#and I’m gonna come out the other side smelling like roses once again

[ludicdoll]

𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄 — jann mardenborough ☆

pairing: jann mardenborough x fem!reader

warnings: smut, car sex, riding, cussing

synopsis: your date night didn’t go as planned.

a/n: im horny and i watched gran turismo last week

you take one last look at yourself in your mirror. you were wearing a tight fitted red dress, with a oversized leather jacket. it was a bit cold outside, but you still wanted to look presentable for your boyfriend. after all, it was a date night. you smooth out the thin fabric of your dress. you spray on some perfume, zipping up your boots before walking back downstairs. you hear the loud rev of a car outside, then your phone rings in your hand.

“come outside, love.”

you smile at the text and quickly make your way to the front door, locking it behind you. you turn around and make eye contact with jann. he’s leaning against the car door, a rose in his hand. he gives you a warm smile before meeting you half way in the driveway. “hey,” you mutter out. “hi,” he replies back, chuckling. even though you were wearing heels, he still towered over you. you almost forgot how handsome he was up close. you catch the smell of his cologne, his shampoo, and the faint scent of laundry detergent. “this is for you.” he reaches his hand out to you, placing the rose into your palms. you carefully bring it up to your nose, taking in the scent of it. “what’s the occasion?” you say jokingly. he rolls his eyes, kissing your cheek. “nothing, just something nice for my girl.” he says before opening the car door for you. you thank him, sliding into the dark sleek interior car. he closes the door, walking over to the drivers seat.

you watch as he adjusts himself into his seat, leaning back into the cushions. “where are we going?” you ask. he glances over at you, “it’s a surprise.” you groan in annoyance. he smiles at your reaction. he slowly backed out of the front of your house, quickly accelerating on the road. you clutch onto your bag, irritated that he always sped. it wasn’t like it was intentional, he was just use to the speed on the tracks. “jann,” you shout out, he slows down a bit, realizing what you were stressed about. “you have to stop doing that.” you sigh. he laughs, “you’re scared of a little speeding?” he teases, “no, jann, i’m scared of crashing.” he places his hand on your thigh, smoothing out your stockings. this was his way of calming you down, and it worked. you unfold your arms, intertwining your fingers into his large hand. he rubs his thumb on the inner of your thigh.

“you still not gonna tell me where we’re going?” you ask again. you hear the low hum of his voice, “you know that movie you’ve been dying to see recently?” you turn over with wide eyes. “no way, you got us tickets?” he nods. he pulls into the parking lot of the cinema, quickly walking out to get your side of the door. you thank him, holding onto his arm as you walk to the booth. you wait over by the side, fidgeting with the hem of your dress. you hear jann and the usher go back and forth about something. you turn around and see jann rolling his head back, shoving his phone into his back pocket and walking over to you.

he drags his hand over his face, almost in embarrassment. “what happened?” you ask. “i got the tickets for the wrong day.” he replied. “shit, i’m stupid.” you try laughing it off, grabbing his arm. “it’s fine, we can go back on the actual day.” his brows knitted together, frowning slightly. he walks you back to the car, opening it once again for you before getting in. “sorry, baby.” he says. you pat his arm, “we can do something better tonight.” you say. he leans into his seat, looking at you. “like what?” you shrug, “maybe we can just go out to eat instead.” you suggest, he nods, starting his porsche back up. you turn on the radio, hoping to help brighten up the mood.

you didn’t know what it was, but tonight he seemed even more charming than usual. you glance over at his hand on the steering wheel, while the other was resting on his thigh. he stops at a red light, tapping the edge of the wheel with his fingers. you lean over to him, running your fingers through the back of his hair. he sighs into your touch, you continue touching over his neck, looking at him through your dark lashes. he turns his head to you, his lips parted slightly. he looks at you, his eyes trailing from your face down to your crossed legs. before you knew it, he was speeding into an empty parking lot, reclining his seat back.

you pull off your boots, crawling over to him. he lays down in his seat, unzipping his jeans. he eagerly takes off his jacket, tossing it in the backseat before grabbing you by your waist and settling you in his lap. the space in the drivers seat was small for the both of you, but you made it work. he slides your leather jacket off your arms, feeling your soft skin. you pull down his boxers, his hard erection rubbing again your thigh. he watches you as you desperately try to pull off your tights. he licks his lips, grabbing you closer and ripping a hole into the crotch of your tights. you gasp slightly, placing your hands onto his chest. jann pulls up your dress, his large hand covering your whole torso. you whine quietly as you hear him undoing your bra. he his large hand travels to your back, then up over your breasts. you moan as his cold hands play with the bud of your nipples. you feel his cold breath on your neck, goosebumps lining your skin.

“jann,” you whimper. your hand travels down to his dick, using it to trace the entrance of your pussy. he groans, whispering your name. you place his tip inside of you, feeling his hands fall back onto your hips. he was big. definitely bigger than average, and you still weren’t use to it. you tremble as you sink onto his cock, “mm, you feel all of that, baby?” he teases. he’s staring at you deeply. he knows you feel his eyes on you, yet you won’t keep your head up. you’re afraid if you make eye contact with him, you’ll break. “look at me.” he instructs above you. you keep your head down as you softly ride him. a hand falters away from your hips, making its way up to your face. he tilts your face up, forcing you to make eye contact with him. “jann…” you mutter shyly. “i can’t-”

“you can’t what?” he asks, thrusting his hips up against you. you feel his cock between your legs, pounding your insides. you struggle to make out the words as his he thumbs at your clit. you clench onto his shirt, balling up your fists. he chuckles slightly, “get closer, princess.” you lean into his chest, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. jann’s hand travels to your ass, helping you ride you up and down, “fuck,” he curses, “you feel so good, baby.” your eyes start tearing up, all your thoughts slushing together. his large hands palm at the flesh of your ass, you feel his dick slipping in and out of you repeatedly. the mixture of your whining and his groaning filled the car.

the thick head of his cock touches your cervix, his thrusts start getting sloppier, but his stamina is still going. you try to muffle your moans by placing your head into the crook of his neck, but his thick cock forces you to cry out louder. you hear him slightly laughing at you. you’re a whimpering mess in front of him, begging, crying as his hands explore every inch of your body. your thighs shake aggressively when his hands travel back down to your clit, teasing you. you grip harder onto his shirt as you feel yourself reaching your climax. you mewl out his name, your pussy coiling up from the sensation. you yell out as you feel him cum inside of you. you gasp — he lifts your hips up, letting his dick slip out of you. he groans as you fall limp into his arms.

for a moment, it’s silent. just heavy breathing and the slight squeak of the leather car seats. jann places a hand on your back, tracing your skin. “love?” he whispers into your ear. “mhm,” you manage to get out, “you okay?” you sigh, hugging him tighter. you nod in his chest, closing your eyes as he kisses your forehead.

for my pookster @uch3na

© do not publish my writings on other sites.

[clangenrising]

Month 13 - Newleaf

The thunderpath was oddly warm to the touch. Past the thunderpath, fields stretched out and eventually tapered off at the foot of the city’s farthest reaches. Smokyrose gingerly stepped onto the edge of it, marveling at its strange texture and acrid smell. She’d never actually touched it before, leaving such foolishness to cats like Yarrowshade who thought it was worth the risk to try hunting on the far side. Now it was her turn to take a necessary risk. 

“Okay,” Songdust said, glancing side to side, “Should be safe to cross.” 

“Thanks again,” Smokyrose said. “I really appreciate you coming with me.” 

“I told you, Rose, I’m not gonna let you go in all alone,” Songdust said, swatting at her friend’s ear. “Now come on, let’s hurry before a monster comes.” 

The two cats sprinted across the thunderpath as quick as their old bones could carry them. Smokyrose felt her heart rate spiking with the thrill of it. She smiled as they panted in the grass on the other side, glad that she wasn’t too old to appreciate a good dose of stomach fluttering excitement. After she’d caught her breath - which took a good moment or two longer than it did for Songdust to catch hers - they started again towards the city. 

The plan was simple. Find Ghost and have a conversation. If she was lucky, she might also be able to sate a bit of her own personal curiosity, but that was secondary to the goal of making peace. Lives were at stake and in her paws.

They walked mostly in silence, Smokyrose sometimes huffing, out of breath, for a long time. Songdust suggested they break every now and then but she was determined to get there as soon as possible and so declined. 

At one point, Songdust said, “I’d catch us something to eat but there’s almost nothing out here, it seems… Sad. This place used to be a really fertile hunting ground.” 

“I must be scaring all the mice away,” Smokyrose laughed between labored breaths. 

“No, I think it’s more than that,” Songdust frowned as she surveyed the grassland. “I don’t think the city cats know how to preserve next year’s hunt.” 

“We’ll have to teach them,” Smokyrose smiled. Songdust hummed to herself and the two continued on their way. 

Eventually, the smell of city cats came to them on the wind. Songdust stopped to taste the scent, tail twitching. Smokyrose gladly stopped as well, sides heaving with effort. She hadn’t thought she was so out of shape. She lifted her head to look over the grass and spotted three sets of ears, one shorter than the others. 

“Hello, there!” She called, causing Songdust to stiffen. The cats ahead of them stopped, ears flicking in her direction. 

“Who’s there?” one of the voices called, sounding wary. 

“Friends,” Smokyrose said as pleasantly as she could. 

After a moment, the cats crept closer, stopping again once they came clearly into view. The first of them, the one who seemed to have spoken before, was a short-furred white she-cat with a faintly grey speckled back and a notched ear. The second was a brown rosetted tabby tom around the same age with a notch of his own. The third and youngest of the group was a grey speckled tabby who looked no older than Oddstripe’s litter, ears intact. The small group regarded them carefully. The youngest opened his mouth to drink in their scent and his tail immediately bristled, arcing down behind him. 

“They’re savages!” he squeaked in fright. The other two cats’ pelts prickled at the realization.

“Rude,” Songdust huffed, mostly to herself. 

“I thought you said there weren’t going to be any wild cats!” the white one accused.

“Bucket said they don’t cross the road!” the brown one shot back, more offended than worried. “He said the Folk keep them at bay!” 

“Well, clearly these ones got across somehow!” the white one hissed back. 

Smokyrose laughed awkwardly to herself and tried, “I-it’s alright, really, we don’t mean you any harm.” All three of them snapped their attention back to her sharply. She smiled and continued, “My name is Smokyrose and this is my companion, Songdust.” 

“I’m Mulch,” the brown one said carefully. Neither the white one nor the grey one offered their own names and after a moment of awkward silence, Mulch said, “What are you… doing out here?” 

Smokyrose brightened. “I’ve actually come to speak with Ghost. Do you know him?” Mulch let out a breathy, nervous laugh and glanced at the others. The white one squinted suspiciously. 

“Yes,” she said, speaking like she was testing out the ice on a frozen pond. “Why do you know Ghost?” 

The younger one gasped excitedly. “This must be his wild girl!” The white one’s ear twitched. 

“Bit old for a ‘girl,’ don’cha think?” Mulch muttered back with a chuckle. 

Smokyrose blushed and pursed her lips shut in embarrassment. Ghost’s wild girl - what a ridiculous thought, like he owned her or something! Was that how he talked about her when she wasn’t around? She hoped not but bile rose in her throat nonetheless. 

“I’m a mediator,” she said, choosing to ignore that for now. “I solve disputes and facilitate communication between parties. Ghost is the cat in charge, isn’t he? I’d like to speak with him and see if we can come to some kind of peace agreement.” 

“Oh, she must know the Transgressor!” the youngest one whispered to Mulch.

“Will you shut up, Flick?” Mulch raised his brows indignantly and swatted the younger cat lightly in the face. 

“Sheesh!” grumbled Flick, swiping half heartedly back at him. 

“You want to make peace?” the white one scoffed disbelievingly. 

“I do,” said Smokyrose and she meant it. “I want to try and resolve the conflict before anyone else has to die on either side.” The three city cats exchanged glances with a mix of what Smokyrose thought was suspicion, reluctance, and respect. They looked back at her then the white one jutted her chin towards Songdust. 

“Why is she here?” 

“I’m her protector,” Songdust said firmly. The cats shifted uncomfortably. 

Mulch said, “Can we have a moment to discuss?” 

“Of course,” purred Smokyrose, sitting down, “take your time.” Songdust sat down as well and they watched as the three cats shuffled off into the grass to talk, Mulch having to give Flick a tug on his scruff when he forgot to walk instead of stare. They kept their voices too low for Smokyrose to listen in but she didn’t mind. It was nice to rest for a bit and patience was something a good mediator had in spades. 

After a few moments, the city cats came back and Mulch said, “Alright, we’ll take you into town.” 

“Splendid!” Smokyrose purred, standing up. “I really appreciate the help.” 

“Yeah, sure,” he shrugged, looking uncomfortable. With a flick of his tail, he gestured for them to follow and started off back towards the city. As they went, Flick and the white one fell into step around them, almost like a guard. Smokyrose could feel them watching her every movement. It was almost flattering that they thought she would be able to try anything. 

After a while, Flick leaned in and said, “I’m Flick by the way.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Flick,” said Smokyrose, starting to huff again. 

“The grumpy one is Jumper,” he added. The cat in question bristled. 

Smokyrose kept her attention on Flick. “I see. What were you doing out here?” 

“Don’t answer that,” Mulch shot back before Flick was finished opening his mouth.

“Apologies,” said Smokyrose, “I was just trying to make conversation.” 

“Yeah,” Flick protested, “We were just talking.” 

“Well don’t,” Mulch snapped, mostly at Flick. Glancing at Smokyrose, he added, “Sorry, but my brother doesn’t know how to keep his damn mouth shut.” 

“It’s alright,” she said, “I’ll try not to encourage him anymore.” Mulch nodded, satisfied, and they continued towards the city in silence from then on. It was a longer walk than Smokyrose had been expecting. The more they went the more she realized the actual size of the twolegplace, the buildings starting to grow and loom in the distance like an angular forest with no leaves. Eventually one of these structures drew near, a large, rickety shape that smelled strongly of hay and manure. On the far side, she could see wooden planks arranged in repetitive rows and columns that created a barrier around a group of strange, smelly deer-like things. 

“What are those?” she couldn’t help but ask. 

Flick followed her gaze and said, “Goats. Do you not have goats on the frontier?” 

“No, we don’t,” Smokyrose said, busy puzzling over the word ‘frontier’. She’d never heard it before but she had to assume he meant Clan territories. 

“They stink,” meowed Songdust, face crinkled in disgust. 

“Yeah,” Flick laughed. “But the Folk seem to like them anyway.” The Folk - that meant twolegs, right? She squinted at the creatures curiously. What would twolegs like about these goat things?

“Come on,” Mulch said, “we’re nearly there.” 

They curved around the wooden structure, revealing another one, shorter but wider, and an expanse of gravel and dirt. Smokyrose winced at the texture of the rocks on her paws but soldiered on. She was so close. They crossed the gravel then followed along the edge of it for a while, leaving the structures behind, until they came to a large empty space of dirt surrounded by weeds and wildflowers.

Cats were scattered across the dusty field in pairs, sparring, most of them with notched ears. Cats wearing collars strolled around in between them, hissing orders or giving harsh corrections. A few cats watched from the edge of the clearing and one of them, a brown tabby tom with a silver collar that reflected the sunlight like a concentrated band of heat waves. The tom stood, head tilted, and started walking their way. 

“Great,” Jumper said, “here he comes.” 

“Shut up,” Mulch said, “This is fine. We’ll hand them off and be done with it.” They stopped where they were, waiting for the tom to close the distance. Smokyrose took in his appearance as he grew closer. He had a sleight build and slim cheeks giving him an almost kitten-like appearance despite his full grown size. His fur was a warm brown with dark, brindling stripes and a neat mask framing his green-yellow eyes. His collar, which seemed less shiny up close than it had far away, bore a small, blue, vaguely fish-shaped charm covered in geometric silver scratches. 

He smiled as he neared them, bright and friendly, and said, “Well, now, what do we have here?” 

“We ran into these wild-cats while we were out hunting,” Mulch said and Smokyrose picked up on the deference in his tone. “They crossed the road. Said they wanted to speak with Ghost.” 

“Really?” The kittypet’s eyes widened with interest and he turned his gaze to Smokyrose, inviting her to speak. 

“Yes,” she purred with a gracious dip of her head. “My name is Smokyrose and this is my companion Songdust. In my Clan I work to handle disputes and settle arguments and I wanted to speak with Ghost to see if we could make peace between our two peoples.” 

“Well, Ghost is currently indisposed,” the tom said apologetically, “but I would be happy to take you to speak with Razor instead.” The cats who had escorted them all tensed at the sound of Razor’s name. Songdust took a step closer to her.

“Indisposed?” Smokyrose frowned in concern. “How so?” 

The tom winced. “He recently had a bit of an accident and has been resting to regain his strength. I’m sure he’ll be fine in a few days.”

“Oh, alright,” she said, ears drooping. What kind of an accident? Her gut twisted in worry and she sent a silent prayer to StarClan to let him be okay. 

“Why don’t you walk with me?” the tom offered, half turning towards the city. 

“Alright,” She agreed. Despite her disappointment, she still had a job to do. “Thank you.” 

“Of course,” he purred. Looking at Mulch, he said, “You’re excused.” Mulch let out a relieved breath and nodded. 

“Thank you, sir,” he said, then turned to the others and said, “Come on, let’s go.”

“Goodbye, Flick,” Smokyrose waved her tail. “It was nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Flick said. Mulch cuffed him over the ear and the little group turned and went the way they had come. 

The kittypet lifted his head and called over to the other cats watching the training. “I’m off to see Razor,” he said, “You’re in charge, Dexter.” One of the other kittypets nodded. Lots of cats started to stare. The tom in front of Smokyrose and Songdust smiled at them again and said, “This way.” He led them down the edge of the gravel path, walking side by side with Smokyrose, tail curling back and forth in a friendly wave. 

“I don’t think I caught your name,” Smokyrose said, focusing in on him.

“You can call me Sardine,” he said. “I hope the others were good to you. I’d hate for the Chaff to give you a bad first impression of the city.” 

“Oh, they were quite hospitable,” she exaggerated. “Thank you.” 

“I’m glad to hear it,” he purred. “You said you settle disputes among your people. Did they send you here or have you come on your own?” 

“I have Goldenstar’s approval to go forward with peace talks,” said Smokyrose, even if that was not entirely true. Goldenstar had asked her to wait even if she was open to the idea. 

“Goldenstar, that’s your leader?” he asked. 

“Yes,” she purred. “She’s quite eager to see this conflict end peacefully.” 

“That’s good to hear,” he said. “I know there are many here who feel the same.” 

“Really?” Smokyrose asked, her heart lifting in hope.

“Oh, yes,” nodded Sardine. “I think everyone will be relieved to have this whole war business over soon.” 

“Good,” purred Smokyrose. That was a relief. She glanced at Songdust to share in the excitement but found her companion grim faced. She frowned slightly but shook it off. She would have to talk with Songdust once they had a private moment. Sardine was talking again and she returned her focus to him, answering all his curiosities pleasantly and asking questions of her own. Eventually the gravel turned to the hard stone of the thunderpath and Sardine asked them to stay close to him for their own safety. 

“Just a bit further and we’ll arrive at Razor’s garden,” he said. 

“Excellent,” she said, tail swishing. “I can’t wait.”

UPDATES: - Smokyrose ventures to the city to try and make peace.

[snipetooth]

Lee Christmas - "I'm Glad You're Home"

first fic on the blog wooo! this is for the expendables; i had to write the focus as being on lee for the perspective i wanted to tell so let me know if it works out or not from a reader's perspective! also shoutout to rebel-moons, he IS a cutie and i am now convinced that i have to watch the expendables 3 just for this scene. all my works are tagged with "#x reader" for quick filtering btw!

Prompt: “[WONDER]: unable to comprehend how incredible the receiver is, the sender decides to simply cup their face in their hands and marvel at them instead.” from “Reasons to Cup a Face” by @.soulpromptson pairing: lee christmas x gn!reader words: 1.7k requested: no

“Right, that’s it! I’m bailing on you fuckwads. Leaving this group forever. Cry and plead all you want, I’m done with you all.”

Shouts of protest immediately followed Lee’s words as he stood up. They were mostly along the lines of, “C’mon, Christmas, you only had to buy three rounds!” or “A real man would finish the game he started, not run out with his tail between his legs because he’s losing chips!” and “At least take a shower before you head back to your prettier half, you smell like you live in an abandoned sewer!”

Lee pried his knives out of the decorated board the group used for target practice, waving one about threateningly as he sheathed the others. “Y’better stow all that codswallop or I’ll really leave for good! Damn bastards, the lot of you, bleedin’ a poor man dry of all his finances with your rigged card games. There’s no reason why Gunnar should’ve won as much as he did, and you all know it!”

Gunnar made a show of ‘casually’ flexing his arms as he leaned back in his seat, Yin and Ceaser snickering to his left while Toll shook his head in silence to his right. “Can’t help being so good if all you’re gonna do is be shit at poker, Christmas,” he replied smugly before knocking back a beer and slamming it on the tabletop with a loud belch. “But maybe I’ll let you go without calling after your debt this time, just this once. I’m feeling generous tonight.”

“How kind of you,” Barney said dryly as he put away the whiskey glass he had been polishing, nodding to Lee as the man passed by. “You really should take a shower though. Can’t have you messing this one up just because you’re too lazy to get a little wet.”

The ground level of the hangout rang with laughter as Lee’s middle fingers disappeared around the corner to the bathrooms.

The hum of his motorcycle drowned out the nightlife of the city, and Lee’s thoughts drowned out the motorcycle. His eyes caught a glimpse of the low-hanging moon between the rapidly shrinking buildings behind him, storm clouds threatening to blot out the source of light.

His thoughts drifted back to the last time he’d come home to a partner after an extended mission.

———

“Coming! Who is it?”

“You know, someday you’ll find a man who’ll be happy just to watch you sleep.”

Lee opened the screen door. Lacy quickly side-stepped through and shut it behind her. “Hi. I didn’t know you were back.” Lee tried to not let her lack of enthusiasm bother him. “Hey babe. Yeah, I just arrived.”

Lacy stayed firmly glued to the wall of the house. “Hey.”

“You look great.”

“I wish you would have called.”

Lee’s shoulders began to prickle uncomfortably. Years of combat had honed his attention to detail and body language, and something about her… everything was setting off alarm bells loud enough that he almost wondered if she could hear them. “Never been a good caller.”

“I haven’t heard from you in over a month,” Lacy pressed.

“Really?” Lee frowned. “Time flies, huh? Won’t happen again, sorry. But! I do have a surprise.” He held up a bottle of wine. “Rose-flavored, your favorite. And…” he fished around in his pocket briefly, “I did have something else for you.” 

Lee missed Lacy’s glance through the open front door. “It’s something I picked up from Burma.” Triumphantly, he pulled out a ring box, holding it open so that the item inside could catch the light better. “It’s a ruby. It’s a good color, but it’s hard to see in this light.” His brows knitted as he stared a little harder at the ring. “This… kind of looked a little shinier when I bought it in the shop, you know? I—”

“Lace! Everything alright?”

Time stopped. A loud, perpetual ring almost drowned out Lacy’s response as Lee leaned around her to look at the source of the new voice: “Yeah. H-he’s a friend.”

The imposing figure in the hallway scowled, chest puffed out. “Kind of late. You got a name?”

Lee couldn’t hide his contempt even if he wanted to as his eyes met with his now ex-girlfriend’s. A million excuses flashed to the surface of her face and instantly withered upon meeting his look. “Friend. She just told you.”

———

The ducati’s tires screeched painfully loud in the whispers of the night. The rain-soaked pavement reflected red as cars droned on before returning to green after a lull in traffic.

It had been four years since that night. Four years, three months, and twenty-one days, if one wanted to be picky about it. Just over three years of swearing off of relationships, of casual dating, of one-night stands, of people in general. Lee Christmas didn’t need a partner; he had The Expendables. His brothers were all he’d ever need.

Until you came along.

A smile fought and won under Lee’s helmet as he turned a corner. The one time he lets the guys take him to a more public bar to get drunk off their asses, and you’re sitting there at the counter thanking the bartender handing you a finished drink. You chat with someone to your left, the stool to your right almost painfully vacant.

A hearty slap to the space between his shoulder blades was all the encouragement he needed to fill the spot, and the rest was history, really.

He’d gone on several missions since he started dating you, but this one was definitely the longest so far. He had to go radio silent for several months as opposed to just a couple of weeks, and even with notice given in advance of this, paranoia drifted in like a deceptively soft mist early in the morn.

Would you still be in your apartment? Would there be a stranger in your kitchen? Would you try to hide any signs of infidelity, or would you confess to them right away out of guilt?

“Lee!”

He barely had time to swing a leg over his bike and turn to face you before you slammed into him, nearly knocking over the ducati in the process. “You’re home! You’re finally home! You smell really good, too; did you get a new soap?”

Just like mist at the first rays of the sunrise, all doubt dissipated into nothingness as Lee hugged you back with a pressure strong enough to risk cracking a few ribs. “Aw, and here I was thinkin’ you enjoyed the peace of me being gone,” he grinned, holding you back at arms’ length. “Can’t decide if I’m hurt that I’m wrong or touched that I am.”

You wrinkled your nose up at him. “Lee, you ass, of course I missed you! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been stuck to the window? Practically duct-taped myself to it.” You shrugged one of his hands off of you to grasp it, stumbling over the stairs leading up to your apartment in your haste. “Come on, I have something I want to show you!”

Lee’s vision was briefly spotty with gently twinkling lights in the warm, dim atmosphere of the apartment as you pulled him in. All around him the general mood had been adjusted for something akin to a romantic night in without the pressure of having to say ‘yes’ to anything should one or both parties simply want to go to bed; a couple of candles burned on shelves, thin strings of lights edging the ceiling and walls bathed the world in their soft glow, new throw blankets were strategically placed on the couch, and a simple but jointly beloved meal waited in the dining room. “When did you think to do all of this?” The mercenary breathed, one hand reaching to touch a light bulb no bigger than his thumb’s nail. “I didn’t tell you when I was coming home; I thought it was a surprise.”

A grin tugged at his mouth as he watched you fiddle with your hands, indecision plainly written on your face before quickly giving up. “Well,” you began slowly, “I… might know a little birdie. And that little birdie might have told me a few days ago that you were probably coming back today, and they might have also told me when you left. So. Sorry to ruin your surprise with my own..?”

All Lee could do was blink at you, really.

His last partner had cheated on him for feeling neglected. Invited another man into the house and had been having a relationship with him for god knows how long instead of just calling things off.

And here you were. A new partner. A new home. A new start.

You saw several months of no contact and decided that you should make one of his favorite dinners and ensured the apartment was as welcoming and calm as you possibly could make it.

“...Lee? Is all of this… okay?”

He blinked twice more. His hands subconsciously rose to cradle your face, the size of them near suffocating were he not careful. “It’s more than okay,” he breathed, enraptured by the reflection of your work in your eyes. “It’s damn perfect. Thank you. I….” Lee swallowed thickly. Words of vulnerability didn’t come easy to him; they never really have. “I love it. I love you.” He pressed his forehead to yours. “Thank you.”

Your own hands came up to lace together behind his neck, keeping him steady. “Of course. Figured you deserved to be spoiled a little yourself after all you’ve done for me and the way you’ve looked coming back after your work trips.” You tilted your head back, lips nearly brushing his as they moved to speak. “Though I’m not above rescinding all the spoiling I had planned this evening if you let the food get cold much longer. If you’re not careful, I’ll start valuing my cooking above you.”

Lee’s hearty laughed pealed comfortingly in the walls of your home as you both made your way to the table to enjoy your first dinner together in months. “I’ll be sure to watch myself, then. Can’t let myself be usurped by an inanimate object, now can I?”

[sanjisboyfie]

๑ keep safe : i'm gonna freeze my balls off, pt. 2 (8)

one piece x male reader

but if you send for me, 

you know i'll come 

and if you call for me, 

you know i'll run

i'll run to you, 

i'll run to you

『 prev 』

that night [name] accompanied sanji in the crow’s nest. after he spent a couple of hours bugging zoro, the sun eventually fell and the moon rose. it seemed sanji was on night duty and [name] didn’t mind keeping him company.

plus, he had that question to ask him.

“sanji, do cigarettes keep you warm?”

“hah? that’s a stupid question,” sanji said, breathing out a puff of smoke. [name] realized he quite liked the smell.

“but i’m really cold, i wanted to know if that’d help me!” [name] reasoned, just wishing to get an answer out of their chef. the blonde thought about it for a moment before holding out the stick. “really, you’ll let me try?” the chef shrugged, “thanks, sanji!”

“no need to thank me, see how you feel about it first,” sanji mused, leaning back against the mast while [name] was leaning against the railing. the two were sat facing each other and sanji was carefully watching [name]’s reaction.

without hesitating [name] brought the stick up to his lips. he inhaled, feeling the smoke invade his lungs. he held it there for a moment before allowing some to escape. obviously, not all the smoke would get completely pushed out of his lungs, but when he exhaled he watched the puff of smoke turn into nothing but air.

“eh, it was alright…lemme try again,” [name] remarked, taking another drag from the cigarette before handing it to sanji. the chef didn’t seem too bothered by infecting [name] with his habit, taking the cigarette to his own lips.

“so? feeling nice and toasty?” sanji teased, watching as [name] popped another coffee bean into his mouth.

”it was warm, but probably not enough. if i get super cold though, i’ll rely on you to give me another one!” [name] said cheerfully, talking about it as if it wasn’t a nasty habit to break if he were to really get hooked on it.

“you’re gonna end up coming back for loads more if you smoke too much,” sanji pointed out, wondering if [name] even knew that cigarettes were addictive.

“i’m not really an…addictive person! i only really like coffee beans the most, it’s too bad they’re not warm when you eat them,” [name] pouted, stomping out sanji’s small concern.

“if you say so,” sanji said softly, putting out the cigarette.

slowly as time past, [name] noticed that sanji was beginning to doze off. and also noticed his cheeks, nose, and ears were turning really red with what seemed to be frostbite.

[name] gently took off his hat and put it on sanji instead, making the blonde sleepily look up at him.

“ah, thanks, [name],” he said softly, sleep invading his system before he could get another word out.

[name] chuckled, watching how easy it was for sanji to doze off. when he looked up at the sky and noticed it was almost a full moon, he smiled softly and took it upon himself to cuddle into sanji’s side.

the blonde wasn’t awake to notice as he unconsciously pressed himself closer to [name]’s side as well, navigating towards the natural body heat. even if [name] was colder than he usually was, he guessed it was more comforting that the cold wind that was breezing through.

[name] spread open the blanket that was once only covering him, fighting back the urge to shiver, and made sure it covered him and sanji completely.

he stayed awake the whole rest of the night. he was too cold to sleep and he didn’t want anything to happen to the ship while he was supposed to be on look out.

that’d only prove his incompetence to the rest of the crew. and he already had so much to prove for himself, he didn’t want to ruin this chance.

so he calmly watched as the moon rotated through the sky, until the gentle rays of the sun greeted his vision. chewing on the coffee beans also helped him not get too worked up on his lack of sleep.

the first sound he heard in the morning, though, was a loud banging coming from below them.

he left the blanket to completely cover sanji, unknowingly waking the blonde up as he got up. sanji was resting his head on [name]’s shoulder while he was sleeping, so the sudden loss of his pillow made him slowly blink open his eyes.

plus the body heat that was comforting him also went away.

“you’re up early, usopp,” [name] yawned, leaning over the edge and watching the sniper.

“oh! that’s where you were, [name], was wondering why you weren’t sleeping in the room with us last night,” usopp said, in a rather cheerful voice despite it being so early. he continued smacking away at repairing merry, “i can’t just sit around and do nothing!” usopp answered, “we gotta get out of this jam as quick as possible!”

[name] smiled gently, resting his cheek on his palm as he watched usopp work. sanji blinked slowly, waking up and coming to his senses. he was warmer than he was when he fell asleep and he noticed it was due to the extra, thick layer of blankets that were surrounding him.

the first thing he reached for within the comforts of his warm cocoon was a cigarette and his box of matches.

at the sound of the matches being struck against the box, [name] turned around. a sleepy smile was on his face and sanji noticed that his hair was a bit more ruffled. he assumed it was because of his sleep, but it was really just the cold breeze that made it go out of place.

“good morning, sanji!” [name] cheerfully replied.

“wow, you’re annoyingly energetic,” sanji said, puffing out smoke, “morning, [name],”

the greeting made [name] grin in return and, like a butterfly effect, it made sanji’s lips slowly curl into a hidden smile. sanji made his grin stay hidden behind his hands, but [name] wasn’t even looking for long as he soon directed his vision to usopp once more.

the two stayed in the crow’s nest for a while, [name] watching usopp work and sanji preserving the heat he had acquired overnight. when the sun came to warm them, to some extent, [name] decided that he’d check in on nami.

he left sanji up in the crow’s nest, going down with ease and gently patting usopp on the back. the sniper appreciated it, humming in thanks as he continued tirelessly working on repairs.

when [name] got inside of the room, he greeted vivi with a good morning and quietly walked to nami’s bedside.

“how is she?”

“i just replaced the towel on her head…there’s really nothing much we can do to help her besides that,” vivi said, a hint of regret in her voice. [name] put his hand on her head easily, seeing as she was kneeling by nami’s bed rather than standing. she looked up at him in wonderment.

“she’s gonna be fine, we’re gonna find an island soon, i can feel it,” [name] grinned, trying to uplight the princess’s spirits. and it worked. because then vivi was jumping up from her position and getting ready to walk out onto deck.

“you’re right, [name], i’ll talk with the others now to see if they’ve spotted an island yet,” she said, squeezing his arm gently before quickly walking out of the room.

once he heard the door shut behind her, he took a seat by nami.

“she’d have pulled her hair out if she stayed her another moment with you,” [name] joked, “she’s so worried. but don’t worry, nami, we’re gonna find you a doctor soon and you’re gonna get better and when you do - we’re gonna save alabasta!”

he didn’t know if nami could hear his words or not, but he assumed that if there was a chance she could, he’d want to say something that would comfort her.

“hm, i’ve taken ahold of your coffee beans, by the way,” he chuckled, popping another one into his mouth, “you’re not supposed to drink any coffee now anyway, so you can boil in your annoyance for as long as you want — not gonna change anything! haha!”

[name] laughed in glee at his own jokes, assuring himself that if nami had the energy to, she would laugh as well. in reality, she surely would have smacked him over the head at his antics.

he leaned closer to her bed, noticing that her blanket had moved in her sleep. he hummed in thought, moving around the room. he noticed there were blankets and pillows scattered all around. he got to work in piling the pillows on top of her and then dropping a couple more blankets on top of those as well.

hopefully, he thought, this mimics some sort of heated or weighted blanket.

he felt satisfaction surge in his chest when he saw nami bury herself deeper into the blankets. he stayed by her side a remainder of the journey, feeling relief to hear luffy shouting about finding an island.

“see? it’s all gonna get better soon,” he said, this time he didn’t know if he was talking to nami or himself.

there was a gunshot that rang in the air and [name] immediately positioned himself protectively in front of nami’s bed. if people were really going to invade their ship, like they did on the way to this island, he’d kill anyone that tried getting to nami.

he sat right in front of her bed, his sword resting on his knees in front of him, and he carefully watched the door.

when it opened and revealed vivi, he relaxed.

“is there a doctor?” was the first question he asked and vivi immediately answered that the villagers were willing to help.

[name] nodded and quickly got to work in getting nami prepared for a journey. he saw vivi wanted to help, but he shook his head, “i’ll make sure nami doesn’t get cold on her journey, don’t worry, tell the others i’ll bring her up soon,”

she looked at him in full confidence, nodded her head, and ran back upstairs.

if vivi had to place any amount of trust in [name] a couple of days ago, she would not be able to do so confidently. to her, [name] was a suspicious individual who very well could’ve been after her head as she is a princess. but to see him so attentive to nami and caring towards her, almost more than sanji was, her worries were gradually washed away.

[name] was trustworthy and it was obvious as he so tenderly took care of nami whenever she wasn’t there. she would trust him with her life as well. and it felt ridiculous for her to come to that conclusion so suddenly, but [name] was the reason she was confident nami would get better.

plus the fact he was reliable in medical knowledge, or as far as his medical knowledge went. so she delivered his message to those above deck without a second thought, to which they nodded their heads.

meanwhile, [name] was making sure nami would be as warm as possible when they reached the island. he put her in the jacket he stole from that other pirate crew, made sure the hood was securely around her head, and then continued to cocoon her in even more layers.

she looked more like a oval-shaped thing rather than a human. but when he expertly tied a rope around her body to attach to his own, he felt secure in knowing she’d be warm and safe. her body was on his back and the crew looked at him as if he were crazy when he emerged from the room.

“what? can’t be too safe!” he pointed out with a grin, “i did a good job, didn’t i?”

luffy clapped his hands in amazement, usopp soon joining. zoro made a comment on how [name] looked like an idiot and sanji didn’t make any snide remarks, simply complimenting him on how he was properly treating nami. vivi had tears in her eyes as she saw [name]’s care that went into making sure nami would be warm for her journey.

on the other hand, he looked greatly underdressed. he only had his shirt and pants on underneath the singular extra layer of a long cloak.

“but [name], you need a jacket,” vivi chimed in, about to go searching for one.

“no, it’s alright, i don’t need it,” [name] shook his head, prepared to find a doctor and getting angsty the longer they were standing still, “let’s get moving already, we need to get nami treated, now.”

"h-hey! hold it right there!" just as [name] touched ground on the island, he was stopped very abruptly. he almost stumbled backwards at the sudden motion because of the uneven weight of nami being on his back. luckily, in time, he steadied himself very quickly. 

he lifted his head from the ground and glared at the civilian that had physically stopped him, "what's your issue?" he asked in a hoarse voice. 

the person's legs seemed to shake from his gaze alone, but their grip on their weapon only tightened. [name]'s eyebrows furrowed at their behavior, about to repeat his question, but they cut him off, "you! you can't come onto this island!"

the crew stopped to watch the scene, vivi about to rush forward and plead for [name]'s case, but his next action made them all still. he reached his arm up and grabbed ahold of the man's collar, "get out of my way." a simple command. his stern voice made the civilian gulp in fear. "or i'll make you move, but if that happens, you won't have your limbs attached to your body," 

"[name]!!" vivi shouted at the threat, rushing forward to force [name]'s hands off of the person, but [name] already dropped the guy, "they're just civilians!!" 

"civilians that are stopping us from getting nami treated," [name] retorted, not looking at the stressed princess in front of him and keeping his gaze trained on the individual. 

"you're a pirate, we know exactly who you are! and we'd rather fight you to the death rather than let you step foot into town," another person cried, making vivi's head whip around in attention. "w-we won't go down like those other towns you've terrorized! we'll fight to protect our home!!"

"please, we sincerely do not have time to waste right now," vivi cried out, motioning frantically to the person on [name]'s back, nami, "she needs a doctor," 

"what? a little news article scare you?" [name] taunted, a smirk on his lips. he was once again ignoring vivi'snpresence, stepping forward as if to incite a reaction.

vivi turned around and shot him a glare, like a mother would to a child that was speaking out in front of her.

[name] didn't help with his next comment either, "the government lies anyway, so don't believe everything you see," 

"the government-" 

"that's enough." a authoritative voice said, breaking the argument up, "there is no need for hostility...they're only here to help their crewmate. if all goes terrible, then we will deal with it when the time comes. for now, let's just get going," 

"that's more of what i like to hear," [name] grinned, shooting a smug look to the civilians that were looking at him in fear, "don't go pissin-" 

vivi clamped her gloved hand on [name]'s face, forced him to bow wirh her hand pressing against the back of his head, and then pushed him forward to follow after the rest of the group. the rest of the crew sighed to see [name] so hostile, wondering if he was always like that. his treatment towards the crew was so different from how he treated the civilians. 

“we need to warn you though, the only doctor we have on this island, is a witch,” the supposed leader of the island said.

[name] grunted as he trudged through the snow, adjusting nami on his back to make sure she wouldn’t slip. sanji was watching carefully in alert, just in case [name] slipped or somehow would mess up and accidentally injure nami in the process.

[name] didn’t speak or complain the entire journey, dead set on getting to a doctor as fast as he can. he did bow respectfully at a passing bear, but other than he conserved his energy to the maximum.

“this is our village, big horn,” the man said as they reached some form of civilization.

[name] tuned out any conversation going on around him, desperately trying not to think about how cold he was. he felt as if he was freezing to the bone, literally. it was as if his inside were hardening to become ice.

he had lost his ability to control his facial expressions, so his face was literally stuck in one expression. eyebrows furrowed together, lips set into a thin line, jaw clenched - it was a rather scary sight only because of how intimidating it was to others. it definitely didn't ease any of the civilians that already recognized his face for the high bounty he had. it only seemed to make him live up to his terrible reputation. 

but in reality, [name] couldn’t change that facial expression even if he wanted to.

he just hopes that he doesn’t lose the nerve feelings on any other parts of his body before they found the supposed witch doctor. but, it seemed that his toes were already losing feeling.

‘my balls are gonna freeze off…’ he thought once more, gritting his teeth as he urged himself to deal with and fight off the freezing cold.

for some reason, instead of leading the crew to a doctor, they were taken to a home. [name] grit his teeth, but tried not to outwardly rejoice in the warm feeling inside of the place.

he felt his own facial features beginning to relax, as if being thawed out by the warmth.

“i appreciate the warm welcome in here,” [name] spoke, stretching his face by extending his jaw to regain control faster, “but our friend seriously needs to see a doctor.”

vivi was scrambling behind him to get nami’s temperature, seeing as she was tied to [name]’s back there was no discussion of un-doing the knots that [name] had done. so she simply angled nami’s face towards her and took her temperature that way.

“107 (42C)!!” vivi exclaimed, making [name] click his tongue.

“come on, man, where’s the doctor? it doesn’t matter if she’s a witch,” sanji said, getting exasperated.

“did you see the insanely tall mountains earlier?”

[name] nodded his head as sanji hummed in confirmation.

“those mountains are known as the drum rockies. do you see the castle at the top of the tallest one in the middle?” [name] looked out the window, nodding once more, “the castle no longer has its king. the only doctor in the land, dr. kureha, lives there. people call her a witch,”

“well, isn’t that just lovely, the farthest place from where we are,” [name] said sarcastically, feeling himself grow bitter at this island, “how convenient,”

“call her right away, tell her we have a critical patient!” sanji said, adding into the urgency of finding the doctor.

“even if we wanted to, there’s no way we can contact her,”

“of course there isn’t,” [name] said, slapping his gloved hand onto his face.

“as a doctor, she’s very skilled. but she’s an eccentric old woman, she’s nearly 140 years old now. and let’s see, she likes pickled plums,” [name] grit his teeth as he saw no point in the conversation. the guy was telling them everything they needed to know except for how to get ahold of the doctor.

at this point, he will have to go up there himself.

plus the fact now the guy was telling strange stories about creatures that had no correlation to helping nami get better. of course, they had to anchor at the most difficult island imaginable.

luffy hummed in thought before rushing over to where [name] was standing, talking to nami on his back, “nami, nami wake up! nami, wake up-”

“idiot, don’t yell at her!” [name] said, turned around and slapping luffy on the head.

“ah, it worked, she woke up! nami, listen we are gonna climb the mountain to get you to the doctor!”

[name] blinked a couple of times before grinning like a madman. luffy always knew how to get things going, no matter the situation.

“what!? what are you talking about?” usopp shouted.

“don’t make nami-san do something like that!” sanji refused.

“luffy, what do you mean?!” vivi asked.

“what’s the problem? we need to hurry, don’t we? [name] will carry her on his back and we will go and talk to this old witch lady,” luffy said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

to [name], it was. but it seemed the others didn’t think so.

“oi, [name] you can’t possibly think this is the right course of action!” usopp said, hoping that [name] would be able to talk their captain out of his antics, but [name] shook his head.

“no, i agree,” [name] said very simply, “if we wait here, nami dies. if we go up that mountain, at least we’d have a chance in seeing the doctor. i’m not waiting here and watching nami die,”

when he used the word so casually, sanji got more irritated.

”she won’t die and could you two please use your heads for once?! nami-san can’t make that journey!”

“it won’t matter if she herself can or can’t, we’re taking her up that mountain!” [name] shouted, getting irritated at everyone. “nami will have me and luffy there, that’s more than enough reliability!”

“what if you guys fall from that height?! any normal person will die,”

“i’ll be the one to break that fall,” [name] said easily, looking bored with all their questions.

“i stretch, so i’m not normal,” luffy said simply, stretching his face with his fingers for emphasis.

“you guys-”

“we need to…” nami’s weak voice spoke from behind [name], making him turn his head towards her, “we need to hurry, for vivi,”

luffy grinned at her words, picking up on her tone exactly what she meant.

“captain, [name], i’m counting on you,” she said, letting her head rest completely on [name]’s shoulder as she finished her sentence.

“see! just leave it to us, we’ll take care of it!”

“you’ll wake up, nami, and you’ll feel so much better,” [name] said in confidence to the navigator, not minding the looks that the others were giving him.

they walked out of the home, [name]’s teeth almost instantly chattering at the cold climate. but he clenched his jaw to prevent anyone else from hearing and dealt with it with a stoic face.

“i’m going too!” sanji said, desperate to play a role in nami getting better.

“if you’re really going, then i won’t stop you. but please, at least go from the other side, there are lapins on this course ahead,” [name] tilted his head, wondering what lapins were. “fierce, carnivorous rabbits. if you encounter a pack of them, you’re as good as dead.”

[name] shrugged, motioning to the sword at his waist, “i’ll cut them all up,”

“i’ll kick ‘em away,” sanji added in, but it only made dalton look at them as if they were crazy.

“are you serious?! you’ll be walking into your deaths,” luffy and sanji waved off the man's concerns, allowing [name] some time to talk to the princess.   

“vivi,” [name] spoke softly to the woman, walking up to her side and looking down at her with a gentle smile, “i promise i’ll make our trip quick so we can go to alabasta as soon as possible,”

“please, don’t feel burdened to rush — this is nami’s life, so be sure to-”

“hey, don’t worry your pretty little head about anything,” [name] chuckled, ruffling her hair and causing a mess of her blue locks, “i’m telling you this specifically to calm your nerves and worries in the first place, princess!”

she blushed furiously at his comment, clutching her fists at her sides.

“so take it easy while we get nami feeling better,” he said, sounding almost as if he were scolding her. “i always keep my ends of promises, so that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about,” he joked, earning a weak chuckle from her.

“you’re terrible, [name],” she said hopelessly, internally scolding herself. deep down she knew [name] really would stay true to his word. with how determined he was to see nami get better back on the ship, there's no way he wouldn't ensure she got her treatment.

“come on, shit for brains, we are on a schedule, if you didn’t know!!!” sanji shouted, interrupting [name] and vivi’s conversation.

[name] rolled his eyes, already going to walk ahead, “alright, alright, sorry!” he shot vivi one last smile before turning around and adjusting the grip he had on nami. once he felt secure enough, he announced, “i’m going!!!” and then ran ahead to go up the mountain.

sanji and luffy followed closely behind, luffy laughing his head off as sanji berated [name] for, “not running gently enough for nami-san!” in the distance, they could faintly hear usopp and vivi wishing them a safe journey.

“nami, you’re strong,” [name] whispered, only for the girl to hear, “so hold on a little longer, then you can rest for as long as you want. i promise — when you wake up! you’ll feel fine!”

“[name]’s gone crazy, he started talking to himself!” luffy joked with sanji, making [name] throw a snowball at his head in retaliation.

luffy was about to throw one back, but sanji kicked him to put him to a stop.

this made luffy’s laughter ring in the snowy mountains, with sanji’s grumbling, [name]’s strained exhales, and nami’s bated breath all quietly following their captain’s loud cackles.

—

『 prev 』 ˗ˏˋ꒰ 🌊 ꒱ 『 next 』

[theodorecanaryhood]

The Artist and the Tattooist: Lovers, Heroes and Enemies

Part IV

Jason Todd (middle) x Male! Reader

Warning: sex, language, violence

Times like these it was good to have someone else to turn to, when stress was high and needing a little distraction.

You lay naked on your front on the floor of the room as Jason crawled his tongue up your back, pushing himself into you.

The room was filled with smell of paint and the noise of you and Jason, the noise of pleasure.

‘Oh fuck’ Jason growled as he pressed his face into your shoulder, you gripping at the sheet on the floor.

The new apartment wasn’t finished yet and needed some furniture still, Jason’s muscles came in handy, the rooms needing some paint work, you coming in handy for that.

Going at the moving process for so long you and Jason took a break, a break to have some rough and loud sex.

‘Oh God, Jason right there, don’t stop’ you called out, attempting to not be too loud as the neighbours would have something to say, especially as you hadn’t met them yet.

Jason built up the pace as he got on his knees and slammed into you, you feeling you won’t be able to walk much the next day.

‘Shit’ Jason called out as he slammed his hips deeper into you, his length filling you up.

The paint from the sheet was travelling onto the both of your skin, the blue and white you were using for this room was making its way through your complexions.

‘Oh God, I’m coming’ you panted as you released yourself, Jason smiling to himself as he watched his boyfriend spill out on the sheet.

‘Y/n, I’m gonna, I’m com…..’ Jason stumbled his words as he released himself, spilling inside you.

Jason lay on top of you once again as he kissed you deeply, breathing heavily into it.

Sex with Jason was something you’d never experienced, not that you’d had sex with loads of guys, but it was never something you’d had.

He was rough and vocal, getting you in positions you never knew existed. Yet, his aftercare was sweet, gentle and loving. Jason loved you in so many ways, and it never failed to show.

‘Should we keep painting or take a shower?’ Jason asked, rolling onto his back as you rested your head on his shoulder.

‘Maybe stay where we are for a bit and carry on’ you replied, Jason wrapping an arm around you and pulling you in, kissing your head.

The two of you lay in a comfortable silence as you both took in the views of your new place, and the thoughts that a thousand more times like this will pass, and it’ll never be forgotten nor will it be enough.

‘Shower? Then coffee date?’ Jason rolled on his side and proposed to you, to which you smiled and nodded.

Jason stood up making sure to not walk in front of the bare window, giving the new neighbours a view of his manhood probably wasn’t the best idea.

‘I’ll get the shower started’ you said as you got onto your feet, walking to the bathroom.

The two of you had gotten so comfortable and used to each other that walking around naked wasn’t an issue. In fact, Jason had become more comfortable with himself. Loving himself a bit more, thanks to you.

The water from the shower head fell as you both stood together, you both washed and rinsed. In between, making sure to give each other a kiss every now and then.

Jason always described your kisses as Angelic, like kissing the lips of a literal Angel. You, you described Jason’s lips as Rose petals. It still shocks you to think, someone as rough around the edges as Jason, had such soft lips. Lips that never failed to make you weak at the knees.

‘Stop, you’re making me hard again’ Jason whispered in your ear, you sinking your teeth into Jason’s chest.

The water still hitting the both of you as Jason wrapped his arms around you, his soaking wet hair clinging to your bare skin.

The two of you finished off showering and went to the bedroom to get clothes, they weren’t all unpacked yet so you had to find some in boxes.

Jason took your hand in his as the two of you walked out the apartment, him locking the door behind you both.

‘Maybe we should introduce ourselves to the neighbours’ you suggested, Jason nodding.

‘Would be good’ Jason hummed as he took your hand again, the two of you walking outside to the car.

The usual days out always took an unexpected turn as Jason liked to try and keep some spontaneity.

It was coming up dinner time, instead of eating out as you were both trying to save money, Jason opted for cooking a dinner for you both at home.

You’d made a cute little hamper with a bow on it to give to the next door neighbour, just to say hi, hoping they didn’t hear all the noise from you both earlier.

‘Dinners done babe’ Jason smiled as he placed the plates on the table, lighting some scented candles on the table too.

‘Good I’m starving’ you said, the smell of the food suddenly made you realise your stomach was empty and growling. You hadn’t eaten much today, plus Jason’s cooking was literally the best.

Dinner, some wine, dessert and then some Netflix while cuddling on the couch. This all made the day end perfectly, Jason even made a point of taking the night off from patrol.

You woke up to a bright morning as the sun came beaming through the window, giving you a good morning smile. Along with Jason’s arm pinning you down, the man loves to cuddle.

You slid out of bed as to not wake up your sparked out boyfriend, struggling to find your underwear. Jason got frisky last night, wanting to also christen the new bed and mattress, safe to say it is very adaptable to freaky positioning.

After washing yourself quickly and throwing on a cute outfit, you checked the time to see it was coming up 8am.

You gave Jason a quick kiss on the head as he slightly stirred in his sleep.

The hours quickly went by as Jason strolled into the living room in nothing but his underwear, hair disheveled and eyes still not fully open, rubbing his eyes to make himself awake.

‘Morning hot stuff’ Jason gravely spoke, you smiled as you turned to face him.

‘Morning Mister’ you kissed Jason, who was checking out the new art piece you were working on.

‘Damn, is that supposed to be me and you?’ Jason asked, noticing the very detailed canvas of two men in a loving embrace. Both with resemblance to the two of you.

‘Yeah, I kept meaning to include you, as an inspiration’ you spoke, not really thinking much of it but noticing that Jason seemed really shocked.

‘Babe, I’m honoured’ Jason placed a hand on your face as he gave you a deep kiss.

He spotted your phone screen as it lit up, it was gone 11am. Jason’s eyes nearly jumped out of his skull.

‘Shit, is that the time?’

‘Hey you needed to sleep, you’ve been going non stop, plus you’ve only been sleeping for about two hours a night for the last week’ Jason nodded, agreeing and contemplating whether he should take more time off.

Jason went over and made himself some coffee as you continued to work, music playing quietly in the background.

Jason’s morning daydream was the usual few glimpses of the night before, some quick thoughts of what to do with the day. Neither of you were going to be in work this week, to have more time for the move.

‘Hey, I might take the hampers to the neighbours now, you want to come with me? I did a few more for the other people on the floor’ you appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, Jason smiled as he sipped his coffee.

You smiled as you took in Jason’s form and chuckled a little.

‘Maybe shower and dress first’ you suggested as Jason laughed, nodding again.

The new neighbours seemed really nice and welcoming, a couple of them didn’t clock on straight away that you were a couple. That may just be because they were older, a few loved the idea of having what they called ‘gay-bours’ and asked if you guys needed any new BFFs.

Jason found it cute as you smiled brightly as you went door to door, giving your usual glow that Jason fell for…amongst other things.

However, Jason was fighting with his thoughts later that day and decided to blow off some steam by going out on patrol.

Red Hood was not having any problems tonight and found it easy to beat through the criminals in Gotham.

‘Great, more numb-skulls to beat up’ he said to himself as he charged into action.

Taking a few blows, Jason have them back just as hard. Broken bones, dislocated limbs, concussions…Red Hood really was a demon once he got going.

Two big guys tried to take him on but didn’t succeed in the task, suffering severe damage at the cost of trying.

The first guy gave his best as he even managed to cut some skin, but Jason wasn’t impressed as he lifted the guy off of his feet and slammed him into the ground.

The second guy, who probably should’ve run away by this point, decided to try and get Hood while his back was turned. Instead, he got a head butt, a broken nose and then a blinding smack to the face with the butt of Jason’s pistol.

‘Another satisfied customer’ Jason sarcastically remarked as he heard the police sirens coming from a distance, while handcuffing the criminals to a pipe.

The ride home was always the part Jason dreaded most back in the day, hardship of taking down thugs only to go back to an empty home. But this time, these days, he was happy to get home and see you.

Tucked up in bed while fast asleep, Jason tried not to wake you. He hated that every time he was trying to be quiet, something would fall or there would just be more noise than usual.

Sliding into bed next to you with ease Jason wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you against him and kissing your head.

Darkness filled the room along with the sound of your breathing, as you stirred slightly while dreaming.

Of course, filling the gaps in patrols was the only thing Jason dreaded, the hours spent sitting in the BatCave while staring at the monitors.

‘How long you guys been living together now?’ Dick asked Jason, who was engrossed in what he was doing.

‘A few weeks’ Jason answered, not looking away from what he was doing.

Dick was swinging round on his chair in his usual day dream, while Jason was caught up on the mission at hand.

‘You guys talked about the future?’ Dick asked, back against the screens, facing into the BatCave.

Jason stopped what he was doing and looked at Dick, his body language changing significantly.

‘We don’t really talk about it, we both just kind of take the days as they come’ Jason replied, Dick nodding slowly.

‘Maybe you guys should, just so you both know you’re on the same team’ Dick suggested, to which Jason considered.

‘We will, however, this cannot wait’ Jason turned his attention back to his work, Dick also doing the same.

Jason sat quietly with his older brother while they both worked, within the back of Jason’s mind, he was thinking about the future with you.

[theemporium]

[1.5k] maybe being dragged out to the western bar downtown wasn’t all that bad when you have a pretty cowboy waiting for you to step on his toes.

.

You didn’t get much of a choice in the matter. 

And if you had, it would definitely not be spending Valentine’s Day in some random bar in downtown New York with all your friends, drinking fruity cocktails with themed names and pretending that you are all here for the exact same reason. 

Because you appreciated the sentiment and you knew they only meant well, but a girls’ night out on Valentine’s Day lost its solidarity when all the others were either in a relationship, talking to someone or happily married. Skipping out on one Valentine’s Day to spend it with their lonely friend made it feel more like a pity party convention rather than a fun night on the town. 

Not that you said that to them, and not that they would let you believe it if you did say it out loud. And maybe you really were just being dramatic, maybe you should have just enjoyed a night out being all dolled up and pretty because truthfully you couldn’t remember the last time you forgoed sweatpants on a night you usually had no plans for. 

But here you were, in a dress that was hidden in the back of your closet and heels that were already making you regret your choices for the night, and you pretended the drink you were sipping on didn’t cost an extortionate amount as you sat on the high chair, looking around the bar with curious eyes. 

You had never heard of the place considering it was on the opposite side of town from your apartment, but the place intrigued you. For the last two weeks, the whole city of New York had been buzzing with themed decorations, coloured hearts stuck to anything you could see and so much red and pink that it made you feel a bit overwhelmed.

But sat in this bar, there wasn’t a single heart or rose or balloon to be seen. 

Instead, the interior was something inspired by some old western movie with the saloon doors at every opportunity, wooden furniture and the smell of peanuts and whiskey being so strong yet so comforting. The speakers set up across the establishment played out old country songs that you didn’t even know the words to, but your eyes were always drawn back to the big space in the centre of the bar where strangers all stood, laughing and dancing away like some deleted scene from Footloose. 

It was mesmerising to see the way they all moved in sync, the way they knew the next step and the way they laughed and joked with one another as song after song played. As they exchanged beers and knocked shoulders like old friends when there was a high chance they were strangers to each other too. It made the bar almost feel…homely. 

“See someone you like?” your friend’s teasing voice slurred from beside you. 

You rolled your eyes as you turned back around to face the group. “I was just watching.” 

“I thought you’d like this place,” she hummed softly and smiled. “Plus, you’re always watching that dance movie with Miles Teller, thought you could find your own line-dancing hunk.” 

You couldn’t help but snort. “So you brought me here so I could have a Footloose moment?” 

Your friend’s grin widened. “Yep!” 

“You’re delusional,” you said with a shake of your head before you slid off your chair, subconsciously tugging on the end of your dress. “I’m gonna grab another drink, be right back.”

You manoeuvred yourself through the throng of drinkers and dancers as you made your way towards the bar, elbows leaning on the slightly sticky surface as you tried to signal down a bartender but the place was bustling and you could barely hear yourself think down here. 

You let out a sigh, turning to face the dancers once again as you decided to wait for the bartenders to get through some of the other orders before making your own. You watched as the people danced, stepping and sliding and doing all sorts as they stomped around the open space. You hardly even noticed the song coming to an end and a voice booming through the speakers. 

“Howdy cowboys, saddle up and grab a partner for a lil Valentine’s lovin’ dance!” 

You chuckled to yourself as the awful southern accent imitation echoed through the speakers before you watched people run around to grab their partners and tug them onto the dance floor. You were so lost in the moment that you didn’t even notice the man approaching you until the warmth of his body was pressed against your side. 

“Can I have this dance, pretty lady?” 

You lifted your head to look at him, finding yourself a little speechless when you did. 

Your first thought was that this man was fucking gorgeous, that kind of pretty face that you see in movies or magazines. Your eyes drank up every single one of his features, unable to just pinpoint which one made your heart feel like it was racing in your chest. Maybe it was just a combination of all of them: the dark curly hair poking out of the cowboy hat, the soft stumble on his jaw and chin, the slant of his nose that you kinda just wanted to kiss up and down or the soft-looking lips that were pulled up into a mischievous smile, like he knew every damn thought that was running through your head right now. 

“What?” you finally spluttered out when you realised you had been doing nothing but ogling the man in front of you. 

“A dance?” he offered again and nodded towards the dance floor where everyone was getting themselves situated. 

“Oh, I can’t…dance,” you answered lamely, cheeks flushing pink in response as you looked between the pretty boy and the dancefloor. 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he drawled and grinned down at you, the Australian accent much clearer in his voice despite the southern twang he tried to add to his words. “I’ve got you.” 

Before you could even dispute or turn down his offer, his hand was linked with yours and he was already pulling you towards the other dancers with something quite like a challenge glimmering in his eyes. Even if you wanted to, you didn’t think you could pull away from him, you didn’t think your body was capable of that. Plus, you were intrigued to see how this went. 

“You’re gonna make a fool of yourself dancing with me,” you told him as you stopped in a free space, looking up at the pretty stranger with a sheepish smile. 

“Then I guess we’ll be fools together, sweetheart,” he grinned back like that idea didn’t bother him at all.

“I’m sure there are people with much more experience who you could dance with,” you said with a smile because it was kind of hard not to smile back at him. 

“Yeah, but none of them are the prettiest girl in the bar, are they?” he retorted, almost quite smug as the pink hue on your cheeks darkened. 

“Do I at least get a name?” 

“Daniel.” 

“Well, I’m sorry in advance to your toes, Daniel.” 

When the music started, the dance was just as successful as you warned him it would be. You didn’t know the moves and Daniel could only help you so far before you were stumbling into other couples, apologising profusely before hiding your face against his shoulder as laughs racked through your body. 

“So, what brings you in here tonight?” Daniel asked over the music, his hand in yours as he twirled you around before pulling you closer to him once again. “Cause I have a small hunch this isn’t your usual shindig.” 

“My friends dragged me out,” you said with a shrug, letting out a small squeal when the boy dipped you, his loud laugh warming something in the depths of your stomach.

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Galentine’s?” 

“Something like that,” you murmured, your hands gripping his shoulders as he stared down at you. Pretty boys like him didn’t talk to girls like you, and yet there he stood, looking down at you like you were the only girl in this damn bar. 

“Think your friends will be annoyed if I hog you for a little longer?” Daniel asked, something quite like hope glimmering in his eyes. 

“I think they can cope,” you replied with a smile, not quite ready to let your night with the gorgeous man stop just now. There was a buzz, a feeling you thought died when you were twenty-something and realising the world wasn’t as perfect as you thought it was. A buzz that you only ever assumed existed in books and movies. 

You didn’t wanna let go of that buzz, you didn’t want it to disappear. 

“Well then, sweetheart, you know the saying,” he spoke up, the southern accent thick and heavy as he pulled you towards him and plopped his hat on your head. 

You raised your brows in amusement. “And what’s that?” 

Daniel broke out into a grin. “Save a horse, ride a cowboy.”

.

[batty4steddie]

@spicycinnabun and I expanded the friends prompt. Hope you enjoy the angsty fluff from us ❤️️

My Buddy, My Bro, My Pal The party had been going on for about an hour or so. Steve was hosting. He didn’t know when Eddie had arrived but could hear his voice, and then he saw him chatting with Jonathan and Nancy. Steve shot him a smile from across the room. He was so happy Eddie was there. It’d been a long work week, and they hadn’t seen each other since last weekend. He couldn’t wait until they got a moment to greet each other. Chrissy and Robin were there, too, so Eddie had plenty of people to talk to while Steve was making the rounds.

Steve was just catching up with some of his friends who had gone off to college. Everyone was back home visiting their own families during the school break. It’d been a perfect time for a party with his parents out of town. 

When Steve finally broke away from the conversation, it was to refill some of the snacks and drinks. He ran into Eddie in the kitchen. “Hey, man. Happy you made it.” Steve went in for a half hug and gave Eddie’s back a few hard pats as he pulled back and smiled at him. “How’s my good buddy doing? Did you get a drink?”

There it was again. The word Eddie so loathed. Buddy. 

Eddie thought that shit was going to stop once they’d started fooling around together, but if anything, it had only increased. Buddy this, bro that. Once, Steve had even called him pal.

Eddie should have grinned. He should have played along like he usually did. But he was four vodka Cokes in, and his feelings were more feelingy, weeks of pent-up frustration hitting its peak. 

So, he did something monumentally bold and got into Steve’s space, putting his (fifth) drink down and backing him up against one of the counters. “You know what? Buddies don’t kiss each other,” Eddie said, breathing the word harshly between them. His fists clenched at his sides. “Yeah, you… You’ve definitely had a few.” Steve could smell the alcohol on his breath. He was worried they were standing too close to the gas stove. Eddie saw Steve’s eyes widen, his head twitching like he was just barely concealing the urge to look around and make sure nobody had heard that. Eddie barrelled on. It was a courtesy that he was even lowering his voice. He didn’t have to. “If you want to keep on pretending that’s all we are, you go right ahead, Steve. But I won’t be.”

Steve’s heart sped up like it normally did when Eddie got close to him. His eyebrows rose as the counter dug into his ass. This would’ve been really fucking hot if Eddie wasn’t so angry at him. He was surprised that Eddie had that reaction to his comment. He thought it was an innocent enough statement, but clearly, he had struck the wrong chord. 

Steve’s eyes were doing all the reacting, looking at Eddie but dying to see if anyone had overheard. If they had, it probably wouldn’t have made sense to them anyway. No one knew he’d seduced Eddie into more than just kissing him. Friends didn’t kiss or fuck each other like wild rabbits, either.

Steve shook his head. “I’m not pretending. I didn’t know that you wanted this to be an official thing. I thought you wanted to keep things casual,” he said coolly, even though his heart was beating out of his chest. “I’m open to something more exclusive if that’s what you want.” 

They hadn’t talked about what they were, but if Eddie was gonna call him out so aggressively and publicly at his own damn party, he was going to get Eddie to admit that he wanted to be his boyfriend. What he had been doing was bullying him about being friendly and excited to see him. Wasn’t this a mutual decision they needed to come to before feelings got involved? It was too damn late for that, apparently, with Eddie’s alcohol-induced liberty.   

Eddie was short-circuiting. Thrown completely off. “Excuse me, what?” 

Heat rose to Eddie’s face with the speed of a Nascar driver, leaving a burning trail up his cheeks. He had been… like, one hundred percent sure Steve was deeply in the closet, and that was why he kept insisting they were friends and not, you know, fuck buddies. More than dudes who spent time together. Steve didn’t call any of the chicks he slept with what he called Eddie, right?

“I—I never said we have to be official,” Eddie finally said. His face was blisteringly hot at this point. Had Steve actually said he was open to it? To him? To dating Eddie? Fuck. “I just thought…” Eddie swallowed (fuuuuuck), “…you wanted to hide me under the rug like some bro. So I was pissed about that.”

Did Eddie want to go steady with Steve? 

Hell yes!

He had been infatuated with the hairy bastard long before they’d started sleeping together.

“I would be amenable to. Um. To being exclusive. With you. Yes.” God, he was usually way smoother than this. His fists finally uncurled. He looked at Steve uncertainly. “Do… you want to?” 

Steve had said he was open, but what did that mean? Open wasn't really yes.

“I invited you here.” Steve wanted to end the night alone with Eddie. 

They’d spent the last few weekends in his bedroom, exploring every inch of each other’s bodies. (Steve didn’t even know he had that many moles and that there really was one there. He’d laughed like a hooligan, and it felt like he was gonna break his neck trying to find it in the mirror. Eddie had helped him find it eventually.)

Steve hadn’t been exclusive with anyone since he’d gotten with Nancy, but the thought of being with anyone other than Eddie made his stomach hurt. 

“And we hadn’t talked about it yet,” Steve pointed out. He wasn’t lying. He was open to it because he’d been thinking about it. He saw the way Eddie’s demeanor changed from hurt to hopeful. “I brought it up, didn’t I? Yes, Eddie, that’s what I want. I promise not to refer to you as my friend, without boy in front of friend ever again.”  

Steve wanted to prove it. It was his party, and he could kiss who he wanted to. While Eddie had been so concerned about being a secret hookup, Steve was only concerned about what would make them both happy. He knew kissing each other did, so to hell with what everyone at the party thought about Steve “The Hair” Harrington kissing Eddie “The Freak” Munson. They could get the fuck out and leave them the hell alone if they didn’t like it. 

Steve smiled and kissed his boyfriend for the first time. Eddie, still stunned but quickly getting with the program, clutched Steve’s hips and kissed him back.

In the background, they heard Robin and Chrissy cheering. “Nancy, you owe us twenty bucks!” Robin yelled.

[parkswritessometimes]

Escapees Of I.R.I.S.

Chase wakes up with a small groan escaping his lips. He holds his head in the palm of his hands, trying to calm the pounding of his head . His eyes dart around the room that was not his own, nor the familiar room of I.R.I.S. Comics line the wall with decorative action figures sprinkled between them. A map placed on a cork board with little red tacks and pictures of random people and places with red strings connecting them all.

Baggy clothes that aren’t his own drape his frame, black sweatpants, and a soft dark blue hoodie. They were much more comfortable than the disgusting, smelly clothes he remembered being in just a few moments ago. The distinct smell of  fresh crisp snickerdoodle cookies wafted off of them making Chase’s lips curl upwards.  

But the happiness fades away as he remembers that he’s somewhere new. He forces his shaky legs up, while his mind fights itself to figure out what emotion he should be feeling. Anger, gratefulness, and fear all fight in his head. His hands hesitate for a brief second as the pad of his fingertips touches the doorknob, fear taking over his body. What if something awful is out there? What if the ALTR is out there? Should he even take that chance? 

But then he hears laughter. Music. Something warm and kind waited on the other side of the door. He takes in a deep breath, calming the paranoid voice in his head before pushing the door outwards.

Two figures sit on a couch, one with green hair slicked back into a bun, the other with shaggy brown hair like his own. They speak in hushed tones, to the point where Chase could only make out a few words. His heart longs to leave them alone, to just go back into the room and keep his distance.  But his head knows that these people have the answers, that he can’t hide in that room forever, he’d have to talk to them eventually.

He cleares his throat, getting the two men's attention. They both whip around, identical faces looking back at them. Chase takes a step back in shock as he analyzes the people in front of him. These men look exactly like him. Bright blue eyes filled with light and hope that he used to have years ago. A dark brown beard that covers both their faces. One has a slightly crooked nose, most likely from an injury, but that was the only main difference that Chase could see. 

They looked like him. They looked like the demon.

“Hey, you’re up.” The brown haired one says as he rises from the couch. Chase locks eyes with the strangers making sure they stay blue. “How ya feeling?”

Chase backs up until his back hits the wall. His hands scramble trying to find a doorknob, a lock, something, anything to get away from the new threat. His chest rose and fell at an alarming rate, and he could feel his heart beating in his throat. The situation all too familiar to him. He waits in anticipation for the pain and possession that would shortly come. He squeezes his eyes tight as the demon approaches. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. We’re not gonna hurt you. You’re safe. I know that you’ve heard that a lot over the past few days, but it’s true. We’re not with him, and we’re not with Iris, it’s okay. I’m Jackie and that’s Marvin. It’s okay, it won’t hurt you. It’s not here.” Jackie soothes. His hand slowly reaches out to Chase, trying to seem as not threatening as possible. “It isn’t here. It can’t hurt you. I’m not gonna hurt you.” “How-How do you know about him? How do you know he isn’t here?!” Chase shouts. His arms wraping around his trembling body. Everything was too much, he just wants to go back home. To his family, to his wife, to his life. How could everything have gone so wrong?! 

“Hey, Chase. It’s okay. It’s okay. We-We have this place warded to hell and back. It can’t get to you. I know you’re scared so can you do me a small favor? Just follow my breathing, here.”  Chase feels his hand pressed onto the stranger's chest slowly rising up and down. The warmth coming from the man’s chest convinced him to open his eyes once again. He takes in a deep breath steadying his shaking body. His anxious thoughts steadily dissipate as he followed Jackie’s breathing. In and out. In and out. “Hey, good job. Do you want to sit down? I know this is a lot to process and you're probably really freaked out. We have some leftover mac and cheese if you want some. You must be starving! I know that Iris doesn't exactly have the best food.” Chase’s feet guide him towards the couch, each step made with caution and precision, sitting next to Marvin. He glances at the man who seemed to be completely engrossed in his book. Chase’s eyes land back on Jackie, who balances  over a plate full of food in one hand and a mug in the other. He places both on the coffee table and sits down on the floor, making himself comfortable. “Thanks.” Chase mumbles as he reaches for the plate. He can’t remember the last time he had eaten. He knew that I.R.I.S. had given him food, but the memories of his time there were a blur. He pushes the thoughts aside as he continues to eat. 

“I know that this is a lot, and you’re probably feeling pretty scared and freaked out, but I promise, you’re safe. And I know you’ve heard that a lot but, this time, it’s true.”

“How-How do you know that? That they said that to me?” Chase watches as Jackie bites his lip and fiddles with his fingers. The man was clearly hiding something, whether that was out of malice or lack of trust, Chase doesn’t know.

“Marvin and I are very used to Iris’ tactics.”

“That’s putting it lightly.” Marvin pipes up, not taking his eyes off of his book.

“We also hacked into their cameras and watched the footage.” Jackie whisperes. “I’m sorry that you had to go through all that.”

Chase shrugges, not wanting pity from these strangers. It was shitty, but these people couldn’t grasp what he went through. That thing killing everything that moved, but sparing him. Not being in control of his body for hours at a time as Anti constantly reminded him of everything that he did. And that damn doctor asks those provocative questions, again and again. 

“Not your fault.” Chase decides to say after a few moments of silence. 

“Yeah, well you're safe now. That’s what matters.” “So am I in a safe house or something?” Chase asks between bites of macaroni. “Uh not exactly. You’re in our apartment. We just needed a place where that thing couldn’t find you. Like I said, we have this place warded to hell and back.” “Warded? I don’t understand.” Marvin extendes his hand  letting a small ball of fire sit in his palm. It’s so small but Chase feels the power radiating off of Marvin as he fiddles with the small flame. It feels familiar, like the ALTR’s presence but much…softer. The ALTR’s power felt sharp and powerful. Like a thousand knives cutting and slicing into him. Marvin’s power feels like a fireplace on a cold day, warm and inviting but still dangerous if you get too close. “Jackie and I have powers. He has strength, speed, enhanced healing and bioelectricity, I got some elemental magic and other stuff.” Marvin explaines as the ball of fire weaves between his fingers.

Chase sits in silence trying to absorb all the information being thrown his way. He presses the heels of his palms into his head, as he attempts to wrap his head around everything. Magic was real. That thing is real. He was in danger. He was safe. These people are magic and somehow know everything about him. “Chase? You okay man?” Jackie askes, placing a hand on Chase’s shoulder. “I know that we’re throwing a lot of stuff at you. Do you wanna…take a break or something? Lay down?” 

“No, no. I’m fine.” Chase mumbles waving, Jackie off. “Just…It’s a lot.”

A heavy blanket appeares on his shoulders and a warm cup in his hand. He feels Marvin’s warm hands rub circles on his back. Chase swallows as a sob as they continue to sooth him. These two strangers, they showed him more compassion in the ten minutes he was here than anyone had shown him in the last 3 years. Clothed, fed, and now comforting him. He doesn’t deserve this kindness. He doesn’t deserve any of this. 

“Chase, listen to me.” Marvin’s voice cuts through all of Chase’s thoughts. “You are gonna stay here with us, until we figure out this whole situation. Jackie and I are gonna keep you safe and you’re gonna tell us everything you can about that thing. Sounds good?” 

 Chase nods, not making eye contact with either of them. He takes a small sip from the cup, pleasantly surprised when the familiar taste of black tea hits his lips. He lets out a small sigh and placed the mug on the coffee table. 

“Okay, what do you want to know?”

“Everything.” Jackie says. “Tell us everything.”

_____

Revised on 11/08/2023

[Part 2]

[taulun]

I’m gonna write too many questions because I’m literally obsessed with your music au and I need answers, thank you very much. Some of these are gonna be weird (probably) or weirdly specific (I’m sorry in advance). So:

1. How close are Mari and Juleka? I’ve started wondering when you posted one of the memes on ig stories about Juleka scolding Adrien (more like >coming for Adriens ass<). Is it because she and Luka used to date? Do they live together when not on tour?

2. Does Mari smoke cigarettes or just Adrien?

3. This one’s gonna be weird but it’s the added question to the previous one - how do they smell? Like weirdly specific yankee candles smells

4. What happened before Mari realized that she has to break up for real this time with Adrien (maybe I’ve missed that one somewhere)? Because they were on and off together then broke up, then started dating again but like healthier?? Did I get this one right??

5. How long did this situationship last? I’m obsessed with dates so if you’re willing to place them on a weirdly specific timeline - I’m all in

6. I saw you posted once their sun signs but would like to give us more? Like big three or big six for at least Mari and Adrien (preferably for all of the characters)

7. What type of alcohol is their favorite? Like what would they drink on a night out (like when they got wasted after Exitiums concert in karaoke bar)?

8. If you could write one thing (you can always write more, I won’t be mad) about them that no one would guess (weird obsessions, funny stories, favorite teddy bear - stuff like that)

I’ll be back with more (I’m sorry) but I just wanted to add that you’re an amazing artist, bless you and your talent 🛐

First of all - I LOVE YOU FOR ASKING ME THESE, it makes me so happy that you're interested with my AU!!! Please always feel free to ask me more!!

Here it goes (I hope I can satisfy you with my answers❤️):

1. Juleka is Mari's bestest friend, and yeah, they got to know each other because Mari and Luka dated in the past - let's say it was like 5 years ago that they met. They're complete opposites - Mari is very emotional and pretty naive, cries easily, is impulsive and not very rational ig, while Juleka is pretty down-to-earth, sceptical, cautious, and reliable. She can call out Mari's BS, but she also supports her and is always there for her when she's in need. They complete each other as friends because Juleka, although she seems tough, is actually a sensitive person herself, and she actually likes Marinette's affectionate side. And for the second part of the question: Juleka lives with Rose somewhere in Sweden, they're married, and have a dog named Daisy! Luka lives by himself, so does Adrien, and Plagg (or actually - Peter). Ivan lives with Mylene, his wife, and they have a little daughter. Marinette lives with her mom in Stockholm.

2. She does occasionally! But she's not that much into it. She actually started smoking some because of Adrien, she just felt like "matching" his vibe - it's something that people with codependency issues tend to do. In Mari's case it was like:

Adrien: *lights up a cigarette after sex, as he usually does*

Mari: *grabs his pack of cigarettes and takes one herself*

Adrien: I've never seen you smoking before.

Mari: *smiles widely as she lights up her cigarette* It's my first one.

Adrien: I thought you hated the smell of it.

Mari: *looks him in the eyes, still smiling* I don't hate it anymore.

3. (I fucking love this question okay) Adrien usually smells like cigarettes (obvious XD), and cologne - idk how to explain the smell, but it's that smell of perfume that guys wear that makes you all fuzzy inside, it's intense but not because he uses too much of it. Marinette smells like Pink Chiffon perfume from Bath & Body Works (it was my fave perfume when I was a teen and I kinda associate that smell with her).

4. They were fighting, as usual, she said to him that she hated him because he made her fall in love with him, and that's cruel, blah blah, and he straight up told her "We were just fucking, okay? I never promised you anything. I never said to you that I loved you, and I never said that I will one day. I don't do 'love', I've said that already. You made it all up in your head. There's no 'us', we won't get married and build a fucking house together, get over it. It's not gonna happen." OR something along those lines, you get the idea. And he was never THAT brutal with her before, sure he was saying stuff like "haha I don't do love, we can have fun together but that's all", but that never stopped her from hoping and clinging to him. That fight ended up with her having a panic attack and him slamming the door as he left, like always, she got drunk af and sent a lot of messages to Adrien at like 3 AM (he never responded), then she wrote to Juleka sth like "I'm tired, Jules", and Juleka knew what was going on immediately. She came to the hotel room where Marinette was staying for a couple of days, and helped her get through the night. Then in the morning they had a talkTM, Juleka advised Mari to go back home to her mom, and stay there for a couple of days, cancel a concert or two, and just think it through. And she did. She sent one last message to Adrien after two weeks or sth that said: "I don't do love anymore, either. Goodbye, Adrien." And that was it.

5. A little more than a year. Let's say they met in June 2018, and they broke up in September 2019. They got back together a couple months later, in spring 2020 - late April?

6. Lmao actually I was doing some astro research lately to establish their big 6 😂 and so I've figured it out:

Adrien:

Scorpio Sun

Capricorn Moon

Aquarius rising

Scorpio Mercury

Sagittarius Venus

Scorpio Mars

Marinette:

Cancer Sun

Libra Moon

Pisces rising

Cancer Mercury

Leo Venus

Libra Mars

For the rest of the characters - I don't know now! Just their sun signs.

7. Marinette is a pink wine girl, but her fave drink is Pinacolada; Adrien is a vodka guy, but he drinks some beer, too, usually light beer. Nothing out of ordinary honestly. For the rest of Exitium: Juleka likes apple cider and flavoured vodka shots, Luka is a dark beer guy, Plagg and Ivan both drink whatever they are given.

8. Okay okay so:

Adrien - he's left-handed, he doesn't like sweets at all except chocolate, he was not his parents' first child - they had a baby boy before Adrien, but he died in labour; he likes thriller films and action movies, he drives very fast (many people told him that he needs to be more careful when driving a car because he'll end up on a tree), red is his favourite colour, he's pretty interested in Scandinavian mythology, he knows 4 languages - Swedish, English, French, and Latin (!), as a child he wanted to become an astronomer (and he used to obsess over space, planets, and stars).

Marinette - she's very close with her mother, even though they used to fight a lot when she was a child/teenager; she once died her hair red and she really liked it, but then decided that her natural colour - dark brown/black - is better; she's got some scars on her thighs and forearms from self-harm; she had an imaginary friend in childhood, her mom thought she was seeing ghosts but she actually just made that friend up; peaches are her favourite fruits; she loves Studio Ghibli movies, especially Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle (she even used to make a cosplay of Sophie); she can play five instruments total: the guitar, the piano, the violin, the cello, and the flute (yeah, crazy, I know).

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS AND YOUR KIND WORDS ❤️❤️ Srsly feel free to ask me more, I want to tell you guys more about this AU!! 🤟🤟

[saintsofwarding]

EMBRYO

Chapter 14: Sister, Sister

The Embryo vomited up a squirming, white bundle of slime and black blood; it hit the pavement with a splack and writhed there, splits and tears appearing in its membranous coating. Rose could only stare, aghast and fascinated; had it spat out one of its organs? Had Heisenberg's harness made it sick or something?

Then the membrane tore down its length, and the arm slid out, pale fingers clawing and clutching at the air.

A girl spilled out onto the pavement, raking away the remnants of the organic coating that had encased her. Her hair hung in wet, white-blonde strings. She moved them back from her face; Rose recognized the gesture as much as she recognized the girl, recognized her own features, once again like looking in a mirror.

"No," she whispered, "freaking. Way."

"Astonishing. A genetically-engineered monster that acts both as incubator and symbiote," Heisenberg muttered, watching the proceedings with rapt fascination.

He wouldn't for long. This time, Rose was gonna put this thing in the ground before it ever got the chance to hurt someone else.

With a snarl, she brought her arms upward, a full-torso movement; the pavement rumbled, mold bursting from beneath her feet-

"Kill him," the not-Rose whispered.

The Embryo lunged. Its wings outstretched, its jaws agape, it leaped over the not-Rose's head and toward Rose and Heisenberg. Rose dived to the side, her attack interrupted; Heisenberg grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a shipping container as the monster thundered by. It hit the containers, metal buckling under its mass, and whipped round, its severed tongue already regenerating into a pinkish stub.

The not-Rose stood for a moment, eyes glinting. She bared her teeth, then whirled, and ran.

"What?" Heisenberg growled. "Where the hell is she going?"

"I think I have an idea," Rose said quietly.

The Embryo whipped back and forth, mouthparts clashing. Orifices gaped along either side of its throat, sucking at the air. It was smelling for them, Rose knew. Sooner rather than later it would find them.

"I need to get after her," she said, glancing toward where the not-Rose had bolted off to.

Heisenberg glanced down at her. "Is that right?"

"Yep."

"Well. Since I did hear her say kill him I've got to assume the big bad beastie wants my head, not yours." He grinned, sudden and hard. "Let's give it what it wants. What do you say?"

Rose blinked up at him. "You're not serious-"

"Oh, look at that, your twin's getting away."

"Heisenberg, it's gonna kill you!"

"Who the fuck do you think I am?"

"If you say Lord Heisenberg-"

"Listen." He rounded on her, gripping her by her shoulders. "You said you killed the other one with a train and electricity. I'm, essentially, both. Besides. It's been years since I had the chance to put on a real show. You wanna be a little bitch and take away that chance now?"

"That is not the issue here-"

"Just let it be!" He gave her a little shake, his grin cracking around the edges. "Dammit, Rose, I'm saving your goddamn life here. Do me a favor and be grateful about it."

"I hate you."

"You ruined my life."

Rose threw her arms around his neck, catching him up as long as she dared in a tight hug. She pressed her face to the crook between his neck and shoulder, her eyes closed, her fingers clutching fists of his coat.

"Come back," she whispered.

"So you can kick my ass?"

"Just come back."

A last squeeze, and she let go. Her skin stung, her eyes warm. She didn't wait around. As Heisenberg strode from their hiding place and before the Embryo, she ducked past him and sprinted after her doppelganger as fast as she could.

"Well, well!" Heisenberg called out, behind her. She glanced back as a sound like a ten-car pileup filled the salty air; lightning crackled, the rain split apart by massive, arcing rifts of pure energy. Oh, shit, he was gonna mutate. Rose wished she could stick around just to watch this happen. The shipping containers began to quiver and disintegrate, torn into scrap and cyclones of bolts under his onslaught.

They swirled around him as he lifted his arms, his silhouette almost lost amidst the storm of metal and lightning.

"Looks like it's just you and me, now!" he yelled, and then he was gone, nothing but the echo of metallic laughter, sharp as a buzz-saw, chasing her down the dock.

***

Rose pelted through the darkness. Here, the rain gusted down in frigid sheets, oily swells of seawater dashing against the docks, against the massive, monolithic ships drawn to berth. She could still hear the boom and crackle of Heisenberg's battle against the Embryo in the distance, a high-pitched squealing she hoped was the monster getting its face punched in, but she didn't look round. She searched the rain for the first glimmer of blonde hair, searched each ship for those tell-tale letters and numbers, done in white paint on dark metal, ten feet tall.

You really think you're gonna be enough, Rosemary? Eveline's voice echoed in her head. A girl-shaped shadow skipped and danced alongside her, reflected in the wet pavement at her feet. You and all your silly little qualms about killing people who'd just as soon kill you?

"Yup," Rose said.

A laugh echoed through the rain. You're learning. Slowly, but...you have time. This world will never be kind to you. Never. Chris, his squad, they'll all turn on you the moment you do something they don't like. You'll never have a place here. You'll never have peace. No wind in the trees, Rose. No summer sun soothing you like a lullaby.

"I know," Rose said. She reached up to scrub rain off her face.

I wanted that, too. But I couldn't have it. Because...because...because... Eveline- Rose- both of them- cut off in a soft childish hiss of frustration. It's stupid! It's so stupid! The Bakers found me and took care of me and they wanted so bad to help me and I hated how nice they were. Because it was all a lie. It was all...fake.

"It's not," Rose said. "Not all of it. It's gonna be okay. I'm gonna make it okay."

She saw it, suddenly. White flashed in the periphery of her vision. One of the vast cargo ships moored to the dock with chains thicker round than her whole body, its hull scabbed with rust, Cyrillic lettering painted under its numerical designation.

The ship's English name was painted alongside:

OSIRIS

Rose didn't need to see the wet, bare footprints on the pavement, the open porthole with the outline of a girl-sized hand, on it to know she'd found what she was looking for.

She backed up, then sprinted. A running leap; she shoved off the edge of the dock and hooked her arms around the massive chain, catching it and swinging herself onto it in one movement. The whole thing juddered under her weight, slick with rain and swinging from side to side as she clung on, heart pounding, breath between her teeth.

She gave herself five seconds to acclimate, then scrambled up the chain, toward the open porthole halfway up the side of the ship.

It came fully open with a kick; Rose clambered inside and dropped to the floor. Darkness spread before her, chill and sterile. As her vision adjusted, she saw she was in a lab, white walls, white floor, steel tables and desks laden with equipment spread throughout the room. She prowled through, her whole body tense, on alert.

She paused by a refrigerated cabinet to peer in at the test tubes in racks inside, a tiny, curled fetal shape visible within each. They twitched as Rose watched them.

Rose wrinkled her nose. Were those...tiny Embryos?

A clatter echoed from outside the room. With a small, steadying breath, she pushed from the room and into the hallway beyond.

She followed the maze of shipboard halls down, the tangle of pipes and ductwork snaking down the ceilings, reflecting her movement with hazy, indistinct shapes. Portholes allowed the rain-shadows, making weird rippling curtains across the walls, across the other doors.

Windows in them showed more lab rooms, computer rooms, all white, all sterile, the air thick with the smell of chemicals.

No one's here.

Where the hell was everyone?

There should be researchers here, guards, right?

Movement down the corridor. Rose whirled as her doppelganger darted from sight, a flash of pale hair and fitted black clothing. Good; she really, really didn't want to have to fight herself naked.

"What is this, anyway?" Rose called.

She swung around the corner to- nothing.

An empty hall.

Echoes fanned away and away, dissolving into hush. She swallowed, pacing forward, her hands in fists at her sides.

"If this is supposed to be some kind of stupid trap," she called, "you'd better be ready for the hell my metal-bending friend out there is gonna rain down on you-"

She turned the next corner, braced to fight, hands lifted. Ahead stretched what looked like a mezzanine walkway, railing overlooking a big, dark empty space. She cleared her throat. "-If I don't get you first-"

Behind her:

A whisper of movement.

She spun with a gasp. A pale fist cracked into her sternum, hard; red filled Rose's vision. She was hurled through the air and hit the ground, breath rushing from her, leaving her gasping and wide-eyed. The other Rose stood before her, head lowered, hair hanging over her face like a ghost-girl in one of Heisenberg's horror movies.

She stalked forward, lifting her hands. The corridor walls rippled around her, mold crackling from the seams between the panels.

Rose flipped onto her feet, ignoring the wet throb of pain in her chest, and met her head-on. The wall of mold surged toward her twin; a slashing movement parted it, mold passing harmlessly around her.

Enough to distract her.

Rose stepped in, already moving. This bitch might be able to match her toe-to-toe, give her a world of hurt when she had her shocky-stick, but she'd never been taught how to curb-stomp someone by Lord Heisenberg himself. She grabbed for her hair and yanked; the other Rose gave an ear-piercing shriek, cut off with a "Guh!" as Rose followed it up with a knee to the stomach. The doppelganger smashed back against the wall, skull thudding against metal, leaving a streak of black blood on the white paint.

Rose lifted her fist, mold curling over her skin, turning her skinny arm into a massive, pulsating claw of pure mold.

"I-" Her fist crashed into the doppelganger's jaw. "Am getting sick-" Another punch, right in the face. "-of you messing with my friends!"

Another punch shattered bone. The other Rose slid into a heap, arms sprawled, chest rising and falling in quick, panting breaths. She blinked at Rose standing over her, mold-claw lifted, dripping with blood and mutagen.

"That's for Mara," Rose snarled, drawing back her fist. "And this- this is for me..."

The other Rose stared. Her eyes were the same color as her own, gray-blue.

Did my dad have those eyes?

Her doppelganger's lips fluttered. Rose remembered the guy in the stairwell, the man she'd killed, disintegrated into nothing but mold. She remembered Mara's eyes in the subway bathroom, full of terror and pain.

Help me, she'd whispered.

The other Rose's lips fluttered. Her eyes were bright. As Rose watched, a black tear gathered on her lashes.

For a heartbeat-

She lowered her arm.

Bad call, kid, Heisenberg might have said.

The other Rose was on her feet with an animalistic snarl, like a starving lycan. She hit Rose at a full sprint, taking them both backward; the small of Rose's back hit the railing on the walkway. There was a scrambling, scrabbling moment, a blaze of terror, a surge of hope as her fingertips scraped railing- and then they slipped and she was falling. She glimpsed the other Rose's pale, bloodied face as it spiraled above-

She smashed into the next balcony. And the next. And the next. A crash down a flight of steps and she spilled out onto metal grating, an aching, tearing impact that left her one huge ball of pain. She couldn't make a sound, couldn't move except to curl up until the pain died enough to open her eyes, to take stock of the damage.

She looked up, breathing hard. Light filtered in from portholes set high on the walls, but beyond that, the echoing room she'd fallen into was begloomed with shadow. A cargo bay, she figured. The air smelled of metal and cold, and something else, something warm and organic and festering. Rot, she thought. Blood.

Acid.

Rose took stock of herself- nothing broken? She didn't think so- and pulled herself upright, pushing a lock of hair out of her face. As she did, lights chunked on, motion-activated, maybe. They flooded down from some higher source, illuminating what lay in wait for her down either side of the long hold.

Tanks. Cylindrical, lining the walls. Each was big enough to hold someone with the mass of Chris Redfield, each filled with glutinous dull-red liquid and a snarl of medical-looking wires and pipes, connected to what were unmistakably developing Embryos. These ones were as shapeless as the chewed-gum blob that had attacked her in the park just a day or so ago, but in the tanks they spread out into a vague humanoid form, organ-shadows and the vague shapes of a cartilaginous inner structure visible within their gelatinous limbs.

Rose backed up, her eyes wide, taking in just how many there were. She counted twelve on this side alone. If they had this many, if they really wanted her or Heisenberg or the BSAA dead, why not send them out en masse? Testing purposes alone? Or...

Cold closed over her heart.

Fuck. She had to get out of here.

The portholes were high up, but- could she make it to one before her clone got to her? Were they even big enough to fit through, if they opened at all? Rose broke into a limping jog, looking for stairs up, a door out. The steps she'd fallen against only led to a railing above the tanks, presumably to monitor the Embryos' growth or something.

A door, please, please, please-

One swam from the shadows. Rose ran for it and hit it at full speed. It rattled under her hands. Locked. Shit.

She slumped against it, still panting, her nerves shocking white. She felt the jostle of the thing in the lightweight bag slung over her back, the thing Chris had given her on the elevator, the last part of the plan.

Rose pulled the bag open. The metal cylinder and wrapped packets of explosive material gleamed back at her. They didn't look as if they'd been damaged by the fall. She got out the detonator and gave it a once-over, letting the meditative action of running her fingers over its smooth metal and plastic center her, slow her breathing, steady her pulse.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself.

She gave the cargo bay another look. It seemed to be central. This far down in the Osiris, an explosion would be devastating. She didn't know how the Embryos reacted to salt water, but it couldn't be good for them. And nothing liked getting trapped at the bottom of the sea in the remnants of a sunken ship.

If she did this, then when the BSAA showed up with guns a-blazing, they could atomize the ship entirely, end the Embryo program once and for all.

Rose let out her breath and pushed back from the door, once again facing the cargo bay. There. That central monitoring station, a pillar of wiring and computer screens all tuned to a screensaver showing a serpent biting its own tail.

That would do nicely.

Impact, light as snowfall, struck the floor behind her.

She turned. The other Rose stood in a shaft of light, her hair glistening silver, its ends dripping with black blood. Her face was almost healed, but the place Rose had punched it looked like the skin had hardened into cracked glass.

So...maybe their healing factor was...wrong, damaged somehow. Rose remembered the scrap of memory she'd overheard when she connected with the Embryo. The girl's DNA is too unstable. These things, these monsters made from her...they were wrong, too. So why make them from her? And why draw her in now, lure her to this place?

"You don't have to do this," Rose said. "I...I don't even know if you can understand me, but...still. You don't have to. Whatever they made you to do, you can stop. I'm gonna stop it. Here and now."

She tilted the bag with the bomb toward the other girl.

"Whatever happens, we'll take care of you," she said. "You don't ever have to fight again. Not if you don't want to."

"Fight," the other Rose whispered, a high, childlike reflection of her own voice.

"No," Rose said. "Please. Don't do this."

"Don't do this," the other Rose echoed, and in the depths of the word, Rose thought, for a moment, she heard regret.

Then the other Rose was moving. A blur of silver; Rose had no time to get out of the way, to fling up a wall of mold to protect herself. She threw herself to the ground as her clone slashed a fist through the place where her head had just been, a cataclysmic blow that might well have taken her jaw clean off.

She came up behind her as the other Rose darted her gaze from side to side, searching.

"I'm sorry," Rose said.

Mold-tentacles surged from underfoot; one wrapped around the clone's body, clamping her arms to her sides, stopping her from using her own powers, from moving at all. Tendrils snaked down the rest of her, immobilizing her entirely.

The other tentacle wrapped around her neck.

She cried out, a horrible, insensate scream of frustration, her mission, programmed or engineered or implanted inside her, interrupted. Rose stood slightly crouched, breathing hard again, the pain in her chest throbbing in time with her heartbeat.

Her hands were splayed- could she do this? The other Rose flung herself against her bonds; now she was really sobbing, black tears oozing down her face. The crystal on her cheek spread with a sound like glass being crushed. Oh, fuck, she was hurting herself trying to get out, battering her body to pieces with the sheer, enraged need to get to Rose.

She felt her, too, inside. It was all instinct. All mimicry. Even the tears were false, the echoes of shadows of Rose's memories. You hurt, so you cry. You cry so they let you go.

They let you go, and you kill them.

They had made this poor, pathetic creature like this. A true vessel, an empty shell. She flung herself again at Rose's bindings, and Rose knew she didn't have much time.

"I'm so sorry," she said, and clenched her fists.

The mold-tentacles separated- one going left, the other right. They ripped the doppelganger's head off with the wet crackle of half-calcified flesh. The head arced, then bounced; the mold disintegrated as Rose released her control, and the rest of the clone's body slumped. It crystalized as it fell, and when it hit the floor, it shattered. Nothing more than shards of milky crystal, and those quickly turned to dust in the shape of a girl on the floor.

Rose's breathing sharpened to a sob. She scrubbed her palm over her face and backed up a step. The bomb. The mission. She had to keep focus-

"Well done," said a voice from behind her. "But then again, I knew you could do it."

Rose stopped.

A book with colorful pictures. A mobile revolving slowly, moons and stars and the soft sound of a ringing bell. A lullaby, sung soft and bitter.

A little girl, lost in the forest.

Hush now, child. The wolves are here.

There was no way to remember. But she did. God, she did. That was her gift, after all, given by Miranda, bestowed by the Black God like a blessing, or a curse. To remember.

Everything.

She turned. A woman stood behind her in the cargo bay, a pistol pointed straight for Rose. She wore unfamiliar clothes, a tactical jacket and trousers, and her hair was now streaked in gray, but her face had barely changed from the one in Rose's memory.

She should have fought. Should have run.

She didn't.

"Mom?" she said.

***

"Hey, Rosemary," Mia Winters said, her voice gentle.

Her aim with the gun didn't waver.

"What..." Rose tried to swallow. Her mouth was dry, her head swimmy. Was she seeing this? Was this some kind of hallucination? This couldn't be real. This couldn't be her mom. None of it, none of this. She stepped back again, the bag with the bomb knocking against her hip.

"What are you doing here?" was all Rose could think of to say.

"Looking for you. This whole thing...this whole mess...I had to do it. Orders are orders, and the Embryo...they wanted it tested. And I knew if I could convince my superiors to let me test its capabilities one last time, here, in the city I'd tracked you down in, it would find you."

She smiled, relieved and sad. "I knew you'd react just like your dad would. He never let an injustice go."

"You set the Embryo on the city because you knew I couldn't ignore it? I...I...you know how many people are dead or hurt because of those things?" Heat pulsed up Rose's neck. "My friends- Heisenberg could be dead right-"

"Heisenberg stole you," Mia said. "Rose, he stole you from me, he stole you from the life you should have had. On the run for a decade, dragged around by that- that creature-"

Her face twisted. "What kind of life is that?"

"Mine!"

"Not anymore. I'm going to make sure you're safe now."

Rose let out a laugh of disbelief. "You wouldn't believe how many people have said that to me in the last couple of days. I believe you the least."

"Rose, please." She stepped forward. "Listen to me. God, just listen-"

She cut off, drawing a short breath. "This isn't the way I want it to be, either. After I fell out from under the BSAA's radar I was...I went through a dark time. Everything was gone. Everything. Your father. You. Even Chris was never the same after he failed us. I never wanted to go back to the person I was before, the person I'd been up until Dulvey, but..."

A flutter crossed her face, a spasm of trauma she couldn't hide. A rift down into that darkness. Rose remembered the look in Heisenberg's eyes, when she had accused him of being just like Miranda. That dark went down a long, long ways.

"Every monster has to crawl back to its den sometime," Mia said.

"You expect me to fall for your sob story?" Rose snapped.

"No. I don't. I don't expect anything from you. But I want you to listen. Because I have a plan."

"A plan for what?"

"A plan to get Ethan back," Mia said. "Rose...I know how we can resurrect your father."

Rose blinked. Her forehead creased. "What the hell are you-"

"All of this research. Giving Ouroboros a sample of your unique blood, collected in Hungary, so they could use it to make their creatures," Mia said. "Years of getting them to trust me, to put me in this position, to oversee the Embryo's tests. I might have officially been a caretaker for the Connections, but you don't get that job without knowing a thing or two about making monsters. I realized early on you wouldn't be the right specimen to sequence mutants from."

She smiled a little. "But I did know who was."

"My dad," Rose whispered.

Mia nodded. "He was perfect. Perfect. I never saw anything like him. I never will again. The symbiosis between him and the mold was flawless. With him, Ouroboros' creatures won't have imperfections and irregularities like the Embryo."

"So why the hell need me at all?"

Mia blinked.

"You don't get it," she said. "So we can be together. All of us. Me, and you, and Ethan. So we can be a family again."

Rose shook her head. "I have a family-" she started.

"Sweetheart-"

"Don't call me that," Rose said.

"Rose." Her voice sharpened. "You need to come with me. We can do this. Together. You just have to trust me. Please."

"Trust you? To hell with that-"

Mia cocked the gun. The hammer made a sharp, clean snap. "I didn't want to do it this way," she said. "I really, really didn't. I know you can't summon your power before I can shoot you-"

"She can't," drawled Heisenberg behind her. "I can."

He swept from the shadows, trench coat flaring, a crackling halo of electricity snapping in the air. He looked terrible- blood poured from a gash in his forehead, and it looked like a couple of his fingers were missing, his arms and torso a mangled mess of slashed-up flesh.

Rose had never in her life been so glad to see someone.

Mia spun. Too late. Her gun flew from her hand and skittered off into the dark.

"You," Mia said, her voice strangled. "You- left me- you let her take me, let her hurt me- do you know what she did to me?"

The words rose to a scream, a howl of pure fury. As Heisenberg moved in she grabbed for something in her jacket- gunmetal flashed- no, not a gun, a syringe. She stabbed it upward and straight through Heisenberg's neck. His eyes snapped wide as she depressed the plunger-

"That's enough of you," Mia snarled. She had a second gun out, aiming for Rose even as she watched Heisenberg stagger to his knees before her, electricity dying to sparks, then to nothing at all. "You're nothing without your power, are you, Lord Heisenberg? Had enough of frightening innocents now?"

"Kid."

Rose heard his strangled voice, even across yards of empty space. His eyes locked on hers. The trace of a grin glittered.

"Bomb," he said.

Rose unhooked the bomb bag-

And flung it.

It slapped to the ground before Heisenberg. Mia whirled, her face blanching, but Heisenberg grabbed it before she could get to him. He yanked the bomb out with one hand, its web of lights blinking, and the detonator with the other, holding them aloft with arms spread wide.

"Run, kid!" he yelled, amiably.

And Rose ran.

***

The explosion hit halfway to the deck.

The world bucked around her; she felt like a frog in a shaken tin can. She slammed to the wall, to the other, somehow found her feet and kept going. Metal ground and tore somewhere below, muffled and awful, a sensation as much as a sound. She felt the ship begin to list sideways, gravity slipping, slipping, her boots sliding on the floor as the entire Osisis started to capsize. If she didn't find a way out, she'd be trapped in here, taken down to the seabed, drowned.

Is he-

She couldn't think about that now.

Don't waste it.

But each corridor was windowless, each door leading to a room, a stairwell. A wail escaped her as she ran, and ran, no way out-

"Over here!"

She looked. A pale girl all in black beckoned at the end of a hallway. Eveline. Rose pushed off from the bulkhead and sprinted toward her. Eveline was gone by the time she got there, but before her was a door, and beyond the door- sky, fresh air, dousing rain.

The deck spread before her as she slammed through at full pelt, as she leapt the distance between the gunwale and the dock before the ship shuddered and began its final, inexorable slide beneath the greasy harbor waters.

She hit the dock and stumbled; her legs gave out, and Rose fell to her hands and knees, breathing hard, too winded to cry. She ached, all of her; she let herself fold, burying her face in her hands.

"Rose."

She couldn't face anyone. Anything. She wanted more than anything to sob herself into unconsciousness. But she made herself lift her head as Chris jogged over the docks toward her, followed by most of the Hound Wolf Squad, battered but alive. Chris himself dropped to a knee beside her, his brow creased in concern.

"Are you okay?" He glanced toward the Osiris, now folded in half, rapidly being devoured by the waves.

"Did you know?" Rose said.

Chris lowered his eyes.

"Did you know? That my mother was part of Ouroboros?"

"No," Chris admitted. "No. Not fully-"

"But you had some idea."

"I didn't want to tell you in case I was wrong. That..." He let out a heavy breath. "That was a mistake. I am so, so sorry, Rose."

"Hey, boss!"

One of the Squad was pointing at a shape in the sky. A helicopter, small and sleek; it rose from the sinking Osiris and toward the horizon, toward the slash of orange dawn just visible at the edge of the sea.

"Someone's making a run for it," said Chris's guy. He shouldered a rocket launcher. "Cute. Shall I go duck-hunting?"

"No!" Rose cried. She sprang to her feet- her whole body gave off a bark of pain- and grabbed the guy's wrist. "Don't shoot."

She looked back at Chris. "My mom was the only person on that ship before Heisenberg and I got there. And if she survived-"

Rose swallowed, the bitter taste of mingled hope and dread thick on her tongue. "-she'd want to bring with her the guy who knows the village better than anyone."

"The village?"

Rose nodded.

"What did she tell you down there?" Chris said.

She faced him fully in the bleak dawn light. Countless times Heisenberg had saved her. Countless times he'd meant the difference between life and death, had, against all odds, come back for her. Now she'd do the same for him.

First, though, she had Chris Redfield to convince.

A smile twisted over Rose's face. That was gonna be fun.

"I guess," she said, "we need to talk."

[borrowedfreedom]

Rosie dreamed of a nice cold shower breaking through the heat of the summer’s day. Just a nice, cool sprinkle to wash off the sweat. The cold water splashed across her face and blew up into her nose —

“Pluh — ugh! Pluh!”

Yeah, that wasn’t a dream. It was the horse sniffing her face after having taken a drink of water from somewhere. Where had she even found water??

Rosie sat up, hastily wiping the oat-and-hay-smelling dribble on the inside elbow of her shirt sleeve. She glared while the mare stared off into the middle distance, still dripping, like a dramatic, majestic moron.

They had walked all night, as far as Rosie’s combat boots would go. She had once thought they were her most comfortable shoes. Now she wished she had worn the old sneakers she’d used in high school gym.

The mare didn’t seem at all fazed. The farther they got from the track, the happier she seemed. Maybe she was just glad to be walking somewhere other than an exerciser. 

They left the road when the sun started to come up, when cars would be able to spot them and reports to police made. There were enough twists and turns and canyons in this part of the state that they could get out of sight pretty easily. But as the sun rose, so did her worry for her equine companion.

Maybe she shouldn’t have done this. Maybe the mare was better off with the horse beater. At least there she had food and water. What was she thinking?? She was probably going to get them both killed—

The mare moved again, whacking her muzzle up against the side of Rosie’s head as she did. This horse had absolutely no notion of how big her head was – and, seemingly, no notion of how precarious their position was, either.

“That was fair,” she told the mare. She’d made the decision. The only thing to do now was to live with it. The mare probably hadn’t been trying to say that, but the reminder to get out of her head and pay attention to what the horse needed was a good one either way.

She reached into her backpack for the hoof pick and brush she had brought. When her cell phone came out with it, she shoved that into her back pocket habitually, too. She stood, but the mare’s demeanor had changed, and even with her limited experience, Rosie could tell.

“It’s okay,” she told her, holding the tools up for the mare to see. “I’m just going to clean you up. See? No big deal.”

The horse reached out to sniff and blow the huff of air out. Though still tense, Rosie thought she looked receptive enough. She got closer.

“I’m gonna try your hooves first, okay?” she continued, though she hardly knew why. Maybe she just thought her calm and explaining voice might help the mare feel less cagey. Like she wasn’t hiding anything. It would make her feel better, even if it did nothing for the horse.

She reached for the mare’s shoulder and moved her hand down the back of her elbow and leg, not bending over until she had to. But as she stretched, her shorts pulled over her backside, and suddenly, her cell phone buzzed in her back pocket.

The mare reacted so quickly, Rosie couldn’t even adjust. She pulled her leg out of Rosie’s grasp and bolted, knocking Rosie to the ground in the process. She didn’t go far; a few feet away she turned and faced Rosie. Her ears were flattened and the whites of her eyes flashed as she stared at Rosie, blowing sharply in warning. She stamped a front hoof threateningly.

Rosie didn’t even attempt to stand. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said, holding her now empty hands up. When the mare’s ears flashed forward curiously and then back again, Rosie took the opportunity to reach slowly into her back pocket and pull out her phone.

“Look,” she offered, and threw the phone a few feet away from her onto the grass. “No more phone. Okay? It’s gone.”

It took several minutes, but Rosie took her time. She sat with her hands raised and empty, not even attempting to stand. The mare took long moments to inspect her, and at any slight movement from Rosie, she would raise her head and go back into threatened mode. But luckily, Rosie had nowhere else to be. She just waited, watching the mare for any cues that she was downshifting into a less heightened state of wariness. When at last the mare let out a heavy blow of stress and began to look at the grass for a tasty morsel, Rosie slowly collected herself and stood.

She picked up her phone and immediately switched to Settings, turning off every instance of vibration she could think of, and then turned off the device again entirely. Her jeans must have pulled across a button tightly enough to turn it on.

She turned back to watch the mare, who even now kept one eye on Rosie. Her owner must have used a buzzer during training, a small device that shocked the horse to spur them on faster. They were illegal during races, but it was a lot harder to spot them during training. And once the horse expected them, you didn’t really have to have it on you during the race to make them afraid you were going to use it. Her cell phone vibration only sounded like a buzzer, and the mare had become aggressive.

She’d never really had a strong opinion about them until that moment, figuring they might be useful for stopping aggressive colts or breaking up fights or panicky moments. But to use them so often and consistently that a horse would spook at even the suggestion that she might have one?

The resolve that had waned when she first woke up solidified as Rosie watched the mare watching her. Her hand tightened around her cell phone.

“No more buzzing,” she assured the mare, or maybe herself. “Not ever."

[feralandmoonstruck]

Falling In Love Will Kill You AU 01

This one is the first in an AU where there are slightly different outcomes that I'm not sure will become canon or not.

WC: 1689

Tag list: @pheita @adie-dee @aschlindartroom @jezifster @kainablue

"Cal," Mara laughed, "you know you don't have to keep wearing that."

"Why not? You made it for me, and it matches yours. I wasn't sure about it in the beginning, but I like it." He touched the flower crown adorning his head.

They strolled through the botanical gardens hand in hand. It had been ten minutes since the last people they crossed paths with. Mara occasionally pointed out flowers and plants she knew the names of.

"These black cherry roses smell amazing!" Mara leaned down toward a bush until her nose was almost inside it. She breathed deeply, but sneezed a second later as pollen flew up her nose. "Whoops! Got too close I guess." She brushed her nose clean.

    “Are you alright?”

    “Hmm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Humans don’t do well with getting dust or pollen or really much of anything up our noses,” she laughed.

    “So long as you’re alright.”

    “I’m fine.” She laced her fingers through his again. “I might sneeze again, but that’s about it. We can keep going though.”

    Caldizaar nodded and they drew away from the rose bush and deeper into the gardens. They stopped a handful of other times to sniff at the flowers as they wended their way along the pathways and slowly circled back to the entrance.

    “My allergies seem to be getting the better of me, I think I’m gonna go lay down,” she said when they got home.

    “Do I need to get you anything?”

    “I’m okay for now, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”

    He kissed her forehead. “Sleep well. I will check on you in a while.”

    “You’re always so good to me.” She kissed him and headed to the bedroom.

    Caldizaar busied himself with finding the perfect place for his flower crown. Mara had told him it wouldn’t last more than a few days, but he wanted to be able to display it until it died. When he finally checked on Mara he found her stripped, all of the blankets had been kicked to the floor. A light sheen of sweat had broken out over her brow. He brushed a gentle thumb down her cheek.

    “Mara,” he whispered.

    Her eyes fluttered open. “Cal? I was just dreaming about you.”

    “You look warm. Are you alright?”

    “I’m fine,” she yawned. “I dreamed we were having sex in a field of daisies.”

    “I like the sound of that. Perhaps we could find a field of daisies some time.”

    “I’m warm. Is it warm to you?”

    “I am not a good judge of that. I’m always hot.”

    “Yes you are,” she purred.

    “Still worked up from your dream?”

    “I have to be. I can’t stop thinking about fucking you.”

    A lazy smile spread over Caldizaar’s face. “Would you like to now?”

    “Yes. God yes, please.”

    “You seem quite needy. Are you sure you don’t want to take a cool shower first?”

    “Caldizaar I-wish-you-had-a-middle-name. You should be a good boy and come fuck me right now.”

    His hair slid off his shoulder like a waterfall of shadows as he tilted his head to the side. “You could give me a middle name if you’d like.”

    “We can do that later, but I’m serious. You need to come fuck me now or I’m going to drag you into this bed myself.”

    “Alright, alright,” he chuckled. Once in bed he pulled her into his lap.

    Mara pushed him back against the pillows. Without teasing or warning she sank onto him, her pussy already dripping with need. She grabbed his hands and put each of them on her breasts. “Be a good boy and play with those for me. Don’t be afraid to get rough.”

    “Someone was worked up. We don’t normally jump into this so quickly.”

    “I need,” she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts, “I just need you inside of me. I need to fuck you. I can barely think about anything else.” To punctuate her words her hips snapped against his. Cal rolled her nipples in his fingers. Tugging at them only made her squeal. Within moments, she arched her back, bracing herself against his thighs as she kept up her merciless pace. Caldizaar could barely keep up with her movements. His hands were everywhere. Part, playing with her nipples, part rocking her hips against his faster than she could manage herself. Her first orgasm blew through her. “Cal,” she  panted, “you can’t cum yet. I’m nowhere near done with you.”

    He blinked at her, wide-eyed. “Mara, are you sure you’re alright? We normally take at least a small break here so that you can catch your breath.”

    “No. Don’t. Need. To stop.” Every word was more breath than speech. “Actually,” she grabbed him by the shoulders and flipped herself onto the bed. “Be a good boy and fuck me like you mean it.”

    A shiver ran the length of his spine. “If you would like me to.”

    Mara ran her fingers through his hair before she grabbed a fistful and dragged him down into a kiss. Only when she was breathless did she pull away. Her hand stayed locked in his hair as he entered her. His hips snapped against her quick and steady.

"Harder, Cal," she groaned.

When she sank her teeth into his neck he faltered for a moment. “You really mean it?”

“Of course I mean it.” She bit him again.

He shifted her knees over his shoulders and moved one hand to brace against her back. Alternating between raising her hips and lowering them, each shift brought on a new set of squeals. She screamed through her second orgasm, her nails digging into his shoulders.

“More,” she whined.

“Mara we need, you need a break.”

“Not until you cuuummmm,” her voice bled into a moan.

“Is that your permission?”

“Mhm,” she whined, “be a good boy and cum for me.”

Caldizaar took a deep breath, burying himself in her as deep as he could. A small gasp burst out of her chest. Mere moments later he moaned with his release. They stayed like that for a while, her pussy pulsing around his cock, milking every last bit she could. When they finally came down from their high Caldizaar snuggled against Mara and began to work the tension and fatigue from her muscles.

“I’m going to get you some water, I’ll be right back,” he said when her breathing had finally slowed to a normal rate. He kissed her temple and slipped out of bed.

She was laying in bed all starry-eyed when he returned. The apex of her thighs glowed faintly from his cum. He brushed her hair back and helped her sit up so she could drink.

“Thank you,” she said softly. She was still dazed, eyes unfocused as a warm sensation spread through her limbs.

“We can shower when you’re ready.”

Mara nodded and took another sip of water. Slowly, the chill of the it washed away the fatigue that threatened to drag her to sleep. “I’m just gonna rinse off. I’ll shower for real in the morning, but I’m just too tired right now.” Cal nodded and helped her out of bed.

Over the thundering hiss of the shower Cal could pick out the sounds of sighs slipping into moans like water over skin. He stuck his head through the open bathroom door. “Mara? Are you alright?” Her response was a hum that ended in a groan. He ventured further into the bathroom. The curtain was more than half open, Mara not having bothered to do much more than that. Water ran rivulets like honey over her earthy skin. One hand was between her thighs while the other fondled her breast. “Someone is very greedy tonight. Do you need another hand in there?”

Mara’s eyes fluttered open, a smile curving her lips. “Only if you’re willing to help.”

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.” She stood to one side as he climbed into the tub with her. They stood facing each other, Mara’s back to the wall. She raised onto her tiptoes and he obligingly lifted her leg so she could wrap it around his hip. “I do not remember ever seeing you this greedy. Why tonight?”

“Everything feels so good. So sensitive.”

He slipped a finger into her, stroking against her soft ridges. When she moaned and let her head fall back he added a second finger. “You know it is unlikely you’ll get off in here.”

“I don’t even care at this point.”

“Yet we are still here.” She whined when he slid his hand up to her stomach, leaving a trace of a glow before the spray of the shower washed it away.

“I can’t get enough of you tonight.”

“That may be but I can see how sleepy you are. The bed is very comfy and I know you would be comfy there. We both would.”

“Fiiinee,” she whined as she pulled her leg down.

“All you need is to rise off and then we can go be comfy together.”

Mara seemed to tip forward, her hand on the wall the only thing that kept her from toppling right into him. “I’m still a little woozy.”

“Woozy, that is like dizzy, right?” She nodded. “I am right here. If you fall I will catch you. Rinse and I can carry you to bed. Here,” he shifted them so that she was leaned back into his chest, the shower making a waterfall across her stomach.

She rinsed the last of the slickness from her skin. Cal stepped out of the tub to hand her the towel. His own heat dried his skin in less time than it took her to dry with the towel. He held out a hand for her to steady herself with as she climbed out of the shower.

"Would you like for me to carry you?"

Mara shook her head, "I'm pretty sure I'm fine now."

Nevertheless he walked by her side all the way back to the bedroom where she sat and lotioned her skin before dragging the covers out of the floor and throwing them over her.

[certifiedskywalker]

Trouble Doubled - Bucky Barnes

Even after everything, you’re still the person who Bucky Barnes runs to when things go bad. Only now, he brings Sam who fails to hide his grin when he sees how James melts under your touch.

WARNINGS: Blood, stitches, and TFATWS possible spoilers (I think I was vague enough)

“Ouch! That’s going to hurt in the morning!”

“Ha, it hurts now, actually,” Sam grumbled. 

You pressed your lips together to stifle the grin that threatened to spill over them. Unable to help yourself, you glanced at Bucky in the hopes he too was biting back a grin. Stood by the door, slightly shrouded in shadow, you could make out the half smile that played on his lips. Though, his expression quickly melted into a grimace as Sam groaned. Reality quickly crashed back down on your shoulders and you turned back to the man laid on the table.

“You’re not going to like this.” Before Sam could ask what ‘this’ was, you began to palpate his wound. He flinched away from your reach at first, but then settled in the discomfort.

“Mm, yeah, no, that doesn’t feel good, Doc.”

“Not a doctor,” you said, still pressing lightly into the bruised flesh. “And I have to make sure you didn’t crack a rib. Otherwise, you’ll need a doctor.”

“Gotta work on your bedside manner,” Sam said as he winced. You pulled your hands away with a sigh and he met your eyes. “Bad?”

“In the grand scheme of things, no. Just try not to throw yourself off a building for the next few days. Think you guys can manage that?”

“Maybe. Harder to fly without jumping first.” Sam groaned once more as he sat up and the pain seemed to convince him to heed your warning. “We’ll try, Doc.”

You rolled your eyes at him before turning to look at Bucky. Still tucked in the darker corner of the room, he seemed small. His brows were knitted tightly together by worry and you imagined that, if he met your gaze, you would see concern in his eyes. Pushed forward by your own worry, you strode over to him. At your growing closeness, Bucky lifted his eyes to yours.

“Your turn.”

“I’m fine, Y/N.”

Despite his protest, Bucky did not lock himself in place. Instead, he gave in and let you lead him by the arm, over to the table. Sam eyed him with a wide grin as Bucky landed in the same spot he had sat in only moments ago. He mouthed something to the century-old soldier that you caught, but could not make out.

“What happened to taking it easy? You told me after, you know, that you would ease into things.” You gestured to the rags you had used to clean Sam’s more minor wounds; the fabric pieces were now dyed a reddish pink from blood. “That doesn’t seem like easing into it.”

“You didn’t see the other guy,” Sam quipped. 

“I like to think you didn’t leave any of him left,” you fired back as you pinched Bucky’s chin between your forefinger and thumb. “Look at me.”

Bucky did as you told him to and met your gaze. You took a sharp breath in at the sight of him, at how his pupils blew out slightly as you studied his reaction. All at once, the air around you grew thick. This close, you could smell the sweat and ash on his skin, along with hints of whatever air freshener he had in his apartment. 

Was it coconut? Sandalwood? You couldn’t parse out which as you found yourself lost in the blues of Bucky’s eyes. The sound of Sam clearing his throat shook you from your haze.

“No signs of a concussion.”

“Really?” Sam asked, grin still plastered on his face. You raised a brow at him in question before you turned back to Bucky. 

“Why? Did you hit your head?”

“No,” he said, clearly tired of Sam’s commentary, “but if I did, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Super soldier or not, a head wound is a head wound. Can you?” You gestured to his jacket and, with a sigh, Bucky pulled it off his shoulders.

“How do you two know each other again?” Sam asked, glancing around the room. “And why are we in an abandoned building.”

“Hard to trace us back here. Didn’t want to lead them to Y/N’s place,” Bucky said, tossing his jacket to the side. He winced as he did, and then you saw the blood.

“Barnes!" 

With reaching hands, you peeled back the crimson-soaked material of his shirt. Your movement revealed a long gash along his side that, with each breath, sent dribbles of blood to his hip. Sam made a sound of surprise and mild disgust at the sight. You were inclined to agree with another shout, but you were too caught up in how to stop the bleeding.

“Lay back,” you ordered, pressing Bucky’s shoulder. He yielded and you pushed his shirt up to expose the entire length of the wound. “Why didn't you show this to me earlier?!”

“It’s not that bad.”

"You're bleeding," you huffed, "which is pretty indicative of bad, if you ask me. Sam?"

"This is not my battle,” he raised his hands and shook his head. “I know better than to intrude on a lover’s quarrel.”

Neither you nor Bucky spoke up to correct him. In your mind, you came up with a quick excuse: Bucky was bleeding and you needed to focus on stopping it. Sam’s comment could be corrected later. Though, when Bucky didn’t speak up, you felt your chest tighten. As you worked on dressing the gash, you glanced up at him and found his blue eyes trained on you. He was dwelling on your silence too.

You pulled yourself out of the whirlpool of his gaze and reached over his body towards your medical supplies. As you stretched, your chest pressed lightly against Bucky’s, but you swallowed hard and refocused.

“Sorry, need to sow you up.”

Bucky didn’t respond, but he did avert his gaze. He found some spot in the ceiling to stare at instead of you. His distraction allowed you to work without the prickling temptation to sneak glances at his features; for the most part. It was only when Sam moved to stand over at your side you did you look up from Bucky’s wound.

“What?”

“Nothing, just wondering how many times you’ve done this before.” 

A bitter laugh slipped past your lips at his reply. “Too many times to count. If it’s not an Avenger, it’s a masked savior from Hell’s Kitchen. Someone always needs stitched up.”

“But James here is your favorite patient?”

“Sam.” 

Bucky’s tone set you on edge. It was warning, cold, and unlike the teasing you had grown fond of. Sam, knowing better than to piss him off, backed away from the table. You looked from him to Bucky and back again. When Bucky did not dare to meet your gaze, you felt a lump form in your throat. Tension weighed down your tongue, stopped you from saying a word or asking a question, despite your want to. 

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave you be, old man. I’ll check with Torres, see if he has anything.”

Bucky’s eyes remained fixed on the ceiling above you. He was quiet, like the first time you met, and distant. His gaze seemed far away, as if he were looking through the ceiling of this hideaway. After you heard the door of the room close behind Sam, you went back to work on Bucky’s side in silence. 

Carefully, you sowed the gash and tried to keep your hands steady. Every other jab with the needle made Bucky wince. You flinched at his sharp intake of breath and mumbled an apology before you went on to the next stitch. Five apologies later, the bleeding slowed and you gently pressed a crisp, white bandage to safeguard your handiwork. 

Immediately after you secured the gauze, Bucky moved to sit up. Before he could, you pressed on his shoulders again and pinned him in place. Though, you knew you couldn’t have pinned him if he hadn’t let you. Your upper body strength was nothing compared to his, you both knew that.

“Don’t move,” you said softly, “you’ll ruin my work.”

“It’s gonna be hard not to.” Bucky met your gaze and, in the dim light of the room, his eyes looked dark, almost sad. Something in his face, perhaps the dull, yet familiar laughter lines around his mouth or the bags under his eyes, alleviated the tension that had silenced before.

“You told me you wouldn’t. That you would take it easy and focus on making amends.”

Bucky closed his eyes at the disappoint that laced your tone. “I tried. I wanted to, Hell, I need to, but I can’t. I never could.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Bucky began to sit up from the table top, “I’m a soldier. I need the fight.”

You watched as he moved, as your hands slipped from his shoulders and fell back to your sides. He pulled his shirt down over his freshly bandaged wound. When he was covered, Bucky looked back up to you, saw your frown and frowned too.

“Soldiers get to come home,” you pointed out, arms crossed over your chest.

“If they’re lucky. I’ve never been lucky.”

You bit the inside of your cheek at that. He was right. Bucky told you his story once before, after a therapy session left him feeling a bit more dry than high. He told you that he couldn’t tell you everything, that he wouldn’t. He didn’t have to, but you still hoped for him.

“Luck can change.”

Bucky scoffed as he pushed himself to his feet. Now, at his full height, he towered slightly over you. Despite his looming figure, Bucky did not scare you. Even when he told you his story, what he had done, Bucky did not scare you. 

“Yeah, well, luck, or fate, or whatever, brought me to you and here we are,” he gestured to the dusty dwelling around you. You looked around with a careful eye before you playfully shrugged. 

“I’ve been in worse dives.” Bucky chuckled, a unforced sound that rose up from his chest against his will. “Really, I have.”

“I don’t doubt it. But we put you in danger, asking for your help here. I put you in danger.”

“Oh, are you serious?” You threw your hands up in the air, “there’s always going to be danger in this world. Aliens, war, bad luck.”

“I wanted to keep you safe,” he pressed, taking a step towards you. 

You could smell the perfume of the air freshener again, how it clung to his clothes. It distracted you, threw you into thoughts of what his apartment looked like, if he would ever share that part of him with you or if he would keep it locked away with his full story. You bit your tongue to keep yourself from asking, from wasting your breath on a question he wouldn’t answer. His words would have to be enough for you and, as if on cue, Bucky echoed his sentiment. 

“I wanted to keep you safe.”

“How noble, wanting to keep me safe, Barnes. Just me?” 

Silence was your immediate answer. Silence and Bucky’s full attention. You didn’t miss how his eyes flickered down from yours to your lips then back again.

“Just you.”

In the quiet that followed Bucky’s statement, you became frighteningly aware of your heartbeat again. It wasn’t pounding like before, but it felt loud, like it was pressing against your ribcage, begging to leap out and into Bucky’s arms. As if propelled by it, you found yourself leaning in towards his warmth just as he seemed to shrink away.

Before he was out of reach, you lifted your hands to his face and cupped his jaw. Stubble prickled your fingers and palm, though you were far too enraptured to care.

“Then stay alive,” you said softly, “change your luck and come home.”

In your mind, you did not picture Bucky’s home as his mystery apartment. Instead, you saw only this moment captured by some invisible third party. You saw home as just the two of you and the image made you heart beat a bit faster. 

“I’ll try.”

“Good.” 

For a moment, the two of you just stared at each other, stewed in the new, easier tension between you. But then your resolve broke and you lips broke into a smile. Bucky mirrored your expression, a lopsided grin resting comfortably along his features. His eyes fell to the floor between you before he looked back into your face.

“Can...can I kiss y-”

“Yes, Barnes, please.”

Without wasting another second, Bucky leaned down and pressed his lips to yours. Your hands slipped from his jaw to the back of his head where your fingers tangled in the soft strands of his brown hair. One of his hands found your waist and pulled you close to him, while the other cupped your jaw. In sync, his mouth moved against yours and everything around you melted away.

No more wonderings or mystery. It was only you and Bucky, come danger, trouble, or bad luck; and Sam who lingered outside the door.

[omiscurls]

Diluc, zhongli and childe reaction to their s/o breaking up with them after something they said, maybe after a week or so after they argument they think the s/o forgave them but they break up instead? I WANT THE ANGST

consequences

plot: reader decides to break up with the character after not speaking to them

contains: diluc, zhongli, tartaglia (idk how am i going to do this to my special boy but ill try my best)

warnings: angst, breakups, implied past toxic behavior

a/n: OH MY GOD THIS WAS SO HARD- I DONT HAVE THE HEART TO BREAKUP WITH PEOPLE

diluc

hopeless thoughts ran through your head as you fought with yourself about wether to enter angel’s share or not, hand halfway through to the doorknob. your mind hadn’t been made up just yet, you were still in between two very different scenarios - the urge to forgive him for his hurtful words growing stronger each day, as anger and other emotions subdued to loneliness and the feeling of a part of you missing, ever since the two of you stopped talking.

your mind flashed back to the exact moment when you looked into diluc’s eyes, always so soft and calm for you, forming a way of anger he never expressed towards you before. to the feeling you got right then and there that this man is not the same one you’ve met and fell in love with.

the process of coming to terms with that conclusion was as painful as the first strike of his angry glare, and even though he seemed to have realized the weight of his words right after saying them out loud, no matter how hard you tried, you could not erase them from your memory.

one strike of that pain, one memory of that night was enough to make you go through with your plan, door to the bar opening with a little screech.

it was like just another late afternoon, with charles tending the bar, knights and townsfolk filling the hot room, and the smell of alcohol traveling through the air.

“hi” you said to the bartender “is master diluc around?”

charles, busy with his work, quickly replied that he’s out back, opening a barrel. you nodded and went where his directions guided, pushing open yet another door to see the back of the man you loved, looking just as always from this angle, working over said chore. he didn’t even seem to mind the fact that someone walked in on him working.

“diluc” you said with a sigh, and he almost immediately turned around, tools falling from his hands and onto the ground.

“darling, hi” he replied quietly, walking over to you but stopping half way, eyes set to analyze your expression, figure out what was going on in your mind. “i’m glad you’re here safely, i haven’t heard from you in over a week” he added cautiously, as if weighing every word before deciding to say it out loud.

“well” you sighed again, once again going over wether you should actually break things off right then, mind taking pity on his troubled expression, tired eyes, on the obvious eyebags that were much more apparent than before, a sign that he didn’t catch too much sleep. “i had to come to terms with what i’m about to say”

he wanted to tell you he was sorry, he really did, but words didn’t seem to come out of his throat. obviously he was sorry, it was a bad day and he meant none of what he said, but you knew that, right? you knew he always cared for you and loved you… right?

he wasn’t the best with words, hence, the idea of apologizing with a gesture after you were done teaching him his lesson came to mind. a brilliant idea, one could never go wrong with a thoughtful deed for their significant other, just give him one more chance.

“and my conclusion is, we need to take a step back and… reevaluate things in our lives. i’m not saying this is the ultimate end, but what you’ve said, and how you’ve said it made me realize…”

you were making a good point. you were talking about your feelings. he should listen, but the only thing he heard was the blood pumping through his veins, and the two single words

the end

so there won’t be another chance? he won’t be able to prove himself? what do you mean, the end? the best thing that ever happened to him in his sad life was coming to an end because of him? but he was so careful, he treated you like his treasure, because that’s how he truly felt, like his lifeline, something he could never lose…

and all it took was one sentence too much, one glare too intense. for the first time in what, six, maybe seven years, his eyes began to water, as he blinked the tears back at a rapid pace.

“… and that was a shitty thing to do. i hope you know that. i don’t know if i had anything else i wanted to say, perhaps i did, but… that’s all. see you around, i guess” you mumbled, loosing confidence in what you were saying, taking one last glance at his lost eyes before turning around.

turning around from him, from the love of your life, was perhaps the hardest thing you ever had to do, and yet you did do it.

before you could reach the door again, though, a cold hand caught your forearm. your eyes met his, with just a glimmer of hope that he would magically say all the right words and somehow make you stay, you didn’t want to leave, yet knew you had to. if you wanted to preserve the respect you had for yourself, you had to leave.

why were you giving him time to say something?

his helpless gaze seemed to speak with a thousand words, begging, pleading you to not leave through that door, but as much as his lips did part, not a single word left.

he couldn’t say anything to hold you back, and you ripped away from his grip, turned, and walked away.

and just like that,

he was all alone, again.

he was gonna need a drink.

zhongli

tears flooded your vision, blurring every details of zhongli’s face, causing you to only see a pale color palette, instead of your favorite person, ever. maybe it was for the best, maybe it would make it easier, you thought, but that was a foolish thing to hope for.

even through the salty tears, you could make out his eyes, it’s glow never failing to guide you, and comfort you, now seeming to burn their way through you, through your body and soul.

“you’re stuck in another love, zhongli, we both know that!” you exhaled a bit louder than you intended to, the outcome sounding more like an accusation than a fact. “how can you ever say you love me, when it’s so obvious, and so apparent, that every time you look at me, you see someone else? you HOPE for someone else?”

you could only wish the words you spoke didn’t come out as a complete mess, because of those tears you were constantly choking on. desperation seeped through your voice, as the feeling of helplessness rose every time you looked at your lover and at the anguish, and confusion he presented.

how could he make this so hard? it’s not like you’ve presented some statement he didn’t know already, right?

you hoped your eyes would say all the things you didn’t trust your voice to. you hoped he’d somehow hear how all you ever wanted was to be enough, was to meet his standard, how it tore you open that every time he said <i love you> his eyes wandered everywhere but onto yours, how all his touches seemed absent, how all his compliments were truly about some other face, some other smile, some other kind soul.

the worst part was, how could you blame him? how can anyone, ever, blame someone for being in love, of all things? love was something beautiful, and once you’ve experienced it, you’re drowned in it forever, and don’t even want to see the surface again.

love is beautiful. when you’re the one who’s receiving it. love was beautiful, to you, too, when you loved how his wisdom flew through his words, how his kindness hugged your spirit, how his aura brought you comfort. you loved his eyes, you loved his cheeks, his lips, every single detail of his skin.

the love you felt made you complete, made you warm, until you finally realize the thing you should’ve seen much sooner.

that you were merely a mirror for him to look at someone else, someone long gone.

suddenly all the warmth you felt was directed back at you, burning you inside, making you wish you never felt it in the first place.

“aren’t you gonna say something?” you whispered.

his long fingers found their way to your hand, but you snatched it away.

if you fell onto his charms now, you wouldn’t be able to get out once more.

his breath hitched as he gathered himself to speak

“i want nothing more than to love you” he said, although quietly, it rang through your ears like the loudest of screams.

you scoffed.

“we both would’ve wanted that, then”

“and i’m sure i can, if you just—“

now, laughter was all that you were capable of letting out.

“zhongli, you can’t train yourself to love someone. and even if you could, then how do you think that would make me feel? like i’m so unlovable you had to force yourself through it to grow accustomed to a feeling similar to love?”

“that’s not what i—“

“that’s what it means! let it go, please, please just… let me go” you sighed, standing up from the bench over at liyue harbor that you were sitting on. the sun has begun to set on the other side of the sea, and you couldn’t help but notice, it would’ve been the perfect date.

“i do sincerely hope you’ll find someone who’ll love you just the same” he finally stated, as he gave up on trying to make you stay.

“why?” you chuckled “so i could make them suffer the same way you made me?”

tartaglia

(archons give me strength)

you found nothing but guilt, looking into the endless ocean trapped in his eyes. for the first time in forever, they glistened, but not with a spark of joy, like you always hoped they would, they shone a sickly shine, caused by a thin layer of tears, that didn’t dear to spill over his porcelain cheeks, almost as if afraid of making contact with the ruthless face of the number eleven of the fatui harbingers.

he could’ve easily been crying if only he let himself go. he would’ve been in tears, sniffing and coughing, but he just… wasn’t. he held those tears in the gates of his eyes, as if his life depended on it.

the guilt you found inside them, wasn’t his, but yours. you felt guilty, watching this composed, confident man fall into pieces right before you, crumbling before your sight. why were you doing this? you seemed to forget all those terrible things you’ve heard just from the way his irises begged for forgiveness and brows furrowed in inexplicable sadness.

but you couldn’t, no, this time you couldn’t.

“my word” you swore on dear life you’d burst into tears if your voice shook right now “my word is final. we’re over. and that’s… that’s it. you need to understand that there won’t be another chance.”

the moment his lips parted, you knew you were lost.

“i have told you so many times already, but i will say this as much as i need to, it will never happen again! i swear, on everything i love and everything that i am, i swear on life itself, i won’t ever let that happen again! you know i won’t! come on, i promise you, if there’s anything you can say about me is i do keep my promises, don’t i? darling, please…”

“promise yourself to heal and become better, first” you stated coldly, watching faith disappearing slowly from his fixed look.

“im sorry, you know i am, im sorry, im sorry, im so fucking sorry!” a scream left his throat as desperation took over both reason and self-respect.

“sorry isn’t gonna cut it”

“then what will? i’ll do anything, anything in the world, anything to prove myself to you. i get that you can’t love me, i understand that, but please, let me win your trust again.”

he said unnaturally calmly, compared to what he did before, and you got concerned immediately.

i understand that you can’t love me, his words rang through your head. oh god, what were you doing? guilt stroke again, right at where you felt your heart to be.

right when you wanted to turn around and leave, he must’ve sensed that, and pulled you into a tight embrace. not suffocating, as they often describe it, not toxic and desperate, but… as loving as every other hug you’ve ever received from him. as calming and grounding, even though you could feel his heart racing. he didn’t refuse for you to leave, he didn’t trap you.

you understood after a while,

he was saying goodbye. all the love trapped inside his heart seeped out onto you, all his feelings surrounding and engulfing you.

“let me promise you this” he whispered, voice shaking painfully “the next time i’ll see you, i’ll be a better man. someone you will be able to be proud of, someone worthy of both your trust, and love. i won’t stop until i’ll be enough for you to look at me without the disgust and fear you have now. i promise. i’ll be better.”

“until then, then.” was the only thing you were capable of saying before leaving.

as soon as the door shut behind you, you rested against a wall and covered your mouth with a hand, unable to hold your tears any longer.

you heard a cry through the door. so he does have some feelings left, after all

your daily reminder that requests are open [here]

[shoutogepi]

A Million Times Over, part 2

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𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Todoroki Shouto x American!Reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 6.4k 

[ ☀︎, ☁︎, ✘ (nsfw!) ] (series warnings)

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : NSFW references (no explicit smut this chapter)

𝐛𝐢𝐨 : You lose all memories from the past five years of your life due to an accident-induced coma, including any recollection of your beloved boyfriend and fellow pro-hero, Shouto. He’s devastated that you don’t remember him, but the both of you are determined to get your memories back, no matter how long it takes. In the meantime, you attempt to rebuild your relationship with him… while also nurturing the spark that’s still very much lit between you two.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 : Yaaaaaa babie so part 2 is finally finished! I’m wicked excited to finish the series next chapter and ughhh the smut is gonna be so good omg. Just wait. 

𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 : shout out to @shotoh for beta-reading this for me, what a saint <3 

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─── ・°* ﾟ✧:* • ｡ﾟ:*･☽･*: ｡ﾟ•*:✧ ﾟ*°・ ───

🄸t was warm.

There was something heavy on your middle, but it didn’t feel like a nuisance— it was a welcome weight, one that somehow made comfort seep from your chest and fill the rest of your body with a quiet sense of peace. You hummed as sleep’s grasp on you lightened, the cogs in your mind beginning to turn. The hospital bed had never been this comfortable before, and the acrid smell of antiseptic and bustle of the doctors outside your door was peculiarly absent. Instead, a pleasant scent of laundry and cologne lingered on your pillowcase, making the corners of your mouth pull up in a droopy smile.

Your eyes opened as you recalled where you were, and whose arms you were lying in— whose gentle breaths blew at your hair and tickled the shell of your ear. Letting out a slow exhale, you blinked the sleep from your eyes, legs attempting to move, only to find them tangled with the muscled calves of your bedmate who, you prayed to whatever divine presence that was out there, was still asleep.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

However, when you tried to move away, a low groan sounded in your ear, scattering the stray hairs that laid out of place there. Like a sleeping bear, the arm around your waist curled around you tighter, pressing your entire body directly against the hard contour of his. You swallowed, blinking owlishly as you tried not to think about the sizeable semi-hardness poking into your backside, nor the rough fingertips that splayed out on the smooth expanse of your stomach at the bottom of your shirt, the very pinky dipping under the waistband of your sleep shorts and panties, palm warming your skin just enough to make your heart awaken for the day.

Your breath was caught in your throat, and you didn’t dare move another inch. Even if you didn’t have your memories of the man you shared your life with for the past few years, the moments the two of you had shared throughout the past week were enough to have butterflies fluttering to life in your stomach. The feeling of simply being in his arms, tucked under the sheets and cocooned in his warmth and his scent, it all had your body feeling like it was at peace.

At home.

Shouto’s hand was lying open beside your face, his arm tucked underneath your neck as he must’ve fallen asleep spooning you, and not since shifted away throughout the night. His fingers twitched in his sleep just slightly, and you took the moment to admire the long, slender digits. For a man of his size and stature, they were surprisingly thin, almost as if in another life he could have tickled piano keys for a living. But they were also marred with scars and calluses from his herowork— none open nor recent, seeing as he had taken the last month off to watch over you. Reaching for his hand, you traced the lines on his palm, trailing your fingertips over his skin and finding yourself lost in thought. You wondered if this was how you usually slept, if this was what you woke up to every day…

If that was your reality, you would happily accept it.

Being in Shouto’s arms made you feel safe, protected from the troubles of life. You already harbored silly feelings for him before you had even met him, and now that you had, those feelings had only been amplified, each day spent with him a catalyst to the reaction he triggered in your heart.

You bit your lip, twisting your spine so you could look at him. Holding your breath as you finally laid eyes on him, you took your time to admire him in all his slumbered glory. Your eyes loitered on his high cheekbones, the sharp angle of his jawline, and then the placid expression he donned while he slept, not plagued with the usual lacing of concern that he wore throughout the day. He was so… handsome. In all his hardened, heroic glory, he still managed to look like a prince straight out of every little girl’s storybook. And he certainly had the body to go with it as well— the fruits of his training on full display for you as you marveled at his naked chest.

Your heart leapt into your throat when he stirred, his arm around your waist coming to rub at his tired eyes. Watching his grey eye open slightly, your breath caught at the crooked grin that blossomed on his lips when he locked eyes with you.

“Mmm morning princess,” he rumbled, hand landing on your stomach to push your body backwards into his. He didn’t mind the little squeak of surprise you let out, nuzzling his face into your neck and slinging his leg across your hips once he flattened them onto the mattress. Your face felt like it was on fire, his morning… problem pressed firmly against your back now as he moaned in content, scattering lazy kisses across your throat.

You gasped when his hand on your stomach suddenly jumped up to grope your breast over your shirt, his fingers kneading tenderly as tingles fired across your nerves. It felt good to be receiving his unbridled affection— too good, really, as he started to suck at your neck. Your body cried out for his touch but you had barely even kissed last night— this was too much, too fast.

“Sh-Shouto!”

He paused, head rearing back as he detected the urgency in your voice, sleepy eyes locking with yours with his brows furrowed underneath his frazzled bed-head. It took him a moment before his eyes widened and horror replaced the slumber that had impeded his judgement before, his body jumping to the other side of the bed instantly as his cheeks flushed a bright pink. “I— I’m so sorry, Y/n, fuck— I didn’t…” he stammered, embarrassment evident as the pink turned to red, little flames sprouting on the left side of his head while his eyes flew about, unable to meet your gaze.

You instantly felt guilty, his demeanor apologetic. It was clear that he was frustrated with himself. “It’s okay, I’m not mad, I was just… it was just, um, unexpected?” you tried to laugh but it came out sounding more like a choke.

“Damn it…” Shouto mumbled, his hands coming to drag across his face morosely. The flames that licked at his side sizzled out, indicating that he was no longer so much shocked as he was contrite. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, muffled by his hands that still occupied his face. “It was just… I forgot for a second and... I didn’t mean to— to, well, come onto you. God, I’m sorry.”

You watched him for a second, your heart suddenly heavy with the sadness that leaked from his choice of words. For the first time in a long time, he had woken up with you in his arms, and he had forgotten about the absolute shitstorm of the month he’d had. That was probably how he acted when he woke up normally, as your sweet and loving boyfriend— showering you in affection was his first instinct of the day, and there was nothing wrong with that.

“It’s really okay, Sho. I was just surprised,” you peeped, trying to relieve him of some of the stress that he was so apparently harboring. “It’s not like I hated it…”

Shouto processed your words for a moment before one hand rose from his face, his brow contorted into a mix between accusatory and suggestive. There was a hint of a smile threatening to bloom on his lips, but he remained silent as he stared at you.

“I just meant that— well… we could lay here for a bit before we get up for the day. If… If that’s our usual routine or, if you would be interested in that!” You could feel your face getting hot now, the embarrassment transferring from him to you.

But Shouto chose not to tease you, instead scooting back over to you in the middle of the bed. “You always did like your morning cuddles,” he said, mouth turning at the corners into a smirk.

“Whatever, just— just keep your third leg to yourself, okay? Arms only!” You shared a quick look with him, the both of you shocked that you had really just said that.

But Shouto followed your request, flipping so he laid on his belly before his arm hooked out to bring you into his side, nose pressing up against your ear as you were on your back. The butterflies were back and busy again in your stomach— his touch just did something to you, it was both exhilarating and infuriating when he had hardly done anything. 

“Never heard that one before,” he murmured lowly, snark lurking in his voice. “You’re usually quite fond of my third leg, dear.”

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The rest of the morning went more according to plan. After a considerable amount of time lying in the sheets with Shouto cuddling into your side, you finally parted ways and went about getting ready for the day. There was a sense of giddiness pumping through your veins as your boyfriend left you stationed in front of your closet, mumbling something about preparation before you headed out.

Mostly, you were looking forward to going on your date. But then, there was also the surprised excitement that came from the sight of your walk-in closet, complete with rows of neatly organized clothes and a built-in wall with shelves and drawers, even a glass display case full of glittering jewels and gems in designs all tailored to your taste. You took a moment to pat yourself on the back. Not only did you seem to have the man of your dreams, but you had also attained your dream closet? If this was truly a dream, you most definitely did not want to wake up.

It took you an absurdly long amount of time to piece together your outfit. It was partially because you stopped to ogle at pretty much every hanger you rifled through, and partially because you were completely unsure of what clothes Shouto particularly enjoyed seeing you in. There was a sneaking suspicion that his preference was for you to not be clothed at all… but it wasn’t like you could go out on your date in your birthday suit. And, that would mean exposing your bare body to him, and you weren’t sure if you were ready for that just yet.

But that didn’t mean you weren’t insanely attracted to him— because you definitely were. Just, the situation you were in was a delicate one, and when you did decide to indulge in the physicalities of your relationship, it would be after you had no more questions to ask him. You just weren’t quite there yet.

So, you decided on a pair of dark jeans and a flowy blouse that showcased your shoulders, matching the color of your shoes, belt, and purse. After a quick makeup routine, you chose to spruce up the outfit with a little jewelry, seeing as you had quite an ample selection to choose from. A shiny pair of hoops for your ears came easily enough, but you struggled to find a necklace which would pull everything together. Your eyes wandered over the chains of gold and silver, some shining with bright gems and some intricate enough with just the curve of the metal. It was then that you noticed a simple but very elegant necklace, its blue-topaz pendant catching your gaze. As you inspected the glittering stone, a warm feeling pooled in your chest, and you found your fingers reaching for the jewelry without thought. There was something special about this necklace, but what, exactly, you couldn’t identify.

It was incredibly frustrating. This was the closest you had come to remembering anything since you had woken up a week ago… and while it was certainly progress, it was infuriating to have the recollection dangling just barely out of your reach. You stared at the brilliant cyan gem for another moment before deciding that you weren’t going to remember based on willpower alone, securing the clasp around your neck. If that were the case, then you would have your memory back already, you were sure. You left the room with your shoes in hand, sock-clad feet padding quietly against the shiny hardwood floors while a sour taste dwelled on the back of your tongue.

Yet somehow, the second your eyes met Shouto’s, the feeling of self-loathing was instantly quelled, replaced with a pleasant wave of some feeling you couldn’t quite put your finger on. His eyes had locked onto the stone around your neck right as you walked into the kitchen, and immediately a smile graced his lips as he found your gaze.

You couldn’t help but return one, your eyes flickering to the floor before returning to him, overwhelmed with the tingles that zipped through you. He hadn’t really given you the chance to take in the outfit he had chosen before he left you to dress, and you found yourself appreciating the soft, cream sweater that fell just over his denim-clad hips.

“Wow, you look…” his eyes trailed down your form and then back up, his smile just as full. He let out a soft laugh, head tilting back before his attention returned to you, as if he didn’t quite believe the sight in front of him. “Beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

You already knew you looked good, but still, hearing the compliment roll off his tongue made your stomach leap up beside your heart. “Thank you, Sho. You look beautiful, too,” you teased, trying to downplay the effect his words had on you.

Even though his cheeks dusted with a light pink, his expression remained unchanged, gaze dropping to the pendant resting in the middle of your chest again. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue.

Just as you were about to tell him about the feeling you’d gotten earlier, he turned and grabbed some things from the counter behind him, whisking them into his arms. There was a curious look you shot him as you examined the numerous hats he offered to you, one of your brows rising at the variety.

Shouto didn’t give you the chance to ask, launching into explanation without your prompt. “You and I are technically celebrities. So it’s best if we conceal our faces while we’re out in public.” His gaze dropped to the brim of the gray suede boater in his hand, his thumb trailing across the soft material. “I don’t want you ambushed today. The public has missed you while you’ve been out of commission, so if we’re spotted, I’ll have to share you… and I don’t think either of us is ready for that quite yet.”

You nodded, ignoring the giddiness that bloomed in the depths of your stomach at his choice of words. Reaching for a floppy hat, your fingers brushed over his sweater as you grabbed your choice of camouflage. The fit was snug around your head, the silky ribbon tied around the crown the perfect match to your shoes. Shouto put on his hat as well, making sure to tuck the white half of his hair up and out of sight, giving him a faux monochromatic appearance. He wordlessly handed you a pair of large sunglasses, which you slid onto your face without protest. He mirrored your action, choosing a dark pair of aviators that helped disguise his famous scar.

“How do I look?” You asked, doing a little spin for full emphasis. The movement put a little smile on Shouto’s face, his eyes roaming your figure leisurely before he offered a thumbs up.

“Enchanting as always, love,” he replied stoically, the suavity and candor of his response aiding to the warm, swirling feeling in your stomach. But his expression morphed into a playful smirk, eyes twinkling with mischief. “What about me?”

A laugh trickled out of you as he copied your twirl, his execution somehow more graceful than yours. His pink lips curled into a genuine smile at your giggle, ending his mock demonstration in a curtsey. This only caused you to swat at him in exaggeration, taking the first steps towards the door.

“Equally enchanting,” you replied, not a hint of a lie in your voice. Your conviction made Shouto stutter, his grin melting to a flustered purse of the lip. It was then that you took his hand decisively, chuckling as you placed a swift kiss to his cheek. “Ready to go.”

It took him a moment to buffer, but he quickly recovered, a warm flush coloring his cheeks as his fingers squeezed yours. The digits of his other hand curled around the small of your waist, guiding you through the door.

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Your eyes widened as Shouto pulled the sleek car into the parking space, your surroundings somewhat familiar. When you had asked where he was taking you, he hadn’t revealed any clues, preferring to give a vague “someplace you’ll enjoy” before effectively killing the conversation. You probably should’ve expected it, but surprise overtook you as you turned the sidewalk corner and there stood the cat cafe the pair of you had passed on your way back from the hospital just yesterday.

When you turned to look at Shouto, his eyes were already inspecting your reaction, the excitement written obviously all over your face. He regarded you with a quiet, knowing smile as he opened the door for you, the bell tinkling overhead and the quiet mewls of kittens further inside distinctly ringing in your ears. Right as you stepped inside, a fluffy, smoosh-face cat curled around your ankles, brushing and sniffing at you in greeting. Shouto made a joke about the fluffy beast being the cutest host he’d ever seen, his smile only growing when you laughed in return.

Once you were seated, tucked in a comfy pair of chairs in the corner of the cafe, a waitress came over to take your orders. What took you by surprise was that Shouto ordered for you— the exact confection and drink you were eyeing when you peeked at the menu. He shot you a little smirk at the cuteness of your impressed expression, asking if you’d like to add anything and turning the staff person's attention to you. At your denial, they excused themself, leaving you alone with Shouto once more.

There was a palpable tension in the air between the two of you. Unbeknownst to you, the other cafe goers could practically see the sparks flying between you.

“So… do we come here a lot?” you inquired, taking a tentative sip of your ice water and training your eyes on the top button of his shirt. It was just too intense to stare him straight in the eye sometimes…

Shouto took a moment to reply, looking through his red and white bangs at you fondly, leaning back in his chair before shaking his head. “Truthfully, we’ve never been here before.” He gauged the surprise in your eyes, a little knowing smile resting on his plump lip before he continued. “You always wanted to try this place but we hadn’t gotten around to it… you even picked out the food you wanted in case we came. I hope your tastes remain unchanged? If I ordered something you don’t want, I’ll call the waiter over.”

It was then your turn to shake your head, a quick and decisive answer. “No, you got it right,” you reassured, hands wringing slowly underneath the table in your lap. “The only other thing I wanted to try was the drink you ordered, so it’s fine!”

“Have as much as you like,” he suavely suggested, his tone sounding more like a demand than an offer. Just as he focused his eyes on yours, he was interrupted by a fuzzy orange kitten jumping into his lap, settling into a tiny loaf across his thighs and staring up at him expectantly.

You and Shouto both buffered for a moment before you let out a laugh at the sight of such a tiny creature in your broad boyfriend’s embrace. Shouto began to chuckle too, giving the creature a little scratch under the chin. The kitten meowed happily in agreement, placing its head onto its paws and settling in for a nap. You let the comfortable silence last for a minute before you meandered back into conversation.

“So um, earlier, when we were getting ready to go out…,” your fingers absentmindedly wandered to the pendant resting in the middle of your collar bones. “I saw this necklace in my closet and I felt like it was… important? And then I thought I caught you looking at it earlier too maybe? Do you know if it has any significant meaning or anything?”

Shouto’s gaze remained on the cat in his lap for another moment before it flicked over to you, and once again, you were stunned by the amount of emotion in his mismatched eyes. “I gave it to you,” he answered, his free hand fiddling with the sunglasses that now hung in the middle of his shirt collar. “It was for our first anniversary.”

You didn't really know what to make of that, the newfound knowledge resonating through you as you tried to remember anything about that day at all.

“I chose that color because you said you loved it… the color of my eyes. Or— eye— I suppose,” he gestured to the piercing cerulean orb that rested on his hot side, standing out even more against the muddled skin of his scar.

Your head nodded as you processed his answer, your finger nudging at the handle of your cutlery absentmindedly. “You do have nice eyes,” you mumbled, your veins pumping with a warmth you'd come to recognize as his natural effect on you.

Shouto smiled at that, his gaze focused on the pendant gleaming in the sun’s gentle caress. You could feel the intensity of his eyes there in the center of your chest, the modest amount of exposed cleavage feeling hot under his inspection.

At his silence, you continued on, your flusteredness forcing your mouth to move without much reason. “And— you have great taste in jewelry too, I mean, this is really beautiful.”

“It suits you,” he replied instantly, as if such words required no thought whatsoever.

That just made your cheeks feel even hotter, and a surprised chuckle sounded past your lips, his compliment egging on the butterfly swarm in your belly. “Thank you… I’m glad you have enough rationale to avoid a cheesy heart with your name on it or something.”

Shouto’s eyes fleed yours at that, taking a tentative sip of his water. You watched his pink lips curl into a subtle, knowing smirk. He yelped when you kicked his ankle underneath the table, gaze returning to you. He regarded your inquisitorial expression for a moment before he shrugged, his cheeks tinged with the lightest of pinks. “I have actually given you something like that before…”

You bit your lip, now wanting to kick yourself for making fun of the sweet yet idiotic, classic boyfriend gift. Heart jewelry, of course…

“And you really liked it… maybe almost as much as me,” he finished, and you watched as his blush deepened a few shades.

The waiter chose that moment to deliver your drinks, the conversation halting awkwardly before they took their leave once again.

“I really liked it?” You parroted, perplexed. There was no way you would find such a cheesy gift endearing enough to actually enjoy it.

Shouto adjusted himself in his chair, clearing his throat awkwardly. His eyes once again couldn’t meet yours, his fingertips tapping on the edge of the table. “Yeah it— it’s an anklet… it um, has my initials on the charm…” he mumbled, suddenly shy. “You seem to enjoy wearing it when we… when I— when I take you.”

“Oh.”

Your face felt on fire, neither of you brave enough to look each other in the eye following his confession. There wasn’t much you knew about your sex life with Shouto— though you assumed it to be very much alive, and healthily so— but just by the way he phrased that, your thighs were clenching together at the image your brain so kindly painted you.

Shouto was a big, strong man… one who was very proportional, as you recalled from the incident that occurred this morning. The thought of him taking you made your insides squirm with interest, fluttering at the premise of being stretched around him. You took another sip of your drink before the food thankfully arrived, allowing the pair of you to drop the conversation.

⋆⋅✧⋅⋆⋅✧⋅⋆⋅✧⋅⋆

After you finished eating, Shouto took you to the trader’s market around the corner. There were people crowding the streets and trickling through the crosswalks, even though it was a late morning on a Friday and most of the population should’ve been busying away at their jobs. The bustle of the city should’ve been overwhelming for you— Shouto kept you close to his side at all times, his gaze scrutinizing any looks that lasted too long toward your direction.  And yet, you were having a blast, flittering about and exploring the vendors’ stands and the numerous trinket stalls that lined the busy square. His hand was always holding yours. Even when you got more invested in the items on display before you, his fingers would linger at your waist, making his relationship to you apparent to any bystanders.

Sunlight streamed down in between the tall buildings surrounding you, reflecting off the windows like mirrors and making you grateful for the shade of your hat. That made you extra thankful for the ghost of Shouto’s hand across your skin, welcoming the coolness exuding off of his right side. There was a light-hearted conversation between the pair of you, and many grannies waved you over to inspect their merchandise by calling out to the pair of lovebirds. The repeated label made Shouto puff up in pride, aiding him to stand tall and retain the advantage he had on you in terms of height.

Whenever your gaze lingered on something for a second too long, Shouto was instantly handing bills over to the merchants, insisting they take the change or at least tipping them appreciatively. By the time the two of you had visited every stall, numerous bags hung from his left arm, all precariously stacked so the fingers on his other hand could remain laced with yours.

He noticed your wary gaze on the bags, your expression giving your thoughts away immediately. “Don’t worry love,” he reassured, squeezing your fingers in his, “they’re no trouble at all.” At your attempt to grab a few and lessen the load, he pivoted and held them above your head. He frowned, keeping them out of reach as you continued your attempt, swatting at him gently.

“Just let me have one at least,” you pouted, your voice morphing into a little whine. That got him to grin, conceding and handing you the smallest, lightest bag of the bunch. He feigned ignorance when you shot him a playful glare in response, choosing now to steer you toward another topic instead.

“Would it ruin the date if we stopped by my office? I just need to drop off the folders I finished up last night, and the building is just a block over. It should only take a minute.”

You shook your head, shrugging your shoulders. “Sure,” you agreed, allowing his fingers to slip back into yours. Having your hand in his felt natural to you, the warmth of his skin welcomed. “I want to see your agency, anyway!”

It was a short walk to his workplace, as promised. The building was one of the tallest in the surrounding area, with sleek windows paneling all sides and reflecting the orange light of the barely-setting sun. The security guards didn’t bother the pair of you, Shouto acknowledging them with a nod as he slipped off his disguise. The elevator opened and Shouto flashed his badge at the sensor, then pushed the button for one of the floors higher up in the building.

In no time at all, the doors opened again and he led you past the couple secretaries that were perched behind their desks. You could feel their eyes glued to your back, and you were sure that the second you were safely located behind the glass doors to the hallway, they’d launch into discussion. The thought slipped your mind as you came round the corner, Shouto guiding you through the nearest door and ushering you into a large sitting room. Two doors were situated on either side of the room, long glass walls dividing the quarters. One door led to Shouto’s office, as designated by the nearby nameplate. The other you were about to read just as it opened, and a familiar, sharp-toothed redhead bounded toward the pair of you.

Immediately you grinned, ripping your hand from Shouto’s as you launched yourself at the famed Red Riot, one of Japan’s finest heroes lifting you off your feet in an enthusiastic embrace. Your laughs echoed around the room, Kirishima’s chuckles following as he spun you around. Shouto watched silently, a small frown adorning his lip while your gleeful laughs met his ears. He hadn’t heard such a sound in what seemed like forever, and even though he was not the cause of it, he couldn’t help but relish in it.

After a moment, Kirishima put you down and pulled Shouto in for a quick half-hug, patting him on the shoulder as his eyes then returned to you. “Well look who it is,” he grinned, his pointy teeth on display, hands landing on his narrow hips. “It’s so good to see you up and about, Y/n.”

“It’s good to see you too, Kiri,” you mirrored his expression, taking in his appearance.

Shouto watched your eyes rove over him, a sour taste developing at the back of his tongue. You had recognized Kirishima immediately— fondly, even— when it had taken hard work and ample time for you to warm up to him. It had taken a week for you to call him by his usual nickname, and yet, you called Kirishima by his own instantly. He could feel himself turning green at the realization, his frown remaining as his eyes sharpened in scrutiny.

“Wow,” you exclaimed after you had fully appraised the hero, even taking in the scarlet costume that had been updated since the last time you’d seen him. “You look great! Five years has really done you well, hmm? You’re totally ripped. Last time I saw you I swear you were shorter!”

Kirishima laughed and toed at the ground bashfully— never one to handle compliments very well. “Ah, thanks Y/n… gotta stay in shape when your costume has you shirtless all day, right?”

Shouto couldn’t help the envy that rose up inside of him as he watched you chatter eagerly with his coworker… even though he knew you had no control of what memories you lost, it still stung to watch you engage with and compliment another man. Especially when he hadn’t received such easy affection from you in much too long.

“You look much better, too,” Kirishima continued, glancing at Shouto as he picked up on the temperature drop in the room. Somehow you didn’t seem to notice the frost gathering on Shouto’s wrist as a result of his displeasure.  “Erm— last time I saw you was in the hospital when you were still in your coma. I was so relieved to hear you woke up! Then I figured it would be easier for you if you didn’t have any visitors, though… that’s what your f— um, Shouto said would be best, anyway.”  

At the mention of his name, you glanced at the half-and-half man beside you, shooting him a thankful smile that had his heart fluttering and his jealousy waning. He cleared his throat and nodded, casting a forced smile at the other hero. “Yes, well… I have to step into my office quickly, would you entertain her for a moment?”

Kirishima opened his mouth to reply, but Shouto was already halfway through the door, leaving the pair of you slightly stunned. You could see him through the glass wall, eyes following him and wondering why his curt attitude left a bitter taste in your mouth.

“So um…” The redhead turned to look at you, prompting you to do the same. “You really lost all your memories of him?”

The question hit you like he had dunked you in ice cold water, and you stiffened up immediately. Kirishima panicked then, eyes growing wide and covering his mouth.

“I can’t believe I just blurted that out— I just… You guys are so in love, I can’t imagine you two not together,” he explained earnestly, his brow furrowed. His honesty made your stomach burst with butterflies, the premise of being loved by Shouto and being able to love him made you feel flustered as hell.

“We are together,” you clarified, and Kirishima nodded. “Just not as together as before, I guess? It’s just… he makes me feel so many things and I barely know him. But he knows me? Like, intimately. It feels like he knows me more than I know myself sometimes. I dunno, it’s just… complicated, Kiri.”

He smiled in understanding, eyes sympathetic as you spilled your troubles to him. It was nice talking to someone who wasn’t Shouto— as much as you liked him, talking to him was difficult because he made you fumble with your words. You said things you didn’t mean to say when you were with him. Kirishima continued, “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that you guys are crazy in love. Like, you’re the couple I aspire to be in some day.”

You grabbed his hand and grinned at that, his sincerity making your heart melt. “Awe, Kiri… It’s good to see you haven’t changed from how I remember you. You’re still the sweetest.”

Kirishima laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Just be yourself with him… I think it’ll put you both at ease. You’re really good for each other— he was devastated the whole time you were asleep.”

The admission made a lump appear in your throat, your eyes feeling glassy all the sudden.

“He hasn’t acted this frigid since his high school days… Long before he met you. I think you make him feel relaxed. I mean, that’s how he always looks when he’s with you, or thinking about you. I can tell when we’re on patrol and he’s daydreaming about you, ‘cus he’ll just walk right into a lamp pole.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the image, cursing the timing when the door opened and Shouto stepped out, his eyes landing on you and then hardening as they moved to Kirishima. He stepped toward him, but you intercepted him and laced your arms around his middle instead, stopping him with your embrace.

Shouto faltered at the sudden display of affection, his cheeks growing hot as he locked gazes with Kirishima, his eyes then dropping to the top of your head as you hid your face in his chest. He was frozen mid-breath, completely still as you held him. His cool, clean scent swallowed you as you kept your head nuzzled into his front, his fingers limp as your hand found his.

With a small step back, you ceased your embrace, your fingers squeezing his tightly as your eyes captured his and you gave him a shy smile. His cheeks only darkened, the grimace that had occupied his face long gone and instead replaced with an awed blankness. His lips parted and moved pointlessly, as if he wanted to say something but no sound escaped him.

“It was nice catching up Kiri,” you said, eyes still locked with Shouto’s heterochromatic ones before you turned to the red hero, who was awkwardly looking to the side as he shuffled his weight between his feet.

Kirishima looked at you and laughed awkwardly once again. You began to exit with Shouto in tow behind you, the hero’s crimson gaze following the pair of you. “Ah, yeah, you too! Let’s meet up soon!”

Then the glass door closed, and you were once again in the vicinity of the secretaries' blatant gawking. You pointedly ignored them as you strode toward the elevator, with their soundlessly boss still trailing behind you. As you waited for the elevator to ascend to your floor, you caught Shouto looking at you funny in your peripheral vision. Yet when you turned to look at him, he only reached out and pulled you into his chest.

Caught by surprise, a meek noise slipped out of you before you collided with his pecs once again, his arms wrapping around you to secure you in place. He nuzzled into your hair and inhaled deeply, uncaring of the secretaries' stares.

Only when the elevator arrived did he pull away, to guide you inside and away from the prying eyes. When the doors were closed, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the crest of your cheek, a wisp of his peppermint-laced breath cooling your skin just as heat rushed there from his lips.

“Let’s go home, love,” Shouto murmured against your skin, knuckles nudging yours before your fingers curled around his. You nodded, holding his arm with your free hand and coming to stand by his side as the elevator rushed toward the ground. A peaceful moment of silence fell upon you and Shouto, giving you time for contemplation.

Any sane woman would've taken one look at Kirishima and felt at least a pinch of interest twirl inside her stomach. He was caring and handsome as they come, and yet he did absolutely nothing for you. Somehow when you were confronted with his chiseled abs and warm gaze, you felt less than when Shouto even glanced at you. You concluded that your body was definitely in love with him… and your heart longed to be the same. But part of you still had questions that needed to be resolved before you could really give yourself to him… and little did he know, you would find the answers to said questions so soon.

─── ・°* ﾟ✧:* • ｡ﾟ:*･☽･*: ｡ﾟ•*:✧ ﾟ*°・ ───

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ahh i love this sho so much, he’s trying so hard... poor babie 🥺 next part i will be much kinder to him <3 if you enjoyed please be sure to reblog and or leave me a comment •ᴥ• 

➥ masterlist

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 © 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐩𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝.

[majestyeverlasting]

can you write prompts 3&10 with beefy!bucky x reader where he takes her on a surprise date under the stars n they cuddle n it’s cute n shit :)

✩ Alas, the time has come for a night under the stars. These prompts are amazing together, and tried my best to make it as cute as possible. It takes place in Brooklyn, and there's fairly lights, caresses, and of course kisses. A sprinkle of innocent teasing as well. Thank you so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy.

✩ Prompt 3: “I told you the stars were gonna be out tonight.”

✩ Prompt 10: “It’s hard to concentrate when you’re kissing my neck like that.”

Brighter Than We Know

The same sky that was once a rich blue mixed with the warmth of orange had begun to welcome the beginnings of darkness. Only a trace of daylight remained, nothing more than a fleeting hint of illumination that proved the sun once shone over Prospect Park. That's where the two of you found yourselves, settled on a red blanket in a clearing of grass with a view of the lake. A few small mason jars filled with fairy lights were positioned on the ground around you.

The hands of time always seemed to move faster when you and Bucky were together. An indescribable easiness never failed to accompany his presence.

There was a warmth to the air of the budding night, and cricket chirps ascended from all around. Bucky sat with his legs outstretched, leaning back onto his hands. And you laid perpendicular to him with your head resting in his lap, gazing upwards and allowing yourself to be lulled by the atmosphere. When you closed your eyes, he traced a finger along your hairline and all the way down to follow the curve of your jaw. A pleasant tingle was left in its wake. The content hum that rose from your throat served as all the encouragement he needed to continue.

However, as his fingertips began to trace your lips, you opened your eyes and took his hand in yours—you’d always adored his hands. They were so strong and yet so gentle. You pressed a kiss to his palm, smiling at the way his fingers curled ever so slightly. Then you let go, and he continued to caress your features as if trying to further engrain them in his mind.

Soon, Bucky eventually said. Soon it would be dark enough for the stars to be seen in the heavens above. There was an inkling of doubt that you ended up voicing to him, but he soothed it with an easy smile and another promise that it was only a matter of time. The outing itself had been his idea. After dinner, you were expecting to go back to his apartment. But that’s when he’d told you that there was one more thing he’d planned.

Curiosity getting the better of you, you’d asked him question after question as the two of you arrived at Prospect Park, and began to walk through it; even going over your favorite bridge, and getting to hear the trickle of the small waterfalls leading into the pond beneath. There was something different about the way he was holding your hand, he was guiding you. Not merely walking with you.

It came to the point where the path you’d been following was no longer lined with trees. That’s when you saw everything in the grass a short distance away—the blanket, the mason jars. There were others out enjoying the stillness, but nobody occupying that space. Surely, that wasn’t for you two. But he led you right to it, and your heart soared in awe. There were a couple pillows and a bag of your favorite chocolate as well. You’d attempted to ask Bucky how he’d managed to put everything together, but the only answer he gave you was that he'd had help from somebody who was fond of the two of you.

Ms. Cleary. It had to have been her. Bucky winked when he saw the realization in your eyes. Virginia Cleary was a kind, older woman who lived across the hall from him. She spoke whenever she saw you, and had given him an original canvas painting of hers back when they first got acquainted. Her husband had passed away years prior, and her son worked as a businessman upstate. So she took pleasure in being caring and nurturing towards the two of you.

In that moment, you swore your gratitude for them was endless. The week had been so demanding of you, and in an instant their efforts had lifted the ghost of the weight that lingered on your shoulders.

Bucky began to shift, and you realized it was because he was lying onto his back. Naturally, you repositioned as well, opting to snuggle into his side and rest your head on his broad chest. You felt its steady rise and fall as his arm wrapped around you. He smelled woodsy with a hint of something warm and spiced. The dark gray shirt he wore defined his upper body, and you let one of your hands run up his torso, and over the hard shoulder of his metal arm. There was a solidness to his muscularity, but he was relaxed underneath your touch. There was no tension to be felt.

You glanced at his face, and saw that his eyes were directed upwards. You followed his gaze to where the stars still had yet to appear. Any moment, though. You craned your head and began peppering featherlight kisses to the crook of his neck. His stubbled Adam's apple bobbed with a swallow. And you felt him squeeze your waist as the exhales leaving his nose grew more audible.

“Doll.” His voice was gruff. “It’s hard to concentrate when you’re kissing my neck like that.”

You hummed, but went on to start nibbling his skin, unable to contain a smile. After a few more seconds, you relented, and heard him whisper something quick under his breath. A chuckle bubbled out of you, as you propped yourself on his chest.

“What was that?”

He lips twitched upwards. “I said ‘please give me the strength.’”

You playfully clawed your fingers in his thick pecs. “You’re already pretty strong.”

“Not up against you, I’m not.” There was love in his eyes. A silence settled between the two of you for a few moments. You even let your cheek come to rest on your arms as they were folded on top of his chest.

But then Bucky shook your shoulder after a while. “Hey, look up, pretty girl. You can see ‘em shining now—all over.” His voice was low and measured, proud too.

As if charged, you pushed yourself up into a seated position, eyes wide and curious as they began to scan the vastness of the sky. They seemed to be everywhere, the stars. Some were clustered whereas others seemed to be off by themselves. But no matter the distance, none of them were truly alone as they shone amongst each other.

“See there, pretty girl?” Bucky said. “I told you the stars were gonna be out tonight.”

The moment you turned around to look down at him, he feared being awakened because your smile looked like something out of a dream. The glow of the fairy lights and the lampposts in the distance just barely helped illuminate your face—he saw you nonetheless. In a way only he could, however. He saw beyond your appearance, to what radiated from within you: the childlike wonder you held onto like a friend, your constant pursuit of the ‘extra’ in the ordinary, the love you were always so willing to extend. The extent of your beauty was a fountain that never ran dry.

Bucky thanked his lucky stars that out of every soul in the universe, he got to grow in the understanding of yours.

“You did tell me,” you spoke up. “Thank you. For this—for everything.” You meant that, strongly.

“Of course. Figured you’d appreciate it. I know you’ve been working really hard, and that you…”

His words trailed off as you moved to lay on your stomach beside him. You remained propped on one forearm, and rested your free hand on his chest before dipping your head down to kiss him. But not on his lips quite yet. You pressed one to the tip of his nose, then some to both corners of his mouth. Flutters of anticipation stirred within his chest, and you rendered them into longing when you placed yet another to the dimple of his chin. The sight of you pulling away to study his face made him release a quick exhale of disbelief tinged with amusement. You gave him a little knowing smirk before finally leaning back down to connect your lips.

Bucky used his weight to push you onto your back so that he was the one hovering over you. In the process, your lips parted, only to find each other once again. The way he kissed you was more tender and reverent than anything. But of course, fueled by that spark of passion that was always alight whenever he was with you.

After pulling away, he dipped to return the little kisses you’d given his neck. The added scratch of his stubble drew the sweetest giggles out of you that you attempted to stifle by biting your lip. Bucky felt like he was floating as he detached himself from you entirely, letting himself roll onto his back once again.

There the two of you were, buzzing and looking up at a sky full of stars.

Bucky took your hand in his, and ran his thumb over the back of it.

“They’re the brightest I’ve seen them in a while,” he said.

You squeezed his hand. “And they’re even brighter than we know because they’re so many miles away.”

-

✩ Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed your night under the stars.

✩ More fluffy Bucky fics