#buttons down with that big silver cross?

[imaginedisish]

Modern Love (Logan Howlett x Fem!Reader)

A/N: Hey y'all! Here's something short and sweet. This is based on a request, so I hope the requester enjoys :) No song references here, but "Modern Love" by David Bowie seems appropriate. It's 80s, New Wave-y, and we're in an arcade in this fic, so it fits.

Summary: The team goes out to an arcade, and Logan is his usual grumpy self...but his soft spot for you is more clear than ever.

Warnings: Suggestive content (would totally write a second part with some true smut), tooth rotting fluff, friends to lovers, kissing, cursing, f!reader/afab!reader, grumpy!Logan, Jubilee is a cock block LOL, def some grammatical errors, I think that's it.

Word Count: 1,685 short and sweet indeed

“I do not want to be here,” Logan complains, rolling his eyes as the team strolls into the arcade. 

Jubilee skips inside, twirling with excitement. “Well, that’s just too bad, Logan!” She calls, running over to the arcade’s version of Dance Dance Revolution. Kurt is laughing, following at her heels. “Because everyone else is going to have a great time!” 

“Gambit’s winning big tonight,” Gambit says, taking Rogue’s hand in his. “Gambit’s winning chere a prize, he is.” Rogue blushes, letting Gambit pull her to one of the fake slot machines. 

Jean and Scott walk over to an older machine—Pac-Man or something similar, probably. Storm and Charles head towards the seating area near the snack bar in the back, leaving you and Logan to yourselves. Of course. You’re alone with Logan. The person you want but you know you can’t have. 

You’re friends—just friends. You’ve accepted that he’ll never see you as anything more, but it still hurts. 

“So…” You say, trailing off as Logan looks around the arcade. “Not your kind of place, huh?”

“Not particularly,” he says back, his eyes finding yours. You can’t help but smile at that stupid, grumpy look on his face. “You like this shit?” He asks, smiling back at you. 

You shrug your shoulders, noncommittal. “I think you’d have fun if you tried,” you say, nodding towards the crane machine, and walking over. You can hear Logan’s footsteps against the carpet, following you close behind.

You peer into the glass, looking at all the stuffed animals filling the machine. Your smile widens when you spot the cute little turtle in the back—green and brown, wide eyes, and extra plush and round. Logan leans against the machine, arms crossed tightly against his chest. “Which one are we going for?” He asks. We—you can’t help but replay the word in your head. There’s a “we” in this. You and Logan. 

You point to the turtle in the back row. “We’re going for that one,” you say, and his eyes find the green little thing. “Isn’t he cute?”

He shakes his head, grinning ear to ear, his grumpiness seemingly gone now. “Sure, princess, sure he is.” 

Your breath hitches in your throat at the sound of the familiar pet name. You lean down to put a quarter in the machine, trying your best not to overthink the situation. The crane starts up, whirring to life, giving you three tries to win the stuffy. 

You maneuver the crane to the back row, just above the turtle. “Do you think that’s good?” You ask, looking towards Logan. But he isn’t looking at the machine; he’s looking at you, smirking. “What?” You ask, narrowing your eyes incredulously. 

“You’re cute when you concentrate,” Logan says, his smirk unwavering. You can feel the heat rising to your chest as he peers into the machine. He nods, his eyes finding yours again, changing the subject before you can respond to his comment. “Looks good to me.”

You swallow nervously, pressing the button on the top of the stick, sending the crane down to the stuffy. It grabs the turtle, holding it up. It looks like it’s going to make it, but it falls in the center of the glass box. You groan, annoyed as the crane moves back to position. You try again, bringing the crane to the center of the machine, just above the turtle, and dropping it again. The silver claws grip the plushy, but it’s a bad grab—the turtle slipping right out of its grasp. 

 “Fucking rigged,” you mutter, moving the crane over the turtle for the final time. “This is it,” you say, looking at Logan. He’s suddenly shifting closer to you, standing behind you and pressing his front to your back. His arms rest on either side of the crane machine’s controls, caging you in. 

“Much better view from here,” he whispers at the shell of your ear. You’re distracted by how close he is. You can smell him—tobacco and pine and musk. “Let’s see if it works, princess.” This is too much. Far more than you can possibly handle. 

You take a deep breath, your eyes surveying the crane’s distance from the turtle carefully, and you press the button. The crane drops, grabbing the stuffy, and picking it up successfully. “Yes!” You say, looking back at Logan. His face is inches from yours. You can feel his breath fan across your lips. Your noses are so close, brushing together softly. He leans in, lips parted. 

“Game over!” A robotic, automated voice rings out, the crane whirling back into position. It snaps you back to reality, and you look inside the machine. There, off to the side just next to the machine’s drop box, is the turtle. 

“Shit,” you mumble, shoulders slumping with disappointment. You know it’s just a game, and you are an adult after all, but you can’t help the frown that forms across your face. “I really wanted him. I was gonna name him Bernie.”

Logan chuckles. “Bernie?” he asks, and you nod. He’s centimeters away from you again, leaning in. “Don’t sweat the loss, princess. You’re cuter than that little thing is anyw—"

“Look what Kurt and I got with our tickets!” Jubilee is suddenly in front of you, a stuffed, sparkly blue dinosaur in her hand. She’s tugging you away from Logan and across the arcade before you can protest. ��You gotta dance with me!” You look back at Logan, who’s standing alone in front of the crane machine, arms tucked against his chest. 

Have fun, he mouths. And good luck. He winks at you as Jubilee whisks you off to Dance Dance Revolution. You let her pick the song, and you struggle through the round, your feet tapping to the beat. You and Jubilee are a laughing mess. You know you look absolutely ridiculous, but it’s fun. 

And yet, your mind still wanders to Logan. You think about how close he was to you, the way his lips practically brushed against yours—the ghost of a kiss. You think about the way he caged you in, pressed against your back. You’re so distracted that you don’t even realize how badly you’re fumbling all the moves; you don’t hear Jubilee calling your name. 

“Hey!” She shouts, finally bringing you back to reality. The round is over; you missed the entire second half of the dance. “Where’d you go just there?” She asks, concern hidden within her smile.  

You look over to the crane machine, expecting to see Logan, but he’s gone. In fact, you can’t find him anywhere. “Sorry Jubes, but I gotta go see about something,” you say, stepping off the platform. 

Your eyes search the arcade. Gambit and Rogue are at the ticket redemption counter, picking out a big stuffed bear. Kurt is fooling around on one of those motorcycle racing games. Storm and Charles are—uncharacteristically—sharing a soft pretzel, while Jean and Scott share a milkshake. Everyone is here and accounted for except Logan. 

That is, until you notice the puff of smoke in the corner of the glass door at the front of the arcade. You smirk, walking towards the entrance and pushing the door open. 

Logan leans against the brick wall of the building, cigar in his mouth. His head turns towards you, and he immediately takes the cigar out, dropping it to the ground and extinguishing it with the heel of his boot. 

“Hi,” you whisper, standing next to him. 

He looks down at you, smiling widely. “Hi.” He’s leaning in again—so close—and a shiver runs up your spine. “Cold?” He asks, shrugging out of his leather jacket before you have a chance to answer. He helps you into the jacket one arm at a time, his eyes drinking you in once it’s on, trailing up and down your body. “Looks good on you,” he hums. “Way better than it does on me.”

You shake your head, letting your shoulder brush against his. You look over at him and suddenly notice something green and round in his hand. “What’s that?” You ask. But you already know. You recognize the little brown spots and the wide eyes. 

Logan smirks, lifting the turtle up. “Couldn’t let you go home without him,” he says, holding it out towards you. 

“No way!” You shout, ignoring the turtle and throwing your arms around Logan’s neck. It’s instinctive, natural. He tugs you in closer, his arms wrapping around your waist. “Thank you so much,” you mumble into the crook of his neck. “I can’t believe you ended up playing a game at an arcade.” 

“I’d do anything for you,” he whispers against your temple. The sudden vulnerability of his words makes your heart tighten in your chest. You stay like that for a while, his lips ghosting your forehead, your chests pressed together. You finally lift your head, looking up at Logan. 

“Lo?” You whisper, and his gaze meets yours, flitting between your eyes and your lips. He drops the plushy onto the bench next to him and walks you back into the brick wall, caging you in, hands on either side of your waist. 

He leans in. “Yeah, pretty girl?” He brings one hand to your hip, gripping gently. “What do you need?”

“Y-you,” you stutter. “I need y—"

His lips swallow your words, fitting against yours like a puzzle piece. The kiss is slow, languid, but you can feel his need in the way he moves against you, hands slipping underneath the borrowed jacket and your shirt to explore your skin. His fingertips drag along your back, relaxing you into his touch. 

“Maybe we should get out of here,” Logan mumbles against your lips. 

Your heart flutters in your chest. “But what about the others?” You ask, nodding to the arcade.

Logan smirks, stealing another kiss. “All the more reason to get back to the mansion before they do.”

“But how are we going to—”

He grips your waist, tugging you towards the parking lot. “I took my bike, pretty girl.”

Oh?

Oh. 

tags: @ilysmdovie12 @prettyseaveins @spiderset @figsnpassionfruits @silversprings-mp3 @movhoney @wittyjasontodd @theasiaabattoir @fanfic-writing-barbie @manipulatour @pedrohoe04 @derbygracie

[garfunklefield]

Right now I'm Shameless

18+ viewer discretion is advised

Fem!reader/Suguru Geto Warnings: plus-size!reader, reader is into cute pink frilly outfits, Geto is VERY into the readers body, emo!geto, opposites attract, oral sex, Geto is canonically hung, pussy eating with a tongue piercing, creaming, fingering, blow job, degradation/praise kink, overstimulation, crying, a little dub-con Word count: 3047 DESC: You've always wondered how many piercings your best friend has

Reupload!

“How many do you have?” 

You blinked a few times at your friend, who was lazily scrolling on his phone in front of you. You and Suguru had met in your first-year economics class and stayed friends up through college. Now as seniors, your friendship felt almost second nature. Suguru was different from you, in the sense of dressing. He wore dark clothes, had dark hair, and so many piercings. You always wore pink frilly outfits, so you contrasted perfectly. Like two sides of the color spectrum.

You never tried to stare at the dragon tattoo snaking up his muscular arm or the way his labret piercing stuck out with a sharp point on the bottom of his lip. You had tried counting before, but new tattoos and piercings seemed to show up every week. There were the gauges, eyebrow, labret, septum… but you knew there was more. Maybe in his ear? You didn’t want to consider yourself a creep, staring at him so intensely, so you opted to avoid eye contact with the handsome man as best as you could.

You wouldn’t say you had a crush on him, but you wouldn’t not say that. You were very much down for anything he wanted to do if he ever offered. But the thing was, he never offered.

Suguru lifted his head, purple eyes scanning your face. He raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment, trying to mentally count before he gave up and started feeling around his face. You noticed his hand then trail down to his stomach, before ghosting at his belt. His fingers delicately traced the silver and black surrounding his waist, holding up his black skinny jeans.

He… no way. Your eyes widened at the thought. A dick piercing? There’s no way he’d have one. And there’s no way you’d go this long without seeing it. Well no- you didn’t want to see it- well. You shook your head at those thoughts. He was just a friend, and you did not want to see his dick. He was just a friend, and you did not picture him naked sometimes. 

It didn’t help Suguru had a reputation for being incredibly … large. Girls and guys talked about it like it was a godsend just to be fucked from behind by his cock. Not going to lie, you’ve thought about it before. Just a small fantasy, and wondering what it would be like. You saw how he’d eye you in those short pink skirts or those low-cut kawaii tops, you know the ones you’d find on Pinterest. Your body was far from flat, being curvy and fat-filled in all the right places. Even if they weren’t the right places for others, they were to you. You loved your big form and you could tell that Suguru enjoyed the view too.

“Seven,” he looked back at you and adjusted his position, sitting up. You two were just in your dorm, sitting on either side of your bed. God the whole thing was pink, you felt so proud. He stuck out like a sore thumb.

You thought for a moment. Gauges, eyebrow, septum, lip… that was only four. So there were three you couldn’t see. Your mind and eyes instantly wandered down his body, stopping at his stomach, “Belly button?” You didn’t dare to look down to see the tent being pitched in his jeans, the tent you knew was growing as you continued to speak.

“And tongue,” he spoke softly, brushing some hair from his face. He pushed it behind his ear but it continued to fall into his eyes, “The other one you’re going to have to guess.” A seductive look crossed his face, trailing up to his eyes. He blinked a few times, barely closing his eyes to let his eyelashes ghost against his bottom eyelid. Fucking majestic honestly. 

“Guess? C’mon just tell me,” you frowned, motioning to his perfect body, “Is it a dermal somewhere?” 

“No. Think dirtier,” he then paused, “Think lower,” he suddenly purred. Suguru knew exactly what he was doing. You couldn’t deny you were attracted to him (I mean you do have sexual fantasies about him). And you couldn’t deny how it made you soak your underwear when he spoke to you in that low tone. You could just imagine him groaning sweet nothings into your ear with that perfect tone, with each thrust becoming sloppier as he attempted to reach his high. You could practically feel him bite down on your neck as he fucked you, pumping you with his seed.

“Lower?” You bit down on your bottom lip and adjusted your position to sit up as well, “Um… I don’t wanna seem weird.” 

“Nonsense, you won’t be weird. Did you go too perverted?” He smirked and set his phone on the bed, motioning down to his legs, to the pulsating hard-on in his skinny jeans, “I can show you if you’re too embarrassed to say it.” 

You slowly closed your eyes and released your bottom lip from the hold on your teeth, “Are you sure?” What was in the water today? Was it obvious he was turning you on? Was it obvious you wanted to give in and close the space, even if it was a mistake? I mean he was hard for Christ's sake! How much more obvious could you both get? Every inch of his body was on fire as if it was statically charged, just aching to touch your perfect curves. Suguru was hot, you couldn’t deny it. He couldn’t deny his attraction to you. You couldn't deny your attraction to him any longer. And it was obvious to him, huh? It must’ve been obvious to everyone. You slowly opened your eyes and stared at him. He was serious. God you just wanted him to show you how big he truly was. And god you just wanted him to fuck you like the needy little whore you were. 

“Always baby,” he grinned and stood up, beginning to undo his belt. You found yourself staring at his quivering dick through his pants. He was hung. You could see it from how his dick sat in his pants, becoming more erect as he just teased you there. His hands are seated atop his hips, with his cat-like eyes staring you down. Purple pupils dilated in your direction. Suguru then grabbed your chin and forced you to stare back into his own eyes, widening them as he continued, “I’m down if you’re down to see my piercing.” 

Your eyes fluttered a bit with your bottom lip jutting out into a pink glossy pout. You needed to think about this for a moment. If he was offering, you’d like to take a ride on that stallion. Besides, you couldn’t say no to that stare even if you tried. If he truly wanted to fuck you and he knew you wanted to fuck him, why not? You only live once. And you knew this would just be a one-time thing, just sex. God you just needed him to fuck you. 

“Can I see your dick now? I’m down,” you spoke softly, opening your eyes fully to stare at the grin atop his face. Fuck it, you thought. 

Your best friend nodded and let go of your face, bringing his hands to fondle his belt. He slid it off and then started to shimmy out of his skinny jeans. He looked stunning in just a pair of loose boxers that hugged his muscled curves. He thumbed the waistline of his underwear and let his eyes flick back to you, “Do me a favor princess, and kneel in front of me. I want to see how you look against my cock,” he cooed, watching as your plump form fell to the floor on his knees in front of him.

How could you say no to that beautiful voice as it rang through your ears? You couldn’t! You nodded hungrily as he smiled down at you. You looked pathetic. You felt pathetic. But you didn’t care. Just to taste that length around your mouth would be worth it. To swallow his cum would make you feel whole. Something inside of you needed him suddenly, and so badly.

Suguru slowly brought his underwear down, revealing his massive cock. He was huge. You could see it from the way it lazily sprung from his body and how it glistened in your room lighting. You wanted to touch it so badly, to run your fingers over his Prince Albert piercing until he was shaking for more. It was just a loop through the side of his tip, through the urethra, and out one side. You reached out and grazed your fingers up to his tip, lightly tugging at his piercing. He bit his lip and watched you, hands waiting idly on either side of his body. 

“Hold on,” he said softly, lifting one of his hands to sweep some of your hair up from under your scalp, “Do I have permission to use you as my fuck toy?” He pulled your hair into a ponytail, although you had to say it was the worst one you’ve ever seen. You looked up at him and went to speak but the tip of his cock lightly tapped at your bottom lip. You couldn’t even hide the moan that escaped your lips, and he took that as a yes. 

You opened your mouth and he forced his way inside you. You gagged at the feeling of his tip and his piercing kissing your mouth. It was already too much to be stuffed this badly but he didn’t seem to care. Both of your hands anchored to his hips, letting your nails dig in as he grabbed your ponytail. With one fluid motion, he brought your lips closer to the middle of his shaft, before pulling you back to his tip, then back again. It was consistent how utterly fast he was going. You gagged again as you felt his piercing trail up and down the side of your mouth, clashing against your teeth. 

“F..fuck you’re a whore for this, huh? You t-take this without any hesitation, huh?” Suguru breathed out, throwing his head back in a blissful state of condescension. You looked up at him and tried to pull your head back to speak, but he slammed you back against his cock. You whimpered at the sensation, feeling a pleasurable throb grow in your legs. Fuck you just needed some sort of release to make this all worth it.

One of your hands on his hip moved down in between your pants, rubbing against your clothed cunt. Anything for a bit of friction and stimulation. You just needed to feel him pound you, or better yet eat you out with that tongue piercing of his. You rubbed with two fingers in quick circles, feeling a small wave of pleasure build through your clit. You moaned and gagged at the same time, feeling the nauseous twinge run up the back of your throat. It hurt so good. God…

You couldn’t speak, you couldn’t even breathe from how much he fucked you. It was as if you were Suguru Geto’s personal fleshlight for him to use until he was completely milked dry. And it turned you on so much. To be used as an object. You wanted him to use you until you were shaking and crying for it to stop. Hey- you were halfway there already. Tears formed at the base of your eyes and threatened to come out with each thrust until they finally started pouring from your cheeks. 

“Aw… mm-f .. fuck. Is this too much for you p.. Mm, princess?” Suguru spat, raking one hand through your hair and yanking on the ponytail. He pulled you from his cock, a line of slobber hanging from your bottom lip. He stared at you with pure lust, just aching to defile every inch of your perfect body, “Look at me, whore,” he commanded. You did as he said, eagerly staring up at him for something else to do. God what a sub! 

You blinked a few times before he pulled you up. You whined at the painful sensation of being pulled by your hair, as he pressed a slobbery kiss against your open mouth. He tasted like cigarettes and it made your legs weak. You managed to find your footing and stand, letting him press himself against you. Suguru ate at your mouth as if you were his last meal, hoping and praying it would never end. He needed your taste against his tongue as if it was the last thing on Earth. 

“Pathetic slut,” he murmured, biting down on your lip. You gasped and then felt him force his tongue into your mouth. You couldn’t feel the piercing against your tongue, but you could feel him move his tongue perfectly against yours. Saliva mixing made you throb uncontrollably. As you kissed, you felt him walk forward, inching towards your bed. You had a feeling where this was going. The railing right?

He pushed you back against your bed, your knees bending on the edges. Your best friend pulled your shorts down, not even caring to remove them from your ankles. You looked down with a dazed expression and murmured something about him fucking you, to which Suguru laughed and mused, “Let me please you first.” You didn’t need to be told twice, as you let your back hit the back of the bed with a light thump. 

You felt him slide down your lace panties with gentle care before two fingers spread your folds apart and a tongue licked your slit. You felt a metal pebble lightly rub up and down your clit as he licked, before moving to suck and slurp as if he was a starving man. A faint moan escaped your lips as your hips moved with a mind of their own, grinding against his face as his tongue moved circles around your swollen clit. Typically this motion wouldn’t get you so hot and bothered, but something about Suguru made it incredibly arousing. He was just … perfect. Maybe this shouldn’t be a one-time thing. 

Suguru pulled away for a moment and removed a ring or two from his pointer and middle finger, before dipping them into your pussy. You bit your lip and watched slowly as he sunk two fingers in. He curved his hand and bent his knuckles, beginning to pump in and out of you with a devious grin. You wanted to ask why he was admiring you with those eyes but as he grazed your G-spot, suddenly all words died on your tongue. You let out a guttural moan and lifted your hips to the sensation, trying to catch more of this intense pleasure he was giving you. 

“That’s it. Cream on my fingers, you filthy cunt. Aw does someone like it when I call her a cunt? You’re desperate. I could tell-” he spat as he thrust two digits inside you, “-you wanted me but you were too shy. And now you’re aching to cum… It’s almost cute,” a condescending laugh fell out of his mouth and he leaned forward, licking a pitiful stripe against your clit, “I could let you cum…”

“Please…” You whined, throwing your head back as the pleasure got too much. It was too much and not enough to be fucked by his fingers. You needed all of him at that moment, even if it wasn’t possible, “Please Suguru…” You breathed out shakily, turning your head to stare at him with an unfocused look. 

“Since you asked nicely,” Geto smiled and pressed his lips against your pussy, thrusting all the while. He ate you out and pushed another finger inside, just to see if you could handle it. You could; bucking your hips in response to the added stimulation. You could feel the exact spot it was rubbing and you could feel your body beginning to contort as the pleasure was building. You sat up and ground against his face, stretching out both arms to grab onto something. Nothing but sheets were in your vicinity and all you could do was helplessly grab them and beg to cum. It was mindless at this point, as he sucked your clit, to beg for completion. 

Something he must’ve done ended up pushing you over the edge. Whether it was his tongue fucking you or his fingers, something made you cum around them and clench. You clenched so hard you could feel his struggle to thrust them in and out, forcing him to instead internally rub against your G-spot. You gasped and lifted your hips again as you rode your high, biting down on your bottom lip and grabbing the sheets as if your life depended on it. You had never cum to the point of almost blacking out, but now that you have you never wanted to go back. The feeling of pleasure so intense wiping over you it made you dizzy, made another twinge of arousal poke at your clit. 

But you realized the pleasure had stopped. Suguru pulled his fingers out and pressed a light kiss against your cunt, standing up and then sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked down at you with fondness, taking in your half-exposed body. He murmured something you didn’t hear before clearing his throat, “You’re gorgeous.” 

You smiled and reached your hand out, grazing against his arm, “Round …two?”

He laughed and looked away, “I don’t think you can keep your eyes open. I won’t fuck you until you can’t walk …yet. I want to warm you up first.”

“This is a regular thing?” You raised an eyebrow, sleepily attempting to sit up but letting yourself slide back against the bed, “You haven’t cum though…”

Suguru shook his head and grabbed your chin delicately, contrasting with how he had manhandled you just minutes prior. He pressed a soft kiss against your temple and released you, letting you fall against the bed once more. 

“Get some rest and I’ll rail you in an hour, okay?” He smiled, closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side. Who were you to say no to such a face?

[v1x3n]

M E E T A N D G R E E T

141 x reader ⸝⸝ navigation

୨୧ 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴 : you re-meet your old friend, johnny mctavish, but he changed - a lot - and he had brought a few friends with him, who are all part of a band!

୨୧ 𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘴 : fluff mostly - slight suggestive mentions near the end, awkward reader, nothing much!!

a scottish voice shouts above the raging music in the background, a voice you recognized. a voice that belonged to an old friend, Johnny mctavish. but what is strange is that he is with a bunch of other blokes.

a large man, not fat but built, he looms' down on you with an almost menacing stare. the only piece of him you can see is his eyes. The rest was covered by a skull balaclava, leather jacket, a skintight white t-shirt, gray baggy jeans and some spiky boots. his arms were crossed and he stood up like a brick wall, he was tall as well. he was scary if you were honest. you could see a slight black tattoo peaks out under his jacket. skeleton hands printed onto the gloves. you could see a chain leading into his white shirt, from how tight the top was you could clearly see the rounded rectangle metal through them. some type of necklace.

The man next to him was utterly gorgeous, he had large eyelashes and a little bit of stubble, his big brown eyes were luring you in - almost putting you under a spell. eyes trailing down to look at what he was wearing, he gave off more roadman, would stab you for a greggs, which was different from the man you just looked at. He wore black cargos and a gray jacket opened, showing a cropped black tank top underneath. all up his ear was done with silver piercings, he also had his belly button pierced - showing it off with the cropped shirt, a ring hung around his left nostril. a layered barbed wire necklace hung from his neck along with a black belly chain.

Then right in front of you were two guys, Johnny - your old friend and another man who looked much older than the rest, 5 maybe 7 years older than the others. He was smart though, he looked homely, he looked like he could be a settled down dad with a paid off mortgage. His warm smile could cheer up any day, his beard covering most of the bottom of his face, a white shirt covering his chest with the first few buttons undone, a silky black tie hovering on the shirt. He wore black jeans with a black belt. the handsome man had his right eyebrow pierced, other than that you couldn't see any other piercings. he didn't have any necklaces on, but his fingers were loaded with rings upon rings. on his left hand wore a pain silver one on his ring finger followed by a repetitive skull ring on his middle finger. his other hand had a thinner silver ring on his middle finger then a bone ring wrapped around his thumb.

"How are ya, lass?" the man in front of you says, snapping you out your little transe. Your old friend has changed quite a lot. He still had his silly mohawk - but it was currently a little longer, scraggly and it looked like he had been roughed up - and his stupid grin. some type of logo tattooed onto his right arm. you glance up at his face to really admire his details, a strong glare and a grown yet stubbily beard, your eyes trail down to his jaw which his stubble grew over, then down to his outfit. The man in front of you wore a cropped turtleneck tank top - Jesus - patchy cargos with a belt that held the baggy pair up, on the belt was a skull buckle. Unlike the other man who wore a cropped top, you could see Johnny's happy trail leading up to his belly button. your old friend wore some black bracelets around his wrists, johnny was definitely the most jeweled than the rest of them. around his neck was a collar - it wasn't a choker, definitely not, it was a collar. It couldn't help you think what type of kinky shit he was into. He had a septum pierced into his nose, along with a bar leading across his left ear, trailing down with a few other piercings across both ears.

"oh! I'm good! haven't seen you in so long!" you smile and quickly pull him into a hug, getting a whiff of his scent, you linger on his shoulder when he wraps his arms around you. It was kinda awkward with all his friends cucking but you chose to ignore them and focus on johnny. "How are you? you look... very different!" you choke out a laugh. obviously you weren't laughing at the style, just the change of how he used to dress.

"i look good though, divnt i?" he chuckles and a cough booms from behind him, the masked, you would say gentleman but he certainly doesn't look gentle. "hahh- yeah you do! it suits you!" you gleam and pull away from him, glancing at the other boys.

"Shite sorry, this is Simon," he points at the masked man, "kyle," the pretty guy smiles sweetly at you, "and john!" The father-like man tilts his head and grins. Johnny introduces you to the gang and they all say hi. Some voices are gruffier than the rest. "What are you here for!" you try to quietly shout over the music that slowly gets louder.

this stupid bar was a regular one you visited, you'd usually come here for the bands and occasionally the men. "We performed here earlier" the man, John said with a strong smile plastered on his face. "holy fuck! youre in a band, jj?!" you exclaim and grab onto johnny's hand.

"ye, me and these ballsacks made one together, want an autograph then, lass?" he mocks.

you laugh at him and look around at the other three brutes there, "ye four chat, i'll grab some beers" johnny says before waddling off. you gulp, looking up at the men and awkwardly smile, "sooo..." you mumble quietly.

"How do you know Johnny, sweetheart?" blushing slightly as the man, John, speaks to you. "oh! We were close friends like all our lives, went to primary and high school together" you sweetly smile as another of the men speaks, Kyle, his voice like honey whilst he looks down at you. his big brown eyes taking you all in, "how'd you two meet back then? he tricked you into bein' his mate like?" Kyle jokes.

you laugh quietly, "hah- no, uhm we were in class when we were six or seven maybe? and he sat next t' me, he gotten glue all over the table and all over himself - on the first day - so the teacher told me i had t' clean him up," you fumble with your hands, looking between simon and the rest whilst telling your story, "so i was angry at him because i couldn't play outside that day cause i had t' help him clean up. and he has been annoying me since" you let out a light laugh. you could say you two stuck together.

kyle and john chuckle whether simons eyes dont give off a tell for what emotion

"you his girlfriend, then?"

"what?" choking on air for a few seconds at the accusation. you couldn't deny that maybe you had a small thing for him in highschool but that was just confusing friendship with romance, so if you really think about it - no you didn't. "God, no! He's just a friend!" laughing slightly. the group hummed, it sounded like satisfaction.

"So no boyfriend?" Kyle confirms.

"Like at all?" an eyebrow raises, you look toward simon, who hasn't spoken yet, then towards kyle and john once more with your head slightly tilted. "erm, no, there's no boyfriend" the three of them nod.

A long awkward silence fills the bar, the only sound being the blasting music and people drunk in the background. god this was awkward, but soon johnny came back. four pints and your favorite drink. your smile coated with sugar as johnny gives you your drink, "thanks jj"

"No bother, Bonnie," he passes the other drinks out. you five quickly go find a small booth in the back to talk in, "so what were yous talkin boot?"

"jus slagging you off, Johnny" Kyle pipes up which makes you snicker and Johnny rolls his eyes. "right." he scoffs.

"I was telling them how we uhm met!" you smile and take a sip of your drink. Johnny does the make and hums, "the glue story?" a nod that signals a yes, "still not forgave you f' that, mind." you give him a jokenly glare, "it was years ago!" Johnny gasps, Kyle laughs whilst Simon's eyes flirt between the two of you. your eyes wander over to simon who has his mask ruffled up over his nose so he can drink his pint.

the masked man had a bit of stubble around his face, his lips were pinkish and god you were almost hypnotized, you couldn't see that much but it looked like a lot. he took small sips from his glass and you gaze up at his eyes which were intently looking st you, listening to each and every word you said. you gulp and quickly look away to see john, johnny and kyle talking about something. you could probably piece it all together but you were too panicked that simon had caught you staring. fuck, you didnt mean too stare for that long but you honestly hadnt expected him too look like that.

"oh, i forgot t' ask like what do yous all do in the band?" you look at them all.

"I'm the bassist and backing vocals!" Johnny peeps up, smiling widely. "drums." John hums, looking at you and taking a gulp of his pint. "guitar." Simon says, his voice gruffier - it sounded like exactly how he looked, strange. "I'm the vocalist and rhythm guitarist." Kyle smiles and winks at you.

"cool!" you smile, a finger circling your glass whilst you look between them all, "anythin i would've heard?"

"mayperhaps" Kyle grins, "here" he grumbles and pulls out his phone, showing you his band on spotify. you gasp, "oh my god! no way! My friends have talked about your band!"

the four men look at eachother, "really?" Johnny speaks. you nod as a reply, "i never really listened t' it tho.." muttering under your breath.

"Shame, you should. not t' brag but we are very good" johnny smirks, he looks you up and down, “so what you been up t’? Anythin’ fun?” you think for a second, what have you been up to? You had a few boyfriends, not anything that serious though, you uhhmm… What have you done? You sit there with your thoughts as a few of the guys look at you, they sip onto their beers as they patiently wait for a reply to Johnny's question. “Oh uhm i dunno” you hesitantly let out a slight laugh, “i moved around here and ermm… had a few jobs around the place. Right now I am working at some cafe a few blocks away” looking down at your lap, you were almost embarrassed that you were telling your old best friend, who's successful right now, that you were just working at a small cafe. It was not paid that much but you needed the job - you obviously weren't going to tell him, or any of them, that you were just getting by though.

“Oh you live round here?” John peeps up, keeping his eyes on you whilst he finishes off his pint. your eyes follow his hands as he slams his glass down. “Yeah, do yous?” Simon looks off to the side of the table, out to all the people in the bar. “No we are on a little tour right now, just around the uk” Kyle answers after gulping a large sip from his beer. “Oh! Okay!” you smile at them, “where have you been so far?” 

“Few places in London and well here, still going round though” you nod at Johnny's words. Lucky that you ran into them though, you had missed johnny and well his friends definitely weren't hard to look at. Wait wait wait, you couldnt think that, you barely knew them. They were a bunch of emos who have a band together, you only knew Johnny - and that was years ago. 

You and Johnny had stopped talking in college. Maybe you had grown apart, or something happened, perhaps it was something you had said? But long story short you and him stopped speaking, full stop. At the time you were heavily distracted by other things though so it hadnt hit you that hard, sometimes you would sit in your bed, going through old photos of you and him together. Then it would hit you hard, at that time you thought to yourself ‘yeah, i miss him’ but then you would distract yourself from that feeling. Another thing that would distract you was your boyfriend, you two had been together for quite a while actually. Johnny actually introduced you two together at the start of college, his name was Danny, but then you and Johnny stopped talking after hitting it off with danny. You would wonder if that was the reason you stopped talking, Danny, but that simply couldn't be it because he and Danny were friends, and why would jj stop talking to you just because you were dating someone? 

A voice snaps you out of your thoughts, “we should get going” a rough, gruff voice, one you only had heard once. Simon. You look up at him then your eyes trail around the table. All the drinks drank and everyone looked incredibly tired, “ah shite yeah, need t’ practise in the morning so got an early night” Kyle follows up. You nod at him, understandingly. 

“Oh okay” a disappointed hum comes from you, “bye then” you smile as the rest stand up. You stand up along with them and look at Johnny whilst he walks over to you, wrapping you into a tight hug. You could smell his cologne once more but this time he smelt more like alcohol than before. You bury your  head into the corner of his neck as his arms squeeze around you, his hands trailing down to your waist, Johnny pulls back and winks. “I'll hopefully see you again?” 

“Yeah..” you murmur, “here uhm i'll give you my number f’ if you're in town again?” you suggest, pulling out your phone and passing johnny it. Johnny quickly puts your number into his phone, he smiles.

They all say goodbye, Johnny pulls you into another long, tight hug and lets you go almost winded. Kyle puts a hand on your arm and lets it trail down your soft skin, telling you he hopes to see you later. John bends down to kiss your cheek whilst he chuckles lightly, saying it was nice to meet you before his eyes wander around your person - muttering that you should come to one of their concerts some time. But Simon only pulls his mask back over his face, back to the original position it was in. Simon's eyes look you up and down as he grumbles a small bye.

And with that you're left outside of the bar, watching them all walk off, yet something catches you off guard, Simon looks back and sees you staring once more. Embarrassing. His eyes almost glimmer, but then he looks forward once more. Scoffing as a bright blush covers your cheeks, fuck, you needed to get fucked cause you were stood looking at 3 strange men and your old bestfriend, blushing because you thought they were fit.

But luckily you would and could never act on your horny thoughts that spew in your mind because you would never see any of them again. Right? Riiight.

[silentcryracha]

❍ ‗ Whenever she wants (Hyunjin) ‗ ❍

Pairings : Hyunjin x f reader

Summary : A nice dinner with friends ends in a heated night for you and your husband.

Genre/warnings : Fluff plot with some (long ass) context, ends in smut. Unprotected sex (don't do it you fools), some mutual touching, f oral receiving, coming inside (with a purpose ;) but no breeding kink per sé) STRICTLY 18+

Word count : 5.4 k

A/n : This a sequel to my Baby Fever one shot, but it can also be read as a standalone, you decide <3. This one has been requested by a few people, so I hope both you and them enjoy it!

ps: There could be grammar errors. Do NOT repost on other socials. Leave feedback if you feel like it, otherwise enjoy! ♡︎

Part 3

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

It was a cold evening in the middle of winter season, end of November to be precise. One of Hyunjin's favorite football teams, which also happened to be one your best friend's husband favorite too, was playing tonight. You weren't exactly an expert in the matter, but according to your husband, it was gonna be a big night.

So, in the end, you all decided to go out to have dinner together. You've already been to that pub before, it was a quite small but very nice and cozy place owned by equally nice people.

You friend texted you a couple of hours before, informing you that a few other people would be joining you. She apologized in advance, expressing her slight annoyance, but she also mentioned how these people essentially took her husband's mention of his plans as an invitation.

You were in fact a little annoyed too, but responded quickly not to worry about it and that in any case the men would've been busy freaking out and being loud away from your table. You knew that neither Hyunjin or your friend's husband were gonna be the type to lose their shit for a sports match in public, so you didn't really care.

Around seven pm you and your husband were ready to go. You turned around to pick up your bag and saw him getting out of the room's bathroom, fixing the dark gray wool sweater's cuffs. His black hair were tied in a half up ponytail, shiny and soft looking. His look was completed with black fitting jeans, gray sneakers, and a silver metal watch that matched the buckle of his leather belt.

He must've felt your gaze on him, so he looked up and smiled sweetly while picking up his long coat from the hanger.

"Are you ready?" you ignored his question, jokingly crossing your arms to your chest, barely hiding a smirk.

"Don't you think that you look a little too good?" he huffed out a laugh, finishing to button up the dark coat. He then walked towards you, leaving a kiss on your forehead.

"Not as good as my wife. Shall we go?" he retorted. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at the cheesy response, but nonetheless you still smiled.

"Yeah, sure, let's go"

-

In about fifteen minutes you reached the pub. The parking lot was quite busy, you noticed. Hyunjin rested his hand on your back as you walked towards the entrance, and slid it around your waist to pull you closer when you had to make your way in between the standing people and the tables.

You were looking around, trying to find your friends, until you heard your husband gasp dramatically and remove his hand gently from your back. You turned your head and saw a small baby, followed by his dad, running clumsily into the arms of the man who had now squatted down.

"Woah look who I found! If this isn't my favorite nephew!" you laughed at his funny tone. The boy fell into Hyunjin's arms, only for him to pick him up, walking back to his dad.

You followed suit, the baby smiled at you, babbling your name and reaching his hand out. You scrunched up your nose in a smile, grabbing the little hand gently and saying hi back.

"Thank you for catching this scoundrel. I almost lost him about three times in the span of twenty minutes." you both couldn't help but laugh at his 'tired dad' tone, and gave him a quick hug.

"He's a little runner, this one" you replied, eyeing your friend's slightly zoned out expression. You couldn't help but bite back an amused smile. She really wasn't enjoying whatever conversation the other 'extra' people at the table were having and it was quite obvious, to you at least.

"Heard we're having some extra company." your tone was ironic as you slightly nodded you head towards the table. There must've been around ten people in total, some couples among them too. Your friend's husband huffed, giving you an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, guys. I happened to mention our plans to one colleague and suddenly everyone and their damn partners decided to tag along for some reason." you put your hand on his arm for a second, reassuring him that you were kidding. You knew he was too polite anyway to even try to say something.

"It's alright. Let's just go- wait where's Hyune?" you both looked around and found him standing near a big aquarium, the almost two year old still in his arms. He was pointing at something, talking to the baby who seemed hypnotized with the bright lights and colors of the fish.

You couldn't help but smile and stare at them, forgetting everyone else for a second.

"Oh thank God, you're here. I swear if I have to listen to one more word about your fuckass boss-" your friend had joined you, making her presence quite clear. You blinked a couple of times, coming back to reality and turning to give her a hug.

"Of course it's the boss talk at an off duty dinner." you replied, ironically. She smiled in amusement, shaking her head. She must've noticed Hyunjin and her son, because her eyes softened and a 'aw' left her mouth.

"He really is perfect, isn't he?" she commented, clearly trying to mess with her husband that instantly pouted.

"What? But what about me? Your own husband?" he was obviously playing along but the interaction wasn't any less funny for that.

"My husband, just had to chase around a eighteen months old for three times in a row." she stressed the words "My husband" just like he did, making you laugh harder.

"But he's lucky both me and him love him very much." she concluded, kissing his cheek. Hyunjin had started to walk back to you, the child suddenly walking on his own legs again, holding his hand for support.

"But maybe he likes his uncle Hyunjin better, uh?" she said again, her voice high pitched and in baby talk mode. She bent down, opening her arms for her little boy that giggled and called out her 'mommy' adorably. Her husband comically sighed at his wife's teasing but quickly smiled, pinching gently his son's cheek.

Hyunjin was also smiling brightly at the sight as he joined your side, wrapping his arm around your waist, kissing your head softly. You resisted the urge to nuzzle his neck and instead patted his chest gently, following with "C'mon, let's go meet these colleagues. Or they'll think that we want to avoid them."

"I wish." Your friend jumped slightly to adjust the baby in her arms, rolling her eyes.

-

You ended up joining the rest of the people at the table, introducing yourselves to everyone. The dinner proceeded quite smoothly, with you and Hyunjin mostly keeping to yourselves.

Not for any particular reason, but you didn't know them, and besides, your friend wasn't totally wrong when she said that all they were talking about was work and topics related to it. You did get a few questions though, especially nosy ones.

"So, how long have you been together?" one of the women asked politely. She was probably one of the more quieter ones, and you could tell that she just wanted to make some small talk.

"We have known each other for some time, but we've been actually been together for three years, and now just a little less than six months married." you responded, a small smile playing on your lips. You saw Hyunjin look at you lovingly and mirroring the smile with the corner of your eye.

"Oh that's really sweet, you seem like such lovebirds." she chuckled, placing a hand on her own husband's wrist. He was distracted by talking with other people but still quickly acknowledged her with a small smile before going back to his conversation.

Before either of you could add anything, another female voice interjected. This other woman was also older, maybe in her forties or early fifties. She rested her chin on her joined hands, elbows on the table. Her gaze was ambiguous and, you noticed, quite fixed on Hyunjin.

"Aren't you a little young to settle down?" about three or four people, including both of your friends, suddenly seemed to start to pay attention to the conversation.

"I mean, if I were you ...I would've simply waited a little more. What if you suddenly felt attracted to someone else? The 'divorce-at-twenty-or so-year old' doesn't look that good on a resume" you felt Hyunjin slightly shift uncomfortably next to you, his arm currently extended behind you, resting on the chair's edge.

"A resume?" you inquired, tilting your head imperceptibly to the side and raising an eyebrow. She smirked for a second, probably noticing how you purposefully avoided commenting on the first part of the discourse. Your face screamed 'It's none of your fucking business' and everyone probably caught up on it.

Your husband certainly did, because his fingertips started to lightly move on your shoulder, in an effort to calm you down. He wouldn't have gotten involved in such a shitty discussion, but he also knew that you wouldn't turn your cheek so easily.

"A relationship resume. Or past experience pillowtalk after some fun, if you will." she shrugged. Your friend suddendly decided to send her husband to take a walk with their kid, fearing the conversation to become vulgar. Of course her, being her protective and polemic self, she wouldn't miss it.

He caught up quickly and took the boy by the hand, guiding him towards the big screen where some of his other colleagues and people had already gathered to watch the game start.

"That's quite the thought process." you replied, not exactly trying to hide the hint on venom in your tone. "But, regardless, I think that mature people wouldn't care about such details. Especially if they don't want anything to do with you after." the woman finally shifted her gaze to you. You could tell that she was a little taken aback, but didn't react much.

"You know, the fun." you added finally, taking a sip of your soft drink. Hyunjin sighed softly, munching on his lip to hide a smile.

Your friend casually put her hand over her mouth for a second, trying not to react too much. The other people listening also either looked away or cleared their throat awkwardly.

"Yeah, maybe." she gave up, also taking a sip from her alcholic drink. Maybe that's why she chose to embarrass the fuck out of herself, you thought.

"Either way, we are very happy right now, which is what matters at the end of the day. Other people can do whatever they want." your head snapped to look at Hyunjin, which you didn't expect would even respond. But you were glad that he felt the need to remark that, especially since that woman was clearly trying to get a reaction out of you, thinking maybe that he would've cowered out. But he didn't.

And with that, this weired conversation ended and suddenly, almost to break the icy vibe that fell over your table, you heard very loud cheering. You saw that a lot more people were getting up to get more drinks and gather closer to both the big screens at opposite ends of the large room to see the team play.

-

Hyunjin ended up getting dragged along with your friend's husband and their son, and with the rest of the crowd, so your friend took the chance to ask you to get a breath of fresh air. Which of course was code for 'let's get out of here and rant, please'. You followed her outside, throwing your jacket around your shoulders to shelter yourself from the cold.

"What was that fucking woman thinking? Imagine if it was in fact, a work dinner. I imagine what kind of 'resume' she would have, pft" she immediately blurted out, crossing her arms to tighten her own coat around herself.

You rolled your eyes, sighing deeply. You kind of wanted to tease her about having a dirty mouth as soon as her son wasn't around, but if you had to be honest, you still felt somewhat upset.

"I have no fucking idea. Did you see how shameless she was? Looking Hyunjin up and down like she wanted to fucking devour him." you spat out, looking around to distract yourself. You felt extremely irritated. And maybe a bit jealous, but mostly irritated at the fact that someone would have the audacity to just behave in such a manner with you present.

Like, you were standing beside him, he had his arm around you, and yet she still tried to make you look fucking dumb and being shameless with a married man. Not gonna lie, it's hard to think about someone who wouldn't be attracted to Hyunjin, but damn?

"I know, right?" you friend agreed, "But remember who actually does get to 'fucking devour him'." she added in a teasing tone, quoting your words with her fingers. Your head snapped back at her, a little taken aback from the sudden mood shift. But you wouldn't expect anything less than a whiplash from her, and you loved her for it.

"Yeah, right." you bit the inside of your cheek, miserably trying to hide your smirk. She laughed, nudging your shoulder with hers.

"And he made it pretty clear, too. What a sight it was." she teased you again, "You know what else was a sight? Him being so effortlessly attractive while playing with a kid. I still don't know how you don't have one yet, y/n." she dramatically sighed, making you chuckle.

"It's in our plans. At first we agreed to wait until after the wedding. Then, if you remember, the birth control gave me some issues, so the doctor recommended to take it easy for some time. Of course we both agreed and then just... I don't know, I mean the conversation hasn't come up again in the last four months I guess." she nodded, remembering you mentioning your visits to her.

"But you're okay now, right?" you nodded back, responding with a yes, and that it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed.

"Well then, you better hurry up, or you'll have to have twins to catch up to me." your eyes widened, taking in the phrase for a couple of seconds.

"Shut the fuck up! Are you pregnant again!?" you exclaimed, probably a little too loudly, because a couple of people, that were also outside, gave you a look. Your friend laughed, shushing you. You brought both hands to your mouth, still genuinely shocked at the news.

"Yes, keep it down. I still haven't told him yet." she said, just a little shyly. You pulled her into a hug.

"Congratulations, oh my God? Also, why? You know he's gonna be so happy!" you reassured her, pulling back to look at her.

"And also, how long have you known? You gave birth less than two years ago" she laughed nervously, but still humorously.

"I found out just about a week ago. The test said around three weeks, so I'm not sure. I'll tell him and then book an appointment, I think." her tone was serious at first, but then she shrugged casually, failing to hide a guilty smile.

"Turns out that not even sleepless nights and an unhinged eighteen months baby can't cancel out the horniness." your mouth went agape and you slapped her arm jokingly.

"You rabbits! Oh my God!" you both laughed. Just at that moment, the pub's door opened, showing Hyunjin looking around for you. His eyes quickly found yours and he smiled sweetly, walking towards you.

"Aren't you cold?" he spoke softly, standing behind you and rubbing your arms gently. You turned your head, giving him a peck on the lips.

"It's fine. She keeps me on the edge." you joked. You friend snorted a laugh, clicking her tongue humorously.

"What's the topic?" he asked jokingly. You both shook your heads, laughing a little.

"Just girls talk. Is the game over yet?" she cheked her phone to see the hour. Hyunjin nodded. "Yeah, they were pretty quick, almost half an hour early. We won though, that's the important thing." he smiled proudly. You chuckled, extending your arm above your shoulder to cup his cheek with your hand.

"Of course it is, honey." your friend bit her lip to hide a smile and decided to leave you two be. She sighed and moved past you, towards the entrance.

"Well then, congratulations for the winning night. I'm gonna grab my two fanboys and go to bed, feeling kinda tired after all that shit talk." both you and Hyunjin couldn't help but laugh at that. You bid her goodnight, agreeing that you coming back inside to say bye to those people wasn't all that necessary, and then walked back to your car.

-

The car ride was pretty quiet, except some small talk about the dinner, but neither of you really mentioned that one wired conversation. You arrived and walked back inside hugging, and after that you each changed clothes and got comfortably in bed.

"You still smell damn good, by the way." you commented, hugging his torso while nuzzling his neck. He was halfway sat straight, his back against the bed frame.

He was holding you close with one arm while absentmindedly scrolling through his phone, something about social media posts of the game. The dim, warm toned light of the bedside lamp making you sleepy.

"Oh yea?" he smirked down at you, "Then that perfume money were well spent." you just hummed in agreement, closing your eyes and relaxing. He waited a couple of seconds before speaking again.

"By the way... I'm sorry for what happened tonight. If I knew that a wired person like that would've stirred up shit, I would've canceled the whole thing." you re-opened your eyes, looking up at him, your hand gently stroking his stomach.

"It's not your fault, Hyune. I actually wanted to thank you for speaking up. You didn't even had to acknowledge her, to be honest. I know how much you hate these situations." you respond, genuinely. He locked the phone, putting it on his bed side table, and turned on his side to look at you directly.

"I'm still sorry. Also, of course I had to. You're my wife, my partner, my love. I wouldn't let anybody have a word on it. Especially thirsty women old enough to be my mother." you hid your face in his shoulder, laughing. He chuckled, happy that he managed to make you smile.

"Can't really blame her, at the end of the day." you said, starting to leave featherlight kisses on his neck. He swallowed, making his adam's apple go up and down.

"What, mmh- what do you mean?" he stuttered, clearing his throat. At the same time, he started to slide his fingertips up and down your back. As a response, your kisses got messier. You gave the skin small kitten licks and light bites.

"Don't play coy, you know you're hot" you laughed faintly, starting to lift his shirt to move your kisses to the skin of his abs, stomach and slowly to his ribs. His breaths started to get deeper, and he even let out a small moan.

"What about it?" he responded, cocky. You smiled against his skin, deciding to descent again with your mouth, teasing him closer to the southern zone where you could feel he was getting hard.

"That it's reasonable to think why someone would want to fuck you into next week" he hummed, so deeply that you could feel the vibrations where your mouth met his body.

He then gently cupped you face, making you lean back so that he could latch his lips to yours in a deep kiss. He interrupted the kiss to talk and you lowkey whined at the loss, making him laugh lightly.

"Maybe. But then again, you know who actually gets to fuck me into next week?" he spoke lowly, making you shiver. He was waiting for a response, but you were already too dizzy on his kisses to notice.

His fingers gripped your face gently, making you look at him. His eyes, shiny and intense, looking into yours.

"Your wife" you whispered, turning your head slightly to take his thumb into your mouth, and started sucking on it. At that point he groaned, removing his hand from your face and switching positions so he was now hovering over you.

"Fucking right you do" he attacked your neck and collarbone, pulling your shirt down to expose more of your skin. You quickly pushed him back slightly, grabbing the hem of his shirt to take it off of him, and he did the same with you, leaving you completely bare since you weren't wearing a bra.

"I'm yours, and yours only" he said breathless but with such intensity that it elicited a moan from you. His mouth started to kiss, nip, suck and lick at one of your tits, while he grabbed the other one with just enough strength to get you even more lightheaded.

"Fuck- Hyunjin" you gasped when he grazed one of your nipples with his teeth, "And I'm yours" you managed to respond, your fingers tangled in between his dark locks, lightly pushing him onto your chest.

He suddenly detached from you, making you whine at the loss, and also at the sudden chilly air hitting the wet spots on your breasts, where his mouth was just seconds before. Hyunjin didn't waste time, removing both your tracksuit pants and underwear in one go, disposing of them on the ground next to the bed.

"Yes, my pretty wife" he kissed your hips and then up your legs messily, "Only mine"

"My beautiful love" he whispered. You could've melted on the spot at his words, if only the fact that he was now licking and biting the inside of your thighs wasn't making you mad with desire.

"Hyun- Hyunjin, please" you couldn't stop the desperate tone in your voice, and it amused him. He chuckled against the skin on your thigh, moving his right hand from your hip to your pussy.

You had closed your eyes in the meantime, so the sudden touch, even though featherlight, made you gasp and look down. His mouth was still leaving kisses on the upper inside part of your thigh, so close yet so far to the zone where you needed him the most.

"I liked how you put that woman in her place" his voice mixed with humor while his fingers had started to spread your wetness around, up and down your slit and then around your clit, which made you buck into him a little.

"What-" you were confused for a second, that awful person completely out of your mind already.

"You're really hot when you get mad, you know?" he kept going, his fingers kept on touching your pussy, until he teased your entrance with just two fingertips. Your hands gripped the sheets, your chest going up and down deeply.

"You have this habit... this cute thing where you go like this-" as he said it, he tilted his head to the side, looking up at you as he took a long lick throught your slit, from your entrance to your clit.

You moaned loudly, that single lick making your body physically twitch. The whole thing was becoming too much and you felt the corner of your eyes get wet with tears.

"Hyunjin, stop it and just get to work already" you blurted out, looking at him with such a serious frown that it made him chuckle again.

"Exactly what I mean" he responded, and after that really got to work. His whole mouth started to alternate open mouthed kisses and licks on your whole slit, but then mainly focused on your clit when two on his fingers easily entered you.

"Ah- yes, so good, Hyune" you mumbled, your mind fogged by the pleasure your husband was giving you. He hummed against you at the praise and started to move his hand faster, wet and lewd sounds proved just how absolutely drenched you were at that point.

After a couple of minutes he really started to suck harder on your clit while moving his fingers inside you in a come hither motion, and that was it for you. You came on his hand and mouth, your head thrown back in pleasure, eyes shut, breath heavy. He took all that you gave him, and then some more.

"Good girl" he mumbled after gently parting his lips from your pussy, still lightly touching you to allow you to come off your high slowly.

"My beautiful girl, so pretty" he positioned himself back up to your side, his clean hand coming up to move the few hairs that got stuck on your slightly sweat covered forehead.

"You did so well for me" he said again, kissing your head, and then completely pulling away from you to bring his still completely wet fingers to his mouth, sucking on them.

You looked at him, his eyes shiny from excitement, his forehead also lightly covered in sweat, his full lips wrapped around his own fingers. The same ones that he had used on you. He looked beautiful, so hot and erotic...a sight to behold. He was also looking down at you warmly, lovingly.

You didn't say anything and just reached out to gently remove his fingers from his mouth, and then kiss him. The kiss was slow, sensual and deep, a lot of tongue and licking, biting lips involved.

Your hand went down to reach for his pants, but he gently took your wrist to stop you.

"I'm okay, my love. You don't have to-" you interrupted him with a kiss, your hand sliding into his pants and then boxers. He moaned lowly in your mouth when you started to palm him and stroke his length.

"Take them off" you mumbled against his lips, and he nodded absentmindedly, using just one hand to get the job done, and just like that he was at your mercy.

You were about to slide down to his hips level to reciprocate the favor, but once again he cupped your cheek.

"If you want me to fuck you, I'm afraid that we'll have to have a raincheck on that, my love." he laughed faintly and a little embarrassed. You smiled at him softly, nodding.

"Aright then, but now it's my turn. Let me ride you, baby" you said sensually, eliciting a moan from him when you switched positions, and now he was laying down beneath you. You left a trail of wet kisses on his body but didn't waste time to reach his cock. It was perfect, in your opinion.

Smooth, on the longer side and just the perfect amount of girth that you could take while also feeling full. It's like it was made for you. He was made for you.

You completed each other in such perfect ways in everything, that you couldn't help to think that maybe this is what those romantic people refer to when they talk about 'soulmates'.

You spit on your hand, for good measure, since you were still more than enough wet and ready for him. You straddled him, your heat hovering barely over his hard cock.

You took him in your hand, slowly pumping a couple of times from base to tip. A couple of drops of pre cum swirled down your fingers and it was at that moment that you took a decision. You eyed him from under your lashes and saw that he was already so worked up that he had to keep his eyes shut and breathe deeply to not cum too fast.

So you didn't waste any more time and just positioned his cock at your entrance, sinking down on it slowly. His hips involuntarily bucked up, making his tip reach your deepest point. That chain of events made you both gasp loudly and then moan.

"Y/n, baby, I'm not gonna last long" he warned, breathless. You shushed him with a finger to his lips. You started to ride him slowly but steadily, making sure to covering his entire length in the process.

Hyunjin moaned softly, mouth agape and eyes half closed but still focused on you. His hands went to either sides of your waist and hips, then ass, to accompany your movements. You started to kiss him deeply while going a little faster, making sure to move your hips around.

It was making him go insane, so he just decided to catch you by surprise and sit up, your body flushed against him, his whole arms wrapped around you as he fucked up into you. Your arms instinctively wrapping around his broad shoulders, your fingertips gripping so hard to leave white dots on his tan skin.

"Fuck- y/n I'm so close baby-" he spoke, his mouth latched to your neck. You nodded, following his movements with your hips to encourage him.

"Wait- y/n, we didn't use a condom" he groaned "I gotta- fuck, I gotta pull out" he sounded desperate, so you reassured him again, making sure to let your intentions clear this time.

"It's okay, baby. I want you to come inside me." he slowed down his movements, looking you in the eyes in shock.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his genuine concern so sweet. You nodded, kissing him deeply again and speeding up you hips movements. Then you leaned to his ear, whispering "I want you to make me a mommy"

That phrase must've triggered something in him, because you suddenly found yourself on your back, again. Hyunjin over you, his cock still painfully hard inside you.

"That what you want, pretty girl? You want to be a mommy?" he teased slowly, in stark comparison to the deep strokes that he was giving you. You gasped, the rhythm leaving you breathless.

"I want to make you a daddy" you responded, your hands going up to cup his face and bring him closer to you to kiss him.

You gasped again, leaving his mouth and looking down. He had pressed one of his hands on the very low part of your belly, causing you such an overwhelming pleasure that you couldn't breathe.

"Then you're gonna be a good girl and take everything that I give you, right my beautiful wife?" his hips sped up, clearly searching for release. But of course he wouldn't come before you did, so his other hand went to work on your clit with fast strokes.

The mixture of his cock inside you, his hand on your clit and the other one pressing down on your lower belly was enough for you, and that's when you came. You saw fucking heaven, if you had to be honest.

"Oh my- fucking God, Hyunjin, oh yes, yes yes" you cried out, holding onto him for dear life. Your moans of pleasure and your pussy clenching so hard around him was his last drop, so not even after a couple of seconds he came too.

He came so hard that he had to lay on you for some time to calm down. You just held his head against your chest, caressing his hair. Both of you sticky and sweaty by now.

You relished in the feeling of his cum inside you, something that you haven't been feeling for months. Hyunjin slowly moved off you, and you both hissed when you lost contact, both still very raw and sensitive. He was panting, sitting back on his calves, admiring the mess that both of you made.

He then gently closed your legs, making you stay on your side, while he positioned himself behind you as the big spoon. He also threw the sheets on the both of you, to stay warm. A few minutes passed before any of you said anything.

"Why is it always like this between us?" he asked, a hint of humor in his voice. Your drowsiness was taking the lead on you, but you fought it off.

"Like what?" You replied, couldn't help but to yawn. He hugged you closer, his hand going to rest on your lower belly.

"Messy. Impulsive. Now that I think about it, our wedding day was the only organized day of our entire relationship." you both chuckle.

"It's okay. We're doing it out of love, so it's okay." you reassured him. He hummed in agreement.

"Look at us, not even parents yet and already setting bad examples for our kids." he continued, making you laugh and hide your face in his arm.

"We're going to do great." you concluded, a sweet smile on your face at the thought of your future with Hyunjin.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

[kaylopolis]

Alastor's Shadow (18+) - Chapter Eight

Alastor x F!Reader

Synopsis: There’s a new Overlord in town and it isn’t the Radio Demon. Six years after you fell into Hell, you have finally earned your seat at the table as Pentagram City’s newest and baddest, and with the Extermination coming six months earlier than planned, it is now time to implement your ultimate endgame. After all, who doesn’t love a bit of power and chaos? Your plan brings you to the doorstep of the Hazbin Hotel as Charlie’s newest Redeemer, but who you find waiting for you will not only turn your entire plan upside down but also challenge your grab for power… 

Tag List: Slow burn, rivals to lovers, eventual smut

Masterlist Link: Masterlist

____________________________________________

Author note: Dear Hoteliers, I give you my favorite chapter :)

<3 Stay smutty

Chapter Eight - The Headliner

Content Warning: Obsession, Blood, Minors DNI!!!

Fuck.

Everything hurt. 

Was that music? 

You blinked. Hard. Forcing the world into view. The shapes were fuzzy until they formed the ceiling of a canopy bed. 

You vaguely registered Nat King Cole’s “Too Young” playing from the radio on the side table. 

God, everything hurt. Did you already mention that?

With limbs of concrete, you attempted to sit up, but a burning pain shot through your core making the world blur into darkness once again. 

You couldn’t have been out long; “Too Young” had entered its final stanza when you came to. Again, you were met with the red of the bed’s canopy top. 

🎶And yet we're not too young to know🎶

Little movements this time. You turned your head, noting the red silk sheets beneath you. Okay, now the fingers and toes - good they were still intact. The legs? Both still present and working. Arms? Yeah, them too. So was it just your torso? You rolled up, but were just met with more pain. 

Okay, let’s try rolling to the side. You rolled onto your shoulder and slowly pushed yourself into a seated position. The effort and pain made you see stars, but at least you hadn’t passed out. 

Okay, where to begin. Instead of your cloak and leather gear, you found yourself in shorts and a white button-down shirt two sizes too big. The fabric was slightly askew, revealing the bandages crossing your chest underneath. You peeked down the shirt and followed the stained cotton to your belly button. 

Fuck, Velvette practically gutted you from your right hip to your left chest. 

Bitch. 

🎶This love will last though years may go🎶

Your arms and legs had been washed, and your other wounds had healed into scars. A poultice soaked through the cotton wrapped around your feet. Whoever took care of your wound also addressed the blisters still plaguing your toes.

How nice.

Your silver hair had been braided into a long ponytail that reached your lower back. And the shirt you were wearing... Images of deep woods after a rainstorm swam in your vision as you breathed in the fabric - it felt almost familiar. 

Slowly pushing yourself to your feet, you wandered over to the glass doors leading to a balcony. Pentagram City waited twenty floors below. You held your arms around your body as you walked, afraid the stitches would burst and your insides would fall out. Shallow breaths only. Deep breaths hurt. 

🎶And then some day they may recall🎶

It was late, City lights illuminated the night. On the balcony sat two chairs, a single table between them. It finally clicked where you were the exact moment the static prickled the back of your neck. 

🎶We were not too young at all🎶

“Alastor…” you spun meeting the demon face to face, but the view took your breath away.

The Radio Demon stood leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, his weight on one hip. He looked disheveled, his hair a ruffled mess, his monocle missing. His suit jacket was probably hanging in a closet somewhere, revealing a white button-down rolled to the elbows. No bow tie, suspenders hanging around his hips, and no shoes. For feet, he had… hooves.

It was the most skin you had ever seen from the demon and it felt oddly intimate. Maybe you should look away and give him some privacy but part of you didn’t want to stop looking. His shirt top was missing a few buttons, revealing his collarbone and upper part of his chest. From what you could tell he was very… defined. 

His arms were stronger than expected, with a layer of muscle that was obvious in the low light. Scars, grey and faded, criss crossed his forearms like battle wounds. His arms ended in a shade of black much like your own - but his hands. 

Alastor wasn’t wearing gloves. 

That got the butterflies stirring in your belly. Why did that make you so excited? 

The Overlord stared at you with a soft smile on his face but a gaze so intense it could knock you over where you stood. You felt trapped. You felt possessed. And you liked it. 

“What happened to ‘Mr. Alastor’?” He purred. 

You pulled your arms in close, trying to hide the shiver his voice sent down your spine. It was deeper than you remembered. 

Keep your guard up, Thestral, be prepared for anything.

“I think we’re past formalities, don’t you?” You gestured to the clothing. “Didn’t know you even owned a pair of shorts. Didn’t take you for the sort.” You raised an eyebrow at him. 

He tipped his head back and laughed, a deep rumble from his chest. “I saved your life, and your first concern is my wardrobe?” 

You fell silent. He took that as a sign to change the subject. 

“Come, I just finished dinner.” 

You stifled a gasp as Alastor turned on his heels. A tail, the Radio Demon had a tail. The black tuft of hair sat at the crest of his hips, a red undercoat where a white tail deer’s white stripe should be. 

“You have a tail,” you whispered, desperately trying to hide the smile fighting to breakthrough. 

Be prepared for anything.... You snorted into your palm. Anything but that!

Alastor froze, his tail shooting up, ramrod straight. He tipped his head back, his eyes nonchalantly finding yours. “I am a dear demon, darling.” 

Yeah, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world! Is that why he always wore the jacket, to hide his tail? Did he not like others knowing or just assumed that they assumed? God, you didn’t know why he would be ashamed of it, it was adorable!

The demon scoffed before disappearing, you following after him, trying your best not to flat-out stare at the thing the entire time you walked. Alastor led you down a hallway and into a kitchen where a pot was steaming on the stove. Pulling a chair out for you, he sat you on the corner to himself. Silently, you waited for him to ladle a bowl of food.

Why did the silence feel so... weird? 

“Be careful, darling, it’s still hot.” He sat in the chair next to you and just stared.

Your eyes locked on his, you tried searching them, tried to figure out what was happening in this moment, but your mind felt so… distracted by the image of him in an unbuttoned shirt. 

“Eat.” He commanded.

And you obeyed. 

“God, this is amazing.”

He smirked. “I assure you, he had nothing to do with it.” His shoulders relaxed when you ate another spoonful, finally allowing himself to join in with his own bowl. Alastor’s tail wiggled as if it was... happy? You reread the demon’s face - neutral disinterest. Hmmm… Interesting. 

“What is this?” 

“Jambalaya.” 

“Ugh, I’m devastated I hadn’t discovered this sooner,” you smiled, taking another mouthful. Swallowing hurt, but in little amounts, it was manageable. 

As the excitement of the dinner waned, a deep sadness began to settle into your heart. “Is Angel okay?” You practically whispered the question. 

Alastor didn’t skip a beat, continuing to eat as he talked. “It took the spider a few days to get back on his feet, but he is doing well, thanks to you. Don’t fret, the Hotel has not been touched in your absence.”

You nodded, taking more small bites. “How long have I been out?” 

Alastor pulled a newspaper from the Void and handed it to you. The headline read “Shadow Presumed Dead. V Tower To Be Rebuilt.” The date was a week later than you remembered, seven days - damn. 

“I missed my headline.” Mimzy is going to be furious. 

“Darling, you are the headline,” Alastor chuckled, his soup spoon collecting the bottom remnants of his bowl. He got up, taking yours as well as his despite it not being totally empty yet. He filled both to the brim and rejoined you at the table, his tail wagging away. 

Page two had a huge photo of Velvette and Vox grieving and some article filled with bullshit designed to garner sympathy. The story, of course, pointed the blame on you as the aggressor - accurate. Yet no mention of Valentino and his cruel ways. Vox controlled the media, so it made sense. 

Folding the newspaper and tucking it away, you started on your second bowl. “So, how long have you known?” 

His tail froze, his half-lidded eyes finding your own. “That you’re the infamous masked Overlord or a Fallen Angel playing Human Sinner?” 

Your lips parted in surprise. 

“Darling, I had you picked the moment you stepped foot off the elevator at Carmine’s office.” 

You clenched your jaw to prevent it from falling open. “How?” 

He paused for a moment, not looking you in the face as he said, “Jasmine.” 

What had the egg bois said to you before you walked into the elevator? They said you smelled like Jasmine. 

“It’s…” you start but wait for the rest of the pieces to click into place. 

“… your favorite tea.” Alastor finished for you. 

You raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Rosie might have mentioned it in passing.” 

Of course, Rosie did. The Overlord hated it but only ever got it for you. 

Oh my God, everything makes so much sense now! He served wine during your midnight meeting, a cabernet - your favorite - as opposed to his usual rye. He gave you the radio not because he cared about your sleep but because he needed an ally at the top of their game. The way he felt threatened by you even as a Hotelian and not an Overlord - why he always had his shadow following you. It explains his heightened irritation with Vox and the attention the media demon gave you. It explains the unprompted kidnapping to the bayou! He was going to confront you about it! Alastor knew from the fucking beginning because, of course, he fucking did.

That's why he's been so interested in you.

“The second mystery was solved as you bled to death all over my bed sheets.” 

My bed sheets. My bed. His bed. Not a guest room bed but his room. His sheets. His pillows. His clothes.

Oh my God, you were in his clothes! 

You felt a blush creep up your neck. “You…” You dropped your spoon with a clunk into the bowl as the realization hit you. “Did you see me naked!?”

Alastor laughed, his tail wagging yet again, “No. No. As soon as I got you here, I had Rolf summon Rosie. She let me help with the less… intimate parts of your injury before kicking me out. She cleaned you up and dressed you after.” 

He didn't see your back. He didn't see your tattoo.

Oh, thank the stars for that woman. She was a gift from above. Heaven really fucked up on that one. Oh, Rosie. She was going to kill you the next time she saw you. 

Wait… 

“Rolf?” You raised an eyebrow. 

“You didn’t think my shadow had a name?” He smirked his iconic lopsided grin. 

You looked down at the darkness swirling about his feet, which snickered in response.

No, actually, you hadn’t really thought of it as something sentient enough to need one. 

You turned back to the bowl, forcing yourself to eat more. You were full, but damn, was this good. 

Having gone a week without food your stomach had shrunk - only enough room for three-quarters of a serving, but that didn’t stop Alastor from refilling your bowl again and again. 

“I’ll summon Rosie in the morning. Have her bring by some of your things. Satan knows she will scold me for not summoning her sooner, but it is late.” 

You checked the time on the stove. It was three in the morning. 

“Why are you still awake?” 

He looked away from you, “I don’t need sleep to function - correction, I need some, but the number is inconsequential compared to others.” 

So his bed was barely used? If at all? Why was it so grand then? Maybe he used it for other… activities. What had Angel said the other day? The Radio Demon has never been seen with anyone. Rumor has it that he was a virgin - well, that was coming from Vox. 

“I’m not a virgin,” Alastor’s words purred in your memory. Your mind drifted off to pondering the number of other people whom he had shared his bed with before you realized what you were doing. 

Wait, what were you doing? 

You were sitting half-dressed in Alastor’s clothes, sharing a home-cooked meal at his apartment.

ALONE. 

What… 

The Radio Demon brought his spoon to his mouth and licked it, sapping up the juices at the bottom of the bowl. His tongue was black and forked. 

Your face heated with the ideas swimming in your mind of what that tongue could… 

No! 

You jumped to your feet abruptly, knocking the chair back and causing the plates to jump on the table. 

A searing burn shot through your core causing you to bend over in pain.

“What’s wrong?” Alastor bent to meet your eyeline, his arms grasping your shoulders. 

Butterflies and bubbles. Butterflies and bubbles. Butterflies and bubbles. You didn’t know what they meant anymore, and it terrified you. 

“I just…” You stepped out of his grip, not daring to meet his gaze. “I can’t…” You turned and exited the kitchen searching for the door. 

Alastor followed with hurried steps on your heels. You tried a few doors, but none of them were an exit. 

Was it getting hot in here? It was definitely getting harder to breathe, but you didn’t know if that was from the injury or something else. 

“Stop,” Alastor commanded, but you ignored him, turning down another hallway. All you could hear was the pounding of your heart and the slaps of your bare feet on hardwood. 

Another door, this one open, leading to a small library. 

Fuck, this place was a maze. 

“Stop!” Alastor’s tone turned dark. As did the hallway. Were you starting to black out or was that his doing? 

“I need to leave…” You breathed, now in a full panic. 

Another turn… There, an elevator! 

You sprinted for it, but Alastor wrapped his fingers around your wrist and spun you around. He gently backed you into the cement wall. Cupping your cheeks, he tilted your head, forcing you to look into his eyes.

“I said stop.” His tone was soft. “You’re having a panic attack. You need to calm down, or you’re going to pass out. Just breathe, Thestral. Breathe.”

You did as he said, squeezing your eyes shut. Focusing on your inhales and exhales, you willed the beating of your heart to slow. You stood there and just breathed, trying to match his own pattern of breath before you. 

“Look at me,” he commanded. 

And you obeyed. 

His irises were a deep crimson, his pupils blown wide in the low light. You felt some sort of veil lift between the two of you, his magic reaching out for your own. It caressed your form, willing your heart to slow, cooling the burn of your blood in your veins. Alastor was somehow calming you down using the connection you had formed between you.  

God, why was he being so nice to you? The last time the two of you were alone together, he was actively hunting you.

“Why did you save me?” You ask, but it comes out as a whisper. 

“We had a deal,” he answers too fast. 

You didn’t buy it. There had to be more to this - more to why Alastor needed you and your power. Technically, your death benefitted him in the long run, didn't it? Killing you eliminated you as a rival, as an Overlord vying for souls, as a Sinner scheming for Charlie's power - whether he actually knew that or not, but Alastor wasn't stupid. He's had an entire week to think about every move you've made, every word you've said. He's had time to piece things together, enough to know that you weren't at the Hotel to be redeemed.

“Why did you save me?” You ask again, a bite in your voice, tears of frustration forming at the corner of your eyes. 

He exhaled deeply, contemplating his words carefully, before finally leaning in and placing his forehead against yours.

“I had the pleasure of arriving just after you shattered the top floor of V Tower. The way you incinerated Valentino from within... By Satan, you were a vision…” 

You went still. 

“I was sure you were going to kill Velvette and Vox as well until Velvette pulled the Angelic blade and sunk it deep into your chest.” His breathing quickened, his voice deepening to a smokey edge. 

“And that’s when I decided that she was not worthy of owning your death.” Alastor’s grip on your cheeks hardened till he had to let go. He placed one arm against the wall, his forearm and elbow flush with the cool concrete, entrapping you in place. His other found your chin, forefinger and thumb gently caressing your skin. “No one was.” He closed his eyes, guiding his nose to yours. The bridge of it rested against your own. 

You couldn’t think anymore. All manner of logic left your brain the second Alastor's forehead found yours.

“If anyone was going to draw your last breath from these lips,” His thumb finds your bottom lip, and you gasp, drawing a growl deep from the demon’s chest. 

Your lips parted even though you begged them not to. Even though you told them you didn’t want this. Even though they disobeyed and you found yourself okay with it anyway. Even though you wanted more…

His claw traced the curve of your lip oh-so-gently, before wrapping under your chin once more and pulling you closer.

He whispered onto your lips, “It was going to be me…” 

DING-DONG! 

“Ow!” You head-butted the Overlord as a loud chime deafened your left ear. 

Tension broken, the demon rubbed his face as he leaned over and pushed a button on a com. “I told you two to go home!”

“Ay, listen here ya’ ol’ timey prick! We tried! Vaggie won’t let us until we have a fuckin’ update! You don’t have a fuckin’ phone for us to call, like a normal person. So, how the Hell do we know what’s goin’ on!?” 

Angel? 

“Give me that.” You heard what you thought was a shove before a different voice echoed through the machine. “Look Boss, Charlie’s been worried sick. She hasn’t been sleeping. She hasn’t been eating. She’s making the rest of us miserable. Angel took her out and got her drunk, and now she’s an emotional wreck. Just give us an update, and we’ll go home.” 

“Husk?” You gasped. 

“At least tell us she’s breathin’ ya’ strawberry pimp…”

You didn’t hear the rest of what Angel had to say as you slid out from where Alastor had cocooned you against the wall and headed for the elevator doors. You managed to hit the button before Alastor reappeared from a puddle of shadows, blocking the exit.

“What are you doing?” 

“You are not going down there.” He crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at you with cold eyes. 

“What!?” You practically screamed, a burn ran up your throat with the effort. Fuck it hurt. 

Alastor didn’t elaborate further. 

You scoffed. “It’s Husk and Angel, Alastor. They’re friends! If Velvette wanted me dead I doubt she’d send them to finish me off!” 

“You are not going down there,” he repeated, cold malice slithered through his voice. 

You stood for a moment, searching his hard eyes, trying to figure out what he was thinking. 

DING! 

The doors slid open. 

“Oh, yeah,” you drew yourself to your full height - well, almost full height. Your posture pulled on the stitches if you stretched too far. “Stop me, then.” Your gaze met his, hardening to steel. 

A challenge, Radio Demon. 

“You know what I am now, right? Go ahead Alastor, stop me.” Arms out to your sides, you waited for the demon to say something. But he was hard as stone. 

You considered summoning blue flame to make your point, to remind him of how easily you had eviscerated Valentino, but you didn’t have to. The demon yielded. Stepping into the elevator, he waited for you to join.

The ride down was far longer than you expected. Or maybe it was the silence that drove you crazy. No elevator music? Or maybe you had ticked the Radio Demon off to the point he shut it all off. Either way, you didn’t care because when those doors opened and Husk and Angel finally laid their eyes upon you, a wave of relief flooded through you so strong you collapsed into their arms. 

It hurt but you didn’t care.

“Holy, fuckin’ shit balls,” Angel breathed into your hair, making you giggle. His sclera were both white. No more black to be seen. His soul contract was over...

“Hey, kid,” Husk grabbed each of your hands, holding them in his paws. 

“Hey, Husky,” you smiled back. 

“You have a lotta fuckin’ explainin’ to do, Hair clip.” Angel crossed his arms, turning on his overprotective big brother mode. “And yous!” He took a step towards Alastor, finger pointed at his chest. “You got a lot of fuckin’ nerve keepin' her locked up this week! We was worried sick! Husk and I thought we watched her die on television, and the next thing we know, she’s locked up 'ere in your ivory tower! No calls! No updates! No nothin’! You…”

Wait, what did he say?

“Angel!” You stepped between the two of them, cutting off the spider demon’s protests. “Did you say television?” 

“Yeah! Vox was filming the whole thang! Well, minus you burnin' Valentino to a crisp. He wanted your death broadcasted so he could claim the stakes of finally unmaskin' the infamous Overlord. Until, he…” He juts his finger back at Alastor. “Shut down the whole grid! All of Pentagram City was plunged into fuckin' darkness” 

Your eyes find Alastor’s but again are met with a wall of cold steel. 

The blood. Did they see? 

No. His eyes seemed to say. 

You pulled the collared shirt closer around you, buttoning an extra level to hide the gold-soaked cotton bandages underneath.

Rosie had taught you how to magick your blood, to have it appear red as opposed to its usual gold. You’d bleed red unless met with an Angelic blade, unless met with a blow promising death, unless you were too weak for the magic to hold. 

Husk and Angel knew who you were but not what. Not yet. But Velvette and Vox? Velvette still has the blade, which means she saw the blood that stuck to it after she cut. Which meant the remainder of the Vees knew what you were - but not who. 

They knew how to kill you. 

Fuck. 

“We searched for you for hours!” Angel hung his head, his voice cracking. “And he had you the whole fuckin’ time.” 

“We thought you died,” Husk added, his eyes shooting daggers at Alastor. 

We thought you died. Died. You never thought about death. Angels never did because Angels can’t die. Even when Velvette pulled the blade, you didn’t think she would kill you. Maime you horribly, yes, but not kill you because Angels don’t die.

But couldn’t they? 

Your mind flashed back to the last extermination. The Overlords always disappeared in the hours before the Extermination. It was policy. Yes, souls came begging for protection - as they always did - but what protection could be offered? You couldn’t fight the Exorcists and even if you tried to hide the souls you owned, it just made for easier pickings when they eventually found you. Groups were targets. 

So the Overlords “left.” Technically, human Sinners couldn’t leave the Pride Ring, so you found other ways to disappear.

You and Rosie always went to Mimzy’s. The three of you sat in the basement and played cards. Mimzy didn’t know who you were; she thought of you more so as Rosie’s adopted daughter before she eventually brought you on as her club’s piano player. 

You were in the middle of a scandalous game of Belot when you felt a familiar tug behind your navel. Someone was using a card to summon you. And that someone was Carmilla. Orange and mint flooded your mouth - fear. Whatever was happening, it was bad. 

You excused yourself to the restroom and slid out the back door. 

Following the call, you found them at the edge of the Doomsday District. The Overlords kept their hiding places secret even from each other. You didn’t know where they were headed, and they didn’t know where you had come from. Your own hiding spot wasn’t in your territory, so why should theirs be? 

Carmilla and Odette were in the middle of the plaza, Clara in a heap of blood and broken bones between them. 

Exorcists flew in a flurry about your head. Sinners were screaming, 

It was a tornado of blood and death. A massacre of the defenseless. You hadn’t seen anything like it since… well, the time of the Old Testament. 

And a beheaded Exorcist lay ten feet from you...

Oh, Carmilla. What had you gotten yourself into? 

“Please, I didn’t know who else to call…” Carmilla grabbed you by the collar of your cloak and dragged you down to the cement. 

Odette sobbed, curling into her sister’s dying form. 

“I can’t…” You breathed. The feeling of her soul fading was like a whisper against your skin. She was fading fast. 

“Please!?” Carmilla begged. 

“I… I…” There wasn’t anything you could…

And then Carmilla screamed. 

She screamed your name. 

Not Thestral. 

Your name.

Your God-given name. 

She grabbed your arm and ran it against the silver in her leggings. Golden liquid bubbled from your skin and dripped onto the pavement before she thrust the wound into her daughter’s mouth. 

She knew. She knew you weren’t just any Angel. 

Not like a low-level Exorcist. Low-level Exorcists can't heal the dying. Low-level Exorcists can't summon Holy Fire.

You weren't a low-level Exorcist. You were special. 

The three of you held your breath as Clara’s wounds began to restitch themselves, as the blood finally stopped flowing. 

There was a gasp as Clara’s eyes fluttered open. Carmilla collapsed into a heap of sobs, holding her daughter close and whispering in Spanish into her ear. Odette pulled you in, thanking you before joining her mother. 

You were numb to the world until you got to your feet and locked eyes with a Sinner. 

At some point, your hood had fallen down.

He had seen your face. 

He had heard your name.

And so had about fifteen others now standing awestruck around you. 

Fifteen people who had to die. 

Fifteen innocent Sinners who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Fifteen people you turned to ash. 

“We didn’t tell the others what happened.” Angel’s voice brought you back to the room. “They think you were caught in the crossfire.”

“They don't know about Angel either,” Husk added. 

Fuck. 

Alastor must have seen the blood drain from your face because he took one step between you and the boys. “This meeting is over.” 

“What?” The boys gawked. 

He was right. The pain in your torso was throbbing, bringing a sting to your eyes. 

You reached out, hesitating before fingering the edge of his rolled sleeve. The demon turned to you in surprise, a look of… we’ll you didn’t know what sprawled across his face. You waited for the flinch, for the smack, for the scowl, but, to your surprise, he didn’t shove you off. “Twenty more minutes?” You asked, your voice barely above a whisper. “Please?”

Something in his steel gaze softened. He wanted to say no. He wanted to drag you back upstairs and lock you away - but he didn’t. Instead, he locked the front door, pulled a chair from the Void for you to sit, and trudged back into the elevator. 

“Twenty, not a second more. Rolf will keep an eye on you.” 

The shadow detached itself from Alastor’s form and wrapped itself around your torso. For once, you found its coldness soothing. 

“Where are you going?” 

DING! The doors shut. 

“Okay,” Angel started, a pair of arms on your shoulders. “First question, who the Hell is Rolf?” 

____________________________________________

It was like a bomb going off. 

You hit the penthouse first, knowing the Overlords enjoyed a nightcap before turning in. Your weeks of spying had paid off and, luckily, Voxtek’s Angelic Security still wasn’t online. 

Valentino, Velvette, and Vox were spread out along their giant three-piece couch, looking absolutely dumbfounded when you crashed through the window in a blaze of blue flames. 

You went for the moth demon’s throat before he had a chance to react. Wrapping your claws around his neck, you jumped back into the night. You fell, summoning your wings to beat harder, garnering as much speed as possible. 

When you hit the pavement, Val first, an explosion ripped through the Entertainment District, taking out half a block of storefronts, cars, and anyone caught in the crossfire. 

You pulled a broken Valentino to his feet in a crater fifty feet deep. The pimp was barely breathing, his eyes unable to focus on anything. The demon was dead, and he knew it; unable to put up a fight, he just watched you and breathed. 

“This is for Angel,” your deep voice spewed.

And then the burning began. You made it slow and torturous, starting with his feet and the tips of his wings and moving upwards until it consumed him completely. He screamed - his last moments filled with the stench of orange and mint - with fear.

You had killed so many times before, but never had it felt this good. 

And then he was a pile of ash. 

“No!” Velvette screamed. The brat demon and Vox were huddled over the edge of the concave abyss, watching the ash of their fallen partner blow away in the wind. 

“You fucking arsehole,” she screamed. “You’re going to die for this!” 

She lept, her claws sharpened to talons. Behind her Vox transformed into his demon form. Nearly three stories tall, the demon was a mass of electrokinetic energy, his claws digging into the cement of the street as sparks of blue scattered across the street.

Now this was a fight!

Velvette didn’t have a chance to land, for you back slapped her so hard she went flying into the wall of the crater, cracking cement beneath her body. 

Vox was next, but you were faster. A surge of electrical wiring launched at you like a cobra striking its prey. You spun, easily dodging, and blasted through his screen like a missile. It wasn’t enough to kill him, but you were merely aiming to temporarily blind him while you dealt with the Bitch Queen herself. 

Velvette climbed out from the crater, calling you every swear word in the book and then some. 

She pulled a silver dagger from her jacket - a Carmilla Carmine blade. “I’m going to gut you like a fish!” 

And then she attacked. 

Eventually, Vox recovered, using any opening Velvette gave him to compliment her onslaught. And you were holding your own for a while, attempting to find various ways to stall Vox so you could get to Velvette, until...

You sent a wall of flame at the female Vee before turning to Vox and...

“Unknown.” A familiar female voice chimed. “Unknown. Unknown. Unknown.”

“What the fuck!?” Vox screamed, shaking his phone before slamming it against the ground. 

The Soul Scanner. He was trying to get a read on who you are, but the technology couldn’t register your soul.

The media demon paused before his eyes met yours, the gears behind his irises turning in his head. And then something like recognition flashed in his eyes. Before you had a chance to think, a cackle echoed behind you. 

Vox’s distraction left an opening, and as you spun, the female Vee ran that blade diagonally across your body. 

You collapsed, your back to them, golden liquid pouring onto the pavement.

Velvette cackled, “Fucking, finally! Now I’m…” Velvette screamed, her sentence cut off abruptly. 

You needed to get out of there. You needed to flee, but before you could summon your wings, a wave of darkness swam over you. 

In one blink, you were in the Entertainment District; the next, you were outside Pentagram City in the Nothing. The outskirts of the City dropped off to nothing but endless black dirt and red sky going on for what everyone assumed was forever. Natives called it the "Nothing" because that was what was here: nothing. 

A pair of red and white dress shoes appeared at the edge of your vision before everything went black. 

____________________________________________

“And then I woke up here,” you finish - you left out the part about bleeding golden Angelic blood, of course. 

The boys were silent until Angel leaned in and wiggled his eyebrows at you. “You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”

“Seriously?” Husk shot him an exasperated look. 

“What I wanna see 'er wings! Can I see ya' wings? I mean where the Hell do you put ‘em, anyway? I don’t see you carryin’ a purse or nothin'." 

You giggled, the action burning through your chest. “Uhm,” God, your body hurts. “I can try, but I’ll rip the shirt.” 

“So? Smiles probably has like fifty more up in his castle.” Angel waved it off. 

You looked to Rolf for permission but the shadow was oddly still. “Okay.” 

You stood and summoned your wings, but the wave of pain that came because of it manifested as dizziness and nausea. Luckily, Husk caught you before you fell. 

“Get her upstairs, Rolf,” he passed you off to the shadow who somehow was able to hold you up despite being incorporeal. 

Your vision blurred with the movement as he loaded you into the elevator. 

“Ah, shit! I’m sorry I didn’t know!” Angel? 

DING! The doors closed, and you ascended. Shivers wracked through your body, drowning you in sweat. Suddenly, the lights were too bright, the sounds too loud, and the world began to blur.

DING! 

Alastor was there, his face full of worry, his usual smile replaced with straight-lipped concern. With elbows under your knees and hands behind your shoulders, he carried you back to his room, your dark wings scraping the floor as he walked. 

His face was so foreign in this moment, like seeing him without a smile somehow made him a completely different person. It almost felt like he was sharing a secret with you, one only you knew about and one only he let you hear. 

The demon pushed open his bedroom door with his foot, the lights of Pentagram City illuminating the air about him. Alastor was glowing, his form ethereal as golden hues danced about his ashen skin. He was almost angelic...

And that made the lack of his smile all the more disconcerting.

“Huh,” you slurred as he set you on the bed, the world beginning to blur. “I always wondered what you looked like without a smile.” 

Darkness took you. 

Al - "I will kill you!" You - *actively starts dying* Al- "No, wait!"

The Vox blowup is coming, Hoteliers, don't you worry ;)

-> Chapter Nine

Link to Masterlist: Masterlist

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added): @sirens-and-moonflowers @wonderlandangelsposts @saccharine-nectarine @goyablogsstuff @mommymilkers0526 @eris-norwega @missgirlsstuff @alastor-the-radio-demons-blog @its-a-dam-blue-brick @sillywormtrixareforkids @cloverresin20

[lumosinlove]

@oknutzy-week-2024 day four!!!

Write Me In

Part Two

Leo tried very hard not to be early. He really did. Then he ended up walking around Finn and Logan’s block about six times and sweating in the heat. He was stupid. He should have just worn a t-shirt. From what it sounded like, they were only just waking up. He didn’t need to be in this dark blue button down.

When it finally hit two o’clock, Leo let himself walk into the lobby. The doorman looked up and called him by his name, taking Leo by such surprise that he had to stutter through a yes, sir as if he was back home in New Orleans.

“Mr. O’Hara’s expecting you,” the man said. “You can go right up.”

The elevator was all mirrors and gold and Leo tried to make himself look slightly less sweaty and nervous than he felt as it rose—and rose. Penthouse. He should have known. He swept his blond hair back. At least in the AC he felt cooler—if not a little flushed looking. His shirt hid any sweat and he had his laptop and recorder this time. This would be a proper interview. He’d make sure of it. After all, this was his dream.

The doors dinged open. Leo had thought he’d have a few more moments. He’d get to walk down a hallway, knock on the door.

But no. One moment he was in the small elevator, and the next he was stepping directly into a massive, open living room. It was beautiful, too. The couch was a huge low-backed leather U. A coffee table that looked like it had once been a cross section of a massive tree was covered in notebooks and a laptop. A dining room table that could hold ten rested just on the other side of the room beneath a papery light that looked more like a sculpture. To its left sat an actual bar, complete with six stools, shelves of backlit bottles, and beer taps. The wall beyond was pure window and the afternoon light slanted in. Leo didn’t see a TV, but apartments like these usually had them concealed somehow. Maybe a projector screen waiting to drop down. Maybe there was a theater room. He knew a lot of artists had recording studios right at home. Who knew how big this place was.

It was also perfectly quiet. Leo didn’t hear a sound. He felt like he was an intruder as he hesitantly stepped out of the elevator and listened to it slide shut behind him. Maybe he should’ve taken his shoes off? The rug beneath the couch was pure white and plush, and the hardwood floors beyond that were honey-colored and gleaming. Four guitars sat along one wall. Beyond the huge dining table, there was a grand piano.

How many of Leo’s favorite songs had been written in this room?

“Kind of freaks me out sometimes.”

Leo jumped and turned at the voice, only to find Finn standing there in running shorts and a t-shirt that said The Strand Bookstore. He held a sleek gray ceramic mug.

“The windows, I mean,” Finn said with a smile. “I always worry about them cracking. Sometimes they rattle during storms.”

“That’s…unsettling,” Leo said.

“Yeah, Lo hates it.”

Finn looked, yes, a little sleep-rumpled. His red hair looked like it had been styled for a photoshoot to be messy though, not like it was actually slept on. Unfair, Leo thought. His hair was a wreck in the morning. He’d been right about not needing his button-down, though. He badly wished he was in a t-shirt and that he’d worn sneakers instead of these pinching dress shoes.

“What a beautiful place, though,” Leo said. “That’s quite a view.”

Finn’s eyes wandered behind him out the window. “Yeah, I like to see the city.” He held up his mug. “Well, Lo’s fucking grumpy when he wakes up, but coffee helps. Can I get you some? I was going to order some breakfast, too.”

“Oh. Sure.”

Finn smiled and jerked his head in a way that Leo guessed meant follow me.

The kitchen was no less impressive. There were huge marble counters, slightly iridescent. A complicated looking espresso machine. Massive silver appliances—fridge, wine fridge, dishwasher, three ovens. God, what Leo could do in this kitchen.

“Wow.” Leo turned in a slow circle. “Do you like to cook?”

Finn laughed. He’d gone over to the coffee pot—probably the simplest thing in here. “If I was ever home long enough to try, I might.”

All this, and no one was even home to use it.

“And Logan’s hopeless,” Finn said. “He can make tea.”

Leo laughed. “Right.”

“Do you take milk or sugar?”

“A little milk,” Leo said, and accepted the mug. “Thank you.”

Leo sipped the coffee. It was good. Strong and nutty. It calmed him a little to hold something warm. Finn had poured the perfect amount of milk in.

“He’ll be up in a second. Or I’ll go get him.” Finn looked a little bashful. “It takes us a while to—wind down after a show, we usually don’t get to sleep until around three or four.”

After a show. Leo could see them still, pressed up against the wall in Finn’s dressing room. What the hell did wind down mean in this sentence?

“No worries,” Leo said. “Where um. Where do you guys go next?”

Are you dating your drummer? Is your drummer dating you? Do you think of him as your drummer? Or Lo? Are you best friends like you make the world believe? Are you just fucking? Are you in love?

He took a sip of coffee.

“Boston,” Finn said. “We just came back from the West Coast. Then we have about a month off before we go to Paris. Then London, then Ireland—you get the idea.”

“It must be fantastic to see all those places.”

I had your poster on my wall. You got me through some of my toughest times in high school. I can’t believe I’m seeing your smile this close up.

“It is when we have days off,” Finn said. “But mostly it’s just a grind.”

“But if you had to choose a favorite city?”

“Rome,” Finn said instantly.

“You wrote your most recent album there,” Leo said.

“Yeah.” Finn smiled down at his mug. “Yeah.”

“Leo,” Finn he said suddenly before Leo could ask another question.

Leo straightened up. Finn O’Hara just said his name. “Yeah?”

“I know…” Finn smiled a little. “We both know what you saw in my dressing room last night.”

Leo had been wondering if this would come up. Or, how, really. Finn pushed his hair back and Leo watched the strands feather forward again. He had a flush to his cheeks.

“We do,” Leo said softly. “I’m so sorry about that. Your team—one second I was following someone and the next I was at your door—”

Finn nodded sharply and Leo stopped talking. He messed with his hair again. “It’s not your fault. I’m just—what I’m trying to ask—” Finn’s eyes went somewhere behind Leo and he smiled. “Finally. He lives.”

Leo turned towards a doorway he hadn’t noticed before—it must lead to the bedrooms—to find Logan shuffling into the room wearing nothing but a pair of white socks and tight, grey boxer shorts.

Leo choked on his next sip and hurried to put the mug down. God, how could Finn not be dating that? There on Logan’s hip was that tattoo. The fleur-de-lis. Right there, real, not a photograph. It was slightly lower than Leo had thought.

“Salut,” Logan said. His voice was hoarse. “Sorry. I’m not…” he looked at Finn and put on what Leo guessed was a try at Finn’s American accent. “a morning person.”

“That you aren’t,” Finn agreed. “Even if it’s nearly three in the afternoon.”

“Hi,” Leo cleared his throat. “I mean, good morning.” He looked at Finn and pointed to his mug. “Do I need a coaster?”

Finn looked back at him quietly for a moment. He had a tilt to his head and a slight smile on his face. “No.”

“Okay. It’s just that sometimes marble stains so I wanted to check. I read this article about different ways of protecting—I mean, not that I have marble counters. But I definitely would like some. They’re beautiful. This is a beautiful kitchen.”

What the hell was he talking about?

“I’m glad someone appreciates it. We certainly don’t,” Finn said. He took down another mug from a cupboard and Leo watched as he poured the coffee, lots of milk, and even more sugar into a mug before passing it to Logan, whose fingers had been drumming idly on the counter while he waited.

The lyrics to Lucky Me popped into Leo’s head.

Let me fill you up with sugar, let me drown in sweet and sweat.

He looked at Logan and found him already watching Leo over the rim of his cup.

“Well, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. So, maybe, um. Maybe once you’re ready we can—”

Logan cut him off. “Aren’t you supposed to follow us around twenty-four-seven for a week?”

Leo swallowed. Oh. “Oh. Yes. Yeah, no, I am. I just…I want this to be as comfortable for you as possible. I don’t want to feel like an intrusion. I’m here for whatever your normal life entails.”

“Right now…” Finn was scrolling on his phone. “That’s breakfast burritos.”

Leo quickly figured out that Logan made him nervous—more than Finn. His green eyes were intense, to say the least, where Finn’s were almost unbearably gentle. Leo had thought that was all for the cameras, a look designed to be photographed. But Finn seemed to look at everyone like that. Logan, definitely. The doorman who brought up their breakfast when it arrived. Even Leo.

Finn also responded to Logan’s movements like he was just an extension of his own body. It would be impressive if Leo didn’t think it was so sweet. He arranged the sauces Logan liked in front of him, took out the bacon from his burrito and put it on his own plate, all before Logan even had time to sit down. The smile Finn received from Logan in return felt private. Intimate, even. Logan’s entire face changed when he looked at Finn. It opened up. He looked younger.

It went right back to guarded when he looked at Leo.

“All right,” Finn said after he set down water bottles for the three of them. They were sitting at a little table in a nook off the kitchen that Leo hadn’t seen before. Finn and Logan were side by side, across from him. Leo had his burrito and coffee to one side of him, and his laptop and recorder set up on the other. Finn snapped a mocking finger gun towards him. “Shoot.”

Leo hesitated. It didn’t seem like Finn was going to finish what he had been about to say to Leo. Possibly ask Leo not to write about what he’d seen? He’d stopped hard when Logan had walked in. Leo was slowly getting the sense that what he’d seen was much more than a kiss.

Maybe that was what was behind all of the looks Logan was giving him. Fear.

“Well,” Leo said, brushing crumbs off his hands. He cleared his throat. “Okay—” They were both looking at him expectantly. Well, Finn looked expectant. Logan looked a little wary. Leo’s resolve dropped. “I just want you to know that I won’t write or publish anything that you don’t approve first.”

There. That seemed like the easiest way.

The two of them exchanged a glance.

“Isn’t that a given?” Logan said flatly.

“It is,” Leo said. “But I still want it to be said first.”

He made himself hold Logan’s gaze. His eyes looked vividly green in the kitchen light.

No, you don’t—say much—but I read—your touch. You fall—I sigh—Oh my—green eyes.

“Oh,” Leo said out loud.

“What?”

Just slowly realizing that it’s possible you two only write songs about each other?

“Nothing,” Leo said. “Why don’t we begin with how you two found yourselves in a band together?”

“People already know this,” Logan said.

Leo smiled. “Yes, people do know this, but I’m not going to use someone else’s quotes in my story.”

Finn stretched his arm out across the back of the breakfast nook’s bench, behind Logan’s back. Would that have been around his shoulders if Leo hadn’t been here?

“We met in high school, started the band there. Then we had a falling out but we both got into Harvard,” Finn said. “We were matched randomly as roommates.”

It was a smooth, well-practiced answer to the absolutely wild story that Leo had heard before. It left no room for further questions.

“Must have been a shock.” Leo wanted to ask what the fight in high school had been about, but he didn’t think the room was nearly warm enough for that yet. “Or fate?”

“I like fate,” Finn said. Logan kept his eyes down. “I mean, look at us now.”

Leo kept the easier career and life questions going for the next couple hours, then they took a break. It was getting closer to five o’clock and Logan went to take a shower. Leo was preparing to go back out into the summer heat, just to give them some breathing room, when Finn picked up his guitar and began asking him questions.

“So, do you even like our music?”

Leo gasped. “Oh my God.”

Only at the surprised, maybe delighted, look on Finn’s face did he realized he’d completely dropped any professionalism right there. It was all Leo could do not to slap a hand over his mouth. Besides, Finn O’Hara was sitting in front of him, plucking some gorgeous little melody out on a guitar Leo happened to know he’d had since he was sixteen, and smiling—he could probably afford to let his guard down a little.

“I’ve loved your music since your first album,” Leo said. “And Rooftop is my favorite song in the world.”

“Rooftop,” Finn repeated softly. His fingers were still moving on the strings and Leo was trying not to stare. They were strong and quick. Subtly, the unfamiliar melody shifted into Rooftop.

“Oh,” Leo said, not bothering to pretend not to watch anymore. “I’ve never heard it on the guitar.”

“Why is that song your favorite?” Finn asked. He didn’t sound hurt exactly, but something like it. Brittle, maybe. “Just… Most people like the upbeat stuff more. At least that’s what I’m always being told.”

“Well…” Leo cleared his throat. “The way you talk about how sometimes it feels like you’re just barely holding on by your fingertips to something you want. That’s true for a lot of people I think. Waiting for someone who isn’t waiting for you back.” He thought of Logan’s eyes on him in Finn’s dressing room last night, Finn’s mouth on his neck. “Or maybe they are and just didn’t know it yet, I don’t know. But I listen to it all the time.”

Finn was leaning forward a little in his seat, listening.

Leo smiled and looked down. “I mean, I like the upbeat stuff, too. But yeah.”

“We’re around the same age, aren’t we?”

“I’m a few years younger than both of you.”

“Back then, I always thought it was just, like, twelve year old girls listening. Not that anything is wrong with twelve year old girls, but when you’re seventeen you don’t exactly want…” Finn winced. “Please don’t quote me on any of this.”

Leo laughed. “No, I understand. But also, no, it wasn’t just twelve year old girls. And it certainly isn’t now. At yesterday’s show—it’s incredible the range of people you captivate.”

Finn shrugged a little and switched back to the melody he was playing earlier.

“Can I ask what that is?” Leo nodded to the guitar.

“You can.” Finn huffed out a laugh. “But I’m not sure yet.”

“Ah. So, I’m watching the secret process right now.”

“You are. Gotta warn you, though, sometimes it’s like watching paint dry.”

“What’s the fastest time you’ve ever written a song in?”

Finn’s fingers fumbled, just for a moment. He looked out towards the windows, the city and sun. It was beginning to lower in the sky now.

“Oh,” he said softly. “About twenty minutes, I guess.”

Leo opened his mouth to ask what song it was, but stopped. Now Finn looked hurt. Sad. The guitar seemed to drink the feeling in. Leo heard him slip new minor chords into the notes, a tumbling, beautiful sound. Then he was suddenly playing Rooftop again.

“Would you like a cocktail?” Finn asked suddenly.

Leo looked over at the beautiful bar. “I think anyone would want a cocktail at that counter.”

Finn smiled. He settled the guitar on the couch and stood. “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? I had it custom made for the space. Usually I wouldn’t give a shit, I’m never home, but I’ve always wanted to do it.” He went behind the bar. “Also. You can help with something. Lo and I are always at a bit of a impasse.” Finn put a hand to his own chest. “I like to taste the alcohol. Logan won’t touch anything that doesn’t taste like someone dumped a load of frosting into it.”

“So, he’s a sweet tooth.”

“Oh-ho yeah. Understatement. You know that edible cookie dough? Take a look in our fridge.”

I watch you fill your cup with sugar.

Finn read that thought clear as day. He bit his lip, elbows on the bar. “You’re putting us together a little bit, huh?”

“I won’t put anything together you don’t want me to.”

Finn glanced in the direction Logan had disappeared to.

“You’re under no obligation to explain it to me. I should have knocked loud and clear.”

“No, we…We’ve talked.” Finn fixed him with intent brown eyes. “We’ve talked. We love each other and…”

So they are in love, Leo thought triumphantly.

“It’s just that we don’t know what comes next.”

“I understand,” Leo said. “Really. Just…” Leo set his hands in front of him, trying to pour truth into his words. “I’m not here to, like, drag anything out of you. I’m here about your music, that’s my job, that’s what I love to write about. If what you two feel for each other is something that is not only important to that but that you’d like to tell me about, that’s wonderful. If not, that’s wonderful. And we also don’t have to decide now. Okay? Please don’t feel like you have to tip toe around me or my pen.”

Finn was looking at him with a slight smile on his face. He gave a small nod.

“And please tell Logan that, as well,” Leo said. Leo wasn’t sure he’d get those sentences out as smoothly under Logan’s gaze.

“Okay.” Finn swept his hand out towards the shelves behind him. “Gin? Whiskey? Tequila? Rum?”

“Rum,” Logan’s voice said from behind Leo. He appeared a moment later. His wet hair was combed back and out of his face, his skin flushed from the shower’s heat. He wore a dark green t-shirt, stretched across his strong chest and gray sweatpants. In his hand was a pair of drumsticks.

“Well, I wasn’t asking you,” Finn said. “Leo, please. I can make anything.”

Logan slid onto the stool beside him. “It’s true, he’s very good.”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Leo said.

Finn gave his head a hard shake and hit his hands down on the bar. “Nope. I want to know what you want.”

Finn ended up fixing the two of them gin martinis. He gave Logan his rum and coke with, to Leo’s surprise, a kiss to Logan’s hand. Logan blushed, glanced at Leo, but didn’t pull away. He took his drink and his drumsticks over to a stool where a muted, practice kit was set up and began tapping out rhythms. This was not what Leo had been expecting when he took this job. He expected it to be wilder, like some of the pure and chaotic party scenes he’d been apart of when following musicians around before.

Night Swimming was soft. Domestic, even. Finn and Logan’s wildness on stage melted away into something tender. Finn brought out cheese and crackers and sliced apple and, as Leo sank into the massive comfy couch, he found that as the sun set, he wasn’t asking questions anymore. They were, the three of them, simply talking.

~

“So, so, so,” Cassie’s voice said in Leo’s AirPods. “How’s it going, you’re four shows in now you lucky duck.”

“That I am,” Leo said, looking around his Boston hotel room. Tonight was Finn and Logan’s third and final Boston show and Leo was basically in seventh heaven. Maybe they were all in hotel rooms now and he missed their cozy apartment a bit, but he couldn’t complain. He got to write about his favorite band and watch them perform every night?

And hear about their love. More and more. During their time after the show, at dinners, in dressing rooms, in Finn or Logan’s suites—and there was a suite for each of them even if it seemed like they only used one. During those times, they told Leo things. Little details about them, not as singer and drummer or best friends, but as a couple. Leo could feel the difference. He didn’t know why exactly he was being allowed to know these things when no one else did, but he let them give what they wanted to give.

“It’s good,” he told Cassie, but his mind filtered through what good was. Good was knowing how far Finn’s voice stretched as he warmed up in his dressing room. It was alone and strong. They were just scales and the occasional lyrics, but Leo could have listened all day. He also dropped to the ground and did rounds of push-ups which, while unexpected, wasn’t horrible to watch.

“I have to say though, I’m not entirely sure what happens next.”

“What do you mean?” Cassie asked.

Leo popped another salt and vinegar chip into his mouth. “Well, they’re going on vacation. Somewhere. They’ve got a month off before they’re back on tour, so I’m not sure why the magazine scheduled me for now. It’s not a full week before they leave.”

“Well, your week will be basically up. I’m sure you’re not expected to go on vacation with them.”

“No, no, I know that,” Leo said. Damn, he thought. “I’ll just—I have closing things I need. Want. Hope to ask.”

Cassie was quiet for a long minute. “Well. Better hop to it, I guess.”

~

“Will you hold this? Finn’s busy.”

Leo looked up from his notebook to see Logan holding out one end of what looked like an exercise band. He was dressed for the stage already. Black jeans, black tank top tonight. His hat had a Bruins logo on it—sometimes he did that. Matched his hat to the city. In New York, he’d been wearing Finn’s Rangers hat a lot and Finn had expressed his disgust at the switch many times. Leo had put it in the story.

“Sure.” Leo set his pen down. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just hold this steady.” Logan put one end of the band into Leo’s hand. “I like to warm up.”

Leo still didn’t quite know what that meant, but he did what he was told.

Turned out it meant getting a front row seat to the flex of Logan’s arms and wrists as he pulled the band in different directions and angles.

Suddenly, two hands appeared on his shoulders. “Hi. Would you like some tea?”

Leo held the band tighter while craning his head back to look behind him. Finn appeared to him, half upside down at this angle. “I—Yes. Sure, thank you.”

Finn smiled, squeezed once, then let go. “How’s the writing going?”

“Good.” That was half true. Sometimes, he was on. There were whole chunks that were solid and good. Then there were parts of Leo’s notebooks that were a mess of phrases which sounded far too mushy to be a proper article.  “Really good.”

The music…God, Leo could have written about their songs for hours and hours—he just had to be careful not to cross any lines into what he was quickly suspecting was the true territory of the songs. Love songs. In Leo’s opinion, the best kind of love song—when the two people they were about were right there, in the same room as each other.

Logan had switched to the other arm, opening himself up to being taken by the hips by Finn and sweetly kissed.

After, Logan smiled a little at Leo when he took the stretching band back. Still guarded, but it was improvement. “Merci.”

“Yeah,” Leo said. “Or, you’re welcome.”

He winced at himself as Logan went over to drum a bit on one of his practice pads. Leo tried to pick up the song, but it was hard without the melody until Finn, waiting for water to boil, started singing.

Oh, I wish that I was someone else so I could watch us being.

Go and love a stranger so I can see how you hard you love me.

In his notebook, Leo wrote, In the middle of warming up—which involves more push-ups and stretching than I would have thought—O’Hara stops to make me a cup of tea.

Fuck. It sounded like a diary entry.

Warming up is taken as seriously as it would be by any sports team. Tremblay prepares his body as thoroughly as his instruments.

Was that too…? Leo set his pen down and stared at the page.

Tremblay stretches in front of me and I swear to God I can see every muscle in his back.

O’Hara just squeezed my shoulders. I heard Rooftop on the guitar for the first time and it wasn’t at a show, it was in his living room and he looked so sad. He looked so sad.

When they kiss, I want to watch the gentleness between them on loop until the end of time.

And an even quieter, even more secret thought: I want to be kissed like that.

“Here we go.”

Leo looked up. Finn carefully set down a steaming paper cup. “I put a little honey in it like mine. That’s what I have before we go on.”

“That’s perfect.” Leo smiled and held the cup up to his nose. It smelled sweet and a little like licorice. “I’ll consider it research.”

Finn smiled back for a moment and Leo was reminded of the first time he’d met Alex. They both had that soft stare. It was aimed right at Leo.

“Your hair’s the color of honey,” Finn said. Then he picked up Leo’s pen and wrote down, honey!!! then winked at Leo and walked away.

The show was wild and fantastic, as usual—and it rained. Rained. Hard. The screens showed Finn, red hair dark and dripping against his forehead, his face raised to the sky. Water flew up in droplets from Logan’s drums, backlit and mesmerizing. Leo was soaked despite the VIP tent by the time it was over and shivering a little in his t-shirt as the night cooled down.

He made his way backstage, trying not to drip on everything as he knocked on Finn’s dressing room door.

A grinning Finn with Logan under his arm swung it open for him. He was soaked through, they both were, but he didn’t seem to feel the cold. Adrenaline, probably. Finn held so much of it after shows he practically shook.

“We’re going out to celebrate and you’re coming with us.”

“Great,” Leo said. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to fight the chattering of his teeth. “Where?” He was taking in Logan now. He looked—well, soaked and kissed. Maybe Finn was just extra affectionate after shows.

“Just a bar. My brother, some friends. And you because you’re coming.”

“And my sister will be there,” Logan said.

“Which one?” Leo asked—which maybe was weird that he knew there was more than one? But they had to be used to being Googled. Right?

“Noelle,” Logan said. “And her boyfriend, Thomas.”

“I won’t kill your vibe?” Leo asked.

“Everyone knows we’re doing your interview,” Finn said. “I think we should give you more than just, like, us fucking around backstage and, you know, working.”

“You guys are pretty serious,” Leo said. Which wasn’t very true. Finn was always putting Logan in headlocks, Logan constantly hid Finn’s things from him. “But thanks. I’d love to come.”

“Good,” Finn said.

When they began peeling off their sweaty and wet stage clothes, Leo kept his eyes respectfully down, mostly, and wished he had something to change into, too. He could try to run back to his hotel, but he didn’t feel like having to chase their party down. He resigned himself to being damp and hoped a drink or two would warm him up.

“Here,” Logan said, and something soft and warm was being pushed into Leo’s chest.

It was a sweatshirt—Finn’s sweatshirt, probably, by The Strand Bookstore logo on it. Though maybe it was Logan’s, bought in New York or maybe stolen from Finn.

“Oh…” Leo looked at Logan. Those green eyes really did deserve songs to be written about them. “Thank you.” Leo said.

He pulled the sweatshirt over his head and was sure it was Logan’s. It smelled like the cologne he wore—nothing too strong and intense. It really was just like he’d bottled something piney and sweet.

When he was sure no one was looking, Leo ducked his nose a little into the collar.

~

Somehow, suddenly, it was four-thirty in the morning. Leo was pleasantly buzzed, a little exhausted, and squeezed up against strangers in a booth. He wasn’t so pleased about the squeezed part, but it was a good vantage point. As it turned out, Finn was a dancer—even when not many others were dancing. He was just as good as he was on stage. All hips and smiles.

Logan was not a dancer—but he watched. Leo watched him watch Finn. There was a quiet sort of intensity to it. He chewed on the straw of his rum and coke, crunched on ice cubes. An hour later he was all but shredding a beer label, and had his eyes on Finn and he’d lost his hat somewhere—oh, Finn’s head. It was getting warm in the bar. The place kept the doors open and Leo was sweating in Logan’s sweatshirt, but he didn’t take it off. He could see Logan’s sweat, dark on his temples. Finn had to be sweating, too, but he didn’t look it. He just looked happy.

Finn wandered over to Logan and hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. He didn’t kiss him, but he got nice and close like he might, singing words to a song Leo didn’t know and grinning.

How had the world not figured it out yet? They might not be so obvious as kissing, but Finn and Logan certainly weren’t subtle. Was a narrative of that’s how they are, that’s their friendship really so strong?

With a smile, Logan shoved Finn back out onto the floor where someone joined him—two someones. Alex and a dark-haired girl Leo had seen around. For a brief moment, across the room, Logan’s eyes met Leo’s. Then he ducked out onto the balcony. Leo wasn’t positive it was an invitation, but he wouldn’t miss it if it was.

“Excuse me, sorry,” Leo mumbled to the guy next to him. It was a bit of a mess, making these people get up. He wasn’t sure why they were all sitting there. It wasn’t like it was easy to hear each other over the music anyway. Leo was happy to rise.

Remarkably, the night air felt cool. The balcony was higher up than Leo had expected, looking down at the city below. Logan had his back to Leo, elbows on the railing. He glanced behind him when he heard Leo approaching, and the red and blue city lined his profile. He looked just like he did on stage, only calmer. Quiet. Truer to how he actually was. Leo couldn’t image putting on a show like that every single night.

“I need a break from people sometimes,” Logan said, as if answering a question Leo had asked.

“Oh. I can go—”

“No,” Logan said. “I just mean crowds.”

“I bet,” Leo said. He went to the railing and mirrored Logan’s position. That was actually an old trick he’d been taught. Apparently it made interview subjects feel at ease. Really, he’d just wanted to see the city and feel the cold metal of the railing on his skin.

“It’s hot in there.”

“Ouais.”

“Finn really loves dancing.”

Logan cracked a smile and took a drink from his beer bottle. “You’d think he’d run out of energy.”

Leo laughed. “I’m out of it just looking at him.”

“That’s Finn for you…Realest thing in the world.”

Realest thing in the world. What a quote. Leo knew he wouldn’t have to write that down to remember it.

“Who is he dancing with?”

Logan swallowed. “Hannah. She was at Harvard with us.”

“Hm.”

“They dated. In college.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah,” Logan said, then glanced Leo’s way. “Before I took what was mine.”

Okay, hot. Leo had to smother a pretty pathetic sounding breath.

“Hm,” Leo said again. “Can I…Can I ask something?”

“That’s your job.”

“It’s pretty personal. And you don’t have to answer.”

“I know that.” Logan said, and then just waited, looking back out at the streets.

“What happened after high school and before Harvard?”

More waiting. More of that intense, Logan-silence. Part of Leo was pleased that he had such a thing to associate with Logan, that he’d spent enough time with him for that. Leo didn’t push him. He stirred the ice cubes in his drink and took in the rest of the balcony. A few chairs. Ash trays.

“We used this bookshop’s basement to practice at night,” Logan said suddenly. “All the other stores were closed, it was below ground, we weren’t going to annoy anyone.”

Leo could picture that. Guitar and drums, maybe one of their ever rotating bass players—it must get hard, trying to bud in on two as tight as Finn and Logan were. Writing and playing late into the night.

“But one night when it was just us there was this…” Logan shook his head. “Merde, I’d say snowstorm but it was more like… Just it was like the world blinked out.” Logan scratched wet-paper trails in his beer bottle’s label. “It felt like it was just the two of us left in the world.”

“You got snowed in?”

Logan nodded. His eyes were far, far away. Green, deep forest.

“We slept together,” Logan said quietly.

Alarm bells that every good reporter should have went off. Logan had been drinking. Leo had asked the question but it was still his duty to make sure it was truly okay to get the answer. “Does Finn know you’re telling me this?”

“Ouais. We talked about you.”

Okayokayokay. Leo felt like his entire body was trying to keep his heart from pounding at that sentence. Oh, to be a fly on that wall…

“Okay,” Leo said carefully. “Still, if you want to have this conversation another time—”

“I’m not drunk,” Logan said. He looked down at his beer. “I had one drink two hours ago and this tastes like shit, I’ve been holding it for a fucking hour.”

Leo couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Not sweet?”

“Non, not at all.”

Well, Leo was glad he knew. Sometimes with the stars, it was a problem. They spilled out gorgeous sentences and feelings no matter how Leo tried to stop them when they were loose-tongued and then wouldn’t let Leo use a word of it the next morning.

“And like I said,” Logan said. “We…I wouldn’t just be telling you this if Finn didn’t…You know.”

Leo thought of all the details he’d been picking up, and then even more unspoken ones. He could see that they wanted him to know. He just wasn’t sure why.

“It was the best night of my life.” Logan leaned on the railing, his hand coming up to touch his mouth. “It was… We wrote Only Two that night.” Logan smiled at the memory and closed his eyes. “Like, in twenty minutes, it was insane. Right after we…well.”

Leo loved that song. Back in high school, he hadn’t thought of it as being about making love, but being older now, he could tell.

There are only two

Things I want

For only the two

Of us

Two more turns on this dark road

Two more inches of skin exposed

Two more minutes of this bliss

Two more hours not to miss

Two more decades of your light

Two more centuries of this night

Only two (two) two (two)

Want me, too (too) too (too)

After this conversation, he’d never listen to it the same. He’d picture some grimy basement, and snow—and he’d picture Logan and Finn…

Two more inches of skin exposed.

No. No, Leo thought to himself. You’re professional. So very professional.

“And then I pretended like nothing happened.” Logan straightened. He turned his face away a little.

He could be professional and still let his heart ache at that. A memory surged at him without warning. A voice that he tried his best not to remember. Get the lights, will you?

“Why?” Leo tried to keep the word gentle. Logan seemed like he wanted to get this out, and Leo wanted to keep it at his pace.

“I don’t know. I got scared. I thought we’d never—I don’t know. We wanted this massive thing, to play our music, that almost no one gets and I didn’t want anything to mess it up. We fought. Finn wanted to be together. And then I said…I said things I didn’t really mean, but I said them. And he was crying.” Far away eyes again. “He was crying.”

Finn, crying. Leo couldn’t put it together with the grinning boy inside. When Logan turned to look, so did Leo. Finn was facing them, half obscured by a wall of people he was chatting to. It was hard to tell through the glass and with all the reflections from outside, but Finn might have looked at them.

  “And…and we stopped talking.” Logan turned away. “We didn’t talk all of Senior year, or the summer before college.”

“But you got into the same school and showed up to the same dorm room.”

Logan snorted out a laugh, rubbing a palm over his face. “Merde. Oh my God, Leo, you have no idea. Our faces, seeing each other? Our parents’ faces? I thought I was going to die that first night, I walked in on Finn playing the guitar, and I thought I was going to die.”

“Wow,” Leo said faintly.

Logan let out a delighted laugh. Leo blinked, surprised, but couldn’t help but smile. That was a contagious sound. A rare one?

“Sorry, I mean—at least we can laugh about it now,” Logan laughed through the words. “I was going to lose my mind. I can’t tell you how much I missed him. I remember missing him now and I miss him when he’s, like, asleep next to me. That’s how bad I…” He broke off suddenly. Leo watched his throat move around a swallow. “That’s how bad I fucked up.”

Leo knew he wasn’t supposed to give his opinion to the subject of his pieces. As the writer, he was supposed to listen and organize. But his mind was telling him to comfort Logan. He wanted to do what he’d seen Finn do earlier, he wanted to know how warm Logan’s waist was through his t-shirt.

“On the topic of the songs you write together…” Leo took a breath. “Can I ask about Rooftop? You always leave the stage when Finn plays it. Is that—I mean, it’s a solo for him, I know that, but…”

Logan frowned and didn’t answer for a long time. Leo let him sit. It was a fine line, seeing that a subject had opened up, but then pushing too hard. Leo was beginning to worry he’d crossed that line when Logan spoke.

“I can’t listen to it. That’s why I leave.” Logan rubbed at his jaw and went to mess with his hat before remembering Finn had it. “Really, I can’t watch him sing it. I can’t watch what was my fault.”

Leo had had his suspicions since he’d walked into the dressing room, but this confirmed it. “It’s about you.”

Logan’s mouth was tight when he gave a small nod.

“I refused us for a long time.” Half a smile crossed his face and he sang the brief melody. “Long, long time.”

Leo smiled, too. It felt like it was okay to do. They were together now, weren’t they?

“It’s my favorite song,” Leo admitted.

Logan looked surprised. “It’s so sad. You don’t seem like a sad song person.”

“I don’t?” Leo laughed. “What kind of person do I seem like?”

Logan looked at him for a moment, then back at the city, shrugging with an almost bashful look on his face.

“And…” Leo felt a little giddy, like a sleuth figuring out a mystery. “Green Eyes.”

Logan laughed. “Ouais.” He took a sip of his beer and grimaced at the taste. “Fuck this shit about some French girl. Quote me on that.”

“Seriously?”

Logan sent him a look. “Maybe. Ask me later.”

Leo nodded. “Promise.”

Logan’s smile was gentler this time.

“When did you get together for good?” Leo asked, then realized what he said. “I mean—I mean, you look pretty solid, I didn’t mean to assume.”

Logan smiled. “Oh, he’s never getting rid of me now. I’ll never forget it. It was…maybe a year ago, I guess? No, a little more. While we were writing our most recent album. In Rome, actually, we rented this place and after those months, I didn’t think I’d be able to be far away from him again. And I mean, like, other side of the room. That felt far away.” Logan looked up, remembering. “We were pretty off-and-on until then, making out, fucking, not talking about it.”

Leo blushed. “Mhm.” Making out fucking not talking about it.

Logan sent him a sideways glance. “What?”

“Nothing, I’m listening.”

Logan narrowed his eyes playfully and turned his body towards Leo. God, his shoulders.

“Non, you’re a baby tomato. Tell me.”

“Oh God,” Leo laughed, putting a hand to his cheek. “Shit, I am, aren’t I? Well—No. Okay. All right, confession.”

Logan smiled and leaned forward. “Ouais?”

Leo pressed a palm to his own chest. “I am a fan. Quite a big fan of you both. I’m also. Well, I’m gay. I’m having a bit of a moment realizing two of the people around my age that I’ve always admired,”—You’re also unbearably hot, both of you—“shared more with me than I ever thought they did. Especially because—your music really helped me through some bad times.” It was Leo’s turn to look down. “Some bad guys.”

Now all that intense Logan-silence was trained directly on him.

“Bad guys,” Logan repeated softly. “Bad to you?”

He said it like it was madness, like he couldn’t believe it.

“It was a long time ago,” Leo said.

“What’s that mean?” Logan shrugged. “They were bad to you?”

“He,” Leo said. “Really just…he was.”

“Bad…Bad how?” Logan asked in a hushed whisper. He took a step forward, nearly right into Leo’s space.

“Nothing like—just…” Leo sighed as he stumbled over his words. “He wasn’t happy with how he wanted me. He probably wished he didn’t want me at all.”

More of those uncomprehending narrowed eyes, as if Jack, whose name Logan didn’t even know, had offended Logan by offending Leo.

“What a shit,” Logan said—and there was a snarl to it. Logan Tremblay, who had known Leo for all of a week, had just snarled about Leo’s shitty ex-boyfriend.

Leo laughed. “Yes. Understatement. Very.”

They were close now. Close enough that Logan could reach out and untuck where the collar of Leo’s sweatshirt had folded wrong.

“Oh,” Leo said. Logan’s fingers had brushed his neck and Leo fought that shiver hard. “Yeah, thank you for this. That rain got cold.”

Logan stayed quiet. He withdrew his hand, but he didn’t step back. When he looked up at Leo, he had that open look that Leo had only seen him give Finn.

“You know we chose you,” Logan said. “Right?”

Leo only had time to half let that sink in and half wonder what the hell it meant before a knocking came from behind them. “Hey-hey.”

They both turned to see a dark haired girl—this was Logan’s sister, Noelle. She smiled at Leo and held out her arms to Logan.

“Wanted to say bye, I’m taking off, Lo-bear.”

Lo-bear. Leo hid his smile in his glass but Logan caught it anyway as he hugged his sister tightly.

“Have a good vacation,” Noelle said and squeezed him tighter for a moment. She planted a kiss on his cheek and whispered. “You deserve it.”

“Merci.”

“Don’t wreck mom and dad’s house.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “When have I ever done that?”

Noelle pulled back and patted his cheeks. “Love you.”

Leo looked between them. Logan was different like this. He wasn’t a pop star. He wasn’t considered on of the best drummers in the current music scene—maybe the world. He was a baby brother.

“Je t’aime,” he said softly.

A version of the voice he saved for Finn, maybe. Leo wondered what it was like to hear them say it to each other. I love you.

People began spilling out on the balcony after that. Maybe noting that Logan Tremblay was out there. Leo and Logan got tumbled apart, but Logan caught his eye across the crowd. Between them lingered unfinished words. Leo shrugged one shoulder and gave him a smile. You chose me? What does that mean? What in the world does that mean?

Logan frowned. He set his beer bottle down, still full, and began to try and push through the crowd to Leo. It was hard. People kept wanting to speak to him. Logan looked like he was trying hard not to snap at them.

“Hey.”

Leo turned and found Finn there. Sweaty, tall, love-eyed Finn. He was definitely tipsy. No Logan-conversations for them tonight.

“Hi,” Leo said. He glanced back for Logan, but he’d lost him.

“We’re going to Logan’s family’s house in Nice tomorrow morning.”

“Oh.” Leo tried, he tried to keep his heart afloat. That felt—he didn’t feel ready. He didn’t want the week to end. Maybe it was hero-worship. Maybe he was starstruck. Maybe his heart didn’t know what to do with the proximity. Was Finn telling him that they were finished, that they were going on vacation—

Finn reached for Leo’s hand and tucked something into his palm, closing Leo’s fingers around it and covering it with his own. “I’ll send the car for you.”

The crowd whisked him away, too, leaving Leo standing in the summer night to uncurl his fingers.

It was a guitar pic, and scrawled across both sides in tiny writing, were two phone numbers.

[oxpogues4lifexo]

Keeping Up With The Camerons

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Keeping up with the Camerons

Episode 1 - Kildare Royalty

Episode transcript (/ means cut scene, bold italics means narrator, bold means host)

Word count: 8.5K

Shorter episodes Here - 3K Words

//

Kooks. And Pogues. Two tribes. One island.

Or in this case..

The Camerons. Kildare. One family. The whole island.

I am your host Ryan Seacrest, and THIS is Keeping up with the Camerons!

/

The sun sat high in the clear sky, beaming over the island and its people, as the wind stay at a calming pace; peacefully pushing through each tree of the TannyHill Estate. The hot temperatures filling the air with a sticky dew as the land fell quiet in tranquility. The island keeping true to its nickname, ‘Paradise’.

/

“Let’s meet the family.”

A tight-faced man with a catchy smile speaks to the camera, his hand gesturing past the screen as his head bobs in the same direction. The camera follows his gaze round to the couch opposite.

Arranged on the cushions sits, Ward, Rose, Rafe, Sarah and Wheezie Cameron.

Ward sat by himself on a single seater beside the edge of the left hand side of the couch. His hair stuck tightly to the top of his head as he held himself with a humble appearance of a loose, white, half-unbuttoned shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of navy pants tightly fitted around his thighs, completed with an expensive silver-plated watch that sparkled with every movement he made.

Rose had herself next to Ward, on the couch, sitting lazily in the corner of a bundle of cushions by his hand, that rested against the arm of the seat, gently grazing her skin in a way to calm her irritated complexion. Her posture was well-presented, however her facial expressions were dismissive of the cameras infront of her. Clearly not impressed or too bothered by the experience to come. She had on: a floral pink shirt tucked into a pair of white jeans that sat above her ankles, a pair of flip-flops held loosely on her feet as her left leg crossed over the other. A glass of white wine gripped into her palm against her leg; presumably easing the moment.

Beside her sat her step-daughter, Wheezie. Her features showed quite the opposite feeling towards the situation. A big pure smile covered her rosy cheeks, her curls placed thoughtfully around her shoulders as her glasses lent gently against the button of her nose. On her figure, she wore a blue velvet dress that came down to her knees, neatly tucked under her legs as her hands rested against them. Her pale skin contrasted with the bands of colourful beads around her wrist which matched her sisters next to her.

Sarah had a similar look, wearing a white summer-dress that barely reached the peak of her thighs. Her sandy hair fell perfectly to shape her baby-like face; taken by an almost perplexed look as if only suddenly been informed of the situation and having to fake a smile to push through it. Her expression not being believable in the slightest, if so. Her legs, like her step-mothers, were crossed over one another in a lady-like fashion; showing off her respect for the attention being forced on her and her family even despite the lack of enthusiasm.

Lastly, on the furthest side, sat Rafe. His careless form thrown at the cushions, legs spread and arms splayed out against the back of the couch as if it were some informal gathering with his friends; The intentional grin spread across his face, however, speaks otherwise. The enjoyment of the cameras being very evident on his features made him almost seem more mature about the situation than the rest. His hair was pushed back over his head messily and his ocean blues were piercing in the sunlight that shone through the glass doors opposite. A tight pink polo sat around his toned figure, accompanying the khaki pants it was tucked into. A pair of sliders on his feet to contrast the supposed smart attire.

Another camera shot was added to face the host, his features held strongly to a welcoming smile. “Could you all introduce yourselves please? Starting over here!” He points his hand towards the edge of the couch.

Ward’s lips part as the corners lift to an even bigger smile, “Hello, I’m Ward Cameron!” He says holding a proud grin to the camera as he emphasises a wave, his watch shuffling down his arm slightly at the motion.

Ryan’s gaze follows along next, towards Rose. She lets out a heavy sigh as she sits up, her grip on the glass of wine tightening, “Hi, I’m Rose.” She speaks planely, no emotion to accompany her words, her effort to hide her annoyance becoming little to none. Her head quickly turns to Wheezie to push the attention off of herself.

The camera joins her focus. Wheezie lets out a quiet ‘oh’ when she realises she’s expected to speak. She raises her shoulders as her smile reappears, pushing her index finger to the bridge of her glasses to adjust them. “Immm.. Wheezie Cameron!” She stutters as her cheeks redden; the anxiety of the rooms eyes on her taking over, but managing a sweet smile to mask her nerves as she pats down her dress hem to keep her fingers occupied. Despite her excitement for the upcoming experience, her worries don’t ever seem to budge.

Sarah was already prepared, her position not changing from her first appearance. She nods to herself as a smile makes its way to her face, “Hey, I’m Sarah!” Her face not looking as believable as she thinks; Her body held in closed language, expressing her lack of excitement.

The camera holds for a minute, taking in Sarah’s expressions before Ryan prompts the cameraman to move on. Wards facade slips slightly at the action whilst the others seem too preoccupied with their own thoughts to notice.

Rafe’s face remained mischievous, as if there were some intent behind his reasoning for agreeing to do the show other than because his father asked. “You already know, I’m Rafe Cameron!” He tries to hide the smirk that pushes onto his lips but fails as the camera picks it up. His hand taps against the back of the couch behind Sarah’s head, neither her nor the rest of their family understanding why he’s being so compliant.

Sarah scoffs at his words and Rose rolls her eyes, sipping at her glass finally; a small giggle slipping from Wheezie’s mouth that she’s quick to cover with her hand. The action causing Rafe to chuckle to himself, getting the reaction he wanted.

Ward was proud of his family as he looked over them, as if he were some King admiring his people. He gives Sarah a reassuring nod; tugging a small smile to her lips.

Ryan nods with the same grin on his face from minutes before, “So, how is everyone feeling?”

A mixture of ‘goods’ and ‘fines’ were thrown around the room, causing a small furrow in the hosts brow. He coughs to clear the air, opening his mouth to speak before a voice interrupts.

“How’re you?” He looks over to notice the voice was Wheezie, a bubbly expression accompanied her words.

Ryan can’t help but light up at the question, normally he’s the one to ask all the questions, the attention never being on him. “I’m.. yeah I’m good thank you! Excited to be here with you guys. It’s a pleasure.”

She smiles to his answer; Ward’s face lifting at the enthusiasm from atleast one person he loves. “I’m glad you’re here too! It’s exciting to be able to have an opportunity like this, especially when I’ve been trying to sort it for a few weeks now! It kind of felt like a lost cause at one point.” He chuckles away to himself, pushing the tension of the previous situation out his head.

“Hm, yeah I had to put a few mentions out there to make this happen for you!”

“Well thank you, as you can tell we’re all very much looking forward to it.” He jokes as he looks around at the bored expressions over on the couch.

Ryan laughs with him, “I can very much tell!”

“Are you going to ask questions or can I go do the laundry?” From previous moments you could tell Rose was holding back from speaking, but the jokes were only causing more irritation. The three kids give each other ‘the look’ and start giggling to one another.

“Honey don’t be rude, it’s nice to have a bit of small talk beforehand; get to know what your getting yourself into. You’ll get the laundry done soon I promise..” He whispers the last part, trying his best to comfort her. He knows she doesn’t like people bothering her but he also knows that with some pushing, she’ll warm up to the cameras.

One look at Ward and her body immediately melts, her face softening and a smile tugging at her cheeks. She nods to him, batting her lashes, “Okay.. sorry.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be doing the interviews privately so you have plenty of time to do your housework.”

She nods, but stays silent. Any next word that comes out her mouth will only cause more tension.

Silence holds the air for a minute or two before Ryan clears his throat, “Right.”

He looks around at everyone, “I was going to talk to you all as a family first but you all seem to have things you need to do so.. Ward!” He raises his hand to gesture towards him, “I’ll speak to you first. The rest of you can stick around and I’ll get you when we’re ready.” He gives them a nod as each of them don’t hesitate to get up from the couch, removing themselves from the situation almost instantly.

Rafe stands around for a moment, hands in his trouser pockets, a small frown tugging at his brow.

“You okay, son?” Ward questions as he moves himself into a better position for the focus of the camera.

Rafe’s shoulders raise at his question, “Just- Yeah I’m fine.” He nods, pushing away his frustration as he gives the camera a little smile.

“Is Bella free? Maybe she and Callum could come round to keep you occupied while you wait!” Ward suggests, trying his best to satisfy Rafe’s needs, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

“Yeah I’ll go see. Can I be next?” The eagerness that radiated from Rafe caused a smile upon Wards face.

“You know Rafe, you’re the only person actually willing to give something to this show at the moment. I really appreciate it, thank you! And yes I’m sure you can go next.”

Rafe smiles once more as the host butts in, “Of course you can! We won’t be long.” Ryan reassures him as Rafe makes his way to the garden to make a phone call.

“Right shall we start?”

“I think that’s best!” Ward chuckles, smoothing out his hair and repositioning his watch on his wrist as he adjusts himself to face the camera again.

“May I start off by asking, who’s Bella and Callum?”

Ward lets out a small laugh as a smile pulls at his lips, more genuine than the last, and his eyes light up by the simple mention of their names. “They are..” He coughs to clear his throat as just the thought of them alone makes him bubble with happiness. “They are my adopted children. Well.. I’ve raised them from a very young age so they’re practically my own. I wouldn’t have asked for it any other way if I’m being honest. Wait that sounds.. I mean.. nevermind! But they’re Rafe’s best friends if that’s what you were asking.”

“Ah okay, so.. I’m assuming their parents are out the picture then? Or do you help?”

“I’m sorry I don’t really think that’s my place to say. They’re very sensitive to the topic. Could we get back to the show please?”

Ryan pauses for a moment, seeing how defensive Ward got almost instantly after his question, he smiled a little before realising what he said, “Yes sorry of course! Sorry for the question.”

“So Ward, you’re the man behind the plan. Tell us, what was your thought process when deciding to make your own reality show.”

“Well, I’m a man from nothing, I’m a ‘Pogue’ as the kids call it. I built this life for myself and my family from the ground up, and I’m proud of myself. I feel like making this show isn’t about showing off our money, it’s about showing off the type of people we are and proving that working hard gets you far! We are all proud of where we stand, but it also comes with its disadvantages. And I felt like having a show of our own to show everyone that money doesn’t make everything easier, is necessary. Because people think that we take advantage of our money when in reality all it does is pay for our bills, not our happiness.”

/

“So Rafe, you’re very eager to be a part of this show and put yourself out there!”

“Correct.” Rafe nods, not even bothered by how cocky he seems. His legs spread, leaning his arms against his knees as his grin never budges off his face once.

“What would you say is the purpose of this show? Why do you think Ward has brought you all to do this? And what would you like to gain from it?”

“If I’m being honest, Ward wants the attention. He’s a hard working man who has a lot to show! I don’t blame him. He has good kids and a nice house, he wants to show off. And again, I would too. I don’t really care for the purpose of the show, I just think it’s needed, to show those Pogues what to be jealous of. We worked hard for this shit. They don’t do anything and expect to also have a big house and loads of money. That’s not how it works. You gotta earn it. And we do. This shows gonna teach them to respect us, as they should.”

/

“Hi, Wheezie, right?”

“Right!” She smiles, the small act of remembering her name was enough to make her relax a little more. He was friendly, and she works well with friendly.

“Ready to answer some questions for us?”

She nods, sitting up and tucking her arms into her stomach to stop herself from fiddling, not wanting the camera or the audience to pick up on her nerves.

“I’ve asked Rafe and Ward this question already, but, what would you say is the purpose for this show? And what would you like to come out of it?”

“Umm..” She giggles nervously, pushing her glasses up her nose as she takes a minute to think. “I’d say, the purpose of the show.. I think my dad wants to show everyone how hard he works for us! He does everything for me and my family. I think he wants everyone to know that he earns his money and treats us with it. He doesn’t splash it around and show off. That’s what I love about him if I’m being honest. He’s so caring! And he wants people to look up to him, not fear him or hate him for his money. He’s the nicest man we know. And I think everyone should know that too!”

“That was very special. Almost the same as his own answer so well done! Is there anything you’d like to get from this show? Or are you simply on it because you’re part of the family?”

“No, I’m only doing it because Ward was so excited about it, and he made it out like this revolutionary idea and so I wanted to see if he was right. And I guess there’s only one way to find out,” She giggles at her words, slowly but surely warming up to the attention. Not finding it so difficult to think straight anymore. “But I also think it would be quite cool for everyone to see how we live. Like we’re famous or something!” She enjoys her words as her lips pull into another smile, teeth on show, genuine.

/

“I think, my dad wanted to do this to show people what our lives are really like. Being rich, people have their opinions on us, that we have it easy. But we all have things going on that no one knows about, or that only our closest friends know, so I think it’ll be quite interesting but also quite scary to share all of that with everyone. However I think it’ll be a good thing for us, especially for Rafe who barely shares anything with anyone, or even struggles to be himself with a lot of people, so I think this will definitely be good for him to have that opportunity to show himself properly. For me, I think from the show what I want is closure. If you get what I mean. Sharing these things with the world, these personal secrets that I’ve kept to myself for so long, I’d want something out of it. Something that’ll benefit me. I think the show will be good for me to realise and appreciate all the little things. This life that we live, we consider it ‘normal’. So to have the chance to sit down and really think about everything, I think it’ll help me to not take advantage of how lucky we really are.”

/

“The purpose of the show, as Ward said to me, is to bring everyone down to Earth. To show them that just because we have money, it doesn’t mean we have it easy. Everyone has their problems and their struggles that they deal with quietly, and I think this show will help to prove that even us, Kooks, have things going on too. Yes we’re lucky because we have the fancy cars, the big house, the lack of worry for money. But it doesn’t mean that we’re always happy. Everyone has something to deal with, and for us, it’s not money, but other things. This will show people that we aren’t all emotionless snobby animals. We all have feelings and issues that we struggle with everyday, and Ward wants to share that with everyone. So they know that each and every person has their own life, and everyone has it difficult in some way or another no matter how rich or poor you are.” The bottle of white wine finally hits Rose; the chores being done and the conversation with Ward beforehand has settled her. She’s accepted that this is how their life is going to be from now on, with a little compensation from Ward to keep her going.

/

“Ward, tell the audience a little about yourself.”

“Okay. Um, I’m Ward Cameron, I’m fifty-six, and I own a business called Cameron Developments; but I mostly stay at home and just file the paper work, make sure everyone’s doing their jobs properly! I have three beautiful children, and two amazing adopted children. I have a perfect wife who has taken in my children as her own since she’s joined our family. Annnnd.. I think that’s it haha.”

/

“I’m Rafe Cameron, I’m nineteen. I play golf, and ride a motorcycle, any of you pretty girls want a ride, hit me up..” He winks at the camera, obviously not meaning what Ryan or any of the camermen understood. Ryan looked at him as if expecting more so Rafe huffed and pulled something up on the spot, “I have four close friends, two sisters, a dad and a step mum. Don’t think there’s much else to be said.” Rafe’s expectations for the show were slowing drifting away as he began to grow irritated at the lack of interesting questions.

/

“Umm, I’m Wheezie Cameron! I’m thirteen, I have an older sister and an older brother. I like to write, and make bracelets with Sarah. And I also like to have girls nights with her, Rose and Rafe’s friend, Bella. We bake and watch movies and stuff, it’s really fun!”

/

“Imm, Sarah, I’m sixteen, I have a boyfriend called Topper. I like to go to the beach and go out with my friends. I think that’s it.” The lack of preparation made it hard for her to think of anything other than the bare minimum, making her answer seem almost fake. She puts on a false smile to try and cover the awkwardness.

/

“Well, I’m Rose Cameron. Im a stay at home mum. I help Ward with his business and I also run a real estate agency!” She pulls a smile, the interview finally being about something she loves, her. Somehow another glass of wine has made its way into her hand as the breeze from the now open doors blows her hair around in a rather attractive manner; complimenting her now, extroverted composure.

/

“Ward. What would you say is your favourite part about this family?”

“God, only one? Uhh.. Well. I think I’d have to say, how different we all are. The kids aren’t the closest but it means we always have something to talk about. Rafe always telling us about his friends’ drama, Sarah always coming up with crazy stories and Wheezie talking about her new hobbies. Aswell as the additional arguments between Callum and Bella; it always makes for a very interesting dinner. The family talks are definitely my favourite I’d say!”

“And.. who would you say you’re the closest to?”

“Definitely my angel, Sarah. Bella comes a close second. I just spent the most time with Sarah growing up so we have the most in common. And Bella’s just a sweetheart to be around. Always making me smile.”

“So Bella is a big part of your life then?”

“Yeah I’d say so. I raised her, taught her everything she needs to know, and now she walks around as one of my own. She’s here almost everyday, and she’s always up for anything. I love her.”

/

“Rafe, Ward mentioned that Bella and Callum are your closest friends. Could you go into that? How did you meet?”

Rafe’s smile reappears at the mention of them. Him now suddenly re-interested in the conversation; sitting back more comfortably as he finally wants to get deep into something, a gentle grin replaces his previous glare. “Well, yeah he’s right. Bella’s probably closer to me but I grew up with them both. Them, aswell as Topper and Kelce, are my only real friends. We’re always together. There’s really not a moment when we’re ever doing anything alone. I met them all when I was a kid; Topper and Kelce I met through our parents. And Bella and Callum moved in with us like ten years ago?” He takes a moment to look over at Ward who was sat just out the shot. He gives him a quick nod to confirm his words before Rafe turns back to the camera. A proud grin now spread across his cheeks. “Yeah. Ten years ago! They all met each other through me and vice versa. Then ever since we’ve just kinda been inseparable. All of us.”

“You spoke about Bella and Callum moving in correct?”

“Yes, well, they moved back out a few years ago. I would tell you they got kicked out but Wards watching so..” Rafe lowers his voice as he leans forward onto his legs again, causing suspicion amongst Ward’s face. “But yeah they moved back home but basically still live here anyways with how much they’re always over.” He chuckles trying to push the previous sentence away, with full intention to speak on it later when Ward isn’t around to hear.

Ward stayed in the room to ‘supervise’. Survey Rafe’s interview to make sure he doesn’t say anything too private or out of line on the first episode.

/

“You have to be careful with Rafe.” Ward explains, now moved outside. The sun almost completely covered by the sea edge and the wind had picked up since the last shot of him, made evident in the way he let his hair follow the winds lead. “He doesn’t think before he speaks. But he also doesn’t care for others feelings that much, he likes to speak his mind. So yeah I had to stick around for his interview to make sure he doesn’t talk about anything unnecessary or out of pocket. He tends to do it quite a lot with all of us and it does cause some tension. It’s one of the reasons why we like having Bella and Cal' around, because they seem to occupy his mind and also take over the cause of disagreement.”

/

“A boyfriend? May I ask, is this the same Topper, Rafe is friends with?”

"Yes it is! Well I mean, me and Topper met first, in Middle School, and so Rafe became close with him because of me. So if anything, he has me to thank." She smiles smugly at the camera, tilting her head slightly to rub it in Rafe's face.

"How is it going between you two, may I ask? Still going strong?"

Those words manage to pull out a genuine smile, her face lighting up at the mention of her boyfriend, causing less tension between her and the camera. She readjusts herself on the couch, patting down her dress as it began to rise. "He's so sweet. I don't see how there could be any issues between us. We're more than perfect if that's even possible," She lets out a small breathy laugh at her own words, the smitten look written all over her face; her cheeks blushed and eyes glistening. "I see him almost everyday because he’s friends with Rafe anyways so it’s like a win-win for all of us really! And Ward loves him so that’s a bonus.”

/

“That’s sweet, it’s nice to hear you’re all very close!”

“Yeah well I mean, I’m close with them all. But Sarah and Bella fell out a few years back and Rose doesn’t particularly like her very much so it can be awkward sometimes. But they all do it for me so they just remember that and then it’s all okay!”

“I knew Bella was a friend of Rafe’s. Is she a good friend of yours too then?”

“Mmmmhm.. Best friend actually! Hm..” she giggles to herself as she pulls herself closer to the camera, “I actually think they like each other.. She denies it but even Topper and Kelce agreed theres something going on..” she sits back. “I guess we’ll all find out together after this comes out wont we.” She giggles again as her shoulders rise with her smile.

“I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for that..” Ryan gives Wheezie a wink as he lowers his voice, causing a small laugh to fall from her lips.

He sits back crossing his legs, “Wheezie what do you do on a girls night then?”

“Um, well normally it’s the full day. If so then we’d go out shopping or go on the boat or something. Then we’d come home and even bake or make pizzas and then eat it whilst watching a movie. We sometimes paint our nails and stuff too. Oh! And also Sarah and Bella share all the boy gossip. We try to get Rose to but she thinks it’s weird seeing as Wards our dad but I don’t get why?”

/

“Rose, earlier, Wheezie mentioned that you don’t particularly like Bella that much? Could you tell us why?”

She shows us a tight smile, her eyes falling at the mention of Bella’s name. Rose sighs heavily as she leans back against the couch crossing her arms like a toddler. “Because why should I? She stole Rafe from us, she takes up all Wards time, her and her brother are always here invading our space. Theres no reason to like her! It’s a stupid question.”

The change in tone made Ryan almost uncomfortable as he begins to break into a sweat. A man angry is scary, but a mother angry is worse. And Rose herself is one scary woman. “Right um.. Do you not think that maybe she’s just trying to be nice? She makes Rafe and Wheezie very happy do you see that?”

“What is this? An interview about me or her?”

/

"Well Ward unless there's anything else you'd like to talk about I think that's it!"

"Oh great! I think I'm all good, did you want to start on the tour?"

/

“Rafe, Ward also brought up how Bella is a special part of his life. Does that apply to you too?”

Rafe lets out a small breathy laugh at the question, not understanding why he was getting so personal all of a sudden. “I mean yeah obviously but-”

His attention is taken as his focus moves to behind Ryan, the glass doors open and a small figure pops a head through. “Umm sorry.. is it a bad time?”

Ryan opens his mouth to answer but before he could, Rafe had already made his way over, a camera following to capture the moment. “Of course not! Whats wrong?”

“Oh um.. I was just going to ask for the key to the refrigerator on the boat? We can’t get in..” A quiet giggle leaves the girls lips as Rafes curl into a helpless smile.

“Don’t be stupid Bells. Just gotta ask! Don’t gotta be so nervous. The cameras are just cameras..” His hand grazes her own as he reassures her; he turns around to go over to the kitchen.

Bella’s gaze follows the camera, a smile tugging at her soft lips. She lifts her hand and gives the camera a wave. “Hi!”

“Bella correct?”

“Umm..” She was caught off guard by the sudden statement. She steps closer to get a better view of him. “Correct! But how do you-”

“Rafe and Ward have both mentioned you once or twice. It’s nice to meet you!”

She smiles once again, this time her cheeks blushing along. “It’s nice to meet you too! What’ve they said may I ask?” She laughs nervously as she takes a seat on the couch opposite the large-framed man, tugging at her crop top slightly so she wasn’t flashing anyone by accident.

“Oh you came to join hm?” Rafe places himself next to her, his arm effortlessly falling around her neck.

She giggles as her eyes take his, “Nope! Just wondering what you’ve said about me that’s all.” Her smile doesn’t fade as he raises an eyebrow, his head turns to Ryan as he squints his eyes slightly, trying to pick up on if he’s told her or not.

“I haven’t said anything?”

“Mmmhm sure.” The amusement not leaving her face as he looks back at her. A grin creeping onto his lips, “Excuse me? You gonna be quiet or you gonna leave? Your choice.”

Her jaw drops jokingly as if he just offended her; she turns to face Ryan, the same intentional stare Rafe wore an hour previous. “Is he behaving? He’s not being rude to you is he?”

“Right! What’s that supposed to mean then?”

She giggles but doesn’t take her eyes off of Ryan, “Yes I’d say so.” He chuckles at her enthusiasm and pure genuineness to her question, “He was just about to tell me if you-”

“Lalalalalala.” Rafe quickly interrupts shoving his hands over Bella’s ears as he guides her to the door. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying. I’m done with the interview!”

She rips his hands from her ears, her mouth agape as her eyes frown, “What were you about to tell him?” She tilts her head slightly.

“I don’t know what you’re on about! I think you should go before Callum beats my ass for taking up your time.”

“Rafe we aren’t done!”

“Yes we are!”

“Rafe?? Go finish the interview, you were looking forward to it!” She pushes him lightly in the chest, gesturing for him to go sit back down.

He rolls his eyes but obliges nonetheless. She giggles once more, poking her head round to Ryan and smiling again, “Behave!” She points a finger to Rafe before a realisation hits her face, “Oh! And thank you for the key!” She shakes the keychain towards him as if he didn’t know what a key was before waving goodbye to the cameras and Ward, and leaving, skipping down to the boat.

“Well she’s a sweetheart, wouldn’t you say Rafe?”

Rafe’s brow furrows, knowing what he’s implying.

Ryan doesn’t let up as he gets straight to the point, “Do you like her?”

“Yeah I’d say she has a special place in my heart like Ward! Now can I go? Thank you!” He changed the subject before unhesitatingly jumping off the couch and headed straight outside; avoiding the whole question.

Ryan and Ward both let out a heavy laugh as Ward walks into frame, “I’m telling you right now, he doesn’t get nervous like that. I’ll leave it at that.” He grins before heading off to do his own thing, leaving Ryan with the open-ended answers of does he or doesn’t he? He smiles to himself before finding Wheezie.

/

“Are you having a girls night tonight? Seeing as everyone’s here!”

“What do you mean? Sorry. Bella isn’t here?” She tilts her head in confusion, having to push her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

Ryan sniffles, holding back an obvious laugh, “Bella’s.. Bella’s on the boat! You didn’t know that?”

“Bella’s here??” Her demeanour changes. Her body lifts as her eyes light up, a soft smile taking her lips. She grips onto the edge of the couch to hold herself from getting up.

“Uh yes she is!” There’s a small pause. Ryan watches Wheezie as if she was about to say something and Wheezie waits for Ryan to move the conversation along, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the silence.

He coughs and his fingers find his hair, “Would you uh..” He contemplates his next words not knowing if he should cut the interview short or not. “Do you want to go?”

You see her lips quiver, her mouth opening and closes contemplating the same exact thought before settling back down into the couch. “No, no.. I shouldn’t! I mean.. I can see her later!” The tone of her voice was evidently disappointed. With how sweet she’s been and how patient she was Ryan couldn’t help but feel bad for her determination for the show; when everyone else was quick to move on.

“No it’s fine you go! We had finished the questions anyways.” He gives her a reassuring smile as he stands up. He lied straight through his teeth it was obvious. This whole time there were no set questions. Anyone could’ve known that. But with Wheezie’s mind somewhere else she didn’t even think to question him.

Her lips grow wider as she lifts herself from the couch, opening her arms wide to gesture a hug. Ryan takes the opportunity, gently patting her back and whispering in her ear. Barely made out by the camera, “You deserve it..”

She smiles once more, waving bye to the camera before running off quickly outside.

/

“Sarah I didn’t want to bring this up but I’m not sure what else to ask really. Wheezie told me that you and Bella don’t like each other. Why?”

“Uhh.. I dont understand? I never said I don’t like her? We just don’t talk.”

“Sarah?” A small voice radiates through the air causing the blonde to look away from the camera.

“Hey Wheez, you okay?”

“Yeah. Um.. Topper wants you!” She plays with the string of her bikini that she only just changed into from the boat.

“Okay. Well Ryan said we’re finished so I’ll be out in a second!”

“Okayyyy!” Wheezie skips off back outside.

/

And with that the interviews were done. More will be revealed throughout the rest of the week so don’t worry about the lack of questions. We’re finding everything out at the same time as the rest of you!

Whilst Rose makes dinner and Ward gives us a tour, the kids take some time to rest on the boat. The cameramen and I will join them but after today, all filming at home will be done by pre-setup cameras. You’ll see me around from time to time but other than that, my time here in TannyHill has come to an end! Thank you.

/

“Oh my god??”

“Topper stop your gonna get hurt!”

“Top your not close enough!”

“Rafe??”

“What’s going on here?” Ryan steps into the boat, the sudden shock causes Topper to lose his footing and fall off the edge of the boat, a big splash of water hitting everyone close enough, including Ryan.

The kids all can’t help but laugh, Rafe’s radiates in the air whilst Wheezie covers her mouth, knowing she shouldn’t really be laughing. The only person not to laugh would be Sarah. She quickly runs over to the edge of the boat and leans over, giving Topper her hand to pull him back up.

“Thanks..” He wraps his arms round himself as he tries his best not to shiver whilst Bella runs inside to grab him a towel.

“Um. Im sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Topper scoffs, “Scare me? You didn’t scare me don’t worry. I just.. slipped!”

Kelce and Rafe both look at one another, whispering something inaudible to the cameras.

“Top you wouldn’t have fallen if you weren’t scared!” Bella mocks as she hands him the towel, his eyes snap to her. She giggles quietly as she stares back, “What’s wrong?”

“Say that again Bells.. I dare you!”

She shrugs, dropping herself beside Rafe, his grip on her waist was tight enough that she wasn’t scared for Toppers reaction, “Okay! You wouldn’t have fallen if you weren’t scared!” She giggles again, this time slightly muffled as Topper jumps for her, the towel falling off him as he chases Bella inside.

“For fuck sake..” An unfamiliar voice speaks up. Ryan and the others look over at him.

“Cal I swear just leave her be for once.” He mumbles sharply, eyes burrowing into Callum’s skull.

Despite Rafe’s attempt at stopping his next move, Callum ignores him and gets up anyways.

“Dude?? It’s not like he’s gonna hurt her. Jesus calm down!” Kelce steps in, as he noticed the look in Rafe’s eyes.

/

“Rafe can’t stand the way Cal treats Bella. It’s obvious I’m sure you’ve all noticed it too. But to be fair we all can’t. It’s not like Topper did anything wrong and as far as we all knew, Bella was smiling and laughing and everything. She was fine. Cal was just being unnecessary!” Kelce states, later on in the evening. The air was cooler and the sky was dark. He was outside by the pool, slightly private from the rest of his friends in the living room. The host was taking turns to pull them out separately to speak on the day. Just like he did with the rest of the family earlier.

/

Callum takes a glance at Kelce before noticing a camera inside the boat. Whatever happens, it’d be caught on camera. He has nothing to worry about. Without a word he sits himself back down next to Rafe.

“Dude just gotta chill alright..” Rafe slaps his arm.

Ryan places himself on the edge of the boat as he watches Topper and Bella come back outside, Bella now on his back giggling to herself.

“Wheezie!” Roses voice appears from around the corner. Wheezie’s eyes widen and she quickly runs off back down the dock. Sarah also lifts herself from the chair, “I’m gonna go too..” she mutters to Topper before placing a kiss to his cheek and stepping away from the boat.

/

“Sarah’s avoiding the cameras! She hates it. Unless it’s about her or she’s asked a question she has no reason to be on it and therefore she won’t be. It’s fair enough. I just don’t get it tho like this shows about her you know?” Topper explains as he runs his fingers through his golden strands.

/

“Well.. nice to meet you all!”

Everyone repeats his words back as they turn themselves to face the camera. “Well Rafe mentions how you’ve all been friends for some time. How did that all start?”

They all look at one another waiting for someone to answer. No one does for an awkward minute so Bella speaks up, “Well I mean, after mine and Cals dad passed we moved in here with Rafe. And by that point he was already friends with Topper and Kelce so we all just got close through each other!”

“Bella, Sarah mentioned how you two don’t talk anymore? Why?”

Her shoulders shrug as her eyes follow to her brother. “I’m not too sure. We were friends for a few years and then she kinda just.. stopped talking to me. I don’t know people grow out of things I guess..”

“Oh that’s a shame. But you have these four now!”

“Yep! And I wouldn’t change it for anything!” She smiles softly, the boys coo at her as Rafe wraps his arm round her neck, pulling her closer to his chest. He places a kiss to her head as the other boys start making out with the air.

Bella giggles at the joke but Cal wasn’t taking it as he chucks an empty can at their heads, ultimately silencing the group.

The awkward silence causes a few quiet giggles which soon erupt into a mass of laughter.

One look at the other and they cracked. So they forced themselves to stop and look anywhere but each other.

“You guys seem like you get along very well-” A few snickers follow, “In every group there’s a dynamic right? Like the funny one or the smart one. What would you all name yourselves?”

They all look around as silence hits once more. Bella looks up at Rafe and immediately her eyes light up, pushing herself to sit up using his thigh. “Rafe’s the ‘slut’ of the group!” The others begin laughing again as Rafes faces scrunches, his head tilts to her as his eyes sit wide. He lets out a small sigh, “I can’t argue with that to be fair.”

“He literally tells me, in detail, every little thing that happens on a date. Like it’s everyday there’s someone new and I don’t actually care.”

“I thought you know.. cos you’re the ‘virgin’ of the group you’d wanna know?”

Her mouth falls as she smacks his chest, “Your an asshole!”

He laughs at her expression, before soon apologising quietly.

“Nah I’d say that Bella’s definitely the mum of the group!” Topper finally admits, his giggles finally subsiding.

“Oh yeah totally!” Kelce agrees as Bella’s smile comes back, her head turning towards them shyly as a small blush takes her cheeks.

“The other day we came to hers after we got into a fight-“

Bella sighs, lifting her hand up to the camera in shock, “With my best friend by the way!”

“Oh yeah! She has OTHER friends!” Rafe scoffs jokingly as she rolls her eyes.

“Yeah one!”

“Two..” he corrects, earning him another smack, this time to his arm.

“Anyway..” Kelce chuckles as his and Toppers eyes stick on the other two for a while. “Yeah okay we got into a fight with her friend-”

“Who, may I ask?”

“Uh JJ Maybank!” Bella blurts out proudly, a smile taking her lips as her cheeks redden once again. Cal groans at the name and Rafe scoffs.

/

“I swear to God everytime I speak about him, it’s made out like such a big deal. It’s not. We’re just friends?”

/

“We were like bleeding and shit, bare in mind this was like three in the morning! And she came and cleaned us all up and then slept in the living room with us.”

“To be fair we’re only still all alive cos of Bella so.. thanks!” Topper laughs.

She smiles at the camera, shrugging her shoulders, “What can I say!”

They all laugh with her before Ryan, again, cuts the moment short. “So how did you and JJ meet then? Seeing as he is on the other side of the island!”

“Well I mean I met him through John B! John B works for Ward and I go with him whenever he goes down to the docks. So yeah me and John B got close but me and JJ got closer!”

“Unfortunately..” Rafe mutters and Bella shoots him a dirty look, Kelce pipes up, “To be fair he’s not wrong! Whats wrong with us? The Kooks not good enough for you?” He mocks knowing he’s getting under her skin.

“I.. obviously not! You guys are family to me! I just sometimes want to talk about you guys with someone else.”

“Wait-”

“What??”

She giggles, “I’m joking dickheads!”

“Bella, sorry to ask but-“ just those few words caught Cal’s attention. He looks up at him suddenly, eyes sharp and brows furrowed. Bella looks up at him too, but with the opposite complexion; her face holding a sweet smile.

“Earlier, when you were on the phone with Rafe, you sounded upset. What happened?”

“Dude what the fuck? Why’s that got anything to do with you??” Rafe interrupts, his voice harsh. His eyes cutting deep into Ryan as his hand finds Bella’s back; pulling her in slightly.

Her eyes widen as she takes a glance at him, “Rafe..??”

“No! He’s got no business being all in your fucking issues this ain’t the Brooks show??”

“You gonna ask actual questions or you gonna leave? We were fine here without you bothering us!” Callum states plainly, bored of the constant interrogation. His body shifts to sit closer to Bella, facing away slightly so she was partly hidden from the camera.

“Oh my god.. I’m sorry! Maybe we could talk another time?” Bella’s face falls as her mouth sits agape, her eyes glassy as a slight shakiness fills her words.

“No you wont!!” Callum orders forcefully.

Rafe smirks, lifting a hand to the camera as the other sits tighter round Bella’s waist, holding her back from being able to move, “Bye Bye now!” He waves them away.

When they don’t budge, Callum stands up and before he could even take a step, the camera crew and Ryan were gone.

/

“Yeah so uh.. they’re just a ‘little’ protective? It doesn’t take much to piss them off really. Even if it’s not, if they think somethings bothering me they have no issues to deal with it right then and there. I just didn’t expect it on camera! Sorry. But um.. yeah the question you asked! I don’t feel comfortable answering, sorry. But I’m fine! Promise!”

/

“Bella hates when Rafe and Cal get up in her business. Like she tries so hard to be nice and they make her seem worse. I get it I do, but she kinda signed up for it when she became friends with us!” Topper chuckles, shrugging his shoulders.

/

Rose finished up dinner and Ward finished with the tour, and after the small interviews with the family, everyone sits down for dinner around the dining table.

Whilst the family have their dinner I’ll take this moment to say thank you for watching! It was a pleasure filming and making this for you. The Camerons are, well sometimes, are a delight to be around! And we can’t wait to show you more. This has been Keeping up with the Camerons!

Oh! And before you go, look at this gem we caught that night.

/

“Rafe..” Bella mumbles. It was dark, too dark that the camera could barely make out her figure as she leans over the edge of the couch. Rafe lay on the floor next to her, Callum by her feet and Topper and Kelce on the other chairs. It was late, around 1 in the morning.

“Rafe..!” She repeats, this time Rafe hears and covers his eyes with his arm.

“Mm..”

“I can’t sleep..”

Rafe opens his eyes finally, lifting himself onto his elbows to get a better view of her in the dark. “Why not..?”

“I don’t know..” She plays with the blanket that lay on her. His eyes follow her fingers as his concern grew.

“You don’t know..?”

“Mm.. maybe because of the cameras?”

Rafe frowns and looks around, not realising there were any in the room, “They’re still on..?”

“Mhm they’re always on Rafe..”

“Shit..” He watches her for a minute, running his hand through his hair before lifting it to take hers. “Okay.. You wanna go sleep in my room..?”

“Umm..” Her eyes drift away, Rafe catches her face in the moonlight as she looks around the room with a slight frown.

After she doesn’t answer he stands up, reaching out his hand to take hers, “Come on..”

She doesn’t hesitate to take his hand. He guides her up the stairs and they stop by his bedroom door. Bella looks over his shoulder at the two cameras sat in the hall. He realises what she’s looking at and takes her hands, “Hey.. don’t let the cameras get to you okay..?”

She sighs, looking down at their hands as she swings them side to side, “That’s easier said than done Rafey..”

“I know I know.. sorry.. but just.. I mean it. Pretend they’re not there!”

“Mmmm..” She wines, bouncing up and down. Her tiredness and frustration adding up into one big pile of upset.

Rafe follows her eyes, tucking her hair behind her ear and resting his hands on her shoulders, “I know Bells.. but it’s just a stupid show my dad wanted to do. If you want a camera off I’ll make them turn it off. You want something cut out the show? Then I’ll make that happen, okay? You just worry about being your pretty self and I’ll deal with the rest. Does that sound like a good deal..?”

She lets out a soft giggle as her eyes finally take his own, “Yeah.. thank you for understanding..”

“ ‘course Bells. I’ll always understand okay? Now go get some sleep..” He kisses her forehead, watching her for a moment before going over to the stairs.

“Rafe..?” Bella steps forward slightly, getting Rafe’s attention as he turns back.

“Mhm?”

She stops a moment, and picks at her fingernails, “Love you..” She whispers softly.

Rafe can’t help but break a smile, taking in one last look at her; she stood in his top that was way too big for her, covering everything that needed to be covered.

“Love you too Bee, now go to bed!” He raises his eyebrows. Bella can’t take him seriously and lets out a small giggle before nodding and going into his room.

Rafe stands there a moment; watching the door close behind her. He smiles once more before shaking his head and going back downstairs to sleep.

Next Episode Here

Check out the BTS - Here

Omg?? It’s done?? I really really hope you enjoyed reading!! It’s only going to get better!! Sorry if the ending was rushed but I hope it’s what you expected! It’s not too short is it??

I love you all and thank you for the support! I’ll start on the second episode soon! I’ll let you know the release date! 🩷

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IT WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED 🦋🩵

Masterlist

Taglist: @native2princess @b1mb0slvt @cerya @rafeinterlude @viawritesstuff @mymelodylvr @aariahnaa

[lyssasdrafts]

★ 𓈒 ݁ STAR—CROSSED (rhysand x reader) ⊹

chapter three: (written) ✧

𓈒 ݁ ✫ masterlist previous next

over the weekend, you had thanked mor countless times for the opportunity she’d given you. she had insisted it wasn’t a big deal, but perhaps she wouldn’t understand how much this meant to you, how badly you had wished for a path in photography to be there for you. it had been a dream that you’d given up on for a long time until you started again for fun in your first year, but you would’ve never thought to consider it until you had the safety net of your degree.

“are we getting distracted now, y/n?” rhysand’s words interrupted your thoughts. you can hear the arrogance that coated his voice like honey. he peers above you, leaning over your desk to stare you down.

you had your chin in your palms and had been staring into the distance, but that didn’t mean you weren’t listening. however, a part of you was embrassed to admit that it was rhysand who caught your attention again and not the lesson. shifting your gaze to look up at him, you fake a smile as you respond, “i can promise you that pretty face isn’t distracting anyone, rhysand.”

rhysand quirks an eyebrow at you, almost like he was trying to guess what you were thinking about. “i never implied you were distracted by me in particular,” rhysand says blankly before a smirk makes his way onto his lips. you blink at him, realizing the insinuation about what you’d said. you curse yourself for referring to rhysand as pretty, but he definitely knew what you were talking about. it wasn’t unlike him to wink at people on campus and make small flirty comments when he knew he could talk someone into something. perhaps he’d even tried it on you at some point. it was a skill that you sometimes envied, the only ever way you convinced people was through your clever reasoning. at some point, you’d heard from elain that apparently you also happen to be quite intimidating unintentionally, something she said you had in common with nesta.

you take a moment before you respond, using it to scan rhysand’s figure. he wore his usual dress pants and a white button down shirt, his jacket further showing off his expensive preferences. despite the shiny silver watch and necklace he used to accessorize, he made himself look more casual by undoing the top two buttons of his shirt. you admired his style only because you could tell rhysand takes good care of himself and as a photographer. you recognized his jacket to be from a designer you admired and studied, revealing how his taste could be similar to yours. although he was a bother for you, the bastard didn’t have a bad fashion sense at all.

rhysand continues to stare down at you, while you wanted nothing more than to slap the expression off his face. his gaze made you uncomfortable, it burned into your skin and left your heart beating faster. he was insufferable, always taking pleasure in annoying and distressing you when he could’ve been a friend. in a perfect world, the two of you should be helping each other instead, if only rhysand wasn’t so petty and you weren’t so competitive.

you stand up for your desk, the chair making a squeak that catches the attention of some people sitting around you. those glances in your direction are ignored as you stare back at rhysand, your faces slightly inched closer than when you were sitting down. you give him one last comment before you stride out of class.

“you clearly think so highly of yourself that i’m not wrong. but since i’m not as vain as you, i have better things to do than entertain you.”

you’d actually been in a good mood for your entire ride to the studio, despite your earlier conversation with rhysand. you had brushed it off for once instead of obsessing over every comment and heading to the library, insisting on working harder to beat him.

this was your first professional shoot as a photographer, and you had a likely chance of being asked to keep working with the studio since the previous one had quit. never once would you imagine that posting your account online and building your portfolio that it would be shown to someone at a studio like this one. you didn’t believe in fate, but a part of you thanked every star in the sky that you ended up with mor as your roommate. maybe there was some greater power that brought you and your best friend together.

perhaps this could become a real job for you, unlike what your parents had always insinuated. you could work in engineering after your degree while free lancing as a photographer. perhaps if you were really good and built a name for yourself, you could even do photography full time. you would prove your family wrong, you could find a job that provides for them plenty enough.

the studio lobby is quite modern and newly renovated, you can tell from the moment you walked through the revolving doors of the building. from the running water fountain to the hanging lights over the main desk. checking in was easy as well, once you gave the name of morrigan’s manager you were immediately given an entry pass and escorted to the correct room.

the studio room is smaller than you expected, though it definitely wasn’t underwhelming. the small room was full of lights, with different backdrops in multiple colors. the equipment caught your eye the most, with large heavy professional cameras that you almost didn’t want to touch in fear of how expensive they probably were. these were cameras that you probably wouldn’t ever get a chance to buy on your own without getting a job in photography first.

you’re left alone in the studio room after being told that the model would be out shortly. even though it was a smaller space that the studio offered, you were told that this model was apparently quite promising, but he just preferred to work with few people. you hadn’t realized until now that there wasn’t anyone else working on the shoot with you, though you didn’t really feel like it was your place to request for any staff.

you realized that he would arrive any moment now and notice the door in the back leading to a dressing room. you remind yourself that everything will be alright, that you can handle being alone with a stranger for an hour or two. you didn’t necessarily need to be too nice since you didn’t want to come across as desperate, just polite enough to be professional. your model would likely be a beginner as well, someone who might understand your current position.

in the corner of your eye, you notice a navy blue jacket hanging off a chair, proving your assumption that the model was probably in the dressing room. you can’t help but recognize the design, the style of the fabric that almost looked black from a nontechnical eye and you realize that you’ve seen it earlier.

your eyes widen once the door creaks open and rhysand steps out, fixing his hair before his gaze shifts to look for his photographer. your jaw drops at the sight of him.

“y/n,” rhysand pauses, angling his body towards you before lifting an eyebrow again. “are you stalking me now too?”

— NOTES

the bat boys are bit mischaracterized at the beginning to show y/n’s misconception of them

y/n is so clearly attracted to rhysand physically… despite hating his personality <3

y/n always wanted to be a professional photographer but their family disapproved and so they decided to go into astrophysics instead :(

— TAGLIST

@thelov3lybookworm @starsand @lilah-asteria @therealmoonstone @just-a-social-casualty-1 @ashjade19 @girlontheblock @cherry-cin @daughterofthemoons-stuff @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @sweet-chai-amore @kierramofficial @noelli-smv @c-dizzle99 @littlestw01f @marina468

[evesaintyves]

so in the allegedly non-homophobic spirit of this cursed genre of post (which, props to this one for at least saying the quiet part loud: that these criticisms are exclusively directed toward queer pairings), and inspired by a prompt of sorts from fandom gem @saintsenara -

i wrote some platonic jily and i completely agree, they're better as friends.

never mind the prosecco, here's the potter-malfoy-potter-blacks

Rated M | Jily, Narlily, Jegulus, Drarry | AU - everyone lives and it's like 2010 | tw choking, pussy juice, eggs

Three things occurred to Lily, leaning back on the island of cool italian marble in the fuck-off big kitchen of this ridiculous house: one, that she had no idea where all this was coming from, as James had never given a single fuck in his life about womens' Quidditch; two, that even three decades after they'd split up he was still obviously desperate for her to think he was cool; and three, that he was burning Regulus's eggs.

"So what the Harpies have done," he patiently explained as if she was listening, "is create a turn-based system for rotating positions—so every player has experience with beating, seeking, and so on—that way everyone's aware of the weak points—" he seemed to catch on that she wasn't making eye-contact, and tossed his mop of silvering hair. "The Weasley girl was on the Wireless about it this morning. Really inspiring."

He turned back to the crispy eggs and stirred them vigourously. They made a sort of crackling noise.

"I guess I'm just not sure why you're telling me," Lily said, taking the moment to finally do what she'd come to the kitchen for: grabbing a fresh bottle of prosecco from the fridge.

"Well, it's incredible what these girls are coming up with. 'The future is female,' I saw that on someone's shirt the other day."

He glanced eagerly at her over his shoulder.

"Cool," she said.

"Never mind the prosecco," Narcissa drawled, sweeping into the kitchen in her marabou-feather gown. "Draco's popped a button on his robes, so he'll be calling any moment."

"Do you mend buttons?" James asked with genuine interest.

Narcissa made an appalled face and gathered the lapels of her robe together.

"Have you not finished?" Regulus said sourly, coming down the stairs. Looking directly at Lily, he added, "This kitchen has smelled like a crematorium ever since you let Boopsy go."

Lily - still on the defensive after all these years! - crossed her arms and replied, "I didn't 'let her go,' she was legally emancipated and got a job at Pret a Manger."

Regulus waved a hand in the air, making the slight haze of egg-smoke swirl prettily in the light. "It's political correctness gone mad," he muttered.

Inexplicably, James got one of his big simpy grins, beckoned Regulus over, and smacked a kiss on his pale brow.

Draco apparated into their midst with a pop and instantly recoiled at the sight of them.

"Potters," he spat, by way of greeting. "Er—" he nodded to Regulus, whose name he could never seem to remember. Narcissa glided over and took his face in her hands.

"Oh, darling, come here, I've been waiting all morning to see you."

Lily, concerned she might not be effectively controlling her facial expression, turned to slot the prosecco bottle back into the fridge. Narcissa had actually spent most of the morning sprawled on her back with her thighs squishing the sides of Lily's face.

Draco squirmed slightly under his mother's hands. "It's all the buttons under the third one," he said gruffly, thrusting an armful of jacquard robes at Narcissa.

"Sweet boy," Narcissa cooed, "I'll send it out to the tailor immediately. How ever did you manage to break them?"

With another pop, Harry apparated into the room.

"Hi Mum," he said. "Dad. Hi Cissa and Reg."

James disentangled his arms from Regulus's and clapped Harry on the back. "Wha gwan, son?" he roared happily, and even with his back turned Lily could see Harry's shoulders cringe.

"I told you—" Draco began through his teeth.

"You were taking forever," Harry shrugged.

"I'm glad you're here," James said, very serious furrows appearing in his brow. "I was just listening to that bird you used to go out with on the wireless—"

"Oh!" Narcissa exclaimed, still petting Draco's face. "Darling, will you show everyone the trick you taught me last week?" To the room: "You'll all want to see this, it's marvellous. Draco's enchanted a mirror to do something incredible."

Draco sighed defeatedly. To Harry, he said, "Let me see your phone."

Harry pulled a slim black piece of glass out of his pocket, and, with a sideways glance at Lily, tapped and swiped at it with his fingers a few times before handing it to Draco.

"This mirror," Narcissa was saying, "quite remarkable, really—all you do is push a button on it, and a horrible little muggle comes to your door and brings you a prawn fettucine. Draco, please—" she scrabbled at the glass in his hand. "—will you push the fettucine button for mummy?"

"It's called Seamless, Mother," Draco mumbled, and just as he did Narcissa pulled a face and slid her finger round the collar of her son's shirt.

"Draco," she said, with a kind of horror rising in her voice, "What's happened to your neck? Is it dirt—?"

A flush instantly came to Draco's face and Harry twisted round from his one-sided conversation with James to give Draco a rather pointed look.

"Mother, stop, it's nothing," he said, pulling away. And on Harry's face was a look Lily had seen on James a thousand times, back in their day: like he was trying, but not particularly hard, not to look smug.

James's eyes shifted between Harry and Draco and he seemed, bless him, to finally clock what was going on. He pulled Harry by the shoulder to the other side of the kitchen and began to speak to him in hushed tones.

"You want to put all the pressure on the sides, not the front," he was saying.

Regulus went and scraped his ruined eggs into the bin, obviously eavesdropping, then put the pan back on the stove without shutting off the flame. The tang of hot metal began to compete with the crematorium smell and Lily wondered if anyone would notice if she got the prosecco back out and necked it.

"Regulus," she sighed. "Anything new with you?"

Regulus looked startled to be spoken to.

"Not really," he said, eyes shifting round the room. "I don't actually have all that much going on, canonically."

"Can—what?"

"Do you know how to make eggs?" he said hopefully.

"I think I've a salve for that," Narcissa was telling Draco, leading him by the hand into the suite she shared with Lily. "Well, it's more of an eye cream, but it's done absolute wonders for me—"

"You can do real damage to the trachea that way," James was explaining to Harry, demonstrating with a cupped hand to his neck.

"I work in Magical Law Enforcement," Harry deadpanned. "I think I know how to fucking choke someone."

Regulus emitted the strangely high-pitched giggle Lily was always hearing from inside the cup-strewn, bleach-smelling lair he shared with James.

"Why does it smell like—" Draco stopped in Lily and Narcissa's doorway. With narrowed eyes, he hissed to his mother, "I thought you were all in some sort of... like, queerplatonic... situation...?"

James's brow got those furrows again.

"What's queerplatonic?" he whispered to Lily.

"It means nobody fucks," she whispered back.

James squared his shoulders and took a step forward as if he might try to fight Draco.

---

"We raised a good kid," James would tell Lily later, after they'd put out the fire on the stove, slightly misty-eyed with nostalgia and the acrid smoke. "All of us," he'd add, with a nod toward Lily and Narcissa's side of the house, which was now perfumed rather pleasantly with a melange of prosecco, wet pussy and prawn fettucine.

"Yeah," Lily would say wistfully. "Shit taste in men, though."

"Well, it runs in the family." James would ruffle his hair, the way he tended to. After a pause, he'd venture: "And I daresay you and I had a pretty good run, didn't we?"

Lily would tip the bottle up and drain the last of the prosecco at that. James would hold out his hand, and she'd pass him the empty bottle. He'd try to take a drink, then bin it with a disgruntled look.

"It was all right," she'd say.

[loveshotzz]

Here’s a little preview of everyone’s favorite Tamagotchi Daddy 😚 and an appearance at the end by your fave bartender.

Whatta Man Masterlist | Rick’s Party Playlist

as a reminder my blog is 18 +

Sheer curtains sway with a pink glow from the flashing sign outside your apartment, the nip in the October air makes goosebump dance across your exposed skin from the crack in your bedroom window. The summer heat came and went like it always does but not the cute bouncer you took home the first warm night of the year.

Weckx-N-Effect’s ‘Rump Shaker’ spills through the boombox in your living room where Steve stands in front of your long mirror, dressed as John Dalton from Road House, you hear the pitch in his voice deepen,

“Take the biggest guy in the world, shatter his knee and he’ll drop like a stone.”

Rolling your eyes at the line you’ve heard both him and Patrick Swayze deliver all week long, you adjust the white and blue trimmed high waisted basketball shorts that hug your curves before tugging down the cropped Tune Squad mesh tank that matches. Straightening your bunny ears, you turn around to inspect your tail, bubble gum pink glossed lips turning up into a pleased smirk with the height the white platform sneakers on your feet give you. Humming in approval because you know Baby Spice would be proud, your shoulders wiggle in excitement as you apply another layer of gloss before smacking your lips loudly.

“Hey Doc, you got the goods earlier right?” The bouncer calls out.

His boots sound heavy on your shag rug making his way towards the bathroom and even though you saw his outfit earlier, when Steve’s handsome face appears next to yours in the mirror with a wide grin, you still flutter around nothing. Dark emerald eyes turn black as they drink in your costume, and you're almost positive yours look the same admiring the thick patch of hair on full display in his white loose fitting button up. Long sleeves rolled up to his elbows with the top three undone just like Dalton’s.

The extra button reveals more than usual, including the silver chain that dangles from his neck. It shines under the dark curls that cover his chest when it hits the bright lights above you, matching the belt buckle attached to the black leather that holds his tight fitting jeans to his waist. The ivory of his shirt makes his permanently sunkissed skin glow, thighs pressing together when he licks his full lips, moles moving with his cheeks when he grins.

“Jesus, you look - fuck, why’s the tail doing it for me?” Finally breaking character, he runs a hand through his hair, the ring wrapped around his middle finger catching your eye in his reflection.

“Stop calling me that or everyone is going to think I’m Bugs Bunny.” You huff and his lips twitch at your pout, “and if by goods you mean, the Roadhouse soundtrack, yes I picked it up from your friend Robin.”

Turning around, you lean against the sink, the reminder of your promise to recreate the sex scene with him tonight has you giving him an extra exaggerated roll of your eyes, a smile lighting up your face despite yourself. Steve’s big black boots cross the threshold, thick rubber soles squeaking against the rose colored tile, he closes the small distance to stand in front of you.

The warm smell of his Calvin Klein CK One cologne lingers fresh on the cotton of his shirt, along with the faint hint of your hairspray when he stole a spritz when he first got to your apartment. The cinnamon from his Big Red is hot on his breath, the whites of his teeth showing in a grin as he pushes the gum to the other side of his mouth with a tongue that was between your thighs just a few hours ago.

“I’m sorry baby, I’ll stop. I can’t help it when I’m in character you know?” One of his big hands comes up to your face, long fingers spreading across your jaw tilting your mouth towards his. The bouncer takes in your done up features in the light, and the pucker of your glittery lips, looking at him like you needed to be kissed. “No one is going to think a pretty thing like you is anything other than hot.”

“Good.” You try to say it with more conviction, but the way he keeps looking at you like he wants to eat you alive makes it come out quiet.

“Oh yeah?” He questions with a quirked brow, his boots moving the one step left to stand in the space you made for him between your legs. The tip of his nose runs along the bridge of yours, his other hand finding a new home on the plush curve of your hip to pull you even closer. The denim doing nothing to hide just how much your outfit was affecting him.

“I’m gonna have to follow you around all night aren’t I? Gonna make me abuse my power and kick anyone out who even looks at my girl like they got a chance huh?” Steve mutters his threat against your lips, the tips of his fingers digging into the dip in your cheeks bringing your mouth to his.

The strawberry of your gloss is sweeter than it was thirty minutes ago and it makes him groan when his kiss turns possessive, tongues meeting in the middle when he licks into your mouth. Your hands find their way to his chest, your palms finding the warm skin of his chest, the blunt ends of your nails dragging through the dark thatch of hair. He nips at your bottom lip when he lets you go. Pink glitter staining his when he pulls away sticky, eyes blown wide feeling the way your leg starts to lift over his hip, daring him to come back for more.

He tuts at you with whatever self control he has left, letting his hungry gaze drop down to drink up every dip and soft curve on display for him. Your back arches under the heat of it and Steve catches the puffy tail resting perfectly on the curve of your ass in the reflection. His responsibility to get downstairs in five minutes doesn’t seem so important anymore.

“I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off you.” He sounds almost angry, and pride swells in your chest.

His hand slides from your waist, fingertips tips dragging down the soft dough of your thigh making the hem of your shorts bunch up when he hooks them under your knee. He accepts your dare with a roll of his hips, his grin turning salacious when you gasp.

“That’s kinda the point, duh” the giggle that leaves your mouth is breathy as he ducks his head down to the crook of your neck to suck a fresh bruise where the previous one he left last week is almost healed, “oh my godddd.”

His lips curve against you, the hint of stubble along his jaw tickles as he makes his way with greedy lips to all the sensitive spots he’s discovered over the last few months, including the new one he found the other night right below your ear. He nips at the soft skin when your fingers tangle themselves into his hair with a harsh tug at his roots, the back of your calf pressing against his ass encouraging him more.

“Earlier wasn’t enough, my girl needs more attention doesn’t she?” His taunting comes out next to the shell of your ear, the deep baritone making you shiver. “It’s only been a few hours and you want me that bad again, huh?”

Your eyes hit the back of your head when he rolls your earlobe between his teeth. Another tug to his hair, a whine pushing past your pink lips trying to get more of anything he’ll give you.

“Come on baby, don’t be shy.” He hums pulling away from your neck, finally letting go of your face to squeeze at the fat of your ass propped on the sink, long fingers playing with your tail. “Tell me, I wanna hear it.”

The song on the radio changes, and Mase’s ‘What You Want’ encourages the next grind of your hips.

“Gonna make me beg for it Steve?” You pout looking up at him from under your lashes, relishing in the way you feel him twitch in his jeans at the thought. One of your hands trails down the muscles of his stomach, biting your lip when they twitch under your fingertips, adding more to the growing problem in your underwear.

The incessant high pitch beeping of both your tamagotchi’s cuts through the tension like a knife, making both of you freeze and you catch the way his eyes widen, the color coming back at the realization of their need to be fed.

“Steve, I swear to god-“ Your disbelief is quickly cut off by the bellowing voice of a certain bartender from outside your window.

“Hey! Asshole! I know you’re up there. Get your dick in your pants and get down here and help! It’s fucking Halloween!”

Eddie sounds like he’s already at his wits end, and you swear you hear him say ‘before I fuckin’ kill Rick’ as the bar door creaks open before slamming shut behind him.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Leader of the Landslide 1

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, alcoholism, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Life with your alcoholic mother is tough and you problems only mount when the local sheriff takes an interest in you.

Character: Lee Bodecker

Note: I'm so tireddddddddd.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you all. Take care. 💖

The mobile home creaks with your movement. The tight walls of your room watch you dig around under your bed frame, retrieving the empty tea tin from under the slats. You pop off the lid as you sit back on your heels and slip out the small roll of bills. You keep cotton balls in the bottom to keep the coins from jingling, not wanting any listening ears to suss out your stash.

You take what you need and put the rest back. You snake your arm up to replace the canister in your hiding spot. You stand and dusty off your knees, the worn denim fading and thinning. You tuck the bills in your back pocket and grab your flannel jacket from the bed post. 

You look around the cramped space, a modest and meagre dwelling place. You don't think too much about it, you’ve never known any better. Just like the big spenders in their shiny cadillacs don't give you much thought. You find that money can only bring trouble.

You go out into the living room. Your ma's sprawled on the couch, one leg over the edge, yesterday's newspaper over her head, and an arm dangling like there's no drop of life left in her. You go to the slender counter set under the narrow cupboards and put the kettle on the single burner. You pop open the cupboard door and grab the instant coffee, adding a healthy dose to an empty mug. 

"Ma," you say in a crusty tone, throat dry from sleep, "coffee."

"Eh," she mutters but doesn't unveil herself from beneath the newsprint.

"I'm gonna grab some groceries on the way home tonight," you explain as you cross your arms and lean against the wall across from the short couch where she languishes, "why didn't you take out the bed?"

She grumbles and the newspaper slips off of her as she props her head up. She wobbles as she squints across at the dinette that converts to a cozy double. She shakes her head and lays flat again. You don't fail to notice the empty bottle beside her.

"Alright, then, I gotta head down to Ernie's. I'll make dinner tonight," you suggest.

She waves you off and pulls the newspaper closer to her face, hiding behind it.

"Think ya can grab more whiskey?" She croaks from beneath.

"You got whiskey money?" You challenge with a sigh, "ma, it ain't good for ya."

"Don't tell me what's good for me. I raised ya," she barks as she rips the newspaper away and sits up, nearly keeling over as she winces with her whole body, "urgh, what're you rilin' me up for?"

"Water's boiling," you say as you check your watch, the one with the silver chain your granny gave you before she passed. "If you gotta puke, do it outside."

"Aw, baby, please," she shakes and touches her temples, "don't leave me. I can't do it alone--"

"Ma, you just gotta pour the water and stir. It's that instant stuff."

She harrumphs but doesn't argue as you're already at the door. You pull open the door and let it close heavily at your back as you tramp down the front steps. You button up your wool-lined flannel as you come down to ground level, your boots kicking up dust.

You head up between the rows of mobile homes. Most of them are nicer than your own. The paint on the siding isn't all chipped and the doors don't creak so loud. Plus, there isn't a mess of dead plants rotting away in the garden plot.

As you head past Theo's picnic table with the bright red umbrella, the nose of a car pokes around from the next row. You stop and watch the cruiser roll by, a sheriff's star emblazoned on the brown paint. It's not that unusual to see a cop hanging around, they like to rove the area for vagrants.

The man in the front seat turns his head as he passes, meeting your eye with a nod. You don't know him, you've never seen him before, but his hat makes him seem rather fancy. He must be high up. You don't know why he's hanging around there if he is.

You wait until he's past you and cross the row and head up towards the entrance of the community. The place is an assortment of wealthy city slickers vacationing, comfy middle classers with their tots, and the dregs like yourself and your mother, living on pennies and nickels.

Work isn't far. You sit at the desk in Ernie's shop and tell the folks where to park their beaters and lemons. The men talk loudly over engines as you throw Rufus' bone and watch him bring it back to you. The place is quaint and a bit shady, but the only job that would have you.

You walk in and greet the old bloodhound as he raises his wrinkly face. He gets up, he rarely does that for anyone else, and follows you to the wooden desk where you perch and drink the burnt coffee they have on the burner.  He lays at the foot of your stool as you say hello to the first mechanic through the door. Glenn doesn't seem to hear or see you as he pulls down his cap and ducks into the garage.

The smell of autumn creeps in from the open door of the garage, blowing into your little nook. A lady with tattered tights shows up with a rattling pipe and you call in Jethro to have a look. She gives him a look, the type that may get her a lower price on the second-hand part.

You pull out the book you keep lodged underneath the desk with the cup of pencils and receipt pad. You open it, the broken spine laying flat as you read and pet the lazy dog's snout as he leans his large head on your leg.

The day wiles by as usual. Not abnormal, nothing out of order. The mechanics hang up their overalls and leave oil stained rags in the crate. You take those down to the laundromat on Wednesdays.

Ernie locks up as you leave, offering you a drive to the grocer that you gratefully accept. There, you walk the aisles with your list, choosing between one staple and another to fit your budget. A bag of rice will go further than potatoes.

You leave with a paper bag full of goods. A good amount to stretch until your next pay. You take your usual path back, cutting through the path behind Alfred Horsk's stables.

You enter the park. A man rakes his front lawn despite the leaf fall being sparse. Nellie, the old woman who complains about your torn jeans, sends a glare as you pass, and you shoulder her out of your mind as you turn down the far row.

Your mother's dented mobile home beckons you forth. You have no illusions, you know what people think, you know what they've seen. Your mother is hardly the paragon of virtue. And your father, while you don't know who he is, you're certain he's a deadbeat.

You slow as you approach. A white and brown cruiser is parked at an angle, just in the space between your mother's trailer and the next. The siren on top is dulled but shiny. The car is well-kept. Shoot, you're not prepared to talk your mother out of another fine.

The scene is even stranger as there are no officers to go with the vehicle. There's usually at least one keeping watch or listening to the scanner. Just as peculiar, the trailer is shut up and there's not hollering coming from inside. Typically, the door's wide open for you to stumble in upon your mother's latest turmoil.

You balance the paper bag in one arm as you climb the low steps to the door and twist back the handle. The door opens easy and you step into a low dim, curtains drawn and lights all out. There's still light in the sky but it doesn't touch the place.

Your mother's cackle jars you and the deep rumble in response puts you on edge. You let the grim dim of the autumn in behind you as you feel around for the light knob. You turn it and light up the glass shade over the dinette.

You nearly drop your armful as you find your mother on the bench, giggling as a uniformed man pours whiskey past her lips, the dark brown neck of the bottle glugging loudly. You recoil and stammer. It's not the first time you've stumbled on your mother with a man, usually she leaves a scarf on the door to prevent that. You're only thankful they are fully clothed.

"Sorry," you back up and spin out the door, snapping it shut behind you.

You hop down to the gravel and sit on the bottom step. You put the groceries beside you and roll your shoulders, trying to escape that grimy feeling. Really, a cop? Well, that might keep her out of trouble. Or at least, make the law look in the other direction.

You try not to think about it but your eyes are drawn over to the round headlight of the cruiser. You frown. It can't be the same officer as earlier. You rub your cheek and think. You can't tell, he was missing that wide-brimmed hat.

You tear your attention from the nose of the car and watch some kids run by in a game of tag. You begrudge your empty stomach and heavy head. All day you only wanted to be home so you could get the groceries away and turn in. Nothing ever goes to plan with your ma.

You place your chin in your hand and blow a raspberry. What kind of lawman feeds liquor to a woman like that? It's plain to see that your ma has a problem. It's slimy, really. Barely preferable to him booking her. There's something nasty about him holding that bottle, laughing at her desperation to sate her bottomless thirst.

Their voices come clearer through the thin wall of the trailer. You get up and take the groceries, hiding them around the back. Hopefully no one stumbles on them. You go back around and set off down the gravel. He should be gone by the time you get back.

The kids run by you, puffing and panting in their game. You watch them, mourning the days when life was as simple as that. For you, the carefree era of your childhood didn’t last long. If it ever was.

You hear a parent holler and one of the children disperses. The others disappear around the next row as they continue on in their back and forth. You cross your arms as the evening chill nips at your flannel. You loop around, making a full lap of the outer path of the park.

You come back in sight of your mother’s trailer. The door is open as the officer sits on your former perch, sucking on a cigarette. You think of turning back. You’re tired and the sky is getting dim. You just want to eat and go to bed.

As you approach, he looks up and blows out a cloud of smoke. You cross your arms as he bows and gives a half-salute with two fingers. He looks up at you as he flicks ash from the cigarette.

“Must be junior,” he stands with a grunt, “sorry to chase ya out like that.”

You shrug, “officer.”

He smirks, “I’m off-duty.”

You nod and look away. There’s something about him, something slimy. Maybe it’s the way his stomach hangs over his pants or how he lets the bolo tie hang loose down his chest, his top buttons still undone.

“Gotta grab the, er, groceries,” you excuse yourself.

You sweep around the trailer and retrieve your haul, thankfully undiscovered. As you come back to the front, the officer remains, crushing the cigarette beneath his boot. You go to the steps and he stops you, stretching his arm in front of you.

“What’s yer name, girl?”

You shake your head, “does it matter?”

“Ma’s a nice lady, ain’t she? I’m only curious…” he says, “if I’m gonna be comin’ around.”

You hug the paper bag and bite down. You don’t want to tell him. If he’s anything like the other men, he won’t be back.

Your mother calls your name as he she clatters against the door from the inside. She manages to tear it open as you cringe. She’s in her underwear and a tank top barely clinging to her shoulders. You unthinkingly bull past the cop and rush up the stairs.

“Ma, it’s too cold out,” you usher her inside, “Christ.”

“Hey, you watch your mouth,” she sneers.

“I just don’t want you to get sick,” you say as you put the bag down. You turn to close the door but it swings inward from the other side. It’s him, officer slime.

“So, Molly,” he leers at your mother, “this your girl, then?”

“Yeah, that’s her,” your mother grumbles and falls against the couch, nearly missing as the man catches her and sets her right.

You exhale through your nose. She wouldn’t be like that if he didn’t bring her liquor. You grab the mostly empty bottle from the table and go to the sink. You hover it over the drain as you mouth shrieks like a hurt cat.

“Don’t you be wastin’ that!” She howls.

“Ma, look at you–”

“Now, now,” the man comes close and reaches to put his hand around yours, “I paid for that.”

“Great,” you turn to him, “you can take it with you.”

“With me?”

“Have a good night, officer,” you let him have the bottle, “I gotta make dinner.”

“Don’t be rude,” your mother slurs, “he stayin’.”

“Staying?” you sneer as you eye the man warily.

“Now I raised you right, we don’t send a good man off with an empty belly,” she snickers and reaches for his hand, tugging him towards her, “we make sure he’s nice and full.”

“Ma–” you begin.

“You ain’t even introduced us, Moll,” the man kisses her knuckles before wiggling free of her grasp. He hands her the whiskey. “Sheriff Bodecker,” he grins at you, “Lee when I’m off the beat.”

You look at him, then your mother. She gulps down the whiskey sloppily. You turn back to the counter and hide your chagrin.

“Hope you like beans,” you utter in defeat.

“I ain’t picky,” he drawls as he leans on the table, watching you.

You peek over your shoulder. Your mother is barely conscious as she leans back, letting the bottle rest on the empty space beside her on the couch. The quicker she passes out, the sooner this man can leave.

[spiteless-xo]

part two of this snippet

After that night, you spend more time in Eren Jaeger’s office after hours.

Eren is tired all the time. You notice it more clearly when you’re looking down at him from your perch on his desk. He has dark bags under his eyes and his hair isn’t quite as shiny as it usually is, now haphazardly thrown into a bun in the back of his head.

He doesn’t talk about his girlfriend when the two of you are together. He asks about you and your life, taking an interest in your hobbies, and listening to the music you share with him. Eren is a gentleman, and despite how low you tug your shirt before walking into his office, he keeps his eyes fixed on your face.

You’re frustrated.

On Friday, you bring a bottle of wine with you to the office. You stick it in a gift bag and write out a little card, licking the envelope shut in the morning before tearing it open again later that day. You bring it with you to Eren’s office after everyone else has left and you ask if he wants to have some with you.

It’s a gift, but I can’t finish it myself.

He smiles, rolling back in his chair, allowing space for you to sit on the desk with your legs dangling off the edge between his thighs. You take turns drinking from the bottle and not talking about his girlfriend.

He rolls the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows and you admire the veins that dance across his tanned forearm. His hands are big—bigger than yours—with thick fingers adorned with silver rings. You imagine what the cool metal of the rings would feel like on your body.

When you see the pink flush on the tops of Eren’s cheeks, you start to feel a little bold. When you grab the bottle from his hands you brush your fingers against his. When you laugh at his jokes, you rest your palm on his shoulder. You’re three-quarters finished with the bottle when your hand cups his face and you’re still not talking about his girlfriend.

He looks up at you with hazy emerald eyes, narrowed in a silent warning but he slides his chair closer until your toes are resting on the tops of his thighs, your heels kicked off on the ground after the first few sips. His hands run up and down your thighs, fingertips brushing the bottom hem of your skirt as your breath catches in your throat.

Eren tells you that he should probably get going, but his eyes don’t leave yours. You ask him to stay by wrapping your legs around his waist and pulling him close until he’s looking up at you with his chin resting between your breasts. He says that he can’t but when you ask why, he doesn’t mention his girlfriend.

You bring a palm to your chest and slowly undo the buttons of your blouse. Eren’s breath visibly hitches and you watch his eyes dart down—finally—as he watches you reveal your breasts.

His hands lift from your thighs, sliding up your hips and your waist until they’re pressed against your ribs. He brushes his thumbs across the lace of your bra and you shiver when he passes over your nipples. You swallow thickly and arch forward into his touch, urging him to grab you harder—to ravage you.

But he flinches and rolls away, pulling out of your grasp and spinning in his chair until he’s faced away from you. You feel the burn of embarrassment in your gut as you pull your shirt tightly over yourself. You try to apologize but he cuts you off. Eren asks if you need him to call you a taxi, but you decline.

He doesn’t look at you when he goes to grab his jacket. He keeps his head low as he grabs his things, but he has to reach across your body on the desk for his phone. You grab his wrist, stilling him as he crosses over you. He finally looks at you—annoyed—but you ignore it.

When you kiss him, he tastes like wine. 

You move your mouth softly against him, brushing your tongue along his lips in hopes that they will part for you, but they don’t. He keeps his head still and doesn’t reciprocate the kiss. You worry that if you open your eyes, you’ll see him staring at you.

He pulls away when his phone buzzes on the desk and the two of you look down at it.

It’s her.

[boxofbonesfic]

Title: Happy New Year (A Doppelgänger interlude)

Pairing: Ransom x Reader, Lloyd x Reader

Summary: Your fiance has a special New Years surprise for you. 

Warnings: Dubcon/Noncon, Dark!Ransom, Lloyd Hansen is his own warning, Switching Places, Alcohol, Mind games, Darkfic, Smut, Dead Dove: Do not eat, MINORS DNI!!

A/N: so lots of people have been asking when the first time they switched places on reader was… happy new year, everyone! divider by @firefly-graphics​

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I’m just not going to make it home.” Ransom sounds genuinely apologetic over the phone. “Something came up. Harlan’s sick—could be bad.” Your heart sinks as he says it. You don’t want to feel anything but empathy, but instead, bitter jealousy curls in your stomach alongside it. After all, you’re family too, aren’t you? You’re engaged, aren’t you? 

 When do I get to come first? You feel guilty even thinking it—after all, it isn’t like Ransom hasn’t put you first in all sorts of other ways. But you’re lonely, and you miss him. You’ve been alone in this big house since just after Christmas, and it’s starting to get to you. His “day or two” visit had become three, become four—and now you were standing alone amidst the various holiday decorations you’d put up in anticipation of his arrival. 

 “That sounds terrible,” you say, swallowing down the bitter frustration. After all, it isn’t his fault. You know he’s in charge of so much at the publishing company, and you don’t want to complain. “When do you think you’ll be home?”

 I know it’s a shitty way to spend your New Year’s,” Ransom says. “No need to sugarcoat it.”

 “I just… dammit, Ran, you know I miss you,” your teeth sink into your trembling lower lip. You don’t want to cry, dammit, you’re not one of those girls who can’t spend a weekend without their fiancé. You feel silly even being upset. 

 “I know, Sweetheart. I miss you too. I promise, I’ll fly home tomorrow, and we’ll have a belated New Years party. Just you and me. Okay?” He sounds so earnest, it’s hard not to forgive him instantly. 

 “Okay.” 

 “Don’t say it like that, baby. I promise, we’ll make it special, okay?” 

 “Okay, Ran,” you say, a small watery smile crossing your features. He can’t see it, but his relieved sigh tells you he can feel the tension easing between you as well. “And you’ll call at midnight?”

 “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

 You hang up the phone, and stare dejectedly at your festively decorated house. Even though Ransom’s only coming home a day later, it all feels like wasted effort now, like you invited all your friends to your birthday party and not a single one of them showed. You kick at one of the silver balloons littering the living room floor, and it pops, showering both you and the carpet in brightly colored paper confetti. 

 Maybe it was silly to go to all of this effort, but… you want things to be special. First New Years together, first apartment together—a year of firsts that you’d completed together. It feels bittersweet to be alone now, but you swallow it. You sigh, shoving more balloons off of the couch and collapsing onto it. 

 Maybe it’s not too late to call Nat.

 Your sister texted you just the day before to ask if you had any special New Year’s plans, maybe it’s not too late to tag along with her. You grab your phone. It’s not too late, only a little past six as you pull up her contact info, and punch the green button to dial her. 

 “—as anyway. Hello?”

 “Oh, hey, Nat.” You can hear muffled laughter and the low murmur of conversation in the background. “You busy?”

 “Just pre-gaming before we go out,” she says. That rich, deep laugh sounds again, and your cheeks heat. You hadn’t realized Nathalie’s we included a male friend. “Your boo-thang home yet?”

 You let out an awkward laugh. “Ugh, no. He, um. He got held up, family stuff. I was wondering if you wanted to come over? Maybe hang out tonight?” Even as you’re speaking, you hear someone on the other end groan frustratedly. 

 “Come on, Nattie,” The deep male voice is just loud enough for you to hear. “You said you were gonna make me see stars. Was that all talk?” 

 “I would,” You can practically hear the sly smile on her lips. “But I kind of… already made plans, if you catch my drift.” There’s a loud slap, and Nathalie’s girly giggle makes you roll your eyes. “I can stop by after?” 

 “I don’t think you’ll be walking after,” you retort. “Don’t worry about it. Happy New Year.” 

 You shuffle around the house irritatedly, trying to find something to do with yourself that doesn’t remind you of just how alone you are tonight.  Depressingly, you settle on chores. You throw a load of laundry into the washer in the hallway, and meander back to the living room. You know your little decoration whirlwind will only be a hassle later, but you can’t bring yourself to take them down. The bottle of prosecco you picked up at the liquor store is still sitting in its melting ice bath on the coffee table, the two glasses next to it sadly empty. 

 “Happy New Year to me,” you mumble, climbing over the back of the couch and landing on the pillows with a dramatic oof. You reach for the bottle, carefully undoing the aluminum contradiction that keeps the cork in place. It pops out, skittering away underneath one of the living room chairs for you to find later. You pay the errant cork no mind, and pour yourself a liberal glass. 

 Bitterly, you hold it up to the quiet air in a mock toast. 

 “First drink of the night,” you say, downing half of it in a single gulp. The bubbles tickle your nose, but the alcohol is sweet and palatable. You finish the glass and pour another, reaching for the remote. By the time you've finished your second glass, the alcohol is sitting warmly in your belly, and the bitter, angry feeling roiling in the back of your mind is both less obtrusive and somehow more present than ever. Aimlessly, you flip through channels, watching other people celebrate the new year as you slide progressively further and further into the bottle. 

 After you finish your fourth glass you don't bother with it anymore, instead swigging straight from the bottle. The comfortable warmth settling in your tummy is spreading out, down your limbs, into your fingers, making your head loll as you lay there. You squint at the cable box—10:45. A whole hour and fifteen minutes left of this year. 

 The dryer dings, and you groan. “Stupid thing,” you mumble, staggering to your feet. Doing laundry while drunk is a skill set, you decide as you make your way to the hall closet, the floor tilting dangerously under your feet. There's a bang that echoes down the front hallway as you open the laundry room door, and you squint at the dryer, swaying as you try to place the noise. It sounds again, and it takes your liquor muddied brain a few seconds to understand—

 It's the door. 

 “One second,” you say, hoping the words don’t sound as slurred to the person on the other side of it as they do to you. “M'Coming.” You eye yourself in the hallway mirror, and practice walking in a straight line before you reach for the door handle. “How can I—Ran?” Your husband's face cracks into a wide grin as you blink at him. “How—?” You hiccup, covering your mouth as your cheeks warm with embarrassment . 

 “Happy new year, Princess.” He steps over the threshold, wiping his shoes on the mat. You're so happy to see him, you practically throw yourself into his arms, sniffling. He smells good, like pine and leather. gold chain under his turtleneck rubs against your cheek through the fabric as you bury your face in the crook of his neck. 

 “II thought you had to, um. Harlan,” you try to make the alcohol added words make sense on your loose tongue. “Sick?” He chuckles, cupping your chin. 

 “Someone's had a few,” he says with a laugh, and you giggle up at him. “Besides, I needed to see my girl,” he says, drawing his thumb affectately over the apple of your cheek. “I missed you… ” He trails off, his eyes focusing on something behind you. “Did you do this?” Ransom gestures to the decorations. You nod, another hiccup forcing its way up through your lips. 

 “I w-wanted to surprise you. Do you like it, Ran?”

 “I love it.” His responding laugh is dark with an emotion you can't name. He leans down to kiss you, his mouth moving hungry against yours. You kiss him back, and then wrinkle your nose, frowning as you pull away . 

 “You grew out your beard,” you say, drawing a finger across the mustache sitting just above his upper lip. “So fast…?” He chuckles. 

 "I'll shave it tomorrow." He kisses you again, moaning into your mouth. "Fuckin' sweet," he mumbles, worrying your plump lower lip between his teeth. He pulls away, panting, his eyes dark. a drink, Princess,” he says lowly. “I need to catch up.” 

 You're acutely aware of your stumbling as you head back to the kitchen for the other bottle chilling in the fridge. Ransom saves you the trouble of opening it, popping the cork and pouring himself a glass. He refills your discarded flute, and the two of you drink together. 

 “You really outdid yourself, baby,” he says, nodding at the brightly colored, festive streamers hanging in the doorways. You can't help but beam a little proudly at him.

 “I thought you would like it,” you say, taking a sip from your glass when Ransom indicates that you should, tapping the stem as if to say bottoms up. 

 "Can't ring in the new year sober, can we?" He says, topping your glass back up before its even empty. "I love it. I can't believe I almost missed it," he says, shaking his head . You watch as he rounds the kitchen island, placing his hands on your shoulders. “Getting close now, aren't we, Princess?” He asks, his hands straying underneath the hem of your plain pajama shorts. “We should get ready to count down." 

 He walks you back out to the living room and flips on the television, a snowy Times Square appearing on the flat-screen. The music is almost too loud, and the room spins around you as Ransom leads you back to the couch. The champagne glass in your hand slips from your fingers, landing on the carpet with a soft tinkle as the stem snaps neatly in two.

 “R-Ran, we sh-should—” You don't remember sitting down, but suddenly you are, splayed messily across the sofa as Ransom climbs over you. Your skin burns hot from the alcohol, and you whine as his cool fingers press into your hips. 

 “I'll clean it up later.” The low sultry purr makes you shiver. You can't shake the niggling feeling that something is wrong, but Ransom won't let you think. He kisses down your jaw, nibbling at your throat as he sandwiches you between his hard chest and the couch cushions. He slides down, his knees hitting the carpet with a muffled thud as he stars up at you from between your thighs.

You don't remember him sliding your shorts off, but as his breath puffs across your moist, swollen folds, he licks his lips. 

 "Even prettier than I thought you'd be." Something about his words gives you pause, but as you struggle to sit up, Ransom's arms tightened around your thighs, pulling you forward until your hips dangle off the edge of the couch, your thighs slung over his shoulders. “That's better.” The harsh rasp of his mustache against your cunt is lost in the sensation of his tongue sliding through your folds. 

 You can't even remember what you were going to complain about, the words lost in the hiss of air through your clenched teeth. Ransom does it again, parting your soft, puffy lips to circle your slick entrance with his tongue. 

 “Princess, you better start counting,” Ransom says cheekily, “or you’re going to miss it.” 

 “T-ten. Nine— oh fuck,” you whimper, your hips rolling against his face as Ransom’s tongue flicks expertly at your clit. “R-Ran—”

 "I said count, Princess." 

 "F-five, four, three— God—!" You're barely aware of the sound of your phone ringing somewhere else in the house, but you can't focus on it, not when Ransom is curling his fingers inside you like that and—

 You press your head back into the cushions, staring unseeingly at the ceiling as you cum with a whimper, your thighs clenching tightly around Ransom's head. You try to pull away, but his grip only tights, his tongue lashing against your clit as your cries grow louder, ringing in your own ears. 

 "Ransom, Ran I c-can't, I can't—!" You babble gibberish down at him as your toes curl. He doesn't move, though, doesn't relinquish his grip until you're dragged down underneath the current of sticky pleasure again. You go limp, tears leaking out of the corners of your eyes and down into your hair as you struggle to catch your breath. 

 “Happy New Year!” The television hosts jump excitedly as silver and gold confetti rain down around them. Auld Lang Syne blares from your television speakers as Ransom leans back on his knees, admiring the sloppy mess between your thighs. 

 “Happy New Year, Princess,” he echoes softly, drawing a finger through your trembling folds. You whine, trying to close your thighs around his hand. “Let's make it a good one.” 

[fetusgooseandjuice]

Follow My Lead

Pairings: Shuri Udaku x fem!reader

Summary: Shuri was invited to a party at the Avenegrs compound to thank her for her help. But, things go downhill after a drive-by shooting. Despite your girlfriend trying to protect you, you still get hurt.

Word Count: 2,945

Warnings: Shooting | Mentions of blood

Shuri's POV:

"You almost ready, love?" I called out from the bedroom.

"Yeah one second!" I heard her respond from the bathroom.

Okoye, Nakia, and I were invited to a formal party at the Avengers compound to thank us for our help during a mission that went sideways a few weeks ago.

They were outnumbered, so they contacted Wakanda, pleading for assistance in the fight. The threat was eliminated and they were grateful for our help.

But I would never go to an event like this without my pride and joy, Y/N. I told her about the invite and asked her to be my plus one, and she obviously agreed. So I brought her with me to the hotel that Tony booked for us.

I was already ready to go, dressed in a tuxedo Aneka and Ayo gifted me. Black trousers with a dark purple dress shirt tucked into the pants, and a black jacket with the middle button buttoned. I had on my black dress shoes, but I couldn't figure out the whole tie thing, so I just decided not to wear it.

A few seconds later, Y/N opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom looking absolutely gorgeous. Her tight mini dress matched my shirt, dark purple. She had on silver jewelry, and heels that she was somehow still shorter than me in.

"How long until we have to be there? I'm not gonna make you late am I?" she asked worriedly, walking around the room trying to find her hand bag.

I chuckled lightly, "No darling, you're not gonna make me late. Even if we are, we'd be fashionably late." I joked.

She laugh, "Okay I think I'm ready now." letting out a heavy sigh as she found her bag and pulled out her lipgloss to reapply it. She stood up and turned around, noticing me staring at her.

"What?" she smiled.

"Nothing. You just look breathtakingly beautiful." I said, walking towards her with my hands in my pockets, then gently grabbing her by the waist.

"Aw thank you baby. You look rather stunning yourself." she grinned

I laughed, "I'm flattered, angel."

"No tie tonight? I thought you said you had one picked out." she noted the empty space where the tie should've gone.

"I couldn't figure out how to tie it. No big deal though." I reassured her.

"You don't know how to tie a tie, but you own multiple suits?" she questioned, amused.

"I just end up not wearing them because I never had time to learn. I had planned on watching a tutorial or something, but it crossed my mind." I explained and she nodded.

"Where is it?" she asked.

"Uh somewhere in that suitcase over there." I pointed to a suitcase on the bed and she went over to it and opened it, rummaging through the clothes until she found the black tie.

"Oo a bow tie. Cute." she smiled, walking back over to me.

"Okay, stand up straight," she said, and I did as told.

"So what you do is you lay it flat around your neck, make sure one side is pulled longer than the other. Then bring the longer side across the shorter side and make a loose knot. Fold this like this-" she slowly walked me through the steps of tying a tie. I admired the way her face looked so concentrated, it was adorable.

"-pull it tight and there you go." she exclaimed, straightening it out, and I looked down at the bow tied around my neck.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" I asked curiously.

"I have my ways." she winked and I put my hands on the small of her back, about to lean down to kiss her, but she stopped me.

"Noo baby, you'll get gloss on your lips." she reminded me.

I playfully scoffed, "I don't care." I said and titled her chin up to softly kiss her lips, so I didn't smear it.

She hummed into my mouth as I carefully walked her back against the wall, gently pushing her into it. She wrapped her arms around my neck, but I moved them, grabbing her wrists and dragging them up the wall to pin her hands above her head.

I kept her hands on the wall with one hand, while the other trailed down her waist to caress her thigh. When I started to slowly move her dress up, she pulled away slightly.

"We should go before we're actually late." she whispered against my lips.

"It's fine, my love. We'll make it." I told her before connecting our lips again, this time a little more desperate.

"You sure?" she managed to ask in between kisses.

"Yes, princess. Relax, we have plenty of time. I'll make time." I spoke softly, bending down to pick her up under her thighs and making my way to the bed.

~~~

When we arrived at the compound, there was warm lighting, the tiny clanking of wine glasses, and light chatter. I had Y/N linked on my arm so I didn't lose her in the crowd.

"Shuri, Y/N! You're finally here! Thank you for coming." Tony said as he approached us.

"Oh it was no trouble. Thank you for having us." I replied.

"Listen, we really appreciated your help with that incident. If there's anything you need, and I mean anything at all, don't hesitate to let us know. We owe it to you." he said.

"It was our pleasure, Stark. But I will have to ask you where the wine is?" I asked playfully.

He chuckled, "It's right over here. Enjoy the party." he pointed to the bar before smiling at Y/N and walking away.

"You want a drink, darling?" I leaned down to speak into her ear.

"Yeah sure." she lightly smiled and I put my hand on her back, guiding her over to the bar.

"Could I get two white wines?" I kindly asked the bartender before they nodded and started to pour the drinks, handing them to me.

"Thanks." I said and gave one of the glasses to Y/N.

"What do people even do at these events? They seem kind of boring." she questioned, looking around.

"Um...talk and drink I guess?" I chucked.

"I don't really know. I just thought it'd be nice to at least show up after all of that." I shrugged my shoulders.

Just as I said that, Okoye and Nakia approached us, "Well good evening, ladies. Y/N, you look lovely as always. Shuri, you could do better." Okoye playfully insulted.

"Uh- that really means that she thinks you look good as well." Nakia quickly added.

"Thank you, Nakia. Okoye, count your days." I glared at her, and she just smirked.

"Are you guys just now getting here? We couldn't find you earlier." she asked.

"Yeah, we were...running a little behind." I replied.

"Tony got you a hotel room so you wouldn't be late." Nakia said with a puzzled expression on her face.

"We just got busy with...things. Unpacking, and I couldn't find my bag." Y/N tried to make up an excuse, gesturing to her hand bag. But it blew up in our faces when I looked down to try to hide a laugh.

Okoye noticed my action, "Oh my god, gross. Okay I think I'm done with this conversation now. You guys have a fantastic night...or in your case, an even better one than what you've already had." she finished while walking away, Nakia following her.

"Oops." I said and Y/N just rolled her eyes. Slow music started to softly play throughout the speakers in the room. Couples moved to more empty spaces to dance.

I glanced down at Y/N, "May I have this dance?" I held out my hand for her to take.

"I don't know how to dance." she furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'll teach you. Come on, please?" I asked.

She took my hand, "Okay." I led her towards everyone else and found an empty spot.

I grabbed her hands to put her arms over my shoulders, "Put your arms there, and I'll put mine here," I rested my hands on the small of her back, pulling her against my body. "Now just follow my lead."

I slowly swayed from side to side, getting her to copy my movements. Leaning down, pressing my forehead against hers, "I'll go to every party I'm invited to now if it means I get to do this with you." I whispered softly.

She giggled shyly, feeling flustered. Even after we've been together for a few years, she still gets nervous when I say things like that to her.

"Can we dance like this at home when we're alone, too? I like being this close to you." she admitted.

"I could never say no to you, my love." I said and lifted my forehead from hers to lay a kiss on it.

The moment was peaceful, basking in each others presence. That was until everyone on the floor was startled by the glass of the windows shattering to pieces, one after another. People were panicked when they realized the glass was being broken by bullets. The rapid sounds of gunshots rang through my ears along with the terrified shrieks and screams of everyone.

"Everyone get down!" I recognized Tony's voice from the other side of the room. People were already either fleeing or hiding under furniture.

I quickly grabbed Y/N and raced to the nearest place to hide which was a small table beside a couch. I ducked down under it, pulling Y/N with me. I let her lay on the ground first before I laid on top of her, shielding her entire body with mine, and covering her head with my hand.

"You're okay, darling. I've got you." I said in her ear so she could hear me over the commotion.

"Princess!" I turned my head to see Okoye joining us under the table. She slid a gun over in my direction for me to grab while she had her spear out. A gun was the only discreet weapon I could sneak into this building in case of situations like this exact one.

"What happening? There's no one inside." I asked trying to project my voice loud enough over the shots that continued to ring out.

"It's all coming from outside the building. A drive by. Just take that in case you need it." she said, gesturing to the gun in front of me before leaving to go help other people.

I moved off of Y/N just enough to be able to reach the gun. A few seconds later, the sound of the shooting stopped and the loud noise of tires screeching took over.

People started to emerge from their hiding places, frantically asking each other questions about what just happened.

I lifted some of my body weight off of Y/N to look down at her, "Are you okay?" I asked, but she didn't answer.

Moving off of her entirely, I said her name again, "Y/N?" my eyes scanned over her body until I got to her side where blooding was starting to soak through her dress.

"Oh my god, Y/N!" I yelled, turning her over. Her eyes were still open, but barely.

"Shit, baby. It's okay, you’re gonna be okay." I repeated to her, shaking off my jacket and using it to put pressure on her wound. Okoye and Nakia had heard me yell and they sprinted towards me.

"Shuri what- oh god." Nakia interrupted herself when she saw Y/N lying there.

"Can someone find Bruce or- I-I don't know. Just somebody!" I raised my voice and Nakia ran off to get help.

"I've got it, Shuri." Okoye took over putting pressure on the bleeding wound so that I could keep Y/N awake.

"Come on, love. Stay awake for me. I know you're tired, but you've got to. For me please?" I begged, trying to keep her from closing her eyes. Just then, Nakia came back with Bruce following close behind.

"How bad is it?" he asked, quickly kneeling down next to Okoye to take a look.

"I can't tell from here. We should get her down to the medbay, now." he said after Okoye moved the jacket away so he could see.

He went to pick her up, but I was not having that. I put my hand in front of him to stop him, bending down to pick Y/N up. I was running as fast as I could without hurting the girl in my arms that was hanging onto consciousness by a thread, following Bruce to the medbay.

When we got there, a few nurses looked our way before their eyes widened. Jumping into action, I laid Y/N down on a gurney and they began to assess her.

I tried to follow them as they worked, but a nurse stopped me, "Ma'am you need to give the doctors space to work. I assure you they're going to do everything they can for her." she said with a soft voice.

"Yeah, Shuri. You did all you could do. You took care of her before you got her to the medbay and you got her help. Now let them help her.” Okoye comforted me.

Nakia and Okoye led me to the chairs outside of the room so the doctors could work without me hovering over them. They brought me some water and got me to wash my hands.

“Here you go, princess.” Nakia handed me a bottle of water before sitting down next to me along with Okoye. I muttered a thanks and continued staring at the wall.

“She’ll be okay, just like you told her she would be.” Nakia said.

Okoye hummed in agreement, “You quite literally protected her with your life, Shuri. I mean you covered her with your body. Whoever shot that bullet just got lucky.”

“I covered her with my body and she still got hurt. I only moved myself off of her for a few seconds. I shouldn’t have done that.” I quietly spoke.

“Thinking about what you should’ve done isn’t going to help her now. She needs you to be here for her. She’s going to need you soon.” Nakia voiced.

I sighed and nodded, wiping the tears away from my face, “You’re right.”

~~~

About an hour later, Bruce walked out of the room and started to approach us.

I immediately stood up, “What happened? She’s okay right?” I quickly asked.

“Yes, she’s fine and stable. The wound wasn’t that bad. Stopping the bleeding was the most difficult part. But we managed to get it under control and remove the bullet. We took her off of the anesthesia and she’s still asleep, but she should wake up anytime now.” he informed us and it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulder.

I let out a deep breath, “Thank you so much, Bruce. I owe you. Anything you guys need and it’s yours.” I promised him.

“No you don’t need to do that. You saved our asses on that mission the other day so,” he reasoned.

I nodded, “I can see her now, right?”

“Yeah go ahead. When she wakes up she might be in some pain on her side, so just check with her.” he mentioned.

“Oh don’t worry I will.” I said before walking back into the room.

I opened the door and there Y/N was. She looked so small laying in that medical bed. I dragged a chair over to her bedside and sat down in it, gently holding her hand in mine, stroking a thumb over the back of it.

I thought about how this night went from showing her how to slow dance to me sitting next to her hospital bed after she got shot. It was all ruined within the blink of an eye.

The need for sleep eventually caught up to me. I laid my head on the side of the bed, falling asleep but never letting go of her hand.

~~~

I was woken up but a quiet mutter of my name.

“Shuri?” I lifted my head, and Y/N was looking down at me with tired eyes.

“Hey, darling” I was suddenly wide awake now that Y/N was conscious.

I sat up straight so that I could pay attention to her, “How are you feeling? Are you hurting anywhere?”

“No I’m fine. Just really tired.” she spoke softly.

“That’s understandable. Bruce said they had some trouble stopping the bleeding, so you lost quite a bit of blood.” I told her and she hummed, too tired to say anything back.

“Do you need anything? Water, more blankets, anything?” I was trying to be there for her instead of being stuck on what I could’ve done.

“Cuddles?” she whispered.

I chuckled lightly, “Of course, baby.” I carefully climb into the bed with her let her situate herself however she was comfortable.

She snuggled into my side and placed her head on my chest, grabbing onto my hand to hold. I used my other hand to rub her back, laying a kiss on her head.

“Can we do that dance again when we get home?” she murmured.

“We absolutely can. We can do whatever you want.” I responded. We laid in comfortable silence for a little bit until I spoke up.

“I love you, angel.” I said, but when I got no response I looked down to see that she had fallen back asleep, and I smiled to myself. Happy that she was getting the rest she needed.

[ravenwriter16]

Creative Minds Think Alike

Episode One---Episode two---Episode three---Episode Four (Here)---Episode Five---Episode Six

Featuring the Amazing: @kinshenewa

Reminder! If the content creator doesn't approve of how i represented them, or their AUs/OCs then I will edit my work or DELETE it. It's not my intention to mock or belittle anyone's work. This series is supposed to showcase amazing creators!

I do not beta read! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!

I stand there in the hallway, my back to the wall with all the windows. Arms crossed and feathers bristling. I tap my foot impatiently while tugging on my collar. My formal wear was tight and uncomfortable, the emblem badge on my chest feeling very heavy as of late.

I look around again, my annoyed expression disappearing whenever some castle residents. I smile and wave at them, my frustration not directed at them. I pull out my pocket watch, clicking the button and watching as the lid flips open. I check the time, tsking and closing it with a flick of my wrist.

“Those Staff Bots are late.”  I grumble, folding my hands behind my back.

My eyes dart to the wall in front of me. Between two doors, was a big movie poster. The caption read ‘Captain Foxy’s Pirate Adventure’. Featuring, of course, Foxy in his pirate ensemble along with pirates Freddy and Bonnie and mermaid Chica.

I smile, snorting in amusement quietly. “I’ll have to check in with the captain one of these days…that reminds me I have to sort through the pirate DCA AU files 1K-854…”

Beeping draws my attention. I slowly turn my head to the right, staring down the two Staff Bots. I raise a brow, “What’s been taking you so long?”

“Moons.” One beeps, the top of its head bearing deep scratches.

I drag a hand down my face, sighing heavily. “Okay. I’ll add ‘Send out proper Staff Bot care instructions’ when I get back to my office. Do you need to go to P&S or can you function?”

They both raise their toolboxes and pull on the rim of their baseball caps.

I smile, stepping forward to rest a hand on their shoulders. “Fantastic. Now, shall we?”

They nod and I pat their shoulder once before stepping towards the poster. I examine it for a moment before reaching up and pressing the fox icon above two crossing swords on his hat. It pushes in with a click and the sound of gears turning and shifting follow after.

“The Creator is already expecting us and we are running late.” I turn my head slightly over my shoulder, “So let’s do the best we can.”

The two give affirmative beeps.

The sounds from the poster cease, and it swings open. I nod my head, snapping my fingers as I step into the room. The Staff Bots follow me in without a second thought. The room starts off as dark then warm hues of purples, yellows, and blues light up the room.

It was a large circular room, with a dome ceiling that looked like it could retract to allow one a view of the sky.  On the floor is a beautiful mosaic of the Sun and the Moon. The tiles shining with the sunlight streaming in from the large windows circling the room. Flowing curtains of purple hand above each window.

Along both sides of the room were hallways that lead to utilities and/or storage. In the center of the main room was a small pillar. On top of this stand was a crystal ball, thick golden and silver threads keeping the orb in place.

“Kinshenewa? Hello? We’re here to fix the pipe leak.”

 The Staff Bots behind me stop while I trek closer to the crystal ball. I reach out and hover my hand over the shining orb. Images float to the surface, but none of them were of the Creator I was looking for.

“Hello?” A voice calls out.

I look up, not able to stop the blood from draining my face. In front of me was the Celestial Jester known as Sun. His blue eyes spot us and the frills around his head flutter. He claps his hands together as he saunters over.

“You must be the crew Cadence hired.” Sun gives a small bow, “I am Council Member Sun. And you are?”

“Archivist Number 16 Ravenwriter. But you may call me Raven.” I return his bow with one of my own.

I straighten up and gesture to the Staff Bots, “I hope you do remember the policy regarding the help?”

Sun pouts, “Yes…I don’t know why though.”

I level him with a stern stare, “Because all you DCA variants think it’s funny to destroy the people keeping the castle running.”

Sun laughs, “Oh yes…It was very fun last get-together.”

“For YOU. I, on the other hand, had a MOUNTAIN of paperwork that took me WEEKS to finish.” I shudder, wings puffing up.

Sun perks up, finally laying eyes on my wings. I don’t like the look he was giving me or how his hands twitched. I clear my throat, “Um…KINSHENEWA?!”

A clattering sound could be heard from the hall to the left. “Coming! Coming!”

I heave a sigh of relief. Stepping into the main room was a six-foot tall woman. She drags one hand through her wavy brown hair. When she turns, I can see that some of her hair was shaved on the left side, leaving the strands to be too short compared to the other side, but long enough to be tucked behind her ear.

She was wearing a pair of black, jean shorts and a black t-shirt. The clothing fitting and showcasing her built body. Her black shoes leaving small wet puddles as she steps into the room.

Her hazel eyes find mine. She breathes out a relived sigh, “Raven?”

“That’s me. So sorry to bother you, but we’re here for the pipe burst you reported. Could you please point to the bathroom?” I tilt my head with a smile.

“Yeah. I just came from there.” She jabs a finger behind her shoulder, “Right down there.”

I snap my fingers and the Staff Bots zoom away, beeping as they speed down the hall. I pull out my pocket watch and check the time, “Should be done in no time, Miss Cadence.”

“Thank you! I cannot take another day of Eclipse complaining about what the water does to his electricity…” She shakes her head the looks to Sun, “When will he be back again?”

Sun tilts his head, holding his chin, “Should be around dinner time. Something about a big bounty he couldn’t pass up.” He waves his hand dismissively.

Cadence looks back at me, “Do you want to sit down while you wait?”

I smile, “Yes please!”

I follow her to the couches in the middle of the room. The pillows being stars, moons, and suns. Even some plushies of the Daycare Attendant were there. I take my seat on one of the couches, sitting between a Moon plushie and a sun-themed pillow.

Sun and Cadence take the couch opposite of me. Sun pulling Cadence into his lap and nuzzling the top of her head. Cadence looks me up and down.

“I’m sorry, but have we ever met before?”

I shake my head, “Not that I’m aware of. But in your defensive, I have been held up in the office and…peeling alien potatoes…”

Sun wrinkles his nose, “Is THAT what that smell is?”

I grimace, “Yes…”

The door to the room opening, draws all our attention. Moon steps in, carrying a few books in his arms as he closes the door behind him with a sigh. When he turns around, he stills upon seeing me.

He looks to Sun for answers. Sun smiles, “She’s here for the busted pipe.”

“Oh.” Moon nods his head, walking closer, “You mean the one you broke because you were trying to fix it yourself?”

“HEY! I wasn't the one who thought flushing an ENTIRE roll of toilet paper was a good idea for an experiment!"

“By the way,” Cadence ignores them both as they argue back and forth. The jester’s voices loud but I could still make out her voice. “Will this cost anything?”

“Nothing at all!” I reassure. “But I will need you to review and sign some documents. Nothing big, just stating that if our services were unsatisfactory then we’ll send another maintenance crew by to fix our mistakes.”

“Sounds great! Ompf! SUN!” She swats at Sun’s hands, which were squishing her face into his chest. Moon was now on the couch, pulling one of her arms closer to him.

She was literally in caught in a tug-a-war.

I raise a brow, “Is this normal?”

“Sadly, yes…” her sigh was defeated, showing her resign to her fate. Cadence looks over at her shoulder, eyeing the hall were the sounds of drills whirling and metal clinking echo from. Moon succeeds in stealing her away from his brother, smirking victoriously.

Sun pouts, standing, “Fine! I’ll prepare some mash-potatoes then!”

He huffs as he turns on his heels and heads to the other hall way.

I smile, “That reminds me, we received another shipment of Sundrops and Moondrops. When would you like us to deliver it to your room?”

“Anytime is okay with me. Was there any difficulty with the shipment?” She reaches up and scratches the spot under Moon’s chin.

“We encountered a Troll trying to sneak in past the gates, but he’s been neutralized and some of our Y/n Placeholders are dealing with him as we speak. There is no need to worry.”

“A Troll huh? How many does that make today?” she tilts her head.

“Twenty-Three…” I sigh, leaning back against the couch. “They’re relentless…”

Cadence snarls, baring her teeth while clenching her fists tightly. Moon growls as well, feeling his creator’s anger. I can feel her Auora pulsate from her, feeling like a ton of bricks were weighing down on my chest. A bright purple light surrounds her and takes over her eyes.

Trolls were no laugh matter. They can sneak into the castle at any time and cause unnecessary chaos. They wreck anything they can get their hands on. Painting their sludge over Creator’s paintings and drawings. Adding hate notes when they find written scrolls. They trash rooms or steal supplies.

They were pests.

“By the way.” I stand up and dig a small pouch of ruby hearts out of my pocket. I hand it to Moon, who takes it and gives it to Cadence. “This is on behalf of the Council of the Aligned Society of Creative Minds. They thank you for letting them hire Eclipse to hunt down some wanted Frauds.”

She calms down, the lights fading and her eyes returning to her normal color. I even feel the weight on my chest rise.

“No problem.” She smiles, taking the bag, “Please feel free to call on him anytime.”

“Will do!” I smile.

The Staff Bots roll out, beeping affirmatively before wheeling to the door and exiting. I nod my head, looking back at Cadence, who was now on her feet.

She walks me to the door, “Thank you again for your help.”

“Anytime! Oh!” I stop for a second, “I also wanted to tell you that the castle is hosting a gala in a few days. Would it be okay if you could help me gather some things for the theme?”

She crosses her arms, “That depends? What’s the theme.”

I laugh, “Celestial Dreams~. Or so I’m told…”

“Sound’s fun, I’m in!” She smiles, patting my back.

I wince at her strength, wings shooting up. She opens the door, and I step out.

“Have a great rest of your week!” I bow in farewell.

“You too!” She waves.

“Sweetling?! I have the mash potatoes!” Sun calls out

She perks up and takes off running, the door slowly closing behind her. I wait to make sure the door is securely closed. I smile at the echoing of the lock clicking in place.

I turn and walk down the hall. I pull out a Sundrop that I had swiped from the bowl near the door. I unwrap it and pop the orange treat in my mouth.

I smile, humming to myself. “Yum!”

***

That's Episode four! Thank you again @kinshenewa for letting me use you and your AMAZING Celestial Jesters AU. If you guys haven't read it, go check it out!

Sorry if this fic was hard to follow! But I had a lot of fun writing it and talking with @kinshenewa regarding her room and her AU!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed yourself! Have an Amazing Day or Night!

[honourablejester]

Talking to my sister, we were remembering the clapping games we used to play as kids. This was mostly in the country school, now that I think of it I don’t think they were played in the town school as much. Though that could also have been because we were older when we went there. But you know those games kids play where you have to clap a sequence while saying a rhyme? Sometimes individually, often in pairs, and then there were group games?

This would have been small town Ireland in the 90s, but the ones I remember …

'Double Double' was a really easy one for pairs. “Double double this this, double double that that, double this double that, double double this that!” You stand facing each other, and on ‘double’ you bring both fists to their fists, on ‘this’ you bring palms to palms, and on ‘that’ you bring the backs of your hands to the backs of their hands. The aim is to repeat the sequence, getting faster all the time, until somebody messes up. It was fun because you started out raising both fists at each other for ‘double double’, like you’re about to start a fist fight (which was not unknown to happen).

Then there’s ‘Under the Bam Bush’, again for pairs. I can’t remember the clap sequence for this one. I can remember most of the rhyme and the rhythm: “Under the bam bush, under the sea, boom boom boom. True love for you my darling, true love for me. When we get married, we shall have a family. A boy for you, a girl for me, how many fishes in the sea? Twelve and twelve is twenty four, kick the teacher out the door. If she knocks, give her a box, and then she’ll have the chicken pox!” I know it had a more complicated sequence, cross claps and over-unders, but I can’t for the life of me remember how it went.

We also had ‘Miss Mary Mack’, which had you alternating clapping your own hands and double high fiving your partner, and then when words repeated you repeated the high fives. “Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, All dressed in black, black black, with silver buttons, buttons, buttons, all down her back, back back …”

And, when you had a LOT of people together, there was always ‘Concentration’. Basically, everyone in the group got a number, one to seven or twelve or however many you had. The rhythm was two claps of your hands, two claps on your thighs, rinse and repeat, and everyone kept up this rhythm. You spoke on the hand claps, the thigh claps gave the next person time to prepare. “Concentration! (beat beat) Are you ready? (beat beat) If so! (beat beat) Let’s go! (beat beat) One to six! (beat beat) Six to three! (beat beat)” etc. It started with person one, and on your handclapped beats, you called out who had to pick up after you. They had the thigh beats to get ready, and then on their turn they had to call out a different number. People were eliminated if they didn’t answer to their number or didn’t call out a viable number on their turn. So as you went you had to keep track of which numbers were still in the game, and be ready to call them out the instant your turn came.

Concentration’s really only good if you have a big group. Like, minimum of five/six, but honestly you wanted around ten to fourteen for a proper game. It gets really boring when it’s just ‘One to two!’ ‘Two to one!’ ad nauseum at the end.

I always wonder if these are still going. They are a lot of fun.