#being kept in the heavens in the care of someone he’s been gotten along with

[basorexia-formyboys]

SFW 2005

Souya Kawata×OC

Content warnings: none (fluff so sweet you might get cavities)

Tags: @love-and-lore @savedbysinners

Souya was not the kind of boy to pull random people into his and Nahoya's life, into his friend group of delinquents, into all of the chaos. And he particularly didn't want to drag Ogami Samuru into it all.

Ogami Samuru, or as Souya called him 'Samu', was the one secret he kept tightly locked away even from Nahoya. Samu was the most peaceful thing in Souya's life. Don't get him wrong, Souya loved delinquency down to his core, but having someone who he could only compare to a humanized peace dove in his life kept away from it all? It was like a secret heaven.

He'd begun to seek out Samu within the couple days after every gang fight and today was no different. But he was too focused on getting to Samu that, for the first time in a little over two years, he was sloppy about it. Souya had gotten as far as being in a fairly nice outfit and riding to a nice quiet cafe he'd suggested for he and Samu to try before he was noticed by Nahoya, Baji, and Mitsuya who'd been riding together after the whole Kisaki in Toman discussion.

Of course they didn't give any sign they were following him. Though Mitsuya was against it at first and just got pulled along with the other two, his interest was very peaked when Souya quickly dipped into a flower shop and came out with two decorative wood roses. One of them was nearly the same blue as Souya's hair and the other was pure white.

That was the first time Mitsuya and Baji had seen him break his usual scowl and look down at the roses with a small smile. He looked lovestruck, pulling his phone out to check something.

Souya glanced at the time, beginning to walk down the sidewalk towards the cafe. He never liked to drive too close to where Samu would be because of his modified motorcycle being loud, respectful of the quiet atmosphere Samu preferred. He walked in and looked around, entire expression softening as he noticed Samu at a booth in the corner with his back to the wall and facing the door.

Souya couldn't help but love Samu. The white hair boy was simple in the most complex ways. Right now, Samu had his hair half up like usual however he'd tucked the left side of his bangs behind his ear and was reading a book that was spread on the table in front of him. Souya felt like this was a first date, he felt like that every time they hung out because Samu didn't actually know Souya liked him.

With his face shades of pink, Souya took a deep breath and walked over. As soon as Samu noticed Souya, his head raised with a small and sweet smile that made Souya's chest hurt happily. Samu fit his bookmark into the book and slid it to the side, always giving Souya all of his attention.

"Are you alright Souya? You look a bit like you got in a fight.." Samu's voice was soft and always seemed like it was trailing off, the white haired boy's arm stretching over the table as Samu gently rubbed the outside of his right index and middle fingers against Souya's left cheek. Where he rubbed, a new bruise had begun to bloom from Toman's most recent fight against Moebius.

"Ah- Mhm- I did but I won!" Souya's voice was an attempt to be as soft as Samu's but he could never quite match Samu.

Baji, Nahoya, and Mitsuya had all found seats in the booth right behind Souya, glad that each booth had high backs and then half walls seperating them. Mitsuya had a small fond smile at the realization that this was something like a date.

"Please be careful.. I don't think I'd be of much help, but please call me if you need to. I can, at the least, patch you up.." Samu was genuinely worried for his friend. This was far from the first time seeing Souya beat up like this. Souya nodded with hummed agreement, leaning into the soft brushes on his cheek. Samu let out a very small breathy laugh.

"You're as affectionate as ever.. just like a cat" Samu smiled as he spoke and shifted his hand. He now cupped Souya's cheek and rubbed it with his thumb fondly. Both felt Souya's cheeks heat up with only drew another sweet laugh from Samu who pulled his hand back.

"Careful getting too red in the face, hun. People might think you like me and not just the affection" Samu's tone was playful but it made Souya's heart hurt. He did like Samu. They both knew eachother liked guys, Samu exclusively and Souya not, but Samu wasn't seeing Souya's small advances.

"Hello, could I get you three anything?" The waitress asked at Nahoya, Baji, and Mitsuya's table. Souya bit his tongue so it wouldn't get awkward around a waitress but his eyes shot open when he heard Mitsuya's voice rattle out three drinks. As soon as the waitress left, Souya spoke again.

"Could we go somewhere else. I want.. we could go to a park?" Souya was never one for improv. His only goal right now was to get away from Mitsuya and whoever the other two were.

Mitsuya and the others tensed, knowing they'd been caught.

"Hm? Of course, could we get drinks on the way? I'll pay this time" Samu began getting up, noticing Souya's rush but not commenting on it. He tucked his book, phone, and heaphones into his dark brown school bag beside his folded gakuran jacket. He looked at the second highest button, curious about something.

"Of course, but you don't have to pay! I like paying!" Souya was splitting his attention harshly, wanting to reassure Samu and not stumble on their conversation. But, as they walked out of the cafe, he shot a very angry glare at the three.

"Well now we gotta know just what all he's hiding. Cause he's definitely hiding it now" Baji chuckled, Nahoya nodding while Mitsuya sighed.

"Or– we let them be and if he wants to tell us later then he can. It may be someone he doesn't want dragged into Toman stuff." Mitsuya was clearly the most mature of the three but Nahoya and Baji both were mature enough to realize that was probably true. So Baji gave a sigh and they all thanked the waitress for their drinks.

"Has he never mentioned that guy to you?" Baji asked Nahoya and recieved Nahoya shaking his head with his straw in his mouth. After Nahoya swallowed his sip of frozen coffee, he spoke.

"Not once. He usually just sorta leaves the house at some point after all of Toman's fights and is out the whole day. I just thought he was driving around or something since he'd spend money. Never guessed he'd found a guy he liked" Nahoya gave a small, sad chuckle.

Souya didn't entirely trust Nahoya to not pull this boy into Toman stuff and maybe that was rightfully placed. Nahoya wasn't mad but he realized he needed to show his twin that this guy wouldn't get dragged into delinquent stuff.

.

.

"Hey Souya..?" Samu asked, resting his head on Souya's shoulder as they sat on a park bench. Despite the earlier intrusion, the two's rest of the day went without a hitch. Souya had given Samu the wood roses and Samu had beyond loved them, twirling them together with his free hand right now while the other was intertwined with Souya's. It was golden hour and they both felt so at peace.

"Yeah Samu?" Souya's voice was audibly sleepy but only because of how comfortable it felt to be around Samu.

"What would you do if I told you I love you..?" Samu's question made Souya jolt fully awake but he stopped himself from jolting physically so he didn't disturb Samu. He was clearly quiet for two long though, feeling Samu's head rise from his shoulder with a sigh from the white haired boy.

At one point or another, Samu had taken his hair out of its hairtie, letting it all fall straight. As Samu let his head hang a bit too look at the roses, his hair obscured his face. Souya was quick but delicate in brushing the hair on Souya's side behind Samu's ear. He looked so sad but Souya couldn't find words.

"I'm sorr-" Samu didn't get to finish as the blue eyed twin softly kissed his temple and then playfully bumped their heads together. Souya's eyes were trained on the roses the same as Samu's.

"I'd tell you I love you too. That I've known I've loved you for over a year, and that you're a dork and missed all of my advances" Souya whispered because of their proximity. This felt right. It felt safe.

"I love you Souya" Samu's smile was audible in his words and it made Souya smile too.

"I love you too Samu, my peace dove" Souya was smiling bright as he finally got to use the petname he'd been waiting to use for months. His forehead was still pressed to Samu's temple and they both enjoyed the closeness.

"If I'm your peace dove, you have to be my summer sky. A dove is nothing without the sky" Samu wasn't sure how he'd make a petname out of what he'd just said but he'd figure that out later.

"I love you so so much. I want to take you home and just get to hold you but my brother is going to be a pain" Souya couldn't find it in him to be peeved at his friends anymore, letting out a small laugh. Today had taken a wonderful turn.

"I love you so so so much too, soracchi. And I think cuddles are worth a little bit of an awkward first meet" Samu pulled his head back and Souya opened his eyes as Samu booped their noses together affectionately.

"Agreed. You can meet my mom too" Souya loved looking into Samu's eyes as he spoke to the white haired boy, even more so upclose. Neither he nor Samu understood why but his eyes had this opalescent iridescence to them. Souya thought it was beautiful, watching the colors shift as the boy looked around, but Samu had always said he wished he'd been born with 'normal' eyes.

"Taking me home to meet my future mother-in-law already, soracchi?" Samu teased, watching Souya pull back as he lit up red and fumbled over words. At first he was denying but then he was agreeing and he was just a flustered mess. Samu gently put his free hand over Souya's mouth and then kissed the back of his own hand as if he were kissing Souya. Souya looked like a tomato when Samu pulled back, opalescent eyes watching Souya while Samu giggled.

Souya couldn't even process words anymore, his mind was blank, his heart was pounding so hard with happiness that it physically hurt. He was so damn in love.

"Be my boyfriend.. please..." Souya's whisper came through a goofy grin. Samu lit up, placing the roses on the bench, and basically tackling Souya to the bench with a tight hug and vigorous nods of agreement.

"yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes-" Samu was giggly as he spoke, face burying into Souya's shoulder while Souya smiled and pulled Samu closer. He didn't pull Samu into his lap but he pulled Samu's legs over his own, both arms wrapped around Samu.

"I love getting held by my pretty boyfriend" Samu spoke so happily and Souya swore that with how happy Samu made him, he could take Nahoya's place as 'Smiley'. "However.. if I keep being held so sweetly, it'll be a bit hard to drive me to your home on your motorcycle while I sleep, soracchi" Samu giggled, audibly sleepy.

Souya chuckled and pulled way, standing and picking up the slightly shorter bridal style. This was a shock to Samu who gasped and then sweetly laughed and leaned to give Souya a kiss on his cheek. Samu made grabby hands towards the roses and his bag, Souya leaning them forward so Samu could grab them and put them on his lap.

"Y'know.. I was thinking earlier in the cafe on if it'd be too subtle to give you my second gakuran button" Samu happily hummed and Souya carried him towards the bluenette's bike.

"Well now you have to. Have to make sure everyone knows your heart belongs to someone" Souya teased Samu huffed happily, digging into his bag as they neared Souya's bike. Souya listened to Samu rip the button off the gakuran, jokingly imagining Mitsuya cringing at the action, and watched Samu pull the button out with a proud smile.

Souya was gentle putting Samu down while the opal eyed boy held onto his bag and the roses. Souya gently slipped the hairtie off Samu's wrist, much to the slightly shorter's confusion, before running his fingers though the white hair. Samu looked ready to melt, adoring Souya messing with his hair. Souya was gentle in tying it all up this time, looser than Samu had it earlier since he took it down because of it hurting.

"It might be a little awkward, but you could put it on a necklace maybe? Or a bracelet? If you keep getting in fights, a necklace would be better and close to your heart" Samu smiled at the button symbolizing one's beloved. Souya was definitely his.

"Speaking of," Souya's happiness had fallen a little. He loved Samu. But it would never be unconditional if Samu didn't at least know of Toman. Samu didn't have to meet them, Souya would prefer he didn't so Samu stayed safe, but Samu deserved to know why he'd come home with injuries. And Souya needed to know that Samu eould love him even as a delinquent.

"Hm? You can tell me anything Souya" Samu noticed the seriousness, wrapping his arms over Souya's shoulders and bonking their foreheads together now that his hair was gently pulled into a messy bun. He let his own eyes fall shut so he could listen to his boyfriend and wore a ghost of a smile.

"I.. I'm a delinquent. In a gang too." Souya spoke uneasily, only to watch Samu's smile grow.

"I kinda guessed, my sky. You've said you get into fights a lot and your knuckles always look really hurt, but now I get to patch you up and kiss your injuries better. My pretty delinquent" Samu's words were damn near life changing for Souya. Souya was once again fumbling for words and that got worse when white eyelashes parted and opalescent eyes looked into his from so close.

"I love you" was the only words Souya could whisper out, so he repeated them like saying them was addicting. His arms slipped around Samu's waist and held them almost flush together while Samu giggled and responded to every single 'I love you' with his own.

Souya couldn't help himself from picking Samu up and spinning him around, kissing random spots around the white haired boy's face while Samu laughed happily. He practically glowed despite the sky getting dark.

Souya loved every bit of Samu. From his head to his toes, his heart, his mind, his soul. They felt so much more intertwined than what just two years would've brought.

"We should get going, my delinquent! I'm sleeping over!" Samu laughed as he spoke, kissing across Souya's face now. Souya laughed too, nodding and setting Samu down. Samu was his, his boyfriend, his soulmate, his beloved, his world.

It was a small bit of a process being delicate putting the wood roses and button in Samu's bag where they wouldn't get broken or lost, but it got done and they took off towards the Kawata household. They were not aware that Nahoya had invited Baji and Mitsuya to apologize to Souya and with them he'd accidentally invited Chifuyu and Hakkai over. So now it was a friendly sleepover with three people owing someone an apology.

What they were not expecting was for Souya to bring Samu inside with both of them smiling. Hakkai and Chifuyu had been very quickly caught up on the situation but it was still a shock to see Angry so.. not scowling.

Samu gave a small laugh and poked Souya's side, his smile brightening the room. Suddenly they knew exactly why Souya had fell for Samu. The white haired boy looked, sounded, and acted like heaven incarnate.

"It looks like they were waiting for you, my sky" He teased and Souya walked over a bit pink in the face. He wasn't expecting for Baji and his twin to apologize, Mitsuya he kinda knew would. Samu walked after Souya, hugging him from behind and hooking his chin over Souya's shoulder with a sweet smile.

Those opalescent eyes were stuck on Souya as he spoke with Baji and Nahoya, lightly scolding them to not follow him again. Samu's eyes were clearly those of someone who was deeply in love. He did flick his eyes to the others and give a tiny wave and grin towards Hakkai, Chifuyu, and Mitsuya. All three ended up with their own grins and waving back.

As soon as Souya had stopped scolding his brother and Baji, Samu buried his face into Souya's neck with a small hum.

" 'm sleepy" Samu mumbled, smile audible even with the clearly sleepy tone. Souya turned pink again, having lost it while scolding his friend and brother, and turned his head to kiss Samu's head. Souya very much loved pda, he was typically quiet about his affections when in busy places but physical things like kisses were easy ways to show that he wasn't being cold or ashamed about it.

He turned to the others, Mitsuya chuckling and making shooing motions. Souya mouthed a 'thank you' before turning to Samu and surprising the boy by suddenly picking him up under the thighs. Samu let out sleepy laughs as he held onto Souya's shoulders, lower legs kicking like an excited child.

"Well that was fucking adorable, I'm gonna get cavities if I have to watch them anymore" Baji laughed as soon as the two had gone into the Kawata's bedroom. Immediately he was met with agreements and chuckles. They would of course tease Souya for this later but it was really nice to see him so happy.

"He's found someone who gives him peace against the chaos" Hakkai was really really happy for Souya and that was evident.

"Mm Nahoya? Sky said he's stealing your pillow so I can use his" Samu's energy had dropped exponentially once putting on a slightly top big shirt and pajamas from Souya. Samu was only half peaked out from the hallway but it was very clear those weren't his clothes that he'd come in wearing.

Nahoya gasped jokingly and shot up, ruffling Samu's hair as he passed and lightheartedly started an argument with Souya. Samu chuckled before looking back at the others and once again giving a sweet little wave.

"I'm Ogami Samuru, please feel free to call me whatever, and I'm Souya's boyfriend" Samu seemed unused to calling himself that but so excited to, so Chifuyu fed into that.

"Hello Souya's boyfriend!" He grinned before introducing himself and was followed by the others doing the same. Samu was really happy to have been opened up to a new side of Souya's life.

"Soooo, why do you call him sky? Is it cause of his hair?" Baji asked with a grin, wanting all the dorky details so he could tease Souya more.

"Mm hardly. It was almost completely because he calls me his dove, peace dove specifically, and a dove is nothing without the sky." Samu said and Chifuyu, ever the romance novel fanatic, internally went feral. Honestly the other three were too.

"Wedding dress or wedding suit?" Mitsuya blurted out. Baji and Hakkai's jaws dropped, Chifuyu shaking Mitsuya by his shoulders with random 'thank you's while Mitsuya and Samu just began laughing. Souya, who was pulling Samu in by his collar, turned tomato red. Nahoya escaped his blue haired twin's grasp and laughed in shock at the question.

Samu looked so lovestruck with the idea of marrying Souya, while Souya looked at Samu as if he were realizing this were real and he really wanted to marry Samu.

"Suit for me"

"Dress-suit please!"

Souya amd Samu answered at the same time, Samu's hands coming up to cover his bright pink face and massive grin.

"Come and sit with the rest of us, lovebirds! We wanna know more about future Kawata Samuru!" Nahoya laughed, patting a spot on the ground. Everyone had been chilling in a sort of semi circle so Souya joined and then Samu giggled and plopped into his lap. Samu looked adorably small in Souya's pajamas and in his lap, despite being only two inches shorter than his boyfriend.

"So how did you two meet?" Chifuyu was the first to pop a question, hoping this was just like a romance novel.

"Welll, according to sky, we met shortly after the Jugem and Twin Devils fight," Samu began. On the drive, Souya had basically dropped a bunch of information about his delinquency and Toman and everything. It was fascinating. "We were classmates in one of the only classes he didn't have with Nahoya and he came in really hurt. I offered to take him to the nurse when he started falling asleep in class."

"More like he was passing out- Mochizuki gave us some damn brain damage" Nahoya laughed and Souya rolled his eyes. The blue haired twin had wrapped his arms and was resting his forehead on Samu's shoulder, so at peace like this. Surrounded by friends in a nonviolent situation and with his peace in his arms. It couldn't be better.

"Well now I gotta fight him myself! No one hurts my sky and his twin and gets away with it!" Samu laughed, playfully hitting his right fist to his left palm.

"Wait- two things. One, you've known Souya for two years and we're just now learning about you? And two, can you fight?" Hakkai blurted out both of his questions and Samu smiled.

"To the first one, yes. Souya didn't hide me for any malicious reason, he just wanted to keep me out of general gang stuff. To the second, yes but probably not nearly as good as any of you" Samu rested his head leaning against Souya's.

"Do you fight any specific way?" Baji asks. Souya's grip on Samu tightened a bit and Samu's head shifted so his forehead was against the side of Souya's head, the ivory haired boy motioning for Baji to hold on.

"I'm not joining Toman or any other gangs, alright? An entire gang could get on their knees and beg and I wouldn't. Someone's gotta be home to patch you all up" Souya's grip loosened and he was visibly more relaxed with the comfort from Samu. It was clear to everyone that Samu knew exactly how to comfort Souya in ways they didn't and couldn't. This is the power he had and why he had been Souya's secret for two years.

Samu turned back to Baji with a smile while angling his arm to run his fingers through the blue hair of his boyfriend. "I don't fight any specific way, nor am I exactly great at it, but I'm working on my punches right now at the gym I go to. The owner says my kicks and dodging are currently my best weapons so I need my punches to be better. Can't exactly kick and dodge my way out of danger" Samu chucked. Baji snorted and then covered his mouth while Mitsuya swatted the back of his head.

They both knew exactly who Baji was thinking of.

"Oh my god Mik-" And then Nahoya's head got Mitsuya's swat as well. Samu laughed at the scene before yawning and bonking his head against Souya's gently. He was getting tired, though he was enjoying the socializing.

"Mm?" Souya hummed, trying to pretend he hadn't fallen asleep with Samu's hand playing with his hair. Hakkai chuckled at it.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, your boyfriend seems tired and you've fallen asleep" Hakkai huffs out a laugh and they watch as Samu goes to stand only to not be able to escape Souya's grip.

"Well, enjoy being there until he's awake awake" Nahoya chuckles as he stood. "He usually hugs his pillow with an iron grip, you're not escaping" Nahoya ruffled Samu's hair again, grateful to the boy for making Souya feel so happy and safe.

Samu playfully pouts before getting a mischievous smile. That was a new expression for them to see and they all watched intently, wondering just how mischievous this boy could be.

Samu turned his head so his mouth was by Souya's ear and they watched as he suddenly nipped the shell of Souya's ear with his teeth. Souya gasped sharply, jolting away with a completely red face and now fully awake while Samu giggled and escaped Souya's lap. Baji covered his mouth to stifle laughing while Nahoya wheezed.

[ask-icancraft-it]

Love's Retribution: Chapter 2

((Chapter 2 of the Western AU is here! The town doctor comes for a visit and spurs some tension. Tagging friends for visibility, but let me know if you prefer to not be! @sgtcalhouns, @bashfulgnome, @sadboytristan))

Chapter Master List

---

The soft clacking of plates spurred Tamora awake. Opening her eyes and wiping the sleep away, she saw Felix busy at his cast-iron stove. 

“Good morning!” he grinned when he spotted her stirring. “Do you drink coffee?”

“I do; black is fine,” she replied. He grabbed his pot and poured her a mug, which she graciously accepted; it’d been a while since she’d had a decent cup.

Relishing the warmth it brought to her fingers, she puffed away some of the steam before taking a sip. For a moment she felt like she was in heaven.

“Good?” the handyman chuckled at her almost transcendent expression. 

“Mm!” Tamora raised her mug before taking another sip. “God… I needed this, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Felix said, tossing some more bits of kindling into the wood burner. 

“Seems I slept through quite a lot,” the blonde remarked, smelling some bacon cooking. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No, no,” the handyman refused. “You’re my guest. Besides, you need plenty of rest.”

Ignoring him, Tamora swung her feet over the mattress's edge. Sure, she felt like she’d been hit by a train, but she was confident.

“Oh, T-Tam! Hang on a moment—” 

The blonde pushed off the cushion, shock on her face when a sharp pain radiated through her left leg as she put her weight on it. She stumbled forward, and Felix caught her in an embrace. Gently, he guided her back to the bed, sitting her down. 

“You need to take it easy,” he said, frowning at her pained expression. “Are you alright?”

“My leg…” Tamora hissed, running her hand along it.

“We should probably get the doctor up here now that you’re awake to check up on you properly.”

“Doctor?” the blonde hesitated, concerned someone else had been aware of her presence. 

“Tamora, I’m decent with some first aid, but you had a hole in your shoulder. I didn’t rightly know what to do,” Felix explained. “He hasn’t seen you, but I did ask him some hypotheticals…Our doctor is a good man. He sees and does many things, no questions asked.”

Tamora thought about it momentarily, the painful throbbing of her leg finally starting to subside. It was hard for her to trust people, but for some reason, she already felt secure in believing the handyman’s intentions were good. But what if she was being foolish? Perhaps one last, hard look in would reveal something new… 

She studied his face, including the shiner she’d given him yesterday before peering into those kind blue eyes. For a moment, she was pulled in, in awe of the way they were the same shade of sapphire his were.

“Tamora?” Felix stammered, snapping her back to the present. He looked concerned, but the pink glowing of his cheeks was unmistakable as he shied away. Not wanting to acknowledge her intrusion, the blonde nodded. 

“Fine…I’ll see your doctor.” 

The handyman smiled, which disappeared at the first whiff of something burning. “Oh goodness!” he leaped off the mattress toward his stove to remove a burning pancake from the cooktop. This allowed Tamora to stew in her embarrassment, her face growing hot when she replayed what just happened in her mind; how close she’d gotten.

She was off her rocker. Luckily, it seemed Felix brushed it off easily, serving her a bountiful plate of food in bed. 

“Breakfast first, then I’ll call for the doctor,” he said with a grin. If the handyman kept this up, Tamora surmised she would soon eat him out of house and home…

She sat up in bed when she heard the rumble of hooves and chattering outside. A firm believer in never being too careful, the blonde rummaged through Felix’s bedside table, almost surprised to find a Colt hidden among the junk. 

Opening the chamber, she noted the number of bullets; zero. Of course. Still, she didn’t let that stop her from aiming it at the front door when it opened. 

Despite the sunlight assaulting her eyes, she glimpsed Felix’s friendly face before another figure silhouetted the door. 

“I am excited to meet this mystery guest of yours— ah!” an Italian man with a mustache and long, fine coat paused when he spotted her. He seemed surprised, but unafraid as he stood in her sights.

“Tam, it’s alright,” Felix insisted, peering over the stranger’s shoulder. With his word, she lowered the firearm.

“Oho!” The doctor was delighted as he pointed to Tamora, then the handyman’s bruised face. “I see! Hai una rosa con le spine!” 

Leaving Felix looking embarrassed by the door, the stranger walked up and offered his hand.

“Ciao, my dear. It is a pleasure to meet you.” 

“Is it?” Tamora tilted her head with a crooked smile, which made the jovial man laugh. 

“It is!” he assured her, putting on a pair of round bifocals. “Dr. Mario, at your service.” 

Beginning his examination, the man checked her bullet wound, impressed when he found it was looking fairly well after just a handful of days. Next, he set out to find the root of Tamora’s other problem. 

Having her lie down, Mario gently lifted her leg, moving and stretching different joints and muscles. Tamora reacted negatively when he focused on the back of her calf. 

“Mamma mia—” he tried again, eliciting a similar response as the blonde hissed. “Ok.”

Stepping back, the man removed his glasses and sat in a nearby chair. 

“Could be strain; could be tear,” he ruminated. “How bad did that hurt?”

“Bad,” Tamora didn’t shy from the truth.  

“Then we treat it like a tear. Give it three to four weeks rest.”

“You’re kidding…” she blanched. “M-my occupation won’t allow for that.”

“Most rarely do,” Mario said solemnly, understanding her plight. “But if you try to push it before fully healed, you risk it getting much worse.”

Standing up, the doctor turned. “I might just have to hire you as my nurse—” he complimented Felix’s work. 

The blonde sat on the bed, tuning out the gentlemen’s conversation. So much for getting out of here as fast as possible…What was she going to do now? What could she do? Her savings were already starting to dwindle before she ended up here. And what if she was still being pursued?

“Tamora?” the handyman's drawl caught her attention. He stood at the doorway, having dismissed Mario moments ago. She looked back at him with wide eyes, and he frowned.

“I understand that was some pretty bad news, but— you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to turn you away.”

“...Why?” 

“Life out here can be harsh, and people can be cruel but…what’s the point of anything if we don’t try taking care of each other? Growing up, I was taught that an act of kindness can spark another and that helping people is the right thing to do. So that’s what I try to live by.”

“There’s goodwill, and then there’s being foolish,” the blonde shook her head. “That way of thinking can get you killed.”

“Well, things have worked out so far… even if it does get the better of me one of these days, I’ll be at peace knowing I did what I could.”

There may have been a time when Tamora believed in the general goodness of people, but that was forcibly stripped along with her humanity years ago. Surely, the man before her hadn’t experienced loss like she had, or they’d be having a very different conversation.

“May I have that back, please?” Felix held his palm out towards the Colt at her side. 

“Do you mean to leave a lady defenseless?” Tamora played to his gentlemanly sensibilities. She showed him the empty chambers, eliciting a frown.

“That was my daddy’s. It’s not used for that purpose anymore.”

The blonde chewed on her tongue before relenting; handing the sentimental piece over. 

“Then what do you use?” 

Tucking the handgun away, Felix reached around the corner to pull his low-caliber hunting rifle into view. Placing the butt of it on the floor, he presented it to her with a sarcastic wave of his hand. When it seemed Tamora wasn’t moved, he sighed, stepping outside. 

Returning, he handed her one of the Smith and Wessons she kept on her horse. Accepting it, Tamora noted the sour look the handyman wore. 

“Is there something you’d like to say?” she asked, placing the revolver on the side table.

“I just— I want you to feel safe here…I just don’t believe guns are the answer.”

“They’re a start,” Tamora folded her arms. “Sorry, but I don’t feel safe anywhere. Call it an ‘occupational hazard.’”

“Then why bounty hunting? Surely there’s something else for you—”

“There is nothing else for me,” Tamora’s voice shook from anger as she stared the handyman down. “I appreciate all you’ve done, but don’t you dare go and try to be my shrink. You have your way of thinking, I have mine, and that is the end of it. I have my reasons, and I sure as hell don’t owe any explanation of my choices to you.”  

After a tense moment, Felix hung his head.

“Yes ma’am. I apologize,” he gulped. “I— I think we both need some time to ourselves… I’ll be in my workshop next door.” 

With a soft clicking of boots and a creak, the handyman left.

[quinloki]

Quicksand

Fem Reader x Sir Crocodile

CW: Language, violence, blood, moral ambiguity, murder, sexual themes and situations, yandere, angst with a happy ending, a referenced instance of physical abuse. 18+ only

Chapter 1 - Table of Consent -

Chapter 10: Smile

Fire and Ice. Heaven and Hell. A rock and a hard place. You were certain that you'd be more comfortable in any of those situations compared to how you felt right now.

You had gotten things moving first thing in the morning. A second shower had helped wake you up, after your deliberately light sleep last night, and coffee was keeping you fueled for the day so far. Things had gone relatively smooth at the beginning of the day - you hadn't been able to avoid sharing breakfast with Doflamingo, since the casino itself wasn't open yet you couldn't use the excuse of work.

The mild discomfort of breakfast was nothing compared to the tension in the air when Crocodile arrived.

You had expected the tension between them to be akin to rival gang members, or a couple Mafia bosses trying to keep the peace between their families in the middle of a wedding. Something out of a movie that was oddly debonair and impressively smooth.

You had not expected that Doflamingo would flirt with Crocodile.

Doflamingo had met you in the morning with more flair than the day before, and you could see why Buggy got along with him. He was easily someone who was plenty flashy. His clothes were more casual, and he had been sporting the biggest, fluffiest, pinkest feather coat to possibly exist. You could hardly believe that this was the same person who had kept himself in check the day before. It was easy enough to ignore during breakfast, as he had kept his demeanor from the day before intact, but when he had greeted Sir Crocodile you had seen a complete shift in his behavior.

"Croco-baby!" Doflamingo's entire space had brightened.

You're sure your face had looked completely horrified, but you didn't see Crocodile even twitch. The distraction had given you a chance to compose yourself, at least and you did your best to keep your professional face intact.

"I'm delighted you agreed to this. I was surprised I didn't have the pleasure of your company when I arrived yesterday." Doflamingo was, as far as you can tell, laying it on thick specifically to get a rise out of your boss.

"I'm over-seeing several Rain Dinners branches, Doflamingo." Crocodile says in an impressively even and apathetic tone. "I hardly cared to make time to arrive today."

"Aww, you made time for me, I'm flattered. You have such capable people working for you Croco, you should let them shoulder more for you so you can relax properly. I can lend you the bed in my room to help you destress. Young Miss (Y/N) could run the auction in my place."

Doflamingo runs his tongue across his upper lip when he finishes speaking, making his implication clear. You're caught between not wanting to share Suwani, and the realization that you found the scenario hot and may you never accidentally admit as much.

"You're here to run the auction as the CEO of Smile, you can't pawn that off on my employees." Crocodile replies flatly.

The sarcasm, irritation, and random hints of innuendo were going to give you gray hairs. Salt in Buggy's coffee wasn't going to be enough to make up for all of this. Your job was, at its core, to keep people happy. The more important the guest, the more you provided to make sure their stay was as pleasant as possible. However, there was no way you could interject between the two of them right now. Never mind the fact that Crocodile was your boss' boss' boss, and the idea of him being defended by someone in your position was laughable, but also you were sure there were years of back history between these two. You simply didn't know enough to effectively intervene.

Doflamingo's arm drapes across your back and his hand lands on your shoulder so suddenly you flinch. It wasn't him or the action itself, it was the fact that you had expected to continue to be ignored, not practically yanked into the conversation.

"Tell him, Miss (Y/N), we've gone over the details of the auction enough you could handle it."

"Capable as I may be, Mr. Donquixote," you reply, recovering from your surprise quickly. "I'm not paid to do more than one job. I decline."

"Fufufu," the tone of his laugh wasn't something you had heard from him before, and there was a strange shift in air. A new weight settled on you, and you realize he's finally, truly, paying attention to you. "If it's a matter of compensation, Miss (Y/N)-."

"Hardly," you interject quickly, there's no way you're going to find out if he means to compensate you with his money or his time. "Being unofficially compensated is illegal, Mr. Donquixote. I decline."

There's a second of silence and then Doflamingo laughs. It's an impressive sound, but you're not thrilled to be hearing it, and from the flash of emotion on Crocodile's face, neither is he.

Doflamingo straightens up and removes his hand from your shoulder. You feel your body relax, even though you hadn't realized that you were tense to begin with. You curse inwardly, you're getting pulled around by a VIP instead of keeping him in line. Not that Doflamingo was your typical VIP, but you had years of experience at this job.

You pull your phone from your pocket to check the time as Doflamingo returns to bantering – or badgering - Crocodile. Despite the Warlord's words, you're not sure if he wants to sleep with Crocodile, so much as he wants to get into a fight with him. Though maybe for the Warlord there wasn't much difference between the two.

"My apologies for interrupting, but the Auction begins in an hour." You report when there's a breath of silence in which to do so. "Mr. Donquixote, you should head to the venue to finalize the item order and deal with any last-minute issues to ensure a smooth start."

"Capable indeed," Donquixote muses, and his tone sends a shiver up your spine that you're barely able to suppress. "Very well, let's get this amusement going, shall we Croco-baby?"

Crocodile grunts at Doflamingo, before turning toward you. "Miss (Y/N), send Buggy to the Auction Venue, and enjoy the rest of the day off."

You bow. "Yes, Sir Crocodile."

After you turn and leave you hear Doflamingo. "I'm still going to be here after the auction, why are you sending my little pet away? I was just starting to like her."

"I don't need you sending my capable employees running for the hills, you feathery bastard."

Crocodile's tone was steady, but the words still made you smile.

. . . . .

You enjoyed your time off Wednesday, and you informed Buggy before you had sent him to the auction venue that you were taking Thursday as well, and it was his fault. Doflamingo was too flashy and if Buggy didn't want salted coffee for the rest of his days, he wasn't going to argue with you.

Unsurprisingly you didn't hear anything from Crocodile on Wednesday. You expected that he had his hands full with Doflamingo, and afterward he probably wanted – and needed – nothing more than to sleep. You had only dealt with the muted version of the man for the most part, and exhaustion had sunk into your bones from it.

You woke up Thursday to a single text.

Suwani: I would like to treat you to more than just dinner, if you would permit me the honor of buying you a gift.

You: I'm texting you on a gift.

"You need only offer yourself, (Y/N), as you are, and I will grant your desires even if they are numerous as the sands."

The memory bubbled up, and for a moment you could feel his warmth wrapped around you, the low voice filled with desire and need sinking into your skin.

You: But... since my desires aren't as numerous as the sands, then I will do my best to accept yours.

It felt a bit like playing with fire to send such a text, but you were already well aware that you weren't going to be able to stem the tide of gifts that Suwani would want to provide for you. A man who had everything he could want – at least in a material sense – wasn't going to be concerned with silly little things like cost. Or frequency, for that matter.

Suwani: Then I won't hold back.

Suwani: I will be by at 1pm. You needn't worry about dressing for dinner. I hope you can forgive me for not being subtle, if only for today.

The second text came before you could think of any reply to the first.

Your head tilted and your face went a bit pink. You weren't sure what he was implying by saying you didn't need to dress for dinner.

You: ... Are you requesting I greet you naked at the door? Or are you telling me to dress casually?

There was a long pause before a text finally came through.

Suwani: Today is a gift for you, Miss Wednesday, not me. Dress casually.

"I mean, it would be a gift for me too," you muse, even as your face goes hot. You had been looking forward to having a full and actual date today, so you kept your musings to yourself.

You: I will be ready and casually dressed by 1.

You decide on a light lunch and get ready for the day. You wear loose slacks and a nice short sleeved shirt, and some decent shoes that could almost pass for dress shoes except the soles were more like sneakers than anything else. You're full of nervous energy and find that you're grateful you had slept in. Imagining sitting around like this since 7am instead of 10am was enough to almost knot your stomach.

When the doorbell rings you almost jump and have to swallow your heart before you open the door.

Sir Crocodile stands in the doorway and he is dressed to the nines. He's in a dark suit with a deep red ascot, and a white scarf hanging from his shoulders. His hair is slicked back save for one errant lock, and frankly you think it looks better a little messy than completely brushed back.

"I thought you said casual," you question despite the smile on your face. You're caught a bit off guard, but not displeased at all by the view.

"You'll be dressed to match, shortly." He assures you with a small smile. His hand that you hadn't even noticed was behind his back, comes into view with a bouquet of a dozen red roses. "A full and proper date begins with flowers."

"I... wow. I suppose it does." You take the bouquet carefully.

"Put them in your fridge for now, and they'll keep until you can put them into water. Or my secretary recommends hanging them upside down and letting them dry."

"The fridge for now, I guess." You murmur softly, leaning in and enjoying the scent of fresh roses. "Uh, give me a moment and I'll be ready to leave."

You place the roses into the fridge carefully, and gather your wallet, keys, and phone before stepping outside. Crocodile offers his arm, and you slip your own through it.

"Escorted from my door? The closet I had to something like this was prom, and there were six of us," you admit sheepishly.

"It's a shame to hear, but it's good to know such an honor is mine alone." He says smoothly, bringing your hand up to his lips for a soft kiss, and making your cheeks go red.

When you reach the ground floor and step outside you finally understand what he had meant when he had asked to be forgiven for not being subtle. An older classic car, complete with a chauffeur, was waiting at the end of the walkway. The tall, severe faced man, had a scar across his eye and muscles enough to probably lift the car and simply walk about town with it if he so desired.

"Miss (Y/N), please meet the punctual Mr. One."

The tall man's gaze shifts down to you and he bows ever so slightly. "It is a pleasure, Miss."

The interaction was enough for you to finally realize that, for the Warlord's people at least, you were the boss' girlfriend. Unlike someone like Doflamingo, who seemed to naturally have a different lady on his arm for each public appearance, Crocodile hadn't been seen in public with anyone on his arm. Until, perhaps, tonight.

"Ah, um, for me as well, Mr. One." You manage, the weight of several things kind of sinking into you all at once.

"Are you okay?" Crocodile asks, leaning down and squeezing your hand a little.

You smile. "Yes, I think there's just uh, an understanding dawning on me, is all."

"Oh?" He prompts, opening the door for you.

"I... I'm going on a date with a government-sanctioned gangster, and I don't even have a speeding ticket. It's a little surreal."

"Miss (Y/N), I hope that isn't how you think of me." There's a small look of concern on his face as you sit down in the back of the car.

"If it was, Suwani, I would've walked away at the café." You assure him.

He leans in with a smile, tilting your chin up and stealing a kiss before closing the door and walking around to the other side. Crocodile was seated behind the driver's seat, and you could feel the soft smile from the corner of your gaze. You couldn't look at him right now, despite all that you had done, you hadn't done anything publicly. Not that you think the stone-faced Mr. One qualified as the public, as he sat in the driver's seat managing to be both attentive to your needs - should you have any - and completely ignorant of your actions - should you want privacy.

You reach out with your left hand and slide your fingers across Crocodile's. The shift of his hand as he quietly twines his warm fingers with yours makes you blush harder, even if no one was looking. It was moments like these that made it difficult to see him as some crime-lord Warlord, or even as CEO/Owner of Rain Dinners.

You were, as the car pulled into a boutique that was so high end that it had a valet service, glad that you had chosen to eat a light lunch. Mr. One opened the door for Crocodile first, and then for you, though it was Crocodile who took your hand as you stepped out.

"I've never felt underdressed for a store before." You whisper, as you fold your arm in his.

"Soon you won't be underdressed for anything." He assures you.

It took everything you had not to hide behind Sir Crocodile as you entered the store. You were greeted by an employee who was dressed in a business suit, and that was probably the most casual item available in the whole store.

"Ah, Sir Crocodile, it is a pleasure to see you today." The employee greets him smoothly. "How may we serve you?"

"My companion and I have reservations at Baratie's this evening, and I wish to gift her a complete outfit to match." Crocodile says. "I believe preparations have been made?"

"Ah, yes! Mrs. Carter has been setting things up since yesterday. There are three young ladies in the back to assist, as we assumed it would be more comfortable that way." The employee says, smiling politely at you.

"More... comfortable?"

"They may need to assist you with getting dressed, but you will have privacy." Crocodile explains. "We have a few hours available in case there are tailoring adjustments to be made."

"It is our full service, Miss." The employee adds. "Your hair, nails, makeup, dress, shoes, and accessories will be provided. There are several options for you to choose from so you can select your preferences while still matching with Sir Crocodile."

You open and close your mouth a few times, unsure of what to say or how to act.

"Do you need a moment?" Crocodile asks softly.

"I... it's a bit much." You admit.

"It's hardly enough." He responds, a frown pulling at his lips.

"Is this restrained?"

"Barely, but yes. I had considered buying the shop."

"... Oh, please tell me you are joking." You lean against him, feigning feeling faint.

"Perhaps, a little." He says a small smile on his lips. "I could, but I knew such an act would be almost cruel. I considered simply buying you a dress and such, but this way you can choose what you like. To me, that was worth risking overwhelming you a little."

His words give your brain a chance to process what's going on and you can feel your face go pink. It was a huge gesture, from your perspective, but a compromise from his perspective. A compromise made specifically to benefit you, since he could have simply chosen for you.

"I... thank you." You say after a moment. "I feel like it falls short in the face of all this to simply say thank you, but... I, um... I accept it."

Crocodile leans down and kisses the top of your head. "Then it is I who will thank you. Try to relax and enjoy it."

"Will you be... uh, where will you be?"

"My plan was to wait in the cigar room, but if you prefer I join you-." His expression is part teasing, part legitimate offer.

"Ah, no, no. It's - that's fine." You interject. "I'll be back as soon as I can." You promise, unsure of just how much control you were actually going to have over how long the whole process would take.

A/N - Crocodile's car - I didn't get into the details of it in the story cause the reader in this story isn't into cars, so she doesn't know what it is. But you can know it's a (1959 or 1961) Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II

[whispersafterdusk]

Ensuring the Future - ch 1

**WARNING: if you have not finished all of Sandrock's and Miguel's stories this will be spoilers from start to finish**

It was Thursday which meant an early morning walk from the temple to City Hall to file the weekly water usage reports (and on the first Thursday of every month Miguel would file the import reports as well). As he'd slotted the file into the correct cabinet Matilda had greeted him so excitedly - almost falling over herself to tell him the good news: a second builder had finally accepted the remaining open contract.

When Mason had announced his impending retirement it had taken six months before Mi-an accepted the first one. While awaiting her arrival Matilda had had the idea of adding a small stipend to the contract, to try and quickly attract applicants (and of course it was added to Mi-an's as well, to be fair) for that last contract, which Miguel had considered a needless gamble with their limited resources (among...other problems) but it seemed it had paid off and the builder would be here within 3 days. ((Continued below cut - and, again, SPOILER WARNING))

He'd been all smiles and hopefulness for Matilda but once she'd gone to inform Yan and ask Mi-an to meet their new builder at the train station he felt his good mood sour a bit. Another variable to figure out... Not the end of the world but not ideal; there were appearances to keep if things were to proceed without bloodshed - a careful balance to maintain. Mi-an had proven to be naive and easily cowed but Miguel doubted this second builder would be as simple to manage... Well, he supposed he would find out soon. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to introduce himself as soon as possible, to assess this newcomer and determine how much trouble they would be.

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

Though he'd wanted to greet their new builder on the day of their arrival his duties had kept him busy until the evening, and while he considered still making the trip out to introduce himself it didn't feel exactly proper to intrude on their night; no doubt they were in that moldering workshop settling in after an exhausting day of touring the town and being bombarded by new faces. Miguel was familiar with such - he'd felt overwhelmed and more than a little out of place when he'd first arrived in Sandrock and there were still days where he keenly felt like an outsider still...perhaps along with assessing the builder he could offer some guidance on that front as well.

The saloon was buzzing with chatter when he'd dropped in to order something to take back to his room to continue working until it was time for bed (sermons did not write themselves, after all) and here and there he'd catch snippets about the builder - "nice" and "polite" and "so proper!" and so on. It seemed they'd at least gotten someone with manners...that alone would be a breath of fresh air compared to the usual rabble in town.

Something caused him to pause at the door however -- the barest hint of a name amongst the conversations: Olivia. It was gone in an instant, lost in the multitude of voices, but the sudden and familiar gut punch of regret lingered on afterward; sucking in a breath Miguel shoved through the doors and out into the much quieter dark, exhaling slowly. Olivia... Was that the new builder's name? Surely not... Though he could hardly hold the girl responsible for what her parents had named her if that was indeed her name then having her around was going to be a constant exercise in composure, never mind all the other issues he'd been imagining off and on all day whenever he'd had a moment to breathe between his tasks.

"What an unfortunate coincidence," he sighed, tipping his head back briefly. "How many lanterns have I sent to the heavens with that name on it?" At least 30, not counting the years he'd released more than one.

...the sky was especially clear tonight and felt downright pleasant with the scant breeze blowing lazily over the town. He would bring his work and his dinner outside and enjoy the weather while he could, and attempt to steel himself for speaking to the builder tomorrow.

Her name is not her fault, he repeated in his mind as he walked back up to the dormitory.

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

The old bed was creaky, smelled musty, and just barely serviceable; as Olivia begrudgingly opened her eyes to a knock at the door she vowed the first thing she would do today (after a pot of coffee) was head back to that little general store and purchase a new mattress -- the frame itself just needed a few nails to vanquish the squeaks and pillows were will within her ability to make immediately but she had neither the patience or a young enough back to last long enough to make the mattress herself.

Another knock on the door drew out a quiet groan as she leveraged herself up on an elbow; she'd agreed to meet with Mi-an again this morning to discuss divvying up the shameful backlog of commissions (what HAD the previous builder been doing all this time?) but she probably should have specified an actual time rather than "at the crack of dawn."

Grunting she swung her legs out of the bed and gingerly stood up, testing her weight on her right leg; the train ride had aggravated the limb even with her preemptively wearing the brace for the trip and while there was a dull ache from hip to calf it held firm and there were no debilitating sharp, shooting pains -- she could make do with the cane for the day, most likely. She picked up and plopped the brace into a drawer in the nightstand (THAT needed some nails too - wobbly) then grabbed her cane and hobbled slowly over to the door while using her free hand to attempt to comb her long, currently unruly hair into some semblance of order.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming," she grumbled as the knocking came again.

As expected a bright-eyed and cheerful Mi-an was on the other side, and she was pleased to see at least a little bit of sheepishness once the younger woman had taken in her appearance.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, I just thought..."

Olivia waved a hand and moved from the door, leaving it open for her to decide whether to enter or not. "It's fine. I have never been a morning person - I will only wake with the sun because I am expected to, not because I like it. Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Mi-an came in and closed the door behind her. "Wow... Mason must have lived very um...sparsely."

"Or else he sold everything he could get away with," Olivia retorted, and it came out sharper than she'd intended. "I suppose a table, a chair, a bed, and a nightstand count as 'fully furnished.' At least the stove and toilet were left behind as well, and I had the foresight to already own cookware and flatware." No fridge though...yet another thing she needed to take care of quickly.

"I can bring you some stools, if you like? Maybe Matilda didn't realize it was so empty in here..."

Olivia set a pot of water on the stove to boil. "Stools would be welcome for outside work. Given time I'll whip this place into shape -- your general store DOES sell mattresses, yes?"

"I could make you one?" Mi-an offered.

She turned and could see the girl hovering awkwardly near the lone chair at the single table. "I could make one myself, I just require one immediately."

"Oh. In that case, Arvio can order them in but he does sell really nice mattress toppers in the meantime? I have one on my bed and mine is..." she trailed off, looking at the old bed in the corner. "Newer, and... Mine doesn't even need one but it's still nice to have."

"Mmm. It will have to do." She moved to the cabinet to retrieve the canister of grounds and from the corner of her eye could see Mi-an trying - and failing - to not steal glances at the cane; when she'd arrived yesterday she'd been wearing a long skirt over the brace, with the cane packed away in her traveling trunk. "-go on, ask away."

"Ask? Ask what?" Mi-an repeated quietly, smiling awkwardly.

Olivia came over to sit in the chair. "It's an old injury. Most of the time I wear a brace to support everything - had it on yesterday when I arrived. It isn't hurting too badly today so I can manage with the cane, and on those days where it hardly hurts at all I can do without both."

"Gotcha. It's a pretty cane!"

As her back was to Mi-an Olivia allowed herself a tired smile - it WAS a pretty cane. Enameled metal in a bright red and orange swirling pattern with a plain silver handle that looked like a sword's rounded pommel - a very purposeful design. "Thank you. It is my own creation and serves me well." She could hear the water boiling now and went to measure out the appropriate amount of grounds and clip a tiny sieve onto the side of the pot (another little invention of hers, built to fit this specific pot - though, usually she only used it when camping rough. An actual coffee pot would be acquired in the near future but for now this would suffice). Once it had boiled long enough she poured the coffee from the pot through the sieve into a pair of mugs. "I'm afraid all I have is sugar at the moment."

"Yeah...I guess Mason didn't leave you any way to keep things cold," Mi-an said, wrinkling her nose as she looked around again. "...I actually don't even see where a fridge might have sat. But there's no way he lived here all this time without a way to keep food fresh, right?"

"At this point I wouldn't dare speculate 'lest I fall further into unfairly judging a man I've said six words to," Olivia sighed. She returned the coffee canister to the cabinet and tucked the little tin of sugar into her elbow, then moved it and one of the full mugs to the table. "Spoons are over in that little wooden box atop the trunk, if you please."

"Sure," Mi-an replied, hurrying over to grab the aforementioned box. There was a metallic rattle as the contents inside shifted; she sat it on the table between them and opened it to reveal the silverware within it -- 4 each of forks, large spoons, smaller spoons, and table and steak knives, all in silver with black wooden handles.

Olivia grabbed one of the spoons and dipped three spoonfuls of sugar into her coffee and stirred, then carried it with her as she headed toward the tiny bathroom. "Go ahead and have a seat - I am going to attempt to make myself presentable."

A splash of water, a brush dragged through her hair and then the majority of it pulled up and secured with her favorite hair clip - a little curved shield with a hairpin shaped like a sword to hold the hair within the clip...a gift from her old master. One of the few sentimental items that had both survived the years and was something she was willing to let other people see.

A clean shirt finished off morning preparations (or at least as much as she was willing to do for current company); it wasn't as refreshing as a morning shower but she would get used to that...probably. At the very least she looked more human as she slowly headed back out to Mi-an, finding that the girl had put a notebook in the middle of the table and was standing there waiting for her return.

"I hope you don't mind but I actually got up earlier than this and was at the commerce guild as soon as President Yan-"

Olivia snorted loudly at "president" Yan (and noted the mention of time - it wasn't as early as she was thinking, apparently).

"-uh, as, as soon as the door was unlocked," Mi-an went on after a moment. "And, I wrote down all of the remaining commissions on the board, grouped them by material and ordered them from oldest to newest."

"Efficient," Olivia said approvingly.

Mi-an smiled brightly and gestured at the notebook. "Thanks! I figured we could split them more or less evenly and knock them out over a matter of days. Most of them are just small things like screws, boards, and bricks."

Olivia settled into the chair and rested the cane against her thigh, grabbing the notebook with her freed hand and skimming the list. "-separate it out as you see fit and I'll complete what's assigned to me."

"What? You're...are you sure? You get a choice in this too you know."

"You know what you are set up and able to already make, and I will adjust as needed to do the rest."

"All right. If you're sure."

"Mmhmm," Olivia hummed into a gulp of coffee but pausing before getting to swallow as another knock came at the door. "--oh come now... I am not awake enough for company yet."

Mi-an moved out of her way as she stood again and moved to answer the door, coffee still in hand. At the door she leaned the cane against the wall and tugged the door open.

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

Though it was early it didn't seem TOO early - the commerce guild did open promptly at 7am and it was half passed nine now. Assuming the builder was home it should be a quick trip to introduce himself and invite her to the sunday sermons; he could stand to do at least that much for this first interaction.

It appeared there had been some effort in tidying up the yard so there was less junk to pick a path through as Miguel entered the gate and approached the door.

At the door, hand raised to knock, he took a last deep breath. It was just a name.

It was just a name.

He knocked and waited, hands clasped behind his back.

There were footsteps beyond the door with a regular thump along with them and the door opened to reveal--

Dark, long, and wavy hair - graying at the temples but still worn in the same way as she had in her youth. Hazel eyes with deep laugh lines at the corners. A subtly hooked nose, full lips, narrow face and-

No. No... How...

At the same time Miguel felt he couldn't get enough air into his lungs and also that there was too much air there as he watched the woman's eyes flick up and down his figure before there was the sudden recognition and her jaw dropped (as did the mug of coffee in her hand - he was faintly aware of the liquid splattering across his shoes and pantslegs as the cup shattered at their feet).

"Olivia..." he whispered.

It wasn't a name. It wasn't just a name. She was here...here!

Alive!

[stusbunker]

Just Another Daydream

For Better or Worst: Chapter Fourteen

Featuring: Sam x Emery Simmons-Winchester OFC

Other Characters: Naomi, Bandit (dog OC)

Season 14 AU

Word Count: 2450

Summary: Someone comes to tea.

Series Masterlist

The days chugged along with little change and less news. Summer burned bright around them, cookouts, car washes, and farmers’ markets bursting with new wares every weekend. Trudy, designer stroller in tow, passed by each morning while Emery lounged thoughtfully with Bandit in the hammock on the front porch. Jason each night with the dogs’ leashes locked on his belt as Sam pulled into the driveway, blocking the meager traffic as Mox inevitably goaded Bandit through the window. The stretching days were heavy on their thoughts, which were kept mostly to themselves.

The break between semesters held little diversion for Emery, especially as Sam continued a work-week routine. Days that had been spent with video game marathons, reading lakeside, or being lost in a museum during her past life held little validation now. The once upon a time when her daily schedule was dictated by Georgie’s smile was unimaginable now. Usually the biggest perk of teaching; weeks of freedom, now only reverberated the quiet like a vacated room, emptied of purpose.

She forced herself to ignore it.

Sam had no idea what they were going to do. They waited on news from Cas, while Sam spent half of his working hours digging through the university’s limited source material. Though the digitally shared archive network was compelling, his searches remained fruitless for their current circumstances. Which wasn’t surprising, theirs was a perfect storm of unprecedented desperation. The weight of it all (the deals, Emery’s son’s soul and Dean’s mental state) was forging him into someone he didn’t quite recognize. Functionally and consciously closed off from those he loved, Sam Winchester was relearning what loneliness meant.

An aching Sam told himself he was justified in sticking his heels into.

Though he and Emery hadn’t stopped sharing a room, Sam generally slept in the den. Emery kept to her side of their bed when he came through for his clothing each morning. The space left open a reminder of the man he could have been for her. The man he almost was. The lie he had lived and had to overcome. It hadn’t gotten any easier being in their manner of partnership with their truths exposed; mix-matched baggage that only seemed to clutter the proverbial waiting room more. 

Western real estate was of little consequence to angels in general, but Naomi prided herself on the procurement of the fully updated bungalow that had been home to Sam Winchester and Emery Simmons for the past seven months. She was oddly relieved by the level of care they had taken to maintain it as she climbed the front steps one Wednesday afternoon, just before three. The dog, naturally, announced her arrival before she could knock.

Naomi straightened her shoulders and tried to calm her vessel. She wasn’t used to delivering messages to those on Earth, not that this was a grand proclamation. But overseeing the frail structure of Heaven had slowly eroded her previous righteous confidence. She still had a job to do; Naomi needed to be certain her ducks were in a row. 

The woman’s face fell the moment she opened the door, eyes aghast and chest rising with a deep inhale. Naomi wasn’t sure if fear was the appropriate response to her arrival, but humans had always been overly dramatic. 

“Good afternoon, Emery. I hope I’m not interrupting,” Naomi gave her her best mild interest.

Emery swallowed and shook her head. “Not at all, come in.”

“Thank you,” Naomi replied, bowing her head slightly as she stepped through the doorway.

“I made some sun tea, if you’d like?” Emery continued to breathe deeply, and she tripped over  the syllables.

“That sounds lovely, thank you.” Naomi smiled, trying to keep up the human pleasantries, before easing into business at hand. She followed Emery to the back of the house where a large glass pitcher waited on the kitchen island. The dog groaned from beside the refrigerator at her presence, Naomi eyed him thoughtfully. Canines were incredibly intuitive creatures, but generally left for the humans to manage. She had never understood their appeal.

“So, are you just passing through? Or is there something I should be worried about nearby?” Emery attempted humor, “Got some smiting happening? Oooo, or maybe a miracle? Is that your department?”

Naomi bit her tongue and plastered on a reassuring smile. Emery froze on the spot.

“What’s wrong?”

Naomi shook her head, keeping her expression soft, pleasant even. “I stopped by to check on things here.”

They sat at the island, a stool between them for companionable distance. Emery clutched her glass and forced a smile on her face. “Good, I mean, I’m a bit bored in the summer, but things have been--- good. Why do you ask?”

Naomi hesitated, but not long enough to draw out any alarm, just enough to gather her thoughts. “There have been some--- developments--- and I wanted to ensure that things here are stable and unencumbered.”

Emery tried to hold back her excitement. “What kind of developments?”

Naomi looked at Emery like she would her students, asking questions they should know the answer to already or those she couldn’t give them. “Sources have located your son and we are monitoring him through a network, but it appears he has been taken in by a pack.”

Emery froze, skin prickling in the dry afternoon air. Months with nothing and this news should be a blessing, but it just sits lopsided on the desktop of her mind. Sam’s distrust of Heaven fights against her relief at Georgie's safety and then the reality that her son has been adopted by another family. A family who is not her, afterlife or no, that burns through her, jealousy certainly, but also the deep unfaltering need to protect her own. That’s her job.

“A pack.”

Naomi really tried to be delicate, but she didn’t have the humanity to be. “Purgatory is a land of viciousness. The fact that he was taken in by some of his own kind gives him the best chance at survival.”

Survival. Emery could still lose Georgie. She could fail him further. “Oh. That’s--- okay, thank you. That makes more sense.”

“It’s hard for you--- without your powers,” Naomi tells her more than asks.

Bandit shifts on the floor, tags brushing against the laminate. Emery scoffs.

“I know you want to see what I’m telling you, but you need to trust me. It’s safer this way.”

‘You’re safer this way’ Emery couldn’t help but think. Brushing away the internal snark, she softened her face and nodded at Naomi. “Of course. Whatever I can do to help.”

Bandit stood and stretched, disrupting the intensity of the conversation as he strolled out of the kitchen and down into the den. Naomi sipped her tea, nose scrunching under the chemical combination that made up the drink. Emery looked away, taking her own drink to blatantly taste it for herself. Perfect.

“Emery, how’s Sam?”

Emery chokes on her swallow. Naomi’s stare only deepens.

Sam stepped out of the side exit and nearly collided with a pair of students vaping in the seclusion between buildings and the well trimmed bushes. The mid afternoon sun nearly blinding, Sam cleared his throat and turned in the opposite direction, keeping his thoughts and annoyance to himself. There weren’t that many summer courses, why were they even hanging around this late in the day? He straightened his shoulders, took a deep breath and upped his pace, taking the long way around to the parking lot. His arms full of books and notes, his satchel heavy at his side, he approached the car. Sam didn’t stop himself from glancing in the backseat with lingering hope of news from Cas.

Hot from the workday, Sam aired out the vehicle as he put his things in the backseat. He chose to work from home for the rest of the week, unable to gain any more information on the spell or the concept of true marriage that Cas had mentioned at the library. What he wouldn’t give to have his real books to comb through. Or, the Men of Letters’ books at least. Sam huffed at himself because he knew Dean would have teased him for that notion. It made the hole inside his chest throb with remembrance, with purpose.

He rubbed his hand down his bearded face and climbed into the driver’s seat.

Bandit wasn’t in the yard to greet him. Sam brushed off the prickle of paranoia and reminded himself that he was home earlier than usual. Overburdened, Sam walked in the backdoor, but it wasn’t until he heard voices speaking in hushed tones that he realized his instincts were right. Sam carefully unloaded his research materials onto the dryer and listened. Silently, Bandit found him, forlorn the dog accepted his pets and gave a lackluster wag of his tail. With a deep breath and a wrench from the toolbox left in the mudroom, Sam walked into the kitchen.

What he saw confused him: Emery smirking at Naomi, a plate of cookies between them and a tension so thick he could have hit with his impromptu weapon. 

“Speak of the Devil,” Emery teased, eyes wide, but smile still intact.

“I’d rather not,” Naomi muttered, tossing back the last of her tea.

Sam’s face and reasoning went through a journey, landing on confused, yet comical indignation. Was he supposed to know that jab was literal? Does Naomi know he knows who he is? The topic of Lucifer is never Sam’s favorite. But, now, he had a guest in his house. Good thing he used to lie professionally. Sam begrudgingly set the futile wrench on the counter behind the speaker dock, out of view.

“Hey! I didn’t realize you were coming over.” Sam looked to his wife as he walked around the island, planting himself in her bubble and playing nice. “What brings you?”

Naomi, clearly surprised by Sam’s warm welcome, chewed on her words.

Sam continued, arm draping over Emery’s shoulders. “I know I’m home early, but Emery didn’t mention you were in town. I’m not intruding on work talk, am I?”

The moment lengthened as Sam tried to pull up more of the false memories he had been fed. Emery and Naomi looked at each other with mutual suspicion. 

Emery laughed, patting Sam’s forearm, unable to clear the awkwardness. “You! We were, um, actually talking about you. Were your ears burning?”

Sam raised his eyebrows, taking time to tuck Emery tighter to his side. “All good things I hope?”

Emery spoke to Sam in the little alcove created by their proximity, both very aware of each other in an immediate and physical sense. “Now why would we be saying good things? That’s much too boring.”

Sam understood. “Uh-huh, well I should have known,” the tease in the inflection for their guest only. He held Emery’s eyes, squeezing her arm to reassure her the only way he could.

“You seem to be adjusting well,” Naomi interrupted their pretense of flirting. Meanwhile, Bandit slumped off to the den, feeling his people were safe enough to be left alone.

“What? Oh-- the house? Yeah, wasn’t too hard, helps to have somebody to help fill the space with,” Sam replied casually. “Bandit is an awesome roommate.”

Emery elbowed Sam. 

“What?! He is.”

Emery shook her head and muttered threats at her husband.

“I was just stopping by to check on things. Make sure you are both on track,” Naomi continued, eyes boring into the side of Sam’s face.

He turned towards the Angel, dawning confusion apparent on his features. “Is there something we should be doing?”

Naomi glanced at Emery in wistful solidarity. Sam was internally vibrating with the need to act, outside he was nearly playful. If Emery hadn’t lived with him as long as she had, she wouldn’t have been able to notice it, but his smirk was more hostile than she liked.

“You should be showering, stinky!” Emery teased. “We’re just catching up. Go on, seriously, I’ll be here when you’re presentable for dinner, young man.”

Naomi watched the humans with mild amusement, they seemed so oblivious to everything, and yet she knew what they each were capable of. She couldn’t leave without ensuring the bond was secure. She waited, watching them verbally dance around the topic at hand and through the need for personal hygiene around guests. Emery won and Sam, in mock defeat, left them to continue.

“I never thought I’d see the day when a Winchester was housebroken,” Naomi said with a hint of admiration in her tone. “Nonetheless, I want to make it clear to you, if anything happens on your end, the whole thing will fall apart. And not just your deals, with George and Dean, but Heaven itself. Keep him on his leash, or we all lose.”

Emery exhaled and looked to the stairs, where she knew Sam was still listening in, despite the shower running in their bathroom. “I don’t know what you did, Naomi. But Sam’s been… different. It’s like he was never a hunter at all. If there is a kink in the wire, it isn’t from Sam--- or me.”

Naomi bit her tongue, literally injuring her vessel as the news of Sam’s mangled memories sunk in. She knew something was off, but she didn’t know who to blame for it now. It seemed convenient, too convenient. She smiled, terrifyingly rapt, “I see. Let’s keep it that way, shall me?”

Emery agreed. The pretense of tea and cookies long over, Naomi stood. With what little niceties Emery had left, she followed the Angel back out the front door. Bandit had silently returned to their heels.

“I’ll be in touch, but if anything comes up or if Sam starts acting like himself again, call me?” Naomi produced a business card from her inside breast pocket. 

Emery took it without breaking eye contact. “I will. And I hope you will honor your promises as well.”

Naomi’s bright eyes clouded in anger. “I stand by my word. Make sure you do the same.”

Emery watched her march down the steps and back onto the sidewalk. It was oddly gratifying to watch a wingless Angel resort to human modes of transportation. Slowly she backed into the house and closed the door before bolting up the stairs to talk to Sam. She rounded the corner into their bedroom and was stopped with two large hands encasing her shoulders.

Sam looked down at her with a stern silence. Scared, Emery glanced up at him, almost in shame. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sam carefully shook his head. He tapped his watch. And she knew he was right. She nodded in agreement, yet still terrified.

The time had come.

Tell me what you think!

It’s been so long, I’m not tagging anyone.

[sir-sunawani]

Quicksand

Fem Reader x Sir Crocodile

20 Chapters - 46,838 words

Read it on Ao3 or Wattpad

CW: Language, violence, blood, moral ambiguity, murder, sexual themes and situations, yandere, angst with a happy ending, a referenced instance of physical abuse. 18+ only

Chapter 10: Smile

Fire and Ice. Heaven and Hell. A rock and a hard place. You were certain that you'd be more comfortable in any of those situations compared to how you felt right now.

You had gotten things moving first thing in the morning. A second shower had helped wake you up, after your deliberately light sleep last night, and coffee was keeping you fueled for the day so far. Things had gone relatively smooth at the beginning of the day - you hadn't been able to avoid sharing breakfast with Doflamingo, since the casino itself wasn't open yet you couldn't use the excuse of work.

The mild discomfort of breakfast was nothing compared to the tension in the air when Crocodile arrived.

You had expected the tension between them to be akin to rival gang members, or a couple Mafia bosses trying to keep the peace between their families in the middle of a wedding. Something out of a movie that was oddly debonair and impressively smooth.

You had not expected that Doflamingo would flirt with Crocodile.

Doflamingo had met you in the morning with more flair than the day before, and you could see why Buggy got along with him. He was easily someone who was plenty flashy. His clothes were more casual, and he had been sporting the biggest, fluffiest, pinkest feather coat to possibly exist. You could hardly believe that this was the same person who had kept himself in check the day before. It was easy enough to ignore during breakfast, as he had kept his demeanor from the day before intact, but when he had greeted Sir Crocodile you had seen a complete shift in his behavior.

"Croco-baby!" Doflamingo's entire space had brightened.

You're sure your face had looked completely horrified, but you didn't see Crocodile even twitch. The distraction had given you a chance to compose yourself, at least and you did your best to keep your professional face intact.

"I'm delighted you agreed to this. I was surprised I didn't have the pleasure of your company when I arrived yesterday." Doflamingo was, as far as you can tell, laying it on thick specifically to get a rise out of your boss.

"I'm over-seeing several Rain Dinners branches, Doflamingo." Crocodile says in an impressively even and apathetic tone. "I hardly cared to make time to arrive today."

"Aww, you made time for me, I'm flattered. You have such capable people working for you Croco, you should let them shoulder more for you so you can relax properly. I can lend you the bed in my room to help you destress. Young Miss (Y/N) could run the auction in my place."

Doflamingo runs his tongue across his upper lip when he finishes speaking, making his implication clear. You're caught between not wanting to share Suwani, and the realization that you found the scenario hot and may you never accidentally admit as much.

"You're here to run the auction as the CEO of Smile, you can't pawn that off on my employees." Crocodile replies flatly.

The sarcasm, irritation, and random hints of innuendo were going to give you gray hairs. Salt in Buggy's coffee wasn't going to be enough to make up for all of this. Your job was, at its core, to keep people happy. The more important the guest, the more you provided to make sure their stay was as pleasant as possible. However, there was no way you could interject between the two of them right now. Never mind the fact that Crocodile was your boss' boss' boss, and the idea of him being defended by someone in your position was laughable, but also you were sure there were years of back history between these two. You simply didn't know enough to effectively intervene.

Doflamingo's arm drapes across your back and his hand lands on your shoulder so suddenly you flinch. It wasn't him or the action itself, it was the fact that you had expected to continue to be ignored, not practically yanked into the conversation.

"Tell him, Miss (Y/N), we've gone over the details of the auction enough you could handle it."

"Capable as I may be, Mr. Donquixote," you reply, recovering from your surprise quickly. "I'm not paid to do more than one job. I decline."

"Fufufu," the tone of his laugh wasn't something you had heard from him before, and there was a strange shift in air. A new weight settled on you, and you realize he's finally, truly, paying attention to you. "If it's a matter of compensation, Miss (Y/N)-."

"Hardly," you interject quickly, there's no way you're going to find out if he means to compensate you with his money or his time. "Being unofficially compensated is illegal, Mr. Donquixote. I decline."

There's a second of silence and then Doflamingo laughs. It's an impressive sound, but you're not thrilled to be hearing it, and from the flash of emotion on Crocodile's face, neither is he.

Doflamingo straightens up and removes his hand from your shoulder. You feel your body relax, even though you hadn't realized that you were tense to begin with. You curse inwardly, you're getting pulled around by a VIP instead of keeping him in line. Not that Doflamingo was your typical VIP, but you had years of experience at this job.

You pull your phone from your pocket to check the time as Doflamingo returns to bantering – or badgering - Crocodile. Despite the Warlord's words, you're not sure if he wants to sleep with Crocodile, so much as he wants to get into a fight with him. Though maybe for the Warlord there wasn't much difference between the two.

"My apologies for interrupting, but the Auction begins in an hour." You report when there's a breath of silence in which to do so. "Mr. Donquixote, you should head to the venue to finalize the item order and deal with any last-minute issues to ensure a smooth start."

"Capable indeed," Donquixote muses, and his tone sends a shiver up your spine that you're barely able to suppress. "Very well, let's get this amusement going, shall we Croco-baby?"

Crocodile grunts at Doflamingo, before turning toward you. "Miss (Y/N), send Buggy to the Auction Venue, and enjoy the rest of the day off."

You bow. "Yes, Sir Crocodile."

After you turn and leave you hear Doflamingo. "I'm still going to be here after the auction, why are you sending my little pet away? I was just starting to like her."

"I don't need you sending my capable employees running for the hills, you feathery bastard."

Crocodile's tone was steady, but the words still made you smile.

. . . . .

You enjoyed your time off Wednesday, and you informed Buggy before you had sent him to the auction venue that you were taking Thursday as well, and it was his fault. Doflamingo was too flashy and if Buggy didn't want salted coffee for the rest of his days, he wasn't going to argue with you.

Unsurprisingly you didn't hear anything from Crocodile on Wednesday. You expected that he had his hands full with Doflamingo, and afterward he probably wanted – and needed – nothing more than to sleep. You had only dealt with the muted version of the man for the most part, and exhaustion had sunk into your bones from it.

You woke up Thursday to a single text.

Suwani: I would like to treat you to more than just dinner, if you would permit me the honor of buying you a gift.

You: I'm texting you on a gift.

"You need only offer yourself, (Y/N), as you are, and I will grant your desires even if they are numerous as the sands."

The memory bubbled up, and for a moment you could feel his warmth wrapped around you, the low voice filled with desire and need sinking into your skin.

You: But... since my desires aren't as numerous as the sands, then I will do my best to accept yours.

It felt a bit like playing with fire to send such a text, but you were already well aware that you weren't going to be able to stem the tide of gifts that Suwani would want to provide for you. A man who had everything he could want – at least in a material sense – wasn't going to be concerned with silly little things like cost. Or frequency, for that matter.

Suwani: Then I won't hold back.

Suwani: I will be by at 1pm. You needn't worry about dressing for dinner. I hope you can forgive me for not being subtle, if only for today.

The second text came before you could think of any reply to the first.

Your head tilted and your face went a bit pink. You weren't sure what he was implying by saying you didn't need to dress for dinner.

You: ... Are you requesting I greet you naked at the door? Or are you telling me to dress casually?

There was a long pause before a text finally came through.

Suwani: Today is a gift for you, Miss Wednesday, not me. Dress casually.

"I mean, it would be a gift for me too," you muse, even as your face goes hot. You had been looking forward to having a full and actual date today, so you kept your musings to yourself.

You: I will be ready and casually dressed by 1.

You decide on a light lunch and get ready for the day. You wear loose slacks and a nice short sleeved shirt, and some decent shoes that could almost pass for dress shoes except the soles were more like sneakers than anything else. You're full of nervous energy and find that you're grateful you had slept in. Imagining sitting around like this since 7am instead of 10am was enough to almost knot your stomach.

When the doorbell rings you almost jump and have to swallow your heart before you open the door.

Sir Crocodile stands in the doorway and he is dressed to the nines. He's in a dark suit with a deep red ascot, and a white scarf hanging from his shoulders. His hair is slicked back save for one errant lock, and frankly you think it looks better a little messy than completely brushed back.

"I thought you said casual," you question despite the smile on your face. You're caught a bit off guard, but not displeased at all by the view.

"You'll be dressed to match, shortly." He assures you with a small smile. His hand that you hadn't even noticed was behind his back, comes into view with a bouquet of a dozen red roses. "A full and proper date begins with flowers."

"I... wow. I suppose it does." You take the bouquet carefully.

"Put them in your fridge for now, and they'll keep until you can put them into water. Or my secretary recommends hanging them upside down and letting them dry."

"The fridge for now, I guess." You murmur softly, leaning in and enjoying the scent of fresh roses. "Uh, give me a moment and I'll be ready to leave."

You place the roses into the fridge carefully, and gather your wallet, keys, and phone before stepping outside. Crocodile offers his arm, and you slip your own through it.

"Escorted from my door? The closet I had to something like this was prom, and there were six of us," you admit sheepishly.

"It's a shame to hear, but it's good to know such an honor is mine alone." He says smoothly, bringing your hand up to his lips for a soft kiss, and making your cheeks go red.

When you reach the ground floor and step outside you finally understand what he had meant when he had asked to be forgiven for not being subtle. An older classic car, complete with a chauffeur, was waiting at the end of the walkway. The tall, severe faced man, had a scar across his eye and muscles enough to probably lift the car and simply walk about town with it if he so desired.

"Miss (Y/N), please meet the punctual Mr. One."

The tall man's gaze shifts down to you and he bows ever so slightly. "It is a pleasure, Miss."

The interaction was enough for you to finally realize that, for the Warlord's people at least, you were the boss' girlfriend. Unlike someone like Doflamingo, who seemed to naturally have a different lady on his arm for each public appearance, Crocodile hadn't been seen in public with anyone on his arm. Until, perhaps, tonight.

"Ah, um, for me as well, Mr. One." You manage, the weight of several things kind of sinking into you all at once.

"Are you okay?" Crocodile asks, leaning down and squeezing your hand a little.

You smile. "Yes, I think there's just uh, an understanding dawning on me, is all."

"Oh?" He prompts, opening the door for you.

"I... I'm going on a date with a government-sanctioned gangster, and I don't even have a speeding ticket. It's a little surreal."

"Miss (Y/N), I hope that isn't how you think of me." There's a small look of concern on his face as you sit down in the back of the car.

"If it was, Suwani, I would've walked away at the café." You assure him.

He leans in with a smile, tilting your chin up and stealing a kiss before closing the door and walking around to the other side. Crocodile was seated behind the driver's seat, and you could feel the soft smile from the corner of your gaze. You couldn't look at him right now, despite all that you had done, you hadn't done anything publicly. Not that you think the stone-faced Mr. One qualified as the public, as he sat in the driver's seat managing to be both attentive to your needs - should you have any - and completely ignorant of your actions - should you want privacy.

You reach out with your left hand and slide your fingers across Crocodile's. The shift of his hand as he quietly twines his warm fingers with yours makes you blush harder, even if no one was looking. It was moments like these that made it difficult to see him as some crime-lord Warlord, or even as CEO/Owner of Rain Dinners.

You were, as the car pulled into a boutique that was so high end that it had a valet service, glad that you had chosen to eat a light lunch. Mr. One opened the door for Crocodile first, and then for you, though it was Crocodile who took your hand as you stepped out.

"I've never felt underdressed for a store before." You whisper, as you fold your arm in his.

"Soon you won't be underdressed for anything." He assures you.

It took everything you had not to hide behind Sir Crocodile as you entered the store. You were greeted by an employee who was dressed in a business suit, and that was probably the most casual item available in the whole store.

"Ah, Sir Crocodile, it is a pleasure to see you today." The employee greets him smoothly. "How may we serve you?"

"My companion and I have reservations at Baratie's this evening, and I wish to gift her a complete outfit to match." Crocodile says. "I believe preparations have been made?"

"Ah, yes! Mrs. Carter has been setting things up since yesterday. There are three young ladies in the back to assist, as we assumed it would be more comfortable that way." The employee says, smiling politely at you.

"More... comfortable?"

"They may need to assist you with getting dressed, but you will have privacy." Crocodile explains. "We have a few hours available in case there are tailoring adjustments to be made."

"It is our full service, Miss." The employee adds. "Your hair, nails, makeup, dress, shoes, and accessories will be provided. There are several options for you to choose from so you can select your preferences while still matching with Sir Crocodile."

You open and close your mouth a few times, unsure of what to say or how to act.

"Do you need a moment?" Crocodile asks softly.

"I... it's a bit much." You admit.

"It's hardly enough." He responds, a frown pulling at his lips.

"Is this restrained?"

"Barely, but yes. I had considered buying the shop."

"... Oh, please tell me you are joking." You lean against him, feigning feeling faint.

"Perhaps, a little." He says a small smile on his lips. "I could, but I knew such an act would be almost cruel. I considered simply buying you a dress and such, but this way you can choose what you like. To me, that was worth risking overwhelming you a little."

His words give your brain a chance to process what's going on and you can feel your face go pink. It was a huge gesture, from your perspective, but a compromise from his perspective. A compromise made specifically to benefit you, since he could have simply chosen for you.

"I... thank you." You say after a moment. "I feel like it falls short in the face of all this to simply say thank you, but... I, um... I accept it."

Crocodile leans down and kisses the top of your head. "Then it is I who will thank you. Try to relax and enjoy it."

"Will you be... uh, where will you be?"

"My plan was to wait in the cigar room, but if you prefer I join you-." His expression is part teasing, part legitimate offer.

"Ah, no, no. It's - that's fine." You interject. "I'll be back as soon as I can." You promise, unsure of just how much control you were actually going to have over how long the whole process would take.

A/N - Crocodile's car - I didn't get into the details of it in the story cause the reader in this story isn't into cars, so she doesn't know what it is. But you can know it's a (1959 or 1961) Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II

[2-dsimp]

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Hybrid rule 202: Always give your cat milk before you go!

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Cat hybrid! Tamaki Amajiki x female reader

Cw: Praise, NFSW, monsterfuxking, overstimulation, breeding, usage of cunt, slight lactation, smonophillia, impregnation, oral f! Receiving

🔞 MDNI/ NO AGELESS BLOGS🔞

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You just got back after a trifling day at work, pulling 9 to 5’s working under a boss who’s really got his work cut out for him. If he thought for even one second that you were gonna stay overtime, handling rabid clients over the most ridiculous of complaints about hybrids.

Talking about how they wanted one, no, needed one in their pathetic lives. It annoyed you to no end to have spoiled grown adults complain about how getting hybrid companions are damn near impossible. Which to be honest it was.

You worked at a special shop that was anonymously known for their hybrid clientele. Who’d willingly sign up to be paired with a potential mate should you find someone who matches all the credentials, tailored fit for your esteemed hybrid clients.

However the partner selection comes down to luck, should a person call a certain number that pertains to your shop. They’re one of the few lucky individuals who’ve gotten a chance to be paired with the love of their life or best friend forever. The reason being that the store number changes periodically, so that not just anyone can be included in the match making just to be fair.

The next stage would be having them sign a contract that states that they’ve lost their right to privacy. In order for you to see if they’re qualified to even be considered as said hybrid’s life partner. Since the hybrids have specific tastes and desires that they believe their human partner should have.

Finally once everything checks out, you then notify said hybrid that you’ve found their match. And notify them that you’ll transport them via portal straight into their home and lives.

I guess you could say you were a match maker of some sorts. The job can be tiring however, it puts a smile on your face. To see your matches made in heaven to be living happily ever after with each other in the end. You were the best of the best in this industry, as your matchmaking rate was 100% accurate. So no wonder you have evolved into a sleep deprived workaholic.

“W-welcome back honey, how was work?”

Thank the lord for your sweet hybrid husband Amajiki, he’d always wait for your return even after he’d been swamped with hero work as well. Making sure the house was kept clean and made sure to make his mate feel comfortable and taken care of.

“It was tiring as usual baby, but nothing that I can’t handle.”

At your drained response he looked down at the ground, almost guiltily as if he had something to hide. Uh uh not in this household, so you cupped his face mindful of his whiskers. And made him look directly into your eyes, indicating with no words how he should just spit it out already.

“Bunny…I’m sorry to say this when you’re already overworked but my heats coming up soon. Just to give you a heads up! Y-you don’t have to worry about helping if you don’t want too—“

You shut him up with a passionate kiss from your plump lips. Stealing his breath away, he could feel his heart thumping out his chest. He could never fully understand how he managed to have you as his mate for life. You were literally his goddess in the flesh, and he couldn’t be more grateful.

“Baby I’ll always want to help you in any way possible, so don’t ever bring up that nonsense again mkay?”

He gulped and stiffly nodded.

Face flushed pink, along with heart shaped pupils, he’d never do anything you didn’t want. If only you knew how much power you held over him. After leaving him unable to function you left to get ready for bed as today’s work had taken a lot out of you.

Once your lovely husband got into bed, you quickly turned off the lights and proceeded to drift off to sleep cuddling into Amajiki within your king sized bed. scarf secured tightly around your kinky hair, the silk satin bonnet placed snugly on top.

It was a peaceful night until you found it getting harder to breath through your nose, from weight being applied to your stomach. But you payed no mind thinking it was the thick covers limiting your air supply, the room was getting hot anyways so you promptly kicked the blankets off and slumbered away.

Failing to notice the your hybrid husband sitting on top of you staring pointedly at your defenseless half naked form, he was thirsty. Cat ears perked at attention, from the unforgiving urge to drink milk.

Amajiki couldn’t restrain the drool dripping from the corner of his mouth at the alluring fragrance you possessed. You smelt so good, he wanted to try and milk you to see if that could satisfy his peckish pallet. He gingerly placed his hands on your chest to knead and grope at your generous mounds.

“You smell so good baby, I bet your milk would taste so good.”

He said in a hushed voice.

Using his fingers to pinch and pull at your hardening nipples, to see if any breast milk would come out. Pouting from not seeing immediate results, he leaned down to take a supple tit and suctioned his lips around a dark areola. Swirling his wet tongue and nibbling at it to get any milky substance out.

Due to his quirk the saliva that he carries can act as a slight asphrodiasic. Thanks to that he managed to see those slicked areoles perked up with tiny beads of milk. However that wasn’t enough as he wanted those nipples to gush with the sweetness of your lactating tits.

“That’s not enough, I need more honey. I’m so thirsty”

He whined.

In his heat crazed mind He got a thought that maybe it was because you weren’t impregnated yet. So all he had to do was fuck all his seed into your womb ensuring he could indulge in your milk that’d probably taste as sweet as you smell. His violet feline eyes sparkled at the mere thought, as his slim tail wagged like a happy dog.

Sparing no time he teared your panties to shreds with his sharp claws, becoming entranced by your natural luring scent coming from your exposed nether regions. Admiring your pussy openly with an endearing smile.

“You’re so beautiful Bunny”

He praised endearingly.

He wasn’t worried about you waking up since he had your explicit permission to do what he seems fit whenever his heat came with a vengeance. He’ll be sure to buy you as many clothes as you want to apologize for the clothes he destroyed. But with the way you seemed to be unbothered by your panties literally getting ripped off of you. He could take more relaxed measures.

First he wanted to eat you out, so he started by shuffling in between your plush brown thighs inhaling a whiff of that pussy before delving in between those lips with his rough tongue.

It was messy and sloppy from the ravenous way he ate you out like you were his last meal on death row. Savoring the tasty juices that you left on his tastebuds, he had to practically rip himself away from the honey that dribbled from your sweet lubbed hole. That winked at him flirtatiously, teasing him, taunting him to finish what he started.

“Don’t worry darling, I’ll get you all nice and filled up with my kits.”

Fishing out his long fat barbed dick, with the little ridge bumps trailing down from his leaking tip. He used his stream of precum as lubricant, Panting when he started to press up against your slick folds. being mindful of the spines protruding from his penis as a means to stay hooked within his mate.

The mere sight of your juices dribbling onto his dick from tip straight down to his balls made him go feral. And thrust deeply into your tight heat, a pretty moan falling from his lips as he reveled in your squelching cunt.

Today must’ve really worn you out, since you didn’t even bother arousing from your deep slumber. Only uttering praises and soft moans, as he pounded into your pussy like a dog in heat, or should I say cat. Unrelenting in his mission to impregnate you so he could suck on those delicious lactating breasts of yours.

“B-bunny you’re so tight and warm, your pretty pussy is hugging my dick so well!”

He mewled.

His face flushed a beet red as his ears were pulled back in deep concentration, leaning down he began to litter you in the faintest of kisses. Licking your sweat and nibbling on your exposed neck lovingly in a trance. In contrast to the harsh impact of his pelvis clashing against your trembling thighs. Grinding hard against your mound, that was messy with lewd fluid coming from the both of your conjoined bodies.

He was getting close, gripping your hips tightly and lifting both of your legs onto of his broad shoulders. To watch your beautiful breasts jiggle at the rhythm of his rough railing into your gushing cunt. That fluttered around his pulsating length as you squirted from the stimulation.

“Bunny I’m close! I’m so close to filling you with my kits, please take it! Take all of my cum!”

Letting out an feral hiss, he crammed his hips flush against your entrance. Locking in his barbed dick with the spines that implanted themselves inside your soaked walls. Allowing the sharp tip of his mushroom tip to burst nicely inside that irresistible drenched pussy he claimed as his own.

Your husband twitched from the overstimulation with each and every flood of cum that completely coated your walls. His fat balls being drained of his seed he’s saved up just for you. Surely he got you pregnant after that, hopefully when you wake up in the morning you wouldn’t be too mad at how much of a mess he’s made out of you.

Since he silently swore that throughout this heat he won’t stop pumping you full with his seed. Until he can fully milk your tits should he happen to get an unsaitiable thirst again.

~~~~~~~~~~

Pt 2 ? 👀

[butwhyduh]

Peeping through the stacks

Jason todd x reader

Valentine’s fic

Warning: smut

I recommend the book I mentioned if you like the classics.

“I have a proposition,” Jason said and your eyebrows rose. “Not that kind. We separate. I grab you a book and you get me one. And we meet up afterwards to go to dinner to see what we got. No cheating. No following each other around. Whoever gives the better gift, wins and gets to control the rest of the night.”

“Sounds like plan. Just know Todd,” you said moving up in his space standing on your tiptoe to talk in his ear. “I’m going to crush you.”

“Only if you win, baby. Only if you win,” he said with a smirk. He opened the door to the largest used bookstore in Gotham. 3 stories with a section of just records and another of old comics, it was heaven. They even had a coffee shop in the back of the second story. You went left and he went right.

You went straight for the classics. Jason would pour over old novels for hours and his favorite were clearly dog eared. You thought about replacing them but, while he’s appreciate it, it wasn’t exactly exciting. You milled around the area, looking at books that were nice but not it. As you moved to leave the area, a section caught your eyes.

If you love the classics but need a book written in the last 50 years:

This is what you needed. A careful list of books that you like next to new books was perfect. Jason had been reading his copy of Moby Dick and talking about the hubris of man recently, heavily alluding to Bruce. You grabbed the recommended book: In the Heart of the Sea.

Now to find Jason. You had agreed to no cheating but it wasn’t really cheating to just watch him if you had already picked. He was probably in your favorite area and you walked upstairs to watch down low.

Jason was holding two books in hand and looking between them both. You felt a thrill to watch him. He almost always caught you quickly but the store with multiple patrons and levels must have thrown him off a little. He finally grabbed a book and looked directly up at you with a smirk. You threw your fist playfully. He’s certainly caught you. You came downstairs with a grin.

“I knew you were watching me. That’s cheating,” he said. You held the book behind your back as you kissed his cheek.

“It’s not cheating if I didn’t change my book,” you protested and he kissed your forehead.

“Tell yourself that. Let’s check out and then I can win,” he said, wrapping an arm over your shoulder and walking to the counter. You both laid them down, face down because you’re competitive, and paid. You carried two separate bags and held hands as you walked down to a little cafe on the corner.

The place had the coolest vibes. Fresh coffee day and night, records and music memorabilia on the wall, and a band of musician played on a tiny stage every night. Valentine’s was no exception. You found a table in the back and promptly ordered your favorites from the menu.

“Okay. Show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” you said with a grin.

“I thought we’d wait until tonight to do that,” Jason said with a roguish wink. “Oh, you mean the books. Yeah, let’s swap.”

You gave him his bag and he yours. It almost looked like a drug deal if it wasn’t books. You pulled out the book. A continuation of a series you loved but had a hard time finding the next parts. Jason pulled out his and read the back.

“Okay, you won,” you said with a teasing scrunch of your face. “This is really great.”

“This looks great. But you did cheat too...” he said pretending to take his time deciding. “I guess I’ll take the win. But it was pretty close, I’m not going to lie.”

“Don’t rub it in.”

“Seriously, I can’t wait to bore you with more whaling facts.”

“I’m taking it back,” you said and he laughed. “I can’t learn anymore. I’m not kidding.” Jason’s eyes smiled too and you loved the sight. He looked happy. You food arrived and a folk band started playing.

As your food dwindled and it was fully dark outside, Jason’s gaze lingered on your body. His hand sat on your knee as you talked.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said randomly and you exhaled quickly with a shy smile as you looked away. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay,” you said, letting him pull you from the cafe and a few blocks down. Jason pulled you close and rubbed his nose against your cheek. You turned your head up to close the space between your lips. It started as soft, gentle, cute. But Jason gripped your hips and pulled you closer and you wrapped your arms around his neck and before you knew it, you were being pushed against a wall as he kissed down your throat. You made soft sounds as he nipped and kissed the sensitive skin.

“Jason,” you said breathlessly. He hummed against your skin. “Take me home. Take me home.”

You ran your hands along the muscles under his shirt as you rode behind him on the motorcycle. Jason insisted on helmets and you wished you could kiss at the back of his neck. Probably best. Your hands on his stomach were distracting enough.

Jason barely drove the bike into the parking garage of his building before pulling off his helmet and turning towards you. You did the same. Neither of you climbed off as you made out. His tongue slid in your mouth as his hands held the back of your skull in place. He reached behind him to turn it off as you kissed.

“Upstairs,” you breathed. He nodded before getting up and picking you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist and kissed his neck as you walked towards the elevator. The knee high slit in your skirt had scooted up to expose most of your thigh. Luck was on your side as no one was around to watch but security must have gotten a great show with the pair of you aggressively kissing. Jason pressed your back against the wall in the elevator as you rode up to his floor.

He carried you down the hall. You were less lucky as your elderly neighbor was sitting in the end of the hallway as she always did everyday. She’d watch the sunset and people watch everyone coming home from work or school. She giggled and looked away. Jason put you down the second you both realized and you flushed with embarrassment.

“Don’t worry sweetie, I was married once. Happy Valentine’s,” she said with a big smile looking out the window. Jason quickly pulled you in the apartment.

“I forgot about her,” he said. “Gross part is that she’s probably thinking about her dead husband and all the times he used to rail her.”

You glared at Jason. “That’s.... so gross. Why? Like you ruined it. Your dirty mouth.”

“I can get it a little dirtier,” he said with a wink but ruined by bursting into laughter. “Like do old people blow each other? Can their hips bend that much? I know their knees are bad. What age did they have to give them up?”

“Shut the fuck up. That’s so gross,” you said putting you hand over his mouth and he laughed before pulling you close.

“You look really pretty tonight. I forgot to tell you because I kept staring at you,” he said with a soft look. He bent and kissed you sweetly. Not rushed or hard like earlier. He slowly pulled you to the bedroom. You pulled each other’s clothing off as you walked. Shirt here. Pants there.

“Thank you. You look good too,” you said as you pulled the bedroom door closed. Jason rolled his eyes. He never agreed with you but had given up on arguing.

Jason pulled you on top of him in bed. His nose ran up your throat until his lips met yours. He was slow and deliberate in his movement. His hands roamed your body as you moved your legs to straddle him. You didn’t bother teasing either of you but instead sunk down on him.

“Princess,” he breathed with closed eyes. You sat for just a moment, get used to him, before starting to move. You bent at the waist to give him long deep sloppy kisses. “Baby,” he pleaded before you started moving.

“Remember, I won,” Jason said.

“Yeah,” you asked with a grin. “What do you want, Jaybird?”

“This. Keep riding me. You look so good,” he said breathlessly. His hands gripped your hips as you bounced. He grimaced as you swirled your hips. “Fuck!”

“Oh we like that,” you commented. He chuckled distractedly. Jason pulled you down to where he could kiss and nip at your chest. You whined as he took your nipple in his mouth. He let go with a loud smack.

“Mmm someone seems to like that,” he quipped. You pressed yourself back towards his face and he chuckled against your skin before giving your breasts the attention you wanted.

“I love your Valentine’s gift. You’re so thoughtful,” you said breathlessly. Jason looked up at you confused.

“Yeah no problem. Is now the time?” He asked with his eyes half closed and mouth open as he breathed heavily. His hips jumped to meet yours and he reached a hand down to rub circles on your clit. You moaned loudly and he smiled as he watched you come undone. He thrust your faster to finish with you. You both moved together jumpily as you buried your head in his neck. You breathed for a few second before softly kissing his lips.

“I seriously loved today,” you said.

“Yeah, I’m glad. Me too. Surprised that no one call-“ Jason started before his phone rang and he sighed. “At least we finished. I’ve got to take this,” he said and you rolled off and curled in the blanket. He answered the phone as he threw on boxer briefs. He looked at you wistfully as he talked. It sounded important.

“My source said Black Mask is getting a shipment early this morning so I’ve got to go. We can’t have those guns on the street,” Jason said after hanging up. He leaned over to give you a dizzying kiss. “I’ve got to go but here is your book and a glass of water. Don’t stay up. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

“Be safe,” you said before he climbed out the window.

“Aren’t I always,” he said and you just knew he was grinning under the helmet before jumping from a 6 story window. No, you thought, no you aren’t.

[folkloreguk]

French Class [7]

A/N: AAAH I apologize in advance for this part bc I feel like it's kinda messy :/ I hope you still like it though?? Lmk what you think! x

genre: optional bias (m) x reader (f), fwb, f2l?, college!au, fuckboy!bias, nerd!reader, angst, H/N is a jealous and drunk fool :/

words: ~ 3.7 k

✽series masterlist✽

taglist (lmk if u wanna be added!): @lovely-ateez, @runaway-fics, @mainexiii, @awfullytiredbuthealing, @erikyoong, @etherealuv, @yeostars, @staysuki, @justcuz-ican, @hyuckthangs, @teenloves, @mexious18-blog, @sunghoonied, @mailobjaeyoon, @tr-wemoon, @prismwon

couldn’t tag: @chorizoek, @r-eadings

H/N’s POV:

Maybe I’ll come ‘round, your text had said. How did you expect him to enjoy the party if you wouldn’t be there? H/N used to make fun of guys who ran after girls like lap dogs. And yet, over time he had become one of them, if not worse. Every text, every possibility of seeing you had him on the edge of his seat in excitement. There was nothing he cared about more than spending time with you. When at first it had been sexual attraction – an obsession with your body and the way you turned him on with the most subtle words and touches – it had changed into something entirely different. The relentless hunger was now occasional, ever so often interrupted by a dire wish to see you smile. A wish to hold you, and to kiss you out of the blue – something he wasn’t allowed to do if it wasn’t for the two of you hooking up. The stupid agreement you had made was starting to feel like torture instead of heaven. He was lucky his poker face was professional, and he had years of practice in flirting and sounding casual even if his heart was beating up to his neck. There was no other way he could have concealed how infatuated he was with you, otherwise.

“H/N, come help me set up the snacks!” Korain shouted from the kitchen. H/N’s friends were throwing a party at their place, and he had shown up early to assist them in preparing everything. With you on his mind – as always – he trotted into the kitchen where a row of bowls was standing out on the counter.

“Just open and pour the bags into the bowls, will you? I still need to get ready,” Korain said. “Chohee said she might be here a bit earlier, and I don’t want to look like this when she’s going to look amazing.”

Korain gestured to his bed hair he probably hadn’t brushed once since getting up and then tweaked the fabric of his sweatpants and his old, baggy tee. H/N wanted to argue that if Chohee really liked Korain, she wouldn’t mind seeing him this way. H/N, for one, couldn’t care less what you wore tonight. As long as you showed up at all, he would be beaming. Strictly speaking, at times when he got to see you wake up, sleep in your eyes and your clothes in a disarray, it spun his head in ways no little black dress could ever do. When he saw you make breakfast in his kitchen, in his shirt, he could barely contain himself.

His daydreams of you were once naughty and gave him boners at random times of the day – and don’t get me wrong, they still were, sometimes – but it was when the domestic dreams had begun, that he realized he was screwed. He didn’t need anybody to tell him how he felt, nor did he have some crazy moment of clarity. There came a point in his days where he didn’t just notice his non-sexual daydreams of you, he invited them. His brain was imagining things like setting up a shared table for dinner or kissing the back of your hand in the dark of a movie theater or playing you a cheesy song that reminded him of you. He wanted to hold your hands from across the library table and have his arm around your shoulders to show you off to the entire campus. But none of it could be real. It all went against the rules.

“Will Y/N be here too?” Korain asked and pulled H/N out of his daydreams. God, I hope so, he thought.

“She said she might be here,” H/N answered.

“Chohee’s always talking about her. And you. About how she thinks Y/N has a crush on you, but she always denies it, saying you’re just friends. Maybe you could try and bring that up tonight?” Korain said, as if discussing your feelings for someone was as easy at conversing about the weather. “Alright, I really have to go get ready now.”

“I’ve been thinking, I might- “ said H/N, but Korain only pat his shoulder.

“Let’s talk later, at the party, okay?” he said, and walked out the kitchen. I might like her, H/N had been meaning to say. I might like Y/N. No. I’m in love with her. No maybes. He could bet all his money on it, that’s how sure he was. But his friend had disappeared and now it was on him to wait until the party began. Left alone with his thoughts.

Of course, you would deny having a crush on him. Because you probably didn’t, he thought. Wouldn’t you search for a smart guy, someone your mother would approve of, and someone who understood your endless talks of nerdy topics? Although sometimes he had no idea what you were on about, H/N was captivated whenever you gave him a lecture about something you had learned. And when he asked you to explain something one more time, you never hesitated, or judged him for it. Your kindness made his heart swell, and only when the first crowd of party guests arrived did he realize he had spent half an hour daydreaming about you. Again.

With the way he kept the front door in his sight at all times, one could have wondered if he was a highly wanted criminal on the run, afraid the cops could barge in at any moment. Some of the girls who tried to flirt with him even asked him about it, but he wasn’t going to confess he was waiting for the love of his life to walk through that very door. With little conviction he returned their flirting. He hated himself for the thoughts he had. Thinking that should you not arrive, he could console himself by taking one of the other girls home instead. They didn’t deserve to be used like that, but he was bitter and so, so in love with you. It was hard to pay any attention to the other girls at all, no matter how sweet they were being.

Flirting back at them, however, came to him as easily as the words to his favorite songs. It posed no challenge, like it did with you. When he had to try hard to make your cheeks heat up, or to lure out a shy smile instead of your genius, quick-witted remarks. There was nothing more exciting to him than to invent new ways in which he could make you flustered.

Right now, it was his turn to be flustered. Because his ex had approached him and was reciting some of her favorite memories she had of their relationship. “Remember our third date…the one that ended with us squished in that tiny dressing room at Victoria’s Secret?” she asked and blinked at him expectantly. He went along with her words and replied something not too direct, but still enough to make her giggle like a little girl.

It was his own fault she was so intent on talking to him. While you had been on your date with the economy-major-guy, H/N had tried to contact his ex again. In hindsight, he thought it pathetic and extremely stupid at that. Nothing would have come of it, anyway. Not while he felt the way he did about you. So it was only lucky his ex hadn’t been free that night. Then he had gotten dangerously close to drowning his feelings in the vodka in his kitchen. Thankfully he had refrained from this, too, because you had shown up afterwards and you had ended up having mind-blowing sex, and he knew for a fact that had he been drunk, he would have blurted out some crazy sentiments he would have regretted saying in the morning.

Sometimes he tried to signal you his emotions, ever so subtly. Waving off your claims when you called him the campus fuckboy or telling you he wasn’t really hooking up with anyone else besides you, it all was an attempt at making you see what he felt for you. He would tell you that you looked pretty, not just so you would understand he liked you, but simply because it had to be said. When he regarded you fixing your hair in the mirror with a frown, he could barely believe you didn’t know how beautiful you were. And he had gotten closer to you during sex. Whether it was voluntary or an instinct that came with being in love, he wasn’t certain. There was nothing like kissing away your moans while he fucked you into a mattress.

He was about to text you – the urge to see you getting unbearable – but didn’t want to sound clingy when you strut through the door. No slow motion or fan blowing your hair around dramatically would have made you look more perfect. The ridiculous pang he felt in his heart when he saw you hug another guy only reminded him of how whipped he was. He reminded himself that he had no right to be jealous. You weren’t his girlfriend, after all. When you then made eye contact with him and made a beeline for him, he was worried he’d be short of words. He needed to pull himself together.

“Hi,” you said, and your smile was magical enough to stir up the butterflies in H/N’s stomach. You pointed at the empty spot on the sofa between H/N and another guy you didn’t know. “Is this seat taken?”

“No,” the guy said, before H/N had time to speak, and the stranger smiled at you in a way that could only mean he wanted to get to know you. But H/N caught your attention by swiftly putting his arm around your shoulder, making the stranger back up and divert his eyes the other way. He had never meant to be the jealous type. It was just that you were finally here, and he was so happy to see you, he couldn’t bare the thought of you running off again. Only when you gave him a funny look H/N realized he needed to calm down if he didn’t want you to get annoyed.

“So, what did I miss?” you asked.

His ex was approaching from across the room again, and before he could have stopped his mouth, he said the stupidest thing. “Kiss me.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, but he was intent on it. “Please. Kiss me. Quick.”

There was a strange emotion that crept over your face, and you seemed to have no clue why he was so set on it. Nevertheless, you did as he asked. Your mouth tasted of watermelon bubblegum, so sweet, so perfect, and he was flying on cloud nine for the short while it lasted. It wasn’t real, though. The thought stabbed his brain like a dagger. When you pulled apart you were grinning, and his ex wasn’t in the room anymore.

“Care to explain why we just did that?” you asked. “You’re diminishing your chances with the ladies in the room.”

He rolled his eyes. “My ex has been trying to get with me again, and I hoped she’d let off if she saw us kiss. And she did.” Then his eyebrows raised. “What do you mean by my chances with the ladies? I was hoping we could go home together.”

“I can’t tonight,” you said, and he had to fight to keep his face straight. “I’ve got to get back to studying first thing tomorrow morning. I just came here to hang out, for a while.”

“Oh,” was all he could muster without sounding like you were ripping out his heart. It wasn’t even your fault. He would never try and get between you and your studies. But what if he could be there? What if he could be the one staying in bed, watching as you climbed up early to bury your head in books? He’d watch you through tired eyelashes, and you’d ridicule him for being so starry-eyed when looking at you. Later he’d bring you tea or coffee and remind you to take a break to eat. Was it ludicrous to obsess over something so domestic? He didn’t feel guilty for it.

All at once, your laugh pulled him out of his daydream, and into a funny story you told him. Over-consciously, he noted how your arm went around his shoulder lazily. And for a while you sat and talked. Occasionally a flirty remark slipped over your lips, and he would always return it. It was idiotic, but he was already worrying about how much he would miss you once you went home. Perhaps his plan of consoling himself with another girl hadn’t been so bad, after all. Just as he had finished the thought, a familiar face walked by and noticed him. The alcohol in his veins made her seem perfectly inviting as a distraction, for later.

“Oh, hey. Y/N, this is Minji,” he said, pointing at the girl. “Minji, this is Y/N. She’s…just a friend.”

Instantly, you removed your arm from his shoulder. There was hidden pain in your gesture, or was it merely wishful thinking on his side? Minji nodded and greeted you, but you only waved her off with a polite smile.

“I’m going to get a drink from the kitchen,” you announced, and before he could have stopped you, you had walked off. For a while he chatted with Minji, because he had no good reason to run after you that wouldn’t create awkwardness. His patience lasted approximately ten minutes. Luckily, a friend waved at Minji from across the room and she excused herself. Although he would never wish her ill, he was glad she was leaving.

Quickly, he made his way to the kitchen, where he found you talking to a guy. Without thinking, H/N smiled at you as he came up to you and wrapped his arm around your waist. He hadn’t meant to look so intimidating, and he hadn’t meant to be an asshole either. Yet, the guy across from you appeared scared and when you turned your attention to H/N, the guy slowly retracted into another circle of chatting people. Guilt crept in on H/N. He was tipsy, and although he knew his drunkenness wasn’t an excuse, it made him want you so much more. Perhaps it was also insecurity making him act crazy. There was always a glimmer of hope in the back of his mind, that you might just like him back. So long as you hadn’t confirmed the opposite, he would live in constant terror that someone else could steal your attention and make you theirs before he could.

“Come with me,” you muttered in his ear. Your hand was around his wrist, and he had no choice but to trot after you like a child. At first, he thought you were going to take him out the front door, but then you made a turn for the stairs. He didn’t need to be a fuckboy to know what it meant when a girl walked him up the stairs. From one second to the other, his mood changed into gleefulness. Had you changed your mind? The mere thoughts of what could happen upstairs could have given him a boner, had he pondered on them for longer. You said nothing, only driving him more insane by the second. The first open door was good enough for you, so you pulled him inside and closed it behind you. Smirking, he reached for your waist, ready to pull you into a kiss.

“Don’t,” you hissed, and he flinched at your angry tone. He kept his hands to himself, kneading them nervously. Shit. This was the clear opposite of what he had anticipated. The two of you had never fought, and hearing your voice, sounding so deeply upset, scared him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” you asked.

“I’m sorry, I thought you wanted to make out- “ he said.

“I don’t mean just now. I mean…what is it you’re trying to achieve by acting all possessive over me in front of random guys? Pretending I belong to you? But the second a pretty girl is in front of you I’m just a friend, aren’t I? What’s that about?”

There was no explaining this, and he knew it. Yet, he would try, pathetically. “I just thought you didn’t want those guys bothering you.”

“I can handle a guy by myself, thank you,” you snapped. “If I needed help, I’d ask. Like you did. Apparently, I’m good enough to be used as an escape from your ex, but when hot Minji came around you wouldn’t even blink when I got up and left.”

“Usedas an escape?” he asked in disbelief. “You didn’t have to kiss me, but you did anyway.”

“That’s because I was trying to be a good fucking friend!” you yelled now, sounding over the music from the party.

“You used me too, don’t you remember?” he countered. “Or did you not show up on my doorstep after your terrible date so I would fuck you and make you feel better?”

You looked taken aback for a moment, knowing he was right, in a way.

“It’s like you’re always trying to get away from me, but you can’t,” he said.

“Oh, fuck you!” you said, every trace of guilt washed away. “Get off your high horse! Isn’t that the whole point of us? That we’re using each other for sex? Nothing more than that, right? If I walked out now, you could go and find the next girl in line to take over instead of me. Didn’t you try to see someone while I was chatting to the guy I went on a date with? It’s all about using people, isn’t it? If things with the guy had gotten more serious for me, you’d have her, ready for you. Don’t you think that’s a little messed up? Leading someone on like that?”

There was truth to your words. He had tried to find someone to date, should you have found someone too and your friends-with-benefits relationship had been over. But he hadn’t led her on. He had been honest in letting the girl know he wasn’t sure if he wanted anything serious. His chest was hurting, and the pain was only making him more furious.

“Yeah, I could have switched you for her,” he said coldly. Was he only trying to hurt you now? Perhaps, but you had hurt him first.

“Right, because that’s all I am to you,” you said, quieter than before.

“That was our plan! You’re my fuck buddy, nothing more!” he raised his voice now, tired of your empty words and signs. “You have no right to accuse me of anything when I’m playing by the rules. The rules you made. Maybe we should go back to the beginning. Start the game over. I don’t even know what we’re arguing about right now.”

“Start over?”

“Go back to when we were just horny for each other and nothing else,” he said, as if that would be possible. As if he could ignore the way your eyes shined, even in the dim light coming from the streetlamps outside. Like he could pretend he didn’t want to hold you and make you forget all about this terrible fight.

“Fine, let’s try,” you said, and he watched in astonishment, as you closed the gap between the two of you. When you tilted your head, he gave you permission by doing the same. When you kissed, with teeth clashing and exhausted sighs mixing up, he swore there were bombs going off somewhere in his head. Alarm bells, too. This was by no means a great idea. But what could have stopped him and his hungry mouth? He backed you against the wall and pressed you into it, hard. Before he had registered it, his hands were pushing up the fabric of your dress and you moaned, sounding so beautiful he could barely believe it. One of his thighs forced its way between your legs while he gripped your waist like his life depended on it.

But then, just as rapidly you had begun to kiss him, you pushed him away. His lungs felt tight when he noticed the affliction and confusion on your face. He wished he could make it go away. But he had caused it, so now his presence only made things worse.

“No- no, I change my mind. This is fucking stupid,” you said. “I can’t do this right now.”

“Y/N,” he said in a gentle tone. Somehow, it seemed that his careful voice hurt you most of all.

“I think we should stop. All of this,” you said. He was beginning to shake his head in disbelief, but you cut him off. “We said there wouldn’t be jealousy, but there obviously is. We should have stopped long ago.”

“But what about starting the game again, from the beginning?” he asked, too afraid of what you would say to even look at you. If you were going to rip out his heart you should have done so quickly, when he wasn’t paying too close attention.

“The game’s over. This is going over both of our heads,” you said. “I- I’m going to go home now.”

So this was heartbreak. H/N had never considered that it could be meant so literally. But he could swear that the muscle inside his chest was convulsing and shriveling as if you had stolen the blood that kept him alive right from his arteries. The pain was sharp like a thousand cuts had been inflicted on his skin, and he struggled for words like your words had taken every of his most elemental abilities.

“I’ll walk you home,” he said.

“No,” you said. “You’re drunk. You’re the one who could need someone to walk you home. And I don’t want you around me right now. Get home safely.”

That was it. No hug. No last, longing look. Just your words stabbing like knives and your ethereal beauty as you turned on your heel and walked from the room, leaving him behind, bleeding out by himself. What had he done?

[landinoandco]

|Shutter speed|

Chapter one : A staring contest with an attractive stranger

{Lando Norris x Reader}

Summary: A photographer. A pair of F1 drivers. Triangles. A sticky situation of morals and fighting fate. What could go wrong?

Warnings: None :)

Rating: Teen and up

Word count: 1.5k

A/n: hey guys, welcome to Shutter Speed!! A love triangle between LN DR and reader (in this story reader is called Georgie.) This is my first f1 fanfiction so any feedback/suggestions are very welcome or if you just want to add comments, reactions - anything goes!! Thank you for reading and enjoy :)

Chapter one: A staring contest with an attractive stranger ...

It was raining in London. Not that that was out of the ordinary - even in the beginning days of July. Today the weather had decided to imitate that of mid-March, the rain crashing down like the heavens had opened up above and the wind cheekily chasing tourists and commuters indoors then proceeding to race eagerly through the streets, nipping at any ankles of those who were lagging behind the rest.

Lando Norris was out with his trainer when the rain started, enjoying the freedom of a 2 week break before the highly anticipated British Grand Prix. They rushed down the alleyway they had found themselves on; until they came across a little coffee shop tucked away in the corner - 'The Little London Stop.' Jon nodded to confirm to Lando that this would be just fine - as he opened the door, a small bell rang just above his head and instantly they were hit by a comforting warmth and the smell of freshly made coffee.

He quickly slid onto one of the benches, facing out onto the shop. It was typically London, designed with someone's Instagram feed in mind, plants hung precariously from the rafters along with many singular light bulbs that casted at atmospheric glow around the room.

Opposite him, on the other side of the room sat the only other person in the shop, she sat with her back to them. Her messy mousy brown hair tumbled in waves down her back, her gaze on the rain rushing down the alleyway - her chin resting on the heel of her hand.

Georgie had been sitting in that exact spot for longer than she would care to admit. Escaping the pestering grasp of her best friend and roommate Maisie; they were both photographers - partners in an online business they set up when they first left college as they prepared to take on the world. Pre-covid it had flourished and the pair had been travelling up and down the country, from events like weddings to festivals. Post-covid however - this was where their problems had started and why Georgie was currently hiding in a coffee shop. Work had become as dry as her love life, events had been cancelled for another year and wedding guest numbers had been limited. For weeks they had been sending their portfolios to any event organiser they could find and for weeks they kept being turned away.

She tore her eyes from the flooding streets and back to her open laptop - she was completely stuck, where to even start? Georgie nibbled on the on her bottom lip and sighed before rubbing her hands over her face - she was really looking for a miracle to happen.

Lando was completely intrigued by the girl. It wasn't until Jon snapped his fingers in front of Lando's face that he realised he had been staring.

"Right, sorry." Lando mumbled, a red flush creeping up his neck and he moved his gaze to the wooden table, wringing his fingers together. "What were you saying?"

Jon chuckled at his young boy antics and shook his head, "I wasn't, you were staring and it was weird. I picked you up this green smoothie - lots of vitamins and-" But Lando had switched off again, he couldn't help himself as his eyes locked back onto where they had been before. It was like something was drawing him to her - hell, he didn't even know what she looked like.

"Are you going to go and speak to her?" Jon's voice broke his trance yet again.

"Wha-what?" Lando looked up at his trainer, his innocent eyes widening at the thought. "I-I-"

Jon scoffed and rolled his eyes, "You are such a teenager."

"I'm not a teenager." Lando hit back, "I'm 21. I can drink in the US now, you know."

"Then start acting like it." Jon scolded but the corners of his mouth quirked up, he had known Lando for years and he had not changed once. A hopeless romantic at heart but acted like a deer caught in the headlights as soon as anyone of the opposite gender even glanced his way. Any girl would be lucky to have him but unfortunately for Lando he always found himself drawn to the type that would take his heart whole and would leave, shattering it into millions of pieces for Jon to find and piece back together again. It was through no fault of the girls in question, they would make their intentions very clear but Lando - being who he was - would always jump head first without looking ahead or the consequences of his actions.

On the plus side, Lando came back stronger each time but it left him with an even stronger longing for that care and affection that everyone around him seemed to have.

His heart raced as he looked over at Jon, a determined look was set on his face. "Fine. I'll do it." He stood up, legs wobbling slightly as the adrenaline flooded through his veins - he had cleared the table when reality decided to walk through the door. He turned on his heels and sat back down. "Nope. Maybe another day." His voice wavered slightly.

Jon looked at him with sympathy and slight second hand embarrassment - not that Lando needed to know that.

Georgie looked over her shoulder at the commotion happening behind her - there were two young men sitting across the room from her. One was clearly older than the other and was looking at him in utter bemusement - she followed his gaze...

Georgie inhaled sharply, she was met by a pair of crystal blue eyes - of which lit up when he realised that she had looked over. Georgie simply didn't know what to do with herself as she seemed to be stuck in a staring contest with an incredibly attractive stranger. She managed to tear her eyes away to look at him properly; a mop of dark brown curls sat dripping onto the table (still wet from the torrential downpour), an olive complexion and an innocent sparkle in his crystal blue eyes. She offered him a shy smile, a rose tinge coating her cheeks. He gave her a lopsided grin in response.

There was an overwhelming feeling that drew Georgie to this stranger, it wasnt anything she had experienced before - not even when she had been with him.

A cold chilling suddenly rushed down her spine, almost like she had been standing in the rain falling outside. A pang of guilt filled her stomach, she dropped her gaze and bit her lip. How could she ever think of him like that, compare him to a stranger she didnt even know the name of.

A ring broke her train of thought, her phone lit up with Maisie's name. She inhaled slowly to ground her feelings before answering, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Hey Maise -"

"I've done it." She heard Maisie shout down the phone, followed by a relieved laugh.

"Done what, sorry." Georgie prompted, rubbing her eyes. She could feel the boys' eyes on her, resisting the urge to turn around; she closed the lid of her laptop and placed it in her bag.

"I've only gone and gotten us an event to go to this weekend." Maisie replied as casually as she could muster. Georgie paused. A large grin that would challenge the Cheshire cats'.

"Where and how?" Georgie felt a weight lift from her shoulders, it didn't matter what Maisie had signed them up for, it was a start. A fresh start.

"Look, I have a call with them any minute so I'll have to explain when you get back. It's at the Goodwood festival of speed." Maisie paused.

"Goodwood Festival of speed." Georgie echoed - she could hear ringing in the background.

"Got to go, final things to sort out. I'll see you later." With that she hung up, leaving a delighted Georgie frozen in place, until she found her senses and packed up as fast as she could. All thoughts of the boy across the room - gone.

He sat, puzzled, as he watched her rush out the door and into the rain - calling out a muffled 'thank you' as the door swung shut behind her. His brows drew together as he looked into his lap, before saying quietly to Jon: "It was the Goodwood Festival of Speed she just said, didn't she?"

"Yes." Jon answered shortly, looking down at him in fascination.

"Isn't that where I am this weekend?" Lando looked up, hope swelled in his chest.

"Yes, it is."

Lando looked longingly out of the window, beaming. He knew it was silly to get so hopeful - there were going to be thousands upon thousands swarming around Goodwood. He stood up and turned to Jon - "Lets go."

"But you haven't drank your smoothie -"

Lando was already at the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Jon grabbed the smoothie and tittered, following after him.

You only live once, Lando thought. As it turns out he would get another chance this Saturday and this time he wasn't blowing it.

Chapter two: A new beginning

[uwuwriting]

Tamaki, Todoroki and Shinsou  in a secret relationship....and how they got caught.

Request: Hello I love your blog and since your requests are open I would like to request Tamaki Todoroki and Shinsou being in a secret relationship for a long time and how they got outed. If you could write something similar for Semi, Akaashi, Kenma and Sakusa from Haikyuu you would be a blessing. I love you!!!! - anonymous

Awww of course I’ll write for the Haikyuu boys as well. I’ll write later this week or the next and since its almost midnight here HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHINSOU!!!! I have a special soulmate au as I usually do for my husband!!!! I’m sorry I’m not getting to those soulmate aus quicker 😣😣😣😣. Love yaa.💖💖💖💖

rules 

warnings: fluff

Amajiki Tamaki 

-He’s so shy omggg.

-How did you manage to get him into a relationship???

-He loves you to the moon and back. 

-Would do anything for you. 

-You two were in the same class all through out high school and during your second year he asked you out. 

-Okay not exactly. 

-You were studying in the library together during a really bad storm when the lights went out. 

-Loud lightning followed and you jumped out of your skin. 

-You were terrified of lightning and being paired with complete darkness you were petrified. 

-Now Tamaki had had a crush on you since early last year and seeing you so terrified and vulnerable he pushed through his anxiety for a split moment and wrapped you in a hug, stroking your hair soothingly as he tried to calm you down. 

- “I-I’ll p-protect you. I-I w-won’t let a-anything h-hurt you..... ever.”

-That’s how your relationship began basically. 

-He comforted you and kept you safe, shielding you from your fears. 

-Everything else is history. 

-Now you are both third years in your respective hero studies with a bright future in front of you. 

-Your relationship has been kept a secret mainly because both of you don’t like making your private lives public. 

-Only Nejire and Mirio know. 

-Surprisingly they have kept it a secret. 

-Fatgum has a suspicion that Tamaki has someone in his life, someone really important. 

-So important he had called in one time claiming that he had an emergency and wouldn’t make it to the agency. 

-When Fatgum asked, Tamaki began stuttering and mumbling about someone really close to him being sick and needing help. 

-In reality you were on your period and had awful cramps.

-You were feeling like death, curled up in a ball on Tamaki’s bed and refusing to move. 

-You had begged him to go to his hero study but he claimed that you were more important, not going to the agency for an evening wouldn’t mark the end of the world. 

-Then Chisaki happened and Tamaki was badly injured. 

-Your agency was stationed outside so you couldn’t help him or know what had happened. 

-You had a broken arm after the fight and was being escorted to the ambulances when you saw Tamaki being carried on a stretcher blood running down his cheek as his arms and whole body was covered in bruises, cuts and so much blood. 

-Your feet moved on their own accord, sprinted through the crowd ignoring the calls of the medic until you reached your boyfriend. 

- “Tama? T-Tamaki baby wake up.”

-Fatgum saw you touch Tamaki’s cheek with your good hand and how, when the boy weakly opened his eyes, he placed his own hand over yours. 

-Tears were running down your cheeks as you looked at him, following the medics as they placed the stretcher in the ambulance. 

-They told you that he would be fine and that you should find another medical team that could take care of your arm. 

-Everything fell apart though when you saw Mirio and Sir Nighteye. 

-Everything was a mess but Fatgum noticed how you would always look back to Tamaki’s ambulance as it drove off. 

-In the hospital you didn’t leave Tamaki’s room, insisting on getting your bandages changed in his room refusing to get your own and leave his side. 

-Fatgum was happy for him. 

-Especially when he went to visit and found Tamaki holding you close to him. 

-Your head was over his heart as he gently massaged your back, tears falling down your cheeks once again. 

-Then he kissed your forehead and Fatgum knew that this wasn’t a moment he wanted to interrupt. 

-When he did visit along side Kirishima he didn’t lose a bit before he asked about you. 

-You were surprisingly not beside him deciding to visit Mirio again to see how he was coping. 

- “So... what’s her name hm?”

- “W-Who?”

- “Your girlfriend!!”

-Tamaki burst into a deep blush as he tried hiding his face in his hands. 

- “Come one I’ve seen how she looks at you and how you kissed her OH so lovingly on the forehead the other day was the cut-”

- “Y/N! H-her n-name is Y-Y/N.”

-Kirishima is standing there, jaw almost touching the floor when you open the door and peek inside. 

- “Oh! I’m sorry.... I-I’ll come back later....”

-Okay now Kirishima is already kind losing it because he didn’t expect his shy senpai to have a girlfriend. 

-So when Tamaki lets out a very low, slightly above a whisper, “But bunny....” he freaking snaps. 

- “WHAT!!!!”

- “Kirishima we’re in a hospital!”

-Get ready to be bombarded with questions....poor you.

-At least you get to sit next to Tamaki while you are being interrogated. 

-They insisted on that saying that they wouldn’t keep Tamaki away from his girl...Tamaki is burying his face in your hair....shy baby.

Todoroki Shouto

-Okay so your relationship is a secret because of his dad. 

-He wanted to shield you from his toxicity. 

-Plus Shouto knew that his dad would force you two apart and he couldn’t let that happen. 

-So you are his little secret. 

-Only his mom knows about you.

-Shouto took you to meet her after your one year anniversary.

-He loves you so damn much he could die. 

-So seeing the two most important women in his life interact and get along he melts. 

-As you say your goodbye to Rei she hugs you, thanking you for taking care of her baby and that your secret will be safe with her. 

-Then she moves on to Shouto as you wait in the hallway. 

- “I like her Shouto. She really loves you. Please take good care of her.”

-Boy falls in love with you all over again I swear to god. 

-Now you spend a lot of time in his dorm. 

-When I say a lot I mean it. 

-You remember how Shouto managed to remodel his room in an afternoon during their first day in the dorms. 

-Yeah that’s what he does for your dates. 

-Since you can’t risk going to outdoor dates very often since it’s very easy for a paparazzi to spot the son of Endeavor.

-Especially if he is holding hands with someone else. 

-Natsuo actually warned you about that and he was the one to suggest dorm dates. 

-He had taken his girlfriend out on a diner date and the next day they were all over multiple tabloids accompanied by multiple calls from Endeavor. 

-All Todoroki children hide their s/o’s......even Fuyumi. 

-Anyways back to Shouto. 

-You spend so much time in his room that you tend to leave some of your clothes there. 

-You change into his hoodies in his room so forgetting your shirt there is a usual phenomenon.

-Plus you do the dirty so.... scattered clothes.

-Now Todoroki is friends with Momo.

-And Momo is friends with you. 

-And she has seen your closet on multiple occasions. 

-She knows your clothes.....you see where I’m going with this?

-Todoroki was struggling with some chemistry problems and you were out doing your hero studies. 

-You had apologized to him multiple times and had suggested Momo as the perfect tutor. 

-That’s why Momo is now alone in his room as he is making tea in the kitchen, looking at what seems to be like one of your favorite sweaters. 

-You had gotten it during Christmas and wouldn’t take it off for a week straight. 

-You had basically brainwashed them by how often you wear it. 

-Why was it in Todoroki’s room though?

- “Todoroki-kun why do you have L/N-san’s sweater?”

-He froze.

-You had stayed the night last Monday and you had been wearing that sweater. 

-He remembers it vividly since he was the one who took it off.....along with your bra.......that he threw somewhere in the room.....AND MOMO COULD FIND AT ANY MOMENT.

-Momo was starting to get worried because well....he had been standing at the same spot for a solid minute staring at absolutely nothing. 

-Standing up she went to shake his shoulder when her eyes caught a bright red fabric peeking out from under the desk.

-Brushing past him she crouched down and grabbed the fabric revealing the red bra. 

-Todoroki snapped out of his shock state the moment Momo reached for the bra strap. 

-He couldn’t stop her though....

- “T-Todoroki-kun.....” 

-And as if things couldn’t get any worse, his phone started to ring as your photo appeared on the screen your name replaced by a heart surrounded ‘babygirl’.

-Todoroki groaned at well everything. 

-Momo was blushing like crazy STILL holding your bra. 

-You two had a lot of things to explain. 

Shinsou Hitoshi

-I’ve said this before. 

-You never meant your relationship to be a secret. 

-At least not in the beginning. 

-You two just never acted like a couple and people assumed that you were just good friends.

-Then you heard Aizawa scaring a boy who had made Mina cry so.........dating his special trainee while you were one of his FEMALE students?

-Nope.

-A secret it is.

-Aizawa is a protective dad and you can’t change my mind. 

-You have a collection of hoodies you have ‘borrowed’ that you wear only inside your or his dorm. 

-And while you sleep. 

-Falling asleep surrounded by his scent is heaven. 

-Aizawa has caught you twice wearing his hoodies.

-Once when Shinsou got turned into a baby and once when you went to get water and he scared you shitless. 

-Aizawa knows about yalls relationship. 

-You can run but you cannot hide child. 

-Anyways. 

-You had a box full of Polaroids from your dates. 

-He knew how happy you were when you two took photos that’s why he bought you a Polaroid. 

-Now you can print your photos and decorate your room. 

-Shinsou is an insomniac.

-We’ve been knew. 

-So on the rare days when he feels kinda sleepy but he misses you so badly he can’t really fall asleep he’ll sneak in your dorm and have an impromptu sleepover. 

-You don’t complain of course. 

-You love to snuggle up to him.

-Also this boy loves wrapping you up in his arms.

-Snuggles snuggles snuggles. 

-Irrelevant information: he has you saved on his phone as kitten and your contact photo is you hanging upside down from the ceiling wrapped up in his capture tool. 

-He had tried teaching you to use it and you somehow managed to climb on the bookcase trying to remake that scene from Tarzan but the cloth got caught on the ceiling fan resulting in this hilarious photo. 

-Back to your sleepover.

-He falls asleep like in the blink of an eye.

-Your sleep that night is the best both of you have had in a fat while. 

-Plus the fact that its the weekend lets you enjoy each others warmth for as long as you like. 

-YES YOU SLEPT IN!!!!

-Being friends with Mina and Kaminari is a ride. 

-Sero and Bakubro and maybe Kiri in some occasions are damage control but they get tired and let you take care of the children. 

-You had promised to go out shopping that morning, a plan you totally forgot when Shinsou tapped your window last night. 

-Giving Mina a spare key to your room was the worst decision you could have made considering you were in a secret relationship. 

-When you didn’t show up on time the two idiots waited for an hour before they made their way to your room.

-Using the spare key she pushed the door open letting out a long “Y/N-CHAAAAN!!!” which scared the soul out of your bodies. 

-You let out a startled scream that woke Hitoshi up who without missing a bit pulled you under him shielding you from whatever made you scream. 

-It was purely on instinct to save and protect you hfqpirhfhsod so cute!!!!

-Mina was left staring at the scene in front of her while Kaminari was calling Sero begging him to come to your room. 

-I don’t know how they didn’t attract dadzawa.

-You would get your ass whooped. 

-Shopping was long forgotten as the whole Bakusquad came one by one in your room waiting for the tea to be spilled. 

-Mina and Sero were angry since they have tried time and time again to hook you up with multiple of their friends, Bakugou didn’t care but he approved, Kaminari and Kirishima were threatening Shisnou if he ever were to break your heart. 

- “I love her you dumbasses I’m not going to hurt her!!!”

TAG TEAM AY:

@iwaqchan​  @the-arcana-fan-fic​ @angelwritings​ @axerrri​ @reinyrei​

[writing-in-april]

Any Iteration

Spencer Reid x Female Reader

Summary: Reader is nervous that this new iteration of her won’t be something Spencer will like.

A/N: This is my first fic for my 1250 follower celebration!! If you want another fic with nipple piercings check out my first smut ever- Surprise Pretty Boy. It’s also based on this request that my amazing girlfriend @spencers-dria gave me- also please go send her some love she just tested positive for covid 🥺 Also again thank you all for 1250 followers- I can’t believe this is my 4th follower celebration!! I’m planning to continue to do them every time I hit another milestone (every 250) however- if I hit one while I’m doing my 30 fics in 30 days for April I’m going to find an alternative way to celebrate besides my usual 7 fics in 7 days- let me know what y’all would be open too (maybe a bunch of fic rec lists or maybe a writing contest 🤷‍♀️ idk send me an anon if you have an opinion on what would be the best option!) Thanks for reading and requests are open!

Warnings: 18+, Non specific dom, Nose piercing (F), Nipple Piercings (F), Lots of nipple play, Unprotected sex, Slight bit of cockwarming at the end

Main Masterlist Word Count: 2.1k

Spencer wasn’t one to get angry about anything, disappointment or frustrations were the most extreme negative feelings that he normally felt towards someone that had wronged him. I was dreadfully afraid to see the look of disappointment on Spencer’s face.

We hadn’t been dating for long, only about three months of official dating. We also hadn’t gotten much further than a heated makeout session so he wouldn’t have seen any of the other piercings I had hidden under my shirt.

I had other piercings that weren’t visible to the naked eye that didn’t help quelling the fear that I felt. He had never taken off my shirt before as we had decided to go at a relatively slow pace in our relationship. I wondered in fear if he would also be disappointed with the barbells that were pierced through both of my nipples or- would he like them because they were not as prominent as the ring that was proud on my face.

I had said I’d meet him at his apartment to watch some Dr. Who and eat whatever take out we were feeling like that night. My nerves were lit with worry as I stood in the elevator after he had buzzed me up.

When he opened the door to his apartment to let me in I held my head slightly down as I walked in not wanting to have the conversation about the nose ring while I was in the hallway.

“Do you like it?” The words slipped out immediately when I turned to face him, not even letting him get a good look at me before speaking, my voice meek.

“Like what?” He was still confused, until I pointed to the ring that was pierced through my nose. “Oh- of course I love it!”

“Thanks, Spencer.” I fidgeted with my fingers a little still feeling nervous even though he had said he loved it.

“Why do you look so nervous?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t like it.” My admission made Spencer frown and silence fell between us for a second while he pondered my words.

“I’d love any iteration of you.” There was no hesitation when he spoke. He always had such a way with words, including when he was ranting and of course his stuttering when he was embarrassed or nervous. His eyes were wide with adoration as if he’d never consider thinking you were anything less than gorgeous.

A rush of boldness came through me, wanting to show him what else I had hidden. My fingers danced along the hem of my shirt, maybe this was moving a bit faster than what we had spoken about earlier. But, I wanted to show him, to either let it lead to something more or to let him know what he was looking forward to when we made that step at a later date.

“Well- if you like this one I have another piercing that you might enjoy…” My voice was still holding a bit of tension, he may have liked the nose ring- but would he like the others?

When I pulled off my top his eyes went wide, his pupils expanding into black pools, he did not stop me. Then when my bra went off finally exposing the barbells that sat under my clothes everyday he was stunned speechless. I withered a bit under his gaze, fearing that my boldness had scared him. “I’m sorry if that was too much.”

He cut me off by speaking quickly, “N-not too much- just ummm- shocked??”

“Do you like them Spencer?” My confidence had returned a bit since he had confirmed that he did in fact, like them, but I still was holding back a bit.

When he gasped out a little ‘yes’ I decided to stop holding back, stepping closer towards him.

“You can touch them Spencer, that’s part of the reason why I got them.” I leaned in to press a soft ghost of a kiss to the shell of his ear making him shudder, I then whispered, “it makes them more- sensitive.”

A groan from deep in Spencer’s chest rose up quickly taking me by slight surprise. His large hands then rose up to finally palm my breasts, his hesitation had been whisked away by my words.

When he was no longer satisfied with palming my boobs he reached up with one hand to pinch my left nipple slightly. The slight sting sent a shock of pleasure down my spine in an instant, my panties dampening further in quick response.

A moment of silence passed, the tension suspended thick and heavy in the air before Spencer spoke, “Did you like that?”

I knew it was a rhetorical question, but I still answered with a slight whimper in my voice, “Yes!”

The confident smirk on his face was something I hadn’t seen much of from Spencer, but I was thoroughly enjoying it. He pinched them both this time- and much harder too. The moan I let out was almost pornographic which spurred Spencer on to continue to pinch them, rolling the buds between his fingers before pulling again.

When he moved forward to wrap his lips around one of my nipples I felt like I had gone to heaven. As he laid kisses all along my chest I couldn’t help but try to grind my hips up into him, however I couldn’t from the position I was in.

I was tired of not being able to touch Spencer in the way I wanted, I wanted to give him some pleasure too. I pulled his mouth off of me momentarily so I could push him down to sit on the couch to be able to straddle him properly. He had whined a bit in protest at first, but when my legs that were now stripped of their clothing slung over his lap his complaint died in his throat.

My core rested right over the prominent bulge in his slacks now. I smirked cheekily a little bit before grinding down onto him.

His lips captured my nipple again, this time the one that had been slightly neglected. This time he also decided to bite his teeth down slightly and nibble a little.

“Harder, please!” I gasped as I continued to rock my hips over his clothed cock. He thankfully obliged me by taking my perked nipple and slightly sawed it back and forth between his teeth. The pleasure that came through me from his actions far outweighed the pain, the moan that came falling from my lips was a sign of that.

A squeak then fell from my lips as I was suddenly lifted up and then set on my back. I guess he had gotten impatient from my teasing.

“You’re needy.” I commented with a smirk. He had been unbuttoning his pants when I spoke, but paused when the words came out of my mouth. He then pinned my hands above my head with one of his own and dipped the other between my folds.

“Who’s really the needy one here?” I definitely liked the little taste I was getting of this side of Spencer, that was firmly evident by the amount of slickness was evident on his fingers when he brought them up to my mouth. I wrapped my lips around his fingers eagerly before he could pull them away bobbing my head as much as I could in my constricted position pinned underneath him.

“Fuck-“ He swore which was another normally uncharacteristic thing for Spencer, it spoke to his own neediness. Though I could not make a remark about it as his fingers were still far down my throat.

When he removed his fingers he also lessened his grip on my hands that had been pinned. I wiggled out of his grip to help him get his slacks out of the way. I didn’t care if I was needy as he had said, I was tired of the teasing and my arousal was so prominent I could feel it dripping down my thighs.

He didn’t need any preparation either, his erection looking almost a little painful. ThoughI was more caught up with observing how beautiful he looked- which wouldn’t normally be the adjective someone would use, but it perfectly described Spencer’s cock.

He filled me slowly, letting me feel every vein and letting himself feel every ridge. After he filled me all the way to the hilt he stopped for a moment, just to relish in the feeling of being impatient. I however was too impatient.

“Please move, Spencerrrr…”

“And you say you’re not the needy one…” He commented with another smirk that was now becoming a staple on his face, I never wanted it to leave. I moved my own hips, squirming underneath him to try to coax him into moving.

When he finally obliged me by snapping his hips quickly up into me I couldn’t help but involuntarily make a desperate moan.

It wasn’t long until he had created a steady rhythm along with me. The pace we had set wasn’t rushed, but was still desperate in a way. His thrusts were deep and quick, but he always paused a minute moment at the end of each thrust to appreciate me fully.

Our hands couldn’t stop exploring each other while he kept up our pace. From the amount of time Spencer was lingering to play with my boobs you’d think he was obsessed, maybe he was just a little. He also made sure to pepper kisses all along my neck, jaw, and face. He even made an effort to kiss the tip of my nose, making everything much more sweet.

I however had decided to rest my hands on his hips and ass, sometimes pushing him forward slightly when I felt our pace faltering slightly. When he started to pick up the pace I could feel my pleasure starting to come to its peak. I was going to fall over the edge soon and fast.

“I’m gonna cum!” I gasped, almost so whispley that it was barely sensical. Spencer was able to still understand my words, pitching his hips to hit at my sweet spot more intensely. Then he moved his dexterous fingers down across my boobs pinching my nipple on last time before he spoke,

“Go ahead, I want you to cum for me.”

My hands wound their way into his hair trying to grasp onto something as my orgasm washed over me in waves of pleasure. Spencer too wasn't too far behind, his own triggered as my walls clamped down tightly around him. We rode out our highs together, our heavy breaths mingling in harmony as we started to come down.

Spencer’s gaze was still heavily fixated on my body as we both caught our breath again. His eyes were glanced down at my naked chest, pupils still wide with wonder as he got to fully take in the sight without being clouded by lust. I couldn’t help but want to tease him a little.

“Hey, my eyes are up here, mister.” I said cheekily, though I could tell that he had definitely missed my joke by the look on his face.

“Sorry!” His little squeak was adorable and he started to move his way off of me with averted eyes until I stopped him.

“Spencer- I was joking.” The smile that was prominent on my face then morphed into a coy look. I moved my hands down to cup my own boobs before continuing while I pinched my nipples like he had done, “You’ve got permission to look anytime you want.”

His shoulders slumped a little as they always did when he was relieved, I was happy to see his own smile back matching mine.

We had no desire to move from our position, at least for a little while until I had to get up to clean myself. But, I was content to bask in bliss with Spencer for a while.

He brought me out of my thoughts by booping the tip of my nose with his pointer finger, my nose scrunching up a little in response. I giggled a little bit, moving my own pointer finger up to boop his own cute little button nose.

“Maybe you’d also look good with a nose ring.” He snorted loudly into my ear, making another fit of giggles erupt from me. At least this time my joke was caught by Spencer.

“Maybe so, but no. I’d like it better on you anyway.” His goofy little smile brought me such joy. In hindsight I should have never worried about Spencer loving my piercings, he’d think I was beautiful no matter what iteration I was. The little kiss he left on my nose was a testament to that.

—-

Tag list (message me if you want to be added):

All works:

@shotarosleftpinky @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar @s1utformgg

Spencer Reid/CM

@calm-and-doctor @destiny-tsukino @safertokiss @slutforthegubes

[xxwritemeastoryxx]

Not Her

Author: xxwritemeastoryxx

Parings: Elijah Mikaelson x Reader, Klaus Mikaelson & Bestfriend!Reader

Word count: 2.1 K

Author’s note: Welcome to day two of Angst Week. This gif had been submitted by the lovely @dumble-daddy and was a part of the 1500k follower challenge. It’s late but, it’s here. At least I'm not reaching another milestone soon. 🤣

Feedback gives me life and motivation for future things!

Even though the last few months had been filled with numerous foes that dare chose to take a stand against the Mikaelsons, they had been able to handle it. They managed to defeat each one that came their way as they always did: together. But nothing could have prepared them for the fight that was brought to them today. Nor were they prepared for the aftermath. 

The Mikaelsons had been separated and it was then that the enemy had chosen to strike. For if they weren’t faced with the whole family, there was a better chance to take them down. While Klaus, Rebekah and Hayley had been on one side of the city, Elijah, Y/N and Freya had been on the opposite end. A trail of clues leading them into an ambush. 

While it had been unexpected, they managed to stick to their quickly thrown together plan. Take down the enemy and those that were alive by then would be questioned. As long as the Mikaelsons stuck to that, they’d always come out on top. At least, it always had before that. 

Klaus stood in the courtyard of the compound, a glass of liquor in his hand. He stood there with pride as he brought the glass up to his lips and took a drink from it. Taking the lives of those that stood against him was no doubt the best part of the day. The blood that lingered on his clothes served as a reminder that Klaus Mikaelson wasn’t someone to be tried with. 

The smug smile that played on his lips never faltered. If anything it grew from time to time at the sounds of the screams that came from the cellar. Both Rebekah and Hayley worked as quickly as possible to get whatever information out of their last living pawn from the fight. Today had merely been child’s play to the three of them compared to several other moments in their lifetime. 

Even as he heard the familiar footsteps of his brother approaching the compound, his smile had only grown to a smirk. Surely if they had managed to succeed, the other half of his siblings would have succeeded as well. He poured himself another glass, his back turned to Elijah as he did so. 

“I’d say today was a successful a-” Klaus’s words had been cut short as he turned to face his brother. 

Elijah stopped not too far from the entryway, his eyes locked on his brother. Much like Klaus, his suit had been stained by the blood that covered him. There were rips along the suit jacket, some even exposing his ripped button up. From what Klaus could see, the others had a rougher time with the enemy. 

Klaus could easily see that some of the blood that covered Elijah’s neck had been his own. The bite mark on his neck had been a source for some of the current wounds present on his brother. One that Klaus knew Elijah would eventually heal from with time. But it was the other stains of blood on Elijah that had bothered Klaus the most. 

The brothers had been in several fights. Against several others and even against each other. But no matter who the fight was with, Klaus had never seen Elijah this covered in blood before. It was the stain that looked as if someone had been bleeding out as he carried someone, that raised the most alarms in Klaus. 

And as Klaus took in his appearance, Elijah couldn’t get a single word to form on his lips. The pain he felt from the wolf bite was nothing in comparison to the emotional whirlwind that was raging inside of him. There was disbelief, heartache, and grief all mixed in with each other. He wasn’t sure where one emotion ended and the other began. And yet, on the outside Elijah was quiet, as if thinking on how he should say what was on his mind.

Elijah knew there was nothing he could have done. His vampire abilities couldn’t do anything to prevent it. The speed he had been so used to had been fast enough. The strength he had couldn’t prevent his foes from reaching the one person he swore he would always protect. His blood rendered useless as he tried to heal her. 

His heart ached at the thought. How human he felt in that moment. How helpless he had been to stop any of it. He could easily play out every scenario on how he could have done something differently. But nothing his mind conjured up came with a happy ending. 

It was as the brothers’ eyes met that Elijah felt the dam within him collapse to pieces and the first set of tears began to fall. Through those tears, Elijah had been able to Klaus’s facial features turn from the smug look he had from victory, to worry for his brother, followed by the realization of what Elijah’s silent actions had meant.

Klaus’s eyes immediately went to the entryway, looking for Y/N. Surely if his brother had returned, she wouldn’t have been too far behind. But even his enhanced hearing couldn’t pick up on her footsteps, nor the familiar sound of her playful laughter he had grown used to after a fight such as this one. 

“Tell me Y/N is just out with Freya somewhere.” Klaus said as he shook his head slightly. 

Y/N and Klaus had been close friends for several centuries. It was that friendship that had led to the introduction of his best friend and brother. A match made in heaven that couldn’t be separated. And as the years went on, Y/N became his official sister and the three of them had been closer than ever.

Elijah’s head quickly shook at his brother’s words. “We couldn’t save her.” After a short pause he continued. “I couldn’t save her.”

Klaus took in his brother’s words and began shaking his head. “What happened?” He asked through clenched teeth. 

“They had wolves on their side.” Elijah looked away from his brother as he began to explain. As he did, he tried keeping his emotions in check. But losing his wife had killed him and the guilt that filled him from not being able to save Y/N had almost suffocated him. “She was fine one moment, taking them down with ease. Freya was prepared to do the spell, until something went wrong. The next time I see Y/N she’s being bitten. Not once, but several times. Seeing her had distracted me. I was bitten as Itried to get to her. By the time I managed to dispose of the wolf, I heard Freya screaming her name.”

Elijah shook his head. The fresh memories are too hard to even put into words. The details that followed, he had still been processing himself. How could one so easily explain the horrific events that he hadn’t been able to stop himself?

Seeing the struggle within his brother, Klaus walked over to Elijah and placed his hands on the sides of Elijah’s neck, for if he could enter his brother’s mind, Elijah wouldn’t have to say a single word. All he would have to do was show Klaus what he saw. 

Blood ran down Y/N’s chin and neck from the wolves she had easily killed. She was careful to avoid their bites several times throughout the fight. Y/N had the upper hand with each one that came at her. At least that was until she felt the dart of vervain hit her thigh. 

Growing weaker, the wolves had taken advantage. Even though Y/N had fought a few others off, ripping their hearts out in the process, it was the others that bit into her. With Vervain and werewolf venom pumping through her veins, Y/N knew she was running out of time and strength. 

“Any day now, Freya!” She called out in between grunts as she killed another. 

“Almost there.” Freya called out in return as she kept her eyes on the spell. she just needed a few more moments. 

Elijah could hear it in Y/N’s voice that something was wrong. The attention he had on the wolves before him had been lost as he looked over at Y/N and watched as she pulled the dart out of her skin. But the moment she had it free, another had been shot into her back. 

“Y/N!” Elijah called, about to make his way over to her when a wolf jumped on Elijah. While Elijah fought it off, it hadn’t been before he had gotten bitten. Once the creature had been lifeless, he had gotten up off of the ground, his eyes searching for Y/N. 

He found her standing back up, the dart no longer in her back as a whine from a wolf filled the air. Y/N’s hand had been shoved into the wolf’s chest before pulling it’s heart out quickly. Elijah watched as a smirk began to pull at her lips. At least that was until he watched the look of pain formed on her face. 

Her hands automatically went to her chest, attempting to find the source of the pain that radiated through her chest. As she looked down, she saw the protruding sharp end of the stake poking out of her chest. Blood began seeping through the wound and it wasn’t hard to miss on the gray shirt she wore. 

“No!” Elijah yelled out the same time as Freya had done the same. 

They both hadn’t seen the woman coming up on Y/N, nor did they see the stake she held in her hand. And it wasn’t long after that the woman was gone as well, taking what remained of the pack with her. 

Elijah moved quickly to catch Y/N before she fell to the ground. He took her in his arms and the moment he had, Y/N had smiled up at him. There were so many thoughts running through his head in that moment, but nothing wanted to be spoken. 

Elijah knew he couldn’t heal her. Not with the way the ashen veins began crawling up her body. She didn’t have the same abilities as he did. For she had been turned a century later and was vulnerable to any wooden stake. There was no way he could save her and he hated himself for it.  

His eyes met hers as he shook his thoughts away, wanting to be there for her in her final moments. “Forgive me.” He said as he attempted to keep his emotions in check. 

Y/N’s head shook slightly as she looked up at him. She was growing weaker by the second as death claimed her. But she wasn’t going to let Elijah feel like it was his fault. She brought her trembling hand up to his face, a small smile forming once more as he leaned into her touch. 

“I love you.” The words had come out as a whisper. But Y/N knew that Elijah had heard them clearly. 

She wanted to make sure that if she was going at any second, that those would have been the last thing he heard from her. Not the worry she had felt at the beginning of the ambush. Not the fear that she voiced when Freya’s spell hadn’t been done in time. She wanted and needed him to hear the love she felt for him in her dying voice. 

The words had only lingered in the air a split of a second before her hand fell to her side and the ashen grey had overtaken her face. 

Klaus pulled his hands away from his brother as he took in the memory. His best friend was gone and just as Elijah had said, there was no way to save her. Even if Elijah had gotten to her moments before he had, there would have been nothing he could have done. 

The vervain in her system had left her senses weakend, including her hearing. She was no match for the enemy that snuck up on her. No amount of blood would have stopped death from taking her in the mere seconds it had taken for Elijah to reach her before she took her last breath. Klaus knew that guilt would live within his brother for some time. 

It was then that Klaus pulled his brother into a hug. A way to comfort him even though he himself had been in disbelief that Y/N was gone. It was a way for them to rely on each other in a moment of grief. For the person they’ve loved the longest besides family, had been taken away from them. 

Tonight, they would grieve. 

Tomorrow, they’d take down the enemy together before putting Y/N to rest. 

Always and Forever Tags:

@taylordrunkonwhiskey @thewolf-and-thesheep @wayward-dan @neeadinghugs @fafulous @kenmen02 @elizamonet @dora-the-grownup @mschellehitt @xanderling @fandom-princess-forevermore @buckysarm4 @hi-my-name-is-riley @helenasingers @alka16555 @hellotvshowtrash @dpaccione @dumble-daddy

Stag Tag: (All Things Elijah Mikaelson)

@elejah-wonderland @xxsovereignsarayaxx @asiaaisa77 @astudyoftimeywimeystuff @marvel-at-stucky

The Originals Tag: (All Things The Originals)

@zillahvathek @obsessedwithvampires @mikaelson-emma

If you would like to be added to or taken off the tag list, you can do so here!

[afriendlyblackhottie]

Presents

Summary: it’s the day after Christmas and you still needed to give Chris his present.

Pairing: husband!Chris Evans x Black!Wife!Reader

Warnings: smut, anal, blowjob, squirting, doggy style, Daddy kink, swearing

(A/N: so... yeah. Idk what made me want to write anal, but... it happened. I’m so weird about anal personally, but the idea was hot so. Sue me. Anyway I have not edited this thing in the slightest. Reblog always 💜 ✌🏾)

Tagging: @titty-teetee @blackmissfrizzle @olyvoyl @liquorlaughslove @harrysthiccthighss @mariahthelioness29 @whiskey-cokenfanfic @olyvoyl @hqneyyincc @queenoftheworldisdead @iam-laiya @donutloverxo @slytherinandoutasgard @zaddychris @brattycherubwrites @love-more122

——————————————————————————

You had been struggling to figure out what to get Chris for Christmas. He’d spent so much time taking care of you and buying you anything you could ask for. So you wanted to give him something back. Except what do you give a man that has almost everything.

You felt a little bad about having to give him his present so late. Christmas Eve had been so busy. You’d had to wrap presents and prepare dinner because as your first year as his wife you wanted to host. Which meant on Christmas Day the two of you were too busy and then too exhausted for you to give it then, too. So it was the day after Christmas and you were finally giving him his gift.

You.

It was a little self centered sure. Giving your husband you for Christmas, but there was something you’d never given him that he desperately wanted. He’d been such a good boy that you finally decided to give him the gift he’d been wanting.

You pranced down the stairs in the little red number you’d purchased. The pair of red bottom heels he’d gifted you for your birthday on your feet. He was more focused on whatever show he was watching. Didn’t even notice you until you came up behind him to start kissing along his neck.

“Mmm, someone’s a li-“ he was saying until he turned his head to see what you were wearing. You bit your lip as he looked you up and down. “Fuck.”

“Merry Christmas, Daddy,” you cooed. As you kissed his cheek before moving to his neck. He seemed at a loss for words as you went around to the other side of face him so you could straddle his lap putting your Loboutain clad feet on either side of his legs.

His jaw was still dropped as his eyes trailed to your clevage. His hands went to your ass, squeezing at your flesh. “Damn,” he said.

“Like it?” You asked as your lips went to his neck.

“Oh I love it. You naughty little slut,” he said, smacking your ass.

You giggled, but kept kissing along his skin up to his earlobe that you nibbled into making him groan. Your fingers played with the hem of his shirt. You moved your hips, grinding into him. “If you’re good maybe you can make it on my naughty list.”

You got down on your knees. “Fuck you’re gonna be the death of me,” he said with a groan. You placed your chin on his thigh. He rubbed your cheek with his thumb. “You gonna suck my dick?”

You nodded with a pout trying to make your eyes look all big and innocent. Even though deep down you just wanted him to stuff your mouth with his cock. “Please, Daddy,” you begged with your mouth wide open.

He groaned softly because fuck was this a sight to behold. He pushed his sweats down his thighs and as soon as his dick came into view, it was like you’d lost your mind. It wasn’t very different than what you usually did. You liked when he used you as his own personal sex toy. That’s kind of what was going to happen right now.

You started licking the underside of his dick. Using the tip of your tongue to lick over his slit. “Oh, fuck,” he groaned. He was staring down at you working his dick. Going to his balls so you could show them attention to.

You loved having your mouth on him. It didn’t matter if it was his lips, his cock, or his fingers, or even when you’d bite his arm as he fucked you from behind while you were flat on your stomach. So as you let him fuck your mouth you were pretty much in heaven. Moaning around him as you sucked and slurped.

He watched as you made a mess on his dick. Your spit coating his cock as you tasted his pre-cum. As good as it felt he didn’t want to cum yet, so he pulled you off because he wanted to fuck you properly.

He took his sweats off fully before picking you up to throw you over his shoulder. He smacked your ass then started jerking himself off as he walked upstairs. You knew you were in it for it and you were so giddy just thinking about it.

You bounced as he threw you on the bed. He took off his shirt and your mouth watered from seeing your man naked. You’d never get sick of seeing him like this.

He climbed on the bed, bringing his lips to yours. You kissed back with fervor taking his cock into your hand so you could start stroking him. Damn he was so thick your hand felt so little against him

“You gonna be my slut tonight?” He asked, slipping his fingers into the crotch of your outfit. “Let me fuck you however I want?”

“Uh huh,” you breathed.

“No, no, little bitch. Use your words. Tell me you want to be Daddy’s cockwhore.”

You bit your lip at his words. “I wanna be Daddy’s cockwhore.”

He groaned at the words this time because he really could have cum just from hearing you say that. “Such a nasty girl for me.” He started fingering your pussy. Kissing you again as he spread you right open. “Gonna be my bitch tonight, huh,” he said getting ready to fuck into you.

“Yes, Daddy. I’m always your bitch. My pussy needs you so bad.” You mewled.

“Got dressed up so cute for me,” he curled his fingers so they’d hit your spot. Then he took them out showing them to you all nice and wet from how he stuffed your pussy before pushing them into your mouth so you could lick them clean. “Good girl. Good fucking girl.” He flipped you over so he could smack your ass. That’s when he noticed it. “Wait.” He pushed the crotch to the side seeing the cute jeweled plug in your ass. “Fuck.”

“Merry Christmas, Daddy.” You giggled.

“You sure, Baby?” He asked, rubbing the globe of your ass.

You moaned, nodding your head. “Yes, Daddy. I know it’s a little late, but I want to give you my ass for Christmas.”

He groaned. “Fuck,” he repeated, licking his lips, pushing his fingers back inside your wet cunt. You cried out trying to move back against him. Not being able to wait anymore he pushed inside of you.

Your seat of your panties hugged your ass as he pushed in and out of you from behind. He couldn’t stop himself as he rammed into you. You two had pretty rough sex and yet he couldn’t remember a time where he was going this hard.

He grabbed one of your arms, twisting it behind your back so he could fuck into you even harder. Making your ass bounce back against him. Your eyes were watering. Pussy wrapped tight around his dick as it clenched around him. His cock was invading your cunt in a way you almost couldn’t believe.

He started rubbing your clit from behind. Trying to help you along to your first orgasm and it worked so well because fuck you came so hard. It didn’t stop him except he moved from your clit to the plug in your ass. “F- fuck,” you stuttered out from the force as he pulled it out, only to push it back in again.

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as you moaned out for him. Taking him so deep you felt it at the top of your stomach. You weren’t sure if maybe your gift was making him want to put a baby in you, but fuck it felt like it.

At the same time it felt like he was fucking you like he hated you. Like you weren’t his wife. Like you were just some girl he needed to get out of his system. Like he may never get this chance again. Like you were someone he shouldn’t have been fucking. Someone he could degrade.

“Oh, Daddy. You fuck me so good,” you whimpered. He grabbed you by your neck to pull you up so he could moan in your ear. His other hand went back to your clit. He switched up his pace now fucking you with faster but more lingering thrusts. Like he’d move his hips all quick to thrust in, then pull out slowly.

He bit at your ear while you fondled your tits. All the sensations you were feeling at once was starting to get to you. You’d already felt so full from the plug.

Your orgasm was intense. A tingling in your stomach spreading through your body. He kept going for a few more thrusts before laying you down on the bed. He pulled out of you to start kissing down your body.

He flipped you over after getting on the bed. He kissed your lips all sweetly. Making you suddenly remember that you were his wife and not his whore. He nuzzled your nose with his. “Where’s your toy?”

You licked your lips trying to gather your thought. It was like he’d fucked you so hard you didn’t have any. “In there,” you said motioning with your head to the nightstand. He kissed your forehead before leaning over to grab it.

He placed it beside you before leaning down to kiss you again. “You sure? There’s no turning back.”

“Yes, Daddy.” You took a deep breath.

You took off your little outfit so he could have better access to you. He’d started prepping you pulling your plug in and out of you to make sure you were perfectly stretched. Then squirted the lube he’d also gotten out of your drawers onto the little hole. You were determined to take it. Wanting to give your man something you’d previously told him was off limits.

When he first started to push into you, he eased in. Your legs spread wide open as he still had you on your back. He leaned over you so he could kiss you again. “How you feeling, Honey?” He asked as he finally managed to get his cock inside of you.

You nodded, biting your lip as you looked up at him. He rocked his hips trying to get you used to it. You started rubbing your clit because even though he was stuffed in your poor swollen pussy was begging for attention.

Chris looked down at you, groaning. He wished he could take a picture. Of you playing with your puffy pussy while he fucked your tight ass. “See I knew you’d like it.”

You nodded because he was hitting this really yummy spot inside of you. You could feel yourself getting close again. Chris was smiling down at you as he watched you take him. Fuck you were such a good little slut.

“Sluts like you always love having all your holes owned.” He moved your hand so that he could start rubbing your clit instead.

“You’re gonna make me...” your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you came, juices squirting up. He doesn’t know how he held on after seeing that, but he kept fucking you. Then grabbed your toy to switch it on.

You screamed as he pressed it to your clit. It was on the highest setting and you weren’t sure if you could hold on. It quickly brought you to another orgasm. This one more dramatic, but fuck it felt so good. “Who owns your ass, Baby?”

“You do,” you whined. “It’s yours, Daddy.”

He pulled out so he could flip you onto your stomach. Wanting to make you cum one more time. You went back to rubbing your clit as he worked you from behind.

He smacked your ass while you cried into your pillow. Your body feeling like it was close to giving out. Feeling like he’d fucked you so good and stupid that all you could think about was letting him do what he wants to you.

“I’m gonna cum in you,” he groaned. “Want me to cum in your right little asshole.”

“Yes,” you cried into your pillow.

“You gonna let me fuck your ass whenever I want.”

You nodded. “Fuck, yes.”

“I might not even use your pussy anymore after this. You gonna be my little anal slut if I tell you?”

“I am, Daddy,” you cried. “I am your anal slut.”

“Good fucking girl,” he groaned not being able to stop as he finally came inside of you. You followed quickly. This orgasm a little less intense after those first ones, but it still felt so good.

Chris cleaned everything up before climbing into bed with you. He rubbed your ass, trying soothe any soreness you might have. You curled into him wanting to be as close as you could be.

“Did you like it?” You asked him.

“You kidding me? I’m more in love with you than I was on our wedding night.” He chuckled, kissing your forehead.

You chuckled then hissed because your stomach felt like it was now aching too much from that. “Merry Christmas,” you yawned.

“Merry Christmas.” He sighed with this dopey smile on his face.

[myhockeyworld87]

What Happens In Vegas...Doesn’t Always Stay There - Jacob Markstrom - Part 5

Word Count: 6,353

POV: Reader

Warning: Language, Smut, NSFW, Pregnancy stuff

Notes: Sorry I meant to post this last night, but that game left me barely able to function. As such, you are getting this today. This fic takes place during the 2018-2019 season and during that season Jacob’s dad was still with him, so I will be mentioning him in this and the next chapter, along with his cancer. If that bothers you, please skip this and the next chapter. I just felt that it needed to be written into the story. As always feedback is welcome. Happy Reading!

What Happens In Vegas…Doesn’t Always Stay There Masterlist

It took three weeks back in LA to get everything taken care of before the move to Vancouver. Work thankfully wasn't a problem. With more and more movies and television shows being filmed in Canada, the firm liked the idea of having someone closer. Most of your work could be done remotely anyhow and you could just video chat conference calls or anything else you needed. It ended up being a win for everyone.

 By the time you could actually move in, Jacob was on the tail end of a ten-day road trip. He'd insisted on hiring you a moving company, even though you said you could handle it, not that he thought you couldn't; he just felt you didn't need the added stress. Though packing wasn't the stressful part. It was the unpacking and not knowing where to put things with Jacob not being there that was causing your anxiety to rise. You felt like you were invading his home. Most of your furniture you kept in storage, but you still had a few things you wanted to take with you, yet you didn't know where to have the movers place it. Then there were your clothes. Jacob had a gorgeous master bedroom, with a closet to die for, but all his things were in it. You were unsure if you should move them to make room for yours or just take up the closet in the spare room. Which while spacious, was nowhere near as nice as the one in Jacob's room. Everything would've been much easier had he been here.

 In the end, you split everything up, putting half your stuff in his closet and half in the other room. You figured the two of you would be doing a lot of compromising and this would just be one of them. You had his office moved around to accommodate your work desk, since you'd be working a lot from home, and you had to wonder how often he came in here, as the pile of papers on his desk looked like the size of Mount Fuji, volcanic eruption and all. You were tempted to straighten it out for him, but opted not to, not wanting to invade his privacy.

 You were just putting away the last of your stuff when you heard Jacob walk through the door. "Prinsessa, I'm home." He'd taken to calling you his Swedish princess lately and you had to admit you didn't hate it.

 "In the bedroom," you hollered back. It was late in the evening, too late for you to be up, but you wanted to see Jacob and make sure everything you'd done so far was fine with him.

 "I was surprised to see all the lights on when I pulled up. Couldn't you sleep?"

 "I just wanted to finish putting away a few things." He dropped his bag on the floor and came over to you, wrapping you up in his arms and dropping a few kisses to your lips.

 "I missed you these last couple of weeks." It was weird but you'd missed him as well. You had talked every day, sometimes several times, but those few days that you'd spent in Vancouver, had just brought a new closeness to this relationship. If a relationship was what you could call it. He did refer to you as his girlfriend, but the way you two had gotten here was definitely the road less traveled.

 You slid your arms up his chest, savoring the feel of his well-toned muscles there. "Funny...I didn't miss you at all." You had a hard time keeping a straight face.

 "Really?" Jacob asked. There was this twinkle in his eyes, right before his hands slid under your ass and he lifted you on him. You didn't even have a chance to wrap your legs around him, though he held you with ease. "Maybe I need to do a better job at leaving you some reminders for next time." His mouth went to the crook of your neck where he sucked on you and gave you little love bites. You were pretty sure there were going to be marks there.

 "And here this whole time I thought they called you Marky because of your last name," you teased, yet moved your head to the side to give him greater access.

 "Oh, I plan on leaving more than just this one." He carried you over to the bed, where he gingerly lowered you down. You loved how he could be slightly rough with you one minute and then next so gentle.  Admittedly, you'd like to see a little bit of his rough side, but hopefully, that would come with time.

 His hands slid under your shirt, along your sides; the callousness of them rough yet the touch tender, making you shiver. "No bra?" he asked, eyebrows shooting up with delight as he skimmed along the undersides, before cupping each breast.

 "I opted out of it a while ago." Though your body hadn't changed much in these last ten weeks, you did notice your breasts were more sensitive and sometimes you just couldn't stand having them confined longer than necessary. Tonight happened to be one of those times.

 "Well if it's an option, you don't ever have to wear it again." There was a devilish look in his eyes. "I like this ease of access." He was rolling your nipples between his thumb and index finger, eliciting moans out of you so that you had no chance to answer. Scrunching your shirt up, he dipped his head down to lavish attention on those same nipples he had been tweaking. Your body squirmed, as he swirled his tongue around it before sucking on it gently. He wedged his thigh between your legs and you found your body grinding against it while he played with first one nipple and then the other. "Oh prinsessa, I think you did miss me."

 There was no denying that your body missed this. Craved was more like it. You had a feeling there would never be a time that you didn't want him. What was surprising was the sense of loss that came with just simple day-to-day actions, like brushing your teeth together and sharing a meal. Those were the things you'd found yourself longing for these last few weeks.

 Jacob started to travel down your body. Trailing kisses as he went, yet stopping to whisper something in Swedish to the baby. He didn't spend long there, and before you could ask what he said; he was pulling your sweats and panties down. "Du gor mig galen med hur vat du ar." (you drive me crazy with how wet you are) You were going to have to start picking up Swedish or something in your spare time, as he seemed to always revert to his native language in the heat of the moment. There was no time to ask what he said, as he dove right into your pussy. Licking a stripe right up to your clit causing your hips to lift off the bed.

 You sucked in a breath when he repeated the action again, your body on fire like never before. When he flicked his tongue over your clit, you were gone. The orgasm hitting you hard and fast like never before. "Fuck," you screamed out, as your body trembled and spasmed.

 Jacob worked you through it, somewhat astonished with how little he had done to make you cum so quickly. Once, you finally stopped shaking he picked his head up from between your legs. "Are you alright, prinsessa?"

 "Yes," you sighed in a state of bliss, not knowing if it was the pregnancy or the fact that you hadn't seen Jacob in three weeks that made you climax like that.

 You lay there panting, still catching your breath. "Shall we do that again?" The smirk on Jacob's face had you laughing, but after a long day of unpacking, you knew your body wouldn't last long.

 "Do that and I may be done for the rest of the night." You were only half teasing but he chuckled and made his way back up your body, taking the hint.

 "Rather have this," Jacob flexed his hips into you and moaned out into the room again. He was out of his boxers in no time. Cupping his cock in his hand, then guiding it into you. "God, prinsessa, you always feel like heaven."

 "Mmm," was all you could answer back as he was buried deep in you, for he felt like heaven as well. When he finally started to move it felt like every nerve in your body was alive and tingling. With each thrust he took you to new heights you never knew were possible. "Oh Jacob," you moaned. "Don't stop...please...yes...oh god..."

 "Yeah, you like that prinsessa?" A smirk of satisfaction crossing his lips at knowing he was bringing you such exquisite pleasure. "Does my cock make you feel good?" He was pounding into you and you didn't know how much longer you were going to be able to hold on for. He must have felt the small flutter your pussy gave, as the first tremors of orgasm began. "Cum for me (Y/N)." You shattered at his words, climaxing once again with a force you never felt but just minutes ago. "Fuck, ya." He groaned out, spilling inside you as his orgasm hit as well.

 Your body was still quaking as he rolled you both onto your sides. His cock going flaccid yet still inside you. "God, you're beautiful," Jacob whispered those words, as he pushed strands of hair out of your face, before dropping kisses to your nose and lips. "If this is what happens when I get home from a road trip, I can't wait to go on another one."

 "Stop," you said playfully swatting at his chest.

 "I'm just teasing, prinsessa, though I do like coming home to you here. I think this will be good for us." You hoped it would, considering that you both had a lot banking on this working out. If this were to go south, then what would you do? Move back to LA with the baby? Stay here so that Jacob could be a part-time dad? There were so many questions swirling around in your brain, but when Jacob softly took his thumb to rub your cheek they all seemed to evaporate. "I didn't get to ask how you're feeling today?"

 "I'm good, well, we're good. That's three whole days without morning sickness." It was small, but it was progress. Hopefully, you were on the upswing of that as you went into your eleventh week.

 "Good, I can't see how that's good for either one of you." You couldn't either, even though everything you read and everyone you talked to, said it was normal. "When you were moving in did you figure out which room you wanted for the baby?"

 "I thought the smart thing would be to keep it next to our room. Oh, I mean your room."

 "No, you were right the first time. This is our room." He kissed you quickly before adding, "If we're going to make this work then everything is ours."

 You yawned, completely exhausted from the babe and moving in. "Ok," you somehow managed to get out, agreeing with Jacob.

 "Sleep, (Y/N). It's late." You weren't sure if it was the combination of his soft whispered words while he rubbed your back or sheer exhaustion, but the minute you closed your eyes you were out.

 Jacob just chuckled to himself as he watched you fall asleep. He was fighting the feeling himself, though he just wanted to steal a few more glances as you slept on peacefully in his arms. It was strange to him, someone who wasn't ready to settle down, how much he loved this. Just holding you in his arms and watching you sleep. Ever since he'd met you, something inside him had changed. You made him want more than just random hookup after random hookup, and now he had that something more with you. Though pretty soon there would be a little one as well. His hand stole down to your belly. He thought for sure there would be a bump there, after not seeing you for three weeks. The little blueberry inside you had grown to a strawberry now. He knew this because of course, he had to google it, along with so many other things. Like how to change a diaper, and what he should expect at each week of your pregnancy. He knew that right now you could start with mood swings, and be crying one minute and happy the next. He was just waiting for that to happen. He was trying to be prepared as best he could to help you out with the baby growing inside you. His baby. God, it sounded weird, yet so good at the same time. It was thoughts of his little one that had him drifting off to sleep.

 Jacob was home for the next five days before off on a short road trip before Thanksgiving. It was after a one point loss that he brought up finally being able to tell people about your pregnancy. The two of you were driving home after the game and you could tell his mind was preoccupied, you just assumed it was about the game. That was until he spoke. "I think we should tell everyone." It was sort of out of the blue and you had to admit you weren't sure if you were ready.

 "I don't know Jacob."

 Before you could say more, he looked over at you saying, "why?"

 "It's just...I'm the new person here. I've only been to three games counting tonight." He looked over again when you came to a stoplight, confused by what you were saying. "They're going to judge me." When he still didn't understand, you added, "They're all going to think I baby trapped you."

 "No, they won't."

 "Please, I know women, and you said it yourself; they're a family. I'll be looked at as the outsider that wanted to get her claws into a famous athlete."

 "I don't know about famous," he joked and you noticed that he tended to do that a lot. When you just gave him a look, he reached over and squeezed your thigh, letting his hand rest there after doing so. "I'm teasing (Y/N). I know these guys, they aren't going to think that way once we tell them. Hell, I'll take full blame. I mean I should've worn a condom, but if I'm being honest...I'm glad I didn't."

 You were shocked at his words, to the point that you had none yourself. "Don't look so shocked," Jacob said breaking the silence. "I'll admit, that kids weren't in my plans right now, but they were in them. And I have to say now, once I saw blueberry, who's now strawberry; I'm kind of excited to be a dad. I guess that's why I want to tell everyone."

 Well, shit, now he had you all weepy. You understood where he was coming from, there was something about seeing the baby on the ultrasound, even though you had no clue what you were looking at, and then hearing the heartbeat, well it made you feel the exact same way as he did. "Ok."

 "Ok?"

 "Ok, we can tell people."

 "Really? I didn't say that to make you change your mind or anything." His hand was running up and down your thigh now, more in an excited manner than seductive, yet it still sent tingles through your body.

 "I know, but I'll be twelve weeks in a couple days and then we're pretty much out of the woods according to the doctor." That had been your main concern, having a miscarriage. It would be hard enough on you let alone having to tell everyone who was sharing in your happiness.

 "Oh," Jacob exclaimed and you could tell that was something that hadn't really crossed his mind. "Well, we can wait then."

 "What if we compromise." After all, the two of you had been doing that a lot recently, no reason to stop now. "You're only gone a couple short days. We can tell everyone when you get back, at Thanksgiving." When you were with the other wives and girlfriends tonight they had mentioned that they were going to be doing a group thanksgiving dinner for those who wished to celebrate and didn't have family in town. It was a no-brainer to say yes, though you probably should've talked to Jacob first. It was too late for that now, as you were already down for bringing a couple pies for dessert.

 "That actually sounds like a good plan. Even if I didn't know we were officially going." There was that damn squeeze of your thigh again to let you know he was teasing. This time you played along.

 "Hmm, I don't remember you being mentioned in the invite, but I'm sure I can bring a plus one." You were half tempted to reach over to grasp his thigh, but you settled for just linking your fingers together with his, liking the fact that you two had this easiness with each other.

 "I'm fine with being your plus one anytime, prinsessa."

 Once the matter was settled the two of you concentrated on other things until you got home and he whisked you up to the bedroom. You had read that your sex drive might decrease some during these weeks of pregnancy but you were not finding that to be the fact. If anything, you were constantly, well the only word for it was, horny. Just being in Jacob's presence drove you wild, and it seemed to be the same for him. Though the two of you did have your tender moments, where you cuddled up on the couch to watch hockey; Jacob explaining the premises of the game better to you. There were also nights you would just lie in bed and talk about the baby. Jacob gently caressing the small bump on your belly that wasn't even noticeable unless you were naked, which around him seemed to be often.

 Before you knew it, he was off on another road trip. Immersing yourself in work during the day was easy, it was the nights that were long. Game nights, you found yourself at one of the other ladies houses watching the game together or just laughing and enjoying each other’s company, but then you would head home to an empty house and an even more vacant bed. It wasn’t lost on you that just a few short months ago, this was the life you wanted. No craved. Now here you were wishing that Jacob was home with you, preferably in bed, but just being in the house would be enough for you. Though you couldn’t complain too much as Jacob would call and facetime you several times each night.

 It wasn’t too long of a roadie, and before you knew it, he was back in Vancouver and you were getting ready for Thanksgiving. With each pie you baked, you had to admit you were getting more and more nervous at the idea of telling Jacob’s teammates. You’d taken the morning to tell his parents, who while not exactly thrilled about the way it happened, were happy for the both of you and excited about having a grandchild. Yours were pretty much the same, now understanding that your move to Canada was more than just business.

 Hours later, you were in the car headed to Chris Tanev’s place, where he and his girlfriend Kendra were hosting. You couldn’t stop your legs from bouncing as you went past neighborhood after neighborhood. “I’m telling you there’s nothing to be worried about,” Jacob insisted, placing his hand over your knee in an effort to get you to stop.

 “Yeah, well I’ll be better when it’s over and I don’t have to see the disapproving stares.”

 “You weren’t this nervous telling our families.”

 “I was for yours. I just wasn’t showing it on the outside.” Admittedly, you had been scared about telling them, but Jacob’s parents were just so kind. There were also words exchanged in Swedish which you had no clue as to their meaning, but Jacob assured you it was nothing bad at all. “Besides our parents aren’t going to judge us at the end of the day. Family kind of has to love you, even when you make mistakes.”

 “Mistakes, huh?”

 “That’s not what I meant.”

 “I know, just trying to take your mind off of everything. So, you’re cool with my parents coming over for a bit. I mean dad and I will be on the road a couple of days, so it’ll just be you and my mom, but I know she’s really excited about meeting you.”

 “Yeah, I’m actually looking forward to it.” Which was the honest to god’s truth. You wanted to learn all about Jacob and his family, for no matter what happened between the two of you, they would always be a part of the baby’s life. “I’m sure she’s got some good stories about you growing up. You know the ones that are way too embarrassing to tell, but mom’s do anyhow.” He groaned and you laughed. There were obviously some he didn’t want to be told and you were looking forward to hearing about those the most.

 “Maybe I should be rethinking this.”

 “Don’t you dare.” As the words rolled off your tongue, you realized you were pulling up to the Tanev residence.

 “Ready?” You took a deep breath, steeling yourself for the next few hours. You planned on just following Jacob’s lead. It wasn’t like you were going to walk in and simply announce that you were pregnant; however, and whenever, he wanted to tell them, was his choice.

 He squeezed your hand one last time before the two of you exited the car. You grabbed the desserts, tossing two pies at Jacob before taking the last two, and heading to the door. “Welcome, guys,” Chris said as he opened the door, then took one of the pies off your hands. “Come on in.” Not everyone was there yet, which was rather nice. There were a few of the single players there, along with Sarah and Erik. You knew for sure Holly and Bo were coming as well and a few more of the couples, that you weren’t extremely close to yet, they just hadn’t arrived yet.

 Mike Del Zotto was quick to come up and throw an arm around you. “Hey (Y/N), it’s good to see you. Glad you two decided to join us. I thought maybe this guy would keep you all to himself. I know I would.” He gave you a quick wink, but it was the look on Jacob’s face that had you laughing. He was not happy with DZ flirting with you by any means.

 “Keep it up and we may just have to head home,” Jacob countered, though in a joking manner.

 “Men,” Sarah said, grabbing you from Michael’s hold so that she could hug you. “Why don’t you boys run along and watch football or something. Let’s go put these in the kitchen.” She took the pies from Jacob and headed off.

 Jacob came over and pecked you on the lips, before slyly asking, “You good?”

 “Yeah,” with that he gave your hip a final squeeze then went with the other guys to the movie room.

 “These look amazing,” Kendra told you, checking out the baked goods. “Where did you get them from?”

 “Oh, I made them. I hope that’s ok.”

 “Ok? Oh my god, of course, they’re probably way better than store-bought. Though you have me feeling guilty now because I did not make any of the food.” It was then that you noticed large tinfoil pans here and there in the kitchen with a couple in the oven. “I like to cook, but not for this herd. I don’t have enough oven space for the number of turkeys we’d need.”

 “Well, I’m still amazed at you having everyone,” you told her, for it had to be a feat hosting this many hockey players along with their significant others. “Everything looks amazing and your house is gorgeous by the way.”

 “Thank you. Would you like a glass?” Kendra held out a bottle of red wine, literally your weakness any other time than right now. “I was just pouring us a second.”

 “Yeah, join us,” Sarah added. “We’re going to need it with all this male testosterone today.”

 Somehow at the last couple of get-togethers, you’d managed to get out of drinking simply by saying that you had work the next day, but that would not be the case tomorrow. “I really shouldn’t, but a bottle of water would be great.”

 “One water coming up.” Kendra headed over to the fridge when you saw Sarah eyeing you funny.

 “Ok, so I have to ask.” This from Sarah as she still had that look on her face. It was the one Kennedy always made when she knew something. Nine times out of ten your best friend was always right, but then this was Sarah, someone who you considered a friend but didn’t know near as well. “You haven’t been drinking at any games and you’re not today. Are you….?” She paused letting the word pregnant just hang in the air, for you to fill in the blank.

 “Are you?” Kendra asked now fully into the conversation, yet still, neither said the word.

 All you could do was take a deep breath and say, “Yeah, I am.” Still not saying the P-word as if that would change the circumstance of your situation.

 “Oh my god, congratulations.” Sarah came running around the island to hug you. "That's amazing." You were stunned there wasn't a hint of disapproval on her face. And when you looked back at Kendra who was waiting her turn to hug you, all you could see was happiness as well.

 "Jacob is going to be a great father," Kendra told you when she wrapped you up in an embrace. "How far along are you?"

 "How far along is what?" Chris asked.

 "I hope you mean dinner because I'm starving," Del Zotto added.

 Bringing up the rear of the trio was Jacob and all you could do was give him a sheepish grin as Kendra broke the news. "Congratulations, Daddy."

 Both Michael and Chris turned to him, with shocked looks on their faces. "Why didn't you tell us, man?" Chris spoke first, as he clapped Jacob on the back then gave him the standard bro hug.

 "I planned on it today," Jacob answered while giving you a look both shocked and thrilled that you were the one spilling the beans. "Just hadn't found the right time."

 Del Zotto came up and hugged you first, followed by Chris, and the next thing you knew the whole place was congratulating the two of you. It was nothing like you thought, not one person questioned the fact that you'd just moved in together or started to see one another. Jacob had been right all along. They were just like your family, supportive of the decision the two of you had made. You were beginning to believe that this may work out. Especially, as your relationship with Jacob only seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.

 After Thanksgiving, things seemed to be moving in fast forward. You hit the twelve-week mark in your pregnancy, which meant another ultrasound and another chance for you and Jacob to further bond over the baby. It went from being a strawberry to being the size of a lime, according to the chart, and this time you could both see it was an actual baby growing inside of you. There was a distinct shape to its little arms and legs, which made the whole thing that much more real and exciting. Which is how you found yourself asking the girls how you would go about getting a little Canucks jersey with Jacob’s number and Daddy written on the back as a Christmas gift for Jacob. It was the first baby item that you bought and it felt so perfect.

 As Christmas drew near, you found yourself decorating Jacob’s house for the holiday season. Even though you’d been living in the house for several weeks, it still didn’t feel like your home quite yet. Jacob had few holiday decorations, so you found yourself shopping more than you cared to admit. By the time he arrived home, you had the house transformed into something worthy of a Hallmark movie. It wasn’t what Jacob was used to by any means considering the Swedes are more classic and subtle when it came to holiday décor, but he loved it all the same.

 Christmas was a quiet affair. You opted to stay in Canada with Jacob, figuring that you might as well start making some new traditions, like celebrating on Christmas Eve as is done in Sweden. The two of you tried to mesh your holiday traditions as much as possible, so you agreed to open one present Christmas Eve after you had eaten some classic holiday dishes from Jacob’s homeland, then opting to open the rest Christmas morning as your family had always done. Jacob bought you a beautiful charm bracelet. There was a Welcome to Vegas charm, as well as a hockey stick, and Canucks one, but the one you loved the most was the one that had Mom to be written on a heart.

 “This is beautiful,” you said leaning over to give him a kiss. “Thank you.”

 You handed over your gift to him, which he took with a silly grin on his face. Tearing through the paper, he unwrapped the box in no time, then pulled out the tiny hockey sweater. “This is great (Y/N). I can’t wait to see him or her in it at the game.”

 “There’s more.” He looked at you curiously then peered back inside the box, seeing the gold chain lying inside. You’d seen him wear one on a few occasions but this had a little charm on the end. He looked at it several times before you finally gave in. “It’s the doppler sound of the baby’s heartbeat. I had told you I’d record it for you before we did the ultrasound here in Vancouver, but I still wanted you to have something to remember that moment.”

 His eyes started to well up, just like they had that day when you heard the heartbeat. “This is…wow…I love it.” It was Jacob’s turn to plant a kiss on your lips, only this one became a little more heated. He finally pulled away, but only to say, “Can you put it on me?”

 Thankfully he was seated on the couch, so you got up and placed the chain around his neck. The moment it was secure, he looked down at the charm and smiled, before reaching to grab you and pull you close again. This time speaking hushed words to the baby in Swedish as he always did.

 “I think for my New Year’s resolution, I’m going to learn Swedish. I’m dying to know what you tell the baby.”

 “That time, I said that they are so lucky to have the most wonderful mom in the world.” Well, if that didn’t make the heat rise to your cheeks. “There might have been a few other things as well. I’m more than happy to teach you though if you’d like to learn.”

 “I think I would. It would be nice to teach our child your native tongue, and they say to start as early as possible. Which it seems that you are.” He just grinned then hauled you down on his lap, cradling your small little bump once you were seated.

 “Well here’s your first lesson. You say God Jul for Merry Christmas in Swedish.”

 You repeated the words, butchering them a bit, then repeated it again much better. “Very good, prinsessa. Obviously, you know that one as well.”

 “I do. Though I wonder if I shall still get that title if we have a girl.”

 “Hmm, might have to change it to Drottning.”

 “I have no clue what that means, but it’s not nearly as romantic.” Jacob let out a bark of laughter.

 “No, I don’t suppose queen sounds as good in Swedish as it does English. I guess I will just have to think about it.”

 “Which makes me wonder, do you want a boy or a girl?” Everyone knew that all you both wanted was a healthy baby, but you wouldn’t lie and say that you’d love to see Jacob with a son. One he could teach all his hockey moves to, though he could just as easily do that with a girl. Maybe it was that you wanted a boy just so that you could see Jacob through him. One that had his sense of humor and good looks. Though your child would probably never be in trouble if he could replicate his father’s grin. It melted your heart every time you saw it. You had to shake yourself from where your thoughts were leading for you never saw yourself as this person; the kind that wanted to see the man that they loved reflected in their children.

 Did you literally just think that you loved Jacob? Certainly, you had feelings for him, but love; no, it couldn’t be that. You hadn’t known Jacob long enough to say you were in love with him. Hell, the two of you were in the process of getting a divorce. Weren’t people falling out of love when that happened and not into it?

 “Either will be fine, just healthy.” Jacob's voice brought you back to reality and where your train of thoughts was leading. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to explore those feelings; now was just not the right moment for it. Later, you thought, when you weren’t wrapped up in his arms with this warm fuzzy feeling from the holiday season already bubbling inside you.

 “Well, we both want that, but isn’t there one you want a little bit more than the other?” You probed further, ignoring those earlier thoughts.

 “Not really prinsessa.” He had to have some preference just as you did.

 “So, then you don’t want to know what we’re having?”

 “Not if you don’t.” He was too damn accommodating at times or was that he was disinterested. He was always talking to the baby, so you didn’t think that it was the latter.

 “We have a few more weeks to think about it.” No point in making the decision right now, maybe he would change his mind. “I made the next appointment for when you’re back, on the fifteenth. We’ll have to know by then.”

 He kissed your temple, hands running under your shirt so that he could caress the tiny baby bump. “We will, for now though, we better get to bed before Santa comes.”

 “Is Santa coming the reason you want to go?” you teased as you could feel his erection growing against you.

 “Well, if you let me, prinsessa, Santa won’t be the only one cuming.” God, you loved his sense of humor. There was that word again. It had you jumping off his lap in order for your mind to not wander down that path again.

 “Guess we better head to bed then.” He was swift to follow you, sweeping you off your feet and carrying you to the bedroom, where he definitely kept his word.

 It was two days later that he was headed off on a ten-day road trip. You were definitely not looking forward to it, as the house always seemed empty without him in it.

 The team played on New Year’s Eve and had it been anywhere else than New Jersey you would’ve gone to watch only so you could ring in the new year together. Instead, you spent that night with all the Canuck ladies, facetiming Jacob as the new year approached. Jacob was still going to be on the road for another five days, so you busied yourself by taking down all the holiday decorations. You decided to make the place a bit homier, adding pictures and artwork here and there. The place was really starting to feel more like home.

 The only room that still needed work, was the office. While your desk was neat and organized, Jacob’s was a disaster. Had been since the day you moved in. You were seriously starting to wonder how things got done with the mountain of papers on his desk. All those papers had been driving you crazy every day you came in to work. Jacob needed someone to organize him, or at least that’s what you told yourself as you sat in his chair and started to sift through piece after piece of mail and documents.

 There was a pile for bills, all of which somehow got paid, though you didn’t know how. A pile for legal documents and a miscellaneous pile that you needed to figure out where to put. Once you organized the first two, you moved on to the random ones that you weren’t one hundred percent sure of. You were halfway through when you came across a familiar envelope; the same one you’d sent the divorce papers back in. Why it hadn’t caught your attention when you first separated it, you weren’t sure?

 You opened it up, assuming it was a copy of the document you’d signed. What you found inside shocked you. It was the original paperwork. The blue ink you signed it in staring back at you, but that wasn’t the part that told you it was a copy. It was the fact that Jacob’s signature was nowhere to be found. He hadn’t signed it. Why? You’d both agreed to the divorce, it was practically a done deal, only now it wasn't.

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[ashintheairlikesnow]

A Little Bit Stabbed

Jake Gets Stabbed Miniseries: First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth

CW: Discussion of past child abuse/domestic violence, description of stab wound, painkillers/drugged but in a good way, brief IV needle reference, some short references to Jake’s religious trauma, some trauma response stuff

“Took four of us to get you onto the couch, you know,” Kauri says, fingers moving gently to brush Jake’s short hair back off his forehead. There’s a hint of humor to his deep voice, but Jake catches the tremor in it, too. “You’re heavier than you look.”

“Must be… pretty fucking heavy, then,” Jake manages, voice slightly thin. They gave him something - Nat’s EMT friend showed up with IV supplies while refusing to tell anyone where they’d gotten ahold of everything from, except to repeatedly reassure all of them I know someone, it’s taken care of, I probably won’t go to jail for this. Besides, I’ve been in jail before.

Jake might not have found it very reassuring if he wasn’t halfway to unconscious from the pain alone at the time.

Now, though, there’s a needle feeding a steady supply of something wonderful into his bloodstream, holding the worst of the pain at bay. All he can feel now is maybe a little bit of an itch he knows better than to scratch, and a heaviness to his limbs that keeps them limp and relaxed. 

“We had to turn the stupid thing into the pull-out bed just to make sure your feet wouldn’t be higher than your head.” Kauri smiles at him, but there’s worry in those warm blue eyes, and Jake uses every ounce of strength to lift his good hand, the one on the uninjured side, and take Kauri’s, pulling his knuckles to his lips to brush against them. 

“I’m okay,” Jake says softly. “I am, Kaur. It’s not so bad.”

“It’s not-... you got fucking stabbed in your own kitchen, Jake.” Kauri’s lips thin and he looks away, over towards the TV, playing Clue.

Funny, Jake thinks, woozy and untethered to any kind of focus. My mom used to play Clue when we were alone, after. Made her feel better for a while.

“Just a… a flesh wound,” Jake manages in a terrible approximation of a British accent.

Kauri just looks at him, expression serious, and leans over until their foreheads touch. He’s warm, and Jake’s eyes close, basking in the body heat that comes off of him, surrounds them both. “Don’t,” Kauri whispers. “Please don’t make jokes. I thought-”

“It’s okay,” Jake murmurs. 

Eventually, he should probably tell someone he can only sort of feel the hand on the injured side. But not now. 

“It’s okay. It’s not s’bad. I got the good drugs, right?”

“Antibiotics and…” Kauri squints at the label on the bag attached to the IV, then winces and shakes his head. “Sorry. Can’t read today. It, uh. It kind of comes and goes when I’m worried, and today-”

“I get it. But… you don’t have to worry about me, Kaur. It’s over, it happened… I’ll feel better pretty fast. It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” Kauri says softly, but he relaxes beside Jake, keeping a hold of his hand. His fingers are slightly chilled, but they warm against Jake’s. The two of them settle into silence for a while, a woman in black on the TV with eyes blown wide in comic exaggeration of anger speaking in a blur of sound Jake knows by heart but can’t really pick apart from anything else, not just yet, not right now. 

He knows this movie by heart. He and his mom used to curl up under a blanket while she closed her eyes and prayed for things to get better and Jake prayed for his dad to die in a car accident or some other terrible way, and make it slow, and then pray with terror not to go to hell for thinking like that.

If men like his father go to heaven, Jake would rather burn in hell.

At least my favorite bands would be there, he thinks, and laughs to himself, shoulders shaking a little, sending a ripple of pain down his arm and spiking into his skull. He winces, but the thought still strikes him as too funny to quit circling woozily around his mind, and he keeps laughing a little.

Kauri turns to look at him, eyebrows raised. “What are you laughing at?”

Jake blinks over at him, those wide blue eyes. It had been hell not to be able to hold him for so long, with eyes like that. Real hell, the kind where you spend your days wishing for a connection that seems too hard to make. “Nothing, just… thinking about shit with my dad,” He says, finally. “My mom and I used to watch Clue all the time. It’s her favorite movie.”

“Yeah?” Kauri looks over his shoulder, back at the television, and Jake’s eyes move lazily over the slight bump in his nose where it was broken by someone years ago, the dip of his lips, the roundness of his chin, angling a little with age. The way his neck would feel to trace with just one fingertip, how he smiles when Jake does it, asks him what the fuck he’s looking at when there’s way more to Kauri that needs attention right now than just his face.

There’s a lazy wave of warmth in Jake, a steady thrum of something that goes much deeper than arousal, at the memory.

Adoration.

“Yeah,” He says, softly. “She’d put it on when he left the house, we’d make popcorn and watch it. Saturday night special, popcorn and a movie, Mom and Jake.”

“Where’d your dad go?” Kauri asks, then the answer catches up with him, and he winces. “Wait, sorry. I think I know where he went.”

“Church.”

That is clearly not what Kauri expected to hear. “I-... what?” He turns back to Jake, eyebrows furrowing. “I thought-”

“Nope. He went to church. Fish fry on Saturdays, he volunteered.” Jake is dimly aware that this might be more than he’s ever told Kauri about his father, at least more than he’s ever said that wasn’t laser-focused on the hurts, the bruises, the concussion, the ER visits where Jake learned to lie. “He was a magician with a deep fryer. Best fucking fish I ever ate.” He laughs, then coughs a little against the new round of ache in his shoulder. 

Kauri is quiet for a moment, his eyes searching Jake’s face, maybe looking for an idea of how to respond the right way. Jake knows that look - he’s seen it less and less over the years, but it never fully stops.

Kauri never stops looking for the safe answer, the one that won’t get him hurt. Jake never stops being ready to fight his way out if it happens again. Kauri is still ready to say what the abuser needs to hear, placate and please and keep himself alive.

Jake is still ready to pick up a weapon and use it if his father ever comes near he or his mother again. Not that he ever will. Not that he even wants to, sixteen years after Jake last saw his face. 

But he’s still built, deep within, to fight the threat. And so is Kauri, in his own way. 

“I love you so much,” Jake says softly. “I hope you didn’t pull anything dragging my ass around.”

“Mmmn, guess I’ll find out,” Kauri says softly, snuggling back up to him, then. “Should we change the movie? If it’s, like, a thing for you-”

“Nah.” Jake smiles, slightly. He feels pleasantly drunk, on whatever the painkiller slowly drip-feeding into his arm is. A little woozy, a little bit in love with it. “It’s like a comfort thing, really. I should call my mom-”

“I already did,” Kauri says, gently pushing him back down as Jake tries to make himself sit up. “She’s driving up. She said she’ll get here in the morning, she had to find someone to watch her dog.”

Jake blinks twice. “Mom has a dog?”

“I think it’s new. But, um. You can’t exactly meet her at her hotel, Jake. She’s gonna have to come here.”

Jake feels a rush of old nerves prickling along his arms, the hair of his neck trying to stand up. He closes his eyes, tries to push it back down. “I’ve never given her my address. It’s not safe for us. What if-... I don’t know. I’ve just never… I’ve always worried that if he found her, you know, that he’d… convince her to tell him where I live. He’d turn us all in just to feel like the big righteous moral hero all over again. Probably hard to feel that way when you’re hitting a teenager. Easier when you’re turning in vigilantes with stolen property.” He spits the words, and Kauri flinches a little. “Shit. Sorry, Kaur.”

“No, it’s. It’s okay. I get what you mean. But I don’t think your mom would do that. She loves you.”

“She does.” Jake exhales, closes his eyes. Inside him there is still an angry child that wants to point out that it hasn’t always been enough. But there’s a grown man, and a decade of fucking therapy, telling him there’s a whole lot more to it than that. “And she’s finally come around to understanding why I do this. Yeah… yeah, we’ll tell her where I am. It’ll be fine. Honestly, it’s not so bad. Jameson really did a great job on the stabbing.” Jake tries to laugh again. “Fucking surgeon with a butcher knife. He managed to miss every fucking bit of me that would have killed me.”

“Except for if you bled out,” Kauri points out, voice small. 

“Yeah… but I didn’t.” Jake thinks of Antoni’s face, the focus in his dark eyes, the quick movement of his hands, the blinding agony of the cloth being forced into the wound to soak up the blood, the way Antoni had leaned all his weight forwards to put enough pressure to staunch the bleeding. Jake had never felt pain like that before, and he’s not sure he could handle feeling it again. “Ant was there. It’ll be okay. Where is he?”

“In his room.” Picking at the heavy thick blanket laid over Jake, not quite looking at him now, Kauri asks, “How are you so calm about this?”

“Drugs,” Jake answers right away. “Like ninety percent drugs.” He groans as a throbbing ache travels from the stab wound, up into his skull, all the way down to his toes. “Fuck. The… whatever’s in there helps. But also…” Jake sighs, letting his eyes drift to the ceiling, over the popcorn-texture there. He’d meant to scrape it clean and smooth, when he bought the house, but other stuff kept taking priority, and he hadn’t gotten around to it yet. “This isn’t th’ first time, you know?”

Kauri frowns. “Jake, I have licked just about everything on your body, I’ve never seen a scar from-”

“Not… not stabbed. But… stuck here, on a couch-bed, tryin’... tryin’ to heal from shit. That’s not new.” Jake exhales. Above him, the blades of the ceiling fan circle lazily, and his eyes follow the movement of the shadows. 

“No, I guess not.”

“In any case… I haven’t s-seen… Jameson’s upstairs, right? Can you get him down here?”

Something passes over Kauri’s face, a shadow, a discomfort and darkness that Jake can’t quite read. “Jameson’s not in the house, Jake.”

“What? Why?” Jake starts trying to sit up again, and this time Kauri’s gentle push isn’t enough to get him back down. He grinds his teeth against the pain and forces himself upright, trying to shift his legs over the side of the bed. The room spins around him, dizzy-sick flip in his stomach, but he ignores it. He’s felt worse than this and kept moving before. “Shit, fuck, I should’ve made sure he didn’t leave-”

“He didn’t. I made him go.”

The look Jake turns on Kauri is baffled, but there’s anger, too, welling up inside him. “You what?”

“I told him he can’t stay here if he’s a danger to you and the others,” Kauri says, but he cringes back from Jake’s expression, instinctive fear. Jake hates how he looks like his dad - huge and muscular, a threat inherent in his existence that he might not give off if he were smaller. But his bulk and his strength is also the thing that makes him capable of withstanding the danger he puts himself in for them. It’s the reason he could come home and pick Chris up with a broken rib and carry him after they raided the last safehouse he’d lived in. It’s the reason he could finally fight back with his dad. It’s the reason the kids at his new schools, one after another after another as he and his mom moved constantly to try not to be found, left him alone. 

“Kauri, he can’t-... Jameson’s not. He can’t live on his own.”

“That’s a lie,” Kauri says, lips barely moving. “That’s a lie they tell us-”

“No, that’s not what I-... Jameson’s like Chris,” Jake says, softly. “Like Chris used to be. He was treated like an animal, Kauri. He didn’t get to use fucking utensils to eat in the last two places he was held, he told me himself. He can’t live on his own yet. If you kicked him out… Jesus Christ, Kauri, do you not remember how it felt when you were kicked out?”

Kauri looks like he’s been slapped. “Wait, Jake-... I didn’t mean-”

“We found you half-dead under a goddamn bush, Kauri, you can’t do that to someone else just because I got a little bit stabbed! Shit. Fuck. I gave him a burner phone, if he’s still got it on him, maybe I can call-”

“Jakob fucking Stanton!” Kauri yells so rarely, and Jake goes still, turning to look at him, seeing the anger written across Kauri’s face. Kauri angry is electric, and immensely sexy, and something Jake had gone so long thinking he would never see unless Vincent Shield showed up with a new idea for how to make up for all his failures by forcing himself around someone who hated him. “Will you fucking listen to me?!”

Jake just sits there, staring at him. He can’t even find the words. Eventually, he just nods.

“I didn’t kick him out on the street, I’m not that awful, and fuck you for thinking I am and we’re going to talk about that later when you aren’t half off your head from painkillers. I don’t want him here until you’re feeling better in case it happens again, so I-... so I sent him home with Nat. She doesn’t have anyone living with her right now, and she said okay, so he’s going to stay with her.” Kauri swallows, reaching slowly out to lay his hand on Jake’s leg. “He and I talked. He said it’s always been men, Jake. All of the ones who hurt him were men, one of them was... was really big like you, I guess. So I thought-... if he’s with Nat, maybe it won’t happen again for long enough for him to, to work it through in therapy and Dr. Berger maybe can give him, give him s-something to help. So maybe he won’t, um, hallucinate or… or w-whatever the next time.” Kauri’s eyes well up, glimmer with tears that don’t fall. “I was trying to help. I thought he’d feel safer with only a woman, maybe, and I sent him alone so that he’d know he can’t hurt Allyn, he was really scared of that, and…”

Jake’s mouth hangs open.

Kauri slumps over, his forehead slowly resting against Jake’s back where he sits slightly behind him now that Jake is nearly off the bed. “I had to make sure everyone’s safe. I didn’t know what else to do. I sent Chris to stay with Laken overnight but he’ll be back tomorrow, Antoni’s fucked up but he’s in his room and he’s safe, and all the rescues promised to stay in their rooms and Allyn tried to go with Jameson and I think they hate me now because I said no, but I didn’t-... I tried to think of what you would do, if it had been Chris or me he’d hurt. I was trying to be like you. I’m s-sorry if I fucked it up, I’m sorry, please, I thought you were going to die, please don’t be mad at me-”

“Kauri.” Jake turns, and uses his good hand to lift Kauri’s chin, meeting his eyes. 

Blue on blue, always. 

“I’m not mad,” He says, gently. “Not… not now. You’re right, I shouldn’t have… just been a shit deciding what you did without asking. I’m sorry. So, let me just… you spent the last couple of hours really fucking busy, huh?”

Kauri nods, kissing Jake’s fingertips, one by one. “I’m sorry,” He whispers. “I’m not… I’m not good at this, I’m not... not... I was so scared. I didn’t know what you would do, Jake, and Nat said she thought it was a good idea, so-”

“It is. It is a good idea.” Kauri blinks, surprised, and the tears that have been threatening finally run, clear as crystal, down his flushed cheeks. He looks like a fucking sculpture, Jake thinks to himself, like some artist’s idea of the perfect beautiful person. “Kauri, just. Now that I get what you were trying to do… Shit. That’s really smart.”

Kauri huffs a laugh, a kind of half-sobbing sound, and shakes his head. “It’s just, I was just guessing-”

“That’s all we ever do, too,” Jake says, voice soft. “We guess, at what we can do to help. Nat always says we make the hard choices when nobody else can. Kauri, that’s the smartest fucking idea. I’m… that’s some grace under fire shit. That’s amazing.”

“It… it is?”

“Yeah.” Jake kisses him, and Kauri tastes like mouthwash, like mint, kisses back with desperate intensity. “Yeah, Kaur. That’s even better than what I would have done. You’re so fucking smart. What made you decide to slum it with me?”

“You have a really good d-dick and I don’t w-w-want to lose access,” Kauri says, and he’s crying or laughing or maybe both. “You’re my eye candy.”

“You’re my Einstein.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck me yourself,” Jake says softly. 

“Heal a little first.” Kauri sighs, half-smiling, pulling Jake back into the bed to lay down again. “Everyone’s safe, Jake. At least for now. Everyone’s okay. You need to rest, and everyone’s going to be okay.”

Jake lets his head be maneuvered back onto the pillow, feels Kauri settle back down next to him, pulling the blankets back up over them both. He’s silent for a while, lets the soft sound of the end of the movie wash over him, showing the different endings.

“I love you,” He whispers. The way the adrenaline is fading makes him sleepy, drifting in a new drowsy haze, ready to dose off again. “So much.”

“Love you, too,” Kauri murmurs. 

He knows this - the couch-bed pulled out, watching movies and stand-up comedy at a low volume, a throb of pain somewhere that will heal only with time - by heart.

With Kauri’s weight and warmth beside him, it feels entirely, completely new.

-

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