#and it's kinda a tall piece of wood that takes up too much space

[ichorousisopod]

moved one of the bark pieces from the pied enclosure to the powders' and I'm really scared I didn't get all of them off of it, there's little crevices that they're very good at hiding in

[butwhyduh]

Hi if you still do request could you do a There is only one bed with Tim maybe with some teasing?

Warning: smut

“So it’s not ideal,” you said with a little smile that you covered with your hand. Tim was exasperated. You could slum it. He was not used to this.

Admittedly the cabin was worse that what you remember. As a kid, your family had visited every fall to pick apples and hike. Marshmallows by the fireplace before telling ghost stories and all.

But that was over 10 years ago and not in midwinter. Now the windows were boarded and the fireplace was barely useable. Which was good, as it was literally freezing.

When Tim had said he needed a place to crash after a mission for you both, you offered this place. It was only a few miles north of your location. But it was also trash. The couch leg gave way as Tim sat down and he almost fell to the floor.

“So this is technically a cabin in the woods. But I’d rather burn it to the ground,” Tim said. “I’m going to the bathroom, unless it’s an outhouse or just a hole in the ground.”

“No no. Real bathroom,” you motioned to it. He went in the other room. You sat on the bed, the only functional piece of furniture besides a dodgy table. You were glad that you brought extra sheets and the plastic protector over the mattress. After scrubbing the cover and putting on the sheets, you sat down to pull off your boots. Ice was still clinging to the bottom. You put them near the front door and stood by the fire. Tim came out changed into thick sweats.

“You should change,” he said, motioning to your suit. You turned away from him.

“Can you?” You asked about the long zipper that went from the top of your neck to right above your ass.

“Oh, sure,” Tim said walking close. There had always been some kind of sexual tension between you both but neither had ever acted on it. He looked at your black leather suit lit up in the firelight. It clung perfectly to every curve.

He delicately pushed your hair from the back of your neck over your shoulder and grasped the zipper. Tim pulled it down almost painfully slowly. You felt your skin prickle as he slowly touched down your back. His fingers hesitated to move away from your back. Tim pulled away suddenly and cleared his throat.

“Done,” he said in a lower tone. You turned back to see him standing so close. He watched you. Tim wasn’t particularly tall, only a little more than you, or bulky, with lean muscles. But he was so pretty with thick dark eye lashes and silky hair.

“You should probably get dressed. You’re cold,” he said noting the way your forearms shivered as they held the front of your suit up. You nodded and grabbed your clothing before heading to the bathroom. It was even colder in there. Frost covered the window and you could see your breath. You quickly dressed into pajamas.

In the main room, Tim was sweeping the floor. “Not that it doesn’t need it or anything, but why are you sweeping?” You asked.

“One bed. The couch is shit. I’m sleeping on the floor,” Tim said. There was no way you’d let him. He’d freeze with the draft and limited blankets.

“No way. Just sleep in the bed,” you said. He gave you a look you couldn’t comprehend before shaking his head. “Tim, you could freeze to death down there. I won’t let you,” you said trying to sound authoritative.

“I’ll be fine,” he shrugged.

“I won’t bite. Get up here,” you said sitting on the bed.

“Sure about that?” He said with a sly smile.

“Only on Tuesdays,” you said with a little smirk. He chuckled. “I’m not letting you sleep down there. My house, my rules.”

“Ouch. I guess I can’t argue with that, hu?” Tim said putting the broom down. He carefully climbed in the other side of the bed without touching you despite being a small bed. Tim laid flat on his back with his arms tight to his body.

You slid under the covers shivering. “Okay, I hope you’re okay with me stealing body heat from you because I’m fucking freezing,” you said sliding your back against him. Tim shifted to his side and you pressed against his warm chest. “I don’t know how you aren’t cold.”

“I’m from Gotham. The weather is terrible year round,” he reminded you. Tim didn’t lay his arms across you or anything but let you spoon against him. He was carefully passive like a gentleman. After a few minutes, you shivering stopped and you finally warmed. The pull of sleep dragged you under and you slept for a few hours.

The crackle of fire and gentle rapping sound of snow falling was the only sounds you heard in the early morning. Tim’s breath on your neck and arms wrapped around you tightly were very distracting. You resisted the urge to shiver at the sensation. How many times had you wanted this?

You shifted a little to go back to sleep and Tim’s hands wrapped tighter. One hand snakes down to cup your breast in sleep, pulling you flush to his body. You inhaled quickly and was wide awake. How could you sleep when the guy you liked was holding your actual tit? You tried to stay still but your body made small adjustments.

Tim made a soft “hmmm” sound and you froze. That’s when you felt it, he was hard. You felt like you were going to burst. He was holding your tit and rubbing his dick against you in his sleep. It’s just biology. It means nothing, you told yourself.

But you needed to get out of his grip because your body was definitely reacting to him. You tried to scoot your hips forward but this arms around you were clinging too tightly. Tim groaned and rubbed his cheek in your hair.

“Tim,” you whispered a little too breathless. He hummed again. “Tim,” you said a little louder.

“Is too early. Go to sleep,” Tim mumbled. He didn’t moved. You thought about trying to sleep but Tim was very distracting.

“Tim,” you said in a regular voice. He huffed.

“What?”

“You... you’re, uh,” you said unsure how to tell him. Your penis is rubbing up against my ass? You’re feeling me up in your sleep? “Let me go, please.”

“I don’t have you,” he protested before waking up more. Tim moved his head and opened his eyes. You could feel him freeze as he took in the situation. Tim quickly let you go and pulled back to one side of the bed. His face was brick red and his hips were almost falling off the bed trying to make as much space as possible between you both.

“Sorry! Fuck, sorry! I didn’t mean- how long was I-“ he said halfway freaking out. You turned to face him.

“It’s okay. Relax,” you said calmly.

“I don’t control when it happens when I’m asleep, you know?” Tim said sitting up and clutching the sheets hiding his crotch. You sat up and grasped the sides of his face.

“It’s fine. I know how biology works,” you reassured him.

“And I didn’t mean to grab you. I was asleep,” he added. “I swear I didn’t-“

“Tim!” You said finally shutting him up. He stared at you and gulped. Your hands on his face didn’t exactly help his uhh... problem he was desperately trying to make go away.

“What?”

“You. Are. Fine. I cuddled with you, right? Not super surprising. It happens,” you said and he relaxed a little. “It was kinda nice laying with you,” you murmured. Tim glanced down at your lips before snapping back up to your eyes like he broke a rule. “You smell nice. And you’re warm,” you added. You stared at his lips obviously.

“I got to ask, are you hitting on me?” Tim asked warily.

You snorted and rolled your eyes. “Yeah, detective. I am. What are you gonna do about it?”

Tim smiled and grasped your face for a kiss. You pulled him down on top of you as you kissed. He inhaled quickly before adjusting to the change. His knees gently pushed between yours and you pressed your hips up against his and was rewarded with a groan.

You reached down to cup him in his pjs. Tim kissed down your neck and his hips pushed his cock in your hand with more pressure. His hand cupped your breast and squeezed.

“Do you want to?” He asked.

“Absolutely. Condoms are in the top zipper of my suitcase,” you said breathlessly. You’d be a fucking idiot to say no to the one chance to sleep with the guy you like.

“You came prepared?” He asked.

“They just stay in there,” you answered and he nodded before getting up to grab one. Tim turned around to blink a little as you were completely nude and staring up at him predatorily. He couldn’t say that it wasn’t hot.

“Eager,” he breathed climbing back over you, pulling off clothing. You shrugged. You took the condom from him to put it on.

“Do we need to-“

“Penis in vagina. I don’t need a ton of prep. I super appreciate the offer. Seriously, next time go nuts. But it’s like 5 degrees in here and I’m ready as hell,” you said and he almost laughed.

“Can do,” he said pulling the blankets over you both. He sunk in and you breathed out quickly. Tim wrapped his arms around you behind your back to kiss your chest and neck as he moved. It has you breathless. It was so intimate. He was completely pressed against you.

His lips found yours and he kissed you in pace with his hips rocking against yours. You bent your knees and you gasped as he was now rocking against a spot that had you seeing stars.

“There,” you breathed and Tim simply nodded. Fuck, it wasn’t going to take long at this pace. “Fuck fuck fuck,” you whimpered before clenching around him with his name on your tongue. Tim groaned and thrust through your high before finishing himself. He kissed up your collarbone and neck to your lips before pulling out to throw away the condom and pull on his pjs. You did the same in the chill.

He climbed back in bed and snuggled close. “Okay, yeah. It’s cold as hell,” Tim said with a little laugh. You laid your head on his chest and entwined your legs together with the blanket pulled tight and the cold was more bearable.

[mojaves]

wip wthursday. hi. i was tagged by uhh. many people idk who else to tag bc idk who has wips but. HERE IT IS HI HELLO

From the outside, it was a building like any other, boarded up just like the countless others dotting the street. The roof was a little caved in, the overgrown ivy had begun to take up residence in the very foundations itself - it was a miracle it was still standing. It had been closed, unused for decades, standing tall and silent amongst the apartment buildings surrounding it. That is, until recently, when people had started complaining about faint screams and cries coming from inside.

On its own, that wasn’t too unusual, ghosts were pretty commonplace in this area - all you had to do was call an exterminator and they'd be rid of it within the day. It was always best to report it as soon as you heard something strange, because, left untreated, it would turn into something much more than just a haunting. 

What was unusual though, was that the sounds were inconsistent, lasting for no more than an hour at a time, and then there would be silence again for weeks on end. It was hard to pinpoint whether it was actually a haunting at all, or some kids just playing a stupid prank. Maybe it’s a new type of ghost, if that was even possible. The potential of it being something far more sinister did cross people’s minds, but they didn’t want to stop to consider it for even a second. There were no clear signs of entry, the roof was inaccessible from the buildings surrounding it, there were no… Mysterious smells coming from the building, no reports of people going missing from the surrounding area, so what was it?

The ground floor was pitch black and completely empty, save for a few small cracks in the wood for light to stream through, not that it made much of a difference. The air was heavy and full of dust, not something you’d want to breathe in for a long period of time. First and second floors were the same, with just a little more light, and a lot more debris. Broken slabs of concrete and rotten wood littered the floors, along with the odd piece of broken furniture - a chair, a table, both of which were definitely not original to the building. 

And then there was the top floor, with the gaping hole in the ceiling allowing light to pour on, sunlight shining down on two figures in the middle of the otherwise empty space.

One of the figures pulls up a chair and sits down in front of the other, leaning forward against the back of the chair, resting his elbows on it, knife in hand. “Hey,” The figure says, immediately following up with an ear-piercingly loud slap across the face. “Didn’t think it’d take this fuckin’ long for ya to wake up. Haven’t got all day.” He sounds annoyed, as if this is more of an inconvenience to him than it is to his victim, who is tied to a chair in such a manner that makes it impossible to escape.

The victim, a man, goes to put his hand to his face as a reflex, but quickly realises that he’s unable to move much of his body at all other than his neck. It takes a few seconds for him to get his bearings, try to figure out where he is, eyes darting around absentmindedly. This reaction is met with yet another slap to the face, which instantly drags him back down to earth.

“What-.” He looks at the person in front of him - maybe he recognises him, maybe he doesn’t, everything’s too blurry - and then down at the rope constricting every movement. “The fuck kinda foreplay is this?”

“Hah, my favourite kind, actually. Where I ask questions,” The figure quickly gets up out of his seat, kicking the chair to the side with ease as he looms over the man, leaning in close to place the freshly-sharpened knife by his neck.

“And you, prettyboy…” He slides the knife down the man’s throat, just light enough to not break the skin, “You give me answers. Understand?” His voice is rough and low, and the smirk on his face is both sinister and unwelcoming. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.” Rick laughs and rolls his eyes, looking as if he’s finally understood ‘the joke’, and he’s now in on it. The look of recognition on his face says it all. “Where is he, eh? Where’s ol’ Danny boy? Hiding out in the shadows? And the cameras too, you gonna put this on that Insto-gram’s a’ yours?”

The smirk drops from his face as he grabs Rick by the neck, lifting him from the ground with ease, like he weighed nothing more than a feather. Rick’s laughter stops immediately. “Think this is fuckin’ funny, huh? Think I’m workin’ with that son of a bitch? Christ, really know how to hand out compliments, don’t ya?”

“The hell’s your problem?!” Rick wheezes, struggling to get any air into his lungs, as he attempts to writhe around and release himself from the other’s grip, but it doesn’t work - he’s too strong.

“You two break up? This some insane rebound shit? Alex the trophy boy get thrown out to the curb, eh?” A weak laugh. An even weaker attempt at a joke.

Alex’s grip tightens, as if that was somehow possible, further restricting the amount of air Rick could breathe, his face quickly turning red. “Not here to fuckin’ play games, Rick. Need you to tell me where that asshole’s made camp. Now.”

Just as Rick goes to open his mouth, either to spit or provide answers, the door to the room swings open.

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

“You sure this is the right place? I’m not getting the, uh. Y’know,” Marcus wiggles his fingers, “Vibe. Of it. Like, I mean-.” He stops for a moment, and looks up at the building in front of them, suddenly deep in thought.

Morgan tries to figure out what exactly Marcus is looking at because of how intently he’s staring at the building, to no avail. She eventually settles her eyes on him again, and pats him on the shoulder. “What’s the prob, Marco? You see a…” She tries to hold in her laughter, but a snort still sneaks out anyway, the grin on her face betraying her, too. “... Ghost?”

Marcus doesn’t respond, he just gives her a quick glare, then looks back at the building. There’s something… Off about it, the top floor in particular.

“No, no, I haven’t. Which is-. That’s the problem. There’s… Something there, but it-. It’s not…” He trails off, something he doesn’t tend to do very often. 

Lou finally emerges from the truck, rest of the equipment in hand, and catches up with the others, who are standing in complete silence, staring up at the building, unmoving. She laughs, “What, you two seen a-.”

“Did that one already.” Morgan replies, not even turning to greet her wife, eyes glued to whatever Marcus was staring at, at the top of the building.

“Then what’s the problem…?” She asks, joining the two in their staring contest with the bricks.

[apexqueenie]

The Blood King (Bakugou x Reader, Medieval AU) Ch 3

Synopsis: In fairytales, princesses like you got to marry handsome princes like your best friend Shoto, but you’re not living a fairytale. You find the harsh realities a punch to the face as you and Sho run away outside palace grounds and into the real world. But the harsh brings out the beautiful, and in your case, it took the form of the scarlet covered barbarian king, whose territory you disturbed.

A/N: AAAAAAAHHHHH, I'm so sorry this took so long! It may have a few mistakes cuz I added on to this after I finished homework sooooooooooo I'm usually half asleep by then. This one is sorta long, so yah, enjoy!

Warnings: Swearing, blood, violence

[Ch1]->[Ch2]->[Ch3]->[Ch4]->[Ch5]->[Ch6]

“SHO!!!” You scream, snapping your torso up from the bed you lay on.

Wait...A bed..?

Your brain just tripped over itself as the memories came flooding back to you. The forest, the attackers, the beast, and then...that man.

You clutched your forehead in pain. Where the hell were you?

You place a hand on the furry and weighted blanket that covers you. It was nice. Quite a bit warmer than the blankets you had at home-

You shook your head. If this is how distracted you get now, you must’ve hit it at some point. You look around the room you were in. It was nice and dimly lit due to closed curtains, but plain. All that filled the space were you, the bed, and a small wooden dresser to your left with a tall cup of water on top.

Water. Sweet, sweet water. You chugged it down, throat parched from the previous events. The cool refreshing liquid woke up some of your senses. Slowly, your grogginess was replaced with the soreness of your muscles. You started to regret sitting up so suddenly. The side you were kicked on started to throb more and more.

You look down at the side in pain, seeing that your blazer and dress were replaced with a simple white wrap skirt secured with a knot around your chest. You felt almost naked, cold too. Never have your arms, chest, and legs been as exposed as they are now. Even your long nightdress had sleeves.

But that wasn’t important. You were in this strange place, Sho is nowhere to be found, and your things are gone. You needed to know more. Now, you may have been overreacting a bit, but what’s the harm in coming prepared? You break the glass you drank from earlier, grabbing the biggest piece and tearing some of the fabric you were wearing to wrap around the shard for a handle. You didn’t know what to expect, but at least you had something to defend yourself with.

You held it in the front as you slowly pushed the creaky door open. You thought you were ready for anything, but you weren’t expecting to be atop a balcony overseeing a complex combination of treehouses, bridges, and grounded buildings all surrounded by stone walls, complete with archers in loose armor patrolling the top. It wasn’t like any of the armor your guards wore though. It consisted of metal, like the knights in your father’s army, but they also wore feathers, leather straps, and colorful face paint. If you had to guess, you were nowhere near your own kingdom. They kept watch of the forest while the rest of the citizens of this odd town bustle happily below. Adults traded and conversed with one another while the children played with balls or kites below. All of them wear similar outfits to yours, comfortable and with a closer connection to nature. Some women wore clay beads around their heads like crowns paired with bright, multi-layered dresses made of choppy fabric. Most men wore loose shirts, some went bare chested, all wore slightly baggy pants, usually with multiple belts. A stark contrast to the puffy floor length dresses and tight pants of your people.

So where exactly were you?

“Do you like the view?” a voice said behind you.

It made you jump, and instinctively, you turn to hold out the makeshift knife you temporarily forgot about. The man you pointed the sharp edge at yelped and held both hands up as he rounded the corner.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have sneaked up on ya.” he smiles sheepishly.

He was a red-headed man with spiky hair, a short vest, bandana, and baggy pants. Similar to the people below. From what you could see, no weapons. Still, you keep the blade pointed at his exposed torso. You’ve never killed anyone before, and the thought scares you, the overwhelming fear of being here in strange clothes scared you even more.

You take a step back, trying to distance yourself from the newcomer. “Who are you?”.

“Eijiro Kirishima, right hand man of King Bakugou. I’m glad to see you awake and well.” he says, not moving from his spot. “We’ve met before, your highness.”

“Huh?” You say, dumbfounded. You’ve never seen this man in your life. You would’ve known if you did, his face is...very memorable.

He pointed to the decently sized scar on his face. It traveled from his right corner of his lip and up to the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t bright red, but it still looked like it had only recently healed. A cut like that would’ve taken at least a week for it to stop being inflamed; you wondered how he’d gotten it or why he was pointing to it.

You shook your head, not understanding.

Kirishima chuckles nervously, “Well uh, it might be hard to explain, but uh first things first, I came here to check on you. How’s that rib feeling?”

“My rib? It...hurts a lot” you admit, lowering the glass shard. ‘Hurt’ was an understatement though, it felt like it was on fire. Your side throbbing painfully with each breath you took. Adrenaline could only mask it for so long.

He nods and slowly approaches you again, hands out where you could see them. “Let’s get you back in bed” he says, gently scooping the glass out of your hand and placing it in his back pocket.

Hesitantly, you complied, weary of the shard being in his possession. At least, he seemed like he didn’t want to kill you. You leaned back into bed, muscles screaming from the short encounter. It’s only now you truly realize the extent of your injuries. You hissed as Kirishima readjusted your pillow as best he could, shaking the bed a bit.

“Now that you’re awake, I’ll let Deku take a look at you. He’s our medicine man, or doctor if you like.” And with that, he walks out, closing the door behind him.

But you couldn’t stay still. Even though your ribs hurt, you couldn’t sit back and wait. If you’re being nursed here, Shoto must be nearby. And besides, they don’t want to hurt you, right? After all, as you hauled yourself up and headed to the door once more, you found it still unlocked. You weren’t their prisoner.

You took a peek around the corner that you saw Kirishima come around last time. It led to a free hanging wooden bridge to another tree. The other side of your cabin led to some steps that took a wide curve around a wooden pillar of some sort, but taking a look upwards only showed you that it wasn’t a pillar at all: It was an absolute unit of a tree. Incredibly thick, and at least 500 feet tall, the tree had stairs carved from all over its sides and bridges split off to smaller trees holding up houses. An even more intricate pattern of pathways sat above your head than what you saw the first time when you looked on the balcony.

You clutched the railings, making your way up the stairs and onto the first platform branching off into other paths. Your “room” was just a simple block, fitted halfway into the trunk of the big tree. Woven branches and leaves make a simple flat roof; not much different from any other building here. Guess you’re just gonna have to find someone who knows this place. Preferably not Kirishima. You had a feeling he’d just bring you back to your room.

You hauled yourself up more stairs, opting to take the paths closer to the tree. Traversing mazes was never your strong suit, and this place could get you lost in a few seconds.

The further you went along the stairs, the harder it was for you to breathe. Your injury was draining your energy fast, making your body feel like a thousand pounds. Maybe going back to bed wasn’t a bad idea at all.

Just as you were about to give up and sit down, you came across a wider bridge, one that was definitely a lot more extravagantly built than the last. Thicker, and with decorative railings. It was built between the tree itself and a large mountaintop so tall, you couldn’t see the top. The bridge extended in a T shape, the horizontal bit from the tree built to the length of one wall of the kingdom to another with stairs down to where the guards patrolled. At the smaller section of the T sat a huge double doorway, carved from the wood of the tree you’ve been climbing around for the past 10 minutes. It depicted battles, warriors wielding swords and fighting alongside winged beasts of enormous size...Dragons. Then it clicked. Kinda. You swung at that large beast before, at its snout right when it was right behind you. And Kirishima had a scar along his mouth and nose...

Kirishima = Dragon?

You shook your head, unable to fully convince yourself. It must be your pain fogging your mind a bit. You guess it was the same reason you were walking through those double doors. Big doors were the norm for you, being a princess after all. In your state of confusion, it’s better to go with more familiarity. You pulled it open with a bit of difficulty and slipped in as the doors slowly closed behind you without a sound. Just as you suspected, it was a grand hall for royalty that was almost as big as your father’s. The room was curved, thanks to the tree’s natural design. Flowered vines decorated the plain walls. An empty throne of wood and bones sat in front of what you thought must be the opening to the other side of the tree. You could see the sunshine bathe the throne in its gentle light.

You straightened your composure subconsciously, as you’ve been taught to in throne rooms like these, and walked to the throne. Bones and wood, delicately intertwined with one another to form a beautiful crest along the top of the backrest and pair of armrests. You dragged your fingers along the sanded wood gingerly, admiring the craftsmanship. Swords were stabbed in between, like trophies. Some chipped, others completely broken in half. All went through obvious signs of battle. Losing battles, that is. This was a throne for a King that should be feared. Unlike your father and birth giver’s thrones, which symbolized elegance and formality, this one was fierce, powerful, and dangerous. For some reason, your mind was reminded of the man with the Vermillion eyes. How he strode proudly with bold movements, the same way you’ve seen your father or King Enji act when confronted. Was he the one who owned this throne?

A few feet behind it were steps leading up to a large balcony, open to give an extraordinary view of the kingdom you saw before. You walked up the steps slowly, entranced by the calm sight of the sky and trees. A warm breeze lifted the stray hairs from your face, and you felt calm, your injuries temporarily forgotten. You thought you saw everything from the height you were at when you first woke up, well, you were a couple hundred feet higher now and so much more had been revealed. You could see the exact boundary of walls that protected the civilians, previously hidden by other trees. A huge, open gate on the other side of the kingdom guarded by tiny soldiers both on ground and up on the wall. The complex bridges you saw earlier seemed to build around this area so as to not obstruct the view. You dared not to go straight to the railings though, it felt out of place for you to be watching over someone else’s civilians. So just at the top of the stairs you stayed.

Along the sides of the extended walls where the stairs were built, hung swords of all shapes and sizes, snugly staggered amongst each other like decorations. Each one told a story, from the blade type down to the hilt decorations. You wonder who wielded each magnificent weapon. The man you fought had a sword worn down from no doubt years of battle, more so than any of these blades on the wall.

“I wonder where he is.” you spoke out loud.

“Where who is?” a gruff voice responded.

You froze in place.

Speak of the devil. There he was. He appeared around the left side of the throne, nonchalantly leaning an elbow above his head on it. He wore the same attire as before, cutlass hanging at his side- only this time, tribal beads and threaded teeth hung around his neck. The sunlight coming from the open spaces behind you revealed his hair to be golden, as well as uncovered the many battle scars that previously blended with his skin underneath the pale moonlight. He made your shrink a bit in his presence.

He cocked his head to one side, lifting an eyebrow at your staring. “Well?”

Snapping out of your thoughts, you forced yourself to say something. “Sorry, You, you’re..and then...Uh…” you managed to spit out, ears burning. You couldn’t look at him straight. He only narrowed his eyebrows in response. ‘Great job (y/n), he thinks you’re a moron now.’ you scold yourself.

“Maybe that shitty Deku got it wrong, and you’re the one with the concussion.” he scoffed.

“I have no such thing!” you blurted out. You tried to look him in the eyes again, but the dominance they radiated made you feel like a pup caught disobeying her master. But why? You’re royalty, a future Queen! You shouldn’t let the likes of him intimidate you like this!

So you stood up straight again, taking a deep breath and raising your chin to address the man in front of you properly. Your insides felt like they were being stabbed with a flaming rod, but you refused to succumb to it now. “I lost myself a bit there. I’ve come here for answers.” you say, clasping both hands together. “Where is the leader of this Kingdom?”

Unfazed by your new composure, he stared right back. “You’re lookin at him.”

“And your name?”

“Why does that matter?”

“It matters because I’d like to know to whom I’m speaking with.” you grit your teeth.

“Oh, and what gives you the right, little thief?” he says, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m not a thief,” you growl, “I’m princess (y/n) of the Northern Kingdom, first and rightful heir to the throne. As a fellow royal, I deserve the right to know who you are.”

At your words, his body went rigid. “You deserve it, huh?” He moved from his spot at the throne, up the stairs towards you and towering over your figure. You shuffled backwards in alarm. “You, a Northern pansy with your tea parties, lazing around in your kingdom, not giving a damn about the ecosystem around you. You call that royalty?” He spat, raising his voice. You could feel the heat radiating from his body, physical heat, fueled by his anger. “Destroying more of my home to make room for your stupid roads. Killing my people’s food for sport and leaving the skinless carcass to rot so you could have your stupid exotic rugs- I’ve seen how much you people take for granted. If it weren’t for the size of your army, I would’ve conquered you assholes by now. Why did I even listen to that damn Kirishima, I should’ve left you and your boyfriend in the forest. At least you’d be useful for once-”

“Wait, I think you’re overreacting here, and he’s not-” you tried to reason, stumbling over your feet. You completely lost your composure now, your heart practically beating out of its chest.

“Or your brother, I don’t give a damn who he is, my people are running out of food because of yours- but I don’t think you ever knew, huh? Probably worried over some bullshit like what you’re gonna wear, or if some other pretty boy prince out there thought you were cute.” He continued. You back found the edge of the railing and you latched your hands onto it. Taking a quick glance backwards, you found the height a little terrifying now.

“Well, I’m over here hunting day and night to find meals and what do I get? Two more mouths to feed. Useless, pathetic weights on my back. If you wanna talk about being my fellow royal-”

“Bakugou, stop!” you hear Kirishima’s voice echo.

Kirishima. Oh thank god Kirishima is here.

The newly identified “Bakugou” snaps his head to the side at the voice. You look around Bakugou’s figure to see the redhead entering through the doorway, a stranger with green hair trailing behind him.

“You need to eat, Kachaan.” the stranger says. “We’re not starving, Denki found a whole new area with more game- but you can’t hunt it if you’re the one hungry.”

“Stop telling me what to do, I’ll eat when the provisions are restocked.” he turned to the side to face the pair and glared.

Kirishima in the meantime had already ran across the hall, climbing the stairs up to you two. “It’s been three days, brother, you’re getting aggressive.”

Bakugou took another glance at your shocked figure, and for a moment, you could see a pang of guilt hit him. But it was fleeting. His face returned to and scowl and he scoffed, fully turning around and heading down the steps past his comrade. “Aggression is what’s kept this kingdom prosperous.”

“Well, yelling at her highness isn’t very prosperous.” he shot back, tracking the blonde with his eyes.

The stranger made his way next to you, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. Kirishima acknowledged him and rushed off towards the doors with his leader.

“Well they’re always talking about equality for some goddamn reason, why can’t I yell at them like men?” Bakugou threw his hands up in the air.

“That’s not what they’re talking about…” the other man responded.

Their voices grew distant as they left the hall, leaving you and the kind stranger. With Bakugou gone, you released the breath you didn’t realize you were holding and fell to your knees, groaning.

So, that was Bakugou. You didn’t wanna think about what could’ve happened if Kirishima hadn’t stopped him.

“Woah, hey, uh, we should get you back to your room.” he says, cradling your shoulders. “I’m Izuku Midoriya by the way, but you can call me Deku.”

“(Y/n)” you strained. “Nice to... nice to meet you Deku, but I can’t go back yet. I have to make sure Sho is ok…”

Deku brought you back up to your feet, sliding an arm around your waist and a head under your arm. “Sho? Is that your friend?”

“yeah,” you nodded as the two of you began heading to the door yourselves, “my childhood friend. We were...we got lost...”

“Lost? We could send a messenger out to your kingdom and let them know you’re here-” He says.

“No!” You yelled. Deku looked taken aback and gave you a concerned look. A little embarrassed, you cleared your throat. “No. It’s ok, I uh, I’d prefer we don’t make a huge deal about this.”

Deku chuckled, “Oh, of course my lady, but, are you sure you’re ok to go visit him?”

“Please, I was the one who caught him in all of this mess.”

He smiled as he pushed one of the doors open with his foot, and headed down the steps almost as far as where your own room was, only before the last flight of stairs he took a bridge across to another tree where a small cluster of buildings sat. He gently slid out from besides you to open the front door. Sho laid flat on the bed in front, quietly sleeping. He looked much better now. The lump on his face had almost disappeared, wrapped heavily in clean bandages. He was shirtless as well, only more bandages covering his chest and parts of his arm. He had bruises everywhere, but otherwise, he looked taken care of. In addition to the bedside dresser, there was a small wooden table to his right with tools, bandages, and washcloths. He must’ve needed stitches. You teared up at the sight, feeling guilty again for all the trouble you caused.

Deku gently placed a hand on your shoulder again, leading you to a couch on the side of the room. “He’s got a concussion as well as deep cuts here and there, but he’ll make a full recovery in about three weeks. I’m going to have him stay in bed for a week and a half and then go from there.”

“It’s all my fault,” you whispered, voice cracking. At this point, you couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.

“What? No, it’s those people in the forest. Wild people. They like to mess with anyone caught out at night. Except for kach- erm, The King. They’re terrified of him.”

You sniffed, “Bakugou, right?”

“Y-yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “we grew up together, so I’m used to calling him Kacchan. It was just a name and uh, oh, and, I’m sorry for the way he acted, he’s been out scouting food for a while, not eating at all. He thinks the forest is slowly going dry. He’s a good person, I promise, he just has a mean face. He must’ve scared you.”

“It’s ok,” you shook your head. “He was...he was right. About my people.” You wiped the tears from your eyes, staring at the wall in front of you. “My father, he likes money and power. He likes seeing happy and rich citizens. I used to think it was because he cared about them when really, it’s so he could show off to other kingdoms. I could hear them sometimes, talking about expanding towards the forest, cutting down more trees for a new library or something. He liked the pelts too, making me little stuffed rabbits when I was younger. I always thought it was ok though, I never knew people lived here. Now I feel awful.”

Deku gave you a kind smile. “Hey, but it wasn’t you, right? That was your dad. Don’t beat yourself up over his decisions.”

“Yeah” you sighed, “I guess.”

Deku’s smile grew bigger, and he pushed himself off the couch. You watched him walk over to the dresser and opened up one of the drawers to pull out a small blanket.

“Here” he said, unfolding the blanket and handing it to you. “I’m gonna go grab the medicinal tea I brought to your room, it’ll help with the pain. Uh, I’m not quite sure, but I think you may have slightly fractured a rib, so the best thing we could do is let it heal itself for a week. Who knows, it might just be bruised.”

“Thanks.” you say, laying yourself down on the couch in the meantime. After Deku came back with that tea, you passed out fast.

You had a dream. Your father was right in front of you, raising his sword above his head. He was scared of something, but you couldn’t tell what. The background was fuzzy, but you could see it was destroyed. You were raising your arms, protecting someone. Everything was in slow motion, fading slowly to white.

You spasmed awake, inhaling sharply. The image faded fast out of your mind. Shoto was snoring lightly on the bed, arm lazily resting atop his stomach. Good. Sighing, you set aside the blanket and walked out the door for some fresh air. The tea helped you a lot, even now. You didn’t even feel any pain. The moon shone brightly again as the breeze cooled your skin, giving you deja vu of the whole fiasco from before. Except this time, this was peaceful. You weren’t lost. No one was chasing you. And most importantly, you and Shoto were safe. Everything was good for now.

A large shadow fluttered in the corner of your eye, causing you to jump a bit. A red dragon with magnificent wings landed in the clearing by the kingdom gates, which were now closed shut. Its rider, the buttholeish King, yelled at the guards. They notched their arrows, shooting into the forest with expertise. A roar of some sort of animal retreated, rustling trees in its wake. Bakugou slid down from its neck to untie the fresh animal carcasses secured on the dragon’s back. Other soldiers came from the buildings to help carry them. Then, as Bakugou hopped to the ground, the dragon began to shrink back into itself. Wings folded into his backside, neck shortening, and body losing its color to turn into...Kirishima. It blew your mind. So you really did hit him hard back there. You had to apologize.

You rushed down the steps to find them, not really thinking about the fact that you had absolutely no idea where you were going. Nor did you really think about your stamina. Five sets of stairs and you were already panting.

As you leaned against the tree, trying to be careful with your breaths. It still didn’t hurt, but damn did you get tired quick. Just as you were turning to tackle another flight, a head of blonde hair appeared from below, scowling.

“Again? What is it with you and not sitting still?” he grumbled. You could hear the fatigue in the way his voice cracked.

You sat up from the tree, surprised that he climbed so fast. “I, er, wanted to apologize to Kirishima for the wound is all.” you rubbed your arm nervously as he stopped in front of you.

He eyes you with skepticism, probably wondering if you were telling the truth or not. “He’s gonna be taking care of the fresh meat for a while, and probably sleep till late afternoon knowing the lazy idiot.” he grumbles.

“Oh.” you say, still kind of embarrassed.

“And besides, he’s fine. He heals like it’s nothing.”

“Because he’s a dragon…?”

“Heh, something like that.”

“Oh.”

You two sit in silence for a moment after that. The awkwardness was almost unbearable.

“This reminds me, Shitty Hair wanted me to do something. Can you walk up the stairs?” he finally asks.

You shrug, “I’ll get up there eventually.” you respond.

“Well, I don’t have time to wait for ‘eventually’” he says, and lifts you up off the ground with both arms. He hugs you close to his bare chest and climbs the stairs with no problem, not even a slight change in breathing.

You help a bit, holding on to his neck for support. “Where-“

“I have to give you your shit back.” He grunts. “You lived so I don’t get to keep your sword.”

“What an awful mouth you have for a king.” You frown.

He smirks in response, “you haven’t seen the half of it, princess.”

Princess. The way he says “princess” sends shivers down your spine. You don’t know why, but you found yourself staring at his features again. Hair shining almost white again, gently waving in the wind. Piercing eyes, sharp jawline, defined collarbones…

“Oi, quit starin.” He interrupts your thoughts.

“Huh? Why...uh, why would I stare at you?” you say, your voice an octave higher.

He chuckles lightly while you try to look everywhere but him. He passes Shoto’s room and instead keeps heading upwards. Past the throne room too, taking a staircase to a room above it. He pushes it open to a gorgeous bedroom. The amount of oil lamps lining the walls could barely light up the entirety of the room. Giant bed with plush pillows along one wall, a balcony on the other side of the room, a door leading to what you think is a bathroom, and lots and lots of “trophies” hanging up on the wall. Helmets, swords, capes, horns, claws- must be from what he killed. One horn spread the length across the wall from his bed, being almost 10 feet long. You’d be terrified to know what creature that belonged to...or, had belonged to. Still, they were oddly beautiful. Clearly, they were a struggle to take down, judging by the damaged sword Bakugou wielded and the slight deformities in the trophies themselves. A crack down the middle of a knight’s helmet. Multiple tears in a blue and white feathered cape. It was almost surreal to you, that a man that could win all these vicious battles can gently place you on the soft cushions of one of the few couches that occupied his room.

Walking to his bed, he picked up an object propped up against the bed frame. He trunks to you, holding it flat against both hands. Your sword!

He unsheathed it, examining the blade in the dim lamplights with approval. “This is made of Awherian metal, better not lose it.” he says, sheathing it and handing it back to you. You take it gingerly, propping it by your feet.

“Awherian?” You repeated.

“Awherians used to be a tribe up in the North before going extinct a long time ago. Legends say they used to battle giants, cuz they ate their dragons...or some bullshit my old hag likes to talk about.” he crosses his arms.

He took notice of you lowering your head, and sighed, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

“I uh,” he cleared his throat, “I shouldn’t have said all that. Earlier, I mean. Kirishima was right about being hungry, I don’t usually yell at women. Unless they’re trying to kill me, you know.”

“It’s ok,” you lean back into the couch, “you weren’t wrong. I said this to Deku earlier already: I thought my father was doing the right thing because he, well, he’s my father. If I had known there was a whole civilization here...I just...I hope I can help.”

He looked at you for a few seconds, calculating. Were you genuinely being honest? Maybe, he thought. He has his doubts still.

Bakugou was always weary about newcomers, and didn’t take too kindly to them. The only reason these two were brought in was because Kirishima urged him to. The king refused at first, reasoning that this could’ve been a set-up, that the cult that pranced the outskirts of their territory had a plan to send in spies this way. Of course, Kirishima says that there’s no way they would possibly injure their own like this, leaving them one step away from death, but Bakugou has seen their ways. They would eat each other if they wanted to. Eventually, he gave in on the reasoning that they weren’t the smartest of people. You seemed different. He ordered his closest men, including that shitty Deku to keep an eye on you both.

“Maybe you could. Who fuckin knows” He says, “but not when you can’t even climb fucking stairs without wheezing like a granny.” He says, earning a slightly offended whine from you. He smiles lightly, then points to his bed with a thumb. “Go.”

You look at him, perplexed. “In your bed?”

“No shit, it’s the middle of the night.” He narrows his eyes.

“I’m, b-but we’re not married-“ you stuttered.

Bakugou rolls his eyes, “relax princess, you have it to yourself. I just don’t feel like taking you back down to your room, or to that half n half bastard.”

With a grunt, he picks you up off the couch and onto the bed. The plush blankets swallowing you almost immediately.

“Do you like insulting people?” you ask as he throws the blanket over you.

“I dunno, do you like breathing, or is it just something you do?”

“You’re impossible.” You rolled your eyes. “Where are you going to sleep?”

“The couch.” He replies, undoing the buckles on his cape. “Sleep, we’ll have you properly taken care of tomorrow, starting with a bath.” He wrinkled his nose.

“Hey!” you pouted. A bath sounds wonderful though.

“You were supposed to be in bed all day today, but whatever.” he sighs. He folded his cape neatly and placed it on his bedside dresser, then flopped onto a couch on the far side of the room, facing away from you. Eventually, his muscles relaxed and you could hear soft puffs of breaths as he slept.

It was calming in a way. Every night, even as a small child afraid of the dark spaces in your room, you slept alone. You had to overcome that fear alone, your mother definitely didn’t want you bothering her, and your father was far too tired from dealing with the kingdom all day. But knowing someone else was in the room felt, in an odd way, nice. You drifted off again, but this time, without dreams.

Tag List: @pasteldaze @decayz @akihoeeeeeeeee @blinkingsuns @stan-josie @skylan666 @hypothesaurus

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[themadlostgirl]

When It’s Cold (6)

*We stan open communication, patience, and informed, enthusiastic consent when it comes to acts of sex baby! That being said I have gotten a lot more comfortable and better at writing smut (imho) so compared to smut I have written in the past this is more detailed and thus a lot raunchier sounding than anything you may have read by me before. Just wanted to put that out there before we go diving into this. Also, if I have not somehow made this clear enough already: SMUTTY CHAPTER AHEAD!*

~~~

Felix woke up a little stiff but otherwise happy. You were still asleep next to him. At some point in the night you both had turned over so he was spooning you. You fit into him like a puzzle piece. He really could get used to waking up like this.

You shifted in your sleep your back nestling further against his body. Felix froze as he realized that there was another part of him that had woken up this morning. Of all the days he could wake up with morning wood it had to choose the morning he was sleeping next to you and your ass was pressed right up against him. Okay. No matter. He can just move back so it isn’t touching you.

Felix slid his hips back from you but your body followed when he tried to pull away. He couldn’t push you away either since you were holding his free arm to your chest. Now that he was thinking about it Felix could feel exactly what it was his trapped hand was touching. So it seemed he was in a very awkward position. Your ass pressed against his erect dick and refusing to put space between it and his hand resting over one of your breasts where you kept it held. He really didn’t want to deal with the embarrassment that would come if you were to wake up while you two were like this.

He could just push you away and make a run for it. No. You didn’t deserve to be woken up like that. He started thinking of things to get his erection to go down but it persisted. It really wasn’t helped by the fact that you kept wiggling your butt against it either. If you kept squirming around it was never gonna go away.

“Hmm,” Your voice whined and pressed against him harder. You kept making small little noises as you squirmed and it suddenly dawned on Felix what was happening. You were having a dirty dream and were using the feeling of his erection between your thighs to get yourself off.

Oh this was conflicting.

He could either stay in place and let you ride this out, pun intended, and hope that you didn’t wake up or if you did wake up he could pretend to still be asleep and you could deal with any embarrassment on your own. There was also the chance that he could wake you up and you two could be mature about this situation and laugh it off in mutual embarrassment. Hell, it might even evolve into actual sex if he played his cards right. Then again he could still just run away and you two would never need to speak of this morning ever again.

He needed to make a decision soon because you were only getting more eager in your motions. Your breath was coming harder and he knew you would wake yourself up soon if he didn’t do anything. Damn it. Why did this have to feel so good?

“Hey,” Felix whispered, “Wake up. Time to get up, little girl.”

“Huh?” Your eyes were bleary but open, “Ugh…” You pressed into him again, still not fully awake. “Felix?”

“Right here,” He said, “You need to wake up now. You’re kinda...um...you are kinda rubbing…” Felix couldn’t get the words out. His face felt red hot.

“Rubbing?” You squinted over your shoulder at him. He sighed and glanced down at the lower half of your bodies. You looked down too and with a yelp leapt away from him. “Oh my god! Sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s okay,” Felix mumbled. He grabbed a pillow from the armchair to cover his lap. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

You had your face hidden in your hands. Felix took a deep breath. You were so beautiful in the morning. Your bedhead and rumpled pajamas was the softest thing he had ever seen. He really wished he could have enjoyed it longer.

“Did I…” You whispered, your face still pointed away from him, “Did I cause it to be like that?” You pointed lamely to the pillow on his lap.

Felix gulped and clutched the pillow tighter. This line of questioning wasn’t helping to get rid of it.

“No,” Felix said, “Not in the way you’re thinking. It was already like that when I woke up you just kept it like that.”

“Oh god!” You groaned. You grabbed one of the blankets from the floor and pulled it over your head to hide. “This is mortifying.”

“Is it?” Felix said before he could think better of it. “Is it so bad to think that you may desire me the same way I desire you?”

“You what?” One of your eyes peeped out from your blanket cocoon.

“You heard what I said.” Felix took a deep breath. “I like you. I find you attractive. Why does it have to be embarrassing? It’s like you said: it’s just us here. Can we be honest without shame?”

“This is a lot to process first thing in the morning.” You were dodging. Felix didn’t blame you. He was trying to have a conversation you just weren’t ready for. Even though he knew you desired him you just weren’t ready to admit it to him yet. It hurt but he wouldn’t push you.

“It is rather early,” Felix sighed in defeat, “I’m gonna go get a shower.”

~~~

Felix walked past me and went up the stairs to his bedroom. My face was still uncomfortably hot as I replayed the morning’s events back in my mind. I had been having a pleasant dream about Felix. Instead of the hot and heavy dreams I was used to it was softer. Still sexual but it wasn’t dirty. In my dream he was making love to me. Sweet words whispered in my ear as he kissed me. When I woke up I almost didn’t realize I wasn’t dreaming anymore until Felix told me I was rubbing my ass up against him.

I had never felt more embarrassed! It also didn’t help that I was still turned on to the point I couldn’t even look at him lest I crawl back into his lap. I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. What must he have been thinking when he woke up to me doing that?

But that wasn’t the entire story, was it? Felix had said he desired me. He wasn’t mortified by the experience like I was. He had been so sweet and honest about the entire situation while I cowered under my blanket. Why am I trying to avoid this? It’s all I’ve been thinking about for weeks! He practically told me I’d be more than welcome in his bed and I turned him down. What is wrong with me?!

I need to fix this.

I shot to my feet and ran upstairs. I paced outside of Felix’s room for a few minutes before swallowing back my nerves and going in. Felix wasn’t in the bedroom. I heard the sound of running water and remembered that he said he was gonna get a shower.

This felt eerily familiar.

I lingered in the doorway debating if I should leave and come back in a few minutes when he was finished or stay and wait. As I was trying to think of what to do the water turned off and Felix emerged from the bathroom.

It didn’t seem like he had noticed I was there as he strolled across the room over to his dresser.

Keep my eyes up, do not look down at his naked torso. Everything will be fine.

“Uh Felix?”

“Geez!” Felix jumped. The towel around his hips started to slip and he grabbed at it to keep it from falling. “Damn it woman! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What are you doing skulking in my door?”

“Sorry, I just…” I entered the room and let the door fall shut behind me. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“And this couldn’t wait until after I got clothes on?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think that through. I just wanted to say that I didn’t feel right about the way things were left downstairs. I don’t know why I’m so nervous about liking you. Probably because I haven’t ever liked anyone like I like you before. I certainly have never really wanted anyone like I want you and that scares me too. But I don’t want to be scared. I don’t want you to think that I’m pushing you away because I’m ashamed of what I feel. I do find you attractive and I do want more out of this relationship but it’s daunting. I don’t know where I would even start.”

“Darling,” Felix sighed, he cupped my face in his large hands and bent down to kiss me. “We start right here. We start by admitting what we want. We can take it as slow or as fast as you want to. We have more than enough time to explore together. Okay?”

“Okay.” I stood on my toes and pulled him down for another kiss. It was quickly turning heated and Felix pushed me away. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m still only wearing a towel.” He said, “And you are turning into a tent if you get my meaning.”

“Oh…” I blushed. I gazed into his pale slate blue eyes. “Anything I can help with?”

Felix’s eyes went wide. “You can’t just say stuff like that to me.”

“Why not?”

“Cause I might end up taking you up on it.”

“That’s exactly why I said it though.”

“You know what you’re getting yourself into, little girl?”

“I hope so.” I threaded my fingers with his, “And for your information I am not a little girl. Not in height and certainly not in age.”

“Are you sure about that, small fry?” Felix chuckled, “Looking kinda short from up here.”

“This is a perfectly normal height!” I protested, “You’re just freakishly tall! You know what? Forget it. I rescind my offer. Have fun of taking care of that on your own.”

“I’m sorry,” Felix tugged on my hand keeping me close, “I can’t help but tease you. Come back.”

He ran a free hand through my hair. His gaze searching mine. “I want you to. God knows how much I want you to but I don’t want you to do it if it isn’t what you really want. Don’t go thinking you have to jump into the deep end to keep me happy. I’ll still want you regardless.”

“I’m not behaving irrationally, Felix.” I told him, “I want to do this and, y’know, maybe in exchange you can...help me…?”

“Brave girl,” Felix smirked before kissing me again. He was leaning back against the dresser. His hands wandered from my hips up into my hair and down again. I felt something poke against my stomach and tried not to squeak like was my knee jerk reaction.

“Still want to do this?” Felix whispered. His voice was a lot deeper than before. It sent a pleasant tingle down my spine.

“Yes please.”

Felix took a deep breath and nodded. With trembling hands I untucked the towel from his hips and it fell to the floor. I was staring directly into Felix’s chest. I wasn’t sure what to do now that I had him naked. I had many fantasies but trying to re-enact them had me trembling with anticipation and fears of inadequacy.

“Need me to help guide you?” Felix spoke softly.

I nodded dumbly. Felix tilted my chin up to kiss me. His other hand rested over my dominant hand and pressed it to his chest. Slowly he moved it down lower, all the while his mouth was still on mine. I felt wiry hairs touch my hand and I flinched.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Felix whispered against my lips, “You’re alright, darling. Nothing to be scared of here. Just keep your eyes on me.”

I took in a deep breath and relaxed once more. With his hand still over mine he guided it along his cock. Letting me get a feel for what it felt like to touch it. His breathing was calculated and slow, trying to retain a sense of composure as he moved my hand over him and palmed the tip. He hissed through clenched teeth and kissed me again a bit more desperately.

“Are you good to keep going?” He asked.

“Yes.” My own voice felt faraway.

Felix moved my hand back down to the base and wrapped my fingers along the shaft. With his hand still around mine he moved it up and down his cock in sure slow movements. His wrist flicked and twisted slightly as we went. He was breathing hard now and I could tell he was trying not to moan or buck into my hand.

“Felix,” I kissed at his shoulder, “You can enjoy yourself. Don’t be so worried about scaring me off. Let me take care of you.”

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, “You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?”

I bit back a smile as I removed his hand from around mine so it was just me pleasuring him. I watched his face closely seeing what he liked and how to respond. It was so strange seeing this boy who was usually so stoic and rigid release his inhibitions and react how he wanted to in my grasp. I felt a surge of power as I started pumping him faster, the sound of his moans getting louder. Half mumbled words as his hips bucked against my fist. He kept one hand gripped on the lip of the dresser while the other held tightly to me.

“Fuck,” he gasped, his eyes were screwed shut, a small bead of perspiration gathered on his brow, “Fuck, I--” He broke off into wanton moans again.

“It’s alright, Felix. I want you to.” I trailed my lips along his chest, “Please Felix.”

He roared my name and bucked harder into my hand. Warm spurts of milky cum coating my hand in the process.

Felix panted as he rode out the tail end of his orgasm. Our eyes met and he pulled me to him crushing his lips to mine. “So I did a good job?” I chuckled against his lips.

“You were perfect, darling.” He collected his towel from the ground and wiped the cum from my hand. “Sorry about the mess. Looks like I got a bit on your pants too.”

“They needed washed anyway.” I shrugged.

“It’s your turn now.” He said. My eyes widened and he snorted. “Did you forget about that part?”

“A little. Got caught up in the moment with you.” I blushed harder. Felix brought me to him again for a sweet lingering kiss. “But I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” He grinned, “Chuck your pants in my hamper and sit on the bed for me.”

“Okay.” I turned to go.

“Oh, put this in there too while you’re over there.” Felix threw his towel at me. I caught it and tossed it in the bathroom hamper before stripping out of my pajama pants and tossing them in as well. I sat at the edge of Felix’s bed wearing only my panties and a sleep shirt.

Felix had pulled on some sweatpants and a t-shirt while I was waiting. My whole body was growing more jittery with every step he took towards me. It was a good kind of jittery though. My body thrummed with anticipation.

He sat down next to me. His hands caressed my face and left small kisses along my nose and cheeks. “I guided you, now you need to guide me.” He said, “Show me what to do. What you like.”

“Right,” I shook off my nerves. Shouldn’t be too hard, I just need him to do what I usually do when I’m alone. I can start slow. No need to rush.

I leaned closer and kissed him. As we kissed I moved his hand down to the hem of my shirt and slid it under so he was touching my bare skin. My skin tingled in the wake of his touch. His other hand followed as I encouraged him to touch my breasts. I moaned into his mouth.

“Soft,” Felix murmured, “I knew you’d be soft.”

“And your hands are rough.” I laughed slightly. Felix grimaced and started to withdraw before I pressed him back to me. “It’s okay. I kinda like it.”

I let him go so he could rub and play with my breasts. My shirt was hiked up and I quickly took it off so it was out of the way. He groaned next to me and after a nod from me he started peppering kisses along my chest. He took one of my nipples into his mouth and sucked on it.

The ache between my legs was getting stronger. “Felix,” I took one of his hands and started leading it lower down my body. “I need you to touch me now.”

“With pleasure, darling.” We laid down against the bed. “Show me what to do.”

“First, I like to play with my clit until I feel ready.” His hand slid beneath the band of my panties and I whined when he touched my clit. He rubbed it in sure slow swipes, circling it with care as I moaned next to him.

“You’re really wet,” He said. “Do I make you feel that good, little girl?”

“Yes,” I gasped as he sped up slightly. I clung onto him tighter, my face buried in his shoulder. “Want to make me feel even better?”

“Of course,”

“Slide one finger inside me,” I instructed. Felix listened and I let out a moan that was half yelp.

“Did I hurt you?” Felix asked, concerned.

“No, it’s just um,” I shuddered around him, “Your fingers are longer than mine so you can get deeper than I normally can. It feels really good.”

“Good, now what would like me to do?”

I instructed him on taking me slowly. Curling his finger and letting my cunt stretch before he added another. I was starting to lose coherency as he began pumping his fingers in and out of me. Curling and scissoring my wet, aching cunt until I couldn’t form words anymore. He kissed my neck, whispered words of praise in my ear as my pleasure was driven higher and higher. I risked a glance down and nearly came at the sight of Felix’s hand in between my legs. It was so strange to see something I pictured so clearly in my mind actually happening.

“Felix,” I moaned, grasping onto him like my sanity depended on it. “Feels good...almost--almost--need more!”

“What do you need? Tell me how to please you.”

“Clit. Rub my clit.” I begged.

His other hand went down and started rapidly swiping and circling my clit. I shouted as stars danced before my eyes. I was gonna cum any second now. “Felix! Fuck Felix, I’m gonna--I--”

“Do it,” His voice was dripping with desperation, “Please darling, I want you to cum. I want to know you feel good. Please cum for me darling.”

“Felix!” I dug my fingernails into his shoulders as my orgasm washed over me. My pussy clenching tight over his fingers which were still coaxing me through my orgasm to draw it out as long as possible. I rocked against him, my shouts turning into whimpers as tiny post orgasmic shockwaves rolled through my body.

“I got you,” Felix whispered, “I got you. You were so wonderful for me, darling. I’m glad I could make you feel good.”

“Not just good,” I mumbled happily, “Fucking fantastic is what it felt like.”

“Happy to hear it.” He popped the fingers that had just been in my pussy into his mouth licking the juices off. He licked his lips with a smile. “I knew you would taste good too.”

“I cannot believe you just did that.” I hid my face in his chest, “Why did you do that in front of me?!”

“Because as splendid as this morning has been I have not had anything to eat yet today and I figured I had a good enough snack right here.”

“Felix!” My face felt like it was on fire.

“Stop hiding, if you can’t take it when I lick you off my fingers how are you going to handle when I have my head between your legs drinking it up straight from the source?”

“You what?!” I snapped my head up so fast I hit him in the jaw. “Ow, sorry,”

“Okay, that might have been a little too intense for an after handjob pillow talk. I concede that.” Felix rubbed his jaw, “How about we cool things down for the rest of the day? You go clean yourself up, get a shower, put on something comfy. I’ll go make us something to eat and we can watch whatever movie you want. Sound good?”

I rolled on top of him and kissed him. I didn’t care if I could taste myself on his tongue (It was kinda hot if I was honest with myself). I just wanted to express these deep feelings stirring inside that I couldn’t adequately express. If this wasn’t love then I don’t know what else it could possibly be.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Felix chuckled, “Now can you get off me? As much as I would love to keep you here in my bed for the rest of the day I did promise you food and a movie.”

“If I must,” I rolled off him and collected my shirt from the ground. With a final look at Felix I smiled and scampered out of the room back to my own. I think this has to be the best morning I’ve ever had.

---

(Previous) (Next)

[utterlyhopeful-fics]

Love you too.

A/N: This was initially supposed to be smut but my brain went hay wire and ended in angst. More Mayans coming next week! 

MASTERLIST

Also, if I keep tagging you and you’re not interested or want to be tagged; please let know!

Word Count: 2210

Ezekiel Reyes x Reader

Warnings: language, angst, Ez being an asshole, heartbreak, more angst 

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

Ezekiel couldn’t resist ogling Y/N from across the overly crowded bar. Cigar smoke filtrated throughout, pool cues ricocheted, and Y/N dawned that brilliant smile of hers. Her candied glimpse combined with her impeccably short dress, and irrevocably sexiness drove Ez to the brink of combustion. Ez perched an elbow against the wood bar top watching Y/N’s hypnotizing demeanor. She shot him a playful glance unwilling to draw her attention elsewhere than from the beautiful man across the room.

Her voice oozed of alcoholic flirtation as she bit her lower lip catching his interest and walking his way.

“Come here often, hotshot?”

There was no denying the sly chuckle that slipped off his lips; “Smooth line. How often does that one actually work?”

Her kittenish nature only stoked his fire lighting a fire in his belly.  

“Well…my boyfriend usually falls for it but he’s kinda into that cutesy bullshit. Come to think of it, you might know him. Tall, dark, and handsome? Ring any bells?”

Her insinuated attitude was driving him crazy. Unbeknownst to Y/N, his cock stirred in the confines of his jeans. She wanted to force his hand, compel to his more dominant side. His blood seethed as his eardrums hummed of desolate waves. Ez bit his tongue to stop the trickle of words begging to slink from his lips.

“Sounds like a sucker. Didn’t think a pretty chica like you to be taken? Such a shame.”

Y/N’s raised an eyebrow in curiosity wondering how much longer she could push him before he turned into putty.

“Now, now. I don’t appreciate you talking shit about my man. It’d be best if you watch yourself.”

Y/N excelled when a challenge presented itself.  Defiance buried in her very pitch as she scooted closer to the man in question. Now elbow to elbow, Y/N rested her cheek against her knuckles coyishly.

“Baby, if you keep smiling like that, my panties will be drenched before we have the chance to do a damn thing about it.”

Leaning closer in;” Please don’t fuck it up.”

“Oh, so you’re admitting I turn you on…make you wet?” There was no hiding the devilish grin cemented on his perfect face.

Her face furiously flushed at his choice words; “Most definitely, E. In all honesty, I’m not wearing underwear because matter of fact just looking at that gorgeous jawline of yours is way too much for my ovaries to handle.”

His tongue met the roof of his mouth creating a tsk sound reverberating from his mouth. Y/N rubbed her thighs together in hopes of alleviating her eccentric inner bits. Y/N pushed her falling tendrils from her face tilting her head his direction. Her hand made quick work caressing her inner breasts as Ez watched her chest beat rapidly.

“Mmmhm, and this girl is hoping her boyfriend just might be able to sneak away from his boys for a minute to properly fuck his girl. But I’d hate to force your hand….”

“I hope you know the punishment that ensues for this behavior baby girl…”

“Oh, so you admit you’ll punish me? God, I’ve been dying for you to fuck me all night. Finally, you got the hint, Prospect.”

Ezekiel chucked at her cleverness. He’d long fallen for the woman before him, but he appreciated the constant challenge she reciprocated time and time again.

“What are you trying to hint at, Y/N?”

“You know exactly what I want and you’re playing coy if you don’t.”

Y/N rested her hand atop his shoulder as his hand perched upon the dip of her luscious hip. Leaning in dangerously close, she trailed sleek kisses against the slick of his neck. Each smooth trailed upwards towards his ear as Y/N leaned in seductively close.

“It’s cute thinking you don’t want to fuck the shit out of me here. Your bashfulness never seizes to amaze me.”

Her hands grazed down his defined abs brutishly stroking the outer layer of his jeans.

“But your dick seems to tell another story.”

Ezekiel gazed around the room watching his brothers too distracted by pool cues and babes to notice their interaction laughing aloud.

“If you haven’t noticed I’m still their bitch boy and I can’t just slip away without someone noticing.”

“Oh, but I promise you won’t have to travel far. The bathrooms are only a few feet away. So, if you’re interested in fucking your super-horny girlfriend, meet me there in five minutes. If not, I’ll just have to do the job myself. But don’t worry, I’ll send you the video.”

“You’re such a goddamn brat, you know that? …” Ez moved his hand grazing his clothed crotch as a moan alluded her.

“Can’t you feel how hard I am for you right now? It turns you on, doesn’t it?”

“Oh yes, dear boyfriend. If you’re bating me then yes, I do want to fuck you here and now.”

“So quick to make demands when you’re in no position to do so. Shit, I can’t wait to nestle so fucking deep within you, to hear you begging for me. Someone needs to fuck the brat outta ya.”

“Oh, it’s so cute you think I’ll beg. My pussy is your haven, don’t forget that.”

Y/N added just an inch of space between their sweltering bodies unwilling to give into him so easily.

“So, I’ll take your erect cock as a yes. You know where I’ll be…”

Y/N walked by him dripping in her own seductive nature. Ez reached towards her gripping her arm in exchange; “You have no idea what I want to do to you.”

“Well guess you can prove it to me.”

“Oh, you tease….”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out!”

“You little…”

“Brat? That’s right, only one person makes me act this way, feel this way and that person is you. So, whether you like it or not, deal with it.”

“Oh, I’ll deal with you alright. Soon enough you’ll be begging me to fuck you.”

“I completely intend on it. In fact, I’ll leave the ball in your court.”

Y/N sauntered past him making sure to graze her breasts against his trunk; “You know where I’ll be.” She winked his way hoping for Ez to catch her hint before walking towards the bathroom hoping the one person she’d hoped would follow. Ezekiel Reyes was genuinely her other half, someone who understood every intricate design she’d been allotted.

 Coco approached the Ez clasping his shoulder; “How are you the luckiest bastard outta all of us, Prospect? You get to tap that on the daily? Not fair cabrón.”

His angelic curls fell gently upon his forehead as that signature smirk of his appeared.

“In my defense, she’s a little shit that she tests my patience every damn day. But, yes, I gotta agree with you. I’m the luckiest bastard outta all of us.”

“So quit fuckin talking to me and go get yo girl, newbie.”

Ez nodded agreeing with Coco. He was torn between his club obligations and chasing after Y/N, his eyes bouncing back and forth.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cover you. 10 minutes… now go before I change my mind!”

“Thanks, brother. I owe you one.”

“Damn right you do, now go!”

His boots pounded against the wood; his strides picked up taking him quickly to his destination. Ez’s anticipation peaked as he neared the bathroom door rattling the handle. Ez stood dumbfounded to find the door locked…

“Querida, I know you’re in there. I’m gonna have to teach you a lesson, ain’t I?”

Y/N whispered back through the door; “I’m counting on it.”

The click of the door gave way unlocking as Ez stepped inside swiftly shutting the door behind him. He eyed Y/N like she was his last and final meal wanting to devour her from the outside in. The startled look in her misty eyes only excited him more. He stalked towards her; Y/N walked backwards in sync with him. Soon enough, the back of her thighs met the cold cabinet. Her skin crawled of goosebumps as her panting increased significantly.

“You bait me all night, wearing this ungodly short piece of fabric that barely covers anything on this gorgeous body of yours, and you have the audacity to talk shit?”

Electricity stifled their small quarters as Ez’s hands played with her hemline. Wet kisses tickled down her collar bone. Y/N tilted her head allowing Ez easier access. Torturously slow, Ez pressed the material upwards above her curvy hips revealing her bare pussy.

“No underwear. Glad to see you weren’t lying.”

Y/N slapped his chest in jest; “One thing I will never do is lie to you Ezekiel Reyes.”

“Yeah, yeah.”  

Only adding fuel to the fire, Y/N grasped his chin between her fingers forcing his gaze to remain on her and only her. She squeezed tightly enough to grab his fleeting attention.

“I don’t joke about that shit, E. I’ve never felt this way before. Don’t spoil it just yet.”

The crow’s feet near his eyes softened exhaling all the excess air loitering in his lungs. His infamous puppy dog looks triggered charging their electricity. Forgetting her momentarily exposure, Y/N closed the gap kissing him with every inch of might fathomable. She mustered every ounce of desire to which Ez gladly reciprocated.

Their moans intermingled as Ez tapped her thigh signaling to jump on the counter. Her legs spread unconscious creating the perfect amount of space for him to slide into. His hands travelled along her sides before finding home and squeezing the globes of her luscious ass.  Every dimple and indention turned him on. An illicit squeak was the only other sound accompanying their heavy breathing.

“Please, E.” A whiny undertone whirred to life.

“Please what? I’m right here.”

Her legs wrapped around his hips securely pulling him closer. His jeans rubbed deliciously against her exposed thighs only teasing her further.

“I want you. All of you, Ezekiel Reyes. Forever.”

Something unexplainable shifted in that moment as Ez gazed down at the girl pinned beneath him. For so long, he’d wanted this, dreamt of her, and now he wasn’t sure how to handle himself. The last time he gave himself so freely to another ended up burning him. Emily was his first love but Y/N, Y/N was his epic love. The twinkle in her eyes welcomed him time and time again silently begging for permission. Suddenly it wasn’t just about sex and pleasure but an opportunity of redemption.

“You feel it too, right?”

Y/N pulled back from his grasp embarrassed at her newfound honesty. “Ugh, I’m fucking it up, aren’t I? I didn’t mean for things to get so intense in a fucking bathroom of all places?”

Just as she moved to hop down, Ez stopped her. His this, this life he chose was no place for a woman like Y/N. And though his heart beat victoriously in his chest, Ezekiel knew what had to done. There was no way in hell he’d allow her to morph into his fucked-up life. He wanted to shout it to the rooftops; I’m in love with you too.

He was ripping at the seams dying to scream his unprofessed love but once again denying the beast within him. His silence was enough of an answer. Y/N frowned trying to hide the quiver of her chin. Looking away, Y/N furiously blinked hoping to will her unshed tears into oblivion. Her purity and compassion were too much at risk to sacrifice.

“Y/N….”

“No, don’t Ezekiel.”

“I think we want different things, things I can’t offer you.”

The rumbles in her chest cascaded violently like waves attacking a cliff. His rejection stung like ravenous bees.

“You can but you won’t. There’s a difference! God! I fall for this shit every time. You lure me back in and just when I break through your heavily guarded walls you pull back and shoo me away. How many times do you have to remind me you don’t want me, E?”

A lone tear streaked down her cheek. Sadness swallowed her whole plummeting to an unimaginable depth. His thumb inadvertently reached for the droplet but she flinched in the nick of time. Defeat coursed through his blood. His subconscious screamed for him to speak but nothing came out. Her words seared him, his own personal brand of pain. Calm down heart.

“Tell me you feeling nothing and I’ll never ask again.”

The somber quietness remained suffocating both parties. It was then that the truth finally dawned on him like boulders falling from the sky. Sometimes the hardest battle we fight is the battle within ourselves.

“Jeez, Ez. Guess I got my answer. Next time you have one of your urges, don’t call me, ever.”

Her warm palm pressed against his pectoral lightly shoving him. The minute distance was enough to destroy him. Her rejection simmered into her movements. With her strength fast depleting, Y/N craved fresh fall air. She stopped in place looking over her sunken shoulder; “It’s sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew. Have a nice life, Reyes.”

Now that she had nothing to lose, she was free. Free to mourn the love she so tragically denied. She distracted herself to save herself. After all, how often do we get a second chance…

~~~~~

Tags:  @twistnet @ifoundmyhappythought @angelreyesgirl89 @carlaangel86 @imagineredwood @gemini0410 @mayans-mc @reaperwalking @prospectfandom @emmaveale123 @peaky-marvel @kind-wolf @scorpio4dayzzz @starrynite7114 @penny4yourthot @breanime @thegirlwhowritesfics @star017 @threeminutesoflife @woahitslucyylu  @summertimesadnesswithadashofsass @blessedboo @lady-pswrld  @bigcreatorwombatdreamer​  @claytoncardenasbabymama @angelreyesgirl89 @cocotheclown​ @trulysuccubus @janeexo @itsjusttaralove @soaronmywings @bigcreatorwombatdreamer​ @sarai-ibn-la-ahad​ @starrynite7114​ @hermankopusortizorsumshite​ @fvckthisbxtchup​ @noz4a2​ @lharrietg 

[ot3tropetober]

Eliot and Hardison are travel journalists for rival publications who keep showing up in the same places 

Fic for this (~3500 words) is below the read more! Some notes: 

[backstory on why Hardison is writing these comes from this post]

[Eliot, Parker, and Hardison are all commenting on this document, think of it like the chat in Google drive? In-document comments from Eliot are italicized, from Hardison are in bold, and from Parker are plain text] 

By the time Will Coffey stepped off the plane in Dallas, all he wanted was a nice long shower and to sleep in his own bed for once. Being a travel journalist for a leading travel magazine had its perks– a month-long trip across Mexico, for example, all expenses paid or at least reimbursed – but after a month on the road he was dead tired and ready to be home. 

Is this supposed to be me? Why am I living in Dallas? 

Yes, and also, you don’t actually live in Dallas, Eliot, you live here, in Portland, with us. 

I know that, I just– you know what, never mind. 

Well, Will Coffey likes Dallas. 

I am Will Coffey!! 

That’s the spirit. 

The other thing about being on the road for a living was that sometimes it felt kinda lonely, and as relieved as he was to be home, the first couple of minutes after he walked in, turned on the lights, and looked around at an empty place, that was always a little bittersweet. But the only other person he’d really seen in any kind of serious capacity the whole time he’d had this gig was a fellow traveler who spent just as much time on the road as he did, so it just kinda was what it was. He set his keys and his bag down and headed to the kitchen for a beer, but he hadn’t even opened his fridge when his phone buzzed a couple times. It was a text from Sarah, his editor. He’d known her forever– they shared a couple classes in college. Now they shared the stress of managing a print publication in an increasingly digital world. 

“Did you see this?” she had written. There was a link in the next message. “How does this guy get this stuff up so fast?“ 

Will already knew what he was gonna find before he clicked the link, and sure enough, it directed him to a popular travel blog called The Travel Geek, which was a ridiculous name for a travel blog but people absolutely went wild for it. Will liked it too, not that he would ever really admit it, but that probably had more to do with the guy who ran it than anything else. They had…not a thing, exactly? It was hard to explain whatever was going on with Jeremy Edwards, who by rights Will should probably hate for stealing his stories and his audience. But the problem with that was mainly that the guy was so goddamn likeable. 

I’m guessing that’s you. 

You would be correct. 

You think I think you’re likeable? 

No, I know it. 

he is pretty likeable

Yeah, yeah. 

Will had met Jeremy a couple of years ago, right when he was just starting out with his blog. Jeremy said he’d been reading Will’s stuff for a while and would love some advice from a pro. It wasn’t like Will didn’t know it was a little bit of flattery, and it wasn’t like he didn’t know it was a little bit of flirting, either. It also wasn’t like Jeremy was bad to look at. So Will said sure, he’d be glad to, and they were in Belgium, so they shared some beers, ate fries from a baraque at one in the morning on a park bench, shoulders pressed together, while Will tipsily rhapsodized about gaufre de Liège while Jeremy laughed and laughed. 

I have never *rhapsodized* about anything in my damn life. 

Have you heard you talk about food? This is not a criticism. I could listen to that all day. 

Nothing really happened, in the end, just a good conversation and the promise to keep in touch. That turned out to be easier than it should have been, because they started covering the same damn things, all the time. One big world, and somehow they were always sharing part of it: Will was in India on a camel safari through the Thar Desert, and Jeremy was there, keeping Will up at night tappity tapping on his keyboard. Or Will was in Oatman, Arizona, for a piece on Route 66, and there was Jeremy, taking selfies with the wild burros roaming the streets of the town. Or Will was traveling around Japan, doing a feature on onsens, and Jeremy was there, too, acting like he wasn’t looking in Will’s direction while they sat, very naked, in the soothing hot water. It went on like that for a while until finally one night in Barcelona, in front of Sagrada Familia, he looked at Jeremy, tall and handsome in this absurd brightly patterned scarf, and said, “This is ridiculous, man,” and pulled him in for a long, lingering kiss. 

Do you honestly think it would have taken me that long? 

I don’t know, baby, it took your cowboy ass five years in real time, so Will’s doing a lot better than you. 

OoooooooOooo 

We had a lot goin on!!! And what is that supposed to be, parker? are you some kind of ghost? 

it made more sense in person 

I’ll take your word for it. 

It wasn’t a relationship, exactly. It was just something they did, sometimes, if they happened to run into each other on the road. It wasn’t like he was getting invited home for the holidays, or anything, and he was fine with that, really. The long and short of it was, they’d basically been circling each other for years now, professionally, personally, whatever, but the professional stuff was definitely getting in the way of anything else. Because Will would sit down and write out his long, detailed articles with carefully selected photographs that would look just right on the page, while Jeremy had already turned out quick blog entry after quick blog entry, listing off places people should visit with witty little one sentence summaries, and people just ate it right up with a spoon while Adventure., Will’s magazine, slowly saw its sales circling the drain. It stung a little. Maybe more than a little. It wasn’t like he could say the guy wasn’t working hard, but damn. Hell, the best selling issue they’d had in a couple years was the one where Sarah had masterminded a collaboration between Will and Jeremy. Blogging was definitely here to stay. 

That night in Belgium was five years ago, and at the time it seemed impossible that the internet would ever really fully overtake print. But bloggers and phones had both gotten smarter over the last five years, and now everyone wanted their news in little chunks that they could read on a screen during their commute, so travel blogs were the hot new thing. Will grimaced as he looked at the blog entries Jeremy already had up from Mexico, where they’d run into each other at least half a dozen times. 

Five Reasons You Need to Visit Mexico City Right Now; What You’re Missing Because You’re Not in Monterrey; Everything You Wanted to Know About Agave But Were Too Afraid to Ask 

“You gotta be kidding me with this,” he muttered, staring at his phone and thinking about the half-written article he had saved on his laptop detailing the history of agave and how to experience Jalisco as more than just the birthplace of tequila. 

He pulled up Sarah’s number and dialed. 

“I don’t know how we can compete with this,” he sighed, when she picked up. 

“We’re going to have to adapt,” she said. “You know that. I can hear you making a face." 

"I don’t want to blog,” he complained. “I like print." 

"I know,” she sighed. “I’m working on it. Anyway, I’m glad you called, I was going to call you. I need you to go to Italy. Flight leaves tomorrow." 

"No way. Not interested,” he told her. “I just got back to my apartment, Sarah, I’ve been in Mexico for a month. I’m beat." 

"It’s not my fault that you spend half your time on extracurricular activities,” she teased. 

“You can just say sex,” he said. “I won’t be offended. And it’s not half my time. Like, maybe twenty-five percent. Anyway, I get the job done." 

"Yeah, and you’re very good at it, which is why I need you to go to Italy,” she said. 

“I’m not saying yes,” he told her, “and I’m not interested. But what’s in Italy that’s so important for me to get to?" 

"You’ll love this one,” Sarah promised. “It’s a food festival." 

Okay, maybe he was a little interested. "Oh?”

“Yeah,” she said. His phone buzzed in his ear. “I just emailed you the details. Including your flight info." 

"Dammit, Sarah–" 

"Oops, emergency, the printer’s on fire, gotta go!” she chirped, and the line disconnected. 

Yeah okay that’s Parker huh

Yep!

I do know y'all a little bit. 

“Dammit,” Will said again, and opened Sarah’s email to read up on his next destination. 

+ 

The food festival turned out to be a week long international celebration of local food from around the world. It only happened once every few years in October, when a world of people descended on the city of Torino, and more specifically the park by the River Po, where they set up tents and stands and served pretty much every kind of food you could imagine, and Will loved food and could imagine a lot, so that was saying something. It was pretty cool, seeing all these people from all over the planet showing off food that was important to them, sharing it with strangers. It really was the whole planet, too, the way the park was set up you could walk through a continent at a time, with all the countries on it represented at their own space. He figured he’d pay his respects to the hosts first and start with Italy, which was definitely the largest section. Halfway through the displays he found a stall with some folks from Campania selling fresh mozzarella di bufala the size of his fist for a Euro. It was speared on a stick like a candy apple so he could walk around with it, nibbling on the sweet cheese as he checked out the festival’s other offerings. Aged cheeses covered in mud and straw from a little town in France. A swanky tent with wood plank floors where the Filipino agriculture offices had a set up with big displays dedicated to traditional food and heirloom crops. Six different kinds of wild rice were layered in a glass display bottle in the booth dedicated to Indigenous agriculture in North America. There were folks from the Yucatan peninsula displaying cured meats and wild honey. There was a whole series of displays about preserving, protecting, and raising Maasai red sheep, from Kenya. The whole event was really impressive, actually, and even though his body had no idea what time zone he was in, he didn’t feel too tired– although that might have been more because he’d been downing every cup of coffee from anyone selling it. 

Okay, this actually sounds pretty cool. But now you gotta fake a whole food festival like this if we ever use these aliases. 

I don’t have to. That’s a real thing. Happens every couple of years. I was gonna ask if you wanted to go to the next one. Parker can probably find us a job after, anyway. 

I’d love– like that. 

Hardison. HARDISON.

Why isn’t this deleting the things I tell it to delete??? 

Ooh, forgot to tell y'all, this chat records your keystrokes? You know. Just in case you happen to type something sappy about how much you love me, and then delete it before you send it in the chat. Pretty much exactly what just happened. 

Dammit Hardison I’m gonna delete YOU

Baby, that doesn’t even make any sense. 

im w hardison on this 1. it’s ok if u love things eliot. especially food . or us 

Just let me finish reading Hardison’s make believe story so I can get back to dinner prep, ok? 

(he loves us) 

I know :) 

Will strolled around the park, snapping photos here and there, jotting down notes. He talked to folks from all over who came here to run their country’s booths, locals who had come out to enjoy the day, and people who had traveled long distances to be there. After a couple of hours and a really good lunch, he found an unoccupied bench near the river and posted up there for a while, notebook open next to him as he flipped through photos on his phone, the story he could tell about this event already starting to take shape in his head, and he had to admit, at least to himself, that Sarah had been right about this one. Nobody else on their staff knew food enough to get this right. But even though he had a good idea where to start, he couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed, too. You could spend two weeks here and still not talk to everybody, and it seemed important to try, somehow. 

“Well, well, well,” said a voice, and Will looked up from his phone and his notes to see the tall form of none other than Jeremy Edwards. 

“Dammit, Edwards,” Will swore. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Again?" 

Yeah it’s pretty much EXACTLY like that every time

Mmmhmm. You talk a big game, man, but no one here believes you. 

What he said ur like that stuff u put on the dessert u made 4 us last wk

Stuff on dessert– the Italian meringue? You really comparing me to Italian meringue?! 

Is that the stuff that was kinda hard and crunchy on the outside but actually really soft and sweet inside? 

Yep that’s the stuff

This is the worst conversation we’ve ever had. 

It’s weird how I can hear you smiling right now, though.

Shut up, Hardison, I’m reading.  

Got him! XD 

"Looks like it,” Jeremy said. He took a seat next to Will on the bench, despite the fact that Will had absolutely not fucking offered it to him. He grinned. Will looked back at his notes before he smiled back. “We’ve really gotta stop meeting like this." 

"Yeah, well, trust me, I’m working on it,” Will grumbled, and risked a look at Jeremy again. Still handsome, and still smiling, unfortunately. He thought about the blog a little and made himself frown. “So, you’re here to blog about this, huh? How many blog posts have you done already?" 

"None so far,” Jeremy said, scratching his chin, “but I am working on one right now. Tentative title, How to Tell The Guy You’re Casually Seeing And Have Been Chasing All Over the Globe That His Boss Sent Me Here To Work With Him." 

Well, there was a lot of information there, but Will decided maybe sticking with the professional stuff was better for now. "I’m sorry, you’re here for what?" 

Jeremy shrugged. "Sarah really liked that collaboration thing she got us to do last year, I guess, wanted to try it again for this. I said yes. It’s good for your magazine and it gives my blog some credibility with all you snooty print folks." 

"We’re not snooty,” Will said, although that wasn’t exactly true. Maybe they were, a little. He unlocked his phone and saw the email from Sarah, the subject line of which read: “DON’T ARGUE IT WILL BE GOOD FOR YOU/US/THE MAGAZINE.” He sighed and looked back at Jeremy. “I can’t believe she sent you to a food thing." 

"I’m offended,” Jeremy said, although it didn’t much sound like it. “I know food." 

"Oh really? So last year when we were in Beijing and you were looking for a McDonald’s that was just you knowing food, huh,” Will drawled.

“Sometimes you just really want a Happy Meal,” Jeremy joked, and Will just shook his head.

“I guess we should figure out what we’re doing, then,” he said, and Jeremy raised his eyebrows. 

“About the story,” he said, “right?" 

"Yeah, about the story,” Will grumbled. 

“Whatever you say,” Jeremy said affably, just like always. 

+

It was actually pretty easy to figure out how to cover the festival now that he had a partner in crime. They worked out a plan that afternoon, sketched out a couple of pieces, a collab for Adventure., a short guest piece for Will on The Travel Geek, and a short story in the magazine for Jeremy. Sarah signed off on everything from afar– “What time is it where she is? Does that woman ever sleep?” Jeremy asked, as they both got email after email. “I don’t think she does, man,” Will laughed– and they got to work pretty quick. There was plenty to do and they were both here for a few days, so they wandered through the park as they worked, stopping occasionally to sample food or take photos.  Eventually they walked all the way out of the park and into the city, up to a big plaza, Piazza Castello, in the center of the historic part of town. They got gelato from one of the many carts set up nearby for the festival, and sat outside, eating and talking as the sun set. 

It was nice. It was always nice, when they ran into each other. That wasn’t the problem. But they’d been stuck in the same routine for years now: they’d find themselves in the same place, Jeremy would laugh, Will would pretend he was annoyed, and then they’d spend a good chunk of their time together enjoying each other’s company in as many ways as they could find, and then they’d head to the airport and go their separate ways. And that was that. This shouldn’t be any different, but somehow it was. Maybe it was the sunset lighting up Jeremy’s skin, or maybe he’d just been lonely too long, but maybe they needed to figure out what they were doing with more than just the stories they were here to tell. 

“You wanna get dinner?” Will said, before he could talk himself out of it. 

“Yeah,” Jeremy said, smiling again, and this time Will let himself smile back. Just a little.  

They asked around for recommendations and ended up at a little restaurant in the city, a few blocks from the Piazza. They split a bottle of wine, a margherita pizza, and some perfectly fried fish, and they didn’t really talk about work at all. 

“You know,” Jeremy said, about halfway through the wine, “not for nothing, but I’ve gotta say, this looks and feels a lot like a date." 

"I wasn’t under the impression that you’d be opposed to that,” Will said.

“Oh, I’m not opposed,” Jeremy told him, “I’m just a little surprised you’re asking. I figured at this point it was gonna have to be me who said something." 

Will eyed him carefully, thought back to a lot of nights on a lot of trips. "How long exactly have you been waiting around?" 

"I mean, don’t get the wrong idea, here, I haven’t been pining away for you like some Victorian in a bad novel,” Jeremy said, and Will snorted. “But yeah. I played a long game, man. I gotta say, though, after that fishing boat incident in Guyana I really thought you figured out we had a thing." 

"Yeah, well, I didn’t have time to notice, I was too busy taking pictures of you hiding behind that skinny British guy when that big old fish jumped out of the water,” Will snickered. 

“Big old– that thing was two-hundred and thirty-four pounds of ichthyological torpedo headed straight for yours truly,” Jeremy said, and Will chuckled. “Big doesn’t really describe it.”

“Hmm. It was kinda wild he thought we were gonna get in the water with it,” Will mused.  He winked. “Glad you finally remembered you owed me dinner for keeping him from pushing us into the river." 

"Ha. You know Sarah wants us to work with that guy again, right?" 

"Aw, hell,” Will said. “Really?" 

"Yeah,” Jeremy confirmed. “She said she was gonna talk to you about it when we got back from this. Canada this time, so when Mister Fisherman tries to throw me in the water at least the hypothermia will probably get me before the monster fish does." 

"Nah,” Will said. “Don’t worry about that. Nobody throws you off a fishing boat. Except maybe me. No. Well. Maybe. No,” he concluded. 

Hah. I mean, okay, that does sound like me. 

Oh, I am aware, trust me. 

“Sarah maybe also mentioned we might do a few more of these little…collaborative things,” Jeremy said, drawing invisible circles on the table. “Maybe even in a more formal capacity." 

Will raised his eyebrows. "No way she talked you into giving up the blog." 

"Oh, definitely not,” Jeremy said. “But funnily enough, people keep sending me emails about wanting a print version of some of my photographs? But I don’t really have the publishing connections. A magazine, though…” he shrugged. “Me and Sarah figured we might come to some kind of mutually beneficial arrangement, somehow. Might be seeing more of you, is what I’m trying to say." 

"Can’t say I mind that,” Will said, and reached out across the table to cover Jeremy’s hand with his. 

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Jeremy answered, and this time Will didn’t try to hide his smile. 

/end 

Okay? 

Okay, what? 

Well where the hell is the rest of it? 

What rest of it? It’s clearly implied that they’re dating now. They’re dating, they’re happy, they’re gonna work together for real, happily ever after, et cetera. 

they should have at least kissed. i would be into that 

This is what I’m saying. Where’s the resolution, here? 

Baby, anytime you want a kiss, you know where to find me. 

What I want is for you to take this seriously since you’re making us read all of it. 

Wow, okay. Here: 

They walked around the city for a long time after dinner, still holding hands, and the kiss they shared later under the moonlight felt like a promise. The Actual End. 

Y'all happy? 

too sappy 4 me but idk what eliot thinks

Not your best work but it’ll do, I guess. 

Are you still in the kitchen? 

Yeah, why? 

I’m gonna come give you a demonstration of my best work, that’s why. 

Bring it on, man. 

do i get a demo too

You know it.

[thiswasinevitableid]

Have you seen the post going around about the zoom class with one guy and his full streamer setup vs the guy whose just in the middle of the woods? I know you have a prompt list rn but I’m just saying there’s a sternclay fic in there somewhere...

It is! Here you go!

Life is better with order. Or, at the very least, with some attempt at patterns, organization, or consistency. 

Which is why Stern has carefully arranged his desk, his chair, and his equipment in the background. Streaming as a hobby and a side hustle means he has some (okay, a lot) of practice making his digital self look just right. He needs to make a good impression on the first day of the semester.

Unlike some people. 

“Holy shit man, are you in the woods?” Duck, the guy in a “Monongahela National Forest” shirt, grins as he asks this of another student whose screen consists of a forest clearing, a log, and the name “Barclay.”

“Yeah. Hang on, lemme finish getting the phone balanced.”

“Dude, that’s like, way better than my background” this comes from Jake, in front of a poorly rendered half-pipe. 

“Can’t really take credit for it, just where I ended up.” Barclay sits down, and Stern gets his first look at a man so tall he barely fits in the frame, with a short, coppery beard and an honest-to-god man-bun.

Damn west coast schools. 

“How is your battery going to last long enough for class?” Stern leans back in his chair, certain Barclay will have “battery trouble” halfway through as an excuse to cut out early.

Barclay smiles, lifting up a small green and black rectangle, “solar battery. Not everyone needs fancy gadgets for school.” He aims a pointed stare at Sterns set-up. 

“It’s important to have the right equipment.”

“Whatever you say, man.” He lifts a cup of iced coffee into the frame, sipping it through a straw. It’s the picture of relaxation, as if nothing is wrong in the world. As if this is all totally normal. 

Stern wants to reach through the  screen and slap some sense into him. Preferably while he’s shirtless.

He chalks that thought up to not having gotten laid since last December and pulls up his note taking software as Professor Chicane enters the room.

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

Private Chat 9/20/20

Duck (he/him): I timed it, we’re already at ten minutes of arguing.

Indrid (he/him): I know Ned enjoys their demonstrating the different modes of rhetoric, but this is a bit extreme.

Duck: To be fair, Joe does seem kinda uptight.

Indrid: Yes, but Barclay should know by now that zeroing in on him during our practice debates only results in this.

Duck: Yeah. Oh shit, are they for real wrapping up you think?

Indrid: We can only hope. Skype me tonight?

Duck: Of course, sugar.

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

What is Joseph’s problem? He’s got a set-up that would make a pro-vlogger jealous, what looks to be a well-lit apartment with some houseplants and the kind of coffee-cups that are weirdly lacking in personality. His clothes are immaculate, his hair slicked back as if he;s in a business meeting rather than an online class in the midst of a chaotic world. So why is he acting like everything is terrible? And why is he always arguing with Barclay, when there are plenty of other people in the class to disagree with?

“Now” Mr. Chicane’s voice booms through the tiny speaker on his phone, “if you all had a chance to read over the instructions, we will begin the first mock debate. Do we have any volunteers?”

He and Joe raise their hands at the same time. Mr. Chicane raises an eyebrow.

“While I appreciate your eagerness, gentlemen, I would like two other volunteers this time.”

That’s fine by him. It’s not like he likes listening to Joseph get all wound up and passionate, making everyone on the call sit up and take notice of him. It’s not as if he enjoys being the center of his focus. 

Nope, not at all.

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

Private chat 10/11/20

Jake (he/him): Dudes, did you see who got paired up on the final project?

Aubrey (she/her): Chicane must be getting them back for all the times they’ve hijacked discussions. 

Duck (he/him): Man, for their sake I hope it works out.

Indrid (he/him): This is going to be a disaster.

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

“Are you out of your mind!” Stern is talking before Barclay’s video is fully on. 

“Nope. And you don’t have to yell, my speaker works just fine.”

“You’re outside, for all I know there’s a ton of ambient noise.”

Barclay, phone obviously in his hand as he walks through the trees, groans.

“And don’t try to derail this; how can you possibly suggest I come out there so we can do the project in person? We’re supposed to be limiting travel and gatherings.”

“Look, Joseph, we both agree that trying to generate our own cryptid hoax is the best way to demonstrate all the techniques Ned wants us too, right?”

“Yes” he hides his answer behind the rim of his coffee mug. 

“We’ll do a way better job if we work in the same space. And if it makes you feel any better, I haven’t had any human contact in three weeks; all quarantined up, unlike whatever you’ve been doing in the city.”

He sets the mug down with a thunk, “I haven’t been out in a month. And before that was only for one grocery run and a hospital visit.”

“Uhhh-”

“I cut my hand cooking. So. Yeah.”

Literal crickets chirp, courtesy of Barclay’s end of the line, as the silence stretches on.

“If it helps, it’s real easy to stay isolated here, and I’ve still got utilities and everything.”

“And you’re not subsisting only on MREs or granola or something?”

A deep chuckle, the kind that makes his skin prickle, “Nope. That much I can promise.”

Stern glances around the studio apartment, clean and empty. 

“What’s your address?”

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

Look, all Stern is going to say is that he’s seen and read plenty of stories that start with a cabin in the woods and none of them end well. Which is why he’s still sitting in his car, parked beside a beat-up Subaru, rather than knocking on the door. 

Breathe in, five counts. Out for four. Repeat four times. 

Waiting for him on the door is a note.

Joseph,

Key under mat, make yourself at home. 

Barclay. 

He brings in his bags (a matching set of three, a gift from his aunt last year), placing them in the tiny guest room. It’s not much more than a bed, a dresser, and a tiny table. But there’s a heating unit below the window looking out into the woods, which is pretty pleasant. He’ll be keeping the blinds closed at night, though; he hates the thought of something being able to look in. 

Stern’s busy evaluating the laundry closet when the front door opens. 

“Hey, glad you found the place okay.”

Barclay stands in the doorway, a basket full of fruit in one hand. He’s remarkably kempt for a man living in the woods and that, combined with the deep voice being even richer in person and the fact Stern has to actually look up to meet his eyes, has him stumbling for words. 

“Your directions were very thorough. Thank you. Um. I put my things in there, should I, um-”

“I can give you the grand tour.” The taller man sets the basket on the dining table, notices Sterns puzzled expression “there’s a piece of property about a mile thataway that has orchards they don’t really use. They let me come and pick whenever i want, less for them to clean up.”

Barclay keeps up a steady monologue as he shows him the cabin. The lower level is the living room and dining area, a kitchen which leads onto the back deck, Sterns room, and a bathroom. As the cabin is A-frame, the upstairs is Barclay’s room, all dark wood and pine colored plaid. It’s as Barclay is telling him about the woodpecker that sometimes nests in the eaves that he realizes why he’s talking so much.

He’s nervous. 

Neither of their nerves improve when he gets to his last point of order. 

“Uh, so, the bathroom downstairs is only a half-bath.”

“So...if I want to shower, which I do, I have to come up here.”

“Yeah.” Barclay scratches the back of his neck, “sorry. I don’t, like, sleep naked or anything so we should be fine.”

“Disappointing.” Stern sighs, only to sail past sarcastic and land face first in sincere. 

Barclay blushes, then shrugs, “Trust me, after the first night, you’ll see why.”

Stern does. He’s warm as long as he’s in bed, but the moment he ventures into the bathroom in the middle of the night he’s cocooned in cold. 

The morning brings cinnamon and coffee on the draft coming under the door. He plods into the kitchen in search of caffeine, finds Barclay in an pron, the counter covered in trays of dough. 

“Morning!”

“Morning. Coffee-”

“Right there, sugar and stuff’s in the cabinet above it, cream and such is in the fridge.”

Blessedly, there’s heavy cream to be found, and soon he’s sipping from an enamel mug emblazoned with a UFO made of veggies. 

“Is this all for your job?” Barclay mentioned he was a cook during an icebreaker. 

“Yep. Way it works is I bust my ass baking once or twice a day, and Thacker, who works with Mama at the Lodge in town, comes and takes them over there. Normally I’d just be there but, well, y’know.”

“Everything is on fire? Figuratively, I mean.”

“Sometimes literally too, but yeah.”

As he’s turning to grab his clothes and head showerward, Barclay adds, “You a scone man, coffecake man, or a cinnamon roll man?”

“Coffeecake?” It comes out hesitant. 

“There’s no right answer, man.” Barclay sounds amused, “what do you want?”

“Cake, definitely.”

“Cool. I’ll save you a slice.”

Once he’s showered and on the wi-fi, his day runs like normal; one lecture, reading, a research paper, his initial half of their project, and working either his copy-editing or transcription job in between, and planning his next stream. Barclay comes and goes, stops now and then to see if he needs anything, leaves a sandwich in front of him around dinner time. Then it’s time to crawl under the covers and dream of a less-stressful world. 

The next day, just before one, Barclay taps him on the shoulder. 

“Ready for class?”

“Yes…” He gestures to his laptop and notebook. 

“C’mon, join me out here, it’s way nicer, and we can share the phone.”

“Barclay, it’s  a nonsensical way to attend class, just stay in here with me! Even this set-up has to be better than the woods.”

“This set up. You mean my house?” All the friendliness leaves hi voice. 

“Yes. Look, I agreed to come out because you’re right, if we want to ace this thing that’s worth sixty percent of our grade, this is the place to do it; I don’t have to go along with the whole self-sufficient woodsman aesthetic while I’m here. “

“Yeah, I’d say you’re pretty far from self-sufficient. See you in class.” 

Stern stews through the entire session, but where he’d usually find something Barclay says to latch onto, he instead gnaws on himself. Why didn’t he just go with him? Why snap at someone who’s been nothing but nice since he got here?

Whatever the answer, how can he fix it?

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

Barclay tromps back through the twilight, done with his second class of the day. If Joseph is in the main house, he plans to ignore him until tomorrow morning. That all goes out the window with the clank of dishes from the kitchen. 

Peering in reveals the other man bent over, pulling a casserole from the oven. He waits to announce his presence until Joseph is out of the danger zone, enjoying the view as he does. 

“Smells good.”

Blue eyes flick over to him as Joseph opens drawers, “it’s mostly cheese and chips, so I’m not surprised.”

“Servers are in that one.”

“Thank you. Nacho pie?” He scoops some into a bowl, holding it out. 

“Sure. Uh, look, Joseph I-”

Joseph holds up the server, “Wait. Before you apologize I, um, I wanted to say I’m sorry for my comments. And for being so...me-ish.” He sighs, staring at the utensil in his grip, “I’ve always been a little bit tense, tried to be polite and effective and friendly in spite of it. The last six months made that harder to do. I don’t love it when I can’t be organized, when normal systems go out of place. But that’s no excuse for being rude to you, even before you invited me here. You’re just so...you’re always so calm and relaxed, like nothing was wrong and I just honed in on that way more than made sense. I’m sorry.”

“If it makes you feel better, I kinda did the same thing. You’re always so put together, it looked like you had this organized life in the midst of this whole shitstorm. I feel lik everything is slipping away, like my world is just this cabin. I mean, I assumed you were seeing friends in the city, while I haven’t seen Mama in person since April. So” he sets the bowl down, rests his hand on Joseph’s shoulder, “I’m sorry too.”

Joseph laughs, softly, “turns out we both had failures of imagination, huh?”

“Yeah” he runs a hand over Joseph's back, “now come on, this dinner’s not gonna eat itself.”

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

“You sure you don’t wanna wear the bigfoot costume?”

“Positive. Besides, it suits you.” Joseph finishes styling the fur on the head of the costume to look more realistic, “I just hope we get this done before that storm comes in; as mush as the rain would add to the mood of the scene, that’ll be hell to dry and you’ll be miserable. So, go lurk over there while I finish up getting the camera settings where they need to be.”

“Yes sir” Barclay pops the head on, leaves crunching as moves to his appointed tree. He smiles as he watches Joseph fiddle with the camera; things have been so much better between them these last two weeks. They trade off cooking dinner, study side by side, and watch movies or play games in the warmth of the heater. They have a similar sense of humor and taste in books, and are tidy to boot.   Joseph’s even come with him to listen to lectures in the woods, the pair sharing a thermos of coffee under the astonished gaze of their classmates. There’s just one problem. 

Barclay’s buried crush is now blooming in every direction. Animated, argumentative Joseph was attractive. Joseph, in all his moods and mannerisms, is devastatingly enchanting. He’s come close to telling him this, but the other man is his guest and also only here for another two and a half weeks, so a confession is setting himself up for heartbreak at worst and awkwardness at best. 

He almost blew it last night when they were washing dishes (Joseph scrubs, Barclay dries and puts away). 

“Last one.”

“Thanks, blue eyes.”

“What was that?”

“Uh, blue eyes? Like a, uh, a nickname?”

Joseph laughs, “Sounds like something from a Raymond Chandler book. I like it.”

On the plus side, if Joseph thinks it’s just a nickname and not a pet name, maybe Barclay can keep using it.

“Are you ready?’

He sticks up a hairy thumb and calls, “you know it, blue eyes.”

That same laugh as Joseph takes up his position. Maybe it’s the weird film over the costume’s eyes, but Barclay swears he sees a blush.

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

Stern trawls through the search results. Their video is getting some traction, with two cryptid hunter sites claiming it’s credible footage. He’s making note of how the information spread, which threads lead to belief and which to doubt, when Barclay calls from upstairs. 

“Joseph? Little help?”

The other man is in the bathroom, and when Stern knocks he says, “Think the pilot light on the water heater went out again, all I’m getting is cold water. Can you go relight it?”

“Sure.” He gets to the stairs then, stops, “where’s the key to that closet?”

“Huh? Oh, shit, right, hang on” Barclay says at the same time as Stern’s “don’t worry, I can find it.” 

Which is why the instant he turns back into the bedroom is the same instant Barclay steps out of the bathroom, blue towel around his waist. 

Any blood that doesn’t head south goes instantly to Stern’s cheeks. 

“You okay there, blue-eyes?”

“It’s completely unfair how good you look without a shirt.”

He clamps a hand over his mouth.

“Idn’t ean to ay at out oud” The mumbled explanation makes Barclay smirk. 

“You like this, should see what’s under the towel.”

The unusually bold statement from Barclay kindles his own confidence.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, big guy.”

“Who says I won’t.” Barclay sits down on the edge of the bed, nonchalant and leaning back on his hands, “got plenty of time to make good on them.”

“We literally don’t. I go back in a week and two days.”

Barclay toys with the lint on the towel, “you could stay. Through break, through next semester, for however long you wanted.”

“Do you mean that?”

A shy nod, “I like having you around, Joseph. Even beyond the huge fucking crush I have on you I...everything is a little better when you’re around.”

“I, um, I guess it could work. We know next semester is online too, and so is work, so…” there must be variables missing, something he’s not seeing, some reason this is too good to be true.

“You want some space away from shirtless me to think about it?”

“That’d be great.”

Barclay stands, hesitates, then plants a quick kiss on his forehead, “take all the time you need, blue eyes.”

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

Private Chat log 1/11/2021

Barclay (he/him): Did you see the look on Duck’s face when we turned up in frame together. 

Joseph (he/him): Yes. Pretty sure Aubrey yelled something about him needing to pay up. I wonder what the bet was. 

Barclay (he/him): Whatever it was, pretty sure I came out the biggest winner. 

Stern snorts, trying not to blush on camera, and leans over to kiss his boyfriend on the cheek. 

[i-write-sometimes-blog]

Flesh and bones (Captain Phasma x Reader)

Request: Can you write Phasma being vulnerable or sympathetic? I’m outraged at how Lucasfilm treated her and it would be nice to see some fic humanizing her a bit. By @thatfantasylovingdork

Words: 1,875

A/N: This took me longer than I thought, sorry darling. It was a bit hard to write her just from the films, I had to read a lot to be sure this was kinda accurate and oh boy I fell more in love with her. Hope you like it, thanks for requesting!💕

There were screams down the hall. Barely audible screams that sounded anything but happy and became louder as you walked with the small blaster in your hand, you cursed not having a bigger weapon but you didn’t need it, troopers were supposed to protect you, a commander, yet they were nowhere to be seen.

The sounds came from a garbage compactor and confused you even more, why would there be someone inside a trash compactor? and if so who was it? Perhaps a young cadet victim of a cruel prank from their comrades. Whoever it was seemed to be in a very need of a hand, frustratedly grunting and groaning as a bunch of curses echoed through the place.

“Hold on there, cadet.” you said typing the code to open the magnetically sealed door, the hatch opened fastly after you placed the last number and you hurried to find out who was inside and for your surprise it was someone you never expected. “Captain Phasma” you greeted.

“Don’t ask.” she warned stepping carefully out the room filled with industrial waste, moving some big metal pieces out of her way.

“Are you alright, Sir?” you asked offering her a hand but she ignored it.

“I didn’t need your help!” she growled when she was back on her feet on the hall with you, her voice rumbled very angry through her chromium helmet.

“Was I supposed to leave you in there then?” you huffed.

“Maybe.” she told you “It was not of your business, Commander.”

“Why were you screaming then? You expected me to let you crushed to death by the compactor?” you questioned her “I very much doubt your armor would have withstood that, Captain” you told her which clearly didn't made her happy as she leaned her tall imposing figure closer to you.

“Listen carefully, Commander. I’ve survived worse things than this and I didn’t need…” there was a big explosion that shook the whole place. The lights flashed for a moment before the emergency alarm started to sound all around the place.

“That came from Precinct 47” you murmured looking in the direction the sound came from. “This is bad”

“You think?” she mocked already making her way through the glossy halls of the base. You followed her closely as all the base seemed to start crashing. Phasma was heading to the nearest hangar, you remembered every turn on every hall of this big place and by the sound of the explosion that specific hangar must be gone, the only chance you both had to escape the collapsing planet was outside.

“Captain, this way, we have to cross the forest and get in a ship now!” you told her but she kept moving towards the hangar. “Captain!” you yelled and she turned fastly walking close to you.

“Why would I trust you?” she said. You had worked with this woman from a really long time now she should've trusted you after all those years but you knew she didn’t even trusted her own soldiers and it annoyed you sometimes.

“Fine.” you told her “Go on then, but you’ll only find ashes in that direction.” you kept your voice control and serious as you talked looking up to her. “Or you can follow me and live. Your choice, Phasma.” you told her. You waited for a moment and then you continued your escape with the sound of her heavy boots behind you.

Things outside weren’t much better than inside the base, a few X-wings were chased by TIE-fighters as the cannons in earth tried to stop them without much success. You rushed to the woods, the thick layer of snow making it not really easy to run, by the corner of your eyes you caught the light shining on Phasma's silver armor, you were surprised she was still following you.

“Wait!” she told you stopping you with her hand just before the ground cracked in front of you as the planet trembled beneath your feet. You looked at her and gave her a little thankful nod.

You hurried to the black ships and eventually made your way to them getting inside the very first one, it was imperative to leave the planet as soon as possible, from the distance you contemplated the trees falling as the ground copalsed, you didn’t know how much more it could resist, you had to hurry up. So you pressed the buttons to initiate the small ship.

“Commander, take off right now!” she commanded you, there was anger in her voice but at the same time there was anxiety and fear, she was nervous, fearing it would be too late if you didn’t take off.

“You’re not being so helpful, Captain!” you said as you pushed the last lever and the ship started to move, pulling the rudder up you took the ship outside the planet hearing how it crashed behind you.

Then finally you were out there hoping to keep a safe distance. You left just in time, moments before the small ship outer space the whole planet crumbled to itself burning to exploit a few moments later with such power it made you skip a beat.

Then it was quiet, so quiet until you heard a soft metal sound followed by a unmodulated voice.

“Well, that was a thing” Phasma murmured in the seat behind you.

“You think?” you joked with her own words as you kept piloting the ship.

“I-I” she murmured “I want to apologize” she said, she sounded a bit different without the helmet, intimidating but more like a regular person, she stopped for a moment struggling to find the right words.

“I was a complete bitch back there” she told you pausing for a moment “I still don’t understand why you helped me. Someone else would have preferred to leave me in that trash compactor, my own troopers would have done it” her tone lowered but not in angry way, she was rather sad yet completely aware of the truth on her words.

“Lucky for you I’m not a trooper” you told her.

“True” she said “And then, if I hadn’t follow you I’d be probably dead right now” she murmured. “I… Thank you, Commander” she said.

“Y/N” you told her and you saw her looking over her shoulder hoping to find your face, you couldn’t see much of her features except for a deep blue eye that contrasted with her pale skin as some golden curls fell on her face, then you got your attention back to the rudder.

“I’ve worked with you for years” you told her “This is the first time I hear you apologizing to someone”

“Well, Y/N. I have to say it’s very new for me” she explained “I’m not… used to being helped. This is a cruel world, you have to watch your own back because nobody else will do it for you.”

“Friends watch out for each other” you said and waited for her answer.

“I don’t have friends” she said serious “Nor family, I don’t even trust in the soldiers I train, I know they would blast me the second I give them a chance. Allies would betray me too, I know that for sure. It always has been me against the world.”

Her voice was cold yet filled with a mix of the emotions she was trying to hide: pain, sadness.

“Sometimes I see cadets helping each others out and comforting when they fail a fight” she said “I hate it. I repress them, only cause it reminds me how lonely I am. Nobody cares about the cruel Captain Phasma, they fear me, they hate me. I’ve heard the hurtful comments the troopers say behind my back, maybe you’ve heard them too, Y/N”

You didn’t answered though she was right, there were a lot of rumours around the base, some of them calling her a coward, some of her uncertain and mysterious past and some about her appearance, no one had ever seen her without the chromium helmet, except maybe you now.

“People think I’m as strong and repellent as my armor” she confessed “Truth is I’m just another human. It sucks to be me.” she sighed.

Never in your entire life expected this from Phasma, she seemed so strong, so intimidating, willing to beat the hell out of someone that would dare to even look at her the wrong way. But she was right, she was just human after all, a woman of flesh and bones, who could be hurt, who had feelings always hidden by her shiny armor. You understood how lonely she must felt all the time.

“That’s why it meant a lot to me that you, a person I barely know was willing to help me, to offer me a helping hand. I don’t think you realize what it means to me, Y/N” she added sincerely “Don’t know why I am even telling you all this” she said, her tone seemed a bit ashamed of her words.

“Look” you rose your voice after a time in silence “I know we don’t actually know each other well but…” you looked over your shoulder “I’m still worrying about you. No one deserves to be alone, Phasma”

You caught her gaze on you, finally seeing the side of her face, delicate compared with her tough uniform, it was strange to finally know the person under the mask and see her facial expressions after years of talking to your own reflection in her armor.

“I mean it, no one” you told her “This is a cruel world, you said that yourself, but it could be easier if you have someone who watch your back, or just to talk at least.” you said. “We watch out for each other”

She nodded slowly and there was the shadow of a smile, faint but it was there.

“Does that make us friends?” she asked and you chuckled.

“If you want, Captain” you told her, nothing you would have liked more than get to truly know her, this soft side of her, discover more of this mysterious woman. “I’d love to”

Then she turned back to her seat to hide the growing smile on her lips, you were the first person to be kind to her, to be true without looking for something in return, to listen her and offer her help and friendship. She was slowly falling for the commander that saved her.

She clear her throat before raising her voice again, now with a serious but certainly playfully tone.

“If you ever mention something about the trash compactor, I’m going to have to kill you, understood Commander Y/N?” she said and you couldn’t help but smile, yeah maybe this wasn’t a joke at all but you knew she was trying to make you laugh.

“Now that sounds more like the Captain Phasma everybody knows” you told her chuckling and for a brief moment you heard a soft laugh from Phasma.

You piloted the rest of the way in silence, feeling safe with the company of this strong woman and looking forward to meet more about the woman beneath the chromium armor.

[almost-jack]

Sex, Drugs,&Space Chaos Ch. 2 (A Smutty Handsome Jack Adventure)

FInd more chapters on my AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/27921886/chapters/68380147

P.S. I friggen love comments, indulge me y’all

Chapter 2: A Push, a Pull, and a Twist

Rei arrived at Jack’s office promptly at 5. The room was enormous, with Jack’s desk at the far end on a raised platform in front of three massive windows overlooking a vast expanse of black space speckled with shimmering stars. Rei couldn’t help but smile to herself upon seeing the room; of course Jack would rule Hyperion from a stage.

Jack was lounging, feet up on his desk and a cigarette dangling between his fingers. A pair of unfamiliar people, clearly not Hyperion employees, were seated in front of him, drinks in hand. Jack was talking animatedly to a tall, lanky young man with slicked back hair and a cybernetic arm who was hovering at his side. This looked like less of a company meeting and more of small soiree, but Rei wasn’t complaining. Jack called out to her as she approached.

“Ah, good!  Tiny cartel boss, meet the vault hunters. Vault hunters, tiny cartel boss,” he said cheerfully.

Rei decided to ignore the jab about her height and flashed him a crooked smile, relieved that he seemed to be in a very good mood.

“Is that my new title? I dig it,” she mused. Jack winked at her appreciatively.

“Have a seat. Rhys, pour our friend here a drink. What are you drinking, sweetheart?”

“Uhh whiskey neat, I guess,” she said, lowering herself into a chair. The tall man nodded and descended the steps of the platform to rummage around in Jack’s mini bar.

“This is your ace-in-the-hole, Jack? Really? She’s gonna get killed real quick down on Pandora,” growled a huge, muscular, bearded man with excessive cybernetics seated next to her. A tall, regal looking black woman dressed in a white fur lined coat leaned against his chair, eyeing Rei with equal skepticism.

“That’s why, Wilhelm, my dear, she’s not going down there to clean up that bandit filth. You are. You’re the brawn, she’s the brains. You clear the way and Rei will do the rest,” said Jack.

“You know, uh, I grew up on Pandora. I’ve held my own in more than a few fights,” Rei said with a hint of indignation in her voice. Her hand subconsciously drifted under her lab coat to the holster on her hip. She had decided not to take any chances and come armed with a pistol.

Jack’s eyebrows shot up.

“Hmm, is that so? There was nothing in your file about Pandora…”

“I’m sure you realize there’s a lot about me that’s not in Hyperion’s database. Besides, it’s not exactly something I advertise around Helios. People seem to have a lot of… misconceptions about Pandora. Thanks,” she said, taking the drink that Rhys handed her. “So what exactly is it that you want me to do for you?”

Jack grinned and took a drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out in a crystal ashtray.

“So-ho-ho much, cupcake,” he said with a chuckle. “Let’s start with mining the hell out of that shithole planet Pandora. We’re going to gut it and pull out all the Eridium until it collapses in on it’s stupid little self, and you’re going to oversee it. Then you’re going to take all that sweet, sweet Eridium and figure out a way to charge me a vault key. And all those little bandits your lab buddies drugged and tortured until they became psychos? I want some of those, too. But obedient. I swear I’ll shoot them right between the friggin’ eyes if any of those little monsters so much as looks at me wrong. But that comes later.”

“And what about the moral implications of, you know, torture and destroying a planet and all that…?” asked Rei, peering at him over rim of her glass.

Jack looked at her blankly for a moment, then broke into peels of laughter.

“Really? Really? The ex-Pandoran drug lord is questioning my moral integrity? Or are you getting cold feet, here?” he said, cackling.

Rei wasn’t questioning Jack’s moral compass so much as trying to discern if he actually had one. She concluded that…well she still had no idea, not that it mattered much. Over the years Rei had learnt and re-learnt the same lesson; survival first, power second, morality…whenever it was convenient. It was how the Borderlands worked.

“So I’ll take that as permission to do whatever I need to do.”

“You’ve got a free pass, run wild! And kitten, I really can’t wait to what happens when I set you loose. All you have to do is sign-” he motioned towards Rhys, who pulled a piece of paper from a folder under his arm.  “Here,” said Jack, pointing to a blank line at the bottom of the page.

She liked the sound of that…complete freedom to do whatever questionable project her heart desired was all she had ever wanted. She took a sip of her drink feeling more at ease with Jack, optimistic that this situation might actually turn out well for her. Rei picked up the contract and began to skim it.

“Don’t bother reading it, cupcake. You either sign, or I give you a ten second head start before I start shooting,” said Jack, reaching for his own drink.

“Jack, darling, are you quite sure she’s trustworthy? Wilhelm and I have already proved our merit. Don’t you feel compelled to test our new comrade?” asked the expensive looking woman.

“Aurelia, your concern is adorable, really, it is,” Jack said, flashing her a charming, well-practiced smile. “But you don’t need to concern yourself with anything other than getting paid.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said, frowning.

“Speak for yourself,” grunted Wilhelm.

“So,” said Jack, pushing a pen towards Rei, “what’s it gonna be, darlin’? Are we going to be buddies, or do I need to blow your brains out?”

Rei couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Oh wow, thanks for the ultimatum. I’ll need a minute to think about that one,” she said sarcastically, picking up the pen.

“Ooh, mouthy. Very, cute, kitten,” he said, sneering down at Rei as she signed the contract. “Ok kiddos, now that you’re all acquainted, you’ve got work to do. Off you go,” said Jack, waving a hand towards the door.  

Aurelia reached out and straightened Jack’s collar before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Do be careful, dear. I would hate for anything else to happen to that handsome face,” she cooed. She turned and followed Wilhelm out. Rei put her glass down and turned to leave as well.

“Ah-ah-ah. Not you, Rei. We’ve got a couple more things to discuss,” Jack said, eyeing her with a wolfish, almost hungry expression.

“Yes sir,” she said, taking a seat in Wilhelm’s recently vacated chair. She noticed that Rhys remained quietly behind Jack, watching her with a hint of concern.

“Rhysie, go get me a sandwich,” Jack said, without turning to look at him.

Rhys paused a moment, looking at Jack wonderingly, then shrugged and left.

As soon as the metal doors slid shut behind Rhys, Jack stood and rounded the desk. He perched on the edge directly in front of Rei, legs spread wide and arms folded over his puffed out chest, obviously trying to intimidate her.

“Aurelia’s got a point, kitten. How do I know you’re trustworthy?”

“Well I did just sign a binding contract under threat of death, so there’s that.”

“Is it really enough, though? Don’t think I didn’t notice that you showed up armed, today.”

“But sir, you’re always armed. Can you really blame me?”

Jack leaned in, his face less than a foot from her own.

“So what, you were going to shoot me if I scared ya? Nah. You wouldn’t dare,” he said, reaching out to cup her chin. He tilted her head up, exposing her neck to him. Rei didn’t resist, partially out of fear…but more so because something hot and dangerous was brewing deep in her stomach.

“No, sir. I wouldn’t shoot you. I don’t think that would be in my best interest,” she said softly.

“Good,” he said with a chuckle. Jack grabbed her by the lapels of her lab coat and pulled her out of her chair, forcing her to stand between his legs. He lowered his head to her neck and brushed his lips against her jaw, making her shiver slightly. Rei could have sworn he was inhaling her scent like some sort of animal.

“I like you, Rei. I don’t want to have to get rid of you. Don’t make me do that, ok?” he murmured in her ear.

“You like what I can do for you. You barely know me,” corrected Rei, putting a hand on his chest and trying to push gently away from his grasp, but Jack didn’t yield.

“Do you always get so hands-on with your employees, or am I just lucky?” she quipped sharply, pushing against his chest in earnest. Jack let go and sat back, leaning on his hands.

“Sorry pumpkin, did I misread the situation? I thought we had a fun little thing going. I’m attractive…you’re attractive…You seem kinda into me. Your little neck would fit so perfectly in my hand,” Jack extended a large hand towards her neck, but paused, letting it fall back onto the desk. He began to drum his fingers impatiently against the dark, polished wood, clearly displeased with being forced to practice some self control.

“But we can keep this strictly professional if you want,” he said, a hint of irritation in his voice.

“Hmm. Not sure, boss. First you don’t trust me, then you want to fuck me…I think you need to make up your mind,” Rei said, dropping her hand from Jack’s chest to his thigh. She slid her hand slowly up his leg, inching closer to the subtle bulge growing under his zipper.

“Since when are those two things mutually exclusive?” Jack purred, tucking her long, chestnut hair behind her ear to reveal a thick, silver cuff in her cartilage. He grinned and tugged gently on the loop of metal, leaning in so his face was inches from hers.

There was a sudden thunder of gunshots outside Jack’s door, followed by screams. Jack jerked back, looking around wildly, then reached for the intercom next to his computer, slamming his fist down on the call button.

“RHYS! What the goddamn hell was that?!” he growled.

“Jack, you better get out here…we’ve got a situation,” Rhys’ panicked voice crackled over the intercom.

“Wait here, kitten,” he said, standing and attempting to adjust himself to hide his growing erection. Rei took a step back to let him pass, snickering to herself.

“I promise this is going to be far less funny to you later,” Jack said menacingly, towering over her, nearly a foot taller.

“Sure. Go get ‘em tiger.”

Jack glared at her for a moment, then turned on his heel, sprinting across the enormous room and through the great metal doors. Rei waited a moment, then quietly followed, stopping at the doorframe to peer at the commotion outside. There, in the middle of the hallway, stood a burly man in a Hyperion guard uniform, an enormous machine gun in one hand and Rhys’ neck in the other.

Rei’s stomach sank; the shooter was one of her plugs, specifically Ian Lynch, who she had instructed to watch her back since discovering Jack’s intense interest in her. But what the hell had happened? Some of her distributers were thugs, sure, but they knew better than to get violent inside Hyperion headquarters.

Jack advanced on the man slowly, gun drawn, face twisted with rage.

“Don’t do anything stupid, asshole… That’s Hyperion property you’re screwing with.” he snarled.

“Hah! You’re not as ruthless as they say, Jackie boy, otherwise you would have just shot me already and let this twerp take a bullet to the head. You’re all talk, ain’t ya?” said the assailant.

Jack looked like he was seriously considering doing just that, gun aimed at the man’s head, but his finger was absent from the trigger.

Rei stepped out of the office, striding quickly down the hall.

“LYNCH. Drop him. Now,” she commanded, drawing her own gun from it’s holster.

“There you are, Barrett, you fucking weasel. I’ve been waiting for you,” he hissed.

“You know this guy? And Jesus fucking Christ kid, didn’t I say to wait in my office? You’re gonna get sh-“

“If it’s me you’re after, then what the fuck are you doing, Lynch?” asked Rei, cutting Jack off.

“I caught him eavesdropping, he was recording near your door” choked Rhys. Lynch gave him a hard shake.

“Shut up. Yeah, I was listening in on your little meeting. Sorry to interrupt just as you were about to let Handsome Jack bend you over his desk, bitch, but this little shit came along and blew my cover. Wasn’t gonna shoot anyone today, but he kinda gave me no choice. Little shit came at me with a stun baton.”

“So let him go and tell me what you fucking want already,” huffed Rei.

“I want the two of you,” he said, jerking his head toward Jack and Rei, “to stay the fuck away from Pandora. I don’t give a fuck what you do to your Hyperion lackeys- drug ‘em, torture ‘em, I don’t care- but you’re not getting anywhere near my people and you sure as hell aren’t taking over my planet. So I guess what I’m really saying is that I want you both dead.”

“A small time drug pusher with a hero complex. Cute,” said Rei smarmily. Jack stared at her, eyes wide with surprise.

“He’s one of yours?”

“Not my best and definitely not my brightest, but yeah. He seems to be forgetting that he agreed to sell some pretty dangerous shit to people on Helios just so I would get him off Pandora. Ease up on Rhys’ neck, or you’re gonna kill your only bargaining chip, Lynch,” Rei said, noticing Rhys squirming and struggling for breath as Lynch’s grip tightened in irritation.

“Alright, enough of this,” said Jack impatiently. He flipped on his cloaking device and vanished.

“STAY BACK! I’M FUCKING WARNING YOU, JACK!” Lynch shouted, looking around wildly. Rei took advantage of the distraction and hurled herself at Lynch, knocking both him and Rhys to the floor, just barely keeping her own footing by landing in a cat-like crouch. There was a sickening crack as an invisible force came smashing down on Lynch’s wrist, forcing him to release the gun. He howled in pain as Jack reappeared above him, kicking his gun across the hall. Jack aimed his own weapon at Lynch’s groin, a manic gleam in his eye.

“That’s better. Now let Rhysie go or I’ll shoot your fucking dick off.”

Lynch stared venomously at Jack for a moment, then loosened his grip on Rhys, allowing him to pull away and scramble to his feet.

“Good. Hand over that recording and I won’t torture you to death. I don’t really care if your little bandit friends know we’re coming for them, but I’m not ready to make that announcement just yet. I wanted it to be special,” Jack said with a mock pout.

“Why the fuck would I do that? Let’s be honest, Jack, you’re just going to kill me anyway,” spat Lynch, attempting to sit up on his elbows.

“You’re wrong,” said Rei, planting a boot on either side of his hips and crouching down so their faces were level. She placed the muzzle of her pistol gently between his eyes and leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

“I am going to kill you.” Rei pulled the trigger. The crack of gunfire resonated through the empty hall and a spray of crimson droplets spattered Rei’s face and lab coat. Lynch slumped back in a pool of his own blood and brain matter.

Jack stood motionless, mouth slightly agape, staring at Rei.

“That was…oh my god…so fuckin’ hot, I mean, I can’t even-“

“He’s wearing a wire. It’s still transmitting to somewhere…somewhere nearby,” interrupted Rhys.

He had pressed himself as flat as possible against a nearby wall, as if trying to make his lanky form disappear into the metal. He took a shaky step forward, gingerly rubbing a blossoming bruise around his neck.

“I picked it up with my Echo eye. Couldn’t figure out why that guy was lurking around Jack’s door, so I gave him a scan. Where are you going?” Rhys said, noticing Rei slowly backing away.

His Echo eye sparked to life and raked over her, his mouth falling open in surprise. The receiver for the wire was nestled in Rei’s pocket.

“Oh. Oh shit. You? Why?”

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” snarled Jack, stomping over to her so he could make the vast difference in their sizes all the more evident as he loomed over her. She looked up at him wearily, realizing the jig was up.

“I…gave it to him. I told him to tail you and try to get something… to blackmail you with… in case I didn’t like the terms of your deal,” she mumbled sheepishly.

“So why was he here now? Couldn’t you just record me yourself?” asked Jack in a low, dangerous hiss, his eyes narrowed to slits.

“I asked him to watch my back. Like I said before, it really wouldn’t be in my best interest to shoot you. But…Lynch could have easily done it and left Helios for a while, if need be.”

“You really are a fuckin’ weasel, you know that? Give me one good reason not to shoot you right now.”

“Jack, she just helped you save my life…” muttered Rhys.

“She’s also the one who almost got you killed.”

“Look, I’m not sorry for protecting myself, but I honestly didn’t mean for Lynch to do a damn thing at all unless- SHIT, OW!”

Rei cried out as he roughly grabbed both of her wrists with one large hand, hoisting her arms above her head, forcing her to drop her gun. He pulled her up until the steel toes of her boots barely brushed the floor and gently placed the barrel of his gun under her chin, tipping her head up to look at him, all the while crushing her wrists in his powerful grip.

“JACK! Knock it off! Come on, you need her, remember?” Rhys protested, loudly and firmly this time.

“Yeah, you need me,” Rei hissed.

Jack glared at her furiously as he gave her wrists a twist that made her whimper, then lowered her slowly.

“Congrats, sweetheart, that’s strike three. First you use my company to run your little drug ring, then you try to blackmail me, then you try to kill me? Looks like you just earned yourself an early ticket to Pandora. Normally I’d toss you in a holding cell and let you rot there until I need ya, but I don’t trust that you’ll be a good girl if I let you out of my sight. So you’re taking Rhysie’s place and coming with me to help take care of some business. So glad you’re not shy about murder. Hopefully you don’t have to kill anyone you know, but… I wouldn’t count on it,” he purred, his voice dripping with honey and poison as he gave her wrists another twist.

Rei shoved a knee into his groin, not hard enough to hurt him, but with enough force to serve as a warning. Much to her surprise, she felt him half hard inside his jeans. He was clearly enjoying menacing her. Rei pressed a little harder and his cock gave an interested twitch under her knee, sparking a twisted pang of lust in her stomach.

“You want a mountain of dead bandits? You got it boss. Nice rage boner, by the way,” she snickered. Jack released her and stepped back, adjusting himself once again to hide the bulge in his pants.

“Don’t push me, cupcake, I think it’s evident how much I want to break you right now. You’re on the next shuttle with me to Pandora, pack your shit and be at the departure terminal in two hours. Rhys, you keep an eye on her, I’ve got shit to do. Oh, and give me that,” he snarled, thrusting a large hand roughly into the pocket of her lab coat and rifling through it. He pulled out the receiver and a small joint, inspecting them both, then dropped the receiver and smashed it under the heel of his shoe.

“What’s this?” he said, waving the joint in Rei’s face.

“Just plain old weed. Take it, on the house. I can’t think of anyone who needs to chill the fuck out more than you, right now,” she said brazenly.

“So help me god, I am going to…”  Jack mimed strangling the air in front of him.

“My point exactly.”

He made an aggravated noise in the back of his throat and stomped back down the hall, leaving Rei eyeing Rhys suspiciously while he uncomfortably shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Sorry about him. It’s really hard to calm him down when he gets like that,” Rhys said with a weary sigh.

“Nah, I would be pissed, too, if I were him. I would have kept monitoring him if I hadn’t been caught, and maybe not entirely for safety’s sake. If I have to destroy my home planet, I want to make sure I’m getting my fair share of the reward,” she said shrewdly.

“Well he shouldn’t have put his hands on you, at least. He can really do some damage if he’s not careful.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” said Rei, examining the angry red fingerprints around her wrists. “You seem to know him pretty well. What exactly are you to Jack? Personal assistant? Babysitter?”

Rhys laughed weakly. “Technically I was a middle management coder, but Jack took a special interest in me because…well, not to brag, but I’m a pretty great hacker,” he said with a hint of smugness. “So now I’m kind of…his protégé, I guess? But lately he’s been using me as an assistant because he freaking killed so many that no one wants the job anymore. He’s such a big, murderous baby sometimes.”

“Volatile psychopath is more like it.”

“Hah, yeah. You know…and don’t quote me on this because he’s pretty hard to read… but I think Jack was really disappointed about the whole blackmail thing. He seemed to really like you, kept talking about plans for his promising new “lab nerd”, and uh… something about bending you over his desk and uh…Well he was pretty excited that you weren’t a dude. And that you’re one of us,” Rhys said with a wink.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, attractive. In the 8 and up club. Grade A, Hyperion made.”

“God, you really are his protégé,” Rei said, picking up her gun and returning it to her holster.

“Hey, those are his words, not mine. You got a little something right here,” Rhys said, pointing to his cheek. Rei dragged her already bloodstained sleeve across her face, adding more crimson to it.

“Better?”

“You kinda just smeared it around…here.” Rhys wiped her cheek with the back of his hand, pausing just a moment too long before breaking contact. Rei raised an eyebrow and he blushed slightly.

“So, uh, we better get going,” he said, avoiding her gaze.

“Yep. Clearly I need a shower. Come on, Jack junior, let’s roll,” she said, taking off down the hall, Rhys hurrying after her.

[sonicgetsrawed]

How Many Times Must We Play This Game, How Many Times Must We Lose

This was supposed to be a bad things happen bingo prompt but it kinda took a different turn than I expected. Inspired by some lovely art I saw of possessed Varian by @nightsky-wonderer! I’m going to try to link it here! Enjoy!

He couldn’t move, no matter how much he wanted to, no matter how hard he tried, he was stuck in place. His feet were frozen to the ground, his breaking heart weighing him down like an anchor. He was too late, too late to make up for his mistakes, too late to try and fix them, too late to save Varian. He had tried to wake him up, break him from the trance, but he couldn’t, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak. All he could do was shake with fear, eyes watering uselessly as he fought his own mental battle. He wasn’t like this, he never froze, so of course the one time Varian needed him, truly needed him, he couldn’t do anything. He could still hear Varian’s screams, his cries for help, begging for it to stop, crying for him to do something, and then the heartbreaking sob, the realization that Hugo wasn’t going to do anything, he couldn’t. The last I love you left Varian’s lips, he couldn’t even return it. Now he would pay for his mistakes, now it didn’t matter, nothing mattered, not when Varian was gone.

He stayed frozen in place, watching as Varian’s head snapped to the side, tilting dangerously to the side, his eyes no longer the blue he grew to love, but a sickly glowing green color. They held no warmth, no love, just emptiness. There was nothing when he looked into those eyes, no sign that Varian had even been there. Why hadn’t he done anything? Why hadn’t he fought?

He dropped to his knees, pressing a hand to his mouth in a futile attempt at holding back a sob. He knew what he’d be getting into. He knew that this would be dangerous, he knew that Ulla was dangerous, he knew exactly what he was going to be walking into. He thought he could handle it, he thought he could save Varian, but he couldn’t. The memories would be ingrained in his head forever. The magic snaking around him, Ulla’s hand caressing his face in a false sense of comfort, the terrible choking sounds as Varian clawed at his throat in a last ditch effort to get his mother’s magic out, and now he was nothing more than a puppet. And Hugo, well, he did absolutely nothing.

“Hugo, please, help me. I’m scared.”

He was scared too. It’s why he didn’t move, why he couldn’t. He couldn’t lose Varian, and by doing nothing is exactly how he lost him. There was nothing he could’ve done, nothing that wouldn’t have hurt Varian in the process. He couldn’t do that, he just couldn’t, so he didn’t.

“There was nothing you could’ve done, dear.” Ulla’s voice sounded off coming from Varian’s body, the way they merged together sent chills down his spine. Varian’s voice never sounded like that, it was wrong. This whole thing was wrong. He never should’ve come, they should’ve sent Donella, Nuru, Yong, anyone but him. He wasn’t strong enough, they lost because of him. They lost Varian, they lost the library, they lost everything, because he was fucking scared. Out of all the times, out of every possible outcome, this was what he was scared of happening, so of course it had to come true. There was nothing he could’ve done.

Maybe there was something he could do now, if he could just move, he could at the very least prevent Ulla from leaving the library. He could already hear her footsteps moving away, each step fracturing his heart a little more. He needed to do something if not for himself then for Varian. His fingers brushed a piece of splintered wood, it had broken off sometime during the possession, that word was terrible, it was terrible to think of it like that, but that’s what it was, wasn’t it?

He didn’t know if he was strong enough, he didn’t know if he could move, he just knew he had to, Varian didn’t want this, he had to end it. He gripped the makeshift stake, fingers trembling as they wrapped around the item. He pushed himself to his feet, the only thoughts that he allowed to fill his mind were thoughts of Varian, no self doubt, no fear, just Varian and his desires. He surged forward, the weapon catching on the fabric of Varian’s shirt. The tearing sound echoed throughout the library.

The weird mashup of Varian and Ulla turned slowly to look at him, an eyebrow raised delicately, as they brought a hand to the small cut across their arm. “You think you can bring him back with violence?” A harsh laugh came from their lips, wiping the small amount of blood onto their pants. “You foolish boy, you have much to learn about the heart.”

Hugo brought the stake up again, preparing for another strike. “I’m not the only one, bitch.” He lunged, they dodged, the blueish green magic lighting up their right hand. Hugo was furious, that stuff couldn’t be good for Varian, the cracks where the flesh met magic only proved his point. He was too caught up in his thoughts to properly dodge the strike. The magic collided with his stake, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. He was grateful for his glasses, several shards bouncing off them. He stumbled, letting himself drop into a roll in order to dodge the next strike, their hand coming dangerously close to his head, a few strands from his ponytail not being so lucky. He kicked their legs out from underneath them, smiling to himself as they hit the ground.

“Hugo?” He froze all over again, it was Varian’s voice, purely Varian’s voice, and for a second for a wonderful blissful second, his eyes were their normal blue. He looked dazed and confused, his eyes not really focusing on anything, Hugo wanted nothing more than to scoop him into his arms and get him the fuck out of here. Then the moment was gone, his eyes returning to that awful green. He wasn’t fast enough this time, the magic hit him square in the chest. He flew across the room, the wind being knocked from his lungs. He groaned turning over on his side, his chest felt like it was on fire, his head spinning as the pain fought to overtake the adrenaline running through his veins. He gripped a book, swinging it, not putting his full force into the attack. It hit its mark, their head snapping to the side. He took the opportunity to tackle them to the ground, his hands pinning theirs above their head. He was careful of the right hand, fingers digging harshly into their upper arm to avoid the magic.

“Let Varian go.” He hissed between his teeth, struggling to keep his grip.

They thrashed underneath him. “No! This is my only way out of here! I won’t die here.”

“But you’ll let Varian?” The words seemed to strike a chord, they faltered for just a second, but it was more than enough time for Hugo to slip the dagger out of Varian’s belt.

No sooner than he had a grip on it, he was flipped, head spinning once again as his back collided with the floor. “You know nothing!” Their hand was poised to strike, ready for the kill.

It hurt, it hurt so bad, but Hugo pressed the tip of the knife to their abdomen. “I would think about your next move very carefully.” He was proud of himself for keeping his own hesitance out of his voice, although the threat was breathier than he’d have liked.

“You wouldn’t-“

“It’s okay, I trust you Hugo.”

He blinked as their eyes flickered, changing from green to blue at such a rapid pace he almost couldn’t keep up. Their words slurred together forming half sentences as they fought each other for dominance. It was all he needed to know. Varian was still fighting, and he’d be damned if he’d give up so easily. He kept the knife between them as a safety precaution, moving it instead to their neck as he pulled the front of their shirt down. He stared intently into their eyes, only speaking when they turned blue. “Come back to me, goggles. I love you.”

He pressed their lips together, putting all his faith and passion into the kiss. He pulled away reluctantly, smiling as he stared into a pair of wide blue eyes. Varian opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, whatever it was would never be known, instead his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed against him. He moved as carefully as possible, laying Varian on his back, a small line across his neck from where the knife had accidentally cut, it wasn’t deep by any means, but it would be a cruel reminder of their time here for a bit. He watched as the magic slowly faded from the younger, his right arm sporting a nasty burn from it. The green energy gathered, swirling in the air, he gripped the knife tighter, ready for another fight should it come to it.

Ulla turned to him, her form made completely of the energy. She looked sad, defeated, but also content, a soft smile gracing her lips as she looked up. “He cares a lot about you.” He eyed her suspiciously as their eyes met, any malice they previously held was gone. “You will take care of him, won’t you?”

Hugo lowered the knife, standing as tall as possible. “I will.”

She smiled again, tears falling down her cheeks. “That’s all I needed to know.” And then she was gone.

He stood there for far too long, looking at the empty space that once held Ulla’s form. It was a surreal experience, part of him wondered if it even happened, one glance at Varian told him it did. He was frozen once again, but this time it wasn’t from fear, this time he stood watch over the person he loved. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything hurt him again, he would stay here as long as he needed. He was done playing these twisted games fate had in mind for them, he had finally won, and he wouldn’t lose again.

[dyke-remy]

Live And Let Die, part 1

Part 2    Part 3    Part 4   Part 5   Part 6 

Description: Agent 008 and Agent 009, professional spies for the MI6 with liscense to kill. Partners in both work and love. After an agent goes missing the partners have to once more go out into the field. (It’s a James Bond AU)

You don’t need to know anything about James Bond to be able to read this fic, trust me

Words: 3516

It was 7 am when the alarm clock went off. It's loud blaring filled the room that had been peaceful a few seconds ago. Remus let out a grunt. Without opening his eyes he took out a knife from under his pillow and threw it at the clock. The noise disappeared.

"You can't keep doing that" Remy muttered, half yawning it out "Q is like running out of clocks"

"If he could make that morning star that also worked as a disco ball for my birthday he can make some new clocks" He replied.

The room (and the entire apartement) was of average size with just enough space for everything necessary. Which made sense, they didn't spend much time in there anyway. Soft morning light was shimmering in through the window.

The blanket had been wrinkled since Remy was laying over it with their head on the pillow. Remus had his arms wrapped around their waist. They were so close their hair twined together on the pillows. He leaned closer and gave his spouse a good morning kiss.

Their slow awakening was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. They glanced at one another as their expressions turned serious. Remus quietly got up and grabbed the gun laying on the nearest drawer. Butt naked as he was he sneaked over to the door and slowly opened it and at the same time held the gun out.

"Good morn- AAAHHHH!" Patton Moneypenny screamed when he saw the gun peeking out at him. He had on a dark blue knitted suit jacket with stylish bows instead of buttons. With it he had on wide blue matching suit pants.

Remus' posture relaxed when he saw who it was. He fully opened the door "Hiya Moneypenny. You should yell it's you next time or else your brain might paint the walls.....That would look kinda nice tho"

"You should take something on" Patton suggested with a cheerful smile while his cheeks went bright red.

"He should" Remy who had come up behind their husband agreed "One day someone will shoot your dick off"

"Naaaahhhh. They will be too surprised by seeing my massive cock to think about attacking me and then it'll be too late. Boom bang dead! It's a genius tactic!!"

Remy rolled their eyes. They sent Patton a warm smile before pulling him into a hug "Hiya PatPat! Wanna come in?"

"Yeah" As he looked around the room which he'd been in many times he continued with "M wants to meet you in 15 min"

M was the leader of the MI6, the organisation they all worked for. Patton had been his secretary for as long as anyone could remember. It would be weird to imagine M's office without Pat working tiredlesly on his desk right outside.

"15? Girl a lady needs time to get ready, what the fuck" Remy opened a drawer and pulled out the black suit pants, white shirt, black tie and black blazer that acted as their dress code.

"15? Oh! Too little time to spend with my Favorite person in the whole MI6!" Remus exclaimed. He still didn't have anything on.

He took Patton's hand and moved the other to lay on his waist. He spun him around in some sort of dance which made the shorter man giggle and blush harder. He tried not to look down at Remus'....

"Oh Mr. Moneypenny! Rotten apple of my eye! Every mission is spent missing you!" he continued to dramatically lament. He dipped Patton and playfully moved in for a kiss.

Patton let out a chuckle while leaning his head away. "I'm married"

"Ah yes! The greatest tragedy of my life!" Remus held his hand over his heart and all.

"Tragedy indeed" Remy commented before flicking their finger to the back of their husband's head. They dumped his clothes onto his head too "C'mon gal the sooner you get done the sooner you can go out and play fisticuffs with someone"

"Fantastic point dear!"

After gettin dressed Remus jumped up on the bed and pressed a specific spot on the painting on the wall. It turned around to reveal a collection of guns, knives and various other weapons hidden behind it. He patted his morning star and throwing stars goodmorning, fully knowing that M nor Q would allow him to bring them on a mission. Instead he took a gun and carefully cleaned it as if he was cleaning a marble vase.

"I hate these fucking suits. They're so boring. No style. No style at all!!" Remy groaned out while tying their husband's tie because he'd been a spy for 7 years now and he still couldn't tie a tie.

Patton nodded along in sympathy "Very gay of you to think that" The duke chuckled.

They fixed his shirt which had been buttoned wrong "I don't think about fashion because I am gay as fuck! I think about it 'cause I've tots been the most fantastic disguiser here for years and fashion is like integral to a good disguise!! Besides my mothers are fashion legends and I gotta represent y'know"

"I know"

He handed over a gun (Handler ppk) and a few different knives to his spouse who swiftly hid it in different places on their suit. He himself preffered a bit more heavy handed attilery even when it came to handguns.

The couple followed Moneypenny out of their apartement. They lived in a normal looking apartement complex, a little bit fancier than a normal one. They went into a cleaning scrub.

Patton grabbed a mop standing in the corner. He pulled off the top of the handle revealing a scanner underneath. He pressed his thumb against it. A panel of numbers appeared on the wall. He quickly pressed in a code which finally made the inner wall open up, revealing an elevator.

They stepped inside and chit chatted about the weather and what they'd done on the weekend as the elevator went down.

The elevator opened with a satisfying ding. They were many many levels underground now. Long grey hallways stretched forward. It could be a maze for someone new to the place. Patton walked in front of the other two, he knew it like his backpocket.

After 5 or so minutes of walking he stopped by his secretary desk and sat down. There were stacks of paper work on his desk and cute animal posters hanging on the wall beside him.

Remus leaned over the desk and moved a piece of Patton's hair behind his ear "One day I'll get you on a date my dear Moneypenny"

"Sure you will mr. Octopussy. For now I think you will have to stay satisfied with taking whatever mission M gives you"

Remy took Remus' hand and dragged him with them into M's office. He was able to blow a kiss to Patton on his way in. Pat simple chuckled and rolled his eyes. They both knew neither of them were serious.

The office was an old fashioned one with walls and furniture of dark wood. Purple satin clad the windows. Plants and terrariums littered the room and all kinds of snakes slittered about.

Though the biggest snake of them all sat in the chair behind the desk. M. Most people called him Deceit. He had a menacing smile, ebony skin and dark hair pulled back into a braid that reached his shoulder. On his shoulder laid one of his most dearest and most deadliest pets.

"Look who finally decided to join us" M greeted as they came in.

"Aww you missed us so much didn't you??" Remus replied while sitting down on one of the chairs in a way no normal person should "It's okay Deecy. We can invite you to our next movie night"

"Yeah" Remy sat down on the desk and leaned close to Deceit "We're gonna watch Saw 4 and legally blond"

"I can think of much better ways to waste my time thank you. So onto ghe case. It's about-"

M stopped talking because the agents were obviously too busy flirting with each other to listen. It was nothing compared to how they used to spend entire briefings making out right when they'd started dating.

"Please if I wanted to get ignored I would go home to my children which honestly I wish I could" M muttered.

He gave one of his snakes a pat on the head before sending it to twist around Remus' neck which made them both shut up very quickly.

"So about the case. Agent 0012-"

"Like Emile Picani 0012?" Remy interrupted.

"No agent 0012 the giant whale. Yes Picani"

"Oh he's a great kisser! Babe y'know how I like worked in the Q department a bit before becoming a full fletched agent. Yeah I was Pic's quartermaster. We would stay together during missions sometimes. We made out lots and he showed me a bunch of like cartoons"

Deceit put on a more serious expression "He's gone off the radar. He was sent on a mission to Latvia together with 005. Agent 005 has been confirmed dead. Right now we're suspecting that Picani is the killer"

"He wouldn't!" Remy objected.

"We can never be sure. He could have gone rough or been paid to turn sides. Or he's being tortured right at this moment. Anything could have happened"

"I wish I was being tortured right at this moment" Remus who had completely zoned out until now added.

"Well you can gladly take his place if you found him then. He and 005 were supposed to attend a poker night. I suggest you two attend it in case he is there. Disguised of course. If he's gone rough we can't have him be hostile towards you if he recognises you.

"Non suspicious straight couple?" Remus asked while looking over at Remy.

"Non suspicious straight couple!" They replied while high fiveing him.

--

A bit over a day later later Remus was driving a silver aston martin. They were on their way to the casino which was placed away from any nearby town. Among the snowy hills the ice casino stood tall.

"Girl these shoes hurt worse than the time I got shot" Remy groaned while fixing their high heels.

"You can just change shoes y'know" Remus replied.

They looked at him as if he'd just spit in their food "No??? It's part of the character girl!! Like you can't do a great disguise if you don't dress like the character would"

"Which characters are we tonight?"

Remy shone up into a smile "Glad you asked! You are Louis Roy. French guy who inheritated his dad's company. Total asshole. Straight cis you know the type. You're 36-"

"Is that why you put all that make up on me? To make me look old?"

"Yep. And your mustache tots helped. I'm Chelsea Roy. 24. Model. Married you for the money. Housewife. I'm cheating on you with your dad"

Remus let out a fake audible gasp "In return I only married you because I liked your feet model work"

"Touche"

The car stopped in the parking lot of the casino. Remus leaned back in his seat and checked his gun. He glanced over at his spouse who was strapping a blade to their thigh.

"What?" They asked when they caught him looking.

"Nothing" There was a soft smile on his lips "I just love you. Like a giant elephants heart ripped out and bleeding on the ground love y'know"

"I know"

Remy unbuttoned the top button on Remus' tuxedo shirt. They pressed a kiss right below his shoulder, leaving a red lipstick mark, before buttoning it again so it was hidden.

"Just as a reminder" They explained with a cheeky smile.

Remy leanded against Remus' shoulder to fully look like arm candy as they entered the casino. A worker took their coats by the door. Uphead was a luxurious bar made of ice and a large area with tables here and there to mingle. To the left was the casino area. It was the only place where nothing was made out of ice. Instead glistening lights shone on red slot machines and people in expensive clothing were gathered around large poker tables. To the right was the entrance to the casino's hotel and the desk to get keys.

The couple casully went around the mingle area while looking for Picani in the crowd of hundreds of people.

"People are looking at you" Remus mumbled to them after at least 2 guys has been too busy looking at his spouse to not walk into walls.

"Who can blame them" Remy shrugged.

They had on a dark blue satin dress with an open back and a slit on the front so they could move easier. Their wavy light brown hair was pressed down under a blond wig and they had a fake sapphire necklace around their neck. Their dark eyeliner stood out against their pale skin. Remus had on a black tuxedo with a matching bowtie. His dark brown, nearly black hair had been slicked back. His olive toned bordering on brown skin honestly looked amazing in the lighting of the casino.

"Q said Picani was supposed to stay in room 235 so I'll like go and get the key while you like mingle or something I dunno. Kay?" Remy more commanded then asked.

"Yes dear! " He did a mini salute while sticking his tounge out before walking away.

All the keys to the rooms were hanging on the wall behind the desk. Remy took off their necklace while walking up to it. They fixed their posture and took a deep breathe to get ready to make their voice as high as possible.

"Exscuse me sir!" They put on a panicked tone as they walked behind the desk.

The man who presumebly worked at the hotel glanced at them before doing a double take and full on looking at them with heart eyes. "Something wrong?"

They put on a bright smile and twirled the end of their hair between their fingers "Yeah I uh just kinda dropped my necklace and it's like suuuper hard to put on by my own so could you like put it on for me? Pleease?"

"Of course!"

Remy handee him the necklace and turned towards the wall. While he was busy putting it on they took the keys to room 235 without making a single sound. In one smooth motion they stuck it to where the blade was already strapped to their thigh.

"Done!" He said.

They sent him another smile "Do I look good?"

"You look amazing!!"

"Aww thanks sweetie"

They sauntered of without another word. They took a glass of champange from a server they passed to look more casual. They inspected the key while looking for Remus. When they stuck their nails down into it a mark was left if only for a moment. It was a fake.

Remus was sitting by the poker table, loudly boosting about a made up story while betting way more money than he should. He shone up into a grin when he saw Remy. They leaned on his chair and moved one hand to comb through his hair. He moved an arm around their waist to pull them closer knowing fully well that his spouse was distracting everyone else in the poker game.

"Got the key?" He whispered.

"Got the key. It's a replica. I can see it"

"Okay so Picani has the other one. Makes sense. Now we know he's alright"

"Nah girl" Remy glanced around at the other players "Trick them into shoving their keys. Trust me"

"I always do" Remus put on a cocky smirk and leaned his elbows onto the table "Isn't this game becoming a bit boring? How about this: we all bet the amount of money our hotel rooms cost. Including the ones just for the ladies if you get me hurr hurr" He took out the key to his room he'd gotten from Q and laid it on the table "Just as a showing"

Most of the people had been drinking so they all threw up their keys without much thought. Remy subtly moved around the table and glanced at the keys while Remus continued with the game.

Remy stopped midstepped and quickly walked back to him. They made it look like they were kissing his cheek when they were actually whispering

"The mistah on the other side of the table was the one who threw the second 235 key. You know his name or do I have to like pretend flirt the ugly bastard?"

"Ron Stewart. Was real quick to introduce himself just to brag about his money"

"Good. Q can deal with like finding info about him. We gotta find Picani"

They grabbed him by his arm and dragged him up from the table. Remus made some comment about women always hurrying to the other people around the table while quickly throwing his cards away.

He took their hand in his and intertwined their fingers as they entered the hotel part. Ice chandelierd hung in the hallways and deep crimson mattresses where laid over the icy floor. He held his other hand close to where his gun holster was hidden under his jacket.

The door up to the second floor was locked. The two of them glanced at each other. Now they relly knew something was off. Remy took out 2 hairpins from their wig and unlocked the door in under 3 minutes.

The hallways were eerie and quiet. The lights were low and the sounds from the casino were now only dull faraway whispers.

Sudden footsteps were heard. Remy pressed their back against the wall and pulled Remus by his collar into a deep kiss. Out of the corner of their eye they saw a guard walk into the hallway. It was clear there was a gun hidden in a holster connected to his belt. The enby hoped he would just leave them alone if they made out hard enough. It usually worked.

When he saw them his already grumpy expression turned into a grimace. He grabbed onto Remus' shoulder and forced him out of the kiss.

"Visitors aren't allowed on the second floof" He said in a gruff voice.

"Oh come on. Whats a guy gotta do to get some privacy" Remus replied while keeping his arm around Remy's shoulder. They nodded along while blinking innocently and swaying back and forth.

The guard seemed to think for a moment. He took a step back before in a split second pulling out his gun and pointing it at them.

Remus went on instinct as he moved forward and forced the gun out of his hand. He stood like a shield in front of Remy in case it shot. The guard stumbled back as the gun was dragged out of his hands.

Remy shot forward. They dug their nails down into the guard's wrist and kicked his knee to get him off his balance. With a huff they turned around and with the motion swung him over their shoulder and down on the ground. Before he even had time to regain his breathe they kicked their foot onto his neck, knocking him out instantly.

"Should keep him out for long enough" They commented while leaning down to feel his pulse.

"I love it when you do that sudden kissy thing. I wish murderous people would walk in on us more so you'd do it more often" Remus replied.

"Babe you can literally ask me to kiss you whenever"

"It's not the same if the threat of death isn't looming over us!!" Remus did an overexagarated pout.

Remy stood up and moved the blade on their thigh to their hand "Leave that to when we've found Picani" They said while continuing into the next hallway.

Remus quickly followed them, even walking a bit before them so if another guard showed up they would shoot at him first. "So eager to see him huh?"

"Duh. He was like the closest thing I had to a boyfriend before I met you. Like sure we were never official but we kissed and did all that sorta couplesy stuff. I haven't seen him like years! I wanna catch up y'know"

"Do I have to be afraid of being replaced" Remus joked.

They bumped against his shoulder "Babe neva!"

He was about to reply with something lovey dovey but the conversation immediatly stopped as they both saw it. Room 235. The door stood slightly open.

They moved silently, weapons in hand. Remy was the first in. They looked around with urgency in their eyes. They searched through the entrance before going into the bedroom. Remus checked the bathroom but there wasn't a trace of him. No traces of other people either.

A sudden choked back sob came from the bedroom. Remus ran to it while holding back the urge to yell out his lover's name.

Remy stood with shaking shoulders by the door. On the floor with his back leaned against the bed sat Emile Picani. Dead.

[bapyess1r]

I Like You A Lot

WARNINGS: cursing and violence

Pairings: Chloe Frazer x Nadine Ross x OC

Tags: @desertvvitch, @courtenbae

A/N: I’m gonna put the “Read More” after work

Chapter 16

Sunny’s POV

“Gaaahh!!” I exclaimed, the girls laughing as I spat out the water that involuntarily splashed into my mouth as I climbed the spectacle of a ruin. Granted it was “clean”, you never really know. We’d finally come across Belur. It was beautiful. More beautiful than Halebidu in my opinion. A hidden underground city clearly fed by the aqueducts, water delicately falling over the cliffs; wild vines grew by the clean, misty air, almost a complete serenity at first glance. That was until a massive explosion sounded, disrupting the natural silence as it rang out through the massive cave. Annoyed, the three of us began to climb in that direction. To the very top. The longer the job went on, the more comfortable I began to get with heights again. Pretty soon, it would be no sweat at all.

I watched the two women climb up to the last platform, Nadine reaching out for me as I was the last to arrive. She pulled me up and patted me on the shoulder with a small smile and we made our way up a set of stairs. Smack dab in the middle was a gorgeous golden sculpture of Shiva, Nandi, and what Chloe thought might’ve been his eldest son. At the top of the stairs was the entrance to where we needed to go next but of course, it had been blown to bits. I cursed to myself and scratched my head in frustration.

“Damn...there’s got to be another way inside…” Chloe said, taking the words right out of my mouth as I looked around the small garden that bloomed in the middle of the area. She shook her head as she walked about, chewing her lip. “They’re trying to slow us down.” she grumbled.

“Well they fucked up. We’ll find a way. We always do…” I said with reassurance as I stared hard at a possible alternative solution to our problem at hand. Smoke was pouring out of a small window nearby. “I wonder….” I grumbled, walking over to it. I climbed up and looked inside. It was a bit hard to see from the smog but it seemed like a decent little tunnel inside. I crawled up and further inside to double check and stuck my head out. “This way, there’s a path here.” I told them and they followed me into the tunnel.

We took the tunnel into a room with a massive pool in the center. Across the way we’re two men, standing guard at the entrance to the next room. Dropping from the high exit, I spotted them. “Damn!” I heard Nadine swear as she and Chloe hopped down behind me. Immediately, I pulled out my .9mm and took aim, pulling the trigger without a second thought. Normally you know what happens when you do that… Which is why I wasn’t at all prepared for what would happen next. A sudden spark erupted from the man; a flash of fire and the loud bang of the explosion absolutely obliterated him, injuring his partner as he was sent head first into the nearby wall and collapsing the entryway in the process. The three of us exclaimed rather loudly, Chloe’s brows raised as Nadine clasped her hands over her mouth. I threw my arms over my head as my jaw dropped, taking a few steps back.

“Holy shit!” I gasped, looking at the crumbled scene.

“Must’ve had a deadman’s switch…”

“Well shit.” I huffed, staring at the pool of water before us. The longer I looked at it, the more I realized how dark the middle of it was. I wrinkled my brows and walked towards it. Another tunnel. I shook my head, blowing out a puff of irritated air. ‘Alright, Spurrs. Guess you’re Michael Phelps now.’ I thought as I dropped to the ground and dipped my legs into the cold fresh water. I shivered a little. We’d been drenched in water for hours and as much as it usually wouldn’t bother me, I was tired of being so pruney. “It’s deeper there in the middle. I’m thinkin’ there’s a passage?” I said. Chloe’s crazy ass… jumps in the water without even a moment of hesitation, swimming as deep as she could.

“Frazer!” Nadine exclaimed, rushing knee deep into the water to look where she’d gone.

“Oh Jesus…” I grumbled looking down after her as I stood. After a couple seconds, she appeared to the surface, gasping for air. She pushed her hair off of her face as she began to tread the water.

“You were right! There’s a light at the end. Looks like a bit of a swim though. Can your lungs handle that, love?” Chloe joked, splashing water at me playfully. Nadine giggled a little and I just nodded my head, fighting off a smile.

“You should be a comedian. This treasure hunter bullshit doesn’t suit you.” I said sarcastically as I joined her in the water.

Just like that, the three of us dove into the less than temperate waters. We swam down until I spotted the breach at the bottom. Nadine and I followed Chloe down the tunnel, pushing ourselves along by the slippery algae covered walls. When we reached the other side we began to swim to the surface. Half expecting Asav’s men, I pulled my gun immediately and pointed at the area before us. When I could tell the coast was clear, we climbed out of the cool waters; wringing out our clothes and hair, wiping off excess water from our faces. Behind the stairs before us was a beautiful stone and gold carving into the wall; women. I didn’t need any more information on that subject. I just felt in my spirit that they had important roles here. Like this was their city. We took the stairs into a shorter hallway. What we found in the next room seemed to take Chloe’s breath away. The ceilings were high and open, letting the sunlight fill the octagonally shaped room. It was light colored stone all around with gold trim, shelves lined around the room stacked tall with dusty artifacts. Moss and grass grew between cracks all over the place. My eyes widened as I looked around, marveled by everything in sight. I let out a loud whistle and picked up a ring that felt like it had been made from solid gold. It was certainly heavy enough to make the assumption...

“Boy, I betcha we could make a pretty penny offa all this….” I mumbled, admiring the green jewel sparkling in its golden bed. Suddenly, Chloe looked at me a moment and snorted.

“Oh God, you even sound like him.” She said, scrunching up her nose as she picked up a stack of thin pieces of wood, examining it briefly.

“Like who?” I asked, crinkling my brows.

“Like Sam.” She said simply. I scoffed in amusement.

“Minus that horrid accent he’s got.” Nadine interjected, snickering as she looked at a few items herself. The girls shared a laugh as I sucked my teeth and tried not to laugh myself, tucking the ring into my pocket before looking around again. There was a little bit of everything; jewelry, instruments, maps, documents, tools and pottery…. It was an interesting little stop n’ shop for me. I kept finding jewelry to take back to my friends and for myself even. I looked over. Chloe’s shoulder as she picked up a lovely piece of pottery. Small but well detailed.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I dunno… powder…? Maybe herbs.” She mumbled. I judged her in the side with my elbow gently, wiggling my brows mischievously.

“What kinda herbs?” I smirked. She put the pot down and shoved me away from her with a chuckle.

“Not those herbs, you pothead!” She said and I snorted as I went to explore more. I ran my fingers across the untuned, rusty strings of a veenar that stood in a corner as an unpleasantly untuned sound echoed in the space. I walked by to pass between the shelves and smack dab in the middle of the room was a beautiful gold and marble sculpture; almost a natural spotlight shone on it, magnifying its beauty even more. My eyes grew the size of plates as my feet seemed to gravitate towards it. Chloe and Nadine came in on the other side, also lost in its beauty. An army of strong golden men, their bodies and shields riddled with arrows as they carried a humongous white marble tusk on their backs.

“I think my new favorite thing is Hoysala art…” I commented. The detail was so exquisite! I’d never been moved by a piece of work until this. Everything we went through almost seemed worth the strife. I watched as Chloe crouched to its level to admire it on its pedestal.

“It’s an altar of some kind.” She commented.

“Looks like the king suffered dearly for his people.” Nadine noted. I nodded as I felt my brows meet in the middle. Chloe stared at it for a moment and as she turned to look at us, I could see the gears turning in her head again. Her bright eyes narrowed as she paced a bit.

“They weren’t just protecting the Tusk…” she began.

“What else would they go through all this fuckery for?” I found myself asking aloud.

“Historians believed it was a symbol of power and dominance but… I reckon they misunderstood…” she said simply, one of her hands began to fidget with a cuticle.

“As most do….” I murmured.

“This tusk…. It was a symbol of their people… a symbol of their culture…” she sighed. I could feel my face twist up as I thought about what these men must’ve gone through for their home.

“So…. ‘For Belur!’ I guess…” I mumbled.

“Precisely…” She said, kicking up dirt with her muddy boots. Nadine bent and placed her hands on her knees to get a closer look at it and blew off a bit of cobwebs and dust from the top of it. Along it we’re a few pieces in a straight line but one seemed to be missing. I narrowed my eyes as I strained them to catch the detailing on the pieces.

“What the…?” I mouthed to myself as Nadine seemed to notice it too. She leaned even closer before shouting out softly.

“Oi! Frazer… these look like that thing you’ve been fiddling with.” She said looking back at her with a look of shock. I huffed out some air in surprise, myself. Chloe frowned as she pulled the small golden figure of Ganesh from her pocket as stared at it sadly for a while. When she was ready, she took a deep breath and walked towards the altar to place it among the others with a shaky hand. I saw her struggling with it so I rose to my feet and placed a careful hand on her shoulder. She let it go and dropped it in its spot; then all of the others seemed to lock into place. A perfect fit. I gasped a little as Chloe let out a vulnerable and shaky sigh, lowering herself to its level. She stared at it intently for a moment then looked at us with a sad expression.

“My dad was here….” She said chuckling faintly, chewing on her lower lip as she tried to find the words that could explain all that she felt. “... ‘Something big’, alright…. God… why didn’t that stupid bastard tell me?” I could see the tears beginning to well up in her bright blue eyes as I squeezed her shoulder. She took a deep breath to gather herself but her voice cracked all the same.

“You said it yourself— He wanted to keep you safe.” Nadine said solemnly, pushing a lock of Chloe’s hair behind her ear. She turned her gaze back to the figures before her and shook her head in disbelief, sitting down on the ground with her back against the altar. Nadine and I took a few steps back to give her some space. She massaged a spot in her temple and chewed on her thumbnail as she wept silently, her hands shaking. Eventually, Nadine knelt down at her side and placed a rough but gentle hand on her forearm, stroking at her tanned and dirty skin. Chloe lifted her head and looked between us both.

“I can’t let Asav get that tusk.” She said to us in a weak voice, but it was brewing with determination. I could feel my brows crinkling again as I nodded, suddenly sharing that same determination. Nadine shook her head and looked her partner deep in her eyes.

“No. No, we can’t.” She said. A smile began to curl on her lips as she looked at her. It was small but grateful. I placed a hand on her knee and squeezed it gently in agreement.

“Thank you…” she whispered to us. Nadine seemed to shake herself off the trance from staring into her eyes for too long and chuckled.

“Thank us after we get out of this alive…” she smirked and Chloe laughed, herself.

“Fair point…” She sniffled, wiping away her tears on her dirty red shirt. With that, the both of us reached out a hand to help her up and she dusted herself off (pointlessly so).

“Don’t forget Ganesh.” I told her, knowing she’d probably want to keep it. Chloe’s brows shot up and she turned around to lift it from its slot. Just then, the wall in front of us dropped slowly, revealing a new entryway.

“Aha… glad I brought this then.” She said with a smile before tucking it away again.

We continued on, climbing, swinging, and swimming until we found ourselves emerging from a bit of clear blue water in front of a massive statue of Shiva. It seemed to be the only thing in the room. All the grandeur of Belur was beginning to hit me now. Everything was just breathtaking and beautifully built and constructed. This statue being another great example. It took awhile to figure it out but between the three of us, we found that all the arms set off channels of water, trailing down two of Shiva’s long arms. Speaking of arms… My arms were burning as I tiredly climbed the hourglass shaped drum. After setting off all the channels, we noticed a level above us that needed exploring. So with curiosity, we aimed to climb higher. The drum suddenly began to rise again to a platform at Shiva’s shoulder. Upon stepping onto the lush grass that grew there, a doorway opened up for us. Nothing seemed to surprise me about Belur anymore. That was until we took the stairs inside. The stairway took us up to a platform atop the statue’s head where a massive gold crank wheel sat.

“That looks promising.” Nadine mumbled as I began to spin the wheel. A rumble sounded and the hands of Shiva came together, pooling water into a gigantic bowl sat before him. Once it was full, a sudden stream of prismed light burst from its forehead. Shiva’s Third Eye. The light shone on a statue across from us as a chandelier began to drop from the high ceiling. “Christ, this is a lot.”

“The Hoysala sure don’t do shit halfway, eh?” I commented, inching myself to the edge of the platform to look down. ‘Fuck— why’d I do that for?’ I thought, taking a deep breath. “Lemme go first so I can get it over with.” I grunted. The girls smirked and stepped back as I pulled on my rope, swinging my wrist around as I aimed for the chandelier. I shook my head nervously, never taking my eye off of the spot I wanted. I let go of the rope and by the grace of god, the grapple hooked onto it. “Lit. Now… the scary part…” I said, tugging on the rope to make sure I wouldn’t fall. ‘Alley oop!’ I heard Sam’s voice say in my head and I shook my head, rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of it. I took a deep breath and stepped off the platform, never letting my grip loosen as my body swung across from the statue to the platform before me. I let go and grabbed onto the edge with a squeal, climbing up to solid ground as quickly as possible. I laid out on the floor and took a massive deep breath. When I looked over, the girls were dancing in place, clapping and cheering like proud parents. I threw a thumbs up and exhaled in exasperation.

“Go, Sunny!” Chloe cheered with a giggle as she readied herself to swing across. I chuckled and rolled over, rising to my feet to look around at the number of statues placed along the platform. I walked up to one, examining it, and noticed the pedestals they stood on were rotatable.

“Hmm…” I said aloud, placing my hands on my hips. I had barely noticed the girls had made it across already.

“What’s ‘hmm’?” I heard Nadine ask.

“If I turn this statue…. do y’all think I’ll die?” I asked stupidly as I turned to face them. They both made various but honest expressions.

“Well… if you did die… it’d make a bitchin’ story at your funeral.” Chloe replied with widened eyes, pursing her lips. I raised a brow and shrugged before stepping up to the pedestal.

“Shit, that’s all I ask.” I said, scrunching up my face as I began to turn the statue. Somehow, I didn’t seem all too worried about dying anymore. I turned it carefully and the colorful light split into two, bouncing off of the prism it held. I gasped suddenly knowing what I had to do. “Do all these statues have mirrors?” I asked.

“Looks that way, yeah.” Nadine replied. I looked at the chandelier we swung on and noticed another prism that sat inside it.

“What are you thinking, China?” Chloe asked.

“All of these beams? Need to meet there…” I gestured with a pointed finger. Chloe smiled and smacked my ass.

“Good work, Sunflower.” She winked at me. Feeling proud, I nodded as we began to split up and divide the work.

It didn’t take very long to do. Most of the statues were turned until it came to one of the last ones. The top half was broken. “Well dag nabbit… Now what?” I huffed. Without even thinking, Nadine climbed the pedestal and picked up the mirror, stone hands still attached to it. I chuckled as she raised the mirror above her head like the others.

“You make a phenomenal statue, Nadine.” Chloe commented as she leaned on the pedestal to admire her. Nadine blushed and averted her gaze to me.

“Hurry up and finish this. This thing’s heavy.” She said as Chloe stepped back to take a picture. “Really?” She huffed. I grinned, giggling a little as I ran over to the final statue. It had to be rolled to meet the beam and positioned just right. “Be careful, Spurrs! That ledge doesn’t look sturdy.” She told me. And she was right. It was already leaning down a little too much for my liking. But I sucked it up and stepped onto it slowly, holding my breath like it was going to magically make me weightless or something. As soon as the statue was positioned properly, another rumble sounded.

“Well that did somethin’...?” I said, not really quite sure if something indeed happened.

“So I can put this down now?” Nadine asked.

“Um…. yes?” I answered, making a face. That thing must’ve been heavier than it looked.

“Wait! Not yet!” Chloe shouted, running over to my side to see what was going to happen.

“What’s happening? I can’t see from here!” Nadine asked as the two of us watched all the beams strike the prism in the chandelier and form one singular beam that pointed towards the bowl of water before Shiva. I shook my head in confusion, placing my hands on my hips as I looked to Chloe for the answers.

“All this water… It’s a cleansing ritual.” She mumbled. Luckily I was close enough to hear her.

“What’s happening?!” Nadine asked again.

“Oh! You can put the mirror down now—”

“SHIT THEY’VE FOUND US!” Nadine exclaimed as I heard a door by the ledge across the room open up.

Acting quickly, the two of us ran off of the platform. But before I could step off of the ledge to follow her, I heard a loud whistle coming my way. I stopped to turn and see a ball of fire flying towards me. “SHIT!” I exclaimed, pushing my legs as fast as I could but the warhead hit the ground I stood on and began to lean. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I swore as the ground began to slip from beneath me. Chloe reached out for me but I’d already slipped and began to roll. The statue rolled the same direction I did and right off of the ledge. I was headed the same way. Soon as my body began to fall, I felt Chloe’s hand grab hold of my wrist. She pulled me up as fast as she could and I followed her across the breaking ledge to “safety”. I could hear Nadine’s gunfire and I immediately took cover behind a wall, pulling on my gun. I lifted my head and closed my eyes to give myself half a second before jumping out to shoot the men accosting us, powering through without stopping. The three of us took them out one by one, heading for the door they’d just come out of. We could get out that way. For a moment, I was sure we’d made it home free until another warhead hit and the ledge beneath our feet crumbled. Chloe hung off the edge and I held Nadine’s arm as she reached out for her partner.

“HURRY! TAKE MY HAND!” She shouted.

“I’M TRYING!” Chloe cried out, her voice straining as she stretched her arm as far as she could. She was almost there, their fingertips brushing against each other’s. I leaned forward a bit to give Nadine a little more leeway when the ledge broke off completely. The three of us screaming for dear life as we all came crashing down. The water hit my skin like hot fire as I fell in. My skin stung and my body ached, yet I still had no time to think. I had to swim around the dark waters to avoid the falling debris. When I popped my head to the surface, I began to look around for the girls, swimming to land. I could hear faint splashes behind me and painful groans. Suddenly, I wasn’t panicking so much. I crawled onto solid ground, my body feeling heavy as I coughed and heaved, dragging my body along. I wiped the excess water from my eyes and opened them to be met with a couple pairs of dirty heavy boots. I sighed dramatically as I felt a pair of hands grab me by my sore arms and cuff my wrists. When I looked up, the girls were being cuffed as well and Asav stood before the three of us with an amused smirk.

“Well that was quite the fall. You had me worried!” He smiled sarcastically. That smile faded rather quickly as he tucked away his gun. “Come. It’s time for a reunion.” He said and his goons dragged us away, following him to the bowl before Shiva. Already sitting there, tied up and pitiful (but safe), was Samuel Drake. His long arms cuffed behind him as well. His bright blue shirt now wet and soiled with dirt just like us but tenfold. “He wouldn’t give you up— despite my efforts to persuade him.” Asav grumbled as the man who held me tossed me to the ground next to him. I fell on the wet surface as he lifted his big old head to face me, revealing a ghastly swollen and bleeding black eye.

“Heeeey, sweetheart!” He said, weakly. And I sighed in exhaustion and relief. What was I going to do with this man?

[mojaves]

wip time wip time wip time. im spinning it very fast in my mind and also im impatient and finishing this will take forever so i need thoughts Now or i will go insane

What was unusual though, was that the sounds were inconsistent, lasting for no more than an hour at a time, and then there would be silence again for weeks on end. It was hard to pinpoint whether it was actually a haunting at all, or some kids just playing a stupid prank. Maybe it’s a new type of ghost, if that was even possible. The potential of it being something far more sinister did cross people’s minds, but they didn’t want to stop to consider it for even a second. There were no clear signs of entry, the roof was inaccessible from the buildings surrounding it, there were no… Mysterious smells coming from the building, no reports of people going missing from the surrounding area, so what was it?

From the outside, it was a building like any other, boarded up just like the countless others dotting the street. The roof was a little caved in, the overgrown ivy had begun to take up residence in the very foundations itself - it was a miracle it was still standing. It had been closed, unused for decades, standing tall and silent amongst the apartment buildings surrounding it. That is, until recently, when people had started complaining about faint screams and cries coming from inside.

On its own, that wasn’t too unusual, ghosts were pretty commonplace in this area - all you had to do was call an exterminator and they'd be rid of it within the day. It was always best to report it as soon as you heard something strange, because, left untreated, it would turn into something much more than just a haunting. 

The ground floor was pitch black and completely empty, save for a few small cracks in the wood for light to stream through, not that it made much of a difference. The air was heavy and full of dust, not something you’d want to breathe in for a long period of time. First and second floors were the same, with just a little more light, and a lot more debris. Broken slabs of concrete and rotten wood littered the floors, along with the odd piece of broken furniture - a chair, a table, both of which were definitely not original to the building. 

And then there was the top floor, with the gaping hole in the ceiling allowing light to pour on, sunlight shining down on two figures in the middle of the otherwise empty space.

The victim, a man, goes to put his hand to his face as a reflex, but quickly realises that he’s unable to move much of his body at all other than his neck. It takes a few seconds for him to get his bearings, try to figure out where he is, eyes darting around absentmindedly. This reaction is met with yet another slap to the face, which instantly drags him back down to earth.

One of the figures pulls up a chair and sits down in front of the other, leaning forward against the back of the chair, resting his elbows on it, knife in hand.

“Hey,” The figure says, immediately following up with an ear-piercingly loud slap across the face. “Didn’t think it’d take this fuckin’ long for ya to wake up. Haven’t got all day.” He sounds annoyed, as if this is more of an inconvenience to him than it is to his victim, who is tied to a chair in such a manner that makes it impossible to escape.

“What-.” He looks at the person in front of him - maybe he recognises him, maybe he doesn’t, everything’s too blurry - and then down at the rope constricting every movement. “The fuck kinda foreplay is this?”

“Hah, my favourite kind, actually. Where I ask questions,” The figure quickly gets up out of his seat, kicking the chair to the side with ease as he looms over the man, leaning in close to place the freshly-sharpened knife by his neck.

“And you, prettyboy…” He slides the knife down the man’s throat, just light enough to not break the skin, “You give me answers. Understand?” His voice is rough and low, and the smirk on his face is both sinister and unwelcoming. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.” Rick laughs and rolls his eyes, looking as if he’s finally understood ‘the joke’, and he’s now in on it. The look of recognition on his face says it all. “Where is he, eh? Where’s ol’ Danny boy? Hiding out in the shadows? And the cameras too, you gonna put this on that, Insto-gram’s a’ yours?”

[silentwhispofhope]

Paroxyism (Leon Kennedy X Reader) Report 6

Last Chapter <> Next Chapter

"No clue," he replied. "It'll be soon."

You frowned. "If only I-"

"Don't start with that talk," he cut you off and tapped his head with a bloody index finger. "That kind of thinking will lead you nowhere in life. You need to move on. Besides, last I checked, we can't time travel."

You let out a small chuckle at his attempt at a joke. The lieutenant did bring up a good point. Negativity was an enemy of success. The man let out a hiss in pain. Hearing footsteps, you turned to the source to find Leon jogging down the stair case.

"There you are... Come here, take a look," Branagh beckoned and zoomed in on the gate.

"Yes! I'd knew she'd make it," The blond rejoiced.

"You know her?" Branagh asked.

"Yeah, name's Claire. I came into town with her," Leon replied.

"You can get to that court yard through the second floor... east side," he muttered as painfully pointed to the staircase behind him. The cop let out a groan.

"I'm on it," the rookie paused. "Thanks, Lieutenant."

Leon turned away and took several steps. Noticing you weren't following him, he glanced back to you. "Are you coming?"

Your eyebrows lifted in surprise. You thought he would want to meet this girl by himself. Muttering an apology, you joined his side.

"Did you find out what was on the film?" He inquired as the two of you walked up the stairs.

"Yeah, it was a photo of a statue holding a scepter and a book. It didn't match the sketches in the notebook, so I feel like I got my hopes up for nothing."

"Well, someone had to take a picture of it for a reason," Leon answered. "How about we keep an eye out for it?"

You hummed in agreement as the two of you reached the only door on the east side. Both of you pulled out your guns.

"Ready?" You asked.

"As I'll ever be," he replied.

Pressing your back near the door frame, Leon paralleled your actions on the other side. With a nod from the blond, you slowly twisted the handle. You pushed the door open slightly, pointing your barrel through the gap. Only the sound of the creaking door broke the silence. Leon placed his hand against the wood and lightly pushed. Tension filled the air. Slowly, the door opened. Turning inwards, you walked through the door. The room you two entered appeared to be a waiting room of sorts. It may have been beautiful once, but the whole room was in disarray. Leon followed you as you both paused, searching for any signs of one of those creatures.

"Clear," Leon spoke. You let out a sigh of relief. "We should keep moving. The sooner we reach Claire, the better."

You nodded in agreement. The two of you approached the wooden door on the opposite side of the room. What caught your eye, however, was the marbled green spade carved into it. You watched as the blond pulled something from his back pocket. It was a key with a matching bow. God, it's like the both of you were stuck in some sick video game. As Leon unlocked the door, you readied your flashlight and gun once again. A click softly disturbed the air. Quickly, Leon put the key away. As the blond went to turn the door handle, your raised your gun and flashlight. You closed an eye, and focused on the space between Leon and the door. You stared at Leon before giving him the go ahead. Leon twisted the handle and flung the door open. A ray of light traveled down the hallway as the door creaked to a stop. The two of you were met with a fork in your path.

"We go right, right?" You asked. You had to hold back a chuckle. It wasn't the best time to laugh at a stupid joke despite how unintentional it was.

"Yeah," Leon responded. He pulled out his own handgun and promptly reloaded it.

Letting Leon walk through the doorway first, you followed after him. The floor creaked and groaned under your combined weights as you two began walking. A distance buzzing hit your ears. It was more of a hum compared to ringing. You stopped and looked around looking for the source of it. Leon noticed your lack of movement.

"Hey, is-" you cut him off with a shush.

Pointing a finger that was originally holding the flashlight to the ceiling, you whispered "Do you hear that?"

The sound was now alarmingly closer than before. The buzzing, now blaring, was identifiable. It was a helicopter. You quickly glanced out of nearby window to see the flying machine spinning out of control.

"Oh shit," you gasped once you realized where it was heading.

Before Leon could respond, you dropped your flashlight and grabbed his hand. Your shoulder screamed in pain. You didn't have much time to react. You pulled him as far away from the end of the building as you could before talking him to the ground. Leon reacted quickly. He flipped you under him. You quickly whipped your arm around his neck, protecting it from potential glass shards or other debris. Right in time too, as the helicopter sliced through part of the wall.  The raucous sound of the machine crashing into the side of the building echoed in your ears. Pieces of brick and glass bounced through out the hallway. Unclenching your eyes, your ears begin to slightly ring. Leon laid onto of you, waiting quietly for the chance of something else happening. Your heart pounded wildly in your chest. The both of you breathed heavily before you let out a sigh of relief.

"You okay?" Leon asked you, staring into your eyes.

"I should be the one asking you that," you replied. Leon let out a small laugh before rolling off of you. He swiftly stood to his feet and held out a hand for you. You stared at him for a moment before sliding your gun into your holster and grabbing his hand. "My hero."

Leon rolled his eyes in response as he pulled you up. The two of you walked back to the end of the hallway. As you neared the window from earlier, you leaned down and grabbed your flashlight. You positioned it back into your belt.  Leon opened the door and held it open for you.

You gave him a small thanks. Walking outdoors, you were hit with the sprinkling of water. Glancing up at the clouds above, you could tell they were ready to burst any second. You took a step forward towards the railing when your foot hit something. You glanced down to find a rifle. It was primarily black but the shoulder consisted of a dark walnut.  You continued to analyze it as you saw Leon go to look at the helicopter out of the corner of your eye. You promptly grabbed the the rifle and and wrapped the carry strap around your body. You turned towards him. A body slumped over the controls of the helicopter. You could tell the pilot wasn't alive anymore.

"He's dead, you know?" You told Leon. He glanced back towards you for a second before returning to look at the dead pilot. "The impact would've killed him on impact."

Before you could say anything else, a voice rang out into the air. "HEY! LEON!?"

Leon rushed to your side as you both looked over the railing. Behind the fence, a brunette in a red leather jacket stared expectedly at Leon. You watched as his eyes lit up.

"CLAIRE!" Leon shouted excitedly. "HOLD ON! I'll BE RIGHT THERE!"

"OK!" She yelled back.

Seeing how the two interact made you wonder if the two were best friends. Your mind lingered to the idea of Kyle and the rest of the police force. Did they know if anything was wrong? If they did, had they send anyone to come find you? You doubted that and Kyle was probably the only one to notice something was wrong. You liked to get things done as quickly and efficiently as possibly. Leon hastily hurried down the steps. He paused for moment, looking back up expectedly. His voice broke your trance.

"You coming?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry," you sheepishly apologized and quickly followed after him.

Leon almost skipped off the bottom to great Claire. She rushed to the fence. "Claire... It's so nice to see you." He grabbed the wire in his hands. Claire took a step closer to him as you awkwardly stood off to the side."How're you doing ? That helicopter came out of nowhere..."

"Yeah... I'm in one piece thanks to (Y/N)."

Leon stepped off to the side, dropping his hands to his sides. Claire's focus landed on you.  She looked surprised. You guess she wasn't expecting another survivor. You took this chance to step closer to the two of friends.

"Hi. It's nice to see someone who isn't part of the living dead," you joked tiredly.

"I haven't seen you around before."

"State police. Forensic technician, technically," you replied pulling out your badge. Claire glanced at before you put it away.

"Any chance that help is on the way?"

You let out a sigh, grabbing the carry strap hugging your chest. "I doubt it. They probably think I'm goofing off or taking my time. The only one who would probably notice my absence is my friend back on the force, but they don't really listen to him either."

Claire looked at the ground briefly before turning to Leon. "I'm guessing you don't have a key in one of those fancy pockets?"

"Unfortunately, no... But, how are you doing?" Leon replied. Claire wrapped her hands around the fence wire.

"You know, just surviving like the two of you." She smiled.

"That's good. Any luck with your brother?"

Claire's smile dropped slightly. "No, not yet."

"You have a brother here?" You asked.

"Yeah, he's a cop here," she replied.

"What's he look like? It'd probably help if we could look for him too."

Claire's smile brightened. "He's a brunette with short hair. Really tall and buff looking. Kinda looks like a mama's boy."

You let out a small chuckle at the last comment. Leon took a step closer to Claire.

"Claire, don't lose hope.  I'm sure we're going to find him-"

A loud explosion ripples through the air. You quickly cover your eyes as you turn towards the source. The helicopter now lay swallowed in flames. The fire escape you once walked down on began to look increasingly fragile from the explosion's impact. A quick ringing from a nearby fire alarm soon followed. You turned back towards the other survivors.

"Dammit. You know what that means..." Claire stated as she glanced behind her.

"Yeah..." Leon responded, scratching the back of his head from stress.

"Dinner time."

"Claire, I think you should go," you quickly replied, noticing a small horde of zombies getting closer.

"Don't worry about me, (Y/N)," Claire paused before taking a step back. "You two take care of yourself."

"Claire, you need to go- NOW!" Leon exclaimed.

Claire nodded in agreement, starting to walk away from the fence. The brunette stopped for a moment before turning back to the two of you.

"Hey... Let's get through this. All three of us." She stated.

You replied with a slight nod as she turned back around, heading into stream of oncoming zombies. Leon and you took a step back from the fence.

~~~

A/N: Oh, geez. I knew I said I was taking a break, but I didn't think it was going to be this long. Sorry about that. Haha, oops. 2019 has just been a really shitty year for me, but I'm going to make 2020 my bitch if I have to. In other news, I made it into my dream college! I'm going to Loyola up in Chicago to study forensics! While my first year will be mainly looking over the basics, I can't wait!

Taglist: @katnisspeetaprim @winksasleeplesseye @kaelyn-lobrutto24

If I forgot to tag you, please tell me!

[kweebtrash]

Blind Leading the Blind

WonwooxReader

Summary: basically a cute/nerdy/awkward moment between two people who cant fucking see without their glasses and are nervous about hooking up for the first time

Words: 2.3k (drabble)

Features: really awkward hookups, nerdy!wonwoo, nerdy/shy reader, both wonwoo and reader being clumsy as all hell, heavy making out/grinding/caressing, fingering/stroking, some nipple sucking

Masterlist      Buy Me a Ko-Fi

Wonwoo fumbled with the door to his bedroom, struggling to grab onto the knob. It was rather difficult with his lips on mine and him pushing me against the wood but we had been so wrapped up in each other we almost didnt notice. My arms were around his neck, pulling him as tight as possible to my heated body. He was making me never want to come up from air but he did just that and made me chase after his lips. "H-hold on! S-sorry, just hold on a second. My hand is kinda sweaty and i cant-" He jerked the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door. "I couldnt get it open. But um...here we are." He chuckled awkwardly and held out his hand for me to view his simple university dormroom. It was a shared space that resembled a small apartment more than anything. His actual bedroom however still had a bunk bed which seemed annoyingly small for his tall frame. Not the most attractive place to have sex in but it would have to do.

I stepped into his room and adjusted my glasses shyly. I never expected us to get so far as to wanting to come back to his place. We had seen a movie at the local theater, had terrible university food, then walked around campus. He was a perfect gentleman. A perfectly gorgeous hot gentleman. Someone who was respectful and kind and turned me on just by being his dorky self. A sweet kiss goodnight lingered for far longer than intended and when the need grew too much to bare we decided to end the date on a more sensual note. He came into the room after me and we stood around for a moment, chuckling nervously and not knowing how to exactly pick back up where we left off.

He shrugged off his jacket and asked me if i wanted something to drink which i denied. An uneasy silence filled the room and i chewed my lip in ponderance. "Um so..." I began softly. "Do you want to...keep going, maybe?" I hoped he said yes. I had felt his strong and muscled arms beneath the thin shirt he wore during our first embrace and i was determined to have them trap me against his body once more.

"Oh! Yes. Yeah. Yes. Um...yes keep going. Thats cool. Youre cool. God sorry, i keep talking because i'm-" I cut him off with another kiss, reaching up to cup his face in my hands. His slightly full lips were soft and tender. It felt as if they were made to be on mine, a perfect fit like the final piece of a puzzle. His hands didnt seem to know where to rest at. They roamed from my shoulders to the center of my back then lower to my ass before he changed his mind and went back up to my shoulders.

"You can uh...touch my ass if you want. Like grab it...or w-whatever." I blushed.

"Oh? I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Youre not." I shook my head. "In fact youre making me want you more. Youre cute when youre flustered."

"youre cute in general." He responded quickly, his own face turning rose as well. I gave him a small peck as a thank you for the compliment and took his hand.

"do you think we might be more comfortable on the bed?" He nodded and let me lead, ducking his head to avoid the upper bunk as he joined me on the mattress. We sat on the edge, again wondering where our hands and lips should go. A few more tentative touches and he settled on my hips while his tongue nudged its way past my teeth. With a bit more confidence he added some control to the kiss, making sure that he could trap my tongue in a few sucks and lure soft whimpers out of me. Every time i made a small sound his grip on me grew tighter and he was slowly moving me down to meet the mattress.

He tried to shift on top of me smoothly but the frames of our glasses jutted together and made the lens smack against my eye. We drew back from one another, eyes squinting and trying to rub the slight pain away. "S-sorry about that. I meant to go down a little be easier."

"im sure you'll go down fine." I said, not realizing the double entendre right away as i blinked clarity back into my eye. "I mean um...just lay on top of me! Well i mean, you know what i mean!"

"yeah, yeah! Totally. Do you think we should take off our glasses? Maybe that would be better." Wonwoo offered.

"We wouldnt be able to see each other at all. Wed both be one big blur." I laughed knowing that our eyesights were utterly terrible.

"Feeling around might be more fun though." His deep voice had lowered into a whisper and he nipped at his bottom lip. I was starting to like the way he was thinking. We removed our glasses and set them on the desk that was just a few inches away from his bunk. The blurriness helped a bit. Though i loved his good looks, it did shave off some nervousness between us.

He set himself between my legs and watched my reaction as the tips of his fingers disappeared under the loose skirt of my dress. His thumb stroked the smooth skin of my inner thigh making my hips buck ever so slightly when he would get close to my panties. I panted softly against his lips as my fingers trembled through opening the buttons on his shirt. Once they were free i shoved the shirt away. He struggled to get his arms out the sleeves and hit his knuckles on the bunk above as he had been flailing out of them. He huffed once he was free, rubbing his knuckles momentarily, and tossed the shirt on the floor. As he returned to kiss along my jawline i wrapped my arms beneath his, holding onto his biceps tight. The way his muscles flexed under my fingers had my stomach clenching in earnest. I wanted him badly and though i had never slept with anyone on the first date i knew i wanted him to have the first experience, especially because i got the sense he wasnt a jerk who wouldnt call me back.

Being bolder i slid one hand into the minimal space between our hips and groped the center of his pants; not too harsh but just enough to get his attention right away. "Wonwoo..." I mewled. "Can we...?"

His whole face flushed crimson, traveling all the way to the tips of his ears. He stared at my hand then at my face then back at my hand again. I grew nervous that I had made him uncomfortable and went to move away from him but he gripped my wrist lightly and kept me right where I was. I smirked and worked my palm over him, watching the way his eyes fell closed and lips parted slightly. The baritone sound was perfect and I longed to make him repeat it as much as possible. He moved his hips into me even going so far as to pluck open the button of his jeans and pulling the zipper down. My heart did somersaults at the prospect of seeing him fully. I swallowed hard, starting to chicken out, and diverted my eyes. It was far from my first time but I was still a rather shy person and when he made to pull my panties down I snapped my legs shut. “Do you want to s-shut off the lights?”

“Huh? Why? I want to see you. You’re beautiful...” He replied softly.

I covered my face at the compliment. “I-I mean...i-it’s like you said, it’s more fun to feel, right? Besides not like we can see much now.”

“Well, if that’s what you want...” He agreed with a slight pout. He left the bed to shut off the light and I made quick work of removing my dress. I laid back on the bed once the room was in darkness, waiting for Wonwoo’s return. I heard shuffling and small grunts of frustration as well as the sound of fabric waving around.

“Wonwoo, what are you doing?”

“Taking off my-!” Another small grunt. “My pants! I got them off now. It’s ok.” He breathed a sigh of relief which was right before I heard a loud thud and Wonwoo cursing.

I sat up quickly and tried reaching out to him. “What happened?!”

“I hit my head on the stupid bed! God that hurt!”

“Oh god, Wonwoo, come here.” I cooed at him. “And please duck your head.” I felt the bed dip as he moved onto it, unharmed this time. I pulled him close and kissed his forehead, trying to soothe the damage as i giggled. "Poor baby."

He huffed. "Sorry im an idiot."

"A cute idiot." I compromised. "A very cute idiot." I kissed along his strong jawline and cupped his neck gently while leaning into him. I decided it was my turn to be on top and stunned him once i straddled his hips. I moved his hands to settle on my hips as i pressed our chests together and decorated his neck with small bites. The cover of the darkness increased the spark between us and we filled each others mouths with moans and whimpers.

Much to my surprise, his hold on me allowed him to guide me into rough grinds against him. He was beginning to stir beneath me, filling out his underwear more and more until i felt every inch of him between my thighs. His fingernails etched half moons into my hips as he begged for me to pull my panties off. I hummed in agreement and kissed my way down his neck to his chest and toned stomach before scooting away to pull off the impeding garment. He turned on his side to face me, instantly placing his long fingers between my slowly forming wetness, drawing them through my lower lips and making shudders run through me.

My hand returned to his hardness, gripping the outline of his shaft and stroking him in conjunction with my own pleasure. i spread my legs wider, giving him more room to slip a single finger inside my willing hole. I mewled his name, trying not to be too loud in case any of his roommates had come home. It was getting hard though with the way he was curling his finger and pulling down the cup of my bra to suckle at my breast. With my free hand i dug my fingers into his thick hair, fisting the locks tightly as i arched my chest into his mouth.

I rubbed my thumb over the tip of his cock, drifting over the small slit that had begun to leak. He tensed then, muscles within his thighs trembling ever so slightly. "P-please..."

"Hmm?" I kissed his cheek and nudged my forehead against his.

"C-could you...? Would you...? I mean you dont have to-i dont want to make you uncomfortable-but maybe, if you want, um..."

"Do you want me to suck you off?"

Wonwoo chuckled nervously. "A-ah...y-yeah. Thats what i meant to say."

"Will you keep touching me while i do it? Your fingers feel...really good." I buried his face in his chest even though he couldnt see my embarrassment in the dark. We were both fumbling idiots that could barely get through anything sexual without something triggering our nervousness. It was almost comical. I was glad we could at least say what we wanted from each other even if it was through stutters and mumbles.

“Yeah, of course. I want you to feel good too.” He assured me.

I switched my position to lower my head towards his cock while my ass wiggled closer to his chest. His finger resumed its position inside me, being joined by another to stretch the small space open. As he pleasured the soft walls within me, i guided him into my mouth, wrapping my lips around the thickness of his head. He kicked off his underwear and spread his legs more, giving me room to stroke what couldnt fit in my mouth. The feel of his girth against my tongue had me struggling to hollow out my cheeks but i bounced my head away, wanting him to feel the utmost pleasure. With us being wrapped up in the intensity of our sensuality we barely noticed the door opening or the light flickering on until we heard an "Oh fuck!!"

Wonwoo and i both shot up, squinting hard to see a tall figure now a few feet in front of us. I screamed and tried to cover myself and Wonwoo as quickly as possible. “Mingyu!?” He shouted. “You couldn’t have knocked?!”

“I didn’t know you were getting laid! Besides it’s my room too!...Wait.” Wonwoo’s roommate seemed to have a revelation. “Dude, you’re getting laid! Finally!” We watched as he ran out the room screaming, “Yo Vernon! Wonwoo’s finally getting laid!”

Wonwoo groaned and flopped back onto the mattress, covering his face with a pillow as he groaned deeply. Though we may not have been able to see without our glasses, it didn’t take 20/20 vision to see that we couldn’t have a night to ourselves without something going wrong.