#Rain would shrug and attempt to curl around them all

[midnight-moth]

Seemed like a good time to remember this one too

[iamthecomet]

I would offer my firstborn to see mean!Dew out-mean Rain. Maybe Rain doesn't expect it. Getting a taste of his own medicine. He doesn't expect it to be so hot.

Mean!Dew. My favorite.

~~

"Kneel," Rain orders. Dew's barely in the door to his own room. Rain hot on his heels. Rain kicks the door closed hard enough that the window rattles. He glowers at Dew’s back. Persona sliding into place. Dew wants a firm hand—he’ll give it to him. He’ll give Dew exactly what he’s been hinting at all day—he’ll ruin him.

Dew looks over his shoulder, and Rain catches a glint in those copper eyes that makes his stomach twist. Apathy. Annoyance.

Oh.

Dew waves a hand, the embers in his fireplace roar to life. He shrugs his jacket off, tosses it over his desk chair. Busies himself with the buttons on his shirt. He doesn't look at Rain again. Rain says Dew's name, harsh. Another command. Dew ignores him.

Rain feels like the world tilts under his feet. Dew ignores him a lot. Turns his nose up at Rain's orders in an attempt to make punishments worse. He's used to disobedience, at least initially. But this isn't the same.

Dew's, loose, relaxed. Flippant when he shrugs his shirt off and finally turns to look at Rain. Shirtless, uniform pants slung low on his hips. Nipple rings swaying as he takes a step toward Rain. Dew cocks an eyebrow. He looks amused, like he's cat with a mouse between his paws. But then that makes Rain the--

"Dew--" "Shut up.” Rain’s words die on his tongue. There’s no argument in Dew’s voice. No desperation, no question. And Rain is grappling with what's happening. It’s unexpected. He doesn’t know what to do with the way his cock kicks in his pants at the tone of Dew’s words. At the way Dew looks through him. Past him. Like Rain is a nuisance, a burden. All he knows is he never wants Dew to stop. Rain doesn’t know what to do now. Knows if he opens his mouth he’s going to sound unsure, hesitant. And that isn’t going to work. Not if he wants to keep the upper hand. Though, he’s starting to realize that maybe he never had it. Dew's been playing this game all day. Lulling Rain into this comfortable place where he calls all the shots. But really, Rain's walked right into this. He's let Dew play him. He doesn't want to admit how much he loves it. From the minute Dew dragged his hand over Rain’s chest and up to his throat in rehearsal, Rain’s brain has been racing to catch up. And Dew’s been one step ahead of him. Making Rain chase him, making Rain do all the work just to get here. Where Dew is looking at him like he's an idiot and Rain's cock is twitching to life in his pants because of it. “Why don’t you kneel for once?” Dew says. Satanas, he sounds bored. Rain’s stomach twists again. Is this how Dew feels when Rain treats him like this?

No wonder he likes it so much. Dew gives him every opportunity to back out. Questions him with his gaze in a way only Dew has ever managed to do. Like telepathy. Never breaking character but Rain knows this is his chance to bow out. To go back to the old script or something different entirely. Instead, Rain nods, just a little, just enough. And Dew is on him. Long fingers curling in Rain's hair and pulling until Rain yelps. Dew drags him down to his level, so their noses almost touch. Copper eyes boring into Rain's. "Are you too stupid to follow simple instructions?" Dew spits. "Kneel." Rain does. Isn't sure if he actually decides to or if his legs just give out. His body following Dew's orders long before his brain catches up. He hits the floor hard, pain jolting up through his thighs. His hands fall to his thighs, palm down and useless. Rain won't move them again unless Dew tells him to. They might as well not exist. Rain's already dipping. Static crowding into the edges of his brain. He's never fallen so fast. God he wants to sink into it and never come out. Dew never lets go of him. Unclenching his fist in Rain's hair to shift his grip and curl around one of his seaglass horns. He drags a hot claw over the place they connect to his head, oversensitive all the time. Rain's eyes flutter closed, he whines. Leans into Dew's touch. It's a mistake. The sting of Dew's slap is sharp on his cheek, hot. Rain's eyes snap open. The pain goes straight to his cock. Fully hard now, tenting his uniform pants. He can feel himself dripping already--unable to hide what this does to him. How much he likes it. "Don't look away from me again," Dew demands, and Rain promises himself he won't. Doesn't want to. Rain doesn't want to disappoint him, but he knows that he will no matter what he does. It doesn't stop him from trying. Dew nudges Rain's clothed cock with his boot. Rain hisses, hips canting toward the pleasure-pain he knows that boot will provide. Too eager, he knows, he'll never get it if he acts this way. His cheeks burn, delicious shame flashing through him at his own desperation. He can't help it. Rain knows the game but can't catch up. He's falling into traps he knows how to set. Letting Dew bait him into them. It doesn't matter how good he is at this game from the other side--on this one, he's helpless. He loves it. Dew laughs at him. A low chuckle, dark. The promise in it makes goosebumps break out over Rain's skin. "Fucking pathetic," Dew sneers. He pulls back on Rain's horn, tipping his head back. Dew leans down and spits. It hits Rains' cheek in a thick glob. Burning hot and slick as it slides down Rain's face to his jaw. Rain wishes it had been in his mouth. He wants to taste it. Thinks about sticking out his tongue, trying to catch an errant drip of it. Anything to get a taste of Dew--a piece of him. "Please," Rain murmurs. He doesn't know what he's asking for. The word breaks from his mouth unbidden. He digs his teeth into his cheek to try to keep more from escaping. "You want something, water lily?" Dew says, too soft, a trap. There's something in his tone--dangerous--sing-song, that makes Rain throb. Rain knows better than to nod. He keeps his eyes on Dew's face, keeps his head and hands still. "I want whatever you want," he offers and hopes it's good enough. Dew grins down at him, predatory. Fangs sharp. Rain hopes Dew digs them into his throat. Hopes he draws blood. Rain hopes he wears the evidence of Dew's debauchery on his body for days. Dew reaches for his zipper, fingers tightening on Rain's horn. "Right answer. Open up." Rain does, sticks out his tongue for good measure. Eyes still fixed on Dew's face as Dew pulls his cock free and smacks the head on Rain's cheek. Smearing a trail of salty pre over his cheekbone. "You think you're so fucking pretty," Dew chuckles, mocking. It hits, hard. Rain's cheeks flush darker. He wants to look away, he forces himself not to. Dew strokes himself, tapping the sticky head on Rain's tongue. "You won't be when I'm done with you."

[ghcstao3]

(from this post. i got excited)

It’s an easy job, at the very least.

Show up, have Price assign a location, sell produce for eight hours straight, go home. Repeat the next day, or two days from then, whichever is most convenient to the farmer running the entire operation. Proceed all summer long.

It’s simple, almost too simple, but who is Johnny to complain when he’s getting paid above minimum wage to essentially sit around all season?

At least, Johnny wouldn’t be one to complain if it weren’t for the fellow university student he’s consistently paired up with to work alongside.

It’s not that Simon is rude or unpleasant or anything—in fact, if he was, Johnny thinks it might make things a bit easier—he’s just… quiet. And frustratingly intriguing but so unresponsive to Johnny’s attempts at making the days that seem to stretch on forever just a little more bearable.

At some point Johnny starts to think Simon hates him, with the way he’ll hold longer conversations with customers than with his own coworker. It’s miserable, in all honesty, because Johnny had just hoped to come away from this job with a friend, like most of his past employments—instead he’s been saddled with one-word responses and the barest hint of a cold-shoulder and it’s driving him insane.

But Johnny lets Simon ignore him. He’d prefer mutual company, sure, but he also recognizes when limits are set.

So when they’re trapped under their stand of the day, huddled together as much as two people can be without touching, Johnny still makes no attempt to spark conversation even as the chill of an anomalous late-June near-freezing cold soaks into his bones. He keeps his mouth shut even when he begins shivering uncontrollably, not wanting to disturb Simon and whatever contentedness he feels in his silences and steady gazes.

Though, Johnny nearly whines when Simon gets up and takes his warmth with him after muttering something about getting something from the truck.

Then Simon is returning, and something silver and crinkling is being draped over Johnny’s shoulders with a tentative care before Simon is returning to his spot without a word. Johnny pulls the emergency blanket tighter around himself and finally allows himself a glance at Simon, still composed and unreadable as ever.

Johnny dares break the silence with a soft, “Thank you.”

Simon shrugs a shoulder. His eyes are still firmly set ahead, to the space where imaginary customers stand in the pouring rain.

“Don’t imagine Price would appreciate having to fill out a report if you got hypothermia,” Simon says. 

It’s the most words he’s spoken to Johnny in succession, and it comes at a slight shock. Johnny stares, wide-eyed, incidentally boring holes in the side of Simon’s face. He watches Simon’s jaw work, almost like he’s chewing on the regret of opening a line of communication to Johnny.

“I’m sure he’d find a loophole,” Johnny quips.

Simon huffs. Johnny suspects it’s the closest to a laugh he might ever get.

In the lull that follows, Simon hangs his head, picks at a loose thread on his jeans. There’s almost a bashful quality to the action as he asks, “What do you call a bear in the rain?”

Johnny frowns. The first time Simon ever really talks to him, and he’s… setting up punchlines? But even amidst his confusion, Johnny echoes, “What do you call a bear in the rain?”

Simon looks up at Johnny, brown eyes sparkling with mirth. “A drizzly bear,” he replies in a deadpan.

Johnny snorts before bursting into a fuller laugh, fingers curling tightly around the edges of the blanket as he doubles over at the absurdity of… everything. There must be something in the air. In the God-awful weather.

“That’s horrible,” Johnny laughs, “Just terrible.”

“There’s more where that came from,” Simon tells him, sounding vaguely pleased with himself.

“Well, go on, then.” Johnny grins. His stomach cramps with fading laughter. “Give it your best.”

And Simon sure does.

Johnny isn’t too certain what’s shifted between them to cause this, in this short frame of time. But either way, he’s glad for it.

Now he can only pray it holds up for the rest of the summer, let alone their next shift together. This side of Simon is far better than anything Johnny could have hoped for, in his prior endeavours to be amicable.

How he could listen to Simon telling stupid jokes for the rest of time.

Johnny can't wait to learn more about him.

[lordgrimwing]

Sheltered #01

[for Maedhros and Maglor week, hosted by @maedhrosmaglorweek]

“What’s out there?” Elrond asked, shaking beneath the blanket Elros and he huddled under on the bed. His dark eyes darted toward the gray window and away again, frightened of what he might see out in the storm.

“Nothing to worry about,” Maglor murmured from where he sat next to them, one arm resting on the blanket. “Just rain and wind.”

The trees howled. 

Elrond ducked back under the covers and pulled them closed around him. Elros curled tighter against him.

Maglor listened to the trees. The way they creaked with the strain of the rushing wind. The way their branches moaned as they rubbed against each other. Distantly, he heard a tree break and fall. Was it the old hollow Burch near the stream where the roots were half exposed from last spring’s runoff? He wondered. The one he and his brothers climbed up inside like oversized raccoons? 

“Something’s out there.” One of the twins insisted from their hiding spot. “Is it doing this?”

“Maybe,” Maedhros said from the doorway. He’d been there for some time, watching his brother's cautious attempts to comfort the two boys they found lost in the forest a few days ago.

Maglor frowned at him. They did not need to feed into any fears the children had. Severe storms weren’t uncommon around this time of year.

Maedhros shrugged. Lying would do them no favors. Something took the boys’ parents, and Fëanor was sure it wanted them, too. He enlisted all of his sons at one point or another over the preceding days to help him strengthen the protections around the house and glen and make charms for the twins to wear to hide them from what was out there. What was the point in hiding the danger when the foundlings already suspected it?

“But,” He relented as his brother continued to glare at him. “If that is the case, you’re in the safest place you could be. We’ve been living with this thing since before you two were born. Our pa knows more about how to keep it away than anyone. Do what we tell you. Don’t go out in the storm. It’ll be alright.” 

The lump under the blanket shifted. “‘M never going outside,” Elrond muttered. 

Maglor smiled sadly, recalling fourteen-year-old Celegorm, all awkwardly long limbs and pale hair, expressing similar sentiments after his own close call. Now, the sun couldn’t set without him craving to run free in the trees and disappear for days on end to hunt and roam. 

When he looked at him, Maedhros appeared lost in thought, brows drawn in consideration. Not so long ago, his youngest brothers, also twins, were this age. Amrod and Amras, bright and happy souls in the ever-growing and twisting shadow thickening the forest. The shadow had grown teeth as of late and become something none of them could deny even if they did not sense it as sharply as their father. Even if they kept these new twins out of its reach, he wondered if they would ever be freed of its presence.

He tilted his head to the side when he noticed his brother watching him from the bed. He blinked back at him and let a smile pull at tired lips. “I’ll bring super when it’s ready.”

[truecobblepot]

2:26 AM

brew talks: another fic, this time set in pre relationship era🫣. thanks to the one and only @multicolorlou for emotional support and encouraging me to keep making more content (and obviously for giving me more ideas) – ILY POOKIE🥰💗‼️

knocking on the door, followed by the soft ring bell, pulled William Steve out from sleep. he rubbed his face and stood up after a moment going towards the door. on his way he glanced over the clock. 2:26 AM. great. he frowned while opening the door; although his grimace disappeared as soon as he looked down, noticing short woman, soaked wet from the rain. her hair that was previously neatly curled now sticking to her face, hands awkwardly pressed against her sides, small bag on one of her shoulders. her dress also not in the best condition as rain stained it completely, now the fabric sticking uncomfortably to her body. and her glasses fully covered in rain drops - he noticed, as she looked up awkwardly.

“sorry i was, uhh… late for my bus and i didn’t wanted to wait a few hours for another one in the rain and i know only you in the area-“

William Steve frowned, but in a more worried way this time, moving to the side, gently pulling her inside by her shoulder.

“Nela, come on… you’ll get sick.”

she gave him a small, thin smile, quickly coming in. she tried to desperately fix her appearance but dropped the attempt as soon as she felt that her wet hands made her hair look even more messy.

“wait in the living room, i’ll be right back.”

William Steve said softly, still a bit sleepy. She knew her way around his house so well by now. she visited him many times; for coffee, work or to take care of his place when her ‘favourite coworker’ was away.

she stood awkwardly near his couch, not wanting to stain it with her wet clothes. she turned towards him as he came back with a towel, shirt and a pair of dress pants, holding them out towards her.

“go change, you can put your clothes in the dryer until you’ll have to go. maybe they’ll dry a bit until then.” he rubbed his chin, giving her a small smile.

she nodded in return and after kicking off her heels she quickly rushed towards the bathroom, changing into borrowed clothes and leaving her dress to dry. she came back still softly drying her hair with a towel.

“thank you and- i’m sorry, i know it’s late-“

“it’s okay.” he smiled as he interrupted her apology, not even letting her to finish it; leaning against the back of the couch he stood next to. “tea? coffee?”

“tea, please.” she smiled gratefully yet still a bit awkwardly, sitting on the couch as he entered the kitchen to pour the liquid.

“what happened?” he asked as he set down a cup of warm tea in front of her on the coffee table.

“i wanted to leave the party sooner, messed up the time when my bus arrives… and it started to rain.” she explained sipping on the drink.

ah. yes, the party. company party william was supposed to attend before he cancelled last minute. he frowned.

“i thought you weren’t going?” he asked and she just shrugged in response.

“yeah. i thought the party would be better, but it was a bit too much… and i got bored halfway through so-“

“i’m sorry it didn’t turned out how you expected it to.” he sat down in the chair next to her.

“that’s okay… i don’t like parties and people mindlessly drinking all night anyway…” she scoffed at the memory of their mutual coworkers tonight. William Steve just continued to frown.

“so… why did you go in the first place?” he asked in further confusion.

“well- you were supposed to be there too.” she looked up at him.

“oh. ohh.” his expression softened as he straightened form his hunched position. finally realising.

“yeah…” she smiled awkwardly and looked down again at her tea before taking another sip.

“i’m sorry. i should’ve told you.”

“no, that’s okay.” she shrugged, smiling softly. “i should go soon-“

“no, that’s—“ he stood up before she did, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her on the couch. “—that’s okay, i’ll get bed ready for you. it’s already late, have some sleep and I’ll drive you back home in the morning… alright?” he looked down at her, slightly hunched to her level.

she smiled, nodding a bit as she leaned back against the couch, cup of tea in her hands.

“alright.”

William Steve nodded, already going upstairs to change sheets for her.

“hey Steve?” she called after him, stopping him for a moment as he turned around before reaching the stairs. “thank you. i mean it.”

he just smiled warmly at her before turning around to go prepare the bed for her, leaving her with a soft smile on her face as she thanked herself for going to that damn party after all.

[instacarma0798]

Title: i will never be satisfied (High School AU)

Ship: Natasha R x Peggy C (Background/Past Natasha x Bruce)

Warnings: Implied SA, but it doesn't actually happen. Alcohol

Steve and Natasha were going on 4 years of friendship, having known each other since the start of freshman year. Ever since Steve and Natasha had first started talking, she could read his face and see he had a crush on Peggy Carter - one of the most wanted women in the school. Carter was perhaps one of the most well known women in the school aside from a few. It was easy to see why, with her long, brown curls and chocolate colored eyes that sparkled when she laughed and deepened to a black when she threatened the boys.

When rumors spread Carter had hooked up with another girl in the school during junior year, Steve had sulked over to Natasha with puppy dog eyes and bright red ears. The redhead laughed at him, patting his shoulder gently before returning to her homework.

Peggy Carter seemed to have no interest in Steve Rogers. The woman avoided him in the halls, didn't react to his approaches, and always had a scowl on her face when she was around. Carter did seem to hate anyone on the football team, which Steve was on, but Rogers had redeeming qualities. His baby blue eyes, soft blonde hair, and charming attitude - if Natasha wasn't lesbian she would be into him.

In contrast, Steve was infatuated with Carter. He had attempted to ask her out at least 5 times from the start of sophomore year - them now being seniors. Every time she said no with an upturned nose, but Natasha caught her lips twitching upwards from where the redhead watched in the background. Every damn time they 'accidentally' crossed paths Steve would blush and smile like a puppy.

What the football team captain was oblivious too was the fact that Peggy Carter was not straight. She probably wasn't even bi. It was a bold assumption to make, even for Natasha after all the years she spent training herself how to read other people's expressions. Peggy Carter curled her lip with a crinkled, upturned at every attempt of flirting if it came from a male - no matter how kind or how much of a gentleman he was. When a girl did it however, the softest, barely noticeable, blush would dust Carter's cheeks and she would quip a flirty comment in return.

Steve didn't seem to get that, and Natasha didn't have it in her to tell him.

"Hey Nat?" Steve looked up from where he doodled in his notebook - a monkey on a bicycle, "Do you think if I ask Peggy out she'll say yes this time?"

Natasha inwardly rolled her eyes as she twirled the pencil between her fingers and thought over her answer, ignoring the bubbling pit of envy in her stomach. The answer she wanted to say was 'no', but Steve unintentionally gave her those big eyes again and with slight downturn of his lips.

She raised one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug before scribbling down the answer to her math problem, "Maybe."

The blonde across from her sighed and sagged his broad shoulders with his head tilted towards the ground. His head jerked up when pounding footsteps sounded behind them. Natasha didn't have to look up to know who it was. Two arms were thrown around her neck, jerking Natasha forward. She rolled, shoving her offender off with a grunt.

"Ow.." Clint groaned from where he lay on the grass, "That was rude."

Natasha huffed and raised her left brow at Clint who gave a sheepish smile.

Clint Barton had been her best friend ever since Natasha moved to the small little town. Her stuck with her through thin and thick. When she had to change foster homes and move to a different school, Clint risked his father's anger and moved schools with her. When her foster parents beat her black and blue, Clint trudged through the rain to find her sniffling under a tree after a frantic text. After she got herself emancipated and lived on the streets for a while, Clint cleared out his action figures from his closet and bought a spare mattress for her to sleep until she got on her feet.

In return, whenever Clint's father drank one too many beers - Natasha would sooth him. Soft smiles and gentle touches of the daughter he always wanted rather than two rouwy boys. The man would take to telling her soft stories with a far away look in his eyes while Clint snuck off into the night. When Clint struggled with him homework, Natasha stayed up late into the night to finish it for him - pretending he did it himself in the morning. When Clint met a pretty girl named Laura with brunette hair and kind eyes who spoke in the softest voice with a western accent, Natasha played matchmaker.

It was a dynamic that worked well, but unfortunately it meant Clint knew nearly all of her tells - the ones that Steve didn't. Which lead to him raising a skeptical eyebrow in return with a silent question in his eyes when he noticed the bleak forlorn look in her eyes.

"Clint," Steve propped himself clumsily on his elbow, "Do you think Peggy will go out with me if I ask her once more?"

The captain fiddled with his pencil and separate eraser, missing the knowing glance Clint tossed Natasha. The redhead silently cursed Steve for giving away the reason she was upset.

"No." Clint answered bluntly, always the loyal friend.

It was no secret to Clint that Natasha had a crush on Peggy. He knew before she knew herself - the way she accidentally stared at Peggy with hearts in her eyes, her smile turning dopey for a moment where only Clint was watching.

Steve sagged at Clint's response and harshly, but still ever so gentle with the paper, scrawled on the paper. Clint winked at her with his signature smile that meant trouble. Natasha gave him a glare and slight shake of the head, a silent response telling him not to cause trouble. But Clint being Clint just smiled wider and plucked her math textbook out of her lap.

"Clinton." Natasha warned, her voice a low tone.

The dirty blonde waved the textbook teasingly before taking off, his legs carrying him far and fast. Natasha spared Steve a speedy but apologetic glance before chasing after Steve. He may have longer legs, making him faster, but Natasha could run further for longer.

She rounded a corner, barely seeing the tail of his purple blouse sticking out like a duck tail. Her feet skidded against the halls a hand outstretched as Clint came in to view. She stretched her hand further into her command. Her legs braced as she prepared to tackle Clint, the muscles locking up and knees bending.

Then a door smacked her in the face, leaving a searing red mark.

Her back hit the ground with a thump and she dully registered Clint stopping and another voice crying out in concern. Natasha took a moment to groan in pain before hauling herself up, whoever opened that door was hella strong. Placing a hand to her head she attempted to steady her vision, Clint's calloused hands steading her body.

"I am so sorry," a voice said with a distinct British accent.

Of course if was fucking Peggy Carter.

Natasha waved Clint before plastering a semi-sweet smile onto her own face.

"Don't sweat it, I'll live."

Carter bit her lip with worry, brown curls bouncing as she scanned Natasha up and down, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course," Natasha ignored the fact that her heart was rapidly thumping in her chest and not because of the fall.

She also ignored the fact that her nose was probably broken and her face felt like it was on fire, but Carter didn't need to know that. The brunette woman gave her once over once more, her eyes shinning with concern.

"You sure?" she asked once more, it sounded like she wanted to reassure herself more than Natasha.

Flapping her hand in a dismissive manner, Natasha gave a one shouldered shrug, "I've had worse."

That didn't seem to settle Carter any more, but it did satisfy her and the brunette spun on her heel heading down the hall.

A sharp exhale left her the minute Carter rounded a corner, her boots echoing through the hall. Natasha groaned at the pounding in her head and pain in her nose. Beside her, Clint looked torn between letting the goofiest grin cross his face and frowning at her in concern and regret. Smartly, he chose the later.

Snagging her elbow Clint dragged her down the hall and back outside, school bells ringing dismissing the last class of the day that Natasha had ditched (ultimately convincing Steve too). Students flooded the halls, some accidentally bumping into her despite Clint's vicious glare that told them all to back off.

He brought her outside where Steve was still waiting, but now the same brunette woman that Natasha could not shake stood next to him - her stance tall and imposing with her crossed arms and chin tilted upwards. The blonde captain had a rosy pink blush dusting his cheeks with his eartips red as he undoubtably asked Peggy Carter out once more. Natasha rolled her eyes, hearing Clint give an exaggerated exhale beside her.

Steve was just finishing saying something when they got into hearing distance, but they managed to catch Carter's response.

"Fine. Tomorrow, cafe on third at 11." her tone left no room for argument, making it clear if Steve wanted this date he would have to comply.

The football team captain looked as surprised as Natasha felt at the fact that Carter was going out with him. Despite her repeated refusals and blatant fact that she was not straight, Natasha never expected her to fall in love with Steve. Maybe she was getting rusty.

Steve did a little bounce on his heels before nodding eagerly like an over excited puppy. His eyes lit up further when he saw them, waving both Natasha and Clint over as Carter walked away.

Natasha was totally looking at Steve rambling as Carter sauntered away.

<_______________>

One date morphed into two dates, two dates morphed into three dates, three dates morphed into four dates, and well you get the point. Everyone in the school expected Steve and Peggy to stop after the first date, but no. The two went on more and more dates, thus integrating Peggy into their small friend group and getting Natasha a new girl friend - emphasis on the space between the two words.

Their small little group, minus Clint because he had his own work to do, sat inside the small underrated diner that was settled down the street from Natasha's apartment. It was meant to a be a friend celebration for finishing the school year, but it felt more like Natasha was third-wheeling a date.

Both of her companions made heart eyes at each other with dopey grins - Carter's slightly less dopey and more serious. Meanwhile she sat in the background twirling her past around her fork with sagged shoulders. While this scene wasn't uncommon - Carter and Steve turning their friend outings into personal dates - Clint was usually here to endure it with her. A forkful of pasta was angrily shoved her mouth, Natasha yelping a little when she stabbed her cheek with her fork.

Flushing red with embarrassment, Natasha shook off both of the other's concern. She mumbled out an excuse around her mouthful of food and swallowed thickly. It seemed to pacify Steve and Peggy because the two went back to chatting with each other.

She lost track of what they were talking about, vaguely catching the word 'crush' but stupidly delegating to ignore the conversation and get lost in her head. A finger poked her arm, shaking her a tiny bit, and she looked up from her plate to see Steve staring her expectantly.

"Hm?" she raised an eyebrow in question.

"We asked if you have a crush," Carter intercepted Steve with her british accent.

A light blush dusted the british woman's cheeks, presumably because of something Steve said, as her head tilted adorably at Natasha with brown eyes filled with curiosity. Natasha trailed her eyes down Peggy's face, all the way down to where she held Steve's hand on top of the table, fingers interlocked and twisting together like the ugly feeling in Natasha's chest. Clearing her throat, Natasha forced a laugh out of her throat.

"No," she shook her head, "I don't do those sort of things."

The blatant lie flew right over Carter's head, the woman offering her a charming laugh that made her eyes shine in the lighting and her curls bounce as her head tilted back slightly. Natasha could hear that sound all day. Steve gave her a suspicious look, one with underlying concern but let the topic drop.

<___________>

Natasha started to pull away once Carter integrated more into the little rag-tag friend group the redhead was apart of. At least she intended to. Previously it only consisted of her and Clint before Steve shoved his way in there and adopted the two introverts in a very extroverted style. With Steve, Carter eventually came, which was fine. It was fine, Natasha liked Peggy. She liked her. But with the newest addition came so many others. Tony Stark, the "rich kid" came with Carter - despite the woman's apparent annoyance with him. Carol Danvers, a person Natasha rarely saw because the woman skipped classes so often. Bruce Banner, who actually Tony Stark seemed to drag along, but they all came with Carter.

Now her small safe little bubble was filled with people she didn't know and it didn't feel safe anymore. There were four new people, four unknown variables that she didn't know well beside the fact that most of them were popular.

On top of that, Bruce Banner seemed to take a liking for her and wouldn't leave her alone. Natasha had taken to using some diversion tactics she learned when she wanted to lose an angry foster parent or from the various times she ran from CPS. It didn't work very well, the shy man oddly persistent, so Natasha gave in. She wasn't going to get the person she liked anyway.

The next time Banner stumbled over a pickup line, Natasha crossed her arms under her chest - pushing her breasts up, and gave a flirty comment in return. The man clearly wasn't expecting it, based on his flushed cheeks and wide eyes, but he returned it in kind. Her plans to pull away from the friend group were temporarily put on hold.

Natasha ignored Clint's piercing gaze that bore into the back of her skull with disagreement every time she flirted with Banner. It tore at her heart the way he looked at her, he was her partner. Despite having his doubts, though never voicing them, Clint stuck with her - as always. Opting to ignore Bruce or address him with a brash attitude, Clint didn't not outright support her.

Steve was a whole different story. He clapped her on the back with a laugh and told her he was glad that she found someone - she deserved it. A few comments were tossed her way about how she once claimed, "she didn't do that stuff," but Natasha ignored them.

The last person she expected to be suspicious of her relationship with Banner was suspicious. Carter gave her a smile when she informed everyone she was with Banner, but the woman didn't seem keen on it. Mumbling something indecipherable, Carter shook her head at Natasha, which only served to tighten the knot in her chest.

To top add a cherry on the top, she got fired from one of her three jobs and now wasn't making enough money to pay the rent. If she didn't scramble some together or get another job then Natasha would be kicked out of her apartment and living on the streets once more. That was a stress she didn't need to deal with. She just had to make it through high school then she could focus on making money - collage wasn't really in the question.

Bruce Banner - 4:30

Can I come over tonight? Watch a movie?

Natasha glanced at her manager who was flipping a burger in the back as she glanced at her phone sneakily. Breathing out heavily she debated the answer, fingers hovering over the keys. Tonight was her only night off from the night job - working in a bar which technically wasn't allowed, but a forged ID went a good distance if you got it done right. Banner, however, had some issues with rejection. His face turned a little red the first time she told him 'no' and he stormed off in a rage.

So reluctantly she typed out a response.

Natasha Romanoff - 4:31

Sure. I get off work at 5, so be there around 6.

He reacted to her message with a thumbs up before Natasha shoved her phone in her pocket to focus on work.

<___________>

Bruce showed up at her door at 5:30 while she was still in the shower. He shot her a text, a few actually when she didn't reply to the first one, and Natasha hastily threw some clothes on - workout pants and a tanktop along with under garments, before drying her hair and opening the door for Bruce.

He stood dressed in a simple cardigan and casual pants holding a bag of italian takeout. His smile was unapologetic as he stepped through the door and placed the food on the coffee table with a crinkle. Grabbing the remote like it was his home, the man now comfortable after their 5 months of dating, he turned on a show - one that Natasha didn't bother to take note of. With heavy feet she dragged herself over to the couch and plopped down next to Bruce.

Partway through the second movie he slung his arm around her shoulders, ignoring the way they tensed, and scooched closer. Natasha froze, her body locking in place as she was reminded of a previous foster parent. Bruce gradually moved closer, oblivious to the way Natasha was locked in place, until their bodies were pressed together. Eventually she felt his hot breath on her neck and curls itching her chin. That was the only warning she got before Bruce pressed his lips to her neck.

Every single part of her wanted to run, run far away from the situation, but she forced herself to stay still. Bruce kissed up her neck and to her chin. Sensing he wanted more, the redhead turned her head to reincorporate (Despite all her senses screaming at her to not) and met his lips with hers halfway. He pushed her downward, straddling her lap - both of them blocking out the movie in the background.

Cracked, dry, lips trailed down her neck. Her body wanted to shiver in disgust but Natasha forced herself to stay compliant as she had done before. Banner's hands trailed down and down until they started reaching up under the hem of her shirt. Natasha was only willing to tolerate so much and slapped his hands away with a warning. Banner complied, continuing their sloppy, one-sided makeout session, before his hands started inching up her shirt again. Natasha slapped them away once more and shoved Banner off.

The screaming match started then. Banner getting angry and not understanding why, and Natasha upset he didn't listen (not that she wanted the kiss in the first place). In the end Natasha fled from her own apartment, her bare feet carrying her down the street and ignoring Bruce's rushed pleas for her to stay.

She pawed around for her phone, digging it out of her pocket and her cold fingers fumbled to dial Clint. The phone rang and rang as she walked down the the cold New York street, the sidewalk biting into her skin and wind wiping around her face. It rang and rang, but no one picked up. The realization struck Clint was out of town, visiting his brother for the weekend. She cursed herself and plopped down next to a tree.

Her head shoved between her hands she debated who to call. Realistically she could return to apartment, but Bruce knew where to find her there and she didn't want to talk right now. Against her rational thinking she dialed Peggy Carter. It rang a couple times before a groggy voice answered the phone.

"Natasha?"

"I-" the russian's voice came out strangled for the first time in a long while, "Uhm-"

Carter sounded a lot more alert when she answered, "Are you ok?"

It took a moment for Natasha to formulate a response before she reluctantly responded, "No."

"Ok," there was some shuffling on the other end of the phone and a small jingling, "Can you share your location, I'll come get you."

"You- it's alright I just-"

"No," Carter said, her voice insistent, "I'm coming to get you. Share your location."

There was the sound of a door opening the sounded as Natasha shared her location on her phone.

"Do you want me to stay on the phone?" Another door slamming and the reving of an engine.

"Yeah," Natasha croaked, her voice sore from screaming.

"Ok."

Breathing echoed through the phone, presumably on both ends, as Carter drove towards her location. Eventually humming reached Natasha's ears as she heard Carter turn on the radio. The woman hummed a song the redhead hadn't heard before, but it was oddly soothing.

It wasn't long before a car pulled up in front of her and Carter stepped out, still dressed in night clothes. Nearly in an instant the woman spotted her and rushed over.

"Are you okay?" Carter gave her a once over, checking her over for injuries.

Natasha nodded, not fully registering the words, but let Carter guide her toward the car. She thinks the british woman asked a question, but the moment Natasha was in the car - a mostly safe space - she allowed herself to zone out.

Once they arrived to the house Carter helped her out, gently guiding her towards the house. The brunette toed off her own shoes before leading Natasha up stairs and into a bedroom. She was placed her on a bed, her brain elsewhere, before Carter disappeared and returned with a change of clothes.

"Put these on, I'll go get you a warm drink. Tea or hot cocoa?"

Natasha dully registered she was being talked to, but her mouth wouldn't open.

"Natasha," Carter bent over so they were eye level, "Hey, Natasha, c'mon, why don't you change and the wash up. The bathrooms just next door and I'll make you a hot drink."

Natasha nodded but didn't make a move to change into the pair of sweatpants and oversized shirt. A heavy sigh came from Carter and the woman dug her hands into Natasha's biceps, hoisting her up.

"Can I help you get changed then?"

Her head nodded of it's own accord, red curls falling into her eyes. Carefully, Peggy lifted her shirt over her head - eyes lingering on the small dotted scar that looked like a small star-burst on her torso. Next cam her pants, the brunette woman removing them with a small blush as Natasha stood dead to the world.

"Lift your feet."

Carter tapped her feet and Natasha lifted them so that the brunette could slip the new pair of pants on.

"Alright," Peggy clapped her hands, the sound startling Natasha, "Sorry, do you want a warm drink or just to sleep?"

"Sleep," she croaked.

"K, you take the bed, I'll my parents room."

Natasha momentarily snapped out of her dazed state with a shake of her head, "It's your house, I'll take the couch. You're nice enough to even let me stay."

"Nope," Peggy sounded firm as she shook her head, "take the bed."

The woman didn't give her a choice to argue because she strided out of the room leaving Natasha alone in the vast room. She took stock of Peggy's room. Soft white sheets laid underneath her with the slightest tint of gray and matching pillows. Polaroid photos were pinned to the wall, mostly of Steve and Peggy together, but a few with two people who Natasha assumed were her parents. A couple featured Stark and Danvers, plus a few with her and Clint. A dark colored night stand housed an alarm clock and a red candle. Everything about the room gave off a vintage feel, comforting in some way.

Delicately, afraid to ruin anything, Natasha laid back on the bed - still above the covers. She thought about what had just happened. Bruce had- she wasn't sure what he had tried to do. He would never rape her, she knew that, but he took it a step too far and she wasn't ready. It wasn't knew, that forceful nature was something she had grown up with during various times in her life. She wasn't a scared eight year old anymore, she was a grown eighteen year old who lived by herself and could make her own decisions.

Automatically, as if she was still in that one home, her hand raised towards the headboard, highlighting the thin white scars encircling her wrist. She closed her eyes slowly, always on edge at a new place before sleep carried her away.

<________>

Neither of them spoke of that night again. Natasha had left early in the morning, before Peggy had awoken, and crept back to her apartment - embarrassingly still barefoot and wearing Peggy's clothes, which she returned the following school week.

Now, Natasha really retreated from the friend group and returned to just hanging out with Clint once more. When the young man saw her after visiting his brother, she told him the whole story while fiddling with her shirt. Clint sighed, pulled her into a hug, and muttered in her ear, "I told you so." She slapped his shoulder with a laugh and Clint glared at Banner in the hallways from that point onward.

School was almost over, and now Clint dragged her to a pizza night at Carter's house - her parents out of town - where he assured Banner would not be there.

Dressed in simple jeans and a hoodie, Natasha munched on a piece of pizza and stood in the corner. Various people milled around, most of which she did not know. Glancing at her watch, the time indicating she had been here for an hour, it was deemed a reasonable time and she decided to slip out. Her body weaved through groups of people as they chatted with each other. As she was about to leave, a voice called out to her.

"Hey Natasha!" Steve was waving her over, a bright smile on his face. Despite his cheery expression from where he stood, Natasha could see the hurt in his eyes at the fact she had been avoiding him in an attempt to avoid his girlfriend.

Steve was standing with an unusual gaggle of people. One man, shaggy brown hair and a jean jacket stood next to Steve - arm slung over the blonde's shoulder. Another woman stood, her brunette hair pulled into a tight bun as she wore jeans and a plaid shirt. Finally one more, a woman with brown hair typing on her phone stood there.

"Guys," Steve turned to face the others as Natasha reluctantly walked over, "This is Natasha. Nat, these are Bucky, Maria, and Daisy."

Bucky and Maria gave a small greeting, both of their voices quiet and short, meanwhile Daisy remained on her phone - typing away. Maria kicked her shin with a cough and the girl looked up from her phone.

"Oh, 'sup," she greeted Natasha before returning towards her phone.

"Ignore her," Maria said, "She's always doing something on there."

"So you're the Natasha I've heard so much about," Bucky commented, his eyes scanning her up and down - not in a bad way, just a "I want to know more."

"Only good things I hope," she replied smoothly.

Conversation mingled in that group for a while. Turns out the trio were a group of Steve's friend from another state, they all had military parents - thus moving around a lot, but had come to visit. Maria spoke the least about her parents, seemingly clamming up at the mention of it. Despite seeming the have a rough past, Daisy threw out that she had been in foster homes casually - the fact seeming to have no consequence to her.

Bucky seemed especially chummy with Steve, and it the blonde wasn't dating Peggy then she would think Bucky and Steve were dating. Deep down she thinks that she was offended she had never heard of these friends before, but Natasha waved that feeling away.

Clint eventually joined them, a drink in hand. He stumbled just the tiniest bit and if you looked close enough his pupils were slightly dilated. Most people wouldn't notice but Natasha assumed his drink, which looked like kool-aid, was spiked.

"Heya," Clint said, his southern accent coming out just the slightest bit - another sign he was drinking, "You guys want some?"

He gestured his cup up, some of it sloshing over the sides.

"Are you drunk?" Steve asked, ever the nobleman.

"Alcohol?" Daisy raised her head, eyes wide with excitement, "Where?"

Clint smiled at her, "No idea who you are, but it's over in the back," he vaguely gestured behind him before snatching Natasha's wrist and dragging her back there, Daisy bolting ahead of them ignoring Steve's protests.

Her best friend filled her a cup of spike punch and pushed it into her hands. She took it without protest, sipping on it carefully. There was a strong amount of alcohol in there, she wasn't sure which kind, but there was a lot.

The party flew by after that, Natasha wasn't sure how many cups of punch she drank, but the world spun as all the highschoolers gathered in a circle on the carpet, lazily sprawled over each other. Steve and Maria were probably the only ones sober.

"Natasha," Stark slurred, he had the most alcohol out of all of them, "truth or dare?"

The game had been going around for a while and Natasha was secretly hoping she would be ignored from her spot on the armchair.

"Truth," Stark had already come up with some crazy dares, resulting in Bucky being shirtless to reveal his prosthetic arm.

"Are you gay?" He smiled dopily at her, the smile morphing into a smirk.

Her cheeks heated as everyone eyed her, particularly the girls and she could feel Carter's gaze piercing her skull.

"Yes," normally she would lie, but her tongue disobeyed her brain and answered of its own accord.

A round of 'ooohs' echoed around, Stark opening his mouth to further question her, but Natasha cut him off - asking Daisy a question. It went a few more rounds before it landed on Stark again and he called on Natasha.

"Dare," she replied reluctantly after the past several people having chosen truth.

Stark pumped his fists in the air, "I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room - other than me of course." His chin tilted up arrogantly.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but stayed in place.

"C'mon," Clint urged, his southern accent clear now, "Choose someone, 's not that hard."

Her feet carried her over to where Carter laid draped across Steve, her head resting on his shoulder. Slowly, Natasha bent down and gave Carter a soft smooch on the kiss. Steve lightly slapped her, but laughed as she sauntered back to her seat with faux confidence.

Carter herself blinked owlishly, not totally present.

The game continued on, Natasha's mind still on that. She had just kissed Peggy. She kissed Peggy Carter. On the cheek, sure, but she kissed her - totally exposing herself. Oh gosh. Natasha wanted to sink into the couch and continued on with the game until it died out. Some people drove home, those sober enough, and others had already fallen asleep.

Natasha was sober enough to drive home, snatching her keys out of her pocket and heading towards the door. She cast her gaze back towards where Carter was passed out, drool slowly seeping out of her open mouth, but she still looked perfect . But she was also Steve's, the fact accented by Steve's arm draped over her shoulders.

Heavy hands turned the doorknob and Natasha drove towards her house. She decided one thing that night, she would graduate high school then leave Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter behind.

[jahayla-parker]

🖤~ #4 sentence starters with all of the crows? like a group setting, maybe hinting at kaz x reader?

Pumpkin: Kaz Brekker x Reader , Six of Crows x Reader ~

Summary: 5.2k wc, Kaz x Reader where it’s not explicitly stated if they’re already together or just crushing/pining (you decide!), but Kaz caves in to y/n’s one wish and goes out of his way to make it happen.

Warnings: six of crows typical stuff so minor mentions of having trauma, violence, cursing or threats, etc. but super minor especially for being six of crows

“It’s in everything this time of year” Jesper whines, dramatically resting his head on the bar counter.

The crows were gathered around for no purpose other than eating breakfast and hoping Kaz would have a new heist for them.

“What is?” Kaz asks, his voice lacking any emotion as he limps over to stand next to y/n’s chair.

“Pumpkin spice” Wylan laughs and rolls his eyes at Jesper.

“No it’s not. See, it should be, but I have yet to see pumpkin spice waffles!” Nina argued, a slight frown forming.

Kaz rolled his eyes and adjusted his weight to better support his leg that had been bothering him already this morning.

Y/n noticed and quickly glanced at him to see if he was okay, to which he just nodded once.

“I did hear word that someone in Ketterdam is selling pumpkin spice donuts, so it’s possible that pumpkin spice waffles exist” Inej advices, smiling at their group.

“Enough” y/n laughs softly, “If I hear pumpkin spice one more time, I’m going to scream.”

“Finally, thank you y/n. Me too” Jesper grins, lifting his head up from the counter.

“I doubt it is for the same reason” Kaz says simply, looking from Jesper to the girl next to him.

“Why y/n/n?! It’s good, have you even tried it? Jesper is just trying to be different” Nina complains.

“Excuse me! I am different!” Jesper glares, prompting a laugh from Inej and Wylan as they both shake their heads at his childish behavior.

“It is, which is why this conversation is torturous. I’d kill for a pumpkin spice hot cocoa right now, especially in this weather” She tells Nina.

“You shouldn’t joke like that, someone might think you’re serious” Matthias remarks despite a soft smile on his lips as Nina cuddles into his side.

“Who said I’m not?” Y/n smirks, making the corners of Kaz’s lips curl up faintly.

———

Kaz sighs as he grabs the drink carrier from the barista and begins to will his leg to cooperate with him.

The rain and cold front that had fallen on Ketterdam that morning had yet to cease and was doing his injured leg no favors.

Kaz noted the distance back to the slat and the places in which he planned to stop briefly to rest his leg on the way.

He pushed past his first planned rest stop in an attempt to get the drinks back before they became cold.

However, he instantly regretted it.

Jesper and Inej were standing with Rotty and noticed him immediately.

He mentally groaned and he now elected to skip this stop as well, wanting solitude.

“Hey, Kaz!” Jesper called out, running up to him.

“Rotty was saying that- Is that pumpkin spice?!” The sharpshooter asked, cutting himself off.

“Rotty said what?” Kaz asked, continuing his frustratingly painful walk back.

“Doesn’t matter! Is that pumpkin-“ he attempted to ask again.

Kaz stopped briefly allowing his leg to find much needed relief, “what did he say?”

Jesper frowned, “he said that Visser had a new cargo load today”.

Kaz nodded, “Inej will see to finding out its contents”.

Jesper just stared at Kaz in shock.

“What is it Jesper? Is there more?” Kaz pressed, leaning on his cane.

“No, no, that’s all boss” he promised, but Kaz noticed he still stared.

“Jesper, spit it out” Kaz demanded, annoyance clearly showing in his features.

Jesper shrugged, the shock not leaving his face “I just didn’t think you’d be into pumpkin spice is all Kaz”.

Kaz huffed and ignored his sharpshooter as he turned to resume his return home.

Jesper furrowed his eyebrows as he thought more about it.

“He likes pumpkin spice?! The bastard who for years has only drank his coffee black and won’t budge on it, not letting any of our budget go to creamer or additives?!” Jesper protested quietly to Inej.

Inej smirks, nodding her head towards Kaz as she and Jesper speed walk to catch up.

Not that it took much effort given his slower than usual pace today.

“Forget the pumpkin spice part, why do you have two?” Inej grins.

“No don’t ignore the pumpkin spice, I need an answer” Jesper complains, glancing at Inej like she was crazy.

“Who said it was pumpkin spice?” Kaz asks ignoring Inej’s inquiry.

“I know that smell” Jesper says matter-of-factly, “but fine-“ he grabs one of the drinks from Kaz’s tray.

Kaz desperately wants to wack Jesper with the crow’s head of his cane for being so insubordinate.

However he realizes he has to decide if that’s worth letting the other drink fall to do so or if he should instead balance the drink and verbally reprimand him instead.

“Don’t” Kaz grumbles, opting for the second choice just as Jesper raises the cup to his lips.

“You’ve got two, you shouldn’t mind” Jesper winks, taking a small sip.

Kaz glares but bites his sharp tongue as to not raise their suspicions further with whatever he was about to say.

“Bleh!” Jesper groans, “I knew it. But, is that… hot chocolate?! I can forgive the pumpkin spice, but you’re not even putting it in your black coffee to cut the taste?!”

“Wait” Inej says, pausing as she thinks something over.

However, Kaz, of course, keeps walking.

“I knew it” she grins, sprinting to catch up to the boys.

“Knew what?” Jesper asks, wiping his tongue with his sleeve.

Kaz aggressively tears the drink from his hands and puts it back in the tray.

“Jes, who in our group only drinks hot cocoa and not coffee? And who, just earlier today might I add, said that she’d kill for a pumpkin spice hot cocoa?” Inej smirks, eyeing Kaz as she waits for a reaction.

His face is as stoic as always, but if y/n were here she’d be able to notice the twinkle in his eyes; a trait of his no other crow had been able to pick up on.

Kaz rolls his eyes casually to brush them off.

“Y/n?…oooh!” Jesper cheers, pumping his fist in the air, earning the group glances and glares from other Ketterdam residents.

That is, until they spot Kaz and hurriedly look away.

The boy had managed to instill enough fear over time that just the sight of him, even when carrying hot cocoa in one hand, cane in the other, and bundled up for the weather, clearly had people nervous.

“You’re not going to say anything?” Inej pressed.

“Yeah, no weak lie?” Jesper laughed.

“When I lie it is not weak” Kaz rebuts.

His two irritatingly stubborn crows kept staring at him as they walked with him back to their residence.

“Besides, I presume nothing I say will help you see clearly and accept the notion that I am capable of drinking hot chocolate alone” he adds later, seeing his crew has yet dropped the subject.

Inej smirks but quiets down, knowing when to not push him, even if she knows he’s hiding something.

———

Secretly, she hopes it’s that Kaz either has, or is about to, be honest about his feelings for y/n that Inej has been telling him are obviously there.

Not obvious in the typical sense, as that would be uncharacteristic of Kaz.

Instead, Inej had noticed how he stood a little taller and more confidently when y/n was present.

How Kaz always managed to be able to locate their newest member in a matter of what seemed like milliseconds. Even faster if something had gone wrong or not according to his plan.

How he was slower with his words around her, as if he was contemplating each word more thoroughly than normal.

How the curtains to the windows of his room would now be open during the day when they never had before.

How she’d caught him bringing books into the slat and into his room, but never saw him reading.

How she once caught y/n smile at him from across the club as she read what Inej assumed to be one of the mysterious books.

And how Kaz looked… relieved and seemed to almost be fighting himself to not smile as she saw the muscles in his jaw shake ever so slightly that day.

There’d been many, seemingly small things, that Kaz brushed off as coincidences or disregarded altogether when she pointed them out.

However, the seal of confirmation she needed came when Nina confided in her about how Kaz’s heart behaved around y/n.

Even if the bastard of the barrel had enough excuses or lies to justify the behaviors she spied, even he couldn’t hide his heart when it came to Nina’s Grisha abilities.

After a particularly difficult heist that had failed miserably, Nina went to Inej, needing to gossip.

She’d claimed she simply couldn’t keep it to herself and that y/n wouldn’t listen.

That night, Nina told Inej how she’d begun to notice a pattern where Kaz’s heartbeat would pick up its tempo when y/n would enter the room.

How, the girl had made his heart literally skip one beat when she’d shown up looking beautiful in an extravagant gown Nina purchased for the heist to have y/n blend in that evening, despite his face not bearing any emotions.

How, when y/n disappeared from everyone’s sights during a sudden scene of chaos, Kaz’s heart raced so rapidly that Nina herself had to catch her breath.

Nina knew without a doubt Kaz was truly overwhelmed by y/n.

She’d never tell him this; Saints forbid he ever found out she’d been listening to his heart without his knowledge.

But according to Nina, she tried to tell y/n that night to both cheer her up after a failed heist and to tease her about Kaz.

However, y/n seemed to sense the mockery and shut Nina down; politely as always, but Nina sensed there was more to it.

After that, no matter how much Nina swore she was being sincere, it seemed the girl didn’t want to hear it.

Hence why she’d sought out Inej.

Inej didn’t tell Nina what she herself saw, it wasn’t like her to even engage in such gossip to start with.

But she knew far too well how frustrating it could be to see Kaz acting this way and neither him nor y/n noticing or acting on it, so she let Nina vent.

That night, Inej and Nina swore to not interfere, wanting to maintain their friendships (or whatever it was they were to Kaz) with them both.

They are also both sure that at some point, Kaz would come to his senses; after all, this was Dirtyhands, and Dirtyhands never failed to get what he wanted.

And he so clearly wanted her, it had to be just a matter of time.

It took being vulnerable and honest, something both girls knew would take time but would only be received that much better by y/n when it did.

So they swore to let it be.

That didn’t mean they wouldn’t still tease him (not y/n after Nina mentioned fearing she upset their friend by sounding insincere earlier) and spy on him to see how he behaved.

Hence why in the current situation, Inej chose to switch to silent intrigue.

———

“With two hot chocolates?” Jesper teased, spinning the rings on his fingers.

“Yes, with two. I knew one of my crows, statistically you, Jesper, would do something to ruin one. Chances of you ruining two however, were much less likely. And I for one did want to limp back across Ketterdam for a new order” Kaz lied.

Jesper raised an eyebrow at Inej who just bit her lip and smirked.

Jesper too, knew better than to trust that defense.

First, Kaz would undoubtedly have made one of them, likely Jesper, go and get him a new order of that had happened.

Secondly, on a related note, the fact Kaz was even getting this order himself was odd.

Especially if you considered the weather and his patently sore leg.

Plus, he may not be able to feel or see what Inej and Nina have, but he’d be horribly blind to not have caught on to Kaz’s preferential treatment towards y/n.

———

She’d usually get the best role in heists, much to the others’ annoyance.

It wasn’t that y/n wasn’t good at her job, because, she was; but, that didn’t mean she needed the best time every time.

Jesper quickly saw that she got yelled at and/or reprimanded far less than him from the start (although, truthfully, that could be explained by many other reasons. Something Kaz so kindly pointed out to Jesper one night).

In addition, Jesper, like the other crows, knew y/n would often sleep in Kaz’s room.

He wasn’t sure how that worked, with Kaz’s touch sensitivity and all, as no one was allowed in, but Jesper knew it happened.

The two never tried to hide that behavior from the others as it had started early on after y/n had joined their gang.

Long before the other signs of Kaz’s pining were there, and the crows all knew everyone needed someone to lean on (metaphorically in Kaz’s case of course) after heists had gone wrong or just when dealing with life in Ketterdam.

Therefore, they’d all assumed y/n was Kaz’s outlet for that, -even if they doubted the bastard ever opened up about such matters- and that, for some reason Jesper couldn’t fathom, y/n had chosen Kaz as her closest support system.

However, as time passed Jesper got suspicious there was more there.

He knew Kaz too well by now, as reserved as he might be, to not see the changes in the person he considered not just a boss but a close friend.

Plus, he truly enjoyed the annoyance he saw in Kaz when he’d tease him about y/n, even if Jesper knew it wouldn’t end well for him.

———

Whether or not there was something going on, and whether that explained the pumpkin spice hot chocolate ordeal, didn’t matter.

His crows had picked up on something, and, like any good crow, they weren’t going to forget it or let it go anytime soon.

However, the rest of the walk back to the slat was silent, much to Kaz’s relief.

Albeit, he was surprised when neither attempted to follow him to his room.

He checked the hallway first and upon not seeing anyone, he knocked on his own door before entering.

Y/n looked up from the pile of blankets and pillows she’d drug into his room months ago, sitting up and smiling as he entered.

Kaz noticed she’d been reading a copy of the latest book he picked up from the university bookstore a few days ago.

“How is it?” He asked, setting the soaking wet cardboard drink carrier down on his cluttered desk.

“I love it” She answered, Kaz hearing the smile in her tone as he removed his coat.

“Yeah?” He asked, facing her ss her raised an eyebrow, her signal to continue.

He’d grown to learn how much she not only loved to read but loved to talk to someone about what she had read.

He was flummoxed at first when he’d himself not hating the activity and instead discovering that they both found it calming and gained momentary peace through the routine.

Y/n blushed slightly, making Kaz smirk softly as he waited for her to carry on.

“Mmhm, this guy Julian I wasn’t so sure about at first. I mean, the main character, Scarlett, let’s him lead her on these adventures but she hardly even knows him other than that he doesn’t seem trustworthy and is a potentially dangerous criminal!“ y/n rambled, prompting Kaz to raise an eyebrow at her again as he waited to see if she picked up on the irony.

“But, it turns out he’s not a bad guy. This other guy is, I think. His name is Legend, I guess but I don’t know which person he is” she shrugs before melting back into her pile of fluff as her blankets and pillows shift to accommodate her.

“Hmm, his name is Legend?” Kaz asked, limping to his dresser to get dry clothes.

“He certainly does sound like the villain” Kaz joked, not truthfully caring about the book but rather pleased she did.

If he was being honest with himself for once, he’d admit that he could’ve listened to y/n talk to him about anything and still want to be present to hear it.

Saints, the boy would probably settle for listening to her incessantly discuss something as mundane as the weather or something he knew far too comprehensively already.

“I think so, I’m not done and I guess there’s more books in the series so I’ll absolutely need to go purchase them tomorrow” She laughed shyly as she detected how geeky she likely sounded.

“I can-“ Kaz began, leaning on the dresser with his back to her as he removed his saturated vest, water dripping from it still.

“Kaz,” y/n interjected, noticing the dresser was taking the brunt of his weight, indicating to her that he was in pain.

“Yes?” He asked, tossing his vest and undershirt into the hamper in the corner before grabbing a fresh one.

Y/n bit her lip as she pushed away the intimate nature of the situation she was in and the impressive muscle definition of his back; currently far more focused on his leg.

“Did you use your pain lotion today?” She asked softly, hoping to not offend him.

He stifled silently, halting the buttoning of his black long-sleeve button down shirt before he sighed.

Y/n frowned and reluctantly looked back to her book, feeling guilty for asking about such a private matter but still distressed over his state.

Kaz turned around when he concluded she wasn’t going to push.

He ran a hand through his wet hair and down his face guiltily.

“I did, yes” he said, as softly as he could manage given his resistance to disclose such details to anyone.

He watched as she smiled tenderly and nodded a few times, her eyes still in her book.

Kaz’s forehead wrinkled as he squinted at her, troubled that even buried in a massive heap of comfort items and a book in her hands y/n still appeared discontent.

He took a deep breath and resumed changing the remainder of his clothing.

After he dried his hair enough for the time being, he limped to his bed and sat on the edge of it.

“Y/n,” he sighed, frustrated with himself for allowing the girl to make him display his vulnerability, “would you ever be so kind as to bring me the pain lotion?”

Y/N’s head perked up, her eyes leaving the page that Kaz knew all too well she hadn’t actually been reading; perceiving how her eyes had lingered on that page far too long.

“Of course” She stood within seconds, repressing a sympathetic smile, “the usual place?”

Kaz nodded and studied her as she made her way to his bedside table and grabbed the lotion from within its drawers.

The lotion has been placed inside a bottle that was designed to look like a stray bottle of whiskey.

Y/n had concocted the charade in order for Kaz to comply with her request demand he keep the treatment in his room.

He’d resisted, protesting he would not have anyone else knowing that he needed such a crutch.

While she argued that she noticed no one else was even allowed in his room without him present, she conceded to forming this ruse.

“You’re running low,” she commented, placing herself in front of him but not close enough to touch him by accident.

He nodded slowly, “I will pick up more tomorrow”.

She smiled thankfully at him, handing him the bottle containing what little supply was left.

“Y/n,” he said, his voice a mere whisper, “thank you.”

Y/n bit her lip and glanced at the floor under her slipper covered feet as she nodded, “it’s not a problem Kaz”.

He took the opportunity of her not looking to smile fleetingly in her direction.

He wordlessly pulled up his loose pant leg and applied a minuscule amount of the topical solution to it, an unintended sigh of relief escaping as the tincture-based lotion sent warmth through the tense muscles and inflamed joints.

“Can I ask you something?” Y/n questioned, a pleased look on her face as she popped back into her pile on the floor.

“You just did” Kaz smirked, lowering his pant leg back over his swollen leg.

She glared at him and raised an eyebrow as she knowingly waited for her request to be approved.

Kaz hated that she knew he’d give in and let her ask whatever had been plaguing her mind.

He laughed once, gratified by her marginal irritation, “yes, my darling y/n, so long as I get to ask one of you”.

She tilted her head to the side and nodded slowly, intrigued by what he, Kaz Brekker -the boy who knew everything about everything and everyone-, wanted to ask her.

“Ladies first” He smirked, laughing timidly at her bewilderment.

She pursed her lips as she jokingly glared at him for the faux chivalry, and if it wasn’t for the fear of once again facing the unrelenting waves that arise with physical contact, he felt certain he would try to kiss those delicate lips until she was no longer glaring.

“Fine” She scoffed lightheartedly, “I was wondering why you were gone all day. I thought you’d have a heist for us to plan… well, you to plan, me to supervise you plan and fix the problems in said plan”.

He huffed, the low lighting in the room enhancing the twinkle in his eyes “oh, is that so?”

She smirked and nodded simply as if it were obvious, “Sundays are usually for planning. Not that I mind reading this book, although I’m sadly nearly finished now… anyways, it’s freezing and you disappeared only to return dripping literal lakes of water onto the floor “.

Kaz blushed faintly, cursing his pale skin for wrecking his attempt to remain solidly stoic for this discussion.

“I had business to attend to” He answered, pushing on his cane in order to stand up.

“What’re you-“ y/n began to object, but he curtly nodded at her to stop her.

“I grabbed us something on my return” Kaz admitted, removing the drinks from the now mushy container.

Kaz didn’t feel the need to mention that the business he referenced needing to attend to was in fact the very act of getting the drinks and nothing more.

Y/N’s eyes widened with excitement as Kaz shakingly approached her, somehow managing to balance the two drinks in his hand that was not holding his cane.

“What? Is this…” she grinned widely, beaming up at him as he slowly lowered himself to the floor next to her and her pile.

“Is this what I think it is?” She asked.

Kaz wanted to tease her that she’d already asked her question and he hadn’t agreed to another.

But he instead offered her, what for him counted as a smile, and nodded in response.

“Oh my Saints Kaz!” She exclaimed, quickly slapping her hand over her mouth at her sudden sacrilegious turn of phrase.

Kaz couldn’t suppress his laugh that time, especially since he’d never expected to hear his name and the word Saint in the same sentence in a non-condescending manner.

She blushed and tucked some loose hair behind her left ear before accepting the cup from him.

“To be candid, the drink is probably cold by now” he whispered, watching her fingers respectfully avoid his.

“I can go heat it up downstairs or get new-“ Kaz rambled, embarrassed by his need to please her to this extent.

She shook her head to silence him, “no, it’s fine! Thank you Kaz”.

Kaz nodded twice and watched as her eyes closed while sipping the pumpkin spice hot chocolate that Jesper hadn’t touched.

He found himself smiling like an idiot as he watched her savor the drink that undoubtedly could benefit by being heated up.

She sighed cheerfully as her body loosely sank further into the pillows and blankets.

“You know, if you keep doing that, they’ll absorb you” Kaz joked.

“Mmm, let them. That’s fine with me, it’s cozy and now I’m happy “ she smiled, eyes still closed as she pulled one of the blankets over her.

“Now?” Kaz asked with genuine concern, “you weren’t happy before?”

Of course she wasn’t happy in the barrel, he thought.

She belonged somewhere more suited for her caring heart and intelligent mind, somewhere like Ravka.

Kaz thought about offering to find her a way there and a room, debating on if he could use his connection with Strumhold for that arrangement.

Sure it meant seeing her less, but certainly Kaz could visit without it seeming odd… right?

Besides, she deserved a better life than this one, better than Ketterdam, …better man Kaz, he thought.

Y/N’s giggles brought him back to the present moment and erased all concerns and previous potential plans.

“That’s not what I meant” she smiled, “I should’ve said happier. I could stay in this humble little fuzzy abode all day. Especially when I have a good book and steal your fluffy slippers”.

Kaz shook his head, “You do realize you don’t need to be sitting on the floor, yes?”.

She smiled sweetly at him, “I know, but this position allows me to still see you when you’re at your desk. Plus I feel guilty when you make me sleep in your bed while you rest in the chair or floor, when you rest that is”.

Kaz bit the middle of his lip as the corners twisted upwards, nodding his head far too many times.

“Plus, they brighten up the place!” She teases.

That was very true, as soon as she’d wandered into his room with them, seeking solace in having something to embrace, Kaz had noticed the change in how his room looked.

“Well, the offer stands. Now, did you truly enjoy the drink?” He asks.

She raises an eyebrow at him and nods, “I did, thank you again. Are you about to start mocking me like Jesper for enjoying pumpkin spice?”

He shakes his head no, “I simply wasn’t sure if it was as you envisioned”.

She smiles, tucking her feet under her in the colorful and comfy mess surrounding her, “it was. Obviously I love any hot cocoa, but I hadn’t had a pumpkin spice one this year yet!”

“Darling, you do know it’s only barely September, don’t you?” He teases, pleased to see her blush at the pet name.

“Yes Kaz! But, they’re only available for two months each year” She defends.

He laughed quietly, “well, in that case. Would you like to join me tomorrow when I head to town?”

“What are you doing heading to town?” She asked, not picking up on his clues.

“Well, since you are nearly done and haven’t figured out who this Legend person is or if he’s a villain, it seems I am responsible to obtain the next book” He said, pointing to the hardcover book sitting between them.

“And I have to check with Rotty about a few details on a shipment. I don’t see a reason I, …or we, would be unable to stop by the cafe during the trip “ Kaz offered anxiously.

“Really?!” Y/n asked, eyes sparkling.

Kaz gave her a tentative smile, “we can’t have you missing out on the opportunity for more pumpkin spice hot chocolate”.

She blushed and nodded in agreement, “that’d be great, thank you!”

Giving her a small nod, Kaz confirms, “the deal is the deal”.

She giggled and nodded back, “the deal is the deal”.

“Kaz?” She asked, pointing to his cup, “You haven’t even drank your’s”.

He scoffed, “Jesper licked it”.

“He licked it?!” She gasps.

Chuckling for a couple seconds, Kaz clarifies, “well, drank from it, yes. But still, I don’t trust his mouth”.

Y/n bursts into laughter, her smile creasing her eyes, “did you at least whack him with your cane?”

Kaz smirked, “it was tempting, but I would’ve dropped your’s in doing so, and the consequences of that I fear would be far worse than his lips all over my cup”.

She smirked back and nodded, “alright, that’s fair… You could still drink it though. Jesper germs and all, I’d argue it might just be worth it”.

Kaz winces and shakes his head, “absolutely not. I’ll have mine tomorrow when we go to town”.

Y/n smiles directly at him before closing her eyes and leaning back into her blanket and pillow pyramid.

“Speaking of…” She mumbles, blatantly peaking at him with one eye.

“Yes y/n/n?” Kaz questions.

“Can we also stop by that little stand that has the pumpkins? I was thinking the slat could use some festive decorations” She says.

Kaz rolls his eyes but nods, “I suppose. But nothing excessive, we don’t need people getting the wrong idea”.

Y/n smirked to herself, both eyes closed again, “course not. Just a few large pumpkins and a couple baby ones“.

Kaz groaned loudly, already regretting his acceptance.

Y/n laughed, “we’ll prepay and have Matthias pick them up later”.

Kaz sighed and waited as he noticed she likely had more to add.

“Okay,” she said with glee, “so pumpkin spice hot cocoa, some pumpkins from the stand, oooh and maybe some pumpkin waffles for Nina”.

Kaz shook his head, “people are going to think I have a pumpkin obsession”.

“Since when do you care about what other people think? Well besides me” she winks jokingly, “besides, I’ll take the fall for it”.

“Was that pun intended?” He asked, smirking as she sunk into her blankets even more.

“It might have been. It might not have been. Who’s to say really?” She countered.

“You darling, I believe you would be the one to say” he teased.

Y/N’s eyes shot open, a playful evil glint in them prompting Kaz to raise his eyebrows at her as he waited for an explanation for her sudden state of alert.

“I came up with a nickname for you Kaz! If people are already going to be talking about the pumpkin scandal” she smirks, “does that mean I can now call you pumpkin?”

Kaz groaned and ran his hand down his face as he tried to not blush at the concept.

———

Kaz Brekker taglist: @directioner5life @ell0ra-br3kk3r @b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r

[alannah-corvaine]

alannah x ardbert; eye of the storm

It's just her luck that a hurricane would choose this of all weeks to batter the Kholusian coast, because she seems to attract bad weather wherever she goes. Not that Alannah's travel plans are particularly malleable right now; she and Ardbert have been trekking their way across greater Norvrandt in an effort to track down Lightwardens.

The angry rains pelt them from all directions, and not even her attempts to calm the winds make any dent in the storm's rage. Her vision is bad on the best of days; in this squall she's blind. Though it doesn't really matter, even the garish lights of Eulmore are lost in the tempest.

She's dependent on Ardbert to lead her to whatever shelter might be had, though she has a strong suspicion that the myriad of shacks that dot the landscape won't be standing by the time the storm passes. Unfortunately, caves aren't a better option. They tend to be close to shore and very likely are flooded.

A strong gust of wind very nearly blows her away, causing her to lose her footing on the slippery rocks they're attempting to traverse. Alannah lets out an abrupt scream as she violently pitches sideways. An armored arm catches her and drags her close, and she tries not to think too hard about its owner as he attempts to shield her body from the elements with his.

He yells something in her direction, but it's lost to the deafening gales around them.

They haven't talked much about his attempts to kill her back on the Source. It's just not one of those things that's conducive to an uneasy truce and an extended backpacking expedition across an entire continent.

Ardbert is grumpy and gruff most of the time, as she supposes one would be when their world is teetering on the edge of destruction. Still, he hasn't been entirely rude to her. Sure, she often catches him watching her out of the corner of his eye with an inscrutible expression and he constantly underestimates what she's capable of, but he also shares his food with her as they sit by the campfire and offers to take the first watch more often than not.

He might not consider her a friend, but at least he treats her like an ally.

It's that tenuous trust between them that's keeping her grounded now as they slowly make their way around a large rocky outcrop. It takes the brunt of the winds, affording them a brief moment of respite and the sight of a tiny grass-covered cabin nestled into the base of the hill. With no other options in sight, they make a beeline for it.

・┈┈・┈┈・┈┈・

The inside is damp with a dirt floor and barely qualifies as a hut. At best it was probably a storage building at some point in its unfortunate and dilapidated life. At least it's still standing, Alannah thinks as she wrings the water from her long hair.

The roar of the hurricane seems to dim somewhat now that they have a roof over their heads, which gives her hope that they might last the night in this ramshackle shack. She has no desire to venture back out into that mess until it's over.

The hyur looks around their meager accommodations. There's not much to see: a couple of broken crates, a shovel, a straw pallet against the back rock wall, and what looks like a pile of small logs that Ardbert has found and is already attempting to build a fire with.

He fumbles with the damp wood and curses.

Alannah sighs. "Just stop."

The warrior gives her a sour glare. "Well if you'd like to freeze, be my guest. I'd rather be warm."

She rolls her eyes. "You're more like to rust in that armor before you freeze. Here, move."

He obeys reluctantly, stepping back with a suspicious glance at her.

A deep breath. Her fingers curl in a snap.

The logs erupt in a merrily crackling flame, undaunted by the soggy state of its fuel.

Ardbert appraises her coolly. "I wasn't aware white mages use fire spells."

Alannah shrugs, suddenly uncomfortable.

"They don't."

She doesn't like to talk about the brief love affair with thaumaturgy of her teenage years. It brings up old hurts, things about herself that she'd rather not remember. She's buried it in the graveyard of things she used to be.

Turning away, she begins shedding her heavy, wet clothing. Ardbert makes a startled choking noise behind her, and it takes a good deal of her willpower to resist laughing at it.

"What are you doing?" he wheezes, sounding decidedly less dignified than she's sure he'd prefer.

"I'll help with your armor after I get these off," she calls over her shoulder.

The reddening of his face is instantaneous.

"You'll do no such thing," he mutters, eyes anywhere but on her.

She shrugs again. "Suit yourself. I don't want to hear complaints when you're stuck in that tin can."

"Tin can?! My armor is-"

Just what his armor is she doesn't find out, as she's now down to her smallclothes, spreading her robes over the crates to dry, and the words die in his throat. It takes him a moment to find his voice again.

"Could you be a little more modest?!"

His face has taken on the most amusing shade of scarlet, and if Alannah weren't already keeping the enormous stress of being lost in a hurricane on a star lightmalms from home at bay, she might have the emotional bandwidth to be self-conscious and in the same state.

As it is, she's exhausted and shivering, the travel and events of the last few weeks catching up to her, and the old bed of straw in the corner currently looks as comfortable as the finest feather bed she's ever slept in.

"Not really. Now do you want help or not?" Her arms cross over her chest, more out of an uncertainty of what to do with her hands than to cover herself. 

Ardbert lets out a deep, resigned sigh. "Fine."

He resolutely refuses to look at her as she approaches, heat crawling up his neck and the tips of his ears as she pokes and prods at him, looking for the straps and buckles that will release him from the mass of leather and iron that protects him. It doesn't escape his notice that her fingers are stiff and awkward in their movements; clearly she hasn't had much practice in removing armor, and he files that thought away quietly in the back of his mind. If she has someone waiting for her back home, they're not like him.

Perhaps unable to help himself, his eyes are drawn to the dark tendrils of hair that stick to her neck. It's a stark contrast against the paleness of her skin, and his fingers itch at the urge to brush them away. His gaze travels to her collarbones, uncovered and exposed, and he reins his thoughts in with a fierce mental tug as his breastplate comes loose.

His accoutrements disappear rapidly after that, and he notes the small smile on her lips, satisfied with her ability to solve the puzzle of his armor. With his chest now bared, he pushes her away gently.

"I can manage from here," he says, his voice rough.

With a nod, Alannah turns to their packs. The bedrolls are completely soaked through and unusable. Sighing, she lays them out in front of the fire with the hope that they'll be dry by the morrow. Digging through her belongings, she finds the single spare blanket that she carries, thankfully devoid of all moisture.

"Thank the Twelve," she mutters, carrying it over to the pallet.

The straw is itchy and uncomfortable as she lays down on it, but it's dry, which is the only qualifier she really cares about at this moment. She sighs happily as she pulls the blanket over herself and snuggles into it, finally feeling something almost resembling warm for the first time in days.

She glances at Ardbert, now down to his undershorts and looking distressed about it. His eyes meet hers briefly before turning to the fire and moving to sit by it.

"Ardbert" she lets out an annoyed breath, "what are you doing?"

He doesn't look at her, instead opting to stare at the dancing flames, his posture rigid. "Taking first watch. Get some sleep."

Alannah sits up abruptly. Annoyance threatens to blossom into anger. "And what is it that you're watching for? The wind? There's nothing with any sense out there right now, except you and me. Come to bed."

His lips tighten as he finally turns to her. His sapphire eyes are dark as the storm clouds above them. "With you?"

"Where it's warm," she emphasizes through gritted teeth, briefly closing her eyes against a headache that threatens to drown her senses. "I can hear your teeth chattering from here."

Ardbert scoffs and turns back to the fire. "I'll be fine."

"Well I won't," she retorts. Goosebumps cover her skin and the real shivering has started now that she's stopped moving. The dry blanket is a blessing but it's thin and it feels like the rain has seeped into her bones.

Softer, an exhale: "Please."

He doesn't move for a few moments, bringing in her insecurities like the tide. Then, a groan as he pulls himself to his feet. He wears a grimace as he gazes down at her, contemplating the logistics of how he'll have to arrange himself next to her.

The breath catches in her chest as Ardbert steps around her and eases himself down beside her. Already the heat radiating from his body eases her violent shivering, and Alannah finds herself turning her face toward him like he's the sun. She wants to be closer, but suddenly she's the nervous one, worried that she's pushed him too far.

"Is this-"

"Come here," he murmurs, pulling her back against his chest and slinging an arm over her waist.

As long as she's facing away from him she can't see the ferocity of his blush as their legs tangle together, nor read the desire that he's sure is writ in his eyes. As long as she doesn't move too much, he might make it through the night with his sanity intact, if his racing heartbeat doesn't give him away first.

But knowing Alannah, even for the short time that he has, that hope is probably too much to ask for.

Alannah tries not to think about how warm and solid he is against her, tries not to enjoy how his body hair tickles her skin, or feel the hot puff of his breath against her ear. The cold has all but vanished from her body and now she fears she'll catch fire.

They're silent for a long time as the storm continues to rage outside around them, the crackling of the fire the only sound inside their tiny little refuge.

・┈┈・┈┈・┈┈・

"Sorry," he says sharply, out of nowhere.

Alannah twists around to face him, confused. "For?"

Ardbert releases a breath, his arm subconsciously holding her tighter. "Trying to kill you. For attempting to use your death to summon another calamity. For thinking an Ascian would ever hand us the answer to our salvation. Take your pick."

"Oh, that." She faces away. "Don't worry about it."

Something in his chest tightens. Her ambivalence makes him uneasy. He scowls, pulls on her shoulder until she's turned to face him again. Her eyes are unreadable.

"I had the blade of my axe at your neck and I would have done it with no regrets." His voice is low, bitter and full of self-recrimination.

She gazes at him evenly. "No you wouldn't."

Traveling with her, he forgets sometimes that she is a Warrior of Light. That things don't phase her like they would anyone else. And when she lifts her hand between them to place her palm against his thundering heart, he wonders if he isn't wildly outclassed.

"You didn't do it then and you wouldn't do it now. That's not who you are," she murmurs.

He huffs out a sardonic laugh. "You're such an idealist. We're capable of anything when we're desperate enough."

"You were desperate enough," she says simply, "and you didn't do it."

Ardbert has no answer to that, and so they fall silent again for a long while, her forehead resting against his shoulder. 

・┈┈・┈┈・┈┈・

He knows she's not asleep. Her breathing is too shallow. The urge to bury his hands in her hair, drag her face to his to kiss her is alarming, overwhelming. He fights it, one hand resting at the small of her back. His fingers twitch; the expanse of her skin against his fingertips is a nigh unbearable temptation.

"Are you alright?" she murmurs against his chest.

Of course she can feel the tension in the rigid way he holds his body, pressed against him as she is. He releases a long exhale. "Not really."

Alannah raises her head to study his pained expression. "Do you want me to move?"

Her voice is very soft. He shudders against her.

"...no."

He can feel the weight of her gaze on him, patient and understanding and something else, something that lives and breathes inside him too because he can feel it every time he looks at her. It was there in Thanalan, alive and twisting between them under the burning black sun, and it's here now too, seeking their shelter from the heavens' wrath.

Their eyes meet and he's drowning, forgets how to breathe. He has no awareness of raising his hand to tenderly brush sodden strands of hair from her forehead, of his thumb brushing the corner of her lips. Her face is tilting toward his, and there's something about the way she sighs as he finally kisses her that loosens a terrible knot he's been holding tight in his chest.

He groans and gives in, pulling her flush against him. Her fingertips are gentle against the stubble peppering his cheeks; his arm is an iron band around her waist. His thigh slides between hers and the noises she makes have him flying out of his mind.

Alannah makes herself comfortable beneath him, relishing his weight on top of her. He mutters a fervent "fuck" every time he touches her somewhere new, and she's not sure he even knows he's doing it. It ignites a radiant heat inside her, burning her from the inside out.

He hesitates only once, his fingers at the hem of her smallclothes. "Don't stop," she whispers against the sensitive shell of his ear.

And he doesn't.

[hockeylvr59]

The Perfect Match Part Nine || Taylor and Cale Makar

Summary: When Taylor Makar meets Elizabeth “Liezel” Estroff he quickly discovers how compatible she is with his older brother Cale. Despite his parents early protestation to leave well enough alone, Taylor makes it his mission to set Cale up with his perfect match.

Authors Note: So uh this chapter got a little out of hand and does not wrap up the series (minus epilogues) like I had expected it do so you're getting one more before the main story wraps. Plus it's a long one...sorry not sorry.

FC Claim: Kirrilee Berger.

Warnings: cursing, sexual content at the end // Word Count: 9,388

~~~~~~

Cale: Safe travels today Liez. 

Cale: And give the baby giraffe a hug for me when you see him next. 

Liezel: I will. Thanks again for everything. 

Cale: Does that everything include what happened at the club? Because I can’t get it out of my mind. 

Liezel: I meant what I said. I really really like you Cale. 

****

Cale: So is this something you’d want to give a try? 

Cale: This being us. 

Liezel: Sorry, thought I could get a reply off before we took off but yeah….just got back to Amherst and I’m exhausted. 

Liezel: Are you sure you’d want a long distance relationship?

****

Cale: Liez…I’m a pro hockey player. Any relationship I have is going to have an element of long distance. 

Cale: And it’s not like plane ticket prices would ever be a barrier. 

****

Liezel: So you’re sure? 

Cale: Liez. I want to give us a shot so if that means zoom dates and late night facetimes then yeah I’m sure. But are you? 

Liezel: Will those late night facetimes include hints of what could have happened if your d partner and time weren’t against us? 

Cale: Yeah Liez. 

Liezel: Then count me in. 

Liezel: For the record, that was going to be the answer regardless. 

Twenty Four. There was nothing fashionable about the age other than it was another full revolution around the sun. Outside the ground was wet with a spring rain and if she didn’t have office hours scheduled for today, Liezel was tempted to skip her singular class and just stay home curled up in bed. It was her birthday after all. 

While attempting to be an adult about it and go on with her day, Liezel heard a knock at her door and when she answered it there was a flower delivery man with a bouquet of two dozen pink roses standing on the other side. Gasping softly, she nodded when he asked her name and signed for the bouquet before taking it from him and carrying it over to her coffee table. 

Searching for a card, Liezel eventually found one and when she opened it all she could do was shake her head. 

Happy Birthday Liez. Take some time for yourself today because you deserve it. - C. 

Attached to the card was a scheduling card for a local spa with today’s date and 3:30pm listed. She had class this morning and then office hours from 1-3 so Cale had picked a time that worked within her schedule. 

Shaking her head once again, Liezel grabbed her phone, shooting him a text even if she knew he’d be asleep. 

Liezel: You’re too much. The roses are beautiful. And you know I love a good massage. Thank you. 

Pocketing the appointment card and sniffing the roses one more time, Liezel grabbed her things and an umbrella and headed to campus to brave the day. 

****

By the time she returned to her apartment, it was shortly after 5 and Liezel was a bit surprised to see Taylor waiting by her door, grocery bags sitting beside him along with a gift bag and flowers. 

“Thought you were done with office hours at 3:30.” He murmured, standing up. 

“I was…but then I had a massage…” Liezel replied a little confused. “How long have you been waiting here?” 

Checking his watch, Taylor shrugged.

“‘Bout twenty minutes.” 

Shaking her head at him, Liezel moved to open her door and was immediately pulled into a Taylor hug. 

“Happy birthday.” 

“Thanks Tay.” She murmured letting him in and offering to take bags from him. 

“Nope I got them.” He insisted. “But these are for you.” He added handing over the bouquet of flowers. “They’re beautiful Taylor. Thank you.” 

“Looks like they aren’t the only flowers you got today though…” He trailed off as he stepped through the door and saw the big bouquet of roses from this morning. 

“Uh yeah…” Liezel murmured, her voice going a little sheepish. After all she couldn’t exactly tell him ‘yeah your brother sent them.’ 

“Someone likes you.” He teased, setting everything down before murmuring for her to go change while he started dinner. 

Yeah someone definitely did and she was lucky for sure. Changing, Liezel returned to find Taylor hovered over her stove, a bottle of wine and glasses behind him just waiting to be poured. Taking control of that, she popped the cork and poured them each a glass before sitting down at the small table to watch him cook. 

As she sat there her phone buzzed and she looked down seeing a return message from Cale. 

Cale: You deserve so much more. Wish I was there. 

Sighing softly, Liezel snapped a quick picture of Taylor’s back and sent it back to Cale. 

Liezel: Wish you were too but at least I have one Makar cooking me dinner. 

Liezel: Facetime later? 

Cale: Sounds like a plan. Have fun with T. 

Closing their text thread, Liezel turned her attention back to Taylor asking how his day was. 

As smells of good food filled her kitchen, Liezel inquired on whether she could open her present. 

“I mean it was for after dinner but I guess so.” Taylor relented, turning to watch her. Inside was another bottle of wine and a container of tiramisu from a local bakery along with a gift card for her favorite local restaurant ‘for a night when he’s busy but she doesn’t feel like cooking.’ 

“Thanks Tay. This is awesome.” 

“Course Liez.” Taylor murmured, reaching for her and pulling her in for a hug. “You’re my best friend and it’s your birthday.” 

Resting her head on Taylor’s shoulder, Liezel just relaxed once again grateful to have him in her life. Twisting her slightly so he could continue cooking, Taylor kissed her head murmuring for her to go sit down and he’ll bring dinner over. 

With their seating of choice being her couch, Liezel grabbed the glasses of wine and made her way over, getting comfortable and pulling a blanket over her lap.

Grinning as Taylor followed with the food, Liezel eagerly took the plate and dug in, thanking him for cooking. As they ate, Liezel flipped on a game show and she and Taylor took turns commenting on how stupid some of the contestants were. 

When they settled in for dessert, Taylor poured her another glass of wine, and by the time he left needing to go study she was finishing off her third. 

Locking up behind him, Liezel sent Cale a text that his brother had left and she was free to talk whenever. 

Within five minutes Liezel’s phone was ringing with a facetime from Cale and she answered it, propping her phone up against her thigh. 

“Hey handsome, how’s Cali?” Liezel greeted her boyfriend, her stomach swirling from the longing of distance as his ruddy cheeks entered her vision. 

“Warm but I don’t think you want to hear me talking about the weather.” Cale replied, situating his ipad beside him, giving her a glimpse of the long lines of his body hidden under clothing. 

“I mean I’d prefer other lines of conversation.” Liezel agreed, just drinking him in. It was hard starting a relationship long distance, but for Cale it was worth it. She definitely missed his body though. The brief tease in Denver just wasn’t enough.

“What did T make you for dinner?” 

“Just some pasta and chicken, nothing crazy.” Liezel shrugged, again zoning in on Cale’s body and missing whatever he said next. 

After repeating her name a few times Cale chuckled. 

“How much did T give you to drink Liez?” 

“Two…no three glasses of wine.” 

“So you’re a little drunk huh? Is that why you can’t take your eyes off me?” 

“Just want to see that body of yours.” Liezel murmured, pouting a bit because for some reason Cale was always wearing clothes. 

“Is that right?” Cale teased. “Is this what you want?” He questioned, pulling his shirt over his head with one hand revealing what seemed like acres of pale skin. Liezel immediately licked her lips and shifted a bit on her couch because god was he hot. Broad shoulders. Abs defined but stomach still soft. There was absolutely nothing about his body that Liezel could complain about. 

“I cannot wait until I get to touch you.” She practically purred, eyes heavy with the combination of alcohol and desire. 

“Yeah? What would you do to me?” Cale questioned, playing into Liezel’s desire. 

 “Well…first I’d kiss you.” Liezel mused. “Because I certainly didn’t get to kiss you as much as I wanted to when I was in Denver.” Then she paused for a moment as if planning her next move.

“Then I’d touch every inch of you, appreciating all those muscles you work so hard for.” Her eyes flashed with want as she thought about it in detail. “I’d rub those nipples of yours that like to peek through your shirt sometimes and then I’d kiss down your body to that soft happy trail.” 

Through her phone Liezel could see Cale getting just the slightest bit red and ruddy. 

“And after kissing all over, I’d pull your sweats down to see what you’re packing down there. Get my hands on you properly.” Sighing, Liezel flashed Cale a wicked grin. “And if your suit pics are any indication…I’m gonna have my hands full.” 

Cale’s blush deepened and Liezel’s grin grew. 

“Hmm…I really want to see just how red you can get there bud…” She teased. “And whether your dick gets just as rosy as your cheeks.” 

Lingering on that thought, Liezel got up and shifted to her bed where she could get more comfortable. “But you know…since I’m the birthday girl…maybe you should be telling me what you’d like to do to me….” 

Though phone sex clearly wasn’t something Cale was fully comfortable with, by the time they hung up twenty minutes later, both were basking in the afterglow of orgasm having touched and talked and explored. And if the phone sex was that good, Liezel couldn’t wait until Cale could actually do all the things he’d talked about. 

After Birthday phone sex, Liezel and Cale had frequently taken a few minutes out of their day to listen to and talk each other through mutual pleasure in addition to the talking they did, mostly over text, about anything and everything. And with Cale starting playoffs in just two more days, they were taking advantage of what was probably Cale’s last off day until playoffs were over. 

“You like doggy style huh?” Cale groaned, imagining fucking into his girlfriend from behind. 

“Can feel you so deeply that way…” Liezel replied with a moan. “Want to feel your cock buried inside me Ca….” 

“Hey Liez!” Taylor’s voice called out as he made his way into her apartment much to her surprise. Frantically, Liezel pulled her fingers out from her pants where she’d been teasing at her clit and raced to hang up the facetime with Cale before his brother realized just who she’d been talking to. 

Her cheeks were red as he rounded the corner and immediately Taylor froze seeing her slightly mussed state. 

“Did I uh…walk in on something…?” He questioned a bit embarrassed but also teasing her heavily. 

“Shut up Taylor…yes you did…” Liez whined, reaching for a tissue to wipe her fingers on and rushing to fix her rumpled state to look less like she was in the middle of phone sex. 

“That the boyfriend?” 

“Yes Taylor.” Liezel replied, a little annoyed even though she was the one that had given Taylor a key in the first place. 

“Eh you can call him back later…there’s a new food truck I wanted to try and you’re coming with me.” 

Knowing that Taylor wasn’t asking, Liezel sighed and moved to clean herself up, taking her phone with her to the bathroom. 

Cale: Holy fuck Liez….was that my brother that just walked in on you?!

Liezel: Sorry C. Your brother failed to mention that he was coming over…and I’m not sure he would have been quite so teasing/chirping if he knew it was you I was in the middle of phone sex with. I’ll make it up to you tonight…promise. 

Cale: He doesn’t know it was me right? 

Liezel: Nope, just that it was ‘my boyfriend’ 

Dating a pro hockey player generally was one thing, but dating one during playoffs…it was another entirely. It wasn’t anything that Liezel couldn’t handle though. Sure Cale’s texts were more sporadic and he was more focused on the team but she had her own life and things to do. 

But when word of Cale’s suspension reached her with a text from Taylor saying that it looked like he wasn’t the only hot headed Makar, Liezel’s faith in dating a hockey player was put to the test for the first time. 

Liezel: T says they suspended you for the hit last night. I can’t say it’s undeserved but I’m sorry. 

Cale: Why the fuck is T telling you it's not any of his fucking business

Liezel: I mean YOU could have told me but apparently that didn’t cross your mind. 

Cale’s read receipts showed Liezel that he saw her reply but he didn’t send anything after that. Cale’s anger toward his brother was completely uncalled for and Liezel sighed, sinking into her couch. She’d never dealt with Cale being angry before and it wasn’t something she particularly liked. 

She was on her fifth episode of Say Yes to the Dress when Taylor let himself in, calling out that he had brought food. 

Liezel simply lifted a hand in acknowledgement and snuggled further into the couch, her mood having sunken when first one hour, then two, then three passed without an apology from Cale. 

Abandoning the food, Taylor rounded the couch and lifted her feet, sinking to the couch before draping them back over his thighs. 

“You having a bad day or something Liez?” He questioned softly. 

“Something like that…” She agreed, sighing softly. 

“Alright…wine and dinner coming right up then.” Taylor declared, shifting her feet again so he could stand to go retrieve the items from her kitchen. When he returned he handed her a glass and a plate of food before moving to get his own dinner. 

Lifting her legs again, he settled onto her couch and pulled her feet back into his lap foregoing any comments he may have about her moping television choice. 

While Taylor had no interest in the show, it was mildly entertaining watching Liezel’s reactions to the dresses. Mid episode his phone buzzed and pulling it from his pocket Taylor saw a text from his mom. 

Laura: Have you talked to your brother at all today?

Taylor: Nope. Came over to have dinner with Liez and she was having a bad day so now we’re chilling and she’s binging Say Yes to the Dress. 

Laura: Sure you’re just thrilled about that…

Taylor: Still don’t know why she enjoys this but she does so it’s whatever. At this rate I could probably pick out her wedding dress when she marries Cale for her. 

Laura: Oh yeah? 

Taylor: yeah. Slim silhouette or whatever…no ball gowns or whatever the hell mermaid is. 

Taylor: She likes lace. Not crazy about massive amounts of ‘sparkle’. 

Taylor: Basically something simple with a little pop to make it hers. And nothing overly sexy. 

Laura: Sounds like you’re an expert. 😂

Taylor: I mean I could have done without…but it makes her happy. 

After a few more hours, Taylor left and Liezel crawled into bed having still not heard anything from Cale. This was something they were going to have to have a chat about at some point. Because it wasn’t fair to her…or to Taylor who apparently hadn’t heard from Cale at all today. 

Each tick of the clock on the scoreboard brought the avs closer to defeat and when the final horn sounded, Liezel sighed softly. 

A first round exit in game 7. An utter disappointment after a year of struggles. No repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Liezel couldn’t even bear to keep the broadcast on because Cale just looked so sad and defeated.

Though it was late, Liezel was determined to stay up for a bit in case Cale wanted to talk. She’d never dealt with him like this before but what good was she as a girlfriend if she wasn’t there to support him. 

And then she saw the photos as she doomscrolled twitter. 

Cale sitting in his locker in full gear as the locker room cleared out around him. 

Liezel knew Cale well enough to know that he was carrying the weight of the loss on his shoulders. Especially with the suspension. 

Closing twitter, Liezel pulled up her usual travel site. There was a 7:15 am flight leaving Boston nonstop to Denver which would get her there around 10:30 am. With the semester over in less than a month anyway, most of her classes had switched to workshops for their papers and such so it wasn’t like there was any reason she couldn’t be off campus for a couple of days. 

Booking the flight, Liezel climbed out of bed and quickly packed a bag with everything she would need. Then she set an alarm on her phone and crawled into bed to nap for an hour or two before getting in her car to drive to Boston. 

When she arrived at the airport she checked in and then pulled out her phone to text Taylor before he showed up at her place to find her missing. 

Liezel: Think I forgot to mention it but I have to go out of town for a couple days for a meeting. I’ll let you know when I’m back. 

Though she felt bad about lying to him, she couldn’t exactly tell him that she was up and flying across the country to comfort her boyfriend, his brother. Taylor would have a conniption. 

Thankfully her flight boarded on time and she was able to sleep a little on the flight even if she was still absolutely exhausted. 

Arriving in Denver she booked an Uber to take her to Cale’s building. It wasn’t until she arrived that she sent him a text attaching a picture of his building.

Liezel: Hoping you’re awake by now….you wanna come let me in? 

Cale: Wait…you’re here? 

Liezel: Would I be asking you to let me in if I wasn’t…?

Cale: Holy shit Liez…calling down to the front desk now to let you in. They’ll get you to the right floor. Turn left off the elevator, end of the hall on your right. 

A minute after receiving the text the building’s front door was opening and as Cale promised she was directed to the elevator and to Cale’s floor. Once on his floor, she followed his instructions and by the time she got to the end of the hall Cale was there waiting for her from his doorway. 

He looked cozy in a pair of joggers and a pullover, glasses on his face which wasn’t a look that Liezel had seen all that often. He looked completely shocked to see her and quickly pulled her into a soft hug. 

“What the hell are you doing here Liez?” He murmured softly in her ear. 

“You looked like you could use a hug or two….dozen.” Liezel replied. “And no reason I can’t work on school work remotely for a couple days.” 

“You…geez Liez…come in…” Cale declared pulling her into his condo and offering to take her bag. “I can’t believe you’re here…” 

Setting her bag in the hall he hugged her again and swept her into the kitchen, immediately searching for something to make for lunch. 

“Cale…you don’t have to go all hosty on me you know…” Liezel declared. “I came to check on you not to have you doting on me.” 

“I could eat.” Cale said simply. “And I wouldn’t believe you if you said you weren’t hungry.” 

Rolling her eyes slightly, Liezel relented and hoisted herself onto the counter closest to her to watch Cale as searched his kitchen for something to cook.  She was a little hungry but she was also exhausted having slept for like two hours and then dozed on the plane. 

“You know I’m sure there are plenty of places we could order from…” Liezel suggested. “And then you could let me cuddle you while we wait….” 

Cale continued to stare into his mostly empty refrigerator before he turned and looked at her a moment later. “Yeah, I guess that could work.” He agreed. “Anything in particular you want?” 

Shaking her head, Liezel hopped off the counter. 

“Nope. Order whatever. I’m gonna use your bathroom and then I’ll meet you on the couch.” 

Liezel breezed through his apartment with a familiarity that reminded Cale this wasn’t her first visit. For a moment he nearly forgot that he was supposed to be ordering an early lunch but then he pulled himself together, placing an order from one of his regular places he hoped Liezel would enjoy. 

Nothing about any of this felt real. From a fucking first round exit against Seattle of all teams, to his girlfriend just showing up at his door like she lived down the street not across the entire country, Cale felt like surely he must be dreaming. 

But then Liezel called for him from his couch and his body moved in her direction before he’d even given it that instruction. She looked soft in a pair of black joggers and an oversized hoodie from travel and despite the pain and shock still raging through his system he couldn’t help but smile a bit. 

His girlfriend was here. 

She’d flown to Denver for him. 

Fuck. 

That might just be the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for him. 

Setting his phone on the coffee table, Cale flopped onto the couch beside her and after a moment’s hesitation, Liezel slid to press her body against his, tucking herself against his side. 

“Hey.” She murmured softly, peering up at him, her gaze warm. 

“Can’t believe you’re here Liez.” He mumbled. 

“Thought you could use a little love…” Her words heightened that twisting feeling in his gut that Cale couldn’t seem to describe other than it wasn’t a bad feeling. 

As her head rested against his shoulder, Liezel’s fingers brushed against his chest and side and Cale let out a deep breath, his body relaxing under her. 

After that she didn’t say anything and neither moved until Cale’s cell was buzzing from the front desk asking if he had ordered food and should they send the guy up. 

Liezel was still quiet as they delved into lunch and Cale was worried until he realized that she looked exhausted and was clearly trying not to fall asleep mid meal. 

“Did you even sleep last night?” He questioned softly. 

“An hour or two and then dozed on the plane…” She murmured softly, shrugging. “And you don’t look like you slept all that much more than that.” 

Admittedly, Cale had tossed and turned for longer than he would have liked after he finally got out of his gear, cooled down for the final time of the season, and headed home. 

Finishing her lunch, Liezel tossed her trash and then turned to him leaning against the counter until he was also finished. 

“Come nap with me Cale.” She stated softly, kissing his cheek before letting him stand. 

Though Cale wasn’t big on taking naps, even pregame naps were sometimes a struggle, he nodded and motioned for her to head to his room. 

Cale watched as she turned down the sheets on one side of the bed, took her glasses off and then tugged her hoodie up and off her body, leaving her in just a thin layering tank over her bra. Slipping under the covers she looked at him, her eyes communicating ‘are you coming or what?’ loud and clear. 

Pulling back the rest of the blankets Cale slid in beside her, feeling her shift close as he did so, her body tucking against his. 

This was admittedly not how he pictured things going when he had her in his bed for the first time. At the same time though it provided him comfort that he didn’t realize until now that he needed. Playoffs had sucked. Hell this season had sucked. And the last thing he deserved was his girlfriend catching an early morning flight to come be with him. Especially not after the way he had treated her during playoffs. 

“Tell your brain to pipe down Cale...it’s being too loud.” Liezel mumbled, her voice filled with the fatigue from lack of sleep. “Just close your eyes and nap with me.” 

Yet here she was, soft and warm with curves he had dreamed of more than once. She was way too good for him and it amazed him that she had done this for him. 

God he adored her. 

With the rise and fall of her breathing while she slept, eventually Cale drifted off too. He slept steadily for a while and then started dozing in and out for a bit longer before finally tensing and causing Liezel to stir against him. When he looked at the clock it was almost 3:30 and they had been napping for a little over two hours. 

She still looked tired as she stretched against him, yawning, but she rolled to face him, eyes warm. 

Cale didn’t think that he had ever seen her without her glasses on but either way she was beautiful. 

“Got any plans for the rest of the day?” She whispered, her voice still laced with sleep as she pressed her lips to his gently and quickly. 

“Not really.” He replied, shrugging a bit. Cupping her cheek for a moment, Cale pulled her into a soft kiss just trying to communicate how much it meant to him that she was here. 

“We could go for a walk…you could show me some of Denver…” Liezel murmured between kisses. “If you’re up for it…” 

It took a minute, but eventually Cale nodded. 

Pulling herself out of bed, Liezel put her glasses back on and then moved toward Cale’s bathroom to clean up a bit and get ready to go out. 

Within fifteen minutes, Liezel was letting Cale lead her out of his apartment and down to the garage where his car was. It wasn’t long before they were nearing Ball Arena and Cale was pulling into a parking lot near the river where there was a park. 

Liezel let Cale lead the way, occasionally asking questions about things she could see off in the distance or some of the art in murals along the riverway. Though he didn’t make a move to hold her hand, Liezel was okay with that, it wasn’t who Cale was and they were in public and she completely understood. 

He always paused to wait for her though when she stopped to look at something and when they reached a bit more secluded portion of the trail, he pulled her into a tight hug murmuring a soft ‘thank you’ against her ear. 

“Yeah well I kind of really really like you.” Liezel replied back, kissing his freshly shaven jaw before withdrawing. 

Walking a while longer, Cale suggested getting dinner somewhere and Liezel agreed feeling a bit hungry herself and achy from trying to keep up with her pro athlete boyfriend. She definitely was not in as good of shape as he was. 

Thankfully, Cale had a place nearby that he enjoyed and they settled into a back corner where they were most likely to go unnoticed. 

During dinner Cale asked about how her papers were going and they talked about the implications of her research before finally heading back to the car and back to his apartment. 

As they settled in to watch episodes of the Office so that Cale could talk her through where she was in the series, they continued sharing tidbits about anything that didn’t involve hockey. 

After just a few episodes Liezel murmured that she was ready for bed given that her body was still two hours ahead and she had only gotten about four solid hours of sleep in the past day. After changing into shorts and slipping out of her bra, she settled into the same side of the bed as she had earlier knowing that Cale would join her whenever he was ready. 

Though she was asleep by the time he did join her, Liezel relaxed as the weight of Cale’s body shifted the bed and he slid just a little closer. 

****

By the time they woke, Cale’s body was pressed up against hers and Liezel could feel his morning wood pressing against her hip. 

Though she’d slept with a few guys, this was the first time that she had actually spent the night with someone without having had sex. It held a weight that made her breath catch and the feeling of him made her stomach pool with lazy arousal, her body as into him as his clearly was into her. 

Feeling his fingers flex along her hip, Liezel glanced up at him seeing those blue eyes peering down at her. 

“Morning.” She whispered, holding his gaze for a moment before pressing her lips against his. What she had intended to be a light greeting morphed into deeper exploratory kisses as Cale responded. There were no complaints from Liezel though because she certainly had not gotten to kiss him enough. 

After a few minutes, they pulled themselves from bed and while Liezel used the bathroom, Cale moved to make her coffee and start some breakfast. 

Sitting at the counter of his island, Liezel sipped at the coffee while watching Cale move around the space making some eggs and sausage. 

“So any plans today?” She questioned, watching as Cale seemed to think for a moment before his shoulders slumped. 

“Locker clean out.” He mumbled. 

Liezel knew that was not going to be a fun time for him but she tried not to make a big deal of it. 

“Well…while you do that I can spend some time on my papers and then later we can do whatever you want.” She offered. 

And that was exactly what they did. Liezel made herself comfortable on his couch with her laptop to do some writing and Cale headed to the rink to pack his stuff up for the summer. 

It wasn’t long before Toewser was inviting him over for dinner to help him get out of his head. 

“Appreciate that but I’m gonna have to pass.” Cale declared, trying to prevent his cheeks from giving him away. 

“C’mon. You’ve had a day to mope, you shouldn’t be alone.” 

“I can’t okay…” Cale insisted. “Won’t be alone.” He added in a mumble. 

“Facetime date with Liez doesn’t count as not alone….” Toewser accused before his eyes quickly went wide as he spotted a strand of long dark hair sticking to the back of Cale’s shirt as he turned. “Unless it’s not just a facetime date…” 

Though Cale tried to hide it, now that Devon had noticed that one thing, more pieces clicked into place one after another. Long hair on his clothes, a tinge of tinted chapstick on his lips, a slight whiff of what was decidedly feminine perfume. 

“Alright. Fair enough. Spend time with your girl.” He whispered, shoving Cale gently. “I won’t interrupt this time. Just be smart and use protection unless you want to join the dad club.” 

“Fuck off.” Cale mumbled. “We’ll do a Nuggets game or something before I head home for the summer.” 

“Sure. Not sure how long she’s staying but dinner invitation is open for you both.” 

Thankfully Toewser was the only one that seemed to catch on to the fact that Liezel had come to town to see Cale. After chatting with a few of the other guys as everyone packed up, Cale headed out to get back to his girlfriend. 

Stopping for some groceries on the way home since he didn’t have much, Cale also picked up another bottle of the wine Liez had liked so much the last time she was here wanting to surprise her. 

When he got home she was basically just as he had left her, though her hands sped along her keyboard as she typed whatever thoughts needed put to paper. 

Moving quietly so that he didn’t disturb her, Cale put everything away and then leaned against the counter watching her. And the more he looked at her, really looked at her, the more beautiful she was. From the way she bit her lip when she was focused to her mussed hair from running her fingers through it when something didn’t come out the way she had intended it to, and every other little quirk in between Cale said his thanks that Taylor was stupid enough not to want her for himself. 

Eventually Liezel looked up and immediately a smile and a blush adorned her face. 

“How long have you been watching me?” She asked, blushing more when Cale could only shrug. 

“Didn’t want to interrupt.” Cale stated simply. “Your brain looked like it was firing away with something important.” 

Turning to the fridge, Cale pulled out a bottle of water and moved to take it to her. 

“Any thoughts on lunch?” He asked. “I stopped at the store.” 

“I’m not picky.” Liezel insisted, taking the bottle of water to sip at. “But let me come help.” 

“Nope.” Cale assured her. “Focus on school. I’ve got it.” 

Because she did still really need to make some more progress on her paper Liezel complied, only pausing to eat the salad that Cale put in front of her. After eating, Cale settled in beside her with a book of his own and the two of them sat in silence, together but doing things independently. 

By three o’clock, Liezel had made good progress on her paper and closed her laptop. With her neck feeling stiff, she attempted to stretch, wincing slightly. 

Without hesitation, Cale closed his book and gestured for her to come closer, his hands immediately going to her neck and shoulders. 

“I get finding a zone and staying in it, but you really should try to stretch more.” He chastised softly. 

“Probably not going to listen.” She declared though she knew he was right. 

“Didn’t expect you would.” He assured her just continuing to massage some of her tension away. 

As her muscles relaxed, Liezel tipped her head back to kiss Cale’s cheek in thanks before getting up to stretch and use the bathroom. 

When she returned she stood looking out Cale’s window. 

“Taylor texted me earlier asking when I was coming home…” She murmured. “Told him I was going out of town for a meeting when I left so I'm not sure how long I can stay under that cover.” 

The longer they hid this from Taylor the harder it got, but Liezel certainly wasn’t going to tell him without Cale’s approval. 

At first, Cale didn’t say anything but after a moment he set his phone aside and got up, coming to stand beside her. 

“Tell him you’ll be back Thursday.” He murmured. “There are flights and I want you for another day.” 

“Thursday.” Liezel agreed quietly. After all, it was up to him how long she was welcome since she had just dropped herself on him. She was glad though that he wanted to be greedy and keep her for another full day. 

Cale was very different from Taylor in that Taylor always let her know with physical affection that her presence was wanted and that he enjoyed her company. Cale held his affections tighter to his chest and it was the little things, him declaring that she shouldn’t leave until Thursday and the way he had been looking at her while she studied that communicated that. 

Still, he hadn’t made the effort to kiss her since she had arrived, only returning her kisses. It meant that Liezel couldn’t help but wonder if he really did want her even if she told herself that it was just how he was. 

“I’m gonna go check in with Taylor.” She eventually stated, brushing past him to grab her phone and call her best friend before he flipped out and put out a missing person’s report on her. 

By the time she finally got Taylor off the phone, Cale was in the kitchen, cutting vegetables in preparation for dinner. 

“He’s worried about you.” She declared softly. “So you might want to check in with him yourself at some point.” 

Cale nodded in acknowledgement, pushing the cutting board and knife in her direction as a signal for her to take over while he started on another part of whatever he had decided to make for dinner. 

Taking over, Liezel quickly tired of the silence and paused, pulling out her phone to put some music on. 

It didn’t take long for Cale to smile as Queen played over the speaker. 

“You know when my brother told me he had met someone with the same music taste as me I didn’t think anything of it. Certainly didn’t think I’d end up really really liking them.” Cale grinned. 

“You know how mad at me he was when I couldn’t go to your game in Boston with him that first year…” Liezel replied. “He really wanted me to meet you.” 

A thoughtful look crossed Cale’s face and after a moment he shook his head. 

“Has he been trying to set us up this whole time?” 

“I wouldn’t put it past him.” Liezel admitted. “If so he’s gonna kill us for hiding things from him.” 

“Eh he’s gonna kill us for doing that regardless.” Cale teased. “We’ll tell him when he brings you home with him this summer.” 

Knowing that they had just put a timeframe in place for telling Taylor took a weight off Liezel’s shoulders. Just another month or so of hiding this, that was doable. 

Once dinner was ready, they settled in to eat and then cleaned up before making their way to the living room where Cale put on the Office once more. 

Shifting on the couch, Cale stretched his legs out to lounge and let the arm closest to Liezel fall open. With him glancing over at her with a tired but relaxed expression, Liezel chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before scooting closer to Cale and settling into the gap beside him. 

As she did, his arm tightened around her and his body relaxed. Cale had actually made the first move to cuddle her. This was definitely a first. 

Focusing on trying to follow the episode, Liezel glanced over at Cale a few times to find that his eyes were always on her every time. After about the fourth time, she turned her head to face him. 

“Do I have something on my face?” She questioned softly. 

“No.” Cale replied quickly. 

“Then why are you staring at me?”

“Why wouldn’t I want to stare at my beautiful girlfriend…” 

Unconsciously, Liezel’s cheeks flushed and she turned back to the tv not sure how to take that compliment. 

After a moment, Cale’s head dipped and his chin rested against the top of her head. A few minutes later, his fingers brushed lightly as he ran his hand up her arm making her shiver. 

Her shiver in turn made Cale inhale sharply. Still Liezel continued to focus on the tv causing Cale to move his other hand to her jaw, brushing against the sensitive skin there for a moment before turning her head toward him. 

Their eyes met until Cale shifted to bury his face against her neck, the small stubble he’d grown overnight scratching slightly as he mouthed kisses into her skin. It felt good and Liezel appreciated having her boyfriend’s attention solely on her. 

When he pulled away, he kissed down her shoulder, his hand shifting to her waist. 

“C’mere Liez.” He murmured subtly guiding her to straddle his hips, his hand on her waist sliding to rest at her side just under her boobs as he pulled her close. 

It wasn’t until his thumb brushed against the side of her boob in a way that definitely wasn’t accidental that Liezel pulled away. 

“What are you doing Cale?” 

“Trying to get you in the mood.” He looked caught off guard that she had pulled back and Liezel sighed. 

“Because you just want sex as an escape or because you want me?” Liezel further questioned, only making Cale look more confused. Climbing off his lap, Liezel moved to the other side of the couch. 

“Okay what did I do wrong?” Cale asked, trying to take things back a notch and discuss this like adults. 

“I’m not going to have sex with you because it’s a distraction from being eliminated or because it’s something you think we’re supposed to do.” Liezel replied. “I’m not going to have sex with you when you haven’t even kissed me since I got here.” 

“I’ve kissed you…” Cale defended almost immediately. 

“No. You’ve kissed my body and you’ve returned kisses when I’ve kissed you. You haven’t kissed me once.” Liezel clarified. “And that’s fine. I get that you aren’t overly physically affectionate. You don’t have to be. But I don’t have to have sex with you when I’m not sure you want it for the right reasons. So I’m going to get a shower.” 

Letting out a breath, Liezel pushed herself off the couch and moved towards Cale’s room to gather her things for a shower from her bag. She didn’t like pushing him away or telling him no but she also didn’t want to have sex when things felt forced. As she started the water and began undressing she couldn’t help but sigh. Maybe coming out here unannounced had been a mistake. 

By the time she finished, slipping into pajamas and returning to Cale’s bedroom, he was sitting at the foot of the bed waiting for her. 

“Come here please?” He requested, patting the spot beside him and shifting awkwardly. Once she was seated he continued. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I didn’t go about this the right way.” Cale looked a bit like this was the last thing he wanted to be doing but then he licked his bottom lip and his tone shifted. “I just…ever since the first time you were here and maybe even before that I’ve wanted you so bad. And since we started dating I’ve only wanted you more. I’ve had dreams about your curves and the way you sound when you moan. And I assumed that you wanted it just as badly so I guess I skipped a few steps and didn’t actually ask you what you wanted.” Cale rambled. 

“Can we start over? I promise I’ll kiss you properly, that I won’t skip straight to second base.” 

Biting her lip, Liezel turned her head to look at Cale. Holding his stare, she could see the want for her deep in his eyes. That was ultimately all she wanted. To know that he didn’t just want sex, he wanted her. And it wasn’t like she was entirely blameless, she hadn’t communicated her needs earlier and had just assumed that he would know when clearly that wasn’t the case. 

“Yeah.” She agreed. “We can start over. But maybe not right this minute. Let’s go watch tv for a bit and see where it goes.” 

Though Cale’s shoulders slumped for a moment almost like he was disappointed he quickly composed himself and nodded, heading back to the living room while she finished putting everything from her shower away. 

“Cute pjs.” Cale murmured from the couch as she entered the room and he saw the oversized band t-shirt she was wearing over a pair of black sleep shorts. 

Liezel was about to ask if that was sarcasm but the look in Cale’s eyes assured her that it was completely genuine and he really did think she looked cute even with still wet hair and no makeup. 

“Thanks.” She declared, blushing a bit while sinking into the couch about a body’s width away from him. 

Within just a few minutes, Cale let his arm fall palm up into the space between them, silently signaling that Liezel could hold his hand if she wanted to but that the ball was in her court. 

Lacing her fingers with his, Liezel bit back a smile and just focused on the tv, somewhat lost now that Cale had watched a couple episodes without her. 

After about ten minutes or so, Cale tugged at their joined hands gently pulling them towards his body. It was a signal that he wanted her to come closer, but lacked any force to make her if she didn’t want to. Nodding her assent that she would, Cale tugged again, pulling her toward him until their hips bumped together. 

“You’re amazing for coming here…” He whispered softly. “I definitely didn’t deserve it but I’m happy to have you.” 

“It’s what partners do Cale.” Liezel declared. “Support and comfort each other. Be there for each other.” 

His thumb brushed against her hand as he murmured his agreement and when she looked up, his gaze was warm as he watched her. That statement had given him a whole new level of appreciation for her and made the twisting feeling in his stomach return with a vengeance. 

“I’m going to kiss you now.” He mumbled before dipping his head to press his lips to hers, soft but firm. Though Liezel returned the kiss happily, Cale ended it after a moment not wanting her to feel like he was ignoring her request for some time before he made a move sexually. 

“You didn’t have to stop…” She murmured in assurance. “I wouldn’t mind making out with my boyfriend.” 

“Well come here then…” Cale stated, a smug smile on his lips as he used his free hand to grip behind her left knee pulling her over onto his lap once more. Rolling her eyes slightly, Liezel reached up to mess up his hair knowing it would drive him slightly crazy. Then she waited, lips pouty, for him to initiate the kiss again. 

When he did, it blew every previous kiss out of the water. It was deep but exploratory, as this was the first time that they could kiss without fear of any interruption or fear that they weren’t on the same page. It was sensational, it made Liezel’s toes curl and set hormones on high alert all through her body. 

After dropping Cale’s hand, Liezel carded her fingers through his hair while they kissed, drawing pleased sounds from his throat as she lightly scratched his scalp. Cale’s hands in turn shifted to her waist and remained there, his fingers massaging the skin of her hips over her clothing. 

After a few minutes, Liezel reached down to guide Cale’s hand up to cup the side of her breast. She had stopped him when he tried this before but now she was content that Cale really did want her and she was ready for him to touch her. 

The smug smile against her lips while they kissed was expected and she scraped her nails against his scalp a bit more as a silent ‘you’re a jerk’ signal. That train of thought was killed though when Cale brushed his thumb over her nipple, separated only by the thin material of her t-shirt. It sent a flood of desire to her core and she moaned into the kiss pushing Cale to continue his teasing touches. 

As things continued to get hot and heavy, Liezel shifted further into Cale’s lap, grinding her hips against his. She needed more. Cale was quick to respond, shifting from thumbing her pebbled nipple to aligning her over him in a way that pressed his hard dick right where she wanted him most. If it weren’t for their clothing he could slide home easily. 

Breaking their makeout session, Liezel dropped her head to Cale’s shoulder as she ground against him, getting wetter and wetter by the minute, his occasional curse only adding to the sensations. 

“Liez. Fuck. Bed now before I cum in my clothes.” Cale mumbled, hands gripping tightly at her hips to still her. 

Nodding, Liezel moved to stand and then reached to pull Cale up off the couch, kissing him again before retreating toward his room with a peek over her shoulder. She could see the line of his dick pressing against his sweats and it only made her want to see and feel everything he was packing more. 

As she reached the foot of his bed, Cale murmured for her to wait. In a moment his hands were sliding around her waist from behind and he was pressing kisses to her neck. 

“Can I take this off you?” He questioned, fingers playing with the bottom hem of her shirt. 

“Only if yours comes off too.” Liezel replied, her voice slightly sultry. Despite all the workout pictures Taylor had sent her and all the times she and Cale had facetimed each other since they started dating, she had only seen Cale shirtless a couple of times and she was eager to see his body in person. 

Lifting her arms so that Cale could pull her shirt off of her, Liezel couldn’t help the pang of nervousness that hit with Cale also seeing her body in person for the first time. When he spun her, his eyes raking over her body, Liezel ducked her head, only to be stopped as his fingers brushed against her chin. 

“Don’t get shy with me now.” He murmured before kissing her deeply, lifting her to lay her onto his bed. “You’re beautiful.” 

Cale kissed her again before shifting back to pull his own shirt over his head. Miles of pale skin revealed to her gaze along with a spattering of chest hair that Liezel couldn’t wait to feel against her skin. 

“Damn.” She breathed, licking her lips in appreciation because yeah all that is hers for the taking and she wanted nothing more. She’d been dreaming about touching him like this for so long and now she finally could. 

Things continued to get hot and heavy as they continued to kiss, chests pressed against each other and hands exploring as Cale hovered over her. When Cale pulled away, his fingers drifting to the waistband of her shorts, Liezel could only lift her hips in approval, permitting him to remove them and show him all of her. 

Though he didn’t comment, his eyes grew dark as they took her in and the intensity of the want in them made her shiver. 

Before he could settle back onto the mattress, Liezel shifted to scoot up to the head of the bed instead of in the middle and then propped herself up to watch as Cale pushed his sweats and boxer briefs to the floor, his dick standing proudly against his stomach. 

“Get over here…” She murmured, the anticipation only building having wanted this for weeks if not longer than that. 

Cale quickly complied, and if Liezel thought the feeling of Cale’s chest pressed against hers was good, it was nothing compared to the feeling of him pressed against her head to toe. 

“Need to be inside you…can I?” Cale mumbled after a few more minutes of lazy, heated kisses. 

“Yeah…please,” Liezel replied with a whimper as the head of Cale’s dick brushed against her clit. 

Wrapping her legs around his waist, Liezel felt Cale align himself before slowly pressing into her, ripples of pleasure rolling through her immediately. It was the perfect stretch as her body relaxed around him, welcoming him into her depths. 

“Fuck Liez.” Cale groaned, sweat starting to gather on his skin. 

“You should do that.” She gasped, nails digging into his biceps. 

Cale snorted fondly and reached between their bodies to gently brush his index finger against her clit, wanting to make sure that she was fully relaxed. While lazily touching her, he pulled out slowly before pressing back inside her, spurred on by the breathy moans spilling from her throat. 

“Cale….more.” Liezel pleaded softly. Slow was good but she knew that this could be so much better. 

Complying with her request, Cale picked up his pace a bit, his hips moving smoothly as he thrust inside of her. 

Liezel wasn’t unfamiliar with the way sex could make her feel but somehow this was different. The mechanics were the same, and Cale’s penis wasn’t all that different from men she’d been with before even if he had a bit more girth, yet the intensity of it all felt like it had been cranked up to eleven. 

Honestly there were so many sensations to focus on that Liezel’s brain struggled to land on any of them. Cale must have felt her slight detachment because after a moment he pulled out of her and pulled his hand from her body, his gaze warm and concerned. 

“Talk to me Liez.” He requested, kissing her nose. 

“Too many things….” She mumbled. It wasn’t a good explanation but it must have been enough for Cale to gather her meaning because he shifted off of her, moving to sit with his back against the headboard, his dick still hard and standing proudly against his stomach. 

“C’mere.” He requested, his fingertips stroking up her arm as her body settled enough to move. As she did, Cale reached to help pull her onto his lap, her chest facing his and his dick pressed against her stomach. After kissing her deep and slow for a few minutes one of his hands moved to her hip. 

“Lift up for me just a little.” He prompted and when she did she felt him settle the head of his dick back at her entrance. “Now slide down Liez.” With his hand guiding her hips she lowered herself until he was buried fully inside her once more. For a moment all she could focus on was how full she felt with him stretching her like this. When Cale’s thumb brushed against her clit she shuddered and moaned softly, her hips jumping against his a bit. 

“Just grind against me Liez.” Cale murmured as he trailed kisses along her neck. Rolling her hips in small circles provided a new layer of sensation, one very different from thrusting but more intimate at the same time. She could feel every twitch of Cale’s dick inside her, and each time she gasped out. 

“Cum for me Liez.” Cale groaned after a few more minutes. “Let me see you cum on my cock.” 

Crying out, Liezel’s orgasm rolled over her, causing her to clamp down tight around him as her whole body shuddered once more. It was not her usual orgasm, but instead left her drowning in much more of a haze. 

“Liez…fuck…I can’t…” Cale grunted, making a half effort to pull her off of him before his release hit, causing him to fill her with pulse after pulse of his sticky semen. 

The feeling of it drew a whine from her throat and she clamped around him again as aftershocks rolled over her. Cale twitched inside her again and Liezel whimpered, some sensitivity starting to create some discomfort. 

Pulling out of her, Cale continued to hold her close as they both came down from their orgasms, their lower halves sticky with each other’s fluids. 

It was a few minutes later that Cale went a little tense, his heart rate accelerating beneath her. 

“Shit Liez we didn’t…condom..” He mumbled. Nosing against his neck, Liezel processed his words. No they definitely hadn’t used a condom, but it wasn’t the end of the world. 

“IUD Cale. We’re fine.” She replied, feeling him immediately calm beneath her. That had been nothing like what she had expected her first time with Cale to be like but they got the result, and well there would be plenty of time to figure the rest of it out. 

For now she was just going to enjoy being in Denver with him until Thursday.

[constellationandcompendium]

Snippet Saturday

Hi everyone! I am slightly shook to log in and find so many people interested in my WIPs so it's lovely to meet you all. Alas, winter has been kicking my butt lately but I thought I'd share a snippet (snippet Saturday is a thing on this blog now I suppose) from the first meeting of Elias and Sebastian (aka the titular idiots) in It All Falls Down:

The newbie was looking around with interest, hands in his pockets and shoulders relaxed, talking quietly with Hugo. As Elias approached and got a clearer impression, his assumptions were confirmed. Two things stood out. One was that the shock of dark curls and tanned skin pinned him as a citizen of the Vale, that golden valley of the Isles that Elias himself had once called home. The other was that he definitely wasn’t Bureau.

He stood differently to the other two. It was a similar confident stance, yes, but he held it in an authoritative manner, as though he wanted to be visible.

Elias had a sinking feeling he knew what this was.

The unnamed agent confirmed it a second later, greeting him as Hugo and their new friend feigned examining the room. “Ah, Mr Al-Karim, our apologies for turning up unannounced, but we were in the area and felt it would be good to drop by.” Elias highly doubted that, but before he could voice it, the agent turned to gesture at the newcomer. “Allow me to introduce Mr Castello.”

“He’s police.”

“He’s a Bureau recruit,” the agent corrected.

It hadn’t been a guess on Elias’s part. He knew the signs, and in spite of the attempted framing, the agent hadn’t denied it. Elias’s opinion on police was one formed from years of observed corruption, blind eyes and less-than-pleasant encounters, so he wasn’t going to back down.

“You brought a police officer into my gym.”

Castello, if he was listening in, was doing a top-notch job of pretending he wasn’t.

The agent shrugged, ignoring the undertone or simply not caring. “We did say that we wanted people who both broke the systems and worked in them,” he reminded him.

“You did this on purpose.”

The agent didn’t even have the decency to look guilty. Elias hated that they’d read him so well, but not as much as he hated that it was working. Behind them Castello, having finally run out of things to look at, turned and entered the ring with an offered hand.

“You must be Mr. Al-Karim,” he said in a voice deep enough to match his bulk and with the lilt of a Valerian accent. “Sebastian Castello.”

Elias forced down the bristle and shook, reminding himself that all he had to do was get through this meeting without giving into the fight or flight instinct and he’d never have to see Castello again because he wasn’t going to let this work. He wasn’t.

“Pleasure,” he replied, even though it was anything but.

Castello returned his hands to his pockets – calloused, warm, no wedding ring - and swayed back on his heels. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

He managed to make the statement sound sincere which was impressive considering the building, ravaged by the constant rain, was far from appealing. Though Elias wouldn’t have been surprised if the amiable persona was just how Castello was. It grated either way. 

For a fleeting moment, he fantasised about punching him in the face.

[afterthegreatunknown]

Randomity: Bartering, Jaywalking, and Discussion: Not In That Order

One thousand, two hundred, and fifty dollars is a budget that can work for one person. Can such a budget work for seven people? Not really. There’s no way seven people could make that budget work, unless the group got lucky. And luck rain down on the group consisting of the Quagmire triplets, Hector, and the Widdershins family.

The group of seven, upon reaching Crown City (after half a day of walking there from Crown City Beach plus a night's rest) found a donation/second-hand store. There they bought some new clothes, as well as two duffel carry-on bags, and a mini-sewing kit at reasonable low prices for their budget. Good luck continued to rain down on them, for nearby was a laundromat that allowed dollars exchange for coins and detergent for customers (also at a reasonable low price).

Now, why would they need two duffel carry-on bags and mini-sewing kit? Quigley couldn’t carry everything in his backpack. Another two bags were needed to carry the rest of their belongings. And the mini-sewing kit was brought to sew up potential rips and tears on their clothes.

As the group currently walks around, watching a black-haired woman with sunglasses approach a mini-van, a collective thought hits them. They need a vehicle to travel back westwards…and hitchhiking is not an option. If they hitchhike, V.F.D. could find them and do who knows what with them. There’s also the regular hitchhiking risk of being pick by a criminal to worry about.

The black-haired woman soon opens up the passenger door of the mini-van, and places a decently size cardboard sign on the dashboard. The sign reads, “WILLING TO BARTER AND/OR TRADE: Call Ella Jane Wile at 555-9023.”

“If we had a ride like that,” says Hector, slowly down his walking pace to admire the minivan from afar, “we wouldn’t need to potentially hitchhike all the way back westward.”

“I’ll agree to that,” comments Isadora. “And that mini-van appears to be the right size. A seven or eight-figure seat configuration, from what I can tell from here.”

Quigley stares at the minivan as he readjusts his backpack. “It’s too bad we have nothing good to trade with what is equal to a minivan.”

Widdershins stops in his tracks suddenly, and then curls the end of his mustache. “Why don’t we try bartering for it? Aye. It’s an option on the sign.”

Hector completely comes to a halt, which in turns has Isadora and Quigley bumping into one another. Duncan also comes to a stop, but he avoids getting bump into, for he was walking ahead of his siblings. Fernald and Fiona simply stop walking, and stare at their stepfather.

“We can’t,” says Fernald. “If we have nothing to trade, then we have nothing to barter with.”

Duncan briefly scratches the small area between his ear and cheek as he stares at Hector, and the minivan. “Well, bartering is the direct transaction of goods or services with other goods or services. We could barter with Hector’s handyman skills in a service. Who to say Ms. Wile has something in need of fixing, or something that’s in need of maintenance?”

“Who to say she doesn’t?” asks Fiona. “But you do have a point. If she does need something fix or in need of maintenance, Hector’s handyman skills may be our only hope to get that minivan.”

“I don’t like the idea of me being our golden ticket,” says Hector, staring back at the woman now talking to someone on her cellphone, smacking the palm of her hand onto the mini-van hood. “Even if I wasn’t, intruding on her making a possible important phone call that I suspect she’s not happy about won’t do us any good in our attempt to barter.”

A silence rolls over the group as they watch the woman talk on her cellphone. Widdershins soon shrugs his shoulders, and brushes them off, despite it not being dirty. He then looks both ways, looking for incoming cars driving by. Luckily for him, there are none.

“He or she who hesitates is lost, handyman! It’s not our only hope, but our only chance!” Widdershins then jay-walks across the empty street to the woman. Well, jay-running across the now empty street. Still, walking or running, he’s disregarding traffic rules for the pedestrians.

“Are you—Stepfather! What the hell!?” Fernald soon runs after his stepfather, but he didn’t look both ways on the street. He still manages to avoid getting hit, for there are no incoming cars.

“Stepfather! Fernald! Wait!” Fiona quickly follows after Fernald. Like her stepfather, Fiona looks both ways before running out on the street. And just like the previous two, Fiona doesn’t get hit either, because there are still no incoming cars. That is truly, a real sign of good luck.

The now group of four watch Widdershins crossing the street at last, and taps the woman’s shoulder. The woman in response, nearly strikes him across the face. Widdershins ducks in time, and yells loudly to where the group can hear him. Widdershins then talks to himself, and whatever he said, the woman somehow heard, for she tilts her head with curiosity.

As the Quagmire triplets give glances at one another, Hector takes note of the woman. The woman is now staring intensely at Widdershins, before she speaking to him. From what Hector could infer, the woman asks a question. A ‘yes-or-no’ question, for Widdershins’ inaudible response to her has him also nodding his head.

The woman and Widdershins don’t speak much, for Fernald arrives soon, with Fiona quickly joining several seconds later. Quigley quickly observes how Fernald waves his right hook in the air, which sends Fiona in a brief panic. Duncan and Isadora meanwhile, notice the sudden smile on the woman’s face, as if she’s happy the Hook-Handed Man has, well, hooks for hands. Eventually, the Widdershins family and the black-haired woman soon enter a discussion. It’s a discussion that ends with the woman waving from across the street.

“What do you think the Widdershins family said to her?” asks Duncan, watching the woman now clapping her hands together.

“I can’t really guess,” says Isadora, as she sees the Widdershins family and the woman jaywalking together, “but whatever said, it wasn’t a mess.”

“Hopefully,” mutters Quigley, going quiet for the Widdershins family —and the woman— have rejoin them on their side of the street.

The woman quickly places her sunglasses to the top of her head, showing them all her green-color eyes. The she stares at them with that now close-up smile on her face, has the Quagmires and Hector feeling rather nervous. Hector more so, faintly recalling a person he never met but heard from others. However, knowing that it’s very unlikely the woman is said particular person, Hector pushes aside his uneasiness, and gives the woman a smile.

“I assume you’re Ella Jane Wile?” asks Hector, giving out his hand.

“Yes, I am,” says the woman—Ella Jane Wile— and briefly shakes his hand. “No need to call me by all of that. Ella Jane will do just fine. And you’re…”

“Hector.”

“Hector. Well, Hector,” continues Ella Jane, pulling back her hand, “your friend and his stepchildren told me of your group’s current problem. I’m willing to give you my old mini-van, if you assist me in something that’s a bit unorthodox.”

“Unorthodox?”

“Yes. Unorthodox.” Ella Jane tucks a strand of her black hair behind her ear. “What I need assistance for isn’t even something for me. It’s for an associate of mine. She’s in a rather terrible situation that has yet change for the better.”

Ella Jane then looks down at the phone still in her hand. “In fact, several minutes ago, I got a phone call from a mutual acquaintance that the situation gotten worse. All I can say is in public is that my associate needs the someone with the skills of a handyman, someone who can menace without causing harm, and someone willingly to drive her to safety without hesitation.”

“And we fit the bill,” says Widdershins, pointing to Hector, Fernald, and then himself. “So, Hector, you’re willing to help a woman who’s just want to help someone else?”

“I’m willing to help. But…where would the children be during all of this?” asks Hector.

“The children will be in my apartment safe and sound, while us adults take care of the matter,” says Ella Jane. “In fact, my apartment is nearby. I can take you all there right now. Us adults can also discuss the matter more there.”

“Please lead the way then,” replies Hector.

Ella Jane nods her head as she moves her sunglasses back down onto her eyes. She then turns around, and begins walking in the same direction the group was walking in before.  Everyone else follows, Ella Jane starts humming a rather somber and slow song. But the only people paying attention to Ella Jane’s humming is Fiona and her stepfather. Fiona, walking beside her stepfather, sees the confusion —or slow recognition— on his face.

“Do you know what Ms. Wile is humming, Stepfather?” asks Fiona.

“Possibly,” replies the man. “It reminds me of a Duke Ellington song I heard before. That’s all.”

[rickybowensfever]

whenever you get around to it, i'd love to see a jere sickfic. i dont really have any in specific,but there is a MAJOR lacking of them. (i havent found any)

Here you go!

I feel like Jeremiah would be the whiny/clingy sick person who just wants everyone to know they're sick and tend to them. I tried to channel that here!

Read on AO3

word count: 1,026

Jeremiah Fisher sluggishly walked downstairs to find his mother about to leave the house, dangling her keys and groaned to get her attention.

“Mom, can you take care of me? I don’t feel good” he said, pouting his lip and giving her puppy dog eyes to convince her to stay.

Susannah just laughed. “Jere, I told you not to go swimming in the rain last night. It was a bad storm!” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“I’m already late. I have to get to the club. But Laurel is here” she told her son, kissing the top of his head.

Susannah smiled softly at her son as he sniffled. She walked out of the kitchen, dangling her keys and shut the front door as she left to spend her day at the country club where both Jeremiah and Steven worked.

That morning, Jeremiah woke up with a scratchy throat, aches all over his body, his head pounded like a drum, and chills from the fever he was probably running.

He sulked as he stood in the kitchen clutching his blanket over him like a cape, attempting to combat the uncomfortable chills running through his body. Just then, Laurel came to the rescue.

Jeremiah’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas Day as she walked into the kitchen holding her purse.

He quickly changed his expression from excited to miserable.

“Laurel? I don’t feel good” he cried, sniffling from his runny nose.

“Oh no,” she said somberly as she noticed the boy’s pale and flushed complexion accompanied by rosy cheeks.

Jeremiah frowned at her, knowing that was her kryptonite.

 Laurel walked over to the boy and immediately pressed the back of her hand to his toasty forehead.

“Oh, bud. You’re definitely running a fever. Go lie down on the couch and I’ll see what medicine we have here” Laurel instructed, turning toward the cabinet, she rooted around for the sick day essentials.

Jeremiah nodded at her directions and walked over to the couch draping another blanket on top of him and burying his head in a pillow.

Laurel quietly walked over to the couch and sat on the edge holding a measuring cup filled with Tylenol and a digital thermometer.

“Jere, can you tell me what’s bothering you?” she asked, giving him a thin-lipped smile.

Jeremiah sat up a little and held his temples, “My head is pounding, my nose keeps running and my throat really hurts” he said and coughed into his elbow.

“And I have the chills,” he added, pulling the quilted blanket up to his chin.

“Ah, a summer cold. Nothing I can’t fix” she said, smiling again and set the cup of medicine on the coffee table adjacent to the couch.

“Can you sit up so I can get a read on that fever?” she asked, and Jeremiah obeyed, pushing his weak body up slightly against the pillow.

Laurel held the thermometer in the air and placed it under his tongue. “Keep it there. I’ll be right back” she said brushing her hand through his matted curls.  

Laurel came back to the living room with a glass of water just as the thermometer beeped. She set the glass onto the coffee table and sat on the edge of the couch turning herself toward the boy.

She grabbed the thermometer out of his mouth and sighed at the reading. “Well, the good news is your fever is low. The Tylenol should do the trick” she said, leaning over to grab the medicine.

Jeremiah nodded, making his curls sway back and forth. He grabbed the medicine cup from Laurel’s hands and drank it. Then, took a long sip of water before curling up on the couch, his head hitting the pillow, he craned his neck to see Laurel standing up.

“Call or text if you need anything. I have to go down to the bookstore to sign some books, but I won’t be too long. Get some rest” she said and bent down to kiss him on the forehead.

“Thanks Laurel” he said in between a yawn and closed his eyes.

###

Jeremiah woke up in a cold sweat, coughing his lungs out making him bend over to grab the glass of water and chug the remaining liquid.

When he was finished, he stood up to refill the glass. He walked over to the kitchen and was startled by Belly who sat at the counter drinking a smoothie.

“Wow, you were out like a light. I thought the blender would wake you up” she said, looking up from her phone.

“Cold medicine” he said with a laugh and opened the refrigerator to grab the water filter, pouring the cold water into the glass.

Jeremiah put the water filter back in the refrigerator and turned to see Belly. He sniffled realizing he needed another dose of medicine. He thought he would feel refreshed from the four-hour nap he took but he still felt exhausted.

He yawned which made Belly stifle a hearty laugh. “Are you okay?” she asked, wondering how he could still be tired.

“Stop, Bells. I’m sick. Don’t laugh at me” he whined, coughing into his elbow. Jeremiah groaned. He hated being sick during the summer, especially on a perfect beach day.

Luckily, he could feel the medicine doing the trick. His head didn’t hurt anymore but that was replaced with his teeth aching.

“It’s just a cold. You’re just like Steven! You’re both so dramatic when you’re sick” she explained.

Jeremiah rolled his eyes, “Whatever, Bells. I’m going back to sleep” he said and walked over to the couch, draping the quilt over him, and burying his head underneath.

###

Jeremiah woke up again in a coughing fit. He checked his phone, and it hadn’t even been fifteen minutes since he lied back down. Hearing the bouts of harsh coughing, Belly ran over to the couch.

She leaned over the back of the couch and rubbed Jeremiah’s back. He sniffled as the coughing died down.

“God, I’m never going swimming in the rain again,” he said in a raspy voice. Belly laughed under her breath, knowing he was definitely going to do it again.

[real-ink-demon]

Some spicy moon writing

Moon stuck his tongue out, making you click your tongue.

"Do that again and I'm grabbing your tongue," you threatened.

Moon smirked and leaned closer. "Fine~, suit yourself little Starfire."

Moon then let go of you, walking out into the living rom, seeing a pile of tangled wires lying on the ground. "What's all that for?" You asked, walking over.

"Sun had thought it would be a good idea to take our things out and organize them. Sadly, now I'm in charge of it."

You hummed in acknowledgement before heading upstairs. "I'm going to go check on Virus, we haven't heard from him in a while."

"Alright," Moon hummed as he sat down to deal with the mess.

You made your way upstairs, turning left at the turn and opening the door at the end of the hallway. "Virus?" You peek in, the darkness making it hard to see.

You let yourself adjust before looking around, on the bed you saw Eclipse had curled himself around the cat, his little baby blanket taking the priority of keeping the little kitten warm.

The cat had it's head on Eclipse's arm, Eclipse's head right beside the black kitten's. It seemed the both of them were asleep, the cat making soft snoring noises as Eclipse had the soft clicking of his internal workings still going.

You smiled fondly at the image, taking a picture before silently closing the door. [I want somebody to draw this scene. I think It'd be cute.] You walked to your room, deciding to rest for the rest of the day.

"[NAME]!"

Maybe not...

You groaned as you walked back downstairs to see why Moon was calling you. You walked into the living room, seeing him tangled up in the wires.

Moon saw you and groaned. "Help me."

You raised an eyebrow, walking closer to where you were right in front of him. "How'd you get stuck in this?"

Moon shrugged half-heartedly "Sun," was all he said. "Get me out."

You smirked, deciding to have a little fun. "No, I'm good."

"Excuse me?"

"You look kinda sexy tied up, why would I get rid of that?" You teased, seeing a glimmer of light spread across his face.

Moon tsked, attempting to brush off your comment as nothing. Moon then proceeded to stick his tongue out.

You grabbed Moon's tongue making him produce a surprised sound as you pulled his head down by it. Luckily, he couldn't do anything about it as he was still tangled up in the wire mess he had tangled himself up in. His tongue felt oddly cold and slimy. A feeling you were not expecting, however, you didn't let go.

You kept a firm grip on it, smiling when he tried to pull it back. "I told you I'd grab it next time~," You purred, pulling on it as you leaned closer to his face.

Moon let out a soft growl, clearly trying to be intimidating yet failing miserably. The little glowing yellow freckles lit up slightly, making you aware that he was blushing. You smirked, putting your free hand on his cheek, making the stars light up brighter.

The wetness of the tongue increased as he attempted to pull it back again. Drool fell from the corners of his mouth as he whimpered, trying to not make eye contact. You looked at the drool, falling to the ground, coating your hand and rolling down your arm. You got and idea and used the hand you had on his cheek to wipe a string of drool off his face. 

This action prompted Moon to look at you in confusion. Perfect. The stringy substance was dripping off your fingers, dripping to the ground like rain in slow motion. You licked your fingers, Moon's drool mixing with your saliva.

The stars glowed bright as his eyes widened, watching you suck his drool off your hand. A string of saliva was connecting your hand to your mouth as you took your fingers out, licking your lips to get rid of any drool left over on your face.

You decided to go a step further, knowing that it'll make Moon turned on. You leaned towards the hand you were using to hold his tongue, the soft writhing appendage already sopping in drool. Hell, there was already a puddle underneath him that had already formed.

You then began to lick up the drool coating your hand, every now and then having your tongue touch his. You felt Moon squirming under your hold. Soft whimpers came from him as you straightened back up, a string of drool connecting your mouth and hand.

The freckles were illuminating his face as he watched you, fans attempting to cool him down. You decide that it's enough and release his tongue, taking back your hand with a large amount of drool on your hand. You flexed your fingers, feeling the drool in-between them.

Moon retracted his tongue, opening and closing his mouth while shallowing the excess drool. You smiled as you watched him turn his head away from you, clearly blushing. You think that's enough teasing him and grab a few wires, beginning to untangle the moon animatronic.

[moonlit-jeno]

red door, yellow door (m.)

pairing: mark lee x fem reader x jung jaehyun

genre/warnings: explicit sexual content | demon au | slight dubcon??? the mans a lust demon idk | Very mild horror themes | minor mlm | don’t attempt this game pls !!!

words: 8.1k

a/n: this is a repost from my old bts blog! pls don’t ask abt it bc i no longer actively follow bts :)

One of these days, you’re going to kill your coworkers.

You love them, you really do, but sometimes they can just be so dumb. It was Donghyuck and Renjun who came up with the idea to play this stupid game, one that is probably only played by naive 12 year old girls during slumber parties.

Normally you’d just brush it off, but Renjun had called you a wimp, so naturally you had to do it. Which is how you’ve ended up on your back with your best friend massaging circles into your forehead.

“Red door, yellow door, any other color door,” is being chanted around the room. You fight the urge to move your neck to a more comfortable position on Mark’s lap. Your hand twitches above your head, where your arms are raised. “This is stupid,” You whisper, and Mark laughs, scolding you lightly.

After a while, the mindless chanting lulls you to sleep, and you feel yourself drift off.

“What do you see?”

Two doors appear in front of you, one red and one yellow. They both look kind of old, paint chipping and peeling off.

“Anything else?”

A black door appears next to the yellow one and you find yourself drawn to it, wanting to go in. This one is shinier, considerable newer and more inviting compared to the other two

“Go in.”

You open the door and walk through, a sense of relief flooding through your senses as you give in to the pull. The room that you find yourself in seems never ending, the only thing in it a large bed.

“Do you see anyone?”

A man appears, sitting on the bed. The suit he’s wearing is unfitting for the plain surroundings- in fact, he’s unfitting for the surroundings in general. His teeth are blinding white when he smiles, not a hair out of place on his entire head. He’s attractive, all golden skin and beautiful features. Almost too beautiful. A shiver crawls up your spine, a tinge of discomfort bleeding into your senses. He smiles, dimples popping out, and you push the discomfort to the back of your mind.

“Who are you?” Your voice comes out distant to your own ears, echoing around you.

“Call me Jaehyun. Why don’t you come here, little bird? We can get properly acquainted.” The voice sounds haunting, like a distorted video. You wouldn’t believe that he’s speaking if his lips didn’t move in sync. Despite the unnatural voice sounding warning bells in your brain, you find yourself moving forward automatically and settling down on his lap when he pats his thigh for emphasis.

“And what’s your name, little bird?” He trails a hand up and down your thigh and you shiver, leaning back against him. He chuckles when you tell him your name, a pleased smile lighting up his features.

“Well, little bird, seems that we’re going to have some fun together.”

Your name is being echoed all around you, and you wake with a jolt, eyes flying open to see Mark staring at you.

“Are you okay?” The rest of your group is also gathered around you, standing in a half circle.

“Yeah, just fell asleep for a bit. Why?” You push yourself onto your elbows, sitting up so that you can lean against Mark.

Donghyuck plops down on the floor, sitting so that he’s facing you. “You were talking like you were having a conversation with someone. Who was it?”

You shrug, trying not to dull his excitement. “I don’t know, just some guy.”

“Was he wearing a suit?” Renjun asks, standing behind Hyuck. He grimaces when you nod. “Y/n, we literally told you not to talk to anyone in a suit. We told you not to talk to anyone. It’s in the rules.”

You roll your eyes, knowing how serious he gets when it comes to stuff like this. “Relax, it’s fine. He seemed nice, and it’s not like it was anything real.”

Renjun still doesn’t look convinced, but Mark interrupts his paranoia by doing what he’s best- or worst, depending on who you ask- at, cracking jokes.

“Hey, was he eating deviled eggs?” He laughs at his own joke, and everyone else groans. “Hey, don’t get mad at me. His place was probably such a hellhole.” The bad mood dissolves into jokes and loud laughter for the rest of the night.

You leave the party- or gathering as Donghyuck had called it because it sounded more mysterious- when it starts storming. The rain drenches you and pretty much everyone else that’s sitting on the porch, leaving you scrambling for shelter. Luckily, Mark offers you a ride.

“Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!” Mark hollars out the window of his truck, his words getting lost in the night as he speeds off. His truck hits a pothole and you can imagine him swearing as his head hits the roof. Giggling to yourself, you unlock your apartment and slip inside. It’s close to 2 in the morning, so you decide that if you’re already not going to get that much sleep, why not binge Shameless?

You only get through two episodes before your eyelids feel heavy, and you have to fight to keep them open. On screen, there’s a bar fight that you try to take interest in, but sleep quickly pulls you under.

“Welcome back, little bird.” The voice is all around you, but no matter how much you turn and search, no one’s to be found.

“Turn around, little bird, I am here.” Spinning abruptly, you come face to face with the man from earlier, Jaehyun. He gives you a chilling grin.

“So we meet again,” he starts, and his voice no longer sounds eerie or inauthentic. He sounds like, well, a normal man. “Tell me, what would you do if I were to kiss you?”

You swallow, tongue darting out to wet your lips on instinct. “Depends. Are you a good kisser?” You aim for coy, but you miss the mark and land closer to worried.

“You could say that.” He pulls you close with one hand on the back of your head, stopping right before your lips. “May I?”

You nod, and he pulls you in for a gentle, closed mouth kiss.

It’s like that touch ignites a fire in you, because before you know it, your arms are thrown around his neck, dragging him closer to deepen the kiss. You lick along his lower lip and he readily grants you access, a throaty groan leaving him when you suck on his tongue. Liquid heat courses through your veins when he nips at your lower lip, tongue flicking over it in apology. You moan, raw and needy. He likes that, if the chuckle and wicked grin is anything to go by. Picking you up so that your legs are wrapped around his waist, he walks over to a bed that definitely wasn’t there before.

He drops you on the bed, and then suddenly you’re both naked. Jaehyun leans over you, all lean muscles and golden skin. His cock hangs hard and flushed between his legs, and you have the urge to swallow him down. He groans, as if reading your mind, and then reaches to pump himself slowly, long fingers wrapped around the length. “Not now, little bird, not now. I have something else in mind.” With one gentle push to your shoulders, you’re lying flat on the bed, Jaehyun between your legs. His mouth hovers over your core, already wet and dripping despite not having been touched. He plays idly with the slick on your upper thigh, drawing random patterns into the flesh. His eyes are dark, and you could swear that they’re entirely black, no white visible. He peers curiously up at you from between your legs, watching your reaction as his fingers get closer and closer to where you want him. Your breathing picks up as arousal thrums through your body, center pulsing and aching for some sort of relief.

“May I have you?” His breath ghosts over your center when you speak, the sensation making you even needier. 

You nod quickly. “Take it, fuck, you have all of me.” He grins, wasting no time in diving in. His tongue feels impossibly good, licking up your folds and circling over your clit. He leaves sloppy kisses along your core, one hand massaging your thigh and keeping you spread open. You cry out when his tongue pushes into you, his nose brushing your clit and sending sparks up your spine.

His tongue feels impossibly long, so good inside of you that you feel like you’re losing your mind. Your hips buck up desperately, riding his face to hell and back. One arm gets thrown over your stomach to keep you in place while two fingers from his free hand dip into your soaking core, curling into that spot immediately. Stars flash behind your eyes, one hand coming down to fist in Jaehyun’s hair. Your feet scramble frantically along his back, heels digging in in an effort to anchor yourself, toes curling at the sensations singing through you.

You feel your orgasm drawing closer, heat pooling in your center. You whimper brokenly as you try to chase after your high, grinding your hips along his tongue. He lets you, just holding his tongue flat out for you to ride.

You come like that, falling apart on his tongue, screams of his name falling from your lips. He works you through it, tongue gently licking along your folds, slurping up your arousal as if he hasn’t had a meal in weeks.

You lay there, boneless and whimpering weakly through the aftershocks until Jaehyun pulls away to kiss up your body. He licks into your mouth hotly, reminding you that he hasn’t come yet. You bat weakly at his chest, pushing him onto his back. “Your turn,”

He groans in appreciation at the view of you above him. “So perfect, little bird. I’m gonna have so much fun with your soul.”

This sentence freezes you in your spot. “What the fuck does that mean?”

Jaehyun meets your gaze, black eyes entrancing you. “That means, y/n, that I’m going to have your soul. You belong to me now, hmm?” One of his hands plays gently with a strand of your hair. “That’s what you agreed to earlier, no?”

“N-no.” You try backing away, but the inhuman voice from earlier is back, echoing everywhere, repeating his words over and over until you can’t take it anymore-

You wake with a gasp, hitting your head as you sit up. Your computer is still on your lap, episode fifteen playing. Fuck, you’ve only been asleep for forty five minutes. It’s not even three yet, and you don’t have to go to work until eight. Deciding there’s no way you’re falling back asleep, you get up and decide to bake.

Five hours later, your coworkers love you when you show up with containers of cinnamon rolls, five different types of cookies, and a coffee cake. Mark looks mildly worried.

“You okay? I haven’t seen you bake since high school.” You snap out of your thoughts and turn to face Mark. The look of concern on your best friend’s face is enough to make you feel guilty and you nod, forcing a smile onto your face.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Had a bad dream last night and couldn’t sleep, that’s all.” You respond, trying not to show how bothered you actually are.

“Wanna talk about it?” Mark leans forward over his desk, chin planted on his hand.

“No, it’s gonna sound dumb.” You whine, shaking your head. And it is dumb, even to you. You’re scared because you had a dream that some man ate you out and then told you he was going to take your soul?

“Well, you always sound dumb. Of course your dreams are gonna be dumb.” Mark laughs as you chuck a piece of cake at him, infectious laugh soothing you. You sigh.

Mark raises his eyebrows at you when you finish telling him your dream. “You’re scared because you had a wet dream? Damn, I’d be living in a nightmare if I was scared after every wet dream I’ve had.”

You kick him under the table. “Mark! It was really scary. He told me he was going to take my soul!”

Upon seeing that you’re actually freaked out, his face softens. “Look, y/n, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You probably just thought that he was hot, and your brain remembered his face and put it in a dream. I wouldn’t worry about it; what’s the worst he’s gonna do, haunt you?”

You give a shaky nod, agreeing. It’s not like something from your dreams could actually harm you. Mark reaches across the desk, taking your hand in his and giving a tight squeeze, warm brown eyes gazing at you openly. “And if something does happen, just remember that I’m your best friend. I’ll be here for you.”

“Thanks, Mark. Means a lot to me.”

He leans back in his seat. “Anytime, anyplace, anything. Triple A.”

You smile, raising an eyebrow. “Anything?”

His eyes go wide, taking in the glint in your eyes. “Within reason.”

“How about a sip of coffee?” You nod down at his cup, pasting a huge smile on your face.

“I did say within reason, so no.”

You huff. “I expected that.”

Although you don’t scare easily, it’s safe to say that you’re a bit unsettled tonight, especially after your nightmare last night. You find yourself jumping at every little noise, hand slamming the light switch on with your pulse racing every five minutes. This has been going on for an hour, and after a final sweep of your room reveals nothing, you decide that maybe a face mask will help you relax.

Your bathroom has two mirrors facing each other, which is normally a blessing when you do your hair, but tonight it does nothing but make you want to hide under your blankets.

Get a grip on yourself, you chastise, grabbing your phone and opening spotify. Maybe some music will help? You click on your Christmas playlist because what better way to cheer up than to think about your favorite holiday?

A mistake, really, because it seems that you’ve forgotten how creepy Santa is.

“He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake,” Yikes. You stop that song in a hurry, feeling anything but comforted. No music then, noted.

You reach for your face wash, turning the sink on and waiting for the water to warm. You can’t help but glance in the mirror behind you every so often, paranoia getting the best of you. Man, you feel pathetic, worrying about monsters in your closet like you’re six and not twenty-six.

You wash your face quickly, hoping that your fears will wash away as well. No such luck.

You swear you see something move behind you after you dry your face off, but there’s nothing there. Shaking it off, you reach for your face mask, taking your time painting your face with the green clay.

It’s after your face is coated that you spot someone in the glass behind you. You scream, whipping around to come face to face with a man. Not just any man- Jaehyun.

Your heart thunders in your chest, eyes widening in fear. He seems to be in the mirror, copying your petrified expression mockingly.

“Hello, little bird.” He purrs, smirking lightly.

“Are you- are you in my mirror?” You’re in disbelief, mind struggling to comprehend this. First you spot him while in a weird trance, then in a dream, and now in your mirror? Maybe you’re having a quarter life crisis.

“No, I am not. Mirrors are just gateways to alternate dimensions. I’m merely using the mirror to visit you.” He says this like it’s common knowledge. It feels like your throat is made of sandpaper with how hard it is to choke out your words. “O-okay. I’m just gonna- yeah.”

You grab your phone from the counter and bolt, fumbling for your keys before jumping into your car and speeding off in the direction of Mark’s house. You call him, fingers fumbling on the screen. He goes to voicemail the first time, and your heart drops. “No, no, no,” you whisper frantically, calling again. He does pick up this time.

“Y/n? It’s the middle of the night.” His voice sounds gruff, and you feel guilty for waking him up. One glance in your rear view mirror reveals that Jaehyun is joining you on this ride, and you scream, car swerving violently to one side before you straighten it out.

“Where are we going, little bird?”

“Y/n? Are you okay?” Mark’s voice has lost its sleepy edge, taking on a concerned tone. He says your name again, more frantic.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Your tires squeal as you make a turn, now only two blocks away. “Can I- can I come over? I really need to be with someone right now.”

“Of course, you know you’re always welcome. The door’s unlocked.”

You hang up, willing the tears in your eyes to not spill over. Finally arriving, you slam on the breaks and haphazardly pull next to a curb, yanking the key out of the ignition and sprinting to Mark’s house.

You lock the door behind you when you step inside, testing the handle as if a door could stop a mirror traveling demon or whatever the fuck Jaehyun was from coming inside. “Mirrors,” you mumble, reaching the stairs.

“Y/n? What’s-” Mark stands at the top of the stairs, one hand rubbing at his eyes. You cut him off, flying up the stairs.

“Mirrors, fuck. Mark, we need to cover the mirrors!” You breeze by his shocked figure, not noticing the way he turns to stare at you incredulously.

“What, why? Y/n, are you crazy?”

Ignoring him, you throw a towel over the mirror in his bathroom, ripping open a pack of bandaids to use as adhesive.

You throw another towel over the mirror in his bedroom, collapsing on his bed when you’re done and finally allowing yourself to sob.

“Y/n, hey, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” Mark, as gentle and caring as ever, comes over to sit next to you, one hand combing through your hair.

“I- don’t laugh at me.” You stare him straight in the eye, pleading with him. You know you’re going to sound crazy, but you’re praying that your best friend listens to you. He nods, urging you to go on.

“That- that man I saw in my dream and during whatever fucked up game Hyuck had us play? He was in my fucking mirror, Mark. I- the whole night, I had this feeling that I was being watched, and then I went into my bathroom and he was just there, and-” You’re hyperventilating at this point, fighting for every breath, tears clouding your vision. “He was in my car, in the rear view mirror-” Mark pulls you closer, enveloping you in his arms and allowing you to sob loudly into his chest. You cry for a few minutes, until you’re finally able to pull yourself together.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’ve had a rough week, I know. It’s okay, everything’s going to be okay.”

He wipes a tear away from your check, patting you lightly. “Why don’t you go wash this off, okay? We can watch a movie after.” He offers, and until that point, you’d forgotten you were wearing a face mask. You grimace at the green imprint on his black shirt, but he just chuckles. “I’ll go grab you some water in the meantime.”

Nodding, you garner up the energy to walk to his bathroom. It’s fine, the mirror’s covered, he can’t hurt you. You close the door just in case, wanting an extra level of protection

You rinse your face with cold water, hoping that it will clear your mind. You give your face a couple more splashes before drying off with a towel.

“You missed a spot on your forehead.” You freeze before looking around wildly. There’s no one around, which can only mean that Jaehyun can still see you. Swallowing, you start the water again, rubbing at your forehead.

“And your left cheek.” You rub at the skin, being way too harsh but you excuse it considering your situation. “No, your other left. My left.”

“Jesus,” You growl in annoyance, reaching up to rip the towel down. Sure enough, there’s a splotch of green on your cheek. Jaehyun’s nowhere to be found. Maybe I am losing my mind.

You finish rinsing the mask off, finding some face lotion buried in Mark’s drawer, screaming bloody murder when Jaehyun appears in the mirror again. “Looking for me?”

“No! Leave me alone!” You cry, head spinning. Jaehyun fakes a pout, holding a hand over his heart in mock hurt. Do demons even have hearts?

“Ouch, little bird. You don’t want to finish what we started the other night? When I had you moaning so pretty, so wet for me. I’m sure your pussy would take me so well, hmm?” Your heart rate kicks up again, but for a different reason this time. You almost moan, thinking about the dream.

Because he was right, you had been so wet. The want comes back full forces, slamming into you like a truck. You remember how needy you were, wanting to suck his cock so bad, wanting him to fuck you like there’s no tomorrow. All fear that you previously had is slowly disappearing, fading into lust.

The demon smiles knowingly. “Ah, little bird, so you do remember. Remember how you promised me that you’re mine?”

You nod, eyes glazing over. You’re wet, panties starting to stick to your throbbing core uncomfortably.

“Mmmh, I bet you’re already dripping for me. Just waiting for me to come out and fill you up.”

Hearing your name leave his lips sends a wave of arousal crashing through you so strong that your knees buckle, grabbing onto the counter for support. He chuckles, but whatever he’s about to say is cut off by Mark.

“What were you say-” Your best friend trails off, eyes wide as he observes the scene. You snap out of your haze at the interruption. His mouth parts in shock. “You really weren’t kidding, shit.” He laughs humorlessly.

Then, quick as lightning, he rears back and punches the mirror. You scream in surprise at the crack, shards falling to the floor.

You and Mark both stare at the broken shards of glass on the ground, gleaming under the lights. “Mark,” You start, trailing off once you realize you have nothing to say. He seems to understand, walking forward until he’s close enough to pull you into a hug. You feel tears start to slide down your cheeks, dampening the cotton of your best friends shirt. You hug him closer, burying your face into his broad chest. He wraps himself around you, and you let yourself be lulled into the sense of security that his larger frame brings you. A sense of security that vanishes once you hear a low chuckle that definitely does not belong to Mark.

You both scream, leaping backwards and away from the noise. Jaehyun stands there, just in front of the door, with a shit eating grin on his face. You cower behind Mark, who is wrapping a protective arm around you while simultaneously trying to hide behind you.

“I really must thank you for finally setting me free. Normally I have to wait for some asshole with a ouija board, but then there’s just so many other demons that I have to compete with. So I just stick to the dream world-” He pauses to wink at you for emphasis “-but this is so much more fun.” His eyes are black, and you can’t tell where he’s looking. Swallowing, you clutch onto Mark’s arm for dear life.

The demon seems to regard the two of you for a moment, before his amusement seems to grow. He begins to move forward.

“Ah, Mark Lee. Lovely name for a stupid boy. Didn’t you know breaking a mirror is bad luck?” By this point, you and Mark are flattened against the wall, while Jaehyun stands less than a foot away from the two of you. There’s nowhere to run. This is it, you think, this is how I die.

Jaehyun chuckles, turning to you. You lower your gaze to the ground; it hurts to make eye contact with him. “No, little bird. This isn’t how you die, don’t worry.”

Then he’s backing away from the two of you, motioning to follow him. The logical part of your brain is screaming not to, but you find yourself drawn to him, legs carrying you after him without your consent, Mark clutching your arm tightly as he walks next to you.

Jaehyun seems to know the layout of the house, leading you straight into Mark’s bedroom. The demon grabs a chair from the desk and spins it around, straddling it so that he’s facing the bed.

He motions lazily. “Go on now, have a seat. Get comfortable.”

You find yourself sitting down on the edge of the bed, following his words like marching orders. Mark sits about half a foot away from you. Jaehyun shakes his head. “No, no, no. That won’t do. I said to get comfortable, did I not?” He raises an eyebrow as if daring you to argue with him. “Go lay down at the head board.”

You crawl to the head of the bed, settling so that you’re on your side, facing the demon. Mark follows suit, pulling you close to him so that you’re spooning. Jaehyun lets out a pleased hum. “Much better. Aren’t you much more comfortable now?” Nodding, you realize that you actually are more comfortable. It’s not just the change of position, but the energy in the room as well. The demon is no longer giving off a threatening aura. It’s more relaxed, maybe even happy? He certainly looks more relaxed, probably as happy as a demon can get, if not a little smug.

Your body is pulsing with energy, and it takes you a moment to place what you’re feeling. The earlier need to run that you had felt has been replaced with another need, albeit further down. Your thighs clench as another surge of heat pulses through your core, and your face warms at the realization. Why now, of all times, are you horny?

Jaehyun’s grin broadens as he seems to sense your dilemma. “Oh, little bird, if only you knew. Tell me, what type of demon do you think I am?” He watches you curiously, black eyes staring into your soul.

You try to tilt your head towards Mark, but the position’s too awkward and you only catch a glimpse of the side of his face. He looks a bit flushed from what you can see, teeth digging into his plush bottom lip, teeth that you could easily replace with your own- you blink, dazedly. What the fuck? Sexual thoughts about your best friend? That’s a new one. Even if you’ve noticed that he’s hot, you’d never thought about him sexually. Now, though, you can feel the hardness of his dick against your ass, and you can’t help but think about how good he could fuck you.

“Incubus,” You finally manage, blinking rapidly to clear the haze of your vision. Jaehyun grins, looking genuinely surprised that you’d gotten it right.

“Good girl. Make a little sense now?” You nod, fighting a moan as Mark starts to rock against you, slowly, as if he’s unconsciously doing it. Jaehyun notices.

“How about you, Mark? You doing alright over there?”

Your friend, your best friend, buries his face in your neck and groans, deep and delicious. It sends another surge of heat through your body, the growing need between your legs pulsing pathetically. “What are you doing to us?” The words are growled behind you, vibrating against the skin where his lips are pressed.

“Oh no, Mark, I’m not doing anything to you. The only thing I can do to you is make you realize your desires. Your deepest, darkest fantasies? I make that happen. Finally being able to fuck the girl you’ve been in love with for years? I make that happen.” The words take a minute to register with you, but you stiffen when the meaning hits you. Mark Lee, in love with you? An unlikely story, bordering impossible.

The demon chuckles at your inner turmoil, rolling his eyes at how dumb humans can be. “You too, y/n. You love Mark, even if you won’t admit it. You let the idea that he was too good for you scare you away from him. Do you not remember how often you thought of him, late at night after first meeting him?”

You groan in protest, not because it’s not true, but because you do remember. It had been so long ago. When you hadn’t known Mark, had only known of him. You pull away from Mark, awkwardly pushing him to lay flat against the pillows while you clamber on top of him.

“Mark, is it true? Do you love me?” You hold his face between your hands, staring into his eyes. He meets your gaze, pupils blown and eyes half lidded. He nods as best he can.

“So, so much.” Mark’s voice comes out raspy, matching his flushed skin. You lean down to kiss him, uncaring of the other presence in the room. Mark moans when your lips make contact, hands pulling you to straddle him. Your eyelids flutter at the feeling of his clothed cock against your center, rocking your hips to try to ease the throb of your core. His hands fly to your ass, pulling and kneading at the flesh as he urges you into a harsher pace.

The kiss is rougher, needier now, open mouthed and panting. Mark’s got his tongue tangled with yours, sucking in such a way that sends waves of heat through you. You want him in you, any part of him really.

Jaehyun seems to agree, speaking up from right next to you. You jump, having forgotten he was there although he’s the reason you’re like this in the first place.

“Let’s get the show on the road. As much as I’m enjoying this, I think we’d all enjoy something else a little more.” The demon reaches for the hem of your shirt and you nod, raising your arms above your head to let him pull the garment off. Mark groans at the newly revealed skin, hands going to cup your breasts through the fabric of your bra. “Fuck,” He whines, staring in awe at your chest. He doesn’t waste time before leaning up to kiss along your cleavage, pulling the bra down to expose your breasts. Another set of hands unclasp the bra before traveling down your torso to rub circles into your hip bones, sliding your sleeping shorts and panties off at the same time. Jaehyun throws the shorts somewhere off the bed. He keeps the panties, a pleased sigh leaving him as he appreciates the ruined fabric.

“Fuck, little bird. You’re really enjoying this,” He comments, as if he isn’t a fucking lust demon that can sense these kinds of things. You don’t voice your thoughts, because Mark chooses this moment to suck a nipple into his mouth, nibbling and sucking on the sensitive skin so that all you can do is moan. “You’ve even ruined your panties. They’re soaked.”

He hands the strip of lace to Mark, who lets out a throaty groan at the sight. “You’re not getting these back.” He informs you, slipping the garment into his bedside drawer. You ignore him, instead tugging insistently at his shirt. He takes pity on you, grabbing the collar and yanking the baggy tee over his head.

You let your hands slide down his chest in admiration, feeling the hard lines of his muscles. You lick your lips at how broad his shoulders are, how strong he looks. Jaehyun doesn’t give you much time to enjoy the view, gliding two fingers along your slit before circling around your little nub. A cry of pleasure leaves you to mindlessly press your face into Mark’s collarbone, nipping and sucking the flesh until you’re sure you’ve left a bruise.

Jaehyun slips the two fingers into your aching core, curling and dragging them so well along your walls. Sparks of electricity flow through your veins, heat pooling in your center.

Mark groans from below you. Looking down, you see that you’ve unconsciously dug your nails into his hard chest in an effort to ground yourself. You remove your hands, only to spot little red half crescents littered over his skin. You rub your palms over the marks as if to soothe them, but it seems that the man wasn’t groaning from pain.

“Y/n” He sounds so fucked out, voice hoarse and raw even though hardly anything has happened yet. “You look so good like this, so perfect for me.” He brings one large hand up to cup your cheek, thumb delicately stroking over your cheekbone before moving down to trace your lower lip. You part your lips, letting him slide in before sucking around the digit, tongue curling around it as if it were his cock. His eyes darken a fraction, tongue coming out to wet his lips, swollen and kiss bitten.

You moan around the digit as Jaehyun adds a third finger, stretching your walls so pleasantly that you can’t help but buck your hips back for more. A whine forces its way out of your throat as the demon pulls his fingers out of you, leaving an empty ache between your thighs.

“Don’t you think it would be more fun if she was sucking on something a bit bigger than your finger, Mark?” The voice startles you, breath tickling your ear as he speaks. The man under you nods, swallowing thickly. Your eyes are drawn to the way his Adam’s apple bobs with the movement, and a gush of wetness pulses down below. Your thighs are probably covered in your arousal at this point.

You scoot down his body, trailing kisses and bites down his toned stomach. You take your time unzipping his pants, sucking a mark into the soft skin below his navel. He’s hard as a rock, and you moan in appreciation at the sheer size of him once you shimmy his jeans down his thighs.

“No underwear?” You ask, mouth curling up in a teasing smirk. He huffs out a laugh, propping himself up on his elbows so that he can watch. “No, ‘s too restricting.”

You lazily pump his dick, thumb flicking over the tip once or twice. You plan to tease him more, but then Jaehyun’s pushing your head down and you have no choice but to open your mouth wide, innocent eyes peeking up at Mark as you take his cock in your mouth. He’s so big that you can’t take him in all the way, keeping one hand curled around his cock to stroke what your mouth can’t reach. You let it get sloppy, using your spit to ease the glide until you’ve got a pleasant rhythm going. Mark replaces Jaehyun’s hands with his own, gathering strands of your hair in his palms and using that grip to control your pace. “F-fuck,” He lets out a shaky exhale, letting his head fall back against the pillows once he’s satisfied with the pace.

Jaehyun slaps your ass, a loud smack sounding throughout the room. You moan, pitching forward onto Mark’s cock and gagging as he hits the back of your throat. A strangled cry leaves the man above you, his hips thrusting even further into the tight, wet heat of your mouth.

The demon kneads your stinging flesh before using his grip on you to pull your hips up. “Good girl,” You keen under his praises, sticking your ass up even higher. The warm, wet pressure against your center has you faltering, moaning almost violently around Mark’s cock. He doesn’t seem to be having any complaints, the vibrations forcing a moan of his own out.

Your eyes roll up into your head as Jaehyun wraps his lips around your clit, sucking harshly. You’re sure you’d be screaming by now if Mark’s cock wasn’t halfway down your throat. You’ve given up sucking him off by this point, content to let the man fuck your mouth while Jaehyun sucks your fucking soul out from between your legs. It feels so good, not used to being the center of even one man’s focus, let alone two.

Mark eases you off of his cock after you accidentally bite him, using your spit to ease the slide as he lazily fucks up into his loose fist. You rest your head on his thigh, alternating between moaning wantonly and mouthing messily against the skin as you feel your orgasm approach.

Jaehyun pulls away at the last second, and you whine loudly as your orgasm is cut off. The feeling of frustration leaves you close to tears, and you jiggle your ass in hopes that it will regain his attention. It does momentarily, as Jaehyun lands a harsh smack on the flesh, but he pulls away again.

“Mark,” The man in question looks up, hand freezing on his dick as if waiting for Jaehyun’s orders. And fuck, what a sight that would be: your normally brash and confident friend being so pliant and submissive to a near stranger… You blink out of it, feeling mildly ashamed even in your current state. Luckily, Jaehyun interrupts your thoughts. “I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll let you go first. You’ve been waiting long enough for this, anyway.”

Mark nods eagerly, pulling you into a desperate kiss. You paw at every inch of skin you can reach, searching for a release from the ache inside of you. Your wish is granted when he hooks two fingers in your soaking cunt, groaning at how wet you are. He scissors you open quickly, hissing at how tight you feel.

“Ready, angel? Want my cock?” The pet name has you moaning, though it draws a low chuckle from Jaehyun, who’s watching from his position next to Mark.

“Hurry up, already. Need you in me, ‘ve waited so long.”

Mark lights up at this, smile stretching his features. He looks so breathtaking in this moment, skin glowing and flushed, hair mussed up, eyes blown wide and half lidded.

“I’m yours,” He breathes, leaning up for one last kiss. His hands slide down to your hips, pulling you forward so that you’re hovering above his thick cock. “Ride me baby.”

“I’d love to.” Reaching one hand down to position him at your entrance, you start to lower yourself down. Of course, Jaehyun chooses this exact moment to stop you. He truly is the spawn of Satan.

“Little bird, hold on just a second. I found something of interest in the back of Markie’s brain.” You cringe as he mocks your earlier nickname for the man. “What’s this I’m seeing, Mark? You like it up the ass?” His tone is teasing, but Mark groans in embarrassment. His face has gone an alarming shade of red by this point. “N-no,” He tries to deny, sputtering excuses but Jaehyun cuts him off with a press of a finger to his lips. “Oh, Mark, don’t get shy on me now. It’s a perfectly fine thing to like. Little bird, you’ll get your turn in a minute. You,” He snaps his fingers at Mark. “Come here. Kneel up, just like that. Perfect.” He appraises Mark’s ass for a moment, hands moulding the flesh before slipping a finger in. Mark’s eyebrows furrow, and you shoot up in alarm. “Doesn’t he need lube?”

Jaehyun looks at you, surprised that you care, before chuckling. “I can produce lube. Perks of being a lust demon.” Winking at you, he returns his focus to Mark. You can’t see what he’s doing, but the pure pleasure present on your best friends face has you clenching your thighs together, waves of need crashing through you. If you thought he looked good before, he looks absolutely gone now. Breathless groans are leaving him now, eyelids fighting to stay open as he sinks down on the others fingers. You watch him, mesmerized, before shuffling over to him.

“How close are you?”

He forces his gaze down to you. “Kind of- nngh- close, w-why?” 

Wrapping a hand around his base lightly, you start stroking. “Will you come if I blow you?”

He moans, a punched out sound that takes you by surprise. “Fuck, yes, I’ll definitely come if you blow me.” You pout in disappointment. Upon seeing your crestfallen expression, he continues. “Maybe we c-can- oh, yes- figure something out. Jaehyun,” He turns his head back behind him, struggling to get the words out between moans. “Can I eat y/n out?”

There’s just something so hot about Mark asking for permission from someone else that you can’t help the whimper that escapes you. Jaehyun must nod, because then you’re being laid back, Mark settling between your thighs. He’s sucking sweet kisses into your core almost immediately, pulling your legs over his shoulders to give him better access. You’re letting out sharp cries of pleasure the whole time, eyes fighting the urge to roll back in your head in favor of watching Mark between your legs. A particularly well placed flick of his tongue has your hips rolling against his face, grasping the sheets in your hand as your mind blanks. The pleasure climbing through your system is insane, threatening to burn you from the inside out.

It only gets better once Mark starts moaning, his sinful mouth sending sweet vibrations traveling up your core. You manage to catch sight of Jaehyun behind him, kissing wetly along his shoulders and neck, features curving into a smirk once he notices you watching him.

“Little bird likes this, hmm? Like watching another man pleasure your boyfriend while he pleases you?” You hum, unable to tear yourself away from his gaze, unable to even think, letting his boyfriend comment slide. Whereas before it hurt to look directly into his eyes, you now find yourself getting lost in his dark orbs. It’s like a drug, your pleasure being amplified by the man, demon, whatever in front of you.

You finally break eye contact, head falling back against the mattress as Mark draws you closer and closer to your peak. Burying one hand in his hair, you use the leverage to grind your core against his face, chasing your sweet release. “C-close, Mark, please-” You don’t know what you’re begging for at this point. It’s too much but not enough at the same time. Jaehyun saves you from having to decide by cruelly ripping your orgasm away from you, again, dragging Mark’s face away from your pussy.

A few tears slip down your face at this point, frustration reaching its peak. Jaehyun wipes the tears away, laughing lowly. “Don’t worry, you’ll get what you desire soon.”

He must pull out of Mark, because your friend whimpers before seeming to realize what he just did and clears his throat uncomfortably.

“Mark, would you like to fuck our little bird now?” Mark nods, tongue flicking out to wet dry lips.

Jaehyun smirks. “Good. On your back. Y/n, ride him.” You don’t have to be told twice. You scramble onto your knees, wasting no time in straddling Mark before dropping yourself down on him. You both moan in satisfaction, you at finally being filled and Mark at your tightness. You have to brace both hands on his chest, almost collapsing at the overwhelming relief you feel. Beyond the burn of the stretch, his cock filling you up so nicely, there’s a sweet pleasure, a satisfaction.

You don’t wait very long to adjust, grinding your hips in smooth circles before lifting yourself off of him and dropping yourself back down. You quickly start a rhythm of you bouncing on his cock, eyes rolling at how fucking big he feels in you.

Mark’s hands are locked in a vice grip on your ass, fingers digging into the supple flesh and using his grip to urge you into a faster pace.

Jaehyun decides to join, coming up behind you to kiss at your neck, one hand reaching up to your mouth. “Suck,” He commands, slipping two fingers past your willing lips. You do, hollowing your cheeks and slurping around the digits, wishing that it was his dick. He hums behind you, bringing the wet digits down to your entrance, finding your clit with ease and rubbing fast circles into the little nub. You moan even louder now, feeling yourself speed towards your climax. You’ve been on edge for too long, you can’t hold on anymore.

“You close, little bird? Going to come on Mark’s cock? Gonna make him fill you up, pound into that dirty cunt?” His words get to you, your head falling back against his shoulder once more.

“Yes, yes! Oh, please, please-” He cuts off your mindless rambling by pulling you in for a kiss, one that you melt into. This is the first time he’s kissed you, and you’re quite upset that you hadn’t kissed him earlier. It’s a hot kiss, lots of tongue and teeth. It heightens your pleasure immensely, and you can’t stop kissing him. You suck on his tongue filthily, and oh, he must like that if the resulting groan is anything to go by. Even when he goes to pull away, you won’t let him, one hand fisting in his hair to keep him close. He seems to be speeding up your release, if that were even possible. Your mind feels hazier now, every sensation heightened, core screaming for release. You feel your orgasm twisting painfully at your insides, pulsing before finally exploding. The intensity of it rips a scream out of your throat, nails scratching across Mark’s chest as Jaehyun licks even deeper into your mouth, drinking up the noises you make.

When you come down, Mark is still thrusting desperately up into you, though he stops at the demons command. “From behind,” You hear Jaehyun say, but everything’s hazy at this point. Your mind is still fuzzy from your orgasm, and it’s like watching through a screen. Like you’re high, though you hadn’t had anything the whole day.

Mark manhandles you into position, hands and knees with your ass raised high in the air. He leaves one gentle kiss on your shoulder blade before relentlessly pounding into you, cock hitting even deeper in this position. Jaehyun kneels in front of you, pulling your face in towards his cock. You moan around him as he slips inside, mouth not quite burning at the stretch like Mark, though the demon still has you gagging. His cock has the same effect on you as his kisses did, and you feel addicted. You’re slurping and sucking and moaning around him, not wanting the intense pleasure to stop. You barely hear the kissing above you, taking far too long to register that Jaehyun has pulled Mark into a messy kiss above you. The image has you moaning even more wantonly, ass pushing back against Mark.

The kiss seems to have a similar effect on the man, because then he’s slamming into you at an even more relentless rate, moans higher and more frequent before he’s coming with a shout, finally filling you up. Your core pulses again at the feeling, and you suck at Jaehyun’s dick with renewed vigor. His hands fist in your hair, keeping you still so that he can fuck your mouth as hard as he wants. You relish in the feeling of your throat being fucked raw, spit dripping out of your mouth and down his cock. He lets out a deep groan, hips slamming deep one last time as he finishes. His cum seems to ignite a fire within you, because you’re coming almost simultaneously with him, despite not even being touched.

You collapse afterwards, dragging yourself to Mark and letting him drape himself over you. You let yourself drift off to sleep, sated and still riding the high.

The demon kisses each of you one last time, drinking in the last remaining parts of your soul, watching as the two humans take their last breaths. “Thanks for the meal, lovelies.” He chuckles, petting your head almost affectionately before walking out into the night sky, not sparing a single glance back.

[landinoandco]

An Unlikely Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo x reader

Warnings: flufffff

Word count: 2.1k

Requests are open :)

The Belgium Grand Prix was one that was highly anticipated - not only did it mark the end of the summer break and start to the second part of the season but it also promised some quality racing with its high speed corners.

You and Daniel were sitting in your hotel room on Sunday morning, a drink of coffee in your hand and a vitamin smoothie in his, your laptop open in front of you as you made some edits to the latest version of your book. You were an author and about to finish the final edit of your new novel.

“Have you seen the weather forecast for today?” He asked, leaning onto his forearms. You looked over your laptop lid and nodded, taking off your glasses.

“I have, you better be careful. It was bad enough in qualifying yesterday - “ You paused, saving your work and closing your laptop down. “I don’t care what people say - wet races always make me nervous. They shouldn’t have sent you out in Q3, it was hard to watch.”

A silence fell between the both of you, Daniel watched with a softness in his eyes. He knew exactly how you felt and he loved how supportive you were of him. You were his biggest fan and he could not be more thankful for it - you were there for him every weekend through rain and sunshine and through good races and bad races. You knew him better than anyone.

“I will be as careful as I can -” He reached across the table and took your hand in his. “I really feel like I’m getting somewhere though - P4.” He exclaimed, a smile flashing across his handsome features. You brushed your thumb over his hand.

“It was a really good lap - especially given the weather.” You agreed.

You moved your gaze to the window - the steady sound of rain hitting the hotel window filled the room.

“It’s definitely going to be a tense one.” Daniel muttered, pushing his chair back and getting up. You followed and made your way to the door, shrugging on your coat as you went.

The rain was pouring down as though the heavens above had opened - Daniel held an umbrella above both of you, sheltering you from the downpour. Members from different teams raced around the paddock to dry shelter - the buzz of conversation could already be heard from the grandstand in front of the pitlane. You admired the dedication of the fans; it was far from just a shower and for those exposed without even the slightest of cover would be drenched to the bone even by now and the grand prix was far from starting.

You looked over to Dan, his eyes twinkling and a spring in his step told you that he was looking forward to today’s race. His eyes flickered down to meet your gaze, bumping his shoulder into yours causing you to chuckle.

It was incredible to think about all of the things you two had managed to fit into 3 (going on 4) years. You met each other on the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, you were there plotting for your next novel and Daniel was there hiking with his friends…

You were sat on a rock, looking out to the city of Cape Town tucked away under the mountain range - you were out in South Africa on an escape from the cramped conditions of London. You had a deadline quickly approaching to come up with a plot for your next book and as of that moment you still weren’t any closer to coming up with the next bestseller. Sure, you had ideas but they were yet to set a light a fire of motivation in you.

You had zoned out, your gaze attached to a bird soaring across the landscape ahead of you when a sudden voice pulled you swiftly out.

“Whatchu’ writing about?” The man asked, his tone was bright and as you looked over at him you saw the beaming smile stretched across his features. His eyes showed a confident but kind manner, brown curls stuck to his forehead and the beginnings of a beard covered the bottom half of his face.

“If I knew, I would tell you.” You quipped back, turning to face the man in order to see him properly. He had a muscular physique, no doubt a sportsman - you had thought at the time - an explosion of colour seeping out from his shorts caught your eye as you clocked the tattoos; they weren’t the only ones either as little drawings were littered over his hands and arms.

“Nice tattoos.” You complimented, nodding over to him. If it was at all possible, his smile grew larger and he put his fist out.

“I’m Daniel, by the way, Daniel Ricciardo.”

The rest was history - an adventure packed history. One filled with enough adrenaline to last you for the rest of your existence. The introductions had also prompted your next plot idea so the following week when you had returned to London you turned it into your agent - who had immediately loved the outline you had presented.

A few hours later and the start of the Belgium grand prix was approaching but still the track was resembling more of a spa - ironically - than a safe and functional track. Dan walked in from the drivers parade and shivered - his coat having provided no cover.

Frowning, you got up and handed him a towel, “What are the conditions like?” Nerves laced your tone. Dan sat down, shrugging, “They’re what we expected them to be like but it’s really rough. If we can even see 6 feet ahead it would be a miracle.”

A miracle was something they were all desperate for and before they knew it the race had been red flagged - deemed too dangerous to race so all of the teams were in their garages coming up with ways to entertain themselves.

You had made your way out of the McLaren garage to join Daniel who was wandering up and down the pitlane looking for a way to cause havoc.

You crept up to him and grabbed his shoulders and shouted: “boo,” in his ear causing him to jump up in shock and scream. You and many witnesses were doubled over in laughter as the Australian held his hand to his chest.

“I just came to say -” You started, “That you looked like you were about to do something mischievous and I wanted in on whatever your plan was.”

Dan looked at you with complete adoration in his eyes, a lopsided grin formed on his face. At that moment, he had never loved you more. It was a strange feeling that he couldn’t quite describe - it was just one he felt warming up his entire body. One thing he had always adored about you was the way you understood him - at the beginning of the relationship he knew you had found it hard to deal with his childish, devil may care attitude. As soon as you relaxed more around him, you two became more comfortable with one another - you decided to try his way of living. Letting fate take you to your next adventure and enjoying the unpredictability of it all. From your first adrenaline seeking adventure Dan had managed to persuade you to join him in - he knew he had found his partner in crime. Most importantly, Dan had taught you a way of living that was more enjoyable, a way of living that allowed you to get more out of life and push your comfort zone right to the limit.

“I have a few ideas.” He smirked, then grabbed your hand twirling you around as though you were ballroom dancing.

“What are you doing?” You giggled, the corners of your eyes crinkled as he pulled you into his chest, guiding one of your hands to rest on his shoulder as he grasped the other in his and held them up as though you were dancing the waltz; finally placing his hand on your waist.

“I don’t suppose you would have seen it but in 2015, the American qualifying was cancelled due to rain and to pass the time I danced with my teammate. I figured I would make a tradition of it.” He explained, twirling you around again.

“Did Lando not want to dance with you?” You questioned, the corners of your lips quirked up. Daniel stopped and took a step back. For a moment you thought you had said something wrong but then a spray of water splashed up the front of your coat. Gasping, you wiped the water from your face and Daniel’s smug smile came into focus. You looked down to where he was standing and saw a gaping hole that had now filled up with water.

“You little-” You had begun, a smile betraying you entirely as it crept upon your features. You wanted to pretend to be angry but he had caught you off guard.

“I thought that you would be a nicer dance partner - but apparently not.” He retorted, biting down on his lip in an attempt to stifle his laughter at your facial expressions. You looked at him and then down at the puddle, back at Daniel and then decided what your next move would be; before you could however he had picked you up over his shoulder, spinning around happily.

“Daniel-” You protested, having to close your eyes to avoid feeling motion sick. You heard him chortle then give in as you felt your two feet touch the ground once again. You pouted at him, strands of hair now stuck to your forehead - it was a sight to behold. Daniel’s heart skipped a beat, his breath becoming shallower as he brushed the loose strands of hair from your face. He had decided at that moment that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, he was ready to start the next chapter of his life with you. It would be a brand new adventure and probably the scariest yet.

“Marry me.” He mumbled, brushing his thumb over your cheek. He froze, an idea sparked, turning on his heel he fled in the direction of the McLaren garage.

Your eyebrows drew together in confusion, your heart thumping against your ribs. Drawing your lower lip between your teeth, you glanced around you only to realise the whole of the pitlane and grandstand of fans had fallen silent - watching on in anticipation. Had they heard what he had said? How could they have, Daniel had muttered so quietly even you had struggled to hear the words that tumbled from his lips. Little did you know, a camera had caught every moment and you were now the sole focus as you waited for Daniel to come back.

Moments later and he was running out of the McLaren garage, something in his left hand. You squinted to get a better look, from where you were standing all you could see was a flash of blue - but as he came closer you realised what he was holding was in fact a Haribo packet.

Your hands flew to cover your mouth, you knew exactly what he was about to do. You were fighting back tears of joy as he opened the haribo packet and pulled out a gummy ring, got down on one knee and said: “Marry me. Our new adventure, just you and me. My partner in crime.”

Tears ran down your cheeks as you nodded fervently, words appearing to fail you. You flung your arms around his neck. There was an eruption of cheer from around you, as fans whistled and clapped and fellow teams called out in congratulations.

You placed a hand either side of Daniel’s face, tears shone in his eyes. To most a gummy ring would seem immature - laughable even but to you, it confirmed to you how much you loved the man standing in front of you. The gummy ring he had presented to you meant so much more than being a Haribo. It represented you both as a couple. A love that was unconditional and would never get old and yet whilst you both would age - the love you had for one another would stay youthful, unpredictable and exciting.

You were more than ready to start the next chapter of your adventure with the man you loved most.

[helpimhyperfixating]

Y/N's house has a pool in the backyard and one day, during a heavy rain, Mer! Jotaro makes his way all the way from the sea to Y/N's pool, much to their surprise when they wake up and go outside. "J...Jotaro? How did you get here?"

Surprise Visit - Mer! Jotaro x Human! Reader

Word Count: 1445

The rain was beating down hard as the Merman dragged himself across the road. The concrete scraping uncomfortably underneath his body. The water streaming over it helped a lot but it didn’t make it less annoying.

Once more, Jotaro inwardly cursed you for living so far away from him.

Of course in actuality, you lived relatively close to the ocean, but that didn’t mean Jotaro thought of it that way.

The pavement suddenly started vibrating beneath his hand and the merman realised something was coming. He attempted to hurriedly pull himself away from the road and onto the sidewalk but around the corner already came bright yellow lights as well as flashing blue and red.

Tires squealed while Jotaro had to squeeze his eyes shut, accidentally having looked directly into the light, his pupils shrinking almost painfully after having been in the dark so long.

Sounds of a car door slamming and two pairs of footsteps sounded and Jotaro attempted to peel his eyes open, holding one hand up to shield his eyes. The bright yellow light was gone but the red and blue was still flickering.

A person stepped in front of the light, blocking it and throwing a shadow over the merman on the floor.

“Hey there.” A male voice spoke and Jotaro sighed. “Long way from sea, aren’t you, buddy?”

“Fuck off.” Was his simple response as he turned forward again and started back up with the crawling.

“No, hey, hey!” The police officer hurriedly started trying to get in front of him, making the lights blind him again, to which he jolted his head a little and ‘tch’d in annoyance. “We’re here to help you!”

“Don’t need help.”

The policeman awkwardly looked to his partner who just shrugged. “Look, we don’t know how you got so far inland but we just want to help you and currently you’re going the wrong way.” He tried again, walking along at a snail’s pace while the Mer reached the sidewalk.

“I’m not.” Just to get more certain of himself, Jotaro silently sniffed the air again. Yes, this was definitely the way he needed to go.

“The ocean really is the other way though, bud-“

“Shut up! Leave me alone, you bastard!” Jotaro had had enough and yelled at the officer, baring his teeth before being blinded again when the officer shifted away warily, cursing as he had to squeeze his eyes shut again. Turning his head forward again, he once more started dragging forward, mumbling a “I’m not going to the ocean.” Before disappearing into the bushes on the side, leaving the police officers to stand a bit bewildered on the road.

- - - -

Stretching your arms over your head as you stepped from your stairs onto the floor, you sighed in content before walking over to your kitchen and making some tea. You felt as if you had some eyes on you but shrugged it off, your tea soon being done. Picking up the mug, you turned around and walked forward into the living room, large windows giving you a view of your garden which you were not paying attention to, instead walking to your dining table where you had put your book last night.

Ready to start the weekend, you turned and walked two steps forward in the direction of your couch, only for your eyes to finally land on the yard.

Your eyes connected with a pair of glaring aquamarine ones staring from your pool in the middle and your jaw fell slack.

In shock, you dropped your mug and it turned mid air, splashing all its contents over the front of your right foot before shattering, some pieces flying out and cutting your poor foot as well.

“Ah, shit, fuck!!” You called out, throwing your book behind you as you brought your right foot up and cradled it, hopping around twice before you stumbled and fell backwards onto your ass.

All of that was thrown aside however as you scrambled up to your one good foot and hopped to the glass sliding doors, unlocking it and ripping one open before half-running, half-hopping over to your pool.

“J...Jotaro?! What the hell!?” Once you reached it, you crouched down, looking down at the merman who you had come to call a friend. “How the hell are you here??”

You had a million and one questions but Jotaro was completely focused on something else. For one, he had never seen you so casually, still in loose pyjamas with a cute sea pattern on it, and for another, your foot.

Reaching out, he grabbed the ankle on your right foot and yanked, causing you to fall backwards on your ass again since one of your support beams just got ripped out from under you. You could feel the wet grass staining your pants and groaned at the feeling.

Your foot got yanked again, bringing your focus back to the merman in front of you while he seemed to be inspecting your foot up down, forwards and backwards. A chuff left him as he lowered your foot again before briefly looking up at you.

“You’re an idiot.”

Great. Of course that is the first thing he says to you after mysteriously appearing in your pool. You deadpanned as you stared at the small tree behind the pool, only to hiss when Jotaro pulled a piece of ceramic from your mug out of your foot.

He was using his sharp nails as a pincet, accurately locating every shard and starting to pull them out. Whenever he got it out, he would place it on the edge of the pool, only to then thumb down the small cut. You appreciated him pulling them out, but you liked that action less.

“Ow, Joot- don’t do that.” You said through gritted teeth when he once again was stroking his thumb over the cut.

His eyes glanced up and looked into yours but you saw him push his thumb down again all the same, gently rubbing up and down over your foot. Not only did the cut sting, but where you spilled boiling water over your foot was irritated and hurt whenever he would touch it.

Almost as if he noticed it too, he suddenly yanked your foot down into the water.

Your breath hitched and you stifled a squeal cause, “oh, that’s cold!”

“It’s not.” Jotaro remarked and you pouted at him, pulling the cuff of your pants up which were now wet due to being in the water. Just then, the merman dipped his head down to look at your foot underwater, returning to what he was previously doing, pulling your leg further and further down to which you got a bit nervous that he would maybe pull you completely into the water. You were not ready for a surprise morning soak.

Feeling another shard get picked out, that goddamn thumb rubbed over the cut again and you curled your toes at the sting. Biting your lip in held back frustration but just accepting it. Jotaro was one of the most stubborn creatures you had ever met so there would not be much you could do about it.

After what felt like forever, Jotaro finally came back up, still holding your ankle and now placing the last few shards with the others. He even picked out the smallest of the smallest ones that you probably didn’t even know were there.

“Happy now?” You asked and Jotaro swallowed. He felt a little restless, wanting so badly to groom you and take care of you that way, but if he did that you surely would be weirded out or run away. He couldn’t do that, not yet at least. So, instead, he just nodded and let go of your ankle, finally. Now that that was done, you finally felt like he would answer some questions. “What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t come yesterday.”

At this you blinked a few times. THAT was why he came all this way to your home?! “Jotaro, the sky was practically falling down yesterday, it was raining that hard. I’m not going to the beach when that is the case and neither should you, the waves could crush you onto the rocks!”

“You promised you’d come.” Jotaro glared at you, holding onto the pool edge in between where you had placed your feet.

“I-“ Stopping yourself, you sighed softly. “I did, and I’m sorry for that.” You apologised, seeing Jotaro a little more content now. “Did you drag yourself all this way?” A nod was the response and you let out a short disbelieving chuckle. “You crazy fish you. Did anyone see you?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck.”