#SOMEONE SMART I BEF

[radios-universe]

oh no… diagnosis is loneliness… my heart is breaking… i need a non-dating dating app to find aroace people in my area NOW STAT

[writtenbyan-aries]

WILL YOU MAKE A PART TWO OF THE BABYSITTER X COLBY STORY??

I NEED A PART 2 🤩🤩🤩🤩

Cravings Between Us | Colby Brock

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE

Warnings: SMUT18+, CHEATING, dad!Colby, married!Colby, flirting, slight arguing, mentions of wine, kissing, hair pulling, oral (m rec), choking, unprotected sex, breeding kink?, creampie, filth

Word Count: 5.5k | unedited

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

You and Colby stare at each other in the hallway, silently trying to figure out what to do.

Fear washed over you quick, the guilt following soon after.

“Shit. Shit.” He runs a hand through his hair, “Hide.”

“Where!?” You whisper, panic clinging to your words, “I don’t-“

“Colby?” Vanessa calls from at the bottom of the steps, “Are you awake?”

Colby leans in, whispers quietly, “That’s the spare room, go in there and hide.”

You nod, quickly and quietly moving across the hall to the door Colby pointed at. You glance back as you open it, pointing to your back then pointing to him.

“Fuck.” He mouths, “Right.”

He goes back into the room, closing the door quietly and you slip into the spare, looking around until your eyes land on a closet.

You make your way in, closing the door behind you which fully engulfs you in darkness - and your thoughts.

You slept with a married man.

A man that has kids.

You were disappointed in yourself, but then again, no, no. You shake your head, trying to convince yourself you did the wrong thing, but it just kept feeling so right.

You sat down, your knees pulled to your chest as you quietly take a few deep breathes. Being with Colby felt.. normal, like it was supposed to happen.

If things were good, Colby wouldn’t have ever wanted me, you think as you stare into the darkness, right?

“Here.” Vanessa’s voice is muffled from outside of the door, “Can you take this in while I go for a shower. I freaking spilt my drink all over me on my way home.”

“Yeah.” You hear Colby respond, “I got it.”

This would have never happened if you were smart, y/n, you mentally yell at yourself, stupid, stupid stupid.

You pause, lifting your chin from your knees as you think, why is she home already? She said tomorrow, right? She shouldn’t be back yet. Did something happen?

You close your eyes as you realize you were trying to make Vanessa the bad guy, for all you know work could have been canceled for her.

You sit as still as possible as you hear the sound of the bedroom door opening.

Quiet shuffling, almost like someone is looking for something fills the painful silence.

You hold your breath as the presence moves to right outside of the doors you were hiding behind, turning your head as soon as you heard the handle be pushed down.

“Hey.”

You let out a sigh, turning to look up at colby, “Can I go now?”

He nods, extending his hand out to help you up, “She just got in the shower, so you have some time.” He leads you over to the door, slowly opening it and looking out.

You follow him out, tiptoeing as quietly as you can past the doors and down the steps.

He stops at the sliding glass doors, glancing behind him before he pulls you in for a kiss. Your hands grip his sweatshirt, allowing him to kiss you for as long as he wanted to.

You weren’t sure if this was the last time you’d ever get to be alone with him.

“Keep me posted.” You whisper as soon as he leans away, and he nods, “I will.”

You turn, walking through the open door and you can hear Colby close it behind you. You do a double take at the glasses sitting on the edge of the fireplace and you look back, but Colby is gone.

You grab the glass, dumping the rest of its contents out before you stuff it into your pocket as you quickly move to the gate.

As soon as you get to your house and close your back door behind you, you let out a sigh. You pull the glass from your pocket, staring at it as you remember your time spent with Colby.

Part of you was proud, the other half hated yourself.

You drag yourself to the kitchen, placing the glass in the sink before moving to lay on the couch. You didn’t think you were going to sleep tonight. A part of you was scared there was going to be a pounding on your door with a screaming wife on the other side informing the neighborhood that you are a homewrecker.

You laid in silence, hoping and praying that this would all just be over and Colby, as much as you really didn’t want him to, would just leave again.

You felt guilty for wishing that, you didn’t want to take more time away from his kids. You didn’t want to be selfish, there was no reason for you to be selfish in this situation, it wasn’t right.

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Your eyes opened, blinking a few times before you pushed yourself up off the couch.

For a split second, you didn’t have any feelings of guilt or anger towards yourself.

The world was quiet, all until there was a knock on your door.

You jump, letting out a sigh as you stand up. You can tell who is is from the shadow through the clouded glass.

You open the door, giving Vanessa a smile, “Hey, good morning.”

“Good morning. I didn’t wake you did I?”

“No.” You shook your head, “I woke up just a few minutes before you knocked. What’s up?”

“I wanted to go over next weeks schedule with you, if that’s okay? I have a few errands to run, so I figured I’d just get this out of the way. Shouldn’t take too long. Do you mind if I..” she motions and you step out of the way, “No, please. I can start coffee if you want?”

She shakes her head, “I’m going to grab one on my way to target.”

“Okay.” You nod, closing the door behind her as she walks on. You take a deep breath and follow her to the kitchen. She pulls out her phone and leans against the counter, “Okay, so Colby has Sam coming in to look at a place close to here on Tuesday.”

“What time is that?” You ask as you pull out your notebook. She looks over her phone, “I’ll need you for eight thirty a.m. I have Pilates at nine and then lunch with the girls that day, so I’ll need you until one of us gets back.”

“Okay.” You nod again, “Nothing on Monday?”

“Nope. I don’t have anything planned for Monday. But Wednesday and Thursday I’ll need you both days, seven a.m. I have a flight to Cincinnati. And then Friday, depending on if Colby holds his deal on not leaving, I most likely won’t need you.”

“Alright.” You jot down the times and look up at her, “Sounds good.”

She stands up, “Perfect. Since I got back home last night, I figured I’d do some shopping for the weekend. I’m probably flying out to San Fran later today, that’s if she didn’t miss her flight. my sister is coming in for a few days.” She laughs, “She misclicked I guess, and the dumb bitch is flying into San Francisco instead of LAX.”

You laugh, “That’s sisters for you.”

“Do you have any? I can’t remember.” She smiles at you and you shake your head, “Nope. Only child. I Left home as soon as possible.”

“Well, you did a good job at making a better life for yourself.” She sighs, “Alright, well I gotta run. I’ll see you.. Tuesday.. right?”

You nod, “Tuesday. Colby is going to be with Sam and you have Pilates and lunch with your friends, and sister I assume.”

“On the ball.” She winks, “Alright. I’ll see you.” As she turns, she stops, “Oh that’s cute.”

You furrow your brows, your heart quickly racing as soon as you see where her attention is resting.

“We have the same glasses over at our house.” She laughs, “But you know that. You’re there all the time.” She smiles at you, “You know, if we ever move. I’m bringing you with us. I love you, the kids love you. You’re the best babysitter we’ve ever hired.”

“Oh.. gosh.” You laugh nervously, “I try my best.”

She nods with a smile and walks to the door, “if you want me to pick up anything for the week while you’re over there, just text me!”

“I will, thank you!”

You watch her leave and you relax, exhaling as you lean on the counter, “Holy fuck.”

The faint sound of your phone vibrating catches your attention, so you walk over to find it. You bite down on your lip as you see Colby’s name on your screen, How are you today?

You tap the screen, I’m okay. How are you?

You look around, pursing your lips as you decide to go up and shower. As you walk into your room, you stop, staring over at your window.

You zone out, memories of how Colby touched you play over and over in your mind. Your phone buzzing in your hand makes you jump slightly, I know it’s insane, but I actually miss you.

You chew on your lip. You missed him too.

Your heart was racing, but you were feeling bold. You walk over to your window, texting Colby as you come to a stop, Come to your window.

You tossed your phone down onto the bed, moving your hands to take off the same sweatshirt you wore last night.

Your eyes are glued to the window of Colby’s room, awaiting his appearance to show through the clear frame.

As soon as you see him, you can’t help but smirk. He smiles at you, shaking his head as he holds up his hand. You wave back, turning around as you lift your shirt up over your body, tossing it to the ground.

You grab your phone and walk to the bathroom, your phone buzzing in your hand, Don’t tease me like that, sweetheart. Come on, I have time.

You shake your head, regret and your neediness for him playing tug of war, Do you really think this is a good idea, Colby? I mean. Your wife came over here today to go over next weeks schedule.

You get an incoming call from Colby and you hesitate for a second before sliding to answer. Before you can even get out a simple, hello, he speaks, “What is the schedule?”

“Um, Tuesday I have to be there by eight thirty, she said you’re going with Sam and she has Pilates and lunch with friends and her sister.”

“Wait? Sister?” He groans, “Fuck, she didn’t tell me Ana was coming.”

“Oh, yeah.” You raise your brows, “She said she’s flying to San Francisco tonight or something to pick her up because she went to the wrong airport or something?”

“So, do I get to see you tonight then, or.. did last nights escapade scare you off?” You hear him chuckle and you sigh, “I don’t know.”

“Oh come on, don’t say that.” He groans, “I just.. wanna kiss you.”

“I think you and I both know that we can’t just, kiss, Colby.” You laugh slightly, “I just.. I don’t know.”

“Think about it. I’ll let you know when she leaves.”

“Okay.” You look at yourself in the mirror, “Um, Hows your back?” Colby laughs, “Still gotta keep a shirt on, but most of them faded.”

It’s like you don’t even have control over your own body, the words just fly out of your mouth, “Guess I’ll need to add some more then, huh?”

You lay your hand over your eyes and hold your breath, god damn it, y/n, you mentally curse yourself, why?

“I mean, I’m not complaining.” Colby sighs, “I gotta go. Vera is awake.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.” He sighs, “Hopefully I’ll see you later.”

“Maybe.” You laugh slightly and hang up, resting the phone against your lips as you close your eyes. You really hated yourself, but at the same time, you felt like there was something more going on.

You got a shower and proceeded to just spend the rest of the day on the couch. You couldn’t focus on anything but Colby. He clouded your mind and there was absolutely no way of getting through the fog.

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Well, you were right. She just left to go catch a flight to San Francisco, you read over Colby’s text, She never told me until she was packing her carry on.

You frown, Maybe we can just.. talk tonight?

You rolled your eyes at your own message, mainly because you knew as soon as you seen him you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself.

If that’s okay with you, kids are in bed. I’ll be outback. Come whenever, sweetheart.

You stood up, grabbing your sweater from the back of the couch and walking over to slip your shoes on. A part of you wanted to hesitate going over there, but you never did.

You were out your back door and over in his yard within a minute.

“There she is.” Colby smiles as he stands up, “Welcome back.”

You smile, wrapping your arms around yourself as you walk up to him, “Here I am.”

He pats the couch next to him, “Sit. Need a drink?”

You sit down, shaking your head, “No. I’m okay.” He nods and leans back, his arm stretching over the top behind you, “So.”

“So.” You look over at him, “Okay.. I need to know what’s really going on..”

He furrows his brows, taking a sip from his glass, “What do you mean?” You turn towards him, “When I was hiding last night, I was thinking and maybe I was trying to make her out to be the bad guy, but at the same time.. Colby..” you sigh, “If you were really happy with Vanessa, why would you do what you did with me?”

He leans forward to set his glass down, “I don’t have an answer to that right now.”

“Oh.” You nod, “Okay.”

“But what I can answer, is that.. you..” he looks at you, “Are literally a dream.”

Your lips twitch into a smile and you look down, “What we’re doing is-is.. wrong, Colby. If anyone finds out, I’m the homewrecker, I-”

He shakes his head, cutting you off, “You’re not.”

“But I am.” You laugh, trying not to cry, “I-I just.. the last thing I want to do is break up a family, that-“ you shake your head, “Maybe I should just find another job.”

Colby shakes his head, “If you want to stop this, we can. I don’t want you to find another job because this one is perfect for you. You’re perfect for us.”

You stay quiet as he continues, “When you first started, I didn’t look at you in the way I look at you now. I mean, yeah. I thought you were really hot, but over time, seeing how good you are with my kids, I couldn’t help but think about what my life would be like if I had met you first. Done everything with you.. first.”

You slowly look over at him, “what about-“

“Don’t even say her name right now.” He moves closer, “I’m focused on us right now.”

You look from his lips back up to his eyes. Fuck, you wanted to kiss him so bad.

And you did.

You leaned in, closing the space as you slam your lips onto his. His hand flies up to cup your cheek as he instantly deepens the kiss, pulling you over onto his lap to straddle him.

You kiss down his neck and back up to whisper, “I want you so bad.”

“I’ll give you anything you want, sweetheart.” He whispers back as his hands slide down to grip your ass, “Just say the words.”

You grind down onto him, letting out a quiet moan as his cock presses against your clothed clit. You lean back, pressing a kiss to his lips before moving down to the ground in front of him.

You slide your hands up his thighs, slipping your fingers into the waist band of his sweats and pulling them down to free his cock.

You waste no time with leaning forward and taking him into your mouth. A gasp leaves his lips and his head rolls back in a circle, “Fuck.”

You look up at him as your tongue swirls against the tip and his jaw falls slack, “oh my god.” His hips buck and you take more of him in, your nails digging into his thighs as you focus on breathing through your nose.

His hands move to tangle into your hair, holding your head there as he bucks up and down, groaning deeply as he slowly enters your throat.

You gag around him and he groans louder, “That’s it, baby. So good for me.”

After a few more bucks, he pulls you head off, tilting your chin up, “Get up here, I wanna fill that pussy again.”

You push your sweats down, stepping out of them before straddling his lap again.

Thank god for privacy fence, right?

He holds his cock steady as your hands grip his shoulders, slowly sinking down onto him. Your lips part, that same sensation filling your core just like it did last night.

“Oh my god.” You whimper into his ear, “I love how good you feel inside of me.”

“I love being inside of you.” He groans, his hands gripping your hips to slowly move you back and forth.

You turn your head, pressing your lips to his as you quicken your hips. He swallows your moans with ease, keeping his lips pressed to yours to keep them as muffled as possible.

You move to a bounce, your hand sliding down to grip the back of the patio couch while your arm wraps around his neck.

He guides you up and down, the pace is rough, you’re having a hard time trying to stay quiet.

“You close yet, baby?”

You nod, “mhm.” You dig your nails into his neck, “A-almost th-“ you gasp, burying your face into his neck as your walls squeeze around him, “fuck fuck fuck”

“That’s it, sweetheart, let go for me.”

He slides down on the couch a bit, adjusting his position so he can thrust upward, guiding you through your high.

He wraps his arms around your waist, laying you down on the couch to continue thrusting. The couch creeks below you, but he didn’t care.

“Fuck, baby.” Colby groans into your neck, “Feels so good.” He presses a kiss to your cheek, “Tell me what you want.”

“I-I want..” you moan, “I want you to cum in my pussy.”

He groans at your words, “I love the sound of that.” He presses his lips to yours, “You are so fucking hot.”

His thrusts grow faster, quickly turning sloppy.

Your lips move in sync as his cock twitches inside of you, a feeling you don’t ever think you’ll get over.

He holds himself there for a second, taking another minus to just gently make out with you before pulling out and sitting up.

He hold his hand out, pulling you up and you stand up, quickly putting your pants back on.

“You were right.” Colby laughs as he fixed himself, “We can’t just talk, or whatever it is you said.”

“I said just one kiss, but.. yeah.” You laugh, “Clearly we can’t just talk either.” You sit back down and freeze as Colby’s phone lights up on the edge of the unlit fireplace.

“Are you-“

“Yeah.” He sighs, “Probably need to.” Colby reaches for his phone and answers, “Hello?”

Colby glances over at you and looks out into the yard, “I mean, yeah. I don’t have an issue with that. I mean, what? It’s only for a day until his aunt gets back home right?”

“Two?” Colby raises his brows, “I mean, yeah. That’s fine.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll see you in a little bit. Love you, too. Mm, bye.”

Hearing Colby say that he loved her was like a knife to the heart, but what else could he do?

“Anastasia’s friend is flying back with them. I guess he’s going to stay with us for two days until his aunt gets back from vacation? I don’t know.”

Your phone vibrates on the seat next to you and you look, “Vanessa just texted me.”

“What did she say?” Colby asks looking at you. You shrug, “Nothing, she just wants to know if I’m free tomorrow night, probably to babysit or some- no. She wants to have a party for her sister coming and apparently I’m invited.”

“Oh, well that’s not bad, right?” Colby shrugs, “Could be worse.”

“Right, I guess.” You stand up, “Should I come?”

“It would be a little weird if you didn’t.” Colby stands up, “I think it’ll be good. We’ll just have to be on our best behavior.”

You laugh slightly, “I’ll probably manage the kids so, no worries.” You motion, “I should probably get home, let you clean up. Oh! I have your glass by the way. I grabbed it on my way home last night so now Vanessa thinks we have the same glasses.”

Colby laughs, “smart thinking.”

He pulls you in for a final kiss, “I will see you tomorrow night.”

“I’ll be here.”

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

You gave yourself one last look in the mirror, your hands smoothing out your dress as you talked yourself up for going.

“You can do this.” You whisper as you stare at yourself in the reflection, “You. Can. Do. This.”

You made your way downstairs. You didn’t want to show up empty handed so you grabbed a bottle of wine from your fridge and headed over.

You knocked on the door and a few seconds later, Colby opens the door. His eyes scan up and down your body as he moves aside, “Come on in.”

“Thanks.” You smile, walking past him. Vanessa gasps when she sees you, pulling a woman who looks similar to her with, “Ana, this is y/n.” She motions to you, “Y/n, this is my sister Ana.”

You greet her with a smile, “Hello. I’m their babysitter, nanny, whatever you want to call it.”

“She’s pretty, Ness. I like her already.” Ana smiles, “oh! And she brought wine. I love her!”

You hand her the bottle and smile, “I didn’t want to come empty handed.”

“That would have been alright.” Vanessa assures, but to you it was more like a silent apology in a way.

“Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes, let me go find Damian. I talked to Ana and she thinks he would love to meet you.” Vanessa winks at you and you laugh slightly, “Oh, gosh. Okay.”

Colby walks up to you as her and Ana walk into the kitchen and he shakes his head, “You’re not-“

“Of course not.” You assure with a nod, “I’m going to go get a glass of that wine, though.” You glance at Colby and head to the kitchen.

Ana hands you a glass and starts asking questions, mainly about where you’re from and what you did before you got lucky enough to babysit.

“The kids are with my mom.” Vanessa says as she walks into the room, “So feel free to drink as much as you want. You’re off duty.” She laughs as she walks over to check the oven.

“I’m not much of a drinker anyway, so one glass would be enough for me most likely.” You laugh slightly at your lie, and Ana nods, “Trust me, you’ll feel that way until you have kids of your own.”

You smile, pretending like your heart didn’t just drop into your stomach, “Right, right.”

“Oh, Colby. Can I see you for a second, please.” Vanessa looks at him and he nods, “Yeah, sure.” He follows her out of the kitchen and even though it’s quiet, you can slightly hear them arguing.

“Can you walk around with a smile? We have company over. It’s not going to kill you to smile, you know.” Vanessa whispers harshly.

“Why can’t you stop fucking nitpicking everything I fucking do? I can’t even walk around right, good fucking god.” Colby angrily whispers back and you turn away, pretending like you weren’t listening in as the kitchen door swings back open.

He walks past you, not even giving you a glance as he walks out.

“Y/n.” Ana says as she taps your shoulder, “This is Damian. He works in the department above mine back home.”

You couldn’t lie, Damian was pretty. He wasn’t Colby level pretty, but he was up there.

“Hi. I’m y/n.” You reach out, extending your hand to meet his. He smiles, “Nice to meet you.”

Colby comes back in, stopping in his tracks as he sees your hand still resting within Damian’s grasp. He looks up at you and walks around to get more to drink.

You drop your hand, bringing your glass up to your lips and tilting it back, “You know, maybe I will have that second glass.”

“Now we’re talking.” Ana laughs, “Allow me.”

She takes your glass and you stand there awkwardly. You could tell Colby didn’t like him touching you, but there wasn’t anything either of you could do about it, you were just being nice.

You had to act like you weren’t in a secret situation with the husband of the wife who is hosting this get together.

“A drink?” Colby asks Damian as he lifts the bottle. The guy in front of you nods, “Yeah, sure. Thanks, Colby.”

Colby nods, glancing at you before looking down to pout the dark liquid into the clear glass. He caps the bottle and walks over, hanging the glass to Damian.

It’s awkward, or at least, for you it is.

“Dinner is done.” Vanessa says as she walks into the kitchen, “Just need to get the tray out of the oven.”

You nod, turning to make your way into the dining room.

You sit down at the table and Colby sits across from you, Vanessa to the right and Damian sits next to you. Ana sits at the end of the table by Vanessa and dinner starts.

Dinner went along smoothly. Everyone spoke to one another, everything seemed rather normal. You managed to keep it together while Colby gave you a few looks every now and then, but he didn’t really up his game until Damian walked up and started hinting towards a date.

“You like coffee right, y/n?”

You laugh slightly, that fourth glass of wine settling in nicely, “I mean, yeah. I like coffee.” You shrug, “Who doesn’t, really? You know.”

You notice Colby, actually, more like felt his stare burning through you from off to the side, “I mean, my schedule with watching the kids is kinda hectic sometimes, so I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“Oh no!” Vanessa walks up, “Please, you just let me know what day this date is and I’ll make sure you have off!”

You laugh nervously, “Oh, um. Okay.”

Colby scoffs, covering it up with clearing his throat, “It’s getting late. I’m going to go pick up the kids.”

“They’re fine with my mom, Colby.” Vanessa looks at him and colby nods, “Fine. Anyone need another drink?”

“Yeah, I’ll take one.” Ana holds out her glass, and Colby looks at you, “What about you?”

You shake your head, “No, I think I’m going to head home here soon.”

“Oh really?” Vanessa pouts, “Why?”

“I think this wine is giving me a headache.” You lie, you were certain that the tension between you and Colby was suffocating you.

“One more drink?” She looks at you and you sigh, smiling as you hand her your glass, “Fine, one more.”

She walks away with Ana and Damian moves to stand up next to you, “I like the color of this dress. It really brings out the color in your eyes.” His eyes scan up and down your dress before taking a drink, “Very pretty.”

“Oh.” You look down at your dress, completely forgetting the color, “Thank you.”

Colby walks back out, his jaw clenching as he watches the man’s hand gently drag over your arm.

You knew you were in for it.

“I thought you were going home?” Colby questions and you shrug, “Vanessa talked me into another drink.”

“Of course she did.” He scoffs, and you turn your attention to the door as it swings open, Vanessa and Ana walking back through laughing.

“Here.” Vanessa hands you the glass and you take it, “Thank you.”

“No, y/n is literally the best babysitter that we’ve ever hired, isn’t that right, Colby?” Vanessa looks at Colby and he nods, “She’s literally the best.”

You felt your heart skip a beat, “I love their kids. They have two of the best kids on the planet.” You smile at Ana and Vanessa laughs, “We’re trying our best.”

She looks at Colby and he nods, “Something like that.”

You could tell Vanessa didn’t like that response, but she played it off like it didn’t matter, “I told her today that if we move, we’re taking her with. No exceptions.”

“I don’t blame you. Caden talks about you all the time when he calls me.” Ana smiles and you pout, “Does he really?”

“All the time.” She laughs, “I’ve been waiting to meet my nephew’s favorite person for ever now.”

You smile, shaking your head, “I’m just glad they both love me, too.” You glance at Colby and his face softens, nodding slowly before walking away.

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

It was almost midnight by the time you got home.

Vanessa and Ana were both drunk by the time you left, and to your surprise, you felt even guiltier because Vanessa seems like a good person.

But your mind was quickly changed when a knock on your door startled you from your slightly tipsy thoughts.

You walked over, furrowing your brows when you don’t see anyone at the front door.

The knock sounds again and you realize that it was coming from the back door.

You walked back, opening it and freezing when you see Colby standing there.

“Hi.” You stare at him, “What-“

He cuts you off with a rough kiss, backing you up into your house as he closes the door behind him, “I need you. I need you so bad, baby.”

“Colby.” You whisper as his lips trail down your neck, “This.. this is risky..”

“I don’t care.” He lifts his head, shaking it as he stares down at you, “I don’t care.” His lips resume their position on yours and he mumbles against them, “I wanted to rip him away from you.”

You look up at Colby, your attention fully on him as he continues, “Seeing him talk to you, look at you..” he sighs, “Touch you..”

Colby’s hands slide down, bunching up your dress, “I wanted to clear the table and fuck you in front of everyone.”

Your breath catches in your throat as your arms wrap around his neck, “I only want you.”

He smiles slightly, nodding as he lifts you up. You press your lips to his as he walk you over to the couch, laying you down.

He reaches up, unbuttoning his top as his eyes stay on yours. You pull your lip between your teeth as you pull your dress up your thighs.

Colby glances down, smirking as he watches your hand slip into your panties.

He pushes his shirt off, moving to undo his belt as your body arches with pleasure from your fingers on your clit.

“That’s it.” He whispers, “Keep going.”

Your eyes flutter shut as you apply more pressure to your circles, quiet moans flooding through your lips.

Colby undresses to his boxers, dropping down to his knees beside you, “Does that feel good?” You nod, letting out a sigh, “Not as good as you, though.”

Colby chuckles, his hand sliding down your body, “We can fix that.”

You pull your hand away, Colby’s quickly jumping into its place. He glides his fingers down, dragging them up and down your achey center before pushing two of his fingers into you slowly.

You gasp, your legs spreading wider as you moan, “Fuck, Colby.”

His lips press to your cheek, “Have you been this wet all night?”

You nod, “I’ve wanted you, too.” You turn your head, lips connecting with his. He swallows your moans, the trusts of his fingers growing faster.

You were whimpering, moaning, body twitching and tensing as his brings you closer and closer.

But that all comes to a sudden stop when there’s a few quick knocks on your door.

“Who is that?” Colby asks, and you shrug, “I don’t- I don’t know.” You look over at him as you sit up, his hand removing itself from your panties.

You stand up, fixing your dress, “my room is upstairs to the left.”

He nods, gathering his clothes as he walks towards the steps. He stops halfway up as you open the door, “Vanessa?”

She shakes her head, sniffling, “I-I’m sorry if I woke you. I know I just seen you, but I just-“ she covers her face and you tilt your head, “What’s going on, Vanessa?”

She looks up, and comes in as you motion, “Are you-“

She cuts you off, “I-I think.. Colby is sleeping with someone else.”

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Thank you so much for reading! I love you all sooooo much! Catch you in the next part! And by next part I mean part three

Likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[crunchystarz]

"A Distant Memory I Used to Know"

Chapter -1 EyelessJack x GNreader

Chapter index

CW- None

Summary: Back in college an incident left you traumatized with memory loss and constant paranoia. 9 years later after you start to get a better life killings start to show up in your small town. You meet a strange familiar person and it makes you uneasy. Who... is he?

word count: 2142

You let out a groan as the alarm you had put on snooze for the third time rang through your ears. You shifted in bed staring, at the white popcorn ceiling before eventually sitting up. Your hands rummaged through the sheets to find the cause of the unrest. Once you found your phone you rubbed your eyes before making sure to hit 'stop'.

You rolled over covering your face with your hands letting out a sigh. After a bit of debate, you realize it was for the best that you get ready for the day. Reluctantly you dragged yourself out of bed before shuffling your way out of your room and into the bathroom down the hall.

You stood in front of the mirror just staring at yourself. Your eyes looked tired and you had clear eye bags. You should stop staying up for days at a time to finish work. You splashed your face with cold water in an attempt to wake yourself up. It worked but immediately you regretted it as you scrambled to find the towel hung up near the door.

After you dried off your face you filled the cup hidden inside your medicine cabinet with lukewarm tap water. You shook two of the small white tablets out of the orange bottle they were stored in and into your palm. You threw them in your mouth before quickly swallowing them with water. The bland and slightly metallic taste of the water coating your tongue.

You were starting to wonder if the pills your psychologist recommended were starting to not be as efficient. They were meant to suppress your already weak memory to prevent anxiety attacks and additional stress. You haven't experienced any episodes that derived from the traumatic events of the past in well over a year.

However, lately, you've been having weird and unexplainable dreams. Dreams that felt more like memories than anything. They're faint and you could barely wrap your head around what they meant yet they still worry you. You'd be sure to talk to your therapist about it next time you have an appointment.

You were 18 when whatever happened to you occurred, You don't, well you can't remember what happened. It was your sophomore year in college. Everything was a blur, your brain blocked almost everything out. There was a chunk of your memory that was entirely missing like it hadn’t even happened at all. Just…gone. One thing you did know it had to do with some kind of mass murder and a cult.

At least that's what was what the police were saying and what made it to the news. You used to get some faint memories and flashbacks but all that did would give you panic attacks. So you were given pills that helped you forget whatever happened to you completely. It was better that way. To forget your college days.

There's one thing you couldn't forget, a person. You don't know who though. It confuses you because you just remember a person. Not a single detail other than it was a person. A person in a black hoodie. You can't remember their face or personality just that you…wanted to be near them.

It was weird because you held such an odd sense of longing for them. Can you even miss someone you don't even remember? Can you want someone to be around you if you don't even know who they are?

Sometimes you'd sit in bed and wonder what they were like. Are they smart? Were they a close friend, how did you meet them? What was their personality like? Were they kind, or were they snarky, did they care about others, were they selfish? What were they like for them to stick around in your mind after all this time? Why can't your brain just let them go? Why can't you remember? Thoughts like that kept you up at night.

You shook your head at your spiraling thoughts before stretching your stiff body. You finished up the rest of your morning routine and then made your way into the kitchen. You sucked your teeth as you realized your apartment was deprived of any food.

Ever since your old roommate who was the cook of the house moved out it was hard for you to stay on top of eating or keeping the house restocked with food. You were so used to your old roommate being the one who went grocery shopping for the place. So keeping the house stocked up is something that you are still getting used to. You settled on using the last of the milk you had with some cereal.

You weren't a breakfast person if you were being completely honest but you were too tired to eat anything after you came home last night and showered. You pulled your phone out of your short pockets as you poured the sugary cereal into your bowl. You got a notification from your friend Raven. She was one of your very few friends. You weren't much of a social person after your whole incident.

Raven★: Hey, I have a big favor [ name ]

You: Yeah whats up?

Your thumbs mindlessly skimmed across your keyboard. You flicked through the spoons in your drawer looking for one of the smaller spoons. You were debating just to get rid of all the serving spoons at this point you never used them.

Raven★: Are you willing to cover a shift for me? I have something big i need to do but i understand of ur busy

You weren't busy. You'd assume by now Raven would know you enough to know you were never busy. At least not on days when you don’t have your younger brother Hunter. You were happy to cover a shift for her with no complaints. She was a good friend so there would be no reason for you to not help her out. She would also help out with Hunter, periodically whenever your shitty dad got tired of taking care of him and just dropped him on you.

You: Sure u can count on me rea-rea<3

Raven★: THANKS SO MUCH! I'LL BE SURE TO PAY U BACK I PROMISE

You wanted to tell her you didn't need anything in return but knowing her she'd still give you something in return. Arguing with her would be pointless. You let out a sigh and rolled your eyes. You quickly finished up your cereal before it became soggy and inedible. After you finished up you figured you could clean the place up for a bit before getting ready for work.

———

You worked at an office however when you needed some extra cash it came in handy to have a second job. You didn't have work at the office today. However you agreed to take Ravens shift at the convenience store. You were planning on working the night shift anyway so it wouldn't be too much. Usually, you worked at night so afternoon shifts were a bit busier than you were used to but you made it work.

You said fuck it and took the night shift as well because you had nothing better to do and the small extra pay can go into you getting a better car. You soon came to regret the decision as you had only gained a few hours of sleep the night prior. You groaned as you watched the clock and prayed to whatever higher being that time would speed up in your favor and you could go home already.

9:37 PM

You were paying so much attention to the clock that you hadn't even realized that another customer had come in until they were at the counter. You looked up to see a tall male. Your heart skipped a beat at his appearance. You blinked a bit trying to collect your feelings.

Something about him was familiar. Maybe because you were sleep-deprived and running off B12 but you could have sworn you knew him. He wore a black hoodie. A familiar black hoodie. Okay, maybe you were stretching it. Brown hair poked out from under it. What stood out to you was the blue mask covered in some weird black...paint. No can't be, it looked too much like… goop? It was weird on its own but it sent shivers down your spine as it felt all too... familiar.

"Excuse me, I just need this" A slightly deep British voice called out startling you from your thoughts. The man put a pack of those stretchy bandages on the counter. Right, he was probably just another really weird customer that you probably won't see ever again! You're overthinking and complicating things [Name]. You thought to yourself. You let out a forced cough before nodding.

"Yeah um so sorry about that-" You said awkwardly before taking the bandages and scanning the barcode on the plastic covering them. You told him the cost and he gave you the money from a pretty worn-out wallet. You wished the man a good night and he just gave you a nod in return. You slowly lowered your hand from your wave and sighed.

When your shift ended you were quick to pack up and head home. The convenience store was a walking distance from your apartment, however, you wished you took your car. It was night and you already had some weird feeling you were always being watched but with recent numbers of people going missing or showing up dead in your city lately made you on edge more than usual.

Police keep playing it as just one mass serial killer but you had a theory. It had to be more than one person. The killing styles keep changing there's not a pattern it seems unpredictable. One that stood out to you were the killings that resulted in missing organs it was much different than the other murders.

You let that thought die down because if you were to try and explain that to anyone they probably would think you were insane more than you already come off as. As you tiredly searched your pockets for your keys you heard a meow. You looked down at your feet to be met with a brown striped kitten.

It meowed and tumbed its tail up and down. From what you recall thats what cats do when they are curious. You smiled and crouched down to the little feline. You stuck out you finger for it to sniff. It did and moved closer to you. You internally cried when you realized you can't afford to take care of a cat right now.

It bumped its head up against your palm and purred. A cute cat after just a long night is just what you needed. You heard a shuffle come from somewhere and you tensed up. Before you started to freak out and let your sleep deprived brain draw up crazy concussions you tried to think logically. It was probably another cat,or the raccons were back. You thought . Unfortunately the cat scrambled off at the sudden sound leaving you alone. You let out a sigh before standing up.

You couldn't help but feel like you were being watched as you successfully this time got out the keys from your pocket. It wasn't uncommon for you to be paranoid. You were all kinds of fucked up. This time it felt different. Like way different. You couldn't pin what it was. You felt let a pair of eyes were staring into the back of your head. Drilling into your skull. Again that wasn't too uncommon. They felt... familiar. Man what is up with you today? You shook your head and took a deep breath. You just hoped you weren't going crazy or something. You stuck the keys into your door you turned them with a click.

You practically kicked the door fully open. You used your foot to shut the door and you made sure to lock both the top and bottom lock to give your paranoid brain some sense of security. You took off your shoes and tossed your stuff on your couch. You needed sleep lots of it

and preferably something to get your mind off that guy from the convenience store.

———

"Can you be any slower?"A high pitched voice sounded.

"Says you! I'm just trying not to fall okay!' another child's voice called back.

"whatever dork do you wanna see the the Pokemon cards my dad got me?" The brunette boy asked before jumping off the jungle gym.

"mmm only if you promise to trade with me"

"No! You probably have bad cards " The boy said crossing his arms.

"Nahuh!" The slightly younger child responded putting their hands on their hips

"Yahuh!"

"You suck Jack"

"You love me"

"I don't love boys and their greasy hair"

———

What a strange dream.

[spoonsock]

Soft

1610e Miles x gn. Reader

Synopsis: Miles with a super sensitive reader,, :,)

Warnings: well none I think? Reader has unstable mental health tho and is easily hurt I guess? I dunno I honestly d u n n o what this is.

Not proofread boo fucking hoo.

You didn’t know why you were the way you were. Whether it started when you hit puberty or maybe it was always like this? It didn’t matter anyway. All you knew was that you were very emotional.

And ever since you realized that it wasn’t quite normal for someone to react so much to things that seemed so little and simple to others, you worried that no one could take care of you properly and you’ll live your life unlovable and alone because, well, nobody will care enough to comfort you about stupid shit that upset you.

That was until you met Miles.

And you swear, you’ve never met anyone with such a kind soul. Funny enough, he swears the same for you.

Even though your friendship was never just a friendship, but always something more, Miles was, from the very beginning, a great friend. I mean he had an awesome personality, he was smart and funny and nice and practically perfect.

“Too good to be true”, how you described it then. Because no matter how sweet he was, you always waited for that moment. The moment he accidentally does something that upsets you and you isolate yourself and he realizes how sensitive you are over dumb things and calls you an melodramatic overthinker.

When something you thought would be that moment happened, you already braced yourself for the worst. You remember it all too well actually.

Miles had to cancel your plans to hang out for the third time. And guess what? You cried. As soon as you read the “Y/N iam so sprry i camt rn” message, you burst into tears. The other two times before that he promised he’ll make it, but he never did. Why? Hé obviously sent that message in a hurry anyway, proves just how much “important” you are to him. He really couldn’t even write a normal sentence huh?

Maybe he was mad at you? Maybe he didn’t want to be your friend anymore? He probably realized how boring you are. He realized you’re not special. You don’t mean shit to him.

And so you cried your heart out.

Unbeknownst to you, our beloved super hero was trying to beat a random super villain. After successfully webbing them up, the first thing he thought of was to come to you. He sent you a million messages of apologizing over and over, but you didn’t see any of them, so he sent one last thing before making a move.

“I’m coming over”

Your phone buzzed for the trillionth time that evening and you couldn’t muster up the strength to open it and read the texts he sent you. You knew it was him. And you felt bad for not answering, but you just couldn’t do it. You cried harder at the feeling of guilt that built up inside you.

Suddenly, there was a knock at your window. You thought it was probably a bird or something, not wanting to get up from your position on the bed. You head was buried into the pillows and you practically couldn’t breathe, but you definitely couldn’t- wouldn’t move so it was the most comfortable you’ll get.

Another knock. Actually a few of them. Each louder than the previous one. As much as you wanted to scream at the mysterious source of the knocks, you got up and opened it. Not really expecting to see Miles. Not hoping to see him.

But there he was, an apologetic look on his face which was replaced by a kinda shocked one at the sight of your own. Your eyes were bloodshot and puffy, cheeks flushed and wet, nose runny, lips swollen. You doubted you were a sight for sore eyes.

“Can I come in?”, he asked quietly. You hesitated for a moment before nodding and moving aside so he can pull himself into your room.

He came in and sat on your bed, but you sat on the floor, as far away from him as possible. He, of course, noticed. “Are you okay?”, you nodded again.

“Y/N, pleas-“

“Look, Miles-“

You both started at the same time. He chuckled and you smiled shyly, before telling him to go first.

“Y/N, I am so so sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you! Whenever or wherever you want, we’ll hang out, just say it and I’ll be there!”, he finished, looking at you expectantly.

“I get it, Miles. It’s okay, I-I just overreacted and-“

“Were you crying?”

“..Yeah”, you answered slowly, expecting him to laugh at you or get angry. “But that’s just how I am! I cry over stupid things, I get upset over stupid things and I can’t control it and I don’t know why!”, you started tearing up again. But before you could continue, Miles sat down on the floor next to you and embraced you tightly. You grabbed his neck and cried into his shoulder before realizing you are wetting his shirt.

“Your shirt”, you pointed at it, trying to pull yourself together and wiping your eyes. Suddenly, he held your chin so lightly you could barely feel it, wiping away your tears with his thumb. You felt your face heat up at that, as if it wasn’t flushed enough already.

“I could care less about my shirt right now”, he told you seriously and you couldn’t help but giggle. You hugged him again, appreciating the comfort he was providing you. No one ever made you feel this way.

The two of you just sat in silence, holding each other.

Needless to say, from that day Miles started seeing you more. He almost never canceled his plans with you, and when he did, which was SUUUUPER rare, he would try to make it up for you by buying you your favorite candy and flowers. You couldn’t help but think about how that was a bit too…not platonic for a pair of friends.

Anyhow, as if he wasn’t caring enough before, he started being even more gentle with you. Constantly texting you to see if you were okay and if you needed anything. Sending you the silliest, cutest and kindest photos just to try to make your day.

Even if he had a bad day, he would try to be cheery around you. He wouldn’t want to affect you with his bad mood. And at the end of the day, acting happy for you turned into actually being happy. It was just something about you, maybe about your aura or whatever energy was surrounding you, that always made him feel better. Perhaps it was your empathetic and tender nature.

Oh and by the way, you were right. About the “too not platonic for just friends” thing, because after a few months of getting to know you, caring about you and constantly thinking of you, Miles realized he had to confess. And so he did.

He invited you to hang out, bought you your favorite ice cream and a rose, before telling you how he feels. About how happy you make him and how you never leave his mind. About how he wants to take care of you and how he’s willing to give you the world.

And guess what? You cried. Happy tears of course. You were just so overwhelmed with joy and how.. nice he was. At that moment you felt so loved and blissful and, in the heat of that very moment, you grabbed the collar of his hoodie and kissed him. Gently, of course. He wrapped one arm around you waist and the other one caressed your jaw.

Your eyelashes brushed against his cheek and one of your tears fell on his face. You noticed as you pulled away before apologizing, but he just laughed and pulled you back in.

As your relationship progressed, everyday you appreciated how much of a great boyfriend he was. He was flawless, quite literally. He never made you feel like your feelings were not valid, even when you thought so yourself. He was just so thoughtful and loving and perfect. The most perfect boy you could have ever asked for.

Guys this is so poorly written, but it has been in my drafts for weeks, I had to finish it. I do not know how to write for men. 😭

[kaptainbruin]

A Change

It was a mid summer afternoon. The chicadas were singing filling the otherwise quiet countryside with a pleasant background noise. The old man smiled to himself as he relaxed on the rocking chair, looking over his farm’s ground from the veranda. He had lived a long, hard-working life and now his family owned this beautiful farm with plenty of fertile fields and livestock. A tiny giggle called him back from his musings, his granddaughter, nothing more than a toddler, was running back and fort from the living room to the veranda with a toy spaceship that made laser-blasting noises:

“Careful to not trip, sweetie.” He gently called her, she did a tiny spin on herself making the tiny pilot in the ship’s cockpit rattle: “I’m not falling!” She cried back, he smiled at her antics: “And don’t be too loud, your brother is asleep.” He said mentioning the baby that was currently in the tiny crib in the children’s bedroom: “I won’t wake him up either!” She chided in a lower voice and she ran back inside commanding an unseen officer about speed-boosting or whatever was trend to use in science fiction movies.

Alone again, the old man returned to watch over his farm. His son and daughter-in-law were in town to restock some supplies and his wife instead went to visit some friend in the neighboring homes, chatting over tea and cookies and gossiping on the latest news. He overlooked the land again when he noticed something at the property’s gate... or someone... someone with white hair.

His blood ran cold as a pure terror grasped his heart. Suddenly all the heat of the season got sucked away leaving only a deathly chill as his eyes landed on that figure, which smirked in aknowledgement as he started to walk on the pebbled path to the house. The old man was still frozen in fear as his mind traveled back on that fateful night, many years ago.

Screams. Gunshots. Flames. Panic. Fear.

It was all he could hear and see, the soldier was sorrounded by pure chaos as the camp was rampaged on by the attackers. They weren’t  even from an enemy nation, but civilians from the nearby towns that grew fed up with the war and created their own little resitance army... and they had demons on their side! Filthy, half-blooded hybrids that decided to take the matter on their own hands and had been stalking them for weeks until they decided to deliver an assault that very night. He counted three demons in their feral forms laying waste of their tanks and veichles as the resistance killed any soldier that wasn’t smart enough to surrender. All of his training seemed to be just forgotten, suddenly he didn’t knew how to use his shotgun anymore, he stood there, frozen watching the chaos unfold as if he weren’t truly there. All he could do was stare at the three demons, a red-maned one, another one with longer brown hair, and the third, the biggest yet, the white-maned monster he heard the veterans and religious figures talk about. In his mind, he immediately realized what he was witnessing:

The White Death.

The murderer that not even deities dared to face, the demon that wiped out whole criminal gangs and who supposedly planted blind terror in corrupted leaders. His presence only meant one thing: they were all going to die! If he came for them, then it meant they were all done for!

A scream seemed to breach into his mind:

“SOLDIER!! HANS!!!!” His sergeant! He was somehow still alive! “S... sir!?!” “Go kill the prisioners!” “W... what!? Why!?” “The demons came for them! If we kill them, they’ll leave!” “Sir! This is just absurd! Why would we...” “Don’t question my orders, soldier!” Shouted the sergeant: “Our leader’s orders are clear! Kill all those who are an obstacle to our plans! Go in the jail and kill as many as possible! DO IT BEF...” Suddenly, the giant paw of the demon slammed down on the sergeant pinning him to the ground. Hans could only stare in horror as his superior struggled to get away while the monster stared down at him, feline pupils focusing on his tiny frame: -It can think! It... it can think!- Was the only thing his brain could fathom. After what seemed to be a never-ending second, a voice rose above the battle: “We found them!” They all turned in the direction of the shout, a young man waving his hat: “We found the prisions! And...” He hesitated as other rebels appared at his side: “We found the common gravesite.” Admitted one of them: “There’s a whole village buried just behind the barracks.” Gasps of horror rose from the rebel’s ranks: “We came too late...!” “They killed so many already...!” Were some of the whispers Hans could hear when suddenly he realized he was still dangerously close to the White Death: “You. How could you!?” He growled as he balled his claw into a fist and rose on his hind legs and roared again: “HOW COULD YOU!?!?!?” The fight didn’t resume, everyone was just too stunned: “For this, you will all die! I will kill each of you!!” Roared the White Death as he crushed the sergeant in his claw. That was when Hans’s survival instincts finally kicked in and fled while the demon continued to roar as he went in a rampage: “For each victim you murdered, I will kill fifty of you! I won’t stop until your will be extinct! My fury won’t rest until the mere concept of you won’t be nothing more but a nightmare from the past!” With the demon’s roar still echoing at his back, Hans just kept running in the forest... it was all he could do, the only thing his brain could process.

Run.

RUN.

RUN!

...And now he was too old for running away. All he could do was stare in absolute terror as he watched the White Death calmly walk towards him, still young as he was all those years ago: -At the end he did find me.- He tought: -He must have killed many others before me and now it’s my turn.- His hands gripped the chair’s armrests: -The children! Don’t let him get the children!- Too late! “Hans VonDrake?” Questioned the White Death, his blue eyes staring down at him: “It’s Anthony Derrik now.” Answered Hans, his voice barely a whisper. The demon grabbed Hans by the chin and forced him to stare at his face: “Are you ready to get what you deserve?” His voice turned into a growl: “Do you remember the piles of corpses, Hans? Are you ready to meet them in the afterlife and try to justify all the suffering they had to endure?” His face got dangerously close: “Are you ready to face your punishment?” “Please...! Please not here!” Begged Hans, tears welling in his eyes: “I won’t run! I can’t physically run! Just... just don’t do it here where...” “Grandpa?”

They both froze and turned to stare at Hans’s granddaughter in shock, she was standing there holding her spaceship toy in one hand and two batteries in the other:

“I fell and they fell too.” She said: “Can you put them back in?” Hans gulped nervously: “Honey, r... right now it’s...” “Of course we can.” Finished the demon, his features softened: “Here, let me show you how to do it.” He said as he kneeled down and gently took the toy and batteries off the little girl’s hands. Hans could only stare in disbelief as what he saw as the incarnation of pure evil help his granddaughter to fix her toy: “See? Put the little symbols like this, so they match, press down and and in they go.” He snapped the lid shut and the little ship came to life: “Wow! Thanks!” She looked up at him: “Are you a friend of grandpa’s?” “More or less.” He answered with a small smile: “Can you go and play inside as we talk of grown-up things?” She looked up at her grandfather quizzically, Hans forced a smile and tried to sound natural: “It’s alright, sweetie. We just want to talk.” “Okay!” She ran back in and Hans slumped back in his chair as the demon stood back up: “She doesn’t seem to fit the “standards of perfection” that you all preached back in the days...” He noticed: “B... blonde hair and blue eyes don’t exactly run in the family.” Explained Hans with a shaky voice: “P... please, sir... you don’t have to do this. I already regret what I was forced to do.” He looked up, the White Death staring at him: “Go on.” “You asked me if I remember the corpses... I do. I still have nightmares of them even if it’s been so long. I ran away that night because I never wanted to do any of that. I was forced to do any of the horrible things I did in my youth. It was that or my whole family would have joined them!” He hid his face in his hands: “The first thing I did was to find my then-girlfriend and flee across the ocean with nothing more but the clothes on our backs and whatever we could bring along to start our lives anew. We got new IDs, managed to bury our past for a new beginning.” He looked up at him again: “Please... I have spent all those years trying to atone for what I did. Charity services, funds, I even took the lowest jobs before I finally managed to get a safe income that allowed me to build this place!” He took a deep breath: “If you still want to kill me even after all of this... at least wait for my son and his wife to be back, so my grandkids won’t be alone. We will go somewhere remote then.” With that, Hans braced for the answer that could have decided his fate then and now... And to his immense surprise, he saw the demon rubbing his forehead and sighing: “How to say this...” He muttered leaving Hans confused: “S... sir?” “You are an anomaly, to say it bluntly.” He explained: “You are part of a very small percentage that actually regrets their criminal past. In short words...” There was a deep breath: “I’m not going to kill you.”.

At hearing those words, Hans almost fell off the chair:

“W... what!?” “You heard me well.” Answered the White Death: “You won’t die. Not by me, at least. I can’t do much for that old age matter of mortals.” As he turned to take his leave, Hans stood up: “Wait, I have some questions, mister... uh... mister...?” “Thorne. My name is Thorne.” Revealed the demon: “What do you want to know?” Hans was taken back for how easily Thorne just gave out his name, but he didn’t hesitate: “My old comrades, how many regretted their actions like me?” Now it was Torne’s time to hesitate before answering: “Not many. Not all of them felt sorry for what they contributed to do...” He admitted bitterly: “Some were actively proud and claimed a desire to re-do it all over again.” “Did they felt fear when you came to them?” “You clearly know what I am capable of.” He allowed himself a smirk: “And not all of them gained a good life like yours.” “Any... peculiar case?” “One of the doctors of your army literally died of fright as soon as he saw me.” Okay, that was an answer Hans wasn’t expecting to hear: “I guess it is indeed possible to go that way. But what about you now? We are all elders way past our prime, what will you do once the last of us will pass away?” With a sigh, Thorne sat on the steps of the veranda: “A long time ago, probably way before your family tree even sprouted, I made a promise. I promised I would help eradicate all evil in one way or the other, that I would devote my immortality to make sure this madness that seems to grip our hearts will never take over ever again.” “Did you fight in many wars?” Asked Hans, Thorne nodded: “The majority of those who happened in the past five centuries.” “That’s... a lot of fighting.” “And I know it won’t stop anytime soon.” By now, Hans wasn’t even sure why he was having this conversation with the one who wanted to kill him just a few minutes ago, maybe it was a strange sense of comradeship between veterans: “It must be hard to fight alone.” “Oh, no. I’m not alone, I do have a family. I’m actually a grandfather too.” “Really? How many?” “Two kids, boy and girl. Still young, but already know how to fight. It’s a demon thing.” “Ehe, my little granddaughter can be a little typhoon when she wants to be. I’m sure her baby brother won’t be easy either once he’ll get big enough.” They both conceeded themselves a chuckle when Thorne got up again: “I guess now I must really take my leave. It’s always nice to find out that somebody can be salvaged.” “We are pretty far away from any town, you sure you don’t need anything? Like food?” Asked Hans out of courtesy, Thorne shrugged: “I’m pretty much stocked with food and water, but thank you.” He turned to leave before stopping again: “Actually... there’s something I want to request you.” By now, Hans was expecting anything: “Such as...?” “Don’t let your memories fade.” Answered Thorne: “Make sure the experiences you lived will be passed on. You know first-hand how war is like, I’m asking you to teach your family and whoever is willing to listen to not fall for what caused you to join.” Understanding what he meant, Hans could only nod in agreement: “I promise. I will do my part.” “Thank you.” And with those parting words, Thorne literally faded in to the veranda’s shadows leaving the old man alone with his thoughts, until he heard the familiar noise of his son’s truck.

The sun was almost completely set by the time Thorne found the small cave hidden in the woods, a large, red sea dragon rose her head as he appeared at the entrance. She walked up to him and nuzzled his face, he patted her snout with his hand:

“Yes, yes. I’m back as you can see, Mizka.” He looked up at a figure hanging from the cave’s ceiling: “Faya, I’m back. The deed is done.” Hearing his voice, the figure opened up her large bat wings and stretched out with a yawn: “Back so soon? Looks like he didn’t put much of a fight. The last one had a shotgun ready at the doorstep.” “I didn’t have to kill anyone this time.” He said and proceeded to tell the vampire everything as she jumped down and served herself with a fruit juice packet: “He did change...? Are you sure he wasn’t making it up? Not the first time they lie, and you know it.” “Yes, but I have my ways to find out the truth, which you also know it.” Answered the demon as he checked the now-spent fire, Faya looked at him with a small smile: “You seem happy.” “I am. I don’t exactly enjoy snuffing out a life even if they deserve it. Seeing a true redemption is a rare sight.” “It’s still a very rare one, a small percentage against all the criminals we always deal with.” She muttered glumly, Thorne raised his index finger: “Actually, it’s slowly raising up.” “It is?” “Yes, it is still small compared to my usual shifts, but the crime rate is surely way lower than how it used to be many years ago. Not sure if it’s because of the reinforced security world-wide, but it feels like some change is truly happening.” “How about the incoming wars? You know those won’t stop anytime soon.” “If it will be necessary, I’ll rally up the old squad and go forth. I never said peace was behind the corner.” He stepped out of the cave, the sun was now gone over the mountains and the first stars were starting to show: “I know my job won’t be done for at least several more centuries, but for the first time in a long time, I’m hopeful. Progress, as small as it is, it’s still progress.” Faya walked up at his side holding another juice packet: “You mean as if with baby steps? Then we still have a lot to do.” “Well, I never said it was going to be easy either.” He admitted as he accepted her little offering.

Surely the day didn’t go as he had planned, but he didn’t regret it’s results either. The White Death stared at the stars feeling at peace, enjoying the quiet evening in the serene company of his friends before heading back inside to plan the next mission.

THE END.

[eternitas]

17 and 24 of that ask game for Sanji, Hayato and Xiao uvu

This Ask meme

17. What's a book, movie, or show you think [character] would like?

Sanji

Very obvious answer? Anything to do with cooking. He breaths cooking. But he is also a majour softy and slight pervert so I can see him have some guilty pleasure movies that involve a lot of romance and soft erotica. I am not very versed in ANY of these things, but I could see Sanji enjoying Titanic and Moulin Rouge. I also think he would love Food Wars for not just the cooking, but the over the top orgasmic depiction of how good food can taste.

Hayato

Obvious answer? Cryptid fanatic. Doesn't even matter if the movie/show/book is good. He WILL engage with it, even if just to say afterwards that it SUCKS. I personally see him def more into horror that is on the supernatural side and less horror that goes into splatter or gore territory like Saw or-- whatever other slasher film there is, I personally do not watch much horror. Since he is also incredibly intelligent I can see him be REALLY into crime thrillers, but only the super technical and bizare ones that are hard for some others to read. I can also see him be into extremely accurate mafia novels. If he reads a mafia related book and it gets something terribly wrong he stops IMMIDEATLY. One movie that especially fascinates him and the book it is based on is 'I heared you paint houses'. I think he is a biiit of a fan of Scorcese, tho he does also have his opinions (TM)

Xiao

I think there is ONLY an obvious answer? Xiao is REALLY into chinese mythology and Wu Xia Stories. He isn't someone who engages a lot with shows or movies, but he does read enough especially theoretic books about different martial arts. Fiction isn't exactly his thing unless it's historic novels set in ancient China. Or the usual classics. He actually also has a bit of a soft spot for poems and books that are juste purely wholesome. Stories about someone making it out of the darkness or just the beauty of mundanity. Nothing overly melodramatic. Maybe that means he would like some Ghibli movies? Jury out on that one.

24. What's your favourite thing about [character]?

Oh boy here we go

Sanji

wet boy soggy cat baby pathetic manlet. Need I say more? I won't go into spoilers, but Sanji is both incredibly infuriating and beloved to me. I just love when he is caught up in a situation, where he just ends up showing his true colors. How soft and kind he can be, how much he cares about others even those he might not particularly like much or strangers. He is ready to lay his life on the line EVEN IF HE SAYS HE DOESN'T CARE OH BOY DOES HE CARE!!!! Especially the Wano Kuni Arc has made me adore him so much. Whole Cake Island broke me into pieces but Wano Kuni showed both his worst and his best sides. Also who doesn't love a man that can cook? The way he just LIGHTS UP when he gets to talk cooking or about his dream of finding the All Blue! *chefs kiss* (pun intended I am absolutely kissing that chef, icky smoke be damned)

Hayato

The fuck do you mean like? This bitch is the bane of my existance and i hate him and his stupid face with his aweful green eyes and the dumb smile he is capable of making. Oh and don't get me started on his aweful obsession with UFOs and cryptids wow what a loser, what an absolute cringefail, it's not like I enjoy his damn progress as a character from a selfcentered obsessive idiot to a more open cooperative jerk that actually trusts people and relies on them, oh gods are you crazy nah get that away from me. Bitch is so smart it's infuriating I loathe how intelligent and truly innovative he is, god his brightness is so annoying!

I do love his cat tho c:

Xiao

Love of my life one of the most misunderstood and MISINTERPRETED characters in all of Genshin yes you heared me FIGHT ME!

Look. Xiao is dear to my heart. I know I say it was Kaeya who got me into Genshin, but nah we all know that is a lie, yes he was the character that piqued my interest, but before the game was out the Genshin website already had some mini profiles on some characters and Xiao also had one. I made one look at the guy and said "that one". He is an abuse victim that was enslaved and forced to do horrendous things, knowing nothing but savagery and violence until he was saved, swearing unwavering loyalty to his savior who gave him his current name. And his life just kept being full of violence, as he became a Yaksha, cleansing and protecting Liyue through slaughter. This guy has probably MILLENIA of karmic debt accumilated, he was a GENERAL in a war, he faught alongside a myriad of other Yakshas and-- in the end he became the only survivor. Xiao is the LAST Yaksha, he is the only one remaining, he keeps his comrades and friends memory close to him, he saw them perish and fall to their karmic debt and after it all he became someone who kept fighting for Liyues safety in pure solitude, because GUESS WHAT he can't even get close to mortals. His strong karmic debt causes others harm, so he naturally isolated himself and accepted this fate. Sacrifice is something Xiao sees as natural and unavoidable, bitch is DEPRESSED and absolutely unsocial. He just has no social skills whatsoever and human customs confuse him. It's not maliciousness, it's actual confusion and mostly ignorance that leads to him being mostly misunderstood. He needs patience and a lot of understanding. So many people just write him off as some edgeboy, being rude and arrogant- when in actuallity boy just doesn't know how to deal with people. deep down he is a soft soul. FOR FUCKS SAKE his namecard says QUOTE

He longs for a day to come when he will wear the mask and dance — not to conquer demons, but to the tune of that flute amid a sea of flowers.

HE WANTS TO DANCE IN A SEA OF FLOWERS WHILE FLUTE MUSIC PLAYS I AM SORRY HOW CAN ANYONE SAY THIS GUY IS EDGY WHEN HE IS A FOCKING MARSHMALLOW DEEP DOWN

He lost so much, he believed to find his end by being alone forever until he succumbs to his karmic debt-- and yet he tries SO HARD

From watching the Lantern rites Xiao lantern from just outside the city, to watching the fireworks on the roof of wang shu inn, to COMING INTO THE CITY TO DINE WITH OTHER PEOPLE, TO ACTUALLY RELEASING A XIAO LANTERN WITH THE TRAVELER HIMSELF!!!! Even in his letters he says that he is starting to be more casual with the other adepti, he joined the fucking Poetry Festival-- I am losing my mind at this guy he is genuinely so fucking pillowy soft deep down, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE SWITCH THE VOICES TO CN AND HEAR KINSEN IN ALL HIS GLORY CONVEY XIAOS CHARACTER!

(I am sorry but whatever the english voice director told his VA was absolute bullshit fight me on this.)

I am very normal about this guy

Other canon things that make me lose my marbles

The fact that the moment Xiao and the traveler first meat a track plays in the background that is called Lovers Oath

You can bait Xiao into coming somewhere or participate in something when you say the traveler will be there

During the Chasm Storyline he first wanted to keep the others away saying that to keep them safe and Yanfei USES THE TRAVELER TRICK to get Xiao to IMMIDEATLY join their gang.

Usually special dishes are food that is prepared by the characters themself. Sweet Dream, Xiaos Specialty dish is something the traveler makes for him

He???? eats or at least ATE dreams???? He says almond tofu tastes like sweet dreams???? thats where the special dish got its name from???? hello?????

when a traveling pilgrim came to the mountain as Ganyu and Xiao were training he did NOT want to deal with a mortal and basically told Ganyu her next training task is to deal with that guy before he skidaddled. Pro move to escape social interactions

when saving everyone from the chasm he sacrificed himself to ensure everyone else makes it to the surface. Daddy dearest ofc saved him but he was SO ready to let this be his end. I am glad it wasn't

from what I can tell his illuminated beast form is a bird, not like cloud retainer however and the fact there is a CHONK BIRB XIAO PLUSHY has me wheezing.

especially in early game crystalflies are hard to catch. Xiaos first birthday letter included 10 crystal cores, the item that drops when you catch crystalflies, a very valuable resource for crafting condensed resin. He also admits that he kind of didn't intend to catch that many and that he believes they would look cute in the travelers hair

he is strongly implied if not outright confirmed to be in chronic pain from his karmic debt. Pls save my boy

I might be a bit off on some of these but I am at LEAST 89% sure these are true facts.

[zodiakuroo]

Un(holy) Trinity

Pairing: Dabi x Fem!Reader x Shigaraki

Content: 18+ dubcon/noncon, threesome, manhandling, rough sex, corruption, degradation, humiliation, breathplay, stepcest, breeding, blasphemy and sacrilege, elements of mindbreak and god complex (?) 

Word count: 4.1k

Notes: my first threesome and idk how to feel about it but here it is! If it’s bad I can blame it on the fact that I just had my wisdom teeth extracted and am currently in a world of pain :) also i’m on bedrest and incredibly bored so if anyone has requests or thirsts or just wants to chat... yeah

also if this banner is shit i’m sorry i rushed and made it on my phone cause i just rly wanted to to post

This is part 2 to my other fic Love Thy Brother which you can read here 

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” - Genesis 3:1

Twelve days.

Twelve days since you lost your virginity.

Twelve days since you lost your virginity to your step-brother, no less. 

The night that it happened, you lay awake in your bed dreading the aftermath of the horrific incident. How could you face him again? How could you face your family? How could you face God? 

You were too cowardly to face the rest of your household. The Todoroki family welcomed you into their home only for you betray them by sleeping with Touya. Ever since you were little, your mother would say she had a sort of sixth sense that meant God would always tell her when you’d been up to mischief. It sounds silly but there was no explanation for how she would always catch out in lie or know things that you never told her. You feared she would take one look at you and know the sin you committed. And so you chose to make yourself scarce, taking extra shifts at work and choosing to study at the campus library rather than at home. Your siblings seemed to notice how busy you suddenly were, often remarking how they missed you around the house. That just made you feel more ashamed. 

As for God, you felt like you needed to do whatever necessary to prove your faith. You wanted Him to know the extent of your shame and remorse. You were weak in spirit, making you an easy target for someone as devious as Touya. You prayed and begged for forgiveness until your knees hurt but no matter what you did, the guilt was inescapable. You realized it was because, irrespective of the regret and remorse you felt, you couldn’t deny that you enjoyed what happened. You liked the way Dabi made you feel and you hated yourself for it. But no matter how much you liked it, something like that could never happen again. As penance, you banned yourself from bringing your hands anywhere near your groin. After all that temptation is what brought you to this point in the first place. But the thread of your self-control is thin and withered so at night when you’re certain everyone is asleep, you’re humping your pillow like an animal and biting down on your lip trying to keep from moaning his name. At least you weren’t touching right? 

Dabi, by some God-given miracle, made himself scarce as well. It wasn’t uncommon for the noirette to disappear for days at a time doing heaven knows what only to arrive back at home like nothing happened; so no one really questioned his absence. Perhaps he  felt the same way you did and was avoiding facing you and the other Todorokis.

Yeah right. 

Shame? Todoroki Touya doesn’t know the meaning of the word. 

In any case, you had become used to a Dabi-less house and so lulled into a false sense of safety, slowly but surely reverting back to normal. That’s why as you make your way downstairs, prepared to go to your church, the sound of gunfire and explosions from the living room doesn’t alarm you. Probably Natsuo or Shouto playing one of their video games, you thought. But when you get to the bottom of the stairs you’re met with unmistakable dark locks. Not just him. The back of another person’s head, one with pale blue, shoulder length hair. Before you can stop yourself, you let out a gasp. Neither of them react, seemingly too focused on their game. You don’t waste any time feeling relieved, choosing instead to make a silent escape. 

You could only dream of being so lucky. 

“Oi!” Your step-brother calls without turning around. He hasn’t seen you, you think. If you move quickly you can still get out of this. “I know you heard me, brat. Get over here before I drag you over here.” He still doesn’t bother to turn around but the sharpness in his tone lets you know that you’d be smart to listen. You take a second to steel your nerves and make your way over to the couch, trying your best to look as intimidating as possible. You scowl at both men but they are so engrossed in their video game, they don’t even acknowledge that you’re standing right there. “Aren’t you gonna say hi? We have company.” 

We?

The company in question is Shigaraki Tomura. He’s been to the house before although he’s never even so much as glanced in your direction, too busy with his phone or playing games with Dabi. Despite your hard expression you can only manage a meek “Hello Shigaraki.” 

He responds by finally looking at you, with a sleazy grin, a pair of crimson eyes, surrounded by creases meet your own. “Sup.” 

Beer cans litter the coffee table, one of them being turned into a makeshift ashtray while both have smouldering cigarettes perched between their lips. “You’re not supposed to smoke in the house.” 

“You’re not supposed to smoke in the house.” Dabi mocks you with a nasal voice. 

You simply roll your eyes, not interested in continuing this interaction any further.  “Whatever. I’m leaving now.” You state with as much firmness as you can muster. You spin on your heels but are kept in place by long, slender digits wrapped around your wrist. 

“Where are you off to anyways?” The game paused, both boys now looking at you. 

Out of habit, you answer truthfully. “Bible study.” 

Shigaraki and Dabi burst into raucous laughter. 

You should have lied. 

“Nah you’re gonna hang out with me and Shigaraki for a bit.” 

“Dabi, I have to leave.”

“You don’t have to do anything except what I tell you and I’m telling you to sit.” 

Before you can protest you’re being hauled on to the couch, squeezed between the two of them. 

“Nice necklace.” Tomura snorts, hand reaching out to grab at your crucifix but you swat it away. His gaze is unnerving. It makes you wonder if- no. He promised he wouldn’t. 

Just like that, their game is resumed, as if you were never there. A few rounds pass, no words exchanged between either of them, only curses muttered under their breath. “Dabi, can I please go. I’m bored.” 

Wrong choice of words. 

“You hear that Tomura? The princess is bored.” His fingers are still moving rapidly over his controller. 

“Really now? Come on then Todoroki, let’s show her a good time. I’ve seen how she likes to have fun.” 

His comment on your necklace suddenly makes sense, but you still can’t believe it. “You didn’t…” you whip your head back to look at Dabi. 

”Sorry doll, you made your Nii-san so proud, I just had to show you off.” Dabi smiles shamelessly, lighting himself another cigarette. 

“You’re fucking sick Touya.” Tomura says, however his tone is not one of disgust but rather of admiration. 

“You promised...” Your voice breaks. You’re humiliated beyond belief. 

Both of them laugh at you again, discarding their controllers. “Told you, it’s adorable how stupid she is.” Dabi remarks to his friend, as if you’re not sitting right next to them. 

You try to force your way off the couch but get pulled into Dabi’s lap, one of his arms hooking around both of yours, securing them behind your back. You squirm in his arms but he stills you with a hard slap on your inner thigh. “Be good okay? Don’t embarrass me.” He nuzzles into your neck. 

Shigaraki flips up your dress exposing your white lace panties. He runs his thumb up and down your clothed slit, he fabric slowly becoming even more transparent. One severe jerk to the top of your dress and the straps are torn clean off, revealing the matching bra. “Yo, Touya. I thought she was a good girl.”

Dabi peers over your shoulder to get look. “Who’s all this for babe? You screwing the preacher or something? Or were you hoping I’d do something like this?” He tugs down your bra until your breasts are spilling over the top of it.

“Dabi…” Your choke on your plea when he sinks his teeth into your neck. He bites down so hard you’re positive he’s left a mark.

“Who?” 

“T-Touya-nii.” You whimper. 

“Better.” 

Your destroyed dress is discarded somewhere across the room and you find yourself on your hands and knees with Shigaraki kneeling on the couch in front of you and Dabi behind you. 

“Go easy on her alright Tomura. It’s her first time sucking cock.” He chuckles. 

Your eyes go wide. “Wait...” you mewl but neither pay you any mind.

“And you.” Dabi yanks a fistful of your hair. “No teeth. No puke. Or I’ll let my boy ream your little ass as punishment.”

“Yeah. What he said.” Shigaraki mutters, pulling his semi out of his sweatpants, rubbing his tip against your lips. His is not as scary as your step-brother’s but him staring down at you like this, makes him seem every bit as intimidating. 

Pre-cum dribbles from the swollen tip. You’re not entirely sure you want that in your mouth but you’re also not sure if you have a choice so you open up hesitantly. 

Dabi’s right. It is your first time doing something like this. You don’t know what you’re supposed to do but as it turns out you don’t have to do much, not with the way Shigaraki starts thrusting his quickly hardening member into your mouth.

“Move your tongue slut.” The man in front of you grunts. You do your best despite the heavy intrusion to obey his command, moving from side to side, swirling around the head when he pulls out of your mouth. He looks down at you with cruel vermillion eyes, panting as he strokes himself in front of you, spreading your saliva across his shaft before sliding deep into your mouth again.

Behind you, Dabi spreads apart your cheeks, squeezing the flesh in his calloused hands. “Remember what I said. Be good and I’ll give you a reward.” He pulls your panties to the side and lets out a whistle at the sight of your dripping slit. “She’s enjoying it. Make her take it deeper.”

You can’t possibly fathom how much deeper he can go when his head is already nudging at your tonsils. You try to swallow the saliva building up in your mouth, making your cheeks hollow out around Shigaraki’s shaft. Seems like that was the right thing to do as his hand flies to the back of your head. “Shit. Shit. So good.”

Dabi’s breath wafts over your pussy. He spreads your lips apart and you feel his hot tongue lick up the juices leaking from your hole. You squeal around Tomura’s dick. You want to pull off but his spindly fingers hold your head in place.

“Told you angel. Good little sisters get rewards.” With that he takes your clit between his lips and suckles on it gently while one of his fingers circles your entrance. Knuckle by knuckle he slides into you, making you keen. You arch your back trying to shift your hips backwards against his hand, silently urging him to find that special spot he showed you last time. He establishes a loose rhythm. Hot wet muscle and cold metal of his piercing circles the sensitive bundle of nerves, before applying suction while his fingers work you open.

The sensation is overwhelming, a form of heavenly torture and your thighs quiver barely able to hold you up while you use your last bit of mental strength to focus on suppressing your gags. That mental strength all but evaporates when the digits inside you graze that rough patch embedded in your walls. It’s so pleasurable your reflex is to run from his fingers. Luckily for Shigaraki, that means you move forward, taking him further into your mouth.

“This where you want me? This your spot, angel?” Dabi taunts you. Shigaraki holds you in place while two of your step-brother’s fingers drill your cunt, hitting that spot over and over again. Garbled moans and cries leave your mouth and reverberate around Tomura’s cock, proving to be too much for him ultimately. 

“Shit Stop!” Don’t wanna come yet.” He pulls out your mouth so that a string of your drool drips down to your breasts.

“God! Touya-nii!” You sputter out.

“Still with the God shit?” He uses your hair to force you to look at him, neck twisted at an awkward, uncomfortable angle. “God ever make you feel this good?” His fingers thrust into you harder. Your whole body feels like it’s on fire.

“Ngghh-N-no –oh! Oh!” is your incoherent answer.

Dabi forces you back down, shoving you face first into the cushions. “See? Fuck him. Give up on god. Give up on everyone except your big brother cause no one else can make you feel this good.”

You’re so pathetic. The way you’re rocking yourself in unison with the motions of his hands. The way your tongue hangs out of your mouth, impeding any sort of intelligible verbal response. The way you’re mindlessly nodding along to whatever filth is coming out of Dabi’s mouth.

“C’mon Touya. Turn her around. Wanna try out that sweet pussy you’ve been bragging about.” You’re reminded that you aren’t alone. No, your brother’s best friend is right there to witness exactly how pathetic you are.

“Yeah in a minute. I’m still having my fun.” Dabi answers, face pressed against your mons before working you with his mouth once again.  

“Man! Come on!” Tomura whines.

 “I said in a minute.  Not my fault you can’t last.”

It’s amazing how they can bicker like this right now, as if you aren’t on your hands and knees for them, gummy walls still pulsing around his fingers. However, it’s not long before Dabi’s focus is back on you taking you to the brink of orgasm. He slows his fingers, keeping you balanced on that razor thin edge. “Should I make you cum angel?” His voice is dripping with fake concern. “Dunno… what’s in it for me?”

“Anything! Touya-nii please!”

“Anything? You gonna obey me? Do whatever I say like a good little angel? You gonna worship me?” You can’t tell if he’s being serious or if he’s mocking you.

Probably the latter. And you deserve it too.

Your faith was the thing you deemed more important than anything and anyone else but Dabi, all too easily, convinced you to disregard that. Made you lose all sense and give into lust by showing you mindblowing pleasure, only magnified by your awareness of how deeply sinful this all was. That’s the extent of the power he has over you. The story of Adam and Eve is one you know forwards and backwards and yet you were so easily tempted forbidden fruit and left completely corrupted.  Yeah, he’s definitely mocking you.

“Any- fuck- anything” You’re wiggling your ass, goading Dabi into finishing you off

“Cum in my mouth. Angel, give it to me” That’s the final straw. You explode around his fingers. Despite your walls, clamping around him, he manages to piston into you, hitting that squishy spot with astounding accuracy. His unyielding stimulation makes it feel as though the high won’t end. You’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Eventually, it does end though, his fingers drag out against the pull of your swollen pussy. He licks you clean making sure he gets every last drop of your cum, both inside and out, on his tongue. The ball of his piercing catches onto your rim making you yelp. He soothes the sting with gentle laps of his tongue.

“Tastes so sweet angel. So sweet knowing I’m the only one to ever fuck this pretty pussy.” He snickers before adding “So far.”

“Yeah, can I fuck her now?” Tomura was turned on before but seeing the way you fell apart at the hands of your brother? His minimal patience has run out. All he can think of now is being inside you.

 “You heard him babe. Turn around.” He spanks your ass. You try to turn around but thanks to your shaky legs you nearly fall off the couch. Dabi catches you before that happens and he dutifully sets you up on all fours, held up by quivering limbs. You hear heavy breathing from behind you as Shigaraki taps his head against your puffy clit while you twitch in place.

“She wants this so bad. Had no idea your Christian little sister was such a whore.” Shigaraki mutters. He holds you still as he buries himself in you, breathing becoming more erratic with every inch until his hip bones are digging into your soft flesh. He’s so deep. You feel so full. You squeeze shut your eyelids, savouring the stretch. 

Calloused fingers press into your jaw, making your eyes shoot open. “Pretty angel, did you forget about me?” Dabi looms over you, making a show of spitting in his palm and using it to stroke himself. He slips his thumb into your mouth, pad pressing down on the plush pillow of your tongue. “Gonna stuff you nice ‘n full angel.” All you can do is blink up at him with teary eyes, pupils blown wide with desire. 

Shigaraki begins thrusting into you, hips moving at a brutal pace. Dabi isn’t far behind him, replacing his thumb with his cock and you don’t waste time waiting for him to tell you what to do. You close your lips around his shaft, engulfing him in the wet heat of your mouth.

Unlike his friend, Dabi starts off slow. His piercings drag across your tongue and you taste metal and the salt of his pre-cum. It takes some time for you to get used to taking him in your mouth, the jewellery an added obstacle. 

You feel so full. 

Shigaraki is bottoming out with every thrust, it’s so lewd the way it makes you squelch around him. Dabi’s shaft is rubbing your throat raw and still, you make an effort to take him deeper. He keeps one hand on the back of your head while he fucks you mouth.

He looks so ethereal, so euphoric, letting out little moans and whispered expletives. The sounds he makes are divine, so heavily contrasted by everything you know about him. It leaves you star struck. He recognizes the adoration in your eyes and responds in kind with a cocky smirk. He remembers how you looked at him when you first met. Disdain and judgment. Now you look at him like he’s your only salvation. 

It’s sad actually. How you’re so desperate for someone to tell you how to live. And what a sweet, adoring little follower you are. Wasted on religion if you ask him. So soft and pliant, perfect for your big brother to mould and corrupt into his personal fuckangel. 

“Angel, Nii-san’s gonna fill you up. And you’re gonna take it yeah?”

Your whole life you aspired to this holy standard of perfection in the hopes of escaping eternal damnation. But you’re beyond absolution now.

“All of it down your throat.”

It’s okay though.

If heaven doesn’t feel like this, you’re not sure it’s worth all the effort to get there. 

He holds your necklace behind you like a leash, twisting it around his fingers. Between the way he’s basically strangling you and the way your swallowing muscles contract around his cock means that you’re not getting much air into your lungs. Your head is spinning, from being both oxygen deprived and cock drunk.

“Your God doesn’t want you anymore.” The clasp snaps and he dangles the charm in front of your face. The mould of Christ nailed to the cross taunts you.  What was once a symbol of divine love and God’s boundless forgiveness and sacrifice is just a reminder of how far you’ve fallen into depravity, creaming around Shigaraki’s cock as he ruins your cunt while your Nii-san claims your throat “You’re filthy.” Touya sneers at you as he holds himself in your throat, watching you cry and choke around him. “Dirty fuckin angel.” He grunts as he floods your mouth with the taste of his cum. It’s not exactly pleasant but you try to swallow it all down. There’s just so much. That means he’s pleased with you right? You want him to be pleased. Good girls get rewards he said 

“It’s okay.” He muses as he pulls out of your mouth. “You have me. I’m better than God and I Iove you when you’re nasty like this.” He empathizes his point by dragging his wet, softening cock across your face. “Nii-sans perfect little angel.”

It’s so pitiful how the small praise makes your heart bloom and makes your hole flutter.

You’re coughing up Touya’s cum while your body shakes with Shigaraki’s thrusts.

“What about me hm? I’m fucking you. What? You don’t like it?” Tomura’s going harder now, determined to get his fair share of your attention.

“Shig-Shigaraki – shit. Slow down!”

You’re ignored by both of them once again. If anything, Shigaraki starts fucking you harder

.”Yo’ dustpot. You better pull out. That hole still belongs to me.”

The warning falls on deaf ears, Tomura is too far gone. “So warm, she’s squeezin’ me. Fuck. Fuck.’’ No thoughts, just your tight cunt.

“Gonna do whatever I tell you?” Dabi’s talking to you now, cerulean eyes boring into yours.

You nod still staring at him with absolute devotion.

“Touya-nii’s will be done? Huh? Has a nice ring to it.”

When you don’t respond he grabs you by your cheeks forming an open mouthed pout. “Say it.”

“Touya-nii’shhh will be done.” The words come out distorted but he’s satisfied

“Oh yeah? Then be good angel slut and come on his cock for me.”  

You’re pushed over the edge, coming for the second time. Your walls clamp down around him as you sob out both their names in the form of incoherent babbling. It hits you as hard as the first one. You’re so caught up in your high you barely register the vice grip on your hips, the frantic humping against your ass. “Tight. Fuckin tight! Gotta breed! Breed this fucking hole.”

His hot, sticky cum floods your walls with, your throbbing cunt milking him for everything he’s got. He ruts against you a couple more times before removing himself completely.

You hear the familiar click of a camera. He’s sorry (not really) but the sight of your fucked out hole leaking globs of your cream and his cum was too hot for Shigaraki to not add to his spankbank. 

“Thanks for that little sis.” Dabi is resting on the couch, head thrown back smoking a cigarette.

“Yeah thanks sweetness.”  Both men, tuck themselves back into their pants

Everything feels so surreal. You cautiously move you hand between your thighs. Feeling your sore abused cunt in an attempt to grasp the reality of what happened.

Wait a minute. 

It’s too much, that too sticky to be just your arousal down there. The more you squeeze, contracting your pelvic floor, the more it seems to seep out of you. 

“You… You came inside.” You murmur as your eyes well up with tears. Whatever daze you were in seems to be broken by this revelation. Instead it’s replaced by fear of what the consequences of this might be. 

Dabi smacks his friend upside the head. “You fuckin’ dumbass. I told you not to.”

Judging by his grin, Shigaraki doesn’t register the insult. He’s too busy basking in the afterglow. “Aw, don’t cry babe. You were gripping me so tight, I thought you wanted it. ‘S’okay, your Nii-san will get you a plan B”

“Fuck no. That’s your jizz inside her.” He scowls, eyes focused on the cum that’s leaking out of your spent pussy.

“C’mon Dabi don’t be like that. I’m broke right now.” Shigaraki pleads.

Touya huffs and rolls his eyes.  “You can get yourself a morning after pill right? Tomura will pay you back.”

“Yeah babe. I promise.” He gives you a dopey smile.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out he’s lying. Yeah, you know better now. You just nod as you pull up your panties, cringing at the sticky, wet sensation against your cunt.

 “Me and Tomura are heading out. Make sure you clean all this up before anyone gets home.”

“B-but Touya-nii-“ you snivel.

“No buts. Clean up or you won’t be sitting comfy for a week. Are we clear?”

“Yes Touya-nii.” You reply defeated.

“And do it properly. Fuyumi has 3 brothers, she knows what a cumstain looks like and I don’t wanna have to do any explaining to her.”

You only nod, trying (and failing) to blink away tears.

Dabi rewards you with a chaste kiss to your cheek. “Best little sister in the world.” And he leaves you with that.

[ronmanmob]

Whisked off to climes new in a chauffeured car and beyond-plush lodgings was perhaps the least likely preamble to a first date Ron had ever experienced. It felt more like a mini holiday than anything, this jaunt - insisted on by his diminutive li'le luv who was once upon a time across the pond from him. Uneasy about imposing somehow he'd tried to barter with her - stop in at one of those lovely but pricey edifices maybe - but she wouldn't have it. So it was the chauffeur and the car and the staying round with Bef and...a date.

That was new.

For all he could seem a sociable sort - more than seem it when the tides were with him - Ron wasn't the type to date around much. Back in London he'd been too much of a known quantity, too much fodder for gossip rags for his intrinsically private nature to stand the attention it'd bring, and here, now, in pastures new...He'd just not found the mojo for it really. After so long ignoring the market, focusing on work, building up his business, keeping a weather eye out for a companion hadn't been a priority. He noticed when the furniture was nice, of course. Man wasn't blind. But beyond that lick'a notice and an occasionally spicy inside life, there'd not been much of anything for time now.

Ron didn't like the word nerves to describe what lit through him as the car pulled up outside Filomena's warm lights and awnings; much as that's what he might feel. Excitement he'd grant. A wisp of trepidation perhaps given Beth's obvious investment and his ever present, quietly bubbling paranoia at the thought of making some kind of unholy bad impression on someone who mattered to her. The same again at the notion of having to navigate food round this person - much as Beth had provided the menu for him a week in advance, her commentary pencilled on it, in anticipation of this trouble. But not nerves. Those in Ron's world - or what had been Ron's world before New York and the new life it was letting him live - were fight or flight coded. They came on in danger's presence, and he knew as fact that he wasn't in anything like that now.

The fresh, cool evening he stepped into out the idling car made Ron grateful for the thick over jacket he'd decided on wearing. Black, collared and long enough to reach down to his mid-thigh, it was worn unbuttoned and gave way, between its encompassing folds, to an olive green three piece ensemble over a crisp white shirt and accent tie. Dinner-smart, Beth had told him as a sartorial nudge. Ron hoped, with his shined brown Oxfords, the veritable absence of his usual rings bar a band on his left hand's smallest finger, the ghost of Old Spice aftershave dabbed under his jaw and his preferred submariner on his right wrist, that he made the grade.

Warm air, candlelight, and delicious aromas welcomed him beyond Filomena's doors as readily as the front of house staff. It was to them his over jacket was relinquished with thanks, and towards Beth and the new face she had settled by her that he turned a beaming smile and a polite wave while the staff fussed obligingly, then gestured him through. The warmth in Ron's smile reflected one for one in his voice as he approached the table.

"I f'ort-" he mused on a chuckle's tail, "-they was gonna 'old us f'ransom up there!" Beth's knuckles were brushed with a kiss's implication. "Lovely t'see yah, darlin'-" Ron greeted, turning then, as he straightened, to her companion. Dark eyes took him in a moment, appreciation and curioisity in them in equal measure. Then, Ron offered him his hand. "And t'meet you as well. Got it on good aufority tha' you're Tony." A fond inclination of the head indicated their mutual lady-friend. "Same aufority told you I'm Ron, aye?"

It's been two weeks since he agreed to Beth setting him up on a date and Tony has done everything he can not to think too hard about it. Work helps, though cases have been quiet so even that hasn't kept him busy. Shopping with Beth has helped too. Retail therapy goes a long way to making Tony feel better. Still, every time he has a quiet moment, he thinks about the date, the fact that he hasn't been on a date at all in years. It's nerves, he knows that, but that doesn't stop him.

He showers quickly, cleaning thoroughly before getting out and wrapping himself in a fluffy towel. Though his showers are basic, he believes in the luxury of comfort, and his towels are definitely comfortable. Shaving involves looking in the mirror, something that Tony usually avoids, but he manages to do it, making sure his face is baby smooth. He can't stand his own facial hair most of the time. He styles his hair, not as carefree as if he was going to a bar by himself, but not as put together as he wears it for court. It looks fluffy in the mirror, charming, and he quirks a smile at his reflection. He looks good, even to himself.

His closet is orderly, something Tony knows would surprise everyone he works with, but everything has its place. He goes straight to his suits, running his fingers over each one before he finally pulls out the Tom Ford organza silk poplin jacket that he and Beth bought, setting it next to his mirror. Matching pants are pulled from the rack below, a belt laid out on top of them. He grabs the peach Tom Ford shirt that he got to match the suit, bypassing the row of ties. He isn't working, he doesn't need a tie.

Dressing takes no time and soon Tony is standing in front of the mirror, buttoning his cuffs. He looks good, not like Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo at all, but like Tony, the rich man he's slowly embracing being. Definitely suited for Beth's company, and this date.

He slips on his watch, a custom made piece he bought himself for his birthday, and grabs his wallet and knife, placing both in his pocket. Putting his shoes on, he sets his alarm and leaves his apartment, locking the door behind him.

The drive to Filomena's isn't as long as he would like and soon he's parking his car across the street and making his way into the restaurant. Nerves fill him but he breathes through them, stepping in the door.

He sees Beth in the quiet restaurant and makes his way to her table, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek before slipping into one of the other seats. He tries not to fidget, glancing out the window with Beth, waiting for this date.

"You went all out," his voice is soft. "You really want this to go well."

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 314: ...Or You Live Long Enough to See Yourself Become the Villain

Previously on BnHA: Some random assholes were all “let’s throw exploding spears at All Might and see if it activates his Conqueror’s Haki” and SURPRISE, MOTHERFUCKERS, IT DID!! Elsewhere, Lady Nagant confusingly tried to capture Deku alive by shooting him in the stomach, but to be fair I guess that’s what happens when you send an assassin to do a bounty hunter’s job, so yeah. Deku was all “ouch”, and then because this is a shounen he basically just straight up forgot about it, and did a big fancy Smokescreen thing, and then activated his mildly incomprehensible new ki-blasting quirk which he got from the Third. En and the Third were all “hey Deku maybe let’s not just impulsively activate all this shit in the heat of battle when you don’t know how to use it yet and you’re already injured,” and Deku was all “thanks for the quirks guys but I’ll take it from here” and snuck up on Nagant and grabbed her arm and so now what’s going to happen I wonder.

Today on BnHA: Nagant is all “[shoots Deku again]” because of course she is lol. Deku is all “tell me about AFO!” and Nagant is all “why would I tell you anything?” and then proceeds to tell him her entire life story which is FILLED WITH SO MUCH MURDER, YOU GUYS. Holy shit. So basically she was an assassin for the HPSC, which we already knew, but somehow it’s one thing to know that, and another to actually see her running around capping dudes in the forehead and being covered in more blood than the elevator from The Shining. Anyway, so you’ll never believe it, but all that murder had a negative impact on her psychologically, and eventually led her to question everything she believed about hero society, and so she killed her creepy boss and was promptly sent to Tartarus. This extremely fun chapter ends with Overhaul showing up all “HI, HELLO, I’M STILL HERE”, because for some reason he is still here. Why are you still here, Overhaul.

“the beautiful Lady Nagant” oh you know your audience don’t you Horikoshi

well all right then! so I’m guessing this means that she is not, in fact, going to roll over and die just because Deku’s out here all “GOT YA!” like they’re playing a game or tag or something. ffff may the manga gods have mercy on our young suicidal protagonist

lmao so Deku is all “GOD I’M SO SMART, WHAT A GOOD STRATEGY I HAD, CAPITOL JOB THERE OL’ CHAP, CAPITOL” and lol, okay. I mean, it was a good plan though. but I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop here

“I’ll make you give me information on All for One” well there you go, lol. Deku Angst arc still fully engaged. still no light in his eyes either of course. just a lil chaotic ball of sleep deprivation and rage

lol, fucking THANK YOU though

oh my god what the hell did she do to him lol

did she shoot him with her elbow??? fucking look at this?? THIS IS WHY WE LISTEN TO HAWKS oh my god Deku are you dead

WHAT’S HAPPENING, IS THIS GOOD OR BAD, WHO’S WINNING

things that I wish I could tell from this panel which I unfortunately cannot tell

did she stab him or shoot him?? can you imagine if it was the former lol. why does Horikoshi keep stabbing all my kids. look Kacchan now the two of you can match

did she actually hit him or did he get away??

or did she hit him and then he jumped away?? just, what

well anyway, so now Deku is asking her why she sided with AFO, but he seems a lot more pissed off than when he was interrogating Muscular, though. probably because she shot him three times. fair enough

oh my god

does Lady have a blog here on tumblr dot com?? -- does Horikoshi have a blog here on tumblr motherfucking dot com?? why do I suddenly feel like this man is out here sneakily reading up on all our discourse

oh my god Deku it’s almost like getting up close and personal with someone who can shoot custom bullets from any distance and any position with deadly accuracy was a terrible fucking idea

IF ONLY SOMEONE HAD WARNED YOU NOT TO ENGAGE WITH HER AT ALL COSTS. IF ONLY SOMEONE HAD HAD THE FORESIGHT TO DO THAT sob. can you imagine how much shorter this series would be if characters actually listened to Hawks. Hawks, and Momo. why do we even let anyone else run the show ever

OH MY GOD

DEKU, RUN

OH MY GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING

this looks a lot like what happens to me whenever I play One’s Justice. those fucking combo attacks that you can’t fucking escape from and so your character just has to stand there getting their ass whalloped repeatedly while you wonder why you paid $40 for this

but anyways though. so Lady who did you kill?? I bet they deserved it, don’t worry I forgive you

(ETA: ANYWAY SO FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT LADY NAGANT DID NOTHING WRONG EVER IN HER ENTIRE LIFE. aside from murdering all those innocent people and shit. but there were CIRCUMSTANCES, and THEY WERE EXTENUATING, OKAY.)

-- holy shit

looks like the HPSC arc is back on the menu boys

so are we about to learn that the HPSC was going full Hydra on people’s asses? secretly dispatching anyone they deemed a threat to society?? “taken care of” as in you fucking shot them??

so then was the “hero” she killed actually one of the guys who was giving or carrying out these orders?? holy shit Lady, up until now I’ve mainly just been stanning you for your flawless eyebrow game and metal af quirk, but this shit could actually get real very quickly, and I am prepared to genuinely and sincerely love the shit out of you depending on what we learn next about your backstory

oh my god?!?

so wait, hold up. am I reading this right?? basically the HPSC started murdering vigilantes because they were worried they were gaining too much of the public’s favor?? holy fucking shit???

oh my GOD oh my god

“it’s been a while since I scarred you all with the dead dog and the graphic slaughter of an entire innocent family, huh,” Horikoshi says thoughtfully. “anyway so what do you all think of my new creation, the Spaghetti Bullet.” well, Horikoshi, so you know that squished-up face that Kermit the Frog makes sometimes? yeah. that’s what I think, if you must know lol

holy hell the juxtaposition

I’m actually kind of surprised to learn she had a lot of fans? what with her M.O., I was expecting her to have been an underground hero like Aizawa, but apparently not? then again I still have absolutely no idea how any of that works. I really need to read Vigilantes already

oh snap

nothing like a sweet dose of assassin trauma to finally round out our BnHA Trauma Bingo!! well done guys, we finally collected all of the traumas! hooray!

noooo Ladyyyyyyy

holy shit what a fucking chapter. like, this man promised us an assassin, and went and fucking delivered. I was not expecting it to be this dark, lol, but holy shit I am here for it

you know, at some point you have to start questioning the logistics of this, though

I mean, how do I put this... her quirk isn’t exactly subtle. that murder scene from a few pages back looked like the first season of Dexter for fuck’s sake, that’s not exactly “disappearing” people now is it?? and I mean, her bullets are literally made from her own fucking hair; it seems like it would be impossible not to leave any evidence behind. did no one start to wonder who the fuck was going around murdering all these people? or did the people who asked too many questions wind up getting conveniently “disappeared” themselves??

and hey, speaking of asking too many questions

holy shit is he blackmailing her??!? or no, wait -- what the hell is he reaching for in his pocket boy you better not

(ETA: what exactly was this man expecting fdslkjd. “uh oh my unstoppable hair trigger assassin who is literally always armed is asking questions, better announce that I am going to shoot her and then reach into my pocket veeeeeery slowly while she stands there all of two feet away.” how did this guy ever function as the head of a shadow government with these decision-making skills, I’m genuinely baffled.)

OH MY GOD LADY YES

this. right here. is why “run the fuck away” was damn good solid fucking advice. oh shit. but my god did this dude have it coming

so wait lol has she just been narrating all of this out loud to Deku this entire time

okay but can we just stop for a moment and appreciate the fact that they’re having this deep conversation about the dark secrets of hero society right in the middle of their intense mid-air sniper free-for-all lol

holy shit you guys, Nagant’s the one that should have made the tell-all video. I mean, no offense to you, Dabi, I’m sure you worked very hard on your video and did a ton of crunches every day so that you would look good with your shirt off while you told the world all about how your dad was a jerk. but seriously...

this is already like 100x more convincing than what he put out. also, gasp, is it another flashback

yes it is oh my gosh

so the HPSC Chairladyperson whom ReDestro killed used to be this guy’s direct subordinate, huh? I wonder if she kept the whole assassin program going after she took over. can’t say I was feeling any particular kind of grieving way about her death before, but certainly not now lol

but unfortunately Nagant has finally lost me at the same place where all of the villains inevitably do, which is to say when they somehow make the dubious mental leap from “society sucks and is bad” to “let’s just be openly fucking evil lol, worth a shot.” because when heroes murder innocent people and cover it up, that’s obviously bad (and I mean, it absolutely fucking is lol, don’t get me wrong); but when villains murder innocent people straight up out in the open without giving a fuck, they’re righteous revolutionaries? just -- is there really no non-murdery middle ground here?? I guess that’s what Deku and co. are for, hopefully

anyways oh shit Deku seems to have spotted something?? and he’s doing something weird with Blackwhip what

oh, he spotted her, I guess

lmaooooo

new favorite Deku panel right here. a masterpiece

oh my god you guys our little boy is starting to grow up before our eyes

you love to see it. and you can tell with those elipses that he’s gearing up to say something really cool and determined and badass like the shounen protag he is, yes please, Deku ilu so much please do your thing

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

IS THAT A TEENY TINY LIL EYE SPARKLE THERE OMG. still not anywhere close to his usual standard, but that’s some clear resolve there in his eyes there at long last! it always shines the most clearly when he’s being true to himself and his ideals, so I love that it finally shows up again here, when he’s reaffirming his resolve to help others no matter what

uh oh so what’s Lady going to do now

is it time for a trump card?? kinda sounding like it’s time for a trump card

???

I lied btw, this is my new favorite Deku panel. but anyways what is she up to now lol

ohhhhhh, lol

why does she seem shocked, lol. here I thought this was part of her plan, but apparently she forgot all about ol’ “Look Ma, No Hands” back up there

and so I guess that’s it for this week! so we’ve learned basically everything now about Lady and her quirk and her history with the HPSC and why she agreed to work for AFO. pretty much the only question that still remains is why the hell she decided to drag this asshole along for the ride! because I still cannot figure that out dsklkjlkf

(ETA: actually now I’m kind of wondering if they maybe have some past connection we don’t know about yet. when exactly was Nagant sent to Tartarus? is it possible she was ordered to track down and kill Overhaul at some point before that, but never got around to it? or something else along those lines? idk but now I’m curious.)

anyways Deku, I know that your empathy has no bounds and that you’re on a “saving villains” kick right now, and good on you... but also, if you decide to just like, skip all of that shit just this once, absolutely no one will hold it against you, I’m just saying. just, all I’m asking here is maybe let’s think twice before we start trying to reform guys who imprison and torture little girls for profit. I think maybe that’s a good place to draw the line. next week is going to be a very interesting chapter lol

[featherymalignancy]

How About a Hug, Hm? REMIX

So a few days ago I got this ask about my Elriel one-shot “How About A Hug?” because I messed up the formatting and I you basically have to to read it as a reblog. I also was really unsatisfied with the end result.

So, I did the most Feathery™️ thing every and REWROTE THE WHOLE GODDAMN THING.

Please enjoy, and know that I will go back and tag people/clean up formatting tomorrow. Right now I just need to post and 😴

——————————————————

Elain Archeron was running late.

Granted, it was only by seven minutes, which—in many social circles—was still considered well within the accepted boundaries of punctuality.

The problem was that a) being late made Elain anxious, and b) there was absolutely nothing polite about Nesta Archeron when she was made to wait, even by her own kin.

Yet another reason it had been critical that Elain arrive on time: Nesta was already likely to be somewhat hacked off when she saw what Elain was wearing tonight, and Elain had hoped to avoid any further dramatics on her elder sister’s part.

She spent half the cab ride downtown trying to convince herself that it was fine that she’d borrowed something out of Nesta’s closet (even if it had been without permission) and that she hadn’t had a choice; she simply didn’t own anything appropriate for dinner at a four-star restaurant. However, by the time the cab slithered under Trump Tower’s unsavory shadow and into Hell’s Kitchen, she’d given up pretending.

The truth was she had half a dozen cocktail dresses that would have been perfectly suitable for dinner in the West Village, even if the place they were going was one of the nicest sushi restaurants in the city. No, Elain had raided Nesta’s closet for a far more embarrassing reason: she’d been in search of a dress she hoped might finally win her Azriel’s attention.

She wasn’t proud of the absurd crush she had on the guy, but it really couldn’t be helped. He was gorgeous, and smart, and darkly funny when he wanted to be, and she’d been secretly mooning over him since they’d met through Feyre’s fiancée three years ago. God, what she wouldn’t give to have him return even a fraction of her feelings.

Apparently not her dignity, Elain thought with a glance down at her neckline.

The worst part was that Azriel seemed oblivious to her interest in him. He was always polite to her, always made a point to talk to her when he caught her hiding out on the balcony during one of Feyre and Rhys’s crazy parties or sit next to her at their big family dinners, but he’d never once given her any indication that he was in any way that he reciprocated her feelings, which should have been reason enough for Elain to pack it in and stop harassing him.

And that was to say nothing of Mor.

Mor was the friend who’d first introduced Feyre and Rhys, and from what Elain could gather, she and Azriel had a long and complicated history. It didn’t seem to matter that Mor had been dating the same girl for over a year now. When she was in the room, Az’s eyes were always on her. Not that Elain blamed him—Mor was gorgeous in a way girls like her could only dream of being. Still, there was no denying the sting of watching the guy you were interested in pine over someone else.

Given all this, Elain wasn’t really sure why she’d gone to such lengths to dress up for this dinner. Mor would surely be there wearing something incredible and couture, thereby rendering everyone else invisible to Azriel. Still, Elain was a hopeless optimist, and she’d stubbornly sold herself on the idea that if she found the perfect dress, she could finally convince Azriel that she was a woman worthy of affection, rather than Nesta’s bookish, boring little sister.

She had to admit, there was nothing bookish about her tonight. The dress was tighter on her that it was her waifish sister, and dear god it deserved a Medal of Honor for the way it managed to keep her boobs looking so perky even without a bra. She didn’t suppose Nesta would be too happy about that bit, either, so she could only hope her sister was in a good mood by the time Elain arrived.

Just then Elain’s phone buzzed, and she looked down at it and groaned. It was from Nesta.

Where the 🤬 are you?

Running late, Elain quickly typed back. Is everyone waiting?

She watched the gray ellipsis pulse at Nesta responded.

Feyre and Rhys aren’t even fucking here yet. But hurry up, Cash is already driving me insane.

Elain rolled her eyes. She wasn’t sure who Nesta thought she was fooling when she and Elain shared a bedroom wall. Nesta and Cassian, Rhys’s other best friend, ended up banging almost every time they saw each other, which—since Rhys and Feyre had gotten engaged four months ago—was fairly frequently. In fact, Cash was at their apartment making Nesta scream so often that Elain had been forced to invest in earplugs and a sound machine. From Elain’s perspective, it seemed rather pointless of Nesta to pretend she wasn’t completely hot of a guy she called “Daddy” in bed.

Elain shuddered at the thought, hoping that Nesta would end up going to Cash and Az’s loft in Williamsburg tonight instead. Though, she realized glumly, they only ever seemed to go there when Azriel was out, and the only person who seemed able to keep Azriel out later than Cash was Mor. That meant Elain’s options were either to pop an Ambien and hope for the best, or stay out and watch Az make moon eyes at Mor all night. Neither one was particularly appearing.

Elain ignored Nesta’s text as the car pulled up outside the restaurant and she wiggled out, smoothing the back of her tight dress before giving her curls what she hoped was an artful tousle before slipping inside.

Elain’s heart felt into her stomach as she took in the elegant but understated interior of the famed Sushi Nakazawa. Given the prices, she’d assumed the place would be all black granite and swanky chandeliers—the kind of place cleavage like hers wouldn’t seem out of place. Instead the place was elegantly spare and distressingly well-lit. God, she was such a prize idiot.

Unfortunately, she was also out of time, because a quick survey of the interior found that her group was already gathered at the bar, Mor, Feyre, and Rhys having showed up in the interim between Nesta’s text and Elain’s arrival.

Elain’s eyes went to Mor first, who stunned in a cardinal red lace and net sheath. It clung to her frame like it had been made for her, and despite a latent jealous she couldn’t quite contain, she was relieved to find that she at least wouldn’t look overdressed.

Elain’s stomach only wended in a tighter knot when Mor’s eyes fell on her and lit up, a reminder that not only was Mor prettier, she was also an infinitely better person than Elain.

“There she is!” Mor beamed, coming forward and hugging Elain. “I love that dress, Ellie!”

Elain braced herself for Nesta’s inevitably remark, but it was actually Cash who reacted first.

He’d opened his mouth to comment seemingly before he’d actually looked at Elain, because the second he realized what exactly she was wearing, his eyes they snapped the ceiling, as if looking at her chest directly might turn him to stone.

“Whoa, El, all dressed up tonight!”

Nesta, wholly unmoved by his attempted chivalry, elbowed him in the ribs.

“Don’t be vulgar Cassian!” She snarled before narrowing her eyes. “And that’s mine!”

Cash smirked, seeming more at ease now that Nesta was his target.

“I knew I’d seen that bef—ow! Goddamnit woman, what was that for?”

He scowled down at the dangerous stiletto Nesta had just jammed into his toe box.

“Sorry,” she cast over her shoulder, not deigning to look at him. “Did I accidentally step on your foot?”

“I’m an adult,” Elain interjected, cheeks burning as she faced her sister down. “Stop acting like I’ve fourteen and stuffing my bra.”

“They’re just boobs, Nes,” Rhys added, arm slung over Feyre’s shoulder. “Relax.”

“Watch it,” Nesta warned him, but Feyre only laughed.

“I agree!” She said, turning to smile at Elain. “And I think they look amazing.”

“If I’d have known they were going to be such a topic of conversation,” Elain mumbled, grateful Azriel wasn’t here to witness this circus. “I would have worn something else.”

“No, I’m with Feyre,” Mor said, wicked grin forming. “Breasts that nice deserve to be shown off.”

Elain wasn’t so humble that she didn’t feel herself preening a bit at that comment, even if she was still flustered by the prolonged attention. Either way, she was grateful when Cash interrupted with a somewhat sheepish laugh.

“Teenage me would be furious if he heard me say this, but can we please stop talking about boobs?”

“Elain’s boobs or just any boobs?” Feyre said with a smirk.

However, before Elain could admonish her for it, Feyre was crushing her into a hug.

“Hey you,” she said, wrapping her arms and Elain’s neck and whispering in her ear, “let me and Rhys know if you wanna stay at our place tonight; Cash already grabbed Nesta’s ass twice when she thought we weren’t looking.”

Feyre indicated the mirror behind the bar with her eyes as they pulled away, and sure enough, Elain watched Cash’s hand as it drew lazy, dangerous circles just above the swell of Nesta’s well-formed behind.

Elain groaned, hugging Rhys now as well. God , her sister was such a hypocrite sometimes.

Ignoring a lingering twinge of annoyance, Elain forced herself to glance in false realization before casually asking, “So where’s the Birthday Boy?”

“He was on his phone out back,” Rhys said, before raising a hand in greeting to someone over Elain’s shoulder. “There he is.”

Elain tried not to look to eager as she turned and drank in all six feet four inches of perfection that was Azriel Macar. He was dressed all in black, from his prada boots to the soft, expensive t-shirt fitted enough to show off his toned physique. Elain honestly had to fight not to swoon as he ran an effortless hand through his glossy sable hair, the longer pomaded pieces on top stand up for a second before falling into an artful tousle.

“Hey Ellie,” he said, gaze on her and gone so quickly that he never even had time to notice her much-discussed cleavage. Instead, his eyes flicked to Mor and held for a long, meaningful beat before he turned back to Elain and added politely, “Thanks for coming.”

“Sure,” she chirped, trying to ignore the fact that he was coming closer, and that in another second she’d be able to smell that divine Givenchy cologne he always wore. “Of course!“

She bent her head, pretending to be fixing the clasp on her bracelet as his scent hit her and she had to bite back a groan. Sweet Jesus, he smelled good. When she looked up again, everyone else was shuffling to their table and Azriel was lingering, a soft smile threatening to the reveal the absolutely devastating dimples in both his cheeks.

“Do I get a hug?” He asked. “It is my birthday after all.”

He extended his arms, and she gave a nervous laugh, accepting the gesture by stringing her arms around his neck.

“Of course,” she repeated stupidly, trying to ignore the way the muscles in his arms flexed as he embraced her. “Happy Birthday.”

At this he squeezed her a little tighter and she fought off genuine giddiness.

It was a friendly gesture, she warned herself, and it ended the minute Mor called, “Az, come sit by me.”

Elain cleared her throat as he pulled away, turning to where Mor was still beckoning. However, before Elain could get too flustered, he turned back to her.

“Shall we?” he said, indicating Elain go ahead of him. To her delight, they reached the table to find that the only two seats left were next to each other. She tried not to give her eagerness too much leash as he pulled out her chair for her before sinking into the one between she and Mor. Mor leaned over to give him a soft peck on the cheek, and he flushed.

“Where’s Emmy tonight?” Feyre asked as Mor tried to wipe the lipstick from Az’s copper skin and he battered her away, like child trying to fend off an over-bearing mother.

“She’s sick, poor little thing,” Mor said, giving a tiny pout. “She hasn’t been able to get out of bed in days.”

Elain didn’t bother to her disappointment. Emerie had been one of Nesta’s best since they’d met in college almost ten years ago, and she not only was she like family to the Archerons, she also happened to be the only person in the group who knew about Elain’s crush. Elain had sworn her to secrecy at the time, and though it would have been reasonable to assume that once Emmy knew, Mor would know, Elain appreciated that she could trust Emerie to keep her secret.

Elain felt Emerie’s absence keenly and Nesta and Cash began bantering back and forth at lightning speed. Emerie was a master at slowing the tempo of Nesta’s quick wit, making it easier for Elain in particular to feel she could keep up.

More selfishly, Elain also missed Emerie’s ability to keep Mor distracted. When Emmy was around, she was all Mor could focus on. However, in her absence Mor’s attention had reverted almost completely to Az, a fact he didn’t seemed to mind a single bit, if his growing smiles were any indication.

Still, he seemed to be going out of his way to make sure Elain didn’t get lost in the chaos of conversation surging around them, even if he never looked at her for more than a moment or two before his eyes flicked back to Mor, studying her dark brown eyes and crimson lips.

After they placed their drink orders and the waiter came over to begin explaining the omakase menu, Elain wondered if she had time to dodge under the table to throw on some lipstick of her own. Assuring herself everyone was suitably distracted she bent down, hastily uncapping the tube before looking up just in time to see Nesta brush a very deliberate hand between Cassian’s splayed quads.

Elain jerked back, banging her head on the table.

“Fuck!” she swore quietly, straightening and rubbing her head.

Nesta shot her an alarmed look across the table and Elain flushed.

“All you alright?” Azriel asked, and she tried not to bleat in excited panic as his fingers brushed the back of her head. “What happened?”

“I—dropped something,” she fumbled, cursing her sister for being such a salacious wench.

Wasn’t it enough that she and Cash were already going to keep her up all night? Did she really have to make Elain look silly in front of Azriel, too?

“Does it hurt?” Azriel said, still studying her head before letting his eyes go to the server. “Do you need ice?”

“No, no,” Elain said hurriedly, trying to regain her composure. “I’m fine.”

“Did you at least find whatever you were looking for?” Mor asked, and Elain’s flush deepened.

“And then some,” she grumbled to herself, and Cassian gave a quiet but unmistakable laugh before letting out a surprised exhale. Elain had a fairly good idea what Nesta was squeezing to shut him up.

“Should we order, then?” Mor asked, hand falling onto Azriel’s arm. “Any particular requests, Birthday Boy?”

“He’s thirty now,” Rhys pointed out. “I think that makes him a Birthday Man .”

“Birthday Old Man,” Cassian amended. “Don’t worry champ, I’ve already put some viagra in your bathroom.”

“You’re not supposed to share your prescriptions, Cash,” Azriel said with mirth, eyes sparkling even as his face remained neutral. “And besides, I would feel dead back if you needed one tonight and couldn’t find them.”

“Checkmate,” Mor purred as Cash flipped her off.

Beside Azriel, Elain was fighting not to blush again. Cash’s comment, however sophomoric and lewd, had her imagining what Azriel was like in bed. She wondered for a moment if Mor knew before dismissing the thought and the twinge it induced.

“Let’s put this poor souls out of his misery and order,” Feyre said, smiling at the server where he still waited patiently. “Maybe if Cash’s mouth is full, he’ll stop talking.”

Cassian grinned, and, after placing their requests for the chef’s tasting menu, they all settled into an easy conversation. Cash and Rhys regaled them with stories of Azriel at various ages, from the gawky child he’d been when they’d first met him to the shy teenager who’d been terrified of girls.

“Let him be,” Mor said, touching her friend’s shoulder. “He was sweet in high school!”

Rhys laughed.

“It took him a year to pluck up the courage to say three words to you,” he pointed out.

“And they were ‘here’s a pen’ in response to you asking him the time. Nice work, Shakespeare,” Cash said, attempting to muss Azriel’s perfectly styled hair before being batted away.

“I can’t imagine Az ever being awkward,” Elain blurted. “I bet girls thought he was mysterious and cool.“

“See?” Azriel said, gesturing to Elain. “This is why I sat over here.”

“Oh please ,” Rhys said, bubbling his lips. “Ellie’s just being polite. If you two had known each other in high school, we all know how to would’ve gone: you’d have had an obscene crush on her and your dreams of true love would have been dashed after she politely signed your yearbook ‘have a good summer, Adrian’, leaving you heartbroken and alone.”

Azriel gave Elain a soft smile, and her heart burst open as thousands of butterflies flitted out of it.

“I hate to say it, but he’s probably right,” he told her. “I assume high school Elain was very popular.”

“She was,” Feyre said. “Eight different guys asked her to prom.”

“I’m not surprised,” Az said, and Elain made a great show out of drinking out of her masu to avoid having to answer.

She was relieved when the food began arriving to distract everyone, if only to save her the temptation of telling Azriel that there was no universe in which she wouldn’t have been into him, high schoolers or no.

Instead discussion turned to the Feyre and Rhys’s wedding as they ate, and as final plates were being cleared, Cash took the opportunity to once again mocked Azriel for the fact the latter had lost the rock-paper-scissors competition to be Rhys’s best man.

“I lost on purpose,” he told Elain quietly, taking a sip of the Yamasaki Single Malt he’d ordered after dinner.

“Why?” she laughed, following his gaze across the table to where Cash and Nesta were now bickering about whether Rhys’s stag night in Vegas would be better than Feyre’s hen do in Napa.

“Because Rhys told me that you’d convinced Feyre to pick Nesta as her maid of honor, and no offense, but your sister terrifies me. I’d much rather be with you.”

She laughed, biting her lip. It felt so terribly like they were flirting, but she couldn’t decide if it was her imagination or not.

“She terrifies everyone,” Elain said. “And I have a feeling this won’t our last trip down the aisle together.”

Azriel only quirked a bemused brow at this, which had Elain flushing scarlet.

“Not like that! She laughed, fumbling to pretend the idea of them being together was absurd rather than her heart’s desire. "I meant for Cash and Nesta’s wedding. Don’t tell me those two aren’t going to end up together.”

“We’ll have to work out a custody agreement when they finally get over themselves and start dating properly,” he agreed. “I’m spending a fortune on earplugs.”

She laughed, and he seemed warmed by the gesture, because he flashed a modest—albeit dimpled—smile being turning back to the larger conversation.

After dinner they’d gone a cocktail bar, then an Irish pub, and finally—much to Azriel’s chagrin—a karaoke bar. Rhys and Cash spend the majority of the evening trying to wrestle Azriel on stage while Mor and Feyre sang duets to Beyoncé and Spice Girls.

Elain was content enough to sit back and simply observe the scene as it unfolded around her. It was hard to contain her giddy, dreadful anticipation when Mor left around one to check on Emerie and Azriel—besides bidding her farewell with a soft kiss on the cheek—didn’t move a muscle.

Less than an hour later, Cash and Nesta both disappeared about an hour after without so much as a goodbye. Elain groaned, hoping they’d be asleep by the time she got home.

She’d have to rally if she wanted to manage it; they would be at it for hours yet.

By three the place was clearing out, and besides them, only a few tables of marathon drinkers and a girl on stage performing a beautiful rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” remained.

“We’re gonna go,” Rhys said, arm slung around a rather drunk, giggling Feyre. “Ellie, do you want to come with us?”

Elain glanced at Azriel, who’s glass still had two fingers of whiskey in it. If she wanted a chance to be alone with him, this was it.

“I think I’ve got one more in me,” she said, smiling.

“If you mean drink, I’m in,” Azriel said.

“Oh c’mon, brother,” Rhys goaded. “Just one song. I wouldn’t even film it….much.”

“Do Beyoncé!” Feyre chimed in, and Azriel shook his head.

“You know I’d play in traffic before I ever sang karaoke,” Azriel said mildly, making Feyre laugh. "Thanks for coming.”

He rose, embracing Rhys and pressing a kiss on Feyre’s head.

“C’mon, my little drunkard,” Rhys told her. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Let’s have sex when we get home,” Feyre said, her attempted whisper fully audible. Rhys pretended smack his forehead with his palm and a mimed, “ Oh brother ”, to Azriel and Elain before coax a still-singing Feyre outside.

Azriel chuckled before draining the last of his drink and rising. Elain pretended not to notice the way his well-tailored jeans fit his lean legs and…other parts of his anatomy as he adjusted his belt buckle and glanced down at her.

“Bud Light?” he asked, and she nodded, bobbing to her feet as well.

If she wanted a way to get closer to him that was more elegant than her increasing urge to crawl across the table and into his lap, this was certainly it.

“I’ll come with you.”

He flashed her a modest smile before indicating she lead the way. He ordered and waved off Elain’s attempt to pay before leaning on the bar to avoid towering over her. The gesture brought them nearly eye-to-eye, and Elain had to actively fight not to let hers roll back in pleasure at the bergamot and amyris wood notes in his sinful cologne. Up close Elain could see how much green he had in his hazel irises, and she wanted to tip into them and swim until she drowned.

“Did you have fun?” she said, desperate to get the conversation flowing again, and he smiled, making her stomach flop.

“I did, yeah,” he said, glancing around the bar in bemusement, as if still wondering how he’d ended up there. “Thank you for coming.”

Elain shrugged, grinning.

“You say that like you didn’t think I’d show,” she said, resting a cheek in her hand. She knew by now her expression was not her less than a swoon, though she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Hadn’t been this been her plan all along? Finally get Az’s attention long enough to tell him how she felt? Now was the best chance she’d probably ever get.

“No, I figured would,” Az said, interrupting her reverie. “Or hoped you would, whatever.”

Was that—

Did that mean what she thought it did?

Normally she would have chalked it up to wishful thinking, but the way he rubbed the back of his neck, dimples appearing as he huffed what almost sound like a sheepish laugh, had hope igniting in her chest.

“What does that mean?” she pressed, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

For the first time all night, he didn’t look away. Instead, his eyes skated back and forth across her face, as if she were a riddle he only had seconds to memorize. She watched, transfixed, as he wet his plush lower lip with his tongue before biting it almost self-consciously.

“It means I’m glad you came,” he admitted. “And that you didn’t go home with your sister and Rhys.”

It wasn’t the confirmation she’d been hoping for, and the ambiguity of the statement had her conviction waning. That could just as easily have been mean platonically, and if she pushed him and ruined things between them by making it awkward—

“Of course I’d be here for your birthday,” she said, giving his shoulder a playful shove. “That’s what friends are for.”

She couldn’t help the way her voice got stuck on the word, not when her throat suddenly began to clog with tears.

She had to get out of here, right now. Before she started crying and made things worse. She made to retract her hand but Azriel grabbed it, grip gentle but intent.

“El, don’t go,” he said, and she was surprised at the frank discontent in his normally-impassive expression.

She waited for him to explain himself before instead he let out another strained laugh, grip on her wrist easing. However, he didn’t let go entirely, choosing to intertwine their fingers instead.

Holding hands.

She and Az were holding hands.

And he—

She glanced back up to find he was studying her again, his face a mixture of terror and delight. When she gave his hand a soft squeeze, he let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Jesus, I am bad at this,” he said, reaching up to tuck a curl behind her ear. She wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it, but she thought his gaze flicked down to her lips as he continued to study her with heavy-lidded eyes.

“Bad at what?” She asked, though she’d begun to suspect she knew exactly what, even if it seemed too good to be true.

“At least my timeline is improving,” he breathed instead. “And I haven’t offered you a pen you didn’t ask for yet.”

Hoping she wasn’t misreading the situation, she let her finger trail down to trace the circular buckle of his Gucci before glancing back up at him and purring, “Do you have a pen?”

He smirked before raising his right wrist and glancing at his watch face over her shoulder.

“It’s….3:17 am,” he said, smile spreading as she gave a low sound of approval and flicked her gaze to his lips.

“Smooth,” she said, and tried not to lose her mind as he let his raised hand fall to the back of her neck and bent to kiss her.

He had almost girlishly full lips, and they opened for her as they settled into the kiss. Immediately his hand tangled in her hair so he could alter her head position slightly and get a proper taste of her. She groaned into his mouth he pulled at her lower lip with his teeth. He tasted like oranges and the expensive Japanese whiskey he’d been drinking all night, and pleasure tightened in her low belly as his tongue brushed hers. Her brought his free hand up to cradle her face, and in response she pushed closer to run her hands underneath of his shirt and down the silken skin of his back.

“Fuck,” he breathed with a heated half-laugh, nose brushing her cheek as he bowed into her touch. “You’re killing me, woman.”

She only smirked, feeling more confident now that she had before. She could hardly believe this was happening, but she was too excited about it to fully care.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said, and he bit his lip, as if restraining himself from kissing her again.

“Like to another bar?” he asked, dazed as he continued to stare at her lips.

“Like to my bed,” she said boldly. “Or yours, depending on where Cassian and Nesta ended up.”

He didn’t speak immediately, just studied her, and she panicked.

“I mean, only if you—I’m sorry, should I not have—?“

He only kissed her again in response, more gently this time.

“Please stop apologizing,” he said, kissing her jaw now before seeming to realize something and pulling back, brows synced.

“I—Jesus, do you seriously not know?”

She felt a bit sheepish at his incredulous tone and fought not to stiffen.

“Know what?”

He laughed softly, though their was a edge of self-deprecation in it that kept the gesture from seeming conscending.

“I really am the worst at this.”

“At what?”

“El, I’ll crazy about you. I have been crazy about you since we met.”

“You have?” she blurted, horror fading into genuine—if elated—confusion.

He laughed.

“Did you think it was coincidence that you and I are always sitting next to each other at dinner? That I always find you at Rhys’s dumb parties?”

“I—“ she began, still trying to decide if this was a dream or not. “What about Mor, though?”

“Mor?” he repeated, confused now, too. “What about her?”

“I thought you and she—“

He leaned in to brush his nose against hers, and she blushed at the innocent affection in the gesture.

“Not at all,” he assured her. “I did have a thing for her in high school, but I got over it after she and Cash slept together at prom. We’re just friends, I swear.”

“But she’s always touching you, and every time I see you together you can’t stop looking at her.”

At this he laughed, his smile so genuine and open she almost didn’t recognize him.

“She’s always been touchy-feely,” he said. “She grew up in Madrid, and people are just more affectionate there, I guess. And I only watch her when you’re around because she called me out for having an absurd crush on you, and I was afraid she was going to get drunk and blow my cover by telling you.”

Elain shook her head, still not quite believing what she was hearing. Reading her expression, he bent to kiss her softly.

“What guy wouldn’t be crazy about you?” he breathed. “You’re incredible.”

This seemed to break the spell, and she twined her fingers in his hair and pulled him down for another steamy kiss.

“Text Cash,” she said a little breathlessly when they broke away. “I don’t want an audience.”

She couldn’t felt but feeling smug when he almost dropped his phone at those words. It felt good to know that she wasn’t the only one affected by all this.

“Cash and Nesta are at the lof—“ Az began after a minute, but Elain cut him off with a kiss.

H rose, pulling her against him as his tongue brushed the roof of her mouth.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he said as she kissed his neck and tugged on his earlobe with her teeth, earning a low groan. “You’ve been drinking.”

She grabbed his chin so he would look at her.

“Not that much,” she said, and it was true. “And besides, I wanted this way before tonight.“

“Good,” he breathed, pressing a hand to her low back to bring her close to him. “Because so have I.”

Though they spent the majority of the ride up town and the elevator up to her apartment making out, something seemed to shift as Elain’s door clicked shut behind him, as if the gravity of what they were about to do had finally caught up to them.

Reluctantly Az peeled his lips from where they’d been glued to her neck as he took a small step back, as if to give her space.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, feeling embarrassed for how much she still wanted him even now that he seemed to have come to his senses.

“Maybe we should—” he broke off, looking somewhat guilty. “Hold off.”

She nodded, trying to keep the tears at bay again.

“Are you worried this could mess things up in the group? Because I understand—“

“No,” he said hurriedly, coming forward again, as if he could no longer stand to be away. “Not at all. I just—you’re special, El. You deserve to be taken out and spoiled.”

“Az, you just took us to a $1,800 dinner! Or did you think I didn’t see you pulling our server aside?”

Azriel opened his mouth, and she covered it with a finger.

“You don’t need to earn my affection. It’s yours already, free of charge.”

“I’ve just been—I waited so long to make my move and I’m terrified of fucking it up,” he said with a soft laugh.

“Why, are you bad at sex?”

Azriel laughed, seemed to relax at her teasing.

“I’ve never had any complaints,” he breathed again her lips, kissing her deeply again.

She gently bit his lower lip in response.

“Then I’d say you’ve gotten nothing to worry about,” she said, kissing him a third time.

She moaned softly when drove his fingers into her hair, hips canting towards her as he pressed her more fully into the door.

She could feel his body’s reaction to her pressing between her thighs, and she moaned again.

“Fuck,” he breathed onto her skin. “You are so gorgeous.”

“So are you,” she said, running her hands up the back of his t-shirt and feeling the mosaic of muscles flexing underneath. “Take this off.”

He laughed and pulled the offending garment over his head, making her groan in delight.

“God, this body ,” she breathed, running a hand down his chest and enjoying his shiver at her delicate touch.

He responded by spinning her away from him and gently dragging down the zipper of her dress until he could slip a hand inside of it.

“I knew you couldn’t have a bra on underneath this thing,” he said, voice a touch smug as he cupped both bare breasts and her breath caught in her throat..

“I’m surprised you even noticed,” she said, voice somewhat. “I wore this dress for you, and you didn’t even look at it once the entire evening.”

She laughed, the sound into a soft moan as he twisted one nipple in experimentation. When she sighed and let her head fall back onto his shoulder.

“Of course I noticed the dress,” he corrected. “You have the most perfect tits I’ve ever seen. I just knew that if I let myself look, I might not be able to stop looking.”

“You shouldn’t say that until you’ve seen them without the sorcery of underwire,” she said.

With that he spun her to face him, catching her gaze to ensure he had her permission before tugging down the top of the dress so her breasts fell free.

“Gorgeous,” he said, easing to his knees so he could replace his fingers with his mouth. “Absolutely gorgeous.”

“If I known this was going to be your reaction, I would have worn a bodycon dress in front of you ages ago,” she said, threading her hands through his hair as he dragged his teeth and tongue along her nipple.

“You don’t need some tight dress to be sexy,” he said, resting his chin her her sternum so he could gaze up at her. “I’d take you in your overalls and pigtail braids any day.”

“Is this some Pippy Longstocking fetish we should all know about?”

He grinned, rising to his feet and giving one of her curls a playful tug.

“Because as devastating as you are playing dress up in your sister’s clothes, I prefer you as you.”

“You can’t say that when I’m naked,” she said with a smile, touching his cheek.

“Why not?”

“Because I may start crying and ruin the mood.”

He cocked his head to the side, tracing her lips with a finger.

“I wouldn’t mind a few tears from you in bed. But only if it’s from you sobbing in pleasure.”

His words sent blood pooling south, the intensity cause a dull throbbing.

“Why do I feel like you could do it, too?” She asked, reaching down to free his belt as he heeled out of his boots.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said, taking her hand and guiding it between his legs. “Forget this,” he said, squeezing gently so she could feel how hard he was. “I could go down on your all night and be the happiest guy on Earth.”

Emerie had said as much once, at a drunken girls’ night.

Azriel strikes me as the type of guy who loves eating girls out. It’s why gay women find him so easy to befriend; we recognize kindred spirit.

Elain vowed to never tell the others she’d been right.

“Will you let me?” He asked, gently nudging her dressing off her hips until it came free and pooled at her feet.

“Is this a trick question?” She said, voice going hoarse as he slipping a hand into her underwear.

“Some people don’t like it.”

“I’m not one of them,” she said, he smiled, coaxing her legs around his waist so he could carry her.

“Thank God,” he replayed. “That would break my heart. Which way?”

She pointed him in the right direction before giving into temptation and kissing him again, looking to way she could feel like body reacting to hers as he held her close. Only when they reached her room—which was decidedly messier than she’d have liked considering Azriel Macar was now in it—did he set her down.

He wasted no time into coaxing her onto the bed, taking only a moment to admire the silky black thong she wore before dragging into down her thighs and discarding it.

“Spread your legs for me, El,” he said, brushing kisses to her knee as she slowly did as he commanded.

The light from the nearby street lamp made the room a lot less dark than Elain was used to during sex, and for a moment she though to be embarrassed or postpone. Then she glanced down to admire the contrast of Azriel’s inky black hair framed against the pale skin of her thighs, and she forgot what it even meant to be self-conscious as he finally put him mouth on her.

She swore at the first brush of his tongue, which was both deliberate and extremely delicate. She threaded a hand through his hair at his second stroke, the touch more intentional this time.

“Azriel,” she breathed.

She watched the muscles in his beautiful back shift at this, as if hearing her moan his name had untethered something in him. When he put his mouth back on her, it was clear he was no longer attempted to tease her. Instead he felt right to where she needed him most, refusing to relent until she tipped over the edge.

Even then he didn’t seem satisfied, it and it was only after he made her come a second time did he pull back, licking his lips before bending to kiss her.

“Take your pants off,” she demanded. "Right now.”

She felt him grinning against her neck as he peeled off of her, slowly working the buttons of his pants before sliding them down his trim hips. He wore black boxer briefs underneath, and he honestly looked like an Armani model. She bit her lip, eying the sizable swell of him through the cotton.

“Those too,” she breathed, greedily drinking in his well-defined adonis belt and the bare trace of hair above the band.

He did as she commanded, and she nearly melted. Naked he was a God, all rippling muscles and smooth unblemished skin, save for the chest piece tattoo that extended onto his shoulders and halfway down his arms. She let her eyes sink lower. Even half-hard he was big, and her belly clenched.

Wasting no time, she urged him to take her place on the bed before kneeling at his feet and putting her mouth on it.

“Shit,” he hissed, driving a hand into his hand then down his face. “Ellie, you’re kiling me.”

She looked up at him through her lashes, and he growled in approval, seeming to decide something before breaking her grip on him and hauling her to her feet. He kissed her again, and she could feel his cock as it practically pulsed between them.

She still wasn’t sure she could believe it was for her, that somehow he wanted her as much as she did him, and had for almost as long.

“Condoms,” he breathed against her mouth. “I need to be inside of you.”

She froze.

“I don’t have any,” she said, dismayed.

How could she be so stupid? Why didn’t they stop on the way home? The closest bodega was six blocks, and she knew everyone who worked there. The last thing she needed was all of them knowing—

Azriel pressed a swift kiss to her lips before tangling from her.

“Where are you going?”

“To grab a condom.”

“Naked?

He flashed her a slight grimace, “Let’s agree you won’t ask where I get it from.”

“Oh Moses,” Elain said, face flushing scarlet as she listened to Nesta’s door creaking open.

Azriel was back in less than a minute, tossing an entire box onto the nightstand as he pulled open one of the foils with his teeth, using his free hand to push his damp hair, long enough to brush his cheekbones now that it wasn’t styled, out of his eyes.

“You found those distressingly fast,” Elain said, unsure if she was amused or mortified at the situation.

“Cash is predictable with his hiding spots,” Az said, eyes hooded as he stroked himself several times before rolling the condom onto his length.

“And why did you take the whole box?”

Azriel laughed softly.

“Because I have a feeling we’re going to need them.”

Without another word Az sank to his knees again, one hand lazily stroking himself to maintain his erection as he went down on her again.

This time it only last three seconds or so before he pulled back, resting one knee beside her hip to steady himself before pulling her onto his shaft in a single wet stroke. Using her left bent leg as leverage, he adjusted his angle, smirking at her low, guttural moan of pleasure.

“Good to know your g-spot is as sensitive as the rest of you,” he breathed, and she laughed and tugged him into an ambitious rhythm.

Soon the only sound was their shared breathing, and the sliding on their bodies against one another. She came first, and he followed even before the dizzying waves of pleasure ceased. He pumped lazily in and out of her for another half dozen stroke before gently extracting from her and peeling off the condom.

She curled against him, cheek pressed to chest as her hands continued to explore. Her fingers caressed his swelling pectorals and each of his abdominal muscles before lazily venturing back between his legs. He gave a hiss of pleasure as she began to work his silken shaft in earnest, and in minutes he was fully ready again.

He groaned when she snatched one of the condoms and rolled it onto him before swinging a leg over and sinking astride him.

Her third orgasm hit her only a short time later, and she sighed when he bucked up into her before going languid under her ministrations.

She leaned down to kiss him as he ran a soothing hand down her back.

“Jesus,” he breathed, pressing his forehead to hers and swirling his hips, still inside her despite his orgasm. “That was incredible.”

She purred her contentment, feeling something even more alluring than desire swell in her chest as he discarded the second condom and tugged her into his arms, tangling their legs. He still smelled like cologne, but it had mixed with her perfume, and sweat, and the scent was intoxicating. She wanted to bath in it—in him—until she died from bliss. She listened to his breathing even out, and as she was drifting off to bed, he felt his breath ruffle her hair.

“Do you like pancakes?” he murmured. “I want to make you breakfast in the morning.”

“Really?” she said, looking at him over a shoulder and melting at the warmth in his smile, less guarded now than it had been even hours before.

“I want to make breakfast for you every morning,” he breathed. “I have since I met you.”

She smiled, nestling closer to him.

“I’d love that, but I should probably be the one making you breakfast. It is your birthday, after all. You have to let me give you something other than a bj and a few orgasms for your birthday, even if it is your dirty 30.”

Az choked on a laugh.

“Say you‘ll dinner with me, then. No family or nosy friends around, just us.”

“I think the word you’re looking for it ‘date’,” she said, laughing as his cheeks flushed before realizing something. “Or is the idea just too formal for the situation? I know we did things a bit backwards...”

“We did,” he agreed, stroking her cheek. “But that doesn’t mean I want to spoil you any less. So yes a date, if you’ll still have me.”

“I will,” she said, meeting his hazel eyes before gently kissing him. “With pleasure.”

He smiled against her mouth.

“Then that’s the only birthday gift I want or need from you.”

She smiled, feeling happy to the point of bursting when he kissed her ear and closed his eyes again.

"Happy Birthday, Az.”

His hum of contentment vibrated through her back.

“The happiest,” he breathed.

[rachaelswrites]

Cooking With Rossi

Spencer Reid x daughter!reader/ Rossi x teen!reader

Word Count: 808

Requested By: Anonymous

Can you do one with teenReid daughter and Rossi teaching her how to cook for Reid’s birthday.

Your dad was always telling you to try new things so you thought that his birthday would be the best time to try cooking. You asked the best cook you knew Rossi, for help. Spencer always did the cooking in the Reid household. You had once tried to make instant ramen months ago, but you almost burnt down the apartment in the process. 

The whole team was celebrating Reid’s birthday at Rossi’s so it wasn’t suspicious for you to be going over there. Spencer assumed you were helping set up, not cook. 

You rang the doorbell and Rossi opened the door, “Ah, Kid Genius you’re here,” he pulled you into a side hug and let go, “You’re a bit late.”

“Oh, sorry,” you slipped your shoes off and handed Rossi the bag of ingredients he made you get, “Here you go.”

“Perfect! Let’s get started.”

You followed him into the kitchen and sat on one of the stools as he prepped everything. 

“What are we making?”

“True, authentic, Italian lasagna!”

You furrowed your brows, “Isn’t that messy? My dad isn’t a huge fan of messy food.”

Rossi looked at you, “Well too bad. You gonna help me or not?”

He had made the dough ahead of time so all you had to do was cut it, “Just put it through the machine like this,” he showed you how to feed the dough through the pasta-making machine. He left you in charge of that while he started on the Ragu. 

Everything was going fine until you got distracted and dropped one of the strips of pasta on the ground, “Oops.”

Rossi looked at the pasta on the ground then you, “That’s alright. Let’s just hope everyone isn’t too hungry tonight.” 

You finished with the pasta and now you had to cook it. Rossi had told you to keep the pasta in the water for thirty seconds, but that feld way too short so you kept it in longer. That was a mistake. Once you took the pasta out, you could tell something was wrong. The pasta was the consistency of rubber and felt like gelatin, “Um Rossi? Is it supposed to be like this?”

You showed him the over cooked pasta. Rossi couldn't even form words. How does someone mess up this much and this badly? “Y/n, have you ever cooked before?”

You shook your head, “Last time I tried I almost burnt down the house. And the time bef-”

“Alright I get it,” he held his hands up for you to stop rambling, “Why don’t you go do the decorations and I’ll order a pizza since this,” he motioned towards the rubberized pasta, “Is probably uneatable.”

You nodded and went outside to the patio to blow up some of the balloons. 

There was a knock on the door and Emily let herself inside and went straight into the kitchen, “I thought Y/n was helping cook? She was really excited about it,” she glanced through the glass doors and watched as you struggled to hang up some streamers in the rafters. 

“I was not informed that that kid can not cook for her life,” Rossi dialed the number of the pizza place, “Hope you like pizza.”

Emily laughed and joined you outside, helping you decorate, “I heard you aren’t so good in the kitchen?”

“Not really but it’s not important. Stereotypically, a female should be able to cook but in modern times it’s really anyone’s game in the kitchen. Male or female.”

“I guess you’re right.”

~~~~~

The whole team except your dad had arrived before the pizza came. Of course you had told everyone you were making the food, but you had to explain why you were now waiting on pizza. 

“Aw it’s ok Y/n/n,” Garcia said, pulling you into a tight hug, “We still love you and your horrible kitchen skills. You at least have that big, beautiful brain of yours.”

~~~~~

Everyone was sitting outside when the doorbell rang again, signaling that your dad was here. They made you answer the door and bring him out. You reached the door and opened it. He greeted you with a smile, “Hey Y/n.” 

You grabbed his hand and pulled him to the patio, “I hope you like it,” you slid open the back door and everyone greeted him with various messages of happy birthdays. Spencer’s smile was the widest it had been in months. 

“So, you dropped the dough and then overcooked it?”

“Yup!” you said around a mouthful of pizza. You had just finished explaining what happened during your attempt at cooking to your dad.  

Spencer laughed, “This is why she’s not allowed in the kitchen at home. She’s smart but when it comes to cooking, I don’t know.”

“I see that now,” Rossi said, “A little warning ahead of time would've been nice.”

Taglist

@ssebstann @peachyprincessss @emmy-writes-sometimes @dudele @kerrswriting @laura-naruto-fan1998 @multifamdomfan12

[mybrothershands]

MBH/Dumpling 2

second installment, same art because otherwise you'll be waiting on it all day tomorrow. Characters by myself and @diddlesanddoodles and editing by @thundering-susurrus

The giant pinched up his face as if he smelled something bad. He then prodded the lump in his chest-pocket. "Get up, you lazy fool."

Several emotions crossed Yale face all at once, from anger to confusion to relief. Now that he knew where to look, Yale could see a distinctive lump in the man’s front pocket and heard the smaller voice emanating from within. Well, if he had a human companion of his own, that was a welcome relief. But he still kept his hand on Nenani. Grinning, he jerked his head to indicate the lump on Ka's shirt. “Ah, well I suppose that answers that. He yer assistant then?”

"Parasite, more like," he said, fishing around in his pocket until he caught the man by the shirt and pulled his shoulders over the lip of the pocket.

"Why you little two-ton son of a hog-bellied cob, I ought to--" The human smacked the hand away.

A nervous laugh escaped the giant, and he clasped his hand over the smaller man's mouth. "Er, this is my brother. He took care of me when I was small," said Ka.

Yale had been watching Ka fish around in his pocket and smirked at the human’s grouchy reply. The human’s snark immediately reminded him of Farris, but upon hearing Ka call him his brother, Yale gave pause. His curiosity was piqued.

“Wha –? Really? Can’t say I’ve ever heard ‘a that. That must be one hell of a story,” he said and jerked his head towards Ka. “Ye must’ve had a time of it keepin’ ‘im fed and clothed proper.”

The giant paused, then seemed to draw back within himself and looked away. Cairo, however, had no such loss for words. "Got that right. Ungrateful, too. You should see the spot in my side where he--" The massive hand clamped over his mouth again.

"I, erm," Ka cleared his throat, worry painted on his face. "I was old enough to work when he took me in. I cleared land for a human farmer in exchange for food. Cairo paid for my clothes and gave me a place to stay."

Polly then decided to use his leg as a scratching post and began rubbing her face up and down the side of his pants, leaning into him. "Woah, hey!" Ka said as he was knocked off balance. Once he found his feet, he pulled her bridle back over her ear and straightened her forelock. "But yes, I'm," he waved his hand in a circle, "I can work with humans just fine. They just need to let me know they're there and keep away from my feet."

“Ah, well no worries there,” Yale said with a light laugh as he pulled his apron aside to reveal Nenani at his hip. “You know better than to be underfoot, ain’t that right Dumplin’?”

Nenani nodded while she observed the new giant and silently marveled at his height. Despite the way in which he towered over them, he had a kind face, and she was not afraid.

“Farris doesn’t like it if I’m on the floor,” she explained. “He doesn’t trust the footmen to keep a look out.”

Ka's expression softened. She was a little thing, even for her kind, with auburn hair that shone in the sunlight. Somehow she met his gaze without fear, and it gave him pause. "H-hello there," he said quietly. "I am Ka. It's nice to meet you, miss."

It took the giant a moment to realize that the young man must have been hiding her, and why he had questioned him so. Come to think of it, he had not seen a single small person, nor chest pocket since he had entered this town. Pieces began to fall into place, and he decided he should not stay here for long. Not with Cairo. Absently, his hand found its way to his pocket.

“Hi. I’m Nenani,” she replied back, trying to look friendly. He looked so nervous, she thought. Yale easily scooped her up and sat her on his leg. After getting comfortable, she gestured up at the cook and said, “And he didn’t say so, but this is Yale.”

Looking confused, Yale looked down at her. “I didn’t introduce myself at all did I?”

“Nope,” she replied. “That was very rude. Lolly would swat you.”

“Ah, well,” he said, giving Ka and Cairo an apologetic shrug. “She wouldn’t be too pleased with me bringin’ the lil’un on this errand either. So there’s that.”

Cairo grumbled as Ka fawned over this little girl. She seemed unafraid and even kind towards his brother, which he respected. Still, he regarded Yale with a critical eye. Hooking his elbow over the frayed lip of the pocket, the human raised his voice. "What kind of kitchen is this anyway, boy? It's a bit late in the day to be fetchin stuff. What are you doing out here now?"

“Best kitchen in Vhasshal,” Yale fired back with a smug grin. He pointed over his shoulder towards the castle behind them. “That being the royal kitchen.”

“But Gjerk didn’t clean the chimney and it ruined the luncheon roasts,” Nenani supplied with a frankness that made light of the true disaster. “Almost caught the whole kitchen on fire.”

Yale frowned and, blushing just a bit, agreed with a muted nod. “Aye. Well, even the best kitchen in Vhasshal can fall victim to inattentive tenderfoots. So we’re needin’ to shuffle things ‘round a bit. Headin’ to a merchant who raises and sells field rocs.”

Ka's face became a smiling mask with a blank stare. Royal kitchen? Was this boy not worried that some stranger picked off the street could poison someone Important? Even the king himself? What if something went wrong and he was blamed for it and put in prison? Even he himself was not sure he deserved such trust, and yet kept his mouth shut in hopes that there was something he did not know.

Cairo, meanwhile, looked the man up and down, and then the girl in turn. They seemed easygoing and honest, if not a bit frank. At last he nodded. "We will accept your offer."

The giant balked. "Cairo, I'm not sure--"

"Shut up," he said, waving a hand. "Your belly's been a'growling all day, and I'll have no more of it. This is an easy job, and you're gonna take it," Cairo barked.

Ka paused, a hint of frustration on his face. Still, this was Cairo. The giant seemed to let go of his worries and nodded. "Just tell me what to do," he said, fixing Yale in his gaze, "and I'll help as much as I can."

He seemed eager enough, Yale thought. And even if his kitchen skills were minimal, so long as he could hold a knife, he could find something for him to do. Ka’s human companion was clearly the more dominant of the two, which Yale found to be quite amusing. And even a bit refreshing. He was so used to humans reacting to him with fear or at the very least nervous suspicion. Not that they did not have a valid reason of course.

He decided he liked Cairo.

“Well, first we gotta go collect them rocs and scurry on back,” Yale said with a grin. “So if we just wanna follow along we’ll go get that done and we can get ye to work.” He paused as he considered Ka. “And get ye somethin’ t’eat. Farris might gripe at me fer it, but believe me. He’s gonna be thankful fer yer help. Even he don’t show it. Or say it. Or yells at ye.”

Yale flicked the reins to usher Polly forward, bringing a hand up to hold onto Nenani when she almost fell off his lap.

“Ah!”

“Oh, sorry there, Dumplin’.”

"Oh," said Ka as he backed away and let the animal slip past until he could walk beside the cab. This Farris fellow seemed a bit crotchety. "Thank you," he said above the creaking wheels. The mention of food set his mouth to watering. They had had so many good things down at the market, maybe now he could get his hands on something. "I can pay you, but I'm afraid my coin may just be trinkets to you."

From his pocket, Cairo squinted one eye, adjusting his position to better watch the small giant. "Why you call her 'dumpling,' anyhow?"

“It was a joke,” Nenani explained with a flat look. “Wasn’t a very funny one.”

“I dunno, I thought it was a pretty good one,” Yale replied with a knowing grin. He poked her belly and the girl squealed and laughed, batting at his fingers. She lost her balance and almost fell back off his lap, but Yale was quick enough to catch her and place her safely down on the bench beside him. He ruffled her hair into a bushy mess. “Anyway, I caught this one here after she’d nicked some fruit. And right in the middle of the King’s weddin’ feast too. Don’t think I’ve ever been that stressed in my life.”

“He threatened to eat me...” Nenani said with the same flat expression.

As lovely as he found the girl's laugh, Ka's smile quickly faded as the girl voiced the joke. He made a sound half way between a choke and a quack. "Hmm?"

Cairo looked more surprised at the noise his brother made than Nenani's admittance. "Oh he did, did he?" He sat up, eyeing Yale. "He looks like a pansy to me."

Yale could not help the smirk of satisfaction at seeing the way Ka reacted. But his focus drew to the man’s pocket and the human within. Leaning towards them and planting his hand on the other side of where Nenani sat, he grinned at the human man.

“Big words fer a fella who travels by pocket,” he challenged. “Why not come on outta there and I’ll show ye how much of a pansy I am.”

Nenani glared up at Yale and grabbed onto his sleeve and gave it a firm tug. “No fighting.”

Cairo merely laughed at the girl's reaction. "I ain't stupid. Think I'll stay in the pocket, eh?" He slapped Ka's chest.

The giant rolled his eyes. He kept pace with the cart fairly easily, even as the Svaldifari trotted. He cleared his throat. "Keep acting like that and I may just let him have you."

"What!" he exclaimed, clutching a hand over his heart. "He might skin me, don't you think? You brute, you should protect your poor old brother."

Ka sighed, plodding along. "You can take care of yourself just fine."

“Smart man, your brother,” Yale said to Ka. “With him taggin’ along, ye might just survive a day in Farris’s kitchen.”

There was something very comforting about watching Cairo and Ka banter. It was all too easy for Yale to be drawn back to the horrible memories of the war and the way it seemed to him at the time that the bloodletting would never cease. Yet before him was a man who openly and easily called a human his brother.

“As fer skinnin’: nah. Too much of a hassle. Much easier to just toss ye into the stew and pop the lid on.”

Beside him, Nenani rolled her eyes. She had become nearly desensitized to all staff’s banter about eating and cooking people. Cairo didn’t seem like the sort to take Yale seriously. But Ka, she observed, seemed to not care for the jokes at all.

Ka lolled his head back, exasperated, then clamped his hand back over Cairo's mouth. "Ne- Nena-nani, er..." he chewed on his tongue for a moment, still trying to decide how many syllables the girl's name had. "Nenani," he said decisively. "He... Yale. He said he found you stealing?" said the giant, desperate to change the subject.

There were a few shoves and knocks on his hand before there at last came a double-tap and Cairo's mouth was freed. However, he kept his mouth shut for once and watched the road ahead. The mare seemed to need a bit of guiding, unused to going this way, but Yale was not quite paying attention. He peered ahead. Was this the way they had come before? Where was the market?

“Oh. Yeah,” she replied as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt in slight embarrassment. “But it’s not like what Farris and they all thought at first. I’m not from the Hill Tribe, I’m from the Southlands. They were loading a bunch of carts near the docks and I tried to sneak in and grab a persimmon before anyone noticed, but the basket was really big and I just...kind of fell in. And got stuck.”

Yale stifled a snicker as he corrected Polly’s path. She whinnied at him in annoyance. “I remember all them peels, lil’un. It was certainly more than one.”

“I was in there for three days,” she said and stuck her tongue out at Yale. “What else was I gonna eat? The basket?” When Yale only shrugged at her, she continued. “I grew up being told stories about Vhasshal and I was really scared. So as soon as the caravan stopped, I tried to run.”

“Caught her tryin’ to make a run fer it,” Yale added lightly pinching her arm. “Didn’t get all that far. Like...a half a dozen yards maybe before I got ‘er.”

Ka frowned. He did not like the way that last bit sounded. He steered away as they passed another cart on the road. He wanted to ask the stories about Vhasshal, and why she had been so frightened, but the girl had not seemed a bit embarrassed about that point in her past. Come to think of it, maybe he did not want to know. "Persimmons... have peels?"

The edge of the village was approaching, and Yale could hear the sound of the rocs long before their pens came into view. Their destination was a handsome little cottage just at the end of the tight clusters of row homes. Though was an older building and had but a thatched roof, it was well maintained and clean. Behind it were the roc pens. There were a dozen or so of the birds loose in the larger space, and Yale felt relieved. He was only going to need ten for the luncheon service, and he’d be able to get a few extra just in case anything else went horribly wrong today.

“Well, I think they’re actually husks,” she was saying. “They’re from overseas somewhere. But you’re not supposed to eat the outsides because it’ll make you sick.”

“Ye did get sick though. Just not from eatin’ fruit,” Yale pointed out. His eyes trailed after the other cart as they passed, having seen the way they had been gawking at Ka. Poor guy must get that a lot.

“Yeah, I had the red reap,” Nenani said. “It was terrible. But Farris took care of me and gave me medicine and watched me all night while I had the fever.”

Ka blinked, trying to make sense of this new information. He had no idea what red reap was, but then again, he was not familiar with most diseases. "It sounds terrible," he said, worry on his brow. The way she had explained it, it sounded deadly. He could not imagine having to care for someone through the night, not knowing if the little thing would make it.

Though he had not yet met the man, Ka found himself reconsidering this Farris guy. If he was the type to yell at someone new, it seemed a bit backwards that he would worry over a thief. He shook the thought away. He had not met him yet. Maybe he would understand later.

It was then he heard some bird-like squabbling, and looked up to find a pen with some frighteningly large feathery beasts. "What... are those?" He felt a bit stupid for asking, but then again, nothing was familiar to him here. Nothing at all.

"What, you never seen a chicken before?" Cairo butted in.

“Oh them ain’t no chickens,” Yale answered, giving Cairo an amused sideways glance. “Those are common field rocs. Those beauties eat chickens fer breakfast. Literally. They’re birds of prey. And they’re what we’re here fer.”

Yale maneuvered the cart towards the pens and when they were close enough, he pulled the reins lightly and Polly came to a gentle halt. She turned to her head back at Yale, expectation in her eyes. With a chuckle, he reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a pressed oat cake. Turning to Ka, he held out the treat. “Wanna give Polly her reward while I go spend the king's money?”

A grin spread across Ka’s face, and he chuckled. "Seems she's in good hands," he said, gently taking the biscuit from him.

~~~

Twelve common field rocs were in the back of the cart, their wings tied down to their sides and hemp sacks placed over their heads to keep them docile. Nenani hung off the back of the driver’s bench, looking down at the immobilized birds. They were as large as cows, and it was a little daunting to think that there were birds that big in the world.

The trip back was fairly uneventful, except that news of Ka seemed to have made its way around the village, They seemed to be getting more stares than before, but Yale made a point of staring down whatever gawkers he noticed. But he did not have the same presence as Farris did, and mostly, the people just kept on staring.

Nenani found it to be pretty rude, and to several she stuck out her tongue.

As they approached the back gate that led to the kitchen courtyard, the guards stationed there did double takes as Ka came into view, but Yale was quick to head off any questions. “He’s here to help out for the day. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Farris.”

There was enough of a threat in those words that they were allowed to pass without any form of harassment.

“Don’t let those guards make ye nervous none, lad,” Yale said to Ka. “Most of ‘em are real decent fellas.”

Yale was still looking towards Ka as he directed Polly along the road, around the last bend, and into the courtyard. He pulled the reins and was about to say something else when felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked down at Nenani. “Hm? What’s it?”

Nenani merely pointed further ahead of them and Yale’s gaze followed along. A large fire pit had been lit in the middle of the yard, and the largest of their cooking pans was placed over the top, with a sizable pile of pumpkins next to it. Saen and Avery were in the middle of carving a few up but had made little headway.

But what had caught their eye was none of them, but the solitary figure just a short distance away. Standing with his arms akimbo and looking very displeased was Farris. His green eyes narrowed at Yale.

“Yer fuckin’ late.”

Ever since the border guards, Ka had gotten increasingly fidgety. As soon as Yale quieted down, he slowed up and walked behind the cart. The castle ahead was bigger than any he had seen, especially this close up. He ran his hand up and down his sleeve, trying to create some warmth as his breath crystallized before him. Upon hearing the voice, the giant's first impression was how gravelly and frayed it sounded, possibly from overuse. The second was that it did not sound happy.

"What's it to you?" Cairo muttered under his breath. It was more of a knee-jerk reaction, than anything, but it was enough to remind Ka to keep an eye on him. The human's left arm and legs lolled out of the pocket. He picked at his teeth as the giant walked. "Move over, Ka, I want to get a look at this meathead."

Ka merely shook his head, hand straying up to cover the man. "Be careful here. We don't know for sure if it's safe yet." There came a grumbling and a shove at the fingers, but for the most part he kept his mouth shut.

Before Yale could even begin to explain himself, Farris caught sight of Ka, and the kitchen master’s eyes widened as his gaze traveled up and up and up until he met the taller giant’s eye. “And just who in the Seven Hells are ye?”

Ever since the border guards, Ka had gotten increasingly fidgety. As soon as Yale quieted down, he slowed up and walked behind the cart. The castle ahead was bigger than any he had seen, especially this close up. He ran his hand up and down his sleeve, trying to create some warmth as his breath crystallized before him. Upon hearing the voice, the giant's first impression was how gravelly and frayed it sounded, possibly from overuse. The second was that it did not sound happy.

"What's it to you?" Cairo muttered under his breath. It was more of a knee-jerk reaction, than anything, but it was enough to remind Ka to keep an eye on him. The human's left arm and legs lolled out of the pocket. He picked at his teeth as the giant walked. "Move over, Ka, I want to get a look at this meathead."

Ka merely shook his head, hand straying up to cover the man. "Be careful here. We don't know for sure if it's safe yet." There came a grumbling and a shove at the fingers, but for the most part he kept his mouth shut.

Before Yale could even begin to explain himself, Farris caught sight of Ka, and the kitchen master’s eyes widened as his gaze traveled up and up and up until he met the taller giant’s eye. “And just who in the Seven Hells are ye?”

Before Ka could answer, though, Yale jumped in. “Came across him on the way to get the rocs. He was lookin’ fer some work, and I offered to let him help us today.”

All through Yale’s explanations, Farris sized Ka up with a critical eye, pausing at the distinct bulge in the tall man’s pocket. His eyes narrowed suspiciously before turning their vitriol onto his assistant. 

“Oh ye did, did ye?” he demanded. “Are ye fuckin’ daft boy?”

Yale hopped down off the cart. “We need the extra help, and as mad as ye are, ye can’t deny the big fella could be of some help. Hell, he’d make short work breakin’ down the pumpkins.” Yale leaned around Farris to yell past him towards his fellow cooks. “A whole lot faster than them two knobheads!”

Saen and Avery looked up from their work to glare back at Yale. Avery waved his knife in the air, calling back, “Go fuck yerself, Yale.” 

Yale was still grinning when Farris drew his attention back with a growl. “And ye think I’d let just anyone off the street come in and cook in my kitchen, do ye?”

Yale glanced over his shoulder at Ka and then back to Farris. With a shrug, he said, “Honestly boss, I don’t think he’d fit. Be a bit tight.”

Farris’s ever-present glare faltered as an amused smirk crossed his lips. With a grunt he looked back at Ka. “Ye have any experience in a kitchen there, son?”

The giant clutched his fists against his chest, shoulders hunched and brow scrunched with worry. Though the man was half his height, he scared Ka. He looked like someone who knew how to fight and just might if aggravated.

"Y-yessir, just a bit, sir." Ka stuttered, coming out from behind the wagon. "Look, I promise I mean no harm, sir. I just, well I- I- I was looking for some work is all. He was nice enough to give me a chance. I promise I'll do my best if you'll only let me help."

Farris was silent for several moments, eyeing Ka once more. “Where ye from?”

The giant straightened up a bit, a slight hope welling in his chest. "Benhyke, sir. I'm... trying to find my way back there, actually."

“Never heard of it. So ye mean to tell me yer as tall as a fuckin’ house with no proper sense of direction?” The kitchen master didn’t give Ka a chance to answer before walking over to the cart where Nenani sat. He laid his arm across the drivers bench and looked at the girl. “What say ye Dumplin’? Think he’s some sort of secret assassin tryin’ to worm his way into the castle?”

Nenani blinked and shook her head. “No.” 

“Well, if yer so sure,” he said with a small smile and scooped her up. Tucking her into the crook of his arm, he turned back to Ka.  The warmth he had spoken to Nenani with was gone and the harsher tone returned. “Ye got a name?”

He scratched his head, still harboring the initial insult in his mind, and had not quite heard him speak to the girl. "What? O-oh I am Ka. And this is--" he paused. At first caution took over, but once he saw the way he cared for Nenani, the fear melted. "--Cairo," he finished.

Upon hearing his name, a single hand came out of the pocket and gave a dramatic wave. "Evening to you, you motherless goat," he called, then the hand disappeared again.

Farris’s expression darkened and, behind him, Yale was making a frantic motion with his hands at Ka that translated roughly to “Bad idea. Stop.”

“I’ll give ye fair warning now, boy,” Farris warned as he walked towards Ka. Pressing further into his space, he stared up at the taller giant and pointed towards his pocket. “Keep that one’s mouth under control or I’ll be doin’ it fer ‘im. I’ve had plenty of humans toss out insults at me and, one way or another, they learn not to. If ye wanna work, I’ve got work fer ye. And you’ll be paid fair wages fer it. But if that one skulking in yer pocket don’t watch it, he’s gonna become intimately acquainted with the inside of a roasting pan.”

Ka's face paled and he backed away, clutching one hand to his pocket. "No! No, please, he's my brother. Y-you can't--I won't..." He seemed to get ahold of himself then, squared his shoulders. "Take that back," he said, regaining his ground. If it were not for the girl in his arms, Ka was not sure what he might have done.

Farris did not back away, and his only movement was to use his free hand to cover Nenani as though to shield her. He met Ka’s eyes with a firm unwavering stare. “I don’t take it back. This is my kitchen and my word is law.” Farris let a small smirk come to his lips. “Just keep in mind though, I didn’t say nothing about actually cookin’ ‘im.”

The giant blinked, relaxing a bit. "What?"

At this point, Cairo heaved a dramatic sigh and pulled himself up. He looked the man up and down and came to a conclusion. "Ugly lump."

Nenani poked her head out from behind Farris’s hand. “No fighting.” 

At Nenani's word, Ka took a step back. There was still anger in his blood, and he elected to stay on his toes, but any hostility was snuffed out by the girl's voice.

Farris only adjusted his hand to ruffle her hair.  “Well ye ain’t no Blue Thorn Beauty yerself,” Farris shot back at Cairo, then raised an eyebrow at him. “Ain’t ye a bit old fer being carried ‘round like a babe?”

Cairo raised a brow, then patted the chest behind him. "This one here's the baby when it comes down to it, little man. Now--" He cut himself off as if he had heard something. "Alright already," he grumbled at apparently nothing. "What do I have to do to get your sorry bag of bones to do something decent, eh? This boy's half starved."

"Cairo..." Ka hissed through his teeth. "I haven't done the work yet."

Farris huffed and rolled his eyes. “Yale,” he called without taking his eyes from the pair. “Go grab this one one ‘a the leftover meat pies.” He paused, reconsidering the man and his height. “Make that two.”

“Will do, boss,” Yale replied, flashing Ka a wide grin before running off towards the stairway that led into the kitchen proper. 

“I don’t run a charity here,” Farris told him sternly. “But if yer gonna be any use to me at all today, it wont be with an empty belly. Ye’ll eat and then ye’ll work. Understand?”

"No," Cairo said blatantly before Ka had a chance.

[katehuntington]

Title: Black Dog - part eight Word count: 1900± words Episode summary: When Sam gets an anonymous phone call with information about his father, Dean receives a text message with coordinates to different location. The brothers clash and split up, one following orders, the other trusting his instincts. Meanwhile, in the wilderness of Cascade Range,  Washington State, Zoë loses grip on a personal case and is forced to confront her  demons. Without back up, this might very well turn out to  be her final hunt. Part eight summary: Sam finally arrives in Nashville and is about to begin the search for his father, when an unexpected call comes in. Episode warnings: Dark! NSFW, 18+ only! Angst, gore, violence, character death. Description of blood, injury and medical procedures. Supernatural creatures/entities, mentions of demon possession. Swearing, smoking, weaponry. Descriptions of  torture and murder. Illegal/criminal practices. Mentions of nightmares and   flashbacks. Descriptions of suicidal thoughts and tendencies, depression, panic attacks, hallucinations. Author’s note: Beta’d by @winchest09​​​​​​​​ & @deanwanddamons​​​​​​​​​. Thanks, girls!

Supernatural: The Sullivan Series Masterlist

S1E03 “Black Dog” Masterlist

     Nashville, Tennessee      December 3rd, 2005 - Present Day

     With a sigh, Sam gets off the bus. The rain beats down on him straight away, but instead of being annoyed by it, he finds it refreshing. Finally, he’s in Nashville. It’s  taken him three days to get here. Three days of torture - which included waiting for his damn transport to arrive in the first place, being forced in a seat made for someone who is 4’8, and having to change twice to get to his final destination - but he’s in Nashville. 

     Of course, he could have hopped on a plane for a journey of only several hours, but he had a hunch he would have a bit of trouble getting through customs, carrying a duffel loaded with blades, guns, and ammunition. He might always be complaining about his brother’s driving skills or his collection of Metallica, Motorhead, and Black Sabbath tapes which he plays over and over again while he sings along, but seventy-six hours of traveling to get from Texas to Tennessee wasn’t a joy either. 

     He watches the touring car take off into the night, continuing its trip, the droplets that run down the side catching the light of the overhanging streetlights. The sound of the engine fades as the carrier merges into traffic again. Suddenly, he feels alone, left behind, and not just by the bus. It’s not the first time he experiences this uneasiness, because Sam has pondered about the fight he had with his older sibling more than once. Truth be told; he never expected Dean to leave him on the side of the road. He called his bluff, and when his brother didn’t give him an inch, he himself refused to surrender as well. If he’s completely honest with himself, he started regretting this impulsive act the minute he saw the Impala drive away, but he couldn’t let it show, he couldn’t let Dean win. He is so tired of being bossed around and being treated like a little kid. Stubborn? Maybe. Guess it runs in the family.

     Sam can take care of himself, but tracking his father will not be an easy task without Dean. When it comes to Dad, the oldest son knows him best and Sam realizes he’s going to be missing him on this search. He hopes the woman who set him on this path will call him again, because he could use a lead.

     So, what now? He decides it will probably be best to settle down in a motel and get online, see if he can find some information, then he will start asking questions. There’s not much he can do right at this moment, considering it’s 2.30 AM. It’s going to be quite a task, finding a man in a city covering 550 square miles with over 600.000 citizens. And all he has is the word of a girl he has never met, of which he didn’t even catch her name.      “This is insane,” he mutters, looking around.

     A voice of reason whispers in his ear again: go back. Dean’s words had some truth to them. What if this is a trap? What if he’s walking straight into it? Sam’s doubts will not make him turn around, though. He is here and he is not going to stop searching until he finds Dad. 

     Sam keeps his head low and buries his hand in his pockets, protecting himself from the rain as he shivers. It’s not particularly cold for this time of the year, but 39 °F isn’t anything near Texas. Raindrops bring down the temperature as well and continue to fall down on the hunter as clouds block out the moon.

     He starts to walk in the direction of what seems to be a hotel. The interstate, which lays directly next to the parking lot, crosses Highway 70. Lines of cars travel by, their white headlights and red tail lights lighting the road like it’s Christmas already. 

     Through the curtains of water, the young Winchester spots a neon sign at the entrance of the building he’s approaching. He was right; it is a hotel, funnily enough one from the same chain where Zoë spent the night in Paragould. The Hampton Inn Bellevue looks like a fancy place from the outside, and remembering the luxurious room of the huntress, he reckons this hotel will not be any different. Sam doesn’t like to waste money, but he will do anything for a decent bed after being crammed into that touring car like a canned sardine. Not that he’s planning to sleep much; he has better things to do. He has to find Dad, it’s all he can think of. 

     Right when he’s about to enter the establishment, he hears his cell phone ringing. Hastily, he takes his Blackberry from his pocket, hoping it to be the anonymous caller who tipped him off three days ago. The display announces the caller as ‘unidentified’, it might not be so far fetched. Sam picks up immediately.      “Hello?”      A relieved sigh sounds from the other side. “Hey, Sam.”

     It’s a feminine voice alright, but it’s not the ‘mysterious lady’, as Dean called the woman who passed him the information about their Dad. He does recognize the person on the other end, though. She is the last human being on earth he expected a call from.      “Zoë,” he concludes, stunned.      “Yeah… hey, listen,” she cuts to the chase. “I’m in deep shit.”

     Sam stops dead in his tracks. He thought she might be after she left so abruptly back in Arkansas, but the fact that she’s admitting that she’s in trouble means that this is serious.

     “Where the hell are you?” he asks.      “I’m just outside Darrington, Washington State.”      “Are you hurt?” Sam asks worriedly.      “Yeah, but that’s not the point.” She pauses for a moment, knowing what she is about to say might come as an unpleasant surprise. “Your brother’s here.”

     Completely staggered, Sam stares ahead with his phone still close to his ear. What did she just say? Dean is there? With her?! A million questions pop up in his head, but he finds it difficult to choose the first one to ask. 

     “What?!” is the only thing he can cry out.      “Yeah, I thought you might say that.”      “But, how the…? He went out to do Dad’s dirty laundry!” he recalls, stunned.      “Are you calling me dirty laundry?”      Sam’s eyebrows reach his hairline, remembering the coordinates John sent his brother. “You are Dad’s dirty laundry?”      “Apparently, but it doesn’t matter.” She interferes before the receiver of the call has the chance to ramble on. “Listen, Dean’s life is in danger. If he stays here with me, he’ll die. You have to get him out bef--”

     Now, it’s Zo who gets interrupted. Puzzled, Sam stares at his phone for a moment, assuming the connection might be bad. When the display shows three bars in the right upper corner, he presses the Blackberry against his ear again and listens carefully, trying to identify the sounds he hears. It seems like Zoë is fighting someone over the phone, then he hears Dean in the background.      “Give me the damn phone! Give it!”      “No! Let go!”      “Zoë!”      “Don’t Zoë me, you son of a--”      “Hand me the fucking phone!”

     The line cracks, but then the noise of static stabilizes. Dean has apparently won the fight over the device, because he can hear his voice loud and clear.      “Sam?”      “What?” he replies coldly.      “Whatever you do, don’t hang up,” Dean pleads before Sam does something he will regret later.      “I thought you were on Dad’s job?” the younger brother confronts, still angry with his brother.      “I am, this is the job. The coordinates led me to Zo,” he explains. “This is not some ghost hunt, Sam. This is unlike anything I’ve ever faced before.”

     The hunter hears the concern in his sibling’s voice and he immediately swallows back the smart response he had waiting for him.      “I need you to get over here, and while you’re at it look up everything you can find about hellhounds,” Dean demands, calm but stern.      “Hellhounds?” Sam repeats, perplexed. “As in the actual soul claimers of the crossroad demons?”      “Yep, and we’re on the menu.”      “How did that happen? You have to make a deal before they claim your soul at the arranged time,” Sam remembers from one of the lore he studied.      “They were let off the hook,” Dean claims. “Sam, you have to find out a way to kill them.”      “You can’t kill hellhounds, Dean,” Sam replies.      “No, you don’t understand. You have to find a way to kill them,” Dean repeats slowly, making sure the words sink in.

     The youngest gulps, realizing how much trouble Zoë and his brother are in. He has read some books that mentioned these creatures, but he never found anything about killing them. He turns around and stares up, letting the rain fall down on him, the water clumping his brown hair together in strands. The hunter scoffs; and he thought he made it to his final destination. He just traveled half the country to get east, now he has to travel all the way up north?

     “This better not be some excuse to get me away from Dad, Dean,” he warns.      “I wish it was, Sam,” Dean says, concerned. “Hurry it up, will ya?”      “Will do.”      “And - uh, about what happened down in Texas…”      “That’s not important now. We’ll talk about it later,” Sam replies to Dean’s unspoken words.

     Knowing they both can bury their pride and work this out, the younger brother closes his eyes as a burden falls off his shoulders. It must, for him to be able to carry a much heavier weight on them. Zoë’s and Dean’s life will depend on him.

     “One more thing,” Sam states, before hanging up. “You do know what happens when these things catch you. You don’t just die…”      “I know. You go to hell,” Dean finishes.      The young Winchester nods his head, although his sibling can’t see that. A short silence follows, after which Dean ends their conversation.      “See you soon, Sammy.”

     The line disconnects and a tone beeps in his ear, but it takes a few seconds before the young hunter actually lowers the phone and puts it away. Well, that changes things. There is no time to lose; he needs to get to Washington State and fast. 

     Determined, he stalks back onto the parking lot, observing his surroundings. No bus ride this time, he needs faster transportation. His gaze glides over the parking lot. Then he spots a silver 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster amongst them. He nods, approving, knowing that the vehicle would make good time, but his conscience kicks in soon enough. He can not just connect some wires and steal a car like that! Or any car! But the thought of his brother and Zoë ending up dog food because he was too civilized to go grand theft auto isn’t something he could live with either. He’s left with no other option. 

     Reluctantly, Sam groans and eyes the vehicle, but then steps towards it while shaking his head and mumbling to himself, “I am so gonna regret this.”

Thank  you so much for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to reblog my work or buy me coffee. Link in bio at the  top of the page.

[skywillsometimeswrite]

Why?

So I got really inspired by @target-block ‘s Evil!Impulse and Evil!Stress AU and so I decided let’s throw a hastily written fic at them

(I have barely watched Impulse, and I haven’t seen much of Stress, so literally it’s all spitballing but they’re evil so its fiiiiine)

Read it on AO3

“Why, Impulse? Why are you doing this?”

Impulse glanced over his shoulder at his old friends, Bdubs physically holding Tango back. If Bdubs even loosened his grip Tango would most definitely charge right at Impulse. He wonders if his old friend would hit him. He was never the particularly violent type, so maybe he would try and talk him out of the high that he was currently riding from his carnage spree. Would he hug him and try and use some heartfelt words to sway him back over to being his old self? The thought amused Impulse, making his smile grow to show his teeth off.

He laughed, loud and hearty, just like he used to at Zedaph’s more ridiculous ideas, or when Bdubs would get himself blown up. He caught a glimpse of Tango’s confused expression shifting into one of betrayal before he looked out on the damage that he had caused.

He breathed in the tell tale smell of wither roses, relishing in his handiwork as ghasts, blazes, and even a few withers flew around the shopping district. The roses had a distinct smell, one that mingled quite well with smoke, nether wart, and spider eyes as he had learned when concocting this most magnificent scheme with his two partners in crime. That beautiful symphony of smells now hung over the shopping district, the once green grass Scar placed now brown and dead or black with the wither effect seeping into its roots. Impulse thought it was quite the improvement. The place had gotten to be a bit too colorful for his liking.

“Why?” He echoes back to Tango, spinning on his heel. He held a wither rose in his calloused hand that had become immune to the wither effect the plant held. His fingertips were stained black and faded as they went down. He had lost full feeling in them ages ago, but that never hindered him. If anything, it helped since he didn’t have to worry as much about his own weapons and traps hurting him when he set them up. Not to mention facing down wither skeletons in the nether had become nothing but a simple chore. “You want to know why?”

“Yes! Why would you betray us like this? What have we ever done to you?” Bdubs’ voice grated against Impulse’s ear drums and he couldn’t help how he nearly crushed the precious flower in his fist.

Impulse walked towards his previous coworkers, circling them on top of Scar’s magnificent  Scara Junior. Impulse picked the black petals off of the rose, letting them flutter down onto the organic material of the stem, and lazily watched as they formed a circle of decay around his enemies. Ordinarily, just the petals wouldn’t do much, but the stem soaked up all of the withering effect that it could. It quickly spread to the point underneath Tango and Bdubs, and despite how the two tried, they were never particularly strong: in will or in body. Their coughs and groans as their beings filled with unwavering pain was music to Impulse’s ears, even more so as he felt the familiar feeling creep up his own legs and reinvigorate him. 

“What have you ever done to me?” Impulse’s voice raised, incredulous, before it fell again, black particles falling from his mouth as the withering effect spread within his body. “Are you serious? The better question is what haven’t you done to me?

All you guys have ever done is use me. I finish one job, and you guys want something bigger. And every time I’m lucky if I get even a little bit of gratitude. I help you with your games, I help you with your projects, I help you with your farms, I give you resources, I design new machines and what do I get in return? A ‘thanks’ and a guarantee that you’ll come back to me when you need something else.”

He kneeled in front of the two hermits, both of them holding their chests as the incredible, beautifully hideous wither spread through them, slowly draining away their life. That was probably one of Impulse’s favorite parts of using the petals over full flowers: it was a lot slower of a death.

He gently put one of his wither tainted fingers underneath Tango’s chin, lifting his head up so he could look into his pain filled red eyes. “Even you, Tango. The only reason I’m here is because you needed someone to do your work for you. I’m surprised you didn’t see this coming.”

Tango opened his mouth, a strangled sound escaping in what almost sounded like a word before it devolved into horrendous coughs that brought a smile to Impulse’s face. He dropped the other’s head, standing proudly over the men.

This was by far the best payment he could have asked for.

-----

“Stress, I don’t understand, why are you doing all this?”

Iskall was precariously balancing on the Logz blimp, his arms out as he tried to steady himself. This sight caused Stress to giggle, and Iskall’s disturbed expression at the almost normal sound was clear on his face. She knew, if it had been anyone else standing in front of him, he wouldn’t have hesitated to charge forward and impale them. But this was Stress in front of him, his best friend. He adored her, and she knew that very well. So of course she was going to use that to her advantage.

“You’re a smart guy, Iskall, I’m sure you can figure it out.” She said, catching how his eyes drifted out over the shopping district and to the roof of the Colored Complete shop. Now that she didn’t appreciate. She wasn’t harmless, perhaps she had to remind him of this.

She twirled a lingering potion in her hand, spinning it on her fingertip before gingerly tossing it at Iskall’s feet. It shattered, the sickly green liquid exploding all over the wood. The fumes quickly wafted up, causing Iskall to cover his mouth, but it was all too late. The poison spread through his body, making his vision sway and his stomach retch, Stress knew. She had tested it enough times to know the exact effects on a person, and she didn’t need a watch to know exactly when it would end.

“You should keep your eyes on me if you know what’s good for you, luv. I’m not some cute dainty flower, you know -- well, I am adorable, but that's not the point, now is it?”

Iskall was definitely one of the tougher hermits, she had to give him that. Most anyone else would be rendered incapacitated from her enhanced poison potions, but he managed to glare at her between wet coughs. He took a few steps towards her, out of the fading cloud of poisonous fumes, and took a deep breath of air. Not that it would help him much, considering the amount of smoke that lingered around them.

“Seriously, Stress, what is all this about? We’re friends aren’t we? What’s gotten into you?”

She rolled her eyes, groaning at such a typical Iskall response. Really, he couldn’t be more predictable could he? She pulled out a splash potion, watching the ink black liquid swirl around inside the fragile glass.

“You really think I’m so simple, do ya?” She took a step forward, watching Iskall take a step backwards from the corner of her eye. “Sure, we were friends, Iskall. But that got old real quick, it did. Y’see I got real tired of being this little do gooder that could do no wrong. The one everyone underestimated. I wanted to prove to all of you how easily you were to fool. How easily I could fool you.”

She grinned at Iskall’s wide eye and shaking legs as she took another step forward. “You’re all really stupid, you know that? None of you even thought to suspect us! And we weren’t barely subtle at all. Luckily for us, you lot were so happy to cling on to the idea of poor Falsie being behind all of our messes that you didn’t look any farther into it!”

She sighed, squishing her cheek with the palm of her hand as she thought about it. “I do feel a lil’ bad, you know. About Falsie. I honestly didn’t think you’d straight up ban her. Must’ve been pretty scary for her.”

“We thought-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know what you lot thought. That sweet ol’ Impy and I wouldn’t hurt a fly, right?” She tossed the potion at him, knowing that he was enshrouded in darkness. Even his mechanical eye couldn’t see past a blindness potion that she had made. She walked towards him, sliding her hand up his arm and getting right up close to him. She wished she could frame his look of terror when she whispered:

 “Do you still think that?”

-----

“Grian, mate, really you gotta explain this to me. All of this. I-I don’t get why you’re doing all this.”

Ariana rolled her eyes at Mumbo. “How many times do I have to tell all of you? I’m not Grian, I’m Ariana Griande. I swear, you all are terrible with names.” She tutted.

“Yeah, right, whatever your name is, you need to stop this. Please. Or- Or at least tell me why you’re doing this. We can figure this out, I’m sure.”

Araina’s heels clicked on the noteblocks she stood on, walking over them as she examined Mumbo carefully. She hummed every note that played with every footstep she took. Sure, maybe Etho’s work was more refined and practiced, but Ariana was known for her voice not her instrumental talent. And of course for her explosive and fiery personality. Why else would Stress and Impulse recruit her?

“I think the better question is why wouldn’t I be doing this?” She asked Mumbo as she hopped off the noteblocks and onto the white concrete that made up the roof of Colored Complete. It was more grey now from all the smoke, but she thought that it looked far prettier that way. Fire always gave things that extra spice they needed.

“What?”

“Oh, come on Mumbo. Are you telling me you’ve never wanted to create a little chaos before?”

He spluttered, looking at her as if she was crazy before gesturing to the currently crisping shopping district. “This- this isn’t just ‘a little chaos!’ Grian, if you think this is all some harmless prank you gotta snap out of it, man. This is way, way, way worse than anything else you’ve ever done.”

“Ariana.” She corrected him again before walking to stand next to him and survey her fine handiwork. She had to compliment Impulse, the nether mods definitely helped a lot with the fire bit. And the ghasts certainly helped in the blowy-uppy part. Of course, most of the larger destruction was her own direct doing and she was quite proud of it all, even if it had made her skirt flutter up a little bit. She could sacrifice a little modesty for the sake of her art.

“And Mumbo, my dear Mumbo, I don’t think this is some harmless prank or whatever. No, I think,” she threw her arm over his shoulder, the heels making the reach less awkward. She still had to pull the man down to her height, though. “I think this is art. Beautiful art.”

She let him go, happily skipping back over to her noteblocks and sitting down on one, crossing her legs as she smiled out over the marvelously demolished shopping district. Her smile grew as a blaze lit a lone piece of TNT, the explosion adding to the brilliant cacophony of sounds that were already in the air. The crackling of fire, the screeches of ghasts, the breathy roars of withers, and of course her favorite sound: the panicked screaming of the hermits as they scrambled to salvage as much as they could.

Really, did she even need to explain why she did all of this? Why they did all of this? It seemed pretty obvious to her.

“You see, Mumbo, it’s all about making a statement.”

[mycomfortblanket]

Let's Channel All Our Sadness Into THis

Continuation of a Tumblr Prompt, "I don't want to feel this anymore. I want to be numb." Heart has recently been torn to shreds so might as well make something out of it, right?

'I remember it hurt, watching her hurt,' is a line from some movie that continues to run through Aang's head as he watches Toph pretend to listen to the conversation that is going on around them. They're sitting in the living room of Sokka's apartment listening to his latest encounter with Zuko's sister.

She must feel him staring at her cause one second her eyes are trained towards the ground, unfocused and empty, and the next she looking in his direction. They stare at each other for a few seconds before she drops her gaze to her lap and picks at the hole in her jeans. It's been a week or two since the breakup with Kanto and she has slowly been withdrawing into herself. Katara had to actually show up to Toph's place and physically drag her to Sokka's. Normally, they see each other every other day or so since they live so close to each other, but none of them had seen her in days. She hasn't said anything since she greeted them all when she got here.

When she had announced their relationship several months ago, it was a shock to the group, but Kanto had quickly found his place among them, and became close with them all. So, when Toph had mumbled one night they broke up when she was asked where he was, it was a bigger shock to everyone.

"...What do you think, Toph?" Aang's attention is pulled from staring at her to Sokka. He isn't sure what the question was and he's sure Toph doesn't know either. She glances up at the group and senses that they're all waiting for her reply and the clear attempt to pull her into the conversation and include her somehow.

"What?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I said that we should go see a movie, we were thinking about either Old or Free Guy."

"Oh, uh. I don't know," she says, standing up slowly, " Listen, I'm going to head home. I've got some stuff to work on," she trails off and grabbing her coat, she heads towards the door. The rest of the group look around at each other, and Aang quickly stands up, beating Toph to the door.

"Yeah, I'm going to head home, too. I have work in the morning, so I'll walk with you, T.." She doesn't say anything in acknowledgement but waits at the door as he quickly says bye to everyone and grabs his coat.

Once they're out on the sidewalk, the only sound is their feet on the pavement and Toph's sniffling every few moments. Aang stuffs his hands deep in his pockets to protect them from the cold and racks his brain to try and think of something that could possibly bring her out of her head a little bit.

Right when he opens his mouth to say something, she cuts him off, "You didn't have to come along and babysit me."

"I'm not babysitting you," he says but his tone makes it sound like a question.

"I know you all think I'm a fucking wreck. It's evident in the way you guys talk to me," she keeps her face pointed down and clicks her cane against the pavement. He didn't realize they had been talking to her any differently, but now that she mentions it, he can see it. How they carefully pick topics that steer clear of relationships or something that might have involved Kanto. "I just need time to deal with it," she says, her voice low and sounding so dejected and tired.

"Yeah, I'll go check on her," Aang says into the phone before hanging up with Katara. That night they left Sokka's apartment, she had gone downhill quickly. He knew the breakup between Toph and Kanto had been bad, but he didn't think it would ever get this bad. She had began to refuse to see anyone or answer any calls or texts. Needless to say, everyone is worried.

As he waits for the elevator to open onto her floor, he starts to think about how he is going to go about talk to her. She isn't the easiest person to read or get to open up about her feelings so it will definitely take some care and consideration.

He knocks at her door a few times, but when he doesn't receive an answer, he tries the knob and finds it unlocked. Carefully, he opens the door and is immediately hit with the smell of alcohol and the sight of Toph sitting on the couch with her head in her hands, a bottle of alcohol of something sitting on the floor next to her foot. She doesn't even acknowledge the fact that he has just walked into her apartment.

Taking a deep sigh, he shrugs off his jacket and hangs it on the hook by the door and walks over to the couch to sit beside her.

"You don't need to come check up on me, Aang."

He casts a quick glance around the living room and adjacent kitchen and sees the empty bottles, take out boxes, and clothes strewn about the counters and floors. "Yeah, obviously I don't. You seem to be handling the break up well," he answers.

Toph lifts her head and shoots him a glare, her eyes bloodshot and she has fresh tear tracks on her cheeks, "Fuck you, Aang. I don't need your fucking charity check ups or conversation. I told you that the other night," she snatches up the bottle from the floor and starts to pace around the living room, taking a swig as she goes, "Just let me deal with it in my own way."

He watches her face and notices how she doesn't even grimace when the liquid goes down her throat. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and stands by the window like she is looking out and shakes her head slightly.

"It just hurts, you know?" she whispers. "I never knew something could hurt so fucking bad." She abruptly turns away from the window, a look of anger on her face now. "I mean, he says all this fucking bullshit to me and how I'm the best thing that ever happened to him and the next fucking week, it's like, 'Oh, I found someone else to stick myself in'," she takes another swig. "I don't mean anything anymore and obviously just something he can throw away after he's done! 'I never liked you like that, Toph. I never thought you were funny or smart or pretty, I just needed something to do'!" she yells and throws the bottle at the wall, shattering it.

Aang tenses when the bottle makes contact with the wall and when he looks back at Toph, he sees that she has her head in her hands and her shoulders are shaking with her sobs. He stands up and goes to her, wrapping her in his arms.

"I don't want to feel like this anymore, Aang. I just want to be numb," she says so quietly, he almost doesn't hear it. "I should have known better than to give myself completely over to someone. I mean, I fucking watched you get your heart shattered by Onji and I swore I would never let someone hurt me like that."

Aang tenses when she mentions Onji. Although it had been a few years since they had broken up, the subject was still a little sore for him. His first love had broken his heart and then gotten with the guy who had tormented him in high school.

"Does it ever go away, this feeling?" she asks, burying her face in his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he considers her question. Although it had been years, every now and then, the plaguing question of 'Why wasn't I good enough' or 'What did he have that I didn't' haunts him at night when he is lying alone in bed at night.

It takes him a moment to answer, to steady his voice, "I think it does. It just takes time, Toph," he whispers to her. He leans down and kisses the top of her head. He can feel the way her tears are starting to seep into his shirt, making the material stick to his skin, but he doesn't mind. He'll stand here for hours with her if it means she won't be alone with her thoughts.

He ends up staying the night with her, and when she finally passes out, he starts to clean up her place, throwing bottles in a trash bag he had gotten from under the sink. He cleans up the mess she made from throwing the bottle at the wall, and discovers that she had done this at least 3 more times, which explains why her apartment smelled so bad.

Around 2 am, he finally collapses on her couch and places an arm over his eyes. The reminder of Onji that Toph had given him earlier that day was sticking with him. He remembers how raw that pain was, how it stole the breath from him every few hours and brought him down to his knees. He wouldn't wish that pain on anyone so knowing that his best friend is hurting that way is hurting him.

He wakes up around 10 am to the sound of Toph rummaging quite loudly through the fridge. Rubbing a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up, Aang sits up on the couch and looks over towards the kitchen. Toph is in a bralette and shorts, something she normally wears around the house. At first, the rest of the group were kind of scandalized when they discovered this, but after a while, it became normal to see her dressed like that.

"What are you looking for?" he asks.

"There was a bottle of vodka in here yesterday," she mumbles.

Taking a deep breath and stealing himself for this argument, "I threw it out." Toph stops looking for the bottle and slowly stands up, turning her face over to him.

"You did what?" her voice is low and deadly. Aang visibly swallows but lifts his chin and chest in fake confidence, which he realizes is kind of stupid since she can't see him no matter what he does.

"You're drinking yourself to death, Toph. It's not health-"

"How I choose to handle this fucking breakup is none of your goddamn business, Aang," she yells, walking from the kitchen into the living room, pointing a finger at him. "You weren't any better, so I don't want to fucking hear it."

Aang stands up from the couch and moves towards her, "It is my business if you're self-destructing, Toph. I'm not watching you go down the hole I went down, it's not safe."

"Safe?" she screams. "Are you fucking kidding me? What's not safe is you throwing out my shit."

He takes a deep breath and places his hands on her shoulders, aiming for a calm demeanor, "Go get dressed. I'm taking you to breakfast."

"I don't want to go anywhere with you right now."

"Do it, before I fucking make you do it," his voice is low and steady. She knows that when he puts that tone in his voice he isn't screwing around. Toph crosses her arms over her chest and chews on her lower lip for a moment. After a moment of pouting, she huffs loudly and stalks towards her bedroom.

The tension drains from Aang's shoulders. He really has no desire to go out in public right now, especially with the mood that she is in, but his duty to her as her best friend out weighs his personal needs.

They're both sitting in a booth at one of the local diners and he can feel the anger still radiating off of Toph. The waitress picks up on it too because she cuts herself off halfway through the specials, and just scurries off to get their drinks.

"Go on, say it," he says.

"Fuck you for making me come out like this," she says, her arms crossing over her chest. "I was doing just fine, you know. I was handling it."

"Drinking yourself into oblivion everyday so you don't feel it doesn't count as handling it, Toph"

She just snorts and turns her head away, her lips pursed. Their waitress comes and drops off their drinks and quickly takes their food order and scurries off again. Aang thinks they're going to spend their meal in tense silence, but when he glances up at her, he sees the fight going out of her and tears swelling up in her eyes.

"Why are you even doing this, Aang?" she whispers.

He doesn't even realize he is doing it until he is out of his seat and sliding in next to her. His arm comes around her shoulders and he pulls her to him, letting her rest his head against his shoulder.

"Because, I remember this pain. I remember how bad it hurt, how it felt like someone had shot a hole right through my chest and left me to bleed out. Because, I can see how hard you're trying to be angry about the situation, but I know you're sad and dying inside." Toph turns and buries her face into his shoulder, hiding her tears from the rest of the world. He rubs his hand up and down her arm, trying to soothe her.

The waitress comes back with their food and sees the way Aang has his arm around Toph and gives him a sympathetic smile and quietly sets their food on the table before walking off.

"Come on, eat something. I doubt you've had a proper meal in days," he mumbles to her.

[greyfongschemmenti]

In These Arms | Chapter 7: The Metal Clan

Summary:

“Wait, Opal is an airbender?” you walk past the group towards Su who turns to look at you and smiles “Yes” Su responds smiling and happy by your enthusiasm. “That’s amazing!” you smile widely at Su but glance over at Lin who looks sour by the exchange between you and Su. “At least someone is happy for my daughter” Su quips at Lin and you catch her balling her fists ready to pounce on her sister.

Notes:

OMG We're at Zaofu! I'm beyond nervous and I hope I make these following chapters worth the wait for you guys. This was close to a 9k chapter, so it's like 3x the length as the previous ones. lol

Hopefully it's good for you peeps. These Zaofu ones will be the longest chapters in this part.

“Alright Naga let’s see if you can find it this time” you smirk as you wrap your cable around the ball, grunting as you throw it far across the open field. You look down and watch Pabu play with a small metal ball you bent for him while he is laying on his back. You’d offered to keep Naga and Pabu entertained while Korra had a work out and mediation session with the crew while Lin supervised. Korra and Lin join you as you pet Naga’s fur before throwing the ball again.

“Thanks again for watching Naga for me” Korra comes up next to you “Yeah no problem” Naga runs back with the ball in her mouth and gets excited when she sees Korra. Korra pets her and takes over as Pabu bounds over and climbs up onto your shoulder. You chuckle, scratching just below his ear while Lin looks at you with a faint air of disgust, causing you to laugh more “What… don’t like animals?” she grumbles a bit “Not as pets” she says folding her arms.

“Aw ease up Lin, the relationship between animal and human is one of life’s greatest experiences. There’s no bond more loyal than the companionship between animal and human”

Lin groans “You sound like Kya - a hippy ” you laugh “Kya is smart then”.

Lin turns to Korra “While you're playing fetch, four of the most dangerous criminals in the world are hunting you down. We should get moving.”

“Relax, we just got here. Besides, no one knows where I am right now except us.”

Naga returns and sets the ball down in front of Lin and you raise your brow, curious what Lin will do. “I think she wants you to throw it for her “, Korra sounds amused as she laughs. Lin looks down at the ball and sees it is covered with drool and grass. “I'll pass, thanks.” She grumbles “You don’t have to touch it. Give it a nice kick, Chief” you smile then notice movement coming from behind you and turn to see Asami running down from the airship “We just got a call on the radio about another airbender!”

“Finally! Where are they?” Korra lets out a happy sigh and walks over to her team

“A city called Zaofu..” Lin is visibly uncomfortable as she slightly sucks in a breath “…the home of The Metal Clan.”

“You know the place?” Korra turns to Lin “Er, never been” and crosses her arms uneasily at the attention on her - then Bolin butts in “y/n has!” causing everyone to look at you. Pabu jumps off your shoulder and onto Bolin as you take a step back, your cheeks redden from the unwanted attention “Woah…okay, yeah I’ve been. Lived there for a couple years”.

“What’s it like?!” Korra asks intrigued and you look over at Lin who looks even more uncomfortable “The city is actually quite beautiful, but--.” Lin interrupts you “I don't want you going there. I'd rest a lot easier if you were back safe in Republic City.”

“Sorry, but if there's an airbender in Zaofu, then that's where we're going next. y/n, can you fly us there?” Korra replies as you give her a nod “sure”, turning to gather her team and getting on the ship. You slowly follow, but turn around and watch Lin as she glares off to the side. Naga bends down and nudges the ball to Lin with her nose. Lin regards the polar-bear dog for a moment before bending out her cable, slapping it against the ball to deflate it. “Babe..” you lower your shoulders with a look of disappointment. Lin gives you a look, looks away and stomps back into the ship. Naga looks down at the deflated ball and lays down, pawing at it, attempting to roll it around. She makes a sad whining noise and her tail sags. You frown and walk toward the polar-bear dog “I’m sorry about that, Naga. I’m sure she didn’t mean it” you pet her head and console her “She likes you and Pabu, she just doesn’t want to appear soft in front of the kids.” you give Naga a smile but she curls up and you frown some more “Come let’s get back on the airship, I have some treats….” You try to cheer her up and her tail starts to wag causing you to smile “Come on” you wave her over and she walks beside you heading inside the airship. You dig around in your bag and take out some jerky to give Naga a piece“There you go, girl. Hope that helps”.

“Hey where’s Naga’s ball?” Korra asks and you glance at Lin who doesn’t say anything, turning to look back at Korra you say “I don’t know…. wind probably blew it away. We can replace it once we get to Zaofu”. You move away and glance pointedly at Lin before you go to the controls and set up course toward Zaofu.

           Once the travel is set you take a seat on a bench across from Lin. “Care to tell us about the city, y/n?” Korra asks you again about the city and you see Lin  glaring at the ground, you slowly turn your head to Korra thinking of what to say. “Uh.. like I said it’s a really beautiful city, very peaceful. One of the safest cities in the world, so not much excitement” you force a laugh and compose yourself “Maybe it’s best if I don’t say anything more. I would much rather watch your reactions.” You stand up and walk up to the dashboard, looking out at the landscape before you. You point up at a mountain side getting the attention of the crew while they are sitting or leaning against the walls of the observation area. “Once we go over this mountain side Zaofu should come into view if you want to walk over here and watch.” You wave the group toward the windows. They walk over while Lin stays behind. As the ship nears the valley you turn to watch the look on their faces. “Wow, it’s so reflective” Asami says, covering her eyes ``That's because the entire city is encapsulated with metal. It’s a safety feature. It opens during the day and closes at night, sort of like a flower” you comment and watch as Bolin excitedly presses up to the glass “Wow, wow, WOW! An entire city made of metal! Oh hoho! Why'd you leave?! You should be right at home, you too Beifong.” He turns to Lin before looking back out the window.

“Hmm...” Lin turns away from the window as Korra and you look after her sadly. You walk over to the control panel and steer toward the landing pad. You watch as a metalbender sends a cable out and loops it  around a hook under the airship. Two more metalbenders form stairs connecting to the airship. Once docked, Bolin runs out and the rest of the team follows after him with Lin still seated. Bolin yells out excitingly “Yeah!” as Asami stops and turns to Lin ``Aren't you coming?”

Lin scoffs “What’s there to see? It’s metal, big whoop. Just find the airbender and let’s get moving.” She makes eye contact and points at the team “And don't tell anyone I’m here”.

“Why not?” Korra turns her toward her, confused “I don't need to explain myself to you, just do what I say.”

Korra rolls her eyes and walks away “Fine. You got it, Chief Crankypants. You coming, y/n?” she looks over at you and you look back at Lin “Nah, I’ve experienced the city. You guys go on ahead. I’ll make sure the animals are safe from Grumpypants here.” you smile as Korra shrugs and hurries to catch up with the rest of the team. You look over at Lin and walk across to sit beside her, “Nice day to be sulking on a bench” you try to ease the tension. “You don’t need to keep me company. You can go with them” she huffs folding her arms and looking down. “Alright” you shrug, standing up and walking towards the window “But answer me this…why’d you tell Korra you’ve never been to Zaofu…” you slide your hands in your pockets as you look out at the city.

“Cause I’ve never been” she states flatly. Your eyes widen, turning around pulling your hands out “What?! You’re telling me that after all these years that you’ve never visited?” you say in disbelief

“Yeah”

“Wow” you look down and pretend to kick something on the floor as you slide your hands in your back pockets “But you’ve met your family right. Your nieces and nephews?” you look up at her -

“Nope” she keeps her responses short and you let out a low whistle as you walk back towards her and sit back down “I mean….I guess that makes sense. I would’ve noticed if Su’s hot older sister were in the city” you tease but Lin doesn’t look amused and you purse your lips before sighing leaning against the wall “Well…they all have such different personalities. Besides the twins, they’re identical. Very competitive and love the fact that they always have someone to spar with.”

Lin stays quiet, sulking on her bench “Want to tell me what’s bothering you?” not looking at her “No”

“Is it Su?”

No response.

“Okay I get it. Not so loud, Lin” you cover your ears as you fake a wince.

“I didn’t even say anything” Lin peers over at you as you put your hands down -

“Silence speaks louder than words, Lin…. And your silence is speaking volumes.” Lin rolls her eyes and slaps your hands down as you chuckle a bit, but she folds her arms and faces away from you.

“Come on baby, I’m only trying to lighten the mood” you whisper leaning towards her and she stands up “Don’t”.

You sigh - taking the hint and getting serious about the situation, “I don’t know what happened between you two. Maybe you can open up to me a bit or talk to Su and fix this estrangement?.” You lean forward as you pet Naga’s fur as Pabu crawls onto your lap.

“Ha fix, yeah right. There’s nothing to talk about.” Lin laughs in disbelief.

You sigh defeatedly “Okay, Lin.” Standing up, you pet the animals before walking to the dashboard on the upper deck before hollering out “It really is a beautiful view of the city if you want to come up here and take a better look!” There isn’t any response or movement.

“Wow - wish I could sketch the look of the metal reflecting the sun surrounded by the green of the valley and the sparking stream of the water...”

A few moments pass and you hear the clatter of boots and feel a presence next to you. You smile as you look at Lin in the corner of your eye “I’ll give you a minute to take in the view” you whisper and step away. Lin grabs your wrist and turns you around “You’re not upset, right?” Lin softens up a bit and you look at her confused but move your wrist away and instead take her hand and kiss the back of it. “No, it would help if you open up so I know how to help you , but like I said this is between you and Su. Whenever you’re ready to tell me. I’ll be here, open to listen.” You give her a soft smile lifting her hand to give her knuckles a kiss then one on her lips “I’ll give you your space” you step away and head downstairs.

*

After checking the supplies Naga starts growling at the door, followed by knocking and you get up to open it “Aiwei?!” you look at the truth seer “y/n, nice of you to return to Zaofu” you give him a stiff nod before peering over his shoulder and see the teens rubbing their necks causing you to chuckle “I should’ve known. I guess you guys couldn’t lie very well” you sigh, a slight smirk appearing on your lips - then notice Su

“Su!” you smile as you hug the younger Beifong sister.

“y/n! so glad to see you again sweetie.” She hugs you back and you wince a little “Glad to see you too, but remember about the whole ‘sweetie’ thing”.

“Oh crap that’s right. Sorry, honey.” she smiles sympathetically as she pulls back from the hug and gives your hand a comforting squeeze.

“Wait, you two know each other too?” Korra looks at the both of you getting a look from Su “You didn’t tell them?”

“Never had the chance, but I did tell them I lived in Zaofu” you defend yourself as you look at Su before turning your attention to Korra “I lived with Su and her family for 5 years, but I’ve been in Zaofu for a total of 7 before moving to Republic City,“ you explained to Korra and the rest of the team. Su rolled her eyes and folded her arms “And you were adamant about moving out…and right after your birthday.” She pointed her finger at you frowning and you smiled sheepishly “It seemed like the best time for a new adventure.” Su shakes her head and remembers why they’re here “Well I would love to catch up, but first can you please tell me where my beloved sister Lin is hiding?” you stand back as you glance up. Shit no time to warn her .

“Oh right, your sister…she’s on the upper deck” you point up and let the group in as Korra leads the pack upstairs.

*

“I found out why you were so against coming here. Why didn't you ever tell me you had a sister?” Korra folds her arms as she stands across from Lin.

Lin turns around in alarm and notices the audience “Half-sister.”

“Same Mom, different Dads. So what?” Su steps forward and puts her hand over her heart “We're blood Lin, and after thirty years, the least you could do is say hello.”

Lin who turns away from Su “I have nothing to say to you.” She gets angry with the conversation while the rest of the party looks sad while Korra is a little annoyed. “You two haven't spoken in thirty years?? How come?” she looks at the two Beifong sisters.  

Su gestures a palm out to Lin “Ask her” then she points back to herself “I've tried.”

“Oh, don't put that on me.” Lin points a finger to Su and her sister places her arms akimbo “You're the one who tore our family apart.” Su replies coolly with a smile “And you've done a bang up job of keeping it that way.”

“You haven't changed one bit, have you?” Lin snapped at her younger sister.

“Look, we can stand here arguing about the past all day but that's not the reason the Avatar came here. My daughter is thrilled to meet you.”

Korra smiles and turns towards the Chief “Lin, your niece is the new airbender! Isn't that amazing?”

“Yeah. Terrific.” Lin deadpans

“Wait, Opal is an airbender?” you walk past the group towards Su who turns to look at you and smiles “Yes” Su responds smiling and happy by your enthusiasm.

“That’s amazing!” you smile widely at Su but glance over at Lin who looks sour by the exchange between you and Su.

“At least someone is happy for my daughter” Su quips at Lin and you catch her balling her fists ready to pounce on her sister. Your smile fades quickly and to prevent a fight you put an arm around Su’s shoulder and escort her out the deck away from Lin “Su! uh...how about we go introduce Team Avatar to Opal and the rest of the Beifong clan. How are the twins…” you force a smile

“Oh they’re terrific - they will be so happy that you’re here, y/n!” Su smiles as you wave the group over and lead the way out of the airship. Lin rolls her eyes and takes a breath before slowly following with her arms crossed.

*

Walking across the courtyard grounds, Su is directing the tour when she guides you towards an arena where two boys bend a metal disc around three pillars in the middle of the court.  

“Those are my two youngest, Wei and Wing. They're playing a game called Power Disc, they invented it all on their own.” Su points out her sons while you look at how much the game has developed “I remember when they were little they had a little metal ball they would just pass along to one another. This looks like an actual arena. They’ve come a long way, before I left they only had schematics of how they wanted to build it”.

“Hey Wing!” you call out waving your hand in the air at him causing him to look over at you “y/n?!” he yells out as he kicks the disc away. His brother Wei manages to deflect it with a kick of his own and the disk flies straight in. Wing tries to refocus on the game and attempts to catch the disc, but is too late. The red buzzer above the goal post rings and flashes red. Wing falls on his knees then lays on the ground as he pounds his hands against the dirt in defeat. You wince feeling bad you distracted him.

“Oh nice power, Wei.” Su exclaims her son “Sorry Wing” you grimace as you put your hand down and hide it behind your head.

Wei cheers for himself “Ha! Wing goes down!”

“I'm so proud of those two.” Su says beaming as she leads the group away for the next part of the tour. You wave at the other twin “Hey Wei!” you smile at him before rejoining the group and catch up, falling in step beside Lin “The most competitive of the bunch” you whisper to her before stopping to meet the second born “Huan, I want you to meet the Avatar and her friends, and your Aunt Lin. y/n is also here visiting.” Su talks to her son as Korra steps forward “Nice to meet you.”

Huan doesn’t turn back to greet them properly “Hey” he looks at his sculpture in deep concentration “Wow, that's a really nice... banana? Yes, very- very life-like.” Bolin comments on his pieces. Huan sighs “It's not a banana!” he speaks out irritated as he turns to Bolin “I was inspired by Harmonic Convergence. It represents the dawning of a new age. Obviously.”

You lean over at Lin and whisper in her ear “Huan, the artist of the family, I’m myself a designer but Huan lands on the ah - abstract side of the spectrum.” You glance over at Lin then back at Huan “I think you two would get along” you smile as Lin looks at you and rolls her eyes, scoffing “Yeah right” Lin walks away, and you follow along behind her. The group makes their way down a path where you notice a young teenager dressed in a green dress reading a book on a bench “And this is my daughter, Opal” Su introduces her daughter to the group as you whisper to Lin -

“Opal, the only daughter and now an airbender, she’s friendly and easygoing, a sweet girl but she definitely has that Beifong spirit.” a slight wince at the word of sweet but nevertheless you smirk,

“What’s that supposed to mean” Lin cocks an eyebrow at you.

“She’s a lovely girl. Nice and caring but she can be feisty. She doesn’t hold back and can catch a quick attitude. Tough, stands her ground. Most likely has to do with having four brothers.” You fold your arms as you smirk.

“Four?! They’re five of them?” she gapes but she quickly composes herself.

“Mhmm” you nod as you smile watching Opal interact with Korra and the gang, then look over at Bolin curious of his intentions as he obviously flirts with Opal. Lin sighs and pushes past the group “Great, we found the airbender. Let's take her back to the airship and get out of here.”

“And the woman apparently trying to abduct you is your Aunt Lin.”

Opal’s eyes widened excitedly to meet her Aunt “Really? I've always wanted to meet you! My Mom has told me so many stories about you.” Lin replies coldly “I'm sure she has.” Opal looks confused by her aunt’s behavior. Approaching Opal you smile warmly and wave, “Remember me?”. Opal’s eyes widen even more as she recognizes you “y/n!” she runs up and hugs you. You smile big as you hug her back, picking her up a bit in the process.

“I’ve missed you so much! It’s not the same since you left. Kuvira is still here but she’s not as fun.”

You set her down and pull back “Well I’m here now. Heard the news, I’m so glad you’re the airbender we’ve come to see!” you smile as you give her a side hug while Su directs to the crowd.

“So I've set all of you up in the guest houses while Korra trains Opal.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. But I was hoping she could train with the rest of the airbenders at the Northern Temple.” Korra looks confused on how Su thought the visit was going to go.

Opal looks happy to hear the idea from Korra “That sounds amazing!”

“Nonsense. This is where Opal's home and family are, you can train her here.”

“I guess I could help her get started.” Korra nervously says as she rubs the back of her neck,

“Absolutely not! We're leaving.” Lin steps forward.

“She's just a little worried because there are a bunch of crazy criminals after me.” Korra makes a crazy face using her finger while explaining the situation to Su and Opal.

“If you're concerned about security, don't be. As y/n can attest. This is the safest city in the world. I will see you all at dinner and come hungry, my chef will blow the taste buds right out of your mouth.” Lin rolls her eyes as you nod agreeing with Su with a chef’s kiss before looking at Lin confused.

Korra smiles at Lin “Why do you have such a problem with your sister? She seems nice. Come on, we can stay a little while.” Lin looks to the side and growls as she folds her arms, you cock your eyebrows hearing her growl and cover your face, before walking towards her. Making sure everyone is out of hearing distance “As much as I love it when you growl. Your problem is with Su not her kids. Give them a chance. Zaofu really is safe, plus it will be good for you to relax a bit” you softly put a hand on her arm. Once the group has left to settle into their rooms you take her hand and tug her along towards the gardens, “Where are you taking me?” Lin whispers - she looks around as you pull her into the maze “For some peace and quiet. Something you might need before dinner”.

“Someone will see” she says in a hushed tone -

“Everyone is out doing their activities. No one comes here. Besides everyone is settling into the guest houses getting ready for dinner.” You guide Lin along the maze until you reach the middle where there’s a fountain and a metal bench. “How can you be so sure about that?” Lin looks at you skeptically “Because I used to come here to meditate or get away from everyone for a bit when I lived here. I love your family, but sometimes it’s all a bit much” you sit down on the grassy area and lean against the wall of the maze. “Come on, sit down” you say motioning to the grass. Lin looks at the bench and points at it - “I’d rather feel the earth it’s more calming than a cold metal bench” you motion Lin over, she sighs and grudgingly walks over to sit beside you. “Is sitting next to me so bad?” you tease her, and Lin looks down “No, it’s not you. it’s just… nothing” she looks away.

You pull your knees up and rest your elbows on them “Nothing? Hmmm, I could have sworn it was something. Maybe someone or somewhere?” you deadpan and notice Lin getting quiet again.

“Honey, you know I won’t push you until you’re ready…”

“But?” Lin interrupts

“But… I am getting worried about you.”

“Worried about me? There’s nothing wrong”.

You rub the inner corners of your eyes then down the bridge of your nose as you exhale deeply “Okay, babe. I’m just coming from a place of concern. I know firsthand what happens when you refuse to voice the problem and bottle it up instead. Those emotions go from emotional turmoil to physical pain and it hurts even more when mixed with stress. And you’ve been stressing since we left Republic City” You rest your arms on your knees and turn to Lin as she looks away toward the fountain not saying anything. “You don’t have to respond, but you can at least give me a nod if you’re listening?” you reach for her hand and hold it looking at her as she gives you a nod. You scoot up to start getting up when Lin pulls you back and presses her lips onto yours. Surprised by the sudden action you quickly relax and kiss her back slowly as you cup her scarred cheek when she pulls back, “What was that?” you whisper as you softly rub her arm

“I don’t think I can handle dinner”

“You’ll be fine, Lin. It’s food, what's the worst that can happen? The food comes to life?” your eyes widen as you put on a face of shock “Lin, careful the Koi is coming to get you!” you get on top of her and she has to lay down on the grass as you protect her from the imaginary fish. “Stop! Someone might hear!” she hushes you covering your mouth and you laugh quietly as you settle back down. A silence comes between you as you both stare at each other for a moment.

“You’ll save me from Su at dinner?” she whispers as you look at her confused your body softening at her worries. You give her a nod, tapping her hand covering your mouth to let you talk. She removes it, “Yes, I’ll rescue you from anyone, including your sister”.

“Half sister” she corrects you “Full, half, step, adopted, whatever the relation. I’ll save you from her” a smile appears on both your lips. Looking into her light green eyes, you’re unsure who leaned in first - sharing a kiss or two before helping each other stand to go freshen up for dinner.  

*

“Tonight, for your dining pleasure, I present a seared wild Kyoshi-Elephant koi paired with a ginger infused pea tendril, and hibiscus root salad.“ Chef explains the three dishes in front of everyone. “Stunning” Su remarks and smiles at Chef as he bows and walks away.

“Sorry dear, I'm going to have to take dinner..” a younger man, Bataar Jr, who looks just like his father runs up with a stack of papers and pauses in front of the door  “...in my office. I just had a major breakthrough on the tram station remodel.” Bataar Sr says as he stops by the door waving at his family.

“Well don't let me stand in the way of inspiration. “Su smiles at her husband fondly

“You're the best!” he calls out before rushing away with Bataar Jr in tow. You notice Su turn to Korra and explain who the two men were. Turning your attention to the twins “If there is something I missed from Zaofu besides you guys it’s the food.” You smell the seared wild Kyoshi-Elephant koi and smile at the twins seated beside you. “Yeah, never a bad meal around here. Isn’t that right Wei” Wing nudges his brother causing Wei to nudge him back laughing as they take a sip of their Lychee juice.

“Aw man y/n you have to play Power Disc with us soon” Wei looks at you excitedly and Wing jumps in “Tomorrow?” as he slips some of the fish in his mouth. “Uh yeah, sounds good guys. but wouldn’t we need a fourth player?” you smile and take a sip of your drink. “It’s a two person game so.. we’ll take turns” the twins answer in unison then give each other a look and nudge the other, “Well maybe we can add more players soon” you smile. The conversation gets interrupted by Lin raising her voice with forced enthusiasm “Hey everyone, my little sister is an expert on World Affairs now.”

Su turns to Lin and glares at her older sister “You want to talk about what's really bugging you because I'm right here!” As she has a hand on her waist.

Suddenly the door bursts open and the last person you expect comes marching in - your face full of shock “Varrick?!”

Bolin gasps with excitement like a fanatic “Varrick!”

“Well at least someone is excited to see him” you mutter into your metallic glass and slouch back in your chair then it finally clicks in your head, “Wait, what is Varrick doing here?” you lean forward in your chair directing your question to Su.

“Varrick's heading up my new technology division.” Su answers without any hesitation, calm and nonchalant that she just let in a former Republic City prisoner.

“I've seen the future and the future is-” Varrick brings out a classic U-shaped magnet, “Magnets! I'm working on a high speed rail that would revolutionize transportation and shipping as we know it! But that's not all, I'm- “ In the corner of your eye you notice Lin getting more and more agitated as she balls her fists on the table, cheeks getting slightly red. She looks like she’s about to blow.

“Alright, enough!” she yells and she slams her fists down onto the table, pushing her chair back and standing up - visibly irritated by how Su is okay with Varrick being at the same table with everyone “I'm trying to keep the Avatar safe and you're harboring a criminal?” Lin swipes her hand to the side at Varrick. Everyone quiets down, stopping their side conversations and watching the two Beifong sisters speak. “Ease up, Lin. Sure Varrick's made a few mistakes in his past but that doesn't mean he should pay for it the rest of his life. My chef was a pirate but now he's a culinary master. People change.” Su speaks to Lin calmly and tries to reason with her older sister but Lin points an accusing finger at Su, “You haven't!” she turns away and storms off. Leaving, she roughly shoves her chair, sending it flying backwards. You stand up from your chair as you watch Lin walk towards the door “Lin?” your voice concerned, and you notice Lin’s ear twitch, but then Korra yells after her “Lin!” causing her to continue walking out the door. She lifts her arm and a cable shoots out from her armor which she aims back to slam the door closed. You look down before mustering a fake smile and turn to the crowd “Maybe just give her some time to cool off? No point in letting this amazing food that Chef made go to waste.” You raise your glass and give a cheer while Varrick joins in “Couldn’t have said it better myself,” he smiles charmingly and you put the glass to your mouth and take a drink, sitting back down with a bit of a frown.

“Is Aunt Lin always like that?” Wing leans over at you

“Making an exciting exit? Oh yeah, always. You should see her entrances, memorizing. ” you quip as you stuff some fish in your mouth, trying to eat.

*

After dinner you take a walk out by the courtyard and sit down near the rock Opal was on earlier as you watch the sunset while bending the small piece of meteorite you have to relax. You hear footsteps approaching, but you don’t turn around.

“So…Lin never spoke to you about me?” Su speaks as she leans against a column and you sigh deeply, “Now that I think about it…no and she also never asked either, but she’s the chief of police. I’m sure she keeps tabs on you.”

“Knowing Lin I’m not too sure” Su pushes off the column and takes a seat beside you. You let a moment of silence settle between the two of you, feeling the light breeze brush across your face.

“What happened between the two of you? I know you told me a few things about how your mom gave you two all the freedom you want and your fight for her attention. Little bits about Lin and I’ve seen some of what you’ve warned me about…. but Lin isn’t all the bad things you made her out to be.” You look down, bending and twisting the soft metal forming different shapes.

“What do you mean?” Su glances over at you intrigued by your last comment.

“Well… since working with her on the force, Yeah okay she’s intimidating and abrasive at first, but that’s because she doesn’t have time for small talk. Plus, she’s passionate about her job. She’s committed, responsible, selfless…”

Su interrupts you - a laugh escaping “Lin? Selfless? Please she’s the most selfish person I know”

You glare at Su and bite your tongue to try not to get mad, but it doesn’t work. You stand up taking a step away from Su before facing her again “She’s put herself in danger and gotten herself hurt countless times to save and protect Korra and her officers. She’d do it again without a second thought. She doesn’t wait for someone else to do it, she takes initiative. She’s assertive.”

“That’s selfish. She’s only thinking of herself. She has no one” Su quips

You scoff in disbelief “Really Su, that’s your sister and she isn’t alone”

“You know what I mean. Of course Lin has her family, but who does she have in Republic City looking out for her?” Su shrugs as she stands up

“I don’t know. Tenzin for one. Kya, Bumi. Korra and her friends, me.” you count on your fingers before throwing your hands up in the air and stepping toward Su “You and I both know that sometimes family isn’t all about blood. Sometimes you go searching for it and find it through friendships. Like you with the circus, and me with your family”

“That’s not the same thing…. I found and created my family. All I want is to reconnect with Lin. Have my sister back in my life and for her to build a relationship with the kids” Su steps towards you “You must understand that don’t you?” her face softening while you run your hand to the back of your neck before looking at Su -

“I understand that Su, I do. It sounds like you two missed 30 years, are going to let another 30 years pass by?”  

Su rolls her eyes and folds her arms “That’s Lin’s fault. I’ve tried reaching out and talking to her. My mother and I reconciled, and we invited Lin, but she refused.”

“Yeah she’s stubborn and prideful, I know. I work with her.” You turn away

“If I didn’t know any better I’ll say you have a soft spot for Lin, y/n.” She turns to you and looks at you amused.

“Working together on the force does that, Su. We’ve sort of became good…friends in the year or so I’ve moved”

Su eyes you suspiciously “Lin has friends?”

“That's why I said sort of” you laugh “But Su…maybe this is the year you two can make up?”

“Hopefully” Su lets her arms down and sighs.

You give her a light nod and dust yourself off, smiling as you start to excuse yourself.

“I didn’t know that little word of endearment still affected you” Su softly speaks as you stop, your mind racing back to her and ‘Sweetie’ before you wake up from your thoughts and speak. “I didn’t know until I heard it…it’s not a word I use anymore” you trailed off looking down, kicking a pebble out of the way “..is she still on the guard?”

“Yes, she asks about you. Probably hoping for a reconciliation?” Su looks at you and a scoff escapes your lips “After what she’s done absolutely not. That relationship is done. I’ve moved on. You can tell her that the next time she asks or I can if I bump into her.” you roll your eyes and pinch the bridge of your nose.

“I get it. She broke your trust.”

“It wasn’t just my trust…. I mean we were drifting apart, but she broke me, Su. She’s not someone I would want back in my circle” you look at Su and she nods understanding where you’re coming from “Just don’t go disturbing my guards” Su looks at you.

“As long as they don’t disturb me” you smirk then look away “Alright well...I’m going to find that airbending daughter of yours.” you give Su and smile, heading out of the courtyard to look for Opal.

*

You smile as you watch Opal practicing some basic airbending forms “Hey Opal,  looking good!”

“Oh y/n, hey!” Opal tucks some of her hair behind her ear as she smiles “I’m so glad for you, of course I would be equally happy without the bending” you were quick to assure her.

“Thanks, it was a surprising and exciting moment when I got my bending” Opal smiles as you walk towards her, taking a seat on the steps of the pavilion and pat a spot for her to join you “You know...you should totally join the other airbenders - get to know the culture, the history, make friends who share the same experience that you have. Have adventures, create memories, glide around like a flying squirrel” you grin sounding more excited than Opal, talk animatedly as you look out at the night sky and see the stars starting to shine. You hear Opal sigh before she speaks softly “Yeah, I mean I want to, but mom wants me here close to the family. I love my family and I think I’ll be homesick” she pulls her knees up and holds them resting her chin on her knees. You nod in understanding “I get where your mom’s coming from. Family is important, but sometimes you have to do what’s important for you to grow. Your mom got to do all of that and lived her life. You’re just starting your journey and you should have the freedom to do so.” You look at Opal “You moving to train with the other airbenders doesn’t mean you don’t love your family. You’re just doing what will help you be the best Opal you can be. Make sure you’re living your life as Opal, not as your mother.”

A silence settles between the two of you as Opal takes in your words and you speak up again

“Sorry… I wanted to catch up and thought it would be a happy conversation but that didn’t go according to plan” you laugh nervously, and Opal joins in with you and shakes her head “It’s okay, I sort of needed someone’s advice or opinion on it”

“Anytime” you smile at Opal before you sense someone approaching and you get up,

“Well I’ll let you get back to your airbending then” you smirk and Opal wave goodbye and she gets up to get back to practicing her new moves. You run into Bolin “Uh…hey Bolin. Where are you going?” you eye him suspiciously before glancing back at Opal “Oh uh…nothing. Just um, taking a walk” he touches his index fingers together nervously and you fold your arms smirking “So your walk has nothing to do with talking to Opal?” you tilt your head over to Opal who is practicing. “Oh no way Opal is here? I had no idea!” he puts his hand on his head pretending to be surprised and you are not amused by his antics “Bolin, you can cut the act. It’s obvious you like her. Just treat her right. As long as you do, she’ll treat you the same”

“Uh..yeah, okay” Bolin nods and fixes his collar and you laugh softly, patting him on the back “If you hurt her. I know where you’re staying at.” you say sternly watching Bolin sweating a bit, before giving him a smile “Good luck lover boy”

“yeah...Thanks, y/n” he smiles a bit

*

After showering and prepping for bed you keep wanting to go and check up on Lin and see how she’s doing. Glancing around the courtyard as you make your way to her guesthouse, you knock on the door hearing Lin’s voice “Come in”.

You open the door and step in closing it behind you, “Hey just wanted to check in now that you’ve had some time to cool off” you walk up to Lin where she sits on a chair and kiss her head while she reads the newspaper. “Better?” you run your hands down her chest and kiss her shoulder up to her neck, noticing she is in her white tank. “I’m feeling better now” she whispers and turns her head to look up at you, “Let’s get to bed”

“You’re supposed to be in your room” her lips curl up as she runs her palm up your arm -

“I couldn’t sleep without making sure you were okay” you say softly, planting a kiss on her forehead. Lin keeps her forehead against your lips “Well I’m fine”.

“Is that you telling me to leave?” you raise an eyebrow as you run your hands back up her chest,

“No, I’m just saying I’m fine. If you want to stay… you can” she looks up at you as she rubs your forearm softly with her thumb.

“Okay, want to head to bed now?” you look at her and Lin shakes her head “No, I think I’ll stay up for a bit. I’ll join you later” she takes your palm and brings it to her lips and kisses it before you lean down and give each other a kiss goodnight.

           You slide the door to the bedroom and close it behind you as you get in bed and look at the ceiling thinking about how to help Lin. You know Lin wouldn’t want you to interfere with her family problems, but you have to help somehow. Lin reconnecting with her sister would be so beneficial for her. You don’t have the closest relationship with your sisters but at least you like each other and don’t fight every time you’re in the same room. You know if things were to go sour you can rely on them. You hope Lin can have that relationship again with Su. Before long, your thoughts tire you out and you start to doze off until the sound of the door opening and voices woke you up a bit. You groggily sit up and rub your eyes, quietly getting out of bed. Walking up to the door, you hear Opal’s voice as she opens the conversation, “I'm sorry being here has been so hard for you. When you showed up, I was so excited to get to know you. I heard so many great things about you from Mom and Grandma Toph. So, I guess I was kind of sad that you didn't want to get to know me” there seems to be a long pause as Lin doesn’t respond and Opal keeps going “Believe me, I know my family can be a little crazy and overwhelming sometimes but I would love it so much if you would be a part of it.” Her voice sounds hopeful at the end and you wonder if Lin would open up to her niece “Get out” Lin finally speaks. Your eyes widen as you hear a small gasp escape from Opal, shocked by the order “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”

“Get out!” Lin shouts at Opal you reach for the door but you stop yourself. You can't come out. You’re not supposed to be here in the first place. You force yourself to stay still and wait until the coast is clear before you enter the room. You hear crying coming from Opal as she runs out followed by the voice of Korra talking to Lin “What's your problem? Don't get mad at Opal, I asked her to talk to you because I thought it would help you snap out of whatever funk you're in. And I guess I was wrong.” Korra is raising her voice, that isn’t going to help . The sound of a chair scooting back echoes across the room as Lin stands up, probably turning to face Korra. ” Why don't you focus on fixing the World and…” Lin raises her voice “…stop trying to fix my family!”

“Su's right. You're never gonna change. You're always going to be a bitter, lonely woman.” Korra snips spitefully as she slams the door shut. Your chest is puffing angry from hearing those spiteful words and don’t hear any more footsteps, but you do hear quiet sobbing. You give Lin a moment before sliding the door open, seeing her with a hand on her face as tears flow freely down her cheeks. Your eyes soften at the sight and your heart breaks watching Lin cry and you rush to her and kneel in front of her, resting your hands on her thighs before cupping her cheek and softly stroking it. Anger starts to bubble inside you once again, balling up your free hand “After everything you’ve done for Korra. Protecting, watching over her, and she says that?! She had no right to talk to you like that, and for Su to say that to her in the first place. I’m gonna go give Korra” you groan “ -no both of them a piece of my mind” you get up seething and start to rush over to the door.

“No don’t” she looks up at you, quickly grabbing your arm as she stays seated on the armchair “Stop, you can’t….secret.”

You gently move your arm from her grasp and storm towards the door “Fuck the secret, Lin. No one gets to talk to you like that, not Su not Korra, no one. I won’t have it.”

Lin rushes to you, slamming her palm on the door and pushes - slamming it shut again while she fights back tears “y/n please” she whimpers. Her plea causes you to stand down, you push down your own anger and pull her into your arms, holding her tightly and letting her cry on your shoulder as you rub the back of her head.

“What’s the point if I can’t defend you, Lin.” you whisper then exhale deeply as you pull back looking down at Lin, cupping her face gently and stroking her cheek “You don’t need to defend me”. Lin refuses to look at you, feeling embarrassed to be crying in front of you, “No one, absolutely no one, has the right to talk to you like that”. You move your hands up to cup her cheeks stroking them softly as you look at you, “Baby, look at me” you whisper. Lin looks down shaking her head slightly. “Lin” you firmly speak above a whisper. Lin calms down a bit, looking up at you - her eyes red and you bite the inner part of your cheek “she’s wrong, baby” you whisper soothingly as you move some loose pieces of hair out of her face then look back into her eyes while your fingers continue to stroke her cheeks “You’re none of those things she said. You are a kind, strong, and beautiful woman,” you wipe the tears away before moving your hands down as she wraps her arms around you, gripping the back of your shirt. You rub the back of her head as she hides her face into the nape of your neck. You softly talk to her, “I know things aren’t good between you and Su, but that’s not Opal nor the boys’ fault. They just want to get to know you.”

“Su probably got Opal to talk to me as some tactic against me” she spat and you purse your lips as you kiss her head while you rubbed her back.

“Opal isn’t like that. She sounded genuine, honey” Lin closes her eyes “Can we not talk about this…. please” her voice cracking as she hides her face into your neck, voice cracking as she talks through tears. Your heart breaks for her but you nod and give her forehead a soft kiss

“Okay but come to bed.” You whisper to her as you bring your hands down to hold hers, lacing your fingers together and kissing the back of her hand softly while taking the steps to the bedroom. Letting Lin get into bed first, you climb in after her and wrap your arms around her. Lin turns over and lays her head on your chest, you let her cry quietly while softly rubbing her back to try and soothe her to sleep. “It’s okay, I’m here love” you whisper to Lin as you kiss her forehead softly, pulling on the sheets to cover your bodies. You continue comforting her and soon Lin falls asleep on you with her hand clinging to a piece of your tank.

That’s going to be the first and last time I’m going to allow Korra or anyone talk to Lin like that. I couldn’t stand hearing her say those words to Lin. ‘You're always going to be a bitter, lonely woman.’ Lin is far from bitter and she isn’t alone. First Korra and now Su... can’t they just back off? There’s a way to talk to someone. If only they knew that Lin wasn’t alone, not anymore anyways. If she’s bitter then surely there is a reason why.

 You look down at Lin and watch as she snuggles closer to you her face looking relaxed. Her hand slowly lets go of your shirt and wraps it around your middle holding you close. You put your hand up and carefully brush the remaining tears off her cheeks with your thumb, “I love you so much, Lin” you whisper quietly, pressing your lips on her forehead giving her a kiss then looking at your girlfriend, wrapping your arm protectively around her.

You just realized that this was the third time you told Lin that you loved her and you feel your heart speed up. You told her to her face awake once and it just slipped, but the other two times she was asleep, but still you meant it every time you’ve said it.

You’re falling hard for Lin Beifong.

*

Lin was thankful that she didn’t have to go through the aftermath by herself and she had you there. She wouldn’t have been able to calm down or get to sleep if it wasn’t for you. She’s seen you upset with Korra before, but never this angry. She had to use all her strength to pull you back and when that didn’t work she blocked the door with her body. Lin didn’t want you fighting her battles, she can take care of herself. She’s done it alone for plenty of years and she wasn’t going to start asking for comfort now. Thankfully you put your own feelings aside and listened to her, focusing on her needs and wants which you did. You just wrapped her in your arms and held her as she cried and she hated the fact that you saw her tears, but it’s not something you haven’t seen before. Lin felt safe around you, and letting you see her in a vulnerable state emphasized the fact that she can rely on you during these times. She used you as a human pillow gripping your tank as she finally dozed off, emotionally exhausted from the tears. She thought she heard you say something to her, but she was too exhausted to hear your words. She could feel your heart beating, warming to how affectionate and attentive you were in her hours of need - no questions asked. She remembers how you asked her to be yours and even though she said yes, it was at this moment she was starting to fall for you, not even fully aware of it yet.