#ben is usually in the middle with cuddles on both sides

[ddproductionsw77]

Watching You Watch Her

Fandom: IT (Muschietti Films)

Pairing(s): Pining but not established Reddie (Richie Tozier x Eddie Kaspbrak), Richie Tozier x Sandy Montgomery (OC), Stenbrough (Stanley Uris x Bill Denbrough) and Benverly (Ben Hanscom x Beverly Marsh), Mike Hanlon x Mila Roberts (OC)

Characters: Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon, Stanley Uris, Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Sandy Montgomery (OC), Mila Roberts (OC)

Rating: T

Description: Eddie struggles with the fact that Richie has a girlfriend, one that is actually pretty much perfect.

Author’s Note: This is the REVISED version of Watching You Watch Her. If you see any typos, let me know!

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Why did she have to be so fucking great?

Eddie contemplated this question as he watched Sandy Montgomery from across the room, cuddled up against the side of his best friend. Richie’s arm was slung over her shoulders and with her free hand, she had reached up to intertwine her fingers with his. He was absentmindedly tracing from her knuckles to the blood red fingernails that matched her shade of lipstick and the ribbon in her hair oh-so-fucking perfectly while he talked enthusiastically with Mike beside him.

Mike was a traitor, Eddie thought as he narrowed his eyes on them and took a sip from his red solo cup, grimacing slightly at the concoction Beverly had made him. Mike had promised him that if he came to the stupid fucking party with the rest of them that he and his current girlfriend, Mila, would stay by his side. Mike was across the room and Mila was doing shots with Beverly in the kitchen. And Eddie was standing against the wall all alone, per usual.

They were probably talking about their fucking stupid band. Richie played guitar decently and Mike could drum. They’d just started playing together at the start of the school year a couple months back and now it was all they fucking discussed. 

Sighing, Eddie rolled his eyes and felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to find Stanley sliding into place beside him. He quirked an eyebrow and had to practically yell to the other to be heard over the music, “I thought you weren’t coming?”

“It’s Jack Colins’ party. I’m not leaving Bill alone with all these drunk baseball players.” Stan sighed, looking out at the room. 

Eddie shrugged. Jack Colins was the captain of Derry High’s baseball team, which Bill had played main pitcher for since Sophomore year. He, Mike, Ben and Bev were the only reason the Losers had even been invited parties of this kind, as the athletes of the group. Mike was the varsity star quarterback and Ben and Bev both ran track and field. 

His eye line fell back upon Richie and Sandy and he felt annoyance flare to life in his chest. Before he could stop himself, he said, “Sandy wasn’t even invited.”

Stanley eyed him from the corner of his eye before sighing, “She’s Richie’s girlfriend. Loser by association, right? Those are the rules so she gets the same invites the rest of us do. Mila, too.”

Eddie set his jaw before taking another long gulp from his drink, “I know that. But we came up with those rules in middle school, when we were desperate for friends. It’s different now.”

“Different because?” Stanley asked, turning to give Eddie a hard look.

Eddie glanced away and shrugged, taking another drink, “Just because, okay? You’re dating another Loser, it’s not like it affects you anyway.”

“Are you jealous?” Stanley asked, bluntly.

Eddie nearly choked on his drink, sputtering and stammering, “What?! Why—Why would I be— I’m not jealous!”

Stan shrugged, looking between his friend and the other Losers across the room, “It would make sense, Eddie.” 

Would it? Eddie thought, following Stan’s gaze to Richie, who was still wrapped around beautiful, funny, perfect Sandy. Would it make sense?

“You’re the only Loser who isn’t dating right now.” Stan continued, having not noticed the way that Eddie had tensed up.

Eddie felt himself deflate slightly and slipped his eyes closed, leaning back against the wall and nodding slowly. Clearing his throat, he glanced at Stan before nodding and looking at his feet, “Right… yeah, because I’m not dating anyone…”

“Speak of the devils,” Stan muttered and Eddie looked up to see Mike, Richie and Sandy heading toward them. He bit back a groan and kept his expression neutral as they approached.

“Hey, Stan The Man, came to keep an eye on your boy toy?” Richie asked with that twinkle in his eye he always got when mildly intoxicated. Eddie wondered if Sandy noticed it too before shaking the runaway thought from his mind. He couldn’t think like that, it was wrong and, more importantly, it was pointless.

Stanley said nothing, just gave Richie a look before pushing off the wall and muttering, “I’m going to go find Bill.”

Mike slipped into the spot Stan had been in and nudged Eddie, “Where’s Mila? I thought she was going to hang with you?”

“She went with Bev to do some shots in the kitchen,” Eddie shrugged, looking down into his cup.

“Damn! That sounds fun!” Sandy’s melodic voice exclaimed, drawing Eddie’s attention back up without his consent. He watched as she looked up at Richie and gently tapped his cheek, “You’re lucky I like you and am willing to stay sober enough to drive your drunk ass home.”

“I know and I cherish you, San,” Richie muttered, burying his face in the thick, curly hair a top her head. 

Eddie glanced away and met Mike’s eyes, “I can take you to find Mila.”

“Nah,” Richie cut in, looking over at them with his chin resting on Sandy’s hair, “I got it. I need a refill anyway. Eds? Need anything to drink?”

Mike moved to stand with Richie, who was finally detaching himself from his girlfriend, as Eddie shrugged and shook his head, instinctually snapping, “Don’t call me Eds. And no, I’m fine.”

“Cool,” Richie nodded and quickly leaned down to kiss Sandy, “Play nice, I’ll be back.”

“Later, Loser,” Sandy laughed, shoving him away. He laughed, shortly squeezing her hand before letting her go and following after Mike.

Why did they have to be so good together?

Eddie sighed, inspecting his cup closely to avoid looking at Sandy and thus being pulled into a conversation with her. She wasn’t bad to talk to or anything… she was actually really nice and funny, which just made it all the more fucking worse. 

He shouldn’t feel this way… he had no reason on Earth to feel this way…

His luck ran out within a minute as Sandy looked around the room, her eyes falling on him as her redrum lips curled into a smile, “Eddie? Can I ask you something?”

No, he wanted to say. Fuck off, he wanted to add. But he didn’t.

Instead, he just shrugged and muttered too quiet for her to hear over the music, “Free fucking country.”

Sandy ran her gaze over his face before crossing her arms over her chest and saying loudly, “So, you really don’t like me, huh?”

His stomach dropped and he stood there for a long moment, opening and closing him mouth as he stared at her like a fucking deer in headlights.

He… he should say she was wrong, right? Wasn’t that what a good friend would do? What a best friend should do? Because he was still Richie’s best friend, right? Besides, he really had no rhyme or reason for not liking her. At least not one that made sense and didn’t make him out to be a total dick.

Finally, he managed to shake his head, “No! I— I don’t not like you, Sandy. I— I don’t even really know you.”

“And you don’t really try to,” She cocked her head to the side, “Actually, most of the time it feels like you’re avoiding me, trying to duck out of talking to me and I just wanted to know, you know, why?”

“Why?” Eddie echoed, still floored. Sandy was watching him with observant but unbothered eyes. If she really felt like he didn’t like her, it was clear that she didn’t care all that much about his opinion. He blinked and looked away before glancing back at her, “I don’t—“

“Is it because you don’t think I’m right for Richie?” She asked, tucking some of her flowing hair behind her ear, which was pierced in three places. Jesus, if he brought home a girl like her to his mother… It could possibly be worse than the way he was sure she’d react to finding out he was gay.

“No!” Eddie shook his head instantly, “That’s not it!”

“So you admit it, then? You admit you don’t like me?” Sandy quipped, a flash of something like triumph in her lush green eyes, those lips forming a confident smirk.

Eddie’s mouth slammed shut again and he shuffled uncomfortably, shaking his head and looking anywhere but at her. It felt like she was picking him apart, taking his walls away brick by brick and worming her way behind his exterior to the things he didn’t want anyone, especially her, to see. Again, he didn’t know what to say and he figured anything he managed to come up with, Sandy wouldn’t listen to anyway. 

She’d already made up her mind that she knew everything. That she was totally right…

She was right, though, wasn’t she?

“Come on, that’s gotta be it, Eds. You think I’m wrong for Rich—“

“Do not fucking call me that,” Anger flared, hot and fierce in his chest, roaring up his throat and burning it. He spun his head back to look at her, glaring and continuing on hotly, “That’s not fucking it, Sandy, okay? You’re fucking perfect for Richie, you’re goddamn everything he’s ever wanted! It’s great, really, is it! I just don’t like you because I don’t fucking like you, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Sandy watched him as he practically yelled at her before falling silent. She sighed, shrugging, “I mean, I don’t think that’s something anyone wants to hear but okay. There’s hundreds of personalities out there, some are bound to clash.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Eddie rolled his eyes, spotting Richie head back their way with Mike and Mila trailing behind him, “I’m leaving now, Sandy.”

He ended up having to walk home, as Mike had been his ride.

________________________________________________

Two weeks after the party, Eddie had finally started to wind down from the whole thing. He’d spent almost all his time since waiting for Richie to confront him about being a dick to his girlfriend but he never did. Sandy must have not told him… shocking, really, with how wrapped around each other those two were. 

Maybe it should have endeared him somewhat to her, having some secret that she’d kept, but it didn’t. He still felt like screaming every time she sat with them at lunch, on Richie’s other side, and wanted to throw up when he caught sight of his best friend leaning over to whisper some sweet nothing into her ear. It was getting to the point where he was avoiding ever hanging out with the Losers anymore because she was just always fucking there. There on Bill’s couch, snuggled into Richie’s side while they watched movies, there in the library, passing notes to Beverly about Bev’s clothing sketches, there all the time. 

He couldn’t get away from Sandy and Richie and their nauseating obsession with each other.

However, he had agreed to pattering along with Mike to a rehearsal for his and Richie’s band in their bassist’s, Danny’s, garage. 

Danny was fine… maybe even cute when Eddie gave him a little more attention but he wasn’t all that interesting or entertaining. Good enough at bass, though, Eddie guessed as he sat on the couch in the corner of the garage, reading his assigned book while the guys practiced. 

“We could try You Shook Me All Night Long?” Danny suggested, playing with some cords on his bass nonsensically.

Richie shot him a look, “Can you fucking sing Brian Johnson, Danny? Cuz, I sure as hell can’t. I can barely manage some of Jagger’s range so no, we’re not going to try You Shook Me All Night Long. Ideas, Micycle?”

“I don’t care, Rich,” Mike sighed, glancing over at Eddie, who was still hunched over his book, “Something from Queen? We’re decent with Under Pressure or Another Bites The Dust.”

“See, Danny?” Richie snarked, pointing to Mike, “That’s what a good idea sounds like, you should try it on for size sometime.”

Mike laughed as Danny flipped Rich the bird before starting the iconic bass line for Under Pressure. Hearing this, Eddie glanced up, his eyes immediately finding Richie. He watched as the spastic asshole looked back at Mike, nodding in unison before they both joined Danny and started singing at the same time. 

Eddie loved Queen… And he loved watching Richie play. Watching Mike and Richie play, that is. 

Eyes trailing to follow Richie’s spidery digits as they found the cords on muscle memory alone, he suddenly felt like all the air had gone from his lungs, like Henry Bowers had just clocked him cold in the gut. Biting his lip, he forced his head back down and stared at the words on the page before him but not reading a single word.

All he could think about was that look of earnest concentration on Richie’s face that he only got when he was still getting comfortable playing a song… 

He let out a breath of air and felt his face burn. Fucking humiliating.

Humiliating and pointless.

They played through the song and followed it by striking up the rhythm of Everybody Wants To Rule The World and then playing into Bastards of Young. After that song, Richie called for a break, eyeing the clock. He sighed, “Alright, San just got off work so she’ll be here in a bit, that cool, Danny?”

Danny shrugged, “I don’t care. Just don’t, like, fuck in my house.”

Eddie squeezed his eyes shut and forced the image of Sandy and Richie intimately wrapped up together from his mind as he heard Richie chuckle, “I swear to save all the fucking for her place later, Danny Fanny.”

Jumping up from his seat on the couch so that his book went tumbling to the floor, Eddie hastily snatched it up and ran a hand down his face, “I—Uh—I just remembered I gotta go so I’m just going to—“

“Seriously?” Richie asked, eyebrows drawing together. “You have to leave?”

“I— Yeah, my mom’s got, like, a thing so I’ll just walk back home before she freaks the fuck out,” Eddie shrugged, being uncharacteristically rough as he shoved his book into his backpack and kept his eyes on the ground.

Richie sighed, watching him, “Why are you so fucking busy all the time, now? You skip movie nights, you flake out of study sessions at Bev’s and Bill’s… It sucks, we barely hang out anymore, Eds.”

Eddie let out a humorless laugh and shot Richie a look, “Yeah, because that’s my fault.”

“Guys…” Mike broke in, raising his eyebrows.

At the same time, Richie rubbed the back of his neck and shot back, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Eddie huffed, turning back to face Richie fully, “You’re the one who’s been too busy shoving your tongue down some random girl’s throat to make plans, not me.”

“Some random girl?” Richie snapped, sounding genuinely angry for the first time in the conversation, “Sandy’s not some random girl. She’s my girlfriend.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eddie shook his head, “So, I’ll just wait the month or however long this one’s gonna last and then just hang out with you after.”

“Eddie!” Mike scolded, shaking his head. 

Danny was watching the two like they were a tennis match.

Richie turned his head away, laughing to himself in a humorless fashion before nodding and looking back at Eddie, “You know what? Fuck you, Eds. At least I’ve been in more relationships than just one four-day long fling from a year ago. What are you, twelve?”

Eddie glared, jaw set as he slung his bag over his shoulders, “Fuck you, too, asshole. As if there’s even anyone in Derry worth wasting my time on.”

With that, he shoved his way out of the garage and out of the house, heart still hammering in his chest and his blood boiling. Why was everyone always so fucking obsessed with how many people you’d dated anyways? And it wasn’t like he had a ton of options, being gay in Derry, anyway and Richie fucking knew that! 

Crossing his arms over his chest, he made it to the end of the driveway before Mike caught him.

“Eddie!” He heard his friend calling to him, “Eddie, come on, wait!”

Throwing his head back dramatically, he spun on his heel to face him, “What do you want, Mike?”

Mike stopped before him, opening and closing his mouth and glancing away before sighing and rubbing his hands together, “You… you can’t really be mad.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?! He said—“

Mike cut him off before his voice could rise up too high, “He said what he did because you started it! And you… really don’t have a right to start stuff about him and Sandy.”

“A right?” Eddie demanded, “What does that even—“

“You could have done something about it, Eddie,” Mike broke in again forcefully before sighing again and continuing softer and more somber, “You— you had every chance to make a move and you didn’t.”

Eddie stood there in Danny Costello’s driveway and felt like sinking right through the crust of the Earth so that he could burn up in the fucking core. That would be better than this, then having this conversation, because this couldn’t be happening. No one— No one could know that he— 

He swallowed and stared at Mike, barely whispering, “I— I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Mike let out a long breath and nodded, keeping Eddie’s gaze, “Well, I think you do… And you can’t be mad at him for not waiting around for you to do something about it.”

“I’m not mad,” Eddie answered without thinking, “And I’m not— I didn’t expect— I don’t— Mike, I — I gotta go. My mom— I gotta go.”

He nearly tripped over himself in his haste to get away. 

__________________________________

It was movie night again and Eddie had forced himself to go.

He was being ridiculous, he had realized that on his walk home from the band rehearsal two days before. He was the one with the problem. He was being unreasonable, he was being crazy. And in the long run, it wouldn’t matter one way or another what Sandy thought of him but it would matter if Richie was mad.

His own idiocy wasn’t worth fighting, really fighting, with Richie. They didn’t fight, well, at least not the kind of fighting where they ended up honestly mad at each other. They snapped, they bickered, they argued but they didn’t ever mean any of it. It was just the way they were and Eddie wasn’t willing to risk that just because he was being a fucking psycho. 

He’d gone to Richie’s locker first thing the next day and apologized. He even taken it a step further, promising he would make time to get to movie night that week… Which was how he’d wound up in his current situation.

It wasn’t actually bad yet, he thought, laughing as he watched Beverly, Mike, and Bill playing  flip cup, without alcohol as Bill’s mother was upstairs, around the coffee table before him. 

Richie, and by extension Sandy, hadn’t gotten there yet, his eyes unwittingly flickering to the other end of the couch, where the two usually snuggled. His chest constricted and he almost reached for the inhaler he didn’t carry anymore before grasping the pillow he had been hugging tighter.

Stupid.

“D—Dammit, Bev, how are you suh—so good?” Bill asked, leaning back on his hands as Beverly won yet another round against him and Mike.

The red head winked at him, adding, “I’m even better at beer pong.”

“We know,” Mike rolled his eyes, reaching up to flick one of the empty solo cups at her. Beverly easily caught it in air and set it on the edge of the table, flipping it in one try before giving Mike a cocky smile.

“Where’s Mila?” She asked as she gathered up the other cups and handed them up to Ben, who took them out to the kitchen for her. 

Mike rolled his eyes, “She had to work and she refused to switch shifts with her friend because I guess she’s mad at me for something, I don’t know. She said she wants a night where she doesn’t have to see my face.”

Beverly laughed, leaning into Ben’s side as he took his spot beside her once again. From the chair over to the side, Stanley glanced over at them from his homework, “Well, you must have done something. Mila is the first sane girl you’ve dated.”

“I think she’s bugged that I cancelled plans to meet her parents this weekend,” Mike shrugged, “I didn’t want to but my grandpa said he needs me all weekend to help with this seasons harvest.”

“Still,” Bill said, shaking his head, “C—Can’t cancel on the girlfriend’s p—parents, Mike.”

Mike was about to respond when the front door flew open, causing half of them to jump. Eddie, so thoroughly desensitized to Richie’s dramatic entrances, merely glanced over his shoulder and felt his heart jump into his throat. Richie was grinning, actually grinning, not the smirk-smile thing he did most of the time, and he was alone. 

He felt his palms grow sweaty as he turned around fully to greet the trashmouth, “You’re late, asshole.”

Richie raised his eyebrows at him, still smiling wide and real, “Am I? Whoops.”

Behind Eddie, on the floor Beverly shot him a playful glare, “Yeah, Trashmouth, and it’s your turn to pick the movie, too, so we couldn’t even start anything without you.”

“Right,” Richie laughed a little and shook his head to himself. 

Eddie’s eyebrows drew together and he glanced over his shoulder at Stanley, who also looked perplexed. Something was off. Usually about now, Richie would make some joke about how his pick for the week was some porn knock-off of a famous movie or something like that. He’d have already climbed over the back of the couch and pinched Eddie’s cheeks, saying hi and commenting about how cute he looked. 

Instead, he was still just standing there, smiling to the point Eddie was starting to wonder if he was high on something.

Stanley spoke before he could, asking, “What are you giggling about, Trashmouth?”

Richie reached up, rubbing the back of his neck, and laughed again before declaring dramatically, “My dearest friends, I have come to the conclusion that I am completely obsessed, utterly in love, totally devoted!”

Before he could stop it, Eddie felt his expression go slack, his lips parting slightly as his breath caught in his throat. 

Richie didn’t seem to noticed that or anything else, throwing his arms skyward as he rambled on, “I am in love with Sandra Penelope Montgomery and I must declare my love to the Heavens!”

“Please,” Eddie heard Beverly’s voice from somewhere distant, even though he was sure she was within reaching distance behind him, “Don’t do that, Tozier. But congratulations, I like Sandy. She’s good for you.”

“Yeah, that’s awesome, Rich,” Ben, again sounding miles away, added.

Eddie blinked, feeling the air in his throat and lungs like a fire that was licking him up from within. He couldn’t look at Richie, at his big, wide smile anymore, his eyes darting to his hands instead as he heard all the others cracking jokes or talking about how fucking great Sandy was and how happy they were for Richie. He wanted to join them, wanted to be happy for Richie too, but instead all he felt was that burning and a sense that he was on the verge of an asthma attack. 

Breaking into a coughing fit, grasping his throat, he muttered something about needing water and bolted for the kitchen. He barely stumbled through the door but managed, going to the sink and turning the cold water on to full blast. 

Each breath of air felt like pins and needles in his lungs and he felt his eyes prickle with tears as he reached out to grasp the counter so hard his knuckles turned white. His vision was becoming tunneled and it hit him a like a Mac truck that he was having a panic attack. A full blown, real deal panic attack.

He was having a panic attack and he wasn’t sure wether he was going to pass out, vomit down his front or just fall over dead right there. All he was sure of was that something awful was happening, something so awful he couldn’t even think it without wanting to cry.

Leaning down, he forced his eyes closed, taking in one breath at a time. He started off shaky and lightheaded but slowly, slowly managed to achieve some semblance of steady oxygen flow before he felt a hand fall onto his back. He jumped, standing up straight and whirling around to find Mike leaning against the counter beside him.

Eddie met the other boy’s eyes and quickly darted his gaze away, shame and embarrassment welling in him. He looked up at the ceiling, letting out a long, shaken breath before barely whispering, for only Mike to hear, “He’s in love with her.”

“I know...” Mike mumbled, shifting beside his friend, unsure of how exactly to help. He settled on reaching out to rub Eddie shoulder, “I’m— Eddie, I really am sorry.”

Eddie shook his head, bringing his hands up to run them down his face, wiping away any tears that had slipped through his defenses, “It doesn’t matter.” 

He wasn’t completely sure who he was trying to convince, himself or Mike. Either way it was true. It didn’t matter, how he felt about Richie, how Richie felt about Sandy, none of it. It never had. Because so what if Mike had been right? So what if he did have feelings for Richie? Not a single part of it changed what was happening now. Richie was in love with Sandy and Eddie...

He squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head at himself before turning his head to Mike, “I’m fine Mike, I just need some water. You’re going to miss the start of the movie. Just, go.”

Mike watched him carefully for another minute before nodding slowly and slipping out of the kitchen. Eddie stood there alone for another minute, feeling that overwhelming sense of dread wash over him again but this time keeping himself together despite it. He bit his lip hard and bounced on the spot, taking more deep breathes before turning around and getting himself a glass of water.

He wasn’t dead, he reminded himself.

He could live with Richie being in love with Sandy. He could move past that, right? Surely. 

Eddie’s brain flickered back to that sight of Richie, smiling bigger than he thought he’d ever seen, coming into the house just moments ago. Richie, looking happier than Eddie could remember him being in a long time. That couldn’t be a bad thing, could it?

Richie being happy?

He could survive this, live with the burning in his chest. As long as Richie was happy, he could do that easily.

Gulping his water, Eddie schooled his expression into a casual smile and went back to the living room to watch whatever dumb ass movie Richie had picked with his friends.

As long as Richie was happy, Eddie would find a way to be fine with it.

[artzee-bee]

Crush

Fandom:My babysitter’s a vampire

Request: ” If possible can you write about different times where Benny weir tries to impress the reader and fails but ends up successfully wining her over somehow please 🥺👉👈 “

Genre: Fluff

Warnings:Mentions of violence

~~~

Benny's crush on you was nothing short of obvious. You'd known him and Ethan since grade school, so there was no way not to notice his change of behavior towards you.

At first he started texting you more often. Instead of talking on the groupchat you had with the fang gang, you would have long private conversations about movies, school, Friday night plans, the supernatural and spells and everything in between. You weren't special in any way, didn't have powers like Benny or E and you weren't a vampire like Sarah or Rory, you were just you. Nevertheless, you loved helping your friends through all of their adventures. One of these charades, however, ended poorly for you. 

You had gotten beaten up by a couple of vampires one night, as revenge for taking out their leader. They left you for good on the ground, covered in blood and dirt and tears. Almost instinctively, you made your way to Ethan’s and from there, everyone found out about what had happened. Benny got to you first, after he received the messages about the incident

"What happened?" he burst through the door of E's room. You were laying in bed, all bandaged up, with E bandaging your wounds. That didn't last long, cause Benny decided to take over and take care of you himself. 

"You feeling ok?" he asked, once Ethan left to get you something sweet from the kitchen, to cheer you up

"Better and better" you replied honestly

"You could have come to mine, too. I would have cared for you just like E!" 

"You're helping me now, it's all that matters!" 

Soon enough, you were back in action, back to your old self, as if the accident never even happened. 

Couple of weeks after that night,you and Benny were walking home after school when he cracked a joke about how great of a couple you would make 

"I mean, could you imagine everyone's face if we got together?" 

"Sarah would lose her mind" you laughed

"I know but like, honestly, I think it wouldn't be that crazy?" he raised his shoulders, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal but failing miserably "I mean we've been friends since forever and we both like the same things and have the same idea of a perfect date night!" 

"Oh do we now?" you laughed "Care to share?" 

“A movie night in!” he replied, very confidently “Pizza, snacks, cuddles and action movies. What more could you possibly ask for?”

“Some romance for starters” 

“Did I forget to mention the cuddles?”

“No” you laughed at his silliness “But what about something a little more fancy than pjs and doritos”

“First off, my star trek jammies? Bomb! You even said so yourself” Benny pointed an incriminatory finger at you and you nodded your head “Second off, go ahead! Tell us about this elegant dream date of yours!”

“Dinner in town!”

“Lame!”

“A walk through the city center after? Dressed in fancy clothes and looking up at all the Christmas decorations! Oh, did I mention it’s the winter season?”

“I can sense that you are trying really hard to redeem yourself but still pretty lame”

Talks like this, about perfect dates and ideal partners became a routine between you and Benny. You opened up to him a lot more than you ever did to anyone else and he was opening up to you just as much, if not more. And then the compliments came next.

“Y/N, your hair looks really good today!”

“That shirt fits you well!”

“I like what you did with your makeup!”

“Y/N, you look especially pretty today!”

Each day that went by he got more and more bald with his comments. Compliments turned into flirtations remarks that made you blush and than, finally, he asked you on a date. It happened after you and your friends captured a fairy that Rory summoned by accident, while playing with grandma Weir’s spell books.

“So, anything else planned tonight?” Benny asked you, on your walk back home

“After that?” you laughed “No, I think whatever plan I had went out the window after that”

“So then maybe you could come over? Grandma made brownies, we could steal the tray and watch horror movies'' Benny stuffed his fists into his pockets and took a  deep breath before adding “ Like a little date night…”

“A date night?” you questioned

“Well, yeah!”

“It’s kinda late...” you said after giving it some thought “And I’m tired.”

“Oh, um, yeah! No problem!” he smiled in a poor attempt to hide his disappointment

“Thank you though!”

“Yeah, no problem.” you walked past him and turned the corner on your street but before you could get too far away, Benny screamed

“The offer is still open whenever, you know?”

“I do” you smiled before waving goodbye!

Next day at school, things were back to normal. Benny was as flirty with you as ever and even a little more touchy than you knew him to be.You were getting used to this Benny and the more time went on, the more you were growing to like this new version of him. 

One day, a little over a month after that night, after classes, he was helping you study in the library. You had an important history exam coming up and needed help learning. You had spent all day there and were beyond exhausted by the time you finally exited school with B by your side.

“ You will do great, don’t even worry about it!”

“Easy for you to say. This grade is important to me Benny. Maybe after I get home and have some lunch I will look over my notes some more and…”

“No, no no no!” you were cut off by Benny “You are tiring yourself out for no reason! Listen to me, you are more than prepared!” B stepped in front of you to look into your eyes “You did amazing today and got incredible scores on all your practice tests. You are more than prepared and I believe in you! You got this!” you smiled at his kind words

“Is the offer still available?”

“What offer?” you giggled. It had been a long time since that night

“Date night offer” Benny’s expression turned to panic as he realised what you were talking about

“Aaa, yeah! Absolutely”

“Cool. Then I’m free on Friday?”

“Yeah, yeah! Friday works fine for me!”

~~~

“Just a few more steps…” Benny whispered to you as he was helping you navigate his house blindfolded. He had a surprise for you that he was very excited about.

“Don’t peak!”

“I won’t”

“Ok, you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be” when B took off your blindfold, it took you a moment to adjust to the dim light of the candles, that were flickering all around the dining room. The table was decorated with roses and 2 servings of pasta were waiting for you

“Benny…” you were left speechless

“It’s the middle ground for both our perfect dates! A fancy dinner, except in the comfort of our home” he laughed before adding, somewhat more shy this time “Do you like it?” but all you could do was wrap your hands around his neck and kiss him deeply. At first he was taken by surprise but as soon as he registered what was happening, he wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you impossibly closer to his body and kissing you back with even more passion. His soft lips felt like heaven, like the way you always imagined they would. Had it not been for your need for air, you wouldn’t have pulled away ever. “That usually happens at the end of the movie” Benny laughed

“Yeah, well, we aren’t exactly your standard couple” you giggled

“C-couple?”

“Yes, Bens. Couple!” and with that you leaned back in for another kiss, getting lost in his embrace and the taste of his lips.

[uglypastels]

Hogwarts idea

Can you make a fic about how Tom sneakes out at night to spend the nights in the readers room (common room/bedroom) he’s a gryffindor and she’s a ravenclaw

Maybe they have a deal with the house teacher of one of the houses. Maybe he tries to hide in her bed as so not to wake the others. Maybe they fall asleep in the common room and have a minor panic when they wake up and it’s morning. Maybe they accidentally switch clothes or one of them steal the others clothes so they walk around with the wrong colors.

love love love love this!!! and I'm sorry it took me so long, I've been in a bit of a writing slump, but this is the best request to get me out of it! thank you <3 and hope you like it. (this got a bit out of hand and I might have changed the ending a lil bit but I hope its good heh)

(gender neutral!reader, I think? at least that's what I went for but if I accidentally missed something just let me know and I'll edit, I'm dumb)

_________________

Being in your seventh year at Hogwarts, with exams just around the corner, was taking up almost every waking minute of your days. Adding the fact that you had your Head Student duties, and Tom had his Quidditch house team to take care of, meaning that you barely ever had time for each other. The only solution, in your young and smitten minds, was that some rules needed to be broken- just a little bit.

It took Tom some time to convince you since you were supposed to be setting the right example for the younger students, but eventually, one gloomy Friday morning, he finally got to you.

"C'mon, love, it will be fun," he had his arm draped around you as you tried to enjoy your breakfast, the looks of your fellow housemates never going unnoticed. There had never been a rule against students eating meals at different tables, and yet, seeing the captain of the Gryffindor team spending all his mornings and evenings at the Ravenclaw table was a strange sight. He preferred your table, he had said one day when you asked, it was quieter. That you could not disagree with. The Gryffindors were always rowdy.

"I don't know Tommy, what if we get in trouble?" you bit the inside of your cheek, as you always did when you got nervous. Tom responded by pulling you in tighter and kissing your cheek, then said:

"That's half the fun of it, darling." His words rushed an array of feelings through you. A part of you started to feel flustered, while the other wanted to shove his face in the large bowl of porridge that stood on the table.

"Please," he looked at you with his usual sad puppy-eyed look. "I feel like never get to see you, y/n. So I'll come over tonight, you can let me into the Rave tower, we'll hang out a bit and then I'll leave- like nothing ever happened. What do you think?"

"I don't know, Tommy-" You tried to keep a straight face, but it was hard to say no to a gorgeous face like his. after a few short moments of silence, you finally agreed, "fine. Be there at 10. Do not be late, Holland."

"I wouldn't dare to waste a second away from you." He kissed you, grabbed a slice of toast (from your plate, of course), and got up.

"Wait, where are you going?" You asked, confused, since breakfast wouldn't end for another 20 minutes.

"I'm kind of late for early detention with McGonagall," he chuckled before running off, toast between his teeth. You just rolled your eyes and finished your meal in peace.

You never really thought that your classes were boring, but that day, every minute seemed to go by at a quarter of its speed. It was as if someone had put a time-stopping hex on you if that even was a thing. You couldn't wait to finish your studies in the library (the scheduled hours at the library was necessary since there was still so much to get through before the NEWTs), so you could make your way back to the Great Hall for dinner. Once there, you immediately were on the lookout for the head of dark brown curls. You stood in the doorway, letting people pass you, but no luck; Tom was nowhere to be seen.

Internally, you already started cursing. It would be just your luck that he'd get attention again for the rest of the night. Why did you have to fall for the troublemaker-

"Aaah!" you shrieked as suddenly your feet were lifted from the ground. Arms wrapped around your middle, and you were spinning around. You wanted to scream more, but you heard the familiar laugh, and it immediately put you at ease.

"Put me down," you laughed. Tom complied without pretence. But his hands remained at your sides as you turned to face him. And then, eagerly, his lips met yours in a chaste kiss.

It was, of course, silly to think that you could have this moment just for yourself, in a hall filled with hundreds of students. Only a few seconds into your kiss, you could hear wolf-whistles around you. Someone, who sounded very much like Tom's friend and team co-captain Harrison, called out from afar: "Get it, Holland!" Tom was quick to put up two fingers in his direction, not paying attention to anyone. But the mood was ruined, and you pulled apart.

"Missed you today," he said softly.

"Missed you, too." You replied. His fingers slipped between yours, and like that, hand in hand, you were already making your way to the Ravenclaw table, but, unfortunately, Tom was stopped when someone tugged at the back of his robes.

"Oi, you dickhead-" but he laughed it off when he saw it was Ben, another friend and member of the Gryffindor team.

"Sorry 'bout that," Ben apologised, "but we're supposed to be holding a team meeting, remember?" He pointed over at the Gryffindor table, and, indeed, the rest of the team was huddled together at the edge of the table. Harrison had gotten up when he saw you and Tom looking, returning the gesture of the two fingers held up in the V-shape.

"Shit, I forgot." Tom brushed his fingers through his hair. He looked at you, eyes already full of regret, and you could tell he was ready to apologise, but you stopped him before he even opened his mouth.

"Don't worry, we'll talk later, yeah." You kissed him on the cheek, "remember, 10."

And miraculously, Tom did remember. As the clock in the Ravenclaw common room struck 10, you heard the faint knock at the other side of the entrance. Of course, Tom knew where and how to access the Ravenclaw tower, but the riddles that the eagle doorknocker asked were at times a bit too hard, bless him.

You pushed the door open, and there he stood. His robes were exchanged for sweatpants and a hoodie. A blue one, you noticed, not that that would help him fit in with the crowd in the common room. Tom had been team captain for the past three years, and his team had not failed to win the cup once since he had even joined the team, to begin with. Everyone in school knew him and adored him. Not even the rest of your house managed to be mad at him (though the Ravenclaw team definitely held a bit of a grudge after a few bad losses over the years).

He stepped inside, and you quickly lead him around the common room up the stairs of the dormitories.

You had heard that years ago, the stairs had a spell on them that stopped the male students from even attempting to step up to the other dormitories. Now, however, this "rule" has been dropped, ever since several students expressed their concerns for the double standards between the male and female student body, as well as the discomfort it might set up for the queer students.

Personally, you thought it would be even better if every student could have their own room, since sharing a space with four other people could get a bit crowded at times and you liked your privacy, but it was understandable that in an ancient building like Hogwarts renovations were not always an option.

Luck struck once more when you opened the door to your dormitory, and it was empty. All of your friends were still out, most likely staring at their books, in the hopes of getting struck with a moment of brilliance that could help them pass their exams. You closed the door, and Tom made himself comfortable in your bed.

It felt like the entire day had already been wasted, not to mention dinner, so you hurried down to your bed, pulling down the curtains of the four-poster, just to get that little bit of privacy you longed for at the end long day. But, of course, it was nothing unusual or suspicious since you often closed your curtains when you were too tired to chat with your roommates.

It was dark with the curtains closed, but Tom was quick to pull out his wand and murmured "lumos" the tip immediately illuminated in soft blue light. The glow was just enough for you to see his face, the goofy grin taking over his features.

"What are you laughing at?" you asked, whispering in case someone would walk in.

"Nothing," he shrugged, "just happy to be here with you."

"You're daft," you laughed.

"Yeah, about you," and with that, he kissed you. The light at the end of his want went out as he dropped between you. His lips were soft and sweet, the pudding that had been served with dinner still lingering on him. He must have stolen a few cookies from the table when it had finished, you thought, to eat later. He often did that.

You stayed like that, cuddling, stealing kisses from one another, for hours, probably. You were never quite sure because eventually, you both drifted off into a slumber. You could have probably slept like that, wrapped in his arms, forever, if it wasn't the bright light peeking through your curtains that was hitting you right in the face. And the whispers. You could hear people talking.

"I swear, they're just the cutest." It was your friend talking.

"But do they really need to do it here?" A second voice said, also familiar to you. "I mean, how many rules do you think they're breaking?"

"Oh shut!" you heard pillows being thrown. Or at least assumed that was what was happening around you. You couldn't be bothered to open your eyes, instead deciding to focus on Tom and his calm breathing. Your head was close to his chest, so you felt it rise with each inhale he took, and you could hear his heartbeat.

It was Saturday, meaning no classes. You had studied every day for the past few weeks, definitely deserving a little break for the day. If you remembered correctly, Tom wouldn't have training until the late afternoon and you could always skip breakfast. If you got hungry before tea, you could always sneak into the kitchens. After all, the two of you had already broken so many rules, what would be the harm in one more.

Ignoring the further whispers of your friends, you snuggled closer to Tom, feeling his arm wrapping tighter around you. Both of you shuffled around a bit, trying to find back the comfort from the night, and quickly you fell back to sleep.

The End

[ohmyitsfaith]

Always and forever

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Reader

Summary: “hi, can I request something with Five where the reader is best friends with Klaus, and since their relationship is new, Five gets kinda jealous because she seems to always have so much fun with Klaus, but deep down Five is just insecure and thinks that he doesn't deserve love? Just for the reader to reassure him of how she loves him and how great he is to her. Love your stories <3“ -Requested by anonymous

Warnings: PTSD nightmare mention, slight angst (can’t seem to escape it) but soft fluff in the end

Word count: 1.9k

A/n: I totally got distracted from the request, it’s probably not what you wanted at all, but I hope you still enjoy it!

You were all young when you met the Hargreeves. You instantly got close to Klaus, who seemed to be just the type of friend you so desperately needed. Vanya was too shy, Diego was too mean, Luther had way too much ego, Allison was too girly, Ben didn’t talk much and… Five. The grumpiest kid you’ve ever met. Still. He was witty, smart and as much as he wanted to deny, he was caring. But he disappeared. And after that Ben died. So the only person you stayed close to was Klaus. You kept him safe when times were hardest, put a roof above his head, kept his stomach from going empty and kept him company. You were also the only one who knew about Ben. You tried your best to acknowledge the ghost boy, but it’s hard to keep in touch with something you can’t see, can’t hear. But Ben appreciated you trying.

When you woke up one day, again in your 18-year-old body you were more than confused. Your first thought was that you must be in a dream still, so you pinched yourself. Well that turned out to be false, because you most definitely felt that pinch. After that, you thought to ask Klaus, but then was reminded that he was over his childhood home for the funeral of his father. But you couldn’t go out and to work like that, right? So you got your stuff and headed to the academy.

That’s how you got reunited with the Hargreeves siblings. Including Five. You were reminded of your feelings for the boy that developed over the time when you knew him and you insisted to help out with stopping the apocalypse. And because you’re friends with Klaus, who’s very strong willed, he couldn’t say no to you (although there could’ve been something else as well, but you didn’t mention it).

And when all failed, you ended up with Five in 1963, helping him through those 10 days and saving the world from doomsday and his family. All while your feelings for the teenage boy grew. Getting home wasn’t hard after that and you finally made your relationship official with Five.

So the following week, you didn’t let him do anything, but curl up with you while you read to him. He didn’t fight it though. He felt safe with you and knew that he couldn’t even start arguing about the question involving his relaxation. Plus, why would he want to get up from the arms of his girlfriend? That would just be foolish behavior.

You enjoyed it too. You knew that the young boy must have been very touch starved, spending all those years alone in the apocalypse. You enjoyed spending the time with cuddling, reading and soft kissing. It was just what you wanted.

But after a while, you knew you had to do something other than relaxing. You decided to get a job since to the one you had before, you couldn’t exactly go back to. Well, Five didn’t like it that much, but he understood your reasoning.

Soon you had a schedule and the free time you had, you split it between spending it with Klaus and spending it with Five.

You and Klaus decided to do a movie night on Saturday, because you missed those days. Now that you lived at the academy it was a bit harder to get together, since someone usually occupied the couch and the TV. But you managed to sneak there and snatch the remote control to yourselves.

So now you were laughing together at some random comedy you found. A blanket in your laps and popcorn between you.

“But like, that’s such a dumb thing to say” Klaus giggled.

“It is” you agreed, laughing. “Like if you’re going to threaten someone, don’t mess it up like this.”

“Yeah” he sighed, trying to keep down his giggles. “Ooh, this reminds me…” he turned to you. “How’s my OTP doing?”

“Good” you shrugged. “It’s a bit hard to keep the romance up with me going to work. Of course, I try my best, but I can’t stop thinking that I’m messing things up.”

“Why?” he stopped the movie, giving you his full attention.

“I have a lot of work and when I come home, I’m tired. And sometimes I say things I don’t mean to. Of course, I apologize and try to make it up for him, but… I feel like all I do is hurt him.”

“Well… I can’t stop making you feel that way, that’s not my job. But” he said softly. “He definitely loves you. A lot. I’ve never actually seen him like this. Not when we were kids, not when he came back to save us…”

“Thanks Klaus” you said. “I’m so grateful to have you.”

Klaus smiled at you and you reciprocated it. You hugged each other and you leaned into him while finishing the movie.

What you didn’t know was that Five watched this. He saw you having a meaningful conversation, he saw you two laugh and have a great time. And then hug. He couldn’t help but feel jealous at your friendship. He felt bad as well. He was supposed to be the one to make you feel better. He was supposed to be the one to hug you and cuddle with you. He was supposed to be the one to help you.

Sadly, he walked out. He went to your shared room and closing the door, he sat on his bed before lying down. He turned towards the wall and just stared at it while his thoughts filled his brain. He wasn’t one to cry, mostly keeping his feelings at bay, but now he felt the waves of sadness crashing down on him. It was overwhelming and he squeezed his eyes shut. Soon, he fell asleep while the first tears made their way down his cheek.

Entering your room, you saw Five already in his bed, laying on top of the covers. You sighed at the sight and grabbing a plus blanket, you put it around him, tucking him in. You watched him sleep for a few seconds, before gently pressing a kiss to his forehead. In the dark, you didn’t see the dried tears on his face, so you just lay down on your bed after getting your pajamas on and you got underneath the covers. You slowly fell into a dreamless sleep.

You woke in the middle of the night at Five’s whimpers and groans. At first you were confused, but then realized he probably was stuck in a nightmare. You quickly got up and sitting on his bed, you put your hand on his shoulder. You started to wake him up as gently as you could.

“Five” you called out his name and repeated it a few times before he shot up.

A wild pair of eyes looked back into your own and you immediately knew he was processing where he was, trying to get back to reality. This usually happened after a nightmare caused by his PTSD. You did what you always do when he has them. You put both of your hand gently on the sides of his face and looked into his eyes with the gentlest look in your eyes.

“Five” you said softly and he looked at you, panic still evident in his eyes.

He remembered his dreams but didn’t dare to think of them. His shaking hands reached for your own, but stopped when he remembered what happened earlier. His eyes averted and you saw it. He was hurt.

“What’s wrong?” you asked just as softly as you did before.

But he didn’t answer. He couldn’t. All he wanted was to pull you into a hug, but he couldn’t. His jealousy stopped him. He felt your gaze wandering on his face, searching for the cause of the lack of words from him.

“Is it your dream?” you asked and he shook his head in the smallest movements possible. “Did someone hurt you?” he didn’t know how to answer so he just shrugged his shoulder. “Did you see something?” he nodded. “Okay… was it in the house?” he nodded again. “Did it hurt you physically?” he shook his head at that. “So emotionally?” he nodded. “Okay” you sighed.

You didn’t know what else to ask. He obviously was hurt by whatever you see, so you thought back what he could’ve seen.

“Was it one of your siblings?” he thought for a bit, a sad look in his eyes. Then he nodded. “Was it Vanya?” he shook his head. “Diego?” his response was the same. “Klaus?” he nodded. “Did he say something?” he shrugged. “Was someone else with him?” he nodded. “Was it another one of your siblings?” he shook his head. “Then it was me” you realized. “Five… are you jealous?”

He felt his face heat up. He knew it was stupid. You wouldn’t leave him for Klaus. He was only your best friend and he mostly dated guys. But still. At times you were more affectionate with Klaus than him.

“Five” you caught his gaze. “You know I love you, right? That I love you more than anything? That I’d never leave you? That I’ll always be here for you even if we’re not together?”

He nodded. Of course he knew. But that didn’t stop the anxiety in him. He was scared of losing you. Of losing what he sought for decades, alone in the post-apocalyptic world. Of losing what he just got.

He looked at you. He saw the sincerity in your eyes. The care. The concern. The love. He finally reached for your hand and closed his eyes. You pressed your lips to his forehead in the most affectionate kiss he ever received. He felt the tension leave his body in the form of tears. He took in a shaky breath and slowly nuzzled himself in the warmth of your body. His head lay on your chest, listening to your steady heartbeat, while his hands were clutching your wrist. You held his head to your chest while taking steady breaths, making him do the same subconsciously. His eyes closed and peace filled his body.

“I love you” you whispered softly. “I loved you in the past, I love you now and I’ll love you in the future. Always and forever.”

“I love you too” his shaky answer came and a smile made its way up your lips.

After a few more minutes of listening to your heartbeat and feeling your chest rise and fall, he pulled away slowly. You still held his face and looked at him with immense love in your eyes. It was pure, held no negativity and it was unconditional. His heart filled with the same love for you and leaning close to you, he softly pressed his lips to yours. Your lips were soft against his slightly chapped one, but the kiss felt like heaven. Just like the first then the second then every kiss you shared. He never thought he could love someone like this, but he couldn’t imagine it any other way.

The kiss ended within seconds, but you stayed close to each other. His eyes were closed and he slowly touched your foreheads together. You felt his breath on your face and this moment felt like the most intimate out of all your cuddles and kisses. Your hand was on his shoulder and when you pulled away from his face, a small whimper escaped from the boy. A soft giggle left your body as you lay down on the bed, pulling the teenager down with you. His head lay on your shoulder, his arms slowly making their way around your middle. You held each other close, falling asleep on the small bed and having the most relaxing sleep you’ve ever experienced your whole life.

[Masterlist]

[spookybreadstick]

Hi there! I’m hoping requests are still open hehe

If they are, I was wondering if you could write something about how you’re a pasta living in the mansion and you’ve been dating BEN secretly for a while and one day some of the other pastas catch you guys cuddling or kissing or something like that?

Thank you so much! 🖤

hi bby! thank you for requesting something <3 I got your message about preferred pronouns but as it turns out I actually ending up writing it as gender neutral anyway (didn’t even realize until I was finished) so I hope that’s still cool with you. also, this is supposed to be funny. like, it’s meant to be sweet and humorous so I hope that’s what you had in mind lol. 

as a side note: i started writing Toby’s verbal tics in here, and I hope it turned okay and it made sense like when he was speaking versus when it was a tic. it’s new to me and I want to be respectful while still showing the character. 

💖🎀💖🎀💖🎀

There is something about secret love that is so romantic. Well, it's romantic and a burden as well. You and BEN have been dating for about a month now, and it's going great, minus the fact that it's a secret relationship. You were the one that had suggested it, though, so you couldn't complain. Too much, at least. You had suggested that your relationship be kept a secret, for now, because this whole "being a pasta" thing is so new to you. You have only been here for less than three months, and the last thing you want to do is rock the boat. BEN had tried to assure you that people probably wouldn't care, but you wanted to play it safe. What if Slender disapproved of your relationship? BEN has been a member of the mansion for years, but as the newbie, you'd be the one to get kicked out if he disapproved. You know that Slender was pretty strict about certain things too, so you'd hate to see what would happen if this displeased him somehow. BEN didn't mind keeping things "low-key" (his words) for now. He had never been in a relationship before, so this was a new experience that he kind of wanted to keep fairly private. He may be flirty and cocky on the outside, but he's still a romantic at heart and he doesn't like people being in his business when it's something so personal.

So for now, you and him were masquerading as good friends that really enjoy each other's company and hang out a lot. Who also sneak kisses. But people don't need to know that last part, do they? But you can't keep a secret like this forever, especially not with the nosy knuckleheads of the mansion. Plus, plenty of the pastas have stalking experience. They know how to eavesdrop and gather intel pretty well, so it's hard to keep things from them, unless you know what you're doing. You and BEN got lucky for the first month of your relationship, but of course all things must come to an end. Not that you minded much, but it was a surprise nonetheless. It began like any other gaming sesh with BEN, in the privacy of his room.

"Watch out, watch out, there's a guy right there!" BEN yelled, fingers furiously smashing the buttons on the controller.

"I'm trying, I'm trying! My ammo is low." You whined.

"Shit, babe, lemme help." BEN's avatar rushed towards yours and began firing at the attackers.

"Hold 'em off, I'll grab the gold." You moved your avatar to collect the gold pieces needed to win the level.

"Roger that." BEN grinned, firing away.

Five exhausting but exhilarating minutes later, you both had beat the incredibly hard level.

"Fuck yeah! We did it, baby!" BEN cheered loudly.

You giggled. "Yeah, we did."

"And you know what? It was all because of me." BEN boasted.

"What?! I'm the one who grabbed the gold." You pointed out, offended.

"Yeah, but, I'm the one who killed most of the guys for you." BEN explained.

"True, but if I hadn't grabbed the gold we wouldn't have passed the level."

"Okay, fine." He held up his hand in defeat, then grinned. "I guess we make a pretty good team, huh? I'm Player One and you're my Player Two."

"You're a dork." You said, laughing.

"But I'm your dork." He teased you, moving closer.

"Are you my dork?" You titled your head playfully.

"I'm all yours." He whispered before leaning in to kiss you.

You kissed back, feeling his sweet lips on yours and letting everything melt away. You were both so into the kiss that you didn't hear the footsteps outside of the door until Jeff had already flung it wide open.

"BEN, where the fuck did you put my- holy shit!" Jeff exclaimed.

Quickly, you broke apart and stared at Jeff in shock.

"Y'all are fuckin'?!" Jeff made a face, gesturing to the two of you.

"DUDE! No, what the hell!" BEN's face turned red.

"Wait, who's doing what?" Toby's eager face appeared in the doorway.

"Nothing! Nothing is happening!" You frantically tried to reason with the unexpected company.

"Is it BEN and y/n? They'd make the cutest couple." Jane appeared in the doorway as well.

"Ugh, couples. Don't make out in front of me anytime soon. Fucking gross." Clockwork rolled her eye as she passed by the door frame.

"I heard there was some drama going down!" LJ made a dramatic entrance in the middle of the room with some popcorn, always looking to be the center of attention, as usual.

"No, there's no drama! We were just playing video games!" You pleaded.

"Yeah, with your tongues down each other's throats." Jeff snorted.

"There was no tongue!" BEN said defensively.

"Ha! You admit - admit one, admit two - you admit to kiss-kissing!" Toby practically cheered.

"I think it's sweet." Jane cooed. You buried your face in your hands.

"Oh, don't be so embarrassed. I for one, already knew that you guys were going out." Masky said as he and Hoodie walked into the room.

"You did?! But we were so careful." BEN said, shocked.

"You guys are actually pretty lousy secret-keepers. Masky and I have known for at least two weeks." Hoodie shook his head. This caused some chatter among the others over who had already known and who had no idea.

"Sorry, babe." BEN turned to you with a sheepish grin.

"It's fine. The truth was going to come out sometime. I just hope Slender doesn't kick me out." You sighed.

"Why would I kick you out?" Slender asked, appearing behind you.

You stammered, unable to come up with a proper response.

Slender chuckled. "You have proven yourself to be a part of this family. You have a home here, regardless of what happens. You're family just as much as BEN is, and I wouldn't kick either of you out over a relationship."

You breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Besides, who am I to meddle with young love?" Slender said, affectionately patting you and BEN on the head, showing his approval.

[nanagoswife]

For You? Always.

Chapter Thirteen

Summary: You and Ben enjoy being reunited.

Together, you walked down the path to the lake as you laughed at a rock that looked like a face someone would make right as they were falling. Not paying attention because of this, your foot caught on a root just enough to make you trip. Ben, though, had caught you, pulling you into his chest.

Making sure you were okay first, he then said, “That was a very good imitation.” Jokingly pushing his chest, your laughing started back up. Partially to make sure you wouldn’t fall again, Ben held your hand for the rest of the way down.

Since you didn’t mind in the slightest, you took the opportunity to get a few steps ahead to pull him along the trail. The thought of seeing the clear moon reflect off of the water had excited you. Ben being there made it even better.

Soon enough, the trees opened up to a rocky beach. The small rocks gave way under your shoes, making you sink into them with each step. You let Ben catch up so that he was at your side. Each step was loud with the rocks rubbing against each other while you went down to the water.

Ben let go of your hand and bent down to study the rocks, picking up relatively flat and round ones. When he was satisfied with the amount he collected, he stood back up.

“Have you ever skipped rocks before?”

“Believe it or not, I actually have never skipped rocks,” you replied.

“Well, I can show you if you’d like.” Nodding your head, he opened up his palm to display the rocks to let you choose one. When you did, he showed you the way to hold the rock the best he could in the moonlight. He ended up taking your hand and placed each finger in the proper position.

When his hands worked, the touch was intoxicating. The thought was encouraged as he lingered his hands around yours after placing your fingers into the right positions. Like he was snapping out of something, he subtly shook his head to clear it and brought you closer to the water’s edge.

Stepping around you, he put his arms around you, his chest pressing against your back, showing the motion you needed. As you swayed along, you turned your head to look at him. At first, he was focused on the water. It shifted to your hands and then he met your eyes.

Once again, he had lingered in the position, his head by yours. You could feel his heartbeat. It's rhythm seemed to match your own.

Searching each other's eyes, you couldn't help but press a soft kiss to his lips. When you pulled back, he smiled and swayed with you for another moment.

"Here," he whispered, "let me demonstrate."

As he pulled away, you shivered from the loss of his warmth. Then, like he had a hundred times before, he slipped his suit jacket off and draped it around you. He smirked before slightly backing away to do his demonstration.

"Alright, it's your turn." He stepped close to you and carefully took your hand with the rock into his hand and moved behind you again. "Remember, there's a slight flick of the wrist," he said as he moved your wrist the way he had said.

Once you nodded, he stepped back so that you had enough room. Going through the movements, you tossed the rock along the surface of the water.

Watching the rock skip over the water, you cheered at the fact that you had done it right. Ben congratulated you with a smile and put his hand back out to let you pick another rock. After you did, he took one and lined up alongside you. He waited for you to go first, then followed by skipping his own. Both of them went below the surface in the same area.

“I thought you said you’ve never done this before,” Ben said when he watched you successfully skip a few more rocks.

“Beginners luck, I guess,” you said, chuckling. Shooting him a light, cocky grin. It caused him to laugh.

Once you had used all of the rocks that Ben had collected, the two of you had decided to sit on a large rock that had a flat top. You were leaning against him, your head resting against his neck. He had one arm around you, pulling you close to him, and the other was holding one of your hands.

While you had your eyes trained towards the sky, you noticed Ben had his attention locked on your entwined fingers. Curiosity tickled you, "Ben?"

He hummed in acknowledgment and moved his head so that he could see you better.

"What are you thinking about?"

You moved so that you could look into his eyes. The moonlight added a glint to them that made you want to melt. Fondness in the cerulean blue was all you could see.

"I'm thinking that I love you. That I thought this last week had been the loneliest time I've ever experienced." His brow slightly furrowed as he continued, "That," he paused and looked at your hands again, "this week was just every moment apart we've ever had drawn out to every day. That I wish that you missed me just as much as I missed you."

When he looked back up to you, you reached your hand up to his light stubbled cheek and he leaned into it. A small grin spread across your lips. "Of course I missed you. It felt even more longer to me. I- I don't know what to say."

"Just tell me that you love me. Please." His tone was almost begging.

Leaning forward, and guiding him towards you with the hand on his cheek, you rested your head against his. "I love you, Ben. I don't know what I'd do without you." He closed his eyes but smiled.

For a moment, the two of you stayed like this. The sounds of the lake hugging the shore, leaves dancing with the light breeze, crickets singing their lullaby, a fish breaking the surface in the distance, and the sound of his breathing were melodic. They all seemed to encourage the idea you had.

"Ben?"

He opened his eyes then.

"What would you say if I had a way to take those lonely moments away?"

He seemed intrigued; curious as to what you were going to say. "I would say that you have my rapt attention," he said quietly.

"Move in with me?"

"But, darling, it's your birthday. You shouldn't be the one giving out gifts," he said playfully, a large smile across his face.

You kept it serious, "And yet, you saying yes would be the greatest gift to have. So?"

"Yes," he said in a breath.

You couldn't wait any longer, and neither could he. The two of you finally kissed. Soft, sweet, and speaking words that you couldn't form.

You brought your hand that was on his cheek to his hair while your other one stayed with his. The hand he had around your back pulled you closer into his warmth.

When you parted, you once again rested your head against his neck. This time, you cuddled closer to him and got as comfortable as you could on the rock. He placed a kiss on the top of your head before looking up at the stars with you.

- - -

When you and Ben made your way back to the house, you snuck past where Derek and Claire were having a conversation. Both you and Ben wanted to just go to bed. He especially did with the late nights he had done to make this day possible.

“I’ll stay out here while you-”

“Come on, you don’t have to stay out here.”

Surprise spread across Ben’s face, “Are you sure you’re comfortable with it?” When you nodded, he took a cautious step, expecting you to change your mind. You didn’t.

Still cautious, he walked in behind you, closing the door behind him. Earlier, you had already laid out pyjamas for the night. When you had gone to remove your dress, Ben turned around, causing a laugh from you.

“What?”

“Ben,” you walked towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “we’ve been together for months now. I’m okay with you seeing me.” Prudently, he turned back around, maintaining eye contact. “And you don’t have to be so gentlemanly about it. If I wore a bathing suit, you’d see no more than you are about to now.”

Turning back to where your change of clothes were, you could feel Ben’s eyes. He was still being respectful, but you gave him this permission.

You went to pull down the zipper, but you were slightly struggling. You almost had it when Ben cut in, "May I help?"

Turning to him, you nodded. When he came over to you, you turned and lifted your hair for him. The feeling of his hands carefully working to undo the zipper made you smile.

When it reached the bottom, he gently brushed the straps of the dress off both of your shoulders. You felt as he placed a kiss on each of your bare shoulders before helping guide the dress to the floor.

You slowly turned to face him. Meeting his eyes, you ran your hands up his torso. When your hands stopped at the top buttons of his dress shirt, he nodded consent to your unspoken question.

As you unbuttoned his shirt, you never broke eye contact with him. Noticing that he didn't have an undershirt, like he usually did, surprised you. Yet, it made you happy. Once you had it opened, you placed your hands on his chest while he shrugged the rest of the shirt off.

Meeting his eyes again, you swallowed, "Can we just-" you trailed off.

"Of course," he said tenderhearted. He looked to the bedside table, "Would you like me to read to you?"

He looked back at you and you smiled. "That sounds nice."

With that, you put on your pyjamas. Ben was putting his on until he froze a rubbed the back of his neck after changing his pants.

"I forgot to bring a sleep shirt," he said sheepishly.

"It's fine. Besides, you're more handsome without one," you said with a chuckle. He returned your chuckle as you got comfortable under the soft blankets of the bed. Ben placed his clothing back in his bag before joining you.

Before you cuddled up to him, you grabbed to book from the stand.

"Here's another gift for you." Ben raised his hand that held a glasses case. Excitement filled you.

"It's about time," you teased. He rose his eyebrows in amusement and chuckled.

After he put them on, he dragged the lamp closer on his side. You handed him the book and helped hold it open while he adjusted. While he held the book, you turned the pages.

You had your head resting on his chest, the arm you used to flip the pages rested on his middle. On top of hearing the internal grumble of his voice, you could also heard his heart. It all combined then faded as you drifted to sleep.

@stardancerluv @jaydenwoo @madmax2003 @where-fantasy-meets-reality @wintersoldiersthings

[snootsnoot-fiction]

Sweet Anniversary

Pairing: Klaus Hargreaves x reader

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: Fluff, food mention.

Author's note: I wrote this last year as a birthday present for @lemonboy-milo and this is also the first fic I wrote so feedback would be appreciated thank you :)

Summary: You're in a relationship with the one and only Klaus Hargreaves, and you wake up one morning to an empty bed.

It had been two years. Two whole years since the day his life changed for the better. The life of Klaus Hargreaves had been a rocky one. And unpleasant. In fact, the only time he felt any kind of sanity was when he was high. Especially when he finally got away from that excuse of a home and a father. In the end, only daddy’s number one was left.

The numbness Klaus always felt took the edge off every negative thing he felt. It didn’t stop him from feeling terrible, but deep down, there was something that made him want to keep going. What for, he wasn’t sure. The only real company he had nowadays was his brother Ben, and he wasn’t even alive. Every living person had either abused or abandoned Klaus, or they simply just didn’t care. Despite his powers, the man had always felt alone. Hard as he tried to feel otherwise. Life had been one long journey that he really did not like. Until today.

On this day, two years ago, Klaus had decided to walk into a coffee shop. He had been skulking from the world, somewhere near said coffee shop, and his brother trying to talk sense into him as usual. Then, by some random chance, he caught the eye of someone soon before they walked into the building. For one, small moment, time seemed to slow down. However, this person seemed to be shy as they looked away almost too soon. Ben had sensed it, though he simply watched as his brother Klaus watched after this mystery person for a few moments, before following.

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

Klaus was sat cross-legged on a random bench, just next to an alleyway. He was staring into space, not even hearing a word Ben said. After a long few moments, he came back to reality and looked at his ghost brother.

“I'm sorry, what?” The most uninterested look on Klaus’ face as his brother just looked away and ignored him. It was in that moment, with the coffee shop in his line of sight, he caught the eye of the most gorgeous person he had ever laid eyes on. Suddenly the look on his face turned to one of interest as he sat up and perked up. Unfortunately for him, you had soon ducked into the shop, leaving Klaus staring after you. Something about you tugged at his curiosity. You appeared to be shy. The Hargreave man could tell.

After mere seconds of inner debate, Klaus decided to get up. He told himself that perhaps he was in need of a drink. Walking over to the coffee place, he opened the door – eyes immediately finding the same cute person he had seen earlier, fumbling through his wallet as the person behind the counter called for the next customer. There was no line behind you, and Klaus could see you were at least a little distressed. So he walked up to stand next to you.

“Allow me..” Pulling a note out of his pocket, Klaus placed it on the counter.

“I’ll have what he’s having.” Then as the person began sorting change out, he added, “no no,” he sniffed, “keep it.” Klaus looked to you next to him with his signature, crooked, charming smile.

After you had both collected your drinks, you sat down at a table and started talking. You two hit it off quite well. Something just seemed to click between you. Klaus knew, from the moment he walked into the coffee shop, that there was more to this person than meets the eye. You were unlike any other human he had met, and he loved that about you.

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

That was an important day to Klaus. You were important to Klaus. Meeting you changed his life more than he realised. The two of you eventually started dating. Nothing either of you were uncomfortable with. You also got to really know each other. Open up to each other. You had embraced one another. Whenever you opened up to him, he only loved you more. He wanted to do better for you. To help you. To be there whenever you needed him.

Of course, it wasn’t easy. You had your dark days, but he was there for you. He even recalled a few times when he had left the Academy in the middle of the night in order to be there for you. You’d tell him he didn’t need to, but he did. No matter how much you denied it, you did need him. Just like he needed you. The pair of you had grown so close within months, and he wouldn’t change a thing for the world.

You and Klaus had been living together only for a short while. You had both agreed to take things slow when you first started dating. Officially, you were together for over a year. For once in his life, his siblings seemed happy for him. Despite how shy you were, Klaus eventually had persuaded you to meet the rest of his siblings – having already met Ben. They all loved you. Granted, Five was a little blunt at first, but even he warmed up to you in his own way soon enough.

Klaus knew you, so he knew exactly what to do to make this day special and nice for you. For the both of you. He wasn’t entirely sure if you remembered, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to have this day. Just the two of you. While you were still asleep, Klaus got up, dressed, and left the place. Only for a short while; he knew exactly what he was doing. In case you woke up before he got back, though, he left a note on the fridge.

When you awoke, you were confused as to why the space next to you was empty. Why there wasn’t the warm body of your boyfriend cuddled against you. Giving yourself time to actually wake up, eventually you got out of bed. On your way to the kitchen to make a coffee, you heard the front door open. In walked Klaus. The love of your life.

“Where’d you go?” You asked with a curious look at the bag in his hand and the way he was standing; clearly holding something else behind his back.

“Didn’t you read the note?” He questioned. It was only then that he realised you must have just woken up.

“I literally just woke up…” you mumbled quietly. Still half asleep.

“Oh! Silly me!” Klaus let out a little laugh as he smiled at you. “Perfect timing though..” He put his stuff on the ground, making sure his body was in the way so you couldn’t see what exactly he had, “I just bought a few things.” Then he stood up and faced you. “Now dear,” he ushered you to the living room, sitting you on the sofa, “you just wait here.” Before he left, he turned the TV and Netflix on, then put The Great British Bake-Off on. He handed you the remote, in case you wanted to watch something else, before he left the room.

You sat there in silent confusion for a moment, then turned to watch the TV. You had long ago accepted how random and crazy the man could be at times. It was only one of the many reasons you loved him.

It wasn’t long before he reappeared – a bag dangling from his arm, and a drink in each hand. You recognised the drinks as the usual order you got from any coffee place. But why had Klaus done this exactly?

“Happy anniversary honey!” The biggest smile was plastered on his lips as he waved his arms up for dramatic effect, careful not to spill the coffees.

“It’s not…” your face twisted with confusion. “What?”

“I mean, it’s not our ‘anniversary’ anniversary,” Klaus rolled his eyes at his own choice of words, “but we met today – two years ago.” The smile was back on his face as he gave you a coffee, and sat down with his own, and the bag.

“That’s so sweet… but you didn’t have to do this.” After his words, it had all clicked in your head. This drink wasn’t just your usual order, but the same exact drink you both had when you met all that time ago.

“No! Don’t say that! I did have to do this…” Klaus set the bag and coffee on the floor before turning to face you, and sitting cross-legged on the sofa – a sofa that the both of you had cuddled on, and even fallen asleep on a few times since moving in together. The man gently took your coffee to put it on the floor and held your hands in his as he looked into your eyes. Those beautiful eyes.

“I didn’t have a life before I met you… meeting you has made me happier. Falling in love with you has made me happier. You think yourself as imperfect. Nobody’s perfect- hell! I’m far from it.” He chuckled a little as his voice broke slightly. “But to me, you are perfect..” His eyes shined with potential tears. “So I got us those coffees, some healthy, low calorie snacks for you, and all the cuddles you want. Because I love you, Y/N.”

As you listened to Klaus, tears gathered in your own eyes. Tears of happiness, and love. You wondered what you did to deserve him, but you weren’t about to question it. He was here. You had him, and he had you. By some great luck, you had him, and you couldn’t be more happy than you were when you were with him. “I love you too Klaus…” You couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped you. Before you knew it, your boyfriend had drawn you into his arms in a tight embrace, kissing the side of your head.

“Now…” Klaus begun as he slowly and reluctantly pulled away, his hands sliding down your arms to hold your hands again, “What d’ya say we cuddle and rewatch episodes of our favourite shows, yeah?”

“I’d love that.” You replied with the warmest smile you could offer. You didn’t think you could feel more blessed in the moment. More happy. Or more in love than ever before.

While you made yourself comfy, Klaus went and fetched a blanket. He moved everything you’d need closer before lying down on the sofa to cuddle. Your boyfriend lied on his back whilst you lied just next to him with your head on his chest. Whenever you wanted a sip of your coffee, he held the drink up for you. For the day, he wanted you to relax as much as possible. No worries. No anxieties. Nothing. Just you, him, the much-loved sofa, and some TV.

[babygirlgalitzine]

today and forever (ao3)

Callum’s been planning this day for weeks now. Ever since he saw it in his phone calendar, he’s known that he has to do something special, especially now they’re fiancé’s. He’s got a list on phone, of all the things he could think of doing. A night away in a hotel, a romantic meal at a posh restaurant. But none of it seemed right. Until he opened his wardrobe one day, and saw a suit. It’s one he’s not worn for a long time, but he remembers the first time Ben saw him in it, and remembers how he almost didn’t leave the house that day, because Ben just did not want to let him go. It was then, that he knew what to plan for Valentine’s day. 

Sunlight beams through the curtains, washing over the bedroom in a shade of golden yellow. It’s that sort of sun that makes it seem like it should be gorgeously warm outside, proper t-shirt weather - but it’s cold. The air is freezing and there’s frost all over, glistening in the light. Ben rolls over, trying to cling onto the last remaining remnants of his sleep, hiding his face in his pillow so he doesn’t have to have the light on his face, waking him up, but it’s too late. He’s awake now. He slowly but surely stretches his hand out across the bed, a tingle on his fingertips as it rubs against fabric, the warmth of his bed sheets protecting him from how cold it actually is. He’s searching, looking for one thing and one thing only - Callum.

But Callum’s not there. 

His smell is. And his warmth. It’s something so distinctive, and yet Ben’s the only person who gets to experience this. He can just about make out a faint scent of strawberries from Callum’s shampoo when he nestles his head on Callum’s pillow, and he wants to open his eyes to properly look around, but the unrelenting warmth of Callum’s side of the bed just keeps pulling him in and then he’s resting there without a care in the world, cradling the corner of the sheets in his arms, cocooning himself in. It’s peaceful and warm and the tiredness is still there, even though he really should be up. 

The door opens softly moments later and Callum panics for a few beats as he looks in the direction of where he left Ben not even half an hour ago, until he casts his eye to the side and sees him laying there, his face in Callum’s pillow, a childlike rosiness to his cheeks and if it’s at possible, Callum thinks he falls more in love with Ben just by seeing this. He grins, and puts the tray of food down on his own bedside table, and he rests himself on the edge of the bed, right next to Ben. He doesn’t want to disturb him, because he just looks too precious and at peace, but their teas are going cold and he wants to spend the entire day with Ben. So he gently runs his fingers through Ben’s hair, like he usually does when they’re watching a film alone together, Ben curling up into Callum’s chest, craving the warmth he happily provides. He gently brushes through Ben’s hair, letting it curl around his ear and Ben starts to stir, leaning into Callum’s perfect touch. 

“Morning babe.” Callum grins, and he leans down to press a soft kiss to Ben’s cheek. “Happy Valentine’s.” 

Ben opens one eye first, and he can’t help but smile at his fiancé leaning over the top of him. “You weren’t here.” Ben lets out and yeah, he’s definitely only just woken up, if the deepness and the crack of his voice are anything to go by. “I woke up and you weren’t here.” 

Callum smiles softly and runs his thumb over Ben’s lips. “I went downstairs to make us breakfast.” He admits shyly. “I thought we’d have a relaxing morning with a bit of breakfast in bed.” 

He looks over at the bedside table, and notices the tray of food, and when he looks back at Callum, he notices two more things. “That’s mine.” He notes, pulling on the lapels of the grey dressing gown that covers Callum’s body. Callum chuckles as he looks down, and he’s about to open his mouth to speak when Ben talks once more. “And what are you hiding?” He asks, craning his neck to try and see behind Callum’s back.

Callum lets out a soft chuckle and bites at his bottom lip to try and hide the grin that appears, but it’s in vain, especially with how his cheeks bloom into this stunning pink shade that Ben just loves seeing. “I know we don’t do stuff like this, but I wanted to spoil you.” He sets himself up, and when Ben pushes himself up to sit in the bed, he shows Ben what he’s been hiding. 

It’s a bouquet of flowers, all bright and gorgeous and, mixed with the sunlight that’s still beaming into their bedroom, this feels like a fever dream - but it’s real.

Callum can’t bring himself to look at Ben’s reaction, he’s so nervous. He keeps his eyeline entirely on the flowers in his hands he stumbles over his words to try and get them out. “I, I er had to get roses. It’s the most romantic day of the year, and they’re the most romantic flower. And you got me them when you proposed. I just had to. And then there’s sunflowers which mean deep love, and purity and I know you ain’t exactly pure but I do love ya. Deeply. These are peonies and they’re supposed to symbolise a happy marriage.” 

There’s a pause for a moment, once Callum stops rambling. He still doesn’t want to look at Ben, and because of that, he doesn’t see the tears start to well up in his eyes. 

“Are they what you put in the wedding plans?” Ben asks cheekily, trying to get Callum to look at him. 

He succeeds. Callum nods. “Yeah.” He admits. “We don’t have to have them, if you don’t want. I just thought they’d be nice.” 

“I want them.” Ben confirms, without even having to think. He wants it all, with Callum. “These are beautiful. Thank you gorgeous.” 

Callum blushes even more at that, and as he reaches over to grab the tray of food, he sees Ben half roll across the bed and then stretch his arm out. “Where are you going?” Callum asks.

Ben ignores him for a second and then opens a drawer. “Close your eyes.” He says, and looks back to make sure that Callum does as he’s told. There’s a soft slam of the drawer and then Callum feels Ben moving back to him. “You’re not the only one who can be romantic.” He says, and puts something in Callum’s hands. “You can open them now.” 

It’s a card, with a bright red envelope, red to match the roses. He opens it up with slightly trembling hands and his grin grows wider than he ever thought possible as he reads to my fiancé on the front. He still can’t get over it. That’s what he is now, and one day, they’ll be husbands. He opens the card and reads everything slowly, Ben’s neat handwriting over both the pages, an entire story written out between them, ending with the words ‘yours today and forever, Ben’. 

“I love you.” Callum says, all giddy and grinning and Ben can’t help but pull him down for a kiss, not wanting to go any longer without one. 

Ben grins wildly into the kiss, one hand on Callum’s head and the other pulling onto his - Ben’s - dressing gown. “I love you too. So much. Happy Valentine’s.” 

They kiss some more, and Callum doesn’t want to let go, doesn’t want to pull away, but he has to because he’s more than aware that their breakfast is going stone cold besides them. He pulls away and Ben chases after another kiss for a second or two until he’s settled with a searing peck on red lips. The food finally gets eaten and the cups of tea finally get drained and Ben’s cuddling into Callum’s chest and everything is just like it’s meant to be. 

“Have you got any plans for the day?” Callum asks.

Ben turns his face to look at Callum and he’s so happy. So happy. “This is perfect.” He whispers out, as though speaking any louder will ruin it all. “It’s all I want.”

Callum smiles softly and presses an even softer kiss to Ben’s lips and whilst Ben’s distracted, Callum steals the last slice of toast from the plate. “I’m cooking tonight.” He says, pulling away from the kiss and biting into the jammy slice of toast. “Got this place to ourselves. So dress smart.” And he winks. He actually winks.

It’s later on in the day, much later on as dusk is falling, the entire sky a beautiful navy shade, with twinkles of star light scattering all around. It’s the perfect end to a perfect day. Callum’s been preparing dinner for hours now, and Ben hasn’t even seen him, having been banished from appearing in the kitchen. Instead, Ben’s already sitting at the table, admiring how Callum has set it all up. He’s seemingly stolen Lexi’s fairy light to brighten up the room, flickering lighter and then dimmer slowly. He’s really gone all out, with tiny little candles in the middle of the table, joined with the bouquet of flowers from this morning. Ben smiles to himself softly. He’s never been one to enjoy Valentine’s day and the commercialism of it all but this - this? He’s in love, so of course he loves this just as much as he truly loves Callum. All Ben knows about tonight, is that all he has to do is dress nice. That, he can do. He’s sitting at the table in a tight white shirt, all buttoned up to perfection, and a pair of navy trousers, navy to unintentionally match the sky. He hears Callum’s footsteps, rhythmic tapping as he walks seemingly ever closer. Ben’s got this giddy feeling, like it’s the first time he’s ever going to see Callum. It’s such a surreal feeling, but he can imagine this being the exact feeling he’s going to experience on his wedding day, waiting to see Callum walk down to him, ready to spend the rest of their lives together. The door creaks open and the butterflies in Ben’s stomach just explode ferociously at seeing Callum standing there, in a pale grey suit, and white shirt to match Ben’s. He looks amazing. 

“You like it?” Callum asks, gesturing around the room as he sits down next to Ben.

It might be a big table, but that doesn’t have to mean sitting far apart. They’d both prefer to be right next to each other, as it should be. 

Ben gulps, and he’s captivated by Callum, unable to take his eyes off of him. He hums absentmindedly. “Looks perfect to me.” Ben replies, and they both know he’s not talking about the room that surrounds them.

Callum flushes uncontrollably as he takes his suit off, feeling much more comfortable sitting in just trousers and his shut. Ben watches his every move as if he’s going to be quizzed on it later on. Callum rolls his sleeves up slightly, just to the middle of his forearm and Ben’s practically salivating just watching him do something so menial, so trivial. 

“You look like you’re about to devour me.” Callum chuckles, picking up his fork and twirling it around his fingers teasingly.

Ben scans his eyes from Callum’s fingers to his eyeline, tracking up his arms and across his chest and not forgetting to admire the mark on his neck, half hidden by his collar, that Ben left behind from the morning. He waits to respond, waits until Callum’s got half a mouth full of beer and then - “Maybe I am.” Ben grins. 

“Evil.” Callum lets out a chortle, wiping the corners of his mouth dry. “How about devouring this first.” He says, nodding towards their plates. 

So they eat in peace, talking about plans for their wedding. It still sounds surreal. They talk about having a stag do, and whether they should have a joint one or not, because, by and large, the people that they would invite would want to go to both, plus, it’ll save money in the long run if they just have a joint one. They talk about suits, and if they’d both want matching ones, or if they would just want similar suits. They talk about colour schemes and flowers and seating arrangements and they laugh until they cry at the idea of Stuart and Phil becoming family, and Ben brings up that one time that Callum sang in Phil’s face and it’s just so perfect. An hour or two flies by with them uncontrollably laughing and planning and their plates are empty and they’ve exhausted their alcohol selection. 

Callum’s got his hand over Ben’s on the table, warm and cosy and it just feels all kinds of right. He lifts their hands up, fingers still linking together, slotting in perfectly, and presses a gentle kiss to Ben’s skin. “I’ll be a second.” He whispers out, and he lifts the empty plates up and walks towards the kitchen.

Just as before, Ben can’t seem to take his eyes off of Callum as he walks away. He knows exactly what he’s doing to Ben.

Time ticks by slowly. One second, two seconds, three seconds - and Ben can’t help himself. He can’t physically spend any more time away from Callum. He just can’t. 

He walks quietly, trying to not bring attention to himself, probably for the first time in his life. The kitchen door is open, and he watches Callum for a second, cutting into a chocolate cake. There’s a smile on both their faces, and Ben just can’t help himself as he steps over the threshold and into the kitchen. It takes him approximately four steps before his body is pressing to Callum’s back, his hands all over his waist and he’s leaning up to press hot, searing kisses to Callum’s neck, anywhere he can reach. 

“You’ll ruin the surprise!” Callum tries to sound threatening but he can’t, not with Ben all around him. 

Callum can feel Ben’s lips curl up into a grin against his skin, and he’s so close to just forgetting all about the cake and turning around and letting Ben do whatever he wants to do to him. 

“Don’t care about the surprise.” Ben mutters out, spreading his hands everywhere, eventually deciding to rest them on Callum’s chest, his fingers brushing over the material right where his nipples lay. “I just want you.” 

Fuck it. Callum turns on the balls of his feet within seconds and wraps Ben up in a hug without even having to think about it. He grins into their kiss, hungry and full of want and desire. Ben let out a soft chuckle and he attempts to hold onto Callum even tighter, but it’s in vain, because Callum takes the lead here. He’s holding onto Ben’s waist, huge hands just completely encapsulating his body and he starts to walk, pushing Ben backwards slightly, the top half of his body moving first until his feet start to catch up. Ben has no idea what’s going on, he’s just trusting Callum with every single move he makes. It doesn’t take long for him to realise that his back is against the wall and Callum’s towering above him and he’s so turned on he’s not even certain he’s getting blood flowing to his brain with how light he feels. Callum’s hands are everywhere, unrelenting, and Ben’s seconds away from getting to his knees and taking Callum right here in the kitchen, until his brain kicks into gear and his fingers are fumbling over Callum’s shirt buttons, undoing one, two, three and suddenly half of his chest is being exposed. Callum grins even more and there’s a huff in his throat as he contemplates starting to open Ben’s trousers there and then before deciding against it and he takes a less subtle approach. His hands move from Ben’s waist fluidly to the back pockets of his trousers, his fingers dipping down into them for a moment or two before he squeezes. He listens and he feels and it’s all encompassing and then he’s bending at his knees for a second and lifting Ben up and a giggle stumbles out of Ben’s mouth.

“Where’re we going?” Ben asks, pulling his mouth away from Callum’s, only to put them against his neck and cheek and collarbone - anywhere he can lay a kiss. 

Callum walks with somewhat of an ease, and he’s determined. So determined. “Bed.” He adamants and so that’s that. He manages the stairs, though it’s easier said than done when he’s carrying a fully grown man who’s intent on attacking Callum’s skin, and then they’re in bed, with only a bedside lamp glowing a fluorescent yellow for company. 

They move in time together, as one. It’s everything and more. It’s all gentle touches and soft moans and Callum over Ben and Ben’s wrapping his legs around Callum, never wanting to let go. It’s really the perfect end to the perfect day, and the best thing of all? This is only the start. They have forever to come.

[thegreenmetblue]

I saw this domestic question-answer thing and wanted to do it with Starker so here we go :

Disagreement :

Who is more likely to raise their voice ?

Tony. Mostly when he’s worried about Peter.

Who threatens to leave but never actually does ?

Tony.

Who actually keeps their word and leaves ?

Peter. He’d take upon himself until he really can’t.

Who trashes the house ?

Tony. Peter’s too sweet to break anything.

Do either of them get physical ?

No, they’d never do anything to hurt the other. No matter how much they argue or how much power they have.

How often do they argue/disagree ?

Often. I’d say fourth times a week but for little things. And one big fight per two months.

Who is the first to apologize ?

Tony. He’s most likely the one who fucked things up in the first place anyway.

Sex :

Who is on top ?

Tony. He’s daddy.

Who is on the bottom ?

Peter. He’s needy baby.

Who has the strangest desires ?

BOTH. They’re both super kinky.

Any kinks ?

Daddy, praise, humiliation, public, overstimulation, edging, hair pulling, power ambivalence, orders, spanking, and the list is long...

Who’s dominant in bed ?

Tony.

Is head ever in the equation ?

Yeah ofc.

If so, who is better at performing it ?

Tony. But Peter’s getting better every day.

Ever had sex in public ?

Is that a real question ? Tony enjoys it so much. Peter too (even if he pretends he doesn’t).

Who moans the most ?

Peter. He’s a moaning slut.

Who leaves the most marks ?

Peter. Cause the marks on his body fades pretty quickly because of the healing factor but they both like to mark each other to show they own each other.

Who screams the loudest ?

Peter. He’s also a screamer. His voice gets so high.

Who is the more experienced of the two ?

Bruh Tony. He has a life of playboy behind him. Peter’s a cute not-so-much virgin

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’ ?

Both, it depends on the mood of the moment.

Rough or soft ?

Rough but sometimes it gets soft, because the love is showing too much. Lots of praises, « i love you »s, kisses and needy cuddles.

How long do they usually last ?

Peter never lasts long but he cums multiple times. Tony mostly cums one time cause he lasts way longer.

Is protection used ?

Tony tried but yeah... nop.

Does it ever get boring ?

With their kinky and loving ass ? Never.

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex ?

Tricky question. Huh... Maybe on a couch while they were on a movie night with the Avengers.

Family :

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children ?

Yes, they plan to. But only once Tony retired.

If so, how many children do your muses want/have ?

At least two.

Who is the favorite parent ?

Both ?

Who is the authoritative parent ?

Tony. Peter’d be too cute to be authoritative.

Who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school ?

Both of them cause their kids are gonna be super clever anyway so what’s a day off ?

Who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around ?

Peter. Tony’d eat junk food but refuses his kids doing the same.

Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children ?

Both. But Tony has more time.

Who goes to parent teacher interviews ?

Tony. Peter’s still an Avengers and have less time for those.

Who changes the diapers ?

Tony. Peter senses are too dialed up for that.

Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby ?

Peter. He doesn’t want his husband to wake up.

Who spends the most time with the children ?

Tony. Peter’s still Spiderman.

Who packs their lunch boxes ?

Tony.

Who gives their children ‘the talk’ ?

Peter. He’s scared Tony would say too much.

Who cleans up after the kids ?

Peter. Tony’s as messy as the kids.

Who worries the most ?

Tony.

Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from ?

Tony again.

Affection :

Who likes to cuddle ?

Both of them. But Peter gets more needy.

Who is the little spoon ?

Peter. But he can spoon Tony when he gets nightmares

Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places ?

Tony. But again, Peter always follows.

Who struggles to keep their hands to themself ?

Peter. He always want to touch Tony but try not to because they’re in public. But Tony enjoys touching Peter all the time just to see him blush.

How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable ?

They never become uncomfortable from cuddling, what is that question even ???

Who gives the most kisses ?

Peter.

What is their favorite non-sexual activity ?

Working in the lab.

Where is their favorite place to cuddle ?

The couch.

Who is more likely to playfully grope the other ?

Tony.

How often do they get time to themselves ?

Every day but when they’re on missions.

Sleeping :

Who snores ?

Tony.

If both do, who snores the loudest ?

Just Tony snores.

Do they share a bed or sleep separately ?

Wtf ? They share.

If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart ?

Cozy up together.

Who talks in their sleep ?

Peter. He says Tony’s name a lot.

What do they wear to bed ?

When cold, Tony boxers and T-shirt and Peter the « trip to NY » T-shirt and « Hello Kitty » bottom. When hot, just boxers.

Are either of your muses insomniacs ?

They’re both super fucked up so yeah. A freaking lot of insomnias. But Tony has them more.

Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside ?

Yes.

Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side ?

Wrap their limbs around each other.

Who wakes up with bed hair ?

Peter. And it makes Tony’s heart melt every time.

Who wakes up first ?

Tony. He can’t sleep.

Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other ?

Tony.

What is their favorite sleeping position ?

Spoon ? Or Peter glued to Tony.

Who hogs the sheets ?

Peter. He’s a sleeping princess.

Do they set an alarm each night ?

No. Tony always wake up and he’s the one waking Peter up with lots of sweet words.

Can a television be found in their bedroom ?

Yup.

Who has nightmares ?

Both of them have a lot of nightmares. Mostly about losing each other or dying.

Who has ridiculous dreams ?

Definitely Peter.

Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed ?

Also Peter. But Tony lets him.

Who makes the bed ?

Peter.

What time is bed time ?

When they’re done in the lab. It can be really late cause they tend to forget themself in their little nerdy world.

Any routines/rituals before bed ?

Sex and then cuddles.

Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up ?

Peter. He’s a teen, he never has enough sleep.

Work :

Who is the busiest ?

Both of them cause you know, superhero stuff.

Who rakes in the highest income ?

Duh, Tony.

Are any of your muses unemployed ?

Nop.

Who takes the most sick days ?

Tony ? Peter can’t get sick.

Who is more likely to turn up late to work ?

Tony. He doesn’t even show up to his own meetings.

Who sucks up to their boss ?

Peter cause Tony’s the boss ???

What are their jobs ?

Both are superheroes but Tony’s SI’s boss and Peter’s an intern here for now.

Who stresses the most ?

Peter. He’s always stressed. Tony’s always calm. Except when Peter’s on a mission.

Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations ?

They love it. It’s sometimes hard but that’s their reason to live.

Are your muses financially stable ?

Tony’s a billionaire so I think yes they are.

Home :

Who does the washing ?

Tony.

Who takes out the trash ?

Peter.

Who does the ironing ?

Tony.

Who does the cooking ?

Tony again.

Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying ?

Both of them, they’re basically babies.

Who is messier ?

Tony. Cause he tends to forget everything.

Who leaves the toilet roll empty ?

Tony again. And Peter secretly likes that cause it makes him feel like he’s more mature than Tony.

Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor ?

Peter.

Who forgets to flush the toilet ?

Peter.

Who is the prankster around the house ?

Mmmh I feel like it’s Tony. Lots of sex pranks.

Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere ?

Peter. But it’s okay cause Tony have plenty of cars.

Who mows the lawn ?

Tony.

Who answers the telephone ?

Tony. Phone calls stress Peter.

Who does the vacuuming ?

Peter. But only when he can put music with.

Who does the groceries ?

Both.

Who takes the longest to shower ?

Peter af. He likes to sing and jerk off. But the longest showers are when both are in it cause yeah... heads and showersex.

Who spends the most time in the bathroom ?

Peter.

Miscellaneous :

Is money a problem ?

Tony’s a billionaire so no, money isn’t a problem for them.

How many cars do they own ?

Huhh.... 6 ?

Do they own their home or do they rent ?

Tony owns the Compound and they also own a house somewhere lost, next to a lake.

Do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside ?

Both lol.

Do they live in the city or in the country ?

Also both.

Do they enjoy their surroundings ?

Yes. Peter more than Tony cause he’s still not used to all of this.

What’s their song ?

Can’t Help Falling In Love I guess ? Or Daddy Issues. They don’t have the same taste in music. Peter likes pop and love songs and Tony likes rock songs. But Peter secretly have a playlist for songs that remind him of Tony.

What do they do when they’re away from each other ?

They do video calls a lot cause they always miss each other.

Where did they first meet ?

In Peter’s bedroom.

How did they first meet ?

Tony recruited him in team Iron Man.

Who spends the most money when out shopping ?

Tony for sure. Peter is really not used to spend a lot of money. But Tony enjoys spending money for Peter.

Who’s more likely to flash their assets ?

Their assets won’t ever be flashed but Tony.

Who finds it amusing when the other trips over ?

Tony. Cause Peter is clumsy af when he’s not Spidey.

Any mental issues ?

Oof. Okay I need a roman for that. They both have heavy PTSDs. Due to their job. Tony’s traumatized by Afghanistan, the people he lost, his parent’s death, Peter dusting, his « death ». Peter’s traumatized by Ben’s death, his first fight, his « death », Tony’s « death », his fight with Mysterio. Tony has a lot of panic attacks and Peter has anxiety. And they both have a lot of nightmares about it so a lot of insomnia too.

Who’s terrified of bugs ?

None of them.

Who kills the spiders around the house ?

Also none of them cause it offends Peter.

Their favorite place ?

Their home.

Who pays the bills ?

Tony. He likes to make Peter’s life easy. Beside Peter doesn’t know how to do that.

Do they have any fears for their future ?

They’re obviously scared the other one will die in a mission, but they try to not talk about it and enjoys their time the best way they can.

Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner ?

Tony. And everytime he does it, Peter melts.

Who uses up all of the hot water ?

There’s always hot water but it’d be Peter.

Who’s the tallest ?

Tony. But Peter gets taller and he’ll eventually be taller than Tony. And Tony hates that.

Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other ?

Peter, he does that everytime he can.

Who wanders around in their underwear ?

Peter. Cause he’s warmer because of his metabolism. That drives Tony crazy.

Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio ?

Peter. For sure.

What do they tease each other about ?

Tony teases Peter a lot. About everything. But mostly about his clumsiness, the way he blushes everytime Tony praises him, the way he needs almost nothing from Tony to get hard.

Peter teases Tony about his age sometimes. But only because he knows deep down their age gap turns Tony on.

Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times ?

Both. Tony to Peter’s sweaters and Iron Man clothes. And Peter to Tony’s old band T-shirts. (But he secretly loves them and steals them to sleep with).

Do they have mutual friends ?

The Avengers. They spent a lot of free time with them as well cause it feels like a big family.

Who crushed first ?

Peter. Ofc. He has had a crush on Iron Man since he was like 7. Tony only knew him when Peter was 14, but it took a moment for him to come with the crush thing.

Any alcohol or substance related problems ?

Tony had a lot of alcohol problems yeah but not since he’s really with Peter. One night they had a big fight about it and Peter threatened to leave if Tony didn’t stop. Tony hasn’t had a drink since then.

Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am ?

Peter. Since Tony doesn’t drink anymore.

Who swears the most ?

Tony.

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Riding On Ch 15: TFI Friday

Summary: It’s Friday (thank f**k), and Frank’s taken the day off work so that he and Fliss can take an early dinner before meeting the Circle of Truth to celebrate Bonnie and Simon’s engagement…but Fliss is struggling with her emotions, especially when it comes to leaving Alex behind.

Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW, no under 18s…)

Pairing: Frank Adler x Fliss Gallagher

A/N:  A lot of fluff going down in this chapter…they deserve it! We also get to see Frank’s version of the events from Done With Nice Guys which was written by @smediumsmeatbae​. Please check it out, it’s adorable!!! 

Chapter Song: Laid by James (this happens to be another one of my favourites…give it a listen to!) 

Series Masterlist //  WIYPT Masterlist

This bed is on fire with passionate love. The neighbours complain about the noises above, but she only comes when she’s on top. My therapist said not to see you no more, he said you’re like a disease without any cure, he said I’m so obsessed that I’m becoming a bore, oh no…ah, you think you’re so pretty…

Frank woke, reaching out blindly for his phone to silence the alarm. He swiped the button across and turned over, fully intending on giving Fliss a cuddle for another 5 minutes or so before he had to get up when realisation crashed over him and he gave a groan. He'd booked the fucking day off so he could take Fliss for a late afternoon-slash-early evening meal and had forgotten to turn off his bastard alarm.

And then it further dawned on him that it didn't actually matter because Mary still needed to get up and ready for school regardless of his day off or not.

But then…it was Friday. Her university day…which meant she wasn’t due in until 10…

With a grin his arm tightened over Fliss’ waist, hand splaying on her belly as he pulled her back into him, nuzzling his nose into her neck, feeling a stirring in his boxers where his cock was already semi-hard thanks to the life of its own it had in a morning. Part of him wanted to wake her for a bit of fun before the rest of the house rose, the other knew she was bound to be tired after Alex had been an absolute horror during the night, but in the end the decision was made for him as he felt her shift a little, before she stretched out her limbs, a soft sigh escaping from her mouth. "Morning Sailor..." Fliss yawned.

"Morning Cowgirl" He said, closing his eyes and snuggling closer into her. “I didn’t wake you did I?”

“The alarm did.” She shifted slightly before she propped herself up to check on Alex who was fast asleep "Yeah, now he sleeps" she grumbled.

Frank gave a chuckle and pressed another kiss to her neck "yeah he was really not playing ball last night was he?"

"3 times." She groaned "He's a bottomless pit Frank."

"I told you to stay on bed the 3rd time." Frank sighed.

"Once I'm awake I'm awake." She shrugged. "He cries and it’s like my boobs send an alarm to my brain.”

Frank chuckled "Well like your mom suggested, introducing the formula should help. He'll fill up from less and give you a break."

"You mean because I can't feed him what he needs myself." She let put a sigh and at that Frank took a deep breath and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Hey, look at me." He said sternly and she rolled onto her back, her brown eyes blinking up at him, auburn and blonde hair splayed across her pillow "you checked with the doctor, she said this perfectly normal..."

"Then why do I feel so shit." She asked, tears brimming her eyes "I can't even feed our baby properly.”

"Come ‘ere..." he said gently as she rolled onto her side facing him, his arms cradling her close as she pressed her face into his chest, sniffling "Lissy, you're a wonderful mom. Don't start beating yourself up about something that in the grand scheme of things really doesn't matter."

"It matters to me Frank..."

"Look, he won't give a shit whether what he's getting is from you or not. He just wants food." He said gently, his hand rubbing up and down her back, underneath the sleep cami she was wearing "if anything the fact you're doing this shows how much of a good mom you are. You spotted something that he needs and you're doing what you have to do to give it to him.” She stayed silent bar her little sniffles and he gently pressed a kiss to her head. "Don't think on it too much Fliss. I know it must feel shitty for you but he'll be fine. That I can promise you."

She took a deep breath and pulled back to look at him, and he gently brushed his lips against hers, the hand that was on her back stopping in the middle of the spine, holding her to him. She arched an eyebrow and gave a little smirk before he shrugged and kissed her lazily. She took the kiss eagerly, allowing him to slowly ease her over onto her back, caging her underneath his body as his mouth moved to her jawline then her neck. She gave a soft sigh, her hands sliding into his sleep-messed hair and he’d just moved his mouth downwards, softly nipping at her chest through her top when, with his ever perfect timing, Alex let out a little whine.

“For fucks sake…” Frank grumbled, his head falling to the valley of Fliss’ chest as she chuckled, swatting at his head. With a sigh he propped himself up and dropped a kiss to her lips. “I’ll get him sorted.” he said. “You take a while, lay in.”

Fliss looked down at her boobs and then shrugged “Well seeing as he fed 3 times over night they’re not that swollen so…” Frank gave a snort as she looked at him, arching her eyebrows “Hey, the struggle is real, ok?"

“I didn’t suggest otherwise.” He said, hopping out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweats, yanking at the crotch as they felt a little tight thanks to the fact he was still aroused, and a T-shirt as Fliss leaned over, gently rubbing Alex’s tummy. “Hey…” he said, picking his son up, gently placing a large hand on his back “If you’re swapping over to formula, does that mean Ben and Jerry are gonna go smaller?” he nodded at her chest “Because if so I may be forced to reconsider my stance on the situation.”

“If you didn’t have hold of our son I’d punch you.” Fliss glared and he gave a chuckle before he headed out of the room.

“Couldn’t you have slept for like 15 minutes longer this morning buddy?” he questioned gently as he entered the nursery, placing Alex down on the changing mat. “You totally cock blocked me. Which, for the record, is not cool.”

Alex looked at him, blinking slowly.

“Yeah, you might look like that.” Frank deadpanned, as Alex’s hands curled around his fingers. His little legs wiggled a little and Frank bent down with his mouth arranged in an open smile, causing Alex’s face to split into a little grin, his arms and legs waggling even faster. “Yeah, ok, I forgive you.” Frank chuckled before he changed him into a clean diaper and then padded downstairs to warm his bottle up, juggling his son easily in one arm as he did so.

By now Alex’s fairly decent mood had started to wane as he was hungry. The noises he made were getting louder and slightly more impatient, threatening to turn into an out and out cry.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s coming pal…” Frank said, dropping a gentle kiss to the downy hair on Alex’s head “I know, you’re hungry...despite the fact you had midnight, 1.30 am and 4am snack…”

He settled on the sofa, flicked on the TV for the morning news, positioned Alex and gave him his bottle, watching with a soft smile on his face as the baby’s cheeks worked hungrily taking the mix of breast and formula. They’d started this just a few days or so ago after Fliss had simply been unable to stop him crying from hunger Tuesday afternoon and called her mom in a flap. She’d suggested doing what Steve and Sian had had to do with the twins, seeing as both of those had been greedy little bastards too so after a call to the Paediatrician, Fliss had reluctantly agreed. He did sympathise with her, and he’d been waiting for the inevitable tears which had finally come that morning, but it would be much easier for her in the long run all things considered, especially if as the doctor had suggested she could move to formula fully bar a morning feed.

Supporting Alex in one arm, he absentmindedly watched the anchor and co-anchor on the breakfast show interviewing someone about a Thanksgiving tradition or something, he wasn’t really paying much attention if he was honest. It freaked him out how fast it was creeping up on them. Soon it would be fucking Christmas. Thankfully, Fliss seemed to be on top of it mostly. They were hosting a small Thanksgiving with his mother then heading over to Verity and Bill’s for the usual party, and for Christmas Steve, Sian and the boys were over so they were spending the day at Verity and Bill’s along with Roberta and his mother…which was always fun. It never ceased to amaze him how welcoming Fliss’ family had been to his own fucked up version of one.

Lost in his thoughts, he was jerked from them by a little popping noise and he looked down to see Alex had moved away from the bottle, and to his astonishment there was a small amount left.

“Finally full up buddy?” he asked, offering it him back but the baby turned his head away un interested “Guess so.” Frank said, placing the bottle on the coffee table and moving Alex so he was leaning against his chest, head on his shoulder as he burped him. It took a little while but eventually he obliged and Frank chuckled, turning his head to look at him, bright blue eyes staring around the room. He was developing so fast now, it was ridiculous.

“Shall we go wake your sister up?” he asked softly, “Yeah, ok…”

Thankfully, Mary was actually pretty co-operative most mornings, and today being one of her university split days she was in a good mood, rabbiting on to Frank about the assignment she had done. They ate breakfast before she headed off upstairs to get changed and once she was back, he told her to watch Alex for a second whilst he made his way into the bedroom with a plate of toast and a coffee for Fliss, knowing full well she wouldn’t be asleep. And sure enough, she lay on her back, watching the TV.  She beamed at him as she shuffled herself up, taking the mug off him as he placed the plate on the night stand and perched on the side of the bed.  

“Where’s Bean?” she asked.

“Mary’s watching him for a second so I could bring you that.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, taking a sip of her drink.

“I’ll take him with me when I drop Mary off. He likes the truck. I might pop into the shop for 20 minutes or so, the guys haven’t seen him in a while and I like showing him off.” Frank smiled a little bashfully and Fliss’ smile grew even larger. “Imma dress him in his Made In Boston T-shirt…”

Fliss chuckled “I still can’t believe Bonnie and Simon got him that.” “Oh, I can.” Frank nodded “In fact, that’s quite tame for what I expected from Si to be honest.” “Yeah, that’s true…” Fliss conceded “Oh, don’t forget, I’m teaching at 2 for an hour.” “I’ll be well back before then.” Frank snorted, “It’s not even 8 yet.” “I know I was just pointing out you can have some more male bonding time then too.” “Great, maybe I’ll introduce him to Debbie Does Dallas…” Frank teased and Fliss snorted

“Well, we know he likes boobs so…”

Frank gave a laugh before he leaned over and gave her another soft kiss. “I’ll get him dressed and then we’re heading out so I’ll see you in a little while. Love you.” “Love you too.” She smiled, as he bumped his nose against hers and left.

*****

Once he’d dropped Mary off and walked her into her lecture hall where he handed her over to her tutor, he headed back out to the truck, clipping the car seat back in place. He dropped into work, where as predicted the guys on the team all came to say hi, commenting on how big he was compared to last time they’d seen him. He double checked a couple of the rotas for Monday before he headed home, getting back just after 11, by which point Alex was fast asleep. He entered the house, greeting Thor who came bounding down the stairs to check who’d dared to walk into his home.

“Just me buddy.” He said, patting the large dog’s head before he headed upstairs knowing full well that if Thor had been upstairs that meant Fliss was too. And sure enough, he opened the door to their bedroom and heard the shower in the en-suite going. Fred opened his eye and looked at Frank from where he had been lounging on their bed, his tail swishing slightly before he returned to his cat nap, not even bothering to move.

With a snort at the cat’s blatant lack of any fucks to give, Frank placed the car seat on the dresser, smoothing back Alex’s hair as he continued to sleep and then realised that this was a prime opportunity for finishing what he started this morning. With a dirty smirk to himself he opened the door to the bathroom. Fliss’ head was tipped back, face turned to the stream of water, suds cascading from her long hair down her body which instantly had him half hard in the constraints of his sweats.

Yup, Frank Adler was a big fan of getting dirty in the shower.

“Room for another?” he asked, cheekily, pulling off his T-shirt. Fliss jumped a little as she hadn’t heard him come in and then turned to look at him through the shower screen, most of her body obscured by the frosted glass pattern. She grinned and raised her hand, making a beckoning motion with her fingers. In a flash he shed the remainder of his clothing and stepped into the large cubicle with her, his hands reaching out for her hips, pulling her towards him, so her back was pressed to his chest.

“I believe we have unfinished business Miss Gallagher.” He said, feeling her slick skin pressing against his as he nipped at her neck.

“Really?” she pondered, “I don’t recall…”

“No?” he teased, his lips placing another kiss to her wet skin, “Maybe this will jog your memory…”

His hands slid up, tracing the curve of her waist before he gently cupped her breasts, calloused thumbs skating over the nipples. With a reaction that was automatic, she let out a soft sigh as he gently teased her, his palms and fingers working their magic, all the time taking care not to be too rough as he knew she was sensitive. But in the end it was Fliss demanding he go harder as she arched her back, pushing herself into his hands as she felt the aching brewing between her legs. She went to squeeze them closed, anything to help relieve the pressure that was building and she felt Frank’s lips smirk against her neck, one of his hands brushing down her body, slipping between her folds, right where she needed him most.

“Fuck…” she swore, as he gently played her, slow, teasing strokes and before long she was rocking against his hand, seeking friction as she was spiralling higher and higher, Frank’s rock hard dick pressing into the lower part of her back.

“Turn around…” Frank said into her ear and she did as she was told, greeting his lips in a filthy kiss as he pivoted her round so that her back was pressed to the wall of the shower cubicle. His mouth moved from hers to her jawline, the whiskers of his beard gently sliding over her skin as he dipped his head to kiss her collar bone before he rather gracefully dropped to his knees. He glanced up at her, deep brown met ocean blue, her eyes full with a heady combination of love, desire and lust and it drew a low growl from his throat as he reached down for her left ankle. With a steady hand Frank lifted it over his right shoulder and gently kissed and sucked his way up her leg, leaving a nip at the apex of her thigh. She moaned loudly, her head falling back against the tiles as he moved to where she wanted him the most, his tongue long and flat against her centre as he lapped at her entrance all the way up to her sensitive bud. Her body jolted as she let out a soft sigh of his name which was laced with satisfaction as he set his mouth to work.

As Frank devoured her with the enthusiasm of a man starved, Fliss curled her fingers into his damp hair, the movement a reflex as the other slapped flat against the grey slate tiles. The contrast of his short beard scratching at her sensitive skin to his soft tongue and mouth was sending her body into overdrive. He gently grazed her bud with his teeth which caused her hips to violently buck forward, her nails dug into his scalp and he gave a chuckle which vibrated against her clit causing her to groan loudly.

“Jesus Christ Frank…” she panted, looking down at him. He peeked up from between her legs, a cheeky glint in his eyes as he continued, his tongue flicking into her entrance, before he sucked on her bud and then she was gone. Her knees trembled as her hand pulled his hair, almost to the point it was painful as she gave a loud cry, her other hand reaching to his head as she used both to push him away from her sensitive sex as she clamped down around thin air. With a smug sense of satisfaction at having undone her to the extent he had, Frank rose to his feet, wiping his wet face with an equally wet forearm and he cupped her cheeks, kissing her again, his tongue tangling against hers.

Fliss’ wrecked brain had barely registered his mouth was on hers when he pulled back slightly, his lips hovering over hers as the water cascaded down on them both. “Turn back around…”he whispered softly, and she did as she was told. Frank gently moved his hands to her hips, pulling her back, nudging her ankles with his feet to open her up a little more. With one palm on the base of her back he gently bent her forward ever so slightly, took his throbbing cock in his hand and lined himself up. With a gentle, slow movement he slipped inside, burying himself in her heat, the rumble from his throat slipping out of his mouth at the relief of finally being inside her. Once he was fully sheathed his hands moved, one to her stomach, holding her in place, the other up to her breasts as she arched her back, her head back against his shoulder as he drove in and out of her, slowly, deliberately. Her right hand moved back to grab at his thigh, her fingertips digging into the hard muscle as he thrust forward, the other hand flat reached back to tangle in his hair.

“God you feel so good baby…” he groaned, his mouth licking a stripe up the side of her neck as her head lolled to the right, tracing her wet skin up to her jaw line, “So fahkin’ good…”

The hand that had been on her belly moved to grasp her chin with his finger and thumb, tipping her face round to his so he could kiss her. It was all Fliss could do to kiss him back, allowing him to control the pace as she was completely gone, the sensations lancing through her body had left her totally pliant to his ministrations, and he fucking adored the fact she surrendered to him, that she felt safe enough to do so.

“Frankie…” she panted softly as he continued to push into her, driving deep, and she gave a squeak as he rotated his hips, his fingers letting go of her face to slide down her body, between her legs and she gave a long wail of delight as he fondled her bud, “Shit…I’m…”

“Go one, come for me baby…” he nipped at her ear “I got you, I promise…”

With a last, silent moan she came, hard, her knees almost buckling, but Frank held her to him as she blissed out completely, the entire world fading around her as she felt nothing but the familiar hot, warm pleasure as her abdomen contracted and relaxed as her walls spasmed around him over and over.

“Good girl…” he praised as he continued thrusting through, the heat in his own belly now beginning to spike even more, “Such a good girl for me…”

She preened at his praise, relaxing slightly into his hold as he kissed her neck once more, picking up the pace slightly. She reached back with one hand to cup his balls and with an almost violent buck forward he came, biting down gently on her shoulder, muffling the noises of satisfaction and pleasure that rolled from the back of his throat.

His hips stilled and neither of them moved, his hands gently flexing on her hips before he gave a soft chuckle of satisfaction and he pulled out of her, taking care to keep her as close to him as he could. Her head lolled back against his shoulder and she turned her head, greeting his lips in a soft, gentle kiss and he smiled as she pulled away, rubbing her nose against his.

“You should take the day off more often” she quipped and Frank could do nothing but laugh.

“I fahkin’ love you.” He chuckled and she grinned, giving a shrug.

“I’m a very lovable person.”

“That you are cowgirl.” He nodded, “That you are.”

*****

“Felicity Rose Gallagher, if you ask me one more time if we are sure we’re going to be ok I’m gonna go mad.” Verity glared at Fliss who had just asked the question for the umpteenth time since her parents had turned up for babysitting duty.

Fliss gave a groan and held her hands up. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“You’ve left him with us before, this is no different.” Verity looked at her “No go, go on, scoot.”

Over Fliss’ shoulder, Frank shot Verity a wink as he dropped his hand to the curve of his girl’s lower back.

“Come on Lissy, we’ll be late otherwise.”

“Yeah, and I wanna get back to eat.” Bill said, twirling his car keys.

“Maybe I should drive?” Fliss looked at Frank who took a deep breath as Verity made an annoyed noise in her throat.

“If you want to drive, then that’s up to you.” Frank said simply as she bit her lip. “Be a shame though, I was gonna treat you to that champagne you demanded…maybe not quite a swimming pool full but…”

Fliss looked at him for a second before she shook her head “I’m sorry…”

“Stop apologising.” He chuckled softly “Baby what do you want to do?”

She glanced at Alex who was led in Verity’s arms, happily grinning up at his Nanna before she turned to Frank. “No, you’re right. We haven’t been out for months so…”she nodded. “Let’s go.” “Halle-fuckin-lujah.” Bill mumbled, earning himself a glare from Fliss. “V, I’ll grab us some take-out on the way back.”

“Bye baby…” Fliss crossed the room to drop a kiss on Alex’s head and then turned, taking Frank’s outstretched hand. “We won’t be too late…” she tossed over her shoulder at her mum. Verity shrugged.

“Doesn’t matter, we’re staying so be as late as you want.”

Fliss nodded and Frank squeezed his hand around hers as they left the room, not before he threw a smile at Verity who gave him a knowing one back. Fliss had been fine all week with the principle of going out…right up until she had gotten out of her second shower of the day that evening, when she’d suddenly had an attack of conscience about leaving him with her parents whilst she went out drinking. Frank was sharp enough to know full well this was linked to her current feelings of inadequacy, and he also knew that no matter what he said or did, there was nothing he could do to stop that bar be there for her and give her the reassurance that she needed.

That and simply love her, which was a given, because he did with every single breath he took.

“You look gorgeous.” He said to her gently as they walked to her dad’s car. She smiled and glanced down at the dark blue peplum top she was wearing, coupled with faded jeans and a white denim jacket. She’d been over the moon to find out she could fit back in those jeans so he wasn’t surprised she’d chosen them for the evening. On her feet she wore a simple pair of yellow heeled pumps, complete with matching bag. Her hair was down in loose waves, and her make-up was simple, a light dusting of rose gold powder on her lids.

“Thanks.” She said, before she eyed him up and down and he grinned as he knew full well what she was thinking, given that he was dressed in his yellow and black palm-tree Hawaiian print shirt.

“You said my shit shits were endearing.” He said and she gave a laugh, shrugging.

“You wouldn’t be Frank without them.” She smiled and he grinned.

Fliss declined the front seat when Frank offered it to her, instead climbing into the back behind her dad taking the time to check up on a few emails and the yard’s social media accounts. The three of them made easy chat on the way into St Pete’s and they thanked Bill for the lift as they both climbed out. Fliss instructed her dad to call them if there was any problems and he simply rolled his eyes and told her to “piss off and have a good time”.

They’d picked to go to Rios for dinner before they were heading down to Ferg’s to meet up with the others a little later on. It had become a little bit of a running joke between Bonnie and Fliss that, as much of a dive as Ferg’s was, frankly the two women preferred it to any of the bars they frequented. It was casual, fun, they knew a hell of a lot of people in there including most of the bar staff, and it held good memories. It suited both Frank and Simon down to the ground, both of them happy to tease their girls about having simple taste until Fliss normally quipped back along the lines of that being the reason she was marrying Frank in the first place. But when he pushed all jokes aside, he was glad she was so down to Earth. He had nothing against Greg or Jake’s wives but man, they were high maintenance.

But not his Lissy.

As it was still early and they wanted to chill out, they had opted to eat in the more casual outside lounge area which sported the roof bar and offered an all evening Tapas style menu, not the full a la carte main restaurant menu. As such they were led through to their table on the veranda. Neither of them had been into this part since the refurb, the last time Fliss came it hadn’t been finished but now, she felt a smile cross her face as she looked around. It was cosy and casual, right up her street. The tables were slightly lower than normal and appeared to all be different shapes and sizes, made out of driftwood and pallets. They were decked with large candles held in jars in the middle and surrounded by comfy chairs and bean bags all of which sported blankets given that the time of year meant sometimes in the evening it could be quite chilly at night. In the middle of the veranda was a large stone fire pit which was covered by an ornamental, wrought iron cage that spiralled to a point some 8 foot off the ground, and the bar stood to the rear right hand corner with a few people sat down enjoying a drink.

“Oh my God, I love it.” Fliss muttered to Frank and he looked down at her, nodding.

“This is pretty cool” he conceded.

“The tables and seats…it’s just how I pictured our wedding.” She said as they were led over to their spot at the rear, which was just by the glass barrier of the roof, over-looking the beach and the ocean.

“Yeah?” Frank asked, looking at her.

She nodded “Rustic, causal, bean bags, blankets…that type of thing…although it won’t be that cold then…”

“If you want blankets, baby, you can have blankets.” He chuckled kissing her forehead as they settled down onto the comfy plush seats which to Fliss’ delight were also bean bags just shaped differently. The teenage kid who had shown them to their table soon returned with the menus and informed them that as it was the first week they’d opened the terrace, with every bottle of wine purchased, there was complementary charcuterie tasting platter included. Fliss’ eyes lit up and Frank knew why, it was probably her favourite thing to eat in the world and he had to admit, she did a pretty wicked board herself when they were entertaining. With that in mind, he ordered them a bottle of Pinot Grigio and they sat back, Frank’s arm dropping over Fliss’ shoulders as she looked around.

“You know, if this is the type of thing you want, why not take a few photos and then we can start looking around.” Frank suggested and Fliss looked at him, smiling. “You can give Bobbi a call. I know you want to organise it yourself but she’ll probably have a list of suppliers, caterers, that sorta stuff for you to look at.” “I already know what I want for catering.” Fliss looked at him.

“You do?” Frank asked.

“Yup. I want food trucks. Mexican and Pizza.”

Frank cocked his head to one side, smiling as he looked at her “That’s actually a fucking brilliant idea.”

“No fancy sit down meal, if it stays for a couple of hours then people can grab what they want when they want.”

“Love it.” Frank grinned, looking up as their waiter appeared with their bottle of wine. He poured them both a glass and set the ice bucket in the middle of the table, before he disappeared again.  Frank picked his glass up and Fliss did the same, the pair of them gently clinking them together, smiling. “To our first date in…what? 4 months?” Frank teased and Fliss shrugged.

“I don’t know, I lost track of time…been kinda busy.” She teased as Frank chuckled, leaning down to give her a soft kiss.

Their charcuterie board arrived not long after and they then placed their order, opting for the Chef’s Selection, a number of small tapas dishes which as the name suggested, would be selected by the chef for them. Fliss had liked the idea of it all being rather mysterious and as the waiter had asked what kind of thing they liked they’d both listed a few things and he’d nodded, heading away with their order.

Frank reached over for the wine bottle to top Fliss’ glass up and she thanked him, taking another sip, before he saw her bite her lip and she reached into her purse.

“Congratulations.” He said dryly, teasing her a little as she turned to him. He nodded to the phone “You made it like 45 minutes since we walked out of the door without checking up on him.” “I wasn’t…” she began to protest and he gave her a look and she groaned, tossing her phone back in her purse “Ok, fine…maybe I was.” “Honey, he’ll be ok.” Frank said gently, his hand on her knee “You’re mom and dad did this all before remember?”

“I know, I know…” she said, before she reached over for an olive and popped it in her mouth.

Frank then diverted the subject, got her talking about her afternoon teaching and she animatedly filled him in on how nice it had been to get back to seeing some of her clients. The conversation was easy, fun, they laughed and giggled away and a little over half an hour later when their food arrived they’d worked though their first bottle of wine and Frank then ordered them a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut, just as he’d promised.

The food was amazing, Frank couldn’t fault a single thing about it, other than maybe it was a little too good as his jeans definitely felt a little tighter around the waist when they finished their meal because despite the fact he was full he just couldn’t stop eating. As the waiter came to clean the empty dishes away, Fliss then heard her phone going. Reaching into her purse she read the message and smiled before she turned the phone to Frank. It was a picture of Alex, fast asleep against Bill’s chest as he sat in their lounge.

“See.” Frank smile “He’s happy as a pig in shit.” “Frank!” Fliss scoffed, slapping his arm, “Don’t call our baby a pig.” “I was talking about your dad.”

“Oh…I’m so telling him you said that.” She said as they both laughed and she shook her head “You’re a bad man.”

“You love it honey.” He teased and she grinned.

“Yeah, yeah I do.” She leaned over, pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss. She glanced down at her phone and smiled again before she put it away “We did good though. We made a pretty cute baby.” “Good genes.” Frank boasted and Fliss laughed and he smiled at her, brushing her hair back behind her ear before he rest his arm along the back of the soft chair she was in. “Ever think you’ll fancy another?”

“Another baby?” Fliss asked and Frank nodded. “Fuck no.” she spluttered and Frank let out a loud laugh. “I mean I wouldn’t change any of this for the world but, well, he wasn’t exactly on my life plan…”

“Good, because I don’t want one either.” He said in between his chuckles as he reached for his champagne flute.

“Well, you know…” Fliss said, mimicking him and picking hers up “There is one way we could make sure it doesn’t happen again…” she moved the hand that wasn’t holding her drink and mimed a pair of scissors snipping the air. Frank choked on his drink, spluttering slightly as the bubbles threatened to fizz down his nose. Fliss roared with laughter as he wiped at his shirt and glared at her.

“Absolutely no way in hell.”

“Why not?” she shrugged.

“Because…well, just no!” he said, grimacing, “I couldn’t do that to Little Frank.” “Little Frank…jesus…I can’t…”  Fliss’ laughter grew even louder and the familiar snorting that happened when she was laughing beyond control started, which set Frank off again. She clamped her hand over her mouth, slapping his arm and looked away from him, trying to control herself. Eventually they managed to stop and Frank shook his head, composing himself before he asked for the check.

*****

They hit a cab down to Ferg’s and Fliss squealed when she saw Bonnie, sweeping her up into a huge hug before examining her ring up close whilst Frank shook Simon’s hand, pulling him into a bro hug, slapping his back. They were joined shortly afterwards by the rest of the gang, and when Simon and Bonnie broke their news to everyone there were more loud cheers and a shout of “shots all round” from Jake. Frank kept a careful eye on Fliss, who was already flushed from what they’d drunk over dinner, especially seeing as she hadn’t had a proper drink in over a year now. She downed 2 tequilas and then shook her head when someone asked her if she wanted another, instead requesting a water.

The gang moved to their preferred spot over at one of the tables at the back, round the corner away from the bar area, and they had a good hour or so catch up before the boys wanted to shoot some pool. Together they made their way over to the games area, the girls settling at one of the tall tables by the side.

“So how is the little one?” Greg turned to Frank as Simon and Jake racked the pool balls up, and he beamed in response.

“Ah Greg, he’s fahkin’ awesome.” Frank gushed “I just…he’s great, really great. Other than being a little cock block that is.” Greg snorted “Yeah I hate to break it to you, but that only gets worse as they get older…especially when they learn how to climb out of their crib and come to your room.” “Imma get a lock on the door.” Frank stated simply and Greg laughed as they grabbed a cue each, chalking the end.

They shot one game and then Frank said it was his round, so he headed off to the bar. He nodded to Dave, asking for the same again plus another bottle of water for Fliss and as he headed off to get their drinks, the young woman on the seat next to Frank jumped down from the stool next to him. Frank fished in his pocket for his wallet, pausing as he heard a little yelp and he turned his head to the right to see the guy sat two stools down had his arm curled around the young woman’s upper arm. She tried to get free but the guy’s grip tightened and Frank felt a spike of anger in his chest. All he could see in his mind was Fliss and that bastard ex-husband of hers hurting her. And he knew then he couldn’t, and didn’t want to, let this go.

“We’re not done yet.” The guy said loudly, a sneer on his face as he looked at the girl. Frank quickly stepped up behind her, and he looked at the guy and shook his head.

“Yes, you are.” He said, drawing himself up to full height, shoulders tensing, his eyes not once leaving the douchebag in front of him as he kept his voice calm and level “Let the lady go, man.”

“Mind your business, dick head.”

“It became my business when the whole bar could hear your conversation.” Frank retorted, his tone still calm. “Let her go. Now.” 

After a second or so, albeit reluctantly, the asshole did loosen his grip so that the young girl could remove her arm from his hand meaning she could get out of the way. She headed down to the far end of the bar, Frank watching her for a second before he turned back to the man in front of him who was now wobbling to his feet, his fist clenching by his side.

Frank snorted to himself. Was this asshole really going to go there? Sure, the inebriated piece of shit was built, he probably had a good 20 pounds on him, but Frank himself was no push over. He was in decent shape, he knew that, and given his chances against someone who was struggling to stand up straight, well, he’d take them.

“What are you, some kinda knight in shining armor?” the guy snorted. “Fuck you, man!”

Before Frank had time for a rebuttal, asshole had made a run for him and Frank almost lazily sidestepped as the drunk swung a punch at him. Not being able to stop, Mr Drunk asshole pitched forward and smacked into a chair, catching his head on the adjacent table-top. He groaned out in pain as he held his head on the ground. 

“Jeff! What the hell is going on?”

Frank looked up to see a group of guys heading back in from the outside of the patio and for the first time he felt a little nervous. He looked around, and to his relief he saw Simon and Jake approaching.

“Get him outta here!” Dave said loudly “Your friend is drunk and startin’ fights in my bar. Get the fuck out before I call the cops.”

The guys were fast to act, quickly shuffling ‘Jeff’ out and cursing at him for ruining their night.

“Fucking prick…” Dave shook his head, before he looked at Frank. “Nice going man, this rounds on the house.” “Thanks Dave…” Frank smiled at him.

“Hey bud, you ok?” Simon clapped Frank on the shoulder as Jake eyed the guys leaving “What the fuck?” “Oh he was hassling some girl.” Frank said, shaking his head, “She was petrified.” “What a dick.” Jake mumbled, turning back to him. “She ok?” “Not sure…” Frank said, looking round the bar as Dave placed the tray of drinks down in front of him. He didn’t know whether she had stayed or scarpered but he soon spotted her. She was sat on a chair, her arms over her stomach at the opposite end of the bar. Frank felt a pang of sympathy for her, she was clearly here on her own for whatever reason. “Do me a favour and take the drinks back to the tables will you?” he said to Jake and Simon, before he strode over, stopping besides her.

“Hey, you okay?”  he asked her gently.

“Yeah, thanks to you. Thank you for helping me. You’re like my hero.”  she let out a nervous laugh as a pink blush settled on her cheeks.

“You’re welcome but I was just doing what any person would do.” Frank smiled, a little embarrassed at the compliment. “My name’s Frank, by the way. You want some water?”

She offered her name and nodded. Frank turned to Dave “Hey man, can she get a water”?

“Sure.” Dave nodded, reaching into the fridge for a bottle. He passed it over and she took it with a thanks, taking a slow sip before she set the bottle down and looked back at Frank.

“So, Frank. Is there any way I could thank you for your bravery? Maybe treat you to a coffee sometime?” at that she reached forward and put her hand on top of his forearm gently, looking at him expectantly.

Shit. Not another fucking Vegas.

As gently as he could he moved his arm away, coughing a little as he shook his head. “I… uh, thank you for the offer, but not sure my fiancée would appreciate that.”

“Oh, god. I’m sorry.” She blushed again and pulled her hand away.

He smiled kindly at her, but before he could assure her not to worry about it he heard Fliss shouting. “Frank!”

He turned to see her walking towards him, a worried expression on her face. “Are you okay?” “Yeah Lissy, I’m fine.” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, kissing her temple lightly. 

“What happened?” she asked, searching his eyes “Jake and Simon mentioned there’d been a fight and…” “Just some drunken asshole harassing this lady.” He said, nodding to the woman. “I stepped in that’s all. He didn’t hit me, don’t worry.”

Fliss looked at him, then to the woman and back again as Frank introduced her. The young woman reached out and shook Fliss hand as Frank’s arm dropped to her back, gently brushing underneath her top.

"Well, I think I’ve had enough ‘fun’ for the night.” The girl laughed dryly. “I’m gonna head out. Thank you again, Frank. It was nice meeting you Fliss. You’ve got quite a guy." 

Fliss looked at Frank whose cheeks had flushed slightly and she nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I do. Take care.”

They stood watching her leave before Fliss turned to Frank, her hands sliding up his chest “Like a regular real life Captain America ain’t you? Standing up for the little guy.”

Frank rolled his eyes “Your Marvel obsession is ridiculous.”

She shrugged as he dropped a kiss to her lips before they headed back over to join their friends.

***** An hour or so later Fliss was ready to go home, her feet hurt, her boobs hurt and she was quite drunk. She leaned over to Frank who was sat next to her, her hand curling round his thigh and he turned to her.

“You ok sweetheart?”

“No, I mean yeah, I mean…” she sighed “I’m ready to go home, do you mind?” “Course not.” He smiled, giving a little chuckle “I’ll get us an Uber ok?”

He reached for his phone, ordered the car and to Fliss’ relief there was one literally round the corner. They stood up, bid their friends good night sharing a few hugs and the like before Frank looped an arm round Fliss’ shoulders, hers slinking around his waist as they walked slowly out of the bar. Frank could tell she was a little unsteady on her feet and he smiled to himself, pleased she’d let go enough to enjoy herself.

Carefully he made sure she got down the steps ok and they walked along the little path that led down to the front of the row of bars that Ferg’s was at the end of. As they emerged onto the road area, waiting for their cab Frank heard a shout.

“Oi..”

He wheeled round and saw the asshole from the bar, Jeff, stumbling towards him as his friends hastily followed, shouting at him to leave it alone.

“Fuck…” Frank mumbled, “Fliss, move honey, quick…” She looked up at him, then to the guy approaching, and he felt her tense. He stepped forward, his arm stretched out to the side, ready to push her behind him but in a flash she ducked under it and before he could stop her she’d raised her fist and smashed it straight into the approaching guy’s face. Her punch connected with a satisfying crack and he dropped like a stone to the floor, clutching his nose which was billowing blood.

His friends appeared once more, apologising profoundly as they hoisted him to his feet, he was groaning and clutching at his face, as they led him away.

“Lissy…” Frank’s voice was a mixture of shock and awe as she turned to him, shaking out her fist.

“Sorry, oh my God that was so bad…” she mumbled, “Was that bad? Are you angry?”

“Angry?” he looked at her, shaking his head “No. Why would- what- where the fuck did you learn to punch like that?”

“Steve.” She shrugged “Haven’t done it in a while…”

Frank blinked as their Uber pulled up and she made her way towards it. He shook himself out of his shocked stance and strode forward, opening the car door for her. He stopped it halfway, causing her to look at him and he dropped his head, his lips brushing her ear. “Baby, I just want you to know that I’m all sorts of turned on right now…”

She looked up at him and her lips quirked up at the side into a cheeky grin. “Best hope this guy doesn’t take the long way home then…” Frank gave a little growl as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. He opened the door fully, to allow her to climb into the back seat, before he hastily followed her in. As the driver set off, Frank leaned forward between the front seats, which wasn’t exactly easy given the bulge in the front of his jeans and he nodded to the driver.

“Extra 5 bucks in it for you pal, if you make it quick…”

[siennahrobek]

10 BBY

Luke had screeched so loud; it nearly blew everyone’s eardrums. The entire ship had rattled.

They had been on their little ship, some months after Kix had been sent away when Luke had awoken in the middle of the night, something stirring him in a way that he couldn’t quite sleep through. Annoyed, he had gotten up and searched for Ben, a little stuffed toy wrapped in his arms. He would like cuddle with Ben under his cloak, he always knew it was safe and warm there.

He hadn’t found Ben in the little space where the pullout bed usually was, so he reached out for the cockpit. The older man was sitting in the pilot seat. Usually, Luke would jump up into the copilot seat but…but somehow it was occupied.

Which was impossible.

They were in the middle of space. The ship hadn’t even made contact with a planet or another ship in days. There was absolutely no way that Luke hadn’t seen this man in their little ship before.

He had long hair, partially pulled back, with cloaks a bit similar to Ben’s. He was insanely tall, at the very least to Luke’s standards. His wore an expression Luke couldn’t quite decipher. But then he realized a few other things.

The man was blue.

The man was see through.

Luke screamed at the top of his lungs.

Ben jumped and spun around and upon seeing Luke, cursed. The light blue man just scowled at Ben which made Luke even more upset. He shouldn’t be angry at Ben. There were already too many mad at Ben for reasons he didn’t even know. Here this man was, on their ship, showing displeasure with Ben. That was incredibly rude.

“Luke!” Ben called as he leapt for the boy, immediately wrapping him up in his cloak. The screaming stopped at least, and Luke shoved his face into the older man’s side as tight as he could, everything else shrouded in the quiet and pleasant darkness that Ben’s robe provided.

“What is that?” Luke demanded in a muffled voice, keeping his face deep into the layers of cloth and cotton of Ben’s clothes.

Ben just sighed and shifted, opening his cloak so that Luke couldn’t see the other being, but Ben and Luke could see one another. He looked down at him, his eyes soft and patient. “You remember what I said about the Force and death?”

“There is no death, there is the Force,” Luke quoted perfectly. The pleasant trill from Ben’s pleased feeling ran down the boy’s spine, making him even happier with himself. He was a good student; Luke had vowed he always would be. He had studied everything Ben had given or told him as much as he possibly could. But if that was what Ben was bringing up, what did it mean? “Of course,” he nodded and then paused, not entirely sure if his next question was the correct one. His nose scrunched up. “Is he…is he the Force?”

That sounded wrong and weird.

Ben just laughed lightly, and Luke couldn’t help but brighten, a smiling forming on his face. He loved making Ben laugh, it was a rare enough occurrence without Luke’s help. Ben shook his head though as he spoke. “No, beacon, he’s not the Force. That is Master Qui-Gon Jinn,” he clarified, unwearyingly. “He was the teacher who taught me to be a jedi.”

“I thought that was Master Yoda,” Luke asked with no small amount of caution, shifting to bring his fingers to the edges of the cloak, pulling them back barely enough to peek through the entrance, looking at the ghost with a highly suspicious stare. The being, very tall, he noted, was watching Ben curiously with a raised eyebrow. But at Luke’s statement, he almost even looked offended.

“I had many teachers since I was very small,” Ben assured, keeping his gaze on Luke rather than the blue man in front of them. “But Master Jinn was my master for over ten years. It was more of a personal relationship, I would travel with him, we would do missions together, and he would teach me all he could about being a jedi and the Force.”

“That’s a long time,” Luke muttered, thinking about how little time he had been with Ben. Would he travel with Ben for over…what was it? Ten years? That seemed like a long time, longer than he was right now. He couldn’t imagine not being with Ben now. Would he have to leave Ben someday? Luke didn’t think he wanted to, not for a long time, if ever. “So, you and him, were like you and me?”

Ben hesitated. “A little.”

He wasn’t sure if he liked how Ben said that. “You said the Jedi were gone,” he accused, still keeping one eye on the blue man. “And why is he blue? Why can I see through him? People aren’t usually see through.”

“The Jedi…are gone,” he said, hesitating on his words. He bit his words and Luke knew that he was doing that sad thing where all he could feel was grief, even though Ben’s shields were unbreakable. It was just something Luke could feel. He didn’t even think Ben knew that he could. “Master Jinn, died and became one with the Force but he has an ability where he has been able to speak with me.”

Luke thought about this for a moment. Okay, that sounded a little weird but at least it was some kind of explanation. With what he knew about the Force, virtually anything was possible, even blue beings one could see through. “I’m ready to leave now,” he announced and straightened himself, letting go of the edges of Ben’s cloak.

Ben nodded and took away his cloak, wrapping it tightly around himself again as Luke shifted away from him and brushed off his clothes. Someone chuckled. Luke was pretty sure it was the ghost. He walked up to the ghost, staring up at him with a stern stare. Master Jinn met his gaze. “You’re in my seat.”

Behind him, he heard Ben choke on a snort.

The man looked down at him, somewhat amused but otherwise, Luke wasn’t entirely sure what he was thinking. He could figure this weird man out, for certain. And he would figure out what he wanted with Ben. Or him. Or anything. “My apologies, young one. Would you like me to move?” he asked, moving as if there was wind around the cockpit. His own cloak kind of blew around.

Okay then.

Luke just shrugged, carelessly. He didn’t need the seat. Perhaps he could learn more without drawing suspicion. “It’s fine I guess, for now,” he said and turned back towards Ben. He didn’t even pause before he climbed up onto the older man’s lap, tucking himself to his chest and under his chest.

Ben barely reacted, just steadied Luke so he was comfortable and draped his arms around him. Luke waited patiently for the conversation to begin again. Would they just continue to talk about what they were before he had come inside? He wanted to know, for sure.

The ghost master choked on…Luke wasn’t sure what he was choking on. He was a ghost.

“So…” Luke started before anyone else could try to jump in, eyeing Qui-Gon warily. If they weren’t going to talk about anything, Luke would have to make his own conversation. “You were Ben’s master. What can you tell me about him?”

Perhaps this was a good way to learn more about Ben from an outsider’s point of view. It wasn’t often he got to meet any of Ben’s friends or family. He had a feeling it would probably be a rare occurrence, if not a possibility he would ever get again. Ben always said he should take advantage of any opportunities for intelligence gathering. So, he would take advantage.

Master Jinn laughed. “So much, little one. So much.”

6 BBY

“Can you tell me about my mother, Ben?”

The question had even surprised Luke to an extent, but Ben answered anyways, with the consistency of his smooth calm voice that always made him feel like things would be alright. Luke had always been interested in his father, since he was a Jedi and Ben actually knew him well. Talks about his mother weren’t nearly as in depth but sometimes Ben would mention things, usually things that Luke did or said that reminded him of her. Luke’s own questions were usually fairly specific about her. For some reason, he was feeling more curious than usual. “She was a queen when she was a teenager, of an entire planet.”

“No way.”

A whole planet, when she was his age. That seemed impossible.

“Yes. And she saved her people at the time too. She later became a Senator in the Republic,” Ben nodded quietly. Between his education on Tatooine and the bit more extensive training and schooling that Ben gave him, Luke knew about the Republic, a government that, although not by any means perfect, was leagues better than what they had currently. Certainly, better than their current Empire. “Your mother was the representative of Naboo.”

He had heard of it before, although a bit vaguely. A small, beautiful planet full of water and grass and two species of beings native to there. The Gungans and the Naboo. There were intense differences and at one point, had been fairly at odds with one another. Ben said they could never go there. It was much too close to the core for one thing but there was an interest that the Empire’s leaders had in it that made visiting dangerous. It was a tad disappointing; Luke had always wanted to go to as many planets as he could. It would have been nice to visit his mother’s home planet. Even if he had never really known her.

“Was she good at it?”

“Quite,” Ben nodded, his expression calm and even. But Luke knew better. He knew talking about the past, about the people he used to know and care about was both beneficial and difficult. He would talk about it, if Luke asked, and sometimes he even liked speaking of it. But that didn’t make the memories any less difficult to bear and speak of. “She was persuasive and beautiful and passionate. She did her best to keep democracy alive. She would have loved you so very much.”

Luke knew, distantly, that he had never known her, that she had died giving birth to him. Should he feel guilty? For causing her to die?

“Did my father die after?”

“Right before actually,” Ben stiffened, the way he always did when he talked about the demise of Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s father. “He always tried to protect her, as much as he could. I am unsure how he would have barred her passing.”

“He loved her,” Luke mumbled, playing with his fingers.

Ben’s response was haunted in a way that only Luke could identify, something secretive and terrible and sad, like he knew something and would never tell anyone. That kind of faithfulness was something Luke inspired to have. But there was something about it, just, something. “He loved her more than anything else in the galaxy.”

For some reason, Luke didn’t like the sound of that. He wasn’t sure why. The way Ben said it, like Luke’s father would have burned the entire galaxy down for his lover seemed like it should be romantic, that kind of loyalty, but it rather made something sink in his chest, his heart shivering in the cold of the thought.

“Have you ever been in love?”

The question seemed to catch Ben off guard, as though he wasn’t entirely expecting that from the boy. Luke couldn’t imagine any of his stories about love would end happy and well, considering he had ended up alone with only Luke for company.

“Uh…yes,” he answered, tentatively. “A few times actually.”

Luke perked and leaned forward eagerly, his eyes shining in curiosity and the simple need to know more. “Can you tell me about them? They must be amazing for you to fall in love with them.”

Ben’s chuckle was light and a tad awkward. “They were amazing, some of the most remarkable and fiercest women I have ever met. They were strong and stunning in their own, induvial ways.”

The boy listened in rapt attention as Ben explained those that he had once loved. He always spoke of them rather fondly, so Luke imagined none of them had disliked him at the end of their courtships or whatever they did. He spoke of a young girl he wanted peace and fought with everything she had to achieve it. He told Luke about the Duchess of a planet, about her wit and tongue. About her snark and logic and passion, her drive for peace and her convictions for pacifism. Although it sounded nice, as peace always did, Luke had a hard time thinking that it would actually work. He told him about a Jedi friend that he used to hold hands under the lunch table with. Luke laughed at that; it sounded like something he would like to do with someone, something close and simple. It wasn’t anything too fancy, just friends that loved each other. He told Luke about her strength and own drive for justice. Her ability to do anything and her skills that surpassed his own. For some reason the conversation tapered off after that even though there had to be something else.

It would be several weeks afterwards that Luke would find the crystal. It wasn’t a kyber crystal, but it was very warm. It had fallen out of Ben’s cloak when he asked Luke to grab it for him. He picked it up and carried it with him on his way back to Ben. They had a few hours to spend on a planet and neither was about to waste it.

“Thank you, Luke,” Ben murmured as he took the cloak and put it on, easily. It was such a practiced motion, completely fluid. Luke hoped that one day he would be able to do that as well.

“This fell out, Ben,” he said, offering the crystal.

Ben stared at for a long moment and for a minute, Luke thought he would not even take it. But then his eyes softened, and Luke almost thought that he would start crying. He took the stone in his hand and curled his fingers around it for a second before opening them back up to looked at it. “You want to know what this is?” he asked, meeting Luke’s gaze with a faint smile. Something quiet and soft.

He just nodded in response. Of course, he did.

“It is a warming crystal,” Ben explained tenderly and gestured for Luke to touch it. The feeling was beautiful. He knew it was warm, but it was like with Ben’s presence, with his words, it changed into something that heated something other than physical, like it reached into his heart to give it a comfy hug. “One of my dearest friends gave it to me before she died.”

Luke’s heart sank. That was so sad; it was a beautiful gift. His next guess was one that didn’t feel completely out of the blue, it felt right when he said it. Ben didn’t talk about just anybody with that tone. That tone that was wistful and tender. For some reason, Luke felt like he knew who it had been. “Did you love her?”

“Yes.”

“Which one?” Luke had a quess.

“What do you mean?”

“Was is it the girl you liked as a teenager? The one you used to hold hands with?”

The older man’s curious and mildly surprised glance was somehow vaguely amused and impressed that he had somehow guessed correctly. “Why yes, Luke, you would be accurate. She is the one who gave it to me. Siri Tachi.”

“Were you in love with her?”

The boy was fairly certain he knew the answer.

There was a distant look in Ben’s eyes as he gave in to a miniature sigh. His voice was soft, knowing, but still hesitant all the same, like he wasn’t sure if he should have been admitting something like that out loud. “Once upon a time, perhaps.”

Luke wondered why life kept taking away the people Ben loved.

Would he end up being taken away from Ben too?

3 BBY

Meditation did not come completely easy to Luke.

Not like it seemed to come to Ben. He could slip into such a deep meditation Luke was nearly envious. Luke was better at some of the more physical things. He was very strong with the Force. His katas were practically flawless at this point and his footwork was really amazing, at least that was what Ben had said. Luke often wondered if he was on par with what padawans should be doing at his age. Ben’s footwork was impossible to match. But then again, Ben had many years over him when it came to practice and experience. Which, he supposed, included meditation.

Luke would never stop trying though.

It wasn’t like it was extremely hard. Over the years, Luke had gotten a bit of a hang of it. Once he actually got into a steady meditation, it actually had helped him a lot. He did it quite a bit during their travels through space, although it was even more difficult then due to the cold nature of hyperspace.

He had done some moving meditations as well, but Luke didn’t think that was the problem. It was just something he would have to work at. Not everything could come naturally to him, even he knew that. One could be talented at one aspect and need to work harder at another. It wasn’t that complicated.

It was still a little frustrating sometimes, when he would see Ben do it so easily.

And it took so much more time for Luke to get to a comfortable state.

He shouldn’t be too hard on himself, Luke knew. When he did get into it, time meant very little, and he could meditate for hours.

Every time he got out of it and so much time had passed, he felt like it was a win.

He felt like he was getting better.

After such a long flight that lasted literally weeks, Ben and Luke were on a new planet. There was a very small Imperial presence, quite easy to avoid and Ben claimed they could stay here for a bit of time. They had lost Vader in their long travel, taking several hyperspace jumps to shake him off their tail and Luke would relish the time he would have planet side.

And he was older now. Ben trusted him by himself. It wasn’t that Ben hadn’t trusted him before, even when he was younger, but it was more that he was protective and Force – sensitives were hunted down with extreme prejudice. It was extremely frustrating, but Luke tried really hard not to blame Ben. It wasn’t always easy, but after a few close calls, Luke had done his very best to stay with Ben and understand his protective nature.

Besides, he was all that was left.

Once they had settled in planet side, they took a few hours to meditate, practically savoring in the living force where life and nature were abundant in all things around them. It was certainly a breath of fresh air.

He had noted the ground beneath him and the sky above, the animals rustling in the grass. The breeze sweeping through his hair. Reaching further he could hear and feel the music from the city, the steps of the civilians, the chatter and joy.

At some point, Ben had just chuckled, bringing Luke out of the meditation. He handed him a saber, Luke’s father’s, and a handful of credits with the suggestion he take a walk around the city.

He wasn’t one to pass that opportunity up.

Luke walked through the market, a bit of change in his pocket and his father’s saber tucked securely in his robes in a secret compartment where it could not be seen or swiped. He looked around with a bright smile, greeting near every person he came across.

He did a little window shopping and talked with some of the native citizens. He got a meloorun which tastes absolutely delicious, he even got one for Ben. Ben had probably had one before, he realized, but who knew, maybe he liked them and would appreciate the gesture.

Honestly, he was not sure how he had gotten into the mess.

In the end, he knew he should not have done anything. He wasn’t supposed to attract attention to himself. Not to get into fights. Especially not with people of power. Because people of power were petty and threw that power and weight around in whatever way they could. He probably had made it worse by punching the guy.

And of course, in typical Luke fashion, too late, he realized his mistake. He had just punched out an Imperial officer.

“Oh kark,” Luke muttered as he backed off. Already he was getting glances and stares from those surrounding him. Stormtroopers – not clone troopers, Luke always checked – caught sight of him and, of course, ordered him to stop.

He did the reasonable thing instead – he ran.

Of course, they would follow him, that was the only thing they were trained to do and Luke just kind of hated it. They were the idiots that were doing wrong and he’s suddenly the bad guy for punching some jerk in the face.

Using a blaster to shoot back, Luke failed to realize the intricacies of the city and after a terrible tumble through a few market stands, he lost the blaster. That didn’t stop the stormtroopers from firing at him though.

They had hit a storekeeper in the shoulder.

He had little choice. He had no weapon, the stormtroopers aim was so awful, they would just hit innocent civilians around him, even if they were scrabbling to get out of the way. He tucked his hand in his clothes and pulled out his father’s saber. The crystal whined at him, as it usually did when he had to use it, but he ignited the blade and whirled it around to a Djem So opening stance to deflect oncoming blaster fire.

Moving through the crowds, trying to draw the stormtroopers away, he tried to deflect blaster fire, only to so often find himself accidently grazing passing and scrambling people with the saber blade, a curse and an apology accompanying each time.

He was intently relieved once he had finally reached the city limits where the people population had thinned to somewhere he could work with. There were only a few of them, so easy to take down. Taking a stance, he smirked and let them come to him.

Making quick work of the couple of storm troopers, Luke sighed and tucked away the saber again, cloaking himself and putting up the hood.

Ben was going to have a field day with him.

***

Ben, in fact, did have a field day with him.

He took the lecture as well as he could, knowing that some of it, in the end, had been some of his fault. He felt the worst telling him about accidently injuring the civilians, even though Ben seemed to know most of it.

In the end, Ben just raked a hand across his face with a small sigh and they boarded their ship. Luke had thought for sure they would leave, but Ben just went to another part of the planet, something with tall grass and even taller trees, spread out less than most of the forests Luke had seen.

“What are we doing here?” he asked hesitantly.

“Take the saber,” Ben just ordered and exited the ship.

Luke did what he was told and followed him. They walked for nearly an hour into the forested area until Ben finally stopped. As he did, he turned to face Luke. “What…. exactly are we doing here?” he asked, glancing around.

“These trees? Civilians,” Ben said, patting one of the small trunks.

Luke just shot him an unimpressed look.

Ben just put up a finger for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of chalk. He then drew a face on the trunk of the tree. “There, this is a civilian.”

“This is weird,” Luke muttered under his breath.

“Our first exercise will be me and our friendly training bots, shooting at you,” Ben explained, pulling out several flying balls of pain from a bag. He didn’t think Ben had brought those awful little things with them.

Luke just groaned.

The first few hours weren’t so bad. The firing came from one side, like was being chased and Luke had to navigate the forest without touching the trees with his saber. It wasn’t a perfect simulation, as the trees didn’t actually move like civilians or other people would, but it was a start.

But then, as it grew darker and they continued to work, the exercise changed. While Ben was behind him with a blaster, the flying balls of pain were shooting from the front, a barrage of blaster shots, Luke found himself realizing not all of their shots were directed at him. Some of them were directed at the trees beside and behind him. Did he need to protect the civilians?

Luke leapt forward to deflect a shot that was meant for a nearby tree, shooting it back at the origin and making sure his saber didn’t even come close to grazing the bark. Behind him Ben’s shots no longer seemed to be aimed at him, but rather, all around and past him.

He didn’t ask questions.

It was nearly impossible to see by the time that Ben had finally called it off. After gathering what meager supplies they had, the two of them worked their way back to the ship and Ben told him to get some rest.

The exercise had confused Luke a little, but he found he had a lot more control and thought over the saber when he moved it. As he got into the ship, he grabbed his bag and was ready to head to his room. He stopped.

“Oh, Ben?”

The older man stopped and glanced over at him. “Yes?”

“I dunno if you like these but uh, I tried this today and I thought you might like one too,” Luke said, tossing the fruit over to him.

Ben smiled warmly as he looked down at the fruit. “I actually do like these, Luke. Thank you very much,” he added before turning to walk back out of the ship.

“Where are you going?”

The older man shrugged and didn’t stop. “It is a beautiful night. I’m going to sleep outside.”

Luke’s eyebrows scrunched up and he glanced at his room, tucked away in the corner of the ship. With a grin, he grabbed a pillow and blanket and ran off after him.

Present PAst

Umbara was even darker than Luke had originally anticipated.

He nearly regretted not keeping the helmet.

The Force was clear – this was it.

Luke felt both mildly prepared and completely hopeless when it came the next events. He had been in plenty of conflicts before, countless firefights with stormtroopers, pirates and smugglers alike. He had even fought a few droids but nothing like this. It was dark and cloudy, and he felt like he was constantly choking on smoke and hate and death.

Whether Ben had recognized it or not, whether Luke had recognized it or not, Ben had been preparing him for war.

It was like he knew.

Perhaps it wasn’t that too far off. One day, Luke had always known, that he and Ben would go to war. Whether it be the Alliance against the Empire or now, with the Republic against the Separatists, he knew he would fight in a conflict such as this.

The gunship he had gotten into, the one that brought him down had exploded soon after it had dropped them off, killing the pilot and gunner instantly. The deaths hit Luke harder than he would admit, forcing him to stumble on the hard ground below him. Upon steadying himself barely seconds later, he ignited his guardian’s saber, the bright blue light springing to life and casting a glow across his face.

He did his best to keep out of the way of the fire from the squad he was surrounded with; Waxer was the only one he specifically knew personally, but there were plenty of other soldiers around him that had come in any number of other gunships. He leapt to the front of one of the waves of troopers and took a Soresu stance, quickly spinning his blade to catch and redirect as many bolts as possible, that came near him and the others.

Never before had he realized how the lightsaber form would come in handy.

Luke would have to thank Ben a thousand times for all the practices where he had made him go through katas and defend against the little flying round ball of pain that would shoot at him constantly. Luke had spent more than just hours and hours doing those two things. He would spend just hours nearly every day going through katas. Fighting against the flying ball of pain every time he could, every time Ben shoved it in his face.

He had never been so grateful for that.

Because deflecting so many blaster bolts was so much easier when he didn’t have to think about it so much. His arm would reach on its own just to catch a shot, his legs would twist into something of a dance to get to the other end to protect a soldier. Most of his attention actually ended up being to make sure he didn’t accidently get too close to the troopers themselves.

Luke hadn’t realized it growing up, he wasn’t entirely sure if Ben had realized it either, but he had taught him how to fight alongside troops with blasters. Once upon a time, it was just to be wary of citizens and crowds but they way Ben had taught, it worked even better with those firing behind and around him.

Two sabers-width apart and behind, stay to the side, never fight head on so you could keep an eye on those behind you.

Strength surged through his legs and his torso and his arms. His legs would survive his arms in terms of strength while his torso would survive both. He kept this in mind as he danced through the troopers and the spikey plants of the terrain they were surrounded with. His eyes forward and back, barely moving his saber if he didn’t have to, thinking of the little tips and tricks Ben had said and taught him over the years.

If nothing else, Luke would always keep Ben’s teachings to heart.

There was nothing to be seen aside from the light of the blaster bolts coming at them, but Luke was rather lucky, able to reach out and just kind of know where they were. It helped with cannon fire, at the very least.

A couple of times he accidently found himself quite a bit further than the troops, taking down ships and cannons, not waiting for the soldiers. He ran along the ridge, swinging his saber with all his strength, slicing straight through one of the ships they used as cannon fire, the metal screeching as it broke apart and melted with the contact from the saber. The native that maned the canon shrieked even louder as they tried to escape his wrath.

It would take a few minutes for the troops to catch up. Luke didn’t remember exactly what he had said, but he would always distinctly remember the shrieking and scolding Waxer had laid out in his ear.

He felt a little bad for a moment; he was trying to protect them.

Although it had taken some time, it caught up to him. The feeling.

It was the death that had hit Luke harder than he was expecting. It was overwhelming.

Luke was quite a bit sensitive to the Force, just like his father before him, Ben had always said. They worked a lot on his shields over the years, trying to build them up as much as they could, to keep the overwhelming feelings out, but honestly, Luke hadn’t been expecting this. Logically, he knew, even when he got on the gunship before, there would be a terrible amount of death. He knew that. He thought he was prepared for it.

He wasn’t.

He wasn’t prepared at all.

He was choking on it.

It was affecting his performance, even he knew that. It was hard to concentrate on the task at hand when so many people were dying around him.

To his complete and utter relief, it wasn’t long after the choking feeling of the mortality around him started, that they pushed back the enemy forces into a most likely very temporary reprieve. But Luke would take what he could get. He sheathed his guardian’s saber and clipped it to his belt, sliding down the wall of one of the trenches, trying to catch his breath.

All he caught was the death milling around.

There were a few soldiers shuffling around him but the closest one, sitting next to him, had asked him if he was okay. Or at least, that was what Luke thought he said. His ears were buzzing a bit from all the explosions that had gone off. The explosions that were still going off.

“It’s…it’s the death,” he whispered to the soldier next to him, gagging as if that would help the feeling in his head, in his chest, in his heart, slowly coiling around him like an oily black darkness, trying to snuff out everything. “I just…I thought my shields were enough, I’ve been working on them so hard, I thought I would be okay but… but it’s just…so overwhelming,” he strangled out.

Luke barely recognized Waxer amongst the troopers that were around him. He and those few others stared at him before exchanging glances amongst themselves. They all seemed rather hesitant to speak. He couldn’t see anything and with his ears whirring, he couldn’t tell who had spoken next. “Are you…are you telling me you can feel it when someone dies?”

Tears were slipping from his eyes against his will and running silently down his cheeks, even they felt painful. He wanted Ben, just wanted Ben to help him. His chest hurt. His head hurt, he couldn’t quite get a hold of all of these feelings and emotions. He needed help. It was just all too much. He had always felt too much and it was so hard to do it by himself. “Yes,” he murmured, nearly inaudibly.

Something passed between the soldiers that Luke didn’t understand. It was a feeling, or, rather, an entire mob of feelings, intertwined and tangled within one another with a range that he couldn’t even begin to list.

“Can we do anything to help?” one of them asked, hesitantly.

“Aside from dying,” another grunted.

Luke tried to laugh but nothing really came out. Ben could help, he was probably the only one who could, but that wasn’t their fault. It wasn’t their fault that their general was in an unexplainable coma up in space, safe on his ship, surrounded by everyone else. It wasn’t their fault that their general wasn’t here to help and protect and plan with them. It wasn’t their fault that Luke decided he could play war and try to keep these men alive.

“I’ll be okay,” he assured but he himself wasn’t entirely sure if they bought that. No wonder Ben had liked these guys so much, they were smart, loyal, observant. “I just gotta strengthen my shields,” he explained and tried to sit up in an attempt for a quick meditation. It wouldn’t be much, it may barely help, but it was better than nothing at all. “I haven’t…I haven’t been around this much death at one time,” he grimaced.

Their expressions were sympathetic.

“I had been a baby when everything was gone, when the galaxy went to ruin,” the words came out of Luke in a stream he couldn’t quite stop. “I had been so used to Ben’s grief, as much as he tried to hide it, I thought I knew what it felt like. He had been through so much, felt so much death, I thought that since I was so close with him, so in tune with his feelings, I knew.” He shook his head. “I didn’t. Not at all.”

“Ben?” one of the troopers whispered quietly.

“General Kenobi,” another corrected. “That’s his padawan.”

Perhaps it was just a wishful moment, something he just wanted so bad, he didn’t correct him.

Because did he ever want to be that.

“We have a few minutes before the next wave hits,” Waxer said, crouching beside Luke, his brows scrunched up tightly in concern. There was a new type of apprehension and understanding in his expression, like Luke had given him some kind of secret. He didn’t know what kind it was. “You stay here, meditate or whatever you need to. I’ll let you know when it is time to move.”

Luke felt a little bad but was grateful for the gesture.

Swallowing down everything he felt, Luke kneeled on the ground, his hands on his legs as he took a deep breath, weaving his shields together like an indestructible tapestry, reaching out into the Force for anything, everything. For help, assistance, protection, knowledge, hope.

He could feel those around him, the soldiers slowly dying from mortal wounds, unable to be helped or healed. Luke shifted his presence to them and tried to visualize all those that he could, as if he was right next to them, holding their hands and whispering assurances as they passed into the Force. He couldn’t stop them from dying anymore, but he could ensure that they would not die alone.

No one should have to die alone.

Luke hadn’t completely known how long it had been before Waxer shook him out of his meditation, gently. They had to beat down this new wave of the native militia to clear out the forces from the main 212th’s forces attacking the capitol.

Dusting himself off, his guardian’s saber flew to his hand as he jumped from the trenches and ignited the blade.

“There is no death,” he recited like a mantra as he took a breath, narrowing his eyes and his determination curling up in his chest. “There is the Force.”

Something shifted in Luke’s style as he helped defend Waxer’s platoon from the attack. He kept note of his position at all times, as well as any of those around him and always tried to stay at the very least, in sight of Waxer himself, who was absolutely determined to get Luke through this.

Amusing, Luke had thought. He was doing the same thing.

The final wave had been mostly stragglers from the others, in a desperate attempt to come up on the rest of 212th with Cody in the lead towards the Capitol. But Waxer’s platoon was highly competent, as was much of the Republic’s military and it had Luke in somewhat of an awe.

The Empire’s stormtroopers had the numbers to virtually overwhelm anyone and sure, they were trained, but they were nothing like this. They had nothing on the clone troopers and for Luke, that was rather a sight to behold.

Upon utterly destroying the downed and grounded gunships of the Umbarans with his saber, they were guaranteed another reprieve as the enemy forces dwindled down to barely anything.

Luke met a few of them in the trenches, Waxer several meters away, talking on his commlink.

“Not bad kid,” one of the troopers – Duster – grinned at him, nudging Luke with his shoulder. “For your first time alongside the 212th.”

“Do you have any real battle experience?” another asked.

Luke shrugged. “Not with troopers like you guys. But Ben has been teaching me lots of things.”

“Ben…do you…you mean General Kenobi?”

The boy nodded. “Yes. It’s kind of a long story,” he admitted.

“You’ll have to let us know how you got tangled up with the General without any of the 212thknowing,” Wish added, clapping Luke on the back. He nearly fell into the muddy wall before him. Luke just laughed.

“When this is over, perhaps.”

“You did good, Luke,” Freefall agreed. “But I suppose we shouldn’t expect any less from General Kenobi’s padawan.”

Something stuck in Luke’s throat even though he knew there wasn’t anything there.

“We got new orders, boys,” Lieutenant Waxer said, trudging through the trenches from behind them. He had ended his call and from what Luke could tell, it hadn’t been a good one. He looked terribly sad, and it turned Luke’s stomach inside out. “We got some coordinates where the natives are coming up our backside.”

The orders went through the ranks as Waxer continued, his face twisting in grief and anger. “We are warned that they are dressed in trooper armor, hoping to surprise us.”

Fury flared up from the troopers as Luke glanced around, narrowing his eyes warily.

“That woulda been the 501st,” one of the troopers, Arrow, realized, lowly.

“They’re dead,” Wish mumbled.

Waxer just nodded silently. “There is nothing we can do for them now but make sure their sacrifice was not in vain. We take down those who desecrate their armor and protect the rest of the 212th. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” came a multitude of shouts.

And then, they were off towards the given coordinates.

Luke’s suspicion only grew from there. He didn’t take the lead per say but he was up there, in front, waiting and watching. Nothing about this scenario felt right. Waxer stayed close to him as the platoon creeped forward. His heart was pounding, harder and harder, anxiety rising.

They traveled a little further, closer to the coordinates.

Luke didn’t know who had started the firing, but it happened all at once. He watched for the briefest moment at the fire, the type and color. Then he reached out in the force, taking a deep breath, and keeping his free hand aloft.

Ragepanicfear.

Determinationangergreif.

This was it.

Those weren’t Umbarans.

“Stop!” Luke yelled at the top of his lungs, his blade swinging out just to show that he had one, using the Force to propel himself upward towards a ridge for a better view and vantage point. Perhaps…perhaps…

“Ceasfire! Ceasefire immediately!” Waxer shout out, lowering his own weapon as he relayed Luke’s order without question. His trust in him made Luke’s heart squeeze. He had been climbing the ridge towards him, probably having the same thought as the little jedi. Luke jumped in front of him as he got to the top, blocking a blaster bolt from the other side.

Waxer flinched.

The firing slowed to a stop. In the end, it had barely been a few minutes, but it was enough. Some were dead but Luke knew it could have been a lot worse. It could have been so much worse.

It probably had been, the first time around.

Waxer’s platoon had stepped back, leaning against some of the trees and each other for support, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Waxer and Luke glanced at one another, neither seemed to look particularly optimistic about the outcome.

They got down from the ridge, walking through the plants towards the opposing side. A few soldiers from the front lines on each side walked towards one another, shocked and terrified.

“Where is your leader?” Luke called out, looking around.

There wasn’t an answer.

“You heard him,” Waxer shouted out, his eyes narrowing into something that would not be questioned. “Where is your commanding officer?”

“Rex!”

The familiar jaig eyes and kama came through the forest as he took off his helmet. He did not seem particularly surprised at the sight of Luke, but he didn’t look very happy about it either. He walked towards them, the only emotion he showed was a shimmering anger. It wasn’t very obvious, but Luke could tell, he could feel it, no matter how much Rex tried to hide it.

“Tell me,” Luke asked, his voice low and irate. They all knew it wasn’t at them but that didn’t stop some of the 501st from wincing or glancing away. “Who gave you the order?”

“It was General Krell,” Captain Rex replied immediately, staring at Luke. His voice even sounded numb, if that was a thing one could hear. “He told us there were Umbarans that were disguised as troopers. We thought the 212th were dead.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed as he took a step back and stood taller. “General Krell is the traitor,” he murmured, crossing his arms. He couldn’t believe it. The first battle was the one that Boil had told him about, probably the exact one that Waxer would have lost his life. What were the odds of that? The Force, Luke knew, because of course. He shouldn’t have been surprised, there was a reason for everything. He just hadn’t quite thought of it.

“What?” Rex asked, his voice catching on the word. He didn’t sound particularly happy with Luke which the latter could understand. There was no warning from him, but Luke hadn’t actually known that this had been the invasion that involved the former jedi conspirator. “You suspected a traitor?”

“I knew Waxer had died on a dark planet due to a case of friendly fire on the word of a traitor,” Luke explained vaguely, not backing down from Rex’s stare. He had not known it was this one. Suspected, maybe. The Force had certainly given him warning of something, but it was just an alert of caution, something vague and unexplainable. Not something specific that Luke would know. It was just a bad feeling, a warning of some kind.

Waxer just paled as he realized what exactly had happened the first time around and how it had happened. He would have died if Luke hadn’t been there. Somewhere, he knew that he had, during the war. When Luke spoke, it seemed very obvious that many of them hadn’t survived and Waxer knew himself specifically because he wasn’t with Boil but he didn’t realize this had been the planet where it had happened the first time.

How close he would have come.

“I didn’t know who it was at first,” Luke admitted, finally looking down for a moment in thought. “But I believe it is fairly clear now. General Krell told you and us the same thing with the hopes of everyone just killing one another,” Luke said, his hand curling around the hilt of Kenobi’s saber tightly. Even though it was on his belt, clipped securely, his grip was so tight he nearly thought he would have cracked the metal of the saber. He had to think of a plan and think of it fast. They wouldn’t have a lot of time, he imagined. He didn’t know Krell, anything about him really, but Luke doubted he would be much of a match for a fully trained jedi.

He wasn’t even really a padawan.

“Why? Why would he do this?” one of the troopers surrounding them asked, desperation coating the sound of his voice. From the 501st, he realized, but Luke didn’t know who it was specifically.

That was a question, to be certain, Luke mused. Personally, at this point he cared very little about the why. He was a traitor, one that had inspired such regret and anger from Boil and Ben, Luke had very little interest in the reasons why a traitor betrayed them. Why he had sent forces to murder one another.

“What are you thinking, Luke,” Waxer nudged him gently.

Luke caught Rex’s gaze again, narrowing his eyes. He didn’t need to reach towards Rex’s mind for intentions to know what he was thinking. “He’s thinking the same thing, aren’t you captain?”

Everyone went to look at the captain as he narrowed his own eyes to match the young jedi. “That is highly treasonous,” Rex replied, his voice just a bit more than a mumble.

“But it is what must be done,” Luke affirmed with a nod and Rex seemed to agree silently, just exhaling quietly. “We will need to move quickly, I think.”

“Yes,” Rex approved. “We cannot allow General Krell to sabotage the rest of the invasion…if that is what you think his goal is.”

“I do,” Luke replied, his heart pounding. This was a lot bigger and a lot more dangerous than Luke had thought this whole scenario and battle would be. He had been anticipating battle droids and the local militia, definitive enemies. Not traitors, people they were supposed to trust.

They were supposed to be able to trust the Jedi.

The thought of Krell being a jedi, at any point in time, felt unfeasible.

“We still need Forces to continue to cover Commander Cody and the rest of the 212th’s back,” Waxer noted, glancing between the two, a bit anxious. “We can’t have any real Umbarans from sneaking up.”

“You and your platoon can continue your mission,” Luke suggested quietly. “I will be going with Rex and the 501stback to Krell to assist in the arrest.”

Waxer just stared at him, with a bit flat expression and no small amount of dead pan. “I’ll have Freefall lead them back,” he announced.

Freefall looked accepting but a tad confused. Luke opened his mouth…

“And before you say a word,” Waxer put up his hand to stop Luke from speaking. “Don’t think for a second, I’m going to let you go without me. Pretty sure General Kenobi would have my head if I left his padawan commander alone to fight off a jedi general traitor,” he said, furrowing his brows but his lips played in some kind of vague amusement.

Luke just rolled his eyes. A few of the others around them looked at him with a bit new interest.

“I’ll go tell some of the men,” Captain Rex muttered after giving them a few weird looks before he jogged away, to where most of his troopers were trying to calm themselves out of the ordeal that had nearly just occurred. The few already around them, listening, were already ready to obey.

“Didn’t realize General Kenobi had a padawan,” one of the 501st troopers said, with a bit of a raised eyebrow as he gave Luke a look as if he was sizing him up. Luke wondered how he did measure up with what they knew about their own leaders and the jedi they knew.

“He always seems to have his hands full with General Skywalker and Commander Tano.”

“I…I’m not really a padawan,” Luke pointed out, uncomfortably, keeping close with Waxer and the couple of 212ththat stayed with them. “It is bit complicated, though.”

Most of Waxer’s platoon, under Freefall’s command, left the area to hold the ridge a bit back, covering Commander Cody and the bulk of the 212th’s flank. The majority of the 501st present that had been sent with them to fight in the conflict that ended up being a friendly fire incident, were sent back and told to stay outside of the base, keep with the others that had stayed behind, and not do anything until orders were given. They were warned of conflict that would almost definitely arise. No one was given much information aside from that.

No one was entirely certain how this would pan out.

As Luke, Captain Rex, and Lieutenant Waxer, alongside several other troopers, made their way back to the airbase that the 501st had claimed, Luke mulled over possible plans. Rex and Waxer were talking amongst one another as well, making their own. He didn’t think that either of them thought it would be easy, but things were rarely simple.

“What kind of saber does he have?” Luke asked suddenly.

The two leaders glanced at him, cutting off their conversation. Luke felt a little bad for interrupting them. “He’s got two…. or four, depending on how he uses it. There are four but you can put two together to make a double ended staff,” Rex reported. “At least, that is what it looks like.”

Luke nodded, reaching up to shake a hand through his hair. Man, he wished Ben was here. He could probably kick this guy’s ass easy. “Even if we surprise him, overwhelm him, even if we have enough, he will probably flee,” he noted.

“He will most likely be stationed in the tower, where the communications are,” one of the troopers said, firmly. The others nodded in agreement. They were getting close, Luke could see the top of the tower now, even through the shrouded darkness and plants.

“The only way in or out is through the elevator,” Rex recounted, putting his helmet on again. “It’s not a very big room, we can probably get a dozen or so troopers in there. I’d like to get Jesse and Fives’ help in the arrest as well, it’s on our way up.”

“If he can’t get through the door, he could go through the window,” Waxer pointed out, pointing up to the tower. It did indeed have a large window that made up at least a third of the outside. “Jedi can do huge jumps from incredibly heights; he could make it. I’ve seen General Kenobi do some pretty insane leaps.”

“We could lose him in the forest,” Rex frowned as he mulled this thought over. “It’s dark and hard to see, if he wanted to escape, we wouldn’t be able to find him. He could pick us off.”

“Not if we use it to our advantage,” Luke replied, trying to think back to what things he had seen during the battle before. Even without the local militia and their cannons having tried to kill them, the native plants to the planet were nearly just as deadly. “You’ve seen those disgusting carnivorous plants that are just kind of, lying around?”

Everyone nodded, grimly. Rex seemed to get the idea. “We rumble any one of them up and if Krell gets close, boom, he’s at the very least unconscious.”

“Precisely,” Luke snapped his fingers.

“Do you think he will get away from us? From the building?” Waxer asked.

“I think it is a possibility for certain,” Luke nodded. “Ben has told me a lot of things over the years and taught me a lot of plans and strategies and tips on the behavior of opponents. Even some of the most hardcore and sadistic individuals will retreat if surprised or outnumbered too much, even if they have an extreme advantage. In this case, his four sabers.”

“Do you think you can beat him?” a trooper asked, slowing down a little.

Luke sighed but shook his head. “No. I don’t think I could beat him in single combat,” he admitted, although a bit reluctantly. No one ever really wanted to admit their faults or inabilities in any case, but Luke would not be a fool. “Don’t get me wrong, even on the chance of sounding cocky, I’m actually pretty good with a saber. But Krell probably has years and a lot more experience on me. I’ll be an asset, but I don’t think I can beat him.”

It wasn’t very comforting.

They made their way back to the base and those who had volunteered had marched with them into the building. On their way up, Rex had gotten Jesse and Fives out of prison, giving them back their armor and weapons. A bit surprised by the new Jedi, and a bit suspicious, Rex gave them a quick rundown of not only the General but Luke as well.

The whole, time travel bit had people staring at him like he had two heads, as it was fairly hard to believe, but Luke just shrugged it off. Everyone involved had a lot of questions, since Waxer and Rex were the only ones who knew about it and Luke assured that plenty of questions would be answered later, if they survived this, of course.

As they came up, Luke kept Ben’s saber in his hand tightly, although not yet ignited, ready to burst out the instant there was a wrong move made by their opponent.

“General Krell, you are being relieved of duty,” Rex announced as he walked in, Waxer on one side and Luke on the other. The troopers they had come with quickly circled the besalisk, readying their weapons to fire at a moment’s notice.

Krell began to turn, folding his hands behind his back, casually. The gesture really rubbed Luke the wrong way; this whole being’s presence rubbed him the wrong way really. How casual he was being, like he saw this coming. It was possible, Luke supposed, but it didn’t aggravate him any less. “It’s treason then,” the low voice nearly chuckled.

“Surrender, General,” Rex added, unholstering his double pistols to point at the besalisk. Waxer already had his out and Luke had his guardian’s saber in hand, still not quite yet lit.

“You’re committing mutiny, captain,” the former jedi pointed out with a sly smile.

“Explain your actions,” Rex demanded but Krell’s attention turned elsewhere his eyes sweeping over the three of them. He seemed rather at ease for someone who had over a dozen blasters pointed directly at him, reading to fire. Luke hated the way he just brushed everyone else off like they were nothing to concern himself with.

“Ah, Kenobi’s new little padawan,” Krell crooned, mockingly with a menacing, sly grin. “I heard about you.”

“The captain told you to explain your actions,” Luke snapped, his lip curling and his foot stepping forward into a steady stance. He didn’t know exactly how Krell knew about him; Luke hadn’t even been around for more than a day, spending a couple hours on the Resolute, a few more on the Negotiator and the rest in battle, where he knewCommander Cody did not know that he was. He didn’t really think anyone had informed Krell about his existence, much less his presence on the planet.

“I figured it must have been someone elseto figure it out,” Krell shrugged his shoulders, his top arms rolling with them. His tone was so dismissive. “Creatures bred in some laboratory; they would never figure something like that out.”

That was literally one of the most ridiculous things Luke had ever heard.

“Surrender, General,” Luke demanded, gesturing to him with the hand that held Kenobi’s lightsaber. Krell glanced at it with ridge raised, curiously. He had something planned, something up his sleeve, Luke realized but his mouth continued where his brain told him something else. “You are under arrest for crimes against the Republic.”

It sounded so good; Luke had thought, he sounded so confident and sure of himself. And for the briefest of moments, he thought that perhaps Krell would have done the right then. He seemed to hesitate, like as if just knowing that Luke was training under General Kenobi, that would mean something.

He wondered if it did.

Luke almost hadn’t seen the blow coming. The only reason he had noticed it and hadn’t been cut down immediately was because Krell had taken the time to Force push the majority of the clones into the wall and ignite his sabers. Two, Luke had noted, double-ended.

The clones shouted and grunted as they hit the walls, luckily a force that didn’t kill or terribly injure them on impact.

Kenobi’s saber ignited and blocked Krell’s initial blow on mere instinct and he couldn’t be more grateful for it. Luke wasn’t quite physically strong enough for a blow like this, even though he knew the Force was helping with the push back. The pressure had shifted Luke’s feet back, sliding across the floor a bit, blue and green illuminating both of their faces.

Augh, his breath was awful.

Blasters had come up and began firing at the former general, so Krell had to move at least one of his sabers to block them, giving Luke a little more leeway. The boy ducked underneath one, slashing at the being’s side. He didn’t know if he hit a mark or not, but Luke just had to get away to regain himself.

Krell gutted through one of the soldiers and cut the head off another as he spun around, his eyes gleaming at Luke in some kind of weird interest and anticipation.

Luke had a bad feeling about this.

But just like he suspected, Krell crashed into the window and leapt from the building down to the forest below. They didn’t even take a moment to look down, rather glancing at one another as they all made their way down to the floor of the building.

By the time they had gotten there, the firefight had ceased and General Krell had disappeared into the nature of the dark planet. Luke had reignited the saber once they had run out, just in case, but were stopped by another trooper, one without a helmet and an odd tattoo covering some of his face.

“Dogma,” someone muttered. “Lower your weapon.”

Luke kept his guardian’s saber aloft and in front of him.

“I…I can’t do that. I’m doing my duty!” Dogma shouted, although his voice wavered. “You are all traitors!”

Luke stepped forward; Waxer reached out to stop him, but it was a half gesture. “Look, Dogma, is it? My name is Luke and I…I am a jedi. I…work with General Kenobi, and Krell? He is a traitor. He just killed dozens of your brothers, and we have to get through to him now,” he insisted, his voice stronger than he had ever heard it.

It didn’t really seem to change Dogma’s mind or anything, but it did give a few soldiers to tackle him into the ground.

“Put him in the brig,” Rex ordered as the rest of them continued their chase into the Umbaran forests.

The birds screamed in the mist darkness, calling out cries in a fairly consistent manner. The troopers had spread out in a grid, trying to find the wayward General. Luke followed closely with Waxer and Rex, alongside several other troopers, his saber in hand but not ignited. No need to attract any unwanted attention unless necessary.

“Anyone got anything?” Rex asked into his commlink.

“Ah negative, Captain,” a voice called through the comm on the captain’s vambrace. “We lost him,” the voice added with a bit of a resigned sigh. There was a pause. “Wait…”

Screams filtered through the communication device as the soldiers cried out in pain and death.

Luke stiffened as the trooper called out for them to hurry. Picking up their pace, they came to some cover where Rex put his fingers to a switch on his helmet to look through a filter for getting a better visual. “He’s coming,” he warned.

The soldiers quickly got into positions, readying their weapons for fire.

“I was using you,” Krell laughed, his voice echoing through the mist.

“Get him!” Rex yelled, spinning around towards the voice but it was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was impossible to know where he was. Luke gritted his teeth; it was hard to concentrate in the Force, to find him with so much going on.

“You have all been my pawns and continue to be so,” Krell called out with some sort of tone of sick glee. “I can and you fell for it, continue to fall for it. You are so completely inferior.”

Jesse snarled.

“You’re a jedi!” Fives snapped, shooting up at the air where he thought the General may have been. Nothing happed.

But then.

Krell jumped down from out of nowhere and spun his blades around, slicing through several troopers. Shots were fired and he deflected them back at the original shooters. Luke desperately tried to batter them away from their targets.

“I am no longer naïve enough to be a jedi,” he announced, straightening himself and easily deflecting blasters as he moved through the forest. “A new power is rising, and I have foreseen it.”

Luke had found his opening as Krell rolled across the ground, temporarily putting his sabers away. He got a graze in before the besalisk reignited his own sabers and blocked. Luke’s soresu came in handy as he blocked a barrage of relentless blows.

“The Jedi are going to lose this war and the Republic will be ripped apart from the inside.”

Luke’s eyes widened. How did he know? How did he know?

Krell used this distraction to throw Luke off with a laugh. Waxer and a few troopers fired ceaselessly, to give Luke enough time to get up and regain himself.

“You’re a Separatist,” Rex snapped as he fired upon the former general.

Krell batted the blaster bolts back at him. Luke jumped in front to deflect them away, vaulting back into close combat with the four armed being.

“You’re working for Dooku,” Luke guessed.

It was a long shot, but Luke had heard plenty about the former Jedi who became a Sith Lord during the Clone Wars. And if there was one thing that Luke did know about Count Dooku, it was it seemed that he had a lot of underlings and apprentices during the course of the nearly four years of the war.

It was a guess, but it wasn’t a bad one.

Turned out, he wasn’t far off.

“Not yet,” Krell grinned as Luke spun around, trying to lead him away from the troopers. Rex was listening to someone in his commlink as the others around him were trying to fire at Krell without hitting Luke.

The two of them were stuck in a whirling of blades that made it very difficult, Luke barely keeping himself from being torn to shreds. He kept getting forced back and back.

He spared a glance at Rex who pointed towards a small, bumpy field behind him. A lone trooper stood amongst the lumps, waiting. Okay, so they had a plan then. Shouldn’t be too hard, to let Krell push him back like this. He was doing it anyways.

“You really think that Dooku is going to take someone like you to be his next apprentice?” Luke barely afforded the snort as he nearly got himself decapitated by Krell’s blade. “Can’t imagine he would want anything to do with you.”

Krell’s grin just widened into something fearsome and sinister. “I was going to drive the Republic from this planet, true,” he admitted, pushing at Luke harder and harder. His hands were sweaty, keeping a hand on his guardian’s saber was a bit difficult but the grips had certainly helped.

Luke ducked, nearly falling completely to the ground at one of Krell’s slashes. He rolled as the other one came down for his head. It gave him a moment to stand again. Using that moment and the Force, he pushed Krell back as much as he could into the field.

And ended up being pushed as well.

He hoped the troopers knew what they were doing. Luke really didn’t want to get eaten by this thing.

“But really, everyone knows about the Count’s interest in Kenobi,” Krell hissed, nearing his ear. Man, this guy’s breath was truly, truly something awful. Luke fought the urge to gag. “I wonder how interested he would be in Kenobi’s new pet.”

Oh kark.

The moment was a poor one and Luke felt rather embarrassed that it had happened. Krell force pushed him several meters, right into the poor soldier standing in the field. He and the trooper fell to the ground in a heap of a tangled mess of armor and limbs, failing to get themselves free of one another, both mouths full of quiet curses.

Krell laughed again and took a few more steps forward.

And the troopers’ plan worked.

The lumps were the carnivorous creatures and the soldiers had been steadily driving Krell towards that lone trooper, who knew exactly what was there.

Luke thought it had worked. It almost did. The carnivorous plant waved the former jedi around, splitting one of his sabers and then eating it. The besalisk fended off the barrage of shots from the other troopers wildly with a growl. Luke swung forcefully and cut off the arm of the plant, so it dropped Krell. He hit the ground hard, his saber flying several meters away.

Surrounded by a few troopers who had their blasters pointed at him, Luke stood with them, over the defeated besalisk. He was hemmed in, he had no weapon, there was no way out.

“Surrender Krell,” Luke hissed.

Something gleamed in Krell’s eyes.

Wrong. This felt very wrong.

Luke glanced around, trying to figure out and understand what was happening. “On guard!” he shouted out moments before the shooting started. The shooting hadn’t been from the 501st.

Luke cursed loudly and waved the saber around to deflect the shots, reaching out with the Force. There was nothing there. That meant only one thing.

“DROIDS!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, letting his voice carrying through the wind, carry through the Force. How had they gotten here? The Republic was fighting the local militias, he hadn’t known or even thought they would have droid backup. They didn’t have a plan for this. “Back to the airbase! Retreat!”

He almost felt bad for giving orders, it wasn’t his place. But he knew Rex and Waxer would say the same. They had been trying to create a trap for Krell, not the newest Separatists surprise.

Krell let out a laugh and kicked out at Luke, shoving him to the ground, before jumping up and running away, picking up his lightsaber as he went.

He hadn’t known where they had been, but suddenly Rex and Waxer, with a few others, were at his side. “How did droids get here?” Rex snarled as he shot into the dark. A few of them had came into eye contact but were quickly put down.

Luke would forever marvel at the competency of the clone troopers. It really made him miss Boil.

“Krell must have called them,” one of the 501st suggested, although a bit uncertainly, letting off a few shots.

“He is a traitor,” Waxer agreed with a growl. “He would have to betray us for someone. He did say he wanted to be Dooku’s newest lackey.”

“I’m going after Krell,” Luke announced, his eyes flaring up in anger and determination.

“You said it yourself, you can’t take him,” Rex argued, trying to hold Luke back. The boy tore himself from the grip, deflecting a few more shots from the enemy.

“I have to try. He’ll will get even more people killed, I have to stop him,” Luke insisted with a growl before throwing himself back towards the air base with an enormous leap.

“He’s like both our generals and our jedi commander put together!” Rex groaned and spun around. “Sergeant Appo, can you hold them off?”

“Scanners and scouts say there are barely any in numbers, we should be fine sir,” Appo nodded, letting out a few rounds from his blaster, although his tone was laced in a bit of confusion at the situation. “Go get the little commander!” It seemed rather odd, such a small force of droids, but at the moment, they hadn’t questioned it. Rex, Waxer and several others started to run back towards the air base to chase Luke.

Luke used all of his Soresu training just to fend off the barrage of blows against Krell; he had at least lost one staff in the Umbaran monster after it had nearly eaten the both of them but that didn’t mean he was any easier to fight. Krell had years on him, years of experience and some of that, with war. He had gotten away with a few Aratu flips and blows, even sliding into his favorite Djem So moves.

The young blonde had caught up to Krell as they got back to the base. Luke had more endurance and youthful strength but Krell’s own strength, the kind one got from years of practice and experience, far outweighed his own.

Their blows were furious and painful, putting a strain on Luke limbs and muscles. He got thrown around more times than he would like to admit.

He had to play it smart. Get the high ground, find weak points, use simple moves for endurance, to keep yourself afloat while your opponent tired himself out. He had to be able to utilize some of these things.

Luke backflipped away from Krell’s upcoming saber, blocking a glancing blow with the swing of his own. He twisted away which gave him a second’s reprieve.

With a quick glance, just leapt straight up in the air, only turning enough to land on top of one of the Umbaran’s ships that they had confiscated.

Just as he had suspected, Krell jumped up right after him. Twisting in the air, Luke took a breath and hit the besalisk’s throat wattle with his foot. It wasn’t much but it was enough to push the being back. Without hesitation, Luke leapt down and swung as hard as he could, slicing cleanly through one of the besalik’s arms.

The former general howled and fell off the edge of the ship, bouncing off of one of the wings and to the ground. Luke jumped down as Krell struggled to get up, blood practically pouring through the stump of what was left of his limb.

Krell may have had much experience, but losing a limb, that was not something you fought with. Definitely not immediately after losing it. The blood loss alone was enough to slow opponents down to a near halt.

“You are under arrest,” Luke snarled, pointing his guardian’s saber directly at him. “Surrender, now.”

“Never!” Krell hissed and came at him again. Luke prepared to swing…

Only to feel something hit his back.

He fell away to the side and saw only darkness.

Okay, so essentially, Krell learned about Luke and told Dooku. Initially, he thought he could take the planet and that would be enough but then he thought that Luke might be good leverage or something for Dooku. Dooku, being himself and preferring Kenobi, is intrigued by this new apprentice that he has heard or seen nothing about.

Dooku comes to the planet with some reinforcements to catch Luke and his forces off guard. Much of the 501st survived but are in the forests, fighting off a small thing of droids. Luke has a few boys wth him but Dooku takes them with him for leverage and eventually, to be sold to Zygerrians.

[wiypt-writes]

Riding On

Ch 15- TFI Friday

Summary: It’s Friday (thank f**k), and Frank’s taken the day off work so that he and Fliss can take an early dinner before meeting the Circle of Truth to celebrate Bonnie and Simon’s engagement…but Fliss is struggling with her emotions, especially when it comes to leaving Alex behind.

Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW, no under 18s…)

Pairing: Frank Adler x Fliss Gallagher

A/N:  A lot of fluff going down in this chapter…they deserve it! We also get to see Frank’s version of the events from Done With Nice Guys which was written by @smediumsmeatbae​. Please check it out, it’s adorable!!!  

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding On Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 14

This bed is on fire with passionate love. The neighbours complain about the noises above, but she only comes when she’s on top. My therapist said not to see you no more, he said you’re like a disease without any cure, he said I’m so obsessed that I’m becoming a bore, oh no…ah, you think you’re so pretty…

Frank woke, reaching out blindly for his phone to silence the alarm. He swiped the button across and turned over, fully intending on giving Fliss a cuddle for another 5 minutes or so before he had to get up when realisation crashed over him and he gave a groan. He'd booked the fucking day off so he could take Fliss for a late afternoon-slash-early evening meal and had forgotten to turn off his bastard alarm.

And then it further dawned on him that it didn't actually matter because Mary still needed to get up and ready for school regardless of his day off or not.

But then…it was Friday. Her university day…which meant she wasn’t due in until 10…

With a grin his arm tightened over Fliss’ waist, hand splaying on her belly as he pulled her back into him, nuzzling his nose into her neck, feeling a stirring in his boxers where his cock was already semi-hard thanks to the life of its own it had in a morning. Part of him wanted to wake her for a bit of fun before the rest of the house rose, the other knew she was bound to be tired after Alex had been an absolute horror during the night, but in the end the decision was made for him as he felt her shift a little, before she stretched out her limbs, a soft sigh escaping from her mouth. "Morning Sailor..." Fliss yawned.

"Morning Cowgirl" He said, closing his eyes and snuggling closer into her. “I didn’t wake you did I?”

“The alarm did.” She shifted slightly before she propped herself up to check on Alex who was fast asleep "Yeah, now he sleeps" she grumbled.

Frank gave a chuckle and pressed another kiss to her neck. “Yeah he was really not playing ball last night was he?"

"Three times." She groaned "He's a bottomless pit Frank."

"I told you to stay on bed for the third." Frank sighed.

"Once I'm awake I'm awake." She shrugged. "He cries and it’s like my boobs send an alarm to my brain.”

Frank chuckled "Well like your mom suggested, introducing the formula should help. He'll fill up from less and give you a break."

"You mean because I can't feed him what he needs myself." She let put a sigh and at that Frank took a deep breath and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Hey, look at me." He said sternly and she rolled onto her back, her brown eyes blinking up at him, auburn and blonde hair splayed across her pillow. "You checked with the doctor, she said this perfectly normal..."

"Then why do I feel so shit." She asked, tears brimming her eyes "I can't even feed our baby properly.”

"Oh, Lissy, come ‘ere..." He sighed gently as she rolled onto her side facing him, his arms cradling her close as she pressed her face into his chest, sniffling "Honey, you're a wonderful mom. Don't start beating yourself up about something that in the grand scheme of things really doesn't matter."

"It matters to me Frank."

"You think he gives a shit whether what he's getting is from you or not? Does he fuck, he just wants food." Frank told her softly, his hand rubbing up and down her back, underneath the sleep cami she was wearing. "If anything the fact you're doing this shows how much of a good mom you are. You spotted something that he needs and you're doing what you have to do to give it to him.” She stayed silent bar her little sniffles and he gently pressed a kiss to her head. "Don't think on it too much Fliss. I know it must feel shitty for you but he'll be fine. That I can promise you."

She took a deep breath and pulled back to look at him, and he gently brushed his lips against hers, the hand that was on her back stopping in the middle of the spine, holding her to him, kissing her lazily. She took it eagerly, allowing him to slowly ease her over onto her back, caging her underneath his body as his mouth moved to her jawline then her neck. She gave a soft sigh, her hands sliding into his sleep-messed hair and he’d just moved his mouth downwards, softly nipping at her chest through her top when, with his ever perfect timing, Alex let out a little whine.

“For fucks sake…” Frank grumbled, his head falling to the valley of Fliss’ chest as she chuckled, swatting at his head. With a sigh he propped himself up and dropped a kiss to her lips. “I’ll get him sorted.” he said. “You take a while, lay in.”

Fliss looked down at her boobs and then shrugged “Well seeing as he fed three times over night they’re not that swollen so…” Frank gave a snort as she looked at him, arching her eyebrows “Hey, the struggle is real, ok?"

“I didn’t suggest otherwise.” He hopped out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweats, yanking at the crotch as they felt a little tight thanks to the fact he was half hard, and a T-shirt as Fliss leaned over, gently rubbing Alex’s tummy. “Hey.” Frank looked at her as he picked his son up, gently placing a large hand on his back “If you’re swapping over to formula, does that mean Ben and Jerry are gonna go smaller?” he nodded at her chest “Because if so I may be forced to reconsider my stance on the situation.”

“If you didn’t have hold of our son I’d punch you.” Fliss glared and he gave a chuckle before he headed out of the room.

“Couldn’t you have slept for like 15 minutes longer this morning buddy?” he questioned gently as he entered the nursery, placing Alex down on the changing mat. “You totally cock blocked me. Which, for the record, is not cool.”

Alex looked at him, blinking slowly.

“Yeah, you might look like that.” Frank deadpanned, as Alex’s hands curled around his fingers. His little legs wiggled a little and Frank bent down with his mouth arranged in an open smile, causing Alex’s face to split into a little grin, his arms and legs waggling even faster. “Yeah, ok, I forgive you.” Frank chuckled before he changed him into a clean diaper and then padded downstairs to warm his bottle up, juggling his son easily in one arm as he did so.

By now Alex’s fairly decent mood had started to wane as he was hungry. The noises he made were getting louder and slightly more impatient, threatening to turn into an out and out cry.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s coming pal…” Frank dropped a gentle kiss to the downy hair on Alex’s head “I know, you’re hungry...despite the fact you had midnight, 1.30 am and 4am snack…”

He settled on the sofa, flicked on the TV for the morning news, positioned Alex and gave him his bottle, watching with a soft smile on his face as the baby’s cheeks worked hungrily taking the mix of breast and formula in the bottle. They’d started this just a few days or so ago after Fliss had simply been unable to stop him crying from hunger Tuesday afternoon and called her mom in a flap. She’d suggested doing what Steve and Sian had had to do with the twins, seeing as both of those had been greedy little bastards too so after a call to the Paediatrician, Fliss had reluctantly agreed. Frank did sympathise with her, and he’d been waiting for the inevitable tears which had finally come that morning, but it would be much easier for her in the long run all things considered, especially if as the doctor had suggested she could move to formula fully bar a morning feed.

Supporting Alex in one arm, he absentmindedly watched the anchor and co-anchor on the CNN morning news where they were talking to someone about a Thanksgiving tradition or something, he wasn’t really paying much attention if he was honest. It freaked him out how fast it was creeping up on them. Soon it would be fucking Christmas. Thankfully, Fliss seemed to be on top of it mostly. They were hosting a small Thanksgiving with his mother then heading over to Verity and Bill’s for the usual party, and for Christmas Steve, Sian and the boys were over so they were spending the day at Verity and Bill’s along with Roberta and his mother…which was always fun. It never ceased to amaze him how welcoming Fliss’ family had been to his own fucked up version of one.

Lost in his thoughts, he was jerked from them by a little popping noise and he looked down to see Alex had moved away from the bottle, and to his astonishment there was a small amount left.

“Finally full up buddy?” Frank asked, offering Alex the bottle again but he turned his head away un interested. “Guess so.” Frank smiled, placing the bottle on the coffee table and moving Alex so he was leaning against his chest, head on his shoulder as he burped him. It took a little while but eventually he obliged and Frank chuckled, turning his head to look at him, bright blue eyes staring around the room. He was developing so fast now, it was ridiculous.

“Shall we go wake your sister up?” He asked softly, “Yeah, okay, come on.”

Thankfully, Mary was actually pretty co-operative most mornings, and today being one of her university split days she was in a good mood, rabbiting on to Frank about the assignment she had done. They ate breakfast before she headed off upstairs to get changed and once she was back, he told her to watch Alex for a second whilst he made his way into the bedroom with a plate of toast and a coffee for Fliss, knowing full well she wouldn’t be asleep. And sure enough, she lay on her back, watching the TV.  She beamed at him as she shuffled herself up, taking the mug off him as he placed the plate on the night stand and perched on the side of the bed.  

“Where’s Bean?” she asked.

“Mary’s watching him for a second so I could bring you that.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, taking a sip of her drink.

“I’ll take him with me when I drop Mary off. He likes the truck. I might pop into the shop for twenty minutes or so, the guys haven’t seen him in a while and I like showing him off.” Frank smiled a little bashfully and Fliss’ smile grew even larger. “Imma dress him in his Made In Boston T-shirt…”

Fliss chuckled “I still can’t believe Bonnie and Simon got him that.” “Oh, I can.” Frank nodded “In fact, that’s quite tame for what I expected from Si to be honest.” “Yeah, that’s true…” Fliss conceded “Oh, don’t forget, I’m teaching at two for an hour.” “I’ll be well back before then.” Frank snorted, “It’s not even eight yet.” “I know I was just pointing out you can have some more male bonding time then too.” “Great, maybe I’ll introduce him to Debbie Does Dallas…” Frank teased and Fliss snorted

“Well, we know he likes boobs so…”

Frank gave a laugh before he leaned over and gave her another soft kiss. “I’ll get him dressed and then we’re heading out so I’ll see you in a little while. Love you.” “Love you too.” She smiled, as he bumped his nose against hers and left.

*****

Once he’d dropped Mary off and walked her into her lecture hall where he handed her over to her tutor, he headed back out to the truck, clipping the car seat back in place. He dropped into work, where as predicted the guys on the team all came to say hi, commenting on how big he was compared to last time they’d seen him. He double checked a couple of the rotas for Monday before he headed home, getting back just after 11, by which point Alex was fast asleep. He entered the house, greeting Thor who came bounding down the stairs to check who’d dared to walk into his home.

“Just me buddy.” He said, patting the large dog’s head before he headed upstairs knowing full well that if Thor had been upstairs that meant Fliss was too. And sure enough, he opened the door to their bedroom and heard the shower in the en-suite going. Fred opened his eye and looked at Frank from where he had been lounging on their bed, his tail swishing slightly before he returned to his cat nap, not even bothering to move.

With a snort at the cat’s blatant lack of any fucks to give, Frank placed the car seat on the dresser, smoothing back Alex’s hair as he continued to sleep and then realised that this was a prime opportunity for finishing what he started this morning. With a dirty smirk to himself he opened the door to the bathroom. Fliss’ head was tipped back, face turned to the stream of water, suds cascading from her long hair down her body which instantly had him half hard again in the constraints of his sweats.

Yup, Frank Adler was a big fan of getting dirty in the shower.

“Room for another?” he asked, cheekily, pulling off his T-shirt. Fliss jumped a little as she hadn’t heard him come in and then turned to look at him through the shower screen, most of her body obscured by the frosted glass pattern. She grinned and raised her hand, making a beckoning motion with her finger. In a flash he shed the remainder of his clothing and stepped into the large cubicle with her, his hands reaching out for her hips, pulling her towards him, so her back was pressed to his chest.

“I believe we have unfinished business Miss Gallagher.” He said, feeling her slick skin pressing against his as he nipped at her neck.

“Really?” she pondered, “I don’t recall…”

“No?” he teased, his lips placing another kiss to her wet skin, “Maybe this will jog your memory…”

His hands slid up, tracing the curve of her waist before he gently cupped her breasts, calloused thumbs skating over the nipples. With a reaction that was automatic, she let out a soft sigh as he gently teased her, his palms and fingers working their magic, all the time taking care not to be too rough as he knew she was sensitive. But in the end it was Fliss demanding he go harder as she arched her back, pushing herself into his hands as she felt the aching brewing between her legs. She went to squeeze them closed, anything to help relieve the pressure that was building and she felt Frank’s lips smirk against her neck, one of his hands brushing down her body, slipping between her folds, right where she needed him most.

“Fuck…” she swore, as he gently played her, slow, teasing strokes and before long she was rocking against his hand, seeking friction as she was spiralling higher and higher, Frank’s rock hard dick pressing into the lower part of her back.

“Turn around…” Frank whispered into her ear and she did as she was told, greeting his lips in a filthy kiss as he pivoted her round so that her back was pressed to the wall of the shower cubicle. His mouth moved from hers to her jawline, the whiskers of his beard gently sliding over her skin as he dipped his head to kiss her collar bone before he rather gracefully dropped to his knees. He glanced up at her, deep brown met ocean blue, her eyes full with a heady combination of love, desire and lust and it drew a low growl from his throat as he reached down for her left ankle. With a steady hand Frank lifted it over his right shoulder and gently kissed and sucked his way up her leg, leaving a nip at the apex of her thigh. She moaned loudly, her head falling back against the tiles as he moved to where she wanted him the most, his tongue long and flat against her centre as he lapped at her entrance all the way up to her sensitive bud. Her body jolted as she let out a soft sigh of his name which was laced with satisfaction as he set his mouth to work.

As Frank devoured her with the enthusiasm of a man starved, Fliss curled her fingers into his damp hair, the movement a reflex as the other slapped flat against the grey slate tiles. The contrast of his short beard scratching at her sensitive skin to his soft tongue and mouth was sending her body into overdrive. He gently grazed her bud with his teeth which caused her hips to violently buck forward, her nails dug into his scalp and he gave a chuckle which vibrated against her clit causing her to groan loudly.

“Jesus Christ Frank…” she panted, looking down at him. He peeked up from between her legs, a cheeky glint in his eyes as he continued, his tongue flicking into her entrance, before he sucked on her bud and then she was gone. Her knees trembled as her hand pulled his hair, almost to the point it was painful as she gave a loud cry, her other hand reaching to his head as she used both to push him away from her sensitive sex as she clamped down around thin air. With a smug sense of satisfaction at having undone her to the extent he had, Frank rose to his feet, wiping his wet face with an equally wet forearm and he cupped her cheeks, kissing her again, his tongue tangling against hers.

Fliss’ wrecked brain had barely registered his mouth was on hers when he pulled back slightly, his lips hovering over hers as the water cascaded down on them both. With his hands on her hips, he spun her round, pulling her back, nudging her ankles with his feet to open her up a little more. With one palm on the base of her back he gently bent her forward ever so slightly, took his throbbing cock in his hand and lined himself up. With a gentle, slow movement he slipped inside, burying himself in her heat, the rumble from his throat slipping out of his mouth at the relief of finally being inside her. Once he was fully sheathed his hands moved, one to her stomach, holding her in place, the other up to her breasts as she arched her back, her head back against his shoulder as he drove in and out of her, slowly, deliberately. Her right hand moved back to grab at his thigh, her fingertips digging into the hard muscle as he thrust forward, the other hand flat reached back to tangle in his hair.

“God you feel so good, baby.”  He groaned, his mouth licking a stripe up the side of her neck as her head lolled to the right, tracing her wet skin up to her jaw line, “So fahkin’ good…”

The hand that had been on her belly moved to grasp her chin with his finger and thumb, tipping her face round to his so he could kiss her. It was all Fliss could do to kiss him back, allowing him to control the pace as she was completely gone, the sensations lancing through her body had left her totally pliant to his ministrations, and he fucking adored the fact she surrendered to him, that she felt safe enough to do so.

“Frankie…” she panted softly as he continued to push into her, driving deep, and she gave a squeak as he rotated his hips, his fingers letting go of her face to slide down her body, between her legs and she gave a long wail of delight as he fondled her bud, “Shit…I’m…”

“Go one, come for me baby…” he nipped at her ear “I got you, I promise…”

With a last, silent moan she came, hard, her knees almost buckling, but Frank held her to him as she blissed out completely, the entire world fading around her as she felt nothing but the familiar hot, warm pleasure as her abdomen contracted and relaxed as her walls spasmed around him over and over.

“Good girl…” he praised as he continued thrusting through, the heat in his own belly now beginning to spike even more, “Such a good girl for me…”

She preened at his praise, relaxing slightly into his hold as he kissed her neck once more, picking up the pace slightly. She reached back with one hand to cup his balls and with an almost violent buck forward he came, biting down gently on her shoulder, muffling the noises of satisfaction and pleasure that rolled from the back of his throat.

His hips stilled and neither of them moved, his hands gently flexing on her hips before he gave a soft chuckle of satisfaction and he pulled out of her, taking care to keep her as close to him as he could. Her head lolled back against his shoulder and she turned her head, greeting his lips in a soft, gentle kiss and he smiled as she pulled away, rubbing her nose against his.

“You should take the day off more often” she quipped and Frank could do nothing but laugh.

“I fahkin’ love you.” He chuckled and she grinned, giving a shrug.

“I’m a very lovable person.”

“That you are cowgirl.” He nodded, “That you are.”

*****

“Felicity Rose Gallagher, if you ask me one more time if we are sure we’re going to be ok I’m gonna go mad.” Verity glared at Fliss who had just asked the question for the umpteenth time since her parents had turned up for babysitting duty.

Fliss gave a groan and held her hands up. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“You’ve left him with us before, this is no different.” Verity looked at her “No go, go on, scoot.”

Over Fliss’ shoulder, Frank shot Verity a wink as he dropped his hand to the curve of his girl’s lower back. “Come on Lissy, we’ll be late otherwise.”

“Yeah, and I wanna get back to eat.” Bill said, twirling his car keys.

“Maybe I should drive?” Fliss looked at Frank who took a deep breath as Verity made an annoyed noise in her throat.

“If you want to drive, then that’s up to you.” Frank replied patiently as she bit her lip. “Be a shame though, I was gonna treat you to that champagne you demanded. Maybe not quite a swimming pool full but…”

Fliss looked at him for a second before she shook her head “I’m sorry…”

“Stop apologising.” He chuckled softly “Lissy, what do you want to do?”

She glanced at Alex who was led in Verity’s arms, happily grinning up at his Nanna before she turned to Frank. “No, you’re right. We haven’t been out for months so…”she nodded. “Let’s go.” “Halle-fuckin-lujah.” Bill mumbled, earning himself a glare from Fliss. “V, I’ll grab us some take-out on the way back.”

“Bye baby…” Fliss crossed the room to drop a kiss on Alex’s head and then turned, taking Frank’s outstretched hand. “We won’t be too late…” she tossed over her shoulder at her mum. Verity shrugged.

 “Doesn’t matter, we’re staying so be as late as you want.”

Fliss nodded and Frank squeezed his hand around hers as they left the room, not before he threw a smile at Verity who gave him a knowing one back. Fliss had been fine all week with the principle of going out…right up until she had gotten out of her second shower of the day that evening, when she’d suddenly had an attack of conscience about leaving him with her parents whilst she went out drinking. Frank was sharp enough to know full well this was linked to her current feelings of inadequacy, and he also knew that no matter what he said or did, there was nothing he could do to stop that bar be there for her and give her the reassurance that she needed.

That and simply love her, which was a given, because he did with every single breath he took.

“You look gorgeous.” He smiled at her as they walked to her dad’s car. She blushed a little and glanced down at the dark blue peplum top she was wearing, coupled with faded jeans and a white denim jacket. She’d been over the moon to find out she could fit back in those jeans so he wasn’t surprised she’d chosen them for the evening. On her feet she wore a simple pair of yellow heeled pumps, complete with matching bag. Her hair was down in loose waves, and her make-up was simple, a light dusting of rose gold powder on her lids.

“Thanks.” She smiled, before she eyed him up and down and he grinned as he knew full well what she was thinking, given that he was dressed in his yellow and black palm-tree Hawaiian print shirt.

“You said my shit shits were endearing.” He quipped and she gave a laugh, shrugging.

“You wouldn’t be Frank without them.”

Fliss declined the front seat when Frank offered it to her, instead climbing into the back behind her dad taking the time to check up on a few emails and the yard’s social media accounts. The three of them made easy chat on the way into St Pete’s and thanked Bill for the lift as they both climbed out. Fliss instructed her dad to call them if there was any problems and he simply rolled his eyes and told her to “piss off and have a good time”.

They’d picked to go to Rios for dinner before they were heading down to Ferg’s to meet up with the others a little later on. It had become a little bit of a running joke between Bonnie and Fliss that, as much of a dive as Ferg’s was, frankly the two women preferred it to any of the bars they frequented. It was casual, fun, they knew a hell of a lot of people in there including most of the bar staff, and it held good memories. It suited both Frank and Simon down to the ground, both of them happy to tease their girls about having simple taste until Fliss normally quipped back along the lines of that being the reason she was marrying Frank in the first place. But when he pushed all jokes aside, he was glad she was so down to Earth. He had nothing against Greg or Jake’s wives but man, they were high maintenance.

But not his Fliss.

As it was still early and they wanted to chill out, they had opted to eat in the more casual outside lounge area which sported the roof bar and offered an all evening Tapas style menu, not the full a la carte main restaurant menu. As such they were led through to their table on the veranda. Neither of them had been into this part since the refurb, the last time Fliss came it hadn’t been finished but now, she felt a smile cross her face as she looked around. It was cosy and casual, right up her street. The tables were slightly lower than normal and appeared to all be different shapes and sizes, made out of driftwood and pallets. They were decked with large candles held in jars in the middle and surrounded by comfy chairs and bean bags all of which sported blankets given that the time of year meant sometimes in the evening it could be quite chilly at night. In the middle of the veranda was a large stone fire pit which was covered by an ornamental, wrought iron cage that spiralled to a point some eight feet off the ground, and the bar stood to the rear right hand corner with a few people sat down enjoying a drink.

“Oh my God, I love it.” Fliss muttered to Frank and he looked down at her, nodding.

“This is pretty cool” he conceded.

“The tables and seats…it’s just how I pictured our wedding.” She said as they were led over to their spot at the rear, which was just by the glass barrier of the roof, over-looking the beach and the ocean.

“Yeah?” Frank asked, looking at her.

She nodded “Rustic, causal, bean bags, blankets…that type of thing…although it won’t be that cold then…”

“If you want blankets, baby, you can have blankets.” He chuckled kissing her forehead as they settled down onto the comfy plush seats which, to Fliss’ delight were also bean bags just shaped differently. The teenage kid who had shown them to their table soon returned with the menus and informed them that as it was the first week they’d opened the terrace, with every bottle of wine purchased, there was complementary charcuterie tasting platter included. Fliss’ eyes lit up and Frank knew why, it was probably her favourite thing to eat in the world and he had to admit, she did a pretty wicked board herself when they were entertaining. With that in mind, he ordered them a bottle of Pinot Grigio and they sat back, Frank’s arm dropping over Fliss’ shoulders as she looked around.

“You know, if this is the type of thing you want, why not take a few photos and then we can start looking around.” Frank suggested and Fliss looked at him, smiling. “You can give Bobbi a call. I know you want to organise it yourself but she’ll probably have a list of suppliers, caterers, that sorta stuff for you to look at.” “I already know what I want for catering.” Fliss looked at him.

“You do?” Frank asked.

“Yup. I want food trucks. Mexican and Pizza.”

Frank cocked his head to one side, smiling as he looked at her “That’s actually a fucking brilliant idea.”

“No fancy sit down meal, if it stays for a couple of hours then people can grab what they want when they want.”

“Love it.” Frank grinned, looking up as their waiter appeared with their bottle of wine. He poured them both a glass and set the ice bucket in the middle of the table, before he disappeared again.  Frank picked his glass up and Fliss did the same, the pair of them gently clinking them together, smiling. “To our first date in…what? Four months?” Frank teased and Fliss shrugged.

“I don’t know, I lost track of time…been kinda busy.” She teased as Frank chuckled, leaning down to give her a soft kiss.

Their charcuterie board arrived not long after and they then placed their order, opting for the Chef’s Selection, a number of small tapas dishes which as the name suggested, would be selected by the chef for them. Fliss had liked the idea of it all being rather mysterious and as the waiter had asked what kind of thing they liked they’d both listed a few things and he’d nodded, heading away with their order.

Frank reached over for the wine bottle to top Fliss’ glass up and she thanked him, taking another sip, before he saw her bite her lip and she reached into her purse.

“Congratulations.” He said dryly, teasing her a little as she turned to him. He nodded to the phone “You made it like forty five minutes since we walked out of the door without checking up on him.” “I wasn’t…” she began to protest and he gave her a look and she groaned, tossing her phone back in her purse “Ok, fine…maybe I was.” “Honey, he’ll be ok.” Frank said gently, his hand on her knee “Your mom and dad did this all before remember?”

 “I know, I know…” she said, before she reached over for an olive and popped it in her mouth.

Frank then diverted the subject, got her talking about her afternoon teaching and she animatedly filled him in on how nice it had been to get back to seeing some of her clients. The conversation was easy, fun, they laughed and giggled away and a little over half an hour later when their food arrived they’d worked though their first bottle of wine and Frank then ordered them a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut, just as he’d promised.

The food was amazing, Frank couldn’t fault a single thing about it, other than maybe it was a little too good as his jeans definitely felt a little tighter around the waist when they finished their meal because despite the fact he was full he just couldn’t stop eating. As the waiter came to clean the empty dishes away, Fliss then heard her phone going. Reaching into her purse she read the message and smiled before she turned the phone to Frank. It was a picture of Alex, fast asleep against Bill’s chest as he sat in their lounge.

“See.” Frank smile “He’s happy as a pig in shit.”

“Frank!” Fliss scoffed, slapping his arm, “Don’t call our baby a pig.”

“I was talking about your dad.”

“Oh…I’m so telling him you said that.” She said as they both laughed and she shook her head “You’re a bad man.”

“Yeah, but you love me.” He teased and she grinned.

“Yeah, yeah I do.” She leaned over, pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss. She glanced down at her phone and smiled again before she put it away “We did good though. We made a pretty cute baby.”

“Good genes.” Frank boasted and Fliss laughed and he smiled at her, brushing her hair back behind her ear before he rest his arm along the back of the soft chair she was in. “Ever think you’ll fancy another?”

“Another baby?” Fliss asked and Frank nodded. “Fuck no.” she spluttered and Frank let out a loud laugh. “I mean I wouldn’t change any of this for the world but, well, he wasn’t exactly in our plans…”

“Good, because I don’t want one either.” He said in between his chuckles as he reached for his champagne flute.

“Well, you know…” Fliss said, mimicking him and picking hers up “There is one way we could make sure it doesn’t happen again…” she moved the hand that wasn’t holding her drink and mimed a pair of scissors snipping the air. Frank choked on his drink, spluttering slightly as the bubbles threatened to fizz down his nose. Fliss roared with laughter as he wiped at his shirt and glared at her.

“Absolutely no way in hell.”

“Why not?” she shrugged.

“Because…well, just no!” he said, grimacing, “I couldn’t do that to Little Frank.” “Little Frank…jesus…I can’t…”  Fliss’ laughter grew even louder and the familiar snorting that happened when she was laughing beyond control started, which set Frank off again. She clamped her hand over her mouth, slapping his arm and looked away from him, trying to control herself. Eventually they managed to stop and Frank shook his head, composing himself before he asked for the check.

*****

They hit a cab down to Fergs and Fliss squealed when she saw Bonnie, sweeping her up into a huge hug before examining her ring up close whilst Frank shook Simon’s hand, pulling him into a bro hug, slapping his back. They were joined shortly afterwards by the rest of the gang, and when Simon and Bonnie broke their news to everyone there were more loud cheers and a shout of “shots all round” from Jake. Frank kept a careful eye on Fliss, who was already flushed from what they’d drunk over dinner, especially seeing as she hadn’t had a proper drink in over a year now. She downed 2 tequilas and then shook her head when someone asked her if she wanted another, instead requesting a water.

The gang moved to their preferred spot over at one of the tables at the back, round the corner away from the bar area, and they had a good hour or so catch up before the boys wanted to shoot some pool. Together they made their way over to the games area, the girls settling at one of the tall tables by the side.

“So how is the little one?” Greg turned to Frank as Simon and Jake racked the pool balls up, and he beamed in response.

“Ah Greg, he’s fahkin’ awesome.” Frank gushed “I just…he’s great, really great. Other than being a little cock block that is.”

Greg snorted “Yeah I hate to break it to you, but that only gets worse as they get older…especially when they learn how to climb out of their crib and come to your room.”

“Imma get a lock on the door.” Frank stated simply and Greg laughed as they grabbed a cue each, chalking the end.

They shot one game and then Frank said it was his round, so he headed off to the bar. He nodded to Dave, asking for the same again plus another bottle of water for Fliss and as he headed off to get their drinks, the young woman on the seat next to Frank jumped down from the stool next to him. Frank fished in his pocket for his wallet, pausing as he heard a little yelp and he turned his head to the right to see the guy sat two stools down had his arm curled around the young woman’s upper arm. She tried to get free but the guy’s grip tightened and Frank felt a spike of anger in his chest. All he could see in his mind was Fliss and that bastard ex-husband of hers hurting her. And he knew then he couldn’t, and didn’t want to, let this go.

“We’re not done yet.” The guy said loudly, a sneer on his face as he looked at the girl. Frank quickly stepped up behind her, and he looked at the guy and shook his head.

“Yes, you are.” He said, drawing himself up to full height, shoulders tensing, his eyes not once leaving the douchebag in front of him as he kept his voice calm and level “Let the lady go, man.”

“Mind your business, dick head.”

“It became my business when the whole bar could hear your conversation.” Frank retorted, his tone still calm. “Let her go. Now.” 

After a second or so, albeit reluctantly, the asshole did loosen his grip so that the young girl could remove her arm from his hand meaning she could get out of the way. She headed down to the far end of the bar, Frank watching her for a second before he turned back to the man in front of him who was now wobbling to his feet, his fist clenching by his side.

Frank snorted to himself. Was this asshole really going to go there? Sure, the inebriated piece of shit was built, he probably had a good 20 pounds on him, but Frank himself was no push over. He was in decent shape, he knew that, and given his chances against someone who was struggling to stand up straight, well, he’d take them.

“What are you, some kinda knight in shining armor?” the guy snorted. “Fuck you, man!”

Before Frank had time for a rebuttal, asshole had made a run for him and Frank almost lazily sidestepped as the drunk swung a punch at him. Not being able to stop, Mr Drunk asshole pitched forward and smacked into a chair, catching his head on the adjacent table-top. He groaned out in pain as he held his head on the ground. 

“Jeff! What the hell is going on?”

Frank looked up to see a group of guys heading back in from the outside of the patio and for the first time he felt a little nervous. He looked around, and to his relief he saw Simon and Jake approaching.

“Get him outta here!” Dave said loudly “Your friend is drunk and startin’ fights in my bar. Get the fuck out before I call the cops.”

The guys were fast to act, quickly shuffling ‘Jeff’ out and cursing at him for ruining their night.

“Fucking prick.” Dave shook his head, before he looked at Frank. “Nice going man, this rounds on the house.” “Thanks Dave.” Frank smiled at him.

“Hey bud, you ok?” Simon clapped Frank on the shoulder as Jake eyed the guys leaving “What the fuck?” “Oh he was hassling some girl.” Frank said, shaking his head, “She was petrified.” “What a dick.” Jake mumbled, turning back to him. “She ok?” “Not sure.” Frank said, looking round the bar as Dave placed the tray of drinks down in front of him. He didn’t know whether she had stayed or scarpered but he soon spotted her. She was sat on a chair, her arms over her stomach at the opposite end of the bar. Frank felt a pang of sympathy for her, she was clearly here on her own for whatever reason. “Do me a favour and take the drinks back to the tables will you?” he said to Jake and Simon, before he strode over, stopping besides her.

“Hey, you okay?”  He asked her gently.

“Yeah, thanks to you. Thank you for helping me. You’re like my hero.”  She let out a nervous laugh as a pink blush settled on her cheeks.

“You’re welcome but I was just doing what any person would do.” Frank smiled, a little embarrassed at the compliment. “My name’s Frank, by the way. You want some water?”

She offered her name and nodded. Frank turned to Dave “Hey man, can she get a water”?

“Sure.” Dave nodded, reaching into the fridge for a bottle. He passed it over and she took it with a thanks, taking a slow sip before she set the bottle down and looked back at Frank.

“So, Frank. Is there any way I could thank you for your bravery? Maybe treat you to a coffee sometime?” at that she reached forward and put her hand on top of his forearm gently, looking at him expectantly.

Shit. Not another fucking Vegas.

As gently as he could he moved his arm away, coughing a little as he shook his head. “I… uh, thank you for the offer, but not sure my fiancée would appreciate that.”

“Oh, God. I’m sorry.” She blushed again and pulled her hand away.

He smiled kindly at her, but before he could assure her not to worry about it he heard Fliss shouting. “Frank!”

He turned to see her walking towards him, a worried expression on her face. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, Lissy I’m fine.” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, kissing her temple lightly. 

“What happened?” She asked, searching his eyes. “Jake and Simon mentioned there’d been a fight and…” “Just some drunken asshole harassing this lady.” He said, nodding to the woman. “I stepped in that’s all. He didn’t hit me, don’t worry.”

Fliss looked at him, then to the woman and back again as Frank introduced her. The young woman reached out and shook Fliss hand as Frank’s arm dropped to her back, gently brushing underneath her top.

"Well, I think I’ve had enough ‘fun’ for the night.” The girl laughed dryly. “I’m gonna head out. Thank you again, Frank. It was nice meeting you Fliss. You’ve got quite a guy." 

Fliss looked at Frank whose cheeks had flushed slightly and she nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I do. Take care.”

They stood watching her leave before Fliss turned to Frank, her hands sliding up his chest “Like a regular real life Captain America ain’t you? Standing up for the little guy.”

Frank rolled his eyes “Your Marvel obsession is ridiculous.”

She shrugged as he dropped a kiss to her lips before they headed back over to join their friends.

***** An hour or so later Fliss was ready to go home, her feet hurt, her boobs hurt and she was quite drunk. She leaned over to Frank who was sat next to her, her hand curling round his thigh and he turned to her.

“You ok sweetheart?”

“No, I mean yeah, I mean…” she sighed “I’m ready to go home, do you mind?” “Course not.” He smiled, giving a little chuckle “I’ll get us an Uber ok?”

He reached for his phone, ordered the car and to Fliss’ relief there was one literally round the corner. They stood up, bid their friends good night sharing a few hugs and the like before Frank looped an arm round Fliss’ shoulders, hers slinking around his waist as they walked slowly out of the bar. Frank could tell she was a little unsteady on her feet and he smiled to himself, pleased she’d let go enough to enjoy herself.

Carefully he made sure she got down the steps ok and they walked along the little path that led down to the front of the small row of beach bars that Ferg’s was at the end of. As they emerged onto the road area, waiting for their cab Frank heard a shout.

“Oi!”

He wheeled round and saw the asshole from the bar, Jeff, stumbling towards him as his friends hastily followed, shouting at him to leave it alone.

“Fuck.” Frank mumbled, “Fliss, move honey, quick.” She looked up at him, then to the guy approaching, and he felt her tense. He stepped forward, his arm stretched out to the side, ready to push her behind him but in a flash she ducked under it and before he could stop her she’d raised her fist and smashed it straight into the approaching guy’s face. Her punch connected with a satisfying crack and he dropped like a stone to the floor, clutching his nose which was billowing blood.

His friends appeared once more, apologising profoundly as they hoisted him to his feet, he was groaning and clutching at his face, as they led him away.

“Lissy!” Frank’s voice was a mixture of shock and awe as she turned to him, shaking out her fist.

“Sorry, oh my God that was so bad!” She mumbled, “Was that bad? Are you angry?”

“Angry?” He looked at her, shaking his head “No. Why would- what- where the fuck did you learn to punch like that?”

“Steve.” She shrugged “Haven’t done it in a while.”

Frank blinked as their Uber pulled up and she made her way towards it. He shook himself out of his shocked stance and strode forward, opening the car door for her. He stopped it halfway, causing her to look at him and he dropped his head, his lips brushing her ear. “Baby, I just want you to know that I’m all sorts of turned on right now.”

She looked up at him and her lips quirked up at the side into a cheeky grin. “Best hope this guy doesn’t take the long way home then.” Frank gave a little growl as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. He opened the door fully, to allow her to climb into the back seat, before he hastily followed her in. As the driver set off, Frank leaned forward between the front seats, which wasn’t exactly easy given the bulge in the front of his jeans and he nodded to the driver.

“Extra 5 bucks in it for you pal, if you make it quick…”

**** Chapter 16 Part 1

[angst-fairygodmother]

Soft comforting cuddles with your pick of TUA?

A/N: You say “my pick” but all I hear is “MINI-FICS FOR EVERYONE! SEVEN CUDDLES FOR THE SEVEN CHILDREN!” Except that it’s actually only 6 of them because I don’t feel comfortable writing this prompt (most prompts) for Five. Also I feel like he’s not one for physical contact anyway so I don’t think there would be cuddling. Word Count: 1508 (or 202+244+257+350+239+216) Now cross-posted to AO3: here

LUTHER

He had never been comfortable in his own skin, especially since the accident and the serum which changed his physiology. He was too big, too strong, too much. Clumsy and never quite sure of his own capabilities. Every day was spent with the lingering fear in the back of his mind that he would accidentally hurt someone he cared about.

But when you slip silently into his room, dropping face first onto the bed (or him if we’re being technical) with a sob, his arms wrap around you on instinct, as if the circle of them is enough to protect you from the world.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” he asks softly.

When you shake your head and refuse to answer, he tries a different angle.

“What do you need? How can I fix it?”

Because Luther is, underneath everything, a giver and a problem-solver, and he’ll do anything for the people he cares about, and you rank the highest of that list.

“Just you,” you murmur, snuggling closer to him. “Just hold me, please?”

He tenses for a moment before giving in, tucking your head up under his chin and holding you as tightly as he dared, smiling softly when you sigh contentedly.

DIEGO

The late nights of being a vigilante’s significant other are hard, even if you would never admit it to him. Proper date nights were rare, you often had to go to bed without him, and almost always you worried that tonight would be the time he didn’t come home at all. Which is why, when you were awake (more often than he would like, and he felt guilty about disrupting your sleep patterns so completely) when he came home, you were seeking his touch as soon as he came through the door.

You snake your arms around his waist, resting your forehead against his or leaning to the side to lay your head on his shoulder. He responds by mirroring your action, hands tight around your middle and head resting on the top of yours.

If it’s a night when you are particularly tense, which he always picks up on, he’ll whisper how much he missed you as the pair of you walk in tandem toward the bed so that he can hold you properly. And properly usually means as tightly to him as possible, almost enough to be uncomfortable, legs tangled together, skin against skin, his fingers trailing patterns over your shoulder and lips pressing occasional kisses to your temples and cheeks.

“I love you,” he’ll say, waiting until you’re half-asleep as if afraid that if he says it for real you’ll vanish in a puff of smoke, nothing more than a dream.

ALLISON

Most of the time, Allison is prim. Gossip magazines are so invested in her life, both as a famed actress and as a former child superhero. And she is so determined to keep them away from you, from the one private thing she has, that it often gets in the way of casual intimacy. For the first months you are together, you can’t even get her to hold your hand in public.

She still occasionally freezes, stiff and tense as if afraid of the contact when you lean into her side while the two of you are on the couch. Even though all you want is her arms around you and a quiet night watching a movie (that she does not star in) and forgetting both your troubles, you shift away again, turning to face her, taking her hands in yours.

“Allison,” you say softly. “It’s okay.”

“What?” her answer is startled, as if she doesn’t even realize she’s shutting you out. “What are you talking about Y/N?”

“It’s just us, love.” You smile, coaxing. “You can relax. You can trust me.”

She smiles back, and though it’s hesitant, it is still the most dazzling sight in the world.

“You’re right, sorry. Come here?” she raises an arm, making a perfect space for you to curl into, resting your head against her chest as she drapes it back over you, resting along your side.

“You know, my girlfriend makes the best pillow in the world,” you say sleepily, grinning as her laughter echoes through your living room.

KLAUS

Once he has someone, you can guarantee that cuddling is almost always happening. Your space is his space, and he is determined to prove it. Usually the one to initiate physical contact anyway, he loves getting you to cuddle, loves the moment of calm and quiet and peace.

He’s also empathetic as hell and doesn’t even need a word or odd behavior to know when something is off with you. As soon as he senses it, activate cling-mode. Of course, if you’re the stubborn sort who doesn’t want to bother others with their problems (and who would) he’ll find a way to make it seem like he is the one that needs you, to let you pretend to be the strong one. He’ll make something up about a bad trip or ghosts being particularly chatty (things he has enough experience with for real to be able to bullshit well) and whine until you relent.

“Oh Klaus,” you’ll sigh, biting back your emotions in order to care for him, holding your arms open to him. “Come here.”

But no, a hug will not do here. He wraps his arms around your middle and tugs, guiding you to the nearest acceptable surface. Normally it would be the couch or a chair or the bed, but tonight he can feel the way you tremble almost imperceptibly, tonight the floor will do because you need to hold and be held and you need it now. He keeps you hugged close as he folds his long legs over you, sitting in your lap. His chin rests on your shoulder, face buried in your neck, and if he sneaks little kisses, neither of you are complaining. Eventually he releases his hold so that his hands can roam your body, reassuring you both that you are real and solid and there with him (also because the handsy boy just likes to be touching you all the time). He may even make an attempt at massaging your shoulders and limbs from your entwined position, whatever it takes to feel you sigh contentedly, to know that you’re okay again.

BEN

You come home after a long, hard day, the door slamming violently enough to piss off the neighbors. Ben is sprawled on the couch reading, as usual. He doesn’t say anything, just lifts his book up in the air, away from his chest, making room for you to slip in between him and it, lying along him from shoulders to toes. Then he brings it back down, resting the base of the spine between your shoulder blades and keeps reading, arms framing you and gentle breathing coaxing you into a sense of calm.

When he reaches the end of a chapter, he’ll stop, setting the book aside to ask you about your day now that you’ve had time to relax. Only when he looks down, he’ll find you asleep with your face buried in his chest. He’ll smile down at you, heart swelling with how much he loves you, and with how much it means to him that you trust him enough to surrender so completely, knowing that he was there and you were safe, a feeling he never expected to have. It had taken him a long time to reach this point, where he didn’t question if you were secretly afraid of his abilities, where he would let you have contact with his stomach like this. And now, there is nowhere he’d rather be than lying there under you, even if you were drooling on his favorite sweatshirt.

VANYA

She’s not a cuddler. And not just because she’s spent her entire life touch-starved and unsure of herself. It just feels awkward to her. When she’s upset, she needs space to breathe, and she doesn’t understand how someone could be the opposite.

But when you come home, upset, crying, her heart aches. She reaches out to you, to cradle your face and brush away the tears. Then she laces her fingers through yours and tugs you over to the couch where you sit, facing each other, knee bumping knee.

“Y/N, talk to me?” she’ll ask quietly, staring at your still linked hands.

Her gentle words are all it takes, and you break down, crying yes, but telling her everything. She’s angry at whoever or whatever upset you, but she knows that isn’t helpful, so she takes a deep breath and she listens and when you sag, overwhelmed and exhausted, she wraps her arms around your shoulders and pulls you into a hug, letting you cry on her, supporting you and holding you up literally. All the while she mutters soothing things about how much you mean to her and how no one else mattered but you and her.

It’s awkward and it’s stiff, but it’s heartfelt and she makes you feel better in her own way.

[scary-lasagna]

Hey, could I have headcanons about how the boys became interested in they’re s/o? I’ve always wondered what set them “apart” or how they meet them. I hope you have a good day and that quarantine isnt driving you bonkers!

I would’ve totally done Masky and Hoodie/any others but I’ve already written too much lmao

Jeff

When out of his usual Friday night killing spree, he was caught off guard by a scream from outside rather than inside where he was currently doing the stabbing motions.

He was intrigued to say the least.

Jeff ventured outside, and upon seeing your frightened face, he knew he just had to make you scream a little bit more before landing a final blow.

He chased after you down the city streets, desperately trying to corner you like a cat chasing a mouse.

And then he saw how frail, how weak you looked as you cowered against the brick wall of the alley.

He wanted to toy with you before he killed you, so he dragged you home with him.

He was surprised, nonetheless impressed, with how quickly you found a way to stab him without a weapon.

You still ended up being dragged home by the killer.

He just couldn't bring himself to hurt you. You looked so beautiful b how your skin glowed, and the way your eyes sparkle in the sunlight.

And whenever he managed to get a smile from you proved his mood better for the rest of the day.

And instead of toying around and scaring you, y'all just kind of lived as roommates until you eventually grew feelings for him.

Ben

When Ben is bored, he likes sifting through webcam and security cameras from his hometown.

Or at least what he believes to be his hometown. He doesn't exactly remember, but some of the faces look familiar.

But everyone w sleeping at 3am, so there wasn't much entertainment for the elf.

And then there was you, a new resident who was raiding your fridge for yogurt, pudding, chocolate, Doritos, and whatever else you could find in the middle of the night.

Ben found himself watching you more than usual, contemplating if he wants to strike you as his newest victim or not.

But the Majora cartridge somehow found it's way onto your living room couch, along with a battered down N64.

You thought it was just one of your friends who put it there, a few of your close friends/family has a house key in case you ever get locked out.

What a nice house warming gift.

But what was not a nice house warming gift was the blonde fucker that climbed out of your television screen.

He found your reactions cute and funny, so he lingered around for a bit. He was a ghost, it's not like you could attack him or anything.

But honestly?

You felt yourself vibing with him, and you found yourself becoming good friends, and eventually more than that.

Eyeless Jack

What Jack thought to be a midnight snack was actually a start to his random act of kindness for the day.

You wore a necklace to bed that night, something you thought would never make you cross paths with Death himself.

It got caught on your Smartwatch, tangling and twisting around the face until you woke up gasping for empty breaths of air.

Jack hopped through the window just in time.

As if it were his instinct, he was quick to break the necklace and rip it off of your neck.

By this time you were fading out of consciousness.

A pair of hands held the back of your neck, and a gaze of darkness inspected your breathing.

You awoke to a very rough jostling, a metallic smelling finger going as far as opening one of your eyelids.

When you start coughing the stranger steps back silently, cocking his head to the side as he watches you recover.

Why this man was in your room you had no idea, but you were very grateful that he was here when he was.

The silence between the both of you was thick. His prying eyes were observing you, and it sent goosebumps along your skin despite the sweat clinging to your skin.

And then he took out a knife, or was it a surgical tool? You had no time to double-check because you were already chasing him out with a tennis racket that you KNEW how to use.

He came back though, perched on your windowsill like an unwanted cat.

"Do you want to come in?" The man in black slowly nodded.

"Do you want to hurt me?" A hesitation, but nonetheless he shook his head side to side.

He observed you once you allowed him entry, not really making effort to talk except, "You smell nice." Which made you sweat nervously.

With more interaction, you noticed that he's not /too/ weird, and he's very intelligent with a side of sarcasm.

You started to grow fond of the way his body loomed over yours, and the way his teeth poked over his lips with he smirked.

Toby

Toby was severely injured in the woods, practically left there to die by whoever was deemed to be his attacker.

But lucky you, you stumbled upon the serial killer when on your way home from work.

You thought the glowing eyes reflecting off of your headlights were those of a wounded animal, but it was worse than that.

This boy was absolutely covered in blood. There's no way he'd survive out here alone, taking that he's already passed out from blood loss.

You drag him to your car, not caring about the blood on your seats. You patch him up to the best of your ability until you can find a hospital.

But a gasp from the backseat says otherwise, frantically pleading to stop the car.

" I-I-I can'- I can't go to the doc-doctor! Please!!"

"Dude, you're bleeding everywhere, you need help."

"Not all of it is my blood."

That made your tires screech, nearly sending Toby into a panic attack. Flashbacks of a certain car crash keep trying to wiggle its way to the front of his mind.

And then he passes out again.

You don't want to be involved in any type of murder, plus you have no idea what this dude's story is. He could've been helping people that got injured? Hopefully?

It's not like you can just leave him on the side of the road somewhere.

You brought him home and nursed him back to health to the best of your abilities (and google).

He didn't have any interest in you at first, he was more focused on returning home. Toby even debated killing you a few times, and right when he had the hatchet raised, "Toby are you covered up? It's getting chilly."

Toby lolls his head back, letting his forearms meet his forehead and still limply hold onto the hatchet.

Every time he attempts murder, you always seem to have something nice to say. And eventually, you start to remind Toby of his late sister.

You cared about him, which is not something that happens often to the ticing brunette.

After catching feelings, you're not able to get rid of him unless you kick him out of the car like a lost puppy.

So, he'll just have to stick around for a little while longer, cuddling on the couch as you watch Disney films.

[nanagoswife]

For You? Always.

Chapter Fourteen

Summary: After Ben taught you something, it's now your turn to teach him something.

A/N: I've been on a huge writing spree of this specific story. I started this story during the summer of 2020 and I still haven't finished but we're still in the pre-written chapters. As for the other stories, I'll get around to it soon. Thank you to everyone who's been reading this story and supporting it. (It’s probably the story I’m proudest of)

- P.S. if you want to join a tag list for a specific story or for all, please feel free to ask. It's open to anyone :)

Opening your eyes, you saw the spot beside you was empty. You turned onto your back.

“Well good morning, sleepy head,” Ben said from the chair in the corner of the room. In his hand was an open book, “I already got you coffee.” He gestured at the table beside you where a steaming cup of coffee sat. Going back to his book, he grabbed his own coffee to take a sip.

Turning over to pick up the mug, you said, “Thank you.” He smiled as he kept his eyes on his book. The sight of him brought a warmth to your heart.

From the small break in the curtains, enough sun shone through to light up the area for him to read. You hardly noticed that he was wearing his reading glasses as well. He rested a leg on the other to give him something to rest his arm on as he scanned the pages. On top of it all, he was still shirtless, his skin glowing from the sliver of sun.

When Ben had finished reading his page, he placed a bookmark and closed the book. Embarrassment flooded your cheeks when he looked up and caught your gazing at him. All he did was smile before getting up to join you on the bed.

“Did you have a good sleep?” he asked when you rested against him.

Nodding against him, he chuckled as your hair rubbed his skin.

“It’s just you and me for a while. Claire and Derek went out to get something for lunch.”

Looking up at him, the two of you smiled at each other, then a question popped into your mind. “That's okay. It means I get you to myself.”

He chuckled, "What were you thinking of doing?"

"Right now? Just stay here cuddled up to you. I do possibly have an idea for later tonight, though."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he looked at you.

“Have you ever gone fishing?"

The question took Ben by surprise, but he shook his head in response. “My mom tried to take me, but it wasn’t something she knew too well. Is that your plan?”

“My plan was to do it after dinner. Claire said she has some rods and she told me that the lake is a good place for it.” His smile grew warmer when he met your gaze. After a moment, he nodded. Excitement filled you at the thought of teaching him something.

You reached up and cupped his cheek. The now thicker stubble tickled you skin in a way you liked. Leaning in, you gave him a brief kiss.

Keeping your hand on his cheek, you rubbed gentle circles with your thumb. It let you marvel at the feeling. "Have you ever thought of keeping your facial hair?" you asked quietly.

Ben raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Why? Do you like it?"

"Maybe," you said playfully.

"Maybe?" His amusement was growing.

"There is a way that we can get a more determined answer."

He smirked playfully, "I think I know how."

You watched as he leaned towards you. Instead of meeting your lips, he ducked down and rubbed his cheek against you neck. You started to giggle uncontrollably as the hairs tickled your skin.

"Ben!" you managed to get out through your laughing. In return, he chuckled in his moment of silliness. You continued to squirm and giggle until he finally pulled away after placing a kiss on your throat.

Then, after letting you momentarily catch your breath, he kissed you. Once again, you brought your hand to his cheek. This time, you pressed your thumb to the beauty mark just under his right eye. When you did, he slightly shifted to where he was partially on top of you.

Pulling away ever so slightly, Ben said quietly against your lips, "So, what's the conclusion?"

"I like it," you returned against his lips.

He smirked, "Maybe I'll keep it then." He pressed another kiss to your lips before turning back to laying on his back. When he did, you followed and laid your head in the crook of his neck.

The two of you stayed like this for a while. You didn't know how long it was for. That is, until you heard Claire call up to the two of you that she and Derek were making lunch.

When she did, you dug your face into Ben's neck. All you wanted to do was stay here in his arms.

Ben pressed a kiss to the side of your head, "We should probably get ready." You whimpered as he started to pull away.

Chuckling he moved back and pressed another kiss to your head. "We'll have more time later tonight," he whispered against your hair.

Finally nodding, you reluctantly pulled away.

For now, the two of you dressed in something simple and quick. Sure, Ben still wore his dress clothes, but he didn't tuck in his shirt or do anything he usually did when dressing for the day.

When you had finished getting dressed, you walked over to him and fixed his hair from the bedhead that he had. He bent down so that you could get a better look and reach the back of it as well. A smile spread across his head while he watched you focus, trying to make sure there were no loose hairs. You knew how he would be driven crazy if there were any loose hairs.

Giving him a quick kiss, you both left the room to see the other two.

Claire and Derek had cooked together for lunch. Watching them weave through the kitchen trying not to bump into each other was almost comical. It gave Ben a good laugh as well, prompting the story of when he used to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. Which explained why he was such a good cook.

What made you laugh the most, was that Derek and Claire were only making chicken caesar wraps. The reason they had to move around so much was because they didn’t take all the ingredients out of the bag before starting. So it was a process of going back and forth to that bag that made this scene chaotic.

Once the meal was ready, the four of you ate then talked at the kitchen’s island. In the middle of it, Claire had only just noticed the necklace that Ben got you.

“Did he give you that today?” she asked with genuine interest.

“No, he gave it to me last night.” Her jaw dropped as she stared at the topaz.

Asking if it was okay, she came over and examined it closer. “It’s beautiful. What is it?”

You looked over at Ben who answered, “A Swiss blue topaz with a sterling silver chain.” Claire looked up from the gem mouthing the word, “wow,” as she let the necklace carefully fall back into place.

Derek also gave a compliment when Claire sat back down, giving him the chance to look at it. Your smile grew big. Everyone saying they like it made it seem so much more special. Just like that, Ben had brought back your old trend of always wearing something blue. The necklace was just that.

All of you then stayed gathered around the kitchen island and carried many different conversations. Going from one large conversations, to seperate ones, back to the group conversations. This lasted up until you all had to get ready for the night.

Claire had told you that this was more of a formal restaurant. So, you elected to wear a dress you bought while here. It was a beautiful shade of teal and stopped just below your knees.

You pulled the straps over your shoulders and tried to bring the zipper.

"May I help you with that?" Ben suddenly asked. Smiling over at him, you nodded.

Lifting your hair away for him, he grabbed the zipper and pulled it up. A chill went through you when his finger grazed the skin of your back. It didn’t help when he grabbed the fabric just under the zipper, that laid at the small of your back, to help the slider reach the top.

Letting your hair fall back down, you turned to face Ben. His face was red with shyness, a smile appeared as he was trying to break it up. Raising a hand, you rested your hand and felt the small hairs that were on his jaw. He tilted his head to press more into your touch.

For a moment he closed his eyes. When he opened them back up, he said, “I have another gift for you.” Giving you a quick kiss, he turned to where his bag was.

From under his clothes, he pulled out another wrapped box, the same colour scheme as the other. This one was bigger though, and was in a cube shape. When Ben handed it to you, the weight was surprising, causing your hand to drop as the weight shifted to your hand.

This one seemed to get him more excited for your reaction. You watched his impatience as he urged you to open it. Chuckling, you opened it and you were met by a white box. Then, you flipped the top open to remove the few pieces of tissue paper.

Until you pulled it out, you were very confused as it only looked like a block of glass. When you lifted it out, you saw the acrylic block was attached to a white base. In the middle was a picture that Siara took of you and him, with genuine smiles, at Rick’s before you left for this trip.

“I knew someone that made these and he got it fast tracked for me. Here,” he stepped forward and felt around the bottom. Finding the switch, he moved it, causing the block to light up with a soft white. Awe filled you as you looked as the picture glowed brilliantly.

“Ben, I-” you couldn’t find the words to describe how you felt.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything.” Your heart was bursting with happiness. Looking into his eyes, you saw a glimmer in his eye. He shifted his hand that was still on the base up to your face. "I love you."

As he did earlier, you leaned into his hand, "I love you too."

Ben opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when you heard a knock at your door. It was Claire. You found that out when she yelled out asking if you were ready.

Replying that you were, you looked at Ben with sorry eyes. With you placing the picture on the bed and him grabbing his coat, you left the room together.

Dinner tonight was rather uneventful. Other than the extravagance of the place, it was any usual meal with your usual flow of conversation.

Ben had held your hand that rested on his knee almost the whole time. You occasionally would glance down at your interlaced fingers and smile.

After you had arrived back at the house, you and Ben went to your room to get ready. You had to get fully changed, whereas Ben only untucked his shirt, keeping his jacket on.

Instead of asking this time, Ben immediately helped undo your zipper. Chills once again shot down your spine when he lightly pulled the fabric back to let the zipper separate easier. Slowly, he dragged it down, once again exposing your back. Ben took in a shaky breath when he reached the bottom, then moving his hands back to your shoulders.

He slid the straps of your dress from your shoulders. His hands were delicate as they touched your skin, causing goosebumps to form on your arms. With the fabric of his shirt against your back, you could feel his rapid heartbeat.

Putting his head where your neck and shoulder meet, he stepped back to let you finish changing. Even though you didn’t want him to stop, you had a plan. You knew that he didn’t want you to miss something that you had been wanting to do, either.

So, you finished getting ready and the two of you made your way out. Before heading towards the lake, you grabbed two rods and a tackle box that you made sure had everything you needed.

On the way down, you made sure not to trip again. Ben was still close behind you either way, ready to catch you if you did. It was a kind gesture, but unneeded as you stepped out onto the rocks.

Since you were going so fast, Ben only just caught up when you placed the box on the ground and handed him a rod. Swiftly, you tied hooks onto both of the rods with the only light being the moon. Doing this was almost second nature, as you and your dad used to night fish often.

Ben was thoroughly impressed at this skill, watching dumbfoundedly. His face made you laugh when you looked back up at him. Explaining your days doing this with your father still didn’t ease the impressed look on his face.

Once you had tied them, you took out a little bit of bait and put it on each hook. Even though you didn’t need to, you thought it would increase the chance of catching a fish. Also, you got excited and forgot about that fact.

You explained how to cast the rod while demonstrating for him. You didn’t have the same confidence he had to physically go through the movements.

The awkwardness that he had before he casted made you want to laugh. It wasn’t the fact that he didn’t know how to do it, it was mainly the facial expressions he exhibited when he was lining up. The cast itself was a relatively good one. Making it far enough that it wouldn’t be too shallow.

“That was good,” you said, putting your rod into the beach's rocks to hold it up. Taking the few steps closer to him, you helped him reel the line back in so that he could get a better cast. When you had, you gave him a suggestion for where to let the line go, taking his hands to show him the position.

Slowly stepping back, you watched Ben carefully draw back then cast it in the area you showed him. His smile flooded back to his face as the hook dropped close to where yours was.

“Nice, now we sit and wait,” you said, signalling him to stand his rod up in the rocks like you had.

Though it wasn’t the most comfortable surface, you and Ben settled yourselves in the space between your rods. He leaned back on his hands and you brought your knees in to your chest and wrapped your arms around them.

Before either of you could say anything, you were distracted by the sound of one of your lines being pulled. It was Ben’s. He grabbed it and hesitated before reeling the line in. The look of pure excitement was flooding his face as you guided him through the process.

Leaving Ben where he was, you walked to the edge of the water to get the fish. Out of everything there was, you forgot to grab a net for this scenario. Stepping up, you saw the fish and carefully picked it up out of the water. Keeping a good enough grip so it wouldn’t slip out of your hands, you brought it up to Ben.

“Would you like to hold it?” you asked while taking the hook out of its mouth.

“Uh, sure. We are going to release it, right?” You nodded in response, telling him you’ll show him how. Carefully, you handed the fish over, making sure he grabbed it correctly without touching the eyes or squeezing too hard.

As he went to put the fish back in the water, you guided his hands to the best place for it to swim away. With the swish of its tail, the fish splashed water into Ben’s face causing him to flinch back from the cold droplets. You couldn’t help but laugh when he dried his face with his sleeve, causing him to chuckle as well.

Standing back up, you saw a glimmer of water that he had missed on his cheek. You wiped it away from his skin with your thumb, keeping your hand there as you looked into his eyes.

In the moment, your heart seemed to swell when looking at Ben. His hand grabbed your free one, his palm still wet from the water. The breaths he had began to waver when he also looked into your eyes.

You smiled when he pulled you closer with his free hand placed on the small of your back. "Tell me you love me," you whispered close to his lips.

"For you?" He paused, smiling, "Always. I love you, Y/N." His smile turned bright before you lunged into his lips.

Wrapping his arms around you, he pulled your body to his. Embracing it all, you moved your fingers through his hair, messing it up. But he didn’t care as he was with you. All he wanted was your embrace, and all you wanted was his.

Not being able to help it, you giggled into his lips at the feeling of his stubble. Ben laughed as well, being unused to the scratchy feeling as well. Letting your lips fall away, you kept your foreheads pressed together. Smiles spread across both of your faces as you looked into each other's eyes.

A few minutes went by before you both decided to head back, collecting everything first. You walked side by side up the path to the house. The fishing was short, but it didn’t matter.

Making your way inside, you slipped by Claire and Derek, who were talking, without them noticing. There was a mutual agreement that you hadn’t wanted to get dragged back into a conversation with them. Not at the moment, anyways. All you wanted was time together. So, you went straight to the room.

Like the night before, Ben read to you as you laid in his arms. He wore his reading glasses again that fit his face well. In the light of the lamp, he read until you fell asleep. To not wake you up, he carefully placed the book to the side and turned the lamp off.

@stardancerluv @jaydenwoo @madmax2003 @where-fantasy-meets-reality @wintersoldiersthings

[stillsearchingforsomething]

You know the greatest films of all time were never made

April 2020

"Excuse me! What's mine is not yours yet!" Taylor gasps as she walks back into the living room of their upstate cabin to find Karlie drinking from her cup of herbal tea.

"It kinda is though," Karlie says shaking her head with a fond smile on her face as she places the mug of tea back on to the coffee table. "Besides I don't feel good," Karlie adds in a small voice along with an impressive pout in an attempt to elicit sympathy from Taylor.

"What's wrong?" Taylor asks taking a seat on the couch beside Karlie, reaching out to tilt her face towards her, searching for any visible signs of what might be bothering her.

"Cramps," Karlie says tugging Taylor to lay down beside her so that she can cuddle with her in the hopes of distracting herself from the pain in her stomach.

"My poor baby, come here," Taylor pouts in sympathy and settles on to her side facing Karlie. She reaches out to thread her fingers through Karlie's hair, scratching softly and smiles when Karlie melts into her embrace, her eyes fluttering closed.

Karlie's peace is short-lived however when Taylor starts and wriggles out of her grasp, shifting up so that she's settled in Karlie's lap, straddling her on the couch. Karlie goes to wrap her arms around her again but Taylor shrugs her off shifting over even further and attempting to wedge herself into the small space between Karlie and the arm of the couch.

"Taylor, what are you doing?" Karlie asks around a chuckle as she's jostled by Taylor's wriggling. "You know you could have just asked me to move?" she says shaking her head fondly.

"Ssshh Karlie, just let me live," Taylor whines as she finally settles into the space and wraps her arms around Karlie from behind. She shifts her hand underneath Karlie's sweater to rest on her stomach, softly rubbing back and forth, hoping that the gentle pressure will be enough to dull the ache in her lower abdomen.

"What does my little spoon want to watch?" Taylor asks, dropping a kiss on the back of Karlie's neck. Karlie doesn't respond, just settles comfortably in Taylor's arms and pulls up their Netflix queue, which is always a source of much debate. Karlie usually favours documentaries whilst Taylor enjoys mindless reality t.v. so searching for something that they will both enjoy which is more of a challenge than you would think.

"What about this?" Karlie asks pulling up the synopsis for "A Secret Love". "2020 American documentary film, a former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player and her partner, keep their lesbian relationship a secret from their families for almost seven decades."

"Oh, vintage lesbians," Taylor gasps and Karlie knows that Taylor's sold on it so she presses play.

"Wait," Taylor says reaching over to grab the remote and pressing pause. "Karlie are you sure?" Taylor asks, a note of trepidation in her voice.

"Taylor we're in a cabin in the middle of the woods, a documentary about 1950's lesbians would be so on brand for us right now," Karlie argues.

Taylor can't fight that logic but she doesn't want Karlie getting upset. "Well, it's just that last time you were PMSing, you cried at that Budweiser commercial," Taylor says gently, squeezing her arms where they're wrapped around Karlie's middle as if to soften the blow.

"Hey, it was the one with the dog," Karlie protests, turning around to face Taylor. "Plus you know that Budweiser always makes me think of St. Louis, I'm not made of stone."

Taylor doesn't look convinced by Karlie's argument so Karlie juts out her lip and puts on her best pleading eyes in the hopes of getting her way. "Please?"

"Whatever you want baby," Taylor relents, pressing a soft kiss to Karlie's forehead, knowing that she's helpless to resist that face. The wide smile that Karlie gives her in response is more than worth it.

As soon as the documentary starts playing though, Taylor knows that not won't be long before Karlie is sobbing.

They're less than five minutes into the documentary when Karlie asks if Taylor ever played softball as a kid.

Taylor can't help the snort that bubbles out of her. "Karlie I wasn't exactly what you'd call athletic as a kid, or co-ordinated. There's no way my Mom would have let me loose on other kids with a bat."

"Did you?" Taylor asks and she feels Karlie nod against her.

"God you're such a lesbian," Taylor snickers and she's rewarded with a sharp dig to the ribs from Karlie's elbow.

"Hey, how come you never write me a love letter?" Karlie asks over her shoulder some time later, when one of the ladies is reading a letter that her girlfriend wrote to her after their first date.

"Excuse me?" Taylor snorts not quite believing what she's hearing. "I write you love songs! I have written you love billboards!"

"That's not the same thing," Karlie argues, enjoying riling Taylor up.

Taylor plays along, unwilling to let this accusation slide, even though she knows that Karlie is messing with her. "And when's the last time you wrote me a love letter Karlie?"

"Um, I left you a love note on the fridge this week?"

"You left me a post-it note reminding me that you had given Ben his flea treatment, that so doesn't count."

"Hey, I signed it "love Karlie"."

"You're unbelievable," Taylor mutters and she knows that Karlie knows she's lost that particular argument when she pats at Taylor's hands where they're resting on her stomach and shushes her.

"Oh my god she's wearing a "There's no crying in baseball sweater"," Karlie gasps a few minutes later.

"What does that mean?" Taylor asks, not understanding the reference.

"It's from "A League of Their Own," Karlie explains but she can tell that Taylor is still lost from her expression. "The movie? With Geena Davis?"

"I've never seen it," Taylor shrugs.

"What? How can you have never seen A League of their Own?" Karlie asks and she looks genuinely outraged, her eyes fill with tears and her lower lip trembles.

"I'll watch it, I promise, just don't cry," Taylor rushes to soothe her, softly stroking her back.

"I'm not crying, you're crying," Karlie argues indignantly even though she wipes her eyes as she turns back to the t.v. screen.

When the documentary finishes, Taylor holds Karlie tighter as she sniffles occasionally until eventually her tears stop falling. Karlie accidentally bumps Taylor's chin with her forehead as she twists and turns to face her, a small "ow" falling from her lips.

Taylor lets out a watery laugh, hands firmly holding onto Karlie as she shift around to face her.

Karlie shifts higher, dragging her lips up along Taylor's neck as she moves.

"Hi," Karlie says, kissing her way to Taylor's lips.

"Hi yourself," Taylor manages between kisses.

Karlie breaks away with a soft hum when Taylor drags her fingers down Karlie's back before sliding under her sweater and smoothing over her bare skin, her other hand reaching up to wipe away the last of Karlie's tears.

Karlie moves away from her lips, teeth nipping at the corner of Taylor's jaw and eliciting a content sigh.

"Do you think we'll be like them someday?" Taylor asks breaking the comfortable silence that has settled over them.

"Absolutely, I'll be 90 and still wearing my Taylor Swift hoodie and no one's gonna stop me," Karlie says smiling down at Taylor.

"Promise?" Taylor whispers, nuzzling into the soft skin of Karlie's neck.

Karlie trails her fingers down the side of Taylor's face so that she can tilt her head back and meet her eyes. "I promise," Karlie says softly and seals her words with a slow kiss.

I watched A Secret Love today, can you tell? Let me know what you think, comments make me smile!