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chronically-ghosted · 5 months

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Have Yourself a Moreno Little Christmas

rating: T

pairing: marcus moreno x f!reader

word count: 6K

summary: when the Morenos' happy Christmas is in jeopardy, you think quick and invite them on a trip to an old family tradition. If he’s grateful, would it be safe to tell him how you feel? But why do you think he might already know? What if he feels the same way?

warnings: heavily influenced by the movie While You Were Sleeping, your typical amount of angst for a romcom, mutual pining, ballet in the park, a moody pre-teen, brief discussions of losing a loved one (parent/partner), bad dad jokes, canoodling in the park, one steamy kiss and a few other softer ones

a/n: Happy Secret Santa @noisynaia! You had Marcus M as your number one Pedro boy of choice, and given that I’d never written for him before, I wanted to do something wholesome and sweet in the world of super heroes. The Nutcracker has always been near and dear to me so I hope you like this take on it! @pedrostories

This will be my last fic of 2023 so - much love, stay warm, and happy holidays! 🤍Masterlist

What do you get a man who has everything for Christmas? A tie? A money clip? Something aggressively manly that smells like woodsmoke, patchouli oil, and the raw sweat of a lumberjack after felling a thousand forests?

What do you get a superhero for Christmas? Indestructible tights? A decorative plaque for his swords? A life-time supply of gauze and iodine?

What do you get for your boss, superpowered and single, with the ability to turn a paperclip into a rose? A silver ball into a flat pancake? Decorative swords into deadly weapons? What do you get him that is even remotely useful or exciting or heartwarming when he is so busy with being a single father and mentor, a symbol and an icon, all while running the world’s foremost superhero operation?

Somehow, “world’s best boss” mug feels rather . . . subpar.

What do you get him if he’s become one of your closest friends? When you try to wiggle some sort of information out of him about a potential gift on one of the many long nights where you’re stuck together doing paperwork for the UN and the NSA – but he is annoyingly vague.

His daughter – a fiery mix of headstrong and thoughtful, soothed by a loving kindness that clearly runs in the family – is no help. She teases you with promises “oh yeah, definitely get him a new spatula” when you both know the man has never been anywhere near a BBQ grill. You give her the rest of the Reeses that didn’t make it into the community candy bowl anyway.

You can’t ask for ideas from his mother, or his teammates, the security guards at the headquarter doors, anyone with eyes (who’s not ten years old) because then they’ll know, you sure of it. They’ll see and that’s just not something you can ever, ever, ever bring up because . . .

What do you get for a man who is your boss, a superhero, a leader, a father, your boss, a very close friend, your boss, someone you very much admire . . . and as a result, have fallen deeply, painfully, achingly in love with?

Your still beating heart on a silver platter seems like the obvious choice. A bowl of your tears for unrequited love is a definitely strong second option. A lock of your hair so the FBI can easily identify you as his certifiably insane stalker – there we go, brilliant idea.

A kiss under the mistletoe? A promise for more?

That damned mug is looking better and better every day.

You knock three times, then one more before opening the door. Behind unnecessarily thick glasses, Marcus glances up, life returning to his face when his eyes fall on you.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir, but the president of Belize is on line one for you.”

The man with sticky, molded blonde hair sitting across from Marcus turns around and smiles. His teeth are freakishly white, all stacked together in tight, proper rows. His suit, freshly pressed and clean of any evidence of interaction with the world, carries a giant button on the lapel: Vote Tine!

“President of Belize, my, my, Mr. Moreno, you are a busy man!”

Marcus stands, his gaze peeling off you to the politician in front of him. “Mr. Tine, I apologize, but I have to cut this meeting short–,”

“Ah, it’s no trouble at all!” He stands, batting his hand through the air. “Just as long as we’ll see you at the next rally, right, Marcus?”

He holds out a perfectly square hand and with a tight-lipped grin, Marcus shakes Tine’s hand.

“We’ll see, Senator.”

“Wonderful, wonderful, alright, I’ll get out of your hair. Mr. Moreno . . .” he bows slightly before turning in the direction of the door. You catch a glimpse of him the instant the smarmy smile slides off his face as, with wolf-ish eyes, he evaluates you from your ankles to the candy-cane broach on your chest. You don’t smile as you shut the door after him – as if you’d be bothered by greasy politicians and their wandering eyes.

Marcus all but slumps back in his chair before taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes with his palms.

“Every time election season comes around, they all want the Heroics’ vote. Until Miracle Guy chucks Dr. Evil through the Empire State Building and suddenly it’s ‘we need these vigilantes off our streets’ . . .” He shakes his head and slips his glasses back on, watching as you take the vacated seat. “Sorry, none of this is your problem. What does the president of Belize want?”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better,” you say, tapping the corner of your pad with your stylus, “his slogan sucks. Justine Tine – just in time. I’m not unconvinced he didn’t change his name for the sake of a cheesy one-liner.”

A small smile cracks open the dreary look on Marcus’s face. His eyes flicker to the door. “Seems like the type, doesn’t he? I think you’re onto something.”

“So that’s item one, for the day.” You stand, curling your pad into your arms, you lean on Marcus’s desk, knee against the edge.

He stares intently at your face.

“Number two, I just checked our records and there’s no Dr. Evil anywhere in our data banks. The Empire State building is safe, for now, so you can stop worrying about that.”

You mime-checking off something on your pad and the grin on Marcus’s face softens.

“And number three . . .” you pick up the phone on his desk, that suspiciously doesn’t have any blinking red lights. Marcus frowns, noticing this for the first time, when you lift up the receiver and drop it down. His mouth parts.

“Belize has a monarchy. A king, not a president.”

The frown deepens. You wait. And light parts the sky.

“Oh. Oh – you didn’t – that’s – really?”

His eyes are round, wide, relieved, and you want nothing more than to run your hands through those curls. To rub those broad shoulders loose of their tension. But rearranging meetings and make up fake world leaders to give him a break is the best you can do.

“Yes, really. The Heroics are prepared to make a sizable donation to Tine’s cause, and he will thank us at his next rally. So, Mr. Moreno, your next meeting isn’t for another hour, how would you like to spend it?” You smile, tapping your hanging shoe on the ball of your foot. “I suggest using it to eat something. Have you eaten anything today?”

Marcus sighs, eyes falling shut for just a moment. “What, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, would I do without you?”

You avert your eyes before the heat in your cheeks climbs too high, his eyes on you, and you hop off his desk.

“Would you, hmm,” you clear your throat, your voice cracking in half, “would you like me to order something and have it delivered, Mr. Moreno?”

He’s chewing on the skin below his lip when you raise your head from the pad in your arms. Being indestructible is one thing; having his face entirely inscrutable is one of Marcus’s most impressive superpowers. He nods, the look of distant contemplation gone. He flips through a few of the notes you’ve left him on his desk – calls to return, items for next week, reports he needs to sign: busy work.

“Yeah, uh, that’s great. Pick something up for yourself too.”

The mood has soured and you’re not quite sure how or why it happened. A second ago Marcus looked like he was going to pick you up and twirl you around the room. Now, he doesn’t want anything to do with you. You nervously tap your stylus against your pad.

“Yes, Mr. Moreno.”

You turn to go, his head down, his gaze fixated on whatever isn’t you, when he calls out your name again.

“Oh, um, did you manage to get anything out of Missy abour what she wants for Christmas when she was here last Friday?”

You pause, remembering the uncharacteristically morose girl spinning listlessly in your chair while you watched from the break room as the hot cocoa warmed up in the microwave. You’d never seen so much as a pout on the girl before and no matter what you did, she didn’t crack a single smile.

“No, she didn’t tell me anything, but . . .” Now this is the part of your job that you loathe the most: trying to figure out the line. You saw Marcus as a friend, absolutely, but it’s not like you went and played volleyball on the beach with him, or went bar-hopping, or whatever it is adults with friends do. You love Missy more than you thought you could ever care about a child who isn’t your own, but you wavered how much to press her on her mood, because how did she see you? Nothing more than her father’s employee, most likely. In the end, you ended up getting one word answers from her until Marcus left his office thirty minutes later.

But here you go, overstepping boundaries . . .

“Mr. Moreno, is she alright? The last time she was here, she seemed . . . I don’t know, sad?”

Marcus’s jaw tightened, his eyes sharpened. You opened your mouth to profusely apologize when –

“Fuck.” Marcus tosses his glasses onto his desk and buries his head in his hands. The instinct to put your arms around him is so strong you take a step forward before you remember exactly who you are.

How do you comfort the man you love when you shouldn’t love him at all? How do you comfort a superhero, when he’s a father first and human second?

Keeping the desk firmly between you, you drop your pad onto one of the chairs and as slowly as you dare, you touch his forearm. He leans, not away, but towards you. He lowers his arms as you keep your touch on him. You squeeze once, looking down at his hopeless expression.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen with Missy?”

Marcus shifts his arm beneath your fingers, his fingers twitching, as if he wants to take your hand but instead puts his other hand over yours.

“This Christmas has just been really hard.”

The words are out of your mouth before you can stop them: “tell me.”

He looks up at you, eyes warm and wide in a way that only his can. Indestructible in the face of evil, inscrutable with his secrets, Marcus’s greatest weakness is Missy, and he knows it. You know you’re crossing a dozen professional lines leaning over him like you are, touching him like you are, asking him to open up. But you don’t care.

He presses his lips together, hesitant. He won’t look you in the eye. “You have to understand something first. Missy’s mom loved Christmas.”

His hand over yours tightens gently as if he thinks you’re going to pull away. You hadn’t considered it but your palm went a little damp at the mention of her.

Oh God, you’ve so played your hand wrong.

Marcus inhales, his gaze on your knuckles. “Isabel, that was her name, and every year Isabel made Christmas this big event. And every Christmas she bought Missy a little nutcracker. Missy was barely out of diapers at the time, I don’t think she even knew what they were, but she loved them. Thought they were the funniest things with their teeth and stuffy white hair . . . but he other day, going through the decoration box, Missy found them all and I guess she suddenly remembered all those Christmases with her mom and she, uh . . .”

He taps your wrist with his thumb, a tell he has when he’s nervous. The seat squeaks slightly as he adjusts himself in it.

“I haven’t been putting out the nutcrackers that Isabel gave Missy. The Christmas after she died, I couldn’t bring myself to put out any sort of real decorations, except for the tree. Missy was so young, I don’t think she cared. But as she got older, she never asked about the nutcrackers so I hoped she just . . . forgot about them. And she did, until she found them last Friday.”

“Last Friday?” You feel like you’ve been sucking on cotton. “Before she came to the office?”

Marcus nods.

“Oh, M-Mar-Mr. Moreno, I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.”

“She was furious that I tried to hide something of her mother’s from her. And she’s right. I was a coward.”

This move is an intentional one. You slip your hand out from his and cup his fingers around yours, as if guiding him. He finally looks up at you, guilt and shame and grief streaking his face like blurry rain against a window pane.

“You are the bravest man I know, Marcus Moreno. You’re a superhero and a single father. Most people can barely handle one. She’ll come around, I promise.”

You swallow the urge to bring his knuckles to your lips, and instead squeeze both of his hands and let go. You slide away from the desk, your heart tight in your chest when his thumbs pass over the palm of your hand. The look on his face is disappointed, you want to believe.

“Thank you. For listening and, uh, everything else. You’re right. I’ll just . . . well, I don’t know what I’ll do but I’ll figure something out.” He leans back, elbows on the chair’s handles. Marcus Moreno, or what you know of him, doesn’t like to dwell, so you watch some of the heaviness shift from his eyes the moment he decides to change the subject. “What are you doing for Christmas? Are you staying in town? Going to see family – or a boyfriend?”

The warm in your chest, lingering from his hands, suddenly bolts across your face. “No, no, um, no, there’s no one –,” Would it be pathetic if you fanned yourself with your pad? God, how does the man work in here for hours with no fresh air? “No, I’m not going home to anyone but I am . . .”

And suddenly there it is. A solution to your Christmas present debacle and maybe a way to save Christmas for Missy Moreno.

You shake your head, beating back the rising heat in your cheeks. “Actually, are you and Missy doing anything this weekend?”

Marcus seems taken aback from this sudden turn in the conversation.

“Um, no. I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”

“If you’ll let me, I’d like to show you and Missy something really, really special.”

You swear the tips of his ears go pink. “Uh, okay. Sure. I-I’ll have to clear it with Missy, but yeah, alright. What time?”

“I’ll put it in your calendar.” You smile and slip your stylus back into your pad. “Have a nice lunch, Mr. Moreno.”

He shakes his head and scratches the back of his neck as you head for the door.

“How many times do I have to ask you to call me, Marcus?

You pause with your handle on the door. “At least once more, Mr. Moreno.”

The mug drops to last place.

Good news.

If you’re ever stranded on a desert island, you’ll survive because you are already intimately familiar with the taste of your own foot in your mouth.

Why did you open with “Hey Missy, your dad tells me you’ve been having a rough Christmas?” to a sullen, grieving pre-teen?

And can time actually go slower, when the air is so stifled with tension? When you’re absolutely sure you’re breathing too loud?

You’ve been glancing at Missy in the rear view mirror for the dozenth time in twice as many miles. Her face is turned towards the window so you can’t actually see the murderous rage in her eyes, but oh wow do you feel it. Nevermind superpowers, this little girl could char you to a crisp with her eyes alone. Potential step-mom failure award goes to . . .

“So.” Marcus clears his throat and you tear your eyes back from the back of his daughter’s head. The fraught silence of the car stretches just long enough after Marcus’s statement to grate ever so gently – “um, how do you, uh, know about this place? Wherever, we’re going.”

You bite the corner of your mouth. Marcus doesn’t appear angry that you’ve soured the mood with Missy before the drive even began. In fact, he looks genuinely curious, the light in his eyes bright. If it weren’t for that single line between his brows, you assume nothing is wrong, but you know that almost frown. Marcus is anxious.

Great.

You settle back in your seat, trying to look as relaxed as you can in a pillowy jacket, your hat and gloves in Marcus’s lap, along with his own. The snow outside stopped falling only a few minutes ago, lining the trees and road with a crisp sparkling white. If anything, it ended up being a beautiful day.

You flex your hand around the steering wheel, trying to summon courage up through your body like your lungs inhale air.

“It’s an old family tradition, actually. My folks would take us out here every year to watch . . . to watch the show.” You glance at him briefly before checking to see if that piqued anything from the roiling black cloud in the back. It didn’t. You hadn’t told either one of the Morenos your plans for this Christmas day. “But I haven’t been back in a while.”

“Why not? And please don’t say it's because of work.” The lilt in his voice has you looking at him, long enough to watch a small smile uncurl. You really thought it was impossible for Marcus Moreno to get any cuter, but with his woolen floppy cap covering his ears and the little white bob at the end fluttering in the warm heater air, you force yourself to remember you’re driving a 3000 pound metal death machine if you stare, starry-eyed, for too long.

“No, it’s not because of work,” you grin back and his own crosses completely across his mouth. “It’s not work related . . . but um, after my parents passed away, my brother and sister moved across the country.” Your hands crinkle around the steering wheel. “I’ve spent most of my Christmas’s alone ever since. Coming here without them, i-it felt . . . wrong.”

In the rear view mirror, you think you see her move.

“That’s terrible. I’m sorry.” The weight of Marcus’s gaze, his own planetary gravitational pull, has your nose drawing down then over. He looks genuinely regretful of your situation and you’re suddenly hit with the understanding that not only did Missy lose a mother, but Marcus lost a wife.

Hell, maybe you can just continue up the bone and eat your whole leg while you’re at it.

“Mhm hmm.”

The rest of the car right goes on in silence, except for the faint, ghost-like christmas carols playing from the speakers through your phone.

When you pull off the dirt road and park your car in the cold grass with dozens of other vehicles, you can’t unbuckle fast enough. The patches of icy dead grass snap beneath your boots as you climb out of the car, and you’re struck in the face with a chilly wind.

The words are on your tongue as you look at him over the hood of the car, the breeze snagging the little puff ball on the end of his cap, his glasses already misting over.

I’m so sorry, Marcus, this was such a bad idea.

I don’t know how to talk about my grief or anyone else's and it’s been drowning me for years but I don’t want to pull you down with me.

I’ll drive you anywhere you want I’m so–

“Is this the Stanley Amphitheater?” Marcus takes off his glasses and rubs the condensation away. “This is where they have that jazz festival every summer, right?”

You’re so surprised by his tone that all you can do is blurt out: “yes.”

“So cool! I’ve actually been dying to check this place out!”

“Y-yeah?”

He smiles at you and you have to grab onto the door frame to keep your knees from buckling.

“C’mon, Missy.”

Tugging his hat further over his head, Marcus lopes forward and then he turns and reaches out for his daughter. The moment arcs, Missy’s stone faced glare demanding that he drop his hand, that he turn away from her, an inch away from leaving a mark that aches in a way that only a loving parent can feel from their loved child –

And she takes his hand.

You watch them follow the crowd, blanket in hand, just a few steps behind them, and you breathe out.

Across the stone amphitheater, a low murmur of dozens of eager voices vibrate in the dugout cup of the earth. Children squirm with anticipation in their parents’ laps, couples share lingering gazes over steaming styrofoam cups of hot chocolate, an air of excitement and delight hovering between chapped lips and knitted gloves as the sun arcs lower in the sky. Just in front of the large stage, a live orchestra prepares, discordant cords breaking and rising like smoke.

A man in a striped hat sells buttery popcorn and sweet, crunchy kettle corn in a small wooden hut a distance from the theater. A few families wait in line, children teasing one another behind their parents, their laughter light on the breezy air.

“So, what is this?” Your head whips around at Missy’s first sentence all day. Marcus looks at you equally stunned. The blanket you’ve spread across three laps keeps you intentionally close so you have to lean back slightly to see her face.

“It’s, um–,”

“Missy, do you like ballet?” You ask

Beneath her maroon hat, her eyes lift up, her back straightening from its hunch. You wouldn’t call her look eager, but you cannot deny there’s interest.

She nods.

“Well, what we’re about to see is a very special ballet performance. Some people who have powers like your dad, they don’t go into crime fighting. Instead, they use their powers to make art.”

She blinks, eyes widening. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

The fringe smile is hidden by a curtain of hair as Missy tilts her head down to her shoes, nodding. Marcus glances at you over the wool of her hat, surprise thinning the lines around his eyes.

“It’s getting kind of cold,” he says slowly, to no one in particular. “Anyone want some hot chocolate?”

“I do,” you wave. Missy nods, grumbling.

Marcus waves over a woman in a striped hat as she wanders through the crowd. The metal box, hanging around her neck and strapped to her back reads, refreshments.

He pays for three styrofoam cups just as the lights in the back of the amphitheater flicker and the orchestra winds down to silence.

Despite the burgeoning chill in the air, and despite the grief dividing yet binding the three of you, and despite the fact that this may be your one chance for Marcus to see you as anything other than his assistant, you’re hopeful. Maybe it’s the music itself, that way that music has to ignite your soul when you need it the most, or maybe it’s the spirit of the season, but for the first time in a long, long time, you don’t feel so lonely. In fact, you can’t remember a time you’ve felt more connected than you do with the people next to you.

Missy’s eyes are bright, flitting around the stage as if determined to not miss a single thing, the cocoa in her hands leaving a dark rim around her mouth that she is blissfully ignorant of. That already full feeling in your chest expands and you want nothing more than to hug her, hug her till she’s warm and hug her till she’s happy. Behind her, her father moves and it catches your eye.

Marcus has never looked at you before the way he is now. Inscrutable, undefined, but it packs such a punch in your chest it feels like you gulped down your entire cup of hot chocolate in one go. You turn away, fearful of what he might see in your eyes, and realize the enormity of what you feel, how it’s all consuming and tugs at you when you least expect it.

The music begins to swell just as the sun sets and the lights at the rim of the theater fade. You take a shaky inhale – nerves and excitement and memories good and bad weighing on your shoulders.

And then it begins to snow.

But not from the sky and it’s not yet cold enough for the consistent sprinkle. Snowflakes tangle with your eyelashes, in the wool of your cap. Then Missy gasps as a translucent ice crystal the size of her palm trickles down into her lap. Glinting like glass, the intricate design of the crystal flashes once before disappearing – not melting – just gone. Around you, other children hold out, giggling their hands as more beautiful flakes of enormous size flutter down from the inexplicable snow drift. A few adults reach out to grab some that burst like bubbles, a wondrous awe crescendoing across the crowd.

From the wings of the stage, a man and a woman, dressed in beautiful light blues and silvers, silks glittering with inset shimmering stones, walk across the stage, their arms moving slowly, thoughtfully.

In sync, they coax the air and the snow follows in a dance of white. Delighted shouts rise up as the snow and ice spin together, arcing and weaving, capturing the essence of a winter wind. The pair on stage bend, their hands flung backwards in a bow and the ball of snow shatters in an icy solar flare, the million white flakes fluttering over the crowd.

Out of the exhilarated murmur that overtakes the crowd, one noise stands out above the rest.

Missy laughs. She laughs as she watches a snowflake melt on the end of her nose.

You wish desperately you could squeeze her to you.

The crowd applauds the snow dancers, bowing again before exiting the stage, as a woman in black steps out. Her short-cropped hair is nearly as white as the snow still melting on the ground and her eyes are crinkled at the edges. When she speaks, her voice booms without the aid of a mic.

“Thank you and welcome to another annual Stanley Kirby production of The Nutcracker.”

Missy’s smile doesn’t fall from her face. In fact it widens. Your heart is pounding in your chest, as you watch her from the corner of your eye.

“I’ve been directing this play for twenty years now and I can honestly say I find something new and beautiful about it every time. Winter is often seen as the end stage, symbolized through literature and poetry as the time when we humans grow old. But I like to think that doesn’t always have to be true. Spirit, however you like to think of it, is exactly that: an endurance, a bravery, a force greater than ourselves that we can either embrace or let slide through our fingers. We hope you leave today with a little bit more spirit in you. Thank you for coming and we hope you enjoy the show.”

She bows as two men enter in from the wings, these dressed in brown and green, the crowd clapping for both the director and the new players.

A little girl, in ballet shoes and a pink dress with ruffles, her hair down to her back and tied out of her face with a bow, joins them on the stage and sits down in the center as the heavy velvet curtains pull back to reveal a backdrop imitating a hallway. With a large door, two round, gilded mirrors and a single chair.

The orchestra begins, the dancers lifting their hands with a wave of a conductor.

Shadows flicker at the back of the theater, eliciting shocked, almost horrified gasps from the crowd. But you know what’s coming. You don’t turn around. You smile.

Beside you both Missy and Marcus stare, mouths open, as eleven foot tall wooden nutcrackers amble down the stone steps between the seats, their knees stocky, their weight uneven as they march towards the stage. Their giant mouths creak and groan as the switch on their backs moves without any visible force. The green and red paint shines in the lights from the stage, their silver buttons glowing like stars. The dancers in brown coax them closer with a curl of their fingers and a bend in their arms. They begin to sway and spin across the stage, their legs outstretched and their feet curved into satin shoes, the little girl paying them no mind. Instead, she gets on her knees and waves to the marching soldiers.

More awed gasps as now teddy bears then porcelain dolls, the size of elephants, follow the nutcrackers down the steps, the orchestra keeping time and building a sense of whimsy and joy. The little girl bounds to the edge of the stage as the first wave of soldiers approaches. With a kiss from her hand into the wind, the first nutcracker freezes and then shrinks, the dancer behind the girl flicking his wrist. The crowd hums with delight as the nutcracker, now the size of a toy, floats next to the chair. One by one, the little girl greets the marching toys just before they shrink and find a place next to the chair.

With the last doll fluttering in the wind as it settles, the little girl spins and twirls until she drops into the chair and seemingly to sleep.

The crowd roars with joy, a thunderous applause swelling in the amphitheater.

But, best of all, Missy is on her feet, cheering and clapping. Her face glows in the light of the stage, her eyes bright and hopeful, her cheeks pink and chapped. In the shadows that flicker of people moving and applauding, beyond Missy’s curly hair, Marcus stares at you in a way that makes your heart grow bigger with every beat, his own silent music swelling the cage of your ribs.

He reaches out his hand for you and you take it.

He keeps holding you long after Missy sits down and the ballet continues.

A nearby park has set up Christmas lights in the trees and on the pathway. Missy, after promising to stay close, has gone and disappeared in the dark, off playing with a few of the other children who stayed after the show was over.

Families sit on benches under covered awnings, the dark night cold but not encroaching, a food truck selling churros and Mexican hot chocolate mystifying the chilly air into white puffs as they serve eager mouths and cold hands.

You walk the lighted path with Marcus, your arm tucked up around his.

The sounds of children laughing fill the comfortable silence between you two.

“This is going to be embarrassingly underwhelming,” he says quietly, the warmth of his body enough to keep a shiver at bay. “But thank you. That was incredible. I mean, I’ve seen The Nutcracker before, but this . . .”

He trails off, shaking his head, awe curling his mouth open.

“It’s pretty fantastic, right?” You smile up at him and squeeze his arm.

He closes his mouth just as his eyebrows jump.

“Kinda makes me wonder if I picked the wrong profession, if other people are using their powers like that.”

You chuckle lowly. “Ha, as if there’s anything you could be except a superhero.”

“What do you mean?” The tone in his voice makes you pause. Just around the curve of the path, you’re hidden by silver-dripped trees and frost-covered shrubs. No children run here and the lights on the path are muffled by the overgrowth.

His eyes are dark when you look into them, but dark in the way under the covers of your parents bed is dark, or the dark in your friend’s mouths when they’re torn open with laughter. Dark in a way that holds and comforts and sinks deep. White mist puffs from his chapped lips, nose pink and cold. The lint from his scarf has stuck to the base of his neck.

“You have to save people. It’s who you are. I don’t believe for a second there’s any part of you that could sit by and watch terrible things happen to good people. Your powers don’t change that.” You swallow, fingering the snaps on his coat as you stand face to face, the decision to say the words on your tongue nearly splitting you apart. “You saved me. If that counts for anything. You saved me from being alone on another really shitty Christmas and I–,”

The soft but determined press of his lips against yours brings silence to the grove, your words dissipating into the air like snowflakes. The whole of the world narrows down to the sensation of his mouth on yours; you forget the cold, the chilly burn on your cheeks, the sweat on your hairline where your woolen cap sits. You forget the sound of people in the distance, forget the lights in the darkness. He kisses like he works, methodically, confidently, and with intention.

His well-kept mustache tickles your nose, his lips a little torn from the cold, but the heat of his mouth warms you to your core. He holds you, his scratchy mitten against your cheek, the rest of him staying perfectly still, letting you savor his touch, commit the shape of his mouth, and by the quietest of moans rumbling in his chest, you think he might be doing the same.

In the split second where you think he’s going to pull back, he cups the back of your head in his glove, sealing the hair around your shoulders to the collar of your jacket. Emboldened by your soft inhale, he turns his head, opening his mouth and more of himself up to you, and you, in turn, run as far as you can with this. You slip your arms around his scarf, trying to get at the heat of his throat, as he gathers as much as he can of you into him.

You aren’t sure who eases you both back down from the clouds, who lifts hands and pulls apart, but your mouths separate, your noses inches from each other, and great plumes of white mist rise from your heated gasps.

“So I’m not crazy,” he murmurs, his eyes nearly completely hidden behind condensation. “There is something here. You feel it too.”

“Yes, Marcus, God, yes.” You close your eyes and bump your head against his as he sniffs in the cold, his cheeks flaming.

“That’s what it takes to get you to call me Marcus, huh? A kiss that knocks your socks off?”

You shake your head, laughing, your nose seeking out the solace of his warm skin. “‘Knocks your socks off’, you’re such a dad.”

“Yeah, I am. And you made my daughter happier than I’ve seen her in weeks. I’ll never forget that.”

The heavy rasp of his voice has your eyes seeking out his. You can’t quite find what you’re looking for behind the glasses, but his relaxed open mouth, the tilt of his head down to you, begs for more.

“W-wait – wait, Marcus.” You fight the sudden spark of images flying across your mind; his bare hands, free of gloves and mittens and wool, lifts your shirt up and those soft lips imprint themselves on the curve of your stomach; scorching water turns his back bright red as he tugs your knees tighter around his waist don’t worry I’ve got you; waking up to him stretched out naked and loose and finally relaxed. Your heart squeezes at the mere fantasy. Everything you’ve ever wanted, inches from your outstretched fingertips. “Are you serious about this?”

Marcus grins, kisses your nose, and pulls you in by your scarf, as if you could possibly get any closer.

“Yes, I’m sure. Very sure. I haven’t made a choice this easy in years. Wait, I want to look you in the eyes when I say this.” He lets you go only to smear the condensation away from his glasses. Remind him to wear his contacts the next time you go out in the snow.

Next time next time next time

“There.” He slips those thick-framed glasses back over his nose and then takes your hand. He holds it near his heart. “I like you and my kid adores you. I’ve been slowly going crazy at my desk, hoping that the way you smile at me is only for me, and that you don’t know anyone else’s coffee order by heart.” You huff a laugh, if only to loosen the knot in your throat. “What? I’m serious.” He chuckles with you before taking you into your arms again. His lips are warm against your forehead. “I’ve had it bad for you ever since you started, but I never said anything because I knew you were new to the city and you didn’t need your boss crypt-keeping on you.”

“I think the correct term the kids use is just creeping, but I get your point.” You tilt your head up into his waiting gaze. Warm like chocolate. Warm like the sturdy earth. Warm like . . . “And if my employment is the only thing keeping us apart, then I totally quit.”

“Good, ‘cause you’re totally fired.”

You both laugh into each other, mist rising from your mouths, the corners of your mouths splitting in the cold. The temperature is steadily dropping, but you can’t seem to care. In fact, one big gust of wind could blow you away, suddenly lighter than air.

“So does this mean I don’t have to get you a World’s Greatest Boss gift?”

He kisses your cheek and you feel it in your toes. “You’ve already given me exactly what I wanted.”

“Merry Christmas, Marcus.”

“Merry Christmas, baby.”

#pedrostoriesgift23 #pedrostories #noisynaia #marcus moreno #marcus moreno x reader #marcus moreno fanfiction #marcus moreno x you #marcus moreno fic #marcus moreno fluff #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character #marcus moreno x f!reader

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splickedylit · 7 months

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Just reread domestic diplomacy, so hype for the 3rd part. Was curious whether you planned on ever including other pale couples? I would love to see the meowrails or vrisrezi in this au where pale romance is actually. Romance. Lol. Anyway keep being cool (and share another snippet of the wip if you want pls 👀)

Aw, hooray! :D Tbh I don't really,,, plan these fics lol. This series especially I very much make up as I go, so I can't discount the possible future in which meowrails make an appearance, but I also have learned to make no promises about what's going to happen in uhhh any fic ever lol. But I can certainly share a snippet, since I'm getting writing done today!

Trolls don’t drink wine, it turns out—trolls don’t drink alcohol at all. When Gamzee sniffs at your cup thoughtfully, he’s already recoiling before Karkat makes an urgent, warning noise and yanks at his arm.

“<NO,>” Karkat says, and Gamzee rolls his lips back from a really startling amount of fangs and makes a low, throaty rising and falling noise that sounds disgusted even to your human ears. “<Have a cup of (noun, gesturing at whatever’s in the wine bottles with troll labels on them) or something!>”

“<Shit smells like (some kind of descriptor with ‘window’ in it, for some reason),>” Gamzee says, and reaches over to snatch up one of the bottles Karkat pointed him toward, popping the top off with a careless twist of his wrist and taking a much more appreciative sniff. “<Fuck yeah, that thing right there, makes good for motherfucker to have a good (fatal) time.>”

“<You’ll do good (warning shot) at worst,>” Karkat says sternly. “<And not with human home-cleaning liquid drinks. You would die. Die fast—and boring, not funny, not fun, got it? Humans drink home-cleaning liquid to get (troll-descriptor).>”

Gamzee chortles. “<I bet the fuck they do get!>” he says, apparently delighted. “<And then get (the fatal form of “funny” but flipped around to be a descriptor? A new construction, excellent) funny-dead real quick for because of they’re nasty.>”

“What are you guys drinking, then?” you say, and reach over cautiously to the bottle Gamzee’s holding; he growls a little, possessively, apparently just as a warning that it’s his now, and then gives it up and watches you hold it up and take your own big sniff. It doesn’t…smell toxic. Sweet, mostly, in a weird, thick, smothery kind of way that makes your nose burn a little.

“It is human safe,” says Kanaya, before you can ask. “I believe you don’t feel…tss. Intoxated, by it. But it is still very strong for you, differently.”

That’s all you need to hear. You pick up one of the glasses and pour some out for yourself—it’s just a little thicker than water, a pure, light gold color, and when you take a sip it’s like getting punched in the sinuses by a sugar cube the size of a building.

“Oh, fuck,” you say, and swallow with an effort. Your eyes are watering; your mouth feels aggressively candy-coated. “Whoof. Wow!”

Rose is laughing at you, just a little—not out loud, but you can tell by the way her eyes are creased and her lips are quirked up at the corners. “Yes,” she says. “Nectar requires some getting used to. Trolls cannot metabolize alcohol but they are…quite sensitive to sucral compounds.”

“Give it,” Gamzee says, and gestures insistently to have his bottle back, then reaches past the nice wine glasses to pick up a distinctly human red solo cup and dumps a hearty half-cupful of nectar into it, then pulls a bottle of something that looks exactly like faygo with alien writing on the label and dumps a hearty measure of that in on top of it.

“<You can have one of those,>” Karkat says, looking appalled. “<You (something)-less piece of shit. One, got it? What the fuck is wrong with you. And you’re not kissing me until you clean your teeth. I’ll get (troll descriptor) off your fucking breath.>”

Gamzee grins hugely and runs his tongue over all his fangs in Karkat’s direction, then tosses back a big mouthful of his mixed drink and gives a happy shivering rumble, fins fluttering and claws kneading delicately at his cup.

“You want?” he says in English, and holds it out at you, grinning exactly like he did earlier when he snuck a horn under your butt—like this is the kind of joke that has a winner and a loser, and he’s pretty sure he’s already won.

“Jade,” says Dave. “He’s bein’ a dick. You know you don’t have to take shit from this guy, right?”

“I know!” you say, and reach out to take the cup from Gamzee’s hand, holding eye contact in a way you’re pretty sure is kind of socially unacceptable. Karkat starts “Jade—” and then you take a deep breath and throw the cup back.

#Homestuck #Splickedydrabbles #Gamzee Makara #Jade Harley #Karkat Vantas #miracrails #anyway I'm entertaining myself lol #Humans drinking troll 'alcohol' HOLY SHIT IS THIS PURE SYRUP THAT SOMEHOW WANTS TO KILL ME #trolls drinking human alcohol: *noises of rapid organ failure*

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sissytobitch10seconds · 2 months

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Light as a Feather

Fandom: Grishaverse: Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows Summary: Nina is scared, so scared that she can't even get the words out of her throat. Luckily, she has five other voices to do the work for her when she can't. Warnings: Mentions of sexual situations, haphephobia, PTSD, and relationship miscommunications Word Count: 3,525 Ship(s): Kaz Brekker/Jesper Fahey/Inej Ghafa/Matthias Helvar/Wylan Van Eck/Nina Zenik

Archive link!

Their impromptu trip to Ravka and then return to the city that she was beginning to view as her home had almost made her head spin with the way that it had played out.

They had all been back in the country that she was born and raised in, the one that she had been destined to protect and likely would have died in. They had helped a literal living Saint bring down the Darkling and the Fold, freeing the country from the need that they had for her. She had returned back so that she could free the man that she loved with the blessing of the second most powerful woman in the entire country, the woman that she had cherished as a sister when they were training together.

Almost as soon as they had gotten back, they had more important issues to deal with. Inej wasn’t with them and they had mortgaged the Crow Club so that they could bring her out of the country with them the first time, which meant that they were fighting Tante Heleen back with a cudgel. She felt like almost nothing compared to the Nichey’voya and the Volcra that they had been fighting when they were working to bring down the Darkling. Per Haskell was furious that they had put the home he had grown so comfortable in to jeopardy but was quickly satiated when they revealed the amount of fanciful gifts that the king had bestowed upon them for their help in bringing down Ravka’s greatest menace.

Things were tense between almost everyone, with Inej being gone. She returned as soon as Mal decided that the ship needed to be veering away from the course that she had wanted. She came back and promised that she would only work with them for as long as it took for her to get a ship and a crew of her own, especially now that she knew how to sail.

Wylan was still working at the tannery on orders from Kaz, which they had all found slightly strange in the beginning. That had changed entirely when their leader revealed the fact that he was actually the son of a wealthy merchant that had decided that he was going to run away. Things between Wylan and Jesper had gotten messy after that.

Nina herself had been working in the House of the White Rose while soothing people’s emotions and easing the aches of their bodies. It wasn’t the best use of her powers and certainly not where she thought that her life was going to lead her when she was sent on that fateful mission, but it was good work. Kaz was keeping her informed of what was happening with Matthias in Hellgate even if he wasn’t breaking Matthias out the way that she had begged him to.

Then had come the heist at the Ice Court. The six of them were finally together for the first time. Jesper and Wylan bickered almost as much as Nina and Matthias did, though theirs seemed a lot more bitter and passive aggressive instead of full-out hostility. The long walk through the snow to the town that held the Ice Court and the boat ride to Fjerda had been the worst couple of weeks that Nina had ever endured and she had to go through training with Baghra and Botkin at the same time.

Things had changed when they had seen each other almost die. Apparently Jesper had learned that even though his boyfriend wasn’t who he had said he was initially, he was some spoiled brat that had just run away from his father. Matthias and Nina had gained and lost trust with each other often enough that it put them on an even playing field, one that something could be built on.

Nina found herself becoming so attached to Inej that she felt like her heart might actually burst when the other girl wasn’t around. She also noticed that Inej was closer with Jesper and Kaz, able to touch them both despite the issues that the latter had. Wylan was also growing closer with Matthias and Kaz, to the point where she had walked in on them being intimate with each other.

They took down Pekka Rollins and Jan Van Eck in one foul swoop not long after they had returned from the Ice Court. Inej had her ship and she sailed for six months of the year with frequent stops back in Ketterdam so that she could either repair her ship or restock on supplies. Kaz had taken over the Dregs and ousted Per Haskell when his own boss had tried to turn the gang that he had already been running around on him. Wylan and Jesper were living in Geldstraat, though it was common to see Kaz haunting those halls as well. Nina and Matthias drifted between living in the clubs to traveling to Fjerda so that they could try to free other Druskelle to living with the Merchant Council member.

Something changed during the time that they were allowed to live without someone breathing down their neck, without the threat of war or imminent doom. They found themselves falling into the arms and against the mouths of the people that they had once only called friends. It was tender and heartfelt and so new for all of them, but they were quite good at figuring it out. Nina knew that the Triumvirate and the king had a similar relationship with the Saint and her firebird, so she was more okay with it than Matthias had been at first but still awkward.

Now it felt as easy as breathing. She didn’t know how she had managed to survive without being able to step foot back into Wylan’s grand mansion and be met with Jesper’s long arms around her waist, Wylan’s sweet head tucked into her neck, and Inej’s soft lips against her own.

She noticed that the others were growing closer to each other the same way that she was with them and it made her heart soar. Nina’s favorite thing was to watch the way that Inej and Kaz existed around each other without actually having to interact, the way that Matthias and Wylan would talk about the newest book that Matthias was reading to the latter, the way that Jesper would pick Inej up and dance around the room with her when he was feeling restless. It was enough to make her feel like she was melting even when she wasn’t being included in it.

She was having one specific problem with the situation, however. Even after she and the others had permanently moved back into the Van Eck estate since they were wearing down a little too much to continue their rigorous travels, it was still there in the forefront of her mind.

The others could touch Kaz but she still couldn’t. She watched carefully as Jesper would walk up behind Kaz and wrap his arms around the smaller man’s waist. She watched as Wylan yanked him around by the back of his shirt when he was being particularly stupid or mouthing off. She watched as Inej tucked herself into the crook of his neck or folded their hands together in her lap. She watched as Matthias slowly trailed his huge hands over the back of Kaz’s head and brought their lips together in the most sensual kiss that she had ever seen. She watched, but she could never do.

It had been years since they had gone to Shu Han to get the blade from the living Saint for Alina. It had been years since she had watched the way that Kaz had reacted to her hand resting on top of his, the way that his heartbeat had skyrocketed and he had fled the scene before the job was even over. She couldn’t touch him because every time she thought about doing so, all she saw was the fear that was gripping those near-black eyes from something as small as her trying to check on him.

They were all healing from their issues, they were all growing as people, and yet Nina was still too scared to touch her lover.

The issue had gotten particularly big when she had walked in on Matthias and Kaz in the throws of passion and then was unable to get the idea of Kaz doing something similar to her instead of her husband. They had only kissed twice and both of those times had resulted in Nina nearly crying because she was so scared that she had done something wrong.

Her mind was a twisted storm of thoughts and feelings that she knew she had no hope of unraveling on her own.

She was seated underneath the large apple tree in the center of the green space on the Van Eck estate. She was watching Hund for Matthias because the dog was very easily excited and the aforementioned man was out on a date with two of their partners. Hund didn’t really require that much watching, so she was able to relax and let her mind wander.

Of course, that meant that she was immediately thinking back to the image of Kaz standing above Matthias and then the flash of what it would be like for him to be doing that to her. It was quickly followed by a panicked fluttering in her heart as she remembered the way that he had reacted the first time she touched him.

She moved her finger up to her mouth so that she could chew on the skin at the edge of her thumb just to brush off some the anxious energy now inside of her. She didn’t know how she was supposed to fix this situation when she seemed to be the only one that was having the problem.

She must have been sitting outside for far longer than she realized because the very man that she had been thinking of walked out of the backdoor to their home and then directly over to her. “Nina,” Kaz rasped in that dark voice that sent shivers up the back of her spine.

“Yes, dear Kaz?” she asked, teasing him to try and get the thoughts that were sticking like honey to her mind out.

He looked at her with pursed lips and a furrowed brow, which let her know that this was more serious than him asking her to help him with lunch. Carefully, he sat down next to her so that he was leaning against the other tree in the little space that she had found. Hund noticed that another person had joined one of his owners so rushed over and lapped at Kaz’s face for only a moment before he disappeared back into the garden to do whatever it was that dogs did.

“Love, if you wanted to talk then we could have gone inside. You didn’t have to hurt your leg just for me,” Nina chided softly. She may not have been able to touch her lover because of her own fear but she still was able to care for him in a number of other ways.

“This is where you come to think,” Kaz said.

She flushed a little bit. She knew that she was decently easy to read when she wasn’t actively trying to hide something, she was trained as a spy after all, but it was still incredibly romantic to know that she was known by the people that loved her. “It reminds of being back in the Little Palace,” she explained softly. “I miss it there sometimes, and it helps me think to be somewhere that’s comforting.”

“What are you thinking about?” he asked. He was looking at her with eyes that were dark and monstrous, a look that made her way to bow down to him and beg forgiveness for a sin she didn’t even know about.

Nina didn’t know how she was supposed to admit the feelings that were swirling around inside of her like the darkest of storm clouds. The words were all caught on the edge of her tongue and her heart was hammering like she was affecting it with her own powers, the ones she had before everything came crashing down on her. “I don’t know if I can touch you,” she finally admitted, all of the words rushing out of her like a dam breaking after too much rain.

Kaz looked at her for a second, his face completely unreadable. She wished that she still had her old powers so that she could have some idea of what he was feeling, but she didn’t. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t angry since that was the only emotion that he was incapable of effectively hiding.

“You don’t think that you can touch me?” he repeated, raising his brow at her. “Nina, we’ve touched before.”

“But you’ve always instigated it and I’ve always felt so bad afterwards,” she mumbled. She didn’t know how to explain what she felt at the moment and she was doing a piss-poor job at it. At the rate that she was going, Kaz was going to assume that she didn’t want anything to do with him and their relationship would end in tears.

What she was expecting to happen never came to pass as Kaz let out a small sigh and then shifted closer to her. “Nina, tell me what’s really on your mind.”

She knew that he had gotten that ability from spending time with Jesper, who was never able to put his feelings into words right off the bat. She worried the edge of her dress in between her fingers as she slowly said, “Do you remember back when we were in Shu Han? Talking to the Saint?”

“Yes,” Kaz nodded.

“I touched you to make sure that you were okay and it made you have a panic attack. It was the first time that I had ever seen someone react to me like that and the first time that I had ever seen you as something other than Dirtyhands,” she explained. She refused to look up at him and meet his eyes, too afraid of what she might see. When he didn’t have anything to say to her in reply, she continued, “I guess I just assumed that if I tried to touch you again then the same thing would happen. I know that you’ve been doing a lot of work on your tolerances and your haphephobia, but I’m still so scared that I’m going to hurt you again.”

Nina only looked up when she heard the creaking of leather, which meant that Kaz was doing something with his gloves. He wore them a lot more rarely than he had before, which had allowed all of his partners to get used to the sight of his pale, dexterous fingers.

He shifted so that they were sitting side-by-side instead of facing each other and then slowly reached for her. He was moving like he was trying to make sure that he wouldn’t frighten a wild animal. She had seen that kind of caution when Matthias was trying to figure out the best way to comfort their partner, or when Wylan was having a flashback and Jesper was trying to soothe him before it could turn into an entirely sleepless night. She had always been so sturdy and sure of herself, even when she had a relapse back into the craving for jurda parem, that she had never seen it directed back at her. It made her feel vulnerable and special in a way that she knew she could easily get addicted to.

She let out a low breath as she tilted her hand up and met him halfway. Their palms slid together in perfect harmony and then their fingers threaded together slowly. She felt the warmth of his body leaching into her skin and then shuddering through her entire form so that her belly was full of bright, white light.

“Love, back when you touched me for the first time, I had done no work,” Kaz rasped. His voice was low and soft despite the naturally abrasive nature of it. It was soothing and made her feel so at ease that she actually found herself relaxing into his touch. Her heart was filling more and more the longer that they were touching each other. “I was a broken man that let fear rule him. I was greedy and yet still somehow unwilling to give myself what I wanted.”

“You wanted…?” she trailed off, unsure of what he had meant. She knew that he had been in love with Inej since she had met the two of them not long before they had sailed to Ravka for Alina and Nikolai. She knew that the two of them had a conversation about touch and what they wanted out of each other after the destruction of the Fold, which was when Kaz had started changing for his beloved Wraith.

“I wanted you almost as soon as I saw you,” he laughed. Nina was well aware that she was beautiful, which was why she had always used that when she was working with the Dregs. It was hard for her to believe that Kaz had found her beautiful enough to want her when they first met because he had been an enigma wrapped up in a mystery, something completely untouchable.

He shifted again so that his free hand was brushing across her cheek. She felt sparks flood through her nerve endings there and she couldn’t help her eyes from fluttering shut. She was no stranger to pleasure, not when she had five partners and four of them were waiting at her beck and call to help fulfill her needs. Something about Kaz touching her in the way that he was felt more intimate, more gentle and connection-worthy than anything she had ever experienced before.

“I don’t know how someone like you could want someone like me,” Nina whispered.

“What, am I too ugly for you?” Kaz asked, though she could almost taste the laugh on his voice. He was teasing her and trying to get a reaction out of her because she was out of sorts and it made her want to start wailing like a baby.

“Of course not. You’re one of the most handsome men that I have ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on,” she sniffled. She tilted her head back when she felt his bare fingers trail down her jaw to behind her head so that he was drawing her closer. “Besides, only one of us can be self-deprecating at a time.”

“I outweigh you, I’ve been doing it for longer than you have,” Kaz mumbled. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the soft white skin of her neck reverently, like she was something to behold and cherish. It made a sigh drop from her lips even though she was biting them to try and hold back any noises. Her skin felt like it had when she had just come off of the parem, sensitive and hyper aware of everything around her.

“Kaz,” she whimpered. She wasn’t sure how much longer she was going to be able to handle that close proximity with him without reaching outwards to hold him herself.

She realized then that was what he wanted. Kaz was horrible when it came to actually telling them what he wanted, he often demanded that they draw it out of him. The only person that he would ever admit things to were Inej and the two of them were so used to sharing secrets that whatever Kaz had told her just stayed as another job.

Carefully, with shaky fingers and an unsteady heart, Nina reached out so that she was trailing her fingertips along the edge of his shirt. She turned her palm to the side so that she could drag her hand through the whisps of hair curling at his neck. He needed a haircut, she realized when she couldn’t find the stark line between the undercut and the long hair on top.

They were pressed together so tightly that their body heat had become one. Nina shifted so that her forehead was resting against Kaz’s and their noses were almost bumping against each other. He was so close that she could feel his breath against her neck and feel his lashes against hers when he blinked, fluttering like a butterfly against her cheek.

She tilted her head up slightly when she felt the muscles in the back of his hand flex to tell her what he wanted something. Their noses knocked together and then his lips were on top of hers because she had leaned forward to join them. It was something that they had done before, but she had never instigated it. He had given her permission in the way that his hand was still resting on the back of her neck, but she was the one that had taken the final step that she had always left for him.

“There’s my girl.”

#fanfiction #fanfic #writing #ao3 #archive of our own #soc #six of crows #sab #shadow and bone #nina zenik #Kaz brekker #polycrows #Nina x kaz #Kaz x nina #kanina #light as a feather fic

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ladykailitha · 1 year

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AO3 First Lines Tag Game

I was tagged by @strangersteddierthings appreciate the tag!! :D I never get tag in these things. I’m so excited!!!

Rules: post the first lines of your 10 most recently published ao3 stories (if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics)

I’ll Be Your Knight - [Ao3] -Steddie

Eddie always had trouble sleeping even before the whole shit with the evil wizard and almost getting eaten alive. But it was worse now. Now that he had nightmares to go with the anxiety and insomnia. Which was why he was awake at three fucking o'clock in the morning. He stared up at the ceiling wishing for sleep or oblivion... when he heard it.

The Promise - [Ao3] - Steddie

Eddie wandered around Steve's bedroom as Steve went to answer the phone. He wasn't surprised to see that the room held little personality. Not because Steve was a blank slate by any means. No, it was more that judging from what Eddie knew about Steve's parents and the way they forced conformity on him.

Thirteen - [Ao3] - Steddie

Steve looked up at the three of them from his couch. Nancy to the right, Robin to the left and Eddie standing in front of him, all looking worried.

Love’s Labor - [Ao3] - Dreamling

Hob tried to live as though he was going about his life as normal. Tried to act as he had for hundreds of years. Tried to pretend his best friend wasn't in actual Hell.

Target - [Ao3] - Steddie

"Have you ever loved someone so much that they light up the room?" Steve asked. "That when they aren't there it's like a hole in your chest? That your place in their lives is the most important thing in the world?"

Fractionalization - [Ao3] -Johnlock

Sherlock awoke first, not really needing the same amount of sleep that John seemed to require to stay upright. He rolled over and looked at John. It was such a strange thing. Of all the outcomes of watching the man he loved be flirted with so aggressively, the last thing he would have expected is waking up next to him the following morning. But here he was.

And Gives You Endless Support - [Ao3] - Sebastian/Rory

Sebastian twittered nervously at the door to the theater. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was going to star in his first production where he wasn't the understudy. The role of Jules was all his. Now if he only had courage to walk through that door and actually take it.

Green-Eye Monster [AO3]- Pre-Dreamling

Hob waved goodbye to his friends. They waved back, drunkenly cheering as the staggered down the street.

Friends in Low Places [AO3] - Pre-Dreamling

Johanna looked around the pub. It was certainly not as upscale as she thought Morpheus would want to frequent, but it had its charm, she had to admit. She really needed Morpheus's help and this was her last ditch effort to find him.

These Hallowed Halls [AO3]- Dreamling

The auditorium was packed as always. Professor Robert Gadling stood behind a wooden podium with a large white screen behind him.

Plus one! Because I thought this one was ten but it turned out to be eleven. Oops!

Beauty and the Beast [AO3]- Ineffable Husbands

Crowley stood on the balcony of the stately house. It must have been beautiful in its prime, but had long since fallen into disrepair. The only thing that was kept in peak condition was the greenhouse that held the most beautiful white roses.

So...yeah, can you tell I have ADHD? Hopping from fandom to fandom like a rabbit on crack. I do have like ten other Stranger Things fics that I need to get to my beta so I can put them up on AO3. But at least this gives you a good smattering of my work.

I tag... @oldpinghai This aught to be fun. ;)

#My writing #tag game #steddie #Ineffable Husbands #dreamling #johnlock

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lowkeyclueless5137 · 1 year

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Mountain Of Pride II

Back at it, baby!

Today we will continue with this very palace's exploration.

What we will cover:

-Even more climbing

-Idia lore✨

-Ortho demanding his ramen prize

2/3 seem to not have any connection to the palace. U-U/

But I will keep it brief, so we can move on with everything.

Now onto the thievery!

To say they had a plan... Was an understatement. So far their only plan was to climb the mountain and nothing else.

As you can guess, climbing it was meant with various degrees of success. Either they were shooed by the very aggressive locals, or they grew tired and had to find a saferoom to call it a day.

It was going a bit slow as per say, which was not nice for our group.

It didn't help that Leona did visit more rarely LeBlanc. Cheeka was always with him and every time Ortho or Riddle would take him up to give Leona some peace and quiet, he would ask about his uncle's heart being changed. At least they don't lack motivation. :'3

But things were a bit gloomy. And to at least cheer up the leader, Ortho demanded his ramen treat prize from Idia. And yes, he threw a tantrum about it, but in the end, Idia gave in and had to cancel his plans for the evening. Not like he had any, but still.

So the older Kitagawa kid had to get the 2 to some ramen.

~~~~~~~~

Ortho clapped his hands as the bowl of ramen was placed before him. "Thanks for the food!" Grabbing the chopsticks, the boy only digged in. Riddle shyly started eating as well, as Idia didn't really mind the 2, tapping something on his phone.

"Big brother... Your food is gonna cool down..." Ortho noted. "Hmmm? Right..." Idia was aloof, closing his phone and slipping it in his pocket as he grabbed his own chopsticks, picking a decent amount of noodles and staring at them, as if he was hesitating. "Is everything alright?" Riddle asked. "I'm fine..." The oldest of the 3 breathed out as he finally got to eat from his own food.

"We didn't get to talk lately at all~" Ortho whined. "I was a bit busy with commissions..." Idia mused. "Commissions?" Riddle tilted his head. "Just some appliances fixing through the neighborhood... The Nanami household pays the big bucks... Then again... That washing machine was a beast!" Idia mumbled. "Well... The Nanamis are loaded... That's no surprise..." Ortho pointed out.

Riddle would agree, but with Kalim still in here, the redhead would say that there is a whole new level of 'being loaded'.

"And... How was school? Exams will come around..." Idia mumbled. "It's a breeze... Right, Riddle?" Ortho smiled. "Mhm..." The redhead nodded. "Well... I guess for you it would be a change... The European exams formats are somewhat different from the ones in here... It can't be helped, really..." Idia shrugged.

"Also..." Ortho trailed. "What are you gonna do for the fireworks festival?" "hmm? Fireworks?" "Yeah! It's like, after the exams... Come on, can we go?" Ortho asked with a visible sparkle in his eyes. Idia exhaled, pinching the younger's cheek. "You know well that I can't refuse kitty eyes..." He smiled at Ortho's whine, before ruffling his hair. "hey! It took me a while to style it! You're mean!" "that's what big brothers are for~"

Riddle only exhaled once all 3 of them finished their own food and the bill was called. Putting the said yen into the small booklet that was given for the payment, Idia rose up first from the table. "Let's go... It's late..." He mumbled, all 3 of them getting out and heading towards LeBlanc. Already it was a bit dark outside. Tokyo never sleeps, but there are some parts of the city that are currently in a deep slumber.

It was at one point that the 3 encountered a quiet and empty alleyway. Idia seemed to shallow a buldge in his throat. "Ortho... Riddle... Promise me something..." it wasn't like the usual shy Idia. This tone was firm, full of threat. The 2 boys in question stopped to listen. "What is it, Idia?" The redhead asked.

"Promise me... You won't go anymore in that place..." Idia demanded, throwing the 2 a look full of unknown motives. "What place?" Ortho played dumb. "You know it well..." "I'm afraid... We are unaware of what you're implying..." Riddle mused.

"I mean the palaces, goddammit!" Idia rose his voice, Enough to make the other 2 back up a bit.

"I-" "Did you think I wouldn't know? LeBlanc has video and audio cameras... Tampering with mom's firewall is not as tough as you think..." Idia puffed. "But you do-" "oh I know very well what's in there... And the last thing I want is for you 2 to end up dead!" He insisted, grabbing Ortho's hand.

"It's for your own good, Ortho..." "For my own good?!" the younger yanked his hand out of Idia's grip. "You don't know that! You don't know what is good for me since you shut yourself from everyone!" Ortho raised his tone again. "you don't get it!" Idia argued. "Oh I do get it! Since they kicked the bucket, you keep blaming yourself! You blame yourself for something that never concerned you at all!" "DON'T BRING YUU INTO ALL THIS!" "OH I WILL BRING YUU INTO THIS! BECAUSE YOU NEED TO SEE BEYOND THE PAST!" the 2 yelled at each other.

"Enough, Ortho... Let's get going..." Riddle stepped in between, hand firmly onto the younger's shoulder. "We'll be at LeBlanc..." The redhead mused as he dragged Ortho after him.

Idia didn't follow them to LeBlanc tho...

~~~~~~~~

And how unlucky can these 2 even get?

Well... A few minutes after, they meet up with Jack, who noticed their distressed state. He did ask if everything was alright.

In the end, Jack was used as a hugging pillow so that Ortho can vent about how 'his big brother was an overprotective meanie'. Riddle didn't really have much to say, since it was a sibling drama and he felt like he had no right to mingle in it.

Jack suggests that maybe Ortho should show Idia why he thinks he's wrong. Currently, the 3rd party(Riddle) is siding with ortho, therefore it has to be some evidence able to convince Idia that he's wrong.

Ortho seems to have an idea, but Riddle shoots it down immediately before he can even voice it.

Meanwhile, Malleus contemplates on confronting Sebek.

In the end, he doesn't get the chance, as the group had to go again into the palace and get to the top of the mountain the next day.

Except that this time, it was oddly quieter.

~~~~(Tw for blood and gore)~~~~

As the Monabus was driving on the path, it was very present the silence and dread of someone watching them. "I don't like this place..." Spade shuddered. "It is very pretty outside... Wonder why none of the villagers are in here?" Heart asked.

"Perhaps there is some important event we are unaware of?" Draco tilted his head. "That's bullshit..." Knight breathed out.

Skkkr!

"why did we stop?" Draco asked, peeking in the front and noticing Axe and Rose completely stunned. It was a few seconds before the 2 hurriedly got down, prompting the others to do the same, as Mona returned to the cat form. "That is-" Heart gasped.

Blood... Limbs of shadows layed around as blood of them was used to write on the road 'it's your last warning'. "this is... Terrifying..." Gold trembled as Sailor only came forward, crouching and silently tracing his gloved fingers over the writing, looking at them intensely. "Not that fresh... But still it's no doubt that whoever did this... Took their sweet time..." He rose up.

"they might still be around here..." He noted.

"what is the call, leader?" Draco asked. Rose was silently looking at the writing. They were warned. Warned a few times apparently. Looking at Flame, the younger was devoid of any emotion. Either his acting was THAT good, or he was still piecing together the obvious.

It seemed like it was the latter, as Flame clenched his fists. "Oh come on! I don't give a flying fuck about the warnings!" He yelled. "Shh! Be quiet!" Mona nagged. "Oh hell nah! I know you can hear us! Get out of your hiding spot and face us like a man!" Flame again raised his voice.

Only a bird chirp was heard.

"there is no one..." Draco mused. "I say we should step out of this demonic shit... Dunno about you, Flame..." Heart rose his hands in the air. "D-demons?!" Spade seemed shaken up as well. "well, leader? What's the call?" Axe mused. Rose exhaled as he looked into the horizon. Still just a tiny bit before they reach the top.

"We will go forward... We are close nonetheless."

~~~~~~~~

This time, they proceeded by foot, since they were close to the top.

And at the top, there was a lavish palace. Roofs and decorations out of gold, walls covered in pure white marble and windows made out of stained glass. Luxurious was an understatement for the building description.

So the group decided to just get through a window.

Except that when they got close, they realised one crucial detail...

The whole thing, was a gigantic cardboard cutout. :'3

And of course, the shit fell apart just by Heart touching it. Like it was holded together with cheap glue... :'3

In other words: get ✨bamboozled✨

None of the thieves took it lightly. Maybe the warnings were right after all, they shouldn't have gone so up the mountain... It was all just for some show and amusement for cognitive Leona.

Gold recalls the creepy cemetery. Maybe that could help them uncover the truth behind the mountain itself. Rose agrees and thus, they speed down the mountain thanks to Axe and Spade's personas.

Except that at the cemetery, the whole thing was like a labyrinth. It didn't add with the eerie vibe it gave off.

So because they wasted so much time, the group decided pretty much unanoniously to just speed through the whole thing. Screw everything, they will be done with this in no time.

Except that the damned bird chirps were heard everywhere, which attracted shadows and in response, the group had to flee. If they fought in such place, where sounds get amplified throughout the whole palace, it is no doubt that it will spike up the security.

So because of the bird chirps, the group had to go back to the real world.

It was a bit late, when the group meet up at LeBlanc, for some advice from Futaba. Except that Futaba seemed very anxious and even Yusuke was in there, helping her. When Ortho asked about it, Yusuke explained to the whole group what happened.

Idia told them in the morning that he would leave for the whole weekend. And since it was Saturday today, he already was gone. He didn't say where or at who he was gonna stay and Futaba clearly wasn't able to hack into his device to see where he might be or what he was doing. All they knew was that Idia was gone. He never did things like this, so naturally Futaba and Yusuke were worried.

Riddle gives to Ortho the side eye, because 'you either tell them what really happened or I'll tell them'. And yeah, Ortho knew there was no escape out of this one.

So after LeBlanc is closed, Ortho gets to tell his parents about yesterday's night. He argued with Idia, Idia knew about the palaces, Ortho pressed onto some buttons and so did Idia... Maybe if it wasn't Riddle who stepped early in between, there would have been more damage done. Even so, the argument pointed out one crucial thing: Idia had to be in the metaverse.

And ya know, Ortho starts to feel a bit guilty. He wasn't that dumb, it was his fault as well for this situation. But at the moment, Futaba and Yusuke didn't lament over the possibility of grounding him... They needed to get Idia back before he gets hurt for real in there. Especially with that black creature and the grey one, who stole personas... That was a combination begging for disaster.

So the thieves group assemble. Wierdly enough, Azul comes as well. Epel says that he ws being tutored by Malleus and Azul was also with them when he got the messages. Azul didn't elaborate why he wanted to help for this specific mission, but Malleus allowed it, so Epel wasn't gonna pry. :'3

Cue big group going in. By splitting up, there were made 3 groups.

Rose, Flame, Gold, Fox and Oracle(she insisted to come, despite having no more persona) were going in the cemetery.

Heart, Knight, Sailor and Axe were going through the jungle.

Kraken, Draco, Mona and Spade were going through the mountain.

Communications were held by Flame and Mona mainly and for most part, those were good.

Now, onto the cemetery, since the other 2 were already explored... :3

Of course, it was as creepy and eerie as it was when Ortho and Riddle first stepped foot in it. It was a whole labyrinth and their best shot at finding Idia was to also check the gigantic elephant skulls, knowing that those could be great hiding spots or possibly safe rooms.

Oracle was the one who was losing patience the quickest. She was starting to doubt herself and if she would be able to find Idia at all. The rest were trying to reassure her, but it didn't do much to calm all the anxiety and nerves.

It was at one point, when they found a trapdoor, hidden under all this dust and darkness, that things went downhill.

The trapdoor was an entry to a long dark tunnel, that opened into a gigantic room. So far, there were obvious signs that this room had to be booby trapped, so with a pebble, Fox tested the theory.

The traps activated, but the pebble was alright. The traps were tampered with or straight up broken down to pieces whoever passed by in here, didn't really like the traps either.

That didn't mean it didn't perk up guards. Sure those shadows expected some caught intruders to just drag or finish off in there. They surely didn't expect to see 5 thieves, 4 who immediately got to business with attacks.

Unfortunately, because this is a room, with not much space and the shadows were coming in without seemingly a stop, they had to call for the others.

Except that the communications fell down.

At one point, Oracle pointed out the fact that on the floor it was some sort of gas. It wasn't gas, more like smoke, which rose and flooded the entire room. The group was pushed away by something, before a booby trap was activated, making the floor to crumble. Yes, it took care of the shadows, but now there was another problem at hand.

When the smoke cleared, the black creature was with them and clearly angry. Angry on why they didn't listen to him.

~~~~~~~~

"You really are testing my patience here..." He spoke, before turning to face the group. "yet here we are! In this hell hole! Just go back to reality and let's get things over with..." He made a dismissal motion.

"We are not leaving! My son is in here and I won't leave until I find him!" Oracle stepped in front of the others. The boy only tilted his head, before he puffed annoyed. "I don't even know you, ma'am, but we are the only ones in here... Now... You either listen to me and leave..." He mused, nails becoming claws as the person pointed one finger at the group.

"Or I'll make you leave on my own."

"I'd like to see you try! I'll get you down in a split second!" Flame declared. "Fla-" "I don't want to fight you... So comply..." The person cut off Fox.

"if we hold it occupied for a bit more, the others will come too..." Gold whispered to Rose, who nodded and made a motion for Flame to follow through.

FWOSH!

A flame wall ignited in between the group and the guy. "My last warning was known long ago... Yet you keep pulling on my leg... Really... You want to die in here?! Be my guests!" He declared. Fox tho, summoned Goemon, putting out the flames via ice. "not until I find my son... And you know where Idia is... So tell me, or suffer the consequences..." Fox, without the mask, declared.

The person flattered a bit, but still holded their stance. "Just... Leave me alone..." They mumbled. Flame was quick to notice the room darkening again. "Oh no! You don't!" He yelled, pouncing onto the other.

"Guy-" FWOSH!

The black smoke spread chaotically through the room, as the others just entered, exiting back to the cemetery.

No unknown guy and no Flame. Both were gone.

~~~~~~~~

Oh Oracle was in for blood. Rose was the one who explained to everyone else what happened and why Flame wasn't with them at the moment. So there it came a chase back to the cemetery, trying to find Flame.

Luckily, they weren't that far. The problem was that Flame was on his knees, as the other guy was in front of him, covering Flame with his cape as to somewhat get the illusion of one person.

~~~~(Tw for blood)~~~~

"Look where your idiocy took us!" the guy boomed. "You have no idea with who you are going up against." Fox mused, as everyone circled the 2, guns out. The guy only sarcastically rose his hands in the air. "Oh wow... Guns... As if those can do anything." He mused with a small smile, before one of the hands went to his mask, ripping it off.

Red... Blood trailed over the guy's face as he let out a loud laugh, arching a bit backwards as the hood fell off and the fire hair was shuffling in the air. Wind picked up around and rose, much like the blue flames, as a persona was materialising above everyone. Lowering back their head, the now clean face could be seen by everyone. Gold eyes shining a bit, as the guy had a smile of razor sharp teeth.

"I am... The monster that will get you out, no matter what!"

~~~~~~~~

That guy was none other than Idia. It was a bit hard to tell with the golden eyes and the flame hair, but it was Idia and he was putting out a fight.

Surprisingly, his persona have very weak attacks. But the buffs and debuffs he does are what cover up for that. Now, no one really wanted to hurt Idia, as he was the person everyone was looking for, but still, Idia didn't give a damn about it, always on defence and sometimes taking the group by surprise with attacks. He wasn't that strong, but his ever so switching strategy was enough to hold on against the others.

It was at one point that Sailor's attack missed Idia, instead hitting Flame. It was an accident, mostly due to Idia's evasion buffs, but still, Flame got the hit, which seemed to enrage Idia and therefore leave down his cape and resolve to getting physical with Sailor. Unfortunately for Idia, he wasn't a PE guy, so only the claws were the real danger for Sailor, who managed to throw him off easily.

And because he was thrown off easily, this allowed Fox to freeze Idia's legs and arms, rendering him immobile, even if it was visible his anger with the bright orange flames that rose up and also grew in size, just like untamed fire.

~~~~~~~~

"Idia..." Fox mused as he tried to get closer to the other. "DON'T! Don't think about it!" the boy yelled, flames oddly getting tamer, yet still maintaining that bright orange hue. "Don't touch me..." He mused, again struggling to get out of the ice he was holded by. Unfortunately, Fox was far more powerful than him. He had no chance of escaping.

"Idia... Let's all calm down a bit..." Oracle tried to slowly approach the other. "Nonono! Don't come closer! I will hurt you! I will burn you to ashes! Just look at me!" The other protested, orange flames gaining teal streaks here and there. Idia seemed to try and back away.

Thug!

"Big brother... I'm sorry..." Flame hugged the other from behind. Head hiding into the other's back. "I'm sorry for everything..." He said quietly. Idia halted at that, fire hair falling back down as it went into a darker blue hue, weaker as well. Idia only let out a breath, as he looked down. Fox and Oracle were fast to abuse of this window of no protesting, dragging both boys in a hug.

"We were so worried for you, Idia..." Oracle started, hand gently running through the flame hair, without getting any burn. "but... I-" "We'll figure it out... Together..." Fox reassured. Idia felt his hands and legs getting free, but he didn't try to escape. He only melted to the touch, flames returning to a bright blue along pastely pink tips. "I am a monste-" "I believe you are most certainly beautiful..." Yusuke mused. "But... I killed all those people... And beasts..." "we all did it in the metaverse... You'll have a lot to catch up to..." Flame mused. "Let's just... Go back home..." Oracle mused.

"Not so fast there, Shroud..." a doubled voice mused.

The group immediately halted, pointing weapons and guns at the one who called. There it was, in a very decorated attire, from colorful patterns to shiny beads that decorated the neck and hair. Lion ears and a tail were also quite real, as the face decorated in paint motifs was sporting a scowl.

Idia wormed his way out of the hug, staying in front of the group. "You promised me something, Shroud..." Cognitive Leona shrugged. "That you'll get the intruders out... So I can let you have your lunch in peace..." He added. A chirp was heard as above them, the same blue firebird was flying, before resting onto Idia's shoulder.

Leona only flicked his fingers. "I believe, you failed, Shroud... All high and mighty... And yet only a petty liar in search for blood... Should've gotten rid of you when you begged for forgiveness..." The palace ruler turned onto his heel, hand again flicking its fingers. Idia was ready to slice him into pieces.

"I'll have to get rid of all of you, I guess..." He mumbled, walking away as in his place, guards and hyenas appeared, ready to get onto the group.

"Can I run them over?" Axe piped in. "be my guest..." Kraken motioned. "They are weak to electricity..." Idia called. Knight only jumped in front, summoning his own persona who zapped the shadows, rendering them weak.

"Let's move!" Axe summoned his persona, everyone else hopping in. "Come on, Idia..." Oracle yanked the other by the collar, tossing him inside as well. Spade also summoned his own persona, going on with knight behind the limo, the latter using his own persona to weaken the shadows when they cased after them.

BANG! CRASH!

"Epel... We need to hold driving lessons..." Azul groaned, laying under the pile of people on the LeBlanc cafe floor.

~~~~~~~~

Idia was tired, much like the rest. So for the night, Futaba let all of them to have a sleepover(and hog Riddle's room), while she, Yusuke, Ortho and Idia have a family talk at home. They were close by, so if by chance these idiots start a fire, they'll be here in less than 15 mins.

Cue Riddle just trying his best to keep these cuddle bugs out of his bed. It's HIS bed!

In the end, small talk, small topics to get them off the current mishap, they reached the topic of Malleus and Azul (as if it wasn't obvious from the way the 2 cuddled on the couch). Cue Ace trying to get the name of the 3rd person in the poly.

Malleus says that they all meet him quite recently, which makes all of them to point fingers at one another. It was amusing for Azul at the least.

In the end, Vil pops their bubble (through the gc), and tells them that Malleus reffers to Idia. When asked how he knows, Vil said that as Idia's best friend, he couldn't hide romance problems from him.

To say they lose their shit is an understatement. Epel flips his things first. :'3

And that's it for now! :3

Yep... Didn't write for this one in a long time. :'3

But here it is! We are still far from the boss fight! But at least we figured something out... :3

Until next time! Buh bye!

#twisted wonderland #p5 x twst #Yay! Update!#With sum angst

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foxwithashortsword · 2 years

Text

Alright, now that the bastards are an approved concept in my minds eye we can begin the introductions.

So let’s get started with Atlas.

Atlas is, out of all the ‘Bastards’, one of the more closely tied to the og timeline; Less of a major or fundamental change compared to some of the others, but still very much altered.

For one, The gems are not fond of him their love of Rose and resentment of Greg have become a boiling pot of anger and hate that they reflect onto Steven; riding the scale of passive aggressive to downright brutal and violent, actions ranging from hurtful comments and neglect for his human needs to extreme physical torment.

This is life for him for about 16 years, mounting trust issues, trauma, and scars. The boiling point rises around 17 where he begins to even attempt to talk back against their torment using the small amount of confidence he’d gained through Connie’s support…Doesn’t go well.

To the gems, the only thing worse than Steven is a Steven who is not afraid or completely submissive to them and they quickly go to extremes to stomp out the small ember of rebellion he exhibits… using The Burning Room.

Now there’s no goddamn way he’d have survived if not for the healing powers he had luckily picked up despite not being trained in any of his powers. He wasn’t trained as a kid not just because of the gems’ lack of care for his lively-hood but also due to the early revelation of his Diamond heritage. (Three gems and a baby but Pearl didn’t give a fuck) They didn’t want him to have the power to fight back. But unfortunately for them, their actions just sealed their fate.

…Left alone on the smoking floor of the burning room, the molten skin on the eyeless side of his head sticking to the floor, The Shattered Atlas of a boy made a promise to return the favor of fire to his tormentors.

Now, it has been a popular head cannon that Pink Diamond had pyromanic powers, and that’s a head cannon I fully support. And evidently so, as Atlas remains compliant until the fire under the surface blazes out from the pores of his skin in the form of pink flames and burns the site of his torment to rubble…

From here his story mainly continues into the territory of the merged lines. But that’s his general story.

#oh yes the pyromancer with social anxiety #arson everywhere #my aus #Atlas #steven universe #steven universe future #su future #su #steven quartz universe #suf #su steven

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xxlost-cityxx · 3 years

Text

ABSOLUTELY NO MINORS

Ship/Characters: Top!Kirishima Eijirou, Bottom!Bakugou Katsuki

TW/CW: camming(Bakugou's a camboy), rough anal sex, anal fingering, choking, spanking, begging, crying, overstimulation, praising, degrading, enthusiastic consent

Summary: Bakugou's famous for being in the top 3 best doms for a camboy porn site, but as he tries to out rank an up and rising couple, his fans get to see the moment he realises he's a submissive bottom

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

Katsuk has been a camboy for a little over 2 years now, starting right off the bat once he graduated high school. As he was 18 and living on his own and with a low paying job, he quickly realized he needed another source of income to live even slightly comfortably in today's world. Then came a random ad that just so happened to catch his eye, a porn site catching a lot of popularity, a few cam stars seeming to live a life of luxury from simply filming themselves for anyone to see.

Katsuki had to try it out.

He's had his fair share of horny old men groping him out in public, so why not get paid for them to watch him instead?

That plan was one of his best ideas yet. He rose to fame so quickly he choked on water after posting his 4th video ever, seeing that his rough, aggressive attitude turned a lot of people on. A lot meant 14,000 at the time. A month into camming and he was making over 54,000 yen a week! And now, with nearly 500,000 perverts at his mercy, it was much more. He started live streaming last year, and it went amazing. Until a new couple joined the camming business. Suddenly 'loving boyfriend rails his curvy brown haired slut' was all anyone wanted to see. This broccoli headed bitch stole half the damn site from almost every other cammer out there!

So there was only one thing Katsuki could do now.

He had to fuck someone on one of his streams.

He blew up the first time he fucked a flesh light, degrading the inanimate object like no tomorrow, easily being labeled one of the best doms out there. So the only way to get back on top was to dom a real person.

But he wasn't going to fuck one of his weird ass fans, god no. He needed to find someone close to him who would keep their mouth shut.

After brainstorming and browsing the most popular porn categories, he got an idea. The best way to narrow down his options for what type of person he'd need is by his audience. He quickly went to his profile insights, his eyes narrowing as over 60% were females. He quickly smirked, easily going back to the most popular categories and filtering out what he didn't want to do and what his audience wouldn't be into. And the one that came out ontop, was gay shit. Katsuki was going to dom a guy. And if it meant coming out on top over all the useless cammers, he'd fuck the shit out of a twink.

"Sorry man, I would've considered it back when we first graduated, but Hitoshi and Kyo would rather stab you than let me take your dick up my ass." Denki said, casually sighing and taking a sip of his coffee. The elders around the coffee shop gasped, giving nasty side eyes which Katsuki couldn't care less about. "What!?" He nearly shouted, Sero and Mina covering their mouths to prevent any laughter from coming out to the point their faces were turning red.

"Why not ask Sero-" "-Oh hell no! I'm not letting Katsudon fuck me on camera!" Sero shouted, ignoring Bakugou's glare from calling him Katsudon.

"You really need to fuck a guy for this? Why not stick to your usual content? No.2 is better than much else, right?" "Hell no! I'm the best and I'm going to prove I'm the fuckin' best! Denki's the only twink I know, so help me find another!" Katsuki yelled, a few families being rushed out of the shop.

After going through everyone that fit Bakugou's qualifications. They had nothing. Bakugou was ready to tear someone's head off at this point. After doing so much research, he didn't have the final piece.

"Hey Mina, you're a chick. What do you suggest 'suki do?" Denki sighed, folding in on himself. "I mean, we do love our gay shit man." He said in an inhale. "But why not get fucked instead? We know way more doms than we do twinks." She said, tilting her head. "Oh- Hell no!" Bakugou shouted, Sero wincing. "I'm the best fuckin' dom on this shitting porno site and I'm going to prove it!" "Sounds like a bratty bottom to me." Sero mumbled.

After more shouting and arguing. Kirishima finally arrived. "Sorry, my last client had a lot of knots in their back and thighs! Took a lot longer than I expected." He said with his happy smile, still wearing his scrubs and smelling like coconut oil. "Eiji~! Gimme a deep tissue massage!" Denki whined, rushing over and jumping face first into the bed. "He just gave massages all day dude, give him a break.." Sero mumbled, shaking his head.

And it was like a light bulb. His brain flashing to massage porn intro's being in the top 100 categories. "Kirishim!" Bakugou shouted firmly, standing up straight. Kiri froze, slowly turning to look at him with fearful eyes. "Y-Yes…?" "Let me fuck you for my cam stream." And it went dead silent.

And that's how they're here. Setting up the ring lights, almond oil on the shelves and a small white towel for Bakugou to cover his ass with. The plan was that Eijirou would get handsy during the massage and Katsuki would turn around and start domming him. Kirishima is bigger than Bakugou in the height and muscle department, but that was only going to make the plot better. Eijrou definitely wasn't telling him something. After hesitating to agree in the first place, and only after Bakugou promised a share of the money, Kirishima was just so...unnatural at this situation, his movements starting off as more dominating until he took it down to a submissive level.

Katsuki started the live, giving his quickly joining fans a cocky smirk before standing up, walking back and laying down on the black table.

The comments were filled with surprise and questions as to who the red haired hulk was beside the table, but they went unanswered.

Kirishima grabbed the bottle of almond oil, pouring some into his hands and quickly starting on Katsuki's thighs, gently rubbing into the muscles with experienced ease.

Bakugou's eyes widened at the feeling, his core already getting hot with desire. And as Kirishima's fingers went under the towel to his inner thighs, he fought a gasp. Comments filled with perverted comments telling the redhead to get more handsy and to give the blond a hand job with all the oil.

But as Eijirou put a knee on the table and nearly climbed over Katsuki to perfectly get his back, Katsuki started panting at the feeling. It wasn't the massage that was getting him. It was the feeling of Eijirou's crotch rubbing against the thin towel, his cock slightly hard underneath his black scrubs.

As it was about time for the script to move onto Katsuki domming Kirishima, Bakugou was stifling whimpers of shock and embarrassment. His cock aching for him to fuck Kirishima…..actually. His body was aching to be fucked by Kirishima.

As Katsuki was turned around, His eyes were teary, his fans taking quick, shocked notice and flooding the comments with surprise, degrading, perverted insults about how he looked like a twink instead.

Kirishima's eyes slightly widened at the sight, and as Bakugou swallowed his embarrassment and shock, he focused on his arousal and his own perverse desires. "F-Fuck me….instead.." He whispered, his eyes slightly squinting and blurring with tears.

Before he knew it, Eijirou was leaning over top of him with a slick hand around his neck. Bakugou couldn't help but moan at the pressure, his stream struggling to keep up with the influx of viewers and comments about the top 3 best doms getting put in his place by a rando.

Bakugou's mind wasn't on the donations anymore, not on the follower count or his ranking at this point. He was gasping for air as Kirishima roughly kissed and bit at his body, keeping an iron grip on Katsuki's neck. "Oh fuck yes- Was hoping to god I would be able to fuck your tight ass one day-!" Kirishima breathed against his skin, licking up his nipple to his jaw and nipping at him.

He suddenly ripped himself off the blonde, walking over to the camera and grabbing it, making a winky face at the viewers as he moved the camera to get a better view of Bakugou teary eyed, flushed and a line of red, darkening hickies and bites.

He got back on the table, roughly gripping Katsuki's thighs and harshly pushing them apart, an action that would probably make some other guy pull a muscle. He wrapped his arms around his spread thighs, pulling his hips up to meet his crotch, the pale skin against his dark black scrubs finally letting Bakugou and the viewers know what the newbie was packing, and it was a lot.

"H-Holy fuck-" Bakugou whispered out as his towel was ripped off of him, oil being grabbed off the table and the cap popped open. Kirishima paused, looking up to Bakugou, a silent plea for last minute permission. Katsuki's red eyes met crimson, and he swiftly nodded his head, accidentally earning more donations from the show of submission.

Eijirou lathered his fingers in oil, tracing the blond's pink hole carefully, giving the camera another adjustment so the viewers could see his perfect view as well; a red faced, teary eyed dom with his tight ass being slicked up so nicely.

The oil made Katsuki's muscle relax easily, becoming soft under the thick tanned finger, and as he swiftly plunged in the singular finger, Katsuki gasped with shock, his eyes going wide at the foregin feeling.

Kirishima slowly pumped his finger, adding slightly more oil every time his muscle got a bit too tight, slipping in more fingers every time his rim was soft. It felt like such a short amount of time between preparing to dom his best friend to being finger fucked by him. Eijirou's forearm had veins slightly protruding as he slammed his fingers into his friend at a pace that made vibrators look pathetic. Katsuki's pretty little back was arched so nicely, his muscles flexing and his toes curling, tears falling from his eyes as moan after moan was ripped from him.

"P-Please! I can't! I can't take it anymore!" He finally sobbed, shaking his head at the man's brutal pace, purposely avoiding his prostate after hitting it every couple times.

Kirishima smirked, slowly sliding his fingers out only to slide his thumbs inside, stretching the soft muscle as he pleased, showing off the blond's perfectly hot pink insides, his swollen rim slick and twitching. "So nice and pretty for me, hm? You wanna take my fat cock for the first time? Expose how much of a slut you are for cock? For my cock?" Kirishima said seductively, moving the camera again.

Katsuki nodded his head rapidly, his eyes glued to the hard to see bulge under his black scrubs. "Use your words, baby." Eijirou said firmly, palming himself. "Y-Yes- I want it-! I w-want your fat cock-!" He said, face flushing with embarrassment again. "Good boy~" He cooed, finally grabbing the hem of his pants and pulling them down.

It was almost like he struggled to pull the front down far enough, his cock just kept following, and once it finally got over his tip, his penis sprung up to lightly slap against his stomach before it weighed itself down. The camera got Bakugou's surprise and shock perfectly, the comments finally going quiet, almost as if everyone had to take in what they were seeing as well.

Kirishima grabbed the base of his cock, lifting it and letting it slap against Bakugou's hole, earning a slightly muffled whimper from the blond. He gently moved his hips, letting his cock slide smoothly against his hole, his tip teasing the smaller's balls. The comments were filled with encouragement and orders to get on with it.

Kirishima chuckled darkly, letting his tip catch on the rim, slowly pushing in. Bakugou's eyebrows furrowed before his mouth dropped and eyes widened with the pressure. He let out a guttural moan, his legs starting to shake.

As Eijirou bottomed out with a groan, Katsuki was shaking and whimpering, his own well endowed cock red and dripping precome.

The redhead pulled out before slamming back in, the blond shooting up with shock only to be met with a hand on his neck again, pinning him down as the Kirishima harshly forced his way between Bakugou's legs even more, only giving the blond a couple seconds to adjust before he started snapping his hips into the smaller man's ass. Bakugou took in one breath of air before lewd moans poured from him, his voice cracking every time his skin was slapped with another brutal thrust.

"Agh- P-Please-!" Katsuki nearly screamed out, Eijirou grabbing the back of his knees and pressing them back to meet his shoulders, effectively putting him in a mating press. "Please what, baby? Tell me what you fucking want!" Eijirou growled out, groaning as Katsuki's tight, slicked up boy cunt tried to milk him, pulsing and sucking him in with every movement. "I-I want it harder! Please- Please fuck me harder! Give me more!" Bakugou nearly sobbed, looking at where their bodies were connected with teary wide eyes. "Such a fuckin' slut-! Making all these people think you were a fucking dom, only to start begging for the first fat cock you see! Want it harder? Wanna feel my fat dick in you for days?" He growled, eagerly moving to grab Katsuki's ankles and awkwardly spreading them over Katsuki's head before turning him, ripping his cock out of his pillowy ass and nearly picking the blond up by his ass, grabbing the nape of his neck and forcing him on his knees with his head down.

He slammed back in, the blond nearly screaming once again as he set another brutal pace. "Y-Yes! Please, god yes! Fuck me more! Don't stop!" Katsuki sobbed, drool and tears staining his lewd face. "Wouldn't fucking dream of it! You love having your little boy cunt fucked, huh? Love how I fucking ruin you on this dick?" Kirishima growled, slapping a hand down on his fat ass, groaning loudly at the sight of all the excess muscle and fat jiggle even more.

Katsuki's ass slapped against Eijirou's abs every time he slammed into the boy, his back muscles looking so pretty at this angle.

"Oh shit- I'm gonna cum! Please make me cum! Don't fucking stop~!" Bakugou moaned, arching his back and lifting his ass up higher so Eijirou could hit his prostate at the best angle. "Haven't even touched your cock and you're gonna cum? Fucking do it! Cum on this cock, make it yours and I'll fuck you every day!" Kirishima promised, sharpening his thrusts to where all Bakugou could do is claw at the padded table and scream, staring into the camera as his orgasm was building higher and higher.

"I- Fuck! I'm fucking cummin'!" Bakugou screamed, his body shaking under Kirishima as his thrusts went unbroken, hurtling Katsuki into overstimulation. He started screaming for relief, but as Kirishima planted his hands into the curvature of Bakugou's spine, he started thrusting purely for his own relief. Groaning and growling above a sobbing Katsuki. "S-Stop! I can't! Slow down~ Please!" Katsuki begged, his cock trying to harden again. His body was on fire, every nerve fried with pleasure he'd never experienced, and Katsuki knew he was addicted.

"Almost fuckin' there! Gonna cum in your ass- Claim you, make you mine!" Eijirou groaned out, his balls drawing up tight as his own climax ripped through him, filling up the man's stomach with his cum.

He slowly pulled out, Katsuki in the same position even after Eijirou let go of him. He grabbed the camera, pointing it at Bakugou's gaping and cum filled hole, watching how he pulsed against nothing, forcing the cum to leak out of him despite his angle.

Not only did Katsuki make absolute bank while taking monster cock like a slut, he took the No.1 spot by over a thousand followers and ratings.

#bakugou #bakugou katsuki #bnha imagines #kirishima #kirishima eijiro #kiribaku #kiribaku thirst #kiribaku smut #bakugou smut #bakugou thirst #kirishima smut #kirishima thirst #camboy!bakugou #mha thirst #mha smut #bnha smut #bnha thirst

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spookyjuicefiction · 2 years

Text

A King's Bounty, Part 1

Pairing: f!Reader x Thorin Oakenshield

Description: Y/N is a bounty hunter sent to kill the exiled King Under the Mountain, but makes a deal that will benefit them both. What she doesn't know is that this deal might change both of their fates. Fits in with the actual storyline of the first Hobbit movie (kinda). Enemies to lovers vibes I guess.

A/N: Yeah hi this has been rolling around in my head, I haven't written in ages but been feeling like I need a creative outlet so I'm just gonna go for it I guess!

Warnings: little bit of aggression but nothing crazy

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The road to Bree was dark, wet, cold, and murky. The exiled King Under the Mountain pulled his furs closer to his chin to ward away the chill, checking over his shoulder every few minutes. It seemed that more than one enemy plotted against him, especially as he traveled alone to meet with Gandalf the Gray. One can never be too careful.

In spite of his cautious glances, the dwarf was caught by surprise as a body slammed into him at full force, knocking him off the road into the wet mud. He scrambled to find his weapon, but his attacker had skillfully disarmed him and had a knife to his throat all at once. Breathing heavily, the exiled king could see nothing but a hooded figure looming over him.

"You should be more careful, Thorin Oakenshield. You have a rather high price on your head."

Thorin was surprised that the voice sounded feminine, but his face gave nothing away. He made no answer. His attacker chuckled under her breath.

"The king is lost for words? What a shame. I had hoped for a speech as grand as your legacy. This will surely make for a boring story when I deliver your head to my buyer." The figure cocked her head, blade still sharp at Thorin's neck. "Unless... you have another idea? Something to dissuade me from collecting my bounty?"

Thorin swallowed thickly, mortified at his condition but at a complete loss for other options. His attacker had him completely cornered. He tried to remain prideful as he spoke:

"Your alluding leads me to believe you have heard the prophecies spoken. That the King Under the Mountain will reclaim his throne, as well as his riches. Perhaps we might make an arrangement."

The attacker chuckled again. "Perhaps we might." Slowly, she withdrew her blade from the dwarf's neck and sat back, allowing him to draw deeper breaths but still unable to move. He could see the glint of his sword several feet away where she had discarded it. He calculated that she was much too quick for him to make a dive for it, so he must bargain with her.

"If you will grant me my life tonight, I will pay you twice the amount you would get for my bounty," he began slowly. Thorin wished he could read his attacker's expression, but her face was obscured by darkness and her heavy hood. The anonymity made him uncomfortable, but he pressed forth. "If you aid in my quest to reclaim my throne, I will pay you four times the amount of my bounty. You have the word of a king."

This time, the attacker laughed in earnest. Through her mirth, she ridiculed, "the word of a king, eh? A king with no throne, no people, no riches to call his own? And what will I be paid should you not succeed? Am I to trust a greedy dwarf at his word, here on a common roadside?" But even as she spoke, she lowered her weapon and lessoned the pressure that forced him to the ground.

"It is fortunate for you, Thorin Oakenshield, that the prospect of adventure and a change of scenery excites me more than a sack of promised gold. I accept your bargain. Henceforth, you may count me in your service to aid in your quest for your throne. I suppose it is your lucky day, providing you do not try to stab me in the back."

With this, the figure stood and gathered Thorin's discarded sword, handing it back to him. He nodded curtly as he rose and took his weapon, sheathing it at his side.

"You have my word. As you stated, the price on my head at the moment is quite high. Perhaps you might accompany me to my meeting in Bree. The quest will not go far if I am killed on my way there."

"Indeed," the figure agreed, a sense of mocking still plaguing her tone. "You may count me as your royal bodyguard."

With trepidation, the pair set off along the road, walking side by side. Thorin remained uneasy as they neared the gate to Bree, glancing out of the corner of his eye to ensure his new ally was indeed trying to protect him, not harm him. But she strode alongside him with an ease to her body language, her daggers sheathed at her sides. He wished he could read the tells of her facial expressions, but still they remained obscured.

At length, the pair passed through the gates at Bree and strode into the bustling local pub known as the Prancing Pony, where Thorin was to meet the gray wizard. He glanced around warily, not the least bit at his new companion who, after a decided look around, finally settled into a wobbly chair.

At last, the strange woman drew down her hood. Thorin was taken aback as he took in her appearance; somehow, it was not at all as he expected. Her eyes were at once cautious and relaxed, as though she were confident in her ability against any newly perceived foe. Her hair was charmingly tousled in a way that fit with her overall demeaner. He suspected by the shape of her ears and her stature that she was human. To his embarrassment, Thorin found he had to look away to keep from staring, as his companion was more beautiful than he had imagined. To his chagrin, this did not go unnoticed.

"Never seen such a lovely lady bounty hunter, eh, king?" she smirked with an over-indulgent wink. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. It's a long way to the Lonely Mountain."

She's got that right, thought Thorin, looking pointedly anywhere but at her. What have I gotten myself into, here? He noticed a few unsavory characters lurking in the corners of the bar, some with a rogue eye on him. He quickly glanced back to the woman, and felt a slight relief that she eyed these might-be villains with a sharp eye. It seemed she took her new role as bodyguard quite seriously.

"Y/N is my name, by the way. Not that you bothered to ask." She leaned back in her chair, motioning to the waitress for an ale without taking her eyes off a particularly seedy man in a back corner.

"Y/N," Thorin repeated. It suited her well, at once daggers and honey. "I am grateful to have you in my company. Let us drink to the riches that await us."

Y/N met his eyes with a smirk, and toasted her mug to his. "To the unexpected journey ahead."

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Thorin still did not understand what on earth the company needed a burglar for. But even a king could not argue with the likes of a wizard, and thus he found himself at a squat table in the Shire eating off a fussy, floral plate set upon a neatly pressed doily. But though the wizard and burglar in question were present, as well as his most favored and beloved kin, singing dwarven drinking songs and passing around wine, Thorin's attention remained toward the round door hole, where the last member of their company was meant to arrive. Was she coming?

He didn't much care. They were all better off if she didn't, really. Capable though she might have been that night on the road to Bree, a female human could not have much to offer a company of battle-hardened dwarves and a wizard on an epic journey to a dragon-infested mountain of gold. Yet his curiosity kept him wondering if she would make good on her promise; after all, she had forgone his bounty to safe his life.

He had nearly given her up as a no-show when she came stumbling in, tripping over the doorway with a snort and swaggering into the dining room, hood down and knives tucked into their sheathes around her waist. The dwarven company fell silent at her arrival, all taking in her appearance with wide eyes. She stopped as she reached the table, looking around with her eyebrows up.

"Well, what's wrong then, pass the wine!" she cried with a laugh, and the whole company burst out laughing along with her, passing the bottle down. Only Bilbo, the Hobbit-burglar, seemed bemused by her presence; the dwarves pulled her to the table with raucous laughter and song, more or less anointing her as one of their company. Thorin surveyed the scene quietly, his eyes flashing to Gandalf's. The wizard looked at him quizzically, as if he hoped to understand something unsaid. Thorin looked pointedly into his cup so as not to meet Gandalf's gaze. When he looked up, though, his eyes met with Y/N's. She raised her goblet to him with a smirk and took a hearty sip.

"Well then. Let's go slay a dragon."

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I'm hoping to continue this! I guess lmk if you want tagged!

Part 2

#thorin x reader #thorin x you #thorin x y/n #thorin x oc #thorin oakenshield #thorin fanfiction #thorin fic #the hobbit #bofur #lotr fanfic #dwarves #unexpected journey #strong female fanfiction #reader insert fic #hobbit reader insert

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cali-holland · 3 years

Text

Under the Stars- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Prompt: When you invite Tom and Harrison to go to a cabin in the woods with your old college friends, Tom devises a plan to finally confess his feelings for you. Little does he know, the cabin belongs to your ex-boyfriend, and he’s also seeking your attention this week.

Word Count: 12k

Warnings: slow burn (ish), swearing, sexual themes (jokes/references), the reader kinda gets sexually harassed (nothing actually happens), fist fight + some blood, tom being a simp

A/N: this was a nine month process, so i hope you enjoy :) also thank you to @duskholland for being so supportive and reading through this fic and editing it. love you hannah! + Also reposting this because the tags didn’t work the first time :/ and tag list will be in a reblog!

Masterlist Tom Holland Masterlist

*Moodboard is mine, pics used are not *

~~~

When you walked into Tom and Harrison’s house, you weren’t expecting to hear odd grunts coming from the living room. You’d heard many strange noises made in that house— a good amount of their sources were still unknown, but you’d never heard such aggressive grunts. For a moment, you considered slowly backing out of the house and knocking on the door. It would be easy to pretend like you didn’t have a key so you didn’t have to walk in on anyone doing anything gross in the other room.

But then Harrison walked into the entryway, smiling at you as a greeting, “Hey, Y/N.”

“Hey,” You replied, closing the front door hesitantly behind you. You pointed towards the living room, “Do I wanna know what’s going on in there?”

Before he could reply, there was a loud bang from the living room, followed by a string of curses. Forgetting all worries of what may or may not have been the cause of the noises, you hurried into the other room with Harrison trailing behind you.

Tom laid on the floor, groaning in pain as he clutched his foot. Tessa, who had been checking up on her owner, popped up happily when she saw you, rushing over to greet you at your feet. Tom looked up at you and Harrison in the door, forcing out his best smile. You stared at the large tent that was currently taking up most of the space in the living room, questioningly.

“Why do you have a tent set up?” You asked. Tom hopped up off the floor, standing beside the tent.

“Well, our camping trip is this weekend, so I thought I’d make sure it’s still durable.” Tom said proudly. He put a hand against the tent in an attempt to be smooth, but the tent came collapsing down, making Tessa bolt behind you from the sudden loud noise.

“And he wanted to make sure he could actually set up a tent, which clearly he can’t,” Harrison stated, and Tom glared at him in response.

“Were you going to tell him?” You laughed, turning to the blond beside you.

“And miss the opportunity to see him struggle setting up a tent for forty minutes? No, I didn’t tell him.” He smirked, only making Tom more frustrated and embarrassed.

“Tom, it’s a cabin. You don’t need a tent unless you don’t want to stay with everyone else.” You explained. “I just said camping because it’s easier to call it that.”

“Fuck you, mate.” He grumbled to Harrison, flipping him off before starting to put away the mess of a tent. You stepped in to help him, and Harrison just laughed to himself before leaving.

“I really thought you would’ve known. Did you really think I’d invite you and Harrison to spend several days in the woods with me and my college friends in tents?” You joked, “Besides, I didn’t think you’d come if it was actual camping.”

Tom paused his movements, but you continued to undo the poles, taking no notice of his action, “Why wouldn’t I go if it was actual camping?”

“I don’t know.” You shrugged, looking at him with your usual charming smile, “You’re not the outdoorsy, camping type. You don’t exactly go out and rough it in the woods on the weekend, like Will or Tyler; you play golf with Harrison and your dad.”

While your words were well-intended and teasing, Tom couldn’t help but take them to heart. He took everything you said to heart.

It was hard for him to be so helplessly in love with you, his best friend (besides Harrison) from BRIT school, for the past few years while you were completely blind to it. Normally, he’d do little things to impress you because he still wasn’t sure if he wanted you to know about his feelings— if you knew, there was a chance you’d reject him, and Tom wouldn’t know what to do with himself if that happened. Recently though, he’s started to feel like his heart was going to explode if he didn’t tell you soon, but that didn’t mean he knew how to tell you.

So when you asked if he wanted to go on a camping trip with you, of course he said yes right away. His mind told him that, no, he really wasn’t the outdoorsy, “roughing it” kind of guy, but his heart told him it was a chance with you. He was a sap and thought that maybe he’d pluck up the courage to tell you how he felt under a moonlit campsite, maybe even the two of you could share a tent, maybe he could kiss you in the lake— god, did he want to kiss you.

That had all come crashing down when he’d realized it wasn’t a romantic camping getaway. You’d invited Harrison and a few college friends, friends that neither Tom nor Harrison had ever met. And there was one friend in particular who Tom never wanted to meet— Will, your ex-boyfriend. You two ended things mutually, but Tom couldn’t stop himself from feeling like he needed to compete against Will, especially when he discovered it was Will whose family owned the land you’d be camping on; Will who took you on hikes all around your college town; Will who taught you how to fish and how to kayak with the lakes nearby; Will who one time got bitten by a rattlesnake and sucked out the venom himself; Will who could climb any mountain and come back unscathed. Will was an outdoorsy “roughing it” badass fucker that Tom despised.

And now, you had just furthered proved that Tom was a delicate flower compared to the lumberjack prick that was Will. He didn’t care about being compared to Will’s best friend, Tyler, who (from what you’d told Tom) was in a serious relationship with your other friend, Jane. Besides Jane, the other person accompanying you all to the cabin was Rose, your best friend and Will’s sister. Needless to say, Tom was very grateful that Harrison was coming along too— he didn’t think he could handle a Will-centered week alone.

“We can just leave this for now. I know I promised you Nando’s before we leave.” Tom said, getting up from his spot on the floor.

“Are you sure? We can just get it on the way to the airport.” You said, looking at the tent mess before you.

“Come on, it’ll be fine.” He held a hand out to you and you took it, so that he could pull you up. Before you two could make it out the door, Harrison arrived downstairs with a loaded hiking backpack in hand.

“I know you’re not trying to sneak to Nando’s without me.” He said, and Tom glared at him from behind your back. Harrison was very well aware of Tom’s feelings for you— everyone was except for you, and he took every chance he could get at being a little shit about it, which included ruining quality time for Tom to spend with you.

The three of you left to grab your last meal in the UK before heading back to their house. Tom finished putting away the tent, and Harrison loaded up Harry’s car with your bags as well as his and Tom’s. Harry (through bribery from Tom) drove you all to the airport for the first step in your camping trip.

Since you went to school in the US, all of your friends would be meeting you across the pond. Will’s family cabin was located in Maine, so the flight wasn’t too bad for the three of you— though Tom wished it was longer so he could devise a more accurate plan to impress you this weekend. He had to prove that he could be the outdoorsy badass guy you wanted. He had to outcompete Will.

“Why would you have to outcompete him?” Harrison asked Tom after hearing his dilemma. Fortunately, you were getting the rental car for the three of you to make it to the cabin.

“Because it’s clearly a competition.” Tom stated, nervously fidgeting with his fingers as he looked over at you across the way. “She told me I’m not outdoorsy like Will- that makes it a competition and I have to beat him.”

As much as Harrison loved to see his friend fail at keeping it together around you, something felt wrong about telling him, ‘yeah, it’s totally a competition, so go beat up her lumberjack ex’. Instead, he tried, “I don’t think that’s what Y/N meant. You do golf more than you go camping.”

But Tom took no notice of his advice, “Just watch. I’m going to be the manliest man this weekend.”

“Hey guys,” You smiled, coming up to them, making Tom jump very unmanly-like in the process. “You ready to go?”

The journey to the cabin was a fairly long one. After a couple of hours of driving, you parked the car in one of those reserved parking lots off the side of the road. Tom and Harrison both looked around in confusion, spotting nothing but trees and a gas station.

“Why are we stopped?” Tom asked you as you got out of the car. Tom and Harrison followed you out of the car.

“We gotta hike in.” You replied. “The cabin’s down by the lake, so there’s no actual road to get there. It’s only about a mile and a half hike in. Be ready for lots of hiking. I think tomorrow we’re going to hike 12 miles.”

By the time you three got to the little a-frame cabin, it was already dinner time, which was great because that meant you three could sleep soon. The five hour time difference was already starting to hit. Before you could even step inside the cabin, your best friend met you with a bone-crushing hug.

“You’re here!” Rose smiled, stepping out of the hug after a moment.

“We made it.” You laughed. Your other friend, Jane, stepped up next to hug you. “I missed you two so much.”

“We missed you too.” Jane replied. You caught their eyes trailing over to Tom and Harrison behind you, and you remembered that they hadn’t met before.

“Oh, girls, this is Tom and Harrison; guys, this is Rose and Jane.” You introduced the two parties with a smile. After a polite exchanging of handshakes, you looked at the two girls curiously, “Where are the boys?”

“Will wanted to get in a light swim before dinner.” Rose laughed, and Jane made her way back to the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll show you your rooms.”

Rose gave the three of you a little tour of the cabin. The front door had placed you all in a little entryway room with a simple, wooden staircase taking up most of the room; a fireplace sat beside the stairs with a small loveseat across from it. Besides a rather large bookshelf, it was relatively empty, but elegantly simple nonetheless. There were four doors downstairs, all intricately designed with the same light wood color as the stairs. The first door on the left was explained to be Will’s room, and the second was Tyler and Jane’s. The third stood as the main bathroom, as Rose described it. The fourth door led to Tom and Harrison’s room.

It wasn’t very big— neither of the rooms were according to Rose, but that was the a-frame style of a quaint log cabin. A bunk bed sat on the side of the room with a small wood dresser across from it. There was enough space for the two boys to coexist, and Tom was just grateful he didn’t have to bunk with Will of all people; he was glad he had his best friend with him.

The upstairs of the cabin held the open space of the kitchen and the main living room. With large glass windows covering one of the walls, the living room had a magnificent view of the woods outside, and three couches were set in place to overlook it. Under the couches sat a large bear rug, one which both Tom and Harrison eyed suspiciously at first before Rose laughed it off, reassuring them that it was fake. Behind the couches, the dining room was situated beneath a beautiful antler chandelier and set for eight places, completing the rustic vibe of the cabin. The kitchen, while it was small, seemed to be just as well put together as the rest of the cabin, complete with a breakfast bar. The smell of Jane’s favorite lemon salmon filled the air, making you even more excited for dinner.

Next was your own room, which was just past the kitchen. A queen bed was pushed in a nook with only the foot of the bed accessible. Unlike Tom and Harrison, you and Rose didn’t mind sharing a bed, which is why they got the smallest room downstairs. Right beside your bedroom door was another bathroom.

“You brought stuff for s’mores, right?” You asked Rose as you walked with her, Tom, and Harrison off the cabin’s porch to the nearby shed where they kept all of their hiking and lake gear.

“Yes, absolutely!” She eagerly replied, a happy skip in her step.

“S’mores are a real thing?” Tom questioned in disbelief.

“Of course! You can’t camp without—” You let out a shriek as you felt cold, wet arms wrap around your waist, picking you up and spinning you around. You laughed, immediately knowing it was Will. “Oh my god, Will! Put me down! You’re all wet.”

Will chuckled, setting you back down on the solid ground, “Well, if it gets you wet.”

“Fuck off.” You scoffed, smacking his chest playfully. It was then that you realized he was shirtless— shirtless and dripping wet from the lake and gloriously tan and somehow more built than the last time you saw him. Tyler, on the other hand, was still Tyler; still an attractive young guy, but not attractive to you and that most likely has to do with him dating Jane for as long as you’ve known him.

“Ty!” You smiled, hugging him tightly, not even caring if your clothes got wet and gross anymore. You’d just change later when you could.

Tom straightened up a bit, already feeling uneasy about Will’s presence. Will looked like the lovechild of Zac Efron and Chris Evans, with a hint of Scott Eastwood; he was perfect, there was nothing wrong with him. It made Tom question why you two broke up. Even though Tom knew you’d said it was mutual, he also knew it took a lot for girls to walk away from guys that look like that. Meanwhile, Harrison just bit his lip to keep from commenting on his friend’s ridiculous territorial issues.

“So, you two must be Tom and Harrison.” Will held out a hand to them, smiling politely. Tom took his hand, trying to subtly shake it sternly as if to prove he was better than Will— childish, Tom knew it, but he already hated this guy with his six pack abs and perfectly white smile. Will didn’t back down though, squeezing Tom’s hand equally as hard. Noticing both guys tensing up, you looked between them awkwardly, having never seen either of them put on the tough guy act.

With introductions out of the way, you all trekked back inside the cabin. While Will, Tyler, and even you changed into dry clothes, Rose helped Jane finish dinner, leaving Tom to frustratedly rant to Harrison in their room.

“God, he’s so annoying.” Tom scoffed.

“He said two words to you.” Harrison stated, “Try to play nice. I don’t think Y/N wants you two to keep having a ‘my dick’s bigger’ contest.”

“But mine is and I know it!” He exclaimed, before realizing he didn’t know how thin the walls were- and how odd that implication was, “Whatever. He’s stupid. This trip’s stupid.”

Harrison was too busy laughing to even attempt a response to his friend. Instead, there was a knock on the door, pulling both of them from their conversation. Tom opened the door and immediately softened when he saw you, clad in one of his old sweatshirts that he didn’t even realize you still had. It gave him a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t need to worry that much about Will this week.

“Nice shirt.” Tom commented with a smile.

“Thanks,” You smiled back, “I’ve actually been meaning to give it back to you.”

“What? Why?”

“Is dinner ready?” Harrison asked, cutting off the two of you and reminding you both of his presence. As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly.

“Yes, it is.” You laughed, almost embarrassed from forgetting why you had been at their door in the first place. You tugged on Tom’s hand, pulling him out of the room. Harrison grumbled something dejectedly, but you paid no mind to it. Tom sent his friend an apologetic look, though he made no attempt to make Harrison any less of the unofficial third wheel on the journey upstairs to the dinner table.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Tom how you sat beside Will, even if Tom got the free seat beside you. Harrison slipped into the seat next to him with Rose to his right. The dinner of salmon with potatoes, salad, and bread seemed simple enough, but it was still quite possibly the best fish you’d ever had.

“Did you get a bone?” You asked Tom, seeing him awkwardly moving his mouth like his tongue was fishing out a hard piece of salmon. Blushing from you calling attention to his struggle, he held up a napkin to cover his mouth, trying to spit out the bone without it looking too gross.

“Yeah,” He admitted sheepishly, muffled by the napkin.

“I thought you got them all out.” Jane said, looking at Tyler expectantly.

“Don’t look at me, that was Will’s job.” Tyler laughed as he used his friend as the scapegoat.

“Must’ve missed one.” Will shrugged, before joking, “You’re still welcome that I caught these.”

“You caught this salmon?” You said, “I thought you only did catch and release?”

“I still do, for the most part, but this salmon was too good of an opportunity to pass up.” He explained. Tom was already boiling with embarrassment, and now he had jealousy bubbling over- of course this perfect fish was caught by the perfect outdoor man beside you.

“So, Tom, Harrison, we were talking about going for a run around the lake tomorrow morning. Want to come?” Tyler asked.

“Sure. How far?” Harrison replied, and Tom nodded in agreement.

“The loop’s about five miles.” Will answered.

“Are you going to run with us?” Tom asked you, knowing back home in Kingston you’d sometimes join Harrison on runs. Tom wasn’t the type to just go out for a casual run like his best friend was, but he wasn’t about to back down from this.

“Nah, you two can keep up with the cross country runners.” You joked, “I’d much rather save my energy for the hike.”

Once dinner ended and no one choked on any more fishbones, you all migrated to the couches. Much to Tom’s chagrin, you sat in the middle couch between Will and Rose, while Tom and Harrison sat on the couch opposite a very cuddled up Jane and Tyler. The fireplace in the corner crackled, keeping the room comfortably warm. When Rose suggested you all play charades, the entertainment for the evening was decided, especially considering the cabin had very weak cell-signal and no television.

“What are the teams?” You asked, sitting dead in the middle of everyone with three friends to your left and three to your right.

“Let’s do 3 against 4, so you choose who you wanna be with, Y/N.” Jane suggested as Rose stood up to get a boxed set of charade cards from the game cabinet near the kitchen. You looked between the two sets of friends. You wanted to lean towards Tom, Harrison, and Rose, because the two boys were incredible at charades, and Rose was your go-to partner for Password at least.

“Come on, you know you wanna be with us.” Will teased, throwing an arm over your shoulder.

“Just for that, nope.” You laughed and took his arm off you. You stood up from that couch and squeezed in between Tom and the arm. To make room for you and to mock Will, Tom casually put his arm on your shoulder and you made no effort to take it off.

Rose returned with the box of cards and the game began with you and Jane pantomiming first. The words ranged from silly ones like centipede to more inventive ones like lapdance; either way, you all were laughing and enjoying the evening. Tom was highly appreciative of the humor because more than once, you laughed so hard that you fell into him, clutching his knee or completely falling over into his lap. It wasn’t anything out of the usual for him to see you so effortlessly happy, but he enjoyed all the little touches.

“Okay, okay.” You breathed out, doing your best to compose yourself. You stood up from the couch with Tyler so that you two could read the answer and continue the round. Reading over the card, “Catch 22”, you began to think about what you could do to act out the card. As if it wasn’t impossible enough to describe it with words, you had to act it out. But then the lightbulb went off- you had a secret advantage and he was sitting right in front of you, as long as he could figure it out.

“Ready?” Tyler asked you nervously, and you nodded. Tyler started with the usual way of beginning: how many words and what it is. You immediately pointed at Harrison.

“Me?” Harrison spoke in confusion, and you nodded before pointing to your stomach, doing your best to act his death from the series.

“Catch 22?” Tom offered, and Harrison looked at him dumbfounded, still trying to connect how it was him as your main clue.

“Ah, thank god.” You smiled, cheering as he guessed it right. Tyler and the others sighed.

“How the fuck did you get that?” Jane questioned.

“Haz, here, was in the show.” Tom replied, proud of his friend. You were surprised by your college friends’ collective shock, but you were most intrigued by Rose’s reaction.

“Oh my god, I thought you looked familiar.” She said, impressed.

“Wait, you actually saw it?” Harrison asked.

“Yeah, I think I might have cried when you died.” She admitted, brushing a loose hair behind her ear, and that’s when it clicked for you- she was totally into Harrison.

“And you’re an actor too, Tom, right?” Will spoke up, casually taking a drink of his beer. You eyed him skeptically; he knew Tom was an actor. Back when you two were dating, you’d talk about your best friend’s accomplishments, so why was he now asking? Your only answer was it would clearly get a rise out of, at least, you, if not Tom as well.

“Yeah, only been in little indie movies. Nothing anyone’s heard of.” Tom played it off jokingly, causing you to smack him on the arm a little, your hand resting on his bicep.

“My mom loves that movie you did with Ewan McGregor.” Rose commented.

“Ah yeah,” Will laughed, “The one where you’re like 12.”

“I wasn’t 12, but thank you.” Tom replied sarcastically, and you could tell he was biting back a scoff.

“Well, we’ve all seen the Marvel movies so you can brag a little about those.” You teased, making him blush.

“I know I cried when everyone was getting dusted.” Jane stated in a way to poke fun at Rose’s previous words.

“Never saw them.” Will shrugged carelessly.

“Yes, you did.” You corrected him immediately, and you felt Tom tense a little under your touch. While Tom liked that you were being supportive about this, he couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong.

Will acknowledged Tom’s clenched jaw and decided to press it a bit further, “Babe, if you’re talking about Infinity War, then, no, I didn’t pay attention.” He chuckled, “Don’t you remember we were in the middle of something?”

Tom wondered, at first, what he meant exactly. You dropped your hand from Tom’s arm and covered your face in embarrassment, but before you could comment, Rose let out a whine, “Gross, I was right next to you two.”

“Not like you’ve never gotten it on in a movie theater.” Tyler joked.

“Can we please not talk about this?” You groaned, getting up from the couch. “I’m going to bed. I’m tired.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Jane stated as she stood up with a yawn. You closed your door, escaping to the privacy of your room, not wanting to think about how your ex just told everyone about that night- in your defense, you’d already seen the movie before so you weren’t missing anything.

Tyler and Will followed after Jane, leaving Tom, Harrison and Rose as they cleaned up the few cards that were left out. Feeling the awkwardness radiating off of Tom, Rose delicately spoke up, “Will’s just being a dick.”

“It’s fine.” Tom reassured her.

“Did you really cry when I died?” Harrison asked her the question that’d been on his mind since the second she’d made the comment. They started talking about the show, and Tom took that as a sign to leave. He thought for a moment about knocking on your door and checking in on you, but then he realized it might be too uncomfortable for you to talk about. There were times, like tonight with charades, that Tom considered maybe you liked him back, based on all your little touches here and there, but then, with Will’s comments floating around his mind, his thoughts were plagued by the doom of the friendzone. Tom didn’t know if he’d be able to sleep tonight knowing that you and your annoying ex ‘got it on’ in the theater during his own movie- what if he was dying on screen but you were too enraptured in Will to cry like Rose had cried over Harrison dying?

Tom only had a few minutes to himself before Harrison came back into their shared room, asking him, “How’re you feeling about the run tomorrow?”

“It’s going to kill me.” Tom sighed, and Harrison shrugged before climbing into the top bunk.

“Should’ve been running with me.” He laughed, “It’s not even that far.”

“I haven’t run five straight miles since Jake nearly killed me at the gym.” He replied, tidying up his bag.

“Why are you cleaning?” Harrison asked, looking down at his friend. “Are you worried Y/N’s going to come into the room or something?”

“Shove off.” Tom grumbled. Harrison took off his sweaty socks that he’d neglected to remove before getting into his bed and threw them down at his friend. One missed Tom completely, and the other clung to his shoulder. “That’s fucking gross.”

“If you’re cleaning, then clean them up.” He snickered. Tom threw the sock back at his friend, but it missed and weakly fell to the ground. A knock came from the other side of the door, and Tom opened it, smiling when he saw it was you, his absolute favorite person on this godforsaken trip. While you looked rather cute in your casual summer pajamas, he frowned when he saw his sweatshirt in your hands.

“Are you returning it?” He asked, and you laughed.

“It doesn’t smell like you anymore.” You said quietly, hoping Harrison didn’t hear your words. You held it out to Tom, “I figured I can give it back to you for a time, and then steal it once it smells like you again.”

“Wait a second.” Tom took the sweatshirt from you and disappeared into the room, rummaging through his once neat backpack to grab out another sweatshirt. He handed it to you, “Maybe this could suffice for now?”

Smiling, you sniffed it a little before tugging it on, “Thanks. It’s so cold upstairs, I don’t know how I’d sleep without it.”

“You could always bring your own.” Harrison said from the top bunk. Tom turned and chucked the other sweatshirt at him. You rolled your eyes at his words.

“Watch it, Osterfield, or your mattress is going to end up in the middle of the lake with you still sleeping on it.” You playfully threatened.

“I’m quaking with fear.” He laughed, laying down on the bed out of sight.

“Well, I should go.” You told Tom, “Thank you for the sweatshirt. Good night.”

“Good night, Y/N.” He smiled softly at you. As you walked away, he slowly closed the door, pleased with himself and his choice in sweatshirts. He turned to finish getting ready for bed, just in time for Harrison to throw the sweatshirt back at him.

“I will kick you out of this room.” Tom grumbled.

“I’d like to see you try.”

You didn’t sleep well that night. Even with Tom’s sweatshirt, your room was unbearably cold, and it didn’t help that Rose snored. With only a few hours of sleep under your belt, you woke up the next morning to the sun streaming in through the large window behind the bed and Rose already up and out of the room. You padded into the kitchen, making yourself some tea with the rustic teapot that was set out on the counter. Spotting Rose and Jane standing out on the balcony, you made your way outside.

“Good morning.” You said through a yawn, coming to stand beside Rose.

“We were wondering when you were going to wake up.” Jane teased. You looked at your two friends quizzically, taking a sip of your steaming tea.

“You already missed part one of the gun show.” Rose joked, sitting up straighter to look over the edge of the balcony, “They should be back any second.”

“Oh God.” You laughed, remembering the boys and their run this morning.

“I know I’m with Tyler, but damn, Y/N.” She teased, and Rose nudged you playfully. “Here they come.”

Seeing motion through the trees, you looked over at the runners. It was obvious they were racing the last bit of the run, considering how triumphant Harrison looked when he arrived first with Will right on his tail. And then came Tyler, and finally Tom. There was probably only a few seconds between their arrival, but it was still amusing to spy the looks on their faces. They were all shirtless and glistening in a layer of sweat, and they hadn’t noticed the three of you on the balcony at all- not that you were complaining. You’d rather not have them catch you all checking them out so unabashedly.

“Look at that. 24 abs right there.” Jane let out a small sigh. While her comment was for all four boys, her eyes stayed trained on Tyler. Rose, on the other hand, had her eyes on Harrison’s figure, which you noted to tease her about later. But you, you couldn’t help but check out Tom’s bare torso- there was a reason you didn’t watch either Spider-Man movie with him- you always ended up a little too focused on his shirtless scenes.

“Enjoying the show?” Tyler called up to the three of you, a cheeky smirk on his face, as they all made their way up to the cabin. You could’ve sworn you saw Tom blush a little when he met your gaze before Harrison playfully shoved his friend, making Tom lose focus on you and shove him right back.

“Boys.” Rose laughed quietly to you. You bit your lip, nodding in agreement.

“I’m glad I didn’t miss part two.”

The boys made their way into the kitchen, seeking out some water and gatorade as you and the girls went back inside to greet them. The sweet smell of salmon from last night was gone, overthrown by the ever lovely smell of sweaty men.

“It smells like a gym in here.” Rose gagged in disgust.

“I would’ve gone for sweaty ballsack, but yours is much nicer.” Jane laughed.

“Janie would know.” Will teased, clapping Tyler on the shoulder as he drank from his water, making the other choke a little.

“So how was the run?” You asked Tom as he and Harrison came over to you, Tom’s bottle of gatorade almost gone already. The other four got engrossed in their own conversation.

“Just a small workout, nothing too bad.” He replied, brushing it off.

“He was dying.” Harrison stated, making you laugh. “I told him he’s got to run with me more.”

“Well, you won, Haz, so congrats.” You replied.

“How did you know we were racing?” Tom asked. His ears turned pink from thinking that you knew he came in last.

“The four of you act like teenage boys; of course you’re going to make a race out of a casual run.” You teased.

“We should probably go stretch before our muscles tighten up again.” Harrison said, already backing up towards the stairs. Tom made his way to follow him, and you spoke up.

“I’ll come with.” You offered, setting your mug of tea on the counter. You followed them downstairs and out to the patio, feeling like you might as well spend some alone time with your two closest friends.

“You two think you can make it on the hike today?” You teased, already seeing Tom walk a little funny.

“Yeah, yeah, we got this.” He reassured you, sitting down on the solid ground to start stretching his legs. You started to stretch with them, and Harrison looked at you funny for it.

“Why are you stretching?” He asked with a laugh.

“It helps with flexibility.” You shrugged, switching legs as they did, all three of you mirroring the same poses. “How was the lake?”

“It was nice. We weren’t exactly looking at it though.” Tom replied with a chuckle.

“I don’t know, you were going so slow, I thought you were.” Harrison joked and Tom kicked his foot out, hitting Harrison in the leg.

“It’s shit like this that made me believe you were racing.” You laughed.

“I don’t do long distance running. I like focusing on my abs a lot more.” Tom defended himself. You flicked your eyes down to his abs, nodding a little, but Tom was so focused on his stretching that he had missed your small action, whereas Harrison fully caught it. He laughed, sending you a wink, and you flipped him off. Tom caught that exchange though, “Did I miss something?”

“Nope.” You replied quickly, only making Harrison laugh harder, “He’s just being a dumbass. Onto hamstrings.”

The three of you laid down to stretch your hamstrings, and you heard Tom let out a small groan from beside you. “I can’t do this. I fucking hate leg day.”

“Need help?” You offered. Before he could protest, you were already on your feet. He held his leg up as high as he could, and you pressed on his foot to stretch his hamstring even more.

“What if I need help too?” Harrison pouted, even though he was stretching his leg just fine.

“Sorry, Haz, it’s just you and your hand.” You joked, making Tom laugh.

“I see how it is. Ha ha, it’s me and my hand, and Tom and your hand, Y/N.” He sarcastically replied, as you dropped Tom’s leg and he bent his knee for you to lean on his shin. You helped him to deepen the stretch through his leg.

“Someone’s jealous.” Tom said, before grimacing a little.

“Was that too far?” You asked, loosening your hold on his leg, not wanting to overstretch his hamstring.

“A little.” He replied.

“God, Y/N don’t be so rough on him.” Harrison piped in, still having no issue stretching on his own.

“Haz, if you’re going to be a pouty baby about not having a stretching buddy, talk to Rose. She was totally checking you out earlier.” You stated, trying to change the conversation off of Harrison’s unnecessary innuendos. You let go of Tom’s leg and reached for his foot to stretch his other hamstring.

“Wait, really?” He asked, dropping his leg to peer at you with a serious look on his face.

“Yeah, why would I lie to you about that?” You laughed, “Besides, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her read a book, so I think she was lying about Catch 22.”

Flustered, Wide eyed and blushing, Harrison mumbled something about grabbing a shower before bolting off. You exchanged a curious look with Tom, but he followed after his friend.

You made your way inside after them and went to fix yourself another cup of tea. When you saw Will alone in the kitchen, you momentarily considered changing your mind and going to your rook, but it was too late, as he had already seen you.

“Want a cup?” He asked, holding up the coffee pot after he finished pouring himself a cup.

“No thanks.” You replied and made your way to the kettle.

“Enjoy the show earlier? Tyler and I started this new training routine that’s supposed to help with bulking up.” Will said. It took everything in you to not roll your eyes at his words.

“And how’s that working out for you?” You asked, not even trying to hide your disinterest. You still hadn’t forgiven him for his immature comments last night. Plus, the more you saw Will interact with Tom, the more justified you felt with your annoyance.

Will stepped closer to you. Slowly, he took one of your hands in his and pressed it to his abs, and you’d be lying if you said you couldn’t feel every part of his toned stomach. As much as you hated to admit it, you felt like you were falling under his trance again. “There’s more where that came from. Why don’t you come by my room tonight?”

He dropped your hand, and you were pulled out of your foggy state. You stepped away, turning away from him to continue getting yourself some tea. You felt his body envelope yours from behind. His head rested on your shoulder and his hands smoothed over your waist. Pressing a kiss to your cheek, he murmured, “I miss you.”

At his words, something inside of you snapped and you jolted away from his embrace, slapping his hands away. Firmly, you said, “I don’t miss you.”

Will left the room without another word, and you were left to ponder what the hell just happened as you stood alone in the kitchen.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that you all left on the hike, trailing through the towering trees to make your way to a nearby peak. You all stopped a few times for water and some food, and to even just enjoy nature. Between Jane’s ornithology degree, Tyler’s botany background, and Will’s forestry knowledge, identifying the different birds, plants, and trees around you was relatively easy.

“Can you imagine if we studied something environmental too?” Rose joked, nudging you in the shoulder as Jane mindlessly went on about the bird that had flown past nearly ten minutes ago.

“God, it would never end.” You laughed.

“What did you study?” Harrison asked Rose, making you look at Tom and roll your eyes at your friends.

“I’m a nurse.” She replied, and the two got swept into their own conversation.

“You sore yet?” You asked Tom, poking him in the side as you all continued the hike uphill.

“Me? Sore? Never.” He laughed. He shook his head to try to hide the slight hurt from the question. First, you didn’t think he was outdoorsy enough and now you think he can’t handle doing some mileage. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Oh sure.” You smiled at him. Tyler pointed out a specific plant as you all passed it, talking about the intricate properties of the shrub.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused about nature.” Tom mumbled to you quietly. Since you two were far enough behind Tyler, Jane, and Will, they couldn’t hear his comment.

“Don’t worry. I have no clue what he’s talking about either.” You reassured him before letting out a small yawn.

“Did you not sleep well last night?” He asked, looking over at you in concern.

“Someone was snoring a bit too loud for me to sleep.” You said, loud enough for Rose to hear. She stopped and spun around to face you, face red in embarrassment.

“It’s a nasal condition! You know how I get when it’s cold!” She defended. As much as she tried to sound angry, she still had a small smile on her face.

“Love you, Rose.” You blew her a kiss, laughing at her reaction. She and Harrison turned back around and continued their conversation about who knows what.

“I think Harrison’s got a nasal condition too.” Tom whispered, making you stifle a laugh to not draw attention back to the two of you.

“Rose doesn’t even snore that loud.” You admitted quietly, “Even with your sweatshirt, I was still too cold to sleep.”

“I can give you another one when we get back. You can double up.” He offered, “But it was pretty cold last night.”

“Thanks. I’ll probably take you up on that.” You smiled softly at him. “You know, I’m really happy you came.”

“I’m happy I came, too. Thanks for inviting me.” He replied, and you nodded in response. Tom paused after a moment, stopping his tracks to look at you with furrowed eyebrows, “Wait, did you not expect me to come?”

You looked at him in confusion, before answering, “I mean I did, but-“

“But I’m not outdoorsy, so you didn’t think I’d actually be here.” Tom grumbled in agitation, beginning to walk again quickly to catch up to the group. You ran up after him.

“Is that what this is about?” You questioned, your voice unintentionally raised, “That I said you weren’t the camping type back home?”

Harrison and Rose turned to look at the two of you, and Tom just bit his tongue to keep from exploding about the sensitive subject. He knew he shouldn’t have asked, but he just felt so inadequate with Will going on and on about trees and shit.

“What is going on with you?” You questioned with a huff of frustration.

“It’s nothing. Let’s just keep going.” Tom stated, shaking his head.

“I’m not going one more step until you tell me what the hell is up.”

“What’s the hold up?” Will called back when he noticed the stop in your hike. Tom went to step forward to continue the journey, but missed his footing on a particularly slick patch of leaves.

A collective, concerned shout came from you and Harrison as Tom hit the ground. He groaned in pain, and Rose came to his side. All frustration at him slipped out of you as worry flooded your system.

“Tom, oh my god- are you okay?” You asked.

“I think I rolled my ankle.” Tom said, cradling his ankle in his lap.

Rose looked at it briefly, no noticeable swelling or bruising yet. “Can you stand on it?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He replied before pushing himself to his feet. He bit back a grimace, standing on his ankle as normal, and you didn’t seem to be the only one to notice it. “Let’s finish the hike, yeah?”

“You’re not hiking on that.” Rose shook her head with a small laugh.

“I don’t want to hold you all back. I can manage it, really.”

“It’s fine. We’ll continue on. Y/N can lead you back.” Jane spoke up, a little smirk playing on her lips.

“I’ll go with.” Harrison offered.

“As the house nurse, I feel obligated to walk back with him.” Rose added, and you caught the blush that touched her cheeks.

And just like that, it was settled. You, Rose, and Harrison would walk back with Tom, who was doing his best not to limp, which everyone saw through. Rose and Harrison made conversation the whole walk back, while you and Tom just stayed awkwardly silent. By the time you all made it back to the house, he still hadn’t spoken to you. You went to put away your hiking gear and found Tom a few minutes later, sitting on the porch as he looked at the forest before him, an ice pack on his elevated ankle to help with potential swelling.

“I meant what I said.” You spoke up quietly as you sat in the chair beside him. When he just continued to look straight ahead and not physically acknowledge your presence, you continued, “I am really happy that you’re here, Tom. I didn’t say that because I didn’t think you’d want to come. The only reason I wouldn’t expect you to come is because you’re always busy. I guess what I really meant was that I’m grateful you were able to make time for me this week, especially because I know the countless other, more fun things you could be doing right now. It really means a lot.”

After another brief silent moment passed between the two of you, he looked over at you with a small frown on his face. “Why would you think I wouldn’t make time for you?”

“Like I said, you’re busy. You do one movie after the other, and I feel like we hardly see each other anymore. It’s,” You trailed off, searching for the right word, “comforting that you’d want to spend your free time with me.”

“You’re my best friend. Of course, I’d want to spend time with you.”

You knew his words were sweet and that he meant every single one of them, but you still felt a small, subtle twist in your gut. Another unnatural silence fell between the two of you until Rose came outside like a true savior.

“We’re planning on making s’mores tonight, are you down?” She asked, a cheery smile on her face.

“I’m offended you’re even asking me that.” You stated, and she rolled her eyes at you. You turned to Tom, smiling, “You’re going to love them. Just don’t burn yourself.”

“Burn myself?” He looked at you as if you were crazy, making you laugh.

“Don’t scare him.” Rose teased, “Besides, my money’s on Harrison burning himself first.”

“I heard that!” He called from inside the cabin through the screen door.

Just as Rose was about to leave to go back inside, Tom spoke up, raising his hand a little, still confused, “How do you burn yourself on s’mores?”

Several hours later, he got his answer.

“Ow, fuck, shit, ow.” Harrison cursed, dropping his burnt marshmallow into the dirt.

“That’s how.” You laughed as Rose clinked her s’more against yours.

“How do you know when it’s ready?” Tom asked, eyeing the marshmallow at the end of his stick. He slowly rotated the stick in his hands just as you had told him to do.

“Golden brown are the best, but they’re tricky to make because you can burn them instantly, which is what Harrison did.” You teased your blond friend beside you before taking a bite of your perfect s’more and turning back to face Tom on your other side. “Burnt ones aren’t bad, they just have a more burnt flavor, obviously.”

“So is it ready yet?” He questioned, but he was looking at you not at his roasting marshmallow.

“No,” You giggled. You finished off your s’more with another bite and scooted closer to him on the log. You placed your hand on top of his on the stick, twisting it so that the marshmallow was a few inches above the flame instead of right by the firewood. “And you just keep rotating it. You can see there’s already a gold hue to it.”

You smiled, looking over at him to find him already gazing at you with a soft smile of his own playing on his lips. The light from the campfire made his brown eyes sparkle with specks of gold.

“It’s burning!” Jane exclaimed, and you quickly retracted the stick and marshmallow, blowing out the fire on the now burned marshmallow.

“Well, it’s golden on one side, but burnt marshmallows are an essential part of the s’mores making business.” You said as you passed the stick back to Tom. You gathered the two parts of a graham cracker as well as some Hershey’s chocolate and set it up for a s’more.

“I think I need help with this part.” Tom admitted with a chuckle.

“So you put the marshmallow here.” You pointed at the graham cracker topped with a piece of chocolate. He moved the stick to put the marshmallow in its proper position, and then you put the other half of the graham cracker on top. Grasping the two graham crackers with the marshmallow in the middle, you finished, “And now pull out.”

“Hah, pull out.” Tyler laughed at the innuendo through a face full of his double stacked s’mores. Tom did as told, his eyes lighting up in excitement when you presented him his very own s’more.

“Ta-da. It’s real rocket science, isn’t it?” You joked, and Harrison elbowed you, still grumpy that he had lost his first marshmallow and burnt his hand trying to catch it.

“Burnt and fallen marshmallows are just casualties of s’more making.” Rose said.

“S’mores have to be the thing I miss most about living here— the U.K. just doesn’t do camping quite as well.” You stated, shaking your head a little in disbelief.

“How could you miss s’mores more than us?” Will asked, a playfulness in his voice, but you could recognize the serious undertones of his words.

“I’d miss s’mores more than I’d miss you.” Rose teased, saving you from having to actually think of a response.

“Hand me a marshmallow. I’m ready to try again for a golden one.” Tom said to you, and you reached over into the marshmallow bag beside you, slipping him the soft treat.

“Good luck.” You encouraged him with a laugh.

Tom’s second attempt ended up burnt as well, and you gladly ate it while he made his third one. By the time it was golden brown and ready to be eaten, Jane, Tyler, and even Will had retired for the night.

“That tastes so much better not burnt to a crisp.” Tom said, impressed by his own marshmallow-roasting skills.

“Camping heaven.” You agreed, finishing off the s’more he’d burned earlier.

Rose stood up with a small sigh, stretching her arms. “I think I might head to bed.”

“Me too.” Harrison stated, getting up after her. Tom looked at him questioningly, and you bit your lip, giving Rose a teasing look. She rolled her eyes at you, smiling to herself as she turned to head towards the cabin.

Noticing how Harrison’s hand caught hers once they were a decent distance from the campfire, you called out to them, “Good night!”

“Night!” They chorused back.

“Haz and Rose seem to have hit it off.” Tom commented once they were inside. Your eyes drifted from the dying fire up to the starry sky overhead.

“Yeah, they really have.” You nodded, caught up focusing on the twinkling lights above you. Quietly, you admitted, “I’ll never get tired of looking at the stars.”

“I bet your neck will.” He joked, making you shake your head.

“They’re just so beautiful.” You mumbled.

“Really beautiful.” You heard Tom murmur under his breath. Your eyes flickered over to him, noticing how he was definitely staring at you and not the stars in the sky. When he turned to face the campfire, your eyes diverted back up to the stars, trying your best to suppress how fast your heart was racing.

“I used to know all of the constellations too. Will and I used to camp a lot, and I’d just study the stars until I fell asleep.” You confessed, attempting to strike up a conversation to keep you from your thoughts. When Tom said nothing in reply, a small sigh escaped your lips, and your eyes trailed back down to Tom beside you. Staring right into the dying campfire, he looked deep in thought.

“What’s on your mind?” You asked him, nudging him a little with your shoulder.

“It’s nothing.” Tom shook his head, but his attempts to play off his thoughts didn’t work on you. After a moment, he spoke up, barely meeting your eyes as he did so, “Did you and Will really— you know— in my movie—“ he trailed off, not wanting to finish his question. He was already apprehensive about the answer, and yet he couldn’t help himself from asking.

“In Infinity War?” You asked, laughing lightly at his question, or lack thereof. Looking up towards the sky again, you replied, “Unless you count the fastest handjob ever, no, we didn’t.”

Tom was silent, making you look back over at him. His shoulders were shaking as he bit his lip, doing his best to stifle his laughter.

“Shut up.” You scoffed, playfully hitting his arm. “It wasn’t like you were dying in the scene or anything. You weren’t even on the screen.”

“I didn’t say anything.” He insisted, before breaking into a fit of laughter, unable to contain it any longer. In that moment, you felt complete tranquility. Tom’s laughter broke through the silence of the atmosphere, making your heart flutter in happiness. His eyes were shut, and you could count every crinkle by his eyes. With the fire illuminating his features just right, he was positively glowing. If you wanted any moment to last forever, it was this one. Tom settled his laughter, “Sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing, but it’s just-” He paused, and his smile faltered momentarily, “It’s a relief.”

“A relief?” You repeated before you could help yourself, and Tom realized his words.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, thinking on his feet of an explanation, “It would’ve been really awkward if I was dying, and you and Will- yeah.” He stopped himself short, and a comfortable silence overcame the two of you.

“How’s your ankle feeling?” You asked, not wanting the conversation to end. If it ended, then that meant the night was over and your precious alone time with Tom was over.

“It’s fine, now. Honestly, it didn’t hurt that much.” He replied with a bit of a nod. You watched as he sucked in a tight breath, “I’m sorry about what happened earlier on the hike. I got frustrated and a little jealous. I was so determined to prove that I could be like Will that I just ended up being a dick.”

His words took a moment to sink in, but you found a small smile breaking over your face as you understood the layers of their meaning. You reached out and touched his knee. Softly, you admitted, “You have no reason to be jealous over Will. I’d never want you to be like him. The main reason that I broke up with him was because, well, he’s not you.”

You could see Tom think about your words for a moment before, ever so slowly, he started to lean in. Tom’s lips seemed to fit perfectly with yours, tenderly moving in sync as you both caved into your suppressed feelings. With one hand cupping your cheek, Tom’s other hand moved to your waist, pulling you in closer to him. You paid no mind to the uncomfortableness of your position on the log, too lost in the kiss to think straight. For the second time that night, you wished that this moment would last forever.

But it came to a quick, bittersweet end as Tom pulled away. His face stayed close to yours, his breath fanning over your face. A smile crossed his lips, “That took us way too long.”

“Way, way too long.” You agreed. He went to pull you in for another kiss, but the sudden cold of the dying fire pulled you two back to reality. Almost reluctantly, you said, “I guess we should probably head inside.”

It was far too cold for either of you to want to stay outside without the comforting heat. Gathering the food and putting out the last of the fire, you two walked back to the cabin, hand in hand.

“Thank you for the s’mores.” Tom said quietly to you, aware that most likely everyone in the cabin was sleeping. He placed the last couple bags of marshmallows and graham crackers on the kitchen counter (the chocolate was all eaten long ago), and you made a mental note to take care of it in the morning.

“Any time.” You joked softly. Tom leaned in to give you a quick, but just as sweet good night kiss.

As he made his way over to the stairs, he spoke up again, “Don’t get too cold tonight.”

“Good night, Tom.” You laughed lightly, turning towards your bedroom door.

“Good night, Y/N.”

With one last exchange of soft, sleepy smiles, you both turned to go your separate ways.

When you entered your quaint cabin room, you were met with Rose’s snores, a sharp contrast to your favorite sound that was Tom’s laughter from moments ago. You quietly maneuvered around the room, getting ready for bed. A smile ghosted your lips as you tugged on Tom’s hoodie. The familiar warmth and scent enveloping you comfortably.

You waited for sleep to overcome you on the cold bed; it felt like hours (when really, it was probably only ten minutes) before you finally decided to get up. With a small sigh, you shuffled out of the bed. Maybe the couch would give you more peace than your shared room.

As you made your way out of your room, you heard a door downstairs open. Curiously, you peeked down the staircase to see Tom emerging from the bathroom, in nothing but basketball shorts.

“What are you still doing up?” Tom asked you with his voice just above a whisper. You silently made your way down the stairs until you were in front of him.

“Couldn’t sleep. The room hasn’t gotten any warmer since last night.” You admitted, subconsciously crossing your arms.

“Come here.” Tom slowly uncrossed your arms, taking one of your hands loosely in his. He led you to his room. The door creaked open and shed some light into the dark bedroom. Wordlessly, he brought you over to his bed and dropped your hand to shuffle the blankets.

“What about Haz?” You whispered as Tom slipped into his bed, laying sideways and as close to the wall as possible to make some room for you.

“It’ll be fine.” He reassured you. You slid into the bed, finding comfort under the blankets. You laid on your side facing Tom, and it was then that you realized just how small the twin bed was— you two were close enough to each other that you could feel his minty breath fan over your cheeks, which still made you nervous even though just ten minutes ago he’d kissed you.

“We’re never going to fall asleep like this.” You teased softly. Tom let out a quiet laugh, shuffling so he was flatter on his back, giving you room to lay in his arms. With your head pressed to his bare chest and his strong arms circling around you, you finally found warmth.

“You’re really warm.” You mumbled into his chest, snuggling into his embrace and letting your legs tangle comfortably with his. It wasn’t the first time the two of you had cuddled, but it was the first time the two of you have cuddled on a tiny bed and with him being shirtless.

“Makes me the best cuddling partner.” Tom mumbled, his chest shaking lightly underneath you as he chuckled. You hummed in agreement, a smile forming on your face.

“Do you two ever shut up?” You heard Harrison question from the bunk above you.

“Do you always have to ruin a perfectly good moment?” Tom replied, and you subconsciously snuggled deeper into his embrace.

“I better not wake up in the middle of the night to noises.” He grumbled. The bed shuffled as he flipped over in his bed to get comfortable.

“Haz, that’s just you snoring.” You teased. He muttered something incoherent and you whispered to Tom, “Let’s wait until he starts snoring and then move his mattress to the lake.”

“Deal.”

Unfortunately for you but luckily for Harrison, you drifted off quickly, listening to the sound of Tom’s heart beating underneath you. You couldn’t help yourself; he made for the best pillow and the best heat source.

The next morning, you woke up with a start, hearing a loud thud from right beside you. Blearily, you leaned over the edge of the twin bed to find the source of the sound; when you saw a groaning, half-asleep Tom on the floor below you, a fit of laughter overcame you. The blankets were falling off the bed, all tangled up in his legs.

“Did you fall off the bed?” Harrison asked, even though all three of you already knew the answer, and you looked up to see him peering over the edge of the bunk bed.

“It’s not funny.” Tom muttered, frowning in faux annoyance at your continued laughter.

You held your hands out to him, offering to help him up even though you were in an impossible position to really help, still laying in the actual bed. Teasingly, you asked, “You got an owie?”

Chuckling, Tom reached up and grabbed your hands, pulling you off the bed. You let out a yelp as you landed on top of him, in a similar position to just last night. Your legs subconsciously fell on either side of his to somewhat straddle him, and you lifted yourself up on the palms of your hands to look down at him properly, a smile etched on your face. The familiar intoxicating pull from last night returned; you almost forgot Harrison was in the room— key word, almost.

“Get up before I come down there and join in.”

And with that, you quickly got off of Tom, and he scrambled to his feet. As Harrison came down the bunk bed ladder, you and Tom put the blankets back onto the bottom bed. You pondered where last night left the two of you, and you weren’t sure how to approach the subject. You were clearly more than friends, but were you more than friends in front of the others?

“What’s for breakfast?” Harrison asked, cutting you off from your thoughts.

Over the course of the next few hours, you tried to somehow be alone with Tom to talk things over. It felt odd how things ended last night— not a bad odd, but odd nonetheless. Between the guys going for yet another run and you all spending time at the lake together, it just seemed like the opportunity would never come.

“God, I can’t believe it took you that long.” Rose teased, a giddy smile on her face as she cut off your recounting of last night. The boys were outside chopping some firewood while you, Rose, and Jane prepared dinner.

Jane winked at you jokingly, “What was it like?”

“What was what like? The kissing?” You asked, and she nodded.

“We want all the details!”

“In all honesty, it was the best kiss of my life.” You admitted, the butterflies you felt last night returning at just the thought.

As the three of you continued to talk, coo, and gossip about the four boys outside, they were hard at work. The late afternoon summer sun was bearing down on them, and they had stripped away their shirts earlier. Tom decided very early on that he didn’t like chopping wood, even if Harrison was somehow worse at it than him. While Tom and Harrison mainly kept to themselves, Will and Tyler had their own conversations going, despite the others clearly within earshot.

“You and Jane— I don’t know how you do it. One girl for all those years?” Will commented, and Tyler laughed with a shrug.

“It’s been so long, I don’t know what I would do without her. Plus, she’s the best fuck I’ve ever had.” Tyler said crassly, making his friend laugh.

“Mine was by far Y/N.” He stated, loudly, as if to ensure that Tom would hear it. At the sound of your name, Tom and Harrison both began to listen in on the conversation.

“It’s been years. Surely, there’s been someone else.”

“Nope.” Will protested, stopping his work to lean on the axe handle, “She was supposed to come over last night, but she must’ve gotten lost.” Tom couldn’t stop himself from scoffing at his words. Hearing the sound, Will turned to face Tom, “Got something to say?”

“Yeah, I do actually.” Tom said, dropping the axe. Holding himself up straighter, he made his way closer to Will. Harrison hesitantly stepped closer to Tom as the brunet continued, “She didn’t get lost, she just had a better option.”

“Better option? You mean you?” He bit back. “Yesterday, you couldn’t even do a simple hike without hurting yourself, and you’re shit at chopping wood. You may think you’re hot shit in London, but this is my turf, movie star. I’m the one who gets the girl here.”

Harrison went to grab Tom’s balled fist, but he was too late as Tom had already swung, nailing the surprised Will right in the nose. Will responded quickly, throwing a punch back at Tom. Tyler and Harrison exchanged questioning looks, silently wondering if they should break up the fight or just let them go at it, but the pair decided the former was probably a better idea.

Aware of sudden commotion outside, you, Rose, and Jane all rushed to the balcony, wondering what could possibly be happening. The fight between Tom and Will was ending as Harrison and Tyler both successfully pulled their respective friends away from the other. Even from the distance, you could see the new bruises on Tom’s face and Will’s bloody nose; it was most likely broken, but you didn’t have it in you to care. The boys were unaware of you and the others, until Harrison looked up at the balcony. He gave you a sad smile, and Tom was next to look up. Ashamed, he didn’t dare to meet your eyes and, instead, grabbed his shirt from a nearby log and trudged his way down to the lake.

Your eyes flickered to Will, and a pit of anger flamed inside you. Just by the look on his face, you didn’t even need to question who was the antagonist. Not bothering to say a word to Rose or Jane, you marched downstairs and out to where Will, Tyler, and Harrison remained.

“What did you say to him?” You questioned Will angrily.

“Nothing he didn’t already know.” He replied nonchalantly.

“That’s bullshit, Will. This is all just bullshit. Every chance you get, you bring up something to antagonize Tom and embarrass me. And, every time you do that, you just remind me that you’re half the man Tom is.”

“You’re acting like I was the one to start the fight. News flash, princess, your man threw the first punch.” Will said, bitterly.

You stepped closer to him, your eyes hardening, and you swore you saw fear flicker in his eyes. “Believe me, if Tom hadn’t broken your nose already, I would break it myself.”

Without another word, you turned on your heel and headed down to the lake. You knew they were all watching you-- Harrison, Tyler, and Will from the ground and Rose and Jane from the balcony. The sun was already starting to line the tops of the trees across the lake, and you felt your anger slowly dissipating as you saw Tom sitting on the dock. With his legs swinging off the edge, he looked at peace, but you knew him better than that; a storm was brewing in his head.

You didn’t say anything, and Tom made no effort to look away from his hands in his lap as you approached. Silently, you sat down right next to him at the end of the dock. Now that you were beside him, you noticed the bruise forming on his eyebrow and the cut on his lip. Will definitely got a few good shots at him, but you could tell Tom had gotten him worse. Your eyes trailed down to his hands; his knuckles were red in agony. Slowly, you reached your hand out to grab his injured one.

“It doesn’t hurt.” Tom mumbled, but you could tell he was holding back the truth. You tenderly placed a kiss on each of his red knuckles before intertwining your fingers.

“Wanna talk about what happened?” You asked him quietly, fearing if you spoke too loud the fragile moment would somehow be ruined.

“He was talking about you like you were just a good fuck and nothing more.” He replied, his voice just as soft as yours.

You couldn’t help but smile at him, your heart fluttering at the thought that he was defending you. You let go of his hand and turned to properly face him. The smile never left your face as you cupped his face in your hands. Confused, Tom asked through a laugh, “What are you doing?”

You kissed his bruised eyebrow before responding, “Well, I’ve got to kiss it better, don’t I?”

“I think you missed a spot then.” Tom pointed to his lips with a cheeky grin. You pressed a chaste kiss to the cut on his lip, before teasingly pulling away. You didn’t get far as Tom’s hand went to the back of your neck, bringing you in for another, deeper kiss. Caught up in the moment, you somehow forgot about his cut; it wasn’t until you nibbled on his bottom lip, accidentally catching the cut, that you remembered and Tom pulled away with a quiet groan.

“I’m sorry.” You said through a laugh, though you were still genuinely concerned about him. Your fingers traced lightly over the agitated cut.

“It’s okay.” He reassured you. One of his hands trailed up your arm to your own hand, and he brought it to his lips, kissing it just as gently as you had kissed his knuckles. “You’re cold.”

“Guess my personal heater isn’t working.” You teased.

“Come here.” Tom beckoned you closer to him. You slid into his side, snuggling into his warm embrace. With his arm hanging around your shoulders, you slipped your fingers through his, smiling at the ease of it all.

“I wish we could stay like this forever.” You mumbled, looking at the beauty of the lake and the sunset before you. It was like a scene from a painting, a scene you wanted to memorize forever.

Tom pressed a kiss to your forehead, pulling you in closer to him. “We can stay here as long as you’d like, darling.”

#tom holland #tom holland one shot #tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #tom holland fanfic #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n

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cherryblossom-chopper · 3 years

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How do you think Ace and Sabo would react to their female S/O sacrificing their life for them? Like headcanons or a scenario. Tysm for your time💜

It is time for pain :)

Ace

-Anger is the first emotion he feels. It masks the sadness and overwhelming sick feeling in his stomach. Ace can't do anything but sit and feel rage. So much so that steam is coming off his skin.

-He blames everyone in the world for his loss, including his partner. He's angry at them for leaving him by pushing him out of the way, for risking everything for his worthless ass. Ace is mad at his partner because he knew he could've survived the attack; he would've been fine after a few days, but no. They had to jam their shoulder into his back, knocking him to his knees.

-Ace is angry at himself because the bastard son of Rodger didn't deserve saving, certainly not by an angel in human form. He should've been watching his partner's back instead of competing with Marco. It was a real fight, not a game, and he was treating it like it was.

-Ace will bite and bark at everyone around him. He becomes literally untouchable, his skin burning anyone who tries. Ace becomes increasingly hostile to his crewmates and even more aggressive towards his enemies. Ace didn't like hurting people, but now he had nothing to lose, so what was the point?

-It takes a lengthy discussion with Whitebeard to finally cool off his steam. Whitebeard sits with Ace and shares stories of those he's lost. Pops gives Ace a comforting pat on the back, telling him that his heart will be scared and some days will be better than others. Whitebeard loved (Name) too, but knows their efforts were not in vain unless Ace wastes his life in anger.

-Whitebeards words get to Ace. They sit heavy in his heart, and he finally gives in to his grief. Ace sinks to his knees and cries in front of his captain. He lets every bit of himself out, slamming the wooden floors with his fists, wailing, and begging any Gods listening to bring his Sunshine back to him.

-Whitebeard can only mournfully watch his son unravel, but Newgate has lived a long life and knows that this is the first step to healing.

Sabo

-Sabo feels an overwhelming amount of guilt and numbness. How could he let this happen? Late night promises where not just broken but shattered.

-After the loss of his partner he spends a lot of his time staring at nothing. He’s completely lost into his memories. Sabo tries to to remember everything about his partner. Their face, the feeling of their hand in his, and the sound of their laugh.

-Koala does what she can to ease his grief but she lost a friend too. She grieves quietly at his side. Sabo is grateful for Koala’s company, but it doesn’t do much to ease the queasiness in his stomach.

-Sabo tries to pour himself into his work. Dragon had allowed him some time off and paper work stacked up. Going back to his work is futile though. He sits and stares and thinks about nothing but the day he lossed (Name).

-What else is he suppose to do? He was suppose to protect them, they where his partner, his best friend and he let them slip from his fingers.

-When his work begins slipping, Dragon and Ivankoff try to get involved, but they’re met with anger. Sabo finally rages. Everything comes pouring at when Dragon offers his sympathies. Sabo blames Dragon for (Name) being on that battlefield. Dragon knew they weren’t ready and he still sent them.

-During his meltdown, Sabo finally says it; It’s not my fault. And in that moment, everything slows down. He’s suddenly so tired.

-He sinks to his knees, his legs can no longer support him. Fighting gravity is too hard. With salty tears on his face, he looks to Ivankoff for help or guidance.

-Ivankoff can only offer a few wise words and a shoulder to cry on. Later, behind closed doors Ivankoff will asks Dragon to send Sabo home. The boy needs his family, Ivankoff insists; yet Dragon will refuse.

-Though, it doesn’t matter to Sabo. The suffocating guilt begins to ease and his memories are tinted rose colored. Small smiles come his face and a bit of light returns to his eyes. The progress is slow, and he misses (Name) more than anything but there’s no longer pain.

#cherryblossom chopper #one piece #angst #ace #sabo #portgas d ace #ace angst #sabo angst #ace x reader #sabo x reader

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poguestvff · 3 years

Text

LIKE A BIG SISTER SHOULD — WHEEZIE CAMERON

in which wheezie cameron finds that blood doesn’t make you family, love and affection does.

taglist | masterlist | 2.5k words | @pogueslandia ,

warning(s): food, she/her pronouns, ward slander, a little sarah slander but that’d include reading between the lines. why’d this make me want to make a series of reader and Wheezie being best friends.

There's always been a heavy feeling of loneliness that rested upon the youngest cameron's shoulders, weighing her down as it seemed to pile over the years. Her siblings were always older, an age gap between them that even if it was shortened by a few years, their worlds would still be two different things. All three of them were in three different stages of life yet somehow it felt like Wheezie wasn't even there at times.

Throughout the entirety of her schooling career so far, everything had somehow been about Rafe and Sarah. Sarah was the perfect one; the paragon who could do no wrong. Even if Sarah tried to disobey, it'd be turned around to be made out as a minute mistake. She'd probably be able to get away with it a second time if she did it a different way. Maybe the same way.

Rafe was quite the opposite. The bastard child who needed a plentiful amount of attention in hopes he can be more like the paragon. With all this attention, his head only grew. It never gave him the space for growth. It minimized the space to stay exactly where he was for years on end.

This left Wheezie to be the ostracized sibling. She wasn't a social butterfly or a poster child like Sarah and she definitely wasn't a loner or the 'damaged goods' child like Rafe. She was just... average. With average grades and an average personality. Just average old Wheezie. She told herself this consistently, watching her father balance his attention between making sure Rafe stayed between the lines he'd drawn for him in a radius such as a dart board and allowing Sarah step out of them, even erasing some of the lines so she could walk on by them without a second thought.

But Wheezie was stuck in that tiny little circle in the middle, the bullseye as if scared to move out of those lines. The one place that was the hardest to pinpoint specifically by her father. But there was one thing Ward Cameron always said correct about his younger daughter. That he wouldn't be able to pin point his little dart of control into the middle of the board because she was misunderstood and misunderstood she was.

Though one person had been able to pick up on every single one of Wheezie's emotions.

Y/n Y/L/N was a pogue who had done tutoring on the side for a little extra money and when John B had recommended Y/n for help with Wheezie's homework, Ward was quick to say okay. He hardly even asked a thing about Y/n, just telling her to help Wheezie pass eighth grade and that was all. It was made very apparent to Y/n that was Wheezie was not as much of a priority to Ward as other things were.

Their first tutoring session, Wheezie was awfully dismissive. She didn't care for any of Y/n's efforts as they sat within the comfort of Wheezie's bedroom. She just wanted the entire hour to be over with the second she'd entered her room but Y/n was insistent, knowing that by the end of the school year she would have something instilled in Wheezie's brain. She just didn't know what that something was yet.

The second time they met, Y/n was more passive aggressive in hopes of breaking down the brick walls Wheezie had stored between her and everyone else in hopes of not disappointing them like the way she thought she'd disappointed her father. Y/n sat her down in her desk chair, swiveling her chair to her as she rested her hands on the younger girls shoulders. "You are going to have a really awkward couple of weeks if you and i don't become friends so no work today. We're playing 20 questions."

That night, Y/n learned a lot about Wheezie Cameron that she never thought she'd learned. Wheezie hated the color purple, she just painted her room that color because Sarah liked that color. Wheezie loved to paint and to draw, it was her favorite activity, she just rarely showed it bevause she hadn't believed in herself. Though, when she showed Y/n the canvas' that were shoved at the back of the closet, Y/n marveled at them. But Y/n's favorite fact, and the same one that almost made her hug Wheezie on the spot, was that she was never taught to swim and Y/n made her a promise that she would teach her.

As the weeks went by, Wheezie waiting anticipatingly for Y/n's beaten down, green ford bronco to pull up on the driveway and she'd leave the house with a giant smile on her face. It’d be early in the morning, a little less than an hour until school started, just like how Wheezie liked. She'd jump in the driver seat, embracing the smell of vanilla from the scented item hanging from the rear view mirror. She’d toss her bag to the back as Y/n would ruffle her hair, just like she had every morning. "And beloved was set in... late 1856!" Wheezie answered excitedly as Y/n drove down the final street towards her school after the two had gotten breakfast together.

"Perfect! You're gonna do so good on your test, Wheeze, I promise." Y/n told her ecstatically as she pulled into a parking space. Just before Wheezie could get out, Y/n held her upper arm just to gain her attention before she got out. "Tell Rose she doesn't have to get you after school. I'll leave school early and you and I are having a girls day. No studying, just me, you and a shit ton of sweets."

Wheezie smiled, she could feel the muscles in her jaw begin to hurt from how wide she had. She tilted her head to the side out of curiosity, eyeing the look of excitement on Y/n's face. "But why?"

Y/n shrugged, adjusting in her seat and fixing her rear view mirror. "Cause, you deserve it. I'm so proud of you, Little W." She told her, looking back towards the girl and seeing her smile slightly drop. "You okay?"

Wheezie couldn't remember a time where she was genuinely told that. Yeah, sure, Ward said it a few times but it'd be in a lousy tone before he'd wave her off, saying he was busy with whatever office work he had to attend to. Sarah may have said it a few times but it was rushed before she'd run after her friends with a quick goodbye to Wheeze, leaving her alone in the sand. It was never sincere. Not in the way Y/n had said it.

She rubbed her hands against her jean clad thighs with a sharp breath before nodding. “Yeah. I've just never really been told that before. Like—Like genuinely." She said, lowly, in hopes Y/n would understand and wouldn't push it.

Y/n had known Wheezie long enough to know her tells and avoiding eye contact was one of the biggest ones. So she didn't indulge further in the conversation, brushing it under the rug but knowing she'd have to go diving back in for that little tidbit later on. Instead she wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug from over the console. "I'll tell you i'm proud of you everyday if i have to." Y/n muttered before kissing the top of her head. "Now go, if you're late to first period, your dad will kill me." And Wheezie was able to leave the car with a smile on her face, already looking forward to the day planned later on.

Y/n was overall consistent, it was one thing Wheezie enjoyed knowing that when she made promises she tried to keep them as best as she could. Sometimes things slipped her mind but Wheezie could recognize that Y/n didn't forget a thing when it came to Wheezie. Like she made sure to engrave bits and pieces of her into her mind like a data chart. But it showed she cared and that was enough for Wheezie.

Y/n cared enough that when she entered her car after school, the smell of her favorite cinnabon's filled the car that made her look in the backseat, seeing a picnic basket. There wasn't a chance, right? You could only get them on the mainland. She turned her body swiftly towards the elder girl who sat with a smirk on her face. "You didn't?"

"I did. Second I left fourth period, got on a ferry just for you to have those overly sweet treats." Y/n said, tapping her nose with a 'boop'! "And I almost got stuck on the mainland because of it so you better enjoy the hell out of them."

"I will, I promise." Wheezie said dramatically as Y/n smiled, pulling out of the parking space to head down to the beach. Wheezie had said she didn't have a bathing suit, not prepared for the outing, though Y/n already said she had ransacked her room for clothes for after. Y/n was the only person allowed in Wheezie Cameron's room without Wheezie being there and the elder girl took pride in it.

As Y/n set up their small area for the few hours, she noticed Wheezie standing just where the water and the sand met. She kicked around the water with clear disinterest causing Y/n to huff, hands on her hips, before tossing off her hoodie to get in. The splash she'd made by pushing herself into the water made Wheezie jump, a laugh falling from the two's lips. "Come on." Y/n said, standing and holding her hands out to Wheezie.

"Y/n/n, I can't swim."

"Y/n/n I can't swim, well, obvi, i know that, little W. But, you have your amazing best friend to keep you afloat. I won't let you go, i swear." Y/n said, holding up her pinky.

"Swear?"

"On my life." She reassured with a trusting smile before Wheezie walked further in. When the water had gotten to her above her waist, it'd freaked her out a bit though Y/n talked her through it, coaxing her further in slowly. Wheezie was kept above the water as Y/n held her hands as the buoyancy was used to their advantage. "See, not as bad as you thought?"

Wheezie shook her head though still nervous. "Not as bad, not my thing though."

"Why don't we try actually swimming? I won't force you if you don't want to and we can get back to shore right now but maybe just try?" She asked as Wheezie had to think about it for a moment. She almost felt guilty, remembing just a few months ago when Sarah had asked her if she could teach her but she refused. Though maybe, just maybe, it was because of Y/n being a bit more trust worthy that Wheezie said yes this time.

It took a while, Wheezie was frightened by letting go even as Y/n would say she was okay. Wheezie would tighten her grip on her shoulders before trying again and again until she eventually got it. She finally was able to keep herself above the water without flailing, recognizing that she was okay. Y/n cheered as she watched, not caring for the stares of others around them. "See, dude? You just have to start applying yourself! You did it!"

"I did it!" Wheezie said as Y/n hugged her, the two laughing before Wheezie screamed making Y/n's laughter die fast. "Something touched me!"

"Wheeze, it was seaweed." Y/n said softly before turning and letting her place her hands on her shoulders. "Yeah let's get you out of here before a jellyfish gets you."

Wheezie widened her eyes. "Jellyfish?"

As the sun had began to set and people had packed up their things and left, Y/n and Wheezie stayed. Wheezie was on her fourth doughy treat, even though Y/n told her to slow down two treats ago. Towels were wrapped around each of their shoulders as they watched the pretty colors fade in to one another, a mixture of pink, blue and orange array of colors combining to make a cotton candy sky. Wheezie watched as Y/n got up, accepting a phone call from Ward, the only phone call she hadn't silenced since they'd left the car.

In the time she'd left, Wheezie took advantage of it to recognize how appreciative she was of all that Y/n was doing for her. She came in as a tutor and, to Wheezie, was to stay as a friend. As family. Wheezie was more then ecstatic to have someone who would be there to rant and rave about the other Cameron's, someone she could trust with her secrets and the contents of her always running brain. Someone who was just there.

"Hey, your father would like us back in thirty so we should leave in ten." She said coming back and sitting beside Wheezie as she caught sight of her face, the lack of the smile that was there previously concerning her. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing, really. Just... I really enjoyed today, Y/n. It really lets me know you're not just here for like... like the money or something."

Y/n let out a scoff. "Are you kidding? I enjoy nothing more than watching you freak out over the existence of jellyfish." She joked as Wheezie pushed her to the side with a laugh. Y/n recovered, letting out a content sigh as she tossed an arm over Wheezie's shoulders. "You're stuck with me now, Wheezes. Can't wait to record you falling at your next soccer game."

Wheezie couldn't help the laugh that slipped past her lips, leaning into Y/n's embrace as her head rested against her clavicle. "And I'll be looking for you in the stands, Y/n/n."

Y/n and Wheezie had both found out something about the other that night. Wheezie found that she didn't want to be like Sarah and she was glad she wasn't like Rafe. She was content with her own little circle on the dart board but maybe she could take a bit after her newest role model. And Y/n found that she was able to instill several things into the youngers mind including To Kill a Mockingbird, Inca Civilizations, and that she now had a true and present big sister to look up to.

#outer banks x reader #outer banks #outer banks imagine #jj maybank #wheezie cameron #wheezie cameron x reader #rafe cameron #sarah cameron

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seeyalaterinnovator · 3 years

Text

One For The Road - Alex Turner Imagine (NSFW)

Word count: 5.2K (part two to come...)

Rating: NSFW 18+!!!

Synopsis: You and Alex have been friends, but could tonight push that over the edge?

You peered into the mirror, swiping on the shiny gloss over the lipstick you had just put on, giving the subtle appearance of a pout before tossing the tube back into your purse. Nervously your hands tousled your hair which had been slightly messy from moving around throughout the night. As you analyzed your appearance you wondered what Alex thought of you tonight, and whether or not he was actually going to kiss you or if the night would get away from the two of you.

It had been two years of fighting feelings and biting your tongue each time he’d say something cheeky to you. Sure you had kissed a couple of times, but most of them were borne of whiskey fueled bravery. Tonight you weren’t sure which Alex was in your presence, respectful or brave, though you were praying for the latter. With one final adjustment of your shirt you left the sanctity of the bathroom and back out into the bar to rejoin your cohort.

“There she is.” Someone spoke as you managed to push your way back through various groups of people, claiming your place along the wall.

Your gaze wandered over to Alex who was sitting over at the table, hand wrapped around a glass of something that you hoped would be the liquid courage he needed tonight. He looked so handsome sitting there, lost in conversation with one of the others. “Here I am.” You chimed.

“This place is getting really crowded, anyone wanna pick somewhere else?” Someone asked.

You were inclined to agree. There were far too many people in this bar, you could hardly even hear what your friends were saying. Plus there wasn’t an open seat to Alex, which was the exact spot you wanted to be in. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands if you want something done. “We could go back to my place?” you suggested, knowing you had a fair amount of booze at your house to tide everyone over for the evening.

By this point Alex had invested himself into whatever you were saying, intently looking over at you. For a brief moment you locked eyes and for the first time that night you actually felt a flutter in your stomach. His gaze was so intent, a sly smile pulling at his lips. He clearly liked your idea.

“Y/n has a new place, don’t yeh?” Alex asked despite well knowing that you had moved into a new apartment a few weeks ago.

“Yeah, bit bigger. We can go back there and hang. At least we won’t be bothered..” You trailed off, everyone quickly began to close out their tabs.

The night had cooled off significantly. As you exited the bar you caught a gust of wind, sending a shiver through your body. A small, deep chuckle could be heard behind you, one from that all familiar voice. “Cold?” Alex asked, stepping closer behind you and running his hands over your arms to warm them.

“A bit chilly yeah.” You nodded. Before you knew it, Alex was pressing himself all the way to you, wrapping his strong arms around your body, sharing his body heat. His lips incredibly close to your neck, he turned his head so he could speak.

“Who’d yeh come ‘ere with?” He inquired, a calm yet suggestive tone carried his voice.

“Mallory, who looks like she is currently otherwise occupied.” Pointing toward your friend who was happily kissing her boyfriend just a few feet ahead of the two of you.

“Good,” He mused to you, “I’m takin’ y/n!” His voice got much louder as he announced to the group who were spread about over the sidewalk.

Alex led the two of you over to his car, opening the passenger door for you to slide in easily. He lingered for a moment as you stood there, impossibly close, his eyes followed your form as you slipped into the seat. He rounded the front and slipped in himself, turning the key in the ignition.

The ride had started off quiet save for some soft music that was playing in the background. Your head lolled to the side and you watched Alex as he drove, admiring the man beside you. This was the first time the two of you had truly been alone together tonight, but would it be the last?

At one point he lifted his hand from the steering wheel and you watched as he flicked through a few of the radio stations until settling on something a little more rock based. His hand paused and hovered for a moment before he casually reached over and allowed it to settle along your knee. Body slightly tense, you dared not move or flinch of fear that he’d move away. Instead you stared at his hand so gently caressing the top of your leg - it would remain there the rest of the drive. When Alex parked on your street he turned to you as if wanting to say something, but the words dried up in his mouth and instead opted to smile over at you.

“What?” You asked, curious of his sudden lack of words.

“Jus’ enjoyin the view.” He shrugged, his hand squeezing just a bit before releasing altogether.

“Cmon, let’s go inside.”

You let out a steady exhale to rid yourself of the nerves you had built up once you stood up out of the car. Not that you didn’t enjoy it immensely, but you clearly hadn’t psyched yourself up for the possibility of the brave Alex tonight. Once you rounded the corner, you began to rummage through your purse looking for your keys as you walked. That same warm presence filled the space next to you once again, this time with a steady hand to your lower back as you walked.

The gesture was small yet protective, almost possessive without being too aggressive. You swallowed thickly, telling yourself that you were only a few moments away from being able to down another drink to calm your nerves. The remainder of the walk his hand would stay glued to your lower back, and would go unnoticed by the rest of your friends.

Once upstairs you were met by a few friends who were lingering around in the hallway. Someone mumbled something about you and Alex, but you opted to ignore the comment in favor of focusing on opening the door to let everyone in.

“Sorry if it’s messy… wasn’t really planning on having company tonight.” You apologized as you swung the door open, allowing your friends to all hoard in.

Lingering around, you watched as all your friends began to settle around the living room, coats being shucked off and dumped on your spare bed. You took note of Alex’s leather jacket sitting on the bed off to the side, causing you to half wonder if he had planned on leaving earlier than the others. Everything seemed to be going well so far, at least you thought.

With a promise of drinks, you made your way off into the kitchen and rummaged around your cabinets and began to grab various bottles to set out on the counter. This moment alone allowed you to reflect on tonight thus far, and to worry about how the rest of it would go. He was here, so that was something. Alex could have easily gone home but he opted to follow you back to your place.

“Need any help?” Alex’s voice popped back into the room. He was smoothing back his hair when you looked back toward him.

“You could grab some glasses.” You suggested, pointing toward the cabinet the glasses were located. A smile had crept it’s way up to your lips, Alex had gone out of his way to seek out where you were. You had to silently scold yourself though, to stop acting like a giddy school girl and to play it cool.

The two of you met at the island in the middle, laying out different things here and there. His hand wrapped around the bottle of cinnamon whiskey as he eyed it, a devilish smirk evident in his features. “I know that look Turner, what are you up to?”

“Let’s do a shot, just us.” He said, already pouring the golden liquid into two shot glasses with a wink.

He pushed the glass toward you, a small bit spilling over the edge and onto the counter. Despite your better judgement, you took hold of the glass and clinked with his before downing the liquid down your throat. It burned on the way down and settled into your stomach, and soon that warm cozy feeling would start to take over your senses. You both chuckled as your glasses came back down onto the counter with an echoing clunk.

“Alreyh, I’m goin’ to go out for a smoke.” He announced

“I have a balcony off of my room, upstairs, second door on the right, you can go there.” You nonchalantly mentioned, though the thought of him in your bedroom made your stomach flip. “Door should be unlocked.”

“Thanks.”

Alex disappeared off and you busied yourself in making a few different drinks to bring out. You took your time, hoping that by the time you were done Alex would be back and hopefully you’d manage to plop yourself next to him again and savor whatever time you had left with him tonight. With a tray full of drinks, you made your way back into the living room and started to hand them out - quickly noticing that Alex was not back.

“I’ll be right back.” You excused yourself to make your way up the stairs quietly, heading straight for your room. You found Alex exactly where you thought, leaning over the balcony as puffs of smoke rose over his head.

He turned around once he heard shuffling behind him. To play it cool you headed over to your closet to grab a sweater, as if the whole reason you came up here wasn’t to see him. Large brown eyes blinked over at you as he settled against the balcony, this time facing you. “How’s it going?” You ask, looking over to him as you pull the cardigan over your arms.

“Good, wanna join meh?”

Without a response you shuffle over out onto the balcony next to him. He flicked his cigarette, ashes falling over the edge and flitted down to the ground slowly. You weren’t much of a smoker, at least not as much as he was, but you did partake occasionally, especially if he was offering.

“Want one?”

“Nah, I’ll just take a puff of yours.” You shook your head, taking the cigarette between your fingers and wrapped your lips around the end. Alex’s gaze fixed as you inhaled and watched the residual smoke waft around your face. Carefully you handed him back the cigarette as you exhaled, blowing to the side so that you did blow it all over him. Between this and the shot you downed earlier, you were feeling much more relaxed.

…..

When the two of you returned, all of your friends had managed to pair off with each other around your apartment. There were a few in the kitchen, some sitting along the couch, leaving you and Alex to yourselves once again. Was this fate or divine intervention?

The couch already occupied, you chose to just sit along the wall in the back and rather than finding someone else to chat with, Alex chose to follow suit and sit next to you - not that you minded one bit.

“So, working on any new music lately?” You made light conversation, though you were genuinely interested.

“Got a few things in the works. Miles and I wrote somefin’ just the other day actually.” He answered.

“Anything good?” You teased, praying he’d know it was a joke.

“It’s alreyt.” He shook his head, ever amused at your wit. “Wha’ bout yeh? Wha’s new?”

“Nothing overly exciting,” You shrugged, “Just been settling in here, work, the usual. Not all of us get to be fancy rock stars with exciting lives.”

“ ‘S not always as excitin’ as it seems, always bein’ gone. Don’t get meh wrong, I love it, jus’ wish to ‘ave a little normal sometimes.” He revealed and for the first time that night you wished you weren’t here with all these people.

“I bet, probably can’t be easy always, but nothing is.”

The conversation continued well into the night. Occasionally someone would join in the conversation and sit with the two of you before wandering off again. Gradually people would also leave, the crowd and chatter diminishing by the hour. Soon it would be just the two of you again.

At around 1am you peered over at the clock, surprised to see how late it had gotten. It was crazy how fast time flies by when you were occupied with Alex’s presence. By now there were only three people left including yourself. The last person had disappeared into the spare bedroom to grab their coat and said their quick goodbyes, stumbling out of your apartment while grumbling about having to work the next morning, leaving you and Alex officially alone together for good.

“God when did it get so late?” You groaned, looking around at the mess you still needed to clean up.

“ Not that late y/n..” He laughed, recalling nights where it wouldn’t be until 4am before he would return back to the safety of his hotel room while on tour. “How ‘bout another drink?”

You were hesitant, knowing that you probably had enough as it was, but the way his eyes pleaded made it near impossible to say no. You had half a mind to say no though, because you weren’t entirely sure that you would behave yourself given the opportunity. But there he was, standing there with that stupid sly smile and you simply couldn’t turn him away. “Alright, one more.” You sighed, motioning for him to sit on the couch while you went to pour one last round.

There was an anxious tremor that was present as you gripped onto the bottle, pouring two glasses of whiskey neat. Your stomach was in knots, but the kind that were of anticipation rather than being scared of something. Tonight had gone so well, well enough in fact that you wanted to finally share your feelings. “Here goes nothing.” you mumbled under your breath, making your way back to the living room.

When you emerged from the kitchen you found Alex lounging on the couch, seated back comfortably while he scrolled on his phone. He quickly tucked it back into his pocket though when he heard you return, happy to give you his undivided attention. You sat down, handing him the drink, fingertips brushing up against each other as you passed the glass.

You settled yourself alongside him on the couch, nestled carefully, deliberately close. You brought the glass to your lips and took a drink, knowing that it was going to be your final push over into dangerous territory. What drew your attention was the warm contact that brushed against your leg as you settled comfortably.

“I had a really good time tonight.” You mentioned, your tone happy and bright.

“Yeah me too. Been awhile since I got to spend the evenin’ with me friends.”

Friends. The word almost seemed wrong in this context. You seemed to be stuck in this zone of friends and friendlier, and you didn’t know how to get past that barrier. He wasn’t like this with all of his other female friends, and while he had a flirty streak in him, his actions tonight were far beyond flirty. Inhaling deeply, you grabbed your glass again and took a drink as your body stiffened, unsure if you had read all of his signals wrong tonight. The last thing you wanted was to make a fool of yourself.

Alex noticed the subtle change in your demeanor, and while small, he wasn’t quite sure what had happened. He stared at you for a moment, examining your eyes because he knew you all too well. “Wha’s the matter?” He asked cautiously, eyes narrowing while extending his hand out once again only this time it rested higher up on your thigh, gripping with a bruising pressure.

“You know Alex, I just can’t get a read on you. One minute you are being real handsy and cheeky, and the next you call us friends. Which is it? Because I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.” You blurt out, shocked at your own bravery. You stared at him, wide eyed, mouth slightly parted.

When he didn’t say anything right away, you knew you had blew it. Maybe you had thought all of it up in your head after all, and now you sat before him looking like a complete fool. The anxious bubble crept up your throat and in a desperate attempt to quell it, you quickly stood and began to take a few steps away from the couch. “God I’m crazy!” You sighed, rubbing your temple.

“You aren’t crazy.” He murmured, having stood himself and for the third time that night found himself pressed up against your back. Your eyes screwed shut, feeling his hand lift to push away the hair that rested along your cheek to tuck behind your ear. The tip of his finger trailed along the curve of your jaw and down your neck in a hot line, this touch burning and leaving a tingling feeling in its wake.

There was a pause before the warmth of his lips ghosted over the tender skin of your neck, finally planting firmly to press a hot - open mouthed kiss over your pulse point. Deep within your chest, your breath hitched and instinctively you tilted to the side to allow him better access. His other hand had snaked to the curve of your waist, gripping at your flesh to keep you in place. “I’ve thought ‘bout doin’ this since I met yeh.” He hummed lowly, the curve of his lip just barely brushing along the outer shell of your ear.

“Alex..” You breathed out, voice shaking.

With great ease, he spun you around in his embrace, now faces inches away from each other. His chocolate brown eyes were half lidded and glossy as they peered back down at you, something between lust and love lingering in his gaze. In order to steady yourself you placed one hand carefully on the center of his chest as you swayed in front of him, leaning into his touch.

Alex treaded lightly in his new territory. His hands were gentle as they explored around your body, places he’s touched a million times before but this time in a whole new light. One hand landed along the side of your neck and jaw, thumb grazing along the crest of your bottom lip. The other hand hung low on your hip, and as you moved, the tips of his fingers lingered dangerously along the exposed flesh as your shirt rose slightly. With the hand that was along your jaw, he tilted your head upward so that he had the perfect view of your soft features.

He leaned in, closing the gap and locked your lips together, kissing you with enough force to almost knock you off your feet. It was a deep kiss, one that you felt with a stiff ache in the knees and for a moment you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to stand anymore. Your chest pressed up against his, you wondered if he could feel how fast your heart was racing.

Once comfortable and sure that you weren’t dreaming, you began to kiss him back, bunching some of his shirt in your fist. He hummed contently against your chest, the tone vibrating against you. And for the first time ever, the two of you got lost in each other completely, forgetting about the world around you.

“Y/n.” He spoke between kisses, repeating himself until both of you were able to get a grasp on to reality. “y/n.”

“What…” You whispered.

“Should I go?” He asked, not wanting to get too carried away too fast. You dismissed the thought quickly, bringing your lips back to his, only to have him pause again. “Y/n, are yeh sure?”

“Alex I’ve waited two years for this.” you answered firmly, taking a step back so that he would really listen to you. “I’m sure.”

To solidify your statement, you reach out to grab his hand, lacing your fingers amongst his. Your palm felt clammy but your grip was sure and steady. Without another word you turned on the balls of your feet and began to lead him back toward the staircase, and he followed now sure of his position.

About hallway up the stairs he stopped in his tracks, pulling on your grip. Confused, you turn around to look back at him to see what was the matter. Nothing was wrong though, as he leaned in again to kiss you, this time with ….

“ “ave I told yeh how pretteh you are?” He drawled, taking in the sight before him.

When the two of you finally reached your bedroom you pulled him in across the threshold, not bothering to kick the door shut. It was just the two of you anyways. “I can’t believe this is happening.” You divulged, in awe that this scenario you had played in your head millions of times was actually happening this time.

“Well believe it, love.”

The gap closed once more for another kiss, bodies pressed together, fitting so nicely. Your hands wound their way into his hair, his gripping along the bottom of your blouse. He let out a muffled moan as if to ask if he could rid you of the fabric, deeming it unnecessary. A fervent nod allowed him to lift the material up and over your head to reveal a black lace bra that cradled your breasts perfectly.

The heat rose to your cheeks and down your newly exposed chest once his eyes scanned over your form. He shook his head in disbelief that he had someone so beautiful sprawled out before him. He felt incredibly lucky, and he was going to show you just how lucky he felt. The bed dipped as he hovered over you, his knee resting between your thighs, one hand on either side of your head. You stared up at him, lost in thought, noticing the bits of hair that had fallen in front of his forehead.

It wasn’t long before Alex was leaning in again, peppering kisses along your jaw in one languid motion. Lips gilded along delicate flesh carefully, giving full attention to the spots that elicited a soft moan or breathy gasp. He’d smile against you each time a little noise would slip past your lips, fully aware of the blissful state he was putting you in. There was one particular spot, the junction between jaw and neck right under your ear that you particularly enjoyed, and when he suckled at the tender flesh your hands reached out to grab at his shoulders.

You breathed in heavily, inhaling the scent that seemed more intoxicating than the liquor you had downed but an hour earlier. He smelled rich, notes of sandalwood and something along the lines of cinnamon, likely from the whiskey you took, and the remains of the cigarette you had shared. Alex soon found himself lost in the moment as he made his way down your throat, planting a hot kiss to the hollow dip in your neck before moving along to your collarbone. Swiftly, his tongue jutted out to lick a small stripe along the length of the bone before suckling at the skin once again.

Meanwhile one of his hands had crept up along to the curve of your exposed waist, gliding up to caress your ribcage, feeling the speed at which you breathed, speeding up and slowing down with the pace of his ministrations. The thrill of it all was exciting and new, but he wanted to savor this moment for as long as he possibly could - needing to make up for lost time.

“Alex...” You pleaded.

“I know.” He whispered like a vow against your skin, a hushed promise that he would care for you.

As you squirmed underneath his body, he continued at his leisured pace, this time nosing at your sternum. He loved to take his time, building anticipation as he worked you over lovingly. Occasionally his hand would slip along your thigh, kneading the muscle and grabbing, inching ever higher until his fingers lingered around the waistband of your jeans. Pausing to peer up at you through thick eyelashes, he waited for a green light.

Your nod wasn’t enough, he wanted to hear your voice, strained and needy, breaking as you begged for him.

“Are yeh sure?” He asked, his voice husky yet sure as he looked for any hint of hesitation on your face.

“Please..” The single word dripped from your mouth like honey, thick and golden, desperate and ready, and it was more than enough to reassure him that you were ready.

His fingers made quick work of the button of your jeans before starting to pull the fabric down your legs. To help, you lifted your hips to allow the fabric to slide down your thighs, revealing more expansive flesh for him to grab and admire. A low groan echoed in his chest as he looked you over, pulling back so that he could pull the fabric all the way off and discard to the floor. “Look at yeh.” He breathed out.

Your giggle echoed through the room when he wrapped a hand around your ankle, bringing his lips to the inside and made his way in a line of kisses all the way up to the inside of your thigh. You watched intently, finding it increasingly hard to remain still as he worked his way closer and closer to where you craved his touch. He stopped a few inches away from your hip to move back to your tummy, kissing the flesh just above the hem of your underwear.

A curved knuckle brushed down along your clothed core with just enough pressure to cause you to jump at the friction. He noted how wet the fabric was as his finger stroked back up and down, only fueling his desire to make you feel good. “All this for meh?”

You nodded fervently, wiggling your hips to try and get the slightest bit of pressure to satiate the burning feeling growing between your legs. “Yes all for you Alex. Only you.”

Leaning down once again, he slipped two fingers inside the fabric of your underwear and pressed them against your core. You let a breathy gasp slip, your hips adjusting to the new friction. “Relax for meh, princess.” He spoke in a low tone, staring up at you from between your legs.

It seemed a near impossible task, ‘relaxing’, when Alex was happily making a home nestled between your thighs. This was something you had played over and over, thinking about, dreaming about, not that you’d ever thought it would become a reality. You blinked up at the ceiling, half dazed the other half of you on edge from the way his fingers would brush over you with just enough pressure to electrify your skin.

You craved more. More pressure, more touching, more friction, more of him. “Al…” You whined, words drawn out long as you fought the urge to scoot your hips down against his hand. He noticed the small twitches, the slight tilt of your hips and retracted his hand away from your core, leaving you a whining mess. “Now, now… wha’ did I say?” He tutted, hand lightly tapping around the outside of your thigh twice.

“Relax.” You huffed in response, making it a point to take a deep breath in and out, willing your muscles to relax a bit. As you did this, his fingers curled around the fabric of your underwear, dragging the fabric down your legs and dropping them on the floor, leaving you open and exposed.

“Good girl.” His head dipped down, first pressing a light kiss to the divet where your hip met your tummy, then moving to hover over your core. His tongue licks languidly over your entrance, lapping over you. The warmth his mouth provided, along with the newfound pressure had your hands clutching at the sheets desperately.

This went on, the back and forth of tongues and fingers until you started to squirm more underneath him, wiggling around on the sheets as your muscles began to tremble and quake. The pit of your stomach burned and fluttered at the same time, tensing with each stroke against your clit.

“I,” You panted, chest rising up and down quickly, “Alex I’m close…” You tried to focus your breathing. Your whole body felt warm, a warmth that radiated from deep within you.

“Go on then, let go for meh.” He continued to rub his thumb in tight circles while his two fingers pumped in and out of you, curling and pushing to try and coax you over the edge.

A tight feeling deep in your stomach finally gave way, like a dam had finally let loose and the floodgates were the shockwave of your orgasm. You felt like you were floating through the air, warmth spreading through your veins as you rode out the euphoria. The edges of your vision blurred until your eyes screwed shut in pleasure. He continued to place a steady pressure against you, helping you through the height of it and safely back down into the present moment.

“Good girl.” He marveled, almost at a loss for words at how perfect it all was.

Your mind grew less fuzzy, but your body was still charged with an electric buzz. His hand connected with your thigh again, rubbing gentle lines up and down as you grew more aware of your surroundings, a sappy smile beaming up at Alex.

“Wow.” You said, rolling over slightly to face him better. You bit on the inside of your cheek as you propped yourself up on your elbows, eyeing his belt before reaching out to tug on it. He made no effort to stop you, watching as you began to undo his pants as he had done for you before, standing so that he could step out of them.

Adjusting yourself, there was a deep burning in the muscle of your inner thighs as you positioned yourself to sit along the edge of the bed. You brought your lips to his abdomen, kissing along the crease of his hip. “Are you going to fuck me?” You asked, feigning an innocent glint in your eyes as you looked up at him.

Tenderly his hand came to smoothing back the hair that had fallen in front of your face, revealing rosy cheeks and a longing look. He stopped only to cradle the back of your head, looking down at you with a loving gaze. “Only if tha’s wha yeh want.”

“I want nothing more.” You blinked up at him, leaning in to press your own lips to his hip.

(to be continued)

Author’s note: LORD this got long... thus the need to put it in two parts... Make yall wait for more smut muahahah! I kinda feel like this jumped around a lot, so I”M SORRY! BUt please enjoy my loves. I know I did.

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