I think he’s happy here.”

“He is. He misses you, but he is happy.”

“And safe.”

“Of course. I pity anyone who would try to get past Corinne now.” You laugh at the tinge of genuine anxiety in his voice, as if he imagines it, but his eyes are full of admiration.

“I want to talk to him about it… make sure he’s okay, but if he wants to, I think him staying here would be the best thing for him.” Zaed doesn’t answer right away, just lets the echoed laughter of the kids fill both of your ears before he nods simply.

“He will be safe. And I am sure you will learn to love Florida, too, with how much you will visit?”

“What?” Again, a look of surprise crosses his face.

“Sam did not show you the spare room? We have cleared a space for you— whenever you need it. You… it is the least I could do. You saved my life—“

“Hardly.”

“I owe you it. My families life. My own. Whatever you should need here, the door would be open to you.” You have to look away, because it’s too much, and you don’t know when you became so soft that shit like this made you tear up.

“You don’t owe me anything. You keeping Sam safe is everything I ever wanted. I think we’re even now.” You laugh, your throat suddenly feeling a little tight.

“I couldn’t help but notice you arrived alone.” He questions, and you hide your face, unsure if the way you chew on your bottom lip gives too much away.

“Yeah.” No amount of alcohol could drown out the thought of Frank. You hadn’t heard from him in a day. Zaed looks at you, his eyes crinkling as he assess you.

“I thought he was going to drown with you that night. When he saw you go into the water… I recognise that look in a man’s eyes.” It seems so long ago now, and your hand instinctively goes to your stomach, where Frank sewed you up the first time. “He is coming soon, I assume? I doubt he would let you get too far from him right now.”

“Yeah, he’s…” You trust Zaed— but there’s only one person who takes precedent over the people taking care of your brother. “He’s just finishing up some stuff with the case in New York. He should be on his way now.”

“Ah.” He says, his eyes lingering on you in question. You say nothing, just sink a little more of the can. “Well, when he kills the ублюдок, I hope he makes it last.”

Before you can recover and wipe the shock off your face long enough to ask him how the hell he guessed what Frank is doing, Sam and Nikolai are in front of you, and Zaed disappears back into the house.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Frank grunts, a loud nearly animalistic sound vibrating off the walls as he clears the 23rd floor. Every time he breathes out, blood sprays out of his mouth. He can’t tell if it’s his own or he’s just covered in so much that it’s dripping off him. Either way he can’t help it, chest burning for oxygen after he laid the lower floors to absolute waste.

He’d ditched the assault rifle somewhere between the 18th and 19th floors, not even bothering to pull out his pistol. No— he’d fought every single one of them with his bare hands, and anything he could find scattered between dead bodies.

His right hand was fucked, and he’s pretty sure he got shot. Somewhere on the right side of his body, there’s a shooting pain between his thigh and his ribs, but it’s not enough to slow him down. He shoves his body weight into the penthouse door, throwing himself into guards he knows are ready and waiting for him. He reaches for his pistol, shooting three guys in the head before his eyes adjust to the dimmer lights in the room.

He hears them shouting orders, and he kills three more as he crosses the living room. One of them he puts through the TV screen, glass shattering under his hand as he crushes the man’s skull between the hard surface. The other two he shoots, and then moves towards the last four. All of them shield the door to the bedroom— putting their lives on the line for a man who doesn’t deserve the air he’s wasting.

Frank doesn’t have a moral compass when it comes to revenge. Not when it has to do with the people he loves. It’s why he clears the round of bullets in his gun on all four of them in less than thirty seconds, watching the lifeless bodies pile up in the doorway, there isn’t a single moment that he hesitates.

“Bobby!” Frank shouts, his voice horse and so loud he’s got no doubt the dead hear it.

He hears shuffling, and drops the pistol before stomping his way through into the bedroom. He sees Bobby, crawling across the floor in an attempt to reach for a gun dropped by one of the guards, but just as he goes to reach for it, Frank slams a bloody boot down on top of his hand, feeling the crush of bone under his weight.

“Fuck!” He shouts, and Frank smiles sickly, blood dripping from his teeth. “Get the fuck off me, you animal!”

Frank kicks him in the face, two of his teeth flying out and scattering across the carpet. As he rolls over, Frank grabs him by the collar and sits him up, watching his head lull to the side.

“Wake up.” Frank slams his fist into his skull. There was no way he was passing out this fast. Not after what he’s done. “Wake the fuck up.”

His hands shake with how hard he’s holding Bobby upright. So hard he feels the bone of his collar begin to give, and Frank chases the idea. Bobby thrashes, screaming as his eyes shoot open, the sound kicking Frank back into gear. He lets go of his shoulder long enough to pull back, only to drive his fist and crack the rest of his shoulder.

“Help m—“ Bobby tries to shout, but Frank shuts him off with another well placed shove of his weight into Bobby’s stomach, winding him. He wheezes, the pathetic sound something like music to Franks ears.

He punches him again— over and over. Not enough to kill him, though. No, Frank wasn’t done, he was just feeding the thrill. He’d been waiting too fucking long for this, and there was something satisfying about seeing this man— this weak excuse for a man being blinded by his own blood as he cries for someone to help him.

“Ain’t no one comin’ for you.” He growls, and grabs Bobby’s face so it hangs straight. His jaw is slack, but his eyes go wide when he feels the blade at his ribs. “You know that? That there ain’t a single person out there comin’ for you. No one gives a shit about you. You’re alone in here— your life in my hands.”

“Haaa—“ Bobby tries but whatever it is fades out into a scream when Frank slides the blade between his third and fourth rib. Slowly— real fucking slow. “They… they’ll come. Th-They’ll come f-for me.”

“No one’s comin’. Dead. All of ‘em. You’re alone.” He slides it a little deeper, watching the realisation wash over his face.

In truth, Frank wasn’t doing this for him. Sure, it felt fucking good, and Frank was enjoying the sight of the life draining out of his eyes, but he wants him to know why. Why he’s here, why he took out every last man in this building so he knew there was no hope. No one for him to go to.

He knew that’s what it was like for you. Frank couldn’t give you back those years, and he couldn’t take that much time with this— he’d thought about it, but he wanted this to end here and now. He could do this here, for you. Could make him know just how it feels to have all that power beat out of you, and know that there’s no one out there coming to save you.

“Stop…stop!” He wails, and Frank hits him harder. Every crack of his fist sends Bobby further into unconsciousness, and when he manages to stop himself, he shakes him awake again.

He gurgles on his own blood, dark red pools choking out of his mouth. His face is unrecognisable, already starting to blow up as he strangles in a few short breaths.

“I can… I have money. I can p—“ The effort of the words sprays another load of blood out of his mouth, and even though he’s exhausted, Frank laughs.

“You think I want money?” He leans down, yanking the knife out of his ribs and shoving it in again.

“Fuck! What do you—what do you want?!” Bobby wails again. Frank smiles.

“I want you to know that she’s the reason you’re dead. The last thing you’ll know is me— my face, and you’ll know it’s because you ended up just like you made her. Except she got out, and you never will.” Frank loses sense of time, his injuries starting to catch up with him as he yanks the knife out one more time, before slamming it home into Bobby’s skull.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“I’m watching!” You shout as Sam lines up again, taking a few steps back before rushing forward and kicking the ball towards their make shift goal in the yard. You have to admit, for only been playing a few weeks, he’s got a hell of a kick on him.

“See! I’m getting better— my coach says next year I can try out for the first grade team if I keep training!” He’s smiling so big, and then he’s gone again, picking up the ball to take another shot at Nikolai who’s got goalkeeper gloves on, ready to catch it.

You’d be happy to watch this all day, but then Corinne calls out to you, telling you your phone is ringing, and you all but leap over the railing of the deck. When you race inside, you expect to see Franks name, and your heart sinks when you don’t. You knew he wouldn’t be able to call until it was over, but it’s been nearly two days since you’d heard anything. Then, you see it’s an unknown number calling, and your hands are shaking when you disappear into what is meant to be ‘your’ room to answer.

“Hello?” You recognise the voice instantly when she says your name. “Fucking hell, Karen. You scared me. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but are you?!” She nearly shouts, and you are still coming back to your mind with relief it wasn’t someone telling you Frank was dead. “I don’t even know how you did it, but I don’t want to. The way they found him… Jesus.”

“Wait. What? Karen, I’m in Florida.”

“What?”

“I’m with my brother in Florida. I came up here two days ago after the trial.” She goes quiet, and you can hear the commotion in the background. Remembering it’s a Tuesday, and that she must be at work, it only furthers your suspicions. “Who’s dead?”

“Bobby is. They found him. They found his body— but…”

“Karen, tell me.” All you need to hear is Frank wasn’t found. That he got out of there before anyone saw him. It would be your fault— all of it would be your fault if he was found. You needed to get back, you needed—

“Sorry. Sorry, I just thought… with everything that happened before, I thought it might of been you. Bobby’s dead, but… there’s nearly 50 men in the building with him. They’re all dead. And Bobby; he was hardly recognisable. It took them nearly 24 hours to identify him.”

“24 hours?” Frank needed to get out of New York as soon as he killed Bobby. If the police had been crawling around there for nearly a day… “Karen, I gotta go. Thank you for calling.”

You cut it off before she responds, and call the only number saved in your phone. It only rings twice before he answers, and you could nearly cry when you hear his voice.

“Stop fuckin’ ringin’ me, Murdock. I don’t know shit and I’m busy.” He grumbles through the phone, and you choke out something between a laugh and a sob. “Oh, fuck. Sorry— hey, sweetheart. Was just about to call you.”

“It’s… did the— job go okay?” You try to calm your voice as best you can, knowing that if anyone traces the call he’s done for.

“It took me longer than I thought. Had to get stitched up, then Curtis drove me halfway— passed out for most of it.” Before you can ask, he answers. “I’m fine, don’t do that.”

“You’re okay?” Relief floods your body, phone nearly slipping out of your hand with how hard you were gripping it. “Everything’s… everything’s okay?”

“Come see for yourself. I’m pulling up.” Like a kid on Christmas, you toss the phone and basically sprint to the front door, hearing an unfamiliar truck rumble down the isolated street.

He’s driving, clearly having ditched Curtis, but when he gets out he’s got a limp, and his hand is bandaged. You don’t run, instead you stand in the driveway and soak up the image— Frank; leaning against the door of the truck, sunglasses covering up what you have no doubt are black eyes. Alive. Favouring his left side and still with dried blood on his head, but fucking here.  

“You’re hurt.” You say it when you finally reach him, but it sounds pathetic, closer to the tone you’d whimper his name in.

“Don’t worry about it.” He says huskily and reaches out, yanking you forward and slamming his mouth to yours.

The soft touch of his bandaged hand is opposite to the greedy grasp of his free one, the one wrapping around your back and fisting the material of your shirt, pressing so you were flush against him. Both of your hands cup his face, feeling the rough surface of his skin. You lose yourself in the taste of him as your fingers trace the patterns of scars peppering around his head— a constellation you’ve memorised a million times over, and yet it still feels as illuminating as the first.

He groans your name, sliding his hand up to grip your jaw, thumb tugging on your bottom lip. You lean back slightly, staying at close to him as possible. His eyes look you up and down, and there’s a glint in his eye; a hunger that never seems to be satiated when he looks at you. He’s still feverish for it, and it makes your toes curl in your shoes.

“Fuckin’ missed you.” He mumbles against your lips, and it makes you smile against his.

“I can tell.” His other hand forgets it’s injury as he searches your body, gripping your hips and pressing you closer.

“Get Sam. Let’s go home.” He tucks his head lower, mouth kissing under your jaw, and as much as you do want to get the fuck out of here with him, you pull away.

“He’s… he’s staying here.” Frank pushes the sunglasses off his face, looking at you through what is actually only one bruised eye.

“Staying?” You nod. “You sure?”

“I talked to him about it. He fucking loves it here, Frank. He didn’t want me to go again, but you should of seen him with them. They treat him like their own, and he adores them. It’s so much better than anything I could of thought.” Frank wraps his arms around your back and hugs you right, and your eyes flutter closed. “And you can’t just leave. They’re expecting you to come in and say hi.”

“Why?” The way he says it makes you laugh, as if you’d just asked him to drink gasoline.

“Come on.” You tug him by the wrists, and even though he groans and leans on you up the driveway, you both stagger inside and follow the sounds of Sam’s laughter, leaving everything else behind.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“They were being nice.” You haven’t wiped the smile off your face since you slid into the passenger seat this morning. “Well, I slept great. I don’t know what you’re complaining about.”

“Mhmm.” Frank grumbles, clearing having a much worse sleep than you did.

It was sweet, and truely, you wanted to take them up on it. When Frank dragged himself through the front door of  where Sam had been staying, everyone had nearly jumped on him. Sam couldn’t contain himself, clearly trying to play it cool but simultaneously thinking Frank was the coolest person he’d ever met. It was sweet, the way Frank was with the kids, the sight making you both smile and want to cry.

Either way, when Corinne and Zaed had offered for you both to stay the night, Frank agreed and all but dragged you down the hallway after dinner. The spare room was nice— set up clearly for two people, and you were only human.

It would have been perfect— had the room not been sharing a wall with your brother and his new best friend. A very fucking thin wall. One that was nearly vibrating with how loud they screamed every five minutes playing some game on the TV. The louder they were, the more it became apparent that neither of you would be getting a lot of sleep, and not in the good way.

Having Frank that close all night but not being able to do anything about it reminded you of the start of this whole thing. How you shared a bed with him but had to force yourself to keep your hands to yourself. It was borderline painful, but eventually you managed to drift off to sleep, not missing how hard Franks hands were gripping your hips like he had to physically cement himself to stop from fucking you through the bed.

When you woke up, Frank had all your shit shoved in the car, and was outside cooking pancakes with Sam. You took your time saying goodbye— making sure to thank both Corinne and Zaed properly, and then promising you’ll be back. Soon. ‘So soon you won’t even have time to miss me’ you’d promised Sam, and he grinned and hugged you before disappearing to get ready for school.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Frank looked to you before shifting in his seat, one of his hands resting on your thigh and squeezing.

“Got a stop to make before getting back to New York.”  You’d been driving for a while now— about half way between New York and where you’d left Sam. You turned in your seat, resisting the urge to roll your eyes.

“Don’t be cryptic.” You try to sound assertive, but you can’t seem to hold any resentment when you could feel the warmth of him palm on your thigh.

“It’s close, alright? Promise.” The words eased something in your chest, the same way his smile did when he looked at you.

A small silence drifted between you as a Billy Joel song hummed softly on the radio, and your head dropped, eyes tracing over the bruises left on his knuckles. Your fingers dance around them, careful to keep your touches light. You follow the lines of black and blue up over his wrist, watching them disappear under the arm of his jumper. Your curiosity gets the better of you, and when you push up the sleeve just slightly, you swear loudly.

“Fucking hell! Is this broken?” You pull the sleeve up higher, and you tighten your grip on his wrist when he goes to pull away. If you hadn’t watched him so closely, you would of missed the way he winced, and you let go immediately. “Sorry. Sorry— fuck, Frank. Is this all from—“

“I’m fine. Just a couple scratches.” He says, keeping his blackened eyes trained on the road. It would of been easy to miss— not seeing him without clothes since he’d come back. Bile rises in your throat at the thought he was hurt because of you— because he was doing this for you. Suffering for you. Like he has the entire time.

“Are you lying?” He shakes his head, and you lightly poke him in the side. He hissed loudly, flinching away from you and swerving the car. “Pull over.”

“I’m not pulling over.” Frank groans.

“You’ve been driving for hours, just—“

“It’s fine. We only got a few more miles till—“

“Please.” There must have been something in your voice, some kind of soft vulnerability that even he isn’t used to hearing, and then the car is pulling off the side of an empty highway, dusk rolling over the hood of the truck.

You reach out, pulling the sunglasses off his face to reveal him slowly. This part you’ve seen, but it still knocks the wind out of you. The cut along his cheekbone, not deep enough to need stitches but you know it will scar over. His right eye is a deep purple, the left nearly green. You go to draw your fingers over his face, but hesitate, worried you’ll hurt him. He sees you pulling back and catches your wrist, placing your palm between his cheek and his own hand.

“Don’t do that.” You choke out a laugh, smoothing your hand over and back into his slightly longer hair, pulling him closer over the console of the car.

“I’m not doing anything.” You say softly, something guilty in your voice. When he hears it, he shakes his head at you.

“Can read you like a book. You got nothin’ to do with this, alright?”

“I have nothing to do with it?” You want to laugh. “I’m the reason you were there. The reason all this happened.”

“I would of been in the same place with or without you. This part?” He gestures to himself, his torso that you know all too well is littered with scars. “This isn’t a part you blame yourself for.”

“But it is. My fault.” He opens his mouth but you talk first. “All of this… watching those kids today, watching Sam— all I ever did was put him in danger. And you. It’s better for him to be there, away from all this. Away from me. Maybe now all this is over, it would be better…safer, if you—“

“Stop. I don’t wanna hear that shit. You know how selfish you sound?” You blink a few times, eyes meeting his. At some point he’s leaned even closer, and you can feel the heat of his body thawing you out. “You’re right— I wouldn’t of gone back to New York the past two days if it wasn’t for you. You know why?”

“Listen—“

“No. I wouldn’t of gone back because I would of killed that asshole six months ago and been home in time for dinner. I’ve been doin’ this a long time, and there’s nothin’ you could of done that would of changed how this ended.” He holds your face up to his, rough hands holding you as gently as they could, and his thumb traces the scar just above your eyebrow. “Sam is safe with them, but don’t think for one fuckin’ second he’s better off without you. God knows I’m not. You’ve done nothin’ but good for that kid, and I’d… fucking hell. I’d be dead without you, you know that?”

“No you wouldn’t.” Your voice was so soft it hardly broke the silence, but he leaned in, his forehead pressing to yours. “You could probably jump out of a building and walk it off.”

“Maybe. But now I gotta be careful nd’ come home to you, don’t I?” He smiles, and then kisses you and you forget where you are. Words die on your tongue and are replaced by the taste of him, mind freezing over when he touches you. He does it every time. Every time he manages to take your breath away with one whisper of your name, one swipe of his thumb over your mouth. It’s intoxicating and dependant, something you never thought you’d want, but it feels so good with him. His hands drop to your waist, their pull demanding and needy as he yanks you up and over the centre console and onto his lap.

“I’d do it again. All of it. Kill every single—“ You kiss him again, squeezing your eyes shut, and he groans as you shift on his lap. “Fuck, baby we should wait till…”

“Till when?” You say breathlessly, and despite his words his hands are already sneaking underneath your shirt, his cool hands meeting your feverish skin. You can hardly keep your eyes open, and your hips roll forward again, seeking him out. “I want you now, Frank.”

“Fuck it. Doesn’t matter.” He says and then crashes into you, your back nearly pressing against the dash with how quick he moves. Your gasp of surprise is lost in his mouth, and you can feel the sparks he makes in your chest crackling their way through you, toes curling in your shoes.

Your half bent backwards, legs in either side of his as he keeps your chest pressed to him, both arms wrapping around you to hold you steady. You tug at his shirt helplessly, getting it stuck around his arm and he smiles against your mouth, leaning back to look at you before whipping it over his head.

In the dark of the room last night you wouldn’t of seen it, but now the lights streaming in from the car window, and Franks torso is nearly a rainbow in it— blue, purple and green bruises all up his side, with a short but deep cut on the low right side of his abdomen. He’s taken the bandage off it too early, the stitches still healing, but you can tell it’s expert work. Much better than the botched job you did a month or so back, something he still bares the reminders for.

“Just… just a couple scratches, huh?” He grunts something illegible and hauls you back to him.

“Shut up.” He keeps you pressed close, not giving you a chance to say something back, but then his hands dip lower and you’re a goner.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeah. Fuck waiting.

He’s got you here— now, on top of him, and he can’t even fucking think of anything else. Your hands are being so gentle and cautious when he really couldn’t care less about the pain, but you do. You always do.

He wasn’t gonna waste another second, and seeing your eyes close the second he got your pants off and dipped his hands between your legs… it’s pretty much as close to heaven as he was going to get.

You fall forward, Frank catching you with one arm and pulling you close while the other continues slow, teasing circles just how he knows gets you all worked up. Your head tucks away into his neck, and he lets you hide for now, but when he’s got you home— real home, then he’ll be able to look at you as much as he god damn wants.

Your hips move against him, chasing his slow rhythm, and he feels your teeth scrape agains this neck, wordlessly rushing him along. 

“You need me that bad?” He says lowly, and watches in awe the way his words wash over you and yank you closer to the edge. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Shouldn’t of left you so needy—“

“Fuckkk… right there—please.” Your voice was so high it cracks a little, and it fucking sets him on fire.

“Get my belt for me, baby.” He whispers, feigning a bit of self control as he watches you quickly fumble with the buckle. The slight brush of your hands could finish him then and there, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to try and remember why he wanted to wait. He had just one more card to play— one that you’d seen him play a few times before, but he doesn’t think you expect it this time, and he needed some semblance of composure to remember it.

A real house, white picket fence and all, smack bang on halfway between New York and Florida. He couldn’t leave New York, not ever, but he had a new anchor now, one that deserved to have it all.

Frank planned to take you straight home. Make a ten hour drive and keep his hands to himself, but how the fuck could he when you were like this? Looking like you do, touching him so fucking sweet and soft and saying how much you missed every part of him— it was a dream come to life, and one of the few moments he’d let himself go in.

You shuffle as close as the seat allows, your now naked chest pressing against his. He dips his head, kissing your jaw, and he’s suddenly surrounded by you. Arms around his neck, warm and soft as your fingers thread in his hair, both of you moan at the feeling of him sliding into you. It’s white hot and nearly painful, how even with the way you’re dripping down your thighs, it still takes you a second to take him all the way. You wriggle your hips, trying to settle yourself and Frank nips at your neck, slowing your pace just slightly. He can hear you sigh, but you listen. You always fucking do.

“Shit— so fucking good. You can take it.” He hums and runs his hands over your skin. You lean into the touch, and when you sigh again he sinks your hips lower, a short punch of your name bursting from his chest when you slam yourself down. “Fuck. There you go.”

He’s a wreck underneath you, and your hands slither away from his hair to his face when you pull him up to kiss you. As much as he loves the feeling of your hips grinding down ever so slightly right now, it’s this part he loves the most. The slow intimacy of it— how he knows he can stay right here for the rest of the day and nothing will change. He can feel how much you love it, how much care you handle him with, and it cracks something old and hard in his gut.

You shudder as he lifts his hips, keeping your mouths together and kissing hungrily. He’d think you’d both been starved for a year the way you two act, but he’d admit it to anyone that asked that he was gone for you. He knows it well and true, in his chest and in the way you bounce in his lap, moaning into his mouth like he’s breathing air into your burning lungs.

“Fuck— fuck, I love you. I fucking… Jesus Christ, you’re so good. I love you.” He can’t shut himself up, and your breath gets faster. He knows you love it when he talks. “C’mon, baby. Let me see you— wanna feel you. I know you want to.”

“Slow… Frank, you’re gonna hurt yourself—“ You suck in a breath and squeeze your eyes shut. His hands stay tight on your hips, and he feels the pleasure buzz under his palms, your skin nearly alight with it on top of him. “Oh my god, don’t stop.”

He wraps his forearm around you and fucks you harder, any pain and injury burnt out by how tight you are around him, and how perfect you fit him. He’s close, so close that he’s hardly able to kiss you now. You both collide in a mess of tongues and sighs, and when he hears you croak out his name into his mouth, he knows you’re cumming for him.

He can’t hold himself back, chasing you into that high with blinding abandon. It hits him like a freight train, bowing him over you like he’s taken a hit, but it feels so good he can’t register that he isn’t breathing like this. He keeps kissing you until he’s sure he’s going to pass out, and only stops when you pull away, eyes darting to the highway where headlights slowly flicker on the horizon.

“Shit.” You say breathless, and you laugh. He can feel it, the sound shuddering through him from where he was still deep inside you, and your giggles soon turned to something less innocent when you heard Frank groan into your chest. “C’mon. Someone’ll see us.”

“Don’t move yet.” He puts his hands on your waist, fanning them out to reach as much of you as possible.

“Mhmm.” It’s like your body gives out at his request, slumping forward and moulding into him like you were made to fit this way. This was what he was talking about. The way you fit together— something that should be out of the question for him fits so right. “I love you, too.”

“Mhmm.” He copies and feels you smile against his skin. His hands trail up your spine, tracing the line of bones lightly to leave goosebumps in his wake. “What time is it?”

“Who gives a fuck?” You mumble, the words half muffled into his neck.

“I want you to see the house in the light, but you wanna go at it blind, be my guest.” It takes you a second, a scoff coming out of you before you sit up abruptly, making him groan again.

“House? What house? Another safe house.” Frank couldn’t keep a secret to save his life when it came to you.

“It’s a house. Twenty minute drive from here.”

“But New Yorks not—“

“I know. Good thing we got cars, yeah?” Your eyebrows are crossed together, and Franks thumb slips over the small scar he left on your face. The movement shifts your gaze to something softer, and he feels the brush of your eyelashes on his finger as you blink up at him.

“You did it on purpose. It’s right in the middle.” You say softly. “Jesus, Frank. You didn’t have to… I mean you—“

“Take a breath. I didn’t buy it. Was a gift from the US Goverment. One thing those guys are good for is their money. I just picked the spot.” He could nearly hear the rave of your heart, and you crushed yourself into him, words hushed and mumbled into his ear, but they melt him to the core all the same.

He’ll never get over hearing you say things like this to him. That you’re grateful for him, that he’s doing a good thing. It’s like nothing he did before you was ever good enough. There was always the next job, always the next group to track, but nothing would be enough. There wasn’t a light at the end of the tunnel for him. But here you were, telling him that he was the reason you were gonna be alright, and if he squints he can see it. The flicker of something hopeful, and if he holds onto you as tight as he can, he might just live to see it light him on fire.

“Did you say… you said twenty minutes from here. Why didn’t we just wait until—“

“Would’ve ruined the surprise.” You laugh again, and the feeling has him gripping you tighter. He leans closer to whisper in your ear, his voice low. “And I wanted to fuck you here and now. Don’t want there to be a single fuckin’ surface where I ain’t had you.”

“Better get driving then, Castle. Sounds like you got a job to do.” The glint in your eye nearly makes him drag you outside and bend you over the hood, but the kiss you give him after is sickeningly sweet, so much so that he lets you slide off him and back into the passenger seat without so much as a nip of his teeth. “Tha–”

“Wait. Wait til you see it.” Frank said, and something about the way he looked at you had you nodding simply, and watching the trees race by as he sped you home.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You were asleep on the balcony again, and Frank moved as slow as he could to let you stay that way.

In the two weeks you’d been here, he could count on one hand how many times you’d actually slept in the bed. There were no neighbours for miles, nothing interrupting the stretch of sky all the way to the hills. Even Frank had to admit it was a killer view.

He came inside, pouring himself a drink, and a strange pit in his stomach settled after the burning liquid soothed his throat. He can’t seem to kick that feeling when you’re asleep. When you were awake, next to him, there wasn’t anything else he could think about. But alone, walking around a house he owned, a life he might try and live staring him in the face, he felt guilty. There were parts of him he wouldn’t ever get back, but this wasn’t something he thought he’d ever have. Peace and quiet, time to himself. A woman he loved within eyesight, buried under blankets cause she was too stubborn to come inside when it got freezing. He couldn’t figure out why now, of all times, was the time to be thinking of Maria. The weight of the ring around his neck was like an anchor. He knew it was stuck on the bottom of the ocean, but he couldn’t find it in himself to let go. He would sit there, hand cut up and bleeding, holding on for dear fucking life if no one moved him, waiting until he drowned.

Your footsteps were soft, in a way that he knows you can’t help. You tread through the open double doors, and Frank would roll his eyes at the way he could hear your teeth chattering if he wasn’t so distracted.

“You should of woke me.” You say, voice muffled from the mess your head was buried under. He took a step toward you, pushing it back so he could see your eyes.

“It’s late.”

“Couldn’t tell.” He can hear the smirk in your voice.

“You finally frozen to death, smart-ass?” You grumble something in reply, and he catches a few curse words before you look at him again. It’s nearly scary, the way you can read him with one sweep of your eyes. You clock his tone, the way he isn’t leaning into you with his full weight, and squint your eyes.

“What is it?” Frank sucks in a long breath, and kisses you.

He’s a complete idiot. That’s what it is. He can feel the buzzing pulse you wake in him, every movement of your lips on his rooting you deeper in his soul, chipping off ice until theres only warmth. How’s he supposed to tell you, after you’ve just kissed him like that, that he was thinking about his–

“You can talk to me about her, Frank.” You say with your head against his. Not it, her. Before he can ask, you smile a little. Even just a hint of that smile and he’s forgetting how to breathe. “You play with the ring when you’re nervous. It’s actually a bit of a tell.”

“Yeah?” He manages, hands trying to search their way through the blankets for you.

“Yeah. You have a lot of tells. For someone in your line of work, it’s actually a bit worrying.”

“You got me all figured out.” He says and means it, but you just roll your eyes.

“And you lean to the left when you think you can’t make a shot. You think it helps your angle.”

“Who woulda thought you were so observant.”

“You know, I actually did watch you when you were teaching me how to shoot.” Frank smiles, your skin finally under his palms. His hands splay on your back, and you lean closer.

“You were trying to fuck me the whole time. Don’t blame me for being surprised.” You try to whack him but your arms are pinned under the layers. Your laughter carries through him, skittering into his chest until he can’t help but laugh too.

“You came onto me.” He laughs harder. “It was very unprofessional. I was there to learn.”

“Damn fucking right I did.” His voice is low, and you shuffle around under his hold until your hands snake up behind his neck. His hair is too long, but he hasn’t cut it just yet. He tells himself that he hasn’t had time, but truthfully he likes the way it feels when you sift your fingers through the ends of it. Like now.

“You can tell me.” You say again, softer. He’s softer too– more malleable now you were here.

“I can’t help it.” He looks over your shoulder, and you follow his gaze to where the sun is now just starting to rise. “She woulda… woulda liked it here. The kids, too.”

“You think so?” He nods, still staring into the orange sky.

“Probably would of had a lot to say about the inside, though.” You wrap around him tighter, head on his chest. “She was so good with those things. She loved when we painted our house. She had all these colors painted next to each other on the wall. All these different kinds of green. Everyone kept sayin’ it all looked the same but she... she could tell the difference. I could see what she meant when she put the couch next to it and shit, you know? She was real good with that stuff.”

“We could use her help around here. This place is sort of… ugly, on the inside.” He laughed again, his throat feeling tighter as he looked around. There was those same colour swatches, but none of them were coordinated like he was remembering. Pinks, blues, oranges and grays were all mixed together in big, sweeping strikes along the wall, stopping right above where your arm would be able to reach. “What would she have gone with?”

He looks down at you, your face washed in the light of the sunrise.

“The light orange. It looks good with the brown.” He nods over to the couch, an old leather one you’d made him pick up off the side of the road.

“We’ll do that one, then.” You tuck yourself under his chin, sighing.

“I think about ‘em everyday. What the kids would have looked like now. What they’d be doing. How Maria and I would of… raised ‘em. I was away all the time, but I just-”

“I think you would have been just fine.” You say into his chest, and Frank takes a shuddering breath.

“Why’s that?“

“Cause she was in love with you.” His chest tightens, and the grip he’s got on your waist gets a little tighter. “I’m… I’ll never be able to fix…that. It’ll always be with you, and nothing will change what happened, but I want you to know that they will always have a place here. You don’t have to apologize for talking about them– the kids, or Maria. I will never, ever not listen, and it will never be something I don’t want to hear. If they’re always with you, they’ll be with me, too.”

Frank takes two steps forward, and your feet pick up just in time to catch yourself before he throws you back on the couch. He’s never been good with words for things like this. He doesn’t think he should try to shove it all in a sentence, either. Not when theres so much he wants to say, but even more he wants to do.

You lay back, and he moves slowly. He wants you to know every move, every brush of his hand and his mouth is by design. He wants to know every square inch of you inside and out like you know him. He wants his hands to pull the strings, letting you hear all the things his mouth could never possibly form.

“Perfect.” Frank sighs against your mouth, over and over again. It was. You were. Are. The pit in his stomach disappears, pushed out and engulfed by the flames in his chest. There was no room for anything, not a single other feeling or word could possibly fit the way you two fit together. Your fingers tug at his shirt, and he takes it over his head. Your hands run and smooth gentle lines over his chest, over the healing wound on his side. It's jagged and wonky, and it nearly spelt your name. Frank thinks it’s the first time he’s looked down at himself and not hated to see the scars.

He unravels you like a gift to himself, savouring every moment even when you try to shrug off the blanket. You hadn’t dressed since last night, and Frank liked it even more this way. You sighed his name, and Frank shuddered, sealing his mouth over yours again. When his eyes opened for a split second, he could see your face, washed in orange light, and your hair swept to the side. He shut his eyes and kissed you again, the image seared into his mind forever.

Frank had faced a lot of bad things in his life. He had been shot, stabbed, pulled apart and put back together more times than he could remember. He thought he’d seen it all, felt it all before, but there was nothing like this. Nothing made him as weak as your fingers in his hair, and nothing made him as strong as the way you moaned his name. Nothing felt as good as sliding inside you, and nothing felt as empty as when you were gone. It made him lightheaded and brought him to the brink of consciousness, but he knew that this was right.

It could of been minutes or hours that had passed when he let himself go, but no amount of time with you under him would stop him from wanting more. The sun was up now, and Frank had you tucked to his side on the small space of the couch, legs tangled together in the blankets and each other. He felt you shiver against him, and the blankets wrapped around you had come loose. He bent to fix them, and when he moved you did it again.

He looked down, seeing the cold line of metal pressed against your bare back. The ring at the end was hanging over your ribs, and when Frank touched it, it was freezing. Holding it in his palm, it didn’t feel as heavy as it used to, and when he read the engraving on the back, he still felt cold.

Looking down at you, how you rolled over and sought him out even with your eyes closed, he leaned down to kiss the scar on your forehead. Then, like it was the simplest thing in the world, he slipped the necklace off over his head, and placed it in a neat circle on the coffee table next to his head.

They would always have a place here. But it wasn’t them who gave him warmth anymore.

When he tucked himself back under the covers, he knew it was you. It was always you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

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okay theres going to be an epilogue at some point, but it will probably be small and have very little plot, so this is the end of the main story. so, heres a little rant for you. if you read it, thank you, and if you dont, thank you anyways. knowing anyone is reading my words is a gift enough.

i think i have been writing this series for like 5/6 months ish?? thats fucking wild. i dont have an exact word count, but all i know is its fucking long. i cannot believe i wrote this much about a fictional character, but damn. that is a lot.

basically all i want to say here is thank you. to anyone who has read, interacted, or will read in the future, thank you from the bottom of my heart. it might be a lil dramatic but having people read stuff i write, let alone actually enjoy it makes me so incredibly happy. starting to write on here, and for frank especially, is probably one of the best decisions ive ever made. this series was a struggle to finish for so many reasons, mainly my incredible lack of planning and overall dumb writing schedule, but i have met so many incredible people along the way, and i am just so grateful to have a lil space to share my work.

frank castle will probably always own a giant spot in my heart, so thank you for letting me share my version of him. and letting me add as much smut as i want to this with no complaints bc i fuckin needed it okay!!!!!! i love you all. rant over. series over. damn!

p.s. i am never not going to write frank. dont worry. i already have an idea for my next series lmao!!!!!!!! luv ya!

[joelscruff]

✨ new series announcement ✨

so now that my soft!dom joel series has come to a (semi) close, and one thing i'm missing is also coming to an end next week, i want to let you guys know that i'm starting a new joel series!!

it's not a new premise or something you haven't heard me talk about before. it's actually the guitar teacher joel x inexperienced reader fic that won the poll a few days ago. i'm not sure how long it's going to be, i would say maybe three or four parts as an estimate, but after one thing i'm missing is done it's gonna become my new top priority.

this joel is very different than the joel i've been writing so far. he's definitely darker, more of a dirty old man. however i wanna stress that all smut in this fic will be entirely consensual. he may be corrupting reader but it's only because she wants him to.

i'm putting a preview of the first part underneath the cut if you're interested 💕

"You wanna come in for a bit?" he asks, voice nonchalant, like he's asking you something completely casual.

And maybe he is, but the words make your eyes widen, your breath catching in your throat. The way he'd looked at you just then, laughed at your words, wanted to know your age... now he's inviting you into his house? You've never actually been flirted with before, not when it mattered, and you're not entirely sure if that's what's happening. But it feels like it, even though you can't imagine how someone like him could see anything sexy about a girl like you.

"...Why?" you ask quietly.

He looks up at you with another smile, still plucking the strings, "If you need to ask then maybe I read you wrong," he chuckles again, eyes trailing down your legs and taking in your short dress, the way it stops at your knees, "Now that I really look at you, maybe I'm talkin' to a good Christian girl."

"You're not," you say it too quickly, "I mean, I'm not. I'm not a good Christian girl."

"No?" he smirks, "Don't have a good southern daddy waitin' for you to come home? Momma waitin' with a pie in the oven?" he's not being serious but you feel your skin flush at the accuracy of his words.

"Maybe," you mutter, hand going down to touch your dress nervously, "But maybe I don't wanna go home."

He nods and stops plucking, licking his lips and thinking to himself. You have to admit, there's something about him that draws you to him, something masculine and new. He's much, much older than you but not in a way that creeps you out or makes you want to run away. You find yourself hoping he'll ask you to come inside again so this time you can give him the right answer, the one he wants to hear.

"You probably should," he finally says, then stands up on his porch steps and slips his guitar onto his back. The strap digs into his broad shoulders, accentuating his size as he suddenly towers over you on the step.

"Sh-should what?" you ask breathlessly, and you wonder if he can tell your heart race has picked up, see the thumping of your pulse in your exposed neck.

"Go back home," he says with a shrug, "I mean, if they're waitin' for you..."

"They're not," you say it with firm finality, shaking your head, "I'm twenty one, I do what I like."

He walks down the steps then, getting closer and closer to you until he's suddenly standing directly in front of you. His eyes cast downward, assessing your expression; you swear he looks at your lips and licks his own again.

"So would you like to come inside?" he asks again, peering down at you with a dark sense of desire that makes you swallow roughly, feel a light and steady thrum between your legs, "Let me teach you how to play that song?"

Here's your chance. Just say yes.

"N-no," you gasp, taking a step back from him, "Um, n-not today."

He smirks, almost like he knew that would be your response. He hitches his guitar up his shoulder and gives you one last smile before turning around and walking back up his steps.

"Well, I'm here if you change your mind," he calls back to you, reaching for the doorknob on his front door and peering at you with another side glance, still assessing you, "Would love to teach a pretty thing like you how to use her fingers."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

it's called "feelings on fire" by the way. bonus points to who can guess what song that's from.

[billyrussohaven]

Into My Web

Chapter 21

Dark!Vampire!Billy Russo x Female Reader

Cowritten with @the-cult-of-russo

Ratings: Explicit 18+ ONLY

Warnings: Although this chapter might not include it, this fic will include; Sexual situations, swearing, human slave, biting, blood, murder, obsessive thoughts, dub con, Stockholm syndrome, gaslighting.

"What's that?" You asked as Billy entered the bedroom with a long and heavy looking garment bag. You were reading on the bed relaxing after a wonderful day out with him. He took you to get your hair and nails done since you enjoyed it so much last time.

"A gift," he smirked as he stopped by the bed.

He unzipped the bag and carefully took out the most amazing evening gown you've ever laid eyes on. Your brain could barely even comprehend how perfect the dress was. You tore your gaze from the dress to look at him in awe.

"Is...is it for me?" You whispered looking back and forth between him and the perfect dress he was holding out for you.

"No, it's for me," he snorted wryly with a playful roll of his eyes.

"Of course it's for you. Put it on and go downstairs. I'll be waitin'," he said firmly. He laid the dress on the bed carefully, shooting you one last smirk before he left the room. He was already in one of his suits since he'd briefly been at work that day, looking sharp as he liked to do. 

He'd stopped by one of his favorite restaurants after work, picking up some nice food. He didn't much feel like eating out but he wanted to do something to reward you after the whole hunter thing. You'd saved his life and picked him and since you'd still been behaving, he was still in the process of treating you well and rewarding you. He also enjoyed fancy dinners himself and it had been a while since he'd been able to indulge. It would be nice to experience it once again.

He'd set up the dining area all nice. Candles, flowers, soft music to set the mood. It was far more romantic than he liked but he knew you'd appreciate it. Girls ate this shit right up. He'd tried to make it just like it would be if he took you out for a fancy dinner, just without the prying eyes and stuck up assholes. Maybe one day he'd take you to one of his favorite upscale places, but today wasn't that day. Today was all about you. About reinforcing your good behaviour and treating you for saving him. He was a proud man but he wasn't too proud to admit that he'd be dead if it wasn't for you.

You quickly undressed and took the beautiful dress in your hands. It felt like liquid silk on your skin, it touched you deeply that he'd get you something this special. You put the dress on, carefully zipping it up and paired it with the best pair of shoes you owned. They weren't sexy high heels but they'd do.

You made your way downstairs like he asked and gasped in surprise seeing what he had prepared. He never ever did something that special for you, ever. It touched you deeply. Everything was perfect, from the music to the beautifully arranged dinner table to him.

"Wow…" you whispered, looking around and stopping right in front of him. Your heart beat fast and your chest filled with the overwhelming fuzzy feeling you had when he was around. You were starting to get a pretty good idea of what feeling it was and it felt amazing, pure. Love…

Billy's eyes widened a little seeing you this dressed up for him. He'd always thought you were beautiful, from the moment he first laid eyes on you in the house in Nevada. But you looked almost like royalty and if he was breathing you'd have stolen his breath away. He was pleased by how appreciative you seemed about it. He always enjoyed when you were grateful for the things he did. It soothed something in him. He moved over to your chair, pulling it out for you with a cheeky smile. When you sat down, he pushed your chair in before moving to his own and sitting down.

"So I'll be honest, I didn't cook this. But I got it from one of my favorite places and I had to pay good money to get 'em to do take out for me," he smirked, popping open a bottle of wine. He poured you a glass and then himself as he looked over at you.

"You look beautiful, kitten," he murmured with a smile. He wondered if one day he'd be able to take you to a fancy gala or event. He used to frequent them before he purchased you and he ended up spending most of his time home with you so you didn't escape. He'd love to show you off at a place like that, have you on his arm. You'd easily be the prettiest girl there and you were all his.

You gave him a warm smile and reached for his hand over the table without thinking.

“Thank you. I don’t even know what to say…” you chuckled, shaking your head at the most expensive dinner you ever had and probably will ever have.

“This is amazing. I feel like a princess,” you said looking down to hide the bashful smile and your blushed cheeks. You picked up your wine glass and raised it.

“What shall we drink to?” you smirked looking straight in his dark eyes. He tilted his head as he thought for a moment. 

"To life," he grinned as he raised his own glass.

“To life then,” you repeated, taking a sip of the fancy wine he had picked. It was like sweet velvet on your tongue and you moaned appreciating the taste of it. You waited for him to start eating before picking up your own cutlery. The sound you made after taking your first bite was plain obscene, definitively not princess material. You froze, opening your eyes to look at him sheepishly as you swallowed down. He chuckled as he quirked a brow, eating his food.

"Glad you like it so much," he said with a wry smirk. 

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever tasted something so good,” you said, taking another sip of your drink.

“Beside you, of course,” you added putting the wineglass down and resumed eating with a little smirk playing on your lips. His fork paused mid-air, lips still parted and ready to take a bite as he looked at you. They tugged up into a smirk before he popped the forkful of food into his mouth and ate it.

"Is that right?" He asked playfully, enjoying the mood you were in. It was nice, having a fancy dinner and the atmosphere light like this.

“Mmmhm!” you hummed, looking everywhere but at him as you ate, not giving him too much attention on purpose. You were in a very playful mood, it felt so casual, so normal to have a nice dinner like this with him, to tease him a bit. You smiled thinking just how grateful to have him in your life. 

The dinner was full of light conversation and teasing and Billy found himself actually having a pretty good time. Once the food was done, he moved to put the dishes in the sink, unable to help himself, but he'd clean up properly later. He glanced at you on the way back to the table, sitting there all pretty and coy. He smiled to himself as he walked over to your chair.

"Care for a dance?" He asked with an impish grin, holding his hand out for you. It had been a while since he'd danced with anyone but he was in good spirits and he thought you might like it.

Your face lit up, beaming back at him nodding. You took his hand, following him to the living room.

“Let’s hope I won’t step on your toes,” you chuckled. You’ve never actually danced with anyone like this. You’ve seen it often in movies but to experience it was something else entirely. You moved one hand to his shoulder and held his hand with the other.

"Nah, it's easy," he smirked, settling a hand on your waist as he started moving the pair of you. 

You followed his lead, moving slowly to the music, your body flush to his as you enjoyed the moment. You felt oddly nervous, being this close to him, this intimate. It didn't make any sense since you've seen him naked and done many vulgar sex acts together. But you felt nervous nonetheless as you looked up in his eyes, licking your dry lips. Your heartbeat quickened, your eyes flickering to his lips. You wanted to kiss him, to feel his hand cradle your head delicately, to feel him kiss you back and lose yourselves to this special feeling growing inside your heart.

Billy watched you as you both gently swayed together. He felt mesmerised by you, watching you intently as the music played softly in the background. He wasn't quite sure just why you seemed extra alluring tonight. Maybe it was the dress, or the ambience he'd set for the night. Or maybe it was just you. He wasn't sure but he couldn't take his eyes off you. The hand on your waist slid around to settle just above your ass and he loved how the silky fabric felt beneath his hand against your body. He was aware he was being a little… soft, but he put it down to you saving him and really earning his trust. It wasn't something he took for granted or that he'd forget. 

You leaned forward ever so slightly, fighting the nerves eating you up from the inside. You didn't realize you both stopped dancing as you held each other's close, lips hovering so close but so far. The moment your lips connected it felt like the entire universe shifted upside down. Your heart was hammering inside your chest, your hands moist and shaky, lungs out of breath. It felt like you were kissing him for the first time. It consumed you entirely. You trailed a hand to the back of his neck , caressing it and pressing him closer to you. He moved closer, pressing his body against yours as his tongue explored every inch of your mouth. The hand not near your ass moved to the back of your head as his fingers wound into your hair. You tasted like the expensive wine and something that was uniquely you that he'd always enjoyed. It was intoxicating and he felt drunk on you as he devoured your mouth eagerly with a soft moan.

You kissed him like it'd be the last, putting everything into it, your entire soul reaching out for his damned one. Your tongue twirling around his, gasping softly for air as he gently tugged on your hair, his kiss getting even more heated as he pressed his aching bulge against you. He wanted you badly, more than he could ever remember and he idly wondered if the food he'd picked was some kind of aphrodisiac. You'd always been like a siren to him, since the first time he laid eyes on you. Luring him in with your call to the rocky shores. But it felt overwhelming tonight and he lost himself completely in the kiss, his body taking control as his mind turned off.

He broke the kiss, a tiny voice in the back of his head reminding him you had to breathe, even if he didn't. His eyes were flickering between his usual pools of black to a deep red as he stared at you for a moment, the beast inside of him wanting nothing more than to tear your dress off and fuck you right here in the living room. He was trying to push his beast back in a box, wanting to enjoy the night properly, not wanting it to end so soon. He scooped you up bridal style, moving to go upstairs to the bedroom. You smiled at him with your arms around his neck as he carried you upstairs. Enjoying how soft he was with you today, how happy and peaceful he made you feel.

He set you on your feet in the bedroom as his lips descended on yours once again. He couldn't help himself. His hands were everywhere, memorising your body like he was going to sculpt it from memory. The kiss was dirty and heated as he slowly backed you up towards the bed. The only thought in his head being how much he needed to be inside of you. You slid the expensive dress off your body, letting it drop to your feet. Your mind was too busy with him kissing you hungrily to care about it. A gasp left your lips as you broke the kiss to move on the bed, your eyes never leaving his.

He climbed onto the bed, hovering over you as his eyes soaked in the sight of you looking so perfect and ready for him. His perfect little kitten. He was still clothed but he didn't care as he pressed his body over yours, nipping at your lower lip playfully. You chuckled over his lips with an overwhelming happiness and warmth blooming inside your chest.

"I love you," you whispered over his soft lips. It came out of you so easily, so naturally you barely registered it. You felt him tense up and you knew it had been a mistake. But how can love and adoration be a mistake? Isn't this what he wanted all along? You adoring him like he was the only light in your pitiful existence? You breathing for his touch, his attention and the praise at serving him well? He was your savior, he took you from that awful place and gave you a home. He made sure you'd only have him, only him to run back to. So why was he closing himself up? Why did you feel him so...shocked? Angry?

"Billy?" You whispered, caressing the side of his face.

He just blinked at you for a moment, pure shock on his face. Your words pinged around his brain like a ping pong ball on speed. I love you, I love you, I love you, I lov-. He was gone quicker than you could blink, using his vamp speed to not only leave the room, but the house too. The door slammed behind him as he made a beeline to his car. His mind was blank as he got inside starting the car before tearing out of the driveway. After a phone call to Frank, asking him to meet up at their usual dive bar, Billy was speeding down the road, hands gripping the steering wheel. He'd been through quite a few emotions since he'd started driving but now he'd settled on anger. Who the hell did you think you were? You were nobody, nothing but a pet. A sweet piece of ass that was pretty enough to catch his interest. You meant nothing to him and you dared to throw those words at him. But if you were nothing then why for the briefest of moments after you said those words did he feel… pleased? He'd felt pleased for less than a millisecond and it wasn't the same kind of pleased he'd feel when you behaved. It was different. It was close to happiness or some other bullshit and it left him confused. But then the shock had hit him. Shocked you'd said it, shocked you felt it and even more shocked by his reaction. And now here he was. 

His head was a scrambled mess as he made his way to the bar. Despite all differences, calling Frank had been instinctual. Because no matter what, they were brothers and had each other's back. Billy wasn't really sure just what he wanted Frank for but he knew he didn't want to drink alone. Frank was good at sitting there and letting Billy rant on and vent. Sometimes he even had good advice. The bar they were going to was a vampire bar. It was pretty different to the other human bars they'd also frequent sometimes. This one had booze that could actually get vampires drunk. Billy wasn't sure how they managed it but he'd hardly complain. Normal booze didn't cut it anymore with his high vampire metabolism. 

When Billy got there, he parked up and went right inside. It was as seedy as you'd expect for a vampire bar and if it wasn't for the magical alcohol, Billy wouldn't step foot in the place. He noticed Frank already there, sitting at the bar. Billy wasted no time in walking over and sitting beside him as he took his jacket off. He was grateful to see a drink already waiting for him. He downed it in one go, very aware of the apprehensive look Frank was throwing his way.

"That bad?" Frank asked wryly. Billy scoffed as he signalled the bartender to get him another.

"You got no idea, Frankie," he muttered, shaking his head. 

"Hunters again?" Frank asked, mildly concerned as he shifted to face him a bit. Billy blew out a sigh, nodding in thanks after the bartender gave him his drink. He only sipped this one.

"Nope. Worse," Billy said in contempt. Frank's brows rose as he narrowed his eyes a little, leaning closer to Billy.

"Another threat?" He asked quietly, his body tensing and going on high alert. Billy looked at him and rolled his eyes.

"No. It's Y/N," Billy muttered vaguely. Frank's body seemed to tense even more.

"What about her? Somethin' happen to her?" He asked quickly. Billy's eyes once again rolled to the back of his head. He wasn't sure why Frank seemed to care so much. Always the white Knight.

"She told me she loved me," Billy bit out, glaring at Frank. Frank's mouth floundered for a moment in shock and Billy continued.

"Can you even fuckin' believe that? She loves me? Where the fuck does she get off sayin' that shit to me?" Billy seethed as he slurped his drink and finished it off. He was already starting to feel it and as he tried to get the bartender's attention, Frank grabbed his wrist to stop him. Billy turned his eyes to Frank and quirked a brow.

"C'mon, Bill. I already know you care about her, so drop the hard ass routine," Frank said firmly. Offence colored Billy's face and now it was his turn for his mouth to gape like a fish.

"Really? I care? That why you were so intent on whiskin' her away?" He asked mockingly, snatching his wrist from Frank's grasp. Frank heaved a sigh and wiped a hand over his face as he looked at him.

"Look, man… I still don't agree with the whole… human pet thing. But I saw it last time. You care. And you can sit there and lie to yourself but you can't lie to me," Frank insisted. Billy pursed his lips as he looked away, rolling his shoulder as his fingers drummed on the bar. He didn't say a word, his mind going a million miles a minute.

"Tell me, when she told you, how'd it make you feel?" Frank prodded. A growl rumbled in Billy's throat and a few other patrons looked over briefly before turning back to their own drinks. 

"I ain't talkin' about this bullshit. I don't do feelin's and you know it," Billy hissed, gesturing for another drink uninterrupted this time.

"You don't wanna talk about it? Why am I here then? And maybe you didn't 'do' feelin's before, but obviously somethin' changed," Frank huffed. 

When the drink was settled in front of Billy, he went to grab it but Frank's vampire reflexes stole it from him and he moved it out of reach to the side, earning a dirty look from Billy.

"Talk to me, brother," Frank implored quietly. With some vampire booze already in his system, Billy folded like a sheet of paper.

"I felt happy, alright? The first thing I felt when she told me was happy," he admitted, looking away and running a hand through his hair, making it go all over. 

"Because you care," Frank added, giving him a knowing grin.

"Fuck you," Billy groaned, happy when Frank gave him his drink. He glugged half of it in one go before he moved to lay his head on his arms on the bar.

"I don't know what to do," he muttered, voice muffled by his arms.

"It's a good thing, right?" Frank asked curiously. Billy, now being slightly drunk, snorted as he sat back up, his hair comically disarrayed as he gave Frank a look.

"A good thing? You're gonna sit there and tell me this is healthy? That we could move past all the bullshit and have somethin' real? C'mon, Frankie. You know that ain't an option," he rambled as he shook his head. Frank was quiet for a long moment and Billy watched with dark eyes as he saw his words sink in. What he was getting at, what he meant. 

"Right…" Frank sighed, taking a swig of his own drink. 

"So you're not gonna pursue it 'cause of all the… shit you've done. But now you know you care and she cares, what now? You gonna keep goin' down the path you're on? Think you could do that to her now?" Frank asked seriously. Billy stared at the liquid in his glass, a frown marring his face. He was ruthless. Savage when he wanted to be. Lord knows he'd not been good to you. He wanted to say nothing would change but he wasn't sure that was true. Could he look into your beautiful eyes knowing how you felt about him and still punish you the same? It was all ruined. It only made him more annoyed at your words. That you had to go and ruin a good thing. Now everything was a mess and nothing would be the same.

Billy's mind was spiralling as he glared at his drink like it offended him. His silence had Frank watching him intently.

"What about… I don't know, lettin' her go? You care about her but you can't make it work with her. Just let her go and let her be happy," Frank suggested warily. The snarl ripped from Billy's throat was feral, as if Frank's words had caused him physical pain.

"I shoulda known you'd do this," Billy laughed mirthlessly, standing and grabbing his jacket.

"What? C'mon, Bill. Sit down and let's talk about this," Frank pleaded.

"Nah. I get it. You don't agree with it and you think I should let her go. But then what? She wouldn't know how to survive on her own. She'll go off and get herself killed," Billy seethed as he shoved his jacket on.

"You know, I came here thinkin' that despite all the bullshit, you'd have my back. But of course you couldn't do that. Always the good samaritan, right?" He growled, shooting Frank a look of betrayal. Frank's face fell as he shook his head.

"It's not… I do have your back, Bill. I'm just tryin' to be realistic, to see the bigger picture," Frank said firmly.

"See you around, Frankie," Billy muttered sadly, making his way out of the bar and leaving a despondent Frank sitting at the bar.

Billy made his way to his car, too many negative emotions coursing through him. He slammed his door shut, yelling as he punched the steering wheel out of pure anger. He was stupid to think Frank would care or that he'd have his best interests in mind. The first chance he gets to see a way in to suggest he let you go and he takes it. There was no chance in hell he could let you go. You were like a baby bird. You'd be dead in days without him to help you. And the idea of letting you go off to go and live a happy life without him made his chest burn in pain and fury. That wasn't an option. This was all your fault. Sure he and Frank's friendship was already strained but things got worse when you came along and now Frank saw him as nothing but a monster. You were the one that uttered those words to him and changed everything. Made it all wrong. You were the one that made him feel something. Billy Russo didn't have feelings. He cared about a few select people but never this way. And you come along and dare to make him actually feel things that did nothing but confuse him.

As he started the car and pulled away, a nasty thought occurred to him. After all of this, of making him realise and forcing him to acknowledge his feelings, it dawned on him that you didn't even really love him. He'd been conditioning you, playing mind games since the moment he took you home. He'd twisted your mind so badly that he'd made you think you loved him. Stockholm syndrome. That's what this shit was. And the realisation made him feel absolutely livid. The first time someone said those words to him in that way and it was all a lie, concocted by himself. And now he was stuck with the knowledge that he actually fucking cared about you while you were just suffering from trauma. 

He couldn't do it. He couldn't have you, he couldn't keep you as things were knowing how he felt and he sure as fuck couldn't let you go to be happy without him. He knew deep down you deserved better than this, than a monster like him. He knew you didn't deserve the suffering he'd inflicted on you. And he knew it was his stupid goddamn feelings making him feel this way. Somewhere along the way he'd gotten attached to his little pet, saw you more than a human to do what he wanted. In his denial he'd carried on as normal although looking back he could see how he'd started to go a little soft. Suddenly all those weird warm feelings in his chest every time you were happy started to make sense to him. Maybe if he was a good man he'd just let you go. But he knew he couldn't ever do that. You were his and he'd never be able to just set you free. Through his alcohol hazed mess off a brain, he realised there was only one outcome to this. Unpleasant as the rest of them but the only option. Despite his feelings, he also hated you for making him go down this road. For making him go through this. Why couldn't you have just kept your damn mouth shut?

[xx-state-of-mind-xx]

Phantom

A fic based off the song Phantom by Of Monsters and Men. Enjoy :)

Phantom – Of Monsters and Men

All this time wasted and all this time gone You are still waitin' on me Every time you leave the house Remember you're not safe But you are hardly ever

And all those times that I could swear I heard you speak You spoke in such a low voice Of how if you could choose, you would choose not to feel 'Cause you are hardly ever happy

Sometimes I find myself standing in those stairs With eyes so blank and unsure Realizing this is not where I want to be And not where I want to go

And I don't mean to somehow, always to disagree But I feel that you do not see In order to love, you have to be all you can be And mostly, you have to love yourself

Oh, with all this time wasted and all this time gone You are still waitin' on me Oh, but if I could choose, I would choose not to feel 'Cause I am hardly ever happy

I am hardly ever happy, hmm-mm

Hmm-mm I am hardly ever happy

Dovey’s POV:

I lean back in my chair, rubbing my aching forehead and stare helplessly at the mountain of paperwork still on my desk to do. The sun has long since left the sky, the brilliant scarlet glow fading to a deep navy blue blanketed in a smattering of stars. My thoughts drift inevitably to my Evil counterpart as I wonder: is she staring at the same stars as I? Does she gaze with those strange purple eyes in wonder at the heavens above?

Although she’d never admit it, Lesso’s passion for knowledge illuminates her soul. I could sit for hours listening to her pour out her knowledge of the universe and never get bored, content to watch her wine-flushed cheeks smile in that soft way of hers while her eyes dance mischievously at every witty remark. I miss those long lazy evenings we’d spend talking and laughing, drinking wine, grading papers, or sometimes just basking in the other’s company. And the first time we kissed… in that kiss was passion, like a million thoughts condensed into one moment. One moment of bliss. One moment of peace. One moment of love. Oh, it was so wrong but it felt so, so right.

And yet… I didn’t do anything with it, convinced that Evers and Nevers couldn’t be together, let alone two women. I pushed her away, ignoring the feelings that bubbled up inside. After that Lesso seemed to tiptoe around me, never sure where she stood in our complicated relationship. She moved tentatively, almost as if seeking permission to push any further. She didn’t show this, of course. If anything, she became colder and more detached than ever. But I knew. I knew the pain I left in her heart after drawing her in too many times. Those purple eyes. Those damn violet orbs that gave her away. Every single time. All this time wasted and all this time gone. You are still waiting on me.

A soft knock breaks me from my thoughts and I lift my head wearily - I have no patience to deal with another whiny student.

“Come in,” I all but groan. I nearly fall off my chair in shock when a familiar head of red curls pokes around the corner.

“You busy?”

“Ah no. No! Not at all!” My mind is spinning as Lady Lesso sinks down in a chair opposite, relying more on her cane than usual. Her eyes are vacant and unsure, and she holds herself with the kind of awkwardness one would associate with a teenager or even a child, so unlike the figure of dominance and grace I’m familiar with. She fiddles with the head of her cane nervously and her violet eyes stare emptily through the window behind me. I suppress the urge to find out what is bothering her as that will only scare her off. Instead, I settle for drawing the visit out.

“Tea? I was just about to make some,” I smile. Lesso nods absently. Still trying to discern the mood, I set about preparing it all on a tray. I hear a soft murmur – so soft that I don’t know if I actually heard it and when I glance up at the other woman, she’s looking at me with her mouth open as if she wants to say something. As soon as she catches me watching, she drops her head and I smile gently. I take the tea tray over to the low table in front of the fireplace and motion her over.

“Shall we go over here? It’s much more comfortable.”

We sip in silence for a while, basking in the warmth of the flames before I glance up at the other woman and find her still looking at me with words on the tip of her tongue.  She looks down quickly.

“Lesso, dear?” She turns her weary face toward me and I give her an encouraging smile. “Is there something bothering you?” Instantly the Evil Dean’s guard goes up and her face morphs into an unreadable expression.

“Thank you for letting me stay.” She says finally. “I just… needed a distraction tonight.”

“Of course, anytime,” I reassure her but there’s something still bothering me about the situation. From the way she’s so vacant but also in the way she doesn’t seem like her usual sharp self. She seems softer somehow, almost blurred at the edges and I get the sense she’s not entirely here. Physically maybe, but mentally…

“He’s still with you, isn’t he.” It’s more of a statement than anything and I frown at the way Lesso tenses and at the realization of what she’s risking just by coming here.

“Always.” Comes the whispered reply. I nod and silence falls between us once more as we finish our tea. I know little of what occurred between her and Rafal but the limited knowledge I have gleaned from Emma and from Lesso herself has given me enough insight to realise the danger of her situation. My heart breaks for the woman, for the child she once was, so full of innocence and wonder. I see her face soften in the gentle glow of the firelight as she stares transfixed into their depths, focused on something for her eyes only. Every time you leave the house. Remember you're not safe. But you are hardly ever.

“Hey, I’m always here you know, if you ever need anything.” She smiles softly, not quite meeting my gaze and nods.

“Thank you.”

“Anything at all.” I whisper.

“Feel like getting beaten at chess?” I ask, pulling my chessboard out from a drawer and setting it on the table.

“Challenge accepted, princess,” Lesso smiles, arching her brow, some of the life returning to her face.

We begin, me playing white and her black as always. Although she plays well, I beat her easily in a few quick moves. After a few more rounds, Lesso throws her pawn down when I take her king for the fifth time that night.

“God, Princess, are you sure your not cheating?”

“You know what they say, Good always wins.” She leans back in her chair, cheeks rosy from the heat of the fire.

“It seems they do.”

I grin at her and she rolls her eyes in response, seemingly back to her usual self. “Well, I suppose I better be off, or I’ll fall asleep just sitting in your office, Dove.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t mind that,” I tease, helping her up off the sofa. She turns away, busying herself with her heavy grey coat but I don’t miss the way her smile fades or the soft words that slip barely audible out her mouth. And all those times that I could swear I heard you speak you spoke in such a low voice of how if you could choose, you would choose not to feel 'cause you are hardly ever happy.

We linger in the doorway, unwilling to part.

“Sorry for intruding on your evening, Clarissa,” she says. Not princess, not dove, Clarissa. The thought makes me shiver.

“Don’t apologise. I quite enjoyed it.” My gaze lingers on copper curls, drifts down to perfectly arched brows over those enchanting violet eyes before landing on plump pale lips. Before I can stop myself, I reach up and catch those lips in my own. All the breath seems to leave my body as her eyes flutter close, lips moving against mine in a soft kiss. Lesso draws back first, leaning her head on the doorframe, looking slightly woozy as she slides her tongue over her lips as if tasting the last of our union. I lean forward again when a slender figure presses against my lips, stopping me in my tracks.

“Don’t,” she whispers. I open my eyes in confusion. The Evil Dean smiles sadly.

“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”

I nod as a single tears slides down my cheek. “Good night, Leo.”

Lesso’s POV:

I stand unmoving on the elegant marble steps, my left hand placed on the gilded banister, staring at the crowd beneath. A rainbow of swirling ballgowns makes idle chatter with teachers, parents, and prospective suitors, waiting, hoping for someone to notice them. Waiting for a prince to scoop them up in his royal arms and make their problems disappear with a kiss or a magical solution.

A coward’s solution.

I glare with disdain at the tables lined with punch bowls and snacks, at the small orchestra in the corner and the shimmery, showy decorations lighting up the hall.

My eyes drift inevitably to Clarissa Dovey, Dean of the School for Good, and fairy godmother of the Endless Woods. I somehow find her amidst the sea of bodies filling the grand ballroom, always drawing me in like a dark creature to a bright light. I watch her, transfixed, as she talks animatedly to a small group of parents. As usual, she is dressed in a gown of resplendent gold, layers upon layers of frills and glitter. Her hair is down tonight, carefully set curls sitting perfectly on exposed shoulders. A large pearl necklace rests on her smooth brown collarbones. On anyone else, this get-up would have looked ridiculous but on her… on her the dress is a bright sunspot, matching her brilliant personality and undying optimism.

My carefully painted lips twitch in a small smile as the woman nearly upsets a tray of champagne with her passionate hand gestures. Impossibly, her laughing brown eyes alight on mine and I find myself captured by her gaze.

In that moment, time seems to slow, and the noise of the ballroom fades out. All that exists is us. All I can focus on is us. On the buzz in my ears and the gentle eyes inviting me closer. All I can see is us.

In that moment, we are connected. Across the great room hung with banners and lanterns and set apart by hundreds of guests we are connected. Dovey’s words die on her lips as her smile fades slightly and she curtseys elegantly in my direction. I incline my head in return and lift a hand in greeting, my many rings glittering in the candlelight.

A cold hand ghosts across the back of my neck and all of a sudden, reality hits me like a blow to the stomach. The distance yawns between us once more and I am suddenly aware of all that separates us. Any chance of a more-than-friendly relationship was blown years ago. What am I doing, standing as if on top of the world, fantasizing about possibly the most wonderful woman in the world? It could never happen, I’m Evil and she’s Good. I’m broken and she’s… well, fairy godmother of the whole fricking woods. We look at each for a moment longer, warm brown eyes meeting hollow violet before she smiles again and returns to her conversation. The moment is broken but I stand there, staring at the woman I can never call my own as laughter and chatter flood my ears once more, bringing me out of my thoughts with a jerk.

I sigh and nod my head slightly toward the left acknowledging the figure dressed in red, always lurking at the edge of my periphery. I see a smirk play on those dangerous saccharine lips and am repulsed as he draws closer, pressing his body against my back, breath skittering across my ear. I shudder and move slowly down toward the party, away from him, joining the crowd as the only Never. A black raven in a flock of doves…

“Lesso?” An impatient voice jerks me back to the present and I shake myself out of my daze. The memory of that moment at the summer ball is forever imprinted in my mind, a constant reminder of all that we are and all that we could’ve been and with it, a hollowness so heavy it could almost be mistaken for sadness. Sometimes I find myself standing in those stairs with eyes so blank and unsure, realizing this is not where I want to be and not where I want to go. The woman snaps her fingers in front of my face, and I turn my attention to a slightly older but no less beautiful Dovey standing in front of me, hands on her hips staring at me expectantly. I stare back. She sighs in frustration. “The curriculum, Lesso! The curriculum. What do you think of it?”

My mind reels frantically. What is she going on about now? What curriculum? I glance down at the pages sprawled out in front of me.

Oh.

I still have only the faintest idea of what she’s talking about so I do the only thing I know. I shake my head.

“No.”

“No? What do you mean no? You worked on it for months! All I did was edit it. Come on, Lesso, you can’t be serious!” Dovey’s eyes are wide with frustration. Guilt churns in my stomach but I can’t back down now, it would be weak. So I lean forward and smirk, watching as she flinches back, colour staining her cheeks.

“Did I fucking stutter? I’m saying no, I don’t like it. It was perfectly fine the way it was. I don’t need some frilly little fairy to tell me how to run my school. You have taken two classes out of the course. My villains deserve the same opportunities as you Evers so why the fuck can’t we use the Blue Forest like you?” Hurt is written all over the shorter woman’s face as I snatch up my papers and stand. We stare each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move. I open my mouth to apologise but she raises a hand to stop me.

“Thank you, Lady Lesso,” Dovey says quietly, almost sadly. “You may have your classes. I’m sorry for interfering with your lessons, I was only thinking about the good of the school, that’s all.” She takes the papers from me with shaking hands and carefully crosses out her own emerald ink. All I can do is stand there foolishly and not say a word.

“As I thought,” I manage curtly and snatch the papers from her. And I don't mean to somehow, always to disagree but I feel that you do not see in order to love, you have to be all you can be and mostly, you have to love yourself. I want to say all of this and more but in the end, I just sit down and try to tune out the rest of the meeting.

Several times I catch Dovey looking at me with those large doe-eyes and several times I catch myself reaching for her hand. A million wasted opportunities, skirting around each other.

Divided.

Waiting.

Always waiting.

Oh, with all this time wasted and all this time gone, you are still waitin' on me. Oh, but if I could choose, I would choose not to feel 'cause I am hardly ever happy.

[lovelyflowers-world]

Where The Crawdads Sing (teaser)

Just wrote this fun little teaser about a fanfic I want to write about the movie where the crawdads sing it is a xreader story but I don't know what the main ship should be nor do I know if anyone will actually read this so I'm just going to post this here and see the type of attention it gets anyway without further a do heres the teaser

______ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐ ┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊ ⋆˚          ✧. ┊          ⋆ ★

I knew the marsh girl.

Everyone did.

But I knew her better than anyone else like the back of my hand. I grew up with Kya, me and her are like sisters, since the moment we met only being a year old we had been inseparable doing everything with each other I knew the way she thought, I knew her biggest fears and I always kept her secrets and in turn she'd keep mine. 

We made a pact we made when we were young only the age of five..I remember it like it was just yesterday 

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

"(Y/N).." I heard the southern accent of Kya I turned away from staring at her older brother Jodie I always found him handsome even as a young girl "Yeah Kya?" I was concerned she rarely ever called me by my name always said some about 'You call me kya 'cause that's my nickname now I gotta call you a nickname too' she always stuck to just callin' me Birdie said it's because I was pretty like one. Kya set her stuff down and sat up real quick with a rigid back "Birdie promise me that no matter what you gonna stick by my side..that yous always gonna keep my secrets" She grabbed my hands and looked at me for a couple of young girls you wouldn't think we'd be talkin' like this "Of course Kya! You like a sister to me!" I smiled at her but she wasn't smilin' back 

"I'm serious Birdie! You promise! You gotta promise- swear on it" 

"I swear kya.." 

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

"Miss Madison?" I looked up started to the man talking to me I was on the stand of the courtroom Mr. Chastain seeming to be agitated at my like of focus at what he was sayin' all eyes on me waitin' for a response "I'm sorry can you repeat the question?" I said in a small voice looking away from his eyes only to catch a glimpse of Kya's seeming to tell me all I needed to know "Of course Ms. Madison" Mr. Chastian cleared his throat what seemed like an hour of silence was just an agonizing second, He looked at me once more and spoke his words weren't soft nor gentle they were sharp like a knife tryna gut me open like a fish and intimidate me 

"Where you there the night Miss Catherine Danielle Clark murdered Chase Andrews?"

An absolute uproar was caused the jury shocked at such a question why would such a sweet soft spoken girl be there to witness and assist in such a horrible act the judge banged his gavel to stop the uproar tryin' to bring order back once everyone settled down the judge turned to me "Answer the question Ms. Madison" I looked down scared for a moment to answer such a question how could one really answer that in truth 

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

Mama always told me that when you break a promise a dove dies and a angel loses it's wings that's why I always never made promises I couldn't keep so when I promised to Kya I would keep her secrets like she would keep mine I knew I could follow and respect that promise to the end of time.

No matter how heavy the burden of the secret is...

No matter how wrong it is...

No matter how dirty..

And no matter how bloody...

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

I looked up at the man no hint of emotions in my eyes I looked around and back at him 

"No I wasn't" 

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ

[starlitangels]

Redacted 2022 Winter Gift Exchange

For @skylardoessh1t Thanks to @the-sugar-crash for organizing the event! I had a blast! 1.0k words

CW: blood, injuries to reader-insert character... angst-to-fluff

—

The front door to the apartment creaks open. “Skylar? Sweetheart?” Milo calls out. 

You barely hear him over the pounding of your own heart in your ears. Your mouth doesn’t want to form his name. Even if it did, your throat can’t manage more than a groan.

“Sky? Baby?” Milo tries again. “If you’re waitin’ to scare me, there are easier ways to go about it.”

You groan.

Milo hears. You know he does, because the thudding of his feet on the floor lets you know he’s rushing to you.

The door to the bedroom swings open and in an instant Milo is kneeling in front of you. His string of swears is drowned out by your heartbeat in your ears. But through half-lidded eyes, you see the way his mouth forms the words—and you know he’s using enough bad language that his mother would scold him if she happened to hear.

“Hey. Sweetheart—look at me, okay?” Milo pleads. “Just look at me. I’m gonna call my ma and Sam. They’re gonna come and they’re gonna heal you. I’ll do what I can too, but you know I’m no good at deep wounds.”

All you can do is grunt agreement.

“Okay,” Milo whispers. He wrangles his phone out of his pocket with one hand, the other planting firm pressure over the deep gash in your thigh. There’s a moment of silence during which you watch your boyfriend screw his eyes shut. A single tear slides down his left cheek.

You want to reach up to brush it away, but the muscles in your arm won’t cooperate without shooting pain down to your fingers.

“Sam! Sam,” Milo exclaims. “It’s—it’s my mate. I—I came home and—” He swallows thickly. “—and they’re sittin’ on the floor in our bedroom, bleedin’ into the carpet.” He pauses for a moment. “I’ll do what I can but deep wounds are beyond me. I... I got no formal trainin’, you know that.” Another pause during which his forehead wrinkles in worry. “Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I can try.” He meets your half-closed eyes. “She’ll stay strong. Always does.” He hangs up. “You hear me, Sky? Stay strong, sweetheart.”

“Mmm...” It’s not enough, but it’s all you can say without spitting up blood.

You watch Milo grimace as he expels magic into the wound in your leg. His grunt is strained and your clouded mind reacts, reaching out for him.

He takes your hands, kisses each one, and sets them to your sides to keep them out of the way. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” he insists. “I got plenty o’ magic.” He grunts again as he tries to keep sealing the same wound to your leg. “God—what the hell did you pick a fight with?” His voice is barely more than a whisper, but you hear it cut perfectly over the roaring in your ears of your blood.

“Didn’t,” you muttered. “Investigation...”

Milo scoffs like he doesn’t believe you, but doesn’t make the sassy retort you know is sitting on the tip of his tongue.

Your eyelids flutter.

“Oh no. Nah-ah-ah, Skylar,” Milo snaps. “You are not passin’ out on me. C’mon, baby. Open your eyes. Please.” His hands—covered now in your blood—cradle your face. “Hey. Open your eyes.”

“Mi... Milo...”

“Yeah. It’s me, baby. I’m here. I got you. You need to keep fightin’.”

“Mmm... make me.”

He snickers. “There’s my sweetheart’s sass,” he says, soft and fond. He lowers his hands from your face to flood the wound on your leg with healing magic again. “A’ight. Tell ya what.” He grunts as more magic pours into your leg. One of his hands raises to rub his temple. He’s externalizing too much magic for a shifter.

“What?” you manage to prompt.

“If you survive this little stunt... will you marry me?”

He disappears from your vision for a moment, and returns with a black box in his—somewhat cleaned—hands. He pries the lid open.

“I’ve had this for a while. Just been waitin’ for the right time,” he admits, almost sheepish. Milo is a proud, tough wolf. He’s insecure sometimes too; but he’s never been sheepish.

Until now.

You nod heavily. “Yes. O’ course,” you mumble.

“Good. I love you, baby.”

“Love you... too...”

Blackness creeps around the edges of your vision.

“Sweetheart, no! Sky—Skylar!” Milo’s frantic pleading fades with your consciousness.

Door hinges creak. “I got here soon as I could,” a deep voice with a Southern accent says—

Before everything goes dark.

—

Your eyes open to soft lights and soft sheets as consciousness returns. Most of your body is sore, but not as painful as before.

“Skylar!” Milo exclaims. His warm, callused hand closes around your right one. “How’re ya feelin’, sweetheart?”

“How honest do you want me to be?” you mutter.

“Still that bad?”

“No... it’s better than it was.”

“Good. Sam and my ma did their best—but you’ve been out for about six hours.”

You blink heavy eyelids to meet his gaze. “And did you get any rest in those six hours?”

“That’s not the point.”

“Milo,” you warn.

“Sweetheart, I’m serious. I come home off a job to you bleedin’ out on the carpet in our bedroom—you think I’m not gonna drop everythin’ to take care o’ you?”

“You must be exhausted.”

“I’m fine. I got a little nap in there while my ma was helpin’ out Sam.”

This is a war you’re too exhausted to keep waging, so you let it drop. You take a deep breath and sigh to clear the unconsciousness from your lungs.

Memories trickle back into your mind.

You sit up straight, ignoring the way your spine protests. “Hold on! Did you propose to me before I passed out?”

Milo’s impish grin spreads over his face, but he doesn’t meet your eyes as he gets out of the chair he’s been sitting in beside your side of the bed and plants a kiss on your forehead before heading to the kitchen to fill a glass of water. “I got no idea what you’re talkin’ about, sweetheart,” he remarks, handing you the glass.

The pressure around the ring finger on your left hand says otherwise.

[umbralsound-xiv]

An Unwanted Gift.

They always take so long! Eanwin ordered this suns ago, and it still isn't ready! You would think the mark and our standing would afford us some kind of urgency, but here they are, mulling about as though they have cycles to spare!

One foot in front of the other, Q'kura paces across the hallway with an irritated sigh, tail thrashing behind him. Though clearly glad to be rid of the small cacophony outside, there was some anxiety that clung to him without them, ears high on his head. A few more steps, and he sharply pivots, to march another line into the cobbles, awaiting his order.

The sound of boots against the cobble grew louder the closer she— her should, most like her entire time collided against his as he pivoted. "Oh— shite—" she stumbled, grabbing onto his arm to catch her footing. "Sorry! Are y'alrigh'?" Craning her neck she looked up at him, brows furrowed in worry.

"---Agh!" Q'kura calls out as the woman barrels into him, half staggering back on his feet as he was almost knocked clean off them; Q'kura was not a particularly stocky man, beneath all of those clothes. "Do watch where you're going!" He half snaps at her, rescuing his glasses from hanging off the side of his head. Defiantly pushing them up his nose, he quietly glowers. "I was fine until i was almost knocked clean off my feet!"

Any other time she chuckle at the man. This wasn't one of them. Now, was time for her to make her move, herself a step closer. "I was tryin'to. I went to go around you n'suddenly were were in front of me. You move pretty quickly." Glancing around she gave him a puzzled look paried with— what was that? A frown? It was more so a line, but considering it was White it might as well be. "Why are you walkin'round like that? Are you waitin' on an order? I swear they get slower and slower every moon."

And to make the sun even more taxing, i have clumsy imbeciles colliding into me and not using the sodding eyes they were born with! Could this day get any worse?

"Yes, an order. It's important. Just be glad you bumped into me when it wasn't in my hands, you stupid girl." Looking her over, he gives a small huff. "I've been waiting for almost half a bell, i'm sure. Do you work here?"

"Hey now! There's no need t'be throwin' insults." She'd let herself have one once over of him making a few notes of what other pockets he had, just the pockets. Nothing else. "Pfff, no. I'm here to get an order too." Slipping a pause inbetween she slowly asked, "Say… have I seen you from somewhere? You look familiar." White could have a little fun as a treat. "Gone to the Quicksand recently?"

"Hah, i much doubt it. I try to limit my exposure to this…" He gestures outwardly with a hand, dismissively "…Godsforsaken city. No, i am here on -business-." The way he said the word inclines his head a little, some small nod to whatever superiority he felt he had. "Well, they appear to be moving at a snail's pace this sun, so i wouldn't be expecting it any time soon."

Crossing her arms she let out a chuckle, lightly pressing her her wrist against her arm. "You're not a'fan? I don't blame you. There's too many people! And the /heat/. I feel like I'm goin'to melt." Around his right she walked, giving his front a couple bubble-breaking pats as her other hand— where was it going? To archway the leather pack's flap closer to his back made, popping a linkpearl in. "You look like you goin'to too." She started to head over to a counter not far away

"Well, -perhaps- if my order would be completed, i would not be standing here, aimlessly…" His ears pinned back, yet Q'kura was none the wiser for the new addition to his inventory. A short, sharp sigh is given in the woman's direction, then searching for any sign of it's possible delivery.

I just want to get back. Why did i volunteer for this bloody errand? They could have send someone else to do it, but then half of them wouldn't know the difference in potions if it hit them in the face. Vairg makes it a chore to stay in the compound, and leaving is only... Marginally preferable. Still, that woman hasn't put anyone else in the ground since we lost X'llaya and her Viera, so perhaps we're safe enough? I've got fodder travelling with me on the off chance something happens.

She lingers a little at the counter, listening. At the sound of his sigh that was her queue to toss an curiously innocent look over her shoulder. "Well, if you're here on business, then were are you from?" Turning all the way around she walked back over, giving a empathetic smile. "You must miss it." Tossing a thumb behind her she added. "Did you see their new products?"

"I'm from Thanalan. I thought being a Seeker, that much might be obvious." Q'kura pushes the glasses up his nose once again. "I -suppose- there's some from La Noscea and other places, too. But i digress." Another handwave offered, he sighs. "No, i did not. I know what i'm here for, i don't need anything else."

Nodding, she confirmed that, "There are. I've talked t'some of'em." Watching his glasses pushing she chuckled, "Maybe you should stop at the goldsmith guild too." Quickly asking, "Oh, what's so important about your order, anyways? I'm stockin' up on the usual. Borin' stuff, you see?"

"That's -classified-." He remarks, tail at his heels. "My… Coworker does the ordering, and i'm simply here to ensure the delivery. I wager it's the same old lotions and potions as anyone else." His eyes flick away, a tell, as he spoke.

White Rabbit lifted her hands in front of her as if to say 'easy now'. "Ohhh, you're the errand boy, I know the feelin'. You don't even get told what's inside." Leaning in she jokingly whispered. "I'm not goin'to lie. I'd be curious to."

Oh, absolutely not. Does this dimwit have any idea who she's talking to? First she walks straight into me, now she seeks to bombard me with pointless questions!

"I -know- what's in there!" He snaps back, eyes narrowed. "I'm just not telling some clumsy fool who i ran into in the street! I am not some lowly -errand boy-." Q'kura huffs, ears pinned back in annoyance. "Don't you have other business to be poking about in?"

A giddiness grew in her chest, but her face gave him something more of a started shock followed back an uneasy chuckle, holding up her hands again. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry." She wasn't. "You looked lonely. I though, maybe you'd want someone t'talk to while you waited. It makes the time go /so/ much faster."

"Well, i don't. I just want my bloody order to get here so i can quit this place and be done with it." His stern, almost pouting features twist into something uncomfortable as he recalls what exactly he has to look forward to at home, ears laying flatter on his head for a moment.

Ugh. I can deal with frustration here, or annoyance at the compound. Suppose a few more clicks of waiting wouldn't bring me any harm. Though Eanwin is liable to get impatient if i leave it too long.

Watching his ears she gave one last mental poke in the form of a softened, "Hey…" that eased into, "…are you okay? I'll go, it's just…" She stared up at him with worry as she slowly reached out, bumping her hand against his. "You look /really/ upset."

He tears his hand away from her own, defensive. "I am just fine! I don't need some stranger to coddle me, i am -just- picking up a delivery!" The arms are folded in front of his chest, determined to keep them away from her. "With any luck at all, they will be done, and soon. Now, don't you have someone else to go bother?"

White Rabbit took a step back, mumbling, "Alright, grumpy." It took a lot for her to not start laughing, not that anyone could tell. "I'll leave you be. I hope your order gets t'you soon." Moving past him she strolled over to the counter, mumbling her name and would you look at that— her small boxed order was ready. Over door she went to leave, but she strolled to a pause to look at him one last time. Giving him a smile she stated, “I’ll see you.” before heading out. Let him wonder.

Q'kura watches her hawkishly, both as she approached the counter, and long after she had left it. He had no more words for her, only an impatient frown that was beginning to etch into a scowl… And then, a glimpse of confusion. Surely, she didn't mean anything by those words… Did she? Dismissing the very idea it, Q'kura shakes his head and pointedly looks away, left impatiently waiting for the delivery, still.

I won't deny something about this entire meeting made my skin crawl. She will see me...? Ugh! I can't stand being so on edge! I have them watching every street corner and rooftop, and still i can't help but feel some dark cloud looming over me. Pull yourself together, Q'kura! You're just being paranoid! What harm could a ditzy raen possibly do?

[hime-memes]

                                    • Assorted Nickelback Lyrics • 

Request: ‘ Could you write up some Nickelback lyric starters maybe?  ‘ - and, here they are anon ! I went with the classics. 

As always: These have been modified for cohesive and sensical use for the general RPC. Feel free to change anything within these that you see fit to make it work for your muse & the receiver’s muse !

Recommended For: Any muses/plots/timelines.

Trigger Warnings For: Swearing, Drug References, Alcohol references, Smoking, and Themes of addiction, NSFW material

‘ How You Remind Me ‘  “ Never made it as a wise man. “ “ I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing ... “ “ Tired of livin' like a blind man -- I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling ! “ “ This is how you remind me of what I really am. “ “ It's not like you to say sorry. “  “ I was waitin' on a different story ... “ “ This time I'm mistaken - for handing you a heart worth breakin' ! ”  " I've been wrong, I've been down -- Been to the bottom of every bottle. “ “ These five words in my head scream, ‘ Are we havin' fun yet ? ‘ “ “ It's not like you didn't know that. “ “ I said, ‘ I love you ‘, and I swear I still do ! “ “ It must have been so bad -- 'cause livin' with me must have damn near killed you. “  ‘ Far Away ‘ “ Too long, too late: Who was I to make you wait ? “ “ Just one chance, just one breath -- just in case there's just one left. “  “ 'Cause you know ... that I love you. “ “ I have loved you all along and, I miss you ! “  “ I’ve been far away, for far too long. “  “ I keep dreaming you'll be with me, and you'll never go. ”  “ I’ll stop breathing if I don't see you anymore. “ “ On my knees, I'll ask. “ “ It’s the last chance for one last dance ... “ “ 'Cause with you; I'd withstand all of hell to hold your hand. “  “ I'd give it all; I'd give for us -- give anything, but I won't give up. “  “ And I forgive you for being away, for far too long. “ “ So keep breathing ... “ " I'm not leaving you anymore, so believe it. “ “ Hold on to me and never let me go ... “ ‘ Rockstar ‘ “ I'm through with standing in line to clubs I'll never get in ! “  “ --- It's like the bottom of the ninth, and I'm never gonna win. “ “ This life hasn't turned out quite the way I want it to be. “  “ I'll need a credit card that's got no limit. “ " I’ll need a big black jet with a bedroom in it - gonna join the mile high club at 37, 000 feet. “ “ I want my own star on Hollywood Boulevard: somewhere between Cher and James Dean is fine for me ! “  “ I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame ! ( I'd even cut my hair and changed my name ) ! “ “ 'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars ... “ “ The girls come easy, and the drugs come cheap. “ “ ... And we'll hang out in the coolest bars; ( In the V.I.P. ), with the movie stars. “ “ I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels ! “  “ I’ll hire eight body guards that love to beat up assholes. “  “ I’ll sign a couple autographs, so I can eat my meals for free. “ “ I'm gonna dress my ass with the latest fashion. “  “ Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion, then gonna date a centerfold that loves to blow my money for me. “ “ We'll hide out in the private rooms. “ “ They'll get you anything with that evil smile. “  “ Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial. “  “ I'm gonna sing those songs that offend the censors ! “  “ I’m gonna pop my pills from a Pez dispenser. “ “ I'll get washed-up singers writing all my songs, then lip sync 'em every night, so I don't get 'em wrong ! ” ‘ If Today Was Your Last Day ‘  “ My best friend gave me the best advice: He said, ‘ Each day's a gift, and not a given right ! ‘ " “ Leave no stone unturned, and leave your fears behind. “ “ Try to take the path less traveled by; that first step you take is the longest stride ! “  “ If today was your last day, and tomorrow was too late -- could you say goodbye to yesterday ? ”  “ Would you live each moment like your last ? “ “ Leave old pictures in the past ... “ “ Donate every dime you have. “ “ Against the grain should be a way of life ! “ “ What's worth the prize is always worth the fight. “ “ Every second counts, 'cause there's no second try -- so, live it like you're never livin' twice. “ “ Don't take the free ride in your own life. “  “ Would you call old friends you never see ? Reminisce old memories ? “ “ Would you forgive your enemies ? -- Could you ? “ " Would you find that one you're dreamin' of ? “ “ Swear up and down to God above: That you'll ‘ finally fall in love ‘. “  “ Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart ? “ “ You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars, regardless of who you are ! “  “ So do whatever it takes, 'cause you can't rewind a moment in this life. “  “ Let nothin' stand in your way, ‘cause the hands of time are never on your side. “  ‘ Someday ‘ “ How the hell'd we wind up like this ?! “  “ Why weren't we able to see the signs that we missed ? “ “ Then try and turn the tables ! “  “ I wish you'd unclench your fists, and unpack your suitcase. “  “ Lately there's been too much of this ! ( But, don't think it's too late ) ! “  “ Nothing's wrong just as long as you know that someday I will ... “ “ Someday, somehow ... I'm gonna make it alright but, not right now. “ “ I know you're wondering when; and you're the only one who knows that. “  “ Well, I'd hope that since we're here anyway; we could end up saying things we've always needed to say. “ “ Now the story's played out like this, ( just like a paperback novel ! ), but let's rewrite an ending that fits -- instead of a Hollywood horror. “ 

‘ Gotta Be Somebody ‘ “ I wonder what it feels like to find the one in this life; The one we all dream of but, dreams just aren't enough ! “  “ I'll be waiting for the real thing; I'll know it by the feeling ! ”  “ The moment when we're meeting will play out like a scene straight off the silver screen ... “ “ So I'll be holding my breath -- right up 'til the end -- until that moment when I find the one that I'll spend forever with. “  “ 'Cause nobody wants to be the last one there. “  “ ... 'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares ! “  “ Someone to love with my life in their hands;  there's gotta be somebody for me like that ! “ “ 'Cause nobody wants to go it on their own, and everyone wants to know they're not alone ! “  “ ... There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere ... “  “ There's gotta be somebody for me out there ! “  “ Tonight: out on the street, out in the moonlight ...dammit, this feels too right ! “  “ It's just like déjà vu -- Me, standing here with you. “  “ I'll be holding my breath, could this be the end ? Is it that moment when I find the one that I'll spend forever with ?! “ 

‘ Next Contestant ‘  “ I judge by what she's wearing, just how many heads I'm tearing off of assholes coming on to her ... “ “ ( Each night seems like it's getting worse ) ! ” " I wish she'd take the night off - So I don't have to fight off every asshole coming on to her. “ “ It happens every night she works. “  “ They'll go and ask the DJ, ( find out just what would she say ). “ “ ... Don't they know it's never gonna work ? “ “ This time somebody's getting hurt ! “ “ Here comes the next contestant ... “ “ Is that your hand on my girlfriend ? “ “ I wish you'd do it again ... I'll watch you leave here limping. “ “ I even fear the ladies: They're cool, but twice as crazy ! “  “ Everyone keeps coming onto her ... “ “ I'm hating what she's wearing. “  “ Everybody here keeps staring -- “  “ ... Can't wait 'till they get what they deserve ! “  ‘ Photograph ‘ “ Look at this photograph ! Every time I do, it makes me laugh ... “  “ How did our eyes get so red ? “ “ ... And what the hell is on [Name]'s head ? “ “ This is where I grew up ! ( I think the present owner fixed it up ) ! “  “ I never knew we'd ever went without. “  “ The second floor is hard for sneaking out. “  “ This is where I went to school ... most of the time I had better things to do. “  “ My criminal record says I broke in twice, I must have done it half a dozen times ... “ “ Life's better now than it was back then. “ “ If I was them, I wouldn't let me in ! “  “ Oh, God, I ... “ “ Every memory of looking out the back door ... “ “ I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor. “ “ It's hard to say it, time to say it: Goodbye. “ “ Every memory of walking out the front door ... “ “ I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for ! “  “ Remember the old arcade ? -- Blew every dollar that we ever made ! “  “ The cops hated us hangin' out; They say, ‘ Somebody went and burned it down ‘ ! “  “ We used to listen to the radio and sing along with every song we know. “  “ We said, ‘ Someday we'd find out how it feels to sing to more than just the steering wheel ‘ ! " “ [Name]'s the first girl I kissed; I was so nervous that I nearly missed ! “  “ They've had a couple of kids since then -- I haven't seen them since God knows when. “ “ I miss that town, I miss the faces ... ! “ “ You can't erase, you can't replace it ... “ “ I miss it now; I can't believe it ! “ “ So hard to stay, too hard to leave it ... “ “ If I could relive those days - I know the one thing that would never change ... “ ‘ If Everyone Cared ‘ “ From underneath the trees; we’d watch the sky ... confusing stars for satellites. “ “ I never dreamed that you'd be mine -- But, here we are: we're here tonight. “ “ If everyone cared and nobody cried, everyone loved and nobody lied ... If everyone shared and swallowed their pride ? ... Then we'd see the day, when nobody died. “ “ And in the air ? The fireflies ... our only light in paradise. “ “ We'll show the world they were wrong ! “ “ ... And as we lie beneath the stars, we realize how small we are. “ “ If they could love like you and me ? ... Imagine what the world could be ... “

[wildcatofgreen]

⚰️👪🧱😱

headcanon memes; comfort character edition

"Woof, that's uh... That's a lot, chief! I mean, can't say I'm mad but stones.

"I mean, let's get at 'em I guess? Can't be that bad."

[ ⚰️ ] what are your muse’s greatest regrets? what would flash before their eyes when they’re on their deathbed?

"Nope. It is that bad. Right off the bat. Fuck.

"I mean... ugh, Iunno. Still kinda banged up about the Lyli thing. Wish we both said somethin' sooner. She's still my bestie--dun't get me wrong, but damn, if I jus' told her back when Sony left for the first time I think a lotta that drama could'a been avoided.

"An' dun't even get me started on the drama. That shit makes me regret even lovin' Lyli in the first place. That I could throw away my damn husband like that, 'cause of some stupid shit I did. Spirits above, that had'ta be my second biggest fuck up.

"First bein' lettin' Lyli run off on her own. Lettin' her get hurt like that. If I fuckin' knew she was gonna get tortured I would'a never fuckin' left her. Not for a second.

"If she asked me 'ta come with her 'ta help her dragon stuff I would'a, honestly. I know I got so much here in Shang Tu, but I was jus'... waitin' for her 'ta say somethin'. Anythin'.

"But. She wanted 'ta go alone. An' I'm okay with that. She's with Merga, apparently. She's got good company. She'll be okay.

"But that torture shit... I think seein' Lyli so burnt and hurt, that'll be what I see before I die. Constant reminder of how bad I fucked up that day. Swear I regret it every day.

"Eugh."

[ 👪 ] what is your muse’s relationship with their parents like? was it always this way?

"They're dead, dickweed. I ain't ever know my parents. One thing closest to 'em was my sis and she fuckin' left.

"Most I know about 'em is that they loved me. That's what Cory tells me whenever I ask."

[ 🧱 ] how would you describe your muses’ morality? what are their core values?

"I--... Iunno. Like.

"I... Iunno!!! Like, I know my cores--if ya see someone in danger, help 'em. No stealin' from people who look like they need the money. Dun't bully people unless they're asshats an' they deserve it. No killin'.

"But my overall morality...? I jus'... I ain't got a clear answer for ya. I try 'ta be good, I guess. I'm like, a hero, right? So, I gotta be good. It's apart of the job or somethin'.

"Don't hurt no one who don't deserve it. Help your friends out. Be good. That's... that's what I stand for, I think. Jus'... bein' good."

[ 😱 ] does your muse have any specific fears? where did those fears come from?

"Nah, I'm completely fearless. Jus' another great quirk of Carol the Wildcat~.

"Haha... yeah I'm jokin'. I ain't... as scared of death as I was before--I can thank Bapho for that--but it still kinda... messes with me. Jus' ain't somethin' I'm ready for--ain't somethin' I feel like I'll ever be ready for.

"An', I guess I also got a 'lil fear of... Iunno, people leavin' me? That... that one feels new. But it's scary, bein' all alone. No one there 'ta help ya, no one there 'ta even talk to ya, even if it's negative. I'd take a conversation with someone who sucked charlies jus' so I could talk 'ta someone, if I ain't have nobody left.

"I can't stand bein' alone. I really can't. Not even for a fuckin' second, it's just... it's awful. It makes me get this pit in my stomach and I feel that empty feelin' again and it makes me not wanna speak 'ta anyone anyway but like I wanna speak 'ta someone but my thoughts keep tellin' me that ain't nobody wanna speak to ya in the first place an'--

"Iun't... Iun't wanna think about this no more, man. This fuckin' sucks. This fuckin' sucks real bad.

"Fuck."

[jasonsthunderthighs]

Jason: *Leaving the manor*

Bat family: Bye!

Jason: I'm not leavin yet!

Bat family: Bye!

Jason: I still have to wait for the bus!

Bat family: Bye!

Jason: I'm not leavin! It's like you guys want me to leave! “Bye! Get the Hell outta here!” I didn't do anythin wrong!

Roy: It's probably not personal.

Jason: I hope not!