#ben swam

[hairscare]

Bro let me see more of your happypasta stuff, I imagine it's just like the gang but opposite 😭

heres what ive got. they all live in a big playhouse

[curi0uscreature]

* Happypasta interpretations since these are pretty fun too

[My interpretation of Jeff the Hugger is a trans girl! Use feminine terms and she/her pronouns please]

[veritasrose]

(Spoilers for The Locked Tomb, esp Nona the Ninth)

I know a lot of folks were meh on the storyline with Nona and the schoolkids, and felt it didn’t really progress the plot much.

But I think that they might actually be the most important factor in the end. They were the purest, most human connections Nona had. And now that she has returned to being Alecto, that is vital. She is angry, she has been hurt and betrayed. House belief is that she will end Jod and the world. And maybe she would.

But you can’t take loved away.

And it is stated over and over that Nona loves those kids. Those scrappy, coarse, rough little survivors. And Noodle.

And its no mere chance that they are literal children. They are humanity’s future. And I think that love is what will be the deciding factor for Alecto. She won’t want to destroy them. She will want a better future for them. And Harrow will follow her in that goal. She will have found her true god, like Anastasia before her. And they will be what finally truly saves humanity.

Because you can’t take loved away. And Nona/Alecto loves those kids.

[mindblowingscience]

For the first time in almost 75 years, beavers were released into California waters as a part of conservation efforts by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Maidu Summit Consortium. A family of seven beavers swam their way through Tásmam Koyóm, a tribal community in Plumas County that are ancestral land to the Mountain Maidu people. This new family will join a "single resident beaver in the valley" with the goal to re-establish a breeding population, according to the CDFW. Ben Cunningham, chairman of the Maidu Summit Consortium, said the valley had beavers years ago, but due to pioneer interference, the population disappeared.

Continue Reading.

[mountttmase]

Winter Sun - Chapter 3

Note - chapter three already I can’t 😭 honestly thank you so much for all the love and interaction on this it’s really warming my cold little heart 🥹 enjoy this one kiddos and let me know what you think 🩷 also sorry if the tag list didn’t work last week I think I’ve fixed it for this one 🤞🏻

Pairing - Mason Mount × Reader

Word count - 7.1k

Warnings - series will contain fluff, smut & angst

Masterlist

After your late night between the sheets, you treated yourself to a lie in the next morning. Waking to find a text from Carly to meet her by the pool with the others when you were ready, so you quickly threw on a bikini and shorts before throwing over a shirt and grabbing your things to go and find her.

You knew they shouldn’t, but Mason's words from yesterday were playing in your head a little bit still. You knew he meant nothing by it and was just being his cheeky self but you didn’t want to be a customer of his no matter if he meant it as a joke or not. It made you feel as if you were in a long line of girls he picked up whenever he felt like it and yes you were technically just friends but you couldn’t help but feel upset about it. Especially after the awkward good night you’d suffered through after you were both done last night and you felt like the whole arrangement you had going on was a bit weird now.

By the time you were outside pretty much everyone was there bar Woody, Kayla and Mason and you quickly said hello to Dec and Lauren before making your way over to Carly who had Ben's head laid in her lap as she played with his hair.

‘Morning lovebirds’ you smiled, standing at the end of their sun lounger before Carly patted the one next to her.

‘I’ve saved you a seat’

‘Oh, that’s a double though I don’t wanna take up a whole one to myself’ you told her, looking to see if one of the single ones were free but they were on the other side of the pool so you wouldn’t be able to speak to her.

‘There’s plenty for everyone else, come on it’s fine’ she pouted and after another quick scan around you realised she was right so you got yourself comfortable. The pair of you sat chatting and catching up until the others emerged and about half an hour later Mason showed up. The sight of him making your mouth water as he made his way over to everyone.

You’d seen him in a lot less by now but the tiny black swim shorts were making your tummy churn as they accentuated all your favourite features of his. Low on his soft hips but his thighs were still strong and the mole on his tummy was driving you wild. You kept your eyes down though and pretended to read as he made his way over to you.

‘Morning all’ he chirped and you sent him a quick smile before going back to reading. It didn’t deter him from flopping down next to you though and when you didn’t look at him, you felt his hand gently trail up your thigh before giving it a quick squeeze.

‘What are you doing?’ You whispered, heart racing from the feel of his fingers. Gulping down a nervous lump and quickly flashing your eyes his way to look at him. He was giving you his usual cheeky, innocent smile but you knew he knew what was happening.

‘What?’

‘Don’t, people might see’ you told him, moving your leg so his hand dropped onto the cushion with a thud and you could see his scowl from the corner of your eye.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing, I’m fine’

‘Did you sleep okay?’

‘I said I’m fine’

‘Y/n, I grew up in a house full of women. I know fine doesn’t mean fine’

‘I just wanna read my book’ you told him lowly and after a small nod he slowly got up and made his way over to the pool.

You felt awful instantly, watching him over your glasses as he swam a few laps with a solemn expression. You knew Mason and you knew he meant no harm with what he’d said yesterday. This was a tricky situation, lines were a little bit blurry but there was no use being snappy with him for something you knew he meant as a joke and you were being sensitive over. No matter how much he’d made you feel like it was something else, even in this short space of time, you were friends and the friendship comes first.

The longer you watched him, the more guilty you felt and you watched as he propped himself up at the end of the pool. His chin resting on his arms as he faced away from you and you knew you had to talk to him and apologise so you carefully got up to go and see him. Plonking yourself down at the edge of the pool next to him so you could dangle your legs in the water before looking at him in hopes you could catch his eye.

He looked up at you instantly, his big brown eyes making your tummy sink so you reached out to gently grasp the back of his head so you could pull him closer to you and he thankfully went with it. Your heart leaping when he settled himself between your legs, arms wrapping around your thighs before he rested his cheek on top of one so he could look up at you.

‘Sorry Mase. I didn’t mean to be moody’ you told him quietly and the small smile on his lips filled you with relief.

‘S’okay. Are you alright?’

‘I’m fine, I promise’ you reassured him, feeling even worse that he didn't seem to mind your mood swing. He just wanted to make sure you were okay. ‘Maybe I should have stayed in bed a bit longer, huh? I’ll be fine after a nap’

‘You’ve only just woken up’ he chuckled, eyes brighter than before which caused you to smile as you knew you were okay again and you let your hand get lost in his hair.

‘Hey, naps can be taken anytime of the day’

‘Very true’ he giggled, squeezing your thighs gently. ‘Let me know when you’re taking one I’ll join you’

You weren’t sure if it was the sun bearing down on you or if it was Mason himself but you felt warmed from the inside and as your hand was trailing over the top of his back and you were surprised at how warm his skin felt too. ‘Have you put sunscreen on?’ You asked but he shook his head shyly. ‘Come on, I’ve got some let me help you’

‘You don’t wanna come for a swim?’

‘No thanks, waters not really my thing. You should be thankful I’m even sat here’ you laughed before he kissed your thigh and swam back slightly to let you up.

Mason managed to dry off a little bit before he sat at the end of the sun lounger with his back to you and you slid in behind him to get to work. You'd never really taken a good look at his back before but he was much broader than you realised and you loved the way his muscles contracted under your touch. Taking your time to really look at him and feel him before telling him to turn and face you.

You let him get comfortable, one leg stretched out on the lounger now so you could sit yourself closer to his body. Noticing the way he shivered as you applied the cold cream to his skin before sending him an apologetic smile. He didn’t seem to mind though, a soft smile playing on his face as he watched your every move and you hoped he couldn’t hear your heart going at a mile a minute as you touched his chest and down to his abs.

It felt weird having these feelings. Mason was a friend and you knew that. But he was a gorgeous, funny and kind friend with an incredible body and you couldn’t believe you were sat here touching him up like this in front of everyone. Only made worse when his hand reached out to touch your thigh carefully.

The sound and feel of his belly rumbling as you applied the sunscreen to his body made you chuckle, eyeing him curiously as he laughed at himself before you rested your hands on his hips.

‘You not had anything to eat yet?’ You asked, watching him shake his head before you let out a little sigh. ‘Why not?’

‘You didn’t make me anything’

‘Oh so it’s my fault?’ You laughed, squeezing his sides playfully and watching him giggle and squirm before he nodded his head.

‘Well sort of yeah. It’s sort of your job whilst you’re here’ he winked causing you to roll your eyes but you knew he was right.

‘Fine. Just your face to do then I’ll make you something’ you smiled, applying some more cream to your fingers before awkwardly pushing your sunglasses up your face so you could get a better look at him. Thankfully for you the sun was behind you so you could see him perfectly and the sight almost took your breath away. Admiring all the tiny freckles that littered his face, the curve of his nose and the fullness of his lips. He really was beautiful and you used the excuse of putting sunscreen on his face to look at him like you never had before.

You knew he was watching you too, his bright brown eyes following you out of the corner of your eye but as soon as you tried to make eye contact, he looked down and a rosy tint began to flush over his cheeks.

‘I’ve never noticed how many freckles you have before’ you told him quietly, letting his eyes flicker up to you again before looking away. ‘They’re really pretty, I’m actually very jealous’ you whispered but before he could reply the sound of someone else’s voice caught your attention.

‘Oi Mase, why are you so red?’ Ben laughed from behind you and the fact that Ben had noticed only made it even worse. ‘Are you blushing?’

‘No, fuck off. It’s the sun’ he retorted, his hands suddenly retreating from your leg as he played with his fingers in his lap and you felt your heart sink a little bit.

‘Ben’ you suddenly heard Carly moan. Drawing his name out in disappointment followed by the sound of a gentle slap to the back of his head. ‘Will you stop it. Leave him alone’

‘What? I’m just-‘

‘No you’re being mean’

‘Come on, let me go make you something’ you smiled softly, standing up and offering him your hand even though you knew it was a bit risky but he took it anyway and let you pull him up before following you into the kitchen. ‘You want anything in particular?’

‘Whatever the chef recommends’ he winked and after a quick look in the cupboards you found everything you needed to make pancakes.

Mason sat and watched as you got everything together, asking if he could help in any way so you passed him a few bananas for him to slice up so they were ready before asking him to get the drinks ready. When you finally placed his food down in front of him he sent you the most appreciative smile and your heart thudded at his wide grin.

‘Thank you, Muffin. These look amazing’ he smiled as you put your plate down opposite him and watched him dig in. You loved waiting for Mason's reactions whenever you made him something to eat as he was always seemingly blown away and this time was no exception. Shovelling it in like he’d been starved for weeks as he let you know how good it was in between mouthfuls.

‘What’s going on here?’ You suddenly heard, turning to see Dec walking in, eyes on your plates as he licked his lips before sitting down next to you. ‘Why is he getting special treatment?’

‘He’s not’ you laughed, cheeks flushing at the thought of being found out. ‘Do you want something?’

‘No thanks, Lauren made me something earlier’ he teased whilst nicking a few blueberries from Masons plate.

‘Why are you moaning then?’ Mason laughed, moving his plate away out of Declan’s reach so he couldn’t take anymore of his food.

‘Cause that looks better than what I had’

‘You wait till I tell Lauren that. You won’t be eating for the rest of the week’ Mason teased, watching Dec’s face drop before standing up.

‘You do that, and I’ll make things difficult for you’ he scoffed before grabbing a few bottles of water out of the fridge. ‘Now hurry up you two, we need someone else for water volleyball’

‘I’ll be out in a minute, y/n can keep score’ Mason told him, sending you a quick wink as if he was acknowledging what you told him earlier and once you were both done he quickly helped you wash up before meeting them outside.

Kayla had also decided to sit this one out so you sat with her, pretending to keep score as you got to know each other a little better and you were pleased to find out how suited to Woody she was. She seemed to really care for him and when Woody jumped out the pool to grab his glasses she blushed as he placed a quick kiss to the top of her head.

‘You and Mason seem sweet together’

‘Oh we’re not together’ You told her, ‘we’re just friends’

‘Oh I’m so sorry’ she panicked, face going ever redder and she tried to hide in her hands but you just laughed which seemed to make her feel better. ‘I just assumed, thinking it was a couples holiday. That’s why I was so confused about you having separate rooms, you seem really close’

‘Its okay, we are pretty close and I think since he’s moved away i just miss him a bit more than usual. It’s nice to be with him again for more than a couple of hours’

‘Oh trust me, Woody doesn’t shut up about him and then every Tuesday at 8pm on the dot they have their little weekly facetime. Sometimes I think I should be worried’

‘You should speak to Lauren about that’ you laughed, watching Mason try and climb on Ben's shoulders so he could reach higher for the ball. ‘I think she’s genuinely worried Dec might leave her for him one day’

After another 20 minutes or so everyone was ready to get out, Woody stealing Kayla away to their own lounger and you’d noticed Mason had sunk down on the one you’d been occupying earlier. His eyes caught yours straight away as he called you back over so you gathered up your things to go and sit by him again.

‘Mase you’re all wet’ you complained as you got there, walking round to his side so you were further away from Carly and Ben and hopefully out of ear shot before watching him shake his hair like a dog as he sent you a lopsided smile.

‘It’s alright, I’ll dry. I wondered if you fancied that nap you spoke about earlier?’ He asked and you couldn’t deny him. Placing your things down on the floor but he was quick to stop you before you tried to lay down. His hand on your thigh to cease your movements causing you to look down at him in confusion. ‘I have conditions, and those are that those shorts and that shirt need to come off’ he told you quietly. Fingers dancing over the backs of your legs as he teased you but you figured two could play at that game.

‘You wish is my command’ you laughed, stepping back and away from him so you could remove the open shirt off your arms before unbuttoning your shorts and pulling them down your legs so you were just left in your white bikini. ‘That better?’

‘Perfect’ he smiled, his tongue darting out of his mouth as he looked you up and down before helping you back onto the lounger. He wasn’t sat down for long though, quickly getting up to pull the umbrella over you so you could both be out of the direct sunlight and you smiled to yourself at the thoughtful gesture. ‘I’ll try and have a think about what I want for lunch next’ he teased, laying beside you as you turned to face each other.

‘Hey Mase, why don’t I have a FaceTime time slot?’

‘What are you on about?’

‘Kayla told me you and Woody facetime every Tuesday at 8 and I bet Dec and Ben have a slot. Where’s mine?’ You teased, watching his face hide in the pillow as he laughed before facing you again with a wide smile.

‘I can add you to the rota. I’ll have my receptionist send over my availability’ he teased but you just rolled your eyes before turning onto your back.

‘Very funny’ you huffed, shutting your eyes as you could feel them becoming heavy but the feeling of Mason's pinkie linking yours made your heart thud and when you opened an eye to look at him he was still on his side but his eyes were shut.

You woke up a little while later pressed up against something warm but soft. Opening your eyes to find yourself laying on Mason's chest with your arm across his waist whilst he rested his hand on your back, dangerously close to your bum.

‘You make sure you’re behaving, Mason’ you whispered, noticing he wasn’t fully asleep and the little chuckle that fell from his lips let you know he’d heard you.

‘I always am’ he smiled. Pressing a light kiss to your forehead as his fingers danced just above the waistline of your bikini bottoms. ‘You’re not a bad sight to wake up to, Muffin’

‘Gee, thanks Mase’ you laughed, attempting to move but he didn’t let you. Holding you tighter to him as he trapped your leg in his and you knew better than to try and escape.

‘Don’t go, I’m comfy’ he breathed so you stayed where you were even though you knew it was risky but by the looks of it everyone else was asleep too so you basked in the feel of him while everyone else napped around the pool.

After you’d made Mason some lunch, you topped up his sun cream and he offered to help you with yours. Your skin tingling as his hands massaged you slightly and you had to bite your lip so you didn’t start laughing.

You and the rest of the girls went off to get dressed early, going all out tonight and the four of you were in the upstairs sitting room so you could do your makeup together before you popped downstairs to slip your outfit on. You hadn’t got dressed up like this in a while and you couldn’t wait to see Mason's reaction to your frilly lemon two piece that was showing off your tan perfectly.

The plan was to meet in the kitchen at seven so at two minutes too, you grabbed your bag and made your way out of your room. Just as you closed the door behind you, Masons opened. Standing there dressed in cargos and a baggy blue button up but his face was a picture. Eyes wide as they scanned your body fully but it was his tongue nearly falling out of his mouth that made you laugh.

‘Do I look alright?’ You asked, giving him a little twirl but the shuddery breath he let out told you all you needed to know.

‘Are you joking? I’m an actual dead man. Have your worn this just to taunt me?’’

‘No, I just thought it looked cute’

‘Well that’s one word for it’ he breathed, letting you walk in front before he gripped your hips and placed a kiss behind your ear. ‘I think yellow might be my new favourite colour’

‘Come on Mase keep your hands to yourself’ you chuckled, a tingle heading straight down your spine at the feel of his lips on your skin and you were hoping there would be more where that came from later.

‘How can I? I know what you’ve got hiding under here now’ he teased but he slowed down on the stairs so it looked like the pair of you weren’t too close.

Once you were out for dinner, Mason sat next to you again and his arm was back around your chair as you all casually chatted amongst yourselves. Laughing and joking as the boys told stories from camps and all the adventures they’d been on and you felt so full of happiness to be there with them enjoying moments like this.

You’d known it all day, but you were so thankful for Mason and his kindness. You knew you wouldn’t be here without him and you were having the best time so when you caught his eye and he sent you a wink, you had to hold yourself to your seat so you didn’t lean over and kiss him.

The club you were all going to wasn’t far and all the girls led the way with the boys trailing behind and it’s like you could feel Mason's eyes on your bum. Feeling his hand on your shoulder as you neared the entrance so he could lead the way in and over to your reserved table.

Carly ordered your drinks, four pornstar martinis showing up a little while after for all the girls as well as a few bottles of some sort of spirit the boys had ordered and you made it your mission to let loose tonight. Accepting as many shots that were thrown your way, even pouring them straight into Carly’s mouth at one point until Mason cut you off for a little bit and even though you sent him a pout you knew he was just looking out for you.

You were buzzed enough to join the girls for a dance, thankfully not being touched up by any random men this time so you could finally let go. Not caring about what you looked like or who was even looking at you in the first place. Just you and your girls having the time of your lives.

You had to take a break eventually, running out of steam so you plonked on a table in your section and Mason appeared as if by magic with a glass of water ready for you.

‘You’re a lifesaver, thank you Mase’ you gasped, gulping the whole glass down as he looked at you with a funny look in his eye.

‘That’s alright, Muffin. You having a good time?’

‘I really am. Honestly thank you so much Mason, I’ll never be able to repay you or say thank you enough for letting me come here’

‘Don’t be silly. You belong here with us’ he teased, bumping his shoulder into yours playfully but you knew he was just feeling a little shy.

He sat with you for the next 15 minutes or so, talking about the boat trip tomorrow and if you were going to be okay on there. Promising if you didn’t like it he’d get you off and you could spend the day on the beach together but you let him know you’d be fine and you were excited as long as you stayed in the middle.

‘Hey Mase, come join the boys’ you suddenly heard Dec shout from not too far away but Mason just scoffed at him.

‘I’m fine here’

‘Mate come on’

‘I’ll come in a minute, I’m in the middle of a conversation’

‘Look mate I’m not gonna lie, you’re ruining my plans’ Dec told him seriously but you both looked back at him unsure as to what he meant. ‘How are we supposed to find y/n a shag when you won’t leave her alone’

‘Dec I’m not here looking for a shag thank you very much’ you laughed. ‘This trip is supposed to be about us spending time together’

‘Yeah yeah whatever, I’ve made it my mission to get you a man’

‘Dec, I don’t need your help’

‘Sure you do now come on, who’s got your eye’

‘I’m not having this conversation with you’ you laughed as Mason finally stood up.

‘I’ll take one for the team and go with him’ Mason laughed, squeezing your thigh gently but as you looked up to Dec you knew he’d seen so Mason quickly scurried away to go and sit with the other guys.

‘I’ve got my eye on you’

‘What do you mean? What have I done now?’

‘I’m not sure yet, but I’m watching you’

The girls were back soon, coming to sit with you so you could order more drinks and take silly selfies before joining the boys again. Noticing Mason was standing just off to the side on the phone and you wondered who he was speaking to before he walked back over, rolling his eyes.

‘Mase? Everything okay?’ Carly asked but he just let out a huff before speaking.

‘No the bloody security alarms going off in the villa. They’ve tried turning it off remotely but they need someone to put a code in. It’s fine it’s not loud or anything and they said it can wait but I’d feel better if I sorted it out. I’ll pop back there now it won’t take me a sec’

‘I’ll come with you, just to be safe’ you offered and even though you could see him trying to hide a smile you knew it would take some convincing.

‘You don’t have to’

‘No these shoes are killing me, I can change them while we’re there’ you replied and that seemed enough for him.

The house wasn’t far away and it was a nice night so you suggested walking, only making it two streets before your shoes became unbearable and Mason noticed straight away.

‘Shall we just get a cab?’ He laughed, pulling his phone out before you even answered but you were grateful for his suggestion. Popping yourself down on the wall next to the pavement so you take them off and the sympathetic smile he was giving you made your heart melt.

‘I’m wearing flats the rest of this week’ you huffed, looking up to find Mason taking a picture of you but he just shrugged when you raised your brow at him.

‘You look cute tonight’ he winked, popping his phone back in his pocket before taking a seat next to you and you knew you were blushing. ‘Cab shouldn’t be much longer’

‘Thanks’ you nodded, pulling your phone out and taking a picture of him unaware and when the flash made him look up you sent him a wink. ‘What? You look cute tonight’

‘Very funny’ he rolled his eyes, before holding his hand out for you to take. Pulling you flush into his side so he could wrap his arm around you. ‘Can I ask you something? About this morning?’

‘Of course, what’s up?’ You asked, unsure of what he wanted to talk about but he seemed a little shy about it.

‘Are you okay? You know after this morning when you were a bit upset? I know you said you needed a nap but I just wanted to make sure you’re fine’ he explained, your heart melting at his concern for you but you knew you’d have to be honest with him now. ‘I know I keep saying it but it really is fine if you don’t wanna carry on-‘

‘No mase, that wasn’t it’ you laughed, resting your hand on his thigh and he smiled at the gesture.

‘What was it then? You can tell me, even if it was me. I just want you to be comfortable with everything’

‘I am, I promise. I just… you said something last night and I couldn’t stop overthinking it but I realised earlier I was being silly and it’s fine. You’ve done nothing Mase, I promise’

‘What did I say?’

‘I’m gonna sound ridiculous’

‘That’s okay, you normally do but I’ve learnt to just go with it’ he joked and you playfully scoffed as he tickled your side.

‘Thanks Mase’

‘I’m kidding, please tell me’

‘Last night, you said you like to keep your customers happy. I don’t know it just felt weird being referred to as a customer of yours and I know that makes no sense but-‘

‘No, it does. Sorry I shouldn't have said that I was just trying to be funny’ he told you, rolling his eyes. ‘I’m sorry Muffin, I didn’t mean anything by it’

‘I know you didn’t, and I didn’t mean to have a strop, like I felt awful for how I spoke to you’

‘Let’s just forget about it yeah’ he laughed, placing a kiss to your forehead but wished he’d kissed somewhere else. ‘But if I say something stupid again just tell me’

‘I will’ you laughed, squeezing his thigh gently. ‘And if I have a strop again please just ignore me’

‘I’ll try. You’re pretty hard to ignore though, Muffin. Especially dressed like this’

You didn’t have time to say anything else, the taxi pulling up and you both jumped in the back seat so you could take the short journey back and before long Mason was carrying you on his back up to the door.

‘I’ll call the people, you change your shoes and we’ll head back, sound good?’

‘Yes sir’ you winked, watching his eyes nearly rolling back in his head at your words.

‘Fuck, don’t do that’ he groaned, laughing as you ran away from him before he could reach for you but the growl that left his lips gave you butterflies.

‘Behave, Mason’ you told him, trying to give him a cheeky smirk. ‘Go sort the alarm and I’ll meet you in a sec like we promised’

You were just pulling on your left shoe when Mason knocked on your open door, turning to find him leaning against the frame with a sweet smile on his face

‘Alarms off’

‘Perfect, I’m good to go now too’

‘You want me to get us a cab back?’

You didn’t have a chance to reply, your phone ringing as you walked out into the hallway to stand by him and as you took it out of your bag you saw Carly calling.

‘Hey, you alright? We’re just leaving now’

‘Yeah good, don't worry about coming back if you don’t want to. Woody is feeling a little fragile so him and Kayla are heading back and we’ll follow shortly. The boys just want to finish their drinks so give us about 40/45 minutes and we’ll be back’

‘Oh okay’ you breathed, looking up at Mason's confused face but the fact you now had some alone time made you smile, much to his confusion. ‘In that case, I think I’m gonna have a shower and head straight to bed then but I’ll see you tomorrow yeah?’

‘Yeah I think we’ll all do the same’ she replied and after a quick goodbye you popped your phone back in your bag before wrapping your arms around Mason's neck.

‘Woodys not well. He’s on the way back with Kayla but we’ve got about 40 minutes until the others get back’

‘Oh really?’ He smiled, wrapping his arms around your waist as he backed you up against the doorframe to your room. ‘You know now that we’re here, we could use this time to our advantage’

‘Oh yeah?’ You teased, running your fingers through the back of his hair as his face got dangerously close to yours. ‘You know I was thinking of taking a shower’

‘Funnily enough so was i’

‘Maybe we could share one? Save water and all that’ you offered, causing him to squeeze your sides playfully.

‘You’re a very smart woman you know’ he winked but he didn’t give you a chance to reply, kissing you with a moan as he tried to back you into your room, kicking the door shut behind him so he could press you up against it. ‘God I hate this no kissing rule. I’ve wanted to do that all day’ he confessed, whispering his words against your neck before pushing himself off of you slightly. ‘Wanted to take this off you all night too’ he mumbled, reaching for your skirt and not caring to look at how to undo it, so you pushed him off with a laugh so you could get it off without ripping it.

‘Well calm down, this was expensive’ you laughed, blushing from his words and how needed he seemed for you but you were just as needy for him too so you carefully unzipped the back and pulled it off before doing the same with the top. Thanking your lucky stars that you remembered to put one of your new underwear sets on and you could see him practically drooling at the sight of you in your strapless lacy set.

‘You’re the biggest tease I’ve ever met in my life’ he breathed, pulling you into his still fully dressed frame and as you let out a little giggle he captured your lips again in a hungry kiss. Feeling his hands dip into the top of your underwear and grip you bum tightly as you moaned into his mouth and you swore you could have stayed there kissing him forever but you didn’t want to wait any longer for him. Reaching to the collar of his shirt so you could start undoing the buttons before trailing your fingers up his body and under the shoulders so you could push it off of him. Feeling him shiver under your touch but he just pulled you closer afterwards so he could feel your warm skin on his.

You were frantic, pulling away from him so you could focus on unbuttoning his trousers but he didn’t seem to want his lips to part from you. Kissing all over your neck and shoulders as you finally pushed them down his hips and to the floor before he hugged your thighs and threw you over his shoulder so he could take you into the bathroom and you squealed as he lifted you. Holding onto him wherever you could before he popped you down and shut the door behind him. Making sure to lock it just in case someone came in on the off chance.

The pair of you quickly rid yourselves of your underwear and walked behind the glass. Giggling like kids as you took each other in your arms so you could pick up where you left off outside the bathroom before Mason broke away, fiddling with the shower panel to make it come on so you used this time to kiss over his chest. Sneakily leaving a little love bite by his nipple before you felt his fingers thread through the back of your hair so he could tug you away and his dark eyes made your knees weak as he tutted softly.

‘Thats naughty’ he whispered, lips attaching to your jaw so he could kiss along up to your ear. ‘Turn around for me’

You did as he asked, turning away from him and walking towards the shower wall as he held your back and walked with you. Propping your hands on the shower wall as he pressed you right up against it, your head turning to the side so you could just about see him over your shoulder before his lips came to your ear.

‘Good girl, that’s it’ he mumbled, placing his knee between your thighs so he could inch them apart. One hand gripping your bum and the other grabbed hold of himself so he could guide himself in. ‘You ready for me?’

‘P-please Masey’ you breathed, hearing him groan one final time before he pushed himself in gently. Knowing there wasn’t much foreplay involved so he needed to take his time but the stretch of him felt delicious. Moaning louder than you’d intended to but the slow movement of his hips were speeding up by the second until he was pounding into you. Your back pressed firmly against his front as he laid some of his weight on you whilst his hands reached round to grab your chest. Slowly kneading your flesh before you felt his teeth ever so slightly sink into your shoulder.

‘M-Mase, fuck that’s so good’ you panted, wanting to grip onto something more tangible as you fingers were slipping on the wet shower walls so you reached behind you to grab onto him and the feeling of your hand on his lower back made him plough into you even harder.

‘Arch your back for me, Muffin’ he asked, pulling your hips away from the wall and with him a step, forcing you to stick your bum even higher in the air before his hand came to hold your waist so he could control you a bit more. ‘That's it’

‘Mase’ you whimpered, this new angle hitting even better. Feeling your knees almost give out but his strong grip was holding you up as he used your body how he wished.

‘You can take it, I know you can’ he panted, the sounds of skin slapping in skin making your brain go foggy but you knew you’d never felt like this before. ‘God you feel so fucking good’

You had no idea Mason had the power to be like this with you, to be rough with his touches yet make you tingle with his praise. You wanted to be good for him, to take what he wanted to give you and make him feel good too and from the way he was moaning and groaning behind you you had a feeling he was enjoying it just as much.

You were close, closer than you wanted to be as you were enjoying this far too much and he must have felt it as he slowed down ever so slightly before pulling out of you and spinning you so your back now pressed against the tiles.

Your eyes followed his every move, letting him hook your leg over his arm so you were more easily accessible before he was pushing back into you. Your hands settling on his shoulders so you could support yourself as his free hand held your waist.

He was taking things much slower this way round. Gently rocking himself in and out of you but you weren’t sure if this pace was better or worse for you as you felt your high build once more.

‘You’re doing so good, I can feel you wanna cum though so just let go for me okay?’

‘Okay’ you whispered, letting him pick his speed up again and it didn’t take much more for you to be tipped over the edge. Moaning his name as he still went at you relentlessly until you felt his hips stutter, a string of curse words falling from his lips before he slumped against you slightly so you could both get your breath back.

‘Was I too much? I was still thinking about you calling me sir just before and I think I just went a little crazy’ he laughed in your ear, pulling out of you with a hiss so he could pull you straight into his arms and under the running water. Your heart thumping at his sweet gesture.

‘No mase, I liked it’ you laughed, holding him around his waist as he did the same to you and you couldn’t help but mirror his shy smile.

‘As long as you’re sure?’

‘Positive’ you winked before he pressed a sweet kiss to your forehead.

You didn’t spend long in there, quickly getting washed and out before meeting Mason in the main part of the bathroom where he was sitting on the closed lid of your loo. Beckoning you over to come and stand in between his legs but as soon as your hands made contact with his skin you knew something was off.

‘Mase, your shoulders look a bit pink’ you told him. His skin feeling hot to the touch and he slightly winced as you stroked his skin.

‘Yeah they feel a little weird I think I’m a bit burnt’

‘Stay there, I’ll put some after sun on for you’ you told him. Reaching for the bottle on the side so you could apply it but you felt bad as soon as he flinched when the cold cream hit his skin so you rubbed it in as soon as possible. Feeling his muscles relax under your fingers as you massaged him slightly before he looked up at you with his big brown eyes.

‘What’s all that stuff up there?’ He asked, nodding to the shelf under your mirror and you smiled when you caught onto what he was referring to.

‘My skincare’

‘Why do you have so much?’

‘We weren’t all blessed with clear and baby soft skin like you unfortunately’ you teased, tapping the end of his nose lightly which caused him to blush. ‘Would you like to try some?’

‘Okay’ he whispered, watching you with curious eyes as you applied various creams and serums to his face. His hands holding the backs of your legs the whole time and when you were done you pressed a light kiss to the end of his nose without even thinking.

‘All done’ you smiled, taking a step back to you could reach for the after sun and start to apply it to yourself but he took it from your hand and stood behind you. Massaging it into your shoulders as you caught eyes in the mirror in front of you.

‘Do you think we need to tone it down a bit?’ You asked, picking up your cleanser so you could start on your own skincare. ‘I don’t want anyone to suspect anything and I’m pretty sure Dec’s picking up on some vibes’

‘I’ll tell him to back off, don’t worry’ he laughed, hands smoothing over your skin still even though the after sun was all rubbed in. ‘Plus if we go too far the other way they’ll be suspicious too’

‘I guess you’re right’ you shrugged, Turing in his arms after applying the last of your moisturiser before covering your face with your hands so he didn't see you yawn.

‘Aww is my little Muffin sleepy’ he teased

‘It’s been a long day’ you defended with a light laugh so hand in hand he walked you to your bedroom door and with a quick kiss to your forehead he walked across the hallway to his room opposite.

‘Oh wait’ he suddenly called, just over the threshold of his room and by the time you looked up he’d removed the towel from his body and was standing there completely naked. ‘You can have this back’ he laughed, throwing it in your direction and thankfully it landed on your head so you couldn’t see him anymore but you heard the door click and the sounds of his muffled laughter ringing through the halls.

y/n

liked by masonmount, laurenfryer_, woody_ and others

y/n yellow to make the boys say hello 💛

view more comments

declanrice yeah right you wouldn’t leave our side let alone say hello to anyone. I know your game

y/n wow sorry for wanting to spend time with my friends 🙄 won’t bother next time

laurenfryer_ don’t listen to him girl 😩 we’ve got the whole week to find you a man 😉

masonmount who’s that handsome devil in the last picture?

y/n no idea, I don’t see one

benchilwell I don’t either

woody_ neither do I

masonmount ☹️

okaylaaa girly you look delectable 🤭 like a little lemon cupcake I’m living

y/n SAYS YOU 🥹 you’re actually the cutest

conorgallagher92 Mason I think that shirts a little too big mate

masonmount it’s called fashion

y/n if you say so

conorgallagher92 good to see you in blue 😉

carlywlms_ my beautiful bestie 🥹 so excited for our week together like you don’t understand 🩷

y/n trust me I think I might be more excited than you 😭

masonsprivate hello

y/n 👋🏻🙊

Tagged: @footiehoemcfc @prideofpd @yoursselo @chelseachilly @willow-writer-ivy @mm-vii @katharinanadiaa @mmountseb @carlottawllms @saltyheartnightmare @masonmtxo @harvestmount @chillymountsjess @treblebluesblog @pulisicsgirl @bluesswift @feelinglikeineedlotsofnaps

[narcissisticmf]

swim | benedict bridgerton x fem!reader

description: on your honeymoon, you and benedict decide to have a picnic beside a lake, which leads to his desire for a swim.

trigger warnings: nudity, seductive behavior, fluff, suggestive/implied smut, etc. please do not proceed in reading if you are under the age of 18. thank you.

word count: <1k

The sun was setting as you and Benedict were laying against a blanket, against the soft grass. You gently ran your fingers across the greenery amongst the ground, letting it tickle your fingertips. Your eyes grew weary as you gazed at the thin clouds in the orangey, pink sky.

In front of a babbling river stream, you listened to the soft movements in the water. Fish popping up here and there and water running across a line of rocks. You were wearing a long, floral sun dress.

"If I had the choice to stay here forever, I think I would," You admitted in a sigh.

Benedict's lips curved into his famous lopsided grin, you could hear it without even looking in his direction. "Me too," He agreed. He was sitting up with his hands folded, arms around his bent legs. "I don't suppose you'd wanna go for a swim?" Benedict grinned cheekily and poked your side, making you chuckle softly.

You turned to look up to him with blown out pupils. He was mesmerized by your beauty as you laid there so comfortably.

"I would hate to ruin your moment of peace and tranquility.." Benedict started and moved so he could hover over you, his free hand holding himself up on the other side of you. You were trapped beneath him now as he lowered his head to gently kiss your jawline. "But.." He breathed out, "I'd like to go for a swim with you."

"I must admit," You smiled. "You are very persistent, it is hard to say no."

"So is that a yes?" Benedict smiled, pulling his head back to stare at you lovingly. His other hand cupped your face, caressing the apple of your cheek with the pad of his thumb.

You nodded softly as he smiled like a school boy, rising to his feet as he begun to remove his clothing. You laughed as he was acting so frantic to get out of his attire, as though the water would dry out if the two of you hadn't been quick enough.

"Ben!" You laughed as he struggled to get his shoes off. "You can slow down, the water isn't going anywhere!"

Benedict smiled as soon as he became fully undraped, scurrying across the soft grass to leap into the cool water. You watched him with so much glee in your eyes. You took your time removing your dress, corset and stockings, as well as your boots. You laid all your clothes onto the blanket once you were completely uncladded.

"Come on, Mrs. Bridgerton!" Benedict smiled as his head was aboved the water, waving his hands so you would follow him.

"Is it cold?" You asked on your way toward the water.

"Refreshing," He grinned as he watched you jump in, splashing his face with the water lightly. He was laughing.

You kicked your feet to the surface of the water and smiled widely, so much so that your cheeks begun to sore. The water was cool against your skin, utterly perfect and — as Benedict described — refreshing.

His arms snuck around your waist as yours fell, resting across his shoulders and upper back. You let your nose brush against his cheek as your faces were centimeters apart.

"I never noticed.." He whispered, dreamily.

"What?" You smiled.

Once he noticed you were caught off guard, he smiled mischievously and lifted your waist tossing you further back into the water. He was cackling loudly as you yelped as soon as you hit the water again.

"You idiot!" You scolded once you resurfaced.

"Aww.. what're you to do, darling? Gonna tell my mother?" Benedict pulled his lips into a forced frown.

"I very well just might!" You grumbled.

Benedict couldn't take you serious as he swam towards you, smiling brightly.

"No, stay over there," You pushed the water to splash his face. He was laughing as he wiped his eyes with one hand and snuck the other around your waist lowly. He moved his hand from his face and held you tightly with both arms.

"You're absolutely adorable when you're frustrated," Benedict whispered into your ear as his hands moved down to your bum, gripping your cheeks softly. You sucked in a sharp breath, eyes wide.

"Benedict," You whispered, squeezing his shoulders.

"What? I'm just appreciating your body," He snickered, with that most beautiful crooked smile.

You returned a smile and cupped his face, putting your lips to his softly. A rumble of thunder was heard in the distant skies, but that didn't stop either of you from pulling away. Out of nowhere, grey clouds darkened the sky and rain began to pour, hitting the tops of your heads with high pressure.

Pulling back from Benedict's kiss, you looked up at the sky with parted lips. He did as well, but his gaze at the dark clouds didn't last very long. He looked back to you and pressed warm kisses to your exposed neck, making you smile dreamily. Your fingers tangled in his wet hair, breathing softly.

"We should probably go back to the house," You muttered in a whisper.

Benedict smiled against your skin and you knew there was no stopping him now; and you were comfortable with that.

.

a/n: this is the cutest thing i think i've ever written 🥺 i love it so much!! i hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i had fun writing it! if you'd like more bridgerton content, PLEASE let me know! i'd love to write more for this fandom! thank you so much for reading, i hope you enjoyed! be safe, my darlings. <33 — angelina.

[zepskies]

Break Me Down - Part 8

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Female Reader

Summary: You’re a private investigator by trade, but now you happily sit at a desk — leading a surveillance team at Supe Affairs. After managing to end Homelander in New York, Soldier Boy escapes custody. You are recruited for the manhunt, joining Butcher’s team.

Truly, you joined the S.A. for the right reasons. But after you become his accidental hostage, Soldier Boy will break down every single one of them…

💚 Break Me Down Masterlist

AN: Thank you guys so much for all the wonderful feedback on the last chapter! It made my week. 🥰 I truly thrive on hearing back from all of you — it gives me the fuel I need to finish this story!

(And it's rapidly becoming a beast lol.)

Word Count: 6,000 Warnings: 18+ only! Smut, mentions of past domestic abuse/trauma, PTSD, hurt/comfort, fluff, and a (small) cliffhanger.  

Part 8: Something In the Way…

It was three more rounds before he finally let you sleep. 

Or rather, you couldn’t help but drift off. Ben had said he would help you sleep, and in his words, a promise is a fucking promise.

After you’d scarcely recovered from the first round, he’d taken you from behind in your bed. You’d repaid the favor by dropping to your knees for him in the shower, after which he’d propped you up against the bathroom counter and ate you out with his talented tongue until you really did see fucking stars. 

But he’d gotten what he wanted; your voice reverberated his name off the bathroom walls with superior acoustics…  

And when you next woke up, to your surprise, Ben was still there. He was sitting up against the headboard and watching a nearly silent TV while he smoked a blunt.

“What time is it?” you muttered. 

“Around 6 a.m.,” he replied.

For God’s sake. He had to be tired by now. 

You rubbed at your bleary eyes and turned onto your side. For a moment, you just stared at his profile, wondering what the hell you were going to do if Butcher and the rest of your team actually found you. 

“Go back to sleep,” Ben said. He glanced over at you after blowing some smoke. A smirk started to curve his lips. “Thought you’d be knocked out until noon.” 

You too, if you were honest. Your insides felt like warm jelly. 

“What keeps you up if even last night can’t tire you out?” you asked. Ben didn’t answer you. He faced the TV again and took a long drag of his blunt.

Slowly you sat up, wincing at the soreness in your muscles, in your legs, arms, and between your thighs. Your entire body felt like a bag of stones, but it was a good ache. A thoroughly sated one.

You managed to sit up next to him and reach over to lay a tentative hand on his chest. It was warm, even with the ceiling fan and AC on full blast above you. He briefly looked down at your hand, then at your face. 

“What’s it really like?” you asked, before your inner filter could catch up with your brain. “The new power the Russians gave you.”

His expression changed from relaxed to tightening around the edges. 

“They didn’t give me anything,” he said, puffing away. 

You read between the lines of that statement, surprised that he was even that honest about what he went through in Siberia.

They carved it into him, you realized. Like a wound he couldn’t heal from. Without wanting to, you remembered the CIA files you’d studied about his imprisonment. 

“Did it hurt?” you asked, moving your hand down to the center of his chest. The corner of Ben’s mouth twitched humorlessly. 

“Nothing fucking hurts me,” he said. His voice was flat, and matter-of-fact. But he didn’t even look at you. 

Maybe he didn’t want you to catch the lie in his eyes. But as curious as you were, you didn’t want to push too hard. Not for the first time since you got here, you realized that you weren’t really sure what you were doing. 

During the day, the two of you had your own lives. You swam in the pool, trained yourself in the gym, and read in the garden. You played cards with Loco and Saul when they had time for a break (from whatever it was Soldier Boy had them doing). 

And over dinner one evening, Frank even told you that his daughter was fifteen going on sixteen, and sweet as pie, but she could get an attitude real quick.

“You remind me of her sometimes,” Frank remarked.

You scoffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Frank’s answer was merely a wry raise of his brow. 

You just rolled your eyes and carved into your steak. Simone’s cooking was in rare form tonight.

And at night, Ben invaded your room like it was his own.

You couldn’t help but let him in, and into your bed. You were frankly surprised that he hadn’t gotten bored of you now that he’d gotten what he wanted. 

But apparently, he felt the same way as you…that one taste was just not enough. 

Like now, while the radio played on the nightstand. And he had you naked and writhing beneath him on the bed. 

One of his hands rested below your ribs, holding you down while his head was caged between your thighs. Your knees were squeezing his head like a grape, but of course, all he felt was encouraged.

Your moans were getting higher, more keening as his tongue worked inside your hot core. Meanwhile, his thumb circled and pressed at your clit relentlessly.  

Your grip threatened to pull out a chunk of his hair, your leg wrapping tighter around his neck. “Ben…goddamn it…”

“A little busy right now, sweetheart,” he teased, taking a beat to nip hard at the inside of your thigh. It had you bucking against his chin with a gasp. His gaze raised up to yours, dark and filled with desire between your legs. Sweaty locks of his brown hair were falling over his brow. 

Though you were panting for breath, you managed to sweep his hair away from his dewy forehead. His eyes traced the path of your hand, but he stared back up at you again. 

“Tell me what you want while I’m still feeling generous,” he demanded. Two of his fingers found their way into your entrance, a placeholder for his mouth. “I’ll fucking finish you just like this, have you coming apart on my tongue—”

You were surprised he was giving you a choice at first. But you saw his intentions in his eyes—he wanted to fill you up regardless. His dick was straining hard against your thigh, and your core was pulsing with need anyway.

“Want you inside me,” you panted, though not without a cheeky smile of your own. “Almost as much as you wanna be in me.”

Ben smirked and wiped at his mouth and chin. “Yeah, fucking right. You know how hard you’re squeezing my goddamn fingers right now?”

He twisted said fingers inside you, making you utter a strangled sound. His smirk deepened, but he withdrew them just long enough to line himself into your entrance and slide right in, with little resistance as he bottomed out.

You clung to his shoulders as you shuddered at being entirely filled to the brim. You still weren’t used to that feeling—of being consumed from the inside out. 

“Jesus fuck,” he muttered, “so fucking tight.” 

You squeezed around his hips with your legs, digging your heels into his ass. Your hold was desperate, but Ben just braced himself above you.

“For god’s sake,” you blurted. “What’re you waiting for?”

Even he was breathing harder now, maybe more from restraint than exertion. His smirk was devilish though. “What’s the magic word, baby doll?”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” 

Ben rocked against you a little, but not enough to give you what you wanted. Just enough to drive you insane. On some level, you had to admire his restraint.

“Fucking say it,” he said, his gaze firming. “Unless you want me to leave that pretty pussy on fire.”

You had a hard time believing that one, considering he was the one who couldn’t seem to go twenty-four hours without getting some. But you were just desperate enough in this moment to oblige his demands. 

You hooked a hand behind his neck and pulled him down to crash your lips into his. You licked into his mouth and bit sensuously on his bottom lip. He rumbled a deep, pleased sound that you felt in your chest.

And you felt his hand spanning the small of your back. Your fingers once again dove into his hair. 

Eventually you spoke against his lips, “Please. I fucking need you…”

His lips twitched in satisfaction. But he read the sheer wanting in your eyes, and the bit of vulnerability in your voice. Like you hadn’t been taken apart quite like this before. Or maybe it had really been that long for you. 

Whatever it was, this seemed to matter to you. The way you responded to his every touch, the way you demanded from him, was incredibly fucking hot.

So he was more than willing to help you make up for lost time. 

Ben licked his already wet lips and guided you back down. He actually put his all into fucking you. Not only were you the hottest piece of ass he’d had in a long time, but it was a point of pride for him. 

He wanted to be the only one you remembered—the one who’d turned you inside out and made you forget that you were supposed to hate him. 

Because yeah, he was that fucking good. And you were worth the effort. 

He held you tight enough to bruise as your release hit you in waves, sending hot tingles all over your body and making you freaking light-headed. Your tightening inner walls around his cock brought him along with you, and he spilled into you with a straining grunt. 

Once he’d pulled out and slid onto the bed next to you, an exhausted sigh fell from between your lips. But Ben turned to you with an almost boyish grin. 

“You mentioned something about the new Bond movie,” he said. 

You blinked at him, for a moment uncomprehending. Then you had to laugh. “Yeah, I said that an hour ago. Then you all but tackled me onto the bed.” 

He shrugged and turned on your TV. 

“Put it on while I wash up,” he said, tossing you the remote. You had a feeling it was because he still hadn’t gotten the hang of the apps on smart TVs. You sent him a narrowed look, but you found Skyfall on Netflix. 

“It’s not new, exactly. New to you, maybe,” you quipped. 

“I already know it’s not gonna be as good as Connery, but I’ll give this British asshole a try,” he said from inside the bathroom.  

“You will, huh?” you asked with a grin. “Didn’t think you were into that sort of thing.”

“What?” 

He finally came back out, still buck naked, and returned to your side on the bed. He gave you a quirking brow. 

“Never mind,” you said with a chuckle. You went to the bathroom to clean yourself up too, then dragged on a large shirt over a pair of underwear. By the time you returned to the bed, Ben had gotten a bowl of popcorn and, of course, a large blunt.

You knew he was self-medicating. According to Butcher and Hughie, the guy had been suffering from PTSD big time…well, you hadn’t needed them to tell you that.

Even though your interactions with him before now had been somewhat limited, you knew that he couldn’t sleep. He boozed and drugged hard, from what you’d seen of his hangovers in the morning. 

The rest of it, he tried to keep a tight lid on. A byproduct of the bygone “never share your honest man feelings” era. Butcher was another one. But you were perceptive enough to see that Ben was hiding.

You were still curious though; still wanted to know what it was he hid behind stoicism and lust.  And what then?

“I’ll give Hollywood one thing. The stunts and effects are fucking incredible now,” Ben said. He was glued to the car chase on the TV screen. He was almost like a little kid, his eyes lighting up with every explosion and seemingly impossible move James Bond made to evade his enemies.

It had been a while since you’d seen this movie, but then it dawned on you that there was a certain erotic-ish scene between Bond and the villain, Raoul Silva, that you weren't sure of how Ben would react.

You shook your head. Another consequence of him being from a much different time, along with his outdated views on gender roles, among other things. 

No matter how frustrating he could be, you reminded yourself of the night he helped you cook. And the night he saved you. 

He could change, you reasoned. Maybe. With the proper motivation—

A shootout with a machine gun on the screen jolted you a bit, interrupting your thoughts. You reached over to the bowl of popcorn in Ben’s lap and grabbed a handful. But when you heard his breathing shallow, you glanced at him and frowned in concern. 

His gaze was on the TV, but his eyes were glazed over, slightly dilated. He was sitting very still, and he looked pale. 

“Ben,” you tried, with a tentative hand on his bare chest. His skin was hot to the touch, and clammy with sweat. 

“Hmm, what?” He turned his head towards you, but you he wasn’t really hearing you. His gaze ran through you, and above your head.

“Ben,” you said, more firmly. You kneeled next to him, grabbing his shoulder for leverage, and grabbed his face to turn it towards you. He blinked down at you. 

Your name fell from his lips, almost like a question. He wasn’t able to focus on you though. You called his name again and took his face with both hands. 

“Wherever you are in your mind right now, you’re here with me. Stay with me!” You raised your voice. His skin was getting really hot. 

You gasped and had to let go of him when it threatened to burn you.  

His chest started to glow and hum. Your eyes widened, and finally, so did his. 

Ben pushed you away from him and knocked you clean off the bed. He managed to angle himself with his chest upwards, just in time for the nuclear power in his chest to carve a huge hole into the ceiling, through the entire roof of the mansion, and up into the sky. 

Afterwards, Ben slumped, taking in ragged breaths and wiping sweat from his face. But then his eyes widened with realization. He looked over and saw you prone on the floor. 

He slid off the bed and went to you, dropping a knee at your side and reaching a hand to your cheek. He called your name once, then twice. When you didn’t wake up, his hand hesitated, then moved to feel your pulse. 

He felt it thrum beneath the pads of his fingers. You were alive, just knocked the fuck out for a bit…

So he eased you into his arms and slid your hair away from your face, unwilling to admit, even to himself, that he was worried. 

Not until you roused in his arms did he let out a subtle, relieved breath.

He gave you a crooked smile. “Hey, sweetheart.”

You groaned. “What the hell…”

Your beautiful eyes opened and met his. 

“You with me?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” though you winced at a nod. Your gaze shifted behind him and a soft gasp fell from your lips. Ben glanced over his shoulder, and the two of you looked up at the giant hole in the ceiling that was letting the bright glow of the moon into your bedroom. 

There was a mess of debris and wood and plaster all over the room. Even you and Ben were covered in a fine layer of it. He was avoiding your gaze now.

But you couldn’t find it in yourself to be mad at him. 

You just sighed and offered him a smile.

“At least now I have a window in here,” you joked. “Was getting stuffy as hell."

That night, you slept in his room. You practically drowned in his large, plush bed that smelled like his cologne and aftershave. 

Though you hoped he didn’t expect you to stay here from now on. As much as you were starting to like him (and you still didn’t want to admit that fact), there were times when you needed your privacy. 

By the time you woke and started your day, however, Ben led you to a new room. It was bigger, with nicer furnishings, including a king-sized bed instead of a queen. It was bigger than your entire apartment back home in New York.

“Wow,” you said, turning to him with a smile. “Thank you.”

Though at that point, you knew Stockholm syndrome was real. 

Ben shrugged, returning your smile a bit. “Got twenty more of these. No big deal.”

“Right.” You raised a brow, then turned to survey your surroundings with your hands on your hips.

He’d insisted on carrying all your things himself (likely due to an old-fashioned sense of machismo-backed chivalry), even though the room was on the same floor as your old one. It was much closer to his, you noticed.  

Then you felt his hands snaking down your sides from behind, molding to the curve of your waist. You felt the warmth of his chest through his clothing as he pressed against your back. 

“Time to break it in,” he said, with the deepening turn of his voice that too often made your insides quiver and melt into goo. 

“Do you ever get tired of fucking?” you quipped. Though it lost its effect somewhat when you leaned against him, all too willing. 

Ben chuckled into your ear. “Take it as a fucking compliment, sweetheart. Your pussy is the sweetest I’ve had since before I went under.”

That made you pause. You turned in his arms and looked up at his face with a challenging brow. You wondered if he was just sweet-talking you (his version of it, anyway), or if he really meant that shit. 

“Don’t believe me?” he asked. 

“You’ve been plowing through hookers and escorts for months. Professionals,” you pointed out. “You don’t have to lie to me just to butter me up.”

“Why the fuck would I lie about some stupid shit like that?” he retorted. You frowned at him.

“Because it’s not stupid,” you said.

You pushed his hands from you and turned away, but he held you fast by your wrist, pulling you back toward him. You frowned in annoyance at his manhandling.

“What’s the real reason you hadn’t fucked anyone in three years?” he asked. Though it was more a demand than a question. 

“Why’re you so hung up on that?” you asked. “It’s no big deal.”

“Why are you so shocked by what I said?” he countered. He was giving you a choice: answer one question, or the other. 

You let out a frustrated breath and waved your arms in exasperation.  

“I was busy, okay?” you said. “Vought had me on tough hours and shitty details. I didn’t have time for a life.”

And after the things you’d seen, you didn’t much feel like interacting with people, be they supes or normal humans. 

“That’s not the real reason,” Ben said. His fingers held your chin so you couldn’t look away. In the deep green of his eyes, you saw the same curiosity that plagued you.

Maybe…maybe if you gave him an inch, he’d give you one. 

Metaphorically speaking.

“I didn’t like who I was,” you confessed at last. “I just…I don’t know. Nothing felt right back then. It just took me a while to finally do something about it.” 

He seemed to consider that, and you.

You took the opportunity of his distraction to extricate yourself from his grip, and you ventured further into your new room. Your eyes lit up when you found an old record player sitting on a dresser, and a basket full of vinyl on the floor next to it. 

“Wow, seriously retro,” you said with a chuckle. But you knelt down and started flipping through the collection. Ben followed you. With his arms crossed, he looked over your shoulder at the record you fished out. Abbey Road by the Beatles, 1969. You placed the record and set the needle at a specific song.

The drums kicked off into a familiar electric guitar melody. Then John Lennon’s voice echoed through the room. 

“Something in the way she moves, attracts me like no other lover…”

Nostalgia flooded through both of you, albeit for different reasons. For you, it reminded you of your grandpa (on your mother’s side). He’d dedicated this song, “Something,” to your grandma on their 50th anniversary. He’d made sure you played it again a year later, at her funeral. 

Meanwhile, this song always reminded Ben of fingerfucking Farrah Fawcett at a Beatles concert. Ah, the ‘70s. A wild fucking time.

“Good choice,” he remarked. 

You flashed him a smile. 

And with a sigh, you turned to sit against the dresser while the record played. You pat the ground next to you, and while Ben looked reluctant, he eventually sat down beside you. It seemed he had nothing better to do.

“I dabbled in music myself, you know?” he told you, with a smug raise of his brow. “Had a few hits on the charts.”

You grinned in amusement. “Yeah, I had to muck through every one of your cheesy-ass music videos.”

“Hey, every one of those fucking singles were gold.” He shot you an indignant look. “What, had to?”

“When I was researching you,” you said with a chuckle. He raised a brow at that. 

“Oh, yeah?” He rubbed a hand over his beard and met you with a critical eye. “What else did you dig into?” 

You met his eyes, and you knew he had some idea of what you were thinking. 

Ben let out a breath through his nose, craving some reefer. 

“Ah. That, huh?” he said. After a moment to gather your courage, you took a breath.

“Ben—”

“It’s not worth fucking talking about,” he said, a bit of grit edging in his voice. 

“It is if you’re still blowing craters into ceilings, Ben,” you replied sharply. “Do you even remember what happened yesterday?”

His steely silence was all you needed to know. 

“Look, I’ve gone through some shit too,” you said. “But forty years? …I know I’ll never completely understand what you went through, but—”

“You don’t have a fucking clue,” he said. His eyes were sharp, but also guarded. 

You couldn’t help it. The footage you watched was playing inside your mind in perfect scenes. You remembered the sound of his desperation, his struggle. And it had been all-too familiar to you.

“Maybe,” you agreed. “But I do get having shit that flashes behind your eyes, like a bad movie. Things you can’t forget. Things that won’t even do you the mercy of letting you sleep.”

Ben was reluctant to meet your eyes, as if even that small thing would be an admission of weakness. But when he did, you knew he would see a kindred spirit.

“Things that clog up the works,” you continued. You wet your dry lips, swallowing past a tendril of nerves. “And things that should be easy get…complicated. Like watching a movie, or…”

You had to take in a somewhat shaking breath, turning your face away. 

It allowed Ben to look at you a fraction softer. His mind was able to flash away from some of the past, to a more recent memory: the first time you’d pulled him into your room and let him into your bed. 

You’d pleasantly surprised him a few times that night, but there was one moment where he hadn’t known what to do next. 

When he saw panic instead of pleasure take over, and however briefly, he’d wondered if he truly was the monster everyone seemed to think he was.

So now, Ben couldn’t help but reach out to you. The back of his hand touched your neck. Your eyes widened a fraction when his thumb brushed down the column of your throat. 

“What happened to you?” he finally asked. He seemed more than just curious. There was more behind his eyes, and enough earnestness for you to consider trusting him with this part of you…

But still, you were reluctant to give him that big of an inch. 

“It’s only fair,” he pointed out. “The CIA gave you the full low down on me.”

Once again, you sighed. Can’t argue with fair. 

You rested you head back against the wooden dresser as “Oh! Darling” started to play from the record. Now didn’t feel like a particularly good time for a doo-wop, but such was your reality.

“I told you about my dad, right?” you said. Ben inclined his head.

“Something about the family business.”

You nodded. “He trained me. How to read people, how to fight…but he was the first one we had to defend ourselves from.”

Ben considered that with a deepening frown. He’d had an idea this story was going that way, but hearing you come out and say it (even without really being able to say it) just made him angry. His hands clenched into fists where they rested at his sides, on the ground. Until something you said called his attention.

“We?” he repeated. You nodded again. 

“My mom, and my younger sister,” you said, with a tremulous breath. “He was a drunken bastard for most of my childhood. I was about thirteen when he put my mom in the hospital, and it was…bad.” 

You swallowed past a lump of emotion in your throat—mostly at the guilt. If it hadn’t been for you, and your weakness, your mom wouldn’t have needed to intervene. She wouldn’t have had to try to protect you…

“From there, my grandparents got us out of that house,” you said, with a suspect sniff. “Mom finally divorced him.”

Unfortunately, the story didn’t end there.

By the time you were in high school, your father had gotten through his court-ordered rehab and managed to get his life back together. He built his P.I. firm back up, and by all appearances, he seemed to turn his life around. 

He convinced your mother of it enough that she let you work for him after school.

You hadn’t wanted to, but your father had a way of manipulating you too. He reminded you that your grades were shit (I fucking wonder why?). You had little chance of making it to college, so at least he could teach you a trade. 

“I’ll even pay you,” he’d said. And you’d taken the bait. 

He’d been unrelenting in your training, as he was in most respects. As a former Marine, he was rigid in his discipline, demanding perfection from you. 

However, when he felt his lessons weren’t being drilled into your head, he reinforced them with his calloused hands. 

And when Vought came to him, offering him a contract, he negotiated one for you too, without even asking if that was what you wanted. But you went along with it…until you couldn’t anymore.

“I finally broke contact with him when I left to join Supe Affairs,” you finished, quickly wiping a tear from your cheek. You glanced over at your captive audience with slight hesitation.

Ben looked stoic on the surface, calm even. But you didn’t know that it had taken every cell of self-restraint in him to stay quiet. Your red, shining eyes, the way you’d had to stop a few times to collect yourself—it all grated on him in the worst way. 

“Christ on a cross,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his mouth and chin. “Why the fuck did you work with him?” 

“I told you. I was a kid—”

“No, I mean when he got the fucking deal from Vought,” he said tersely. “You could’ve split. Found yourself a husband, got your own life. Why the fuck would you sell yourself out like that?”

Your lips pursed. “First of all, I don’t need a husband to have my own life. Second, I’m not the only one here who worked for Vought.”

Ben huffed. He wanted to call you a fucking idiot. He wanted to say, See? This is why you need a real fucking man in your life. 

But with daddy issues this bad, you’d probably fuck that up too. 

“Answer the goddamn question,” he said instead, though none too gently. 

You gave him a soft glare. Didn’t he realize how hard it was for you to say all of this aloud, let alone confide in him?

But now that he did know, maybe he’d be more likely to open up to you. You would be able to understand him better, and maybe…maybe one day, you could convince him to let you go. 

So you felt you had no choice but to answer his real question. 

Why the fuck did you follow your father to Vought?

The truth was, that man had a way of getting into your head, living in your skin, and making it crawl.

“He’s a manipulative bastard,” you said. 

He knew how to work you, just like your mom. And your mother was…well, damaged. You knew you couldn’t rule yourself out of that one either. 

However, the thought did spark your own curiosity. 

“What were your parents like?” you asked. 

The question seemed to surprise him. His frustration with you melted into a more uncertain frown. You bumped his shoulder with yours.

“Come on. It’s only fair,” you teased. A smile lifted his lips, but his eyes became rueful.

“She was a good woman,” he replied, speaking of his mother. “Quiet maybe, unlike you.”

You smiled in amusement at that. 

“But elegant,” Ben said. The softening edges of his smile told you volumes.

“She didn’t grow up with much, so when she married my father, she learned how to live in his world," he said. "But she still cooked and cleaned and pretty much ran the house, even though we had people to do that shit.”

“How did she meet your dad?” you asked. You knew his father’s family was from old money. He’d inherited his empire from his father before him.

Ben glanced at you. “She sang at this club…a nice one though, not some fucking dive. She wasn’t the star or anything, but my father noticed her. Said she was the only one who could pull off red lipstick without looking like a whore.”

That made you roll your eyes, which provoked an amused grin out of Ben.

“Charming,” you remarked. It must’ve really upset the old apple cart when his father married his mother. You wondered how she’d felt about Ben becoming Soldier Boy…

“Doesn’t sound familiar?” he asked. "Pretty girl in red, croonin' for a bunch of assholes in a musty fucking club?"

At first, you were confused.

And then, you realized the reason for his not-so-subtle grin. With an incredulous blush, you supposed that you and Ben had met in much the same way as his parents. 

Well, that’s not creepy at all, said the more rational part of your brain.

…Or maybe, weirdly romantic, whispered the other part. The part that had probably caved after you watched Ben try and fail to chop onions for the first time.  

“What was your favorite thing about her?” you asked. 

“You know, all my pictures of her are in black in white…I don’t even remember what color her eyes were,” he admitted. “But I remember her voice. Smooth as warm butter. She’d hum with the radio whenever she cooked. If Dad wasn’t there, she’d belt out a tune or two. I’d sit in the kitchen and watch.”

Imagining that scene made you smile softly. 

“Her captive audience,” you teased. Ben took it with a quirk of his mouth. 

“What about your dad?” you asked. He turned to you with a knowing look. You both knew what the man had thought of Ben. But you wanted to hear it in his own words.

“My father was a stern man,” he said. The softness was gone, and your smile fell. “This kind of larger-than-life force when I was a kid… Of course, when I became a man, he didn’t consider me worth the fucking effort. Not even when I became a hero, and everybody in the fucking world knew my name, he couldn’t admit that I’d fucking surpassed him.”

You sighed. More than anyone, you understood the underlying resentment in Ben’s tone. The kind of young recklessness that pushed him into becoming Soldier Boy, trying to prove his father wrong. 

“He thought you cut corners to do it. And while he wasn’t wrong,” you said, as gentle as possible. You held your ground when Ben looked sharply at you. “You didn’t deserve to be ignored either.”

Ben scoffed at that, as if he didn’t give two shits one way or the other. You knew better. 

So the two of you kept talking, sitting there on the floor long after the record finished. You traded stories and bickered as you often did.

But when you managed make him laugh, genuine, hand-on-chest, and almost boyish, you had to try and stem off a blush as you felt a pleasant flutter in your belly.

“It’s been two fucking months since you lost him in Colombia, and what do you have to show for it?” Grace Mallory said into the screen of her cell phone. FaceTime was only glitching slightly, at least. 

On the other side of the looking glass, Butcher was annoyed.

“He’s like a coil of smoke,” he said. “Pulled a motherfucking Houdini act. I have half a mind to think he’s gettin’ some help. Other than the ex-military cunts he recruited on the road.” 

Grace thought for a moment. “Give me five minutes.”

Butcher hung up before she did. With a purse of her lips, she searched for another number in her contacts. Some personal assistant answered the line.

“Get me Stan Edgar,” she said. 

“Well, he’s actually in a meeting right now—”

“Now,” Grace snapped. “Unless you want a CIA squad storming the tower for withholding evidence.”

In less than thirty seconds, Stan’s familiar monotone greeted her.

“Good afternoon, Grace,” he said. “How can I help you?”

“You fucked up, Stan,” she replied, resting back in her office chair. “This doesn’t bode well for you.”

“To what matter are you referring?”

“You know exactly what. I’m going to ask you this once,” she said. “If I don’t get a straight fucking answer, I’ll have no other recourse but to rake through your records all over again. And we both remember how pleasant that was.”

“We’ve done nothing but comply with the government’s demands.”

“Right,” Grace scoffed. “Listen to me. If I find out that you’ve withheld information about Soldier Boy’s location—or even so far as helping him evade my grasp—I will dig so far up your ass, you won’t be able to fucking breathe.”

There was a pause on the other line. 

Eventually, however, the little toad spoke. 

“You’ll have the coordinates shortly.”

Grace’s mouth curved with a grim smile, and she hung up. 

Meanwhile, in his office at Vought Tower, Stan sighed and turned to his Chief of Security, Jon.

“Should we send them the comprehensive list of Soldier Boy’s safe houses?” he asked.

“No. Just the one in Colombia,” Stan said. “But Jonathan, it is time for our contingency plan.”

Jon met Stan’s gaze with a nod. 

“I’ll give the order.”

AN: 😬 Welp, things are going to start getting bumpy from here lol.

Next Time:

His frown deepened the moment he saw you, which you didn’t quite understand.

“Ben,” you said, even though it was an effort to do so. Every breath was like a hot knife cutting deeper into your side.

Your eyes closed at the pain, and at tears that burned down your cheeks. It also cut through the brain fog enough for you to realize this was bad.

It was very bad.

Keep Reading: PART 9

Soldier Boy Masterlist

Main Masterlist

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[descendantofthesparrow]

Can't stop this feeling - Harry Hook x reader- SMUT FIC- P8

SMUT FIC-MINORS DNI- All ‘important’ characters are 18+!

Warning; Smut-drugged sex-CNC, swearing, someone drugging Harry with the intent to force them to have sex with them(they fail)

Oh wow….wowow its really been over a year since the last part eh?...sorry??? also sorry if this isn’t-up to par with the other parts, I’ve lost steam with writing in general(c.ai has taken over my writing life.)

=

“you look so pretty!”

Harry flushed at Gil’s compliment, swimming through the enchanted lake, his shimmering blue tail moving through the sparkling waters elegantly, his sisters watching him in awe, and maybe some envy as Harry swam about in his mer form.

(y/n) was swimming with him, her tail flowing about the water like fabric, a strong contrast to his sharp tail.

“Thank ye, Gil,” Harry said, swimming up to the pavilion and resting his arms on the cool stone, CJ reaching out curiously to touch the scales that lined his skin.

“I wanna have a mermaid tail too,” CJ said, pouting a bit, jealous of her brother's pretty blue tail and scales. Harriet snorted and Harry rolled his eyes, laughing as Harriet shoved CJ into the lake. CJ sputtered as she came back up and yanked Harriet into the lake with her, Harriet's iridescent scales appearing like Harry’s used to as she surfaced, flipping her wet curly hair out of her face, stalking towards CJ who attempted to use Harry as a shield as (y/n) and Gil laughed at the siblings.

“So really, how was Neverland?” Gil asked Harry as he swam away from his sisters, admiring his tail in the shimmering waters. Harry smiled, lifting himself up to sit with Gil, his tail fin still in the water as he leaned back on his hands.

“it was good,” Harry said, watching his sisters torment each other in the lake, “met me ma’s friend from when she lived there, the lass taught me how ta’ swim with me tail, and ‘er pod taught me how ta’ hunt, I’m glad I went.” Harry said softly, a smile on his lips.

Gil grinned, patting him on the back as they watched Harry’s sisters and (y/n) swim through the water, Uma was off with Ben and Evie doing isle representative things, but Gil had texted her earlier with a photo of Harry with his new tail and colored scales-to which she was very hype for.

Harry sighed happily as he leaned back on his hands, bathing in the spring sun as his girlfriend and sisters played around in the enchanted lake.

-

(y/n) sat down at the table the group had chosen for dinner that night, frowning a bit as she looked at the drink Harry had left unattended at the table while he went to go get his food. He had gotten a lemonade today, and yet the drink had a slight pink tint to it. (y/n) picked up the drink and sniffed it, it smelled normal... She looked around, trying to see if anyone was tense or suspicious of the fact that she had picked up Harry’s, clearly spiked, drink, but saw no one.

She put her lemonade where Harry’s drink had been and put Harry’s spiked drink on her tray, tapping her fingers on the glass as she stared at it, seeing a slight shimmer to the lemonade…it had surely been spiked. (y/n) perked up with a smile as Harry, Uma, Gil, and the rest of their friends returned to the table with their food, Harry smiling back at her and pecking her lips-making her laugh gently.

“Thanks fer savin’ our spot darlin’,” Harry said with a grin and (y/n) nodded, digging into her dinner and carefully avoiding drinking the lemonade on her tray, though eventually her eating habits got to her and she took a drink of the lemonade, pausing mid swallow.

….oops.

-

She understood why Harry had been so-fidgety-while under the influence of the lust potion, because only an hour after she had taken the smallest sip, she was already feeling hot and needy, a growing heat between her legs that had her moving her hips in an attempt to soothe the ache.

“You okay lass?” Harry asked from beside her, his voice low so as to not draw attention to them while they were in Jay and Carlos’ dorm for a vk movie night. “Ye seem very…shifty,” Harry mused, his eyes locking with hers and they widened, seeing the flash of pink within her eyes. “lass?”

“Your drink got spiked again and I switched it with mine and I accidentally drank some,” (y/n) said in a hushed whisper, gripping his arm tightly as his breath against her cheek made her body heat up further.

“Shit,” Harry huffed, looking around and then grabbing her hand, pulling her up off the couch with him, Uma glanced at him with a raised brow and Harry just gave her a look-and Uma quickly turned back around, Harry pulling (y/n) out of the room and down the hall to his dorm room.

“Harry-this hurts-“ (y/n) panted, tears starting to bloom in her eyes as her body began to ache with need, she was really beginning to understand why Harry had always been so-rushed to do it when under the influence of the potion.

“I know, I really know love, I’ve got you-I’ll take care of you,” Harry cooed, locking the door behind him and bringing (y/n) into a kiss, which quickly turned biting and passionate as (y/n) threw her arms around him and pulled him close, grinding her hips against his, a groan escaping Harry’s throat as his arousal spiked, his cock growing hard in his pants.

“Harry-please,” (y/n) breathed, her body growing terribly hot and everything was aching. Harry shushed her gently and picked her up by her thighs, carrying (y/n) over to the bed and lying her down, peppering kisses along her neck.

“I’ve got you love,” Harry whispered against her neck, taking off her shoes and belt, pulling down her underwear, and pushing up her dress. (y/n) groaned as the cold air of his dorm blew between her legs, making her cunt clench as Harry pushed her legs apart and went right to work-making her cry out as his tongue connected with her dripping cunt, lapping at her clit-his brows furrowed and a low groan escaping him as he curled his hands around her thighs.

“ye always taste so sweet, even sweeter now,” Harry mumbled before diving back into her pussy, lapping at her clit and folds as her hips ground against his face, her hands clenching the sheets and the fabric of her dress over her stomach-gasping for breath as she moaned helplessly.

“ff-fuck-Harry~!” (y/n) moaned, panting heavily as she felt his long perfect fingers slip inside her, pumping slowly in time with his tongue on her clit. Harry groaned against her, watching her from between her thighs as she writhed and gasped from his actions, feeling her cunt clench around his fingers tightly, the lust potion making her far more sensitive than usual. “Harry-Harry-Harry-“ (y/n) panted, her hands flying to his hair and pulling it lightly, the coil in her gut tightening. “fuck-Harry~!”

He swirled his tongue around her clit, focusing his fingers on her inner sweet spot, groaning as he felt her clench around his fingers and came, her body pulsing with pleasure as he eased her out of her first orgasm. (y/n) panted heavily as Harry sat up, licking his lips clean and wiping his fingers on (y/n)’s thigh, undoing his pants and belt to pull out his hard cock, (y/n) almost whining at the sight.

“I’ve got you love, don’ worry,” Harry cooed, hooking her leg over his shoulder and leaning into her, lining his cock up and pushing into her wet and warm cunt, groaning at the tight feeling of her inner walls. “mmm fuck,” He groaned, starting with shallow thrusts as (y/n) writhed beneath him, her nails digging into his forearms as she grabbed at him, her head tossed back as he slowly picked up the pace of his thrusts.

“ah! Ahn-ah!” (y/n) cried out from beneath him, pleasure building in her gut again, feeling Harry’s lips on her cheeks, kissing away her tears as her body shook beneath his. “Harry-harry-harry!”

“let it out love, I’ve got ye,” Harry mumbled against her cheek, rutting his hips into hers, hitting that sweet spot deep inside her and making her tumble over the edge again, clenching around him, but he didn’t stop-knowing the potion didn’t let up easily, and he needed to flush it out of her system quickly.

He feels himself come close and he slows down, he wasn’t on the potion, for once, and he knew if he came now he wouldn’t be able to keep up with (y/n)’s need for relief, chuckling as (y/n) whined beneath him, clawing at his arms. “one-sec darlin’, need ta catch me breath,” Harry huffed, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down the side of his head.

So this was how (y/n) felt when she had to help him when he was under the influence of the potion, eh? It was exhausting and they’d barely even started. “Harryyyyy,” (y/n) groans and he groans back in return, burying his face in the crook of her sweaty shoulder.

“I don’t wanna come too soon love, gimme a second,” Harry chuckled in her ear, and that made her shudder, moving her head to kiss him heatedly and he groaned, pushing his tongue against hers as her mouth moved passionately against his. He began to move his hips again after a minute, smirking into the kiss as (y/n) moaned/sighed against his lips, her legs wrapping around his hips.

(y/n) shuddered in his hold as he brought her to orgasm again and again, and by the time he knew the potion was leaving her system, he was very on edge, his body thrumming with the need to release. “Shit,” Harry groaned against (y/n)’s shoulder, their sweaty skin sticking together as his fingers dug into her hips, his cock buried deep inside her, pulsing.

“Harry-please-“ (y/n) moaned, curling her fingers in his hair and he rolled his hips, sending himself over the edge, filling her with his cum. He groaned loudly, his mouth dropping open as his hips jumped and his stomach contracted.

“fuuuck, love,” He groaned, dropping on top of her as the last of the potion ebbed away from (y/n)’s system and she shuddered, feeling that unrelenting heat finally leave.

“That’s…not fun,” (y/n) mumbled and Harry grumbled in her ear, the two twitching and way too sensitive from the multiple rounds. “let’s…let’s not ever leave your drinks alone again…”

Harry nodded in agreement against her shoulder, slowly rolling so she was no laying atop him, his arms snug around her. “should’ve started doin’ that when this shit started,” Harry mumbled and (y/n) agreed with a huff.

-

“Happened again,” (y/n) muttered to Harry two days later as he returned to the lunch table, looking at his soda that was a bit too shimmery for its own good. Harry curled his lip at it, grabbing to go dump it out. “how did they even slip it in this time? Ye were watching it tha whole time.” Harry grumbled to himself, blinking as Uma took it from his hand and took a sample of the drugged drink.

“uhh, Uma, what are ye doin’?” Harry asked with a tilt of his head and she just gave him a look, it was very obvious what she was doing but she explained anyway.

“I’m going to test this, see if I can track down whoever it is drugging you, they need to be punished for this shit,” Uma said with a frustrated huff, pocketing the sample. Harry blinked. “we…should’ve done tha’ forever ago, eh?” Harry snorted and Uma nodded, unaware of the dark stare coming from the other side of the room.

-

Nyx stormed through her room, muttering curses under her breath, throwing a tantrum as she pushed potion bottles and papers off her desk, screaming as she tore up her dorm. Once again, for the 100th time-that damned mermaid had foiled her plans-she had to be doing something-she must’ve also been potioning Harry to get him to constantly draw him to her.

“Damn her!” Nyx screamed, throwing her hands down, her magic exploding at her feet and her bed splintered at the legs, a loud thud echoing through her room. She had enough-she wasn’t going to stand this any longer. Harry Hook was his, and if this mermaid kept stealing him from her-

Then no one could have him.

-end of p8-

Immm sorry if this isn’t up to par as the other parrrtssss, ive really lost my writing mojo and im trying to get it backkk, damn c.ai its taking all my writing creativityyy

uuhh taglist i guess lol

@sephiralorange @c-rose2081 @rintheemolion @living-for-romance

@queenofnightdreamland @kezibear

[cheynovak]

Echoes and Shadows - Part 5  

Soldier Boy x F/Reader Y/N           

Warnings:  Fights, Dead, mentioning miscarriage, blood, hurt, fluff ... 

Side note: English isn’t my first language    

Words:  3000 

*Does not follow the boys storyline * 

--     

In the 1950, Soldier Boy had to train a train a young girl supe named Y/N, she had a "nice girl next door" persona. Soldier Boy hated it at first, until they started to work together, he seemed to start to like this kid.   

Years passed and Y/N didn’t seem to age a lot either. To her it seemed that Ben started to respect her. The two of them worked together just fine until his team Payback was assembled.   

His relationship with Crimson made her feel alone, and her bond with Noir made him jealous. It goes without saying her and Crimson Countess where never best friends.   

-- 

Y/N's mind swam with the flood of memories, the painful flashback receding as the present came back into focus. Annie sat across from her, a mix of shock and concern on her face, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.  

The kitchen was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the sound of the front door opening. Ben stepped in, his face a mix of surprise and worry as he saw both Y/N and Annie in tears. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice filled with concern as he quickly crossed the room to them.  

Y/N, her hands trembling, pushed the stack of medical files to his chest. Ben took the papers, his eyes scanning the contents. Y/N swallowed hard, steeling herself for what he had to say.  

Annie, sensing the need for privacy, quietly excused herself, leaving Y/N and Ben alone in the dimly lit kitchen. 

“Is that what you wanted to keep from me, Ben?" Ben's expression shifted, the memories clearly resurfacing for him as well. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself before speaking.  

"Y/N, it was... you were never the same," he began, his voice gentle but firm. "You were depressed, sad, angry." Ben hesitated, then continued. "You had a lot of pain, and there was nothing I could do." He paused, taking her hands in his.  

She pulled back “You could have stayed.” Ben looked confused. ”What?” Y/N’s lip trembled, “You could have stayed the morning after... You could have stayed with me when I lost...” Y/N could see she was working on his nerves.

"You said I needed to leave!”  

She got closer to him, fingers pointing to his chest. “Because you accused Noir! It was you who fucked me Ben, it was you who said all the right words to get me to sleep with you. It was you who I told that I needed, no wanted a steady relationship. It was you who left before the morning and acted like nothing ever happened. It was you who used me! It was YOU who was the FUCKING father!”  

Both Ben and Y/N’s eyes started to tear. “I know” Ben said his lip trembling “I know... I know that."

The weight of the moment pressed heavily on both of them, the revelations and emotions swirling around them like a storm. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes again.  

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Ben took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving hers. "Because you didn't remember," he explained, his voice pained, "I didn't want to put you through it all over again."  

Y/N's brow furrowed in confusion. "But you knew it wasn't Earving's right? How did you find out, did I told you it was yours?" Ben hesitated, the memory clearly painful for him. "There was a moment, after you got home from the hospital," he began, his voice low.

"I was angry, confused. I thought... I thought you had been with someone else. I accused you of sleeping with Noir of cheating on me." Y/N's eyes widened in shock.  

“So I... I asked Vogelbaum for the test results they did after you refused to answer who’s it was. I wanted to confront you...” He continued. “He eh, also said you asked to eh... make sure that could never happen again.”  

Y/N nods remembering the conversation.” He said he’d do it if he could use my DNA for tests.” Ben took a step closer, “In ‘80 he asked me to get tested too. Probably to make sure something like that never happens again.”  

She got up “Probably.” and moved to the bedrooms.” Hey” Ben said, Y/N turned around.” I never meant to hurt you. I’m not a bad guy... you know that.” Y/N sniffed “I don’t know what to believe anymore Ben.” before she left for her room. 

Ben lay on his back, staring at the dark ceiling of his bedroom. The familiar shapes of the furniture took on ghostly forms in the dim light filtering through the curtains. His mind was a labyrinth of tangled thoughts and regrets.  

He turned onto his side, trying to escape the memories that flooded his consciousness, but it was useless. The soft, heart-wrenching sobs from the next room pierced the silence, each cry a dagger in his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to ignore the sound, but Y/N's grief was impossible to ignore.  

It was a Deja vu from 1979, the year everything changed, the year he lost her thanks to his own fucking stupid mistakes. The memory came rushing back with a clarity that was almost painful. "The baby was yours." Vogelbaum had said, Ben had been numb at first, unable to process the enormity of the loss.  

But Y/N had been devastated, her sorrow a palpable force that hung over them like a dark cloud. He had been such a fool. He remembered the way suspicion had gnawed at him, how he had convinced himself that the child couldn't be his.  

The guilt gnawed at him now, years later, as he lay in the dark. He had betrayed her trust, accused her of infidelity, while he himself was entangled in a multiple affairs. The irony was bitter on his tongue.  

The fights with Crimson Countess had become more frequent and more violent after Y/N lost the baby. Ben knew, deep down, that she had always known the truth. The baby had been his, a cruel twist of fate that he couldn't accept at the time. He had projected his own guilt and shame onto Y/N, using anger to mask his fear. 

The sobs from the next room intensified, a crescendo of anguish that echoed through the walls. Ben's heart ached with the knowledge that he was the cause of her pain. He had never truly understood how deeply she had been wounded until it was too late.  

Crimson Countess had been a reckless attempt to escape the reality of his own failures. But the more he fought with her, the more he saw the truth reflected in her eyes. She had known all along that he wanted Y/N but was too scared, and she had used that knowledge to manipulate him, to keep him under her control.  

The doubt and anger had twisted him into someone he no longer recognized. Ben sat up in bed, the weight of his remorse pressing down on him. He couldn't change the past, but he could try to make amends.  

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, the floorboards creaking beneath his feet. He hesitated for a moment, then walked to the door and quietly opened it. The hallway was dark, the only light coming from the sliver under Y/N's door.  

He moved silently, each step a reminder of the countless times he had walked this path before. He paused outside her room, listening to the sound of her sobs, his heart breaking anew.  

Ben knocked softly, the sound barely audible. There was a moment of silence, then the door opened a crack. Y/N's tear-streaked face appeared, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "What?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.  

"I'm... sorry, Y/N," he said, his voice trembling but honest. She looked at him for a long moment, the pain in her eyes a mirror of his own. Then, slowly, she opened the door wider, allowing him to step inside.

Ben gently lifted Y/N off the ground, feeling her small frame tremble against him. He carried her to the bed, settling her gently against his chest. The years of distance and unspoken pain melted away as he held her close, his hand moving soothingly over her back.  

He pressed his lips to her hair, whispering words of comfort that he hoped could bridge the chasm between them. "It's okay, let it all out" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Not anymore."  

Her sobs gradually slowed, turning into shaky breaths. Each exhale was a fragile testament to the weight of her sorrow. Ben continued to stroke her back, the rhythmic motion intended to calm the storm of emotions within her. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest, a rapid, fragile flutter that gradually steadied.  

Y/N nestled closer against Ben, drawing strength from his embrace. But the question that had lingered in her mind for years surfaced, raw and demanding answers. "Ben, why didn't you ever choose me? Was I not good enough?"

Her voice was a whisper, tinged with a pain that had never fully healed. Ben's breath caught in his throat. He had known this question would come someday, but facing it now, with her fragile and vulnerable in his arms, made it all the more excruciating.  

He tightened his hold on her, as if by doing so he could shield her from the painful truth. "I..." He hesitated, searching for the right words. "I never thought I was good enough for you, Y/N. You were always this incredible, kind, and beautiful person, and I... I was flawed, broken.” 

He took a deep breath. “Once I got to know you, I felt like I didn't deserve you, like I would only drag you down... and I did." She looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for sincerity. "But you were everything to me, Ben. I loved you. I needed you. I sticked with you since the first day we were introduced."   

"I know," he said, his voice breaking. "And I failed you. It was easier to push you away, to hide. It was cowardly, and it was wrong." Y/N's fingers tightened on his shirt, her knuckles whitening.  

"I would have never asked you to choose me, but when you said you wanted to be the man I wanted, I believed you." Ben closed his eyes, the memory of that terrible time slicing through him like a knife. “I meant it, I just... freaked out in the morning.”  

“Why?” He looked in her eyes, the honesty reflecting in his green pearls. “I saw everything I dreamt of. You, me a life together somewhere in the country, sitting on a porch watching our grandkids...”  

He could see the tears in her eyes shine, but also a soft smile on her lips. “And then I thought about what my father said, and I... just... ran. Afraid of losing what we had. Afraid to fuck everything up, which, I know I did by treating you that way. But still, you would have the opportunity to find a man who isn’t a disappointment, like fucking Noir.”   

He looked at his hand that was still caressing her back. Y/N’s hand moved over his cheek, his beard feeling rough against her skin. “You are not a disappointment, Ben.” She lifted herself and softly placed her lips on his. “An idiot, yes, disappointment never.” He smirked.  

-- 

As the first light of dawn crept into the room, Ben and Y/N still entwined in each other's arms, the comfort of their closeness a balm to years of pain. They had fallen asleep at some point during the night, their bodies and hearts finally finding a moment of peace.  

But that peace was shattered by the loud, insistent pounding on the door. "Oi! Wakey, wakey!" Butcher's voice bellowed through the wood. "Get yer arses up! We got work to do." Ben stirred, blinking groggily as he sat up, his arm still wrapped protectively around Y/N.  

She awoke with a start, her eyes wide and disoriented. The brief moment of tranquillity was gone, replaced by the urgency of Butcher's call. "What's going on?" Y/N asked, her voice still husky from sleep. Ben frowned, his mind racing to catch up. "Sounds like Butcher found something."  

They dressed quickly, the previous night's intimacy giving way to the practical need for action. When they emerged from the room, Butcher was waiting in the hallway, his expression a mix of impatience and grim determination.  

"We found Mindstorm," Butcher said without preamble. "He's holed up in a compound not far from here. We need to move fast." Y/N's heart quickened at the mention of Mindstorm. She had her own reasons for wanting to find him, reasons she hadn't yet shared with Ben.  

"I'm coming with you," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Butcher raised an eyebrow. "This ain't a sightseeing tour, love. It's gonna be dangerous." 

"I know," Y/N replied firmly." Ben looked at her, concern etched on his face. "Y/N, are you sure? This is just about getting revenge. You know that right?" She met his gaze, her eyes steady. "I'm sure, Ben." Butcher glanced at Ben, then back at Y/N.  

After a long moment, he nodded reluctantly. "Alright. But you stay close, and if things go south, you follow my lead. Got it?" - "Got it," Y/N agreed, relief flooding through her. They set out together, the tension of the upcoming confrontation hanging heavy in the air.  

As they neared Mindstorm's compound, Y/N's resolve only strengthened. She knew this was her chance to reclaim the pieces of herself that had been lost. She acted like she changed her mind. Staying behind with the car. Ben and Butcher looked with suspicion but moved on. 

But before Butcher or Ben could make a move, Hughie appeared beside Mindstorm in a blink, grabbing his arm. "Now!" Y/N shouted, and in an instant, they were gone, teleported. She knew this was her chance, and she was determined to uncover the truth about her past, no matter what it took.  

Mindstorm looked frightened, his eyes darting around as if expecting Soldier Boy or Butcher to appear at any moment. Hughie stood beside him, ready to teleport them away at the first sign of trouble.  

"Y/N," Hughie said, relief evident in his voice as she approached. "We don't have much time." She with her eyes still closed said. "I need to talk to him. Alone." Hughie hesitated, then gave a quick “ok”   

With that, he stepped out of earshot, leaving Y/N alone with Mindstorm. She took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She took a deep breath steadying herself. "Mindstorm, I need your help."  

"Help?" he echoed, his voice shaking. "Why would I help you? You know what they’ll do to me if they find me." She opened her eyes, her expression resolute. "Because I can get you out of here. Hughie will take you anywhere you want to go, away from Soldier Boy, away from Vought. But I need you to give me back my memories first."  

Mindstorm swallowed hard, his fear evident. "I... I can't. If they find out..." "They won't," Y/N interrupted, her voice firm. "This is your chance to disappear. To start over. But I need to know the truth. I need to know what happened to me."  

He hesitated, his eyes searching hers for any sign of deceit. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping. Y/N stepped closer, her eyes never leaving his. "I know Vought had you do it. There's no way I would forget such a significant part of my past just from a fight. You erased my memories, didn't you?"  

Mindstorm nodded, guilt and fear warring in his expression. "Yes. Vought ordered it. They wanted to protect their secrets. They didn't care about what it would do to you." "Give them back," Y/N demanded, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and desperation. "I need to know everything." and in a second he did. 

She felt a strange sensation, like a gentle tugging at the edges of her consciousness. Images and feelings began to flood back, overwhelming her senses. She saw herself with Ben, their happy moments before the tragedy of losing their unborn child.  

She felt the crushing grief, the accusations, the betrayal. She remembered the day Vought had taken her, to a room where Mindstorm had erased her memories. Tears streamed down her face as the memories continued to pour in, each one a sharp reminder of the life she had lost.  

Mindstorm looked at her, his expression a mixture of pity and relief. "It's done. You have them all back." Y/N wiped her tears, her resolve hardening. "Thank you," she said, her voice steady. "Now, go with Hughie. He'll take you somewhere safe." 

Before Mindstorm could react, Ben hurled a knife with lethal precision. The blade buried itself in Mindstorm's eye, eliciting a bloodcurdling scream. He fell to his knees, clutching his face as blood streamed down. Ben didn't hesitate. He grabbed Mindstorm by the hair, dragging him to the ground.  

"You think you can mess with her mind and get away with it?" Ben snarled, slamming Mindstorm's head against the floor. "You think you can ruin our lives and walk free?" Mindstorm's voice was barely a whisper, choked with pain and fear. "Please... I was following orders. Vought... Vought made me do it." Ben hesitated, his grip loosening slightly. 

Y/N and Hughie heard Ben yell.

"What are you talking about?!" Mindstorm coughed, blood trickling from his mouth. "They needed you gone. Both of you. Vought... had a plan, they made a baby. Born in 1981. A replacement for you. They couldn't have you around, too much of a liability. And they couldn't risk Y/N remembering."  

Y/N's eyes widened when seeing Ben’s anger flare “WHAT! That’s impossible!” he yelled, her breath catching in her throat. "Ben stop! STOP!" With a brutal motion, Ben slammed his shield into Mindstorm's head, over and over.  

The supes' body went limp. a heavy silence fell upon them, broken only by the ragged breathing of Ben. "What did he say?" she asked when he walked past them. "Ben?"

But he ignored her and walked on.  

------

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Tag list:-> If you want to be added let me know what you like to read! If anyone feels like you're tagged too much, also let me know please. :)

@suckitands33 @mostlymarvelgirl @globetrotter28 @jackles010378 @hobby27

@cevansbaby-dove @n-o-p-e-never

@call-me-mrs-winchester @muhahaha303 @deangirl96 @bitchykittenconnoisseur @loving4ngel

[stupidstrawberrystars]

Can I just say that when poor Jennifer appeared at the start of that episode from a squid, nobody in history could’ve convinced me that THAT squid wasn’t Ben.

I was SO 100% sure that Ben died because they were on a mission on a boat and a girl fell overboard and he jumped to save her but they couldn’t swim back up so he closed his eyes and became a squid to cover her until she was back up on the surface safe and sound. WHICH is really traumatic and would explain why it’s just called the Jennifer Incident.

(Whereas Sparrow Ben reached her underwater, realised he couldn’t save them both, and swam back up alone).

Bonus points if they’d already met somehow, since they totally implied Ben KNEW Jennifer since there were drawings and shit. Maybe even only Umbrella Ben knew Jennifer which is why he made that sacrifice.

Dont get me wrong I loved fighty, deny their father, Ben and I even liked Reginald shooting him (though not in front of them and wiping their minds that felt dumb). But I didn’t like Jennifer being in a fucking squid for no reason, or Ben being treated like he’s Umbrella Ben when he’s NOTTTTT

[kingsmoot]

softly as a lover / a thramsay mix

When the last of them were gone, Ramsay Bolton turned his smile on Reek. He clasped him by the back of the head, pulled his face close, kissed him on his cheek, and whispered, “My old friend Reek. Did they really take you for their prince? What bloody fools, these ironmen. The gods are laughing.” “All they want is to go home, my lord.” “And what do you want, my sweet Reek?” Ramsay murmured, as softly as a lover. His breath smelled of mulled wine and cloves, so sweet. “Such valiant service deserves a reward. I cannot give you back your fingers or your toes, but surely there is something you would have of me. Shall I free you instead? Release you from my service? Do you want to go with them, return to your bleak isles in the cold grey sea, be a prince again? Or would you sooner stay my leal serving man?” A cold knife scraped along his spine. Be careful, he told himself, be very, very careful. He did not like his lordship’s smile, the way his eyes were shining, the spittle glistening at the corner of his mouth. He had seen such signs before. You are no prince. You’re Reek, just Reek, it rhymes with freak. Give him the answer that he wants. “My lord,” he said, “my place is here, with you. I’m your Reek. I only want to serve you. All I ask … a skin of wine, that would be reward enough for me … red wine, the strongest that you have, all the wine a man can drink …” Lord Ramsay laughed. “You’re not a man, Reek. You’re just my creature. You’ll have your wine, though. Walder, see to it. And fear not, I won’t return you to the dungeons, you have my word as a Bolton. We’ll make a dog of you instead. Meat every day, and I’ll even leave you teeth enough to eat it. You can sleep beside my girls. Ben, do you have a collar for him?” “I’ll have one made, m’lord,” said old Ben Bones. The old man did better than that. That night, besides the collar, there was a ragged blanket too, and half a chicken. Reek had to ɹght the dogs for the meat, but it was the best meal he’d had since Winterfell. And the wine … the wine was dark and sour, but strong. Squatting amongst the hounds, Reek drank until his head swam, retched, wiped his mouth, and drank some more. Afterward he lay back and closed his eyes. When he woke a dog was licking vomit from his beard, and dark clouds were scuttling across the face of a sickle moon. Somewhere in the night, men were screaming. He shoved the dog aside, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

i. polly - nirvana ii. run from me - timber timbre iii. gibson girl - ethel cain iv. tear you apart - she wants revenge v. doll parts - hole vi. bleed the freak - alice in chains vii. love buzz - nirvana viii. terrible lie - nin ix. kiss - london after midnight x. heaven beside you - alice in chains xi. covet - basement xii. no ordinary love - deftones xiii. prison sex - tool xiv. purity - slipknot xv. rape me - nirvana

❦︎ play on spotify

[eclecticqueennerd]

Zoo Date w/ The Boys

Hughie- He would be excited to go to the zoo. He hasn’t been since he was a little boy and went with his dad. I feel like he’d constantly tell you fun facts about the animals you see. “Did you know that Flamingos are born white, and they turn pink because of the type of food they eat? I think I read that somewhere.” You point to the information plaque on the enclosure “It also said it on that sign Hughie.” “Oh… I guess it does.” At the end of the day, on the way home, he’d complain about his feet hurting from all the walking you guys did.

Frenchie- hands down would love it, especially if he took acid before going. Can you imagine the acid kicking in by the time the two of you walked into the aquarium? “Look at this weird fucker, eh?” He would look like a kid on Christmas, making faces at all the fish that swam by and entranced by all the bright colors.

Kimiko- like Frenchie, she would love it. The zoo was a place where she felt normal and didn’t have to worry about using her powers. Her face would constantly light up and the sight of an animal she liked. After riding the Carousel, her smile stayed on until the two of you got back to the hideout.

MM- This man, he loves you, that’s the only reason why he’s here. He lost track of how many times he’s been to the zoo with his daughter Janine, so its lost its magic, but he likes to watch how your eyes brighten when you see the baby elephant running around in front of you. I feel like if you were short and trying to see something cool, he’d use his size to push people out of the way for you to get a chance to see it. I mean MM is a large intimidating man, but for you he’s a big softie. He would buy you a stuffed animal that you were eyeing in the gift shop.

Billy- When you finally convince Billy to take you out to the zoo, he reluctantly goes. While there, this man cannot relax! He’s looking behind his shoulder every few minutes to make sure that you’re not being followed, which you’re in a packed zoo, you’re gonna be followed at some point. “Oi cunt, you better not try anything.” He’d say at a man carrying a baby. “Billy, he’s got a kid.” “Aye the perfect coverup.” God you can’t take this man anywhere…

Ben- absolutely out of the question. He does not do well in crowds. You decided to stay home instead, watching a nature documentary. He’d constantly hmm, and haw in some parts where it was supposed to be interesting, but he really didn’t care. When it got to the mating ritual, Ben would attempt to do some ‘Netflix and Chill’ and you just couldn’t resist his charm.

Homelander- he took you to the zoo because of how well behaved you’d been. While there, he was instantly recognized and swarms of people would form around him, enclosing the two of you in a tight circle. This man knows how to deal with crowds, you not so much. He hears your heart begin to race over all the commotion. He quickly grabs you and the two of you fly off to get an ice cream cone. You were disappointed that your zoo trip was ruined by adoring fans and thought it was time to go back to the tower, until Homelander surprised you. The two of you revisited the zoo after hours. “I thought we were going home.” “No, my best girl needs to be rewarded.” “How’d you manage you get permission for us to be here? I was with you the whole day and I don’t remember you making a phone call.” “Honey, I don’t need permission, I’m the Homelander.”

[siremasterlawrence]

Midnight Birthday Blizt

It’s midnight on my birthday August 29th as I get up to a faint light blaring in my fcae as my eyes wake up a bit to find a glowing ball of light dancing before me and I am in awe.The window flew upward as the light is on a bit of fire shooting down street as I see odd dark shadow of a rather muscular large man come down the block.He looks amazing with red apple ear pods in his ears as he runs too deep into his mind going a thousand miles per hour and he does not see it coming as the light hits head on.The light smashes in to his chest as he stop freezing in time as everything began to spin round and round hitting every nerve spreads upward. His eyes begin to blink non stop as i get up for good, grabbing a few clothes as I go out into the hallway and race down the grand staircase. My heart is pounding as the door slid open to the side I let it crack a bit slipping out of my home and I stand outside to see him a bit slow.He bounces back to life moving around like a crazy person then stopping to turn to me staring me down and he looks at me head on.

“Hey sexy! I am Tom! May I come in?”

“You made a wish on a star right “

“This is not Disney!”

“Oh No Babe!”

“Excuse me!”

“I am X-rated”

“Apparently!”

“Have you seen this body?”

“No! Why don’t you show me? Come in”

“Ggggooooddd! Mmmmmm! Fuck!”

“Are you ok?z”

“You drive me crazy “

“Tell me more!”

“I was a arrogant prick on a run”

“Uh huh! “

“I saw you “

“Go on! It all came to me”

“I need to party with you “

A light flows through his body upward in to the air blasting through the window close by next door across road from me as he pops up from his bed. The night’s flip on as he pulls on the chair filling upward the room with a blue strobe light as he slipping from his bed into his slippers. He enters his bath room stripping off his clothes as he soaps up washing it all off and races into the closet and gets dressed. He picks up his keys from his night table as he walking through the door and jets across to the street knocking on my door.He appears at my door walking when Tom goes to answer it checking him up and down to be at my side and I can see the jealousy it is very apparent. I command Tom to do a strip tease for me slowly without a single though and to focus on me singularly simply because I will it. Tom clicks his finger using to place by his mouth, he licks his fingers as he strips off his shirt and hops on the table for a bit. Ben rolls his eyes standing tall in his underwear as he sits on my lap leaping into a sexy lap dance for me and I could not be more pleased.

“Will you fuck us Master?”

“Flick the switch”

“It’s like a club”

“Look at the strobe lights”

“I love it”

“Guys work harder “

“Both of you “

“Yes Master”

“Synchronize”

“Good bois”

“Mmmmmmmm”

“Yes Master!”

“Happy Birthday Master”

“Happy Birthday Babe”

“We love you Master”

“Wish upon a star”

“This is impossible “

“Master! It’s possible “

The steel gates shake causing me stir in to the backyard as I reach the gate to see this man who is madly in love with me from what I can see and he falls to his knees to serve me in the longterm.

“Hey babe! May I ….”

“Join me…you mean?”

“Yes hottie!”

“Are you ok? You look dazed “

“I don’t get out much”

“Boi?”

“Are you frozen?”

“….”

“The fuck”

“Stay where you are “

“Keep busy guys “

“Yes Sir”

“Walk inside and strip “

“Go swimming and entertain me”

“This will be interesting “

“That body…yyyuuummm”

“I want to rip him open “

“Move back and I will take a dive “

I swam back up, wiping my face off of water from my face as I smirk and I begin noticing this fool now standing in front of me with this waiting for me at the edge of the pool where he helps me up. He throws a towel in to his hands beginning to wipe me down in all of his effort to make me appear squeaky clean wiggle smirk and quickly hugging me so tightly.

“It was a flash of light “

“Two seconds passed”

“It flashed me”

“Time stopped “

“They began to flow “

“My mind went blank “

“My body collapsed “

“I lost control “

“I was erased “

“My birthday boy”

“Yes!”

“I can’t forget you “

“I am obsessed “

“I love you “

“My king”

“Submit “

“Entirely”

“Thank you sir “

The end

[mattnben-bennmatt]

Damon and AffleckPythias

LIPTON: In mythology, the archetypes of male bonding are, of course, Damon and Pythias. That leads us, inevitably, to Damon and Affleck. BEN: Now I get it! Some reviewer said something about Damon and Pythias about Matt and I, and I was like, "Who is Pythias?"

— From Inside the Actors Studio, hosted by James Lipton (14 January 2001)

[NOTE: My gratitude goes to mattfleck.memes on TikTok for pointing me in the direction of this interview.]

-

"Damon and Pythias". Illustration from H.A.Guerber's The Story of Greeks (1896)

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As told by Aristoxenus, and after him Cicero (De Offic. 3.45), Diodorus Siculus (10.4), and others, Pythias and his friend Damon, both followers of the philosopher Pythagoras, traveled to Syracuse during the reign of the tyrant Dionysius I (r. 405–367 BC). Pythias was accused of plotting against the tyrant and sentenced to death. Accepting his sentence, Pythias asked to be allowed to return home one last time to settle his affairs and bid his family farewell. Not wanting to be taken for a fool, the king refused, believing that, once released, Pythias would flee and never return. Damon offered himself as a hostage in Pythias' absence, and when the king insisted that, should Pythias not return by an appointed time, Damon would be executed in his stead, Damon agreed and Pythias was released. Dionysius was convinced that Pythias would never return, and as the day Pythias promised to return came and went, he called for Damon's execution—but just as the executioner was about to kill Damon, Pythias returned. Apologizing to his friend for the delay, Pythias explained that on the passage back to Syracuse, pirates had captured his ship and thrown him overboard, but that he swam to shore and made his way back to Syracuse as quickly as possible, arriving just in time to save his friend. So astonished by and pleased with their friendship, Dionysius pardoned both men. It was also said that the tyrant then sought to become their third friend, but was denied.

— From Wikipedia's entry on "Damon and Pythias" (Retrieved 8 July 2024).

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"Damon and Pythias" came to be an idiomatic expression for "true friendship."

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In Shakespeare's Hamlet (1623)

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In Alan Dale's A Marriage Below Zero (1889) p. 30-31.

A Marriage Below Zero is a novel by Alan Dale. Published in 1889, it has been described as the first English-language novel portraying a romantic relationship between two men. It is a melodrama told from the point of view of a young woman who realises her new husband has been in a long-standing affair with another man.

— From Wikipedia's entry on A Marriage Below Zero (Retrieved 8 July 2024).

[padfootagain]

Something Good (XXVII)

Chapter 27 : Moving Forward, Looking Backward

Hope you like this new chapter, tell me what you think!

****

Pairing: Ben Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Fluff angst, Slow burn, professor AU.!

Summary: Coming out of a divorce and trying to get used to being a single mom, while teaching your classes at University, you thought your life could not get more complicated than it already is. But when you are asked to take care of the theatre club with the colleague that you really can’t get along with, you realize that everything can still get ten times more complicated in your life. And when you start actually liking Professor Barnes, the troubles only grow exponentially…

Word Count: 2848

Masterlist for the series – Ben Barnes’ Masterlist – Main Masterlist

You tried to reassure Ben, but it was hard to do so when you were nervous yourself. You were waiting for his ex to arrive at the coffeeshop, the one at Roundhay Park. You came often there with Sally, she loved their ice cream, and the swans that lazily swam in the lake right by the windows.

You took Ben’s hand, the one resting on the table. You had taken a seat next to a window, the grey sky a moody background for the trees filled with new leaves. It was a warm day for spring, despite the cloudy weather. The air was heavy with upcoming rain. You watched some children feeding ducks while you waited.

“You’re okay, love?” you asked, catching Ben nervously touching his glasses.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Nervous… very nervous.”

He looked at you for a moment, holding your gaze hostage with the darkness within his irises.

“I love you. You know that, right?”

You gave him a warm smile.

“I know. I love you too, baby.”

He leant closer to kiss you, the gesture intimate and loving. You were sitting next to each other, expecting Julia to take a seat opposite Ben. Behind your table was a large plant, partially hiding a corridor leading to both the kitchen and the bathroom. It was a quiet corner, you hoped that it would help Ben and Julia to talk about whatever issue was still holding them back, still connecting them despite their need to break free. Ben had warned her that you were coming, and she had complained about it, but had ended up yielding when Ben had threatened not to come at all unless you were with him.

“Thanks for coming with me. I know this isn’t exactly in the top five activity for couples…”

“Are you kidding? Who has never dreamt about having coffee with their boyfriend’s ex?”

“I’m so sorry, love…”

“Don’t apologise, I’m just kidding. It’s alright, I understand that you need closure, and that’s how you’re going to get it. It’s alright.”

“You’re the best, you know that?”

“Oh, I know.”

You both laughed at that, some of the tension in the air receding. That was until Julia appeared, spotting you easily. It was the middle of the morning on a Saturday, there was barely anyone so early in the establishment.

You got up and shook her hand, introducing yourself once more, just in case she might have forgotten your name. By the look in her eyes, and the way she stared as you took Ben’s hand again once you were all seated… she hadn’t forgotten about you.

The first ten minutes or so were spent in exchanging niceties and catching up on professional life. Turning around the main subject without having the courage to dive in. Ben reckoned that Julia wouldn’t bring up the relevant topic of conversation, so he had to do it himself, despite how his nerves were making his throat tighten.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she was faster.

“So… the little girl I saw the other day was your child,” she asked you once the conversation had settled on you.

“Yes, Sally’s my daughter.”

“I didn’t know you wanted to take care of children, Ben,” Julia pointed out, turning to him.

But Ben merely shrugged.

“I don’t mind not being a father. But I’m glad I can take care of Sally. She’s an amazing kid.”

Slowly, Julia nodded.

“So… for how long have you two been together?” she asked, and you were the one to answer with a tender smile on your lips as Ben and you exchanged a smile. He gave your hand a squeeze.

“Over five months now, almost six.”

“Not too long, then…” Julia noted, and you frowned a little.

“No, not too long. But we’re very happy together,” you argued.

She opened her mouth to answer, but changed her mind.

Ben’s hand became clammy against your fingers, you saw him take a deep breath before he would speak again.

“When… when did Paul and you break up?”

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“A while ago… we stayed together for about eight months after you left.”

Ben blinked a couple of times, trying to register the meaning behind her words.

He had thought they were living a happy life together… it turned out they didn’t stay together that long…

“Do you still see him? I mean… as a friend?” he asked, and Julia shrugged.

“Every now and then, yeah. We’re not that close anymore, but we keep in touch. We… I think we both miss you a lot.”

You noticed how Ben struggled to swallow, how his Addam’s apple moved. He tightened his hold on your hand without noticing. But he didn’t say anything.

“Anyway, tell me more about what happened? Are you still happy at the university?”

Ben nodded, answered again, and it was a game of innocent questions for a while. You weren’t stupid, you could see that Julia was holding back because you were there, and you suspected Ben to be doing the same. You decided to give them a few minutes of privacy, going to the bathroom and staying there for about five minutes.

But when you walked back to the table, you overheard Ben’s question to Julia, and you couldn’t take another step. Instead, you hid at the corner of the corridor, right behind the plant, and listened. You weren’t proud of your gesture… you should have either let them finish their conversation alone or walked back to the table to interrupt them. But you couldn’t help it. You were too worried about how this conversation was going to turn out to do the right thing.

“Have you found somebody else? Since Paul?” Ben asked, voice shaky with emotions.

“I… I’m still single,” Julia went on, and you tried not to be jealous, you really did. But it was hard not to react in an aggressive way when Julia looked at Ben with teary eyes, almost begging. “I’ve dated a few people after Paul, but… nothing that serious.”

“Right.”

“You? I mean… apart from Y/N?”

“I… I didn’t… I didn’t want to date anyone else before I met Y/N.”

“Really? For so long?”

“I didn’t particularly enjoy the way you and I parted,” he argued, his tone colder all of a sudden. “It… it took me a while to find someone that made me feel that way again.”

“I… I’m sorry, Ben. I’m sorry for what I did to you. It was unfair. It was… terrible, really. I didn’t realise fully what I was doing at the time, what I was losing. It will remain my biggest regret.”

You saw through the foliage of the green plant Ben nodding, although you could only see the back of his head. You tried to imagine his expression, but his voice was too neutral for you to take a proper guess.

“I… I have to admit that I don’t understand why you did that. You… if you didn’t love me anymore, you could have simply left. I… of course, I wouldn’t have been pleased if you had left me to be with Paul… but I would have managed to forgive you both for it. Loving someone… you can’t control that. Had you left before anything had happened with Paul, I would have understood better, I would have been… heartbroken, but not to the point of closing myself up for years. I… I felt so… betrayed. So worthless… You… You accepted to marry me, for Goodness’s sake! While you were sleeping with him! Who does that?”

“I don’t know, Ben… it was a terrible mistake.”

“I thought… all this time, I thought you loved him. That you and Paul were still together, and that… this was the reason why you cheated on me the way you did. Because you loved him. Because he was the love of your life. But it wasn’t even the reason… then why? Was I… was I so bad?”

“Bad? Bad at what?”

“I don’t know… everything. That’s what Paul said, that I wasn’t enough. And I understand that. You must have seen something in Paul that I couldn’t give you, and I wasn’t enough. But… how much did I lack for you to do that to me if it wasn’t to be with the love of your life?”

You saw Julia blinking tears away.

“Ben… you… you were more than enough. But Paul… I don’t know… I guess, you were safe, and he wasn’t. I don’t know. I thought I loved him. I thought I loved both of you. I was lost, and I didn’t know what I was losing the day you left. I know now. I shouldn’t have done that. I should have stayed with you. God… we could be married now. I fucked up everything.”

Ben heaved a sigh.

“It’s in the past. We can’t change what happened.”

“Can’t we?”

She looked at him with so much hope in her gaze, you guessed the words she was about to speak before she said them.

“Ben… we could try again. We could be together.”

There was a long silence, a heavy one, the kind you would choke on.

“You can’t be serious…” Ben answered at long last.

“I am. I fucked up, but I understand now. And I promise you that I would never do that again. We could pick up where we left off, we could get married…”

“I’m with Y/N…”

“You haven’t even been with her for six months…”

“No, Julia… you don’t understand. I love Y/N.”

You closed your eyes, your hand rising to your mouth to make sure you would stay quiet. You tried not to cry, but failed and had to brush the salty droplets away.

“I’m in love with her. I… I want to be with her…”

“Ben…”

“Is that why you asked to see me again? I thought that you needed to put all this behind you as well…”

“I love you, Ben.”

You were surprised by the sound of Ben’s astonished laughter, the sound made breathy as he stared at her.

“Love me. You cheated on me for months with my best friend!”

“Yes, but it was a mistake…”

“I don’t care! I don’t care that it was a mistake! It was your choice. You have to live with the responsibility and the consequences of your actions…”

“If you don’t feel anything for me anymore… then why did you come today?”

“Because I wanted answers. Because I need closure. I need to fucking move on. I need to be able to look at the woman I love without wondering whether I’m good enough for her, or if she’ll suddenly realise that I ain’t worth shit and will cheat on me the way you did! I came… I came to understand what I did wrong…”

You heard his chair scrapping against the floor, and decided it was your queue to finally step away from your hiding spot. You dried your cheeks, and walked back to the table, feigning surprise as Ben was already putting on his coat.

“You’re okay?” you asked, but Ben’s face was red with anger.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Ben… please…”

“Julia, I…”

He took a deep breath while you were putting your jacket one and grabbing your purse.

“I’m moving on with my life, and you should do the same,” Ben said, voice neutral but shaky with withheld anger. “I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to stay in touch.”

“Ben…”

“Please, don’t try to contact me again. I’m going to block your number tonight, there’s no need for you to try.”

“Ben… please…”

“Babe, let’s go,” Ben added, taking your hand and dragging you across the café.

You didn’t say a word to each other while you walked across the park. When you reached his car, he handed you his keys.

“Can you drive? I’m… I’m a little upset,” he asked, voice back to its usual softness, his eyes remaining fixed on the ground.

You nodded without a word, took the keys.

There was only silence again during the ride leading you to his flat. You didn’t say a word in the elevator, or while you waited for Ben to open the door to his home.

You took off your jacket, dropped your purse on its designated spot on top of the small piece of furniture by the door. You walked down the corridor, passing in front of the many movie posters that decorated the hall. You went straight to the kitchen, put a kettle on.

Until you felt Ben’s arms wrap around your frame to hold you close to his chest.

“How are you feeling?” you asked in a quiet voice, your tone as gentle as you could.

“Upset. A little lost.”

You hummed, and he felt you tensing in his arms. He kissed your hair.

“I love you,” he whispered against the back of your head.

“I love you too.”

“I just… I didn’t think. While you were gone Julia said things…”

He fell silent, and you guessed that he was trying to find the best way to explain what had happened.

“I know what she said. I heard you two talking,” you confessed.

“What?”

“I… you were deep in conversation when I came back from the bathroom. I reckoned that you needed more time alone. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped though, I’m sorry.”

Slowly, Ben nodded.

“It’s alright. How much did you hear?”

“That she regretted what happened. That she still loves you.”

He heaved a sigh.

“I don’t… I didn’t think this was going to happen.”

“I suspected it would.”

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me that? I wouldn’t have gone if you had!”

“You said that you needed this.”

A pregnant pause.

“Babe… can you look at me? Can you turn around?”

You did as he asked, turning in his embrace. The kettle started to sing, Ben merely put it away, but didn’t pay any attention to the empty mugs that were waiting by the sink.

He held your face in his palms, cradling your face in a tender hold.

“I love you. I want to be with you. I don’t want to be with Julia. I just… I wanted to see her to understand why she did what she did. That’s all. I promise, I don’t want to be with her. I don’t have feelings for her anymore. Julia is the past. But you’re the future. Okay?”

You smiled, nodding before burying your face in the crook of his neck.

“Did you find the answers you were looking for?” you asked.

It took Ben a moment to answer, but he did, choosing carefully his words.

“You know… for a long time… ever since that whole thing happened with Julia and Paul actually… I thought it was my fault. I thought that I… I wasn’t good enough. I thought I did something wrong, that I wasn’t enough to make her happy… that if she had to sleep with Paul, it was because I was lacking something. But this morning, I… I think I was wrong. I think she just… I think it’s their fault. I’m not sure I did something wrong anymore.”

You looked up at him again, and it was your turn to hold his face in your hands.

“Ben… of course, it was their fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. They are the ones who cheated.”

“I know… it’s just. I don’t pretend I’m logical about all this. It’s just how I felt.”

He rolled his eyes.

“I know that I shouldn’t feel like that, my shrink of a mother has already told me so a thousand times over.”

You chuckled at that.

“You’re wonderful, Ben. You didn’t deserve being betrayed like that. It wasn’t your fault. And you deserve me. You’re more than enough for me. You’re wonderful with me. And you make me happy. I promise, I will never do that to you, okay? I will never do that to you, Ben.”

You saw the tears that appeared in his eyes, saw him blinking, but they fell anyway. He held you tight, a hand to the back of your head so he could press you into his shoulder.

He dropped his lips to the side of your head, breathed deeply your perfume.

“If you fall out of love with me, if you… if you find someone else… please, leave me. Leave me, but don’t cheat on me. Please, Y/N… don’t break me like that… please…”

You held so tightly, tightly enough to make it hard for him to breathe.

“I promise, I will never cheat on you, Ben. I promise you.”

“I’ll never do that to you either. You know that, right?”

“I know. I know.”

You pulled away, looking up at him again, and you dried his cheek with a soft caress of your thumb.

“You don’t have to worry about that. You’re stuck with me, honey. You’re stuck with me for a long, long time.”

Ben grinned.

“Good. Cause you’re everything I want.”

[egrets-not-regrets]

Not For Hunting

Alcyon and Amelia visit Erriox’s home nest to look through his collection of metals and stones for metal and jewelry crafting. Bringing along Ben and Malaran. Sometimes Malaran needs to not be nosy for his own good.

Author’s Note: Not smut, just suggestive and funny. I saw this post about the relationship between steppes centaurs and mountain harpies and thought it was amazing and very funny. And I can’t help myself to write something for MerErriox and HarpyLenora.

OCs: Erriox (Iron Warrior), Lenora, Alcyon (Chaos Iron Warrior), Amelia, Malaran Blackspike (Black Legion), Ben

Tagged: @shadowfirecat , @kit-williams , @bleedingichorhearts , @barn-anon , @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan

@sleepyfan-blog, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @bispecsual , @ms--lobotomy , @whorety-k

“Aunt Lenora!”

Lenora braces for impact from an enthusiastic Ben dive bombing at her from above. She laughs and catches him in her wings and swings the young plover in a circle with the momentum, hugging him tightly and nuzzling his face, “Hello Ben! You have grown so much since I last saw you!”

Ben was Amelia’s son, both of whom were the healer harpies among the captives that were rescued in the mission that Erriox and Lenora allied in. After the rescue, Amelia became fast friends with the osprey harpy and often traded goods and stories with each other, with Ben unofficially adopting Lenora as his aunt.

Erriox swims over and gives Ben an affectionate scratch on his head, “Is Alcyon and Malaran with you two?” He asks, spotting Amelia at the cave entrance.

The plover fledgling churrs happily, “Yeah! Mom’s waiting for them.”

“Lenora!” Amelia’s voice calls out as she walks in, followed by two large fierce-looking chaos mers. The plover harpy hugged Lenora, the both of them nuzzling each other in greeting, “I hope Ben didn’t hurt you by accident, he’s been practising his dive bombing with Malaran and Alcyon. He can get a little over enthusiastic.” She said, concerned.

“Mooom…” Ben whined, feeling outed unfairly. He then turned to the osprey harpy, “Aunt Lenora, you’re not hurt, right?

Lenora laughed, “I’m fine. Though that was a good whomp you gave me. Any stronger, I might get bowled over!”

“I will aim for that!”

“I’ll train you to knock Erriox over!” Malaran snickered, his scarred orca tail wagging up and down as he swam over to them.

Amelia gasped in dismay, “Ben! Malaran!”

“It’s alright, Amelia. I’d like to see them try.” Erriox reassured her with a wry grin.

The other large venomfin swam up to them, greeting his legion brother and his mate, his tail loosely curled around Amelia as he settled next to her, “Thanks for letting us go through you collection, Erriox.” He said.

“We needed to replenish our supply of healing potions anyway. It’s a fair trade. “ Erriox replied. The Iron Warrior mer collected pieces of metal, mostly picking up old ceramite armor pieces as they would come in handy for armor repairs, and other metal pieces that he found interesting or potentially useful. He also amassed a collection of shinies: stones, pearls, gems, etc… that he either used for crafting or to trade with.

Alcyon and Amelia had been looking for some stones and metal for metal and jewellery crafting and some ingredients for potion making. So it made sense to trade supply acquisition services and access to his metal and shinies collection in return for several vials of mid to high grade healing potions.

“Will I get to meet cousin Jophiel and his brothers one day?” Ben asked.

Lenora chuckled, “You will. They’re off on their own missions and work so they aren’t around very often. They’re curious about meeting you too.” Her Primaris boys were curious about Ben and Amelia. Jophiel was rather enthused about the young plover. However, they all were still uneasy with the thought of them being bonded to chaos mer-Astartes.

She led Ben to the bags of precious stones, sea glass, and pearls sitting in a pile by Jophiel’s nest, “Speaking of which, the boys have a bunch of stones and pearls that you can go through and take some that you’d like. And if you don’t mind, could you organize them by type and for the sea glass and pearls, by colour? There’s a box over there with compartments that you can separate them into.”

“I can do that.” The plover fledgling chirped.

Lenora patted his head, “Thanks!”

Ben nodded and started on his task.

Alcyon, Amelia, and Malaran had started looking through Erriox’s collection of things, examining certain pieces more closely than others and selecting the few they wanted or needed. Amelia turned to Lenora when she noticed the harpy’s return, “we put the box of potions by where you normally store them.

“Thank you! I also have the ingredients you requested.” Lenora replied as she went off to reorganize the potions storage and search for the ingredients she collected for Amelia.

Malaran spotted two other chest boxes sitting slightly off to the side from the collection of metal. Curious, he opened the first one and found a bunch of leather and furs. After checking out the contents of the chest, he pulled out what looked like two wide leather anklets. Each has a belt-like fastener to secure them onto a leg and a very long strap of leather attached to the belt. They were well-crafted with a simple but intricate design stamped onto the leather and shiny scales embedded throughout the pattern.

Working through the logic of the pieces, Malaran assembles the leather anklets. The Black Legion mer admired the craftsmanship on the anklets a bit before wiggling them at Amelia.

“These would look pretty on you.” He trilled, “What are they?”

Alcyon paused his search and looked at the anklets dangling from Malaran’s hand and then eyed his mate. Those would look rather good on her with some more colour, he thought to himself.

Amelia looked at them, tilting her head inquisitively, “They look like jesses…”

Lenora returned carrying Amelia’s storage box and spotted the anklets the Black Legion mer was holding, “Oh! You found the jesses! They’re in there to be repaired.”

“Malaran, why are you looking through those boxes? Those are not part of the trade.” Erriox asked, his voice flat and unamused.

The Black Legion mer huffed and was about to return the jesses to the box when Lenora took them from him and gave them to Amelia to examine.

Amelia looked at the jesses closely, admiring the pattern on them before passing them to Alcyon who she knew would be interested in the craftsmanship, “These are beautifully made.”

The osprey harpy smiled and said with pride, “They really are. Erriox made them for me.” The Iron Warrior mer’s mouth quirked a smile at the praise.

“It’s a simple design, but well made.” Alcyon agreed. The chaos Iron Warrior mer assessed the jesses closely, trying to figure out how they were put together.

Amelia piped up, “Those are hunting jesses, are they not? I’ve only heard of the mountain raptor harpies using them or as fashion statements for others.” After a bit of thought, “and you don’t seem the type to wear them as a fashion statement either.”

Malaran cocked his head, “What’s the point of the extra long straps then, that would only increase your aerodynamic resistance.”

“They’re not for hunting.” Erriox cut in, having had enough of their guessing.

“They’re not for hunting. Or for fashion.” Lenora added with a wink to the plover harpy, her lips curving into an wicked half-grin as she let the implications set in.

Amelia’s feathers ruffled slightly when she realized what Lenora meant, heat rising to her cheeks. Malaran scoffed and shook his head, muttering about Alcyon wearing out Amelia again before turning around to go join Ben instead. Alcyon noticed the stitching of the belt attachment on the jesses had come undone. He side-eyed his loyalist brother.

“I see they’ve gone through some use.” He commented, his brow raised.

Erriox smirked, “What? Giving you ideas?”

Alcyon looked at his blushing Amelia, meeting her glance, then back at the jesses in his hand, his scarred tail idly moving back and forth in thought. He tossed them back to his legion brother, matching his smirk, “Maybe.”