#and then she pushed him away and he fell and cut his hands on broken glass

[13eyond13]

oh ok i see what they mean about abuse in these books now, something abusive actually happened besides creepy love bombing

[strang3lov3]

Lather

(Inspired by our curly, long-haired Pedro with his broken wing) When Joel injures his shoulder, he needs your help washing his hair and getting off 🧴🧻💦🧼🚿🛀(4k)

Part one of a new mini series!!

Tags- shoulder injury, forced proximity, hair washing, handjobs, blowjobs, Joel finishes little too early, sexual tension, masturbation, pissed off joel, impish reader as per ushe. Joel starts out soft and gentle, this will not last long. Just you wait for part two, mwahahahahah!!

A/N- This new series is written for and inspired by my very dear friend @noxturnalpascal , please do not eat Pedro’s fucking hair. I’m begging you. And thank you @tightjeansjavi for the title name!!

Generously edited by my dear friend, the lovely @papipascalispunk

You’re at the dinner table, watching Joel awkwardly cut his chicken and potatoes with the side of his fork, held by his left hand. He brings the food to his mouth kind of slowly, deliberately, like he has to consciously think about where his fork will end up. He catches your watchful gaze and looks at you, “What?”, he scowls.

You shrug, “Nothing.”

“Quit lookin’ at me,” he huffs, “Creep.”

You’ve been living in Jackson with Joel and Ellie for quite some time now. Ellie’s got the garage and the downstairs bathroom to herself, you and Joel live in separate bedrooms upstairs. It works out. Kind of. The stairs are an issue. They’re old and steep, kind of slippery. It was only a matter of time before someone slipped and fell, and last week, that’s exactly what Joel did. Early one morning, he had misstepped and totally ate shit, landing hard on his right shoulder. You rushed to help him, but Joel shrugged you off, insisting he was fine. But you could hear in his voice he wasn’t, how he strained to speak. And in the following days, you noticed how his routine changed in the aftermath of his injury. He’s been favoring his right arm heavily, eating, cooking, opening doors, picking things up all with his left hand, rarely his right. 

Ellie gets up from the table to rinse her plate. When she passes you and Joel on her way back to the garage, she stops next to Joel and just stares at him, a look of confusion and disgust on her face. She reaches her hand forward, pushing her fingers slowly through his hair and watching the curls stand up straight. Joel freezes before turning to look at her, perplexed and irritated. “What’s the matter with you?”, he asks. 

“Gross,” Ellie giggles, still playing with his hair. He swats her hand away. 

“Yeah, shut up,” Joel grumbles, “You’ll have gray hair one day too. It ain’t that funny.”

“I’m not talking about the color. Your hair is disgusting, Joel. It’s like, sticking straight up. Are you hydrophobic or something?”

“Leave me alone,” Joel tells her, “Go do something. Go play in traffic.”

“You smell like you’re hydrophobic,” Ellie retorts as she continues towards her room. 

You turn your attention back to Joel, who looks insulted. Subtly, he turns his nose to his armpit to smell himself and then checks his reflection in the window, using his left hand to mess with his curls. He notices you staring at his reflection as well, “Don’t you know it’s rude to stare?”, he asks defensively as he messes with his hair a little more, flipping the mess to one side of his head, then to the other, rubbing the strands between his fingers. Joel sighs deeply then, gets up from his seat, and – using his left arm – he drags his chair across the kitchen and sets it in front of the kitchen sink. “I need help,” he confesses in a tone hardly audible, like he’s sheepish and uncomfortable. Disappointed, too. 

“What?”

“Washin’ my hair,” he speaks louder this time, “It’s hard with my uh…shoulder. I need your help.” 

“Took you long enough to as–”

“Knock it off,” he interrupts. It was probably around day four post-staircase incident that you noticed Joel’s hair taking on a more dirty appearance. You stare at his hair a lot lately now that he’s growing it out for winter. His hair curls in all sorts of directions, little cowlicks all over his head. The ringlets at the bottom of his neck are your favorite part. How gorgeous they look with the multitude of colors on his head. Deep, chocolatey brown with highlights of caramel and silvery gray streaks. With resources being fairly scarce even in Jackson, Joel doesn’t wash his hair every day, which is honestly fine for him. However, the days that he does wash his hair, he struggles to scrub his scalp properly with just his left hand, hence the dirty and greasy appearance. And really, it doesn’t look that bad. Probably feels worse for him, though, all that schmutz built up. Probably itchy and uncomfortable. 

You take your plate to the kitchen sink and give it a quick wash before drying it and putting it away. Joel sits in the chair he’s placed in front of the sink, and reaches behind himself for the dish soap, then kind of just puts it in your hand. You look at Joel, tilting your head in confusion. Sure, it's slim pickings for resources, but there’s a reason you’re close with the soapmaker here in Jackson. It’s the little things that keep you going; one of the little things being fruity scented shampoo that the soapmaker hooks you up with. 

You place the soap back on the kitchen counter and leave quickly to grab your shampoo, then come back to meet Joel at the sink. Joel looks at the bottle of shampoo in your hand, “What the hell is that?”, he asks. 

“My shampoo. It smells kinda like strawberries, see?”, you open the cap and squeeze the bottle to waft the scent towards him.

 Joel scrunches his nose, “It’s too girly.”

“You’re too girly,” you taunt, and Joel rolls his eyes. “Beggars can’t be choosers. I’m washing your hair, so I get to pick the shampoo. It’s like a spa night,” you chirp happily. 

“Nope, not a spa night,” he replies harshly, “Just wash my damn hair. No funny business.” When you stare down at him, unimpressed with his attitude, Joel backtracks, “Please,” he begs. 

“Spa night.”

“Fine,” Joel sighs in defeat and leans his head back into the sink, scooting down the chair. He looks deeply uncomfortable already, putting his weight on the left side of his body and raising his shoulder up and away from resting on the sink. Poor guy. You turn on the sink and begin to run the water over his scalp with the detachable faucet, but Joel yelps in pain. “Hot, s’ way too hot,” he says loudly, craning his neck away from the stream. 

“Sorry,” you apologize, quickly turning the faucet lever in the other direction. 

“Cold, cold, Christ—cold,” Joel hisses as he reaches behind himself to try to haphazardly adjust the lever himself, swatting his hand violently. He ends up hitting your hand instead, resulting in you dropping the faucet on his forehead. He yelps again and quickly sits up straight, water flinging across the room from his wet hair. “This isn’t gonna work,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Think we need to get this over with in the shower.”

“I think that’d work better,” you agree. 

So, you and Joel make your way upstairs, you’ve got your fruity shampoo in your hand. Joel’s wet hair drips down his neck and back as you follow him towards the bathroom where he turns on the shower, letting the water warm up. He shuts and locks the bathroom door before unbuttoning his flannel, again with his left hand only. Turning away from you, you watch Joel twitch and wince in pain as he tries to take off his undershirt. It kind of makes you sad, seeing him struggle like this. You wish he would have asked for help before now. “Joel?”, you tap his back. 

“Hm?”, Joel turns around and you reach his right arm. “Oh,” he says. Carefully, you do your best to painlessly help him out of his shirt, pulling his sleeve towards your body and keeping his arm as low as can be. You pull the rest of the shirt off of his body, catching a glimpse of his torso, his soft, pillowy belly. “Thanks,” he mumbles. 

“No problem.”

“I uh–,” Joel begins, turning away from you again and undoing his belt, “I’m gettin’ undressed and gettin’ in, okay?”

“Am I getting in there with you?”

“I’d reckon that’s probably easiest, yeah. And if ya don't wanna get your clothes wet, then you can take 'em off too,” Joel offers, “I don't wanna make you uncomfortable, so I'm keepin’ my eyes shut and facin’ the shower head the whole time so I don’t see anything I'm not ‘sposed to.”

“I appreciate that,” you reply. You’ve been through a lot with Joel, and truth be told, you’re both past the point of modesty, all that you’ve been through together. You have endless trust and respect for each other. Still though, you appreciate what he’s doing to keep you feeling safe and comfortable with him. A lot can be said about Joel, but he’s never been anything but respectful and considerate towards your safety and comfort. It doesn’t go unnoticed. “I’ll undress. Just give me a minute.”

“Not a problem,” Joel says. You face away from him as he takes off his belt, it lands with a clatter on the floor. Next his jeans and boxers, then each of his socks. You hear the sound of the shower curtain moving and his heavy footsteps in the bathtub. “M’done. Eyes stayin’ closed now.”

“Okay,” you say as you look at Joel through the shower curtain, unable to see much. You have no doubt he is, in fact, squeezing his eyes shut, but you smile to yourself when you notice where his arms lie. They’re resting across his body, his hands cupping his member securely. Oh, Joel. He’s a grump, but a gentleman nonetheless. 

After taking off your own clothes and leaving them in a pile on the floor, you move the shower curtain aside and step inside of the tub. It’s a tight fit, despite being relatively spacious. There’s a built-in bench to the side of the shower where your soaps sit. Joel always complains you have too many lotions and potions taking up space, that they always fall on his toes when he bathes. Dramatic. 

 Immediately you’re in awe of Joel’s beauty. You can’t see his face, but you can see his back, freckled and scarred and striped with stretch marks here and there. Water trails down his neck and his spine. You can’t help but steal a peek of his ass, so firm and plump. He’s blessed, truly. 

“Doin’ okay?”, Joel interrupts your thoughts. 

“Oh– yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Gonna shampoo you now.”

“Get to it,” he tells you. 

You reach for your strawberry shampoo and squeeze a small amount into the palm of your hand, then reach up to lather it into Joel’s scalp. “I need you–”, using your hands to guide Joel to tilt his head back, “Yeah, like that. Thanks.”

“Mm,” he hums in response.  

You begin to wash Joel’s hair, building up a thick lather of bubbles. You pay special attention to the sides of his head, down towards his neck, scratching and massaging his scalp. It’s almost imperceptible, but you hear a slight groan, a soft exhale of relief as you scrub Joel’s head. Washing the hair near his neck, you toy with his curls, wrapping them around your fingers and watching them bounce and swing when you pull your hands away. You’re about to reach for more shampoo when you really see it– the bruise on his shoulder. It’s yellowing now, but there are still purple and blue splotches of his skin. “Fuck, Joel,” you mumble, tracing your fingers lightly over his bruise.

“Yeah, yeah.”

It was an accident. You know this, so you’ll spare Joel from your long-winded lecturing about taking care of himself. Instead, you just press a soft kiss to his bruise. 

“You– I um–”, Joel clears his throat, a little bashful now, “Need you to wash up by my hairline, f’ya wanna come up front here.”

“Yeah, of course,” you speak softly. You begin to scoot past Joel, but the tight fit of the two of you in the shower makes it difficult to move. You slip and reach for Joel’s arm. 

“Careful,” he warns you softly, “Here, I gotcha.” Joel, still keeping his eyes shut, holds your waist and helps guide you to stand in front of him. When you’re situated, he quickly protects his modesty once again.

You grab some more shampoo and reach for the front of his scalp. This time, you can admire more of him. His face, eyes scrunched tightly shut. Careful not to look at what he’s not supposed to. That little line between his eyebrows is more deep and prominent than usual. Water drips down the slope of his aquiline nose and his plump, rosy lips. Droplets cling to his wiry salt and pepper facial hair. He’s a work of fucking art. When Joel’s properly shampooed, you reach for the detachable shower head and start to rinse his hair, watching the strands fall on his forehead. 

You’re not sure exactly what happens, but in an instant, Joel is unexpectedly groaning and reaching for the shower head from your hand. You step back and watch him scramble to wipe his eyes and blink quickly. “Fuckin’, ahh,” he hisses, “Got soap in my eyes. Jesus.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“S’okay, was an accident. Fuck,” Joel hands you the shower head and then wipes his eyes a few more times before he stops and stares at you before him, not even thinking about his rule. Fuck. He shuts his eyes quickly, but the damage is done. His mind is swimming with images of your body, the drops of water rolling down the curves of your breasts, your hips, thighs. His cock hardens almost instantly, and he hurries to cover himself again. “Fuck. I’m sorry. It’s not cause of you.”

“Okay, Joel,” you reply calmly. 

Joel groans. “No, it’s not like that, you– you’re– it’s…My shoulder’s been hurtin’, y’know how it’s been.” 

 “Mhm,” you hum, knowing where he’s going with this, “It’s okay.”

“Haven’t been able to take care of myself, uh…in that regard,” Joel clears his throat before continuing, “So I’m just a little wound up– oh–”

Joel’s interrupted when you step forward, reaching for his wrists to pull them away from his member. “I get it,” you whisper, “I can help with that too, if you’d like.”

“Jesus, fuck–”, Joel hisses as you touch his hips, his thighs, skating your fingers along his skin. He moans softly when your fingers lightly touch his heavy balls, the base of his cock, then trailing them up his shaft. “Quit– fuck – quit teasing me, hon. Not a smart idea.”

“I’m not teasing you, Joel.” 

Except Joel’s not listening. All he can think about is how fucking good it feels to be touched where he needs it most. He reaches for your hand, but doesn’t pull it away. Like he’s at battle with himself, doing what he thinks he’s supposed to do, not that he actually wants to. He wraps his fingers around yours, encouraging you to grip his cock tightly. But with his brow furrowed, he looks conflicted. “Don’t know what’s gotten into ya, but–”, he says shakily, “Hon– you gotta stop cause, fuck–”, he breathes, “Don’t think I have it in me– fuck – to walk away from you.”

“You don’t have to, Joel,” you coo quietly as you grip his cock tighter. You lean closer to Joel, wrapping one of your arms around his waist. Joel opens his eyes then, and you kiss his cheek, still stroking his cock. His thick head is nudging your hip as you work him, “Why don’t you let me help you with this?”

Joel nods, sighing in relief as he gives into you, gives into pleasure.  He’s been hard as a rock all week. Left hand just doesn’t do the trick, but yours, your hand does just fine. “Lord have mercy,” he gasps, “Thank you.” Rubbing your hand up and down his cock, you kiss his neck, then lower, his collarbones and his chest. Lower still, sinking to your knees as you kiss down that soft and pillowy tummy of his, trailing your tongue along that patch of hair that leads to his cock. You take his thick base in one hand and his ass in the other, then press sloppy kisses to his blushed tip, flicking your tongue over his soft skin. “Sweetheart,” he warns softly, “Doin’ too much for me.” 

“I don’t think so,” you tell him innocently before trailing your tongue along a prominent vein of his cock. 

“I disagree,” he mumbles quietly. Oh, Joel. Silly Joel. As if you’d satisfy him with just your hands. But this is as much for you as it is for Joel. You’ve spent a lot of time daydreaming about him, kissing him and fucking him. He’s who you think about at night with your hand between your thighs. So no, taking him in your mouth is not too much. It’s what you both need. 

Joel hums sweetly as you guide him to your mouth, his thick head parting your lips. You toy with him, swirling, flicking your tongue, alternating between taking him deeply and more shallow in your mouth. He’s warm and thick, just like you imagined. His cock feels heavy in your mouth as you take him deeper and deeper, hollowing your cheeks to massage him. You love his smooth skin, how he squirms and his hips stutter when you slide his cock to the back of your throat. As he gains more confidence, he begins to draw in and out of your mouth slowly, an action encouraging to both you and himself. 

“Good god,” Joel groans as you work his shaft, one hand still squeezing his ass cheek, the other now fondling his balls, cupping and squeezing them gently. You hum against him, sending vibrations down his shaft. He reaches down, stroking your cheek with soft and warm eyes as you work him. His hand finds the back of your head, grunting as he inches you forward to take him deeper. 

 “Not lastin’ long the way you–”, he  chokes out, a stuttered string of profanities following as you feel his cock stiffen and twitch under your tongue, spurting hot ropes of his spend down your throat. It’s salty and warm and masculine, taking you by surprise. His orgasm surprises himself, too. You don’t mind, though. In fact, it’s flattering the way he’s come undone for you so quickly, so desperately. Poor Joel, so worked up and bent out of shape all week. Probably part of the reason he’s been so cranky.

He takes heaving breaths above you, his chest rising and falling steadily as he stares down at you in admiration. He’s got the kindest eyes. When you pull off of his cock, he offers his hand to you, helping you back to your feet. He thanks you again, then apologizes for finishing how he did. You assure him that you don’t mind a bit. “M’not gonna leave ya high and dry, you know,” he says, “You just give me a few days to get myself right and I’ll take good care of you. Return the favor and all that good stuff. Hm?”

Sure, Joel, you think, nodding to him. He nods back at you, feeling good and satisfied, already dreaming about getting you off in a few short days. How soft and wet your pussy will be, pulsing around his cock, all for him. He’ll make you come just as hard as he did, if not harder. He can see it now, he’ll have you falling to pieces under his tongue and his fingers. He just needs to fucking heal first. While Joel’s been favoring his right arm quite a bit, he still hasn’t been taking it as easy as he should have been. But he’s got a woman waiting on him now, and healing is his top priority. 

Joel smiles, you smile sweetly back at him as you wrap an arm around his waist for stability and set one of your feet on the ledge of the bathtub. His smile contorts into a confused frown as he watches you take your free hand and snake it between yours and Joel’s bodies, your fingers toying with your center. “Whatcha doin’?”, Joel asks. 

“Oh, you know,” you reply plainly. You sigh softly, tilting your head back as one of your fingers circles your hole. 

“No, no, no, no,” Joel protests, “No, thought you were gonna wait your turn.” 

“My turn’s right now,” you breathe, now dipping a finger into your entrance, curling it and swirling it around. “You’re not the only one with needs.”

“I know you got needs, hon, thought we just agreed I’d be the one to take care of ��em,” he tries, “Right?”

“It’s alright,” you purr, “I got it.”

It’s almost cartoonish, how Joel’s expression turns from one of satisfaction and bliss to betrayal and astonishment. “I don’t like this,” he mutters, “It’s teasin’ me, you know.”

“Oh, Joel,” you whimper softly, your fingers now rubbing over your clit, “What don’t you like?”

“Uh, that,” he spits, “Don’t like hearin’ you moanin’ my name when I’m not the one touchin’ ya. Don’t like that at all.”

You pout, “Oh, you can touch me,” you offer as you take his left hand into your own, sliding it up your body. He thumbs the plump underside of your breast and glides his fingers over your nipple, feeling it harden beneath his touch. 

“Oh, real nice. You’re playin’ dirty,” he accuses, “You’re nothin’ but trouble. Shoulda known.”

You don’t bother replying as you begin to trace steady circles into your clit, dipping your fingers at your entrance to collect more of your arousal. Your fingers slip and slide through your folds with such ease. 

Joel growls, squeezing your breast harshly one last time before his arm finds your waist and he pulls you flush against his body. With your head still tilted back as you whimper quietly, Joel takes the opportunity to kiss your neck, biting and nipping at your hot, dampened skin. It only fuels you. “Joel,” you cry, “Fuck, oh my god,” as that warm, sticky feeling deep in your gut is beginning to build.

Joel watches you, conflicted. How sweet his name sounds falling from your lips with your broken, honeyed moans, but Jesus, he needs to be the one touching you like that, not you. He should have known it’d turn out this way, that you’d revel in having this one-up on him. Your fucking audacity. I made you come so hard you saw stars, and I’m doing the same thing to myself. And you can’t do a single thing about it. Ha. Ha. 

Joel holds you tighter when your cries begin to get louder as you reach your peak, your knees beginning to buckle. You moan frantically, loudly, and Joel watches you knit your brows together and your mouth drops open as you begin to fall apart. Your fingers massage your clit faster, harder, feeling that tension in your gut snap and splinter as waves of pleasure overtake you, washing over your body. With your eyes shut, you feel it deep in your stomach, down the back of your thighs, riding out your orgasm on your own fingers as Joel holds you close to his body.

When you finally open your eyes, Joel’s glaring at you. He says nothing. Deep down, he knew you’d probably end up taking care of yourself tonight, but in front of him? You’ve got some fucking nerve. 

When your breathing slows, Joel lets you go. He stares at you, unimpressed, mouth slightly agape. You take the opportunity to slide two of your fingers past his lips, letting him taste your sweet arousal on his tongue. His brows furrow and his eyes flutter shut as he groans deeply, hungrily. “Seriously?”

You nod with a smile, then press a quick kiss on his lips before shimmying past him to reach for your towel. You dry off and step out of the tub, and when you look back at Joel, he wears a scowl. 

“You’re the fuckin’ devil.” 

Next

[utterlyotterlyx]

My Tears Are Becoming a Sea

Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary - Azriel wished that you’d wake up in time for Starfall, that you’d be home to see the souls cross the sky. The war against Hybern had wrecked you, and he couldn’t bear to be away from you for another moment.

Warnings - angst, sad boy Azriel, mentions of death and blood, some self loathing, but a beautiful happy ending for our Shadowsinger 🤍

They'd won.

But none of it meant anything if you weren't there with them.

Hybern had been defeated, they had won the impossible battle thanks to you, thanks to your skill, your power, and that shattering determination to find the upper hand your family so desperately needed.

You had disappeared without a word just after the High Lords meeting, after realising that the forces you needed lay beyond the capabilities of armies and blind hope. Azriel knew better than to stop you, he traced the line of your jaw as he kissed you for what could have been the last time. He savoured the taste of your lips, your scent, that smile that had the power to command the attention of anyone or anything.

There were no words that any of them could say the moment they saw you on the battlefield, you stood above them clad in your leathers wearing a sadistic grin as Bryaxis and the Weaver stalked from behind you whilst they all waited to meet their fate.

Azriel puffed his chest out with pride, glancing to Cassian with a smirk. That's my girl.

You were a formidable force, bending the elements around you like it was your mother tongue, sending spears of fire and ice through the chests of whoever opposed you, allowing the ground to swallow whole groups of soldiers as you passed by. Your sword was an extension of your soul, a cunningly beautiful thing, curved and sharp, and coated in the blood of your enemies which had also splashed across your cheeks.

His shadows were in awe of you, a horribly fierce awe as they watched you cut down man after man, paying little mind to anything else other than making sure that Feyre and Amren reached the cauldron.

That wretched thing.

The cauldron had broken. Feyre needed to put it back together. Feyre needed the power to put it back together.

Azriel watched as you tackled Rhys to the ground, as you threw up a shield around yourself and Feyre so that she had no choice but to use you. To take everything you had to stop the world from crumbling into dust.

Feyre had wept and screamed as she held you in her arms, her fingers pushing the hair from your face as she rocked back and forth, begging your soul to return to your body. Azriel fell to your side and pulled you from Feyre's gasp, his shadows flittered anxiously over your face and body whilst their master pressed his lips to your eyes, pleading the High Lords around him to do what they did for Feyre, to bring you back to him.

Each High Lord offered a kernel of their power, even Feyre had thrown in her own in hope it would made a difference.

Rhys had held him tightly as your soul returned to your body, his sobs wracked his chest when your own began to rise and fall in a healthy rhythm. You didn't wake though.

After days of Madja fussing over you, she had exhausted all of her options. You were warm, your heartbeat was strong and your lungs were functioning as they should be, there was no reason why you shouldn't have been awake and telling Azriel how much you loved him.

He had refused to leave you, his shadows less willing to do so, they loved you so dearly to the point you often found a couple of rogue shadows perching on your own shoulder instead of your mates. Deep circles clung to his hazel eyes that were dark and dreary, he hadn't eaten, he just sat beside your cot and held your hand, noting how peaceful you looked in your eternal slumber.

Much to his rage, it had been decided that Helion would transport you to the Day Court with the promise that his army of healers and researchers would find a way to bring you back. Rhys had agreed, willing to try anything to bring you back to your family, and had to order Azriel to stay away from you whilst Helion gave it his best shot. They couldn't have a grief stricken Illyrian forbidding anyone to touch you.

Velaris felt empty without you. The bakeries were far too full and the children too quiet. The Sidra begged for your fingers to run through her ripples, to caress her with that power that complimented her own so perfectly.

The world just felt darker without you annoying them, prodding Cassian with stupid jokes or dragging Mor dress shopping, even Amren was missing your feet propped on her lap whilst she tried to research, and Nesta yearned for your intelligent observations on the plot holes and desires for the books you shared.

Feyre had become a shell, busying herself with preparations for Starfall so that she would forget how guilty she felt for a moment.

Starfall was your favourite thing in the world, nothing bar Azriel could bring so much joy to you. The music, beautiful outfits and food were just minor aspects in comparison to the main event, when those stars would hurtle across the sky and illuminate it with that hot white glow.

Azriel had always found himself stood behind you, arms wrapped tightly around your waist and chin resting atop your head as you both watched in awe. It never ceased to amaze either of you.

This year was different. No amount of flowers or pastries could distract anyone from the fact that you weren't there. He should have stopped you, gotten to you quicker before you could attack Rhys and take his place; you should have just let Rhys give his power, he would have recovered quicker, everything would have been fine.

Mor had tried to get Azriel to dance, but he didn't want to dance with anyone who wasn't you. All he wanted to do was go back to your shared room and wrap himself in your scent so he could dream of you, the only place you were alive and chatting idly about some random fact you'd found in a book that sent your mind spiralling into balanced wonder.

"She wouldn't want you to stand on the side lines, Az," Cassian clapped his shoulder, trying to coax his brother to partake in something this Starfall, for you.

Gasps echoed about the room, a sign that the main event had begun. Usually, you'd be jumping up and down in your spot with excitement, clutching to his fingers as you dragged him from the room and out to the private balcony you had both made yours.

Males and females floated out of the arched doorways, but Azriel stayed behind, not being able to think of witnessing a single Starfall without you.

Burying his hands deep into the pockets of his black pants, Azriel moved in the opposite direction to the enthralled crowd, not being able to stomach even pretending to be happy. With no particular place in mind, Azriel walked, down winding hallways and up a set of steps, along the arched walls until he fell into place in front of a set of familiar doors.

Doors that you had practically torn the handles from one year from the sheer uncontrollable excitement to get outside before either of you missed it.

Azriel sighed, wiping the corners of his eyes, he sniffled softly as he took the handle in his scarred fingers, feeling electricity pouring through it, so intense that he had to pull away with a frown. He stood there for a moment, unsure and bewildered by the sensation.

Then he felt it.

He felt the familiar scent flood where he stood, the shadows reacted quickly, darting to the handle and dancing over the door, fighting for it to be opened.

It couldn't be. Helion would have told them if you had awoken.

It couldn't be.

Azriel flung the doors open and his shadows surged forward, there you stood, your back to him, dressed in Day Court gold with a solid gold halo encasing a full braided bun. The shadows reached you first and you giggled as they kissed every inch of your face, and gods, did that sound have him melting into a blubbering mess.

You turned to him, your mate, and opened your arms to him, ones that he gladly stepped in to. Azriel wrapped his arms around your waist, he ran his fingers over your skin, he left lingering kisses in the nape of your neck and along your shoulder.

"You're home," he strained, sobs of pure happiness tugging at his throat as he pulled away from you, looking down into those eyes he adored too much.

You moved a piece of his hair away from those pools of brown and green, closing the gap between you as the sky came to life, allowing your love to explode around you whilst the world above and below held a calm breath.

"I couldn't full well miss my favourite night of the year, could I?"

Azriel pressed his forehead to yours, stared into your eyes and drank in every single part of you, his fingers not once moving from your body, "You came back to me."

"I'll always come back to you, Az. Always."

Authors Note

I needed something fluffy after my gut wrenching Eris post before.

I'm halfway healed.

[cal-flakes]

Hii <3

I’m so glad I found your page. I love reading your work! You’re so talented🥰

Could I ask for dealer/rafe who teaches you how to ride him and you’re all nervous because it’s your first time trying but he’s being really sweet about it?? Thank you!

╰┈➤ rafe teaching y/n to ride him

warnings: smut, obviously. praise, choking, hair pulling.

summary: rafe teaches innocent!reader how to ride him.

“i’m nervous rafe..” she whimpered, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, her thighs still quaking from the orgasm he just gave her.

“what are you worried about princess?” he whispered, pressing soft kisses to the supple skin around her nipple as she straddled him. “what if i can’t do it?”

“i’m going to show you how, okay baby?” she nodded hesitantly, lifting onto her knees, allowing him to position himself underneath her.

bowing her head, she craned her neck to look at his throbbing cock, the tip already lubricated with pre-cum.

“you just need to lower yourself onto it angel, gently..” she did as told and lowered her hips onto it, mouth falling agape as he pushed through her folds.

they’d had sex before, but she still wasn’t used to the size of his cock yet, especially not this way.

“fuck..that’s it baby, just sit on it for a minute..” he praised, one hand holding her waist while the other groped her breast.

a broken moan escaped her lips as she adjusted to him, having fully buried his cock inside of her.

“you okay princess?” he questioned, his rough hands roaming her exposed skin as wet kisses trailed her neck. “mhm..” she whimpered, slowly rolling her hips against his.

a quiet groan erupted from rafe, throwing his head back in pleasure. taking this as a sign, she continued, rocking against him at a slow pace.

a torrent of grunts fell from rafe’s mouth as her walls clenched around him. “is this okay?” she cried, feeling so full. “you’re doing perfect angel, keep going..” he cooed, adjusting their position slight so her breasts pressed against him. “now use your knees, find a good rhythm..”

following instruction, she lifted, sliding back down his length slowly.

the room soon filled with their exclamations as her pace increased, with a little help from him.

he secured an arm around her waist, and the other clamped onto her shoulder, using his strength to move her up and down his throbbing cock.

“relax your body baby, i’m gonna go a bit faster okay?” he soothed, looking into her glassy eyes. she nodded, squeezing her eyes shut as he thrusted into her.

broken moans broke free from her throat as he pounded into her, contradicting his statement. her thighs trembling from the pleasure, she clawed at his back, chest heaving.

“you’re doing so good princess…such a good girl…” the praises fell from his lips, tightening the coil in her stomach as her eyes welled with tears.

“fuck..rafe!” she cried, the tension in her navel threatening to unravel. “i know baby, i know..” he groaned, the vibrations of his words sent shivers down her spine while electricity surged through her quickly.

“r-rafe, m’gonna-” she cut herself off with a cry, arms wrapping around him like he’d disappear from under her, clinging on as the muscles in her body tensed at once.

“you’re so fucking tight..” he hissed, his own release filling her as he continued thrusting, his pace slowing.

he grazed his teeth against her shoulder while his grip on her waist squeezed the air out of her.

“shit…you did so well baby..” he cooed once more, allowing her to collapse against his chest while he brushed her hair away from her face.

“are you sure?” she muttered, her insecurities returning. “i promise sweet girl, that was amazing..”

“hmm, okay..” she sighed, focused on her breathing as the muscles in her legs contracted.

“m’gonna make you my own personal cowgirl..” he joked, pressing gentle kisses to her forehead as her eyes fluttered closed against his chest.

[yandere-daydreams]

Title: Unwanted Cravings.

Pairing: Yandere!Miguel O'hara x Reader (Spider-Verse).

Word Count: 1.3k.

TW: Unhealthy Relationships, Venom!Reader, Obsessive Behavior, No Actual Sexual Content But Unlimited Access to Miguel's Horny Thoughts, No Seriously This Man Just Wants To Be Topped But He Has To Be So Weird About It, and Slight Violence.

Miguel couldn’t remember the last time he’d been restrained.

Beaten, broken, pinned under falling rumble or sedated or exposed to a paralytic gas, but not restrained. When he was first coming into his abilities, maybe – he could picture himself waking up in some damp, depressing holding cell, but he’d never been handcuffed. If the cops managed to get their hands on him, he wasn’t in a state to resist, and his villains were rarely the ‘catch and release’ types. Or, most of his villains, at least.

This would be so much easier, if all you wanted to do was kill him.

Without warning, the tendrils of your symbiote binding his arms behind his back wrenched tighter – tearing something in his shoulder and drawing a low, pained grunt out of the base of his throat. He clenched his eyes shut, but opened them again just as quickly, turning his gaze toward you.

You were above him, but not out of reach. Perched on the edge of a well-beaten wooden crate, one leg crossed over the other, everything below your neck covered with the glistening black tar of your symbiote, you were staring down toward where he’d been forced to kneel on the cement floor, too, sizing him up with an expression bordering between total disinterest and utter boredom. The repulsion in your eyes alone was enough to spark something in his chest, to make him wonder if you’d look at him with the same indifference if he got his hands free and forced your legs apart, if he buried his face between your thighs and gave up air in exchange for something much more precious. He could do it, if he needed to. If he used his talons, if he pushed himself, he could do it.

But, he didn’t. He wouldn’t. Because you’d get hurt. Because you’d already proven you weren’t looking for a fight, just something to do.

Because you’d leave if he didn’t play along, and you couldn’t leave.

Not that you were in a rush. With an airy sigh, you leaned forward, letting your head lull to the side as you raised your foot, finding the underside of his chin. With more force than you really had to use, you tilted his head back, taking a moment to evaluate his swollen eye, the jagged cut you’d left along his cheekbone when your symbiote had momentarily mistaken him for its next meal. Eventually, your foot fell away from his chin, the sole of your boot finding a place against the center of his chest. He could feel heat rushing to his face, his breathing grow hoarse and ragged, and could only hope it was too dark for you to notice. “You look good with a little damage.” Cold, viscous condescension dripped from your tone, but Miguel had to fight the urge to preen. “You should drop the mask more often. Reaper might stop trying to take a bite out of you if she knew how pretty you could be, when you put the effort in.”

Pretty. A pang of something pure and electric shot from the base of his throat to the pit of his stomach. His breath hitched, and as if in response, your symbiote nipped at the corner of his jaw with just enough force to break the skin. He didn’t try to speak, too aware of how audibly his voice would wavevr - only glaring in your direction, doing what little he could to square his shoulders, to look like a hero. You just laughed, the noise flat and humorless. It made him want to carve your throat out. It made him want to kiss you until his lips bled.

“It’s not fun if you’re just going to make faces at me.” You clicked your tongue, rolled your eyes. “Who was that guy you were with the other day, the one who I threw through a billboard? He was cute – do you think he’d want to play with us, sometime?”

Miguel bared his teeth. Your symbiote purred with delight. “Peter’s not worth your time.”

Another laughed. A real laugh. “And you are? Tell me, Spider-Boy, what exactly can you do for me?”

Involuntarily, images flooded his mind by way of an answer. You, straddling his waist, riding him until he was barely conscious beneath you. Your body between his legs, thrashing void clinging to your skin as you split him open with the help of your symbiote, as you wrapped your clawed hands around your neck and squeezed. A tongue longer than his forearm forcing its way down his throat, the feeling of your body pressed against his, the wild grin you wore as you tried to tear him apart plastered across your lips as you—

The grin you were wearing now, he noticed, when he finally snapped himself out of his fantasies. Not as unrestrained, not extenuated by a thousand rows of pointed teeth, but just was sharp, just as piercing. Complimented by the glint in your eye you only ever got when you saw something you wanted to bite into. “You’re blushing.”

He bowed his head, cursing under his breath. “Let me go—”

“Don’t give me that.” A pair of think tendrils sprouted from his restraints, wrapping around his thighs and forcing his legs apart. Your foot fell farther, landing on his crotch and applying enough pressure to force a sharp hiss through his grit teeth. “Good guys aren’t supposed to lie.” You ground your heel into the base of his shaft and he doubled into himself, a violent moan tearing past his lips. “Be honest, this time – do you get this hard for every rouge you fight, or am I special?”

You were special. Of course, you were special. If you weren’t, his skin wouldn’t itch when anyone else so much as looked at him. If you weren’t, he wouldn’t melt so easily under your attention – hostile or affectionate. If you weren’t, he wouldn’t have to fight so hard not to grind into your heel, not to imagine your symbiote slipping underneath his suit, splaying him out, binding him in place and rendering him immobile, helpless, yours. He tried not to imagine the feeling of your hand against his chest, his waist. He tried not to imagine what you’d do to him, when you had him at your mercy.

It slipped out before he could swallow it back, before his better judgement could overshadow his primal need to feel your skin against his. “Please.” And again, as your lips quirked upward, as you rolled the sole of your boot against his crotch, “Please.”

“Please what, Spider-Boy? Ask for what you want.”

“I— I want you to—” To kiss his neck. To draw blood. To eat him alive. “I need you to touch me.”

There was a beat of silence. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, erratic and nearly overwhelming, nearly deafening.

Finally, you snapped your fingers, calling your symbiote back to you. Miguel fell onto his back, panting as you pushed yourself to your feet. As your mask crept up your neck, you spared him one more glance. For a second, he could’ve sworn you were going to turn on him, sink your claws into his neck, tear his beating heart out of his rib-cage. For a second, he could’ve sworn you were going to stay with him.

Then, your lips quirked upward into a lopsided smirk. You reached down, a bone-white claw emerging from your monstrous hand. Slowly, deliberately, you dragged the sharpened point down the length of his chest, splitting open the holographic fabric of his suit and drawing a thin, red line from his collarbone to the tender flesh of his upper pubic area. You watched with a glint in your eye as he stiffened, as his shoulders shook and a bright, searing heat seeped into his veins and dripped down his thighs. Once the aftershocks had faded, you let out a bark of a laugh, recalling your talon and standing to your full height.

“Fucking pervert.”

Without another word, without another sound, you disappeared into the night, leaving Miguel alone, frustrated, and already desperate to see you again.

[megalony]

Saving Grace

This is a new Eddie Diaz imagine that is going to be split into two parts, requested by a lovely anon. I hope you will all like it, please let me know what you think.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem@sj-thefanthefan@hellsdragon@im-an-adult-ish@crazylittlethingg@allauraleigh@onceuponadetectivedemigod@ceres27@avyannadawn@sleepylunarwolf@coverupps@justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii  @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyjen @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35

Eddie Diaz Masterlist

Part 2

Summary: After Eddie saves a woman on a call, she becomes very attached to him. He tries to tell her he isn't interested, but it doesn't go well when she decides to taunt him by hurting his wife.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't reach."

"Then get out the way and make some room." Sliding off her jacket and removing her helmet, (Y/n) tossed them to the floor before she patted her brother's shoulder to make him move.

She waited for him to wiggle his way back through the window and take a step back into the apartment away from the window. As soon as he was away from the window, (Y/n) dug her hands into the windowsil and pushed up onto her toes to try and lean out.

She took a deep breath before she turned herself around and pushed up until she wedged her upper half through the window and sat down on the ledge. Her body jolted when she felt Evan grab her thighs that were still inside the window and she heard him shout something along the lines of how reckless she was being.

There was a woman who had fallen through her balcony floor and she was wedged in the floor but she was beginning to fall. If she slid down much further she would fall through and she was five stories above the ground.

Eddie, Hen and Chimney were all in the woman's apartment and on the balcony to try and pull her out. While (Y/n) and Evan went into the apartment below to try and see if they could help secure her somehow. But there wasn't a balcony below hers, only a window that (Y/n) was now sitting on the ledge of.

"Be bloody careful! If you fall I swear to God-"

"Keep hold of me and I won't. Eddie lower the harness to me." (Y/n) braced one hand on the unsteady balcony floor above her before she leaned her right hand out near the woman's torso that was through the floor.

They needed to secure the harness around the woman's waist so if she fell, she wouldn't plummet to her death.

(Y/n) waited as one of the team above her slowly shimmied a harness through the hole in the floor. Once it was close enough, (Y/n) pushed up and grabbed it and clipped it around the woman's waist. She kept one hand on the balcony to keep herself stable while her other hand stayed on the woman's lower back when she started to wriggle and slip.

"All secure."

"I- I'm gonna fall!"

"You're not gonna fall, because I'm not letting go of you. Okay?" Eddie took a deep breath to try and steady his heartbeat before he shifted his left leg further out onto the balcony.

He was leaning over the woman, both arms wrapped around her upper chest with her hands scrunched up into his shirt so tightly he was sure she was going to rip through the material. She had done well holding herself up until they got here to free her. Chimney had managed to cut away the broken pieces of wood in the floor that had been cutting into her chest and back and Eddie kept hold of her so she didn't suddenly plummet down.

With his left foot braced near the railing, Eddie tried to balance his weight between his feet so the floor wouldn't give way again and send them both down. He had a harness on for his own safety and one around the woman he was holding up.

When she suddenly started to slip, her face pressed down into Eddie's shoulder and her scream vibrated through his system and made him wince. He forced all his energy and strength into his arms and started to pull up, wrenching her up through the floor before she had chance to fall any further.

He wouldn't let her drop down or dangle on a harness, he had hold of her and he wasn't letting go.

He could feel Hen's hand on his shoulder as he dragged the woman up and moved his hands down to her hips to hold her better when her legs finally came up through the floor.

"Feet down… there we go. Let's get back inside on solid ground, okay?" A breathless smile flooded Eddie's face once she was stood beside him a foot away from the hole in the floor that looked extremely unsafe.

Her hands stayed dug into his shoulders like they had melted into him and she didn't dare lift her head from his shoulder, unable to believe that she was safe again. Eddie stayed perfectly still to lessen the chances of anyone else falling back down and he nodded at Hen who gently took hold of their victim and tried to get her inside.

Everyone needed to move off the balcony and get inside where the floor was less likely to give way on them.

Once she was inside, Eddie reached his hand out for the balcony rail to steady himself and he took a quick peek down through the gap in the floor. His blood ran cold and his jaw locked when he looked down at saw his wife staring up at him with a nervous, half smile.

"I thought I told you to be careful?" He rose a brow when (Y/n) grimaced and looked down at the window before she looked back up at her husband.

"Evan's got me."

"I don't care. Get back inside before you fall out the window." His expression was stern and he leaned down a little more to watch and make sure she got back inside.

Eddie knew for a fact (Y/n) didn't have a harness on because the harnesses and winch were up here. The last thing he wanted was his wife leaning out a fourth story window like that and risking falling down herself.

He watched her wiggle her way back through the window before he leaned u and slowly moved across the balcony and got back inside, too. He wasn't staying out here any longer than necessary. Eddie didn't fancy a piece of wood stuck in his leg or the horrid feeling of dangling on a harness if the floor gave way and sent his stomach up into his throat.

He barely got himself back through the door before the woman had her arms curled around his chest and she suddenly glued herself to his front.

"Thank you!"

"It's okay, all part of the job." He patted her back and stayed still until she finally unhooked herself from him. Eddie wasn't one to go round hugging strangers, even if they were thanking him like this, he didn't know what to do or how to act. He was only comfortable hugging close friends or family.

He worked on undoing the harness around his chest when she stepped back and he took a slow step back himself, trying to keep a bit of distance between them. He felt like he was close enough to feel each shallow breath she took and he didn't like it.

"Still… it's not an everyday thing for me. So thank you for being my saving grace…"

"Eddie." He finished when he noticed her eyes dart down to the nametag on his chest. She could see that couldn't be his first name, there weren't many people who would be called Diaz for their first name.

"I'm Lydia."

***

Darting his eyes across the table, Evan glanced across at his sister as his lips faltered into a frown and he pointed his fork towards her plate. "You not hungry?"

She hadn't eaten anything. They had been rushed off their feet this morning and well into the afternoon. Evan was on his second plate since he had missed breakfast and worked up an appetite. But there was his little sister, sat there not even bothering to eat anything. She had had all of one bite of her cottage pie and it wasn't like her.

None of them skipped a good meal on shift, not with the amount of times they had to forgo dinner in exchange of an emergency.

"The smell… it's making me feel sick." (Y/n) pushed her plate into the middle of the table in case Evan wanted any more.

She let herself sink down into her chair and tilted her head back towards the ceiling as she let her eyes fall closed. She was getting sensitive to smells lately and it didn't matter if it was food she loved and had eaten thousands of times before. Most foods now smelt strong and horrible and (Y/n) couldn't stomach them.

For the last week, she had been sticking to cereal or a plain chicken sandwich, it was all she could manage without throwing it back up again. (Y/n) knew if she got any worse, Eddie would be on red alert and turn into her personal doctor. He didn't like it when she was ill.

"You got it bad, huh?"

(Y/n) peeked one eye open and glanced to her left to look over at Hen, finding the medic smiling softly at her with a knowing look in her eyes.

"This kid's draining me," (Y/n) muttered back, to which Hen chuckled.

Morning sickness wasn't something (Y/n) had been weary of until this month where everything she ate came back with vengeance. It was bad enough having to tell the team that now she had to go on restricted duties for the next few months, without getting sick and feeling even more like a nuisance.

Her hand moved to rub slow circles across her stomach that she stared down at in wonder. She didn't look any different yet. There was only a very slight change to her stomach, not that there would be a big difference yet when she was only four months along. But that meant (Y/n) only had three months left at work before she would be benched to maternity leave.

Whehn she heard Eddie's voice in the background, (Y/n) opened her eyes and did a quick sweep around before she let her head drop forward. Her eyes found her brother and she nudged her plate across to him and swapped them round as if they were kids again, trying to fool their big sister.

Evan had always been a machine. He could eat anything and have two or three helpings so whenever (Y/n) wasn't hungry, they would switch plates so (Y/n) could pretend she finished her dinner and Evan got extra helpings. It was a win win situation that always fooled Maddie, who was more of a parent to them than their true parents were.

"What- oh come on, I've already had two plates." Evan gruffed when (Y/n) took his plate in exchange for hers. That meant he had to eat her plate or Eddie would suspect something was up. Evan never left a full plate.

"Do you wanna cover my shift if he sends me home?" (Y/n) folded her arms over her chest and sat up straighter in her chair, raising a brow at her brother who pulled a face before he looked over at Eddie.

"Baby I know that's not your plate."

Eddie pressed his phone to his ear as he stood behind (Y/n)'s chair and looked down at her with a stern expression. His free hand curled around her shoulder and he pursed his lips when she tilted her head back into his abdomen and tried to smile up at him. He wasn't stupid. Eddie wasn't going to believe that (Y/n) had thrown up breakfast, missed lunch, but somehow managed to clear a full plate of dinner when she wasn't well.

He could hear Hen snickering beside them and Evan grumbled something before he pushed the plate away and leaned back in his seat.

"Alright, here's your mum." Reaching down, Eddie held his phone out to (Y/n), watching her lips curve into a smile when she guessed who was on the other end.

Chris.

(Y/n) gratefully took the phone and got up from the table, glad to get away from the food that was making her stomach churn. She felt Eddie kiss the back of her head and his hand slithered down to her hip before she moved over to the sofa near the tv. And Eddie took her place at the table since he hadn't eaten his dinner yet.

"Hi baby, how was school?" (Y/n) let herself slump down on the sofa and she propped her feet up on the coffee table.

Carla had picked Chris up from school today and whenever they were both at work, Chris always rang them when he got home from school.

She had been in Chris's life for the past four years and from the moment (Y/n) married Eddie, Chris started calling her his mum. He loved her as if she really was his real mum and (Y/n) had taken to Chris from the moment she met him.

"Nice try. Did she eat any of it?" Eddie muttered quietly across at Evan while Hen got up to go clear her plate, leaving he two of them to it.

"Nope." Evan shook his head and placed (Y/n)'s full plate on top of his empty one. He didn't want to get involved. Evan worried about his sisters silently and although he wasn't happy about (Y/n) not eating anything, he couldn't do or say anything. Evan knew that Eddie was the one (Y/n) would listen to.

If Eddie told her to go home because she was ill, she would go and rest. He was the only one who could get through to her and the only one whose worries were enough to make (Y/n) back down.

"And she wonders why I get worried or tell her to stay home." He shook his head as he started to eat. Eddie hadn't been thrilled three days ago when he had to go to Bobby behind (Y/n)'s back and tell him that she needed to go home. She had thrown up so badly she was starting to dehydrate and she couldn't concentrate properly.

But Eddie only had (Y/n)'s wellbeing at heart and if she wasn't well, she shouldn't be on shift, she should be resting at home.

After saying goodbye, (Y/n) hung up and let her head slump to the left against the cushion on the sofa. Only a few hours left and then she and Eddie could go home to Chris.

Her eyes looked down at Eddie's homescreen and her lips curved up into a smile. It was a picture Eddie took a while back of them both lying in bed with (Y/n)'s face buried into his neck and her arms tightly wrapped around his bare chest.

Her thumb hovered over the lock button but just before she pressed it, a notification popped up and his phone vibrated. He had text.

"Eddie…" She pushed up off the sofa and took a deep breath to try and clear her head. But her eyes narrowed and her lips fell into a frown when she saw the message that hovered over the top of the screen.

'Don't worry. I won't tell your wife anything, or what we've been talking about. Lydia. XX'

Her chest tightened and her body shuddered as adrenaline surged through her stomach and bubbled up into her chest.

Had she done something wrong? She couldn't help that her first thought was Eddie talking about her. Had she done something to upset him and make him go to someone to talk about her?

But it wasn't as if they had argued a lot recently. (Y/n) couldn't recall the last time they had argued. Things were going great between her and Eddie, or so she thought. She was pregnant for God's sake, they were expanding their family together. What would be so bad about what Eddie had been talking about with someone to make it so secretive like that? What was so bad that (Y/n) wasn't supposed to know about?

Eddie wasn't the type to cheat. He wasn't like that and he had no reason to go and cheat on (Y/n) when they were happy together. A few months ago they had decided to start trying for a baby and they barely started trying before the first pregnancy test came back positive. Eddie wouldn't cheat on her now.

(Y/n) locked her eyes on her husband, stood in front of the sink as he dried his hands after doing the washing up.

The paranoia in her chest simmered down a little when his eyes locked on her and a smile fluttered across his lips. But when Eddie saw the unease written across her face, his smile started to dampen.

"Everything okay babe?"

"You know, if this is some kind of joke, Eddie, I don't find it very funny."

Eddie's face fell and his chest tightened when (Y/n) pressed his phone into his chest until he reached up to take it from her. No sooner did his hand envelope hers, (Y/n) pulled back and left the kitchen.

Panic bubbled up in Eddie's chest and his face fell as he watched her walk away. What had he done? He hadn't said anything. He left her to talk on the phone with Chris. Eddie had barely even mentioned about her not eating her dinner either, he was still unhappy about that because he was worried about her. Had he started a fight without knowing about it?

His eyes glanced down at his phone and he clicked on the message that popped up, but when he read it, a groan tumbled past his lips and he shoved his phone into his back pocket.

He dropped the teatowel and jogged through the kitchen, following his wife down the stairs as she made her way to the ambulance. (Y/n) would busy herself making sure the ambulance was stocked and ready for whenever they got their next call out.

"Baby- baby stop a minute and talk to me please."

When (Y/n) opened the back doors and went to climb up, she gasped as Eddie's arm pinned around her middle and he pulled her back when she got one foot up on the step. Her hands clenched down on his arm and she groaned when Eddie effortlessly pulled her back and turned her around in his arms so she was facing him.

His hands held her arms and he nudged her back until she sat down on the edge and he could move to stand between her thighs. She tried to fold her arms over her chest but Eddie moved them out the way and cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look up at him.

"Have I missed something?" (Y/n) whispered quietly. She felt a desirable urge to tear her head out of Eddie's grip and move to stand up tall in front of him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She stayed sat down and pressed her knees into his thighs to squeeze him between her legs. Her lips pursed and she waited for an answer. He wanted to talk, so they would talk. It would be easier than giving Eddie the cold shoulder for the rest of their shift, and (Y/n) knew she wouldn't do well trying to ignore this. She would only wonder and fester on what that message meant.

"You remember that call out last week… the woman who feel through the balcony?"

"Hm."

"Somehow, she's got my number. I've blocked it, but she keeps messaging me. Here, check the messages, I haven't replied but she isn't giving up so easily." Eddie pulled his phone from his pocket and placed it in (Y/n)'s hand before he moved to crouch down between her thighs.

His hands cupped her upper thighs and started to rub up and down, and he leaned to kiss her knee.

He wasn't lying. Eddie didn't know how Lydia had gotten his number, but she must be changing her sim card or changing her number because he had blocked her but somehow she was still getting through to him. She tried calling him, he wouldn't answer. She texted him and he responded once to ask her politely to stop.

Eddie was married. He had a wife and son and a baby on the way, he didn't want to be talking to another woman and he certainly didn't want her pestering him like this. It was becoming annoying and irritating and Eddie didn't want this to worry (Y/n).

"Why didn't you say anything?" (Y/n) handed the phone back without checking. She trusted Eddie, she didn't want to rummage through his texts and act as if she didn't trust him being faithful.

"Because I blocked her, I thought that was it. I don't want you worrying about this when you're not well. I've got you, Chris and the baby to think about, I'm not stressing over this too."

Eddie had his hands full with his family. He was always worrying about Chris for one reason or another. He worried about (Y/n), and now he was especially worried about her since she was unwell with the baby. Eddie saw no point in stressing about this woman who kept trying to message him. She hadn't done anything strange except for the incessant calls. Eddie was happy to go on ignoring her and pretending this wasn't happening.

"Now come on. I know for a fact Hen stocked the supplies when we got back, I want to see you eat something."

"Eddie-"

"You either eat something or you go home. I'm not taking any chances with you both."

Adrenaline fluttered in (Y/n)'s stomach when Eddie leaned forward and pressed his lips to her stomach over her shirt. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair before she let him pull her up to her feet.

"Whatever you say," She murmured quietly as she cupped his face in her hands and pulled him close enough for a kiss.

***

Doing her level best to hold her chin up and keep the calm smile on her face, (Y/n) took a deep breath and strode through into the station. She didn't spare a glance towards the brunette on her left as she passed her by and walked in between the truck and the ambulance.

Lydia was back.

(Y/n) knew Eddie hadn't been best pleased when Lydia turned up at the station last week, unannounced and claimed she was there to thank the team for helping her. It settled strange for everyone since she was solely focused on talking to Eddie and not the rest of them.

The quiet word he had with her to politely ask her to stop calling him and not to come by the station again didn't seem to have the desired affect if she was here now.

"Hey, how's my nephew doin'?"

(Y/n) let herself relax when she felt Evan grab her from behind. His hands found her shoulders and he leaned down due to the height difference, hovering his chin near her shoulder while he grinned. He kept hold of her and walked behind her, following (Y/n)'s trail towards the gym since she could see her husband in there.

She had switched her shift around to work this afternoon so she could have the morning off for her appointment. It meant (Y/n) could have a calm morning, take Chris to school and then go to her appointment with the midwife before coming on shift. She got to see her husband for a few hours too before his shift ended and he went to collect Chris.

"Fine, he's at school." A grin found its way onto (Y/n)'s lips and she looked up at Evan who rolled his eyes.

"Good, but I meant the other one." Evan leaned his hand round and prodded (Y/n)'s stomach until she squirmed and pulled away with a laugh.

"The baby might not be a boy, you know, but they're fine." (Y/n) let Evan give her a quick hug before he drifted from her and moved towards the stairs to go up to the annex.

Her sights set ahead of her and she quietly walked into the gym and placed her bag down on the floor beside her. She kept her footsteps light and her movements slow as she trailed further into the room until she was stood directly behind Eddie.

He had his back to her, wearing a pair of loose black shorts and a tight fitted grey vest. His hair was damp with sweat and starting to flop forward near his forehead, but (Y/n)'s sights kept moving back towards his arms. Watching the way they tensed and bulged when he pulled back and how the muscles popped when he thrust his hands forward into the punch bag.

He slammed his gloved fist forward into the bag before he froze when a pair of arms curved beneath his and familiar hands planted in the middle of his chest. His lips curved into a breathless grin when he felt (Y/n)'s lips smother the side of his neck.

Reaching his hand up, Eddie tore the strap free from the glove and dropped it to the floor before doing the same to the other.

He wasted no time turning around in (Y/n)'s arms and curving one arm tight around her waist while his other hand brushed his hair away from his forehead. His grin showed his teeth and he dragged his tongue across his lower lip when (Y/n) lifted her arms to cocoon them around his neck instead.

"There's my girl. How'd it go, hm? All good?" His lips attached to (Y/n)'s jaw as he spoke and he worked his way up to her lips. Hungry as he drank her in and stole each breath she tried to take until her nails dug into the back of his neck, begging for air.

A spark jolted through (Y/n)'s chest as she nudged her nose against his and felt his free hand move down until his palm pressed over her stomach.

Eddie hadn't been too happy to have to work this morning when (Y/n) had her appointment, but he had to so it worked out for him to pick Chris up from school while (Y/n) was at work. He knew they could try and arrange the next appointment so he could go along. He missed most of Shannon's appointments when he was in the army, Eddie didn't want to miss any of (Y/n)'s this time around.

She felt his thumb swipe across her stomach over her shirt and he stole another kiss while he waited patiently for her to tell him how it went.

"All good, although I've got another handful of vitamins and protein sachets to take. The baby's doing good." (Y/n) brought her hand down from his neck to hold his wrist as his fingers continued to skim across her stomach.

To boost her up and make sure she didn't get dehydrated or lose any weight, (Y/n) had been given some more supplements to take and extra vitamins.

"I'd best keep an eye on you, then." His lips pressed to hers again before he moved to graze his teeth along her neck.

"Eddie,"

"Hm?" The way she said his name had shivers shooting down his spine and he tightened his arm around her waist. His other hand finally moved from her stomach to cup the side of her jaw and he pulled back just enough to hear her speak. With his nose still touching hers and his panting breaths mingling against her lips.

"Your girlfriend's here, again."

Confusion burned in Eddie's eyes and he leaned his cheek against the side of (Y/n)'s head to look behind her through the window, across the station floor. She felt the way he growled deep within his chest and his arm pinned her tighter to his chest when his gaze burned onto Lydia at the far end of the station.

Why was she back again? Why couldn't she take the hint and leave them all alone, leave him alone?

All Eddie ever wanted and needed was right here in his arms right now. He didn't want anyone else. He didn't want Lydia always hovering around and trying to get close to him.

"I'll get rid of her." He muttered against the side of her head where he pressed another searing kiss.

He would tell her to leave, in no uncertain terms.

***

Eddie raked his fingers through his hair when he watched the truck slowly reverse into the station. He flagged it down and gave a thumbs up when it was parked as far back as it needed to go. He patted his hand down on the side of the truck as he walked round to the door and waited for the team to hop out.

He and Hen had come back off a small call out to find the rest of the team rushed out for a new call, leaving the second shift in charge.

He leaned his shoulders up against the truck and waited as the door opened and the team started to file out.

A smile formed on his lips when he watched Evan hop down from the truck but he could feel his lips faltering when he noticed the look of panic on Evan's face. He pushed his shoulders off the truck and moved closer to Evan, but he stopped when Evan turned round and reached his arms up into the truck.

Panic ignited in Eddie's chest as he watched (Y/n) stumble down from the truck. Her body was shaking, her arms were cocooned to her chest and her legs almost gave way when she was back on solid ground.

"What happened?" Eddie cast his arms forward and grabbed (Y/n) the moment she was on the floor.

He felt the way she jumped against him, not expecting him to be here the moment they pulled up in the station. (Y/n) let her shoulders slump back into Eddie's chest and when his arms deadlocked around her waist, she let him take her weight as her chin tilted forward into her chest.

"Buck, what happened-"

"We barely got out the truck on the scene and she blacked out. Bobby made her wait in the truck and she threw up."

Evan slammed the truck door shut and leaned back with his hands on his hips and his eyes focused on his sister. They hadn't even put on their helmets on the scene when (Y/n) suddenly went down like a domino. Evan sat her down on the floor for a minute before he helped her up into the truck when Bobby told her to wait this call out.

When they got back, she had thrown up and was reduced to tremors that had started to ease on the way back to the station.

"Did you eat breakfast this morning?" Eddie tightened his arms around (Y/n)'s waist when she arched her lower back into his torso and doubled forward. Her hands clenched down on his arm so tightly she started to draw blood and she felt the world spinning as she threw up onto the floor.

"You're looking at it," Evan muttered quietly and ran his hand across his jaw as his nose crinkled in distaste when his sister threw up by their feet.

"Mi amor, I think it's time you went home."

Leaning forward, Eddie pressed his lips to the back of (Y/n)'s neck and smoothed his thumb across her stomach while he sighed into her neck. She couldn't stay on shift when she was this ill, she needed to go home and rest and try to recover. Staying at work was only going to drain her and make her feel a while lot worse.

"(Y/n)…" Bobby leaned one hand on the side of the truck and looked over at the three of them. "Take the rest of the week off please. The last thing we need is you going to the emergency room."

It was an order, not a request and (Y/n) nodded before she flopped her head back on Eddie's shoulder and let him guide her away from the truck and towards the locker room. She couldn't be this ill on shift again or it was going to cause problems for the team. They would end up driving her to the emergency room and the last thing anyone wanted was (Y/n) getting to that point. She needed to go home and look after herself and get better.

"Let me take you home-"

"No, you're still on shift." She tilted her head to the side and pressed her temple against Eddie's jaw. She wasn't going to make more of a fuss and have Eddie leave shift to take her home. She was okay to drive and then she could collapse on the sofa and go to sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

Plus, this meant (Y/n) could tell Carla she didn't have to collect Chris today or for the rest of the week. She was going to be home, able to look after him every day.

"I don't like the thought of you going home alone, not like this." Eddie didn't want (Y/n) to be on her own when she looked this unwell. He could feel her trembling against him and she was flushed and sweating.

"I'll call you when I get home, and when I've picked Chris up from school. I swear, I'll be fine."

(Y/n) wasn't sure how long she had been asleep.

The moment she got through the door, she called Eddie to say she was home and when she flopped onto the sofa, she could feel her mind starting to shut down almost immediately. The last thing she heard was Eddie's voice on the other end of the phone, asking her to try and eat something and let him know if she did and if she started to feel any worse.

But she didn't know how long she had been asleep for; all she knew was that she didn't wake up because of the alarm she set so she was on time to collect Chris.

She woke up because there was a hand covering her mouth.

Fingers dug bruisingly into her cheek. A rough palm pressed down on her mouth, mashing her lips against her teeth and pushing her head down into the cushion until she was almost imbedded into it.

When her eyes frantically opened and scanned around, she realised it wasn't anyone she knew stood in front of her.

But when she felt the blade of a kitchen knife press against her throat beneath her chin, her body started to shake.

And all she could do was scream.

[parkerslatte]

Broken Fence

Azriel x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: angst. major character death.

Summary: Humans only have a short lifespan compared to the fae and unfortunately for Azriel he had fallen in love with one.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Masterlist

•••

The door slammed open as Azriel burst into Rhys’s office, tears streaming down his face and sobs echoing throughout the room. Rhys and Cassian looked toward their brother and rushed over to him. In the centuries they had known Azriel, they had never seen him this hysterical. As Azriel collapsed to the floor, Rhys fell down with him, pulling the shadowsinger into his arms. Cassian placed his hands on Azriel’s shoulders gently. 

“Az, what happened?” asked Cassian. 

The sobs coming from Azriel only increase as he clutches onto Rhys, trying his best to ground himself. Rhys and Cassian share a look of questioning, neither of the two knew what would have happened. 

“Azriel,” Cassian spoke softly. “Please tell us what happened.”

Azriel’s gaze finally met Cassian’s, his eyes full of tears and Cassian’s heart broke just looking at him. 

“She’s- she’s dead,” Azriel forced out before more guttural sobs came from him. 

“Az, who’s dead,” Rhys asked, tightening his grip on the shadowsinger. 

Azriel pulled away from Rhys and slumped forward, pushing his brothers away. His breath was ragged and he could barely see in front of him as the tears in his eyes clouded his vision. 

In his whole life, Azriel had never felt this type of pain. His heart was shattered and scattered where he would never be able to find them. In the matter of hours, Azriel had gone from the happiest male in the world to the saddest. The agony he felt was unbearable. Azriel had survived wars and torture but this was still the most pain he had ever felt. 

Azriel placed his hand over his heart, it hammered in his chest. Rhys and Cassian remained standing behind him giving him as much space as they could. 

“Y/N,” Azriel finally spoke. “She died.”

“Whose Y/N?” Rhys asked. 

“She—“ Azriel cut himself off as another sob forced itself out of him. “She was mine and I— I was hers. I love her so much.”

Cassian stepped up to Azriel and placed his hand on his shoulder once more. This time Azriel didn’t try to pull away. Rhys came up behind Azriel and stood next to him, offering him the same comfort as Cassian. 

“How did she die?” Rhys asked. 

Azriel was silent. He leaned into his brothers’ touch, seeking as much comfort as he could. “Old age,” he finally answered. “She was seventy-one.”

Only an hour before, Azriel had clutched onto hers as she took her final breaths. The slackening of her grip made Azriel’s heart drop as soon as he felt it. He had smoothed her hair out of her face as she closed her eyes for the final time. She looked older than when he had met her when she was twenty-six but that glimmer in her eyes remained. 

“She was human,” Azriel began. His sobs had slowly subsided and now his cries were quiet as he spoke. “I met her forty five years ago. It’s where I always disappear every night.”

Rhys guided Azriel to sit down. His wings were dragging across the floor, he didn’t care enough to pick them up. 

“How did you two meet?” Cassian asked. 

Azriel let out a breath. “You sent me on a mission to the human lands when an ash arrow was shot at my wing.”

“You never told me that!” Rhys exclaimed. 

Azriel shrugged. “It wasn’t important.” Azriel wiped away the tears that had dried on his cheeks. “I fell into Y/N’s garden, I ruined her fence.”

Despite the way he was feeling he couldn’t help but smile at the memory. 

***

As soon as he hit the ground, Azriel groaned in pain. It was late at night so Azriel thought that he would have been safe flying over the mortal lands. Apparently not. Heaving his body from the ground, Azriel stood on his feet. His left wing hung limply beside him. Every movement sent a sharp pain through it. 

As his focus shifted from his injuries— which consisted of his wing and his arm which had broken from his landing— Azriel had failed to notice where he had crash landed. 

“Who the hell are you!” A woman's voice echoed through the night air. 

Azriel spun around and noticed a woman in her mid twenties standing with a small wooden beam in her hands. She held it defensively in front of her though she looked as if she would throw it at any point. 

Azriel held his hands up in defence, although with some effort considering the pain in his arm. “I’m not a threat.”

“You’re not human,” the woman said. “Why are you here?”

“I was flying over the mortal lands and I was shot by an ash arrow,” Azriel explained. “I can leave as soon as I get the arrow out.”

The woman took a step closer, her eyes full of uncertainty. “Does it hurt?”

Azriel grunted as he tried to move his wing. The arrow was in a place he couldn’t reach. “Yes.”

The woman took one more step closer. Her eyes glanced at his arm and down to the arrow in his wing. “Aren’t you meant to be fast at healing?”

“The arrow slows that process down,” Azriel said. “As soon as it is out, I can be on my way.”

“You broke my fence,” the woman stated. 

Azriel looked over at the fence he had fallen on. “I apologise.”

The woman dropped the wooden beam, sensing that Azriel wasn’t a threat. “Do you want to come inside? I can help you with…that.”

Azriel looked taken back for a moment. “What?”

The woman rolled her eyes. “I asked you if you wanted to come in. I can help you with your injuries.”

Azriel lowered his head. “I would appreciate it.”

The woman turned on her heel and walked back to her house. “Come on then.”

Obediently, Azriel followed. He ducked through her doorway and shut the door behind him. The cottage was small but homely. There was a fire roaring and the woman walked over to the kitchen area, moving a stool out from under the table. 

“Sit,” The woman said. 

Azriel sat down on the stool and sighed, relieved to get off his feet. 

“How do I go about this?” The woman asked. 

Azriel finally looked at her in the lighting and his breathing hitched in his throat. The woman standing before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

“What’s your name?” Azriel asked, his voice soft. 

“Y/N,” she said. 

“Y/N,” Azriel repeated. The name sounded beautiful on his tongue.

“Don’t wear it out,” Y/N said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Now, how do I…y’know?”

Y/N gestured to the arrow in his wing. 

“Oh,” said Azriel, raising his wing the smallest amount, pain shooting through him. “Make sure you pull it straight or it will cause more damage.”

“Okay,” Y/N breathed, suddenly nervous. 

Azriel watched as she kneeled down by the arrow and glided her fingers over his wing. Azriel flinched and Y/N jumped back. 

“I’m sorry!” She exclaimed, wide-eyed. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” Azriel said. “My wings are just sensitive. Sorry I scared you.”

Y/N only offered him a nod before shuffling closer to his wing. Her fingers gently touched the area next to the arrow. This time Azriel didn’t flinch but breathed out through his teeth. 

“Okay, just pull it straight through,” Y/N muttered to herself. 

Azriel glanced down at her and watched her expressions change as she hyped herself up to pull the arrow from his wing. Her hand was already on the arrow and his blood was soaking into her hands. Despite the way he was feeling, Azriel was shocked. He would guess that any other mortal would easily shy away from him or happily kill him– and one of those options was already attempted. 

“I’m sorry if this hurts,” Y/N said.

She wrapped her hand around the arrow head and quickly pulled it through his wing. Azriel grunted in pain and Y/N simply pressed a bandage to the wound to clear the blood away. As Y/N continued to wipe all of the blood away, Azriel could hear her heartbeat increase. 

“Are you scared of me?” Azriel asked, his voice soft. 

Y/N looked up at him, stilling her movements. “No, I’m not. I’m just worried I hurt you.”

Azriel’s eyes softened. “You didn’t hurt me.”

Y/N offered him a small smile. “Good.”

Y/N rose to her feet and Azriel tracked her movements. She moved with a certain grace that Azriel had never seen before and he found it hard to tear his eyes away. 

“What is your name?” Y/N asked, sitting in the seat beside Azriel. 

“What?” Azriel questioned, snapping out of his trance. 

“Your name,” said Y/N, amusement shining in her eyes. “You never told me.”

“Azriel,” he said. “My name is Azriel.”

Y/N nodded before rising from the chair she was sitting in. For the first time since he had entered her home, Azriel looked away from Y/N and down to his arm. It was slowly beginning to heal. 

“It is truly fascinating how fast you heal,” Y/N commented. “I broke my arm when I was just ten years old, it only took six weeks to heal but it felt like it was much longer for me.”

Azriel offered her a nod and flexed his fingers, there was a dull ache– nothing he couldn’t handle. His wing still hurt but as he raised it from where it had rested limply behind him, he found that he would have the strength to fly. From where she now stood in the kitchen area, Y/N glanced at Azriel out of the corner of her eyes, her eyes focused on his wings. She didn’t seem to be afraid at all– she looked fascinated. 

In his entire three-hundred and twenty years of living, Azriel had never seen a human take such an interest in him before, at least an interest that didn’t cause him direct harm. Azriel enjoyed it. 

“How do you feel when flying?” Y/N asked, spinning around. “I mean, how is it? Is it scary being so high up? I always wanted to fly when I was younger. I was convinced that I had a secret power to fly so I jumped from the roof of the house. It’s how I broke my arm.”

Azriel couldn’t help but let a quiet laugh pass by his lips. He didn’t intend for it to slip past but from the way Y/N’s face lit up when she heard it, he was glad he let it slip past. “I can show you.”

Her eyes widened. “No, I couldn’t possibly accept that. You are injured.”

Azriel stretched his wing. “I’ve handled worse.”

Y/N took a small step forward as Azriel held out his hand. She looked down at it and Azriel had the urge to pull his hand away once her gaze became focused on his scars. Before he could even begin to, Y/N clasped her soft hand in his. “Only if this doesn’t hurt you,” she said.

Azriel clasped her hand in his, savouring the feeling of her skin. “I assure you, I will be fine.”

With their hands linked together, Azriel led her outside. Y/N looked nervous as she looked to the sky. 

“Having second thoughts?” Azriel questioned, a hit of teasing laced his tone.

“No!” Y/N exclaimed. “It’s just a bit high, isn’t it?”

Azriel chuckled and Y/N smiled. “What?” she asked.

If Azriel could have a portrait of her smiling face he would. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

“Nothing,” Azriel said, simply smiling down at her. 

Y/N shook her head, and looked down to the ground, her smile never faltering. 

“Are you still sure about this?” Azriel asked. 

“Yes,” Y/N replied. “Just…don’t drop me.”

Azriel squeezed her hand. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

With a quick movement, Azriel sweeped Y/N from her feet and she let out a noise of surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I wasn’t ready!” she exclaimed.

Azriel turned his head to look at her and he immediately found that it was a mistake. Her breath fanned his face as his eyes met hers, faces only inches apart. Up close, Azriel could make out the colour of her eyes and the dark lashes that framed them. Azriel couldn’t help himself as he let his eyes glide down her face. Her lips were slightly parted and Azriel couldn’t help but fixate on them. They looked soft and he desperately wanted to test his theory. 

Before he could even think about leaning closer, he cleared his throat. As he spoke his voice was quiet. “I will need to stay away from the town or anywhere that we are likely to be spotted.”

“That’s fine,” Y/N replied, breathless. 

“Hold on tight.”

It was all Azriel said as he shot off into the sky. The pain in his wing was mostly gone, all that remained was a slight pain whenever he flapped his wings to soar higher into the sky. As soon as Azriel shot off, Y/N’s arms tightened around his neck and her head buried in his shoulder, eyes closed tight. Azriel tightened his grip on her as he flew through the sky, making sure to avoid anywhere that he would endanger Y/N. 

“You can look,” Azriel said. “You do have quite a view.”

Azriel felt Y/N let out a breath and pull her head from where it was buried in his shoulder and immediately looked down. As soon as she saw how high they were, her face was once again nestled in Azriel’s shoulder. 

“Don’t look down,” Azriel said, his voice gentle and encouraging. “Look at me.”

Y/N pulled her face away slowly, her gaze meeting Azriel’s. As soon as their eyes met, Azriel smiled. He couldn’t help himself. Once Y/N was used to the thought of being so high in the sky, her gaze left Azriel’s as she looked out and a gasp left her lips. 

“It’s beautiful,” Y/N whispered, her eyes darting across everything she saw. The twinkle of lights from the town, the stars in the sky and the moon, which was full and in her direct eyeline. 

“I know,” Azriel said, though he wasn’t looking at the view. He was looking at Y/N.

Everything in Azriel told him to simply fly her back to her house and leave her. Thinking about her the way he was would only cause problems, mainly for him. Her lifespan was limited, if he became too attached she would only become a small fraction of his immortal life. 

But Azriel couldn’t help himself. To him, she was the most beautiful being in the world. The moonlight shone on her face as she looked at the view around her, her gaze never focusing on one thing for too long, not wanting to miss anything. 

“You do this everyday?” Y/N questioned. “It’s incredible.”

The sounds of her melodic voice snapped Azriel out of his thoughts as he looked at where they were flying, closer to the village. “We should go back now, I wish not to be seen again.”

Y/N’s gaze looked at the moon once more before she nodded. 

It wasn’t long before Azriel had landed back in Y/N’s garden. He set Y/N down on her feet gently and looked down at her. Her hair was windswept but she was still gorgeous. 

The smile on her face was bright as she looked up at Azriel. “That was amazing! I can’t believe I was flying!”

“Technically you weren’t flying,” Azriel teased.

Y/N gently hit his arm. “I was up in that sky, so I was flying.”

Azriel rolled his eyes playfully. 

“Thank you, Azriel,” Y/N said, her hand caressing his hand. “Truly, that was the most incredible thing I have ever done.”

“I’m glad you trusted me,” Azriel replied. 

As they stood there in the middle of the garden with the ruined fence, Y/N reached up and threw her arms around his shoulders. Shocked, Azriel remained still, not anticipating the affectionate gesture. Her body was warm and welcoming against him. He enjoyed the feeling immensely. 

Just as Y/N was about to pull away, Azriel’s arms found their place around her waist and held her tightly, though not enough to injure her human body. 

“I didn’t pin you for much of a hugger,” Y/N commented, her voice muffled against his shoulder. 

“I’m not,” Azriel replied, lifting her from her feet with ease.

Y/N legs wrapped around his waist as Azriel buried his head in the crook of her neck. 

“You bring something out of me,” said Azriel. His lips brushed against her neck which caused a shiver to go down Y/N’s spine. “I can’t explain it.”

Y/N unwrapped her legs from around him and Azriel set her on her feet but Y/N didn’t pull away– not fully. “Are you leaving?”

Azriel sighed. He didn’t want to, but he knew he couldn’t stay. “I am.”

“Will you come back?” Y/N asked, her eyes, although sad, were full of hope.

Azriel knew that it was a bad idea. He could never be with a human but with Y/N, he had never felt so carefree and at ease before. Her touch alone did things to him that no other touch had. 

“I will return,” Azriel said. “I can’t leave you when I haven’t even flown you when there is a sunset.”

Y/N smiled. “When? I don’t want it to be when I am old and grey.”

There was a small stab to Azriel’s heart at the thought of Y/N ageing when he wouldn’t but he brushed it off. “Tomorrow?”

Y/N brightened. “Really? You will really come back?”

Azriel cupped her cheeks. “You couldn’t keep me away.”

Y/N hands held onto his wrists. “I will be waiting.”

His thumb brushed across her cheek. “I will be here as soon as I can.”

“You better,” Y/N said. “And you better be good with your hands because I expect you to fix my fence.”

Azriel laughed, not not bothering to hide his amusement. “Is that all you want me for? You rebuild your garden decoration.”

“And to fly me around,” Y/N replied. “Why else would I need you?”

“I can think of a few things,” Azriel whispered and watched as Y/N looked to the floor flustered. 

Azriel smiled fondly at Y/N as he tilted her chin up. “I will return tomorrow, Y/N.”

Their lips touched and before Y/N could process exactly what was happening, Azriel had pulled away, a smug smile on his face. He stepped back and Y/N gaped at him.

“You can’t just do that and then leave!” Y/N exclaimed. 

“Why? I thought you only wanted me for construction and flying?” 

Y/N rolled her eyes before she marched up to Azriel and tugged him down until their lips crashed together. Y/N took the lead in the kiss, and Azriel allowed her. Her lips were soft and Azriel needed more of her. He needed to feel those lips everywhere on his body. 

Before Azriel could wrap his arms around her and pull her body against his, Y/N pulled away. A smug smile now on her face. 

“I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, Azriel,” Y/N said, stepping back. 

It was Azriel’s turn to gape at her and Y/N only laughed, a sound Azriel wished to hear again and again and again. 

“Maybe if you build my fence well, I’ll let you continue that,” Y/N said. 

Azriel smirked. “I will build that fence so that it outshines every other fence ever built.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Azriel,” Y/N said before turning her back to him and walked back into the warmth of her house.

Azriel waited until she closed the door before shooting to the sky to fly back home– a bright smile on his face. 

***

“I went back nearly every night,” Azriel said. “Any free time I had, I spent with her. We could never make it official but she had bought us rings. She said that despite the fact that we couldn't get married, she wanted to call me her husband.”

Azriel pulled a chain from around his neck, a simple gold band threaded on it, next to it a ring with a simple gen in the middle, the exact colour of Azriel’s siphons. Y/N had urged Azriel to take it before she passed. 

“I called her my wife for forty-four years,” Azriel explained.

“Why did you never tell us?” Rhys asked. “You could have brought her here, I would have protected her.”

Azriel shook his head. “I didn’t want to take any risk. I would happily risk my safety to keep crossing into the mortal lands but I would never risk hers.”

Azriel looked down at the rings on the chain and more tears welled in his eyes. It was the first time he had seen her ring off her finger since he had slipped it on. “I miss her. I really miss her.”

Cassian simply wrapped his arm around his brother and let him let out the tears. 

“I tried to convince myself not to get too attached to her,” Azriel said. “I really tried but the more I tried to force myself to leave, the more I began to fall in love with her. She was so easy to love.”

Rhys smiled sadly at his brother. “I wish we could have met her.”

“You would have loved her,” Azriel replied, he hadn’t torn his gaze away from the two rings. “Can I be alone for a moment?”

Cassian simply shared a look with Rhys and the two offered Azriel a squeeze of support before standing to their feet and leaving the room. Azriel remained in silence.

Tears fell down his cheeks as he pressed her ring to his lips, kissing it just as he had before he placed it on her finger. It hadn’t been long since Y/N had passed, yet Azriel dreaded everything that came after. He dreaded waking up in the mornings and not being able to pull her close to him. The left side of the bed would always be cold. 

Azriel clutched the two rings in his fist and cried silently. He would never hear her laugh or see her smile, always so bright it lit up any room. He would never wrap his arms and wings around her whenever she was having a bad day and he would never feel the comfort of her arms around him whenever he was feeling down. 

As the tears fell, Azriel swore he felt a hand caress his cheek. His eyes remained closed but as he felt another caress he opened them, his vision slightly blurred by the tears. However, through them he could still make out a faint figure. 

It was Y/N, looking the same as the day they met. 

“Y/N…” Azriel whispered as he tried to reach out but his hand fell though empty air. 

Y/N’s soft smile graced her face as she simply leaned forward and pressed her lips against her forehead. Azriel could barely feel it but he would recognise her kiss anywhere. He savoured it, knowing that it was the last time he would ever feel it. 

As she pulled away Azriel watched as she faded more and more, the sun shining through the window rendering her practically invisible but Azriel could still make out her face. A face that he would never forget. 

“I love you.”

Her voice was barely a whisper and it sounded like it was coming from all directions at once. 

“I love you too,” Azriel replied. “I love you and I always will.”

The same bright smile Azriel loved spread across her face as she blew him a kiss before she completely disappeared. Azriel’s eyes remained on where she had stood. He still couldn’t figure out if she was real or if it was just a figment of his imagination. But those touched felt real. 

Azriel looked back at the two rings on the chain. He slid his own from it. He had never been able to wear it when he wasn’t with Y/N. With his job at the Night Court, he never wanted any potential enemies to find out about her. But now…now he could freely wear it. Azriel slipped his own ring onto his finger and smiled. It felt right. 

He pressed one final kiss to Y/N’s before he tucked it back under his shirt, feeling the cool metal press against his chest, just over his heart. 

Azriel wiped the tears from his face and let out a deep breath before exiting Rhys’s office, seeking out the comfort of his brothers. With time he knew that he would be okay, he didn’t know if that would be in ten years or a hundred years but he knew that one day he would be okay. 

[theodorequartz]

[ His Companion ] Hazbin Hotel Various x Male Reader

Chapter 1: Naturally

Third person POV:

" RISE AND SHINE, MY BABY'S! ITS ANOTHER FUCKING DAY! ~" Blitzø yelled, kicking the door down.

Loona groaned and hid her face in her pillow. Meanwhile, a beautifully handsome male sat up, his hair still slightly messy, making him look more on the cute side.

" Morning, Blitzø..." The male yawned.

" Good Morning! Love of my life~" Blitzø said winking and finger gunning the male. Which was replied with a chuckle.

The male sat up and got to the bathroom to get ready. He walked out to see Blitzø in the floor with his face smashed to the concrete, it created dents from the force. He also saw Luna walk away grumbling.

He chuckled slightly and walked to Blitzø to help him up.

" Thanks for letting me stay for the night, Blitzø. I really appreciate it. " The male said softy with a gentle smile.

" Heh. No problem, babe. In fact, you can stay forever if you want~ ACK-!!! " Blitzø got hit by an empty alcohol bottle in the head. The male blinking in surprise.

" M/n's not your damn boyfriend, Blitzø! Stop fucking clinging to him everytime! " Loona screamed from behind the door, it's glass shattered because of the object thrown in it.

M/n chuckled and picked up the broken glass, cleaning the floor after helping Blitzø up again.

" No worries, little pup. Blitzø's behavior is totally okay for me. Everyone needs some affection now and then, do they? Especially since your work is full of violence. " M/n said also picking up pieces of little shard glass in his head, giving it a soft pat after.

Blitzø purred and his tail curled to a heart.

" Aww, n/n~ you're soo good to me~ " Blitzø said, hugging the male's legs and rubbing his head in M/n's waist.

M/n laughed in response and pat Blitzø's head once again.

Loona gagged at her dad- ahem. Adopted dad's words.

" Well, I'll be off then. I still have work to do. I'll see you both next week?" M/n said as he took his belongings and put his coat. Blitzø sighned.

" You know you can just work for me, right? Just ditch whoever your boss is. I'm better!" Blitzø loudly expressed his discontent.

M/n just sighned and shook his head gently. Taking Blitzø's hands off his hips and straighten his coat. " I'll see you soon, Blitzø, Loona. Stay safe, both of you, alright?" M/n said smiling.

Blitzø grumbled but nodded his head and turned around to pout. M/n chuckled and patted his head once more, nodding to Loona as she waved him goodbye.

M/n walked out the door and walked to the loud, chaotic street. Stabbing, shooting, drugs, drunks, killing, destroying, more killing, fucki- he turned away his head from that one.

He bumped on someone making him stagger. The other, however, fell down to their ass, and they didn't seem happy about it.

" Oh. I apologize, sir. Are you alright?" M/n asked the fallen demon, reaching out his hand to help him. The demon slapped his hand away, however, in rage.

" WATCH WHERE YOUR LOOKING AT, DUMBASS!!" The demon screamed at his face as he got up, holding his tie.

" Now, now, dear sir. No need to sort this out on violence." M/n said calmly, not affected by the situation at all.

Some demons watched the commotion. Others just glanced and walked passed by them, as if it's an everyday occurrence. Which probably is since this is hell and all.

The demon was about to shout at him again but stopped and looked at him up and down and smirked.

" Well, I guess we can take this matter on a not-so-violent activity~" the demon proceeded to grip M/n's arm and pulled him to an empty, dark alley. M/n didn't resist, he didn't have to waste his strength on a soon-to-be corpse.

The demon turned around and pushed him to the wall. The demon smirked and licked his lips, walking towards M/n with a lustful look in his eyes. M/n simply stood there, hands on his back, like a butler.

Not even three steps from the demon he broke out screaming.

Blood rushed out of his eye sockets. He gurgled as his tongue was cut out of his mouth.

As the demons body fell down in pain, a demon, dressed in all red. Red hair fading to black, two antlers and ears resembling that of a deer. A cheshire smile on his face. His eyes glitching. He filled the alley with sounds of static, that of a radio.

The Radio Demon. One of the most powerful sinners of all hell. He's mere presence can make anyone piss their pants, run off, hide, and be on their full guard.

But M/n is not anyone. He merely smiled and put his hand in his heart, bowing slightly.

" My lord." M/n said in a soft voice, a greeting for his master.

The radio demon. Alastor. Soften his cheshire grin to a relaxed smile. He twirled his staff in his hand and walked towards his companion.

" M/n, my dear! I'm sorry for the late arrival, just some business with the big boss! " Alastor said in a voice much like a radio host in a broadcasting radio. It's oddly charming. For M/n, at least.

The statics had gone down after M/n's voice was heard. It was as if the noice had gone to stop abruptly just to hear M/n's voice. To hear it clearly. The demons cries had gone out to, probably passed out due to the pain or Alastor made him pass out due to how loud he was being.

" His highness, Lucifer? " M/n asked as he walked forward, closing the distance between him and the deer demon.

" Precisely, my dear. Well, we didn't really have time to finish because" Alastor glanced at the passed out demon. His eyes dimming.

M/n blinked.

" My lord, you did not have to cut your time from such an important task to a simple cause as this." M/n said. " I could have just handled it."

Alastor turned his eyes to stare at his once more. He closed the distance, he lowered his head and caressed his companion's face. Just as the day they first met, his cheek was soft and felt pleasantly cold, chilly in his hands. His thumb glazed to his cheek as M/n leaned to his hand.

" I'll always choose you above everything else, my dear." Alastors words warmed M/n's heart. It itched and filled up his soul.

M/n sighed, content. He raised both of his hands towards the other's face as well, cupping it. He leaned his forehead onto his and closed his eyes.

" You're too good to me, my lord."

Alastor chucked and closed his eyes as well.

" Naturally. "

[palioom]

day twenty-eight - body worship

pairing: joel miller x f!reader

word count: 945

warnings: 18+ content; no use of y/n; body worship, mentions of scars, joel is a bit self-conscious, handjob, blowjob, cum eating

• kinktober 2023 masterlist •

She had seen the scar on his stomach before, light against his tan skin. Only adding to the others she had caught glimpses of - the big, rugged one he wore from getting stabbed by a broken baseball bat, the one on his temple, the many, many cuts on his thick forearms.

Joel didn’t like to talk about them, the ones on his back and legs which clearly came from knifes, a random gunshot wound. Didn’t like her touching them, brushing her hands away and taking them into his before fucking her into the mattress of their bed or the tiled wall of the shower.

But she wanted to touch them, unsure if he disliked the scars or the memories connected to them. Regardless of that, she loved them.

So one night, when the rain outside kept her up, reminding her of days hidden in some crumbling, molding apartments instead of this cozy home, she decided to get a better look at them. 

Pulling back the covers, she pulled up his dark shirt, the little slivers of moonshine illuminating his soft stomach. Her fingertips ghosted over the rugged scars, tracing them while his stomach rose and fell with his steady breaths.

Pretty in their own gruesome way, descending her lips onto them for the very first time and hearing how his breath hitched, felt him stir slightly. Her eyes stayed on his face, the lines seeming deeper in the shadows, his hair seemingly more gray in the silver light.

Just pressing her lips against his abdomen, pushing his shirt higher and kissing the swell of his stomach, stopping where his arm prevented her from going further. Instead, she kissed the scars on his arms, Joel now finally rousing from his slumber.

Confused for a moment before he realized, trying to get her to stop but this time, she didn’t budge, leaning over him to press a kiss against his lips before she moved back down again.

“Don’t, baby.” He groaned, voice laced with sleep. “C’mere.”

She smiled, once again kissing that long scar on his left side, noticing how he stiffened at the contact. Something terrible must have happened for him to react like this, but she didn’t let that deter her.

“Let me.” She whispered, her tongue lightly tracing it. Noticing how he got hard beneath her body, always so receptive of her touch after going so long without. “I think they’re beautiful, Joel. They make you, you.”

Joel sighed, torn between enjoying what she was doing and just wanting to forget about the marks that littered his body. His hand brushed some of her hair out of her face, her eyes finding his as one of her hands wandered to the waistband of his pants. A silent question in her eyes which he answered with a small nod, swallowing hard.

“So pretty.” She whispered against his stomach, her fingers wrapping around his hardening dick, soft and gentle.

“They’re ugly things.” He replied and his voice hitched on his breath as he did, keeping her hair out of her pretty face. How could scars be pretty? Especially if they bore such horrible stories like the ones on his stomach. “Not worth the attention.”

She smiled again, pressing more open mouthed kisses over his form, slowly moving her hand when he was fully hard in her palm. Finally able to reach his chest as well after he had moved his hand away, leaving no scar untouched as she continued.

“They’re worth all the attention.” Her lips attached to his neck, feeling his pulse and the vibrations of his groan, then kissed the scar on his temple. She knew why he had that, lingering there for just a little longer before focusing back on his torso. “You are. I love all of them, I love all of you.”

Warmth overwhelmed Joel, not used to such kind and loving words in such a dark and cruel world. The gentleness in which she moved about his body, still moving her hand around his aching dick.

Though that seemed to be secondary, he enjoyed her lips on his body much more than the hand wrapped around him, watching her move back and forth. Paying attention to his stomach, his chest, moving to his arms and to his hands, his neck and then his face again. Kissing the bridge of his nose, right over the tiny scar Joel wore there.

Like she was worshipping him. Somehow he wished she would kiss his back, too.

“You’re so damn beautiful, angel.” He whispered, unable to resist pulling her into one, deep kiss before she continued with a smile and a quiet giggle.

“And you are too.” Noticing that he was close, she pulled down his pants just enough to free his aching cock, settling in between his legs. She kissed his thick, muscular thighs, his hips and the hair around the base. “You’re just stubborn, old man.”

Looking him right in the eyes when she kissed the dark, leaking head of it, unable to hold back any longer as he spilled himself. Most landing on his stomach, some coating her fingers and yet some staining her lips.

She licked it up swiftly with a hum, kissing his skin again and again before she finally pulled herself up and laid next to him. Her hand brushing over his stomach and chest, her nose nudging his jaw as he caught his breath.

“All of you is so beautiful, Joel.”

As much as he hated the marks on his body because of the stories they held, he couldn’t deny that her lips on his body helped ease the pain. Even for just a little while.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Could I request a reader who is an adult probably scavenging some parts or an ex maintenance worker who rescues Cassie with the help of roxie and Monty who was fixed by the reader.

As the young girl came to her senses, she could only groan in pain, although it was violently cut short when she began coughing due to the surrounding dust.

She then felt a warm liquid trickling down the side of her head, eventually landing on her bottom lip where she tasted iron.

Spitting it out in disgust, she could see it was crimson red.

'What happened to me...?'

Cassie tried to move, but quickly found that her leg was pinned underneath rubble, and above that was a slab of concrete that would be impossible for her to lift up on her own. She still tried to free herself, only to stop when she felt pain.

Her eyes eventually found the smashed maintenance elevator she was thrown out of, her memories becoming clearer. 'That's right...the elevator..'

Soon her gaze fell upon the shattered Roxy-Talkie device that was once her only connection with the outside world.

Her only connection with Gregory.

Or...at least who she thought was Gregory, only for it to be a lie.

And just as the real one managed to contact her and save her from that evil endoskeleton who was mimicking him, he betrayed her by dropping the damn elevator.

"Th-That jerk...!" She coughed. "He-"

'Cassie! Is that you?!"

"Cassie! If you can hear us, hang on!"

Blinking, she turned her head to see a familiar wolf coming to her rescue, alongside an adult who looked like one of the Fazbear technicians.

"R-Roxy.."

"Cassie! Thank goodness. We thought you were a goner.." Relieved, Roxy began shoving aside whatever she could to reach Cassie. From pipes to rocks to metal sheets.

"I-I thought you were, too." The girl shuddered, feeling her tugging on her arms.

But she remained stuck and cried out in pain when Roxy tried pulling her out, to which she immediately let go. "What's wrong? I-Is your leg broken?"

"No. She's just trapped under a giant concrete slab..you're not gonna be able to lift that, Roxy. That means you're up, big guy."

"Leave it to me, boss."

Cassie felt her blood run cold upon hearing the other familiar voice...one that she wishes she didn't hear.

"Grrrah....rrrAHHH!!!"

Within seconds, the slab was lifted, and she was free to look up at whoever saved her.

It was Monty, his upper body now affixed to a glamrock endo's lower half. He loomed over her, teeth gnashed together as he stared back down, looking annoyed. "I can't hold this all da-"

"AHH!! G-GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!" With a scream, she scrambled to her feet despite being in immense pain, determined to get as far away from the monstrous gator that stalked her all night.

She couldn't let him catch her.

Not again.

And so she ran-

Until she crashed into you, nearly knocking you over.

"Cassie! It's alright!" You kneeled down, holding her closely as her panicked breathings kept getting worse--to the point of hyperventilation. "It's okay. He's not gonna hurt you, shhh."

"B-But he's...h-he's...he's....!!!" She struggled to finish.

"Cassie, it's okay. Monty's on our side now. Look."

Hearing the comforting voice of her favorite animatronic, she slowly calmed down enough to look back, seeing Roxy standing there beside Monty, who had dropped the slab.

She blinked several times, confused at why he was so calm now and wasn't trying to chase her. "How did he...? He was in the water, and...I fried him-"

"It seems like you pushed the factory reset button on him," you spoke up. "Whatever you did worked pretty well. He's got his old personality back, although I don't think he remembers what exactly happened.."

Cassie gazed at you. "I-I'm sorry..who are you?"

"[Y/n]." Smiling, you set your hands on her shoulders. "I used to work with your dad, and-"

However, you fell silent when she began sniffling, eyes watering up as her lips trembled, clearly trying to stifle her sobs. You frowned and hugged her closely. "Oh, honey.."

That was all she needed to burst into tears, burying her face into your jacket as the stress of her journey finally came crashing down on her--in the emotional sense, this time.

She had no words to described how hurt and betrayed she felt; all she could do was sob and sob as she clung to you.

Roxy almost ran to comfort her on instinct, but Monty held her back by the arm and shook his head, assuring her that you both needed the space. The last thing she needed was two dangerous-looking animatronics hovering around her.

He knew that very well.

She reluctantly listened, watching as you picked up Cassie and allowed her to hug you around the neck.

"I-I wanna go home.." She hated how pathetic she sounded, though it was the truth.

She was so very tired.

"We'll get you home, I promise." You reassured her. "We found a way out."

"B-But..what about that endo?" Sniffling, she raised her head to look at you, wiping at her smudged makeup. "I-It's still here..what if it gets out, too-?"

"Oh, it ain't going nowhere anytime soon."

Confused, Cassie glanced back at Monty, her eyes widening upon seeing the head of the Mimic in his claws. "My trophy." He grinned from ear-to-ear, before attaching it to his hip.

You chuckled. "He tore that thing up in two seconds flat. It didn't even stand a chance."

"We both kinda ganged up on it." Roxy nudged her bandmate's elbow. "Nobody messes with the Glamrocks..especially us."

"Haha. Got that right!"

"That's good.." Cassie muttered, finally calming down as she realized he was indeed back to his old self, relieved the Mimic was no longer a threat. "But..what about the elevator?"

"It's not our only way up. If I know one thing about this place, it's that we got too many damn stairwells." You huffed. "Fortunately Monty cleared a path to one that was hidden. That's how we got down here and found you."

"Yeah, I did that." The gator boasted. "You guys should be thanking me!"

"We will after we get out of this dump." Roxy reminded him, rolling her nonexistent eyes. "I need to find Gregory so I can....." She paused, feeling as though you're staring at her, before she changed her wording carefully. "....tell him what a bad "friend" he is."

"I'll tell him that myself, too.." Cassie grumbled, resting her head against your shoulder. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah." Nodding, you took out your flashlight. "Let's not stay here any longer than we need to."

[dreamwritesimagines]

The Eye of the Hurricane [5] - Unyielding

A.N: Here’s the new chapter my loves! ❤️ Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, you made my day! ❤️I hope you’ll like this chapter as well and please don’t forget to tell me what you think! ❤️

Summary: Certain arguments can’t wait.

Word Count: 3600

Pairing: MobBoss!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Violence, death, guns, crime, blood, explicit language, drinking. This is an AU, friendly reminder that I don’t condone any of the actions depicted on this story and please read with care.

Series Masterlist

For a couple of seconds, you could do nothing but stare at him with wide eyes, frozen in your seat.

“Excuse me?”

“Just hear me out before you grab your gun, it would—” he started but you scoffed and stood up from the lounge chair, the familiar anger rushing through you so fast that it almost made your head spin.

“Do you think this is funny?”

He shook his head fervently. “I’m completely serious.”

A dry laugh spilled from your lips. “Oh really?”

“Charm…”

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but my stupid little crush on you went away years and years ago,” you growled, glaring daggers at him. “You made sure of that, so if you dare assume for even a moment—”

“Oh my God, that was the wildest bachelorette I’ve ever been to!” Becca’s voice cut you off as she pushed open the door and stepped into the rooftop. “Also I’m pretty sure I’m in love now, so…” she stopped when her eyes fell on you two. “Uh, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” you said after a beat and threw your shoulders back. “Did you just say you’re in love?”

“Yeah!”

Bucky stole a look at Becca. “Who did you fall in love with?”

“That’s a long story. What’s going on in here?”

You pursed your lips together, your heart still beating in your ears as you tried to focus through the fury, then cleared your throat.

“We were—”

“Y/N, we’re leaving!” you heard Ian’s voice and your head whipped around, then you cleared your throat.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” you said, pressing a kiss on her cheek in a rush. “Let’s get coffee at the usual place?”

“Uh, sure?” she said slowly and you walked out of the rooftop like someone was chasing you, without sparing Bucky so much as a glance.

The road back home was considerably quiet but it did nothing to silence the chaos in your mind. You had excused yourself to your room as soon as you got home, but after an hour of tossing and turning in the bed, you huffed out and kicked the covers off of you, sitting up in the bed.

This was nonsense.

There was no scenario in which you’d marry Bucky. You weren’t even sure you could spend more than half an hour together without being at each other’s throats, let alone being an actual couple—

Not that you had thought about it.

Much.

Fine, back when you were younger and Bucky hadn’t ripped your heart out yet, you used to spend a lot of time thinking about you and him ending up together. He was your best friend’s cool older brother and you were both heirs to your families’ empires, so your little crush let your imagination run wild.

And then he had broken your heart but after everything, even now, your imagination still liked to conjure him up in your dreams some nights.

But unlike before, you weren’t an idiot. You knew what kind of an asshole he was, so there was no way you could even entertain that stupid proposal, no matter what kind of a promise of power it held.

You rubbed at your eyes and got up from the bed, then padded your way down the hallway, then went down the spiral stairs. You stretched out your arms over your head as you followed the hallway to the kitchen where the light was coming from, as you knew it would, then peeked your head in.

Oh good.

It was just Jennifer, your genius chef who was now busy with making a sandwich on the counter while Ryan sat on one of the chairs, his hands clasped together, his back completely straight. Ryan was Ian’s right hand, -ex military, as much as you knew- but unlike Ian, he was much calmer and rational. He was tall and very muscular and didn’t like to talk much, and that added more to the air of mystery he held, considering no one seemed to know much about his past, or his personal life.

“Hey,” you knocked on the door, making both of them turn their heads. “Is this a bad time?”

“Not at all!” Jennifer said as Ryan stood up from his chair.

“Ma’am.”

“Oh don’t!” you motioned at him. “Please don’t stand up, I just…I couldn’t sleep so I figured—”

“Warm milk with honey and cinnamon?” Jennifer finished your sentence for you, making you smile and nod your head.

“Yes please,” you said and pulled yourself a chair, resting your elbows on the counter. Ryan eyed you, then sat down as well.

“There you go!” Jennifer said, putting the plate in front of him, then smiled at him. “Chef’s special sandwich.”

“Thanks Jen,” Ryan said, his voice gruff and Jennifer turned to you.

“Would you like one as well?”

“Ah no, thank you,” you said and heaved a sigh. Jennifer stole a look at you.

“Are you alright?”

“Too many thoughts,” you muttered, leaning your chin on your fist. “Ryan, are you married?”

Ryan’s head shot up as he chewed on his bite, then cleared his throat.

“No ma’am.”

“Any partner?”

“No ma’am.”

“He’s single,” Jennifer said with a grin. “And all my friends are very eager to change that.”

Ryan offered her an almost abashed smile and shifted his weight on the chair as if he was uncomfortable with the sudden attention while Jennifer put your glass of honeyed milk with cinnamon in front of you with a couple of cookies on the plate.

“Thank you so much,” you said as you took a sip, then bit on the cookie.

“Jen, you’re married and in love, right?”

“And I’m also the luckiest woman in the world in addition to all that,” she said, making you smile.

“Do you think people could get married to people they hate?”

“Why would anyone get married to someone they hate?” she asked and Ryan took a huge bite of his sandwich, looking between you.

“Common interests,” you said. “I don’t know, I had this strange thought…”

Jennifer tilted her head. “What?”

You heaved a sigh, then shook your head.

“Nothing,” you said. “Don’t mind me. Just some late-night thoughts, that’s all.”

                                                 *

By the time you met up with Becca, you still couldn’t stop thinking about last night and Bucky’s proposal, if you could even call it that. It was nonsense, you knew it was, but considering Becca was your best friend, the mere thought of keeping it from her was simply absurd.

“He proposed?” Becca asked, gawking at you. “He actually proposed?”

“Well it was technically a business proposal.”

“And a marriage proposal at the same time?”

You shrugged your shoulders while the waiter filled your coffee cup.

“You know…” Becca trailed off. “Hypothetically speaking—”

“You cannot tell me this is a good idea.”

“I’m not but think about it,” she insisted. “You and Buck already hate each other kinda, so you’re technically already married. You just skipped like ten years into it and got to the resentment part.”

“Becca!”

“You fight like a married couple.”

“If some married couple is fighting like me and Bucky, they should get a divorce,” you pointed out, leaning back in your seat. “I blocked his number, and just…ugh the nerve of the guy, can you believe him?!”

“Mm hm.” Becca said, sipping her matcha before checking her phone. “Oh thank God!”

“What?”

“Sarah is coming to the club this weekend,” she said and pointed at you. “So are you, right?”

“Yeah, me and Ethan.”

“What?”

“I’m bringing Ethan with me,” you explained. “I had to ditch him today, we were supposed to meet for lunch but as you can tell, this couldn’t wait.”

“My brother asking you to marry him even if you hate his guts? Yeah, that beats lunch with the cute ex.”

“And you know, since we’ve been texting a lot, I figured…”

“Yeah yeah, bring him over!” Becca said. “It’ll be fun—oh my God, so my brother’s audacity and ego aside, I need to tell you about the girl I met last night.”

“Yeah, I was going to ask you!” you said. “You said you were in love?”

“I am!” she said with a smile. “You know, I was thinking I could invite her and some friends as well, but now that I think about it, maybe I could just take a page from Bucky’s book and open with a marriage proposal.”

“Becca!”

“I’m just saying, we can just skip to the happily married part, flirting is a waste of time at this point and—”

“You’re not doing that!”

Becca let out a laugh.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Just because it didn’t work for him doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work for me.”

“It wouldn’t work for anyone, Becca,” you told her and she hummed.

“I’ll just say one thing about this, then I’ll talk about the love of my life, alright?”

“Alright,” you said and she turned her cup in the saucer, then clicked her tongue.

“You and Bucky being married is an absurd idea yes,” she said. “But he did have a point.”

“How is that?”

“Well, I’ll ask you the same thing my aunt asked me when I took my civilian boyfriend to my cousin’s wedding, and I have a feeling your answer will be different than mine.”

“Which is?”

She smiled at you mischievously.

“Do you want love poems, or do you want power?”

Your eyes shot up to hers before you shifted your weight, then motioned at her with your hand.

“Come on,” you said. “Enough about that. Tell me about the love of your life.”

                                                     *

You and Becca ended up spending the whole day together, and by the time you decided you would go back home, it was already dark outside. Watching outside as the driver drove you home, you leaned your head on the window, then felt your phone buzzing in your purse so you grabbed it, smiling slightly at the name before answering it.

“Hey there.”

“Hi,” Ethan’s voice reached you, and you could tell he was smiling as well. “How was your day?”

“It was good,” you said. “Full of romance.”

“Romance?”

“Becca is in love,” you said and he let out a whistle.

“Your best friend Becca?”  

“Oh yeah,” you said. “I had to talk her out of looking at bridal shops, but we still went cake tasting.”

“Does this person know they’re getting married to Becca?”

“That’s just a small detail,” you joked, making him chuckle. “She invited her to the club for the weekend, I’m pretty excited to meet her. How about you?”

“Do you find data analyzing romantic?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then it was less romantic than your day.”

“And the hospital?” you asked and he took a deep breath.

“Oh everything is fine. Should be free of the bandages next week.”

You bit inside your cheek. “I still feel responsible—”

“Don’t,” he cut you off. “Seriously. The incident had nothing to do with you.”

“Mm hm.”

“Besides, you can’t really blame the rollercoaster if someone gets hurt on one.”

“No one is supposed to get hurt on a rollercoaster,” you pointed out and he thought for a moment.

“Okay in hindsight, it wasn’t the best analogy…”

You pulled your brows together. “Wait, am I the rollercoaster?”

“No! No, you’re sitting next to me on the rollercoaster,” Ethan explained. “We’re both riding it.”

“That’s not—” you started but a black sports car wheezed past yours and sharply drifted sideways as soon as it got in front of your car so that yours would have to stop.

“I’ll call you back Ethan,” you said and hung up the phone, your heart skipping a beat as you grabbed the gun from underneath the seat, looking to your right to see your bodyguards’ car stopping as well. The driver lowered the partition as the bodyguards stepped out of the car.

“It’s Mr. Barnes’ personal car, ma’am,” he said. “I know the plate.”

“Oh Jesus Christ…” you murmured as you put the gun back to where it was and opened your door, then stepped outside at the same time Bucky left his car. Your bodyguards hesitated as soon as they saw him, looking between you and you waved a hand in the air.

“It’s fine guys,” you said and turned to Bucky. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Bucky shrugged his shoulders as if nothing was wrong.

“You blocked my number,” he said. “It’s not like I can text you.”

“And what, it wasn’t enough of a clue?” you asked tersely and Bucky nodded in the direction of his car.

“Come on, get in. We’re going to talk.”

You crossed your arms. “Nope.”

“Charm for fuck’s sake…”

“I’m not going to talk to you, and I’m certainly not getting in your car.”

“You seriously want to do this right here on the road?”

You threw your hands up in frustration. “You are the one who’s blocking the road, motherfucker!”

You could see the petrified expressions on your bodyguards’ faces before one of them gazed up at the sky while the other one put his hands into his pockets and kicked at a tiny pebble on the road, both desperately trying to look like they weren’t hearing you two.

“Listen—”

“I will not,” you retorted. “What is your deal, seriously?”

“We need to talk about last night,” Bucky said and out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the bodyguards exchanging glances, so you gritted your teeth and grabbed Bucky’s arm to pull him to the other side of the car in an attempt to get more privacy.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” you said through your teeth and Bucky ran a hand over his face.

“No I’d say there’s plenty to talk about,” he said. “I mean you didn’t even give me an answer—”

“That poor excuse of a joke doesn’t deserve an answer.”

“It wasn’t a joke to me.”

“Well, it was to me.”

He shook his head slightly.

“Just—” he said. “Why not?”

You raised your brows, gawking at him in disbelief and a look of realization dawned on his face before he heaved a sigh.

“Charm…”

You shot him a mocking smile, crossing your arms.

You and Becca sneaking into nightclubs wasn’t a new thing, and now that you were leaving for college in a month, you were trying to spend as much time together as possible. Becca threw her arm over your shoulder as you walked through the crowd to the bar.

“Two martinis please,” she told the bartender and he took a look at you two, but before he could say anything the other bartender muttered something into his ear, then motioned at you.

“Coming right up,” he ended up saying as you turned to Becca.

“So you were saying?”

“Yeah like, he keeps saying he’s too busy but I’m not buying it—ugh, you gotta be kidding me!”

You frowned, then followed her line of sight to see Bucky and Steve stepping outside from the other exit that led to the back alley behind the club, your heart starting to beat faster.

“Where are they going?”

“They’re probably gonna beat someone up, who cares?” Becca said with a shrug of her shoulders. “He’s in such a mood nowadays, I’m not even gonna let him know I’m here. Arrogant asshole.”

You tilted your head. “…Oh?”

“He and daddy had a huge fight the other night,” she said as she took the drink from the bartender while he put the other one in front of you. “Like my mom had to step in because they were at each other’s throats, that kind of a fight.”

“Why?”

Becca shrugged again. “It’s probably about business. The golden heir made a mistake I guess.”

You took a sip of your drink. “Interesting.”

“Yeah and then he went and broke up with Laura.”

Your head shot up. “They broke up?”

“Yeah!” Becca said. “Which, I’m not sorry at all because she was so annoying, but no girl in the world deserves to get dumped by Bucky so I have mixed feelings about the situation.”

You could feel the small glimmer of hope warming your chest and you pursed your lips together, then cleared your throat.

“I just—I forgot I was gonna call my dad, he gets so mad when I don’t let him know,” you said. “I gotta step outside for a moment, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay!” Becca said and you made your way through the dance floor before reaching the second exit, but before you could open the door, Steve had already beaten you to it.

“Y/N,” he said when he saw you. “Hey.”

“Hi,” you smiled at him. “Um—have you seen Bucky?”

Steve looked over his shoulder, then turned to you with an apologetic smile.

“He’s not…” he trailed off. “He’s not in the best mood.”

“Oh that’s okay,” you said and pushed the door open before he could say anything else, then stepped outside, holding your phone for the sake of appearance. When you saw him, Bucky’s bodyguards were dragging a nearly unconscious man out of the alley while he wiped the blood off his knuckles with a tissue, then lit a cigarette.

You could feel your heart beating in your ears, but you bit down on your lip, fixing your dress before clearing your throat.

“Bucky?”

He turned his head when he heard his name, then exhaled the smoke.

“Hey Charm,” he greeted you, making your heart skip a beat. “Is Becca here too?”

You bit inside your cheek, trying not to get discouraged by that, then nodded your head.

“Um, yeah we just got here.”

“Great,” he murmured. “Tell her not to drink too much, will you?”

You nodded again and smiled at him, your hand shaky a little as you fixed your dress again, desperately hoping it looked good on you.

“I didn’t know you would be here.”

“Yeah well, here I am,” he said, taking a drag of his cigarette, leaning back to the brick wall and you licked your lips.

“And are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Oh, just...” you stammered. “Becca mentioned you and Laura.”

Bucky shrugged his shoulders. “Happens. I’m fine, it was my call.”

Dear God, he was so handsome that you could just stare at him for hours.  

“Are you going to that gala thing as well?” you asked, nervousness pulsing through your system. “My dad is basically dragging me there, is George doing the same?”

His jaw clenched at the mention of his father, and he nodded quietly, exhaling the smoke.

Your voice was trembling a little, your throat incredibly dry because of the nervousness mixed with anticipation, but you still managed to get the words out.

“So I was thinking, do you—um—do you wanna go together?”

That managed to get his attention and he pulled his brows together, then let out a dry laugh.

“Jesus Christ…” he muttered. “What, you rushed here as soon as you heard about me and Laura? Seriously?”

You pulled back slightly, your stomach doing a flip and you shook your head.

“No, I just—”you stammered, tears stinging the back of your eyes already. “I was just thinking—”

“Listen, I know you don’t see it right now, but this little crush of yours is just…” he trailed off with a small chuckle, motioning between you. “It’s kind of adorable, but it’s not going to happen. If I go to that gala with you, you’ll get your hopes up, so will everyone else around us and I’ll end up trapped in something serious—which is out of question. I can’t trust you with the business, not when you’d probably report everything back to your own family and I can’t afford a mistake, not right now.”

You tried to blink back the tears, staring at him as he threw the cigarette butt on the ground, then put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

“Not to mention,” he said. “I don’t go for daddy’s spoiled whiny princess type, and you’d be better off with a nicer guy anyway.”

You could feel the sobs threatening to climb up your chest, so you sniffled and turned around to rush back into the club, leaving him there before he could say anything else.

“Don’t tell me that’s the reason,” Bucky’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts and you arched a brow.

“I said nothing.”

“It was what, almost ten years ago?” he asked. “I was an idiot—”

“I am really not interested in whatever this bullshit is,” you told him. “And I’m going to be late for dinner, so…”

“Just hear me out first—”

You looked over your shoulder and motioned at the driver.  “Turn the car around please!”

The driver did as you asked but before you could step away from Bucky, he grabbed your arm.

“Charm, I can help you get the power you want,” he insisted as you rolled your eyes. “You might hate me right now, but you know I can do that. Just let me get you that crown.”

“We’re done here.” You yanked your arm out of his grip and walked to the car but stopped when you reached it, turning your head to look at him.

“I’m not going to marry you Bucky,” you called out, fully aware that the bodyguards could hear you, and the mere thought gave you a strange sense of satisfaction. “I would never marry you. I don’t go for the arrogant asshole type, and you’d be better off with a nicer girl anyway.”

 With that you got in the car, and the driver started driving as soon as you slammed the door shut, the car gliding down the road smoothly.

“Unbelievable,” you muttered to yourself and leaned your head back, closing your eyes. “The fucking audacity.”

Chapter 6

[simphornies]

Angst! I choose you! (That was cringe I'm sorry 😭)

Can I please request a Vox x Female Reader where Reader protected Vox from Valentino

(PS: Val killed Reader in the process)

And because of that Velvette has to take care of a Depressed Vox

A/N: My friend and I were going back and forth on ideas for this because we love angst. I hope you guys enjoy! A part 2 will be made for this because I love you guys

Word count: 1.6k (1,611) Warnings: ANGST, valentino being a FUCKER, descriptions of violence, death, there is no mention of y/n but it's f!reader

My Beloved [ Vox x F!Reader ]

Vox got into another argument with Valentino. Both overlords had anger issues so their arguments always end up becoming explosive with glassware being thrown around. You came in as soon as you got word of their fight. When you ran into his office, it was clear that it was about you again. Valentino shoved you out of his way, glaring at you, seething with anger. He slammed the door shut but you couldn’t care any less. You ran to your lover’s side and held his hand.

“Vox? What happened?” You frowned, seeing all the broken glass. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“It’s…” He hesitated and planted a gentle kiss on your hand, “It’s nothing, baby. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll always worry, my beloved.” You held his hand close, “Is it about the shoot again?” He sighed and nodded.

“He came in here demanding I convince you to be in one of his movies. I told him no and well,” He gestured to the shattered glass that littered his office, “You see how well that fucking turned out. Fucking moth just won’t stop. I told him that there’s nothing he could ever offer for your body! He ju-��� You gently tighten your grip on his hand, cutting him off. He looked at you and the worry in your eyes melted his anger away. “I’m sorry, baby. It just makes me so angry when fuckers like him think they have any right to a sweetheart like you.”

“I’m sorry I’m causing this much stress.” You said softly, “I’ll talk to him if you need me to!”

“No!” He said as his screen got brighter with his increased panic, “No, babe. It’s fine. I got it handled. I promise, okay?”

You knelt next to him, your head on his lap, “Okay. But if anything happens, I’ll always be here for you, my beloved.”

He smiled, gently caressing your head, “Of all the souls in Hell, I know that the most, my dear.”

Your relationship with Vox seemed to come out of nowhere to those that didn’t know the past he shared with you. Velvette was the first to learn about his life with you before he died. He confided in her. At first she just wanted tea on his life before Hell but it ended up with her showing genuine interest. He had been pining for you even after his death. He wanted so desperately to confess how much he loved you. You never left his mind in his final hours and when he found himself in Hell, his heart broke. He feared that he would never meet you again. This fear pushed him into trying to get into relationships with people that had the smallest of reminders of you. You were an angel to him, the gentlest soul he’d ever met. He was sure that you would go to Heaven but when he saw you aimlessly roaming the streets of Hell, he rushed to meet you. You didn’t recognize him at first glance but the moment you heard his voice, everything fell into place. He, honestly, didn’t understand how you ended up in Hell. You had to remind him that you ran his “business” with him. His love for you blinded him from your heinous crimes, almost erasing it from his memory just out of adoration for you. He got such a massive ego boost when he learned you went on a bit of a rampage after his death that led to your execution.

It wasn’t long after your arrival that the two of you entered a honeymoon phase, constantly out on dates and always being at each other’s sides. After months of flirting, teasing and a multitude of dates, Vox finally asked you out. He was bad at romance more than he’d like to admit. Without Velvette’s help, he was definitely going to change his mind. The way he asked you out made you think he was going to propose. He had petals scattered on the floor and held the sweetest flowers he could buy in Hell. He was a nervous wreck waiting for you to arrive at the location he sent. The sight of him standing disheveled in front of a giant “Will you be mine?” neon sign made you burst out into laughter. But you said yes nonetheless.

Days passed after the argument. You were walking up to Vox’s office and as you got close you heard yelling. It was Valentino starting another fight. You started to run as soon as you heard glass breaking. When you reach the doorway you see Valentino aim a glass cup at Vox.

You grabbed his arm to stop him and raised your voice. “Stop! Valentino, that's enough!”

Valentino got angrier at your attempt to stop him and he pushed you off of him, knocking you down to the ground. “Don’t fucking touch me, bitch. You’re lower than me, don’t forget that.” He hissed. Vox ran to your side and helped you up.

You scowled at him as you held your head high, “I don’t give a single shit who you are. You’re a little bitch baby that can’t take no for an answer.” You spat back.

“What the fuck did you call me?!” He yelled and began to step closer to you. Vox blocked him from getting any closer.

“Val. Fuck off. I said no and my decision isn’t going to change.”

You saw Valentino raise his hand to hit Vox. Without thinking, you pulled Vox out of the way. You barely dodged his swing, his claw scratching your cheek deep enough for it to draw blood. You growled at him and slapped him across the face. It shocked all three of you. Your confidence faded once Valentino opened his wings, his face shrouded in rage.

In the blink of an eye, he had you by the throat. You instinctively held onto his hands, trying to pry his tightening grip on your neck. His hold alone left bruises on your neck. Before Vox could reach him, Valentino flew through Vox’s balcony. He used your head to break through the glass door, making you scream from fear.

“Valentino! What are you doing?!” Vox yelled, running after him.

“Aw, what?” He teased, “You’re telling me you really give a fuck about this bitch?” He laughed, menacingly. You struggled against him and managed to get a glimpse of how high up you were. “You loved me too, remember? Before her.”

“Put her down, Valentino!” He screamed, glitching from both fear and anger. His pleas received laughter.

“You’re turning out so pathetic and soft, Vox.” He grins, blood dripping from the side of his mouth. “I’ll put her down, just for you~”

Your eyes widened at his tone and knew exactly what was coming. You looked at Vox with tears in your eyes. The fear in his eyes broke your heart. His hand reached out towards you as if he could reach you. THe only thing you could do was smile at him. He couldn’t get himself to smile back, he could only stare at you. This exchange only fueled Valentino’s rage.

“V-Vox.” You croaked out, your voice hoarse from Valentino’s grasp. “I love y-”

Before you could continue, you were suddenly pummeling towards the concrete below you.

“No!” Vox screamed at the top of his lungs.

You heard his cry for you. You heard Valentino’s cackle. As you got closer to the ground, you relaxed your body and shut your eyes, accepting what was about to happen. And then you no longer heard anything. You didn’t hear the way Vox screamed and cried. You didn’t hear the hums of electricity that came before his power outages. You died from Valentino’s rage.

All power was cut off in Pentagram City. He heard your last words. He knew what you wanted to say. After the time you shared together, you had never told him “I love you.” because of your personal past. He didn’t need to hear you say it, you both knew how much you love each other. He didn’t know that you were finally ready to tell him you love him. He didn’t know he helped you get over your past. And he’ll never get to hear you say you love him. He’ll never hear your sweet voice again. He’ll never get to make up the time he lost with you. The only time he’ll be able to hold you again was to collect you from the ground.

His heart was shattered. It was obvious to everyone around him. Vox never left his security room. He locked himself in there and drank his pain away. He played the videos he had of you, looked at your photos and longed for your smile. He’ll never hear your songs, your jokes, your laugh or see your smile. He was alone again.

The only person that managed to get into his security room was Velvette. She did her best to comfort him and get him to clean up. Everytime she went in there, the entire room would reek of alcohol and grief. As cold as her heart was, the sight of him crying at your photos and videos broke her. She grew close to you when you first came. Her first impression of you was from Vox’s lovestruck stories and meeting you was a different ride. She understood why Vox loved you the way he did. She never spoke of it but she cried with Vox when you died. She was enraged. The only thing that stopped her from killing Valentino herself was the grief.

None of the Vees spoke to Valentino for months and that pissed him off.

Tag list: @froggybich @baizzhu @dickmastersworld @matrixbearer2024 

[hopelesslyromanticshark]

COVEY MY LOVE YOUR REQUESTS ARE BACK OPEN AND I JUST SAW?? Omg anyway I am so predictable y’know I gotta just request something for my main boy, my fav boy, my cutie pie, my babygirl, Connor 🤭🤭

HOWEVER been having a wee identity crisis and I’m gonna ask for Hephaestus reader because I’m second guessing everything I know as an Athena kid simply because of graphic design 😔

So if it wasn’t clear cause I rambled can I have a FLUFFY Hephaestus reader x Connor Stoll (I saw that Connor x Apollo reader.) pretty pretty please

(+ I just realised I call you my love and babe so much and I say love you so if your uncomfortable w that I’ll stop it’s just second nature to me so please say if you want me to stop!!!)

✮⋆˙ the fixer and the thief - connor stoll x daughter of hephaestus! reader blurb

𝜗𝜚 content…connor stoll x daughter of hephaestus! reader blurb 𝜗𝜚 warning…language 𝜗𝜚 letters from the author…of course!! also, i don't have a problem with the nicknames, but some days i struggle to respond to them in a similar manner due to personal stuff. so, feel free to use them, but just know that sometimes i might not use them back. and it's nothing against you, brains are just funky sometimes!!

────────── ౨ৎ ──────────

"and where'd this one come from?" you asked, tilting your head at the boy and inspecting yet another sword the hermes boy passed off to you with a mischievous smile.

"nowhere special. can you fix it?" connor pushed, like he did nearly every week. he'd come in with a new weapon, broken and bent in strange ways, requesting that your fixing abilities were required.

"hmm. does nowhere special happen to be the nike cabin?" you asked, raising a brow at the boy with a teasing smirk. his face fell for a moment, clearly getting caught in his own lie, before he pulled his face back up, rubbing at the back of his neck and glancing away from you.

"whattttttttt? me, a thief? never in a million years!" he mused back, throwing in a wink that had you turning your back on the boy, hoping to the nervous jitters that ran through your hands.

"now you're a liar, too?" you called to him, squinting at the metal in your hands, knowing work would draw your attention away from him and his flirty habits.

"whatever. can you fix it or not?"

"you already know i can fix it."

"obviously. there are two reason i come to you and you alone," replied connor, ducking his head as your attention returned to him.

"oh yeah? pray tell, sly boy."

"one, you're the best fixer at camp. and two...you're, like, really pretty."

"you kiss ass! plus, she's not even the best-" leo called from somewhere deep in the forges but his argument was cut off by a wrench being thrown in his direction, his cries a clear sign that you had hit your mark.

"you think im the best fixer?" you questioned and connor gave you a strange look.

"and pretty."

"yeah, but i already knew that! let's go back to the whole 'best fixer' thing."

"whatever you want, my best girl."

"EWWWWWW."

"LEO, SHUT UP!"

[spoodrm4n]

And I Would Do It Again

Parings: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

Summary: In season 3, instead of Steve getting beaten by the Russian interrogators, it’s you. Steve and Robin are still drugged so they don’t notice your life threatening injury at first. 

Warnings: Angst, mentions of injury, mentions of blood.

Word Count. 3.7K

 A/N: I suck at summaries. This fic took me 15 years to write. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE!!!!!

PART TWO

You weren’t quite sure how you had ended up with your little brother Dustin, your coworker and crush Steve Harrington, and other coworker and best friend Robin Buckley, and Lucas Sinclair’s little sister Erica in a secret underground Russian base beneath Star Court mall– but that’s where you ultimately found yourself. You had been beaten within an inch of your life by some of the Russians trying to get some answers from you. They had gotten nothing out of you, but you had paid the price. The guards had just thrown you into the room they were holding Robin and Steve. Just like that the guards were leaving again, leaving the three of you alone. 

You landed on the floor at their feet with a groan, closing your eyes and willing the excruciating headache you had earned away. You opened them slowly as you heard the two giggling above you. You could make out Steve and Robin’s faces even though it seemed like you had lost part of your vision in your left eye from the interrogation. 

“You klutz! You’ve always been sooo clumsy!” You furrowed your eyebrows at Robin’s slurred insult and looked up at the two, pushing yourself to sit back on your heels in front of them. 

“You have a rainbow… all over your face,” Steve was gasping at you, eyes wide and a goofy, opened mouth smile on his face. You blinked at them. 

“What did they give you two?” You were standing up, grimacing at the pain it caused you. You sucked in what little breath you could without jostling your broken ribs and walked over to them, starting on untying them. 

“You’re dripping on me, Henderson.” Robin scrunched up her face and you quickly apologized about getting blood on her white socks. You quickly realized after untying them from their chairs and each other that you were missing two other people. 

“Where the hell are Erica and Dust-” You were cut off by the door being blown open by your brother and Erica on an industrial cart. You jumped in front of Steve and Robin, shielding them from any debris. “There they are,” you laughed as Dustin and Erica rushed over, concern written all over their faces. Sirens started to sound through the base accompanied by bright, red, flashing lights. 

“Shit, Y/N what the hell did they do to you?” Your brother was all over you as you tried to push him away and lead Steve to the cart. 

“Plenty, as you can see, but we need to get out of here before they do plenty to someone else!” You urged him as he got the hint to help Robin to the back of the cart with Steve. You hopped in the back with the two as Dustin and Erica got back in the front. “Drive!” You yelled to your brother as you saw guards starting to file into the hall. 

“Wooo!” Robin was cheering and you winced at how loud she was. You flinched at the loud sound of gunfire behind you and ducked down, dragging Steve and Robin with you. 

“Shit! You two, stay down or so help me god!” You yelled at them both, hands skimming the bed of the back of the cart. You grinned when you felt a small handgun. “It’ll do.” You whispered, checking the ammunition, turning the safety off and cocking the gun. You popped back up from the cover of the cart and aimed at one of the guards running towards you. You fired and hit him in the shoulder, making him collapse and having a couple other guards trip over his body. 

“Badass,” you heard Steve whisper in awe behind you. You cocked the gun again and took aim, but before you could pull the trigger again one of the guards had taken a shot and hit you in the side. “Holy shit,” you gasped as you fell back into Steve’s chest on accident and bit the inside of your cheek, swallowing a scream. 

“You’re back,” Steve smiled down at you. You shot him an annoyed glare and breathed out, grabbing Steve’s red tie from his Scoops uniform and working to tie it around your wound to slow the bleeding. It had already stained your scoops uniform a bit. “Hey that’s mine!” He whined and you couldn’t find it in yourself to feel bad. You grit your teeth as you finished tying it around your waist to cover your wound and pulled your uniform shirt back down. You breathed out, sagging against Steve but it was short lived as Dustin slammed on the breaks. You flew forward, face first into the back of the cart and groaned. That earned you some giggles from Robin and Steve. 

“Come on, Y/N!” Dustin was yelling at you, tugging your arm to get out of the cart and into the elevator. 

“Grab Robin, I’ll grab Steve. Erica get in, fast!” You instructed, pulling Steve by his bicep out of the cart and into the elevator, trying your best to ignore the burning pain in your side. Dustin had Robin in front of you. You pushed Steve into the elevator and ducked in yourself, bullets flying over your head. “Woah! Take me to dinner first!” He giggled at you and you rolled your eyes. You flung yourself against the side of the wall as Erica frantically pushed the ‘up’ button and grabbed Steve by the back of his shirt, making him stumble to your side and out of the range of fire. Dustin and Robin were behind Erica. It felt like years before the doors were finally sliding shut and the elevator was shooting up with as much grace as it had falling down. 

“Are you okay?” You ran over to Dustin, wrapping him in a hug. You bit back a whimper as he hugged you back. Not only had you just been shot, but you also had been beaten within an inch of your life. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine. What about you–” Dustin was cut off by a snort from Robin as Steve hopped onto a pallet dolly and held his arms out as if he were surfing. You ran a hand over your face. What was wrong with these two? Robin jerked the cart and caused Steve to fall over into the corner, Robin cackling like a mad man. 

“Wipeout!” She cheered, motioning with her hands to Steve in the corner. 

Dustin crouched down to Steve and pried one of Steve’s eyes open, checking his pupils. Steve poked Dustin on the nose with a small ‘boop’.

“His pupils are super dilated.” Dustin spoke, turning to Erica. 

“Maybe he’s drugged?” Erica shrugged and you did the same. 

“That seems like a fair answer,” you supplied as Dustin turned back to Steve. 

“You drugged?” Dustin quirked an eyebrow and Steve almost scoffed. 

“How many times dad I don’t do drugs… it’s only marijuana,” Steve booped Dustin’s nose again. 

“I’m not sure what answer you were really expecting, Dusty.” You smiled, trying your best to find the humor in the situation. All of you fell on your butts as the elevator came to a screeching halt. Damn Russian elevators. The doors opened to the outside and you got up, helping Steve to his feet and out the doors. You ushered him out of the elevator and he trotted on out, Robin ahead of him and gulping in fresh air. You walked out with Dustin and Erica but froze when you saw more guards at the gate giving your all incredulous looks. 

“Shit! Come on! Other way!” You yelled, running and grabbing both Robin and Steve and pulling them back into the mall and slamming the doors closed behind you. You ran in front of the four, guiding them down the back tunnels that connected everything in the mall. 

“We’re going to take these two to the theater and me and you,” you motioned to Dustin, “are going to get in touch with Wheeler.” You made your way to the movie theater, remembering all the times you had shown the kids where to go and opened the back door, pushing the four of them through. Dustin led the way into the theater and made Robin and Steve sit down in two empty seats towards the front of the theater. 

“You two, stay here. Do not move!” Dustin hissed at the two and it wasn’t long before a man behind the three were shushing Dustin. You walked to the back of the theater to wait for Dustin as he talked to Erica. In the corner of the theater you leaned against the wall, lifting up your shirt to check the state of the gunshot wound on your side. You were met with purple and blue bruises littered all over your torso and the once bright, cherry red of Steve’s tie was now crimson. “Shit,” you muttered, pulling your shirt back down. Dustin finally came bounding up to you, leading the way to a supply closet. 

“Mike, this is Dustin. Do you copy?” Dustin kept on trying to get a response from Mike. You were just about to tell him to give up when Mike’s voice crackled through the speaker, static cutting in and out. “Shit! Low battery.” Dustin was fumbling through his bag now and all you could do was lean against the door frame, barely on your feet in the first place. You had your arms wrapped around your torso, trying to find any comfort at all. 

“Find anything?” You mumbled as Dustin set his bag down. 

“No. I don’t know where my spare batteries went. We’ll just have to go and find them. Let's go grab Steve, Robin, and Erica and get out of here. We have to tell the rest of the party about this.” Dustin shoved everything back into his bag and you opened the door, following him back out into the hallway. 

“I’ll wait here. You get them and meet me back out here. I gotta think of how we’re actually going to leave the mall without a car.” Dustin nodded as he went back into the theater and you leaned back against the wall. You squeezed your eyes shut and grit your teeth. You weren’t sure how much longer you could stay standing at this point. 

“Not too much longer…” You breathed out, shoulders slumping. You jumped and turned to see Erica and Dustin barging through the doors. 

“They’re gone.” Dustin spoke and you felt a bit of your resolve crumble. 

“What do you mean they’re gone? You’re kidding me.” Anger rose in your voice but it wasn’t pointed at Erica or Dustin– not even Steve or Robin. Just the shitty situation you all had been put in. “Okay. You and Erica search the bottom level of the mall, I’ll look for them on the second. You find them, you meet me at the front entrance. Be safe,” you patted your little brother on the head and the three of you parted ways, now on a man hunt for your drugged up coworkers. 

You exited the theater and climbed the stairs to the upper level of the mall, starting down the left side. “It would be my luck to get trapped in a secret, underground Russian base after a long day of work and get beaten the shit out of, shot, and now on a manhunt for my best friend and crush. Gotta love Henderson luck,” you thought out loud, running a stressed hand through your hair. 

You had met Steve one of the first times he had taken your brother over to the Wheeler’s house instead of you. You had questioned him and your brother on your doorstep on why they were suddenly best friends. It was odd to you, but they had made up a solid excuse which you believed for a while. You both started at Scoops and you became closer, sharing late night drives, dinners, movie nights, and taking care of your brother and his friends. You had also developed a crush on Steve in that time and Robin had called you out on your bullshit within the first week of you realizing you were in love with him. It didn’t help when he would always try to flirt with every girl that would come in, leaving you to cringe and seeth in jealousy beside him. He never had any success anyway, Robin’s ‘You Rule / You Suck’ Talley on one of the whiteboards at Scoops had kept track of it. 

Little did you know that Steve only did it because he thought he had no chance with you. It’s not like he wanted his attempts to succeed anyway, he only wanted to make you jealous but you were both too thick in the head to say anything to each other. It was driving Robin absolutely insane. 

 You caught sight of the two a little ways further down, staring up at the glass domed ceiling. You saw them sway on their feet for a second before they were plowing into a nearby bathroom. “That can’t be good,” you muttered before walking as fast as you could towards the two, which wasn’t fast at all considering the state you were in. 

You opened the bathroom door and found the two sitting on the floor of the first stall, laughing with each other. 

“Oh, Y/N! We were just talking about you,” Robin winked at Steve and you could’ve swore his face turned a bit pink. 

“Oh, sorry to interrupt story time, but I’ve been looking for you two everywhere. We gotta go,” you couldn’t help but be a bit annoyed as you wrapped an arm around yourself on instinct. You knew you were about to bite the dust soon and you needed to get out of here. 

Steve looked up at you and for the first time it’s like he actually processed the state you were in. “Holy shit, Y/N.” He breathed, standing up and rushing over to you. He held his hands out helplessly, not knowing where to even start as he looked you up and down. “What the hell did they do? Are you okay?” You looked into his eyes and you could see his pupils were no longer dilated and they didn’t have a haze to them anymore. 

“I will be okay as long as we get out of here, Steve.” You were being honest now. “Dustin and Erica are downstairs, we’ll meet up with them there and get out of here.” You explained, shoving his hands away so he wouldn’t find the bullet wound. You were almost out of here. You could do this. 

“Yeah, okay, sorry. Let’s go.” He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, worried eyes trained on you as you turned to walk out of the bathroom. They followed you out and you three headed towards the stairs. You started falling behind and you felt yourself get dizzier. You looked down to see that Steve’s tie was no longer holding up and blood was soaking through your shirt. You pressed a hand to it, trying to slow the bleeding. 

“Henderson, keep up otherwi– Oh my god,” Robin stuttered out as her eyes trailed down to the crimson seeping through your uniform. You blinked up at her, but she was blurry. In a moment your knees were buckling beneath you and you found yourself on the floor on your back. “Y/N!” Robin’s face appeared above you and you squinted, trying to see her clearly. 

“What happened?” Steve was there above you now too. You felt hands pull your shirt up just enough to see the bullet wound. You don’t know when you started crying but you furrowed your eyebrows as you felt hot tears drip down the sides of your face. “Oh god, Henderson.” Steve again. 

“Steve,” You breathed, one of your hands reaching out for him. Robin grabbed it instead as Steve undid his tie around your waist and grabbed your own, replacing the soaked through one. “Oh fuck,” you groaned, eyes squeezing shut in pain. All the adrenaline from earlier had dissipated and you were in agony now. You swallowed the bile that threatened to crawl up your throat. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry,” Steve apologized, securing the cloth around your waist. You gripped Robin’s hand impossibly hard; you would have to apologize to her later. “When did you even get shot?” 

“Who got shot?” Dustin and Erica were there above you now as well. You hated that Dustin was seeing you like this. You were supposed to be the big sister who was always okay. “Y/N! What the hell happened Steve?” Dustin was crouching down next to Steve now, grabbing your other hand. 

“She must’ve gotten hit when we were driving away from those guards. I’m pretty sure I remember them shooting at us. That was like an hour and a half ago, though. How was she even still walking? And she got the shit beat out of her before getting shot? How are you even still alive Y/N, I mean you should definitely be–” Robin was rambling now out of nervousness. You cut her off. 

“Robin, stop. You’re rambling again and I’m gonna punch you in the face if you keep talking,” you grit out, sitting up on your elbows. “I’m fine, really.”

“Yeah, no. You’re definitely not. You need help.” Steve scolded, hand on your upper arm supporting you. “I can carry you down. There’s no way you can walk,” Steve hooked an arm under your knees and your shoulders. 

“Steve, really it’s fine, I can walk, I just needed a minute.” You felt your face grow hot as he stood up with you in his arms. You looked up at him. 

“Y/N, you’re literally an idiot. Just let Steve help you,” Dustin chastised at your stubbornness. 

“Absolutely not. There’s no way you’re walking. Don’t be ridiculous,” Steve scolded at the same time as Dustin as he made his way down the stairs with you. You just sighed and rested your forehead on his shoulder, trying to hide the blush on your face. This is not happening right now. 

You all got downstairs and to the entrance when you were met with Nancy, Jonathan, Will, Max, Mike, Lucas, and Eleven. Steve set you down carefully on a bench by them as they conversed. Each of the new members stealing a concerned glance at the shape you were in. You felt yourself start to drift off as their voices droned on. You shook your head, willing yourself to stay awake and stood up.

No one had noticed you get up, thankfully. You walked towards the bathrooms that were nearby and stepped up to one of the sinks. You white knuckled the ceramic, chest heaving with exhaustion. You turned on the water and splashed some on your face, trying to wake yourself up and clean the cuts as well. 

“What the hell are you doing?” You jumped nearly a foot in the air. You gasped for air and placed a hand over your heart as Steve came up to you and turned the water off. 

“I just needed to get up. I was gonna fall asleep. I can’t really do that right now,” You gestured to yourself, sarcasm dripping from your tone. 

“You need to sit down, you’re going to hurt yourself more.” He argued, hands on his hips. 

“What are you? My mom?” You grew frustrated. You felt like absolute shit, you just wanted to go home, and you were stuck potentially bleeding out in the mall bathroom. 

“I’m sorry I just give a shit about your well-being!” Steve yelled, throwing his hands in the air. 

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re doing the bare minimum!” You shouted back, hands going back to gripping the edge of the sink. 

“Are you trying to kill yourself, Y/N? Is that what you want? Just sit down and let me take care of you because I can’t– I can’t lose you.” Your heart shattered as his voice broke. You stared at him mouth agape. “I can’t Y/N.”

“I’m sorry, Steve. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” You whispered, eyes filling with tears. “It’s just, it’s funny– ya know? I’m going to bleed out in the mall bathroom after escaping from a secret, underground, Russian base in my Scoops Ahoy uniform. It seems so funny.” You were laughing now. You didn’t really know if it was due to blood loss or just because the scenario you were stuck playing was actually hilarious. 

“Hey, you’re not gonna die here. You’re not going to die anytime soon, if I have anything to do with it.” Steve stood in front of you now, hands gliding up and down your arms. “And as soon as we get out of here– alive and well– I’m taking you on a date like I should’ve done ages ago.” He smiled at you. 

“What? Am I dead?” You were definitely dead. Steve Harrington didn’t want to take you on a date. No way.

“Um no? Not unless we’re both dead and we’re simultaneously dreaming the same death. I like you, Y/N. A lot. I have since you answered the door that first time instead of your smartass little brother.” Steve laughed. 

“Hey, Dustin’s my smartass, okay?” You chuckled as he stepped closer to you. 

“They really beat the shit out of you, huh?” Steve was close to your face now, drinking in every detail of you. “Why couldn’t they have taken me?” He shook his head, eyes sad as they remarked your injuries. 

“I wouldn’t let them. If it had to have been anyone, it would have been me. And I’d do it again as long as you’re okay.” You spoke, eyes flicking from his eyes to his lips every now and again. Steve had always been so pretty. He was handsome, really handsome– sure, but he was also pretty. 

“And that’s the only thing I wish I could change about you.” A smile tugged at his lips. He leaned in finally and your lips touched. You breathed out through your nose, melting into him. Your hands stayed planted on the sink, your knees becoming even more weak. His hands trailed up your arms, to your shoulders, and finally to your cheeks. He made sure his hands were just gently placed there, being careful of your injuries. 

The both of you pulled apart and you smiled at him. “Steve?” 

“Henderson?” He grinned back. 

“I think I’m gonna pass out.” You said as you felt your head get lighter and your knees once again give out beneath you. Your vision started to go dark and you felt yourself let go.

“Y/N!” He caught you. You knew he would. 

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Do you write for marcus baker?

He is not on my character list, but I was thinking of adding him with the new season just released (I have not finished, no spoilers please!)

—

You knew Max would be mad, but you went anyway. You needed to see Marcus.

According to Ginny, he got discharged from the hospital yesterday. She saw him from her window. No broken bones, she had reported.

you knocked on the Bakers’ door. Ellen answered and told you Max was not home — that you already knew. If she had been home, you would not be there.

‘’I’m here to see Marcus, actually.’’ You held your breath, hoping she would let you in.

A frown formed between her eyebrows. ‘’Marcus? I didn’t know you and him were friends.’’

‘’We have a class together,’’ you lied.

Ellen pressed her lips in a thin line, hesitating. ‘’He just took his medications, he must be sleeping…’’

‘’Oh. I understand.’’

‘’But maybe a visitor would be good for him. Only for a few minutes, though. He needs rest.’’

You nodded and went upstairs.

When you got to his room, the door was wide open. The lamp on his nightstand was on, but as his mom had predicted, he was sleeping. On the left side of his face, scrapes and cuts decorated his soft smooth skin, making your heart ache with guilt.

Your silly little argument that made him get on his motorcycle the night of the accident seemed so pointless and stupid now. You didn’t mean any of the mean words that came out of your mouth, you said them in the heat of the fight. You said them because you didn't know how to answer Marcus’s confession.

‘’Marcus,’’ you whispered, stepping closer to his bed. You didn’t want to startle him. ‘’Marcus.’’

Saying his name was not working, so you sat on his bed, careful not to sit on his arm that was laid out on the mattress, and employed another method. You gently caressed his hand with your thumb and, after a few strokes, he moved his eyebrows and stirred.

It took a few seconds for Marcus to register that you were there. Once his eyes found yours, you retracted your hand and tucked it on your lap.

‘’What are you doing here?’’

After your fight, he didn’t think you would visit him. But here you were, sitting on the edge of his bed with a heavy heart.

‘’How are you feeling?’’ It was a stupid question, but stupid things tend to come out of your mouth when you’re nervous.

Marcus blinked but didn't say anything.

‘’Marcus, I— This is all my fault. Everything I said, I didn’t mean. You took me by surprise and I didn’t know how to respond so I got into defensive mode and said all those mean things.’’ Tears blurred your vision, wishing you could go back in time and erase everything you said three nights ago. ‘’I’m so sorry, Marcus.’’

You hated to make his accident all about you, but you were the reason Marcus left your house emotionally hurt. You saw the pain in his eyes when you told him he couldn’t love you, that he was incapable of love. People tend to drive fast when they are upset or distracted. You heard his tires screech when he left your driveway, speed off.

‘’My accident was not your fault. I got hit by a car and fell in a ditch.’’

‘’Because of me,’’ you insisted, a lump forming in your throat. You found yourself staring at the wounds on the side of his face, making you feel worse. ‘’If I hadn’t been so mean to you, if I had been honest instead of getting into defense mode, you would not be in this bed recovering from an accident.’’

Marcus slowly sat up, his body aching from the accident, and cocked an eyebrow. ‘’No?’’

‘’No,’’ you confirmed.

‘’And what would you have said if you had been honest?’’

You bit your lip before coming clean with your feelings. ‘’That I love you too, Marcus Baker. I pushed you away because I was scared of my own feelings, because I was scared of falling in love, but the things is, I've already fallen for you.’’

Marcus's lips curled into a small smile. ‘’That was disgustingly romantic.’’

‘’Shut up.’’ You leaned toward him, closed the remaining space, and kissed him, stopping him from further making fun of you.

His smile died and his hand came to the back of your neck, lips so soft and gentle at first and then getting more needy. You grasped onto his shoulders to find purchase and pulled him closer to you, but the physical activity caused Marcus to pull back.

He blinked slowly a few times, feeling dizzy from the kiss. ‘’Let’s keep the kissing for when I no longer have a concussion.’’

You covered your mouth with your hand, immediately feeling bad. ‘’Shit. Sorry. I should not have kissed you.’’

Marcus smiled sweetly. ‘’It’s okay.’’ He reached for your hand and laid back down, pulling you with him.

You quickly caught on to what he was trying to do, but you resisted. ‘’I can’t stay for long. Your mom said just a few minutes. I don't want to get on her bad side.’’

‘’Please.’’ He did his best puppy eyes, knowing which strings to pull to make you falt. ‘’I’m gonna fall asleep in a minute anyway. These meds are strong.’’

You gave in. 

—

[turtletaubwrites]

A Swordsman's Shame

This fic is based off of this request for headcanons of Zoro with a reader that is also a skilled swordsman with a unique and powerful sword. Then I received this lovely request to add to those headcanons with what would happen if that reader carried shame on their back. I hope you enjoy! ⚔

Pairings: Zoro x GN!Swordsman!Reader

Word Count: 1530

Ao3 Link

Summary: You and Zoro have the same dream, and it's built a passion between you. But something has been holding you back, keeping you from opening yourself up to your crewmate, your rival, your fellow swordsman.

Rating/Warnings: SFW, GN!Reader, Reader-Insert, Fluff, Angst, Making Out, Mention of Blood and Violence, Sweat, (they've been sparring), Suggestive, Anger, Shame

A/N: The first request didn't specify, so I went with a GN!Reader for the headcanons. I know this request used she/her pronouns, but I did my best to stick with GN since that's what I did for the previous. I hope I did well with that, and I hope you still enjoy it!

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Another sparring session cut short. The clashing of blades replaced with the clashing of tongues as you raked your fingers through that green hair.

The hint of a growl from Zoro’s throat sent your eyes rolling back, his lips moving to your neck as you pulled him closer. 

His calloused fingers found the edge of your shirt, heated skin touching yours as he trailed up your lower back. 

“I’m sorry,” he panted, hands outstretched after you’d broken away from him, practically leaping to escape. 

“It– It’s fine,” you lied, trying not to pace as your skin flushed with embarrassment instead of passion. 

A few awkward moments passed before you mirrored Zoro as he sat against a tree. 

“Y/N,” he started, and you wondered how he would ask this time.

“Yeah?”

“Do you… Do you not wanna be with me?”

Fuck.

All these months together, training, fighting, saving each other. Finally meeting someone with the same drive, the same dream. 

You couldn’t even remember when you’d first fallen upon each other, who’d won the fight, if you’d even sheathed your swords before your sweat covered bodies had clashed in this new, exhilarating way. 

And now your shame was hurting him too.

Biting down on the inside of your cheek to keep pathetic tears from welling, you stared at the grass between your clenched fingers. The ghost of a smile touched your lips at the thought of how similar those greens were.

“I want to be with you, Zoro,” you confessed quietly, watching his face slowly brighten, a crooked smile on those lips. 

“There’s just something…”

Your head fell back, hitting against the tree a few times as you tried to decide what to say. 

The truth? More bullshit? Goodbye?

His warm, rough fingers took yours, and you opened your eyes to find him so close.

“I wanna be with you too,” he shared with that little smile, before it turned into a smirk. “Even if you won’t let me touch that fancy sword of yours.”

“Never gonna happen,” you laughed, loving how he could always pull you out of a bad mood. 

Zoro waited for you, and you knew he could wait forever. He could sit here with you, or nap, and never rush it out of you.

Lips parted. Words almost came out. But there was that disgusting feeling bubbling inside. And as much as you wanted to trust him with this, he was the only person in your life that would understand, that would pity you. 

Zoro’s powerful hands massaged yours gently, relaxing the tense muscles after your fight. 

Those steady eyes focused on his task, giving you the same dedication he gives to everything. 

Please, Zoro. Please let me be right. Please be someone I can trust. 

He tensed as you pulled your hand away, dark eyes earnest as he watched your face. 

A list of excuses and explanations almost poured from your lips, but you held your breath. 

Fresh sweat dripped down your damp skin as you turned your body, turned your back to him. 

Shaking fingers almost gave up, but you pushed through. 

Bile rose in your throat as you lifted your shirt to show him. 

Your greatest shame. 

His silence felt worse than a blade, and you fought your body not to run.

Rough fingers left the gentlest of touches, bringing a gasp from you, and soft apologies from him. 

Stop shaking, you shouted in your mind, trying to be still as his fingers explored.

Those fingers trailed along your scar, the sensation sending chills over your skin. 

“So this is why…” 

Unable to stand it any longer, you tore away from his touch, pulling your shirt down as you faced those serious eyes. 

“I didn’t want…” you started, waiting for the ax to fall. Zoro’s face was intense, but you couldn’t read him, couldn’t prepare. “I didn’t want you to see.”

More silence. 

Humiliation filled your body, burning the longer he studied you.

“Why wouldn’t you want me to see?”

The derisive laugh that ripped from your throat felt like poison, like your body was grabbing onto the first thing that wasn’t shame. Anger.

It made you feel even more pathetic, but you couldn’t seem to stop it.

“Why do you think, Zoro? I’ve heard you say it. Hell, you almost died just to make sure it never happened to you. You would rather die than live with the shame.”

The anger in your voice grew sharp and loud, the clanging of swords. 

Until the last few words choked out, a sob finally escaping. You had to escape.

“Y/N, wait!”

Those rough hands couldn’t reach you in time, you and your sword fleeing through the trees as if distance could make the shame grow smaller. 

“Stop.”

Bark scraped across your shoulders as your crewmate shoved you into a tree, gripping your arms so tight you knew there’d be bruises.

“Just forget it,” you pleaded, looking anywhere but his eyes. “You win, okay? I’ll never be the greatest. I’ll always carry my failure on my back. I’ll alway–”

Zoro’s lips on yours was such a shock that you froze, mind going blank. The kiss was over so fast you felt dizzy, and those rough hands rubbing along your arms were your only anchor. 

“I’ve been lucky,” he nearly shouted in your face, the slight crack in his voice making your mouth fall open. 

“I’ve been lucky,” he continued, voice quieter, but no less fierce. “Yeah, I’ve kicked some fucking ass. But there have been a few times when I got fucking wrecked. If a swordsman had found me in those moments, if you or another crewmate hadn’t been there, I could have had the same scar.”

Heat was high in your throat. Part of you ached to take his comfort, but all you felt was the shame of his pity. 

“But you don't have it. I do.”

Zoro resisted your gentle push against his chest, pressing you against the tree a little harder. Tilting his head toward you, he trapped you with those dark, frantic eyes. 

“I know the kind of fighter you are. Did it make you stronger?”

“What,” you asked, your brows tensing with the headache all the emotions were building. He broke the fog as he shook you, hands still trapping your arms.

“Did getting that scar on your back make you stronger?”

This time the silence was yours, and Zoro waited like he always does. 

That fight, that loss. It had stripped you down. You’d nearly been killed, but it felt like being left alive was worse. Another insult. 

Crawling out of that self loathing, making the choice to still try, it was the hardest thing you’d ever done. But you never let it go.

The shame stayed with you, just as the scar always would. You could never achieve your goal, so why try? You were a fraud, hiding your flaws, and hoping no one would see what a joke you were. Already a failure.

“Did it make you stronger,” his deep voice came softly as he coaxed you out of your spiral.

Self doubt still held you, the feeling of being an imposter in your own life had been too solid for too long. 

Words almost left your lips. 

Zoro stopped waiting. 

“Y/N, you got back up. You train just as hard as me. One day we’ll really have to fight, and I’m not gonna take that title just because you think you don’t deserve it. Don’t you fucking dare.”

“I–”

“Come on, swordsman,” he taunted, drawing his blades as he stepped away. “You think you’re not good enough? I’m gonna kick your ass then. I’ll finally take that cool sword of yours.”

“The fuck you will,” you spat, feeling that spark that he could always ignite in you.

“Ooh, big talk for a quitter.”

Your sword was drawn without a thought, the motion natural, like it was part of you.

“You talk too much,” you breathed as you started to circle each other.

“Ha, I think you’re the only person who’d say–”

“Don’t fucking bullshit me,” you seethed as you clashed against him, his defense not up to par.

“Won’t happen again, swordsman,” he growled, his blades meeting yours as your dance began.

Nothing like it. There was nothing like having an equal to train with. 

An equal. 

Someday you wouldn’t be. Someday one of you would go further, would take everything. Someday one of you might die on the other’s blade.

But for now, you danced. You fought beside each other, you challenged each other, you competed and trained like savages just to keep up, to stay equals. 

Your rival was right. That shame had made you stronger. 

And maybe you didn’t need it anymore. 

The clash of swords was cut short. The clash of tongues began. And his rough fingers tore away the disguise, the mask you never let down. 

Your greatest shame was bared to the forest, and Zoro’s soft kisses along your scar felt like freedom. 

The weight of shame on your back was lifted by that promise.

One day you might kill your rival.

But today, you might love him. 

Likes and reblogs bring me much ✨dopamine✨ thank you so much!

a/n: You know, I wasn't sure about this one, but after editing, I'm pretty pleased. Guess we've all got that imposter syndrome sometimes 😅 Go believe in yourself, Zoro says so! 💚

Tag List: @shewrites02

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