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#getting hit by even more feels about this scene after the last chapter
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I know I predicted radio silence from me...But I had what I think is a cool idea and wanted to share it before anything gets disproven in the next episode (Brief, singular mention of the Eden!Culprit theory).
So, I saw a lot of people talking about the Arei-Eden parallels, and the Ace-Arei parallels (and differences), and the Min-Eden parallels in the hug scene...Because of that, I started thinking about how Eden and Ace relate to all the others. And then I remembered the very obvious Teruko-Ace parallels.
Ace and Teruko both trusted someone who betrayed them in one way or another. Teruko with...Well, everyone, and especially Min, and Ace with Levi. In chapter two, they're both pretty similar, being closed-off and trying to not care about others with varying degrees of success. And, of course, Ace almost dies just like Teruko did, in an attempted murder.
All those things are fairly obvious, especially them being the only participants to be almost-victims. And I'd always noticed that, but it got me thinking...
In chapter one, Teruko was the victim of an attempted murder, surviving on the pure luck of the knife just-so-happening to miss anything vital in her abdomen. Then, instead of sympathy for her life almost being taken, people are upset with/suspicious of her because they think she was the one who killed Xander. And that fact is no fault of Teruko's, she just had the misfortune of being at the scene of the crime (and Min moving the evidence to further incriminate her). Barely anyone asks if she's okay or shows much concern other than Min, who betrays her, and Eden. She is then forced to defend herself in the trial almost completely alone until finally some others start to come to her defense.
In chapter two, Ace has been put in the position of being the victim of a murder attempt but surviving through the pure luck of Eden and Teruko just-so-happening to come to the second floor late at night. If Teruko hadn't happened to forget her clothes on the second floor, chances are that Ace would be dead. No one feels sorry for what Ace went through, because he was a total asshole to Nico and along with no one taking him seriously to begin with, they think he, in a way, had it coming, trauma and injuries be damned. Now, he is forced to defend himself, presumably alone unless Levi decides he wants to help and be the Eden equivalent. And Ace has been blamed for Arei's death not through any fault of his own, but because he had the misfortune of being at the scene of the crime, where someone else tried to murder him.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it would honestly be pretty cool if Ace finished this chapter going through rather similar events to the ones Teruko experienced last chapter. Some people say that Ace being her parallel will show her during this chapter that distrusting isn't the right way to go, but he doesn't have to die to show her that at this very moment. Hell, it might hit even harder if he manages to go through everything she did, since it would make them even more similar.
Plus, if Eden is the Min parallel, and Ace is the Teruko parallel, that's pretty dang cool! Of course, if Ace does all the Teruko stuff during the trial, it makes sense for Eden to have done all the Min stuff...And I mean, the episode seems to be saying that's depressingly possible, so maybe.
So yeah, I just thought Ace and Teruko's similarities continuing into the trial would be fun. After all, he's been pretty consistent about following in her footsteps so far, so you never know. Like imagine if he says a protag line or something it'd be hilarious. Especially if all his points during his defense are like Teruko's, but with an Ace-y twist that makes them more funny or stupid or whatever. Fun!
Or who knows, maybe Ace will just hire David as his defense attorney, since he's the only one to have successfully defended Ace so far. /j
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punkrangerdraws · 1 year
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"I know you're in there"
@exilethegame
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law in pink | s.r
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♡ first part | next part ♡
summary: after confronting an unsub, it leaves you with a ugly mark and Spencer decides to give you a gift to cheer you up.
warnings: mentions of physical violence, beyond that a bit of girl power from reader and a sweet spencer worried about you.
this story is spencer reid (season 7) x ssa elle woods!reader
words: 1,567 words.
a/n: by popular demand, here is part two of law in pink, and yes, I will be returning to this story in a short series with chapters from ssa woods!reader x spencer. thank you very much again and I hope you like it.
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The first rule everyone should know about you is that they must never mess with your face.
Never.
Because they don't know what a process it is to get it well cared for, hydrated and with that natural glow. They also don't know how expensive your skincare products are (always the best of the best) and your sessions with your dermatologist.
So they should never, but never, mess with your face.
But clearly an unsub wasn't going to know that, a criminal accused of killing 4 women with a twisted mind was never going to think that.
Least of all when his hand punched you straight in the face, splitting your lip and leaving a mark on your cheekbone, causing the taste of iron to be savored in your mouth.
"What, is Barbie going to cry about her face? I don't understand why they sent the weakest one."
You turned to look at him as you heard his sarcastic laugh, which didn't last long as the Gucci logo on your heel was branded on his cheek and he was falling dazed after hitting a box in the process.
"Weak? Please, you messed with the wrong Barbie." You smiled proudly at the sight of him on the floor, pawing at your face and letting out a groan at the sensation of pain. "Now I'll have to make an appointment with my dermatologist and a traumatologist because of you." You sighed pulling the gun away from his body and proceeded to take his hands to cuff them.
Within minutes, you heard some voices calling out to you, so you began to signal where you were. Within seconds, you saw a concerned J.J. and Emily come down to where you were standing, pointing their guns at you.
The scene was amusing and amazing to watch, you on top of a man who was twice your size as well as weight, lying on the ground while his hands were cuffed.
"Malibu Barbie just captured the undercover toy." You motioned for the cops to take him away, noticing how Emily got a close look at your lip.
"That must hurt."
"It'll hurt more for him, these babies are from last season and has a good sole. Fresh from the mail and ready to make a mark." You commented showing your heels to your companions, hearing their laughter at your joke.
The three of you walked out behind the hoard of people, noticing Spencer and Derek getting out of the newly arrived SUV. As soon as Spencer's gaze captured your face in his field of vision, you could feel him notice right away how your wounded face was the focus of the stares.
"What happened?" Derek looked in everyone's direction, stopping your gaze on you and the clear change in your usual 'perfect' face. "Oh no, Barbie..."
"Don't even look at me, better look at him." You pointed your chin in the direction of the patrol car, where your shoe logo was visible on the criminal's ruddy cheek. "My pilates classes taught him a good lesson." You commented smiling, but immediately let out a groan from the pain it was to move the muscles in your face. "But I think it will leave me achy for a few days."
In between conversations, the others convinced you to go get attended to, so you heeded and walked away from them in the direction of the ambulance, so they could give your cheekbone and lip attention.
"Are you okay, Y/N?"
Spencer's soft voice made you forget the pain for a few seconds, turning to see his face and giving him a smile where your white teeth took center stage.
"I'm fine, it was just a tap." The paramedic walked away to leave the two of you alone. You knew it wasn't an answer that would leave Spencer satisfied about your condition, in fact, his intense stare at you was more than enough to make that clear. You let out a sigh, turning to look at the brunette. "Well, I don't think it's just a 'tap out'. I'll have to ask for a couple of days until I show up at the office decently, not with this horrible face."
One of your biggest problems was your appearance, as many may note, because, if you weren't perfect, you couldn't leave your house.
It had to be everything, head to toe, just the way you have it in your head, if not, sorry, but they'll have to wait for you.
"It's not horrible, you still look just as beautiful." Spencer's words seemed impulsive, but they made your cheeks turn pink, even though I wasn't the only one blushing at that moment, Spencer's were just the same.
"You think so?" your eyelashes fluttered softly, watching the boy.
"Y-yes, y-you always look cute, Y/N."
A kiss on his cheek was the positive response you left for Spence to understand that his words were the best choice, and helped push away those thoughts about how bad you looked with a swollen lip and bruises on your cheek.
"Thank you Spencie, your words are always the right ones. Like a good Chai Latte on a cold day." You smiled getting up from where you were, indicating to him that you would go to the SUV.
For the first time in his life, Spencer appreciated his impulsiveness.
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About a week later, you reappeared at the office for a full day's work.
Your body was covered by a pink skirt and jacket ensemble, something that was no longer a problem for anyone after weeks of seeing you arrive like this.
The only thing that wasn't pink at all was your black purse, a beautiful Alexandra. K. Joy and of course, the tray full of coffees you were carrying in your hands.
"Miss Universe, you're back." Derek smiled, causing you to walk up to him and leave a short hug.
"Good things always come back, now be a cutie and help me with this, D." You passed him the tray with coffees, walking beside him as you shared a couple of words.
There was a variety of coffees for everyone according to their tastes, you had taken the time to memorize each order so that it was to their liking.
And as soon as you appeared, you heard Penelope's voice call out to you. Your hand rose to greet her, approaching her with a smile.
"My pretty Y/N." The blonde immediately caught you in a hug, causing you to do the same.
"Penny!" you said cheerfully as you passed her a butterscotch frappe with plant-based milk. "I picked out something I thought you'd like."
"Thanks, cutie. How's your lip?"
"Sore, a little damaged, but better than I thought. My dermatologist recommended a magic cream that Lindsay Lohan used, she said it worked miracles and in two weeks it would be just the way it was."
A smile tugged at your lips, starting to pass out the coffees you had bought until you reached the last one: the one for Dr. Reid.
"Spencie." Your voice snapped him out of his head, turning to see you with a smile.
"Y/N, hey. How are you doing?"
"Much, much better, look... My lip looks almost like it did before! I'll get back to my pretty face." You placed the coffee in front of his eyes, giving him another smile. "A coffee loaded with vegetable milk, I heard around that you're lactose intolerant so I took the liberty of choosing for you."
A blush of embarrassment at that secret settled on his cheeks, causing him to lower his head.
"Thank you, Y/N. I appreciate the coffee." He lifted the cup, taking a sip from it and simply gave you a look, causing you to smile and go to your table.
But it was surprise that settled on your face as you saw a box full of skincare products. Your hands went to grab the products, noticing that it was every single one you occupied and ever mentioned.
"What? Guys... Wow." You held up the little serum box, but the confusion on Emily's face turned your excitement to confusion. "It wasn't you guys?"
"I don't even remember what I did yesterday and I'm going to remember your products, cutie. You take a lot of them." Emily laughed softly, but made you look again in search of the person responsible.
"There's only one person who can remember details like that." Derek's words drew your gaze from your desk to that of a certain doctor, who was shifting his gaze back to his paperwork. "And he hides behind his work."
A soft blush settled on your cheeks, causing you to bring the little box to your chest and press it to your heart, marveling at the detail.
Your feet soon made their way to the desk of the person in charge, and catching him off guard, you left a kiss on his cheek where your pink lipstick was stamped on his skin.
"Thank you, Spencie. I'll take good care of it."
Spencer's heart stopped for a couple of seconds, you could read it.
And as soon as you left, just like a tomato the young doctor's face colored. As a plus, the comments from Morgan didn't take long to come.
"Wow pretty boy, you just won the lottery."
Spencer knew it and that caused him to smile, because boy did he win it.
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♡ first part ♡
If you like it, don't forget to like and repost it.
a lot of love, alme. ❀
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mphoenix-7 · 4 months
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Bitter Allies [Soap x Reader]
Chapter 5: The Cabin: Day 1 (pt.2)
Summary: Soap being gone for so long has you extremely worried. When he finally shows, you have an exchange of words, and Soap learns that you are human after all.
Word Count: 4,000
Warnings: NSFW, 18+, swearing, strong language, angst, slight panic attack, Soap is still mean?, suggestive language, partial nudity 
A/N: I’m ahead in writing by two characters, but expect weekly updates! Let me know how you’re liking it so far! Also comment some possible scenes you might want to see, sometimes I include them! Enjoy ~
Masterlist | <- Previous | Next ->
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Bitter Allies • Part 5
The cabin, which had no electricity, was dark now. The sun was setting over the lake, which was beautiful, but you didn't have it in you to enjoy it right now. All you could was pace in the kitchen, the only light and source of heat coming from the embers in the wood stove from when you made food.
Soap was gone. He'd been gone all day. You didn't know what time it was when he left, but the sun had been high in the sky and now it was setting. Your mine was racing.
What if he had gotten hurt and couldn't get back? What if a bear or something killed him? Were there even bears where you are? What if-
There was a groaning sound as the cabin door opened. You gazed snapped over to the door right as Soap was walking through it. He looked tired, but that was to be expected. You don't know where he went or what he did, but you know he hasn't eaten. Unless he ate some berries or something during his time in the woods, but you doubted it.
A mix of emotions hit you as you look at him. Anger at him for being gone for so long, relief that he was back, and conflicted feelings when you feel your eye start to burn with tears. Truth was, you did care about Soap to some extent, and him not coming back after an hour or two scared the hell out of you.
Despite your current state, and after everything that happened this morning, you wanted to keep your voice calm when speaking to him. You didn't want to yell, start another fight, or add more stress. However, the moment you open your mouth, anger burns in your chest like lit gasoline. Knowing you'll combust if you try to speak, you pause, hoping he'll speak first, and stay in your spot in the middle of the kitchen.
Soap's eyes were down as he walks in, not even acknowledging you. His lips were tightly pursed shut, and his body language was tense. He doesn't even spare you a single glance as he makes his way to the where you'd carefully placed all your food rations.
Taking a deep breath, you try to swallow the anger and address him.
"Where have you been?" Your voice shook the slightest bit, but you managed to keep it fairly steady.
Soap doesn't respond. You hear a faint annoyed sigh from him, but that's it. Your anger is boiling over at this point. You tried to ask nice, tried to be calm, but he was going to give you the silent treatment? Act like nothing had happened and like he hadn't made you worried sick for at least the last four hours?
"Soap, where the hell have you been?!" You were shouting now, and your raised voice finally makes Soap's gaze shift over to you. He looks you over a bit before rolling his eyes, returning to flipping through MREs packets to find a meal he wants.
"Don't fucking ignore me, Soap! You can't just leave and be gone for hours like that!"
"Fuck off, States." He grumbles, continuing his search for food. You stare at his back for a long moment, a bit taken back by his response. He really thought it was fine to go out into the woods for hours? To just leave you alone in the middle of the woods wondering if he was ok? Could he really not see how much distress he'd caused you by being gone? Or did he just not care?
You'd been worried about him.
Your chest tightens a bit, hands clenching into fists at your sides. You hated Soap with every fiber of your being, yet you worried when he was gone. You hated that you felt this way about him. You hated that he made you feel this way and now he was acting like it wasn't a big deal.
"Fuck off, States..."
"Don't tell me to fuck off! What gives you the right to leave like that? I didn't know if you were coming back or not." He just keeps ignoring you, his shoulders tense, and you snap. "John! Fucking turn around and answer me!"
That finally gets his attention. He looks back at you, jaw clenched tightly. "What have I told you about calling me that!?" He shouts at you, but you ignore him.
"Can you just listen to me!? I was worried about you, you stupid fucking idiot!" You shout at him, feeling your breath hitch a bit as a sob boils in your throat. You couldn't stop it. Tears started to run down your cheeks. You tried to brush them away, but they just kept coming.
"I sat here for hours! I didn't know where you were. I went outside, and I looked, and looked for you, and I couldn't find you. I thought you got hurt, or-or killed, or a bear got you, or you-you got lost. I didn't know if you were coming back, and I was scared that you weren't going to, and I didn't know what to do!"
You're sobbing by the end of your outburst, giving up on wiping tears away or keeping the sobs down. The stress of the day had gotten to you, and Soap leaving had been the final thing to make you break down. Now you just stood in front of this man that you hated, feeling scared that he'd died while he was gone, and sobbing uncontrollably into your hands.
Soap stood there frozen as he watches you. He'd never seen you cry before. No matter how bad the fights got, you never cried. Or at least not in front of him. He didn't really know what to do, but you were really upset. You're starting to hyperventilate, and he had to admit, he was getting a little worried.
"States, just calm down, lass."  He says in the most gentle voice he's ever used when talking to you. "Stop crying, you're fucking up your breathing." His voice is still gentle, and there's a tinge of worry behind his words as he stays frozen in place.
You try to stop, you really do, cause crying in front of Soap isn't something you like doing, but you can't stop. Now that the wall has been busted down, the water wasn't going to stop until the pressure had been released.
Soap finally moves when you can't seem to stop and turns to one of the shelves behind him to grab a cantina. He unscrews the top and takes your hands, wrapping them around the bottle and then brings it up to your lips. "Here, lass, drink some water. Take some deep breaths for me too, aye?" His hand pressed into your upper back, just steadily remaining there for support.
You do as he says, trying to take a few small sips and wiping at your eyes again. It helps a little, enough to settle you down a bit. You meet Soap's eyes, still sniffling and hiccuping softly. He still had his hand on your back, but he removes it to take the cantina back when you're done.
"I was worried about you..." You repeat, this time in more of a whisper as he puts the bottle back on the shelf.
Soap sighs softly and looks away, down towards the floor. You start to sniffle again, which makes him look at you once more. "Hey now, don't start that again."
"I'm not trying to. I can't help it. I was scared." You defend yourself, breath stuttering slightly.
"Look States, I... I'm sorry. Ok? I didn't mean to make you worry."
You're shocked. Absolutely in pure shock that this man is apologizing to you. He's never apologized to you for anything, and the thing is, he looks genuinely sorry. You stare at him for a long moment, making him uncomfortable.
"Don't look at me like that." He shifts nervously in place, a frown on his features.
You shake your head a bit, snapping yourself out of your state of shock. "Sorry, I've just never... I-I'm glad you're back." You rub your arm nervously. "Please don't.. please don't ever do something like that again."
"I won't." He says simply. "Stop all your crying now, aye? Go wash your face."
Normally you would have snapped at him for telling you what to do, but he's still talking to you softly. Like he's telling you to do something to make you feel better, not just to belittle you. So you nod and make to grab the flashlight to walk out to the pond. Before you get to the door though, he's calling out to you.
"Aye, States. Are you hungry? I'm going to make some food. You want some?"
You look back to him, surprised that he offered. You'd eaten a few hours ago, but you hardly had anything all day. Plus all that worrying you'd done had worked up quite an appetite. "Yeah... That'd be nice." You agree, getting a nod from him as he turns back to picking something from the cabinet.
"Alright. Go wash up. I'll get started." He says, his back to you now. You hesitate a moment more before stepping outside into the cool air.
It's quiet outside, aside from some frogs and an owl. The fresh air feels nice and helps to settle any remaining stress you had. You hear Soap inside, putting more wood onto the fire to get the oven going. It didn't seem real what just happened. You weren't quite sure what to make of any of it.
Sighing softly, trying to push everything that happened today behind you for now, you click on the flashlight and head towards the water. The sun has gone down and the moon is casting a soft light on the water's surface. Once you reach the edge, you scoop some water into your hands and splash it over your face, letting the icy water soothe your puffy cheeks. It feels nice despite the bite it has from the cold. It's just what you need.
Realizing you don't have a towel or anything to dry your face with, you end up just gently patting your face dry with your shirt. You'd be changing for bed soon anyway. You were regretting, however, packing your shorts and an oversized teeshirt to wear as pajamas. They weren't going to be very warm, and despite what you hoped was a new development in your relationship with Soap, you still were not fond of him seeing you in something like that.
The thought of your pajamas made you remember your lack of a bedroll. Maybe you should apologize to Soap for getting so upset with him earlier. It was technically your responsibility to keep track of it, and you doubted Soap would purposely do something like that to you. He was mean, but you didn't think he was that mean. Plus he had just apologized to you. Maybe you should return the favor. Extend the olive branch.
That was going to be hard though...
You sigh softly and get up, heading back into the cabin. Soap managed to get the fire going and now had a pot of what looked to be beans on the stovetop. He'd also laid out two pieces of bread on your plates. You stayed by the door, trying to warm your hands a bit as you watched him stir the pot. After a few seconds, he breaks the silence.
"Feeling better?" He asks, eyes focused on the food he was preparing.
"Yeah." You answer, yelling at yourself to just get the apology out. It was stuck though. Apologizes weren't really your strong suit. Plus making them to someone you had a bad rivalry with made it all that much harder. Instead, you find yourself clearing your throat and changing the topic.
"Uh... So I was thinking maybe we should make a few rules. For both of us to follow." You watch him for his reaction, not sure what you were going to get.
Soap surprisingly nods. "Sure. What were you thinking?" He asks, still not looking at you.
"Well... Maybe rule one should be that we can't go off into the woods alone for more than an hour? Just for safety." You start, which is met with silence. "If we need to go somewhere to cool down, maybe we go to the lake. Or somewhere else close by. I just don't want to have to go looking for you if I need you."
"Sure." Soap finally answers. "I can do that. Anything else?"
You think for a moment, not fully prepared to come up with all the rules by yourself at that very second. "Maybe just small things. Like we can alternate who cooks every night. Let me know before you go bathe. Don't leave dirty clothes or food lying around. Stuff like that." You shrug, watching as steam begins to rise off the pot of beans.
Soap stops stirring them and bangs the spoon on the side of the pan a few times. "That sounds reasonable." He agrees, surprising you by how accepting of this he was. "Come get what you want. I'll eat the rest." He tells you, standing out of the way so you can scoop the beans onto your plate.
You pick up your plate that he'd laid out for you and get your spoon, looking at him before looking down at the beans in the pot. You must have hesitated too long because he's rolling his eyes at you a moment later.
"Come on, I didn't poison them or anything." He grumbles, bits of the old Soap coming back.
"Well, I wasn't thinking that until you said something." You attempt to joke, though you aren't sure if Soap thought it was funny or not. He let out a huff, which might have been a laugh, but you're not sure.
"Just get your beans. I'm starving." He mumbles.
"Yes, sir." You say, getting reminded that he hadn't eaten all day. You didn't want a hangry Soap on your hands.
As you scoop up what you wanted, a very small portion so that he can have more, you hear him actually laugh. It's not a full belly laugh, but he does let out a small, single, chuckle.
"Now that's something I could get used to you saying." He mutters, making you roll your eyes this time. Though for once you aren't really annoyed.
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it." You tell him, setting your plate on the small table in the kitchen and sitting down.
You wait as he dumps the rest out onto his plate. You fully plan on sitting and eating with him. Sure, it still felt like you were walking on eggshells a bit around him, but this was by far the most civil you'd ever been with him. Once he's done scooping everything out onto his plate though, he's heading towards the bedroom without another word.
"Where are you eating?" You ask him when he walks past the available chair.
"On my cot." He answers, pushing the door open and shutting it behind him without another word.
You feel stupid now thinking that Soap was going to sit and eat with you. You don't know why you'd been expecting him to, but, now that he wasn't, it hurt a little bit...
Things probably hadn't actually changed. He was just being a littler nicer because he saw you cry. You stare down at your food, feeling a lot less hungry now, but you eat anyway. No point in wasting it.
Once your plate had been cleaned off the best you could, you set it on one of the shelves, planning on cleaning it tomorrow morning. You then make your way to the bedroom door and knock softly. You don't get a response, and if you listen really closely, you can hear gentle snores.
Opening the door carefully, you see that Soap had fallen asleep. His plate was on the floor next to his cot, scrapped clean. So much for your rule of keeping a tidy space. But you'd let it pass this time since it had been a long day.
Running a hand over your face, you step inside and pick his plate up, carrying it out to the kitchen. You set it alongside yours on the shelf and then you go back to the bedroom to grab your pajamas. You opted to change in the kitchen, just in case Soap woke up, and did so in record time. He was still asleep though when you came back in. However, the second you sat on your cot, making it squeak loudly, he woke up.
"Ah, that damned bed of yours." He grumbles, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"You were the one who stuck me with this bed." You remind him, making him grumble as he sat up. He places his feet on the floor, looking to the ground.
"Where's my-" he starts, but you already know what he's going to ask about.
"I already put it on the shelf for tomorrow." You tell him.
"Oh. Alright then." He mutters, standing up. He starts to take his shirt off, which had you blushing and raising your brows at him. Then he's taking his pants off, which instantly makes you cover your eyes.
"Oh my God! Don't change in here! I don't want to see you naked!" You yell at him, which has him rolling his eyes at you.
"Oh haud yer wheesht! I'm not getting naked! I sleep in my underwear."
You can hear the sound of his pants being pulled down, and you press your hands more firmly against your eyes. "I don't want to see you in your underwear either!"
"Well I didn't think we'd be sharing a room! I didn't pack pajamas!" He exclaims. "Besides, you're not even wearing pants!"
That made you uncover your eyes, your cheeks burning. "I'm wearing shorts!" You pull your shirt up enough for him to see the shorts you had underneath, and also get an eyeful of Soap in nothing but his underwear. He's in army green boxer briefs, which made his ass and what he was packing in the front look... Not too bad.
"That's practically underwear you're wearing." He claims. "Just think of these as shorts!" He balls his clothes up and tosses them into the suitcase with his clean and still unpacked clothes.
"Those are not shorts! I can see every..."
You trail off, not really wanting to admit that you can see the outline of his dick. You don’t want him to know that you looked. In your defense, it was pretty prominent and obvious feature. You know he isn't even... worked up... yet you can still clearly see it. You didn’t have to stare directly at it to see it.
"Just fucking get into your bed." You say instead, but by the look on Soap's face, he knew exactly what you were going to say.
"No, no, go on. Out with it." He crosses his arms over his chest and stares down at you expectantly.
"Soap, I swear!" You're looking straight ahead, holding up your hand to shield your peripheral vision from him.
"If you like something you see, you can just tell me." He continues to egg you on, making you all the more frustrated with him.
"I'm gonna punch you in the thing I see if you don't get it over to your cot!" You threaten, making him finally leave you alone. He holds his hands up in mock surrender as he goes to his cot.
"Alright fine. Just do me a favor and don't squeak that damn cot of yours all night." He grumbles, getting onto his cot and into his sleeping roll. He rolls onto his side, back facing you.
You finally look over at him once he's laying down and then settle onto your own cot. You lay down on your back, staring up the ceiling and feeling thankful for the chilly air as it cools down your reddened cheeks.
Very quickly though, despite the wood furnace next to you, your arms and legs start to get cold. You tuck up into a ball, cot squeaking while you move, but it's not a position you were going to be able to maintain all night. After only five minutes your legs were cramping up, and you wanted to stretch out again, which caused more obnoxious squeaking.
You keep shifting like this, trying to find the best position to keep yourself warm. It doesn't take long for Soap to let out an annoyed groan.
"States, I swear." He grumbles.
"Sorry, I'm cold." You grumble right back, tucking your legs back up again.
It's silent for a little bit as you try to keep from moving around. You're shivering just slightly, but it wasn't a violent shiver by any means. Sleep was going to be difficult though. You sigh softly, your exhale a little shaky.
"Fucking hell." You hear Soap curse, followed by the sounds of him rustling around.
You'd been lying with your back to him, so you look over your shoulder as he gets up. It was hard to see exactly what he was doing. Despite his bed only being a few feet away from yours, it was dark over in his little corner, and his back was to you. The distinct sound of him unzipping his sleeping roll can be heard though.
"Here." He says after a moment and throws something over at you.
You jump slightly, sitting up to grab at whatever he's just thrown. Feeling it over, you quickly realized it was the thermal liner of his sleeping roll. It wasn't as comfortable as a blanket would be, but it was meant to hold in heat. It would keep you warm.
You look over to Soap, watching him flop back down onto his cot, his back to you once more. You're too stunned to move at first. You never expected Soap to do something so... nice. Especially for you.
"Thanks.." You mutter, getting up slowly to better lay out the lining on your bed.
"If it makes you stop squeaking that damn bed." He grumbles back.
You weren't going to argue with him. Whether he was only giving it to you to keep you from moving around or if he really felt bad you were cold, you didn't care. You were just happy to have some warmth.
The inside of the liner is warm already due to Soap having used it right before. It even sort of smells like him a little bit but, surprisingly, not in a bad way. It smells faintly like cologne, but you can't pick out the specific fragrances.
You lay on your side, facing him this time. The apology you wanted to give him earlier is on the tip of your tongue. It was the least you could do since he'd give you the warmest part of his sleeping roll.
"Hey, Soap?" You call out softly, biting the inside of your cheek as you wait for a confirmation he was listening. He grunts a bit. "I... I'm sorry for what happened earlier." Soap doesn't say anything, and you're not sure what he's thinking. It begins to feel awkward after a moment, so you continue, feeling the need to fill the silence. "...I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did."
"It's fine, States. Just go to bed." He mumbles, making you bite the inside of your cheek again.
"Ok." You mumble back. "Goodnight."
"Night, States."
Silence falls over the room then, and you close your eyes. Soap's liner, while not the most comfortable thing, keeps you warm. The day had been long and stressful, and you weren't sure how things would be tomorrow. You just hoped the days would go by quick.
One day down... six to go...
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bettyfrommars · 9 months
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Dirty Metal Summer
a Dirty Dancing au
Part 1: Big Girls Don't Cry
Eddie x fem!Reader
MASTERLIST PLAYLIST
It's 1987, the same year the movie Dirty Dancing was originally released. 21-year-old reader is spending the summer with her dad and aunt at an all-inclusive resort in Indiana while she figures out what she wants to do with her life. After that summer, nothing will never be the same. Eddie is in his late 20’s and works as maintenance staff, he is also the frontman for the house band, begrudgingly delivering top 40 hits for the guests, and a secret third thing. When work is over, there is a completely different scene happening at a place the employees call The Hideout. Wayne is the head maintenance man, Chrissy is a metalhead, and a few other surprises. Bonus: Steve as a sexy, tattooed musician because I can't help myself.
my blog is always 18+only, MDNI please. The only warnings for the first chapter have to do with mention of a death of a parent, mention of grief, allusions to depression, a tiny bit of aggression, and alcohol consumption. But please read chapter warnings as the story progresses, because there will be angst, hurt/comfort, violence (fighting), and smut. Reader is called Bird as a nickname.
A/N: this is a rewrite of an OC fic I wrote over a year ago, and damn, I really needed to change a lot because my writing has evolved so much. I know I posted a snippet last week, but it's all been changed. Thank you to those who have been excited about this, I know Dirty Dancing is a cherished film, so I am treating this retelling with reverence, while adding some creative spins, and I truly hope you enjoy. The ST characters in this fic do not know each other in the same way they did in the show. For instance, Eddie, Steve, and Chrissy all grew up together, but I do my best to stick with their original character traits. This first part lines up very close with the film, but after that, it diverges and becomes a bit different. Same story line, but also not.
Part 1: Big Girls Don't Cry
word count: 6.3k
The soft murmur of a talk radio station hummed in the cement gray Mercedes-Benz 560, with your dad behind the wheel and his sister, your aunt Kim, in the passenger seat.  From the backseat, you stared out the window with your headphones on, wishing for rain.  The scenery was what you would expect from a place on earth that everyone considered idyllic, but you’d been exposed to so much lush greenery with that bright blue, theater backdrop of a sky for the last hour that you were starting to get a headache. 
You pushed your wayfarer sunglasses up to rub the bridge of  your nose, and then flipped the tape over in your Walkman before clicking it shut to press play.  You were listening to a mixtape you’d made especially for the trip, the spine even said “road trip from hell”, but the first one on side b was Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac, and you closed your eyes for the next several songs.  You were doing your best not to think about how you’d be trapped in BFE Indiana for a whole month.
You were also doing your best not to think about how your mother would not be home when you got back, or worse yet, the fact that you would never see her again.  Never feel her generous hugs in those Laura Ashley dresses, smelling of Shalimar; never hear her voice at the other end of the line reminding you to eat something.  
Your aunt said your name and your eyes snapped open.  It was perfect timing because tears were beginning to form at your lash line. She had turned around in her seat and was trying to get your attention.
You pulled your headphones down around your neck.  “Sorry?”
“The lake,” the expression on her face harbored more excitement than you’d ever felt in your entire life.  “Isn’t it gorgeous? We’re going to get pedicures at the spa tomorrow, I already booked it.”
You glanced at your father’s stoic profile and then back to Kim. You felt bad for your aunt, getting stuck on a trip with two sad, mopey fucks who were too depressed to get excited about the things that thrilled normal people.  You were the walking wounded.
“Pedicures, great,” your smile did not reach your eyes, but she didn’t seem to notice, as her enthusiasm doggedly refused to wane.  
It had been almost four months since you lost her, and the world was still too…bright.  Everyone was so talkative and alive and you couldn’t relate. 
You looked out over the smooth expanse of lake that was nestled perfectly in the trees like you were in some type of miniature scale model rebuild of a town.  Your aunt asked your dad, Owen, if he was still listening to the news, and when he shook his head, she changed the radio station to a golden oldies station and was satisfied with the tune Big Girls Don’t Cry by Frankie Vallie.
“You’ll love this cabin, Bird,” your dad said to you as the Mercedes crested the hill and began to maneuver down to your destination on a narrow, two-lane highway flanked with towering trees.  A big green and white sign welcomed them to Hawkins Landing.  “There’s a whole top floor where you can set up for your lessons.”
You turned away, back to the window, hiding the way your nose wrinkled.  You thought maybe a perk of this getaway would be to have a break from practicing the cello you’d been tied to for over a decade, but no luck.  He’d been forced to give up his dream of being a musician, and now you were expected to carry the torch for him.  
You tried to come up with one thing you did in life that was not to please someone else, or boost some idea they had about you, and couldn’t come up with squat.
Besides reading.  And taking long walks with music to clear your head.  Those two were yours, and they could only be taken from your cold, dead, hands.
From the Hawkins Landing brochure your aunt had given you, it was clear that the property was enormous.  Some 30 or 40 guest cabins scattered around, a main house that functioned as a hotel but also housed two different restaurants.  A golf course, boat rentals, tennis courts, an outdoor theater, and a third restaurant situated on the water.  Along with the full service spa, there were indoor and outdoor swimming pools, plus any class you could imagine wanting to take, from salsa dancing and water skiing, to chess and crochet. 
Hawkins Landing was like a camp for adults who enjoyed alcoholic beverages.
There was a security checkpoint at the main entrance with two guards inside.  The taller one with the neatly trimmed red beard recognized your father from the jacket cover on one of his many books.  Thrillers mostly, horror if you squint.  He nervously asked for an autograph, but Owen was very polite, adjusting his tortoise shell glass as he took the black marker that the guard was offering him.  
After the checkpoint, it wasn’t long before the road opened into an expansive rose garden with a large fountain dead center, and the big main house with its wrap-around porch just to the right.  You pushed your sunglasses up to get a look at the people mingling around, getting the idea that the median age there was 45, and it was mostly families.  
The guards had given your dad a foldout map of the property and told him to check in at the main house to get the keys to the cabin they were staying in. The car moved at a crawl at the roundabout, and then came to park where a sign announced new guest check-ins.  
Your dad told you to sit tight while he went in to grab the keys, and your attention trailed off to a black golf cart with a white awning that wheeled in like a racecar and took position in front of the Mercedes.  It sat there close to the curb, idling.  You could see there was a woman behind the wheel, and she was looking straight ahead, giving you her profile.  Chin length, dark gold hair, just long enough for a ponytail, and the words “Hawkins Landing Staff” written in yellow cursive on the back of her navy blue jacket.  Where her sleeve was pushed up at her elbow, you noticed some type of tattooed lettering there, and her fingernails were painted black.  
Up ahead, you caught sight of someone strolling down the sidewalk toward the car with a hand in his pocket. It was a guy with honey tipped chocolate hair styled in a pompadour with a curl that bounced at his forehead, wearing tan chinos and a maroon, button down short sleeve with the square bulge of a pack of smokes in his front pocket. A tattoo peeked out from the V of his shirt, and there was another design on his bicep. He wore a pinky ring on one hand and rolled a toothpick around in his mouth as he sidled up to the golf cart to say something to the woman driving it.  They bumped knuckles and talked for a bit like they were very familiar, him with one foot up on the running board of the cart.
“Steve, there you are,” from the open window, your attention bounced to a short, dark haired woman who’d just come out of the building and stood alongside your dad on the sidewalk.  A closer look told you that her name tag said Joyce.  
The guy with the toothpick in his mouth straightened, smoothing the front of his shirt with his hand.  “Hey Joyce, I was just—”
Apparently uninterested in what he was about to say, she took him by the crook of the arm.  She introduced you all by your family name, and let him know that you were “her special guests”, and you assumed that had to do with your dad being a famous author, or maybe she said that about every new family.  While you chose to not do much else than offer a small wave from the back seat like you had no autonomy, Kim got out to greet them properly.
“This is Steve,” Joyce gestured to him with a Vanna White hand. “If you ever want to take guitar lessons this summer, he’s one of our best.”
“Or, if you just want to have some fun,” Steve’s eyes seemed to be searching Kim’s face, and then he shrugged. “I mean, I run the boats on the dock too, so if you want to ski or—”
Kim got flustered and tried to find her words, fussing with the lapel of her corduroy jacket in a way you’d never witnessed before. “I’m…I mean, sure, who wouldn’t want to be on the lake at a place like this?”
Kim hated boats and got seasick very easily, so you found her new interest amusing.   
Joyce politely waved Steve off and he went, albeit reluctantly, backing up with slow steps to wave farewell.  The smile stretching across his face grew wider the longer Kim couldn’t take her eyes off of him. When he was finally jogging up the sidewalk to get to where he needed to be, Joyce continued to try and sell Kim and your dad on the resort, even though you were already booked for the month. 
“Sunday night is Bingo night. There’s karaoke in The Antler Room on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you need to check out our house band if you can.  They’re playing tonight on the back patio, and the rhythm guitar is sensational.  She used to perform with Vixen and Lita Ford,” she handed over the necessary keys and pointed the way to get to the cabin on the map.  
“Just follow us,” Joyce said, hopping into the golf cart next to the girl with the forearm tattoo.  
They led the way down a long, winding stretch with lush lawn and manicured hedges on either side, littered with people coming up from the pool in their bathing suits.  There appeared to be a Tai Chi lesson happening on the lawn near the rose garden, and some type of painting class going on just above them on a balcony.  
Made you wonder why summer people always had to stay so busy.
The cabin you’d be staying in was down a side road, tucked at the end of a private driveway with a view of the lake. It had five bedrooms, which was more than enough, but one of them would immediately turn into Owen’s writing room so that he could work on his latest novel.  
You were careful to tuck your Walkman into your bag as the Mercedes coasted into its parking spot.  Squinting up at the place, you were somewhat distracted by how much you liked the creepy, old feel of the whitewashed cabin, and you underestimated how far from the curb you were when you stepped out, stumbling to the side.  
The girl with the forearm tattoo caught you in both arms, preventing you from putting all of your weight on your twisted ankle.
“Whoa,” she moved her supportive grip from your waist to your elbow as you righted yourself.  “You okay?”
Your heart shot into your throat, and then you coughed a laugh, covering your face. “What a way to start the summer.”
She said her name was Robin, and there was a polite handshake exchange. She tripped over her words a bit.  “It’s not every day that someone falls for me.”
“Well, I’m pretty clumsy, you might need to stay close,” and the two of you shared a self-conscious laugh as you led the way to the trunk full of baggage.  
When you reached in to grab your suitcase, Robin teased, “hey, that’s my job,” before leaning further in to take the oddly shaped black hard case, the satin of her jacket skimming your arm. She struggled with it at first, but then held it up by the handle and gave you a sideways look.
“This yours?” She asked, cocking one eyebrow up. “You’re a musician?”
“No, well, yes I am but no I, I play the cello,” you stammered, not sure why it was hard to get the words out. “But here, I can carry that. It’s big and heavy and—”
Robin winked.  “I got it,” and then she snatched another suitcase with the other hand and shuffled by you to make her way up to the porch.  
Once you were all settled inside and Joyce had explained all of the amenities, you and Kim pushed back the curtains and watched the two go from the living room window. Just before they took off in the cart, Robin sent you a wave.
“She looks like a nice girl,” Kim had her arms folded over her chest. “Maybe the two of you could—”
“I know you’re worried about me, okay, but I don’t need to make any friends this summer,” you were holding the case for your cello in front of you with both hands, using it as a metaphorical barrier. “I like being alone.”
By the time you put your stuff away in the bedroom you’d be staying in, your dad was already typing away in his writing room, you could hear the keys of his Selectric click-clacking.  
“I’ll be back in a bit,” you called across the rustic but spacious cabin living room.  “I’m going to look around the main house.”
Kim barely caught your words as she was struggling with her glasses to read an ingredient label as she put some dry goods away in the kitchen.  “Mhmm sounds good, have fun. Be back in time for dinner, we have reservations at…whatever that place is called. Your dad knows.”
You tapped the Swatch on your wrist and gave an absent wave over your shoulder.
With your headphones on, you made your way down to the main sidewalk that split off in two directions, bordering either side of the swimming pool and tennis courts.  You found the bike path that wound down along the lake to the boat dock, and then up into a lush pocket of dense forest.  Two teenage girls on rollerblades almost crashed into you as they bolted around the bend, giggling.  Trying to decide if you wanted to go toward the water or into the woods, you watched a staff member veer off onto an uneven stone pathway and your curiosity was piqued.
Creeping along in their wake, you marched up a hill for what felt like forever, with Bring on the Dancing Horses by Echo and the Bunnymen playing in your ears, until you realized with a start that you’d already arrived at the main building.  It loomed up ahead like a mansion from some old gothic romance novel. 
You continued to plod your way along the trunks of trees, until you spotted a group having a chat on the wide porch, and took a few steps back.
They were all leaning against the railing in a semicircle, facing each other,  so that you could see the Hawkins Landing Staff on the back of a few of their navy jackets.  
One of them was Steve from earlier, next to him was a girl with a blonde ponytail, and then two others.  
“I met that author guy today,” Steve took a drag and then blew the smoke up in the air, away from everyone’s face.  “The one who wrote Darkness on the Hill, that one they made into a movie.”
You realized that it was your dad he was talking about. 
Not looking where you were stepping, you caught your toe on a tree root and your arms windmilled before you were able to find your balance, floundering to duck behind another tree.  Your mouth opened in a silent scream, trying not to gasp at the pain in your foot.  Grimacing, you turned the volume down on the headphones that were around your neck to better hear what they were saying.
“That actor from that one show about law and order is staying in cabin 8,” the girl with the ponytail said.  “Housekeeping says he finishes a bottle of whiskey a night.”
But then, there was another voice. “Now that sounds like a great fucking vacation to me,” followed by the heavy footfalls of boots on wood as a new person approached the group.
The sight of the new arrival made you feel like your brain was wiped clean—-the whole world came to a screeching halt.
Swallowing hard, all of your attention tunneled on him; his long dark hair with bangs that crowded his eyes, a thin but muscular build, tattoos scattered over his exposed arms, and a leather jacket hooked over his shoulder with one finger. He combed a hand through his hair as he walked, chunky metal rings catching the light, and headed over to the blonde girl.  You took note of every movement as she passed him her half-smoked cig and he gave her a quick kiss on the temple.  
Was that his girlfriend?
He stepped back to introduce the younger guy he had with him.  “This Jamie, my new maintenance trainee,” he used the hand holding his smoke to point to each one on the balcony individually.  You really didn’t pay attention until he got to the blonde one.  “...that one there is the lovely Chrissy, and the moody one with the hairy chest is Steve.  They’re the other musicians I told you about.”
Jamie had short black, curly hair and a hoop piercing in one ear.  He lit his own smoke while the metalhead started in with a story about a pump exploding at the pool house, complete with wild hand gestures.  
“Hey, there the fuck you are.  I’ve been looking everywhere for you losers.”
Another voice, another person making their way down the long stretch of squeaky wood planks from the front of the building.  You stepped closer, snapping a twig under your foot, eliciting a worried lip bite.
Everyone stayed right where they were, but for Eddie who moved in front of Jamie in a protective way.  The guy approaching at a stroll had very nondescript good looks with his wheat blonde hair in a tight cut that looked freshly trimmed.  While the others were dressed more casually, this one wore a white dress shirt and tie with black trousers, as if he had some fancy place to be.
“You talking to me?” The metalhead flicked his cigarette ash and stepped forward to meet the new guy before he could come any closer to the group. “Cause, if so, you might want to change your tone, precious.”
“Eddie, don’t,” Chrissy said, and then she stood up, addressing the guy in the suit.  “Jason, what the fuck do you want?”
Eddie, you moved your lips, whispering the name to yourself.  His name was Eddie.  
Jason put his hands up in mock surrender.  “Why so hostile?” He turned to Eddie. “Joyce has been trying to find you for an hour.  There’s a toilet backed up in one of the cabins, and trash that needs to go to the dump. Sounds to me like you’re having a hard time doing your job, Munson.”
You scuttled like a crab, moving to a spot where you could see their faces instead of the backs of their heads.
So that you could see Eddie’s face. 
Steve checked his watch and pushed off of the railing to snub his cig out on the bottom of his shoe.  “I gotta run.  See you bastards at the show tonight,” he said in passing, shoving both hands into his trouser pockets.  He walked right into Jason, shoulder checking him, before casually going on his way.  Jason shot him an evil look.
“Well,” Eddie took a deep breath. “Tell Joyce I got the message,” and then he motioned for Jamie to follow him.
“Too bad we can’t take you out with the rest of the trash, freak,” Jason mumbled, loud enough for you to hear every word, and a tension crackled in the air.
The metalhead stopped dead in his tracks and drew his shoulders back.  
When he finally turned on his heel, he wore a satisfied smirk, inclining his head, as if he’d been waiting for Jason to say something all along. 
Chrissy moved as if she were about to go over and break up whatever was about to happen, but one of the others put a handout and stopped her.  
“Just keep sending your laundry home to mommy, baby boy, and leave the real work to me,” Eddie said, and then he flicked the butt of his cigarette at Jason’s face. 
Jason moved his head just in time so that the hot cherry missed his cheek by a hair and bounced off the wall behind him, spraying sparks.  Chrissy and the others snickered at how beet red Jason’s face got, but he didn’t say another word, he just waited for Eddie and Jamie to be far enough away before he went back around to the front entrance.
When the coast was clear, you stood and made your way to the path again.  With a curse you realized you were going to be late for that dinner reservation, and picked up speed to a slow, sad jog. 
You found yourself thinking that maybe being trapped at Hawkins Landing for the summer wouldn’t be so bad after all. 
—----
Your aunt Kim gave you an exasperated look when you all finally sat down for dinner, being that you’d made everyone 20 minutes late for the reservation.  There didn’t appear to be a single open table when you arrived, but Joyce had made sure to keep the one by the window facing the gardens open for your party.  She came around to introduce the guy who was to be your waiter, and you sat up a little straighter in your seat when you realized it was Jason from earlier.  The way he’d been dressed out on the porch made sense now, as his uniform was the same as all of the other waitstaff.  
Near the end of the meal, Joyce returned to the table in her black pencil skirt and fitted jacket, but this time, she was with a guy who you could tell wanted to look like Don Johnson in Miami Vice, but it came off more as Gary from Weird Science.  
“I'd like you to meet Troy, he’s the son of Mr. Brenner, the owner of the resort,” there was a reluctance about her, as if she’d been forced at gunpoint to introduce him.  
Troy stared at you with an uncomfortable intensity, making your attention fall to your plate.  
“I’m in charge when my father isn’t around,” Troy said with a smug grin, putting his hands in his white trouser pockets, and you spotted some type of metal retainer on his teeth.  
Joyce cleared her throat, annoyed that his statement was far from true.  But she recognized that it was part of her job to indulge the little shit.  
“I just graduated with a business degree from Georgetown,” he gloated, giving you a wink.  “This place will all be mine one day.”
Your father exchanged a look with your aunt over his chocolate mousse.  
“Well, it’s nice to know someone else your age here, isn’t it, Bird? Maybe you two kids should go have some fun tonight,” Kim chirped.  
If your aunt wasn’t so far away, you would’ve kicked her under the table. 
Troy bent at the waist so that his face wasn’t far from yours.  “I’d love to show you around after dinner, if you’re interested in a tour?”
Before you could issue a vague excuse like, “sorry I can’t, I have a headache,” Kim spoke for you again.
“I think that’s a great idea,” she even clapped her hands, applauding it. 
In the end, you went with him to make Kim happy, to get her off your back, hopefully for the rest of the trip.  
An hour or two with a pretentious prick wouldn’t hurt you.
—-------
Troy wasn’t bad company, but he was quite full of himself.  He had interesting stories about his extensive travels, but then he also told awkward stories that were possibly fibs about how many models he’d dated, and expanded on how he wanted to be married with two kids by the time he was 30.   
You, on the other hand, couldn’t imagine thinking that far ahead, and he wouldn’t let you get a word in edgewise.  
You followed close behind through the huge, busy kitchen of the restaurant you’d just dined in, and he tried to hold your hand when he introduced you to the head chef, but you were sly, and pulled it away to cross your arms over your chest.  He gave you a tour of the ballroom and took a stroll through the other restaurant on the opposite end of the building that had a much more relaxed feel, low lighting, red carpet, and a bar at the center.  
You went down to the boat docks and walked along the pier. The stars were breathtaking, but Troy didn’t notice, he was too busy trying to convince you to go out on his boat with him.  You declined, taking a page from Kim’s book to mention a freshly born curse of violent seasickness.  
You had your elbows on the railing at the pier, enjoying the velvet reflection of the crescent moon in the lake, and you could feel your jaw grow tense under the weight of Troy’s stare. 
On the verge of telling him you were ready to head back to your cabin, the sound of music drifted down from somewhere on the property. 
Yes, no mistaking, it was Take Me Home Tonight by Eddie Money, but it was being executed with someone else’s voice, and whoever that person was had some serious pipes.
And then there was the distinct sound of a feminine voice chiming in with the parts from the song Be My Baby Now by the Ronettes in the chorus.
"Is that a live band?" You turned away from him to try and find the source of the music.  It wasn’t coming from the restaurant on the water or any of the cabins to your right.  
"There's a cover band every Friday out behind the main house. You want to check it out?" He held the crook of his arm out to you and hesitated before you took it.  His ego sufficiently stroked now that you wanted to spend more time with him.
Around the side of the building, overlooking the golf course, was a huge, fenced in back patio garden area with a private hot tub and pool for hotel guests.  Troy led you through a white arbor wound with ivy to find that there were plenty of people mingling, drinking, and dancing.  The area was mostly manicured lawn, with stone pathways meandering around from a concrete floor that was right in front of the small riser that was meant to be a stage. You imagined that a million weddings had taken place there. 
At the door was a bar, and Troy got you a flute of champagne, which you downed with abandon and asked for another.  While he was getting your second glass, you made your way along under several boughs of white string lights to get a view of the stage and who was performing the top tier Eddie Money cover.
Just as you stepped into the crowd of people shuffling to the beat, you stopped dead in your tracks.
There he was at the mic: Eddie the metalhead.
Guitar slug low at his hips, wearing a tuxedo with light blue cummerbund and bow tie, his hair neatly combed back and fixed into a knot at the back of his head so that you could really see the curves of his face. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was performing the song against his will.
The rest of the band were dressed similarly, and you instantly knew the one strumming the bass guitar as Steve, and the woman on backup vocals rocking on the rhythm was Chrissy, who wore a conservative skirt and flats. There was also a keyboardist and a drummer, both of whom you did not recognize.
“What’s your major?” Troy asked, breaking your reverie to pass you the glass of champagne. “In college?”
You were confused for a second but then, “oh, I took the year off to…figure some things out.” The full truth of it was that you had dropped out completely and had no intention of going back.  
“I spent a summer in Greece my freshman year,” he offered, unprovoked. “The women there are, wow, so smoking hot.”
The song finished and Eddie took his tuxedo jacket off, rolling up his shirt sleeves to his elbows, exposing the scattered tattoos you’d noticed earlier.  He leaned over to whisper something to Chrissy, motioned at the drummer, and then stepped back into place, brushing a loose wisp of hair off his cheek.
“Find someone special for this next one,” he told the crowd, and was answered with a rush of murmurs.
The first notes to In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel, a slow song, lit up the space, and your stomach tightened, fearing that Troy would ask you to dance. As he escorted you to the floor, you tried to keep your head down and stay to the back of the crowd, but Troy kept maneuvering you closer to the stage. 
I get so lost, sometimes
Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart
When I want to run away
I drive off in my car
But whichever way I go
I come back to the place you are
You watched the performance from over Troy’s shoulder and followed his lead, shifting from foot to foot.  You were mesmerized by the muscles in Eddie’s hands as he played each note, and the way Chrissy came in like an angel on the chorus.  
He’d captured the attention of everyone in the garden at that moment, and there was a group of women watching him from the sidelines, whispering to each other, possibly about how they wanted to eat him alive.
They were all thinking the same thing you were: Eddie was magic.  
He liked to close his eyes when he sang, so you weren’t expecting him to be staring right at you when he opened them again.  
All my instincts, they return
And the grand facade, so soon will burn
Without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside
He wouldn’t break eye contact, so you eventually had to; the intensity of it was giving you butterflies.
Troy stepped back and tried to get your attention.  “Did you hear anything I just said?”
You nodded, but your gaze only drifted back to Eddie.  Troy followed your line of sight and then dropped both of his hands with a frustrated cluck of his tongue.
"What the hell is he doing up there?" He hissed to himself when it dawned on him that Eddie had been behind the mic that whole time. "That's our goddamn maintenance guy. He shouldn't be up there."
In a huff, Troy pushed through the crowd and headed over to one of the other staff members against the fence. Bird could see him shouting and pointing over at the stage. Whatever the staff guy said did not seem to cheer him up a bit, and he came back to your side, shrugging his shoulders.
"I guess our normal front man Drew has the flu," he reported back. "It's just so hard to find reliable help these days."
Eddie was making the song his own, and that was what you liked about it.
“Let’s get out of here,” Troy put his hand on your lower back to escort you out. “The music sucks.”
—--
It was 9:30 when you made it back to the main foyer, standing in the middle of the lobby next to an obnoxious floral arrangement, when Troy tried to get you to go back to his cabin and watch a movie, only to get respectfully declined.
“Don’t worry about your parents,” Troy said, brushing his finger over your chin. “They know you’re with me, so they’re probably the happiest parents at Hawkins Landing.”
The guy had quite an ego on him, you had to give him that. It was unsurpassed by most. 
In the end, you got away, and as soon as your Mary Jane’s hit the cobblestones outside the front door, you could feel yourself trotting at a quicker pace, eager to put some distance between you and Troy and everyone else, for that matter.  You didn’t stop until you were far enough away from the main hotel to be able to check over your shoulder and not see it through the trees.
It was then that you realized that you had a free chunk of time, and you could do with it whatever you wished.  Your dad would think you were still with Troy, and as long as you made it back to the cabin before midnight, they wouldn’t worry.  
As much as it was the dead of summer, Indiana by the water had very cool nights, and you buttoned up the jean jacket you were wearing just as you noticed a yellow sign on a lamppost to the right that said: Staff Quarters, No Guests Allowed Beyond This Point
And that made you want to venture in even more.
You checked around to make sure there was no one there to notice that you blatantly ignored the sign, and just kept going.  The path at your feet changed from stone to a well-worn dirt path through the grass, and it wasn’t long before you could hear the sound of music erupting in the distance.  
You passed by staff quarters, a few weathered red cabins with white trim, lined close together, and there were some people hanging out on their porches who gave you curious looks, but didn’t seem too concerned with your presence. 
Following the source of the music, you descended down into unknown, poorly lit territory that no longer looked like it was part of the Hawkins Landing property.  
(song playing in the distance is Dangerous Meeting by Mercyful Fate)
It was then that you noticed a pale yellow light coming from the windows of a building up ahead.  Just as the dirt path turned to gravel, you identified the music you were hearing as heavy metal, and it was bolstered by distinct shouts and cheers, even a high-pitched scream or two.  
“Hey,” a voice startled you from out of the dark and you jumped. “What are you going out here?”
Heart racing, you spun around to find out it was Robin.  
She was struggling to carry several things in her arms as she walked and you rushed over to her.
“Where did you come from?” You asked, grinning ear to ear at how glad you were to see someone familiar.
“My cabin is right over there,” she bucked her chin in a direction behind you.
She had a crossbody bag over her shoulder, an amp in one hand, and she was juggling two guitar cases, one of which she fumbled, and you managed to catch it before it hit the ground.  You wrapped your arms around the hard case with the Scorpions sticker on it, silently offering to carry it the rest of the way.
“You don’t have to—” Robin started, adjusting the bag over her shoulder.
“I want to,” you looked back up at the house where the music was coming from, assuming that was where she was headed.  “I carry that big cello around all the time, remember? I’m used to it.”
Robin moved her jaw from side to side and she looked conflicted.  “You’re not supposed to be here.”
Your eyes were still locked on the house hidden in the trees.  “What is that place?”
“Listen,” she gave you an imploring look. “I will get in so much trouble if they find out you came out here. Your dad won’t want you here, trust me.”
Her warning did nothing to squelch your curiosity. “I’m a big girl, I go wherever I want. Plus, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Besides,” she gave you a knowing look, raising her eyebrow. “If your boyfriend Troy finds out you were here, Brenner will fire all of us.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” you snapped.  But then, softer, you added, “I barely just met him tonight.”
Robin wasn’t in the mood to try and rip the guitar out of your hands, and so, with a heavy sigh, she caved.
“Fine,” she sighed. “But stay close to me, okay? You’re not at the resort anymore, sweetheart.”
You nodded, waiting for her to lead the way.
She took a step forward and then stopped and turned on her heel to point at the instrument in your arms. 
“Be extra careful with that, it’s Eddie’s baby. He’ll grow horns if anything happens to it.”
----
Hi! If you are familiar with the movie Dirty Dancing, you have an idea about what scene is coming up next. I've really enjoyed lining up certain events with the movie, but things will obviously be different in this because I want it to have some surprises in store for you.
Every chapter from here on out will start with a list of the songs, ones that will give hints for what to expect. I wanted to make music a big part of this fic, because it was a huge deal in the movie, and the original soundtrack is still dear to me.
as always, thank you so much for reading and interacting with this story! Comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated. or send me an ask and let me know what you think ❤️
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taglist: @tlclick73 @micheledawn1975 @kurdtbean @katethetank @elvendria @spookysqaush86 @somethingvicked @stylesxmunson @laurenlokirby @sapphire4082
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inf3ct3dd · 3 months
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ACT 1. TROUBLE
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summary: the plan hatches.
warnings: mentions of death, sex joke
wc: 3k
authors note: this fic has been my wonderfully niche vision for so long.... i hope you all enjoy
next chapter. masterlist
the unforgiving blaring heat of the desert was torturous.
the sun seemed to be beaming from right above, practically frying you and your companions skin as you treaded through the sand. one suffering the consequences worse than another, skin resembling a boiled lobster.
dry, chapped lips silently begging for water, only to be met with the sting of saltwater sweat dripping onto them. you can try to lick them away, but it will only worsen the pain. pain, your muscles ache and your bones feel as if they’ll crumble if you step forward once more. you needed…out.…of the heat……
ah, alas, a river! oh, how lovely, a quench to the terrible thirst…. you reach out towards it, cupping your hands to drink, and are met with the hot, cruel surface of a car door.
“are you done, r? you’re gonna set off the alarm.” ellie had destroyed your dramatic scene , rolling her eyes and slumping down on the concrete next to the car. her long ass jorts protected her skin from the heat of the ground.
“no, it can’t be! twas a mirage, my mind has fooled me!” draping a dramatic hand across your forehead, you’re met with a moist surface that you wipe away onto your shorts, falling next to the girl. your shorts however, did not protect you. you slightly hissed in pain, before bringing your knees to your chest.
“they shouldn’t have let you read othello. i think you’re actually going insane.” she bluntly remarks, offering you a light giggle.
your english teacher, honors english if you wanna brag, had just started a shakespeare unit, and you were over the moon. being the first to volunteer to read in class, writing your own gorgeous sonnets about even more gorgeous subjects , and torturing ellie with your constant chiming of “shall i compare thee to a midsummers day?”
“ugh, you hate to see a girl being theatrical.” with a quick roll of your eyes, you crossed your arms and pouted.
“yes, i do.”
ellie knew it wasn’t one of your actual sad pouts, like when she accidentally killed the snail you two found, but simply you being….theatrical. like your wonderful performance in the school musical last year, as sharpay in high school musical. was that fuckass blonde wig a disgrace? absolutely. but your wonderful acting skills distracted from it, or so you hoped.
“you know whats actually making me go insane? the fact that you made me walk to 7-11 in this heat!!! you tryna kill me?”
the taste of the slushy was still lingering in your mouth , along with the red color on your tounge, but the cold it brought was long gone.
“oh my lady, i would never do such a thing! but alas, i required a refreshment, and id hate to go alone.” ellie counters back in her own shitty-british accent , holding a hand to her chest.
“see, told you its fun.” you nudged her elbow with your own, sweaty limbs colliding with a gross “splat”.
“yeah yeah, whatever. you’re right about everything, my glorious queen-“
“indeed!” you interrupted, pout replaced with a cheeky smile.
you both sat for a second, catching your breath. your eyes wandered to ellies arms, and you noticed she had turned into a lobster. her arms were bright red and sunburnt, and you reached out to poke her.
“ow-fuck! why did you do that!!” she winced in pain, moving her arm away.
“jesus, why do you never put on sunscreen? you trying to get tan or something?”
“i didn’t think it would be this bad outside..”
“you’re stupid.”
“you’re mean..”
after a while of you both sitting in comfortable silence, both of your eyes fall on the vehicle across the street. it was the one thing you always loved staring at on this street. the ferrari was reflecting all the beams of ultraviolet hitting it, practically glowing in the humid hellscape. the dashboard and practically everything else was smothered in dust, the cause probably being its idle parking spot, same one it had been occupying since you and ellie were 5 years old. the black detailing and the shiny silver horse enchanted you, despite the cars mildly decrepit state. 13 years later, you wondered if it would even still run. wondered how the engine would feel rumbling underneath you as you pushed against the wind down the empty streets.
people always make driving seem so crazy and thrilling in movies. sharp turns, constant speeding, drifting, it was like the road was a rollercoaster. or maybe you had just watched too many fast and furious movies with your dad.
but every time you were in a car, you were calm. always having an arm out the window, sometimes waving your hand like the ocean, and others making finger legs and doing parkour off of the other cars. when it rained, especially at night, you’d always beg your dad to drive you around. you’d try to count the raindrops on the windshield , and often times you’d let the taps on the windows lull you to sleep.
you have many memories of your dad taking you on drives to get you to sleep. especially when you were younger, and didn’t want to go to bed because you ‘weren’t tired’. every time, he’d just say “you don’t have to sleep, just rest.” sometimes he’d sing the songs he burned onto his cds, other times he’d make lists of things you wanted to do the next day. but no matter what, within 10 minutes you were always out cold. most times he’d keep driving for a bit, just to make sure you were really sleeping, and then carry you as gently as possible up to your room.
now, you knew better than to try and make him carry you up the stairs. you’d have a dramatic stretch, and practically drag yourself to your house before flopping down on the couch. half of the time face first.
you never wanted to be the one driving, though. you didn’t trust yourself behind the wheel, thinking you’d get too relaxed and doze off the second you started driving. or get into a crash. every time you did bumper carts, you’d be the one annoying all the little kids by hitting them a thousand times with your car. plus, highways are scary as fuck.
but for some reason, every time you saw that car parked down your street, you imagined yourself behind the wheel. always with some of those cool ass driving gloves on, and the scorpion jacket ryan gosling had in drive. you’d drift like all those cool dudes in your dads movies, and never ever crash into anyone on the highway. you thought it was blessed with some spell that made everyone who drove it amazing at driving.
ellie had zero faith in you though.
“you’d total that thing in five seconds. do you not remember the last time you tried to drive?”
her rude remark reminded you of the “raspberry incident”, as you called it, from last summer. you were at your grandmas in the countryside, her in the passenger of her big ass suburban trying to teach you to drive in the raspberry fields. you had been pushing a bit hard on the gas a few times, making her tell you to “calm down” , but you were a damn good driver as far as you saw. but it allll went downhill when she made you practice turning. you had turned around one of the rows of berries perfectly, and you were driving a bit too fast to the next corner. but somehow, you turned on the wrong angle and drove straight into the berries. and to make things worse, you kept pushing the gas pedal on accident instead of the brakes. your grandma screaming at you to stop didn’t help much either. you had torn down no more than 1/5 of the row, but nothing happened to the car. a trip to the carwash and it was like nothing ever happened.
“that was soooo long ago. you weren’t even there either! what if i was just over exaggerating when i told you and it wasn���t that bad?”
“you calling yourself a liar?” ellie took a sip of her slushy. the one she made you take this whole treacherous journey for. she was somehow still nursing hers, while yours was in a trash can five blocks back.
“never. how are you still drinking that thing? we’ve been walking for like half an hour!” you grab the drink out of her hand, taking a sip for a biiit too long.
“hey! you can’t even ask? i spent my hard earned money on that thing.“
“oh please, it was only like 3 dollars. you sound like joel right now.”
you both chuckled. ellies dad acted just like yours, that’s probably why they’re such best friends. that and the two dead wives thing, they had a lot in common. and coincidentally, so did you and ellie. you knew each other since you came out of the womb. well, since you came out. ellie was there three weeks before you, and she never let you forget it. constantly on her “respect your elders” bullshit every time you punched her in the arm for stealing your food. you two were fighting over the same toys and blabbering to each other since birth. your parents were convinced you were some baby geniuses that had developed your own language with how much you ‘spoke’ to each other. you two always understood each other.
“whatever dude, i’d be a driving master in that thing. it’d probably be a total chick magnet too. i’d be cleaning that backseat every day.”
ellie poked you in the side at your joke, and you both shoved each other while you laughed.
“yeah, you and your spongebob boxers are definitely soooo seductive.”
“you can’t say shit, you have the matching patrick pair!”
almost half your closet was either clothes you took from ellies house, or ones you bought to match with her. your dad has a whole photo album of old pictures he took of you and her in your matching outfits. and you have a bin in the attic stacked to the brim with your matching halloween costumes. the one matching thing the two of you never took off was your necklaces. it was one of those basic hearts, two pieces of silver that fit together perfectly with “best friends” and an infinity sign engraved on it. you had begged your dad for it while you were at a beach store, and he reluctantly gave in. you had the ‘st ends’ side, and ellie had the ‘be fri’ one. no matter the occasion, even with the excessive amount of necklaces you always wore, that one was always a part of the stack. and ellie only ever wore the one. in fact, the only jewelry she ever wore was the bracelets you two had made for each other and her necklace.
“hey, they’re comfy! i love those things.”
“you know what i’d love?”
“deez nuts in your mouth??”
you slapped ellie on the arm , and she grabbed it in pain.
“fuck you! you know im sensitive right now!!”
“you’ll live. ANYWAYS, i was talking about the car.”
“pssht, who wouldn’t. who leaves a perfect 288 on the side of the road for this long?” ellies inner car-nerd spilled out,eyebrows furrowing in question.
you and ellie had dreamed of that car ever since you were barely taller than the side doors. pretending to drive it when she came over to yours, leaning against it as you ate your ice cream and accidentally setting off the alarm, even peering in through the windows occasionally. the white envelope with a small bulge always intrigued the two of you, desperately wondering what was inside of it. you’d never seen anyone get in or out of it, and you were surprised it lasted this long on this street.
“why’re you still on this anyway? its not like we’re gonna just steal it or something.”
when you stare back at her for a bit too long, she sighs at you and rolls her eyes. your dumb ideas almost always end horribly, and she wasn’t in for all that this summer.
like last year, when you two were working at this big outdoor restaurant. you had somehow convinced her to drive around one of the golf carts, and it ended with you accidentally ramming it into some dudes car. you both quit to avoid the guy, and you’ve never been back since.
“well, why not! i mean really ellie, I’ve seen you break into joels truck before. you could do it.”
it was an isolated incident. she had locked herself out of the car, and she used a random hanger she found in the mall parking lot to squeeze through the crack in the window and unlock the door.
“thats not the same as stealing some random car!!what if the dude who owns it is some mean gangster and he finds out we took his car and he fucking kills us??? or what if its full of a bunch of illegal shit and we get arrested while we’re driving it?”
“since when do you care this much about shit like that? you convinced me to keep a lizard in my closet for three weeks once. plus, do you really think anyone’s gonna come looking for it? that things been there longer than we’ve been alive.”
“even if we do steal it, what if it doesn’t even run anymore? and if it does, are we just gonna hotwire it every time we wanna drive?”
ellie was sadly thinking logically about this , and you weren’t having it. the pout on your face was growing bigger and bigger, and you rolled your eyes at her.
“you’re so boring.”
“im not boring, you’re just insane and impulsive.”
“besides, where would we even hide it? neither of us have a garage or anything.”
“you ask too many questions. come onnnn, this could be our little sappy senior year memory!! even if it goes like, totally wrong and we get arrested or some shit.”
you and ellies high school experience was..lackluster at most. no crazy adventures, no parties, no insane hookups, nothing. every movie about highschool you two had watched had completely lied to you, because it was boring as fuck. i mean, probably not for everyone else, but definitely for you two. this car would be a saving grace for you two, it could top off senior year perfectly.
“your idea of a great senior year memory is grand theft auto?”
“i mean, the games awesome. why not?”
she chuckled a bit at your bad joke, leaving a smile on your face. everything in her was telling her it was an awful idea, but you were giving her your most convincing puppy dog eyes, hands under your chin pleading to her.
you were amazing at persuading her, and the way your eyes practically sparkled when you spoke of even the mere idea of it sent her to the stars. how could she say no to you?
“…let me think about it.”
“WOOOO”
for ellie, ‘let me think about it’ was almost always code for yes. especially when it came to you. the two of you walked back to your house, ellie finally finishing her slushy. she chucked it in your garbage can before leaving you at your door. you tried to hug her goodbye, but she pushed you away.
“lobster skin. it still hurts. youll probably wanna hug me more tomorrow.”
and the next day, at 8:30, ellie showed up at your window with a toolbox smelling like aloe vera.
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dearsnow · 3 months
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OUT OF TIME (2)
- you’re smacked in the face with a hint of the past and a group of aviators that can’t seem to leave you alone. (bradley “rooster” bradshaw x fem!reader, part of the series “out of touch”)
OUT OF TOUCH: It’s been twenty years since you last saw Bradley Bradshaw, and, suddenly, you realize he’s finally grown up.
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word count: 2,002
a/n - i’m on my phoenix wlw bullshit btw, i love her sm 🫶 enjoy this slightly longer chapter, and heed my warnings: something big is coming soon
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When they step through the doorway of the quaint cafe, the entire dagger squad sighs. The smell of coffee and baked goods is almost sweet enough to touch, with slightly floral notes from the abundance of small plants and tabletop flowers. The floor beneath them is wood-paneled, with green accents hidden throughout the building. In Rooster’s opinion, it’s straight out of a storybook. And, evidently, so are you.
He would be lying if he said you weren’t anything short of completely gorgeous. The sunlight from your many windows filters over your face and through the gaps between your fingers, casting you in a golden San Diego glow. Your smile reaches your eyes and, though he would love to see you in any outfit, the apron is really working for you. You seem nice— and man, do the daggers really take advantage of “nice”. 
Hangman, from behind him, whispers, “Holy shit.”
You’re standing behind the cash register, thumbing through a decoration catalog when the rowdy group appears in front of you. You direct your warm smile to the daggers as you put the catalog down, and suddenly, Rooster vaguely recognizes you.
Bradley wracks his brain, trying desperately to remember who you are.
You don’t seem like anyone he met at college or recently, and definitely not on base, so you must’ve been from his childhood. The girl who slapped him during his senior year? No, you couldn’t be her. The girl who worked at the corner shop by his house, the girl he made out with in his mom’s car, the girl who found out she was a lesbian after dating him, none of them looked like you. But god, do you look good.
Then it hits him. You. The girl who bought his mom flowers. Who baked him cookies. Who tearfully admitted that you didn’t think he liked you as much as he liked himself, and who he agreed with. You’re here, and he sorely regrets breaking your heart twenty years ago. The worst (or perhaps best) part is that you don’t even seem to recognize him. He’s a little afraid of what would happen if you did.
“Welcome in!” You call, and he can see his friends swooning. He himself feels a little weak in the knees. 
Hangman, ever the flirt, takes his opportunity. “Hey, darlin’. I’m Jake. Come here often?”
Rooster can feel his eyes rolling themselves. It’s like he’s been conditioned to groan at Hangman’s attempts. They’re never good, if he’s being honest. “Gorgeous” this and “darlin’” that. Despite his reservations, though, it usually works. That or his sharp jawline, toned abs, and movie star scruff.
“If you mean here, as in where I work, then yes.” You quip. Jake reaches to shake your hand, and you comply, looking at him like a motorist looks at a poor piece of roadkill; just a little pitying. Rooster has never been more impressed by a woman before.
“Fanboy here has been raving about your croissants, gorgeous.” There it is. Rooster knows Jake’s lines like the back of his hand. “I bet you make the best ones in the city. I wouldn’t mind getting a sample myself.” He drawls. He pulls out his wallet like it’s on fire and quickly drops some cash in your tip jar before offering the rest directly to you.
You hand him a wrapped croissant before gesturing to Fanboy. “Fanboy? Is that a call sign?”
He takes a step forward, a sparkle in his eye. “Yes ma’am.” His cheeks are dusted with a light red, and not even the soft lighting of the cafe can hide it.
Phoenix is standing near the back with Bob, arms crossed, taking in the scene in front of her. Rooster moves to join her as Fanboy takes pride in letting you know everyone’s call sign. “Not joining in on the action?” Rooster says, nudging her with his elbow.
Phoenix shrugs. “She’s a looker for sure, but all I can see is that photo of her and her boyfriend on the wall behind her. I’ll quit while I’m ahead.” She grins. Rooster laughs, and for a split second, your eyes shift to him. They widen a bit, then before he can even process it, you’re helping Payback pick out a cupcake. Damn, your eyes are beautiful.
When he and Phoenix eventually peel the others off of your cafe’s very nice wooden floors, Bradley can’t stop the flutter in his chest.
Bradley comes back the next day. He just can’t help himself. The night of the initial visit, he tossed and turned in his bed, desperately trying not to think of you and how he royally fucked up. He needs closure. He needs to stand in front of you, face-to-face, and confess that he regrets ever hurting you. He knows he’s out of time, and he’s been out of time for years, but he feels that if he can’t speak to you, he might explode. That is, if you even remember who he is.
That’s why he finds himself staring at your pastry shelf as you list off your favorites. “…sometimes the cherry tarts are good, but I mostly like the raspberry scones. They’re way too underrated.” You hover above the glass display, pointing to each one.
“Then I’ll have one raspberry scone, please.” He smiles. As you wrap his choice for him, he hesitates. “Do… do you remember me?”
“From yesterday? I find your group a bit hard to forget, Rooster.” You say. You’re purposely avoiding his question, something that you yourself can see very clearly. You hope it isn’t obvious to him.
Of course you remember him. You remember the smell clinging to his jacket and his stupidly loud boombox. You also remember his gangly limbs and prominent awkwardness. And, as much as you try to forget, you remember how in love you were.
Whenever you saw him, your heart would swell. He was just so good. Everything about him just seemed like a teenage dream.
His hair was scruffy, like he hadn’t learned to take care of it yet. He was tall still, as he always had been. And he was kind.
He offered to walk you to school every morning after your mom told his mom that the dog two houses down from yours would chase you, and you were head over heels. Every word he spoke seemed to draw you closer. During those walks, the world itself seemed to rest in your open palms.
“Hey, wait- don’t go too far, I can’t see you!”
“You’re real smart, did you know that? You’re not like a lot of the other girls.”
“That’s so cool. You should come over and show me sometime.”
You had gotten so caught up in him that you completely forgot he wasn’t the type to settle down, even in high school.
“I just don’t know.” He said, on your second-to-last date. “I like that you’re into me, but I’m young, y’know? I mean, we’re not even legal adults yet. I don’t want to tie myself down too soon. It’s not you, it’s me.” 
You nodded along, but your heart was breaking with every word that came out of his mouth. You wanted him so badly it made your throat ache. You had written poems about this guy, and he was feeding you cliche break up lines to get away from you. “I get it.” You murmured. You did, in some sense. High school relationships aren’t built to last. At the time, you wished they were. “You just want ‘casual’. And I know I’m not casual.”
This conversation kicked you right in the insecurities. For a long, long time, you believed you weren’t loveable because of it. You were too much, loved too much, gave too much. You felt too much. You scared everyone away with your tears and worries, latching on so tightly anyone in your grip felt like they were suffocating. It closed you off for a good, long while. In truth, Derick was the only reason you ever came out of that self-loathing way of thinking.
Bradley smiled like he didn’t just kick you in the feelings. “Right. Thanks for understanding,” and he spoke your name without a hint of longing. “You’ll find a nice guy someday. I just don’t think it’ll ever be me.”
Then, things exploded when you caught him flirting with Rebecca right before your last date, and you never looked back.
You hand him the scone with a tight smile. 
“No,” he says, “do you remember me from high school? Bradley Bradshaw, at your service.” 
You pause, as if you’re just taking him in for the first time. He supposes that he does look really different, with the mustache and hair and filled-out body. He wouldn’t blame you if you just didn’t want to recognize him, though.
“Oh.” Is all you say. An awkward pause fills the air, stifling the rest of the words in your throat. If you’re being honest, you would’ve rather he just stayed away instead of infiltrating one of the places you feel safest. You suppose you can’t actually be that mad at him, though, considering it’s been two decades since he hurt you. Bradley quickly fills the silence.
“I know, and I’m sorry. I was a dick back then. I regret it deeply, if that’s any consolation.” 
You hand him his scone. “You were a dick. But I lived.” Your tone still has a touch of humor. Bradley can feel his heart doing loop-de-loops. He shouldn’t be thinking about you like this, not now, not when you have a boyfriend and have so clearly moved on from him, but the feelings that drew him to you in the first place are sprinting back at full force.
He did like you. He liked your jokes, how you always put your full effort in, and your kindness, even when he didn’t deserve it. He just wasn’t ready for anything so undoubtedly good at the time. He needed to get smacked in the face with the lessons that life taught him. If he hadn’t gotten those lessons, if he had taken your hand and your offer of a real relationship, he would be happier. But you wouldn’t be. That’s what he had learned after all these years, and now, he’s desperate to prove that life changed him. You were never too much for him, he just wasn’t enough for you.
“Yeah, clearly. I’m happy you’re doing well now.” He gestures to the scone as a show of proof, quirking his eyebrow. You smile.
“I’m happy you seem to be doing well too. Come back anytime, Bradley.”
Seeing him still hurts. You don’t have the right to be sad, you think, but finding out that you moved miles and miles away just to end up in front of him makes you feel like your life has been one big unhappy circle. Despite everything, you’re glad he’s made a life for himself. He definitely seems more mature now, which the San Diego ladies must love.
He pays you, then slides a twenty and a piece of paper in your tip jar with sparkling eyes. He licks his lips quickly, like his mouth has suddenly gone dry. His stance is just a little less confident than it was a few seconds ago. “I put my number in there. Call me if you need a friend, yeah? No funny business, but it’s tough being in a new place, so I’ll be here if you feel up for it.”
Looking around at your sparsely furnished and no-employee cafe, you don’t wonder how he knew you just moved here. You just thank him with a tight smile and pretend not to notice how nice he looks from the back.
You unfold the piece of paper, fully intending to throw it away, before sighing and tucking it into your apron pocket. You doubt you’ll ever need a friend in Bradley Bradshaw, but things tend to change in the blink of an eye.
PREVIOUS || NEXT
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Taglist: @m1dnightsnackz @itsarabellebabes @shanimallina87 @sadgirlgiselle
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hwaslayer · 7 months
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project: make you love me (jyh) | seventeen.
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♣︎ spotify playlist | series masterlist
—summary: yunho can’t stand how you’re so wrapped up in the notorious campus fuckboy, park seonghwa. he would gladly love you the way you deserve, despite being shy, awkward and the complete opposite of seonghwa. thus, when he finds himself spending more time with you over literature reviews and random study sessions, he decides to take on the challenge to win you over.
—pairing: jeong yunho x f. reader
—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers/friends to lovers, college au | fluff, angst, smut
—word count: 3.4k
—chapter content/warnings: cussing/mature language, flashback scene btwn yuyu & oc, anxiety & overthinking, some crying, [very soft and lazy] unprotected makeup sex <33
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Yunho sighs as he pours some hot water into his cup, dipping the tea bag into the scorching hot water a few times before letting it settle. He stands near the balcony door of the apartment, blinds raised so he can watch the rain and wind from inside.
"Jeez, it's fucking crazy outside." Yunho turns over his shoulder to Yeosang, who is getting ready to make some ramen. "And it's freezing."
"Yeah, it is. Such a random storm." Yunho sips on his tea.
"Why are you acting like such an old man right now?" Yunho lets out a chuckle at the remark. "Have you talked to Y/N?"
"No, not yet." He sighs, making his way to the kitchen island to talk to Yeosang more closely.
"Why not?"
"I don't know. I was gonna ask her to come over but it's raining like crazy. I'll probably wait till it dies down."
"Your hand doing okay?" Yeosang nods at his hand, making Yunho flash it his way. "Hm. Bruising has gone down. He deserved that shit."
"Tell me about it."
"Well, not to play devil's advocate at the wrong time, but I truly don't think Y/N meant to hurt you."
"I know. I just—" He sighs again and shakes his head. "He pissed me off. I didn't wanna take it out on her. Truthfully, I wasn't really over it until.. probably this morning." Yunho shrugs.
"Yeah, I get that."
"It's not her. It's him. Fucking can't stand him. I hope he gets the picture now because I'm not going anywhere."
"And you shouldn't. He'd be stupid to keep testing you. I'm sure that was more than enough for him to realize."
"Yeah, I don't know. Whatever. Just keep him the fuck away from me." Yunho subtly rolls his eyes. "I miss her, though. I know she wouldn't do anything to hurt me."
"She's a good person. It's very clear she feels the same exact way for you as you do for her." Yunho traces the rim of his cup, missing your kisses and your company terribly, even though it's really only been a full day since you two last talked.
"I really love that girl." He lets out a small chuckle. "Like.. really love her."
"Cute." Yeosang smiles as he pours the hot water into his ramen cup. "You finally gonna say it to her once you two talk?"
"Probably, yeah." He looks at Yeosang. "It's crazy to me. I wasn't expecting anything out of this when I started helping her with her lit assignments. Now, I can't even picture my days without her."
"You should text her."
"I will, once the weather calms down a bit."
"What do your plans with her look like after graduation?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I mean, obviously, I'll always be here to support her and I'll try to stay close as much as possible. But, eventually, I do wanna settle in a job and make enough for us to move in together."
"Wow, really?" Yunho nods. "You see your life with her?"
"Does it sound weird to say that?"
"No, not at all."
"I just wanna be able to come home to her and spend time with her." Yunho sips his tea, the sound of the harsh wind and tree branches hitting the window slightly startling the both of them.
"Damn. Yeah, probably good to just wait until the weather settles down." Yeosang flips the lid to his ramen and starts stirring the noodles around. "Wanna hop on a game?"
"Yeah, sure." Yunho chuckles, standing to make his way to his room and play for a bit.
Meanwhile, you've tossed and turned on your bed, unsure of what to do with yourself for the day. Chaery sat at her desk, studying with her headphones on; prepping for a big test coming up in the following week. It was probably the third [or fourth] time you've scrolled through your phone in the past 5 minutes, finding ways to distract yourself even though you were only waiting to see if Yunho would text.
He didn't though.
The last text he sent was his response to you yesterday morning after the whole squabble with Seonghwa, a quick little—
you: goodmorning yunho, have a good day today 💕
yunho: you too, y/n.
The dry, sad response is enough to trigger that awful feeling in your stomach— enough for you to toss your phone and lay on your side, hoping everything could just wash over and pass.
♣︎ FLASHBACK
"Have you seen Yunho today?" You shake your head.
"No. I feel like he's just avoiding me right now." You say with your head hung low.
"Babe, he's not avoiding you. You're his girlfriend."
"Then, why does it feel that way? Usually he'd try to come see me and send me off before class or something. He hasn't even texted me after I said 'good morning' and 'have a good day.'"
"Maybe he really just needs time to get over it, Y/N." Chaery adds as you two continue to walk towards the library. "I mean.. think about it. He stumbled upon you two and suddenly found himself in a fight with your crazy ex-fling. Plus, this was also his way of finding out about the bouquet. It's probably so overwhelming and frustrating, mainly because of Seonghwa. I get him. I wouldn't wanna talk to my girlfriend while I'm still upset because I know I'd probably say things I'd regret."
"Mmyeah.." Is all you say. The moment you take the last few steps up to the library, Yunho is exiting and comes through the door. You stop in your tracks as your eyes land on him, a sad, sympathetic look captured on your face.
You are so, so beautiful. Yunho feels like you'll be the death of him one day.
He almost makes it visibly known how much you've caught him off guard. He swallows the lump in his throat and walks over— one hand in his pant pocket, the other hanging onto the backpack strap.
"Hey." Is all he says before giving you a one-armed [tight] hug.
"Hey babe." 
"Yuyu, my favorite person in the entire planet!" Chaery gives him a playful little punch on the arm, making him chuckle. "Y/N, I'll wait for you inside, okay?" She gives you a reassuring smile before leaving you and Yunho.
"Off to class?" You stupidly ask already knowing his schedule, but he nods anyway.
"Yeah. Did you sleep okay?" He brushes the hair away from your face.
"I don't know."
"Yeah, same." He sighs.
"Should we talk then?"
"Not now." He doesn't mean to sound mean or dismissive, but he truly doesn't think he has it in him to talk properly about this yet. "Just not ready to yet. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I understand." You feel the tears well up in your eyes, causing you to shift your attention elsewhere to prevent them from falling.
"Hey." Yunho pulls you in for a hug. "We'll talk about it soon. Promise." He kisses the top of your head before letting you go. "Have a good rest of your day, okay?"
"You too." You give him a small, tight-lipped smile before watching him walk past you to his next class— your heart dropping, cracks slowly breaking at the surface.
You missed him, and you were only hoping it'd get better from here. You were ready to move past this.
All of this.
♣︎ END
Your bottom lip trembles as you stand and throw on Yunho's hoodie, slipping the hood over your head before wiping away at the residual tears streaming down your cheeks. You understood Yunho needed time, but you couldn't wait another day of not talking to him.
Not hugging him.
Cuddling him.
Kissing him.
You missed Yunho, and you were afraid he was realizing he didn't feel the same— that maybe, this was the way it would all slowly fizzle out. That maybe, this didn't turn out to be what he expected or wanted. Every minute you continued to overthink made you more and more anxious. You couldn't sit this one out anymore. Not any longer. 
"Babe, where are you going?" You pop into the room after a quick bathroom break, fixing your pajamas onto the edge of your bed while Chaery continues to sit at her desk. "It's literally storming outside."
"I need to talk to Yunho." She looks at you worriedly, turning her chair towards you completely. 
"Love. I know. I know you wanna talk to him, but don't you think you should wait until the storm passes?"
"It's just across the lot."
"Still. It's kinda crazy out there."
"Chaery, I need to talk to him. I can't let another day pass. I won't." You murmur as you grab a pair of sneakers. "I'll be back, okay?" She sighs.
"Just be careful, please. I really don't want you to get sick or anything."
"I know. I'll be careful." You give her a tiny smile before heading towards the door.
"Um, please tell me you aren't actually going out there right now?" Seungmin asks with a brow cocked up as he stands in the kitchen. You slip into your shoes and slightly tilt your head, meeting his gaze.
"I really need to talk to Yunho."
"Do you want me to walk you over there? It's super windy and raining like crazy."
"It's okay."
"Sure? Take an umbrella."
"I'll run over."
"Please don't get sick. I seriously can walk you over just to be your umbrella dude."
"I promise I'll be okay, Seungmo. Thank you. I'll be fast as lightning speed." 
"Alright. Be safe. I hope it goes well. I'm sure he misses you, too." You give him a small smile before heading out. As soon as you head out of the front door, the gusty wind hits you, along with the rain slapping you along the side of your face. You pull Yunho's hood a little more over your head, clinching it at the neck to keep it tight. No matter what you do, or how fast you run to his building, you're still being rained on like crazy.
Yunho's hoodie and your sweats are soaked, and you hate the feeling of damp clothes against your skin. But, you needed to do this.
You needed to see him.
You shakily bring your phone up to your ear after dialing his number, sweater paws wiping away at your nose and cheeks. 
"Y/N?"
"Yunho."
"You okay?"
"I'm outside your door."
"You're what? Why did you come here when it's storming like shit outside?" You can hear him shuffling towards the door, hands quick to unlock it. He sees you and his heart instantly shatters into pieces. You're in his hoodie, wet from the rain; random strands of hair sticking to your face. Your grey sweats have traces of the rain scattered on all sides, and god, Yunho wants to embrace you and hold you so badly. "Y/N." He says, almost disappointingly as he grabs at your hand to bring you inside. "Why would you do that?"
"I had to see you and talk to you." You look at him, bottom lip trembling again as you hold back your tears. He clicks his teeth before leading you into the room. He quickly grabs a change of clothes for you before handing it over and nodding towards the bathroom.
"You should get comfy first." You silently nod, taking the clothes in your hands before waddling to the bathroom. You strip out of his clothes and hop into the shower for a quick wash-up, his freshly laundered clothes feeling good against your skin afterwards.
When you get into Yunho's room, he's slouched on his computer chair while pressing away on the controller resting against his lap. He turns towards you when he hears you drop the clothes into his hamper, pausing his current game and setting the controller aside.
"Hope you don't mind me throwing those into your hamper."
"Course not." He sits on the edge on his bed, watching as you sit next to him. "What's going on?"
"Yunho, I'm really sorry. I know you needed time and everything, but I couldn't stand us not talking to each other and being awkward after everything. It's my fault. I should've just told you about them in the first place, I don't know why I hesitated." You're crying now, and Yunho melts. He knows you're sincerely sorry, and he knows you would never intentionally hurt him. Truly, he meant to take this time just to let his anger for Seonghwa pass. He didn't wanna let that bleed onto you, nor did you deserve that, so he wanted to make sure he was completely over it before anything. He was gonna text you today and ask you to come over, but he waited because of the rain. He should've known you wouldn't have cared, though. "It was so, so stupid. But, I didn't mean any of it. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry, I—" You continue to go on through your crying, but Yunho gently shushes you and pulls you onto his lap.
"Hey, come here. Don't cry. It's okay."
"No, it's not." You pout.
"Baby." He gives off a tiny chuckle before wiping your tears and kissing your forehead. "I know you're sorry, okay? I really just needed the time to make sure I was over it. I didn't want to accidentally take out my anger on you or do anything stupid when you don't deserve it. That's all. I was gonna ask you to come by today, but it started raining." He lets out a breath. "Should've known you wouldn't have cared though, hm?" You shake your head. "No more crying."
"I just want us to be okay. I didn't mean to hurt you, Yuyu."
"I know you didn't. We're okay. I'm not upset with you."
"Are you sure?" He pauses just as he looks at you, thumb coming to caress the surface of your cheek before coming down to your bottom lip. 
"Well, why don't you just be mine, hm? Just like I am for you. How does that sound?"
"Wouldn't want it any other way." Yunho chuckles and kisses you on the tip of your nose. You instantly wrap your arms around his neck and hug him tightly while still on his lap, taking in all of him while he gently rubs at your back. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Your hands are resting at the nape of his neck, fingers gently threading through the ends of his hair. Yunho's hands are slowly rubbing at your sides, the warmth of his hands transferring onto the surface of your bare skin.
"Can I see your hand?" He chuckles a bit and raises his hand in front of you, knuckles still slightly reddish-purple in hue from the punch.
"It's fine." You give him a look before planting soft kisses at his knuckles, turning his palm upward to place some kisses there. 
"Yunho?"
"Mhm?"
"I love you." His eyes widen a bit as his mind registers what you just said. His lips turn upward into a smile, planting a chaste kiss to yours before responding with a—
"I love you too, baby." He kisses you again, smiling against your lips. "Can you promise me one other thing?"
"Hm?"
"Please don't trek over here when it's raining like this outside. I don't want you to get sick."
"It's just across the lot."
"Promise me." He furrows his brows ever so slightly to get his point across.
"Fine." You pout.
"Say it."
"I promise." You say in a somewhat whiny tone, making Yunho let out a small laugh. 
"You're such a brat."
"Mm, but you just said you love this brat."
"Yeah." He bites onto his bottom lip. "I do. I really do." You giggle, kissing him once more. Though Yunho has always been affectionate and vocal about his feelings for you, his next action is unexpected and catches you a bit off guard. He simply rests his head against your chest and holds you tightly, breathing regularly as his fingers gently rub circles on your sides. He doesn't say anything, causing you to look down at him and wonder if he's truly okay.
"What's wrong?" You ask while wrapping your arms around him, fingers massaging at his scalp.
"I just want you to be honest with me. I don't want you to feel scared about coming to me about these things because I'm with you, not against you." He responds softly, cheek still pressed against your chest. "That goes to say that I would never do anything to jeopardize this. I don't wanna lose you." He looks up at you with those puppy dog eyes and you can't help but release a shaky sigh. Your lips fold into a small frown as you cup his cheek, shaking your head at the statement.
"You could never do anything to jeopardize this, Yunho. I'm not going anywhere. This was my fault, and I'm sorry for not coming to you sooner about this. I promise I'll be better. I know you're here for me, and I know you would never do anything to hurt me either."
"Can you tell me? Honestly. Do you miss anything about Seonghwa?"
"No, I could never. It was so stupid and I didn't mean to mislead or confuse you. I could never go back to that. I don't want to. All I want is you."
"Okay." Is all he responds with. "I feel the same way. You mean a lot to me, Y/N. I mean that more than anything."
"I know, Yunho. I feel the same way." He gives you a tiny, toothless smile before releasing his arms from around you.
"Wanna lay down and take a nap with me?"
"That sounds really nice right now." You smile as you hop off his lap and settle into the sheets. Yunho shuts off his computer, the only sounds echoing in the room is the strong wind hitting the window, rain splattering against the glass. He slips under the covers, pulling you close to him to keep you warm. His fingers start threading through your hair as you quietly look up at him; no words being exchanged in this very moment.
"Sleepy?" Yunho breaks the silence with a soft question.
"No. I just like it when you play with my hair." You shut your eyes in satisfaction.
"Of course." Yunho kisses your forehead before moving down to the tip of your nose.
Lips.
Chin.
"I thought you wanted to nap?" You subtly bite onto your bottom lip when Yunho leaves sweet kisses on the edge of your jaw and neck.
"I do." He says in between kisses, tongue soothing the surface of your neck after little nibbles.
"This doesn't look like a nap to me."
"No, but we'll definitely take one after." He smirks against your skin, hands roaming up your shirt. He squeezes your side before his hand moves up to your breast— playing with your nipple before giving your boob a good grope.
"Yunho." You whine, hands tugging at the ends of his hair. Sooner or later, you find yourself straddling Yunho— lazily working your hips while he lays back and watches you. Everything about this moment is slow, sweet, sensual; every kiss, every move, filled with love and affection. He bites onto his bottom lip as his hands rest on your hip, fingers slightly digging into the surface as he helps guide you. You've still got his shirt on, and he's still got his, too— sweats pulled down enough to ride him. It's so lazy, but so intimate, especially with the storm in the background.
It feels perfect and enough.
You let out soft moans and whimpers, Yunho whispering sweet praises about how good you feel and how perfect you are. He never fails to remind you how beautiful you are and how much you mean to him, even in the most compromising positions. But his words drip with gold, low groans and hisses dipped in honey.
Everything about Yunho is so, so sweet.
"Fuck." You whimper, brows pulled together as your mouth is slacked open— orgasm quick to build, close to toppling over on the edge.
"That's it, baby." Yunho replies as he tries his hardest to hold on. "Wanna cum for me?" You nod, pace increasing just enough to make you come undone in the next few rolls of the hips. You let out a few curses in between moans, while Yunho continues to pound upward into you to find his own release. 
"That was definitely not a nap, Yunho." You continue to sit on top of him to regulate your breathing and come back down from your high.
"Ah, no. But, that nap does sound nice now, doesn't it?" You giggle when he taps your hips, the both of you letting out small whines when you finally pull your bodies apart from each other. He grabs some wipes and helps you clean up before following suit on himself, slipping back into the covers for said nap.
"Yunho."
"That's me." He says, eyes already shut as he holds you close.
"I love you. And I'm sorry. I wanna keep doing better for you."
"I love you, too. Don't be sorry. We're learning together, princess." He lets out a breath before kissing you on the forehead. "Come on, let's take a nap. It's not like we can go anywhere anyways." You chuckle against his chest, feeling happy and content that all is well; that you're finally in his Yunho's arms again.
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arazialotis · 1 month
Text
Get Him to the Con - Part 10
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Pairing: Jensen × Reader
Word Count: About 6520
Story Summary: The reader stumbles into Jensen at her favorite bar, a very drunk Jensen. She soon realizes Jensen was booked for a con this weekend and has to be eight hours from town in only two.
Chapter Summary: Y/n visits Vancouver to see Jensen and, more importantly, to try to win Jared over.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
Warnings: Always language. Grumpy Jared. After dinner, well, it gets NSFW 🌶️🌶️, 18+ Only
Although this is an RPF, these are fabricated characters and should not reflect back IRL. I intend no hate or ill wishes to him or his family. This is purely just for writing and wasting my time as a coping skill. Maybe some of you will enjoy it too. I apologize in advance for any mistakes or grammatical/spelling errors. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions!
----
The black Escalade wove through the Vancouver traffic, the sun beating down, melting the piles of slushy remnants from the first snow. What should have been an eagerly anticipated moment for your arrival was tense. Behind the wheel, Jensen was trying to be the bridge between you and his best friend.
“Lighten up, man. Y/n’s really excited to be out here again and wants nothing more than to hang out and cook us a nice meal.” Jensen pleaded your case.
He, in fact, suggested pizza on the risk of jetlag, but you had insisted, falling back onto the age-old idiom ‘the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.’ You already had one of their hearts, and you were convinced you could make Jared warm up to you, too, if only he saw you as who you were and not as a clingy fangirl. Yet you felt that rift growing every time you saw him. And the last thing you wanted was for Jensen to be caught in the middle.
“Would you try to like her? For me? Please.” Jensen nearly begged when Jared didn’t respond.
At least he was in the car, though Jensen didn’t give him a choice, with this outing as a pretense of drinks after work.
Jensen tried one more time, fed up with Jared’s stubbornness. “At least act nice.”
That got his attention. “Act nice? I’ll play nice if she does.” The accusation hanging heaving.
Jensen furrowed his brow. “Y/n doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.” Okay, you had a bit of a temper, were known to hold a grudge, and had a smart mouth, but Jared didn’t need to know that.
Jared scoffed. “Last time she came out, she literally laughed and criticized me for overacting.”
Jensen’s confusion grew, trying to remember the last time you came out. Then, the realization hit him as the three of you watched the latest episode together in another futile attempt for Jensen to foster peace.
Despite the animosity, Jensen couldn’t help but chuckle. “No, she laughed at a scene and apologized immediately, saying it was hard to take the show seriously now that she knows us. And I said that wasn’t it; it’s probably because you took your acting lessons from Bruce Campbell." His tongue peeked out between his teeth as he attempted and failed to control another giggle, still quite proud of the slight.
“It was a serious scene. I was acting my heart out.” Jared stressed. “You had just gotten back from hell.”
Jensen lost the smile. “In her defense, it does lose its impactfulness after the 17th time.”
“Whatever, man.” Jared pouted, looking out the window.
Jensen rolled his eyes and prayed to any god that would listen. “Would it make you feel better if we watch Devour together after dinner? Then we’ll just laugh at me.”
Jared said nothing, not taking the bait. The clicking of the blinker filled the silence as Jensen waited to turn toward the arrival gates. Jared ran his fingers through his hair as Jensen pursed his lips together, trying to think of something, anything. The light turned green.
“I don’t even know why I am here. Y/n has, like, what, two full days out here? You should be spending it together without having to worry about me third-wheeling. I’m sure there are other things that you would prefer to occupy time you don’t get over Zoom.” Jared rambled out loud.
Jensen’s eyes tightly blinked shut momentarily as he began seeking out an open spot at the curb. Jared was right, of course, only on account of his last thought, but he wouldn’t be at peace until he had the blessing of his best friend. Jensen inhaled through his nose, held his breath, and released through his mouth.
“It is important to me that you and Y/n find some common ground. If you gave her even the slightest chance, I’m positive you would start to like her.” He said calmly as he put the car into park.
“Why does it matter so much to you if I like her?” Jared pushed. To him, you were still only a rebound after Elena.
And then it hit him. Maybe Jared’s denial of his true fear of being replaced had come true.
“Because she’s my best friend and I love her!” He declared and then laughed through the shock.
It was the first time he had admitted it out loud. The silence was palpable as both men processed the weight of the words. Jensen wasn’t one to open up lightly. He felt deeply, but he was always careful with those emotions, cautious even. It had taken nearly two years before he said the same to Elena. Another before they started looking at rings. Maybe because it was one of the first serious relationships he had since the start of his career. The depth and commitment he had felt with her made the falling out that much more disastrous. He had fortified his walls to be higher and more impenetrable. Then you came out of nowhere and shattered everything he thought he knew about himself. He felt like a caged bird learning for the first time how to spread its wings, to feel the breeze on its face, and the warmth of the sun. With you, he felt free.
Jared’s eyes darted back and forth as if reading his thoughts, finding the right response. Jensen squeezed the steering wheel and nodded his head. “I love her.” He said again, the realization hitting him, fully knowing it was true. But then the terror of the statement hit him. The car door shuttered open, and the catapult of a backpack rolling over the seatbench crashing at the other end pulled Jared from his thoughts as you entered the car.
“Hiya!” You squeaked.
You pulled the door close with a thud and clicked on your seatbelt. You cleared your throat, looking up, momentarily afraid you jumped in the wrong car. But it was Jensen and Jared, alright. Jensen stared directly ahead, his face as white as if seeing a ghost. Jared scrutinized his friend. You sank back in your seat. You had thrown yourself directly into something.
Jared turned in his seat, blinking rapidly and addressing you in the most amiable tone he had ever taken with you. “Hi Y/n. Um, would you mind giving us a minute?”
Oh, you had definitely walked into something. It took you a minute to process this, but then you began fumbling with the seatbelt, “Yeah. Yeah. Of course.” And vacated the Escalade as fast as possible.
Jared’s brow furrowed, and he leaned closer to a whisper as you aimlessly knocked your fists together outside on the sidewalk. “You love her?”
He chuckled again and ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I really do.”
Jared knew he should be happy for Jensen, knew they should be celebrating this, offering congratulations, but all he felt was dread.
“Have you told her?” Jared asked.
“Nah, you’re the first to know.” Jensen clapped Jared on the shoulder. “I want the moment to be right, you know. I want to be able to remember it for a long time.”
Jared thought about faking it, but he had to be real with Jensen. “You don’t know her.”
That set him off. “Why are you so set against her? Why can’t you be happy for me? I do know her. I’ve known her for seven months, been dating her for 4 of those, and talk to her almost daily.” His voice went up an octave higher. “I don’t know why I have to keep justifying my choices to you, man? When will it ever be good enough for you?”
Jared didn’t take the bait. “But you don’t know her. How can you truly? You haven’t met her friends or her family, and it sounds like her mom is a real piece of work. Are you ready to deal with that?”
Outside the car, airport security approached you. Both boys could tell from your over-exaggerated gestures that you were attempting to buy them more time.
Jared continued. “And no offense, but she isn’t spotlight material.”
“Fuck you.” Jensen's blood boiled over. He was about to leave the car to find another way to get back into the city. At that moment, he never wanted to see Jared again.
“Come on. Give me a break. You know I didn’t mean it like that.” Though he kind of did. “All I’m saying is that if you truly are that committed to her, that this isn’t some fling, you should think about preparing her for the kind of attention it will warrant. The good, the bad, and the ugly. That kind of stress and attention can ruin a person.”
Jensen didn’t respond but wrung his hands on the steering wheel. There was a knock on the window.
“Please, know I’m just trying to look out for you,” Jared whispered as he began rolling down the window.
“Nobody asked you to.” Jensen snipped back before the security guard started to chew them out.
As the boys were on the receiving end of a very stern lecture, you slipped as quietly as possible into the back seat to avoid further angering or endangering yourself with security. Yes, spending a night in jail was on your bucket list, but this is not what you had in mind.
“Sorry, officer,” Jensen ended a profuse apology before hightailing it out of there.
You weren’t sure exactly what you missed, but the air hung thick with tension. Nobody spoke. There was only the hum of tires on the road. It hit you that Jensen never even acknowledged you. You fiddled with a loose stitch on the seat in front of you.
After five minutes and starting to get out of airport traffic, you couldn’t handle it anymore. “So…” You drew the word out, unsure how to break into a conversation.
Jensen blinked, realizing you had no reason to be as upset as him and that it was unfair to suffer from their drama, especially when you were not privy to it.
He cleared his throat. “I got the groceries you requested delivered.” However, he didn’t know how the three of you would sit through a dinner together.
“Oh, good! I’m starving. Airport food never really hits the spot, but the Cajun snack mix does kinda slap.” You rambled, trying for anything to get them talking.
They both hmmed in response. You were about to ask them about their favorite airport snack, but thank the gods, it was Jared who surprisingly saved you.
“What’s for dinner then?” He was trying. He had fucked up. He knew it. This was how he could try to make amends with Jensen.
You beamed, having perfectly planned it out, trying to finally win Jared over to your side. “We’ll start with a strawberry, basil, and balsamic whipped burrata and roasted bone marrow. Then, a small lemon watercress-radicchio salad for a palate cleanser before moving on to a butter-basted ribeye accompanied by potatoes au gratin and crispy brussel sprouts with mustard seeds and pomegranate.”
Jared’s stomach rumbled. Goddammit, that sounded good.
“And, I was considering a dessert, but Jensen said I already had enough going on, and because baking isn’t my strong suit, I let him handle the rest.” You explained. “You did handle the rest, didn’t you?”
Jensen's anger melted a little. With a smirk, he said, “Yeah, a tub of vanilla ice cream.”
Your heart dropped. “Stop.” There was a glint of teasing in his eyes as he looked at you through the rearview mirror, but the rest of his face remained deadpan. You couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. “Okay, I guess I could repropose what I had in mind for the burrata, and if you have sugar on hand and something salty and crunchy, we could do a quick brittle. Oooh, maybe the cajun snack mix. Or perhaps…”
“Y/n! I’m messing with you. I have an assortment ordered from Thomas Haas.” He winked at you in the mirror.
Thomas Haas meant little to you, but anything would be better than a tub of ice cream. Okay, a tub of ice cream had its time and place, but not when you were working so hard to impress Jared. Still, you eyed Jensen skeptically, unsure if it would measure up.
“Some of the best in Vancouver,” Jared assured. “I’m sure it will compliment your dinner perfectly. I can’t wait. It all sounds very delicious.”
“Hmm.” You looked between the two of them.
There were still too many questions unanswered. What were they talking about before you arrived? Could you trust either of them to select a quality dessert or would you have to resort to brittle anyways? Were you now on a no-fly list due to the tiff with the security guard? When could you get Jensen alone (this stern look painted on his face was doing things you couldn’t control)? But most importantly, why was Jared acting so nice?
“I’ve had bone marrow before, but only in restaurants,” Jared continued. “I didn’t realize it could be done at home.”
“Oh yeah, it’s actually super simple if you can find a good butcher.” You explained.
Jensen interjected. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s been binging The Bear, and now her only goal is to become an Iron Chef.”
You smirked, impressed he even knew what an Iron Chef was. Aside from eating food, anything kitchen-related was the furthest on his interest list. You were rubbing off on him.
You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “It’s the easiest cheat code appetizer if you want to impress someone. You toast some bread, toss the marrow in the oven for twenty minutes, and add a few accouterments to a serving board. And bam, done.”
Jared laughed, actually laughed. “I’m sure you are underselling yourself. From what Jensen has told me, you are an excellent cook. I can’t wait to see it all come together.”
Jensen glared at Jared out of the side of his eye, the anger resurfacing. He was laying it on thick. Too thick.
You squinted, eyes darting back and forth between them. This wasn’t going to plan. You were supposed to cook the food and then become BFFs with Jared. This was happening too quickly. But perhaps you should take it for what it was. Maybe you had stuck around long enough for him to finally accept you. Or Jensen had talked you up enough. Whatever the reason, you had to stop ruminating on it. All you had to do was get through dinner. Perhaps after, you could corner Jensen into an explanation.
It wasn’t long until you pulled into the parking garage adjoined to the condos. Jensen popped the trunk, surprised to find it empty.
“Where’s your luggage?” He asked, oblivious as his conversation with Jared required most of his mental capacity.
You held up your backpack as a response, and his brow furrowed with confusion.
“What’s wrong? Are you ill?” He pestered, placing the back of his hand against your forehead.
“Shut up.” You snipped and then explained. “I’m practicing becoming a lighter packer.” You lowered your voice to a whisper. “Besides, I recall not needing much clothing last visit.”
Jensen raised his eyebrows, reminiscing, and then nuzzled his nose into your neck in anticipation of this weekend. Jared, having overheard, rolled his eyes and fought a gag. You laughed as Jensen pulled away, his eyelashes tickling your cheeks. And Jared plastered on his fake smile yet again.
“Let’s get upstairs,” He said. “I’m starving.”
-----
Dinner was coming along nicely. You were basting the last of the steaks in butter, and the boys were watching the end of a game in the living room. The thoroughly cleaned plates on the coffee table were the only lingering evidence that there had been appetizers. You snuck a bit here and there, but it was mostly to keep the two of them from sniffing around the kitchen.
With a final splash of liquid, the steak was done—perfect caramelization and crust. Now, the potatoes. You checked the timer—ten minutes, enough time for the steak to rest. And the Brussels? Shit. You scooped the last of them out of the oil in the nick of time. You generously salted them and would add the pomegranate molasses after plating. Satisfied with how it was all wrapping up, you whipped Jensen’s once pristinely white dish towel over your shoulder. There was a shuffling behind you as you began cleaning what you could.
“Need any help?” Jensen asked.
You were about to shoo him out when you heard the scrape of a knife. You snapped your head around to catch him red-handed. He stared at you like a deer in the headlights, the end of one steak pinched between his fingers and the knife hovering millimeters above. You scowled, and Jensen slowly set the knife down, held his hands in surrender, and backed up.
Your scowl melted into a smile. “A couple of minutes longer. If you’d like to help, you can set the table.”
He straightened. “Yes, chef.”
You playfully stuck out your tongue and whipped the dish towel in his direction, earning an exaggerated yelp.
Finally, after a few minutes passed, you brought the final plate to the table and scooched in. Jensen didn’t hesitate and dove in.
With a full mouth, he mumbled, “If this tastes as good as it…” Then it hit him, and his eyes rolled back in pure delight. “Oh god.”
Jared went in a little slower, cutting his steak and bringing it past his lips. He took several testing bites and paused, glaring at you. He was actually glaring at you. Dropping the act, he’d kept up all night, pissed at how good it tasted. He knew what tonight had been about. About you trying to butter him up, quite literally with butter braised steak. And god dammit. It was a good steak. And he was mad about it.
“Fuck.” Jared cursed aloud, snapping your and Jensen’s attention to him. “Fuck, that’s good.”
You smiled sheepishly, looking down at your plate. “I can’t say I’ve had that reaction before. Not quite as orgasmic as I was hoping for, maybe if I adjusted the…” Your face went pale, realizing the last part was out loud.
Jensen snorted, and Jared even cracked a smirk.
“So, um,” You attempted a recovery. “How was work this week?”
A few minutes of silence passed as Jensen gave Jared a chance to answer. When he didn't and caught him glaring again, Jensen kicked his shin under the table, prompting him further.
Jared grunted. “Well, hours weren't as shitty as usual.”
“Cause Collins hasn't been around.” Jensen teasingly interjected.
Jared chuckled. “Yeah, not as many retakes. Finally, it feels like we're making some progress this season.”
You nodded. The three of you looked back and forth, trying to gauge whether it was appropriate to continue the conversation or return to eating.
“What about you?” Jared coughed before going in for another bite.
“Same old.” You simply stated.
Silverware scraped against plates. A clock ticked in the living room. The sounds of the city rose from the streets. You dabbed the corner of your mouth with the black cloth napkin, then considered it. You’d be willing to bet good money this was the first time Jensen ever pulled them out.
Jensen tried again to spark the conversation again. “Should we talk Vegas?”
Your eyes lit up excitedly, ready to discuss a plan and details.
“So, about that,” Jared started. Jensen didn’t hide his scowl, but Jared's eyes widened, challenging him. “It’s not often we get that kind of time off work, and I’m going to meet Gen in Austin.”
Ah, so dinner wasn’t the wondrous miracle you hoped it would be. You cursed yourself for not trying a Wellington. Jensen reached under the table to graze your thigh, trying to communicate that this had nothing to do with you.
“Why doesn’t she join us?” Jensen shrewdly offered.
Jared’s lips formed a thin line before countering. “Actually, we are going to use the time to do some house hunting.” He hesitated for a minute. “We’ve started talking about, um, the next steps in starting our family.”
Kids? Oh god, Jensen was going to be an uncle. He was already an uncle to Harper’s clan, but this was Jared. All the tension momentarily evaporated as you both offered your excitement and congratulations.
“Yeah, our current setup isn’t going to cut it. We need more space, a yard.” Jared explained. “Y/n, are you interested in kids?”
Jensen choked on the last piece of steak, recovering with a swig of wine. The temporary peace was broken yet again.
“Oh, um.” You stammered, trying to think of a response. Every couple (that was serious, that is) had to come across this question. You just didn’t picture you were there yet with Jensen. And you didn’t picture the conversation would come about this way. “Well, I’ve recently only managed to keep a house plant alive, so maybe the next step is like a cat or something before moving onto a…” You gulped. “A child.”
“Hmm. So you haven’t given it much thought?” He clarified.
“I mean,” Heat was rising to your cheeks. “It might not be my first choice, looking after a little drooling, monstrous carbon copy. Don’t get me wrong, I love being Aunt Y/n to my niece but one of my own. It’s a lot of responsibility and sacrifice and time and money… I don’t know. There’s a lot of benefits, too, I’m sure. You and Gen will be fantastic parents!”
“Interesting.” Jared ignored your last comment. “Wasn’t it in Colorado that you said you’d have Jensen’s babies? Or maybe that’s changed after you got to know him more.” He chuckled a bit, trying to conceal it as a joke.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Jensen attempted to shut this down.
“No, I never actually said that.” You talked over him and defended yourself. “Casey, a fan, although more than well-meaning, took several liberties that day. A decision that big should require careful consideration rather than something silly like initial attraction or blind devotion, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Absolutely,” he responded sincerely. “Such as your partner’s thoughts on the issue. Gen and I knew immediately that growing our family was an intention for our relationship. Jensen, you’ve always wanted kids, haven’t you?”
If looks could kill, Jared would currently be en route to the nearest morgue. But then he caught a glance at your wide, curious eyes awaiting an answer. There’s no way he would lie about this. Yet, this was the first time the subject of the long-term future had been broached. He swallowed the lump in his throat with another dose of wine, then threw his napkin on his plate.
“I have always seen my future with one or two kiddos running around.” He spoke softly and slowly. “But if my partner wasn’t on board, there’s no way I’d force that upon them. The two of us would always come first.”
Jared raised his eyebrows and nodded, staying silent as he finished his last bite.
You filled the silence instead, unable to handle the pause in conversation. “Similarly, I would never want to deny my future partner if that was something that was really important to them.”
Jensen closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. This wasn’t a relationship-ending kind of conversation. You did share common ground. And it was each other.
“That seems like a lot of sacrifice.” Jared circled back to the earlier point.
“But what is love?” You asked back.
Jensen whined a high-pitched melody under his breath, “Baby, don’t hurt me,” so over this conversation.
But Jared and you were beyond dialed in.
“You want to define that here, tonight?” Jared pushed. “Scholars, philosophers, religions; they’ve been trying to do that since the dawn of humanity.”
“Many of which have brought it back to sacrifice.”
“And many of which have used that ideal to perpetuate cycles of horrendous abuse.”
You pushed your plate aside, needing the space to talk with your hands. “I’m not denying that. But if you are talking on an individual level about two people in love outside of an institution, there are many components, but sacrifice is usually one of them.”
“So you’re arguing you shouldn’t be happy for the sake of the other person?”
“I’m arguing,” You strained. “Both people in the relationship sacrifice for each other, and not only are they happy to do so, but it is a privilege. You lift each other up and balance the other, and there is a net gain rather than elevating one over the other, becoming nothing more than a mere doormat. Trust me, I’ve been around enough narcissists to understand that never ends well.”
“So that’s your conclusion: love is sacrifice?” Jared asked.
Was he trying to trap you? “Like I said, it’s a component. But at the end of the day, I’d say love is a choice. There’s those initial feelings of lust and excitement and newness that will eventually fade away. And you’ll get on each other’s nerves, and there’ll be tears and fighting, and hell, we all get old, and gravity always wins. There’ll be moments where you have to choose. In fact, there’ll probably be moments where you choose not to. At the end of the day, I’d like to end up with someone who is my best friend above all else because you’ll have that to fall back on when it's hard to love.”
Jared didn’t say it contradictory but as a compliment to your point. “Friendship is its own kind of love.” He looked to Jensen apologetically.
“Very true.” You agreed. “What do you think, Jensen?”
Jensen sighed and shook his head. He stood up to start clearing the table. “It’s a mystery. Sometimes love is just love.”
You began stacking the dishes, bringing them to the kitchen as well. “It defies explanation, logic even.” You added.
Jared grabbed the bottle of wine, refilled glasses, and brought the fresh pour to you. “And definition. It’s the ultimate expression of humanity, isn’t it? To wrestle with complex concepts.”
You chuckled, taking a sip. “I guess that’s based on how you define humanity.”
Jared leaned against the counter. “Well…”
Jensen snapped up from putting plates in the dishwasher. “How about a movie?”
Jared lost his train of thought. “I have kind of been in the mood for The Matrix.”
You beamed. Perhaps this disaster of a night wasn’t ruined after all. It would be the perfect opportunity to bring up simulation theory with Jared. From what Jensen told you, Jared loved debating and theorizing over abstract topics. It would be the perfect foot in. Maybe you could impress him after all.
Jensen caught the mischievous look in your eye. He shook his head. “Don’t…”
But you beat him to it. “That sounds perfect!”
---
Later that night, hours after discussing perceived reality, you hovered over the kitchen sink, scrubbing down the remaining mess. Jared was long gone but thanked you for a pleasant evening. Jensen came up behind you, stripped down to his undershirt and briefs. He pulled your waist to his, wrapping his grasp around your hips, and nuzzled closer.
“Come to bed.” He whispered into your neck.
You half-moaned, leaning into his touch. “I just have a few more.”
“That’s what the dishwasher is for.” He said.
You paused and stiffened. “And ruin the finish on this cast iron? You monster.” Jensen gave a light chuckle before closing his eyes against your skin as you continued. “How do you think tonight went?”
He sighed, chewing it over.
“I know.” You agreed. “I should have done the Wellington.” That earned you a pinch to the side. You yelped. “Not when I’m washing the knives!”
“Honestly,” Jensen started. “I don’t know what to think.”
You took a deep gulp and turned off the faucet before turning to face him. You searched his eyes and ran your pruned thumb against his cheek.
“I don’t want to come between you two.” You strained.
He took your hand and his and glided your knuckles across his lips.
“You’re not.” He whispered.
Your glare pierced him.
Jensen continued. “He’s coming around, albeit slowly.” He added as your gaze held, “I promise.”
Your breath released, and the tension left your body, too tired to challenge him further.
“Come on, off to bed.” He instructed.
But you turned around and yawned, “Only a few more.”
Suddenly, you were swooped up and being carried away from the kitchen. “The rest can wait.”
You hit the mattress, immediately sinking into the plush duvet and feathered pillows. Jensen followed, his warmth and weight wrapping around you. The day's weight full of travel, cooking, cleaning, debating, and worrying all hit you instantly. You closed your eyes, darkness quickly closing in. Yet you couldn’t ignore the lips peppering slow, soft kisses at the edge of your navel.
“Mmmm. Jensen, I’m tired.” You moaned over the response your body had to his touch. His fingers danced along the hem of your shirt, trailing higher. Between kisses, he breathed. “You won’t have to do a thing.”
You popped an eye open and raised an eyebrow, looking down at him through the darkness. The city lights illuminated his features. There was a feral glow in his eyes, waiting for that sweet, sweet permission he longed to hear.
“Are you proposing to use me?” You questioned, rubbing your thighs tighter, seeking pressure to alleviate the quickly growing need.
And he knew it, too. A smirk that would impress even the devil crossed his lips. “That depends,” He brought his hand from your ribs, prying your thighs apart, and you whined in response. “Would you like to be used?”
You nodded even though you could barely keep your eyes open, “Very much.”
He made quick work of your clothing, your lazy attempts to help only impeding the process. The cold air of the condo brushed over your skin, providing temporary alertness as your hair rose and you shivered in response. His hands roamed over you, chasing away the chill, replacing the sharpness with tenderness.
Even as you wrestled sleep from taking you, eyes fluttering close, you could feel his eyes on you. From day one, he made it his mission to study you; taking note of every sharp inhale, every squirm, every crease of the brow. He had been a quick and eager student. His hand gently encouraged your legs apart, his hand roving over your core, parting your very soul as he found his mark. Satisfied, his eyes closed, and his head rested against your chest as he let instinct take over.
Dancing on the edge of sleep yet pulled to the waking world by pleasure, your brain couldn’t comprehend thoughts. The worries of the day, the countless insecurities, the what-ifs, they all melted from your mind. The only thing you knew was touch. It was the only constant. The concept of time faded, and at some point unbeknownst to you, fingers had been replaced with lips.
Incoherent words praised his practiced tongue as thoughts attempted and failed to form meaning. Your hand wound through his hair, gripping to hold him in place as you rocked your hips forward. His arms hooked under your legs, lifting you higher, spreading you farther as he lost his need for air. His only purpose in consuming you.
“Jensen.” You mewled his name as a curse. “Please. God, please.”
Teeth scraped against soft flesh, sending you soaring off that endless cliff. You cried out, a slew of fractured speech. Jensen idly continued as you floated back down to reality. Only as breath returned, hungry for air, did he stop, attempting to catch some himself.
“Turn over,” He instructed through the shallow pants. “On your knees.”
You whined, rubbing your face with your palm. “You said I wouldn’t have to do anything.”
He nipped at your inner thigh. “Brat.”
You lazily smiled until he grabbed your sides and flipped you over himself. That woke you up, but only momentarily as he shuffled behind you, allowing you a minute to bury your head deeper into the pillow.
“Oh, I don’t think so, sweetheart.”
An arm snaked under your diaphragm, and you lost your breath as he pulled you up to a kneel, pinning you against his bare, hard flesh. His hands roamed your curves, already mapped in his mind, desperate to bring to fruition what he had imaged during the month apart. A hand came to your throat, gently squeezing, as he tilted it to the side.
“Color?” He cooed into your ear.
You only moaned, too tired for words, grinding your hips back into him, hoping it would prompt this process further along.
“Use your words.” He softly demanded.
“Green.” You placed a hand over his, encouraging him to squeeze harder. “So fucking green.”
He buried his mouth into the crook of your neck, claiming you, possessing you, undoing you. But two could play this game. With your free hand, you reached behind you, immediately claiming your prize. You stroked up and down his length, stopping at the apex and rolling your grasp.
“Fuck.” He indulged temporarily before taking your hand, guiding it to the top of the headboard.
Your other hand followed suit as he gripped your hips. You arched your back and swayed side to side, inviting him in or, at the very least, enticing him to hurry.
“Patience has never been your strong suit.” He playfully scolded.
As he knocked your knee with his own, spreading you apart further and lower, he bent down, planting long, deliberate kisses on the small of your back. Your eyes fluttered close yet again, your mind at war with your body, demanding sleep. He neared your entrance, testing at first, then surged forward, completely filling you. You cried out, sparks turning to flame as he flooded you. Over and over, he built pace, seeking his own high.
It was unlike anything you had ever known. Nothing existed outside of this claiming rhythm, outside of this mounting heat, outside of this ecstasy. Your mind was blank. Your mind was numb. He was the only thing you had ever known—the only thing you were created for.
His hand gripped your shoulder, arching you deeper, pulling you more flush against his hardness, hitting the deepest parts of you. Your curses and praise garbled together, moans became mute, and blinding pressure rose, threatening to break.
“Come on, Y/n,” Jensen said through ragged pants. “Come for me, sweetheart.”
“Jensen.” You cried, tears spilling over. “I can’t, I’m so tired.”
His grip left your shoulder and joined yours on the headboard, intertwining his fingers with yours as he drove into you over and over and over.
“Yes, you can.” He encouraged. “Tell me where.”
He adjusted, giving you time to assess the effectiveness.
And then, suddenly, “Ah, right there. Fuck, don’t fucking stop.” You squeezed your eyes shut.
He did as he was told, gritting his teeth together, fingers digging into your flesh as he held on. He waited and waited until he felt you close in around him, constricting, demanding he fall off that cliff with you into the deep pool of bright light. Your hands slid from the headboard as you collapsed back onto the mattress. Jensen fell with you, his weight trapping you.
It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. But eventually, you found your way to the surface again, taking a deep, shuttering breath. Jensen rolled off you onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling, breathing in and out, in and out. Sweat outlined his sculpted frame as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. When his heart finally settled, his eyes found yours, and he pulled you close.
You were no longer aware if you were sleeping or awake, but still, you said. “I think it is safe to say we can move ‘exhausted sex’ from the maybe category to any fucking time or day.”
He laughed and kissed your forehead. “Thank you.”
You groaned. “Oh please, let’s not start that again.”
“Fair.” He agreed and thought of something else to say. “You’ve ruined me.”
“I’ve ruined you?” You corrected. “Sir. You’ve gone and rendered the entirety of the male species inconsequential.”
“Okay,” He challenged, rubbing his eyes. “You can’t be that tired if you can spin that heap of bullcrap.”
You burrowed into the crook of his arm and closed your eyes before mumbling, “It's not bullcrap. You’ve ruined me too.”
His eyes darted back and forth in the darkness, contemplating everything you had said about love and god, even children. He looked back at you. Your breath had slowed and evened out. And he knew his epiphany remained true. His love for you was beyond his initial attraction, curiosity, or, frankly, his blue balls. He’d give it all up if you asked, find some office job, become a cat dad. And then it hit him why, and he chuckled, saving that thought for another day because now sleep was threatening him too, and he might not be thinking rationally.
He kissed your hair and whispered, testing it out loud. “I love you.” A cold, electric shiver ran throughout his being.
He froze as you stirred. “Hmm?”
He chuckled. “What would you think about going public?”
You shot up, fully conscious. Fully alert. Your brow furrowed, trying to comprehend.
“Aren’t we already public? You did ask me out at a convention?”
He also sat up, rubbing his hands through his hair to stir further energy.
“Well, kind of. People know I’m dating, but only a select few know who.” He explained trying to assess your emotions at the same time. “We’ve done a pretty good job keeping a wrap on your identity.”
“Probably ‘cause your ballcap and sunglasses are such a convincing disguise, Clark Kent.” You teased.
“Smartass,” he grumbled. “Probably more likely because I have a good manager and an even better team right now who locked down and scrubbed your social media.” He waited for you and added, “If you don’t want to…”
“No, that’s not it.” You stopped him. “I… Can I think it over?”
“Of course. Take all the time you need; there’s no rush.” He assured.
“I’ll have to talk to some people beforehand. Friends, coworkers, family.” You gritted your teeth. “My mom, she… Well, she might make things difficult.”
“Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up so late. We can sleep on it and talk to the team tomorrow. They’ll answer any questions you have and maybe provide some guidance on the hard things.” He bent down to look into your eyes. “Okay?”
You nodded in response.
“Let’s get some rest, yeah?” He encouraged again and pulled you down against him.
But how the fuck were you supposed to sleep now? Your whole world could change overnight. And you weren’t sure you were ready for it.
---
TAGS:
Everything Jackles: @akshi8278
GHTTC: @maggiegirl17 @foxyjwls007 @djs8891 @deans-spinster-witch @tmb510 @ghostofjoharvelle @ellen-reincarnated1967 @deansgirl79 @chriszgirl92
(Always feel free to ask to be added or removed (I won't be offended))
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stormxpadme · 27 days
Note
There's a bit of fanfiction negativity in the tags :(. Looking for something to cheer me up, what's your personal scogan fanfic favorites?
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Yeah, I saw that, both in the scogan and scogean tag, with posts even including the character name tags. Like. Not cool, people. Way to make authors feel shitty who have been guarding the ship lighthouse for the last 20 years. Claiming in the most popular tags, there's only like 1 good fic among more than 1500? Wow, okay. So I was very happy to receive your ask. Let's counter that negativity with some awesome scogan reads!
Damaged by scottxlogan
Can't do any scogan rec list without including the leading authority on the subject. @scottxlogan is the author who pulled me into this ship years ago, not to mention they're a great friend, unbelievably talented writer and artist, and they deserve all the love. Damaged is surely one of their most ambitious projects and deserves every single view, kudos and review out there. Set in the DOFP finale verse that is no doubt the author's specialty, the story comes with an alluring, intricated plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat along with all the feels.
Submission by scottxlogan
I'm also including a newer work by the same author in case you just want to get a feel for how wonderfully she writes these guys, not to mention the shameless steamy goodness that are the author's smut scenes. scottxlogan is an expert at reversing common fandom tropes believably, and this will leave you longing for more of these power exchanges easily.
he carries the reminders by Wolfsheart
@mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea is another great friend and author I would trust even with my biggest squicks (not that she writes those anyway :D). She's not only technically brillant and very well-versed in the lore which makes every pairing she writes a great read (check out her Tony/Emma, too!), but she'll also never fail to make you laugh or put those hearts in your eyes. And don't miss all those pop culture references that even put Peter Parker to shame! She also gives us scogan fans exactly what we need with stories like this one, combining our fav hurt/comfort tropes with a healthy dose of canon fix it.
I loved you since I knew you by strangenewwords
@strangenewwords is a fairly new and dearly beloved addition to our group at @scoganbingo events, but she's already made a huge impact with her delicious smut and angst stories that hit you right in the feels. Technically also brillant, the linked story is definitely one you don't want to get spoilered for beforehand because the ending will leave you in absolute awe and tears. The author doesn't shy away from including the darkest sides of Scott's past but handles every subject with the necessary care and respect, and as I said ... You don't want to miss out on all that delicious smut!
The Day Before the Soldiers Came by Cerylid
Cery is offering a much-needed fixit for the team dynamics between the X-Men and Logan before X2 with this story. It comes with a lot of humor but also far more feels than you expect. The texting is hilarious but it's the quiet tones that get to you.
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Speaking of fix-its, since that negativity in the tags kinda got to me, too, I might just throw in one of my own works here too since I also got lots of Scogan stuff out there.
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
is basically my go-to X3 fix-it. You look for something to make that movie right, you got it all right there. Along with a bit of horror (we are talking about resurrection, after all) comes a dramatic rescue mission in a mental limbo, and you get an Avenger and Emma Frost guest-starring. There's a couple of follow up chapters that explore both scogan and Tony/Emma a bit further, and we even get a Laura version in old movieverse along the line, and of course all the nasty nasty smut you guys are here for.
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So, that's it from the top of my hat. All these accounts have even more great stories to check out, and there's lots of other scogan authors out there with great stories to enjoy. So don't let anyone tell you, there's no quality scogan stuff on AO3.
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swarvey · 3 months
Text
paper rings | harvey x f!reader
summary -> you decide to have some fun at the luau; harvey learns what it means to be truly humbled. warnings -> none! wc -> 2740
a/n: whaaattt i am totally not sneeking in leah x haley as much as i possibly can. absolutely not. anyways, another fun chapter to write!! this man is a prime example of dumbstruck with love. someone help him.
ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7
paper rings masterlist
chapter six: gorgeous -> "you've ruined my life, by not being mine."
Harvey couldn’t decide whether he wanted to cry or rip his hair out as Shane and Elliott berated him in each ear, both taking a different approach to dismantling his pride.
“You mustn’t let the Flower Dance dwindle your fiery love, Doctor!” Elliott insisted, twisting his head to try and meet Harvey’s downcasted eyes. “True love entails hardships and obstacles!”
“Sure, but I bet he didn’t expect his obstacle to be a damn kid,” Shane added distastefully. “That guy is a living example of ‘peaked in high school.’” 
“It’s true, I didn’t expect such a choice from our dear farmer, but it was her choice nonetheless. We must work with the present.”
“How? You think buying him a gridball uniform will help?”
“Shane, please, be realistic. I was going to suggest we find out when and where their next excursion will occur, so the doctor can reveal himself and profess his love—”
“What the— are you hearing yourself? What the hell are you on? Newsflash, we’re not living in a bad rom-com, pal.
“Alright, both of you, enough!” Harvey intervened, face beet red. “Listen, I have been thinking about this enough on my own, I assure you, so can we please try and enjoy the Luau?”
Shane cocked a brow, huffing. “Really? You think you can enjoy it with this shit going on in front of you?” He nodded towards where you were standing. 
Harvey glanced over, unsurprised to see Alex by your side. Emily smiled and nodded in front of you, her sister on her phone and chewing a piece of gum. At that point in time, the scene in front of him had become a common one. 
Except, one detail threw him off.
A familiar laugh sounded through the air, though it wasn’t yours.
A small smile lingered on Maru’s face as she continued to listen to whatever story you were telling, her eyes intently on you.
“Ah, yes,” Elliott sighed. “Leah informed me Maru took a liking to the farmer at the Flower Dance. Her efforts to befriend her haven’t ceased since then. I can’t say I’m not pleasantly surprised, Maru has always been a bit of a shy girl.”
“R-Right.” The writer looked over at his friend at the sound of his shaky tone, biting his lip when he saw Harvey’s face had paled. 
This was just about the last scenario he’d wanted to happen — after the Flower Dance, he had realized how his initial description of his “mystery girl” could fit Maru, despite him trying to pinpoint your characteristics. In the midst of it all, it seemed you ignored the fact you fit the picture perfectly, hearing only that he was interested in a nurse. Harvey cursed his past self, the full repercussions of his actions hitting him. 
Yet another mess he didn’t know how to clean up.
Shane let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead. “You really know how to get yourself into shit, don’t you, doc?”
“I suppose so,” he replied, voice void of energy. 
“Alright, enough with this moping.” Shane paused. “As much of an idiot as you are, you’re still my friend, and I owe you a few, so I’ll —  I can’t believe I’m doing this shit — I’ll ask Emily about it, alright? They’ve been hanging out a ton, so she’s gotta know something.”
Harvey looked at him with softened eyes. “Shane, I—”
“You better not tell a damn soul about this.” 
With that, Shane walked away, Elliott trailing behind him rambling something along the lines of, “I had no idea you could feel such things!”
Just as he began to relax, Harvey felt a finger tap his shoulder, jumping at the touch.
You laughed, stirred even more by his exasperated look. “C’mon, Harvs, loosen up! I feel like you’ve been so uptight recently.”
Oh, you have no idea. “Sorry,” he said, ignoring his thoughts. “You caught me off guard, is all.” He gave an awkward laugh, adjusting his glasses.
“You’re a bit . . . off, today,” you noticed, tilting your head at him. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all! How, um, how are you enjoying the Luau? Did you add something to the pot?” 
Despite his rushed voice, you — thankfully — decided to indulge him. “It’s been great! Especially since the weather has been so warm. Haley and Emily have basically been dragging me and Alex to the beach all week. Anyway, you’ll have to wait and see what I added to this year’s pot, it’s a surprise!”
Me and Alex. Harvey had to clench his jaw to prevent a scowl from forming on his face. He realized then just how foul the sound of another man’s name seemed coming from your tongue.
“What’s Maru like at work, by the way? She seems really sweet.”
“Maru, yes!” he answered, blinking as he came up with a careful response. “I enjoy working with her, she’s very passionate about what we do. She was actually one of the first people I truly talked to when I moved back here, since she wanted to be a nurse.”
You hummed. “I see.” Harvey noticed how your eyes narrowed for a split second, as if you were trying to decipher the meaning behind his words, before smiling. “That’s what I assumed.”
Harvey thought for a moment, knowing he had something he wanted to ask you, before brightening. “You remember the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies, don’t you?”
After a brief moment, you nodded excitedly, grinning. “How could I forget? We used to go every summer.”
Yes, of course. Harvey would never forget the evenings he spent with you on the beach, watching the water in anticipation as everyone waited for the jellies to arrive. He remembered you practically bouncing with excitement beside him, while he’d simply been satisfied seeing you happy.
Harvey smiled at the memory, a wave of nostalgia hitting him. “Well, it seems we’ll get to relive a memory this summer.”
“No way. They still come here?”
“Every year, just as before.”
“That’s great! Maybe you won’t be as scared as you used to be.”
“Hey, can you honestly blame me?! That is not a usual sight!”
As you laughed at him, Lewis announced the Governor would begin tasting the soup, and Harvey wondered why a mischievous look filled your eyes. Surely you wouldn’t put something unusual in the pot your first year in Pelican Town, would you? He expected you to save one of your best crops of the season for the occasion.
Instead, he watched Marnie nearly faint at the sight of the Governor pulling out a pair of purple shorts from his bowl. Lewis looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
“Are those . . . my shorts?! ”
-
After your little stunt at the last event, you were honestly surprised you were still invited to see the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. Oddly enough, everyone seemed to move on from it relatively quickly, including Lewis himself.
Deciding not to think about it too much, you quickly filled up your pet’s water bowl and double-checked all the farm animals’ enclosures before walking up to your horse. She looked down at you with gentle eyes as you put on her harness, closing her eyes as you pet her head.
“Ready, girl?” You urged her forward, wind biting your cheeks as you swiftly made your way towards the beach. The gleaming light of the sunset made the ocean shine as you approached it, and you couldn’t help but let out an easy breath as your horse slowed. Throughout the previous couple of seasons, Pelican Town had grown to feel more like home to you than the city ever did. Sure, it was small, and farmwork was tedious, but you’d rather spend the rest of your life in the freeing countryside than in the claustrophobic city.
As you hopped off your horse, giving her a quick pet as thanks, you were quickly approached by the sisters and Leah. You smiled, waving at them. 
“Your outfit’s cute,” Haley complimented immediately, a drop of surprise in her voice. Leah nodded in agreement.
Emily lightly grabbed your shoulders, looking you up and down before giving you a wide smile. “Yes, you’re especially beautiful tonight, Y/N. Your energy is stronger than ever.” You laughed lightly after she winked at you, to which her sister swatted her away.
“Ugh, don’t say that stuff, Em! Just be normal and call her hot.” 
Leah laughed. “She’s right, you’re radiant tonight,” she sighed dreamily. “You all will have to give me some tips on how to dress sometime.”
Haley whipped her head around, crossing her arms. “Why? Your style’s already perfect.” Leah blinked, speechless at her statement as she began to blush. After a moment, the blonde quickly turned away, checking something on her phone. 
“She’s never said that to anyone before,” Emily whispered in your ear, and you believed it. You were constantly surprised at her approval of your style, especially after seeing how she criticized pretty much everyone else in town — particularly Alex.
As if he could sense your thoughts, the jock himself appeared next to you, a gridball tucked under one of his arms as he heavily dropped the other around your shoulders. 
“How’s it goin’, farmer?”
You shoved him off, unable to contain your smile as he grinned playfully at you. Although the two of you had a bit of an awkward start due to Haley’s bluntness, you quickly learned Alex was much more understanding after opening up to you. After hanging out a couple of times, he ended up telling you about his background and how he didn’t have the best relationship with his father, which could explain why it was a bit harder for him to let down his guard. Hearing him talk had made you feel comfortable enough to bring up some of your own troubles, pleasantly surprised at how well he’d listened and expressed his sympathy to you. 
Now, the two of you were open friends, seeing each other every other day and helping each other out whenever you could. This explained why he eagerly held out the gridball to all of you, sweat glistening on his skin. From the looks of it, he’d abandoned his shirt a while ago, his muscular body showing in all its glory.
“You wanna toss around a gridball with me and Sam?” he asked, his excitement reminding you of Dusty whenever you approached him with a treat.
“I think I’ll pass this time,” you replied, watching as he turned hopefully to the other girls. 
Upon seeing Haley’s deadpan stare, he shrugged. “Suit yourselves.” With that, he ran to the other end of the beach, calling out to his friend as he reared to throw the ball.
“You two are actually pretty cute together, you know,” Leah commented. Emily looked at you with wondering eyes, while Haley scoffed. You had a feeling she already knew your answer.
“Yeah, well, he’s not really my type.”
Just as your blonde friend began to make a remark, Harvey walked onto the beach, and her mouth snapped shut. 
Maru was next to him. Not that it mattered, but she was. Is she blushing, or is it the heat getting to her? You frowned at your thought. Why did that even matter?
As they made their way further in, Maru spotted you quickly, waving enthusiastically. You raised your hand in a greeting, smiling at her.
“I seriously have no idea how you’re so nice to her,” Haley muttered, trying to keep her voice down. “She obviously likes him back.”
You shrugged. “Regardless of whatever the hell is happening between all of us, she’s still a nice girl.” Let’s ignore the fact I’m constantly trying not to compare myself to her.
When Maru went to join her family, you made your way over to him, which was apparently the other girls’ signal to scatter. You silently reminded yourself to tell them to be more subtle as he turned to you, giving you the same shy smile you’d seen for years.
“Y/N! It’s good to see you,” he greeted. You could smell the cologne he was wearing from a few feet away. 
“Hey, Harvey!” Ever since the Summer had started, Harvey had abandoned his coat, opting to simply wear his white button-up with his sleeves rolled up. You swore he must have started working out after college — he was no longer the scrawny med student you’d known in college. 
After realizing you had been staring at his broad shoulders and thick arms for a bit too long, you quickly cleared your throat, bringing your attention back to his patient gaze.
“So, how was your day?” you asked, hoping you sounded normal.
“Same old,” he sighed. “Maru and I had to stay at the clinic for a bit to finish up some work, though. We just got finished.”
“Really? What kind of work?”
He shrugged. “Nothing too important.”
Nothing too important? Really? You watched enough movies to have an idea of what that could mean. As the two of you fell into a comfortable silence, you snuck glances at Harvey, trying to read his facial expression.
Something was off, but you couldn’t figure out what.
-
Something was off. Harvey could feel it.
He couldn’t tell if it was because of your mannerisms — which were a bit out of character, he noted, as you kept giving him looks he wasn’t used to — or what Shane had gathered from Emily at the Luau. Being back on the beach brought Harvey back to his friend’s words.
“She wouldn’t budge,” he’d said, visibly frustrated. “She just said you should ‘tread carefully around her’ and to ‘pay attention to what you might not typically notice.’ Some shit like that. Sorry, bud.”
Although he hadn’t exactly gotten the answer he’d been looking for, Harvey was still grateful for Shane’s efforts, trying his best to read more into your body language than usual. Through his quick looks at you while you gazed at the water, all he was able to gather was that you, as per usual, looked completely and utterly breathtaking. The moon had completely replaced the sun at that point, its pale light exaggerating the features on your face he’d memorized over the years. 
He swallowed, eyes glued to the horizon as he prayed his dusted-pink cheeks wouldn’t give him away.
Just as he opened his mouth to break the silence, you turned your head, gasping.
“They’re here!” Sure enough, the jellies slowly floated into view, shimmering in the ocean’s waves.
As Harvey turned to get a better view of them, his hand grazed yours, and you flinched slightly. 
Am I seeing things?
While your eyes were wide and awestruck at the sight of the jellyfish passing by, he took the moment as a chance to admire your expression. The moment was quickly over, though, when the sisters and Alex joined you. Thankfully, the gridball player had thrown on his t-shirt for the event.
“Whoa, isn’t it cool, Y/N?” he voiced, eyes round with amazement, and you laughed. God, he usually loved the sound, but he couldn’t stand to hear it then.
Harvey grit his teeth at the sight of him on the other side of you, part of him wanting to grab your hand and pull you to his chest. How was it fair that Alex got to dance with you, to make you laugh, to go to the beach with you, while he had to watch from afar? 
His heart ached at the thought of you not being his. He honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if it stopped beating altogether. 
You turned to him then, and he jumped slightly as you met his eyes. 
“Still scared, Harvs?” you asked quietly, the teasing glint in your gaze reminding him of when you were young.
“Terrified,” he joked, tension leaving his body at the sight of your grin.
“Well, you’re in luck — I’m back in town, so I can protect you again!” He could hardly believe it. Despite decades passing, you still said the phrase with the same tone. It was as if he could hear your younger self’s voice echoing in the back of his head.
He couldn’t help but laugh, feeling his hand brushing against yours once again as the jellyfish disappeared. He swore it took all his willpower not to intertwine your fingers together.
Harvey wondered how you could be so, so close to his grasp, and yet so far away.
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hollyhomburg · 1 year
Text
Before I Leave You (Pt.55)
(Omegaverse au, Mafia au, Bts x Reader)
Summary: Namjoon’s rut hits, and hits hard. Not all of it is pretty. Not all of it is sweet.
Tags:  Free use, Rough Fucking, Size kink, Consensual Somnophilia, Knotting, Breeding kink, lactation kink, Group sex, Copious Dirty talk, Praise, Humiliation kink, dumbification kink, Biting, Blood mention, Blood kink, messy sex, Feral! Namjoon, Creampie, cum kink, cumplay, So much cum it’s honestly gross, Oral (f and m receiving), mommy kink, intercrural sex, briefly implied masochistic! Namjoon, collars, Trans! Tae, dysphoria mention, Jimin indirectly misgenders tae at one point (bad minnie), small amounts of fluff here and there, everyone lives nobody dies,
W/c: 18.7k
A/N: Listen, i don’t want to talk about the word count. I’m so excited to stop writing smut for this series for a little bit after this chapter 😭 don’t be surprised with the last scene bitch slaps you across the face cuz ngl, i’m a little proud of it. 
Previous Chapter - Masterlist
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(Ache)
Namjoon’s rut lasts for 3 nights and 4 days.
It’s quiet like drowning when you stir in the living room nest. A thick blanket of rut hormones sticking and burning in your mouth and nose. The milder smell of slick bright. Jungkook’s and Jin’s. Both. You have no idea when exactly Namjoon's pre-rut broke only that you're in the thick of it now.
You feel oddly cold. A strip of skin around your middle where your shirts pulled up vaguely bereft. Almost like there had been someone wrapped around you in the night. 
You don't know what woke you until you hear it- the fast wet sound of two bodies thumping against one another.
Everyone’s already awake. You watch as Hobi pulls himself up onto unsteady knees, cradling Jungkook’s cheeks in both of his hands. hands that slide to under his arms. 
He needs the support of someone holding him up because Namjoon's fucking him like a ragdoll. Holding both of his arms behind his back, fingers delicately circling his wrists and using them to tug him back and forth on his knot. the omega’s chest arched and bare. Nipples hard in the cold air. 
The fast pace Namjoon fucks him with is at odds with the alpha's usual gentleness. But nothing about Namjoon in a rut is like what you'd expect from your pack alpha:
Namjoon’s mouth is drawn back into a snarl. He pulls back harder Forcing Jungkook to arch his spine and let out these little noises, keens, and whines as Namjoon yanks his half-formed knot in and out of his wet hole. Seemingly uncaring of the omega's comfort or the vaguely distressing noises he's making.
Someone must have followed Jungkook’s earlier pleas; a pink and sparkly cock cage bobs below him, angry and red and completely untended.
Jungkook’s crying but you’re not alarmed by it. If anything you understand. It’s so convenient to cry on Namjoon’s knot. It’s practically an emotional pallet cleanser with how new it makes you feel. Namjoon pulls Jungkook back ass to hips, as deep as he can get and still not deep enough.
Hobi holds Jungkook’s face, pulling him close and saying something that makes the omega keen and shake harder. Hobi stays there until he cums. Face tucked close to the other alpha's chest. Namjoon doesn’t respond to another alpha's closeness with any truly territorial behavior but still. 
His lip lifts from teeth that look even sharper in rut. A warning to stay obedient.
The rut is beginning to affect you; you can feel it on your jaw. the alphas and yoongi might not feel it, but you omega’s do. your scent fluffs out calm and soothing, stronger and more heady, beckoning your alpha to you. There’s an ache and burn in your throat. A chirp or a purr building. Electricity in the air and the goosebumps on your arms. all coupled with the warm-wet-want sensitivity between your thighs leads you to believe it’s just the pheromones.
He smells so good, so good you lick your lips and pout, still half asleep.
Your mates’ hands wipe your hair back from your sweaty forehead, his usual good morning touches uncharacteristically shaky. Yoongi’s face is sleepy relaxed and smiling, but there’s tension in his eyes as he wakes you softly.
He'd rather not wake you just as Namjoon needs another knot. Jin's on the other side of the nest, and while it wouldn't be terrible to ask him to go again, Yoongi won't make that decision for you.
It won’t be long now. Jungkook’s already cum and Namjoon’s knot is close to popping. At this stage of the rut, you’ll have maybe 20 minutes before the pack alpha’s knot deflates and he turns his wicked intentions on you.
Yoongi’s hands tighten around your upper arms. He doesn’t know what he’s trying to do, keep you here so that the pack alpha can knot you, or peel you off of the floor of the nest and bring you to him. Both parts of Yoongi are at war. His fingertips tease at the fine baby hairs of your upper arms, clean and silky.
“We tried to let you sleep as long as possible.”
You nuzzle into his throat and sag back against his chest. Content to cuddle while you wait for your turn. You squirm all the while. Yesterday- taking Namjoon’s cock was so intense. Will it feel as good in rut too?
At odds with your mate’s sometimes somber expression Tae shuffles over. a bright pink blotch in the mostly pastel nest. She looks soft and excited, lips glossy from her lip mask. There is a small bit of her skincare routine sitting on the couch, Jimin brought what she deemed ‘her necessities’ earlier. There’s a good batch of the special numbing cream/antiseptic/soother Just in case. 
The cup of water she offers you is flavored with lemon. Sleepy touches and cute kisses, chaste questions about how you dreamed. All the while behind her you can see Jungkook and Namjoon fucking. It’s a little rude to ignore them, right?
Soon you’ll learn that while a rut can be awfully interesting and consuming for the omegas, For the other alphas it can get a bit boring.
Although they're allowed to fuss and care for the rest of you between the waves. There's a lot of waiting to be needed. It's likely they won't need to be fucked for a few more hours or even days. Until Namjoon's rut truly reaches a fevers peak and the omegas need a stretch of uninterrupted sleep.
That's how Namjoon's rut works: bad until it's worse, worse until it’s unbearable, and then the placid fall. Usually accompanied by the pack alphas tears. Ruts are intense not only sexually but emotionally too. When Namjoon gives in it always makes the eventual downfall worse. Rut-drop is different for every alpha.
Most of the time, Namjoon just tries not to act like a monster. Tries not to feel like one either regardless of Jungkook's pleas. Jungkook had nuzzled close soon after Namjoon had knotted Jin and whispered low in his ears, "I want you to fuck me up hyung. Please breed me until i can't think about anything but your knot,"
That's why he growled at Hobi, who had the audacity to insinuate that Namjoon wasn't doing something his packmate begged for.
A loud squeal and growl interrupt your conversation and tae sighs, Stirring her coffee with a clack of porcelain. (Knots popped then). Tae continues her usual morning kisses and scent marks like an alpha in rut isn’t directly behind her. Regardless of your intermittent squirming and darting gaze. Your scent spikes and Namjoon looks up, but he’s still riding the end of his knot.
"Pup," she says, directing your eyes back to her with her hand on your chin. "Eyes on me."
"Sorry Mommy."
There's no need to make Namjoon even more restless. Tae knows what you smell like- like fresh-cut fruit to a fly. As much as the pack alpha probably wishes he was doubly endowed like some monster out of a bad porno, he only has one knot. One omega at a time.
Normally, just Jin and Jungkook would be enough to take the edge off the first wave. But Namjoon has a third omega now. It’s hot and grating to see you on the other side of the nest. His alpha scratches and claw at Namjoon’s chest. Telling him the inferno won’t end, not until every omega in his pack is claimed.
Tae shuffles closer to Yoongi so that he can curl around the both of you, stroke over your stomach, clenching in anticipation. You know that she’s touching you because she’s thinking about how bred you’ll be soon. She missed too much yesterday, and she won’t take her eyes off of you this time. 
Knotting Jungkook is a brief and lucid affair for Namjoon, who does little more than tuck his face into Jungkook’s throat and take big greedy gasps at the omega’s scent gland. Honey sweet omega. Jungkook clenches around his knot, clamping down every few seconds like he’s trying to milk him of his cum. Purring small and cute rumbles that make Namjoon feel like jelly.  
No unpleasantness yet, just a dopy smile of his omega, clumsy finger running through the mess on his stomach. Pressing it into Namjoon's skin, marking him too. 
Namjoon’s knot goes down and the pack descends for some fussing. Jungkook flops down onto the nest right where he was bred because he’s too tired to move any farther. Jimin’s fingers check his hole with a press of gentle fingers. They feel thin in comparison to Namjoon's knot. No redness or irritation yet. Jungkook tolerates a few seconds before he pushes at Jimin's hands, demanding to be wiped up for breakfast.
Interest perks up between your legs, like Namjoon can sense it his nostrils flare and he sets his eyes on you. His cock hasn't gone down at all, He'll be like that, full mast, no flagging until the end of the rut.
He's the only one without any clothes on, everyone else wears at least one item of clothing. Namjoon doesn’t seem to be too upset that you’re in a large shirt. But it’s ever so intimidating to see him shuffle close, big cock heavy looking between his legs.
You squirm. But Tae and Yoongi hold you.
You don’t know where the trickle of fear comes from. Yoongi soothes you by petting the top of your head and keeping you still as Namjoon shuffles closer.
He leans down, nosing over your knee, pupils dark and wide. You squeak when He tugs your hips apart so that the sweet center of you is bare to the open air. A faint wet patch on your panties. His omega, wet for him. So small, so easy to manhandle and lift by the hips to settle onto his knees, out of Yoongi’s lap and into his.
You squeak a little turning when he pulls you flush against him, trying to get into the presenting position that your instincts want you to be in, chest down like nature intended, face buried in the perfect nest you’ve made for this purpose.
Namjoon doesn't like your twisting, holding you still.
You end up sitting on his powerful thighs facing Yoongi and Tae, sipping at her coffee and smiling like you don’t have an alpha in rut nosing at your throat. His big hands slide up and down your sides, touching you everywhere verifying that you’re okay, that you’re safe. Soothing the fear clenching bird-cage tight around his heart.
Namjoon is perilously lost to his rut as he leans to nose at your shoulder, sniffing your mating mark. Mouthing at it and your scent gland, sweet and warm under his lips, plush and nice tasting under his teeth. You turn, trying to move so you can face him but-
But he grabs your wrists, holds both of them, growling out a single word (it’s so hard for Namjoon to speak right now, like speaking through a mouthful of peanut butter).
“Stay.”
You freeze, But You’re a good omega. your instincts what you to obey Namjoon, limbs turned to jelly by a single order. Tae hides her smile behind the rim of her coffee cup, and Yoongi shifts in the way that you know he does when he’s turned on but wants to hide as Namjoon sniffs up and down your shoulder until he’s satisfied that you smell soothed, nipping hard enough to leave marks.
Only the thin fabric of your panties separates you from his cock, pressing against the soft fabric, not trying to fuck you yet but still there.
Namjoon doesn’t need you to present for him. An omega as sweet and small as you shouldn't be left to bob and move across the nest. Namjoon can keep you safer this way. In his lap, under his palms, any farther would be too far. 
You try to say something to him but he can’t hear it. Namjoon doesn’t even bother turning you around to face him, sitting back on his heels and pulling you with him. Hands fumbling to push down your panties until they’re around one knee. 
Wet slick gathers at his fingers, dripping onto his stomach mixing with Jungkook’s mark. A delicacy destined to go to waste when Namjoon’s alpha wants. When Namjoon’s alpha howls and scratches at his chest that he needs to breed you or else.
Namjoon pulls you back, a hand under each thigh and your back rest against his chest. he lifts you up just enough to where he can settle you on his cock in one smooth movement. You choke but Namjoon needs. he’s Barely lucid, “Sorry- ’m sorry-” he chants when he makes you let out a first wet sob at the insistent press of his cock against your sensitive hole. halfway in much quicker than before. No waiting this time because you’re so well-prepped.
It's just as intense, if not more, with how immediately Namjoon goes back to mouthing at your shoulder.
You knew what to expect but Namjoon’s cock burns as it fills you, just as thick as last time making you dizzy. Yoongi’s hand darts out alarmed, but you hold it softly where you grab it, tangling your fingers together, and nodding that you’re alright, hiccupping. 
“m’fine just- fucking hell Namjoon-”
Namjoon purrs and Tae leans on her elbow to watch. He holds your thighs apart a little wider so she can see where you meet. You look so small compared to Namjoon’s knot, so small it looks like it shouldn’t fit. Tae’s own cock twitches in interest. The sight of your cunt clenching around nothing when he lifts you up all the way is frankly too erotic.
Tae purs join Namjoon’s, coffee long forgotten.  
Namjoon fucks you just as brutally as he fucked Jungkook, His body trembles as he tries to hold himself back but he can’t. He can’t stop himself from lifting you up and settling you back down again. Nudging a choked moan from your throat every time his cock fills you.
The thickness makes you breathless and has your body instinctively trying to pull off. Too big. He's too big. 
He's not. Namjoon gives you no leverage from this angle. And brings you down on his cock regardless of your sudden panic. Too close, just like last time you're too close too quick. You can do little more than try and keep from letting out embarrassing noises as Namjoon ruts his hips forward. He holds you at his mercy and gives you very little room to move on your own. No chance to pull off as your first orgasm buries you.
Your sudden gush of slick drips down his cock when you cum, wetting the skin of his knot hot, nudging wider now at your hole. The burn is so good. So full. Your skin feels two sized two small over your bones. Yoongi’s lopsided smile has your stomach twisting in embarrassment. 
You sob, Pussy clenching greedy tight around Namjoon’s cock. 
Tae smiles and reclines in the nest to watch, smiling like she knows it's driving you crazy, eyes hovering where you drip and where you and Namjoon meet. She plucks your underwear off your dangling leg. Folding it until you can't see any of the light blue fabric. Holding it hard, knuckles white.
“I love watching Alpha play with you, does his cock feel good in your little hole honey? So good you just had to make a mess for mommy. My sensitive little pup.” She croons.
Namjoon burns hotter in a rut- sweat dripping down your spine, filthy licks of pleasure burning through your stomach as you nod. You’re so slick, so wet already. 
Your body gives and gives. His cock touches every bare inch, wet deep and absolutely mind-numbing. Yoongi pulls himself closer and grabs your joined hands. bringing them to his lips to kiss your palm. "Doing so well for alpha sweetheart, doing so well for us." 
The praise burns and stirs your arousal. Tae leans up to kiss your knee, and the image of them gets all warped as you start to cry. Namjoon's cock is truly the perfect Emotional pallet cleanser.
You hiccup, “Why does he have to be like, so fucking big-” Tae grins, smelling sweet and looking like you want her all over you.
“It’s a plot device, can you imagine if he was normal-sized? That wouldn't be fun at all” Yoongi barks a laugh shifting in the nest. He’s half hard just like Tae but his arousal isn't what's important right now. 
You pant lying your head back on Namjoon's shoulder. You wish Tae would stay away from bookish metaphors when you’re getting the knotting of a lifetime.
"Sure, 'fun' is definitely- fuck- how I'd describe- Alpha please-"  
So close to being fucked dumb, Tae and yoongi just laugh. Tae's hand smooths over your shaking thigh, trembling freely as Namjoon holds them. Soft giggles fade out. Her fingers toy on Namjoon’s powerful thigh as you bob, manicured fingers wandering to where you meet, and his next growl is for her.
This one's a warning. Namjoon will nip at her throat later in punishment if she interferes. His teeth will turn her honey skin all roses too. Purple and pink ones sucked by his mouth. Tae would look so pretty with marks. She looks pretty without them but Namjoon could make her prettier.
He fucks you so deep. You know Namjoon’s rut pheromones are supposed to make you open wider, open more to take his knot, but it feels like he’s fucking directly into the place you’d carry pups. So deep that he can’t not knot there.
It’s probably a good thing that you couldn’t get pregnant outside of a heat right now. Because if Namjoon cum’s this deep there’s no way he wouldn’t knock you up. Your alpha growls like he knows it, hands forcing your hips down like you might try and squirm away.
You're so cute like this, flushed face and sleepy on his knot. His hand's fist on your hips, keeping you impaled as you sob. Salty tears that Namjoon licks away. Such a soft little omega like you is certainly too vulnerable to walk around unclaimed. Namjoon should knock you up so that everyone else knows who you belong to.
The others are a rim of bodies on the edge of the nest, a mixture of asleep and awake and dozing. It’s Impossible for Yoongi not to watch as Namjoon lifts you by your thighs and uses you. Filthy fantasies that he’d never dreamed of when it came to you brought to life. Yoongi knows how good it feels just to lie back and take it. How good it feels to be used sometimes.
Tae's hands grab Yoongi's waist, petting up and down his bulge. Fingers circling a dewy patch not touching under his black boxers. She shushes his protests. Whispering that it's cute that he's so turned on, that seeing his mate get bred so well she'd dumb from it has him hard.
Namjoon's knot is already close to popping. Wet heat hugging him so perfectly. His hand's fist on your hips hard, bruising your thighs without meaning to.
He nips at the scruff of your neck, and you cum again, wet and gentle, dripping faintly onto the nest. Just a little.
Tae shifts closer to you sitting across Yoongi's parted thighs. Namjoon’s kissy licks are sloppy and demanding when Tae guides him in. Distracted. Namjoon just rocks into you. Tae's giving you a breather a moment to catch your breath. To put your hands on her thighs and shake uninhibited.
Alpha, Namjoon’s brain purrs, mine, my pretty alpha.  
She pulls off of his lips and he chases them. Her eyelashes press against her cheeks like soft wisps of a petal. But her lips speak not of Eden’s but of beautiful wicked things that Namjoon's alpha hungers for.
“She'd look so pretty knocked up alpha? Don't you agree? I need to learn alpha; can't you show me?" Namjoon’s cock twitches inside of you. Her hands wander, drifting up your sides to touch your chest.
Tae’s fingers tease at your nipples and you arch into the touch. You’re Sensitive there, that part of your body not bitten or teased. “Don’t you want to make her sweet here too?” It’s dizzying, the idea of you swelling with milk. Pupped from Namjoon’s knot. 
Namjoon seems to think so too because his knot actually does pops. sudden and all too thick for your hole. So big that he can do little but rock up into you, locking you together. The sharp feeling of Namjoon’s teeth grazing the scruff of your neck sends you spiraling as he purrs at the image of you dripping with milk because of him.
It’s so messy, his cum feels so hot and sticky as he fills you. You’re still wet and full from earlier. Namjoon cums so much, so much that you can feel it starting to slip out around the knot almost immediately. Tae seems to realize it, fingers predatory and exploring. Cupping the bulge in your tummy. Licking her lips when she pulls up the hem of your shirt to see your cunt again. Your cute clit twitches and drips just a little more under her gaze. Embarrassed by her brazen looking.
“Doing so well alpha,” she hums, petting your sweaty hair back from your forehead. “Breeding our omega so much I can feel it.” Her fingers meanly dig into the bulge in your tummy and make you gasp. She giggles when she feels the bulge where Namjoon is, twitching as he cums a little more.
It's so hot. Tae's cock is big but not this big, it excites apart of her she doesn't understand quite yet.
You soon learn that those words are like candy to him, that's the other alphas' true job, to egg him on into cumming even when he could keep breeding you for hours. Namjoon's knot is easily triggered by their filthy words. 
“Don’t you want to breed me alpha? you can't until you finish with her.” 
"Your cum is slipping out alpha, you have to keep him knotted so it takes." 
“You can’t breed me until you eat a little Joonie, come on and be a good pup for Jinnie.”
“Breed me please alpha, she’s so tired and I’m so empty.” 
You think you’ll have heard it all by the end of the week.
Tae and Yoongi help guide you into a more relaxed position, Namjoon's lap pressed flush to your ass. From the other side of the nest, Jungkook stirs. Licking his lips and yawning. He looks over at you, hair falling over his face in a sweaty mop. Sleepy satisfied pout tugging at the pack's heartstrings.
“Can someone get us some breakfast?”
2 alphas jump to their feet. Yoongi even shifts, guiltily nursing a hard cock that’s none of your business. Filthy filthy thoughts barely quieted from their symphony to melody. He'll handle it later on his own if Tae doesn’t get to him first, (she will, she’s going to eat him up, but later, after the omega’s are attended to)
 Tae grabs your glass and guides a straw to your lips, prompting you to sip and soothe your hot throat. Nuzzling into the side of your face.
"Did so well for us baby pup, I knew you could handle alpha." Namjoon growls, although it's closer to a purr. agreeing. "He's nothing but a big puppy, can mommy help in any way?"
Your kiss is soft and sloppy, little more than licking into her mouth. Tae's dumb puppy just from a knot. Tae can't wait to see how puppyish you get the farther into Namjoon's rut they go. 
"Can I have some breakfast too?"
Kisses, pressed to your forehead, "Of course you can."
You let out a held breath. And begin to believe that maybe this might not be so bad. Maybe all of Yoongi’s fussing was just that; fussing.
Maybe.
~-~
(Liar)
Out of all the things you didn’t anticipate for Namjoon's rut, it's Jin getting violent.
Jin prefers to ride Namjoon; something that’s endlessly grating to the alpha’s ego. His alpha demands Namjoon have his omega belly down in the nest. Legs parted and hole bare for Namjoon to ruin and breed. Territorial of it. 
Their instincts push at each other, one an up well and the other a downdraft. They can’t reasonably both be dominant right now, but instincts are sharp when honed by a rut.
Jin submitting is something the pack omega would never allow. Let alone to Namjoon? 
Get real.
You’re i’ll at ease in the moments when it's Jin's turn. It’s a bit frightening watching both of them, even if you’re too sore to even consider trying to get in between them. Trying to stomach the fruit that Jimin feeds you slices of pineapple as you watch the war. Neauseu brimming and a stomach ache too. 
Although that could just literally be Namjoon’s cum. The alphas were conscientious of it, and put you in the largest shirt imaginable. Pooling over your thighs. But it’s still there- the heaviness. The complete feeling of being breed rull, making you sluggish and prone to cuddling and dozing. Kneading at the nest and fluffing it too. Not unlike the feeling of getting full off of pasta
Not a food-coma, but maybe a cum-coma. 
Jin called them brooding instincts earlier. The ones that tell you to stay put and keep the nest warm for your alpha. the same instincts that prompt the alphas to feed you by hand, their omega’s too precious to lift a finger. 
Namjoon doesn’t feel them, that much is clear from the way he and jin fight. you sniffle and contemplate asking them to stop. 
They pull each other back and forth across the nest, grappling for control. Namjoon would never hurt Jin but his snarls make it seem like he might. Namjoon threatens to nip at jin’s throat, closing, holding on until Jin grabs his jaw and claws at it. Raking his nails down Namjoon's throat leaving red lines. Namjoon tries to press Jin's shoulders down but Jin slaps the alpha clear across the face.
He does that several times. 
You wince, but honestly...Namjoon seems like he likes it a little too much. halfways grinning and halfway bearing his teeth. the bloodlust and actual lust tangling into an intoxicating rush. 
You wince when you watch Jin twist the alpha's wrist back when he tries to press his hand flat against the omega’s tummy. “don’t touch me like I’m some sort of broodmare Namjoon- I mean it.”
Namjoon snarls, pushing up against Seokjin's weight unsuccessfully ousting him. You can’t help but think that if that were you you’d bob across the nest like a paperweight. Only his body weight keeps him solidly seated over Namjoon's knot, teasing it between his wet cheeks. 
Namjoon tries to nibble at the omega’s shoulder, but jin pushes him away by the face. he raises a finger menacingly. “don’t you fucking dare bite me again.” every syllable laced with pure command, and Namjoon holds himself back- just barely.
Namjoon tries to scruff Jin, with his hands and his teeth, but ends up just gnashing his teeth. The omega's body is and not limp and breedable scruffed stupid like Namjoon wants.
You watch, nibbling on fruit, Jimin waiting with the next slice in his hands completely unbothered by it, the rest of the pack too- doesn't pay the display of aggression any mind.
You’re sticky in places that you shouldn’t be sticky, sore in places you wish you weren’t sore. A no-spill mug half full of liquid next to you (an unfortunately necessary precaution that reminds you a little too much of a sippy cup to be completely unshy about it). You'd accidentally knocked Tae's cup earlier. A stain on the edge of the nest sits, red-pink violent messiness.
Jin actually kicks at Namjoon’s thigh, gripping his hair and pulling hard enough to rip it out. Namjoon’s canines look particularly sharp in the evening light.
“Fuck- just fuck- submit” Namjoon grinds out, teeth gnashing menacingly. It takes real effort for him to speak right now and you wince as Jin nearly kicks Namjoon’s cock with his next move. You can’t imagine that would garner a pleasant reaction.
Then again...maybe Namjoon likes that kind of thing a little more than you thought.
None of your packmates seem alarmed at all, even Hobi, who carries various containers of sliced fruit ducking down to offer them to anyone who might want them. Bare-chested with only his tapered track pants hanging low on his hips, nibble marks up and down his chest and arms. It's a sympathetic predicament; a mark or two peaks out from under your collar too. Not just marks from Namjoon, but bite marks or sucked bruises from all of them too. 
Nothing makes the pack want to claim each other like a rut. 
"You all good here?" hobi asks, voice soft and gravely. Jimin nods before you can, a bowl of mango and pineapple between his thighs. Hobi moves on to Jungkook whose making grabby hands at the blueberries. He’s got a bit of dried cum on his cheek and you watch as hobi produces a wet washcloth seemingly out of nowhere to clean it off. 
Your heart clenches longingly. Jimin doesn’t notice your slightly souring scent, too busy holding onto a slippery piece of mango that he presses against your lips.
Hobi’s been staying on the opposite side of the nest from you for most of this. whenever it's your turn to take Namjoon's knot he makes sure to look away, pretend to be sleeping, or makes himself busy. Puts his back to you in the kitchen while he fills up a water jug or rushes downstairs to check on noodle and give him some much needed tlc. 
He’s good at keeping himself busy with the packmates too, helping clean them up, checking Koo's cock cage (not really necessary, but it's fun to watch the omega squirm). He wipes Namjoon's cum out of Jin and Yoongi's hair. Every gross and mildly satisfying task is a decent distraction from your predicament.
Hobi's doing a good job of not making this weird.
A really really good job. 
...
That's a dirty rotten lie. Hobi is a piss poor liar. Even in the confines of his own head lying to himself never works. 
His sanity is hanging on by a flimsy little thread that is sure to snap if he hears you begging for your alpha again. Or if he sees you belly down, or if you even think about trying to fluff the nest and make it perfect for Namjoon to breed you. If you even glance in his direction. Any of it. 
And Jesus Christ, the sounds you make when he's knotting you. 
Cute little 'ah ah ah's and squeaks when namjoon shoves his cock in all the way, Petting over your stomach and giggling “Can feel alpha knocking me up.” Omega space dumb and knotted stupid and cute and pretty in the way that- 
Hobi’s getting distracted. It’s just the rut pheromones talking. 
He's not above putting his headphone in, but the second he thinks of it, he knows he can't. His alpha howls and claws at his chest as is. Begging Hobi to keep watch and do something awful like hold you while Namjoon fucks you or worse- cuddle you from behind when you sleep. Or do something even more embarrassing like try and kiss your forehead and tell you you’re doing a good job. 
Everything Hobi's instincts want is absolutely ridiculous.
Namjoon and Jin might fight each other during Namjoon’s rut, but Hobi has a harder battle to win. 
He settles for making himself useful; he makes sure there are always enough wipes on hand, makes sure everyone's got a change of clean clothes on the edge of the nest. 
Makes sure the omegas cups are always no less than half-filled with ice water. lemon for jin, passion fruit flavored pre-workout for jungkook...and iced strawberries instead of ice cubes for you because you like when they get a little mushy. 
it's gross really, who the hell like’s thawed frozen fruit? (Hobi’s alpha thinks it’s adorable how you nibble on them, too hard for you to eat directly, a pup teething. Omega’s get orally fixated quite a bit during ruts. all of you do- although with alphas it’s more an urge to bite.)
Hobi's alpha is pacing the confines of his head, watching, waiting for his turn to be let out. A few knot cycles ago Jin noticed how on edge he’d been acting; never staying stationary, pacing the non-proverbial edge of the pack territory. searching for intruders. 
Never one to leave any of his alphas untended- Jin had Jimin retrieve the pack's collars from the other room. Now, Hobi's red collar sits latched at its loosest setting around his throat. It does help settle him, but being settled makes him even less sure of his emotions. 
But Jimin didn't just get Hobi's collar, but yours and Jungkook's too.
And now that fucking bell rings every time Namjoon pushes you up and down the nest and hobi's Knot just doesn't understand that Pavlovian ticks don't just spontaneously arise without copious training.
(Yoongi unlatches the bell when it's time for everyone to sleep with a sorry look in Hobi's direction. Is he being that obvious? Is he making either of you uncomfortable? Tae catches him biting his cheek at one point, and tugs on the loose collar until Hobi unclenches his jaw. "good puppy."
He should do more. Get up and get you and Jungkook something more substantial. Protein shakes? Yes. That’s perfect.
You watch Jin and Namjoon fight. There's a little bit of blood on Jin’s teeth when he snarls back, his own fault after he banged his mouth on Namjoon’s shoulder by lunging at the alpha. The taste of it on their kisses, messy and purely brutal- only does more to excite the two of them.
“You think I’m going to bed over for a knot as pitiful as yours? Fucking joke of an alpha won’t even fuck me proper-”
Namjoon yanks Jin back by his hips, pushing him down. The slick sheets of the nest don’t give the omega much to grab onto even less when Namjoon sheathes his cock inside the omega’s hole in one brutal thrust and None of his usual slow-deep gentleness.
Jin squeaks, more of an undignified yell. But the way his cock weeps against his stomach tells all of you that really, Jin's enjoying it.
Jin rakes his nails down Namjoon's back leaving long red lines as the alpha begins to fuck him, apparently not too tired to fight but willing enough to make the alpha work for it. Namjoon’s hand closes around Jin’s cock, fucking him up from both sides. The omega's pleasure tastes amazing when Namjoon laps at his throat, all milky and orgasam-sweet on his tongue. Jin's pleasure tastes like victory like winning something vital.
Namjoon always has to earn it when it comes to Jin. 
“Say it again- say it,” Namjoon makes to nip at Jin’s throat and the omega weakly swats him away. “Tell me again how this knot that’s splitting you open is pitiful, huh? Can’t even manage it? is something distracting you?”
Jin rightfully chokes on his next words. Surrendering to the waves of rut as Namjoon starts fucking him in earnest.
You and Jungkook share a look, faintly blushing at the dirty talk. sipping at your protein shakes. Yours is strawberry. His chocolate.
(Hobi might have added a little bit of sweetener to yours. you need to keep your strength up a little right? you’re not quite as durable as jin and jungkook. Are you too tired? Should he protect you from your mean and nasty alpha, shouldn't he?
There’s only one mark that you don’t wear and that’s hobi’s, even Jungkook had sucked a small bruise onto the skin of your behind, and it pokes out every now and then when you shift your arms above your head. 
That little fucker even made it the shape of a heart.)  
One second, they’re nipping at each other’s throats and the next Namjoon’s waxing poetic about knocking Jin up with his pups. Jin's equally as teary-eyed, grabbing at Namjoon's face and pulling him closer for a messy kiss.
The others don’t seem quite as worried about it as you are, taking a few moments to fluff the nest and remove the absolutely ruined blankets while the pack omega and alpha are lost in each other. Readying the nest for bed. One night down, probably one or two more to go.
You get a chance to ask Yoongi about it later when Namjoon’s sleepily mouthing at the nape of Jin’s neck. Yoongi quietly explains the fighting. Curled on his side, elbows brushing your elbows. Willing for you to run your fingers through his hair.
You’ve been doing it a lot recently but maybe it’s just your grooming instincts. You’ve yet to figure out if you have those like Jin. But the gentle tugging against his scalp is nice. Nicer when he tucks his face down and lets you play with all of it. Yoongi’s hair has grown out a little, dark roots and chestnut red ends. falling a little past his shoulders.  
(From the other side of the nest, Hobi watches, feeling oddly touch starved but determined to get some sleep. Jimin falls asleep next to him with his fingers hooked in the loose collar. An anchor against the thoughts that you should be grooming him like that) 
"One of these days they’re going to mate during a cycle” your mate admits,  worry leaking into his every syllable. “They hold off each time but every cycle it gets a little bit harder. Each cycle they get a bit more violent.”
“Oh?” You pull yourself up on unsteady hands. That doesn’t surprise you one bit. The pack omega and pack alpha have always been that. One half of a matching set. Fated.
“Why don’t they just do it then, if they both want it?”
You’d always thought that if they were to mate it would be more ceremonial, With little suits and some sort of fanfare. you and tae hashed it out in your daydreams and made a pinterest board for it ages ago. Most people treat mating’s as smaller more private weddings if they’re going to do it at all. Both of them are the type of people to want to make it matter. You tell Yoongi as such and he agrees.  
“Jin always says his parents wanted him to do it the traditional way, with hanboks and temples and all that.” You both don’t say that this is also how the family likes to structure their mating too. But the subtext is there. Yoongi pets over your arm absentmindedly.
“Jin doesn’t talk about them a lot.” Yoongi knows what you’re asking.
“He’s got pictures somewhere. They’ve been gone for a long time. He has some family still- a few second cousins across the world, but they’ve never met. If you ask him about it, I’m sure he’ll tell you.” You’re the only family I need, he says when you ask and it’s true.
Different cultures handle packs and pups leaving the nest differently. It’s a bit of a history lesson but based on what you know from historical dramas An omega betrothed to an alpha usually qualifies as ownership of that omega. Jin wouldn’t be considered as part of his own household anyway. 
Just like you, once you were married to Geumjae you were automatically a responsibility of Yoongi’s family too. Your own hardly mattered.
You imagine what Namjoon and Jin’s mating might look like in the future if it wasn’t traditional. A nest that Jin would make special, all white blankets wrapped in perfect rings. A nest for Namjoon and Namjoon only. The rest of you waiting on the fringes. Your faces lit by candlelight swaying at the rushes of their scents.
Who would bite who first? Would Namjoon yield or would Jin hand over that responsibility to him? You imagine blood soaking cotton, blood soaking souls. The pack as it should be.
No wonder they fight like they do. If that's what they're both thinking about. What they both want but won't let themselves have yet.
Yoongi nuzzles into the bite marks by your palm, Every inch will be claimed and bitten by the end of the rut.
“Why don’t they just do it already?”
Yoongi shrugs, but the truth is that there isn’t a shortage of answers. It could be because of your relatively recent introduction to the pack or because of Yoongi’s distant absence. Tae’s coming out. All reasons could have been why they thrashed the plans they had in the back of their minds. 
There's always a reason not to let yourself have something you're anticipating. It drags out the hope a little longer.
Maybe they just don’t want anyone to feel lonely right now.
You think of your own mating and those first few months of heightened sensitivity; how every time Yoongi had taken a step away from you it had triggered tears and a touch starved ness so gnawing it was maddening. chewing your senses to the bone with how grateing everything seemed. the lights hummed too bright without his touch, and all scents stank if they weren't his chocolate.
Yoongi isn’t an alpha of course, but even he’d been a little too protective of you the few times you’d dared venture out or switch hotels. Constantly putting himself between you and anyone who came too close.
On the other side of the nest, Namjoon is quite literally protecting Jin from nothing with his body. A letteral blanket draped over his backside. Fallen asleep knotted inside the omega. 
You know Namjoon will be more sensitive to it. You wonder if you’ll be considered other too. Maybe for the first few days until their instincts settle. But it’s a lot to think about especially when you can still feel Namjoon’s cum wet and messy inside of you.
When you shift, a little of it trickles out. Your hand goes between your thighs, physically stopping more of it from leaking out and onto the nest at the last second.  
Yoongi sits up abruptly letting out an alarmed noise "Do you need-” he jumps up quick pants pulling loose a little in his hurry to help you. flashing your mark and a few bruises on his hip.
Namjoon must have gotten mouthy with him earlier, but everyone in the pack is a little bitten. Between waves, he’s content to teeth at you like a puppy would at a toy.
Your nipples rub sensitively against your shirt, Namjoon had loved Tae's suggestion earlier a little too much. You and the other omegas have been bearing the brunt of namjoon’s freshly awakened fixations. Your nipples have gotten puffy and sensitive from all the attention. Jin's small pectorals have bitten rings, purpling already and so does Jungkook and Tae. 
Your mate cleans you up with delicate fingers, long and crooked and more than a little arousing even though they're purely mechanical. Every time you clench you force a little more out. His fingers delicately check you each time, mindful of your sensitive squirming. He huffs, but it's put upon. 
“so messy, my messy pup” he croons, shushing you when you protest, making you lie back. He sets his hand on the lower part of your stomach. "squeeze for me sweetheart- good" You barely resist the urge to cover your eyes as Yoongi wipes you up ever so slowly. 
Folding the cum soaked rag around and tossing it wide, it lands on the wooden floor with a thump. But you guess the whole place was going to need to be deep cleaned anyways.
Kisses go nowhere once he’s finished, curling up together on the edge of the nest until you're too sleepy to continue talking. Sleep comes easy to you until you’re summoned by a heavy hot body settling behind you, lips teasing at the mating mark on your neck and the collar. 
At least Namjoon makes no move to detangle you from Yoongi. That’s a definite plus. Yoongi even helps hold your thigh up so the alpha can breed you properly. You fall back asleep mid-way, so sleepy that you decide Namjoon can have what he wants of you. If you cum that's Namjoon and Yoongi's business, not yours.
It's better than fighting it.
~-~
(Tae)
It is an unavoidable reality, that one day you will fuck up with the person you love. Not by malicious intent, but just by virtue of being human.
Having you there during Namjoon’s rut ends up being kind of a blessing. With 3 omegas to cycle through every other hour or so- you have the chance to complete a singular sleep cycle between each time you’re needed.
Jungkook’s the one who jumps up the most, the most eager to be used and tossed and thrown around the nest, happy to be fucked into crying, into squirting. But even he tires eventually. squirming away from Namjoon’s hand loosely bound around his cock cage, lapping at it to taste the omega’s thin spend that leaks from it. Squirming away when the alpha wiggles his way between jungkook’s thighs and asks to see his cumruined hole. 
But if the three of you happen to need a little extra time to doze. The pack alpha finds no shortage of distractions. 
You’re hazy and so so tired when you wake and glimpse just a little of it, but it’s an image that you won’t soon forget.
Hobi’s bare chest dotted with new pink marks and Namjoon nibbling along his throat. Teeth digging into the leather of his collar clearly frustrated with the amount of skin it covers. Jimin and Tae work in tandem sucking around his knot and making out around it. Kissing around it and moving their mouths up and down. alternating between lapping at the head of his cock and sucking kisses onto his half-formed knot.
Yoongi feeds Namjoon slices of tangerine when he bothers to stop nipping at Hobi’s chest. his movements are jerky like he's unsure what he wants more; Hobi’s skin beneath his teeth, to cum, or some fucking food.
Your eyelashes flutter, and sweat drips down Hobi’s chest, purple rounds dotting his skin. And you settle back, going to sleep because to get horny over it is to interrupt them. 
Namjoon’s rut pheromones are designed by biology to make all of you sort of horny. As the first day becomes the second, your other alphas become needier and needier. More affected by the rut stench. You can taste him everywhere, on the back of your teeth, their lips when you kiss them. Rileing all of them up.  
Before you, the alphas where needed between cycles to make it easier, but now namjoon reaches for them less. they don’t take it personally but- they need their alpha too. At times its not only Joonie that you help settle. 
You’re somewhere in between Jimin and Tae by the following morning. Not fucking either of them because you’re far too sensitive for that, but letting them fuck between your thighs keeps them soothed.
You like it. You like being a vehicle for the pleasure you can smell on the edge of their scents, Jimin’s thick vanilla, and the Rosey cinnamon of Tae’s scent so soothing against your rut raw throat. It feels nice just to have them close like this. Tae's back pressed to yours and Jimin nosing at your front.  
 Maybe this is the other side of the scale, tipped the other day when Jimin got you off in the nest. You don't really want to get off right now and you don't think you will, but that doesn't mean they can't take what they need from your tired body, you trust them that much. 
You’re so wet between your thighs, a mess of slick and cum gathers there that your body just can’t keep inside anymore. Too well fucked and tender to clench closed at all. But your packmates don’t mind the mess at all. In fact, they seem to marvel at it.  
Jimin had hooked his fingers in earlier, gentle as he spread you to see,
You’re stretched a little from Namjoon's cock, winking at him as you struggled to clench and keep all his cum inside. Messy and perpetually dripping slick and cum. 
Namjoon has never thought to fuck you in your other hole either; no need to waste the pack alpha's cum where it can't breed you. You probably couldn't take him there without training anyway. But his cum drips down and wets your tight pucker steadily.
Jimin can’t resist the temptation to rub his thumb over it, making you squirm. 
Jimin had asked if maybe one day, you'd thought you’d be able to take two cocks at once.
Jimin's not above admitting that he's got sort of a thing for sloppy seconds. He likes it when the drag goes sticky with squirt or cum or slick. He likes it messy. When he can feel another alpha's cum around his cock.  
The drag is slippery and tight when they’ve got you like this. Jimin’s hands hold your thighs together and keep the drag firm. Little translucent webs of cum stick to his lap when he pulls back and fucks forward, more mess slipping out the more he jostles you.
Namjoon always cums so much when he's in a rut, All alphas do. After knotting you more than half a dozen times your stomach feels tight and trembly. It's worse when his cock pushes you clean of everything, and everything he’s spilled inside previously slides down the length of his knot and pools messy and white.
Just like now, both of their cocks are wet from it. You squirm, trying to pull Jimin's palm away when he presses down on your stomach. thumbs digging into your pubic bone. He soothes you, lips plush and bitten pink and puffy. Fuck, he wants to clean you up. Can’t find a way to ask politely. he needs to get his mouth on your cumfilled hole before this is over, to feel how greedy Namjoon got.
"Wanna feel what mess Alpha's made of you baby, it's our job to keep you clean, let us-"
You do let them, let their hands wander regardless of the mess. You're so soft, the chub in your thighs moving as Jimin and Tae fuck it, hugging their cocks and knots. Jimin understands why Namjoon's nibbled at your softness so much. The urge to have you under his teeth is palpable.  
It’s hard for the other alphas during ruts sometimes, not because any of them feel any particular ownership over the omegas, You don’t know about other packs- but yours isn’t like that.
(At least, you sort of hope Namjoon isn’t going to be like that. It's kinda cute. When you ignore the obvious red flags and all. All the sweetest cakes have added sugar after all. Everything gets a sugarcoat, it’s brutal and sweet to be used by this)
Seeing Namjoon in rut reminds them of what they usually enjoy but can’t have right now. Like a favorite cake made not for your birthday. Sacrifice never felt so sweet, so alluring. Conjuring up images of what Jimin and Tae's ruts might look like. What it would be like to get you between the two of them like this.
If you weren’t so sore already, you might risk it.
Tae’s cock nudges up in between your pussy lips as she fucks into your thighs. Pushing over your sensitive hole and aching little clit. The familiar velvet of Jimin’s cock and knot just below as they fuck between your thighs together. The drag tight and warm.
Tae’s hands are on your chest again. Touching and brushing with abandon and you arch into her touch. Tae has always loved your tits and touched them more than your other alphas. They’re sensitive now from how much Namjoon's bit at them. The cool air soothes where her fingers don't tease. The shirt rucked up to your throat.
The attention makes Jimin pause, huffing warm breaths pressed to your throat. Tae keeps his eye contact as she teases you. It's a challenge and an invitation. Her action's slow like she wants him to join in. Jimin's fingers reach but stutter. Cupping your rib cage but go no further.  
Jimin's seen Namjoon do this too. The pack alpha has spent a good portion of his downtime suckling at your chest between rut waves, falling asleep there even. Parted mouth pressed to your sternum.
The pack omega often reaches to pull your shirt down so that you don’t have to sleep so exposed. Taking pains to think of your comfort and Hobi’s. The pack omega keeps Hobi on a short leash, looping his arms around the alpha's waist and dragging him into a cuddle whenever he’s not being fucked. There’s something about Hobi- Jin’s gentlest pup- that’s particularly soothing when Namjoon goes feral.
Now Jimin eyes your chest nervously, even as Tae prompts him. Is this the kind of fuck that Tae's always wanted, to be kissed and cupped and sucked at, to be touched gently like this?
Hasn't he done this?
Tae's hand run's through Jimin's hair and he's a goner. "Won't you help make her sensitive Minnie? I promise she's as sweet as she looks."
Bitten, you look so bitten and so claimed. So theirs. Jimin's so close, so close to painting your thighs milky, to cumming all over you and making a mess of your hole with namjoon. Tae's cock pressed close feels heavy and warm too. The familiar velvet that brushes against him occasionally intoxicating.
But Jimin is nervous, and he hesitates. You keen at the attention, your nipples standing puffy in the cold air, teased further firm with how Tae's touching you. alternating between the slightest pressure and mean tugs. Pulling sweet little mewls from your mouth at the new stimulation.
Tae fucks up and closer, pushing through your heat, moving their position so that she's below jimin and can trap his cock between her and your slick cunt, lips parting so that Jimin can rut up and through you, nudging at your clit.
Fuck- it feels so good. You mewl and Jimin finds it easier to lick into your mouth as opposed to your chest like Tae’s prompting. This close to cumming, he doesn’t think.
(pleasure makes alpha’s so so so dumb.)
It’s crazy that just one word is what does it. “Take it- take it baby” Jimin rests his forehead on your shoulder. He doesn’t see Tae’s flinch at his next words. Doesn't notice that anything's wrong until it's too late.
“Just like you take all of your boys' cocks. Yours yeah? We’re all yours.”
Tae’s pleasure flags so quickly that her hips stop mid-thrust. Her Cock remains trapped between your thighs. Suddenly aware of it, the faint burn there, the faint wrongness, just a little. Jimin keeps fucking your thighs.
Maybe she’s too sensitive because one moment she wants this and the next moment, she needs to detangle herself from you two. To sit back and rationalize that of course female alpha’s have cocks so her’s shouldn’t feel wrong or different. She knows Jimin didn't mean it that way and yet.
She moves back from you gently, Her cock only semi-hard now. Popping free from your thighs and pressing to your ass. Wet and glossy.
All your boy’s cock’s, boy cock, not girl cock. Because Tae is not a girl in the ways that matter, not a girl without the hormones and bi monthly blood tests and effort, Tae doesn’t get this without effort. If she had a cock sheath like female alphas it would be easier. She could tuck her cock away and forget it even existed. Maybe she could pretend to be a female omega like you and never let anyone touch it at all.  
Being a girl always feels a bit like playing pretend especially when the dysphoria rages with hungry hungry jaws. Begging for Tae’s blood or her heart in it’s mouth. 
It’s crazy how it’s just that that does it. 
Jimin’s face flashes up like he’s realized what he said and how wrong it was. As Tae scrambles away from both of you in the nest, it’s Minnie who moves after her. You flop down onto the blankets suddenly cold. You’re left alone, a pretty heap at the edge.
You let out a chirp of surprise. To your alphas, there is no sound more grating.
The sound makes Namjoon perk up from the other side of the nest, jerking even though his knot is deep in Jin's hole. 
Yoongi pauses. He’s been feeding Jin grapes for the better part of the last half hour. The bowl is mostly empty, with a bit of water at the bottom that spills when Namjoon yanks his cock from Jin’s hole.
You clamp a hand over your mouth but it’s too late. Unhappy packmate, scared packmate. The sound summon's Namjoon like a moth to a flame.
Tae stands on bambi legs. She just needs to get a little bit of air in her lungs, something to make her lungs not feel so tight. Minnie’s not far behind. “Tae I didn’t mean-“ he reaches, arms looking like they’re about to go in for a hug. But She holds up her hands keeping him at arm’s length. Tears wet on her cheeks.
“Minnie. It’s okay, I just- I don’t think I want you to touch me right now, please just- please don’t- just give me a second.”
One of Namjoon’s pretty alpha’s upset would be bad enough, but two is unconscionable. Prompts him to stalk across the nest. Angry pheromones roll off of him in uncontrolled waves.
“Wait Joonie don’t-”
Too late. His fingers dig into the napes of their necks, a rough growl sounding out that says ‘obey’ more than any word. Jimin and Tae fall under Namjoon’s scruff. Tae’s a little less able to keep herself out of Namjoon’s grasp clinging to his arm that goes around her waist, keeping her standing.
“Good pups. Don’t startle omega.” Namjoon's voice is gravel incarnate. His alpha strength works double-time as he holds them up. You let out another alarmed squeak as Namjoon places both of them back at your side. 
See omega, I’ve got pretty alphas for you. They can protect you too. See how much I provide? Is it enough for pups?
Namjoon scruffs them stupid them first with his hands and then with his teeth. Tae's spaghetti strap falls down. And she blinks languidly. 
“Mine, my omega” he growls, lapping messy licks against the nape of Jimin’s neck. Red and inflamed from the scruff. “Not yours. Mine. Be good.”
Jimin and Tae will talk about it later and will agree to leave what happened in the rut just that- words that were spoken in the heat of the moment. That's all, right? just a temporary slip-up, right?
For now, they’re obedient.
These two alphas have not bred you yet, and Namjoon must remedy that immediately. He pulls you to your feet the second they’ve both settled in a heap. It’s the only time that he has you on your feet. The other pups watch on their knees, eye level with your cunt as he fucks you.
Tae keeps her distance from Jimin for the rest of the rut.
~-~
(Mine)
That’s not the last time Namjoon acts possessively with you, far from it.
His claim on you is always there. Regardless of Yoongi. Regardless of the mating marks.
It's there as fuck you back on his cock, holding your ankles in his hands keeping you from pushing yourself on his knot. All exposed like this, bare in the nest.
You're just glad that Hobi's is asleep, that he's learned to sleep through the fucking. You find yourself looking over at him all too often. His redhead buried in the covers, his shoulders rising and falling. But each time Namjoon catches your gaze straying he fucks you harder, a little deeper. Pressing into that spot that has you gasping. Knuckles pressed to your lips to keep from making too much noise and waking everyone. Wet cunt grinding out another orgasm on his knot.
Namjoon looks possessed by some demon- mouth running rabid when he’s not knot dumb. The others warned you that the worst parts of Namjoon's rut are at the end, but you expected him to stay less vocal. Having him talk is almost worse. If this isn't the end, you wonder how much worse he's going to get.  
“Gonna knock you up. Gonna fuck you so good and deep that everyone knows you’re mine, gonna make it stick, gonna ruin you for everyone else. Mine. You’re mine."
Sweat drips down his nose, panting heavily, licking at his canines every few breaths like he’s soothing an ache. Eyes crazed, an alpha mad with lust. "I wanna hear you say it pup. Tell everyone how good my knot is. How good it fills you up.  How much you don't want theirs now that you've got mine. You're mine.”
“////Yours” you sob and Namjoon fucks into you, putting both your ankles in one of his hands so that he can cup the bulge in your stomach, the feeling of him knocking you up. He presses you down, folding you in half in a way that will surely hurt later but only makes the pleasure burn now. His other hand goes to your throat, cupping it weekly all to feel your thundering pulse. The scar tissue there rough against his fingers.
“This mark means nothing. You’re mine.” He snarls.
Namjoon pushes you belly down on the nest when his knot pops. Making you cum again. Tongue lapping at the sweat between your shoulders, holding your wrists like you’d ever be able to squirm away, body pinning yours.
Yoongi is not hurt like you might think when he hands you over an icepack to sit on later and swats at Namjoon nosing at the beta’s hip and mouthing over the mark. He’s a little more lucid so close to the source of Yoongi’s scent.  A little less threatened and a little more in love with the idea of you being bound together by the soul.
You think he might be thinking about him and Jin, but you're not sure. Asking him right now would be pointless; he’d probably just use the question as an opportunity to talk about pups.
“You little shit- is the fact that we’re both helping you not enough?” Months ago the comment would have left you on edge, but you’re used to their sometimes-biting banter now.
Namjoon just grumbles and tucks his face under the hem of Yoongi's shirt to hide from the morning sunshine.
~-~
(Bloody)
You don’t mind being bitten by Namjoon. There’s something sweet about it the first few times he gets a little teethy. Nibbling at your neck, your throat. But eventually, he does start to use his teeth in rather unfortunate ways.
Namjoon eats you out a handful of times over the course of his rut. You never expected your slick to tame your alpha entirely but you’re easily proven wrong. You've kept off from using it to your advantage mostly because you and Jin had feared close to the end you'd need it. Your secret weapon.
The first time, it’s because Jungkook’s close to passing out.
The line between asleep and awake, conscious and not- matters little when it comes to the waves of Namjoon's rut. Whatever Namjoon needs he can take, at whatever time he needs. That’s the way the pack functions. You knew what you where signing up for when you agreed to this.
You all try and sleep in between when you can. You find you often fell asleep immediately after, still knotted to him. Lulled into restfulness by Namjoon’s tongue laving at your throat, soothing the marks almost apologetically. You're usually unaware when he pulls himself free of you, easily transferred into the waiting arms of packmates to help clean you up. Gently manhandling your body like a stringless marionette.
He rarely lingers longer than that, and barely even sleeps himself. There is always Jin or Jungkook beckoning him coyly with open thighs and slick-soaked holes, even the other alphas begging prettily. Or Yoongi who pushes at Namjoon's shoulders in a way that riles him up and makes him need to claim, to put the beta in his place. Namjoon’s instinct to claim and breed pulled in seven different ways.
When you wake next, it's to the sound of soft sobs and choked moans. a faithfulness, and you know you must have been knoted in the last hour, you think you might have dreamed it, but the tell tale ache between your legs says otherwise. you lie on your belly, your omega prompting you to roll onto your back and show everyone your belly. 
but then, why is someone crying?
Your eyelashes flutter, face resting against Tae’s soft stomach, rising softly in sleep (you might have pulled yourself over to comfort her, unable to entirely forget the smell of her sadness) still fussy and upset about what happened earlier.
Jungkook is being pulled back and forth on Namjoon’s half-inflated knot. So big. Too big to be going in and out of Jungkook’s hole like that. It’s Angry red, sensitive skin that flashes as the omega sobs. Someone must have finally taken off his cock cage because his little cock leaks freely, untended, and pink looking. Cumming harder as a result. Too hard and too much.
The waves are coming about every hour or so and even though Jungkook can take it the sound of his wailing is startling. You’re not the only one who thinks so. Something bad must have just happened because when you open your eyes again Namjoon's still growling and Hobi’s holding his hands where he can see them.
Maybe Namjoon’s misaligned rut brain viewed Hobi holding Jungkook up as a challenge. Another alpha trying to take away the hot pressure around Namjoon’s knot. Something Namjoon’s instincts do not allow is a threat of any kind.
Namjoon will bitch Hobi into submission if he feels he needs to. He probably will need to before this rut is over. Namjoon will remind Hobi what a proper alpha’s knot feels like. It’s his job to teach his pups how to fuck and breed. 
Namjoon gnashes his teeth and Hobi does a good job of not looking too scolded. But you see the metaphorical ears pinned to the side of his head. His alpha curling around his tail. Namjoon holds Jungkook's chest curving protectively over Jungkook's back. Lips lifted off his teeth. The omega's eyes wet and glassy, rolling back.
You don't like it. Hobi looks so sad when Namjoon growls at him. You know he won't take it personally. But still.
Jungkook sags forward and sobs. He can feel the alpha all the way in his throat. Small cock leaking steadily and messy onto the nest below him. A pretty picture but a devastating one. You can tell by the way he sobs and hiccups that he really is going to pass out if you don’t do something.
You get up on trembling knees and Hobi tries again. “Joonie, you need to slow down.” his voice is low and honeyed, gentle but Namjoon’s not there- not really. The rut haze all red tinged and feral. Namjoon’s about to snap at him when you interrupt.
“Alpha?” Their heads snap in your direction. 
You've never joined in while Hobi helped but the nest is empty of everyone but Jin, fast asleep. The rest of the pack are talking in the kitchen, over the high walls of the nest, and you know Hobi can't do this alone. He can't do this without you.
“Alpha- I’m all messy,” you say, bringing your fingers in between your legs, gathering the slick and cum there until your fingers are sticky. Webs of it cling to your fingers when you bring your fingers up and show him.
Thank God for the water-resistant blankets below. You don’t miss Hobi’s flush, the way his eyes go to your fingers too. Gulping, eyes dart from you to Namjoon and back again. The sudden shaky breath that careens through him roughly. The sight triggers the sweetening of not only Namjoon's coffee scent but of Hobi's caramel too.
(It's safe to say Namjoon's rut pheromones have you all fucked up)
Namjoon stops dragging Jungkook back on his half-formed knot, letting it rest inside. Namjoon’s gaze trains on your fingers. Pupils dilated and dark, empty pools of instinct that reflect your face and the glimmer of white cum on your fingers. Him, it's him that did that. Bred you messy.
But you turn to Hobi and hold out your hand.
He’s fighting the flush but you know from the quirk of his lips that he realizes you're only doing it to taunt Namjoon. Does sexual intent matter if you're just going through the motions?
You bare your cum soaked fingers to Hobi, trying to be brave, ignoring Namjoon. “Can you help clean me up alpha?”
Namjoon snarls.
He yanks his half-formed knot out of Jungkook who collapses forward. Jolting up to beat Hobi to your fingers (although the other alpha does not actually try to get to you before Namjoon).
You hold them out of the way, struggling not to flinch as he quite literally crouches over you. Teeth snapping in your face as he reaches for them clumsily. Flailing a little.
As if on queue- Jungkook lets out a heartbreaking chirp.
Namjoon freezes. You think you might watch Namjoon’s heart drop into his stomach, caught like a fly in a spider’s web. At war with what he wants. Either your fingers and your slick or Jungkook. He can’t have both.
Jin yawns, rolling onto his belly so that he can reach Namjoon's ankle, tugging at it roused from your squabbling. “Lie back alpha- let both of your omegas have you. You wouldn’t want to disappoint them would you?”
Jungkook gets his breath back, whipping his hair off of his forehead. And he’s just about to fall when Hobi catches him, arms straining, letting out little mumble grumbles that he's alright just tired. Namjoon's glare goes back to Hobi, cautious and unsure. Hobi tips his head to the side, bearing his throat in a display of submission that adequately dulls the edge of Namjoon's instincts.
“Let me help our omegas alpha. You taught me so well, let me help you breed them.”
You swallow.
Our omegas. Breed them.
But It’s just the rut talking, isn’t it?
Being on his back makes Namjoon feel too prone, too vulnerable. But the horny side of his brain wins out over his protective side as Jungkook returns between his legs. At this angle it’s harder for Namjoon to fuck up into Jungkook and therefore easier for the other omega to set a gentler pace. Working the knot slowly inside his hole as opposed to the brutal jackhammering before.
You cringe internally, but Namjoon’s fixated on your hand as he lies back. Made a puppy when offered the reward. You don't think you've seen his dimples for a day or two. The sight of them eases that last little bit of you that's unsure that this will work.
At this point, you think you might just want your Joonie back. You’re willing to do anything to make this rut end as quick as possible.  
If your slick helps that happen, you'll do it. No matter how sensitive you are and how sensitive you might get. They've kept mostly away from your clit until now but you've still cum more in the last 48 hours than you have in your entire life.
There’s a little bit of cum on the edge of your shirt. Someone must have dressed you after the last round and not been careful. It grates against Hobi. You shouldn't be the one to help with this. There are others.
When Hobi looks over for the rest of the pack he finds Tae holding Yoongi by the shoulder, holding him back while she eats strawberries slowly. Jimin glances between them, at you and Namjoon. But Tae just juts her throat at him in a challenge. As if to say, 'You can handle it, can you?' Tae keeps both of them from helping you. 
Maybe they’re just talking about what happened earlier. Deciding to just let it be and not talk it through. Occasional slip-ups are expected after all. And any displeasing conversations would surely prompt Namjoon to scruff them both again.
You watch Hobi gulp, and you don’t let yourself look down at his crotch to see if your suspicions are true. Namjoon’s lying back and waiting for you to shuffle over him. You're brought back to the matter at hand by a growl.
Even if they came over, you're not sure they could help.
Namjoon’s been in the throes of the rut for nearly 24 hours. Only 36 left to go. Probably, if your slick doesn't quicken it up.
Ever so slowly you bring your fingers to his lips. Namjoon’s tongue is messy and hungry like your slick is ambrosia and honey. He nibbles at the pads of your fingers, your palm, everywhere until you’re licked clean. Needy growls for more once all trace is gone. His brain goes quiet and less feral for the first time since the rut started. More, he needs more.
You shuffle forward, hiking up the hem of your shirt so that when Namjoon chases your fingers his eyes fix on a more worthy prize.
There's a little bit of his cum, a single milky drop of it, leaking down your thigh.
Jungkook yelps when Namjoon pushes himself further up in the nest, jostled by his sudden movements, but it’s you yelps when Namjoon pulls you down by the hips onto his mouth.
Namjoon’s licks against your cunt are hot and greedy, almost a little teethy. You think you could be forgiven for letting out an undignified squeal as he sucks on your hole with little warning. His tongue touches places you didn’t know it could arching and licking up. You have no time to consider if it's gross or not as he laps at your cum fucked hole. Something about it is primal. Namjoon’s the one who made you mess and the one who cleans you.
His fingers rub lazily over your hole as if to coax more slick out (like you’re not already dripping) lapping up what leaks like a man starved. 
His body goes slack, scent mellowing out from crashing waves of coffee to ebbing ripples of smooth want. Jungkook sighs. Offered a brief reprieve as Namjoon’s hips stop rocking entirely. Jungkook starts up again after a breath, moving his hips in small circles, deep but not quite as fast. Milking namjoon’s knot. 
He can only handle his sensitive prostate being stimulated for so many hours before it starts to go a little unpleasant.
You’re going to have bruises on your hips from how hard he holds you down on his mouth. Forcefully grinding your pussy onto his nose, his face, his tongue. All in an effort to get you closer. To get more of your slick inside. Namjoon can taste the hot heady almost metallic taste of his own cum, the heat of you addictive.
You clench and force a bit more of it out, and his knot pops, near instant, making Jungkook wince as it swells hot and full. Namjoon purrs at the taste of you; he'd be happy staying right here for the rest of his rut. Nuzzling into your pussy and breeding jungkook full.
You can do little more than moan and take it. Leaning forward, balancing your hands on Namjoon’s stomach trying not to rest your full weight on Namjoon's face (the alpha has other ideas and yanks you cleanly back over his face.).
Your hands rest right over Jungkook’s. Holding his shakily. You're face-to-face with him like this as he twitches through Namjoon knotting, the feeling of being steadily pumped full of Namjoon's cum. His face is sweaty and his hair's a little greasy but no less beautiful as his lips part is a quiet moan. Both of you are a mirror image of debauchery. 
The stretch of the knot is slightly painful, but it grounds him. Pain and pleasure have always been one side of the same coin for Jungkook.
He leans forward, cheeks pink and eyelashes fluttering. He cups his own sensitive cock almost as an afterthought. Cumming is painful but he still wants it. Wants to feel the intimacy of cumming when you do. Together. (Jungkook's a bit of a sap like that) His thighs are straining. His abdominal muscles twitching.
Namjoon's biceps flex as he holds you down, and Jungkook watches, whimpering and looking as unsteady as a sapling in a summer storm. You can't even pull an inch off his face, no matter how hard you try.
Luckily, Hobi is there to hold around Jungkook's waist and keep him upright. There's no chance he'd be able to move to a more comfortable position. At least not until Namjoon's knot has gone down or he's done with you. Whichever comes first. Jungkook doubts Joon will stop anytime soon.
You moan loud, Namjoon’s lips mouthing endlessly at your clit, his licks inarticulate and not the usual careful rhythm- too feral, too much slick and saliva. Hobi stiffens as Namjoon moans, low and throaty.
Your cheeks are flushed, lips parted, and panting when you look up at him. Hobi can’t ignore the tingling in his gut, your shirt does little to conceal what’s happening and he can’t help to watch Namjoon lick. Pussy dumb pup lost in the taste of you, tongue laving over the little lump of your clit like he's playing with it.
You're a little chubby down there, Hobi didn't expect it. Your lips are glossy and puffy pink. Does every inch of you have to be cute?
Your cheeks are flushed. Your words almost slurry, sensing Hobi's spiking thickness, the anger- it has to be anger right? What's making him smell so musky and potent. Pushing out the scent of Namjoon a little even. Goey caramel burning in your nose.
“it’s okay- it’s okay Hobi I’m not- it’s okay-“ I’m not going to get any ideas if you get turned on by this, it’s just your body- it’s not consent. I’m not going to think you want me if you get hard. “I’m only going to touch Namjoon- if that’s what you-“ 
Your gasp presses against Jungkook's chest, the omega shifting closer to you. Teeth itching for a bite, for something to hold onto as your peek barrels towards you.
Jungkook's pectoral against your face as namjoon rocks you into a gentle grind.  Hobi’s hand splays protectively along Jungkook’s hip. And you can’t look at him, you can’t look at him or else everything will be fucked.
“Good alpha” Jungkook remembers to praise, oblivious to the uneasy closeness you have with Hobi. His hands are there, just there inches away and you know how they feel, how soothing and rough his touch can be sometimes. They might brush your shirt a little when they grip around Jungkook’s waist. Not your skin but just where the fabric hangs. 
Does it feel warmer when it falls back against your sternum? Or is it just your imagination.
This is the closest to anything sexual you’ve ever gotten but not the most intimate you’ve ever been with Hobi. What is barer and more dangerous? To trust someone or to fuck them? What makes you feel more vulnerable?
He watches as you stiffen up, spine arching, sweat beading at your brow that he finds himself wanting to brush away. You’re moaning, cumming over Namjoon’s mouth.  Dripping on his chest, around his throat.
If this were different, Hobi would get you a cool cloth, clean your face and feed you little bits of cold fruit. Everything, everything is so so hot right now. sweat slips over his brow, yours too.
Jungkook grinds deep on Namjoon’s cock, his knot too inflated to pull out still, also grinding back against Hobi’s hardness. He’s fully hard, not even half hard as he watches. Although Hobi’s arousal is the least important one here.
Your lips part and you jerk. Oversensitive as Namjoon sucks on your clit. Hair falling over your shoulders, a bit of it stuck to your bitten and kissed lips that hobi wishes he could tuck behind your ear.
He does, slowly and carefully, hands shaking all the while.
You start to lean, and Hobi grabs you, holding you and keeping you from falling anymore. But the relief of being touched is only temporary because no sooner has he reached out is he snatching his hands back.
He gets up and out of the nest. Mechanical, his body panicking without noise, without words, without sound. You let out a choked sound that sounds an awful lot like his name.
Blunt cute omega teeth dipping into your scent glad as Jungkook bites you for something to hold onto as he climbs that high peak and crashes down. Cumming seconds before you. Cock spurting clear omegan spend messy all over your stomach and Namjoon’s chest.
Namjoon growls at Hobi’s sudden disappearance, but he quite literally has too much on his hands to do much about it. Even as the sour scent of his packmates itches like something horrible down his spine. Pleasure first. Settling an unsettled pup second.
He's only emboldened by the fresh rush of slick, hands sliding up to hold you open, to press up and suck. Namjoon's long fingers hook over your thighs but his thumbs hold you apart and bare for him 
And then he hooks his thumbs inside your hole and pulls.
You didn’t even know you could squirt like this- hot and greedy over Namjoon’s face. overstimulated pussy spasming.
Namjoon loves it. Slick drunk and completely gone.
The real issue comes when you try to pull off again, "Wait- fuck- please-" Namjoon scent sours, and one pup moving away from him he can handle, two is too much. The growl is loud and feral- not a growl of pleasure. A warning.
On the edge of the room, intent on going downstairs to where noodle is and the scent of you won't be so thick. Hobi glances back, alarmed. Your alpha is having none of it, he turns his face and bites the nearest inch of flesh to keep you still.
He bites hard. 
Pain. Not the good kind that lights down your thigh. You yelp. It sounds different, not pleasure filled or chased with a moan. For how fucked out everyone is the pack descends on the three of you faster than you can blink, quicker than Namjoon can take his teeth out of your thigh and lick the mark to soothe it.
You think he might actually have broken skin for a second.
Hobi instantly reverses direction. Almost tripping over the edge of the nest in his eagerness to get back to you. “Fucking shit Joonie- what the fuck are you fucking doing-“
Yoongi jerks you off of Namjoon quicker than you can tell him that you’re alright. Jin yanks Namjoon up by the scruff of his neck and shakes him a little. Tugging Jungkook with him, wincing at his tender hole still stuck on Namjoon's knot. The alpha sags under the pull of Jin's fingers and his angry scent; acidic and stinky wet puppy.
“Bad alpha! Bad!” Jin scolds, pinching Namjoon’s slick cheeks and hissing, leaning over him. Jimin surges forward to hold Namjoon down.“You know better- you do not get to bite my omega like that” Namjoon’s eyes go cross-eyed trying to keep his eyes on Jin as he leans over and growls, "I think you need a reminder of who you belong to pup.”
Jungkook groans, and you know from the way that he goes still that Namjoon must have just…cum a little bit more. Tae is close, hand soothing on your knee as Yoongi frantically still holds you, dragging you to a clean side of the nest. Away from Namjoon to look at the bite mark.  
“Let me see baby, show us- oh- fucking hell. I’m gonna kill him.”
Namjoon got so close to breaking the skin. There’s not any blood, but it still might scab. You get gentle kisses to it, and a bit of cream to soothe it too, a big band-aid covering your inner thigh, and more than a few apologies on Namjoon’s behalf. 
That’s what makes Jin get Namjoon's collar. The pack alpha isn’t happy about the metallic jingle that follows him. Like a tom cat made kitten-lethal by a bell around his throat. The end of the collar gets hooked around Jin’s wrist and stays there for the remainder of his rut.
His punishment is a brief and brutal affair, one that you experience only in the distance, face tucked into Yoongi's shoulder, Jungkook and Tae curled around you. The sound of Namjoon howling and skin smacking skin behind you until it's not. Jimin and Hobi have to hold him down.
“Namjoon’s going to be so mad at himself.” Jungkook will say to you later, watching the pack alpha snore. “He gets mouthy sure- but never ///that bad.”
You all know what it was that made Namjoon react that way but none of you broach the topic of you and Hobi and your dynamic. When Namjoon’s done being punished Jimin folds him close, scent marking him soft over the top of his head. You nudge your mate and feel a little bit better when Yoongi goes to him too.
Later when Namjoon wakes, the sadness and shame make him lucid.
“I’m sorry-“ he hiccups, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. Crying over the spread of breakfast, lap covered with a blanket to keep him decent. shaking with quiet sobs, “I said- I said I wouldn’t hurt you and I did and now you’re leaving. M' bad alpha."
“There you are Joonie!” you tease, trying to stay positive but failing a little. Your scent is still a little meek, a little muted, and it makes Namjoon want to cry even more.  He knows it's really only his fault for not having his wolf on a better leash. The cool metal around his neck does wonders to calm the fire.
You aren't going anywhere but he keeps crying no matter how many times you say so. Cuddling closer to him, rubbing your cheek stubbornly over his arm. Namjoon reaches for you and then jerks back like he’s afraid of his hands. You ask him to feed you and he does, sniffling every few bites. But Namjoon will feed you for as long as you let him, will do only this if that's all that you allow. It’s a good distraction.
You're no stranger to being treated roughly. Maybe you're a little upset but your trembling sour scent is soothed by the presence of your pack.
Namjoon would never submit to you outside of a rut, but Jin keeps him on a tight mental and physical leash. Soothing him carefully with a hand in his hair when he gets mouthy again and the rut eventually re-peaks. He's gotten Namjoon's muzzle and left it on the rim of the nest. A warning. “If you want to taste her or any of us, it will be through this."
You stay close until Namjoon’s calmed until his tears have w-rn themselves out, and you think you might be on the downside of the rut. The next time he knots you, it’s obediently at Jin’s discretion. Jin hooks his fingers into the chain and pulls Namjoon back and forth. Keeping the pace. gentle enough that you just barely cum from it.
When you look over, Hobi’s turned away from you. But his chest is rising rapidly, he’s not sleeping. Not yet.
Hobi doesn’t try to leave the nest again, and neither do you.
~-~
(Worth)
When you wake, it’s to the sound of tense voices.
“-Why didn’t you step in? She needed you. This wouldn’t have happened if you’d just-” Feeling abandoned isn’t something Hobi tolerates well. The idea of you feeling abandoned is even less easy.
Tae just pushes off the edge of the couch, standing, keeping her voice low so that it doesn’t wake the rest of you. You do not turn to see her lean down to cup his cheek. To see the almost apologetic touch.
“I didn’t because I knew it would make you angry.”
Hobi blows air through his teeth, scent souring, resisting the urge to tell Tae to fuck off. Her smile is a little sad and a little knowing. Searching his face for something she finds.
Tae's thumb rubs up and down his cheek.
“I know you’re not angry for yourself, you’re angry for her, aren’t you?” Tae’s fingers rub against Hobi’s scent gland. Part of him wants to pull away from the touch. “Do you know why you feel angry? Do you know the surprise yet? Do you know how much you care for her or are you determined to avoid it until it causes more problems?”
Your eyelashes flutter, and you try and stay awake to hear the rest. Try too- but you’re so so tired.
Don't spoil the surprise.
Part of Hobi wants to snap at Tae and tell her that she has no ground to stand on when it comes to problems, like she and Jimin have barely touched in the last 24 hours, haven’t touched much at all since Jimin slipped up. But he doesn’t. He won’t hurt her that way.
There is a reason why Jimin kills every one of their plant collection, why he’s not allowed near the watering can. He gives them so much water they drown. Sometimes, Hobi is worried he's got the same attitude when it comes to love.  that the whole pack does, That Tae has learned it too.  
Tae continues when it becomes clear that Hobi won’t. “The truth is I think it could be worth it. I think her love is worth it Hobi and I know Your love is worth it too.” Tae’s eyes are full of stars that don’t exist, shooting ones and planets all in alignment. “If It was your rut right now, she’d- ”
Hobi pulls his face out of her hand and turns around. Effectively ending the conversation. Tae sighs and leaves him be.
When you open your eyes, you find Namjoon awake and staring at you. You put a finger to your lips.  
He doesn’t make a single sound, even though you know he heard her words and Hobi’s response. He presses his forehead to yours, nuzzling into your cheek. Fingers closing around the nape of your neck, scruffing you until you sigh and fall back asleep.
~-~
(Ease)
Waves of rut aren’t always sexual. Sometimes the waves manifest in a gnawing more important need, a touch-starved franticness to have you all close and safe. And Namjoon's needy hands pull you all on top of him into one big puppy pile.
The mess of the blankets has gotten truly gross and the blankets need to be switched out. The pack didn’t account for quite how much you squirt. Someone made a run to the basement to put some of them through a wash cycle. The feeling of clean sheets is so luxurious it has you all belly up and sleepy. 
God, you can’t wait to feel clean.
the other omegas seem to think so too, all lumped together around namjoon, kissing and licking and grooming each other. Brooding instincts make your bodies warm heavy with the need to stay close, to stay still and let namjoon’s seed take. 
the idea that all three of you might be knocked up makes namjoon pur, watching the three of you share kisses over his prone body, has his cock stirring in interest. but you’re just focoused on licking into each others mouths because honestly- you miss Jungkook and Jin a little. 
Cleaning up the nest and grooming and nesting with each other is going to feel so good once this is over. Jin might even sneak into his and namjoon’s special Little secret supply of courting gifts just to give you and jungkook some fresh joy. 
“Did i do a good job omega, am I being good for alpha?” 
Jin has never purred harder, “of course you are baby, my good pup.”
Namjoon comforting rumbles are the antithesis of his earlier growls. An alpha purr if ever there was one, cautious and hopeful. His waves are coming less quick now, more gentle. A half hour between the spikes instead of just ten or so minutes. 
“Gonna make a nest for pups?” he asks, almost shy, nosing at Jin gently. The omega has pushed away his attempts to feed him 3 times. Namjoon’s ego would be in tatters if it weren’t for you and Jungkook still accepting little mouthfuls. The bowls of fruit never seem to empty, figs and sweet chocolate-covered nuts, fat chunks of apple, and round glossy blueberries that you lick meekly from Namjoon’s fingers.  
“Yes you big puppy, for pups,” Jin says, because he knows it will set Namjoon into that puppy purry grumbly alpha space version of himself that truly is gentle.
During these moments, Namjoon demands that every available inch of his body be covered with his pack. You end up in a pile. Some of you eating, some of you marking each other, others asleep.
It’s almost less liberating than the horny waves, you’re less mobile when he gets clingy. Namjoon sobs at one point herding Jimin back into the nest panicked that he thought to leave it. Wet face tucked against the nape of the alphas neck. “See alpha? I’m safe- nothing happened to me?”
Sometimes Namjoon's dreams are a tangle of different senses and not all good feelings. A smell acrid in his lungs, the sound of screeching like an animal being murdered at night. Sensations that are a tangle of danger, hidden force plotting the pack's demise. The pack's blood on the air, sharp claws dragging over your skin. The rut nightmares are always hazy, always nondescript cries of pleasure and pain shrouded in darkness. 
Only with the pack all around him does his skin stop itching like it's two sizes too small.
It’s better to hold off on sleep, to keep his itchy eyes open so he can verify you’re still all alright. To have each of his packmates under him. Scenting each of you sloppily (and no matter the mess coating him). He cupps the jaws of the alphas to test their teeth. Nuzzling into Tae's hands, Hobi's sternum, and Jimin's shoulders. Setting his head to rest over Yoongi's heart so he can hear the gentle thud thud thud that tells him he's done a fine job really, he only has to wait for the rut to be over now.
Of course he does spend many many minutes Insistently mouthing at the omega's belly buttons. A heavy face plant over Jungkook's, possessive little laps against yours that tickle and make you giggle, and sleepy nuzzles against Jin’s with starry eyes.
(Namjoon likes these moments a lot lot more than the sexual ones.)
~-~
(Drip) 
The next time the pack let Namjoon taste you they’re a lot more careful not to let him get slick drunk. The next time you wake up to it. 
You're on your tummy, comfortable, and woken from a mid-morning nap. Namjoon's rut will be done by today probably, in the night maybe. Until then he wears the collar and muzzle. The metal wiring and a locking clasp on the back is so complex that Namjoon’s rut clumsy fingers can’t figure it out.
You’re first aware of the rubbing, something metal moving over your cunt making you clench up in interest. And Jin’s voice soothing needy whimpers that come from somewhere. "There you go Jooine, gentle like that. She's slicking up already! Good puppy!" The words are vaguely demeaning, sweet mean in the way that Jin gets sometimes. 
The sound of the chain Jingles, but it feels good, whatever's happening between your legs feels so good you could have probably cum from it and not even woken up.
Collars for puppies, chains for wolves.
Your cheek rests against a warm inner thigh. Cinnamon, and roses. You nuzzle into the scent, soft skin pillowy under your cheek. Slack lips parting in pleasure, eyelashes fluttering looking up.
Trust Tae to look cute during a rut cycle. The nightdress she wears is comfy and dotted with little floral roses, it’s bunched up a little where your hand has fisted in the fabric on her hip. She coos down at you while Namjoon pulls your hips into a gentle rocking. Lying on your side, comfortably reclining, and doing none of the work to get off.
She cups your cheek, waking you up a little. Her smile is a little sharp-edged, arousal making her mean like Jinnie, "Go on baby, look at how good your mate is being for alpha," Hardness nudges at the front of her skirt and it has to be from what’s going on around you. Tae guides you with a hand cupping your jaw, making you look.
Namjoon's upper body turned so that he can get at your cunt but his hips remain firmly pinned to the nest by Jimin sat astride across his thighs. Hobi is side by side with your mate between the pack alphas legs, lips kissed pink and chaffed as your mate sucks around the base of Namjoon’s cock where his knot inflates. The skin there is red and sensitive while Hobi kisses and licks at the head.
Later- later you’ll think about it. The way that they looked, eyes closed, lips parted, and file it away for your own personal spank bank (that’s what the boys might call it) feasting on the pack alphas cock and lapping at it like it’s an ice pop on a warm summer's day.
From this angle- Hobi must be able to see all of you, hips held open so that the muzzle and Namjoon's face can fit in the hollow of your thighs. held open and on display for your pack.  
The fine mesh of the muzzle is warmed from Namjoon’s breath, at least warm enough that it doesn’t make you hiss when he holds you over it, gentler this time.  If you could see the way that Namjoon goes almost cross-eyed trying to look at your cunt, you just might laugh.
But he watches as your fucked entrance clenches, all pink from his own diligent fucking- the silvery whiteness of his cum and your slick that drips. He guides you back and forth across it and every time your clit drags just right, your hole clenches forcing more slick out. The mesh is smooth and pleasant, the drag just right when soaked with slick. Just rough enough to get you off and not rough enough to hurt.
Namjoon keeps his mouth open, hoping for some of the slick to drip down. behind him, Jin holds the collar and grins at you. 
You can barely protest through the humiliation as jin pulls back, and declares he’s going to give you a hole check. 
you try to grip jin’s wrist but his stern expression says he’s not to be ignored. Your clit stays plastered against the mesh and Namjoon doesn’t blink, doesn’t even breath as he watches jin’s long fingers probe and poke and explore the wet depths of your cunt. Searching for any sign that Namjoon’s done too much damage. pulling your pussy apart with both hands so that he can see all of you. pussy lips made puffy from so much fucking, hole cute pink and hot clenching around his fingers, not nearly as tight as you where a few days ago but not inflamed. 
Taking a cock so big so many times in a row can be dangerous for anyone, and while Jin was worried it appears that you really were made for this, taking such a big cock like the perfect slut. Without complaint. Jin could cry he’s so proud as you lay on your shoulders and just take it. 
You only let out a squeak when jin rubs deep, trying to touch that forbidden place that namjoon’s ruined time and time again with his cock and knot. there you’re too sore for more. 
“You fucked her so wide namjoon, all the others are going to have a hard time having her on their own. might need to pair up and knot her two at a time. Spoiled puppy just wanted everything for himself.” 
you protest, babbling that you couldn’t possibly take two cocks right now, but Jin just coos and ignores you. You wish you didn’t find it hot how he talks about you like you’re not there. Like you’re just some object for Namjoon and the pack’s pleasure. A hot flush of want rushes down your spine as jin strokes your insides and you resist the urge to pull off from the sensitivity. It hurts, but it hurts so good as jin fucks four fingers into your cunt, pressing down with the flat of his hand and rubbing. 
You think you’re fine, that you’re just going to hiccup through this orgasm until Jin reaches, looping his arms around your middle. You think he might actually be trying to mount you, pressed all close, his omega cock standing hard and ready, lined up between your thighs. But then he hooks his fingers into the mesh of the muzzle and drags Namjoon back into a grind against your clit. 
You can’t stop the hot gust of wet that drips down and through the bars. Not just your slick, but a bit of Namjoon’s cum too as you clench hard. 
It’s mean- it’s so mean and you can’t do more than sob as you make a mess of the muzzle, it’s gross and it’s humiliating but Tae only coos, brushing away your tears and pinching your cheeks making you look down at your mate and Hobi and jin. 
“Good pup. Pretty baby too full huh, so messy and dumb that she couldn’t keep it in anymore. Don’t worry, if you lose alphas cum he’ll just fuck you full again.”
Namjoon nods jerky, you’d never know his knot had just popped if it wasn’t for your mate’s low curse.
A rope of cum lands across his face, and then Hobi’s. It drips down his slender nose to his lips. And he sags, tired. All of you are near the end of your ropes, near the end of what you can handle.
Namjoon’s words are slurry and inarticulate. “wanna keep her like this all the time, Gonna fuck her so good she ends up pregnant, gonna push it deep. Gonna do it before her mate does.” Hobi clamps down with his hand, holding tight around Namjoon’s knot. Heavy hot ropes of cum hitting his chin, his scent gland as Namjoon groans, stomach twitching, “Want it- want more.“
You look back at Hobi, tongue looking long as he licks his lips clean.
Jin laughs when he feels your stomach clench. Cunt spasming weakly around nothing. You didn't think you still had the energy to cum however gently. A few drops of slick and cum lands on Namjoons held out tongue. Jin’s hands cradle your stomach and guide your shaking thighs off of the muzzle. man handling you until you’re sitting in Tae’s lap. 
She laughs, but says nothing about what just made you cum.
~-~
(Special)
Eventually, the omegas are just too sensitive to continue. You're all too well fucked. Jin’s cock is red and sensitive from Namjoon's mouthing. Jungkook’s hole spanked and swollen. Your entrance is puffy and pink and beyond the point of being able to take anymore. Even the most gentle of touches makes you whine. Too sensitive, much too sensitive for another knot. 
But that doesn’t mean that Namjoon’s rut necessarily ends.
It won't truly cease until all members of the pack are fucked and pleasured by him. Until they smell claimed from the inside out by his knot and cum.
It takes hours of prep for Yoongi, Hobi, Jimin, and Tae to take Namjoon’s knot, their bodies just aren’t built for it. It’s easier with Jungkook and Jin's and your slick on their fingers. Traded from your bodies, sometimes collected from around the base of Namjoon’s knot. 
It’s filthy and it definitely makes his rut feel more like a gangbang than anything. but it is incredibly hot to watch Jin open up Yoongi not with his own slick- but yours. to lap at the beta’s hole to savor any that might slip out. Namjoon’s pussy privileges have been recently revoked. 
Your mate makes noises you’d never thought you’d hear him make. Deep full bodied Moans wrenched from his chest and low curses as he takes Namjoon’s cock. Yoongi's a bit lazy, happy to lie back and let Namjoon man handle his body into whatever position he wants, too tired to do anything else. You kiss his pouted lips while he hisses at the stretch of a knot but he still cums when namjoon reaches down to tug at his cock. You like Yoongi like this. Face resting across your thighs while Namjoon fucks him to the point of oversensitivity. albeit gently.
You thought that watching Tae and Jimin get fucked by him would be hot and brutal. For Jimin it definitely is; it's almost nearly as bloody as Jin and Namjoon got earlier. Namjoon ends up with a black eye and jimin with a bruise on his ribs, but it's all good fun and leaves them both grinning and happy.
But with Tae, Namjoon holds her so so gently.
The matter of Jimin's slip-up earlier has been put to bed for now but it’s not entirely forgotten as namjoon lingers over her. He cradles her hips, touching her thighs by pressing his palms flat and dragging ever so slow. like he can't believe Tae's there, that she's his to love and fuck and cherish.
Namjoon bunches up her skirt so that he can watch her cock bob. And noses  at her nipples the same way he nosed at yours. The neckline of her flimsy nightdress pulled down low. When he sucks she keens, cumming wetly between them.
Watching Namjoon fuck Hobi though- that feels like something truly special.
Unlike with the rest of you, he lies firmly across the smaller alpha's back. Thighs pinning him completely so that he can't move at all. Fucking him in the same position the omega's took. Rocking his hips in deep. Licking and lapping and biting with abandon. Hobi’s lips part in pleasure as he groans, comfortable and at ease with a show of such submission. Hands scrabbling but pinned down by the wrist. Namjoon keeps him still and makes him take it.
Namjoon scruffs him the entire time while he fucks him. Hobi goes numb all the way to his toes, his whole body live and alight with pleasure.
His cheeks pink and his long eyelashes flutter as you watch. Knot-long popped and completely forgotten, rubbing uselessly between his stomach and the sheets. no need to use it when the pack alpha has a cock like this, splitting him open. 
Hobi looks up at you when Namjoon knots him, body stretched to the breaking point.
This time, You don’t look away.  
~-~
(Silent) 
When Namjoon's rut finally breaks it’s in the middle of the night and it’s quiet.
Every single person's chest rises and falls, eight hearts beating in tandem. The tv buzzes faintly and the porch light is still on. Everyone’s dreaming and everyone's safe.
For now.
You’re on top of Namjoon’s chest, palm placed over his heart, Jin’s head is on Jimin’s shoulder, keeping him alive with his presence, heart beating stubbornly even now. Jimin's hand holding Tae's across the covers. Everything’s calmed down from Tae’s meltdown. Close at last.
They’ll talk about what happened tomorrow when the pack can pile in at the table and eat their fill and recover.
Or maybe they won’t. Maybe Jimin and Tae will wake up and pretend like nothing’s wrong like nothing changed. They’ll kiss good morning, trying to pretend like there isn’t anything wrong. Something between them that hovers on the edge of every kiss is a little bitter. Every touch that doesn't last as long as it might have before.
Jin will wash each of them one by one, starting with Namjoon and ending with Yoongi. Hot water to ease their muscles. All of their sore-bitten skin made new with bubbles and body wash. Namjoon will apologize for biting you and be lucid this time. Will take care of any marks that the pack wears like happy brands.
Tae's wrapped tight in Yoongi’s embrace his large hand cradling the back of her head like he can keep her dreams inside that way. Jungkook’s belly up, hand resting on his bare stomach, greasy hair a tangle over his head, in need of a shower and water. 
Even Hobi’s breath is quiet and easy, his body relaxing as his pack alphas scent dissipates into its usual mellow coffee. Leaving the rut behind.
It’s just as quiet when they float the body out to sea.
On the shore, a pair of women linger on the edge where the streetlights become shadows.  
Moonbyul and Hyejin watch their two packmates move through the water. Matters don’t always require that the ruling omega and alpha get their hands dirty but this murder did. This task they couldn't trust to anyone else but their inner circle. While It’s not the most pleasant task, both Solar and Wheein had been awfully eager for a chance to leave the nest and prove they could be good.  
“Do you think they’ll get the message?” Hyejin rasps, throat raw feeling from the cold salty air. Wrapped in her dark furs. Mouth just as red and ruby as the lingering blood under Moonbyul fingernails. The towels in her hands are clean. She’s ready with them so that both of their omega’s don’t have to linger in their shivers for long.  
It’s a sweet gesture. If they hadn’t been so good the last few weeks, they might not have earned it.  
Moonbyul doesn’t look at her, eyes on the barely their forms that store the body by the rocks. Out where the water grows deep and crashes hard. Both of them are good swimmers but having them out of the nest always sets her on edge. Hyejin has never known what for. It's not like either of them could ever leave or be stolen away. No one would dare. 
No one would have dared, until Yoongi did. 
Moonbyul been a little bit antsy maybe since the recent loss. That antsiness has only grown as the months have dragged on. Hyejin knows she’s not on edge just because of the body. 
They’re supposed to find it. It’s not their usual clean and crisp hit. But that's the point. 
Moonbyul doesn’t look at Hyejin at all, keeping her eyes on the festering sea. Cold air wiping in her face, the taste of salt and blood on her tongue. 
"Are you worried?"
Moonbyul scoffs, “A good dog comes when called.”
Hyejin cocks her head, ruby lips lifting into something like a smile. Thinking of you, eyes upturned looking at her for approval as you mixed poison into baking material. flour and powdery arsenic, You were always good, obedient and eager to please. 
“It’s not her I’m worried about." 
Moonbyul sets a soothing hand on the nape of her neck. 
“Then we'll give them another incentive.”
 ~-~
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runabout-river · 10 days
Text
Thoughts on JJK chapter 269 (spoilers)
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(TCB still doesn't have their own translation but some parts of this need to be cross checked with more translations. I'll do that tomorrow.)
We start the chapter with an ominous flashback that brings Mei Mei to an old woman before we make a hard cut back to where we left off last chapter
To my pleased surprise Yuta managed to get his body back though truth be told I did NOT understand the minute details on how that happened. Need to read up on that.
Megumi still feels the aftereffects of Gojo's UV that had crippled Sukuna's DE. This could mean Megumi himself will have trouble expanding his domain but would that be a short term problem or possibly even a long term problem 👀
(Way back when, I had also made a speculative post that Gojo's UV that hit Megumi's soul might've left Megumi with Gojo's ultimate knowledge from all his life but that doesn't seem to be a thing in the end.)
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The first years are told not to feel guilty about anything and to be teenagers again. This echoes what Gojo said in the beginning on how children should be able to enjoy the spring of their youth.
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We learn then how Yuta survived: because of Rika who independently kept his body alive. When Kenjaku's CT burned out after Yuta used Gojo's DE, he should've died because he couldn't keep the connection to Gojo's body.
Kenjaku shouldve had the same problems but they speculate that he circumvented that with barrier techniques.
Now comes the part where I need better translations because what's said here is too confusing: which CT recovered and was Yuta now dead or unconscious when Kenjaku's CT burned out?
The next question is: how did his consciousness end up back in his body? All this time I thought Kenjaku transferred his entire brain from body to body but that's not the case apparently? 😄
Also, the biggest question right now: what happened to Gojo's body?
I made a speculative post on how this body hopping through Kenjaku's CT might actually end up reviving Gojo.
The main point for that theory is that Kenjaku revives the bodies he transfers into. Second and third points are that the revival is a one time thing and isn't bound to the continuous use of the CT (speculation) and that Yuta "dies" through the end of the CT and through other means
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Say what you will but this about Miguel and Larue was extremely funny but also give Larue some respect, Sukuna was in love with him for a few seconds.
The part where everyone discusses their battle strategies is interesting. Gege does sth here I have done while writing fanfics as well: acknowledging how varied and complicated the choices in the plot where and have the characters discuss it.
This gives the chain of events that did end up happening in the end a grounded feel and here it also gives the characters room to interact with each other.
My complaint about these scenes are that they downplay Sukuna's threat and power
Talking about what they should've done differently and how they could've won more easily is ok, but for me this entire conversation was too couched in "we won because of course we did, this was easy but it could've been easier"
Higuruma is alive though but I had that on my bingo card already, his apparent death was pretty vague
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It's a funny reveal how the watch room was Rika this entire time, and apparently Yuta/Maki is basically canon
We also learn that it was indeed Miwa who clung to Maki and used Simple Domain against Sukuna to stop his MS. Todo managed to get her and Maki out with his CT at the end.
Without Ui Ui the battle would've been lost, so he really is the MVP
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Now comes the part about the New Shadow Style: Simple Domain that was interesting but also added unneeded elements into the story this late in the manga
Some parts of this was mentioned previously like how you made a Binding Vow to learn NSS. There was a woman in a wheelchair once that resembled Miwa in parts who was probably one of those people who's lifespan was sapped away by the Shadow Head.
But did we really need to give this so much panel time? I guess with the mention of Tengen (who was apparently the one who told the good guys who the Shadow Head was) we'll go back to what happened to her and the merger in the next chapter.
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What we also got was commentary on how JJ society hindered itself from becoming better because of the greed of people who wanted more power.
Mei Mei speaks of sorcerers who could've survived with Simple Domain and she probably means Nanami. Their stories in Shibuya acted like foils to each other (without that or them being in conflict with each though) so it's relevant to Nanami what she said here.
Overall I think some parts of this chapter should've been cut so close to the finish, especially when this really is the end of the manga. I still have hope for Part 2 though, this chapter was (as I expected) ambiguous about that happening or not.
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Text
Midnight | Chapter 24 FINAL | S.R
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Previous Chapter
Summary - eighteen months after narrowly escaping the motel explosion, finally you and Spencer seem to have found your happy ending. But old habits die hard and you can’t help but keep one last secret from him.
Pairing - unsub! Spencer Reid / Fem! Reader
Category - dark angst | smut | very eventual happy ending
Warnings - explosions, fires, burns, scars, swearing, secrets, injuries.
WC - 4k
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Chapter 24 - Partners in Crime
Eighteen Months Later 
Luke Alvez squeezed his eyes shut tightly against the assault of a headache pressing against his temples. They happened less frequently now, maybe only about once every few weeks but it didn’t make them any less of a pain. 
When he closed his eyes he was met by the same scene he’d pictured every time he closed his eyes for the last year and a half. Spencer’s face contorted into a malicious smile as he’d pulled that trigger and disappeared inside that vent as the little Cave Creek motel room exploded into flames. 
The sound of the gun going off and the gasoline igniting, Emily’s screams from somewhere behind him to get down echoed in his mind along with the ringing in his ears that hadn’t been silenced for days following. 
Luke was, as the doctors and nurses and all his team kept telling him, lucky. Lucky, what an incredibly frivolous summation. Lucky. He was lucky he hadn’t been more seriously injured, lucky to have gotten out of there alive. 
Lucky. 
Lucky that his old teammate, his old friend, hadn't killed him. He knew they were only trying to help but Luke didn’t feel lucky. Not in the slightest. 
He opened his eyes as the dull throb continued at his temples, one of the side effects from the blast that had thrown him halfway across the motel room. His eyes landed on the backs of his hands still poised over the keyboard and the scarred skin he had to look at every day. 
Again he’d been lucky that in trying to drag himself from the fire that he’d only sustained second degree burns on his hands. He’d had to wear bandages for nearly three weeks after the event and have his wounds treated regularly before the blisters started to scar. 
It didn’t hurt anymore, but they were a constant reminder of that day. They were a twisted memento of the day he failed to save you, and unfortunately for him it wasn’t the only one. 
After eighteen months sightings of you and Spencer were few and far between. At first the tips had come in thick and fast, people claiming to have seen the two of you anywhere from Florida to the Outer Hebrides. For a long time Luke had lost his belief that they would ever find you. 
And some days he thought maybe that was for the best. You’d made your choice and him and the BAU weren’t it. Maybe one day he’d be able to accept that and move on with his life. 
He heard a door open across the room and braced himself for what was to come without looking up from his hands. 
“We’ve got a case.” Emily’s voice carried across the bullpen followed by the shuffling of chairs and footsteps. 
Luke exhaled and forced his eyes onto his computer screen, hand moving to his mouse and shuffling the cursor over to the little X on the corner of the window. Before he closed it, he took one last look at the message on his screen, a rare smile pulling at the corner at his lips. 
If anyone was to find out about this he could lose his job and honestly the FBI was the only thing he had left these days. But admittedly, he wasn’t sure he cared anymore. He’d taken a vow to uphold the laws of this country but some things were more important than that. 
He read the brief message over again in his head. Maybe he was going soft, but maybe he also knew that even Penelope Garcia herself wouldn’t be able to trace this and therefore it would be fruitless letting the rest of the team in on this. 
He glanced over his shoulder and removed his hand from the mouse. Once he was sure no one was nearby he typed a quick reply before hitting send and pushed his chair back. When he looked up, JJ was standing over him like he knew she would be, the same melancholy smile on her face she gave him every damn day. 
He allowed her to take him by his scarred hands and help him to his feet. He’d stopped fighting it by now. At first he’d found it humiliating, but after a year and a half he’d stopped opposing his friend's help. It did make his life easier after all. 
Once he was on his feet she handed him the cane that was resting against his desk and he nodded his thanks to her. She motioned for him to go ahead, always letting him go first so she could be behind him just in case he stumbled. 
He closed his eyes again as he leant his weight on his good leg, the ringing in his ears almost immediately returning as he did so, accompanied by the bright orange flash from the blast. And then another sound entered his field of consciousness. 
“Alvez? Alvez? Luke!” Emily screamed to be heard over the chaos, trying to duck under the fire to see him. 
“I’m ok.” He coughed, smoke instantly starting to fill his lungs. “He went out the vent, send the team round the back!” 
“I’m not leaving you here!” She called back from just inside the motel door. 
“I’m fine, Prentiss!” But he wasn’t fine and he knew it. 
When he tried to move an agonising pain shot up his left leg. He managed to internalise his yelp so as not to worry Emily but the pain made him dizzy. 
“I am not leaving you here!” She yelled back, coughing a little herself as she tried to waft the smoke out of her face. 
“Prentiss I said-“
“Never leave a man behind.” She cut him off, knowing she was speaking his language. 
He tried to move again but his leg wouldn’t allow him to stand. The fire was spreading, getting closer to him with every passing second. He turned towards the door where he could just about make out the faint outline of Emily through the thick plumes of smoke. 
If he didn’t do something soon he would die here. 
“I think I can get to you.” He tried to sound more determined than he felt. 
He covered his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his shirt to try and limit the intake of fumes into his lungs. He rolled onto his stomach to keep himself low to the ground and using his free hand he started pulling himself towards the door. 
He felt like he was dragging a dead weight. The heat in the room was stifling and every part of him thought it would be easier to just give up. But he knew he couldn’t. 
Behind him the sound of ripping plaster filled his ears seconds before he heard the crash of another explosion and the floor beneath him shook. 
He whimpered a little, tears filling his eyes and hindering his vision even more so than the smoke was already doing as he clawed his way forward. 
“Follow my voice, Alvez. I’m right here!” Emily shouted, getting down on the floor herself and reaching blindly through the grey blanket of smog.
Luke saw her fingers brushing against the carpet and desperately tried to reach for her but the pain coursing through his leg was nearly debilitating. But he had to press on, he had to get out of here. 
He coughed against his sleeve trying to focus on the smell of his laundry detergent as he used the thick, old shag carpet to pull himself forward. Eventually he felt Emily’s hand gripping his wrist and she helped tug him through the wall of smoke just as the fire rumbled and spread to the soles of his shoes. 
She yanked him across the threshold of the motel and into the fresh air outside. Another set of strong arms suddenly wrapped around his upper torso and carried him across the parking lot until he was far enough away from the blaze ripping apart the little motel room.
Once he was released, Luke collapsed onto the tarmac, spluttering and coughing, trying to gasp for the clean air to refill his aching lungs. He rolled onto his back and looked upwards. Emily and Matt were crouched over him, Emily’s hand coming to rest on his cheek. 
“You scared me there, Alvez.” She smiled but he noticed the tears behind her eyes. 
“Told you I was fine.” He coughed again. “Did you get them?” 
“Don’t worry about that right now. For now you need to-”
“Did you get them?” He cut her off and her expression told him exactly what she was going to say before she said it. 
“No, they got away.” 
“Prentiss?” Matt’s voice spoke up. Emily let go of Luke’s face and turned to the other man who was kneeling by Luke’s side. “We need a medic, asap.” 
Matt’s voice was so quiet Luke barely heard him over the sound of the commotion going on around him. But he knew by the pain rapidly worsening in his left leg that Matt was right. 
But before Luke had a chance to hear anymore, the pain consumed him and his eyes fluttered closed despite his attempts to keep them open. And he must have blacked out, because the next he would be conscious of would be waking up in a hospital bed. 
He was lucky to ever have been able to walk again. The doctors had told him when he’d woken up in hospital that he may be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. But Luke had beaten the odds because he was lucky. 
He would probably never walk unaided, without the use of his cane and he would always have a limp. He could no longer go out into the field with the rest of the team. But he was lucky because he could walk, the damages sustained to his leg when he’d been tossed across the room in the blast hadn’t completely ruined his life. 
Because he was lucky. 
Some fucking luck. 
***
The soft breeze came in through the open balcony door, causing the net curtains to flutter. From the bed came a grumble as he raked his hair back from his sweaty forehead. Even the wind was hot. 
Sometimes he wondered why, of all the places in the world, they’d chosen to live somewhere so freaking hot. Growing up in Vegas he’d gotten used to hot climates but this was something else entirely. 
Spencer Reid was not built for the heat. 
Sound from downstairs wafted through the open bedroom door and he knew if he didn’t get himself up soon then it would only be a matter of time before he was forcibly removed from this bed. 
He rolled onto his side, the thin bed sheet clinging to his sweat slicked naked body as he did so and having to physically peel it off of himself so he could get up. 
He passed through to the en-suite and jumped straight in the shower, running the water particularly cold to the point it was enough to cause goosebumps to flare on his skin. God how he missed being cold sometimes. 
After his shower he grabbed a towel off of the rail and slung it around his waist. He looked at himself in the mirror over the sink, a hand instinctively raising to run through his ever growing facial hair. It didn’t help with the heat but he really liked the way it looked on him, and he knew he wasn’t the only one who appreciated it. It also helped to disguise his appearance because he never knew when someone might recognise him. 
He dried himself off before dressing in a pair of shorts, possibly the first pair he’d ever owned in his life, and a polo shirt. He swept his damp hair back off of his face before leaving the room. 
The house was large and airy, neutral coloured walls and carpet and minimal furniture. It was a world away from his pokey, dark apartment in DC, but it suited this new era of his life. 
As he made his way down the stairs the sounds grew louder. The French doors were propped open, if he listened close enough he could hear the distant cadence of the sea lapping at the shoreline. 
You had your back to him, standing on a chair whilst trying to tack something to the wall. He smiled to himself and approached with caution. 
You wore a long, flowy pale yellow sundress covered in flowers. Your hair, which you’d dyed for the same reason he grew out his beard, shone in the sunlight beaming through the windows. 
“You know,” he spoke as he closed in on you, placing his hands on your hips and gently tugging you off of the chair and onto the floor. “I’m tall enough to hang that without being a hazard. You could have waited.” 
You turned to face him, pouting your bottom lip at him in a way that always made him chuckle. 
“If you didn’t sleep so damn late maybe I could have.” You huffed which caused him to laugh harder. 
“Maybe if someone hadn’t kept me up all night, I might not have slept so damn late.” He gently kissed your forehead and moved past you to grab the end of the sign you’d been trying to tack up.
You huffed again at the ease in which he was able to do a job you’d struggled with. He stepped back and looked up at the banner as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you close. 
“See how easy that was?” He chuckled lightly. 
“You don’t need to be smug.” You grumbled. 
“No one’s being smug, it’s called teamwork.”  
“Hmm.” You rolled your eyes but got up on your tiptoes to kiss him all the same. “Did I thank you for your willingness to be kept up all night?”
“I’m not sure I was willing but it was only fair.” He smiled softly at you. “You do owe me a night of being kept up for other reasons though.” 
“Maybe one day. When she’s in college.” You teased him. 
“Only seventeen years to go until I can have crazy all night sex with my wife. Super.” He laughed, kissing you once more before sidestepping you. “And speaking of, where is the beautiful birthday girl who kept me awake all night?” 
The little girl squealed from her highchair as soon as her father turned to face her, her chubby little legs swinging back and forth in excitement. Spencer beamed at his daughter as he picked her up and spun her around, causing her to giggle, before he held her closely to his chest. 
“Happy birthday my sweet princess.” He placed a kiss on her mop of curly hair which she most certainly got from him. 
He turned around and used his free arm to wrap around you, holding both of his girls close whilst looking back up at the banner proclaiming “Happy 1st Birthday Lilith.” 
It wasn’t an easy life, that was for sure. Being on the run with a child was never going to be ideal. But Spencer relished in these moments with his two favourite people in the entire world snuggled against him. For this moment at least he could forget the fact it could come crumbling down any second. 
The two of you had fled the country in a blaze of glory after Spencer had narrowly avoided going up in flames with the motel room. You managed to get a flight using the fake passports you’d gotten back in Virginia when you’d first embarked on this journey before the BAU had locked down all airports in a hundred mile radius. 
You leased this house under the names on the passports; Troy and Daisy Malone. Your daughter was born in the local hospital and although she was legally Lilith Diana Malone, she would always be a Reid in Spencer’s mind. 
Daisy Malone volunteered three days a week at Lilith’s nursery while Troy worked full time at a research facility. The adjustment was made a lot easier for him given he already spoke the language. But the irony was not lost on you at how many years Luke had tried to teach you Spanish and it had taken fleeing the US for you to finally learn it. 
Spencer had gone on the straight and narrow, he hadn’t had any of his murderous inclinations since the two of you left Arizona. He was calmer, his previous anger at the world seemingly left behind in the states. He was finally the man you knew in your days at the BAU, the old Spencer Reid. And even though it wasn’t the dream scenario, you were happier than you’d ever been. 
There would never be a day that the two of you wouldn’t constantly be looking over your shoulders, living in fear that the front door could come crashing down at any minute and the three of you would be ripped apart. But you just had to take every day as it came and make the most of the time you had together. 
“So, what does the birthday girl want to do today?” Spencer tickled Lilith under her chin making the girl giggle again. 
“Well mommy is going to be making a birthday cake and I could really do with focusing on this, because as you know I am not much of a baker.” You gave him a look.
“Understood.” Spencer smiled at you. “Maybe Lil would like to go to the beach while mommy bakes?” 
“I think she would love that.” You nodded, rounding the counter and pulling the recipe up on your laptop. 
“She would, or you would love the alone time?” He smirked at you, jiggling Lilith in his arms.
“Both.” You shrugged. 
Spencer chuckled and came around the counter, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. You cupped his jaw in one hand, running your fingernails through his facial hair. 
“Have I told you recently how much I like this beard?” You hummed against his lips as he kissed you again. 
“Only every day for the last eighteen months.” He laughed, stroking your hair back from your face. “Have I told you recently how much I like this hair colour?” 
“Only every day for the last eighteen months.” You laughed too. 
You placed a kiss on your daughter's cheek before Spencer went about finding shoes for both him and Lilith while you read through your recipe again, only partially understanding what was being asked of you.
“You owe me for this by the way, it's hot as hell out there.” Spencer called from where he was hovering by the back door, sitting Lilith in her stroller and pulling the cover over the top to shield her from the sun's rays. 
“Hey, Puerto Rico was not my first choice of hideaway destination.” You shrugged at him.
“So that’s a no to a birthday blowjob?” He teased.
“Ask me again on your birthday.” You rolled your eyes. 
“See you soon, my partner in crime.” He winked at you as he took the handles of the stroller and wheeled your daughter out the backdoor. 
You smiled to yourself, your hand instinctively coming up to toy with the rose gold heart around your neck which you had never taken off to this day. It wasn’t an easy life, but Spencer made it seem so simple. 
Yours was a tale of reckless love from the start. It was funny to think back, to waiting for Spencer on the other side of that motel vent and thinking there was no way you would all make it out of there alive. You still remembered the way you’d screamed when you heard the explosion and then the relief that had washed over you when he dropped out of the vent and onto the concrete.
As he’d smiled at you and gripped you by the hand and the two of you started to run, the words he’d said that day still echoed through you.
“Until death do us part, princess. I’ll never leave you so easily.” 
Lovers and partners. Partners in life and in crime. Until death do you part. 
You let go of the necklace and turned your attention back to the laptop screen just as an incoming message popped up. Your eyes flitted back up to make sure Spencer was gone before you clicked into it. You tried not to make a habit of lying to him anymore but some things were better kept a secret. 
A clock started to chime from upstairs and you focused on each one and counted them up to twelve as the morning ticked by into the afternoon. Twelve o clock. It happened twice a day but for so long you’d let yourself be ruled by the shadowy midday counterpart. Because sometimes there was no darker place than our thoughts, the moonless midnight of the mind. 
But you were starting to see that midnight also offered its own kind of solace, the dawn of each new day bringing with it the dawn of hope. Even if you’d always be bound by your past mistakes, always doomed to have to watch your back.
However that didn’t seem all that bad when you had Spencer and Lilith in your corner, your dawns; your hopes. 
You had a smile on your face as you clicked into the message and read the brief text on your screen. Having Spencer and Lilith on your side was one thing, but having an extra ally never hurt either. 
Reaching out to him several months ago could have been your biggest downfall but deep down you’d always known you could trust him with your life. And as always, he didn’t disappoint you.   
As you read over the single line of the message, you were sure you could even still hear his voice in your head as he wished you and Spencer’s little conejito a happy first birthday. 
You'll never take us alive.
We swore that death will do us part,
They'll call our crimes a work of art.
You'll never take us alive.
We'll live like spoiled royalty, lovers and partners,
Partners in crime.
Partners in crime.
This, the tale of, reckless love,
Living a life of crime on the run.
I brush to a gun to paint these states?
Green and red.
Everybody freeze,
Nobody move.
Put the money in the bag,
Or we will shoot.
Empty out the vault,
And me and my doll will be on our way.
Our paper faces flood the streets,
And if the heat comes close enough to burn ,
Then we'll play with fire 'cause,
You'll never take us alive.
We swore that death will do us part,
They'll call our crimes a work of art.
You'll never take us alive.
We'll live like spoiled royalty, lovers and partners,
Partners in crime,
Partners in crime.
Here we find our omnipotent outlaws,
Fall behind the grind tonight.
Left unaware that the lone store owner,
Won't go down without a fight.
Where we gonna go,
He's got us pinned.
Baby I'm a little scared,
Now, don't you quit.
He's sounded the alarm?
I hear the sirens closing in,
Our paper faces flood the streets,
And if the heat comes close enough to burn,
Then we're burning this place to the ground 'cause,
You'll never take us alive.
We swore that death will do us part,
They'll call our crimes a work of art.
You'll never take us alive,
We'll live like spoiled royalty, lovers and partners,
Partners in crime.
The skies are black with lead-filled rain,
A morbid painting on display.
This is the night the young love died,
Buried at each other's side.
You never took us alive.
We swore that death would do us part,
So now we haunt you in the dark.
You never took us alive,
We live as ghosts among these streets,
Lovers and partners.
Partners in crime.
Partners in crime.
Partners in crime.
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@bubblebuttwade @jay-2s-world @daddy-dotcom @nomajdetective @rebelliousstories
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deansdelicate · 1 month
Text
I CAN SEE YOU
CHAPTER III: TRYING NOT TO FEEL IT
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seth rollins x fem!writer+producer reader
word count: [9.6K]
warnings: no use of y/n, mild cursing, slight mention of anxiety, pining and two idiots flirting not so subtly <3
🎧 the soundtrack
summary: You and Seth's paths are intersecting deeper than any of you anticipated. With a new storyline set to begin, it leaves you both filled with a yearning to know if it only ever will be platonic, even if biting the forbidden fruit is only just mindless dreaming.
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Another week came with another Monday, and this time for you it meant not just being on screen, but finally getting the chance to work behind the scenes with one of your storylines being rolled out on Raw.
You were mentally ecstatic, finally getting a chance to be in your own element behind the camera, but your body told an entirely different story.
Exhaustion infested your bones, and the last thing on your mind was getting to TV, because all you wanted to do was sleep the day away. Your body was facing the consequences of the constant travel combined with jet lag that you were positive you’d never get used to.
Getting directly off a red eye only made matters worse, muscles aching with heaviness and longing desperately for your bed to make it all go away. The drive to the hotel offered limited solace, especially with the hustle and bustle of the city—road rage and honking keeping you up through the morning traffic jam during the stretch of time where you wanted to cram in more sleep.
Instead, you found yourself staring mindlessly out the window, taking in New York city through the tinted pane, zoning off into secret gardens in your mind, escaping into your thoughts, trying to get away from the chaos pulling you back.
And then, suddenly, everything shifted. The noise of the city seeming to fading into silence as a familiar name cut through the stereo’s hum.
“Welcome to the morning show. We’re joined by none other than the man and my personal favorite wrestler, Seth Rollins. How you doing, man?”
You perked up in your seat, a small smile becoming evident across your sleepy features, when his voice finally hit your ears.
“I’m doing great, looking forward to sight seeing the big apple after this. Thanks for having me.”
His voice sounded a little hoarse, fatigued from matches, the grueling travel schedule, and on top of that, having to do media in the early hours—nevertheless, it seemed as though he was championing it a lot better than you were. Clearly he was a veteran of the fast life already and you desperately needed to play catch up.
For the rest of the drive, you found yourself not only wide awake, but clinging to his voice as if he was the stimulant keeping you up. His laughter and quick wit filling the car, making you giggle despite his physical absence, that felt as if he was right there next to you all along.
You laid back, listening intently to the rest of the radio show. Eyes half closed as Seth talked about his run with Dean and Roman, his favorite matches he’s had, and some of the memorable cities he’s visited. He had so many stories to tell, and you surely wanted to pick his brain apart just so you could hear all of them and get to know him a little better.
“One last question before we let you go: Triple H’s daughter…” the radio host started curiously.
Seth hummed pleasantly, and you swore you could practically hear the smile in his voice.
“What a debut am I right?” He spoke with a mixture of pride and affection.
Your stomach twisted into knots, teeth digging softly into your bottom lip as you tried to hold back a smile that you didn’t even realize was creeping upon you so feverishly.
“The pop she got was insane! What do you think about her so far?” The interviewer pressed for more, and suddenly you felt yourself becoming interested as you waited for Seth’s response.
“I mean other than being extremely impressed, I think the company is going to be in good hands when Triple H feels ready to pass the torch onto her.” Seth’s voice softening with sincerity as he went on.
“She’s a hard worker, and she’s hilarious, and she’s completely selfless.” Seth said, honestly.
“Any chance we can see you two working together?” The interviewer prodded, a teasing tone in his voice.
Seth laughed lightly. “Oh man, I don’t know what the future holds, but if there ever comes an opportunity, I would love to work with her.” He admitted, making you feel giddy all over as you hung your head and tried to fight the smile.
“You heard it here first, ladies and gents…”
His voice was like a looped track echoing over and over again in your mind—the cadence of every answer memorized like the melody to your favorite song.
And even then, when hours passed, you couldn’t help but still feel warm all over just thinking about all the generous things he had to say about you. It was one of the qualities you admired about him the most despite the short measure of time you knew him for. All of things he said to your face, was the same things he said when you weren’t around—a kind of authenticity that was rare to come across.
Music blared through your phone speakers, resounding off the bathroom walls where you found yourself conflicted as to why you still couldn’t shake Seth’s kind words even after the time had passed. Everyone else had met you with the same kindness that he showed you, but not in the way that left you reeling the way Seth did.
But before you could ponder it any longer and get too in your head than you already were, a knock echoed against your hotel door, prompting you to pull back from the bathroom mirror and hit pause on your phone’s music, strolling over and taking a peak through the peephole to see who it was.
You grinned, unlocking the door and opening it wide to reveal your dad on the other side, already dressed in his suit ready to head out to the arena.
“Hey honey,” He embraced you in a hug before you stepped aside, letting him step into your room, “What time did you get in?”
“A little after nine,” you replied, retreating back to the bathroom to finish up your makeup and you continued to talk, “I checked in and decided to nap. I nearly slept through my alarm, but I’m all rested now.”
Originally, you both had planned to travel together, as you often did when arriving in new cities. But your dad had to cut his weekend short, heading out the morning after your sister’s birthday to join the crew because they were short a producer for the local house show. Knowing your dad, you had mentally begun preparing for more solo trips, seeing as though he was always prone to travel changes now that he was the big boss in charge.
“I forgot to ask, how was dinner last Friday?” He leaned against the doorframe, changing the subject after realizing over the weekend you hadn’t talked about work at all.
You barked out a laugh, trying not to poke your eye out while you combed the mascara through your lashes.
“The food was delicious, and everyone was great. They’re all really nice and welcoming—I even told them about the whole ‘suck it!’ car gate situation.”
Your dad smiled upon hearing you talk about the night so up beat, relieved that you were making friends with everyone since you were going to start seeing them more often than not.
He knew that being on the road meant the constant change of scenery, which in some ways were great for your writing process, but it also brought a certain kind of loneliness with not having any established friends around to keep you company—but thankfully that was all starting to change.
“That’s nice. I’m glad you’re feeling a bit settled.” He chuckled with satisfaction, happy that you weren’t miserable on the road after all the convincing he had to do to get you on board.
“Nepotism apparently makes great conversation starters.” You quipped finished up your mascara.
Sure, you loved being in the comfort of your hometown where you grew up and where all of your family and friends were just a drive away when you needed to see them most. And it certainly wasn’t easy coming to terms that your new job meant a lack of permanence but you knew you could adjust with the more time that went on, and you were positive that you could balance your home and the town you were a guest in.
“I actually wanted to talk about your final storyline,” He paused for a moment, catching your eyes in the mirror’s reflection as you stared anxiously.
“I read through it and man…it’s good.”
Your dad smiled proudly, prompting you to squeal mainly out of relief and clapped your hands frantically. He didn’t know why you were so nervous when he was constantly in awe of everything you created, even since you were a child with a rapid imagination that he couldn’t even keep up with.
“I honestly thought you’d hate it because it’s so work.” You whispered, reaching for your powder compact and a brush, beginning to swirl the bristles into the product and tapping the excess off.
“Does it require me to do a little more work? Yeah.” He laughed, as you half rolled your eyes, gliding the brush across your face as he went on.
“But I think if we do some chemistry reads with the superstars we can find the right fit. And if not, then we’ll put a pin in it. It’s still a good script. We just need the right people to play it out.”
You were pleased with his feedback, and if anyone knew creative direction as well as you did, it was your father. You trusted him enough with your ideas, and he respected them all to want to ensure they were brought to life as vividly as they could be.
You both were like the perfect little dream team, and you couldn’t have been happier to have the best boss and father in one person.
“Look at you using my director lingo.” You mocked with a smirk, tipping the brush at him while he rolled his eyes.
“Hurry up and a pin in this,” He retorted, gesturing to the messy bathroom counter, “We’ll drive down to the arena together.”
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you in the lobby?” You replied, getting up close in the mirror to see if you needed any last touch ups.
“Preferably in the next ten minutes.” He scoffed, shooting you a knowing look as he pressed off the door frame.
“Shoo!” You waved him off with a grunt, and he snickered his way out the door, leaving you to it.
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Arriving at the arena a few hours early was far better than the early morning drive that consisted of bumper to bumper traffic, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss Seth’s voice over the radio to listen to throughout the way.
You guessed it was just you being a little self absorbed, loving the way he spoke about you, but you decided to steer clear of thinking too much of it because no way did it mean anything deeper than him just being a kind person.
As you and your dad pulled up to the arena, you both rolled down the windows of the car, waving hello and smiling for pictures with fans who waited outside the parking garage gates. Heading inside, you and your dad went separate ways, you dropping your stuff off into your office and heading to set where you were going to be working behind the camera.
The camera crew and sound engineers were already getting set up in a quiet hallway, where the lights were purposely dimmed for dramatic effect. You took it upon yourself to say hello and catch up with everyone as you got mic’d up and helped frame the shot for the pre-recorded promo that would air later in the show.
Soon after, you felt a tap on your shoulder, and there towered over you the one and only Braun Strowman.
“Hey! You excited?” You said eagerly, removing the headsets from over your ears and letting them rest around your neck.
“You know I am.” He rubbed his hands together before giving you a small side hug.
Braun was still fairly new to the main roster with no big storyline or arch that truly set him apart from everyone else except his stature and strength. But ever since you had been tuning into the show for your storyline research, you knew wanted to develop him into a more prominent character and you were glad your dad approved of what you thought up for him.
“Did you want to change anything about the promo?” You asked, grabbing your binder to pull up his script.
He flipped through his copy, looking at you skeptically with a shrug as he pointed to a specific section.
“I’m sorta confused about how I should play this part.” He confessed, hoping you wouldn’t take his critique the wrong way.
You nodded, flipping to the same page as him and reading it to yourself to refresh your memory of what you had planned. You reassured him with another nod, retrieving a red ballpoint pen for edits as you waved him over to a nereby cart where you two could go over what he wanted to change.
“Do you want to go through it and then we can feel out what you want to change?” You suggested, already beginning to make notes in the margins of the script.
“You sure?” He rose his brow, expecting you to tell him to do what he was asked, instead of trying to wiggle his way into the writer’s room.
“Of course!” You nodded, and he began to get into the parts he required more clarity on and the suggestions he had for his character.
You two spent a total of fifteen minutes, revising and going over the script, and much to his surprise, and the entire crew who were listening in, you took every single suggestion with stride and trusted Braun completely to do what he felt resonated with his character and the overall promo. All the edits and suggestions he made were approved, and you were happy he felt comfortable enough to come and tell you why he felt it was right to do so.
You watched closely on the monitors as Braun stood in front of the camera, situatating himself on his mark, before you peered past the lens and counted him down.
“Okay, we’re rolling in 3…2…” your voice died out, giving him the thumbs up and he began his promo.
Seth watched from the opposite end of the hallway, not paying too much attention to the words leaving Braun’s mouth, but more so the sight of you looking as if you were in your natural habitat. You silently helped the camera man pan in different directions as you followed Braun’s movement and gave him cues to speak louder or pause.
Usually in pre-taped segments or promos there were a lot of stopping and reshooting, most times because the producers wanted it absolutely perfect. However with you the process seemed a lot more laid back. A less stressful environment that they were used to back when Vince was around constantly picking apart everything to the point where everyone felt like they didn’t have any say whatsoever.
“And cut!” You announced out, clapping your hands as Braun relaxed up and came back around the camera to see what you thought.
Seth watched as you two exchanged a few words and nods, happy with the product that it didn’t need another take, so the crew began to clear out. You embraced in a quick hug, patting his back, before you spun around to get your mic and ear piece removed.
Seth then made his way to you, brushing past Braun in the process and giving each other a handshake before the giant went down another turn in the hallway.
“Hey, hey Ms. Director.” He chirped happily, getting your attention.
A smile immediately crossed your features, looking over your shoulder while your fingers fidgeted behind your back removing your mic and handing it off to a stagehand.
“Hey you,” you grinned, arms crossing over your chest, glad that he was stopping by to say hello.
“How was the sightseeing?” You eyed the wristband wrapped around his joint, the same one you recognized from the other superstars you ran into who had the pleasure of sightseeing the Statue Of Liberty after media this morning.
Seth rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, frowning somewhat, “Gotta be honest with you, it was pretty anticlimactic.” He confessed, causing you to laugh lightly with a scorn.
“You didn’t happen to get one of those ‘I Heart New York’ shirts did you?” You joked, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
“They did try to sell me one.” He retorted with a point of his finger.
In some odd way, the familiar knots that formed in your stomach when you listened to his voice over the radio were back again, only this time they kept you grounded, beaming warmly at him as warmth flushed over your skin. You knew it was nothing other than pure appreciation, guessing that if it was anyone else who said the things he did about you, you would be feeling the exact same emotions.
“Thanks for putting me over this morning.” You finally broke the momentary silence, politely reaching out to rest a cordial hand over his arm before dropping it back to your sides swiftly.
He thought for a moment, lifting his brows unknowingly not knowing what you were talking about before realization crossed his face. “You heard that?”
You giggled, nodding as you tucked your cheek into your shoulder. “It helps when you have a driver who only ever listens to the local radio.”
“Well, I meant what I said.” He said sweetly, watching you nod, before looking down the hall.
“Your dad wants to see me in his office. It’s about some chemistry read?” He supposed curiously, wondering if you knew what it was about.
You tilted your head, surprised for a quick second that your dad thought of him for the male lead, but you understood why—especially when he possessed the talent for it.
“It’s my final assignment storyline.” You revealed, wringing your hands together nervously, hoping he would like the script when he read over it himself.
“Really?” He was stunned, thrilled to read what you had after learning about it last week. “ I guess I really gotta nail it.” He cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck comically.
“I’ll see you, Seth.” You waved.
“See you,” He nodded, heading in the opposite direction.
You thanked the crew who were still hanging around, before setting off to your office to relax and answer some emails prior to the show starting. To your surprise, when you got there Xavier and his buddies Big E and Kofi were lingering around and immediately perked up when they saw you coming around the corner.
“Ah, Ms. Levesque! I’ve been searching for you,” Xavier stood, holding his arms out excitedly as he did a curtsy.
“What can I do for you Mr. Woods?” You said in your best English accent, bowing slightly making them laugh.
“So I don’t know if you know, but I run a YouTube channel called UpUpDownDown.” He explained, and you nodded enthusiastically, pointing to him.
“Yeah! You had my mom and dad on there, right?” You laughed to yourself, remembering the time you stumbled upon the videos and proceeded to tease them about how not so tech savvy they were these days.
“Oh, man, you really did do your research.” He complimented, happy that you had a jist of what he did outside of the ring.
“Anyway, I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming on the show? I think the fans would really love it, plus I’m always looking for new people to game with.” He shimmied his shoulders, hoping you would be down for the opportunity.
You grinned, immediately nodding, “Do you have Mario Kart?”
“You know I do.”
“Then I’ll be there!”
You invited them into your office so that you and Xavier could sit down and go over a day to film the content. You both settled for the upcoming week during on an off day where there weren’t any scheduled house shows or media to get in the way and cut the day short. The three were incredibly funny and made you feel extra included which was great because you wanted to form friendships and bonds, not just soley being the new writer or boss’s daughter.
You were thankful that Xavier thought about you for his side hobby that he was incredibly passionate about, and it gave you the perfect excuse to sit back and relax without worrying about work. Soon after they said their goodbye’s, a knock echoed on your door and the familiar voice rang through on the other side.
“Ms. Levesque?” It was Eddie.
You went to open it, smiling when you saw him. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Your dad wants to see you in his office.” He informed you, pointing down one side of the hallway as you stuck your head out.
“Did he say why?” You peered over at him and he shook his head with a shrug.
“Apparently, it has something to do with the chemistry reads, but that’s about all I know.”
“Okay, thank you.” You figured it’d be best to head to your father’s office first to see what he needed then get changed for the show.
“When you’re done, meet me in catering. You have some posters that need autographs, and we can catch up.” He offered with a smile, and you nodded.
Coming across your father’s office, you turned the knob, letting yourself in, assuming it must have been urgent if he sent Eddie as opposed to shooting you a text.
“Are we putting a pin in—hey!” You greeted, suddenly taken aback, with the setup in front of you.
A few creative members and producers sat along the elongated table with a camcorder set up on a tripod facing the opposite wall where none other than Seth sat, passing you a welcoming smile as he looked up from the script in his hands.
You smiled tightly, giving him a timid wave before peering over at your dad.
“You really weren’t joking when you said chemistry reads were you?”
He chuckled, shaking his head as he handed you another copy of the script.
“Have a seat, sweetheart.”
Your dad pointed you towards the empty chair next to Seth and with everything happening so abruptly, you didn’t question his instruction and went right ahead and made yourself cozy next to the superstar.
“I want you to read from the first page to right about halfway through the second.” Your dad directed you, and you nodded, beginning to go through the lines that were practically seared into your brain from all the proofreading.
You and Seth both gawked over at your dad, waiting for his cue as he fidgeted with the camcorder, hitting the red button before giving you both a silent nod and a thumbs up.
“Isn’t there something bigger you should be chasing after? Like WWE Championship for instance?” You began, eyes looking up to meet Seth’s.
He chuckled, shaking his head, wearing a maniacal grin. “If you have already forgotten, let me remind you…I’ve already held the most prestigious championship in this company. I’ve carried this company on my back, and even when my knee gave out, I came back to reclaim what I never lost, and now I want something else.”
You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to decode what he meant. “I can’t give you what you won’t say.”
“I’m looking at her.” He whispered, staring at you deeply as if you were the only person around.
Before you could get lost, a look of disgust covered your face, as you pulled back from him scoffing begrudgingly.
“You don’t possibly think I would want anything to do with you do you? I have my priorities straight and I don’t need you getting in the way of them.”
As Seth’s lips parted, getting ready to read the next line, your father cleared his throat, holding his palm up in the air and stopping you both as you looked in his direction.
“Now I want you both to improvise. Keep it rolling…” Your dad declared, guiding his hands in a tumbling motion and you both nodded getting ready to proceed.
Seth tsk’ed, fingers rolling up the script, as he tapped it against his leg.
“Haven’t you ever thought about it? The prodigy of Triple H, myself, and his genius daughter. What’s not to like about that?”
He smirked, looking you up and down before you promptly cut in, trying not to feel the warmth of your blood seizing in your veins. It was just improvising.
“You’re power hungry. Need I remind you this time that my father only did what he did because he wanted what was best for business? And sure, it might have gotten you high up that mountain, but it came crashing down just as fast when your loyalty meant nothing to him.” You retorted sharply, watching his smirk fall into a hurt expression.
“What makes you think I’m still that man? I changed, I became better, and I am better than I ever was before.” His voice suddenly held a gentleness, as if he was trying to prove himself to you.
You stayed indifferent, pressing yourself forward as you spoke with a sternness he couldn’t look away from.
“You’ll get clouded by that same power hungry haze sooner or later. You’ll never be able to outgrow the man that stabbed your bothers in the back with a steel chair, the man that sold out for his own success, and the man who reclaimed it all not because he was destined to, but because you care all too much about proving you aren’t who people think you are because you’re scared it might truer than you think.”
You both held eye contact, searching each other’s eyes for a fleeting moment all before a faint applaud broke the scene and caused you both to grin and look over at the table and your father who seemed rather fascinated with the chemistry you had.
“Was that any good?” You bit down on your lip anxiously, hoping their applause wasn’t strictly out of pity for your mediocre acting.
Your father stopped the recording, passing you a sly and proud nod.
“If I say ‘yes’ does it mean that you’re okay with starring in your own storyline with Seth?” He responded with a convincing expression.
Your eyes widened. “Seriously?”
He nodded and chuckled, walking around to stand in front of you both.
“We couldn’t find anyone who meshed well with the script playing opposite of Seth. Originally, I was going to put a pin in it, but I figured I might as well give you a shot before I called it off.” He explained.
“I mean, if it’s okay with you then I’d be glad to do it.” You sputtered, looking over at Seth with a mix of uncertainty and excitement.
The superstar immediately nodded, washing away your initial worry about him needing to work with a rookie like you. It was safe to say that you were clearly still getting used to be on camera, and you didn’t want to hinder the path of Seth’s career that was on a steady incline.
“I’d be dumb to turn this down. I would love to work with you on your very own storyline.” He grinned, your knees knocking into one another when he reached out for you to shake his hand as if you both were sealing the deal.
You clutched his softly, his hands giving yours a tender yet encouraging squeeze before you released at the sound of your father clapping his hands.
“Well, it’s settled…do you guys want to start tonight?”
Your eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief “T-tonight?”
“Yeah,” He shrugged, knowing you and Seth’s characters needed a little revamp, a different storyline would help a ton, “A little run in segment in the middle of the show. It’ll be great for your character and we can get the ball rolling on this thing.”
“We can work something out before the show,” Seth suggested, pulling out his phone to check the time, flashing it to you, “We have plenty of time.”
“Yeah, okay, that sounds somewhat reassuring.” You gave him a small smile, turning to your dad. “Do we have to hit anything specific?”
“The audience should know you know about him and his history, and that you aren’t too fond. That’s about it.” He looked back at the table of producers and writers who agreed.
“Wanna meet in my office in like ten minutes? I just have to get changed.” You looked down at yourself, still dressed in jeans and a fitted tee, plus some sneakers.
Seth nodded, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “I’m gonna head to catering for a little and I’ll come right over.”
You both got up, taking a moment to say thank you to everyone who approved of your script to get it this far this early. Seth took an extra moment to give his thanks to your dad who picked him out of the many superstars that could’ve fulfilled the role instead. As you exited his office, you pointed Seth down to where he could find you before you both waved a quick goodbye.
Seth had a smile glued to his face on the walk to catering, pleased that it was you who he was working with on a storyline that frankly was entirely different from any other he worked on in the past.
He certainly didn’t expect himself to be picked for the role, and to be fair he was a bit hesitant to take it because he knew your script deserved the utmost justice being served to it.
But when your dad called for Eddie to find you for the read, he just knew there was no way he would be able to let anyone else play the part beside himself if it meant getting to work with you.
It was safe to say Seth was in good spirits, honored that it was him getting to work with you for your first big storyline. And while he couldn’t take you on a proper coffee outing to thank you for last week, and now the storyline under his belt—he could totally try to make you the best cup of instant coffee to make up for it.
He walked through catering doors, making a beeline for the beverage table and retrieving two cups as he got to work.
“Did you get cut too?” Finn called out to him from the table nearby.
Seth chuckled, shaking his head as he twisted the spigot of the jug to dispense some of the coffee into the cups.
“Actually, no.”
“So who are they pairing you with?” Renee suspected, keeping her eyes on him curiously.
“Nattie?” Charlotte wondered, knowing she was also called in for the chemistry read earlier in the day.
“Over my dead body.” TJ called out from another table, causing them all to laugh.
“Sasha?” Finn pressed once again.
“Nope.” Seth said quickly, ripping two sugar packets and pouring it into your cup.
“Boss lady?” Roman called out jokingly.
Seth’s silence was all they needed to hear and before he could even tell them the good news, the entire room was filled with “oh’s” and “ah’s” coming from left and right.
“No fucking way.” Dean hailed, pressing his hands against the table, sitting up straighter in his seat.
“How in the hell did you manage to get paired up with her?” Renee choked, perplexed and entertained by the sudden news.
“Paul, made the call,” Seth exhaled annoyingly, turning to them as he stirred the contents of your cup. “He called her in to read and it just felt natural. We meshed and now we’re working together.”
The group of wrestlers whistled like a bunch of high schoolers struck with the fact that their very own friend was getting closer and closer to the principal’s daughter—or at least that’s how Seth saw it. Sure, they were all grown adults, but his friends especially were guilty of their childish play and this was one of those moments he wished ended sooner, but they were only getting started.
“Maybe Paul knew all along he wanted you and her together, and he held that meeting last week mostly for you.” Kofi quipped and everyone laughed, making him roll his eyes.
“Yeah, right, are you getting paid for these conspiracy theories?” Seth scoffed, shooting them all a glare.
“No, but I do know I’m not the one who’s potentially going to get his ass fired by Triple H if I get too cozy with his daughter!” He boosted, as everyone shook his hand and laughed cheekily.
“You wanna know what I think?” Seth got ready to leave, wrapping his hands around the warm cups.
“Please enlighten us Mr. Monday Night.” Renee grinned, propping her chin up on her fist.
Seth scanned the entire room with a smug smirk on his face. “That you guys are jealous that I’m the first one out of all of us to get a script written by her and I get to work with her.”
“Oh, shut it!” Charlotte rolled her eyes as everyone boo’d him out.
“Catch you losers later.” He singsonged, strolling over to your office with a victorious smile on his face.
Stopping in front of your office, he balanced his coffee against his chest, knocking firmly on the door, letting you know it was him. There was some shuffling and mumbling coming from the inside, smoothing out your skirt and top before you pulled the door open and met him with a smile as you tossed your hair over your shoulder.
“Hey, come in.” You opened the door wider, making room for him to pass, before shutting it behind him.
Seth stepped in further into your office, holding out one of the cups towards you, “It’s not the best coffee but I did promise you some last time.”
You pressed your lips into a thankful pout, taking it from him.
“I did need an extra buzz to get through the show, so thank you.” You laughed.
He watched as you took a sip, concern muddled in his orbs, hoping you’d like it, and if you didn’t, then he’d have to hope the sugar packets hidden in his pocket could solve the problem.
“Not too bitter is it?” Seth rose his brow skeptically, and you went in for another sip before shaking your head.
“It’s actually just right.” You swirled the cup in your palm, running your tongue over your lips.
“If we’re ever in Iowa, I’ll take you to a better coffee spot.” He offered, following your lead to the couch getting comfortable.
“You know a place?” You lifted your brow, falling onto the cushions, and hit him right beside you not a second later.
“I own it.” He said proudly, containing a chuckle when you snapped your head at him in awe.
“No way, you don’t.” You gasped, poking his arm thinking that he was just messing with you.
He shook his head, holding his hands up in defense. “Believe it or not, I’m a coffee connoisseur myself and decided to open up a little shop in my hometown.”
“Okay now you legitimately need to take me out for coffee.” You insisted with a stern point, the two of you began laughing.
“You have my word.” He promised, tipping his cup into the air towards you.
Sure it was a gamble to make such a promise, especially considering everyone’s concern about him getting in trouble with Paul for getting too close, but it also came with the territory of the business and if anyone knew what that was like then it was certainly your father.
You and him were strictly business…and friends. But nothing more than that. The way that you two smiled and held conversations with each other was strictly platonic—at least that’s what he was trying to convince himself as he stared at you tenderly.
He didn’t understand why his friends were causing such a ruckus between you and him, because surely they all thought that he was better than that, right? There wasn’t any plausible way that you or he could fall into something deeper than platonic friends…right?
“Oh! Let me grab my laptop.” You remembered getting off the couch, causing Seth to blink wildly, shaking his head at himself for getting caught up in his thoughts.
You sat beside him once more, this time with your laptop in hand as you set your coffee down on the ground before lifting the screen and typing your password in. He grinned behind his cup as he took a sip, eyes trained on the wallpaper of you and your sisters, plus a few dogs that he assumed were a part of the family.
“So, how should we do this?” You puffed out a breath of air through your nose, opening an application from the toolbar, causing another screen to pop up, an empty document.
You typed your name and Seth’s in the same line, followed by ‘backstage segment’ before assigning two different colors for your lines.
Seth slanted closer to you, and you looked up at him for a quick second, doing the same so you could tilt the laptop towards him, giving him a better view of the screen.
“Why don’t I come in looking for your dad, but it’s actually you I run into?” He suggested, looking at you for approval.
You thought for a second, eyes trained up to the ceiling, trying to paint the picture in your head, and before you knew it, there was a certain twinkle in your eye, suddenly looking at him with a thoughtful grin.
“Yeah, I like that.” You nodded, getting to typing away.
Effortless was the best way to describe the time that passed as you and Seth bounced ideas off one another. In fact, your office was filled with laughter, “oh’s” and “ah’s” that reflected the ease that came with the process that most times were filled with silence and pondering. He made it all feel easy, even with the worry that lingered in the back of your mind about being on live TV again.
You bit down on your lip, fingers working across the keyboard thoughtfully as you typed.
“Why don’t you do what your mother did and be gone witch?” Seth read it aloud as you typed and he covered his mouth, and you threw your head back laughing.
“No way! Your mom would kill, then your dad.” He grimaced lightly, causing you to giggle uncontrollably, sliding your laptop off your lap as you hunched over your legs.
“I personally think the crowd would pop over it.” You caught your breath laying back against the cushions.
“I like what we have so far. Usually sitting in script writing isn’t this fun,” Seth admitted, watching as you reached for your laptop and deleted the last line.
You hummed, tilting your head, “Writing has never not been fun for me. Sure, sometimes there’s writer’s block, but I always find that jumping from script to script can help.”
You saved the script to your laptop, pulling up your emails and sending it to Eddie with ‘please print’ in the subject line followed by a smiley face. He grinned, shaking his head as he sipped his coffee, watching you hit the send button before closing your laptop.
He swallowed the bitter liquid, the two of you sitting in short silence before he nudged your side with his elbow, getting you to meet his eyes.
“I’m lucky, really. There’s no one I would rather work with.” He spoke with a sincerity that made those knots loop and tighten in your stomach all over again.
It tugged inside of you in a way that you could not even begin to pinpoint. The idea of it being because you were starting to form a little crush on him just didn’t seem fathomable for reasons that you knew were obvious. He would never go after his boss’s daughter. You were the forbidden fruit he couldn’t have, and you were positive it was just you misinterpreting his kindness so foolishly.
Before you could even thank him, a heavy knock sounded on the other side of the door, causing you both to whip your head in its direction.
“Come in!” You called out, immediately standing and brushing your palms against your skirt.
It was a camera crew and sound techs lugging their equipment, as one of them spoke.
“Is it okay if we set up?” They proposed, looking between you and Seth.
You nodded, glancing over at the superstar who stood upright beside you.
“Yeah, of course, we were just wrapping up.”
They all nodded, letting themselves in to prepare for the segment tonight.
“I’ll meet you here okay?” Seth held his arm out, letting you walk into a small hug.
“Sounds like a plan.” You murmured, rubbing his back, watching him leave, hoping time would go by faster.
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As if you manifested it, time certainly did pass by quicker than you anticipated and Seth was already changed into a fitted tee and black skinny jeans. His hair tugged out of the low bun he had been wearing and misted with leave in conditioner. He was reading over the copy of his script while you got your hair and makeup touched up and the camera crew began framing the shot.
One of the producers instructed you both to get into places, anticipating the end of the second match of the night where directly after the cameras would cut to backstage. You stood off camera, shooting Seth a thumbs up and a big ole smile, while a stage hand counted down and the cameras were live.
“Hello hello, is anyone here?” He tapped on the already cracked door, pushing against it and letting himself in, looking around.
You snuck in from the opposite side of the camera, revealing yourself.
“Can I help you?”
Seth stared at you surprised, for a split second before giving you a tense nod and looking past you.
“Actually, you can’t, but if you could get me your dad, then I think I’ll be able to get my issue resolved.”
You rolled your eyes, hands resting on your hips, “Well my dad’s actually a little busy right now, but I can assure you, whatever it is you need, I can assist.”
“Yeah?” Seth crossed his arms over his chest, meeting your eyes skeptically.
“Come on, hit me.” You nodded with a smile, feigning assurance as you guided him to tell you what he so desperately wanted.
“A match against—”
“Yeah no,” You cut him off, dropping the smile on your face and causing Seth to furrow his brows perplexed.
“Excuse me?” He spoke taken aback by your harshness.
“You don’t think I’m stupid do you? I know your history, Seth, and to be quite frank, I’m not the fondest of you. To be honest, I don’t even like you all that much.”
“Look lady, I did nothing to you, so I don’t see why you’re treating me the way you are right now.”
“It’s not about what you did to me, Seth. It’s about what you did to other people. What you did to your brothers, Roman and Dean. What you did to my dad after everything he did for you. And right now, I have my guard up because I don’t know what you’ll do to me.”
“I’ll have you know that I apologized to my brothers. We’ve moved on and they’ve forgiven me. As for your dad,” Seth paused, looking at you, “He got what he had coming…and so did you mom.”
You gritted your teeth, palm lifting up as if you were going to slap him before your dad, cleared his throat, entering the frame and you hurriedly lowered your hand and shot him a sweet smile.
“Hi dad!” You beamed, attempting to cut the tension in the small space.
“Hey sweetie,” He greeted you with a hug, ignoring Seth for a moment, before turning to face him finally, “You met my daughter I see.”
“She’s a real delight.” Seth faked a smile, and you rolled your eyes when your dad wasn’t looking.
“Was there something you needed?” Hunter requested, and Seth’s mouth opened about to speak.
“He was actually just leaving dad.” You interjected, shaking your head and gesturing Seth out the door.
But he stood in place, glaring at you until you hardened your gaze and pointed him out once more.
“Bye-bye now.” You twiddled your fingers, smiling evilly when he turned his back and walked out.
The camera cut back to the ring, and you immediately broke character with a giggle relieved that it went better than you had planned, and to your surprise you and Seth worked effortlessly. Your father shook his head, impressed by how good you were at playing the bad guy, even after you were initially opposed to being a heel because you didn’t know if you possessed any of the bad guy qualities.
“I’m sure everyone is now officially going to call me mom’s mini me.” You joked, meeting your father’s palm with a high five.
“You sure are.” Your dad grinned, ruffling the top of your head, a warm gesture of his approval that you always had.
The two of you moved towards your desk, allowing the crew to clear out with all their equipment, and it wasn’t long before Seth had made his way back in, wearing the same grin that you had glued onto your face even after the cameras called cut.
“For a second, I thought you really were going to hit me.” Seth shook his head playfully, rubbing his hand over his cheek where you were going to hit him.
You gasped dramatically, holding a hand over your heart, “I would never!” You insisted, the two of you laughing as your dad watched on.
He was well aware that the decision to have you and Seth work together was the best one he could have made, despite the oppositions who argued otherwise. Sure, many of the producers and writers were weary of Paul allowing his daughter to act in her very own script, especially a romantic one, but Paul knew better than anyone that you were the perfect fit, and Seth was the perfect partner to make it all happen.
While Seth was the one who named Paul one of his biggest mentors, Paul trusted Seth with not just his creative take on wrestling, but the ability to work with new talent not just to put them over, but to make him better in the process. It was no different from trusting Seth with you, knowing he would help you develop your character for the long run while also getting the chance to explore a creative direction that the fans had never seen from him before.
Your father knew you and Seth were the perfect match for TV and that was it.
“Wanna go to catering?” Seth suggested, hoping you’d tag along since he had virtually nothing else to do for the night.
You nodded, retrieving your phone off your desk. “Yeah, I’m actually meting Eddie there. I have a few posters to sign and he wants to catch up.” You shot Eddie a quick text that you would be there soon.
“Well, great job you two.” Your dad spoke, giving you both a pat on the back, content with how the segment went and hoping the fans would be excited for next week where they got to see more of you two together.
“Fun weekend?” Seth asked, falling into step beside you, walking through the hallways.
You nodded enthusiastically, retelling what you and your family had been up to.
“It was actually really fun and relaxing at the same time. Plus, I really hit a home run when my sister opened the present I got her.”
You unlocked your phone, opening the photos app, and scrolling to find the photo your mom snapped of you and your sister as she ripped open her present.
“What’d you get her?” He stared, watching as you slid through some images before finally finding the one and passing it over to him.
“It’s one of those vintagey polaroid cameras.” You explained, excitement woven into your voice, “And it’s not the modern ones they brought back into style. It’s like an actual one from the 80s I think? I found it at consignment store and picked up some film to go along with it.”
Seth laughed, fingers scrolling through the play-by-play photos which revealed your sisters surprised expression the more she got through the wrapping paper and realized what she got. It ended with you two embracing in a hug, and Seth smiled warmly at the thought you put in, making sure you got her something that was worth a reaction like that.
“She looks super stoked.” Seth chuckled, passing the phone back to you.
You hummed, pouting slightly at the screen a little at the screen and locking it. “I’m a little jealous because I’ve been wanting one myself.” You admitted with a laugh, shaking your head at your own wistfulness.
Seth smirked, opening the catering doors for you, letting you walk in first.
“You should get one. It’ll complete the whole director look you got going on.” He spoke, walking in behind you and gesturing his hand in the air over your silhouette.
You giggled softly, looking towards the table in the back of the room where Eddie was waving you over.
“I’ll be over there.” You pointed, and Seth nodded, giving Eddie a little wave before turning his attention back to you.
“Stop by if you have time.” Seth replied, tone inviting, tilting his head towards the table where all of his friends were seated waiting for him to join them.
“I will.” You assured him with a smile, heading to Eddie while Seth went to grab food.
The fine tip sharpie was nestled into your hand and you began the time consuming and finger cramping process of getting the stack of posters signed for the beloved WWE fans. Thankfully, you and Eddie both created an efficient rhythm where you would sign and he would stack them, keeping to process going smoothly.
“How was your sister’s birthday?” He swiped away another poster into the growing signed pile.
“Adorable! She had a few friends over for her birthday party, and she was surprised my dad and I flew down in time.” You gushed, hand working overtime to get everything done in one sitting.
“That’s nice. Why didn’t I see you Friday, by the way?” He was too busy with your father’s tasks for him to find you or shoot you a text last week.
“I got dinner with Seth and a few other people, and I caught a ride with them back to the hotel.” You stopped for a moment, looking at him with a soft smile. “Thanks for sending my stuff to the suite by the way.”
Eddie nodded, keeping the posters going, but not without a little laugh getting caught in his throat before he spoke, “Seth, huh?”
You furrowed your brows, the pen still working against the glossy photos.
“What about him?” You pressed, wondering what he was getting at.
Eddie shrugged, his knowing eyes avoided with yours trained on the photos in front of you. “Nothing, he just seems to cozy up to you that’s all.”
“Oh, come on, that’s not true.” You argued, shaking your head dismissively.
“You ran into each other like a billion times on your first day—two of which I was there to see with my own eyes.” He retorted, as if it meant something deeper than two people coincidentally bumping into each other.
“Well, we work together now, and now with the new storyline expect to see more of us together.” You replied, attempting to brush off any implications that it was deeper than surface level.
“In a cozy way or?” Eddie teased, knocking his foot lightly into your calves under the table.
“Oh my god, stop.” You groaned, rolling your eyes at his childish behavior that was borderline schoolgirl like.
“I’m messing with you,” Eddie eased up with a chuckle, “Plus, your dad already made it clear that talent is off limits.” He admitted, sucking in a sharp breath at the memory of the tense meeting just a few days ago.
“He’s not actually serious about that.” You countered with a huff, defiance creeping into your voice.
Eddie deadpanned, staring at you in disbelief, “What do you mean ‘not serious’? He is totally absolutely serious about it.”
You shrugged, not understanding what the big deal was anyway.
“Well for one, I am a grown woman who gets to decide what I want, and two, he and my mom literally did what he’s now tell me not to do, which is very hypocritical if you ask me.”
Eddie nodded, understanding your point, but at the same time weary of what your father was capable of if anyone thought about pursing you.
“No I know that, but…wouldn’t he like absolutely freak out if you went against him?”
“This is all hypothetical you know that, right? I’m not actually going to go after Seth.” You laughed lightly, shaking your head at him, hoping he knew you weren’t being actually serious about you and your new on-screen interest.
“What if Seth wants to go after you?” Eddie’s tone was suddenly a lot less teasing and more so serious.
“He’d be out of his mind.” You sighed, waving off the thought of that even happening.
“He already is.” Eddie muttered under his breath, eyes catching the sigh of Seth staring at you from across the room while you tried not to feel it.
Seth settled his eyes back on his plate of salad and grilled chicken, seated between Dean and Kofi as everyone began talking about the elephant in the room, which was you and Seth—of course.
“Nice segment,” Dean patted him on the back with a smirk. “You guys have chemistry.” He added, and the table agreed with hums and smiles.
Seth chewed his food and swallowed, nodding his head thankfully, “Well I mean, that’s why Paul picked her and I.”
Dean snorted, shaking his head with a lopsided grin. “I mean, romantic sexual chemistry.”
“Oh, fuck off.” Seth cursed, shaking his head in disagreement.
The table giggled and failed to hide their growing smirks, knowing damn well there was an unspoken chemistry between you both no matter how hard Seth tried to deny it.
“It’s no surprise when we were practically barging in on your date last week.” Charlotte piped with a soft whistle, sipping her energy drink through a straw.
“Hold up what?” Xavier’s eyes shot towards Seth, lifting a troubling brow.
Seth sighed, forking pieces of dressed lettuce onto the prongs as he spoke.
“We just went out to dinner and I walked her up to her hotel room. We were on the same floor, so it was just coincidence.”
“Chivalry, my man!” Big E hooted.
“Thank you.” Seth looked over at him with an empathetic expression, knowing at least he understood what it meant to be a courteous person.
But Kofi piped in, shaking his head. “Oh, it wasn’t a compliment. You’re down bad dude.” He corrected with a laughed, reaching across the table to give Big E a fist bump.
“What does that even mean?” Seth furrowed his brows confused, before ultimately shaking his head not wanting to hear it.
“We’re friends. And you guys have to drop this, we’re gonna be working together a lot and the last thing—”
Before he could even finish his statement, he felt a hand slide across the slope of his shoulder, causing him to look behind him, only to be met by you. Your stood above him, wearing your infectious smile as your hand remained on his clothed shoulder.
“I gotta run, but I’ll try to find you later if I have time.” You told him, eyes darting quickly to Eddie who was waiting up for you near the catering doors.
Seth nodded, immediately smiling, “Yeah, of course,” He replied.
He dropped the fork onto his plate, hand reaching up to cover yours. “Good job earlier by the way.”
You squeezed his skin tenderly, his rough fingertips grazing over your knuckles as you two smiled idiotically at each other. Everyone catching the way you both acted as if you were the only two people in the room—as if it really was just an innocent start of a friendship.
“Thanks. It always helps when you have a good scene partner to work with.” You spoke softly with another gracious nod.
With that, Seth let his hand fall off yours, and you brought your arm back to your side, finally tearing your eyes away from solely his and finally acknowledging everyone else with a wave.
“Bye guys,” you chorused, looking at Seth once more, mouthing “bye” and spinning on your heel, leaving with Eddie.
“That’s what it is.” Kofi muttered, draping his arm across Seth’s shoulder.
“What?” Seth finally tore his eyes from the catering door and his smile gradually dropped.
“That look on your face.” He pointed, gesturing a finger in a circular motion over his face.
“You being so gushy mushy over her? That’s being down bad my friend.”
Seth didn’t entertain the accusation, not even in the slightest convinced as he continued to eat his food and his friends went on with their badgering. He wasn’t down bad or whatever it was they were claiming.
All of it was completely and utterly foolish—he just wondered if you thought so too.
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💌 reblogs, tags, comments, + likes are greatly appreciated! leave a comment and let me know if want to be added to my taglist!! 💌
a/n: i hope you guys like chapter three of icsy!!! i had been working on this chapter for awhile and it is longer than i expected it to be, but thats just me being a typical yappersorous (my bad). let me know what you thing!!! seems like reader and seth are down bad and they don't even know it just yet 😜
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“Got You”
Jey Uso x IndigenousFMC
8 chapters- 22k words
🚨It’s so smutty I’m so sorry - no one under 18 plz!
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🚨 second alarm, there is a triggering scene but it is an attempted assault that is interrupted - there is a note around it so it is easy to skip!
Just collecting all 4 parts into one loooong post. It’s unedited so I apologize for mistakes and timelines messiness
Summary: Rori Begay is Jey Uso’s nanny. Inappropriate feelings begin to brew between them over lockdown and they try to avoid it. Unfortunately the violence in Rori’s home life boils over and so do their feelings for each other when he comes to her rescue.
Chapter 1:
Aurora POV
“My Rori’s here!” Jason lunged from his father’s arms into mine as soon as I made it through the door of the unassuming but well kept blue house.
“Hey little dude!” I gladly received the three year old, doing my best to avoid touching Josh too much in doing so. Every time we so much as brushed hands it caused a rolling wave of butterflies and warmth. Not unpleasant but also not an appropriate thing to feel for someone who was technically my boss. And the last thing I needed in my life right now was to lose my job, especially over a stupid crush.
Due to the pandemic ramping up Josh was home from his job that normally demanded a lot of travel. Even though he wasn’t traveling he still had commitments and a job that required several hours of training daily in the gym on top of meetings and zoom calls. He’d explained the plan his company had until they could safely begin touring again, a plan that would see them staying here in Florida for several months to a year.
Long enough for me to save up enough to get out of my own place, even if my mother was demanding a high rent. I was glad I’d fibbed about just how much Josh was paying me weekly or she would have demanded even more.
“Swim! Swim! Wanna go swimming!” I juggled the excited toddler in my arms trying not to drop my day bag.
Coming to the rescue Josh grabbed the green backpack and smiled at me in a way that turned my insides to mush. “We gotta eat first little man.”
“Are you free today?” I hoped I didn’t sound as excited as I felt. At first I’d found it odd he still wanted me there even when he wasn’t going to be busy for the day but quickly started to look forward to spending time with both of them.
“Yeah, my meetings were cancelled. I was thinking I’d join y’all for swimming lessons and whatever else you got planned. If that’s cool with you.”
As if I was going to say no.
I looked at Jason with a grin. “Whaddya think? Want Daddy to hang out with us today?”
“Hang out with daddy AND Rori! Swim!”
“What about you?” It was hard not to read too much into his expression or the way his voice seemed to drop a little. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Oh, of course. He’s trying to be considerate of my feelings as a person and I’m drooling at the way his voice changes when he is speaking to another adult. I swallowed my embarrassment and put on a big grin. “Not at all, it’ll be great to hangout! Now how about some breakfast?”
There wasn’t much Jason loved more than swimming but one thing was for certain.
“PANCAKES!”
—-
Jey POV
It did things to me when she called me “Daddy”, even if it was in this context.
Maybe I could get Joe or Braun to hit me in the head next time we’re wrestling.
Really, really hard.
Well, maybe not Braun, I didn’t want to die after all.
I needed some sense knocked back into me around this girl though. I can’t keep my eyes off her and thought about her way too often. She’s only eighteen and I should not be feeling this way about my sons *nanny.* Watching her as she moved around the kitchen, letting little man help her with making breakfast it brought an excited sense of peace.
My eyes dutifully followed the sway of her curvy bottom as she sidestepped small feet with a laugh. I wanted to wind my hands into that waist length brunette hair while I devoured her pouty lips.
Wanted to see her pretty green eyes tear up with those lips wrapped around my dick.
I wanted a lot of things from Miss Aurora Begay.
Isolating was hard, I hadn’t had a chance to go out or hookup with a chick since New Year’s Eve. Maybe that was my problem. She was close, pretty and had a great laugh.
But the truth was I hadn’t wanted someone so bad in a long time. Jason’s mom had burned me pretty hard when she decided she didn’t want to be invested in his life, or mine.
You travel too much she’d said. Come to find out “you travel too much” really meant I’d rather be fucking other dudes in another country.
More power to her. We’d started out casual but when she fell pregnant I’d stepped up and even offered to marry her and let myself get invested. Not the best way to start but I was willing to give it a shot for him.
“How many?”
“Huh?”
Rori pulled me out of my thoughts with a light tough to my shoulder and a giggle. She smiled down at me. “I asked you how many pancakes would you like? I’m using the protein mix.”
Of course she’d ferreted out the healthiest pancakes for someone with my training regime. She was always doing thoughtful shit like that and I loved it. Loved that she would modify things for me, make me a plate or keep one warm for me in the oven when something ran longer than planned.
It was hard not to let all that spill.
She raised her eyebrows. “Josh?”
I’m so fucked.
“Uh, make it four.”
Thirty minutes later and I’m waiting for them the come downstairs. Jason appeared at the top of the steps first in his matching swimming trunks and shirt all decked out with tiger sharks. His favorite animal at the moment. He proudly held up his shark goggles. “Look daddy, I’m a shark!”
In a weird way I was grateful for the lockdown. I’d never been able to spend so much time with him and it made me happier than I’d ever been. “I see little man! Where’s Rori?”
“Coming, sorry!”
Chapter 2 -
Aurora POV
Josh stood at the bottom of the steps in nothing but black swimming trunks. My mouth went dry and heart pounded as I tried not to stare at him while Jason and I made our way downstairs hand in hand. It was tough though, his dark bronze skin and spiraling tattoos were mesmerizing.
He’d given me a cursory glance before looking away and even though I’m not terribly vain, it stung my pride a little. I should be ashamed that I picked the cheap and simple but pretty blue mesh halter and boy short set because I thought be would like it. As if he’d ever look at me the same way I do him.
Tucking the sadness away I padded out to the pool with Jason who was already fighting with his arm floats before he’d made it to the water. “Here let me help-“
The words were cut off by splash of water, my own shriek of surprise and Jason’s shriek of laughter. Josh had blown by us to canon ball into the water before surfacing with a challenging smirk.
It would be hard to ignore the heat pooling between my legs.
Well, until little man threw his arms up and demanded to be thrown in for a big splash that is. Happy to oblige and to cool off I scooped him up and we jumped in. What I’d planned as a swimming lesson turned into lots of laughing and splashing with Jason getting brave enough to paddle back and forth between us a few times.
After a while he was tired and become more preoccupied with making his pool toy shark eat his other action figures. Josh drifted over to where I stood in the shallow water while Jason played nearby on the step. “Hey.”
“Hey?”
“What happened here?” Gently he brought his fingers to a healing bruise on my arm. Anxiety twisted my stomach painfully. I had to come up with something, my mother had trained me to lie about this sort of thing.
“Oh, uh, I just, I just dropped something when I was reaching for a can on a shelf at home. Clumsy, just brought my arm up so it wouldn’t like hit me on the face or anything. Nothing, no worries.” I realized I was rambling when his brow furrowed and he narrowed his eyes.
Fuck. He didn’t need to know mom’s latest boyfriend was a real dick, even for her.
“A can huh?”
The truth was I hadn’t moved fast enough to get out of his way a couple days ago and so he grabbed me by the arm, hard enough to leave those prints, shook me and slung me across the room. Not the first time one of the men she’d brought home had done something similar but no one had ever really paid attention and my mom had threatened me with much worse if I ever told.
“Yeah, just a stupid accident.” I tried to smile reassuringly but could tell it wasn’t working. Josh opened his mouth but fortunately for me, little man chose then to pounce, throwing himself at us with abandon only a happy toddler could achieve.
“Make splashes Rori!”
“You sure did! How about we get dried off and go watch a movie?” I was grateful for the distraction. Hopefully he would let it go.
—-
Jey POV
Late that night I laid in bed scrolling through photos from the last few weeks, looking for clues and wracking my brain for an explanation. Aurora had never lied to me before and I should have her drug tested if she thought I bought that story about the can. I know what a bruise from someone gripping you too tightly looks like. Why was she being so evasive about it?
*Does she have a boyfriend? Some little shit who thinks he’s tough?*
An intense anger erupted in my chest at the thought of anyone putting their hands on her. In any way. Thinking about her kissing someone else, *fucking* someone else, made me physically sick.
I resolved to get the the bottom of it. Why weren’t her parents doing anything about it? Did they notice?
Wait. Does she live with them?
It dawned on me that I know next to nothing about her or her living situation. Most of our conversations revolve around Jason or the chores or how my day had been or what I wanted for dinner. I knew she was a college student and we’d chatted about a few times about things like music or movies or my job but never had she mentioned her family or friends or relationships at all, except one girl named Jamie. And all I knew about her was that they’d seen a movie together recently.
I’d snapped a few pictures today. Only one of just her but that was the one I settled on looking at. She stood mid thigh in the pool, her golden skin wet and the red of her messy bun stood out in the sunlight. The swimsuit wasn’t too revealing but I’d almost embarrassed myself. Seeing her coming down the steps it that simple but sexy outfit had me at half mast in no time, I’d had no choice but to hustle my ass into the cold pool or risk her noticing.
Looking at the picture now I had the same problem, my cock twitching to life at the thought of tasting her everywhere. Closing my eyes I dropped my phone and let myself pull my boxers down. Picturing her sweet smile I imagined she was there with me, straddling my waist, her walls clenched tightly around me.
Slowly I started stroking myself, imaginary Aurora’s movements were careful and shy and gentle, just like everything else about her. Her small hands braced against my chest, fingers digging in as her cheeks flushed with pleasure and she panted in need.
*”Daddy, please.”*
Increasing my pace I imagined taking control, clutching her hips and bracing myself with my ankles as I thrust up at a much more aggressive pace. My knees drew up and I clutched the sheet with my free hand as her cries filled my ears.
*”Harder Daddy, yes yes! I’m gonna cum!”*
I didn’t fight the groan that rose in my throat as I sped up even more. It was my fantasy and we would finish together.
“Fuck Rori, baby…” I bit my lip when I came, spilling hot ropes of cum onto my stomach as my hips bucked and twitched. For a few seconds I lay there panting.
I’d lost count of how many times I’d gotten off this exact same way now. I knew I should stop but it was becoming something of an obsession. It wouldn’t be the first time in my life I’d developed a fixation, just not quite so focused in on a particular female before.
I hoped it would pass when the lockdowns lifted and I could go out again but deep inside I knew that wouldn’t be the case.
No, something about those big hazel eyes and loving personality had dug itself deep inside me. I swiped at the mess I’d made with my shirt before throwing it in the hamper in the corner of the room. A twisted part of me hoped she’d notice when she did laundry and wonder if I was thinking about her but the realistic part of me would kick in and handle the mess in the morning.
Settling in to the covers I hoped she was comfortable and safe, wherever she was.
Chapter 3
Aurora POV -
I didn’t mind biking the thirty minutes from the trailer park where I lived to the nice suburb. Being alone with my music and a direction was meditative. This morning however it wasn’t as nice as usual. Unable to stand for leverage I was moving slower than usual, my injured right side making the whole process more difficult.
Janine’s latest catch, ‘Paul’, was becoming increasingly violent. I did my best to stay out of his way but the two bedroom single wide trailer was tiny, cramped and rundown. Most of my time at home was spent locked up in my bedroom, venturing out only to fix everyone dinner or use the restroom.
Not long now and I would be able to afford a deposit for a room somewhere. I let daydreams of the day I left that place forever fuel me through the pain in my ribs and ankle. I’d gotten distracted, inadvertently letting the dinner pot boil over. Paul took offense and sent me to the floor with a nasty shove before a swift kick to the ribs. I’d scrambled to my feet and limped to my room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind me. A fresh wave of anxiety shuddered through me.
I planned to ask Josh today if he would show me a few things I could do to be stronger and defend myself better. It might rouse his suspicions but I was just going to tell him a half truth, I wanted to be safe when I returned to campus someday. That was a safe and believable excuse in my mind.
Taking a deep breath I tried to force myself to walk normally in spite of the sharp pain that came with each step. Maybe I was naive to think I could disguise my injuries but I was going to try.
Answering the door rather quickly he welcomed me in and our day progressed as usual. Fortunately for me Josh had to tend to those cancelled meetings and would be busy until lunch time. I thought I had it under control with some Tylenol but was proven wrong.
Jason wanted a specific shark cup and plate set that was stored on a high shelf. Normally pulling out the little step stool and grabbing those things wouldn’t have been an issue.
Normally.
When I tried to put weight on that right ankle it gave and I yelped, falling backwards fully expecting to land hard on the kitchen tile.
Instead a strong pair of arms encircled my middle and I made contact with a hard, warm chest instead of cold, unforgiving floor. The pressure on my ribs hurt and I gasped, clutching at Josh’s forearms.
“Rori!” Jason’s alarmed voice hit my ears and I immediately tried to right myself and go to him but struggling against the hold hurt too much.
“It’s okay kiddo, I got her. Where are you hurt? Other than your foot?”
“Ribs.” It hurt to take in a breath to speak.
Nodding he maneuvered one arm under my knees and one under my shoulders, easily hefting me up into his arms. “I got you.”
I wanted to curl into a ball and never look at him again, this was too embarrassing. Settling me in a chair at the kitchen table he took a very clinical approach to examining my ankle and ribs. If I hadn’t been so upset the feeling of his fingers dancing on my rib cage would have made me dizzy. He let me catch my breath before asking the dreaded question.
“What happened Rori?” Josh sounded calm and collected as he went to retrieve an ice pack. Passing it to me he set about fixing lunch while waiting patiently for an answer.
“I tripped walking up my steps last night and fell. Nothing major, just some bruises.”
“You’re lucky they’re not broken.” My stomach dropped. It sounded like he was scolding me.
“Rori okay?”
“Yeah little man, I’m all good! Just an accident, no big deal!” I raised my hands in the air and smiled at Jason who looked relieved before going back to playing with his toys.
Josh set lunch on the table, ravioli, before collecting the little boy and depositing him in his booster seat next to me. Sitting down on my other side all of his moments were stiff. “You wouldn’t lie to me would you?”
My palms went sweaty and my heart pounded. I hoped my panic didn’t show on my face. Not trusting my voice I shook my head no and stuffed a piece of pasta in my mouth, making a pleased sound. I swallowed the food and the emotion all in one go. “No. I’m so sorry. It shouldn’t stop me from what I need to do again.”
“It’s fine. You rode your bike here yeah?”
I nodded and shoveled another bite in my mouth to avoid talking.
“Me and Jason are gonna drive you home this afternoon, once my meetings are done.”
A fresh wave of panic rolled through me. “No-no, please you don’t have to do that.”
“You’re in no shape to be riding your bike anywhere.” His voice was so cold. It made me want to cry.
“I don’t want to be a pain. I can ride the bus-“
Jason and I both jumped when Josh slapped the table. He seemed to catch himself before slamming it with full force but still made a loud noise. Quickly he looked at his son with a grin to ease any fear the little boy had.
But when he turned to me I could see it didn’t reach his eyes. His expression flattened out and it was like he was reigning himself back in.
I squeezed my thighs together as a confusing rush of emotions hit me. Fear of the consequences since I’d angered him and a strange flash of arousal that felt out of place but there it was all the same.
“Don’t argue with me.”
“Yes sir.”
Jey POV
Sitting through these afternoon meetings around the new Bloodline merchandise was torture. I’d never been a fan of this side of the job anyway and whatever was going on with Aurora was eating at me. Had I been a little bit of a bully and let my anger win for a minute? Absolutely but it will get me what I want which is some more information.
I was pretty sure someone was hurting her at home or she had a boyfriend. Thinking through my options I texted my twin who was also on the zoom call looking like he’d rather eat a shoe than look at yet another piece of concept art.
‘**Can yall take little man this weekend?**
I watched him respond on the call.
**’Yeah, you got something to do?’**
**Yeah**
It wasn’t often that I hid things from Jon but he didn’t need to know I was planning on essentially stalking my barely legal nanny for a couple of days. I sure as hell didn’t want to see Trinity’s face if she found out. But I had to know what was going on and figure out how to help her.
As of right now my plan was little more than to storm in, beat the ever living shit out of whoever I needed to, sweep her up and move her into my home and bed permanently. Far from foolproof but it was a work progress.
Finally the meeting came to a close. Heading downstairs I took a few deep breaths to make sure I had my temper fully back under control. It had been hard not to shake her by the shoulders and demand she tell me the truth so I’d settled on slapping the table for emphasis. I’d instantly felt like a jerk when both Jason and Aurora jumped in fear but we’d recovered.
The sounds of their laughter came from the kitchen, she was letting Jason ‘help’ her make pizza for dinner. Looked more to me like she was chasing the veggies he threw every which direction except at the dough in front of him but I enjoyed watching them together all the same. She genuinely seemed to enjoy spending time with him and he loved her already, taking to calling her “my Rori”. Clearing my throat to announce my presence I felt a stab of regret when anxiety fell over her face and she quieted instantly. Jason on the other hand clambered down from the step stool and rushed over, arms outstretched.
“Daddy! Look, making pizzas!” He waved excitedly towards where Rori leaned against the counter next to the bowls of ingredients. I tried to smile reassuringly at her but she just ducked her head, hiding her face with her hair.
“Nice, want some extra help Rori?” Jason was already trying to get down and back into the mix so I let him. It wasn’t the nicest thing, forcing her to talk to me, but she’ll learn to speak up for herself in time.
She would have to as my woman. I don’t know exactly when I decided that was going to happen but here we are.
Finally glancing up at me she bit her lip nervously. “Yes sir.”
An image of her doing that while on her knees in front of me flashed through my mind. I liked that a little too much, liked this oddly submissive behavior. It told me a lot to, her response to my anger. Fawning is what they call it, if I recalled the therapist correctly.
I stepped into her space deliberately, causing her to shy away from my hand. Persisting I gently caught her chin with my thumb and forefinger making her eyes go wide. Tempting as it was to push further and run my thumb over her abused lip I settled for making her look at me.
“M’sorry I scared you earlier.”
She blinked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “You’re what?”
I snorted. “Girl I’m tryin to apologize to you. Pay attention.”
To her credit she recovered quickly. “I’m sorry, I am. I - it’s okay. Let’s get these pizzas in the oven.”
She pulled away but before I saw her pulse pounding in her neck and her eyes dilate. It was obvious she was into what I was doing. Perfect.
A little over an hour later found us loading up her bike into the back of my truck and heading down the highway. It never ceased to amaze me what being on either side of the highway could look like. Some trailer parks were nice with well kept homes, flowers and friendly neighbors. Some were like ‘Martin’s Cove’ complete with meth trailers, cars on blocks and folks toting guns in the waist bands of their jeans. I bristled at the thought of leaving her here but dutifully got out to retrieve her bike once we’d pulled up to #37.
An ugly white man stood on the porch with a stupid look on his face. I hated him. Rori’s face showed a flicker of fear when her eyes landed on him and I wanted to kill him. I had a feeling I knew who was leaving the bruises. I held onto her bike when she went to take it from me.
“Uh, Josh? I got it. Thank you so much again.” I could feel my blood pounding in my ears. The man hadn’t spoken but hadn’t looked away from Aurora either.
“Promise to call if you ever need help.” She tilted her head but must have remembered earlier today.
“Okay, I promise.”
I nodded. “I’ll pull up at eight.”
It made me physically sick to let her walk away but I did it. Once they’d both gone inside I pulled away. Jason fell asleep before we made it home so I got him tucked into bed and set about putting a bag together for his stay at his aunt and uncles this weekend.
I was too worried to sleep well, knowing full well she could be in trouble. Instead I found myself praying whatever gods or ancestors might be listening. The morning couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter 4
Aurora POV
I stood on the embarrassingly cluttered porch the following morning at 7:30 A.M. Janine and Paul were still in bed. Much to my surprise they hadn’t questioned me in depth, instead disappearing into her room after I made their dinner. I checked the calendar, it was the third.
Ah, her disability check had come in. They’d be flush with drugs for a couple days.
Great, that usually meant they’d leave me alone. And they had. Looking back at the front door yet again, it felt as if it were going to open and swallow me. That’s how it felt to walk into this house, like I was being eaten by a beast snd may never claw my way out.
Turning back I settled on the steps, flipping through my music. “Dirty Thoughts” started playing and I felt a flush start up my neck remembering what I’d done listening to this song last night. After securing my door that lacked a proper lock I’d lain in bed playing my interactions with Josh over in my head. Mostly the feeling of his thick arms and hard chest and calloused hands.
Only a few times, mostly due to lack of privacy, did I indulge the growing heat between my legs. Thinking about Josh had made the throbbing ache there unbearable and when I slid my fingers below the elastic waistband of my underwear I found myself soaked. While still very much a virgin I’d read enough romance novels to know what my body wanted from him. My heart and mind did too but they were a lot harder to make happy.
Carefully I’d started to feel myself, fingers dipping into my wet slit to awkwardly circle my clit while my other hand cupped a breast, lightly playing over a sensitive nipple. My inexperience was a pain though and after a few moments of awkward strokes I was worse off than before I started. Annoyed at myself for struggling I switched tactics to what I knew would provide at least a little relief.
Grabbing my ancient pillow I shoved it between my legs, balled up and pressed tightly to the small bud I was struggling to figure out. Closing my eyes I’d imagined sitting on his lap, straddling one of his big thighs while his hands cupped my bottom and his voice, deep and husky with want, encouraged me to move.
*”C’mon girl, that’s it. Move for Daddy.”*
It shamed me to think of him that way but I was so lost to the feeling it didn’t stick. Doing as imaginary Josh instructed I ground against the pillow, desperately seeking the short but intense flashes of pleasure it brought. If I did it long and hard enough I’d get a sharp spike that would somewhat ease the tension filling my body. It was nothing like “rolling waves” I read about but it did the trick and wore me out enough to sleep.
The sound of his truck rumbling up pulled me out of my memory and I stood, checking the time. 7:40 A.M., he was early. I needed to get myself under control, this crush was a distraction I didn’t need. What I needed was to get the hell out of this place before things escalated further and finish my degree.
And yeah I wanted kids and a husband and all that lovely stuff but I wasn’t naive enough to believe that Josh was the guy. He smiled at me, opening the passenger door and ushering me in. My heart did a cartwheel in my chest.
He had his choice of anyone. It would never be me and I was alright with that.
It didn’t stop me from wishing it were though.
“My Rori!” Jason’s voice was music to my ears. It was just Josh I’d fallen hard for after all. The toddler waving happily from his car seat in the back lit up my world and motivated me to get out of bed some mornings when I was depressed.
“Hey little man!” I smiled at him before turning to Josh as he pulled out of our driveway. This felt so normal and nice it was almost enough to make me forget where we were driving away from.
“Mornin. How was your night?” I noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
I blushed in spite of myself. “It was good. How about you?”
Josh raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on the red in my cheeks. “S’fine.”
I mulled over my idea about asking for his help while chattering along with Jason. I’d couched the idea when he was so stern yesterday but he didn’t seem angry any longer and had apologized after all. By the time we pulled into the driveway I’d made up my mind. I spoke before he could open the door.
“Hey, Josh?”
“Hmm?” He tilted his head my way.
“Could-is it okay to ask- because if not I understand-“
“It’s fine just ask your question baby.”
My brain shorted out for a split second. He’s tired, don’t overthink it.
“Can you show me how to like, get stronger? And maybe how to, ya know, throw a punch? For when I go back to campus.” I bit my lip nervously, his expression was so neutral it was impossible to know what he was thinking.
Josh reached over to give my knee a squeeze and my warmth flooded through me. It was so quick I wondered if I’d imagined it but the genuinely warm half smile said otherwise.
“Hell yeah I’ll show you some stuff.”
My heart pounded as I followed the boys inside. I have to get a grip, he’s just being nice. A single quick squeeze doesn’t mean he’s into me.
I noticed the bag of Jason’s things on the couch and my heart dropped. If he was going somewhere else I may not have work for a while.
“Is little man going somewhere?”
“Yeah, my brother’s coming by to get him later, just for the weekend. I’m gonna get some sleep but we can workout some this afternoon, if you’re up for starting now. Just have to work around what’s hurtin.”
My heart soared. “Great, thank you so much.”
——
Jey POV
It was easy to sleep knowing she was safe downstairs with Jason and I made up for what I lost the night before. In my dreams Rori was beneath me, writhing in
pleasure while her fingernails dug into my shoulders and her lips whispered my name over and over like a prayer. Her voice got louder the closer she came to orgasm and I ground into her harder and harder.
“Josh…Josh…Hey Josh?”
Her voice went from thick with pleasure to confusingly loud. Slowly I became aware of someone shaking my shoulder.
“Huh?”
There was a soft giggle from next to me as the bed dipped a little. I realized the object of my dreams was sitting next to me nudging my shoulder. At the same time I realized I had a raging hard on.
“Jon’s here, figured you’d want to say bye to Jason before they took off.”
Shit was it after five already?
I had to get rid of her so I could get this under control. “Yeah. Be right there.”
When I didn’t move immediately she jumped up and ran like she’d been scalded. Maybe she realized she may have crossed a line coming in here, even if it was to get me up for something important.
I couldn’t wait to cross a hell of a lot more lines with her in this room.
But right this minute I needed to get myself presentable, something easy enough to achieve, at least temporarily, with a few deep breaths and splashing some ice cold water on my face.
Loading Jason into the car didn’t take long, he always loved staying with his cousins. Hugging him one last time I stepped back. My brother looked at me from the drivers seat, clearly wanting an explanation. Clapping his shoulder I smiled. “Thanks, got a leak and it’ll just be a lot easier to have guys out to fix it without him under my feet.”
The suspicion in his face melted away and we said our goodbyes. I’d miss Jason but I was excited about “working out” with Aurora, all alone. Not to mention I’d finally have a good chance to question her some. She stood in the kitchen tying up her hair when I walked back in.
“You ready?”
Aurora swallowed but nodded and I noticed her eyes flicker over me. My cock twitched, it was hot thinking she wanted me too. I still needed to clarify whether or not she had a boyfriend and while I couldn’t be certain it was that weird guy at her house who was hurting her I was pretty confident that was the case.
“Good, c’mon.” Leading her into the gym I flicked the lights on.
About 45 minutes later and she flopped on the floor, panting but smiling. Turns out she could throw a decent punch already. Settling behind her on my knees I let my hands fall on her shoulders and waited to see what she would do. Aurora stiffened but didn’t pull away so I slowly began to knead the muscles.
“You did good.” I don’t know if it was my fingers or my words that did it but she moaned softly, her cheeks blushing.
“Thank you.” Her voice was soft and shy.
Continuing up her neck I was gentle as I worked the tension there, surprised at just how tight she was. I decided to get down to what I wanted to know. “Got a boyfriend Rori?”
She blinked her pretty hazel eyes before huffing out a nervous laugh. “A boyfriend? No.”
Relieved, I let that concern go. “Aight. I didn’t think that guy in the porch yesterday was him but ya know, wanted to make sure.” I dug my fingers in a little harder and she drew in a breath with a gasp. My thumbs worked their way down her shoulder blades and her eyes drifted closed. Her muscles quivered under the threadbare tshirt she wore but my eyes were trained on the wet skin of her jaw and neck. I imagined what it would taste like to run my tongue along them in a long stroke.
“Nah, that’s just my mom’s latest boyfriend.”
“Latest?” I didn’t like the sound of that and based on where they lived I doubted these were high quality men drifting in and out of their lives. Already I hated this woman for putting Aurora in danger.
“Yeah, she’s just…I don’t know. She’s got some issues.” Aurora trailed off and I debated how hard to push. This was more than I’d gotten out of her before but I didn’t want her to shut down if I asked the wrong thing. I kept massaging her neck, working my way a little lower to her collar bone and she didn’t resist.
“How’s that feel?”
“Mmm, good.” Just when I thought she was really going to relax into me her phone buzzed. I hated the way she looked panicked when she opened the message. “Oh no, it’s getting really late, I should go.”
Reluctantly I let her stand and got to my feet as well. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.”
Her nerves seemed to get worse and worse during the car ride. Every instinct in me screamed to make her stay, to not drop her off at that trailer. Something bad was going to happen and I knew it.
This time I reached over her to stop her from opening the door with one hand and grabbed her knee with the other. “Aurora look at me.”
She was startled but did as I asked.
“You don’t have to get out of this truck. But if you do, just promise to call me if you’re in trouble.” For a second I thought she was going to stay or maybe burst into tears. Instead she took a deep breath and smiled at me but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“I promise. Again.”
I squeezed her leg one more time before sitting back and letting her go. Something screamed at me to stop her but I didn’t.
I’d regret that sooner than later.
Chapter 5
Aurora POV -
I knew something was up the minute I walked in the front door, a sixth sense of sorts from years of living with a volatile drug addict. My heart skipped a beat when I realized my mother was in the dingy kitchenette stirring away at something on the stove. She never cooked anymore and anything out of the ordinary was cause for concern.
“Oh you’re home, I wondered if we’d see you tonight.”
Stomach twisting I approached her carefully. I’d only responded to her message five times apologizing for being late. “I’m sorry mama, I had to stay late for work.”
“You’re sure it was just for work? I didn’t see a baby in the car today.” Of course she’d been watching from the windows.
“Yes mama, Mr. Fatu offered me rides and I felt rude saying no.” Her face pinched but she recovered into a smile. I could feel the dread building in my lower spine.
“Go sit down honey, dinner is ready and Paul just pulled up with his friend.” Almost anyone else would have written her words off as a normal statement but from her it was a threat, I just didn’t know for what.
“Yes ma’am.”
Paul came clattering in followed closely by another white man who looked meaner and uglier than him. He smiled when he saw me, licking his chapped lips from behind a patchy beard. I shivered in disgust.
“This here is Danny. Aurora, be nice and say hi.” Awkwardly I waved, in fear of what would happen if I didn’t.
He looked at Paul with his beady, murky blue eyes. “She always quiet?”
Paul nodded. “Whaddya think?”
Danny smirked. “How much did you say?”
My heart plummeted to my feet as I stood. “What’s going on?”
All three other people stopped what they were doing. Danny looked amused and Paul looked at my mother expectantly. She came to pat my shoulder with a fake, cold smile.
“Well since you’ve been whoring yourself to your boss we figured you wouldn’t mind if we set you up with some new clients. And this way we make sure we get our cut, fair and square.” Her voice was so calm, mocking me with how caring and sweet she sounded even though her words were poison.
My jaw fell open and my stomach heaved. I couldn’t believe what just was hearing.
“I’m not sleeping with my boss!”
She’d sunk low before but this was completely unreal. I couldn’t believe she would actually agree to pimp me out.
“So, uh, where we gonna do this?” Danny reminded me of his presence.
I wanted to claw the nasty man’s eyes out and run. To where?
*Josh.*
“We’re not! Mom, tell him this is ridiculous, you can’t be serious!”
Pulling out my phone I got off a single message to Josh before Paul was snatching for it.
“SOS” with an alarm emoji.
^^^Trigger warning for attempted SA scene^^^
“Her bedroom is that way.” I’d never hated her so much as I did in that moment when she pointed down the narrow hall.
“No! Mom! Mom!��� I shrieked as each man grabbed an arm and begin pulling me.
Danny snarled when I twisted and landed a nasty blow between my shoulders, sending me to the floor. He looked at Paul who gave me another swift kick to the side. “Didn’t tell me you hadn’t broken her in yet.”
“I’ll let you have the next session for free if you wanna help with that.”
With a shrug the other man grabbed my wrist and pulled hard in spite of my struggling. Throwing me onto my rickety twin bed I scrambled, trying to get to a weapon but he was already laying into me with the leather belt he’d pulled from around his waist. My ancient tshirt gave way easily under his hands, giving him direct access to the flesh of my back and shoulders. Blows rained down, burning so fiercely my eyes stung with tears. I curled into the fetal position, covering my head and trying to escape the worst of it.
He stopped hitting me to wrap the leather strap around my wrists and flipped me onto my abused back. Kicking at him didn’t do much even with my healthy ankle. I was tired and sore from the injuries and work out Josh had put me through earlier. My strength to fight was waining fast but I couldn’t just give up. Danny responded to a kick in the shoulder with a powerful punch to the stomach, making me gag and cough.
My jeans didn’t come off as easily as my tshirt but he managed with a few vicious yanks. I didn’t know how to get out of this. Closing my eyes I tried to picture Josh, Jason, my friends, my school, anything to get away from the gut wrenching reality of what was happening. My mother had sold me to this man and his awfully slimy hands were running up my thighs and over my ribs to squeeze my breasts with so much force it tore a lot sob of pain out of my chest.
End of triggering scene
And then, with a yelp of pained surprise, he was gone. For a few seconds all I could hear was the thundering of my pulse but once my body realized he was no longer bearing down on me my senses began to adjust. Shouts and thuds from the living room went on for a few more moments before a particularly nasty sounding crash and then it all went quiet. Unsure of what was going on I remained where I was, shaking and trying to get a grip on my breathing.
Finally I could hear a voice speaking clearly. A voice I knew.
“Don’t move you fuckin cunt.”
Josh appeared in the doorway of my tiny and now destroyed room looking every inch the enraged hero he was. With what strength I had left I launched myself into his arms and he met me halfway, scooping me up and holding me against his chest tightly while I buried my face in his neck.
He pressed his lips to the top of my head and spoke softly. “Do you need anything at all from here?”
I shook my head, unable to form words. With shaking hands he pulled the belt from around my wrists and threw it. Snatching the thin blanket he wrapped it around my shoulders before standing, holding me up bridal style. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders I leaned into him like I never had another.
I’d needed him and there he was.
He’d *saved* me.
The carnage in the living room was testament to his anger. Both men were laid out in the remains of the broken kitchen table, Danny bleeding from a head wound onto the floor. The door had been kicked in and Josh walked through splinters from the flimsy piece of fake wood he’d demolished like he owned the place. My mother sat wordlessly on the couch, her eyes wide in terror as she watched him stalk across the room and out the door.
I wouldn’t remember being bundled or being carried into the house or being carefully dressed in his clothes.
All the rest I would remember from that night came as Josh tucked me into bed next to him, his arms wound tightly around me as he whispered comforting words. Turning slightly I let my heart take the lead for once in my life.
Pressing my lips to his softly as I touched his face I said the only thing I could think of.
“Thank you.”
Reciprocating my kiss gently he held me tighter still. “S’okay now, Daddy’s got you.”
——
Jey POV
My plan may not have been foolproof but it had worked and Rori would never be going back to that awful place. Each time she woke up crying and screaming for me it wrenched my heart and made me murderous at the same. I hoped I’d done permanent damage and seriously considered going back to make sure the job was done.
While I’d let her go I hadn’t gone far, just pulling off the road about a mile away to mull over my options. Banging on the trailer door within minutes after getting her text her mother had creaked it open and tried to tell me to mind my own business and go away.
So I’d done the logical thing and kicked the damn thing as hard as I could, flimsy wood exploding everywhere on impact. Even as angry as I was I wouldn’t hurt a woman but Rori’s sad excuse for a mother didn’t know that. I’d sent her down to the couch with a relatively soft shove, at least compared to what I did to her man, and fear did the rest.
Paul got a firm right to the jaw before a couple swift kicks to the ribs just to show him how it felt. The other male, whose name I didn’t bother to learn, was dealt a couple body blows and some well aimed shots to the face before I threw him head first through their shitty table. The irony of that was the only part of the whole ordeal that made my mouth twitch to remember.
Just because I only pretended to throw hands on television didn’t mean I couldn’t fuck someone up for real if I decided to.
Aurora stirring in my arms got my attention. At first she burrowed deeper into my side, her cheek pressed into my collarbone. Thankfully it seemed like she was just waking up naturally rather than being scared awake by a nightmare. Ten hours punctuated by several rounds of panic wouldn’t be nearly enough to fully recover but maybe I could get her to eat something or shower before sleep claimed her again. Pressing my lips to her forehead I smiled and tried to be reassuring. “Hey sleepy head.”
She jumped so hard it was like I’d electrocuted her and I immediately felt bad for breaking the spell. Tumbling out of the bed Aurora yelped in pain when she hit the dark wood floor. Not what I had been expecting. Kicking the covers off my own legs I knelt down next to her and touched her leg gently. Her hazel eyes were blown wide and she looked a little dazed.
“Hey, hey you with me baby?”
Her throat moved as she swallowed and it looked uncomfortable. “I- Jesus Christ.” Burying her face in her hands she began to sob. Hard, heaving cries from deep in her chest. Pulling her into my lap I let her cling to me and cry it out. I could only imagine how she must feel.
I wasn’t sure how long we sat there with her fist balled into my shirt and her tears soaking it but my left foot had gone completely numb by the time her sobs quieted into hiccups.
“She sold me.” I hated hearing her normally lyrical accent so hoarse and broken. She’d never cry so hard again, I’d make sure of it.
“I know baby girl.” I was very gentle with where I rubbed her arms and sides, minding as best I could all the places she was bruised.
“Why? I was paying her rent, she could have just asked for more money. I could have got another job. I could have worked nights or-or-“
“Aurora.” She paused and I cupped her chin, gently making her look at me. “There was nothing you coulda done. That’s greed baby, greed and addiction.”
Her eyes welled with fresh tears and she sniffed. “She’s gonna be so mad.”
As realization took hold I could see the panic in her swell. “Oh no. Oh no, oh no, I don’t - I haven’t been able to get a room somewhere yet and she’s not gonna let me come back after that. Not unless…” Her voice dropped off and she shuddered.
I waited another beat to make sure she was done talking. “You don’t need to worry.”
She swiped a hand across her eyes. “What do you mean? I’m - this is so inappropriate Mr. Fatu.”
Barking a laugh I pulled her in and dropped another kiss on her forehead before moving to each of her cheeks and then the tip of her nose. “Since when do you call me that? And I mean I’m gonna take care of you from now on but you better start listenin or I’mma spank that fine ass.”
Not the most ‘appropriate’ thing to say but it had the desired effect and she let out a little laugh in spite of her self. Aurora sobered quickly though, worrying her lip and looking up at me through those long lashes. “I didn’t think you saw me that way.”
I shifted, trying to get some feeling back in my foot. “Yeah.” Now it was my turn to feel a little nervous. “Was I wrong thinking you felt that way?”
Maybe I had been wrong taking that little kiss as confirmation.
But I didn’t need to worry. Aurora shook her head emphatically. “No, I do. I have, since like, I started. It’s just that everything over the last few days barely feels real, ya know?”
That made sense. Trauma, especially something so violent and unexpected could shake your mental state up pretty badly. “Makes sense. But hey, I know what I’m feeling right this minute.”
She leaned back to look at me. “Yeah? Gonna share?”
Having finally regained feeling in my foot, I stood up with her in my arms and she reflexively wrapped her arms around my neck. “Hungry. I want breakfast.”
She laughed and hugged me tightly as I carried her to the kitchen.
——
Chapter 6
Aurora POV
Most of the day passed in a blur, I was so tired and slept a lot but Josh had made sure I got what I needed, only leaving my side when I took a shower.
I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until my skin was raw, possessed by an urgent need to purge the feeling of Danny’s hands on my body. Closing my eyes I tried to let the water ease the ache I could feel so deep it was like it was in my bones and focus on the positive.
Focus on Josh.
My heart fluttered when I thought about how it felt to be safe in his embrace and the feel of his lips. I was so used to everything being temporary or untrustworthy it was hard not to feel anxiety about it too. Well, more so that he would come to his senses and send me back there. I tightened my arms around myself when it was like my whole body rebelled at the notion.
I’d sleep in a dumpster before I went back there.
That thought sent off a fresh wave of fears and stresses I just couldn’t deal with in the moment. I found myself wanting nothing more than to curl up into Josh’s arms and beg for it all to go away. As if he could read my thoughts a gentle knocking on the door interrupted the free fall into disassociation.
“You okay?” He sounded worried.
I turned off the water, unaware it had progressively gone cold and stepped out, noticing the time on the wall clock. It was eleven, I’d been in here for almost an hour. My whole body warmed at the thought of his concern, mitigating the chill a little bit. I wasn’t used to someone worrying about me.
“Yeah…I just realized I don’t have any clothes though.” I felt young and stupid and vulnerable. Like a child who had forgotten their away bag for a sleepover and was too scared to tell anyone.
“I got you, so long as you don’t mind wearing my stuff again. We can take care o’the rest tomorrow.”
Wrapping myself in a towel I opened the door enough to receive the bundle of clothes he held. A makeshift tank top of his and pair of basketball shorts. It made me smile to myself to think of him chopping up tshirts various ways before his matches. The shorts were a no go, they wouldn’t stay up unless I had something to secure them. I’d have to settle for the shirt and the only ancient pair of panties I had from…that place. Not home. I’d never think of it as home again.
I loved being enveloped by his smell though, just wearing this made me feel safer and more relaxed. Another idea flitted through the back of my mind. One that would surely help me forget Danny and his slimy hands.
Instead of continuing to try and figure out how to get the shorts to stay up, I folded them up. Hesitantly I stepped into the hallway to find him waiting, scrolling on his phone.
His coffee colored eyes swept over me from head to toe and I couldn’t fight the blush I felt blooming. He straightened and I held out the shorts. “I’m sorry, they won’t stay up.”
Josh didn’t speak right away but licked his lips and blinked before looking from my exposed thighs to the floor as he took the garment back and tossed them unceremoniously. When he did talk it was low and soft. “S’okay. You don need to apologize all the time anymore baby.”
My brain was scrambled but hormones were a hell of a thing. I just wanted a little piece of good amid the crazy. Fuck it, what do I have to lose by teasing him a little? “Or what? You gonna spank me for that too?”
His head snapped up with a surprised expression that shifted quickly into a predatory smirk and my breath caught in my throat. When he stepped into my space, crowding me back against the doorframe I wasn’t even aware of the pain from the bruises but focused solely on him instead. Leaning down so our noses touched he never broke eye contact when he answered in a heated whisper.
“Baby girl, Daddy’s gonna spank you for all sorts of things and you gonna beg for more.” Bringing a hand up he cupped my chin and slid a thumb over my bottom lip, dipping into my mouth just a little. “And more. Once you’re feelin better you’ll be screaming for mercy all night, every night.”
I was pretty sure I was going to faint. Fear and need crashed through me together with an overwhelming intensity, the throb between my legs for him roared to life with a vengeance. All I could muster was a whimper and he chuckled softly.
“Gotta be careful what games you play baby, I always win.”
Now that sparked something defiant in me. An aroused defiance, but defiance all the same. I wanted to show him I could play too, this felt good and it worked towards my plan of making me forget all about yesterday.
I pressed my body into his, my nipples becoming hard and sensitive with the friction from pressing into his chest. My arms encircled his neck and his eyes widened in surprise. A hard lump rose against my belly as I tried to get my hips closer to him somehow, seeking relief for my aching pussy. Josh seemed a little uncertain but his arms came around my middle, melding us together nicely.
I didn’t know the right way to ask for what I wanted so I’d just have to go for it. “I want you.”
Simple and to the point.
He groaned, deep in his chest and started peppering kisses down my jaw and neck before retracing the path with a languid stroke of his tongue. My head spun and my hands clutched at his shoulders. I whimpered when his teeth grazed my neck, it felt so good it chased away the doubts and fears, replacing them with blind want and need. In this moment I’d do anything to be closer still.
Josh pressed a knee between my legs, making my head fall back with a gasp. Memories of my fantasy about riding his thigh caused a fresh rush of heat to my core and I ground against him with a helpless abandon. One of his big hands tunneled into my hair and then his lips were crushing mine, tongue thrusting between my teeth to explore and coax my own into action.
The hand not controlling my head began to slide up my thigh, I could feel his strength as he massaged his way up to my hip. Once there, he dug in hard.
Directly into a bruise.
I cried out against his mouth as my body went rigid in an unexpected flash of pain. He let go instantly with a curse but wrapped his arms around me to comfort me. Gritting my teeth against the hurt I pressed my face into his shirt and gave a frustrated whine. I felt him take a deep breath before he spoke.
“I’m sorry baby.”
Wrapping my own arms around him I gave his middle a squeeze, my voice mumbled against his chest. “Not your fault.”
He sighed and pulled back, looking down at me with a soft smile he ran a hand over my hair in a comforting gesture. “Needed to slow down anyway. You ain’t in the right place right now.”
Disappointment and insecurity flared to life within me. “I want to make my own choice.”
“I know baby girl but I don’t want you to hate me tomorrow. *I* don’t want to hate me tomorrow. And I will if I take advantage of you right now.”
Irrational tears burned my nose. Fear and shame made me think he didn’t actually want me and I tried to push away. “I’m sorry.”
“Where you goin?” He didn’t let me go and I fussed against him.
“I don’t know.” I sniffed, feeling confused and ridiculous. Some part of my brain tried to reason with me but the negative parts were louder. “Being close to you like this makes me feel some type of way. Lemme go.”
He laughed, deep a low and sexy and I hated him a little for how I was feeling. “Now hold on. We can still do somethin about that.”
I stopped wiggling and the half hearted pushing, my attention coming back to the warmth I could feel everywhere we touched. Jeez, trauma really does fuck with your ability to regulate.
“What do you mean?”
Stepping back he ran his hand along my arm until our fingers were interlocked and gave me a soft tug. “I just had to get myself together so I don’t cross that big line too early. But I said I’d take care of you and I meant it, now c’mon.”
I’d follow him anywhere right now even if I didn’t have a full picture of what he had in mind. Letting him lead me felt right and my fears he didn’t actually want me were soothed somewhat.
Once in his bedroom he let me go to strip down to his boxers. Shyly I averted my eyes and he snorted. “Better get used to this.”
He pulled me with him as he climbed into the bed, maneuvering until we were facing each other on our knees. “I want you to show me what you like.”
I blinked, suddenly feeling very silly and uncertain. “Uh, what do you mean?”
Josh’s smile was sexy, his beard felt good against my skin as he kissed the corner of my mouth. “Girl, you are somethin else. Show your Daddy how you like to be touched, show him what gets you off.”
Oh I’d understood him the first time but I wasn’t sure how I felt about showing him. “I-uh—I don’t know, it-I feel stupid.”
“There ain’t nothing stupid ‘bouta woman feeling pleasure Rori. Now, show me or there’ll be consequences.”
That bratty desire to be defiant rose in me again, wanted to test him and see what he meant by consequences. Maybe I’d explore that feeling another time, when I wasn’t so nervous. He seemed determined and I was too turned on to argue. At least I’d get a little relief from the ache between my legs. With a defeated sigh I caved. “Okay.”
Josh looked bemused but satisfied he was getting his way. Avoiding eye contact I grabbed a pillow and closed my eyes as I situated it between my knees, trying to find the right spot to put the most pressure. It was never easy and being watched made it so much worse.
“Rori?”
I froze, shame exploding in my gut. “Y-yeah?”
“Have you ever had sex?” His voice was gentle.
I shook my head no. He nodded.
“Been touched by someone else?”
Again I shook my head no and again he nodded.
“Hell have *you* ever touched yourself?”
Biting my lip I shook my head for a third time. “Well, I’ve tried a couple times but I just get frustrated and stop. This makes me -“ I shook my hands nervously, not wanting to say the words -“ya know, makes me feel good. It’s short but it helps.”
Running a hand over his face Josh took a few deep breaths and gripped his growing erection through the plaid fabric he wore. It was hard not to look down but his obvious size made me nervous.
“Whaddya think about when you do it?”
I shifted, seeking some relief. May as well tell him, I was getting frustrated, my nipples tingling and my pussy aching. I was so turned on I was fighting shivers. “Last time I thought about rubbing myself on your thigh instead of the pillow. You held me and helped me move.”
Josh groaned and bit the knuckle on his middle finger before speaking, his voice raw. “You’re makin the whole waiting a couple days part real hard right now baby.”
My own frustration was peaking, he was torturing me and I think he knew it. I sounded petulant but I didn’t care. “You asked!”
Ever so gently he encircled my neck with a hand, exerting a tiny bit of pressure. I felt my bones melt.
“Mind that attitude baby.” He smirked, watching my reaction with the same expression of a cat who’d caught a canary. “I’m decidin how I’m gonna get you off the first time.”
Before I could respond he was moving, shifting so he was situated behind me and slightly to my right, his chest pressed to my back. One of his calloused hands glided up underneath his shirt to cup my breast, rolling the hard pebble there between his thumb and forefinger. He nipped at my neck, alternating his pressure and soothing the spots where he bit me harder with his tongue.
I thought I might cum just from him playing with my breasts, I could feel every roll and pinch in my pussy. “Oh, oh, feels so good!”
I felt him smile against my neck. “Just wait baby, Daddy’s gonna blow your mind.”
Tauntingly the fingers of his other hand ran across the top of my panties, back and forth a few times before finally dipping below the elastic. I bucked against him involuntarily with a gasp when his finger brushed the top of my soaked slit for the first time. “Josh!”
He flat out growled, his fingers becoming more insistent in their exploration, dipping into my wetness. “Jesus fucking Christ, your body’s just beggin to be fucked huh baby? You want Daddy to fuck you?”
If it weren’t mad with need I’d have been ashamed of the noise I made, somewhere between a keen and a wail. When his fingers started circling my swollen clit, swiping over the sensitive bud with just the right amount of pressure I thought I was going to break apart. “Yes! Yes Daddy please!”
Letting go of my breast he used that hand to guide one of mine into his boxers to circle around his cock. I moaned, even if I couldn’t see him just feeling the thick, veiny staff in my hand was enthralling and so, so hot. Guiding my hand with his own he began making long strokes as he slid his other middle finger inside me. My walls clamped down around the digit, it was slightly uncomfortable but the added sensation of the heel of his hand pressed into my clit over road it with pleasure.
Pressing his lips to my ear he smirked even as he began to pant, his own pleasure building. “Ride my hand baby, ride it til you cum for me.”
It didn’t take a genius to know what he meant by “ride”. Doing what I would have if it were just the pillow I rolled my hips and lights exploded behind my eyes. “Oh my god!”
My whole body shuddered and I felt my control slip away, completely lost to the insane pleasure grinding into his hand brought me. I’d never managed a fraction of how good this felt on my own. Waves began to build within me and suddenly all those romance novels made sense.
“That’s it baby, give it all to me.” His hand sped up and so did I, feeling an explosion building within me.
“I-Josh, oh-I think I’m gonna cum!”
“Hmm, go for it baby girl, lemme see your face while you cum for me.”
I let my head drop back against his shoulder and opened my eyes to watch his face. The pressure in me erupted, sending shock after shock of intense pleasure through me. It felt like my whole body from head to toe was racked with the overwhelming sensation of my orgasm as my walls clamped around his finger over and over again. Relaxation like I’d never felt before washed through me amid the aftershocks and I slumped against him.
Wetness coated my fingers now as he continued to use my hand to jack off. Josh’s own noises were becoming more erratic as his release drew near. I leaned up to kiss him, deciding I’d try talking to him like he did me.
“Cum for me Daddy, I wanna make you feel good too.”
Removing his finger from me he brought it to his mouth and sucked my essence off, his eyes drifting closed as he moaned low and deep and long. After another few strokes his whole body stiffened, his dick pulsing in my hand with his release. I loved the look on his face as he orgasmed, it was so hot I felt a fresh spark of want.
“Shit baby, that was good.” Slowly, reluctantly he got up and padded over to the bathroom. He was completely naked when he came back with a hand towel. “Here sexy, clean up and I’m gonna get some clean boxers.”
Removing my underwear I did as he said, tossing the soaked garment and towel into the hamper as he crawled back into bed with me. Settling into his arms, my ear pressed to his heartbeat, I sighed contentedly, sleep already blurring my vision. “Thank you, this still hardly feels real.”
“You ain’t never gonna have to worry again baby. Now get some sleep.”
The last thing I remembered was him pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
—-
Jey POV
The first thing I became aware of the next morning were the long strands of sweet smelling auburn hair tickling my nose. The second thing I became aware of was her naked bottom pressed firmly against my morning wood, making me grateful I wore boxers to sleep. In a few weeks I’d be able to just roll her over on my stomach and slide into her soft heat, waking her up by fucking her.
Carefully so as not to wake her I shifted out of bed. She gave a slight whimper before burying her face in my pillow and settling back into sleep. Good. She needed it.
I played last night back over in my head as I filled a bottle of water, wrote a quick note that said “gym or kitchen” to leave on the bedside table to she wouldn’t panic about waking up alone and moved on into my morning workout. It felt good to move the weights around and lose myself to the focus it brought. A lot had changed in a short amount of time and it felt good to do something normal and consistent.
It had taken every shred of control I had not to push all the way and just take what I wanted. I’d been lost for a minute when she’d pressed that sweet, curvy little body against me, the want clouding her hazel eyes and her hips grinding deliciously against my leg. I don’t think I would have held back if she hadn’t cried out in pain and she deserved better for her first time than being rutted into against a doorframe. Not to mention I wanted her healthy and clear headed, not bruised and freshly traumatized.
Remembering the way her body had clutched my finger like a fucking fist caused a rush of blood to my cock. It turned a dark part of me on to know I would be the only man to ever have her. Normally I didn’t mess with younger women or virgins, I could be a hothead and made some stupid choices here and there but I really wasn’t interested in breaking some innocent girls heart. Sex was great, tears not so much.
A ding from my phone brought me back to the present and I dropped down from the pull up handles. A message from Jonathan along several others from Sami and Joe and Phil. Only one of them had my son and I didn’t have the wherewithal to chat about much else right now. At least not without spilling the whole ordeal.
“**when’s good? we can bring dinner w/ little man**
I wondered if he’d drop off food and Jason on the porch and drive away. I doubted it but I also felt a twinge of anxiety at the thought of explaining the situation to anyone, let alone my twin. And Trinity.
The longer I waited the worse it would be though.
Taking a deep breath I responded.
**yeah thanks. 7?**
While I waited for him to respond I hopped on the delivery app and ordered a few pairs of underwear and simple blue tank top dress in Medium. I wasn’t an expert on women’s sizes but I figured that was safe. I’d let Rori go shopping for herself when she felt up for it. The thought of spoiling her, of dressing her in nice clothes and other nice things made me grin. I’d never mentioned it but I’d noticed she wore the same few ancient articles all the time.
**bet, c u later**
Wrapping up my workout I moved to the kitchen to make breakfast and debated waking her up. I didn’t have to wonder what to do long when she appeared in the room, making me jump and swear which was followed by her giggling.
“Gonna get you a damn bell.” I went to her and pulled her close as a blush stole across her cheeks. “How’d you sleep baby?”
“Not bad. Was pretty tired after last night.” Her fingers were drawing shapes on my chest, causing a tingling feeling to spread into my lower body.
I laughed and stroked her hair. “Did you like that?”
Aurora nodded shyly and ducked her head to avoid eye contact.
Dropping my head to kiss the shell of her ear I smiled when I felt her shiver. “You want Daddy to touch you some more baby?”
Embarrassed she pressed her face into my chest and nodded again.
“Nah girl, you gotta look at me when you ask me to make you cum.”
Biting her lip she looked up at me through those lashes, the same look that had me thinking about her on her knees, and whispered.
“Please?”
Hauling her over my shoulder made her shriek but the laughter it dissolved into told me she wasn’t upset. Breakfast forgotten I headed for the bathroom, an entirely different meal now on my mind. Swatting her ass lightly made her squirm and whimper deliciously. I couldn’t wait to hear the noises she’d make with my tongue buried in her while orgasm after orgasm tore through her.
“What’re you doing?”
“You’ll see baby.” I liked the sound of her laugh so I tickled her bare thighs making her wiggle even more. She gasped then froze when we got to the master bath and I sat her on the cool marble counter.
“Uh, Josh?” Aurora sounded uncertain.
“Hmm? You gonna get nervous now?” I cranked in the water and turned to her.
She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “No…”
I smiled and held the sides of her face, guiding her in for a deep kiss. Coaxing her with my tongue I felt her relax and return the kiss, gently pressing back against my invasion as she slid her hands up my chest to my shoulders. Waiting was going to be so hard. Breaking away I grinned down at her.
“We don have to do anythin you ain’t ready for. All you ever gotta do is say ‘stop it’ and I promise I will.”
Aurora sighed and I could feel the relief roll over her shoulders. “Thank you. I want you so much I can’t think one minute and then the next I’m really nervous and then I’m sad.”
It made sense, she had been through so much. “Well where you at right now?”
Glancing at the shower before looking back at me she answered in a shy whisper. “Can’t think.”
I ran my hands up her thighs until my thumbs rested against her lips there, hovering just outside her slit. She trembled and whined. “You wet for me?”
She nodded and I took my hands away to pull the shirt off, leaving her completely exposed before stripping down myself. I liked the little gasp she gave before averting her eyes again. Mindful of our states I wrapped her legs around my waist and carried her to the shower. The hot water was incredible but didn’t come close to the feeling of her nakedness pressed against me. All I would have to do is pin her to the wall and thrust.
I set her down under the spray but pressed her to the cold wall with a kiss, trailing down her neck to her shoulder. Her hands slid up and down my wet biceps, squeezing and clawing. Closing my mouth around one of her brown nipples she cried out when I sucked, rolling my tongue over the sensitive bud.
“Josh! Oh!” Girl had some sensitive nipples. Good, I couldn’t wait to torture them and try to make her cum that way. But another time, right now I had something else planned.
Careful to as not to slip on the slick floor I got to my knees in front of her while kissing my way down her belly. I loved the way her whole body twitched when I gently bit her inner thighs.
“Put your legs on my shoulders baby.” I kissed her lower belly one more time before lifting her bottom. She did as instructed but she looked off balance as her hands fought for purchase on the stone wall. “And your hands in my hair.”
“What’re you gonna-oh god!” Aurora’s hands tunneled into my hair as I slid my tongue along her wet seam. She tasted so good it made me moan and I continued lapping at her.
Nails dug into my scalp as I picked up the pace, alternating between circling her clit and plunging deep into her pussy, thighs quivered and tightened around my ears and her heels dug into my back. She moaned and cried out, my name tumbling off her lips over and over again. But I wanted something else.
Carefully I shifted most of her weight to my shoulders in order to free up a hand. She whined when I pulled back a bit but kept teasing her opening with a finger. “Wanna hear you call me Daddy baby girl. I want you to beg Daddy to let you cum.”
When our eyes met I was rewarded with a gorgeous sight, her lips parted ever so slightly as she breathed, eyes half lidded and cheeks bright. She was completely mine to do with whatever I wanted in that moment and the power of her trust was better than any drink.
“P-please Daddy, please let me cum for you.” Her lack of control was evident in the tremble of her voice. I wouldn’t make her suffer too long. We could play those games another time.
Pressing my face back to her pussy I slid my middle finger into her slowly while sucking on that delicate bundle of nerves. Her head fell back and she arched into me with a wail as her walls spasmed around my finger. I kept going, kept feasting at her through the waves of her first orgasm and into the next as she began to twist and buck, now crying out for mercy.
“Too much! Too much! JOSH!” As her second release peaked her voice cracked with a scream I’d never forget. I slowed down but kept licking until she began tapping out on my arm and pleading with me to stop.
As promised I let her go and she melted into my arms, we sat that way for a few moments while she caught her breath. After a few minutes I nudged her chin so she’d look up at me. “You good?”
“I didn’t know my body could do that twice in a row.” The shock in her voice was a nice stroke to my ego. I prided myself on being a giving partner, I loved a woman’s face lost in pleasure.
“That’s just a taste too baby girl. I bet we can get more than that outta ya.”
Her grin took on a mischievous quirk. “What about you? Can I do that?” Inquisitive fingers encircled my cock and I grunted. Righting myself I put a hand on her shoulder indicating she stay down on her knees.
And there it was, that look where she bit her lip and looked up at me, only this time droplets of water caught in her long lashes giving her an unearthly beauty. Copying my earlier motions she ran her hands up my thighs before finally touching me again, carefully stroking my length. Gently grabbing a fistful of her hair I guided her until the tip was pressed to her lips.
“Breathe through your nose and take your time. So long as you don’t bite me I’ll prolly like whatever you do.”
I knew exactly what I liked in a blow job but this wasn’t the time for that kind of roughness. Instead I wanted to let her explore and take it at her own pace for now, until she was more comfortable. Then I’d worry about getting all the way down her throat.
It was impossible to contain my hiss when her tongue flicked out over the tip, she gave a few more licks before taking the tip fully into her mouth for few sucks. The sight of her like this was so hot, I never wanted to forget. Carefully, she inched a little farther, taking an another inch or so. She still had a long way to go and it was hard fighting the urge to thrust forward.
“Gimme your hand baby.”
She did as instructed without stopping the back and forth motion she’d started on those first few inches. Taking her fist I wrapped it around the base and showed her how to move her hand in time with her mouth. Wet and sloppy with her saliva her hand glided up and down smoothly, pretty soon I was the one twitching with my head thrown back.
Taking a little more Aurora moaned around me before taking so much she finally gagged. Knowing it was getting her turned on too and that she wanted more was just about enough to send me over. I stopped her by pulling her head back. “Lemme cum on that pretty face baby.”
She nodded and using her hand it only took a few more seconds of stroking before I painted her face and hair and chest with a deeply satisfied groan. Watching her pink tongue swipe my essence off her lips was almost enough to get me hard again even so soon.
“Did I do okay?” I loved the shy but hopeful expression as I pulled her to her feet to rinse us both off.
“Nah baby, you did great.” I kissed the top of her head, turning off the water and stepping out, pulling her along.
My phone buzzed letting me know her clothes were here. Good, I needed to tell her about Jon and Trinity coming for dinner anyway.
Aurora smiled at me and went about drying off, sneaking looks over as we exited the room.
“I ordered you some clothes and they’re here, I’mma get dressed and go grab em. Need to talk over some food so meet me in the kitchen?”
With a nod she danced off to the kitchen in her towel and I smiled after her. Now I just had to get over the hurdle of explaining this to my brother and his wife without sounding like a total head case.
Chapter 7
Aurora POV
“Josh…”
“We don *have* to say anything specific. These things, it’s just gonna be hard to keep it from Jon anyway. Can’t ever hide shit from each other.”
I nodded but it didn’t make me feel any better. It was easy to accept that he had strong bonds to his family, I just didn’t know how that felt. Everything still felt new and raw, I wasn’t even a whole 72 hours into this relationship before he’s talking about letting people know. It felt rushed and I couldn’t tell if I would feel that way normally or just because of the situation.
“Okay.” His eyes narrowed, my tone must not have been very convincing.
“Bullshit. You better learn t’speak up for yourself ‘round here.”
Crossing my arms I tried to force the words out of my throat. It wasn’t easy, I’d never been asked directly how I felt about things. Not unless I was going to be punished for those feelings.
“Promise you won’t be angry?”
Understanding dawned in his eyes and his whole face softened. Gently he tucked a loose strand of my crazy hair behind an ear. “Promise.”
“It feels rushed. This-us-I don’t even know what we are. I don’t know what’s safe to assume or not. I’m nervous. What if they don’t like me? Or thin-mmph!”
Josh cut me off by pressing his lips to mine with a grin. His hands ran gently over my arms and back up to stop at my shoulders with a comforting pressure. “Relax baby girl. You and Trinity are gonna make a great team and Jon’s gon love you just because. It’s me they’re gonna be mad at.”
That didn’t make sense. Why would they be mad at him when he’d saved me? “Why?”
With a groan he swiped a hand over his face. “Cuz anyone with sense would assume I’m completely takin advantage of you. Hell I am. Never shoulda touched you.”
Tears built in my eyes as fear rippled through me again when his face became clouded with guilt. What if he decided he didn’t really want me or this was all too wrong? I didn’t want that. My heart hurt at the thought of not feeling him close anymore.
“But-but-“
“Shhh, baby.” His calloused hands cupped my face and his thumbs ran along my jaw. “Doesn’t mean I plan t’stop.”
My emotions were a roller coaster and I really didn’t appreciate him sending me for another loop. I reared back and punched him in the shoulder, not hard enough apparently, but he was right again about winning games. He acted as if I’d dislocated it, making a dramatic noise and falling to his knees in front of me, effective in making me laugh as he’d planned.
When he started running his hands up and down my thighs while kissing my stomach through the soft cotton dress he’d presented me earlier my laughter dissolved into soft sighs. I gripped the counter and tried to grit my teeth in an effort to hold onto my frustration.
“Not fair.”
He was pushing the knee length hem up past my waist with one hand while the other ran two fingers over my clothed slit. Even through the underwear the sensation made me twitch, my hips seeking more. As much as my body wanted it I needed to think, to get ready. I pushed him away
“Stop it.”
The twist of his lips was contrite but he stood and guided me to the table. “Here, sit and I’ll make us somethin to eat.”
“What do we tell them?” Fidgeting I realized for the first time since texting Josh I didn’t have my phone. “Dammit.”
“Hmm?” He raised an eyebrow at me.
“My phone. Oh man, my laptop. How am I gonna get schoolwork done?” All the overwhelming feelings that felt like they were hovering just behind a dam threatened to spill over. Panic tightened my chest and made my head swim, I dropped it into my hands, grinding the heels of my palms into my eyes. Josh was by my side right away, murmuring soft, comforting words in my ear while he petted my hair.
“Hey, hey, you gotta breathe Aurora. We’re gonna take care of all that, I was just waiting for you to feel better before I brought it up. Get you a new phone, new computer, new clothes, all of it, whatever you need.”
Instead of stopping my tears his words broke the dam and I started crying again, this time in a weird mix of sadness, stress, gratitude and love. It was hard to believe he cared so much but I had no choice but to trust him. Not something I was inherently unhappy about but also not something I was used to. Everyone in my life had let me down so far. Would Josh really be different?
“Let it out baby.” He cradled me against his shoulder and let me sob. Faster than before I felt the immense waves of emotions subsiding and my cries faded only for my stomach to growl loudly.
Josh laughed, rubbing my neck and kissing my forehead as he stood and went about fixing sandwiches.
“Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank me but you’re welcome. As for your first question, we’re gonna tell ‘em the truth. I don’t like lying to Jon an there’s no point. Now, what we tell everyone else may be different. But don’t worry bout that tonight.”
I was struggling with the thought of talking to his closest relative, I couldn’t conceive the thought of more people right now. Taking a bite of my meal I nodded, using the time I needed to chew to think over what I wanted to say.
“I don’t really understand your need to tell him but I can be okay with it. But can we keep it at them for now please?”
“Course baby.”
“I really miss Jason, can’t wait to hug him.” The little boys love would be a much needed balm right now.
“Me too.”
It felt good to be listened to even if I didn’t understand how I was feeling. I just have zoned out because Josh laid a hand over one of my and called my name quietly.
“You with me Rori?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you really wanna be together? We don’t-“ he paused and worked his jaw for a second “-don’t have to be together ya know. I’ll make sure you’re okay and I’m gonna keep paying you for taking care of Jason. If you know, you wanna leave at some point.” He was squeezing my hand now, almost to the point of pain.
I loved his touch. Raising my gaze from where our hands rested on the table to his dark eyes I swallowed and tried to make sure whatever I said next captured what I wanted to say. ‘Yeah, duh’ didn’t seem right.
“You asked me earlier and my answer is the same. No body else I’ve met has made me feel like this.” I paused and tilted my head in thought. “I like our lives together so far. I don’t wanna go anywhere. Just scared. Like it’s too good to be true.”
He nodded. “You been through a lot, hell I don’t hardly know what all, but we can make something outta this, something real good. Just gotta do the work.”
“No you sound like the school counselor.” I felt my lips quirk into a grin when he made a face.
“Ugh don’t remind me how young you are. And I sound like that cuz I went to therapy. You’re gonna go too.” Now that surprised me.
“You go to therapy?”
“Yeah. Ever since little man was born. Can’t be mad all the time with a kid around, ya know?” He tilted his head and smiled with a shrug.
“Yeah. I don’t even know my dad’s name.” I laughed when he winced. “It’s okay. I’ve have a long time to make peace with it.”
“Still. I know it’ll take some time but I want you to trust I’m not gonna go anywhere or hurt you or throw you out.” I don’t know how he read my mind so well but I appreciated hearing it all.
“Now c’mere.” Pulling me into his lap Josh buried his face in my neck, nipping and kissing and licking softly while he massaged my thigh. Smacking his shoulder I shrieked a laugh.
“You’re the worst!”
“Oh you have no idea.” And with that he slid a hand up my dress again, pressing that most sensitive spot while his lips worked their way to my ear. “Don’t want you thinkin of sad stuff. Want you all hot and bothered and moaning.”
He got his wish as he worked me with his hand until I was clutching his shoulders and making a mess in his lap. Laying against his chest as the aftershocks receded I closed my eyes and let the remaining exhaustion steal me under again. My last coherent thoughts were on his voice murming to me softly.
“I got you baby, Daddy’s gonna keep you safe, I promise. You’re home with me now.” I thought I dreamed the last part but I would have sworn he said, “I love you.”
—-
Jey POV
Carrying the small woman in my arms was becoming a habit I didn’t want to get rid of. I loved how she melded into me as if she was fucking custom fitted. Loved how easily she let me maneuver her and the warmth of her curves. Loved her laugh and her accent and the way she moved.
I loved Aurora Begay.
Goddamit.
It wasn’t easy to come to terms with the fact that I was, indeed, taking advantage of her situation. It was impossible not to be touching her all the time, like I needed to make sure she was really here, really okay and really wanted me back. I wanted her to forget the bad she’d been through but was also painfully aware that isn’t how it works.
Settling her sleeping form on the sofa I went to work on the house. There wasn’t much to do without little man leaving a trail of crumbs and toys behind him. Something a dog would be good for helping clean up. An idea occurred to me. Maybe Aurora would like a companion? Jason would lose it for a dog.
I decided we were going to the local shelter if that’s what Rori ended up wanting. Running the easy mop over the floor I looked over at her on the couch. I’d do just about whatever she wanted to make her happy, something I had a feeling fancy things wouldn’t accomplish but another being to love and be loved by would.
Jason. I was thankful they already got on so well and that he was so young. At three there wouldn’t be much of a difference in his perception of the situation. If anything, having ‘his Rori’ around more often and closer would be a good thing in his mind. Once I was satisfied with the state of the downstairs I settled in next to her and checked the time. Almost 7, my brother would be rolling up any minute.
Reaching over I nudged her shoulder. “Hey baby, wake up.”
“Hmm?” She stretched and looked disoriented upon opening her eyes at first but smiled when they landed on me. Again I tugged her close to me, enjoying the smell of her hair and the way she giggled when my beard tickled her neck.
“They gon be here soon. You feel ready? Need to do anything?”
No sooner than she shook her heard no the doorbell rang. I could see the anxiety flicker in the way her brows drew together and her lips tightened. Kissing her forehead I went to let them in.
“It’ll be okay, I promise.”
My brother and his family tumbled in like usual, talking and laughing about something or other while handing a waving Jason over to me for a hug. Trinity noticed Aurora standing in the living room first and turned to me with a confused expression. She nudged Jonathan and he did the same, before Jason finally noticed her from my arms. His scream of joy was piercing.
“MY RORI HERE!”
Rushing to him with a huge smile I was happy to see she wasn’t shy about showing her love for him. Her whole face was heart stopping as she swept him away from me and his chubby arms locked her neck in a vice.
“Sure am little dude!”
“Let’s move this to the dining room.” Neither Jon nor Trinity were satisfied but did what I asked. “Aurora? Can you start setting up while I get drinks baby?”
I made sure to add that to the end and avoided meeting their gazes. They’d have it explained soon enough.
Of course my twin followed me through the swinging door into the kitchen, putting a hand against the refrigerator door so I couldn’t open it before he finally spoke. “Excuse me.”
I sighed. “Yeah?”
“The fuck you calling Jason’s nanny “baby” for? Why is she here Joshua?”
I knew he’d be mad but using my whole first name let me know we were starting off at a solid 7.5 on the Richter scale.
“I’ll explain everything after dinner and the kids are occupied k?”
He pushed away with a huff, his anger palpable but helped me gather beers and cups of water. When we got back to the dining room Aurora and Trinity had all three kids settled in their seats as they portioned out food, making small talk about the kids. I was relieved they seemed to have slipped into conversation on their own. Dinner was nice but quick as they caught Aurora and I up in what everyone had done that weekend. It was obvious they were rushing and I couldn’t blame them, I may or may not have dropped the “baby” just to aggravate the situation but also to give them a heads up in a weird way.
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