#goodnight pray for me at work tomorrow morning

[spiriteddreams]

you ever give 12 presentations over the course of 2 days? i don't think i've ever spoken this much in my life and my raging headache is back :D

[gogobootz1]

An American in London

Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Summary: One of Benedict's old schoolmates enlists his help with wooing his American penpal, but when Benedict (literally) runs into her travel companion, things take a turn

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: blood (nosebleed)

"Why, exactly, have you dragged me here?" Benedict bemoaned, looking around the nearly empty hotel bar. There were plenty of better places to drink in the city.

"Because tomorrow morning we are meeting my hopefully lovely pen pal here," came the arrogant voice of one of Benedict's old school friends. Charles had made no effort to continue their friendship into adulthood until earlier that day.

"We?" Benedict asked, skeptically as they sat.

"Yes, we," Charles nodded, motioning for drinks to be brought over. "You are to help me impress the girl and play chaperone."

Benedict squinted at him, "Why would I do that?"

"Do you have anything better to do?" Charles shrugged. Benedict blinked at him for a minute. The truth was, after dropping out of the academy, he did not. He had actually been rather bored as of late.

"Fine," he swallowed bitterly.

"Excellent!" Charles sprang up from his seat, "I'll be by Bridgerton house at ten tomorrow to pick you up."

"Where are you going?" Benedict asked as the man began walking off.

"I have an appointment," Charles called back, and Benedict rolled his eyes. He polished off his drink before putting some money on the table. Of course, Charles had left that to him. He made quickly for the side exit and frustratedly shoved the door open.

A pained cry drew his attention as he stepped out, and he found a young woman with her hand clapped over her nose. All previous annoyance seeped from him instantly. Guilt and shame flooded into its place as he rushed to check on you.

“Are you quite alright miss?”

“Not quite,” the muffled American accent caught him off guard.

“I’m terribly sorry,” he rushed out, eyes full of earnest regret. He grabbed the handkerchief from the pocket over his chest and reached toward your face with it. You reared back, hand still firmly covering your nose, though he swore he could see deep crimson starting to leak out.

“Will you let me have a look?”

“Oh, no,” you firmly shook her head, laughing without any humor, “I have had enough embarrassment for one night. I will not end my evening by bleeding on some random English gentleman.”

You began walking in the opposite direction, but he was quick to follow.

“Please, allow me to make amends, I feel at fault for-“

“You are at fault!” You stopped in your tracks to fix him with a glare.

He blinked back at you, “Well, yes, but I-“

“Unless you’d like to ram a door into your own nose, I’ve seen more than enough of you tonight, thank you,” you snapped, turning to leave. Before you could, you felt a drip of blood fall from your hand onto your dress. You let out a frustrated groan and turned back toward the stranger, snatching his still-outstretched handkerchief. 

Working fast, you wiped your bloody palm, then your face. All the while, the concerned gentleman looked on in worry. Once you’d wiped the excess, you held the cloth up to your nose to catch any more.

“Perhaps I should introduce myself,” He nervously straightened his jacket.

“Perhaps not,” you shook your head, “if you introduce yourself we might just meet again, and you should pray for that not to happen.”

You might’ve laughed at his expression if your nose didn’t ache like hell. “Goodnight!” You said with faux cheer, as you left him standing in confusion.

“Goodnight?” You hardly registered his weak reply.

----------------------------

Benedict woke up on the floor after being violently tugged off the small sofa in his room. He'd been so absorbed with his sketch he hadn't even made it to bed last night.

"Come on then, Bridgerton," Charles' voice taunted from above him, "up and at 'em."

Benedict rolled his eyes as he pushed himself off of the floor, catching sight of the prior night's labors as he stood. A pair of intense eyes stared back at him, and since you'd kept the rest of your face closely covered, a swath of ruby replaced everything below the bridge of your nose. He tried to casually cover the piece before Charles could butt in and ask about it.

"I thought we agreed upon ten," Benedict told the man, stifling a yawn.

"It is ten," Charles snapped, and Benedict winced.

"A moment, then," he requested.

Charles rolled his eyes, "Make it fast, Bridgerton." Benedict rushed to dress in fresh clothing and fix his hair as quickly as possible. Being late would be an early point against him in making both England and Charles seem appealing. Not that those were easy tasks to begin with.

Luckily, he managed a quick turnaround, and a carriage waited outside for them. The grey sky, however, promised rain, yet another factor working against him.

Thanks to a hefty tip to the driver, the men were no more than five minutes late.

"Remind me of her name again," Benedict asked as the two exited the carriage.

Charles glared at him, "I swear to God if you-"

"Just tell me her name," they breezed through the door to the cafe within the hotel.

"Sarah," Charles said, scanning the room, "Sarah!"

A young woman had raced over, and likely would have embraced Charles had she not been held back by the elbow. The woman who prevented the social faux pas was instantly familiar to Benedict when he met the same pair of fierce eyes he'd stayed up too late sketching. Then took the time to examine the rest of your pretty face, though it was marred by a bruised nose. He had to hold back a wince at his own accidental handiwork.

When Charles elbowed him in the ribs, he tuned back into the conversation. Charles not-so-subtly nodded towards Sarah.

"Very fine to meet you, Sarah," he said, hoping he'd assessed the situation correctly. Pleased laughter from the lady told him he had.

"And you," she nodded, "I'd like you both to meet my dearest friend." Sarah introduced you, nudging you forward a bit.

You smiled reluctantly, "Nice to meet you, gentlemen." When you locked eyes again, your smile grew wider yet more mocking. Charles dipped his hat, but Benedict bowed to kiss your hand. Doing everything possible to enter your good graces couldn't hurt.

"Might I ask how you injured your nose?" Charles ventured. Benedict tensed and he saw your jaw clench.

Sarah, however, laughed good-naturedly, "Oh, you'll laugh at this Charles," she turned to you, "go on."

"Silly me, I walked right into a door," you said, tone bordering on teasing. To anyone else, it might’ve come off as humorously self-deprecating. Anyone else might’ve thought you clumsy or perhaps a little ditsy, but Benedict knew better. Benedict could see the threat behind your eyes.

"Well, that's not funny," Charles admonished Sarah, "I'm sorry you're hurt." Sarah seemed surprised but mildly impressed. You, too, seemed content with his answer. One point for Charles.

"Are you in much pain?" Benedict asked, hoping the answer would be no.

You blinked at him, mischief sparkling in your eyes. "Only when I breath," you nodded, deadly serious, but he saw the way your mouth fought a grin.

"That's awful," Charles said, sympathetically. "You couldn't find some medicine or some powder to cover the bruise?" He asked that to Sarah, and Benedict saw your expression shift. One point against Charles.

"I wear my wounds with pride," you challenged. Benedict was once again reminded that your wound was his fault while Charles seemed to struggle for a reply.

"Shall we sit?" Your well-mannered question seemed to Benedict to be the first victory of inevitably multiple challenges to Charles. He wondered if that was your purpose in accompanying Sarah from the States- to determine if Charles was up to snuff.

The four of you were nearly finished enjoying tea and scones when you pulled out the handkerchief you'd taken last night. It was pink, presumably from you trying to wash out the blood. Benedict choked on his sip of tea as you wiped the crumbs from your lips with it.

"When did you buy that?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, I'm only borrowing it until I get the favor I'm owed," Benedict gulped at that. You weren't kidding last night when you said he should hope to never run into you again. Though he did have trouble agreeing at the moment, and somehow, even still.

Sarah easily dismissed your comment and reengaged Charles in conversation. Benedict's attention remained on you, however, and you cheekily tilted your head at him.

Your eyes remained locked with his before you started speaking, "Perhaps you two would like to take a stroll of the hotel gardens before we leave for whatever plans you've made for the day."

Charles nodded at this, "An excellent idea." He walked around the table to offer Sarah a hand. When the two were out of hearing range, Benedict turned back to you.

"Will this favor earn me your forgiveness?" He asked, "Because I really do feel terribly about-"

"Stop," you said, "It's fine. Sarah had no problem believing I still have sea legs and tripped into a door."

Benedict's shoulders drooped as he breathed in relief. "But are you in pain? I couldn't tell if you were serious earlier."

Your expression became softer, "Only a little." He was relieved by that answer. "But I wasn't kidding about the favor," you reminded, sternly.

He froze, "And what favor do you require?"

"I'd like a full report of Charles' background, personality, what he does in his free time," you listed off, "anything of the like."

The questioning glance he gave you encouraged you to elaborate.

"Look," you said with a huff. "Sarah's mom is over the moon about this. Marrying her daughter off to an English lord will boost her social status by leaps and bounds. Her father, however, is not so convinced. Mr. Du Pont has always been kind to me, so when he asked me to assess this potential marriage, I gave him my word."

Benedict nodded, "And you'd like me to inform you on Charles, so you can inform Mr. Du Pont on Charles."

"Exactly," you said simply.

"That's rather funny, you know, Charles asked me to help woo Sarah and convince her he's worth a permanent trip across the Atlantic," he said, and you raised a brow.

"Are you trying to repent for hitting Charles in the face with a door?"

Benedict blinked, "What would you do if I said yes?"

"Help me," you snarled.

He raised his hands defensively, "All right! How am I meant to do that?"

"Have pertinent information sent to my hotel suite," you shrugged.

"Fine," Benedict assented after a minute.

"What's fine?" Sarah asked, having just returned with Charles. Her tinkling voice took him by surprise, and he laughed nervously.

"These biscuits," he said, standing, "they're very fine, I may even take some to go." Benedict stuffed two of the shortbread biscuits into his pocket and regretted it soon after. He regretted it even more after catching Charles' nasty glare at him.

Taking a sharp breath, he turned to offer you his arm, "Shall we?"

You politely took his arm, repressing your laughter. As Sarah and Charles walked on ahead, you leaned in, "Save one for me." Benedict lightly snorted before catching himself, but you seemed pleased at his laughter.

----------------------------

As weeks began to pass, notes from Benedict began to pile up. They were originally only about Charles, but as you started sending replies, the notes grew more conversational.

Sarah certainly only grew more besotted with time, and you were beginning to worry she'd rubbed off on you. The more time you spent with Benedict by way of monitoring Sarah and Charles, the more you found him positively charming.

His good looks were apparent from the beginning and made the door incident all the worse for you, but you'd recently grown fond of his personality.

Last week's art gallery found you admiring him while he spoke passionately of the use of light in one of the paintings you'd come across. You'd only snapped out of it was he asked your thoughts on the piece. The most you could muster up was that you absolutely agreed.

As the two of you chaperoned countless walks and lunches, you conversed about any and everything. Benedict told you of his artwork and promised to eventually show you some of it after you asked a few times. You told him of your own passions, and how they were often trampled by society's expectations. He confessed that since both his older and one of his younger brothers had been recently married, his mother had been nagging him about finding someone.

"I think it's important to be comfortable alone," you'd told him on one particularly breezy walk. "You shouldn't make do with someone else's life when you can't be content with your own."

"Come again?"

"I only mean it's unfair to put certain expectations on a spouse," you shrugged, "No one is who anyone else wants them to be, and trying to force people to be what they are not leads to unhappy marriages."

"In that case, I'm glad no one expects a thing from me," Benedict said.

You laughed a little, "I don't think people expect much of me either. At least we won't let anyone down."

"Setting the bar low," he nodded, smiling, "I like it." Your laughter drew a smile to his face.

----------------------------

A few months had gone by, and Benedict was overjoyed when Charles proposed to Sarah. He was happy for the two of them, sure, but mostly, he was glad your stay had been extended. You'd become such a fixture in his life that he struggled to imagine a time after your visit.

Your return tickets were canceled. Instead, Sarah's parents had booked their spots on a ship sailing over to England. They wanted to plan their daughter's wedding and see her well-adjusted in her new homeland.

"What will your first report to Mr. Du Pont entail, then?" Benedict asked you. The two of you had been tasked with greeting Sarah's parents upon their arrival, and you sat opposite each other in a carriage.

"What makes you think this will be my first report?" You raised a brow at him.

"You've been exchanging letters across the Atlantic about Charles? He's nowhere near interesting enough for that," Benedict told you, inspiring a grin.

"They're mostly about mine and Sarah's time here. She's not great at staying in touch- yet another reason they sent me along," you said. "But you're right, I have yet to form a full opinion on Charles. I go back and forth, but I trust your judgment."

Benedict's eyes widened at the admission as you pulled up to your destination. He exited the carriage first to helpfully offer you his hand. To his displeasure, you pulled away all too soon when you saw the Du Ponts.

Mrs. Du Pont cheerfully called your name as you rushed excitedly towards them. Benedict smiled as he watched you greet the older couple. They were clearly quite fond of you.

It took a minute before they registered his presence.

"Where is Sarah? And who is this gentleman?" Mrs. Du Pont asked you, trying to lower her voice for the latter question.

You perked up, "This is Mr. Benedict Bridgerton." You grabbed his forearm and pulled him closer to the conversation. "He's a friend of Charles. They've both been showing us the best of England!"

"So this is Benedict!" Mr. Du Pont said happily, "I've read a lot about you."

Benedict shot you a questioning look as he shook the older man's hand, "You have?"

"Oh yes," the man nodded despite you shaking your head at him. When Benedict turned to you again, you stopped and let an angelic smile grace your face. His smirk told you you'd been caught. Oh well, if he asked, you'd simply tell the truth. He was by far the most interesting part of Great Britain.

----------------------------

Wedding preparations had been running smoothly, and soon enough Benedict was out with a group of high society men to celebrate the impending nuptials.

The men were a few drinks deep when Charles made a toast, "Soon, lads, I will no longer be a free man, so you best believe I will enjoy it while it lasts."

Benedict was not sure he appreciated that sentiment, but let it pass as his other companions gave cries of, "Here, here!"

Drinking eventually turned to debauchery, and Benedict soon felt crowded at the table slowly attracting more women of the night. He excused himself to find another drink. Upon his return, however, he found Charles happily skipping off with one of them.

"Charles?!"

The man's attention turned to him, "Don't wait up, Bridgerton!" Charles laughed, and Benedict felt his face drop.

"Don't tell me..."

"Oh lighten up mate," Charles shrugged, "it's not like it counts."

Benedict blinked as his old school friend sauntered off with the woman. Every time he drank with men of the ton, it became more apparent that Violet Bridgerton's parenting methods were not widespread.

----------------------------

When he woke up in the hotel suite the next morning, Benedict spent a few blissful moments without the memory of the prior night. When he did remember, he tried to brush it off as a drunken illusion. Only, logic won out in the end. He hadn't drunk that much, and he had very clearly seen the scene with his own eyes.

Why did Charles have to go and make a mess of things? Everything had been going swimmingly. Now, just because the man couldn't keep it in his pants, countless hours of wedding planning would go down the drain. Sarah would be inconsolable, her parents would be furious, and they'd all be going back home. You'd be going back home. Shit.

He agonized over the situation, pacing the floor for an hour before Charles waltzed in.

"Are you only now getting back?" Benedict asked him, taking in the disheveled clothing Charles had been wearing the night prior.

"What can I say? I certainly enjoyed myself," Charles said smugly. He walked off, presumably to freshen up, but Benedict called after him.

"Charles?" The man turned, "You wouldn't... engage in that sort of behavior as a married man?"

Charles chuckled a bit, "Bridgerton, prostitutes don't count," that was concerning, "That sort of revelry was a one-time thing." That was... a bit better? Benedict let out a miserable groan.

----------------------------

Your bright eyes at the wedding rehearsal made him briefly forget his troubles. Once you were both in the proper position, Benedict didn't bother to pay attention. In fact, he pretty much just stared at you from across the altar. You looked good up there. He liked seeing you at the altar. He liked being across from you at the altar.

He was in trouble.

You whispered to him as he escorted you back down the aisle when the faux-service was over. Being best-man did afford him some benefits. "Guess what?"

"What?" He smiled down at you.

"The Du Ponts are thinking of staying indefinitely," you said, secretively, "they bought a house here. They've invited me to stay with them."

"Oh," he said, sense suddenly knocked back into him.

"It's looking like I might be in your hair a while longer."

Benedict quite nearly told you to stay in his hair as long as you cared to but felt it might be too forward. He also felt you'd make a lice joke at his expense. Your sharp sense of humor was one of the many things he found charming about you and one of the many reasons he did not want to let you go.

But if Charles and Sarah were getting married, you were staying. The Du Ponts were staying.

Just how bad was some debauchery at a stag party, really? In the grand scheme of things?

"Oh, how was the gentlemen's party?" You asked, excitedly, "I hope none of you behaved too poorly."

A nervous laugh bubbled from his mouth, "No. No, just the usual level of poor behavior." Fuck.

"Glad to hear it," you nodded. "Was Charles drunk out of his mind?" You laughed a bit.

"Quite possibly," Benedict said, smiling uncomfortably. The man was definitely out of his mind. Whether it could be attributed to the drink Benedict wasn't sure.

"Well, thanks for keeping an eye on him," you said, giving his arm a squeeze.

He was in big trouble.

----------------------------

On the morning of the wedding, Benedict was jittery. In a hallway of the church, he kept nervously adjusting his collar. A steady pair of hands pulled his away, and he looked up to find you fixing his collar.

"Stop touching it," you told him as you worked, "it looks good."

"Right," he breathed stiffly.

"And try not to look like you're attending a funeral," you reminded him, smirking. "Oh! I have something for you," you pulled the handkerchief he'd given you when you first met out of a small bag. Pressing it into his hand, you smiled up at him, "favor complete. Consider us even."

He could only nod at you as you began to retreat.

"I'm off to help Sarah. See you soon!"

Benedict gazed after you, guilt creeping in.

"I'm relieved she's kept such a close eye on Sarah," Mr. Du Pont suddenly appeared beside him, "but I should've expected it. The two have been like sisters ever since..."

"Since?' Benedict asked him curiously while straightening his bow tie.

"Well, we took her in some years back when her family passed," the older man explained.

As much as Benedict thought he'd gotten to know you, it seemed you'd yet to feel comfortable enough to tell him that, "I hadn't known."

"No," Du Pont shook his head, "she doesn't like to talk about it. Hates having to bear people's pity."

That, Benedict could understand. He had found that to be one of the worst parts of the aftermath of his father's death.

"But it's been a pleasure to have her in our family. I'm only happy it's expanding! Hopefully, she'll have nieces and nephews soon," Sarah's father looked around before leaning in a bit, "I'm hoping for lots of grandchildren. I'll be perfectly happy when both my girls have good, loyal husbands at their side. It seems we're almost there!" With a pat on Benedict's shoulder, Mr. Du Pont walked off, "I'll see you in there."

Benedict nodded absently. Oh. He had mucked things up. He had really, really mucked things up.

Benedict paled a little. In his bid to keep you by his side as long as possible he'd neglected all other considerations. Including the life and happiness of your sister in all but blood. This wedding was very real and very imminent. And despite the time he dreamt it was the two of you getting married, his feelings were not nearly the most important of those involved.

Sarah was about to marry a man who had cheated on her only two nights prior.

But Charles had said it was a one-time thing. A last hooray before settling down. He'd said that prostitutes do not count anyway and- oh.

Benedict sharply inhaled when he realized his own foolishness. How had he not seen this? The bars they'd visited in the past months were all down the street from the one they'd entered two nights ago- the one next to the brothel. Each time he would excuse himself to retire to his home, Charles had stayed.

A fool, indeed. He'd been so enamored and distracted with you that his spy work on your behalf was entirely lackluster. Worse yet, when he did find pertinent information out, he had lied.

He had to make it right.

Benedict raised his fist to knock on the door of the room Sarah had taken over. Before he could, it swung open. You smiled at him, a little confused.

"You know you're only supposed to escort me down the aisle," you joked, "You don't have to start this far back."

He shook his head grimly, and your face fell. "I need to talk to you," he looked up to find Sarah behind you, "both of you."

You stepped aside and let Benedict in, nervous at his shift in attitude.

"You cannot marry him," Benedict had summoned all of his nerve to say the words and looked Sarah square in the eye when he did so. She deserved that much. She deserved the truth.

"What?" Sarah asked skeptically. She was already in her wedding gown. She had no idea what was happening.

"Benedict, what are you talking about?" Your question was quieter, but you were deadly serious. As soon as he said it you knew something was wrong, and he was right in bringing it to Sarah.

He swallowed when he looked into your eyes, "I lied to you." You felt like he'd just slammed a door in your face again. "Charles did behave poorly the other night. In fact, I think he's been behaving poorly for months and I've been too blind to see it."

"What? He was drinking?" Sarah asked, "I knew that would happen."

"No," Benedict shook his head, "He was with- with other women."

And with that, Sarah was out the door. You, however, could not bring yourself to follow. You were frozen to the floor, looking at the man you'd trusted with glassy eyes.

"You lied to me," you whispered.

"I'm sorry."

You shook your head, laughing a little. The sound was sad, "I guess I broke my own rule." His eyes pleaded with you, but it was far from enough, "I expected too much from you. You couldn't help but let me down." His heart sank.

Finally, you turned to race after Sarah. Benedict was hot on your trail, "Please-"

"Oh, this is not over," you called over your shoulder, "but we have more pressing matters to deal with."

You stopped dead in your tracks after rounding a corner. It was so abrupt that Benedict could not slow his own pace enough not to bump into you. You both stumbled a bit but recovered in time to see Sarah slap Charles in the face. She then marched out of the church with her head held high.

Mrs. Du Pont followed her straight away. And Charles rushed after them both. Mr. Du Pont stopped only to briefly speak to you, "Would you both be so kind as to handle-"

"Consider it done," Benedict said. You sent him a sidelong glance before begrudgingly nodding at the man who had taken you in. Mr. Du Pont left to chase after his wife and daughter, leaving you and Benedict to dismiss guests and try to cancel vendors.

----------------------------

A long and tiresome day of working to undo weeks of wedding planning and avoiding the sad blue eyes that followed your every move ended in your hotel's garden. More specifically, eating the wedding cake that could not be returned in the hotel garden. You had very generously given most of it to the hotel staff. But you saved the top tier for yourself.

Draped across a bench, you stabbed into it with a fork. As you did, the charming figurine of Sarah and Charles fell from its place. You did not hesitate to grab the miniature and toss it into some shrubs.

"Rather harsh, don't you think?" A familiar voice drew your attention. You huffed when you saw who it was.

Benedict Bridgerton slowly made his way over to your bench. He gestured towards your legs, silently asking you to make room for him on the bench. When you didn't move, he simply sat himself parallel to you on the gravel floor.

"I am sorry," he said after some silence, looking straight ahead.

"I know," you nodded, not yet looking at him, "I suppose I am too."

"Whatever for?" Benedict's surprise broke the quietness of the moment, and he gazed at you questioningly.

You shrugged, still not looking at him, "I should have known better than to think you'd prioritize me over him. Charles is your friend."

"Maybe," he spat defensively, "but you're-" He cut himself off.

"What am I? To you?" You asked, now looking intently into his eyes, trying to discern his thoughts.

Benedict inhaled a large breath before telling you the God's honest truth, "When I realized what Charles was doing, I also realized that you would leave England with Sarah almost as soon as you found out. And I wanted you to stay." He paused, " I want you to stay."

Your lips parted as if to say something in return, but he barreled on, "I behaved selfishly, and I am a beast for it, but you were always my priority. Do not dream of thinking otherwise."

You swung your legs off of the bench and leaned forward towards him. Stabbing a bite of cake with your fork, you stuck it out to him in a gesture of peace. He cautiously ate the cake from your fork, waiting for you to say something. You took another bite before you did.

"A ship sets sail tomorrow," you said lightly, "back across the Atlantic." And with it, his hopes would sink. "I secured three tickets on it this morning."

Benedict blinked. That didn't add up right. "Is Mr. Du Pont stay-"

You quickly shook your head, and things started to click in place for him.

"Mrs. Du Pont?"

Your smirk started to grow.

"Sarah?"

"Now you're being deliberately obtuse," you mocked.

He grinned up at you, "Then...?"

"The Du Ponts need someone to mind their new manor in the English countryside. Who better than their favorite non-daughter?" You shrugged happily.

"Will you not get lonely in such a large estate out in the country?" Benedict asked teasingly.

You smiled playfully at him, "Then I should hope someone will be kind enough to call on me." Benedict looked rather self-satisfied at that. "I should only hope they clean up before they do."

His confusion was answered when you took a handful of cake and smeared it down the left side of his face. He stuck his tongue in his cheek to try not to laugh. It was well-played and deserved.

"Now we're even," you whispered close to his face before standing and walking away.

"Jokes on you," he shouted after you, "it tastes better like this!" Your laughter filled the night air, and he was happy to have made such sweet amends.

--------------------------------------------------------

I love Benedict sooo much!!! I wrote this super quick after watching the new season, so sorry if anything didn't make sense

Thanks for reading <3

(also sorry for any historical inaccuracies or whatever but this is Bridgerton we're talking about )

[iamqueenpotato]

I Hate That I Love You- Part Three

Azriel x Reader

A/N- So I have decided that this story is going to be a long one. Which is way different than I originally planned! I will be working on another big story after, but I gotta get this one out of my system lol. I appreciate all the kind words and support you all have shown me. You guys have made my day constantly. 💜 I hope you enjoy it!

⚠️: Maybe a little angsty

Word Count: 2.3k

Part One Part Two

“Y/N.” He rasped out, blinking as if he finally realized you were truly there. That he wasn’t seeing things. He moved away from his spot next to Elain, his shadows finding their way to you. And it could have been your imagination, but it felt as though one caressed your cheek until he pulled them away.

But when you continued to lock eyes with the male that once had your heart, you prayed for the world to swallow you, to free you from this situation. Because the way he was looking at you was dangerous, it brought forward unwanted memories. Unwanted feelings. But your eyes wouldn’t look the other way. No matter how much you needed to.

You clenched your jaw tightly as he approached you. Every inch of your skin felt as though it was lit aflame. He was too close, and when he tried to reach for you, you stepped back with haste. You hated the way he looked so pained. The way his scarred hands fell defeated against his sides.

“Hi Azriel.” You spoke calmly, which you were surprised by, since your mind was frantic.

“I- uh. How have you been?” He stumbled over his words. “I didn’t know you were coming back.” He added.

“It was a surprise.” Your words had no emotion as you spoke to the shadowsinger. You could feel the awkwardness that now filled the room, and you needed to be far from it, far from him. “Thank you guys for the wonderful gifts and the amazing celebration. But I think im going to turn in for the night. It’s been a long day.” You placed your wine glass down on the table. Glancing at Azriel one last time. “Congrats you two.” Your eyes bounced between him and Elain, the shining stone on her finger holding your gaze for only a few moments.

You turned your body, quickly exiting the room before any other words could be shared. You could hear his footsteps follow you, but a pair of lighter ones stopped him. “Elain I will be right back.” You heard him speak before his footsteps got closer. For someone who is naturally quiet, his demeanor was loud and impatient as he followed you to your room.

“Y/N please stop!” He yelled down the hall, his words echoed in your head, they were the same words he spoke to you last. You completely froze in front of your door. Move. You told your body. Move dammit.

“Can we talk, please?” He pleaded.

You turned to face him, your hand firmly wrapped on the door handle, as if it would be something to steady you. “We can talk tomorrow, I am exhausted.” You peered over his shoulder down the hall toward where Elain was currently standing. Waiting. She had an impassive gaze painted across her face. “Your fiance is waiting. You should spend time with her.” There was a certain annoyance to your tone, one that you didn’t mean to let slip out.

Azriel looked behind him, acknowledging Elain, who continued to stare at the two of them, though he didn’t seem eager to return to her side. "Y/N,” He whispered as if his next words were only for you to hear. Though you had no interest when you saw Elain move closer.

You sighed, giving him a slight pat on the shoulder. He moved his hand to grab yours, but you removed your hand before his could rest on top of it. You didn’t know why you touched him. It was once so normal before, hands that always brushed, embraces that gave you such warmth, but now even a short gesture such as that felt foreign.“Goodnight Azriel.”

You pushed through the door, locking yourself in your room. It took a while before your mind calmed down, but the only face you could see was his, even as your eyes finally drifted shut.

The next morning, when you awoke, your entire body ached, you figured it was from exhaustion, but this ache felt different but all too familiar at the same time. It was one wedged deep into your soul making you content with lying in bed all day, but the sudden movement outside your door caused you to sit up, watching the shadows of two figures move on the other side, muffled voices slipping through the cracks. You threw your legs out from under your covers, slowly creeping over to the door.

“Az what the hell are you doing?” You heard Cassian speak first.

“Waiting.” Azriel sounded exhausted, as if he spent the entire night outside in the hallway. “I need to talk to her. She has been gone for a year without a word, I need-”

“Spit it out, brother. What is it you need?”

You heard Azriel sigh. “Nothing.”

“I swear to the mother, Azriel, she will speak to you when she is ready. Now go clean up. We have somewhere to be.”

You heard Azriel’s footsteps disappear down the hallway, Cassian sighed before he knocked on your door. You waited a few moments before opening.

“Good morning, Cassian.” You spoke with a forced yawn. Hoping your friend didn’t catch on that you had been standing there for a few moments.

“I hope you slept well, but we are needed in Windhaven as soon as possible.”

“What is going on?” You asked, a sense of worry washing over you.

Cassian sighed, his shoulders stiffened as he spoke. “There has been word of a potential threat to the high lord and his family. We believe it is in relation to one of the generals we have been having issues with.” Cassian paused, his siphons flaring slightly. “We are assigned to have an impromptu visit, Rhys has requested you to accompany us.”

You weren’t the biggest fan of Windhaven. The warriors there were animals, always shouting cruel slurs to you as you passed. There were days you feared you would not leave that place alive. But if there was a threat to your high lord and lady. To your family, you would endure anything to make sure they were safe. “Give me an hour to prepare myself. I will meet you outside.”

You donned the leathers that felt so unfamiliar against your body. It had been quite sometime since you had worn the Illyrian training leathers last, you would have chosen anything else to wear , since these were given to you by a certain shadowsinger, after he deemed your previous leathers unacceptable for trainings. But alas, you had no other options, so you finished getting ready before heading outside.

Cassian and you stood on the steps to the river house, waiting for Azriel and Rhys to come out so the four of you could head to Windhaven. You stood basking in the springtime sun when you felt him approach, his footsteps stilled beside you.

“Did you sleep well?” You asked, not moving your eyes to look over at him.

“Kind of.” He paused, the nervousness showed in his tone. But you didn’t point it out. “Listen Y/N I-” Azriel began, but the doors swung open, Elain rushing through them, you watched as she made her way to Azriel, who was currently staring at the female with a stunned expression. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around Azriel, slamming her lips into his.

You should’ve moved your eyes away, let them have their moment in peace, but Elain stared directly at you, even as she deepened the kiss with Azriel, and after a few moments you tore your eyes away, opting to wait anywhere but here. “You have to be kidding me, get a fucking room.” You whispered underneath your breath and you swore Cassian smirked as you walked down the steps.

You heard the noise of their lips as they pulled away but you didn’t look back, even as you felt eyes upon the back of your head, you focused on kicking random rocks across the ground, until the footsteps of the three brothers approached you. You did not look anywhere near Azriel when you raised your eyes to the three of them.

“When we arrive, Cassian and I will have a word with the generals, no one is to mention any knowledge of these threats until we talk to them first, Y/N and Azriel walk around the camps, if nothing is out of place, stay busy until we return.” Rhys explained, the three of you nodded in agreement.

“I’ll take you, Y/N.” Azriel moved to pick you up, but you stepped away. Watching him as his arms dropped dolefully to his sides.

“I actually want Cassian to.” You cautiously spoke, watching his shadows conceal him as he nodded. You inched closer to Cassian, not able to look at either of them in the eye.

When you arrived, you were met with the usual hateful glare. Cassian and Rhys went about their duties, and you decided to go the opposite way of Azriel. After finding nothing out of place after an hour of walking around, you found yourself at an empty wooden training post, performing typical combinations against the solid surface. With each hook and jab you let the pain slither up your arms, each hit helped you feel something, but the damn image of the two of them locking lips kept reappearing in your head, and it only made you increase your speed. You hated that all of it still had a hold on you. Though you were better at hiding it, it didn’t mean it was gone entirely. The pain had dug its claws deep within you, but you wouldn’t let it hold you down, so you hit harder, letting that pain fuel your power.

You saw his shadows before you felt him appear behind you. He had yet said a word, so you kept with your combinations, focusing on the sweat that dripped from your forehead.

Until he broke the silence.

“Why did you leave that night, Y/N?”

You landed one last hit against the post, the power behind it snapping it in half. You didn’t turn to face him. “Why do you care?” You moved away from the broken post, planning to finish your workout somewhere far from here.

“Where are you going? He asked.

“Wherever you aren’t.” You replied coldly. You knew you shouldn’t be giving him such treatment, such cruelty. But it was the only thing holding back the true emotions for him, the heartache that bloomed each time you looked at him.

“Stop walking away from me, Y/N.” Azriel reached for your arm, but you yanked it away, not letting him hold you back. “I get it now.” You stopped walking, turning to face him. Waiting for his next words. “You’re jealous.”

You laughed, of course. He would only now connect your behavior to the events of last year. “Congrats. The supposed most observant Illyrian in all of Pyrithian finally figured it out.” There was a certain venom to your tone, and with each word, he flinched. As if it was a pain he could physically feel. “I was jealous. You’re right. But not anymore. Why would I want to waste my emotions on this bullshit anymore. Why would I want to waste them on you?” You knew the weight of your words. You knew exactly the pain it would inflict, but frankly, you did not care.

“You’ve changed.” He choked out. His shadows swarmed the two of you, but they covered his body like a mask. “You owe me an explanation from that night. You left me, Y/N, we promised we would never leave each others side. You don't know what it did to me."

You scoffed. "What it did to you? Seems you turned out fine." You walked closer to him, your head held high. “I have changed, I am not that same weak minded fool that let her feelings control her,” You clenched your fists down at your sides, the adrenaline from your workout fueling your words. “And promises are made to be broken, Az. I owe you nothing, you made your choice and I made mine. Move. On.” Azriel was stunned. Your words had inflicted more agony than any battle could ever cause. But you thought it was only fair, he cannot expect things to stay the same, he could not sit there and assume that the moment you’d come back, you would fall right back into his hands again. You wouldn’t allow it. “I will not let myself fall to such lows ever again. I was a fool to ever believe in love. And I am even a bigger fool to believe that coming back meant things could be normal between us,” You stepped away from him, his shadows following your every step. No matter how much you wanted things to go back to how they were, you knew things would never be the same, and yet there was a part of you that knew he felt that way too. “We are better off not talking. So it's best you stay away from me.” You admitted, and though it seemed like too much, not just for him but you as well, you could not take those words back. You could only sit and watch the disappointment spread across his face.

“I don’t know if I can do that.” He responded, his hazel eyes burning into yours.

You were about to speak when Rhys and Cassian approached the two of you. You bit your tongue, moving your gaze away from his. “Everything okay over here?” Rhys asked as his eyes shifted between you and the shadowsinger.

“Everything is grand. Did you find anything out?” You questioned.

“There is something else going on here. The generals claim they know nothing of any potential threats to anyone. They say all is well throughout the camp.” Rhys paused. “Y/N and Azriel, I need you to stay behind for a few more days and keep an eye out for anything different.”

Fuck. You inhaled slowly, letting out a deep sigh. “Great.” You mumbled under your breath. But loud enough for the shadowsinger to hear before heading over to the cabin.

A few days. You told yourself. It was only for a few days.

Taglist: @honestlywtfisgoingon @fanfictioniseverything @marina468 @positivewitch @maviee @blurredlamplight @bookslut420 @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @elle10 @dragonstoneprincess @holywolfsstuff @reiincarnatiion @valeridarkness @sv0430 @kennedy-brooke @emturtles @nightcourtwritings @zephyg-06 @katherinereid @feiwelinchen @chantalleke91

It wouldn't let me tag some people :(

[garciaasfluffypen]

part two. her savior

there was no way this was real. but it was.

trigger warnings: light description of the condition eliza was in when she's found (nothing crazy), eliza has a small panic attack, pls let me know if i missed anything else!

JJ could feel the stress settling in. The BAU had been following this newly budding case for months now, on top of everything else they were working on. It was a lot. They had just finished the rough double homicide case a few months prior when they had gotten wind of the Sex Cult making its way across Northern America. Whenever they thought they were getting close, they would hit a dead end. Leads going to places that were clearly traps, or the whole cult being gone within hours before they had breached the safe houses they had found through Penelope’s excellence. It was a miracle she was still standing. If she were being honest, Emily was the reason she was still standing, but that was a bridge she didn’t want to cross at that very moment. It was going to open up a dam of feelings she didn’t want to think about, especially after the hell she had gone through with Will. It wasn’t that she didn’t love him anymore, she loved him a lot. But she was starting to think their relationship had taken its course. 

And that was more stress she didn’t need. 

The numbers 11:45 flashed across her phone screen as yet another text from Will came through, telling her he was going to go to sleep and to make sure the living room lights were off when she got home. Rubbing her face, JJ got up and made her way to the kitchenette. She wasn’t planning on pulling a past midnight-er, but at this point, it might as well be. It appeared that she was the only one left, however, Emily was holed up in her office going through paperwork to submit before moving onto the next set of paperwork. The tracker that Penelope had set up that was tracking the locations of the cult was flashing on the monitor to the right, reflecting off of her glasses as she scrolled through the final case report on the previous case that she absolutely needed to submit before 10am tomorrow morning. There was no more stalling, no matter how gruesome it was. Stalling on the report wouldn’t bring the agents back. Nothing would. 

It was starting to take a toll on her. 

She needed something new, something that would potentially lift up her spirits. She was in her 60s, single and childless. The job left little time to find relationships, which definitely hindered her dating life. Sure, she had her flings but they weren’t the one person she wanted. The person she longed for since she locked eyes with her way back in 2002. 20 plus years of hopelessly pining for a married woman took a lot out of you, and really put a damper on sex. Especially when you accidentally call out her name instead of Cindy, the lady you had hooked up with. Emily shook her head, getting herself out of her thoughts before she noticed something on the tracker. A new dot. 

A dot that was close to them. 

“Jayje!” Emily pushed the door open, hoping and praying the blonde was still in the room. “I think we got them.”

---

Everything was happening at once and to be quite frank, JJ was overwhelmed. They had finally gotten a location on the cult. They had settled down in rural Wyoming, and now was their time to strike. JJ didn’t even have time to text the boys goodnight before she was chugging a redbull and hoping for the best. The jet ride was nerve wracking. Emily went over all the girls who had been trapped there, some for years, some for their whole lives. She didn’t know what was worse- the age of some of these girls, or knowing that their lives would be more fucked up than anyone could ever imagine. 

The house was eerily empty. Almost as if nobody lived there. A shiver ran down JJ’s back as she made her way through the foyer. The footsteps of the other agents flew around her as everyone dispersed around the house. Emily signaled for JJ to go upstairs, leaving her to follow some of the local PD. The walls were bare of any evidence that someone had been here. No nail holes, no leftover command strips, nothing. That's when she split off from the PD and went into the room, practically stopping in her tracks. 

There was a girl. 

There was a girl, and she was tied to the bed. 

What, and she couldn’t stress this enough, the actual fuck?

She couldn’t be more than sixteen. JJ felt her heart stop as she stepped into the room, automatically holstering her gun. The girl was crying. She wasn’t sure if it was tears of joy or fear, but that didn’t matter. The girl was tied up, her wrists were bleeding and JJ needed to get her to the EMTs as soon as she could. JJ untied her as carefully as she possibly could, fighting every urge in her body not to burst out into tears. She pushed some hair out of the girl's face, letting her fall into her touch. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, JJ moved down to untie her ankles. She was shivering now. JJ ripped off her jacket and wrapped it around the girl, hoping the warmth would be enough. She zipped it up for extra warmth, wrapping her arms around the girl as she helped her get out of the bed. She stumbled a bit, leaning into JJ’s arms. They made their way downstairs, going straight outside. EMTs started to make their way over to them, but JJ held a hand up. 

When the girl nodded, she took the girl to the closest ambulance and helped her sit down on the edge, taking a blanket from the EMT and wrapping it around her waist. The girl grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. A silent thank you for saving her life. JJ felt her heart shatter into a million more pieces. The girl laid her head on JJ’s shoulder, still stiff but letting the EMTs do their work. She met eyes with Emily as she came out of the house, making her way over. 

“Go with her, I’ll brief you later. Get her checked out, text me when you get there, okay?” 

JJ raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?” 

“We’ll be fine.” Emily shot the girl a look. “She needs someone right now.” 

“Em-”

“That’s an order, Jennifer.” 

JJ knew that Emily meant business whenever she pulled out the full name. With a nod, JJ helped the girl into the ambulance and onto the bed, leaning as close as she could to the girl as the EMT continued his checks. She noticed the girl stiffening and subtly held out her hand, hoping he would see it. The girl tensed up, realizing how close the EMT was to her. She shuffled closer to JJ, and she knew at that moment they wouldn’t get anything done unless they had someone else do it. Jennifer signaled to the other EMT- the female one- to come do the checks instead. 

By the time they had finished, the sun was going down. The adrenaline was wearing off, and JJ was getting jittery from sitting still too long. She let Emily know they were heading off to the hospital before hopping into the back of the ambulance, making sure the girl was comfortable before they left. 

“Can…” the girl timidly looked at JJ. “What’s your name?” 

“I’m JJ. What’s your name?”

“I don’t know if I can tell you, he might get mad.”

JJ tilted her head, sympathy flooding through her veins. “He’s not going to hurt you anymore. I promise.” 

“He said he’d come back for me.” 

“I won’t let him.” JJ squeezed her hand. “He won’t be able to get to  you. I’ll be with you all night until my team needs me again, okay?” 

The girl nodded. “Okay.” a pause. “Eliza. My name is Eliza. ”

“That’s a pretty name.”

JJ swore she saw Eliza crack the smallest smile. 

“Where did you come from?”

“We work out of Washington DC.”

“Washington DC… where is that?” Eliza’s head tilted. “Is that close?”

“It’s about a 3 hour plane ride.” 

“Oh. That seems far.” 

“Eliza, have you been on a plane before?” 

“No. He didn’t let me leave. Ever.” A moment of silence. “Where are we going?”

“The hospital, we’re gonna get you all fixed up.” The EMT smiled. 

“I don’t wanna go. Turn around please.” 

“I’m afraid we can’t do that.” 

Eliza’s breath quickened. “I don’t want to go to the hospital. He’s gonna be there. He’s gonna be there and he’s gonna take me to Peter. I don’t- I don’t. I can’t—” 

JJ grabbed Eliza’s hand, squeezing it tightly and scooting as close as she possibly could to her. The machines started beeping as Eliza’s heart rate started rising, her breaths getting faster and faster. 

“Sweetie look at me, yes, perfect.” JJ moved the hair from her face. “I’m here, I’m right here. Focus on me. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.” 

Eliza’s breaths started to calm down, as did the machines. 

“There we go. You got some nasty cuts and bruises, we just need to make sure you’re okay. I’ll be with you every step of the way, okay?” 

Eliza sighed. “You promise he won’t be there?” 

“I promise.” 

“Okay.” Eliza nodded. “I don’t like Peter. He would… he’s not nice.” 

“You don’t have to tell me about him right now, okay? Whenever you’re ready.”

JJ smiled at Eiza, squeezing her hand sympathetically. Would she ever be ready to tell her story? She wasn’t sure. But what she was sure of was that Eliza needed her, and she wasn’t going to leave her side until she had to. 

And that was a fact. 

[moral-turpitudes]

More Than Gold:

Trigger Warnings: Kind of Season 6 Spoilers if you haven't seen it yet. Angst, Descriptions of death etc.

Word Count: Idk lol

Characters: Thomas Shelby x Ruby Shelby

Requested by: Anon

Request:

"Please could I have some Tommy x teenage daughter angst? Thank you so much"

“Daddy? Where do we go when we die?” Ruby asked softly, her frail frame shaking with bloodied coughs every moment or so.

“I’d say heaven, but I don’t quite know myself. But you aren’t going anywhere love. Now now. Not ever.” He said, kissing her hand.

“Mum said you were going to find someone that could help me get better?” She asked.

“Aye I am. Leaving tomorrow. Sometimes you can’t trust doctors and their treatments. So I’m going to try to help you alright?” He said, watching her nod with a small smile.

“Goodnight my darling. I love you.” Tommy said, his eyes watering slightly as he took in what he knew could be the last image of his daughter alive. It haunted him with each day that passed. Only making his mission grow more important as time went on.

Over the next few days he’d traveled to where Esme Lee was taking up camp.

“Took ages. Didn’t think you’d be over here.” Tommy said, looking at the tired young woman with hurt in her eyes.

“You only found me because I wanted to be found. Now, Thomas…what are you here for?” She asked, her eyes dancing toward his as the wind whipped around them. The bonfire near her groups caravans nearly blowing out.

“I have a daughter named Ruby. She’s ill. Deathly ill with consumption.” He said.

“Not surprised you’ve procreated again…Now tell me, has she wore a black Madonna?” She asked.

“Yes, doctors are going to try collapsing her lung and if it spreads they’ll try a new gold treatment. Apparently it’s been working decently.” He said.

“They always say that. Give me two days and I’ll have something for you. But I’ll need to be paid for my efforts.” She said.

“What’s your price?” He asked.

“Gold. I want gold, Tommy. If they can use it for medicine it might as well be accessible by now aye?” She said.

“Okay, I’ll get ya gold. Now will this work?” He asked.

“If you have to question it, probably not. Just give me two days.” She said, waving him off to find his own shelter.

Her heart was still broken from Johns death. Nothing could bring him back, but maybe there was hope for little Ruby yet.

Two days passed and Lizzie frantically called Tommy, her voice thick with tears.

“Tommy. You need to come home. It’s in both her lungs. The gold didn’t work.” She said.

“Fuck. Alright I’ll be there in the morning. Is she stable?” He asked.

“For now. Please hurry.” She said, hanging up.

Thomas slammed the phone down on the hotel desk, his eyes blurring with tears as he pictured Ruby lying in her hospital bed, dreading what was to come.

“I’m going to help you Ruby. I swear it…” He said through gritted teeth as he yelled in frustration, throwing his glass of water against the brick wall and shattering it to pieces.

Not soon after, he got back in his car and sped to Esme. It’s been two days and word hadn’t gotten to him. Did she just say that so he’d leave? Or did she really have something?

Brakes squeaked and squelched along the muddy ground as the car came to a halt.

“Esme! Esme Lee! Come out right now!” He yelled, the company surrounding Esme at the camp, slowly getting out of bed and out into the open.

“Quiet down will ya Tommy? Kids are sleepin’” She said, getting out of her vardo with a small vial in her hand.

“Took me own blood to make it, has special things in it that I’m not telling ya, but Polly would appreciate it. Give her the whole bottle. And I mean, every last drop. It’s worth more than gold.” She said, chucking it to him.

“Thank you. I’ll get you your gold.” He said firmly.

“You better. Now go save your precious little gem.” She said, truly praying it would help. As much as she despised Tommy, she couldn’t let a child die.

—

It was 5 in the morning when Thomas had burst through the hospital doors, the staff jumping at the sudden noise.

“Where’s Ruby? Ruby Shelby? I need to see my daughter right now.” He said.

“She’s quarantined, made her a special room sir. She’s not doing well I’m afraid.” One of the nurses said as she led him to the isolated room.

Lizzie soon enveloped him in a hug as she cried, her hope dwindling with each second he was gone.

“She’s dying Tommy. They tried some of the gold. It didn’t work, she’s too far gone.” She said as she followed him to Ruby’s bedside.

“No she’s not, not now. Ruby…I’m here love. Drink this very fast alright? Can you hear me?” He whispered, bringing the vial to her lips as she barely moved to swallow the concoction.

“What was that?” Lizzie asked, her faith in gypsy medicine skeptical at best.

“It’s worth more than gold Lizzie. That’s what it is.” He said, looking at his watch and then at Ruby’s sweet face.

“C’mon…” He whispered, trying to clutch her to himself where she could be safe in his arms.

“We’re going to watch her tonight Mr. Shelby. You and Mrs. Shelby can go-“ the doctor started, being cut off by a unanimous “No.”

“We wait till noon.” Thomas said, praying to Polly and god-knows-what that his daughter can come back to him.

“Give her time. C’mon.” Lizzie said, urging him to lie down on the nearby bench.

“No.” He said, gently picking Ruby up to where he was holding her, cradling her as best he could with all the bandages and things attached to her.

“I have to feel her breathing. Please sleep love.” He said, Lizzie nodding and lying down and laying a blanket over her slender frame.

“Daddy’s here. I’m right here okay Ruby? I’ll always be right here.” He said rubbing her small hands in his, they were cold despite the sweat beading on her forehead.

Thomas told her little stories and sang soft lullabies as he too drifted off to sleep, hoping that in a few hours time she’d be with him again.

—

At noon, Thomas felt a sharp pain in his side as the sun shined down from the hospital windows.

“What was-“ He started to say, before he realized the pain was caused by Ruby fighting in her sleep.

She’d moved, finally in days she’d moved.

“Lizzie…Lizzie shes awake!” Tommy said urgently, Lizzie stumbling over to her bedside.

“Wake up love, just a dream. It’s just a dream.” Thomas said, rubbing her back as she came to.

“Sorry daddy. I was fighting the scary man. He tried to trick you and then hurt you.” She said, her voice sounding a bit clearer.

“I’ll go get the doctor.” Lizzie said, running straight out of the room.

“Who’s Esme?” She asked, Tommy shaking as he realized it was working.

“Oh my sweet girl…she…she was in our family…you’re back…” He said holding her close.

“She’s nice, she and aunt Polly visited me in my dream.” She said, looking up at her father with clear eyes that reflected her mothers.

“Good. My darling, good.” He said, his brain not yet connecting that she was indeed alive. It all seemed like a dream to him too.

“Why is she up? How-how is she up?” The doctor said as he came in.

“I told you I’d help her.” Tommy said.

“What did you do Mr. Shelby?” He asked.

“Trust me, if I knew, I’d tell ya.” He said, gently picking her up and heading out the door with Lizzie.

They both cried all the way home, arrow house greeting them with open arms as they entered. The Shelby family was once again safe, even if just for a while.

—

Years later, 6 to be exact, Ruby had turned 13. Her mother coming in from overseas and Tommy pulling out the chair for her at the grand dining table at arrow house.

“So good to see you my girl. It’s been a while. You’ll have to visit me and Charlie.” She said, her eyes still hiding the pain of her husband sleeping with Mosley’s wife in order to infiltrate his plans. It was a harsh goodbye, nearly causing Tommy to spiral, but Ruby decided to stay with him, saving him.

“You can have as much cake as you’d like if you want love, but just tell me one thing…” Thomas said, holding his daughters hand.

“Do you have any regrets? Blow them all away with the candles if ya do.” He said as he used his lighter to light birthday candles instead of cigarettes for once.

“I have one, but it’s morbid.” She said.

“Oh? How morbid? You’re a blinder, you’ve seen morbid.” He said.

“I…didn’t tell you about the scary man and what he’d said later that day…” She said, her eyes flickering to the flames as the wax dropped onto the cake.

Tommy froze and Lizzie tensed as they realized what she’d meant. The man from her dream all those years ago.

“He said even though I’d beaten him, his business isn’t done. A devils business is never done. I knew he meant you. Polly and Esme…they…they warned me to protect you. To know that there’s still people out there trying to harm you. I didn’t want to say anything but I feel I’ve said it too late already.” She said.

“Why’s that?” He asked.

“Because I know someone will come for you, it may be near your life’s end when you notice, it may be near all our ends…” She said taking a breath, her lungs still scarred from her past illness.

“But, Polly showed me a man with a black rectangle on his face, or I guess a mustache, not sure. Looked quite funny.” She said, a small smile cracking despite the cryptic warning.

“Those are dreams my love, don’t let them haunt you now. We’ll be okay.” Lizzie said, chuckling and kissing her daughters forehead.

Thomas sucked in a breath as he remembered Michael and his plot against him; Gina’s family still wreaking havoc on part of their imports; and remembered the growing tensions with the nazi party and their unethical ideals. It was only a matter of time before they were all in danger but he didn’t think it would be so soon.

“I’m going to stop him. Even if it kills me.” He said tensely, kissing his daughters forehead before heading out to make his plans.

“He’s going to be killed. He has-“ Lizzie started to say.

“No limitations. I know.” Ruby said, cutting her mother off before taking a sip of her tea. She’d felt conflicted, having faith in her father but fear in her heart of what could come. This could be the last mission for Thomas Shelby, and the whole family in general. But like the ticking of her fathers pocket watch, only time would tell.

[thoughts4all]

Day 507: Wind Down

Today's post is nothing but me winding down in my day. There isn't some wild idea that I needed write down. Simply writing to end the day off. Inspired by my need to shut down my computer before sleep without my want to use it.

I guess I can write about what I did today. Today I woke up late and disgusting from my sinning last night. I was inspired to take action towards entrepreneurship so I dedicated the rest of my late morning to start one of my roommate's ideas of creating a clothing brand together. I worked on that till I had a deliverable pitch and sent it off past 1pm. Now that I had a full step completed, I could stop for now and start my day.

I took a shower since I was stinky from the previous day. I ate breakfast. Had a long conversation with my roommate about how AI taking over entry level jobs is a good/bad thing. Then a different roommate and I took a bus to them gym to hit chest despite this muscle group still being sore. After bussing home, we wanted to get snacks to eat while watching our show. So we left the house again to walk to the convenience store. I got a single orange. We watched an episode and a half while I ate the orange and the rest of my opened bag of chips. Then, the roommate from the morning came out with his girlfriend while I made and ate dinner. Then we watched an episode all together and now I am going to bed.

I prayed five times today. I went to the gym. I accomplished something entrepreneurial. I relaxed and watched a show. Overall nice summer day.

Now as I am winding down, I will go to bed right after this. Already have my bed ready, phone tucked away, teeth brushed and contacts removed. I will go to bed early without scrolling on my phone. Goodnight, hopefully see you all tomorrow.

[mydyspraxiablog]

I bit fed up with Internet not working very in Stafford get frustrated because before going for goodnight sleep. I like colour a pray but Colour number from app isn't work keep off so get frustrated now can't watch Netflix can't play games on Tablet and can't log on on Compassionuk so frustrating when things don't mind way.

I sometime wonder if God there at movent because to me feeling not there noughting going right for me at movements.

So try again tomorrow I got church in morning and got bring mum cup coffee before going church.

See if can MUM agree sponsor a second child might going with other charity because of promb,e with Compassionuk bit not sure at movements.

So finshed this off tomorrow goodnight.

[sxdasfxck]

11-19-23

Today i decided to start writing about how my day goes. Hopefully i will continue this for long and help me go through things in my life. I heard and read that journaling helps with mental health.

I am trying to heal my self with different issues i had in my life. The disappointments, pressure the pain that i felt in the past. The mistakes i made and issues with the relationships around me. So here:

I woke up late today and decided to go to church its been weeks since ive been planning to visit a prestigious church but since its far from where i live i tend to postpone it til this day and im glad i already went. I prayed for the things that i cannot control and prayed for myself and my family. I asked that someday my goals in life do come true and ask that my journey in life will teach me things. I was anxious that i may do bad things in the future since weve been to a palm reader. But i believe that God is with me and he will be guiding me always.

Its also been years since ive visited that church thats why i got lost on my way there but thankfully I found it.

After that i went to the mall near the church and stroll around i also bought a perfume that ive been wanting to buy for so long. It was on sale so i took the chance to buy it. As i was strolling around i got hungry but it took me so long to find a place to eat since its sunday many groups of family are out bonding with each other.

I found a chinese cafe which offers a rice meal it was abit pricey but i decided that i deserve it and since im alone i cant find a place where i can sit comfortably. I tried a set with rice and chicken and also ordered a toast and iced tea. I enjoyed eating there in nanyang because of the setup of the cafe-resto the lighting is good and also i liked the food and drinks.

After eating i decided to go home. Upon returning home i found out that the karaoke i ordered in lazada is finally delivered so I tried it.

I still have work tomorrow morning so its time for me to sleep.

I hope that things will be just as usual tomorrow goodnight.

[star2sworld]

Well today was fucking confusing.

Started off at school.. I wore a off the shoulder shirt with no bra and it kept sliding off I felt uncomfortable in class & I had my hair in a low ponytail so I felt weird bc people could see my face better from the side although no one probably even looked at me lol. Someone pushed into me and my drink spilled a little on me and then I managed to spill my Celsius drink twice. I’m also on my period and I bled through my pants by 3rd period .. 8th period was fun towards the end.

I came home with the intention of getting all my work done.I finished my English work and my brother came to help me with history asg. At the end he ended up doing my history project for me because I literally can’t fucking think and it takes me ages to comprehend a fucking term. I felt off the whole day.

I had to download Snapchat bc I needed ai help on my history work and my phone is dry asf. I downloaded insta and I saw deeya bf and saw she barely had any followers and it made me go through my followers. I removed the people I didn’t know or want to follow on my account. My following dropped form 350 to 83 and following from 386 to 96. Lollll

It’s 12;00am now. Idk why I felt really off today but I hope this doesn’t last forever. I’m getting tiktok withdrawal like what do I do on my phoneeee. I have a lot of work to turn in tomorrow as well for school ughhh. At least tmr is Thursday. I need to sleep through now. I’m going to limit my social media usage still to 5 minutes max and I’m going to try my hardest not to go on social media all day long bc I may have to delete it again 😭

Self work seems fun to do and all but after a few days I get tired of working on myself. I need to learn discipline clearly. And I definitely need to start meditating more bc I cannot concentrate.

I am going to make a new routine tomorrow to try to get in some good habits in my daily routine. Also, from tmr I’m sleeping earlier I cannot keep staying up even tho I’m extremely tired. It’s giving self sabotage which I don’t want!! I’m just feeling a little u lovable bc I haven’t had a boyfriend but I’m trying not to think about it but do people even find me attractive rlly? I’m out here like doubting myself which is farrrr from my goal lol.

Waking up at 5:30 today so I can straighten my hair and have extra time for myself as I listen to podcasts in the morning. I think I recapped about everything that happened today. Tomorrow is my Socratic seminar please pray for me. I have to talk 3 times LOL.

Also how are we already 9months in 2023? This is insane to me. I am getting closer and closer to graduating and become 17. I want to stay 16 forever please. Lol fucking hell I feel like nothing is going right in my life currently but let’s stay positive ok ok !

Goodnight! 9/13/23

[moon-cycling]

8.31.22

today was an overall good mood day. i was sleepy this morning. my temperature was 97.4 degrees F. i had 2 glasses of wine last night, and woke up with a small twinge in my head and a twinge in my vagina from the speculum insertion the day before. i felt very mellow throughout the day. i stayed in lauren’s apartment besides going to a cafe and going to hot yoga, so not a ton of outside stress or stimulation. not a ton of energy exchange with others besides ethan and lauren and my yoga teacher and the barista who i ordered twice from. the barista was sweet and affirming and the yoga teacher was constructively critical. baobab was a sweet companion throughout the day. i think a part of me still feels somewhat unsettled within like there is something wrong with me to be fixed. and all of the work i do in a day goes towards fixing it. i will keep treating my body gently and with respect, and continue to ground my energy through presence in my body. goodnight august! also i could hardly see any cervical mucus when i checked and will maybe try the skirt with no underwear look tomorrow to really feel my vulval sensations. today i genuinely felt at peace, inspired, connected to myself, connected to my loved ones. i mean that alone is everything i have been dreaming of and praying for. getting closer to my center all of the time. 

[pinkislouder]

.

[bukojuiice]

are you feline what i’m feline? — todoroki shoto

ೃ pairing: cat boy! ┃pro hero! todoroki shoto  x fem pro hero! reader

ೃ  tags: smut 18+ (the rest of the tags are below the cut!)

ೃ  warnings: nsfw

ೃ wc: 3k words

ೃ  my nav  →  my mha writing masterlist  → my katsuki bakugo x reader smau

ೃ  blessed with a quirk that can temporarily transform any human being into any living thing they want through the means of potions and concoctions, you brew up a cat girl potion to surprise shoto for your second year anniversary. however, some accidents and mishaps happen, and you’re welcomed home by a handsome cat boy instead.  

ೃ dedicating this fic to the lovely and amazing @todosweetheart​ bc her cat boy! shoto art is the reason why this fic exists. thank u for the content u feed us val! 🥰💓

additional tags:  use of natural aphrodisiac, cat boy! kink, overstimulation, fingering, kitten/cat play, rough but loving sex)

You had just recently moved in to a new neighborhood with your boyfriend, Todoroki Shoto. 

Your blissful domestic life with him was just about to begin and life couldn’t get any better than this. and yet... 

sometimes you wish you could do more for him. 

The two of you met when you were hired to work at his father’s agency, stealing glances at him by the reception area whenever you came in for work, and coincidentally getting into the same elevator as him. Not knowing that he was woefully smitten with you too. It was only through the probing of your co-workers that you had drunkenly confessed to him at a company party and he had (soberly) confessed to you too.

That was where everything started. 

That was how you and the No. #3 Pro-hero got together.

Sometimes, it made you think if you were even worthy of his love. 

You were just a hero with a support quirk; with it being used for more science and field-related work as your powers made you manifest and create drinkable liquids that could change the physical appearance of a person (make them invisible, turn them into an animal, or even turn them back into a child or into an elderly person) for a limited time and depending on how strong or weak the solution. This means that through your quirk, you are able to tamper with a person’s DNA through these concoctions without any consequences. It was a powerful quirk, just like magic, yes, but can it be used for offense? Sadly not.

Shoto’s quirk was the exact opposite. Bearing the quirk of fire and ice, he was the definition of perfection. The perfect quirk, the perfect combination of two exact opposite elements, and how adept he is at using both of them. Often praised and hailed by the public for not only being extremely powerful, but also for how painstakingly handsome he is. You were just waiting for some controversial tabloid to talk about the No. 3 Pro Hero and his girlfriend who was way out of his league. 

Shoto constantly reassures you not to worry about them, never failing to calm you down with his gentle I love you’s and forehead kisses whenever he sees you tensed up and nervous, and never failing to tell you that you are the light of his life and his strength to continue fighting. and yet, it still worries you sometimes.

Today marks your 2 year anniversary. 

The two of you decide to go out on a simple date tonight at one of the best-reviewed restaurants in the neighborhood as the two of you were busy with throwing out the moving boxes and unwrapping your furniture, combined with the hero work that the two of you do during the day. Completely ruling out the possibility of being able to plan an elaborate anniversary date. 

But, it was alright. As cheesy as Shoto makes it sound, no day can ever become the worst, as long as he’s spending it with you. 

“Ah~ Those crepes were super yummy! Plus, the cafe was really cute!” You beam with a satisfying yawn, the two of you walking side by side, hand holding the other, and his arm wrapped around your shoulder for that extra warmth against the cold summer night. 

“Yea. There was a classy vibe to it. That was my first time trying a galette, and I must say that was tasty.” He remarks, turning to you. Your radiant and lively energy was infectious and he can’t help but smile. “Leave it to Mina and Sato to know all the best restaurants, I suppose.”

You nod contentedly and the two of you continue to walk back home in silence. Shoto looks around, taking in the sight and wondering if he could point out any small details about your surroundings that could make you laugh or smile. He notices a small shadow perk up from beneath a bush and he casually points at it. “Hmm? (Y/N), look over there.” 

You follow Shoto’s gaze and also notice the small shadowy figure. “Oh?”

The quiet sound of a purr could be heard from the bush. The two of you wait a little bit for the creature to reveal itself. A black cat pounces out of the plant, it’s beautiful green eyes staring back at you. “Meoooow.”

The cat walks up to you and you crouch down, putting your hand out, and wait patiently. Sure enough, the cat nuzzles against it. 

“Ahhh she’s so cute.” You observe the cat a bit more and notice it’s femme feline features. Shoto crouches down next to you and pats it’s head. Clearly the kitty seems to enjoy all this attention as she’s purring up a storm. “She is.” 

You glance at Shoto and notice how his eyes glimmered a different blue-grey light as he continued to play with the kitten. Pure bliss present in his face. His handsome and soft features make you blush, with the heat rising up to your cheeks, you quickly turn away before Shoto could notice you.

Bingo.

What if you turned into a Cat Girl and made Shoto… ya know…

It was a simple formula after all. You could whip up a concoction, sprinkle in a little bit of natural aphrodisiac and that’s it! The recipe to the sexiest and kinkiest night of your life! Maybe you could show your love to Shoto in a different way than most girlfriends do to their boyfriends no?

“AHAH!” You suddenly jump up from the ground, your boyfriend perks up a little bit in surprise too. You then bring out your phone and begin scrolling through your notes. “Sho-kun! Come on! Let’s get home!” You grab his hand and drag him away. He adjusts his running to your pace, smiling at your sudden burst of eagerness and excitement. “Alright alright, love. Be careful so we don’t trip.”

That night, you told Shoto to not wait for you as you had to brew up some potions for tomorrow as specially requested by a hero from your agency. Although reluctant at first to leave you, he intently watched you work your magic at  the little science lab in your house. The smell of the strong chemicals waft around the living room, prompting him to retreat back to your bedroom, but not without a quick kiss (that was about to turn into a make out session) before bed. 

“Happy anniversary, Love.” Shoto holds you by the waist, resting his head on your shoulder. The two of you swaying slightly to the non-existent rhythm and this makes you almost want to go to bed with him. “Shall we continue this tomorrow?” He peppers kisses down your neck, you giggle in response. 

“We shall.” You turn to him and deliver a kiss to his lips. You pull away before you could even begin to think of yearning for more. “I’m sorry if we had to cut our anniversary short. It’s your day off tomorrow right? I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

He nods first before giving you one last kiss, this time on the forehead. “Goodnight (Y/N). I love you.” 

“I love you too.” He pulls away. you watch him leave your lab first and make sure he’s out of sight before you get back to work. 

After a few more hours of solving the formula and crafting the recipe for a potion that doesn’t necessarily turn you into a cat, but rather, give you only cat ears and a cat tail, yu bring out a thermos bottle from the cupboard and pour in the liquid solvent along with the natural aphrodisiac. You stir it a little bit before using your quirk to add the finishing touch and to make it a viable and an actually working potion. 

“Can’t wait to drink this tomorrow.” You snicker to yourself, as you pour all of the liquid onto the thermos, storing it in the fridge and then proceed to go to your bedroom and finally hit the sack.

“AHH I’M LATE!” You rush out of the bedroom, messy bedhead hair, your hero suit not even fully zipped up, mismatched socks, and your bag tossing and turning, most of the contents falling out, your thermos being one of them. “I’M LATE FOR WORK! BYE! I LOVE YOU!” You greet Shoto who was eating his breakfast in the kitchen, planting him a farewell kiss on the cheek as you dash your way out of the house. 

“I l-love you too.” He bids goodbye with a wave, but you weren’t even there to hear it anymore. Shoto’s eyes cast downward, a bit disappointed that he wasn’t even able to greet you properly this morning and how your anniversary date felt so short even though you promised each other you would spend more time together later today. 

He then notices your water bottle on the ground. A sticky note that was labeled “Drink me!” was attached to it and of course as every other person would react once they see a note like that,

Shoto thought that was for him. 

“SHO! I’M BACK!” You call out to him, closing the door behind you. “Sho~?” You sing-song, peering through the kitchen and the living room but your boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. “Where are youuu?” You continue to traverse through your house, looking for him. You grind to a halt when you notice your thermos bottle on top of the dining table… All empty.

Oh no.

Oh no no no no.

“Shoto!” You call out, your voice cracking with nervousness. You rush to your bedroom, hoping and praying that he was there. Only… for the lights to be out. 

“Sho?” Your hand reaches out for the light switch. But, you hesitate. What if a demon had kidnapped your boyfriend and you had to save him!? What can your quirk even do to save him!?

“(Y/N)...” He finally responds. Although his tone was soft and still a bit suspicious, you breathe a sigh of a relief and finally turn on the lights.

The lights illuminate the room to reveal your boyfriend in his usual turtleneck fit that you always ogle at. You look up and down, noticing that this is still the same man you know and love and nothing bad actually happened until… 

You look up and behind him.

He’s still the same man you know and love. 

Just this time however. he’s a cat boy. 

“I drank the potion that you made.” He says ever so casually, nothing ever fazes him as usual. “It had a “drink me!” sticky note attached to it and I thought it was for me.” He continues to speak plainly. You thought you could get out of this situation scotch-free and you didn’t have to explain to your loving boyfriend what had happened to him. That was until he crossed his arms, his feet tapping the ground, and his cat tail waving behind him. “Please explain to me why I am now a cat boy.” 

“Well…” You began twiddling with your fingers, trying your very best not to make eye contact with him or else you would end up squealing in delight because of how adorable he looked. “You see, I made this potion to turn me into a cat girl so that I can… ya know… please you and stuff. I saw how affectionate you were with the cat we saw last night so.. I guess you can consider this as my late anniversary gift to you?” You laugh sheepishly, still trying your best not to look at him as his gaze intensifies. 

Shoto’s black and white cat ears twitch as he tries to stifle a laugh. “Fine. I forgive you. This will wear off eventually right?” You nod in response and Shoto’s shoulders slump down in relief. He was about to approach you and envelop you in a hug, until his legs wobbled midway and he practically fell down onto the floor. 

You rush to him and help him stand up, propping himself on the bed. “Sho… are you alright love?”

He starts breathing heavily, cat ears twitching once again, fingers trembling, lips quivering, and his face as red as a tomato. “(Y/N)... what was even in that potion you made?”

You suddenly remember the aphrodisiac you added to the recipe.

Oh no no no no (2)

Shoto suddenly turns away from you before you could notice the bulge rising in his pants. He covers his face in embarrassment, refusing to look at you. 

“I also added some aphrodisiac and some catnip into the potion ahahaha…” You scratch the back of your neck. Shoto turns to you again, his eyes glowing like that of a cat and giving off a smoldering feeling. He shifts your position, gently yet somehow arduously pinning you down on the bed. He steps closer, hands moving up your sides, going around your back, pulling you flush against him. Shoto nips at your earlobe, sending sparks through you. 

You bite back a moan as he kisses your neck, his tongue hot, the gentle scrape of his teeth (slightly sharped like that of fangs) leaving you shivering. 

The two of you stop for a bit. He breaks the kiss to rest his forehead against yours. Tension coils around him, barely contained energy. As if Shoto is preventing himself from showing you his animalistic and feline hunger wanting to ravage you.

“C-can I-”

Before Shoto could even utter another word, you grab his face and pull him back into a desperate kiss, capturing his gasp and the throaty moan that follows. You capture his mouth with yours, and he responds eagerly, his kiss fervent, all his restraint crumbling at your touch. 

He kisses your chin, and you tip your head back as he trails his lips down your neck, murmuring praise.

He lays you down, hiking your shirt up, tossing it to the floor, then deftly unhooking your bra, and exposing your breasts. You giggle and reach for his pants, unzipping the fly and getting a little thrill when you see the huge bulge in his boxers. 

You push up his turtleneck sweater to admire his abs and Shoto smiles back at you seductively. 

“Like what you see?” He says teasingly, a little quip that he barely does when the two of you make love, his husky voice makes your stomach swoop.

“I can only tell you if you purr first.” You tease back, running your fingers over his cat ears. Shoto  feels the tickling sensation build up inside of him, slowly about to give in to his raw animal instincts. While you continue to run your fingers through his cat features, he begins to suck and nibble on your breasts. You feel yourself get lost in his gentle caress, barely even notice him pulling off your panties and sliding them off between your legs. Shoto’s fingers slowly slide into your womanhood, as if testing out the waters. He works them in and out for a bit, then pulls them out, brings them to his mouth, and licks them. 

Like a kitten licking its milk. 

“Sho…”

You feel the last of Shoto’s restraint break as his cat ears twitch again, you can practically feel the energy crackling around him, and the hunger in his eyes more evident than a while ago. Shoto then braces his arms beside your head, as he slots his hips between your thighs. You rise up to meet him, a low moan spilling from your lips. 

“(Y/N)... I’m going to put it in now…”

You bite your lip and nod in confirmation. 

Shoto gently sets a slow pace, your head spins at the sensation and the arousal coursing through you, your hips rolling to meet the movements of his cock. As he enters, the thrilling sensation courses through you again and your mind feels like it just melted. 

You gently rub his cat ears again, and his cock twitches inside of you, the enthralling reaction resulting in a shudder of pleasure shooting through your body, unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. And that pleasure transmits to Shoto loud and clear from your pussy. 

Meanwhile, his breathing was ragged, more wild and animalistic than normal. Which is to be expected due to the potion but… this hot and intense feeling radiating off of him was different. 

And you love it.

“I-I feel like I’m losing control…”

As Shoto speaks, he slams his cock into you, making your legs shake and you moaning louder than you should. Everything seems more intense, from his thrusting to the look on his eye. 

At this point, it’s getting harder and harder to form a coherent sentence. 

“Is it alright if I go faster?” Shoto says softly, you hold his hand in reassurance, unable to respond properly as every intense emotion running inside of you makes you let out hitched and breathy moans instead. 

Shoto pulls out halfway, then slams back inside of you, making a loud sticky sound.

The two of you were acting like animals in heat. 

“A-ah! Shoto!” You mewl out, each of Shoto’s thrust hitting an undiscovered part of your insides. Spurred on by your voice, his pace further increases, until you’re both moving frantically. You gasp at his intensity, at the weight and heat of his body pinning you down.

“(Y/N)! I’m going to-” 

You wrap your legs around his waist, urging him on, and his fluffy tail briefly brushes against you. Shoto’s body tenses up as he prepares to unload inside of you.

Shoto’s body spasms- including his tail. Waves of pleasure flood over you as his semen shoots full-force into your depths.

The two of you gaze into each other’s eyes for a minute before he slowly lays himself next to you, his feline features slowly disappearing as you try to catch your breath.

“L-look they disappeared with one whoosh.” You say in between pants and giggles, Shoto covering the two of you with your bed duvet, chuckling along with you/

“Next time, please label things properly and tell me if you added any sort of ingredient that could increasingly highten my sex drive.” He says with an exasperated sigh, yet satisfaction plastered all over his face as he looks at you lovingly. “I love you (Y/N). Happy anniversary… nya~” He whispers the last few words, shooting you a wink. 

Your eyes widen, your mouth forming into an O like that one Chris Pratt meme. “Y-you just said…”

“Let’s h-have a nap and just have some late dinner instead.” He shushes you by planting a kiss on your forehead. 

You were about to protest, but as soon as Shoto shut his eyes, you didn’t bother doing so anymore.

You plant a kiss on his knuckles, snuggling closer to him. “I love you too Sho. Happy anniversary.”

[lune-hime]

Exposed (Sidon x f!Reader)

The ornate silver neck piece made contact with the tiled floor with a satisfying clank. With each clasp undone, Sidon felt his body buzzing at the newfound lightness. The metallic chime of his final piece of garment, his left bracelet, was a beautiful sound that echoed off the vast pillared walls of his chambers. Although it already had been a day since his arrival, his muscles still ached with a dull tightness brought onto him from the journey to Hyrule Castle. A subtle form of tiredness akin to jetlag was quickly draining his energy and he could not wait to submerge himself in the ample pool that laid before him.

Sidon padded to the edge of the water, streaks of ivory moonlight passing over his crimson scales. He kneeled down, wincing as he heard a few of his bones crack, and dipped an experimental hand into the basin. The warmth of the liquid sent a shiver up Sidon’s body and he immediately slid into the water in one fluid movement. The castle maids had prepared his pool with warm water, per your request, to the exact temperature you knew he liked it. Although this was just one of the many guest rooms in the immense castle, he felt your homey presence in every corner of the chamber. It made his heart flutter in adoration.

Sinking lower, he let the water engulf his shoulders. The tension diffused out and a supple moan escaped his parted lips. Lightly treading water, his thoughts circulated through his mind much like the gentle current of the pool. The officials and champions he had rekindled with today, what was he going to eat tomorrow morning, how radiant you had looked in your formal w-

“Prince Sidon, I forgot to ask you on more question before you retired to the room!” Zelda’s melodic voice carried from the hallway. Her small but sturdy frame emerged from behind the towering door, the hem of her gown swaying about her ankles as she danced her way into the entryway. Soon after she appeared, your head peeked its way around the frame.

Perhaps it was the abruptness of the entry, the intimate solitude of the chambers, his discarded garments, or all factors combined, but Sidon suddenly felt hot. Uncomfortably hot; and not from the water.

“A-ah, yes Princess, what did you want to, ah, ask me?” He coughed, awkwardly sinking lower into the pool. He cursed the palace for having such crystal clear water.

Your brow knit into a firm line at his flustered state. Never before had you seen him act like this seemingly for no reason. When his eyes began flicking anxiously from the pile of metal to you, a wave of understanding flooded your consciousness. Sidon felt exposed. And he was embarrassed about it.

It was natural for Hylian habits to rub off on him since the two of you had started courting. When you were in the Domain, the only time you spent away from the Prince was when you were working on Vah Ruta or the one to two hours of his council meetings. With all that contact how could a few things not start to be ingrained in Sidon’s daily routine? It was clear now by the steady reddening of his cheeks that one of those habits pertained to wearing garments. Or more specifically, when one is caught not wearing them.

“Oh, is this a bad time?” She blinked, unclear of what had him acting so strangely. Sidon looked like he was about to expire in the cloud of uncomfortableness that was circling above the pool. As adorable as he looked, shuffling bashfully and avidly studying the carvings on the nearest pillar, you needed to save him. Biting back your laughter you tapped Zelda lightly on the shoulder. Her head whipped around, confusion still inscribed on her face.

“Zelda, it appears that Sidon was not expecting company this late at night.” You stated, giving her a knowing look you prayed she would pick up on. You cocked your head subtly towards the armor and Zelda gasped softly, the tips of her pointed ears running rosy. She then looked to the Prince with panic written all over her features and he returned the expression tenfold. The two of them turned from mimicking rose petals to beats instead, only making the aroma of the room more thick with tension.

“Oh my goodness! My deepest apologies, Sidon. I didn’t realize you were having, ahem, some alone time.” She cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to the floor so fast you wondered if she got whiplash.

“Well, Y/N can just tell me your answer tomorrow morning. Until then.” She stuttered, abruptly turning on her heels and disappearing behind the door. Once the brisk click signaled her departure, every muscle, tendon, and scale in Sidon’s body went lax. He sighed, tipping his head back against the edge of the pool with a gentle clunk. You took a moment to drown in his appearance. He was like a slightly wilted lotus flower with coral petals basking in the rippling droplets of indigo moonlight.

It now physically hurt to restrain your hysterics and you suddenly burst into a fit of giggles, drowning the luminated room in a symphony of laughs not unlike a songbird’s. Sidon poked one eye open and shook his head in mortified distress, still lazily leaning against the tiled rim.  

“Stop laughing, Y/N. I bet she thinks I was doing something lewd or weird. In her castle of all places.” He grumbled, raising his hands out of the water to run them over his face.

Once you had reigned in your cacophony you padded over to the pool and sat down next to his deflated form, feet dangling into the water.

“Nah. It’s okay, Si. She’s my oldest and best friend. If she does I’ll tell her the truth.” You nudged him playfully. He lolled his head to the side in your direction.

“That might be even more embarrassing…” Sidon trailed off, his face contorted into a slight grimace. You returned it with a fond smile.

“Stop looking at me like that.” He huffed, a feigned pout forming on his features. The rosiness on his cheeks bloomed once more as he lightly splashed your feet where they embraced the water’s surface.

“You know, you used to never be embarrassed about being seen without your accessories.” You stated innocently, eyeing him to observe his reaction.“They don’t really leave anything to the imagination, anyway.”

“Hylian customs are rubbing off on me, I guess.” He replied in a small voice, snaking an arm around your calf to press himself into your side. He started idly playing with your toes, offering a squeak from you. You lightly kicked out, hoping to shake him off. Instead he only scooted closer yet he resigned from his tickling.

“What did the Princess want to ask me?” Sidon inquired. He seemed to be mostly recovered from the ordeal.

“She wanted to know what you wanted for breakfast tomorrow. You left before she could put in an order for the chef.”

“Damn, that’s an important question.” He muttered, setting his chin on your knee and looking up at you with anticipation, his eyes large and blinking.  

“I was planning on telling her smoked salmon.” You informed the prince, giving his caudal fin a loving stroke. Sidon’s eyes lit up, his saffron orbs turning a brilliant gold that put the calming hue of the starlight to shame. He could feel himself start to salivate at the mention of the Hylian delicacy.

“Don’t drool on my leg.” You teased, chuckling as he gulped audibly. You were unable to convey your thoughts on the dish as the deep chiming of the castle’s clocktower replaced whatever voice you would have spoken. The twelve bells signaled it had just turned midnight.

“It’s late, we should both get some rest. We need to wake up early for the festivities tomorrow.” You let out a bittersweet sigh, not wanting to break away from the closeness you shared but knowing you would be the walking dead in the morning if you stayed up any longer. As you rose to your feet, Sidon’s head limply fell into the water, his gaze never leaving your form. Just as you were about to deliver a sweet goodnight, he gingerly grabbed your ankle.

“Please stay, my pearl.” He suggested, a gentle plea that caused your heart to skip a beat.

“Can’t get enough of me, hm?” You sang.

“A very true statement, darling.” Sidon cooed, the warmth radiating from his gaze brushing the tips of your ears and leaving a blushed residue in its wake.

“Alright.” You responded through a yawn.

“We can go back to your chambers, if you’d like.” Sidon suggested, releasing his hold on your ankle and making a move to leave the basin. You shook your head and held a hand out to stop him. He halted his movements immediately and blinked up at you.

“You’re soaked. You’ll get my bed wet. I will go get some blankets and return.” You chuckled as you strode towards the doors. He hummed in agreement, a breathy laugh puffing from his chest. Grasping the knob, you turned to face Sidon once more.

“Better keep an eye on this door, my prince. Wouldn’t want someone to see you so exposed now would we?” You warned, tone velvety and blithe. The last thing you heard before you skittered out of the room was a loud groan and the sound of an unlit candle being halfheartedly thrown at the door.

[americancowgirl19]

The Librarian Mobster

Summary: Nightwing saves you from getting jumped by a group of gang members. Then, during the day, you coincidentally run into Dick Grayson. Your hesitant to get to know him but he slowly works his way through your walls. But when he realizes who you truly are, will he regret working so hard to be with you?

Warnings: fluff, angst, implied sex, semi steamy scene

Reader: Female Reader

Pairings: Dick Grayson x Female Reader

Word Count: 4,667

A/n:

Masterlist

“Done for the night, ma’am?” 

Looking up you send Brayden a small smile. It was getting late but you still had paperwork to get done. A lot of fucking paper work.

“I’m going to stay for a bit longer. Go ahead and get home. I bet you’re just dying to see that new baby of yours,” 

“The wife’s probably put him to sleep by now,” Brayden shrugs his shoulders. “I could wait and walk you home,”

“No, I’ll be fine,” You assure him. “We’re in the middle of a big deal. One that will benefit a lot of people. No one’s going to try and jeopardize their position to hurt me,”

“You can’t be too careful, ma’am,” Brayden warns. You wave off his concern. You knew his worries were valid but you didn’t want to go home yet and you didn’t want to keep him from his family.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” You promise him. Brayden reluctantly concedes. He bids you goodnight before stepping out of the library.

You work for another hour before you catch yourself falling asleep. Deciding that you would take the rest of your work home you begin to pack up. You slip all of your papers into your bag and slide into your jacket. You sling the strap to your messenger bag around your neck before grabbing the keys.

You lock up the library and begin walking home.

Call yourself arrogant but you highly doubted that you would get jumped. You didn’t live in the safest place in the world but it wasn’t Gotham. Although, you had to admit, your home city of Bludhaven wasn’t much better.

Nobody is ever completely safe in this city.  As immortal as you believe yourself to be you were still only a human girl walking home in the middle of the night in a dangerous city.

Your sense of immortality came from your upbringing. You were born into crime. In fact, your father was the head of a major crime family. A few years ago you took his position. You knew something could happen to you at any second but you felt safer knowing that the city believed the head of the family is a man named Francis David instead of you.

Frank is your decoy. He’s the face of the operation. He does all the talking and hand shaking while you make the decisions. To the underground you’re an assistant to Frank, nothing more. It allows you to stay in the loop but keep in the background. It also allows you to listen in on the gossip of the other assistants and get a feel of how your competition is truly doing.

Your organization is your secret power. You felt invincible walking home because you had an entire mob at your beck and call yet the outside world believed you were an innocent woman leaving work.

You remember a saying your father used to tell you ‘it isn’t if it’s when’. You rarely listened to the man but that saying always stuck with you. Therefore, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when you were yanked from the street and into the alley.

Believe it or not but you often forgot that you weren’t the face of your company. Being in the background had it’s pros and cons. A positive is that you had your privacy and people weren’t targeting you. A con would be that you weren’t famous therefore the common criminal didn’t know who you were.

You knew in your heart if you were as famous as Gotham’s Joker or Riddler then these thugs wouldn’t have attempted to rob you. They would have sought easier pray but alas you weren’t well known and vulnerable to men like this.

Perhaps you should have taken Brayden up on his offer.

There were only three of them. One was particularly scrawny. With the training your father forced you to go through you knew you could take them. It would have hurt, you knew you’d get injured, but you were confident that you would end up walking away instead of them.

You fought against you instincts though. You struggled against their grip but you didn’t fight back. The men shout at you. They demand you to turn your things over to them but you don’t. Instead, you scream.

“Help! Somebody! Please, help me!” You cry out.

It’s obvious the men feed off of you ‘fear’ and ‘vulnerability’. The whole charade knocked your pride down a few pegs but it wasn’t without reason.

Why fight these men yourself and wake up with bruises when the infamous Nightwing is perched above you?

You caught a quick glance of him when the men had grabbed you. You couldn’t believe your eyes but then you saw him again.

You inwardly wondered if Nightwing had found out your true identity but you also thought that this could have just been a large coincidence. Perhaps he just happened to be there when you needed him. You were about to find out.

The boy in the blue and black costume jumped into the alley. He took out one of the men before they even realized he was there. The other two were no match for someone so trained and strong. Within a few minutes you attackers where unconscious on the ground.

“Th-thank you,” You whimper.

“Are you alright?” He asks, his voice deep but soothing. Your head nods multiple times. “Where are you headed?”

“Home,” You whisper, downcasting your eyes. It was a struggle to keep your eyes on the ground when his eyes were much more beautiful to look at. “It’s just a couple more blocks,”

“Get home, I’ll deal with them,”

“Thank you,” You whisper, sending him a smile before scurrying out of the alley. 

Seems like he just happened to be at the right place as the right time.

---

“Excuse me, ma’am?” 

Looking up from the computer you see a tall handsome man standing on the other side of the desk. He had neat brunette hair and beautiful yet familiar blue eyes.

“How can I help you?” You asks, forcing yourself from your thoughts. “Are you looking for a book?” 

Your day job is a librarian. You owned the library. In the basement is where all the magic happened. Deals between your mob and others occurred downstairs along with the production and distribution of your products. It’s one of the most secure and secretive organizations in Bludhaven.

You used the library to keep up on your research. You kept tabs on everyone you deemed important as well as some spicy blackmail. Those were restricted and not for public eye of course. 

You also used the library to satisfy your love to read. You grew tired of not having your favorite books within reach. Solution? Buy the local library.

“No, I had a few questions,” The man says, flashing his badge. “Can I have your name?”

“Only when I have yours,” You state with an innocent smile.

“Detective Dick Grayson,” He introduces himself. Your smile broadens.

“Well, welcome to my library detective,” You greet. “I’m Y/n, what can I do for you?”

“Three men were found beaten in the alley a few blocks from here. I was just wondering if you knew anything about that?” He asks, leaning on the countertop.

“It’s Bludhaven, Detective,” You needlessly remind him. “People are beaten everyday. I’d run out of memory if I had to remember all the beatings, drug deals and deaths that’s happened within a few blocks from here,”

“Right,” Dick says, slowly. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help with that but if you’re looking for a new read I’ll be more useful to you,” You suggest, leaning closer to him. Dick stares at you for a moment, a soft smile adorning his face.

“I’m sorry if this seems really straight forward but I was wondering if I could take you out for a drink? Or some dinner?” He asks. You nearly said yes.

“I don’t know you, Detective,” You tell him. “And I don’t go out with people I don’t know or else I’ll end up like one of those men you found in the alley,” You whisper to him like a secret.

“Very smart of you,” Dick whispers back.

“I’m a smart cookie,” You grin, shrugging your shoulders. Dick’s grin deepens.

“Thank you for your time,” He nods to you before leaving your library.

“I’m a smart cookie,” Brayden says in a dramatic, high pitched, female voice. You glare at him. You crumble up a piece of paper and throw it at his head.

“Shut up,” You mutter before turning back to your computer.

You thought the detective was extremely handsome. You wanted to run your fingers through his hair while staring into his eyes. God it’s been so long since you’ve touched someone else and just as long as you’ve been touched. 

He had large hands. You hold back a moan at the thought of what those hands could accomplish. Why did you reject him? Oh, yeah. You’re the head of a crime family and he’s a literal cop.

You didn’t realize your eyes had closed until they snap open. You see the crumbled paper laying on the floor by your chair. You give Brayden an unamused look while he smirks widely at you.

“You’re smitten already,” He sings.

“A girl can dream,” You concede slightly. “But nothing can come of it,” You remind him. He shrugs.

“You can still have fun and live a little,”

“Yeah, cause that’ll look good,” You scoff.

“If anyone has a problem with it just say you’re using him for your own personal gain. Like keeping ahead of the department and spying on their moves,” You nod thoughtfully. “Or getting the orgasm that you obviously need,”

This time you throw a stapler at his head.

---

The detective surprised you. You thought he would have given up after the first rejection. Instead he came back for more.

He came back the next day and the day after that. He continued to come back despite getting rejected every time.

Each day he showed up at the library the conversation between the two of you lengthened. You were both learning about each other.

You learned that he had three brothers, Bruce Wayne had adopted him, he used to be in a circus, and he enjoyed being a detective in Bludhaven.

You couldn’t be as open with him as he was with you but you were able to give him truthful answers. You gave him small but plentiful details about your family. You shared your love for books and your legal hobbies with him.

Eventually, he was showing up in the morning and sharing breakfast with you. Some days he saw you twice and brought you your favorite drink.

He was growing on you and that made you nervous. The people who knew who you were wondered what you were doing with him. You either told them very politely to mind their business or you gave them the bullshit answer about you using him to keep an eye on the police.

Brayden is the only one who actually witnessed you and Dick’s daily interactions. He knew that you were beginning to like Dick, truly like him. He constantly warned you to be careful. He had approved of you using him for physical pleasure but he recognized the dangers of you falling for him.

Every time he expressed his concern you assured him that you had things handled. You knew what you were doing and you were in control.

Only you weren’t. You weren’t in control and you had no idea what you were doing.

---

After nearly four months of continuous rejection you change your tune. When Dick enters the library you ask him out before he can get the chance to ask you. You both smile widely as each other as he accepts.

You take him out for a nice dinner the following night. There’s a comfortable conversation with intervals of cheesy flirting.

Throughout the night the two of you get closer to each other until your right beside each other. His arm is wrapped around you and your leaning into his side. Neither of you are completely sober but you’re also in control of your actions.

So, when you make it back to his home it’s entirely your decision to go inside with him. Nothing happens right away. There’s lingering touches and suggestive glances as you both wander into the kitchen.

He pours you both a drink. You ignore the glass. He doesn’t get the chance to take a sip before you’re pressing your lips to his. He nearly knocks his drink over when he goes to set it down but neither of you pay attention.

He keeps his lips pressed against yours as he bends down to cup his large hands under your thighs. Your heart flutters at his display of strength as he lifts you from the floor.

He begins stumbling to his bedroom. You can’t help but to laugh as he bumps into walls on his way. You pulls your lips from his and gaze into his eyes.

He makes it to the room and gently sets you on the bed. Your fingers graze his cheeks as he leans away from you. Your arms fall as he takes off his shirt. You lick your lips.

“Come here,” You whisper, reaching for him. He smirks laying back on top of you. You don’t hesitate to reconnect your lips to his. He resettles between your legs. You moan when he rolls his hips down against your core. “I want more,” You say, reaching for his pants.

“I’ll give you everything,” Dick responds, staring into your eyes. He lifts his hands and brushes his knuckles against your cheek. Your heart clenches at the look in his eyes. He lowers his head slowly and kisses you again.

This kiss is different. You both love and hate how clear Dick’s emotions are for you. In the library Dick is charming and flirtatious but here he’s honest and loving. Dick’s a private person but he’s always been open with you. You wished you could be as open and honest with him but if you were it would ruin everything.

You didn’t want to lose Dick. He’s safe, he’s trustworthy, and he’s honest when he says he cares about you. You hire people to protect you but someone could easily give them more money to hurt you. You never know who you can trust. Even Brayden, one of your closest friends, doesn’t have your complete trust.

But Dick... he’s something special. Someone you’ve never had before.

You can’t offer him half the things he offers you. You can’t give him complete honesty. He can’t trust you completely. If you were a better person you’d let him go but you don’t. 

You hold on tighter.

---

You were beyond stressed.

The deal you were in the process of completely is threatening to fall apart. Other members of the deal were starting to become overly greedy. You weren’t surprised but you had hoped you could reign them in more than you were.

On top of that, Nightwing was starting to become a problem. He was getting close to figuring out what the deal was, who was involved, and where the next meetings were. You admitted you were impressed with his intelligence but he was getting in the way.

At least you weren’t the only one stressed. You’re lovely boyfriend of five months (5 months dating, 9 months of flirting and knowing each other) seemed to be feeling the pressure of his work as well. 

You release a content sigh as Dick continues to lightly massage your back. Your head is comfortably nestled in his neck with the fingers on your hand combing through his dark hair.

“I love you,” He mutters, temporarily hugging you tightly before loosening his hold and returning to his massaging. Your heart clenches. You hesitate to respond.

You love Dick. You’ve told him before and you’ll say it again but actually saying the words haven’t gotten easier. You had a hard time believing Dick loved you. How could he when you were hiding such a big part of yourself? But God did you love him. You loved him so much it was dangerous.

“I love you, too,” You promise, gently kissing his neck.

“I want you to meet my family,” Dick whispers. You physically tense.

“You want me to meet Bruce Wayne and your three brothers?” You asks, slowly. He hums, shifting you both so your trapped between him and the couch. You didn’t like being trapped but you trusted Dick so much at the position only brought comfort.

“You’re the most important person in my life,” He whispers. “I have to go to Gotham in a few weeks and I want to show you off. My sexy librarian,” He winks at you and teasingly squeezes your hips.

The last thing you wanted to do was go to Gotham. There was so much going on here in Bludhaven that you needed to look after but the look in his eyes told you how important this is to him. What’s important to him is important to you.

“Alright,” You give in. 

“Thank you,” He whispers, kissing your lips. Your hands clutch his shirt and you hold him close. “Fair warning,” He mutters, pulling back. “Don’t listen to a word my brother Jason says and do not go anywhere with him alone,” You raise your eyebrows at him and let out a small laugh. “I don’t trust him to keep his hands to himself,” He admits. “Your mine and my little brother can find his own librarian,”

“Dick, relax, I’m not that big of a catch,” You tell him. He shakes his head.

“You’re the most impressive girl I’ll have brought home to meet the family,” He tells you. Your heart clenches again. “They’re going to love you,”

“Well, I hope I don’t disappoint,”

---

“Do you have any questions?” You ask Frank. “Do not budge on this. If they don’t like it, they’re out of the deal. If they all try to leave remind them of what will happen with all that power and money solely in our hands,”

“Got it,” Frank nods. “Why won’t you be there?” He asks. “You always come along,”

“I know but I’m leaving for Gotham tomorrow morning,” You explain. “If anything happens, call me immediately,” You say.

“I will,” He promises. “What’s in Gotham? We making a deal with someone else I don’t know about?”

“Now why would I be making a deal on my own?” You ask, giving him a serious look. Again, you’re reminded why’re you’re the brains of the organization. Frank is good looking and an excellent actor but that’s the end of his talents.

“Right,” He mutters. “So, why?”

“I’m taking a small vacation,” You shrug.

“A vacation? Right now?” He deadpans.

“It’s not the best time, I realize that, but it couldn’t be helped,” You shrug. “Anyways, you have all the documents. You know what to say. You’ll be fine and if not just call me. I have to get going,”

Before you could step toward your belongings a man barges into the room. You glare at him for being so rude.

“Sir, ma’am, it’s Nightwing,” He pants. You clench your jaw.

“Fucking hell,” You mutter under your breath.

“What’s happened?” Frank asks.

“He’s attacked the warehouse and almost got away with shipping orders,” The man tells you.

“Almost?” Frank asks.

“We managed to capture him,” 

---

“So, you’re the famous Nightwing,” Frank says, approaching the tied up man in a Halloween costume.

He’s in an interrogation room. The building you’re in is an old abandoned police station. It was extremely useful to your business. Especially in times like this where you could use the two-way mirror.

You silently watch Frank try to interrogate Nightwing. Good actor, not a great interrogator. 

“If you let him escape he’s just going to keep bothering your business,” Brayden tells you.

“What do you want to do?” You ask him. “You want to kill him? You know where he comes from. If we kill him we’ll have the entire Bat team on our asses,” You remind him.

“Or we could pin his death on Romero,” Brayden suggests. “Think about it. We knock Nightwing out, go to the docks on Romero’s territory and slice his throat with a bullet to the chest. Typical Romero style,”

“They could still trace it back on us,” You mutter. “Batman’s very resourceful,” 

“We just have to keep them looking long enough to finish this deal,” Brayden tells you. “Once the deal’s done no one, not even Superman, is gonna be able to stop us,”

You way out the options. You didn’t want to kill Nightwing. You knew it would bring trouble but you were beginning to thing it would be more trouble to keep him alive.

“Alright,” You nod. “We’ll do it your way,”

---

You stayed in the car as your men drag Nightwing to the water. He struggles but the amount of drugs in his system prevent him from saving himself. 

The windows of the car are heavily tented preventing people from seeing in but not you from seeing out.

The decision to kill Nightwing is still weighing heavily on your chest but you know you can’t back out now. If you do you’re men will see it as a weakness. Not everyone here knew you were in charge. It would be too dangerous for you to reveal yourself.

You see Brayden forcing Nightwing to face him. There’s talking and you roll your eyes. You hated when people talked in moments like this. You just wanted to get this done with and return home to Dick.

You imagine his thick arms around you. His calming scent and smooth voice. You want to feel his hair with your fingers and his lips on yours. You craved everything about him.

You were unbelievably nervous for the trip to Gotham. You knew of Bruce Wayne. Your father actually looked up to the man. You knew your father always wanted to be Bruce Wayne. You always laughed at that thought because you were dating his idols son. If only he were alive to see it.

You sigh in frustration. This was dragging out. You look back to see what the hold up was. You look just in time to see one of the men pulling off Nightwing’s mask.

“No,” You whisper. What the fuck was Dick Grayson doing in Nightwing’s outfit? The answer was obvious, because he was fucking Nightwing, but you didn’t want to believe it.

Brayden looks back to the car you’re sitting in but you’re in shock. You make no movement to acknowledge what has just happened. Brayden takes your silence as an order to keep going.

“No!” You shout, seeing Brayden lifting the knife to slice his throat. You jump out of the car. “Stop! Don’t!” You shout. All eyes turn on you, even Dick’s.

“Y/n?” Dick whispers.

You march up to them, ignoring everyone’s looks. Brayden walks away from Dick and meets you half way. You try to go around him but he grabs you.

“Think about what you’re doing,” He whispers to you.

“I am,” You snap. “This changes things,”

“It changes nothing,” He snaps back. “He has to die, now more than before. He’s seen you, how long will it take for him to put the pieces together?” He asks. You look at Dick. You can already see the wheels turning in his gorgeous head. “If you save him, you will look weak,”

“Bray...” Your voice cracks. You look at him and slowly shake your head. “There are something’s in life I will not give up,”

“You think he’ll stay with you after this?”

“That’s his decision,” You tell him. “If he leaves me then so be it but at least he’ll be alive,”

“And you’ll be in jail, we’ll all go to jail,” He snaps. “I can’t go to jail, you know that. Don’t throw everything away for one man. Be smarter than that,”

“You’re right,” You whisper. “I’ve worked to hard to get to where I am now. I shouldn’t throw it away for him,” Brayden relaxes. “You’ve always looked out for me and I thank you for everything you’ve done,”

“You don’t have to thank-”

“But he goes free,” You cut him off. Your hand steals the gun from his holster and you step out of his grasp. You hold the gun up to him. In an instant guns are pointed everywhere. The ones who know that you’re in charge back you up while the confused ones point their guns against you.

“Don’t do this,” Brayden pleads. “You’ve known me for years. Don’t throw everything away for a man you’ve known for a few months,”

“What can I say?” You ask him. Your eyes flicker to Dick. “Love makes you do crazy things,”

Your eyes leave Brayden for a handful of seconds. In the corner of your eye you see him lunging for you. You don’t even hesitate. You pull the trigger sending him to the ground. Your eyes widen. You didn’t want to kill him. You didn’t mean too.

Your gunshot is the start of a chain reaction. Everyone starts shooting. You jump on the defensive. You return fire while trying to get to your tied boyfriend.

“Who are you?” Dick snaps as you cut him loose.

“I’m still me,” You promise, helping him get untangled. “I just know how to handle a gun and just so happen to be the leader of an underground mob,” You tell him.

“Oh, is that it?” He sasses. Once he’s free he grabs the back of your shirt and pulls you to a hiding spot.

“I wanted to tell you, I did,” You promise, peaking around the car. You shoot a man down.

“Well, I’m glad you waited,” He grumbles. “Really built up the tension there,”

“Hey, you could have come clean too,” You point out. “I’m not the only one with secrets,”

“What did you think was going to happen when you agreed to go out with me?” He ask, leaning against the car. He was slowly coming out of his drug induced haze.

“Agreed? Babe, I asked you out,” You reminded him. He dramatically rolls his eyes.

“What did you think was going to happen?” He snaps, glaring at you. “Did you honestly think that we would work?” You sit down beside him. Guns continue to go off behind you but you just put your focus on Dick.

“No, I didn’t,” You admitted to him. “At first you were just a distraction and then you became something good,” You look into his eyes. “I don’t have a lot of good things in my life. I knew I wouldn’t have you forever but  I couldn’t let you go. I do love you, Richard. I mean, I kind of just blew up my entire operation today just to save you. Don’t thank me or anything,” You mutter at the end.

Dick scoffs and shakes his head at you. Deciding to give him time to mull things over, you try to hurry up and end the firefight. It was dwindling but some were stubbornly hanging on.

“I think we’re going to need couples therapy after this,” Dick mutters. You tense and look at him.

“You’ll keep me?” You whisper. Dick turns his head.

“All the paperwork I’ve found, everyone that’s apart of your business or associated with it thinks Francis David is the head man. If you help me take everything apart and help me take down the other mobs, I won’t turn you in,” Dick promises.

“So, I’ll be the good guy,” You mutter. “Well, that’ll be a nice change of pace,” Dick smiles softly at you. “I get to keep you?” Dick nods. “Deal,” You seal it with a kiss.

[omiscurls]

haikyuu!! characters as bed sharing AU’s

taken of pinterest!

characters in question: kiyoomi sakusa, miya atsumu, kenma kozume, suna rintaro, tobio kageyama, kuroo tetsuro, akaashi keiji

kiyoomi sakusa - the “you have too much nightmares, let me try this method on you”

When you look at Sakusa, you wouldn’t guess any of his weaknesses... well except for one maybe

He always speaks so confidently, if he doesn’t feel secure, he just doesn’t speak

So even if you’ve been their manager for... several years, you still know as much about this man’s weaker sides as if you met him yesterday, or even less. 

The surprise on your face when you binge watched a series at night, and you suddenly felt the scream definitely coming from outside your headphones was indescribable 

Was the room next to yours... Sakusa’s?

you thought nothing of it, but night after night, you heard a lot more, you heard crying, ventilating, calling out random names, and finally you decided that not only is this interrupting your sleep, it’s not healthy for the wing spiker either

come on, the next day is game day, he has to be on his best abilities 

nobody wants to deal with grumpy kiyoomi, nobody has the guts

so you remember a method your friend has told you about that their s/o uses on them 

it took a lot of courage, but there you are, about to knock on his door... 

Sakusa flinched hearing knocks on his door. That definitely wasn’t just a comeback from a dream. Someone’s knocking on his door. Was he being too loud? Did he wake someone up? He prays that it’s just someone wanting something, even if it’s around 2AM, and who on earth would want someone at 2AM. 

Normally he would’ve been pissed off, but now he wished for this scenario to come true. 

He put on a hoodie before opening the door, since it was cold outside the sheets, besides, who wants to see him in his underwear, right? Especially if it’s marvel themed-

The look on his face when he sees his crush on the other side of the door is priceless. He can practically feel his face going all red. 

“Can I help you?” he clears his throat and says lazily, pretending to be annoyed by the fact you allegedly woke him up, even though the tears still flow down his cheeks. 

“No, but I can help you” you say, just as embarrassed as he is, and it doesn’t help when he raises his eyebrows like that, so you quickly add “That is, if you like, please feel comfortable to tell me to piss off if I’m being too much, but I have a friend with a problem simmilar to yours and I just...”

“Okay, I’m listening” he interrupts, causing you to look up at him. 

When you explain the idea to him, he’s more than pessimistic, he’s laughing in your face, mumbling something about how he thanks you for your concern, but... 

You took the opportunity that you’re both sitting on his bed, and just lay on your back. 

“Come on, just try” 

“No!” he answers almost immediately, but, as he’s also a man of logic... 

He really has to be on his best tomorrow, and you’re his only hope at the moment. He reluctantly lays down next to you, and your hand guides his face near your neck. 

“Fine, but only so you stop with this idea already. It’s not gonna work.”

You’re both extremely out of your comfort zones, but you’re slowly adjusting. You feel him nuzzle closer, and your hair just instinctly lands in his hair, curling one little curl on your finger. 

His showergel smells amazing, by the way. It puts you to sleep instantly, but you know you can’t be the one to pass out first. After a while of silence, you ask him if his trial run has expired already, but there’s no response. His breath evens out, and you’re too afraid to stir away far enough to check if his eyes are closed. 

“Kiyoomi? Are you asleep?” you ask, but again, there’s no response. 

Oh well. 

The next morning he’s so embarrassed that the idiotic idea worked, he can’t even look you in the eyes at breakfast. 

atsumu miya as “you’ve been so dejected lately i feel too bad to leave you alone at night” 

He didn’t ask for this at all, but yet you ended up being his roommate. 

A roommate who was recently going through an extemely tough time. 

Seriously, even he feels bad seeing you all in tears all the time, mindless look and not paying attention to anything

Even though you weren’t each other’s favorite people in the world before, you ended up getting closer over the fact that he was the only one to see you at the worst moments

You hated that, but what can you do, there’s no safer place to cry in than your dorm

And even though he kinda made fun of it at first, the longer it kept going, the more concerned he’d get

It got to a point where he literally wouldn’t leave you alone 

While still pretending not to like you, of course

Have you eaten? Have you drank something? Have you even left your bed today? How long did you sleep last night? Not at all? You idiot, start taking care of yourself. 

You dumbass, you dummy, you moron, you absolute fricking mess

Some of your friends consider him your boyfriend, judging from the messages you get from him

“Dummy, there’s a granola bar in your bag, better eat it” “Hey idiot, I had to run to practice early today. Are you feeling less shitty than yesterday?” 

He noticed that, as it is logical, your mood proggressively gets worse as you get tired 

And that you actually learned how to cry without sobbing so you don’t wake him up, how thoughtful of you

Well your mistake, now you have an 80kg volleyball player over you. 

“Atsu, what’re you doing?” you ask in a tired voice, covering your face with a pillow. 

“You’re crying.” he states bluntly, staring at you like a four-year-old. 

“Observant, are we?”

“Hey. Dumbass. You didn’t cry for so long already, what happened?” he whispers, sitting by your side, and you can’t mumble words, feeling so ashamed you want to disappear. You fall on your back and pretend not to notice the question. 

He sighs audiably. 

“Alright then, just know you brought this on yourself” he states, and before you can ask why, he’s already laying beside you. 

“W-what’re you doing?” you scream-whisper, right into his blonde hair, and he shivers at the feeling. 

“I’m comforting you, isn’t it obvious, you moron?” he hisses. “Although, I can see my mistake now” he states, and you think he’s gonna go back to his own bed, but no, he grabs you by the waist and rolls over, so now you lay on top of him, flustered as ever, thankful for the light being off, at least he doesn’t see your tomato-like face. 

“But- Atsumu, please go to your own bed” you plea, but he shakes his head, eyes already closed. 

“Nu-uh” he answers “Yours is more comfy, anyway” he jokes, making you chuckle through the tears. 

He puts his hand on the back of your head and puts it on his chest. 

“Goodnight, dipshit” he whispers, and you manage to fall alseep listening to the steady beat of his heart. 

No tears, he’d feel them anyway. 

kenma kozume as “the heater broke and i’m cold as hell, can you come here?”

this should not have happened

the guy looks miserable

but, you see, he’s doesn’t have the biggest amount of muscles in his body, his not as ripped as his highschool friends

body fat? also no, he’s a skinny, fairly tall boy who gets cold really easily

for real, he’s wearing a hoodie at all times, and in winter, he looks like a shell of himself

so you’re over at Kuroo’s house on a New Year’s party

the party ended like an hour ago, everyone is asleep

(Lev’s gonna be so dead when Yaku wakes up and finds the tall guy’s head on his stomach) 

you’re almost sound asleep in Kuroo’s guest bedroom, so gracefully given to you by the host

the only other person in the room is Kenma, who originally slept in Kuroo’s room together with his best friend, but got annoyed by the weird questions him and Bokuto kept asking

so he asked you if he can sleep on the couch in the room 

why wouldn’t you say yes? 

earlier that night Kuroo burnt pizza in the oven, so you all opened almost every window in the house to get the smell to leave

and kinda forgot to close the ones in the bedrooms

but no worries, you have a radiator

...right? 

why is the radiator set on the highest temperature and still stone cold? 

well, doesn’t matter, you can just wrap yourself in the heavy sheets

Kenma, on the other hand, only has a small blanket

And since it’s a party, he’s wearing a shirt, not a hoodie 

The boy’s freezing 

“Hey, are you asleep?” you hear a very quiet whisper coming from the couch. 

“Thought you’re here cause you couldn’t stand the chit-chat, Kenma?” you ask with a grin on your face. 

“Yeah, right. Sorry.” he mumbles and you hear him shift in his spot, visibly annoyed by the circummstances. There’s a moment of silence, in which he can feel his face almost burn down from embarrassment. 

Oh, my god, you sound like you’re annoyed with him here. Areyou? Come on, tell him you aren’t. He should just let you sleep. 

But does he really want to spend the rest of his night feeling his feet hurt from cold? Fuck, Kuroo, you and your stupid pizza. 

He gets up, tightly wrapped in his blanket, and checks the radiator. 

“It’s definitely broke” he sighs, touching the cold surface, and turns back to the couch, falling on it face down, letting out a groan. 

You giggle at his action, and he opens his eyes immediately, hearing the sound of your voice. 

“Kenma... I offered you the bed once already, it’s warmer” you start, but he raises his hand and shakes it in a disagreeing gesture. 

“No no, please, don’t worry” he mumbles against the couch, trying to ignore the, ironically, burning sensation in his legs. Is this a bedroom or is this Antarctica?

“Oh, come on” you say, opening the sheets. “We don’t want you to freeze, do we now?” 

Oh my god, what did you do. There’s so much thoughts racing through his mind right now. Should he do it? It sounds so nice... But should he really?

Fuck it, he thinks, you’re offering, he can’t turn down an offer from you. 

He lazily walks over to the bad and lays down next to you, at a reasonable distance, only to hear you laugh again. He spares you an annoyed glance, and you shake your head slightly, rolling over next to him, covering him with the sheets you have wrapped around yourself so tightly, and using his chest as a pillow. 

Hold on, that’s not what he signed up for. Why are you... How...? 

He hesitantly and gently puts his arm around you, relaxing his body, the scent of your shampoo making him slightly dizzy. 

Please don’t notice how fast his heart is racing. This is fine. It doesn’t mean anything, he can promise. 

rintaro suna as “hey dude, i hear cuddling helps you sleep, wanna try?”

the most chill person out there 

literally you would never have guessed how nervous he was before asking you 

it’s  just another week, another game and another hotel you are all staying in 

and fate is definitely on his side today, since his bedroom is literally next door to yours

he got to your door and left without doing anything about three times before he eventually decided to be a man and knock

has a master plan in his mind

he’s gonna show you a website with an article about how cuddling (allegedly) makes you sleep better 

and he’s just gonna be so causal about it 

he’s just gonna knock, put on an emotionless smirk and ask you, just like he always does

but here’s the think, he’s not so chill on the outside

“how should I call them? their name? a pet name? bro? no, too much” 

but, he does end up knocking 

“Hey, Y/N, what’s up?” you turn your head to the door to see a figure of Suna in only his underwear and an oversize t-shirt with the logo of some metal band. 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” you ask, voice hoarse as you were already drifting off. 

“I read this super cool thing, wanna see?” he seems not to mind your comment, as he walks over to your bed and practically throws himself beside you, not minding you laying there, shoving his phone in your hands. 

“... help you fall asleep in just three minutes...” you’re mumbling under your breath as you read the headline. “Rin, this sounds so fake” you laugh, falling back on your pillows, as he sighs. 

“I wanna try, and it’s either you or Kita, and he gives me serial killer vibes” he mutters, earning yet another serie of laughter from you. 

But seeing the serious hint in his eyes, you lift your hands in surrendering gesture. 

“Go on with it, Mr Romantic” you state, watching in amusement as he groans at the comment and burries his face in your pillow. 

You’re sure this is him considering this mission a failed one and giving up, but then he looks up 

“Well, are you coming?” he asks completely serious, and you have nothing left to do than hug him and settle your face in the crook of his neck, not minding as his breathing lifts your hair from time to time and tingles your skin. 

Can someone feel your blush through their skin? You surely hope not. 

tobio kageyama as the almighty “the hotel room has only one king size bed and we need to share”

He never would’ve thought his teammates would betray him like this

What the hell do they mean there’s only two people rooms available and they’re all in pairs already

Honestly, primary school all over again

ugh

His perfectly happy to be sleeping alone, when he finds out you’re his roommate

this is fine tobio, don’t freak out

well he’s composed about it

a little bit of a “tch” and “well I guess there’s nothing we can do about it”

internally he’s a little girl now, but you never would’ve guessed judging by the annoyed grimace on his face

because how does it matter if you’re sleeping in the same room, it’s not like he was planning to run around naked, right?

it all changes once you press the card to open the room, and when he so gentleman-like lets you enter first, you find out there’s only one, big, king sized bed for couples exclusively

the only thing missing are rose petals and candles prepared for newlyweds

you try so so hard not to burst out laughing

when he enters, he becomes as white as the walls around

he can’t process this, what the fu-

bet he’s spending hours at the reception desk explaining it’s a huge mistake

unfortunately, these were the only rooms left, sorry not sorry, you’re sleeping together

and that brings you to the situation you’re in currently

He’s almost over the edge of making a wall of pillows between you two. You can’t help but feel a tiny bit offended by it, but you know he’s probably just super hyper embarrassed.

“Yama, who don’t you trust, me, or yourself?” you ask with a proud grin painting your lips as you sit on your side, sheets tucked around your waist, back rested on the wall behind you.

He gives you an annoyed glance, before answering:

“It’s not that”

Once he says that, he proceeds to somehow nestle himself in, but he looks like one of those dolls that come with a bedroom furnishing, almost lifeless, resting on his back with hands straight down his body, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“Relax, will you?” you giggle “You have a game tomorrow, grumpy face”

He rolls his eyes.

You shake your head and turn off the light, mumbling a quiet goodnight, as you turn to your side and place a hand under your head, back facing Kageyama.

Well, this is gonna be a long night, or so you think, up until he falls asleep.

You can physically feel him move around, and you think that’s what’s keeping you awake.

It takes a while for you to realize the star valley ball player is getting unconsciously closer, up until you can feel his breath on your neck.

Ironically enough, it’s you who’s all stiff and nervous now, when suddenly you feel his arm go around your waist.

“Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me” you mutter, but he shifts dangerously when you speak, so you have to give up side commentary.

You decided to tease him just a bit. He’s the one who’s gonna be flustered when he wakes up, you’re on a winning side by being awake.

You smile to yourself before shifting your body closer to his. He sighs contently, almost making you laugh.

Oh how you want him to wake up and see already.

tetsuro kuroo as “we fell asleep on the couch together and now my hand is in your hair and you’re breathing directly on my neck”

you’re over studying, or just helping him with something

the point is, you were working all day

at some point he suggests getting pizza

hell yeah, pizza

you order a little bit too much of it, but since you both are suckers for pizza, nobody can back up first

and as you know, people tend to get sleepy after they eat too much

he has a wide couch, so you can both lay beside each other without having to lay ON each other

and as you tend to get a little bit sleepy, you both shift to lay down instead of sitting, still focused on the work, though 

you don’t know why, you don’t know how but it just happens that you fall asleep

you obviously don’t see what happens after that, but Kuroo notices you asleep when he asks you multiple questions and you repeatedly don’t answer, he got it like around question number 4

“Lazy much, huh, sleeping beauty?” he mutters to himself, but smiles unconsciously as he glances at your stoic face 

and as if that subconsciously impacted his brain, soon enough he can’t find it in himself to keep his eyes open as well. 

Kuroo wakes up to an annoying pain in his neck, causing him to hiss and automatically  want to place his hand on the place that ached. Whoops, did he fall asleep on the couch again? Oh well, didn’t he have work to do? 

He lifts his hand as he wanted to, but suddenly he feels something shift beneath it, and when he looks down to see you, with your head rested on his chest, breathing slowly, a peaceful smile on your face. 

Your legs are tangled with his in some unexplicable manner, and as the man of logic he so obviously is, he can’t even begin to understand how that happened. 

Especially why his hand feels so in place, holding you by the waist, closer to himself, and the other one lost somewhere in your hair. 

You shift your head slightly up, and sigh contently, now breathing directly on the exposed part of his neck. He somehow manages to not shiver at the tingling sensation, getting more and more flustered by the second. 

His heart rate inscreases drastically, making him realize he’s stressed like he’d never been before, as he tries to make up his mind about whether to wake you up, gently push you off and let you rest, or maybe stay in place. 

He feels attracted to the last one, but knows it’d only be unfair to you. 

But you could wake up if he moved you, and you had a long day, after all... 

Maybe he’s gonna let you stay there. Not for long, only five... more... minutes...

keiji akashi as “you’re staying over at my place, you take the bed, i’ll sleep on the floor. no, really, i’m comfortable on the floor. GEEZ FINE we’ll both take the bed, ya happy now?

You wanna know what got you in this situation huh

well, you were over for dinner, but it started raining really heavily 

like, really really heavily

and akaashi being the sweetheart that he is, can’t let you go home like that

it’s a long way to the train station, you’re gonna get sick, and what if there’s a traffic accident? he can’t have that

(he just wants to spend more time with you but shh about that) 

doesn’t matter how hard you try to convince him you’re gonna be fine. you’re staying and that’s final 

it’s cute, he’s cute when he’s worried 

well that brings you to where you are currently, already after your shower, dressed in one of akaashi’s t-shirts, oh this feels so couple-ish 

you wait for him to finish with his night time routine in his room, admiring all the posters and childhood pictures he has

he has the first ever selfie bokuto took with him framed 

when he comes back, that’s when the problems start

“Alright, well, let’s get some sleep, you can take my bed, and I’ll take the floor

And that’s what brings us to the guilt rising in your stomach as you settle in the guy’s sheets, inhaling the heavy scent of his shampoo from the pillow under your head. It’s his house, his bed, and yet he’s sleeping on the floor like some random guest. You’re the random guest here, you can’t help but feel like you’re crashing at his place against his will, and you’re making him uncomfortable.

“ ‘Kaashi?” you whisper, making his eyes open wide to see the dark ceiling of his room. There’s silence for a moment, and then he shifts to turn on the light once more.

“Yeah?” he sighs, bringing one hand up to his face to rub his eyes, unable to open them properly because of the sudden flush of light.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on the bed?” you ask shyly, making him chuckle as he shakes his head.

“Yes, yes I’m sure. Goodnight” he states gently, turning on the light once again. This is gonna be a long night, he thinks.

You cannot catch your sleep. Damn it, damn your altruism and all that shit.

“Akaashi no, I can’t-“ you’re cut of by the sound of him laughing.

“Oh my god. Fine. If I move to the bed, will you sleep already?” he whines quietly, and seeing you nod in the dark, he gets up and picks up his pillow.

You get off the bed, wanting to swap places with him, but are held back by his hand.

“No, if you sleep on the floor, i won’t be able to close my eyes even for a second” he forbids gently, moving you back to where you were previously laying.

Oh boy, you both think, this is awkward, but the warmth of his body pressed next to yours makes it hard to be mad at him for stopping you from leaving.

This is gonna be a long night indeed.

[mydyspraxiablog]

I want find old Girl guide pray and member Trefoil guild prayer could not find it even though might be old girl,guide pray in chalet school books as talk guides lot in those day.

But find enough other Girl,scout pray not English how can be good Trefoil Guild if don't know what I doing?

Second Alsio member Coelic uk too

Haven't reward member shipmfriend of chalet school, this year because scarm problem at moment and promble having get mobie phone and mum disagreement at moment which it upset me.

I do going church on Sunday not RC church and not wildwood church those old church and I can't get to them because no bus service in Stafford who could up with stupid idea trying stop public transport stop going church it won't work because churchnstarts in houses at first. I try ask what God want from me and get noughting at moment ask Holly ghost what he want from me? And noughting at moment maybe because my pet Annabel had die on 19 November 2022

Photo haven't load of Annabel Internet too slow today

So maybe God and Jesus saying " Not right time"

I am still looking got Sydnee but she old cat she 17 years old really really old cat now. I know she miss her sister Annabel once Sydnee going to Pet heaven I can't have any more pets in Stafford and Staffordshire that why want move out Stafford where can bring pets I don't want go in caring home at OAP but do need support living alwon pets but haven't find any in Staffordshire at moment.

So really difficult been dyspraxia but if no pets what point living in Stafford? I want adopt cat,dog,rabbits, Gina pigs,rabbits and hamster 🐹 but help Foster children because missing been Aunty's too them.

So really hard for me when mum don't listen might have going hobbies craft tomorrow get watercolour paint crouse I could old from website bit have spead more £60 get things just be easy go there.

These are photo been doing was going write more but forget want write so going goodnight and good morning