#Like yes the anxiety is a big part of him but also he's so quick to being such a little shit to people; himself included

[astro-b-o-y-d]

Love rewatching Gravity Falls and remembering that the fanbase also forgets how much of a cunt Dipper can be at times

[dcxdpdabbles]

Freelance Inventor Part 2

Dedicated to @jimmysorsprinkles Thank you for enjoying my random dabbles. I saw that you wanted more Dads, Danny/Bruce, who are unknowingly co-parenting, so here it is! (set during the first prompt through the years of Danny just being a dad whenever he's home)

"I just don't know what to do," Bruce admits, watching Dick stomp about in tiny angry circles, muttering in his native tongue under his breath. He's been out there for about a half hour, doing laps in the yard. Danny knows he deliberately chose to do so under the window leading to Bruce's office.

The kid definitely wanted his guardian to know he was mad at him .

It was the fact Dick was unconsciously hunching his shoulders, curling his fist, and even raising his knee slightly higher than he needed for his stomps that were a nod to Bruce whenever the man was upset.

It seemed like Dick had picked up habits from Bruce during his short time here. If anything, Danny thought it rather cute if it weren't for the fact Dick was so upset.

"What happened?" He asked, standing beside Bruce, overlooking the pre-teen throwing a fit.

Bruce's frown is sharp and hinted with just the edge of uncertainty that anyone who didn't know him well would have dismissed. "He was being reckless in one of our extreme sports, and when I rightfully scolded him for it, he took it as me not trusting him."

Danny tilts his head, considering. It's been over three years since he became acquainted with the Waynes, and in that time- between his travels, his inventing, and his general desire to learn all he could in any way he could- he noticed that Dick was very quick to anger as a defensive mechanism.

This clashed horribly with Bruce's own mechanism- which was shutting down or at least emotionally wise. While Dick sneered and raged against the world, Bruce tried his best to forget he was human and detached himself from the situation.

Which wouldn't be so bad if it didn't feed into Dick's insecurities or Bruce's anxiety when they both reacted to adverse situations.

He has spoken to Jazz about it, and his sister has given him some advice that has helped him smooth things over with the young boy. Empathizing and paraphrasing the boy's issues was a big step in letting him feel heard and his feelings acknowledged.

For Bruce, he treated him like a ghost who had never seen a human. Plenty of ghosts were never human, were born in the ghost zone, or had been there for so long that they had forgotten what humans were like. Danny took time to explain why someone reacted the way they did- at least, why he thought so- and never made Bruce feel less for needing the help.

It was fun, in a way, to see Bruce's eyes lighten up with understanding and get him to talk about his rooted issues, but having to do so on carefully balanced tones and word choice. Phantom had so much practice de-escalating ghosts that it was a walk in the park with Bruce.

"I'll talk to him," Danny promised, leaning over to rest his hand on Bruce's shoulder and not batting an eye when the taller man landed down to rest his forehead on Danny's shoulder.

Where Bruce couldn't say in words, he yelled in his actions. It reminded him a bit of Wulf.

Bruce took a deep breath before nodding. "Thank you."

Danny hummed, reaching up to pet Bruce's hair like he would soothe Wulf, on days the werewolf would twitch too much at the door slamming, and suddenly his friend was mentally back in Walker's prison. "No problem. But, I will also be speaking to you later, and you are going to listen to Dick's side of the story without interrupting at dinner."

"Yes, Danny"

Alfred threw him an approving smile as he marched outside to meet Dick's rage-filled eyes and nervous hand twitching. He could catch the ending bits of whatever rant the boy was muttering.

"You're right. Bruce is an idiot sometimes." He starts grinning as the boy's eyes narrow further.

"You don't speak Romani."

"I may not understand what you're saying, but trust me, I feel it." Danny chirps, watching Dick's shoulder relax a little. " What did he do this time?"

"You won't even believe it!" Dick snaps, and then he's off, Danny keeping pace with him step by step as the boy works himself into another frenzy.

Later that night, Dick explained that he hated how Bruce made him feel so belittled and unimportant, his voice tight with a itch to fight, and Bruce carefully- with significant prompting from Danny- explained how he didn't mean it that way. He was only worried that he was about to watch Dick die in front of him, and he couldn't live through losing his family again.

Dick looked shocked to be considered family, and Danny swore he helped the boy sneak into Bruce's office, which so happened to have the adoption papers Bruce was hiding. Alfred gave him a large sample of pudding for dessert.

______________________________________________

"Hey, kid," Danny whispered, watching Jason tense up momentarily. It's not overly noticeable, but Danny has grown used to seeing little ghost blobs show emotions by how they twisted and twirled over the years, so he could tell what the slight tightening of the fingers around the book meant.

Anxious.

It would be understandable if Jason had been present for another one of Dick's and Bruce's explosive arguments. He came from a household that had an older male figure beat him whenever Willis got in a mood, so while he knew that Bruce or Dick would never hit him, Jason still tried to make himself scarce.

Jazz was the one to point out Jason's usage of escapism in the form of books to comfort himself, and so Danny took whatever time he could manage to read the same books as Jason while on his travels.

"What?" The boy grunted, voice soft but weary.

Danny sits across from him, making sure to stay in Jason's eyesight at all times. He had realized in only his second visit after meeting Jason that the boy did not like having someone too close in his space.

He grew up on the streets where being weary of older men kept him alive- Danny would never fault him for what he had to do to survive.

Unlike Dick, who was always down to talk about why he was upset if only to rant, Jason preferred to have a distraction. So he offers him a smile that he hopes projects You're safe with me and pulls out a book from his bag.

Jason's eyes light up at the cover. "I had some theories on Mr. Darcy being in love with Mr.Bingley before he met Elizabeth, and Bruce won't agree with me. Help me find citations as proof?"

"It's so obvious that he was, how can the old man not see that!" Jason snorts, tilting his head in a cute habit that he picked up from Dick. He really looks up to his big brother no matter how tense things can get.

Danny is glad he's gotten Dick to explain to Jason that he didn't hate him, but he was going through a lot, and Jason as a street kid, understood on some level.

"The old just hate listening to other people's suggestions even when we're right!." Jason leans over to read the book Danny places between them, considering Jane Austin's work while Danny files away the real reason he's upset with Bruce.

Later, after Jason and he present a bemused Bruce with a report on why Mr.Darcy is bi and had feelings for his best friend before meeting his wife, he tells Bruce to explain why he didn't consider Jason's suggestion in their extreme sport.

Jason goes to bed that night with a better answer than "because I said so," and Danny forces Bruce to go up to his room and re-read Pride and Prejudice to connect with his youngest.

Alfred offers them extra blankets and pillows since the two get so caught up reading to each other that Danny just decides sleeping in Bruce's bed is easier than walking down two wings to the guest rooms.

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

"I'm not going to bed," Tim snapped when Danny knocked on his door. His fingers are flying over the keyboard of his computer, his little face glowing from the computer screen, and Danny is almost reminded of himself whenever he gets caught up in his work.

It may worry Bruce and Alfred, but Danny is a Fenton. He knows what it's like to have his brain run over time and sacrifice sleep or meals to get his ideas into the world.

His mother is the same, his father is the same, his sister is the same, and even Danny's clone is the same. It's fitting that the little boy he caught following Batmam around with a camera is the same since he all but forced Bruce to adopt him.

He hadn't meant to.

He had been testing an air purifier when he returned to Gotham since Bruce and the kids were out of state, and his ghost hearing picked up the sound of a camera click.

Imagine his surprise that when he turned to the roof opposite him, he found the tiny little face of an eleven-year-old staring back, holding a camera, and Batman swinging away in the distance. Danny became attached to Tim that night, even after he chased the boy down to ask if he was safe.

He did not like the implications of his parents always "working" while Tim ran amok in Gotham.

It took almost two weeks of following Tim around Gotham to help him with his photos before the boy allowed him to take him to Wayne Manor. It took three more before Bruce realized that Danny wouldn't allow Tim's parents to win him back, and together, they took the Drakes to court.

Danny has never been more grateful that Bruce was loaded with money and that his inventions gained him contacts in high places that wouldn't mind taking the Drakes down.

Tim was a lot like Bruce- where he shut down- but he needed people to be around him more. Sometimes just sitting in the same room- where Tim could glance up and see him- was enough for the boy to be at ease.

This was great for Bruce, who thought he didn't need to do much to make Tim happy- until Danny reminded him that Tim was a poor boy who was gutted for any form of parental approval.

He had to almost punch Bruce after overhearing him tell Tim he was proud of him, but there was room for improvement. Bruce meant it as helpful, constructive criticism, but Tim- whose parents all but drilled how useless he was- only heard criticism.

Only heard, he was not enough.

So now Tim was going, who knew how many hours without sleep, trying to fix whatever issue he thought he had caused. How a fourteen-year-old could have caused issues at his adoptive dad's multimillion-dollar company was beyond Danny, but it meant a lot to Tim, so he didn't need to understand it.

He just needed to respect it.

"Don't want you to," Danny grunts, throwing himself on Tim's queen-sized bed. "I just wanted to know if I could crash here. Bruce pissed me off."

Tim's fingers pause. "What did he do?"

"He tried to tell me how to handle my inventions' payment. I'm a freelancer! I know how to do that." Danny complains while twisting under the covers. Tim slowly turns around to look at him, but he acts like he doesn't notice. "I know he'll try to talk to me in the guest rooms, but he won't find me here. I just don't want to listen to another "I can do it better" lecture."

After a moment's pause, Tim admits. "He did the same to me and my team."

He means Cassie, Bart, and Conner. The little team of photography buddies Bruce introduced Tim back when they started homeschooling him. Dani suggested pulling Tim out of school is one of the best advice his clone ever gave him.

Tim took the pictures, Cassie and Conner modeled, and Bart made the clothes. Their work was slowly gaining traction online, and Tim seemed to glow whenever the Team was mentioned.

"Course he did." Danny sigh. He leans back into the pillow. "Know why he did it, too. Bruce doesn't want me to be taken advantage of, but it's hard not to hear him think I can't keep up, especially when my family is doing the same thing."

"Yeah," Tim's voice is soft. "It's frustrating that all your hard work is overshadowed or that everything you've done so far doesn't prove that you know you can."

Bingo. Danny discovered Tim's issue; now he just needs to bring it home.

"I know I'm great at what I do. You said so yourself- my past proves I am crazy good at work. I leave other people breathless in awe all the time. I can adapt and overcome so much faster than others. Bruce can see that, but he forgets to praise it." Danny huffs like he's trying not to be forgiving, and it causes a smile to unwillingly appear on Tim's face.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow but today I'm being petty and hiding. Thanks for letting me sleep here"

"You're welcome, Danny." Tim goes back to his typing, but only after a minute or two of Danny asking if he can turn off the light does the boy save his work and shut his computer down.

The room is plunged into darkness but Danny doesn't need the light to see how Tim sinks into his mattress. Tim is smart- crazy smart that every part of him that's Fenton crows with pride- and he can easily see through Danny.

"Thank you Danny" He doesn't say what for but he doesn't need to.

Danny reaches over, grabs the blankets, and makes sure they cover the small shoulder, tucking Tim in properly. "Any time kid"

The next morning, Bruce wakes them up with a powerpoint of all the things he thought were impressive about Tim and his team's last photo session. A powerpoint for Pete's sake.

But it makes Tim smile so much that Danny lets it slide. At least he listened when Danny chewed him out for forgetting to praise Tim.

Alfred offers Danny some of his private tea jars, which according to Dick, means Danny is in for life as Tim, Jason, and Bruce go over the PowerPoint again. Jason has begone to heal for his bitch of a mother's betrayal a few months ago.

Thankfully, Danny was in the area when he called and reminded the lady why she should not mess with Bruce's kids. Dani paying her a visit in her jail cell was just the Fentons' sending their regards.

(His dad gave Dani the ani-creep stick, and his mom hacked the cameras to loop. Jazz just watched hours of her to realize what made the woman scream and cry before sending the clone on her way. It was a good family bonding moment)

No one believed the woman claiming to be haunted that her son was Robin. Honestly, where on earth she got that idea Danny would never know.

His Jason, the sweet school-loving boy who graduated as valedictorian, running around punching criminals? Honestly, what was she going to claim next?

Bruce being Batman?!

Please.

[hees-mine]

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 - 𝐥.𝐡𝐬

Pairing: heeseung ⚥ reader

Synopsis: After just spending a few days away from you, heeseung knows he can’t go much longer without needing to be with you every single waking moment of his life. He knows your relationship is considered wrong, but no one had to know, and he knew the perfect way to have you all to himself without any interferences.

Warnings: smut, unprotected sex, stepbrother, stepcest, cursing, dirty talk, fluff.

If you're uncomfortable with step relationships, this is not for you, so please kindly click off. Also they are both consenting adults. This is a work of fiction.

Genre: 18+, smut, taboo relationship, minors do not interact!

WC: 2,934k

PART ONE PART TWO PART THREE PART FOUR PART FIVE PART SIX PART SEVEN

Heeseung woke up early in the morning to leave your room, but when he saw you sleeping so peacefully, he couldn’t find it in him to leave your bed.

He smiled at you, stroking some hairs away from your face so he could see your beautiful face while you slept soundly. He traced his thumb over your cheek softly. “My princess,” he whispers and kisses your forehead lovingly.

His feelings for you were growing more and more by the day. There was only so much longer he could sneak around with you. He needed to be with you every second of the day, not just at night before bed.

He thinks of ways that he could have you all to himself, and an idea pops into his head what if you two just moved together? It’s not like you both weren’t old enough. What if he just used all his savings and got a little place for just the two of you? That way, you’d never have to sneak around ever again, and you could have playtime when and wherever.

Just the idea makes him excited, and he places little kisses all over your face to wake you up and tell you about his genius idea. “Morning bubs,” you whisper and slowly open your eyes, giggling softly when you feel him pressing soft kisses all over your neck and chest.

“Morning, sissy,” he hums against your neck and wraps his arms around you, pulling you closer to his naked chest. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, Bubba.” he smiles at your barely awake state and boops your precious nose.

“Princess, I was thinking of something,” he says after a minute or two. “And you can say no,” he gulps nervously before telling you about his idea.

“Hmm? What is it, big Bubba?” You stroke his chest softly and place a tiny kiss on his jawline, making him feel less nervous. His eyes flutter closed before he meets your worried gaze.

“I just…. I was thinking, what if we moved?” he pauses for a quick second before speaking again. “Like just the two of us, and that way, we can be together all the time.” he tucks your loose hair behind your ear, a feeling of anxiety bubbling in his stomach at the thought of you saying no to him.

“But Bubba, we’re together most of the time,” you say to him, completely confused about his sudden request.

He sighs and props himself up on his elbow, taking your small hand in his and holding it to his mouth to kiss it gently. “I know, but I mean all the time. If we move, we can play all the time, not just at night.” he strokes the back of your hand softly.

Your eyes gleam at the thought, and you already feel excited about spending even more time with him. “But why can’t we do it here?”

You’re so cute, he thinks to himself while he smiles softly. “Because princess, some people won’t approve of our relationship, our parents especially, so we can’t do it here 'cause it’s best if they don’t know about it,” he explains calmly.

“But Bubba, why?” He cups your cheek in his palm.

“Cause some may say we’re too close just to be siblings.” you nod your head, understanding what he’s saying sort of.

“But we’re not really siblings,” you say, slowly tilting your head to the side.

“I know,” he whispers. “But things are a little different for others, so that’s why I think it’s best for us to keep it a secret and just move on our own.”

“Okay! Bubba,” he feels his heart melt, a never-ending smile finding his lips as you engulf him in a hug like he’s your big teddy bear. “But we can still visit, right?”

“Of course!”

-

“Are you sure you’re ready for this son? You’re both so young.” you were all currently in the living room talking things over. heeseung had proposed the idea to your parents after talking things over with you.

“Hmm,” he nods. “I think it’ll be good, sissy thinks so, too” he smiles at you softly, and you nearly get lost in his dreamy eyes.

“He’s right. They aren’t exactly babies anymore, honey,” your mom says, seemingly approving of the idea. “Plus, she has her big brother. They’re like two peas in a pod. We have nothing to worry about,” she nudges her husband discreetly and whispers. “Plus, we can have more alone time.”

“Oh,” he smiles softly at her, taking her hand in his. “Dear, I suppose you’re right.” at the end of it all, you come to an agreement with the promise of that if anything happens, you’ll both move back in with your parents and of course, heeseung agrees even though he didn’t see anything wrong ever happening how could it when he finally had his princess all to himself?

-

It’s been a while since your guys talk, and today was officially moving day.

“Gonna be just you and me, princess.” heeseung lifted you up off your feet, spinning you around as you squealed in excitement. “Are you excited?” He smiles brightly at you.

“Yes, Bubba,” you say happily as you kick your feet in the air.

“Me too.” he quickly pecks your lips before setting you down so you can both finish packing.

When everything was concluded, your parents helped you both with your bags. “Call us when you arrive,” your mom says.

“I will!” You reply with a smile.

“And drive safe.” now it’s your dad's turn to chime in.

“I will, I promise.” heeseung smiles and puts a protective arm around you, making you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

“Come over on the holidays.”

“And call us every day.”

“Be good to each other.”

You both just chuckled at your parent's endless worrying before leaving the house and driving to the new place.

Finally, heeseung thinks as he holds your hand all the way there.

Now it was gonna be just you and him all the time, no distraction, no interruption, just the two of you alone sharing your endless love for each other without having to worry about any judgment from the outside world.

When you arrive, heeseung does all the unpacking so his princess doesn’t have to do any of the work, of course.

Box after box, and hours later, he was finally done setting everything up.

When he finished, you both ordered out, too exhausted from moving to cook. As you both ate dinner, you talked and went on and on about all the things you both wanted to do together in the new apartment, and you could easily see this becoming a daily routine for you as long as Big Bubba was with you you didn’t have a worry in the world.

After dinner, you cuddled on the couch that your parents had the movers bring in, and before you knew it, it was already midnight, and heeseung thinks time really does fly when you’re having fun. “Wanna get ready for bed?” Heeseung whispers softly, stroking your shoulder while back-hugging you on the sofa.

You hum in agreement, the both of you getting up and walking to the bedroom to call it a night for the first time at the new apartment.

As heeseung was collecting yours and his clothes, you stood there playing with your fingers near the corner of your room. “Something wrong, princess,” heeseung asks you, and you just shake your head back and forth.

He looks at you worriedly, thinking maybe you were having second thoughts about moving in with him, that is, until he sees you discreetly rubbing your legs together, and then it clicked with him he knew exactly what you wanted, and he can’t say he wasn’t waiting for this moment himself.

“Wanna play with big bubs” you mutter shyly.

“Princess, now that we’re all alone, you can call me whatever you like,” he encircles your waist, hugging you close to his body. “And from now on, whenever you’re feeling like this, just tell me you wanna have sex, okay?”

“Sex?” You tilt your head slightly. He always found you adorable when you did that.

“Yep,” he nods his head, and he kinda wants to scold his parents for keeping you so sheltered. You were far too innocent for your own good. That’s the only reason he started calling you sissy and having you call him Bubba in the first place because those were the only endearing names that your parents wouldn’t find suspicious, not to mention he couldn’t tell you it was called sex cause if that ever got out he’s sure his parents would have beat him black and blue if they knew he was having sex with their daughter and his “sister.”

“Okay,” you whisper and put your hands on his chest while he smiles down at you.

“So princess, what’s it gonna be?” He touches your forehead with his eager to hear what you want his new nickname to be.

“B-baby,” you stutter shyly. You always wanted to call him that when you heard your friends call their boyfriends like that, but you were far too embarrassed to tell him.

“You’re so cute.” he nudges his nose with yours, giving you a kiss on the cheek, which makes you duck your head down in his chest and hide from him. “Lay down on our bed, princess,” he tells you softly, heart thumping in his chest as he looks at you. You’re so beautiful, and you’re all just his, no one else’s.

His stare makes you feel shy, and even though it’s embarrassing for you to make eye contact with him, you just can’t pull your eyes away from his.

He slowly lifts his shirt up, pulling it over his head and tossing it on the ground. “Baby,” you say breathlessly as you watch him getting undressed.

He tries to play it cool when he hears you call him that for the first time in bed, but he can’t help the wide smile that covers his entire face as he rids himself of his jeans. “Call me that again,” he laughs while hovering above you on the bed, smiling at your flustered face.

“Baby,” you mutter, and he feels like he’s gonna have a heart attack.

Pecking your lips, he grins and leans back to grab the hem of your shirt and lift it over your head, revealing your bra-clad chest. “You’re so beautiful,” he says, and you can hear the love oozing in his voice.

“Thank you,” he bites on his lip, lowering his hands to your shorts and underwear, slipping them off your delicate frame.

“Of course, my princess” his eyebrows crease slightly as he gulps from the sight of your sticky cunt loving just how wet you get for him every single time you both make love.

Kicking off your bottoms, you instinctively sit up and unclip your bra, showing him your full breasts and hardened nipples. Once you toss your bra aside, you reach for the waist of his boxers, tugging them down as many times as you’ve done playtime with him. You know what to do next.

A gasp leaves your lips when you reveal his hard leaky cock, and the sight alone makes you whimper. You needed to feel him inside of you as soon as possible.

He leans over you, lowering himself to place a few wet kisses on your chest as he takes his boxers off the rest of the way and discards them on the floor.

He captures your tender lips in a hungry kiss, moaning into your mouth as he feels your hot tongue searing against his he rolls his hips dragging his length along your pussy, whimpering when his tip comes in contact with your entrance.

“Baby,” you breathe into his mouth, utterly breathless from how his mouth feels against yours.

“Mmm, I’m right here.” he guides your legs around his waist and then cups your hands together, holding them beside your head as he continually ruts against your dripping core.

“Want your cock inside” he groans into your mouth, kissing you more feverishly from your request.

He’s hesitant cause he hasn’t even prepped you yet, and though you’re literally dripping all over his dick and the bedsheets, the last thing he wants to end up doing is hurting his princess. “Yeah?” He whispers against your lips softly as you give him the slightest nod. “Okay, princess, gonna go nice and slow.” he kissed your forehead, angling his hips back until his tip was at your hole and very slowly pushing his tip in. “Fuck” he whimpers as soon as he feels you around him.

Mewling at the intrusion, you arch your back involuntarily, which causes him to go even deeper, making you cry out in pleasure. “Mmh baby,” you squeeze his hand's chest, rising and falling with each uneven breath you take as you feel his heart pounding against yours.

“Does it feel good, princess?” He asks as he buries his face in the side of your neck, licking and sucking on every inch that he could reach.

“Yes,” you sigh in pleasure, eyes rolling back in your head. “So big, so warm.” he takes that as his cue to fully penetrate you till he’s sheathed within your heat and every stroke feels better than the last you’re just so warm and wet that it makes his head spin.

“You’re making me feel so good, princess” his words sound like one drawn-out moan, barely coherent as he picks up his pace drilling your sweet spot over and over as his abdomen rubs on your throbbing clit. “Love you so much,” he whines in your ear, panting helplessly as he pumps your pussy till you’re shaking beneath him.

“Ah,” you attempted to respond but moaned instead cause he felt so deep and full inside you. “L-love you too,” he moans at your confession. It’s not like he hasn’t heard you say it before, but right now, it feels so much more intimate and intense than all the previous times.

“Wanna spend the rest of my life with you.” The sounds he made were ones that you’d never even heard before, and it made everything feel so much better. “Fill you up so you can give us a little family.” he’s not sure why the words are coming out of his mouth so easily, but it’s true he wants nothing more than to be with you for the rest of his life. “Want that princess? Want me to cum in you?” Placing a hand between your bodies, he rubs your clit the tight clench you give him makes him choke out a moan, eyes falling shut with the pleasure you give to him and only him.

“Yes baby, cum ins-side me, please” The warm feeling you’d become accustomed to spread throughout your lower body no matter how many times you felt it. It always took your breath away every single time. You just could never get enough of feeling his cock so deep in you.

“Kiss,” he breathes out, brain fuzzy and completely drained of everything but you.

Moaning into your mouth, he matches the pace of his thrusts with the quick circles he draws on your clit, and within no time, you’re both parting from the kiss, unfiltered moans escaping as you both get lost in the pleasure of your orgasms not worrying about how loud you’re both being as your fluids mix with each other.

You squeeze around him so tight that he’s almost forced to empty his balls deep in you as you clench and unclench around his thick cock milking him for all he’s worth and then some as you feel your insides hot and sticky with his cum he whimpers and whines incoherent sentences from how tight you feel your pussy was making him go completely dumb he was drunk off your silky cunt encasing his girth perfectly.

The feeling goes on and on, seemingly never-ending, while you both exchange sloppy wet kisses and for a moment, you feel like you’re going to pass out from the pleasure. Your brows crease together at the hot tingling sensation all over your body, and he feels it too, the warmth expanding in his abdomen as wet, slippery sounds fill up your guys' shared bedroom, followed by loud moans and deep grunts as he fills you up again with his thick seed coming back to back in record time.

Your other hand grips his bicep body, violently shaking as you feel another earth-shattering wave of euphoria enrapture you. “Love you, my princess,” he pants while kissing you, saliva spilling past both your swollen lips as you confessed to each other for the uncountable time tonight.

“I love you too, baby,” you moan softly while he slowly caresses your sensitive bud. He brings you down from your high, gently rolling his hips as his second orgasm turns into faint little throbs until his body finally calms down along with yours.

Once your heartbeats regulate, he pulls away from the kiss first, resting his forehead against yours with an exhausted chuckle, eyes full of nothing but fondness for you.

He cradles your cheek in his palm, and you quickly mimic his actions as he leans into your soft, loving touch.

As you look into his eyes, you can’t help but get lost in them, and you couldn’t wait to spend every waking moment of your life with him.

This was just the beginning of your guy's love story and the end of playtime.

Thanks for reading please reblog and leave feedback.

I’m tearing up 🥲 y’all it’s over this is the end 😞 I’m sad.

[politemenacephd]

Arachnophilia: Part Twelve

Drider!Miguel O'Hara x Reader (+18)

Chapter Masterlist 🕷️

Content: Plot. Plot. Plot. Plot. Confrontation. Plot. Culminations. Confrontations. Lets go. The storm is brewing. (Also fluff at the start).

Notes: There was meant to be more in chap 12 but that gut punch will wait for chap 13, apologies in advance I'll be paying everyones therapy bills I promise. P.s shout out to the person who saw the foreshadowing hehe

‘I feel like it’s gonna storm soon.’

Your idle chit-chat floated through the nest as you lounged on the bed, your eyes fixed on the nearby window. With the shutters open you could see the full expanse of the forest in the distance. The sky was a pale and endless blue, dotted with a single motionless cloud, perfectly highlighting the stillness of the pines below.

‘Hmm?’

Mig looked up from the fire he was tending and glanced towards the same window, his eyes wide and peeled.

He was busy cooking breakfast over a small fire you’d built in the middle of the nest, one with a closable chimney that kept the nest free from smoke. Your shared home now looked like a giant chicken in the woods, a big white oval on two stumpy tree legs slowly puffing smoke into the empty air.

‘Is this your, senses, mi arañita? Because I don’t see a storm.’

‘Yeah, sure. Call it uh- intuition.’

Miguel grunted in response. He tapped his feet, feeling the vibrations, before shrugging and returning to the food. ‘Mm. Fascinating. Well, I trust your judgement, arañita. If you say storm, I will expect a storm.’

‘I feel like it’ll be a big one’ you added with a yawn. ‘Should be interesting out here.’

‘I’ll shutter up the nest, you won’t be harmed in any way’ he said, instinctively trying to soothe your worries.

‘You gonna spin a big tarp to cover the whole thing?’ you teased. He let out a snort of a chuckle.

‘Mm. That’s not necessary, it’s just you that needs protecting. Besides, I don’t think I can produce that much silk.’

‘Oh shh- come on, you wouldn’t let your home get destroyed just to cover me’ you scoffed. Despite your ribbing you were surprised when he turned, as his face was absolutely serious.

‘I can replace my home, arañita, I could not replace you. Your life will always matter more’ he said. He waved his little crude-cut wooden spatula in your direction as if telling you off, and slowly your smile returned.

‘Pff, okay, fine. When you put it like that you sound noble, and not- you know, obsessive.’

‘A man can be both’ he replied, and as he turned you caught just the hint of a teasing smile on his face. You were glad to see it.

‘Mm, sure. A man of many sides.’

You didn’t see it, but his smile drooped just a little. His eyes turned glassy over the burning fire. ‘So, many sides, yes’ he murmured.

‘What was that?’ you called, your body now spread wide over the mattress in a starfish position. Mig shook his head and forced the smile back on.

‘Oh, ah- I was just saying the food is done.’

‘Oh thank GOD, thank you thank you, I thought I would pass away from starvation.’

Mig drew back and carefully crawled across the floor to your side. He used the stool he’d built for you as a table to balance both of your plates. This proved mildly anxiety inducing for you, considering half of the plates seemed to be hanging over the edge, but it somehow held steady.

He took a quick sniff of your forehead as he sank down to join you. It would have been an odd or even off-putting behaviour to you even two weeks ago, but you were used to it now. You knew it was him checking your condition, smelling for your health and hormone balance.

As he sank down and folded his fluffy legs, he looked pleased. ‘You smell good this morning, little spider’ he noted.

‘Like, health wise? Are all my organs functioning nicely?’ you asked while grabbing your plate.

‘Yes, but- no.’

You blinked, clearly slightly taken aback by his response. You had to juggle your plate to avoid the food spilling as it tilted. ‘I’m sorry what? What’s wrong with me, what did you smell?’

‘Oh, no. Nothing is wrong, arañita. I just meant, you smell good. You smell nice. Literally.’

You made a soft ‘oh’ sign with your mouth as your brewing panic burnt out. ‘Oh. Oh! Oh! Aha- well, thank you, Mig, you- smell good too.’

Miguel chuckled to himself again as his abdomen vibrated. ‘I highly doubt that but, thank you anyway.’  

With his body now settled he grabbed his own wooden plate, one that he’d absolutely piled with rare cooked venison. It turns out that carrying such an enormous body required a lot of sustenance. Usually you were happy to just sit and eat with him, comfortable in your domestic silence, but as he clawed up the first piece you abruptly put a finger to his open lips. His eyes rolled to you while his head stayed still, his eyes wide and curious as you rubbed his bared fang.

‘Can I get my morning kiss, before you get all messy?’ you giggled, gently tilting his chin with one hand.

He quickly pushed his plate aside. ‘Oh, yes- of course, arañita.’

You closed your eyes as he leaned in and kissed you firmly on the mouth. You couldn’t help but giggle again as a low, soft moan vibrated from his lips at just the faintest brush of skin, his eagerness oozing out of every little movement he made.

The heat at this point was basically over, but god, he was still insatiable.

He held onto your waist until he’d gotten at last six kisses, his lips moving slowly and tenderly as they enveloped yours, but you were forced to part when his tongue started brushing yours.

‘Mm- Miggy, sweetheart, food’ you panted as you pulled away. ‘If you go any further it’s gonna get cold.’

He met you with that sweet and awkward smile, his lips parted and breathless. ‘Ah- what? Oh, yes. Food. Okay, just— just one more—’

You squeaked as he launched forward and dragged out one more kiss, holding you for as long as he could, before finally letting you go. You had to wipe your lips on the back of your hand as you coyly watched him shuffle back.

‘You big dork’ you mumbled affectionately. If he heard you, he didn’t answer. He began ripping his food apart with his massive canines while you snacked beside him.

It was strange how easily and quickly you’d adjusted to living alongside Mig. Perhaps it being your first time living with someone gave you less to contrast, but whatever it was, you kind of liked his eccentricities.

You were getting used to him waking you up early so he could patrol his territory, where he’d kiss you before letting you go back to sleep. You were getting used to him carrying your sleepy body down to the spring in the morning so you could brush your teeth and wash your face. You were getting used to him preening himself and then preening you, combing your hair with strands of silk, and to his quiet presence around you while you read or checked the news or did chores.

You liked being around someone who could just sit in silence with you and not treat it as strange. You liked being around someone who was so blunt, because when he didn’t complain you knew he was genuinely comfortable around you.

As you finished up your meal you gently nudged him with your foot. ‘Hey, I was thinking. When we’re done with the full fireplace do you want to build anything else?’

Miguel grunted and turned mid-bite, his teeth terrifyingly bared around a red piece of meat. He aggressively tore it aside before speaking, desperate not to speak with any food in his mouth.

‘Ah- well, I had thought about building a second story. A den section, in the ground perhaps. I thought it, might be warmer.’

You hurriedly swallowed your last bite to reply. ‘In the ground? Are you sure? It’d have to be another bedroom right, if its all dark?’

Mig shrugged. ‘Yes. Or a second study. Or, we could, as you said, make it the main bedroom and make this a study. I just want to be sure that you’re comfortable here.’

‘Hey, I’m fine’ you said with a wave of your hand. ‘I’m good, I still don’t want to take over your home like that. I’d want it to be something that benefits you too. But, hmm… Now that I think about it, when the next heat comes, you dragging me down into your dark little nesting hole could be fun, right?’

At just the suggestion you saw his abdomen bristle. He tried to keep a neutral face, but his legs had begun gently tapping with excitement.

‘That… could be, fun’ he said slowly. You giggled at how strained he sounded.

‘Could be lots of fun’ you said, your voice dipping softly. ‘So warm, and safe, away from the outside world.’

He bristled even further, his spine physically arching. He had to bite his lip to keep his resolve. ‘Mm- it is, ideally, where nurseries are made’ he murmured. ‘In a safe burrow, in the ground. It would be… quite, evocative, for me.’

‘Oh my god Mig, you’re so—’

‘Miguel?!’

Your body went still as a voice echoed in from the forest outside. A voice that wasn’t yours, nor his. A voice that was new and yet painfully familiar. As the voice called again you heard the nearby birds flee.

‘MIGUEL? Are you here?’

‘That- that’s Jess’ you whispered. The words squeaked out of your mouth.

Miguel met you with the same look of horror. ‘Why would she want to speak with me?’ he hissed. You violently shook your head.

‘I don’t- I don’t know! I don’t know! Does- do you still talk to the HQ?’

‘No, I—’

‘HEY! Newbie!’

You felt a tightness in your gut that made you sick. It was as if everything suddenly stopped moving, like something had physically punched you in the stomach. ‘She- no, no I never said I was here—’

You scrambled out of bed and across the floor as Mig tried to calm you down.

‘Shit… shit! Why… why is she here?! Oh god did she see you on the call?’

‘Arañita, shh, it’s okay.’

Mig crawled across the floor and drew you back towards his chest with his forelegs. He rocked you like a baby with his claws in your hair, trying his best to show you the same gentle physical care you showed him when he panicked. ‘It’s okay’ he repeated. ‘I will- speak with them.’

‘NEWBIE! I need you to come out!’

Jess’s voice made you physically jolt in his grip. You let out a low whine as your anxiety tripled over. ‘Shit- I, I have to go out, right?’

‘No, no. I won’t let them take you out—’

‘Miggy they could take my watch’ you whimpered. You both simultaneously glanced at your watch on the floor, its screen blank but glowing. Your eyes rolled back to each other, and your arms tightened.

‘They could take my watch and my membership if they think I’m rogue. We have to go out’ you repeated.

Mig swallowed hard, almost gulping, his Adams apple rocking hard in his throat. You could see his mind working overtime from the way his eyes were darting back and forth, back and forth, desperately searching for a way to get out of this.

‘MIGUEL!’

You saw him physically deflate as Jess’s voice sounded for a third time. She was getting closer.

‘Okay’ he murmured. ‘Okay, um- okay. I’ll go out with you though.’

‘Are you sure?’ you whispered. ‘I mean won’t they know—’

‘Mi tesoro, they’re calling for both of us. They know. They knew we’re- together, at least to some capacity.’

You pursed your lips. It was uncomfortable but he was right, as always. They clearly knew.

‘Okay’ you croaked back. ‘Okay, ah- shit. Let’s go.’

You slipped into your new suit and crept your way out of the nest first, with Mig following close behind. You began to follow Jess��s distant cries.

The first steps you took were agony. Each crunching leaf beneath your boots was like a stabbing pain. As strange as it might be to anyone else, the one thing keeping you stable right now was the enormous shadow of Miguel’s spider form as it eclipsed your own.

God, why hadn’t you planned for this? You’d spent so long with this exact nightmare scenario haunting the back of your head, niggling at your conscious mind like a rat, and yet you’d just continued to push it down. Now you were paying for it. You had no idea what to say, what they’d do.

You sucked up a breath as you marched onward. Your feet were dragging at this point, desperate to just stop, but Miguel was at your back and his presence was forcing you to continue.

You had no idea what he was thinking. He seemed so calm on the outside, but his face was stony and drawn. When you glanced up at him you saw nothing, though he did make sure to keep his foreleg on your shoulder so you knew he was with you.

‘MIGUEL!’

Her voice was so much closer now. You’d definitely found her. You sidled up against one of the larger pine trunks and peered around it.

Sure enough, there she was. You could see Jess in her spider suit slowly trekking through the muddy earth, hands held up to her lips so her voice travelled further.

You took in one more deep breath, hard and sharp, and finally stepped out of the trees.

‘Ah- Jess, over here’ you called.

‘Hey, there yo- OH, JESUS CHRIST!’

Jess jumped out of her skin as you appeared alongside Mig, his enormous spider body slowly emerging from the dead brush. She was forced to look at you both from behind her hand, eyeing you up in the same way one would glance at roadkill. You felt your skin prickle at the strange reaction.

‘Sorry- shit, he- Miguel told me what he was but it- my god, that’s freaky’ Jess said, awkwardly stammering the last part to herself.

‘What- what is going on here?’ you asked.

As you emerged you realized with some horror that Jess wasn’t alone. It looked like the entire elite squad had been summoned. You could see Jess at the front with her head in her hands, flanked on either side by Spider Byte and Ben Reilly. They’d even brought Peter B. in the back. None of them looked happy to be here.

‘Look, I- if this is about me and—’

Your attempt to pre-emptively apologize was cut off as one final figure emerged from the back of the group. He parted the spiders like the sea, and with a single swish of his hand he removed his holographic mask.

It was Miguel.

He had a stony expression as he approached. You noticed his eyes scanning Mig before flitting down to you, and there they stayed for an uncomfortably long amount of time. You felt yourself shrinking under his gaze.

Miguel sniffed the air and immediately his cold expression turned violent. You saw the way his nose wrinkled in disgust, his eyes burning the colour of congealed blood. You even saw the flash of a fang.

Shit, you thought, he could smell it. He could smell what you’d done.

‘What- what is this?’ you stammered.

Right as you edged onto the cusp of anxiety you felt Mig pressing in at your back. The brush of his foreleg as it touched your shoulder helped to ground you in the moment, giving you a little piece of your courage back.

‘I- Look I need to ask again, what is going o—’

‘We’re here on code violation’ Miguel blurted.

You scrunched up your face in confusion. ‘Code violation? Look, if this is about me seeing Mig, I know you said not to but it wasn’t technically in the code—’

‘So you’re aware of the fact that you lied?’ Miguel snapped. You jumped at his tone.

‘Ah- I, I know, I—when I said I was sick, I wasn’t trying to lie, I really did need to—’

‘Being in heat is not being sick.’

Your face was burning up. This was mortifying. You could see the other elites glancing at each other, all either trying to discern what he meant or trying to hide the fact that they already knew. You gripped your own hands for support.

‘It- did, impact my ability to work, quite severely. I just didn’t want to discuss that kind of stuff with anyone, it—’

‘Hey, look—that’s fine’ Jess said. She’d put a hand on Miguel’s shoulder to stop him before he interrupted you for a third time, and while she still looked unnerved, she was clearly trying to be nice. ‘We don’t care about that stuff. I promise. You’re totally right that telling us would have been weird, and we don’t need to know why members are gone, we just gotta know that they are gone. You understand?’

‘Yes. Yes, I know, I’m sorry’ you repeated. ‘But- so, that isn’t why you’re here?’

‘No’ Miguel said bluntly. You watched him steady his hands on his hips. ‘We’re here because we do not facilitate or permit any reproduction across universes.’

His voice was unnervingly clear as he spoke, almost monotone. It was obvious that he’d memorised those words. It took you a good ten seconds just to verbalize one thing in response. ‘Wh- what?’ you stammered.

‘I’m sorry, newbie, but—it is a rule now’ Jess added. ‘We don’t know what this could do, if its dangerous, so- we just have a blanket ban.’

‘No, no, but- we’re not— I’m not, reproducing with him’ you exclaimed.

Miguel’s eyes narrowed. He looked exhausted. ‘Lyla, scan them’ he barked. Immediately your hands flew up. ‘NO- No, don’t, scan me—’

As you stumbled back in horror Mig finally stepped forward. Having been silent until now he could no longer stand back, and with his front legs reared he violently spat a line of smoking venom across the dead grass, separating you and him from the elites. They all immediately fell back.

‘Do not step any closer’ he seethed. The spiders all took defensive positions as his eyes transformed, the whites turning red and his pupils dilating. You remained hunched up against the fur of his abdomen.

‘Hey! Woah, woah, hey! Everyone chill!’ Peter cried, his hands raised and outspread as if he was trying to herd back a group of snapping dogs. You kept close to Mig as the other elites struggled to de-escalate.

‘Do we need a light cage?’ Spider Byte whisper-shouted across the group.

‘Nah, I can take him’ Ben drawled. At this point it was you and Peter trying to calm everyone down.

‘He’s not dangerous!’ you cried. ‘Just stand down, you- you came onto his territory without warning—’

‘Territory?’ Jess repeated back.

‘Yes, he- he’s a spider!’ you snapped, your voice finally cracking over the point of annoyance. ‘But he won’t hurt anyone if you just don’t scan my body without consent!’  

The group hesitated for a moment, but the stalemate couldn’t hold forever. When Mig failed to do anything aggressive the group began slowly shifting out of their defensive positions, and when he continued to be still, they dispersed. Mig gave the group a curt nod.

‘Fine. No scan’ Miguel snapped, his jaw tense as his struggled not to hiss. ‘Bring up the lab results then.’

Despite your fears you recoiled at his suggestion and immediately snapped back. ‘Are you serious? You can’t scan me without consent, so you’ll just show my doctors notes without consent?’

At this point even Jess seemed concerned by Miguel’s actions. She was sharing looks with Spider Byte, speaking without words.

‘Miguel, you can’t do that’ Jess hissed.

‘I will do what I have to do if it puts the multi-verse at risk.’

‘But you—’

‘STOP. Enough’ Mig yelled, his monotone bark causing even Miguel to stammer. He glared at the elites one by one as one of his forelegs slipped over your shoulder.

‘We do not need a scan, and you don’t need their records’ he said slowly. ‘Yes, we mated. We have mated multiple times. They are my… partner.’

The words sparked such joy in your heart, and yet everyone else gave equal looks of discomfort or disgust. You saw Jess hang her head in her hand and mutter something you couldn’t hear.

‘Aha, oh boy, uh- well hey, as much as I love a good love story, uh… That’s kind of the problem then’ Peter said as he awkwardly sidled forward. He seemed to be the only one unconcerned with your relationship, as his cheery demeanour was seemingly undampened by your confession. ‘If you two are…. Doing, things, ah—well, birds and bees, you know, that sadly is our jurisdiction now.’

‘What Peter is trying to say is that this puts you at risk of conceiving a child with parents from two different universes, which is exactly why we’re here. We can’t permit that kind of behavior’ Jess added.

‘Wh- but, wait, why? That wasn’t mentioned in my induction’ you argued.

‘It’s not something we considered until, recently’ Jess admitted with another awkward shrug.

Your eyes narrowed, and with a grunt you stiffened your lip. ‘You mean Miguel just suddenly brought it up, right around the time I said I was sick, I assume?’

Jess didn’t look guilty at being called out. To your surprise, she looked confused. Her eyes flitted from you to Miguel as if she hadn’t expected you to guess such a thing.

‘Well, yes, but—’

‘That doesn’t matter. It’s still an issue, and we can’t allow it to continue. We’ll need to enforce a separation’ Miguel said, quickly cutting Jess off before she could reveal the now painfully obvious fact that he’d been looking for excuses to enforce this.

Immediately your stomach fell. Regardless of Miguel’s intentions, he was the society leader. He had control over everyone’s multi-verse watches. He could impose whatever he wanted, so long as he could justify it for the greater good.

He could take you away.

‘No! No, no, wait, we um- I’m on birth control’ you blurted.

The elites all glanced at each other. You saw, for a moment, panic in Miguel’s eyes. His plan hadn’t accounted for that.

‘You can- fuck, I can prove it. Jess, I give you consent to view my medical files. You’ll see it there, I had a scan done after the first- well, first few times we had sex, I was not pregnant, and- and I got 3 months’ worth of patches. We’re not having little spider babies, at least- not right now.’

While Miguel struggled to not openly fume Jess took up the mantel of checking your files. She drew up a smooth holographic screen from her watch and began to scroll with her finger, her eyes moving quickly over each little bit of information. You saw her lip curl slightly with discomfort, and you knew for sure she’d found your records.

‘Ah… well, they’re telling the truth’ Jess said with a sigh. She smoothly swiped the file away. ‘They’re on birth control. They ain’t pregnant. There is no immediate threat.’

‘But they’re still claiming to be in a relationship’ Miguel hissed beneath his breath. Jess shrugged; she seemed indifferent to his continued anger.

‘I mean yeah, but, that isn’t against the rules’ she said. ‘We’d need to ensure the rules are followed but, we don’t have any reason to restrict relationships.’

‘What about the mark?’ Miguel insisted. This time his finger was pointed directly at you.

‘The, mark?’ Jess repeated back.

‘Yes. The mark. On their neck. The bite.’

At first you were horribly confused, but then you remembered that Miguel had bitten you that one time you mated in the woods. Your hands frantically went to your shoulder where the scars remained.

‘He’s caused damage to one of my members, that’s—’

‘The biting was consensual’ you called back. It was a little scary to interrupt Miguel, but also secretly thrilling in a way. It felt good to fight back. However, you quickly learned to eat your words, as Miguel’s nose scrunched up with disgust.

‘What do you mean, consensual?’ he hissed.

‘Uh- Miguel, buddy, some- people are, into that stuff’ Peter whispered in his ear. You watched Miguel’s face contort even further. ‘I can explain to you later—’

‘I don’t need an explanation!’ Miguel snapped. The force of his voice pushed Peter to stagger aside. ‘I need—’

‘Everything I’ve done with Mig was by choice’ you asserted, cutting him off for the second time. Miguel’s rapidly decreasing patience was clear in the bloody stare he shot you, and while it caused you to shrink you had Mig there to hold you steady. You could feel his pride as he purred.

‘I- Look, I’m here by choice’ you explained. ‘I’m with Mig by choice. It was an accident that we met, but, we’re- friends. Well, we were friends. We’re, more than that now, and- that’s it. I’m not getting pregnant, I’m not- in any danger, so… please, just, go.’

‘Well then what about the newspaper?’ Miguel exclaimed, his finger still raised as he paced.

Jess audibly groaned at this point. She refused to even turn. ‘Oh my god—what are you talking about, Miguel?’

‘There was a story published. Some hikers ran into a monster, in the woods, a 10-foot spider that they saw eating someone alive. That was clearly them.’

‘And?’ Jess asked.

‘They’re at risk of revealing their secret identities!’ he snapped.

Jess sighed, her hand going up to rub her temple. You couldn’t see her face, but she sounded exasperated. ‘Miguel—Miguel, I don’t wear a mask! What are you talking about?!’

‘It—if people, know, about the giant spider—’

‘It’s not our problem’ Jess stipulated. She had her finger now pointed at his chest. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m not interested in enforcing any rules which suddenly put me and half the society in the doghouse. This is his universe, his problem. If he’s not causing damage he’s not a threat. If he needs help ‘cos he’s in danger, we offer help. Otherwise, its not my problem. Now let’s go.’

Despite their leader still seemingly fuming, the other elites were just as tired as Jess was. They’d been brought out here to argue relationship drama instead of fighting bad guys, and nobody wanted to draw this out any longer.

Jess shot you one last awkward wave as she turned. ‘Look, to be clear, we will need to organise this officially. You’re not pregnant now, but we will have to enforce that going forward for yours and your universes safety. Until we know what it does, you’ll need to be monitored. Okay?’

Your stomach turned at the idea of your relationship being authorised and overseen by the society, but right now you just wanted to leave. You decided to play along.

‘Fine. Okay. We’ll- discuss that soon’ you murmured.

Jess nodded, curtly, to both you and Mig, before turning on her heel. The other elites all turned to follow.

‘No!’

Miguel refused to move, even as the others began walking away. He had one claw raised and his hand was shaking, his face contorting into a mask of disdain.

‘No, no. No. No. You.’

He pointed his claw towards Mig, who met his vitriol with a neutral expression. The two locked eyes.

‘You. I cannot, permit this. I have tried to be nice, I have tried to give you an out, but you’ve given me no choice. I know, you know, that this is not safe. You can’t trust them that they’re safe!’

‘Miguel, come on, they—’

‘NO! No, Jess. I have one more thing that needs to be brought up.’

To your surprise, Mig’s stony façade suddenly cracked. Something about what Miguel had just said seemed to cause him significant distress, as his abdomen began to shake as his paws scraped at the earth. You tried to hold his forepaw but he didn’t even see you.

‘YOU!’ Miguel yelled as he turned, both hands now pointed at Mig. ‘What, about, Da—’

‘I plead section 1675.’

You were surprised to see Miguel go stiff, almost as if time had stopped around his body and his body alone. It was eerie the way he froze up, his fingers still raised and his mouth half open.

You glanced between the two, and inch by inch your expression went from scared to confused. You expected Mig to say more, to explain, but he didn’t. He just stared straight ahead with that same cold face.

Miguel began to lower his hand. ‘No. No, you can’t—’

‘Pull it up.’

You balked as Mig called for Miguel to act, seemingly without concern. It was like he’d done this before.

Miguel looked like he might explode. He was physically shaking, unable to comprehend how he wasn’t getting his way, but to your surprise he folded. He raised his watch.

‘Lyla. Come here.’

For the first time Lyla flitted into existence and walked across the open air, noting the strange new surroundings as she went.

‘Hi! What’s u—’

Lyla froze in a comedic parallel to Miguel as her eyes fell upon you, your hands still wrapped tight around Mig’s foreleg. Her glasses fell off and fizzled into tiny holographic pixels at her feet.

‘Oh my god you’re kidding me’ she murmured. Her voice was unnervingly monotone.

‘Lyla, I said come here’ Miguel snapped. She continued to ignore him.

‘Is this- oh is this your variant? Is this—WAIT!’

You jumped as Lyla drifted down to stand in front of your face, her eyes wide and starry. ‘So on your scan, when it showed—It was HIM?! Oh my GOD you’re KIDDING ME—’

‘LYLA!’ Miguel barked, quickly drawing her attention back. ‘Pull up file 87. NOW. RIGHT NOW.’

The AI shot you a slightly disgruntled look behind Miguel’s back, but she did concede, smoothly manifesting a file with her hands. She flicked her fingers and the holographic sheet flew towards Miguel and Jess, the latter of whom was now standing behind his back with a curious expression. The two glanced at the file together.

You saw Jess’s eyes widen, and then, she withdrew.

‘Okay. That’s—okay, never mind. Miguel, come on. He has a 1675. You can’t bring that up.’

Miguel looked so strangely defeated as he swiped the file away, and behind you Mig let out a sigh of relief. The elites moved to depart once more.

You were utterly bewildered. What just happened? What was Miguel about to say, what was that file? You glanced at Mig, expecting an answer, but to your horror he refused to look at you. He stared straight ahead at nothing, his face dark and shadowed.

‘Mig?’ you whispered.

‘You have no idea what you’re doing.’

You spun around as Miguel spoke. He was glaring at you, his eyes filled with something you couldn’t discern. Was he disappointed? Angry? Or, perhaps, sad? Whatever it was you didn’t get to find out, as he was dragged away by Jess when she grabbed his arm. The elites created a portal and departed without another word.

The moment the portal closed you felt something wet on your cheek. You blinked and glanced upward, only to find that the once clear blue sky was now dark and grey. A foreboding rumble echoed from across the hill.

‘Storm’ you whispered.

Mig promptly gripped your suit in his teeth, and like a cat with a kitten he carried you back into the woods.

Link to next part!

[ghouljams]

Look im down for wild hormones fuckery but also the way I always looked at omegas has been less "oh uwu soft fluffy baby" and "the scariest thing in the world is a parent looking for their kid". Omegas absolutely fucking shit up because That's *their* home, that's *their* people- just baked in "I'm the last line of defense between myself and my everything in danger so if you are a Problem you will Stop Being The Problem Or Else."

So yes. Grabby hands. Shoving this in my mouth and scurrying away

Yeah I've always seen omegas as the ones that wouldn't start a fight but would finish one. There's a reason they're the emotional head of a pack, and it's because they're the ones trying to make sure everything is working the way they need it to. I always think of Omegas as weird little freaks. They're blunt and needling because they need to have open lines of emotional communication or they start getting itchy. They bite the hand that tries to feed them because they don't know the hand. They're territorial (more so than alphas), they're stubborn(more so than betas), and they're getting things done their way or not at all.

The post I linked in my other a/b/o post talks about Omegas being active rather than reactive, and I don't know whether I entirely agree, but I think omegas are expected to know what they want and how to vocalize that want. I see Alphas as hard, line in the sand, decision makers. They're quick and decisive, but they're also going to be emotional. Omegas need to be able to say what is in the pack's best interest and be certain about it.

Ghost fits my view of omegas very well, he's in tune with the minutia of his team, he's a solid leader acting over reacting, he's territorial and stubborn, he needs things done his way. But I also think his fluctuating hormones would be (in large part) the reason why he finds himself feeling disconnected from pack dynamics. He never knows where he stands or how long he'll stand there. While he's an omega everything is good, it feels natural (as much as he hates to admit it) and he knows that the 141 needs an omega. When his hormones slide to alpha... all his anxiety gets kicked up to 11. Suddenly he's more worried about getting people out of situations than keeping a handle on the situation, he's more worried about Soap's injury than the fact that they secured the objective, he's overbearing with Gaz, he's pushing against Price's careful order of things. It's a level of control that doesn't fit him right, as understanding as the 141 is of this, it's hard.

I think it's also just interesting with the way stereotypes would work in the military as well. Everyone assumes alphas are drawn to the military, that desire to protect, to act as peace keeper in a pack, makes for a good soldier. Ghost is big and impossible to ignore, people assume he's an alpha if a really poorly adjusted one. I like Ghost as an omega because I don't think it takes anything away from his character, I think it actually adds a layer to his self imposed isolation. He wouldn't even have his endotype listed on documents if he doesn't have his photo. That way the next time he slides he doesn't have to update his records.

[pavlovianfuckery]

i have abandonment issues and anxiety and now so do you

just my brain going "but what if dream is a complete banana lady about time because he values it differently from everybody else and gets absorbed in his work and fucks off for months on end like a big fucking idiot, what then?"

also he is so very pretty when he cries and i wanted another go at writing some quick stair sex, fucking sue me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i was so sleep deprived when writing this and it shows but what can you do

It's been weeks since you slept unaided, the use of pills keeping any dreams at bay, so when you finally enter the Dreaming only to find yourself in the throne room of all places, it gives you pause. Everything looks much the same as you remember. When you finally lay eyes on the aloof figure on the throne it feels like being kicked in the chest, which is less unexpected. You had imagined what it would be like to see him again many times, but nothing you had planned to say comes out, the words turning to ash in your mouth.

"Leave us." His gaze is fixed on you as he orders everyone out, and it feels as if an eternity passes between the closing of the massive doors and him speaking to you. "Do you know why I have brought you here?" Just hearing his voice again is painful, but you refuse to let it show, squaring your shoulders but not meeting his eyes, not bothering to keep your tone civil.

"I do not presume to know why you would do anything, so no, I don't." The glibness doesn't seem to amuse him, and he steps down from the throne. "That is not quite true, is it?" His voice is flat as he approaches you unhurriedly, step by inexorable step.   "If accusing me of being a liar is all you dragged me here for, I'm just going to go." You turn to go, to wake up, to be anywhere but here, but he calls out to you. "Stop." You were planning on leaving, and yet. And yet.

"Why?" You whirl around, facing him. It's a struggle to keep your voice from cracking, but you manage it, somehow. "You don't want me here." He frowns, moving closer until he's only a few paces away. "I assure you, that is not true, despite your lack of loyalty." "What in the world is that even supposed to mean?" Now you can't keep the anger out of your voice, "Since when have I ever been disloyal to you?" "Since you abandoned me to cavort with a mortal." The words are full of contempt, and it almost makes you physically recoil. "I abandoned you?" It comes out as a disbelieving laugh, more callous than you had intended. "No, you left, without so much as a word. I didn't hear from you for 6 months! I don't know if you had gotten bored of me or what, but you were gone."

"Bored?" His frown deepens. "There were matters of great import that required my attention." "Of course there were."  You had always been painfully aware of your own unimportance to a being like him right from the start but nevertheless, his words still hurt. "What did you expect me to do then, spend the rest of my life waiting for you? I didn't even know if you were coming back at all."

"You certainly wasted no time before giving yourself to another." "Did you miss the part where you up and left me for months? Not that it's any of your business anymore but yes, I slept with someone else, to try and get over you forgetting me!" "I did not forget you." Somehow, the words make it worse. "Yeah? Because that's what it looked like." Your eyes sting and you wipe at them angrily.

He's frozen, unmoving at the bottom of the steps. Bathed in the soft light from the stained glass windows he reminds you of a marble statue. Beautiful. Cold. It cuts at you like a knife until you can't stand to look at him any longer, and you turn to leave again. The way his fingers snag your wrist takes you by surprise, not expecting him to reach out. "Wait." "I did." You yank your arm back, but he grabs hold. The touch is gentle, but it might as well have been a firebrand. "Let. Go." For all their vehemence the words feel like a lie on your tongue, and as you glare at him it's obvious that he doesn't believe them either because his grip only tightens. The way he looks at you hurts, it burns and something inside your chest just shatters.

The slap is loud in the empty room, neither of you expecting it. Even though your palm tingles from the open-handed strike there isn't a mark on him of course, but that doesn't make you feel any better. When he pulls you to him, most of the fight drains out of you. "You don't get to do this, you know," you punch his chest weakly, just once as the first tears start to fall. "You can't just dump me by the wayside when you get tired of me, I'm not your fucking pet." "No, perhaps not. But do not doubt this; you are mine."

Despite everything, the close proximity has the same effect as it always has, as if he'd never left. As he tightens his arms around you his familiar scent envelops you, making your head swim. You're not sure what possesses you to brush your lips against his throat, but you do it anyway, despite your every sense screaming at you that it's a bad idea. "Forgive me." For a moment you're sure that he'll send you away, that you'll wake up alone in your bed again and the thought makes it hard to breathe. But then his fingers ghost over your cheek, brushing your tears away before guiding your mouth to his. The kiss is a brief, unspeakably tender thing, over much too quickly. Brows knitted together in something like confusion his eyes are heavy on you, searching your face. "What is there to forgive? If I had known..."

You don't wait for him to finish speaking, pulling him back down by the lapels of his coat. His lips are as soft against yours as they've ever been as you pry them open, like it would be possible to push every shred of angerpaingrief into him that way. As if he could somehow understand your hurt if only you could force him to taste it. And he lets you, even as you nip at him until you taste blood, like bright copper pennies caught in your teeth. Lack of air makes your head spin but you can't stop clinging to him as if he'd turn to smoke under your hands, to slip between your fingers to be gone by morning. "Don't leave me like that again..."

You breathe the words into him like a prayer until your knees go weak, and even then he holds you to him still, not letting go. The descent onto the stairs is a gradual one, made clumsy by the reluctance to let go for even a second. Straddling his lap is a graceless affair, but you're beyond caring.  Feeling the fabric of his coat under you is a bit unsettling, the way it cushions your knees from the unyielding stone beneath a bit too well to be quite real. It makes you feel as if you could fall into the sky of the lining of it if you're not careful. "You are aware of my responsibilities; I can offer you no such promises."  That hurts to hear more than you would like to admit, but then he continues, "I can however endeavour to inform you when my work requires my full attention."

It's not quite an apology, but it's as close to one as you're likely to ever get and still more than you dared hope for.  As the hem of his shirt rides up exposing the skin there, the urge to be closer is overpowering. "I have missed you." The way he says it is quiet but fond, the words soft enough to rival the feel of his skin under your questing hands.

Wanting to lay any claim on him that you can you suck at the sensitive skin on the side of his neck, which surprisingly does leave a mark, one that doesn't fade. When the realization dawns that he's doing that, he's keeping it there on purpose for you, lust pools molten in your belly. Repeating the action on the other side makes him groan, the sound vibrating against your lips as he tips his head back and grinds his hips up against you, giving you all the permission you need.

The bruises bloom nearly instantly, another one of his tricks, offered up almost like a gift. They dapple the flawless column of his throat prettily, but it's still not enough. The seams creak in protest as you pull the collar of his shirt down to get at more of him, but he doesn't seem to mind.  After being apart for so long, suddenly having him this close when you thought you never would again is overwhelming and you're unable to hold back a few errant tears.  "Do you have any idea what it was like with you gone?" Giving his hair a pull, you force him to look at you. 

He wets his lips before responding, an uncharacteristically human gesture. "It was never my intention to cause you harm." The tremble in his voice is barely perceptible but still undeniably there.

His lips yield to yours so easily when you kiss him again, pressing the heel of your hand against his fly. "Help me forget?" As you breathe the words into his mouth you can feel him pulse through the fabric. "Please?"

Even with his hands aiding yours it's easier than it should have been to pull his jeans down, the stiff material offering next to no resistance, a convenience courtesy of the Dreaming. Rather than removing them completely, you push them only as far down as is necessary.

His cock is just as pretty as the rest of him, you'd almost forgotten that. The skin is silky in your palm as you give him a few slow pumps, just as a reminder of what he feels like.  "Let me see you." His words make the rest of your clothing fade away like morning mist leaving you completely exposed on his lap, another perk of his realm that you had missed. The way he touches you borders on worshipful as he presses a soft kiss over your heart, gentle as a butterfly wing.

Sinking down on him slowly is difficult when you're aching like this, but you want to savour it. For now, he simply leans back and watches as your body swallows every inch of him. The way he fills you so perfectly is intoxicating, addictive. It feels like coming home. For a while you don't move, just enjoying holding him inside like this, buried to the hilt as you squeeze around him. The intimacy of it is almost unbearable, nearly making you choke up again as he gently grabs hold of your hips and guides you into a languid pace.

"Tell me he didn't make you feel like this." The words are quiet, almost pleading, his eyes shining as he looks up at you. You had thought something like that wouldn't matter to a being like him, but his fragile expression tells you otherwise. "I need to hear you say it," he gasps, the stars in his eyes finally falling. Seeing him like this nearly breaks your heart all over again. As you kiss his face with all the tenderness you can muster, moisture stains your lips, making him seem remarkably human in that moment. "You know he didn't," you fail to keep your voice steady as you stroke his hair. "He wasn't you."

The way his chest hitches does nothing to douse the desire burning its way through you, not the way it perhaps should have done. He's so lovely like this, all dishevelled, cheeks shining. It's wholly unexpected, the vulnerability of it all, making the tension in your core coil tighter. The salt of his tears burning on the tip of your tongue makes you feel like consuming enough of him in any way you can would somehow erase your stupid mistake. As if he could fill you up until there would be room for nothing else, and he would push the memory of it out of you. 

"Please come in me," you roll your hips, pleading. "I need you to."

That you would ask for it so bluntly makes him let out a desperate little sound and thrust up into you ineffectually, the bunched-up fabric around his knees making it close to impossible to gain any proper traction on the smooth stone steps. He grasps your hips more firmly, spurring you on. "Move for me." It's still a fairly leisurely pace, neither of you so much chasing release as letting it arrive in its own time.  Pleasure washing over you in gentle waves makes your thighs quake as it brings you close to your peak before pulling away, time and time again.

The squelching noises as you ride his cock are embarrassingly loud in the empty hall, but you're beyond caring about anything except that you get to have him like this again. One of his hands moves to where you are joined, clever fingers circling your clit, not directly touching you yet.  "You make such a sweet mess of me, my love."He murmurs, voice strained as he continues, "I've missed that." The words alone are nearly enough to put you right back on that precipice, making you pull on his hair with a frustrated little whine. "Morpheus, please." At that, he goes completely still, his grip like iron as he holds you in place. You can feel his cock straining inside of you, nearly spilling but not quite. "Plead with me like that," he chokes out, cheeks high with colour, "and you will receive me sooner than you might hope."

Being the one to make his composure falter has never failed to drive you wild and this time is no different. Seeing him like this after your time apart, balancing on that edge right along with you, is very nearly enough to bring you off. Furrowing his brow he bites his bottom lip, fighting to keep his control from slipping, and you realize that you're going to come regardless of if he moves or not. It's like a tidal wave on the horizon, the pull relentless long before it arrives.

"I'm going to," you struggle to get the words out, "fuck, I'm..." The way his eyes bore into yours is almost hypnotic, drawing you in. "Go on," he breathes, egging you on, "come for me." Then he flexes inside of you and with a whimper, you're lost, walls spasming around his cock. There is no way to ride the wave of pleasure and nowhere to hide from it, the only thing you can do is slump bonelessly on his lap and let it wash over you, because he isn't letting you move. He's only a few seconds behind you though, pushing in as far as he can go and emptying himself there with a strangled sound, as if he really could wash every trace of the other man's touch out of you that way.

Spent, he rests his head against your shoulder, stroking his hands down your back soothingly as his come starts seeping out of you. For a while you simply stay like that, holding each other close.  Now that you're thinking more clearly reality starts to set in, and you can't help but dread waking up. Because in your heart of hearts, you know that you will wake up alone, no matter what just happened. It hits you like a sledgehammer to the chest and without meaning to, you start to tremble.

Realizing with rising horror that this might just be A dream and not your Dream, you do the only thing you can think of; you flee back to the waking world.

[rhoorl]

Delta Landscaping | Chapter 16: The Countdown

Series Masterlist | Chapter 16 A03 Link

Word Count: 8.8k

Previously on As the Mule Falls: Benny and Vanessa went on a date. We learned a bit about a woman from Santiago’s past. Frankie got things prepared for a little weekend trip up to Atlanta to celebrate a big milestone.

In this Episode: Another Benny-heavy episode as the guys get him ready for fight night. Similar to the last episode, we’ll jump through time and will end the Saturday before Benny’s fight. We also have another neighborhood party!

Chapter Warnings: This one is pretty fluffy, just some swearing. Special thot warning - Cousin Joel, Marcus being a sweet brother-in-law, the boys spending time at the gym. Frankie in his menace era. Benny is a flustered, adorable mess. David comes with his own warnings. 

*Cue the theme music and roll opening credits*

11 Days to Fight Night 

David: Ok since when has Will had a motorcycle?! Katie you have to keep us updated on stuff like this.

Megan: If we had a neighborhood newsletter it'd be the lead story this week 😂

Ty: Don’t give him any ideas…

Katie: Sorry…he just got it

Olivia: Have you taken a ride yet?

Melissa: 💀

Olivia: On the motorcycle

Oliva: Shit! 🫣

Ty: I thought for a second D took your phone 

Megan: 😆 aw Liv, we love you never change.

Oliva: Quick someone please change the subject. I am so sorry Katie!

Katie: 😘

David: Anyone up for another party? We haven’t welcomed the new neighbors yet.

Megan: Lulu and I were actually talking about that!

Lucille: Yes! I am happy to host! Maybe this weekend? 

David: Theme?

Megan: Do we need one? 

David: ….

Megan: The theme is Lucille is going to cook us a bunch of food and play great music. And dancing!

Ty: Ay dios mio. He’s already getting a mood board together.

Lucille: Megan - can you talk with Victoria? See what night works for them. 

Megan: Great idea! Katie you’re in charge of the boys!

David: I’m not jealous at all 🙄

Frankie propped his elbow up on the armrest and looked out the window as the plane made its descent. The early morning flight meant there were actually a few open seats, including the one next to him in the exit row, for which he was grateful.

His weekend trip reinvigorated him. It went as perfectly as he could have imagined it, save for the constant rain but even that wasn't a problem since it meant they got to stay in. All the anxiety he felt leading up to the trip about revealing parts of his past to Jo evaporated the second she took his hand, rubbing her thumbs across his knuckles. She appreciated Frankie's openness and willingness to share some of the deepest, darkest parts of his past. But what meant the most was when she said how proud she was of him for reaching his milestone. 

The distance was not ideal. All they wanted to do was spend every day, every moment with each other. He wanted to wake up to legs tangled and sheets rumpled. She wanted to surprise him at his job one day with lunch. They wanted to cook dinner together at night and settle in and watch a movie or play a game.

But for now, their physical time together would be relegated to a more sporadic schedule. She was gearing up for a busy time at work, but they made plans for the following weekend for Benny's fight. Frankie was already counting down the days when he could see her and introduce her to everyone. That thought brought a smile across his face; the pride he'd feel about showing off his girl.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize they were landing until the wheels hit the tarmac. He quickly pulled out his phone, knowing exactly who his first text would be to. 

Frankie: Just landed. Miss you.

Jo: Good! I miss you too. Got to the office a little bit ago.

Frankie: You weren't late right?

Jo: Nope, all good! Gotta go to this meeting but tell Benny I said hi!

Frankie: Have a good day mi cielo. Talk later

Jo: xoxo

10 Days to Fight Night

“Fish, can you help me with something real quick?” Benny panted as he racked up the bar onto the squat rack.

“With what?”

“Can you…uh…take a picture?” He turned around, offering Frankie his phone.

Frankie furrowed his eyebrows. “A picture? Of what?” 

Benny’s eyes looked left and right. “Um…me?” 

“Can’t you just do like a selfie or somethin’?” Frankie leaned against the weights.  

“No…it’s more of an…action shot. C’mon Fish, it’ll take two seconds.” Benny walked over to an open space, peeling off his shirt so he was left in just his black basketball shorts. He flipped his baseball cap around and got into a plank. “Just take a couple of me doing pushups.”

“Por amor a díos, Benjamin. What the hell?” Frankie shook his head laughing.

“C’mon, Fish,” he grunted through another rep, the pendant of his chain hitting the floor each time. 

Frankie tried his best, even bending down on one knee to get a better angle. “Ok…see what you think.” 

Benny chewed on the inside of his cheek as he scrolled through the mostly blurry photos. He was about ready to prop up the phone against a dumbbell and try it again but managed to find a clear one that showed off the definition in his shoulders. “Good, thanks, man.”

“Hey…um…think you could… never mind, it’s dumb.” Frankie rubbed the back of his neck, walking back towards his water bottle. “Who’re you taking that for anyway?”

“It’s for uh…my Instagram…damn that sounds really fuckin stupid to say out loud. I'm a grown-ass man,” Benny chuckled. 

“Hoping that someone in particular sees it?” Frankie raised an eyebrow, lightly punching Benny in the arm.

“Yeah…kinda,” Benny blushed, eager to change the subject. “What? Like you don't send any pictures to your lady.”

“Uh…that’s actually what I,” Frankie sighed, shaking his head as Benny’s face lit up with the realization of what Frankie was trying to ask about earlier.

“Oh hell yeah, Fish! Tryna show off all that hard work aren't ya,” he winked, slapping Frankie in the stomach. 

Despite the focus on Benny and getting him in ring shape, Frankie reaped some benefits from their daily gym trips too. Recently he noticed his shirts fit a bit tighter across his chest and arms, a fact Jo was all too pleased about during his little weekend getaway. 

They'd exchanged photos over the past couple of weeks, but they had been pretty tame. Mostly silly selfies as they went about their day. This morning, however, Frankie did manage to send one of himself shirtless, brushing his teeth which seemed to get quite the reaction. He was having fun and feeling playful.

“Can you help me?” He looked over at Benny who sported a lopsided grin.

“Hell yeah!” He led Frankie back to the locker room. They stood in front of the mirror as Benny gave him tips on how to pose and hold the camera, taking a couple of his own to show as an example.  

“I dunno man, this feels kinda dumb,” Frankie winced, looking at himself in the mirror. 

“Stop it…she’s gonna love it. You’re lookin’ good these days, Fish, show it off!” Benny shook him by the shoulders, making Frankie’s shy smile grow more confident. “I’m tellin’ ya, send her one of those and you’re in for a good night later,” he winked.

Nine Days to Fight Night 

Will and Santiago finished the work on Melissa's backyard earlier than expected thanks to some extra help from Connor. It was perfect timing, with a little over a week before Benny’s fight. All the guys rallied around Benny, helping him prepare however they could.

Today started with an early morning jog around the neighborhood. Benny, Will, and Connor ran together, the younger boy pushing the older two to keep a faster pace. Frankie followed on a bike, barking out encouragement. Meanwhile, Santiago sat on the Millers’ front porch drinking a coffee and reading the paper, giving the guys a little wave each time they came around the block.

“Nice, that was your fastest yet,” Frankie stopped the bike and clicked off the stopwatch.

Benny stood bent over trying to catch his breath while Will took off his shirt to wipe the sweat off his brow, tucking it into the waistband of his red gym shorts. Santiago strolled down the driveway with some water bottles as David drove by, giving a polite wave. 

“It was all this guy,” Benny panted, patting Connor on the chest. “Your coach is gonna make you run the drills this season man,” he chuckled.

“Happy to help. You feeling good?” Connor asked as he took the cold bottle from Santiago. 

“Yeah. Cardio wise I feel great.”

“You testing out that cardio in your free time?” Santiago smirked as Frankie smacked him on the back of the head, cutting his eyes over to Connor.

“He hasn't even kissed her yet,” Will added before dodging out of the way and hiding behind Frankie to avoid a slap from Benny. The guys broke out in a fit of laughter as Benny blushed. 

“She’s excited about the fight,” Connor said as he took a long drink of water, eliciting confused looks from the guys. “What? She cut my hair earlier this week so it came up. Thanks for noticing by the way,” he teased as he removed his baseball cap and ruffled the top of his hair.

Santiago assessed Connor’s haircut with a sharp nod, approving Vanessa’s handiwork. “Looks good, kid. Maybe I’ll go and see what those hands can do.” He winked at Benny, getting a sense of glee at seeing his fist ball up and his nostrils flare.

Oblivious, Connor continued, “She gave an awesome scalp massage, she has long nails so it helps to…” He stopped when he saw all the guys looking at him with blank stares. Benny’s mouth twisted while the others tried to hold in their laughter. Finally, Will’s snort made them all bust out laughing. 

“Better be careful there C,” Will smirked. 

“Oh…ah…sorry Benny, I swear I didn’t mean it like that,” he winced, fearing he’d offended Benny.

Benny clenched his jaw, before taking a deep breath. “All good lil dude,” he patted Connor on the back. “I’m used to these guys being assholes…so…what did you guys talk about?” He raised his eyebrows.

More relaxed now knowing Benny wasn’t mad, Connor told them about how she seemed excited to watch Benny but a bit nervous too. “She mentioned something about how Victoria is going to be there to help too?”

Benny shifted from one foot to another, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the thought of her excited to see him in action. “She…uh…yeah, Vic’s gonna help tape me up before the fight, you’re off the hook, Fish.”

“Ha, I see what you did there!” Connor laughed as they all groaned.

“You've been over there every night this week,” Will observed, taking a long drink of water. 

“Vic has been doing some treatments…to help me with recovery. Now that I’m getting older, I'm feeling it a lot more than I used to…now I know how you all must feel,” Benny smirked.

“Vanessa hasn't been helping you with some extra um…treatmen-” Santiago could barely get it out before bursting into another fit of laughter.

“Hey, you boys are having too much fun,” Lucille joked as she wheeled her trash bin to the curb. 

“Lulu, qué estás haciendo? Trash comes tomorrow not today,” Frankie knitted his brows taking the bin from her and walking it back up her driveway. 

“I thought so, but David told us it was a special day and to take it out to the curb right away and…well never mind,” she shook her head. “You boys are coming over on Saturday, right?”

“Wouldn't miss it for the world, Lulu,” Will regarded her with a soft smile. 

“Are you cooking Lulu?” Benny's hopeful look made her laugh.

“Sí mi amor, I am starting today. And I'm making some extra empanadas just for you…although I hear I have some competition,” she winked.

“What? Someone else is making empanadas?” Benny scoffed. “Doesn't matter, I know where the best ones are made darlin’.”

“Ah well, vamos a ver, I think you may like these more…you boys going to the gym?”

“Yeah, one last hard workout today and tomorrow, and then it's all maintenance, right Benjamin?” Frankie clapped a hand on Benny's shoulder.

“You're coming next week to watch right, Lulu?” Benny's puppy dog eyes made the biggest smile come across Lucille's face. 

“Por supresto mi vida, I’m looking forward to it.”

Eight Days to Fight Night 

Today’s gym session was especially fun because everyone got into it. Connor and Benny started off alternating between jumping rope and running sprints on the treadmill. Of course, they had to make it competitive and see who could jump rope the longest without messing up or who could run for the fastest speed on the treadmill. 

Santiago and Frankie spent time lifting, getting a chance to catch up on each other's week. Will went off to a corner to do an ab circuit. When Benny finished his cardio, he and Will faced each other on the ground to do one of their patented Miller Push-Up Contests. They'd started doing this as kids and it became something Benny would do to lift everyone's spirits during missions. 

Each time they came up for a pushup, they extended one arm out to slap hands before going down for another push-up. Will rolled his eyes because Benny wanted to push the pace rather than go at the slow and methodical one Will set. Like always, they ended up play fighting, with Benny putting Will in some kind of WWE-style hold.

“Ok, ok you two break it up,” Frankie chuckled. “C'mon Ben, let's get some sparring in so we can all go eat.”

Seven Days to Fight Night

"Bean what the fuck is a 'thirst trap' and why did Sarah say she saw it on your Instagram? Jesus I don't even know what half of that shit even means," Joel muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat in his truck outside of Steph's house. 

“Oh…ah…I dunno man, you know the kids and how they talk, can't keep up,” Benny tried to laugh it off but Joel pressed on until he finally revealed what that phrase meant.

“What kind of picture you posting Ben? My daughter, your niece, is on that app!”

“No, no, it's just a selfie in the mirror at the gym. I had my shirt off, it's what she'd see at the beach, man, nothing worse than that.”

“Hmm…” Joel rolled his eyes, “It's not you I'm worried about…why'd you post that anyway? Not enough havin’ all those stay-at-home moms at the gym goin' crazy for you.”

Benny could practically see the smirk on Joel's face. He knew he could try and bullshit his way around this, but Joel would get the truth out one way or another. “I…shit this sounds so fucking silly, I'm almost 40 for fuck’s sake, but…I was kinda doing it hoping someone would see it.”

“Someone in general or some specific? Is it for Nox?”

“Who the fuck is Nox?”

“Your girl…you said she drove an Equinox, so I’ve been calling her that in my head,” Joel chuckled.

“Nox…” Benny tilted his head. “You never gave Amy a nickname...”

“You didn't answer the question, Bean.” Joel countered.

Benny leaned back in his dining room chair, pausing from the drawing he was absentmindedly shading as he talked with Joel. “Yeah,” he said softly.

“Ha, I knew it. Trying to remind her what she's missing when you're not around?”

“Ahh…well…”

“Y'all’ve done stuff right? Will said you've been at her place like every night this week.”

“No man…I…we almost kissed last weekend but her sister and brother-in-law got home from their date night,” Benny scratched his scalp as he continued, “I dunno…I haven't felt nervous like this around a girl like…ever.”

“Well, she sounds special Bean…I'm looking forward to meeting her.”

Benny sat up straighter in his chair, “when's that gonna be?” He eagerly anticipated Joel's response.

“Well, that's kinda why I called. Dropped Sarah off at Steph's for her two weeks and we got to talkin’…the county is draggin’ its feet on these permits and some of the materials we need for this job are back ordered so I'll have some downtime while Sarah is with Steph…looks like it's going to line up with your fight.”

“Holy shit! You're coming? Fuck yeah!” Benny pumped his fist in the air.

Joel chuckled, “knew that would get you excited. You actually have Steph to thank for this one, she made the decision for me…says I need to take a vacation.”

“I can't remember the last one you went on.” 

Joel shook his head, “Hey Tommy, Sarah, and I went tubing last summer…or was that two summers ago…”

“My point exactly J, plus that wasn't a vacation. So is Tommy coming with you too?”

“That's the plan, as long as he doesn't do anything stupid.” Joel rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand. 

“Oh shit, it's gonna be a hell of a week with you two down here.”

Joel smiled as he drove, listening to Benny go on and on about the different things he wanted to do while his cousins were in town. 

“...and Pope mentioned this cigar shop, we were thinking of getting some to celebrate but I dunno I don't wanna jinx anything and -”

“Ohhhkay Bean, gonna stop you there. I'm about to head in to grab some food. We'll chat later…try and I dunno dance with Nox at the party tomorrow night, put on that Miller charm.”

Six Days to Fight Night

“Mmm, it smells so good in here hermanita,” Victoria walked through the door with Nico and Mariella in tow. 

“Thanks, got the last batch going,” Vanessa said over her shoulder, careful not to take her eyes off the hot oil. 

“Oooo Tia you made empanadas?” Nico bounded over, getting his hand slapped by his mom for reaching for the tray Vanessa had already neatly assembled.

“It's ok Vic, he can take one. Here mi amor take from this plate, those are the guava y queso ones.”

“My favorite! Gracias, Tia!” He managed to say between bites. 

“Cooking up quite the storm huh?” Victoria regarded the counter which included a glass dish full of boiled yucca, a container of citrus-garlic mojo, two types of empanadas, and a tres leches cake.

“We can't show up empty-handed,” Vanessa fished out the last empanada and placed it on the paper towel-lined plate.

“Well you know what they say…fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach,” Victoria giggled as Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Speaking of his stomach, d’you see his Instagram? Ay Papi! She wiggled her eyebrows. 

Vanessa blushed as she started packing up the empanadas into containers. “Um…yeah…I mean, I think I saw it when I was scrolling.” In reality, Vanessa set up notifications for Benny’s posts, so she immediately saw yesterday’s gym selfie. Not wanting to seem too eager, she waited about an hour or so after he posted before she actually liked it. 

“Hmm…sure. Anyways, what are you wearing tonight?”

Vanessa sighed, “I don’t know…it’s a casual backyard party so nothing too fancy.”

“C’mon,” Victoria grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her up the stairs holding Mariella on her hip. “Vamos, Nico…let’s help Tia figure out what to wear tonight.”

Frankie took a deep breath as he looked at himself in the mirror. Benny's words from the other day were in his head encouraging him to show off all of the hard work he'd been putting into the gym. As he contemplated which of his colorful, silky buttoned-downs to wear, a thought popped into his head. Earlier, Jo sent him a picture of her outfit before she headed out for the night with a friend. She looked gorgeous, but of course, she did. That photo would be in his head all evening, so he thought it would be fun to return the favor. 

He pushed back from the mirror and pulled the bill of his baseball cap down low so that just his mouth was visible. He checked the angle of his phone making sure he was in the frame before looking down and snapping a couple of photos. He sighed as he scrolled through them. This was so unlike him, but he had to admit, it was kind of fun. He got a little rush of doing this for her, curious what her reaction would be. Having fun like this, being silly and carefree and just being in…love? Is that what he was feeling? It had been so long.

“Alright, let’s see what you think baby…” he muttered to himself as he hit send, immediately putting the phone down on the counter and walking back to his closet to figure out which shirt to wear. 

Bucky enthusiastically greeted Katie as she walked into Megan's house. He was excited to see her, sure, but he was more excited about the tray of little Cuban sandwich sliders in her hands.

“Bucky, no no this isn't for you…maybe your mom can give me one of your t-r-e-a-t-s instead,” she winked as Bucky jumped up on her legs. “Ohhh ok, note to self, he knows how to spell,” she laughed, rounding the corner into the kitchen where Megan and Connor were getting their stuff packed up.

“He acts like we never feed him,” Megan laughed. “You've got it good my man,” she looked down at Bucky who gave her big puppy dog eyes. “Don't…ugh dammit it works every time,” she laughed as she grabbed a Milkbone. “Damn you Benny Miller. He got Bucky addicted to these damn things so I had to go to Costco to get more,” Megan gestured to the new treat container as Connor snorted.

“Speaking of Benny, how’s it going with the training, C? Katie leaned against the counter.

Connor sat at the kitchen table, “Oh pretty good. I feel like this week it's all really clicked for Benny. He seems to be having fun. Plus he got some good news, so that put him in an even better mood.”

“News? What news? Ooo something about Vanessa?” Megan asked.

Connor absentmindedly scrolled his phone, “Nah, no it's about his cousins from Texas they're coming to town.”

Megan and Katie looked at each other, a smirk forming across Megan's face. “Cousins from Texas huh?”

“Yeah, Benny was excited about it,” Connor added.

“I guess we'll see if all of Melissa's detective work paid off huh?” Katie tried to sound neutral but she knew Megan was onto her.

“You gonna give David that bit of news or am I?” Megan raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, your kid was the one who had that little tidbit, so it's all yours Meg,” she winked.

With Frankie headed to a party at Lucille's tonight, Jo finally took her neighbor Bea up on her invitation to join her and some friends for a trivia night at a local brewery. They finished the first round and awaited the results, so she had time for a quick trip to the restroom. She checked her phone out of habit, not expecting to see any messages from Frankie. Her stomach did a little flip when she saw she had a message from him – and a photo at that. Intrigued, she leaned against a wall and looked over her shoulder to make sure no one could see her phone. 

Frankie. Without a shirt. Wow, he looked good. And the part that made the slick start to pool between her legs was the little smirk she could see from under his baseball cap. It reminded her of a week ago, looking up at him as he was buried inside her, one of her legs wrapped around his waist. She pushed her thighs together for some relief before responding.

Jo: 🫦

Jo: Benny is teaching you well there Morales

Frankie: Thought you might like that

Jo: Call me later 

Jo: Actually, we should FaceTime 😈

Giving herself one last look in the mirror, Vanessa fussed with her hair before heading downstairs. She could hear Victoria going over the kid’s nighttime routine with their cousin Maria, who agreed to come over and watch them for the evening. She smiled when she saw Nico lying on the couch playing a game on his tablet, watching him as she turned the corner into the kitchen, she nearly ran into Marcus. 

“Vandy!” He narrowly avoided crashing into her and took a step back to take her in. “Wow…you look beautiful,” he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “He’s going to love it.” He whispered in her ear.

She shyly smiled, “It’s not too much?” 

“No, you look perfect.” He winked as he walked over to the kitchen island to help pack up the food they were taking to Lucille’s.

“You don’t look too bad yourself Buck, is that the guayabera Tio Gerardo got you?”

Marcus looked down at his black linen dress shirt, “Yeah this is the one. Some of the guys wear these to the office and now I see why, they’re comfortable as hell,” he chuckled.

Lucille hadn’t thrown a party like this in ages. It felt nice to have the house full of people, the music playing, and the aroma of food wafting throughout. She was thankful to the boys for helping her get the backyard in order. Frankie and Benny set up a beautiful display of twinkling string lights among her trees while Will and Santiago and Connor constructed a dance floor and moved furniture out of the way.

A group congregated in the kitchen, David holding court as he took stock of all of the delicious food Lucille had on the menu. He let out a loud whoop as the Delta Force guys arrived. All of the neighbors showered them with hugs and warmth. In their own ways, each of the guys relished this. It was nice to have people genuinely excited to see them. 

Everyone decided to take the party outside, helping to carry out various dishes and containers. Once everything was set, Benny reached into a cooler to grab a beer. He heard Lucille excitedly announce that the guests of honor were there. Turning around, he immediately locked eyes with Vanessa, like a magnet that found its other half. He let out a breath as he saw her. Fuck, she looks beautiful, no idiot, she looks gorgeous, he thought to himself. Will patted him on the back, but Benny couldn’t hear what he said. It was like everything was in slow motion. 

Vanessa wore a simple forest green wrap dress with a floral pattern that hugged her curves in all of the right places. The straps of the garment were delicate and the neckline formed a modest v, showing just enough cleavage to leave something to the imagination but also enough to make his mouth water. His eyes honed in on her collarbone, wondering what it would be like to pepper kisses along it as he moved his way up her neck to behind her ear and…

“Ben? Earth to Ben?” Santiago chuckled next to him.

Benny shook his head to bring himself back to the present. “Hmm?”

“You’re staring, Bean. Put your tongue back in your mouth and go over there and say hi.” Will added as Frankie smirked. 

“Shit. Yeah, ok.” Benny smoothed the front of his short sleeve blue button down, undoing another button because it suddenly felt like it was a thousand degrees outside despite it being a very pleasant evening. 

A crowd formed around the new arrivals with everyone eager to welcome them to the party. Benny made a beeline to Vanessa waiting impatiently but respectfully as David chatted with her. 

“Girl! Stunning. Tens across the board on this. I didn’t know you had this little figure on you mama!” David winked. 

“Aw thanks, you look great too!” Vanessa blushed as she caught Benny’s eyes from over David’s shoulder. 

David followed her gaze. “Ah, Benny! Hey, d’you hear we have more empanadas? Vanessa made some too, so now we don’t have to fight over all the ones Lulu made. Although if we did actually fight you’d kick my ass so…” David chuckled.

Benny snorted as David excused himself, taking the opportunity to ask Will about his new motorcycle. “Hi,” Benny looked at her with a soft smile, pushing the hair out of his eyes.

“Hi,” Vanessa replied, a bit shaky. 

For as much as he was in awe of her, she was equally as mesmerized by him. He’d been almost exclusively wearing a baseball cap since they met, so she hadn’t noticed that his hair was getting a little bit longer. His shirt fit him perfectly, showing off all of the hard work he’d put in at the gym. She looked down at his chest, appreciating the fact that he had a few buttons undone. His chain glimmered as it sat nestled into some sparse hair on his chest. He looked like a model and Vanessa couldn’t believe he was standing there talking to her.

“Y-you look absolutely beautiful,” he gave her a quick but appreciative up and down, trying his hardest not to let his eyes linger for too long.

“You clean up pretty good yourself Bun,” she smiled back, brushing some lint off his shoulder. Her stomach did a little flip when he chuckled at the mention of his nickname. 

Benny looked over his shoulder as Marcus and Will moved dishes and plates to make room for the newest additions to the buffet. “D’you make all of that?”

Vanessa nodded, looking down feeling her face getting hot as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah…spent most of the day doing it.”

“Well, I’m excited to taste you…I mean your um…whatever you brought. What ah, what did you make?” Benny rubbed the back of his neck, thankful it was dark outside and she couldn’t fully see how red he was turning. 

“Want me to show you?”

“Absolutely, lead the way boss lady,” Benny winked, letting her walk in front of him so he could check her out, noticing that she put a little extra swish and sway to her hips.

Lucille stopped for a moment as she walked outside with another plate of empanadas and croquettas to refill the trays. She took in the sight of her backyard so full of people, of laughter, of music, it brought a tear to her eyes. She wished her Julio could be there to see how their little neighborhood had grown. With a deep breath, she set down the plate and turned to see everyone starting to hit the makeshift dance floor thanks to David who has commandeered the speakers.

“Vamos bailar Lulu?” Marcus winked, extending his arm out to her which she happily took. 

“Habalas español muy bien Marcus,” she complimented as he led her onto the dance floor.

“Well, I had to learn quickly. Had to know what my mother-in-law and her family were saying about me,” he chuckled.

On the other side of the backyard, David dragged Olivia onto the dance floor, to the cheers of everyone including her husband Chris. They didn’t get out much and were so thankful to Aria for coming over to babysit so they could have a night with their neighbors. Santiago twirled Victoria around, the two keeping up with the quick beat of the song.

In a move that surprised most of the neighbors, Will was eager to get out on the dance floor, bringing Katie along. Although she was a bit unsure of how to keep to the beat, she was pleasantly surprised to see Will take the lead.

“Where'd you learn to dance like this?” Katie giggled as she held one of his hands and lightly rested the other on his shoulder.

“Learned a few things from my exes,” he winked as she rolled her eyes.

“Didn't pass along those tricks to your brother?” She nodded towards Benny who was sulking in the corner nursing a beer as he watched everyone.

Will shook his head as he twirled her, “Tried…we finally found something he's actually not good at,” he chuckled before cutting his eyes over to check in on Benny. With a sigh, he added that Benny's ex used to make fun of him when he tried to dance, one of the countless ways she found to tear him down.

“Aww poor Bean,” Katie pouted, sneaking a look at Benny as Will spun her around again. She noticed Benny's eyes were glued to Vanessa who sat twirling her Solo cup and politely chatting with Ty at a table.

“He'll get his big boy pants on soon,” Will smirked.

“So…your motorcycle is the talk of the neighborhood,” she teased.

“Ha yea,” he twirled her before bringing her back in close. “I have to admit, it's been kinda fun, you should go with me sometime.”

“No way,” Katie shook her head. “Couldn't pay me enough money to do that…but I know someone who would,” she arched her eyebrow. 

“And who is that?” Will looked skeptical.

“Miranda, my coworker. She's been watching this show about a motorcycle gang and it's kind of a thing for her now,” she chuckled, noticing Will's ears getting red. 

Despite the fact that the two of them had moved on from anything romantic, Katie still had love for Will and wanted him to be happy.

“Oh c'mon, I think you'll like her. She's really sweet and super smart.”

“She been helping you with that big presentation for work?’

“Yeah! Poor thing, she's been juggling a lot because of…well, she has a lot of responsibilities at home. But yeah, we both are looking forward to Monday being over with,” she chuckled.

“You gonna dance with her or what?” Frankie leaned against the wall, turning his head to look at Benny who stood chewing on the inside of his cheek and looking down at his feet. He kept missing the occasional hopeful glances Vanessa tossed over her shoulder. Frankie sighed, shaking his head, “Well if you won’t, I will.” He pushed off the wall and strode over to Vanessa.

Vanessa heard someone clear their throat behind her and she felt a lump form in her throat. 

“¿Quieres bailar?”

She tried to hide her disappointment that the voice behind her wasn’t the one she was hoping for. Turning around she saw Frankie looking down at her with a soft smile. He looked so much like her ex she had to do a bit of a double take. “You’re sweet. It's ok, Frankie, I don't really like this song anyway,” she forced a tight smile. 

“C'mon,” he leaned down and lowered his voice, “show him what he's missing.” He offered her his hand with a wink.

Vanessa chuckled to herself and with Ty’s encouragement took Frankie up on his offer. She stood up from the table, smoothed her dress and placed her hand in Frankie's as he led her to the dance floor. Victoria cheered and Lucille clapped as she welcomed the newest couple to the dance floor.

Benny scratched the back of his head and took a long swig of his beer, wishing he could get past his insecurities. He watched everyone carrying on and having fun, but really he was only watching one person. He couldn't take his eyes off Vanessa. The way her nose scrunched as she giggled at something Frankie said, the way she tossed her hair, the way her hips swayed.

Frankie kept a respectful hand at her mid-to-upper back, but still brushed against some of her exposed skin making Benny’s fingers twitch. As she twirled around again he saw her smile, a smile he swore could light up a pitch-black room. He was so caught up in this trance it didn't even register that Megan had walked up next to him.

“You know, you strike me as the kinda guy who is the first one out on the dance floor no matter what the music. Didn’t peg you as the wallflower.”

“I…ah…I’m not a good dancer,” he pulled his lips into a tight line. 

“I don't think she'd care,” she nodded towards the dance floor.

As the song ended and another started, a musical chairs of sorts ensued as everyone switched partners. Marcus kissed Lucille's hand and passed her off to Frankie just as Victoria crashed into her husband's arms in a fit of giggles. Santiago danced with Olivia after Melissa walked away from him, while David whisked Katie around, leaving Will and Vanessa. Even though Will had been nothing but sweet to her, she was still intimidated by him, like she wanted to make a good impression.

“Wanna dance darlin'? I’m not as good as Fish but I can hold my own,” he chuckled, looking down with a shy smile that reminded her of Benny. 

“That's ok, as long as you're having fun that's all that matters,” she smiled, taking his hand.

Somewhere between the second verse and the bridge, Will’s eyes clocked Vanessa stealing a glance over at Benny.

“Dancing isn't really his thing, at least not fast songs like these. For as good as his footwork is in the ring, he's not the most coordinated on the dance floor...’specially when there's a pretty girl in his arms distracting him,” he winked, which made Vanessa's cheeks feel hot. “He just doesn't wanna look dumb, it's nothing on you sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Will. Hey, you know for a gringo you dance really well. Took Marcus forever to learn,” she giggled, making Will break out into a huge grin.

As the song neared its end, Will tried to subtly get Benny's attention while also making sure Vanessa was having fun. Finally, he caught his brother's eyes and gave him a stern look that said get your ass over here now and dance with her. 

Benny finished his beer and took a deep breath, willing his legs to move even though it felt like he had cement blocks tied to his boots. Thankfully, the tempo slowed down considerably for the next song, easing some of Benny's anxiety. 

Vanessa's back was to him as approached, which gave him another chance to admire her even though he could feel Marcus and Victoria's eyes on him. He cleared his throat and tried to muster some of that Miller charm, “S’cuse me miss, this guy bothering you?”

Will smirked, looking down to see Vanessa's face light up at the sound of Benny's voice. He let her go putting up his arms in surrender, “just keepin’ her company waiting for you,” he snorted. “Thanks for the dance darlin’,” Will kissed her hand and made his way over to Olivia since Santiago had bounced to Katie.

“Hi,” Benny smiled, suddenly feeling like a middle schooler who finally worked up the courage to ask the pretty girl to dance. 

“Hi,” Vanessa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I…um…” Benny's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, his mind went blank.

“Here, give me your hand, Bun,” Vanessa reached her hand out. She guided his hand to her waist, placing it lower than Frankie or Will's hands had ventured. She rested one hand on his shoulder and with her other she threaded her fingers with his. “There, now rock side to side. See? All good.”

Benny shook his head before a mischievous smile danced across his lips. “Not yet.” His fingers dug firmly into her back as he brought her closer, their bodies flush against each other. She let out a surprised giggle which was music to his ears. “There. Now we're good.”

Vanessa dropped his hand, seeing his brows slightly furrow before relaxing again as she wrapped both of her arms around his neck. They swayed side to side, completely off the beat but it didn't matter, they couldn't hear the music anyway. 

Benny willed himself to keep it together but his eyes fluttered closed when Vanessa started lightly scratching the back of his neck with her fingernails. He wanted so badly to feel her fingers through his hair, to feel her tug on it while he….he took a deep breath and tried to think about puppies or baseball, anything that would distract from the fact that his body was pressed up against hers. An abrupt inhale made Vanessa's eyebrow twitch.

“Are you ok?” She recoiled a bit.

Vanessa's words pulled Benny back to the present. “Hmm?”

“Did you just fall asleep on me?” She chuckled.

“No, no…I'm just really relaxed…the way you're scratching the back of my head, it's um…” He trailed off laughing to himself as he shook his head to rid his mind of the dirty thought that flashed through it. 

“Sorry, I…didn't mean to…” She moved her hands back to his shoulders.

He shook his head and with a smile gently placed her hands back around his neck as his hands then traced down her sides, before finally resting on her hips. “No, it's ok, I like it,” he licked his bottom lip, deciding to test things just a little bit. “You’re just distractin’ me a bit is all…” he looked down at his feet.

“Oh…well, I think you're doing a good job.” 

“You're a sweetheart, but you and I both know I'm shit at dancing,” he said with a lopsided grin.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she stopped, bringing her hands down to Benny's biceps. “Don't say that about yourself. I'm having fun. Aren't you?”

The corner of Benny's mouth curled up as he nodded. “Course I'm having fun. I somehow convinced the prettiest girl here to dance with me and my two left feet.” 

Vanessa tried to stay calm and coy, but inside she was exploding at not only what he said, but the way he was looking at her.

“Well, you can't get any better unless you practice right?” 

Benny smirked, feeling bolder seeing her reaction to his flirting, “You tryna help me then? Help me…practice.”

“Maybe,” she bit her bottom lip, their eyes locked on one another.

Benny took a deep breath through his nose as one of his hands snaked its way to the small of her back, resting at the top of her ass. Hearing her breath hitch gave him an extra boost of confidence to affirm he wasn't misreading this entire exchange. “Well, darlin' I wonder if I may bother you for some um…private lessons…you know, so I can get better,” he winked.

Vanessa could feel her heart pounding in her ear drums and the wet spot in her underwear growing. She gave him an up and down and leaned in, nodding so he'd lower his head toward her, “I tell you what, you win your match and,” she leaned in further and whispered in his ear, “let’s skip the lesson and I’ll give you a little private dance instead.”

“Fuuuuck,” Benny let out a shaky breath and Vanessa swore she felt him instantly get hard. His grip tightened on her. She smiled to herself seeing the effect she had on him. I've still got it. 

She giggled and leaned into Benny, resting her head on his chest and they continued to rock back and forth. Her mouth was dangerously close to his chest, thanks to the undone buttons. It took everything in her to remember where she was and who was around because all she wanted to do was grab his chain with her teeth and drag him to the nearest bathroom. She hadn't felt like this about anyone since the early days of dating Luce.

Benny cleared his throat and she looked up to see his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed, sensing he was a bit flustered. “Y’know, it's gonna be a hell of a long week till Friday knowing that’s what’s waiting for me darlin’, but I'm patient. I can wait,” he winked. “Do I get to pick the song?” He raised his eyebrow which made her giggle.

“Nope.”

They continued to giggle and talk in whispers, as one song bleed into the next and the next. They didn't even realize they were the last two on the dance floor. Looking around Vanessa felt a bit embarrassed, but she saw that everyone else was off talking or eating leaving the two of them in their own little bubble. A yawn escaped, the excitement of the day finally starting to catch up with her. 

“Tired?” Benny looked at her with some concern.

“Yeah a little…woke up early so I could start making the food.”

“You um…going to head home?” Benny asked, a little sad that their evening would come to an end. 

“I should…we're talking the kids to the aquarium, so I could use the sleep,” she smiled. 

Benny cleared his throat before locking eyes on her again, “Mind if I walk you home?”

Her first inclination was to say no, that she could handle walking a few houses down the street by herself. But seeing how earnest Benny looked, she thought she'd take him up on the offer. Plus, she knew Victoria would rip her a new one if she left this hanging. “Yeah, I'd like that.”

Victoria saw Vanessa give her the signal that said she wanted to leave. After 10 years of being in the family too, Marcus picked up and saw it too. 

“Should we start packing up since Vandy is leaving?” He asked.

“Not yet mi amor, I think she has an escort home. I still feel bad that we cock blocked them last week. C'mon let's get another drink,” she winked, squealing a bit when Marcus lightly swatted her ass. 

Normally a fast walker, Vanessa deliberately slowed down her steps to prolong the walk back to the house. She and Benny walked closely side by side, their hands occasionally brushing against each other until one time where Benny reached for her hand and she took it. They both struggled trying to mask the massive grins on their faces.

“I had fun tonight,” Benny looked over. 

“Me too. I really like it here, everyone’s so nice. Feels like it was the right decision to move here.” She whispered to herself.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. Occasionally Benny’s thumb would rub up and down her hand.

When they finally reached the Pike residence, Vanessa turned around, still holding Benny’s hand. “Well … this is my stop.”

Benny looked up at the ceiling of the porch with a smile before returning his gaze to her, “Yes this is.” He stepped a little bit closer, hearing her breath hitch. All he wanted to do was cup her cheek and kiss her, but he didn't know if it was too soon…or if he'd be able to control himself because he wanted to do a lot more than just kiss her.

“Y'know I didn't have dancin' on my bingo card for tonight, but I'm glad I was able to check that off.”

“What else did you check off?”

Benny gave a mischievous smile, a playful glimmer in his eye. “Hmm, let's see. David made a comment about Frankie's hair. Check. Delicious food. Check. You played a big role in that last one by the way.”

She blushed at the comment, giddy that he enjoyed the food she made for the party. “I'm happy to cook for you whenever you want.” Her eyes darted back and forth between his as he stepped a little closer. “What…um…what else did you check off tonight?”

Benny snorted, “Melissa avoiding Pope, that counts for two.”

“Sounds like a pretty packed evening.”

“It was…pretty awesome night I'd say. But I am missing one thing I was kinda hoping for.”

“Oh yeah? What's that?”

It was now or never. Benny could hear Joel’s voice in his head telling him to go for it, so he took a deep breath. “A kiss.”

“Well, I'm sure the ladies would line the block if you’re offering,” she smirked.

He shook his head. “No, not just any lady. I had a…uh…very specific one in mind.”

She stepped a little closer as he sucked in a breath. “Tell me about her.”

“Well, she's smokin’ hot,” he said with a lopsided grin which made her giggle. “She's got the most beautiful smile, her laugh instantly makes me feel better, and her eyes…” he trailed off. “Yeah, I can get lost in them. But as beautiful as she is on the outside she's even more stunning on the inside,” he ran his hands down her arms and stopped to take both of her hands in his. “She’s smart and kind. Plus she's an amazing cook. She's kind of a catch.”

Vanessa steadied her breath and smiled, feeling like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. “Well, I didn't think Lucille was your type but I can see it,” she teased.

Benny threw his head back in laughter. She loved seeing the way his entire face lit up when he laughed. 

“No way I'm taking Frankie's girl from him,” he chuckled, licking his bottom lip and returning his gaze to Vanessa.

“Well, this…great catch…seems pretty special. I hope you're able to kiss her.”

“Yeah me too.” He looked down, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed and mustered up the courage. “Vanessa, I…” he let out a little chuckle, trying to suppress that nervous feeling he felt in his stomach before doing something that scared him.

Ever since he suggested walking her home he thought about kissing her. But seeing her now, the way the soft light of the porch glowed around her, she looked like an angel. And she was looking at him in a way that made him feel like the most important person in the world – a fact that made him feel both unworthy but also like he could conquer any obstacle.

He brought his hand to cup her cheek, his calloused thumb caressing her soft skin. He willed his mind to not wander to how soft she must feel in other places.

“Vanessa…I really like you. And I…” he closed his eyes, shaking his head with a chuckle. Composing himself, he decided to just take the plunge. “Can I kiss you?”

She enthusiastically nodded, knowing she couldn't trust herself to form a sentence. All she wanted to do was kick her feet and squeal with excitement.

“Yeah?” 

“Yes, please,” she whispered.

He slowly lowered his head, wetting his bottom lip with his tongue as he moved his hand from her cheek to her neck. Their lips softly touched, both of them stunned but utterly giddy that they'd gotten to this point. 

Benny pulled away, resting his forehead on hers and nuzzling her nose as they both smiled. “That was…wow…can I do that again?”

Vanessa tugged on his shirt, their lips crashing together. Benny walked her backward, his hand extending out behind her so he could catch the wall, guiding her to rest against it. With one hand still cradling her neck, his other trailed down her body. 

She opened her mouth a bit wider, giving him permission to test the waters further. He softly licked along her bottom lip as started to explore. A soft moan from her was all he needed to push himself right up against her groaning as her hands found his hair and tugged slightly.

From a distance, they could hear some whooping and cheering from Lucille's house, instantly transporting them back to reality and the fact that they were making out on a porch. Benny pulled away, his thumb caressing her kiss-swollen lips. 

“Can't believe we were able to do that without getting interrupted.”

Vanessa let out a soft giggle. “I know…Benny that was…”

“Perfect.”

“Yeah.” She brought her hands down his chest, stopping to play with the pendant at the end of his chain as his hands lightly rested on her waist.

He let out a shaky breath, “I want to kiss you again darlin' but I won't be able to stop,” he smiled as she giggled. “I…um…I want to do this right.” He pulled back, both hands moving to rest on her waist. 

“Me too. I don't want to rush this.”

“And what is…this?” He arched an eyebrow.

“Well, I'd like to explore that, if you're up for it.”

“Yeah, I'd like that.” He kissed her again and he'd never felt more invincible like he could take on anything as long as she was by his side. He trailed kisses down her neck, lightly tracing her collarbone with his tongue, in a move that made goosebumps appear on her skin as she mewled. He kissed up the other side of her neck. “I really can't fuckin wait until I win that fight now,” he whispered in her ear as he grabbed a handful of her ass and grinding his hardened length against her.

It was a miracle she was able to remain standing and not dissolve into an instant puddle. Feeling his warm breath against her ear and hearing the need in his voice, it was intoxicating. They made out a little bit longer, neither one wanting it to end but knowing if they continued things would escalate to a place they both wanted to go, but weren't ready for yet. 

Benny kept trying to say goodbye but ended up kissing her, both of them giggling as they continued to explore with their hands and mouths.

Vanessa pulled back, cupping his face between her hands. “We are definitely going to get interrupted soon, I'm surprised we haven't yet.”

“You're right. Can I see you tomorrow?”

“I'd like that. You get home safely Bun.”

“Yes ma'am.”

Next Time on As the Mule Falls: Friends. The long-awaited arrival of Cousin Joel is here. He arrives in the next chapter oh my am I excited. We’ll also gear up for fight night. 

A/N: Hi! Woof that was a long chapter but we had a lot to get through, didn’t we? I mentioned this after the last chapter, but I’m experimenting with doing a few little side stories/extras for this main series. I’ve written two stories - Strike a Pose (Benny x Vanessa) and Weathered In (Frankie x Jo). You don’t have to read them to keep up with the main story, but they add a little extra to the whole experience. We’re gearing up for a storyline I’ve been tinkering with since the fall and am so excited about it and hope you all love it as much as I do. 

On a personal note, I’m headed out for a work trip and then vacation, so I’m hoping to get some writing done but we’ll see. Until next time! Thank you as always for reading, sharing, or sending me a message about this story!

Taglist: @goodwithcheese / @gemmahale / @trulybetty / @noxturnalpascal / @periodtsparadox / @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin / @maggiemayhemnj / @mysterious-moonstruck-musings / @avastrasposts / @meveispunk / @chaoticfestninja / @beboldbebravethings / @casa-boiardi / @katw474 / @laughing-in-th3-purple-rain / @pimosworld / @lynnchun / @anoverwhelmingdin /@lilmizmoz / @pedrit0-pascalit0 / @titlee78 / @noisynightmarepoetry / @inept-the-magnificent / @perennialdoll247 / @for-a-longlongtime / @readingiskeepingmegoing / @harriedandharassed / @musings-of-a-rose / @anavatazes / @sherala007 / @midnightraain / @partyofone3413 / @inthedarkestnight / @millennial-teenybopper / @csarab615 / @darkheartgatita / @southernbe / @weho2kcmo / @itspdameronthings

I'm having some issues with tags so apologies if you aren't getting tagged!

[ambrossart]

DANCING WITH MYSELF

— PART ONE

summary: eddie crashes senior prom hoping to steal a dance with his dream girl, chrissy cunningham. instead, he spends the night stuck in the women’s restroom with you—her snarky, insecure best friend. ❖ pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader ❖ word count: 2,489 ❖ genre: fluff with some angst ❖ series status: complete ❖ warnings: no season 4 spoilers, some coarse language, body image issues, allusions to eating disorders, typical teenage insecurities, angst, jealousy, anxiety, secret crushes, childhood memories, happy ending, lots of 80s music one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten

You were more than a little caught off guard when Chance Gallagher asked you to the senior prom.

Chance was popular, Chance was on the basketball team, and you were just Chrissy Cunningham's snarky best friend. The "bitchy" one—yeah, that was your identifier (so that you wouldn't be confused with her other, much perkier friends). You were confident that ninety percent of the student body had no idea what your actual name was. To them, you were simply Chrissy Cunningham's Bitchy Best Friend. Depressing as that was, it was an enormous step up from constantly being referred to as her "chubby" best friend. All that dieting must have finally paid off.

Needless to say, you were a little skeptical when Chance Gallagher, dressed in his green letterman jacket, showed up at your locker six weeks before the big night.

He swung by and said, "Hey, you..."

In hindsight, that should have been your first clue that this was going to end in disaster. Hey, you? Come on, the boy clearly didn't know your name. But at the time, you weren't thinking about that. No, you were too busy admiring his long dark hair, those deep-set brown eyes, and that shy, crooked smile that slowly crept up the side of his face...

"Hi," you said back, and you thought your voice sounded oddly high-pitched for some reason, like Minnie Mouse. You had to clear your throat and try again. "Hey, uhh, what's up?"

"Nothin' much." Chance paused and ran his hand through his hair. Shamelessly, you watched him do it, and you caught yourself wondering if his hair was as soft as it looked. It probably was.

"I was just thinking," he went on, "you know, about prom coming up..."

You retreated into sarcasm. "Oh, is prom coming up?"

"Uh... yes?" Chance cocked his head, looking so confused.

You winced. "Sorry, just ignore me. So, what about prom?"

"Well, I was wondering if anyone asked you yet."

You squinted at him for a second, thinking, Seriously? "Uhh, no, no one's asked me yet."

"Good," said Chance, nodding and smiling, and you stood there, thinking, Wow, those are some white teeth.

Then, while you were distracted by those white teeth, he snuck in a quick: "So you wanna go, then?"

You blinked slowly. Once. Twice. "I'm sorry... what?"

"I'm asking if—"

"You're asking me to prom?"

"Well, I'm trying to, but you're making it kinda difficult."

"Well, I'm a difficult person," you said under your breath. Then: "Wait a minute, is this like a Taming of the Shrew scenario? Is there a Bianca somewhere in this?"

Chance's brow furrowed. "Taming of the what?"

"The shrew."

"What's a shrew?"

"Well, it's actually a small, mouse-like animal, but it's also the word for an ill-tempered woman, which is the definition I'm referring to—not the mouse, obviously; although I could see the mouse making sense too, you know, within a different context... Anyway, The Taming of the Shrew is a Shakespearean comedy. We read it in English last week. We took turns playing the parts... well, not me, I mostly just read the stage directions. See, I've got a thing about public speaking and, you know, speaking in general..."

"Really? 'Cause you seem pretty good at it." Chance was smiling at you.

And now you were smiling back... and laughing, too. It was a colorful laugh that burst out of your chest like confetti out of a New Year's Eve popper.

"That was a good joke," you said. "I liked that."

Silence. Heavy and awkward.

Chance broke it. "So... is that a yes to prom? Or do I need to leave, come back, and start this process all over again?"

You laughed again, but this one made your chest hurt a little.

Your gut reaction was to say, Yes, absolutely! but you never listened to your gut. You listened to the small voice in your head, the one currently showing you all the possible worst-case scenarios on a teeny tiny projector: frame after frame after frame. This is a bad idea. This is a terrible idea. You should just say no right now and save yourself the embarrassment.

But then you heard Chrissy's voice in your head, that sweet Disney princess voice. You know you're the only one getting in your way, right? Stop sabotaging yourself. You would be so much happier if you would stop shutting everyone out. Just open up a little, let people in, and I promise they'll think you're amazing, just like I do... and then I'm gonna have to tell them all to back off because you're my best friend. I found you first. 

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, look, at the risk of making this all blow up in my face, can just I ask why? Why do you wanna go to prom with me, Chance? I mean, sure, we sit at the same lunch table, and yeah, you're friends with Jason and I'm friends with Chrissy, but we've never spoken a word to each other... so why?"

Chance shrugged. "Because I want to? Because I think we'd have a good time? Do I need another reason?"

You bit down on your lip. That wasn't the answer you were hoping for, but then again, maybe that was just your anxiety talking. You shook all those ugly thoughts away and said, "Okay."

Chance took a step back, seeming delightfully surprised. "Okay?"

"Okay... yes, I'll go to prom with you." And you felt a little like Sissy Spacek in the movie Carrie.

Was this your Tommy Ross?

Oh, hopefully he doesn't die...

Chance pumped his fist. "Well, all right!" And for a second, you thought he was going to give you a high five or a slap on the back. Instead, he backed away slowly, heading toward his own locker. "This will be great. Yeah, I'm really looking forward to this."

"Me too," you said.

And that was the problem. You started looking forward to it. You started getting excited about it. Daydreaming about it. Flipping through magazines and dog-earing your favorite pages, because suddenly you had favorite pages. And that's why you were absolutely gutted when Chance called you up six hours before prom and said he couldn't make it.

With just five words, all your prom plans went up in flames.

"Food poisoning? Are you kidding me right now?" You were sitting on your bed with the phone pressed against your ear. It almost slipped out of your grasp when you first heard the news. "Can't you, like, take some Pepto-Bismol or something?"

"Seriously?"

"No, not seriously, Chance. I'm not a monster." You let out an angry huff and switched the phone to your opposite ear. "What am I supposed to do now? I bought tickets and a dress and some really, really painful heels." You had even practiced walking in those painful heels so that you wouldn't look stupid—or worse, trip and fall on your face in front of everyone. "There's gonna be pictures and dinner and a frickin' limo... Oh my god, I'm gonna be the only one there without a date!"

"I know... I'm so sorry."

"Well, great, can I bring your 'sorry' with me to prom? Can I pose next to it during pictures?" You swallowed hard, feeling the sharp sting of oncoming tears. You lowered the phone to your shoulder (while Chance continued to utter apology after apology) and squeezed your eyes shut before a single one could escape. 

After a minute, you heard Chance say, "You still there?"

You brought the phone back to your ear. "Yeah," you said, and wiped your runny nose on your wrist. "Look, don't worry about me, okay? I'll, uhh, I'll figure something out."

"Yeah, okay... And, hey, I'm really, really sorry." 

"Yeah, I know," you said, numbing yourself to it. "Anyway, I'm gonna go. Uhh, feel better, okay?"

You slammed the phone down before he could say goodbye. Then you saw the stack of magazines on your nightstand. And the pink shoebox on the floor. You buried your face in your hands and had yourself a good five-minute cry before picking the phone back up and frantically dialing Chrissy's number.

She answered in a chirpy voice: "Hello, hello... Cunningham residence."

"He's not coming!" you blurted out in a stuffy, near-to-tears voice.

"What? What do you mean, he's not coming?"

"Food poisoning! He got food poisoning!"

"He got food poisoning? Oh, no..."

"Yeah. That's just my luck, right? I just spent three hundred dollars for nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, obviously I can't go now..."

"What? But you have to go!"

"Chris, I can't—"

"No, Y/N, you have to go! This is the senior prom. This is supposed to be our special night."

You rolled your eyes. "Pretty sure Jason thinks it's his special night."

"Well, he's wrong," Chrissy said, and stifled a laugh. "Come on, you didn't go to junior prom, and that was fine, but this is the senior prom, our last prom, and I wanna spend it with my best friend. I want us to go get our hair and makeup done, and put on these outrageous, obnoxious dresses, and go make asses of ourselves on that dance floor. That way, when I'm old and wrinkly, I can look back on this moment and think, Wow... I so peaked in high school."

You both laughed. Despite the tears, you laughed.

"Yeah," you said, "I want that, too... but I don't have a date, Chris."

"So what? You can come with me and Jason."

"Oh, the third wheel. Yeah, I bet your boyfriend would love that."

"He won't mind. And if he does, screw him. We'll leave his ass at home and go to prom together. Deal?"

You smiled and dabbed your eyes dry with your sleeve. "Deal."

Overjoyed, Chrissy squealed so loud you had to pull the phone away from your ear. "Now, hurry up and get your butt over here, pretty lady! Our appointment's in an hour."

"Fine, fine..."

You said your goodbyes and hung up. That's when the dread finally set in, twisting your stomach into one giant pretzel. "Food poisoning, huh? Boy, is he lucky." You rolled onto your back and stared at the ceiling for what felt like forever.

"I'm calling it now: this is gonna be the worst night of my life."

Three streets down, Gareth Lozinski’s garage was exploding with the thrashing chords of heavy metal. 

Corroded Coffin was currently six songs deep into their ten-song set list (a tribute to all their favorite metal bands), which would eventually get whittled down to just five songs. Any more than that and the manager of The Hideout would pull the plug on them. That happened last Tuesday, after Eddie Munson tried to sneak in a second Iron Maiden song when he thought the manager had stepped outside for a smoke break. They were only six bars in when their mics and amps suddenly died. Eddie, lost in the music, played another eight bars before he realized what had happened. 

“Boo,” he said into the dead mic; then he strummed an angry riff and walked off the stage. 

The band took a short break after Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” so that Gareth could help his mother carry in the groceries. Mrs. Lozinski made a comment about their playing, said they were “really coming along” because she didn’t know what else to say. Gareth’s little sister was more succinct with her feedback. She skipped past the open garage with a paper bag full of fruit and said, “No, you guys still suck.” 

Five minutes later, Gareth returned with half a turkey sandwich, sat down behind his drum set, and played the majority of Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” with the sandwich hanging out of his mouth. He wolfed the rest down during Eddie’s excessively long guitar solo.  

Just when you thought he was done, the guy kept on going…

These rehearsals usually carried on well into the evening. Gareth’s family sat down to dinner at around six-thirty, and they didn’t appreciate the unique ambiance of Eddie Munson’s screaming guitar, so that’s when the band typically called it quits. 

Today, however, was no typical day. Today was the senior prom. 

Jeff was the first one to unstrap his guitar. “All right, guys, I’m outta here.” 

Gareth, a junior who had yet to experience prom, said, “Dude, it’s only three. Prom doesn’t start for another four hours.” 

“Yeah, but Tara’s parents wanna take pictures, and my parents wanna take pictures, and then we gotta go to dinner… It’s a whole event.” 

Grant heard that and unstrapped as well. “Yeah, shit, I better get going, too.” 

Meanwhile, Eddie Munson was staring off into space and silently strumming his guitar, trying to work out some of Motörhead’s trickier chord progressions in his head. He stopped momentarily when he felt Jeff’s hand on his shoulder. 

Jeff said, “Hey, good luck tonight, man.” 

The corner of Eddie’s mouth raised into a lazy smile. “Thanks, man. See ya.” Then he bent his head and went back to strumming, his left hand fingering the beginning chords of Dio’s “The Last in Line.” 

Gareth put down his drumsticks and stood up. “You’re really going through with this, huh?” 

“Mhm,” said Eddie, only half listening. 

Gareth shook his head, utterly dumbfounded by his friend’s reckless determination. “You’re crazy, man. What makes you think Chrissy Cunningham’s gonna wanna dance with you?” 

Eddie’s fingers slowed and eventually stopped, those final chords lingering for a moment… then drifting away.

“Because this is my year, man.” Eddie was confident, but not arrogantly so. He simply believed his words to be true. “I’m telling you, all the stars are aligning for me. As long as I don’t blow Ms. O’Donall’s English final, and I don’t plan on blowing her English final, I’m gonna be out those doors and onto better things. Now all that’s left to do is steal a dance with my dream girl.” 

“Yeah… that sounds great and all, man, but this is Chrissy Cunningham we’re talking about. There’s no way she’s gonna dance with someone like you, especially not at prom.” 

“Really? I think she will, and especially because it’s prom.” 

Because Chrissy Cunningham wasn’t like the other popular girls. She wasn’t vain or pretentious. She didn’t strut around school like a princess amongst peasants. No, Chrissy Cunningham was something special, a very rare diamond in a pit of precious stones.

And tonight, for at least one song, she was going to be his. 

Eddie unstrapped his guitar and carried it over to its case. “Gareth my good man… Gareth the Good, Gareth the Great… I think tonight might be the best night of my life.” He smiled on his way out. “Wish me luck, buddy.”

“Good luck,” Gareth said, and watched him go. “Boy, he’s gonna need it.”

______________

CURRENT // NEXT

[bloodynereid]

PLEASE do something with rooster and gn neutral reader where it’s set after the big mission and everyone has stayed together at top gun and rooster and reader got together and now they’re like the most insufferable duo ever?? like not only do they hardcore flirt EVERYWHERE but also they play pranks on everyone they can possibly find?? like they will find a way to do the MOST elaborate pranks on everyone INCLUDING their superiors?? i just think it would be HILARIOUS!! - 🧚🏻

House of Cards

pairing: bradley 'rooster' bradshaw x gn! reader

tw: kissing, swearing, anxiety, jokes, mentions of buzzing the tower, drinking alcohol, mentions of marriage

description: you and bradley were a match made in heaven but a nightmare to everyone else.

a/n: hiii🧚🏻anon <3 i hope this is what you envisioned! it was super fun to write and im definitely in my bradley era. there's also a few little easter eggs thrown in there. i hope you enjoy and excuse some of the shitty writing in a few parts, i only read through this twice.

ahfhsufgeg he's so fine

The aftermath of the suicide mission was spent in multiple bars (mainly the Hard Deck) and getting drunk beyond belief. That led to a variety of messy pool games, slurred singing and some potentially regretful decisions.

One of those decisions was you kissing Rooster right after you beat his ass at pool. The rush of adrenaline and tequila gave you the confidence you had been lacking since you met him during his first round at Top Gun.

Surprisingly that decision was not one you regretted the morning after. Or the week after… or the month after. Rooster had kissed you back with a fire that had you stumbling around near drunk on his lips alone for the days afterward.

The Navy had decided to make a special detachment after the success of the mission so you were all stationed at Top Gun for the foreseeable future. They also managed to promote Maverick (not without a whole lot of persuading) so he was now overseeing the detachment.

“This is nice.” You muttered as your eyes blearily opened. The sun was shining through the curtains and a heavy arm was settled over your arm.

“Hmm too early.” Rooster mumbled from his spot next to you.

“Rooster, we have the barbeque today… you said we were telling Mav today.”

“Oh shit, right.” He groaned out before cuddling back into you. You hated having to leave this little cocoon of warmth but you really had to get going.

“Baby…”

“Yes, yup, getting up now.”

It took another twenty minutes before you finally got out of bed and started to make coffee and toast. The sound of running water greeted your ears as you got ready for the day and drank your coffee while scrolling through your phone.

“Thanks for breakfast.” Bradley said as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders and gave you a quick peck.

“No problem, love. Ready to go?”

“Yup.”

The blue bronco sped through the streets of San Diego. The sun warmed up your skin and a smile was painted on your face as you chatted with Rooster. Today was going to be good.

“We’re here.” Bradley announced as he parked in front of Penny’s house. A few familiar cars were also parked outside, it seemed like you were the last to arrive.

“I told you we were going to be late.” You chidded as you lightly slapped his shoulder.

“Yeah yeah.” Bradley said with a smile on his face before pulling you into him and kissing you in an effort to distract you.

“Oh god, why did you two ever get together?” The familiar voice of Hangman cut the moment short, making the both of you roll your eyes.

“Hello there Bagman, I was hoping you fell off a cliff on the way here.”

“Well hello there Royal aren’t you as cheery as ever.”

“Fuck off, Bagman.” Rooster said from next to you.

“Gladly, I do not need to watch your excessive PDA.”

“I’m surprised you even know what the word excessive means.” You called as he walked towards the house, Jake only sent you the bird without looking back.

“Where was I?” Bradley muttered as he cradled your face and was about to kiss you again when you laughed.

“Bradley, darling, even if I would love to keep doing this, we really have to go in.”

“Alright, but we’re finishing this later.”

You carried the six pack of beer that Bradley insisted on bringing and made your way over to where the smoke from the barbeque was emanating from. Bradley finished locking up the car and threw his arm over your shoulders.

“You ready?” You nodded in answer to his question and suddenly the smell of hamburgers permeated your senses.

“Royal, Rooster! I’m so glad you could make it. Make yourselves at home.” Penny said with a bright smile as she welcomed the two of you.

“Thanks for inviting us, Penny. We brought beer!” You said as you passed her the six pack.

“With the rate they’re drinking it, it would be a miracle if I have any alcohol left in this house.” You laughed and Penny gave you both a smile before disappearing into the house to drop off the beer.

“You want to go find Mav?”

“Yeah, do you want to come?”

“No, you go. I’ll go talk to Bob, I started that show he recommended.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, go talk to Mav, Bradley. Call me over when you’re ready.” Bradley smiled and gave you a grateful look before walking over to the grill. You let out a deep breath and felt a surge of nervousness course through your body. Meeting the parents was never something you particularly enjoyed, even if you had already met Mav a billion times, you never met him in the capacity of being a partner.

“Hey Bob.”

“Royal. How are you?” Bob asked as he passed you a beer from one of the tables.

“Good, nervous.”

“Finally telling Mav?”

“Yeah, is it that noticeable?”

“Not really.”

“You really are a stealth pilot, Bob.” Bob rolled his eyes as he took a swig of beer and knocked his shoulder against yours. That was when you noticed Bradley waving at you from next to Mav. You nodded and said bye to Bob before weaving your way through your squad to greet him.

“Hey Mav, Rooster.” You said, greeting them.

“So what are your intentions with Bradley, Royal?” Mav said with raised eyebrows and an intense look in his eyes that had your brain screeching to a halt.

“Uhh.” A few seconds later, Mav’s face contorted and he started laughing hysterically.

“God your face! Don’t worry about it, kid. I’m pretty sure I should be interrogating Bradley here about his intentions with you.”

“Hey!” Bradley yelled, making you and Mav chuckle.

You were sitting in the sweltering briefing room next to Bradley. Cyclone was standing at the front of the room talking about the new assignment and giving the training parameters but your mind was elsewhere.

Bradley kept rubbing circles on your exposed forearm and it was driving you insane. You kept nudging his knee with yours but that only seemed to urge him to keep going.

“Royal, is there a problem?” Your eyes flew up to meet Cyclone’s and a feeling of dread seemed to seep out of your pores.

“No, sir.”

“Well then if you wouldn’t mind keeping your flirting to a minimum, it would be greatly appreciated.”

Snickers filled the room and you turned to look at Bradley with a menacing look in your eyes. You lightly punched his arm and settled back into your chair.

“Sorry.” Bradley whispered, not sounding sorry at all.

“Oh shut up.”

It was a routine practice flight, Mav had randomly pulled names and paired people up so they could make their way through the planned course.

You and Rooster had made it through in record time and were now loudly celebrating over the coms.

“Fuck yeah!”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Rooster asked as you circled back around.

“Oh definitely.” You shared a laugh before you flew over to the control tower. You caught a glimpse of Mav and Cyclone in the window before flying behind Rooster as the two of you buzzed the tower.

“Royal! Rooster!” The admonishing voice of Cyclone bled through the coms.

“God I really was a little shit when I was younger.” Maverick said through the coms as he let out an exasperated sigh.

You and Rooster just laughed and circled around a few times before landing, ready to be thoroughly lectured by Cyclone.

The squad had planned a trip after the newest mission… to Vegas. The entire trip there was incredibly chaotic because (*cough* Hangman *cough*) was scared of flying, even if he was literally a pilot. 

When you all finally landed in Vegas it took another hour before everyone had found their bags and got into respective ubers. The hotel that Phoenix had booked was perfect, it had a huge bar as well as an extensive casino.

Sometime after drinking at least five martinis and a few shots you and Rooster disappeared from the group. Something no one noticed until the next morning. You spent the night cuddled up in your hotel room watching tv and coming up with the perfect plan.

The next morning the squad disgruntledly made their way to the breakfast bar, very hungover and missing several of its members.

“Uh guys, where are Royal and Rooster?” Bob murmured once everyone (minus the couple) had sat at one of the tables.

“I haven’t seen them since last night.”

“You don’t think…” Phoenix looked up from her plate that was stacked with pancakes and looked at Bob with a panicked look on her face.

“Someone call them.”

Before anyone could do that a simultaneous ping came from everyone’s phones. 2 new messages were displayed on the group chat.

Royal: When in Vegas…

*image attached*

The couple had ventured out into town around dawn and got a picture of one of the many Elvis churches that littered the streets. You weren’t actually getting married but the reactions of each of the Daggers and Mav was fucking priceless.

And who knows getting married was definitely in the cards for both of you.

<333

[lfghughes]

Me + All Your Reasons

a/n: i had a lot of fun writing this so i hope you guys enjoyed it. if it’s something you would like for me to continue in more parts just let me know!

warnings: anxiety and some heartbreak

Sports had always been a big part of your life and your families life but also social media and creativity were another thing you were good at. So when it came time to pick a field to work in no one was surprised when you wanted to work for a sports team for their media team. That is exactly how you landed your spot working for the New Jersey Devils and yes the deadlines were stressful and the anxiety of thinking people wouldn’t like your work was also in the back of your mind. You had a many different demographics to please and you just wanted to make sure everyone was happy with your work. Aside from the stress though, it was a lot of fun. The traveling was fun, seeing how the team grew over the season was amazing, but also the friendships you made with people. You knew that doing videos for social media wasn’t always something the boys were looking forward to and sometimes you had one who just wasn’t in the mood but most of them had become good enough friends with you that you could bribe them easily. Nico was probably the easiest one to convince to do things and it was probably because he had the biggest heart and couldn’t say no or he felt like as the captain he needed to at least try to help you. You had only really picked up on it potentially being another reason when you were bribing Jack to help you with a video because Nico had been busy. “I’m pretty surprised he didn’t move his schedule around for you.” Jack teased, the boyish grin on his lips. “Why would he do that? He helps out plenty.” You pointed out, not thinking much of it. “Oh come on, why do you think he’s always so willing to help you with those big old puppy dog eyes.” And then it dawned on you what Jack was trying to say. “Whatever you’re thinking, just stop. That’s not what it is.” You told him and he quickly shrugged at you. “Whatever you say.” Both of you wrapped up what you needed to get done but your head had been elsewhere after that. Nico was a great guy, there was no doubt there. He was also attractive, there was no question there but you were not risking your job and also your reputation by getting involved with a player that was a big no no for the company. As weeks passed you noticed what Jack had pointed out and you came to realize that you didn’t just think Nico was a great person but in any other case he would have been someone you would have agreed to go on at least a date with. It didn’t matter though, the season was ending and you would keep your mind off of it all summer and then by the time the season restarted this crush would be gone from both sides. That’s the reasoning that got you through the next few weeks until the end of the season. It was also what got you through every interaction with him. Now it was the end of the season and you had come in for their exit interviews so you could say goodbye (for now) to the boys. Of course you saved one of your biggest hugs for Jack who had kind of become like a brother to you even if he was a pain sometimes. Then it was finally Nicos turn and you were ready for a quick goodbye but after you gave him a quick hug, his hand went to your elbow to hold you there. “We’re all going to Mr. Purple’s if you want to join later. It’s just an end of the season thing, not sure if Jack or one of the other boys mentioned it to you but we all deserve an outing.” He told you with that stupidly cute smile. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be there.” And well you lived up to your promises so you didn’t go and the night was actually fun but once again you were doing that thing of avoiding Nico and these stupid feelings so you spent a good chunk of the night being entertained by Marino, Jack, and Luke. At one point you went to grab a drink and Nico caught you, starting a conversation with you. Both of you had ended up moving to one of those smaller couches and you forgot temporarily how bad of an idea it was to flirt with him. The area was definitely a lot more intimate than where you had been with the whole group before. As your conversation progressed at some point his hand went to your knee and you didn’t move it, if anything you liked it there. “I really have to start heading home, It’s late and I have a lot of end of season editing to do.” “I’ll walk you out to your uber.” Yep, he was perfect, that was confirmed. As he walked you out, once you were away from everyone his hand caught yours “Wait…” He said as he pulled you in for a kiss but before he could it’s like you remembered why you couldn’t. “Nico I’m sorry, I can’t.” A confused look had grown on his face and then realization had hit him. “Oh shit, I’m sorry. It’s Jack, isn’t it? He’s a great guy, I can’t blame you.” You immediately shook your head as if that was the craziest idea you’ve heard. “What no, It’s not Jack. I just can’t do this Nico. I’m so sorry. I like you, it’s just…we can’t.” You pulled your hand away and tried to not look at the pained look on his face. “But why can’t we? If you like me and I like you?” He asked and you put your hands up to stop him. “I just can’t Nico. Goodnight.” And that was how you left him, not wanting to turn back and look at him because you knew you couldn’t handle seeing his face right now and keep saying no. So instead you just kept going, getting into an uber before you let yourself cry about it.

[transingthoseformers]

generally having the funniest ideas but popping out the most:

Sentinel gonna be shitting bricks when he finds out that Optimus is Overlord's kid

Ultra Magnus is gonna start wishing he was dead if he EVER found out about Optimus' ORIGINS

(also because he may have to write an apologize letter to said origin for... *dismissing* such a potiental candidate for the next Magnus. amongst other things. like giving a big case of anxiety and self loathing and possible others.)

Megatron has to find a way around Overlord without DYING in the process but it may be proven impossible with how protective Overlord has been over his tiny adult son. He got off lucky.

Meanwhile Overlord is showing off some baby pics of Orion before he became Optimus while Optimus dying inside and tried so very hard to nab the scrap book of his most embarrsing moments of his youth. Like somehow taking down feral metallic creature that's three-four times his size amd won. Amd suprising every one else that he had teeny tiny fangs. cue Optimus activing his battle mask to prevent unwanted inspection of any fangs

No knows how he was such a feral, bitty and ready to throw hands baby considering how polite Optimus is and how often he gets floored but most of the crew agree that he is mostly like has not changed much (he went for the biggest and meanest of Cons)

I need Sentinel to know for this exact reason. Let him suffer.

What if Ultra Magnus knew a tad bit (knew Optimus was part decepticon)? Angst time? Though when he finds out Optimus is half Overlord... Yeah he was quick to apologize to a not in the mood to be apologized to Overlord

Tfa Megatron is plotting but it's like that meme with the numbers flying around

Megatron is trying

Awww yes, of course Overlord kept the scrapbook of all the best moments

OPTIMUS WITH FANGS SPOTTED

YES

It's always the niceish ones, and yess Optimus has not changed that much

[sicklyseraphnsuch]

Jack starts babbling which is... funny. Hiccup is the babbler between the two of them. For all his flair and fun times, Jack is surprisingly introspective and quiet when he wants to be. Whereas Hiccup's anxiety explodes outwards, Jack just curls into himself. That's how he vanishes so easily from parties. When people go looking for him, expecting noise and a flurry of movement, less people notice him when he hushes up and falls behind.

There's an art to it, something that he - clumsy and awkward Hiccup - can't quite master. Jack can get any ball rolling, pushes it right off a cliff until people are carried away by their own laughter, swept right off their feet. Then in his cleverly created commotion, he just... slides right out, quick and clean and easy. People don't realize he's gone until hours after, when the ball finally comes to a stop.

So... Babbling. Hiccup does that. Jack doesn't. Learning about him takes an awful amount of patience, literally like waiting for water to thaw. He doesn't just talk talk talk. But he is, right now, about Nightlight. Because yeah, okay, Hiccup should have seen that coming. Jack would come apart about Nightlight - it's like Nightlight is a very important person to him, or something. As if Hiccup hadn't witnessed or listened to all the times Jack spoke about a missing part in him! Hiccup shouldn't be so surprised and now he's frustrated at his own surprise which is just... great.

"You... are not listening, are you?"

Hiccup blinks, finding Jack uncomfortably close. He jerks back. "Whoa! What? Yes, I was!"

"So you heard the part about me eating yellow snow?"

"You what?!"

"See!! You weren't listening!!"

Hiccup rubs a hand over his face. "Okay, fine. Sorry. I just... Wouldn't it be better to tell Nightlight about all this? Since he's your Other Half..."

Yeah, this is incredibly mature of him, honestly. He's not being petty at all, noooope.

Jack laughs that bright, tinkling laugh of his. Hiccup feels his stomach drop to his knees. He could listen to Jack laugh forever, he really could.

"Hic... I think... There's been a misunderstanding? But also it's hard to understand in the first place. I think the closest explanation would be... You know how Toothless is your best friend? Who understands you better than anybody? And at some point, you literally completed each other - him needing you to fly and you needing him to fly, that sort of thing? Well... It's like if you woke up one day and you had to share the same body."

Hiccup thinks this over, weirds himself out, then thinks it over some more. "I can... I can kinda imagine that?"

"Good, because my thing with Nightlight is only sorta like that. It's the closest thing but it's not exactly like that. For one thing, me and Nightlight never had separate bodies like this before. I never got to know Nightlight as someone outside of me. It used to be... hard sometimes, to see where he starts and I end. But... not in a bad way. He was - I was - We were something completely new. And now..."

Hiccup knows this part, grown familiar with this - the waiting. Jack has spoken more than he's ever spoken before, but Hiccup can tell that he's still only saying half of his thoughts. There's a lot more hiding under that shock of white hair.

"... Well, the point is... We're not together... like that. I wasn't, you know, flirting with you just for kicks and giggles."

Yeah, that makes sense. Of course, Jack... Wait. Uh. What. Wait. No. Wha- He? Then? At Hiccup? Huh?!?

"Aaaaaand I broke him. I think I broke him. Hiccup are you in there? Blink once for yes, twice if no!"

"You!"

"Me?"

"You - You - You said that men loving men was not done from where you came from!"

"Ah, yeah... But I also had like 300 years of experiences that were more or less coloring my perspective of the world, whether I realized it or not."

"You were flirting with me? Since when??"

Jack adopts a positively sly look. "Since... You showed me your big black dragon..." He wags his eyebrows. "... Then took me on a ride, up and down, and up and down."

Hiccup gives him a flat look, grabs Jack's hood and pulls it over his face. "Whenever you're ready to take this a little more seriously, just let me know."

Jack struggles briefly with pushing up his hood but when Hiccup finishes speaking, he pulls it further down, hiding his eyes. "Weren't you listening, Hics? I've... I've always taken this seriously. This, I mean - I've always been real about you, anyways. I..."

Oh. "Oh." Oh!

Jack shuffles back a few steps, hunching over, keeping his head low, and out of sight.

And Hiccup is... He isn't many things. But he does like to think of himself as smart, and... And he can put the pieces together - that he and Jack and Jack's Nightlight might have to stay apart.

[moose-muffin]

yo, i think i have some for Velvette and Charlie ig

Velvette is a very teasy Ler and a bratty Lee

Her worst spots are her underarms

She LOVES to Target Vox ever since she found out he was incredibly ticklish

I SWEAR she is the one to Bang her fists on the ground because "it tickles so Bad"

She squeals while laughing loudly. No Questions asked.

She WILL and CAN Target your worst spots.

Her laughs become really high-pitched if You Target her underarms LOL-

Teases You all while wrecking the living hell out of ya.

As for Charlie-

She adores tickling Vaggie, they often get into Tickle fights

Speaking of Tickle fights she and Lucifer always had little Tickle fights when she was little, for fun OR when she was feeling down

Her worst spots are her belly and Ribs

She on rare times takes the role of the Tickle monster (or most times)

Well that's all i have for now!

You might recognize me with this.

-🐝

OH MY GOODNESS???? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE THEYRE SO PRECIOUS HELLO!!!

VELEVETTE IS ACTUALLY AN ICON I LOVE HER SO MUCH AND HER LER STATUS IS ACTUALLY EVER PRESENT LIKE!!!

AND THAT SHOWS IN HER BRATTY LEE VIBES TOO HEHE UR SO RIGHT!! SHE IS SO COMBATIVE BUT ALSO SUPER GIGGLY!!! I LOVE THAT SHE WOULD BANG HER FISTS, MIGHT I ADD SHE WOULD KICK HER LEGS TOO? I THINK ITS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE

ALSO YES SHE TICKLES VOX ALL THE FUCKING TIME AND LETS JUST SAY EVEN THO HE S A Y S HE HATES IT, WE ALL KNOW HES A LIAR AND A DECEIVER ☺️

SHE IS SOOOOO TEASY!!!! AGREED 1000% I WOULD SAY SHES VERY MUCH A FAN OF TEASING THEM ABOUT JUST HOW TICKLISH THEY ARE?? SHE LOVES COMMENTING ON THEIR REACTIONS TO THE TOUCH. SHE MIGHT TEASE YOU ABOUT LIKING IT (especially if your name starts with a V and ends with ox)

(Very quick Valentino mention, feel free to skip if it’s not ur thing. not a Val apologist, I have just always been a villain enjoyer. his character is very interesting. Also four arms) Val and Vel teaming up as lers is actually a crazy collab that would send Vox into an early grave or I guess you know, just make him very flustered. see how I add Vox to everything i am so sorry please don’t worry about it 😍 (i am so horrendously lee and ler for that man)

BUT YES! VELVETTE IS DEF TICKLISH! I HC SHE CAN KIND OF TURN IT OFF? LIKE PRETEND SHES NOT TICKLISH! SHES REALLY GOOD AT IT TOO, BUT IF YOU GET HER ARMPITS… SHES COOKED 😚 OR ALSO I FEEL LIKE HER KNEES ARE HELLA SENSITIVE TOO!! GOD I LOVE HER!!

CHARLIE!!!!!!

MY BELOVED, SHE LOVES TICKLES ALL DAY EVERYDAY!!!!

HER AND VAGGIES TICKLE FIGHTS ARE THE BEST?? BC VAGGIE KNOWS CHARLIE LOVES IT AND SO THEY HAVE LIKE BIGGGG TICKLE FIGHTS. LASTS FOR LIKE THE DAY SOMETIMES (THEY DO LIKE HIDE AND SEEK TYPE STUFF. CHARLIE ENJOYS THE BUILDUP AND THE IDEA OF TICKLE GAMES AND VAGGIE IS HAPPY TO OBLIGE WHETHER IT BE GIVING OR RECIEVING!)

One time they got into one of these and of course ended up getting the whole hotel involved <3 (OH AND NOW IM THINKING ABOUT THIS CONCEPT ON A GREATER SCALE I MIGHT JUST HAVE TO EXPAND ON THIS LATER)

Vaggie def prefers to be the ler but she loves watching Charlie’s face light up when she lets her tickle her (sorry this sounds so busted 😭 basically Vaggie is a softie for when Charlie tickles her bc Charlie gets really excited about it and has a lotta fun)

Charlie is absolutely shameless about loving tickles (kinda stealing from @kt-the-lee hi honey 😽) she is not embarrassed in the slightest and it’s just such a normal part of her identity it’s beautiful

She is also a very gentle ler. She is so excited about tickles all the time but absolutely does understand it’s not for everybody. (If I’m being 100% canon she prooobably had to learn this one the hard way and felt bad but whoever it was gave her a hug and of course forgave her bc they knew she meant well! They also probably tickled her too just to ease her anxiety <3)

The Lucifer one is very wholeosme and sweetie. I’m not big on family tickles personally but adorable nonetheless <3

HER BELLY AND RIBS BEING BAD SPOTS AWWW!! ID SAY TICKLISH NECK TOO <3 SENSITIVE AF AND SUPER GIGGLY IF YOU TICKLE HER THERE!

APOLOGIES FOR TAKING AGES TO RESPOND. THANK YOU FOR THE HCS THESE ARE ADORABLE AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RANDOM ADDITIONS. IM NOT SURE I KNOW WHO THIS IS FROM YET BUT HIIII OMG

[arcaneroses]

tighnari taking care of sick reader?

Tighnari x Gn! Reader

In sickness and health

Part two to Helping the helping hand

a/n: hell YES my brother, i had planned a sequel to my earlier fic to be a sick fic (don't judge I love me some comfort) sooo this is also a sequel sorry!! I think this can be seen as separate but if you guys want another sick fic about him that is not a sequel pls do tell!!

Tighnari pressed the palm of his hand gently on your forehead, you cracked your eyes slightly open; "Tighnari?" Your voice only a whisper in the dead of night, even though it was dark you felt like you saw everything so clearly. Tighnari laughed, not his usual laugh which he normally tried to suppress, but the one where he just sounded so free, cured of any anxieties that plagued him. And in turn curing yours. You just stared at the man standing there, his face closer to yours than ever before. You feel your throat closing when Tighnari's eyes lowered to look at your lips with intent and he-

With a quick gasp of air, you jump out rather unceremoniously. Like a fish out of water you fall out of bed, realizing rather quickly by the morning sun and no Tighnari in sight, that it had been just a dream.

It had felt so real, why did your brain love to torture you like this?

It had been a month when you officially realized your..feelings for the cute forest ranger. And yeah, maybe you do deal with feelings with methods people usually don't really recommend.

Like totally ignoring them and the source of those feelings until they go away. But then he actually noticed it and talked to you about it..you can already feel your cheeks heating up at the memory of Tighnari sitting across from you and looking at you with those big concerned eyes of his and his tail and ears looked so-

Yeah, that didn't help at all.

Maybe a solo patrol around the rainforest would help you clear your head, the sun was low enough that you knew no one else would be awake enough to stop you and nag you about proper forest ranger regulations.

First you just needed to get out of the blanket burrito on the floor.

You spend your day going over what you can of the forest ground, trying to not lose too much sight of the path but occasionally the scent of danger leading you astray.

The last hours of light soon ending you decide to start making your way back, but of course something catches your eye.

You crouch over to study a oddly colored leaf, noting it's condition after being cleansed of the corruption in that area. After a minute of note taking you first feel it, a drop of water. Which isn't really unusual in a rainforest, so you let it slip your mind.

Only fifteen minutes later, drenched in cold pouring rain you wish you would've taken the hint earlier.

"Let go of me you damned mud-!" You grunt, tugging your sunken leg out of the sinking ground. Only for it to be halfway swallowed once again as you try to step away.

Okay, no stress at ALL.

You realize you are freezing up in panic, one of the worst things you could do in this situation.

You try to remember what they said in training, if not now then when?

"Try to find an unmovable object and keep yourself from sinking with it!" You remember, the memory feeling fresh in your mind.

You start quickly scanning the area for any kind of bigger rocks or sturdy enough looking branches. The pouring rain makes it hard, it's like Celestia decided to dump a big ol' water bucket on top of the rainforest.

"There!" You mumble victoriously, spotting a midsized rock only at armsleght away from you. You reach and pull your body towards it, sighing in relief when finally making contact with the hard curved surface.

Shivering, you look at the sky one last time before laying the upper half of your body on the rock.

What next? Well, you pass out.

.

.

.

For archons know how long, you slip in and out of consciousness only seeing and hearing flashes of people.

"Master! I've brought the-"

"Y/n you are such a dumba-"

"I lo-"

"Please wake up."

You wake up feeling like you were beaten up and thrown into a ice river in a tight bodybag, absolutely shitty.

You see a familiarly colored blob standing a few meters away from you, you reach out your shaking hand and suddenly start coughing blemish all over yourself.

You try to place your hand over your mouth but in your delirious state just end up slapping yourself.

"Hey, hey, take it easy. Let's just rest, okay?" A comforting voice(So familiar! Is it Tighnari?) reaches out to you, the blob suddenly right next to you. Comforted by its presence, your mind falls into the darkness once more.

You are bundled up in light blankets, with lots of pillows on the bed. Looking around you realize you are situated at the infirmary. With a sigh you rub your eyes, "Didn’t know I was such a V.I.P patient.." You rasp out, voice quieter than you intended, honestly suprising yourself with how sore your throat feels.

"Y/n? You're awake? Oh that is great, I'll go tell master!" Collei's voice could be heard trough the room, you crane your neck to see a swish of green exiting the infirmary in a hurry.

Huh, you hadn't realized there was anyone here.

Your brain is still too slow to connect the dots, and when you do it is too late to start thinking of a plan.

Tighnari’s here.

You stare, not knowing what to say. "How are you feeling? Is the fever still there or has someone taken your tongue?" Tighnari decides to break the silence, even though he jokes with you. You can feel that he is mad.

"Uh, I'm fine." You manage to speak out, you cringe a little at how your voice cracks at the end.

"Fine? Hm, that is good. Were you also fine when you snuck out like a rebellious teenager and got yourself sick for a week?"

"Well-"

"No I don't want to hear it. Y/n, how stupid can you be? Even without the rainstorm the forest is dangerous enough on it's own! Do you know what we saw when we finally found you? Your body halway submerged, right next to a zone that was only recently cleansed. You looked awful. You-..You looked like a corpse, Y/n. It was like a nightmare, Y/n I thought-" Tighnari grips the helm of his shirt, breathing heavily. It seemed like he had kept this inside him for a while and now it was all coming out.

"Sorry." You whisper, "I didn't mean to make anyone worry." You continue, but are interrupted by a harsh coughing fit. Tighnari seems to come back to reality at that, and pulls from the shelf a small purple bottle with some kind of liquid inside.

Stepping near your bed, sinking himself on one knee. Tighnaris ears switch when your cough stops, you wish you could read his thoughts. "Here, this should help." Tighnari pours the liquid on a spoon, holding it in front of your lips.

Your face flushes from embarrassment. "I can-" You begin protesting, but as soon as you get your mouth open the spoon is forced inside.

"Phyh! Ew.." One of the worst tastes you've ever tasted.

Tighnari, the head of the forest rangers and a well known scholar, fucking smirks at your pain. "Haah, maybe I can forgive you someday if I get to see you suffer like this a few more times more."

"How many times?" You ask skeptically.

"Like, a hundred. So..ninety-nine to go."

"You sadistic bastard." You whisper and slap his arm playfully, glad that Tighnari apparently decided you're too sick to get anymore of his judgment.

"You know Y/n, I wanted to give you a present actually."

"A suprise present? Aww Tighnari! What is it?" You smirk, thinking he was being sarcastic.

"Shh,” he hushes, “you’ll see.”

You can’t help but smile at him, feeling some of the weight in your chest lighten.

He holds out his hand, urging you silently to place your hand on his palm. And when you do you feel a sudden burst of energy and a tingling under your palm, a quiet giggle bubbles up from you. Tighnari’s eyes light up at the sound.

You lift your hand from his, and see a beatiful pink camellia, a foreign flower you've only seen in textbooks before.

"It's so pretty..but why?" You ask, voice nasally, sounding out of breath even though you are just laying down. You raised your voice out of a whisper, wanting to make sure he heard you.

"Well, you know that I do not care for flowers more than other parts of nature. But did you know that they actually carry out different meanings? I thought that was very interesting." Tighnari smiles and places the camellia on the stool next to his, your eyes resting between looking at him and the flower.

"This isn't probably the most, uh, romantic time to do this." He scratches the behind of his ear, "But Y/n, I." Tighnaris tail stops moving, you can feel the unusual nervousness radiating off of him.

"The camellia means love..longing, right?" You remember and raise an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, that is why I gave it to you."

You and him both look at each other for a moment, his usually pale face red. You feel the same kind of warmth.

"You..?" A million thoughts race through your head.

"You know, I wanted to actually do this for a long time. But uh, it was never a good time. And I guess this isn't a great time either, but I had to. Seeing you..like that. I guess something in me snapped, I just thought that the future is so uncertain that I just had to let you know. Even if you don't feel the same way, I had to do this."

"I do feel the same way!" You grasp his hand in yours, feeling your heart burst with happiness.

Tighnari looks like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, "Then, can I kiss you?"

"Aren't I like infectious? Not that I mind doing that but I think the others would kick my ass if I got you sick."

"No, it's okay. You're past that part."

"Okay then. Let's go for it."

He cringes, you cringe. Like two kids still afraid of cooties.

Tighnari is gentle when he takes hold of your face, tilting it up to meet his eyes so that he can kiss you. At first it’s innocent, shallow, but then the distance is gone and your hands are in his hair, sliding down his arms.

“Fucking hell,” he exhales, foreheads pressed together. “I don’t know how I’ve survived without this for as long as I've done.”

"Me neither."

And you both smile, even if that moment is actually short, it is like a lifetime to you both.

"You do know that you're not going to be allowed to do any forest ranger duties for a long while right?"

"You are lucky that I love you Tighnari."

"The same goes for you Y/n."

+a little sketch of the cutest dendro dude made by yours truly (me!)

[nspwriteups]

Locking Eyes at Thirunallam

@harinishivaa 's Enadhuyire part 1 enabled me to reimagine AMV & Vanathi's first meeting at Thirunallam…hope you'll like it

 Arulmozhi closed his eyes and enjoyed the light breeze that ruffled his hair. Maybe coming to Thirunallam was a good idea after all. He was riding his elephant after a refreshing bath at Ponni. This was the only breather he could take before his family and the royal council bombarded him with marriage proposals. Why couldn't they understand that he didn't wanted to marry a girl right of the bat but needed time to understand that person before making such a critical decision. It was not only about the future of the Chozha Nadu but also about his future. And the future of the girl he was marrying. But apparently the council only cared about securing their positions as inlaws and strengthening their own status. He let out a deep sigh. No use getting a headache thinking about all this now. He came here to distract himself from the royal politics and to be with nature. Be with his Ponni. 

"Oh Yaanai Paaga!" Hearing a female shout he turned his head around and saw a woman standing near a big tree, waving her hands at him. "Come here, quick!" She called him over urgently.

A million thoughts passed through his mind. Who was this woman? She did seem familiar, judging from her clothes and jewelleries, he assumed she must be one of his Akka's companions perhaps. She didn't visibly seemed to be in any sort of danger but her face held an expression of fear and anxiety which made him hurry his elephant over to her. "Yes, what is the matter Devi?" He asked, giving her a reassuring smile. The woman blushed and seemed to be tongue tied, merely pointed her finger towards the upper branch of the tree. Arulmozhi followed the direction of her finger and saw a nest consisting of what looked like woodpecker fledglings, crying out as the nest was lopsided on the branch. "A wild cat attacked the nest" He heard her again, and couldn't help but note how sweet her voice was "I shooed away the cat but the nest got lopsided. Could you help fix it?" She looked at him with pleaded eyes. 

He nodded and touched the elephant's forehead and pointed towards the nest. The elephant, his constant companion in expeditions, understood his intention and using its trunk, slightly nudged the nest upright,the fledglings ceasing their cries immediately. The task accomplished, he looked around for the girl, only to find her missing. Has she gone already? He didn't even had a chance to talk to her properly, he was surprised to find himself so disappointed. 

"Penne, where have you gone?" He called out for good measure and was surprised when he heard a reply "I am here" He found her standing near the lotus pond, flashing him a friendly smile. "You have my infinite gratitude Yaanai Paaga" Ah, so she truly believed he was a mahout! No blame to her, since he was wearing ordinary clothes, ditching his princely attires so no one can report his wanderings to his Akka. He decided to see how much he could keep his act. "Don't I get a reward Devi?" He meant to lightly tease her, for what he didn't knew. The woman regarded him "Of course. I'll ask my uncle to appoint you to the highest position in the mahout regiment of the Kodumbalur army" She said genuinely and he felt his smile fade. Kodumbalur? And she mentioned her uncle. So Is this Vanathi Devi, the niece of Periya Velar and the Kodumbalur Kula Vilakk? Not to mention the first candidate in his Akka's list of potential brides for him. He allowed himself to look at her properly this time. Her purple saree complimented her complexion well. She was beautiful, no doubt, with an even more beautiful smile and big, doe eyes. She spoke with confidence although her cheeks were tinged red from nervous or shyness. Arulmozhi felt his heart beating out of his chest, afraid the Kodumbalur Ilavarasi might hear it. Nevertheless, he managed to keep his composure. 

"I'm truly glad to serve Arulmozhi Ilavarase, Devi. But thank you for the offer" He said and prepared to leave.

"What's your opinion of your Ponniyin Selvan?" He was pleasantly surprised by her question.

"Why do ask, Devi?"  She looked embarrassed. "I heard he has arrived at Thirunallam and I just wanted to know. Beyond the usual description of him as the Surya Kula Manikkam and Ponniyin Selvan. About his likes and dislikes and his pasttime activities and his favourite thevarams." 

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Yes, now he was eager to talk with her and imagine her shock when he reveals his identity.

"Maybe I will" She said, saying more to herself than to him, gaze fixed on the lotus pond."I cannot marry someone unless I understand them as a person" 

"I was thinking the same" He realised he said that thought aloud when he saw her face him " Why? You're marriage is also fixed?" She asked genuinely.

"Ummm….yes Devi. Now, excuse me. I have to leave" He guided his elephant to turn around and walk, not before hearing her call out "Oh Yaanai Paaga, don't tell Ponniyin Selvan I asked about him" 

He suppressed a laugh and turned around to see her "Why would I tell him when he himself knows?" 

She gave him a puzzled look "What do you mean?"

"You'll know" He shouted back "Now let me go back to my Akka. She is very persistent, being the Ilaiya Piratti" 

He enjoyed seeing her confused look turn into utter shock and embarrassment and flashed her a grin.

Can't wait to hear from you guys….Like, Comment and reblog 💜

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[callofdudes]

hello, sorry if this is rude, but I wanted to ask why you write Ghost the way you do?? I haven't played the games yet but I've been seeing some people debating on others writing him different ways.

Hey anon, I don't think it's rude. Now, if I understand this correct, yes, there are people who have been debating and even aggressive toward some people who write for different characters.

But I'll break down why I write Simon why I do.

First off, for those who haven't played the games and haven't looked into a character further than their sex appeal; Simon isn't heartless and rottenly cold.

He's not. Nor would he push around and hurt people who are in his circle on purpose. Going back to 2009 when Simon was shown in the og trilogy he was very close to captain MacTavish and made jokes and comments all throughout the game. While he's still very much professional, he has that balance.

It's shown, even in the new game that Simon cares deeply. One reason I think people want to think he's so cold because that's how he likes to present himself. But in the military, being particularly scary is probably favorable. That and being in the military as long as Simon or Price has, they have probably learned not to get too close to soldiers.

Since the sad part it, there's a very high chance they won't make it long.

And an intimacy issue. I've seen people getting upset because some people write Simon to flinch at every little touch. And while I think part of that has truth, Simon 100% has intimacy issues.

And this is partly me projecting into him, because Simon wouldn't be raised how he was and not have issues or extremely negative views and experiences around intimacy. And I doubt the military encouraged any different.

While I don't think he would flinch at every single thing, certain things are completely beyond his limits. I personally had a very abusive relative who always wanted hugs and I was always forced to hug her and be close to her. And since getting away I am extremely careful and particular about who hugs me.

I am uncomfortable hugging people who aren't in that selected little few, and really I'm still only 100% with hugs from my dad.

So does Simon have intimacy issues, absolutely he does. He doesn't know affection, and for someone who hasn't known a lot of a affection it can come off like a red flag or a trigger because they aren't used to it happening so in their mind; something must be wrong.

And a lot of affection can take Simon out of things. Like myself, if he's love bombed he is out of it and needs to step away because... Like what does he do? That's too much in one place at one time. Big boundaries.

But Simon is also gentle. Just because all of these things have happened to him doesn't mean he's always nasty. He's very gentle toward someone who shares an up bringing or even just a situation like he had. He's gentle with hostages and with kids when he finds them on the field. While he may not like children, he doesn't do anything to openly show that.

Touch-starved. All I need to say. When Someone like Johnny, or Reader gives Simon affection that he likes, he wants it all.

Like snuggles, when Simon comes to the realization of how much he just genuinely and innocently likes the company of a close body with warm arms wrapped around him, he wants more. He wants what they can give him. He needs to trust them though.

Simon is very closed off only until he's with those he is close with.

And yes, Simon is strong, but that does not mean he can't have mental struggles. Simon, in my world has had struggles with food because I have.

Simon can have anxiety and still be able to throw out quips and quick remarks like when johnny and him were bantering in the alone mission about his mask. He can have both.

You can be both confident in your profession and lacking confidence in another field. I see this a lot with König as well. They are both firm and know the drill and are very, very confident in their field of work because they know it.

But taken out of that head space and thrown into something casual of domestic for a bit and it completely takes them out and gives them anxiety.

Simon can be self conscious of his body and his stretch marks and still have confidence in other things.

And this is just how I personally like to write Simon. There is probably a lot more I missed but off the top of my head this is how I write him. And I enjoy writing him like this, and I'm glad others do as well.