#guys i have so many little things i have in my head about him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lalacliffthorne · 3 days

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🤍 just a one time thing 🤍

modern!Cassian x Reader

summary: add together best friends and a drunk slip up and you got a massive load of chaotic feelings.

part I

notes: well - so much for next week? life just - majorly got in the way. anyway.

fuuuuuuck I can't. 😭💞 this has been long overdue, bc honestly - Cassian just has my whole fucking heart, and this modern version reduces me to a pile of giggling, feet-kicking mush. I've had this idea for a while now, along with some impeccable inspiration - and it's finally coming together. this one's got smut (duh), flirting and friendship (and a whole lot of f-bombs on Cassian's side) -- and, which seems to be business at usual for me at this point - it got insanely long. in fact, it got so long that I had to scratch posting it in one part, cause I think that would have brought tumblr down, like - really. *winces* so, this is part one, somewhere around 20k words (oh boy) -- you know the drill; get cozy, get comfortable, you're gonna be here for a while.

______________________________________________________________

The library was my favorite place on campus.

Even though it was way too small for so many students and had way too little workspace, which meant it was chronically stuffed with people, there was just something calming about the absolute silence you entered once you walked through the front doors. And I had quickly realised that if you slipped into one of the lesser frequented sections, moving through the aisles all the way to the back where the tilted roof was glass and everything was completely quiet, you could actually pretend you were alone, just surrounded by hundreds and hundred of books, not another soul around.

Which meant it usually was the perfect place for any sort of breakdown.

Usually.

♡

“You okay there?”

The deep, amused voice made me jump slightly; quickly, I pulled the book from my face and dipped my head back, craning my neck – and felt my breath catch.

Oh.

A guy was standing a few feet away, his brows crunched together and eyes narrowed, but the corner of his lips twitched.

At least it looked that way from upside-down.

I blinked. Then I sent him a slow, sheepish smile from my position down on the carpeted floor, sprawled out on my back, head tipped back and neck craned to look up at him.

“Hi.”

The guy stared down at me, and slowly, his lips curved upwards.

My heart missed a beat, and my breath hitched.

Oh.

“Hi.” His voice sent a tingle over my skin, deep and warm. Creases dug into his cheeks as he grinned down at me.

Creases.

Crap.

Clearing my throat, I crunched my nose, smiling innocently up at him. “Can I – help you?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” The dude narrowed his eyes, but his lips twitched like he was trying not to smirk as he leaned his shoulder against one of the shelves. His voice rumbled through me, low because of our surroundings, sending tingles down my spine.

Using my book to scratch my chin, I squinted up at him. “Why?”

The dude’s eyes narrowed further, a slow grin spreading over his face.

Creases.

“Cause you’re laying starfish-style on the floor with a book on your face.” He raised his brows, eyes twinkling. “I don’t know ‘bout you, but to me, that kinda sounds like a breakdown.”

I blinked. Then I laborously pushed myself up into a sitting position, grumbling “Judgy much.” under my breath. Somehow, the guy still picked up on it, because he chuckled, the deep sound travelling, and my breath hitched. My eyes darted up, and for the first time, I really looked at him.

My heart got stuck in my throat, and I almost felt myself shrink a little.

Well, shit.

Of course he was gorgeous.

Dark eyes that tracked over my face in amusement, even darker hair, the top half pulled back haphazardly into a bun. His grin caused dimples to appear in his cheeks, there was a faded scar on the side of his face shifting with his smirk, and his jaw looked like it could cut through paper.

And then there were the tattoos.

All in black, they were scattered all over his muscled arms, down to the backs of his veined hands and disappearing into the sleeves of his t-shirt, peaking out above the collar. His shoulders were straining against the material even though it was hanging loosely on his wide frame, muscles working under the fabric when he shifted lightly in the spot, crossing his arms over his chest. I tried not to stare as his biceps tensed and relaxed again.

God, there probably wasn’t an inch on the guy’s body that didn’t carry muscles. Even with his loose joggers it was clear that he never skipped leg day, his biceps were the size of my head, and his chest and shoulders were broad enough I felt my throat go dry.

I blinked, and the guy’s shit-eating grin grew.

Ah, crap.

Clearing my throat, I quickly raised my brows.

“So, can I – help you?”

“I don’t know.” The guy narrowed his eyes in thought, pushing off the shelves. “Any reason you’re back here?” The corners of his lips twitched, his deep voice vibrating like he was holding back a smirk when he sauntered towards me. “Deleted someone’s assignment when they went to the bathroom? Spilled soda on a book worth more than your apartment?” Dimples formed in his cheeks when he grinned. “Smuggled in your cat?”

I crunched my brows.

That seemed – oddly specific.

“No...” It came out more like a question, my head dipping to the side in slight confusion, and the guy chuckled as he crouched down in front of me. A wave of his warm cologne washed over me, something dipped in my stomach, and he raised his brows at me with a smirk.

“Hope it hasn’t got anything to do with you currently blocking the number one hook-up spot on campus.”

I blinked. Then I snorted a little and started to giggle, raising my brows.

“You’re kidding, right?”

The guy stared at me, the corners of his lips slowly curving upwards.

I stared back with a wide smile that dimmed a little. Then I crunched my brows. “You’re joking.”

The guy grinned, his gaze tracking over my face.

“Nope. Wish I was.” He sighed deeply before crunching his brows. “Have you been back here often lately, ‘cause that would explain why suddenly every horny student has migrated to the fourth floor over at the auditorium; before you ask how I know,”, the corners of his lips tipped into a smirk, “I walked in on a couple fucking in the broom closet a week ago.”

I stared at him. For a second, my mind was simply blank as I felt heat wash into my face and the guy stared back, the corners of his lips twitching and eyes twinkling mischievously. Then I blinked and crunched my face in confusion.

“Why didn’t you knock?”

The guy arched his brows. “Knock. At a broom closet.”

I raised my shoulders, somehow managing to fight a wide smile when I widened my eyes at him.

“I don’t know; it’s a broom closet in an empty hall, that’s like the second most cliché place for a hook up. I mean,”, I tried to keep my lips from curving upwards, “you probably scared the crap out of them; neither of them will ever be able to do it in a confined space again because they’ll be too scared of you suddenly barging through the door, but – to the rest of the student body, a broom closet will still be pretty high up on the list!”

The guy snorted, dropping his head for a second as his shoulders shook with quiet laughter.

“So you’re saying it’s my fault?” He looked up at me again, creases digging into his cheeks as he grinned widely and raised his brows.

“Well, it’s definitely not mine.” I frowned, something giddy bubbling under my ribs as I tried to suppress a beaming smile. “What did you just walk into a broom closet for?!”

“I thought someone was dying in there.” The guy widened his eyes at me, his grin growing bigger. “That poor girl was faking her fucking heart out, and it wasn’t surprising, the guy was practically making her teeth chatter.”

A snorted giggle broke from my throat before I could hold it back, and the guy raised his brows, deep creases forming in his cheeks. “Seriously man; it was traumatising, I’m getting flashbacks every time I just open a fucking door.”

I tried to fight the giggles bubbling in my chest. “In that case, maybe it’s good then he can’t do it in small spaces anymore.”

For a second, we just stared at each other while suddenly, I couldn’t keep my grin at bay, my heart hopping against my ribs and the guy’s lips curving, dimples in his cheeks as his twinkling eyes pierced mine. Then I blinked, and my gaze caught on the clock on the wall behind him.

My eyes widened as something dipped in my chest, startled.

“Shit.”

Hastily, I crammed my book into my bag and scrambled to get to my feet. Looking around to make sure I hadn’t left anything, I turned – and almost ran face first into a broad chest.

My heart missed a beat, my gaze slowly moved up, and my breath caught in my throat as I felt my lips part a little.

Oh.

Crap, he was tall.

The guy’s lips curved like he could read my thoughts as he stared back down at me. He was so close, I could feel the scent of his cologne fill my lungs with every soft, hitching breath, something dark and warm and addicting.

I could have stepped back to make it more comfortable for both us. I probably should have; I was still barely an inch away from bumping into his chest and had to crane my neck to look up at him, the top of my head barely even reaching his shoulders, his own head dipped so he could hold my gaze.

But for some reason, I suddenly couldn’t move a muscle, my breath caught in my throat and my heart thrumming against my ribs as I stared up at him with slightly widened eyes. His wide shoulders were basically blocking the light and his broad, solid chest was radiating warmth, his scent making my head swim. There were green flecks in his iris, surrounding his dark pupils in a ring and melting into warm brown that slowly started to twinkle.

“What were you doing back here again?” The guy’s quiet voice vibrated like he was suppressing a grin, his eyes narrowing lightly.

Somehow, I kept myself from swallowing. Instead I managed to pull myself together with a huff and started to glower up at him.

“Not what you’re thinking right now.”

The guy slowly started to smile shit-eatingly, dimples digging into his cheeks as he raised his brows.

“Actually, sweetheart, you’re the one thinking it -”

Grumbling, I turned around, barely fighting the stupidly wide grin threatening to break over my face.

When I threw a quick look back before turning the corner, the guy was still standing in the same spot, dimples in his cheeks as he stared after me with a grin.

♡

Rain pattered onto the skylights above, the lamps dunking the quiet library in warm, golden light.

It had started chucking it down just a little after I had slipped into my favorite rarely visited section, setting up camp under the windows. I had gotten some work done before pulling my book from my bag, curling up against the wall.

Crunching my brows in focus, lost in the story, I was about to turn the page when a pair of sneakers appeared in my vision.

The scent of dust and paper was chased away by a dark, warm scent; my heart leapt into my throat and my head whipped up, and someone plopped down next to me.

My breath caught, and the guy that had been wandering my mind since his appearance in my section a few days ago stared at me with contemplatively narrowed eyes. There was the hint of a crease showing in his cheek, his loose sweatshirt somehow making him look even broader, and his huge frame dwarfed mine even with him sitting on the floor.

“You know…” He shifted, one tattooed hand rising from where it was loosely draped over his pulled up legs as he dipped his head towards me.

“Over there,”, squinting as his lips quirked, he pointed towards the aisles leading back into the main space of the library, “are workspaces where you can actually sit at a table instead of on the floor?”

I stared at him, and slowly, something started bubbling in my chest. It felt warm and giddy, causing my heart to hop and a big grin threatening to break free on my face.

Biting it back just barely, I crunched my brows.

“Yeah, but, over there,”, leaning his way without being able to help it, I also pointed towards the aisles and looked back at him, raising my brows dramatically, “you have to actually kill someone to get a seat.”

The guy chuckled, the sound travelling through me. Eyes crinkling and dimples digging into his cheeks, he grinned and leaned back against the wall, easily stretching out one long leg and propping his arm onto the other. I tried not to stare at the tattoos inked onto his skin, muscles flexing beneath when he shifted to get comfortable and smirked at me.

“I was hurt when you ran away from me the other day.”

Something fluttered high in my chest. “I didn’t run away, I had class.”

“You didn’t even say goodbye.” The guy’s eyes were twinkling even as he furrowed his brows with a pout, which – looked ridiculously adorable for a six-foot-something guy with tattoos all over.

“I was late.” Widening my eyes at him, I tried to fight that strange feeling that started bubbling in my chest, warm and giddy and causing my lips to try and break into a huge smile.

“You had time to stare at me.” The guy smirked, a crease digging into his cheek as his gaze lazily dragged over my face, and I glowered at him even as heat bled into my cheeks.

Damn it.

The guy’s grin grew, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Then he raised his brows, draping his hand over his knee.

“So you’re still sitting in the hook up-section.”

I huffed, trying to fight my twitching lips.

“Yeah, well; your word is the only one I got that this is actually a hook up spot, and I’m not about to give up the only place in this library where I don’t have to fight anyone to get a seat.”

“I'd fight for you.” The guy’s eyes were twinkling as he stared at me, his grin growing when a laugh broke from my throat.

“Besides.” I turned back towards my book and raised my brows, feeling my lips curve. “I decided that if that whole thing is true, then I will gladly keep scaring people off with my presence.”

The guy’s eyes were twinkling as his gaze dragged over my face. “You sure you’re the right person to scare anyone away?”

I quickly turned my head to scowl at him. “Hey; I might not be a fucking giant, but I can kick very painful places.”

The guy’s smirk widened, creases digging into his cheeks and iris sparkling as he stared at me. “Kinky.”

I huffed, mostly to suppress the laugh rising in my throat as the happy bubbling under my ribs grew.

“Also, I don’t have to be scary, just a person being here is gonna do the job.” I felt a cheeky grin tug at my lips when I arched a brow. “People generally don’t want an audience when they’re having a quicky in the library.”

The guy squinted at me, his lips curving.

“You talking out of experience?”

My cheeks heated, and I glared at him.

“I don’t know; you’re the one who heard people fucking in a closet and decided to take a look,”, I grumbled.

A deep laugh broke from the guy’s chest, the sound suppressed as he tipped his head back, his shoulders shaking as he laughed silently. Something hopped against my ribs, and I tried to fight the stupidly wide smile pushing onto my lips.

Breathing a chuckle, the guy dropped his head again with a grin, his twinkling eyes flickering over my face as he narrowed them.

“So why did you decide robbing people of quickies in the library was a good idea? Cause there’s a bunch of students 'bout to be really fucking pissed.”

“Because unlike a broom closet, no aisle here has a door. I don't wanna know how many people got traumatized because they were looking for a book at the wrong time,”, I grumbled drily before crunching my face. “Also; fucking in a library, have some respect, the poor books.”

“What, a broom closet is less sensitive?” The guy furrowed his brows, his lips twitching like he was fighting a laugh.

“Yeah; I mean, the only thing to defile in there are mops, and they’re used to dirty stuff,”, I mumbled absentmindedly.

For a second, there was silence, and when I raised my eyes before looking to the side, the guy was staring at me, the grin on his face slowly growing.

My lips started twitching, and a giggle bubbled in my throat.

“You know, I don’t even know your name.” The guy reclined lazily, his eyes bright when he raised a brow.

Staring back at him, I felt my lips curve. “Well, I don’t know yours, so I’d say that’s fair.”

The guy’s grin widened. Then he sent me a light wink.

“Cassian.”

Something leapt up and down under my ribs, and I tried to fight a wide smile.

“Y/N.”

For a second, we stared at each other, something bubbling wildly in my stomach. Then the guy, Cassian, blinked and crunched his brows, again looking ridiculously adorable.

“So what was that breakdown the other day about?”

I sighed and raised the book I was holding. “This. I’m really trying to enjoy it, but it’s just breaking my brain –“

“It’s a book, baby; how bad can it be?” Cassian’s lips curved into a smirk as he plucked it from my grip, crunching his brows as he turned it to read the back, and I felt my breath catch at the absolute nonchalance with which he called me baby. But somehow, I managed to push past it, widening my eyes at him.

“It’s the story, okay; listen –“

“Next station -”

The tinny voice coming from the speakers overhead ripped me out of my thoughts, and I raised my head, my gaze landing on the name of the station on the screen.

“Shit.” I felt my eyes widen as my heart jumped against my ribs, and I quickly darted out of my seat.

♡

“Sorry, excuse me –“, wincing, I weaved my way through the people coming my way from the crosswalk. Squinting against the last rays of sunlight, I breathed out, the cold air making me shiver gently as I slid my hands into my pockets and stopped at a red light. Rocking back and forth on the spot, I let my gaze flicker over the square behind the crosswalk.

I didn’t know why exactly today, my brain had decided to take me on a trip down memory lane. But it caused that same happy, bubbling feeling to rise under my ribs and made me barely suppress a wide, giddy grin.

The light shifted to green, and I crossed the street, feeling my brows furrow gently as I let my gaze wander over the square. The windows of the restaurants and shops reflected the last golden rays of light, there were people crossing the square; elderly couples, groups of teenagers -

My breath hitched in my throat, and slowly, a wide smile spread over my face.

In the middle of the square next to the fountain, a tall figure towered above all others, wide shoulders even broader under a dark puffer jacket, his profile lit by the last golden flickers of sunlight, straight nose crunched against the cold and strong jaw tensing and relaxing as he lazily shifted on the spot. His eyes slowly tracked over the square, the last light causing the scar on the side of his face to shift.

My heart rose in a warm thrum, and I whistled sharply.

Cassian looked over his shoulder, gaze darting over the people - until his eyes found mine.

Even from a distance, I could see the twinkle beginning to spread through his iris.

Creases slowly started forming in his cheeks, and something skipped happily against my ribs when my best friend began to grin shit-eatingly. The lines of his smirk, now, nearly two years later almost as familiar as my own, made my heart do a happy wiggle, and I began to beam back.

I quickened my steps, and Cass turned towards me, raising his brows as his lips curved.

I got faster, a happy giggle bubbling in my throat, then I crashed into him.

Cassian grunted, but the sound quickly turned into a chuckle as he leaned down with a dramatic groan and lifted me off the ground. His arms tightened in a squeeze around my waist, his shoulders broad and solid beneath my arms, and feeling something skip happily against my ribs, I swung my legs around his waist with a giggle, interlocking them tightly.

“Hi monkey.” Cassian’s deep voice rumbled through me, a little raspy as always and vibrating with a grin. Slipping his arms under my thighs to hold me up, he chuckled when I pulled back just enough to press a firm kiss onto his cheek.

The scent of his cologne started to fill my lungs, and something hopped happily against my ribs when I leaned back and saw a dimple forming in his cheek.

“Hi.” Sliding my arms around his neck, I grinned at him, and Cassian smirked, a crease digging into his cheek. The light hit his eyes, causing the green spots in his iris to glow, and wriggled in my stomach.

“You good?” Cassian hoisted me up a little to adjust his grip, grinning when I tightened my grip out of reflex.

“Yup.”

My stomach grumbled, and Cass raised his brows.

I squinted. “Apart from that.”

Cassian smirked.

“You know, I’m always surprised by how much food you can stomach,”, his eyes narrowed, “it’s like you’re a little black hole for snacks or something –“

I glared and lightly slapped the side of his head, and Cass broke off with a deep chuckle that made my whole body shake.

“Leave me alone, I haven’t eaten all day.”

“You? Haven’t eaten?” Sliding his right arm under my ass to hold me up, Cassian freed his other hand to slap it against my forehead, brows dramatically crunching. “Are you sick, baby?!”

“Oh, fuck off.” Trying to push his hand away, I nearly lost my balance, quickly locking my legs tighter around his waist and linking my arms back together at the nape of his neck. Cassian chuckled, his warm eyes flickering over my face as he grinned at me, and I had to fight the overwhelming urge to press a kiss onto the side of his nose.

“I’m fine. Just got sucked into writing this morning and basically didn’t stop until like an hour ago.” I shrugged.

Cassian stared at me. Then his lips curved, and slowly, very slowly, that familar shit-eating grin spread over his face, only doubled tenfold now as he eyed me, creases digging deep into his cheeks.

I blinked and felt my heart do a little swerve.

“Don’t.”

My best friend widened his eyes lightly, even as his grin grew. “You don’t even know what I was gonna say!”

I widened my eyes back at him, something warm suddenly bubbling wildly in my chest. “I know you, dipshit; you were about to drop some suggestive innuendo about sucking!”

“Dude, your mind went there; I didn’t actually say anything -“ Cassian’s grin was broad as he raised his brows and slipped his hand back around my thigh, and my heart leapt against my ribs.

“I can’t with you.” I shook my head, barely keeping the warm, giddy feeling in my chest from causing a stupidly wide smile to spread over my face.

“Can’t without me either, baby.” Cassian smirked and winked, and I lost the fight against the giggle breaking from my throat.

“Put me down, you idiot.” Trying to keep the grin mirroring his in check and failing, I slid my legs off Cassian’s waist. “If Mor’s gonna make me drink, we gotta change the food-situation.”

Cass leaned down to place me back onto my feet with a dramatic groan.

“Alright.” Straightening laborously, he pulled his phone from his pocket and squinted at the screen. “We got - another hour until we’re meeting the others; so, let’s get you something to eat before you start getting hangry.”

“I don’t get hangry.” Frowning, I craned my neck to stare up at him indignantly.

Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Cass stared back, brows rising.

“Okay, fine; maybe sometimes. A little.” Grumbling, I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I glared up at him, and Cassian slowly started to smirk, causing his cheeks to crease. Then he dropped his head, and something toppled under my ribs when he pressed a kiss onto my cheek, his hands sliding around my jaw to keep me from moving when the first was followed by another, and another, until my heart hopped and a giggle bubbled in my throat.

Cassian grinned against my cheek before pressing one last firm kiss against my temple.

“Alright, c’mon, sweet cheeks.” With a smirk, he straightened to his full height, his arm sliding over my chest and turning me around, his body pressing into my back as he started to push me down the sidewalk. I craned my neck to try and look up at him.

“Who’s party is this again?”

Cassian shrugged, the neon lights of a shop throwing shadows under his jaw and cheekbones, dark brows furrowed lightly.

“I don’t know, think someone from one of Rhys’ classes?”

I hummed, frowning in thought. “Think they’ll have food?”

“Nah, don’t count on it; we’re getting you something now.” Looking back, Cassian wrapped his arm over my shoulder, lightly drawing me into his side as a cyclist zipped past us.

My stomach twisted with a soft growl, and I looked up at him with a pout, fighting a smile. “Thanks.”

“Are you kidding?” Cass threw me a look, huffing. “Not eaten all day; you and I need to have a talk.”

Warmth rose under my ribs, and I looked back ahead, shaking my head even as a wide smile spread over my face.

Cassian sniffled against the cold air, pulling up his shoulders a little as he crunched his brows contemplatively. “I could eat.

“You can always eat.” I grinned teasingly up at him before yelping and snorting a giggle when Cassian tightened his grip and leaned down with a grin to playfully nip at my jaw. His breath hit my skin, something bubbled high in my chest, and Cass straightened up again with a smirk.

“Fuck yeah, baby. Food’s life.”

Snickering under my breath, I huddled into his side, shivering dramatically and chattering my teeth.

“Why is it still so fucking coooold –“

“Want me to warm you up?” Cassian’s grin was shit-eating enough that I snorted, elbowing him into the side. Whining dramatically, Cass tugged me into his side, grinning when he rubbed his palm over my arm and raised his brows.

“Okay, seriously, what do you wanna eat?”

♡

Crunching my brows, I studied the two packages of crisps in my head, trying to figure out which one to take.

Something warm brushed against my shoulder, then a head slowly appeared right next to mine.

I felt my lips twitch; a snorted giggle broke from my throat, and I quickly reached up and pushed Cassian’s face away from me.

His chest vibrated in my back as he straightened up with a deep laugh, his head tipping back, and shaking my own, still snickering softly, I raised the packages to squint at them dramatically.

“I can’t decide!”

"It's okay, I'll help with the rest." Grinning, Cassian leaned over my shoulder and plucked both of them from my grip, pressing a dramatic kiss onto my temple before straightening. His chest pushed into my back, and quickly snagging the packages from his grip, I piled them into my arms, letting him steer me down the aisle.

The small supermarket was fairly empty thanks to the time, the city and sky outside becoming darker by the minute as we reached the register. Dropping my things onto the conveyor belt behind what looked like a guy’s dinner and a girl’s grocery run for the weekend, I sighed happily at the sight of crisps and two bottles of soda.

Cass leaned over me to snag a pack of gum, throwing it down next to my stuff, then he straightened, his arms sliding around my collarbones and his chest pressing into my back when he rested his chin on my head. Snuggling into my jacket, I leaned into him, giggling into his sleeve when Cass squeezed me with a dramatic sound.

Something started bubbling happily against my ribs, and I felt Cassian grin into my hair. Then he placed his chin back on my head and slightly clacked his teeth together, the vibration travelling through me. I snorted and Cass chuckled, his chest shaking in my back.

The guy in front of the line paid as the girl got ready to start shovelling her groceries back into her cart, and I looked to the side, letting my gaze roam until it met the one of an elderly woman a register over. I sent her a grin, and the old woman beamed, her eyes gleaming as they darted back and forth between Cassian and me. Then she leaned over slightly, her voice lowered confidentially as she said with a wide smile: “Such a lovely couple.”

My heart dipped, and I froze, my eyes widening and lips parting awkwardly. But before I could quickly correct her, Cassian’s deep voice echoed from somewhere above me, a grin vibrating through his voice.

“Thanks.”

I blinked before quickly craning my neck to stare up at him in bewilderment.

The smirk I got in response was shit-eating, only topped by the quick wink that followed.

The elderly woman beamed happily, sending me a gracious nod before moving forward in line, and I quickly turned and elbowed Cass into the ribs, something skipping in my chest when I hissed: “What the hell?!”

“What?” Cassian dropped his head so he could mumble into my ear, his smirk still wide as he threw the old lady a look over my head. “Didn’t wanna disappoint her. Besides.” His nose grazed my temple, and his smirk became shit-eating as his eyes dragged over my face. “Can’t blame her for assuming.”

My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes darted back and forth between his, warm and twinkling and suddenly so very close with his head dipped.

With a blink, I pulled myself together and rammed my elbow into his ribs again, and Cassian whined softly and dramatically, his grin wide as he straightened up again.

Grumbling, I turned back ahead, trying to ignore the heat suddenly pulsing in my cheeks.

♡

“No, wai- stop that!” Quickly yanking the my fries away, I glared at Cassian, trying to keep in a laugh.

We were sitting on a bench circling the big tree at the corner where the others were supposed to meet us, the sky above dark, cars rushing past. I was huddled up, legs criss cross, my knee pressing into the side of Cassian’s thigh while he lounged against the backrest, squinting into the neon lights of a laundromat across the street. The wrappers of the burgers and fries we had picked up at the take-out place next to the supermarket were crunched up next to me, and one bag of crisps was open in Cassian’s lap, but for the past few minutes, he’d been trying to sneak his hand into the paper bag that contained the rest of my fries.

Glowering, I turned to hold the package out of Cassian’s reach, twisting as I dropped my head back to pop a fry into my mouth. Cass quickly leaned forward, his arm sliding past me, and I gave a sound of protest that bubbled with laughter as I hastily held out my arm, trying to put the package to safety.

“Stop it, you already had the rest of the extra fries, your burger, your fries, and that huge bite of mine, and you’ve got the whole package of crisps, why can I not eat this in peace?”

“Cause baby, I’m twice your size; how can you expect me to not still be hungry when you are?” Cassian’s grin was shit-eating, his warm breath brushing over my nose, and I glowered back at him.

For a moment, we stared at each other, faces only inches apart, the green flecks in Cassian’s eyes twinkling as something bubbled in my chest and I barely fought the wide smile trying to form on my lips. Then Cassian’s hand shot forward, I quickly tried to twist away, and a soft squeak broke from my throat when Cassian dipped forward, sliding his arm around my waist and dragging me into his body.

For a few seconds, we were caught in a scuffle as I tried to save my fries while aimlessly flailing my legs and shaking with uncontrollable giggles, Cassian’s huge body half burying me beneath him as he tried to reach the bag, groaning and cursing under his breath until he managed to snag some fries. A dramatic whine broke from my throat, and whooping lightly, Cassian sat up with a wide grin.

Breathlessly, I slumped against him, and Cassian tipped his head back and dropped the fries into his mouth with a smirk.

Grumbling, I tried to sit up, but Cassian’s arm wound around my waist wasn’t budging, instead sliding tighter around me.

For a few seconds, I struggled, then I gave up.

Slumping into his side in defeat, I huffed. Cassian’s scent started to rise into my nose, dark and warm and familiar, and I could feel the warmth radiating from him even through his puffer jacket.

Shivering slightly, I shuffled a little to get more comfortable, pulling up my legs. Cassian draped his arm over my collarbones, and I snuggled into the curve of his elbow, squinting into the light of the laundromat as I leaned my head against his chest. Then I plucked some fries from the little package and craned my neck to look up at my best friend, holding them up.

A wide grin spread over his face, and leaning forward quickly, Cass snagged them from my fingers, teasingly biting my knuckles. I yelped a laugh, slapping his chest, and Cassian’s chuckle vibrated through me when he leaned back, chewing lazily.

Snuggling further into his arm with a happy sigh, I dropped some fries into my mouth, chewing contendly. I could feel Cassian shift as he took a sip of my soda, then he dropped his head to steal another fry from my fingers, sending me a wink when I glared up at him, dimples digging into his cheeks.

A few minutes later the fries were empty, and I was digging around in the second package of crisps, giggling breathlessly as Cassian kept dipping his head, lightly nipping my jaw.

“Stop the-“ Quickly holding out some crisps, I snorted when Cassian pulled them out of my grip with his teeth while grinning, dipping his head back to let them slide into his mouth.

There was a sharp whistle, and I turned my head, craning my neck.

My gaze flickered over the street until it caught onto three people slowly making their way towards us, and I started beaming and waved. Cassian’s body shifted in my back as he leaned over me with a soft grunt, stretching his arm out to dip his hand into the crisps and shortly making me vanish from sight.

When he straightened up again, three shadows fell over us, and I happily grinned up at our friends.

“Starting the party without us, I see.” Rhys shook his head in disappointment, letting his arm slip from Feyre’s shoulders. He was wearing a thick jacket, his hair fashionably messy as always, and the tip of his nose was pink from the cold, but the twinkle in his eyes was mischievous as usual.

“Hey, you’re the ones late,”, I grumbled with a pout.

“Someone took ages getting ready.” Feyre, also with a slightly pink nose and huddled into her jacket, rolled her eyes.

Both Cassian and I turned our heads to look up at Azriel, tall and brooding and never the one making anyone late.

Az returned our looks before raising a brow. “Very funny.”

Snickering, I laborously sat up up, Cassian’s arm sliding down my side. Feyre dropped down next to me onto the bench, freeing her hands from her pockets before she hugged me, her teeth chattering dramatically. Giggling, I squeezed her back.

“You two ready?” Leaning down slightly to greet Cassian with a bro-handshake, Rhys raised his brows.

“Yeah,”, I crunched my brow and squinted up at him, “where’s Mor though?”

“Should be -”, Feyre dipped her head to the side, “ah, nevermind.”

Leaning forward to follow her gaze, I nearly tipped off the bench, but Cassian's hand slid over my stomach, keeping me upright as I beamed when I saw a tall blonde speedwalk towards us, red painted lips glinting in the lights.

“Punctual as always!”, I yelled, causing Feyre to grin widely, and Mor called back loudly: “Fuck off!”

Snickering, I pushed myself up again, gathering all of our trash before getting to my feet on the bench. Cassian’s hand slipped off my waist, and I rested my own on his shoulder to laborously climb over his lap. His calloused fingers wrapped around my wrist, keeping me steady, and a deep chuckle travelled through me as Cass held onto me until I was on his other side, dimples digging into his cheeks as he smirked up at me. I flipped him off with a grin, then I turned around, wandering over the bench towards the trashcan on the other side of the tree.

When I got back, Cassian and Feyre had gotten off the bench, Cass towering over Mor who was bickering with Rhys over which way to go. Azriel caught my gaze over Feyre’s shoulder, rolling his eyes and causing me to snicker.

Coming to a halt on the bench next to where Cassian was standing, I exchanged a look with Feyre, and she sighed and stepped forward, trying to break up the bickering.

Shivering, my eyes got caught on Cassian’s profile, and my heart did a little flip.

“Hey Cass?”

Cassian looked up at me, and I raised my arms, beaming at him.

“Piggyback ride?”

My best friend smirked, eyeing me. “Sure you can carry me?”

I dropped my arms and glowered at him.

Chuckling, Cassian stepped towards the bench, turning his back towards me, and smiling brightly, I leaned down slightly, sliding my arms over his shoulders and hopping onto his back.

Cass caught my legs, his warm hands gripping my thighs before he slipped his arms under my knees, lightly hoisting me up. My chest pressed against his broad back, his scent rose into my nose, and grinning happily, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Okay, ready.”

“Can we just go?”, Cassian interrupted Mor and Rhys, a dimple forming in his cheek as he smirked. “By the time you two are done, the party's over.”

I parted my lips with a soft gasp. “The horror.”

Cassian’s chest rumbled as he laughed, his head tipping back lightly.

“Fuck off, baby.”

Grinning, I slung my arms tighter around his neck before crunching my brows and pouting. “Seriously, can we please just go; I don’t give a shit about how quickly we get there as long as we get there.”

“Amen,”, Azriel grumbled.

“Well, if he would listen to me –“ Mor glowered at Rhys.

The two started bickering again, and Az shook his head and brushed past us. “C’mon.”

I slid my arms tighter over Cassian’s collarbones, and Feyre sighed and slipped past her boyfriend, Cassian waiting until she was past him before following after her.

Resting my chin on my best friend's shoulder, I felt my heart do a happy wiggle as my body swayed with his steps. Behind us, the bickering slowly faded into the distance. Az and Feyre, a few steps in front of us, fell into conversation, Feyre linking her arm through Azriel’s, and Cassian craned his neck slightly to look back at me.

A deep crease slowly formed in his cheek as his eyes flickered over my face, and I crunched my brows.

“What? Do I have – something on my face?”

Cassian’s body vibrated as he chuckled and turned back ahead with a grin, squeezing my calves. “Nah.”

Staring at the side of his face for another second, I blinked before shrugging and leaning forward quickly to press a kiss onto his cheek. I could feel a crease forming beneath my lips, then I pulled back, grinning widely, and Cassian shook his head, gaze directed forward but eyes twinkling.

♡

Rhys and Mor caught up with us after maybe two blocks, both grumbling about being left behind, but I just snickered and slid off Cassian’s back, linking my arm through Mor’s to pull her with me.

The party of who-knows-who was located in some industrial loft further downtown. There were people standing in front of the entrance, smoking, a few stepping out of the way as Rhys pulled open the heavy steel door with a dramatic flourish. When I slipped into the stairwell after Feyre, I felt a warm, tall body towering in my back.

The music was audible even down here, and sliding my arm out of Feyre’s, I tipped my head back to stare up the winding staircase. I could feel the others push pass me, talking as they started to climb the stairs. Then something brushed against my back, and when I looked over my shoulder, Cassian’s breath hit my hair as he leaned forward, his chest pressing against my shoulders as he crunched his brows and stared up the stairwell.

“What are we looking at?”

A snorted giggle broke from my throat, and elbowing him into the ribs, I turned, sliding my hand around his wrist to tug him with me towards the stairs with a wide grin.

By the time we reached the fifth floor, the floor was vibrating, the noise of the party had doubled, and I was wheezing dramatically.

“God, who thought throwing a party up that many stairs was a good idea?” My voice was breathless as I held my sides, grimacing at the huge, open metal doors opposite of the stairs behind which lights flashed, illuminating the silhouettes of dozens of people. The others had apparently already gone in, because the landing was empty apart from empty bottles on the floor.

“Someone who’s never fallen down any steps while drunk.” I could hear the shit-eating grin in Cassian’s voice as his hands closed around my shoulders, rubbing slowly back and forth. I snorted a breathless giggle before straightening with a wince and, trying to steady my breathing, began to trudge over the landing, feeling my best friend in my back.

When I stepped through the open doors, I was hit by the noise and the music that made the thick, stale air vibrate. My gaze darted over the open floor loft, only lit by flashing lights changing colors and spotlights hitting the walls, so dark you could only see the outlines of the mass of people, and my breath caught in my throat. The noise and the amount of people crowding the space caused my chest to begin thrumming with a mix of exhilaration and anxiety, and something slowly closed around my lungs, making the flickering lights swim, the noise closing in on me -

A calloused hand slipped under my jacket, wrapping around my side as a solid chest pressed against my shoulders, and a familiar scent washed over me, chasing away the stale smell. My heart dipped; I ripped my gaze away from the crowd dipped in darkness and looked up over my shoulder, and something loosened in my chest.

Cassian was so close that I could see the details of the dark ink at the base of his throat, towering over me like a lighthouse in the dark as he let his gaze flicker over the crowd, the flashing lights illuminating his face and slightly crunched brows. His thumb absentmindedly brushed up and down over my ribs, and something started to bubble gently in my chest. The noise slowly faded to the edge of my conciousness, still present but no longer a weight on my senses, and I could feel my shoulders sink as the tightness around my throat slipped away.

“I think the others are over there!” Cassian’s deep voice vibrated through me as his grip tightened, then he dipped his head, and I could feel his shit-eating grin against my cheek when he called over the noise: “Want me to put you on my shoulders?”

I lightly kicked his shin, and Cassian’s chest shook when he laughed into my hair, his smile wide as he straightened. His body pressed into my back, and he started to gently push me through the crowd.

In the flashing lights, it was hard to even make out faces, the music causing the floor to vibrate and the noise leaving my skin humming. I quickly reached back, hooking my fingers into Cassian’s belt loops as my heart thrummed against my ribs, my breath hitching when I felt his body tower over mine like a rock between the waves.

Cassian’s grip tightened. Then the next second he drew me back into his chest just before some girls shoved past us. I nearly tripped over my feet, but Cass held me steady, and when I threw a quick look up at him over my shoulder, he was glaring after the group, muscles in his jaw flexing and a dark shift in his eyes.

Something toppled in my stomach when I felt his hand slip up a bit, wrapping around my ribcage, then his body pressed into mine, and Cass nudged me forward.

We caught up with the others about halfway through the loft. Feyre clocked us first, and I waited until a group of guys had pushed past us, yelling over the music and causing me to unconciously move back into Cassian’s grip. Then I stepped forward until I was standing next to her and crunched my brows.

“How ‘bout we find a - less crowded spot?”, I called over the noise, trying to sound lighthearted, but Feyre looked right through it. Squeezing my elbow comfortingly, she called back: “The guys are gonna see if they find a place to sit or something!”

Nodding back, I craned my neck to look up at Cassian. He was still towering over me, his hand wrapped around my ribcage protectively as he didn’t make any move to step away from me.

Warmth rose in my chest, and I leaned back into him without being able to help it, feeling him shift when he looked over his shoulder, then Mor appeared at my side, calling loudly: “Let’s go get something to drink!”

Glad about an opportunity to blend out some of the noise and chaos, I nodded, poking Cassian’s ribs to get his attention. He turned his head back towards me and dropped his gaze, and I stretched lightly to call: “We’re gonna go get drinks!”

“I’ll come with you!” Cassian’s deep, steady voice vibrated through me, and feeling something warm bubble high in my chest, I rolled my eyes with a grin.

“I’ll be okay, I got the girls! Just go with Rhys and Az, we’re gonna be fine!”

Cass crunched his brows, looking ready to protest, and with a soft laugh bubbling in my throat, I slid my hand towards his collar, tugging him down with a grin. Cassian complied easily, one corner of his lips curving as a wave of his scent washed over me, and stretching, I pressed a quick kiss onto his cheek, just long enough that I could feel a crease forming under my lips. Then I pulled back, and something leapt into my throat when my nose brushed against Cassian’s.

The room and noise faded. Cassian’s head was dipped so far that I could see the green specks in his twinkling eyes as they flickered over mine, only an inch away, so close that his breath was fanning over my lips.

Like he could feel the way I suddenly stilled, Cassian’s gaze flashed. Something twisted low in my stomach when his lids suddenly grew heavier, eyes darkening with something deep, hazy, almost heated as they slowly dragged over my face, and suddenly, I was acutely aware of his wide, towering body half pressed against mine.

My breath caught, Cassian’s muscles shifted, and his lips parted as he slowly, absentmindedly ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

My heart got stuck somewhere in my throat, someone’s elbow hit my back and made me jump, and Cass blinked, his lips tipping back into his usual, lazy grin as he straightened slowly, nothing left of that strange, heated look but the light twinkle in his eyes when he dipped his head to call into my ear: “Stick close to the girls!”

Maybe it was the noise around us, but Cassian’s voice sounded deeper, travelling through me and almost causing me to shiver. But somehow, I managed to push away the way my heart pounded against my ribs and poked his side, sending him a wide, cheeky grin. “Duh.”

Cassian’s chest vibrated when he chuckled, his cheeks creasing as he dropped his head to press a kiss against my temple, and something leapt against my ribs. Then Feyre took my hand and pulled me with her.

♡

After raiding the kitchen area at the other end of the loft, we squeezed back through the crowd towards the windows where couches were set up. Mor was carrying shotglasses and a bottle with clear liquid that just the sight of had already made me feel woozy, glancing over her shoulder every few steps to check on us and glaring at anyone who got too close. Feyre had beerbottles in her arms, her hand on my shoulder as she stayed in my back, and I was carrying boozy lemonade I had found in the fridge, the ice cold cans pressing against my arms and keeping my focus away from the crowd and bass vibrating through the floor.

Mor slipped past a group of guys, and following after her, I threw a quick look back to make sure Feyre was still behind me before turning ahead again, and something leapt high in my chest.

The boys had cleared one of the couches and two armchairs facing them. In the flickering lights, I could see Cassian’s teeth flash when he grinned, a chuckle causing his shoulders to shake. He was lounging on the couch, melted into the cushions, his long legs spread lazily. His black t-shirt was straining against his wide shoulders, the colorful, raging lights flickered over the tattoos scattered over his arms all the way down onto his hands, and deep creases formed in his cheeks when he smirked at something Rhys said.

Mor called their names over the noise, and when I blinked, Cassian’s gaze darted over the crowd, finding mine over her shoulder. The corners of his lips curved up, a lazy twinkle spreading through his eyes as he started to smirk.

Rolling my eyes, I took two of the beerbottles Feyre handed me and squeezed past Azriel. He was occupying one of the armchairs, boot propped up onto the coffee table and sending me a faint smirk when I handed him a beer.

Cassian grinned up at me as I moved to squeeze into between the coffee table and the couch, his legs falling apart further to make space for me, and I handed him the other bottle of beer.

“Here,”, I called over the loud, blaring music, and Cassian straightened and leaned forward, snatching my wrist.

My heart nearly toppled out of my chest, and I yelped softly when he pulled, dragging me down onto his lap.

My breath caught in my throat as I toppled into him, chest colliding with his, Cassian’s breath grazing my lips and nose nearly bumping mine. One corner of his lips tipped upwards as his twinkling eyes dragged lazily over my face. Then he dipped forward, and I made a light noise of surprise, hastily holding onto his shoulders when his arm slid around the back of my butt, nearly lifting me into his chest as he dragged me closer until my thighs bracketed his hips.

Something skipped into my throat, and I huffed, causing Cassian’s grin to widen as he slouched back into the cushions, his head tipping back lazily as he stared at me.

“Best seat in the house, baby.”

I snorted under my breath, feeling my lips curve into a wide grin as I leaned forward to speak into his ear. “I don’t know; Az looks pretty comfy too -”

Cassian leaned forward quick as lightning, and my laugh caught in my throat when he lightly sank his teeth into the soft skin of my neck just below my ear, his grin so wide, I could feel it against my skin.

Curling my fingers into his hair like reflex, I held my breath, and, dimples showing in his cheeks, Cassian pulled back, his eyes twinkling.

Huffing, I managed to tear myself away from the sight of his curving lips and the crease digging in his cheek. Flicking his forehead, I shifted to get comfortable in his lap, feeling warmth rising in my chest when Cassian’s large hand cupped my hip to keep me from sliding away to the side.

“Did we miss anything?”, I called over the noise, carefully opening one of the cans I had dropped onto the couch.

Cassian made a non-commitical sound and plucked the drink from my fingers, turning his head to take a sip. His throat worked when he swallowed, causing the tattoo at the base of his neck to ripple, then he made a face.

“Urgh.” Blinking and smacking his lips, he looked at the can, brows crunching. “How the fuck can you drink that?”

“By knowing it’s the only thing you won’t drink for me!” I grinned and pulled the can from his grip, something warm bubbling happily in my chest, and Cassian’s body started shaking as he tipped his head back with a deep laugh.

Grinning, I took a sip, feeling Cassian’s gaze drag over my face and down my throat.

“Hey!” Mor’s loud voice made me look over my shoulder, and when Cass dipped his head to the side to look past me, the blonde grinned widely. “They got a beer-pong table!”

My heart dipped, and slowly, I felt a grin spread over my face.

A couple minutes later, we had fought our way through the crowd and Mor and I were standing on one end of the dining table by the windows, cups arranged in front of us and Azriel and Cassian on the other side. Cassian’s eyes were twinkling in the light as he propped his arm onto Azriel’s shoulder, raising his brows at me, and without a word spoken, I saw the challenge in the way he smirked as his eyes dragged lazily down my body.

Something rose under my ribs, and I narrowed my eyes, feeling a wide, cheeky smile slowly spread over my face. Then I lightly nudged my chin forward.

Do your worst.

Cassian started to grin. Sliding his arm off Azriel’s shoulder, he caught the ping-pong ball some guy threw his way and turned slightly, raising his hand. Then he sent me a wink and tossed.

♡

A few hours later, the sky outside was pitchblack and a happy buzz had taken over my entire body, making me very giggly and a little sleepy.

“Hey.” A finger gently tapped my nose, and I shifted, forcing my eyes that had started to feel very heavy to open, and my breath caught a little in my throat.

Cassian stared down at me, a grin causing dimples to dig into his cheeks. Then he dipped down his head, and his breath grazed my cheek when he called into my ear: “Think it’s time we get you home, baby!”

I didn’t protest, not with how heavy my limbs and eyes had started to feel. Instead I reached up to poke Cassian’s cheek and sent him a wide, slow beam that caused his own grin to widen.

It’s goofy edge, the depth of his dimples and his pupils, blown and darker than usual, were the only signs that he definitely wasn’t sober anymore either.

Slowly freeing myself from where I had curled into his side, I felt Cassian’s arm slide off my shoulder, curling around my waist instead to keep me steady, and following a warm, lazy impulse, I leaned up and pressed my lips onto his cheek, long enough for his scent to fill my lungs, dark and warm and mixed with a boozy edge.

When I pulled back, Cassian turned his head, and in the flashing lights, his eyes suddenly seemed deeper and darker, his warm breath grazing my lips as his gaze dragged over my face. Then he blinked, his lips curved upwards and creases appeared in his cheeks, and his arm slid tighter around me when he dipped his head and pressed a slow kiss onto my cheek. His nose dragged over my skin, and shivers raced down my spine.

Somehow, I pulled myself out of the warm, buzzing feeling that filled my chest and turned around, pushing myself to my feet laborously. The room tipped just a little and I only nearly tripped over my own feet, but large, warm hands wrapped around my waist, holding me upright, and a giggle bubbled in my throat when I felt Cassian’s wide chest pressing into my back. Craning my neck to stare up at him, the warm buzz seemed to swell when I caught a glimpse at his wide, dimpled grin, his chuckles causing both our bodies to vibrate.

Cass leaned down his head, and his breath grazed my cheek when he called into my ear: “Let’s say bye to the others and then get the fuck outta here!”

♡

The next bus was another half an hour, so Cassian and I walked the way from the loft to my apartment.

The night air was cold and crisp, making the warm bubbling feeling in my chest swell even as the wind nipped at my skin. I slid my hand into Cassian’s after few blocks, his palm large and warm, engulfing mine as I linked our fingers and quickened my steps, tugging him with me, the happy, bubbling buzz in my body causing a giggle to rise in my chest, the smile on my face so stupidly wide it made my cheeks hurt when I turned and walked backwards, swinging our hands. Cassian’s answering grin was unrestrained and wide, causing dimples to dig deep into his cheeks when he pulled me back into his side, his arm sliding over my shoulder. Giggles broke from my throat when I bumped into him, nearly stumbling.

Cassian chased me the last few steps to the front door, even drunk still quicker than me, his arms wrapping around my waist just as I leapt onto the front step, and the storm of wild flutters in my chest reached new heights when he twirled me around in a circle, his chest vibrating as he laughed into my hair at the giggles bubbling from my throat that I just couldn’t contain.

“Stop i-“ I almost tripped when he dropped me back onto my feet, a snorted giggle leaving me, and warm hands gripped mine, keeping me upright as Cassian laughed fully, head tipped back and shoulders shaking. I flipped him off, and Cass caught my hand, grinning so widely, creases formed in his cheeks. He looked a bit flushed, from the cool air and the alcohol that seemed to make his gaze slower, more intense as it dragged over my face, and feeling something dip in my stomach, I turned around, trying to get my keys out of my pocket.

The warm light in the staircase flickered on when I pushed open the door. Shushing Cass and trying to suppress a giggle at the offended look he sent me, I nearly groaned at the sight of the stairs.

By the time we made it to the third floor, I was out of breath and desperately trying not to laugh at nothing in particular, the happy bubbling buzz in my chest making it hard to stay quiet as I dragged Cassian to my door.

Trying to slide my key into the lock, I missed, and a snorted giggle burst from my throat, shaking my body so badly, I leaned my forehead against the door, trying to keep the giggles in as more bubbled in my chest.

There was a deep, chortled laugh behind me, then I felt a warm weight in my back and a solid body pressing against mine when Cassian leaned an arm against the doorframe and dropped his head to smother his chuckling in my hair. The scent of alcohol rose into my nose, mashed with that scent that was just him, deep and dark and warm, causing my heart to rise, and I inhaled it softly without being able to stop it.

Trying to suppress more giggles, I pulled back my head just enough to look down, squinting dramatically. After two more tries, my key finally found the lock, jingling quietly when I turned it, and whooping softly, I pushed open the door.

My apartment was only lit by the glow of the streetlamps outside falling through the windows, the sky outside inky black like Cassian’s hair. I kicked off my shoes in the small hall, hopping on one leg and nearly falling over, causing a startled, snorted laugh to leave me.

“Fuck, I love your place.” Breathing out happily, Cassian let the door fall shut and slid out of his jacket, carelessly throwing it over the shoe rack before moving past me, and I switched on the small lights in my bedroom, just in time to see him collapse onto my bed.

“Dude,”, I whined, crunching my brows, “not the clothes on my bed!”

Cassian snorted before he rolled onto his back and started to laugh, his head tipping back and body shaking, and something rose high in my chest when I caught a glimpse at his face; the way his closed eyes crinkled and dimples dug into his cheeks.

Grumbling, I started taking off my socks, and still grinning, Cass pushed himself to his feet with a soft, dramatic grunt, his chest pressing into my shoulders as he pushed past me with a chuckle. I felt my skin tingle where his hands had closed around my ribs.

Cass ducked his head to the side to not hit it at the doorframe and trudged into the small kitchen, opening the fridge, and I made a face and started to shimmy out off my pants that had started to feel incredibly uncomfortable a while ago.

Screw jeans. I wanted joggers.

Kicking them to the side, I turned around, moving towards my bed while wrangling myself out of my top and carelessly throwing it over a chair. Tugging my bra over my head, I unceremoniously dumped it onto the floor before dragging the oversized t-shirt I slept in out from under my blanket. It vaguely smelled of something else besides me, something warm and dark and addictive, and after sliding into it, I buried my nose at the collar, breathing in deeply.

Something swelled and fluttered against my ribs, and I turned around with a happy sigh.

Cass was still bent over the fridge, arm propped onto the open door and head stuck inside, grumbling under his breath as he dug through the contents. Feeling a wave of giggles bubbling in my throat, I kicked our shoes out of the way and squeezed into the bathroom to wash off my make-up that had started to feel sticky on my skin. Nearly groaning happily, I dried my dripping wet face before raising my head and catching a glimpse at myself in the mirror; eyes bright and hair messy.

Looking around for the joggers I had left in here before leaving earlier, I crunched my brows. Then I shrugged and turned around.

“What are you even looking for?” I pulled the bathroom door close behind me before stepping into the door to the small kitchen and leaning against the frame, feeling the warm, bubbling feeling rise against my ribs when I stared at Cassian’s large frame towering in my kitchen, chugging soda from a colorful can. My gaze flickered over the curve of his throat and the tattoo rippling at its base, and something curled low in my stomach.

Finally dropping his head, Cassian swallowed and exhaled dramatically. “That was good.” He dropped the can into the trash before turning around, and I could see his movements slow as his gaze dragged down my body. His eyes flashed with something heated, growing deep and hazy, and my breath hitched, the warm feeling in my chest swelling.

Cass blinked, and slowly, he started moving, his piercing gaze never leaving my face as he walked towards me. A wave of his scent washed over me, warm and addictive, and all my thoughts quieted down when he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, his knuckles brushing against my side as his low-lidded eyes dragged over my face. My chest brushed against his t-shirt, his warmth travelling even through the layers of clothing, and I stared up at him, feeling the warm thrum in my chest as my lips parted softly, my breath hitching as the warm buzz under my ribs swelled. My mind felt slow, hazy, muddled either by the alcohol cursing through me – or by Cassian’s scent filling my lungs, the warmth radiating from his large body, pulling me in, and the way he was gazing down at me, his eyes hooded and dark under heavy lids, an intensity in the way his gaze dragged over my face that sent tingling shivers over my whole body.

My breath caught in my throat, and my thoughts narrowed.

Beautiful.

All of him. The dark ink all over his skin, the shift of his muscles and hazy heat in his goddamn beautiful eyes. It felt like all of him pulled me in to swallow me whole, made my chest flutter with something so powerful, it caused my breath to catch as I stared up at him, my heart thrumming warmer against my ribs with every second.

And just because it felt like I might combust if I didn’t, I stretched and kissed him.

Something burst in my stomach, like hundreds of bubbling fireworks rising to the surface.

Cassian's lips were soft and tasted like fruit soda and alcohol, sweet and bitter at once. My chest swelled as my fingers curled into the soft cotton of his t-shirt and Cassian’s lashes fluttered against my cheek. Then a deep, low sound broke from his throat, and dropping his head to meet me, Cass slid his hands up my sides. His calloused palms wrapped around the sides of my neck, and exhaling deeply like a weight had lifted from his shoulders, Cassian kissed back like he’d been starving for it.

The rising feeling in my chest burst into a warm, fluttering storm.

Sinking down onto my heels, I dragged him with me, gripping his shirt and curling my fingers into the nape of his neck, feeling his warm skin and the way he shuddered at my touch, causing my heart to thrum and the bubbling feeling under my ribs to swell.

Making a deep, hoarse noise, Cassian moved until his wide chest pressed into mine, and his hand wrapped around my ribcage, dragging me into his body as he kissed me harder.

He was kissing me like he was trying to swallow me whole, devour me, his jaw flexing with every kiss that deepend, hungry lips parting mine, tongue swiping into my mouth like he was trying to memorize the way I tasted.

I dug my fingers into his sides when Cass began to push me backwards, feeling the planes of his torso, warm and hard, flush against mine and his body towering over me, causing the warmth bubbling in my chest to swell and heat to pool in my panties.

My back hit a wall, and something curled low in my stomach when Cass groaned low in his chest as his whole body pressed against the length of mine, so close my breath caught in my throat. His long fingers curled into my hair, and Cass dragged my head back and dipped his own to kiss my throat bruisingly.

My heart leapt into my throat, I sucked in a breath, and my eyes fluttered shut as my lips parted.

Cassian moaned against my skin, his hot breath heavy as he dragged his lips down the side of my bared neck, licking, biting, teeth sinking into my skin and leaving soft whimpers tumbling from my lips. His hand slid down to my waist and slipped under my t-shirt, and I held my breath when his palm dragged up my side to cup my ribcage, his calloused skin burning against mine.

Raising his head breathlessly, Cassian crashed his lips against mine, and the flutter in my chest hitched like my breath. His hand slipped further into my hair as his lips parted mine, tongue swiping greedily into my mouth, and a whimper spilled from my throat as I clung to him, kissing back feverishly.

Cassian groaned against my lips, biting down onto the bottom one and pulling lightly, causing my insides to flutter madly. Dropping his forehead against mine, he breathed heavily, and when I forced my eyes to open, my heart leap into my throat at the sight of his, half-lidded and feverish as they dragged over my face.

Cassian's throat worked like he was suppressing the urge to swallow, then his hand slipped away from my ribcage, his fingers brushing down over my stomach.

My lips parted, and my fingers curled into his shirt as the buzz in my chest slowed to a heavy, warm thrum.

Cassian watched me through hazy hooded eyes, swollen lips parted as he absentmindedly ran his tongue over the bottom one. Then his thumb hooked into the waistband of my panties.

The bubbling feeling in my chest rose until I held my breath.

Cass shifted and his nose nudged against mine, his head dipped so far that I could feel his hot, heavy breath on my lips, could see the green flecks in his iris bleeding together, and warmth built in my chest, fluttering wildly at the feverish look in his hazy, half-lidded eyes. His lips grazed the corner of my mouth, causing the thrum between my legs to tighten. Then his finger pulled at the waistband of my panties, and dragging them down my legs, Cassian dropped down to one knee.

My eyes widened, my heart rising, and my hand flew out to hold onto the doorframe as the other shot down to bury in his hair, some part of my brain catching up with the fact that he couldn’t possibly want to –

“Open your legs.” Cassian’s deep, hoarse order mumbled against my hip sent shivers down my spine so violently, my body shook.

“I –“

One big, calloused palm slid under my knee, and I nearly lost my balance when Cass dragged it up and over his broad shoulders.

My heart leapt into my throat, my back hit the wall, and Cassian groaned, his eyes hooded as he ran his nose up the inside of my thigh before biting down softly where my leg and hip met.

“Fuck.” His raspy words sounded slurred as he squeezed his eyes shut. A muscle in his jaw worked and I felt his wide shoulders shift. Then he dipped forward with a soft sound and ran his tongue greedily through my folds.

My lips parted as pleasure raced up my stomach and my fingers dug into his hair, and Cassian gave a noise sound low in his throat that sent my back arching.

“Shit, baby, you’re perfect,”, he mumbled into my skin, his deep voice so hoarse, it slid over my skin like sandpaper. His pupils were so large, they swallowed all color of his iris as he stared up at me through hooded eyes, hazy and heavily lidded as his palms closed around my hips, and with another soft groan, Cass dove forward, running his tongue hungrily over my pussy.

My body spasmed as my head fell back against the wall and pleasure twisted through me. Cassian was moving like he was trying to map out every inch of me, tongue circling my clit before dipping lower, coaxing whimpers from my throat.

“Shit –“

Cass buried his nose in my skin and sucked my clit into his mouth, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head as my fingers dug into the doorframe and shaky curses spilled from my lips. My hips rolled forward, and Cassian grunted.

“Fuck, you’re killing me.”

Diving forward, his hazy eyes on my face, he sucked, slow, hard, his warm hands sliding lower, holding me in place as he firmly ran his tongue over me.

“Oh.” My insides twisted as heat washed through me from my muddled head to tensing legs, and my lips parted, no sound leaving my throat as I grabbled to hold onto something, my pussy clenching, and Cass groaned.

“Shit, do that again.” He pressed closer and sucked harder, his hooded gaze piercing my face. The sounds bounced off the walls, causing my insides to wind tighter and my body to stutter.

“Fuck.” My fingers curled into Cassian’s hair, and he groaned, deep and hoarse, his eyes fluttering and tall body bowing into mine as he pushed me further into the wall, lapping greedily at me.

My breath caught as I clung to the doorframe, feeling a familiar tightness build in my lower stomach, twisting more taut with the second.

“Shit,”, I whimpered; Cass dove forward, licking and sucking harshly, and my eyes rolled back as without warning, the tension snapped.

My back arched as my body shook and pleasure crashed over me in a tidal wave harder than anything I had ever experienced. My eyes squeezed shut, head pressing against the wall as I cried out, feeling my insides shudder and tighten, pulsing harshly around nothing, and Cassian tightened his grip around me, his moan vibrating through me and causing my limbs to tremble.

My body shook, and I slumped against the wall, trying to catch my breath, heat washing through me, skin buzzing and insides thrumming. Then a soft, delirious giggle broke from my throat, my heart pounding against my ribs as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes as the warm, bubbling feeling in my chest swelled.

Lips pressed against my hip, followed by teeth sinking softly into my skin before something warm brushed against my chest and calloused hands slid under my shirt to keep me upright.

Still breathing a little unsteadily, I forced my hazy eyes to open, and the warm thrum under my ribs grew tenfold when I found a tall body towering over me, so close our chests almost pressed together.

Cassian’s gaze was heavy-lidded and feverish, his lips swollen and parted, a dimple digging into his cheeks as he stared down at me through hazy, twinkling eyes.

My breath caught in my throat, and Cass blinked, his gaze shifting, becoming deeper, molten, hungry.

My heart rose, I swallowed, and Cass made a low, rough sound deep in his throat as his piercing gaze flickered over me face. Then he dropped his head, and I sucked in a sharp breath when his lips crashed onto mine.

My eyes fluttered, and a soft moan broke from my throat when I stretched, clinging to him as I dug my fingers into his shirt and kissed back feverishly.

Cassian’s body pressed closer, rough palms cupping my sides as he started pushing me backwards into my bedroom. Half-stumbling, half-pulling, I tugged him with me, curling my fingers into his t-shirt, the warmth and strength of his body towering over mine causing something to bubble and swell in my chest, and Cassian’s lashes fluttered against my cheek when he made a low, hoarse sound against my lips. Then he dropped his head, and his hand slid into my hair and dragged my head back.

A broken moan vibrated through my chest when he attacked my neck, kissing and sucking harshly, sinking his teeth into my throat until my lids fluttered and I fought soft whimpers.

My fingers tugged at his t-shirt desperately, pulling it up, and Cassian let off my neck just long enough to help me drag the soft fabric over his head.

Dropping it carelessly, I stretched, my lips crashing onto Cassian’s as my fingers curled into the hair at the back of his neck. My hand ran down his warm chest, and I felt his muscles shudder under my touch, causing warmth to buzz under my ribs and something to twitch low in my stomach.

Heat rose in my chest, and I broke the kiss to start trailing hungry, breathless kisses down his throat, sucking and biting gently at his pulsepoint, drunk on the taste and softness of his skin. A low moan vibrated through Cassian’s chest, the sound so deep it travelled through me as he let his head fall back, jaw flexing, and I softly bit into his collarbone, licking over the spot before pressing kisses down to his right pec, my tongue trailing over the art inked onto his skin.

Cassian made a sound somewhere between a groan and a moan, his fingers curled into my hair, and when I raised my head, thoughts hazy, he crashed his lips onto mine.

I whimpered, and Cass swallowed the sound greedily, his tongue wrestling past mine, swiping into my mouth. I inhaled sharply, my fingers digging into his warm skin, Cassian pushed closer, his large body pressing against mine, and without breaking the kiss, he leaned down and slid his calloused hands under my thighs, lifting me off my feet.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I sank my teeth into his bottom lip, and Cassian's eyes fluttered as he moaned before breaking into a deep chuckle, his lips curving upwards into a wide grin against mine. His hand squeezed my ass, and feeling that bubbling feeling in my chest swell, I let the giggle in my throat break free, my fingers sliding into Cassian’s soft hair.

Beginning to walk towards my bed, Cassian dropped his head and bit into the soft skin below my ear, licking and sucking at the spot harshly, and my eyes rolled back as I clung to his large, warm body, his bare skin pressing against my thighs and the muscles in his back shifting, causing something in my chest to soar. Then Cassian let himself drop forward, and a startled squeal broke from my chest when my back hit the mattress, turning into unrestrained giggles when his huge body buried me under its weight.

Grinning into my neck, Cassian dropped his head, and something tumbled in my stomach when his gaze clashed with mine as he sank his teeth into the fabric of my t-shirt, his dark eyes hooded and heated.

“Off.” The deep, mumbled order sent shivers over my body, and I pushed myself up, quickly starting to shimmy out of the fabric, Cassian’s tattooed fingers curling into the hem, helping to tug it up my torso. His eyes seemed to grow more hazy and heavy lidded the higher the seam went, and a low grunt escaped his throat when I slipped it over my head.

Dropping his head, Cass nuzzled his nose against my collarbone, sinking his teeth softly into my skin. Then he dragged his lips lower, and my back arched, a flutter exploding in my lower stomach when he slowly circled his tongue over my nipple.

“Shit.” My fingers dug into his neck, and Cassian groaned softly, his eyes fluttering when he buried his nose in my skin, biting the soft skin of my breast before sucking it into his mouth as far as possible.

A soft shaking sound broke from my throat and trembling shivers ran through my body as my insides twisted and the bubbling feeling in my chest rose, and Cassian moaned low in his chest as he started to suck and lick my nipple greedily until my fingers dug into his nape and I arched into him with a breathless whine.

Running his nose over my skin, Cass pressed a lazy kiss against a forming bruise, then he switched sides, his calloused palm closing over my breast. I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart leaping into my throat, and Cassian watched with hazy eyes as a tattooed finger slowly circled my nipple until the pull was so tight, I squirmed, soft whimpers breaking from my throat as I pressed my head into the mattress and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Perfect,”, Cass mumbled raspily against my skin, sinking his teeth lightly into the soft skin above my breast before dragging his lips up to my neck, running his tongue teasingly over my throat. My hand shot up to grip his hair as I fought for breath, and Cassian dipped his head and kissed me, lazy and hungry, parting my lips and dragging his tongue over mine.

A shiver shook my body, I could feel Cassian's lips curve upwards, and warmth bubbled in my chest as I felt a soft, delirious giggle rise in my throat.

Cass grinned against my lips, his forearms pressing down into the mattress next to my shoulders as he shifted, his hips lodging into between my thighs, and the giggles got stuck in my throat when I felt the hard bulge in his pants press against my core.

A breathy sound escaped me as my hand shot out to dig into his back; my back bowed and my hips bucked, and Cassian groaned against my lips, his teeth sinking into the corner of my mouth. My eyes fluttered when I felt the outline of his cock, huge and what had to be painfully hard, straining against his jeans, and the rising feeling in my stomach grew unbearable.

My fingers were trembling with need as I slid my hands down over Cassian’s stomach, my chest thrumming and stomach buzzing, and I hooked my fingers into his belt, the clasp clinking when I pulled to open it. My eyes fluttered when his teeth sank into my neck, and cursing breathily, I tried to tug at his pants.

Cassian snorted a laugh into my skin, and a giggle burst from my throat as I kicked his ass with the heel of my foot.

“Stop – laughing –“

Cassian’s shoulders shook as his deep, unrestrained chuckles caused his body to vibrate, and my heart got stuck in my throat when he raised his head, dimples digging into his cheek, eyes hazy and grin wide.

“Need help?” Teasingly, he rolled his hips down, grinding his hard on against my pussy, and my back arched at the jolt of pleasure racing down my spine, a whimper breaking from my throat the same second a low groan tore from Cassian's chest, his eyes fluttering.

My heart leapt against my ribs, and an uncontrolled, breathless giggle spilled from my lips.

“Fuck you.” My breathy voice vibrated with more giggles that shook my body, my chest buzzing, drunk on alcohol and kisses and the familiar, dark scent filling my lungs, and I felt Cassian's face split into a wide grin against my neck. Then he raised his head, blown iris twinkling, and my heart leapt against my ribs when he nudged his nose against mine, lips ghosting over mine and crease digging into his cheek as he mumbled huskily: “That’s your job, baby.”

My breath caught, something twisted sharply in my stomach, and Cassian's hazy eyes pierced mine.

Swallowing softly, I reached down, touching his belt.

"Off." My voice was just a whisper, breathless and hoarse as heat built deep in my stomach, thrumming under my skin.

Cassian's gaze flashed, flaring as his heavy lids fluttered. Then he pushed himself up, his warm, solid weight disappearing from my body as he sat up. His hazy, dark eyes pierced mine, and without looking away, he started unbuckling his belt.

My lips parted softly as my gaze followed his tattooed hands like hypnotized as they undid his button, slipped into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a foil package, raising it to his mouth so his teeth could rip it open. Then they slid under the waistband, and Cassian pushed his jeans and boxers down his hips in one.

My soft inhale got stuck in my throat. Scorching heat washed over me, setting my cheeks aflame as my lips parted further and I couldn't do anything but stare, at sharp v-lines and flexing muscles as Cass slid the clear condom over his hard length.

My insides tightened, throbbing around nothing, and swallowing, feeling the bubbling feeling in my chest rise up into my throat, I tore my gaze away. My eyes darted up, and my breath hitched when my eyes found Cassian's, deep, heated and hazy beneath low lids as they pierced mine. Then he leaned forward, and his palms pressed into the sheets next to my sides. The mattress dipped under his weight when he pushed his pants off, his blown iris never breaking away from mine, then he moved up my body until he was hovering over me.

Staring up at him, a wild flutter rising under my ribs, I felt my breath hitch, and slowly, Cass lowered his head until his nose grazed mine.

My lips parted, and with a low, deep noise, Cassian leaned forward and crashed his lips onto mine.

My soft inhale got caught in my throat, something in my chest rose in a flutter, and with a quiet, needy sound, I stretched to slip my arms around his shoulder, my fingers curling into his hair as I inhaled sharply. Then I kissed back feverishly, and Cass groaned softly, his lips parting mine greedily, and his tongue swiped into my mouth, sliding against mine.

My body shuddered, and I arched closer as Cassian slowly lowered himself until his forearms pressed into the mattress next to my shoulders. His chest brushed against mine, his warm, smooth skin causing shivers to travel down my body, and I felt myself push closer almost involuntarily until Cass let himself sink lower, my muscles going lax at the feeling of his warm, massive torso pressing mine heavily down onto the mattress. My thighs slowly fell apart, and Cassian shifted, his chest sliding against mine and causing my nipples to tighten. Then his tip dragged through my folds, and my heart leapt into my throat as I gasped against his lips, fingers digging into his shoulders.

Cass groaned, low and hoarse. His throat worked, jaw muscles flexing, and his heavy lids shuddered.

“If you want me to stop, you tell me.” His voice was so raspy, it sent shivers down my spine.

My fingers dug into his back when I felt his cock slide over my pussy again, and I inhaled shakingly, nodding as my eyes rolling back slightly.

Cassian's nose nudged my cheek, his low, raspy voice vibrating through me. "Look at me, baby."

Somehow, I managed to force open my heavy lids, and something twisted tight and low in my stomach when my eyes met Cassian’s, blown like he was drunk on more than alcohol, his jaw muscles flexing like he was trying to reign himself in when he made a deep noise low in his throat.

“Need you to tell me.”

The bubbling warmth in my chest rose, and I nodded again, my voice breathy when I whispered: “I’ll tell you.”

Cassian’s softly sank his teeth into my bottom lip. Then he shifted his weight, one of his hands sliding over my thigh, his calloused palm leaving shivers in it's wake as it grabbed onto my knee and dragged it higher up his side until my leg slid over his back. His nose nudged against mine, his blurred, feverish eyes piercing mine. Then he rolled his hips forward, and my lips fell apart as I felt his tip push into me and how I clenched around him.

Cassian's body shuddered, his eyes fluttered, and he dropped his head into my neck.

“Fuck.” His deep voice sounded slurred, his back muscles flexing under my hands. His jaw worked as low, broken sounds rose in his throat, and a shaking whimper tore from my lips as my body arched into him.

“I - I don't -“ I squeezed my eyes shut, breathing shakily. “This might take a while.”

Cassian’s lashes fluttered against my cheek, and a low groan broke from his throat as he nuzzled his nose against my jaw, sounding hoarse when he mumbled: “Fuck; yes.”

A soft, startled giggle broke from my throat, and Cass grinned against my skin, my insides twisting at the sight of his hooded, hazy eyes and the crooked line of his smirk. Then he dipped his head and nipped my jaw, softly biting into my neck as he rolled his hips forward, and my eyes rolled back, my nails digging into his back.

♡

With a soft groan, I buried my nose in my pillow. Then I slowly blinked open one eye, feeling my nose crunch when the light sent a wave of pain through my head.

Ouch.

Whining softly and squeezing my eyes shut again, I dropped my head and buried my face in my pillow.

Urgh.

For a few seconds, I just laid completely still, feeling a steady pounding set up residence right underneath my skull. Birds chirped softly outside the window, a car passed on the street outside, and I could hear quiet clatter in another room.

My limbs felt heavy when I slowly raised my head again, making a face at the fuzzy taste on my tongue, the general queasiness and the spike of pain in my head as I squinted to take in my surroundings.

I was in my bedroom, stretched out diagonally across the mattress, clinging to my pillow. The gap in the curtains allowed warm rays of sunlight to fall onto the floor, and a cool breeze swayed the fabric. There were pieces of clothing scattered over the floor and the furniture, throw pillows dropped onto the carpet around the bed, my blanket was tangled around my bare legs, and I was wearing nothing but underwear and a too big t-shirt that smelled dark and warm and familiar.

Making a low sound in my throat, I contemplated just burying my head under the pillow and going back to sleep until my head stopped pounding and I didn’t feel like death anymore – but then the smell of something frying wafted into the room, and my stomach twisted and grumbled miserably.

Whining softly, I exhaled deeply. Then I slowly dug myself out of my blanket and slid my legs over the edge of the mattress. My whole body was aching, and wincing at the drumming pain in my head, I pushed myself to my feet, nearly moaning at the soreness of my muscles. Grimacing and tiredly rubbing my eyes, I sluggishly trudged over the carpet and pushed open the half closed door.

The smell of bacon got stronger, and running a hand over my face, I trudged through the small hall, coming to a halt in the door to the kitchen. Squinting into the sunlight, I blinked tiredly, and my heart performed a small, happy hop against my ribs at the sight of the tall guy moving around my small kitchen.

Cassian’s back shifted, muscles flexing under his bare skin as he smoothly flipped a pancake, the soft, concentrated crunch of his brows melting away when he placed the pan back on the stove. Twirling a spatula between his fingers absentmindedly, he looked around before beginning to stir what looked like scrambled eggs in another pan. The golden sunlight falling through the window made his eyes look softer and skin glow warmly, his large body dwarfing my kitchen as he moved around, and something squeezed softly in my stomach as my eyes flickered over his bare torso down to the black boxers peeking out over the waistband of his low hanging joggers.

Cass moved and threw a look over his shoulder, and our gazes met.

For a second, his gaze flickered down my body, and something shifted in his eyes when they seemed to linger on my bare legs. Then Cassian blinked and raised his eyes again, and something pulsed warmly against my ribs when one corner of his lips slowly curved upwards.

“Hey.”

His deep voice, warm and raspy, paired with the teasing twinkle spreading through his eyes sent a gentle tingle down my spine, and breathing out, I reached up to rub my eyes, crunching my nose gently as I mumbled hoarsely: “Hey.”

The scratchiness of my tired voice nearly made me wince, and Cass chuckled softly, dimples forming in his cheeks when he sent me a slow, shit-eating grin.

“You good, baby?”

Something leapt softly against my ribs at the teasing tilt of his voice, and exhaling heavily, I leaned my shoulder against the doorframe and dropped my temple against the cool wood as I stared at him tiredly, feeling my head pound. Then I raised my brows. “I definitely had too much to drink.”

A snort broke from Cassian’s throat, and the wide grin on his face caused something to topple lightly in my chest.

Breathing out, I blinked tiredly. Feeling my brows crunch softly, I stared into space as I tried to separate the blurry strands of memory in my head.

“Did you sleep here?” My hoarse voice sounded as sleepy as I felt as I blinked slowly.

Cassian raised his head, and his eyes flickered over my face.

I winced lightly, squeezing one eye shut as I sent him a crooked, sheepish smile. “I’m – sorry; I just remember that we left that – ridiculously full party last night, everything after is – blurry.”

Cassian’s gaze flickered over mine. Then he blinked, his jaw muscles shifted, and his throat worked gently like he was suppressing the urge to swallow.

Something twinged gently in my chest, and raising my head a little, I felt my brows crunch gently with worry as my eyes moved over his face.

“What?”

Cass blinked again. Then he turned his eyes away, one corner of his lips curving gently as he mumbled: “Forgot you’re a fucking lightweight.”

A soft giggle burst from my throat, and the curve of Cassian’s lips deepend just a little as he let the pancake slide onto a plate that was already filled with other, turning off the stove.

Staring at him and the shadow of a dimple in his cheek that didn’t feel fully him, I felt that soft twinge in my chest twist a little.

I blinked, then I pushed off the doorframe and trudged towards him, rubbing my eyes before sliding my arms around his waist and dropping my head against his chest with a tired, soft sound.

For nothing but a second, I thought I felt Cassian’s back muscles tense under my touch, his warm body seeming to freeze gently. But just was I was about to raise my head, a small breath left him, and I felt his shoulders sink. His hand slid up my back and his arm wrapped over my shoulder, and Cass dropped his head to bury his nose in my hair.

There was a small flutter against my ribs, and exhaling slowly, I slid my arms further around him, then I buried my face in his chest, his bare skin warm against my cheek. My eyes dropped close on their own accord, and just for a few seconds, the pounding in my head faded a little as I soaked in the solid feeling of Cassian’s body towering over mine and the warmth and scent of his skin. Then I raised my head relucantly and with a soft sigh, tiredly staring down at the pans for a second before I tipped my head back to blink up at Cass, feeling my lips curve just a bit as I squinted.

“That for me?”

Cassian’s eyes flickered over my face, and slowly, the smallest trace of a crease appeared in his cheek. Then he crunched his brows, narrowing his eyes a little even as his gaze started twinkling the tiniest bit. “You even hungry?”

My stomach tightened and rumbled, and a slow grin spread over Cassian’s face, causing his eyes to crinkle a little and small dimples to form in his cheeks and warmth to rise in my chest.

Chuckling softly, he slid his arm from my shoulder. “Sit down.”

Squeezing his sides with a tired, happy sound, I breathed out sleepily, dropping my arms from his waist and stepping back to move past him. My heart did a little skip when I saw that the small table at the window was set, glasses with orange juice next to cups and a steaming pot of coffe, another glass with water and painkillers sitting in front of the seat on the small sofa.

Something warm started bubbling in my chest, and feeling a soft smile spread over my face, I crunched my nose to barely suppress a yawn before wriggling past the table and climbing onto the couch.

Pulling the soft blanket over my bare legs and cuddling up in my seat, wrapping my arms around my knees, I tiredly blinked at the set table for a second, feeling the warm bubbling sensation under my ribs swell a little. Then I slowly pulled the glass with water towards me, ripping open one of the packages and dumping the contents into the glass. It started fizzling, turning bubbly and pale, and picking it up and making a face, I quickly chugged down its contents.

The bitter taste made me shudder and smack my lips with a grimace, quickly refilling the glass to rinse the taste out of my mouth and quench the sudden wave of thirst.

Emptying the second glass of water in one go, I barely suppressed a soft burp, and there was a quiet chuckle. Then a plate stacked with pancakes, eggs and bacon was placed in front of me, and when I raised my head, Cassian took the seat on the other side of the table, a soft dimple digging into his cheek.

The greasy smell of bacon rose into my throat, and groaning softly, I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply.

“Thank you.” My voice was still raspy and tired, but the smell of food made some of the queasiness melt away, my mouth watering as I took my cutlery.

Warm silence settled over the kitchen as I started eating, feeling too sleepy and hungover for conversation. The sun tickled my nose and made Cassian’s eyes look like light hazel with flecks of green as he slow sipped his coffee, brows crunched a bit against the light. He didn’t seem in the mood for conversation either and just protested with a soft, dramatic sound when I snuck bacon off his plate, the corners of his lips curving just a little as he played with his fork, hazel eyes watching me.

Polishing off the last bit off pancake and egg, I breathed out happily, most of the queasy feeling gone as I put my cutlery down and blinked tiredly. Now, my stomach full and warm, the ache in my head dulling down to a painful thrum, I felt like curling up on the spot and napping for the next 24 hours.

Though –

Crunching my brows softly, I dropped my head, I carefully sticking my nose into the collar of my shirt and sniffling.

Wincing lightly at the stale smell of alcohol, I slowly raised my head again and blinked tiredly.

“I think I’m gonna take a shower.” Resting my elbow on the table and leaning my cheek against my hand, I sleepily stared at Cassian. Then I mumbled softly: “You okay?”

Cass blinked. His gaze slowly moved over my face, and his throat worked slightly. Then he dropped his head, the shadow of a crease forming in his cheeks when he nodded.

“Yeah.” His quiet, raspy voice sent a warm tingle down my spine as he raised his head again, watching me, and I stared back at him, my lids fighting to close, the sun warming my skin.

“You sure?” My words were soft, quiet.

One corner of Cassian’s lips curved, and he leaned forward until he could rest his chin on his arms, staring up at me. “You know, showering sounds like a good idea. You’re kinda stinky.”

Warmth swelled in my chest, and without changing my position, I picked up a piece of packaging and tossed it across the table. A soft giggle burst from my throat when it hit Cassian’s forehead, and Cass crunched his brows and whined softly, dimples digging into his cheeks and eyes twinkling softly in the light.

Feeling happiness bubble gently against my ribs, I stared at him with a tired, crooked smile. Then I got up slowly with a sigh, grumbling dramatically under my breath as I climbed off the couch.

Cass straightened, throwing the piece of paper onto his plate, and sluggishly squeezing past the table, I leaned down and wrapped my arms around his neck from the side in a tight hug, leaning my chin against his head and closing my eyes tiredly. Cassian’s hand rose to wrap around my forearm, his thumb slowly brushing over my skin, and feeling warmth rise in my chest, I dropped my nose to bury it in his hair. Then I pressed a long, dramatic kiss onto his temple and slowly straightened up again, squeezing his shoulder. Cass looked back at me, his palm wrapping over my hand for a moment, and sending him a soft, crooked grin, I gently flicked his forehead. Then I turned around, sighing tiredly and rubbing my eyes.

Taking a detour to the bedroom to get fresh clothes, I trudged into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. The warmth of the sun and my full belly made me feel even more tired than before, and I barely managed to keep my eyes open as I stripped out of my clothes, dropping them carelessly to the floor before stepping into the shower and turning on the water.

My lids slid shut, and I allowed them to as I slowly scrubbed myself clean, letting hot water run over my face and down my back. The steady sound nearly made me doze off on my feet, and somehow pulling myself together, I turned off the water and stepped out onto the small matt, reaching for my towel.

Wrapping myself up, I stayed motionless in the same spot for a second with half closed eyes, dripping quietly, listening to the sound of a bee buzzing against the window.

A light knock against the door made me startle, and Cassian’s low, deep voice travelled through the door.

“Hey, you still awake?”

I blinked slowly. Then I mumbled, softly and hoarsely: “Fuck off.”

There was a muffled chuckle that sent a warm tingle down my spine, and I could almost see the way Cassian leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, dipping his head towards the door with a light grin.

“I used up the rest of your groceries, your fridge’s a fucking wasteland now; I’ll go down to the store and get you some shit for the weekend.” His deep voice vibrated over my skin even muffled by the door. “You want anything special or just the usual?”

Breathing out, I leaned my hip against the counter and blinked tiredly, my voice still rasping a little when I mumbled: “You staying?”

Cass was quiet for nothing but a second. Then his warm, raspy voice echoed softly through the door.

“Yeah.” The hum of his low, deep voice sent warm shivers over my skin when he added: “If you want me to.”

“Duh”, I muttered tiredly, my voice sounding a little less scratchy when I crunched my brows. “You always do. It’s tradition now.”

Cass huffed a deep laugh, and I felt my lips curve as I blinked slowly, my eyelids drooping. “Just get the usual. If I don’t feel like death tonight, I’ll make pasta, so – you just pick whatever you want for a sauce, and – get snacks. Lots of ‘em.”

Cassian chuckled, and warmth bubbled gently against my ribs. “Got it.” He lightly rapped his knuckles against the door. “Don’t fall asleep until I’m back, okay?”

I felt a slow, wide smile spread over my face.

“No promises,”, I mumbled with half-closed eyes, and Cass breathed another low laugh, then he pushed off the doorframe, the floor creaking. Warmth gently fluttered against my ribs, and breathing out, I slowly pushed myself off the counter as the front door fell shut.

Somehow, I managed to dry off and get myself into my underwear and a soft bra, even after giving up the fight against my heavy eyelids. Then I blindly grabbed my bodylotion from the shelf and forced my eyes to open dramatically as I turned around.

Just this and brushing my teeth and maybe sorting my hair and then I could go back to be-

My gaze found the mirror over the sink, and my breath caught in my throat.

The bottle of bodylotion slipped from my fingers and hit the tiled floor, and my lips parted as I stared at mirror and the dark bruises littering my chest, ribs and the side of my neck.

My heart thrummed once against my ribs, and memories crashed over me like a tidal wave.

Of heated, messy kisses and large hands wrapping around my limbs, turning and sliding my body into positions that had made my back arch, of lips dragging over my skin and teeth softly sinking into my ribs, of sweaty skin sliding together, my eyes rolling back into my head and a warm, massive body hovering over mine, husky curses rasped into my skin and fingers tangling with mine in the sheets.

Shit.

I stared into the mirror as my cheeks paled and my chest squeezed.

Shit, shit, shit.

@azrielshadows1nger @waytoomanyteenagefeels @secretlyhers @icey--stars @ailyr92

#cassian #cassian x reader #cassian imagine #cassian smut #cassian acotar #acotar #acotar x reader #acowar #acomaf #acotar smut #acotar imagine #acotar fanfiction #lalacliffthorne #modern au

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yanderenightmare · 2 hours

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TW: almost noncon, yandere, omegaverse, subjugation, some type of sexism

fem reader

Discussions about superiority and inferiority between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas have become more popular lately. It’s always been many people’s opinion that the weak should cater to those stronger than them—but a debate with that as its topic is unsavory. Unfortunately, they’ve found new ways to phrase it.

A resonating “Unmated Omegas are a danger to themselves!” garners much more sympathy…

And with the rise of people talking about it in the media, it was only natural to move the conversation into school as well.

You keep your head bowed in class as the chill runs down your spine. You feel the glare of thirty fellow students—the points of their teeth, too, and how they snicker under their breath. It’s always been rather scary being an omega, but you can’t say you’ve ever felt quite so alone.

The teacher’s an alpha, so why should he care how what he says impacts you? He’s preaching to the choir, and you’ve never had the right to sing. The three other Omegas in your class have all chosen to stay home. They probably have the right idea—wait it out until it all blows over.

But you don’t know when that might be… You don’t know if that will be.

Society is on the precipice of critical change—new politics, new laws, new systems, new rights that separate you from them. You wallow in fear of the outcome, lying awake at night and scrolling through the news under the safety of your duvet. The statements seem endless. You wonder, why are all politicians Alphas?

You don’t want any of the things they’re suggesting—mating homes to help you find the perfect Alpha to bond with, systematic pairings done from birth, auctions. Is no one going to suggest they put shock collars on all Alphas and Betas to keep them in check? They’re the ones who need to—

“Your scent is distracting the whole class—don’t you feel ashamed?”

It’s too easy for him to have you bent over the desk, your wrist on your back in his big fist as he wraps his tie around them. He and his goons stand around, all smiles—watching—enjoying it. It’s as if they’ve planned the whole thing, the way two of them peel away from the crowd to grab each their pick of your feet. Parting them, they use your own shoelaces to tie them to the desk legs.

The ringleader laughs. There’s an awful smell coming off him in waves—it makes you quiver. He flips your skirt up and whistles at the sight, showing everyone your ass and cotton undies. The bulge he presses against you is enough to make your tears spill despite how hard you’d fought to keep them at bay, knowing it only arouses them further.

“Aww, don’t cry, little bitch. You should be happy,” he coos, leaning over your trapped form to whisper right at your ear. “Don’t you know? You’ll never feel happier than you will bouncing on my big Alpha dick. It’s all your little Omega cunt dreams about, isn’t it?” He snickers, fiddling with his belt buckle—you flinch at every sharp clink as he jostles the metal. “Well, salvation is here—”

“Keep it to yourself.” Another voice breaks through the sounds of hollers and cheers.

Your eyes open to see him. You despise how your heart jumps in relief.

“Oi, you—” the guy at your back challenges, stepping away from you and toward the interruption.

“Yeah, me,” he states blankly, jaded. He eyes the rest of the guys with disinterest—five betas, zero threat—before telling them, “All of you. Scram.”

They all take a step to walk out as if his voice alone had compelled them, but then the previous guy interjects, making them stop in their tracks again. “Tch—you know what they’re saying. All unmated Omegas are free game, and I won this one. So back off.”

It was like watching a match of tug-of-war.

“Heh,” the intruder laughs. “That rule only counts for Alphas.”

You spot your aggressor's fists curl—there’s a growl rumbling in the back of his throat. “I am an Alpha, asshole.”

“Really?” he feigns, sizing him up with a cocky tilt of his head. “Couldn’t tell.” He doesn’t seem fazed in light of the aggression—actually, it seems to amuse him if anything. “To me, you smell no different from all these other Beta losers.”

He takes a casual step forward, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face—baring canines with grace.

“But if you wanna prove it, I’m ready when you are.”

It’s quiet after the declaration. The betas are unsure who’s side to pick, none of them eager to get caught in the middle. It becomes a competition purely between the two Alphas.

Without backup, your aggressor backs down and leaves.

“Thought so,” your savior jeers, showing the crowd out, closing and locking the door behind them.

It’s quiet after they’ve left.

You hide your face. Listening to his footsteps approach—he sighs when taking the place of the former guy. He doesn’t touch you, though.

“Y’know…” he starts. “That guy might be trash, but he isn’t wrong…” He picks up your skirt and drapes it back in place. “None of this would ever happen if you weren’t unmated.”

You speak through grit teeth. “Untie me.”

He chuckles familiarly at that, clicking his tongue at you. “What? Aren’t you gonna say please?” But he does what you say anyway. Squatting down, he starts with your ankles.

The scent of your fear still lingers in the air despite your tough act. You’ve always been so steadfast, ever since you were kids, even when it does you no good. He frees your feet—one, then the other, slowly—he even reties your laces into pretty bows before he’s done.

He remembers it being so obvious. The sun rose in the morning and the moon at night, and you were supposed to be an Alpha while he a Beta at best. You promised you’d be by his side to keep him safe forever, and he wanted nothing more.

But then puberty hit, and nothing was as you’d imagined.

He stands and unknots the tie keeping your wrists restrained.

You immediately push him off—already storming away.

“Do I get no thank you, no nothing? Always so stubborn—” He grabs your arm.

You spin around, an unnatural snarl on your face. “Let go!”

You’d have been a terrifying Alpha. But as fate has it, you’re not. And you shouldn’t act like it. It only lands you in trouble.

But he doesn’t say that.

“You been watchin’ the news?” he says instead, ignoring your cry and keeping a firm grip on your arm. “Seems like auctions are winning the voters. You know what that means?”

He feels you flinch, followed by a quiver. He can tell. No matter how good you are at hiding it. He can see—the way you’re fraying at the edges, barely holding it together. Always acting so strong. He can’t tell whether you enjoy torturing yourself or if you’re just that good at convincing yourself you’re fine.

“Pretty soon, new authorities are gonna come storming in here, roundin’ up every sorry unmated Omega they find, and put ‘em all on a farm where pompous Alphas can have their pick of the litter.”

He can never tell what you’re thinking, but he knows he doesn’t need to tell you any of this. You’re not stupid, you never have been. He knows you already know. But…

“You should decide now while it’s still your choice.”

You must be terrified. He understands. But truly… it’s obvious what you have to do, isn’t it?

“It’s not like you have many options.”

It’s obvious. It always has been.

You don’t meet his eyes. You haven’t for a long while. Actually, you haven't since both of you got your test results. He understands this wasn’t what you had in mind, but you can’t afford to mope about it forever—

“How am I supposed to choose any Alpha when you’re all such assholes…”

Your mutter stunts him. It wasn’t what he expected. Or, the words were more or less exactly something he’d expect from you, but that voice—quiet and soft, dangling on the brink of sweet. If you’d said anything else, he’d have taken it as a confession.

“Can't argue with that,” he ends up chuckling again.

You hate how easy this is for him. He would cry at every turn when you were kids. It’s unfair.

“But you can’t keep doing this, either,” he states. His voice is soft, paired with that ugly authority they all have when talking to you—talking down to you. “Just look where it gets you—scared and exhausted because of it. At least have the brains to stay home.” He says it as if it’s a joke, but you both know it isn’t. His chuckles are light—far from fullhearted.

He bends down, trying to find your eyes. He still holds onto your arm, knowing you’d sooner stomp away than listen to him. His other hand brushes your cheek gently, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“You hear the call from the rafters—it’s not about what you want anymore. It’s about what you need.”

That’s what they say, isn’t it? What you need. You want to slap him. Scratch him with claws, bite his throat out—make him choke on his own words. Need? What you need is for them all to fuck off.

You mean to say it with the same sentiment, but something hard and rough in your throat makes all your words come out wobbly. “Mate an Alpha to stay safe from other Alphas. What a joke.”

You bow your head further. The tears return. They burn as they trail down the sore streaks from before.

He’s never seen you like this. He won’t lie, it makes his pants tight—feeling the urge to suck your cheeks, hold you close and comfort you. But knowing you right, you’d probably never let him. Your face would probably scrunch up in disgust, punch his gut, knee his groin, then turn on your heel and leave him on the floor wheezing.

You really would have made the most terrifying Alpha.

“The world isn’t fair,” he agrees. “But you get nowhere cryin’ about it—do it my way, and you’ll never—”

“Have any freedom,” you cut him off with a sniffle.

It’s about the most adorable thing he’s seen in his life.

He gets why you don’t like Alphas—they’re all gross. He makes himself sick sometimes. He can’t believe he’s getting off on watching you have a mental breakdown. There’s something seriously wrong with his side of the species. His throat’s tight, mouth watery with the urge to reap your vulnerability.

Suppressing it only makes his inner beast furious. Some of that aggression comes out in his next words.

“I’m sorry, but the world doesn’t give a shit about your freedom.”

The grip around your arm tightens, and you look up in shock—watching his narrowed eyes through your watery ones.

“What you need is safety—now more than ever. Or do you like being preyed on by every Alpha around the corner?”

Your bottom lip trembles at the reality of it—a little while ago, you were almost—

“One of these days, I'm not gonna be here in time, and you’ll be a slave to some fucking—”

He huffs and hangs his head. His hand loosens up—it trembles where he holds you in place.

“In all honesty, I think I’m more scared than you,” he whispers under his breath. “I think I might kill—”

He stops himself again. You don’t know if it’s in an effort not to frighten you or himself.

“Speak about needs…” he begins anew, now softer. “I need to know you’re safe. I need to—” He looks up. His eyes are back to being round. “I need you more than you need me, probably.”

There’s a desperation on his face. It almost looks like he’s on the verge of tears himself.

“So… please?” he begs. “Will you keep me safe like you promised and stay by my side?”

Your tears dry and prickle. Looking into his eyes now, you see the same boy you knew back in your childhood—that one who’d chase you all over even when you’d call him a sniveling crybaby. You realize, Alpha or not, he hadn’t changed all that much at all.

“It’s not like you need my permission,” you end up saying.

You’ve always been so hard-headed. He has to smile. “No, but I want it.”

You nibble your lip. You can’t believe you’re at the mercy of this big dumb hunk of… you don’t have the words to describe him. He wasn’t exactly a crybaby anymore.

“Okay. You win.”

His eyes widen as you bear your neck with a stretch. Head high and shoulders slack.

You swallow thickly. “Get it over with.”

He shudders at the sight. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but now it almost seemed too soon.

“We should be supervised by a professional—you know how wrong things can go—”

“Hurry up before I change my mind.” Your eyes remain shut, and your lips pursed.

His tongue grows thick in his mouth at your bark. A sudden stroke of performance anxiety makes his palms sweaty, hands heavy and shaking. But then the sight of your soft neck has his mood shift, becoming drowsy.

He has no control over the growl that begins rumbling from his gut.

But he doesn’t apologize for it either.

He bends forward—breaths on your chest before he licks your throat. You can’t help but whimper at the warmth. He watches you through hooded eyes—your usually angry face is now all cute, riddled with anxiety you try hiding paired with the grim anticipation of pain.

“Shh,” he soothes, kissing the spot softly. He sways you against him, then lifts you up on the desk for you to sit. Grazing your neck with teeth when feeling your hands tangle two fistfuls of his shirt. He expects you to push him away, but you don’t—you tug him closer instead as if silently telling him to hurry up.

But he doesn’t want to rush, doesn’t want to lose himself—that’s how accidents happen. So he sticks to sucking gently, only tiny nibbles that leave your skin hot and lightly bruised in their wake.

You give a moan once he finds the spot, and he growls in restraint upon the pretty sound—feeling you relax despite being threatened with his teeth right at your artery. He almost humps your leg in return, feeling the boil of blood pump him hot and heavy in his pants—breaths turning equally hot and heavy, each one laced with rust.

Drool coated your neck in a cool sheen, soothing the marks made beneath it, while his lips and fangs aroused pleasure in the spot that now ached for the sting of his bite.

“Please,” slipped from your mouth while tugging him closer.

His eyes, completely drunk on the pretty prayer, had only a slim rim of color left surrounding the hungering bottomless pits, blown full and black with opium.

No one could come and take you away from him now. Not with his print so pretty on your neck. You were his—just as you were always supposed to be.

BNHA – Deku, Kirishima, Natsuo, Amajiki, Mirio

JJK – Yuuta, Yuji

HQ – Kuro, Miya twins

DS – Tanjiro, Zenitsu

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chaoticforever · 20 hours

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Remnants of Regret | Tony Stark x Son! Reader

Summary: All Y/n ever wanted was his father’s love. Was that too much to ask?

Y/n sat on the floor in his bedroom, legs crossed, focusing intently on the canvas propped up before him. With a charcoal stick in his hand, Y/n carefully sketched the outline of a cityscape, his e/c eyes narrowed in concentration. His room permeated with the soft scratching of charcoal on canvas, a melody in the air.

Once Y/n finished the final touches and scooted back to examine his piece one simple word crossed his mind: beautiful.

Since childhood, Y/n has loved drawing, sketching, and painting. He started with simple subjects like trees, flowers, and stars, then progressed to more complex images like people's faces and vehicles. He loved it so much that he pursued an art degree in college, unable to imagine a life not surrounded by art of some kind.

Furthermore, art allowed him to express emotions that words couldn't convey by providing an escape from the chaos of everyday life. It was just him, his brush, and the many possibilities on a canvas.

However, Y/n sometimes wondered if choosing art as his passion was a good idea since his father, Tony Stark, did not seem to appreciate his artistic abilities. Instead, he shifted the appreciation that he should have for Y/n to someone else.

Peter Parker.

See, Y/n Stark is the type of guy who preferred music and painting to building suits and technology that Tony loved so much, which only seemed to widen the gap between father and son. Tony didn’t seem to have much time for his son but made sure to have lots of time for Peter, who shared Tony's love for technology.

Y/n couldn’t help but feel jealous as he watched his dad always dote on Peter, offering him opportunities and praise that Y/n craved. But he seemed to have little time or patience for his artistic son.

He placed his finished piece on his desk and started putting away his sketching utensils. Just then, he heard a knock on his open door and turned around to see that Steve was standing in the doorway. Y/n smiled when he saw Steve. Besides Tony, Steve was his favorite Avenger. He sometimes acted more of a parent than the one currently in his life and the guys both bonded over their love for drawing.

"Hey, Steve. How was the mission?"

"Tiring. Dealing with rogue mutants can certainly take a toll on me," Steve replied, his eyes suddenly drifting to Y/n's newly crafted sketch, "Nice drawing Y/n. Is this for your end-of-semester art project?"

Y/n nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes, my professor wanted the class to draw something that represents our unique perspective on the world."

"And what perspective is that?"

Y/n paused to think about that question. "I guess... It's my view of the world as an artist. The world is full of life and energy, but there's also darkness and shadows. It's a reminder that beauty and struggles coexist. Nothing can ever change that."

Steve nodded, tracing the bold lines and subtle shading. "That’s an interesting yet accurate perspective. I am proud of you. You’re going to do great things one day."

A small smile appeared on Y/n’s face. He may not have gotten his dad’s praise, but he was happy that someone praised his artistic abilities and told him that he was proud of him. It warmed his heart.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"You’re welcome. By the way, we’re having a group dinner tonight. We’ll be having lasagna, so bring your appetite."

Y/n grinned. He loved the soldier's cooking, especially when it was a dinner meal. It was so much better than eating takeout. "Oh, I'll be there, and y'all better hope that it all doesn’t get eaten by me."

Steve laughed before pivoting on his heel and leaving. Y/n watched as the soldier's retreating figure disappeared down the hall before turning back to his sketch, contentment washing over him.

As Y/n admired his work, his thoughts drifted back to his father. He knew that Tony loved him in his own way, but their relationship had always been strained. Tony’s focus on technology and his busy lifestyle, along with mentoring Peter, left little room for the two to hang out or for Tony to understand Y/n's passion for art.

But now, Y/n was determined to fix their relationship. After all, he lost his mother over a decade ago, and his father was the only blood family that he had left. He didn’t want their relationship to continue to be strained, and if Tony could make room for Peter in his life, then he could make some room for his biological son.

With that thought in mind, the e/c-eyed male headed to the private elevator that would take him to Tony’s workshop. And as he rounded the corner, he bumped into Rhodey, whom Y/n often looked up to as well. They greeted each other with their signature handshake that was only made for them two before Rhodey took off, explaining that he had a meeting to attend with a council member, and Y/n continued his journey to the workshop.

When he arrived at Tony's workshop, he saw his father standing next to his work bench, typing on his phone. Behind Tony, there was his Iron Man suit, opened up. Y/n figured that he just stepped out of it.

"Hey, Dad." Y/n greeted politely, crossing the room to give Tony a one-armed hug.

Surprisingly, Y/n's father did reciprocate the hug but didn’t even bother to look up at his son when he greeted him. He just kept his brown eyes glued to the phone in his hand. "Y/n. How was your day?"

"It was good. Classes were pretty light today, and I mostly just worked on my end-of-the-semester project for art class." Y/n explained, hoping that Tony would ask him more follow-up questions, such as what piece Y/n decided to draw or if he could see the work for himself. However, all Tony gave was a curt nod, still typing on that phone of his. So, Y/n cleared his throat and switched topics: "Dad, do you want to hang out this Saturday? There’s this art showing at the museum, and—"

"An art showing?" Tony finally looked up from his phone, his eyes flicking briefly to his son’s face before returning to the screen. "Sorry, kid, but I have meetings this Saturday. Besides, I’d rather watch paint dry than look at old paintings. You know that I’m more of a technology and engineering kind of guy than an art one."

Y/n's shoulders drooped, and he tried to hide the disappointment he felt. "Yeah, I know. I just thought maybe you’d want to spend some time together. It’s been a minute since we did something like that."

Tony seemed oblivious to Y/n's reaction, continuing to tap away at his phone. "Well, we’ve been busy. You're busy with college, and I'm busy with SI and saving the world, two full-time jobs for me," he put his phone down on the desk, finally giving Y/n his full attention. "But you’re right, we haven’t hung out in a long time. How about we go see that new Outlast movie that’s coming out next weekend?"

Y/n nodded, a small smile coming onto his face. Even though it wasn’t what he wanted to do, he was just happy to have some father-son time with his dad. And more importantly, it was without Peter.

"That sounds good to me. I can’t wait."

Y/n turned around and prepared to leave the room, excitement fluttering in his chest, just as Tony got a phone call from Peter. Y/n stood there for a moment and listened to how Tony asked Peter when he would be coming over and that Tony cleared the rest of his schedule today to help Peter with his last semester project.

The h/c-haired son frowned, feeling the excitement he felt a couple seconds ago disappear and the raw disappointment return. So, Tony can clear his schedule for Peter and make time for him, but he can't make time for his biological son?

It was ridiculous.

But Y/n had to remind himself that it was okay. Peter could have that time with his father all he wanted to today because next weekend, the two Starks would be spending some time together.

Feeling satisfied, Y/n left the workshop and returned to his room. It turned out that he had two things to look forward to: lasagna and the movies next week.

He couldn’t wait.

XXXXX XXXXX

The days passed slowly, but finally, the long-awaited Saturday finally arrived. It was the day of the planned outing with Y/n and his father, a day Y/n had been looking forward to. He hoped this would be a turning point in their relationship, a chance to bridge the gap that seemed to widen between them every passing day.

Now, he was getting ready in his room, choosing a casual outfit of jeans and a T-shirt. He knew that, even though it was April, the weather was rather cool with it being sixty-five degrees outside. That made him add a blue jacket to his outfit.

After checking himself out in the mirror, he walked down the hall to the common area, where Tony had told him to meet. As he walked down the hall, he hoped that the horror movie they were going to see would be good. The trailer did look promising but they can also be deceitful.

Y/n rounded the corner and entered the common area, where the Avengers were watching a movie and enjoying a spread of pizzas, popcorn, nachos, and cheese fries. Thor was the only one who wasn’t here since he went to Asgard for a few days. He noticed they were watching the first "Back to the Future," a classic Steve had promised to watch at the next team movie night after Y/n discovered that he had never seen that movie series before.

Guess he finally listened, Y/n thought as he looked around the room and noticed something that he had failed to notice.

His dad was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, has anyone seen my dad?" Y/n asked, looking over the team of heroes.

"Yeah, he left. You just missed him too." Clint answered, his fingers reaching into the popcorn bowl that was in his lap and shoving some popcorn into his mouth.

Y/n frowned. What? "Left? Left where?"

"He said that he was taking Peter to the science fair." Steve munched on a pizza.

The college student's heart sank and his shoulders sagged, feeling disappointed. So, his father had forgotten about their plans. Again. And it was for Peter. Again.

"Oh," was all Y/n could manage to utter. He knew that he should be used to this, but it still stung every time it happened.

Natasha, sensing the disappointment in Y/n's timbre, glanced over at him. "You didn't know he was going out with Peter."

That was a statement, not a question. Natasha had always been perceptive.

"No, no, I did," Y/n backpedaled, forcing a grin. He didn't understand why he was protecting his father, but he just wanted this conversation to end. "I just forgot, but you telling me made me remember."

Y/n knew he was a terrible liar, and he didn't sound convincing. He knew they didn't believe him, considering Steve's frown, Bruce's concerned look, and the looks shared between Clint and Natasha.

Bruce grabbed the remote and paused the movie. "Look, why don't you join us, Y/n? You can finish the movie with us."

"Yeah, come on, Y/n!" Sam piped up. "We've got plenty of food, and we were just about to start a game of charades."

Y/n glanced at the team of superheroes. While he appreciated their invitation, he had been looking forward to spending time with his dad, so he shook his head but still kept the forced smile on his features. "Thank you guys, but I think I'll just head back to my room. Next time."

The h/c-haired male turned around and left the main area, frustration nagging at his insides. When he got to his room, he flopped down on his bed, back pressed against it as he stared up at the ceiling.

He didn’t understand.

Why did Tony continue to treat him as an afterthought? And what the hell was so damn special about Peter? Why did he always have to be the recipient of his father’s love? He couldn’t help but feel like he was always playing second fiddle to the guy who was two years younger than him. It was ridiculous to be jealous of someone younger than him, but Y/n couldn’t help himself. It hurt so much that his father favored Peter over him.

Y/n pulled out his phone, intending to call his dad when he got a notification from Instagram that his dad had posted a pic. He clicked on it and found himself staring at an image of his dad with Peter.

The caption read: Peter will take over my company someday. #prouddadmoment.

Proud dad moment...?

Peter wasn’t even his actual son and Y/n couldn’t stand the way his dad looked at Peter with such praise. What can I do to make him look at me like that one time?

And before Y/n knew it, his cheeks were pelted with water, and he just realized at that moment that he was crying. The tears fell to his cheeks before dropping onto the bed, but Y/n wiped his cheeks angrily since he shouldn’t allow this to make him sad. But it was so hard not to.

His e/c eyes drifted to the photo that was on his side table. He reached for it and picked it up. It was a photo of his mom. Y/n allowed his finger to run over his mom’s smiling face in the picture. It’s times like this when he wishes that she was still alive. At least then, he’d have a parent in his life who cared about him.

Suddenly, a knock came from his door.

"Come in," Y/n called out, setting down the photo back on his desk. He wished that it was his father knocking on the door, but he wasn't surprised when the door opened, and it wasn't him. It was Steve. "Hi, Steve. Did you like the movie?"

Steve nodded, taking a seat on the bed. "I did. It was a great eighties film. I can see why you love it so much." Steve then changed the conversation. "You okay?"

Y/n nodded. He knew he wasn't okay, but he didn't want to ruin Steve's evening with his problem. "I'm fine. Shouldn't you be playing charades with everyone else?"

The soldier disregarded the question and simply stared at Y/n for a moment, seemingly sensing that he wasn’t telling the truth. "Hey, why don't we grab some dessert? I know a great ice cream shop."

Y/n hesitated briefly. He didn't want to be a burden to Steve, but he also didn't want to spend his evening in his room.

"That sounds nice, thanks." Y/n smiled and followed the soldier out of the door.

Steve drove them to a small ice cream parlor that was tucked away in the city on his motorcycle, a vehicle that Y/n had never expected to get on willingly. Steve got the classic chocolate sundae, while Y/n got a vanilla sundae with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and a cherry on top.

They then went to the park to watch the beautiful sunset and enjoy their sundae. The sun, a fiery orb of warmth and light, dipped beneath the horizon, painting the sky with two shades of orange and pink.

Y/n and Steve watched the breathtaking scene in comfortable silence. The park was lively with kids playing, the distance hum of cars, and the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. Y/n's vanilla sundae sat untouched. His mind was elsewhere, consumed by the disappointment and hurt he felt over Tony's absence. Steve, on the other hand, enjoyed his chocolate sundae, taking slow, deliberate bites of it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The super soldier broke the silence, his eyes shifting over.

"Yup," Y/n murmured, his e/c eyes taking in the stunning view. "It's like a painting."

Steve smiled, nodding his head in agreement. He then spoke again, his voice deadly serious. "So, what's going on? You've seemed a little down lately."

Y/n let out a sigh, knowing there was no point in lying to Steve. "It's my dad. I just feel like he always puts Peter first. It's like I'm not even his real son sometimes."

The blonde's expression softened, and he placed a comforting hand on Y/n's shoulder. "I know it's tough, but try not to take it personally. Your dad has a unique relationship with Peter, but that doesn't diminish his love for you. You're his son."

He sighed again, "I know but it's hard not to feel overshadowed sometimes. Peter gets all the attention, and I'm just... here."

"Your dad may not always show it, but he's proud of you, Y/n," Steve assured him. "And I know that he loves you very much. Sometimes, parents just need a little reminder that their kids need them."

Y/n nodded, but he couldn't help feeling skeptical. After all, actions spoke louder than words, and Tony's actions indicated that he loved Peter more than him. Like Y/n would always come second to Peter.

But he didn't feel like dwelling on Tony's absence anymore. Instead, he turned his attention back to the sunset, watching as the last sliver of the sun disappeared behind the horizon. The sky grew darker, the colors of the sunset fading into the twilight. He didn't get the opportunity to spend the evening with his father as he planned, but at least he had spent it with someone who cared about him deeply.

And that made him smile.

XXXXX XXXXX

The next morning, Y/n found himself in the kitchen, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. The events of the previous day still weighed heavily on his mind, leaving a bitter taste that even the strongest brew couldn't mask. He wanted to confront his dad about his behavior, but at the same time, he didn't want to talk to him after what happened.

As he added a dash of sugar to his cup, the familiar clanking of Tony's footsteps drew closer. He saw his father enter the kitchen, but Y/n leaned against the counter, his back stiff and his gaze fixed on the windows. He deliberately avoided greeting his dad as he would usually do.

"Morning, Y/n," Tony greeted politely, but Y/n remained quiet, his back still turned. Feeling perplexed by the cold shoulder, Tony frowned. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Y/n replied, voice low and dismissive as he finished his coffee and placed the cup in the sink.

Y/n moved forward, attempting to leave the kitchen, but Tony stepped in front of him, unsatisfied with the response. "I'm your father. It's my job to be concerned."

Y/n's laughter rang out, harsh and bitter as if Tony had just told him a funny joke. "That is quite ironic coming from you."

The frown on Tony's features deepened. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Y/n's voice was quiet, "that lately, you've been anything but a father to me. But I can't say the same for Peter tho. You literally drop everything for him, but you can't even remember our plans."

Tony took a step forward, his tone rising defensively. "That's not true, Y/n. I do my best to be there for both of you. I juggle a lot, but I make time for you when I can."

Y/n's gaze didn't waver and he cocked his head to the side. "You make time for me? Then where were you last evening?"

"I took Peter to the science fair."

"Even though we had plans to go to the movies?" The younger man pointed out.

Tony's eyebrows furrowed as realization dawned, shame washing over his face. "I'm sorry, Y/n. I know we had plans, but Peter needed me. I couldn't leave him."

The two Starks were so busy arguing that neither of them noticed a stealthy figure that managed to infiltrate the compound, temporarily disable Friday, and had a knockout device in their hand.

"Peter needed you?" Y/n shook his head, his voice thick with hurt. Why did Tony forget about me? "What about what I need? You're my dad, not his. I need you."

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You have me every day, Y/n. Don't you see that I am always here for you?"

"Are you, Dad?!" Y/n's voice rose to a shout. "When was the last time we spent quality time together, just the two of us? When was the last time you and I had a real conversation that wasn't about your work or Peter? When was the last time you asked about what's going on in my life? You probably don't even know that my birthday is in two days. I'll be turning twenty-three, by the way. You don't know that one of my art pieces was presented at the museum you found too boring to visit. And you don't know that I made the Dean's List in school for the third year in a row!" Y/n's voice dropped to a whisper, but the words still stung like acid. "Mom would never treat me the way you do."

Tony flinched as if struck, his eyes widening at the mention of Y/n's mother. The weight of his son's words hit him like a physical blow, and he opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the room began to fill with a thick fog.

Y/n noticed it too, confusion clouding his face. But as more of the mysterious substance was released into the air, he dropped to his knees, his vision blurring. Tony staggered and slumped against the kitchen counter, his eyes falling shut.

And then, everything went dark. The gas in the room caused both father and son to collapse, slumping to the floor hard.

Later, once Y/n regained consciousness, his head pounded as he tried to piece together what happened. The last thing he remembered was the argument with Tony in the kitchen, and then everything went dark. But now, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, dimly lit by a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls were made of rough concrete, and the floor was cold and hard beneath him.

"Y/n? Can you hear me?" Tony's voice, filled with concern, reached him, and he turned to see his father hovering nearby.

"Dad?" Y/n's throat was dry and scratchy as he tried to sit up, but dizziness forced him to lay back down. It's overwhelming.

Tony helped Y/n into a seated position against the concrete wall. "Easy there."

Y/n looked around. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure," Tony admitted, his gaze scanning the room for any clues. "But it appears that we have been kidnapped."

Y/n's heart pounded in his chest as the reality of their situation sank in. Oh crap. He couldn't believe that they were in this predicament, but he didn’t know why he was completely surprised. Since he was a Stark, people have always attempted to kidnap him since the day he was born, but this was the first time someone had successfully managed to kidnap him.

And he couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow his fault. If only he hadn't argued with his dad, they wouldn't have been distracted when their captor struck.

"I'm sorry, Y/n," Tony apologized, his eyes filled with remorse, and Y/n was slightly taken aback because he hadn’t been expecting that. "I should have been there for you more. I let my work and my relationship with Peter overshadow our bond. That was wrong of me to do that."

Y/n eyes drifted to his hands, clasped in his lap. "You know, it hurt every time you chose Peter over me," he admitted, his voice quiet. "I don't understand why you always favor him. Why is everything he does amazing, but when it comes to me, you're never satisfied? Was it something that I did wrong? Or didn't do? Because I can change if it means you'll love me."

Tony shook his head vigorously, moving closer to his son. "No, Y/n. I don't want you to change for anyone, especially not for me. I can admit that I haven't always handled things perfectly. Peter reminds me of myself at his age, and sometimes I get caught up in my own nostalgia. But that doesn't mean I love you any less, Y/n. You're my son. I'd do anything for you."

Y/n's heart swelled at his father's words. He forgave Tony the moment the words "I'm sorry" exited his lips. Y/n had never been one to hold grudges, and now that Tony had acknowledged his mistakes, he hoped that they could finally move forward and rebuild their relationship.

Y/n wrapped his arms around Tony, who reciprocated the gesture. "I just want to spend more time with you," he muttered. "You know, do all that father-son stuff."

"And we will," Tony promised, pulling away. "As soon as we get out of here, I'll clear my schedule for the next month. We can go to the Bahamas. The water is beautiful, and I know they have amazing art exhibits there. It can be my birthday present to you. It'll be just the two of us."

It was impossible for Y/n to refrain from allowing the corners of his mouth to curl upward into a smile. He experienced a sense of optimism for the first time in a long time. As he looked into his father's eyes, he was certain that he would fulfill his promise. Y/n couldn't help but feel like a ten-year-old on Christmas morning.

"I'd like that, but how are we going to get out of here?" That was the big question.

Tony smirked. "Leave that to my team."

He informed Y/n through sign language that he had a secret tracker implanted in his watch, which had been confiscated. The Avengers were aware of the tracker, so it wouldn't be long before they arrived.

And then, as if on cue, the door to the room they were in flew off its hinges by a man getting thrown through it. Then, Steve walked into the room, dressed in his Captain America outfit. Steve threw his shield at the cell the Starks were in, allowing the two men to finally escape.

"Tony, Y/n, are you guys okay?" Steve walked over to them and started looking for signs of harm or injuries of any kind, but was relieved that he didn’t find one.

"Just peachy," Tony assured the blonde, grabbing his watch from a nearby table and taking Y/n's arm. They rushed out of the building, with Steve leading the way.

As the three made their way out, Y/n heard the sounds of gunfire, screaming, and growling echoing in the air. The Hulk was in full force, dismantling one of the kidnappers, while the other Avengers fought alongside him. Steve sprang back into action, and Tony transformed his watch into an Iron Man glove, joining the fighting. Even Spider-Man was there, taking out multiple opponents with ease.

But in the chaos, Y/n spotted a gunman aiming at Spider-Man from a distance. Acting without hesitation, he pushed Spider-Man out of the way, taking the bullet meant for him. The gunshot tore through Y/n's stomach, and he fell to the ground, eyes widening in shock and pain.

Tony had just fired a beam of light from his repulsor, sending the man flying into the nearby truck. But as he did, he heard the crack of a gunshot. He looked over to see where the shot had come from.

And his heart dropped to his stomach.

Y/n had been shot.

The bullet had pierced Y/n’s stomach, and blood was already soaking through his shirt, dripping onto the ground below.

"No, Y/n!" Tony screamed, running over as Steve hurled his shield at the shooter. Tony caught Y/n just as he began to fall, blood seeping through Tony's fingers as he peeled off his jacket and pressed it against the wound. Y/n trembled in his arms, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

"D-Dad."

"I know, I know, it's going to be okay," he whispered, his voice thick and his eyes shone with unshed tears. "You're going to be okay, I promise." His jaw clenched as he peered over at his teammates who had finally finished their fight and were rushing over. "Get us to a hospital, now!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Steve moved forward and quickly helped Tony carry Y/n to the Quinjet, with the other Avengers following closely behind them. Once inside, Natasha took her place in the pilot seat and Clint sat in the co-pilot seat next to her. Natasha quickly turned on the controls and maneuvered the jet into the air above, racing to the hospital.

The Quinjet soared through the sky, the city a blur below. Inside, the atmosphere was filled with worry. Everyone watched as Iron Man tried to help his injured son. Tony refused to let go of Y/n, his hands shaking as he tried to stop the bleeding, mind racing with fear and desperation. He had faced countless dangers as Iron Man, but nothing compared to the fear he felt at the thought of losing his son.

Finally, the Quinjet landed on the rooftop helipad of Metro-General Hospital, and Steve and Bruce rushed out, carrying Y/n on a stretcher. Tony was right beside him, keeping his hands clasped in Y/n’s.

"We need a doctor, now!" Tony shouted as they burst through the hospital doors.

Immediately, a group of two doctors and two nurses came over, taking over Y/n's care and wheeling him away. And Tony was beside them, still holding his hand.

"What happened?" One of them asked.

"Some idiot shot him," Tony explained.

The medical team wheeled Y/n into the operating room fast. The female nurse commented how Y/n had a weak pulse rate as the group of medical specialists lifted him onto the bed. Tony held onto his hands, tears welling up in his eyes.

The male doctor assessed the situation, noticing a smaller entry wound in Y/n’s upper right back and a larger exit wound in his abdomen. "Lungs failing," he said, his voice steady but grave. "Start an I.V. — two units of O, stat." The female nurse hurried off to fulfill the order. The female doctor asked for adrenalin, and the male nurse rushed to comply with the request.

Tony stood by his son's side, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the doctor's work. He couldn't remember a time he prayed, but he found himself silently pleading with any higher power that might be listening to spare his son's life. "Hang in there, buddy," he whispered.

Y/n struggled to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t think I'll make it."

The billionaire's heart broke a little more. "Don't you dare die on me." Tony's voice was borderline pleading, begging for his son not to leave him. He has to survive.

But as the doctors worked frantically to save Y/n's life, his condition continued to deteriorate, his grip on Tony's hand weakening. "Dad," Y/n whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm so cold."

Hearing this, Tony couldn't hold back his tears, which fell onto his son's hand. "I-I-I can't feel my legs," he continued, making Tony feel an enormous sense of dread and despair. He wanted to leave, unable to continue witnessing his greatest fear unfolding before his eyes. However, Y/n gripped Tony's hand tightly. "D-Don't go." Their eyes met, and Y/n let out a gasp before managing to utter three words.

"I love you."

The heart monitor's steady beep began to slow, then faltered, finally falling silent as Y/n slipped into full arrest. Tony cried out, "Oh god." His hand clamped over his mouth as he watched his son flatlined.

"Full arrest. Paddles!" The male doctor shouted, and the female doctor brought over the paddle machine. Tony stepped back as he witnessed the scene unfold. The lady squirted gel on a paddle, and the male rubbed them together. "Clear!" he yelled and used the paddles on Y/n.

But it didn't work.

"Recharge," he barked, and she obeyed. "Clear!" he used the paddles once more.

Still, Y/n’s heart did not respond and the heart monitor remained silent. Y/n was dead. The male doctor looked at Tony with a mixture of sympathy and sadness.

"I’m so sorry," the male doctor voiced.

And just like that Tony Stark broke.

He leaned over Y/n, his body heavy with grief, tears streaming down his face as he clutched his son's lifeless hand. The pain in his chest was unbearable as if his own heart had stopped beating. He couldn't believe his only child was gone.

Now, he would never witness his son's college graduation, celebrate another birthday, see him walk down the aisle, or become a dad himself. Y/n was gone, and Tony would never see his son again.

And Tony felt like he had died too.

His sobs echoed through the hospital room, a sound so full of anger and pain that it seemed to pierce the very air. The doctors and nurses quietly left the room, deciding to let the billionaire grieve alone.

"Y/n," he choked out, his voice breaking on his son's name. "Please... come back. I can't — I can't live life without you here."

But he knew that his son wasn't coming back, no matter how much he'd beg for it. That thought was unimaginable, a nightmare from which he couldn't wake.

He had failed his son, failed to keep him safe, and now, Tony was forced to face a world without the h/c haired male in it.

It was bad enough that the genius had been such a shitty dad to choose Peter over Y/n, but now he wouldn’t be able to show Y/n that he was fully committed to changing, to being the dad Y/n deserved.

That made his sobs grow louder.

The Avengers entered the room, their faces etched with sorrow. Each of them had faced countless battles, but nothing could have prepared them for the pain of watching one of their own lose a child.

Steve placed a hand on Tony's shoulder, a silent gesture of comfort for his friend. He knew that no words could ease the pain of such a loss, but he hoped that his presence would offer some solace. He took a moment to say a silent prayer for the man who was like a son to him.

Natasha's stoic expression cracked, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She had seen death countless times in her work, but this — this was different. This was one of their own, a part of their family.

Sam also couldn't hold back his tears. His vision blurred, and he wiped them away, not wanting to add to Tony's pain. But the pain was there, a dull ache in his chest that echoed the grief of his friend.

Clint had to look away, his jaw clenched. He had lost people before, but this was different. This was a young man, full of life, who left this cruel world too soon.

Bruce stood with his hands clasped in front of him. His eyes were downcast, but there was a hint of green in his eyes. He couldn't imagine the pain of losing a child, especially someone so wonderful.

Peter was the most visibly shaken and he felt somewhat responsible. If he had been more aware of his surroundings and saw the hidden shooter, then Y/n wouldn't have taken the bullet for him.

Tony's fingers trembled as he closed Y/n's eyes. "I’m so sorry, son," his voice a broken whisper. "I love you so, so much."

For Y/n, the light had gone out. For Tony, the darkness has never been complete.

XXXXX XXXXX

#avengers x reader #avengers x male reader #marvel x reader #marvel x male reader #tony stark x reader #tony stark x male reader #tony stark x son reader #tony stark x son!reader #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark imagine #son reader #x son!reader #x son reader #platonic #x male reader #male reader #male reader insert #male reader imagine

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squoxle · 3 days

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✏ TNAIT 003: Do. Not. Get. Attached l.at fanfic

✰ pairing: nerdy!bandboy!anton x cheerleader!fem!reader| ✰ wc: 2.9k | ✰ cw: profanity, angst, sexual themes, kissing | ✰ plot: your friends catch on to the fact that you might actually be falling for this nerd, but their reaction to it sends you on a wild mission to try and convince them otherwise... [Series Masterlist]

"So...how'd everything go with Ponytail?" Dongmin asked Chanyoung at the cafe, after his shift.

"It actually went alright. That cheerleader isn't too bad," he shrugged as he sat in the chair across from him.

"Did you make any progress?"

"With her assignments? Not really. We had a little incident and just ended up hanging out for a bit after that."

"Well, don't get too cozy, alright."

"What do you mean? You're the one who got me hooked up with her in the first place."

"I know man, but just be careful. Remember that we're a part of different worlds."

"So what? Are you trying to say she's out of my league?"

"I-I just don't want you to get your heart broken again..."

"What are you talking about. We literally just met."

"I know but--"

"You're acting like I proposed to her. We're just friends. Relax," he said before taking a bite of pizza. He picked some up for the two of them to eat here.

For the next few weeks, you continued to see him. First, it was only 3 days out of the week, but by now it had escalated to 5 days. Your feelings for him grew, but you had to keep your little crush a secret, at least for now.

"I'm telling you right now. Do. Not. Get. Attached," Xoey said. She decided to join you at the cafe today. "I can see it in your eyes that you like him more than you're letting on."

"Let's just say I do like him. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Are you insane? You're literally just using him to get your grades up. Any type of romance is out of the question," Xoey snapped.

"Can you believe she hasn't given him anything to help her?" Abigail chimed in.

"Nothing?" her eyes widened. "Hmm...interesting. Do you think he likes her back?"

"Eww. He better fucking not," Abigail rolled her eyes. "I swear if these two ever start dating, I'd actually vomit..."

"He's really not that bad," you shrugged.

"They have so many hot guys on the football team that you could easily pull. Don't settle for that dork," Abigail spat. You knew very well that she meant every word she said.

"Relax! I don't even like him like that. I already told you, I'm just being his friend so he can pull my grades up," you spat.

"Wait, wait, wait! So let me get one thing straight," Xoey interjected. "You two have just been buddy-buddy this whole time? You've never slept with him? Not even once?"

"Nope."

"Anything sexual at all? Maybe even a kiss?"

"She hasn't opened anything but her laptop for that geek," Abigail sighed as you shook your head.

"Okay, well if you really don't like him and it's all about the grades how about you prove it to us by kissing Nicholas," Xoey smirked.

"Omg, he is so fine," Abigail nearly moaned at the meer thought of him.

"Yeah, I know. And a little birdie told me that he's been looking at our girl. So this is gonna be a piece of cake," she grinned folding her hands together.

"Oh and to make it even better, you have to tell him that you've liked him forever," Abigail added.

"In front of sweet little Channie," Xoey spat.

"Girls, this is ridiculous," you wailed. "I already said I don't like him. I'm just using him for my grades. I seriously only see him as a friend," you lied.

"Do it and we won't hunt down your fanboy and tell him that you couldn't care less about him," Xoey raised an eyebrow as she leaned over the table, lowering her voice.

"And that you're just using him for the semester," Abigail added. "You've already told us how you're just gonna drop him anyway. So why not rip off the band-aid now?"

"Fine, fine! I'll do it," you exclaimed. "But not in front of him...that'll be too awkward."

Maybe it was the peer pressure of wanting to be accepted that influenced your decision. But whatever it was, there was some damage control you had to do first.

"So, what are we working on today," Chanyoung smiled as you sat down next to him.

"Hmm... well I finished writing one of my English assignments last night. Maybe you could just look over it for me first and then we can work on something else."

"Alright," he nodded as you slid your computer over to him and began scrolling through the contents of your essay.

“Umm…Chanyoung?”

“You can just call me Chan. It sounds less…formal,” he smiled.

“Okay. Well, do you have anything planned this weekend?”

“No, not really. Why?” He asked, turning away from the screen to look at you.

“I was wondering if maybe…you wanted to go out with me. N-not like a date or anything,” you chuckled. “Just as friends.”

“Yeah sure. It’s not like I’m doing anything anyway.”

“Great!” You smiled. “How do you feel about a movie at…I don’t know…6?”

“Yeah, 6 sounds good,” he laughed, admiring how sweet you were with him. Even though you said this would be a friendly date, you wanted to be more than that with him.

So what if your friends don’t like him. They’ll just have to get over it. After all, you just had to kiss Nicholas one time. It's not like you were signing yourself over in marriage, right?

"Well, umm...let's get back to studying and maybe we can hang out before you go to practice," he said, returning to the screen.

After cheer practice, Abigail dropped you off at home as usual. You waved to your parents and went straight to your room to clean yourself up for the night.

"Honey," your mom's voice called when you were in the bathroom. "When you're finished, your father and I would like to have a talk with you."

"Okay, I'm almost finished," you replied, before you heard her footsteps trail down the hall.

You had a very good feeling about what this conversation would be about. Lucky for you, you had the right answer.

"How are your grades looking?" your father asked as you sat on the couch.

"I'm actually doing a lot better," you nodded.

"Can you go get your laptop so I can see how they've improved?" he asked.

"Sure," you said before leaving the room. This conversation was just about as stale as you expected it to be. "Here it is," you turned the laptop to him, revealing your grades.

Politics — 85.97%

English — 94.81%

Math — 78.12%

Geography — 89.54%

"I have a few more assignments due this week that should bring my grades up even more," you smiled.

"This is great!" you mother chimed.

"I know we put a lot of pressure on you, but it's because we want you to succeed. I'm just glad to see that you're taking action on your own," your father began. "Without a tutor," he added.

You knew that wasn't completely true, but it's the lie you had to tell to keep everyone happy.

"Thanks," you said, closing the computer.

"Oh, before you go I wanted to address an issue," your father said as you were about to walk away. "I'm sure you've noticed by now that I froze your cards. Well, since you're obviously doing better I think you've earned that privilege back."

"Wow...I've never seen my dad so proud of me," you thought to yourself. "Then again, I've never let my grades drop like this."

"Goodnight, honey and keep up the good work," your parents smiled before you walked back to your room.

You wished that Chan was in your room right now so you could hug him. He's taken so much pressure off that you've even completed some of the assignments on your own. Meeting up with him has forced you to delegate time to your studies and giving him your login information was one of the best choices you made.

The next day at practice, you walked in to see one of your cheer mates in tears.

"What's going on?" you whispered to Janice. Abigail and the other girls were busy trying to console her.

"Word got out that Reina had been sleeping with another student to help her pass classes. Which is obviously a breach of the student code of conduct," she sighed leaning against one of the red lockers.

"So what's gonna happen to her?"

"Well, she's being suspended for the rest of the semester and will have a zero in all her courses, effective immediately. On top of that, she'll be on academic probation. Meaning, she'll be kicked from the cheer squad until she can complete a semester on her own with a GPA of 2.5 or higher."

You thought about the situation you were in right now. "That could've easily been me," you thought to yourself as you looked down at your feet. "If my parents ever found out about my little rendevous with Chanyoung they'd never trust me again..."

"Chanyoung," you gasped as you bumped into him in the halls.

"Heh, I didn't expect to see you here," he smiled.

"Well, it was nice seeing you Ponytail. But we kinda got somewhere to be," Dongmin spat as he grabbed onto Chanyoung's arm.

"Oh sorry, I wasn't trying to hold you up," you replied.

"No, it's alright. We were just going to grab something to eat before heading over to my place," Chanyoung said, turning back to you. "You can join us if you want."

"No, she can't," Dongmin interjected. "I'm sure she has something else to do."

"Dude--"

"No, he's right," you smiled, cutting him off. "I was just on my way to meet up with the girls. But maybe next time?"

"Yeah, definitely," he smiled, which just made Dongmin roll his eyes. "Oh, we're still on for this weekend right?"

"Yeah, totally," you chimed before jogging off to catch up with your friends.

"Eh hm? This weekend? What are you doing with her this weekend?"

"None of your business," Chan teased.

"What do you mean none of my business? You wouldn't even be talking to her if it weren't for me."

"Okay? I don't even see how that matters right now," Chan scoffed.

"Because you're falling for Ponytail and I can tell. I thought you didn't like cheerleaders. I guess everything's different now that you're holding hands with one?"

"Pft, what!?"

"Don't start playing dumb. It's written all over your stupid ass face. Every time she comes around and every time you talk about her you have that dumbass grin."

"Okay? So, what?"

"So you admit it? You do like her?"

"Yeah, I do. What's wrong with that?"

"She's so out of your league it isn't even funny."

"We're not in high school anymore. We can date whoever we want. Cliques don't exist here."

"Yes, they fucking do, but ever since you've been working for that high-strung cheering ditz you haven't been able to think straight."

"This is so fucking stupid. I'm not doing this with you, okay."

"The old you would've never been so blind."

"What are you talking about?"

"That bitch is two-faced as fuck," Dongmin spat.

"Whatever, man. You're just saying that because you're jealous."

"Jealous? God, you sound so much like those cock sucking sluts," Dongmin shook his head. "Wait, I just remembered that you're not even getting that from her, huh?" he chuckled. "She's just using you. She can't even bring herself to have romantic feelings for you. She's just pretending to be your friend so you can keep being her lovestruck slave."

"If you're gonna keep acting like that, I'd rather you just shut the fuck up."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Fuck no and I'm honestly tired of hearing you bitch."

"Fine, you can go back to living out your little fantasy, but don't come crying to me when you find out I'm right."

"I think I'm gonna go home on my own tonight," Chan shook his head before walking off, leaving Dongmin behind. "See ya tomorrow, man."

"Yeah...later..."

Remembering the dare from yesterday you decided to go find Nicholas and "confess" to him. This really just meant setting up a situation where a kiss wouldn't seem so awkward. You just weren't really the type to randomly put your lips on someone.

"Hey, Nick," you smiled as you approached him in the hallway.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Well...I heard from someone that you've been looking at me," he smirked as he anticipated the next thing you were gonna say. "So..."

"So?"

"So, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out this weekend?"

"Umm lemme just check my schedule real quick," he chuckled, pulling out his phone to swipe his thumb across the screen. "Yep, this weekend sounds perfect. I'll pick you up at 5, okay."

"5?"

"Yeah, I have football practice until 3:45 and I still gotta shower and stuff."

"Oh...okay. Well, 5 sounds good," you smiled feinly.

"Alright, well I'll have to catch up with you later. I think you already have my number so if you wanna talk tonight we can," he smirked before pulling you in for a hug.

"Okay, I'll try to call you tonight if I'm not too busy," you said as he hugged you one more time before jogging to high-five the group of boys that waited at the other end of the hall.

As much as you wanted to see Chanyoung today, he was busy taking care of something with his brother. This gave you a little more time to bond with Nicholas...or Nick as you liked to call him.

"Hey, ____," Nicholas waved as he walked into the courtyard. "I got out of practice early today. If you're not busy did you wanna catch up a bit now?"

"Yeah, sure," you smiled.

One thing your friends didn't know was that you had a past with Nicholas. The two of you went to school together from Pre-K to 5th grade--middle school is when you both went your separate ways.

Though you never moved, Nicholas' father was stationed outside of the country. Fate had it that the two of you reconnected.

You thought back to the time he gave you a candy ring for your "wedding" in 1st grade. Even though you were just kids, it still felt so special.

It really sucked when he moved away that summer, but he made sure to send you a card on your birthday every year.

"Okay, so I have one question," he began as he walked beside you.

"What's that?"

"Did you really wanna go out with me? Or is this part of some master plan?"

"Uhh, why would you think that?" you scoffed.

"Come on, ____. I'm not stupid. I know when someone's trying to jerk me around."

"He always was quick," you thought to yourself. "Okay, fine."

"Yup, I knew it," he chuckled. "So what was it? A dare? A competition?"

"It was a dare...some of the girls from my squad think I like this guy--"

"Well are they right?"

"Yeah, but they don't really approve of him."

"So what? If you like him and he's a great guy who cares what your friends think?"

"Hmm...yeah I guess you're right."

"Ooooof course I am."

"Well, I still gotta do the dare...I already agreed to it."

"Okay," he laughed. "But what exactly do you have to do?"

"You're not gonna like this...."

"Just tell me."

"I have to kiss you..."

"That's it?"

"And tell you that I've liked you forever," though you were dared to say this, at one point (before you got to know Chanyoung) that was true.

"Easy-peasy," he smiled before pulling your in by your waist for a kiss.

"Nick!" you exclaimed as he burst out into laughter.

"Relax, I just wanted to get a reaction out of you," he smiled. "Here, I'll do it properly this time," he leaned in before gently placing a kiss on your lips. "How's that," he asked.

"Much better, but you can do it on my cheek next time," you tapped the plush of your cheek.

"Like this?" he playfully pecked your cheek.

"Yes!" you laughed. "You're enjoying the hell out of this and I know it," you smiled as he wrapped his arm around you.

"I'll drop you off at home tonight."

"Hmm? Why?"

"Well I kinda wanna go raid the gas station and I think I'd like you to be my partner in crime. I mean it's only fair. After all you're just using me to complete a dare."

"Hmm, okay. Well, let's get started now," you smiled as he walked you to his car.

"Hey," Chanyoung said dryly.

"Look, I know you don't wanna hear this, but there's something you gotta know about Ponytail."

"What is it now," he sighed.

"Earlier today, I saw her getting all gushy over this jock. And I don't mean some silly conversation. I saw them kissing. She's duping you, man."

Chanyoung sat in silence for a short while before finally speaking again. "You're not gonna stop, are you?"

"What are you talking about, Chan? I just gave you proof."

"No, what you gave me was some more bullshit stories you sat around concocting all day."

"Dude, I--"

"I don't wanna argue about this again, okay. Just drop it already."

"Chan..."

"Forget it...I'm going to sleep."

Later that night, after Nicholas dropped you off, you laid across your bed, staring up at the ceiling as you though to yourself...

"How the hell am I gonna be in two places at once?"

Thanks for reading the second episode of my series. [Series Masterlist]

Click this link to go to my main masterlist and stay tuned for the next episodes.

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ambrosiagoldfish · 2 days

Note

Lucifer x sinner reader?

Two of a kind

Warnings: Gn! Reader, Lucifer has some prejudice against sinners, but other than that honestly just a fluffy meet-cute between Luci and the reader!

Request Box: Open

Word count: 1240

A/n: Hi! thanks for the request! This one was a little tricky to write as you didn’t specify anything more than your request, so I had to come up with some kind of plot for it! But I definitely had fun writing for Lucifer! I’m sure everyone here knows that I simp for Adam (if that wasn’t obvious) but I also adore Luci! Anyways, I hope you enjoy <3

Reblogs Appreciated

Also what do y’all think about Luci’s header I made?

Lucifer’s visit to the hotel certainly was…. Eventful.

Seeing his daughter was the best thing he’s done in ages, but it did come at the cost of having to be around the hotel’s sinners, especially that red headed radio guy. To put it simply, Lucifer was having one of the worst days so far. That was until… Charlie decided to introduce him to another one of the hotel's guests who had shown up late to his welcome party.

They yelp as they rush in through the door, falling down face first into the ground. “Charlie! I have the extra decorations for your dad’s par… ty…” they lifted their head slightly to see two black heeled-boots right in front of them.

Their head slowly lifted, eyes following up the body in front of them, observing the intricate red design on a snow white suit, a big black bow tie, and eventually two crimson red eyes adorned with a mop of slick backed blond hair. Right away, they knew who it was, they've seen him in many portraits in the hotel… It was Lucifer.

Lucifer watched intently as they let out a sound akin to a squeak when they jumped back slightly while on the ground, mumbling something that sounded like an apology, but Lucifer paid it no mind as his eyes stared at you with something even more than intrigue.

See, Lucifer possessed a type of ability to see the souls of those around him. It was an ability most Angels and even some high ranking Winners had. And usually, he could mark what exactly got them here, to make them sinners. He’s always been able to do it, he’s even able to see if a sinner's soul was owned or if they themselves owned souls.

But them… He couldn’t quite pinpoint why they’d be here. He could see it, the marks of sin burned into their soul but what they were for, what they had done, was hidden far far from his eyes. But even then your soul was shockingly nearly spotless aside from those scars of sin. That intrigued him so much.

“And you are?” Lucifer asked, extending his hand down towards the slightly shaking body on the ground. They hesitantly took his hand, their own was soft against his as he held it gently.

“Oh right! Dad this is Y/n! One of our guests here at the hotel! They have made excellent progress in their journey to redemption!” Charlie says, enthusiasm evident in her voice.

A sinner making progress to redemption? That’s definitely a first. If it was even true, which he doubted. Sinners are just that, sinners. No matter how hard you try, they’ll just keep tumbling back down until they’re worse than they started. Lucifer’s seen it, he’s seen it countless times. But still, everything surrounding this sinner made them seem so.. kind?

“You came back a little late, was everything ok?” Charlie asked, concern evident In her voice.

“Yeah, don’t worry! it was entirely my fault I was late.” They pause as they pull out a phone from their pocket, showing them the screen “I got distracted by this family of ducks at the pond down the street”

On the screen were five ducks swimming in a green-blue pond, two adults and three ducklings. They weren’t normal ducks of course, they were some type of hellspawn variety but still they looked as close to real ducks as they could be.

Lucifer’s eyes widened in amusement letting out a small sound involuntarily. He tried to keep his face as poised as he could but when faced with the sight of the most adorable animal to ever be created he can’t help but fawn over them.

Once you had finished showing them both the pictures and videos you took Charlie spoke up “Ok that’s great, I’m glad you didn’t encounter any trouble!” Then almost as if a light bulb lit over her head “Oh! that reminds me, I had to grab something for you Dad! I can’t believe I nearly forgot!”

Charlie quickly walks over to Y/n and tries to whisper something in their ear but he could make it out enough to get the picture “keep Dad occupied till I get back”

The sinner nods in acceptance as Charlie yells that ‘she’ll be back in a jiffy’ leaving Lucifer and The lone sinner alone together.

The silence in the air was suffocating, at least to Lucifer. He hadn't always been this awkward when it came to conversations but in recent years his social skills have made a decline. He lets out a small sigh.

“Do you also like ducks?” The sinner breaks the silence. “You seemed to enjoy the pics I took”

‘Crap… they heard me earlier?’ Lucifer thought, he clears his throat “Y-Yeah, I do enjoy them. But it’s not like an obsession or anything. Like I don’t have a… workshop full of completely unique rubber ducks I made myself haha!” His laugh went on for longer than he intended, leaving an awkward feeling in the air. Good job Lucifer… you did great.

The sinner looked at him with a look that could only be described as confusion, before they gave a sly grin at him.

“Hmm, a shame. I so happen to love guys with a workshop full of rubber ducks” they laugh. Ah, a joke, just a joke, there's no way that they could be flirting with him… right? “So I guess that makes you an exception then?” You wink at him when you finish your sentence.

Oh… oh! Yep. Definitely flirting. A sinner…was flirting with him? And the worst part? He was actually enjoying it??? He clears his throat again, the blush on his face contrasting with his pearly white skin, making it even more evident “Yes well, um… I do know a guy with a rubber duck workshop, if you’re interested, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I gave you a t-tour?” The end of his sentence didn’t come out as confident as he would have liked it, having to force the last words out.

The sinner laughs “Hmm, I wouldn’t mind taking you up on that offer.” They walk over to a small bed-side table to grab a pen and paper then began writing something before tearing the slip of paper out.

The sinner walks back to him, paper in hand. Slowly they bent down in front of him until they were now face-to-face. Lucifer gulps down nervously as they take his sweaty hand In their soft warm one. They open his palm before slipping the note and closing his hand around it. Then they move his hand to his chest before letting go.

“See ya’ around, you handsome devil”

The sinner walks away with those last words, a smirk evident on their face. Once he was sure you were gone he slowly unraveled the note you left in his hand. Carefully he reads the words on the paper

‘Tell that ‘friend’ I’d love to see his workshop ;) call me <3

( XXX-XXXX )’

You had left him your number…. Lucifer’s face felt as hot as a desert, the red from his cheeks spreading over his paper white face. Was he really going to do this? It was such a bad idea… No no, he was just doing this to get to the bottom of what’s up with their soul. Yes! That was the reason! Nothing more… Right?

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n4nase · 3 days

Text

somethin' stupid

| you and toji, the love in your relationship severed many years ago-- but kept together solely by your children and the agreement to keep a complete household for your children. toji understands that you may not love him as much anymore; but the admiration for you is ongoing, eternal.

based on the song somethin' stupid - frank sinatra, nancy sinatra!

! toji fushiguro x female reader, sorta angst, comfort, established relationship,.... idk

' i know, i stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me'

"y/n, do you wanna go out for a drink tonight..?" toji asked shyly. a small amount of blush creeped into his cheeks, dark black strands of hair just slightly covering his eyes. "--i mean, we've been on edge lately.. i thought i could treat you..." he continued after a small silence. fiddling with the bottom of his shirt as he awaited your response.

you agreed.

*'and if we go someplace to dance, i know that there's a chance you wont be leaving with me.'

you guys walked beside each other that night, a little closer than you guys usually do. toji felt the warmth of your body radiate onto his. he was happy settling at that closeness. you could hear the aura of party downtown-- the same aura felt the day you guys first met.

toji wanted to take you somewhere meaningful that night. he feared losing you more than he already has.

*'then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink or two..'

you and toji stopped in front of a small jazz bar. you used to always want to adventure to jazz bars with toji, daydream about you and him in themed attire to enjoy a peaceful night at the bar.

"you've always wanted to come here right?.." toji sort of mumbled. it was hard for him to talk to you when it wasn't about the kids.

you hummed in satisfaction, taking a sip of the drink that toji ordered for you-- the classic, its been years and he still knows you well.

"thank you, toji." you looked into his eyes. they glistened a little, the light reflecting off of his alluring green eyes.

*'and then i go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like,'

"you're welcome, i love you." he said softly. those three words being the loudest of the restaurant chatter happening throughout the bar. you tilted your head slightly. you blushed a little. but no reaction.. do you love him still?

toji thought you didn't. your lack of response had confirmed things for him.

'i can see it in your eyes that you despise the same old lies you heard the night before'

you swirled your drink softly. the nights he had come home exhausted, the days you felt neglected by him. you both failed to nurture each other. it was exhausting when you bombarded each other at the wrong times.

regrets, a marriage of love.. feelings of regret. are there some things that we should have gotten over..? it hurt.

'and though its just a line to you for me its true and never seemed so right before..'

but despite those feelings of hurt. toji still loved you after it all. unconditionally. but you didn't love him back.

even so. the air was thick between you two. the remembered feelings and memories attached to jazz bars had caused you two to reminisce.

'i practice every day to find some clever lines to say to make the meaning come true...'

toji tried. every morning, he would try to come knocking on your (separate..) bedroom door to ask for you to fix his tie perfectly as you did before. or bring you breakfast in the mornings as you woke up.

he ended up covering your plate in saran wrap. a small note attached with the rilakkuma sticky notes you had purchased.

he had to watch a youtube video on how to fix his tie.

'but then i think i'll wait until the evening gets late and i'm alone with you.'

he played with the straw in his cup. he looked at you for a while. you knew that, you let him.

'the time is right your perfume fills my head'

you walked back together. you had .. many drinks extra, clinging onto his arm as he guides the two of you back home. your familiar scent lingering onto him. he breathed in heavily--the fresh cold air purifying his thoughts.

'the stars get red, and oh, the nights so blue'

he daydreamed about moments like this with you. for years almost. to be this close with you again. he looked up at the sky. you stumbled a little, grasping his arm a little tighter.

he pulled out your spare pair of shoes. sitting you down to slip your heels off gently and hold them for you. he knew your feet were hurting.

a habit he built, because he loved you.

'and then i go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like,'

your breath showed in the soft lighting of the night. blush tainting your cheeks and nose perfectly. you could not do anything but stare.

when you’re drunk, its your subconscious right?..

"i love you." you softly said.

a/n: i CLEARLY am a first time writer. saur many typos but im fixing them i swear plzzz i dont know how to work this

#toji fushiguro #jjk x reader #jjk toji #toji x you #toji x reader #toji angst #toji fluff #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu toji

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hockeygossipunhinged · 21 hours

Note

https://www.tumblr.com/hockeygossipunhinged/753189402959822848/anon-who-posted-the-stuff-youve-heard-about-jack

i haven’t really heard things about quinn mainly cause he’s older and went to michigan when i was still in high school but from what i heard he’s the more serious guy when it comes to relationships wants the white picket fence golden retriever dog 3 kids perfect family and thinks more of the do i see a future with this person being my future wife now but he wasn’t a stranger to hooking up as we all occasionally do in college but sorry im closer in age to luke to put things on perspective but i haven’t heard any bad stories about him everyone always says he’s nice and respectful and no girls give him dirty faces when they see him unlike his brother

the things i’ve heard about luke are very hard due to him being very reserved when talking to girls and me being more friends with guys than girls but here’s everything i’ve heard through the grape vine:

-jack flirting with girls that he likes causing him to be insecure when it comes to talking and interacting with girls

-very very awkward and isn’t good at hiding it

-he only talks to the boys on the team when at parties he’d always be in arms reach which have led him to third wheel or be stuck in awkward conversation with the girls friends that according to my friend he looked absolutely miserable and was answering with um yeah idk basic filler words

-i saw this one with my own eyes and i felt terrible but two people were making out and when the guy pressed up against her she fell back onto him pinning him between a corner and a crowd of people for like 5 seconds he looked like he wanted to kill himself

-from what i’ve heard is he’s not into the big party scene and would rather stay home his teammates usually drag him out and sometimes he has fun and dances on the sidelines and other times he’s just waiting for the time to go down

-really doesn’t get drunk like has one or two beers to get a little buzz but nothing bad at least right now since he’s not 21 yet

-he dose hook up but not with many girls and is very straight up about this only being sexual and nothing serious he’s very sweet about sex like always asking if this is okay how the girl is feeling and they always leave pleased he’s no professional though still bonks girls in the head but we’ve all been their

-is awkward though like really awkward my girlfriends friend said she had to take over cause the awkwardness was turning her off but size wise big like 7 or 8 inches (and i believe her cause this girl has stopped a almost hookup when she wasn’t pleased with his size was)

-i haven’t heard any girls complaining about how long he lasts as they do for jack all they say is they wish he wasn’t as nervous and didn’t overthink it

-i’ve heard he chats on snap,insta and even sometimes messages but mainly snap and insta

-heard this from his teammates mouth chirping him about being a hopeless romantic and stills never had a girlfriend and he just turned red and did an awkward smile and the girl his teammate was with was like “you’ll find her someday”

-he’s very very reserved though and only talks about hockey and movies mainly just comedy’s but if you really want to get him talking just talk about all the food places around campus that you think serve the best food and he’ll debate you on it

-i’m more friends with guys though and thats all i’ve heard from my girlfriends friends but from guys its brutal and it comes off more jealousy than anything but they all say he’s secretly gay and they are obsessed obsessed with his private area( which as a lesbian gay as hell) but that’s only cause one of them dated a girl who’s hooked up with luke and they probably heard he was huge too

-they said he probably pays girls to say that and and they were like no way he has anything more than 4 inches i have no clue why guys care about other men’s junk but you know men always insecure about the man before them.

but that’s basically it he seems like a sweetheart and hopefully he finds someone that’ll be interested for him and not his brother

Reminder all of these are allegedlys and rumors so dont take as seriously pls

More on Quinn, Jack and Luke. Thanks anon

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coreene · 2 days

Text

Sanguine Spitzer

The giveaway fic I've promised is here! Written from the lovely prompt given to me by the winner @the-glass-hammer

Pairing: Astarion x Fem!Tav

Rating: Explicit

Word count: 2.6k

Summary: Astarion pulls Tav away at the tiefling party because he's hungry. She is a little drunk and it gets him a bit tipsy… and horny and they end up fucking.

Tags: blow jobs, p in v sex, vampire bites, blood drinking, semi-public sex, doggy style, nipple play, very little dom astarion, he is commanding but not enough for a full dom/sub thing

Read under the cut or on Ao3!

Many thanks to @beesht for beta and @tickitytockityrattityrottity for coming up with the title and @bearhugsandshrugs for helping me out whenever I had a question about doing giveaways! Love you guys all! ❤️❤️

It was a party! They had saved the grove and found Halsin who couldn’t remove their tadpoles but gave them a new objective. And people were celebrating them and presumably, still being alive.

Astarion looked around himself. The awful wine they had at the party was not quenching his thirst. He needed something warmer and from the source. He needed Tav. After a moment of searching with his eyes over the goblet he had found her.

She looked like she was having a lot of fun talking to the three tiefling siblings. She looked like she had just finished sparring with the warrior one and the wizard had taken the stage to show off some moves.

"Hello, darling,” Astarion said as he made his way over to her. ”You look like you're having fun!"

"Astarion,” Tav greeted him with a loud and happy voice. She surprised her as she threw her arms over his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. "Join us. Rolan was about to show us his thunderwave."

Astarion chuckled. She was probably the most drunk he had seen her. "As much as I'd like to see that,” he said as he pulled her to himself, a few steps away from the tieflings and whispered in her ear. ”I am feeling rather thirsty, darling."

"Now?” Her eyes widened at his question and he watched as her cheeks flushed.

"Everybody seems to have something tasty to drink." He spoke in a pouty voice, knowing how well it worked on her. "So, I would like to have mine now."

"We can't, hck, use your tent. It's too crowded here," Tav responded between her hiccups.

Astarion smirked at he fact that she didn’t say no and looked around. "Not to worry, I know a place."

He took her hand and pulled her away from camp. He noticed the giggles and the knowing eyes of the tieflings but he did not care. He was hungry and Tav was flushed with that delectable blood. They walked around the ruins and hid behind them. They were close enough to hear the faint chatter of the party but far away enough to have some privacy.

She looked drunk and her skin glistened with sweat from playing rough house with the tiefling siblings. He could see her heartbeat as he got close and she offered him her wrist. He caressed and kissed her skin before he sank his teeth down onto it.

She was delicious as always but something was different this time. He felt more lightheaded the more he drank. He pulled out of her with wide eyes – all around him was turning a little bit now.

"Astarion, are you alright?" Tav asked with a worried expression.

"Never better, darling." He giggled. "My, you have drunk quite a lot tonight haven't you?" He said pushing her hair back, opening her neck up to himself.

She held onto his shoulders and looked up. "I don't think I have, just a few goblets."

Astarion lowered his head to her neck, his breath tickling her skin.

"Astarion," she giggled, her hands moving up to his hair. "That tickles."

He smiled before he continued his feather light touches on her skin, eliciting more giggles and goose bumps on her skin. He couldn’t help but breaking her skin, only lightly and licked the little blood that came out.

"Astarion," she called his name, almost like a moan this time.

"What is it, darling?" He teased, his mouth continuing its exploration on her skin.

"Oh, gods, that feels good," Tav moaned as she felt Astarion sucking in her skin. His hands were on her back now, pulling her tightly to his body.

His mouth was moving on its own, drunk on her blood and lost in lust. She lowered her head finding his lips and pulled him into a kiss. He felt her melt in his arms as they deepened the touch of their lips.

"What are we doing?" Tav asked pulling her head back as she gasped for air.

"Having a little fun," Astarion responded, diving in on her neck as she threw her head back with a moan.

He felt her hands slide down his back and dip under his trousers. She found the hem of his shirt and gave a firm squeeze to his ass, making him buck into her, before she pulled the fabric off. He untangled his arms for one second and allowed her to remove his top before he went back to kissing and licking her skin.

He pushed the collar of her tunic down, but it was tight and it was in his way to get to his prize. It was his turn to unwrap her now. He moved his hands swiftly to her waistband and pulled her shirt off with one smooth motion. She stood with her brasserie in front of him. He stepped back for a second to admire her toned stomach before he went back to suckling on her neck. He left a trail of bruises on her skin as he made his way down to the top of her breasts.

He cupped one in his hand as his other arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer. He caressed her nipple over the fabric, feeling it harden under his touch as he pushed the bra down to reveal her succulent tit. He admired her for a second before he moved his mouth lower and lower to her sensitive nub as he left kisses and light nibbles on her skin. He grazed and drew out superficial cuts, licking the little blood that trickled out.

He could hear her moaning his name in between incoherent babbling as he started sucking on her nipple. He pulled back, took a look at the glistening bud, and squeezed her tit. She looked positively delectable. He moved his thumb over the skin once and twice, feeling her buck and whine. He pushed her bra down on the other tit revealing both to his hungry eyes. He cupped both breasts in his hands, squeezing and rubbing the nipples before he lowered his head once again to suck on them. He moved from one nipple to the other, licking, biting and pinching her perfectly hard tips.

He felt her hands move in his hair. She formed a fist and pulled on the strands as he pushed her tits together to suck on both of her sensitive nipples. It felt divine to feel her like this. He made his way back to her lips as he slowly pushed her back to the stone wall. He looked over her shoulder and through the cracks on the wall to check if anyone was coming their way. People at the party seemed blissfully unaware what was happening, satisfied he returned his gaze back to Tav.

He placed his forefinger under her chin, his thumb caressing her lips. She parted them slightly a second later and he pushed his finger in. She looked up at him as she sucked in his thumb with a sultry look.

"Do you really need something in your mouth this badly, darling?" He teased as he slowly moved his thumb in and out.

She pulled her head back, releasing his thumb with a pop. "Why don't you let me show you?"

Her hands moved down to his waistband, pushing down his trousers, cupping his ass as they went. Astarion threw his head back as he felt her touch caressing his skin. She gave a firm squeeze to his ass before she pushed his trousers lower, revealing his hardened and weeping length.

"Go on, then," he said as he placed his hand on top of her head, pushing her down. She showed no resistance as she eagerly dropped to her knees.

She took him in her hand and gave a few experimental pumps. She spread the precum on his slit around his tip, then lowered her head and licked it up.

"Mmmm," she moaned as she took a few more experimental licks before he felt her warm mouth swallowing his wet cockhead.

She started to move, swallowing him and pulling back while her hand stroked the base of his dick. He kept a hand on her head helping her set the pace. Soon it became too much and he pulled her up from under her arms.

"Turn around," he said with a pant and turned her around pushing her face to the stone wall without waiting for her answer.

He pulled her trousers down and admired her nice lace underwear. He moved his hand over her ass, caressing her flesh before he gave a nice and loud slap.

"Astarion!" She hissed as she nervously raised up to look through the crack. "Be quiet!"

He pressed his body against her back, squeezing her between himself and the wall and whispered to her ear. "You don't give the orders here, darling."

He gave her ass another loud slap to make his point. "Order me again and I will make you scream so loud, everyone will come over to watch you get off on my cock, understood?”

Her breath caught in her chest and her hips bucked against him as he growled the last words. ”Yes,” she breathed out, voice low with need.

"Good girl,” he praised, his hands finding their way to the band of her underwear.

He pulled it down slowly and watched the fabric cling to her wet cunt before revealing her sex to himself. She looked delicious. He placed his fingers on her pussy and gave a few strokes. She was so fucking wet already. He kneeled down behind her and pressed his head between her cheeks, tasting her sweet arousal.

Whimpers and moans had started to escape her mouth. He gave her a nice long lick, his tongue tasting her from her clit to her wet opening. He flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue as he heard her muffle her cries with his hand. He chuckled to her cunt, vibrations making her hip buck. He was almost done with his teasing as he stuck his tongue into her opening, moving it in and out. Oh, she was ready. He pulled back and got up. His hand feeling her wetness once again as he pressed his body on her back once again.

He coated his cock with her wetness, feeling her up and teasing her to tears every time he touched her wet cunt to gather her slick.

"Please, Astarion," she sounded like she was going to cry.

"What's wrong, darling?" He asked in a pouty voice, enjoying immensely how needy she had become.

"Please, fuck me," she begged.

"Now, how can I say no to such sweet begging," he said lining up his cock with her entrance.

"Yes, please," she said in a hopeful voice, her breathing picking up as she felt his tip opening her pussy lips.

Astarion pushed himself inside her folds with a growl, burying his cock to the hilt in one stroke. She was so wet and he went in so smoothly, it was perfect.

He savoured the moment of her tight and warm walls before he pulled back slowly, savouring the way she held onto him. And he pushed in again with a rough stroke, pushing her head against the wall.

"Yes, yes, yes," he heard her babble as he set a rough pace.

He placed a hand on her head and kept her in place as he moved his hips back and forth. He could hear the loud snaps coming from the contact of their hips, feel his balls smack against her clit. Her pussy was getting wetter and wetter with every stroke, filling the air with the wet sounds of their fucking.

He placed both his hands on her hips as he pulled her close to himself in sync with his strokes. He could hear her whimpers and feel the twitching of her inner walls as she placed both hands on the wall for support. She was close. And so was he with every clamp of her muscles.

He slowed down his movements a little, earning a whimper of protest from her. He didn’t want to spill himself so fast. He leaned over her, moving one hand to her neck and caressing her skin. His hand made its way to her breast, squeezing the soft flesh before pinching her nipples as he kept the slower movement of his hips.

"Oh, gods," she cried out. "I'm so close. Don't stop... Astarion..."

She barely got the words out between his rough thrusts and her moans.

"I wouldn't dream of it, darling," he said as he pulled on her other nipple, harder, eliciting a louder cry this time.

He moved both hands to her breasts and pulled her up flush to himself as he continued fucking into her. He picked up the pace as he went, twisting and pinching her nipples with one hand, snaking the other down her stomach to rub her clit.

She came with a loud scream and clamped on his dick the moment he circled her clit. He pulled out of her in a hurry and pushed her shoulders down as he took himself in his hand. It only took two strokes to finish as he painted her back white with his creamy seed. He moved his hand, squeezing every last bit of cum, letting it all drip on to her back and ass.

They were both breathing heavily by the end of it. Tav had held onto the stone wall, her head resting on her arms. Astarion gave a slap to her ass when he was done as she looked back to him over her shoulder.

"That was amazing," she said between her heavy breaths.

"I had a whole speech to get you on your back, darling,” he said with a laugh as he pulled his pants up and tucked himself in. He found a handkerchief in his pockets and cleaned up his masterpiece with a sigh.

"Oh that's too bad. I would have loved to hear it,” she said with a playful voice, teasing him as she straightened to look for her clothes. She did her best to tuck in her tunic and comb her hair with her fingers. She looked at Astarion with a smile. "How do I look?"

"Like you are freshly and thoroughly fucked,” Astarion said with a smirk, amused.

She pushed him back and cursed, going back to combing her hair with her fingers. "Do you think they'd know?"

"Well, if they couldn't tell by the state of you, they could tell by those wonderful noises you made." Astarion spoke with amusement. He enjoyed winding her up a little too much.

She scoffed. "Alright, I'm not going back there."

"Oh? Whatever shall we do for the rest of the night then?" He asked with intrigue, raising an eyebrow.

"You will go and get us another bottle of wine, some cheese and some bread. We'll figure out the rest later." She spoke pointing her finger to him.

"Will I now? I thought I made it clear who gave the orders here." Astarion said crossing his arms on his chest.

"You have to have me desperate and aching for your cock for that to happen again, darling." Tav spoke, mimicking him with her last words.

"Aha - that can be arranged,” he spoke with a sultry tone. "I shall go and get whatever the lady wishes without further delay then."

He finished his words with a little bow and made his way back to the camp chest with a smile on his face. This was going to be a long night.

#Astarion x Tav #tavstarion #Astarion x Female Tav #Astarion #BG3 Astarion #Astarion Ancunin #Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion #Bg3 #Bg3 Spoilers #Astarion Fanfic #Astarion Fic #Astarion Smut #baldur's gate 3

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inuhalfdemon · 2 days

Text

No One Can Know...(20/22)

Word Count: 6,269 Words

Rating: Explicit (SMUT + Violence)

"You're a story that I hoped I'd never have to tell.

You're a lesson that I wish I'd never learned so well.

After all my years of giving up and letting go,

All I wanted was to give you what you've never known.

I know now, you can only hurt me 'cause I let you get to know me so well.

I know now, I love you 'cause only you can turn my Heaven to Hell.

I know now, I want out from under your spell."

- The Birthday Massacre

It only made sense that the radio demon and the television demon would find ways to collaborate with each other – in those earlier days. Both Sinners were of a medium variety; sharing a very specific niche. By utilizing each other’s strengths, they quickly learned that whatever power they found and obtained for themselves; it could be gathered in an exponentially greater amount when their abilities were combined.

Vox had the visuals and Alastor had the audio. A perfect combination that resulted in a greatly beneficial investment to both parties and an incredible form of entertainment.

For decades; both demons worked together and maintained a very lucrative business for themselves. Their relationship remained strictly business as they continued to respect each other’s own professions; own territories and contracts. But, like with many things; time moved forward, there was change and slowly – they both began to become more involved in each other’s lives.

“Ok, out with it – because I really want to know…” Vox slammed his drink down; splashing beer onto the bar counter. “Boys? Girls? What?”

Alastor swiveled his head over. “Hm? What?”

“You know what!” Vox growled at him; wagging a finger in Alastor’s face. “Boys or girls, I wanna know!”

They both had gone out drinking; indulging themselves a little too much after another fantastically productive week.

“No.” Alastor said simply, sipping from his drink.

“No, you won’t tell me!?” Vox nearly roared back at him; his screen flushed red from the effects of the alcohol.

“Just…no.” Alastor shrugged. “I find them all quite…unexciting.”

“You-you what!?” Vox and leaned in to take another drink and ended up spitting it all over onto the counter. “How!?”

Alastor shrugged again; smiling dopily back at him.

“No fucking way – uh uh – I don’t believe you.” Vox told him; blearily. “You are such a…fucking liar. You know what – prove it! I wanna see it for myself.”

“If you must.” Alastor drunkenly agreed.

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

“How are you not hard right now!?” Vox was yelling at Alastor within the explicit sex club.

Alastor was leaned back, perfectly at ease, comfortable; the very picture of unperturbed; sipping at a cosmopolitan.

Vox had paid good money for them both to be treated to the most visual of erotic displays - from both men and women; all manner of demons - and Alastor had sat through each one – never blinking an eye; going on chattily about work, politics, Cannibal Town, the fucking weather… clearly disinterested and not the least bit aroused.

Vox, meanwhile, had sported himself an erection for nearly every dance; having to excuse himself to the men’s room several times.

“I told you.” Alastor sang back at him; smiling joyfully.

“What is fucking wrong with you?” Vox glared at him and Alastor actually started giggling.

“Fuck…I’m wasted. Let’s get out of here.” Vox threw down some bills for a tip and they left.

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

“You know…” Vox began; trying to keep his thoughts straight and from slurring his words too badly. “That whole sex club thing that that guy Valentino’s got going isn’t really a bad idea.”

He and Alastor were shuffling their way out of the club, both feeling dizzy and giddy from their night spent out.

“Ugh…please.” Alastor stuck out his tongue; making an exaggeratively disgusted look despite his smile.

“Just because you got your wires crossed!” Vox shoved him. “Some people actually really enjoy the sex stuff, you fucker.”

Alastor cackled and Vox sighed.

“I’m just saying…the guy knows what he’s doing. Give him the right setup, the right equipment, the right people…he could really make and sell some fucking good porn.”

“Not this again.” Alastor snarled.

“Seriously, Alastor.” Vox was getting excited. “This guy could be a big benefit to what we’ve already got rolling out for entertainment!”

“Nope…I don’t like him.” Alastor was shaking his head; stumbling a little. “I don’t like him, I don’t like what he does.”

“You’ve hardly talked to him! How do you know you don’t like him!?”

“He fucking uses the people that work for you him, Vox.” Alastor hissed. “He controls them with his powers – his abilities - he takes away all of their free agency.”

“Is it really so different from what you and I already do? With the video and the radio stuff…c’mon?”

“YES!” Alastor yelled; becoming both angry and passionate now. “What we do….it’s suggestive, it’s manipulative: cold and calculating. We find the parts in people that make them weak, make them susceptible…what Valentino does…it’s force.”

“Uh huh…clearly different.” Vox rolled his eyes, agitated.

“I’m not having this conversation with you again, Vox.” Alastor sighed. “You can jump onto a wagon with him if you want but as soon as you do, I’m out.”

“You are so fucking stubborn.” Vox hissed.

“Yeah, well…one of us has got to have their standards.” Alastor smirked back at him. “Fuck…it’s late. I’m going to head for home. See you some time later tomorrow?”

“Yeah…I’ll catch up with you later.”

Alastor nodded; smiling before he drifted off into the dark.

Vox sighed, shuffling the last half of the block to his apartment. “…the guy is such a fucking prick, sometimes…” He mumbled to himself.

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

It started as a joke amongst friends; the flirting.

Vox initiated it, of course. He liked getting under Alastor’s skin and when he found that some jokes actually landed and got the guy flustered, it gave him all the more reason to continue with it. Alastor – never one to be beaten in any game – saw that Vox’s teasing wasn’t going away so he found ways to insert his own blush-inducing quips and snippets.

They flirted together with casually placed; subtle innuendos; suggestive ideas or possibilities between them that invoked hilarity and laughter. As time went on; the jokes became less subtle, less suggestive; more explicit in their nature and sometimes, less funny.

The problem with this though is that given enough time; enough history…feelings change and jokes can become less jokes and more: cleverly placed japes made to ‘test the waters’ or to pinpoint for any hint of actual possibilities; at least to some.

Years after this development; Alastor still flirted with Vox as a joke. Vox did not. Vox had gotten comfortable with Alastor and he was starting to see possibilities in Alastor that went beyond just having him as a business partner.

Alastor was very different from one you would expect to be an Overlord in Hell. He was good at what he did; he could wield awesome power, string in souls like nobody’s business and he had a sweet tooth for the violence; the blood and the gore that came with that territory, but he also: was incredibly respectful – generous even - to those he worked closely with, he was resourceful, he was dependable, he fiercely protected the things and the ones he cherished most and he was incredibly and undeniably hot.

Vox never was good at relationships; there was always some miscommunication or lack of something vital that deteriorated any coupling he ever attempted with anyone – and all usually fairly quickly. The business deal he had struck with Alastor had lasted longer than any relationship Vox could have ever hoped to. If he and Alastor could form a working relationship; one that remained intact for as long as it had and one that kept both parties mutually benefited and satisfied…then what possibilities were they missing by not pursuing something…more?

Alastor really didn’t like talking about sex but Vox so far had gleaned that Alastor could get it up; he just rarely found the inspiration or motivation to do so. What traditionally turned other people on…it didn’t work for him. Vox was tolerant of this to a point but he also suspected Alastor avoided trying sex; avoided trying to find ways that he might enjoy it. Maybe, if Vox convinced Alastor to pursue…something…with him; they could explore that more together.

Vox’s flirting became something else and it didn’t take long for Alastor to pick up on the difference; to put two-and-two together. A part of Alastor may have enjoyed it…stringing Vox along; feeling his ego inflate by the pining and the wanting that ultimately would lead Vox to absolutely nothing. Over the years though, Alastor had developed a fondness for Vox – developed an authentic friendship with the man. He could only say the same for one other Overlord; and very few others.

Alastor didn’t just form those types of relationships on a whim. If he felt anything for Vox; it was because Vox was important to him in some way. Maybe he built this fondness he held for Vox upon how similar they both were; both in personality and in their pursuits, or maybe he just held Vox in such a respectable, high regard as an Overlord over Hell that he could collaborate work and interests with. No matter the reasoning; Alastor was reluctant, but he also didn’t have it in him to just push Vox away.

“You’re here late…I saw the light from the office on from my apartment. Is something wrong?” Vox asked.

“No. I just came in to get some work done.” Alastor told him; irritated.

“It can’t wait until tomorrow?” Vox asked him; looking at Alastor with open concern.

Alastor’s ears leant back and he groaned; leaning himself back in his chair and rubbing at his eyes. He was irritable, he was uncomfortable, he was…he was in a breakthrough rut. He had hoped to put off having to address it until the weekend; it was Thursday night…if he could make it through one more night, one more day…

He had made it a point to never discuss his ruts with Vox.

“Do you want to go and get a drink?” Vox asked him.

“It’s fucking late, Vox. No, I don’t want to go out to a bar.” Alastor snapped.

“Do you want to come over for a drink then?” Vox offered.

“What is it with you!?” Alastor hissed, standing up from the chair and glaring at Vox. “I’m obviously trying to get shit done. Now, would you very kindly….leave!?”

Vox just might have; but he had noticed the movement in Alastor’s ears. Alastor very rarely let his ears tell a story; very rarely let them budge from the stiff and straight-at-attention position he kept them in.

“No.” Vox told him.

“No!?” Alastor hissed again.

“No.” Vox repeated. “Something’s up with you. Something’s wrong. I’m not just going to walk away and pretend that I don’t see it, Alastor.”

“Why the fuck would you care?” Alastor growled at him.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I care?” Vox demanded, cooly. “We’ve been business partners for ages. Hell, we’ve been friends for ages. I know I’m not privy to every little thing that goes on in your life, Alastor, but I’d like to think that I can recognize when something’s off. I want to help.”

“I’m sure you fucking would…” Alastor said, lowly.

“Excuse me?” Vox’s voice was rising; he was getting sick of the temper. “You wanna tell me what the fuck that-“

Alastor was on him in a second; grabbing him by the collar; lifting him and throwing him down hard on top of the desk. Vox gasped. Alastor had him pinned on his back; clawed hand wrapped around his throat. Alastor’s eyes were wide; insane – his smile stretched tight and twitching across his face. He stepped between Vox’s legs; pressing his erection heavily into the TV man’s thigh.

“You really want to help me, Voxy?” Alastor snarled. “You really want to help me with this!”

Alastor jutted his hip; thrusting his hard length into Vox’s leg for emphasis.

Vox’s eyes widened. Holy shit…

“You want to see me fucking lose control?” Alastor continued, eyes flaring red. “You want me to fucking rip you apart!?”

Vox erupted into laughter; his body absolutely shaking in his guffawing.

“You think this is funny!?” Alastor hissed lower at him; his grip tightening around Vox’s neck.

“YES!” Vox shouted; unable to stop his raucous outburst.

Alastor’s eye narrowed. “Pray tell…”

“Your fucking pissed off because you’re feeling randy!?” Vox broke out again into snickers. “Unbelievable!”

Alastor’s ears flattened; he leant in – about to say something when Vox’s hands were moving.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do this for you?” Vox asked him, softly – his fingers working at the clasps to Alastor’s dress pants. Vox reached between them; sliding a hand into Alastor’s loosened waistband and pulling his swollen and engorged length out.

“Jesus…this thing is throbbing.” Vox smirked up at Alastor; his neck still clenched between Alastor’s clawed fingers. “When’s the last time anyone’s touched you like this?”

Gasping at the contact, Alastor’s head involuntarily leant back; feeling an incredible and pleasurable relief.

“C’mon, then.” Vox encouraged him; his hand slowly starting to pump Alastor’s penis.

Alastor thrust himself forward; hand still tightly clenched around Vox’s neck as his hips jutted against the TV man’s lower torso – into Vox��s hand.

Alastor’s antlers were stretching crazily outward.

Vox tightened his grip; feeling Alastor’s member already curving tightly into his fingers – feeling the touch of pre-cum on his wrist. Vox gripped Alastor’s shoulder with his other hand; lifting his pelvis to instill more friction against Alastor’s movements.

Alastor’s hand clenched tighter and the Vox clenched his teeth.

Fuck! Now I’m hard now…

Vox tilted his pelvis even more; feeling Alastor’s momentum rubbing against him.

Alastor gasped; his penis tightened, curving more – he thrust himself heavily forward once, twice – then he released; his cum spilling through Vox’s fingers, smearing onto his lower jacket and pants. Shaking, Alastor released Vox’s neck – stepping back and feeling dizzy.

Vox sat up; a stupid smile stretched across the screen that was his face.

“Ah, fuck…” Alastor groaned; moving himself back into his pants and adjusting himself the best that he could. “Ugh...” He swiped a hand down across his face. “I guess…let’s go for that drink at your place and I’ll…I’ll return the favor.”

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

Alastor – true to his word – returned the favor and then some.

When Vox woke up beside him in his bed the next morning; the TV demon was still reeling from the night of full-on fucking that they had had.

Well, fuck me side-ways…the guy can bone!

Vox shifted in bed; feeling deliciously sore from their nighttime antics.

Turning his head; he looked at Alastor – watching the demon sleep soundly beside him. How can a guy that did all of that last night have zero interest in sex. Vox could not make sense of it. Watching Alastor; stretched languidly out on his back – eyes closed and chest moving up and down in rhythmic breathing; Vox realized he wanted more mornings like this one. Even after last night though; they weren’t really a guarantee.

Perhaps…maybe some insurance.

Carefully, Vox lifted a wire – sliding it smoothly over to where Alastor laid stretched out and asleep; the end of it softly connecting to the radio demon’s skin.

Now…just to fire the right nerve endings; just a touch – BINGO!

Alastor had shifted in his sleep and when he did there was a clearly pointed tent in the bed covers over which his hips rested. Vox carefully slid the wire back; anxious for Alastor to wake up and find that he was already very much aroused and ready for another round.

Clearly uncomfortable; Alastor shifted some more before waking up. Sitting himself up, he blinked blurrily; looking around him and wondering where he was - how in the Hell he got there.

“Good morning.” Vox told him, leaning back and smiling wickedly.

“Ah, fuck…” Alastor blinked. “No…we didn’t….” He suddenly remembered. “Nope…we did.” He groaned, stretching out his back. “What time is it?”

“Bone-o-clock.” Vox clucked his tongue; eyes wandering to the covers over Alastor’s legs.

“Heh, funny.” Alastor told him, dryly – sliding out from the bed.

“Wha- Where are you going!?” Vox asked, confused.

“I’m getting dressed!” Alastor told him, bending down and reaching for his clothes. “We’ve still got stuff we need to today!”

“But, you- You’ve got – You-“ Vox was tripping all over his words. “But, your boner!?”

“It will go down!” Alastor snapped back at him. “Where’s my bowtie!?”

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

“You know that Val and I…we’re on and off, right?” Vox asked.

“Yeah, I knew that.” Alastor told him; fiddling at a speaker.

“Well…should I talk to Val or…?” Vox waited, then when Alastor said nothing he continued. “I mean, I don’t want it to become a problem, you know…for us.”

“Why would I care about something like that, Vox?” Alastor sighed, setting the speaker down and looking around for the right cord that he needed. “I didn’t care before…do what you want with your free time.”

“I just didn’t know if you wanted something more…committed.” Vox explained.

Alastor stopped what he was doing; leaning back and swiping a hand across his face.

“Vox…I just don’t know that I’m exactly what you are looking for in…a partner.” Alastor told him, honestly.

“I think your everything I’ve been looking for…Alastor.” Vox said, quietly.

“Look, I’m not saying…no…I just.” Alastor sighed again. “I just have never tried something like this before; it’s not something I’ve ever really wanted – I’m usually too focused on work, I don’t like the sex –“

“But, you liked our sex.” Vox smirked.

“Yes…” Alastor admitted. “I did, but I’m just not sure if – if what I have to give to you, Vox, if it’s enough.”

Vox stared at him; saying nothing.

“Let’s just, let’s see where it goes, ok. You don’t have to make any big changes, I have no expectations at present…I’m not a personal fan of Valentino’s but -funny enough - I can’t get STD’s as an Overlord of Hell, so…” Alastor waved his hand; signaling he was done having this conversation.

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

A long day of work led to a night of laughter and drinking. Laughter and drinking led to both Alastor and Vox feeling giddy and fantastically buzzed which led to them both being in bed.

Vox pulled Alastor with him onto the mattress and Alastor readily joined him. Settling himself in, Alastor set to work at leaving a colorful love mark against Vox’s dark skin – placed just below the collar bone. They both spent some time there; winding each other up before Alastor’s antlers started to lengthen – branching out.

Sucking at Vox’s skin, Alastor grazed the mark he had made with a sharpened tooth, piercing the skin. Vox hissed in pleasure at the stinging cut. Feeling Alastor lapping at the drops of oozing blood, he arched his back - reaching for Alastor’s antler.

Alastor caught the movement of Vox’s arm and hand in his peripheral and suddenly he tensed – flinching back. Vox immediately paused; his hand raised and holding nothing.

Alastor quickly processed his own knee-jerk reaction; eyes widening.

“What-?” Vox started to ask him.

“I need a minute…” Alastor untangled himself from Vox; sliding away.

…

Outside, Alastor leant against the second story railing – smoking a cigarette; dressed in only his boxers.

He thought about how he would be having another one of his ruts coming around soon and he’d have to make sure Vox made plans for a weekend with Valentino… Alastor would do what he always did now and find his satisfaction from other outlets. Thank god for Rosie…and all of her usefully discreet resources.

“It’s worse than I thought.” Vox commented; sliding the glass door to the patio and stepping out with him – dressed in his own set of boxers.

“What?” Alastor asked him; blowing out smoke.

“You’re smoking…that’s never a good sign.” Vox smirked; leaning against the railing beside him.

“I smoke!” Alastor gave him an indignant look.

“Yeah…when something is actually bothering you. The last time I saw you with one of those was when that tech group was jamming up your radio frequencies. It took us weeks to track them down and get that mess all sorted…that was ages ago.” Vox was remembering.

“Hmph.” Alastor pretended to ignore him; pulling in a deep drag.

Vox reached out and Alastor passed him the stick. Tilting his head; Vox held the cigarette to his screen – taking in a long and slow inhale. He passed it back to Alastor; holding the smoke in his lungs for a moment before slowly releasing it out his mouth.

“So…you going to tell me what the fuck that was about back there?” Vox asked him.

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Alastor said; lifting the cigarette back to his lips.

“Yeah, no shit.” Vox smirked.

“It was just a reflex.”

“Funny, I don’t remember you minding me grabbing hold of an antler before.”

“It wasn’t that, I-“ Alastor sighed. “It’s just my past coming back to haunt me, I guess.”

Vox snorted. “Well, that’s fucking vague as shit.”

“I…killed someone.” Alastor said, quietly.

“Haven’t you killed a lot of someone’s?”

“Not like this…I-“ Alastor’s fingers clenched around the railing. “We were…it was intimate…and I lost control.”

“Wow….Alastor, I’m sorry.” Vox told him; Alastor turned at that. “I mean…oof…but, that’s kind of hot.”

Alastor shoved him with a hand, clenching the cigarette between his teeth. “It’s not funny you jackass.”

Laughing, Vox deftly caught him by the wrist. Holding it, he told Alastor: “You’re right. It’s not, and I know it’s not because it’s obviously something that is still very deeply troubling you. But, we’re in Hell, Alastor.”

Alastor turned his head away; feeling sure that he already knew what Vox meant to say.

Vox continued. “We’re all here for a reason. Everyone in this godforsaken shit-hole with us has made their fair share of fucked-up mistakes. Maybe grant yourself some mercy and stop punishing yourself so much.”

Alastor looked at him again and he saw that Vox really and truly meant that.

His ears leant back; and Alastor said nothing.

“Now,” Vox reached for the cigarette – taking it from Alastor’s mouth and flicking it over the railing. “I believe we were in the middle of something.”

Vox offered him his hand.

Taking it, Alastor went with him – following him back into the bedroom.

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

If things were on and off again between Vox and Val; things with Alastor were – mostly…well, were off.

Not that Alastor completely ignored Vox; they still worked well together, and they still went out drinking and enjoyed spending time together but Alastor never really wanted to do anything…intimate. Not usually. At least, not in the ways that Vox did. He didn’t want to kiss, he didn’t want to make-out, he didn’t want to fondle each other in the bedroom every night or in the taxi going home – the fucker didn’t even want to hold hands.

Every once in a blue moon; Alastor would get some random itch and Vox would happily scratch it for him.

Years and years went by, and Vox thanked Satan that Alastor really didn’t seem to care that he was seeing Valentino on the side. Vox was itchy all the god-damned time and he wasn’t finding any relief unless it was by Val.

Vox wanted to understand. Vox wanted to be patient. He really did, but this…this was so irritatingly one-sided; he didn’t know what to fucking do anymore.

“Ugh…I don’t know, Val. The guy just really frustrates me.”

“Hmm…no kidding.” Valentino replied, bored.

They were lying together in Valention’s bed; both passing a joint and shooting the shit after a rather rough round of fucking.

“I’m sorry…I’m sure you’re tired of me venting to you about it.” Vox sighed.

“Oh, contraire. I love getting to hear about your on-going tragedies in paradise.” Valentino chuckled. “But, I wonder…have you tried extracting what you want from him?”

“How do you mean?”

“You’re convinced that he has feelings for you…that he won’t admit them to you or himself; why not use some of those oh-so-special powers of hypnosis you employ on others to get what you want from your radio demon?” Val asked him; pulling in a long drag from the joint – letting pink-tinged smoke out from his mouth to curl and swirl around them.

“I’ve…never tried that on him before.” Vox admitted, realizing that he never really thought or dared to.

Valentino chuckled. “It could be worth your while.”

“Yeah, or it could blow up right in my fucking face.” Vox told him. “He might not like it…”

“It’s not as bad as everyone thinks, come here.” Valentino pulled Vox to him. Taking another deep drag from the joint; Valentino held the smoke in his lungs then pressing his lips to Vox’s screen – he blew the smoke into Vox’s nose and mouth.

Vox felt light-headed but euphoric. He blinked his eyes; shaking his head.

“Now tell me…” Valentino’s eyes glowed in the smoke-filled room. “What are your deepest, most darkest desires…Voxy?”

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Alastor realized that he hadn’t been very fair to Vox.

He had spent years…not really pushing him away but encouraging him to walk away.

It wasn’t Vox’s fault that Alastor didn’t find anything good in sex or intimacy with others but…Alastor had enjoyed his time with Vox. Sleeping with Vox was…much easier than it had been with anyone else. Vox let him take control; let him set the pace and things never got nearly as clumsy or clunky as Alastor imagined that they might have been. When Vox did his part; he was sure and confident in his administrations and Alastor ended the night feeling satiated and satisfied; something that rarely happened.

It scared Alastor, but Vox clearly…cared…about him; actually wanted something with him. He hadn’t known that feeling often; living or dead.

Maybe it was time for a change. Maybe Alastor could let go, give in and just be with someone.

His rut – a true rut – was coming on; he could already feel the hormones skittering through his system. This time he wouldn’t avoid it; this time he wouldn’t even seek out other outlets. He would tell Vox about his ruts - he would spend his this one entirely with Vox - and when it was over, he would really and truly try to be something more for him.

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“Why did I know you would be here?” Vox asked Alastor. “It’s late…”

“I know, but I think I figured out how to re-route the system – channel your power into multiple stations…if you help me, this will be done in 20 minutes.” Alastor was untwisting some wires; tracing the cords back to their sources.

“I don’t really want to do this tonight…can we please just go home? We can get it sorted in the morning.”

“We can’t keep all your reserve power stored here into this one unit, Vox.” Alastor was telling him, “It leaves you too vulnerable...”

All of my power…it’s here.

“I’d really rather you put that focus toward…other things.” Vox told him, going over to Alastor. He leaned over Alastor’s back; wrapping his arms around the radio demon’s waist.

Alastor shot him a smirk over his shoulder.

“And, I’d rather you focused on anything else – but, here we are.” Alastor gave him a light shove. “Now, seriously. Help me with this.”

Vox stepped back; a dark look crossing his face and he sighed.

A series of wires shot out from a wall of modems and servers that dominated the back wall of their business suite; wrapping around Alastor and pulling him backward.

Alastor was pulled roughly against the buzzing and flashing tech; the wires forming tight wraps of bundles around his arms, torso and legs.

“The fuck!? Vox!?”

“You know, Alastor…you can be very tiresome sometimes.” Vox walked slowly toward him. “So resistant to change…so resistant to progress.”

“Cut the shit, Vox! This isn’t funny. Let me go!” Alastor was fuming.

“Why should I?” Vox tilted his head.

“I’m…uncomfortable.” Alastor growled.

“Well, let me do something to make you more comfortable.”

Two wires quickly slid from Vox before quickly shooting toward Alastor; their ends connecting smoothly to either side of his neck. The wires glowed a vibrant blue and suddenly Alastor felt a jolt of pleasure shooting down his spine; pooling deep into his abdomen – heating his groin.

Alastor gasped; his pupils dilating widely.

“Fucking stop it!” Alastor yelled.

Vox left the wires; looking hard at Alastor.

“I was just at Val’s…he showed me something…I’d very much like to show you.”

Alastor jerked his head to the side; his breathing becoming heavy from arousal and stress.

“Nothing good can ever come from Valentino.” Alastor spat and he struggled against the cords that were holding him.

Fuck….he’s somehow suppressing my power… I can’t even use my shadow. Alastor realized and a cold, sharp panic sunk deep into his chest.

Vox’s stimuli thrummed through his body and he was feeling an ominous twitching between his legs.

“You want to fucking rape me now, is that it!?” Alastor growled. “You think that is wise!?

“I won’t be taking anything from you that you won’t be willing to give, Alastor…” Vox stepped closer. “I’ll only touch you when you ask me to…Hell, you might even be begging me to.”

Alastor snarled.

“It’s time you and I were honest with each other, Alastor.” Vox continued. “It’s time that we were open with each other. I can go first, if you’d like.”

Alastor glared at him; narrowed eyes flaring red.

“I’m tired of you always calling the shots and I’m tired of you always stringing me along. So, this is what is going to happen… Val’s coming on board. I’ve already made him an offer, you should consider joining us.”

“I decline.” Alastor hissed.

“That’s your prerogative.” Vox shrugged. “You’ve never been interested in advancing your own work and I’ll leave you to it….however, you and I – we can’t keep tip-toeing around each other. You’re so scared to care about someone; so afraid to love someone… I want you in my life, Alastor. I want you as my partner. I’m done playing and I’m done waiting. And…I need to know that you feel the same.”

Vox had learned something about himself earlier that evening while he was with Valentino. He wasn’t just infatuated with Alastor…he was obsessed with him. It wasn’t enough for Vox to have Alastor in his life in the way that he had him now…he needed all of Alastor and he needed Alastor to feel the same way about him.

“If you want to know my true feelings, Vox, then fucking let me go.”

Vox just stared at him.

“I’m serious…I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you everything. I know I haven’t been fair…I know I’ve been a complete and total ass about this whole thing with you and I can try harder; I know I could be a better partner…just let me go.”

“No.”

“No!?” Alastor yelled, struggling harder now. “You think this is funny!? You think this is some joke!?”

“Oh, I think that you’ll find that I am being very,” Another wire slid from Vox; shooting toward Alastor; it veered to the side, swinging back around to connect smoothly to Alastor’s temple. “Very serious.”

No…

“Vox…don’t. Don’t do this.”

“It’s not as bad as everyone thinks it is...” Vox told him; widening his eyes; the pupils turning into hypnotic rings.

Alastor flattened his ears; squeezing his eyes shut. The wire connected to his temple glowed neon blue and he felt a kind of thrumming entering into his thoughts now. Alastor clenched his teeth.

Have my body, Vox…but don’t invade my mind!!!

Jolts of stimuli shot through Alastor’s body and his mind; he threw back his head and arched his back; sweating as he mentally and physically fought against the attack.

“Tell me what I mean to you, Alastor.” Vox’s voice was reverberating from every direction.

“I….I….ugh!” Alastor bit himself, blood trickling down his chin. He was straining; fighting for control. Vox increased the stimuli; doubling his efforts and Alastor gasped – eyes flying open.

Monitors and screens lining the walls were flashing and glitching across the screens. The cords wrapped around Alastor were tightening; and sparks were shooting from splits in the wires.

There was a pulsing in Alastor’s groin and he knew he was hard; his heart was slamming against his chest and his blood was running hot… Vox’s stimuli was coursing through his veins; igniting the hormones that were flooding into Alastor’s system. Vox was going to send him into his rut.

Black splotches erupted behind Alastor’s eyes and he knew he was losing consciousness.

I can’t blackout…I can’t…I’ll…I’ll kill him… I’ll –

Power erupted in an explosion of twisting cords and fraying wires – electricity surged through the building – illuminating everything in a brilliant light before all of Hell went dark.

…

“Vox! VOX! I swear to god; if you caused a rolling blackout on a night that I have fucking royals at the club, I’ll-“ Valentino had thrown open the door to Vox and Alastor’s business suite.

Wires were sparking; a screen here and there flashing or flickering erratically around the room. One wall of monitors was lit up in stark white screens; but there was something splashed across the surfaces of each one – dark and maroon.

Valentino couldn’t fucking see a thing but he felt something; large and hulking in the room. It made the feathery ends to his antennae stand on end. Something shifted and large, glowing red eyes glared at him from the darkness.

“Mother of fuck-“ Valentino pulled out his pistol; he couldn’t see for shit and he still didn’t know where Vox was so he shot the gun off straight overhead.

The gun cracked; the bullet piercing loudly through the structure of the building.

Alastor’s eldritch form jerked at the sound; dropping something heavy from its mouth. Valentino caught impressions of large branches moving close to the ceiling; rolling red eyes; a large lanky form of something crawling toward him and great, long pointed teeth.

A groan from the darkness…from where something heavy had fell.

“Vox!?” Val yelled, stepping back and aiming the gun at what he thought might be the incredibly large head to whatever was moving toward him – he really couldn’t tell.

“Val!?” Vox yelled. “Val!”

Dazed; Vox shot a voltage of electricity into the monitors that were lit white above him and their screens lit the room in a brilliant flare of bright white light.

Alastor’s eldritch demon form flinched back; blinking at the onslaught of light. Blood and drool seeped from the great mouth; stains of blood washed across the talons of his huge clawed hands. The brilliantly white screens shown through a spray of blood. Vox leaned against a pile of broken monitors; blood pouring from a gaping wound to his shoulder and neck – it was pooling into the fabric of his suit.

“VOX!” Valentino yelled and Alastor’s large head snapped around. Baring his teeth; he crouched and prepared to lunge.

Yelling with effort; Vox threw more cables from the servers and the modems at him – coiling around the large frame and sending volts of electricity through the radio demon.

The eldritch demon jerked from the contact of the cords; pulling and clawing at the modems and servers – sending the tech bursting into flames or crashing heavily to the ground.

“NO!!!” Vox was yelling; feeling the power he had stored and relied on dissipating from him entirely.

The charge of energy burned through Alastor’s senses; his conscious flickering back to his body and he saw Vox; bleeding and torn in the wreckage below him. Stumbling; Alastor quickly shifted form – falling to his knees and gasping in pain.

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!” Vox roared at him.

Hitching in a breath; Alastor struggled to stand – his legs shaking heavily beneath him.

I didn’t kill him…He’s alive. I didn’t-

A sharp crack resounded, and Alastor’s legs buckled underneath him; and he fell - feeling like he was punched heavily in the shoulder.

A split second to process; then Alastor realized that Valentino had shot him in the shoulder with his pistol. Before Valentino could chamber another round into the gun; Alastor quickly merged into the shadows – disappearing entirely.

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Directly following these events; Alastor decided to lie low…monitoring the aftermath of their situation.

It didn’t take long before rumors were spreading and tabloids were headlining “Don’t FUCK with the Radio Demon” with all kinds of charming bits about how Alastor had shamelessly and violently murdered a variety of bedwarmers… It wasn’t a hard guess as to who was spreading this information. It did nothing deteriorating to Alastor’s formidable reputation as the radio demon but it hit him somewhere sore, just the same.

If Alastor had meant to continue to regularly satiate his rut; he would have found a hard time in it…even with Rosie’s unique resources. For now though; Alastor was finding that he was less and less interested in meeting the needs of his cycles. He commanded more power now than he had before– he would be less susceptible to any ill and knowledgeable intents – and…whatever suffering he endured because of his abstinence would be well earned.

Alastor decided that the only reason Vox gained the upper hand on him…the only reason that Vox could actually hurt him…was because Alastor let Vox get so close to him. Alastor had made another mistake, had let himself become too vulnerable with someone. He gave Vox a chance for something that - he decided then - would never be worth giving to anyone very again.

Vox and Valentino joined forces; just as Vox had always planned. They didn’t become “The Vee’s” right away…at least not until Velvette entered the game later on.

Alastor watched things play out; deciding to make himself scarce for a while longer yet…In doing so; possibilities he hadn’t previously thought to consider before crossed his path…and Alastor became much more…scarcer…than he had ever fully intended to be…

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Taglist: @nyx91; @reath-solia

Next Update: 6/15/24

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