#bro look at those lashes! ❤️

[littledancingphoenix]

Close up pictures of Jin in Tekken 8 that melt my Häagen Dazs~

[wroteclassicaly]

Nancy decided she didn’t want Steve. And now that she’s been away from Jonathan, has seen the growth Steve had to go through from everything he experienced (trauma, torture, being cheated on, thrown into the upside down shit, not to mention what he was going through before all of that, etc), he’s suddenly worthy of still being in love with? Don’t mess me with that shit, sis. Steve was never a bad boyfriend, nor was he a bad person. Before I started the show I expected some MAJOR douchebag that fucked his gf and then left her when he got what he wanted. Man’s only downfall was calling Jonathan names and being an asshole to other people (not counting him breaking Jonathan’s camera. He deserved it for taking those pics of Nancy and y’all know it).

He approached Nancy the very next day after he took her virginity to check on her. He constantly apologized when it wasn’t his fault. He only lashed out when he was hurt (rightfully so), and when he realized what nasty people Carol and Tommy were — he ditched them. Could he have handled Barb’s death better — sure. But he was also dealing with it, probably confused and pushing it down, and he tried to make things seem normal for Nancy’s sake, and for his own.

This shit of Nancy being jealous of Robin was so ignorant that I almost puked. And this was before I even finished the series. I knew I didn’t like Stancy when I watched the first two episodes (4x09 and 1x01). Nancy has to claim over Steve. Their individual growths should NOT be entwined. If you look at the inconsistency in trying to resurrect that ship, it almost seems like the D bros hate Nancy and Steve.

Their reunion will undo so much shit, and in my opinion, will destroy them. Not to mention that Steve will probably sacrifice himself in the name of Nancy and her future (avoiding the white picket fence garbage she didn’t want, whilst still getting their Stancy resurrection). They stripped Steve of his goals, his aspirations, they made him seem like he couldn’t date anyone, degraded him, swept his trauma under the rug, made him the butt of everyone joke, made it seem as if he’s uneducated and ignorant. It breaks my heart how mistreated Steve is, and by trying to force him and Nancy back together — that is the biggest injustice that can be done towards them both, but mainly to him.

Steve deserves to find himself, to find his interests, to process his trauma, to find someone that he loves beyond nostalgia, that won’t come back to him after she’s already grown and realizes that this changed version is good enough.

Nancy deserves more than that.

But Steve Harrington deserves it all.

Joe Keery is the reason Steve was kept around, and I feel like this is just awful to do to the work he’s put in at making Steve the heart of this group of characters. ❤️🥺

[illyrian-dreamer]

Bat boys drabble!

How each of the bat boys would react to being called ‘bro’ 🦇

Did I not promise to write a least a little something while I’m travelling?? 🥰 Thank you @aroseinvelaris for letting me use your super fun prompt! ❤️

18+ smut under the cut. It’s brat taming time 😏 💥

Rhysand

Wouldn’t like it one bit

You have heaps of loving pet names for one another (darling of course, princess, tiny, kitten and mischievous one for you) (handsome, lover boy, baby and mosthandsomeandcunninghighlord for Rhys). Bro is certainly not on the list.

He blinks those dark lashes once, the most surprise he’d ever show

A sinister grin grows on his face

“A beg your pardon, darling?”

He stalks closer, placing his hands on either side of the wall of whatever surface you’re near, trapping you between him, his purple eyes sparkling, almost daring you

“What was that you called me? Bro?” You can hear the distaste in his voice

His scent evenlopes your senses, and you swallow thickly

Tracing the bob in your throat, Rhys quirks a brow at you, faking an expected answer for a victory he already knows is his

He tuts before leaning in that much closer, his lips against your throat. Seconds later, canines gently graze your soft flesh

“I dare you to call me that again,” he murmurs into your neck

Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t find your voice as Rhys licks where his teeth were resting, your core now throbbing

He’d probably sink his teeth in just a little before taking you against the wall

Cassian

Laughs at first, you were on the same team at games night and he chuckled, returning your high-five when you won

But as the night went on, you used the nickname a few more times, and it begin to eat away at him

Which you noticed in your partner, his laugh turning to a smirk, then a frown, and finally an outright scowl

Still, you delighted in irking him

Cassian was unusually quiet on your way home. As soon as you got through the door, he grabbed your wrist

“What was that all about?”

“What?” You answered innocently

Cassian levelled a look at you. “Why did you keep calling me bro? I’m your mate.”

You heart could have broken at those puppy dog eyes. You should have realised that kind of teasing would have hurt him, Cassian being the big softie he is

“Oh, I’m sorry Cas. It was- I was just irking you.”

Cassian raises his brows. “Oh! Oh.”

A wolffish grin spread across his face, before you were flipped over his shoulder as he stalked towards your bedroom

Throwing you on the bed (and not gently either), Cassian had your wrists pinned and body pressed against you in seconds

“So my mate likes to tease me, huh?”

You giggled as he nipped your neck, giving a very weak attempt to throw him off you

“I am your mate, sweetheart. And only your mate can make you feel like this.”

Cassian thrusts his groin into yours and holds it there, your laughter immediately halting as pleasure shoots up through your core

Cassian delights at the shock on your face, before moving against you a few more times, slowly rutting, fully clothed

“You’ve gone all quiet, sweetheart, and gone all pink,” he teases. “What’s wrong, got nothing else to say?”

You can barely speak beyond moaning his name as Cassian flips and fucks you, the whole damn bed on its final hinges

Azriel

Does nothing in the moment, beyond quirking a brow at you

Bahaha boy oh boy will you be paying for it later though

It’s like he has a clicker in his mind, and each time you use that word, he tallys the amount of spanks you’ll be receiving that night

Azriel sees the word bro as a challenge – it’s mocking, questions his dominance, and is a weak attempt to toy with him

That’s why later that night, you’re bent over his lap, panties pulled to the side as he soothes your red cheeks after a fifth spank, Azriel cooing softly

“Who am I?” His voice is deep, commanding

Your face is as red as your ass. “Daddy.”

“That’s right. And what am I not?”

You gulp, willing yourself not to snort as you say it

Azriel pinches your ass – you’re taking too long

You yelp before manage to get it out. “My bro.”

“Good girl.” Azriel continues to rub a soothing palm over your stinging cheeks before squeezing at the flesh.

He fucks you sensually, only because you took your punishment like a good girl

[mariaofdoranelle]

so ummmmm........will we be blessed with more of the booty-call dare????? asking for a friend (me) ❤️👀😍❤️👀👀

Leia, my love, there is NOTHING I wouldn’t write for you. Especially when I’m having this much fun heheheh

The Booty-Call Dare - part 2

Read part 1 here!

Warnings: physical injury

Words: 1,6k

Rowan hung up his phone, confused and a little dizzy after Aelin’s call.

He barely paid any attention to the weight he was lifting in the bench press, that phone call took all the space in his mind.

In the years they’ve been friends, Rowan never, ever even dared to expect her to booty-call him. Not that he didn’t want it, of course.

It wasn’t news that Rowan had a crush on Aelin—who didn’t?

He grunted through the burning in his arms, it seemed like today was one of those rare days in which gym failed to empty his brain.

And then something dawned on him, like he was finally able to see through the mist: Aelin had just scheduled what sounded very explicitly like a hookup, about 58 minutes from now. For whatever reason, out of all the hang outs they had, tonight she needed him naked—in her own words, to ‘bang’.

In the few times he dared to entertain the thought of something romantic happening between them, Rowan never thought she’d just call him and very bluntly—

Wait, what the fuck was he still doing here at the gym?

At the exact same moment realization hit, Rowan lost his grip on the weight and watched as it crashed on his chest.

At first he winced at the sudden crushing feeling, but quickly rolled the barbell off his torso. Rowan had no time to be in pain—he needed to get his ass home and get rid of this post-gym horrid smell for Aelin.

Rowan only noticed the two gym bros that ran to help him when they were already pulling the weight off him. He showed his appreciation in brief words—he had somewhere to go, after all.

“Dude, you okay?” one of the guys asked, brows furrowed in concern as he watched Rowan get up and leave.

He would be in about 57 minutes.

˜˜

The following hour was a blur. One quarter of it was the longest shower of his life, but between driving home, cleaning the apartment, changing his bedsheets and getting the wine ready, Rowan barely had time to look at himself in the mirror before Aelin got there.

She didn’t say anything at first, just looked at him with a small smirk from under her lashes in a way that made his brain short-circuit. In a red wrap dress with her natural hair falling in gentle waves over her shoulders, she looked like present from the gods, wrapped just for him. She took a small step forward, hesitantly watching him, and that’s when Rowan lost his patience.

He gently pulled her face to his, one hand on her cheek and another on her neck, and watched it as her eyes slowly closed, her mouth soft and ready for him. When their lips touched—shit, feeling her pillowy lips was almost too much, and so far from that he used to imagine.

Aelin brushed her hands over his chest to his shoulder without breaking them apart, which made him stiffen, but he roughened up the kiss so she wouldn’t notice. Whatever happened at the gym, he could brush aside for a few hours. Rowan could die tomorrow, but he was still fucking Aelin tonight.

But then she put both hands on his chest again and literally pushed him inside the house, which brought a sharp burst of pain. He masked his flinch by turning around to lock the house, but it was enough to buy him time. One not-so-deep breath, one good wince and he turned back around to her, ready to go.

“Hi,” she said in a suggestive tone he’d never heard before—maybe he heard another girl use it, but never so perfect, so Aelin.

“Hey, yourself,” Rowan whispered, tugging her hair behind her ear.

Aelin’s hand went from her hair to the ends of his shoulders, and instead of basking on the motion, he went rigid, too worried she might slide her hands over his chest again.

She stopped almost immediately, her head tilting in confusion. “You good?”

“Perfect.” Rowan leaned to kiss her again, but stopped halfway. “You good?”

“Perfect.” Aelin gave him an intimate, radiant smile and resumed their kiss.

She tugged him by the neck, leaning her back against the wall and bringing him with her. This kiss felt more heated, it felt like something shifted as Rowan bit her lip and Aelin pulled the short strands of his hair, as if that torturous hunger for each other alone made the world stop.

She took the air out of his lungs in a way that made it physically impossible to breathe, and that’s how perfect his Fireheart felt tonight.

While sucking the skin of his neck, she fumbled with the buttons of his short-sleeved shirt and gaped when it was wide open.

“Rowan, your chest—“

“I know,” he said and kissed her again. Rowan took good care of his body, he wasn’t shy about it.

“No, that’s not…” Aelin pushed him back gently this time and stared into his chest with widened eyes.

He looked down to find that an explosion of red and purple adorned his chest, in a shape that resembled the barbell that fell on him an hour ago.

“This looks like some fighting pit shit,” Aelin murmured, then looked straight into his eyes and snapped, “You’re not fucking around with that, are you?”

Because of her visible distress, Rowan told her a cleaner, less horny version of his story.

“A weight—what weight?” Aelin sized the bruise across his chest and asked, “That one you do with two hands? How heavy was it?”

“Heavy.” Giving her the real answer wouldn’t help on his case.

Aelin squeezed her eyes shut and her shoulders dropped with a heavy sigh, as if whatever she was considering pained her.

“Put your shirt back on.”

“I— what?”

She picked his shirt from the floor and stood behind him to help him get dressed. “Try not to move your torso, just—“ Rowan thrust his arms out behind him to aid her, but it only made her curse under her breath and urge him to be careful.

˜˜

The prospect of fucking Aelin must’ve worked like an adrenaline shot, because once it was off the table, his ribs started hurting like a bitch. The doctor put him on painkillers now, which turned excruciating pain into a discomfort of sorts.

Trapped in this ER—more precisely, between one wall and three sides of the privacy curtain the nurse had closed—Rowan was glad he had Aelin to look at. She only left his side when absolutely required to, during his X-Ray, and now waited for the results with him, on a chair while he sat on a hospital bed, naked from the waist up.

They didn’t talk much, not if he excluded the amount of times she called him an idiot for dropping that weight; in fact, the last real conversation they had was that godsdamned phone call. Apart from holding his hand and some casual touches here and there, Rowan had no idea where he stood with her anymore. Every look she gave him was a kaleidoscope of worry and appreciation and something else he couldn’t pinpoint, it was absolutely nerve-wrecking now that his mental energy wasn’t channeled into his own physical pain.

Rowan cleared his throat. “About our phone call.”

“What about it?”

He looked down at that bruise that looked worse by the minute. “I’m pretty sure this thing is gonna compromise my performance tonight.”

Aelin blinked, her face morphing in a way that ‘disbelief’ didn’t sound enough to what she seemed to feel.

“Rowan, you’re injured. There won’t be a performance at all.”

Shit. He suspected that might happen, but he didn’t anticipate this crumpling weight on his chest when the answer finally came.

He had one chance, one job to do. And he fucking ruined it.

“I’m sorry. I know I won’t be able to do that in a way you deserve and…” Rowan pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think of a way to screw this up less than he already did. “Do you think we can at least salvage the friendship?”

Aelin tilted her head, a silent sign that she lost him.

Feeling his cheeks heat, Rowan explained, “You have… urges that I can’t meet in the timeframe you need me to.”

“What? No!” She straightened in her seat and kept strong eye contact as she said, “I booty-called you. It’s a sacred rite in modern society, I can’t un-booty-call you now.

Rowan was about to put his own desire aside and call out that insane logic when the sound of Dr. Towers opening their privacy curtain interrupted the conversation.

Black sheet against luminous board, two imperceptible stripes disturbing the transparent that symbolized his bones meant that he was fucked. Two broken bones, two women glaring at him in that curtained cubicle; Dr. Towers had a bland, teacher-like sort of death stare, but he avoided meeting Aelin’s—especially when the doctor warned that his tiny fracture could’ve been much worse, given the amount of weight he lifted.

“I want you in bed for a week, in the very least. The pain you feel will tell a lot of what to do and when, but no strenuous activities for the next six weeks.”

Aelin raised her hand to ask, “What about strenuous activities in bed?”

“Well, that depends on how strenuous this activity is,” the doctor said, struggling not to laugh. “Let’s give it two to three weeks if you go easy on him.”

Dr. Towers put too much faith in him. Rowan would easily break two more ribs just to fuck Aelin tonight.

A/N: 🕊️ goodbye goodbye goodbye their fuckfest was bigger than the whole sky 🕊️

PART 3 HERE

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[fatuismooches]

omg omg omg i’m brainrotting so hard abt arlecchino rn im so sorry if you’ve already been sent smtg similar but hear me out: childhood friends to lovers w the one and only knave <33

growing up w her in the house of the hearth, ur the only person she has a soft spot for <33 even when she began ascending the ranks of the fatui u know she’d always come back to you <33 i’m entering delulu land but im LICHERALLY going crazy over the idea that the reason arlie killed the previous knave was because they threatened you and she was not having that dgjskdjdjd im scratching clawing at the walls of my enclosure

BONUS: whenever u show up to fontaine’s hearth all the kids get very very excited bcos they’re going to be able to break SO many rules and arlie will mostly let it slide since she’s just so damn weak for you <33 all u hv to do is bat ur pretty lashes a little and she’s folding like a wet paper towel (“another story surely won’t hurt the children 🥺🥺 please?” “………fine”) one of the kids accidentally called you ‘mother’ once in front of her and her brain did a hard system reset for like 5 entire minutes LMFAO lyney is SO tempted to set up his idiot pining father with a special in-house magic show but lynette is a 100% sure arlecchino would straight up murder him if he tried (though she does agree with her brother in that father should just confess to you, because there’s no way you would ever say anything other than i love you too)

AHHMAKAONDW DW ANON I TOO AM BRAINROTTING HARD ABOUT ARLECCHINO AND I ADORE THIS HAHAHA CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LOVERS ONE OF MY FAV TROPES EVER 🤭 ooohhhh im words i cant describe rn…

Going to the House of Hearth and seeing shes always the quiet, solitary, speak to no one kid and your interest is piqued right away!! Yeah she ignores you for a while but you keep following after her so earnestly! On the missions, during playtime, during mealtime when she leaves to eat somewhere by herself but somehow you find her anyway… how can she not start to warm up to you? :( slowly but surely that cold mask of hers starts to melt just a tiny bit… you two are inseparable at that point, she refuses to work with anyone else <3 Arlie is… s-s-soft for you 🥺

AND UGHHHH her not forgetting about you even when she’s a higher-up, and a Harbinger 🤭 everyday, when she’s learning to adjust to her new duties, learning to deal with more incompetent people by the day… Arlie can just come back and rest her head on your shoulder and relax ❤️ (lmao regardless if it’s the former Knave or a random person they will be GONE hehe 😈😈)

AHHHH ANON THE BONUS IS MAKING ME GO CRAZYYY AJAIAIBDW I WOULD ADOPT THOSE BABIES IN A HEARTBEAT, THEY LITERALLY GET SO EXCITED BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS WHEN THEY HEAR THAT YOURE COMING!!! Help I would so be the parent who lets them break rules (within reason of course)!!! We can stay up past your bedtime!! Pillow fights and spooky stories and everything!! We can bake cookies together and playfully fight!! There are so much possibilities omg and Arlie is just like 🧍‍♀️yea there’s no way she would let this happen usually but,, sigh, the kids are literally beaming in happiness and crowding you and you’re laughing and smiling and looking so soft,, so fine, she’ll let it slide. But don’t expect her to join! (She’ll pop up around dinner time ❤️) (you *may* get her to join you for that one last story time, but it’s a very big *maybe*)

THE CHILDREN CALLING YOU MOTHER AHIAIVFW YESSS YESSS like bro you just give off motherly and parental energy to them, you are the parent they never had :( I always hc Arlie’s partner as being hella overprotective of their kids, like they are NOT getting hurt on your watch!! Making them separate meals if the regular food isn’t to their fancy, making sure their clothes don’t have holes in them, tucking them into bed and all :( Please the child would act as if they just said something normal and you’re just smiling really hard and blushing a lil bit and Arlecchino is just like 😐 outwardly but inside her heart is racing a bit ANISJAIAI. Like it just clicks for her that you’re really so wonderful… omfg she loves you so much.

And omg omg I would sooo love to be around baby Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet, they deserve the whole WORLD… you would clap and be surprised when they come home and show you all the new tricks they learned… you’d be their willing member from the audience to join them!! And Freminet, he’s a shy baby so you would just read him stories and help him with the big words :( you’d help him find more mechanical stuff to play around with and fix! And although Arlie doesn’t like when kids cry… the kids love you because they can cry into your arms and you won’t tell a soul 🥺

HAHAHA LYNEY BEING HIS FATHER’S WINGMAN 😭😭 he would so do it but Lynette reminds him every time that his life would be FORFEIT if he ever tried doing such a thing! Lyney is still thinking about it though 🤔, even the younger kids have caught onto Father’s pining for you! Like bro… Arlie, it is so freaking obvious how much you two like each other just kiss already smh (the kids have bets on who will confess first 🤭)

[the-kr8tor]

AAAA DRESSING UP HOBAT AS A COWBOY...pirate captain next pls cus ykykyk How in all of god's name do you overcook soup-? Daily Hobie HC! I really wanna write more hobat hcs but I dunno what.. Hobie is like a shark whenever you guys are going to the beach or pool. Any body of water he can go under, Hobie turns into a shark. A shark that grabs your ankle and dunks you underneath the water. It was hot in your universe, so you, Hobie, Pav, Miles and Gwen all decided to cool off by going to one of the calm beach-lakes nearby. The sand was hot, but the crystal clear and glistening water immediately drowned any heat that clung onto you guys from the sun. Everything was going well with playful splashes and laughter, wading a little deeper until the water came up to around shoulder height. However, after realizing everything was too quiet, you begin to notice how one by one, people are being dragged underwater. Hobie was under the water, holding his breath as he swam up behind Miles, his first victim. He grabbed the boy by his shoulders, instantly dunking him with a chuckle. Then Gwen..then Pavitr. Hobie goes for you last before you can turn to try swim off, tugging you back by your waist, dunking you below as the others resurface and laugh at each other's demise. The moment you spring up you lunge towards Hobie, dunking him in the process, your hands splayed on his chest as you shove him underneath the water, before seeing him pop up as he wipes away the water from his lashes. After more laughter and everyone ganging up on Hobie, Gwen eventually brings up the memory of playing 'mermaids', which everyone immediately jumps on board. Despite not having those mermaid tails, you all got into the roleplay fast, with betrayals and mermaid war against the self-proclaimed evil merman, Hobie Brown. He made himself the villain of the story, being more powerful than everyone else just for the plot's sake. After all, who wants to see the hero win? Bit by bit, the roleplay quickly turned into something of survival, trying to escape the villain as they slowly kill off more and more 'mermaids'. Finally, you were the last one to be killed. Still playing into the act, you look around frantically, calling out the names of your lost comrades as you tremble, knowing that the evil merman was lurking nearby. Hobie springs up in front of you, drawing out a loud gasp, before grabbing you by your swimsuit firmly and dunking you underneath the water, counting as a kill the moment you began to act limp. Despite the flawless and perfect acting, the minor thing to ruin the entire storyline was the way Hobie's stomach growled loudly with hunger. He rolls his eyes with feigned annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest as Hobie brings you out of the water, wiping away the water from your face for you as you laughed. Hobie leans towards you for a kiss, yet you playfully deny him, teasing Hobie about how he doesn't deserve to be rewarded for 'murder'. It wasn't long before you cave, though, almost immediately leaning towards him as well for a kiss. -🐦‍⬛

HOBAT AS A PIRATE?! AKSNWJZJWJS!!!!

Uh i forgor

Daily Hobie HC!

Hmmm maybe Hobat being a huge bat this time instead of a tiny fruit bat!

BEACH EPISODE!!!

Awww that sounds so fun!! The trio would be the best beach companion and ofc Hobie too!! He probably forgets to drink water and you have to remind him every time lol but he never forgets to put on sunblock! (Especially if he has to put it on you hehehhehe)

Bro the line of them getting dragged down one by one scared me bc i thought something was in the water HAHAHHAHAHA

I've never heard of that game before! My cousins and i used to play mr president in the water lol one of us would suddenly put our hand on our ear whenever we want to and the last person who does it gets splashed relentlessly

He's so kissy kissy muah muah 😘❤️❤️❤️ I'd cave to ngl

[queeenpersephone]

When Mulder says "I'm fine ... free" GOD !!!!! PLEASE SCULLY JUST GO KISS HIM AT LEAST ON THE FORHEAD !!! I love this man so much 😫❤️ also the music is so deep and poignant I feel like that's the rhythm of mulder's sorrow and freedom at finding out about Samantha's death. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this closing scene

BRO I KNOW RIGHT!! okay i'm gonna be real with you and say i literally had to go back and rewatch (i usually do with the mytharc post s5, tbh) but it is a really beautiful moment. i'm one of those people that liked that samantha was "found" (for mulder's healing) but hated the context - the plot for this ep just breezed right over my head. so i don't really feel too qualified to give you any sort of meta other than david duchovny did a great job with what he was given - he played that lightness/gravity combination perfectly. HOWEVER. a kiss on the forehead we deserved. or..

-

Scully stands behind Mulder as they watch Piller stalk off into the distance. She doesn't know what happened to Mulder. She prides herself in her ability to keep up with him, but the past few days have felt like a rollercoaster.

What she does know: he sees this man and sees himself, fighting for justice and begging to be believed. And she knows Mulder wants to help him, the way he wants to help every pained, silenced soul, though he knows there is no remedy for losing an innocent soul to something beyond belief.

But what he now thinks happened to Samantha? Scully knows with a deep, hesitant relief that this is something that Mulder can believe. And she wants that for him, more than anything else.

But, for all her knowledge of him, seven years and countless hospital beds and tender moments between them, she cannot imagine what knowledge of Samantha's fate will do to him. He might crumble, laugh, lash out in pain at the finality of closure. But if she knows anything, it's that no matter his response, she has to at least try to comfort him.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Her voice is shaky, uncertain, a direct contrast to the surprisingly steady set of his shoulders as his knowing eyes watch Piller. She curses her vulnerability. She needs to be strong, to hold them both up, to not get lost in the endless what-ifs regarding where they go from here. For better or worse, Samantha has been a ghost, walking a step behind them for nearly a decade. The unspoken member of the X-Files. Mulder's raison d'être.

He hums for a moment, looking for words. She can tell that without looking at his face. "I'm fine," he says, again, steady, and she feels a frustrated pang of empathy for him, for all the times she hid from him with the same words.

She's about to reach out and touch him, push him to open up - she's unapologetically greedy for his emotional intimacy - when he suddenly cranes his neck to the sky. "I'm free," he croaks out, finally breaking a little, and she takes a step forward-

Only for him to spin on his heel and bend at the knees, clamping his arms around her waist and lifting her clean off her feet against him. She squeaks a little at the change in altitude, wrapping one arm around his neck, guiding his head into the space between her neck and shoulder with the other.

"Mulder," she gasps, but she stops. She's still not sure what he wants from her. Their bodies settle against each other, the familiar firmness of his chest against her curves, both of them radiating warmth.

"Scully," he rasps against the sensitive skin below her ear. "She's dead."

"I'm so sorry, Mulder," she whispers, tears forming in her eyes. "This isn't the outcome either of you deserve." And she means that, with her whole soul, more than she means her FBI oath or her prayers in church. She's saved up so much devotion for him, and it all comes spilling out.

"I miss Sam," he says, "I miss my mom, Scully."

"I'm sorry," she repeats.

He holds her so tightly it's almost hard to breathe, but she doesn't dare complain. "I'm the last of the Mulders," he admits. "But I still feel free." She hears the self-recrimination, hates that terrible feeling: she will always want to hurt what's hurting him, but too often, he hurts only himself.

She cards her fingers through his soft hair, smiling sadly when he nudges into her at the sensation. "That's okay, Mulder."

He lets out a long sigh, further molding them together. "Scully - can you. Just once -" He stops, swallowing hard, like he's suddenly shy.

"Anything," she encourages, readjusting her grip on him. She's starting to slip.

He pauses for a long moment. "Scully, I want to be Mulder to you. For the rest of my life. But just - right now - can you -" He stops again, but she understands now.

"It's okay, Fox," she whispers, and his breath hitches. She knows why he asked, knows that his mother was the last person to use it, knows that the pain of that moment needs to be replaced the best way he can manage. Tears dampen her jacket, soaking through to her skin. When she begins to hush him softly, he sniffles before hitching her legs around his waist. It's a familiar move, somehow more intimate despite the fact that they are both still clothed. He seats them both in the tall grasses, wrapped around each other in a way that they usually restrict to either their bedrooms or a well-checked motel room. It feels freeing.

"Scully, you're all I have," he says to her. He treats it as a simple, obvious truth, but the depth of his loneliness makes her hold him all the tighter. "You're all I have anymore-"

She unwinds from him just enough to press their foreheads together, his eyes hidden beneath wet lashes. On impulse, she kisses each tear that streams down his cheeks. It's a heady, overwhelming feeling. To know that she is everything to the man weeping against her. Later, she might worry about it. Now, she resolves to fulfill whatever expectations he might have of her. "I'm here," she murmurs. "I love you, and I'm here."

"Don't leave," he murmurs, as if he's not hearing her, gathering her tighter into his lap. "Please, Scully."

She refuses to let him escape into his head, tilting his chin up and waiting until his eyes flutter open.

"I will not leave you."

The slightly hysterical laughter, the relieved shine to his eyes, the lightness in his shoulders and the heartwrenching pain in the way he repeats her name. All contrary things that make up the man she adores.

He breaks in her arms, and she receives him as she always does: with endless love.

tagging: @today-in-fic