#also sorry if the last ones seem rushed i’m leaving soon to log to my dorm so uh i don’t have lots of time | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aslitheryprinx · 3 years

Note

How did Boo and Tubbo meet in the trust au? Also...headcanons?

Beeduo met when they were both still kids, about ten years old. And there's a lot of trust between them now, but that wasn't always the case. Their first meeting wasn't quite so nice... (Headcanons in tags! :D)

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Snare

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Ranboo sprinted through the woods, panting heavily. There were tears running down his face, burning him, but he couldn't manage to stop them.

"It's getting away!" Came an angry shout from behind him. He heard the slow twang of a crossbow being loaded and screamed when the bolt shot past him, grazing a cheek and landing inches from his face.

He heaved another sob and dove over a fallen log, scrambling back up and sprinting slightly off course. He had to throw them off.

"Where the hell did it go?" Another voice shouted.

Ranboo kept running, praying the thick foliage would be enough to keep him hidden.

He ran until the angry shouts of the humans had faded into the distance. His lungs were burning, and he thought he might be about to throw up, but he'd gotten away.

The hunters had spotted him at the newest village he'd drifted to, and he knew he was in trouble. Usually, someone from the village would come and tell him firmly to leave, that his presence was a danger. He could sometimes manage to scrounge some handouts of food before he was kicked out, which was enough to get by.

Most humans had a soft spot for children, and even a mob hybrid like him could get a little sympathy. He doubted the sympathy would last much longer. He was almost ten now, and was a lot taller than human kids his age. Pretty soon he wouldn't look anything like a cute little kid, and people would start calling the hunters instead of just telling him to scram.

But today, hunters were already there, in the village center. He'd been loitering on the edges of the streets, looking sad an hungry enough that a kinder soul would toss some bread or an apple his way. Maybe a coin if he was really lucky.

But one of the hunters had made eye contact from the other side of the street. His eyes had narrowed, and he'd put a hand on his sword, nudging the hunter he was next to.

Ranboo didn't waste another second and bolted, heading to the forest where he'd hopefully be able to lose them. He wasn't sure how many hunters were chasing after him, but he had heard more than two pairs of footsteps.

The last sounds of the hunters were finally fading in the distance, though, so he let himself relax. That had been the scariest thing that had ever happened to him.

He kept walking, wanting to put as much distance between him and the hunters as he could. He wasn't really sure where he was going, or where he was now, but anywhere was better than back at that village.

His foot landed in on something irregular, and he stumbled. As he tripped, there was a loud thwang and suddenly a net was rushing up around him. He yelped, then the breath was knocked out of him as the trap yanked him harshly off the ground.

His heart was pounding as the net spun in lazy circles, making him dizzy. He reoriented himself with some difficulty, and looked down. The ground was way too far for his comfort, and he made a nervous vwoop sound that would normally get him several dirty looks.

He shifted uncomfortably in the net, wincing when the thick rope scraped against his cheek. It was still raw from the burning tears. At least he hadn't scraped his other cheek. The wound from the crossbow bolt was still stinging painfully.

He wiggled uselessly, trying to see any way he could get out. He was desperately hoping that it wasn't a hunter that had set up this trap, or he was dead.

Suddenly, there was a distant thudding noise. He paused and listened. A half second later, there was another, then another. He was confused as the rhythmic thudding continued, growing louder.

It sounded almost like... footsteps...

Ranboos heart was instantly in his throat, the pulsing almost as loud in his ears as the thuds- the footsteps. He began struggling in the net again, not caring when it scraped his cheeks causing a fresh burst of pain.

He'd take being chased by hunters any day over a giant.

All his struggling seemed to do was get him more tangled in the next. He'd resorted to chewing at the rough ropes with his barely sharper than human teeth, but he hadn't made a dent. All he did was hurt his mouth on the rough texture.

A massive shadow fell over him. Ranboo let out a frightened gasp. He was too late.

"Woah," came the loud voice of a giant from behind him. He sounded younger than Ranboo expected. He turned to look, and a frightened chirp escaped his mouth before he could stop it.

The giant towered over him, even suspended far above the forest floor like he was. His head almost reached the tops of the trees. Ranboo shook as he looked into the curious eyes of the giant.

"You're not a deer," the giant said. Suddenly there was a pair of hands bigger than he was reaching towards him. He flinched, automatically trying to retreat from the terrifying sight. He only managed to make the net swing some as one hand came under him.

The giant lifted his hand up, now supporting Ranboo's weight instead of the net. Ranboo froze, terrified to move when the giant could easily close his hand and squish him. He sniffled once, trying very hard not to cry again.

With his other hand, the giant reached up, untying the net from where it was attached. The rope fell, and the net went slack around Ranboo. He felt relief for a brief second, then the giant's other hand came right towards him.

He yelped, but the giant only pulled at the net, untangling the thick ropes from around him. Once it was no longer entwined in Ranboo's limbs, the giant plucked the net off his hand, stuffing it in a pocket.

Ranboo's stomach churned with anxiety. He could probably be shoved in a pocket just as easily. Something about that was really unsettling, and he tried not to think about it too much.

But that meant he was thinking about the giant. The giant that was currently holding him, could crush him until he was a pile of Rangoo. The giant that was currently staring directly at him with eyes that felt like they were boring into his soul.

He made a frightened noise as the giant lifted him up, closer to his face. He could just barely feel his breaths wafting over him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for the worst.

"Awww, you're hurt!" The giant said, the volume making him flinch. But he opened his eyes again, confused at the concern in the words.

"What happened?" The giant asked.

"U-um," Ranboo squeaked. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. "H-hunters. They were trying to k- to hurt me."

The giant frowned. It was something Ranboo would've expected to be frightening, but the giant looked more like he was pouting than anything.

"That's stupid," the giant declared. "Hunters sound mean." Ranboo nodded hesitantly.

"Y-yeah they're really mean. They saw me in the village and then chased me out here."

The giant hummed. He poked Ranboo with a single finger. The ender hybrid let out a startled noise, heart spiking with panic. He stayed very still as the giant kept poking him, eventually playing with his hair. He was very gentle, and it didn't hurt, but it was still pretty nerve-wracking.

"My name is Tubbo! I just turned ten," the giant said. "How old are you?"

"Um. I'm about to turn ten," Ranboo mumbled nervously.

"So you're nine! Ha! I'm older!" Tubbo said. He paused, giving Ranboo a funny look. "You didn't say your name."

"S-sorry," Ranboo said quickly, not wanting to make the giant angry. "My name is Ranboo."

"Hi Ranboo! That's a funny name," the giant said. Ranboo frowned.

"My name is fine," he muttered a little petulantly. First Tubbo caught him in a net, then was super scary and poking at him. And now he was making fun of Ranboo's name! He was too scared to say it loudly, which wasn't fair.

Tubbo started poking him again, and he let out a small stressed vwoop. Then the giant brushed his cheek and he winced, whimpering.

"Sorry!" Tubbo said. "I guess it's still bleeding. Oh! I have bandages at my house. I'll take you there!"

Uh oh. Ranboo did not want to go home with the giant, he decided. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, but stopped. What could he even say?

Before he could decide how to ask Tubbo to let him go without him getting angry and squishing him to a pulp, the hand beneath him moved, knocking him off balance.

He was suddenly pressed against a massive chest, and he stiffened. Tubbo was walking, chattering about something, but Ranboo couldn't focus on the words because of the deep pulsing sound in his ears. It was the giants heartbeat, and it was kind of terrifying he could hear it so clearly. It was also a relaxing sound, and Ranboo couldn't really decide which it was more of.

Tubbo kept walking, and Ranboo had no choice but to go with him, trapped as he was against his chest, listening to the steady heartbeat.

Eventually, Tubbo slowed, pulling Ranboo away from his chest. Ranboo stared up nervously at the giant.

"We're here!" Tubbo said cheerfully, ducking into a massive cave. Ranboo looked around wide-eyed at the massive furniture. He jumped as Tubbo's hand moved once more, lowering him onto a table.

"Stay right there, I'll go get the bandages!" Tubbo told him, then he walked deeper into the cave, out of sight.

Ranboo stared for a moment, before he realized this was his chance. He stood quickly and ran to the edge of the table. The drop was steep and high and utterly terrifying. Ranboo backed away from the edge. Maybe his chance could come another time.

"Hey!" Tubbo suddenly said. Ranboo hadn't heard him come back. And he'd come back much quicker than he expected.

Suddenly, he was being scooped up in the giants hand again, and he yelped. The giant was frowning again, and Ranboo realized the pout was kind of intimidating when it was being directed at him.

"No running off until you're fixed up," Tubbo scolded. It sounded like something a parent might say, and Ranboo wondered if he'd learned it from somewhere. It was still utterly terrifying coming from an irate giant.

"S-sorry," Ranboo apologized, a little breathless with fear. Tubbo blinked at him. His frown deepened before his expression became a little guilty, a little hurt.

"Are you scared of me, Ranboo?" He asked. Ranboo froze, not sure how to answer. Tubbo seemed to take his silence as its own answer.

"You are!" He said, and Ranboo flinched back. Was Tubbo angry at him for being scared? If he was, that would just make Ranboo more scared, and he wasn't sure what he would do then.

"I'm sorry," Tubbo apologized, and Ranboo looked up in surprise. Huh?

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Was I mean?" Tubbo asked, sounding genuinely upset. "I was trying to be really nice! What did I do wrong?" Ranboo's brow furrowed. Did he really think he wasn't scary at all?

"You- you caught me in a net!" Ranboo said, reeling a little. "And you kept poking me!"

"The net wasn't on purpose!" The giant protested, and Ranboo shrank back a little. "I was trying to catch a deer, but it was you instead."

"It was still really scary," Rambo pointed out quietly. Tubbo wilted a little.

"I guess it would be pretty scary. I didn't mean to, though," he said. "And I guess poking is pretty terrifying too. I was just curious. I didn't mean to be mean."

"Well... I guess you weren't really mean," Ranboo said honestly. "Not on purpose. You're still really scary, though."

And it was true. It wasn't as frightening anymore, if Tubbo was trying not to scare him, but the giant still loomed over him. He could still hold him in a single hand, and could pick him up or poke at him whenever he wanted. That really scared Ranboo.

"I'm sorry," Tubbo said sincerely. "If I try really hard not to be scary, will you stay until your cut is better?"

Ranboo fidgeted. He didn't really want to stay. But... Tubbo was trying not to scare him. And he actually was nice, nicer than most people Ranboo met. He had changed his mind; he definitely preferred Tubbo to the hunters. And maybe... Maybe if he stayed, he wouldn't have to go to a new village for a little while. Tubbo had promised he wouldn't hurt him...

"Trust me! I can be really nice! No more mean and scary Tubbo!" The giant looked at him imploringly. Ranboo hesitated, then nodded.

"Ok," he said, hoping he was making the right choice. "I trust you."

Tubbo beamed.

Previous (sort of)

#mcyt g/t #mcyt giant/tiny #g/t #giant/tiny #tiny!ranboo #dsmp g/t #dsmp giant/tiny #trust au #giant!tubbo #ok headcanon time #the villages in the area Ranboo lives in at first are really bad towards hybrids #he and Tubbo end up moving to a different part of the world and find much more tolerant villages #they become friends with Niki who's a baker they visit regularly #she's the only one who's ever tried to make bread for Tubbo's size and they love her #Tommy is also a giant #they dont meet him for a few years but when they do the three become super close #even though Ranboo was a little freaked out by Tubbo's pockets in this #he actually really likes sitting in Tubbos pockets when they become friends #it's warm dark safe and he can hear Tubbos heartbeat #Tubbo used to stick Ranboo on his head but got tired of untangling the knots Ranboo made while playing with his hair #they've been together for so long that neither of them can sleep without the other around #aslitheryanswers #forgot to put that one

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tloujm · 3 years

Text

Part XXVII: Captive

Author’s Notes: N/A

Genre: Angst

Summary: Joel and the rest of his patrol group find themselves in danger. You become emotional after receiving some startling results.

Ship: Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Joel leaned forward against the counter as he wrote his entry into the log book. There wasn’t much to say. The little log cabin that acted as their first checkpoint was clear of any danger and showed no signs of tampering since the last entry. He closed the book and looked back at his two patrol partners. Marcus and Glen were resting in their respective spots. Joel figured it was time for him to do the same when he saw a shadow pass in front of one of the living room windows. His brows furrowed as his focus heightened. It could have been a number of things that he saw. Glen noticed his hardened demeanor and asked what was wrong. All Joel did in response was put one finger over his lips and wrapped the fingers of his other hand around the handle of his pistol.

One of the floorboards that made up the porch creaked. The sound went away just as quickly as it appeared as if a competent being had known they made a mistake and removed their foot from it. It was at this point, Joel knew it wasn’t just some lost deer roaming around the premises. The other men followed suit and aimed their guns at the entry points. The air was very still save from the dust particles that floated in ray of sunlight across the living room. It was also eerily quiet. The three of them exchanged quick glances. Joel was about to walk up to the door when it swung open from the outside. A small group of men rushed in and immediately opened fire.

Joel ducked and crawled over to the kitchen. He flipped the table over to use it as a shield. His thoughts immediately settled on the safety of his partners before he peeked his head out to see where everyone was. Marcus was hiding behind the couch. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he stuck his hand out to shoot blindly at the attackers. Joel popped up from behind the table to shoot them. A bullet hit one of the men’s shoulder while another managed to hit another in the cheek, rendering him useless. He ducked back behind his makeshift shield a split second before a bullet could graze him.

The attackers were currently distracted by Marcus shooting at them again. Joel took this opportunity to crawl away and find another place for cover to catch them at a different angle. As soon as he peeked his head around the other side of the table, he saw a pool of fresh blood. His eyes followed it to the source to reveal Glen laying on the floor. His eyes stared blankly out at the wall in front of where his body laid. Joel quickly took cover behind the table again and gathered himself for a second before making a run for it.

With a rush of adrenaline, Joel shot at the attackers which inadvertently covered Marcus as he ran to another place of cover. He managed to wound them, but not kill any. They took cover behind the same couch Marcus used. During the few moments of stalemate, he noticed that only two took cover and if he killed one early, then that left one more…Joel’s vision suddenly went black a split second after a sharp pain shot through his head.

A pounding ache tormented Joel’s entire head. His vision first came back blurry then all at once clear. He pushed himself up from the cold cement floor into a sitting position. He noticed that it was significantly colder than before as he instinctively shivered. Large hunks of meat hung from hooks attached to the ceiling. His legs almost felt foreign under his weight as he got up. The sound of metal hitting something hard echoed into the room he was in. Following the source of the sound, he accidentally bumped into one of the hunks. As it swayed back and forth on the hook, Joel noticed features familiar to him. His eyes darted from the hair around the belly button to the nipples at the top. They widened in realization that the hunks of meat were human torsos and that the men who attacked him were cannibals.

A loud chop brought his attention back, leading him to cautiously follow the sound again. Quietly, he picked up a lead pipe off of a shelf on his way. He came to a halt at the doorway. A strange man’s back was to Joel as he hovered over a naked body on the table. One of the legs was already detached and pushed aside, almost falling off the table. The cannibal lifted his hand with the cleaver to do the same with the other leg when Joel ran up to him and pressed the pipe against his throat from behind. He gagged as the knife fell out of his hand. Joel applied more pressure against his windpipe as he brought his arms into his chest. His eyes flashed over to the bloody body on the table. If it wasn’t for the cannibal leaving the head on, he wouldn't have recognized him as his patrol partner, Marcus. Just like Glen, his eyes looked blankly on. They focused on a spot beyond Joel.

He released the pipe from its position against his throat and let him drop to the floor. Rage overtook him as he instead swung the pipe against his head. He kept at it until he was sure that he was dead. Even then, he wanted to add a couple more swings, but he knew that he wasn’t the only one he’d have to fight to get out of there. It wasn’t worth getting caught or spending extra energy on if he stayed to beat his head into a pulp. Hesitantly, he approached the dismembered body on the table and closed his partner’s eyelids before moving on to the next room.

******

Your foot tapped against the floor almost uncontrollably as you waited. You let your head fall into your hands as to avoid staring down at the stick on the counter. The sound of the door swinging open caused you to pop your head up to find Ellie on the other side of the bathroom.

“Uh, sorry. I forgot to knock.” She said in a low tone. It looked like she needed to pee, so you swiftly ushered her in and closed the door behind you. As the door clicked, you forgot to take the stick with you. Pacing back and forth in front of the bathroom door, you listened as she flushed the toilet and turned on the faucet. Surely she saw it just sitting there. You only stopped when she opened the door again. She stood there in front of you silently for a few moments. “Is that yours?” Her head nodded in the direction of the counter.

“Mmhmm.” You hummed and nodded. “Is it ready?”

Ellie turned and hovered over the stick. “Does two lines mean it’s ready?”

“Oh my God.” You whispered. “Fuck.” You began repeating the expletive before sitting back down on the edge of the tub.

You grabbed the stick to double check for yourself and there it was, two very distinct lines. If one line was faded, you would try to convince the nurse to administer you another test, but this seemed pretty definitive. You didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, you wanted this, but you still couldn’t help the nerves that flared up across your body. Guilt began to rise as you regretted not waiting for Joel to do this with. He would know how to feel. You continued to sit there, imagining him sitting on the edge of the tub with you. He’d take the test from your hands and double check the instructions from the box before smiling. You would imagine him engulfing you in a hug, tucking his head in your neck and mumbling some words of joy that you couldn’t quite discern.

Though the daydream offered a sense of comfort, you were snapped out of it when a real pair of arms wrapped themselves around your middle. You looked down and saw Ellie sitting next to you on the edge of the tub. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to. Her presence, while an accidental invasion of privacy, was welcomed. You repositioned yourself in her arms to hug her back.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to curse in front of you.” You whispered into her hair.

“I’ve heard worse.” She replied with a playful tone in her voice.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Mmhmm.” She hummed lightly.

“That this stays between us.” You wipe a tear away. “I have to talk to Joel and then the doctor.”

“Who am I going to tell?” She said, referencing the fact that you’d never seen her converse with anyone else since she first spoke in front of you and Joel.

*******

“Hey, Tommy, give me a hand with this.” A resident of Jackson yelled out. Your head whipped around in his direction. You’d been looking for Tommy all day. The resident was sitting down near the stables trying to get a horseshoe off a huff. Tommy stepped out of the shelter and came into your view.

“Tommy, hey! I hope you’re not busy now. I’ve been looking for you actually.” You said when you got closer to them.

He bent down to get a closer look at the huff. “I always have time for you; you’re family. Now what’s wrong?”

“Well, Joel and ‘em aren’t back yet from their patrol. They were scheduled to be back two days ago. I know sometimes things happen that delay their travels---”

“Exactly.” He finally pulled the horseshoe off and tossed it into the dirt. “Any number of things could have happened out there that caused them to veer off plan. Those three are some of our most experienced patrolmen. We both know firsthand what Joel is capable of.” He noticed that his words were not easing the worry written across your face. “Did you know that I spent five extra days out on one of my patrols. It was the toughest route I ever did, but every decision we made as a group was for the betterment of our survival even if it meant staying out there a little longer. Five days really isn’t normal though. I’ll tell you what, I’ll get on the walkie and ask our scavenging group to see if they see any signs of them heading back. They should still be close enough to catch Jackson’s frequency. Their route is right next to Joel’s; it should be no problem for them.”

“And what if they don’t see any signs?”

“You know what our emergency policy is. We send out a search and rescue crew if the original group is not back within six days.”

“Does that not seem like it’s too long to you?” You asked.

“Like I said, especially on longer routes, they can be delayed for a number of reasons. I know it's not what you want to hear, but we’ve wasted resources and lost lives in the past to premature rescue missions.”

“Tommy, that’s your brother! Wouldn’t you want him to go out looking for you if you were out there possibly in trouble?” You said frustratingly.

“I know he would go out and look for me when it was time. Everybody who is cleared to patrol knows what the emergency rescue policy is. They were trained for situations like this just as you were. I’m sorry.” Tommy placed a hand on your shoulder as he tried to find compliance in your eyes. “I left my radio in the stable. I’ll go and try to contact the scavenging group now. Hopefully they are still in range.” You nodded before he walked off.

#TLOU #TLOUII #TLOU2 #thelastofus #joel miller #joel x reader #the last of us joel #tlou joel #tlou joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fanfiction #tlou fanfic #tlou fanfiction #joel x fem!reader #Joel Miller x Fem!Reader #joel miller x you

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themadlostgirl · 3 years

Text

Keeping Warm (2)

*Did I make a second part to this because one person asked for it? Yes I did. Come to me my Felix simps! Enjoy your fluff!*

~~~

That had to be the best sleep I’ve had in a while! This cloak was a lot better than my old one. I wonder how long I could get away with keeping it before the boys stole it back. I folded it up neatly and hid it under my cot so it wasn’t out in the open for them to steal back.

I left my tent and noticed that the boys that had been laughing and teasing me yesterday were keeping a wide berth from me today. I had no problem with that. The farther away they stayed the better.

Since I was truly well rested for the first time in a long time I decided to take advantage of my energy and practice my archery. Before Neverland I never had a need to learn how to wield a weapon but archery was fun and it helped in hunting small game. I grabbed my bow and quiver of arrows before setting off into the jungle. When it came to game on the island there wasn’t a whole lot outside of fish and some birds but they didn’t make for much food.

If you wanted a good meal you had to head into the dark jungle of the island. It’s where all the big game lived since anyone ventured in there. You could sometimes find a rogue boar running around outside of the dark jungle but they mainly stayed within the perimeter. Other than boars there was also a type of goat that lived there. The boys had tried keeping some of the goats for milk a while back but after the “incident” all the goats were shoved into the dark jungle and water became the only acceptable source of drink. Probably for the best.

I was out tracking for a while when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I tried to make it out through the foliage and saw the head of a goat pop up. Gotcha. I notched an arrow and took aim. I let the arrow fly and cheered when it went right through the goat’s eyes.

“What the hell?” Another head popped up, this time it wasn’t a goat though. Felix turned to look at me. “What was that?”

“Sorry!” I rushed over, “I was hunting and saw the goat head. I didn’t mean to shoot at you. What are you doing out here?”

“Same as you it seems. I had been tracking this fat bastard for over an hour.” He kicked the dead goat at our feet. “Almost had it too before you got it first. Nice shot by the way.”

“Thanks! I was really lucky this time around. I usually don’t get a clear shot like that.” I tore the arrow out of the goat’s head. “Since you’re here do you mind helping me lug this beast back to camp?”

“Sure,” Felix heaved the goat up and threw it onto his shoulders. “Let’s get moving.”

“This will surely make for a good dinner tonight.”

“You really wanna let those jerks tear into your catch?” Felix asked.

“I mean not really but this is way more food than you and I can eat so we kinda have to split it up.” I shrugged, “Why do you care anyway? I thought you liked the other Lost Boys.”

“They’re my brothers but brothers can get damn annoying.” He muttered, “Taking shit that doesn’t belong to them and whatnot.”

“Ugh, I know what you mean.” I sighed, “They stole my cloak out of my tent last night so I stole one of theirs as payback.”

“Did you now?” Felix trudged further ahead, “Did you give it back yet?”

“No and I don’t plan to. Mine was so thin it didn’t help at all but this one is really warm so unless they come and pry it away from me I’m not giving it up. It also helps that is smells good so I cuddle up in it even tighter.” My face started heating up after I realized what I just admitted. “Sorry, that was a lot of unnecessary information.”

“It’s fine,” Felix muttered.

I jogged to fall into step next to him. I grabbed an apple out of my bag and started cutting off slices with my knife. I wordlessly offered one to Felix. This time when I popped it into his mouth for him though I didn’t roll my eyes since his hands were full carrying the goat. We trekked back to camp in companionable silence. Felix set the goat down for the others to skin and cook while we rested.

We sat down on a log together while I picked bits of goat fur off his shoulders.

“Felix,” One of the boys approached us, “Pan was looking for you earlier but you were away from camp so he wanted me to pass on a message.”

“And?” Felix asked.

“He’s gone off the island on a mission of sorts. Says he may not be back till morning at the latest so you’re in charge till then.”

“Got it.” Felix nodded and the boy ran off again.

“Man in charge tonight,” I poked his shoulder, “Don’t crack under the pressure, captain.”

“Har har,” He rolled his shoulder ushering me off, “Being in charge for a night doesn’t entail much. I just have to make sure these idiots don’t go rogue during Pan’s absence and do something stupid like burn the camp down again.”

“These boys can really be just the dumbest things on the face of the earth, can’t they?” I shook my head. Then my body shook. A cold gust of wind blew through the camp. It wasn’t like the slightly cooler breezes that Neverland usually had. This was cold. Really cold.

The other boys felt it as well. All of them rushing to their tents and reappearing with cloaks and others running for firewood. “What’s going on?” I asked Felix as I rubbed feebly at my arms.

Felix sighed. “I almost forgot that this happens when Pan leaves. He so rarely does anymore it didn’t even cross my mind.”

“What?”

“When Pan leaves then time stands still. I don’t mean that in the way that tie naturally stands still here. I mean the island basically goes into hibernation without him around. Depending on how long he’s been gone we should start to see the beginnings of…” Felix looked up. The once clear sunny sky had been replaced with dark dreary clouds.

“Oh don’t tell me it’s gonna rain!” I pouted.

“Worse than that.”

We sat there for a minute as delicate white flakes started falling from the sky. “Snow?!” I gaped at the offending weather. “How is there snow? This is a tropical island!”

“It is a magic island too though.” Felix said. “You may want to grab something to put on, viper. It’s only gonna get colder.”

“Right, I’ll be right back.” I ran back to my tent and pulled the cloak out from under my cot. I put it on but while it was thick enough to keep out the chill of the night it was just another feeble layer against the bitter cold that we had been subjected to now.

I went back to the log where Felix and I had been seated but he wasn’t there anymore. I made my way towards the bonfire the boys had started and huddled as close as I could get to the flames. I really hope the boy I stole the cloak from won’t try to take it back now. I fear I’ll freeze to death without it.

The sky grew even darker and the island got even colder. We were quickly burning through our supply of firewood and I knew that it would run out soon. When that happened it was every man for themselves. I figured I’d hunker down in my tent and try to keep warm by myself until Pan returned and the cold went away.

I stayed by the fire as it dwindled down to faintly glowing coals. The snow had really piled up and my toes were numb in my boots. Oh no! I didn’t even take into account the snow! I ran as fast as I could to my tent but it was of no use. The snow had weighed it down and it crumpled. My cot was soaked and the beams I had used to pitch it had snapped. This was just great.

It looked as if the other boys had gotten the memo to keep the snow from piling up on their tents since they rest were still standing. Would have been nice if they mentioned something to me. I shivered violently against another harsh gale of wind and trudged away from my ruined tent. Maybe I could find Felix and he’d take pity on me and let me stay in his tent for the night.

I scoured the wintry white camp but saw no Felix. He was probably already hunkered down. If only I knew which tent was his.

~~~

Damn this cold. Why did the island have to go into hibernation just cause Pan wasn’t around? It really wasn’t fair. Felix hated it all the more since he didn’t have anything to keep him warm now that he had let you have his cloak.

Upon realizing just how bad it was going to camp Felix remembered something that could help him keep warm. He jumped up and ran into the jungle until he found the old, gnarled dead tree that years and years ago had been the first home of the Lost Boys. He knocked against the trunk until he found the hatch that opened up. It would be a tight fit but if he kept his arms close to his chest then...Felix slipped down the hollow trunk of the tree and was deposited into an underground cavern.

He lit a torch along the wall and breathed in the dusty but altogether warmer air. This place looked as if it hadn’t been touched in decades. It probably hadn’t. Felix only ever remembered this place when Pan left and turned the rest of the island into a wintry hellscape. He never told any of the other Lost Boys about this warm oasis since he didn’t want them crowding in around him.

Felix was down there clearing cobwebs and shaking out the dusty furs and blankets when he was hit with a sharp realization. He left you back at camp. He left the one person who cannot handle any amount of cold in any way back in a blizzard!

“Shit!” Felix hissed and climbed back out of the cavern. He raced back to camp and spotted you easily enough since you were the only one still outside. Why were you outside? Why weren’t you in your tent at least?

“Hey,” He shouted, pulling you away from where the bonfire had been, “What are you doing out here?”

“Tent collapsed under the snow.” Your whole body was shaking so bad that it even bled into your voice. “Was looking for you…”

“Come on,” He grabbed your hand and tugged you along, “I know someplace we can go to wait this out.”

Felix knew it was a bad time but he couldn’t get over the sight of you in his cloak. It was just like last night when he got that strange fluttering in his chest. He gripped your hand tighter and tried pulling you faster but you ended up losing your balance and tripping. Felix caught you before you landed in the snow but he could tell you were having trouble keeping up.

“We’re almost there, just a little further,”

“I can’t feel my toes,” You whimpered.

“Damn it,” Felix ran a hand through his hair. “Well we can’t stay out here. Hold onto me.” With that Felix gathered you in his arms and pulled you off the ground. He hiked his way back to the dead tree with you held in his arms. This was the first time he had really been this close to you. Your head nestled on his shoulder as your body trembled. He set you down long enough to open the hatch on the dead tree again and set you inside. You went sliding down and Felix shortly followed.

“Where are we?” You gazed around the cavern you both were in. “It’s warm in here.”

“My own little get away when the island goes into stasis.” Felix explained. He helped you up and ushered you towards the bed at the back of the cavern covered in blankets and furs. “You’ll keep warm down here.”

“Blankets!” He burrowed underneath the blankets with a content sigh. “I am never leaving this pile.”

“Thought you’d enjoy that.” Felix smiled. “Are your toes still numb?”

“A little.”

“Let me see, I want to make sure you don’t have frostbite.” He instructed.

You untied your boots and Felix grimaced when he saw that your socks had been soaked through. You peeled those off too. There was no way to make this awkward so Felix grabbed your feet and inspected them, pushing on your toes to make sure they hadn’t incurred any damage.

“Good news, you get to keep your toes.” Felix pushed your feet off his lap and pulled the blanket you were wrapped in back over them.

“That is a relief.” You smiled brightly. “Thanks for sharing this space with me.”

“Well I wasn’t just gonna let you suffer out there in the cold. The others deserve it but not you.” Felix said. The fluttering was back and he could feel it’s way creeping up his neck into his face. The air in the room suddenly felt too hot. He shuffled back to the foot of the bed further away from you.

There was a beat of silence.

“Hey Felix?” You crawled over to sit next to him.

“Yeah?” Felix tried not to look at you lest the pink in his cheeks be noticed.

“Where is your cloak? Don’t tell me you were out running around in this weather without grabbing it.” You said. Felix resisted a bark of laughter. Said cloak was still around your shoulders and you clutched it tightly in your hands as you looked at him.

“I didn’t have much of a choice.” He pulled the hood up over your head and down in front of your eyes. “You kinda stole it, viper.”

“Huh?” Your eyes peeped out from under the hood. He watched with amusement as the realization hit you and you pulled the hood back down to hide. “I’m sorry! I had no idea it was yours! I thought it belonged to one of the jerks that stole mine!”

“It’s alright, you needed it a lot more than I did anyway.” He chuckled softly. “Glad to know you think I smell good though.”

“AGH!” You dove under the blankets to hide further. Your embarrassed voice still rung clear from underneath the furs. “I cannot believe I told you that!”

“Come now, it’s not that bad.” Felix couldn’t help the spark of joy he felt when he teased you. “Come out. I wanna talk to you.”

“Nope! I am never leaving again for the sake of my dignity.”

“Fine.” Felix took a deep breath and pulled the covers up over himself. Your face was inches away from his under the blankets. “I’ll just come to you.”

“Felix…” You muttered, you were still keeping your eyes down so you weren’t looking at him.

“I wanna know something.”

“What?”

“If you get so cold at night why didn’t you ask me for help? I could have brought you as many blankets as you wanted from down here.”

“I didn’t ask because I had already tried asking the other boys for help and all they did was make fun of me. I didn’t want you to tease me too.”

“Teasing you is fun but I’d rather you not freeze to death.” He said, “I also told the boys that if they steal anything from you again then they’ll answer to me.”

“Why would you do that?” You asked, “I get that we’re friends but you don’t have to fight my battles.”

“It’s because you are my friend that I want to help you, idiot.” He poked your forehead, “Which means threatening Lost Boys and letting you steal my cloak. It kinda feels like it’s my mission to keep you warm.”

“A noble cause indeed.” You laughed and Felix decided then that he had never heard a more pleasing sound.

Your smile softened and Felix got lost in your eyes for a moment. The fluttering was getting worse but he found he didn’t mind it. “Here,” You closed the distance between the two of you and left a quick kiss on his cheek, “A little token of thanks.”

Okay. Now he minded. It felt like a billion butterflies had gotten trapped in his ribcage. It was just a moment. A mere second of contact but it lit his body from the toes up as if he had stepped into a fire.

“You okay? Did I cross a line? Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I was just thankful for what you did and you’ve always been nice to me so--”

“Give…” Felix mumbled under his breath but it was enough to stop your mess of ramblings.

“You say something?” You asked.

“Give you…” Felix took a deep breath but it did little to calm his nerves. “Want to give you one.”

“Give me one what?” You asked.

“A...um…” he tapped his cheek. This was stupid! Why was he trying to initiate this right now? It was only meant to be a thank you kiss between friends and he was making it weird!

“Oh!” Your face got even hotter than it had a moment before. “I mean if you really want to then go ahead. Can I ask why first?”

“A thanks for never dropping a hermit crab in my mouth whenever you offer me food?” he joked. You laughed again, the tension between you breaking.

“I do deserve thanks for that.” You nodded and presented your cheek, “Go ahead.”

Okay Felix. Do not screw this up. There is not conceivable way to mess this up. He inched closer and left a darting kiss to your warm cheek.

“I bring you a lot of snacks,” Your voice was a whisper, “I think maybe that’s worthy of two kisses.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” Felix turned your face so he could kiss your other cheek. “While we’re at it I think I’m owed more thanks for lugging that big goat of yours back to camp. It wasn’t light at all.”

“I suppose you do.” You grinned wider. This time when you kissed him you pressed it to the tip of his nose. “You also carried me here so if we think about it logically then I should--”

“Just kiss me already.” Felix pulled you closer.

“Yes sir,” You held his face in your small warm hands and kissed him on the mouth. Your lips were so soft and you tasted sweet like berries. “Felix,” You murmured against his lips.

“Hm?”

“If this is another way of keeping warm, it’s working.”

“Then we probably shouldn’t stop.” His lips met yours again. He couldn’t have you getting cold again after all.

---

(Part 1)

#felix imagine #felix x reader #ouat felix #ouat #neverland #peter pan ouat #request

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granger-or-garcia · 3 years

Text

A Nice Welcome

Penelope Garcia x fem!reader

Contains- wlw, mutual pining, murder, crime, kissing, smut

18+!!(not this chapter specifically but in future ones)

Ch 1

Today is the day. My first day at the BAU. I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life. I get into my car and drive to Quantico. Finally, I find a spot and go inside the massive building. I’m almost late, it’s a good thing I brought my boxes here last night. I get into the elevator and hit the button for the sixth floor.

“Wait, I’m coming!” A tall lanky guy is running strangely towards the elevator. I hold the door open for him to step inside.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Spencer Reid of the BAU, nice to meet you.” He smiles awkwardly at me.

“Hi, I’m Y/N Y/L/N, and it’s my first day at the BAU!” I’m so glad to meet someone before I heard into the office. We step off the elevator and he opens to door into the office for me.

“Hey Spence, who’s this?” A blonde girl greets us with a fresh cup of coffee in her hands.

“Oh this is Y’n Y/L/N, and it’s her first day at the BAU today.” She shakes my hand.

“Oh, I was wondering who our new coworker would be, it’s so nice to meet you. You can call me JJ.”

“Who’s this pretty little thing?” A voice comes from the door. A tall, muscular man in an unusually tight shirt comes and greets us. Shortly following, a woman with brown hair and an older man come with us.

“This is Y/N Y/L/N, she’s the newest member of the BAU. Y/N these are supervisory special agents Morgan, Prentiss, and Rossi.”

“It’s so nice to meet all of you, I’m glad we can work together.” we get into small talk before Hotch tells us to get on the jet and grab our go bags for this case. Hotch was the one who met with the director and convinced him to let me work here. The jet was even nicer than I had imagined, we talked about the case the whole way there, 2 children had gone missing within a week, and the cops were clueless.

At the latest abduction site, we meet the sheriff. “Hello, I’m Sheriff Jones, nice to meet you all.” He shakes our hands and we spread out around the house. Morgan and I go into the child’s room. We look around the room, searching for clues. I hop onto the kids computer to see if there’s anything there.

“Hey, Morgan, this kid seems to be on a lot of chat rooms.” I call to Morgan, who is deep into this kids diary.

“Nice work, kid. Here, take my phone and call Garcia about it.” I don’t know much about Garcia, only that she’s the technical analyst for the BAU. I catch the phone Morgan tossed me and call her.

“Talk dirty to me, hot stuff.” I’m shocked, did I call the wrong number?

“Um, hello, is the Penelope Garcia?” My face is red, I can tell she’s pretty though her voice.

“Oh my God, I’m so so sorry, you must be the new girl, yes I’m Penelope, what can I do for you?” I smile, feeling bad about her embarrassment.

“Could you hack into this kids computer and go through all of his chat logs, hot stuff?” I could feel Morgan staring at me, confused.

“Wow, you’ve already got the hang of it. I’ll call back when I’ve got some news. See you in your dreams. Mwah.” She hung up the phone before I could even say goodbye.

“Wow, that Penelope is really something, huh.” I’m sitting back in this chair, trying to figure out what just happened.

“Yeah, she is. Hey, did she seem upset at all when you talked to her?” Morgan seemed concerned for her.

“No, she seemed great, why?”

“It’s nothing, she just broke up with her girlfriend last week and she’s been taking it pretty hard, that’s all.”

“Girlfriend?” Morgan can see me smirk.

“Oh come on Y/N, you’re kidding me. You haven’t even met her in person yet.” Morgan laughs and pats me on the back,”Yknow, I think that would be really swell for her, you’re a great girl.” I smile and we get back to work. Today has been really great so far, we have a few leads, and I’ve hit it off with the whole team, especially Morgan.

We meet the team back at the station and go over all of the information. “We’ve got a name.” Hotch shouts as we look at our suspect list. We all rush to the cars and follow the GPS. At the location we see the man holding both kids in front of himself. Gun drawn.

“Drop the gun!” Rossi shouts at the man, gun facing him.

“No, these kids are killers, they deserve to die!” He’s shaking.

“No, John, it was a video game, it was fake, it’s not real.” JJ is trying to coerce him into dropping the weapon. He starts screaming and bawling. The death of his mother had caused him to have a psychotic break and believe the video games he played were real. He drops to the ground as the children come running towards us. Morgan rushes to handcuff the man.

On the jet I fall asleep. In my dream I here a voice. “Y/N!, Y/N!, wake up!” I open my eyes to see Morgan shaking me awake.

“Kid, we landed, come on lets get you home.” Morgan hands me my bag and I get in my car and head home.

In the office, the rest of the team is packing up for the day, talking about me.

“Well she called Penelope on my phone today, and we can guess how that went.” Morgan laughs, remembering the conversation.

“Well, it’s bound to happen eventually.” Emily jokes, putting folders into her bag.

“She also made this face when I told her Penelope broke up with Grace, it was like she was trying to hold back a smile.”The whole team realized what was going on.

“No, you’re kidding.” JJ laughs.

“Actually, I spoke with Y/N earlier today on the jet before we got to Texas, and I think she’d be a perfect match for Penelope.” Reid smiles as the team thinks about me and Penelope dating. Suddenly, a voice comes from the door.

“Who would be a perfect match for me?” It was Penelope.

“No one, we were just kidding around.”

“Could you possibly mean special agent Y/N Y/L/N, a recent graduate from MIT, currently residing at 437 Oak street, apartment 3B?” A smile grows across her face.

“Wow, what is with the stalking, I thought we moved past that?” Rossi says.

“Well, I just wanted to see what she looked like, as her coworker I should know her.” She’s fighting a grin,”On the phone she sounded really-”

“Pretty?” Emily cuts her off. Penelope stares at her shoes, smirking.

“Well, now that you all have embarrassed me, I bid you goodnight.” She waves at everyone and leaves.

“Well, looks like we have a little matchmaking to do, don’t we?” Morgan and the team laugh and chat for a bit more until they all go home.

(Ch 2 soon!)

#penelope garcia #penelope garcia x reader #bau #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #emily prentiss #jj criminal minds #spencer reid #derek morgan #david rossi #aaron hotchner

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angeli-marco-writes · 3 years

Text

∘◦❅◦∘ Elizabeth Debicki - Christmas Morning ∘◦❅◦∘

A/N - Elizabeth is a superior human being and I shan’t hear a word against it. She’s so bloody stunning and pure and everything good. I got this idea a while ago, but it’s taken me a while to write it. What better time to upload a Christmas Morning imagine than on Christmas Eve (in my time zone at least). This is not intended to offend anyone, or to intrude on Elizabeth in any way. I do not know her, nor do I claim to. This is a work of fiction. And I’m sorry if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I’m not trying to force it upon anyone. I also used google translate for most of the Polish.

Warnings - Explicit s*x and lots of it. Cursing, Polish cursing. Just 3.4k words of adult content, really. 18+.

Summary - Christmas morning in a hidden wintry lodge is everything you could’ve dreamed of. Then again, it’d be perfect even without the setting and the heating, because all you want for Christmas is Elizabeth, and that she gives you. Wholly.

DAPPLED SUNLIGHT FILTERS through the gap in the curtains, icy and sharp, defining the angles of her face with acute shadows. God she looks so perfect this way, you never want to wake her.

Usually Liz is the first one to wake up, so this is a rarity, one you’ll never take for granted. She looks so ethereal, so angelic, so incredibly perfect, it makes you wonder what you’ve ever done to deserve this half covered celestial woman in your bed next to you this morning. Perhaps the retreat is doing its work, and she��s finally starting to sleep well. Life away from all the pressures of Hollywood seems to be suiting her, and you, hence the lodge you booked into at the start of the week and don’t plan on leaving until it’s absolutely pertinent. How she’s managed to sleep half naked, though, with only a sheet slung around her hips is beyond you, and you find yourself smiling at the thought.

With your eyes, you trace the curves of her bare body from the silhouette of the longest and shapeliest legs you’ve ever seen (that look particularly good wrapped around your waist… or neck) to the dips of her hips where the sheet rests tucked a little beneath her, to the gorgeous valley of her perfect breasts and her nipples, already pebbled from the cold air. You can appreciate her face like this as well, more than you usually could; so still and relaxed like no harm could ever come, like she’s your guardian angel, a facts he’s proven again and again, only for you to snatch her breath away by capturing her slightly plump lips in yours, nudging her button nose with yours, gazing into those stunning baby blue eyes. And her hair, God, the choppy blonde locks that only serve to make her more angelic even when she’s acting like a devil, just like on Halloween. The thought alone gives you chills, riding goosebumps on top of your goosebumps, and sending blood rushing simultaneously to your cheeks and your core.

She lets out the breathiest little moan, and you can’t help but wonder whether she’s dreaming of you, and if she’s just as wet as you are beneath the covers, creating a damp spot where she’s lying on the crisp white sheet, as crisp as the winter snow outside. Her cheeks begin to colour, and now you just have to avert your eyes or you’ll simply pounce her when she needs her sleep. Presents can wait.

The view outside the window, though, is simply magnificent. Hundreds of tiny snowflakes fall all around, dancing and twirling until they settle into beds of soft snow or fall onto the broad branches of the fir trees lining the property. The perfect white Christmas, and your first together, even if, with your destination, it was expected.

Eventually, you pluck up the strength to extricate yourself from the warmth of the bed, only to grasp for the nearest jumper, tugging it on to shield yourself from the worst of the cold. Ice bites at your toes this early on in the day, though it’s swiftly dissipated when your feet hit the soft, cream rug next to the carpet on the log-appearance floor, already warmed through enough to make your toes toasty via underfloor heating.

You ensure to keep your footsteps soft, padding along the floor and treading over any obstacles until you reach the door, and even then only opening it a sliver more than you need to slip through the gap. Yawning, you trek down to the kitchen, pulling the sweater tighter around you. It smells of Liz, of her perfume, and that indescribable smell of roses that is so distinctly her.

Popping the kettle on, your mind drifts from the sound and last night's activities hail you, willing you to forget that you’re in the kitchen and to just think of the way she kissed you, touched you, fucked you- The bubbling stops, and you’re grounded once more, but even so you can still feel her touch scorching your skin, burning you with every graze of her fingers over your legs, your stomach, your-

And that's when you nearly drop the mug of boiling tea onto your bare feet. You have to physically shake the sensation from you if you want anything done before heading back up to bed. You make Elizabeth’s tea the way she likes it: white, one sugar, just like her, and wrap the mug cosies around each cup to keep them toasty, even while she’s still asleep. You tiptoe back upstairs, the ghost of her touch sending shivers down your spine, and as you softly kick the door open, cautious to keep your balance so as to not spill tea all over your sprawled self on the floor, you’re surprised to find Liz sitting up n bed, laying on her elbows, her hair slightly more coiffed, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Your eyes dart to the safe, a bubbling of excitement fizzing in your stomach just to make this morning better.

“Merry Christmas baby,” She coos in that delectable accent of hers.

“Happy Christmas darling, did I wake you?”

She shakes her head reassuringly, and opens her arms for you. “Though I’d have been much happier if you’d woken me up in a better way than with tea, though I’m ever so grateful.”

You put the mugs down and bend to kiss her lips, tasting only desire in the tender brush. She brings her hand up to wrap around your back, drawing you impossibly closer to her until your whole body is covering hers. She’s wearing that stupid Christmas cardigan you told her not to buy, the terrible clash of red and green and gold being a lot for your eyes to take so early in the morning, but the soft material tickles your back so delightfully, warming you up, so you can’t complain.

“Were you dreaming of me?” You husk in her ear.

“Mmhm, only of you.”

You bring your lips down to her neck, kissing her pressure point ever so gently, only to suck on her skin feverishly enough to leave a hickey and have her moaning already.

“Don’t stop- fuck.”

Your hips begin involuntarily bucking into hers, creating a delicious friction while your mouth works on her weakest spots. For once, neither of you has to worry about leaving marks on the other: free rein to mark each other up in whichever way you choose. In truth, this is your favourite time to just be with Elizabeth, nothing and no one to worry about, especially no paparazzi and no one trying to catch her out.

Without wasting another second, you bring your lips back to hers, your mouths colliding deliciously. She weaves her hand into your hair, tugging you closer, drawing you closer into her warmth and the taste of her wholly. She’s yours, and this morning you certainly plan on proving that, starting with shucking off her cardigan, followed by your jumper, flinging them both across the room.

“Someone’s eager.” She giggles, her accent sounding above lush to your ears, especially with that gorgeous morning husky quality.

“Always.”

You begin to nip at her jaw, she claws at your back, her nails leaving crescent moons in their wake already. Grasping at your hair, she forces you to go lower. Grazing your teeth over her neck, her shoulders, her collarbones, she’s already getting desperate. You can always tell the signs: Her back slightly arching, her hips rolling from side to side and up and around in circles to grasp onto any thread of friction she can, and then there’s those pretty little whimpers she thinks are too quiet for you to hear. You listen closely every time for them, the most darling sounds she makes, they drive you crazy. They also waive your will to tease her, leading to you always giving in. Today is no exception, other than the fact you begin to tease her pebbled nipples with your tongue much faster than you usually would.

“Laska,” She moans, pushing her breasts further into your mouth, her hand moving up to clasp around the back of your head, beginning to control your movements.

You’d be lying if you didn’t say Liz’s boobs were the sexiest you’ve ever seen in my life, but when she speaks Polish, it really gets you going. In fact, tweaking her other bud between your forefinger and thumb, pulling gently while you leave hickeys all across her one breast. She’s really getting what she asked for, using that breathy, ungodly voice to call you the sweetest names.

If you had it your way, you’d be making her come using her breasts alone, but Liz has other ideas, pulling you up by your heir until she’s pinning you to the bed, her long, slender arms on either side of your head, trapping you in. She looks so… elegant.

“Moja cudowna dziewczyna.”

Jesus Christ she’s gonna be the death of you. You look up at her with wide, starry eyes, completely enthralled with every movement she makes, even the slight quirk of her lips, every blink, every breath. She’s trailing her hand down your body, her fingers between your breasts, her palm over your stomach, two lean digits swiping through your slick, having you a mewling quim under her control as soon as the soft pads of her fingers make contact with your core. She teases your entrance a little before gliding in in one swift movement. Your whole body seems to vault up from the bed, wrapping yourself around Elizabeth as an instinct, bringing her lips crashing onto yours while she continues her ministrations. The kiss is sloppy yet oh so sexy, a clash of teeth and tongues with a flame of pure passion. She’s pumping in and out of you, faster, faster, and you can feel your climax approaching. She can tell as well, because she begins to speed up, pressing her thumb down on your clit.

“Say it.” You whine, “Say it, baby.”

She moves her hand faster, her wrist flicking with every movement as she fucks you, deep and hard on her fingers. God the things they can do…

“Wesołych świąt, seksowna.” She purrs, right in your ear.

The most delectable shiver of arousal runs down your spine, electrocuting every nerve ending in your entire body. You’re on fire, and within a second of her strokes continuing, her fingertips curling to get that exact spot she always knows how to reach, you come with a scream of her name, your hands yanking at her hair as she grunts. She flops down onto your body, every inch of your skin touching, and yet she doesn’t stop her movements, every single jolt of her elbow elongating your high beyond what you thought it could. An almost out of body experience, and all you can see is her, all you can feel is her. Everything is just Liz as she kisses you. Hard. Finger-fucking you through to your second orgasm where all you can hear are her coaxing words. You can feel her, too, desperately grinding against your leg. If you had any control over your brain or mouth whatsoever, you’d be teasing her for being so desperate, your eager baby, yearning so much to come that all she can do is ride your thigh; but apparently your mouth can’t do anything but whimper.

“Pierdolić, królowo.” followed by a faint cry are the clearest thing before you're taken away into your memories.

The first time you heard that word was the most heavenly moment of your existence. You and Elizabeth had been dating for a small while, keeping it on the down low, never sharing more than a kiss for weeks and weeks. Until one fateful night, after a nice dinner, she finally invited you in and it was not a night to forget.

Round two, this time you made it to the bed, and seeing her beneath you was a sight and a half. Her pale skin against her dark sheets, a stark and striking contrast, only complimented further by her halo of long curly blonde locks surrounding her head. Her soft pink lips parted, her eyes squeezed shut, one hand clamping onto her pillow to anchor her, the other in your hair. Her back keeps arching off the bed as she approaches her high, crashing back down as soon as you ease off the intensity of your mouth on her core. You’ve edged her again and again even though she’s overstimulated already, sensitive all over. You know that with just one tweak to her nipples or one kiss to her clit, she’ll be coming all over your tongue. Not that you’re complaining. So after laying off for a moment, you get back to work, delving your tongue into her core, savouring every last drop of arousal that drops into your awaiting mouth, your lips pulling at her clit, your hands holding her legs apart to stop them from closing around your head, becoming your necklace. Not that you’d complain about that either…

“Pierdolić!” She screams, her body practically convulsing, crying out that very same word and her name until her throat grows hoarse.

Only when she’s almost finished do you feel your own high coming on with absolutely no contact at all, merely the friction of the bed sheets against your sensitive breasts and the lasting taste of her juices on your tongue. The vision of her topples you over as well, your orgasm silent, muffled by her pussy, your quiet moans sending vibrations throughout her whole being until she falls lax onto the bed, spent, smiling dizzily.

Making your way back up her body, peppering kisses everywhere you can reach, you feel yourself leaving a trail of wetness over her legs and pelvis until you come up to straddle her hips, your chest pressing against hers, your lips meeting in a series of lazy kisses.

“That was pretty sexy,” She murmurs, her voice weak and oh so sensual, “You like it when I speak Polish?”

You just moan softly, unwittingly in response. She chuckles, her fingers running up and down your spine. Ever since, you’ve seen stars with every orgasm when she speaks Polish to you.

This morning follows a similar pattern. With you both exhausted from your first round, you curl under the duvet, wrapped in one another’s embrace. She’s so gentle this way, nothing like the intimidating 6ft+ woman that's shown in the press, the one who could kill anyone with so much as a glance. Not that she isn't drop dead gorgeous, but she’s… vulnerable. And with you, here, she can finally be free and be herself with no external challenges or judgement. That’s what makes this so special.

Skin to skin, heart to heart, lips to lips. You’d take this over anything any day.

“I love you.” You whisper, kissing her shoulder, darting your eyes up to see her beautiful face. The apples of her cheeks are so pronounced when she smiles that signature way, so quintessentially Elizabeth. God she’s so beautiful, and brave, you’re so glad you get to touch her all the time.

Trailing your fingers over her chest, your hand comes up to rest on her bare breast, uncovered by the duvet. She hums absently, her everlasting touch console for you.

“This reminds me of The Night Manager,” She says, turning her head on the pillow to face you.

Your ears prick up; “How come?”

“The cardigan, the snow from when we were in the alps, your hand on my boob like Toms was.”

She’s wearing that smirk, the one that tells you exactly what she wants.

“So now I’m just on par with Tom?”

“Mhm, yeah you are, baby.”

Her smirk widens, mischief glittering in her gorgeous eyes. You chuckle to yourself; this is often her way of instigating another round.

“So I’m just a mediocre white man on a film set with you?” I draw her one nipple between my teeth, my hand massaging the breast it’s already settled on, eliciting a little moan and a vehement nod. God, she’s such a switch. “So you’re telling me that I don’t fuck you better than he can? The fact I have your whole body quaking beneath me in seconds flat when all he got after God knows how many takes was a little twitch?” Again, the same response. “Are you telling me that I’m not the best shag you’ve ever had, darling?”

Silence. You’ve caught her in her own trap, and now, like earlier, she’s just dying to be overpowered. Her torso relaxes a little, her arms falling away, her eyes opening wide, expectant.

“I’ll fucking prove to you that I’m the best you’ve had and ever will have.” you guarantee pridefully.

Pressing a soft and gentle kiss to her lips, your grip on her body is anything but, lifting her limber body off the bed and on top of you. She’s rendered surprised, unable to fight you, just a lopsided smile proving her consciousness while her hands on your cheeks prove her willingness. That twinkle in her eyes that never goes away is good enough to soften your demeanour for a second while you adjust yourself with the headboard, only to take Liz by surprise again, licking a bold stripe from her opening to her clit, her jaw dropping in a silent ‘O’. Kitten licks to her dripping hole are your next move, the bare minimum of contact, reading her a little, but the look of sheer beauty on her face, completely fucked out while she sits on your face is indescribable. You’re not going to drag this out, you’re gonna go fast and rough and truly make it worth her while.

“I love the way you taste, baby.” you tell her as sweetly as you can, pressing your tongue into her leaking hole, clenching around nothing.

She makes a mad grasp for the headboard, wrapping her hands around it, bowing down a little, her breasts in your direct eye line, her nipples hovering just where you want them, pebbled pink peaks perfectly placed on delectably rounded breasts, her soft skin covering every inch, the blemishes just a part of her.

One hand squeezing her ass, kneading her cheeks between your fingers, the other grazing over her gorgeous breasts, your gazes connect. Her eyes focus on yours, your gaze authoritative, demanding for her to keep looking at you, even when it becomes what seems, in the moment, to be the hardest task of her life, just to keep her mouth open as your tongue delves deep into her, reaching as deep as you can go. Your hand on her bum brings her pussy down even closer to your face. You have full access to roam her core as you please, even more when she begins grinding on your face.

“Keep going, fuck, baby I need you!”

And if that isn’t the hottest thing you’ve ever heard, you’ll be damned. Her one hand leaves the headboard and comes up to her other breast, pulling and twisting her nipple as she grinds faster, gyrating her hips against your mouth. She’s getting close, so close.

“I’m gonna-”

She doesn’t get chance to finish her sentence before she’s crying out, pleasure washing over her and breaking out a sweat on her skin, small beads dripping down her forehead and cleavage, all thanks to you bringing her bundle of nerves between your lips and suckling while you played with her ass. No matter how hard she tries, her gaze falters, her eyes squeezing shut as her second climax renders her speechless, breathless, boneless, collapsing onto you. Two hundred times at least you must’ve seen her climax, but this? This morning takes the cake. What a fucking brilliant start to Christmas day.

You both pop to the loo to clean up before wrapping up in your cosy Christmas jumpers and slipping back into bed with your mugs of tea. The smile still hasn’t left her face, and you hope to God it never will. Legs entangled, arms wrapped around one another. She feels so petite and delicate in your grasp even though she towers over you normally. She’s precious, the most precious thing you’ll ever have, the only Christmas present you need. You just hope she knows this.

“All I want for Christmas is you, Elizabeth. Now and always.” You say to your girlfriend, your partner. Your fiancé if today goes to plan.

“I love you so much.” She whispers, her lips on your temple.

“I love you.”

With a surreptitious glance to the safe in the corner of the room, you train your gaze back at Liz, only focussed on you as you cuddle up with her, burrowed under the warmth of the duvet. Yeah, this is a pretty perfect Christmas morning.

#elizabeth debicki #elizabeth debicki smut #elizabeth debicki fluff #elizabeth debicki imagine #elizabeth debicki x reader #jed roper #wlw imagine #wlw smut #christmas smut

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obxlife · 4 years

Text

Complicated (JJ x Reader)

A/N: I’m back! After like four months of not writing ANYTHING I have finally decided to write something. This idea just popped into my head, honestly, but I think I’ll be taking requests again soon (maybe not, I’m still not sure). Anyways, enjoy!

Pairing: JJ x Reader

Word count: 4385

Request: -

Summary: The ups and downs of your relationship with JJ.

Warnings: Underage drinking, mentions of hooking up and maybe some other sexual acts (NO SMUT). Swearing probably. Oh, also, I tried wirting in third person so let me know if it’s as good as second person!

COMPLICATED

Feelings sucked. Just ask Y/N Y/L/N about it.

The empty cup in her hand weighed her arm down as she rested it upon her knee, her chest and body leaning forward closer to the bonfire that burned before her. Her free hand was tracing random figures onto her thigh, trying but failing to distract her mind from what she was witnessing across the beach.

The kegger was in full swing, and normally by now she would have been at least three drinks in, but her mood had turned sour the instant the rim of her first cup touched her lips.

She didn’t want to talk about it - hell, she didn’t even want to think about it - but JJ was right there in front of her line of sight flirting with another girl from the Cut. And to make matters worse, it was the one girl from the Cut which she couldn’t stand. Her childhood best friend, Matilda Garner.

Y/N let out a big sigh, which caught Pope’s attention. He turned away from the girl he had been speaking to and looked at Y/N, noticing her frown and the furrow between her eyebrows.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, although he already had figured out the answer. All he did was follow Y/N’s unwavering eyes towards their blond friend.

“Nothing,” she tried to lie knowing she would fail. Pope had always had a way of figuring everything out, which explained why he was the only Pogue that knew exactly what was going on between her and JJ.

“Y/N...,” Pope began. He didn’t continue speaking until the girl before him removed her eyes from Matilda’s obvious flirting attempts towards JJ. “You should just tell him.”

“Why the hell would I do that, Pope? It would completely ruin our relationship,” she explained. Y/N felt panic rise within her just at the thought of confessing what she truly felt to JJ.

“Look, even if JJ does not feel the same way you feel about him, it would probably make you feel better.”

“That doesn’t make sense at all, Pope,” Y/N replied moving her eyes to the floor. She pretended to count the grains of sand that were seeping through her toes as Pope continued to explain his thoughts on the topic.

“It does too! I just think it’s unfair for you to be carrying this around. He’s totally using you and like, fine, you were using him at first too, but now you feel stuff and you’re hurting.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but I prefer hurting than being without him.”

“Without who?” Kiara’s voice rang behind them. The two teenagers turned around towards the voice, surprised that she wasn’t flirting some Touron up like she normally would. “JJ?”

Y/N groaned. “How does everybody know about me and JJ?”

“That you guys are secretly-not-secretly hooking up?”

The girl groaned again.

“It is kind of obvious though,” Pope explained. “You guys would randomly leave when we were hanging out and then we could hear you guys through the Chateau.”

“What?” Y/N practically screamed. “I thought we were being quiet though.”

“Think again, Y/N,” Kie said while taking a seat right next to her. “So are you finally going to tell him that you like him?”

The girl in question just rolled her eyes before stepping away from the log where she was perched. She looked towards her blond friend-with-benefits one last time before heading towards the keg, where John B was surely too drunk to ask her about JJ and sober enough to distract her.

**********************************************************************

JJ was nowhere to be seen. It was the third time that week that he skipped the Pogue hang out and the person everyone had expected to know where he was at the moment was just as lost as the rest of them.

“But JJ always tells you where he goes in hopes that you’ll call him to hook up later.”

“Well, I don’t know where he is,” Y/N replied. She hadn’t heard from the blond in about two weeks, ever since the kegger where he had been flirting with Matilda Garner. “He stopped texting me a while back.”

“Really?” John B inquired while looking up from his phone. It chimed once again with a message (probably from Sarah), but he ignored it. “That’s weird.”

Y/N’s furrowed eyebrows showed her slight confusion towards the teenage boy, but this only lasted a few seconds before Kiara declared that they should just leave without JJ.

They didn’t arrive back at the Chateau until the very late afternoon, and both Pope and Kiara rushed off (not without saying goodbye, of course) because they had to help their parents with their respective businesses. John B and Y/N trudged towards the front door as they waved to the other two teens.

“I’m so tired,” Y/N exclaimed as she placed her bag onto the table and the cooler she held in her other hand onto the floor. She opened it up and began to take out the empty beer cans and plastic bottles so that she could throw them out in the recycling bin that Kie had bought a couple of months ago. John B leaned down to help her, leaving his phone on the table next to her bag.

“Same,” the boy replied. “I did not think that we were going to be out that long.”

The girl was about to speak out her agreement when the back door suddenly burst open and in came JJ with a dazed smile. He didn’t seem to be in any rush to apologize for having skipped out on the afternoon activity he had promised he would attend.

“Hey, man,” John B greeted while Y/N focused her eyes on the can in her hand. She pretended to read the label while she secretly began to listen in on the two boys’ soon-to-be conversation.

“Hey,” JJ replied almost in a sigh. The toothy grin on his face had not faltered one bit, and Y/N had a feeling she knew exactly what that meant.

Suddenly feeling as if the walls of the fishing shack were closing in on her, the girl grabbed onto her bag and placed it over her shoulder.

“Well, I’m out,” she exclaimed. “Gotta go help my mom out.”

She began to head towards the same door JJ had just entered through a while ago when she was stopped by a hand that wrapped around her arm, just below her elbow.

“Wait, Y/N, I actually wanted to talk to you,” the blond surfer said as if only just realizing she was there. The girl nodded her head and turned to face him, but his eyes darted towards the outside. She knew what that meant, so she turned and exited the small house after saluting John B one last time.

JJ headed straight for the hammocks while Y/N followed suit, wondering what exactly JJ was about to tell her.

“So...,” the boy began. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

The girl rolled her eyes. She wanted to say that it was JJ’s fault that he hadn’t seen her. but instead, she went straight to the point. “What do you want, JJ?”

“Um, so I don’t want you to feel bad or anything because you’re my best friend and you’re really cool,” he rushed, almost as if he had memorized the exact words he was going to say and he was going through them before he would completely forget them.

Y/N ignored the slight pang in her chest she felt at the words ‘best friend’.

“And, trust me, I loved sleeping around with you but we have to stop.”

The girl’s face fell. The blond noticed this.

“It’s not that you’re bad in bed or anything like that. It’s just I really like this girl, I think you know her. Her name’s Matilda and -”

Y/N wasn’t listening anymore. Each word JJ spoke made her feel worse and worse and worse. What was the worst she had ever felt? Now, with JJ confessing his love for her ex best friend. And the worst part about it? She wasn’t even mad at him. He had no clue she was completely in love with him and he had no clue she absolutely loathed Matilda. She was just disappointed in herself. How could she have been so stupid to fall for her best friend?

However, she tried to not let it show on her face. If she were with anybody else, she would not have pulled her act off, but JJ was oblivious and believed everything that was said to him when it came from Y/N.

“That’s fine. I’m really happy for you.”

“Really? That’s great because -”

Once again the girl pretended to listen to his words instead of the sound of her heart breaking. Soon enough, she realized she couldn’t take it anymore, and she interrupted JJ.

“Hey, I’m really tired and I need to go help my mom.”

“Oh, okay. I thought you were staying the night,” he said with a bit of sadness in his eyes. He was almost bursting at the seams with excitement to tell her all about Matilda.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. Tomorrow?”

The boy nodded as the girl finally hugged him and turned around. She wiped the tear that slid down her cheek and promised herself that she would be able to build up her armor again for tomorrow.

*********************************************************************************

It wasn’t long before Matilda began to hang around the Pogues and Y/N began to do so less and less. They all knew what was wrong with Y/N except for JJ, who would ask about her every once in a while. He never seemed to get a straight answer.

Meanwhile, Y/N hung out with the Pogues individually in places where she knew JJ wouldn’t be. The library, the ice cream shop right on the edge of the Cut, the church’s parking lot, anywhere. No matter how many months had passed since he got together with Matilda, she just wasn’t over him. She began to believe that she never would be over him.

When school began it became obvious to JJ that she was avoiding the Pogues. She was hanging out with a completely different group of kids, and although JJ didn’t know them, he already sort of hated them for stealing his best friend.

Matilda was a good distraction from this problem though, and JJ never actually had enough time to confront Y/N about it, so he didn’t.

However, when he noticed Marcus Lakes hanging around Y/N more and more often, he began to worry.

Y/N didn’t really think of Marcus as more than a friend though. She was still hung up on JJ, and she really hadn’t spent enough time with Marcus to actually begin to feel anything. In fact, her relationship with Marcus was just a series of coincidences that only amounted to them being partners in many school projects together. Y/N truly believed that once they were over, he would leave her alone.

But he didn’t. No, instead he spent even more time with her, and although the girl wasn’t used to this type of attention, she enjoyed it. She found herself entranced within the brunett’s conversations and thrilled when he invited her out for dinner.

Soon enough, they were dating, and Y/N had never been happier. For once in her life, she felt like someone’s first choice. She felt great not being a simple replacement or a filler. She loved being important - even if it wasn’t to the boy she still secretly loved.

In all honesty, she knew she would never fully be over JJ. Like ever. But she did truly like Marcus. Maybe even love. And she spent many nights wondering if that made her a bad person.

She soon concluded that it didn’t. She related her situation to those of adults whose spouses died and they carried on loving both their deceased love and their new living one. The only difference in her case was that JJ wasn’t dead.

After a few months of dating Marcus, Y/N finally built up the courage to hang out with the Pogues again. She felt strong enough to encounter them even if JJ was with them, and besides, Marcus would be there with her.

And so on a cold, winter day, she headed down her dock with her hand entwined with her boyfriend’s before stepping onto John B’s boat. The Pogues all greeted her with hugs as if she had never left, and Y/N understood the underlying message behind them. We get it, they said. You don’t have to say you’re sorry.

The best part of that afternoon was that JJ was there but Y/N soon realized that she wasn’t truly nervous about that. In fact, he had also hugged her as the old friends they had once bee - or maybe still were? Y/N was kind of confused about that. However, she realized that maybe Marcus was actually helping her get over her past love, and she didn’t really mind spending time with the Pogues as she did before.

JJ wasn’t happy though. At all.

For some reason, he was absolutely pissed when he saw Y/N at her dock with Marcus by her side. Why did he have to be there? Marcus wasn’t their friend, Y/N was. And she had no right bringing him. He thought the afternoon was supposed to be a Pogues-only hang out. They had even left Sarah out!

JJ soon realized that the way he was feeling must have been the way the Pogues felt when he brought Matilda along at the start of his relationship. And he realized that they had all sucked the bad feelings up for him and put a smile on their faces. So that was exactly what he did as he greeted Y/N and Marcus.

“Hey, I missed you,” JJ whispered into Y/N’s ear when he hugged her. She giggled and tapped his chest lightly when she pulled back. His heart skipped a beat at that feeling, but he pretended he didn’t feel it.

As she turned away JJ realized that Y/N never said he missed him.

**********************************************************************************

In the middle of May, JJ called Y/N near one o’clock in the morning.

“Hello?” she had asked groggily into the phone.

“Y/N,” he sniffled a bit. The girl piqued up once she realized that he had been crying.

“JJ, what’s wrong?”

“Matilda and I had a fight. I think we’re done.”

Y/N’s heart stuttered, but she forced it to settle down. She instead invited the broken-hearted boy to her house and promised he could stay with her that night.

Y/N, and the rest of the Pogues as well, had seen this break up coming. JJ and Matilda had been fighting for weeks on end, sometimes even inside of the Chateau when they (the Pogues) were on the other side of the walls. Y/N tried to stay awake as she waited for JJ to arrive, knocking on her window as he would do when they used to hook up.

God, that seems like so long ago, the girl thought.

Soon enough, the blond surfer was outside her window, tears still running down his face. He let himself be embraced by his best friend as he cried and cried and kept crying until the very early hours of the morning.

“Thanks,” he whispered when he had finally settled down. He wouldn’t confess this to her, but most of his recent fights with Matilda had been about Y/N. About how she was his best friend and how she always seemed to be around. How Matilda would always bad mouth her relentlessly and about how JJ couldn’t stand or understand that (“Y/N’s so nice, what do you mean I can’t hang out with her?”). Secretly, he was glad his relationship was finally over.

“You’re welcome, J,” she whispered back, eyes barely open. JJ felt his heart bounce in his chest at the nickname he hadn’t heard her call him in so long. A smile stretched across his lips as he buried his face into the girl’s pillows in an attempt to keep his grin hidden from her view.

Before Y/N could fall asleep, she reminded herself that she shouldn’t sleep with JJ in the same bed. After all, she had a boyfriend. So, as slowly as she could, she stood up and grabbed a pillow, placing it on the ground. As she lay across her carpet and grabbed the blanket that was on top of her bed, she heard JJ ask, “What are you doing?”

“Sleeping” she sighed as the quilt fell atop of her body and enveloped her in heat.

“On the floor? Why?”

She hummed softly before speaking in a soft grumble. “I have a boyfriend, J.”

The boy felt really lonely all of a sudden. He wanted to be able to cuddle Y/N like they used to do before he was with Matilda, like when he was sad about his father or some other shit. He didn’t know why he felt almost angry at the fact that he couldn’t hold onto his best friend like he used to.

“So no cuddles like old times?” he asked in an attempt to make Y/N feel guilty enough to join him. But she just shook her head. “I have a boyfriend, JJ.”

JJ tried to come up with something else to get her back in the bed. He didn’t even want to have sex with her, he just wanted to be able to hold her.

“So you’re going to sleep on the floor?”

“Would you rather sleep here?”

“No, but it’s your house,” the blonde tried to be as gentleman-ish as possible.

“Then I’m staying here. Besides, you need the bed more than I do. Your night was pretty rough.”

With that, she turned around and fell asleep. JJ tried to do the same but failed.

The following morning, Y/N was up and out of the house before the blond teenager even woke up. When he finally opened his eyes he read the note she left for him on the bedside table. He groaned when he realized she was going to be out with Marcus for the whole day.

Just great. Fucking great.

************************************************************

If there even was a God and he could see JJ now, he’d probably be laughing.

The boy was seated on a log, a red solo cup in his hands, as he stared at Y/N across the beach. His other hand was tracing figures on his thigh as his mind was occupied with what he was seeing. Marcus’s hand was wrapped around her waist as they both dancing. He let out a sigh before Pope turned to look at him, an exact mirror of Y/N’s situation from a year ago.

“What’s wrong?” Pope asked although he already knew. He had noticed JJ staring at Y/N more often these past few months after he had broken things off with Matilda.

“Nothing,” the blond surfer lied as he brought the cup in his hand up to his lips.

“JJ...”

“I know, I know,” the boy in questions answered before his friend could even speak what his thoughts were on the matter. “She’s with someone else, I get it.”

Pope hummed as he stared at Y/N as well. He noticed how her smile was the biggest he had ever seen it, and he pondered over telling JJ how she had felt just last year about him.

“You know,” he began to say, still not knowing if it was a good idea to confess what he was going to mention. “She had a thing for you last year. When you guys were hooking up.”

JJ’s eyes widened. “She what? Wait, you know we used to hook up?”

Pope scoffed. “We all knew, JJ. And yeah, she did. That’s why she distanced herself when you got together with Matilda. Well, that and the fact that Matilda used to be her best friend when they were little.”

JJ couldn’t believe it. Everything was making so much sense.

“That makes so much sense.”

Pope just nodded. “Yeah, she was pretty heartbroken about it.”

“Who was heartbroken?” a voice asked from behind them.

The boys turned to find Kiara standing there, with a cup in her hands. She moved to take the spot on JJ’s side that wasn’t occupied by Pope as the dark-skinned boy answered, “Y/N.”

“Last year? Yeah, she was. It’s good she found Marcus though. He makes her happy.”

“I guess,” JJ whispered bitterly.

Kie’s eyes widened when she noticed the blond’s tone of voice. “Don’t tell me you like her now. You do know she was heartbroken about you, right?”

JJ simply rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed scoff. “Yeah, I do now. And karma finally got to me by cursing me with the exact same fate as her.”

His tone of voice was burlesque, and he quickly stood up from the log and headed away from the beach, hoping that he would be able to find John B to distract himself.

Life seemed to have a funny way of working and JJ hated it. What he hated was that everything was just so complicated, and not even his feelings could line up at the same time with the one girl that he finally realized was perfect for him.

He glanced at her once again. Each dance move Y/N executed made him feel worse and worse and worse. What was the worst he had ever felt? Now, with Marcus wrapped around her and him standing far away. And the worst part about it? He wasn’t - he couldn’t - even be mad at her. She had no clue he was completely in love with her. He was just mad at himself. How could he have been so stupid to fall for a girl that was taken?

He did what he did best to forget. He downed the cup of alcohol in his hand.

******************************************************************************************

JJ felt like he was in a personal torture chamber except the chamber was the whole island and the torture was Y/N talking about her boyfriend.

By now, the Pogues had started pitying JJ the same way they had pitied Y/N before she got with Marcus, but this time, they didn’t want to say anything because she was apparently extremely happy with her current boyfriend.

So JJ just spent most of his days looking at Y/N from afar and trying to ignore Marcus while pretending everything was fine.

And then, finally, after months of being tortured, it all ended.

Marcus had cheated on Y/N. And with no one else but Matilda.

To say she was utterly pissed was an understatement. And honestly, this had surprised her. She originally thought she was going to be completely devasted, but after the first round of tears that came with the shock of finding them in her own bed, Y/N was fine. Just pissed, but other than that, fine.

And JJ? Oh, he was over the moon. He couldn’t believe that everything had lined up so perfectly in his favor that he was finally going to be able to be with Y/N, the girl f his dreams. But just as fast as his happy feeling came, it disappeared when he realized that Y/N’s strategy for moving on was hooking up with Tourons and then telling him about it.

In between all of the madness that followed the weeks after her break up, Y/N never once stopped to think about what she was doing. She spent three weeks absolutely getting wasted at every single party she attended and leaving them with a new boy in her hand. And later, when she washed up once again, she would head straight over to her blond best friend and tell him everything about it, not noticing the sad eyes with which he would listen.

When school started once again, JJ was trying to ignore her in hopes that he would stop listening to her awful hookup stories. And it was around this time that Y/N realized he was avoiding her and how much she truly missed him.

And so once again she began to pin after JJ without him even realizing it.

As their feelings began to grow once again (because they finally just started hanging around each other without talking about their past sex lives), Pope was the first to notice their heart-shaped eyes and saccharine words.

And thank God he did, because the two Pogues whose hearts belonged to each other were way too naive to notice.

It had been a random Tuesday night when Pope had spilled the beans and sent JJ into a frenzied rush towards Y/N’s house. His frantic pounding on her window pulled her out of her studying as her wide eyes locked with him. She opened the window and let the boy she loved inside, smiling at him in greeting and putting a finger up to her lips.

Before she could actually talk, however, the boy kissed her, taking her by such surprise that she almost bit down on his lip. Luckily, she caught herself before she did so.

And as their lips touched each other and her eyes closed, she swore she could see the entire universe. Every star and every light shined before her while her thin arms wrapped around the back of his neck and cherished the moment she had been craving for since she had fallen in love with JJ once again. Her stomach was doing jumping jacks and burpees just as JJ’s tongue began to dance across her own. When they finally surfaced for air, JJ bit her lip as softly as he could before opening his eyes and staring right back into hers.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for like, seven months now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don’t you do it again?”

And so he did. Again and again and again.

That night, after they had undressed and shown each other just how in love they truly were, Y/N sighed in happiness and relief that their relationship would never have to be complicated again.

*********************************************************

A/N: I was loving this fic but then it just became sort of meh, but I feel like I have to post it because I still like it, you know?

#outerbanks #obx #obx netflix #outer banks #outer banks netflix #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj x reader #jj maybank x y/n #jj x y/n #jj maybank x you #jj x you

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honney-boy · 3 years

Text

Knight In Shining Board Shorts

John B Routledge x Reader

Words: 3.5k

Warnings: injuries, fluff, bad surfing terminology, a huge amount of cuteness and fluff toward the ending, bugs bunny reference, a good ole smooch from the reader, grammer mistakes

Request: yes

could I req some john b fluff? Maybe him taking care of a hurt reader?

A/N: Sorry it took my forever to get this out. This request has been sitting in my drafts for a while and I finally found the inspiration to finish it up. Double warning, I know nothing about surfing so I kind of did my research. So don’t attack me if I get the description wrong for surfing. Also, sorry if this seems rushed toward the ending, I didn't want to drag it out too long. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

For: Anon From:@honney-boy

if you want to be tagged in any of my work, send me an ask or message me! taglist is at the bottom of the fic :) request are open!

masterlist | obx masterlist | taglist

gif by →???(not my gif)

You knew from the moment you were swimming out, the further you got, the closer the wave got. It was a big one, and you like that–the bigger the tide, the better the surf. It was something you and the others said all the time. The others, you almost forgot about them. You had been too focused on catching a good wave to notice that they began to leave—all but John B.

As the wave got closer, you had this feeling in your stomach. Uncertainty? Fear? Whatever it was, it was bothering you, but you were going to ignore it because this was the wave, your wave, and you were going to catch it. You swim yourself out some more, the wave racing toward you as you catch sight, but you still have a reasonable distance between you and it. Turning your longboard around, you push yourself on, laying on your stomach, and then paddling. You gave a few nice and easy paddles before picking up speed. When the wave got to your tail, you kicked it up even more and gave your last strokes all you had. Shooting one last glance over your shoulder to gauge at the wave, you were in a perfect position. When you feel the burst of momentum and speed, you swiftly pop up, placing your feet where they need to be, bending your knee while holding your arms out for balance, and riding the wave.

Your eyes squinted as the wind blew in your face, and the loud sound of the water in your ear was all worth it. No matter how many times you surfed, whether it be on a good weather day or bad, you loved it a lot. A smile graces your face. Whatever it was you were feeling earlier was long gone; happiness and adrenaline filled every inch of your body.

On the shore, you could see John B standing there, arms crossed as he watched you. You couldn't see the emotion on his face, but you knew there was a smile. He gave you a thumbs up, and then you noticed that he was the only one left on the shore, which didn't surprise you. When you and the pogues go surfing, the last two are usually you and John B. Occasionally, JJ would stay, and John B would end up dropping him at his house or the Chateau before taking you home. Kie usually took Pope home since he was more than willing to leave early, but you would live with the water if you could. Even without your friends, you'd come to catch waves by yourself or swim around, that's how much you loved the ocean. It was your happy place.

You lose your footing, but blow it off because you could fix it, and you had your board leash around your ankle if need be. Your back left–right foot and the same as before–slips again, and you make the mistake of looking back at the wave. One of the top five rules to surfing: keep your focus forward, never look over your shoulder or back at the tidal.

Your board flipped with you riding, causing you to fall in the water. You tried your best to swim to the surface, but with the wave and its currents, it dragged you and your board with it while keeping you down. You couldn't grab hold of your board, and the longer it wasn't in your grasp, the worse it would be for you—an eight footboard attached to the ankle by a leash against a 5 foot something girl. The odds were not in your favor. Your board jerked you around, pulling hard at your feet, causing your pain. The wave still had a lot of momentum, but you kept trying with all your strength to push past gravity to the top.

A loud gasp broke through as you crashed through the surface, and your hand reached out to grasp anything. You were up long enough to hear the shout of your name before the current dragged you back down under the surface. This time when you were under, you had the common sense to maneuver your leash off your ankle. Your legs burned from the constant kicking, but this wasn't your first time fighting a wave, and it wasn't your last–this wave wasn't going to win. Pushing your legs harder, you keep kicking, moving your body back to the surface and ignoring every pain, ache, and warning your body is giving you to stop. This time when you burst through, the wave was gone–well, not totally gone, just smaller in size and closer to shore.

Shore was further away than the last time you looked at it; the water must have pushed you further out. Before you began to try and swim the distance to shore, you took a moment to breathe and calm your racing heart. But something tugs at you, and your mind goes into sheer panic, thinking you were going to get pulled under again. You began kicking away to go to shore again, but a pair of what felt like hands held a tight grip on your waist.

"Hey, hey, y/n," you recognize that voice. The hands pull you toward the person in the water with you. "You okay?" you turn around, and John B's face comes to view. His brown eyes scan your face and then lock back onto y/e/c ones. His hair was wet, making his usually golden brown locks dark against his tan skin. Concern filled his eyes, and the grip he had on you was one you could tell that he wasn't going to dare to let go.

Nodding your head and taking a deep breath, you reassure him to cease his worries. "Yeah, yup–I'm fine. I just lost my balance." You take your hands and place them on his wrist to push his own hands away from your waist. Reluctantly at first, he does let go but stays close.

"That looked pretty rough,"

"I thought it looked bangin to me," you say, trying to hide your previous mild freak out with wit and humor. John B's face got serious for a moment, which made you shrink back and cringe, knowing he didn't find humor in what just happened.

"Well, you're opinion on what looked like what happened is a bit bent since you didn't see it from a different point of view."

"And yours is prejudiced. You weren't out here, so it looks like we're in the same boat, hm?" You retorted; John B shook his head.

"Whatever; let's head back. I have to swing by the Chateau first before I take you home," he tilts his head, gesturing to the beach. "I'll grab your longboard." Getting out of logging that big thing back to the beach was an offer you weren't going to let by. Your legs ache–swimming against the water wasn't helping with that–and you weren't sure if it was just from kicking extra hard, but it felt like a sharp pain kept shooting up your leg every few minutes.

"Alright, I won't pass on that offer." You say, and the two of you swim back. You were expecting the touch of sand to stab against your feet once you were able to touch the ground. Even the little fish swimming around your feet; what you weren't expecting was the sudden intense pain from your right ankle when you put all your weight on it. You would have fallen if it weren't for John B there to catch you. Oh, how you are so grateful for him to be around all the time. He's truly the sweetest.

"Woah, woah, what's going on?" he quickly asked; you hold on to one of his arms and squeeze your eyes shut. Ow, ow, ow, ow. It went through your mind a thousand times before you took a deep breath and opened your eyes again. "Y/n," the boy said once more with a different tone, more pressing.

"I'm fine. I'm fine, Routledge. I just stepped on a tough and sharp shell. You know the ones that feel like the legos that Gabe plays with." He knew what you were talking about. Your kid brother loved playing with legos. He gets a new set about every other week and builds it. You adore his little hobby, but he leaves pieces everywhere. And your misfortunate enough to step on them every day.

John B seemed convinced enough, so you guys keep walking, but the pain is excruciating that you want to rip your foot and ankle off. About halfway to his van–limping the entire way–you think you're still in the clear until your knees buck and a hand grabs your arm to steady you. Your eyes meet his stern look. Rolling your eyes, you turn away.

"Routledge, I'm fine–quit your fuss."

"You've almost fallen twice. I don't think you're okay," he says, then wraps an arm around your waist. "I wouldn't be a very good boyfriend if I didn't worry about you."

"It's fine–" you go to walk away, but his arm around you pulls you back.

"You just tried, and you nearly fell, don't try it again." You go to object, but he slips an arm underneath your leg and fixes the other to go on your back before lifting you effortlessly. You don't know when he dropped your board, but soon you were up higher in the arms of your beautiful boyfriend. "Don't tell me you're okay. You're clearly not. But I've got you.", you have your arms wrapped around his neck, sighing you give up the fight you were about to put up and let him carry you to his van. "I'm going to put you down for a sec." He said once you got to the van. You nodded your head and prepared yourself; he dropped your legs, arm still around your waist, you balanced yourself on your uninjured foot. John B. opened the passenger door and helped you get in.

"Don't forget my board you dropped; I'll be having you pay for another if you leave without it." John B couldn't help but let the laugh that bubbled up in his chest out as you pointed to him. He knew you were serious, but you were too darn cute when serious.

"I wasn't, I wasn't. Hold back your sass before it attacks me."

"Oh, it can attack you whenever it pleases," with a matter-of-fact tone, the sass he was talking about from you sass seeped through, which caused another laugh to escape him.

He shook his head and began to walk away. "See, there it is." You roll your eyes, tearing them away to look out at the ocean and the orange and yellow sky from the sunset. It never failed to amaze you with so much beauty the Outer Banks carried. The town sure did have shitty people–like every other town–but the town still had so much that overlooked that, and it's beauty was one.

Your boyfriend made it back to the van and drove you both to the Chateau like he said he would. You watched him get out but figured he would just run in and back out quickly, so you pulled your phone out of your bag at your feet. You start to scroll through tweets on Twitter–thank goodness the island’s power and the internet was still on after the storm last week–but it was cut short with the creek of the passenger door opening.

"Alright, come on you're coming too," John B says as you look at him. Your face scrunched with confusion and noticing that, he further elaborates. "It was going to be a quick stop until you hurt your foot. It still is, but I get to play your nurse, now come on," he holds his hand out, and you take it whether you want this help or not. John B helped you out of the van and into the comfort of his home; you sit down on the couch in the living room while he disappears in the back. You're tempted to make yourself extra comfortable - the Chateau is like your second home - but this is a quick stop. And your ankle is killing you, so you adjusted the way you sat, sitting against the arm of the couch and laying your leg across the cushions.

When John B does walk back into the room, he is already speaking to you, but John B focused his attention on the things he had in his hand. You see an unopened package with the bandage he would wrap around your ankle and a bag.

“So I did find the bandage I was talking about; I’m surprised it hasn’t been opened considering the number of times someone gets hurt between JJ and I.”

“Is that a bag - a bag of frozen peas?” You ask, interrupting him, not trying to be rude, but the bag you know he grabbed from the freezer in his hand messed with your mind. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes averting from his hands to you on the couch, different from when he left you. He stared at you with lips parted and his brows pinched together to top off his confused expression. You continued, not letting him have the chance to answer yet. “You know, as my nurse, I expected you to have an ice pack at least,” you gestured to the bag of peas as his expression wavered with a shake of his head.

"Hey, I had a bandage wrap in the cabinet and pain killers. A bag of frozen peas won't kill you; they're the best home remedy actually." he pointed and continued to make his way over to you, making the coffee table his seat, then gesturing his hands, wanting you to turn toward him.

“Who told you that?” you ask him, turning and making sure you avoid bumping your foot against anything. You managed just that, even guiding your foot toward his lap in a slow movement, but it was when he reached to help you that your success turned into failure. A sharp intake of breath came from your lips as pain struck your bad foot and then left your ankle and the lower part of your foot in throbbing pain.

"Are you okay?" your sweet and sometimes clueless boyfriend asked, concern dripping into his words, matching with his worried look. You nodded your head, but your eyes shut tight as you waited for the pain to subside. "I'm sorry you're in pain Bugs," his gaze scanned your face, and you knew he was without having to look at him; a ghost of a smile graced your face at the nickname.

“I know, Doc; it’s not your fault. I’m the one who didn’t swim back when I needed to.”

“You were just you...stubborn and daring,” one of your eyes snapped open, catching the smirk he had on his lips and the glint in his eyes. You didn’t have that long of a glimpse to figure out what that glint was, but you had a feeling you knew what it was. You muttered ‘whatever,’ making him chuckle as he set up his hands to hover over the spots on your foot he was going to touch first. “Alright, I’m going to turn your foot a little and move it to wrap the bandage around it.” You nodded your head, shifting your body and preparing for the pain you know you were about to feel. “Oh! I almost forgot. I found something else that could help the next person that gets hurt. I have my old hard cast from when I broke my arm if you or someone else ever needed it.”

“Ew, John B, that’s disgusting, you’re a horrible at-home nurse - no proper equipment and made up home remedies,” you shook your head, both of your eyes opened now, but your head tilted back against the back of the couch.

“Hey, I never said I was an at-home nurse, just your nurse temporarily,” he reminded you. He opened the package that contained the bandage, eyes switching between what he was doing and your figure.

“Well, I expected my nurse to at least have something a little more than an OLD - “ you pause yourself as the most pain you felt so far since hurting your foot traveled from your ankle, through your foot, and up a bit in your calf. You tried to pull your foot away, but John B was already ahead of you with his hand on the back of your calf prepared to keep your leg still. “ - dirt cast and peas.” you exhale the rest of your sentence out quickly so you could hold back the screams in your throat. Your hands clawed at the couch cushions for some leverage as your teeth pinched tightly at your bottom lip. John B whispered a bunch of sorries to you as he tried his best not to mess up the beginning of wrapping your foot again.

"You have far too much faith in me," he muttered, way too focused on the job at hand. You breathed in through your nose and out through your mouth multiple times. Your fingers twitch, ready to grab onto the nearest thing with a death grip if need be.

With a shaky breath, you manage to get out a few words as he begins to finish up, "And you have far little." A soft huff came from him, followed by a short hum - you knew he agreed with you, but it cracked your heart knowing that he hardly had faith in himself, but he had so much faith in other people. Once he did finish up, he rubbed his hand up and down your calf gently. The gesture made your eyes flutter open and slowly tilt your head back down to look at the boy of your dreams. He was already looking at you with a soft look, making your heart swoon and the pain go away. You reached out to him with a pouty face, and he automatically knew what you wanted. So he slowly and nicely helped you move your leg to lay across the couch before he stood up to join you. You lift your leg and sit it against his lap, the both of your getting comfortable. "Wanna know something?"

"I'm not going to like what you're about to tell me...am I?" With one hand caressing your thigh, the other sat on your calf, rubbing small circles against it. You shrug your shoulders, give him a grin.

“You might like what I have to say,” you say to him; with a lifted brow, he gives you a look to continue just as his lips also tug into a smile but a small one. You don’t say what you have to say right away. You take the next few moments to look at him. The sandy, golden brown locks that were in his face get pulled back as you take a hand and run your fingers through it gently. This causes his eyes to flutter shut; when you repeat the motion with your fingers, he pushes his head into your hand more and lets out a hum. Your eyes dance across his face, admiring his features such as the freckles scattered across his face, the few scars he earned from being the wild personality he is, and those soft kissable lips of his. They were probably a bit chapped since you didn’t bring your chapstick with you today. He usually stole it because he always lost his own. You didn’t mind it, though, “I love you,” it almost comes out as a whisper, but it came out loud enough to be considered something more than a whisper, but it was quiet. He heard you, and you knew he did as his eyes opened and those hazel orbs gazed right into y/e/c ones.

The smile on his lips grew wider; all the adoration he had for you and possibly more echoed through his eyes, and just looking into them made you feel so loved and wanted; you blushed a couple of seconds later at how intense his stare became. “I know,” he said not too long after, and you pout at his words, already knowing he was teasing you. To top it all off, he chuckles, and you avert your gaze away from him, but his hand grasps your cheek. Thumb rubbing the soft skin as he tilts your face up a bit so you can look at him. When you did, that big grin was still present. “I love you too, bugs,” and you knew he meant it. His hand on your cheek slides to the back of your neck, pulling your face closer until your soft lips grazed his. Your eyes flutter shut, and then take a kiss from him, a deep, slow, and passionate one. When you pulled away, you pressed your forehead against his, not opening your eyes just yet because you wanted to cherish the moment you had.

➣ End Note:

Again sorry this took so long to get out.

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shipmistress9 · 3 years

Text

FTLOAP: Interlude 7: Secrets And Plans

For The Love Of A Princess Masterpost

Alpha/Co-author: @athingofvikings

Taglist: @drchee5e @hey-its-laura-again @thepixiedustfactory

AN: Originally, I'd wanted to post this update on my birthday last week. But that didn't work out, too much RL chaos. Ah, well, have the update now. ^^Another interlude? you may wonder.

Yep, it's another interlude. And not the last one coming during the next chapters. There are a lot of things happening behind the main viewpoint of Hiccup and Astrid, and they need attention. This one contains some hints that are important to me. And I finally got around to write some Dagret fluff. :D

Also, many people commented guesses about what's happened there to Hiccup at the end of the previous chapter. I'm sorry, but we're not returning directly to Hiccup here, so you still won't get an answer. All I can say is... that so far, nobody guessed right. O:) Also, there's a hint I gave on the ATOV-Discord server, so it only seems fair to give it here, too. I might be pulling a WIMTBC here...

Read on AO3

. o O o .

???

His steps echoed off the empty corridors, hard and deafening. He had to hold himself back from outright running toward his goal. It wouldn’t be appropriate for a man of his rank. But even worse, such a run would surely draw the attention of a guard or servant, and secrecy was vital to his every action.

But, oh, he couldn’t wait to get back to his private room! The piece of paper he carried hidden in his inner pocket seemed to weigh as much as a millstone, seemed hot like a coal, burning a hole right into his skin. If anyone knew about this message…

But no. Who was left to notice, anyway? A smug smile tugged at his lips. As much as he loathed the latest developments, they’d still given him the perfect excuse.

Once he’d reached his room, he narrowed his eyes at the servant hustling about. The young woman was only cleaning dust, but still. That was more company than he was comfortable with at this moment.

“Thank you, but that is enough for today. You may leave now,” he dismissed her in a composed voice.

The young woman looked up in surprise, then hastily bowed. “As you wish, your Grace.”

He wandered over to where a carafe of wine stood, and poured himself a glass, watching the serving girl from the corner of his eyes. He put on a show of not paying her any attention as she left, but as soon as the door closed behind her, he placed the glass back onto the sideboard, the wine untouched. This was not the time to cloud his mind with a drink.

Impatiently, he rushed over to where a fire was burning in the hearth, low but consistent, and threw a fresh log in. Then he pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket. It was small, the writing clipped.

“We agree with your assessment of the situation. D.M. has outlived their usefulness. You may dispose of them however you please.”

A satisfied grin spread across his face. Finally! Content with the content of this message, he went to get the glass of wine from earlier and watched as the note burned to nothing but ash in the hearth. This person had been a thorn in his side for years on end, but now, he could finally use his influence to do something about that. Their days were numbered.

. o O o .

Dagur

Dagur tried to be as gentle as possible, he really did. Even so, he couldn’t prevent Eret from hissing and wincing at nearly every motion. And he felt sorry for it, he really did! He didn’t want to cause his boyfriend pain, not like this, at least. But most of all, he just found it hilarious.

“I can’t remember you ever being so whiny,” he said in a cheerful voice as he applied the healing salve Fishlegs had given him for the wound on Eret’s chest.

Eret grunted. “I wouldn’t be complaining if you were just a little more careful,” he threw back, but Dagur didn’t buy his overly offended attitude.

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” he replied. “I mean, come on! Do you remember the brawl we once started? In that little tavern in the middle of nowhere?”

“You mean the brawl you started,” Eret threw in, but Dagur opted not to listen to him, lost in fond memories.

“And do you remember how that coward called over some twenty of his friends because he didn’t want to face us both? Okay, maybe one against two wasn’t exactly fair, but… twenty? Talk about fairness.” He cackled. Oh, that day had been fun.

Eret rolled his eyes. “But you remember they didn’t actually beat us up, right?”

“They didn’t?” Dagur’s brows furrowed. “Huh. I could have sworn I woke up the next day with a pretty mean headache. Didn’t someone smash a bottle on my head?”

Now, Eret chuckled. “Yeah, you woke up with a headache alright. But not because we lost a fight. One of them eventually realised who we were, then they apologised and every single one of them insisted on ordering a drink for us. And while I was sensible enough to quit after four or five beers, you insisted on drinking them all, mine included. Hence the headache.”

Dagur frowned, but then just shrugged. This didn’t line up with his memories… but he couldn’t say he had anything to dispute Eret’s version, either. However, ultimately, he didn’t care either way. “Whatever,” he said cheerfully. “That’s not the point, anyway. The point is, that you’re awfully whiny, and this wound isn’t even that bad. When did you become such a wimp? Or…” An insinuating grin spread across his face. “Or is it just that you enjoyed it more when it was Hiccup tending to your wound? He sure seems to have some gentle hands.”

At that, Eret laughed. “Wasn’t it you who made joking comments about how he might end up with Hiccup if Swanja and I were to get married? I think I recall hearing something like that. And it didn’t sound too sorry, either.”

“Eh,” Dagur waved Eret’s words off, knowing it was nothing but lighthearted banter, anyway. "Well, I won’t deny that Hiccup is cute in his own way. I mean, Thor, that boy has an ass! Wait… did I say that out loud? Ah, whatever… Yeah, he’s cute, but he’s not my type.” He threw Eret a wink, which made him fondly roll his eyes in return. “But back to the point! I can’t remember you ever being so whiny when he tended to your wound, and this time, I was sober. Mostly.”

Suddenly, a smirk played around Eret’s lips, making Dagur cock his head in curiosity. “Maybe I was just hoping you’d put in the extra effort and kiss it better.” He peered up at Dagur, a twinkle in his eyes.

Dagur laughed. “Oh, all right. I see.”

Without warning, he jumped onto the bed, tackling Eret and pressing him down into the sheets. Play-fighting and wrestling for positions was always great foreplay, and also this was an excellent test of how sturdy the bed was. If it couldn’t hold up with them, they were better to replace it now instead of in the middle of the night.

Eret grunted as if in complaint, but didn’t really resist and even placed his hands on Dagur’s upper arms, rubbing over the fabric of his tunic to feel the muscles beneath.

“If this is what you want…”

Dagur shifted until he was straddling Eret’s hip, and with a grin leaned down to kiss the skin around Eret’s wound. He was more gentle than their usual energetic making out, but Eret seemed to appreciate it. He was humming, the rumbling in his chest pleasant against Dagur’s lips, and he placed his hands on Dagur’s shoulders, caressing, feeling him.

Content with the slower pace for once, Dagur enjoyed this form of treating Eret’s wound far more for a while before he eventually moved further down. His lips found a pert nipple, circling around it teasingly before they closed around it in some fun mixture of a kiss, a bite, and suckling.

“Nng, Dagur,” Eret groaned. His hands grew tense around his shoulders, fingers digging deeper in obvious longing.

“You all right there, Chippy?” Dagur mouthed against Eret’s skin, grinning when he felt something poke against his thigh.

Before Eret could reply, however, a knock came from the door, making them both groan in annoyance.

“That’s got to be the food Hiccup ordered to be brought here for us,” Eret muttered. He rubbed his face, then reached for his tunic after Dagur had climbed off him.

Dagur waited until he was dressed again—even as he internally bemoaned not being allowed to ogle his half-naked lover any longer—then opened the door. Just like Eret had predicted, it was a servant carrying a heavy-looking tray with three portions of roasted meat and vegetables.

“Your meals, Sirs. Hopefully, they will be to your liking,” the boy said cheerfully. There was a hint of awe on his face. It was an expression Dagur had become used to, even as he couldn’t understand where the fuss about his person was coming from. He might have gotten born into an important position, but that didn’t mean he was automatically special.

“Also, the inn-keeper wanted me to ask whether the accommodations are to your satisfaction,” the boy went on.

Dagur had to suppress a smirk. It would have been way more satisfying if you hadn’t interrupted us, he thought to himself. Outwardly, he nodded and gave the boy a—hopefully—easy smile. “Aye, everything is all right. Thank you.”

The boy nodded, awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, but then excused himself.

The food turned out to be surprisingly good. Not as well-seasoned as the meals they’d got at the castle over the past months, but still better than what he’d expected. Which was good. They had to eat enough to cover for Hiccup’s absence, after all. But then, how much would a scrawny guy like him eat?

“Do you think he’ll be all right?” he asked a little while later, chewing on the last bite of tender meat from Hiccup’s plate.

With a slight grimace, Eret put down his fork and sighed. “I hope so,” he muttered. “If it doesn’t, if this plan doesn’t work… then I don’t know what to do anymore.”

For a moment, those words dampened Dagur’s mood as well. Yeah… If they couldn’t get Hiccup into a position where he was eligible for Swanja, then she would have to marry Eret after all. The thought on its own didn’t hurt as much as it did in the beginning. Strategically, Eret and Swanja would still make a good match, he could admit that much. And the reminder that his and Eret’s relationship couldn’t last had only made him appreciate this small reprieve even more.

But for Swanja… If she and Hiccup couldn’t be together, then it would break her, break both of them; the past weeks had shown that clearly enough. And watching her wilt and die inside would be so much worse than to eventually give up on Eret. For one, he was prepared. For the other? Never!

But then, sitting here and brooding wouldn’t do anyone any good.

“Eh, I bet he’s already found one of those beasts and is just about to build a trap or something. He’s smart. And motivated.”

Eret snorted, a weak smile tugging at his lips. “That’s certainly true. And I don’t really have doubts, you know? If there’s anyone who can pull this off, it’s that stubborn idiot of a Haddock. I just wish… I don’t know, I wish we’d already be back and everything’s clear. I want these uncertainties to be over.”

“Ah, but that’s life.” Dagur leaned back in his chair, a wide grin on his face. “If you already knew how everything turns out… where would be the fun in that?”

Eret snorted, but shook his head. “As much as I agree; in this, I wouldn’t mind a little less excitement.”

Dagur threw his boyfriend a thoughtful look, then jumped up on his feet and sauntered over toward him. “Maybe it’s just that this is the wrong kind of excitement.”

With a wide grin, he sat down on Eret’s lap. It made the chair groan beneath their combined weight, but Dagur couldn’t care less. Wasn’t that what people expected of them? For the high lords to trash their rooms and pay handsomely to cover it up? Surely some people thought like that, right? Better not disappoint them.

“I have an idea,” he purred into Eret’s ear. “How about we accept that there’s nothing left for us to do but wait, and make the best of it? And if you keep worrying… well, I can be very distracting, you know?”

He ground down against where he could feel Eret’s cock through his trousers, quickly growing hard in excitement. And at first, he thought he’d been convincing enough to persuade Eret so he would let go of his worries. His large hands landed on Dagur’s hips, bucking up against him as their lips met in a searing kiss. The same strength that on other occasions could reign in even the wildest of horses now held him tight, helping him move as breathing and thinking became secondary.

“We should… nnng, fuck! We should get to the bed or this chair is going to be nothing but firewood in a minute.”

There! He could be sensible. Sometimes.

But as proud as he was of this fact, in the next moment he already regretted having said anything.

Eret grunted, something like a pressed laugh, then used his strength to hold him still instead. “Actually, we should take care of a few other things before we get carried away like this.”

“No, no, no. Moving over to the bed is enough sensibility for now. Everything else can wait.”

Now, Eret laughed for real and even leaned up to kiss Dagur once again. “Mmh, I know why I love you,” he hummed, but then sighed regretfully. “But as much as I’d like to go along with this plan of yours… I know where these usually lead us. And without Hiccup being around, we need to take care of our horses. We can’t let some unassuming grooms risk their lives feeding Crusher or Squish now, can we?”

Grudgingly, Dagur had to agree. “Okay, fine,” he grumbled, and pushed himself back up on his own legs. He held his hand out to help Eret up as well. “Let’s get that over and done with and then—”

He broke off when Eret grabbed his arm but then grunted, his face twisting into a pained grimace and his free hand flying to his injured chest.

“Oooor... how about I go and take care of the horses while you stay here and rest. No, no talking back here,” he said as he put his hand over Eret’s mouth when he attempted to object. “I can do that, okay? And I’d rather have you not constantly in pain afterwards. Now, shush! Lie down. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Not giving Eret the chance to object, he turned and left the room without a pause. As he got to the door, he rolled his eyes a little as Eret called a reminder to be cautious with the horses. Of course, he would be cautious! He could be responsible—if he wanted to. Maybe he would never be like Eret who always had the well-being of those depending on him at the forefront of his mind, but he could try. He had to…

Once in the corridor outside their rooms, Dagur cursed under his breath. Too soon, he chided himself. He at least should have waited for his erection to go down again. Well, it couldn’t be helped now. He would not go back in there and admit his mistake. He could just wait here, right?

Sighing, he leaned against the wooden wall. He really wasn’t good at this, was he? At being responsible and all that? There was no doubt in him that, one day, Eret would become a great leader to his House, no matter how much his grandfather, the old goat, complained. He was smart, reliable, sincere. He truly cared for those around him and surely was going to work hard to do whatever was necessary to make the life of his people better. He always knew what to do.

Dagur, however? He wasn’t like that. His father had never voiced even the slightest complaint, but Dagur knew. He knew that he would be a poor leader at best. It wasn’t that he didn’t want this kind of responsibility. He would just never live up to it. If there was just any other way, he’d abdicate and leave the title and responsibility to someone else, anyone else.

Except that the only other candidate was Heather’s unborn child.

With a suppressed groan, he let his head thump against the wall. Yeah, if there was anyone else… But he would not take away his sister’s baby. He’d given his promise, and there was no way he would ever break it. No, he just had to do his best and hope that it proved to be enough.

If only the stupid law would allow for one of his siblings to take his place. There was no doubt at all that they were their father’s children, his blood. And especially Aren, who was only short of a year younger than Dagur, would be a much better choice. As a Prestr of Odin, he was studying politics and strategy, and in general was so much better at ordinary things like just plain dealing with people. Or keeping his temper...

Dagur let out another sigh. At least Aren had agreed to become his advisor one day. So there was hope that Dagur wouldn’t ruin the entire Grand Dukedom within a year.

“Well, at least these gloomy thoughts served one purpose…” he muttered to himself, glancing down along his body. He pushed himself off the wall and finally headed for the inn’s stables where the grooms welcomed him with a mixture of surprise and relief.

“Sir Dagur! You’re already here, good,” one of the younger grooms exclaimed as he grabbed his arm and pulled him along. It made Dagur smile; the carefree straightforwardness of the boy was refreshing. “With all the visitors that are coming, we wanted to move your horses to other, more secluded boxes, just like Sir Eret had suggested. But we couldn’t find his squire anywhere, and—”

“It’s all right, I’ll help there,” Dagur interrupted him. “Sir Eret’s squire is taking a well-deserved break, better leave him to it.” Eventually, people would notice Hiccup’s absence, but it couldn’t hurt to cover up his departure for as long as possible.

He followed the boy to where Crusher and Squish stood next to each other, and with the usual combination of cooing and humming, he entered Squish’s stall without any complications.

“Right, buddy, it’s just me,” he murmured, and patted his neck as the large stallion greeted him with a nudge to his chest. He wasn’t sure whether making those noises was even necessary for him anymore or whether Squish recognised him by now without them, but he rather stayed on the safer side. “We’re going to move you to another stall, somewhere where it’s a little quieter. How does that sound?”

Squish gave a snort as if in agreement which made Dagur chuckle. Calmed down now, it only took a few minutes to guide him to the other stall, where Dagur left him with an additional apple as a treat.

“Don’t go in there unless there’s no other option,” he warned the grooms. “Better get me or Sir Eret… or his squire. He didn’t get the nickname Squish for nothing.” Suppressing a grin at the almost scared looks on the boys’ faces, he walked back to get Crusher as well. This wasn’t so hard, he pondered as he opened the black stallion’s stall, again cooing at him to keep him calm. See, he could be responsible when the situation called for it. These were only two horses and not an entire Grand Dukedom, but still. He could do this!

Dagur realised his mistake too late.

He heard the apprehensive gasps from the grooms behind him and even saw how Crusher moved restlessly as he entered the stall. But, too sure of himself and his skills, he hadn’t paid it any mind. After all, he knew the noises to calm these horses by heart by now.

Except that those didn’t work on Crusher.

It happened in the blink of an eye and Dagur barely caught any of it. Crusher whinnied, the grooms shouted, and pain exploded in his right foot. It raced up his leg, momentarily rendering him blind, unoriented. He didn’t even know how he’d made it out of the stall.

There were screams around him, calls for a healer. People were running around everywhere. Dagur only registers it throughout a weird haze as every time he tried to get up and tell them he was fine, a fresh wave of pain washed through him and let black spots explode behind his eyes.

“Oh, by Odin’s balls, how did that happen?”

Eret’s voice. Dagur would recognise it everywhere.

“Wrong noise,” he pressed through gritted teeth. He wondered when someone had sent for Eret or how he’d got here so quickly, but didn’t really care either way.

Eret snorted. He was careful as he cut Dagur’s boot open, but it still hurt.

“That doesn’t look good.”

Another voice. Dagur blinked up and saw a woman in the robes of Freya’s order. Her face looked younger than her greying hair made her seem to be.

“I saw what happened,” a young boy volunteered. One of the grooms, presumably.

“Good, Jimmy. I’m listening,” the Gythia said in a calm but clipped voice as she knelt down by Dagur’s foot. Slim hands touched him, gently, but it still made Dagur hiss in pain.

“The black stallion didn’t grow calm like the buckskin earlier. He grew even more restless when the Lord went in, and then stomped on his foot.”

“Crushed is more accurate,” the Gythia muttered.

Dagur cackled, a little hysterically. “Made good on his name then.” Wow, did that hurt!

“This is not funny, Dag,” Eret grunted, and kneeled down on his other side. “How bad is it?”

The Gythia sighed. “There are at least three broken tarsal bones. We’ll bring him to my house so I can put a cast on it as well as give him something against the pain, but…” She bit her lip, then shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m fit to treat such an injury correctly; those bones are small and hard to set.”

“Aye. Sadly, it’s a fairly routine injury among horsemen,” Eret said, frowning. “If he doesn’t get them set right, he might need a cane for the rest of his life.”

“You’re probably right there, milord. All I can say is that he needs to rest his foot now. No putting weight on it at all, for two or three weeks, maybe more. And the best bonesetter you can call for.”

“We should bring him back to Oramond then,” Eret said. “I know that my House has healers experienced with this injury.”

She nodded. “I agree. Jimmy, go and tell Gordan to get a stretcher ready. Can you gather what he needs, sir?”

Eret nodded in confirmation, then the Gythia hurried away, probably to do some preparations or something.

“I really can’t leave you alone for even ten minutes, eh?” Eret murmured.

Dagur let out a chuckle through gritted teeth. “Just imagine how boring your life would be without me.”

“Sometimes, I wouldn’t mind a little boredom.”

Again, Dagur chuckled. He knew how to take this comment. “Well, you’ll get your wish. I hope the next few days will be sufficiently uneventful now.” He paused, then added more quietly. “I’m sorry. I thoroughly ruined these days for us, didn’t I?”

Eret gave him a small but true smile and said in a low voice, “I don’t know. Generally, you just make everything better for me.” Then, before Dagur could reply anything to that sudden outburst of sappiness, he stood up. “Make sure to stay off that foot, you hear me? This is serious, okay? Be careful or you might end up having problems with it for the rest of your life. So be a good patient and let the healer do her work, and I’ll go and gather our things.”

Dagur accepted the advice as serious, but perked up in surprise at Eret’s last words. “You’re what now?”

“Well, I’m not staying here all alone with nothing to do when you need help with that injury.”

Dagur’s lips twitched into a smile, and if he hadn’t been in love with this idiot already, he most certainly would be now. But then, he shook his head. “As much as I appreciate the thought... you have to stay here. Just think about how much it would fuel the rumours about us.”

“You know that I really don’t care about these rumours, right?” Eret scoffed.

Dagur nodded. “I know, and neither do I. But you know as well as I do that they won’t make your lives easier in the long run. So think about it from the other side. If we separate now and you stay here, that would quench at least some suspicions. Besides,” he went on before Eret could protest. “If you leave now, Hiccup’s absence will become obvious immediately. But he needs the head-start. You have to stay here, if only to cover for him and to wait for his return.”

Eret’s mouth was already parted, ready to object. But instead of saying anything, he closed it again, lips pressed together, and shook his head. “By Frigga’s piercing glare, since when are you the responsible one here?” He chuckled at Dagur’s triumphant grin, then let out a heavy sigh. “You’re right, though. I have to stay. But when you go back anway, will you look after Swanja? To keep her company. That is, if you can.” He gestured at the swollen foot, but Dagur refused to look at it. If he ignored it, the pain was almost bearable. “I fear she’ll have a tough time getting through these days.”

Grimacing, Dagur nodded “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll have an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

. o O o .

In the day since his accident, Dagur had been hauled back to Oramond on a stretcher slung between two horses, which had been ‘fun’. He was of the opinion that it was probably a great way to train sailors against seasickness, especially when the village Gythia’s potions against the pain had worn off. Once he was back in Oramond, he’d had his bones set—a ludicrously painful process, to say the least— and now had a cast made of flour and egg whites wrapped around his foot and calf, reinforced with birch rods.

As he was made to sit and wait for his cast to dry, his father kept him company. He didn’t say much, just sat in a chair next to him and had a weirdly satisfied expression on his face. It irked Dagur to think about the reason, even as it was a welcome distraction against the pain.

“Glad to see my misfortune makes you so happy, father,” he grumbled between pressed teeth. Who would have thought that a stupid foot could hurt so much? “But I shouldn’t be surprised. This way, I at least can’t cause any skandal, eh?”

His father measured him with a long and thoughtful look. Then he sighed and stood up to place a hand on Dagur’s shoulder. “I care about you, son, so I don’t like seeing you in pain. And given our family—” his face twitched into something between a smile and grimace. “—you should know that I also don’t care much about gossip or scandals. Emotions are not something we can always control or direct, so as long as you don’t let them influence your duties and responsibilities, I don’t have issues with who you love.”

Dagur lowered his gaze and pressed his lips together. This was the first time his father acknowledged in any way that he knew about him and Eret, and his reaction was far better than what he’d anticipated. But still, the reminder of his responsibilities stung.

“Anyway,” his father went on. “This is not why I’m glad you’re back again. It simply means… that you’re safe. There are far too many hidden knives out there for my taste...” He squeezed his shoulder again and then turned to leave, not pausing even as Dagur called after him.

Some hours later, he was still thinking about the meaning of those words. Hidden knives usually meant assassins. But… whose assassins were they if his father knew about them but also was worried about his safety? It made no sense…

After the cast was finally dry, he’d badgered the healers into giving him some crutches. They’d dithered, but eventually had given in after his father had given his permission. So long as he accepted a minder, who was a middle-aged Temple lay sister who was clearly wanting to make sure a ducal heir didn’t get more banged up under her supervision.

Grumpily, Dagur maneuvered the crutches and hobbled along the hallway to the rooms where Astrid was quartered here in Oramond. His foot itched, which the Gythia here said was a good sign. But it itched. Still, with at least some of his mobility back, he was going to fulfill his promise to Eret and check in on Astrid... and to give himself something to think about other than the throbbing pain radiating up his leg.

Upon his minder’s knock, his own hands occupied with the crutches, he could hear voices inside, one female which clearly was Ruff and one male which belonged to… Snot? Confused, he waited until the door opened and Ruff’s face appeared in the narrow gap.

“The Princess welcomes no visitors. You better—” Ruff’s eyes grew wide as she recognised him, then a worried expression crossed her face. “Dagur? What are you doing here? What— Did something happen?” She opened the door a little wider, glanced around, and then hurriedly ushered him in after making his minder wait outside, ready to escort him back to his room.

Even more confused—had she not heard that he’d been injured? The servants’ gossip was usually much faster than that!—Dagur manoeuvred himself inside, then stopped in bewilderment when he spotted Snot sitting by a low table at the side of the room, also looking surprised.

“Snot, you’ve really got to leave now,” Ruff ordered in a stern voice. “Get it into your head, Astrid won’t receive you. And I have no patience to chat with you, either.”

Given the history between these two, Dagur wasn’t surprised at the hurt expression on Snot’s face. Ruff’s rejections had always stung him more than those of others.

“No, I’m not leaving,” he grunted stubbornly, even crossed his arms in front of him and settled back on the cushioned sofa he was sitting on. “I want to know what games you’re all playing. I have just as much right to know as he does.”

Dagur grimaced. What he had to tell was not something Snot couldn’t know about. But he would have to be careful not to accidentally spill Astrid’s and Hiccup’s secret.

However, his own reluctance was nothing against what he spotted on Ruff’s face. Her expression grew more and more desperate, her movements fidgety. Why was she so nervous?

“I’m back because I got injured,” Dagur began, indicating toward his bandaged foot. He hoped to ease the tension at least a little. “Horse stomped my foot, my fault. But since I’m back here anyway, I thought I could update Swanja on… on her husband-to-be’s current state.”

Snot snorted. “What, did you bring love letters from Eret? Come on, you really don’t have to keep up that act for my sake. Besides, they’ve only seen each other yesterday morning, even for pretend yearning, that’s a little too thick, don’t you think? Besides, good luck with getting past Ruff. ‘The Princess doesn’t receive visitors’ is all she’s been saying all day.”

Dagur threw Ruff a measuring glance. Snot being so far off the mark was funny, in a way, but he didn’t miss how tense and uncomfortable Ruff was. And somehow, Dagur doubted that was merely because of her former lover’s presence.

“Is everything okay with Swanja?” he asked cautiously. “Is she hurt? Sick? Is there anything we can do for her?”

“She looked fine to me when I spotted her taking a stroll through the gardens earlier,” Snot muttered. “But even then, Tuff wouldn’t let me near her.”

Ruff grunted. “Sure, she’s fine. You can go now. Both of you!”

Dagur narrowed his eyes. He was too used to this tone from her and her brother. It always meant that they were hiding something, and in this case, it was probably more than just evidence of yet another prank.

“Argh, you’re getting on my nerves.” She threw her hands up in annoyance and stomped back towards the entry door. “As I said, she’s not receiving any visitors. Now, go.”

“Ruff?” Dagur growled, alarmed now. “What happened? I get her annoyance with random visitors, but why would she not even want to see me? Why would you not even ask her?”

Her expression grew even more tense. Her eyes darted from him to Snot and back again, both who were glaring at her with the same stubbornness. Whatever it was, Dagur would not leave until he knew what was happening here. And eventually, Ruff gave in.

“Oh, by Loki’s balls, I knew this wouldn’t work,” she cursed. She stood there with her hands balled into fists at her side and with her eyes screwed shut, as if waiting for the moment to pass by. Then she let out a deep sigh. “You have to swear, okay? Swear, that you won’t say a single word to anyone outside these rooms. Got it? Astrid’s life might depend on it.”

Alarmed, Dagur exchanged a quick glance with Snot, then they both nodded. Swanja’s safety was always a top priority for them.

Ruff hesitated for yet another moment, then went toward the door that led to the more private part of the suite. When she opened it, Tuff was the first to step through it.

“What did I say?” he exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air. “This was a stupid idea. Completely hair-brained! And that means a lot coming from me!”

Dagur had to agree there, a bad feeling spreading in his stomach. Then someone else entered the room behind Tuff, and Dagur could do nothing but gape. With that elaborate dress and her blonde hair intricately braided around her head, she could have fooled him at a first glance.

But she was not Astrid.

. o O o .

Cami

(Three Days Earlier)

Curious as to why she’d been called to the Fyrir’s office, Cami greeted Mala with a light courtesy. “You wanted to see me?”

Mala waved for her to sit at a table in front of her. “I did. I just received a message from the castle, someone asking for your company.” She frowned. “And even though it came unexpectedly and on such short notice, I don’t think it would be wise to decline it without further consideration.”

“Oh?” Cami cocked her head. “What is it then? Which of the high lords is so bold as to request my company in the castle?” She smirked. She knew she was playing her role well, but this hadn’t happened so far.

However, Mala shook her head, bemused. “None. They explicitly asked for you, but I doubt they’re interested in your skills as an Ástir. Not directly, at least. Here, see for yourself.”

Mala handed Cami a letter and she started to read. Upon seeing the name written at the bottom though, she paled.

“Would you rather I decline the request?” Mala asked, one eyebrow raised as Cami looked up at her, the distress on her face obvious. “I can do that, for now at least. Offer another opportunity for a meeting, at another time, maybe?”

But Cami shook her head. “No, it’s all right. I’ll go immediately.” No matter what this was about, a delay wouldn’t help. Besides, the message contained a certain sense of urgency. As if something bad would happen if she didn’t respond.

“Very well. I’ll send for the stables; they’ll have a carriage ready for you.”

Only half an hour later, Cami reached the castle. And even though she wasn’t exactly scared, she still couldn’t help but wonder about this request. Why would the princess of all people send for her on such short notice? They’d only met a few times, and even though those had been pleasant enough, it wasn’t as if they were friends. Sure, it wasn’t uncommon for soon-to-be-brides to have this informative talk with a member of Freya’s Order, and maybe it even made sense that the princess summoned her specifically to have this conversation. But why now? Why in the middle of the night when everyone was trying to get a full night’s rest for the journey to Oramond in the morning?

Or... did she want to talk about something else entirely?

“Only one way to find out,” Cami muttered under her breath as she left the carriage.

The young man who’d delivered the princess’s message jumped off the coach box and waved her to follow him. “This way. We have to hurry. And if possible, make sure nobody sees you.”

Cami followed him with a frown, pulling the collar of her cloak tighter to somewhat hide her identity. What was happening here? Was this somehow about Hiccup and his involvement with the princess? Was she in trouble? But she’d already learned that questioning the princess’s servant had no use; he barely seemed to know more than she did.

They reached what had to be the family wing of the castle, with plush carpets covering the floor and paintings or tapestries on every wall. The man led her through the corridors in a hurry, nervously looking left and right, and then ushered her into what had to be the princess’s suite without even knocking.

Inside, Cami stopped by the doorway. In the middle of the lavish sitting room stood the princess, pristine and sublime as ever. From Eret, she knew that Princess Astrid wasn’t as stiff as people perceived her, that her cool front she showed at every public event was just that, a front. And the few times they’d met in person, Cami’s impression of the other woman had been similar, that she was kind and funny when in private. But right now, with how tense she stood there, eyes burning into Cami’s, she wasn’t so sure about that anymore.

A few tense seconds passed before the princess spoke.

“You know. Don’t you?”

Just those words. Cami bit her lip, nervously. Yes, she knew about a certain secret, about one that involved the princess and a certain squire. But right now, it didn’t feel safe to know about that. Was she going to get rid of Cami? To make sure the truth stayed hidden forever?

“I… I’m… I have no idea what you’re talking about, Your Royal Highness.”

The princess huffed in annoyance. “Oh, drop the act, and the title as well. We don’t have time for that.”

Gulping at her sharp tone, Cami reflexively bowed her head. “As you wish, Milady. But I don’t—”

The princess groaned, causing Cami to fall silent again. “I know that you know.” She looked at Cami with narrowed eyes. “About me and Hiccup. I know that he told you about us.”

So this was about Hiccup and his idiodic infatuation. Great! What had he got her into? But playing dumb wasn’t an option anymore. Taking a deep breath, Cami straightened, her eyes meeting those of the princess. “I do.”

The princess seemed to relax, her shoulders a little less tense now. “Good. Because I don’t have the time or patience to be vague. I need your help.”

Cami blinked. “My help?”

“Yes,” the princess said bluntly. “He told me how you always helped him, with information or to get away so we could meet. So I assume you’re not impartial toward him. I need your help to save him.”

“To save him?” Cami blurted out. “But… why? Is he in danger?”

Now that the princess apparently didn’t want to execute her after all, Cami felt a little more at ease around her. So this really was the woman Eret had told her about. And she had asked her to act normal. But it still felt surreal.

The princess hesitated, then gave a helpless shrug. “I think so, yes. I…” She paused, thinking, and then nodded as if to herself. “I really don’t have time, so I’ll be blunt. He’s going to partake in the Dragon Hunt, to earn himself a title so we can get married.”

Cami’s eyes grew wide.

“But I know he won’t make it alone. I can feel it!” She paused again, her hands balled into tight fists and her lips and eyes pressed shut. “I have to help him. So I’ll go after him, whether he wants it or not. But I don’t want the guards rushing after me as soon as they notice my absence. That would ruin everything. So… do you remember us joking about you taking my place now and then? That’s exactly what I need you to do now. My servants will do the major work, and you just have to be there. When visitors come to see me, let them see you from behind while my maidservant declines their request. Take a walk through the gardens while my warder keeps everyone at bay. Let them think I’m still there until we return.”

Unable to even blink, Cami could only gape at the princess. Was she serious? “You… you want to do what?” Eret had said that she liked being outdoors, but… she was still the princess! She couldn’t just… “Go out into the wilderness of the forest and hunt some elusive dragons?”

In the back of her mind, a tiny voice screamed at her to be cautious. For all of Freya’s love, she was still talking to the first lady of the entire kingdom.

Luckily, the princess didn’t seem to be angry though, and merely shrugged. “Into the swamplands, actually.”

“The swamps?” Cami shrieked, growing pale. “But… but that’s madness!” The swamps were no-man’s-land, dangerous, deadly. She couldn’t be serious!

“Maybe. But I don’t care.”

For a moment, Cami was speechless. The plan alone was pure insanity already, though the expression on the princess’s face was deadly serious, tense even. She was serious. But what baffled Cami even more was that she was willing to go to such length in the first place. And all that just… for Hiccup?

“You… would really do that?”

From one moment to the other, the princess’s features shifted into a soft smile, warm but distracted, her eyes cast unseeingly right through her. “For him? I’d do everything!” She paused, her lips twitching into a wider smile, as if she remembered something funny. But then she looked back at Cami again, sincerity radiating from her like a powerful wave. “Hiccup told me you don’t believe we share a true soulbond. I don’t have the time or energy to argue with you about that, believe what you wish. But I know it is real. Nothing will ever separate us. I will follow him. The question is just… Will you help me?”

Cami was reluctant to admit it, even just to herself, but she might have been wrong before. The princess clearly meant what she’d just said; she was set on going through with this mad plan of hers, whether Cami helped her out or not. But no matter whether this was just some intense form of first love infatuation or a true soulbond after all, the princess was right. What Cami believed was not important right now.

Right now, she had to make a decision. Logically, she should get away, alert the guards of the princess’s plan and do everything in her power to keep her safe. But… Someone—Princess Royal or not—had asked for her help, had placed great trust in her by even doing so. And a dear friend was in danger.

Cami squared her shoulders and gave a resolute nod. “Okay. What exactly do you need me to do?”

. o O o .

Dagur

(Present Time)

“And you just let her leave?!”

Dagur all but shouted, starring in utter disbelief at Cami and the twins.

“Hey, do you even know your so-called sister?” Ruff retorted, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “Do you know what she’s like when she’s set her head on something? Of course, we tried to talk her out of this. But you know how she feels about… her future husband. She would have left anyway, with or without our help. This way, she’s at least prepared and has some support.”

Dagur gritted his teeth but couldn’t help but see Ruff’s point. Deep down, he wasn’t even surprised Swanja had gone after Hiccup, not really. In hindsight, it was even obvious that she wouldn’t let him leave on his own. But by Thor’s balls, what was she thinking!

“I don’t get it,” came Snot’s confused voice from behind him. “Why would she go after Eret? No offence, but I didn’t expect her to feel that passionate about their wedding? And why out into the wilderness? Doesn’t she know that you and Eret would only travel as far as you need to and then enjoy your days off? Or… at least I assume that's what you’d planned?”

He threw a questioning look at Dagur, but he ignored it. Right. When Ruff and Cami had given them a brief account of Astrid’s plan, they’d been purposefully vague about who exactly she was following.

But what to tell Snot now was the least of his problems. He had to do something about Swanja, had to get her back here safely—and preferably, without anyone noticing she’d been gone in the first place. He hobbled over to a small writing desk and rummaged around for a pen and a sheet of paper.

“What are you doing?” Tuff looked at him with a bemused expression, his head cocked.

“Writing a message,” Dagur grunted. There are far too many hidden knives out there for my taste… Once again, his father’s words came to his mind. If what he’d hinted at was true, then… “We need to send someone after her. She can’t be out there on her own, it’s far too dangerous, especially now.”

Ruff snorted. “Good luck with that. She’s travelling disguised as a messenger.”

Groaning, Dagur let his shoulders slump. “Why… why would you do that?”

But Ruff just raised an eyebrow at him and he didn’t need an answer anyway. Because if she wanted to catch up to Hiccup she had to travel as fast as he did. Too bad that also meant she was already out of reach by now.

With a grim expression, he reached for the pen and ink and started to write.

“Uh, and what are you doing now? Didn’t you listen to what we just said?”

“I’ve got to send a messenger to Eret,” he muttered, pushing himself up on his crutches.

Tuff snorted. “Why? He won’t reach her anymore either.”

“I know. But he still needs to learn about this.”

Oh, what a mess!

. o O o .

Uh oh... Astrid, what have you gotten yourself in to? How does this relate to Hiccup? And who was that person in the beginning? What was that note about? So many questions... *hides under rocks*

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psycoweeb · 3 years

Text

Amber/Momo Yaoyorozu

Color Prompt: Amber(Most of this was meant to happen in front of a fire...)

Fluff☁

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, cheesy confession, hiking, and my bad writing ❤

Disclaimer: I do not own bnha or any of its characters. Only the story written below.

A/N: I am SO SORRY this took so long! To make a long story short I basically dropped all of my hobbies in order to focus on the last bit of my school semester😅

It's litterly 12am rn so sorry if it seems a bit off at the end (this fic DEFINITELY did not go the way I planned😂I kina like it tho)

~~~•∆•~~~

You tried to keep up as you walked the trail, ducking and dodging branches. 'Why am I here again?' you thought starting to feel your fatigue slowly building.

It was nearing the end of class when Aizawa sensei randomly announced a surprise four day "field trip" that would take place two days later, and it wasn't an option. We ended up rushing to get our parents permission, and pack up.

You were pulled out of your thoughts as you heard Mina groaning loudly. "FINALLY!" The pink haired girl exclaimed sounding relieved. She had good reason to be, Aizawa Sensei had the entire class take a SIX HOUR hike instead of taking the bus up the very obvious road.

You dragged yourself to the clearing along with the rest of the class toward Aizawa sensei, who some how made it up before all of you. And didn't seem the least bit tired??? After giving the class a few hours to rest, thank goodness, Aizawa sensei stood up to speak.

"I'm glad to see you all made it in one piece, however I can't promise you'll leave that way" Everyone internally groaned at this. "starting today we have survival training" He said with a bored expression.

Iida stepped forward, confused by his teachers statment "With all do respect sir, why would we need that type of training? We'll most likely be working as heros in the city, correct?"

"While that may be true" The teacher said turning to him "we don't want other incidents like the USJ. We don't know the extent of their power, therefore we dont know where or how far they can teleport someone. And it was made clear how much you all are lacking in this type of environment at the training camp"

He continued "None of you are used to fighting in a closed off environment with obstacles everywhere you turn, that's what this training camps main objective is, to get you ready for anything. Today we have survival lessons and tomorrow we work on combat, we'll switch off between the days. That means you have two days to learn how to survive in a forest and two days to learn combat in a forest, good luck"

~~•∆(Timeskip by: Momo's delightful tea∆•~~

Everyone sat in silence waiting for their teachers instruction... And by silence I mean bakusqaud was quoting vines while Bakubro yells at them to shut up. (but with more✨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠✨)

Dekusquad was thinking about random strategies they should use if they were ever ambushed (don't jinx it) while also thinking about what they would eat once they get back.

And the rest of the class are sitting in silence minus some mumbling about cold soba and a few poems.

At some point, in the middle of all this, Midoriya decides it's been long enough. "It seems like Aizawa sensei doesn't have any intention of helping us figure out what to do"

"I do believe it's time that we take charge of the situation." Said Iida "yeah but who?" Kirishima asked quizzically

"What do you mean? " Ojiro inquires

"Who should take charge?" You nodded at his answer

"He has a point" You started "It would be to chaotic if we all 'took charge' of ourselves."

"I vote Iida and Momo!" Hagakure beamed "They aren't the class president and vice president for nothing!" she exclaimed, running over to hug Momo's arm.

"Yeah that sounds good"

"I have no qualms with it"

"Yeah"

"I don't see why not"

"I can get behind that"

Mutual agreeance flowed over the crowd of teens in the form of nods and over exclaimed confirmation.

"Okay then" Momo said, sounding slightly nervous.

"ALL RIGHT THEN" exclaimed Iida unconsciously chopping the air, beginning to bark out a few plans and ideas.

××•∆Timeskip by: Mina's killer moves∆•××

You walk through the trees, glancing around at the ground every once in awhile to make sure you're not skipping over any decently sized sticks.

"How many do you have so far?" You yelled out, not in any particular direction.

"Not enough" Momo yelled back, obviously preoccupied with finding sticks big enough for the fire you both were tasked with building. And by fire you mean bonfire, I mean, it is meant for about 22 people.

So you were kind of disappointed when you found out Momo couldn't use her quirk to make your jobs easier since sticks were considered living things.

You continued to walk forward until you came across a log with a few decent sized sticks protruding from the sides. You snapped them off the log, deciding what you had combined was enough, you both quickly started heading back the direction you came, hoping to get back before it gets dark.

Now, listen. The camp was generally pretty big. I mean, it IS meant for 21 students plus 1 teacher. That being said... why couldn't you find it?!?

You DID come from this direction... RIGHT???

Or.. Was it that way....oh no

"Whats wrong?" Momo walked a bit closer, noticing your hesitant steps.

"Oh nothin', just got a bit turned around" Your voice got higher, trying, and failing, to brush off her question

"Wait so...we're lost???"

"Hey! I never said 'lost'...but uh" You cleared your throat "Yes"

And that my friend... Is when panic set in. You'll never be able to graduate or even try to beat Bakugo and his damn near perfect grades!

"Um... Y/N"

Forget about being a hero! You can't even save YOUR SELF! FrOm TrEeS!

"Uhh"

I'll never be able tell her

That.. That is when you made the worst mistake of your life, you looked at her.

And saw Momo's confused, borderline sad face. You had been speaking out loud this whole time.

'Well, I was mumbling what are the chances she ACTUALLY understood what I was saying??? Maybe I could play it off?'

"Tell who what?"

'Dang it!'

You thought you were packing before? Ohh you haven't seen anything yet!

This is the WORST time to confess! It's not romantic AT ALL and your covered head to toe in sweat! And now, you either have to confess your undying love for the girl you and been borderline stalking for MONTHS! Or let her go on believing something that MY NOT EVEN BE TRUE!

You took in a sharp breath. "Well" She gestured for you to continue "There's this girl, she's smart, pretty, nice, well tempered, a good leader, and most likely WAY out of my league... " You had started rambling "A-and I kind of have a massive crush on her... "

With every word Momo's face slowly fell until she was completely looking at the ground

"Well, it sounds like you really like her"

"I do" You looked toward the sky dreamily

'Wait.She doesn't think. She couldn't really. Oh no.. '

You stopped dead in your tracks and turned toward your classmate.

There is NO WAY are you letting the classic: mIsuNDErsTAnDInG tRouPE get in the way of you possibly being able to get a date with the girl you've had a crush on for basically the whole school year!

"Momo Yaoyorozu!" You unintentionally shouted with sudden confidence. She jumped in surprise "You are the most amazing person I have had the pleasure of meeting and will no doubt become an even more amazing Hero"

You paused "I don't want to end this year knowing that I had the chance to have someone so beautiful in my life, possibly forever, and passed it up." You grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes, she was blushing... HARD.

You low key felt proud of yourself. "Momo, YOU are the girl I like. Would you please consider becoming my girlfriend?" You could feel her grip on your hands tighten.

"Do you really think I'm all those things?" She mumbled. "Of course" You answered without thinking, a confused look on your face.

"Strong, stubborn, creative," She spoke softly, gaining confidence with every word.

"good looking, encouraging, and always able to calm down a bad situation while still being able to bring energy into a room just by walking in"

"That's what you are to me." She was now looking you in the eyes. A bright smile on her face. "So when you ask me if I would consider being your girlfriend, the answer is, I already have. And there is nothing I want more"

Your eyes we're now glossed over with tears, but you didn't feel embarrassed because you could see that hers were too.

You both started to lean in and closed your eyes. Soon enough your lips met. It was as if time had stopped. As if the universe itself wanted to sit and appreciate the beautiful and unforgettable moment.

Even when you consider everything that happened that you didn't exactly enjoy. Even though you were still lost and BAKUGOU of all people was sent to find you. That was the most memorable and magical night you had ever experienced as a student of UA.

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outlawsworld · 4 years

Text

Trusting strangers - Chapter One

Arthur Morgan x Female reader

Summary: Reader is new to camp. Can she trust these outlaws and can they trust her?

Author notes: this is my first time ever writing anything so please no hate. Any helpful criticism is appreciated. Hopefully to be more chapters if people like it.

You woke up to the morning birds singing in the trees and the sun rising over the mountains. The smell of smoke from the burnt out fire was overpowering. The cold air surrounded you as you crept out of your blanket and quietly approached the fire in the middle of camp doing your best to restart it.

The rest of the camp were still sleeping as you sat on a log in front of the new embers to try and warm up. You had only been in the camp a couple of days as a prisoner more than a gang member. One of the men... a big strong man with a full beard and rocks for brains brought you in after he found you in the woods alone. Bill you recall him being called. The group assumed you must have been a spy of some kind and you were too weak to correct them.

Before last night, they had tied you to a wagon to make sure you couldn't run away. They fed you and swapped your clothes from the dirt ridden ripped ones they found you in. You were scared...helpless. Although no one was particularly cruel to you, no one was too kind either. They didn't trust you. Mostly because you stayed very quiet as to not draw too much attention to yourself but also because they had no idea where you had come from.

''She must be a pinkerton!'' A man said. He had black hair and dressed very smartly.

''Well..She won't tell us nothin'. She must av' been half dead when I found her wondering in the wood'' Bill had replied in a rough tone.

''Give her something to eat and she will soon be able to talk'' an older man interjected. ''Can't you see she is near starving, I doubt she is a spy. Just look at her''

''Just to be sure, tie her to the wagon over there. Don't want her taking off and giving away our whereabouts. Give her some food and then we will find out where the hell she's come from'' The man with black hair bellowed. You could see the whole camp staring in your direction as Bill lazily threw you over his shoulder and headed towards the wagon to tie you up.

You studied each and every gang member to try and work out the hierarchy and who were the kinder of the bunch.

Mary-Beth and Tilly would often come and sit near you and ask you questions but you could never fathom the words to reply. Each time they tried one of the men or a woman called 'Mrs Grimshaw' would shew them away. The men never spoke to you....they would walk by and ignore your existence. However, one man who you haven't caught the name of yet would look over to you every so often with soft eyes. A look someone would give an injured puppy. But these looks only lasted seconds before his stern face would come and jump him back to reality.

You would sometimes watch him around the camp as he did his chores and talked to the others. He seemed to be respected in the camp and many of these people relied on him. You guessed that's why he would sometimes disappear for hours on end. He was tall and broad, you could tell he worked hard as he had huge muscled features and bags under his eyes showing he hadn't had a good night sleep in weeks. The rim of his hat always seemed to cover his eyes but the few moments you caught them they were a bright blue and green. You hoped that whenever he would look at you that he would come over and let you free but he never did. In fact he never went near your wagon, almost like he was avoiding you completely. He was quite a handsom man, although very tired and rough. Whenever he spoke to another member of the group it was either comforting them or antagonising them. You couldn't work him out.

The cold night started to draw in and you could hear voices around the campfire. You tried to listen in to the talking but everyone was just out of earshot. After being tied to the wagon for two days the strength was starting to come back to your body. You were able to hold yourself up and sit properly rather than slumped over. The pain in your legs and back stung whenever you moved after being in such an uncomfortable position for so long.

''I think she must be ready to talk, don't you?'' You were able to recognise the black haired man's voice as Dutch from conversations around the camp. You heard rustling and next thing you know four men are approaching you. Their figures could only just be seen against the ever darkening sky until they came into view.

''Now'' Dutch closed in on you ''Why don't you tell me where you have come from? We have fed you and shown you kind hospitality, the least you could do in return is talk'' He looked at you intensely waiting for an answer. You were just about to speak when you were interrupted.

''You some sort of spy? O'Driscoll maybe? Can you even speak or you a mute?'' Bill spat at you.

''I ain't no mute'' You spat back, although your voice was slightly hoarse.

''Ohh she speaks'' He laughed back at you. He raised his hand to you. ''Well maybe you should learn some manners'' His hand started to come down, you closed your eyes and braced for the impact but before it can make a connection to your cheek it was intercepted. The man you had been watching with the soft eyes had grabbed his wrist and shoved it away from you.

''The hell do you think you are doin'?'' His voice was angry and baritone.

''I was gonna teach her not to speak back to the man who saved her life'' Bill confronted the man. However, the man didn't back down, his frame became bigger and his brows furrowed. He clenched his fists and Bill backed off throwing his hands in the air in surrender.

''You ain't no man if you think you can hit a lady like that'' he threw back before turning to Dutch. ''Please continue'' He gestured in a sarcastic tone.

You couldn't help but feel thankful for this man. However you couldn't help think if Bill, the mountain of a man who is as mean as they come, backed down then was this man worse? Meaner and tougher? You wouldn't like to find out.

''Why thank you Arthur''

Arthur. That was his name. Finally you could put a name to the face. His face softens as both Dutch and him turn to you.

''Miss?'' Dutch asked you to carry on.

''I ain't a spy'' You choke up the words ''I don't even know what a O'Driscoll is! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time'' you let out a big sigh and hung your head low as if admitting defeat.

''Why were you out here?'' The fourth man smiles lightly and crouches into your view. His eyes were soft as if to try and assure you that you were safe. You remembered him being called Charles. A big, strong man that you had always seen being kind to not only the people but the animals too.

''I was dragged from my home and left out here'' It wasn't far from the truth but you were not ready to tell them everything just yet. If they didn't trust you then why would you trust them. After all you have been tied to a wagon for two days. They all stood around you whilst looking at each other. Contemplating what to do with you.

''Dutch'' Arthur looks questioningly at the man. ''May I have a word?'' Both the men walk to a quiet spot to talk in private. You watch them as they leave trying to read into what they were saying about you.

''What is your name?'' Charles speaks softly. Bill scoffs at Charles speaking to you like it was a crime against nature.

'' (Y/N) '' You whisper softly. Not daring to look him in the eyes.

''Nice to meet you (Y/N), I'm Charles. I'm sorry you have had to go through this. We are not the most trusting bunch but I assure you it is for good reason''

You smile weakly allowing yourself to look at him.

''Okay! Charles let her go'' Dutch makes his way back to you, Charles and Bill with Arthur following behind.

''We do not do this often but we want to help you Miss''

''(Y/N)'' Charles informs Dutch before he carries on.

''(Y/N), you can stay here for as long as you need as long as you can earn your keep'' He looks you in the eye and you find you can't escape his stare. ''Mrs Grimshaw will give you some chores to do around camp in the morning unless you would rather decline the kind offer''

You shake your head at the four men staring at you. You lowered your head once again to look at your wrists.

''Great!'' Duch continues ''Bill let her go. Charles find her somewhere more comfortable to sleep. I guess I will see you in the morning (Y/N)''.

Dutch turns on his heels and takes Arthur with him. As they leave Arthur looks over his shoulder to you and nods his head. You can't tell if your freedom was his idea or if this was a test to see if you would run and betray them. Either way you decided not to test the theory. Bill cut the ropes around your wrists and you rub where they had cut into your skin. Charles held his hand out to help you off the wagon and took you across the camp. He gets a bedroll from inside a tent and places it neatly on the floor.

''I know it's not a lot but I will find you something more permanent tomorrow'' He crouches beside you as you steady yourself down onto it. ''Get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day and you will find your place in the group before you know it'' He smiled once more at you before getting up to leave.

You laid on the bedroll, you were so tired and you knew you needed a proper rest. Things suddenly came rushing to your mind. What chores will I have to do? What if I don't fit in? Can you trust anyone? And is Arthur as bad as you think? Sleep came over you quickly as the bright stars filled the night sky.

"Miss (Y/N)" the voice brought you back to reality as you were sat in front of the fire on the cold morning. "Dutch tells me you are staying with us so I have a couple of things you can do" the older woman steps in front of you as she speaks. Mrs Grimshaw is very assertive to all the gang members but especially the women. As you were watching the last couple of days you saw that she was always making sure everyone was busy and if they weren't she would be on their case faster then a fly on horse shit.

You look up at the woman slowly. "Of course Mrs Grimshaw, what do you need me to do?" You grimise as you try to sound helpful while dreading what she had in store for you.

The next couple of days past quickly and you managed to gain most of your strength back. The chores weren't so bad and it helped you to get to know everyone in camp. You helped the girls with cleaning and washing of clothes. Javier, a Hispanic man with an amazing acent thaught you how to make bait for him to go fishing with. He was very sweet but you could sense that he was a flirt with all the girls so you managed to not look into his comments too much.

Charles managed to make you your own tent to sleep in and you helped him to look after the horses in return. This was one of your favourite things to do because you have always loved these majestic creatures. Plus no one bothered you when you were with the horses.

Hosea offered to take you into the little town of valentine with Karen to shop for your own clothes. He was a kind man who always seemed to make sure that you were okay and settling well. If it wasn't for him the gang might not have fed and helped you as you recognised him from your first encounter there. You accepted, it was the first time you had left the camp in over two weeks now. Riding out in the back of the waggon you took in your surroundings. The way the trees broke into heartlands and the dirt tracts filled with civilization the closer you got into town. The bright blue sky with the sun baring down to touch your skin. Breathing a sigh of relief, feeling relaxed for the first time. Valentine was a small busy town that smelt of livestock. Karen turned her nose up at this as they pulled the wagon up to the hitching post.

"Here we are ladies" Hosea announced as he hitched up and helped you both down from the wagon. "I will collect some things from the post office and meet you back here" he tipped his hat to you both with a smile before leaving.

Karen was so excited to go shopping, she explained that she has only gotten out of camp for the first time yesterday.

"Two days out of that dump in a row" she smiled "must be my lucky week" she looped her arm through yours and you both made your way to the general store.

Before you reached the store there was the sound of smashed glass as aough man was thrown from the saloon window and onto the muddy street. Th biggest man you have ever seen followed behind him dragging him to his feet and punching him in the jaw.

"Is that Arthur?" Karen ran over to join the crowd and watch the commotion. You followed behind her watching the two men throwing punches at each other. It was Arthur. The man he was fighting was twice the size of him but Arthur wasn't backing down. Javier was sat on the stairs Infront of the saloon watching among the crowd shouting at Arthur to give it everything. At first the big man had Arthur beat pinning him to the ground but somehow he got loose and beat the man to the floor. Arthur was now ontop of the man, throwing punch after lunch into his skull. His face was full of rage and no amount of punching was going to shake it. A smaller man pleaded and managed to break them up, saving the man's life from Arthur. Covered in mud Arthur rose off him and wiped the blood from under his nose before walking away.

"That's our boy" Karen exclaimed. "Come on (Y/N), let's get you come clothes" she headed back for the store.

"Are we not gonna see if he's okay?" You questioned as you gestured to Arthur.

"God no! That man gets himself into situations like these all the time, he'll be fine! Plus he ain't one for pitty" she shrugged you off. You couldn't help but be impressed, the man Arthur was fighting was clearly biger and stronger then all the men you had ever seen. But somehow he still managed to overpower him. You glanced over to see Arthur with a few of the other men from camp before walking into the store.

Browsing the catalogue it didn't take you long to find what you wanted. Two laced shirts (white and blue), dark blue pants, some undergarments and boots to finish.

"Are you sure you don't want a skirt?" Karen pleaded. "You would look so elegant in this one" she pointed out a blue long skirt.

"No thanks" you giggled at her slightly seeing her face frown.

"Alright then. Suit yourself" Karen giggled back. "At least I know you ain't trying to impress anyone" she paused to think for a second. "Have you seen anyone in camp you like the look of?" She finally asked with a raised eyebrow.

You were shocked at what she had just asked. The camp had only been your home for a couple of weeks and you still haven't spoken to everyone properly. Your eyes widen in your response.

"What? No, I'm still getting to know everyone and besides I ain't looking for any man"

Karen searched your face to see if you were telling the truth. "No one?" She sounded shocked "Charles? You both seem to get on well"

"No, Charles is a nice man but we are just friends" you said defensively.

"What about Javier?" She insisted.

You shot her an unforgiving look and shook your head.

"John? Bill? Lenny? Micha? Please say it's not Micha" she giggled.

"No, definitely not, no and I would rather be shot" you giggled back "can't you just believe I ain't sweet on anyone". You paid for your clothes and thanked the store clerk kindly before making your way back to the wagon.

"What about Arthur?" Her words made you pause for a moment. Arthur. You hadn't seen him much around camp since the night you were released from being tied to the wagon. He would come to rest for a couple of hours always bringing either money or what he had hunted that day and leave again. You never spoke to him though, you felt very intimidated by his presence especially after seeing him fighting in the street. He carried himself with such authority like he was there to protect and provide and nothing more. When he was around he mostly kept himself to himself and sometimes would get involved with some conversation but because he was rarely there you didn't know if he was someone you could trust or someone to keep at arms length like Bill and Micha. Yet something was very intreging about him, but you didn't want to explore your curiousity as you may find that he was worse then the rest of them.

"No" you shook your head in response.

"Alright then. Well, I want to be the first to know if you change your mind" Karen winked at you.

Hosea was waiting for you both with new supplies in the back of the wagon. He helped you both into the back and before you knew it you were on your way back to camp. The journey back was quick as Karen told Hosea about your day out together. She seemed extatic that she was the one out of all the girls that was able to go into town again and for a full day too. You almost felt sorry for her that she was not able to come and go from camp as she pleases. However, you could relate to how happy she was to be out of camp. It was only a short trip out but it was the best day you have had in a very long time.

When you arrived back in camp you were greeted by an Irish man you had never seen before.

"Sean!" Karen screamed and jumped into the man's arms. He caught her and spun her around before placing her on the floor.

"Hello there, did you miss me?" He laughed at her. Before placing a kiss on her cheek. You could see the way she blushed when he did this, indicating to you that she was sweet on him. "And who is this stranger?" He turned to you.

"(Y/N), nice to meet you" you jumped off the cart and went to shake his hand. He pulled the back of your hand to his lips and kissed it sweetly.

"I'm Sean and the pleasure is all mine" he cheekily smiled at you.

It was already dark when you arrived in camp. You had been out from the early hours of the morning and didn't get back to camp until late. Everyone seemed in such high spirits as you all sat around the campfire listening to Sean tell the story of how he was imprisoned. Drinks were flowing and laughs were shared. You were sat between Abigail and Charles as everyone was sharing stories and laughing.

"And there is my saviour" Sean stood up to announce, gesturing to the other side of camp. Arthur rode in and hitched his horse up, gave the stallion a good pat before heading towards the group.

"I would have happily left you there like I told you" Arthur scoffed to Sean as he sat next to the fire opposite you. You couldn't help but wonder if he was joking or not but Sean giggled and slapped Arthur on the shoulder.

"Nah you love me really Englishman" he laughed and handed Arthur a bottle of whiskey. He took the bottle and raised it to him before taking a mouthful and passing it back. This was the first time you had properly seen Arthur interact with anyone so you observed him descretly. Abigail was talking to you about Hosea teaching her how to read. You couldn't help but not focus on what she was telling you but on what Arthur was doing. He was speaking to Uncle about how lazy the man is when suddenly he looked up and your eyes met. You panic looking away but it just made it more obvious that you were clearly stareing at him. From then on you avoided looking in his direction but still listened to the convocations around the campfire. Arthur stayed quiet most of the night only getting involved with convocations that were aimed at him which he would soon brush off. You tried your best to get involved with everyone and enjoy yourself. Finding yourself sat with most of the girls talking about past loves that you happily listened too.

The party went on into the early hours with everyone singing and dancing. Dancing had never been one of your strong points so when people had started to get up and dance you got up to go 'check the horses'.

This was your chance to slip away to your tent and get some sleep. You hadn't drunk a lot because you knew Mrs Grimshaw would be on your case to clean after the party in the morning. The last thing you wanted was to have a huge hangover whilst doing chores. Your eyes became very heavy and even the singing from the dying party couldn't keep you awake.

It became the normal for you to wake before the rest of the camp. You stretched your arms above your head, tied your hair into a braid and put on your new clothes before heading out of your tent towards the campfire. The morning was dry and a crisp chill ran through the air as you strode across the camp. Everyone was still asleep in there beds as you assumed they would be and all you could think of was your morning coffee. Before you reached the fire you saw a figure sat on a log facing you with coffee in hand and the steam rising to their face. You squinted your eyes to see if you could recognise who the figure was as you edged closer. Suddenly your heart stopped as you saw the man's clothes. It was Arthur. He hadn't seen you yet as his eyes were covered by the rim of his hat as he sat quietly. Your mind suddenly told you to turn around and go back to your tent before he catches sight of you. As you were just about to turn Arthur lifted his head to catch full sight of you. Damn it, you couldn't walk away now. Slowly you made your way over to the campfire and sat on the log opposite Arthur, much like the night before.

"Mornin'" Arthur lent forward and offered you a cup of coffee. He had a big black eye from the fight the night before and a split lip.

"Mornin'. Thank you" you took the coffee from him and settled onto the log. Your heart was beating hard. In the whole time you had been in the camp you had not spoken to Arthur Morgan. You tried to think of something to say to break the silence but your mind had gone blank.

"You settlin' well?" He looked up to catch your eye.

"Yes, thank you" you replied before taking a sip of your coffee and averting your gaze. A small smirk appeared on his lips. "What you laughing at?" You said defensively.

"Nothin'" he smirked again "Do you ride? Horses I mean"

"Yes but why?" You were confused by his question.

"Jonny boy was supposed to come out huntin' with me this morning but he ain't waking anytime soon after last night" Arthur laughed under his breath. "So I need someone to ride out with me" he looked you in the eye. "My horse can't carry two deer and you seem to be the only one awake. So you comin'?" Arthur stood up from the log and finished his cup of coffee before turning to you.

"I guess. Not sure Mrs Grimshaw will be too impressed me runnin' off" Arthur's gaze sharpened on you as if he knew you were just making excuses.

"I'm sure she will be just fine, if anything I'll get in trouble for stealing you away".

And with that he strode off towards the horses. You quickly finished your coffee and followed behind him until you were at his side. Now stood next to him you realised how tall and broad this man was. You felt very small compared to him knowing that you wouldn't stand a chance trying to escape him. The overwhelming thought of going out alone with the only man in camp that you couldn't read was filling your head. You were always a really good judge of character and you were able to know all the gang members before even talking to them. However, Arthur you were just clueless. At this point you just accepted that you may never know but now you are here going out of camp for the day with him.

"Take John's horse for now. Not like he'll be missin' her today" Arthur walked over to the mare and unhitched her before turning to help you mount. However, before he knew it you had placed your foot in the stirrup and mounted by yourself. A slightly impressed smirk blushed across his face before mounting his own stallion.

You followed close behind Arthur at a steady trot out of camp. The feeling of riding overwhelmed you with happiness. It had been so long since you rode last and it was one of your favourite things to do. A huge smile was plastered across your face as you patted the mare. You came out of the trees onto a dirt track and the urge to gallop came over you. Arthur could see the look in your eye and before you knew it you were both in flat out gallop. Johns mare was fast but was not as fast as Arthur's stallion. He was slightly Infront of you looking back to make sure you weren't dropping too far behind with a smug look on his face. You were not one for races although, the thought of you beating him to the small lake you were headed too sounded more than amusing. Without a word you spurred the mare to go faster, leaning forward and taking the weight into your feet as to not sit on her back. Arthur did the same but he was too late. You had already galloped past him and we're still gaining distance between you. Once you had reached the point of destination you slowed the mare down to a canter, then trot before walking. Soon Arthur caught up to you and your face was beeming because you had won.

"Good girl" you reached down to pat the mare.

"Damn girl" you looked up expecting to see an enraged Arthur but his face was bright red and smiling. "You can ride. That mare has never traveled so fast" he took a deep breath as the race had clearly tired him out.

"Told you I could" you laughed "she can be fast huh?"

"Not with Marston riding she ain't" he leaned down and patted his horse "even Siego couldn't keep up" he looked up at you still smiling. This was the first time you saw Arthur properly smile. Maybe he wasn't as bad as you originally thought but only time will tell.

You both rode side by side until you came to a small wooded area.

"Hitch up. We will go on foot from here" Arthur dismounted and you followed suit. He reached for a bow and arrows off his saddle and you realised you had nothing with you. No shotgun or bow. How were you supposed to hunt anything?

"Arthur, I ain't got anything to hunt with" you blushed embarrassed that you had come this far with no thought of what you would hunt with.

Arthur turned to you confused. "I only needed you here so I have an extra horse to carry the hunt back. Don't need you to actually do the huntin'" he shook his head as he started to walk into the woods the smile suddenly gone from his face. "Follow close to me and keep quiet".

You couldn't help but be frustrated with his comment. Did he not think you were capable of hunting because you are a woman? You didn't question him as you were still unsure of him and didn't want to annoy him. But your face was frowned and you both avoided any eye contact as Arthur carefully started tracking a herd.

It didn't take long before you came to a herd of dear. You crouched behind some trees and Arthur shot two down in no time. He had managed to kill the big buck and a doe which would feed the camp for the next couple of days. Although you were strong you were not able to lift the doe all the way back to the horses so Arthur sent you back to get them.

As you were on your way back to Arthur with the horses you suddenly heard gunshots coming from his direction. There was no time to think before you grabbed Arthur's rifle from his saddle and ran through the trees towards him. You suddenly felt your heartbeat climb and you temperature rise as you questioned what you are running into. Did any of those gunshots hit Arthur or is he hunting something else? Could he be dead. You got past the trees and you managed to catch a glimpse of Arthur.

He was crouched behind a tree with his shotgun at the ready. There was on coming fire from ahead and you could see five men shooting at Arthur. You had the advantage because they thought he was the only target so they weren't aiming for you. Eyeing up each of the men who were shooting at Arthur, you aimed 3 shots each meeting there target in a fateful blow. Arthur managed to gun a fourth man down as you turned your aim onto the fifth. You were both now shooting at the one target who was well covered behind a tree. Without communication, Arthur carried on shooting drawing the mans attention and you snuck round to his left side. You now had a clear shot and took it. The man dropped to the floor with a thud. Before making your way back to Arthur you looted the men for all they had. As you were doing this you noticed three other men that Arthur had shot before you had gotten to him. You made over $300 and two packs of cigarettes. By the time you reached Arthur he was busy tieing the doe to the back of his horse before lifting the buck like it didn't weigh a thing.

"Who the hell was that?" You approached Arthur. He didn't respond at first and you assumed this was because he didn't know and was too busy stowing the buck. You split the money and passed half to Arthur along with his rifle. He remained quiet as he finished hitching everything onto the horses before swinging round to face you.

"Who the hell are you?" He glared at you. "You ride like you have been in a chase, you are a bloody good shot too. Damn girl, where have you come from?" He had a serious tone and didn't break eye contact with you as he closed the distance between you until he was right Infront of you looking down into your eyes. You began to feel your heart beat increase as this strong man towered over you, like you were a helpless bug waiting to be squished. He didn't break eye contact with you once and his hand was hovering over his pistle holstered in his gun belt.

As much as you wanted to keep the truth to yourself for just a little longer, at least until you could trust the gang, you couldn't avoid Arthur. Especially after what has just happened. You were defenceless against him, you had no gun and he was double your size. Running wasn't an option considering how fast he was with a gun and you wouldn't stand a chance trying to disarm him.

"It's a long story" you look up into his eyes. His face was stern and he was not willing to back down.

"We got time".

Chapter 2

#arthur morgan #rdr2 #rdr2 community #rdr2 arthur #rdr #rdr2 fandom #red dead redemption arthur #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption two #red dead redemption imagine #john marston #dutch van der linde #charles smith #rdr2 fanfic #rdr fanfiction #red dead redemption john #arthur morgan fanfic #arthur morgan x female reader

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onthesandsofdreams · 3 years

Text

The Actor In The App [3/?]

Pairing: Cassian x Jyn Rating: T Summary: ‘Permission to send you something?’ Words: 1521 Notes: Celebrity AU Tagging: @mousedetective

Read @ AO3 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 1

It’s been a few days since the last conversation with Cassian, and Jyn finds herself both worried and on the edge. Every time her phone has rung, or vibrated, she has rushed to see if it’s him. And he has only sent her one message that read, ‘Will have a busy couple of days, sorry.’

And sure, she understands hard days at work. But for the first time it hits her how different Cassian and hers life it is. Her busy or hard include hot kitchens and sometimes tempers, writers block on top of that sometimes, too. But she has no idea what hard or busy days include for him. Sure, she’s heard about twelve to fourteen hour days, and those must be terrible… and oh. That’s probably it.

Fortunately, Cassian is a gentleman and sends her another text that reads, ‘Permission to send you something?’

She smiles, sure, they’re in a strange limbo of relationship right now, because she’s not quite sure she’s ready to call him her boyfriend. They haven’t even had a first day, goddamn it. But she’s sure he could send her whatever he wanted without her permission, but she’s touched at his respectfulness. ‘Sure. Thanks in advance.’ She sends back along with her address.

And Cassian doesn’t disappoint. A few days later, he sends her a large white bouquet of peonies, a favorite book of his, some expensive chocolate and a bottle of wine. She looks at the loot and she feels like she hasn’t felt since she was a teenager in the throes of a first love, she’s giddy with excitement. The flowers smell wonderful and she opts to use the fine vase she got from her mom and places them at her desk, the book goes to her bedside – it’s a poetry book, the wine to the small shelf she has for wine and alcohol bottles and the chocolates also join the book, after all, what better way to end the day than with a fine chocolate? She send a text, ‘Thank you, everything’s wonderful’.

Cassian’s reply comes surprisingly swift, ‘Enjoy, Jyn. Talk to you soon.’

‘Okay.’ She replies and stands there in her bedroom as she stares at her book and chocolates. But then stands and opts for doing more work on her book, and now, she has something pretty to look at when she can’t think of what to do. Now she was really eager to go on a date with Cassian. He wouldn’t disappoint, she was sure now.

A couple of days later, the message is, ‘I’m free now, can you video chat?’

‘Sure.’ She replies and before she opens up the video, she brushes her hair. Sure, he has seen her without much make up, but that doesn’t mean she has to be a complete slob and have her hair be a mess. Specially the mess it always gets after dance class.

“Hey Jyn,” Cassian’s smiling when she finally answers. “Did you liked my gift?”

“Yes,” she smiles back. “It was very thoughtful of you. The wine is delicious and please don’t get me started on the chocolates. Haven’t finished the book, though, but it’s lovely so far.”

If anything, Cassian’s smile widens and his eyes seem to sparkle, even on the screen. “Good, good! Listen, the filming nearly finishes, and I was wondering, since I’m going to be in New York afterward, would you like to meet in person?”

“Meet or go on a date?” She tilts her head, she would like to know what sort of meeting it will be, she has, after some pride in her and she would like to be dressed correctly for it.

“You don’t mince words, huh?” Cassian doesn’t seem bothered. “A date, miss Erso. I think I would very much like to take you on a date.”

She feels herself relax and her lips curl upwards, “Then yes, Mister Andor. I would actually like to be taken on a date.”

“Excellent!” Cassian beams at her. “Do you want to pick the place? Or do you want me to surprise you?”

“You know what? Surprise me. I would very much like to be surprised. I’m intrigued to see the places you like and think are date worthy.”

“Very well, then leave it up to me.”

“Any ideas how should I dress? I don’t want to show up in jeans to a dress sort of date.”

Cassian laughs, “How about this? I’ll plan the date, and make the necessary arrangements and when it’s all settled, I’ll let you know what sort of outfit it is.”

That sounds good to her, “Very well. I like that. I’d hate to ruin the date.”

“You could never ruin the date… not unless you showed up with a trail of papparazi behind you.”

She snorts, she doesn’t know anyone in the media, and even if she did, she’s not like that. “I would never.” And it’s true. She has never been one to watch gossip shows or read the magazines at the supermaket, it doesn’t interest her. She’s of the firm believer that people deserve their privacy. But she understand why Cassian would mention it. “But I get it. And rest easy, I don’t like other people up in my business either.”

“I believe you. You seem the kind of woman who’ll fight an army to keep her privacy.”

“That’s a surprisingly accurate read!”

“Well, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” She looks at him for a moment. He looks a bit tired. “Is the filming doing okay?”

“Yeah, just had a heavy week, but everything’s going well. Should have things wrapped in a couple of days, I want to be home a day or two before I take you out though, wouldn’t do for me to fall asleep in the middle of a date thanks to jet-lag.”

“That would suck. But glad the movie is nearly done.”

“Yeah, I’ll be taking six months off before I start to film another, so I’ll have some time to rest.”

“Yeah, you should. God, if I could take six months to rest at work that would be amazing.”

“You’d have time to finish your book?”

“Yes. But I even if I complain about my work, I like cooking. It’s a creative outlet for me too.”

“I imagine it is.”

“It has its ups and downs, but it’s a good fit for me. The same way movies might be for you.”

“I think so. There is something freeing in just letting other sides of you ‘come out and play’ if you will. I do in movies what I’d never do in real life.”

“Sounds fun. Must be quite liberating.”

“It is…” Cassian looks away at a knock. “Jyn, I gotta go, my assistant is calling for something. See you in person real soon.”

She nods. “Take care, and see you soon.”

“Likewise Jyn, bye.”

She remains looking at the screen even after he has to log off. There is something magnetic about Cassian that pulls her in. He seems so down to earth and not at all like the celebrity she had expected him to be. And now, she’s the lucky one that will go on a date with him.

That is the thought that startles her.

But she feels herself grin widely. She understands in that moment that he might be an actor, but he’s still a person. And she’s quite excited to see what makes him thick in person. She turns the computer off, she’s not in the mood to write tonight.

She makes her way back to her bedroom, she head straight for her wardrobe. She inspects every piece that hangs there and making mental notes to which ones she could still use for that date. She finds some black jeans and her favorite leather jacket, she could get herself a nice blouse in case they went for a casual date.

But she needs a dress. The only one she has is a black one, but it’s more for clubs and dancing than a date. She’d have to shop, but for once in her life, she doesn’t mind. The excitement over the date is bigger than her usual dislike for shopping. Also, thank fuck for online shopping.

That in mind, she closes her wardrobe again rushes to the bath. It’s getting late and she needs a shower, she didn’t have the time before, but now, she does. The bath relaxes her a bit, but she’s still too excited to sleep, so she lays in bed, book in hand and reads until the words begin to blur.

Two days later, she receives a text from Cassian, it reads, ‘Casual. Let’s have fun.’

She smiles, and lets the wave of relief wash over her. Her dress will arrive soon, but still, she is happy at the thought of having the chance to meet him without any sort of pressure. Something fun and casual give a different sort of chance, she wants to see him be casual, not with the feel that he has to get it perfect at the first try. So she sends him, ‘Very well, let’s have fun.’

#RebelCaptain #cassian x jyn #jyn erso #cassian andor #rogue one #rogue one fic #au: celebrities #au: modern #multipart: the actor in the app

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imagineaworlds · 3 years

Text

I Love You (Part Thirty-Nine) -- Aaron Hotchner

Written By: @desperately-bisexual

Request: None.

Warnings: Light smut!! I don’t think anything gets out of hand in this chapter. Talk of BDSM, Dom/sub relationship, etc. I think that’s it? SAVE YOUR SIMPING FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! The black box is coming. Good lord...

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Greenaway!Reader

Word Count: 11527

Timeline: One month after part thirty-eight.

A/N: Posting this wayyyy early because @ thomassgolfball on TikTok posted a Greg Montgomery edit for me, so I’m in a great mood!

The weekend of our wedding was chaotic, to say the least. On Friday, the boys (including Morgan, Reid, Rossi, and Anderson) stole Aaron away for a bachelor party who knew where. It happened as we were walking to our car after work. We stepped out of the building together, hand in hand, having just finished saying goodbye to the security team in the lobby. We barely stepped off the sidewalk when Rossi approached from behind us, a car pulled up in front of us, the door back door opening, and Rossi rushed to get Hotch into the car. I sighed and yelled at Morgan, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, to not let Aaron get into too much trouble. And then they sped off.

I shook off the smile on my face and continued to our car a few rows back in the parking lot. From a distance, I saw Emily leaning against the hood of the car. Well, the boys had stolen Hotch off for a boy’s weekend, and it seemed that the girls were stealing me off for a bachelorette party. I held my hands up in surrender. Next thing I knew, Emily was wearing a smirk as she handcuffed my left wrist to her right wrist. She didn’t release me until we arrived at a spa retreat out in the middle of nowhere in Virginia. It was Garcia’s idea.

“Tada!” Garcia cheered, her arms stretched into the air, her fingers jazz-dancing. “Do you like it?”

I rubbed my wrist as the handcuff fell off. “I love it.”

“Good, because we’re here until Sunday afternoon,” Emily whispered in my ear.

Because Hotch and I were in such a rush to get married on our anniversary, which was on a Monday, we had to make sure that the BAU got a long weekend, that Jack’s school was aware he wouldn’t be in class, and that everyone else we were inviting (friends and family) knew that they would have to miss some work. The good news was that all of Hotch’s friends were prosecutors and Bureaucrats, so it was fairly easy to get them out of work. When we told the Director that we were getting married, he insisted that we invite him and give him the list of Bureaucrats we were inviting so that he could ensure that they got that Monday off. As for who I was inviting, the list was pretty limited since my friends were all in the FBI, and the one person from my past that I would’ve considered inviting was off the grid. She did that a lot. So, we kept it small. It was going to be lavish, but small. And that was okay. I didn’t need a big, ostentatious wedding. I just needed my future husband, the team, and my parents. But Hotch needed everyone to know that he was marrying me.

When we found out that the team was planning on kidnapping us for separate weekend-long celebrations, Hotch and I started talking in the roundtable room as the team was filing in about how we wanted the night before the wedding all to ourselves. We tried playing it cool by stopping when someone would enter the room; but we knew that they were listening. So, when Emily told me that we were leaving the spa retreat on Sunday afternoon, I was relieved. Hotch and I were going to have Sunday night all to ourselves. Wonderful.

Sunday didn’t matter when we were out at that retreat, though. We spent Friday night in a jacuzzi together, sipping on wine and gossiping. Unfortunately, I had to stop drinking because it was upsetting my stomach, but Garcia seemed to drink for me. JJ and I laughed at her when she downed the glass I couldn’t finish. When we were all pruning, we went inside the cabin the girls all contributed to renting at the retreat for the weekend. We slid into pajamas, grabbed a bunch of blankets, and we laid on the floor in the living room, a fresh log fire beside us. JJ was responsible for bringing the shitty snacks. Since this was supposed to be a “healthy spa”, they didn’t necessarily supply snacks like Cheetos, chips, chocolate, etc. JJ already had most of that laying around at home because of Henry, so she told Emily and Garcia that she would bring the food, and that she did. Since Garcia was drinking for me, and Emily was trying to catch up to her, I stuck to the chocolate.

Time passed by so fast. I didn’t even get tired. We all crashed in the early hours of the morning, but all I could do was smile up at the ceiling while listening to Garcia snore. I was happy. My wedding was approaching, and I was with a handful of the people I loved most on planet Earth. I didn’t need anything else… Except a massage. Thankfully, my wish was granted, because, when I was woken up by Emily, we headed for breakfast at the meal hall, then went to the spa cabin where Garcia had scheduled our massages. Garcia was hungover, of course. Getting her to the meal hall was hard enough, but dragging her out of the spa once our hour long massages were done was a near impossible task.

By the time lunch came around, Garcia was passed out in the bed she had claimed as hers when we first arrived. JJ, Emily, and I gave up on her. We decided to get lunch without her, then, when we were done, we were going to watch a movie in the cabin.

The biggest bed in the cabin was a California King that Emily and I were supposed to share. However, the three of us managed to sit—or, in my case, lay—comfortably on the bed while watching Pride and Prejudice, which was JJ’s idea.

“If Hotch doesn’t say something as romantic as that on Monday,” Emily said after Mr. Darcy had proclaimed his love for Elizabeth for the first time, “then I’m pulling you off the altar, and I’m going to marry you myself.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” I answered, playing along with her tease.

I fell asleep before the movie ended. When I woke up, I saw that Emily and JJ had fallen asleep, too, but they were wrapped in each other’s arms. I eyed them suspiciously for a moment before rolling out of bed to head to the bathroom. I really shouldn’t’ve eaten that much chocolate last night. My stomach was killing me, and I blamed it all on the snacks JJ brought.

“Y/N,” Emily’s voice followed a knock on the door, “are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just under the weather.”

“Nerves?”

“Or chocolate.”

She laughed. “Okay. Well, Garcia’s up, and she’s hungry, so we’re going to head to the meal hall, if you want to join us.”

“I’m good. Thanks.”

“We’ll check on you when we come back.”

They technically never got that chance because I fell back asleep soon after they left. It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend, and I was certainly taking them up on the opportunity. Considering Hotch and I were going to have the night before the wedding to ourselves, then our entire honeymoon, and then the rest of our lives… I knew I was going to be restless for a while. Besides, sleep was good. With our busy schedules, we hardly got a weekend to just relax. I liked that I got to spend all of this time with the girls, then sleep as much as I wanted, and I could rinse and repeat that cycle until Sunday afternoon.

And I did. By the time Sunday afternoon came around, I packed up my bag (the one Emily had packed for me without my knowing on Friday when she left for her lunch break), and we headed home. Garcia was not allowed to drive. She and I slept most of the drive home, my house being the first stop.

“Don’t let him leave any hickeys,” Emily warned as I got out of the car.

I chuckled. “No hickeys, must have a speech superior to Mr. Darcy’s, and…”

“And no breaking your heart. Ever.”

“And no breaking my heart. Got it. I’ll let him know.”

“Have fun,” JJ teased with a sing-song voice. “We’ll pick you up tomorrow!”

“Bye, my loves.”

“Bye…” Garcia groaned.

The three of us laughed at her before I waved to them while they slowly traveled down the neighborhood’s street. When they turned out of sight, I headed up to the house, unlocked the door, turned off the alarm, then headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My stomach had stopped hurting, but now I had a raging headache. I swore then and there that if I was sick on our wedding day, I was going to call every single person invited in order to tell them that the wedding was off before leaving to elope with Hotch.

“You’re back,” Hotch noted happily as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Headache,” I pointed to my temple.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “I’ll get you a Motrin.”

“Wait—”

“What?”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards me. “I love you.” I jumped up on my toes and kissed him gingerly. “How was your weekend?”

“I don’t think Morgan understands that strip clubs aren’t my thing.”

“It was more for them than you.”

“I know.”

“You got a lap dance, though, right?” I questioned with a grin.

“No!” he defended.

“Why not?” I pouted at him and played with the hem of his V-neck. “It would have been fun for you.” I ran my hands over his chest. “Wasn’t that the point of your weekend?”

Hotch wrapped his arms around my waist. “The only person I want to ever look at or touch is you.” He kissed me. “So, how ‘bout a lap dance—”

“Headache,” I reminded him.

“You’re a tease.”

“I know. Sir.”

He laughed and kissed my forehead gently to help heal my headache, then he left to get me a Motrin, like he promised. I made my way to the living room. Since Jessica must have been in on the weekend plans, Jack was spending the weekend at her house. We didn’t have to worry about looking after a kid for at least another two weeks because we were leaving for our honeymoon on Tuesday, and because Monday would be our wedding night… Well, Jessica had offered to just look after him until we got back from our vacation. No kid, just us. As much as I loved Jack, I also loved the idea of just getting to spend a lot of one-on-one time with Aaron. If we had met at a different point in our lives, a point where he didn’t have a kid, and might not have ever been married to Haley, then it was possible that Hotch and I would have done everything the classic, boring way. Date for a few years, get engaged, stay engaged for at least a year, then get married, go on vacation, then have a kid. That would have left us with years of alone time. But since we had Jack to look after—not that I minded that one bit— everything was backwards; and with the chaos and tragedy in our lives, we were in a rush to be the classic, boring, nuclear family.

Mom, dad, and kid. That was everyone’s dream, right? The big house, the perfect family, and maybe even a pet to make everyone happy. But we already had the big house and the perfect family. All that was left to do now was make it all official with the wedding certificate and the rings on our fingers. I’d be content at that point.

“Motrin, a heating pad, a blanket, and your favorite pillow,” Hotch said, entering the room with full hands.

I craned my neck to watch him walk around the back of the couch. “You’re amazing.” I took the Motrin from him as he sat down. “Thank you, baby.”

“Of course.”

Hotch shook out the blanket before laying it over my body, then plugged in the heating pad so that I could rest it on the back of my neck. By the time he had me situated, I was already relaxed. When he sat down beside me, he put my favorite pillow on his lap, a silent signal that he wanted me to lay down on him so that he could play with my hair until I could fall asleep.

“I know that this wasn’t exactly what you had in mind when we were talking about spending the night together,” I said apologetically. “I’m sorry.” He shushed me. “I haven’t been feeling well all weekend. It’s my own damn fault for eating that chocolate.”

“You’re here. That’s all that matters to me.”

I closed my eyes in response to the comforting feel of his fingers combing through my hair. When we had been talking about spending this night together, I imagined that I’d be tied to the bed with Hotch between my legs, torturing me endlessly. This was nice, though, like he said. It wasn’t imperative for us to have sex in order to be intimate. Yeah, it didn’t suck, but we were going to have plenty of time to tie each other up and fuck each other until we couldn’t breathe. Hell, we had our whole lives to do that. For now, I enjoyed just lying down on his lap, curled under a blanket, falling asleep as he massaged my scalp to ease my headache.

----

Monday morning, I woke up in our bed upstairs, Hotch cuddled up against my back. I smiled and kissed his knuckles. Hotch shuffled behind me as he was coaxed awake by my touch. Telling by the time, JJ, Emily, and Garcia were going to pick me up soon, but I didn’t want to leave our bed just yet. I was excited to get to the venue, but I was also fine where I was. Maybe we could just get married in bed.

“Good morning, my love,” he whispered groggily in my ear.

I hummed. “Good morning.”

“Is your headache gone?”

“Yeah. Did you carry me up here?”

“We fell asleep on the couch, and I woke up around seven, so I decided to bring you up here instead of leaving you down there.”

“Thank you.” I rolled over and kissed him, our eyes still shut. “I’m sorry, again, for last night.”

“Don’t be.”

“We could…” my hands drifted down his chest, “do something now…”

He moaned and tensed under my touch. “I thought we have to leave soon to get ready.”

“We’ll make enough time…”

“Not enough time for the black box, though.”

“We’ll just take it with us on the honeymoon.”

He grabbed my chin roughly. “Mmm… so, you want to be ruined for two weeks straight?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Hotch rolled on top of me, kissing me so roughly I couldn’t move or breathe. “Screaming my name and cumming for me over and over again?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“You’re always so needy for me.”

“Only for you, Sir—” I groaned with annoyance when my phone started ringing on my bedside table. “Just ignore it.” I grabbed his face to make him kiss me again. When the call went to voicemail, Hotch rolled his hips against mine, letting me feel how hard he was getting. “Sir…” And then the doorbell rang. “No,” I groaned again.

Hotch leaned back. “I think it’s time to go.”

“Can’t they wait?” I asked, running my index finger over the outline of his erection through his pajama pants. He moaned and fell forward. “Please?” The doorbell rang again, but this time, it didn’t stop. It kept ringing over and over again until it got annoying. “I’m going to fucking kill them.”

“You have to go.”

“I don’t want to yet.”

“I’ll see you in a few hours when you come down the aisle. Aren’t you excited for that?”

I nodded. “But what about you?” I asked, referencing his erection.

“I’ll handle it. You’ll have two weeks to make it up to me.”

I pouted, then kissed him again. “She’s not going to stop ringing the doorbell,” I said, rolling out of bed. Hotch sighed, falling onto his back, his hand snaking under the waistband of his pants to palm himself. I rubbed my thighs together at the sight. “I’m going to kill Emily Prentiss,” I said to myself.

When I opened the front door, Emily was snatching her hand away from the doorbell on the doorframe. She smiled innocently. I told her that I needed to change into something comfortable, then I would meet them in the car.

I was not responsible for my dress, my shoes, my jewelry, or anything of the sort. My mom was responsible for making sure all of that arrived at the venue on time. My job was to show up. That was it. I made it very clear to everyone that those who were showing up to the venue early had a responsibility. If something were to go wrong, it had to make it up a chain of command before getting to me. If something couldn’t be handled by JJ or Penelope, then it made its way to Emily, my maid of honor (since I didn’t have anyone else coming that I was as close to. She was one of my partners in the field, so it only made sense to ask her to do it.) If Emily couldn’t handle it, my mom probably could. If, by some off chance, my mother couldn’t take care of it, then it could become my problem. Other than that, I just wanted to sit in the bridal suite. I wanted to get ready in peace, have fun with my friends for a few hours before the ceremony, and talk with my mom. That was it. If anything or anyone were going to bother me, I was going to be pissed. I didn’t want to be a bridezilla, but it was reasonable for me to request an entire day off, alright.

Hotch was cleaning himself up in the shower while I got dressed in one of his college hoodies and a pair of leggings. Before I could even hear him start washing his hair, I was out the door and in the car with JJ, Garcia, and Emily again. Garcia seemed much better than the last time I saw her. She wasn’t completely out of it, which was a plus, considering I wanted her to be there for the day. Besides, if she showed up still hungover, I think I would be in more trouble than her when Morgan would have found out.

When we arrived at the venue, JJ parked to the side so that the vendors could move about freely within the parking lot; then, when they were done setting up inside, there would just be more space for the guests to park. We had found this amazing, quaint place that was surprisingly cheap. The building itself almost looked like a warehouse—but it was all sandstone brick and glass. It was one floor, but the walls were ridiculously tall, and the glass ceiling inside in some of the rooms made it feel only that much bigger. The set up of the building inside was like a square donut. There was the main lobby when we first walked in, but just behind that was a hallway on either side of the front desk, and just between those two hallways was a glass door that led to the huge open-air courtyard where a vendor was setting up all of the foldable white chairs for the guests during the ceremony.

Garcia pulled me down the left hallway before I could stare at the courtyard for too long. The left side of the building, for our purposes, was reserved as the bride’s suite. Meanwhile, the right side was for the boys. My mom was adamant about Hotch not seeing me at all after leaving our house up until the ceremony. All of the superstitions about a groom seeing the bride in her dress before the actual wedding had tricked my mother into thinking that if Aaron happened to waltz into the wrong room, I’d topple over and die right then and there. So, he was supposed to stay away. The boys had the entire right side of the donut, and the girls had the left side. It was fair enough.

When we stepped into one of the large rooms that had been designated as the suite itself, I saw my mom standing in front of a tall clothing rack where my dress was hanging. She was fussing with it. If there was even one wrinkle, my mother snuffed it out. She was going to do whatever it took to make sure that dress looked good, even if it killed her sanity. But, she stopped for a moment when she heard the door open, and she turned to see that it was us, and she smiled.

“Finally,” she cheered, flinging her arms around me.

I hugged her back. “Hi, Mom.”

“You look pale.”

“I wasn’t feeling well yesterday.”

“What is it?” She released me from our embrace. Her motherly worry was plastered to her face, and she’s trying to figure out what was wrong with me before I could even respond.

I shook my head. “Chocolate and nerves. It’s nothing, Mom.”

“Well, we’ll just cover it all up with makeup, anyhow.” She pointed to the makeup artist and hair stylist that were getting their things set up to the side. “Don’t even worry about it.” She peered over my shoulder to look at the girls. “Champagne and snacks are on the table over there,” she pointed to the left, “hair and makeup will call each of you over one at a time,” she pointed back at the two women who were still getting set up, “and then your dresses are hanging over there,” she pointed to the right where a clothing rack on wheels was holding up the dresses they bought—since Hotch and I weren’t exactly doing the whole bridesmaids and groomsmen thing.

If it were up to my mother, we would have had a much bigger and extravagant celebration with a wedding party and everything, but I argued against it. The compromise was that my mom could pay for ridiculous things like champagne and snacks, while I got to decide that the ceremony would be small, short, and easy. So, my mom offered to pay for the girls’ dresses and the guys’ tuxes, as long as I got to stay adamant about not having matching dresses and having them walk down the aisle before me. My mom was fine with that.

“The bride goes last,” Mom continued. “So, just sit down and relax for a bit, baby.” She gestured to the two large couches over by the champagne and snacks, silently telling us to sit down and stay out of the way until we were called up to do something important.

I threw my hands up in surrender. There was really no point in fighting my mother about all of this, especially on an important day like my wedding. She was a… controlling woman. Elle got that from her. My mother liked knowing that everything was perfect and that she could handle it all herself, and if I got in the way by arguing, I was going to lose that fight. Not that I even wanted to try. Like I said, I wanted to lay back and relax. I was going to keep my feet up until I had to get into my dress and walk down the aisle towards Hotch, and then, I’d crash again.

“Want any?” JJ asked, holding up the bottle of champagne for me to see the offer. I shook my head. She cocked a brow at me, eyes searching all of me for answers. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Garcia asked worriedly.

I shook my head. “Of course not.” I sat down abruptly. “I’m just nervous.”

“What’s there to be nervous about?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted with a laugh.

The four of us reclined, but the three of them kept chatting while I sat by, watching as they drank champagne. There wasn’t a reason to be nervous. I knew that. Of course I knew that. I loved Aaron, he loved me, and we wanted to get married more than anything. This had been our dream for a few years, but it never worked out for one reason or another. But, finally, the timing worked out. Finally, there was nothing standing in our way… and yet, I was still panicking. I didn’t doubt that this was the right thing to do and that we would be happy together. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was that really had me all wound up.

And then my mom whistled lightly from the doorway. Growing up, that was her call to me and Elle whenever we were out in public and she needed us to be by her side and behaving within an instant. I’d recognize that whistle anywhere. It was like saying: “Mom needs you now, and if you don’t come over here, she’s going to be mad.” So, I pushed myself to my feet and headed to the door,

“What is it?” I asked. “Is it Aaron?”

My mom chuckled at my panic. “No. He’s okay. Your dad’s giving him a hard time, but he’s okay, I promise. I need to show you something, though.” She grabbed my hand and snuck me out of the room before anyone could notice because the girls’ attention was on Garcia, who was sliding into her dress now. I followed my mom with a hesitant stride. “Come on, it’s a good surprise, Y/N.”

“I don’t understand—Shouldn’t I be getting into my dress?”

“In a minute. You’ll want to see this first.” She opened the back door of the venue, leading us into the alleyway. I cocked a concerned brow at my mother. “There.” She pointed, and I followed her gaze.

There was a figure standing in the shadows, hiding their face under the hood they were wearing, and their figure was hidden under all of the layers. It didn’t make any sense. Who the hell was that? Why would my mother risk bringing me out here? I tried asking my mom, but she only pushed me forward as an encouragement. I rolled my eyes and walked a few more steps towards the stranger.

And then I stumbled to a halt. Her face was familiar, like I had only seen her just yesterday, but everything else about her was different. Her hair, her style, her posture, even the way she did her makeup. She was half a stranger, half a reminder of home and family. A shuddered breath left my lips.

“Elle…”

When I saw her smile back at me and open her arms for a hug, I ran to her and crashed against her chest. Her arms wrapped around me tightly. I hugged her waist, squeezing her until she tapped on my shoulder for me to release.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t know how to invite you—”

“Mom sent me the invite,” Elle answered. I smiled against her shoulder and squeezed harder. She laughed at how she couldn’t breathe now. “I had to see you.”

“Wait ‘til I tell Aaron and Derek; they’ll be so excited!”

Elle suddenly pushed me out of our hug so that I could see her stern face. “You can’t tell anyone I was here, Y/N.”

“What?”

“Especially Hotch.”

“What are you talking about?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want you to worry about it.” She grabbed my hands before making me spin around in a small circle for her. “Look at you!”

I wasn’t fooled, however, by her attempt to distract me from what was really going on. All this time, I didn’t know why she left, where she went, what she was doing, and I certainly didn’t think anyone had contact with her, let alone my parents. When I thought about inviting her, I tried calling her old phone number, which had been disconnected. When I tried her email, it didn’t go through. And when I asked my parents if they knew anything, they said that they would handle it. Of course, I didn’t understand what that meant at the time. But now that my sister was standing in front of me for the first time in two and a half years, I thought I would want to be happy and distracted with her, but now I just wanted answers. So, I asked. All of these burning questions that had been churning in my head over the past few years finally spewed out of me. There was nothing I could do to stop or control it. There was just so much, yet so little time.

Elle looked at the ground and kicked a pebble around. “It was just in everyone’s best interest if I left,” she finally said. That wasn’t a real answer. We both knew that it wasn’t enough for me, yet… I didn’t fight. It was the weirdest thing. For once, when it came to Elle, I didn’t pry. “I’m really happy for you, Y/N.” She looked up at me and smiled. It wasn’t faux or forced. It was a genuine smile that she always wore.

I couldn’t believe I almost forgot how much her smile made my day, and how her laugh was like music to my ears, and how much I just fucking missed her. She had been gone so long, she had turned into a distant memory in the back of my mind. Now that she was there, however, everything was returning to me like she hadn’t been gone even a day.

“You’re not going to come in; are you?” I questioned, my smile fading. Hers disappeared, too. “Morgan and Reid miss you a lot. I know they would really love to just see you one more time—”

“Y/N, I can’t. I made promises to people, and I made promises to myself. This part of my life is behind me.”

“So, then, what are you doing with your life?”

“Traveling. A lot.”

I smiled. “Really?”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling back. “I always wanted to get out and see the world, you know that.”

Actually, no, I didn’t know that. Elle had a very specific idea as to what her life would look like, and I knew what those plans were because it was practically the same dream I had for myself, too. Because of her dad, she wanted to become a cop, so she did. Because of my dad, I wanted to join the FBI, so I did. There was never any mention of getting out to see the world. How could we afford to go traveling all the time when our careers always came first to everything else? She had been doing so well for herself in Seattle, and then she joined the BAU. Things were really working out for her. Yet, the one time she decided to travel outside of the country for vacation, her entire life fell apart. One would think that experience would have stayed her secret urge to travel. However, it didn’t. I couldn’t blame her, though, for wanting to get out and travel the world, if that was really what she wanted, and if she was happy doing it—and it seemed like she was really happy. That was all I ever wanted for her. So, I didn’t argue.

“What have you been doing while traveling?” I asked. The FBI paid well, but not well enough to travel and spend money for the rest of her life without working.

“Oh, you know…” she trailed off. I shook my head because I didn’t know. She was being awfully vague and awkward. Maybe it was just the fact that we hadn’t talked in so long, so there was a disconnect; but we had gone decades without talking while she was working sex crimes in Seattle and I was stuck in Quantico. This was no different than that. So, what gave? “Partying and boys, mostly.”

I squinted at her. “You’re not working at all?”

“I don’t need to. I keep a pretty low profile while I’m out there.”

“Someone’s coming,” Mom hissed from the back door of the venue just down the alley.

When I turned to give her an acknowledging nod, I suddenly felt Elle crash into me for another hug. She wasn’t a big hugger. In fact, Elle struggled most times with any kind of affection. I was pretty sure that it stemmed from the fact that she lost her father, her favorite person, when she was really young, and she didn’t know how to cope with that loss. Our mom wasn’t a very affectionate person either, which was possibly where Elle got it from, but it also made sense that Mom didn’t know how to console and love Elle the same way her dad, which was just another disconnect to the idea of affection for her. But there were moments like these where Elle would find courage within herself to show her love for me. A hug was so small. Jack and Hotch hugged me all the time. Morgan and Emily hugged me all the time. I was a big hugger. Not Elle, though. That was why this had caught me so off guard, and actually made me break into tears.

“I don’t want you to go,” I whispered into her hair.

“I know.”

“Elle,” Mom hissed another warning.

So, Elle released me from her embrace. “I’ll see you around.”

I knew that was a lie. There was no way she was ever going to come back again. I could see it in her eyes and in her behavior. Sometimes, especially in moments like these, I really hated being a profiler. “I’ll see you around.”

Elle smiled lightly at me as she pulled the hood of her jacket over her head, then turned on her heels and calmly made her way out of the alley while keeping her head down.

“What are you two doing out here?” Dad asked, walking into past Mom to see me standing alone in the alleyway. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting into your dress?”

Mom hit his bicep, then started pulling him back inside. “Stop messing with perfection.”

Even though they were divorced, the two of them were still close, and they were comfortable with playing around like that. They almost reminded me of how I was around Morgan. We were serious, but we loved each other, and we knew how to be silly in order to show affection and lighten the cloudy days of our lives. My mom and dad did all of those things, too. It was a wonder they got divorced in the first place. I mean, now that I was older, and there was hindsight and all, I knew that they got divorced because their jobs got in the way; the same reason Hotch and Haley got a divorce. They still loved each other, and they still loved me and Elle, but it was just hard for them to be apart so often. Mom was always off traveling the world for the CIA, meanwhile Dad was stuck at the Academy, teaching a bunch of kids whose dream was to be in the FBI, just like mine had always been. They just got busy. Work got in the way, but they never fell out of love.

Honestly, though, that was the reason I had so much hope for mine and Hotch’s relationship. We worked together. Our time at work and home were spent together. There were only a handful of times when we really missed each other; but we always knew that we would come back together and keep working cases together, or go home to fuck each other until our minds stopped working. We worked because of that. Our job didn’t get in the way of our relationship, which meant that it was just one less thing we had to worry about.

Mom poked her head back out of the venue to ask if I was alright. When I nodded and forced a smile onto my face, she invited me back inside, and led me to the bridal suite so that I could get my hair and make up done before sliding into my dress. “Guests are starting to show up,” she explained frantically while pushing me into the hair and makeup seat. The two women who had just finished getting JJ ready immediately started attacking my hair and face before I could even register what the hell was happening.

“Can you let me know if Sean shows up?” I asked.

My mom stared at me with wide eyes through the mirror. “You invited him? Why didn’t you—” She sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Does Aaron know?”

“No.” I didn’t tell anyone on purpose.

When I invited Sean, I had done it secretly after Hotch insisted that he didn’t want his brother to be a part of the ceremony as best man or groom—or whatever the hell we were doing. After Haley’s funeral, when we realized that Sean hadn’t shown up, Hotch promised that he was done with his brother for good. But I just couldn’t let them fall out like this. To be fair, a lot of people didn’t come to Haley’s funeral for one reason or another. I knew that Sean was somewhat of a fuck up, but he didn’t deserve to be punished for showing up to Hotch’s ex-wife’s funeral… Right?

By the time I was done getting “prettied up”, as my mother would put it, and I shimmied into my dress, there was still no news of Sean, or, frankly, Elle. Some part of me held out hope that she would have turned around to come back and see me walk down the aisle. Maybe I was foolish. But I always thought that my sister would be there for my wedding day. Even though she and I didn’t exactly get along sometimes, and there was a fair period of time where we didn’t talk, I imagined that she would be there. I imagined that she would be celebrating this day with me. Perhaps that was why I had invited Sean, too, because Hotch secretly felt the same way about having his brother there. Maybe the two of us were just destined for each other and that was it… We didn’t deserve our families. I mean, Aaron’s family didn’t deserve him; but I knew that he always wished that he had grown up in a better family. It was a miracle that he turned out the way he did. He was so close to becoming Sean; but he didn’t. That was admirable.

“Everyone decent?” Dad asked after knocking on the door suddenly, snapping me out of my train of thought. Mom told him that he could come in. As he stepped inside, his mouth fell agape, a small smile crawling onto his face. “Y/N…”

“You’re not allowed to cry yet, Ken,” Mom scorned.

“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her. As she rolled her eyes and giggled at his silliness, she started ushering the girls out of the bridal suite so that they could go find seats at the ceremony and let everyone know that we were about to start. The door closed behind them. “You ready for this?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“It’s not too late to back out now,” he joked.

“Do you want me to?”

He shook his head. “Not in a million years.”

“You like him, right, Dad?”

He stared at me for a moment, his smile fading so that he could pout at my doubt. “I think he’s perfect for you, Y/N. I’ve never seen you so happy. As long as he makes you happy, and as long as he treats you well, I’ll love him like he’s my own.” I smiled at the ground. “And, no, I don’t think it’s weird that he’s older than you.”

“I know you don’t,” I played along.

He stepped forward and tilted my head up with the side of his curled index finger. “Let’s get the boring part over with, shall we?” I nodded. “Alright.” He turned and opened the door, holding out his arm for me so that I could loop my arm with his.

When we stepped into the hallway, the woman who had done my hair handed me my flower bouquet to carry down the aisle, to which I quietly thanked her for. We traveled down the hall a few steps before I stopped. Dad took a step forward like he was already going to lead me down the aisle, but I felt frozen in place. Deep down, I knew that I was ready to marry Aaron Hotchner. I knew that I wanted nothing more than to finally call myself Y/N Hotchner, and to be his entirely. Yet, I couldn’t seem to move my feet. The corner was right there, with the aisle just past it, and Hotch waiting at the end of it. He was waiting for me, and I was absolutely panicking.

I didn’t want us to fail. That was the first time I had admitted it to myself like that. I knew that we were destined for great things and that we loved each other so much, but I was terrified of failing him like Haley failed him. He had been through so much, and I really, really didn’t want to let him down like everyone else had. I knew that he made me happy, and that I made him happy… but what would happen if I ever lost him? I couldn’t bear to think—

“It’s going to be alright,” Dad promised, squeezing my hand.

My breath sputtered as a tear slipped down my cheek. “Were you this scared when you married Mom?”

He smiled and nodded. “I thought that I was going to throw up all over my tux.”

“What helped?”

“Seeing your mom come down the aisle,” he answered quickly, like he had anticipated the question. “I remember that I couldn’t stop shaking and my head wouldn’t stop spinning, but then I saw her, and everything suddenly made sense.” He reached up and wiped the tear from my cheek. “Once you see him, you’ll feel better. I promise.”

“I don’t want to fall over,” I admitted. I was so nervous about taking that first step and tripping over myself. I felt like I could collapse at any second between the panic coursing through my veins and the tightness in my lungs.

“I won’t let you.”

I let my eyes flutter closed before taking in a deep breath, holding it, then slowly releasing it. I did it again, this time a little faster, and my head stopped spinning long enough for me to nod a signal that I was ready. He squeezed my hand again, then took another step, pulling me along carefully. I finally took the first step forward. I felt a sigh of relief leave my chest as I realized that I hadn’t fallen over yet. We took another step, this time with a longer, braver stride, and I felt more confidence wash over me. I was one step closer to seeing him, and that was enough to encourage me to keep going. So, we continued on, one step after the other, slowly gaining speed until we hit the cliché wedding walk pace. We reached the corner, and I closed my eyes again as my breath picked up once more. Hotch was waiting just around the corner. I would see him for the first time on our wedding day, and for the last time as my fiancé. This was real. It was really happening. We were about to do this.

“Just find him and breathe,” my dad whispered.

I nodded again, and he led me around the corner. I opened my eyes as I heard the audience rise to their feet and turn to face me. I looked around the space, spotting the team at the back of the crowd, spread out amongst the bride and groom’s sides. Morgan was standing on my side, just beside the aisle, and he smiled at me. I felt my racing heart slow down a bit when I managed to smile back, but it wasn’t until I looked past the crowd and down the aisle to find Hotch standing with Jack at his side that I finally found tranquility. Every bit of panic left me in one, relieving wave. Every ounce of worry or conflict disappeared without a trace. Just like my dad said, when Hotch’s eyes met mine, I suddenly forgot how scared I was, and I was overwhelmed by happiness and excitement. I felt like I could start running down the aisle now if it meant that I would just be in his arms again.

My eyes pouted, but I smiled at him as brightly as I could. He was smiling back, even though his jaw was practically on the floor in response to seeing me in my dress. And all I could think about was getting to kiss his lips for the first time as his wife. I wished we could skip the whole ceremony altogether and just get to that part. I wished that I could teleport down the aisle and jump into arms, both of us refusing to let go of one another.

We took another step and I watched as Jack looked up at his dad, both of them sharing a smile of excitement between each other. With every row of the crowd we passed, I felt my speed pick up, almost like I was dragging my dad along with me now instead of the other way around. I was in a rush to finally get there, hear that we were married, kiss him, and hold him in my arms forever as husband and wife. There wasn’t a moment to waste.

As we passed the last row, I felt myself nearly trip over my dress as I got a little too excited with my steps. Dad caught me, just like he promised, and I chuckled to myself slightly, looking up at Hotch to see that he was acting like nothing happened. Dad leaned in when we were standing just in front of Hotch, Jack, and the officiant. He kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand one last time before untangling our fingers and unlinking our arms. I felt my nerves return as I realized that there was no one there to hold me upright anymore, no one to catch me if I were to trip again.

I felt my anxiety return, my heart racing in my chest, my blood pumping in my arms, my lungs struggling to take normal breaths, my head beginning to spin. I closed my eyes, trying to find my balance and my ground— and then I felt him. His large hand was over mine on my bouquet, his thick fingers trying to pry my left hand away from the flowers. I let him do as he wished, my eyes fluttering open as he took my hand in his and pulled me towards him carefully.

Hotch’s eyes met mine as he led me to stand closer to him, my right shoulder facing the crowd. We stared at each other with that same light that I noticed every morning when we woke up and he would remember how happy he was to have me there with him. I got lost in his chocolate brown eyes as he lifted his other hand up to my face and brushed some of my hair back behind my ear.

“How obvious was I?” I asked quietly.

Hotch bit back a laugh. “I don’t think anyone noticed.”

“Trick question. If you noticed, everyone noticed,” I snickered. Without warning, he leaned in slowly and pressed a gentle, loving kiss against me. It felt like a ghost had barely kissed me. Just as I felt that he was there, he was gone. “You’re supposed to save that for the end,” I whispered as he pulled away slightly, his breath still hot on my nose.

He kissed me again with the same considerate touch. “I couldn’t help myself.”

“Friends and family,” the officiant began loudly, practically tearing me and Hotch apart due to shock. We giggled at each other quietly. “We’ve gathered here today to celebrate the joyous union of Y/N Greenaway and Aaron Hotchner. As I understand it, the bride and the groom have both prepared something to say before we start with the official vows.”

Hotch nodded, squeezing my hand that he was holding. He released me for a short moment so that he could fish out his speech from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. I giggled at him. He was shaking just as hard as I was, and it was made plain to me when the flimsy paper trembled in his touch. He smiled at my giggle. “The past two years have been… taxing, to say the least. Together, we’ve really been rung through the works, and there were times when I thought we wouldn’t make it to this day for one reason or another. But for the past three years, you have stuck by my side, no matter what, and you’ve given me a reason every day to keep pushing and keep living. I wouldn’t be here today without you. It’s true. Every day, I look at you and Jack, and I remember that I love you both more than anything in the world. I know that I will always fight for you because I love you, and no matter what the world throws at us, that will never change. Your messes are my messes, Y/N. I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world. I swear that from this day on, I will be by your side, supporting every decision you make, cheering you on while you make a difference in the world, and loving you as vigorously as I can until my dying day. I promise to never hold anything back from you—emotionally, physically, spiritually… and, of course, when it comes to secrets. My whole world belongs to you, Y/N, and I want it to remain that way until my last breath, or until the world stops spinning. I love you.”

I smirked and bit my lip. “I love you, too.”

“Stop biting,” he whispered dominantly.

“I can’t help it.”

“Your turn,” the officiant said to me.

“Right—” I said with a laugh. I surprised Hotch by letting go of his hand so that I could dig into the right-side pocket of my dress to retrieve my speech. “Pockets,” I teased him. He bit his lip. “Don’t bite.”

“I can’t help it,” he whispered through his teeth.

I rolled my eyes at him before glancing down at my paper. I had written it a thousand times before landing on this version that I was… satisfied with. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough words to tell Hotch how much I loved him. At least, there weren’t the right words. I used what the English vocabulary had available, seeking out some of Reid’s help, if I were being honest, but it still wasn’t exactly what I meant. There would never be a speech long enough to list all of the ways I loved Aaron Hotchner. Even if the words to express my love for him existed, my lungs probably would have given out before I could have finished telling him. The good news was, he knew. Hotch knew the truth. This whole show was for the people we loved, like Jack, my parents, and the team. This was for them to see how infinite my love was for him. Hotch didn’t need to hear it. Every kiss I pressed to his lips was my way of telling him in the only way that made sense. Telling him: “I love you” were the only words that came anywhere close to what I meant. Scratching his back as he thrusted into me was a way of telling him that he was mine, and that I loved him, and I would never stop loving him. He knew all of that. So, even though words failed me during that speech, I knew that the one person there who knew the truth about my love for Aaron Hotchner was the only one who mattered.

“I made a promise to you once that I would love you unconditionally and I would always fight for you. It took you a long time to believe me when I said that your messes are my messes, but they are, and they always will be. No matter what, I will never stop loving you for that very reason. I do love you, Aaron. I love you and I love Jack more than anything in the whole, wide world. You welcomed me into your life, into your home, and into your family. You let me love your son like he’s my own, and I know that I will spend the rest of my life thanking you for that opportunity. And I want to spend my life thanking you. I want to spend every second by your side, running around the country while we do what we love, coming home to our son to hold him in our arms, and repeating that process. I love my life with you. I love you. No one can ever take that away from us. Ever.”

He gave me a look that asked if he could kiss me. I had to shake my head because we still had to get through the rest of the ceremony, and I wanted the very next kiss to be the first one that would start off the rest of our lives together. I wanted it to be the kiss. I didn’t want to ever forget the next kiss. So, I glanced away from him, just to deter his urge.

The officiant looked to Hotch, “Please repeat after me. ‘I, Aaron Hotchner.’”

Hotch reached up to my face and brushed some of my hair back behind my ear. “I, Aaron Hotchner.” He continued to repeat every line, each one gaining in speed as his excitement took over. “Take you, Y/N Greenaway… To have and to hold… For better or for worse… In sickness and in health… To love, to cherish, to appreciate for as long as we both shall live.”

I had memorized the words before the officiant even turned to me. I knew that I had to be patient, and to repeat the same words at the same pace that Hotch had just done, but I wanted nothing more than to just race through it, say “I do” then kiss my husband for the first time. But patience was key. So, when the officiant started, I followed.

“I, Y/N Greenaway, take you, Aaron Hotchner, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. To love, to cherish, to appreciate for as long as we both shall live.”

It felt like a million pounds had been lifted off my chest by the time we got through it all. The long part was done, and now came the best part. The words “husband and wife” barely left the officiant’s lips before Hotch and I were jumping each other. He grabbed my hips roughly, pulling me against him as eagerly as possible, and he tilted his head down. I swung my arms around his neck, letting him lift me off the ground somewhat, and I pressed my lips to his for the first time as his wife. I smiled against him. Hotch giggled as the officiant finally said the cliché: “You may kiss the bride” a few seconds too late.

“Don’t let go yet,” Hotch begged before kissing me again.

I pulled away for air. “I’ll never let go.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I leaned into him. “I love you—” We kissed.

----

At the reception, I felt my head spinning. It was like an out of body experience. I was standing there beside Hotch, his arm wrapped around my waist, his hand on my hip; and we were talking to everyone who had come to the wedding and wanted to give us their personal congratulations. But I just couldn’t hear them. I was staring at Hotch, admiring how perfect he was. He was finally mine. I couldn’t believe that only a few hours ago, we were standing on the altar, sliding our wedding bands onto each other’s ring fingers. And now we were standing there… And I was just trying not to tip over. Even if I did waver, Hotch would have caught me. I trusted him with my life, and I understood that he could catch me if I ever fell—just like he had caught me when I tripped somewhat on my way down the aisle. He had me. I was all his, and he was all mine. We would always be there to protect each other.

“Oh, look, it’s my favorite taken agent,” someone cheered before tickling my sides. I laughed and gently sent my elbow back into his stomach. He playfully groaned after releasing me so that he could guard his stomach. “Man down! Man down!”

I turned and hit his arm. “Derek Morgan, you are acting like a child.”

“Only for you, sweetness.” He reached out to wing his arms around my shoulders, pulling me in for a tight hug that we both strained our strength for. “I’m so happy for you.”

Before I could respond, I felt someone tap my shoulder for their attention, and then they were quickly prying me off of Morgan. I giggled again as she pulled me into a hug that was even tighter than the last one I had just been trapped in. Emily laughed. “I told you they’d all see the truth,” she said giddily in my ear.

“Is he a Mr. Darcy contender or what?” I whispered back. We both laughed as we parted. I stared at her for a moment, admiring her smile. “I love you, Em. I don’t say it enough. But I do.”

She smiled and punched my arm lightly. “What’s got you being all sappy?”

“Mr. Darcy.”

“Ah. Yeah, I can see how that could happen.” She searched my face. “You look better than yesterday.”

“I feel better. It was just nerves.”

“Are we all congratulating the bride?” I heard a familiar voice ask behind me.

I smiled and turned. “Cody!”

I hugged him—but this wasn’t like with Morgan or Emily. No. Cody was the Director of the FBI, and therefore he was still my boss. Yes, Hotch and I were good friends with him, but there still had to be some level or respect and professionalism with him around while still outside of work. So, our hug was brief and polite. It didn’t mean much. But the looks on Morgan and Emily’s faces were priceless, honestly.

“They’re playing a slow dance for us,” Hotch told me. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me to the dance floor before I could finish talking with the Director and Emily, or even really get a chance to wave goodbye to them.

I giggled at how fast everything was happening. One second I was on the altar with him, then I was talking to Morgan and Emily, then the Director butted in, and now I was dancing with Aaron—my husband. The world was wild sometimes.

“You shouldn’t interrupt me next time.” I brushed his hair back out of his face then scratched my fingers down his five o’clock shadow.

He smirked and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “But you’re all mine now, and I don’t want you to forget it.”

“I’m all yours,” I whispered back, cupping my palm over his cheek. “Always.”

He pulled me close for a kiss until our chests were touching and he was almost towering over me, his hands on the small of my back the only thing keeping me from falling to the ground. I let my arms curl around the back of his neck. We giggled against each other’s lips as we ran out of breath, but he was adamant on still kissing me and proving his dominance to me as if no one were watching. Well, as if all of our friends and family at our wedding weren’t watching. That only made me laugh harder.

He nibbled on my jaw. “I love you, Y/N.”

I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling at the strands lightly until he removed his lips from my skin in order to let me get a proper look at him. His eyes were dialed, a sign of love and lust. He was so predictable. But he had enough self-restraint to recognize that he couldn’t jump me then and there while everyone was watching as we swayed, laughed, and kissed. My mom was smiling and crying, thinking that we were the cutest, most innocent thing she had ever seen. If only she knew. My dad, on the other hand—as well as Rossi and Morgan—had a look that said: If you hurt Y/N, we’ll kill you ourselves. He would never hurt me, though. I knew that better than anyone else. Aaron Hotchner cherished me more than I could ever cherish him; and that sometimes frustrated me, but it ultimately made me feel infinitely and unconditionally loved.

Hotch rotated us as we continued to sway. I could now see the other side of the room where Emily, Reid, Garcia, JJ were all standing, pointing and gawking at us. I rolled my eyes at them. They were so embarrassing sometimes. But I loved them. Endlessly. There was nothing they could ever do or say that would make me love them any less. It just wasn’t possible. They were my family, and I was theirs, and that meant the whole world to me, considering the way my family fell apart. My parents split up for dumb reasons, and my sister was off the grid, becoming a free-spirit or some shit like that. Now, however, I had Jack and Hotch, my real family. It was a nice consolation that I had the BAU in my corner, there to protect me and save me if need be, there to love me or scold me if I fucked up on a case. Even JJ, the one who doubted mine and Hotch’s relationship since the beginning, was a part of that family, and I still valued her opinion and her love. Like I said, I would always love them. If we fought, so be it. But, in the end, we were always going to be siblings, in a way.

“Do you ever wonder what the team would look like if Elle and Gideon were still there?” I asked Hotch quietly.

He cocked a brow at me. We had gone from practically sticking our tongues down each other’s throats to talking about random, old memories. I understood why it caught him off guard. I understood that it probably wasn’t the best time to ask; but it had been weighing on my mind as we swayed to the slow music.

“Sometimes,” Hotch agreed. “But I’m extremely grateful that we found Emily, and that Rossi came back.”

I nodded and rested my cheek against his chest. “I miss them.”

“I know.”

“Even though Gideon was a total asshole.”

Hotch chuckled. “Yeah. Even then.”

As the song came to a slow, steady end, Hotch and I parted from our embrace to kiss again, this time with a little less lust and a little more passion. And then Bohemian Rhapsody started playing. I laughed and pressed my forehead against his.

“I should probably let you get back to chatting with everyone,” he whispered.

I shook my head. “Just dance with me for a little longer.”

Hotch grinned, grabbing my hand, then stepped back from me before pulling me in and spinning me around until my back hit his chest. I was wrapped in a hug now. I rested my head against him, letting us sway and bounce to the music at a faster pace than we had been going with the last song; and since the slow dance was over, everyone else had wandered back onto the floor, too. So, Rossi wandered over. Jazz hands out, feet shuffling, his iconic Italian smirk on his face, he came to congratulate us.

“Bella!” he cheered, reaching to grab my face between his palms. “You two certainly know how to put on a show.” He kissed each of my cheeks roughly. “You, on the other hand,” he said, turning to Aaron, “need a few dancing lessons. I’m available on Thursday evenings." He patted Hotch’s shoulders.

“I know how to dance,” Hotch argued playfully.

“Clearly not.”

We all giggled. That was when I spotted a familiar face from across the room, which caught me off guard. He was sitting at the bar we had, ordering yet another drink from the bartender who hadn’t cut him off yet. I shook my head. Of course, he was late. And of course, he had to be getting drunk the first chance he got. I didn’t want to hold any biases against him, but he was making it really hard to keep defending him when he continued to pull shit like this and refuse to recognize that it was a problem. I just wished that he would let us help him.

I looked at Hotch and excused myself for a moment. He nodded an acknowledgement before turning back to his conversation and I left to walk across the room. “Taking advantage of the open bar?” I asked as I approached Sean.

He turned with a full glass in his hand. When he saw that it was me, he rolled his eyes slightly. “That’s what it’s here for, isn’t it?”

“Aaron’ll cut you off eventually.”

“I’ll be gone before then.”

“Will you even try to talk to him?”

“He doesn’t want me here. Why would I?” Sean sighed while setting his glass down. “Sorry. I know that it’s your day, and I have no right to stir up family drama.” He smiled. “I’m happy for you guys.” He started to walk away, but I caught his bicep.

I searched his eyes. “He really does love you, Sean. He’s just been hurt too many times.”

“Yeah, well… Him and everyone else in the world.” He pulled his arm away from me before striding off.

I sighed in defeat while shifting my weight on the balls of my feet. I just wanted them to make up. Ever since Haley’s death last year, Hotch had gone out of his way to make sure that none of us were affiliated with Sean. When he didn’t show up to the funeral, that was Hotch’s breaking point. He needed his brother there, yet Sean was too busy doing who knew what. Like, what could have been more important than that funeral? I didn’t understand. However, I still wanted Sean around because I knew that Hotch and Jack both needed him in their lives. Hotch, on the other hand, wasn’t having it. This was why. I should have known better. I should have known that Sean would still disappoint, no matter what. At least he showed up at all.

“Thank you,” someone whispered in my ear as they snaked their arms around my waist. I rested my head back against their shoulder. “You tried… That’s all you can do.”

I shook my head. “I thought he would just try to talk to you.”

Hotch ran his hands over the fabric of my dress, my stomach tensing up because it tickled a bit. “It’s okay.” He kissed my neck. “Hey.” He was trying to catch my attention, so I hummed a tone that asked him what was on his mind. “You wanna get out of here?”

“It’s our own wedding.”

“They won’t miss us anymore. All the important stuff is over.”

“It’ll be embarrassingly obvious.”

He hummed and smiled against my ear. “How about this…” He grabbed my hips roughly. “We’re leaving. Now.”

I gulped at the dominating, stern tone that practically vibrated throughout my entire body, sending a chill up my spine in response. Well, that was a preview as to what the next two weeks were going to be like for me. It made me smile. “Yes, Sir.”

Hotch nibbled at my earlobe light before whispering, “I love you.”

I turned my head so that I was looking at him while still resting against his shoulder. I kissed him. “I love you, too.”

--------

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