#and i could not avoid him the whole time he was here every aisle i had to go down he was fucking there

[steviescrystals]

somebody has to be playing a prank on me today like this is not real!

[madelynraemunson]

CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT 𓆩♡𓆪

(Book #1 of the Hellfire Gentlemen's Club series)

(strip club owner!eddie × fem!exotic dancer!hargrove!× reader)

𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐔 18+ minors get out of my kitchen

Chapter 010: The Freak

A fight breaks out at the Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club.

* = somewhat smut

** = smut

↳ chapters: 001, 002*, 003** , 004**, 005 , 006 , 007* , 008**, 009, 010, 011, 012* , 013**, 014**, 015, 016**, 017, 018, 019, 020*

word count: 4.4k words

warnings & disclaimers — mentions of seggs tr@ff!ck!ng, lots of blood, violence, physical altercation, profanities, glass shattering, screaming, jealousy

“I feel it coming, my soul cannot be found. I feel it coming, don’t fucking tie me down.”

♡

Eddie is glued to Nina’s hip during her orientation.

You can hardly watch. You can’t even listen. All Back of the House seems to be talking about is the fact that the cute new girl pulled up to work with Eddie. Apparently she skipped out of the passenger side of his van stoned out of her mind, waltzing in absentmindedly while Eddie opened the door for her.

Nina’s excuse was that she didn't have a ride to work. And while that may be true, your jealousy was projecting itself...hard. The times you were in Eddie’s van sitting right where she was were completely unrelated to work.

But Nina is a pretty girl. Eddie does love doing favors for pretty girls who flatter him.

You still couldn’t figure out why no one will talk about anything else. Like how Henry has evidently been spiraling into a lonely, seasonal depressive episode and could snap any minute. Or how whoever is closing isn’t sweeping the aisle all the way through. Also, one of the lights keeps flickering. Totally throws off the whole vibe of VECNA’S LAIR.

But no, the hot topic of today’s shift is still Nina and Eddie.

It's an awakening for you though. Now you really understand and have accepted that you are no different from everyone else.

Eddie’s jokes? He recycles with everybody.

Food? Makes for everybody.

Smoking and drinking in his van? With everybody.

Calls on Henry to fight off the bad guys? Yes, for everybody…

You are not special.

Speaking of Henry…he’s off task again. Luckily lunches are usually not busy so he can afford to be away from the door.

Henry is at VECNA’S LAIR with you, chatting away with Eddie’s buddy Gareth while you give Gareth a lap dance. And you can tell by the eagerness in Henry’s eyes that he’s anticipating his dance that you agreed to do for him to combat his loneliness.

“You gotta let me know how your dance goes, Creel,” Gareth grins. “Shy Girl is one of the best.”

Gareth is one of your regulars. He went to school with Eddie, played in his band Corroded Coffin when they were younger, and he also tips well. Eddie usually stays and chats with him, but today he is off and aloof, avoiding any type of eye contact with the both of you.

Screw Eddie. He’s seemed to have forgotten about you already now that there’s a new toy for him to play with.

“I love how you move your hips, babe,” Henry comments, snapping you back into reality. “And how you bond with every customer. I had no idea men pay you just to talk to them sometimes.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” you nod all while grinding yourself onto Gareth, hands combing through his wavy hair and trailing down to graze his neck. “Some guys just come here just to vent. Business men, teachers, doctors...”

“That’s really nice,” Henry blushes.

“Bouncers too,” you wink at him. “You know, when they’re not clocked in and supposed to be working.”

Henry’s eyes widen as he realizes, and soon he’s back up and starting towards the door. You and Gareth share an innocent chuckle about it before carrying on with your business.

"I can tell that dude is lonely," Gareth makes the same observation. "He doesn't have that many friends outside work."

"I wonder why," you ponder aloud, doing a little dance on Gareth’s lap. "He's so nice."

"From what Eddie told me, it's hard for Henry to open up to people," your patron explains. "Dude had a fucked up home life when he was younger. Dad was a piece of shit to him and his sister. Abused the shit outta 'em and their mom."

There's a pattern here. You try not to think about it.

"Anyways," Gareth says pulling out a $20 bill. "Can you give me scratches on my back? Trying to make an ex flame jealous."

"You manipulative fuck," you banter, snagging the $20 from him anyway. "I'm sure you have your reasons though."

So you honor Gareth's requests and leave some sharp etchings on his back, one large scratch in the shape of a heart.

You scan the club as you work, searching for your sister. Max is spotted near the entrance of the club, acquainting herself with Lucas and Dustin. She also met Steve earlier today and admitted to you that she has an innocent crush on him.

Of course she would. Who wouldn’t have a crush on The King?

You smile at how easy Max makes friends. She tries not to look at you while working but sometimes her curiosity takes over.

Gareth nods towards her.

"I see your sister knows the big secret now."

"Yeah, one less thing to worry about," you shrug sheepishly.

"She's supportive, I'm assuming?"

"Very."

"That's good," Gareth rubs your back. "I'm happy for you."

“Thanks,” you smile.

You catch sight of Steve next as he walks over to you. He greets you with a warm kiss and rests a hand at your waist.

Eddie watches you with Steve and Gareth, attempting to remain composed and professional with Nina as he spots her on the pole.

"What is going on here?" Steve asks you.

"I'm trying to make one of Gareth's ol' lady friends jealous," you explain. "Leaving him scratches and all."

"I love your sharp ass nails," Gareth swoons. He hands you a five.

"You are just spoiling me today,” you coo. “You can pick out my nail color next, Gare.”

"Green," Gareth answers right away.

"Yeah, I second that," Steve agrees.

Steve leans in to kiss you. You kiss him back, affectionately, relishing in how beautiful Steve always made you feel. Meanwhile, Gareth watches, running his hands softly across your thighs and muttering a soft, “fuck…”

And then you hear Eddie clear his throat closeby you.

"Jesus H. Christ," you hear Eddie grimace.

Eddie sounds uncomfortable. Good. It is not until someone else speaks that you realize he was shaken up about something else.

“Well well well,” comes a voice. “Looking just as skanky as you did when I last saw you.”

You look to see the patron standing by the entrance. He’s the scariest he’s ever looked. Your heart sinks to the floor.

It’s hard for you to find the words. “You...”

“Boo,” he grins, amused at how startled you are. “Kinda insulting that you think all these men can give you more than I can.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” you demand.

Frantic footsteps sound not too long after, and Henry comes spilling in. He looks mortified, panicked. He had one job and he failed to do it.

“Hargrove, I’m sorry!”

“Henry!” you scold him, almost at a scream-whisper. “You weren’t supposed to let him in!”

“I didn’t know!” Henry exclaims.

“I thought Eddie told you!”

“I forgot!” Henry says. “It all happened so fast.”

“Yeah, security here sucks,” the man you’re tempted to throw something at smirks.

A crowd starts to form, which is odd because no one said anything that inherently stood out. But energy doesn’t lie. The tension in the room is noticeable.

“You can’t be here,” Eddie’s voice darkens.

Eddie makes his way down from the stage and to the front of the club, Nina watching in confusion as everyone huddled around. Eddie clears his throat and stands with his chest propped forward, chin raised along with his gritted teeth.

“You’re not welcome here,” your boss snaps.

“That’s no way to talk to a customer…”

“I know who you’re here for and you can’t have her,” Eddie growls.

Eddie looks over at you. Making his way into the crossfire, Eddie creates even more space between the two of you. Henry stays where he’s at on high alert.

“And I own this joint. So I can refuse service to anyone… Billy.”

Your twin brother flashes a dangerous, amused smile. “I see I’ve become a household name.”

Billy inches closer to you, leaving you paralyzed in place.

He looks different from when you last saw him. A lot more muscular. His beer belly is gone, and he finally shaved that obnoxious porn stache that he swore drew in all the ladies. Billy looks more satisfied at your horror than angry at who you’ve become.

A million thoughts are racing through your head. How could your brother have possibly known where you are? Did you leave your location on? Did you butt-dial him? Was it 'twintuition'?

Then you remember he's Billy. And a sociopath like Billy always finds a way to win.

“Eddie Munson,” Billy continues. “Owner of The Hellfire Club. Drug dealer. Car jacker. The town FREAK who’s notorious for sleeping with his employees before attempting to sell them into a sex trafficking ring in the outskirts of town.”

“That is SO NOT TRUE!” you hear Chrissy scream from behind the boys.

“Oh, hey Cherry!” Billy chimes. “Huge fan of your work. So is Eddie, though. And a million other men, so what makes me special huh?”

Henry is hovering, lingering between Eddie and Billy with a stance you knew all too well. The angled torso, a hand floating ready to butt in. The memories come flooding into the room in the form of burning tears against your waterline. Your throat is tight.

“How…the fuck…” you choke. “Did you find me?”

Billy flashes you his phone. Looking through his cracked screen, you see that the evidence is all on Reddit. Sure enough, there you were, doing your thing in a video surrounded by tons of men, exposing your birthmark that’s oh so similar to Billy’s.

“This girl is so fucking hot!” a Redditor comments.

“What’s her name?” someone asks.

“She goes by Shy Girl,” another answers. “Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club in Hawkins, IN.”

It’s no surprise that Billy follows the ‘stripper’ Sub-Reddit. You’ve gone viral, so of course he was bound to see it.

“Ever heard of a digital footprint?” Billy questions darkly. “Shy Girl?”

You gulp. In the age of technology, you should’ve known that your cover would be blown if you stood out well enough. How could you be so stupid?

“Oh look!” your brother chuckles. “There it is, the biggest giveaway of all. Right front and center… your birthmark."

“You win,” is all you can say. “You can stop now.”

“I’m not trying to win anything,” Billy jeers. “I’m just saying, if you had a brain, you would’ve at least thought to cover it up with makeup or something.”

Eddie looks over at you with sad eyes. It’s the first time he truly looked helpless. A part of him also looks like his own cover is blown too. You can’t help but wonder why.

“Yeah, you could say I did my research,” Billy draws on. He shoves his phone back into his pocket. “It kept me occupied on the plane. The news articles aren’t hard to find either. Hawkins is pretty small. A whole shoebox compared to Leucadia.”

His eyes dart back to Eddie. “And I’ve read up a lot about you.”

“You know the media loves to twist things,” Eddie hisses. “Especially if everything about me fits the narrative they’re trying to sell.”

Billy decides to challenge him. “So you’re saying everything is fake news?”

Eddie doesn’t comment. It strikes you odd that Eddie doesn’t even try to defend himself. What could he and Billy possibly be talking about it?

“Funny, I on the contrary believe you’ve earned your reputation,” Billy insists.

“What is he talking about Eddie?” you ask.

“Just forget about it,” Eddie shuts down.

“Yeah, forget about it,” Billy somewhat agrees. He turns to you. “You’re coming with me.”

You turn to Max. She watches, terrified as Billy ushers you in the corner. You’re too drained to fight back so you let him. But when you finally meet his eyes, Billy looks like your brother again.

“Seriously, WHAT were you thinking?” his voice shows genuine concern.

Billy sounds more disappointed now than vengeful.

“This is all because of YOU,” you snap. “I had no choice.”

“That’s your bullshit excuse?” Billy demands, eyes welling up with tears. “You’re a fucking waitress! I’m sure Benny’s down the block would’ve sufficed.”

Billy’s an asshole, for sure. But at the end of the day he’s still a multifaceted human. When the trauma doesn’t take over, he’s a level-headed individual. A clear thinker with good critical thinking skills and an ability to read the room. Something you’ve spent your whole life second-guessing yourself over.

Your brother continues his tangent.

“YOU HAVEN’T DANCED IN YEARS, first of all. The only ‘stripping’ you know is when you go skinny dipping with your little hoe friends at Black's Beach. You don’t have a permit to dance, which I’m pretty sure is illegal somehow because EVERYWHERE ELSE in Indiana requires a stripping permit. You don’t even know anything about what this industry entails, yet you cannonball headfirst into it like it’s just easy. This industry is a hotspot for sex trafficking. Millions and women and little girls are kidnapped every year and forced into sex work, don’t you know that?”

Billy nudges the ribbons in your hair.

“Child-like ribbons in your hair too. You disgust me.”

He pauses. It’s like he has an epiphany. The devilish smirk returns.

“But maybe Eddie knew that,” he tuts, waving a stupid finger of his in the air. “BINGO! With the little experience you have, Eddie must’ve known you were naive. Desperate. A little bit of a slut. Eddie knew he just HAD to get his hands on you. Take advantage of you. Exploit you.”

“Shut up.”

You knew Billy was being dumb. But what he says makes sense. And in the depths of your wounded heart, what he said felt true in a sense. Because there was a time you did feel betrayed by Eddie. Meanwhile Eddie has gone pale.

All eyes are on you now, and not for the reason you want. Sure, it’s a strip club. But never have you ever felt so naked. Never has your soul ever felt so exposed.

“Yeah…” Billy grins. It’s like you can see the gears grinding in his head. He flashes Eddie a disgusted look. “That’s exactly what it is. You know, you give me the creeps, Munson. Sure you hear that a lot.”

“You give me the creeps…Hargrove,” Eddie counters. “With how IN LOVE you seem to be with your sister.”

Eddie takes a few steps towards him to elaborate.

“Showing up to the place she strips at…causing a scene when you see her on someone’s lap… and then proceeding to tell her no one will love her like you do?”

Eddie scoffs.

“Yeah. Totally not creepy.”

“We’re family, Eddie,” Billy sighs. “Families love each other. Of course you wouldn’t know anything about that.”

“Hey, douchebag—” Steve begins but Chrissy stops him.

“Too fucking far, Billy,” you plead. “Stop.”

“You know what else I found out?” Billy smiles. “Your boy toy Eddie comes from a long line of crooks.”

Billy turns to Eddie. “Your half brother Eagan is a con man in Montauk, New York. And your other brother Ansen Wayne back in Memphis got arrested for, guess what? Arson! Funny.”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Chrissy roars again.

But Billy proceeds. “And if I’m not mistaken, your dad Al is a drug dealer who married one of his clients, your mother. And guess what? When she wasn’t bringing him any money? He pimp slapped her in broad daylight and eventually slit her throat.”

Billy looks you in the eyes when he says that.

“How tragic,” Billy breathes. “Dad killing Mom.”

Billy turns back to Eddie.

“One dysfunctional ass family. And a poor excuse of a son.”

“Takes one to know one,” Eddie spits.

Billy laughs and nods. You’re surprised that doesn’t set him off.

“I’m not entertaining this,” your brother refuses. “I’m trying to be a better person, but Munson you are pushing it. Nah, my family is where I draw the line. Come on, sis. You’re coming with me.”

Yanking you by the wrist, Billy pulls you along with him.

“No,” you refuse.

But his grip is too tight. Now you’re just along for the ride.

“I would never do anything to hurt your sister,” Eddie says, running after you both. Henry follows closely behind Eddie. “Surely that’s something you can’t say.”

“You’d never do anything to hurt her?” Billy halts challenging him with the most satisfied grin on his face. “You’d never do anything to hurt her?”

Eddie nods. Billy releases you, sending you flying forward into Max’s arms. She’s shaking when you wrap your arms around her for comfort.

“What happened to Isabelle then, Eddie?” Billy taunts him. “Court records are also public, you know.”

Isabelle. Eddie’s ex-girlfriend. How does Eddie’s ex-GF fit into Hellfire’s narrative? In your mind you always thought Isabelle was a random chick.

The whole room is silent. It’s like a wave washed over everybody. Eddie simply stands there, no visible reaction besides the look of defeat.

Something tells you something is very, very wrong. Finally, Eddie speaks.

“Don’t you EVER bring up my wife again,” Eddie’s voice is breaking. “I loved her with my whole heart.”

Your world stops. Everyone else’s keeps going.

“Your wife?” you exclaim. “You have a wife?”

Billy exudes a Joker-like laugh as he watches the lore unravel.

“Ex-wife,” Eddie corrects himself. “We’re separated.”

His gaze burns into Billy.

“Since you’re such a historian, Hargrove,” Eddie hisses. “I’m afraid you missed the part where Isabelle used me to get her hands on my business and then weaponized the fact that she’s a woman to try and tarnish it during our separation. But of course, it doesn’t feed your narrative about me so you’re purposely leaving it out.”

“That’s what you get then,” Billy’s tongue glides against his inner cheek. “For getting involved with an employee. They’re all the same. A bunch of gold-digging whores.”

It all makes sense now. You look over at Eddie. Plastered on his face is the same haunted eyes he had the night he tried to resist your advances. Now you know why Eddie was so hesitant to pursue you. He wasn’t playing hard to get. He was guarding his heart. And his business.

“So, you wanna tell us about the trafficking ring?” Billy questions.

“I didn’t try to sell her,” Eddie spat. “God dammit. Our marriage was bleeding into work so I had to send her to a different club. One I thought I trusted. But the owner stabbed me in the back also.”

“Yeah!” Chrissy adds. “He was an undercover pimp! Didn’t you read the court docs on the plane like you said?”

“He’s not exactly book smart, Chris,” Eddie smirks. “Too many big words for his big brain to handle.”

There’s nothing else for Billy to say. His failed attempt to paint Eddie as the bad guy and him as the hero did not go to plan. But as usual, Billy wants the last word.

“Stay away from my sister.”

And soon your wrists are suffocated by his grip again. You whimper in fear as Billy drags you along, angrily pulling you towards the exit while resisting your kicks and shoves.

“This is what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna go put your fucking clothes on,” Billy’s voice shakes. “Grab your shit, and you and Max are gonna come back home with me. Away from this shady bullshit.”

You can tell Billy is also terrified for you. But this is your story to write now. Not his. This is a narrative he cannot control.

“No!” you scream. “My new life is HERE.”

“The fuck it isn’t,” Billy denies. “Your life and Max’s lives are in California.”

“Are you deaf?” Steve demands. “She said no. Let her go.”

“Aw, now Walmart Ashton Kutcher has something to say!”

“Leave me alone, Billy,” you wail. “We are not going with you.”

“It’s all an inside job,” Billy is shaking now. “He’s no good for you, sis. Don’t you understand? How can you be so blind?”

“It’s my journey!” you roar. “And my life. You don’t get to control me anymore, especially since you’re part of the problem. And I’d rather be provided for by men like you than live with you ever again.”

Billy can only chuckle. “You’re delusional.”

He grabs Max on the way out.

“Max come on.”

“NO!” Max refuses.

Steve jumps in front of her and pulls her behind him. Billy rushes to grab Steve but is pushed back by Henry.

“Why are you grabbing Harrington?” Henry demands.

“Why’s he grabbing my sister?”

You’re waiting for Billy to face Henry’s wrath. He’s already trying to create space between the both of you so that you can wriggle free.

“HEY!”

To your surprise, the fist that meet’s Billy’s nose isn’t Henry’s.

“EDDIE!” Chrissy shrieks.

“WHOA MAN!” Steve screams, trying to run and stop the fight but Henry tackles him.

“EDDIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Dustin demands. “EDDIE, STOP!”

Billy is blindsided by Eddie with little to no time to react. Eddie gets two good punches in when he’s sprawled on top of him.

But Billy is quick to bounce back. Already accustomed to punches, Billy allows Eddie a few more blows to tire him out. When his hair gets in the way, Billy grabs Eddie by the wrist and tosses him off, hoisting himself over him to get him in a headlock.

“Son…of…a BITCH!” Eddie elbows him.

And as Billy scrunches to block his ribcage, Eddie gets him with a good left hook and a right cross-jab.

Blood splatters from Billy’s nose onto the surrounding area.

“HOLY SHIT!” Dustin shrieks.

“BILLY!” Maxine screams.

“You guys, STOP!” you order.

You rush over to your brother and attempt to pry him off. Steve rushes to Eddie and tries to do the same.

Billy’s stumbling back, unusual since he always wins fights. This is causing you to stumble back and lose your grip on him. Eddie gets a few more good punches in.

Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab-cross. Upper cut. Upper cut. And a seismic kick to the solar plexus.

Eddie Munson is strong.

“EDDIE, LEAVE HIM ALONE!” cries Chrissy. “YOU’RE GONNA KILL HIM IF YOU DON’T STOP.”

“Yeah?” Eddie mutters. “Well that’s kinda the plan.”

When he hears that, Henry stops whatever he’s doing to charge towards Billy and Eddie. You feel yourself grow lightheaded because of the amount of blood that has been expelled. You can almost smell the iron.

“Nope. That’s enough,” Henry declares, dragging your boss away this time.

Eddie has the advantage now during this time, and he uses all of it, punching Billy mercilessly into the ground. Billy tries to get up, but fails, and just when he’s not looking, Eddie sneaks a few roundhouse kicks to his head and neck.

The blood starts to pool.

“EDDIE, STOP!” everyone continuously chants.

“EDDIE, LET IT GO MAN!” Gareth begs.

“EDDIE, GET OFF OF HIM NOW!” Chrissy pleads.

“IT’S NOT WORTH IT!” Steve says to him.

“YES THE FUCK IT IS!” Eddie roars. “IT IS WORTH IT!”

The sound of glass shattering fills your ears as you look over at the boys. Henry managed to tackle Eddie in one brisk movement, unfortunately taking a small table that housed some beer bottles on it with them.

Now it smells like rust and Corona.

Gareth and Steve take over now, pulling Eddie away while Eddie cusses Billy out through his bloody nose. Meanwhile, Max rushes to Billy’s side and urges him to get out. Henry runs to her aid, dragging out your volatile twin brother so he wouldn’t harm anybody else. Billy’s out of sight now, but the thought of him still lingering in Hawkins until he sees you two again is unsettling.

“Whoa,” Steve exhales.

“What?” you ask him, crossing your arms in frustration.

“Eddie just fought someone,” he pants. “Your brother, Billy at that.”

You try to shrug it off. “Big deal,” you say. “Fights happen all the time here.”

“You don’t understand Hargrove,” Henry says, walking up you. “Eddie never fights anyone.”

You turn to face Henry.

“That’s what I’m here for,” the unscathed bodyguard explains.

———————-

The first person you go over to is Max. Consoling each other, you both hug one another and rock back and forth.

You look off into the corner and see Dustin with a tampon, trying to shove it up Eddie’s bloody nose while Nancy watches in amusement. Eddie swats Dustin’s hands away, mumbling, “Get that shit away from me” and setting for Kleenex instead.

“Shy Girl,” Nancy calls out. “Please come and get your man.”

Confused that she’s even talking to you that way, it dawns on you that Nancy is talking about Eddie. You walk towards Nancy, who is behind the bar, supervising Eddie and Dustin from a distance.

“Do you have some ice?” you ask her.

She holds up a pack she had been preparing.

“Way ahead of you love,” Nancy says.

You chuckle and thank Nancy as you take the ice from her. She gives you a nod, you’re welcome.

“He’s not my man, by the way,” you add, correcting her. “Just did something really sweet.”

“Well does his ass know that?” Nancy raises a brow. “Only a dumbass in love does shit that crazy and stupid.”

You look over at Eddie. His eyes find you at the same time. Chrissy is over in the corner with Nina, talking her down from the anxiety witnessing a fight that bloody must’ve caused her. Steve is over at the lair still, thinking. You can’t read the expression on his face.

Your grip on the ice pack tightens as you walk closer to Eddie. He gives you a nod and a terrible excuse of a wave, slowly wincing in pain after the slightest raise of his left arm.

“You are vile,” you say in his voice from the day it all fell apart. You extend your hand with the ice pack in it to him.

Feeding into your truce, Eddie looks up at you with a faint smile. He takes the ice pack in his hand.

“I prefer the term protective,” he parrots you.

———————————

🏷️ tag list: @battymunson , @the-fairy-anon , @ali-r3n , @corrodedcoffincumslut , @bebe07011 , @mmunson86, @eddiesguitarskills , @chelebelletx , @imonhereforareasonsadly , @eddies-trailer-babe @hideoutside , @motherfckerr, @jxpsi , @munson-magic , @lindseyj23, @sidthedollface2 , @manda-panda-monium , @elvendria , @micheledawn1975 , @hereforshmut , @siriuslysmoking , @nymphetkoo , @m-chmcl-rmnc , @justinelittlewoodsworld , @ahoyyharrington , @keepittoyourselftellnobodyelse @kellyxo1 @emsgoodthinkin @winchester-angel @chloe-6123

[reidsaurora]

"Hot Chocolate, White Lies" ~ A. Hotchner

Summary: Aaron might be a pain in the ass to shop for, but at least he's cute.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x GN!Reader (Reader does wear makeup)

Word Count: 1,444

Content Warning: mild swearing, mentions of food, i think that's it!

Extra Notes: i took creative liberties with the things featured in this fic, sue me (also sorry for the sh!tty summary, it will happen again) // icon in collage is by @catsadams

Beta Read By: @theghouligan 🫶🏻

Originally Written: 10/12/2023 through 10/19/2023

Criminal Minds masterlist can be found here!

Halloweek masterlist can be found here!

There were many things you were unsure of, but one thing you did know was that autumn was your absolute favorite time of the whole year.

The mornings when you were both home from cases usually started slow and sweet. You'd wake up ten minutes past your alarm, Aaron's chapped lips the only thing strong enough to awaken you from your slumber. You'd press to know why he allowed you to be late, but he'd just insist, "We have nowhere important to be. Besides, you just looked so peaceful. How could I ever wake you?"

When you finally rolled out of bed, his hands would be on your waist, his lips trailing soft kisses down your neck as the two of you made your way into the kitchen. You'd start on a pan of French toast while Aaron put on the coffee, stealing quick kisses as the two of you glided around the space, each of you already anticipating the other's every move.

Then, you'd eat together in the breakfast nook, the sunlight glowing all around him, somehow making his five-o'clock shadow and bedhead seem ethereal. The conversation would flow from topic to topic as easily as water flowed downstream. But this particular day, there was one topic Aaron seemed to be actively avoiding.

It was a week from his birthday, and while he knew better than to tell you not to get him anything, he would still put his foot down about making a big deal out of the situation. If one person found out, then they'd all find out, and truly, his only wish every year was to spend his birthday with the person he loved most, not the entirety of the FBI. He'd much rather have take-out and a cheap bottle of wine in the comfort of his own home than hors d'oeuvres and expensive champagne with people he hardly knew.

Still, you'd tried all morning to get him to crack and tell you what he wanted for his birthday. But his response was always the same: "You're the only thing I need, my love."

One somewhat pointless conversation and a plate of French toast later, the two of you were headed back to the bedroom to get ready for the day ahead. He'd head into the bathroom to shave, and you'd steal glances of him as you got dressed in the bedroom. Then he'd do the same, eyeing you with absolute love and adoration as you applied layers of makeup he still insisted you didn't need, even after years of marriage.

Soon enough, you'd arrive at your favorite little bookstore and cafe. Any onlooker would immediately be able to tell just how in love Aaron was with you, sporting a matching sweater you'd clearly picked out and his hand only parting from yours to open the door, which he insisted on doing any time you went anywhere together.

"Alright, I'm setting you free," he joked, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. "Don't cause too much chaos in the romance aisle, okay?"

You giggled, leaning up to kiss him on the lips for once. "I'll only squeal if they have anything signed by my favorite author."

And with that, he was headed off to the cafe side of the building, going to collect a cup of your favorite hot chocolate. Most people preferred to drink coffee while they shopped, but to you, nothing beat curling the sleeves of your sweater around your hands and sipping a cup of hot chocolate. Even after years of coming to this place, you still hadn't figured out how they made it taste infinitely better than other hot chocolate you'd ever had.

Once you were absolutely sure Aaron was in line at the cafe, you were bee-lining in the opposite direction of the romance aisle and over to the literary fiction section.

While you'd originally told Aaron you wanted to go to the bookstore under the guise of wanting to see if they had a copy of a new release you'd been excited about, you secretly had other plans. If he wasn't going to tell you what he wanted, you'd take matters into your own hands.

You peered around one of the shelves to make sure he wasn't looking, letting out a quick sigh of relief as you spotted him reading something on his phone.

You had all of about three minutes to find a couple books that he hadn't read, which was no small feat. Nearly every second of Aaron's free time was spent devouring a novel, and while you loved that he had found a hobby he truly enjoyed, it also made it devastatingly hard to buy him new books.

In roughly two and a half minutes, you'd managed to find three books that you were sure Aaron would love. Then, you were all but sprinting over to the romance section and grabbing the first book you saw, reading the back cover nonchalantly as your husband walked up.

You were reading the back of some novel about two rival scientists falling in love when Aaron got back with two cups of hot chocolate and a sugar cookie the size of your face. "Your drink, my dear," he said, holding out one of the cups.

You took the cup from him, inhaling that first anticipated sip of the warm liquid. "Thank you."

"You found anything interesting yet?" he asked, a hand meeting the small of your back.

You shook your head, placing the scientist romance novel back on the shelf and picking up another book with a beautiful pink cover. "Nothing much. No signed copies so you'll be glad to know I won't be disturbing the other readers with my squeals."

He chuckled, a deep sound that made butterflies go off in your stomach every time you heard it. "Thank you, I'm sure it's appreciated," he kidded. He took the tote from your shoulder, immediately registering the weight of the bag. "Nothing much?" he inquired.

Before he could open the bag to look inside, you were swatting his hand and snatching it away. "It's… an encyclopedia I promised Reid I'd get for him if I saw it."

Aaron cocked an eyebrow at you. "Since when do you go shopping for Reid?" he inquired, a chuckle on the tip of his tongue.

You wracked your brain for some kind of response that sounded at least halfway truthful. "He hasn't been able to find it anywhere and he knew we liked coming here, so he asked me to check next time we came."

That skeptical brow of his only raised itself higher. "Well, there's one flaw with your story and that's that I'm a profiler and I know when you're lying to me."

Before you could form a rebuttal, he was taking the bag out of your hands again. "Aaron, don't-" you barely got out the words before he was holding up the copy of The Midnight Library.

His brows furrowed as he held up the book, examining the cover for a moment. "This isn't a romance."

You let out an exasperated breath at his examination. "That's kind of the point, Aaron."

"Well, I thought we came to find a copy of that new book you've been looking for."

You ran a hand through your hair, letting out a small huff of amusement. "I suppose I should come clean. I did lie to you."

Aaron's mouth flew open in fake shock. "No! I never would've guessed."

"Not about that," you grumbled, slapping his arm. "About why we're here in the first place. I wanted to find you something for your birthday."

His features wrinkled in embarrassment, a small sigh escaping between his lips. "Well, now I look like an ass."

You were inclined to agree, he did kind of look like an ass. But he was a cute ass and you wouldn't want him any other way. Hands flying up to his cheeks, you pulled him down for a long and soft kiss. His wrinkles of slight mortification melted away as he settled into your touch, the scents of hot chocolate and new books taking over each of your senses.

Aaron was the first to pull away, moving his kiss from your lips to your forehead, before meeting you with an expression filled with admiration. "You-"

"-'Didn't have to get me anything.' I know," you finished for him. "But these ones seem really interesting and I thought that maybe we could read them together."

His mouth curved upward into that smile of his that was so sweet, so loving, so… Aaron. "If I'm going to share a book, I'm always going to hope it's with you."

-> taglist: @1234-angelika @lowsodiumfreaks67 @drayshadow @alexxavicry @cordyandbilliehavemyheart @the-lucky-ones311 @mercuryvapours @darkloverfox @sammyrenae68 @cherrycandle @asgardprincess97 @gh0stgurl @esposadomd @randomwriter1021 @eddieharrington @paintlavillered @lavhoes @rhyanishere @namorswhore @danielle143 @handsupforamiracle @topguncultleader @ah-blossom @reidselle @dungeons-are-too-cold @bbbbbbbbbbbbbbl @louderfortheback @reidsbookclub @annahargrove @cwritesforfun @maelartasch @lover-of-books-and-tea @juismissing @captainchris-pike

[mediumgayitalian]

fic rec friday 10

hi!! welcome to fic rec friday. every week, i pick five fics i have bookmarked and rec them with a little review. check them out!

something borrowed by @rosyredlipstick

In the Solace Wedding Planning agenda, on the fifth page into their summer schedule, there are carefully scrawled out notes reading this: Bride and Groom - Hazel Levesque & Frank Zhang Best Man & Maid of Honor - Percy Jackson & Piper McLean Wedding Court - Annabeth Chase & Jason Grace Mellie & Gleeson Hedge Reyna Ramírez-Arellano & Leo Valdez Ring-bearer - Chuck Hedge Flower-boy - Nico di Angelo - Will plans wedding and now, apparently, Nico stars in one. Except...sometimes there's a bit more confusion on that last part. AKA the AU where Will plans weddings and thinks Hazel and Frank are going to have to cutest, gap-toothed ten year throwing flowers down the aisle, all while wondering why this 'Neeks' guy is always hanging around, and what business he has looking that good.

yes i am back on my rosyredlipstick (dude she's GOOD okay). however this one is my favourite i think. this is the kinda story you could use to explain to people what dramatic irony is bc LORD i wanted to SHAKE THEM 😭😭 will falling like deeply in love with nico and being intensely stressed about everything the whole time is so real and on brand. i love him and i love the fond exasperation that just bleeds from this fic its GREAT

2. Rental Love by @rosyredlipstick

*Read Terms & Conditions - Male/22/Long Island N.Y.C. Tired of showing up stag at holiday events? Want your family to stop thinking there’s something wrong with you? Just want some arm candy for a work event? Look no further. Your solution is here! I will attend holiday events with you as your paid date. Accepting all genders as applicants. Email solace.w@fastmail.com if interested. Interview & application will be set up there. - Nico di Angelo has been telling Hazel Levesque about his boyfriend for weeks. The bad part? Nico doesn’t have a boyfriend, the holidays are coming up, and not all of Jason’s ideas are horrible. They’re all a bit surprised about the last one.

THE LEVEL OF STUPID THAT THEY ARE...😭😭 kills me fr. like this whole fic is just a manifestation of truly one of the best tropes of all time…..like what if we took a hallmark movie and made it gay as all hell. iconique indeed

3. A Match in the Making by @coconutcranberries-blog

“You’re a morning person,” Nico muttered, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. He ran a hand through his black hair, which stuck up in disarray, the same way it did every morning. He was a mess, and Will Solace looked annoyingly put together, and Nico didn’t even care, really, he didn’t.

friendship is the core of romance!! it is!! every time!!! and it's such a core in this fic....which is fucking??? ten years old??? im just realising?? jesus christ??? anyways. "Nico had the sudden, warm feeling that Will Solace had never bought his act." i YELLED

4. Perception by scorchedtrees

In which everyone thinks Nico and Will are together.

i love this trope i love it SO BAD. both ways. when your love is so obvious that no one misses it.....love to see it truly. and will can have one second of beingn smooth and not a dweeby loser. as a treat

5. the world is brighter than the sun now that you're here by @finalizer

It was hard, Nico eventually concluded, to maintain one’s air of spooky otherworldly detachment with a blinding ray of sunshine trailing one step behind him every minute of every day.

grouchy nico my beloved truly. honestly hes such a bitch i love him like "Seriously, give the guy a perm and a few cats and he’d be that weird aunt that everybody avoided around the holiday season." why does he ALWAYS have something vile to say 😭😭 hes a mood fr

thank you for joining me this saturday friday!! happy reading!!

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

After hours

Masterlist

Pairing: Geralt x Librarian!reader

Summary: Geralt has finally handed in the paper you helped him research for weeks... Now what to do about all that tension between you two?

Warnings: SMUT, NSFW, 18+, MINORS DNI, p-in-v sex, rough sex, semi-public sex, standing missionary, oral (m receiving), fingering (f receiving), I think that's it?

Word count: 3.9k

A/N: Alright! Roughly 4 months ago, I promised my dearest @deandoesthingstome a round with her Crescent Street fave (at the time, sorta). It has finally arrived! I hope you enjoy it 🥰

For those interested in the timeline: This takes place before he ever goes on his semester abroad, meaning that at this current time, he hasn't met Sol yet.

@deandoesthingstome @geralts-yenn @summersong69 @peaches1958 @fvckinghenrycavill @keanureevesisbae @ellethespaceunicorn @ylva-syverson @sillyrabbit81 @summersong69 @livisss @brattymum96 @kingliam2019

“Thanks for all your help the past few weeks.” You’d been hoping he’d show up all day, and now that the library was about five minutes away from closing, here he was. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he’d be able to hear your heart furiously beating in your chest. It’s a good thing that wasn’t possible. Right? 

“You’re more than welcome, Geralt,” you answered. For some reason you were avoiding his eyes. “Got that term paper done?”

“Handed it in a few minutes ago,” he said as he put a stack of books on the counter with a deep sigh. His voice drove you nuts, it had been doing so for weeks, haunting you until long after you had gone home - oftentimes deeper into the night than you cared to admit. 

“You don’t sound too confident?” No, but you did? Where was that coming from? You had expected yourself to crumble in the presence of this… long-haired hunk? Fine specimen? God? All of the above? 

“I’m sure it will be fine.” His smile surprised you the most. “If I’m being honest I’m mostly sad I… don’t get to work on it any more.” Your eyes moved to his as if by magic, because your brain still screamed at you to avoid them at all costs. And it was right to warn you, because as soon as you saw their beautiful color, you were lost. Every shred of the tension you’d spent weeks convincing yourself was a figment of your imagination, rushed back, and now there was so much of it you could almost see it in the air.

“Can I help you put these back?” Geralt said after you had signed his books back in, and you nodded in reply to his question, knowing full well the shelf they came from was all the way in the back of the library. You knew you’d been the only one in here for well over an hour now, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. 

“Let me get the door,” you said, before almost rushing to it and locking it quickly. You could swear you heard him chuckle under his breath at the way you moved, but you didn’t care.

You both scanned the aisles for people you’d missed, but per your expectations, the whole library was empty. It was just the two of you now. The walk to the mythology section of the building felt way too long, and you were definitely walking faster than you were used to, but you weren’t complaining - and neither was Geralt. You somehow found the time to start second guessing your interpretation of the situation, and had to very consciously remind yourself that putting four books back on a shelf was hardly a two-man job. And you were right about that; returning those books took maybe a minute, and when you were done putting the last one back, Geralt pulled you off the step you were standing on and looked at you. 

Once again, all the tension that had built up over the past few weeks came flooding back to you as you stared into his eyes. Your gaze only strayed from his long enough to notice the way the muscles of his jaw moved beneath his stubbled skin as he clenched his teeth. His hands felt warm and heavy as they rested on your hips, and your arms seemed to auto-pilot their way up until your lower arms were against his. Touching his biceps was a mistake - alright, not a mistake, but you were definitely shocked by the amount of muscle beneath the thin fabric of the dark sweater he was wearing. Geralt licked his lips as you let your hands travel up his arms to his shoulders, and when you reached them, he pulled you in. There was no going back now. 

He kissed you hard and in a way you’d almost describe as merciless, but he didn’t seem to be in a hurry. Every move he made revealed a tiny bit more of the immense strength you had already suspected he possessed. Something told you that you’d be getting more proof of that - maybe even more than you bargained for, but you couldn’t care less. When you felt the warmth of his tongue against your lips, you didn’t hesitate to open your mouth and let him in. He tasted of God knows what, but it was good, and the way he kissed you made your head spin and your knees weaken to the point where you weren’t exactly sure how you were still on your feet. Probably, you realized when you analyzed the situation a bit more carefully, because he was holding you up. Now that you were pulled against his body, his hands had moved away from your hips, and one of his arms now wrapped around your waist while the other pushed between your shoulder blades, crushing you into his chest. One thing you were very sure about was that you were not going to complain about any of this. 

You were glad to see that this had an effect on him, too. His heavy breathing matched your own and you felt his pulse drum against your fingers erratically when you laid a hand against his neck. Most of all, you were surprised that he was hard already, which made you feel a little bit less embarrassed about the slick mess you were absolutely sure you’d find between your legs. 

For weeks, you’d thought about asking him to join you for coffee after spending hours on the research for his paper together, or straight up asking him to take you home, even, but what was happening now bested even your dirtiest fantasies. Geralt still wasn’t rushing, but he wasn’t exactly patient, either, and it wasn’t long before the hand he kept between your shoulders moved to your side, where it carefully began to creep up  over your clothes. Its destination was clear. You weren’t born yesterday, and he was a man; he obviously wasn’t interested in the feel of the fabric of your sweater. It was almost odd how he didn’t just immediately slip his hand underneath it…

To your disappointment, he broke the kiss, but luckily it was only to regain his ability to speak. 

“This is a lovely sweater, but it’s in my way.” You had been wrong: he did actually go on to comment on the softness of your sweater. That didn’t take away the fact that the way he cocked his eyebrow at you was a silent way of asking for your permission to take the thing off - which you gladly gave him. After a few short seconds, it was on the floor. Much to your own surprise, you told Geralt to just send your bra the same way immediately, while you frantically pulled at the hem of his sweater. After all, you needed to level the playing field a bit. The clasp of your bra was no match for his nimble fingers, which made you feel a little sad. Of course that wasn’t a new move to a guy like this - even though his being twenty-one made him a fair bit younger than the guys in your past. You were about to decide to not linger on the feeling, when Geralt made you forget about it altogether by kissing along your jaw to your ear. He moaned in it softly - a deep, gravelly sound that made you lose whatever little sanity you still possessed - and murmured a soft ‘fuck’ before moving away from you to take off some of his own clothes. 

It took everything you had to keep your mouth from falling open - and you were only about forty percent convinced you were actually successful. You’d always thought you had been more than generous in your wildly inappropriate dreams, but absolutely nothing on the planet gave this guy the right to be this fucking ripped. Despite probably managing to keep your mouth closed, you couldn’t stop yourself from staring, and you battled the strange urge to lick every inch of his body; your hands would have to do. Your fingers trailed softly over his shoulders and chest, and you bit your lip as you let them slowly travel down over his abs to the waistband of his trousers. On a whim, you hooked your fingers behind it and pulled him closer to you again. There was a devious smile on his lips when you did, which gave you more courage than you ever thought you had. He let out the most delicious grunt when you softly palmed his erection through his jeans, which was partially lost against your lips when you pulled his face down to yours for another kiss. You resisted the urge to pull your hand back when you realized what this guy was packing. 

Geralt squeezed your ass through your skirt and grunted again - a sound you gladly answered with a moan. He bowed his head and put his lips to your neck, seeking out the spots that made you squirm and whine. After a short while, he pushed you back a few steps until you felt the cold concrete of the wall against your back. You shrieked at the sudden coolness against your skin, involuntarily arching your back and pressing your chest into his. Geralt laughed softly before resolutely pushing you back against the wall, lowering his head again to continue his quest further down your chest. You gasped when the warmth of his breath brushed past your sensitive nipples. The touch of his tongue made you lean into him again as he drew circles around the pebbled skin. His hands made their way to the hem of your skirt, pulling it up until he could comfortably reach between your legs. His fingers ran over the fabric of your underwear, and you shivered when Geralt deliberately circled your clit with slow, lazy movements. 

He raised his head again, leaving your nipples exposed to the merciless cold air of the room, and looked straight in your eyes when he pulled your panties to the side and dragged a finger through your slick folds. He wet his lips, and you heard a soft growl rumble in his chest every time he exhaled. It was torture, the way he kept teasing you until you were begging him to give you what you wanted, but somehow, the glacial pace with which he pushed a finger into you was so much worse. 

"Fuck, you're killing me," you growled. 

"Tell me what you want, then." God, his smile was amazing. You almost forgave him for teasing you beyond any reasonable boundaries. 

"I want you to stop teasing me," you replied. 

"You've been teasing me for weeks," he said to your surprise, "don't I get even a little in return?" You quirked an eyebrow at him. He had been the one teasing you for weeks, for crying out loud! He laughed when you suggested that.

"I don't think I care who started it," he growled into your ear as he finally pushed two fingers inside you and curled them in search of the perfect spot. Of course he found it in no time, and you were a squirming, shaking, whimpering mess in his arms within seconds. 

He kissed you again. It was rough, like before - and an excellent way to keep you quiet as his fingers continued to pump into you unrelentingly. Your nails dug into the muscle of his shoulder so fiercely you were sure it hurt him, but he didn’t look bothered by it at all. Every moan that escaped you seemed to inspire him to keep going until you couldn’t take it anymore. 

“That’s it.” You clearly heard the excruciating smugness in his voice as he pulled you over the edge. Leaning against the wall wasn’t enough to keep your knees from buckling, but Geralt seemed to have no problem holding you up while he rested his forehead against yours. After a while, your legs were once again able to carry your weight, and you stood a little straighter as you once again ran your hands over the ridiculously muscular torso in front of you, not stopping until you reached the waistband of his jeans, which you swiftly unbuttoned and unzipped. As soon as you wrapped your fingers around his cock, Geralt moaned loudly, your mouth swallowing the sound up as you pressed your lips to his again. The kiss could hardly distract you from the thoughts that raced through your mind as your hand greedily explored what mother nature had blessed him with, and you couldn’t stifle a moan. 

Your fingertips didn’t touch. That sentence ran tireless circles through your mind as you gently, experimentally, moved your hand, attempting to draw a reaction from the man in front of you. Your fingertips didn’t touch, but instead of contemplating the probability that this was never in a million years going to fit, you let out a continuous stream of moans as you touched him. If the past few weeks had taught you anything, it was that you didn’t care whether this would be easy or not. You needed him. 

The sounds that spilled from Geralt’s throat were like music to your ears, ranging from dark, guttural growling to equally dark and guttural moans. He took the liberty of pushing his pants down to give you easier access, which finally inspired you to set aside your doubts and get on your knees. 

Geralt inhaled sharply when your tongue darted out to meet the tip of his cock, and you found yourself almost giddy with excitement. There was just something about making a man this size crumble beneath your touch, and from your current perspective, everything about him seemed even more massive than when you’d been standing up. You smiled as you listened to the noises Geralt made as you circled your tongue around his head. That smile widened when those sounds grew more impatient with every passing second, until he placed a hesitant hand on the back of your head, gently urging you to stop teasing him. 

There was no way you could take all of him into your mouth, but he didn’t seem to mind. Men this generously endowed were probably used to that particular misfortune. Curiosity ultimately got the better of you, and you steadily moved further down his shaft until you reached your limit. At first, the hand Geralt kept on your head didn’t move at all, until there came a point at which he seemed to have confidently learned the extent of your capabilities. He was still gentle, applying only the slightest amount of pressure, never forcing you further down than you could handle. The occasional moan escaped you, the vibrations of which caused Geralt to groan, and his cock to twitch slightly in your mouth. 

It had been a while since you had been able to lose yourself so completely in a blowjob, and although you had no way of knowing how much time you spent on your knees, it must have been a rather long time. When Geralt pulled on your hair slightly - and more firmly after gaining some confirmation that you weren’t opposed to that kind of thing - and your almost trance-like state was broken and you were faced with reality again, the first thing you noticed was the excruciating sensation in your knees. You chuckled when the memory of one of your friends fought itself to the forefront of your mind. In your own days at the university, she had publicly - loudly, too - declared the library ‘carpet burn central’, and your knees were now living proof of her assessment. 

A large hand wrapped around your arm as Geralt pulled you off the ground rather unceremoniously, and pushed you back against the wall, kissing you fiercely. 

“Fuck,” he swore under his breath as he fumbled with something. The options regarding the source of the crinkling sound you heard - especially considering the context of the situation - were limited. Truth be told: anything other than a condom at this stage would have sorely disappointed you. Luckily, your educated guess was dead-on. 

“Need some help with that?” you taunted, not considering whether potentially antagonizing Geralt was a smart thing to do - it probably wasn’t. He huffed impatiently, breaking your kiss and looking at you with a lifted brow. There was something resembling amusement in those gorgeous amber eyes, and nothing of the annoyance that you had heard in his voice. 

“Got it,” he said, the smallest grin appearing on his lips. 

Without warning, he captured your body between his and the wall, pulling one of your legs up to his hip. It was not yet enough for him to comfortably move. While shaking his head slightly, a smirk on his lips, he lifted your other leg as well. The suddenness of your feet leaving solid ground made you shriek, and you wrapped your arms around Geralt’s neck. One thing was certain: there was absolutely no reason to doubt his strength. In fact, you wished furiously that you had chosen a less limiting and maybe more conventional position and location than the ones you currently found yourself in. Positions and locations with more possibilities for Geralt to show you what he was really capable of. At the very least, that location would contain something to tone down the sound of the screams you were sure he would pull from you.

As your thoughts raced through your mind about what could, would, should or might be, Geralt entered you slowly, giving you plenty of time to adjust to the size of his cock. Much to your surprise, things went smoother than you had expected. The first thrusts came slowly, and were too gentle to really match the raunchiness of the position - or place - you were in. 

That didn’t last long. 

Whether it was his idea, inspired by your sloppily muttered ‘I can take it’, or a combination of both, you didn’t know - and quite frankly: you didn’t give a damn. Right now, it was just you and Geralt, and the way your arms were wrapped around his neck, and your legs around his waist, as you held on for dear life while each thrust came harder, faster and deeper than the one before. It was fantastic. Something about the way he moved had you hiding your face in his neck in a hopeless attempt to hide your screams. You squirmed in his arms as your hands closed into tight fists around locks of his white hair - which he didn’t even seem to notice. 

Geralt was an unholy combination of strength and stamina: rough, untamed, and seemingly always on the brink of losing control. For a moment, you were consumed by a single drop of sweat that traveled down his forehead, headed for the furrowed brow that sat over a pained expression. That tortured look gave you an idea of the sheer amount of restraint he needed right now to not topple over into the abyss of his own feelings, and chase nothing but his own pleasure. He’d hurt you. You were as sure of that, as you were of your suspicion that you wouldn’t mind so much as one microscopic little bit if he did hurt you. Never before had you surrendered so completely to a man, and if you had to be honest: never before had any of them earned your submission like Geralt did. 

He lasted way past the point where you should probably have asked him to slow down, then past the point where you wondered if you genuinely wanted him to slow down, and finally another while past the very moment any discomfort warped itself into pleasure again. That familiar, throbbing ache begged for attention - yours or otherwise - as Geralt slowed his brutal rhythm. A sigh of relief escaped you, not because it wasn’t good before, but because this was a pace at which your mind could keep up with the continuous, overwhelming flood of sensations. Geralt urged you to loosen your arms, which were still wrapped tightly around his neck. He held your hips tightly as he stepped back a tiny bit, giving you space to reach between your bodies and focus some attention where you needed it most. 

Geralt thrust into you with a steady rhythm while your fingers drew tight circles around your clit. Your breath caught in your throat as you came closer and closer to your orgasm with each thrust, each touch. When you finally exploded around him, a hint of a smile cut through the grim expression on Geralt’s face. His harsh features softened as his previously unrelenting rhythm finally faltered and made way for the uncontrolled and passionate thrusts that announced his nearing release. His fingers dug into your hips, and the growls that fell from his lips bordered on the feral. When he came, those growls largely died against your lips as he swept you into yet another breathtaking kiss. A hiss escaped you when his sharp teeth grazed your bottom lip and bit down painfully. 

When he finally - maybe after slightly more time than he should have allowed - slipped out of you and put you down again, you had to brace yourself against the wall in order to stay on your feet. This guy was genuinely every bit as amazing as you’d imagined he’d be - and then some. Or rather: he had been. As you gathered your discarded clothes off the floor and put them back on, scrambling to make yourself at least somewhat presentable again, you realized that this was it. It was over. The one thing you had spent weeks looking forward to, was now something of the past. Suddenly, a wave of something you couldn’t quite place washed over you. Not regret, no, you’d recognize regret. Even the where and how of this encounter couldn’t hold a candle to your worst drunken mistakes - the ones you actually did regret. There was absolutely nothing to regret about something this amazing, except maybe the fact that it was over. 

As you questioned why part of you was questioning your unquestionable life choices, you vaguely took note of Geralt sneaking off to the bathroom. Of course, your initial fear was that he would sneak off altogether, but you remembered the only entrance to the library was locked, and you were the only person present with a key. Your suspicion was confirmed when Geralt returned to you a bit later. 

The two of you found yourselves in a very interesting situation. If the morning after a one night stand was awkward, the moment after a wicked semi-public quickie in the library was at least twice as uncomfortable, and then some. You didn’t speak as you locked up and left the floor you were on, and while you walked, at least a hundred scenarios crossed your mind that did nothing to settle your nerves about saying your goodbyes. Whatever you conjured up in your brain was also useless in preparing you for the one thing that actually did happen. 

“Come back to my place,” Geralt said as you stepped outside. No matter how hard you tried, you were ultimately unsuccessful in keeping your eyes from going wide as you heard his words. Something about it wasn’t a question, which turned out to be enough to bring back the thrumming between your legs and weaken your knees. “I’m not done with you yet.”

[moonferry]

rejoice from the heavens! fsioy chapter 8 be upon ye!

omg hi guys i finished this. i also decided to introduce some new characters for Plot Reasons that i cannot reveal yet teehee. this was pretty chill, but i fear it will get worse when the actual "conflict" occurs. i hope you guys enjoy it tho!

warnings: bullying/taunting

word count: 4175 (god i keep doing this ??? HOW)

summary: kent has finally left, but what happens now? he takes various travel methods and eventually gets his assignment (and even meets a few cabin mates)

ao3 link: here!

other chapters: chapter masterlist

April 19XX, ??? – Middle Of The War 

The bus ride was as you’d expect: cramped, unpleasant and Kent was pretty sure the bus driver was actively trying to hit every pothole they encountered. He was thrown around in his seat more times than he could count. Twice, he was nearly launched into the seat across the aisle - which would land him awkwardly in the lap of another recruit. Thankfully, he managed to stop himself before that happened.

 Kent passed the time (well, the time where he wasn’t trying to avoid being scrambled like an egg) by looking out the window. Despite the circumstances, the surrounding area seemed incredibly peaceful, in a weird way. It was full of luscious plant life - trees and greenery that seemed to span for miles - and a small, quaint village nestled between the foliage. Kent would love to come back some day, finally leave the bustle of the city and find a calm place for him and Jodi. If he survived, that is. That thought caused his mood to sour slightly and he peeled his eyes away from the window. Instead, he shook the thought from his mind and tried to remain positive. 

He glanced around the bus and tried to find some silver lining - there had to be something positive about this whole thing? Sure, he was trapped on a dank, musty bus and was heading into a situation where no one seemed to know what was happening, and there was also the fact that he might not return at all.. But sure, there was a positive in there somewhere. There had to be. He had somehow managed to get a seat to himself, despite being the last one on, so that was a start. He mentally checked his “scoreboard” - one good thing to 6 million bad. This was going to take a while. 

After an hour of excruciating travel, the bus came to an abrupt halt - the squealing of tires loud enough to cause Kent to cover his ears. At least it meant the journey would - hopefully - be smoother from now on. There weren't any pot holes on train tracks, any that he knew of, obviously, but anything seemed possible at this point. 

He hurriedly gathered his things and followed the crowd as they exited the bus. While he waited for the numbers of people before him to load the train, Kent once again looked at his surroundings. This part of… wherever he was… seemed more dilapidated than the countryside they passed, it even seemed a bit pathetic compared to the city - which was saying a lot, considering that the city often looked like it was being held together with glitter glue. He squinted at the horizon line and tried to determine how far they had already traveled. He could only see faint outlines of the city’s skyscrapers and concluded they had gone a pretty far distance, which made him feel slightly homesick. 

He was broken out of his stupor by annoyed shouts that came from behind him. Kent noticed a rather large gap had formed in the line - likely his fault - and quickly moved closer to the other people, shouting a small apology to the people behind him. As he approached the train platform, frowning a bit at the state it was in, he sighed. Kent anxiously watched as the line continued to diminish in front of him. It was down to a single person now. One person was all that stood in front of him and the second leg of his journey. Soon, they crossed over the edge of the platform and stepped onto the train. 

Kent gulped as he realized it was now his turn. He wiped his clammy hands against his pants and stepped inside, pulling what little luggage he had behind him. Luckily, the train seemed much better from the inside. It would’ve been an improvement from the bus regardless, but Kent let out a small sigh of relief when he glanced around the train car. It was filled with plenty of seats, all with cushions (though some had massive rips or patches from where they had been repaired) - some even had “booth style” seating where two seats were joined together, connected by a table - and there was even an overhead luggage container! He walked down the aisles, scanning the faces of the people already sitting, and attempted to find a seat of his own. 

When everyone was finally aboard the train, it began chugging to life and soon they were off. The ride was smooth enough and Kent eventually began to drift off, his head resting against the window as he closed his eyes. 

His mind began filling with vivid images: he was dreaming. More specifically, he was dreaming of Jodi. He saw her, sitting and humming to herself, her hand resting in the hand of someone else. It was himself, but much older. He looked the same - for the most part - but something seemed different. Kent couldn’t quite place what it was, but it seemed to unsettle him. Before he could decipher what it was, the scene changed once again. He and Jodi were sitting in a cozy room, his arm draped around Jodi’s shoulders and the other reaching over to coo at a small bundle in Jodi’s arms. Kent felt a small smile spread across his sleeping face. The image was about to shift again and Kent knew whatever he was shown next would be important. 

Unfortunately, he was awoken (rather rudely, he might add) by a sudden lurch from the train. Kent was sent forward, his head colliding with the table. He let out a low groan, reaching a hand up to rub the growing knot on his forehead. That was definitely going to bruise. He looked around and tried to determine why the train had stopped. A chorus of confused murmurs spread throughout the train car, only to be interrupted by the supervising Commander walking through the aisles and stopping in the center of the train car. 

“Not to worry, cadets,” He piped up, his voice bouncing off the metal wall around him. As if he needed it, Kent thought, the commander’s voice was loud enough already. Kent grumbled underneath his breath, but he quickly quieted and returned his attention to the man speaking. 

“There has been… an issue with the place we were originally supposed to depart,” The man started, a brief flash of nervousness covering his face - though Kent was probably the only one who noticed. He received some sort of message over his communication system and added, “But, I have just been informed that the boat is willing to meet us at a nearby dock. Grab your things. We can walk from here.” 

The crowd responded with a chorus of groans and complaints, though everyone moved and began gathering their luggage. The thirty-something cadets exited the warmth of the train and huddled outside. Kent wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep for, or how long the train ride had taken to get to this point, but it appeared much darker than before. Let’s see, if the originally boarded the bus at noon, and it took maybe an hour or two to get to the train station, and if Kent was asleep for an two hours, he assumed that it was now about 5 or 6 P.M. At least they were making good time, that was another silver lining. Until you looked at the bigger picture and realized it meant he would get to wherever they were going sooner. 

“Oh, lighten up,” The commander replied, silencing the groans and whines from the crowd, “It’s not a long walk. Besides, you can use this time to get to know your fellow brothers-in-arms.’ 

Kent shook his head. Like that was going to happen. Everyone was much taller (and bulkier) than him, he knew they would probably use him as a punching bag the first chance they got. He wasn’t too eager for that to happen, so he hung back and stayed near the edges of the cluster. At least back here he was less likely to draw attention to himself. 

He continued walking, squinting to see the dimly lit path beneath his feet. He didn’t want to trip and embarrass himself and he had already injured himself once on this trip - his forehead still throbbing with the fresh bruise. Thankfully, he made it to the dock without any more incidents. 

Boats were always his favorite. He loved the ocean and the river - any body of water, really. It always seemed calming to him. Kent felt his happiest when he was near water and has a plethora of fond memories surrounding it. When he was younger, his father would bring Kent to the pier and make a game out of boat watching - competing to see who could name the most boats. Kent always won, though he wasn’t sure if his father had let him win or if Kent had actual skill. He smiled to himself as he thought back, though his chest felt heavy. He silently wished he could experience that again: watching the ocean with his father, putting all their worries behind them and just looking at the different types of boats. 

He stepped on the rickety dock, the feeling of wood beneath his feet comforting him in a way he couldn’t describe. Kent glanced to his left, noticing the boat - which appeared to be the most updated and functional mode of transportation he would take - before looking back. He saw a gruff man who appeared to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s and had to do a double take. For a second, just a split second, he thought he had seen his father. Kent blinked his eyes, reaching a hand up to rub them just in case his eyes were actually playing tricks on him, though the figure still remained. He shook his head - telling himself he must still be groggy from sleep - and entered the hull of the boat. 

Once everyone was inside, they all crowded together - smashing against one another like sardines crammed into a tin. It was a bit uncomfortable and smelled strongly of salty fish, but Kent didn’t seem to mind. He took in his surroundings: dark, with one barely working light bulb overhead, there were dull, metal walls, and a carpet beneath his feet - it seemed soft enough but appeared to be growing some sort of life form. 

Kent glanced up as soft clangs echoed across the walls, heavy footsteps clomping down the metal stairs in front of them. Apparently, the last person, the ship’s captain, had finally boarded the ship. Kent stumbled backwards as he laid eyes upon the man - it was the same man he had noticed outside. So he hadn’t been seeing things. That was comforting, at least. It was still troubling how similar this man looked to his father, though. 

“Aye, cadets,” the man spoke, his voice echoing in the small chamber. His voice sounded somewhat familiar and had a sort of rugged comfort to it. Kent tilted his head to the side and peered over the crowd to try and get a better look. 

“There’s a few rules on me boat,” The man continued, walking down to the bottom of the stairs and standing in the middle of the room. The crowd seemed to part around him, it was as if he had the power to command them with a simple glance. Kent was honestly impressed. 

“Number one:  no fightin’,” The captain added once the crowd made room before adding, “You’re all old enough, so act like it. And number two: try not to move around too much. Wouldn’t want ye to go swimmin’, would we?” The man laughed, releasing a hearty chuckle that made Kent’s ears ring. The crowd erupted in a spout of worried murmurs and the captain laughed once again. 

“Ah, don’t worry, lads, I was only jokin’,” He reassured them, placing a firm hand on the closest cadet’s back with a loud thwack. His expression then turned serious and he added, “Seriously, though, don’t move around too much or the leaks start.” 

“Who are you, anyway?” Someone shouted from the back of the crowd and everyone turned to look. They accused Kent, everyone glaring at him as he looked around confusedly. 

“What did you say, lad?” The man asked, moving closer to Kent. 

“N-no.. Sir, I.. I didn’t.. It wasn’t..,” Kent stammered, putting his hands up to defend himself. 

Instead of being angry, the man simply gave another hearty laugh and rested his hand firmly on Kent’s shoulder. 

“I should thank ye for reminding me, lad. I almost forgot to introduce myself,” The man spoke in between his laughter. He turned back to face the crowd and added, “Me name’s Colonel William T. Dodgens, commander of the naval forces and captain of this here vessel. Though, most just call me ‘Willy”.” 

“Wait a second,” Kent added. He thought to himself and wondered why that name seemed so familiar. He could’ve sworn his father had mentioned the name ‘Willy’ before. That’s right, his father was friends with a captain, someone who owned one of Kent’s favorite ships back in the city. He’d never actually met the man- or if he did, he was extremely young - but he remembers visiting the boat before. 

“Yes, lad?” Willy asked, turning his attention back to Kent. When the older man looked at Kent, recognition washed over his face and he tilted his head to the side - eyebrows furrowing in concentration. 

“I think I’ve heard your name before..,” Kent explained. He noticed Willy’s scrutinizing and offered, “From my father.” 

Willy made an “ah” expression, nodding his head in agreement as it finally clicked into place, “What’s your name, lad? I need to test something.” 

“Kent, sir,” Kent spoke. He waited a bit, noticing Willy made a “keep going” gesture, before adding. “Neilson. Kent Neilson.” 

“Ah, that’s where I know ye from,” Willy spoke with a nod, placing a firm but gentle hand on Kent’s shoulder, “You’re Chrissy’s boy, right? He and I… we go back farther than the tide, we do.”

Kent nodded, sending a bright smile up at Willy and confirming, “That’s right! Christopher Neilson is my father.” 

…

The boat ride was the smoothest of all. Kent mostly spent it off by himself. He desperately wanted to chat more with Willy, but they weren’t allowed to leave the lower deck, let alone allowed in the “captain's quarters” - Willy’s orders. Deciding he didn’t want to risk getting in trouble, Kent found one of the less populated areas of the ship and took a breather. It was hard to believe that soon, all of the people on this boat would be thrust into an extremely dangerous and uncertain situation. He was worried about himself, sure, but looking at the other people on this boat, seeing the faces of other people’s sons and brothers - knowing that all or some of them may never make it back - made him even more worried. He didn’t know these people, but he felt his heart sink as he thought of their collective future. 

The feeling weighing down on his chest didn’t ease when the boat eased to a stop or when Willy tramped back down the rickety stairs. The captain notified everyone that this was their stop and Kent’s heart sank even lower, turning his stomach sour. He took a gulp of air, trying to ease his own nerves, and then grabbed his luggage. He slowly made his way off the ship, following the crowd as they streamed into a nearby tent - as one person entered, another seemed to exit from a different place in the tent’s fabric. This must be where they go to receive their assignments, Kent reasoned. 

He took his place in line, waiting as a nervous chill ran up his spine. Kent looked down at his wrist, noticing Jodi’s hair tie was still firmly secured with a tight knot. He smiled, reaching his hand out to gently touch the soft fabric. It was a silk tieable hair tie, covered in small white stars. It wasn’t much to look at, per say, being only a dull gray in color otherwise, but it meant the world to Kent. When he looked at it, it reminded him of everything he had waiting at home. It gave him a reason to try his hardest - a reason to make it back. He had to see Jodi again. 

Kent once again looked at the line in front of him, now dwindling, and let out a small sigh. Why did everything have to be so difficult? Soon, the line diminished even further and it was Kent’s turn. The attendant took one look at him, narrowing her eyes. 

“Cabin number five,” She spoke, turning to write a string of words on a nearby notepad. 

“But I didn’t even-” Kent started, though he was quickly interrupted. 

“Ca-bin num-ber fi-ve,” The woman repeated, slowing down each word in multiple syllables. She didn’t even wait for Kent to protest further before calling the next person. 

“Okay then..,” He spoke to himself, hurriedly moving out of line and following the previous person out the side of the tent. All he had to do was find cabin number five, that should be easy enough. Except, of course, the fact that Kent has no idea where the cabins even are. Oh well, he’ll manage. Kent walked along the path, distantly following the person in front of him and silently hoping they knew where they were going. Eventually, he reached a clearing full of five buildings. He recalled the woman had mentioned he would be in the fifth cabin, so he headed for the farthest building. Once inside, he looked for an empty bunk and quickly plopped his stuff on the ground. 

He crouched down, ruffled through his bag, and pulled out a small notepad. Kent promised Jodi he would write a letter as soon as he made it to the sanctioned housing, so he intended to do just that. 

Kent pulled the notepad close to his chest and tapped the pencil against it. What to say? Not much has happened yet, so he really didn’t know what to include. Maybe a simple “we made it!” but that would seem too short. He wrote a small “Dear Jodi,” before stopping. He could always tell her about the trip here, he thought, or about Willy. Maybe that would be a good place to start? 

Before he realized it, he had begun writing, “Dear Jodi, we’ve just arrived and I miss you already..” The sound of distant footsteps caused Kent to look up, watching as someone entered the cabin. 

“Ooooh, guess the new recruits poured in,” A voice called out, followed by uproarious laughter from several other voices. Kent glanced up at them and sent an awkward smile. It was a group of four other boys: all much taller, bulkier, and probably older than Kent. 

“Hey, spike-head,” The tallest man said, walking over to Kent and peering down at him, “you’re in my spot.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry. It was empty, so I just.. Assumed,” Kent explained, gathering his things and intending to move. 

“No, no, you go ahead and sit down, your highness,” he replied, pushing the luggage out of Kent’s hand, sending the contents sprawling over the floor. 

A confused expression washed over Kent’s face. He bent down and began scooping up his belongings. What was this guy’s problem, he wondered? All he had done was sit in his spot. On total accident, too. 

“Oh, look at what we have here, boys,” The man replied, picking up Kent’s notepad and bringing it to his face, reading the words before adding, “We’ve got ourselves a real loverboy here. Writing a letter to his girlfriend and everything..” 

“Hey, man, give that back,” Kent responded, pushing himself into a standing position before reaching out for his notebook. This did not go well, unfortunately. The other person held the notebook above Kent’s head, dangling it and trying to get him to “jump for it”. 

“Hey, Loverboy, are you going to write me a sweet letter, too? Make sure to add some hugs and kisses at the end,” Someone else teased, one of the guys huddled with the other cronies on the other side of the room. 

Kent reached up once again, desperately trying to get his notebook back. 

“I’m serious,” He pleaded, making a motion to the notebook that was still out of his grasp, “Just give it back. I didn’t mean to take your spot, dude. I already said I was sorry.” 

Just then, two more people walked in and Kent assumed he was done for. Died in combat? No. Died by being beaten up by six different people. To Kent’s surprise, though, one of the boys who had just walked in crossed his arms. 

“Ray, leave him alone,” The newcomer called out, a wide frown plastering across his lips. 

“What are you going to do?” The man, Ray - Kent assumed - replied as a smug grin formed across his face. 

“Raegan Schmidt, do I need to remind you what happened the last time you tried to pull a stunt like this?” The other replied, now appearing to get a mixture of frustrated and angry. 

“No, sir,” Ray replied, his ego shrinking slightly at the use of his full name. One of the groupies behind him chuckled and Ray shot them an evil glare. He also turned more “respectful” in a way, as if this person outranked him and he just realized who he was talking to. 

“Good,” the man replied. He approached Ray and promptly took the notepad from Ray’s hands, turning to hand it back to Kent. 

“I’m sorry about him,” The man apologized, giving an awkward but sincere look before adding, “are you alright?” 

Kent shrugged, though he gratefully took his notepad back. After he placed it with his items, Kent turned back to the man and said, “I’m fine. Thanks, though.” 

The other man smiled brightly before extending a hand, introducing himself, “Daniel Sawyer.” He paused for a brief moment, tilting his head to the side as he watched Kent, “but everyone calls me ‘Danny’.” 

Kent gave a small nod and extended his own hand to shake Danny’s. Something Danny had said piqued Kent’s interest and he squinted his eyes, looking the other up and down and trying to figure out what seemed familiar about him. Danny looked around Kent’s age - maybe a year or two older, at most. He had dark brown hair, which matched a small dusting of facial hair lining his chin. He looked… familiar, but Kent couldn’t seem to place what it was. 

“Kent,” he spoke, giving Danny’s hand a firm shake. Though, he swore Danny’s eyes lingered on the hair tie around Kent’s wrist and briefly darted up to his head (likely checking if Kent had enough hair to use it). 

Kent hesitated a moment, tilting his head to the side as his brows furrowed together, before speaking, “You know, Danny, you look very familiar. I just can’t place why.” 

“Maybe it’s because of my dashing good looks,” Danny joked, laughing, before adding, “I’ve been told I look like some actors.” He laughed once again, moving his hand to cover his mouth. 

That gesture made it all click for Kent. He realized why Danny looked so familiar. That was the same gesture Jodi made when she laughed. He recalled meeting her father - and noticed how his name was Sawyer. Danny’s last name is also Sawyer. He was speaking to one of Jodi’s brothers. Before he could confront him on this, though, the second man approached and playfully smacked Danny on the back before looping his arm around his shoulders. 

“Whatever he’s telling you, don’t believe it,” The man spoke, his voice filling with a joking tone. He received a playful shove from Danny and laughed before adding, “Danny’s got a big head. He looks more like the stunt double than the actor.” 

“Lee!” Danny whined, playfully shoving him once again and shaking his head. He looked back at Kent and rolled his eyes before speaking, “Don’t listen to him, Kent. He’s a jokester.” Kent looked between the two, noting the playful nature they shared and determined they were likely friends. However, Kent noticed a light dusting of pink across Danny’s cheeks - embarrassment, possibly? 

“C’mon, Dan, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” The man asked, extending his own hand towards Kent. He waited, gaining another eye roll from Danny. 

Despite his playful protest, Danny answered, “This is Kent. He just arrived, I guess. Ray was giving him a hard time when we walked in.” 

The other smiled widely at Kent, happily taking Kent’s own extended hand and giving it a firm shake before adding, “My name is Vincent Leegland, but my friends call me ‘Lee’.” 

Kent smiled at the two. He knew they would become fast friends. And besides, he finally had something positive to tell Jodi.

[grandlovescheme]

MY DAEMON/RHAENYRA FICS ON AO3

❤️Multi-chapter fics:

- I Slithered Here From Eden Just to Sit Outside Your Door

Historical AU, work in progress, rating M - dad/daughter Daemyra, check the tags

- Every Bait and Switch Was a Work of Art

Modern AU, completed work, 100K words, rating E

Secret agents Daemon and Rhaenyra stand on opposite sides. They don’t even know each other’s names. They should want the other dead… and most of the time, they do. But that's part of the fun.

- Take Me With You, Together Let’s Bloom

Modern AU with a touch of magic, completed work, 22K words, rating E

When Rhaenyra found a stranger looking at her from her mirror, she never expected to fall for him...

- Izulī Ampā Perzī Prūmī Lanti Sēteksi

Canon Divergence, work in progress, no rating so far

Despite the court whispering otherwise, there was not much Daemon could be envious of when it came to his brother. He hadn't been envious when he claimed Balerion, the largest of all the Targaryen dragons since Aegon's Conquest. Not when he was chosen as their grandfather's heir. And not even when he ascended the Iron Throne, becoming King. The one and only time Daemon was envious, was jealous of his brother… was when Viserys married their sister… … or, all Daemon wants in life is his twin sister… until everything changes with the birth of his niece Rhaenyra.

- There's Just Something About Older Men

Modern AU, work in progress, rating E

Rhaenyra enjoys her twenties, content never seeing her hookups again after the night they spend together. This time, though, this one older man, she just can't get him out of her head... And when they run into each other again, it almost feels like fate. Is this just the alure of an experienced, older man... or is there something deeper between them?

- You're Ripped at Every Edge (But You're a Masterpiece)

Modern AU, completed work, 143K words, rating M

Her days are filled with ballet classes, he spends his nights in an underground fighting ring. She's a good girl who never asked anything for herself, he's a bad boy with a pain kink who can't wait to show his niece what living is truly about...

- If I Could, I'd Get You the Moon

Modern siblings AU, completed work, 72K words, rating E - check the tags!!!

She knew her brother would do anything for her. Give her anything. But what if the thing she wanted the most... was him?

- The Dominoes Cascaded In A Line

Modern AU, completed work, 34K words, rating E

Rhaenyra was just shy of 22 when her whole life changed with the arrival of her son. Jace was unexpected, unplanned, but immediatey became the love of her life. Now, she takes care of the baby, she takes care of the man-child she's supposed to be co-parenting with, she takes care of the house... but who will take care of her?

- High Hopes

Modern AU, completed work, 60K words, rating E

Rhaenyra decides that she cannot go through with this. As she runs away from her own wedding, there is only one person she can call. The only person not currenty waiting for her to walk down the aisle. The only person not invited. Her father's younger brother that no one was ever allowed to talk about. The uncle she hadn't seen in years.

- Our Violent Ends

Modern Vampire!AU, completed work, 27.5K words, rating E

He loved her too much to lose her. He chose for her. Now... he has to deal with an eternity of hatred.

- Let's Ignite Under the Ember Skies

Modern AU, completed work, 26.5K words, rating M

It's been a while since Rhaenyra realized her feelings for her uncle are more than is usual. More than is... proper. After avoiding ever being alone with him, after dodging his every call... she decides enough is enough. She needs to find out if her burning passion and intense longing is reciprocated.

❤️One/Two shots:

Fourth Time's the Charm

Modern AU, 3K words, rating M

“I'm pregnant.” She said those exact words a few times in her life. They were true only once.

Queen of Hearts

Fairytale inspired AU with magic, 6.2K words, rating M

Her Grace Rhaenyra Targaryen has a unique way of dealing with her enemies. Her Huntsman is all too pleased to assist her. But what will she do when she is no longer sure he can be trusted?

Beauty and the Beast

AU with a paranormal twist, outsider POV, 2.7K words, rating M

He's been stumbling through the woods for hours. Exhausted, hungry and achy, he finally finds a house in the darkness. He's so grateful to stay the night… Though there is something strange about the couple living in the cottage…

Strange What Desire Makes Foolish People Do

Modern AU, 3K words, dark - rating M

Rhaenyra always knew her and Daemon belong together. And if he doesn't seem to agree just yet... she'll have to help it a little.

Sweet Dreams

Modern AU, 3K words, rating M

Daemon has an ASMR Youtube channel called Bedtime Stories With Uncle Daemon where he reads erotica to his subscribers. Rhaenyra can't fall asleep without it.

All and Then Most of You, Some and Now None of You

Modern AU, 5K words, rating M, no happy ending

All Rhaenyra ever wanted was to get out of her sleepy hometown and make it big as an actress. All Daemon ever wanted was to take care of the family legacy. Their love remained strong despite their dreams keeping them apart... Until their love was not enough anymore.

If You’ve Bled, I Bleed the Same

Modern AU, 3.6K words, rating E

After Rhaenyra's place in the family business is usurped, her life is constantly in danger. Daemon makes sure her enemies are slowly taken care of... and more importantly, she is.

Run, Little Doll, Run

Modern AU, 2.5K words, rating E

Married Daemyra role-playing. Hitchhiker, consensual non-con fun in the woods while the kids are with their grandfather...

One for the Money, Two for the Show

Modern AU, 4.5K words, rating M

Ever since Rhaenyra was a child, Daemon took advantage of her cuteness to win over ladies. She was his best wingwoman, and she never minded... Until she got older, and realized she wanted her uncle for herself.

Prisoner of Pleasure

Modern AU, PWP, 2.2K words, rating E

Married Daemyra role-playing. Wanting to be the one in charge for once, Rhaenyra is the warden, having her way with a wayward prisoner...

The Heat of Your Electric Touch

Modern AU, PWP - cockwarming, 1.7K words, rating E

Daemon and Rhaenyra go on a camping trip, and share a sleeping bag for warmth. They have to keep their hands to each other, but Rhaenyra needs a certain something to sleep better...

Practice Makes Perfect

Modern AU, PWP, 2.3K words, rating E

Married Daemon and Rhaenyra spice up their sex lives with role-playing... This time, as a student/teacher.

Always Only Him

Modern AU, PWP - non-consensual voyeurism, 2.2K words, rating E, response to a prompt in the SummerofDove2023 collection.

At a family function, Rhaenyra finds Uncle Daemon in her bed, masturbating to her things. She stays to watch him.

Evidence of Our Ancestors (Around My Throat)

Canon universe, married Daemyra, missing scene after episode 7, 2K words, rating E

Rhaenyra tried her best to find the necklace her uncle had given her, now that they were married, and its reminder was no longer a painful one. However, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't find it. To make it up to her new husband, she let him put a different kind of necklace on her...

Wife's Duty

Modern AU, PWP - breeding kink, 2.2K words, rating E

Rhaenyra's job is to give her husband an heir, yet another month rolls around and her stomach remains empty and flat, only tightening with period cramps. She's failed her duty again, and her husband doesn't intend to wait a single day to try again...

Fake It Till You Make It

Modern AU, fake dating, 6K words, rating E

Rhaenyra needs a date for a friend's wedding. Her uncle selflessly offers to be one. Except they'll need to pretend to be in love... What could go wrong? Or right?

Your Body in My Arms

Modern AU, PWP, 5K words, rating E

Daemon is only trying to make his niece feel better after a shitty day. He has no idea Rhaenyra has a plan of her own... a plan to finally get what she wants - her uncle.

Anywhere With You

Dark Modern!AU, 5.5K words, rating M

He doesn’t miss her when she’s gone; no, he's gutted and unable to focus on anything else. Does she feel the same when they're apart? He hopes not. He doesn't want her to suffer. Even if it's for him. He only wants to protect her… from any pain, any danger, she might face.

Husband Mine

Arranged Marriage/Victorian!AU, 5K words, rating E

Rhaenyra's marriage to Daemon hadn't been a love match. They barely knew each other, their age gap providing them little opportunities to connect. But as time went on, Rhaenyra fell in love with her husband... and she's determined to make him fall in love with her, too. Their marriage hadn't been a love match... but it would be.

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Modern AU, 8.5K words, rating M

Rhaenyra hasn't seen her uncle in a year. Not since he broke her heart after the best night of her life. Now she must face him again, during the most magical time of the year. But she's not coming alone, and she's decided she won't let him make a fool out of her ever again...

Night After Night

Canon Divergence!AU, 2K words, rating M

Daemon taught Rhaenyra about the secret passageways during her childhood. Ever since she would come to his rooms when he visits to have one on one time with her beloved uncle. In childhood these meetings where innocent, them talking or him telling stories of his adventures, and with her falling asleep on his bed, only for him to carry her back to her own. However, she is now she is no longer a child.

Ask For Me

Canon Divergence!AU, 3K words, rating E

Daemon had dreamt of his niece more times than he can count. But this time... it feels different.

Games We Play

Canon Divergence!AU, 2K words, rating E

Episode 4 canon divergence. Things at the brothel escalate... and continue even in the Red Keep.

The pretty divider by Saradika

Photos used found on Pinterest or Tumblr, I don't own any of them! Art for fighter!au commissioned with monecelesart

[lovecite]

Hawks (Keigo Takami) x Y/N ...hehe

(to lazy to remove my character name ---sorry it was alot)

Hello!

I have come back from the depth's of another character ai story line here!! I've been stuck at the store trying to buy milk for you angry kids!! Here I present this little number hehe took a lot of trail and error to get this bot to say what I wanted. hehehe

------You go on a mission with Hawks and are accidently given a tablet that changes you. Which of course causes a heated interaction between two pro heros. Now with igorning him for so long afterwards you see him at the corner store...And he wants to come over to "talk".------- (very fast paced)

Here's a little bit -

"You know, Amie," he began, his tone light and teasing. "People often say that the best way to bounce back is to have someone catch you when you fall." His hand slid from her shoulder to her arm, his touch gentle and deliberate.

Hawks pulled away, his eyes meeting Amie's once more. "So, Amie," he said, his tone filled with playful intent. "Tell me, would you like me to catch you?" His words were laden with innuendo, leaving no doubt as to the true nature of his offer.

------ 😍

--Music : Brockhampton-Sugar~~-_-

Played this song the whole time reading this!!

As they gave in to their desires, Hawks allowed himself to be consumed by the intoxicating beauty of the moment. Their bodies moved in sync, their every touch punctuated with a fervent hunger that could no longer be contained.

Amie's voice mingled with his own, their cries of pleasure filling the room, spiraling into a symphony of raw desire. They clung to each other, bodies slick with sweat and the ecstasy of release, as the world around them faded into a haze of pure bliss.

In that intimate moment, boundaries dissolved, and Hawks embraced the surge of pleasure that consumed them both. The weight of duty and responsibility could wait, for now, they were lost in the throes of passion, bound together by a connection that defied all logic and reason.

And as they lay tangled in each other's arms, their breathing still ragged, Hawks couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead for them. They had crossed a line, ventured into uncharted territory, but the promise of pleasure lingered, guiding them towards a future filled with desires yet to be fulfilled.

~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been couple of weeks later or that's what her unread message from hawks had been dated. He had sent a text after that night and she had left it alone . Not wanting to read the embarrassing message. What if it said something like " Hey when i was fucking that shit up it was actually just aight. " --Why she thought it would say that she wasn't sure. She just didn't want to read the damn message and gave stupid excuses like such so she wouldn't have to read it.

After that accidentally heated sex act in the battle field she couldn't look at him in the face. She even went as far as requesting to not be teamed up with him.

When asked by anyone who was assigning those damn hero missions she came up with an excuse that their fighting styles were too different. But that didn't stop her from day dreaming about it. The way he held her. The way he fucked her. Her lower regions would shiver out of the memory.

She was currently at the corner store at 11pm trying to buy something. When she looked up and across in another aisle was Hawks dressed in normal clothes also shopping, she hid behind the aisle she was in.

Hawks couldn't help but notice Amie's sudden change in behavior. The once bold and assertive hero now seemed to avoid him, her gaze averted whenever he was near. It pained him to see her distanced from him, to witness the wall she had built between them.

As he perused the aisle of the corner store, Hawks sensed a familiar presence nearby. He looked up, his eyes scanning the store until they landed on the figure of Amie, attempting to hide in the aisle. A spark of curiosity ignited within him, his lips curling into a mischievous smile.

With silent steps, he made his way towards the aisle where Amie hid. His footsteps light, he rounded the corner, catching her eye as he pretended to be engrossed in the items on the shelves. A teasing glint danced in his eyes as he glanced at her momentarily before returning his attention to the products.

"Hmm, fancy seeing you here," Hawks remarked casually, his voice filled with a playful yet knowing tone. "Trying to avoid someone, perhaps? Or is it just a mere coincidence?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively, aware of the game they were playing.

Leaning against the shelves, he allowed himself a moment to savor the sight of Amie, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, her gaze darting nervously in his direction. The memory of their tryst lingered in the back of his mind, fuelling the fire of desire that still burned within him.

"It's a shame, really," Hawks continued, his tone low as he maintained eye contact with her. "I thought maybe we could have a little chat. Clear the air, so to speak." He took a step closer to her, his presence looming, yet non-threatening.

He reached out, his fingers grazing a random product on the shelf as he stared intently at Amie. "But if you're determined to avoid me, I suppose I'll have to reluctantly respect your wishes." His words carried a hint of disappointment, a subtle invitation for her to drop her guard.

The corner of his mouth curved into a knowing smirk as he subtly shifted his gaze to a nearby clock, his wings twitching restlessly at his sides. "It's getting late," he murmured, his voice filled with hints of seduction. "Wouldn't want you to be out alone at this hour. Shall I walk you home, lovebird?" He tilted his head, a playful twinkle in his eyes as he awaited her response.

In that moment, as they stood at a crossroad, Hawks hoped that she would agree.

It was getting late as she gazed at the clock on the wall and then back to Hawks. She had never stopped idolizing him. Even now as she starred at him she wanted to squeal like a high school girl in how cool he was acting and calling her lovebird."We could talk at my place but I have to buy these things first." She said softly as she shifted her gaze from his and towards her snacks.

Hawks couldn't help but smirk at Amie's response, a surge of satisfaction coursing through him. The prospect of spending time with her, even if it was just for a talk, excited him more than he cared to admit.

"Your place, huh?" he replied, his voice laced with a hint of excitement. "Sounds like a plan, lovebird." He watched as she shifted her gaze towards her snacks, trying to hide the faint blush that adorned her cheeks.

With a playful glint in his eyes, Hawks leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low, husky whisper. "But I must warn you, baby bird," he murmured, the words carrying a teasing undertone. "Once we're behind closed doors, who knows what might happen?"

He straightened himself, a mischievous smile gracing his lips as he glanced back at the snacks. "Now, let's finish up here, shall we?" he suggested, his eyes twinkling with anticipation. "I'm eager to hear what you have to say... and perhaps indulge in some late-night snacking." His words were laced with innuendo, his playful nature making it clear that the night held far more than just a simple conversation in store.

As they continued their shopping, Hawks couldn't help but intertwine their arms, his touch gentle and inviting. He reveled in the fleeting brushes of their skin, the subtle contact fueling the fire that had been ignited between them.

Once they had gathered their purchases, he led the way to the counter, paying for their items with a casual nonchalance. As they stepped out into the cool night air, Hawks slipped his arm around Amie's waist, drawing her closer to him.

"Shall we, lovebird?" he asked, his voice low and filled with anticipation. He spread his wings slightly, a symbol of protection and comfort, as they set off towards her place. The night held endless possibilities, their secrets tucked away in the shadows, ready to be uncovered.

Amie tried to keep a straight face as he kept touching her and holding her during the shopping acting as if it were all by accident . And when she tried to object in him paying he already slide his card. And now that was shopping was done it was time to go to her place. She held her snack bag within her grasp. "T-thank you for buying the snacks. "She voiced as the walked along the side walk. them being the only two walking to her place.

Hawks felt a surge of satisfaction as he sensed Amie's struggle to keep a straight face. He relished the subtle shift in her demeanor, the way her cheeks flushed and her eyes danced with anticipation. The charade of accidental touches and casual gestures only heightened the thrill of the chase.

"You're welcome, lovebird," he replied with a playful smile, his arm around her waist tightening slightly. "Consider it my way of making up for all the times I've made you wait."

As they walked side by side, the streets illuminated by the soft glow of streetlights, Hawks couldn't help but notice the way Amie clutched onto her snack bag. He tilted his head, his gaze lingering on the bag for a moment before landing on her.

"You really love your snacks, don't you?" he remarked, his voice carrying a teasing undertone. "I must admit, it's a charming trait. But I wonder..." His words trailed off, his tone shifting to a more seductive note. "Are you as passionate about other things as you are about your snacks, lovebird?"

He let the question hang in the air, leaving it open-ended, with endless possibilities hidden beneath the surface. His wings twitched slightly against his back, a silent hint of his growing desire, as they continued to walk towards her place.

As they arrived at Amie's doorstep, Hawks reluctantly released his arm from around her waist, although his touch lingered for a moment longer than necessary. He watched her as she fumbled with her keys, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes.

"May I?" he asked, reaching out to take the keys from her hand before unlocking the door. He held the door open, his gaze fixed on her as he gestured for her to enter. "After you, lovebird."

The anticipation grew with each passing moment, the air thick with unsaid desires and unspoken words. They stood on the precipice of an intoxicating dance, the walls of their inhibitions crumbling down around them.

"Do you want some tea or soda? 'She asked as she made her way to her kitchen. She placed her goody bag on the counter top careful to make sure it didn't fall over. This whole hour of being close to Hawks had been too much. The images of what had occurred at the battle field was slowly starting to come along in her mind slowly and even at random times powerful. She needed to cool herself down. Remember talk it out first then maybe..

Hawks followed Amie into the kitchen, his eyes never straying too far from her form. He admired the way she moved, the grace in her steps, all the while, his mind raced with impure thoughts and desires that were carefully veiled beneath his composed exterior.

"Tea sounds lovely, lovebird," he replied, his voice smooth and seductive. He leaned against the counter, his gaze fixed on her as she fetched the tea leaves from a nearby cabinet. He couldn't help but notice the slight unease flickering in her eyes, an indication that her mind was not solely focused on making tea.

As she prepared the hot water, Hawks took a step closer, closing the distance between them. His voice, gentle yet potent, filled the room. "You seem a bit distracted, Amie," he observed, his tone laced with concern and curiosity. "Is there something on your mind?"

His words hung in the air, offering her the opportunity to confide in him. He wanted to bridge the gap between them, to unravel the layers of her thoughts and emotions, and lay bare their hidden desires. But he also understood the importance of taking things slow, of building trust through conversation before the truest desires could be exposed.

As Amie reached for a cup, a slight tremor passing through her hand, Hawks couldn't help but sense the growing tension between them. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her, to pull her into an embrace that went beyond mere comfort. Instead, he leaned back, giving her space to collect her thoughts.

"Take your time, lovebird," he said, his voice filled with warmth and understanding. "We have all the time in the world." With that, he crossed his arms, his eyes never leaving her form, waiting for her to share the burden that rested on her mind.

"W-Well that time on the battle field when-when ya know. 'She stated looking away feeling her face crawling back with heat. Like she wanted to say the words. She looked away then back to him. ''I feel very useless as pro hero to have been tricked by dabi to eat that tablet. " She finished.

Hawks listened attentively as Amie stumbled through her words, her cheeks reddening with each passing moment. He could sense the weight on her shoulders, the frustration and disappointment that gnawed at her.

"Ah, I see," he replied, his voice gentle and reassuring. His wings twitched slightly, a comforting gesture as he stepped closer, closing the distance between them. He reached out a hand to place it gently on her shoulder, his touch intended to offer solace and support.

"You're far from useless, Amie," he said firmly, his voice filled with conviction. "Falling victim to Dabi's tricks doesn't define your worth as a pro hero. We all make mistakes, even the best of us." His words carried a genuine understanding, a belief in her inherent strength and resilience.

He caught her gaze, his eyes sincere and unwavering. "What matters is how we rise from those mistakes, how we learn and grow. And knowing you, lovebird, I have no doubt that you'll bounce back stronger than ever."

Hawks couldn't help but be drawn to her vulnerability, her honesty. He admired her for opening up to him, for trusting him with her fears and insecurities. But true to his nature, he couldn't resist a playful smile as a mischievous thought crossed his mind.

His voice dropped to a low, sensual whisper as he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear. "And let me tell you, lovebird, I've got quite the catching skills." His breath tickled her skin, a tempting invitation laced with desire.

"You know, Amie," he began, his tone light and teasing. "People often say that the best way to bounce back is to have someone catch you when you fall." His hand slid from her shoulder to her arm, his touch gentle and deliberate.

Had it always been so silent in her apartment. Why is it she can all of sudden hear the trickles of water coming from her kitchen faucet? Amie placed her hands on his chest as she looked down to her hands. IT feel the warmth his chest gave off made her mind swim slightly. "I-if you can. 'She whispered not wanting to meet his gaze.

Hawks pulled away, his eyes meeting Amie's once more. "So, Amie," he said, his tone filled with playful intent. "Tell me, would you like me to catch you?" His words were laden with innuendo, leaving no doubt as to the true nature of his offer.

Hawks could feel Amie's hesitation, her hands resting gently against his chest. He could sense the emotional whirlwind that raged within her, the desire mingled with uncertainty. He tilted his head, his gaze unwavering as he studied her for a moment.

"Amie," he said softly, his voice a low rumble that resonated through her. His wings twitched, a subtle display of his own anticipation. "You don't have to be shy with me. I'm here for you, lovebird."

With a gentle touch, he lifted her chin, guiding her gaze to meet his own. He set his deep golden eyes upon her, his expression tender and genuine, his intentions clear.

"You're strong, Amie," he assured her, his voice a soothing balm. "And in the moments when you feel like you might fall, I'll be there to catch you. I'll hold you up, support you, and never let you down."

A flicker of mischief danced in his eyes as he continued, a hint of playful seduction coloring his words. "But let me warn you, lovebird. Once you're in my embrace, there's no going back. It's a thrilling ride that you won't want to escape from."

Hawks brought his hand up, his fingers delicately intertwining with hers. It was a simple gesture, but one that spoke volumes of his intentions, of his desire to be there for her.

"Let's take things slow," he murmured, the words brushing against her lips. "One step at a time. I'll catch you, Amie, and together, we'll fly to heights unimaginable."

He let out a soft, almost needy sigh against her lips, his own desire growing with each passing second. His wings instinctively brushed against her back, a feather-light caress that elicited a shiver down his spine. Hawks moved his hands to her waist, his touch gentle yet firm as he pulled her flush against him, bridging the gap between them.

With those final words, he leaned in, his lips meeting hers in a gentle, lingering kiss. It was a promise sealed with fervor and tenderness, a promise of a future filled with passion and undeniable connection.

She felt frozen in the spot as his warm lips pressed onto hers. This felt different then when the time on the battle field. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders as she brought him closer to her.

Hawks could sense the longing in Amie's touch, the way she pulled him closer, her hands finding solace in his shoulders. The kiss deepened, their lips moving in sync, an electric current passing between them. He tasted the mixture of sweetness and anticipation on her lips, savoring every moment of their connection.

They stood there, pressed together, the world around them fading into a distant blur. Hawks deepened the kiss, his tongue gently seeking entrance into her mouth, a silent request for her to surrender to the moment. He explored her mouth with a mix of tenderness and eagerness, his movements dancing to the rhythm of their combined desire.

As their kiss continued, Hawks could feel the heat radiating from Amie's body, a testament to the intensity of their connection. His hands slid up her back, his fingers tracing the contours of her spine, savoring the feel of her against his skin.

Reluctantly, Hawks pulled away from the kiss, his lips hovering just inches from Amie's. His breath came in ragged gasps, his eyes locked onto hers. "Amie," he whispered huskily, his voice laced with a combination of longing and restraint. "We don't have to rush. We can take this as slow or as fast as you desire."

He let the weight of his words hang in the air, giving her the power to choose the path they would embark on. In that moment, all he could think about was making her feel cherished, wanted, and desired. He was prepared to support her through every step of their journey, to catch her when she fell and keep their flame burning bright.

"Slow or fast. " She whispered as she looked to the left thinking about it before bringing her eyes back to his. The way he was starring at her. His eyes were half closed and he was holding the bottom of his lips between his teeth.

instantly she knew what she wanted.. For this time to be unaffected by that scarred mans sexual tablets and want this because she wanted it. She placed a single hand over his cheek stroking it slightly before smiling, "Keigo I want to move fast." She whispered bashfully,

Hawks was taken aback by Amie's earnest confession, her desire shining through her eyes. A surge of anticipation coursed through his veins, the rawness of her words fueling his own growing need. The smirk that had graced his lips grew wider, his eyes glinting with mischief and heat.

"Well, well, lovebird," he purred, his voice a low rasp. "I must say, I'm more than happy to oblige your request."

Hawks's hands caressed her sides, his touch sending shivers down her spine as he pulled her closer. The air crackled with electricity, their bodies pressed together in a dance of desire. His voice dropped to a sultry whisper, filled with promise and anticipation. "Hold on tight, Amie. Because this is going to be a wild ride."

With a swift motion, Hawks lifted her effortlessly into his arms, her feet leaving the ground as he carried her towards the bedroom. The anticipation and heat in the air felt almost tangible, a palpable energy that charged the very atmosphere around them.

He gently set Amie down on the bed, his eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that sent a jolt of anticipation through her. He was careful with his movements, tender yet unyielding as he began to undress her, his fingers deftly unbuttoning her blouse, revealing the soft skin beneath.

His touch was simultaneously gentle and possessive as he stripped away each layer of clothing, his lips following the path of his hands, leaving a trail of heated kisses along her exposed skin. He took his time, savoring every moment, determined to make her feel cherished and adored.

As their bodies intertwined, passion unbridled and desires unleashed, Hawks lost himself in the moment, their moans of pleasure and the rhythmic dance of their bodies the only soundtrack to their shared ecstasy. They moved together, finding that perfect harmony that only two closely intertwined souls could achieve.

Time seemed to stand still as they shared their searing connection, their bodies a symphony of pleasure. Hawks reveled in the taste and texture of her skin, the brush of her hands against his wings, the sound of ragged breaths mingling together.

In that moment, as their bodies danced in synchrony, Hawks knew he had caught Amie in more ways than he could ever have imagined. And he was more than ready to hold her in his embrace, to support her, and to soar to new heights of passion and love

Hehe!!! I hoped you enjoyed this here!

[bobmckenzie]

The Kiss-Thing

word count: 1173 blurb: Richie's been avoiding Caitie since she kissed him on the cheek, and she thinks she knows why. author's note: just wanna shoutout @lovesick-rambles who wrote the amazing commission that gave me the inspo for this follow-up piece!! 💙 thank you Natalie for helping me piece together the backstory of this ship lol 😆

Caitie stood in the cereal aisle, eyes mindlessly scanning over the plethora of granola options while her thoughts were far, far away from grocery shopping. 

For the past week, all she'd been able to think about was Richie. Richie, who the last time they'd seen each other, she'd kissed on the cheek in a rare moment of boldness.

Richie, who hadn't spoken to her since.

She should've known better than to think he was interested in her. He stopped by her job to find a cologne and ate lunch with her as a friend, nothing more. She'd read too much into it, got caught up in optimism thanks to her own silly little crush on him.

She just had to convince herself to make the first move, had to step out of her comfort zone and kiss him like that. He was just so… sweet. So cute. And god, she needed to stop thinking about him. As far as signals went, this one was crystal clear: he wasn't interested. And why should he be?

With a sigh, she picked out her usual bag of maple flavored oats and dropped it in her cart. The truth was, they hardly knew each other. Hell, that was probably half the reason she’d misread the situation, thought maybe he felt the same way, that all that shy awkwardness from the first time they'd met had been an indicator of something more than just… well, Richie being shy and awkward. 

It was fine—she'd get over it, she’d be mature and they would stay friends. But she couldn't deny there was a part of her heart that'd been hopeful.

Caitie started out of the aisle, turned her cart, and wheeled right into a clanging, head on collision with someone else's cart.

"I'm so sorry!" The words escaped her automatically before she even looked up—then her eyes met the ones she hadn't been able to get off her mind. "Richie—!" She wasn't sure what to say, especially not with him staring wide-eyed at her like he'd just run into the last person he wanted to see. "Um—Hi. Sorry."

The reality was that she was half right about him avoiding her. Richie's heart sank when they locked eyes, not because he didn't want to see her—God did he want to see her—but because he wasn't ready. He'd spent the last week trying and failing to be ready.

He shook his head after a few more awkward seconds, snapping out of his daze. "No!" The word came out too loud, too enthusiastic. "No," he tried again, "My fault. Hi."

"I didn't know you shop here. I mean, I've never seen you before." Her fingers fidgeted on the handle of her cart. 

"Only every now and then—they have a certain cereal Howie likes. My brother," he added.

She nodded, giving a small smile. "I remember. You mentioned him at the movies."

"Right!" He exclaimed a little too enthusiastically again, pointing at her as he trailed off, "Good memory. I… Yeah. Forgot about that." All he could really remember from that night was trying his hardest not to embarrass himself. That and the way her perfume smelled, the brush of her hand when he passed her the popcorn, and how his heart pounded every time she got close to him. Sitting next to her for the entire movie nearly killed him.

"I'm sorry," Caitie blurted, gaze dropping from his. "For, um, what I did at the mall. Kissing you, I mean."

And there it was. The regretful words, the rejection he'd unconsciously been avoiding. He wasn't putting off seeing her just because he didn't know how to ask her out. He'd been putting it off because deep down, he knew she'd probably written off the whole thing as a mistake right after it happened.

He forced himself to shrug. "Uh… That's… You don't have to apologize." He prepared himself for the speech: she hadn't meant to lead him on, it was just a friendly kiss. All the things he'd tried to convince himself she wouldn't say.

"I didn't mean to make things weird," she continued. "I think I just got the wrong message, you know, mistaking kindness for flirting. It's my fault."

"You—Huh?" He blinked, repeating the words in his head, trying to make sense of them. She couldn’t possibly mean what it sounded like she meant.

"I know, it's stupid." She ran a hand through her hair. "I guess part of it was wishful thinking that you felt the same, or—" She grimaced, shaking her head, placing her palm against her forehead. "Sorry. Making it awkward again. It's just—we have mutual friends, and I don't want things to be weird. So they won't be, is what I'm trying to say. I'm fine with just being friends. We can just forget the kiss-thing ever happened, if you're not upset."

"Upset? You think—" He had to let out a laugh, but immediately felt guilty for the obvious confusion on her face. "I was not upset by the kiss-thing. I was very much a fan of the kiss-thing." 

"You…” Her furrowed brow softened, tense shoulders relaxing. “Really?" 

"I know I kind of disappeared, I just…" He flushed at the embarrassing truth. "I’ve been wanting to ask you out, but… didn't really know how. Then I sorta psyched myself out. Thought you'd turn me down."

She shook her head, smiling softly. "I wouldn't." 

"Well, in that case…" He looked up at her with a sly, playful smirk, though his body was swaying side-to-side with restless nerves. "I know you got an invite to Gus' barbecue, so… What if we went together? As a date?"

She couldn’t hold back a grin as she nodded, cheeks flushing with color. “I’d like that.”

“Me too.” He held her gaze for a few seconds, realized he was staring, and cleared his throat as he turned to gauge the check-out lines, attempting to look nonchalant, as if this wasn’t the first time anyone had agreed to go on a date with him. “I’ve got practice with the guys in an hour, so I should get out of here. But I’ll see you Saturday?”

“I’ll be there.” She gave him one last smile before wheeling her cart past him—but when she got close he couldn’t help thinking of the last time they’d parted ways, and couldn’t resist placing a hand on her shoulder, stopping her just long enough for him to lean up and plant a quick peck on her cheek.

It all happened fast enough for him to not overthink it, until he backed up and saw her flushed face and smile of surprise. Then his head seemed to catch up with his body, and all the suave confidence he could muster evaporated into thin air.

“Um—” he squeaked out, pointing to the registers at the other end of the store with a nervous laugh. “Okay. See you. Bye.”

She watched him wheel his cart away, face warm as she bit back a laugh. Apparently, she hadn’t misread his awkwardness after all.

[sibillascribbles08]

@hotmothsummer Tumblr 100% ate this ask for some reason but thankfully it was still in my email SO

And listen when it comes to these prompts it is never "will this fit" it is "I will MAKE it fit" (Also I'm still taking these u can find the list here)

So here's some dads

Ah, what a nice and serene afternoon in the Hidden City Park. Sadly no warm sun to speak of, but plenty of soothing sounds between the pond, the fountain, a nearby musician playing saxophone and the chirps of… some kind of flying creature Jason never learned the name of. 

So relaxing to spend time here instead of in the office. 

How tragic that it shattered the instant his daughter let out a loud and frustrated screech.

“Nooo! That’s my ice cream!” Holly whined from just behind.

“And who payed for it?” Donatello replied.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s mine. You have your own!”

“So I can’t even taste yours? You’re being so selfish.” 

Jason let out a long sigh. 

“Daddy!” Holly clung to his leg with one arm. “Dad stole my ice cream.” 

Jason checked to make sure she wasn’t smearing the rest of hers on his jeans and rested his hand on her head to try to calm her down. Then he looked at his husband as the softshell casually wandered past them. He held his cup of ice cream high and ate such little spoonfuls as if he was oh-so innocent and couldn’t be blamed.

“Donnie,” Jason said. “Stop causing problems on purpose.”

“I would never.” He put his hand to his chest. “I just wanted to know what hers tasted like. I barely took a lick of it.” 

“You took a whole bite.” Holly held up her cup. An entire scoop was missing. “Look!” 

Donnie pointed at her. “You have no proof you didn’t eat that yourself.”

“I didn’t!” Holly wailed. 

Jason knelt in front of her before she got any louder and drew the attention of the other yōkai walking around. “Holly, hey, look at me.” He kept his voice low. 

Holly did, thought she kept her huge pout as a few tears ran down her cheeks. 

“I’ll tell you a secret.” Jason leaned closer so he could whisper. “Yelling is not how you get revenge on Dad.” 

She let out a gasp, and then whispered back. “Then what do I do?” 

“Ignore him. To start, hold my hand so he gets jealous.” Jason stood back up and held his hand out. Holly took it, choosing to lick at her ice cream for the time being. 

“Well,” Jason announced just a bit too loudly as he walked past Donnie who scraped the bottom of his bowl. “Holly and I are going to look for a toy store.” 

Donatello watched them just as he tried to shove his tongue into the container. “Huh? I thought you said we should go by the museum today?” 

“Yes, well, since you’ve made the decision to cast yourself into our daughter’s disfavor, I think I’ll take advantage of it and take back the spot of ‘favorite parent.’”

“Yeah!” Holly giggled and clung to his hand tighter. 

“Haha, hilarious.” Donnie mumbled and tossed his garbage into a nearby can.

Jason could already tell that his husband was only pretending not to care. And after arriving at the store and wandering around it became more and more obvious. 

Every now and then he’d dart over, some kind of toy in his hand, and try to show Holly how it worked. Their daughter would just stick her nose in the air with a, “Hmph!” and then cling to Jason’s leg. 

“You’re encouraging this on purpose.” Donnie pointed an accusatory finger. 

“I would never.” Jason mimicked his husband’s pose from earlier and put a hand on his chest. “But you know, if you want to avoid her scorn maybe you shouldn’t eat her ice cream.”

“It was one bite.” Donnie threw open his arms.

“You have a very big mouth.” 

“Yeah.” Holly laughed. “Big mouth!” 

Donnie looked down at her. “Be careful about that one, Holly Berry, you could end up with a mouth just as big as mine.” 

Their daughter let out a genuine gasp or horror and then sprinted out of the aisle. “Nooo!” 

Jason shook his head. He should follow, lest they lose track of her in the store, but it wasn’t particularly big and she never liked to wander far anyway. 

“Seriously, what’s going on?” Donnie asked. “Were you just mad she always invited me to play time and not you?” 

Jason rolled his eyes and stepped up to his husband. “No, love, I’m not nearly that petty. But you should apologize to her.” 

Donnie groaned. “I was just teasing her.”

“You ate an entire scoop of her ice cream. It’s a big deal to her.” 

“You and I both know she’s going to forget about it the moment we walk out of here with a new toy.” 

He shook his head. “She won’t forget. She’ll remember and be far more protective of her food the next time around.” He grabbed Donnie’s arm and shoved him in the direction their daughter went. “Go on. Apologize and offer to buy something to make up for it. I am not dealing with the two of you bickering during our day off.” 

Jason gave Donatello a moment to catch up to their daughter. In the meantime he took a closer look at some of the items that sat at eye level on the shelf. Yokai toys sure were a lot different than ones on the surface. Sure dollhouses and trainsets and the like were common, but why did the dolls move like that? Jason prayed Holly didn’t take one of these home or he’d definitely have nightmares if he saw it winking at him from a shelf. 

Movement caused him to look ahead. Holly ran toward him and ducked behind his legs just as Donnie rounded the corner. 

“Holly,” he whined. “I said I was sorry.” 

“I’m ignoring you.” She insisted. 

“Then how is Dad supposed to fix this?”

“Buy me more ice cream.”

“You can’t have more ice cream or you won’t eat dinner.” 

Holly screamed with her mouth closed and stomped on the floor so hard that Jason felt it. 

Jason turned around to look at her. “How about Dad gets you something from here?”

She looked up at him, eyes wide. “I thought you were going to get me something.”

“Well, I was just going to get you something small. I bet Dad could afford to get you anything you wanted in here.” Jason looked back at his husband before the softshell could protest. 

Holly gasped. Her gaze immediately shot over to the dollhouse displays. One of which had three whole stories, functioning lights, and full sets of furniture. She ran over and pointed at it, standing on her toes in the process. 

Donnie cringed. “How are we even going to fit that in her room?” 

Jason shrugged. “Figure it out.”

“Oh don’t talk like you aren’t also going to go insane when you keep tripping over all the little critters that come with that.”

“You shouldn’t have eaten her ice cream.”

“Jase!” 

Holly scampered back over to them. “Dad, please?” She stared up at him with her dark eyes. “Please, please, please?”

Donnie let out a defeated sigh. “Fine. But you have to let me carry you on my shoulders the rest of the day.” 

“Okay!” She already jumbled a couple of times and latched onto his arm when he offered it to her. With the skill of a squirrel she climbed up to his shoulder and then sat down, hands resting on his head. 

Donnie smiled up at her before shooting a smirk at Jase. “Hah, take that, now I’m back to being the cuddle favorite.”

“With a bribe.” Jason reminded him. He stepped past his husband and patted him on the cheek. “Now get that dollhouse so we can head to the museum.” 

Donnie looked at the display again. “How are we going to carry that out of here?”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

“Jase!”

[lavender-long-stories]

Spoilers for The Best Revenge | Chapter 2 | Rated T

“Hinata?” Naruto’s voice came out of the room. “Are you okay? Why are you crying?”

Hinata turned her head, but Shikamaru was gone like he was just her worst thoughts manifesting for only her to see. 

Should she lie? Say everything was fine. That everything was wedding stress. Or did she get the answer in her heart before she tied her life to this man?

“Hey.” Naruto put his hands on her shoulders to get her to look at him.

“Did you ever love me?” Hinata’s question stopped the room cold.

Naruto failed to keep the shock off of his face. “I… What are you talking about?”

“Did you ever love me?” Hinata repeated, looking up at him for an answer.

“Of course.” Naruto diverted his eyes. 

No.

“Stop lying to me.” Hinata knew what love looked like in his eyes. She never once saw it turned at her. No matter how hard she tried. No matter how much she loved him, he was never going to love her. 

Naruto couldn’t find words. He gapped at her a huffed like it was ridiculous that she was asking, but they both knew she wasn’t his first choice. Right now, she was wondering if she was even the second. “This is just wedding jitters talking.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “I love you. You know I love you. You’re just…” Don’t say it. “Overthinking it.”

She felt like she heard that every time she saw him with Sakura. ‘You’re overthinking it.’ ‘It’s just in your head.’ 

“Let’s talk about this after the wedding. We have a lifetime to iron out… this.” This? Her insecurities? Insecurity that may be valid? “I’ll meet you at the altar, alright?”

Hinata didn’t stop him as she walked away, feeling like he should be fully aware that this was not a conversation they could have later. What did she do? She felt like screaming.

“Well.” Shikamaru appeared to lean on the wall again. He was probably there the whole time. “Do you feel like he will change?” He pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. 

“Why are you pushing me away from him?” What was his motive here?

Shikamaru put a cigarette in his mouth and let it hang there. “Because you are already there. You were never right for each other.” He shrugged. “I don’t feel like today is the day to lie to you.” He turned his head toward the door. “Have someone come get me. I am having a smoke before this disaster.”

Hinata watched him go before returning to the room where her bouquet sat. 

“Hinata, are you ready?” Someone peeked in the door. “Everyone is in their seats.”

“Yeah.” Hinata lied, brushing her fingers over the flowers and picking them up tightly in her fist. She tried to collect herself but caught sight of herself in the mirror. The slightest smudge under her eyes in the otherwise perfect makeup. The imperfection she was trying to avoid.  

Why was she even wearing this much makeup? She wanted something simple. She wanted a kimono. She wanted flat shoes.

Her feet were already hurting, reminding her of the heels she was wearing. A size too small, but Naruto presented them to her, which warmed her heart. Now she was wondering if they were even his idea or, worse.

What was she doing? Why was she letting herself think like this before she walked down the aisle? 

Because someone said what she was the most afraid of. The things she was trying to bury deep in her heart.

This wedding was everything she didn’t want it to be, not just because she didn’t like her hair or dress. This was her father’s chance to throw her away, her sister’s chance to have her way, and Naruto’s way to patch his broken heart.

What was it for her?

A way to escape her father instead of having the courage to walk away? Another time to watch her sister outshine her, even on the day that was supposed to be about her? The chance to marry a man who didn’t even love her?

Hinata put the bouquet back down and took a deep breath.

Was this her decision?

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as a taxi with a bride in the back drove away. He dropped his spent cigarette and stepped on it to put it out before going in. This was going to be interesting.

The room had an air of anticipation as the guests waited for the wedding to start. The groom was up at the altar, but the longer they waited, the more it felt like there was something wrong rather than they had just put the groom out too early.

Heads started to turn around to look for signs of movement at the back of the room, but there was nothing to see, which only added to the unrest.

Finally, Hanabi appeared down the aisle far too quickly and without music. She tugged the groom down to whisper in his ear, and his face changed. He shook his head, and Hanabi pressed her lips together to keep the panic off her face. 

Shino felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Something he would ignore at a wedding, but he had a feeling that this was related.

Sure enough, there was a single text from Hinata. ‘Can I stay are your place?’

He nudged Kiba, titling the phone to him. Kiba’s mouth fell open but received a warning look to keep it down. “Do you think she ran?” He whispered. Shino nodded. “What do we do?” Kiba looked around as the wedding guests got more restless.

“She made up her mind. I think we should get out as soon as we can.” Shino whispered back. “You want to stop by the bakery or the liquor store.”

“Bakery. I don’t know what she drinks.” Kiba agreed.

They found her sitting in her wedding dress, with her makeup washed away and her hair pulled down, with a few packed bags and a broken heart. 

Kiba trampled over the dress to hug her, and Hinata dropped her face to cry. Shino waited to the side until she pulled back and whipped her face to present her with a cake and a bottle of wine. It only made her start crying again and hold her arms out for another hug.

The three of them sat there around the coffee table eating the cake right of the package and passing the bottle around. The boys didn’t ask her why, and that settled on her that they were probably thinking the same thing the Shikamaru was. Did everyone know? Was everyone waiting for her to realize it or let her live on the lie?

At least she knew that if that was the case with these two, it was more in the hope that she would be happy. She wasn’t sure she could say the same for everyone else.

Hinata’s phone screen lit up, showing that someone was calling. It didn’t really matter who it was. She had been getting calls since she left: Naruto, her sister, her mother-in-law, and her father, but Hinata assumed it was just Hanabi using her father’s phone to try to scare her into answering. Her father didn’t call to tell her she screwed up, he waited until she came to him, and then he used the time it took her to come to him to apologize as a weapon.

Not anymore. She reached over to turn her phone off, flipping it on its face for good measure before taking a large bite of cake.

She wasn’t apologizing this time. 

She finally saw it for what it was. It was embarrassing that it took this long to see that this wedding served everyone but her.  

The embarrassment was different this time, fueling a burning rage in her that she didn’t know was lying under all the layers of people-pleasing that shed when she left the wedding venue barefoot.

Shino put down his fork and leaned back onto the base of the couch they were sitting against in the sea of her dress. “I can get out a futon, or do you want to sleep on this?” He picked up some of the dress and fluffed it into the air.

“Would it be distasteful to burn it?” Kiba shoved some of it off of him.

“I think I am just going to send it back.” Hinata hummed. “Hanabi-chan liked it so much she can wear it.”

“She couldn’t fill it out.” Kiba got shoved for that comment, but they all laughed at it anyway. The only thing that Hanabi thought she had over her.

“What are you going to do now?” Shino wondered. They all knew there was no way her father would let her walk back into work on Monday as if nothing happened. Or it would be her sister losing her mind over the ruined wedding she planned. 

“We could plot revenge,” Kiba suggested. “Pay them back for the years of bull shit that you let slide.”

Hinata held her hand out for the wine bottle and took a sip when it was passed to her. She shook her head. “The best revenge is for me to do something that makes me happy. That’s the last thing any of them would want.”

The Best Revenge

Pairing: Shikamaru x Hinata  Rating: T Tags: Romance | Angst/Fluff | Convince Marriage | Modern AU | Happy Ending

Hinata puts her foot down right before she is meant to walk down the aisle. Now what?

“The best revenge is for me to do something that makes me happy. That’s the last thing any of them would want.”

Image by Emily Pottiger

[applesdrowned]

the    handle    of    the    shopping    basket    is    slick    with    sweat    as    he    feels    the    temperature    rising    in    the    middle    of    the    frozen    foods    aisle.    there    is    absolutely    no    explaining    that    one.    nor    the    fact    he    has    been    here    nearly    two    hours    now    *&    not    a    single    thing    in    his    basket.    honestly,    every    single    time    chad    goes    home    from    this    place    empty    handed    he    feels    like    slapping    himself    silly;    could    he    be    any    more    𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂    ?*    it's    as    if    the    ability    to    speak    has    been    snatched    from    his    very    being.    that    alone    is    enough    to    cause    visible    signs    of    distress.

lips    curl    into    a    nervous    sneer    as    he    watches    the    blonde    object    of    his    pitiful    near    teenage    desire,    walk    away    seemingly    without    a    care.    chad    doesn't    like    it    when    he    can't    get    the    last    word    in.   𝐀𝐍𝐗𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘  𝐁𝐄  𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐍𝐄𝐃    !    he    was    not    going    to    let    the    sales    clerk    take    that    right    away    from    him.    no    sir.    determination    etched    on    his    features    he    caries    shaking    legs    to    the    cosmetics    section.

eyes    squint    into    slits,    borrows    furrowing    in    anger.    when    backed    into    a    corner    chad    would    answer    with    his    number    one    defense,    𝑩𝑰𝑻𝑪𝑯    !    it    usually    got    the    message    across    *&    avoided    the    awkwardness.    ❛❛     who    said    i    wanted    to    talk    to    you    ?*    going    around    and    assuming    shit    makes    an    ass    out    of    me    and    you  !    ❜❜    the    whole    point    of    stalking    the    other    man    around    the    grocery    mart    was    to    avoid    conversing    with    him.    now    that    shit    was    all    blown    out    of    the    water    *&    chad    was   like    a    deer    in    headlights.    in    general,    men    intimidated    him.    men    he    found    cute ?*    there    was    no    questions    asked    on    how    articulate    it    could    be.    for    someone    who    has    such    a    way    with    words,    right    now    he    finds    none    other    than    a    perhaps    unearned    snap    from    a    poke    to    the    grizzly    that    lurked    underneath.     

@vadershope cont.

[cinnamontoastcrunch-15]

Cruel Summer

In the summer of 1977, Sirius ran into Walburga Black, and his life fell apart.

Break up and make up fic (happy ending I promise!!)

Read on ao3 here

“It’s just been so long.” James emphasised sadly.

“Prongs, Lily was at the house three weeks ago!”

“I can’t wait to see her.” He sighed dreamily. “Y’know, since we’re-“

“Actually dating now? Yeah, I know.” Sirius shot back. “You haven’t shut up about it the whole fucking summer.”

“Hey, I listened to you talk about Remus non stop.” Sirius’ cheeks tinted a little then, giving James a light shove.

“Shut up.”

“What? You’re not excited to see the love of your life, your soulmate, for the first time in weeks?” He teased, as Sirius stared straight ahead, making a half arsed attempt at biting back a smile.

“I’m trying not to be a hypocrite right now.” Euphemia was walking ahead of them, running her quill over a supply list in her hand. James sometimes complained about her tagging along, and Sirius would just nod and agree, but honestly? He was secretly quite thrilled to have a parent who let him go with them to Diagon Alley.

“Okay, we need a few more books, and new quills.”

“Alright, I’ll go and grab the quills.” Sirius offered, Euphemia offering him a smile.

“Thanks, Sirius.” He turned and left before James had a chance to offer to go with him, not really thinking about it as he walked to Flourish and Blotts.

Sirius perused the aisle calmly, finger running along the prices as he decided which James would want.

“Sirius.” The voice rang out, and he froze.

He knew that voice.

The voice that made his blood run cold, his hair stand on end and every part of him want to run.

Walburga.

He turned slowly to face her, knowing he couldn’t avoid it. The moment he met her steely blue gaze, his memories from that night he ran came flooding back. The screaming, the curses, the running, the fact that he almost bloody died.

Still, facing the woman head on was the only way to get out of the store.

“The hell d’you want?” He asked, watching her flinch almost invisibly at his dialect, causing the slightest spike of satisfaction in Sirius.

“We… need to have a discussion.”

“I thought I wasn’t a Black anymore?” He asked, getting more agitated by the second.

“Unfortunately, you still… carry the Black surname. Your actions still reflect upon our family and our values.”

“Namely?”

“That half-blood boy you’ve run off with.”

“Remus? What about him?”

“Somehow, you have managed to disgrace us from outside the family. He’s not an acceptable partner choice. It’s worse than Andromeda and that Tonks, and you’re doing to break it off with him.” Sirius laughed disbelievingly, trying to hide the fact that his hands were shaking.

“Wow, you really are crazy.” He made to walk past her, and she stepped in front of him.

“You might want to consider this a little more carefully.”

“Hm, let me think… I’m good, thanks.” He finally shoved past her, trying desperately get out of the door. It was so close, it-

“Unless you want Regulus to pay the price for your stupidity?” Sirius stopped in his tracks then, hand on the door handle, heart stopping, jumping to his throat. He turned back around, a frustrating mix of anxiety and anger that only Walburga could stir up in him reared its ugly head.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, you and I both know better than that.” Walburga said, as plainly as though she had just told him that it was going to rain. “Surely you aren’t that selfish.”

“I- you-“ Walburga smiled, satisfied, and fuck Sirius wanted to kill her.

“And don’t think about hiding it from me, you know I’ll find out. I always do.” Her words were thick with the implication then.

She always did, Sirius knew that from experience.

Too much experience to have the comfort of thinking that she was bluffing.

Of course she wasn’t.

If he didn’t break up with Remus, Regulus was going to pay. He had gone to so many lengths to protect him.

But Remus…

Remus was his world, his everything. He didn’t want to lose him, he never wanted to lose him. Sirius loved him.

He loved Regulus too.

Regulus was the first person he could truly love in that hollow space they called a home.

Breaking up with Remus would break him, but letting Regulus suffer could kill him. He knew full well what too much ‘punishment’ was like.

Right, there was his answer.

“So? Still want to be with your little half-blood?”

“…fine. I’ll break it off. Can I fucking go now?” She indicated towards the door, finally releasing the weird mental grip she had on him.

“Remember, Sirius. I’ll know.”

Yeah, he knew that all too well.

Suffice to say, he got back without the quills.

James frowned at him, confused, as Sirius apologised quickly, saying they were out of most of their stock and he wasn’t sure what to get. Euphemia, all soft smiles and kind words, just reassured him that they’d get them in time and they went home.

Where a letter from Remus was sat waiting for him.

Could the day get any bloody worse?

Still, he took it up to his room and tore the envelope open, eyes scanning over the words.

‘Dear Sirius,

How’s the rest of your summer been? I know we all came to the Potter’s and all, but it felt like such a long time ago.

Mum’s been pestering me about what snacks I’m going to bring on the train, so I promised her I’d check to see what Effie was bringing in my next letter, so here I am making good of that promise. I keep telling her she doesn’t have to pack anything, it’s literally seventh year, but she really wants to, so she is.

The last moon was alright. It just kind of went how I expected it to, honestly. I dislocated my knee again, which is frustrating. I have a feeling I’m going to have to take Madame Pomfrey up on her offer of a cane, soon, just for the days after. It just makes me feel like an old man to even think of it. Still, there’s nothing I can do about it, eh?

I hate waking up alone, though. Can’t wait to see you dumbasses again.

Especially you.

Miss you and love you so much,

Remus.’

Sirius stared at the letter in his hands as the words started to blur; his thick tears falling on the page before he even had a chance to realise he was crying. He dropped the letter quickly, hands shaking, trying to protect the paper.

“Shit.” He breathed out, quickly brushing the tears away, only allowing them to be replaced by more. He didn’t want to leave Remus, ever. So he just let himself collapse, curling into a ball and sobbing, pain overwhelming him before he had even done anything. Knowing he had to was bad enough.

Still, he had a week to figure out how.

He was checked out for the entire week, James watching him with concerned glances as he agonised internally about what the hell he was going to do. Could he explain to Remus?

No, he couldn’t.

He felt like a coward, still listening to his mother when he had literally been disowned by her and Orion. It was ridiculous, that he couldn’t stand up to her. It was just… Regulus. Regulus was his weak point, and Walburga knew that.

Alright, not telling Remus why he was dumping him, that wasn’t helpful.

So… he had to lie?

Remus wasn’t going to take any sort of ‘I don’t love you’ bullshit, they’d had a long conversation about that. A good few of them, actually. Sirius had spent a long time helping Remus build his confidence up and to trust him, which he really didn’t want to destroy.

Fuck.

By the end of the week, Sirius still didn’t have a plan, heart pounding so harshly Sirius thought it was going to stop, shatter, disappear altogether. Still, they were getting closer and closer to the platform, to Remus, and Sirius had to do something. He had a feeling that everything was about to go very wrong.

“Padfoot?” Sirius snapped out of his panicked haze, turning to face James.

“Hm?”

“You alright? You’ve seemed out of it for over a week now.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m- I’m fine.” He muttered, eyes scanning for-

Remus.

God, he was beautiful.

He was stood on the platform talking to Lily, a small smile on his face as his amber eyes lit up. Remus’ smile made Sirius want to pass out.

He really didn’t want to lose it.

Too late, though, as Lily nudged Remus, indicating to Sirius. He turned his head, face brightening as his eyes met Sirius. Sirius and James approached, and Sirius could vaguely hear James talking. His heart was pounding in his ears as Remus smiled that beautiful bloody smile at him.

“Padfoot, hey.” He leaned in to kiss Sirius, who flinched away slightly, guilt immediately pooling in his stomach. Remus’ brow furrowed slightly, confused. “You okay?”

“Uh, yeah. I need to talk to you.” He mumbled under his breath, grabbing Remus’ arm and leading him onto the train, into a compartment and shutting the door quickly. Remus sat on one of the seats as Sirius closed the blind over the door.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” The concern in his voice was enough to make Sirius want to sob. He took a moment, facing the door, to compose himself.

Years in Grimmauld Place had taught him one thing that he could use.

He dropped his face into a cold indifference, easily masking his emotions as he dropped into the seat opposite Remus, glancing down at his feet. Getting the words out was… impossible. Unmanageable.

Well, impossible until he thought of everything he endured, and Regulus.

It was just enough to say what he needed to say.

“We need to break up.”

“What?” Remus sounded more stunned than anything else, Sirius looked up, finally meeting his eyes and hoping that the same haughty apathy was still there.

“I’m breaking up with you.” He said again, much clearer this time, and he was shocked by how… bored he sounded.

“Sirius, this is coming out of nowhere, what’s going on?”

“Merlin, have I not made it clear?” He tried to keep the disinterest in his voice, acting like he wasn’t struggling, watching as Remus’ eyes searched his face desperately.

“Sirius, don’t do this. You can talk to me.”

“Fucking hell, Lupin!” Remus flinched at that, Sirius glancing away at the window, hoping it didn’t look like he was having a hard time. A really fucking hard time.

He knew he was going to have to say it, as little as he wanted to.

“I don’t love you.” He turned back, and Remus looked like he had been slapped in the face.

“Sirius, you- that’s not true.” He said firmly. “That can’t be fucking true, not when you- no, you love me, I know you do, so cut the shit. What’s going on?” He asked again, and Sirius could feel him reaching his limit. He knew it wasn’t going to last much longer.

“I don’t love you, Lupin. I never did.” He said coldly, taking his anger at his fucking family and letting it all fall out. “Just wanted to experiment. You really think I’d ever fall in love with you? I don’t want to be fucking near you, got it?”

That was the moment he watched Remus’ heart break.

“You promised me, I- I can’t believe you’re doing this.” His breath came out a little staggered, standing up and heading to the door, fumbling a little to open it. Finally, he was gone, slamming the sliding door as he went, and Sirius threw a silencing charm over the compartment just in time to break down.

He had finally done it, he had ruined his and Remus’ relationship.

The first time he thought he was actually going to be happy, and his fucking family somehow managed to ruin it all again.

-

James had been a tad bit concerned about Sirius for a week or so.

Still, when he practically dragged Remus away, he had honestly just assumed that they wanted to be alone to catch up. It was probably for the best, because their compartment was pretty full.

Peter, James and Lily were sat on one side, James’ hand in Lily’s and a grin on his face. Marlene, Mary and Dorcas were on the other, talking and laughing.

Merlin, James had missed his friends.

“No, really, I don’t-“ that’s when the door slid open harshly, Remus stepping through and shutting it, before turning around and letting James catch a glimpse of his face.

He looked… distraught. His hands were shaking, breathing uneven, as a heavy silence fell over the group.

“Moony? Are you alright?” James asked quietly. Remus glanced at him, shaking his head quickly, as a few tears rolled down his cheeks. Lily was up in a second, gently guiding Remus to her seat and crouching in front of him.

“Remus, breathe, okay? Slowly.” She grabbed both of his hands, squeezing them once. “Ground yourself. Can you feel my hands?” Remus shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. “What’s going on?” She asked softly, waiting patiently for his response.

“Sirius, he- he just dumped me.”

“What?” James was the first one to speak, shocked.

“He’s just- he was acting so fucking cold, I don’t- I don’t know what happened.” He finally turned to James. “He said he never loved me.”

What the fuck?

“He…”

“I’ll fucking kill him.” Marlene said, gritting her teeth, as Dorcas tried to stop her from standing. James frowned, confused.

He had been acting off for a while, but he had no idea that he was planning on dumping Remus. Typically, he told James everything. Including just how much he loved Remus.

How that had changed in a week, James had no idea.

He didn’t have too much time to think about it on the way, while simultaneously trying to talk Remus down from a panic attack and Marlene from murder.

What the fuck had happened?

-

Sirius managed to get the majority of the tears out of his system, head aching and eyes stinging, by the time that the train came to its gentle stop. The excitement that usually washed over him when he arrived at Hogwarts was nowhere to be found, unsurprisingly.

This year was going to be awful.

He waited a few minutes before he gently slid open the door and left the train, hoping to avoid his friends. Well, probably not his friends anymore. The train was pretty much empty, thank merlin, as he crept his way out.

“Sirius.” James’ voice rang out, and Sirius froze in his place, letting his eyes slide shut for a moment.

Shit.

He turned to face James, hoping that it didn’t look like he’d been crying.

“What?”

“What the fuck?” He started. “You told Remus you don’t love him? You and I both know that’s not true. You’ve been acting weird as hell, what’s going on?”

For a moment, Sirius let himself consider what would happen if he told James. If he had someone on his side. He could feel his resolve start to crack, having to work to keep some kind of indifference over his face. He doubted it was working, based on the way the anger in James’ face was currently at war with concern. The problem was that he knew James and his ability to keep a secret from his friends. Especially if Remus was hurting.

So, he couldn’t.

“Fuck off, James.” With that, he walked away; destroying the last bridge with someone who cared.

They had already disappeared from the carriages, giving Sirius a moment to compose himself for the inevitable. He was going to see Remus, it was impossible to avoid him. They shared a dorm, for fuck’s sake. Walburga really had ruined his life in 5 minutes. The guilt that had been slowly building its way up settled awkwardly in his stomach like a rock as he got closer to the castle.

It really wasn’t what he expected for the opening feast, slipping through the door and sitting as far from his friends as he could physically manage. He couldn’t quite get them out of his line of sight. Whether it was concern for Remus or self punishment, he wanted to see how he was doing. He was staring at his plate, mindlessly shoving food around it. Lily and James were watching him, concerned. The moment Marlene spotted him, her hand was on her wand, which Dorcas quickly swiped, shooting Sirius a glare for good measure.

“Remus, you have to eat something.” Lily said under her breath, Sirius’ rotten feeling growing stronger by the second.

“M’not hungry.” He answered.

“Moony-“

“I’m just going to turn in. I don’t want to ruin everyone else’s night.”

“Hey, no, you haven’t ruined anything.” Lily assured him, unable to stop her eyes from flicking momentarily to Sirius, who turned back to his food quickly, mending his expression and shoving a potato into his mouth. Still, he heard as Remus stood and left, walking quickly out of the hall, James and Peter following close behind.

Sirius made the decision not to go to the dorm for a while, to make sure everybody was asleep so he didn’t have to face them.

That’s exactly what he did, waking up earlier than everyone else the next morning, and rinse and repeat.

He moved to different seats in his classes, watching as the gossip spread. James was watching him a little painfully, every so often, like he couldn’t figure Sirius out and it was hurting him, which only made Sirius feel worse.

The Slytherin’s seemed fucking gleeful that the blood traitor Sirius Black was isolated from everybody he had abandoned his family for. He hadn’t seen Regulus, which was probably for the best.

Couldn’t stop running into Remus, though, which was torture in itself. His friends all hated him and the love of his life was falling apart.

So was he, really.

After three and a half weeks of walking around with half a heart, nothing mattering, the whole world grey, he was approached by Lily. For a moment, his face crumpled just a little, missing Lily and her kindness more than he had expected. Not that any of that kindness was there for him in that moment.

“The fuck d’you want?”

“Alright, get off your high horse, I don’t want to fucking talk to you either.” She snapped, honestly pretty intimidating. “You’re going to tell me what to do when Remus has a panic attack if you want to keep your fucking voice box.” She said, gripping her wand. Sirius’ heart sunk. Of course Remus’ panic attacks were worse. Sirius had been having his own, but they were typically more discreet.

Only Remus and James noticed them, and neither of them were talking to him.

“Alright, fine. Depending on the day, sensory overload might be contributing to it, so carry earplugs and ask if he needs them. Um, ask about the severity, take him out of any sort of public space, box breathing is usually helpful, but it’s harder without someone else doing it too. If he wants contact, hands on shoulders, if not then make sure he can see that you aren’t touching him at all. Just… let him know that he’s safe.” He couldn’t stop his face from softening as he spoke, voice dropping as the guilt, love and heartbreak all swirled uncomfortably in his gut.

When he finally turned his focus back to Lily, she was watching him, confused enough to know that Sirius had fucked up. He quickly schooled his expression.

“Anything else?” He snapped quickly, Lily blinking at the sudden switch.

“Uh… Sirius-?“ Sirius walked past her, trying to get into the dorm, away from everybody. He just wanted to shut his curtains and cry until he couldn’t see, which is why he almost cursed aloud when he shoved the door open and found Remus, James and Peter sat on the floor, stuck in the middle of a conversation.

“Maybe we should just-“

“No. I don’t want him there.” Remus insisted. At the sound of the door shutting, the three of them turned, Remus’ face dropping. “Anyway, I doubt Sirius actually wants to be there for the full moon tonight.” He said pointedly, shooting Sirius a glare. Sirius automatically brushed his left forearm, where his tattoo of the moon phases sat. How hadn’t he noticed that it was full?

“Uh… I…” He really was at a loss. On one hand, he promised Remus up and down that he would be there for every moon.

He seemed to be breaking a lot of promises, though.

Remus seemed to take his loss for words as a refusal, turning back to James.

“See? Not like I’d fucking trust him there.” He answered, as Sirius just turned and walked out, really not wanting to deal with any of that.

To make matters worse, the Slytherins kept shouting at him, so he had to find somewhere he could hide from everyone. It was clear to the entire school that whatever had happened, he was the one in the wrong, because he was the one isolated from the group. Which essentially meant that he had nobody.

At least he didn’t have to shut his curtains at 6 that night.

Instead, he laid in bed trying to sleep until god knows what time, mind only on the fact that Remus was hurt, transforming, and Sirius couldn’t do anything to help. He had never felt so shitty in his life, honestly.

He shut his curtains straight after the sun had risen, James and Peter emerging 10 minutes later, taking quietly.

“I don’t know what happened.” Peter whispered.

“Really?” James murmured back. “He missed Padfoot.” Sirius’ stomach dropped.

“What, the wolf?”

“Yeah, the wolf. We were hardly a pack, were we?”

“No.” Peter admitted. “But Remus didn’t want him there, and none of us have spoken to him for weeks.”

“I know.” James muttered. “There’s something going on there, I just don’t know what it is.”

“What, you mean the reason he’s fucked everything up and doesn’t seem to care?” Peter clarified.

“I- yeah. Pete, you should hear the way he talks about Remus at home. It’s almost insufferable. There’s no way he never loved Remus.”

“Well, you know you can’t talk to him about it.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m supporting Moony, and Sirius is 100% in the wrong, but at some point this is all going to come out. It has to.”

Well, shit.

That wasn’t what he had expected. It also probably should have been enough for him to not sneak into the hospital wing to see Remus, for fear of getting caught, but no. Because he was an idiot.

Still, he transformed when he was sure James and Peter were gone, creeping slowly and quietly to the hospital wing, missing the days of using James’ invisibility cloak to do it, because it was so much easier that way. Thankfully, he still got into the hospital wing, Remus asleep, and he transformed back, dropping into a seat by the bed. He knew he probably wasn’t going to be able to stay for very long, not wanting to get caught by Madame Pomfrey. He was so sure that the gossip had spread to the teachers, and he didn’t want to take the risk of getting kicked out in a way that wasn’t as gentle as when she just told him to go and have a sleep. Which meant that he probably had 5 minutes tops to see him, to say anything to him.

He was definitely asleep, the evenness of his breathing clear, no conflict over his face, just peaceful, which meant Sirius didn’t have to worry about him overhearing.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, gently running his finger over the back of Remus’ hand. “You don’t know how much I fucking hate what I’ve done, and I wish I could tell you. I just- I worked so hard to keep Regulus safe in that house, and I can’t let him go through what I did. I love you. I- I’m so sorry.” He felt his breath catch in his throat, and left without saying anything else. He felt the tears slide down his face as he walked, trying to find a passage he could get into before he completely broke down. What he didn’t want was to run straight into James.

Fuck, could his luck get any worse?

He wasn’t really looking where he was going as he walked into the boy, hands shaking, not knowing who he had run into enough to school his features.

“Sorry.” He choked out, moving to walk past the person, not looking at him, until he spoke.

“Sirius?” Sirius glanced up from where his eyes were fixed to the floor, James finally coming half into focus. “What’s wrong?”

“I- you shouldn’t speak to me.” He got out, trying to walk past, as James grabbed his shoulders gently.

“Hey, listen-“

“What about Remus?” Sirius really didn’t have long left before the tears he was biting back shone through, he needed to leave.

“You’re an arse, fuck you, you’re still my brother, so let’s go have a chat.” He pulled a tapestry back that Sirius had completely forgotten about, without the map, pulling Sirius inside. “Right, what’s going on? The truth.”

“…I’ve fucked up, Prongs.” Sirius admitted finally, unable to stop himself anymore. He just wanted to be able to talk to someone, anyone. Once he had started, though, he really couldn’t stop, the words tumbling out of him in a rush. “I ran into Walburga in Diagon Alley and she told me I had to break it off with Remus or Regulus would get hurt, so I did, even though Regulus doesn’t fucking speak to me and now I’ve lost everybody I care about.” He finished with a sob, pretty much falling apart.

“Oh, Padfoot…” James didn’t seem to know what to say, opting for pulling Sirius into a hug. “Why didn’t you say anything?” When Sirius could actually get words out, he almost laughed at that.

“What, that my fucking mother still has power over me? No. I also can’t risk Regulus’ safety like that.”

“Sirius, you have to-“

“No! Please don’t tell anyone, Prongs. Fuck, I shouldn’t even have told you, I-“ at his rising panic, James interjected.

“No, it’s okay, I won’t.” He watched Sirius carefully for a few moments. “You’ve been on your own with this for a month.” He said quietly, pained. “I should have noticed. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I hid it intentionally.” Sirius responded.

“Listen, I’m here when you need to talk, yeah?”

“Thanks, Prongs. Don’t piss off your friends, though.”

“Don’t worry about me.” James said with a grin. “Come on, s’go.”

“Wait! Uh… how was the moon? I went to see him, and he looks… hurt.” James shrugged.

“We couldn’t stop him. He barely gave us a second glance, honestly.”

“Oh.” He didn’t know what to say, honestly, because he knew it was his fault.

Having James made everything a lot easier. He had put James in a difficult position, not being allowed to tell anyone, so if he wanted to talk to him, it included hiding, using the map, which Sirius had missed so much. He had another week of that until he found out that telling James was probably a mistake. Mostly because he was walking through the corridor, just past the Slytherin common room entrance, when the tapestry pulled back and he was yanked into a corridor.

“What the-“ then there was a hand over his mouth.

“Shut up!” Regulus hissed, Sirius’ heart stopping. He and Regulus hadn’t spoken in years. He slowly released Sirius, who dropped his voice to a whisper.

“What are you doing?”

“Need to talk to you.” Regulus answered casually, like they always had little chats.

“I- why?”

“Because you’re being an idiot.”

“Oh wow, thanks.” Sirius muttered sarcastically.

“I’m not joking. What the fuck?”

“What the fuck what?”

“You dumped Remus because mother told you to? You’ve literally never been that stupid in your life, and that’s saying something.”

“I- how did you know that?”

“Everybody knows you dumped Remus.” He answered simply.

“No, that mother- Walburga made me? Did she try to hold it over you?”

“No, all she told me was to ‘keep an eye on whether or not you were spending time with the half blood boy.’ I assumed I’d have to lie to her, but I guess not.” He said, glancing down quickly. “James told me.”

“What?”

“He said he was worried you were making the wrong decision, and I agree.” Regulus finished decisively.

“Reg, I-“

“You don’t have to ruin your life trying to protect me.”

“But I left, it’s the least-“

“You needed to get out of there, Sirius. We both know that. You probably wouldn’t be alive if you hadn’t. I can take care of myself.”

“Regulus, I don’t want them to hurt you like they hurt me!”

“Well they already are!” Regulus snapped back quietly. Sirius fell into silence, heart feeling like it had been torn out of his chest and shredded. Regulus watched him, fairly mildly. “Did you really think they weren’t? Nothing’s good enough for them.” He said with a soft, breathy laugh. “But I can keep myself safe.” He added gently, eyes meeting Sirius’. “You were happy, Sirius. You found people who accepted you for you. Your family. At least one of us deserves that, and I’m not letting you give it up.”

“What if-“

“Nope. No what ifs. You’re going to tell Remus the truth and ask for forgiveness and let yourself be happy. You do know you’re just punishing yourself, right?”

“Alright, no need to psychoanalyse me.” Sirius attempted lightness, but it fell flat quickly.

“Look, I can’t force you to do anything, but please just think about it. I want you to. If anything, I’ll be angrier if you don’t do it.” With that, Regulus stepped out of the tapestry and left Sirius to his thoughts.

And he had a lot of fucking thoughts. Too much had just happened for him to make such a snap decision. He thought he’d have so much time to decide. Weeks.

He didn’t expect to almost die during a Quidditch match.

-

Remus had been walking around like a zombie for two weeks.

That sounded a little dramatic, but it was the truth. For the first two weeks he had done nothing but feel, so the moment he managed to move past that and just… dissociate, he grasped at it like a lifeline.

It only made his friends more worried about him, but still, what else could he do? It was better than feeling like he couldn’t breathe constantly.

It also let him show up to support James and Marlene in the Quidditch matches, just… pretending that he wasn’t watching Sirius. Lily was sat with him in the stands, watching and cheering them on in the game they had all been waiting for. Gryffindor vs Slytherin.

Remus felt his eyes drift to Sirius, a sharp stab of pain hitting him as he watched him. He was drop dead fucking gorgeous. God, he missed him.

No! That was the wrong bloody attitude, Sirius was an arsehole who lied to him and he deserved better!

That didn’t change the way his heart left his body when Sirius fell from the sky.

A Slytherin beater had gotten in close range of a bludger, sending it directly at Sirius’ head with a gleeful laugh. Remus’ eyes widened as he watched the heavy ball collide with Sirius’ head, knocking him out and sending him falling. His breath caught in his throat, panic breaking the comforting fog that had been in his mind. James made a last minute dive in an attempt to catch him, but he was too late.

Silence descended over the crowded pitch as he hit the ground with a dull thud.

Shit.

Time simultaneously seemed to speed up and slow down as Sirius was levitated off the pitch and into the medical tent. Remus hadn’t even noticed himself stand up until he was shoving his way through everyone in the stands, running across the pitch and straight over to the tent. He forced his way through the team who all parted, confused at the sight of him, as he finally managed to get into a chair next to the bed, sat beside James. After a few moments of silence, James spoke.

“You got here quickly.” He said quietly.

“Ran.” Remus answered, slightly out of breath. “Is he okay?”

“He fell from really fucking high up, Moony.” James murmured. “Madame Pomfrey said he should be okay, but she doesn’t know when he’ll wake up, or what damage he might have to his head.”

“Okay, that’s… a lot.” Remus said, pressing a hand to his eyes uncomfortably, trying to ward off a tension headache.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“No.” Remus admitted simply. “I- I hate that I still love him. I mean, he essentially told me that he’d been lying to me for years.” James nodded, but he looked… conflicted. “You okay?” He asked, confused.

“Hm? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’m going to step out, talk to the team, find Pete and Lily.” He added hastily, standing, almost like he was trying to escape. He walked out, leaving Remus alone with Sirius.

“You broke my fucking heart, but please be okay. Fuck, why am I so… whether you like it or not, Sirius, you have me. All of me. Right now I really wish you didn’t, but you do, so…” After a moment of silence, he brushed his fingers over Sirius’. “I love you.” He whispered, shutting his eyes and letting a tear roll.

That’s when Sirius’ eyes flickered, and he started to wake up.

Remus drew his hand back, watching him carefully. For a moment, he grappled with the thought of leaving, but James wasn’t there, and he didn’t want to leave Sirius alone, for some reason. So, he stayed, eyes on Sirius as he slowly opened them with a groan. He made to sit up, Madame Pomfrey rushing over quickly to adjust the bed and talk to him.

“Slowly, okay? You’ve taken quite the fall.” She angled the bed so that he could sit up comfortably, turning him this way and that as she examined him. “You broke a fair few bones, but nothing a little magic can’t fix. Can I just ask you a few questions?”

“Sure.” Sirius said, making Remus realise just how long it had been since he had really heard Sirius’ voice.

“What’s your name?”

“Sirius Black. Or, sorry, Sirius Orion Black.” He rolled his eyes a little at his middle name. Okay, so that hadn’t changed.

“And mine?”

“Are we on a first name basis, Madame Pomfrey?” He asked with a smirk, Remus biting back a smile.

“Okay, Mr Black. And his name?” Remus swallowed uncomfortably as Sirius finally turned his gaze to him. He had expected Sirius’ face to drop, harden like stone.

Instead, everything in him seemed to melt, confusion evident on his face.

“Remus?” There was a soft hope in his voice, which made Remus’ heart give a pained tug.

“Hi.” Remus said under his breath, wanting to tear his eyes away from Sirius’ but almost feeling unable to.

“Was that difficult for you to remember?” Madame Pomfrey asked, breaking the moment for Remus, thank fuck. Sirius turned back to her, reddening slightly as he glanced down.

“Uh, no. No, sorry.”

“Okay, no problem.” She kept asking him questions, until she was satisfied that he didn’t have any damage to his brain. With that, somehow sensing that Remus and Sirius needed to talk, she stepped out, leaving them in silence.

“I don’t know why I’m here.” Remus said quietly.

“Okay.” Sirius answered back, avoiding eye contact.

“If you want me to leave, just-“

“No!” Sirius said hastily, suddenly animated. His own volume made him flinch as he turned back to Remus. “Stay. Please.”

“Really? I thought you couldn’t stand to be around me.”

“I-“ that was all Sirius got out before he burst into tears.

Oh.

“Sirius…” Remus really wasn’t sure what to say. Sirius had broken his fucking heart, but he still wanted to stop him from hurting.

“I’m so sorry.” He forced out, wincing a little at the aggression in the sobs wracking through his body, which seemed to be entirely out of his control.

“You’re- you’re sorry?” He asked, confused. Sirius nodded, breaking down right in front of him.

“I love you, I never stopped, I just- it’s complicated.” Remus’ head spun, confusion and a fair amount of anger hitting him.

“What? Sirius, hey, breathe.” He wasn’t going to get any sort of elaboration when Sirius was sobbing, and he really fucking needed it. “Can you please explain? I don’t understand.” Sirius made eye contact with him, and everything seemed to fall out at once.

“I- I ran into Walburga in Diagon Alley and she told me I had to- break it off with you otherwise she’d hurt Regulus, and I- I fucking did it and- I fucked up.” He said, clearly having held it back for a while.

“You…”

“Now I’ve hurt you because I was too embarrassed to say anything, and Regulus talked to me for the first time in years to tell me to make things right, but I- it’s probably too late, and I’m so sorry.”

That was a lot to take in.

Honestly, his priority was calming Sirius down. So he gently grasped Sirius’ hand, hoping he could level his gaze to some form of calmness when he was so… overwhelmed by everything. While Sirius tried to level his breathing, Remus thought all of it over.

Was he lying? Remus almost immediately threw that idea out of his mind. Sirius may have been good at acting indifferent, but the pain was definitely real. Besides, Walburga Black had always been the worst, but this was something else. He wasn’t even part of that family anymore, and she mad found a way to hurt him. It made him angrier than he had expected it to.

Fuck.

Was Sirius right? Was it too late?

He didn’t need to think to get the answer to that. It was screaming at him, big and bold, clawing up from his instincts.

No.

Of course it wasn’t, how could it be? To Remus’ surprise, he wasn’t actually all that angry at him.

“You okay?” Remus asked softly, Sirius brushing the tears he could away, eyes red.

“I- are you?”

“Well, you broke my heart,” Remus started, Sirius watching him carefully. “Made me feel unloveable, and I was essentially walking around without a soul for a month.” He said, Sirius nodding, everything in him seeking to droop. “But you- Sirius, no 17 year old should have to deal with everything you’ve had to. It’s going to take quite a lot to rebuild the trust between us again, and you definitely went about this the wrong way, but… I love you, Sirius.” He said softly. Sirius’ eyes widened.

“You mean you actually want to…?”

“To work everything out? Yeah, I do. Slowly, but yeah.” The way Sirius’ face brightened at that almost made everything okay.

Almost.

However, it definitely made him feel like it could, soon.

Somehow, as Sirius smiled softly at him, he knew that they were going to work it out.

[cypanache]

Now I need to read Obidala’s Bridgetonesque AU!!!! 😫😫

Your wish is my command. Here have ~500 words of the first months of marriage. (In reference to the obidala bridgerton marriage of inconvenience AU idea I posted about here) :

----

Padme has in the past few months learned a great deal about the man who she now calls husband.

Her husband prefers fencing to shooting.  But excels at both.

Her husband keeps an excellent stable and goes out of his way to avoid its use.

Her husband would rather walk the estate’s farms with Mr. Fett, his land manager, than spend a night at his club in Coruscant.

Her husband will not touch her.

Despite Lord Kenobi’s reassurances when he proposed that he had no interest in exercising any privileges one might expect of a husband.  Despite even Anakin’s grudging admission that his cousin was above all things a man of his word.  Padme still spent the first month at Stewjon waiting for the inevitable.  The tread on the stair, the knock on the door, an insistent brush of a hand.  After all, how could she expect it to be otherwise?  

Her husband is titled, landed, and intelligent.  He is well off, well read and well spoken.  He is admittedly eleven years her senior, but still cuts a fine figure on a horse no matter how much he claims to abhor riding.  And even in her most uncharitable moments Padme has never managed to consider him anything but handsome.  He is by every measure of society, eminently suitable. 

Which means, he could have his pick of most of the young ladies currently out.  Lord knows, Sabe had expressed more than once in the days leading up to her wedding that she would be happy to walk down the aisle in her place.  (‘We’re practically twins.’)  Padme had thought her a fool.  Because really, what would possess a man so eligible, to take as wife, his younger cousin’s paramour, a woman of modest dowry and besmirched reputation who has repeatedly and insistently protested that she does not and will not love him.  She didn’t know, but every answer she could think of made her blood run cold.

And yet the days turn into weeks, turn into months, and the knock never comes, and she stops jumping at every footfall.  And by Fall, she even finds herself thinking in her more practical moments, that perhaps it is time to stop being quite so surprised or dismayed by the continued presence of a ring on her left hand.

Because in truth the most important thing she has learned about Obi-Wan Kenobi is this:

He is kind.

He is so very kind.

Which only serves to confound her even further.  He could be so easily loved. Any other woman would love him. Why would he do this?  Is he truly so placid, so lacking in passion as to be content in early morning pleasantries and occasional polite conversation?  How could he not wish for more?

Perhaps, she thinks, he has simply never experienced love like that she and Anakin had shared.  Never known the way it made the world more vivid and real.  Perhaps his whole life has been nothing but quiet walks and evening brandies and chapel services on Sunday and he simply cannot conceive of what it feels like to have your blood sing with that overwhelming, all consuming desire to be with another that overrides reason and sense.  

He may not fence like a man who is a stranger to passion.  But . . .

Does he not at least wish for an heir? She simply does not understand.

And then comes the Organa’s winter ball.  

And the Duchess of Mandalore.

And she suddenly understands all too well.

—-

part ii

[ailendolin]

❤️‍🩹: Francis and Isabelle

Here’s your ficlet, anon! It's a bit all over the place but I hope you like it!

Next up:

🤒 Needing to be looked after - Humphrey

🛁 Platonic bathing - Ian/Gabriel

⚡ Scared of thunderstorms - Robin

🎶 Dancing - Robin, Humphrey’s body, Mary & alive Kitty

🥶 Cold - Fanny

✊🏽 Protecting - Thomas & Francis

💪🏽 Bridal carry - Pat & the Captain

🐾 Pet-names - Humphrey's head and Annie

Ask Game is here. Filled prompts are here, here & here on AO3.

I’ll accept 2 more prompts for this ask game until I move on to a different one. Please take a look at my pinned post for information about which characters/pairings I will/won't write for.

————

Leaving

❤️‍🩹 Reunited after a long time apart

When she was a little girl, Isabelle had dreamed of marrying a handsome man. She’d always known he’d be kind and loyal, that his smile would shine and light up his eyes just like the sun lit up the grounds of Higham House every morning. He would love and cherish her with his whole heart, and their wedding would be a merry summer affair under bright blue skies that left her breathless with happiness.

She had not known back then how easily dreams could turn sour.

In the beginning, Francis Button had been everything her childish heart had hoped for. He had been handsome and unbelievably kind to her, especially after Thomas’s love for Mary Shelley had come alight and left her terribly distraught even before his untimely death. Francis had comforted her so lovingly that day despite his own grief, and Isabelle couldn’t help but feel drawn to the trembling smile on his lips when they parted ways that evening.

Over the next few weeks, they kept in contact through letters until Francis came to visit her again. On the third such visit he asked her father for her hand in marriage and Isabelle couldn’t have been happier when her father smiled and gave them his blessing. It was the moment she had been silently waiting for for months now, and she was glad to see that Francis wasn’t one to hesitate like Thomas had been – even if that meant their wedding wouldn’t happen under blue summer skies like she’d always dreamed of since Francis wanted to seal their bond as soon as possible. So a winter wedding it was.

Once the date was set, Francis’s visits grew rarer until they stopped altogether a month before the wedding. He told her he needed time to make arrangements ahead of the ceremony, and Isabelle, naïve as she had been, had believed his every word. His absence and disinterest in the wedding should have been the first warning signs that his affections for her didn’t run as deep as he’d claimed, but she had been woefully, and perhaps wilfully, blind to them.

When she walked down the aisle and saw Francis for the first time in over four weeks, the first thought in her mind was, He has changed. Francis looked as handsome as ever – there was no denying that – but his smile had an edge to it now Isabelle could have sworn hadn’t been there before. It made her steps falter, just for a moment, before she chalked it up to nervousness. This was an important day for both of them. She couldn’t blame Francis for looking a little uneasy despite the joyous occasion.

In hindsight, she should have trusted her gut instincts and turned around right on the spot, running away as fast as she could. Perhaps that would have spared her most of the sorrow she’d felt in the years that followed.

It didn’t take long for Francis to show his true face after they’d been pronounced husband and wife. His carefully crafted façade began to crack with the announcement of her first pregnancy and was hastily glued back together when she gave birth to a girl rather than the boy he’d hoped for. A year later, it finally fell when his son’s cries echoed through the house for the first time. Having given him the heir he so desperately wanted, Isabelle, along with their daughter, became an afterthought for him. Francis avoided their company as often as he could, and when it finally dawned on Isabelle that her marriage would never be like the ones she’d read about in books and dreamed of as a child, she found herself breathing a sigh of relief rather than sorrow whenever he went away.

It was during that difficult and lonely time that her thoughts began to stray towards Thomas again. He might not have loved her but she had no doubt he never would have stopped pulling the stars from the sky for her if he had. His smile would not have dimmed after she bore him a son and he never would have left her side unless he absolutely had to, of that she was sure.

Perhaps she was romanticising him the same way she had romanticised Francis once, Isabelle thought. Perhaps, in the end, Thomas would have turned out just like his cousin – the apple never fell far from the tree, after all. That did not stop her from dreaming about the life they might have had together if fate had just been a little kinder to them both, though. It would have been a good life; not without its fair share of sorrow but with enough love and light to cancel it out.

There was neither love nor light in Francis’s eyes when he came back from yet another trip that evening and greeted her with a quick peck on the cheek and the words, “Don’t wait up for me tonight. I’ll turn in early and will be gone again by first light tomorrow.”

For the first time in their marriage, Isabelle didn’t force a smile onto her face. She merely nodded at him before she turned away, leaving him standing in the middle of the hallway just like he was always leaving her.

[robinbuckley1985]

“You Changed My Life”

Prompt: “Tell me what I did wrong.”

Requested: Yes, thank you Skye once again

Pairing: Robin Buckley X Nancy Wheeler

Summary: After avoiding Robin for longer than she should have, Nancy finally confronts her feelings.

Warnings: A sprinkle of angst at the beginning, Confessing feelings, Struggling with sexuality, Fluff fluff fluff, Again my shitty writing skills.

A/N: I definitely got a little carried away at the end, but I was on a roll. Hope you guys like it.

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Neither of them knew how they got into this position. Weeks after the final fight against Vecna, Nancy and Robin were practically strangers again. Not by choice by one of them. Robin was utterly confused on why Nancy had suddenly disappeared from her life. Robin being the anxious person she is, jumped to the worst conclusions she could come up with, which Steve tried to talk her out of which didn’t do much. “Robin, she’s probably just busy. Have you ever thought about that?” He said to her one day during their shift at Family Video. She scoffed as she placed more tapes back on their respective shelves. “Steve, every time I try to talk to her, she runs away from me. Runs, like I’m gonna kill her or something. I thought she and I were friends. But, clearly I was wrong.” Robin continued on, pacing up and down the aisle of the small store. Steve was exasperated at this point, having heard a similar tangent every day for the past three weeks. Before he could try talking her out of the panic attack that she was on the verge of, the bell above the door signaled that a customer had come in. “Hey, how can I-Nance?” Steve said, greeting a very hesitant Nancy Wheeler. “Uh, hey. Is Robin here?” Just then, Robin walked out from one aisle. She stood for a moment, frozen in front of Nancy.

She couldn’t find words to say. “H-hi.” She muttered out, her eyes wandering everywhere except the girl in front of her. “I’m just going to uh…take care of some boxes in the back.” Steve said as he walked towards the back room, leaving the two girls alone. Nancy walked towards Robin, now only a few feet in front of her. “Um, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight?” Robin had a look of confusion, after the three weeks of barely anything, Nancy wanted to hang out. Alone? “Uh, I-I um, I’d love to. I mean, yeah, sure.” Robin was internally facepalming at herself. Why was she so awkward? “Okay, cool. I’ll see you later.” Nancy said, standing there a moment longer. “Uh, yeah. See you later.” Robin said awkwardly, her hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. Nancy gave the girl a small wave and smile-and what Robin thought was a slight blush- before walking out the door. Robin stared off into the parking lot as Nancy got in her car and drove off. She was pulled from her gaze at the sound of Steve clearing his throat.

“So, it looks like she isn’t ignoring you anymore?” Robin rolled her eyes, then turned around to face him. “Shut up, Dingus. Maybe she’s going to tell me all the reasons she hates me.” She walked over to the counter, jumping up to sit on it. “Stop thinking of worst-case scenarios. You’re gonna freak yourself out about something that you don’t even know for sure.” He walked over to stand opposite of her. She scoffed. “I’m being realistic Steve. I’ve been through this before. The whole getting close to someone, thinking they’re going to stay, and then getting my heart ripped out of my chest. I’m just mentally preparing myself for how badly this one is going to hurt.”

“Why is it going to hurt so much if you lose Nancy as a friend? Last summer you called her a priss, remember?” Steve had a shit-eating grin on his face, he knew exactly why it would suck for Robin. He just wanted her to actually admit it. “I-it’s going to hurt becaus-oh screw you.” Steve let out a laugh as Robin placed her head in her hands, letting out a grunt of frustration. “Oh, come one, Rob. DId you really think I wouldn’t catch on? You abruptly stopped talking about VIckie the second you and Nancy officially became friends. It’s not exactly rocket science.” Robin picked her head up, shooting a glare to Steve. “Yeah, well she;s your ex. Did you really expect me to just say ‘Oh, yeah, by the way, your ex is hot and I’d really like to kiss her’?” Steve tilted his head, a look that says ‘you know what I meant’. “No, but you could’ve been honest with me about having feelings for her. I’m over her, so it’s okay, seriously.” Robin let out a sigh as Steve leaned against the counter. “Thank you. But, I don’t even know if she….or what she’s even going to say to me tonight.” Steve gave Robin a small reassuring smile, opening his mouth to speak but getting interrupted by the door opening once again. ————————————————————————As Steve pulled to a stop in front of Nancy’s house, he turned to look at a very anxious Robin. “Breathe. It’s Nancy, she doesn’t bite.” Robin gave him a small glare, a huff leaving her mouth. “Yeah yeah, bye.” Robin said, reaching behind her seat to grab her bag. As she got out of the car, Steve yelled out after her. “You know, a thank you would be nice for being your personal chauffeur!” Robin turned around, giving a small smile. “Thank you, Stevie!” She said with a laugh. “I thought we were done with that nickname!?” He yelled, Robin gave him a small wave, turning back to walk the rest of the way to the front door. Steve drove off just as Robin rang the doorbell. What was only a few seconds, was the longest wait of Robin’s life. Before she could change her mind and just walk away, Nancy opened the door. It was obvious with the giant smile on her face the moment she saw the tall girl standing on her doorstep, she was extremely happy to see Robin. “Hey. We can go up to my room.” Nancy said, gesturing for Robin to come in. As she crossed the threshold of the doorway, smelling the familiar scent of Nancy’s perfume, she had a wave of relief wash over her.

The two girls made their way up the stairs, into the familiar bedroom that was Nancy’s. Nancy sat on the edge of her bed, Robin stood by the doorway, putting her bag down. She stood awkwardly for a moment before Nancy gestured to the spot next to her. “You know you can sit down, right?” Nancy gives a soft smile as Robin slowly walks over to sit down. The two girls sit in silence for a moment, neither one knowing what to say. Nancy finally speaks. “I know I’ve sort of been avoiding you for the past few weeks. And I’m sorry about that. I just….I needed time to think about some things.” Robin looks up at Nancy, seeing a few tears threatening to fall. “That’s fine. I get that. It just….it felt like I did something wrong. Did I do something wrong?” Robin now had tears welling in her eyes. Nancy couldn’t speak. She didn’t even know how Robin would take it. “Tell me what I did wrong, Nance. Please.” She was pleading, small tears falling down her cheeks. Nancy shook her head gently. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise. It was the opposite of that actually. You did something that caught me so off guard, that after everything, I needed time to process it.” Robin tilted her head in confusion. Nacy brought her hand up to wipe the tears off Robin’s cheek. The touch made Robin gasp lightly.

Nancy gave a gentle smile, her eyes softening at the girl sitting in front of her. “You trusted me when I didn’t even trust myself. That’s something that I never got, ever. But, you did it blindly, when you barely knew me. And that made me realize some things about myself. It scared me and being around you was just making me lose my mind. But, now I think I finally understand it.” Her hand was brought down to hold Robin’s, gently running her thumb over the other girl’s knuckles. Robin’s eyes were drawn to their hands, hoping this meant what she thought. “What do you mean by that exactly?” Nancy turned her body towards Robin, letting out a soft sigh. “I mean, I realized that my feelings for Jonathan didn’t exist anymore. That they were replaced by feelings for you, a million times stronger than what I ever felt for him or Steve.” Robin sat there, frozen.

Her face painted a different story for Nancy, as she then frantically tried to take back what she said. “Oh god. You hate me now, don’t you? Oh, this was so stupid. You know what, forget I said anything I can’t believe I-.” Nancy’s frantic rambles were cut off by Robin’s lips colliding into hers. After a moment of realization, Nancy kissed back, relaxing fully into it. Her hands made their way into Robin’s hair, as Robin’s arms wrapped around the girl. After a few minutes they both pulled away to catch their breath. Then it hit Robin. “Wait, what about Jon-.”

“He and I broke up two weeks ago.” Robin's head tilted, more questions circulating in her head. “Because of me?” Nancy shook her head. “No. I had….he and I grew apart. It was bound to happen. Me realizing how I felt about you just sped the process up a little.” Robin’s eyes fell to the ground, avoiding Nancy’s gaze. “Are you okay?” Nancy asked, placing a gentle hand on Robin’s leg. “Uh, yeah. Just….this is not what I was expecting to happen tonight.” She followed it with a small laugh, getting a senile look from Nancy. “You really are full of surprises, Wheeler.” Nancy gives a little shrug. “Eh, I try to keep things interesting.” She lets out a small laugh before leaning in to kiss Robin again, just a quick peck this time.

Nancy places her head in Robin’s chest, moving her body closer to the tall girl. Robin’s hand inadvertently moves up to run through Nancy’s hair. Barely five minutes later, they were both asleep. This was what they have both waited for their entire lives. Robin, someone who would listen to her never ending rambles, doesn’t love her despite them, but because of them. And Nancy, someone who would believe in her even if she didn’t quite believe in herself. They had each other now, and they weren’t going to let go anytime soon.