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cherriegyuu · 8 months

Text

back room | csc

pairing: seungcheol x f!reader genre: smut word count: 2.3k summary: while seungcheol is on a meeting you decide that it's a great moment to send him nudes. warnings: minors do not interact, kissing, stimulation, swearing, petnames, penetrative sex, unprotected sex (don't do this) a/n: this is part of 1k event, it was requested @xcynthiaaa. i hope you like it. prompts: "Feeling a bit possessive, aren't we?" + “Can you stop sending me nudes, I’m at work.” lower case was intentional, not proofread

you anxiously watched the meeting room, you glanced at your phone every now and then to make sure that seungcheol had gotten your text. he was doing a good job of keeping a straight face, his eyes not even once going to his phone or to you, though you were sure that he knew that the new influx of texts was from you.

without meaning to, your eyes went from him to the woman sitting right in front of him. since the beginning of the meeting she never stopped looking at seungcheol and if the nasty gossip that floated to your ears was any true, she had been hitting on him a long time before you showed up.

maybe you were feeling a little insecure about yourself, because the woman was stunning, with the kind of face and body one could easily find in a magazine, or maybe you just hated the fact that there was a woman throwing herself at your boyfriend. to his credit, seungcheol never looked at her, unless she directly called his name, and when she touched his leg with her pointy shoes he scooted his chair back.

you bit your lip, wanting to come up with an excuse to go into the meeting room and maybe end it. but you didn't have a good one and although if you did go in, no one would ever bat an eye, it just wasn't right. and, more than anything else, it could backfire and instead of being amused by your sudden jealousy, seungcheol would get angry because you could have potentially ruined an important moment for him.

so you kept your butt on your chair, doing your very best to keep your focus on the work that needed to be done. it was pointless and you knew that. every couple of seconds your eyes moved to the meeting room.

"who was the idiot that decided that a meeting room should have glass walls?" you asked no one in particular.

"pretty sure it was the ceo" wonwoo said from the desk in front of you.

it was a surprise that he even heard you in the first place. wonwoo was great at ignoring the people around him, you more than anyone else, and he usually had his earbuds in, blasting music loud enough that people near him could hear it too. you liked to pretend that he never answered because his hearing was getting progressively worse because of all the loud music.

"almost certain your boyfriend agreed, saying it was a great idea," he said, not looking at you.

you choked on your own saliva, eyes wide as you reached for the water bottle on your right. no one was supposed to know about your relationship with seungcheol, as it was against company rules. both of you thought that you had done a good job in hiding it, a fantastic one actually.

you never arrived together, never left together, barely talked of things that weren't specific about work, and if there was a company dinner you never sat close to each other, always choosing opposite sides, but careful enough not to be facing each other.

you were always careful, to the point most people thought you didn't like each other.

"he's not..."

"you don't have to lie" he waved a hand in your direction, "i'm the only one who knows. and i only know because i saw you together a couple of weeks ago at a restaurant"

you opened your mouth to say something when your phone suddenly lit up with an incoming text. it was pathetic how quickly you grabbed your phone, to the point wonwoo laughed at you.

cheol feeling a bit possessive, aren't we?

you bit your lip trying to hide your smile but it was almost impossible. when you looked at the meeting room, seungcheol's eyes were focused on you.

to the average person, he looked displeased, angry even. but you knew that the glint in his eyes was for a different reason.

you moved your attention back to your phone.

you just wanted to remind you that you have a girlfriend

you went through your gallery again, clicking on the picture you took a few days before and pressing send. seungcheol had to be away for a few days because of work and because you weren't part of his team, there was no reason for you to tag along. you had been feeling hornier than usual, needy even. so you decided that if you were missing your boyfriend to the point where your fingers could do nothing but make you even needier, he too could miss you a little bit.

so you took pictures of yourself sprawled in his bed, wearing the red lingerie you knew he liked the most, and sent it to him. it took him a couple of hours to see it and it was so long that you started to think that maybe it had been a bad idea and that though he was someone who enjoyed foreplay there were things that he wasn't willing to do.

to your surprise and delight, he was more into it than you expected.

after that, if you were feeling pretty enough, you'd take pictures and randomly send them to him.

cheol you know i love it but, can you stop sending me nudes? i'm at work we're at work

you okay ;)

you send him a different picture, this time one he had taken the night before, of your reflection in the mirror while you rode him.

you smiled at your phone before setting it down, happy with yourself. seungcheol looked almost pained as he turned his attention back to the meeting, nodding his head every now and then, but his eyes continued to move back to his phone.

he couldn't really believe what you had done, though you weren't the shiest woman he had ever met, for you there had always been certain boundaries you refused to cross. he couldn't help but wonder if you had gotten jealous enough to do that, send him pictures while he was in a room filled with people. had the client had gone a little further you would have barged into the room ready for a fight?

his hard on was a little uncomfortable, and yes he crossed his legs in order to hide it, but it was extremely hard to keep the smile away from his face.

"i'm sure we can make the adjustments for next week, can't we seungcheol?" his boss suddenly said.

seungcheol cleared his throat and adjusted himself on the chair.

"yes, i can finish it by friday next week

"great!" the woman said in her high pitched tone.

seungcheol took a discreet deep breath to keep himself from rolling his eyes.

he didn't know how you even thought that he could be interested in her, or if anything at all even went through your brain. the client was objectively pretty but everything else about her didn't do much for him. and she crossed one too many lines during the meeting. seungcheol made it a point to keep quiet for the day but there was no way he would stand another meeting with the woman. he would still work on the project but the ceo could handle her by himself, something told him he would be happy to.

"i was thinking that maybe we could all go for lunch," she started.

seungcheol stood up, shaking his head. he pulled the folder from the desk and held it in front of himself. the sight was ridiculous and he could picture you laughing in his head.

"i have a lot of work to catch up on, i'll have to pass on it"

the polite thing to do would be to shake her hand but seungcheol wanted to get away as fast as possible so once the ceo nodded at him, he turned on his heels and left the meeting room.

he went straight to your desk. you smiled while looking down and at the mere sight of you, his cock twitched like he was a fucking teenager that had never seen a woman before.

"yn, i need you at the archive room. now"

at the sound of his voice, you looked up. your smile melted away and you wore the usual serious face whenever seungcheol was around.

he hated it, the fact that you had to hide your relationship. he wanted everyone to know that you were his, and then maybe all the stupid men in the office would stop trying to ask you out.

"why?" you asked, your tone bored.

"because you were the last one to go through the files and i need help" he matched your bored tone.

wonwoo laughed, making seungcheol turn to him. he raised his eyebrows, a silent question thrown at the man sitting in front of you. wonwwo just shook his head, his smile suddenly gone. he turned to you, eyebrows still raised.

you sighed and followed him. your heels clicking on the floor while you followed him three steps behind.

was the archive room always that far away?

"what do you need?" you asked, tone still bored, when the room came into view.

seungcheol opened the door for you and followed you inside, locking the door behind him.

when you turned to look at him you smiled at him, your arms crossed over your chest. he threw the folder he used to cover himself to the side and put his hands on his waist. you watched in complete amazement and laughed when you noticed the bulge in his pants.

"awn, did you like the pictures that much?" your voice was taunting.

seungcheol took three steps closer to you and pulled your hand, putting it over his cock. just that was almost enough to get a moan out of him.

the second he saw the picture of you over him, his dick deep inside your pussy, it was all he could think about. having you again, as fast as possible was his only concern.

"there are cameras in here," you said, your eyes wide while you looked around, lightly pulling your hand away from his grasp.

"there isn't"

at his words, you opened the zipper of his pants just enough to push your hands into his boxers. you wrapped your hand around his cock and ran your thumbs over his tip, pumping him a couple of times. you smiled when a quick shudder ran over him.

seungcheol grabbed your face and pulled you to him, his lips crashing over yours. he pushed his tongue through your lips, taking control. his hands moved down to your neck, squeezing it softly.

"my little menace," he said "what did you think was going to happen, hm?"

he pulled your skirt up until it was pooled around your waist and pushed you until your back was pressed against the wall.

"you wanted me to walk out of that room and fuck you, over your desk?"

you moaned at the thought, though in your ideal world, none of your coworkers would be around to witness it. seungcheol turned you around and forced your legs apart with his feet while holding one of your arms behind your back. you used your free hand to steady yourself on the wall.

"if you don't ask, i'm not going to fuck you, baby"

it was something seungcheol often relished on, the fact that he could make you beg. you were so quiet, so shy, but he always made you say it, implore for it.

"you're the one with a hard on, sweetheart" you teased. if he thought that you were going to beg this time too, he was wrong "i can go back to work as if nothing happened"

you really couldn't. if you did it was going to be the worst work day for you because the only thing you could possibly think about was the fact that your boyfriend had a hard on because of you and you said no when he wanted to fuck you.

seungcheol shoved your panties aside and pushed himself into you. he groaned as your walls sucked him in. you moaned at the feeling of being full, at being stretched out to fit him. he moved relentlessly, his pace almost cruel as he searched for his release.

"jesus, cheol..." a loud moan left your lips as you were suddenly pressed on the wall.

"you have to be quiet, baby" you could feel his smirk on your neck "everyone will hear you"

seungcheol snaked his arm around your waist, and his fingers worked your clit with the same drive as his hips moved. he was a madman and you loved every single piece of him. you covered your mouth with your hand, your eyes shut close, in a pathetic attempt to be quiet. even if your moans couldn't be heard, there was no way people wouldn't hear the sound of his hips on your yours.

"you’re going to be filled with cum" he whispered, his free hand grabbing your neck, tilting your head back "running down your thighs the entire day"

seungcheol pinched your clit and it was enough to throw you over the edge. this time you were able to swallow your moan. you pressed your hands on the wall, trying to steady yourself, as your legs shook. seungcheol was quick to follow, your walls clenching around him like a vice as he pounded into you again and again.

he used your shoulder to quiet his own moan and heavy breath.

"just so you know, this wasn't my intention," you said once you were able to breathe again.

seungcheol laughed and took a step back as he adjusted his shirt and pants.

"no?"

you rolled your eyes and leaned on the wall.

"maybe later, at your place" you gave in

he laughed and pulled your skirt down while you buttoned his shirt.

"well, it's only noon"

taglist: @wonwooz1, @mirtaspace, @feat-sun, @belladaises, @immabecreepin, @miriamxsworld, @aaniag, @byunparklimchoi, @k-drama-adict, @@maiamorrrrrrrrrrrr, @roguesthetic, @sofix-hc7, @moonlightgrleric, @mixling-blog, @haowonbins, @valgracia, @slut4donghyuck, @manutuankim, @shuabby1994, @anthropologymajorkpopmultistan, @sukiscones

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leviraaaaaa · 10 months

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“Levi!”

You barge through the door, all dramatic, gasping and panting, purposely exaggerating to get his attention. But not to your surprise, he didn’t even bother looking up.

“I suppose no one ever taught you, but there’s a concept called knocking.” He said, his eyes fully focused on the papers. His hand moving across it as he wrote. “It’s quite easy really, you raise your hand and—”

“Levi!” You cut him off, slamming the door behind you loudly. “Levi, my beloved, my savior in dark times, I am in need of your help.”

“Slamming the door isn’t very polite either. Your manners get worse everyday.”

You waved him off, shushing him. You made way across the room, where a couch sat not far from the desk he was sitting on, and flopped down face first. “Levi.” Your voice came out muffled.

“Ah yes, making yourself home I see.” He sighs.

“Levi, I need your help. Real bad.”

“No.”

“What–” You look up, raising your face from the cushions, offended. “You didn’t even–”

“No.” He repeated, eyes not leaving his work for even a second. “Please, get off my couch. Cleaning it is tiresome.”

“Levi.” You whined, impatient at his aloofness. “Levi, he’s going to kill me.”

“I’ll buy you a good coffin.”

“This isn’t funny.” You huffed. “I’m dead. Like literally. Absolutely. This is where it all ends.”

“I’d rather you not die on my couch.”

“Fuck your couch.” You flipped yourself, so you splayed on your back now. You tilted your head, staring at him. “Help me out. Please?”

Levi finally turns to look at you, unable to ignore you any longer. He frowned. “What?” He asked warily. “What did you do this time?”

“Promise me you’ll help me first.” You said.

“No.” He immediately rejects you. “What did you do? Did you get into a fight with an MP again?”

You shook your head.

“Blew up something in Hange’s lab?” He guessed.

“No. But I’d really rather it was Hange mad at me though.”

He looked at you confused, “Who did you piss off then? “

You grimaced. He was quick to conclude.

“Ah.” He realizes. “Erwin.”

A nod from you answers him.

“What did you do?”

“Ask me what I didn’t do.”

“What didn’t you do?”

“Work.” You sat up. “In my defense, it was a shit load of work. And I hate paperwork. And I kept procrastinating. And now it’s due by tomorrow and I didn’t remember until two minutes ago when Erwin shot a glare at me. And now I—”

“I’m not helping you.”

“Why not?” You demanded.

“It’s your fault. Don’t drag me into this shit.” He grumbles, scowling. “And you promised last time, you wouldn’t do this anymore. I’m not doing your work for you. I have enough on my plate.”

“Okay first of all, I’m not lazy. I was busy–”

“Ogling Garrison captains.”

“They’re pretty. And no, not the point, shut up.” You protested. “I was busy. And I didn’t come here so you could do it for me. I came here so you could go and talk to Erwin.”

Levi frowned, “Talk to him about what?”

“Tell him to give me one more day. Swear I’d work my ass off.”

“You said that last time too.” He pointed it out. “How angry is Erwin?”

You made a face. “Bad.”

“How bad?”

“He keeps glaring at me everytime I meet him. It’s the ‘if you don’t get it done this time, you’re gonna get in so much shit’ glare. It’s creeping me out.”

Levi scoffs, shaking his head. “Only you." He said. "Only you can possibly manage piss fucking Erwin off. The guy's a fucking monk, nothing affects him.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “If I had to guess, I’d say this isn’t the first time asking for an extension.”

“Err…” You ducked your face. “It was kinda supposed to be done 2 weeks ago.”

“2 weeks?” Levo looked at you incredulously. “No wonder he’s pissed. And you’re asking for more time?”

“One more day. Just one more day. Please Levi, he’ll listen to you.”

Levi stares at your pleading expression for a few seconds with narrowed eyes, considering. Thinking. Then he seemed to have made up his mind.

“No.”

“Wha—” You jerk upright. You really thought you’d convinced him.

“No. I’m not getting you out of the grave this time. Specially since you dug it yourself.” He returns his attention back to his work. “Good luck to you, but leave now. And learn a damn lesson.”

You stared at him, gaping. “Wow," You blinked you’re an asshole.”

“Congratulations for realizing that.”

You exhaled. Easy words won’t work, you knew. So, here comes plan A. Acting.

You pouted.

“Don’t look at me like that. I said what I said.”

You fluttered your lashes, all wide shiny eyes, about to cry.

“Get out before I start throwing shit at you.”

“Levi.” Plan B. Bribing.

“No.”

“Leeviii.”

“No.”

“Levi, aren’t you the sweetest, most dearest, my absolute favorite and delightful and super awesome with extra sugar on top bestiest best friend? Don’t be like that, c’mon.”

“Still no. And we’re not friends.”

“‘I’ll make you pie?” You offered.

“You can’t cook to save your life. No.”

"I'll give you hugs."

"I will slap you."

“Levi.” Plan C. Threatening.

He glares back at you.

"You do realize you could've used this time getting the report started instead of trying to convince me and actually might've manage to get it done?”

“I’ll read poetry to you.” You threatened.

Levi looks up, finally there’s a hint of alarm on his face. “No, you won’t.”

“I’ll make sure all your food touch.”

“Get out.”

“I’ll disorganize your bookshelf and fill it with those titan x scout love novels.”

He raised his middle finger at you.

“I will start telling you about all my exes.”

He cringed visibly.

Finally, you gave up. Dragging yourself off the couch, you slowly, pathetically, miserably made your way to the door. You knew that the odds were very low that Levi would actually help you this time, because he was right. You needed to learn a lesson. And it was your fault.

“Oi.”

Your hand was on the doorknob. “What?” You turned to look at him grumpily.

Levi was pinching the bridge of his nose, knitting his eyebrows together, irritated and annoyed. Like he was about to do something he regretted.

He let out a long exhale.

“Bring it here. I’ll help you.”

“What?” You asked, disbelief dripping from your tone. Were you dreaming?

“I’ll help you out. Just this time.” He grunts. “Don’t expect it again. And I’ll only guide you, you’re doing the most of it.”

Music to your ears.

“Really?”

“Go before I change my mind.” He huffed.

You broke into a wide grin, beaming up at him. “No wonder I love you.”

“The feeling is not mutual.”

“You’re the best,”

“Shut up.”

“The best. The most darling, the loveliest, the coolest, the–”

“10 seconds. I’m giving you 10 seconds.”

“Oh–” Your eyes widened. You learnt the hard way Levi usually means his time limits. “Okay, okay, wait here, wait. I’ll be right back. Just–”

And you were out the door,

“Fucking idiot.” He groaned to himself, as you yet again, slammed the door.

He wish he knew why he kept doing this to himself.

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avocad1s · 1 year

Text

Trial By Combat - 2

Requested By: No One. Original Work.

CW: Impostor SAGAU, Mentions of Punishment, Angst,

Summary: Fontaine fears for your fate.

Note: You all really loved the first part and a lot of people wanted a continuation so I shall provide

If you haven’t finished the Fontaine Archon quest, please exit stage left.

Part One Part Three Part Four

Ever since the day of the duel, it has been raining nonstop in Fontaine.

It was as if the entire nation came to a standstill; many shops refused to open their doors, no trials were being held, and the Hydro Archon hadn't been seen since she falsely accused the Creator of Teyvat.

As doctors quickly carried you away with Clorinde following quickly behind, citizens waited impatiently for any news of your recovery, this sight of you bleeding profusely still plaguing their minds.

The Champion Duelist refused to leave your side even after doctors did everything they could, she sat in the chair waiting for the moment you open your eyes. She wonders what you will do once you do wake up, could you find it in your heart to forgive her? To forgive Fontaine entirely? Regardless what you decide, she is ready to accept it graciously.

Clorinde looks down at her gloved hands, the white cloth that was stained with your golden blood only a week ago. This was the second time she had struck down an innocent, was this the justice she was fighting for? Even if it meant painting the floor with her Creator’s blood? She lets out a sigh as she looks back at your sleeping form, the pattering of rain on the window doing nothing to ease the swirl of emotions within her chest.

Although everyone was praying for you to have a speedy recovery, there were some people who demanded answers from their Archon.

“She is supposed to be the God of Justice.”

“How could she not recognize the Creator themselves?”

Focalors refused to show her face in public, she had no answers for her actions, this wasn’t something she could lie about until everyone believed her. This was something that could have true consequences, she couldn’t even be angry if her fellow Archons came to stike her down due to her transgressions.

Only during the dark of night is when she went outside, even though Clorinde had been watching over you this entire time, she had to see how you were doing with her own eyes. Furina kneels by your bed and grasps your hand, she weeps out heartfelt apologies until she couldn’t any longer.

Suddenly she picks her head up, she wipes the wetness from her cheeks as she looks at your face.

“Your Grace?” She says softly, the exaggerated tone no where to be found.

Your hand moves slightly in hers and now she knows she wasn’t hallucinating, “are you awake?” Your eyes open slowly causing the Archon to cry even more as she stands to look at you better.

The door to the room opens as Clorinde and Neuvillette enter, their eyes just as wide as their Archons. The two rush to your side as you try to sit up in bed a rush of pain coursing through your body.

“You should be careful Your Grace,” Clorinde mutters, “we don’t want you to tear open your stitches.”

“Why am I here?” You manage to rasp out gazing at all of their faces. Neuvillette grabs the glass of water next to your bed handing it to you, the water was room temperature, but it was still refreshing to drink.

Furina, who was the most expressive out of the three furrows her eyebrows, “huh? What do you mean?”

“I should’ve died out there..” you mumble. Clorinde looks down in shame.

“I’m apologize Your Grace,” Furina says still holding your hand, “I am a fool, I should’ve recognized you the second you entered Fontaine but instead I…” she trails off.

You stare at her, the look on her face showing just how remorseful she felt, but you couldn’t forgive her. You couldn’t forgive any of them. Not yet at least.

“You gave me no chance to explain myself, I was guilty in your eyes the second I entered your nation.” You pull your hand out of hers causing her to frown slightly.

“I thought that something was amiss but-“

“Then why didn’t you come to my defense? You knew there was no way I could win but you still did nothing. You made no attempt to stop the fight.” You interrupt Neuvillette.

He stops mid-sentence, his nonchalant expression never changing as he fails to meet your gaze. “I’m sorry.”

You throw the blanket off your body, the cold air causing goosebumps to appear on your exposed legs.

“Your Grace it’s not a good idea to stand! Your wounds are still healing.”

You ignore Clorinde’s warnings as you stumble to your feet, your hand rests on your torso to ease the throbbing sensation in it.

“All of you leave, I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.” You say coldly.

“Please allow us to help you back in bed.” Furina reaches out to place her hand on your shoulder.

“I can take care of myself, just get out.” You snap.

The Archon flinches slightly but she nods and sighs. Without any other objections, Clorinde and Neuvillette leave the room. Furina trails slowly behind them, as she reaches the threshold she looks back at you one last time before whispering, "I will return to see you in the morning, I hope that's okay."

Once the door clicks you turn your gaze to the window noticing that it was still raining, maybe even harder than before. You exhale as you sit on the windowsill resting your body against the glass as you watch the droplets race down onto the ledge outside.

‘Hmm, doesn't look like the rain is gonna stop anytime soon…’ you think to yourself.

Tagging: @bittersweetorpheus @esthelily

#genshin cult au #sagau #genshin impact sagau #imposter sagau #genshin sagau #sagau impostor au #sagau x reader #genshin cult

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intrepidacious · 2 years

Text

almost believing

summary: You and Bucky aren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment. That doesn't mean you're getting out of having to pretend to be married for a mission.

pairing: bucky barnes x f!reader

word count: 5.4k

warnings: miscommunication dialled up to eleven bc it's me; friends to lovers with lots of seething in between; set around christmas, but not a christmas fic; slight spoiler warning for wakanda forever just to be safe

please note that my blog is rated 18+. minors dni. ageless/empty blogs will be blocked without warning.

prompt: fake dating, baby 😌 title and initial inspiration for this fic were taken from "so close" from enchanted. yes. that scene.

a/n: this was written for my wonderful tiff's sweet as sugar writing challenge!! @traitorjoelite i'm so proud of you and i hope you enjoy this fic. i really thought this one would be short i swear. big shoutout and thank you to @sweetascanbee for listening to me rant about this for weeks, i appreciate you so much!!

masterlist | read on ao3

Here’s the thing: It’s supposed to be a simple mission. Just gathering intel at the hotel for one single night, the two of you pretending that everything is fine for a couple of hours more.

After all, it’s Bucky’s last mission with you before his reassignment goes through.

Well, it’s not like it’s going to make a difference to how much you’re seeing him, to be honest.

You’re not sure when he started making himself rare or why, but once you noticed it, it was impossible not to.

"Sorry, I’m heading out," when you ask him to grab lunch together seems inconspicuous enough, as does, "Ah, I’m already supposed to meet Sam," when you try asking him about that trip to IKEA you’d been talking about for ages.

But it doesn’t stop there. One excuse follows the next, and suddenly there’s always something more important than the two of you hanging out.

Of course, you try to rationalize it at first. Swallow down your hurt feelings, because Bucky is your friend, and sometimes people just need space. You’re fine. The two of you are fine.

Once he starts scheduling dates for Friday night, though—which has always been movie night, always, every week since you met him—you know that something’s wrong.

"Is he angry with me?" you keep asking Steve, who looks very uncomfortable and definitely knows what's going on.

"Just give him a little space," he suggests timidly. So you do. You let the whole thing go.

For like a week.

"I just don’t know what I did," you tell Sam over drinks, your head held in your hands.

"Nope," he answers, downing his dregs. "I’m not doing this. Nuh-uh."

"You know, too?" you cry, accusingly pointing at him.

"I don’t know anything," Sam deadpans. And then he puts his scarf on and leaves.

"Maybe try talking to Bucky about it?" Natasha suggests, either incapable of hiding her amused smile or unwilling to try.

"I would if I ever saw him for longer than a 'hi, how are you' at the gym," you mumble. Fact is, you’re getting pissed about him giving you the silent treatment without even knowing what you did wrong.

Because before this, whatever this is, things were fine. Great, even. Free afternoons were spent on each other’s couches, introducing him to your favorite tv shows and letting him teach you that stupid card game he loves so damn much. You’d even been starting to imagine that there might be something …

Clearly, you were wrong.

Now, you can’t even look at him without your throat closing up. It’s like you woke up a few weeks ago and he’s become an entirely different person around you, much more like he was at the beginning of your friendship, distant and cold.

He didn’t even tell you that he’d signed up for a transfer.

The mission call feels like your last chance.

A whole evening of teamwork and espionage, of him basically having no other choice than talking to you and finally telling you why the fuck he would get himself reassigned without even telling you beforehand. You could’ve hugged Fury for the opportunity.

That is, until you’re handed the file containing your fake identities for the op a few hours before you’re supposed to leave.

"You’re joking," you say as soon as you open the door.

"Great, you’re here as well," Steve says dryly. "Again, a) you both gotta learn how to knock, b) the whole thing wasn’t my idea or my decision, but I also think it’s the best directive for what you’re trying to do, and c) no, there’s no one else available for the mission. Anything I missed?"

Bucky deliberately doesn’t meet your eye, his arms still crossed as he stares Steve down with a look you can’t decipher. He doesn’t even acknowledge you standing in the door, but his foot is doing the tapping thing again.

You purse your lips and join the staring.

Steve sighs, rubbing his temples with the palms of his hands. "Listen, you two work well together and I know these past few weeks have been … strained"—you almost laugh at that—"but it’s just one night."

"We need to pretend we’re married," you say. "How’re we going to pull that off if he can’t stand being in the same room as me?"

"I trust that there won’t be any issues." Steve raises an eyebrow at Bucky as he says that, but of course he doesn’t get a reply. That would necessitate talking in your presence.

"One night," Bucky repeats through gritted teeth.

Not for the first time, there seems to be some sort of silent conversation between the two of them that you’re not privy to. You roll your eyes.

"I’ll see you later."

You leave with your back straight and without a glance over your shoulder, the door slamming shut behind you.

For a moment, you’re tempted to barge into Natasha’s office next, but you have a feeling like she’d just give you another one of her looks again, which really won’t better your mood. So instead, you slam another door and flop onto your bed, blankly staring at the ceiling for a while.

Surely, there’s some twisted sort of irony in this whole situation, but you’re not laughing.

Usually, before a mission, you’d get bagels together from the bakery around the corner. You haven’t done that in a while, but you’re still quietly begging your phone to show a new unread message when you look at the time however long later.

Instead, there’s just your lockscreen picture of Bucky’s grinning face that you can’t bear to get rid off, no matter how many times it stings you. It’s almost a year old, now, back when you’d taken him to go do your holiday shopping with you, insisting that "no one’s gonna recognize you, look at that great cap you’re wearing".

It’d started snowing halfway through the afternoon, and he’d kept reaching for your hand in order not to lose you in the crowd. You both gave up halfway through your list and just went to get coffee instead, strolling through Central Park and talking about nothing and everything.

That’s when you’d realized you'd been falling in love with him, laughing and fingers freezing around your paper cup, a strange new warmth spreading throughout your body.

You need to change your lockscreen.

***

Half an hour before pick-up, you leave your room with a duffle bag slung over your shoulder and almost run into Bucky. He’s leaning against the opposite wall like he’s been waiting for you, and it stings because that’s what he always used to do, back when you were still talking. When you could still pretend that maybe, just maybe, your feelings weren’t quite so hopeless.

Now, though, his easy smile is missing. Instead, an ever-present frown is furrowing his brows again, his mouth opened just a little, but nothing comes out.

"Look, I don’t want to do this any more than you do," you sigh. "But it’s a two-person job."

He nods, his tongue poking his cheek. "I know."

"Do you think you’re gonna be alright with us pretending we’re madly in love for a whole evening?"

Bucky’s jaw tightens. "I’ll be fine."

Of course he’s going to be fine.

You grab the strap of your bag more tightly. "I wish you would just tell me what I did."

"You didn’t do anything." If he’s telling the truth, though, why does he look so numb?

For a moment, you want to shout at him, cry, beg, make him tell you when and how this went wrong, but you don’t. You just stare at him in silence, hoping he’ll get it anyway, and he refuses to notice it.

"So," Bucky finally says. "You ready to get hitched?"

There’s the ghost of a grin in his eyes, and even though it’s not enough to mask the uncomfortable tilt of his shoulders, you sigh. At least he’s trying, you suppose.

"Let’s just get fake-married so we can fake-divorce and go our separate ways," you say, walking past him.

"I’ve got something for you."

You turn around again, raising your eyebrows as he holds up a ring between the fingers of his left hand. There’s a giant stone set in its center, striking and sparkling and not subtle in the slightest. Tony really went all out for appearance’s sake. Your fingers involuntarily tighten around the strap of your bag.

Bucky drops the ring in the palm of your hand.

"Quite the present," you chuckle nervously. You don’t even want to know how much this thing costs, and you feel like they're going to chop off your head if something happens to it.

"Try it on, then."

It’s a bit too large on your finger, and it feels foreign. It’s not you at all. Then again, it’s not supposed to be you.

Before you can say anything, though, Bucky shakes his head. "What?" you say with a roll of your eyes.

"That couldn’t look more fake if you tried. Wait a sec."

He turns his back towards you and rummages through his bag for a while, his jaw still set as he holds out his hand once more. With a sigh, you pull the ring off again and return it, but before you can pull your hand back, he catches it in his own.

This one slides onto your finger perfectly, and your eyes widen at the sight of it. It’s a lot subtler, with only a small emerald for decoration, but it’s so delicate and beautiful it takes your breath away.

Bucky’s mouth opens and closes, but he swallows whatever came to his mind. "That’s better," he says instead, and his voice sounds oddly rough.

"They gave you a backup?" you say, angling your hand this way and that to see how the gem catches the light.

"Mhm."

Something is off about this whole situation, but then you feel like you don’t really know Bucky anymore. Not like you used to, anyway. It used to be so easy to get a read on him.

You stand there in silence for a moment, and it’s only then that both of you realize he’s still holding your hand. He drops it immediately, and you pretend it doesn’t sting.

"How come you don’t get a ring?" you ask.

"Says who?" Bucky says, clearing his throat and activating the camouflage sleeve Tony had installed for his arm. Sure enough, there’s a ring on his hand as well.

You grab his hand curiously. When you touch it, there’s no difference between his fingers and the pseudo-platinum band, all of it just cool vibranium in disguise.

"It’s fake," you say. "It’s not the same."

"No," he agrees and pulls his hand away. "Looks real enough, though."

You notice the red splotches on his neck and wonder what it is that you’ve said this time, but it’s pointless anyway. He’s not going to tell you even if you asked.

Maybe you should be used to him icing you out by now, but it still hurts.

***

"Yes, Steve, I know," you sigh. "We’re just gathering intel, nothing else."

"I just wanted to have you say it again so we’re all clear. You both love taking risks when it’s not necessary."

"Alright, punk, we got it," Bucky says, tugging at his tie again.

You can’t even blame him for the nervous habit; you’ve been twisting your fake wedding ring around your finger for the entire drive.

This isn’t the first time the two of you had to go undercover as a couple; hell, it’s not even the first time you’ve pretended to be married. Usually, though, you could have a laugh about the whole thing together.

Now you barely know how to act around Bucky as yourself, let alone as some made up woman.

"I think we’re going to attract a lot of attention if we don’t get out soon," you say, readjusting the collar of your blouse underneath your coat.

You notice Steve staring at your hand for a moment, a frown between his brows, but his lips curve upwards a split second later. "Ready to do this?" he asks and you smile a little in confirmation.

Bucky takes another breath and then he nods curtly. "Let’s go."

The change that goes through him as soon as the two of you climb out of the car is so stark you almost turn on your heels again and beg Steve to let you off the hook, after all. His hand sneaks around your waist and pulls you closely into his side as you walk towards the hotel, all soft smiles and charm.

"Sorry for the holdup," he tells the bellman waiting next to your bags with a wink. "The missus and I just needed another minute."

You lightly slap Bucky’s chest in fake indignation. It’s quick thinking on his part, really.

When you’re checking in under your assumed names for the evening, he keeps his arm around you, and the content look stays in his eyes. A subtle glance at your surroundings tells you some of your persons of interest have already arrived early for the event tonight, looking around the sparkling lobby with the same feigned boredom.

Bucky nudges your cheek with his nose and then smiles again when you look at him. It makes your brain shut off for a moment.

When he looks at you like this, it’s so easy to forget the past couple of months and just pretend for a moment. What if there was no mission at all, and it could simply be the two of you?

But of course, that’s not possible. All of it is fake, including the way he looks at you. You know that.

So how come it doesn’t feel fake to you at all?

***

You hate this dress, you hate these people, you hate this dinner, and most of all, you hate how much you enjoy spending this much time so physically close to Bucky.

It feels so natural when he links your hand with yours, so fucking meant to be, even though he’s just putting on a show for the band of creeps you’re tasked to keep an eye on.

But damn if he’s not good at it.

It’s amazing, really, how his eyes immediately soften when you turn your head towards him, like you’re the only person in the whole room. He looks at you during this charade like you wish he’d look at you daily, even far from prying eyes around you; especially then. It makes your breath shorten, your heart pounding erratically because it thinks it’s getting everything it’s ever hoped for.

Hearts are often stupid like that.

A full night of glances and touches and the pretence of secret whispers will do all kinds of twisted things to your feelings.

There’s a lull in the conversation, and when Bucky squeezes your hand you realize he’s no longer the only one who’s looking at you.

You chuckle nervously. "I’m sorry, I got … distracted for a moment. What were you saying?"

"Ah, newlyweds," one of the investor goons laughs. He’s a particularly vile looking man whose suit is way too big on his spindly limbs.

Bucky, academy award winning actor in another lifetime, chuckles politely while the fondness in his eyes seems to increase tenfold. "We’ve been married three years, actually," he says, sticking to your official cover story.

It’d been Tony’s idea to keep your fake timeline as close to the truth as possible to avoid any slip-ups. It’s a great move on paper, really, but in reality it just adds another nail to the coffin.

Three years ago, you were on a mission in Brussels, only the second one ever where it was just the two of you. It was mostly surveillance, so one of you usually had downtime while the other kept lookout. It became customary that you’d entertain each other during those long hours, getting to know each other intimately for the first time, taking the first tentative steps towards the friendship you now share.

That mission was the groundwork of your falling in love with him in the first place.

"You seem to be doing something right if you’re both still so enamoured with each other," Spindly Arms says.

"I’m the luckiest guy in the world," Bucky responds, still looking into your eyes. "It’s hard not to do the right thing, then."

He presses a kiss to your cheek and you smile timidly. His lips linger for just a moment, and then he moves to whisper into your ear, something you’re sure looks like sweet nothings to everybody else but is actually a, "Don’t fall asleep on me."

You tilt your head, shove him teasingly as if he’d said something inappropriate, and because he’s always been quick to catch on he winks, obvious enough so that the other people that are part of this conversation can clearly see it.

It’s not long after this that you excuse yourselves, walking around the room with apparent aimlessness. Everything is sparkling with pure gold decorations and countless little twinkling lights that have been scattered around the room like millions of fireflies. You spot an actual orchestra right underneath the massive Christmas tree.

"Kind of tacky, don’t you think?" Bucky murmurs with a sideway glance at you.

"Maybe a little," you say.

The truth is, though, the room looks oversaturated and expensive and magnificent. Something straight out of a Hallmark movie, more like a movie set than a real place.

It’s the one thing that keeps this whole thing from being completely unbearable.

He must have seen the truth in your eyes, because he ducks his head and says quietly, "I’m gonna go check out the terrace."

You just nod and smile as he kisses your cheek again and then vanishes through the crowd with a few long strides. Sighing, you take another drink from the tray a waiter offers you, absent-mindedly rubbing your cheek.

"What a lovely surprise," a voice says next to you and you freeze for a moment before forcing yourself to calmly take a sip. "Miss … Winter, was it?"

"Mrs," you say with a pleasant smile. "Good evening, Director."

"Right, of course." Director de Fontaine eyes her martini warily. "I don’t suppose these olives are fresh, do you?"

Your mind is racing. If she’s here on official business, then your entire operation might be compromised.

"So," she continues, looking rather bored. "Met any interesting people yet, Mrs Winter?"

"Oh, yes," you say lightly, clinging to your role of unassuming young wife. "It’s all rather exciting."

"I’m sure. These kinds of events are all very … shiny." She looks into your eyes and there’s an almost explicit warning written in hers. "It’s surprisingly easy to get blinded."

You swallow heavily even as she smiles. "If you’ll excuse me, I think I see someone …"

You quickly walk over to the buffet table where some of the wives have formed a semi circle of gossip, trying your best to hide your sigh of relief when the director doesn’t follow you.

For a few minutes, you lose yourself in pointless gossip, until one of the women takes hold of your forearm.

"You must tell us, what’s your secret?"

"Excuse me?" you chuckle nervously.

"Your husband!" she exclaims, earning a few nods from some of the others. "He clearly adores you," she goes on. "I don’t think he’s looked away from you once since you joined us."

You steal a look around your shoulder. She’s right. Bucky’s gaze immediately locks with yours, an almost bashful grin on his lips. You caught me, his eyes seem to say, and you feel a rush of heat go through you.

He should be nominated for an Oscar with this performance.

Quickly, you turn around again to meet several expectant pairs of eyes.

"I don’t know what to tell you," you say. "He’s just … always been like this. I mean, he’s my best friend. I really don’t know what I would do without him."

There’s not a word of a lie in what you’re saying, and it elicits a round of coos and murmurs even as your heart gives a sharp pang.

"Dance with me?"

You flinch, turning to look at Bucky’s outstretched hand, at the sad, hopeful look in his eyes, and the line between reality and fiction blurs a bit more.

You take his hand, and he pulls you onto the dance floor, some cheery Christmas song ramping up to its big finale. Then, the band switches to a slower song. To you, it sounds mournful.

"That was nice," Bucky mutters into your ear. "What you said."

"I meant it, you know," you whisper, but he turns, and you don’t think he’s heard you.

Bucky places his hand on your hip and you hide a shudder. His gloved fingers wrap around yours, and then you start moving again.

You barely know the steps, but he’s a great leader, and he doesn’t say anything when you step on his toes. In fact, his gaze softens even more when he looks at you after the third time, the hand around your waist pulling you a little closer.

"How are you doing this?" you say without stopping to smile.

"Easy," Bucky says, and the way he says it almost makes you believe it’s true.

You bite your lip, trying to stop yourself from breathing him in. "I didn’t mean the dancing."

With the last note of the song, you stumble over his foot again and he snorts. "Me neither."

The melody changes and neither of you lets go. His steps are getting slower, smaller, like he’s just trying to keep both of you in motion. Your head is spinning. The twinkling lights are starting to blur into a great mass of stars in the background, like you’re at the center of a music box and everything else is just background noise.

You wrap both hands around his neck as you’re swaying, then, your foreheads only inches apart. You could stay in this moment forever, you think, as it stretches into blissful infinity. Somewhere, a clock strikes ten.

Bucky leans in a little closer and your breath hitches again.

"It’s time," he whispers, and your eyes fly open.

You’d almost forgotten about the mission.

"Val is here," you say quietly.

His expression hardens for just a second. "What?"

"She came to talk to me earlier. She knows we’re here."

"Why didn’t you say something?"

"I … There wasn’t time."

"We’re just gonna have to be quick and discrete."

You open your mouth, but then you see the distance close in again between you two, and so you just nod.

The plan is almost laughably simple, but it’s probably going to work out just as you’ve laid out beforehand. Everyone in the room has watched the two of you staring at each other for the past couple of hours, so no one bats an eye when Bucky nudges you gently and you make your way up the stairs to the fancy elevator that’s going to take you up to a bedroom.

Or, more specifically, to a bedroom that’s being used to store all kinds of evidence, but no one else needs to know that little detail.

You notice the director talking to Spindly Arms and a couple of other people, but you force your gaze not to linger on her. Instead, you grab Bucky’s hand more tightly.

He lets go of you as soon as the elevator doors close behind the two of you, dragging a hand through his hair and messing it up. There aren’t any cameras in the elevator, but you’re both pretty sure there will be on the floor you’re going. "CIA exposure, that’s exactly what we needed."

"There was nothing I could’ve done," you say, tugging your sleeves down your shoulders.

"I’m not blaming you, sweetheart," Bucky says distractedly, loosening his tie. Your heart makes a very heavy thud. "But if Walker shows up tonight as well, I’m gonna shoot first and ask questions later."

"No, you won’t," you say with a grin, mostly because you know he didn’t bring his gun because the male attendees were all frisked at the entrance.

"Maybe I’ll throw a knife. I could say it was an accident."

The conversation lasts barely a moment, but it reminds you so much of what the two of you used to be, it hurts.

You follow him stumbling out of the elevator onto the right floor with a breathless laugh. There’s no one in sight as you subtly check the room numbers before making him follow you with a coquettish smile for the security camera.

You find the right door without much trubble, pulling the keycard out of your inconvenient little handbag. "Come on now," you murmur as the lock rejects it at the first try.

Suddenly, Bucky’s hand is on your waist again, and you gasp as he spins around. The keycard drops to the floor.

He presses you against the wall, effectively trapping you in his embrace. Your hands are laid flat against his chest, his heart thundering madly underneath your fingertips. Bucky’s eyes flit around madly, like he’s trying to come up with something on the spot and, for the first time since you’ve known him, is left without ideas.

You gasp as his nose brushes against yours.

"Sorry," he whispers hoarsely. And then he kisses you.

Your body responds immediately, lighting a fire in your core as his lips press against yours, hungry, gentle, almost apologetic. You can taste the champagne on his tongue.

You arch your back against him on instinct as his hands travel down your arms, brushing your hips, your tighs, slowly parting your dress at the slit. Your eyes fly open the moment you realize what he’s doing, even though he swallows your gasp.

In one smooth motion, he pulls the I.C.E.R. out of the garter on your thigh and fires a single, silenced shot. The guy with the earpiece barely has the time to grunt before he sacks against the opposite wall, unconscious, his hand still in the pocket of his jacket.

"Fuck," you hiss, pushing Bucky away from you. He stumbles slightly, the gun loose in his fingers. His eyes are almost black as he blinks at you. "You could have told me we’re being shadowed."

Bucky’s mouth is stained from your lipstick, and the sight of that alone makes your head swim. You can still feel the ghost of his hand on your leg.

"It’d have blown our cover," he replies, infuriatingly calm. "Hate me later, our window has just narrowed by a bit."

You swallow, blinking to try and gain control over your breath again, grabbing your gun back with a short nod. "Let’s finish this, then."

***

Back at the Compound, you both give an exhausted report about the events of the night, leaving out nothing but your improvised kiss on floor fifteen.

Your lips are still tingling with it.

Finally, you and Bucky are left alone in the briefing room, and for the first time in weeks, he doesn’t just get up and leave as soon as the silence takes hold. Instead, you both sit next to each other, staring straight ahead.

"I guess we should talk," he says slowly, reluctantly, and you can’t help it.

Your defenses shoot up again.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," you say, squinting.

"Yes, you do." He’s lost the tie hours ago, but he keeps tugging at the fabric in his hands as if it could give him the words he’s looking for. "I shouldn’t have kissed you, not with … Not like that."

"Like you said, the guy would’ve blown our cover," you say, crossing your arms.

"Doesn’t make it right."

"What do you want me to say, Buck?" you say sharply. "That you should’ve talked to me before? Well, I’m kind of used to you not doing that anymore, so just forget it."

"Y/N—"

"No, really, it’s fine. Like I said, you’re leaving, anyway, so what does it matter. Didn’t tell me you were planning to do that, either. You just did it."

"You know why I’m leaving."

"No, I fucking don’t!" There are tears in your eyes now. "I have been trying really hard, Bucky, but you’ve just shut me out. I thought you needed space, which is fine, by the way, but you just—one day you decided you were done with me and that was it."

He stares at you incredulously. "You seriously don’t remember."

"Don’t remember what?!"

"That you were talking about me. To Natasha."

The memory rushes through you so violently it’s almost ridiculous you hadn’t thought about it in months.

You’d just come back from another undercover op, and you’d called her right as the door to your room had closed behind you because not for the first time, your feelings had threatened to spill over again.

"You should talk to him. Be honest."

"No, Nat, come on, I can’t—I can’t do that to him. I can’t risk … you know, he’s my best friend. And that’s all it can ever be. I don’t want to ruin what we have. I just wish he’d make it easier."

"You’re making excuses, you know. Both of you deserve a bit of happiness, don’t you think?"

"I tried," Bucky says now, barely looking at you. "I tried making it easier. But you’re so …"

"So what?" you ask hollowly, ignoring the fact that you can feel the tears starting to trickle down your cheeks now. "So pathetic? That’s what this is about, isn’t it? That’s why you asked for the transfer, so you can be rid of me."

"Rid of you?" Bucky starts, but you ignore him.

"You know what, Bucky, fuck you if you think my feelings for you are so much of an inconvenience that you need to leave the state. Silly me for thinking we could be adults about this."

"You’re the one who wouldn’t just tell me."

"Well, now you know anyway and I’m sure once you’re off to Cairo or wherever the fuck they’re going to send you, you can have a big old laugh about the stupid girl who fell in love with you despite the fact that—"

"Love?"

"I mean, obviously?!"

"You … you’re in love … with me?" There’s something very soft and vulnerable in Bucky’s eyes.

"Are we talking about two different phone calls?"

"I thought you hated me."

You huff incredulously. "Why would I hate you?"

"That’s why I gave you space, I thought … but then …" He grabs your hands. "Sweetheart, I’ve been in love with you for years."

It punches the air out of your lungs. "What?"

Bucky’s eyes are devastating as he looks at you, then. "I’m so sorry, I—I got it all wrong, I was just—I thought you know and you didn’t see me like that and that’s why I …"

"You …?" you say, still not quite comprehending what’s going on.

His thumb caresses your knuckles, halting when it makes contact with the ring you’re still wearing. "I'm in love with you," he says quietly.

"I don’t understand," you whisper.

"Please tell me I didn’t fuck this up completely."

This time, you’re the one to lean in.

Where your first kiss in the hallway had been feverish, this one is soft, almost unbelievably sweet, both of you still breathless with the fact that you’re allowed to do this. Finally, it feels like all the pieces are falling into place and you’re home again.

You press closer into him and Bucky smiles against your lips, pulling you in with his hands on your hips just like he did when you were dancing earlier.

The loudspeakers overhead crackle. "Alright, kids, we’re gonna break this up until you’re back in your own quarters, I don’t want to expose FRIDAY to the creation of your sex tape."

You break up with a snort.

"Fuck you, Tony," Bucky shouts, but he’s still smiling as wide as you’ve ever seen him do.

You giggle as you nudge your nose against his, curling your fingers into his hair. "That reminds me, you know."

"Of what?"

"Quick and discrete," you mumble, repeating his words from the hotel. "Title of your sex tape."

Bucky groans and shuts you up again.

(A few years later, you get the ring back.)

happy holidays, y'all 💛 thank you for reading!! if you want to see more of my writing, check out my masterlist or follow @intrepidacious-fics for update notifications!!

#sweet as sugar challenge #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes x you #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes oneshot #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfic #almost believing

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r0ttenhearts · 10 months

Text

inconvenience

alhaitham x reader

sypnosis: after alhaitham fails to show up for your birthday “party” things seem to go worse between you as well as your best friend kaveh

warnings: angst, no comfort, arguments

the clock chiming felt taunting with every minute that passed. every minute that passed with alhaitham nowhere in sight. every minute that got closer to midnight. a gentle sigh left your lips, the thickly frosted cake sat in front of you untouched. you were sure if you had lit the candles they would have been nothing but melted wax by now.

you weren’t sure why you wanted to believe things would be different tonight. with alhaitham’s busy schedule it made moments between you two scarce and few. only speaking for a few minutes in the morning, knowing he’d be gone all day. you didn’t blame him for it, no. how could you? he was busy doing his job as a scribe! piling onto his already busy schedule felt nauseating. but you trusted his promise he made to you only two weeks prior. a promise to come home early on your birthday, to celebrate together.

it felt so long ago now. the clock reading 11:46 and he still wasn’t home. the sound of the door opening perked you up, a wide smile on your face as you got up, ready to greet alhaitham.

“haitham! i- oh.”

the blonde haired architect smiled softly at you, your shoulders slumping. “hey kaveh, why’re you home so late?” you spoke softly as he came inside.

“i just got caught up with things, figured i’d rather finish them here.. where’s alhaitham? i thought you two would be together right about now?”

you shook your head softly, “i guess he got caught up with things as well.”

kaveh studied your face for a moment before smiling sadly, “happy birthday (y/n).” you whispered a quiet thank you as he walked to his room, the door shutting gently behind him.

a silent storm brewed in your mind and you couldn’t help but feel so defeated. your boyfriend of four years couldn’t bother to show up for your birthday? did he really think his work mattered more than you?

you remembered every time you passed up something with your friends or an event you had wanted to go to, just for alhaitham. considering his feelings and knowing he didn’t like those things. only wanting to spend time together even if it meant missing out on things you also deemed as important.

always taking his feelings and thoughts on certain things, but he couldn’t even come home for your birthday? your sigh was much more aggravated than it was before, your patience as thin as paper.

just as you were about to put the cake away the door opened, the clock reading 12:24. no words were said as you closed the fridge door, making your way past alhaitham before he stopped you. a firm hand on your shoulder.

“what, alhaitham? it’s late, i’m going to bed.” you attempted to shrug his hand off but he held his grip. “you’re angry, why are you upset with me?” alhaitham spoke cooly and composed.

you scoffed loudly, angry tears were trying to escape your eyes but you wouldn’t let them. you wouldn’t cry over him.

“oh, i wonder! i really do, alhaitham. maybe because it’s my birthday and you didn’t bother to show up? just a reminder since you seemed to have forgotten, or do you just not care? i don’t think i want to know the answer.” you spat out like poison. a look of annoyance crossed alhaitham’s face.

“are you serious? you’re behaving like a child over your birthday? i was busy with my work, you know this. don’t go pouting now because i forgot one meaningless day.”

he didn’t care. he didn’t care how much this meant to you, even after telling him stories of how you always went out of your way for others. only to be disappointed in return. the one day of the year you wanted to feel like you mattered, and he didn’t care. he was more bothered with you being upset than anything.

“you can’t be serious alhaitham. you promised me!”

“then i suppose that promise didn’t mean much as i don’t recall ever making one.”

any argument you had in your mind now died. he wouldn’t care for any reason to justify your anger, he had made up his mind. and he wasn’t sorry for any of it.

you didn’t say anything as his hand left your shoulder, walking past you to the kitchen for a late night sandwich. you quietly made your way to kaveh’s room, shutting the door as quietly as you could behind you. kaveh spun around in his chair, a look of confusion on his face.

“kaveh.. alhaitham didn’t care! he just didn’t care at all. i waited all night, you know? i waited and waited and blew off invitations to spend my birthday with dehya and the girls and he just.. just didn’t care! he called me a child and i-“

“(Y/N)!”

your emotional rambling stopped at the yell of your name. kaveh held the same expression alhaitham had when he looked at you not too long ago.

“you are being an inconvenience right now, i have so much to do and i can’t deal with this right now. we can talk about it later but i’m busy right now. so please, get out of my room.”

you didn’t say anything as you left his room. alhaitham scoffing as you two saw each other before he made his way to his own room. the door shutting behind him.

you had never felt so unwelcome in a place you had grown to love and call home. but if you weren’t wanted, you knew better than to stay. to fight for a place that wasn’t yours. with that, you quietly slipped away into the night. texts and calls being missed from the both of them as you made a new life outside of them.

taglist: @sakiimeo @astrolomona @dearsumire @saeism @shoheartluv @0kauy @lelemnh @aqualesha @linkookie197 @xiaonscaraswife @foxlover1144 @reblog-crazily @sparklylanddetective @gh0sts0up @darliingyu @maxineslair @kenmabfasf @samarill @whorerificstuff

#genshin angst #genshin x reader #genshin x reader angst #alhaitham x reader #alhaitham angst #alhaitham #al haitam x reader #al haithem

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hungermakesmonsters · 2 months

Text

(Once Bitten) Twice Shy

Chapter Seventeen

Plot summary : Desperate to get away from your controlling family, you take a job in New York as a wealthy vampire's blood source. A million dollars awaits if you can make it through a year, but life with Billy Russo is not going to be as simple as you think.

Pairing : Billy Russo x Reader

Story Rating : R Chapter Rating : PG

Warnings : [This is a fic for 18+ only, minors DNI] Nothing too warning worthy, just some really creepy vibes at the end. All chapters will contain mentions of blood. Please check the warnings on each chapter if you choose to follow this story.

Word Count : 4.5k

A/N : happy fic-friday!

MASTER LIST

Chapter Seventeen

You sat in silence, too paralysed by fear to think rationally. There were things you knew you should be doing, like looking out of the window and trying to figure out where you were and, perhaps more importantly, where you were going. But, really, what did it matter? You’d always known that it would come down to this, that you’d end up his prisoner and, now, you knew for certain that no one was going to save you.

Your eyes drifted to the rear window, not looking at him, not even acknowledging his existence.

The streets of New York all looked the same at night; all bright lights and crowds of people. The only thing you could tell was that you didn’t seem to be leaving the city. Somehow that made things worse, knowing that you were still so close to Billy but you might as well have been a million miles away.

And, suddenly, despite your situation, Billy was all you could think about. He was probably at Josie’s by now, he’d probably realised that you were gone and that he’d never see you again. He was probably so angry.

“You’ll soon get tired of giving me the silent treatment,” he stated with a confidence that made you sick to your stomach, “but I’m not going to rush you. I have patience and we have the rest of forever.”

Forcing a breath, you tried everything you could to keep a blank face and not give into the scared helplessness that was filling you. Your gaze remained focused on the window and the streets you’d been so excited to explore only a few weeks ago.

A sense of claustrophobia took hold the moment the limo turned into an underground parking structure, darkness filling the car and making you feel more trapped than ever. Then the car stopped.

You didn’t move, didn’t even tear your eyes away from the window.

Until he reached for you.

His cold hand on yours caused you to flinch and pull away, only to find fingers tightly gripping your good wrist.

“You’re going to behave for me,” he told you, the slightest hint of annoyance seeping into his tone.

“Or what?”

You weren’t sure what came over you in that moment but you were just as surprised by your sudden snap as he was.

“Do I have to remind you what will happen to your family?” He asked, leaning closer, gripping tighter. “Or maybe I should remind you what I’m capable of...”

“You don’t scare me anymore, Mr Drake,�� you answered back, his name spat from your mouth like venom despite knowing you were only making things worse.

“Please, you should call me Justin since you’re going to be my wife,” he offered with a smile that made you feel ill. “And you should be scared of what could happen if you try to refuse me again.”

“Am I supposed to care what happens to my parents after they sold me to you?”

You didn’t expect the laugh that followed, a sound that caused the dread in your stomach to continue to build.

“And what about Irene? You still care about her, right?”

The sound of your sister’s name on his lips was almost enough to cause your heart to stop. It was a lie, it had to be. She’d been gone for years, no one knew where she was or how to find her.

“You’re lying.” You decided to call his bluff.

He let go of your arm to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. A moment later you felt bile rise in the back of your throat at the picture he showed you. It had been years since you’d seen her, but there was no mistaking that it was your older sister. The sickening feeling only continued to increase as he started to swipe through pictures; pictures of a family, of two young children and a telltale bump on her belly.

“If you’d prefer I could take what’s owed me from her instead, along with your nephews and your unborn niece.” He put the phone away, no longer needing it to threaten you. He’d made his point.

“You’re a monster.”

He laughed again.

“Oh, darling, you have no idea.” He leaned to open the door and then gave a wave of his hand, indicating that he wanted you to move. “It’s up to you whether we do this the easy way or the hard way.”

For a few seconds you remained completely still, defiant.

Then you moved.

What choice did you have? You knew he could bend you to his will if he wanted to, you knew he could hurt you and those closest to you. More than that, you knew that you were completely alone. No one was going to look for you. No one was coming to your rescue.

“Good choice,” you heard him mutter as he followed you out of the limo.

You bristled at the touch of his hand against your lower back, guiding you towards the elevator but you moved regardless, knowing better than to think you could outrun a vampire in the gloomy parking lot.

The elevator doors slid shut, trapping you with him and his driver, watching as he swiped a key card for the penthouse floor. Your heart lurched along with the elevator and, despite wanting to remain steely and unphased by the situation, you found yourself pulling your arms across your chest.

It was only then that you realised your suitcase was nowhere to be seen. Try as you might, you couldn’t remember what had happened to it. It had been with you when you left Josie’s but then you’d walked into Krista and -

And after that, everything was hazy.

“Where are my things?” You asked. “I had a suitcase.”

“Gone. You don’t need it,” he answered.

Your chest tightened, squeezing out a breath. Your eyes fixed forward, unblinking, not wanting to show him how upset you were. You weren’t bothered about your things, about your purse or phone, but your heart was breaking over the stuffed beagle that meant so much to you, the last little piece of Billy that you had.

“I want it,” you demanded defiantly.

“Why?” He asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Because it’s mine. If you want me to stay here and not cause problems, then you need to find it.” You glared at him as he spoke, as if there was really anything you could do to hurt him.

He seemed disinterested but shrugged before giving his driver a glance. The man nodded, understanding his orders without a word even passing between them. Though, by now, you knew it was probably too late. You’d probably never see Bill the Beagle again.

As he led you into the penthouse suite, his driver disappeared back into the elevator, but you weren’t so naive as to think that you were alone with him. He’d have his goons somewhere near, in case he needed them. If you wanted to even think about trying to get away from him again, you were going to have to bide your time.

Your stomach dropped when you were led into a bedroom. You lingered in the doorway, leaving as much space between you and him as you could and, of course, he noticed.

“There’s no need to be shy,” he told you, barely holding back a smirk.

“I’m not being shy,” you answered back.

His gaze darkened.

“I can’t say that I like this new attitude you seem to have developed. I can see now why William Russo had to resort to physical means to keep you in line,” he stated, gesturing at your broken arm.

“You don’t know anything about Billy,” you snapped through gritted teeth.

“Oh, Billy is it?” He asked, looking at you like he could look right through you, like he could tell every little thought in your head, and he didn’t like what he saw. “Got close to him, did you?”

You felt your cheeks start to burn while your hands clenched to fists at your side, and he noticed it all.

“More than that?” He asked, though he didn’t need to hear an answer. “You’re lucky I’m not a jealous man, otherwise I might have taken it out on poor dear Billy. But, then, why should I be jealous of a vampire who likes to play with his food?”

“You know nothing about it or him.”

“Oh, I know plenty,” he answered back. “Enough to know that he’ll have a new girl in his employ, bleeding for him by the end of the week and probably in his bed just as quick, just like he replaced your friend Krista...”

You shook your head, insolent, even though some part of you wondered if he was right. Perhaps Lissa had already put out an advertisement for your replacement.

But you weren’t given time to linger on the thought. He closed the distance between you, his cold fingers grasping your chin, turning your head one way and then the other as he inspected your neck.

“Did he bite you?” He asked and you stayed silent, so he resorted to threats. “Do I have to strip you and check for myself?”

The threat was enough to break you. “No. He didn’t bite me.”

“Good. Now get changed out of those clothes, so we can have supper and discuss our future together.” A wave of his hand led your gaze to an outfit that had been set out for you on the bed.

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

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Billy asked as if he thought Karen might have some magic answer to explain everything that was going on.

She’d explained about Madani, about the questions the Homeland agent had about Billy, as well as the warning that she’d offered outside the hospital. But she only knew what you had shared with her and the little that Madani had been willing to say, and it wasn’t a lot.

And it certainly wasn’t enough for Billy.

“I don’t know, I guess because she didn’t believe it, she didn’t think it was worth worrying you with it,” Karen offered, lifting her glass and taking a slow drink.

Billy and Frank had asked around, hoping someone had seen you while Karen called Madani, but the most they got was from a drunk who thought you might have gotten into a limousine with friends. By the time they sat to wait for the Homeland agent, Billy was crawling out of his skin.

“And you’re sure she didn’t believe it?” He asked, again trying to get an answer that he knew Karen couldn’t possibly know.

“Well, she saw Krista, didn’t she?” Frank offered. “Hard to think you killed someone who’s still walkin’ around.”

“But, what if -” he started and stopped as Karen dared to reach across the table, placing a hand on his arm.

“Billy, she didn’t leave because she thought you’d done something wrong,” she offered.

“No, she left because I’m like... this...”

Frank bristled at his side but didn’t say anything, though Karen could tell just how much effort it took for him to bite his tongue. She’d seen them have that argument before, and she’d been the one left to console Frank afterwards.

“We’ll find her, Billy,” Karen tried again, pulling back her hand.

“I just -” he started but stopped the moment he noticed a woman in a suit approaching them, eyeing him with very obvious suspicion.

Karen’s eyes followed Billy’s, and she quickly stood up.

“Agent Madani.”

“Ms Page,” she greeted Karen before uncomfortably eyeing Billy and Frank.

“Something’s happened and we need your help,” Karen tried to explain, waving a hand, trying to get Madani to sit.

Between the three of them, they explained what had happened as far as they knew, up to the point where they found your suitcase on the sidewalk. An uncomfortable silence fell while Madani took it all in.

“How can you be sure she didn’t just abandon it?” Madani asked, glancing at the case.

“She wouldn’t do that,” Billy answered, his hand resting on the stuffed beagle. “Why would she leave her phone and purse?”

Madani looked at him for a few moments, saying nothing.

“And how do I know that any of this is true?” She finally asked. “How do I know that this isn’t some elaborate ruse? How do I know she isn’t dead somewhere and all of this is to stop me from asking questions later on?”

“I didn’t kill her. I haven’t killed anyone. I -” Billy started to snap.

“Bill,” Frank warned, silencing him.

“You’ve got a badge, right?” Karen asked. “The store across the street has got a security camera pointed at the street, you can take a look at the last hour and see if we’re telling the truth or not.”

Frank struggled to fight back a grin, nudging Karen with his elbow, impressed with her. Madani on the other hand, seemed a little less enthusiastic.

“It’s not that simple, I’d need a warrant, and -”

“We don’t have time -” Karen started.

“Fuck this,” Billy muttered, getting to his feet.

Frank followed suit. “What’re you doin’, Bill?”

“I’m going to get the security footage myself,” he answered.

“Hey, if you think I’m going to sit back while you commit a crime -” Madani was on her feet a second later.

“The more time we waste, the harder it’s going to be to find her,” Billy snapped. “And I’m not going to lose her. You can either help or you can stay out of my way, but I’m warning you, Agent Madani, I’m not someone you want as an enemy.”

Without another word, he started towards the door, Madani and Frank following after while Karen opted to hang back with your suitcase.

Billy made his way across the street, not caring if he was followed; he was determined to find out what happened, with or without help. With the way he was feeling, he’d tear the store owner apart if he even tried to get in his way. And Frank seemed to realise that. It was why he didn’t let Billy get more than a few feet ahead of him.

And Madani followed because she was almost hoping that he’d do something to prove her right about him.

“How we doin’ this then?” Frank asked just outside the little corner store, stopping Billy in his tracks.

“That’s up to Agent Madani,” Billy answered, glaring at the Homeland agent.

For a few seconds she looked at the two vampires, hating that she was being put on the spot but realising that there was nothing that she could do to stop them from looking at the footage one way or another.

“Fine, wait here,” she answered, as she moved to step past Billy.

“What? If you think I’m -” Billy was silenced by Frank’s hand on his shoulder.

Madani waited for a beat before entering the store alone.

The bell over the door chimed, signalling her arrival to the young guy behind the counter who looked up from his phone for a split-second before dropping his gaze again. Madani strode towards the counter, reaching into her jacket for her badge and ID. For a few seconds she didn’t say anything, instead she listened to the faint sounds coming from the assistant's phone.

‘If vampire’s keep taking all the wealth and making it so honest, hard working humans can’t find a decent job that pays a decent wage -”

She cleared her throat, having heard all she needed to. Anti-vampire sentiment was still widespread and there were plenty of online commentators willing to try to make a quick buck from it, and in this situation, it was something she could use to her advantage.

“Agent Madani, Homeland Security,” she stated. The kid looked ready to shit himself at the sight of her badge. “I’m going to need to see the CCTV footage from the front of the store for the last couple of hours.”

“I -” for a moment he struggled to find the words, “- I think I’d need to ask my boss.”

“Is he here right now?”

“No, he lives in Jersey...”

Madani let out a sigh, letting the kid see her frustration.

“Listen, I’ll level with you, I’m tracking a dangerous vampire,” she told him and saw a flicker of anger on his face. “I think they’ve hurt a lot of people, a lot of young women about your age...”

“Fucking bloodsuckers,” he muttered.

“If I could see that footage, I might be able to catch him and, if I do...” she shrugged, “well, there’d be nothing to stop you from posting the whole thing online. I hear you can make a lot of money with stuff like this.”

Madani could practically see dollar signs lighting up behind his eyes. At any other time it might have bothered her just how easily influenced the kid was, but time was of the essence and she needed to know if Russo was lying to her.

“Yeah, okay,” the kid relented, “it’s in the back here.”

He gave a quick glance around the store, making sure it was still empty before showing her into the backroom. The set up was hardly state of the art, but it was easy enough to use - in fact, she’d used several similar systems in the past, so it didn’t take her long to scrub through the video and find the exact moment that you left Josie’s. The picture quality wasn’t brilliant and the poor lighting on the street didn’t help, but you were easy enough to spot with your suitcase.

Madani watched as someone deliberately stepped into your path before taking you by the arm and leading you towards a waiting limousine. She managed to get half of the licence plate of the limo and snapped a quick photo of the blurry figure with her phone while the kid’s back was turned, then she stood.

“Is it on there?” He asked.

“No,” she answered, forcing another sigh, “looks like the bastard managed to slip by just out of range of the camera.”

His disappointment was palpable.

“But that isn’t to say that he won’t come back,” Madani offered, “so it’d be best if you didn’t mention this to anyone, otherwise you might spook him and... well, I wouldn’t want to see you charged with obstruction after you’ve been so helpful.”

He nodded and she didn’t waste any time in making her excuses to get out of there.

Billy was pacing by the time she stepped back outside, both men seemed to be engaged in a heated debate about something, and it looked as though Russo was on the losing end of it.

“All I’m sayin’ is -”

“What did you find out?” Billy asked, ignoring Frank and quickly refocusing all of his attention on Madani.

“I’m not sure,” Madani stated, pulling out her phone, “she left the bar and someone met her outside before leading her to a limousine. There wasn’t a struggle but... something didn’t seem right...”

“You think someone was compellin’ her?” Frank asked.

“Maybe. I can’t be sure. I got a partial plate and I’m going to call in some favours to run it, see if I can figure out who owns the limo and where it went,” Madani explained before holding up her phone to the men, showing the blurry image she’d captured. “But, while we wait, we should try to figure out who this is.”

“Fuck,” Billy grit out almost instantly.

“Goddamnit,” Frank let out a second later.

“Well, that was quicker than expected. Care to fill me in?” Madani asked.

“I knew I should’ve killed her,” Billy muttered, forcing an uneven breath, struggling to stay in control of himself.

“It’s Krista Dumont, alive and well, and still pissin’ everyone off,” Frank answered, though his gaze stayed on Billy. “You went lookin’ for her, right, Bill? Know where she might be now?”

“Yeah, I know where she lives,” Billy answered, his attention quickly turning to Madani. “You wanted to know what happened to my previous employees, right? Well, you’re about to find out.”

Without another word, he started moving back towards where he’d left his car. Frank and Madani quickly followed after, the latter on her phone calling in those favours to try and track down the limo.

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

You were finally left alone to change, though you spent at least five minutes searching the room, looking for anything that might help you escape. As much as you’d felt resigned to this eventuality, just being around him again had panic and dread gnawing at your insides. You had to get away.

The first thing you did was check the windows, despite already knowing that you were too high up to even consider it an option. In fact, the penthouse suite was so high up that the people on the street below seemed like ants.

Next thing you checked was the room’s phone by lifting it to your ear. No dial tone. No cord connecting it to the wall. If you could get a cord from one of the other phones in the suite, you might be able to call for help. You filled away the thought for later.

Then you checked the drawers and the wardrobe, feeling sick to your stomach when you found several outfits that were obviously for you. They looked like the sort of clothes your mother would have picked for you and not at all like the outfits you’d enjoyed wearing over the last six months. Even the dress he’d laid out on the bed for you felt uncomfortably conservative - though you supposed you should be glad he wanted you to dress that way.

Shaking your head you tried to force the thought away and concentrate on finding things that might be helpful.

Wooden hangers could perhaps be turned into weapons but... well, that was a line you didn’t want to think about crossing until you really had to.

“Dinner is here,” you heard his voice from behind the door. “Unless you want me to come in there and dress you myself, I suggest you hurry up.”

As much as you wanted to be stubborn, as much as you wanted to cause him as much trouble as possible, the sorry fact of the matter was that you were scared. And you had every reason to be scared. So, you gave up your search and quickly changed into the clothes that he had left for you and stepped out into the suite.

The main room was lit by lamps, creating a romantic glow that made you feel sick.

Instead of looking at him and the table, you glanced around the room, taking note of where the phone was and how close the door was. But your host seemed to realise what you were doing.

“Sit,” he ordered, pulling out a chair at the table.

You made a point of walking around him and taking a different seat.

“You’re starting to test my patience,” he remarked, taking his own seat.

“Already?” You remarked off-handedly, reminding him of the comment he’d made not two hours ago in the limo.

“Did Billy Russo let you talk back like this?”

“He never gave me a reason to,” you answered without hesitation, despite knowing it wasn’t strictly true.

He gave a grunt of irritation before uncovering your food. You looked down at the plate, your lips curling at the sight; tuna steak and salad. While he started to eat, you simply stared down at the plate. Even though you knew you’d never see him again, let alone bleed for him, the thought of eating anything from his list of prohibited foods. It took Justin Drake a minute to realise that you weren’t eating, and then came the frustrated sigh.

“Are you going to fight me on everything?” He asked.

“I don’t eat tuna.”

“Since when?”

“Since I decided I don’t like it.”

“Then eat the salad,” he snapped.

You took small consolation in the fact that you were already getting to him, showing him that you were going to be far more trouble than you were worth but, again, you knew better than to push too far too soon. He could hurt you. He would hurt you if he felt like it.

Reluctantly, you began to pick at the salad with your fork, silently wondering if you’d be able to sneak any of the cutlery away from the table.

You ate in silence, neither speaking until you were both done. He’d poured you a glass of wine, but it had been left mostly untouched and, thankfully, he hadn’t thought to order dessert.

“Tomorrow we’ll be travelling home,” he informed you. “The wedding is being arranged as we speak and, by this time next week, you’ll be my wife, so you should rid yourself of any childish notions of escaping or denying me.”

“I won’t marry you.”

“Yes you will.”

“Why? Why any of this? Why me?” You asked, anger quickly starting to bubble over. “I’ll never stop fighting you, I’ll never be yours. How is any of this worth it to you?”

He just laughed at that, sitting back in his chair and lifting his wine glass to his lips, taking a slow drink before even thinking to answer you.

“Because it’s fate.”

“What?” Had you heard him correctly? Had he called it fate?

“It was never about the money - that was just to keep your parents in line - it’s always been about you, my sweet girl.” He continued to smile as your skin started to crawl. “I knew I had to have you the first time I set eyes on you.”

Your stomach continued to churn and tie itself in knots as you thought how long ago that must have been.

“Why?” You dared to ask even though you were terrified of how he might answer.

“You look just like your great-great-great-grandmother.” He paused as if he was expecting you to say something but the shock had rendered you silent. “She was like you, she refused me what should have been mine, and she paid the price.”

It felt like your blood had turned to ice in your veins, not sure exactly what he was telling you, but not wanting to ask for clarification either. You remained silent, wondering how long he’d been tormenting your family like this and if you were the first to find yourself in this situation with him.

“I always regretted it, once she was gone I mean. I should have handled things differently, but I was young back then, barely past my first century...” he sounded almost wistful, like he was recounting a fond memory. “But then I found you. And I won’t make the same mistake twice. You will bend to my will. You will be my wife in every sense of the word and, when you’ve finally accepted your place at my side, I will give you the greatest gift imaginable.”

You didn’t have to ask to know what he was implying.

“No,” your head shook. “I don’t want to be a vampire.”

“My sweet girl, what makes you think you have a choice?”

End Note : ... I'm not even sorry about ending it like that, I'm having too much fun getting things ready for the final confrontation. I think that there's probably only two more chapters left of this one now (depending on how carried away I get with the next part), so I hope you all enjoy what I've got planned. Also I'm sorry I picked that name for the bad guy...

As ever, thank you so much for reading/liking/reblogging/screaming at me in the comments! Have a great weekend!!

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged in future chapters! If tagging doesn't work for some reason (aka Tumblr being dumb) I post most Fridays around 7:30 gmt.

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barbarianprncess · 7 months

Text

annabeth chase and her many losing dogs: an (incomplete) anthology

read on ao3

chapter one: a (brief) introduction to the game and it's players

She gives Cerberus her red rubber ball.

Because he’s a monster, but she doesn’t think he means to be.

Because he’s a lonely dog and she is lonely the same way. The kind that doesn’t know how lonely it is until a person shows up and reminds them. The kind that wishes to just be left in loneliness long enough for companionship to be forgotten altogether.

The ball will make him happy. He will destroy it within minutes, it will disappear after he does nothing but be himself.

(She does that sometimes too.)

First Round: Frederick Chase

Bet Type: Blind Faith; awarded via mass tradition.

Made with no experience.

Trust given without the knowledge that trust must be earned.

Annabeth is four years old and hungry.

She hasn’t eaten since dinner last night.

Dad is playing with his planes again. The fancy small piece ones that Annabeth is not allowed to touch, ‘not now, not ever.’ She’s not supposed to bother Dad when he plays with his planes.

Plane time is Dad’s very special ‘by himself’ time. He’d explained a while ago that he has lots of very hard work to do, and then he has to take care of her which is even more lots of hard work, and sometimes he needs his special ‘by himself’ time, because Annabeth is a big girl now who can read her books and not touch the sockets.

(She wonders why he doesn’t do his special ‘by himself’ time when she’s taking her naps. That way they could have their together time when she’s awake.)

This would be fine, but she just ate the last of her super secret dad-is-in-his-study snack stash that she hides under her bed last week.

She wants to go in and ask, but the last time she’d interrupted him, even though he smiled at her, his eyebrows got all scrunched up together. He was not happy to see her.

(Sometimes, she wonders if he ever is.)

Annabeth is really very hungry.

There are bananas on top of the fridge.

Annabeth creates a plan.

The plan goes south almost immediately and she ends up dangling from the top of the white mountain with glass and bananas all over the ground.

“Christ! Annabeth!” She is being yanked from her very small cliff and carried into the living room and Dad’s voice is very loud and his face is more than scrunched eyebrows and Annabeth is ashamed.

“What were you doing?”

“I was climbing on top of the fridge. I knocked over a vase.”

That was the wrong answer because somehow his face gets even angrier. “Yes, I can see that. What were you thinking?”

“I wanted a banana. They were on top of the fridge.”

He pinches his nose. That wasn’t the right answer either. “You just had breakfast.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. You had the fruit circles.”

“That was yesterday.”

He hesitates. “Okay, well you did wake up late, you couldn’t have waited until it was time to eat lunch?”

The clock on the microwave says 4:13 pm. “It is lunch.”

He looks at the clock. Closes his eyes. When he opens them, he still looks angry but not at her. His voice is much quieter. “Why didn’t you come get me?”

“Last time you got sad. You were in a groove, you said unless it was an emergency not to come in. I thought I could reach it.”

She watches his face change. His eyebrows are still scrunched up but his eyes get gentler and sadder all at once. He sits down on the couch and lifts her up into his lap. It’s been so long, she sits on his knees like he’s a chair. He turns her around in his arms.

“You’re such a quiet kid, Annabeth. Sometimes I forget you're here.”

She doesn’t think he said it to make her sad, but it does anyway. Which is irritating because she didn’t do anything wrong and she feels bad anyway.

“I was a quiet kid too.”

She doesn’t want to be quiet. She wants to scream. She wants to cry. She wants to hit him. She wants—

“I’m gonna clean up the glass and then we’ll have mac and cheese.”

She nods and lets herself be sat back on the couch.

Second Round: Ms. Helen (from Dad’s work)

Bet Type: Good Faith; awarded via proxy.

Made with no experience.

Trust given without the knowledge that trust must be earned.

The first time her father forgets to pick her up from daycare, she is too young to remember. She was also too young to remember the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th times.

She remembers the sixth.

Ms. Helen, dad’s work friend that has come to dinner every wednesday for four weeks, shows up at school wearing black yoga pants and a messy-on-purpose bun.

(The kind that always looks strange in the bathroom mirror when she tries it on her curls in the morning before they leave.)

She smiles at her teacher, tight and pinchy. She does that laugh/talk/sigh thing adults do when the words they're saying don’t really matter. And before Annabeth knows it, she's staring at the backseat of a minivan.

“What’s that?”

Ms. Helen raises an eyebrow. “The car seat?”

Annabeth nods but looks down. She said it like it was obvious. Annabeth knows obvious things.

“Don’t you sit in one of these to come to daycare?”

“No.”

“You just sit in the seat?”

“Yes.”

“You're too little. It’s not safe to sit by yourself.”

Annabeth doesn’t know what she's supposed to say. This happens a lot. Adults do this thing where they ask you a question that they want a specific answer to. Annabeth has developed a skill in which she can always tell when the truth is not what an adult wants to hear. It has, so far, been a pretty useless skill because she has yet to master the skill of knowing what it is that they actually want to hear.

(Sometimes, she figures it out and tells the truth anyway. Those times she doesn’t really mind getting in trouble after.)

“Your father must’ve put you in one of these.”

Annabeth shrugs. Her talent has deduced that Helen does not want Annabeth to say that she has never been in one of those, and figures nonverbal is the safest option because she would like to go home.

Helen crouches down and gets way up close to Annabeth's face. Her grown-up face-paint is smudged around the corner of her left eye. She smells like dish soap.

“I borrowed this from my friend when your father called, so we have to get you your own. From now on, you don’t get in a car without one of these. Understand?”

Annabeth nods.

Helen is looking at her with something strange and sad in her smudged up eye. She takes a deep breath.

Annabeth crawls into the backseat and waits to be tied in.

Fourth Round: Thalia Grace, Grover Underwood & Luke Castellan

Bet Type: Calculated Risk; awarded to an individual after carefully evaluated outcomes

Made after a great loss, in which perceived benefits outweigh potential detriment.

Trust earned after a win.

Thalia is frowning at her.

Annabeth hasn’t been with her and Luke for that long, but she knows that this is not cause for too much concern because she’s usually frowning.

Luke is the one with the smiles, and the cuddles, and the soft spot for the helpless strays—dogs and girls alike.

Thalia is the one with the frowns.

(Annabeth can tell she has a soft spot for Luke though.)

Before she can muster up the courage to ask, Luke beats her to it. “What’s up with you?”

“Her hair.” Thalia has a talent where she can frown and speak at the same time. Annabeth wants to learn how to do that.

Luke smiles at her before fixing his eyes on her puff. She gets that feeling in her stomach she used to get when her teachers asked her questions about her house, like she should be hiding behind her fathers legs.

(The last time she tried, Helen had snatched her arm and told her she was being rude.)

“Her hair.” He repeats in a way that tells both Annabeth and Thalia he has no idea what the problem is.

Thalia ignores him, and scribbles something down on his arm. “I saw a beauty supply store down the road. I need you to figure out a way to get this stuff.”

Luke frowns over her shoulder. (Uh-oh.) “That’s gonna be a bit of a stretch.”

“So stretch.”

“Thals—,”

She looks up at him and her eyes are all intense like when she’s fighting a monster. “They weren’t combing her hair. I took the hair tie off and it’s staying put. She’s only been on the run for 3 days.” Thalia looks back down at her. “Right? That’s how long you were by yourself?”

“Yes.” Annabeth nods. One of her favorite parts about being with Luke and Thalia, is that the truth is always enough.

Thalia looks back at Luke with something in her eyes that’s even softer than when Luke sleeps. “They weren’t combing her hair.”

Luke nods, a new kind of frown. The one he had when they found her. “On it.”

He winks at Annabeth and tweaks her nose which makes her laugh. Then he’s gone and it’s just the two of them.

Annabeth and Thalia have never been alone for that long before, except for bathroom trips and when Luke gets them snacks.

Annabeth knows it wasn’t Thalia’s idea for her to join the two of them. Annabeth doesn’t think she wanted to leave her there, but she knows Thalia liked it when it was just her and Luke.

She’s looking up at the sky muttering something angry in another language. “What’s Luke going to get?”

Thalia considers her for a moment and then sits down leaning against the brick alleyway. “Some hair stuff. Basics.”

“I thought we only took risks for food.”

Thalia smiles a little and it makes Annabeth's chest feel fuzzy.

“You’re a smart kid.” She pats the ground next to her and Annabeth goes to sit next to her.

“My mother…had a bad time. Things that aren’t supposed to be hard for mortals were very hard for her. And sometimes that made her not very nice to me.” She pauses and Annabeth waits patiently, doesn’t dare speak a word.

“She couldn’t really take care of herself. So, she couldn’t really take care of me either. My hair is curly like yours. And hair like ours needs special attention. When you don’t give it the care it needs, it gets stuck like this.” She takes Annabeth's hand and brings it up to her head, lets her tug on one strand gently.

“I like your hair a lot!”

“Thank you. I do too. But, it wasn’t my choice. My mother let my hair loc up so she didn’t have to comb it every day. You should get to decide whether you want your hair like this. Did you ask to have your hair up in a bun for that long?”

Annabeth could tell her how her Dad used to braid her hair on Sunday nights. How they would sit and listen to music and he would spray and comb and braid until she fell asleep on his leg. How when he and Helen got married, he suddenly had no time to do anything that Helen could do instead. How her slick, shiny, and smooth haired stepmother would wrinkle down at her curls, yank a brush through her head and tell her she was ‘impossible’.

But, she doesn’t. She looks down at her shoes and doesn’t say anything at all.

Thalia, even smaller than before, says, “Your parents weren’t very nice to you either. Were they?”

She doesn’t answer.

She doesn’t have to.

‘You’re such a quiet kid, Annabeth.’

(When Luke gets back, he and Thalia spend three hours spraying and combing and braiding until Annabeths hair isn’t stuck anymore.)

(In a few months, a satyr named Grover will take them to camp.

Thalia will not make it across the border.)

(Annabeth will refuse to let anyone touch her hair for a year.)

Final Round: Perseus Jackson

Bet Type: Wild Card; awarded to an individual that fails to qualify through conventional procedure.

Made with gut feelings, no logic, and excruciating human defiance.

Trust is given without measure.

Annabeth's first thought when she sees him for the first time is, “He must be the one.”

She’s sure of it. She says it out loud. Chiron tells her to hush, and she doesn’t even care.

He's the one.

She's not sure how she knows. She's waited for so long, seen so many campers. Many were far more promising than he is.

That's her second thought. He's skinnier than she thought ‘the one’ would be. Skinny and pale and more gangly limb than person.

He’s blinking up towards them but his eyes are unfocused and hazy. That's her third thought. He's fading. They’ll have to carry him.

‘Percy’ Chiron calls him. It’s a hero’s name.

She wonders if whoever gave it to him knew he’d be the one too.

‘He’s the one.’, she thinks again. It feels strange and tingly in her head.

Strange, but not false.

Hello, Percy Jackson. It's nice to finally meet you.

#SHEEEEEES BAAAACCCCKKKK!#it's been a while! i evolved and got a life and the show humbled me and took over my life.#for the percabeth induced insanity gc on twitter (love you)#percabeth #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth fic #grover underwood #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo series #pjotv #pjo tv show #pjo tv series #pjo tv spoilers #luke castellan #thalia grace #frederick chase

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hanmaitani · 5 months

Text

Pretty Neighbor

PAIRING - Kita Shinsuke x Reader WC - 5.6K GENRE - Slight angst (not with Kita) CW - copious amount of lead up, shitty breakup with an unnamed ex, Suna is an instigative little shit, a creepy neighbor, brief mention of minor injury SYNOPSIS - This wasn't how it was supposed to go. You weren't supposed to feel stuck after a bad breakup, crashing in the spare room of your best friend's older brother. But one of his neighbors starts to make you feel a little alive again. Leadup to part two.

A/N: if you wonder how I envisioned this apartment setup

PART 2

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. How anything was supposed to be.

Tomorrow you were supposed to be moving in with the boy you thought you would be spending the rest of your life with. But one week ago, he had decided that you were never going to work out.

He decided; on his own.

He had places to go. You? You weren’t sure yet.

So here you were, sitting on the floor of what had been both of your house, now empty spare the last of both of your stuff, calling the one friend you thought might be able to help.

“Thanks for calling, please don’t. Send a text. What are we? 80?”

You rolled your eyes and waited for the tone indicating that you could leave your message.

“Sunarin, come on. I know you hate calling when it could be a text. You know I know that. You know I don’t call unless its something that shouldn’t be texted.” You sighed softly, trying to keep the tears out of your voice. You took another shaky breath in, “Could you just call—”

Your phone vibrated in your hand and you glanced at the screen, “thank you.” You tapped quickly on the notification reading ‘accept and hang up’ and pressed the phone back to your ear.

“What d’ya want?” His voice was muffled and you could tell that his mouth was full of something.

You sniffed lightly, “He left me, Rin.” You were met with mostly silence but you could hear the sound of wood dropping against wood. Him putting down his chopsticks.

“The fuck do you mean he left you?” His voice was clear now, it was clear his attention was now fully on you. “For the weekend? The night?” The only thing filling the silence was your sniffles for a moment. He said your name softly to get your attention back.

You could feel the tears fill your eyes slightly. “For good," you finally answered. "That’s what he said. I think it was the truth.” You heard a sigh from the other end of the line, followed by a series of angry grumbles. “Can I crash on your couch until I get back on my feet?”

“Idiot.” He mumbled, you could almost see him rolling his eyes at you. “Why are you even asking? Fuck the couch, you can crash in the second bedroom, lucked out and don’t have a roommate. It’s yours for as long as you need.”

“I won’t be there long, I promise.” You muttered, trying to keep the sound of crying out of your voice, knowing you wouldn’t hear the end of it if he could hear it. “I swear I’m putting in housing applications and I’ll—”

“You’re annoying, shutup.” You felt a small smile tug at your lips, he wouldn’t change, at least that was comforting. “Come pick up your key in like," he paused for a second and you could almost picture him leaning to stare at his kitchen clock, "an hour?”

You nodded before realizing that he couldn’t see you. Before you could correct yourself, and verbalize your agreement he spoke again, “you do know I can’t see you nodding, right?”

You let out a soft laugh. “Hey, but you caught on, right?” You heard a snort from the other line before you both fell quiet for a moment.

“Do you want me to kick his ass?”

You sighed and your voice cracked. “I just need a place to crash.”

The next day and a half consisted of you trying to convince Suna to let you just put your mattress in the spare room, nothing else, just a few boxes and a mattress on the floor. And him promptly and continuously convincing you to put more in. More and more until eventually it almost looked like you lived there.

You tried to leave almost no trace of yourself in the rest of the apartment, plants on the front doorstep, a pair of slippers by the front walkway, the only clues that you were there outside of your room.

Your room had filled up a little, a shelf holding a tv, a drawer nightstand, a closet half full. You’d tucked away your bathroom things into a corner shelf and some food and dishes into a drawer. Not even 10% of your things from a whole house fit into a small room.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Laying on your back on the carpet of the living room of an apartment that wasn’t yours as Suna cooked both of you dinner in the kitchen.

“You have to eat, what do you want?” Suna's voice floated to you from around the corner in the kitchen.

“Ice cream.”

“That’s not food.” He called back. You rolled your eyes and glanced towards the kitchen. You could see his shadow moving across the dining room as he tried to dig in his fridge for food to make the two of you.

“How do we feel about pasta tonight? Got this recipe that Osamu sent over that we could try.” You glared at his shadow. Pasta sounded really good and you hated that he thought of it. “Don’t act like you’re not in love with pasta, I remember from high school.”

“You don’t know me.” You grumbled like a stubborn child from your spot on the floor. You heard a scoff come from the kitchen as you propped yourself up to a sitting position.

“Sure, you only spent, what? 90% of your time at my house with my little sister. But I don’t know you.” You rolled your eyes at him again even though you knew he couldn’t see you. “Go get more of your stuff from your car, bum, I’ll start the food.”

You sighed in annoyance but pulled yourself off the ground anyways, dragging your feet towards the door where you could slide on your slippers. “I’ll be right back, if I don’t get killed.” He barked out a laugh but ignored you as you unlocked the door and stepped out.

You sighed as you shut the door behind yourself, your steps slowing as you made your way down the stairs that led to Suna’s front door. There were a few kids running around the patch of grass that acted as the center of the small apartment complex. Their laughter and chasing made you smile as they tried to take advantage of the dimming sunlight.

Suna had told you that the tenants of his apartments were largely made up of students and recent graduates but that there were a couple families living there. Living right on the edge of the apartments meant you never had to deal with the kids running into your way or with even seeing them from your windows. Most of your windows were covered by trees anyways.

But in moments like this, when you were feeling down and walking the short distance to where your car was parked, seeing them laugh and run so freely brought you a sense of peaceful nostalgia. A longing for the days when you didn’t feel the need to have it all figured out, when you could just laugh and play and your biggest concern was if your mom would force you to eat your vegetables when you got in.

Back in the days when you weren’t aware of the other concerns you should have. When you didn’t get the rug pulled out from under you by a boy who decided randomly to drop you when you’d made him a priority and planned at least your next few years around staying with him.

You scowled as your thoughts turned sour—your nose scrunching up. You bit the inside of your cheek and huffed as you reached your car, easily pulling open the trunk to assess what you had the energy to bring up with you at this moment.

There was a backpack full of random things you’d originally missed, an extra pillow, an extra pair of sneakers—the only pair you brought actually, and a box of cookies you’d impulsively bought yourself this afternoon after 'officially' leaving the house. You huffed as you piled your things into your arms. One item at a time.

You glared at the box of cookies, taunting you from its spot on your car’s seat. You wouldn’t be able to grab it and still open the door. You’d have to come back.

You sighed as you bumped your hip against your car’s back door to close it before rounding to the back. Leaning up on your tiptoes, you reached your free arm up to curl your fingertips over the edge of the trunk door and pull it back down. Adjusting the items in your arms you started your way back to Suna’s apartment.

You hummed along to a tune stuck in your head as you walked carefully, trying to not drop anything as you trekked towards the stairs. The sound of a car door closing pulled your attention over to the parking lot. You glanced over your shoulder as you watched a man ducking to grab a bag out of his back seat.

Carefully tracking him with your eyes, you kept walking. He started to lean up and you saw the top of his head first, grayish hair coming into view. As he leaned up further you noticed the ends of his hair were a different color, black to be exact. You tilted your head. What an interesting choice.

As he started to straighten out, your ignorance caught up to you. Your toe caught on a raised piece of concrete and your eyes widened as your feet stumbled. You flipped your head back to facing forward and struggled to keep your things in your arms as you rebalanced yourself.

You cursed as you dropped one of your shoes. You glared at the shoe for a second before huffing as you bent at your knees to reach it, careful to not let anything else tumble from your arms as you replaced the shoe in the stack.

“Evenin’.” You looked up, blinking in shock as you slowly straightened up, to see the man you had just been staring at standing only a few steps from you. He looked pretty, shiny hair that the last rays of sun bounced off of, shiny brown eyes carefully watching you move. Oh. He was very pretty.

You swallowed nervously and cleared your throat. “Evenin’.” You let out a closed lipped smile and watched the corner of his lips tug in return. The weight of his eyes on you felt heavy, feeling like he witnessed your every move and quickly moved to resume your previous movements.

You took the last few steps towards the stairs and quickly scaled them. Willing the door that shared a porch with Suna’s door, just a couple feet to the right from our door, to not open so you could avoid more possible interaction.

You shifted the things in your arms and reached for the doorknob, twisting to glance back over your shoulder as you did to see the pretty stranger. Or, pretty neighbor? He seemed to have lingered where you both had been for a moment because he was only a couple of paces from it now, walking leisurely towards the stairs just to the left of Suna’s apartment. You willed yourself to look away before you got caught acting like a creep and pushed your way inside the apartment.

You sighed as your shoe tumbled back out of your arms and glared at it again. “Stop dropping stuff.” Suna teased, rounding the corner of the kitchen to see you in the front hall, slipping your slippers off. You glanced up at him, his bangs falling on either side of his face as his yellow eyes squinted at you playfully, smirk pulling on his lips. “Didja get all your stuff out?”

“Nope.” You popped the p and pulled your shoe back into your arms again. “Met a neighbor though.” You tilted your head in thought, “well, kind of. Didn’t actually get a name. Just said hi.” You hummed and shrugged your shoulders as you started towards the hall that led to the rooms. “I think I’m gonna set up a couple things while I wait for your ass to finish my food.”

He scoffed and flicked his eyes up to the ceiling in a half-assed eye roll before dipping back into the kitchen. “Now you want food. Gonna make me into a regular housewife, huh?” He laughed as he raised his voice so you could still hear him as you got further into the house. “Careful now, gonna make Mizu fall in love with ya if you convert me like that.” You snorted as you kicked your door shut behind you.

You sighed as you looked around the room, nothing was organized or put together. Your entire bedding was piled on the bed, other random things piled with it, a box of cords at the very end. Looking at the fading light, you realized that you’d forgotten your room lamp back at the house, suddenly grateful that you’d have to go back the next day to finish the cleaning.

You opened your blinds to try and let the last of the sunlight in, illuminating the room best you could as you searched for something to light up your room. Swiping your phone open, you hit play on some music you could sing along to as you went about sifting through the box of electronics. 10 minutes later and you had your TV plugged in and some fairy lights strung up around the window. Enough for now.

You wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed. To let yourself rot into the mattress. You knew there was a fat chance in hell that Suna would ever let you hide away in you room the whole time. You sighed and went to work quickly on the rest of the room, clearing the bed and making it so that you could easily crawl into it once you were done with Suna’s mandatory socialization.

“Come on, I’ve got food for you.” Suna popped his head into your room easily, watching as you zoned out staring at the bed, pillows arranged in a specific way, the way that your boy- your ex-boyfriend had always liked it.

You shook your head and followed him back out of the room, following when he motioned for you to sit on the couch and set a warm bowl in your lap. You smiled down at the bowl of pasta, your favorite sauce spread across it and laughed a little as Suna pressed a pair of chopsticks into your hand.

“Here, eat, like this-” he teasingly began to adjust your hand to try and puppet your fingers into working the chopsticks properly.

“Fuck off before I stab you with these chopsticks.” He laughed but backed up and plopped down on the couch across from you.

“So what neighbor didja meet?” He asked, shoving his mouth full of food and chewing obnoxiously. You swore he did it just to get on your nerves.

“The one whose stairs are near my window.” He hummed in acknowledgement and mumbled something through a full mouth that you didn’t quite make out. “Huh?” You screwed up your face before taking another bite.

He swallowed his mouthful before talking again. “Nothin’.” He looked at you as you shoved another bite into your mouth, a look with narrowed eyes that tracked your movements easily, a look you knew meant he was analyzing you.

“So, Mizu’s got some guy friends, I’m thinkin’ we could get you some numbers, you could pick your rebound?”

You stopped halfway through putting a bite in your mouth and stared at him in disbelief. You pulled the bite back out of your mouth and let it fall back into the bowl, an act you’d be ashamed of yourself for doing if you were in front of anyone besides him.

“You’re joking.” His silence and expecting stare made you realize he was not, in fact, joking with you. “No. Absolutely not.” You rolled your eyes and resumed eating.

“Don’t say that! It could be good for you!” He exclaimed, waving a hand around at you. You shook your head, knowing that this wouldn’t be the end of this conversation tonight, or for your entire stay.

It was late when Suna finally let you go to sleep, his chatter and constant jokes, skirting around the topic of your now ex, trying to convince you to find someone you could 'use maybe a couple times and then drop.'

You knew it was his way of making sure when you went into your room tonight that you would be going straight to sleep. That you would be too tired to cry or even think about the situation you were in. It somewhat worked.

It felt like you were waiting for everything. Waiting for an apartment application to come back or you would be stuck crashing on Rin’s couch. Waiting for the correct credentials to be posted for a new job or you would be stuck at the one you so desperately wanted to leave.

Waiting for the lost feeling to disappear or you would be stuck crying over the boy that was almost yours forever. Waiting and stuck.

Waiting and stuck.

That was how you were feeling in the morning, as you dragged yourself out of bed early. As you pulled on some workout clothes, the only ones you’d not thrown into temporary storage that you didn’t mind possibly ruining.

How you were feeling as you skipped breakfast, settling on only grabbing your water bottle, and pulled your shoes on at your door. How you felt as you trudged to the car in the cold, telling yourself that while you were working on cleaning your old house the whole day, you would thank yourself for wearing a t-shirt and shorts, even if it was frigid this morning.

That was how you felt when you nearly ran straight into a neighbor.

As you were silently cursing yourself for not looking up as you walked, the sudden stop and step back that came from both your feet as a result of a near collision. You glanced up and were met with the same warm eyes you’d seen last night. The same attractive neighbor that you had embarrassed yourself in front of, twice, now.

“Mornin’.” He gave you a kind smile as he looked down at you.

You found yourself rushing out a “mornin’” as well but dashing away before he could say anything else.

A glance over your shoulder proved that he hadn’t stayed in place for long, moving to his car, placing his bag into the same seat you’d seen him pull it out of the day before. You sighed as you got in your car, stupid cute neighbor.

Your sour mood had lifted a little with the sound of his small drawl, his accent seeping through in just a single word. His deep voice had left you with a warm feeling in your body but you chalked it up to the fact that you kept embarrassing yourself in front of him.

Shaking your head at yourself, you quickly queued up a playlist for the day and plugged in the aux. Pulling out of the parking lot easily, you started your way towards your old house.

It was the last day you were required to be there, your last day to be able to clean the place from the disaster that your roommates and now ex-boyfriend had left you alone to deal with. Your mood mostly stood on the lines of exasperated for the first couple of hours, irritation flooding your veins the more that you had to clean.

And three hours in, when it started to rain outside, you cursed yourself for the outfit decision. And then you cursed the sky for picking up on your bad mood and deciding that the weather needed to match.

Your ex graced you with his presence for a few hours - three to be precise. You counted them. Praying that he’d act slightly torn up for ditching you out of the blue like he was. That he’d show some sign of care that you weren’t going to be around to do things for him anymore, the laundry, the finances, the cleaning and grocery shopping.

And then the wave of irritation hit as you realized... what the hell had he done for you?

You’d glared daggers into his back for the majority of the time he was there. As he tried to be friendly, make jokes with you. And when he was leaving, when you still had to stay and continue cleaning, that’s when the fresh wave of sadness hit. As he hugged you, talking like he wasn’t going to see you again, giving you a kiss on the forehead, his posture dangerously close to that of when he used to dip down to kiss you.

You watched him drive away and sat on the ground for the next half hour, in the rain and crying.

When you finally pulled yourself off the ground again, going back to cleaning, you tried to let irritation seep back into your veins, an easier emotion to deal with than the flurry of others you felt. All you wanted was to get back to Rin’s and collapse.

You were at the house for a total of 13 hours that day. Not even finished by the end of it but content with the work you’d done and the effort you'd put in to try and finish. It was almost 11pm when you were dragging yourself to your car for the last time, the last of your things loaded up, fresh bruises coating your body and a couple gashes across your legs that had dirt and dried blood caked into them.

Your entire body was begging to be cleaned and go to sleep.

Suna wasn’t there when you got back. You knew that the second you pulled up. His car missing from the spot next to where you’d been parking your car.

The achy feeling quickly taking over your body was left ignored as you pulled a few of your items out of your car, choosing carefully what could wait until tomorrow. Your eyes subconsciously scanned for the cute neighbor even though you weren’t exactly expecting him to be out at this time.

You were pleasantly surprised to see him a few doors down, smiling as he helped an elderly woman carry her groceries to her apartment. You were also pleased that he didn’t seem to notice you and that you hadn’t been three for three for embarrassing yourself when you saw him.

Making sure to lock the door after yourself when you entered the empty apartment, you let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding. The realization that you’d never be back in that house was weighing heavy on your shoulders, along with the grime and wounds (both physical and mental) of the day.

Nothing sounded better to you than a shower and with Rin not being home, you could take one without worrying he might need to use the bathroom while you were using it. A shower and then immediately you would go to sleep, be productive again tomorrow.

The next morning you let yourself sleep in. Well, not exactly sleep in, but let yourself stay in bed without forcing yourself to get up.

The window in your room let light filter in slowly instead of all at once, your body unaccustomed to no longer having blackout curtains hanging. The cold morning air brushed over your skin and you were reminded that you had gone to sleep clad only in a pair of shorts after your shower.

You stayed in bed for most of the day. Left to go grab a few things from your car and bring them up, put them in their places. Grabbed a snack from the kitchen. Suna being at classes and work most of the day meant no one was there to lecture you when most of your time was spent scrolling though your phone in bed.

You told yourself that you could be an adult again tomorrow.

You were; an adult the next day that is.

You pulled yourself out of bed, finished unloading your car, cleaning Suna’s spare bedroom up. And then, deciding to keep busy, kept cleaning. Did all the dishes in Suna’s sink and swept his floors, vacuumed the carpets. When you were done with that you couldn’t bring yourself to sit back in bed, as much as you wanted to. You’d settled on loading your laptop into its bag and gathering up your laundry basket to head down to the complex’s laundry mat.

You switched between watching shows off your laptop and using it to organize things for your hopeful new job as your laundry ran. Typing out to do lists and not berating yourself when you accidentally let your laundry sit in the machine a little long sometimes.

When you were finally finished and were packing up, the sun had started to pull its light from the sky. It was still plenty bright, but you could tell it was evening now. Suna would be home soon and you’d love to be there when he saw his apartment clean.

Your proud and productive mood came to an abrupt halt; a tight feeling wrapping in your chest as you neared the stairs to Suna’s apartment and there was a figure sitting on the bottom of the stairs.

It wasn’t anyone you recognized, and he’d left enough space where you could possibly squeeze by, but the sudden nerves that ran through your body were enough to keep you from even attempting to do that. Your steps slowed at the prospect of having to talk to a complete stranger wrecked your nerves and you cursed yourself when your voice came out meeker than expected.

“Excuse me, sir, if I could get by?” He’d already been looking at you before you’d spoke and you were now just a few feet away from him.

“Yeah.” Your relief at his words was fleeting as you quickly realized that, despite his affirmative, he was making no move himself out of the way.

“Sorry, I just have to get up the stairs.” The nerves wound tighter in your chest, uneasiness making you queasy as you adjusted your grip on your laundry basket.

“Go ahead.” He said, staring straight at you. It felt like a challenge and it wasn’t one you were willing to take.

“I don’t want to accidentally hit you, if you wouldn’t mind just for a moment—” you were trying to be nice, to keep your voice steady as your hands shook but he cut you off.

“Are you saying I can’t take a hit?” His volume raised slightly, he clearly looked irritated now. “I can take a hit; I’ve been hit before.” You opened your mouth to try and calm him down but someone from behind you replied for you.

“S’common cour’sy.” The voice was deep and held a threatening air to it. You jumped slightly at the suddenness of it but were steadied with a burning hand on your upper arm, making sure you didn’t get closer to the man on the stairs.

You looked up a caught a glimpse of gray and black hair - the cute neighbor. His usually kind eyes were fixed in a glare at the man in front of you both. His touch was light on your arm, gentle as he guided you to take a step back and he stepped in front of you.

“Yer only a couple complaints ‘way from getting’ kicked outta ‘ere. Watch yerself.” His deep voice was intimidating, calm, his words spoken with a matter-of-fact tone. Sure of himself. “Jus’ let the pre’y lady pass.”

Your cheeks burned at the use of ‘pretty lady’ to describe you, coming from the man you’d deemed ‘pretty neighbor.’ The burning was dull in comparison to the anxiousness you were feeling when the man from the stairs stood up, however.

“I don’t like the tone you’re asking in.”

The pretty neighbor seemed almost unphased. He stepped closer to the man, forcing him to step slightly away from the stairs. “Wasn’ askin’.” Almost unphased except for his voice coming out a little deeper than before, slightly darker tone, though still calm.

The pretty neighbor adjusted his stance, hand guiding you to stay behind him as he cleared a path to the stairs for you, now blocking the man from both you and the stairs. A small breath of relief washed over you as you quickly moved towards your now free path.

“Thank you.” You whispered it into his ear as you passed behind him, smiling as he gave you a short nod without taking his eyes from the man in front of him. You made your way up the stairs eager to escape the rising voice of the man you’d just met who was still being blocked by the pretty neighbor that you had now embarrassed yourself in front of all three times he’d seen you.

You locked the door behind you quickly, deadbolting it as well as you quickly retreated into the apartment. You dropped your laundry in your room and decided that a cup of water would probably ease the tightness in your chest that had been caused by the creepy man you’d just met.

You’d barely taken a sip when the handle to the front door started to wriggle. You stared, wide-eyed, frozen in place as fear started to take over. You swore you’d break the glass with how tight your grip had gone when the door creaked open.

“So I’m guessin’ you met the creep next door.” Suna’s voice reached your ears and you breathed out a sigh of relief, legs falling from under you as you moved to sit on the ground.

“Woah,” he held one hand up as the other shut and locked the door behind him, “he must’ve been a real weirdo today.” Suna set his bag down easily and walked over to you, crouching down in front of you with a head tilt. “What happened?”

You sighed as you looked up at him, his eyes held concern even though he seemed to radiate a relaxed demeanor. “Just wouldn’t let me pass to come up the stairs, I don’t know just was super weird.” He scoffed and shook his head. “You should’ve warned me.”

“Didn’t think I had to!” He exclaimed defensively, but helped you back to your feet carefully nonetheless. “Haven’t seen him in what feels like months, thought maybe he finally croaked.”

“Real sensitive of ya, Rin.” You rolled your eyes at him and went to take another sip of water.

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved his hand dismissively as he moved to leave the dining room where you stood and head off to his room. “Hey, y/n?” You looked up easily at the small change in his voice, softer and a little concerned.

“Just be careful ‘round him, he shares a porch with us. Make sure you’re carrying something to protect yourself if you come home late at night.” You swallowed hard at the implications but nodded in acknowledgment. He let a soft smile pass his face before he disappeared around the corner again.

The next few days around the apartments, you picked up working again. Long shifts, anything to distract yourself. You also found yourself peeking out your window, trying to catch a glimpse of the cute neighbor coming or going. You did a few times, always admiring the soft smiles he gave. He radiated a kind sort of energy while looking so put together.

He was very constant, you noticed after a few days. Leaving at the same time in the mornings, where you would briefly pass him on your way out as well, a small 'mornin’' passed between the two of you as you noticed each other. Always coming home just before dark, pulling his bag out of the same spot in his car. And the sun always left a ridiculously attractive shine on his gray and black hair.

You found yourself thinking about him every time Suna tried to convince you that one of Mizuki’s friends would be interested in ‘showing you a good time.’ Always declining Suna’s offers to set you up but secretly thinking about how nice it would be to finally know the name of the pretty neighbor.

It’s not like you were thinking about using him as your way to get over your ex, he was just... genuinely nice. He left you feeling warm and the idea of how constant he was, it was appealing. He wasn’t too awful to look at either. You cursed yourself every time those thoughts popped into your head though.

You couldn’t pretend that Suna’s offers didn’t get to you though. He made some solid points sometimes. Like how it wouldn’t hurt to be a little sexually active.

Coming out of a long relationship, you were used to being sexual active, but you didn’t want to use anybody so you resolved to take care of it yourself. Rin leaving for his weekly date night with Mizuki meant that he wouldn’t be back until late, if at all, tonight.

It meant that you had the perfect excuse to put a show on my tv and some headphones over your ears and to take care of it.

a/n sighs. rewriting this was a walk down memory lane. i first wrote this as i was going through this exact situation - except it was a female friend whose apartment i stayed in and she did not have a pretty neighbor who saved me from dealing with the creepy neighbor aha. anywho... part two next week <3

TAGLIST - OPEN

@tsukiran @awkwardaardvarkforever @all-in-the-fandoms @mightyknight501

#kita x reader #kita shinsuke x reader #haikyuu x reader #kita fanfiction #kita shinsuke fanfiction #𓇻 Kita’s Gravity #𓇻 Void Screams Back

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laurasstufff1 · 1 year

Text

Cramps and cinnamon soup

In which your relationship with Daniel is crazy, chaotic and funny, even in the worse days

2k words

It was supposed to be fun. It was. But mother nature had other plans, and now you were crying in your room, a mixture of angriness, gilt, pain from the cramps, invading your whole body.

Daniel was out training, he wanted to go to your house after and take you out for dinner, but you could barely get out of bed in the whole day, you even worked from there, something you never did. It wasn’t only physical pain, it was also emotional, and that was the hardest part to deal when it came to periods.

You barely made it out of bed when the door opened and you heard Daniel talking with your neighbor “It’s always unpredictable” he dejectedly said with a sigh while he entered your house with the spare key you gave him only a week ago. Was he talking about you? He knew you started to feel bad the night before, when he called, and it was only a matter of hours until the bad cramps happened. But why would he talk about you with the neighbor, was he really so tired of you? That only made you cried more, sobbing so loud Daniel heard you and ran to your room.

“What’s wrong? Why are you still in bed” He worriedly asked kneeling on your side. You were just sobbing, he couldn’t understand what you were trying to say but you couldn’t pronounce a word either. “Hey, calm down, does it hurt?” He asked again placing his hand on your lower stomach “let’s go take a shower, alright?” But you denied with your head, not with him, not today.

“I can go alone, thanks” you said getting up, but he got up faster and went to the bathroom to make sure the bathtub was fill with hot water once you got there, already knowing what was going on even though you were only dating for so little time.

While you were in the bath, he took care of the room, opening the window, making the bed, sorting the clothes.

“Daniel?” You called him from the bathroom, a small grin forming in his face because he already knew what you needed. He didn’t come or answer until a few minutes later, when he peek his hand put of the bathroom door.

“I got it, babe” he said holding a huge sweatshirt of his he left behind some other day with some shorts and granny underwear, the most comfortable yet ugly you owned.

“Thank you” you said without letting him see your red face.

When you got out he was sitting on the couch playing with his phone. It was your house, you didn’t live together, but since a couple months ago it seemed like that, you were always at his place or he was at yours all the time after work. “Have you eaten something today?” He asked watching you sit next to him and placing his hand on your knee.

“Just a coffee for breakfast, I’m not hungry” you simply said making him look at you furiously, it was already 6pm and you only drank coffee.

“You stay here, I’ll cook dinner, you need to eat something before taking a pill for the pain” he got up and you sat with your knees to your chest trying to ease the pain that was slowly coming back after the warm shower.

“We had plans” you moaned annoyed.

“We’re not going out. Besides it’s raining anyways. This weather is so unpredictable”

“Unpredictable? The… the weather?”

“Yes, it was sunny yesterday and now it’s raining” he said pointing at the window, and just then you realised it was indeed raining.

“Oh. I thought you meant me” you laughed.

“What?” “Nothing”

While you were laying on the couch, feeling so bad for being lazy although the truth was you could barely move from the pain, Daniel was in your kitchen trying to remember the right ingredients for a soup his mum always made.

‘Mum, hi’ you heard him talk ‘hey how much cinnamon do I use for the soup you always made back home? - I know it’s July and hot outside, but YN is not feeling well - just cramps - Yeah, I know it’s not just cramps and they hurt, but mum—“ you laughed hearing him talk while his mum probably told him off, they were indeed very painful “okay - thanks mum - will do - love you too’.

“Hey” he said standing behind the couch making you jumo scared as you were concentrating in his voice and not the sound of his steps. “Okay, so I called mum, she sends love and-“ “All my love to your dear mother too” you said with crystal eyes. Were you really going to cry again? For the mother in law you haven’t even met yet? “Also she recommended this” he said holding a sock full of rice. “Careful it’s hot. I’ll bring dinner in a minute. You like cinnamon, right?”

“Thank you. And yes. I’ll go help” you said trying to stand up, but the sock unleashed and the floor filled with rice in a second. “F*ck!” You shouted, this time crying by real, feeling absolutely useless.

“Hey” he concernedly said coming to hug you “We’ll pick that up later, babe, I can bring another one. Stay here, rest” he sweetly said caressing your cheek. You couldn’t do nothing more than agreeing nodding your head.

When Daniel came back with another sock, he found you soundly asleep on the sofa, all curled up holding a pillow to your chest. He placed the new sock between your knees and your stomach, carefully trying not to wake you up by lifting a bit the sweatshirt. Only then he notices a few grains of rice piled up in the border of the coffee table, surely picked up by you before falling asleep.

He kneeled on the floor and started picking up the rest, looking at you from time to time when you moved curling a bit more probably because of the pain. He couldn’t help but stare at your face while kneeling next to the sofa looking for the little grains of rice that went everywhere, probably a vacuum was better but he didn’t want to wake you up.

Slowly but surely he touched the skin on your arm moving farther up to your shoulder and then to your neck, pulling back the little pieces of hair that rested there. Then he moved to your jaw and your face, but not for longer because you slapped his hand.

“Hey!” He shouted loosing balance and falling to the floor with his hand on his chest trying to calm himself from the scare.

“Sorry!” You shouted again trying unsuccessfully to hide your laugh “I thought it was a fly!” “A fly?” Daniel laughed making you laugh even harder.

“Ugh sorry, today’s not my day, you okay?” you said stretching in the sofa while Daniel nodded and hurried up to hold the new sock so it didn’t fall like the other. “Thank you” you said again, this time it was you caressing his face, which was a lot closer because he was still holding the sock.

“You’re very welcome” he smiled holding your waist and getting a bit more close “Can I?” He asked one last time before kissing you and you just nodded while he was already kissing you, feeling his hands too in your waist and your cheek. He was kissing your lips but then he went to your cheeks and your forehead so quickly you started laughing again.

“It smells delicious” you smiled still letting him kiss your face, but he rapidly got up and with one last kiss to your lips he left the room again and headed to the kitchen.

“Do you mind if we order pizza?” He asked a second later. You should have bet he was going to burn whatever he was cooking, you would always win.

You laughed and got up to the kitchen, this time holding sock of rice in place. The soup was completely solid and the cinnamon turned black.

“Pizza it is” you laughed. “Let me clean it” you started holding the pan but Daniel took it off your hands “I’m alright! The hot rice is working, besides we’ll finish sooner if we do it together” that kinda convinced him, thought he only let you clean the countertop. “Daniel!” You shouted when he started lifting your sweatshirt from behind.

“Just a minute” he said grabbing some tape to wrap around you the reheated sock full of rice.

“Hey! That’s going to hurt when I take it off!” You hit him with the cloth and he looked at you like if he just realised that it was indeed going to hurt, but at least your stomach won’t. A second later the bell rang.

“Pizza’s here!” He shouted changing the subject.

“Saved by the bell, quite literarily” you said leaving the cloth in the countertop hearing him laugh.

“I have to say, I was exited for the cinnamon soup, but this is not bad either” you laughed watching him take a slice and immediately regret it as it was still hot.

“Will you be alright tonight?” He asked soon after the pizza was over, with a glass of water and a pill for you in his hand. You just nodded while swallowing it. “Are you sure?” He asked again “I can stay if you want” “You don’t have to” you rapidly said “I can call you if I need you”

“I’ll be up all night paying attention to my phone” he said already takin git off his pocket and making sure it wasn’t in silence. “You’re trying to convince me by making me feel bad about it” you said raising your eyebrows. “I’m just saying the truth” he shrugged.

“Well okay. But you take the couch” “Fair enough”

And so that’s what you did. But just as you were taking off your sweatshirt you realized you were taped to a sock full of rice.

“Daniel can you come? Help me get out of this” you said and he immediately came laughing along the dark corridor. “Not funny”

“I think it’s better to wet it. Let’s go to the bathroom”. You took off the sweatshirt in a bust of confidence and he slowly peeled it off the skin while damping it with water. “Does it hurts?” He asked while doing it.

“No, but the water is cold” you pointed out while he rolled his eyes laughing as you were so whiny.

“All done” he said finally removing the last part and drying you carefully with a towel.

“Thanks” you said again looking up to him and pecking his lips. “Come to bed with me?” You asked taking him by surprise, you could rapidly feel the nerves in his face “I mean if you want, it’s not like-“ “No no, I want” he quickly said “I want” he repeated again surely “let’s go”. You took his hand and guided him to your room, already dark. You laid first on the bed, you were not willing to give up your spot on it. Daniel laid next to you, feeling you move your legs up to your chest. “You want another sock with warm rice?” “No” you rapidly said “I don’t want to break another one and make a mess in the bed” you laughed and he did too.

“Alright. Then I’ll move” he said while moving closer to you “is this alright?” He asked placing his hand in your abdomen, right where the pain was, not missing the chance to place a sweet kiss on your shoulder.

“Perfect” you whispered, although a second later you turned around to face him and started caressing him too, placing your hand behind his neck and pulling him for a good night kiss and a cuddle in his chest “thank you for the evening. I would’ve been laying in bed since this morning if it wasn’t for you. Although instead of laying in bed I laid in the sofa anyways” you said making him laugh.

“and waisted a whole package of rice” “And you burnt dinner”

“Yeah that’s worse isn’t it?” he laughed. “Good night YN, please remember I’m here and I’m not a fly so don’t hit me”.

“Night Dan” you laughed “it was a natural reflex anyways, you can’t blame me for it”

Thank you @headinthecloudssblogfor the request <3

#f1 imagine #f1 fandom #f1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 #daniel ricciardo #formula one #f1 x y/n #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo oneshot #daniel ricciardo fanfic #formula one oneshot #formula one imagine #reb bull #mclaren

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zepskies · 2 years

Text

Sharing Is Caring (I)

Pairing: Sam W. x Female Reader

Summary: Navigating a new relationship means learning how to share a bed with Sam. [3-part series with Sam, Dean, and Castiel.]

Word Count: 1,200 Warnings: Rated M. 18+ only. But mainly fluffy!

Part 1: Sam

Sam waited patiently for you in bed with a book in hand, his reading lamp on. But truth be told, he wasn’t reading much.

He was distracted by the sound of you humming “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” in the bathroom. You were also opening yet another bottle of face cream. Or was it a mask? Eye cream?

Well, whatever it was, this one marked mysterious bottle number three of five that he could see on the counter spread out in front of you.

Maybe it had been a long time since he’d shared space with someone other than Dean, but really. Just how many skincare products did one woman need?

…Still, Sam knew you were a creature of habit. As you often told him, you liked your routine, and sticking to it helped you. The whole world could be going to crap (and with the Winchesters, it often was), but as long as you went through your daily and nightly habits, you could get your mind back on track.

Sam knew all this, but…did it have to take so long?

“Hey…baby?” he called out.

“Yeah?”

“You plan on coming to bed anytime soon?”

From the corner of his eye, he watched you drop the small bottle in the sink with a yelp.

“You okay?” he asked, smiling.

“Yep!” you answered cheerfully. “And I’m coming, just five more minutes.”

You said that twenty minutes ago, but Sam wasn’t counting. He did glance at the clock on his nightstand though.

True to your word this time, a few minutes later you came out of the bathroom wearing one of his old plain undershirts over your underwear. It brought a more amused smile to his face as his gaze followed you to your side of the bed.

“This thing’s full of holes. Don’t you think you should say goodbye?” he teased, fingering the frayed hem of the shirt after you sidled up next to him.

“It’s my favorite! So comfy,” you said, and you reached an arm across his broad chest to squeeze him into a snuggly side hug. Your face pressed into his neck. “See?”

Sam chuckled. “Very comfy.”

He set his book aside so he could slip his arms around you. He was sitting over the covers against the headboard, so it was easy for you to move your knees to either side of his hips and sit back in his lap. You framed his face with your hands, and you both smiled.

“Hi,” you said. Your cheeks warmed in a blush. You weren’t quite used to being able to touch him so freely yet. But your heart had been in his hands for such a long time. And now, he was yours too.

“Hey there,” Sam replied. His hands slid up your bare thighs to rest comfortably on your hips, and his thumb moved back and forth against your skin.

It had been a long day after getting back from a three-week hunt with Dean, tracking down, then clearing out an entire nest of vampires.

You leaned in and Sam met you with a sweet kiss. But he knew he couldn’t fully relax until he checked something.

He pushed up your sleeve and checked a scratch inflicted by a vamp’s nails—three sharp, angry-looking lines—healing on your arm. They were no longer bleeding, but better safe than sorry.

“Weren’t you gonna bandage this one up? It’s kind of deep,” he mentioned. You followed his gaze and your brows rose in realization.

“Oh, yeah. One sec!”

You abruptly climbed over Sam and scurried back into the bathroom. He watched you go with a shake of his head, but he reclaimed his book. He supposed he could get another chapter in.

By the time you came back, it was three chapters (but to be fair, he did read fast). You unceremoniously plucked the book from his hand and you climbed back into the saddle, as it were—reclaiming your place on his lap.

“Hello, again,” you said. And you flashed him a grin.

He opened his mouth to reply, right before you claimed his lips with yours. Sam smiled into your kiss, but he still slipped a hand under your sleeve to check that you actually did cover up your wound.

Knowing you, you’d just spread some antibacterial ointment and consider that good enough. (Sometimes you were a bit too much like Dean.) But you actually had taken his suggestion on the bandage this time.

Sam breathed in deeply through his nose and brought you even closer as you deepened the kiss. His hands were warm splaying across your back. Yours slipped into his hair, massaged the back of his head.

Then you took things to another level when you rolled your hips and ground your clothed core into his lap, against his rising length. He groaned into your mouth.

But then, you paused and leaned back. You both were catching your breath, Sam giving you a questioning tilt of his head.

“Sorry, forgot to brush my hair,” you said. “I do it every night after brushing my teeth and moisturizing—”

You moved to climb out of his lap again, but Sam held you fast.

“Can’t you do that later?” he said. His voice was a shade deeper with the desire in his blood, straining in his pants. But your eyes were conflicted.

“Later I’ll forget,” you pointed out. “It’ll just take a second…”

Sam waylaid you with heated kisses along your neck and jawline. His fingers pressed into your thighs, edging under the lacy hem of your underwear.

“A second can wait,” he murmured in your ear.

“But…” You wanted to heed the want in his voice and his persuasive hands. You really did.

But you had a routine. You followed it every night without fail…

His tongue teased the shell of your ear, making you release a shuddering breath. You felt his thumb drag back and forth along your clothed core. He felt the dampness in your underwear before his fingers hooked on either side, and slid them halfway down your thighs.

You uttered a breathy laugh at his impatience. “Just give me, literally, a minute.”

You sat up, intending to extricate yourself from his grip. But he just used that to slide your underwear down even further—down to your knees. You looked down at him with a narrowed smile. Sam gave you a cheeky little grin.

Hot and slow, his hands traveled up the back of you to grip your waist.

“Sam,” you tried to reason. You were not above tickling to get your way.

But suddenly, you squawked as he took you down, rolling you over onto the bed and caging you beneath his large, solid frame.

“Whatever you do with your hair,” he informed you, “I’m about to ruin it.”

You giggled under him and gave up. But you teasingly pulled him down by his long hair, into your waiting kiss.

You supposed you could adjust your routine, just for him.

AN: Don't worry, I am working on the prequel for "Checkerboard" (Soldier Boy x Reader). But I had to get out this short 3-part series with the age-old "sharing a bed" prompt lol.

Let me know what you think! 😉

To read Part 2: Dean

To read Part 3: Castiel

TAG LIST:

(So far I think this is my "everything" tag list. If you'd like to be added, or need to remind me to add you to it, please do!)

@samanddeaninatrenchcoat @this-is-me19

Sam Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

#Sharing is Caring #Part 1 #sam winchester #sam winchester x reader #sam winchester x you #sam winchester x female reader #spn #supernatural #romance #fluff #zepskies writes

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hazbinsillynight · 7 months

Text

Radiostatic week 2024

Day 3 : Date night

Vox asked his nemesis out out of nowhere in the middle of a fight. Confused and surprised, Alastor accepted. Only now they both had to spend a night without killing each other!

The Vee’s tower always appeared cold, calm, and threatening. The atmosphere has always terrified other demons but what they didn’t know was that inside the tower it was a different image that was given off.

It was warmer, and more welcoming, especially for the Vees who lived there and who after a long day of work only wanted to relax a bit. Sadly for them, the tower was never silent long enough for anyone to enjoy the calm and silence.

“Stop laughing dammit!!” Screamed the TV Overlord before throwing a pillow at his coworker and friend Valentino.

“I-I I can’t!!” The moth demon exclaimed, bursting into laughter, incapable of stopping.

“So Mister Vox, how does it feel to have a date with the radio demon? Your rival since always!” Velvet exclaimed, mimicking a micro with her phone, laughing as well.

“I didn’t ask him on purpose!! It came just like that. I didn't even want to ask him out!!” Vox screamed at the same time both stressed and angry. His answer only made Valentino laugh harder. “Val! I’m going to cut your fucking balls and shove them into your mouth!!”

‘Ouuuh Voxy I didn’t know you were in cannibalism kink! I’m sure Alastor’ll love that!” Velvet teased, causing Vox to glitch before his screen started showing multicolored bands and he rebooted.

“I think you broke him Vel.” The moth demon said, a bit more in control of his emotions but still laughing.

“Come on, come on! We have to find him something to wear for the occasion or he’ll just wear his usual costume!” The social media Overlord exclaimed cheerfully, hurrying into Vox’s part of the tower.

**********

“Alastor come on, it’s just one date. What can possibly happen or go wrong?” The princess of Hell said at the door of the room of her sponsor.

“Everything! As if I was going to go on a date with that stupid TV! As if I was even going to go on a date?!”

“But you promised Vox, I know you did, I was there.”

“I don’t care.” The red demon hissed, clearly refusing to go with every fiber of his body. Just why did he say yes?!

Everything happened so fast, he didn’t even understand it and he lived this moment two hours ago! They were casually fighting against each other like usual, except that Charlie was here since she accompanied him on one of his walks. Vox attacked them and Alastor made himself a pleasure to ripost and attack back. Or at least he was until that crazy dumb and stupid TV asked him out. He was so surprised by that that he nodded and accepted his request.

Clearly, neither he nor Vox expected this situation but with Charlie hearing everything there wasn’t any step that could be taken back. Just what was the media Overlord thinking?! They hated each other for decades! This didn’t make any sense!

“Alastor, come on! Vox didn’t deserve to be left behind. You already said yes, just imagine how miserable he would feel if you didn’t come.” Charlie tried again behind the door.

“Then he would have what he deserved! What is wrong with him asking such things!!”

“Come on Nifty helped me choose some clothes for you. You know what, how about a deal? You won’t have to take part in the next week's bonding activities if you go on that date!” The princess said, finally getting the attention of the radio demon. “What do you think?”

“I suppose I could make an effort. But if there is anything in his behavior that’s wrong I quit.”

“Of course Al! I don’t want to force you, just to give him a chance. Oooh, I’m so excited!! this is going to be awesome Alastor you’ll see!

*********

Vox never felt so stupid in both his life and his afterlife. Here he was dressed in the clothes Velvet and Val had chosen for him, waiting for the radio demon and ready to take him on a date. If he could just get really drunk and forget everything happened it would be perfect. But since when has his life ever been perfect dammit!?

With a look at his phone, he noticed the messages from both his friends who were encouraging him from their home. Right, he could do this! And if Alastor desisted it would be even better, right?

Speaking of the devil, the radio demon came out of the front door of the hotel. He was wearing a white shirt covered by a red velvet jacket without any sleeves. His trousers and bow were black, and Vox could see he left his radio cane in the hotel.

“This is stupid and I hate you for asking me out.” The radio demon said before Vox could even voice a word. Good thing because he was quite mouth-gaped here.

“Well, I hate you for saying yes so I guess we’re even Al.” The TV Overlord hissed back before taking a deep breath. “I think you’re looking great.”

There he could do this! He could survive to this date even if it was with Alastor. Or at least that was what he thought before he saw the hateful glare the deer demon was giving him. Just what did he say wrong?! No no no no! He could do this! Alastor was just playing with his nerve to prove Vox was just a horrible date. Ah! He’ll see who’s the horrible date!

“I know you like spicy food so I booked a restaurant where they serve creole cooking. I hope it is to your liking. We can change it if you want.” The media demon said with the perfect smile he performed on the stage.

Alastor looked pissed but pleased at the same time so he didn’t know if it was a victory or not. He didn’t say no so it must have been a win right?

“I booked the whole restaurant so we should be in a nice ambiance. “ Vox said under the approbating eyes of the radio demon.

Now Alastor won’t lie if he said he was relieved by this news. Having a public while he was going out with Vox from all people was clearly something he wanted to avoid.

“Thank you Vox.” He said, causing the other demon to look at him in shock. Alastor rolled his eyes and they both continued their walk to the restaurant. Like Vox certified him it wasn’t far and Alastor liked to walk; they left the limousine Vox brought with him.

The two Overlords finally arrived at the restaurant and just like Vox said it was empty, the only table left was for them and the whole room was illuminated with candles. An orchestra was playing classic jazz music in the back and the ambiance of the place reminded his old home of the radio demon. He looked at everything amazed and gladly surprised to discover a place like this in hell. It felt so nostalgic…

“Do you like the place?” Vox asked a bit nervously, this wasn’t the kind of restaurant he usually goes to but for this, he tried to put himself in the place of his rival. He knew the other missed his country and home more than him.

“It’s perfect…” Alastor said, still surprised. The look in his eyes expressed everything for him. “Thank you Vox, you don’t know how much this place represents for me right now.”

Vox blushed heavily when he saw Alastor’s smile. It wasn’t the same he was used to seeing every fucking day, this one was special, kinder and it was for him. Something in his heart got warmer at this thought.

“I’m glad you like it, Al.”

The waiter guided them to their table and Vox came to pull Alastor’s chair for him. The radio demon paused suddenly a bit more nervously, which was unusual for! He was the Radio demon, the strongest Overlord that ever walked Hell, and Vox’s rival. He wasn’t some stupid enamored guy who would blush at every action of his date! No matter how gentlemanly he could be.

With a look at the menu surprised when he saw they served demon meat. This place was a cannibal restaurant. The radio demon looked at his rival, a bit moved by the intention. The other Overlord chose the place really well.

Vox looked a bit nervous, more than him if he could say. Alastor held a laugh, he always found it funny that the face of the media the entire Hell was a mess when it came to dealing with him.

“It’s perfect stupid TV so just relax. You’re so nervous I bet the entire restaurant noticed it.” He said, chuckling at his nemesis.

“I’m not nervous!” The TV demon exclaimed blushing before adding with a calmer tone. “I just want everything to be perfect.”

Alastor raised a helbrow suddenly interested. If Vox put so much attention on this date why did he say that he was mad he accepted his proposition? This was getting interesting. Perhaps he could play a little with his stupid TV tonight.

“It’s alright Vox.” He said with a sweet smile, gently taking the hand of the other demon.

The reaction of the media demon didn’t take long. The TV Overlord glitched a lot and for a few seconds, there were colored bands on his screen. When he finally came back to his senses he was bushing so hard it looked like his screen had a new color. Ah, it was so funny to tease him.

Neither of them took their hands off and the conversation continued. They talked about everything and nothing, the last tantrum of Valentino, the last crazy idea of the princess, the complaints of Husker, or the new obsession of Nifty. They even talked about radio and modern technology without tearing each other apart! It was a really good evening so it was without regret that when Vox brought him back to the hotel Alastor proposed to him another date.

“Y-yeah it would be great Al!”

Vox was overjoyed about the news. Alastor wanted to spend more time with him! Him! That meant the date he spent so much time on had been a success. Suddenly the radio demon took his hand in his and gently kissed it, causing him to glitch a little.

“I’ll admit I wasn’t really impatient when it came to this dinner with you but in the end, I had a lovely night. Thank you Vox. I’ll see you around next time.” He said before going back into the hotel, leaving a blushing, enamored, and happy TV Overlord outside.

“I look forward to it.” He said before zapping back to his tower.

#alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel #radiostatic #vox x alastor #radiostatic week 2024 #alastor x vox #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin vox #fluff #date night #tumblr fic

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gunilslaugh · 8 months

Note

Can request for Jooyeon? You both get stood up on a date at the same place, same time. You both notice each others situation and decide to just eat a meal together instead. All is going well and you're hitting it off. But then here walks in the guy you were supposed to meet up with, 45 minutes late. How does he react when he sees you with another guy, imstead of waiting for him??

Thank you! I love all your work so so much!

Thank you so so much! I hope you like your request.

Lee Jooyeon

Summary: Realizing that you’ve been stood up for your date you meet a guy who is in the same situation as you. (non-idol au)

WC:~1k

Warning:none

photo not mine credits to owner.

Rocking back and forth on your feet, you waited outside of the restaurant. He’s probably just running a little late, you told yourself as you checked the time. It was almost ten minutes after your scheduled date time. You pulled out your phone to shoot your date a text. “I’m standing outside of the restaurant. Are you gonna be here soon?” You hit send on the texting hoping to get a response that he would be there soon. That he was stuck in traffic or something. Much to your dismay another ten minutes go by and your date hasn’t even read your text. You sigh after checking your phone for the nth time. Your sigh seemed to catch the attention of a guy who was also waiting outside of the restaurant. You had noticed him a bit ago, but didn’t pay much mind to him. Too busy feeling humiliated about being stood up. You were about to walk away. It had been twenty minutes and your date was still a no show. Right as you began to walk away the guy called after you.

“Excuse me?” He walked up to you.

“Yes?” you said.

“You were waiting for your date right?” he checked. You nodded your head yes in response. “I’ve been waiting for my date too. I’m pretty sure they stood me up, so…” The guy quasi-awkwardly looked to the side for a moment taking a breath then looked back at you. “So do you maybe want to go in together?” he pitched.

“Sure, it would be a shame to waste the trip out here right?” you say. The guy's face lit up at your answer.

“Definitely. I’m Jooyeon,” he introduced himself.

“I’m y/n,” you introduced yourself back. The two of you headed inside of the restaurant with Jooyeon opening the door for you. You both got seated at a table. A waiter came by soon after to take your orders.

“So who’s the asshole that stood you up?” Jooyeon asked in a gossiping manner. It makes you chuckle.

“A guy I met about a week ago. He came up to ask for my number while I was hanging out with some friends and they of course urged me to give it to him. I decided to give him a chance. Now I regret it,” you told.

“Wow, so he hit on you first then stood you up.” Jooyeon shook his head.

“Tell me about it. So who’s the asshole that stood you up?” you returned the question.

“A girl my friend set me up with as a blind date. My friend is their acquaintance and I guess the girl kept talking about how she wanted to go on a date and meet somebody, yet she decided to not show up,” Jooyeon explained.

“Maybe she met somebody on the way here,” you joked. Your joke was successful at making Jooyeon laugh.

Your orders arrived. The waiter double checked if you needed anything else before leaving. You and Jooyeon were certainly hitting it off. The conversation flow was natural as you each talked about yourselves, getting to know one another better.

“I’m glad you invited me in. This is really nice,” you disclosed.

“Yeah it is. In a way I’m glad neither of our dates showed. I wouldn’t have gotten to know you if they did,” Jooyeon states.

In perfect irony of timing here comes your date walking into the restaurant. He instantly feels angry when he discovers that you aren’t hopelessly waiting for him, but are instead eating with another guy. Smiling at the guy. Laughing with the guy.

“What are you doing?” your supposed to be date asked standing at your table. You turned to look at him unimpressed.

“What am I doing?” you repeated his question. “What are you doing? Walking in here,” you stopped to check the time. “Forty-five minutes late without giving me a text or call,” you turned it on him.

“My phone died,” the guy excused.

“Show me,” you tell him.

“Huh?” he let out.

“Your dead phone. Show me,” you clarified.

“What, you don’t believe me?” he asked, offended.

“Not particularly, but if you show me your dead phone and tell me why you’re late I’ll apologize.” The guy only scoffs.

“Why would I want to go on a date with someone like you anyway?” he says. Now you’re the one that scoffs.

“So your phone isn’t dead right? You just thought you could show up to our date whenever you wanted and I’d be here helplessly waiting. Well news flash I have more self worth than that. I was gonna go home after waiting for you for twenty minutes, but then he invited me to join him and I’m glad he did.” You gestured across the table where Jooyeon sat.

“Turns out you’re really not my type anyway,” the guy spits and he begins to walk away.

“I feel bad for the people that are,” you called out. He throws the middle finger at you as he leaves the restaurant.

“So cool,” Jooyeon muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?” you questioned.

“You’re so cool,” Jooyeon said louder. “I don’t think I could’ve done that if my date walked in here like that.”

“Well, he wasn’t my type either,” you laughed as you used the dude's attempt of an insult.

“You dodged a bullet,” Jooyeon points.

“That’s partly thanks to you,” you said.

“Well then I’m happy to have been of service.” He smiles, giving a little bow. “Since I have been of service can I ask you something?” he checks.

“Shoot,” you respond.

“Can I take you out on a date or another one?” he asked you with a light chuckle.

“I’d like that,” you happily agreed. “You better not be late.” You pointed a finger at him.

“If anything I’ll be early,” he states. The two of you quickly exchanged contact information. After you finished your meal together.

Just like Jooyeon said he would be, he had gotten there early for your date together. You walked up to him with a bright smile painted on your face.

“Hi,” you greeted him.

“Hi, you’re here three minutes early yourself,” Jooyeon notes.

“Well I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting,” you say. The two of you head inside, excited to spend more time together.

#xdinary heroes #xdh #xdh imagines #xdh x reader #xdinary heroes imagines #xdinary heroes x reader #xh jooyeon #jooyeon x reader #lee jooyeon x reader #jooyeon fluff #jooyeon #lee jooyeon #xdinary heroes fluff

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bumblebeehug · 1 month

Text

In The Heat Of The Moment

Summary: An answer to an interview is the straw that breaks the camel's, or in this case, Lucy's back. She has never been this angry with Natsu before - and he's never been this angry with her.

Warnings: No explicit content, but lots of swearing.

Notes: Sorry if this is a bit OOC lol, I got itchy fingers last year and wrote 90% of this fic in one go with no prior planning. Only got back to it now, but hey! It's finished!

Ao3

***

Lucy was so unbelievably fed up with Natsu. Even looking at him had her filled with an indescribable rage, practically making her fume. That stupid, idiot man! She had never felt this anger before, not even against a tough enemy she was facing during extra hard missions. No, no words could describe the resentment she felt towards Natsu, not even coming from her, a proper writer.

“You just don’t get it Natsu! God, can you please try to use that non-existent brain for once?” She yelled in despair, tears welling over in her eyes from the heartbreaking frustration building in her heart.

“No, I don’t get it Lucy! For fuck’s sake, why do you have to be such a pedantic bitch?” His big hand grabbed her collar, making it tighten up significantly.

Lucy wasn’t scared, she told herself, because being scared of the person she hated the most was not only unbelievably embarrassing, but also just way below her standards. So she fiercely bit down on her lip, partly to make the tears stop flooding, partly to throw the fire dragon slayer off guard.

Natsu’s usually kind onyx eyes looked like angry storms, showing her the most spiteful stare she had gotten in a very long time.

“Maybe I’m a pedantic bitch because I’ve always had to balance out your disgusting childish personality all the fucking time. Do you have any idea of what a menace you are, not only to me or this guild, but to society?” She hissed, no longer holding back the anger she felt. Natsu, out of everyone, was the last person she wanted to hear those comments from, because frankly - he was no better than her in this matter.

Natsu pursed his lips. He had never seen Lucy this upset, and frankly, he hadn’t felt this upset since, well, Igneel left him in the woods as a kid. It had all started a few weeks ago, when he had been interviewed for a double paged article in Sorcerer's Weekly. He had gotten the usual questions, except two or three out of the ordinary. He was asked about random things, like his favourite restaurant and his best picnic spot - all manageable questions, until it came to the last one.

“Why did you leave the guild before it disbanded?” Jason asked, his lock of hair wiggling in the wind. Natsu of course answered with the usual - he wanted to get stronger for the guild after dealing with Igneel’s death. Only, this time he was asked a follow up question.

“Did you ever worry about anyone while you were away? Anyone particularly?”

“Well…” He had answered, “I suppose I was a bit worried about my team, but in general I was worried about everyone. I think out of all of the guildmates I might be the most fired up to protect everyone. There’s no telling what type of trouble could come to Fairy Tail you know.” That sentence wasn’t the problem though. It was the one that came after that. “I told Lucy to tell everyone hi as I left, but she probably didn’t manage to do that since she let the guild disband.” An innocent sentence according to Natsu. He had just commented on the letter he had given her, and provided a clue on what he had written in it - nothing more, nothing less, right?

The rest of the day was quite peaceful, not even any guild brawls starting up in the evening. It could probably be described as the calm before the storm, he learned the following day.

“You told him I let the guild disband!?” Lucy yelled as she entered the guild by slamming up the doors.

It was still quite early in the morning, though a lot of members came in early on Thursdays, hoping to grab quick high paying jobs before the weekend. Every step Lucy took was loud as she stomped to the bar where Natsu sat and the guild got quiet enough for anyone to hear a pin drop. Lucy waved the copy of the magazine in front of her before slamming it down in front of Natsu, disrupting his otherwise quite calm breakfast.

“That you were worried about the protection of the guild, when you ran off with nothing but a letter!?”

“What- what are you talking about?” Natsu asked, confused over the sudden accusation - coming from his best friend nonetheless!

“I’m talking about the interview from yesterday! What on earth made you say something like that?” Lucy took a small step back and crossed her arms. Partly to calm herself from the initial shock, but also partly to hide the betrayal she felt.

Telling Jason, and the entire continent for that matter, that Lucy didn’t succeed at contacting their friends in the guild because she let it disband? It felt like a shot in the heart, because she really didn’t think Natsu would ever say such a thing. She was afraid of it, but she told herself she was being paranoid due to her issues with abandonment. Now she was watching her biggest fears come true and she felt conflicted whether she was meant to be furious or depressed over it.

Natsu stood up from his seat and tried putting his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. Not pleased with his half-assed apology, Lucy immediately shook him off.

“I don’t know what to say… I didn’t think he would write it down so literally I guess?”

He still didn’t understand where her anger was coming from. He had really just told Jason some things that he usually didn’t talk about—like his letter to Lucy and how he truly felt when he and Happy left to train. If anything he felt a bit proud for opening up more.

“But you’re admitting that you said it?” She opened the spread in the magazine, to properly quote him. “‘I think out of all of the guildmates I might be the most fired up to protect everyone,’ it says, and wait - there’s more: ‘I told Lucy to tell everyone hi as I left, but she probably didn’t manage to do that since she let the guild disband.’ Do you agree that that is what you said?” She looked into his eyes, still wishing Jason misinterpreted what he actually said, though now fretting to hear the truth.

“Well… yeah I guess I did say exactly that. I don’t know what you want me to say,” Natsu said, not understanding why Lucy was being so dramatic over some words.

He usually found her endearing when she acted dramatic over things but now he was growing annoyed. He really didn’t like that she was getting mad at him for telling his truth to Sorcerer’s Weekly.

Lucy fought her quivering lip. He really said it. And it looked like he really thought so too. That it was Lucy’s fault that the Fairy Tail guild disbanded—not that she was the cause of it, but that she didn’t do anything to stop it. Even if it was true–she didn’t know what to do at the time, knowing that Natsu and Happy left her with only a short, quite poorly written letter, still healing both physically and emotionally from the war against Tartaros. She felt sick to her stomach hearing it from him.

“I’d like an apology,” she said, her voice shaking slightly as she forced herself not to cry. “I want you to apologise for blaming me for a situation that you ran away from. Say that you’re sorry.” She said it louder this time. She refused to put up with his unfair claims, and she knew she deserved an apology.

“Okay. I’m sorry for telling Jason my true feelings, but that’s just how I feel. Sorry if you don’t think you’re not at least partially responsible for letting the guild disband. But you know that if I were there I would never have let that happen.”

Natsu knew he was pulling the wrong strings here, but even if he never said it, the knowledge that the disbandment could have—no, would have been stopped if he was there was enough to feel like the rest of the guild hadn’t tried hard enough themselves. Frankly, putting all of that blame on Lucy was unfair and untrue and Natsu knew it, but it was hard to take back printed words.

“Oh I know you wouldn’t let it happen, because Natsu Dragneel is soooo much better than everyone else here, right? No, fuck that Natsu. Because you. Weren’t. There. Alright?” Lucy clenched her teeth as she said it.

”You have no right telling us how little we tried to keep the guild together. You have no right to talk like you’re the only one who cares about what happens to this guild, because out of everyone, you’ve proven to care the least about the guild! What’s that about being the ‘most fired up about protecting everyone’ huh? How can you protect people if you’re. Not. There!” Lucy poked Natsu harshly in the chest as she said the last three words, feeling her cheeks heat up in a growing rage.

She hadn’t originally wanted to bring up this event. In fact, she had practically laid awake every single night during that disbanded year, telling herself to forgive and forget as soon as possible. Because she knew no one’s circumstance was easy to deal with and sometimes obeying master Makarov’s order was the only thing you could do in a crisis like that. She had really, really, wanted to leave all of this behind her.

“Do you know what I went through in that war? Do you? I lost my dad, Lucy. I had to see him get murdered by Acnologia. You might not have liked your father, but for the longest time you still had one—you just chose not to see him and for what? Some childish anger about him working too hard and ‘neglecting’ you? I would have switched places with you in an instant if it meant I got to know my father was alive and well.” His voice gradually rose as he spoke, and simultaneously a pit grew in his stomach.

He hated this. He knew very well he wouldn’t actually want to switch places with Lucy, because he knew their situations weren’t comparable, but the more he spoke the harder it was to back down from his words.

“Don’t claim you’d want to switch places with me Natsu Dragneel. Don’t you even dare. Your childhood was great thanks to Igneel and mine was horrible because of my father. I know you wanted to get stronger to beat Acnologia, I understand wholeheartedly. I can even say that it was completely reasonable for you to leave me—to leave all of us, but I can’t let you think that you were the only one who lost a dear family member.” Lucy had run out of breath, but was quick to catch it again.

“Wendy, Gajeel, Sting and Rogue all lost their dragons, their parents as well, you know. And I lost a family member, Natsu. What’s worse is that I had to break our bond, I broke Aquarius’ key. She’s the only thing my mom left me and I had to give her up to save all of you. I would do it all again in a heartbeat for all of you but I might never find her key again and I have to live with the knowledge that I’m the reason we can’t see each other.” Her tears were dangerously close to overflowing, but she held them back.

“So don’t use Igneel as a shield for your shitty actions, Natsu. No one would have stopped you from training here, hell, no one would have stopped you from running away if you only talked to me first! But you left a letter with only chicken scratch on it, and you didn’t even try to get in contact with me while you were gone.” Lucy felt herself yelling at this point. She had to, otherwise she would’ve stopped mid-sentence as she saw Natsu’s face change from stoic and indifferent—maybe a little upset—to hurt. But now the ball was in Natsu’s court.

“I wrote you a fucking letter Lucy,” he hissed through his teeth, “that’s more than I did to anyone else. What more do you want, huh? A tiara, a horse, a castle maybe? Why do you think you’re so entitled to everything?”

He was reaching now and he knew it. Her coming from a rich family had nothing to do with this argument, but he knew he couldn’t say anything else to answer her about Igneel and Aquarius. Because she was right. He just hated that she was. He hated it because she knew how to talk about her feelings, and he didn’t, which is why he spent that year trying to get ahold of himself. And he hated that she knew him so well, but that she couldn’t figure that small thing out. That he regretted leaving more than anything else, that he regretted the letter he gave her, that he regretted not reaching out. He was acting cowardly, and out of everyone in the guild, he really thought that Lucy would understand.

Lucy however was getting fed up with how he was making this argument more personal than it already was. What more did she want than a letter? She had already told him that she wanted signs that he had at least tried to reach out, to show her that he didn’t completely abandon her. Lucy was so unbelievably fed up with Natsu at this point. That stupid, idiot man! No words could describe the resentment she felt towards Natsu, not even coming from her, a proper writer.

“You just don’t get it Natsu! God, can you PLEASE try to use that non-existing brain for once!?” She yelled in despair, tears welling over in her eyes from the heartbreaking frustration building in her heart.

“No, I don’t get it Lucy! For fucks sake, why do you have to be such a pedantic bitch?” He couldn’t stand her vague hints at what she wanted him to say. Why couldn’t she understand that he wanted real answers to his questions, not insults to his mental capacity. His big hand grabbed her collar, making it tighten up significantly. Lucy wasn’t scared, she told herself, because being scared of the person she hated the most at the moment was not only unbelievably embarrassing, but also just way below her standards. So she fiercely bit down on her lip, partly to make the tears stop flooding, partly to throw the fire dragon slayer off guard.

Natsu’s usually kind onyx eyes looked like angry storms, showing her the most spiteful stare she had gotten in a very long time.

“Maybe I’m a pedantic bitch because I’ve always had to balance out your disgusting childish personality all the fucking time. Do you have any idea of what a menace you are, not only to me or this guild, but to society?” She hissed, no longer holding back the anger she felt. If he wanted to make this fight about things that didn’t relate to that article, then she wouldn’t hold back. Natsu, out of everyone, was the last person she wanted to hear those comments from.

“I don’t give a fuck if you think I’m a menace to society or whatever because at least I manage to protect society from whatever dangers they face! I’m the one who saved the entire continent from fucking Acnologia, and what did you do in the meantime, huh?” He sneered, lifting her higher in the collar. His fists were itching to… not hit her, but hit something. Gray would have been a good target, but the wall was closer – he made a mental note.

“Believe it or not mister main character syndrome, I was helping beating Acnologia. In real life, and not just in whatever weird imaginary place you ended up in.” She was really reaching again. “You, however, always think I’m just some weak loser who can’t hold her own ground! As if I don’t save your butt every single mission due to your stupid recklessness!” Lucy wasn’t backing down despite feeling Natsu’s scolding hot breath against her face. “And no, I don’t care about how you claim to always act on instinct to protect your family, because it’s proper bullshit! You don’t get to act all high and mighty and great for this guild because your indecisiveness and pure weakness made you leave this guild to rot for an entire year. If you’re going to become this guild’s self proclaimed protector, then you’ve got to be here to protect it.” Lucy pulled away from Natsu’s grip, forcing some space between them.

“No, Lucy, you have no right to say that to me. It’s thanks to me we’ve survived almost every single danger the guild has faced. It’s thanks to me the guild won the Grand Magic Games - or wait, no it wasn’t! Because back then I was saving your ass from getting killed! So sorry for saving you and successfully protecting you all this time. I knew you were whiny, but I didn’t know you resented me for fixing your life. I brought you to this guild, you should be thanking me, not yelling at me for having my own life aside from you.”

“Would you just shut up!” Lucy’s voice cracked, and she quickly resented herself for saying that. “If you regret bringing me here to this guild then maybe I should just leave? But just know that I never ever left this guild in the dust to run away with one of my best friends, leaving the other one behind to rot. I never ran away, despite not being able to speak to my father before he died, despite feeling weak. Because I know I am And I don’t need you to tell me. I’m weak, I’m weird and you think I’m a sensitive, whiny bitch, because no matter what great feats I make, I will always be that spineless girl according to the entire fucking continent.”

Natsu pursed his lips. He had never seen Lucy this upset, and frankly, he hadn’t felt this upset since Igneel left him in the woods as a kid. Hearing her say that she would leave really threw him back into reality though, her words feeling like a bucket of ice cold water getting thrown at him. What the fuck was he doing? Fighting her over something as small as not being able to honestly apologise about blaming her for not managing to hold the whole guild together by herself? An impossible feat, now that he thought about it, unless everyone in the guild had the same mindset.

“No. No, no, no, Lucy, let’s not do this,” he mouthed, relaxing his fists and softening his face. “You’re not weak, or weird, or a sensitive spineless girl.”

As their yelling match quieted down they both became aware of their surroundings again. No one had said a single word while they had been throwing insults at each other, and Lucy became uncomfortably aware of how she basically outed all of her insecurities in the heat of it all. No longer feeling the fighting spirit to keep the tears abay, she let them blur her vision. Fighting with her best friend was draining, and she never ever wanted to do it again.

“You’re the person I hate the least in, like, the whole world, please don’t say you’ll leave.” He almost whispered this sentence, not wanting everyone to listen in to their private conversation, but getting the opposite effect as he heard Gajeel whisper to Levy what he had said. If anything, talking quieter made the guild listen even more attentively.

Lucy once again felt her throat thicken up, but this time from regret for fighting and not in anger, as earlier.

“Of course I won’t leave. I would never do that. It’s just…” She sniffled, “I know you probably didn’t mean to hurt my feelings during that interview, you didn’t know that I already blame myself for letting the guild disband, and for not trying harder to keep in contact with everyone. How could you know, I never told you. It just got extra hurtful to hear that you felt the same way. It’s like having one of your biggest fears come true and I just got so… sad… that I got angry instead.”

Natsu could see that she was gathering courage to apologise, which truthfully broke his heart even more than it already had today.

“But I don’t think you’re to blame, I honestly don’t even know what got into me, Lucy. If anything I know that you kept tabs on everyone behind the scenes because rather than ripping up healing scars, you wanted to make sure everyone was safe, wherever they were. I’ve never told you how relieved I was when I saw that we didn’t have to start from scratch to find everyone, all thanks to the fact that you dedicated yourself to getting a job that would give you the information necessary. You’re amazing for everything you’ve done, and if anything, I’m the one who needs to realise that I’m the weak one. I shouldn’t have left everyone like that. It wasn’t fair, and it isn’t an excuse but I was sad and, well… scared.”

This time it was Lucy’s turn to interrupt Natsu.

“You’re not weak for doing what you thought would keep your loved ones safe, Natsu. I know you didn’t abandon me, you really were trying to protect us all, in your way. Though, it would be nice if you knew that we’re here for you too. We want to protect you and the guild as well. I want to protect you.”

“I’m still sorry for leaving. And I’m sorry for not thinking before I talk, I never wanted to make you feel that way. I was being really stupid. Can you forgive me?”

The air was thick between them, mixed with remnants of hurtful words and regret. A few whispers from the rest of the guild made it even more obvious that the current situation was wrong - Natsu and Lucy couldn’t fight. They were best friends, an inseparable duo. It was all so wrong. Lucy’s sobs broke the silence.

“Of course I can forgive you.” A huff or relief mixed with a sob made its way out, almost sounding like laughter. Natsu felt the corners of his mouth pull up slightly, the weight on his shoulders lifting simultaneously. Carefully he took a step closer to her, pulling her into an embrace. Lucy’s relieved sobs made her shake against his chest as she allowed herself to fall into the hug. “If anything,” she breathed, “can you forgive me? You’re not a menace to society, nor exhausting to be with. I’m sorry for yelling at you.” As her voice broke into falsetto, mixing with previous sobs, Natsu managed to laugh lightly.

“Well you were right about the destructive part,” he laughed, tightening his grip around her shivering shoulders. “There’s really no need for you to apologise, but I’ll forgive you if it helps you to forgive yourself.”

Happy gave out a loud cry from beside them.

“I’m sorry Lucy..!” He wailed, throwing himself into their arms. “I didn’t know you’d be so sad about us leaving..!” Seeing Happy cry made Lucy cry even more.

“Of course I’d be sad if my best friends left me,” she managed to say, “I felt so lonely… You guys are everything to me, it was so weird to live without you.”

Happy’s cry was almost deafening at this point, as the only thing muffling the sound was Lucy’s chest and his occasional mumbling about loving her and apologising. The guild kept quiet, no one knowing how to react to the situation. The topic of the disbandment of the guild was rarely spoken of, often due, but not limited to, people silently judging themselves and others for allowing it to even happen in the first place. Cana could lie awake some nights in shame of how she had been drinking away reality when it happened, Elfman took more single missions than ever before, spending them wondering if he hadn’t made the guild blow up, would Makarov never have disbanded Fairy Tail? Some people were firm believers that they’d step up to keep the guild together, if someone had initiated it at first that was. Everyone had their own discomfort around the subject, yet very few had actually spoken about it out loud. Watching the guild’s sun and star fight over the delicate matter had brought feelings they hadn’t felt in a long time, so when Erza spoke up everyone held their breaths.

“I think we all have our uncomfortable memories connected to that year. I can admit, with full transparency, that I also have had some sleepless nights over this topic. But I can assure you both that no one blames either of you, in any way. It’s true that Natsu takes the job of protecting the guild in the highest regard of seriousness, and it’s also true that Lucy does too. To be frank, often I wonder if I could have prevented everything had I been more perceptive. But I’ve never blamed either of you.” Erza’s tone was soft, despite her words being stale and clearly rehearsed in her head. Her own confession made a myriad of other people speak up as well.

“Yeah, we never blamed you two. You’re the ones that brought us together again!” The guild stirred, people talking over each other to get their two cents on the topic. After all, the disbandment was a dam waiting to burst – Natsu and Lucy had just accidentally pulled the plug.

“Well…” the coarse voice that spoke up made the guild quiet down again. Makarov had made an appearance, and Natsu and Lucy, who were already ashamed for having their affairs sorted out in front of their guild mates, got even more embarrassed knowing that he had heard it all. “I must say that I’m surprised, and actually offended, that no one has put the blame on me. You can deny it all you want, but at the end of the day it was me, not any of you, that uttered the words that caused the disbandment. It was never my intention for you to get mad at yourselves or each other.”

Glances were passed around in the guild. Between people who had fought over this topic, and between people who had plotted against other groups.

“I won’t say sorry though.” Makarov gave the crowd a stern look. “I did what I thought was the best thing to do at the time. And you can try to prove me wrong, but everyone here grew during that year. You took your own paths, and experienced new ways of living. I’m sorry for the aftermath of disbanding the guild, but I’m not sorry for doing it.”

When Makarov finished his sentences, the guild let out a collective sigh. Some got annoyed with Makarov’s demeanour – hadn’t he listened to Natsu and Lucy, and heard how harmful the event had been for their relationship? Others sighed in relief, nodding along with his words. He had a point after all, and like it or not, the guild had absolutely gotten stronger after their time apart. Someone mentioned the saying that “distance makes the heart fonder” and another guy pushed him for being corny.

Soon enough the argument between Natsu and Lucy had sizzled out. For everyone besides them, that is. Except, they both felt like there were things to deal with still. There were no more hard feelings between them, their troubles had been aired out and felt small now that they weren’t topics to carefully tread around anymore. Still, they hadn't come to a conclusion. They wanted to talk.

“Do… Do you want to go to my place?” Lucy asked, now that no one paid them attention.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They knew they didn’t have any eyes on them, but they decided to sneak out the back way anyway. It didn’t feel right to walk out through the big doors that made a big thunk when it closed behind them. Not today. They were still worn thin from the screaming battle – a loud sound might break them from shockwaves only.

The walk home was naturally quiet. They had taken this route home many times before, but back then the silence didn’t feel so empty. It wasn’t awkward, it wasn’t emotionally thick. There weren’t any unsaid words, unsaid sentences hanging in the air, clinging to their brains like velcro. Today, everything had been said. There were no more elephants to avoid talking about. Except maybe one.

Lucy was the first to enter the apartment. She took her time untying her shoes and hanging up her jacket. They had gone here to talk, though how, she had no idea. How was she supposed to say anything when the same mouth had heckled him only an hour earlier? Natsu, who also took his time with his sandals, almost moving unnaturally slowly to get those extra seconds to prepare himself, wondered the same thing. He started formulating sentences in his mind, trying to come up with something to say that wasn’t going to ruin them, but before he could put any of them to the test, Lucy spoke.

“Do you want a cup of tea?” Both Lucy herself and Natsu gave her a mental pat on the shoulder. Harmless words. A good sentence even – Natsu would give it first place in the world if he could.

“Yeah, sounds good.” Another successful sentence. Maybe they actually would be able to solve all this.

After Lucy put on the kettle, they both sat down on the couch beside each other. She was first to speak again.

“Natsu, I really am sorry for everything I said.” Natsu tried to stop her there to insert his own apology, but Lucy spoke up louder. “I really said so many things that I didn’t mean, and I’m ashamed I even started the whole argument. It was really immature of me, and I…”

Lucy looked up at Natsu, water was once again pressing in her tear ducts, though this time in regret.

“I just really really love this guild. I don’t know where I would be without it. You seriously saved me that day in Hargeon, in more ways than one. I’m so thankful, I’m sorry for not telling you that more often. Thank you.”

Natsu stared intensely into Lucy’s eyes, wishing his gaze could speak for him, but ultimately deciding to answer.

“I don’t think you understand Lucy, I should thank you. And most of all, It’s me who should apologise. Hadn’t you been in my life I’d still be walking around with a stick up my bum, you’ve changed my perspective on life. We’ve gone through Hell and back together, but I never even once considered you part of that Hell. I’m sorry for being a jerk today.” Natsu didn’t notice until now that he had softly grabbed Lucy’s hand while speaking. He was beyond relieved that she didn’t pull back.

Lucy let out a light sob. She was crying in relief – the reassurance that he didn’t despise her.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you Natsu. You-” she dried some of her tears with the palm of her hand, “you’re my entire world.”

“And you’re mine.” Natsu was quick to answer her, and faster to bring their faces closer. He felt this urge to hug her, keep her tight and not let go for anything in the world, but at the same time he wanted to see her. See her eyes that were still crying, feel her face against his own. So he brought their foreheads together and just breathed with her. Lucy’s breaths were still shallow and shaky, but it felt right to have her skin touching his, breathing in her air.

Then Lucy closed the distance completely. She carefully locked her lips together with his, not being forceful in any way. But they knew that this was the sensation they had been searching for. A complete closeness, mouth to mouth, an action so intimate it felt like they were sharing souls. And right now, they might as well have done exactly that. All their troubles had been shared, all their uglies and all their pretties, and this final action signed a contract. That they’ll keep mentioning anything on their minds, that they’ll say everything they like and dislike about each other. Most importantly what they love about each other. In this short moment of telepathy, they already knew the subject of their love – them.

***

Notes: Oops. At least I ended it with a kiss? I can't lie, this was hard to write and even harder to post (I can't figure out the Rich Text function on Ao3 at all, but I needed italics for the fic on ao3! Sorry tumblr-readers, you’re missing out🫣)

I honestly didn't expect it to get so long, most of the fics I write that are over 4k words are mostly just wordy for no reason, lol. But this fic had some drama! My teachers would be proud, dramatic curves are important but I Suck At Them.

Thank you for reading all this! And pls don't hate me for writing other emotions than love and grief, I'll most definitely get back with a trillion of those kinds of fics soon (I prefer writing those fics hehe). XX

#bumblebeehug writes #fairy tail #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #nalu #fairy tail nalu #nalu fic #nalu fanfic #nalu fanfiction #fairy tail fanfic #fairy tail fanfiction #ft fanfiction #ft fanfic #swearing #foul language

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oleander-nin · 1 year

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The Weight Of A Letter(12)

A/N: Trying to make the chapters longer since I know you all hate the shorter ones, but this one still isn't too long. Sorry. Any criticism is welcome, constructive or not. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I screwed up somewhere, please tell me.

Taglist? If you want to be added or removed, just say so: @ssak-i @sinister-things @ancreativename @t0ta11y-n0t-cup1d @idiotreblogger @whygz @lexiechr@10yagurlchip01 @rex-ray @sunsersilversky @theavianlady @sspiderj

Part 1 - Previous - Next

Words: 2393

Content warnings: Slight paranoia near the end, but none else I think?

Chapter 12: A Consequential Decision

I look at him as if he was insane, a laugh being pulled from my chest. He had to be pulling my leg. “You wrote me a love letter. The guy who’s been glaring at me this whole class? The guy who’s so far found a way to insult me in every sentence?”

“Of course,” He pauses, glancing back at the open letter. “(Y/n). I wrote you those letters. I’m Von Ryan.”

“I thought your name was CK.”

CK, or Von Ryan, did not seem amused by my comment. He glares at my smug grin, clearly holding himself back from insulting me more. His jaw ticks to the side as he takes a deep breath. I narrow my eyes as my grin falters. For my claimed secret admirer, he sure seems to be annoyed with my every move. The complete opposite of what the letters preached. There was no way he wrote them. I just needed to prove it.

“Von Ryan is an alias.” He says through gritted teeth. I roll my eyes. There was no way he was serious.

“Sure it is.” I say coolly. I put the letter back into my bag while I attempt to hold myself back from punching him. If he really was the author, I was going to burn all the letters.

CK grumbles, his face going almost red with anger. “Well I’m sorry if the way I show love isn’t up to your standards, your majesty.”

His seething words nearly make me laugh, the way they drip down with loathing a lover could never muster, causing me to be even more certain he was not the one who wrote the letters. He couldn’t’ve, not with how he was acting. Either that, or this really was how he ‘loved’.

“How do I prove I wrote the letters?” He asks, his voice still tight. I look over at him, thinking it over. I wasn’t sure anything could make me believe him.

“Why did you start writing the letters?” I ask. If he answered enough of the questions mostly correctly, I’d be less inclined to not believe him. His face softens a bit and he shifts his weight, writing down the last equation on the paper.

“Because you’re everything I want.”

I roll my eyes. I wasn’t sure what I wanted him to answer, but hearing something so simple, so… easy. It wasn’t convincing. I glance him over, scowling. I doubted I would ever be convinced. “Sure lover boy. When did you send the first letter?”

He crosses his eyes for a second, seemingly thinking. He counts on his hand, his face scrunched up in concentration. “You’ve gotten around twenty, and I’ve given them every school day except the days you were gone, so around… three weeks ago?”

I nod, taking it. I had no idea when they started either way, so I couldn’t confirm or deny this. I chew on my cheek, trying to think of more questions. I hear CK huff, his cheeks puffing out in frustration. I couldn’t help but think he looked like a frog. A really, really, angry frog.

“What if I take you on a date tomorrow night? Somewhere nice? I’ll try to redeem myself and you’ll see I’m not so bad.”

I tilt my head, considering it. I really didn’t want to ever spend time with him again, but dates usually involved food or fun activities… No. I refuse to fall for his tricks, let alone him. The writer of the letters was passionate, if not a bit crazy from most recent letters. I eye him up. He could fall in line with crazy, but passionate didn’t seem his style.

His eye twitches at my contemplation, a large hand running over his face. “I’ll buy you dinner.”

He waits another second for me to answer before he groans. “And dessert.”

“Deal.”

I grin, shouldering my bag as the bell rings. Even if he was a stuck up jerk, I could deal with dinner. It would be easy enough to leave if I needed to. I push past the other kids leaving, heading towards my locker. I still needed to tell Irma I wasn’t going home with her. Worry rolls in my stomach and I grimace at the thought. She would let me, of course, but I still felt bad. It’s not like I could tell her where I was going. I chew on my cheek, reshouldering my backpack out of habit. I guess I should also tell her about CK. Maybe she could talk me out of the date or knock some sense into me.

I look up at the decal on the wall, the murals of past students who walked through these halls. The bright colors were stark in contrast with the gray wall, rainbows and patterns walking with me until the wall ends and I turn the corner. My eyes automatically land on Irma, her hair bunched up in a loose bun as she leans against my locker. Due to a spontaneous basketball meeting, she wasn’t able to see the letter this morning. It was also the perfect excuse for how I got my phone back. She wasn’t with me this morning, so she couldn’t confirm or deny how I got it. I just hoped she wouldn’t poke too many holes in my story.

I walk up next to her, nodding in thanks as she shifts away from my locker. I grab needed books and homework, depositing them in my bag while taking the letter and flower out to hand to Irma. Her eyebrows raise in surprise as she grins, knocking her shoulder against my own.

“Lover boy struck again, huh?”

I shrug, unsure when to tell her about the contents. This letter was more concerning than sweet, and now that CK was claiming to be the author, everything was even more complicated. I lean against my now closed locker, letting her read the note in peace. I could tell her of our learned information after.

As Irma reads the letter, her eyebrows furrow and a frown sets on her usually grinning face. I twirl the red rose that came with the letter in my hand, the smooth stalk having been stripped of its thorns. Irma carefully folds the letter and puts it back into the envelope, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“I know I spoke out in defense of letter guy, but he’s really making me regret that decision.”

“You notice it too?” I ask, grinning slightly out of relief. At least I wasn’t just being paranoid this time.

“Notice it? (Y/n), it’s practically jumping out at us. He’s not exactly being subtle. “You’re my one and only, and I would do anything to have you. You wouldn’t survive without me.” Yeah, that’s something you’d hear in a horror movie, not a love letter.” Irma runs her hand down her face, groaning. “I’m sorry they’re getting worse. I was hoping you’d have this to cheer you up. If the next ones are… Unpleasant, like this one is, I think we should tell the principal so they can find the writer.”

“I know who wrote them. Err, I know someone who claims they wrote them.” I put stress on the word ‘claims’, grimacing as I think back to our earlier interaction. Irma looks at me, her brown eyes muddled with confusion. She purses her lips, thinking of what to say, but I speak first.

“His name’s CK, no idea of a last name. He’s in my Physics class.”

Irma nods, sighing. “Okay, well we got that figured out then. What do you want to do about it? Report him? Let it keep going? Ignore him?”

I laugh nervously. “How about going on the date he asked me on?”

Irma stares at me and I shrink back, twirling the flower faster in my hands. She sighs, leaning her weight against the locker and letting her head hit the side. “That’s definitely an option, I guess. Do you like him?”

I snort. “No. He’s detestable.”

“Then you agreed to a date, why exactly?”

“He said he’d pay.”

Irma groans, taking me by the shoulders and shaking me. “(Y/n), food should not be a good bribe. I will buy you dinner if that’s what you want.”

“Yeah but I want to waste his money, not yours.”

Irma sighs, her hands tightening around my shoulder for a moment before loosening. “Just… be careful, okay? He’s probably just playing up the dramatics of the letters, but I’ll get my dad to let you borrow his phone tomorrow in case something goes wrong.”

“Oh, about that,” I say, fiddling in my pocket. I pull out my phone, perfectly pristine and fixed by Donnie. I smile nervously at Irma, watching her face carefully. “I got it back today.”

“What? When, how?”

“They dropped it off at the front of the school right after you left for basketball practice. They couldn’t hang around long either way, they had to run off to college.”

“You never mentioned they were a college student.”

“Never came up.”

Irma lets out an exasperated breath, pressing her forehead against mine. “You are insufferable. Now c’mon, my dad’s waiting for us.”

I suck in a sharp breath, my hands clenching at my sides. I try to force a smile on my face, hoping Irma wouldn’t be upset. Realistically I knew she wouldn’t, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling off. “About that… A friend invited me over for dinner. I’m not sure when I’ll get back, so I’ll stay in my apartment tonight. Tell Tony I say hi though.”

Irma chews on her cheek. “Oh. Well, you have your phone now, so… Just, call me or Tony if anything happens. And you know you can still stay with us, right?”

I nod, sighing. “I know, I just… If I get back later than 9 I’m going to go to my apartment. The police cleared it a long time ago, so I might as well start getting used to it. I promise I’ll be safe.”

Irma nods, her face pinched in worry. “That’s all I can ask for.”

Irma pulls me into a tight hug before walking to the front of the school as I duck towards the back. I pull out my phone, skimming over the instructions Mikey had sent me. I was supposed to meet Donnie outside a restaurant a couple blocks from the school so he could show me where the lair was. I shoot a text to Donnie, letting him know I am on my way. I navigate the halls, ducking between straggling students until I reach the side door that would give me the straightest path to Donnie.

The door swings shut behind me as I move across the faculty parking lot in the back of the school. I could sense someone watching me as I walked, shadows in the corner of my eye darting between buildings and over rooftops. I couldn’t help but feel a bite of disappointment as my anxiety grew. I had an idea of who wrote the letters, my apartment has been cleared for weeks, and I haven’t had anything major happen in a while. I was really hoping these stupid hallucinations would die down. A bitter feeling mixed with the pain in my chest from my growing paranoia, turning into an ugly concoction of frustration. I try to keep my face schooled into a smile, not wanting to be grumpy when I get to Donatello. The last thing I want to be is a downer.

When I make it to the meeting point, I look around for Donnie. I huff when I don’t see him immediately. Despite being an anthropomorphic turtle, he was really hard to spot. I turn to face the shadows to the alley when I notice slight movement just inside my peripheral vision, hoping to spot my guide. Once I can make out Donnie’s figure in the dark, I smile at him as he motions for me to follow him. He starts to slink back into the shadows and I follow, swallowing the lump sitting in my throat. Being led through an alleyway was not what I was expecting when he said he’d show me the way.

Donnie continued to lead me down the alleyway, my nerves climbing up higher and higher, goosebumps starting to pop up along my arms and legs. My poor decision making skills were starting to dawn on me. I barely knew this guy and I was willingly following him into a creepy alleyway, and no one knew where I was. Just how stupid am I? I exhale slowly, adjusting my bag on my shoulders so I could wipe my now clammy hands on my pants. Donnie just kept walking ahead of me, seeming to not be too worried about whether or not I was following behind. He stops at the end of the alleyway and I look around confused. There weren’t any entrances or openings back here.

“Glad you could make it. Are you ready to go?” Donnie asks as he lifts up a manhole cover I didn’t notice before. I stare at him, wondering if he's joking. I nearly gag at the smell that wafts up, trying to hold my stomach down. He doesn’t actually expect me to go in there, right?

“Go where?” I ask, praying this was all a big joke. There was no way he wanted me to go in a sewer. That’s repulsive at best. I grimace at the thought, taking a small step back.

“To the lair, dum dum.” Donnie moves the cover fully off of the maintenance hole, gesturing towards the opening as he waits for me to climb inside. I open and close my mouth a bit, trying to find the words.

“Donnie,” I say gently, as if he wasn’t aware. “That’s an opening to the sewers.”

“Scoff.” Donnie says, irritated at my comment while I cover my mouth with my hands. I really didn’t mean to say that. “Where did you think we’d live? A mansion?”

“Sorry, just wasn’t really expecting the sewers I guess. I didn’t mean to offend you.” Donnie looks at me for a moment before gesturing towards the hole.

“In.”

I hesitate for a moment before slumping in defeat, grabbing hold of the ladder and climbing down into the dark sewers.

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sunwarmed-ash · 16 days

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WIP Thursday/[Sinful Sunday post??]

hey so im gonna be taking time off writing for another job all next week so I'm posting this so you have something to read. DONT WORRY Sinful Sunday will continue, I'll just be busy this sunday and next making that capitalist coin!

This may turn into a fic, it may not. I wrote it right after I finished QAF for the 36th time.

Tags: Angsty steddiegrove, sex work, HIV+ character, violence

"Where do you go at night?"

Steve and Eddie are lying on Steve’s bed smoking weed when Steve asks the question that will inevitably change the course of their relationship, their future, forever.

"What," Eddie asks, trying and failing for aloof. He thought he had been so careful.

“You sneak out, every night. Where do you go, when you leave?"

Lying is the only probable next course of action. If he wants to keep Steve in his life that is. The truth will sever everything they once had.

“Dealing doesn’t exactly fit a normal 9-5," Eddie says. It’s a half-lie.

"You were selling drugs in Lafayette at 3 in the morning? Do you think I’m stupid," Steve snaps.

Eddie’s entire body flashes hot with the amount of detail in that accusation.

"What? No! Wait, how did you- hang on, have you been spying on me?"

"Answer the question Eddie!"

Eddie feels cornered, and that’s never a good place for him to be. Because when he feels trapped, he lies, and he can’t stop. He will say anything to cover his ass, even if its just to survive to see another minute.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you..."

Steve scoffs at Eddie’s attempt at self ownership.

"Why can’t you tell me, Eddie? I mean, after everything we’ve been through!”

Eddie bites into his tongue. He wishes it was that easy. God, does he wish it could be that simple...

“i can't, not with everything baby. I'm sorry.”

“Why not?” Steve demands and now he’s angry. His eyes are lined with tears and Eddie can feel the beginning of the end coming like an approaching storm.

“Because you won't love me anymore.”

It’s the truth. And Eddie hates to even hear the words out loud. Because its gonna hurt so bad to hear it twice. From Steve’s lips. The soundbite will live with him for eternity.

“Isn't that for me to decide,” Steve objects.

“You've already decided.”

Eddie remembers the shit Harrington pulled on Wheeler when she hurt his frail male ego by just existing in the same space as another man. He remembers the hateful way Steve spits the word ‘whore’ because he associates it with his father and all of his sins. It’s how everyone says the word. Like its poison in their mouth.

Slut. Hooker. Whore. But that's what Eddie is. Until he can find something that pays better. Because he has to eat. He and Wayne won’t survive an Indiana winter without heat. And after Eddie was banished and then half-heartedly rewelcome into a unstable healing community, no one in Hawkins treats him the same. Weed sales have dried up. No one wants to hire him for any job. Not even the mechanic shop down the street that is desperately understaffed and Eddie is overqualified for. So what the hell else is he supposed to do? Wayne just turned 68. He shouldn’t need to work 12 hour shifts just to barely support the kid he didn't ask for in the first place. Eddie never should have been his burden. So this is Eddie’s way of giving back. Pulling his own weight so he didn't feel so much like a goddamn freeloader all the time. But could Steve understand that? Steve wasn’t stupid, but he also wasn’t, lets say as morally flexible as some other people.

"I can't- do this Eddie... If you’re going to lie to me." Steve says and one look into his eyes and Eddie feels what's left of the tie between them sever.

"I'm not lying," He insists but its a half truth at best.

"You're not telling me everything, that counts," Steve all but shouts.

"You don't tell me everything."

He referring to whatever the hell went on between Hargrove and him two years ago. Eddie and Steve arent the only people different after an apocalypse. Their previous heated rivalry has all but burned out. So has Hargroves own personal brand of anger. They move around each other like chess pieces, always conscious of the others movement to limit interactions at school. But after school? Eddie’s seen Billy’s camero parked at Harrington’s more than it's parked in the trailer park.

"That's different Eddie,” Steve huffs, scoffs as he pushes his hair back. “and you know it."

"How, how is it different Steve?" Eddie’s never brought it up before tonight. Eddie’s never been one for exclusivity, why the hell should he expect Steve to be?

"It doesn't involve you, or us. This does."

"Right,” Eddie scoffs, “Well, for argument's sake, it is safer for you not to know. For both of us."

Steve is silent for three beats too long.

Here it comes.

Eddie can’t look at him. His face goes numb before the words can hit his ears.

"Then you have my answer Eddie.”

It still hits him like a slap in the face. Steve’s done with him. And it hurts so much more than he anticipated it would.

Eddie knew it was only a matter of time. He knew what Steve wanted in the end, and it was still someone more like Wheeler. A sweetheart. A family. Nothing Eddie can guarantee. Eddie doesn’t have much to say in his defense. So he doesn’t.

"I'm sorry Eddie,” Steve, obviously uncomfortable in the silence, speaks again. “This is just, too much for me right now.”

"Okay,” comes out of Eddie’s numb mouth, even if it's the complete opposite.

Eddie knew a clean break now would eventually be better than enduring their relationship fizzling out slowly. But it doesn't mean the inevitable failure of one more relationship doesn't hurt.

-two months later-

“Munson?”

Eddie blinks, of all the people to find him, here, he didn't think it would be Californian transplant, and fellow trailer trash bad boy Billy Hargrove from Hawkins. He just wants to disappear into the pavement.

Eddie’s feet move to sprint, but Billy’s lighting reflexes catch him before he can.

“Where the hell are you going now, Eddie?”

Eddie rips away from him. He hates the way his name sounds out loud. He hadn’t felt like ‘Eddie’ in weeks. He’s barely felt like anything. More like Nothing and no one. A nameless face in a sea of sex workers, businessmen, and bar patrons that he cycled through every day.

“It’s none of your damn business,” Eddie spits, though it doesn't have much venom. He doesn't have the energy. He's sick, he’s cold, and he’s so fucking tired. He still has two more clients he can’t blow off tonight if he wants to have a prayer at ever getting unburied under his last hospital bill. Billy Hargrove and Hawkins and all that past shit is his lowest priority.

“People are worried man,” Billy says, stopping Eddie from taking more than a step away. “Wayne especially. Don't you give a shit about him?”

Now Eddie is pissed, because who the fuck did Billy Hargrove think he was, telling him about what he should do? Talking to him about Wayne. As if he understood a goddamn thing about their lives! His anger flairs up his cough that only aggravates the pneumonia-scarred tissue and then Eddie’s coughing so hard it nearly knocks him over.

When Billy moves close to ‘help’ Eddie slaps him off.

“Everything I’m doing is for him! You don’t fucking know shit, Billy! How could you, you're just a kid!”

And while Billy was 17 and Eddie was 6 months into his 23rd lap around the earth, he felt so much older. His tragic sequence of life events had aged him decades. He’d be lucky to make it to 24 at this rate.

Billy watches him curiously, putting together pieces Eddie doesnt mean him to.

“Why did you take off Eddie?”

“Why do you care?” Eddie doesn’t really think it's concern he sees in Billy's features.

“Wayne doesn't have anyone else. You scared the shit out of him when you left.”

“Oh and what, you two are bffs now,” Eddie asks bitterly.

Billy shrugged.

“We've been spending a lot of time together, yeah.”

Eddie scoffs wetly. Fantastic. Now even Wayne has his own Eddie replacement. A better, nicer son. If Wayne didn’t need him anymore, well, he didn’t have any more ties back to Hawkins. He should be relieved, but instead he just feels empty. Forgotten. Unwanted. Billy had said people missed him, but the only name he offered up was Wayne’s.

Eddie sniffs up the tears threatening to spill and reaches into his jacket. He takes out the seven hundred dollars and change he’s managed to squirrel away after his last AZT prescription refill and holds it out to Billy.

“What is this?” Billy looks at the wad like its poisoned, and well, he's not entirely wrong, it's certainly dirty money. But its still green. And that’s all the world runs on. And speaking of money, the man he was currently scheduled to suck off is honking at him from across the parking lot, eyeing Billy with violent intent. Eddie needed to move quick before this escalated.

“I’m not coming back. T-To Hawkins, I mean. I can’t, so I need you to give this to Wayne for me. Can I trust you to get it to him?”

Billy finally takes the money, counts it, and then his jaw drops.

“There’s over seven hundred dollars here Eddie.”

“I know,” Eddie sighs dejectedly. “It should have been more but,” but you got stupid and believed some pretty, coked-up twink instead of following your gut. And now you get to live with the weight of that decision, forever… “It doesn’t matter. Just, please make sure he gets it. It should cover the next few payments on the trailer.”

Billy looks at him for a long time.

“What the hell have you been doing Munson?”

Eddie scoffs before the car horn across the street blares loud, startling him right out of his skin.

“Nothing you want to know about. Just please make sure he gets it, and knows, I’m sorry. For all of it.”

Billy’s eyes lower suspiciously.

“Why does this sound like a goodbye?”

Eddie shrugs.

“Because it has to be.” Eddie can’t feel anything below his neck anymore. The honk is starting up again. He’s really pushing his luck now.

“Eddie, come on,” Hargrove begs and why does it sound like he’s actually pleading? Billy’s never had a nice word to say to him or Steve. And now he’s gone for what, a few weeks, and his enemy wants to become best friends? He doesn’t understand this plotline. He’s ready to get out of it.

“I’m gotta go, Billy. Please, look out for Wayne.”

Eddie leaves the very next minute and sprints across the street, just narrowly avoiding being hit by the semi that blasts his horn.

#like i said i may turn it into something more #its been in my drafts for like a year #steddiegrove #i have a little more written so lmk if you want more ill rb with it #metalsandwich #steddilly #harringroveson #eddie munson angst #steddie #angst #billy hargrove #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #find me on ao3 #sunwarmed ash #i post new stuff every sunday #sinful sunday #links in pinned

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