#anyway. sets this here and scurries away again

[formulawonderland]

Monaco Baby!

In which he wins at Monaco

Pairing: Lando Norris x Reader

Warnings: drinking, talk of kids/starting a family, suggestive language, implied smut

1.9k words

"I did it!" he laughed, practically barreling into you from behind, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and almost making you spill your drink.

"I know, you've said that like twenty times in the last five minutes," you laughed, moving his arms slightly so he wasn't choking you as much.

"Because it's true!" he said, leaning down and pressing his face against your neck. "I did it."

"You did," you smiled, setting down your drink and reaching up to run a hand through his hair. "You did it. You absolutely fucking did it."

He nuzzled his face further against your neck, holding you tightly. "All because of you," he mumbled.

"You did that all on your own baby," you chuckled, tugging on his curls to pull his face back to where you could see.

"Do that again," he hummed, looking at you with slightly glassy eyes.

"Do what?"

"Pull my hair."

"Oh my god, stop!" you laughed, playfully swatting him away. "Keep it in your pants!"

"But you're so pretty," he whined, leaning down to bury his face in your neck again.

"You're drunk."

"Doesn't mean you're not pretty," he mumbled.

"Go," you chuckled, shoving him away again. "Have fun. I'll be here when you're done."

"But I wanna go home now," he whined. "Wanna get you out of that dress."

"I didn't do all this to leave after an hour," you complained with a chuckle, gesturing to your dress and makeup.

You glanced out around the club, and spotted Oscar in a booth across the way.

"Look, Oscar's over there," you said, pointing at him. "I'm sure he'd love to hang out for a while."

Lando's eyes lit up, and he pulled back from you to look at Oscar instead. "Yeah, I'll do that!"

You chuckled as Lando scurried off, not before pressing a sloppy kiss to your cheek. You knew that Oscar would, in fact, not love to chat with Lando at the moment, especially since Lando was more than a bit tipsy, but oh well. You'd just have to remember to apologize to him later.

---

A few hours later, you were making your way through the crowd, trying to find Lando. He had disappeared from your sight a while ago, and now you were ready to leave.

"Hey, you're back!"

You stumbled as a weight slammed into you from behind, a pair of arms wrapping around you.

"Oof, Lando, let go," you said, trying to pry his arms off of you.

"But you're comfy," he whined, only holding you tighter.

"Yeah, well, you're gonna break my ribs."

He buried his face in your neck, but loosened his grip a bit. "Sorry."

"It's okay," you sighed, reaching an arm up to ruffle his hair. "How about we get going, yeah?"

"Go where?"

"Go home, silly."

"Oh."

"Yeah," you chuckled. "So come on. Let's go."

"But I don't wanna go home," he whined. "I wanna drink more."

"Lan, baby, you can barely stand," you chuckled.

"I'll make you barely stand," he grumbled, beginning to press gentle kisses against your skin.

"Come on baby, not here," you protested, pushing him away gently.

"But why not?" he asked, going right back to kissing your neck. "Want everyone to see. Want 'em to see how much I love you."

"Okay, nope, we're getting you home," you laughed, pushing him away more forcefully this time.

He whined as you did, but resorted to grabbing your hand instead as you dragged him out of the club. He only let go once you got to the steps, grabbing your arm instead for stability.

You guided him down the steps and to the street, having to keep him from stumbling every other step.

"How long until we get home?" he asked, walking beside you.

"I don't know, a few minutes?"

"That's too long," he whined. "I wanna get you home now."

"Well you'll have to wait," you said, turning down a side street.

"So unfair," he grumbled under his breath, but he walked alongside you anyway.

The two of you walked in silence for a few minutes, Lando leaning on you and seemingly becoming more unbalanced every step. A few blocks from his apartment, he spoke up again.

"I won Monaco."

You looked over, chuckling slightly. "Yes. Yes you did."

"I won Monaco," he repeated. "I- baby, I won Monaco."

"I know you did Lando," you chuckled. "You very much did."

"I'm gonna tell my kids that," he said determinedly. "My kids are gonna say their dad won Monaco." He paused and looked over at you. "Our kids are gonna have a Monaco-winning dad."

Your steps faltered for a moment as you heard his words. "Our- our kids?"

"Mhm," he nodded, not noticing the effect he had on you. "They're gonna say that their dad won Monaco."

You stayed silent for a moment, just focused on helping him get to the apartment building. "You're drunk," you mumbled, shaking your head slightly. "You're so absolutely drunk."

You finally managed to get him up to his apartment, and you helped him inside before shutting and locking the door behind you. He stumbled to the couch and held out his arms, beckoning you to come closer. "C'mere."

His arms matched onto you, pulling you down onto the couch with him as soon as you got close enough.

"Lando, baby, we need to go to bed," you protested.

"Later," he mumbled, pulling you onto his lap and burying his face in your neck. "I wanna hold you."

You sighed and relaxed into his touch, wrapping an arm around his neck.

"I love you," he murmured, pressing light, open-mouthed kisses to your skin. "I love you so much."

"I love you too baby," you said softly, rubbing you free hand up and down his side.

"I'm gonna marry you one day," he mumbled, so low you almost didn't hear him at first. "Gonna marry you, gonna put a kid in you, and gonna spoil you both so much."

You sucked in a breath, pulling away slightly. "Lando-"

"Gonna be my wife," he said, following you and pressing his lips to your shoulder instead. "You're gonna be my pretty little wife, and I'm gonna be your pretty little husband, and we're gonna have pretty little kids in a pretty little house in a pretty little city, and we're gonna be a pretty little family."

"Lando, wait," you said, pushing him away as you leaned back again. "Don't- don't say those things. Don't say it if you don't mean it."

"Who says I don't mean it?" he asked, looking at you. "I'm gonna wife you up."

"Lando, stop," you repeated, trying to keep you voice steady. "You're drunk. You need to get to bed."

"But I don't wanna sleep," he whined.

"Well, I do," you said, standing up from the couch. "We can talk in the morning."

"But I wanna talk now," he protested, standing up behind you with a slight wobble. "C'mon, I just wanna kiss you."

He stumbled over to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, pressing kisses to your shoulder and neck.

"No, Lando," you said, shaking him off. "I'm tired. We're going to bed."

He stood behind you as you walked to the bedroom, confusion taking over his head. What had he done wrong? Why were you suddenly being so mean to him.

He stepped towards you, stumbling slightly but regaining his footing enough to catch up to you. He reached out for your wrist, trying to turn you around to face him.

"Stop it," you snapped, pulling your arm away.

He dropped his arm to his side, freezing at your tone. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking away.

You sighed, turning back around to look at him. "No, it's fine," you said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. You're drunk, you don't know what you're doing."

"I'm not that drunk," he pouted, crossing his arms.

"Mhm, sure you're not," you said, rolling your eyes. "Come on. Let's get you in bed."

You guided him through a shortened version of a nightly routine, eventually getting him into a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt and tucking him into bed.

"Where are you going?" he asked as you walked over to turn off the light.

"I'm just turning off the lights baby, I'll be right there," you chuckled, flipping the switch and making your way back to the bed.

"M'kay," he mumbled, rolling over to face you as you got under the covers. He pressed his cheek against yours, trailing gentle half-kisses around your lips.

"Lan, stop it, you smell like alcohol still," you laughed, ducking your face away.

"But I wanna kiss you," he whined, trying to put his face back.

"You can kiss me tomorrow, okay?" you chuckled, pushing his head down onto your chest.

"Fine," he grumbled, tossing an arm over your side and tangling his legs with yours.

"Good night Lando," you said, pressing a soft kiss to his hair.

"Night," he mumbled. "Love you."

"I love you too," you smiled softly, resting your head on top of his and closing your eyes.

---

You woke the next morning to Lando laying on top of you and pressing kisses to your face.

"Good morning baby," you chuckled, looking down at him and blinking the sleep from your eyes.

"Mm," he hummed, stopping to press his lips against yours. "Morning."

You kissed him back for a moment before pulling back to breathe, looking into his eyes. "How you feeling?"

"Like shit," he mumbled, resting his head on your chest. "My head hurts."

"Yeah, well, that's what you get for drinking so much," you teased.

"Oh shut up," he grumbled. "I deserved it."

"Yes you did, my Monaco winner," you agreed, working his hair.

"I can't believe I get to say that now," he murmured. "Can't believe our kids are gonna get to say that."

You sucked in a breath, pulling gently on his hair to make him look up at you. "Lando..."

"I mean it," he said, looking into your eyes. "What I said last night. I mean it."

"Baby, I-"

"Just listen," he said, shaking his head. "I know it's only been a couple years, but I really love you. And I could see myself with you forever. And we don't have to do anything now, or ever if that's what you want, but I just need you to know that I'm in this. All the way."

"Shit, Lando," you breathed, your words getting caught in your throat. "I- shit, baby, I love you so much."

You cupped his cheeks and pulled his face back up to yours, crashing your lips against his. "I love you," you mumbled against his lips. "I love you I love you I love you."

You buried your fingers in his hair, trying to pull him as close to you as physically possible.

"I'm all yours baby," he murmured, eagerly kissing you back. "Forever. Always. I'm yours."

He held you like he had a point to prove, even though you already believed him. But he spent all day showing you just how much he loved you, every last inch.

Author's note: I just wanted to do something fun to celebrate Lando's win, I was just so happy watching him

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

every now and then I just get myself thinking about the different mirror reflection moments between Flourish and Regrowth AU, and the layers they both add to each other through fresh context.

in both AUs, Pirkko sustains a severe facial injury during the battle for Orr-- in Flourish it's on the right, and in Regrowth, the left.

however, in Regrowth she adamantly refuses to leave the battlefield in spite of her wound because she knows that the Pact has no substitute for her; if she falls back, they all get overrun. she keeps fighting and fighting until no Risen remain, and by then... the damage can't be repaired even by their finest menders. she loses her left eye, which is later replaced with a mechanical prototype implant. to the casual observer it looks like some sort of high-tech monocle, but no. she was just lucky to have such gifted doctors at her side.

in Flourish, though? when Pirkko tries to insist that they need her there, that she can't afford to pull out-- Saoirse and Ceara take the lead, reminding her that she doesn't have to take it all on alone. they're a team, and they have her back-- no matter what. they promise to hold the front while she gets medical attention... so she does.

as a result, her wound is actually repaired in time by the menders, and she doesn't lose her eye-- though she does have some visible scarring around it. at first Pirkko's a bit insecure about how noticeable it is, but with time... she comes to wear the scar proudly.

that battle was the conflict that cemented their roles as a team.

and that scar is a reminder of it; a lasting symbol of their unity.

but when you add the two together, that's where you get the full story of what this event is all about; in Regrowth, Pirkko shoulders every burden, every conflict, every battle, no matter how badly it damages her in the process. she hides her pain and buries it deep; the world needs her more than she needs it, she reasons. just as the 'monocle' hides the far more severe injury she sustained, Pirkko keeps her true nature that much more hidden-- not because she's ashamed of it, but because she doesn't want anyone to worry. she's the hero who protects Tyria, not the other way around. she'll keep going and going and going until she breaks, because no one else can.

but in Flourish there are others who can. she isn't alone. she doesn't have to shoulder all these burdens and struggles entirely on her own. that's the way it was meant to be, but Regrowth Pirkko will never know this. she has no idea that she wasn't built to withstand this much pressure, and no understanding for how badly it's breaking her. Flourish Pirkko wears this scar as a symbol because she's not afraid of who she is, and she's not afraid of the world seeing her, either. she's proud to have faced this much adversity and made it through.

in Flourish it's the first step towards their cohesion as a team.

but in Regrowth it's her first step towards closing everyone out.

[fandomizedtrash]

I need to remmick lowkey, making turning you into a vampire like a marriage proposal like gets a ring and everything only to ruin your pretty dress with your blood as he taste it and you ruin his nice shirt by tasting his(i know it's not in the film so maybe a symbolic gesture?) Smut if you feel inspired or willing ✨️

Hope this inspires something it is a little cliche

Blood Vows

Summary: When he came into your life, everything changed. Your once tedious routines now had purpose, and soon enough, it came time for you to give yourself to him completely. Bone and blood

Word count: 1.6k

Warnings: blood, smut, some violence(?) Reader and Remmick bite each other and it gets messsyyyy

Notes: thank you anon for matching my freak

REQUESTS OPEN

The night you encountered him was like any other. The sun had just set over the rolling fields and you were walking home after a long day of serving meals and taking orders. Little did you know it would be the day you life, and your fate would change forever.

Truth be told, Remmick had no intention of finding you, or really anyone. For the first time in his centuries old existance, it was as if someone had found him instead. An odd experience to say the least.

Walking down the road you have walked down all your life, you heard a rustling from the trees. Usually it was nothing more than a squirrel, deer, or other forest critter, but it was followed by a soft moaning sound that was unmistakably human.

“Is someone there?” You called out.

No responce came but the rustling sound of leaves in the wind.

Your conscience took over and you scurried off the path behind the tree to have a look anyway. There before you laid a man who seemed as if he just spent an hour in a furnace. Skin scalding and blistering.

What followed was you on autopilot. Helping him up, trying to get him to walk to your house which laid a quarter of a mile further down the road. But by the time you got home and the sun had set, the man was completely healed, not a single sign of injury.

You’ve heard stories. Every child growing up in the Delta knew the lore and stories of the things not to be meddled with. The manevolent beings that lurked in the darkness who would lead you down a path of a fall from grace.

But he was not that. Not one bit.

You sat him down on your couch and gave him water which he sipped eagarly. Standing at the end of the couch, you looked at him with curiosity. You saw the change of color in his eye, his unhuman-like healing. I was all you needed to know.

“I know what you are,” you stated. It wasn’t a threat, merely a statement.

The man looked up at you from his position on the couch. Eyes just as curious as yours.

“Then you must be mighty brave or mighty stupid if you just let me into your home.” He echoed back.

You scoffed in response. “I guess that's for you to figure out."

“And are you afraid?” The answer to anyone else in your position would have been obvious. He was deadly. A physical depiction of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And if any of the stories you grew up with held any truth, you ought to be running for your life.

“No.”

After that first encounter, you had him stay the night. The two of you talked for hours. Learning where he came from, how he got here, what he wanted. And you shared your Delta childhood, your tedious life, what you heard about his kind.

“Can I see you again?” He asked with caution, scared of the potential answer.

You smiled softly, “Certainly.” That was the first time he kissed you, and the devil had never tasted so sweet.

***

Your life then became a series of nights. It was no longer the day that mattered. You had your mundane routine of breakfast, work, shopping, dinner, other household tasks, and then the torturous waiting. It was completely random the hour of the night he arrived. Sometimes it was the moment the sun set, others had you up just an hour away from dawn.

The lack of sleep was difficult at first but nothing you body couldn’t adjust to. Besides, the reward at the end of the wait was so sublime, you would have gladly waited hours more. His touch, his voice, his strangely soft hands on your body, how could something damned feel so right?

“I want you to be mine.” Remmick uttered. Breathy and desperate. Hands clenched in your hair like his life depended on it, your bodies covered in sweat. He had you against a wall, not even bothering to get to the bed, your dress already half unbuttoned and hair messy.

“You know I already am.” You chuckled in response.

“Y/n.” He began, already breathless. “I want you to be mine completely.” Out of his pants pocket, he took out the finest rings you have ever laid eyes on. The women in the Delta could never imagine something so grand.

You looked back at him, eyes wide, mouth half open.

“Will you have me, forever?” By then, the air has left your lungs completely.

Unable to muster the words, you kissed him fiercely. Smathing your lips together as your hands started to grab at his clothes.

Once you finally parted, Remmick spoke. “You know what it means?” You nodded. Of course you knew. It was something you have made your peace. There was no one left for you here. No life worth saving. Remmick slid the ring carefully on your finger.

“I’m ready.” You announced, massaging his neck and shoulders.

Remmick hesistated. This was a moment he has been waiting for as long as you have, but the thought of him actually doing it now was more pressure than he realized.

“Please.” You whisphered. Taking his hand into yours, you squeezed it reasurringly.

He opened his mouth, eyes glued to the soft curve of your neck.

Your breath hitched, eagarly anticipating the bite.

And then, there it was. His fangs penetrate your skin slowly and torcherously. You breathed in deeply, taking in the sensation. Nothing in all your years of living has ever hurt so good. Blood started to spill out of you and onto the (very fittingly) white dress you had downed that morning. It trickled down your neck and onto your chest, and Remmick couldn’t get enough. He knew he had to control himself, but no blood had ever tasted as magnificent as yours.

The two of you collapsed to the ground, adrenaline practically radiating off your bodies.

It didn’t take long for his own clothes to get stained as well. The blood red steadily made its way through his shirt's fabric.

It was pure ecstasy. The venom was making its way through your veins and through your body. Venom wasn’t even the right word for it. It wasn’t painful or unwilling, it was a drug, a drug you’d be high on for the rest of your existence.

After summoning up enough will power, Remmick finally pulled his fangs from your flesh.

“I want you to taste me too.” You looked at him stunned, the thought never occurred to you, but seeing as you gave yourself to him, it was only fitting for him to do the same.

You approached his neck gradually, scared, but exhilarated to taste him.

Just as he did to you, you opened your mouth and penetraded his skin.

When his blood touched your tonge, all the chocolate cakes, the pies, the roasted chickens and steamy casserols that made up your once human diet were brought to shame. Of course you have had Remmick in, well, other ways to say the least, but this, this, was something different. More personal, more intimate. Still sitting on the floor, you continued to taste him as you got up to straddle his hips, mouth still on the bite.

As much as his flavor intoxicated you, you still wanted more.

“Remmick.” You started, detatching from his skin. “I want more of you.” You immortal lover took the cue and begain to grind his hips against yours.

You tossed your head back and groaned, already feeling his buldge against your clit. Placing your arms around his neck, you brought your faces together for a fervid kiss. Remmick’s hand supported your back as he cacrefully laid you down on the wood floor. As the kiss deepened, your hands went down to unzip his pants, your cunt already aching for him.

When his cock sprang free, he made his down and up through your dress to the hem of your panties, all but tearing them off you. After casting them aside, he aligned himself with your enterance before agonizingly burrying his cock as far inside you as he could.

The stretch was intense, perhaps it was the energy between you or your recent transformation, but the feeling you were so accustomed to felt more vigorous than usual.

Remmick started to roll his hips back and forth. Torturously, removing his dick halfway out before slamming back into you. His thrusts began to speed up as his hands roamed your body from under your dress, trying to feel as much of you as he could.

Your nails dug into his back and shoulders while arching your back. The pace was unrelenting, every movement sent a firework through your body. You couldn’t remember the life you were living before, everything was dreary and grey compared to now. A life with endless possibilities, a life with no end ast all.

Remmick’s breathing deepened as he let out a heavy groan. It wasn't long before you felt your climax approaching. A steady but sure build was leisurely growing instead of you.

One look at your lover told you he wasn’t too far either.

Soon, the pressure that was growing shattered as your orgasm hit. Your pussy fluttered around him as you felt Remmicks hot stream coat your walls. He collapsed ontop of you, chest heaving up and down.

“Y/n.” He said as he stroked the side of your face with his hand. “Mine forever.” Gentle lips kissed your forehead.

You looked up and smiled at him.

“Your’s forever.”

[rowarn]

HYBRID!AU PART 2

part one | part two | part three

(: anyway here's what you've all been begging for. a part 2 but it was getting so long...almost 3k words. and so....there will be a part 3.......but for now i hope this satiates you!!!

cw: hurt/comfort, aftermath of hurt???, self-deprecating thoughts, insecurities, mentions of blood and scratching, mentions of past mistreatment, petnames and headpats tho <3

The next time a human approaches you, you’re unable to stop the growls that escape your throat when you hear the pspsp as he tries to approach you. When you hiss, the man scoffs and stomps away muttering a soft ‘stupid cat’ under his breath. 

No one approached you for a long while after that. The only way you knew how much time had passed was when the restaurants all threw their leftover food from their workdays. Eating out of the trash was always utterly humiliating, especially when you got caught. 

Most people ignored you when they saw you sitting on the sidewalk, getting some sun since it didn’t shine into the little alleyway you hunkered in. Some people would scoff and give you disgusted looks, as if you were a stain on their shoe. 

At this point, you were used to humans acting like you were scum of the Earth. After your experience with Simon, human’s behavior towards you no longer surprises you. Though it hurt, you didn’t understand why you were so unlovable. 

But then one evening, when the sun was just beginning to set and the temperature was steadily dropping, you were huddled up in what little bit of sun-warmth you could get until it became dark. Your arms were wrapped around your body as you shivered, trying to ignore the way your tummy growled from being empty – the store employees had chased you off before you could steal anything from the dumpster. 

A large shadow cast over you and when you looked up, you saw a slender, athletic man. His presence immediately set you on edge and you felt a growl bubbling up in your chest.

“Hey now,” he chided softly, pretty brown eyes crinkled as he squatted in front of you, “None of that, little kitty.”

You scowled up at him. Even crouched down the way he was, he was larger than you.

“Do you have a name?” he asks kindly. 

You pause at that. Soap had given you a name. But did it really count as one if your previous owner hadn’t even agreed to it? Still, it was the only thing you really had left of your former companion. 

You softly mutter the name you’d been given and the man nods before holding out his large hand, “Kyle. Would you like to come home with me?”

That sends off alarm bells in your head and before you know it, your claws are ripping into his hand and you’re scurrying into the alleyway to cower in the corner. 

You hear the man faintly sigh before he stands, knees cracking as he does. You don’t hear anything from him for a few minutes before his heavy boots walk past the alleyway and fade. 

You don’t even understand your own reaction. Of course you wanted a home to call your own. But you don’t think you would be able to handle it if he turned out to be the same as Simon. You wouldn’t be able to get attached to a human only to be abandoned on the streets like you were last night's trash. Perhaps it was just easier to reject all human companionship than risk being heartbroken all over again. You had only recently stopped crying yourself to sleep over the memory of your home. 

You think that will be the last time you see the man, surely he wouldn’t want anything to do with a cat-hybrid who was mean, but just a couple days later, he’s back. He stands beside you, one bandaged hand gripping a shopping bag. You feel a pang of guilt at the sight of his bandaged wound. He slowly places it beside you, staring at you expectantly. 

“This is for you,” he says awkwardly after a second of you staring blankly at him, “It’s some food and water.”

Your stomach growls at the mention of food and as much as you want to peek in the bag, you can’t bring yourself to admit defeat like that. He might think you’re accepting him as your owner if you accept his gift! 

But you’re not! You refuse to end up hurt and sad like you had been with Simon! You would rather just live on the street than go through that hurt all over again. You couldn’t stand to give your trust only to be betrayed and mistreated again.

You only wanted someone to love you but apparently that wasn’t in the deck for you and that was okay, you told yourself. No matter how much it hurts to admit.

The man, Kyle, sighs softly when you simply ignore him, the sound almost melancholy. It makes your heart ache in your chest. He casts you one last glance but you keep your gaze down before he walks away, disappearing out of sight at the end of the street. 

With his piercing gaze off of you, you turn to the bag and begin rooting inside it. 

A couple bottles of water and some hybrid-safe packaged food. Nothing that needed refrigeration but also much better quality and variety than what you had been given by Simon. 

You remember how it felt to watch Soap eat delicious meats and fruits and veggies while you got bland, colorless slop. Sure, it was healthy for hybrids but everyone knew it was disgusting. Clearly Simon didn’t care – he was just feeding you so you didn’t inconvenience him by starving to death in his house. 

And though Soap would sometimes share his food with you, it wasn’t the same.

This food was yours. Kyle had gotten it for you.

You pull out one of the packages, a neatly wrapped sandwich with all the organic ingredients listed in bright colors. It makes your heart ache just a little bit as you take your first bite, all alone on the sidewalk, quietly wishing Soap was there for you to share it with as payment for all the food he had shared with you. 

Kyle makes it a habit to visit you day after day, sometimes bringing food, sometimes just bringing himself. Most of the time, you ignore him but he doesn’t seem deterred in the slightest, only quietly promising to visit you again soon when he bids you goodbye. 

It starts to become lonely when he leaves.

You don’t know when it begins, but you find yourself waiting for him. You sit out in the open, mindlessly combing your tail, where he can see you if he approaches. You find yourself thinking about him and if he’ll bring something for you to snack on – he found these delicious fish flavored chips that you were practically addicted to. Though, you didn’t say anything about your liking of them, he kept bringing them so you think he knows. 

Some days, Kyle’s visits were quick and fleeting and other times he sat there for a while. He had given up trying to talk to you much since you made it a point to ignore him but you were happy that he hadn’t given up yet. 

You know you would have given up by now. But the fact he persists leaves you with a warm, soft feeling in your chest. You’ve never had someone try so hard for you before, Simon certainly never cared to try.

Kyle wasn’t so bad after all, you found yourself deciding. He was quiet but not standoffish. He didn’t try to touch you after you had swiped at him one time when he went to pat your head. He was kind, always complimenting you with ‘pretty kitty’ and ‘sweet kitty’. And best of all, he didn’t ignore your existence like you had grown used to when living with Simon. 

Waiting for Kyle to show up became the most grueling part of your day. Minutes felt like hours and any tall man who passed by had you perking up to see if it was Kyle. The urge to get closer to him grew day by day, you wanted him to pet you, you wanted to talk to him. 

Maybe living with him wouldn’t be so bad after all. Just the thought of a happy life made you purr to yourself. 

You vowed that you would talk to him today, maybe see if you could take him up on that offer he had made that first day you met. 

But he never came. As the sun dips behind the horizon, you find your hopes getting squashed. He always came before dark. 

With a heavy heart, you curled up in the little cardboard box you had been calling your shelter. It was easy to tell yourself that the ache in your heart was because you wanted to see him and not because you were scared he had given up on you.

The next day, the same thing. You waited all day only for him to not show up. Then the next day. And the next. 

A week passed with no sign of him and you tried your best to pretend like it didn’t hurt like hell. 

Maybe he really had gotten sick of waiting for you and decided to find a hybrid who would actually talk to him. You couldn’t blame him, you suppose. But it still made that heavy pain settle in your heart like when you had been thrown out by Simon. 

One morning, you were awoken by a loud voice shouting down the alleyway, “Alright, come on out, cat.”

The sound of the voice had you sitting up, eyes wide as you looked around. At the entrance, a man stood with his hands on his hips, a hefty utility belt around his waist. 

He sighed when he saw you staring blankly at him before he came over, hoisting you up by the arm.

Your growled and hissed, ears pinned back as you fought against his grip. He dragged you out, taking you towards a big black van that had the words ‘hybrid-control’ printed on the side. 

You swiped at the man with your free hand, sharp nails slicing into his skin. He cried out in pain but didn’t relent in his hold.

“Stupid fucking cat,” he snapped, “Fuckin’ hate havin’ to pick shits like you up.”

“Excuse me,” a sudden, frantic voice called out, “What are you doing?”

The man holding you turned to look at Kyle, an annoyed look on his face, “Got a complaint about a stray hybrid livin’ around here. Came to pick it up.”

“Oh that’s not necessary,” Kyle said, reaching out to pull you from the man’s grasp, handling you much softer than the stranger, “This hybrid is mine.”

The man looked like he wanted to argue but glanced down at his bleeding arm and rolled his eyes, “Whatever, man. Your funeral. Just get it off the street.”

When the van drove off, Kyle turned to look at you apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t want to claim ownership over you like that but–”

“Where were you this week?” you find yourself pouting, crossing your arms over your chest petulantly.

Kyle looks shocked before he smiles kindly, “I was away for work. I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you.”

Your pout only deepens, “It’s not like I missed you or anything…”

“Of course not,” he laughs but you both know he doesn’t believe you, “How about I show you my home, hm? It’s not too far from here.”

You agree without complaint, letting Kyle lead the way down the busy streets until it grows quieter and quieter.

The neighborhood is startlingly familiar as he escorts you to his home. It doesn’t take long for you to realize it’s the same neighborhood Simon and Soap live in. 

You weren’t exactly sure how far their home was but you couldn’t stop yourself from frowning at the memories.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, “Don’t like it? I know it’s a little boring here but it’s near the base so what can you do?”

“It’s not that,” you quickly said, considering telling Kyle what was on your mind but you instead settled for, “I-It’s nothing.”

You were worried if you told him about your previous home, he might think there was something wrong with you. You didn’t want him to think you were undesirable and put you out on the streets all over again. You silently wondered when you became so insecure. 

He hummed and opened the front door for you, “There’s a room at the end of the hall that’s an office right now but it’s all yours once I get it set up with a bed and everything.”

“My own room?” you ask softly, fluffy ears perked up.

“Of course,” he smiles, “This is your home now.”

You feel tears prick your eyes but you quickly look away before Kyle can see them. It felt so nice that he actually considered it your home too and not just his. Simon always made you feel like you were barely welcome and only there because he put up with you until he couldn’t stand you anymore.

“Oh before I forget,” he said, grabbing a box off of the table, “I got you this.”

He showed you the contents, a cute, dainty collar with a metal tag in the shape of a fish with your name engraved on it. 

“Why do you have a collar?” you asked, tilting your chin up so he could fasten it around your neck.

“I had hopes that you would let me take you home one of these days,” he laughed, a boyish, kind sound that made a smile grow on your own face, “I wasn’t going to give up until you were safe and sound with me, love. I knew this was going to be your home one way or another.”

You spend the whole day wandering around the house and exploring, nudging against every surface to spread your scent on it. You hadn’t done that much in Simon’s house, too scared you’d get reprimanded for dirtying up the furniture or something.

But Kyle didn’t care in the slightest. He simply smiled when he saw you nuzzling the pillows. He even trimmed your nails so they weren’t nearly as sharp anymore. 

It was nice living with him.You quickly realized how different your life felt with Kyle than how it felt with Simon.

Kyle was kind and friendly, calling you by your name and petnames and not just ‘hey you’ or ‘cat’. The affection in his tone was palpable and just hearing how sweetly he spoke to you made you purr uncontrollably. 

And he didn’t once raise his voice at you or chase you off the couch when you were napping. He gave you the softest pats on the head and let you snooze on his lap without a single complaint. 

He never forgot to feed you and always gave you the most delicious things he could find. He ate at the table with you and told you all about his day, making an effort to talk to you and learn about the things you liked to do while he was at work. 

You were happy to finally have a home to call your own. But deep down, you missed Soap. You missed his energetic happiness and how affectionate he was with you in a way that only hybrids could be. He was the only true companion you had ever had and he had left his mark on you. You wondered about him every day, especially when you heard the front door open and you half expected him to come running in with a thrilled grin on his face, ready to regale you with tales of outside.

You passed their house one day while on a walk with Kyle, something he took to doing as an activity with you (he didn’t want you to get bored or stagnant just sitting inside all day), trying your best to act like seeing the home you used to call your own didn’t make your heart ache painfully in your chest. 

“There’s a hybrid that lives here, you might like him. His name’s Soap,” Kyle said when he saw you pausing in front of their home, “Owner is Simon Riley. I work with him, kind of a standoffish guy, you should probably steer clear if you run into him. He’s not the most friendly.”

“Yeah…” you found yourself mumbling, barely even registering anything Kyle had said, a frown etched on your lips before you looked at Kyle, “Can we go home?”

“Of course. Let’s get you some food, pretty kitty,” Kyle cooed affectionately, patting your head before leading you back home. 

You casted a glance at the home you used to call your own, you were startled to see Soap standing in the window, eyes wide, brows furrowed, and hurt written all over his face. The sight alone made your own eyes sting. He had never looked at you like that before. He looked so heartbroken.

Kyle cooed softly to get your attention again, leading you down the sidewalk and away from the house. Soap’s figure in the window faded from view and you felt your head spinning.

Soap and Simon’s scent faded the further you got away from it. But once you entered your home with Kyle, your scent and his mixed together in a way that it never did with Simon’s. You couldn’t help but purr, the pain and anxiety in your heart fading.

But still, your mind lingered on the distraught face of the best friend you left behind.

do not modify or repost to third party sites. reblogs appreciated!

[aninipanin1]

Haiti I love that your writing for the masters omg (no one write for them)

Anyways I was wondering if you can write about master hanging out with manager yn! Outta blue lock, like they get weekends off and she gets taken on date

^_^ thank you

DATE WITH WHO?!

Notes: Soo I chose Snuffy with this one, mainly just a random pick. Since I already made a post with Lavinho, it's Snuffy's turn. The others would have their time to shine, don't worry! Its also one of my most favourite piece I ever wrote on this blog, legit squealing at some parts lol. Also, the arts and other places in here may not be accurate since I don't live in Japan nor am I Japanese, so just a small warning. Hope you enjoy!

"You're going on a date with who?!" Anri said, slamming her palms on the desk of the table, her eyes wild and wide as if the news was something to be panicked over. You tilted your head at the reaction.

"With Snuffy-san, but I don't really consider it a date. It's just a hangout since he said he saw a museum in Kamakura and wanted to sightsee, so I'll take him there!"

Anri nodded and sat down before sending a haphazard look towards Ego, whose glasses fogged the look in his eyes. He doesn't look too happy, and who would be? That guy managed to score a date with you even if you two hadn't known each other for more than a few months, yet he has known you ever since the beginning of Blue Lock.

But, the bright smile on your face managed to win him over as he sighed. He knew you were a huge enthusiast of the arts and science, so going to a museum is probably something you would really like, especially since its a once in a lifetime for the JFU to give you two days of rest.

"Go on, the bus provided to you is arriving in a few minutes." With that, he turned his chair again to face the screen, acting unbothered. You bowed to both him and Anri and scurried away.

Anri raised an eyebrow at Ego and sighed.

'His stubbornness is not helping his case at all...'

"Snuffy-san! Good morning!"

You greeted the man who awaited you in the train station. It was your first time seeing him wear something casual, with a simple button-up shirt and slacks, his usual headband on his head, but in a simpler color. You felt like you overdressed, as you look down on your own outfit.

Instead, he just gave you a warm smile.

"Good morning, Y/n. I assume you're ready for today?"

"Yup! I'm as ready as I can ever be!"

He chuckled lowly at your enthusiasm, he was more than satisfied that his questioning of the Blue Lockers under his wing about your interests and likes led to this. Niko, being one of the closest players to you, mentioned your love for arts and science, even telling him how you have been wanting to visit a certain museum in Kamakura for a while now.

And so, he made sure that he got to ask you first thing in the morning when he heard you will be having a few days of break just so he take you there. He extended his hand to you, making sure to be subtle yet romantic as possible to set a tone that you won't feel awkward at all.

"Shall we go, mi'lady?"

You let out a laugh at his actions and words, happily taking his hand that was hilariously larger than yours. And with that, the day begun with a huge promise between the two of you.

The museum did not have many people, and it was a weekday, so both of you did not experience much hassle with the registration and the tour around the museum. Your mouth was hung in awe. The colors and shapes the museum offered felt so beautiful in your eyes. Your brain was hungry for information about each piece, wondering what the history and significance behind it was.

Walking up to one of the canvases that had an ethereal painting of a man and woman in the traditional Ukiyo-e artstyle, the colors and uniqueness popping in the woodblock. It felt ethereal yet a little melancholic, like there was a deep love stoeu that brewed between the two muses in the painting. Turning to Snuffy, who also looked at the painting from beside you and asked a question mindlessly.

"Snuffy-san, do you think they ended up together? I hope they did..."

The man could not help but let out a small laugh at the wistful expression in your face, finding it adorable that you felt such deep emotions with a painting.

"Hmm, we don't know. There isn't a description either if the people in the painting were really true people once. I guess its up to our imaginations now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I agree..! Then I imagine that they did end up together, and well got married and whatever legacy they left behind as a couple!"

Snuffy smiled at that. Ah, how optimistic of you. For someone who can be pragmatic at times, you are quite the hopeless romantic. This trip was really useful in him getting to know you, huh?

With this knowledge, he knows how he'll start to slowly win you over. Extending his hand to hold your wrist gently, he gave you a comforting yet charming smile, one that would make any girl sheepish.

"Lets look at another artwork, shall we?"

"U-uh...sure!" You were definitely taken aback by his touchiness, but since he was so polite with it at the same time, you could not help but get a bit shy.

The museum had a lot to offer, having 3 floors filled with different works of art and inventions with interesting meanings behind it. You both shuffled closer at a seemingly new exhibit with a worker explaining the background of the large artpiece that was painted on a large wooden canvas.

"This is called the "Art of Two Hearts" by an unknown artist in the year 1786. The many colours depict the wonders of the emotion of love, specifically, one that is new. The blue represents the trust and peacefulness you feel with the other, the red represents passion and love, the yellow represents the dreams and hopes, and finally, this pink thread represents the two hearts connecting, pulling itself towards the other, hoping that the other responds the same. It masterfully depicted the feeling of realization, when you look at that person and in your mind you say: "Yes, he or she is the one."

Everyone was focused on the words of the lady, curiousity in their eyes as they looked back at the large canvas. Sure, it was hard to understand at first since it was an abstract art, but when explained, the colours and cloud like texture of the paint made so much sense, especially to those who have experience the feeling, that is love.

And Snuffy himself believed that maybe, just maybe, he is currently experiencing it too. The cloudy feeling of butterflies in your stomach and chest, the colourful view of the world, the feeling of trust in someone because she has proven to him that she was a person filled with nothing but kindness to him and everyone else. The feeling of love and passion that he never felt for anyone else in his life, at least, not in this way. The feeling of hope that maybe, just maybe he had a chance, that even is hes not the best in the world, and like all the other men who wanted you, you would still turn your attention to him.

The pull of his heart from yours like a string, trying its best to combine with yours, that your heart hopefully does not resist the pull and find another string and instead run to where his heart is-

Shit. He's screwed, isn't he?

"You didn't have to take me here too, Snuffy-san."

You said, feeling a little embarrassed as you looked at the man who sat infront of you, the two of you waiting for your orders.

After scouring the museum and noticing that it was lunchtime, he insisted on taking you to eat before dropping you back to your house. The said man gave you a smile, his chin on his hands that was propped up on the table.

"I wanted to, Y/n. Don't be embarrassed or shy, I asked you to accompany me to this museum, so it's the least I can do."

"Oh no, its nothing! I really enjoyed it today, very much so, Snuffy-san! If I were to be honest, I was so surprised you wanted to go to this specific museum because I have always wanted to go here, so accompanying you was like killing two birds with one stone!"

'I know about that already..'

"Really? Then I'm happier that it ended up that way. Hmmm..."

He looked at you, like he was currently thinking about something before finally opening his mouth.

"May I ask, if youre comfortable with speaking English?"

You blinked at the question. It was not bad, but it was a little surprising and confusing as to why he would ask all of a sudden, but you nodded anyways.

"Yup, I'm fine with conversational English. Why do you ask, Snuffy-san?"

"Then will it be fine, if we take our earpieces off? I want to hear your real voice when talking to you just for today, instead of this artificial copy of your voice."

Snuffy did not really like the fakeness of the voice. Sure, it sounded like your real voice, but it was still a bit robotic. The emotions and line delivery were too perfect, hence the problem. He wanted your real and raw voice. With all the emotions, imperfections, and thoughts. Not the polished and fake saccharine tone of the earpiece that got rid of the real sweetness in your tone and pronounciation.

So, a compromising language such as English will do for him. And luckily for him, you do not seem to mind, atleast from the look of the genuine smile on your face.

"Of course! I don't mind let me just-"

You pulled out the case from your pockets, and just as you were about to plug out the earpiece yourself, Snuffy did it for you. Leaning himself further to your figure across the table, he tucked your hair behind both of your ears before plugging out the earpieces from your ears and placing them back to the case that your frozen hand held up.

Your cheeks immediately warmed like it was set on fire, eyes wide like saucers, never having been that close, nor did a man ever do that to you before, you were definitely more than shocked. You felt like the female lead of some sort of romance novel or a shoujo manga, like for that moment the world slowed down.

It was not that you had any romantic interest towards Snuffy. You had great respect for him as a coworker and a great football player, but he did not exactly make his case easier, being an attractive man. That's the part where you can not even lie. Hell, he had a lot of fangirls, and that must mean something.

But, you shook your head. He was just being a gentleman. That was it. And with that thinking, you managed to move on with what he did. The flustered fire on your nerves dimmed down, finally managing to calm down.

Before you can acquire what just happened, the waiter arrived with the tray of food in his hands.

Unbeknownst to you, however, that Snuffy was as flustered at what he did, but he hid it behind his usual calm and gentle appearance.

He had been with many women, yes. But, none of his relationships ever had this type of build-up and romance. One, so innocent yet so genuine, with nothing like lust, money, or fame attached to it. Just pure romance. And he was so flustered with this feeling.

Admittedly, he felt a bit embarrassed that he was feeling this way. But, he wondered, should he blame this to him for not being experienced about this kind of love before. Or did this feeling just feel this jittery and exciting? Is this why teenagers would act the way they did with their crushes, because they felt this innocent type of admiration and love for someone? Not because there were things attached to the word love?

Damn, he really is in trouble, isn't he? He was here for football, not for romance. Yet, he found that here, in the most unlikely place he thought he would find it.

ADDITIONAL TIME!

UBERS

"Good for him. Our coach is the one with the most balls to ask Y/n-san out." Barou commented as he looked at Niko's phone, reading the comments as well.

"Yeah, but I can't get rid of the picture of Chris Prince, Lavinho and hell maybe even Noel Noa crashing out just because of this." Niko said laughing at the thought of the reactions of the other coaches at the fact that Snuffy was the first one to ask you out on a date.

"I would laugh, glamourously, of course." Aryu said as he dried his hair. Meanwhile, Oliver, who was beside him, was just laughing at the many comments under the post. Especially, those that thought this was a soft launch of you and their master's supposed "relationship."

"Nah, thinking about the other coaches being jealous at this fact makes me a little satisfied." Oliver said smugly as if he was the one who accomplished something, which Niko and Barou of course commented about snarkily.

MANSHINE CITY

"Why is he so loud?" Nagi grumbled, awakening from his nap as he looked at a very angry Chris Prince being calmed by Reo, sleepily.

"Its cause Snuffy-san from Ubers posted a picture of Y/n-san after a supposed date." Chigiri laughed as he showed his phone to Nagi, who squinted at the bright blur of the phone before the photo of you sinked in his mind.

"Hmm...good for Y/n-san, she looks like she's enjoying...but why is Prince pissed?"

"Because he's jealous he wasn't the one who asked her out first, duh." Chigiri pointed out the obvious, laughing at the pissed coach and a miserable Reo.

"Look, you have to calm down-"

"I AM CALM!"

Reo rolled his eyes at the coach's clearly angry face from his eyes and clenched eyebrows, and the veins that popped in his neck and forehead.

"Yeah, you are...but it's not like you can't ask her out after this. From the looks of it, and I think from Y/n-san's obliviousness, it was just a date, no confirmation of a relationship. I don't even think she thought this was a date when she went." The purple-haired striker said, hoping it would calm the restless blonde master.

"I guess...but you don't get it, Reo! She'll think I'm not original, which is bullshit by the way! I can be so much more original and charming and romantic than that...guy! Just he wait-"

He kept rambling, making Reo sigh as he continued to listen to whatever his ciach had to ramble about him planning an even better date or being a better guy for you.

'I knew this won't end well.'

BARCHA

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" The Barcha members flinched at the sudden outburst of their coach, who was scrolling on his phone.

'Ah shit, he finally found out.' All of them simultaneously thought and sweatdropped. It was a little scary how everyone thought he would react the way he already was, well except a happy Bachira, who was more than pleased that it was one of the more 'trusted' coach that you went out with.

"WAS NO ONE PLANNING TO TELL ME?! Oh my poor Y/n, she was definitely bored with that guy taking her out!" Lavinho cried out as he scrolled through the pictures. You looked really pretty (as you always are), but he felt regret and disappointment that it was not him you were with at that moment.

"Because we onow you'd react like this, coach." Otoya said cooly. Lavinho just shrugged off that answer and continued scrolling at the comments, which was a bad idea since the innuendos of the people pissed him off even more.

"NOPE! NOPE! NO ONE IS SOFT LAUNCHING CRAP! NOT UNTIL I GET TO ASK HER ON A DATE!"

"Sheesh...atleast he didn't throw a larger tantrum over this." Kitsunezato said before the rest of the team just ignored him, continuing whatever they were doing before their coach interrupted them.

BASTARD MUNCHEN

"Damn, Noa-san is so much more harsher and colder today, huh?" Hiori commented as everyone panted after a much tougher training than usual under the number one striker in the world's wing.

"What's got him in a bad mood, I wonder, I wonder?" Kurona added, very much curious as to why the coach was in such a bad mood, well enough to make Ness and Raichi run around the whole facility 10 times just cause they were arguing over something petty.

"I may have an idea." Yukimiya said as he pulled out one of the facility's tablet's before opening up the app and showed the post Snuffy made about you and a hangout, translated date.

"Oh, yeah...I get it now." Hiori said, as Kurona nodded. It was not much of a surprise that everyone around the team knew how their master felt about you. Isagi, who just finished his own lap, looked at the post and let out an 'ah' of realization.

"What are you all gossiping about?" Most of them let out a shriek as they found the usual cold gaze of their coach. Their heads turned around to face Noel Noa who's gaze hardened even more when he saw the same post he saw that morning that made his breakfast taste bitter and the stress around the facility annoying.

"Return to training or else, you'll all follow Ness and Raichi around the facility."

"Yes sir!"

PXG

"Yeah, I get it-"

"NO, YOU DON'T LOKI! THAT'S WHY YOU BETTER MAKE SURE THAT GUY BETTER STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

"Roger that, Mr. Blake."

"Good!"

Loki sweatdropped at the call as it ended before sighing and shaking his head. Turning his attention to his team, he raised an eyebrow when they saw that all of them (except for Rin who minded his own business) stopped doing what they were doing and instead was eavesdropping on his earlier phonecall.

"What the hell are you all doing? Start preparing for training!"

"Aww come on! Tell us what's happening! Thats Adam Blake right? I remember him from when we played against you guys in the second selection." Shidou said, pointing finger guns at Loki as the French master sighed.

"Its something petty. Remember Ms. Y/n's date with Snuffy like yesterday? Yeahh the rest of the World 5 found out about it and they all contacted me. Luna called me, then Silva, then Cavassos then finally what you heard earlier, Blake."

This made the players, mostly Shidou and Charles laugh. They now get it. Especially since they saw Ness and Raichi passing by their stratum in a jog. Now they get why, they probably pissed their master even more and got a punishment.

"Well, I'm just glad our stratum isn't involved in this mess." Karasu said, shrugging before focusing his attention on tying his cleats for practice.

"It's entertaining though! I like it!" Charles said mischievously which only made Loki glare at him.

"Yeah, yeah, you guys enjoy this because you aren't the one being called left and right by these scaredy cats of adults."

Blue Lock is WRITTEN by Kaneshiro Muneyuki and ILLUSTRATED by Nomura Yusuke. All credits to the both of them.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Strings

Summary: The reader's been assigned to watch over Dory Shaw when she runs into trouble. But when her big brother, Colter, shows up in town, things in the case are about to take a dramatic turn...

Pairing: Colter Shaw x reader

Word Count: 5,100ish

Warnings: language, serial killers, drugging, smidge of violence, innuendoes galore, not so implied smutty times

A/N: Welcome to my first ever Colter one shot! Please enjoy and let me know what you think and if you want more Colter! 😊

________

“So that’s the brother that does the reward thing you told me about?” Dory hummed beside you at your hightop, smirking at you. “What?”

“Nothing. You’ve only been drooling over him the past hour.” She gave her brother a wave from where he was getting the three of you refills at the bar. You scoffed, crossing your arms. “Defensive pose. I must be totally wrong, hm?”

“So what if he’s hot? I wasn’t drooling.” She shuddered. “You have hot brothers, Dory. Live with it. It’s a shame how you turned out. Your poor parents.”

“Screw you,” she said, flipping you off with a smile. You only grinned, stealing one of the cold fries from the basket before you. “I thought you swore off men anyways.”

“I swore off boys. Douchebags that don’t want commitment. Men? Men, I’m okay with.”

“Ain’t that the fucking truth,” she said, Colter wearing a pleasant smile as he returned with three bottles. 

“Ladies,” he said, setting one down in front of each of you before taking a seat. 

“So how long are you-” Dory groaned when he phone started to buzz. “Oh, come on. It’s fucking Hendricks.”

“Yikes,” you said, taking a sip as Colter frowned.

“Who’s Hendricks?” he asked, Dory answering and walking away to a quiet corner of the bar.

“The department chair. They’ve been having a problem with one of the professors and keep asking Dory to cover his night classes last minute,” you said. Colter frowned, keeping his thoughts to himself. Slowly you brought the lips of your ice cold bottle to your lips, taking a baby sip, Colter’s gaze on Dory’s agitated form. “What did you study in college?”

“I never went,” he said, Dory approaching again with her phone by her side. She gave you a look. She had to go. Colter picked up on it as she faced him, an apology in her eyes. He only softly returned a smile, hiding his disappointment well. “Go to work. I can stick around town a few days.”

“Really?” she asked, her voice so young sounding, a little girl’s spark in her eyes. 

“Of course, kiddo,” he said, handing her the black bag on the table belonging to her. “We’ll get dinner at your place tomorrow.”

“You’re serious? You’re not going to run off in the night?” He shook his head, hiding the flash of pain on his face. Dory only smiled, pecking a kiss on his temple. “Alright, I’ll text you later. Oh, and Y/N totally thinks you’re hot. Have fun!”

“Dorian!” you screeched at her as she happily scurried away, heading out the bar entrance. Your face felt hot as you turned back to Colter, he eyes suddenly narrowed. “Uh, she was just joking-”

“You have five seconds to explain who you are and why that man by the door followed her out. Five. Four,” he said, already getting to his feet. “Three-”

“Protective custody,” you grit out. Colter took two steps to be by your side, leaning down to your ear.

“How many are covering her?”

“Three at all times. One of us is always by her side. That call was a cover. She has to go into the agency for a debrief,” you said quietly. You felt his hot breath over the back of your neck, your skin prickling. “Back off, Shaw.”

“You’re going to tell me what’s going on, right now.” You growled, pushing out your seat and standing, forcing him to take a step back, if only so. 

“Not here.” You left without waiting for him, Colter right on your heels though. You stopped by your SUV in the parking lot, Colter crossing his arms. With a sigh, you put your hands on your hips. “You’re not going to let this go, are you.”

“The only reason I didn’t storm out after Dory is because I believe you. Now what is my kid sister involved in?” You shook your head, Colter tilting his own back. “I will not interfere but you need to tell me. Or else, I’ll go poking on my own and then I very well might end up interfering which you don’t want. Talk.”

“You would never risk putting her in danger so no, you won’t do anything. You are going to get in your truck, go sleep in your camper and tomorrow, hang out with your sister and me, her old friend from college that’s visiting until further notice. Got it?” you snapped. He looked you up and down, searching for a weapon maybe? He’d never find the small pistol in the back of your waistband though. “Shaw, I told you to go.”

“You need to be better at your job,” he said, reaching around his back and pulling our a small pistol. Your small pistol. Your hand shot to your back, now feeling very flat. 

“How-”

“I distracted you in the bar.” He flipped the gun around, holding the grip out to you. “I’m sure you know all about our family. If someone is after her, I can find them. You know I can.”

“You think you can do a better job than the FBI?” you scoffed, taking your weapon back. He shrugged. It was maybe a sliver of cocky but you knew he had the record to back it up. 

“I think if you don’t find this guy soon, the case will go cold and the FBI will not waste so many agents time. You’ve probably got what, a team of seven people covering her?”

“Four now,” you mumbled, his eyes flashing wide for a brief moment. “Maybe a few agents have been pulled the past few days but we wouldn’t leave her to fend for herself.”

“How long before that team drops to two? To one? Before they force her into witness protection or this bastard finds her first?” You tucked your gun away, Colter tilting his head to the side. “You know what’s going to happen? You’re going to be the last agent left and either you both get killed, you do and she goes into witness protection or she does and you have to live with the fact you failed her. You seem capable of defending her but if this person is as dangerous as you make it seem, you are going to need all the help you can get.”

“Go to your camper,” you said, opening the drivers door, Colter making a face. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

“Cozy,” you said, stepping into the airstream forty minutes later. You’d changed into a pair of jeans and an oversized hoodie from college. Colter pouted from the kitchenette area, nodding to the table. You tucked yourself in along with your backpack, tugging out your laptop and files before he set a beer down in front of you. “I ordered us a pizza. Should be here soon. You’re paying.”

“Of course I am,” he said, taking the seat across, spinning your folders around and opening one as you got your computer booted up. He barely glanced at the thing before you felt his heated stare. You met it quickly, Colter pointing a finger to a picture on the page. “A suspected serial killer? Seriously?”

“She saw him drug a woman at a bar. Gave a good description to locals, it flagged in our system. Two days later, someone broke into her house. Luckily for your sister, she was covering a lecture that night and wasn’t home.” He ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes. “I know. She’s his next target. Good news is we know what he looks like and have a name. Bad news-”

“Twelve years and he hasn’t been caught?” said Colter. He grabbed his beer, tightening his grip around it but not drinking. Yet. He steadied himself, breathing deeply. “When do you lose sight of him normally?”

“He’s not shy. After a kill, he sticks around the area for a day or so. We get footage of him at coffee shops, stores. We’ll track him to bus stations and then we lose him.”

“He doesn’t take the bus?” You shook your head. Colter pursed his lips, flipping through the pages of your files. “You think he changes appearance in station bathrooms and sneaks out with the crowd?”

“That is the agency’s working theory,” you said, Colter giving you his attention. You were no stranger to working under scrutiny but his intense stare made you feel like you were back in the academy on your first day.

“You disagree with that.” You nodded, turning your computer around, his eyes darting around the screen, pondering the data. “Huh. You think he uses the station as a cover and heads into the sewer system through maintenance.”

“I have…been told this is impossible and there’s no way he has done this in eleven separate cities and no one has been the wiser.” You took the computer back, Colter flipping up a page. “It doesn’t matter. We need-”

“It does and I agree with you. He always goes into the station wearing gray trousers, black boots and a black hoodie. That could easily be covering a maintenance jumpsuit that he uses to gain access and then escape without watchful eyes.”

“But it tells us nothing about where he might be now,” you said. Colter smirked, finally taking a sip of his beer. “I know what you’re thinking but countless stores sell basic jumpsuits.”

“You’re right. But if I were him, I wouldn’t want to get behind the wheel of a car smelling like crap while I get out of town. Now this guy is tall, right? He’s not going to want to walk more than a few miles at most hunched over in a sewer. Let me see your computer.” 

You slid it over, Colter pulling up a map of the city, dropping a pin on the bus station. He typed something and then his phone was ringing, Colter muttering something to someone named Bobby before he hung up. A few seconds passed before he smiled, turning it back to you, a giant red circle on the screen.

“People would notice if a guy came in stinking to a hotel or motel. My best bet, he has a hideaway somewhere in that perimeter. My guy is looking into foreclosures, rentals, abandoned properties. We’ll hear back soon.”

“You could be wrong. You’re making a pretty big assumption based on the fact the guy wouldn’t want to sit in his own stench.” Colter shrugged, holding up his hands.

“I might be. Or I might be right. What’s the harm in looking?” You sat back, crossing your arms, glancing out his wide back window to the darkness beyond.

“I’m meant to be Dory’s handler. I sleep in her house, I am by her side almost twenty four seven. I cannot spend time kicking down doors and I won’t be able to get my boss to approve more field agents to go off on a wild goose chase.” Colter cocked his head, licking his lips. “What?”

“You already figured all this shit out about the perimeter on your own,” he said, leaning forward. You sighed, Colter shaking his head. “They turned you down when you brought it up.”

“Like I said, I’ve been told it’s impossible.” You grabbed your beer, picking at the paper label. “I was the junior lead on the case. I was demoted to protective services when I presented my idea. I was told it was childish and clearly I was not ready for difficult case work. If I go off on my own and they find out, I’m fired.”

“Then we won’t let them find out,” he said. “I have an idea.”

“Well that was mortifying,” you said twenty minutes later after hanging up the phone, Colter smirking from the drivers seat. “Oh, shut up. It was your shitty idea.”

“They seem to have bought it,” he said, still smiling as you glared. “You do this thing with your nose when you get embarrassed.”

You flipped him off, Colter chuckling before heading down the road out of the parking lot and towards the perimeter circle form the bus station. 

“I can’t believe I asked for a night off for a fake date with you,” you mumbled, pressing your fingers to your temple and rubbing.

“Well you were drooling over me at the bar and your little agent friend and Dory seeing it certainly helped.” You smacked his arm, Colter feigning pain. 

“First off, I did not drool. Second, you are objectively attractive and I allowed to appreciate good looking men. Third, you are lucky I’m overworked and my boss was happy I’m taking some time off to recharge.”

“I’m pretty sure I heard your partner say they wished you a happy trip to pound town tonight.” You growled audibly, Colter laughing to himself. 

“One more word and I will arrest you, Shaw,” you said. He held up his hands, that stupid smile still on his face. “Don’t be cocky.”

“Interesting choice of words.” 

“Someone kill me now,” you muttered, crossing your arms over your chest, your vest heavy underneath your hoodie.

“Seriously though, thank you for doing this with me. It’s a lot safer having backup,” he said. You nodded, knowing fully well that if you did find your killer, tonight was most likely your last night as an agent.

“Yeah well…I’m only letting you do this because Dory told us all about how you were raised. You can handle yourself if it comes down to it.” The air was quiet, the jovialness slipping away with a single breath.

“I’m sorry you were laughed out of the room,” he said, turning down a quiet street. “We might not be right but it’s worth investigating.”

“They were looking for any excuse to move me down the ladder after my boss’ son started in the office. He took my old job the little shit,” you said. “Straight out of the academy, never even seen a dead body and he’s working a damn serial killer case.”

“I see you hold no resentment,” he said. You rolled your eyes, Colter clearing his throat. “For what it’s worth, I’d rather have the woman that gives more of a shit about my sister than her job than have the nepo baby ridin’ shotgun.”

“So you know I’ll probably lose my job tonight,” you said, Colter humming. “I won’t if we don’t find the guy.”

“We both know odds are good we’ll find him,” he said, sparing you a look when you stopped a red. He had a look of…softness, a sad smile there. “Thank you for protecting her.”

“Well, at least I won’t have to look at nepo baby’s stupid face anymore. He looks like a smug little prick,” you said. 

“Is he good looking?”

“God no. Ugly as sin like his dad.” Colter chuckled, a quiet one leaving your lips.

“Looks like you got an upgrade then,” he said. “Even if you do drool.”

“Just shut up and drive, Shaw.”

Three hours and twenty eight minutes later, you were staring at the ceiling of a rental house, blood dripping down from your temple from where you’d been pistol whipped in the face. Your body told you to make sound, move, call out for Colter who was at the front of the house. But your lungs weren’t working, the breath knocked out of you.

A dark shadow leered down at you, his eyes narrowed.

“Little miss roommate,” he said, squatting down, pushing the gun that’d fallen from your hands away. He cocked his head, resting a hand over your throat, stopping you from getting the air you desperately needed. He squeezed harder, pushing up your hoodie with the other one, tsking when he saw your vest. “Come on, sweetie. Look at me. Get a real good look at me, Y/N.”

He let you get a rush of air in your lungs as your eyes drifted over. The man looked slightly off somehow as he reached behind his neck. There was a sound of rubber as a synthetic mask was ripped off, a sweaty face appearing underneath that made your eyes go wide. He spun the mask around before setting it down beside him, fixing his hair as he applied more pressure again.

“I know you have questions,” he tutted, patting your face as you squeezed his wrist. “Come on, really?”

 Something sharp pricked your shoulder, a syringe pulled back as you felt your limbs get heavy. He backed off with choking you at least when all you could do was manage a limp grasp of him. 

“That’s better,” he said. “So I-”

He went down the ground hard, Colter standing over his prone form, eyes shooting to you. “He stabbed you with a sedative because this sick fuck likes his victims to be awake. You should be okay.”

“Nepo baby,” you mumbled, Colter tilting his head like he heard you wrong. “Him. Nepo baby.”

Colter got him restrained and tied to a nearby radiator before helping you sit up against the wall. He was shoving a cup of coffee in your hand by the time your attacker was waking up, your body heavy but a few sips of the scalding hot liquid had you feeling a tiny bit better.

“Good morning,” said Colter, his voice way, way darker than you thought it could go. Franklin was fully awake now and staring at you. “I interrupted your monologue before. How rude of me. Continue.”

“I ain’t saying shit-” he said, cutting himself off when Colter pressed the cold barrel of his gun right in Franklin’s crotch. 

“It probably won’t kill you but you’re going to think of me every time you take a piss the rest of your life. So, I’d take a second and really think about the next words out of your mouth because you’ve tried to kill my sister and you’ve tried to kill my friend over there and I am more than happy to pull this trigger if you don’t tell us everything. Now.”

Franklin slammed his head back against the wall, muttering curses to himself.

“His name is Franklin,” you said, forcing yourself to chug back the coffee.

“Franklin,” sang song Colter, his hand grasping Franklin’s chin. “You have three seconds before I start shooting off body parts. Three. Two-”

“I did it! All of it. My dad found out and…”

“Fuck. He protected you,” you spit out. 

“You figured out where I hid so he made you a laughing stock, got you demoted for being crazy. We knew we had to get rid of you so we…set up a failed job. I picked the blonde girl cause I thought she was pretty-”

Colter pressed his gun down hard, Franklin making a guttural sound in response.

“Keep talking,” Colter snarled. Franklin caught his breath, closing his eyes.

“He put you on protective detail and I was going to lay low until he pulled the whole detail except for you and the blonde girl. I was going to make it look like I got the jump on you before I played with the blonde…and you…before I…” he trailed off.

“Play with the blonde? With Y/N?” growled Colter. “That’s my baby sister. That’s my friend.”

“Walk away, Colter,” you said, forcing yourself to your feet. You swiped the gun from his hand and sat down in a nearby chair, aimed at Franklin. Colter didn’t move though, his body like solid steel. “Colter.”

He forced himself away, breathing hard and putting his back to Franklin. You imagined you looked like shit. Your head was pounding and you felt like going to sleep and running a marathon at the same time.

“I want you to call my old partner, Denny Piplin. Tell him everything. He has friends in high places and will make sure a trusted agent is watching Dory when shit goes down in that office.” You handed him your phone, Colter’s eyes darting around your face. “I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding,” he said, taking the phone. After a moment, his jacket was pressed against your head, his strong hand holding it there as he flipped through your phone contacts. “You need a hospital.”

“I’ll go when this bastard is behind bars,” you said, lifting your chin at Franklin. “And you over there? You don’t make a sound, move a muscle, or else I give him back the gun and let him do whatever the hell he wants with it.”

You swore Franklin didn’t move a millimeter for the next hour while you waited for agents to arrive. An ambulance showed up as they escorted him out to the back of a car, driven away to the field office most likely. You got lucky and your cut looked worse than it was thankfully.

“Hey,” said Colter, taking a seat next to you on the front steps of the house. 

“Hey,” you said, holding an icepack to your head. He shifted and you felt his fingers brush yours, holding the pack in place for you so you could lower you arm. You sleepily smiled at him, Colter returning it. “Were you really going to shoot his balls and dick off?”

“Would you think less of me if the answer was yes?” You shook your head, resting it against his shoulder. “How long until the sedative wears off?”

“A few hours they think. How’s Dory?”

“Fine. She’s back home. Some agents are going to spend the night with her. You old partner picked them himself.”

“Good. Denny’s a good guy,” you said, shivering when a gust of wind caught you. Colter shrugged out of his only slightly bloody jacket, wrapping it around your shoulders. “You were laying it on kind of thick in there with the ‘you hurt my friend’ schtick, you know.”

“It wasn’t a schtick. He was going to do vile things to you too. That pissed me off.” 

“Still, you didn’t have to…” you stopped talking when he sat you upright, his eyes darting to your lips.

“There you go, doing that thing with your nose again,” he said, cupping your cheek. “You deserve to protected too, even if you are a badass, got it?”

You nodded, Colter smiling. “Good girl.”

“You think just because you saved me, you get to kiss me?”

“No, I think I get to kiss you because you think I’m objectively attractive.” 

“Shut up, Shaw,” you said, brushing your lips against his as you heard a squeal nearby that made you both flinch.

“Aha! I so knew you two were into each other!” said Dory, suddenly standing there with Denny trailing behind. “You guys were so eye fucking each other at the bar.”

“Dorian,” groaned Colter as Denny shook his head and came over, giving you a big hug.

“She’s right, he is cute,” he chuckled, earning a slap on the back from you. “What’d I tell you when I retired? Stay out of trouble. What’d you go and do?”

“It wasn’t my fault I’m smart,” you said, a wave of fatigue rolling over you. Colter placed a hand on your back when you wobbled. 

“We need to get her somewhere she can sleep this off,” he said.

“Come on kid, the guest room is all made up.” You were about to protest that he should stay with Dory when Denny cut you off. “I’m sure Colter can handle it. You can see them in the morning.”

“Fine,” you grumbled, both men helping you stand and over to Denny’s truck. They shared a word in private after getting you inside, your eyes drifting shut now that you were in the nice warm cabin.

“Y/N,” said Denny with the thud of a car door. You hummed, not bothering to even look at him. “You need anything?”

“I wouldn’t say no to food truck tacos before I pass out,” you said. 

“That’s my old partner,” he chuckled. “Let’s get you some dinner.”

Two Days Later

“Hey,” you said when Colter pulled up outside Denny’s place in his truck. Between countless meetings at the office, you hadn’t been able to catch up with him and Dory yet. You didn’t miss the way your stomach did a small flutter at seeing him again.

“Y/N,” he said with a subtle smile, walking around the truck, stopping where you were washing your dirt bike at the end of the driveway. “You trail ride?”

“Denny got me into it when I first got paired up with him years ago. He let’s me keep my gear in his garage. I think I might take a trip, hit some trails I always wanted to.” Colter nodded, biting his bottom lip. “Dory told you I quit?”

“Yeah. Not that I blame you,” he said. You wiped off the frame with a towel, Colter picking up the spare nearby and getting the wheel spokes for you. “I was thinking of heading over towards Park City.”

“For a job?” you asked. 

“Play,” he said, standing and handing you the towel. He shoved his hands in his jean pockets, cocking his head and doing that little shrug again. “I’m pretty decent at mountain biking myself you know.”

“Oh, are you?” you said, crossing your arms.

“He’s flirting, moron,” said Denny as he passed you on the way to the mailbox. You shot him your best bitch face, Colter stifling a laugh as Denny returned with a package and some mail in hand. “She’d love to go.”

“Denny! He could be a serial killer!” Denny ignored you, looking over Colter. 

“She’s never been good with boys you have to understand. Always ends up with duds,” he said, Colter nodding with a smirk. “Little bit of a workaholic this one. Probably a good fit for you though. Take her on one of those reward jobs when you two are done with the mountains.”

“Angela!” you shouted, Denny’s wife popping her head up where she worked in the flowerbed by the front of your house.

“Oh he has a point, honey. You are awful with men.” 

“I should have let Franklin kill me,” you muttered, rubbing your temples. Denny dodged your attempt at smacking his arm, laughing as he ran back towards the house. Your face was hot when you found Colter’s cheeky smile. “Let me guess. I’m doing the thing with my nose again.”

“So what if you are?” he teased, looking down at your bike, nodding his head. “If it makes you feel better, I’m pretty awful with women too.”

“I imagine it’s hard to do the relationship thing with a job like yours.” 

“Yeah,” he said quietly, pursing his lips. “We could just…go have some fun for a week. No strings.”

“Is that what you want? No strings?” you asked. For the first time, you noticed a small flush to his cheekbones, his eyes intense as they met yours. “So you can get flustered. Good to know.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, hiding his shyness behind a cocky smile. 

“Answer the question, Shaw.” He looked up and then over your head.

“I wouldn’t…mind strings…with the right person if that makes sense.” 

“You two can take down a serial killer but you can’t ask each other out? No wonder your generation is screwed,” said Denny, going past again with a dirty car mat in hand. 

“You, quiet,” you said, pointing at him when he flipped you off. “You, Shaw. Park City. Whoever gets down the mountain fastest pays for dinner. Then you take me a reward job and by the end of all that, I think we’ll know how we want things to proceed, got it?”

“Yes ma'am.”

Two Weeks Later

“What are you giggling at?” you asked Colter. He chuckled underneath you in the airstream bed, his arm tightening over your waist. “Are you a giggly cuddler? Is this what I’m discovering?”

“I’m just thinking Dory’s never going to let us live this down when we tell her,” he said, pushing down the sheet on your back to trace up and down your exposed spine.

“I know,” you sighed. “How will she ever live with the fact you’re slow as fuck down a mountain?”

He gently smacked your ass, pointing a finger when you grinned. “You cheated.”

“You’re a sore loser,” you said, his hand brushing the hair out of your face, thumbing over your mostly healed mark on your temple. Your chin rested on his chest, Colter continuing to stroke over the faded scar. “If you’re thinking of telling Dory about us, does that mean you want me to stay?”

“I like the strings,” he said quietly, his warm hands traveling up and down the sides of your body. “This is what it’s like. A job, downtime, a job, downtime. S’all I know.”

“I get that,” you said, lowering your eyes to his chest. “It’s easy to get wrapped up in the job and forget to have a life.”

“Why’d you really quit? They would have promoted you back up I’m sure,” he said.

“They broke my trust. The only person that had my back was you.” He tipped his head forward, kissing your forehead. “I want to stay.”

“Well that’s good considering I wasn’t letting you go.” You smiled when he tucked your hair behind your ear. “So. Ladies choice. We take another job we don’t yet have or we head over to Washington, hit some trails, maybe I show you some rock climbing basics. Or we stay here in bed until further notice.”

“Such hard choices,” you said, Colter grinning and shifting his leg so you felt him poking you in the thigh. You sat upright, narrowing your eyes. “If you make a hard joke, I swear-”

“You’ll what?” he teased, flipping you around, body hovering over yours. You frowned up at him, Colter kissing the tip of your nose. “So you don’t want the bed option?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Shaw.” He raised his eyebrows, a dark smirk on his lips that had your hand flying to his mouth. “Do not say it you filthy gutter mind. Nothing in my mouth. Got it?”

“You make it so easy though,” he chuckled, burrowing his face in your neck, kissing under your jaw. You purred, Colter humming. “That’s my girl.”

“Bed. Washington. Job. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds like you like the strings too,” he mumbled trailing his hand down between your bodies. “I can’t blame you. You do drool over me.”

“Why don’t you shut that mouth of yours, Shaw and put it to better use?” you said, slipping your hands to his hips. 

“Whatever you say, beautiful.”

____________

A/N: Let me know what you thought and if you'd like to see more Colter x reader stuff in the future!

[mattslolita]

Dealer!chris buying u everything u need to make u happy again

“kid I don’t know what I did to make u upset but here’s ur shit or wtv.” Chris says sitting at the edge of the bed

“thanks…” you say sniffling

“alright I’m tired of it wipe those tears off ya face and tell me why ya cryin”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧

crying, once again.

that's what chris saw when he walked into his room where you resided, your legs pulled up as you sat criss cross on his bed whilst tears streaked down your face, smudging your mascara you worked so hard putting on earlier that morning.

"kid, whas' the matter with you?" chris asks you, taking a step closer to you, but you pout and inch yourself away from him.

"we're not playin' this game," chris huffs, reaching out to you, but you fully move towards the other side of the bed.

he looks at you in shock, surprised that you weren't taking an invite to his affection — he wracked his brain, confused as to what reason you decided to ignore him today. he can't find any reason why you would be upset with, especially since he was gone most of the day. rubbing his temples and shaking his head, chris mutters under his breath as he thought of a solution to make you talk to him.

"m'gonna go get somethin' to eat," he tells you, and you cross your arms on her chest tighter, "an' you better have an answer f'me when i get back, y'hear me?"

you don't say anything, just hold your chin up high, still not looking in his direction — chris lets a small scowl leave his lips, shaking his head once more as he exits his own room.

—

chris returns back with chick fil a for the both of you. unbeknownst to you, he stopped by the mall to buy a few things for you to make you feel better ( for whatever unknown reason you refused to tell him. )

he carried a flurry of bags in his arms, bumping into his room door as he reenters — you were sat at the foot of his bed, your legs kicking in the air as you scrolled through instagram reels. when chris looked closer, he could see your body slightly heaving up and down — you were still crying.

"kid, i know you heard me come back," chris huffs, setting the bags from the mall on the bed, "c'mere."

you turned to face him, tear stricken cheeks as you toss your phone to the side of you and tuck your legs underneath yourself as your pouty expression is now on chris — he motions to the bags behind him, sitting at the edge of the bed. you scurry towards the bags, wiping at a stray tear that escapes your face as you look inside of the victoria's secret bag first.

almost immediately like chris expected, giggles slip past your lips as well as hiccups from you crying the entire time. "you got the perfumes i told you about!"

"mhm," chris hums, his eyes trailing up and down your exposed legs as he drums his fingers along them, "s'that mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

you sniffle and pretend to think about it, though you already know the answer to the question — chris raises an eyebrow at you expectantly before you slowly crawl into his arms.

"what were you cryin' about, anyway?" he asks you, rubbing small circles along your back as he used his other hand to wipe the tears from your eyes.

"you said you would take me on deals with you today, and you forgot about it," you admitted, and chris had to refrain from letting a groan escape his lips — he thought he messed up or something.

"i'll take you later on, yeah?" he asks you, lifting you up to sit in his lap. you giggled and nodded your head, pressing a kiss to his nose.

[cupcakeinat0r]

A Nerdy Middle-aged loser Miguel with a dad bod who teaches your genetics class

pt. 4

After seeing you flirt with that other student, Miguel went back home to his penthouse with a mixture of emotions.

First, he felt angry, and on multiple occasions. For starters, he was upset to see you smile for someone else. He wanted to make you smile like that.

Then he got even more mad that he's mad about that. It was so childish. There shouldn’t be anything between you guys anyway. Buying you things and hugging you and giving you pet names and head messages was already pushing it to the very edge.

Then he was confused. Miguel was starting to think maybe you liked him in that way, too. Was it all just platonic to you? Was it the way he looked? Did he do something wrong?

His heart drops at the thought that maybe he made you feel uncomfortable, or worse, unsafe. Feelings of concern cloud his mind making him toss and turn in bed.

This thought alone was more than enough proof to him that he needs to start treating you like what you are: his student.

<3

That next morning, y’all had class. You scurried in at your usual 2-5 min late mark, Miguel’s eyes reluctantly following you. You sat down and smiled at him, but you weren’t met with your usual sweet, adorable professor's smile. Instead, you just get a surly glare before he starts the lesson.

The whole lecture, Miguel is using every fiber of his being to not look over at you, because he knows that if he does, he’ll fall for you all over again.

When you ask him for help, he doesn’t get as close as he used to, keeping his manly musk away from you. When you raise your hand to answer a question, you’re not his first pick. When you leave little treats for him on his desk, he doesn't even touch them or acknowledge them. And when you leave class and say “Bye, Professor O’Hara! Thank you for class today!”, there’s no more “ Thank you, Mama.” No “Sweetheart”. Not even “hun”. Just “bye”.

It would be like this for about a week, treating you the way he treats the rest of his students. Miguel’s heart was breaking, but this was for the best. For the both of you. You could get anyone you wanted, and he shouldn’t put his job on the line. Besides, you seemed to be very happy with this new guy. Miguel truly believed that he didn’t deserve you anyway.

You were so confused. It was like two different people. Like night and day. You wanted answers. Luckily, y’alls tutoring session was coming up, and there’s no room for him to avoid you then.

You knocked on his office door to be met with an indifferent man. He opens the door with no greeting, completely dismissing you as he lets you in. No gift in sight, though you were expecting that given his drastic change in behavior.

You set your bag down and sit at your seat, Miguel giving you a paper filled with practice formulas for the final. Without even looking at you, he sits at his desk and does something he never did: tend to his own work.

“Just let me know if you have any questions. Otherwise, finish those formulas and you’re good for the day.” He doesn’t even look at you when saying this, his words slightly muffled as he spoke into his hand.

Everything felt so off, it was making you want to cry.

“Professor O’Hara… are you okay?” There’s genuine concern in your voice, but his gaze doesn’t leave his paper.

“I’m fine. The formulas, please.” This is the driest you’ve ever seen him. What’s gotten into him?

“You sure?” All you get is a tired sigh from him before he, without lifting his gaze still, uses his pointer finger to tap on the paper before you.

Not wanting to anger him, you start the practice. It’s dead silent in the office. The air feels stale. Did the lights in here always feel this clinical?

“There. I’m Finished. May you check them, please?” You ask softly, still hopeful that he’ll somehow be normal again, only to be disappointed again.

He finally peels his eyes from his own work and onto yours, his eyes quickly skimming through your paper.

“Good. You may go now.” He mutters in a monotone voice, and back to his papers he goes.

“Professor O’Hara… are you sure you’re okay, you seem off?” You ask one last time.

“Like I said, I’m fine. It’s none of your concern, anyway. See you tomorrow for class, and don’t be late.” The venom in his voice makes you wince. You could cry right here right now.

“Did… I do something wrong?” You feel a ball form in your throat. It's when he hears your voice crack when he finally lifts his head and looks at you for the first time in a while.

Sitting in front of him, just across the desk, is his one weakness. He sees worry, sadness, and confusion on your face, immediately wanting to get up from his seat to take you in his arms and apologize to you; that you can do no wrong and that you’re perfect. All he wants to do is comfort you in this moment, but he can’t do it in the way he wants to. He promised himself he'd distance himself. Partially to save his job but more so that he would prevent heartbreak.

The welling in your eyes only makes it 10x harder.

“Mama-“ the pet name slips and he instantly catches himself. He takes it back by substituting it for something more professional: your first name.

“… of course you didn’t do anything wrong. Everything is fine.” Miguel struggles to maintain his stoic front, but nonetheless still manages to keep it up, making sure you don’t know his true desire.

“Things are not fine.” You snap back. This makes Miguel look up at you from the papers in his hands.

“You don’t say hi to me when I come to class, you don’t look at me during lectures, in fact, you never look at me even when I’m talking to you, and now you’ve started calling me by my actual name… something’s wrong, so please, tell me.” You plead, inching closer to his desk.

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m your professor. Besides,” he looks down at his paper again since looking at your pout was becoming unbearable, “I’m sure you’d prefer attention from someone else.” He adds, but this time, there’s actual emotion behind those words. Up until now, he has been incredibly bland, but that last statement was lined with something… like jealousy.

You started thinking. You began to connect the dots.

The only thing that had changed in the past few days was the new transfer in the class. You had gotten along with him very well, even sitting next to each other every class and leaving together.

It clicked.

“Professor O’Hara… I’d say you’re jealous.” Your pout grew into a cheeky smile, seeing right through Miguel now.

“Well, I’d say you’re sadly mistaken. That’s a ridiculous accusation.” You knew you won when he got defensive. He tries to play it off by retreating to his paper again, but it’s pretty evident you stroke a nerve. His fist clenched around the poor ink pen in his hand.

“Oh my God… you’re totally jealous.” You’re completely smiling now, holding back a giggle since you didn’t want to ridicule Miguel to his face. But you had to admit, it was cute.

“And who could I possibly be jealous of, hm? Enlighten me.” He looks up at you through his glasses, the fine line along his brow creasing as he raises it.

“Well, the transfer, of course! How did I not realize!” You allow a chuckle to slip as you confront Miguel.

Miguel responds with silence, cowering back to ungraded papers.

“Awe, Professor O’Hara… he’s gay.” You laugh as you say this. Miguel stops writing to look at you again, his gaze finally softening with small glints of hope.

“… he is?” He asks softly, his hard facade thrown away at last. There he is. There’s that big, soft, kind loser you knew.

“Yes! He’s as straight as a circle!” You chuckle some more. Miguel furrows his brows as he tries to make sense of the situation.

“But you two are always so… touchy. I just assumed that… ” You roll your eyes at Miguel’s oblivion. He’s so cute.

“Oh my goodness, that’s normal! He’s like one of the girls! We're just best friends.” Miguel’s shoulders seem to relax as he sits in relief. His lips begin to curl. He’s not sure if he’s smiling because now he knows you aren’t interested in that guy or because he’s making you smile and laugh.

“Well then, that’s- that’s good to know, mama… because, you know,” he clears his throat, “I wouldn’t want anyone to bother you, is all.” He lies. He looks back down at his paper to hide his growing smile. He shouldn’t be this happy about a student’s lack of a romantic interest.

You break into a fit of giggles at it all, shaking your head as you make your way around his desk, “oh, Professor O’Hara, you’re honestly too cute…” Miguel sees you coming in the corner of his eye, assuming you’re going in for a hug, but instead, you bend down to press a tender kiss on his sculpted cheekbone, pulling back with a soft mmmmmmmmmwah!, The small smack! of your glossy lips. Dumbfounded, he looks up at you with hooded eyes, unsure if he’s asleep or this is reality.

Miguel can feel his face warm up, a tingly sensation taking root at his cheek and spreading to the rest of his body. Yeah, I’m awake. Miguel is in the clouds, looking up at you as if you were an angel that descended from the heavens (to him, you are). It took every bit of restraint to not pounce and absolutely smother you in sloppy kisses. Not yet.

You reveled in your successful advance, smiling down at him as you twirled one of his small curls at the back of his head. He looked absolutely adorable like this. The lipstick stain on his cheek makes you chuckle. It was a little funny; you had this man, twice your size who wore a scowl the majority of the time, absolutely hypnotized. You lean against his leather chair, your elbow resting on its shoulder. You speak sweetly, cocking your head to the side.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Miguel zeroed in on your lips, examining each and every move they make, his mind fogged. He looked absolutely adorable with that lipstick stain on his cheek.

“Good. Have a nice evening then, Professor, and get some well-deserved sleep, kay? Thank you for helping me. You’re the best, as always.” You trail back to your bag and start to leave, practically skipping.

He can feel his heart palpitating and dick twitch under the tight fabric of his pants with each praise and sway of your hips. It’s like you've put him in a trance. He's completely forgotten why he was mad or sad in the first place.

Of course, you wanted to kiss him on the lips, but you don’t wanna go too fast, either. You didn’t want to seem easy, but it was so damn difficult not to with those plump lips of his. Then your eyes went to other places, like his meaty thighs and the way his stomach spilled out of his khakis, his hard cock print just below his pudge leaving no detail up to imagination.

“Oh, and please,” Miguel shakes out of the haze, “It’s ‘Miguel’, mamita.” He smiles at you.

You smile back at him and wave goodbye, “See you later, Miguel.” His name in your mouth sounds like a siren song. You strut out of his office with the new knowledge of your professor’s infatuation with you. This whole time, you assumed he was just a really nice teacher. You didn’t think your feelings would actually be requited.

So that’s why he bought you all those clothes and gave you head messages!

And he definitely is fucking his hand in his office after that kiss! Isn't he just dreamy ?!?!?!?

< 3

The next morning, after class, you helped Professor Miguel clean up by wiping the boards for him. He was at the desk, piles upon piles of ungraded and unread papers awaiting his review.

You watched him, hunched over his desk, brows knitted, and looking stressed out of his mind.

"Miguel," he immediately perks up at your sweet voice.

"You aren't gonna do all that by yourself, are you?" You get closer to his desk.

Miguel chuckles and sighs as he looks at the comically tall pile he has to work on, "Have been for 5 years, mama. Now, you're not gonna volunteer yourself, are you?" He playfully mocks you, but he isn't really joking.

"Of course I am! There's no need to do all this by yourself. You work yourself too hard, Miguel." you start sectioning off a thick bundle of papers, but Miguel waves his hand in refusal before placing it on yours, "No, mama, thank you, but I can manage on my own-" you lightly slap off his hand.

"I am not asking. I going to help. I want to." You divide the pile into two, then pull up a chair next to him.

"Mamita, porfa, va ja. It's getting late and this takes hours. no quiero que tu camine a ete hora." He persuades softly as he lays his beefy arm across the back of your chair, making circles on your shoulder with his thumb.

"Well then, we better get started." You say with a pen already in hand and your first research paper in front of you.

Miguel responds with a deep chuckle in his throat, starting on his own pile seeing that he doesn't have a choice. He softly smiles, stealing a glance at you from time to time. He's just happy to be with his favorite person. His girl.

A/N: Yippie! A kiss! It's on the cheek, but still, it’s a step forward!! Finally! I hope you all enjoyed it!!! n tysm for all the love on this series < 3 I didn't think I'd stretch this out as much as I am pero liiiiiike he's all I think abt ur honor!!!

Want more DadBod!Miguel? Here’s my master list, bae !!

Tags < 3

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[cams-cult]

chris had always hated you. he had never made an effort to form any sort of relationship with you, or even speak to you. he hated you and you had no idea why. that is until one afternoon you had stayed over with nick and woke up the next morning alone in bed with the text message:

you realize this either meant you were stuck here with chris, or he had left to do whatever it is that chris does. but knowing him he was still at home slumming it. you sigh as you get out of bed and walk downstairs to the kitchen only to be greeted with chris laying on the couch. shirtless.

you smile at him because even though he was terrible to you, you could never treat him that way. you could never be horrible to anyone. anyways, you walk to the pantry to get yourself a snack and then scurry back to the living room, sitting across from chris as you take little nibbles at your food.

chris rolls his eyes as he continues looking at whatever it was on his phone, scrolling away. you feel a sudden wave of emotion as he does this, having just about enough of his attitude towards you.

“why do you hate me so much?” you blurt out, not really caring about your own words. “i don’t.” he says not looking up from his phone, not even batting an eye in your direction. “yes you do” you argue, finishing your snack. he looks up from his phone and he bites the inside of his cheek, running his fingers through his hair.

“i told you i dont.” he sighs as his gaze falls upon your own. he turns off his phone and places it beside him, you having his full attention now. “then why are you so hateful to me?” you cross your arms, leaning back onto the couch. “m’not—just honest most of the time..not my fault you can’t handle brutal honesty” he smirks as he stands up, stalking towards you.

“you’re an asshole” you scoff as you roll your eyes, putting your hands in your lap. his expression changes. your words have appeared to set something off in him, something that you’ve never seen. “watch your mouth.” he growls as he approaches you, towering over your sitting figure.

“what? can’t handle brutal honesty?” you smirk tauntingly, finally being satisfied with an interaction with him. finally giving him a taste of his own medicine. but he grips your chin suddenly, tilting your head back as his lips part slightly, his grip on you firm but not rough.

you gasp at the sudden motion as you squirm in his grasp, panicking at his actions but knowing he’d never hurt you. you gaze up at him, eyes submissive.

“i said—watch your mouth, brat.” he says, his mouth slightly agape as he swipes a finger over your bottom lip. “wanna know why im so hateful to you? hm?” he says softly, still holding your head back. you nod, internally cursing yourself for even standing up from him in the first place, but at the same time no remorse.

“i’m so hateful to you because i want you to stay away from me..” he says softly, his eyes completely black with something you couldn’t identify. your eyebrows furrow in confusion as he lets go of your chin, letting you go.

“why do you want me to stay away?” you ask in utter disbelief. “because i’m in love with you..” he blurts shamelessly, turning to look at you. your eyes widen in shock as your face turns into a flustered mess.

“you-you’re what?” you stammer, your sun-kissed like expression making him smirk. “you heard me” he says softly. “i know that if i don’t stay away from you, i’ll do things that i’ll regret” he says, running his hands through his hair, a habit he does when he’s stressed.

“like what?” you ask, feigning innocence. “do you really wanna know?” he faces you, his eyes filled with unidentifiable emotions. you nod as you walk closer to him, his figure towering over your own once again. “have you ever been touched before?” he asks, his tone soft. “n-no..” you shake your head as your gaze stumbles into his. “good—i should be the first person to do this..” he bites his lip as he smashes his lips to yours, his tongue immediately exploring your mouth as his hands explore your body.

you gasp in the kiss, not being able to move, or think, or really do anything but attempt to kiss him back. he breaks the kiss by biting your bottom lip, making you feel this strange sensation all over your body.

his hands play with the hem of your shirt before trailing his hands under your shirt, gripping your waist. your body trembles against his touch, biting your bottom lip and tasting his mouth.

“have you ever even held hands with a guy?” he tilts his head to the side as he trails one of the hands that were under your shirt against your tummy. you shake your head no, looking up at him with curiosity. “you’ve never even kissed a guy i presume?” he taunts as he lets go of you, making you instantly cold considering how warm he was.

“no…not until today..” you say shyly, having been too scared to do things with guys. but chris? chris made you feel things that you had never even thought you could feel.

“look at me” he commands as he hovers his mouth over your own, his mouth agape as you feel his breath against your mouth. “after today..you’re mine—all mine..” he says lowly, his voice husk and demanding. “i’m gonna be all your firsts—got it?—no one will be able to fuck you like i can” he growls as he grips your throat possessively. this action both scared you and aroused you, making your cunt throb, something you thought could never happen.

“i’ve spent time observing you for years—i know you more than you think i do..” he smiles as his mouth still hovers over your own. “i bet you’re soaked right now, hm?” he coos, his tongue tracing a line over your parted pink lips.

the air was thick. your legs buckled beneath you as a whimper leaves your mouth, your breath hitting his mouth as well as his hitting your mouth too. it was an erotic scene, one that you had never expected to ever occur.

“do you want me to touch you?” he says softly, his hand that was still gripping your throat tilting your head up. you nod, not being able to form words, scared that you would make a pathetic squeaky noise if you tried. “do you feel that feeling in your tummy? the one that makes right here throb?” he coos, touching your heat ever so gently signaling that was the spot.

you nod again, your breathing uneven as you try to form words, but only being met with whimpers and whines. your breathing hitting his lips as he tries everything inside of him not to take you there.

he runs his tongue across your parted lips once again before kissing you roughly, pulling away as he lets go of you. “i can’t touch you…not now..” he smirks, biting his lip as he backs away. you whimper as you walk after him. “chris—please..” you grab his arm trying to get him to stay.

“so needy, hm?—i can’t touch you..not today..” he says as he gently takes your arm away from him, his expression flushed as well as yours. he quickly turns around and heads up to his room leaving you with a throbbing sensation and an unfamiliar emotion over your body.

part 2.

a/n: might make this a series:) i love possessive chris:3

taglist: @starrii-sturns @sturns-mermaid @emely9274 @hjvi @chrepsi @chrisstomach @izzylovesmatt @mattssslutbby @chrisslut04 @fratbrochrisgf @sturnsxbitvh @grace-sturnz @victoriassadcorner @divinesturn @sturniolo-szn2 @riasturns @whore4chris @jensturnss @athaliahxoxo @riggysworld @h3arts4nat @sophand4n4 @lvrsturniolo @trustinsturniolos @chrxsprettygirl

[eyelessfaces]

about time we found each other again.

leto atreides x reader

summary: even years after your wedding got called off, leto is not sure he truly really got over you.

warnings: implied cheating (I am so sorry lady jessica I love you), death of a parent, angst, probably inaccurate dune lore stuff my most sincere apologies I did my best

tags: f!reader, arranged marriage, first love, love confessions, estrangement, time jump where the second part takes place a few years before the first movie (this doesn't matter at all tbh)

word count: 2.1k

this is my first time writing for leto so I hope he's alright lol<3

When you came to meet Leto Atreides for the first time, it was instantaneous; maybe you couldn't rightfully affirm it with conviction yet, but some deep part of you immediately knew that you desired him to be the one by your side for the rest of time. 

He had been the only other person around your age when you and your family attended a special meeting on Caladan, and you could very well feel your heart beat faster and your cheeks burn hot at each of his furtive glance thrown your way and each slight smirk over either of your faces when your gaze met his. 

Maybe leaving your home land and being sent to eventually move to Caladan wouldn’t be as bad as you had thought, after all.

And it wasn't. You quickly, borderline scarily quickly fell in love with Leto, you were sure of it by now. His manners were those of a man of respect, and he was kind and compassionate, he didn’t have the over excessive pride you would expect from a destined duke.

And ultimately, you grew to also be almost pretty sure that he felt the same way towards you, from the way he listened to you with no feigned interest whenever you shared stories with him, from the way his warm brown eyes so gently looked over at you, from the way he always made sure you were treated right.

You remembered it to be a warm evening when he officially confessed his love to you. 

You had been walking mindlessly through seemingly never ending fields, talking about anything and everything for what felt like a lifetime, eventually stopping to lay down and watch the sun set. 

Leto had settled on gently putting flowers in your hair while you told him about your childhood on your home land, smiling radiantly as he admired you lovingly, brushing your cheek with the back of his hand before he leaned in to kiss you. 

Your own hand was quick to find his dark curls neatly slicked back as he hovered over you, the tip of his fingers delicately tracing your face and neck before he pulled away from your lips when it became absolutely necessary. 

From there, the sunset and everything else became insignificant, everything could be crumbling around you and you wouldn’t pay it any mind; nothing mattered, not when Leto promised to love you until his very last breath here in the middle of nowhere. 

So when you eventually had your parents visit you on Caladan and announce to you that you had been sent there for them to agree with the Atreides upon arranging a marriage with Leto, you couldn’t be happier and it couldn’t be more convenient; you would have chosen him anyway, if given the choice.

Leto had the competence of making everything seem so easy, and he turned out to be quick to ease your worries about your upcoming future as a duchess.

Even under the looming political pressure of your marriage, this wedding meant a starting point for the rest of your life, a part you could not wait to share with him, even if it meant a lot of responsibilities and changes.

Then so suddenly, all at once, it all fell apart, everything. 

It was late in the night when you and Leto were laughing and dancing, rehearsing for the forthcoming wedding. Servants had knocked onto your shared room door, and Leto’s hand left your waist as he scurried away to answer the door, opening and making way for them to enter the room. 

They came in with a polite nod, one of them unrolling a parchment letter, reading out loud to the both of you.

The letter was from your father, announcing the news that your mother had died while on a mission, resulting in the need of your presence at your home land to take over her legacy and responsibilities for a while.

You didn’t understand what it involved right away, maybe from the shock of the sudden, dreadful news, the loss of your mother too hard to swallow.

You didn’t understand that it meant that you and Leto were bound to be no more, that either of you were now assigned to different fates and responsibilities, that the marriage was therefore called off for the moment being.

And you quite certainly didn't realize that the night you spent tossing and turning around your shared bed with eyes wide open until the sunrise was the last night by his side, that the morning you left was the last time you would see him.

Until years later, what felt like a lifetime.

When you came back to Caladan for political and business reasons, it was only because of the absolute necessity of your presence, otherwise you wouldn't have shown up.

Finding him again after so long drowned you right back again in the same hollow feeling you endured the moment you were drawn apart years ago, and while you mirrored his polite nod and smirk, you couldn't help but still feel the pain of being estranged so brutally, of seeing him again after so many years.

He was wearing the slowly appearing gray streaks of hair beautifully, and the beard suited him like he was made for it; it made his handsome face look a bit more harsh and severe, but he was a duke now, after all.

You lightly cleared your throat as you made your way to leave the meeting once it was over, troubled as you could feel the weight of his gaze burning holes through you all along. You could feel your heart pound through your ribcage the exact same way it used to when he held you when you were younger, and you ultimately came to the rotten conclusion that your stay here in his presence would be a tough, challenging time for you, and that dwelling on the past had been a bad idea, exactly like you had anticipated it to be. 

—

It was wonderful out there, just like you had remembered it to be. The view from the balcony offered you an endless panorama over Caladan and its lush lands, and while you loved your home land with your whole being, you couldn’t deny missing living on Caladan.

The fresh breeze of the night was nothing but pleasant, and even though you were slowly starting to feel goosebump growing over your skin, you figured the view of the sun starting to set was more important.

“I thought I could stay focused while in your presence.” you recognize his voice all too well, and you wonder if the shiver running down your spine is caused by his sudden apparition or the wind hitting you. “I was deeply wrong”

“Leto,” you chuckle sheepishly, blushing as you turn around and face him.

A bittersweet smile has quirked upon his face, and he steps further and approaches you. The years have been unkind to him, lines of wisdom and experience growing upon his face transforming him into a man hardened by duty. Yet, beneath the rough facade, you can still see the eyes and soul of the man you once knew and loved.

“Why only now?” he asks, a certain helplessness painted across his face.

“What?”

He sighs as he looks away, licks his lips as he walks besides you and grips the barrier of the balcony with both hands. You only hear the wind as you watch and wait for him to do, to say something.

“This should have been yours. All of this” he mutters, gaze fixed on the sight before him. The clouds look like cotton ripped apart and spread through the wide sky, and the sun setting over Caladan turns them into an abnormal color, one you wouldn't even be able to define. “I waited for you.” Leto declares, head turning to look back at you like he is trying to figure out how you feel or waiting for you to say something.

Your eyes close as a small exhale leaves your mouth. “Why should it matter now, Leto” you scoff, turning away to try to escape his gaze, heavier than you remember.

“It has always mattered” he declares, following your steps as you try to inch away from him. He calls your name in a weak plea, his hand coming to rest over your arm. “Look at me. Please”

You do. You turn back to him, and he looks at you like you will be slipping away from him any moment now, like you're just a ghost, like you're water in his bare hands. “Tell me you did not think of me all those years and I'll leave you alone.” he whispers feebly, face close to yours as he still holds onto your arm, and you can feel your breaths mingling from how close he is to you.

His unwavering gaze is locked on yours, desperately waiting for you to say something. Eventually, your lack of response speaks for itself, and he nods slightly. “That's what I thought.”

“Leto.”

His hands come to cup your face, holding it steady as with a sigh, his forehead rests against yours. Your eyelids fall shut under the weight of it all and you exhale softly, your hand wrapping around his wrist, stroking along his forearm.

“I have loved you since I met you. I should have found you and married you regardless.” he mutters, barely louder than a whisper. His declaration makes something flutter deep in your core, and you grimace like his words feel sour to hear. You should have done it differently, should have come back to Caladan after everything went back to normal after your mother's death.

“And your wife?” you rhetorically ask, with a dubious scoff.

“She's not– we never married.” he shakes his head, pulling away from your forehead to look back at you, your hand falling to your side again when you let go of his arm. His gaze and the way his eyebrows are angled weakly are conveying everything you need to know, confirming every conclusion you made. 

Your lips part slightly, some part of you refusing to believe in what he's indirectly telling you, refusing to believe that he gave up on some part of his life waiting for you.

“We were promised a marriage together, a life together” he continues, taking hold of your hand, fingers lacing with yours tentatively. “I always hoped you would come back and we would resume our life together where it stopped.”

“Now still?” you weakly ask, equally pained and somehow flattered that he never really got over you.

Again, the lack of answer and his previous actions prove the point, and you hold his hand tighter when you swallow with difficulty. Your other hand slightly trembles when you reach to touch his face, settling to rest at his bearded cheek, and you smile weakly as you trace the lines that you never got to witness appear.��

“We were so young” you smile, drawing one out of him. The corners of his lips turn upwards as his hand covers your own over his face, pulling it to bring it to his mouth to kiss your knuckles softly, the feeling of his warm breath over your skin taking you years back.

“Don't go back.” he begs against your hand, his voice wavering a little. There’s a glint in his eyes as his gaze darts up at you that makes it impossible for you to consider refusing and giving up on him again. “You belong here.”

Your eyebrows knit in uncertainty as you tear your gaze away from him, looking at the endless view again. You can't help but overthink every consequence coming back to Caladan is going to involve, for you as much as for Leto, and especially for his own concubine that is at this point already long forgotten by him.

This is unfair, but some part of you acknowledges your younger selves feelings and remembers how devastated you were to leave him; leaving again while knowing that he still cares after so many years and regrets not marrying you may hurt even more.

“This will make people talk, Leto.” you wince, looking back at him.

He shakes his head carefreely. “Let them.” he affirms with a dismissive scoff as his hands settle over your hips. You grin softly as he pulls you closer, and a soft exhale leaves your mouth when your arms wrap around his neck.

He takes a while to admire your face, how it has changed despite still remaining the one of the woman he fell in love with long ago.

When he kisses you, it is the exact same way he used to when you were young.

—

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[hai7ani]

cocky motherfucker Rindou who works at Murasaki Sports that loves annoying you whenever you come by the store. he's a bit of a jerk with the way he acts, but still gives you staff discounts at checkout and a free sticker whenever you pop by because you once brought along your laptop while shopping and it had many weird alien, cat stickers on the cover. he recommends you a specific skateboard and he makes you buy it afterwards, claiming it's for making him waste saliva on explaining boards to a non-skater, but sets it up for free anyway and tells you the best spots to skate in the city. the board's not even for you anyway 一 you meant to buy it as a gift for your skater cousin, but okay, thanks, you'll pass along the message to your cousin, you guess... (you started skating ever since that day and gifted your cousin a pair of socks from New Era instead.)

you don't even know him that well 一 he's a friend of a friend of a friend from high school and you'd only met him once properly at a club party about a year ago when he accidentally got beer all over your shirt and threw you his expensive Carhartt jacket before running away. and then he somehow manages to befriend your BeReal later that night, reacts the middle finger to every post you make and you'll react it right back at him with a pissed off look on your face. he comments stuff like 'shit music' and 'u need a better playlist, hmu' when he sees whatever song you've been listening to when you take a BeReal but is always the first one to react to them.

he's still kind of sweet though. likes rapping along to whatever's playing on the speakers in store (you don't like to admit it, but you must say, he does have great music taste as he claims), but you'll always catch him twisting the volume knob to the left even though KOHH is playing whenever you come by to replace your wheels (of the skateboard he made you buy) or shop for a new cap and he's so cocky about it every time too. one time he made you wait for him about 15 minutes to close up the store and you expected to walk together to the train station until he turns the other direction and you hear beeping followed by car doors unlocking. "aren't you dumbass getting in?" he's already one foot in his car (a fucking Nissan GTR) with his left brow raised when you turned around 'cause you thought he disappeared into thin air and then stare at him dumbfounded as he starts the engine. ?????

he visits you at your own store (literally just opposite of Murasaki Sports) whenever you're in during his break and annoys the hell out of you. you sell phone cases and he likes trying on every single one he picks up only to never buy them and places them about 6° to the left that he knows make your skin crawl from the asymmetric position, but you'll catch him helping you tidy up the other out-of-place on-display phone cases and greet random customers that come in, as if he is the one working here and not you, and then only he tosses you either a Pocari or a Cola as a refreshment when he's gotta get back to work. he gives you (forces you to let him give you) a ride back home whenever your timing matches and'll quietly make sure the A/C isn't facing your face when you accidentally fall asleep in the passenger, but tells you to never sit in his car again 'cause he claims you get hair all over his seat and the sand-trapping mat below. ("y'all ladies and your hair-fall problem...")

one time your father caught the two of you bickering in the car over who's bar of Snickers it was but to him it looked like the two of you were kissing because of a perspective problem and he got so damn flustered. simply stepped into your home with his shoes on, scurrying after your old man to explain that nothing ever happened and then fist bumps your dog on the head who actually hates him like crazy, but doesn't bark at him this time. your mother makes him stay for dinner that night and you think that maybe he isn't so bad after all 一 as your best friend once suggested 一 when he makes your mother laugh like crazy (you realise then that he's a smooth talker with the elders) over dinner and your father starts asking him about sports attire because he's been wanting to get into jogging. but he keeps stepping on your toe under the table and you think he's deliberately annoying you but really, he just wanted to make you make your mother stop feeding him shrimp (he's allergic.)

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Taking Root 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, stalking, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Bucky Barnes

This AU is called Watcher Anonymous and will include different series for different characters. This is our introduction to Bucky and Leaf.

Summary: a neighbourly connection might be more than chance.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

Steve should be happy. Bucky is outside. He’s taken to having his coffee on the balcony. Alpine too as she swirls around his ankles. He sits in the folding chair and sighs over the dark roast. 

The air is soft and dewy. The moisture foretells brewing showers. He can smell the rain already. 

Her door snaps on its hinges. Her footfalls clap in her fuzzy slippers and she lets out a wispy gasp. He acts just as surprised as he peers down onto her balcony. 

“Oh, you’re out here!” She clumsily sets her cup down and backs up. She tugs down her sweater bashfully and giggles. “Oops.” 

She awkwardly sidles back through the door then scurries away from sight.  He chews his lip. The image of her thighs clings in his mind. She was wearing those panties that give a peek of the crease of her pelvis and legs, just a hint of what’s beneath. 

She pokes her head sheepishly out and giggles again, “it’s early.” 

“No worries,” his voice is like silt, he’s groggy himself. 

“I... uh... I like to have my tea with my posies,” she trills. “Coffee?” 

He looks down at his mug and it nearly slips from his grasp as Alpine hops onto his lap and knocks it with her head. 

“Yep, apparently she wants me to share,” he strokes her soft head. 

“Oh, she’s so cute. Kitty, kitty,” she makes chittery noises at the cat. “I always had cats before but this place is too small. So I got flowers instead.” 

“Makes sense,” he nods. “Well, Alpine loves company. Guess I bore her...” his heart leaps. Should he? “If you ever want to come meet her...” he sits up, “well, you know, I could also use a second look at these pansies. They’re looking droopy.” 

She hums and slurps her tea, “oh, sure, if it’s not too much trouble, I could spare a few pets for the pretty kitty.” 

Alpine stretches up and purrs, rubbing her head on his chin. He gently drags his hand down her back and she sits. Leaf laughs. 

“Aww, she’s adorable,” she preens. 

So are you, he thinks. 

“Just let me know. I gotta go work today but maybe tomorrow.” 

“Maybe,” he tries not to show the racing of his pulse. “I’ll let you know, Alpine holds grudges so you wouldn’t want to let her down.” 

“How could I?” She sings. 

~ 

It’s lonely. Before, Bucky didn’t notice. He enjoyed the solace. The silence, well, mostly. The neighbours above have heavy feet and the ones to the left of them love to blast music. 

When she’s gone, he’s left to his tinkering. His business keeps him distracted and with a roof over his head. He’s been hoarding any profit he can. He doesn’t want to be here forever. He could afford a storefront soon enough. He could buy a townhouse big enough for both of them. 

He examines the watch. The new strap suits the antique face. He fixes and restores whatever he can. There’s a lot of hipsters out there interested in rusty old bits. 

The rain patters on the window pane. It adds to the grimness of the apartment. If Steve was here, he’d nag him for having the curtains closed. Where is he these days anyway? It’s not a real question, Bucky knows. He's off bothering that woman at the shelter. 

He sighs and gets up. Shut up, Steve. He tugs the curtains apart. It doesn’t add much light. Alpine jumps into the window. Yeah, yeah, I know. 

He pauses as he sees movement from her window. He leans in to see her better. She’s sopping wet. He can just barely make her out in her bedroom through the rivulets. She peels off her shirt and he holds his breath. She turns and he gets a full view of her bra. It follows quickly as she balls it up with her soaked shirt. 

He gulps and stares at her chest. It’s so full and soft. His fingers twitch. Something else too. 

He backs away. If she looked up, she would catch him. Damn. He blows out and stretches as he crosses the apartment. 

Tomorrow. She promised. He drops onto the couch and Alpine skitters off. He hears the clunk of her tree in his room as she hops up on the shelf. She likes to watch the rain and the pigeons and just the world outside. 

He closes his eyes and leans his head back. He sees her on the inside of his eyelids. She’s beside him on the couch. Her shirt off. She’s rubbing his thigh as she giggles that giggle. His jeans get tighter and she puts her hand over it and gasps. 

His zipper splits easily as she pulls him out. She hums as she takes him in her hand. The ache squeezes deep down. She strokes him gently. 

“Tighter,” he groans and his eyes snap open.  

He grips himself until he might burst. He pumps up and down, curling forward as his breath hitches. He shouldn’t do it out here. He doesn’t fucking care. 

He closes his eyes again. He wants her there, in his lap, his face buried in her tits as she rides him. She could play with his hair as he plays with her clit, feel her clench around his dick as she gets close. 

Close! He’s close. 

He cups his hand under his sac and aims his dick up his stomach. He’s going to ruin his shirt but he doesn’t fucking care. He holds onto the vision of her as he growls through his climax, quaking until he’s spent and breathless. 

The rain continues to tempo against the glass, drawing him back to reality. He thinks of her panties and the plushness of her thighs. He purrs. 

The lock twists and his adrenaline surges. Shit. He shoves his dick back in his jeans and hurries away as Steve struggles with the bent key. He closes himself in his room and changes his shirt, wiping inside his pants with the old one. 

“Buck?” Steve calls out as the front door shuts. “You here?” 

“Yeah, here,” Bucky calls baack. 

“You coming?” 

No, I just came, he nearly snorts. He inches open his door. 

“Where?” 

Steve appears at the end of the hall, “to the meeting.” 

“Shit, almost forgot,” Bucky says. “Fine, nothing better to do.” 

[a-killer-obsession]

Whoops, you got hit by a bus, and now you're in the world of One Piece. But not everything is quite as you remember it...

General Tags: afab reader, she/her reader pronouns, isekai, monsterfucker reader, vampire!kid, werewolf!killer, wyrm!heat, minotaur!wire, everyone has a human form, smut heavy, unhealthy relationships, dubious consent, serious violence, spoilers for Wano arc, starts pre-timeskip. There will be a lot of more intense kinks, please check AO3 for all current tags.

Chapter 2 - To The Brig With Ye

Step 1: Get Heat on your side.

WC: 4.5k

Masterlist | AO3 | Chapter 1

You were surprised to wake up at all when you came to, in what you assumed was some sort of infirmary. The room tilted back and forth slightly, so you assumed you must still be on the ship at the very least. Your eyes fluttered open, finding a face suddenly far too close to your own.

“AHH!” you and Heat both shouted at once, the blue haired man scurrying backwards.

“Heat, for fucks sake I told you not to hover in her face like that!” A feminine voice scolded. You groaned as you tried to sit up, seeing a blue haired woman, her hair wild with spikes that looked like horns, a small set of round glasses, and a black dress bearing some sort of stylized cross. House. She was using a pipette to drip some sort of dark red liquid onto your exposed wound, which looked and felt nowhere near as bad as you thought it would, considering how deep the knife had gone. Your confusion was explained away as the red droplets hit your skin and you watched the flesh begin to sew itself closed, but it only brought up more questions in its place. You'd never seen something like that in One Piece, but then again this world was vast and strange, and people did always seem to heal fast here.

“Sorry, one more minute,” House spoke to you, drawing up more crimson into the pipette and dripping it onto the wound, the last sliver of open wound mending itself closed. “Okay, all done.”

“Uh thanks, House right?” You asked her, running your hand over the healed flesh, not even feeling a scar. It was like nothing had happened at all, save for the rouge red drips of whatever she'd used that remained on your skin before she hurriedly wiped it away with a damp cloth.

“Um, yes,” she replied unsurely, looking to Heat for clarity as she removed her latex gloves and threw them in a nearby bin. She'd seen the entire exchange on the deck, nobody had told you her name, and yet you somehow knew it. House didn't have a bounty poster, as the doctor of the Kid Pirates she hardly ever left the ship, so while it was understandable that you knew who the big four were, there shouldn't have been anyway you knew her name. “I'm gonna go let the captain know she's awake,” she addressed Heat, a distinct nervous tone to her voice, before scurrying out of the room, leaving you alone with the tall man, who shifted his weight between his feet awkwardly.

“What's your name?” He asked shyly.

“[Y/n],” you smiled.

“[Y/n]...” he repeated to himself, a slight blush to his cheeks, “Did you mean what you said?”

“What bit?” You rubbed your eyes with the palm of your hand, trying to piece together what had happened between getting hit by a bus and getting stabbed. “Oh, the sex dream stuff? Absolutely, baby” you winked at him, making him blush even more.

“No!” He choked on his breath, hands waving in defence, “I meant- the isekai bit!!”

“Ohhhhhh,” you blinked slowly, “I mean it's my best explanation for what happened. I'm like ninety-nine percent sure I got hit by a bus, and now I'm here. This whole world is supposed to be fictional, if this is just a dream then I shouldn't have been able to feel pain, but I certainly fucking felt it”

“And that's why you knew House's name?” He asked, stepping a little closer to the edge of the bed.

“Oh, it didn't even occur to me that I shouldn't know it,” you hummed, taking a moment to properly observe the room you were in now. It was darkly decorated in blacks and forest greens, the occasional violet pop of colour, none of the usual sterile whites and creams you'd expect of an infirmary, with two oversized beds (likely meant for larger crewmates), one of which you were currently laying in. Each bed had a side table, a table on wheels that fit over the bed, and a small plain chair for visitors. The whole room was almost a semi circle, save for the section missing on one side where you could see a door, likely to a bathroom. The opposite corner along the flat wall held cabinets and a counter, probably filled with medical supplies, with a small desk in front of it, a chair either side likely for doctor and patient. The beds were also along the flat wall, with a door to your left and another door in the centre of the curved wall in front of you, a small, green velvet couch to its left. The anime and manga had never shown the internals of the ship, but the curved walls and round portholes along them made you wonder if you were inside the forecastle, just behind the large dinosaur skull that acted as a figurehead for the ship. Your eyes came back to Heat, who stood next to your bed, waiting expectantly for an answer. “Yeah I mean, she's not really a well known character, but I guess you could say I'm a big Kid Pirates fan, so I remember a few more obscure characters.”

“From… a manga, you said, right?”

“Yeah. You're familiar with the isekai trope?” you didn't feel like explaining that it was an anime too, you weren't even sure if this world had cartoons.

“I am,” he mused, “and I guess weirder things have happened in this world. But we're gonna need proof, and I don't know how I'm gonna convince Kid”

You thought on that for a moment, “I think I can provide proof,” you mused, “has the crew been to Sabaody yet?”

“No, we're close though,” he told you hesitantly, not sure how much information he should reveal while he not so subtly eyed your body; you'd all but forgotten you were naked. You probably should have covered yourself up but it felt like a bit of a too little, too late situation. The whole crew had probably seen your tits at this point, not that it bothered you much. It wouldn't hurt to placate him either, it would be good to know at least one person on the crew had a fondness for you when it came to convincing Kid to keep you alive. If things really went tits up here you could always try your luck with the Straw Hats, but given the timing that would be difficult, you would have to stay on Sabaody for two years before you could try and join them. Maybe Shakky would let you stay with her in the meantime. Your preference though was to stay with the Kid Pirates, your favourite One Piece crew, and usually the subject of your sexy dreams and explicit fanfiction searches.

Heavy footsteps outside caught both of your attentions, Heat taking a few steps back to stand at a more respectful distance as the infirmary door flew open. Unsurprisingly, Kid stomped in, followed by Killer, and Wire, who shut the door behind him. Kid stood at the end of your bed, looking at you discerningly, an angry scowl on his face.

“Talk,” he said plainly.

“Boss, I think I can explain,” Heat told him, “what she said about isekai, I don't think she's from this world”

“The fuck is ‘isekai’” he growled, billowing his cape up so he could sit on the couch without catching it underneath him. Killer and Wire stood at either side of him like guard dogs, unsure of your capabilities, weary given the fact you'd appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the sea without a devil fruit power to get you here. There was no way of telling what powers you had or how you might suddenly use them.

“It's a trope, in manga,” Heat tried to explain, “the protagonist is sent to another world. Usually they die and get reincarnated, or some sort of god sends them there, to a usually fantasy world. I think that's what happened here, she claims she knows us because we're fiction in her world, and that she appeared here after she died in her world. Its a classic isekai premise.”

“Bullshit, she knows us from our bounty posters,” Kid huffed, unconvinced by Heats explanation.

“She knew House's name,” Heat replied. There was a pregnant silence as Kid considered that, his eyes flicking between you and Heat.

“Okay, so she's… from another world. If I chose to believe that,” Kid grumbled, “and she knows us because what? We're a comic book or some shit? They got comic books about the great Eustass ‘Captain’ Kid over there?”

“Well… they're not really about you per say,” you replied delicately, knowing the truth would piss him off.

“Then who the fuck could they be about?” Kid puffed up his chest, “why would they write about anyone other than the future King of Pirates?”

“They're uh… about Monkey D. Luffy…” you replied quietly. “Not that you're not also a very popular character!” You quickly added.

“STRAW HAT?” Kid roared, spooking you as he suddenly stood, “fucking STRAW HAT gets a comic book? Nah, fuck that, put this lying bitch in the brig.”

“Wait! Wait!” You quickly shouted, climbing further up the bed to avoid Killer's reaching hands, “I can prove it! I can tell you what'll happen when you get to Sabaody!”

“Sabaody is weeks out,” Kid huffed, “I ain't waitin’ for your lyin’ ass to be proven wrong so you can sit around in the meantime and find an opening to kill one of us. Devil fruit or no, you were obviously sent here to stop the best competition for finding the One Piece”

“Really? You think someone sent me here naked? Slammed me against the mast, no weapons, no devil fruit, no fighting skills, to kill you?” You rolled your eyes, “I can give you other proof, I can”

“Then fucking give me your proof, mouse,” Kid growled, the bed creaking as he leaned over you, his hands either side of your body. He probably wanted to intimidate you with his large form, but really it only served to make you a little horny.

“Killer wears purple lipstick,” you hurriedly shouted, the first thing that popped into your head as you searched for information only they should know. The room went silent before Kid suddenly wrapped a hand around your throat. He squeezed it threateningly, then he threw you back with a frustrated growl, letting you go as he moved to leave the room. He gave Killer a knowing look before turning back to Heat.

“Chain her in the brig,” Kid hissed, “I don't know where she learned that but I don't fucking trust her. Put her in iron too, there must be some trick, witch or some shit”

There was a flurry of movement as you were again left alone with Heat, Killer sparing you an unreadable look before slamming the infirmary door, clearly angry. You didn't like that you had to expose him like that, even if everyone in the room likely already knew that information, but it was him or you, and you had to act in self defence. Not that it'd helped in the end though either, as Heat apologetically dragged you off the bed and clamped your arms behind your back, wrapping one large hand around both of your small wrists at once to secure you as he led you out of the room.

Eyes followed you silently as you were led across the deck, still naked as the day you were born, revealing you had in fact been in the forecastle. Heat took you directly across to the rear of the ship, opening a door and leading you through a galley. The short view you got of the galley revealed a long room, with a serving window and counter on the left that peeked through to a moderately sized industrial looking kitchen. On the right was some sort of stage at the very end of the room, short stairs on either side leading up to the platform that currently held a long table surrounded by six chairs, a small liquor bar behind it. On the main floor between you and the stage were five long tables, a bench style seat along either side. The walls were decorated in band posters, bounty posters, photos of the crew together, newspaper clippings and all manner of souvenirs pinned to the walls, covering them in what spoke of a crew that acted more like a family, with many happy memories together all memorialised along the dining hall walls.

Heat led you to a staircase at the left of the room, following you down into a hall that was noticeably colder than above, likely due to being particularly below sea level. There was a short hall that split into two longer ones, they looked as though they made a loop around a center set of rooms, the walls lined with doors, no doubt bedrooms and storage rooms. He didn't lead you down either of the long halls, instead taking you to the end of the short one where a steep staircase, practically a ladder, led even further down to the hull of the ship. Heat gave you a little shove forward and you took the hint with a sigh, at least thankful that he'd let go of your wrists now so you could climb down.

You waited patiently at the bottom of the ladder beside a closed door as Heat climbed down after you. He fiddled with a set of keys that hung from his belt, unlocking the door and opening it, beckoning you to pass through. Inside was a series of cells, four in total, with iron bars at their fronts, each with a set of bare bunk beds with thin, stained mattresses, and a metal bucket in the corner, likely in lieu of a toilet. Unexpectedly, each cell was also trimmed in what looked like some sort of ancient symbols written along the floors and walls, a dark rusty colour that made you wonder if they were written in blood. The writing looked like something straight out of a dark fantasy show, with the occasional recognizable pentagram or latin in neat cursive letters. The doors to all four cells were open, seemingly unoccupied, and Heat gestured for you to enter the second, which sat directly across from a small desk, decorated only with a plain wooden chair and simple lamp.

You stood inside the cell, shivering as the air was considerably colder now that you were well under sea level, chilled by the cold ocean around you. The walls and floors offered no warmth, plated in what appeared to be stone, seastone perhaps. The wall behind the desk was lined with hooks holding multiple sets of cuffs in different styles. Heat selected a set of iron cuffs, with only three links between each wrist, and you sighed as you willingly held your hands out for him. There was no point fighting it, and forcing Heat to subdue you would only go against your plans to bring him to your side.

“Sorry about this,” he said softly as he closed the cuffs around your wrists. His hands were so warm against yours, reminding you of your current frigid situation.

“Can I have a blanket or something?” you pleaded, giving him your best puppy dog eyes.

“I.. I don't know if I'm allowed,” Heat replied, a tint of sadness to his voice.

“Maybe we can trade?” You offered, “I.. I only have my body, but maybe I can give you something in return for a blanket?” Was whoring yourself out a good idea? Probably not, given the circumstances, but you'd freeze to death down here if you didn't at least try. Besides, its not like you didn't want to fuck Heat. At this point you didn't have high hopes for surviving this world, but if you got laid with one of your favs then maybe it'd be at least a tiny bit redeemable.

“A trade?” He raised a brow, “like what?”

“What do you want?” You asked him, using your best sultry voice, experimentally pressing a hand to his chest and running it down slowly, pleasantly surprised when he didn't shy away from you. He shivered at the touch, your skin bare against his as your hand reached the bottom of his corset.

“Fuck, okay,” he growled, looking back at the door to the brig to check he had shut it, “on your knees, for a blanket”

“Yes sir,” you purred, perhaps a little too eager for Heat's dick. You would have traded a blowjob for a corn chip, if you were being honest with yourself. You fell to your knees slowly, trailing your fingertips down his midriff till they caught on the belt of his baggy pants. Raised on your knees, you could barely reach the flesh of his abdomen with your mouth as you hooked your fingers in the metal loops on his belt and used it as leverage to lower his pants, pressing your lips to the newly exposed flesh. He made a sharp exhale as your tongue came out to run over the V that led to his cock, pulling his pants down teasingly slowly and looking up at him with sultry eyes as his hand buried in your hair. Finally his pants lowered enough to expose his cock, long and girthy even at half mast, slightly more bulbous at the end with a set of three piercings along the underside, another at the tip, and a base of blue public hair, slightly darker than the hair on his head. He shivered as the cool air touched his exposed cock, quickly overruled by a groan as you took it in your bound hands and pumped the base, promptly becoming erect from your firm, warm touch.

“You have no idea how badly I've wanted to do this,” you purred, pressing your tongue to the tip, playing with the piercing and rolling your tongue over the fat head of his dick. He groaned as you took the end in your mouth, only taking a third of him as you began to bob your head, stroking the rest with your hand as you slowly adjusted and took a little more with each movement.

“Oh fuck, that's good,” Heat groaned, his hold on your hair tightening as you slowly worked towards taking all of his impressive length into your eager mouth, drool starting to drip down your chin as you focused on not gagging, breathing through your nose to suppress your natural urges. Your eyes watered as he started to hit the back of your throat, his hips making small thrusts in time with your movements, trying his best to hold back from just grabbing your skull and face fucking you. He'd been pent up for a while now, with a long stint between islands with working women, and a distinct lack of women in the meantime who were willing to risk their safety to sleep with the tall, stitched up man. By all accounts he looked terrifying to most women, so your willingness to get on your knees was certainly a nice surprise, seemingly having no issue with the way he looked. He felt bad at first for taking advantage of you, but the way you kept eye contact and hollowed your cheeks around his cock told him you wanted this, that the blanket was just an excuse to get in his pants. Really he should be the one feeling used, but he couldn't bring himself to feel anything but euphoric with the divine way your mouth was working his cock.

You paused as your nose hit his pubes, your now idle hands coming up to play with his balls, gagging a little as you swallowed around his cock. “Ohhhh fuck,” Heat groaned, looking down at you with his dick fully burried in your hot wet mouth. “Look at you, taking it like a proper slut, you like that huh? Like having my cock down your throat?”

You pulled off his cock with a pop as your thighs rubbed together in a desperate need for friction, you wouldn't be surprised if you were dripping on the floor at this point from how wet you were. “I'd like it better in my cunt,” you replied, stroking him with both hands, hoping above all that he'd take the bait and fuck you silly.

“Yeah? And what would you want to trade for that, huh?” He growled, wondering what game you were playing to be so willing, questioning whether this really was just a trick.

“One of your blankets,” you purred, running your tongue up the underside of his cock and feeling the piercings roll against it. “I want one that smells like you”

“Why are you so obsessed with me?” Heat replied, genuinely taken aback by your answer. He'd never known a woman to want him that bad, let alone just want something that smelt like him. It was making him feel sparks of something unfamiliar, possessiveness perhaps, fondness definitely.

“Because you're sweet, and you're sexy, you're one of my favourites,” you shrugged, “are you gonna fuck me or not? The stone is hurting my knees and my cunt is fucking dripping”

“Fuck,” Heat huffed, pulling you by your hair to stand and crashing his mouth against yours, groaning as he found you more than willing to return his affections. He walked you backwards until your body was flush with the cell wall, nipping at your bottom lip before he pulled away and spun you to face the wall. You arched your back and stuck your butt out for him, your tits squished against the stone as Heat admired your round ass. He gave it a playful spank, making you whine, before he grabbed handfuls of your ass cheeks and pulled them apart to admire your soaked pussy. “Fuck, you weren't lying, you're really fucking wet”

Unable to resist a taste, he knelt behind you and buried his face in your center, motorboating your cunt, your slick coating his face. He groaned against your pussy as his tongue zeroed in on your clit, making you moan and push back against him. His hands held your ass firmly, squeezing it to keep you in place as he sucked and lapped at your clit, before standing back up, running his tongue over your entrance and asshole as he moved.

“So fucking wet for me, so sweet too,” he groaned, taking his cock in his hand and lining it up with your needy entrance, your hips wiggling as you whined pleadingly. “Hold still, fuck,” you only managed to still for a moment before he pressed in, bullying his tip inside you and stretching your underprepared cunt wide. “Ah fuck, so tight,” he grunted as he slid inside you, bringing one hand to your mouth to clamp over it and muffle your sounds as you began to scream at the stretch.

His fingers slid into your mouth and you sucked them greedily, moaning around them as he bottomed out inside you. “Good girl, fuck, good little slut,” he groaned, giving you only a moment to adjust before he was dragging back out again, leaving only his tip inside you as he slammed back in. His fingers left your mouth so he could hold your hips firmly, fucking you hard and fast with the intention of making you both cum quickly before anyone caught you in the act, his cock heavy against your g-spot and stimulating it deliciously with every hard thrust he made. Your palms were flat against the wall, holding you steady as your body took the brunt of each impact, breasts grazing on the stone wall and drool transfering to the cool surface as Heat fucked you mercilessly.

He pulled you a little away from the wall, your tits now bouncing with every thrust as they hung freely until Heat reached underneath you and grabbed them, pulling you up and holding you with your back flush to his chest, one hand groping your tits still while the other wrapped around your throat, slowly travelling upwards till his fingers were buried in your mouth again, muffling your moans against the wet slapping of his body against yours. His teeth grazed your neck, wishing he could sink his fangs into you as they grew in his mouth, canines extending unbeknownst to you and running over your skin, knowing if he made a mark he would be caught. He was having trouble keeping in control of himself as you sucked on his fingers and your pussy fluttered around his cock, gummy walls clamping down around him as your eyes rolled back and you came on his cock without warning. A creamy ring formed around his base as he kept fucking you hard, chasing his own high now and trying to figure out where would be appropriate to cum.

“Get on your knees again,” he ordered, pulling his fingers from your mouth and withdrawing his throbbing cock from your cunt. You dropped to your knees willingly, opening your mouth invitingly for him with your tongue stuck out. He considered just jerking himself off over your face, painting your pretty fucked out expression with his cum, but worried about your inability to clean yourself off down here, so instead he shoved his cock down your throat, holding your hair with both hands as he began to use you rougher than he intended. You moaned around him at the surprising treatment, eyes streaming with unintentional tears as his cock gagged you with every hard thrust, until he finally stilled with his shaft balls deep in your mouth and you felt the hot cum pouring down your throat, his hands pulling your hair while he grunted. You shivered at the feeling, almost cumming again from it, playing with your oversensitive clit as he unloaded in your mouth. He pulled away slowly, the last drops of cum spilling against your tongue as you licked the tip. He slapped your cheek with his softening cock, giving you an appreciative grin as he slid his finger into your still open mouth and played with your tongue.

“I hope Kid decides not to kill you,” he mused as he helped you to your feet, pinning you against the wall again, his hand running up your thigh and hip till it came to rest at your waist. “Would be a real shame to waste a good set of holes like that”

“Tell him to come try me himself, maybe that'll convince him,” you suggested, “unless you wanna keep me all to yourself”

“Mm, tempting,” he mused, running a thumb over your bottom lip, “I don't mind sharing though, besides, I doubt I could keep you to myself even if I wanted to if one of the others decided they wanted a turn. Maybe we'll make you our ship whore”

“I'm not opposed to that,” you purred. Heat made a huff and started stepping away.

“Fuck, you really are a Kid Pirate fan huh?” He laughed, “I'll get you your blanket, but be a good girl and behave yourself until I can convince Kid to let you go”

“I'll be on my best, naughtiest behaviour,” you winked, shivering a little now that you didn't have his warm body to keep you heated. He frowned as he watched you shiver, realising how much you really did need the blanket.

“I'll find you some clothes too,” he said softly before turning to leave, disappearing before you even had a chance to respond.

[Next Chapter]

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[yeowangies]

chain reaction of countermoves

PAIRING: Jiraiya/AFAB!Reader. CONTENTS: AU - Canon Universe+Modern Setting, Explicit Sexual Content, Reader is Chubby, Age Difference, Alcohol Drinking, Size Difference, Dirty Talk, Praise Kink (lots of terms of endearment). WORDCOUNT: 6680

Summary:

You and Jiraiya met at a bar. A little game ensued.

Notes:

WHY IS THIS SO LONG... there is for real no reason for this having almost 7k words when I was just thirsty... Either way, I feel like this is such a personal fic even if it's just porn with a tiny plot lmao

I don't know how to describe the setting of this only that's a mix between canon universe and modern world. It's not really that important but I should clarify nonetheless.

divider by @/cafekitsune

Jiraiya had seen you around at this same bar fairly frequently. You were always sitting alone by the counter with a cocktail, and the few times he had tried to approach you were the ones when you scurried away faster than lighting. A boyfriend, he assumed, maybe girlfriends. You were always wearing formal dresses, yet showing an abnormal amount of skin, his eyes couldn’t help but wonder. It’s not like he was discreet; if you had any sense of awareness, you probably noticed his eyes burning holes right through you every time you were there. 

This time, the backless dress you had on was so low cut it was a miracle it didn’t slip off your shoulders. 

He was going to die if he did not try to at least speak to you once; he might as well die from a heart attack if you kept revealing more of yourself anyway. Rejection was nothing new, he could tolerate a hot woman like you blowing him off. 

“Every time I see you here, you’re always alone.” You turned your head towards him as Jiraiya took a seat by the stool beside you, grinning smugly and eying you even more intensely now that he got a view of your gorgeous face. “Would you mind if I join you and invite you for a drink?”

Your eyes lingered on his face for a few moments, and he noticed no sign of annoyance or indifference. He took that as a small victory. 

“Braver men have tried, mister.” You purred playfully, averting your gaze towards the half empty glass in front of you.

“‘Mister’, huh? You killed me with that.” Jiraiya laughed; you were clearly much younger than him, but other than that teasing comment, you didn’t seem to want to avoid him. “But no one is braver than me. Can I have your name, darling?”

“Oh, but I don’t think you need it.” 

The way you smiled gave away your intentions. A challenge. Jiraiya couldn’t help but smirk; you had no idea what kind of man you were even talking to.

“You’re gonna make me earn it? I can take on a challenge, especially if the prize is as tempting as you.”

His eyes were fixed on your face when you turned to look at him, with a lot more attention than you did before. He could see the curiosity gleaming as you scanned him up and down, and up again, holding his gaze for a hot minute with a smirk on your lips. 

Goddamnit, you were gorgeous. And you weren’t even saying no; you were playful and sultry, and that just spurred him on. 

“Are you not gonna tell me yours?” You asked before downing what was left on your glass. 

“Two can play this game.” Jiraiya grinned at your sudden interest, as he gestured for another bottle of sake to the bartender. “So, how about that drink, sweetheart?”

You had opened your mouth to reply at the same time your phone rang. He gave it a quick glance, in an attempt to see the name displaying on the screen, before you put it away.

“Maybe some other time.” You got off your stool at the same time he did; he wanted to help you like a gentleman would, but you were quick in grabbing your purse and leaving money on the counter. “See you later, mister.”

You flashed him that mischievous smile of yours as you strode towards the door. His eyes went straight to the exposed skin of your back all the way down to your ass. He could feel himself getting hard, imagining what it’d be like to touch your naked body. 

Maybe some other time, like you said. 

*

That single interaction was carved in his mind, and while Jiraiya didn’t see you for days after that, he thought about you often. Probably not in ways a gentleman should think about a lady after simply exchanging pleasantries, but he had always been very easily enticed. And you were alluring to a new level.

While a handful of women flirted with him right back when he did, most of them were more eager about punching his lights out when he said something remotely inappropriate. You seemed keen on keeping the conversation going, so he should definitely try and push things a little further if he ever saw you again. Just out of morbid curiosity.

Which happened to be exactly two weeks after that first encounter. 

Jiraiya saw you sitting at the usual stool, wearing a dress that didn’t seem to be as revealing until he approached you, his eyes immediately landing on your cleavage. 

“Fancy seeing you here again,” He said, taking a seat by your side before ordering a bottle of sake. “I missed seeing your lovely face around the bar, you know?”

When Jiraiya was able to avert his eyes from your chest, he took a look at your face, and he noticed something slightly off, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what the issue was. You seemed a little dull, though not as much to make your beauty dilute. Every man at the bar had their eyes on you after all. 

He assumed it must have been a problem with the hypothetical boyfriend you must have; there was no way a woman like you was single. Not that he cared as much. 

You still offered him a small smile when you turned to look at him, gulping down what was left of your glass before speaking. 

“Are you gonna tell me you haven’t been flirting with other women while I wasn’t here?”

“I thought of you every time.” Jiraiya grinned when you snorted, amused at his silly comment. 

“I’m sure you did, you perverted old man.”

“I can accept the pervert comment, but I draw the line at ‘old man.’” He feigned offense, glaring at you playfully and taking the opportunity to ogle. 

“That’s where you draw the line?” You laughed, turning your body slightly to his side. 

Jiraiya wouldn’t consider himself lucky with women at all, no matter how many of them had actually given him the time of day. But he could read body language incredibly well, and based on that alone, you seemed more than interested in him. You were locking eyes even for fleeting seconds, you were obviously aware of your own body as you let him get a better view of the curve of your breasts when you turned. At the very least, you liked his attention, and he was more than eager to give it to you. 

“What can I say, I had never been accused of being proper.”

“Of course, you had been staring at my boobs since you sat down.”

The grin on his face grew wider when he noticed your smile, and the way your eyes gleamed. He was on his second bottle of sake, but that didn’t stop him from feeling aroused at this simple conversation. 

“Oh, baby girl, you’re basically shoving them in my face.” The blush on your face was new and adorable. You didn’t respond to his comment, and Jiraiya assumed you must have been embarrassed but not turned off at all since you were grinning. “You want me to stare.”

“Maybe.” You replied in a tone that gave away your interest in him.

“Baby, I’m flattered you want me to admire you so much.”

“‘Admire’, yeah, right.” You snorted, crossing your legs. You were wearing a long dress but it was still inevitable for his eyes to dart to the curves of your hips. “I don’t know if that’s the word I’d use.”

“What’s the word then?” Jiraiya asked absentmindedly.

“Ogling, maybe. Drooling, like the pervert I know you are.”

“Now, I never denied being a pervert, but you’re being a little unfair.”

“How so?” You asked, showing him your empty glass, signaling for him to pour some of his sake on it, and he gladly obliged.

“You expect me to be decorous when you’re wearing something so tempting, and looking at me with those eyes.” Jiraiya locked his gaze with yours, and smiled smugly when he found surprise in your reaction. 

“What eyes?” You asked as you brought the glass to your lips. 

“Eyes that make me want to bury my face between your legs and make you cum with my tongue.”

Self confidence spread inside his chest when he saw you splutter on the sake, drenching half your face with the liquid as it dripped down your chin and onto your chest. Not only had Jiraiya made you lose your cool, but you were wet as well, maybe not in the sense he’d like, but he knew this was the best counter move he could have made as he watched beads of alcohol slide down your cleavage. Moreover, the blush on your face and the fact that you hadn’t hit or insulted him could only mean one thing.

The grin on his face grew wider when you could only avert your gaze, not being able to make eye contact, and the blush had spread up to the tip of your ears as your hands covered your face to hide your nervous smile. He laughed boisterously, in disbelief of how adorable you were while being so absolutely hot at the same time. 

“I didn’t think I’d get such a cute reaction from you!” 

“Shut up!”

“You’re not immune to my charms after all!”

That last comment earned Jiraiya a slap in his arm, which he barely even felt, but he groaned nonetheless, bending over as if he had been truly hurt. 

“You’re such a pervert!” You muttered with a smile and a faint red tint still adorning your cheeks. 

“Don’t tell me now you didn’t imagine what I said in that pretty little head of yours.”

You looked at him with big eyes that would make his knees wobble if he was standing. Oh, he was dying to touch you in the most inappropriate ways. 

Before you could even open your mouth to reply, your phone rang, distracting you from his attention. Jiraiya frowned as he noticed your expression droop when you eyed the screen. 

“Maybe I can tell you what I imagined next time.” You showed him a half hearted smile as you grabbed your things before standing up.

Curious yet frustrated about whatever it was that seemed to get in between the two of you, Jiraiya kept his gaze glued to your butt as you walked out. 

*

You were back at the bar less than a week later, at your usual spot, and Jiraiya thought to himself that while being a frequent drinker must not have been good for his health, he could not give a flying fuck about it if he got at least an hour of sunshine. And when you walked in, sunlight came through.

But like last time, your expression seemed clouded, even when you noticed his presence as he approached you. 

“So tell me, mister, do you live in this bar?” You asked him before he could even open his mouth. 

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. Again with the ‘mister’. He wished you would just tell him your name so you would stop calling him that. He was old, but you made him sound ancient. 

“I guess I’m just lucky enough to be here when you are.” He replied, grinning when you flashed him a smile. 

He could always admire you better when he was beside you, and he did not waste time in doing so. Your dress was long, as always, with a deep cut on the side, revealing the juicy skin of your leg all the way up to your thigh. He briefly imagined what it’d be like to grab and squeeze it in his hands, if you were as soft as you seemed and what it’d be like to run his tongue along your skin, before focusing his attention back on your pretty face. 

“Aren’t you tired of talking to me?” You asked, swirling the drink you just ordered in your hand. 

“I’m having the most fun every time we talk.” Jiraiya blinked, baffled. 

“Liar, you just wanna get laid.” You chuckled. 

“That’s besides the point, you’re funny and easy to talk to and you haven’t told me to fuck off, so I assume my presence is not unwanted either.”

Jiraiya grinned, pleased with himself when you laughed. He hadn’t lied; you were quick-witted, especially in responses to his sometimes lame lines, yet he couldn’t forget how embarrassed you were during your last conversation with him. That just made you even more charming. 

At the very least, you liked him. Even if maybe you weren’t sure if you wanted to have sex with him (yet). He could keep trying until the next mission called for him. 

“So I’m not one of your many conquests, then.” You looked at him with a smug smile.

“You know how it is, women fall at my feet naturally.” Jiraiya replied, holding his chin up. “But you’ve been the most interesting chase.”

“Or maybe you’re being an interesting chase for me.”

Oh, the way his entire body heated up at your words, and even more so when you eyed him as if he was a piece of meat. His cock inevitably twitched inside his pants, eager and anxious to be inside of you. Soon, hopefully. 

Maybe this had been your game the whole time, and he was just a pawn on your board. 

His face was probably giving away the thoughts in his head when he saw your grin getting wider until you started laughing again. 

“What are you thinking about?” You asked, still snickering. “Something perverted for sure!”

“Maybe one day you’ll get to find out.” Jiraiya replied before downing his glass of sake, feeling his cheeks warm up intensely. 

You were still grinning when your phone rang. He was getting sick and tired of that thing, he should accidentally destroy it next time. 

You frown as you eyed the screen, before offering him a smile as you stood up. 

“Sorry for cutting down the chase earlier this time.” You finish your cocktail, the only cocktail you had that night, in one gulp, before putting on your coat and leaving some money on the counter. 

Jiraiya stared, memorizing your every move and the curves of your body; no matter how many times he had seen you (which weren’t even that many), it wasn’t enough to appreciate and admire you. 

“I’m not letting you go next time.” He said with a smirk. 

“Oh?” You returned the same playful smile. “I can’t wait, then.”

He caught your scent as you turned. Vanilla and coconut. Would you be as sweet if he were to taste you? It took everything in him not to grab your arm and pull you towards him. 

Jiraiya was definitely not letting you go next time. 

*

There was a pattern in the days you usually went to the bar, Jiraiya noticed. Usually on Fridays or Saturdays, though that didn’t surprise him, it was usual for anyone to use the weekend to unwind. But the first few nights, the ones where he didn’t approach you (but definitely noticed you in your tight little dresses) were Wednesdays or Thursdays. You didn’t go there every week either. The three times he had talked to you had taken place in the span of two months. 

It was creepy how much Jiraiya was analyzing the situation. He wasn’t stalking you or anything; but he meant what he said last time. He was going to make a decisive move when he saw you next time. And he wanted that to be soon. 

But he wasn’t expecting that to be when he was about to walk into that same bar. 

Jiraiya saw you walking, rather hurriedly, towards the entrance, and you noticed him at the same time he did. He grinned at you, smugly as he always did. The look on your face should have given away your next moves, but he didn’t figure it out until you were actually an inch away from him. 

Wrapping your hands around his neck, you pulled him down to meet you halfway, pressing your lips against his in a clumsy kiss, noses bumping together. 

Making a nose of surprise, Jiraiya couldn’t believe that you were actually kissing him. Out of nowhere. Unprovoked. Whatever plan he might have considered before was thrown out the window, and he slowly wrapped his arms around your back, returning the same affection you were giving him. 

Pulling away, the deep shade of red on your cheeks gave away your shyness, but he was still bewildered, probably sporting a stunned look on his face. Confirmed when you snickered, keeping your arms safely wrapped around his neck. 

“Hi.” 

“Hi…” He replied, voice hoarse from the surprise. 

“Do you still like me?”

“Yeah.” Jiraiya frowned, nodding enthusiastically, confused on why you even have to ask that. 

“Good.” You smiled widely, pulling him down for a brief kiss again, one that he could return right away. “Wanna go somewhere else?”

“Yeah!” He replied quickly, making you giggle again. 

Taking his hand into yours, you smiled, biting your lips in a shy nervous manner, before urging him to walk with you. 

Damn it. Jiraiya was stunned; you had actually made your countermove before he could actually even make his move on you. 

However, he had thought about where he’d like to fuck you, given the chance. When he mentioned he had a place in mind, you followed his lead. He had been fantasizing about having you all for himself for way too long to let it happen in a small, cheap motel room, no matter that he had one night stands in place like those. But a woman like you, who had him so hooked before he even said hello for the first time, deserved a fancy hotel room, one where you can both stay the whole night without worries. 

It was there, at one of the most high end hotels nearby, that Jiraiya remembered he didn’t even know your name. 

You whispered it low and sultry against his lips, kissing him fervently as you stepped into the hotel room, burying your hands in his long hair and tugging at it, making him groan wantonly, so turned on by simply having you close. The dress you were wearing that night underneath your coat wasn’t as plunging as other times, a pastel color fitting your body in a loose manner as he ran his hands up and down your sides, gripping at your body tightly, memorizing all your curves as you bit his bottom lip. 

“I’m Jiraiya-” Jiraiya started, holding you firmly against him as he gazed at your face. He was prepared to make one of his fabulous introductory monologues, but the look in your eyes made him frown. “You know who I am.”

*

Of course you knew who he was. 

He had seemed familiar when he approached you at the bar that first night, but you weren’t entirely sure if you were dreaming, or if he was actually that author from those romantic adult novels, novels that you actually enjoyed a lot. When you went home that night, you corroborated it yourself by checking the picture of him at the end of the book. Sure, he was a little younger in the photo, but it was definitely Jiraiya. 

Not only an erotic novelist of best selling books, but also a legendary Sannin. You knew that much.

He was actually much more handsome in person. Tall, and big. Something you didn’t expect; even in your heels, you barely reached his shoulders. Not to mention he was actually interested in you. Getting sex with you, sure, but you still took that as a compliment, even though everything in him screamed ‘womanizer’. 

You never got a lot of chances for casual sex with strangers who piqued your interest as much as Jiraiya did, so you decided it was time to experiment something that might be otherworldly. What was the worst that could happen?

“Was it obvious?” You asked him, pleased with yourself. He stared at you for longer than you expected, but his hold on your hips was firm so you didn’t try to pull back. 

“No, it wasn’t,” Jiraiya replied, eying you up and down briefly. “You’re a cunning woman.”

“Please,” You rolled your eyes. “I wasn’t even trying to be sneaky. Don’t tell me you’re scared of me now.”

It was his turn to roll his eyes before scoffing, giving your hips a squeeze. 

“I’m gonna be alert from now on.” 

Jiraiya didn’t give you a chance to reply as he kissed you rather roughly, bumping his nose against yours as he licked your lips. You made a noise of surprise but followed his pace easily. 

You had found your initial attraction to him as a distraction, but the more you talked at that bar, the more you liked him. It was the first time you laid eyes on an older man, and you would have thought someone his age would flirt better than he did, but his attempts (and even his perverted comments) had awoken your curiosity. And so far, his kisses were igniting a nice warm sensation in your insides, one you hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Breaking up with your boyfriend a few months ago had brought you down more than you’d like, and the subsequent attempts at rebounding with blind dates hadn’t worked as well. The only thing that brought you a small amount of joy were your brief encounters with Jiraiya. 

That, and the fact that he made you feel like you were the hottest woman on Earth. It was a small detail in the grand scheme of things, but you had rarely felt that way, especially with the men you dated, and you had to wonder if there was something wrong with them or with you. No matter that the night you were going to spend with Jiraiya was going to be a one time thing, you already felt more by playing pretend with him, than you did with all the other men you’ve been with in your life. 

You just hoped the main event was just as sparkly as the kissing was. 

Pushing at his shoulders, you pulled away from his lips until Jiraiya let go of you, hands falling to his sides as he looked at you, confused when you took a few steps back. Taking off your coat, you threw it at the nearest chair before reaching for the zipper at the back of your dress.

When you let your dress slip down your body, falling to the ground, and saw the look on his face when he found out you weren’t actually wearing any underwear, you’ve never felt more powerful. His jaw was hanging wide, eyes popping open as he scanned you, and you couldn’t help but snicker. You were embarrassed for doing that, cheeks flushed, having never done anything like it; but getting that reaction in response was worth everything. 

“Oh, baby, baby, you’re gonna give me a goddamn heart attack.” Jiraiya said, taking off his haori at the same time he kicked off his sandals, nearly tripping with his own feet and making you laugh. 

“That’d be fun!”

“So you have been trying to kill me all this time.” He smiled, amused, throwing his hand guards to the floor as his eyes scanned every bit of you when he took a few steps closer. “Fuck, you’re even hotter than I imagined.”

“‘Imagined’, huh?” You took a few steps back towards the bed as you slipped off your mule heels, and Jiraiya followed you, keeping his eyes mostly on your chest and legs, which made heat rise on your cheeks. “So, what have you been imagining? Care to share?”

“Oh, a lot of things.” He took your hand, leading you towards the bed as he sat down on it, keeping you in front of him. His eyes never left your body, and you started to feel more and more self conscious with each passing second; though the lascivious gleam in his gaze prevented you from trying to cover yourself. “For once, your tits are even more gorgeous than whatever I was picturing in my head.”

You bit your lip to contain the gasp that was about to spill out when his hands reached for you. Jiraiya cupped your breasts, squeezing them gently and pressing them together. Even in his big hands, your tits were a handful, and when he ran his thumbs over your nipples, you couldn’t help the small moan that left your lips. He smirked triumphantly, repeating the same action, making you close your eyes shyly.

“You’re also much more sensitive than I expected.” He said, licking his lips as his hands slid down your waist. “Come here, sweetheart.”

You offered him a small smile when Jiraiya gestured for you to sit on his lap, hesitant for a brief second before he tugged at your hand. You obliged, sitting on his thighs with your legs on one side, putting an arm around his shoulders as he wrapped his hand around your waist, keeping a firm grip. 

When his fingers trailed the inside of your thigh, nudging your legs to open, blush spread across your cheeks. You didn’t exactly know why you were embarrassed in this situation but you had a hunch; you expected him to take you at once, but he seemed to be playing with you, and you felt exposed with every slow movement of his fingers. And while you were completely naked, he still had most of his clothes on.

“You’re shy now?” Jiraiya asked, pressing a kiss to your neck. 

“Only a little…” 

A gasp escaped your lips when Jiraiya promptly pressed the tip of his fingers to your folds, prodding your clit. The slick sound produced only embarrassed you more; he hadn’t really touched you but you were already aroused. 

You moaned loudly when he focused his attention on your clit, pressing his fingers and stroking it gently yet steadily, making your thighs quiver as you naturally spread your legs more, your body ready to accept more of his affection. 

“Oh, the sounds you make,” Jiraiya whispered against your ear, voice giving away his lust. “So fucking pretty.”

You let out a breathy laugh, cut short when one of his digits traced your entrance, pressing inside the tip. Clutching his kimono, you kissed him fervently when he slid a finger in, thrusting with expertise, simultaneously rubbing your clit with his thumb. He smirked against your lips when you whimpered again, hips moving against his hand. The grip he had on your waist was strong; even when you started seeking more of his touch, he held you in place, giving you a sense of security that he wasn’t going to let you slip away or fall. 

Trailing his lips down your chest, Jiraya took a nipple in his mouth, suckling gently as he pressed another finger into you. You hummed, cradling his head to your breasts, his tongue deliciously teasing your sensitive skin at the same time his digits grazed inside so right. It took you by surprise how well he seemed to know your body, and you easily fell into the rhythm of his moves, a warm sensation quickly blooming in your abdomen. 

Your hips jerked when his thumb rubbed your clit at the same time his fingers stroked your inner walls, eliciting a sharp moan from your lips. 

“You’re gonna be such a tight fit, baby,” Jiraiya grunted against the curve of your tits, planting an open mouth kiss there. “Have to get you ready, real nice and wet for me.”

His husky voice made the muscles in your abdomen tighten, clenching around his fingers as pleasure pulsed through your veins. He had been right about your sensitivity, and his focused attention on your chest, tongue swirling around your nipple, as his fingers glided in and out of you faster, made the build up of your impending orgasm much more intense than you were used to. Your thighs pressed together in reflex, practically trapping his hand, as you let out a shaky moan. 

“You like my fingers, princess?” Jiraiya asked with a quiet laugh, pulling away from your chest to look at your face. “Close already?”

You could barely form a sentence, panting as you nodded eagerly. 

With a smirk on his lips, Jiraiya slid his hand from between your legs. You yelped, clinging to his neck, surprised when he easily picked you up and moved you. He hovered above you, kissing your lips sweetly before sliding downwards, taking the nipple he had left unattended in his mouth. You mewled when he graced his teeth over your skin before eagerly sucking on it.

You didn’t think he’d be so focused on your pleasure when you walked into that room, but when he kneeled on the floor, tugging at your legs and hoisting them over his shoulders, your heart skipped several beats, your slick dripping down your thighs in anticipation. 

“I did say I was gonna make you cum with my tongue.” Jiraiya licked his lips, grinning as he pulled your hips closer to his face. 

The heat in your tummy surged at once at the sight alone of his face between your legs. With a hand on your thigh, slightly opening your legs for him, Jiraiya buried his face against your entrance, not wasting any second in pressing his tongue inside and tasting you. He groaned at the same time you moaned, legs shivering when his nose dug against your clit. 

“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck…” You panted, glossy eyes looking down at him as he began his ministrations.

He had an obvious goal, lapping at your hole, nuzzling his face against your folds. You would have been embarrassed in any other circumstance, but you were so close to the edge already, waves of pleasure building up rapidly. When he ran his tongue over your clit, sliding two fingers back inside you, you let out a long whine. 

You tried to keep your eyes open, watching Jiraiya skillfully eat you out, humming and slurping loudly as if he was tasting the most delicious food, but it was proving to be a challenge when he lapped and sucked at your clit. Your hands reached for his head, threading your fingers through his hair, tugging at the protector on his forehead as you tried to anchor yourself to anything you could hold onto. 

The noises he made from his mouth and tongue, and his fingers pumping in and out of your hole with a fast steady pace added to your arousal, and you knew you were making a mess, dripping onto the sheets and his face, but he sounded so happy, you couldn’t hold off anymore. 

With a sharp moan, the knot in your abdomen unraveled when you came. Your vision turned white, toes curling as your thighs shook around his head, keeping him there until your orgasm subsided. 

Jiraiya chuckled darkly against your folds, keeping his eyes focused on you while he helped you ride your peek, sliding his fingers in and out, coaxing more of your release to leak down his hand and chin. He only stopped when you tugged at his hair, legs quivering when he prod your clit with his nose. 

You watched him through half lidded eyes as he stood up, chin and cheeks glistening with his saliva and your slick as he grinned down at you. Looking at you like he wanted to eat you whole, as if he hadn’t just been between your legs. 

That wasn’t what you weren’t expecting from this man at all. When Jiraiya tugged at the protector on his forehead, discarding it haphazardly before he urgently began undressing, you couldn’t help but snicker. He must have been desperate to get his fill and it amused you to no end. 

“Having fun, baby girl?” He asked, smirk getting wider when you smiled. The term of endearment did something for you, and the skin between your legs pulsed. 

“I am, you should work on your stripper skills, though.” You giggled when Jiraiya tried to take off his mesh armor and pants at the same time. 

Your eyes fell on his shaft once he was fully naked, and you couldn’t help but stare. You should have known, considering how tall and well built he was, that he’d be impressive with the size of his cock as well. It still took your breath away to see it so thick, long and standing at attention, bobbing when he crawled over you. Your mouth watered at the sight, but the need to have him inside you was stronger than attempting to suck him off.

Sliding towards the center of the bed, you noticed the scar on his chest. Your curiosity piqued, but you remained quiet, quickly distracted as Jiraiya ran one of his hands up your side, kneading the flesh of your waist until he reached your tit, giving it a rough squeeze. 

“You like it when I touch you here, don’t you, baby?” He asked when you whimpered, keeping his eyes on your chest. “I should have taken my time to play even more with your tits.”

“Maybe next time.” You repeated words you had said on another occasion; you hadn’t really intended to say them outloud, but you were relieved when Jiraiya looked at you with giddiness. 

“Next time.” He coincided.

You wondered if the mischief in his eyes was a default feature of his as he grabbed your legs, pressing them against your chest until your sex was on full display. In desperate need of having him finally fuck you, you tried to move your hips as much as you could when he stroked his erection against your folds. His size should have been worrying for any other woman, but you were dying to feel the stretch of his cock since the day you laid eyes on him. 

“Fuck, princess, do you know what you’re doing to me?” Jiraiya asked breathlessly, pressing the tip of his cock against your clit, making your thighs jolt in his grasp. 

“I know, and I want you to hurry up!” You breathed desperately. 

“Relax, I’ll give you exactly what you want.” He reassured you.

His tone gave away his own need, and he pressed the head of his dick against your entrance, steadily pushing in. You moaned, legs tensing as your muscles accommodated to his size, so thoroughly full once his hips were pressed flush against you, his cock deliciously filling you up to the brim.

“You fit me so well.” Jiraiya groaned, voice hoarse, as if he was being tortured. “I knew your pussy was gonna be tight, but you feel so much better than I could ever imagine.”

“Yeah?” You asked, a little dumb.

“Yes, baby girl.” He smiled down at you, slightly sliding his cock out before slowly thrusting in. “It’s the best pussy I’ve had.”

As Jiraiya started a slow yet hard pace, firm hands holding your thighs against your chest, the warmth in your abdomen bloomed again, rapidly growing each time the tip of his cock grazed your insides, sparkles dancing behind your lids. You whimpered and whined, making all kinds of noises, enjoying the glide and the nice build up of another orgasm. The skin between your legs throbbed, aching from taking such a huge man, but you adored it, heartbeats increasing inside your ribcage.

“You should see how fucking pretty you look right now.” His words were like honey, increasing your arousal, coating more of his cock with your slick. “Taking me so well.”

You moaned louder when his thrusts got faster, eyes rolling into the back of your head. Your legs shook in his grasp, muscles strained from the position you were in. The pace was nice, you knew you’d cum eventually if he kept going; but you just yearned for a little more closeness, for his touch and his kisses and his hands. You wanted him to consume you. 

Your hands reached for Jiraiya, sliding up his forearms, running your nails on his skin when he thrust into you particularly hard, ripping a sharp mewl from your throat. 

“What is it, sweet girl?” He looked at you with dark eyes, smiling at you as he leaned down. “Need a kiss?”

You nodded eagerly while Jiraiya hooked your legs on his elbows, easing his way down until his lips touched yours. A sweet kiss, tasting the remains of your last orgasm, courtesy of his tongue. In contrast to the hard rhythm of his hips as they snapped against yours, brushing your clit on the way, and you couldn’t even focus on his tongue as it found its way into your mouth. 

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you threaded your fingers through his long hair in an attempt to anchor yourself to something. The pace was ruthless, your brain had turned to mush in consequence, pleasure pulsing through your veins.  

You couldn’t believe you were going to cum so soon. You didn’t question his magical powers, but you knew he must have some if he was going to make you orgasm twice in record time.

“You’re gonna-” Jiraiya grunted into the kiss, just as lost in your body as you were in his. “Fuck, you’re gonna make cum soon, baby girl.”

You moaned breathlessly, tugging at his hair, in a weak attempt to warn him about your impending climax. He didn’t seem to need it, still pushing his cock inside you at the same unforgiving pace.

“Come on, baby, I wanna feel you cum on my cock,” Jiraiya smiled against your lips, a smile that only the devil would have. “Need to feel you cum.”

You didn’t need the incentive, but his voice was like honey and the way he spoke was so lewd and fuck, it did things to you. 

It didn’t take long before the knot in your tummy snapped as his hips jerked against you, his cock ripping an intense orgasm from you. Stars danced behind your lids, body trembling underneath him. You stuttered a moan, digging your nails on his shoulders when his pace faltered, hips stammering forward as your walls clamped down on him. 

With a growl rumbling deep from his chest, Jiraiya promptly reached his own peak, cock throbbing as he spilled his cum inside you, filling you to the brim, prolonging your state of bliss. 

You groaned weakly when he collapsed on top of you, letting go of your legs and burying his face in your neck. He was heavy, but you didn’t mind it at all, your mind still trying to comprehend what just happened as you tried to catch your breath, and you welcomed his warmth. That was the best sex you’ve had by far; he had rendered you speechless, for God’s sake. 

Humming, you ran your fingers through his hair soothingly when Jiraiya started planting hot lazy kisses on your neck. He pulled out after a minute, when you started to really feel the weight of him on top of you, thighs and hips aching from the strain of the position you had been in as well as the deep thrusts of his cock. His cum leaked out of your hole, and you watched him admire the sight for a moment with the usual salacious gleam in his eyes before slumping next to you on the mattress.

You still had the whole night in that room, and you desired more. Once you tasted heaven, you couldn’t stop.

Coyly trailing soft fingers up his arm, you heard him groan as Jiraiya ran his hand through his hair. 

“You’ll have to give me a minute if you wanna go again. I can’t get it up as quickly as I used to.” 

You couldn’t help but snort before covering your mouth, trying to contain your laugh as Jiraiya sneaked his arm around your shoulders with a grin, pulling you close and tickling your side. 

[darlingkaveh]

synopsis: a short story, based on my take on Caleb’s childhood & the mysteries involving it

tw: death, major violence.

other: in third person, and mc has a name and is described as “pale” once or twice (ain’t my name or looks tho, this is not self-indulgent of me haha 🙅 i still consider it x reader bc it’s lads’s mc but i kind of had to give her a name for story purposes, sorry 😞)

( caleb x f!reader , both children. 21 pages )

————————

CALEB loved his family. Each and every one of them, from his mom to his dad, to the little black lab that he had found in a park as a boy. His family was small. Condensed, like four atoms bonded together. He had always wanted a sibling, but his parents were always oh so busy — they were researchers, see; scientists, to be exact. So they left him home with the pup, or, sometimes, if he got lucky, Grandma Josephine, until the sun sank below the horizon, and they trudged home in their rumpled white coats.

Today was no different. He had been playing with his newest science kit, sticking red and blue bulbs onto the ends of black sticks to construct a double helix, when his parents stumbled inside. He could hear their frantic footsteps all the way from the kitchen, and could imagine them scurrying about, like a pair of bespectacled mice, squeaking to do this and that, put this here and tidy that there. Oh, and not to forget to push Caleb (a smaller mouse, kept in a different cage) a little bit of cheese now and then, so he’d shut his squeaking while they chatter away. He was no brilliant mind, no quantum physicist or astronautics expert, not like his parents.

“Sometimes I’m glad I’m no genius.” Caleb popped a grape into his mouth. “Mom and dad are always so busy. Seems like a lot of work, huh, Snoopy?” He looked at the black lab sitting on his bed, who was quite a bit bigger now — the mattress sunk more under his weight than Caleb’s — and he barked in response. Caleb grinned.

“Well, at least I do more than you.” He plucked a cucumber from his fruit salad and tossed it Snoopy’s way. It was gone in an instant. “Hah,” he muttered. “All you do is eat, sleep and play. Though, I guess that’s all I do, too.”

The lab set his head down on his paws, and looked up at him with sad, wet eyes. Caleb scrunched up his nose. “Okay, you’re cute, I’ll give you that.” He sacrificed another cucumber.

“Caleb!” His mother hollered his name. “Come on out! We want you to meet someone!”

Caleb frowned. “Oh, man, don’t tell me…” he set his bowl aside, cramming the last few grapes into his mouth before stepping out, Snoopy hot on his heels. “Yes, mom?”

“Oh, there you are, sweetie, we were starting to think you had fallen asleep.” His mother raced past him even as she spoke, checking her purse, clipboard, coat, and maybe a hundred other places. 

“Mom, your glasses are on your head,” said Caleb.

”Oh! Yes, yes.” Her hands instantly started to pat down her face, and she fixed her glasses. “Thank you, dear. Thank goodness. What might I do without you?“

“Certainly nothing at all!”

His father burst through the front door, glasses askew, though with how much he was beaming, Caleb doubted he could see much, anyway. “He’s our little genius, isn’t he, Amelia? Quite the bright boy, he is.” His father laughed and went about his usual ramblings; the effect of the humidity on his hair, the neighbor’s cat digging through the trash cans again. Caleb noticed a little girl standing in the doorway. He didn’t mean to stare, but she was most odd. She had skinny, knobby knees, and the thinnest hair he’s ever seen.

A feeling of dread crept over him like a cloud. He knew what was coming.

“Are you listening, boy?” His father ruffled up his hair. “Guess not, hm?”

“Is anyone surprised?” His mother gave her husband a pointed look. “You talk too much for your own good.”

“Dreadfully true, dear, though I’m afraid you knew that when you married me, didn’t you?”

Caleb crossed his arms and didn’t say anything, hoping that’d somehow catch their attention. It didn’t.

“Mom?” He said irritably. “Dad?”

They both looked at him.

“Who’s that?” He pointed at the little girl. She raised her head at that, and took a couple steps closer. She walked like she did not quite know how to walk, knees knocking together and toes pointed in.

“Toes out, Leslie,” his father scolded. “No walking pigeon-toed, that’s bad for you.” Leslie fixed her toes, but Caleb wasn’t sure if it really helped. “There you go.”

“Brilliant, darling.” Amelia took Leslie’s hand and smiled as she kneeled to her level. “Well done. Now, Leslie, I’d like you to meet someone.” She gestured at Caleb. “Leslie, this is your new brother, Caleb. Caleb, this is your new sister.”

Caleb’s mouth dropped open.

“Sister?” He spluttered. “Sister? She’s the third one this year, mom! You can’t be serious!”

“It’s just for the time being, dear, we’re fostering her.” His mother hushed him as she stood. “You’ve always wanted a sibling, so here we are. Be polite, won’t you? We raised you better than that.”

“Where is she going to sleep?!”

“In your room, dear, your father will set it all up, it’ll be quite nice, really.”

“Mom! You can’t—“ 

“Caleb, I advise you to be careful with your next words.” 

He fell silent, feeling the tips of his ears heat up.

“Don’t fret, chap, it isn’t so bad.” His father tried to pat his shoulder, but he dodged. “Oh, don’t be like that, now.

“I don’t want to talk to any of you!” Caleb ran back into his room, slamming the door behind him. He stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, before looking at Snoopy, who had stuck his head into the bowl of fruit.

“…Oh, Snoopy.” Caleb sighed, half-heartedly petting the lab. “Get your nose out of there.“

Snoopy licked his hand a few times and whined as Caleb sat down next to him. A slice of cucumber sat on his snout.

“Gross.” Caleb plucked it off, and Snoopy ate it in one fell swoop. “You’re like a trash compactor.”

He flopped onto his back, staring up at the ceiling — his ceiling — decorated with paper planes and planets, twirling around on strings. His mother had bought the craft, and his father had helped him hang them up. He had spent a good few hours playing with the hole puncher alone. Now, he had to share it, with an odd, pigeon-toed girl with skin too pale and funny brown eyes. She was like an opossum.

He had plenty of brothers and sisters before her, sure — it had started a few years back, when his mother and father suddenly seemed to take interest in fostering — but he was different now than then. He knew how this went, how it was going to go. His new sibling would stay for a little while, but they still left in the end. It had happened to the one before, the one after, and it’d happen to this one, too. His siblings had all been odd, yes, but odd on its own was fine; one might argue he was odd, his parents were odd, his family was odd, and he’d hardly care. But family who left was hardly family at all.

Caleb shut his eyes. There was whispering outside his door. He couldn’t stand it. Eventually, it stopped. Ten minutes later, his door crept open. Leslie stood there. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face, and she was in new clothes and shoes. She blinked owlishly at him.

“Hi.” Her voice was raspy. “My name’s…Leslie.”

Caleb rolled over and pressed his face into the pillow.

“You’re…Caleb, right?” He could hear her shuffle closer, with her odd legs and steps and walk. Snoopy barked. “You have a dog?” She brightened. “She’s cute.”

“…He’s a guy.” He sat up and heaved Snoopy into his arms. “His name’s Snoopy.”

“Snoopy?”

Caleb grumbled. “That’s what I said.”

The dog wriggled in his arms, and he eventually released him. Snoopy made his way over to Leslie and sniffed her hand.

“Snoopy’s a cute name. A cute name for a cute dog.” Leslie rubbed Snoopy’s neck. His tail thumped against the floor. 

“…It’s ‘cause I found him in a bush.” He looked away. “A blackberry bush,” he continued, slowly, “in a park nearby. He got all pricked by the thorns, so me and my parents took him home and helped him.”

“Your parents…like to pick up strays?”

“No,” he said. She stared at him. “Well…” Caleb thought about it. “I guess. They’re kind of strays themselves. But the good kind. They’re scientists.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“Yeah.”

Curiosity pricked at him. Eventually, he caved. “How?”

Leslie nearly poked Snoopy’s eye out trying to pet him. Caleb stood up.

“Don’t pet him like that. Use your palm, not your fingers.” 

“Like this?” She tried again.

“Yeah.” He smiled a little. “Good job.“

She looked surprised, but soon smiled back. “Thanks.” She looked around. “I like your room.” His walls were decorated in a variety of posters. His favorite one was of the solar system. Sometimes he’d go up on the roof with his father and watch the sky.

“Thanks. My parents helped me decorate it. What stuff do you like?”

“Hm?”

“Stuff. What stuff do you like?” He repeated.

“Like…my clothes?” She picked up the edges of her yellow skirt and did an awkward spin that wasn’t really a spin, but Caleb clapped for her anyway. “I do like these clothes, they’re certainly nicer than my older ones. I wore those nearly every day.”

“Um…not really, but that works, I guess. My clothes are ok, I guess.” He tried to think of something better to ask. “Hey, wait, you didn’t tell me how you know.”

“Know what?”

“What you said before. That my parents are strays. Or, scientists, or whatever.”

“Oh.”

“You can sit down, by the way.” He patted the space next to him. Leslie’s smile grew, and she obliged.

“Well,” she said, “I just thought they look like scientists.” She flicked one of the paper planes hanging from the ceiling. “You know. White coat, glasses, always carrying a clipboard and pen.”

“That does sound like them.” He pushed one of the planes, too, laughing when it swung through the air and bumped into the one Leslie had nudged. 

“Time for bed!” The door opened, and his mother stuck her head inside. She smiled when she saw them sitting together. “I’m glad you two are getting along. You can play more tomorrow.”

“Okay. Good night, mom,” he said. 

“Good night, miss,” said Leslie.

“Good night, kids.” She set up a mattress for Leslie on the floor before she shut the lights, guided Snoopy out, and closed the door.

Moonlight filtered in through the blinds, illuminating strips of the room.

“Isn’t that mattress uncomfortable?” He said.

“Not really. The bed’s too soft. I feel like I’m sinking.” He could just barely make out the outline of her body, curled up by the foot of his bed.

“Are…you sure?”

“Yep. This is the type of thing I’d sleep on back home.”

He shifted. “Home?”

“Where I met your mom and dad.”

“Oh.” He figured she must be talking about the orphanage. “How is it, there?”

“Cold, mostly. But fine. The people are nice.”

“Nice?”

“Yeah. Most of the time they do things I don’t like. But that’s just how it is in the world.” She pulled her blanket snug around her. “They’re my family. They…they have my best interests at heart, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“…Do you think we could be family?”

Caleb looked at her smiling face. “Maybe.” He propped himself up with his elbows. “If you can promise me something.”

“What is it?”

Don’t leave. The words were heavy on his tongue. He swallowed them.

“Actually, nevermind.”

Promises meant nothing.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’s silly, anyway. We can be friends.“

“Huh.” Her breathing slowed. “Friends. That’s good, too. I don’t have any friends. Didn’t, I mean.”

“Well, I’m happy to be your first friend.”

“Thanks. Do you have a lot of friends?”

“I guess. I don’t know them very well, but yeah.”

“That must be nice.”

He rolled around, facing the window. “Something like that.”

He could hear the last of the lights in the house being shut, and the last of the doors being closed.

“…I’m sorry. For earlier.”

He laid there, listening to the sound of his own breathing. Waiting. A response never came.

She had fallen asleep.

——

There was a room in the house that Caleb had never seen. It was an ugly thing, grey and withered, tucked away in a little nook that never saw the sun. Its wooden door hung on rusty hinges; Caleb could hear it squeal from his bedroom every time his father went in. Though he had never seen what laid inside, he could guess: failed prototypes, spare parts, and dusty textbooks from his parents’ school days.

“I bet there’s a monster in there,” said Leslie. She sat cross-legged on his bed, flipping through an old science magazine as Caleb peered into the hallway, staring at the grey room.

“Maybe,” he mumbled. “I wish they’d just tell me. I tried to open the door once, too, but it was locked, and my dad got mad.” He shut the door when his mom rounded the corner.

“So, either a monster, or some top secret work things.” She grinned. “What do your parents do, anyway?”

“They work for some bigshot company called Ever. They’ve been a big deal since the Deepspace Tunnel appeared.” He leaned over, closing her magazine. On the cover page was a swirling, blue-purple mass, inhaling the sky and stars.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh, I’ve seen that somewhere! What’s it called? A w…”

“Wormhole?”

“Yes!” She beamed. “That.”

“Yeah, Ever does research on it and stuff. Most of my classmates think it’s scary,” he said. “Since a lot of people think it made Wanderers — do you know what Wanderers are? — appear.”

“Nope, never heard of that.”

“Well, they’re these really weird looking monsters. Some of them look kind of cool, but most just look…I don’t know, mutated? Abnormal. They don’t look like animals or anything.“

“Do your parents study them?”

He thought about this. “Not Wanderers. Just wormholes, I think. I’ll ask. Anyway, a lot of my classmates think the wormhole is scary, but I don’t think so. I think it’s really pretty, actually.”

“Like space?”

He smiled a little. “Yeah. Maybe space is just pretty to me.”

Leslie looked at the wormhole again. “It’s nice,” she agreed. “I think I’d still be a little scared of it, though. I mean, there’s nothing we could do if it suddenly decided to suck us all up.“

“I don’t think wormholes do that…”

“Still!”

“Okay, okay, yeah, that’s true.” He leaned back, staring up at his ceiling. “So what could we even do?”

“Build a secret shelter?” She suggested. “An underground bunker?”

Caleb hummed in response, thinking. Leslie set the magazine aside and reached out and pushed a dangling paper plane, knocking it into the moon.

“Well, I’m going to be a pilot, anyway,” he huffed. “So I’ll just fly us far away!”

“That’s silly.” She giggled. “You’re not gonna have your own plane!”

“I will if I’m important! I’m not gonna fly an airplane. Something cool, like a jet.“

Leslie made a face. “What if you crash-land and die?”

“What? I’m not gonna die!”

“I’m just saying!”

“Well, it’s not gonna happen.” He crossed his arms and huffed. “You’ll see.”

“I guess I will…”

“Don’t look at me like that!”

She dodged his attempt to hit her, laughing.

“Okay, I’m sorry!”

He pouted. “Look!” He reached under his bed and pulled out a large white box. Inside was a colorful assortment of origami cranes. “If I fold a thousand of these, I get one wish. If I wish to be a pilot, it’ll be sure to come true.”

“Whoa, really? How do you fold them?”

“I can teach you!”

By now, Caleb had forgotten all about the grey room, and whatever mysterious things that laid within.

——

“Look, Leslie! Watch what I can do!”

Caleb took out a piece of orange paper, and made it into an airplane with a few clean folds. Then, he set it in his palm, and it began to hover. He guided it through the air, swishing up, down, left, right, until it perched atop her head, making her laugh. She was stretched out, sunbathing under an oak tree. She looked better under the sun, more full and happy and sated. It made her face less gaunt and her smile more clear.

“Wow, Caleb! That’s amazing.” She cradled the plane in her hands. “Is that your Evol?”

“Yeah! I awakened just yesterday.” His smile faded slightly. “While you were at the doctor’s.”

 She made a face and prodded his foot with one of her crutches. “Caleb, don’t get all soppy on me now. I’m okay.“

“Right.” She had never been as fast or strong as him, sure, but he hadn’t thought there was anything wrong with her. His shoulders squared. “Okay.”

“It’s not your fault.” She sighed. “Maybe they’ll get these things off me some day.”

“Maybe,” he agreed sadly. He didn’t like seeing her like this.

She patted his shoulder. “So, what is your Evol? Telekinesis?”

“Gravity, actually,” he said. “That’s what mom said, anyway. Apparently there’s a difference.”

“Gravity sounds a lot cooler.”

“I don’t know, telekinesis makes me sound like a superhero. Gravity is whatever.”

She laughed. “If you say so.” She leaned back, looking up at the cloudless sky, and Caleb followed her gaze.

“…Think you’ll get an Evol, too?” He glanced at her. 

“Who knows?” She shrugged. “It’d be nice, but I don’t need it. Like you.” She grinned. “Your Evol is nice, but you don’t need it to be Caleb.”

“Huh.” He smiled. “Guess that’s true. But, it is part of me now.” He kicked a pebble. “Caleb prefers the version of him with cool powers.”

“Yeah, of course he does,” she snorted. 

A collective groan from the other side of the school yard drew their attention. A group of boys and girls were huddled around a tree, pointing up at a kite stuck in its foliage.

Leslie nudged him with her crutches again. “Looks like it’s your turn to shine.”

He pouted. “But I don’t wanna! Gym’s almost over. I wanna talk to you.”

“Oh, it won’t take long. Go and help them.”

He whined, but her expression didn’t change.

“Fine…”

He ran over to join his classmates, who were making a half-hearted attempt at climbing the tree. Others had left to get the teacher.

“Hey, guys,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Caleb!” One of the boys, Timothy, waved. “My kite got stuck in the tree.”

Caleb craned his head back, up at the kite, which had twisted itself into the tree’s foliage. “I’ve got this.” He raised his hands up and started to untangle the kite, willing gravity to tug and pull it around until it broke out of the tree. He made it soar above the school courtyard, swishing through the air with a few loop-de-loops, before it fluttered to the ground, landing in Timothy’s hands.

“Whoa!” Timothy held his kite up, beaming. “Wow, Caleb! Your parents work for Ever, and you’ve got an awesome Evol. How cool is that?”

“It was nothing.” Caleb smiled. “I can do it anytime, if you want.”

“Really? Thanks!” Timothy rushed off, kite back in the air. A few kids lingered, asking Caleb if he wanted to play basketball or could help them with their science homework.

“I can’t play right now, but maybe later,” he said. “And if you need help, I tutor after school. Two to three.” He patted their shoulders as they groaned in unison.

“But Caleb! You’re our best player!”

“Ah, you’ll be alright without me,” he waved his hand. “I’ll be at practice tomorrow, anyway. Get some sleep in before then, don’t overwork yourself.” 

They reluctantly accepted that answer and dispersed, returning to the court. Caleb looked back at where Leslie was, and waved at her as the teacher blew a whistle, calling the end of the period. She waved back.

“Did you see it?” Caleb grinned as he rushed over to her. “I got it out really quickly!”

“I know, I saw,” she laughed as she stood, leaning onto her crutches. “Good job.”

His smile widened. “Thanks.”

——

It was spring when Leslie’s birthday came around. His father had gone out to buy the cake, while his mother showed him how to stick two beady black eyes into the opossum plush they had crocheted. Caleb hadn’t ended up being very good at crocheting — the yarn got everywhere, and he’d much rather assemble one of his science kits — but the stuffed animal had turned out quite nicely.

Leslie herself, meanwhile, was at the doctor’s.

“Will Leslie be back soon, mom?” Caleb pressed the black eyes into the grey yarn. Push too hard and they’d sink into its face, but don’t push enough and they’d bulge. “What’s wrong with her legs?”

“Your father’s picking her up now, honey,” she said. “The doctor said the muscles in her legs have been deteriorating at a faster rate than before. Your father knows more about it than I do, but she should be alright.” She took the opossum once he was done. “Nicely done.”

“I still think we should’ve made the tail thicker. It looks like a rat.”

“I don’t think Leslie will mind, dear. And, opossums aren’t so different from rats.”

“Dad says opossums are marsupials.”

She laughed. “He’s probably right.” She set the plushie in a gift box, wrapped it, and set a neat yellow bow on top. “There we are.”

Caleb picked up the box and admired it. “Thanks, mom.”

The jangle of keys made him jump up. “Dad’s home!” He raced to the front door. The man behind it, however, looked scarcely like his father.

“…Dad?” 

His father, who had worn many expressions but never one quite so grim, looked rather pale this evening. He held a crumpled white box. He stood there, staring blankly, as if in a daze, before he at last blinked and sight returned to his foggy eyes.

“Caleb.” He set a hand down on Caleb’s head, but it was hardly a touch at all; he might as well have been a ghost and passed through him. “Is your mother home?“

“Yeah?” Caleb stepped back. “She’s in the living room. I’ll go get her.” He turned. “But…where’s Leslie?”

 He was met with a resounding silence.

He looked up at his father.

“She…needs to stay at the hospital for a while.” His father looked over the top of his head, peering inside. “So, we won’t get to celebrate her birthday.”

“Oh.” Caleb deflated. “But — but she’ll be back soon, right?”

“Well, it depends. But, hopefully.“

“Samael? Where’s Leslie?”

Caleb went back inside as his mother came up behind him. He took the yellow box and passed the grey room. It was shut, as always, and probably locked, too.

He gave the knob a jiggle.

Yep, definitely locked.

He walked straight to his room after that.

His bedroom walls had had some additions since Leslie’s arrival. A few robot posters were hung to the left side, where Leslie’s bed sat. It hadn’t taken her long to prefer a bed over a ratty mattress on the floor. He had less space, now, but he didn’t mind it as much anymore.

Caleb took out his origami paper folder, and chose the darkest color he had — a deep purple. He folded it into a little paper man, and set him on the paper moon.

He laid back and stared up at his ceiling, at the tiny universe that existed in his room. The darkening sky lulled him to sleep, and in his dreams, he saw Leslie, holding his hand in a garden of apple trees.

——

Leslie had visited Caleb, once or twice, since she started to get physical therapy for her legs. She couldn’t get very far without help, so his father always accompanied her to and from the hospital. But she was alive, and she was recovering.

And for a long while, he was alone again. His parents were more obsessed with work than ever before. Forget having dinner together, he hardly ever saw them at all. Most days, he was with Grandma Josephine. He slept in her guest bedroom. It had no stars on the walls, no planets hung from the ceiling, and no planes anywhere in sight.

When he was back home, it hardly felt like home at all. The grey room had grown teeth, and seemed to snap at his heels if he walked too close. He could make out two slit eyes on the door, gnarled knobs coming out of the wood. On their off days, his father would hurry in there, his mother close behind, and they’d stay in there and mutter to themselves until the sun sank below the horizon and painted his room gold. The little man on the paper moon had started to wrinkle from constant poking.

It wasn’t until one late autumn night did things begin to stir; his father burst through the front door as per usual, though this time with a small red wheelbarrow, muttering something about this and that, this and that, nearly knocking Caleb down as he bulldozed through the house. Snoopy was barking incessantly, pawing at his coat.

“Down, boy!” His father snapped. “Down!”

Snoopy whimpered, his tail stilling as he slinked into a corner.

“Dad—“

“Ah, hell.” His father cursed under his breath as he started to wipe some dog drool off his coat, but stopped when the wheelbarrow nearly tipped over. “Son!” He held his arm out expectantly.

Caleb quickly took his father’s coat and hung it on a rack. The ends were torn, like they had caught on something and ripped. He would’ve pointed this out, had the wheelbarrow his father was pushing around not have a bigger mystery: sitting in it was an odd lump, covered with a large sheet. It was driven through the kitchen, around a corner, and, to his horror, into the grey rooml

Just what was in there?

He brewed some tea for his mother; she was sure to arrive shortly. The buzz of the pot was comforting.

When his mother at last stumbled inside, she was panting, and her hair stuck up in curious directions. She kicked off her flats, breathlessly gesturing for him to step aside, so he did. 

“Mom, what’s dad moving?”

His mother glanced at him and smiled. It was an odd thing, that smile, not unlike the lump sitting in that wheelbarrow. “Nothing of importance, dear!” She hurried to pat her hair down. “Simply something work-related. It’s rather boring, quite frankly, you’d find no interest in it.”

Now that was interesting.

“No interest?” said Caleb, as he handed her some tea. “But you always think work is interesting.”

“Interesting to me and your father, yes. And thank you, darling.” She sipped at the drink. “But to you? Not so much, sweetie. It’s a lot of…” she waved her hand around, like that was somehow helping her explain, “well, a lot of nonsense, really. Also,” she let out a pleased hum, “lemon, is it? The tea.”

He glanced at her cup. “Yes. Grandma Josephine gave it to me.”

“Ah.” Her eyes grew misty. Snoopy curled around her legs. “Josephine. Nice lady, isn’t she? I’d let her babysit you more, if she didn’t live so far away. Shame, really. Wonderful woman. She was a family friend, on — on your dad’s side. Was always like a mother to me, though.”

Caleb pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down wordlessly.

“My own mother passed away,” she added softly. “Years ago. Decades, even.”

The steam was starting to fog up her glasses, so he took them off and wiped them clean with a handkerchief. Her smile was starting to fray.

“…I know.” He glanced up at her as he handed back her glasses, her fingers barely registering his touch. “You’ve told me this before. Never how she died, though.”

“Huh.” She laughed a bit. “Is that so? Perhaps it’s silly of me to not.”

“I don’t mind,” he said. “You can tell me when you’re ready.” 

Her eyes moved to him, and some of that mist cleared. “My darling boy…” she reached out and kissed the top of his head. “You’ll do amazing things. Brilliant. I just know it.” She put her glasses back on, and blinked some. Her eyes were blue again. She reached out and gave him a hug. She smelled like apples and cinnamon. He blinked away tears of his own.

”Thanks, mom.”

Amelia laughed some more. “I should be the thankful one, dear. Or, better yet, both of us. How about it?” She took his hand, small in hers, and squeezed. “Thank you, Lord, for letting me be with my son.”

”And husband!” Samael piped in. He had returned from the grey room. Caleb assessed him. “Your very charming, lovely husband, who—“ he pinched their cheeks, making them both grumble, “positively adores his family. Maybe even more than his exhilarating job, eh?“

“Honey!” She swatted at her husband. “I was just telling Caleb here about how dull our work as been as of late. Miserable, honestly.”

“Ah, codswallop. Listen here, son,” he ruffled up Caleb’s hair, “life is all about adventure. And, since you and I are both clever individuals, with enough brain in our heads to not go sideways,” he rapped his knuckles against his temple, grinning, “find the little adventures in your everyday life, and make them the greatest, most exhilarating things you’ve ever gone through. Even if it means you’re tricking yourself into enjoying filing data reports. Everything can be something enjoyable, as long as you don’t spoil it with your attitude, first.”

“Your father’s a hopeless romantic,” Amelia whispered. “Always going on about his idealistic ramblings. Don’t listen to a word he—“

Samael covered her mouth with his hand, hushing her. Caleb snorted.

“Oh, please, darling, I’m giving a speech, and you know how excited I get about those.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, now…”

There was a sort of swell in his chest as he listened to his parents bicker. How long had it been, since they last sat together? Saw each other?

He wrapped his arms around them, and squeezed. His parents stopped.

“Oh, Caleb…” they put their arms around him like they had when he was young, when their arms were loose and big and he barely reached their torso. 

He hoped they’d never let go.

Eventually, they drew back, his father patting his head.

“We have to go out again, but we’ll be back soon, son.”

Caleb recoiled as if he had been slapped. “What? When? Now? Why?”

“It’s okay, honey. We’ll be back.” His mother kissed the top of his head. “We just need to grab some things.“

No! He wanted to scream the word, but only watched as his parents gathered their things, and stepped out the door. It all felt too fast. Too much like a show, a sequence he’d see on tv, where all the actors were clay dolls moved around with strings. He felt like he was being tugged in opposite directions, and eventually, a tug would be too strong, too much, and he’d split at the seams and burst, a mess of clay and wire, and he’d sit there, dead, until he was swept away and replaced.

The grey room growled.

It was a low, rumbling sound, like bits of glass and steel were ground in its throat. Caleb’s eyes snapped to where it hid, turned away from the sun, curtained by shadow. It seemed to smile at him, all teeth; rid itself of its lock with a snap, and creaked open.

He stood frozen for only a moment, before his legs moved all on their own, lunging forward, grabbing the cold steel of the doorknob before it could slam shut again.

He stumbled inside.

It looked just how he imagined. It was a cavern, dark and damp and desolate, and horribly, terribly grey. He had stepped in to the jaws of the beast, and now, he stood on its tongue, in its mouth, only a moment away from being swallowed down.

The red wheelbarrow caught his eye.

It was a splash of color in the room’s monotony, a delightful pop and fizz he could practically taste and see, sparking with red and orange embers. The sheet remained drawn over it, the tongue of a clam swaddling its pearl.

Caleb touched the sheet. His fingers were numb, but his heart sang. What wonderful surprise might lie behind? What genius innovation? He was thrilled, yes, but more than anything, simply glad to be rid of the suspense, the curiosity that haunted him at every turn, so it was with a magician’s flourish that he drew back the veil from his eyes, ripped open the mouth of the beast, and saw! Saw! Oh, how his flesh burned, how his mind raced! And yes, it was then, then, with a magnificent smile, that he saw Leslie’s corpse, limp and pale and dead!

The buzz slowly faded. His smile died. The walls twisted around him, laughing, mocking.

He screamed.

It was then his parents rushed in, in their slick white coats and blotchy, waxy faces, and their murderous hands flailing in the air. It was all a lie. It had always been. That meant — his past siblings — were they dead, too? Dead, like Leslie? Dead, because his parents had decided it would be delightful to murder them?

He thrashed in their arms as they tried to restrain him. “Let me go! LET ME GO!”

“Caleb, Caleb!” His parents cried. His hands flailed, legs kicking, shoving, pushing away their traitorous hands and evil red faces. “Please, just—“

There was a bang. She fell to the ground, dead. Another shot. His father, dead. Blood pooled from their heads; they really were red, now, and it was getting all over his shoes and legs and hands and face, and suddenly he didn’t feel so clean, either, was he a murderer too, now? He wondered if it could’ve been him, who killed his parents, perhaps with an ill-timed blow to the head, or had he been holding a gun and not known it? Had he pulled the trigger, hoping to get rid of their red faces and hands and stop their wild flailing? Well, they were dead now, dead and limp, like dolls, with the smoothest waxen faces, white, like the moon.

Two hands grabbed him. He screamed. A man shoved his arm around Caleb’s neck, making him gasp and choke and scream as tears ran down his cheeks as he kicked at the air; the man forced a pungent rag against his face, pressing it against his mouth and nose, until his eyes rolled back in his head and he wondered, briefly, if he were dead now, too.

“Caleb, dear, please stop thrashing…” 

He awoke to a woman’s voice. He thought, perhaps, it was his mother! His mother, joining him, in his fate in the afterlife — but no. When he opened his eyes, and his vision returned to him, it was not his mother’s eyes who stared back.

“…Grandma Josephine?” He rubbed his face. “What…what are you doing here? What’s going…” the words died on his tongue as he looked around. He was in a white room, laying on a cotton mattress. In the hallway, he could see people in long white coats shuffling about, holding clipboards and mumbling nonsense like his parents once did.

“You’re in Ever’s research facility, dear. They were kind enough to lend us a spare room.” Grandma Josephine looked as she had before, but also not. It was as if someone had cast a veil over her, the same veil he had torn off when he looked in the wheelbarrow. He squinted at her, wondering if she, too, had murderous hands and a red face.

He laid back down. His head hurt.

“Where’s mom?” He blurted. “Dad? Leslie?”

Grandma Josephine didn’t quite look at him, like how his mother hadn’t quite smiled. He was starting to hate these little “not quite’s.” 

“They’re not here,” she said at last. “Your parents…were doing a very bad, dangerous thing. And they died because of it.”

“What thing? And what about Leslie? You didn’t let her body sit there, did you? How are you here, anyway?”

“Maybe it’ll be best for me to show you.” She took Caleb’s hand, though he shook her off; as far as he knew, her hands were sticky and red, too. “Ah, older now, are you?” She chuckled. He didn’t find it so funny. “Follow close behind, then.”

She led him through the winding halls of Ever’s facility, past floating organs bobbing around in jars, past large machines that clicked and chittered, past zero gravity rooms where all the people were bobbing around like the organs in the jars. Past all the people in white coats, and past even the man that had forced a rag on his face!

Caleb pointed and nearly screamed, but Josephine put a hand over his mouth and hushed him. “That’s Pablo,” she said. “Very nice man, you’ll see, don’t worry too much, dear, it’ll all be alright.”

He quieted, but did not stop shaking. They seemed to have been walking for hours before she stopped in front of a room, produced a keycard from her pocket, and swiped. The door clicked open.

Inside was Leslie.

Caleb thought it was a trick of the light at first, just his mind playing tricks on him, like his ears had when he imagined his mother instead of Josephine. But no! Leslie was there, in the flesh, and though her body was gaunt, her face was flushed and touched by life. She was alive! Alive!

Now it was that Caleb began to take in the more minute details of his surroundings. Leslie was, certainly, alive, but she wasn’t moving — she laid on a little white bed, not unlike his, eyes shut. Silver clasps bound her to the bed. Next to her, a number of weapons sat on a cart. He eyed a gun warily.

Two people were in the room, and they both wore those long white coats.

“How’s her vitals, James?” One of them asked.

“Stable.” The one they called James was looking at a clipboard. His hair was tousled, but not frazzled, and he had very calm, serene eyes. They were blue, like his mother. “The Wanderer core works as usual.”

Caleb tugged on Josephine’s sleeve. “What are they talking about?”

“Ah, you must be Caleb!” James knelt down to his level. “You seem like a nice lad. Well, here at Ever, we do top notch work, by the best people, for the best people.” He patted Caleb’s head with his clipboard. “Your friend Leslie is helping us out with some of our work.“

“What are you doing to her?” He frowned.

“Doing to her? Many things. Many amazing things.” James smiled brilliantly. “Leslie here has a Wanderer Core in her heart. It was placed in her at a young age, ever since she was taken out of the orphanage and adopted by,” he gestured around, “us! Her family, at Ever. Now, the core brings her back anytime she dies. It’s a wonder of science, really, a marvel. You might even call me Leslie’s father, in some ways.”

“So she’s not dead?” Caleb moved his suspicious gaze from James to Leslie, who appeared to be in a very peaceful sleep. “But I saw her. Before. And she definitely was dead.”

“Again, that’s the core at work,” James laughed. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Sure. But why was she dead to begin with?”

James’s smile faded.

“…Josephine, you have a very curious child.” James stood, and patted Josephine’s shoulder, this time. “He’s got a sharp mind for such a young lad.”

“Thank you, James. I hope what Amelia and Samael did can be forgiven…”

“For you? Anything!” He laughed heartily. Caleb was getting antsy.

“What did my parents do?” Caleb demanded. “And why was Leslie dead? Why won’t you answer my questions?”

James was silent for a long moment, tapping his clipboard against Leslie’s bed. He slowly turned. “Your parents,” he began, softly, “were smart people. But smart people, can do bad things.” He touched Caleb’s shoulder. “They turned their backs on their family. They turned their backs on Ever. They put you in danger.“

He started to shake. “But why?

James pulled his hand away, and suddenly, he was smiling again. “For Leslie,” he said. “They took her from our facility, and, apparently,” he checked some papers, “were planning to go out of state!” He shook his head. “Hilarious. I should’ve known, really. Brilliant minds, your parents, but always so fussy. I suppose Leslie was the straw that broke the camel’s back. And now, those camels,” he chuckled at his own joke, “are dead.”

Caleb felt something well up in him, red hot. “You think that’s funny?”

“Well — not their deaths, that was unfortunate, but that had to happen.”

Caleb stared at this man, long and hard — looked into his eyes, which had been the nicest, bluest eyes he’d ever seen — and had a revelation.

“You killed her. You’ve been killing her.” His face contorted. “You’re a murderer. My parents weren’t the ones who were evil. You are. ALL OF YOU!”

James’s expression didn’t change. “We’re scientists.” He looked at Josephine. “I think you should guide him out.”

Caleb didn’t budge, even as Josephine took his hand and tried to tug him away. “You’re horrible!” He screamed. He could see it: the grey room, Leslie’s limp body, his parents’s lolling heads and crossed-eye expressions. He could see the way the shadows twisted to mock him, how these people, these maniacs, delighted in his suffering, and the thing he did next he did not regret.

He looked at that gun on the table, and in the next second, the cold steel was pressing into his burning skin, and he had pulled the trigger.

It was amazing, to delight in a moment so much that you take in every moment, every detail. Caleb could practically see James’s expression change, frame by frame, into something akin to horror, just before the bullet tore through his face and left him dead. Blood splattered onto the floor, the walls, and Caleb. James’s red face slowly turned white as blood pooled onto the floor. One of his eyes had been ripped out, and rolled to him. Caleb crushed it under his heel.

He never knew killing could be this much fun.

He was numb for the minutes after, body still abuzz. He hardly noticed when soldiers stormed into the room, and he hardly noticed when they strapped him to a device and aimed something at his head.

Had the delight faded a moment sooner, he might’ve panicked. Might’ve kicked, or screamed. But he only laid there, smiling, as they fired, and light swallowed his vision.

——

Caleb loved his family. Each and every one of them, from his Grandma Josephine, to a little girl named Leslie. He had lived with them all his life, and his life was good.

He’s never known his parents. They left him when he was young, but Grandma Josephine had taken him and Leslie from the orphanage and adopted them, because they were the best of friends, and Josephine had always wanted kids around.

They lived in a nice house, just big enough for the three of them. His room was filled with model planes, stars and planets. He would run around in the yard with Leslie and play frisbee.

Sometimes, odd people in long, white coats would visit to “check up” on him and Leslie. He didn’t know what that meant, exactly, but they were nice, and Grandma Josephine seemed to like them, so he liked them, too.

He had no responsibilities. No worries.

His life was good.

———————————

I know this probably won’t be that popular but oh well haha, hopefully those who read enjoyed 😞

[xxlady-lunaxx]

The sun would be rising in an hour. Obanai had been up since it had set, having clambered onto the roof and sat there, bundled up in a hoodie. He’d watched the sky turn from a flickering orange to a deep blue to a pitch near-to black, occasional glimmers of white where the stars were sprinkled about. For the whole time, Obanai had barely moved, resting his chin on his knees and hugging his arms around his legs. He had sat in the mild silence, listening to the scurrying of the nocturnal animals, but now there was sound behind him and he started to turn until he heard a familiar voice, soft but clear in the quiet.

“Jesus, Obanai,” Giyuu muttered, struggling to get onto the roof from the ladder that Obanai had propped up against the roof window. “It’s like 5am, have you been up all night?”

Obanai hummed, amused. “What do you think?”

Giyuu joined him, settling beside him and nudging Obanai gently with his shoulder. “Why do you do this to yourself?”

“I like the night. I can nap during the day,” Obanai said dismissively, shrugging.

“You have a horrible sleeping schedule,” Giyuu said, letting out a breath. “One of these days, I’m gonna tattle on you to Shinazugawa.”

Obanai rolled his eyes. “Anyway, move your legs, it’s cold and I wanna sit on your lap,” he ordered, shifting to a crouch and staring at Giyuu.

“So demanding,” Giyuu laughed, though he complied to the commands, moving so that Obanai could sit facing towards him. Obanai’s legs wrapped around his back and Giyuu held him closer, encasing him in a hug. “Comfy?”

Obanai nodded, resting his head against Giyuu’s chest. “Why’d you wake?” he asked, words muffled.

“Not really sure. Only that when I was half asleep, I realized you weren’t next to me and I went looking for you,” Giyuu said gently, resting his head on Obanai’s and closing his eyes.

“Yeah? How long did it take you to find me?” Obanai asked.

“Two minutes. Mostly because I couldn’t see.” Giyuu shifted, kissing Obanai’s forehead. “Did you sleep at all tonight?”

“No. There might’ve been a lapse where I fell asleep for a beat, but I doubt it,” Obanai said, leaning back. He tapped his lips. “Kiss.”

Giyuu smiled, cupping his face before kissing him gently, taking his time. He pulled away a minute later, pressing his lips to Obanai’s cheek and nose in turn before enveloping him in a hug again. “I love you, did you know that?” he murmured into Obanai’s hair, a content sigh stirring in his words.

“Love you more,” Obanai said lightly, burrowing into the embrace.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Giyuu said, “I think the sun’s going to rise soon. The sky is less dark than it was when I first came here.”

Obanai gave a small nod, apparently too tired to respond anymore. Giyuu suppressed a smile, saying, “Tired?”

“No,” Obanai mumbled, though he didn’t move, resting his head against Giyuu. “‘m not. I’ve done this a lot.”

Giyuu sighed. “Of course. If you’re tired, we can just go back inside, though,” he reminded him.

“‘s too stuffy in there. I wanna stay out,” Obanai said, tilting his head up to peek through his bangs, catching Giyuu’s eye. “I’m not tired,” he insisted.

“Whatever you say,” Giyuu hummed, though he clearly didn’t believe him.

They sat there for a long time without speaking, Giyuu gazing at the sky, watching as the occasional bird flit by until he realized Obanai’s breathing had steadied into sleep. He shifted, moving to be able to glance down at his boyfriend, a smile softening his lips as he saw Obanai’s closed eyes, his features relaxed. Giyuu brushed some hair from his face, pressing another kiss to Obanai’s forehead as the sun began to rise, the colors painting the sky like the subtle pink on their cheeks brushed by the gentle chill of dawn.

“‘night, Obanai,” Giyuu murmured. “I love you so much.”

In the distance, a bird began to chirp in the morning air.