#happy wash your fucking water bottle wednesday!

[howdidthisevenhappenanyway]

A day may come when the courage to wash your drinking vessel fails, when we forsake our hot soapy water or sanitation tablets,

and break all habits of cleanliness

An hour of mould and gunk and tummy aches,

when the habits of routine bottle washing come crashing down,

but it is not this day!

this day we wash!!

by all you hold dear on this good earth,

I bid you fill your sink and scrub, water bottle users of tumblr!

this post is dedicated to all of the people in my notes on the obi-wan post who say they washed their fucking water bottle 🩵🫧

it’s not dedicated to those who are too attached to their mould to wash their fucking water bottle. alas the slime has taken them. rip. 🦠🖤

@beeseverywhen made another meme 💜💟

[oathkeeperoxas]

wip wednesday

getting back into the groove of more icemav now that I'm back from my holiday 😤 anyway here's some icemav skinny dipping together 💖

“Mav,” Ice says, mouth dry.

“It’s a dark night,” Mav says, tilting his head up. “Moon’s not out yet. No one’s going to see.”

It’s true; Ice can barely see Mav, and he’s fifteen paces away and looking for him. His body is a study in shadows, and Mav turns so that Ice can see all of him that’s possible in this light, before he retrieves the bottle of vodka and takes a gulp of it.

“Mav,” Ice says again as he reaches him. Mav holds the bottle out; Ice takes it and has a swig for solidarity.

“You’re wearing your swimmers,” Mav says. “You don’t need to strip. If you don’t want to.”

The water is calm, washing up on the shore slowly. The sand continues here until the water is deep enough that you can’t stand up in it, and Mav wades out fearlessly, unstoppable. Ice takes another drink from the bottle to steady himself, and then follows Mav down to the water, leaving his clothes in a pile next to Mav’s.

It’s cold; he wades up to his knees and then watches Mav fucking around in the water as the waves soak his skin. Mav’s just behind where the waves start rolling in – if he can even call them waves. You’d never surf at this beach – and is splashing, then floating, looking up at the stars. Ice keeps his eyes fixed on him. All of this could almost be routine, except for the fact that he’s here.

Mav rights himself and then comes back to Ice, dripping water. He’s serious, unsmiling, as Ice folds him into his arms despite being wet and cold. Ice isn’t wearing anything; it’s fine.

“Good to be home,” Mav says quietly into his chest. “Good to see Carole and Slider and the kid.”

“And me?” Ice asks, loneliness rising to snap at him.

“And you,” Mav agrees. He slides his arms up around Ice’s neck. Ice leans down to kiss him, and Mav moves their lips against each other slowly, their bodies warming each other where they touch. Mav’s lips are cold. Ice resolves to do something about that.

“How are you?” Ice asks, desperately. “I mean it, Mav.”

Mav sighs. “Happy to be home,” he says again. “It was fine, Ice. I mean, it fucking sucked, but I’m fine. I promise. It didn’t fuck me up. Not like–”

He buries his head in Ice’s shoulder. Ice grips him close, not needing him to finish the sentence.

“And you didn’t get hurt?” Ice asks. 

“No. Worst thing was a bellyache from all their crap food,” Mav says.

Ice swallows. “I want you to tell me all about it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mav says, looking resigned. “Not tonight though, yeah?”

“Not tonight,” Ice says. “When you want to.”

“Never, then.”

“Mav…”

Mav huffs. “Okay. Next week or something then, at least.”

“Okay,” Ice agrees. That’s an easy promise to accept.

Mav tugs him out deeper into the water. Ice takes a step and then resists going any further.

“It’s cold, Mav,” he says. 

“I want to go swimming with you,” Mav says. “You know how many times I thought about that?”

And, well. He can’t say no to that.

Ice lets Mav tug him out deeper, until they’re both swimming in the dark. He can feel the warmth of the vodka in his stomach, but it’s hardly enough. He tries for a bit to do some serious swimming just to warm himself up, and finds Mav cutting through the water, chasing after him. They go back and forth for a while, sticking close to the house and not too far from the shore, until Ice gets tired and goes back in until he can stand again in the water. Mav follows without protest, and clings to Ice when he stops.

“We can’t go a little further in?” he complains.

Ice laughs. “Too deep for you?”

“I’m not that much shorter than you are,” Mav groans, but then stops when Ice gathers him in his arms and kisses him. If it weren’t so cold, being pressed naked against Mav would have been the end of him; as it is, he’s clutching Mav close, slotting their mouths together, feeling the imprint of his body where they touch.

“Mav,” Ice whispers, and now it’s Mav groaning against his mouth. 

“Okay, out, out.” 

Ice attempts to shake the sand off, but his efforts are rendered useless when Mav drags him down next to their clothes and the vodka. Ice sighs as they’re both covered, but Mav is laying down and pulling Ice down on top of him, so he stops thinking about that. They’re wet and cold and sandy, and Mav takes another long pull from the bottle, offers it to Ice. Ice is used to drinking vodka straight, but Mav has never really liked it.

“Got a taste for this while you were gone?” he asks, not bothering to cap the bottle again. More interested in licking Mav’s salt covered skin.

“Yeah,” Mav grunts, running his hands up Ice’s back. “Tastes like you.”

Ice has to kiss him again. They’re in their mid thirties, tipsy, naked on the beach, and he doesn’t care. Mav offers him more alcohol between kisses that are turning hot. Ice is warmed up again, even in the cool night, and his legs are splayed wide over Mav’s hips. He can’t hide what he wants, and he doesn’t want to.

“Mav,” Ice grunts. “Mav, let’s go inside.”

Mav laughs. “Still want a bed, Kazansky?”

“I’m not twenty,” he groans as Mav fondles his ass, squeezing firmly to bring them close together, grinding up against each other. “And there’s sand. Everywhere.”

“It’s a bit rough,” Mav agrees. “Okay, okay.”

He takes the bottle, and Ice gathers up their clothes. There’s a bathroom downstairs next to the laundry, put there for occasions exactly like this; coming into the house after swimming in the ocean. Ice puts their clothes in a hamper, Mav abandons the vodka on top of the washing machine, and they go into the shower together.

God, there really is sand everywhere – Ice scrubs it out of every crevice, washing his hair, soaping up a few times for good measure, and yet he’s still sure he’s missed some. It’s better than it was. Mav is utilitarian, gets out first which allows Ice the space to pick sand out from between his toes. Okay. Ice dries himself off in a hurry, but Mav is already gone, headed upstairs, hasn’t put any clothes on. Okay.

Ice follows him, heart in his throat, naked and warm and willing. Mav is standing by the window in their bedroom, looking out over the ocean as the moon starts to rise on the horizon. Ice can only see half his face, and even then it’s cast in shadows. He goes to turn the bedside lamp on, only for Mav to softly whisper, “Don’t.”

“Why?” Ice asks.

“Let’s just hold each other. I want to feel you.”

[callsigns-haze]

Out of All: Prologue and mood board

Coming March 11

Brothers' Best Friend Series! Follow along as these characters navigate the treacherous waters of love, loyalty, and desire, all while facing the ultimate taboo: falling for your sibling's best friend. From heart-pounding moments to steamy encounters, this series is a rollercoaster of emotions that will keep you hooked until the very end. Brace yourself for intense romantic tension, sizzling chemistry, and enough drama to keep you guessing. Are you ready to embark on this captivating journey?

Prepare for a rollercoaster of emotions and intense romantic tension! This series delves into the forbidden territory of falling for your sibling's best friend. Brace yourself for heart-pounding moments, sizzling chemistry, and plenty of drama as these characters navigate the complexities of love, loyalty, and desire. Reader discretion is advised for steamy scenes and intense emotional connections that might leave you swooning or on the edge of your seat.

The warm water drizzles upon your scalp as you massage the vanilla shampoo into your hair. Your eyes were closed and your head was tilted upwards, as you tried to wash out all the shampoo foam.

You moved once again. Not that you wanted too anymore. Bradley, your older brother, was getting permanently stationed at top gun so you couldn't say no to coming over.

Warm showers like this allow you to relax, to take deep breaths and let out no stress. Bradley wanted to drag you here, he wanted you to start a fresh life, not the one you were living before. Your older brother wasn't happy with your life choices.

You had the highest degree in architecture and design, you could be earning millions by now but you chose to put aside the seven years of college and went in the footsteps of music.

You completely have rinsed off all the shampoo that coated your head, sadly problems are not so easy to rinse off, especially problems with your only family member.

You pick up the big bottle of conditioner and squirt it into your hand before applying into your hair. You scrunch it upwards, settling it into your brown curls. You let the conditioner sit for awhile as you sink down to the floor of the shower.

You've only been here for two weeks, you were going to find your own place but Bradley insisted on you moving in with him. He had a nice touch but it wasn't home to you, it never will be.

You've avoided navy bars like you always did. You went to some club down Northside where you met a guy, you wanted to avoid meeting a navy pilot as much as possible so you didn't end up fucking your brother's colleagues.

You met a guy, he was hot, smoking hot. His blonde hair was a dirty colour and he had the most beautiful eyes you could've seen. His accent was thick and strong, making you want to bend over every time you've heard it. You'd let that guy fuck you into next Sunday if that's what he asked for.

You finally get yourself up and start rinsing the conditioner, putting one hand on your shower wall for support and remember how the blonde guy you've met did the same thing the second time you hooked up. You've met him three times.

First time at the bar, where you got in his car and he started to kiss you, you fucked for hours making love on the backseat. Later he gives you his number but first you establish that whatever is going on no feelings better be catch.

The third time was on Wednesday. You met up at the same bar as previously but this time he fucked you in one of the bathroom stolls, and he didn't ever go easy.

You stepped out the shower wrapping your hair in a brown towel and lightly dry off your body, you didn't care about wrapping your body in a towel since your bedroom is connected to your bathroom so you simply walk into your bedroom naked.

You lie down on your bed and smile, today is Sunday meaning Bradley goes out for golf later with his teammates but it also means you meet your guy again tonight.

tagging:

@callsign-magnolia

@shanimallina87

@callsign-dexter

@horseslovers2016

@rosiahills22

@djs8891

@hookslove1592

@emma8895eb

@hardballoonlove

@kmc1989

@dempy

@mamachasesmayhem

@senawashere

@buckysteveloki-me

@sweetwhispersofchaos

@itsmytimetoodream

@jessicab1991

@ahh-chickens

[disability-can-be]

Hahah sure!! Glad you like it.

Here's what I came up with that works for me and my partner:

Stinky Sunday (one thing cleaned in the bathrooms)

Money Monday (budgeting or paying bills)

Trip Tuesday (errands)

Wash your water bottle Wednesday

That's-where-it-goes Thursday (10 mins of putting stuff where it belongs)

Fuck yeah Friday (no chores!!)

Suck-it Saturday (vacuuming)

Happy Fuck Yeah Friday everybody!

[deanwinchesterpregnant]

top 3 "relaxation" activities for sam and dean

Happy wincest Wednesday!! Good question 👀 ok I’m going to answer this seriously first and then I’ll do sex acts since I assume that’s what you meant with the quotes lol

1. The obvious answer is sex. Definitely sex. I honestly HC their sex life as pretty tumultuous lol, lots of doom sex or thank god we’re alive sex or angry and/or makeup sex. They’re in some sort of open/ambiguous “I don’t deserve him/he deserves better than me” relationship at least in the earlier seasons to me, and their sex life is messy. But if can be tender too…especially when one is keyed up and needs to relax. Starts with a massage, then oral, real slow opening the other one up and some tender fuckin

2. Poker! It’s a nice normal activity that can help them calm down. They grew up hustling poker so when they play with each other they intentionally don’t do it for money. I HC that they save beer caps and liquor bottle caps to use as chips, or they bet favors or sex acts. “If you lose you have to dig the next grave, etc.” I think just drinking and being able to be (quasi-) normal brothers with each other is really relaxing for them

3. Watching movies with very shitty/corny gore and explosions. So lots of 80s slashers and action and heist movies. It’s weirdly cathartic to see it like that

Now the sex acts!

1. Sometimes simple is better: oral. They both have that goddamn oral fixation and that’s even better with brotherpussy or brothercock in their mourns. Really relaxing for both of them, to give or receive. You know how sometimes you feel super powerful giving oral because you’re making the other person feel that good with just your mouth? Yeah they both LOVE that, so even if they’re not receiving/orgasming it’s still relaxing for them

2. Shower sex. Listen, in real life shower sex kind of sucks, but this is fiction. Growing up (and still tbh) they didn’t have hot water a lot of the time – shit motels, squatting, missed bills at rentals, absent landlords – so when they do stay somewhere that has at least a decent shower, they loooove to fuck in there. Wash each other and give handjobs at the very least

3. Some d/s. I think Dean is more vanilla than Sam, but also more submissive (I’m sorry sub!Sam enjoyers), and for him they do d/s lite kinda stuff. It’s really nice for him to give up control, and also really nice for Sam to feel like he actually has control over a situation for once in his life. They normally stick to stuff like handcuffs and bondage (and honor bondage) for Dean’s comfort( but sometimes slightly more intense stuff like Sam telling him what to do for a set number of hours (what to eat, wear, etc.) But sometimes this flips! Like after Mystery Spot, Sam definitely needed to be human furniture for a little while lmao. But I still view Dean domming him in this way as stemming from a service sub position. He does it because he still sees it as a way to serve Sam.

[honeytae]

I love when you talk nurturing to me.

hello my loves, happy wednesday! welcome back to regular uploads (rip thirst week lol) and you know what that means...mega fluff. this particular piece was requested by a few different people, but it was all the same general idea: DOTING. ON. JUNGKOOK. which is just...such a dream, right? anyways, i hope you all enjoy this. thanks to my requesters who have waited SO patiently for this to be written, i hope it was worth it!!!

tags: @ahgasearmyfan, @hoseokayy, @the1921-monsters genre: fluff warnings: jungkook’s tired and kind of overworking himself :( oc takes care of him though bc duh word count: 2.6k

Jungkook hated his boots. 

Well, not all the time. Most of the time, Jungkook loved his boots. 

But right at this moment, he hated how heavy they were, weighing him down further than his already sore muscles as he trudged up the stairs to your numbered doorway. 

Huffs escaped him every other step as he gripped the railing for support, letting his head roll to the side with a close of his eyes once he’d successfully made it through the fire and ache that was his muscles right now. 

After fiddling with your stubborn lock and door handle, he sighed in relief as he entered your place, pouting a bit as he heard you clanging pots and pans in the kitchen. Glancing at his phone, he supposed it was dinner time. But he wanted nothing to do with food and everything to do with you. 

Kicking off his shoes, he slid his phone back into his pocket, rolling his shoulders back as well as his neck. The burn eased only slightly from the action. This was worse than he’d felt in a while. 

The pout stayed on his lips as he shuffled into the kitchen, pausing in the doorway for a second to watch as you stirred something over the stovetop, shifting your face over the open pot every once in a while to make sure you were doing it right. 

The action made him feel slightly less tired and all the more fond, a gentle greeting smile from you brightening his attitude almost completely before he tried to take another step toward you, calf tightening into a painful cramp as he hissed in a breath through his teeth. 

You immediately frowned in concern, taking the initiative to walk the one step to close the gap between you, wrapping your arms around him and letting out an ‘oof’ as he rested his body weight on you. 

“Hi.” Jungkook mumbled through his pout, hair hanging into his eyes and blocking his full expression from your view. 

Even without seeing the man, you could tell he wasn’t in his regular mood, heavy on his feet with nothing left to give. It irked you, seeing him like this. 

“Hi. You okay?” You wondered aloud, a question you fully knew the answer to as you sneakily reached your arm back to turn the heat down on the burner, allowing the food to rest a bit while you investigated your boyfriend’s serious lack of Jungkook. 

“Mm. Tired.” He replied flatly, shrugging a bit as his eyes drooped to stare back at you. 

Frowning as he remained uncharacteristically silent after his brief answer to your question, you tucked some of his long strands back behind his ear, sighing through your nostrils at the dark circles the action revealed to you. 

He was tired. He was so fucking tired.

Quickly making the executive decision to move the pot to a completely cold burner, you turned back around to place your hands on his chest, letting an arm slide around his back to support his slumped frame. 

The man’s face remained unmoving as you encouraged his other arm to rest around your neck, your boyfriend grunting as the motion strained his muscle but sighing nonetheless at the relief it gave him. Finally, he didn’t feel quite as heavy as when he was holding himself up.

“C’mon, baby. Let’s get you cleaned up.” You tugged at the hand of his arm resting on your shoulder gently, letting his exhausted body lean on you as you retreated down the hallway.

“Thank you.” He spoke weakly, melting into you further as you dipped your head to press a kiss to the hand resting upon your shoulder, his fingers stroking at your shirt in response. 

Leading him into the bathroom, you propped the sleepy man against the counter, popping out of the room only momentarily to grab a towel from the hallway closet, placing it beside the sink for him and walking over to the shower to play with the water temperature.

“Shower or bath?” You asked to the man behind you, hand hovering over the nozzle to adjust the setting as he let out a deep sigh. 

“Shower. I think I’d fall asleep in a bath.” He admitted sheepishly, making you chuckle a bit before nodding. 

“Shower it is, then.” 

As you switched the stream of running water from tub to shower head, the spray of the water against the tub drowned out almost every other noise, even the soft hum coming from your throat as you pulled the curtain all the way back for easy access inside. Holding your hand out to the man, you gestured for him to come to you with a fold of your fingers, Jungkook easily following your lead as he trudged over to you. 

“Hi, lovey.” You greeted him again, softer this time as you slid your hand underneath the hem of his shirt to grip the fabric. Leaning forward to catch your lips with his, he planted a soft kiss to the flesh, the action gentle and tired as he tried to relay the gratefulness he felt in this moment. Pulling back with a slight smile, you lifted your eyebrows as your boyfriend chuckled at you.

“What?” You asked, making him laugh a bit more and only increasing your confusion. 

“Every time we kiss you act like it’s the first time.” He commented, a bit of teasing in his tone as he smirked a bit back at you. 

You let out a scoff at his words, lifting the material of his shirt to trap his head in the fabric and making him let out a loud laugh at the action. The moment was the first positive sign you’d seen since he arrived home, making your heart feel content as you smiled at his hidden face beneath the cotton. Releasing his head from the shirt, you tossed the black tee to the ground, Jungkook taking the lead on his shorts as he shoved them and his underwear down his thighs. 

“It feels like the first time every time.” You said softly, stepping aside so that Jungkook could make his way into the basin.

“For me too,” he smiled, “you coming?” He referenced the running shower, an open invitation to join the man behind the curtain with pleading doe eyes. 

“Mm, I should finish dinner so that when you get out-”

“Please?” He pouted again, making you blow a breath out past your lips before caving.

“Okay. I’ll be back in a moment, you get in and start without me.” You instructed, the man grinning a bit before stepping into the tub, letting out an immediate sigh at the ease of the water pounding down on his sore back. 

Walking into your bedroom, you quickly made your way over to his drawer in your dresser, picking out another one of his black t-shirts and boxers for him to sleep in and setting them out on the bed. 

Making your way back to the bathroom with an extra towel in hand, you held back your own yawn as you stepped inside the already steamy air of the bathroom, the curtain left the slightest bit open for your expected return.

Peeling your shirt up over your head, you dropped it onto the group of Jungkook’s clothes, letting your shorts slide down your legs to join the pile before pulling the curtain back a bit more. The action revealed a very dry Jungkook, leaning against the tile wall instead of underneath the water like you’d been expecting. Scoffing at his smirk as you stepped into the shower, you gestured to his dry strands of hair, raising your eyebrows in amusement. 

“You were supposed to start without me.” You commented on the barely wet hair framing his face, the man full-on grinning at you as he pulled your body closer to his, guiding you both underneath the stream of water. 

“Now why would I do that?” He asked teasingly, giggling when you shook your head at him. 

“You’re annoying. Give me the shampoo.” You ordered, another big smile twisting at the man’s lips as he dutifully nodded, grabbing the bottle of your shampoo from behind him before you stopped him with a grasp on his wrist.

“Yours, love.” You directed him, pointing to the sweet-smelling shampoo Jungkook adored, having become his favorite shortly into staying over with you and now referred to as ‘his’ by the both of you.

“I wanna wash your hair.” He pouted, you swiping the unfavorable expression off with a kiss to his chin before reaching over to retrieve the shampoo you’d directed him to get. 

“Another time. Right now I need to get you clean and in bed.” You said authoritatively, the man raising his eyebrows in amusement as you squeezed a dollop of the shampoo onto your palm. 

“Aw, babe. I love when you talk nurturing to me.” He smirked, a chuckle exhaled out your nostrils at his words. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just shut your eyes, unless you want me to burn them with this cherry blossom shit.”

After you were done washing his hair, having to occasionally pause to direct his hands back to your hips from where they sometimes started wandering over your body throughout, you began lathering the bottle of body soap in your hands, rubbing down his arms and torso and all around his back to wash away the sweat and aches from his day. 

“Why won’t you let me touch you?” He practically whined after you moved his hand off your stomach the fourth time, letting you pick his arm up to run the water along the limb and successfully run the soap off. 

“Because I know it won’t end there. And I need to get you to bed, remember?” You tutted, placing one more kiss to his jaw before leaning over to shut the water off, setting your hand on his back to encourage him out of the shower. 

His legs didn’t budge, hand collecting your own to stubbornly guide you out ahead of him. 

“You first.” He emphasized as you remained standing in the tub, rolling your eyes with a sigh before you stepped out with the help of his hand. Reaching for one of the towels you’d gathered, you spread it out in front of your body, holding it out by the edges for the man to step into. 

“C’mon, Kookie.” You gestured with a nod of your head, your soft tone making a smile light up his face as he finally stepped out of the tub. Immediately enveloping him in the soft towel, you wrapped him in the dry fabric, hugging him as tired chuckles escaped his lips. 

“Go get dressed. I’ll be there in a minute.” You patted his butt, eliciting more giggles out of the man before he spun on his heel to leave the bathroom.

You could tell the shower had done a lot for his muscle tightness and overall attitude, the familiar smile you’d fallen in love with so long ago making a reappearance within moments of the water making contact with his skin.

Grabbing the other towel, you wrapped it around your own torso, squeezing the ends of your hair a bit, lifting and setting your feet down against the carpet to dry them before stepping out onto the tile floor. 

Shuffling into your bedroom, you whistled at the sight in front of you, a very bare Jungkook turning around to face you with the towel you’d wrapped around him bunched at his feet. 

“Hello there.” You flirted, your boyfriend scoffing as he looked down to his spread boxers, ready for him to step into. The smile remained on his face as he pulled the underwear up his legs, settling them on his hips before directing his gaze back to you.

“Hi, gorgeous.” He crooned, walking over to you with a smirk as he dropped a kiss to your temple. 

“Stop that.” You hushed, shoving his shoulder in an attempt to get him off of you from where he was latched onto your side, head down in the nook between your neck and shoulder pressing kisses to the still-wet skin.

“Oh, so you can flirt with me but I can’t flirt with you?” He raised his eyebrows, you nodding with a confirming hum as you successfully wriggled out of his hold. 

“Precisely.” You replied, slipping a large t-shirt over your torso and opening your drawer in search of proper underwear. 

“Mm. That sounds fair.” He hummed, feet padding against the floor as he exited the room, bent at the waist to ruffle the towel through his hair as he walked. 

After getting some of your regular sleep clothes on, you followed the route your boyfriend had taken moments before, squeezing the water out of your hair with the towel much like he’d done previously. 

“I love when your hair curls like that.” 

Jungkook’s eyes widened at the suddenness of your voice in the room, meeting your fond gaze through the mirror as you watched him wet a cloth underneath the running faucet. 

His dark hair was hanging in waves around his face, tendrils already half dry as they framed his cheeks. His doe eyes stared at you through the mirror, completely bypassing your comment as he turned to you, wet cloth still in hand. 

“You look really pretty.” He grinned, your head tipping in confusion as you gestured to your old ratty t-shirt; it was your classic bedtime attire and frankly, one of the ugliest outfits in existence. 

“How can you even say that right now?” You chuckled, the man mirroring your actions as his teeth beamed at you, eyes watching as you stepped forward and took the cloth from his hand, directing it back under the stream of water from the faucet. 

“I can say that all the time. You always look pretty.” He shrugged, smiling at your exhaled scoff as you waved him off. 

After squeezing the excess water from the washcloth with your hands, you twirled a strand of his hair around your finger, forming a firmer curl around your appendage and nodding once to affirm your work. 

“You’re prettiest.” You concluded with a smile, backing him up so that the backs of his tired knees hit the toilet, easily giving out and letting him land on the closed seat with a grunt. 

“You’re strongest, that’s for damn sure.” He huffed teasingly, watching you roll your eyes at him as you leaned over to grab his face wash. As you repositioned yourself in front of him to apply the foam onto his skin, his eyes poured into yours, making you hum in question at the glint in his eye. 

“C’mere.” He said simply, arms tightening around your thighs to pull you down onto his lap, your legs reflexively wrapping around his waist as he smiled in approval.

“Much better.” He squeezed your hips lovingly, wiggling his eyebrows at you to make it harder for you to focus on your application of the foam as you finally locked eyes with him. 

“Jungkook, I’m trying to take care of you.” You whined, making him stop immediately as he pursed his lips out, humming when you reflexively pressed yours to them. 

“What?” You asked, genuinely confused at the softened look in his eye. For god’s sake, you were in your ratty old college t-shirt sitting on a toilet applying sticky foam to fight his acne. What was romantic about this?

“Just love you.” He said simply, leaning forward to peck your lips again and giggling when some of the foam from his nose smeared onto your skin. 

“Love you too, you freak.”

[btsslowburnfic]

-The Arrangement- Chapter 1

Summary: Desperately in need of money, you answered the questionable add. AKA-Arranged marriage AU featuring Y/N and Yoongi.

Chapter summary: Let’s meet our lovely [Y/N]. Every good story starts somewhere. Buckle up for the next few months babes <3 

Chapter 1

“Nope, sorry, I have to get to my other job.” You politely declined getting after-work drinks with your colleagues like usual. It was nice of them to still invite you even though you never said yes. 

You excused yourself to the company restroom. Out with the office worker, in with the bartender. You switched shirts, put your hair up in a ponytail, and applied heavier make-up. You'd switch out your skirt when you got to the club. As dumb and gross as it was, you always made more money when you wore your questionably short shorts. Oh well, money is money. 

You sent a quick text to your brother to make sure he and your sister got to your aunt's apartment and then headed for the station. Ok. How much money do I need to make tonight? You asked yourself as you opened the banking app. You mentally calculate the amount needed to feed your siblings, pay for the bus, and utilities. Ugh Maybe Park Minho will let me stay for him tonight. He usually wanted to get out of work early to go hang out with his friends. You would be ok this week if you stopped taking the bus and ate more ramen and less real food. You sighed. You were so tired.

You walked through the black glass doors of Club Tokki. There were only a few customers right now and you immediately went to see if anyone had made coffee. Work coffee=free coffee. Luckily for you, Lisa, the woman who worked the day shift almost always needed an extra dose of afternoon caffeine and there was still enough for a cup.

“Hey doll!” Lisa greeted you. “Here, I brought some milk in as well,” she said as she poured the coffee for you.

“You are a lifesaver. Thank you so much.” You gratefully took the mug, warming your hands. 

“No problem, do you need me to do anything before I leave? I’m going to close out with those two groups first.” She asked as she rinsed off some pint glasses.

You assessed the bar looking to see what you might need over the next few hours. “Yeah, ask the bar-back to get two more bottles of Goose and a bottle of Crown. We usually go through those on Wednesdays. And maybe cut a few limes and lemons. Thanks.” You took the coffee with you to the small office and finished changing clothes. Lisa was a student so she shared your need for thrifty living, coffee, and work. You didn’t have many friends, but you knew you could count on Lisa for caffeine and getting the bar prepped. 

You walked back out to the bar, mentally preparing yourself for the night ahead. In a few minutes people like your office coworkers would stream in, treating each other to after work drinks, socializing, and networking. You used to wonder if your circumstances were different if you would be the type of person who went out after work and socialized with their colleagues. You had come to the realization that “no” you wouldn’t. You would probably go home and sleep. Maybe read. You sighed and shimmied behind the bar as Lisa started to count down the drawer. "Alright, I asked the barback for the alcohol and there's 2 cups of lines and lemons." 

"Thanks a lot babe. See you tomorrow." you waved at her and started to move stuff around to where you liked it. 

"Happy money making." she smiled and headed out. 

As predicted about half an hour later, office workers start to show up and the bar is slowly starting to fill up. Club Tokki is known for its laid back vibe so it's mostly beers and "and" drinks. Whisky and coke. Vodka and soda. Occasionally there were some younger girls here that ordered the more complicated drinks. But you got those out as well; this wasn't the first bar you'd ever worked at, just the latest incarnation. And just like that, the night starts to speed up. Minho arrives two hours into your shift for the after-dinner rush.

“Just in time dude,” you greeted him as he walked behind the bar.

“What do you need?” He asked as he clocks in for the night. 

“The bar is caught up if you want to go check section one. Shinhye has the rest of the floor.” You instructed him and used this opportunity to catch up on cleaning dishes. You caught one of the guys at the end of the bar staring at you. He was definitely good looking, and stood out with his expensive suit, silver hair, and strong facial features. Whatever. As long as he tips. You were not looking for a boyfriend. Or a hookup. You cringed at the thought of even trying to navigate dating between your work schedule and also living with your Aunt as a grown ass woman. You shook your head like it would get rid of the thought. Satisfied with the current state of the bar you took a minute to drink some water and scan the club. There were worse places you could work for sure. 

Minho came back to the bar and asked you to make some shots while he grabs some beers. Grape bombs? Is this 2012? You resisted the urge to gag, having gotten sick on them when you were younger. You placed the drinks on his tray and checked the bartop once again.

Mr. Expensive Suit dimple-face was nursing a Goose and soda. “You doing ok?” you asked him as you made your way down the bar. 

“I’m great. Thanks. What’s your name?”

“[Y/N]” you responded and started to move on to your next guest. 

“This is the part where you ask my name.” he said arrogantly. Suddenly you did not care for him as much.

“Is it? I’ve never talked to someone in a bar before. I didn't realize there was a script.” you responded sarcastically. You hated it when guys thought they could manipulate you. 

“Wow. Ok. Ok. Hard to get. I respect that. I’m Kim Namjoon.” 

“Ok Mr. Kim, is there anything else I can get for you right now?” you asked, oh so sweetly.

“No. I’m good for now.” he said, laughing to himself. He shook his head incredulously and sipped his drink.

Well maybe you weren’t going to get tipped after all. Oh well. 

The rest of the night was mostly a blur. The vodka special brought in quite a few people and you ended up going through four bottles of Goose. Mr. Kim Dimples remained, nursing only his second drink now and still staring at you even though he was trying hard to not look like he was staring. It was awkward. He was hot but sooo not your type. Which you thought you had made clear.

“Mr. Kim, are you sure you even like Goose and soda?” you teased him as you made another round checking on people. 

“You know, I am more of a beer drinker myself, but I can’t pass up a good vodka special.” he leaned to the side, getting out his wallet, and pulled out a business card.

“[Y/N], I’d like for you to take this.” he stuck it between his index and middle finger, holding it out for you to take.

“I am flattered, Mr. Kim, but I’m not interested in anything like that.” you smiled politely. 

He rolled his eyes at you.  “Believe me, I’m not asking you on a date. You are so not my type,” he said with an air of disgust. As though he was repulsed that you would have even thought he would consider asking you out. “This is a job opportunity. I work for a talent agency of sorts.”

Wow. What a dick. “Oh yeah? What talent do you see?” you gesture to yourself. “I do pour some stiff drinks and can usually tell rude guys to fuck off with a smile on my face.”

To your surprise he just laughed. “You are very funny. And I suppose some people would find you attractive. Just take the card. I think you’re the best candidate I’ve found yet.” he stood up and put on his suit jacket, sitting the business card down on the bartop.

“Rude.” you casually said, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

"Well, it makes no difference to me if you accept or not. Regardless, there it is." He gestured to the card, and sat down way too much money on top of it. "Keep the change." He turned and left.  

You didn’t end up closing for Minho; the two of you both stayed since it remained steady through closing time. You were weirded out by the conversation with Mr. Kim, but having worked in a bar for the past 7 years, it wasn't the weirdest thing that had ever happened to you. You threw  the business card into your purse and forgot about it for the rest of your shift.

The remainder of the night passed without incident. As much as you disliked it, that weirdo's money helped make sure you could take the bus again the next few days. You stuffed your tips into your purse and walked home. Well. To your aunt's house. It didn't really feel like home. Just a temporary landing spot until you and your siblings could get your own place again. 

You entered quietly and washed your hands. You dutifully went through your siblings school bags, making sure their supplies and homework were where they should be. You packaged their lunches as much as you could and started a fresh batch of rice for tomorrow. All mostly in the dark so you didn't wake anyone up. Your brother was sleeping on the couch, which you hated, but he insisted on it. You were sharing the guest bedroom with your sister and your niece.

You grabbed your laptop and curled up in the corner of the kitchen to not bother anybody. I’m a 27 year old loser hiding on the floor of my Aunt’s apartment in the middle of the night. I have to wake up in 5 hours for my other job and instead I’m going to look up a website that some weird ass rude hot guy at a bar gave me. Why is this my life? You thought, and yet you pulled out the business card and entered the link. It took you to a black website with a white box asking for a code. You flipped the card over, and there it was, handwritten. You type it in and wait for the website to load, convinced it’s going to be some weird porn site with fisting or crush videos. You almost cover your eyes but to your pleasant surprise it’s a normal website. 

Seeking: a suitable adult woman for long-term companionship. Will be well compensated. Serious inquiries only. 

The text continued: If you are on this website, congratulations. You have already presented the basic level qualifications for this position. 

Ok. So maybe this was an escort service. Which I mean...if it paid better than both of your jobs and you didn’t have to have sex with people maybe you could. No. No. You talked yourself out of it and scrolled down to read more of the description,

Requirements:

Female between the ages of 20 and 40.

Flexibility in schedule

Desire to travel and attend events

Strong personality and interpersonal skills

Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word 

Punctuality, attention to detail, and strong organizational skills

Desired but not necessary

Non-smoker/drinks alcohol socially

Like animals 

Enjoy listening to music 

Compensation:

Position requires relocation to on-site premises and therefore covers room and board. 

Monthly stipend (click here for more information pertaining to taxes)

3 meals a day, beverages, and snacks included

Most escort services didn’t require proficiency in Microsoft Word or Excel...you were guessing. Maybe it was a legit job. Like an on-site event planner? You clicked the link contained in compensation and HOLY SHIT THAT WAS A LOT OF MONEY. 

You bit your lip and pulled up your resume. It couldn’t hurt to submit it, right? You didn’t have much to update since you had just started your office job 3 months ago. You updated the resume to include that job and listed your address as Club Tokki’s in case this was actually a sex trafficking set up. You thought about it for a another minute and then uploaded the document, took a deep breath, and hit “send.” NEXT CHAPTER

TAGS: @lidda​

[not-another-viking-fanfic-blog]

you are my people - modern vikings au fic {?}

summary : The Lothbrok brothers are an utter liability. Thankfully, they have a few good friends to keep them in check, or turn the shenanigans up a notch. Enter Myda, Treena and Toby Wick. Friends since childhood, with them all together life is far from dull. But when sodafloats and skinned knees turns to beers and bruised knuckles, will things stay the same?

words: 1240 (ish)

warnings: Drug and alcohol use, mention of death, anxiety, getting high in a bathtub (i have no idea what that counts as), swearing, and just some sad fluff

authors note: i am so nervous about posting this!! this is a fic that i wasn't really planning on writing! It's been bumbling about in my notes for longer than i'd like to admit to, and couldn't sleep so - uhh tadaah?! i have no idea where im going with this -please let me know what you think <3

I have never ever in my life posted fanfic on tumblr before - the whole concept is utterly confuzzling to me! any tips would be graciuosly welcomed x

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

There was no logical reason why, after getting home from a 12 hour shift absolutely cream cracker-ed with a house to tidy, washing to do and two new episodes to binge on Netflix, she would find herself stomping down to Hviterks flat at 9pm on a Wednesday night. But that was exactly where she was.

Her red trainers thudded along the pavement. There was just something that was tugging at her. A little voice in the back of her mind that wouldn’t stop nudging. So Myda had somewhat reluctantly left the comfort of her nice warm house, to stomp down the street in the frost, for really no reason at all. Just a feeling.

After the third attempt at knocking, her spare key was in the lock. The door was flung to the back.The whole place was in darkness. Maybe he wasn’t-

Water. She could hear water. She was at the bathroom door before she knew where she was. Scrabbling at the door handle.

“Hvit? Hvit?” She called out, finally getting the door open with her whole body weight behind it.

He was in the bath. The plug in, cold water pouring over him, pouring out over the lip. Water all over the the floor. A steady stream running everywhere. He was there, he was alive. In the bath, fully clothed, staring at the wall. And as high as a fucking kite, but alive. Alive was the main thing.

She took the breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding. “Hey Hvit, you okay?” She said gently, grabbing a towel from the back of the door.

He seems to hear that. He looked in her general direction. “Mm fine.”

“Okay,” she breathed out, “Let’s get you out of here, eh?”

“No, no. I’m fine.”

“Nah, I think we’ll get you out of here.” She pulled the plug, the water spiralling down the drain. The floor was still sodden, but once she’d gotten Hvit sorted she’d deal with that. The floor wasn’t going to get pneumonia.

“Oh!” Hvitserk said, “The waters leaving!”

“Yeah, I think we should do the same. Come on Hvit, we’ll get you to bed.”

He looked at her, utterly puzzled. “Mydz? When did you get here?”

She smiled sadly, “Just now by Hvitty. Come on. Up you get.”

He looked first at her, then back down at himself. His jeans were sticking to him, absolutely soaked. As was his t shirt. The water was nearly out of the bath. He scrabbled around for the bath handles, before sitting up and nearly falling back again.

A hand on his back stopped him.

“There we go.” Somehow, she got him persuaded out of the bath. Now she had a very cold, very soggy Hvitserk. Taking him by the shoulders she pushed him down onto the toilet seat.

“Hvit, I’m going to get these clothes off of you. Okay?” Myda said. Fingers fumbling in the gloom of the unlit bathroom. The only light being the cocktail of street and moon light falling in from the tiny window. She found the bottom of his t shirt and pulled it up over his head.

“Hvits, I’m going to need you to raise your arms for me.” A mumble, and his arms raised. All of 2 inches.

She got the neck of his t shirt up over his soggy blond locks. And managed to get the arms off of him. The t shirt was thrown back in the bath in disgust. Now came the next problem - jeans. She bent down a little, carefully pushing his body back towards the wall. She found the button and the zip, got both undone. She wiggled down as much as she could.

“Can you stand up with me?”

Hvitserk took her arm in an utter daze. Gently rising to his feet, he never noticed that she’d pushed his jeans down further, and then pushed down on them with her foot to get them down around his ankles. He was sitting back on the toilet before he ever realised he’d not been there. Quickly, Myda hauled the jeans off of him, taking his socks while she was there. The whole lot was flung in the bath.

-

Nearly naked, and with his teeth chattering, Hvitserk stumbled into the bedroom with Myda hot on his heels. He collapsed onto the end of the bed immediately.

Myda sighed sadly taking in the scene in front of her. Empty bottles, pill packets and dirty clothes littered the floor. The curtains were to the back, letting every ounce of moonlight in to them. She stalked over to the bed, gently taking the towel she still had in her hands to Hvitserks shaking body.

“Oh Hvit,” she mumbled, her eyes welling up as she dried him off, What have you gotten yourself into?”

He just started blankly at the ceiling.

Her words not resonating.

She dried the rest of him off wordlessly. Tears were streaming down her face by the time she’d finished.

She wiped them away with an unsteady hand before giving him a watery smile. “Come on then, let’s get you into bed.”

Hvitserk lay limp like a paper doll as she manoeuvred him under the covers.

“There we go.” she mumbled, as the covers were drawn up to his neck. She gently pushed the hair from his eyes, gave his shoulder a firm but heartfelt squeeze before turning and leaving him to sleep off his high. Her heart shattered as soon as she took her first step.

-

The tears were falling thick and fast as she slid down the hallway wall. Coming to rest with her hands in her hair, her knees up in front of her. She sobbed. Thoughts raced through her mind like wild horses. What is she hadn’t have come? What if she’d decided to stay in, would anyone else have checked on him? If she’d have come earlier, would he be this bad? If she’d come later, would he still be here? Would Hvitserk still be alive? She shook her head to clear that thought, as a gut wrenching sob escaped her. She couldn’t think like that.

Her hands came to play with her bracelet in front of her as her head fell back against the wall and her sobs died away. Now she had the difficult bit. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Fingers fumbling with the keypad as she typed in this number. She hesitated over the call button, her nose wrinkling as she rethought her next move. Fuck it. She pressed the button and brought it to her ear.

By the third ring, her heart was in her mouth and her eyes were welling up again. The line crackled.

“Hello?” A sleepy voice drifted down the line.

Silently thanking every god she could think of, she smiled. She had never been so happy to hear a voice in all her days.

“Hey Chief.” she said tearily, “It’s me.”

“Mydz? What’s happened?” The concern in his voice was clear as a bell.

She took a shaky breath, before replying “It’s Hvitserk. He’s…down the rabbit hole again.”

The rustle of bed sheets came filtering through the airwaves. Followed by scruffle of a phone being dropped and a string of curse words. “I’m on my way.” He said calmly, “Hang tight Mydz. It’ll be okay.”

“I hope so Ubbe.”

The dial tone echoed in her head as she pressed end call. Gods did she hope so

[moomischief]

Premeditated Birthday Gifts

Rating: explicit

Pairing:Sess/Rin

My one shot for the @inuyasha-sugar-and-spice sugar event! It’s the second chapter in a one shot collection so it’s not on the AO3 group but it is on AO3 under the title “Strong, Silent Type”

Rins ready to take the next step with her new boyfriend and she thinks her birthday is the perfect time for it.

Her birthday had been on Wednesday and Sesshomaru had taken her to a very fancy restaurant. They’d spent an evening sipping expensive wine and eating too expensive food before he’d taken her home and given her a gentle kiss before pulling back and telling her he’d be meeting her on Saturday for her celebration. She’d told him to bring a friend if it would make him feel more comfortable and he’d grunted in understanding.

She was excited for the evening for more than just her birthday. She had been waiting to get physical with Sesshomaru and she figured the best day to make the move would be a celebration. They’d made out plenty and their hands had strayed but nothing below clothing and he always stopped when she requested. But it had been a month, and he was very pretty and she figured a full month after their first date was long enough to wait for a demon.

Sorry dad, you didn’t raise a prude.

Rin pulled on a flared black strapless dress and finished her makeup just as the doorbell rang. She squealed and ran to the door, swinging it open to reveal her beautiful boyfriend dressed in a black button up and light wash jeans. She’d lifted her hands up and he picked her up to kiss her deeply. She smiled into the kiss before a loud fake cough from behind her made her pull away, still held up in his arms.

She peered around his shoulder to see the woman from the meeting standing behind Sesshomaru in a hot pink dress with a plastic bag in hand and a man who looked strikingly similar to her boyfriend smirking at her.

“Nice to see you again, Rin! Happy birthday!” Sango chirped and the smirking man swatted his hand against Sesshomaru’s back until he put her back on the floor with a sigh. Rin pushed around him to give Sango and hug before sticking her hand out to shake the man’s hand. “I’m Rin! You must be Inuyasha?” She said and the man nodded his head before handing her a box of chocolate.

She thanked him with a bright smile before pulling them all into her apartment. “Don’t let Fluffy take those from you Rin, they’re his favorite. I want to see if he can share.” Inuyasha said, causing Sesshomaru to growl from her side.

“Fluffy?” She said, tilting her head back to look at her blank faced boyfriend. He shook his head slightly and Inuyasha let out a big laugh before seating himself on her couch. “His momo is fluffy and it's the exact opposite of his personality. I thought it was the perfect nickname.”

Rin looked between her boyfriend, who was glaring daggers at his brother seated on the couch and Inuyasha was smirking at him with an eyebrow raised. They looked so similar but were so different. Where Sesshomaru was lean and defined, Inuyasha was thick and broad. Then there was the loudness, Rin was pretty sure Inuyasha had spoken more in the 4 minutes she’d known him than Sesshomaru did on most of their dates.

Inuyasha patted the couch next to him and beckoned Rin over and she moved to sit next to him, causing a growl to come from Sesshomaru.

Sango patted Sesshomaru’s back before sending Rin a big smile, “Don’t listen to the growls, dogs are possessive and Inuyasha likes to push buttons.” She said, pulling a bottle of Vodka out of the bag in her hand and setting it next to Rin before moving to her kitchen.

Rin laughed but continued looking at Sesshomaru. “Don’t you worry Sess, you’re the only dog demon I’m interested in.” She teased, causing Inuyasha to chuckle next to her. His growling ceased but his glare didn’t diminish. “Stop trying to kill him with your eyes, I bet that makes him do it more.” She said with a scoff.

Inuyasha pulled himself up and glanced over at her. “You can read him?” He said and she shrugged. “Not always but I’ve learned to understand a little more. It's only hard on the phone cause I can’t see his eyes.” Rin said, causing Inuyasha to raise an eyebrow and glance back at his brother.

“If anyone can figure out what the ice prince is actually thinking, it’s gonna be you, Rinny.” He said, grabbing the glass handed to him by Sango and reaching to the floor to grab the bottle. He poured a shot for Sango before pouring a shot into the glass in his hand and pushing it towards her. “Drink up birthday girl, Sess and I will be the designation tonight.” Inuyasha said with a smirk.

Rin glanced at Sesshomaru to see him give a quick nod before she smiled brightly and cheersed with Sango. The alcohol felt like water going down until it warmed in her belly and she looked over at Sango with her eyes raised. “You’re not an alcoholic, I get the good Russian shit for special occasions. Just be careful, you don't realize how drunk you are until you stand.” Sango warned. Setting her glass down on the end table and winking at her. Rin nodded in understanding before relaxing into the couch.

“So tell me about yourself Inuyasha. Why do you make my boyfriend so angry for fun?” Rin teased and Inuyasha relaxed on the couch as well. “It’s easy to upset him, just talk more than a few words and he’s mad. Not much else to know. I’m only about 300, he works on the corporate stuff and I work most of the pro bono shit at work. We have different moms.” Inuyasha said with a shrug before his eyes lit up and he looked over to Rin “I’m also a switch so if you have any questions about subbing you can come to me. Neither of them will be able to help you.” Inuyasha said, jerking his thumb towards a sputtering Sango and a glaring Sesshomaru.

“Inuyasha.” Sesshomaru said with a snarl and Rin looked between them before bursting out laughing. She calmed herself to grab her shot glass and pour herself another before handing the bottle to Sango.

“I think it would be awkward for you to teach me how to properly fuck your brother, don’t you?” Rin asked, throwing the liquor back and coughing a little. Inuyasha shrugged and pulled the bottle from Sango to place it back at their feet.

“Demons are freaky Rin, if you’re not tied down it's not exactly uncommon to eventually pass partners around. It's all about instincts.” Inuyasha said.

Rin nodded slightly before looking back to Sango. “I thought it was only dominant and submissive.” She said, moving to the pour herself another shot. Inuyasha snorted and shook his head, drawing her gaze back.

“There are switches, too. It's more uncommon in demons since the instinct is either to submit or dominate but when you get someone like me who is dominant but likes pain ya end up as a switch. Humans do it a lot.” He explained, passing the bottle back to Sango who was nodding in agreement.

Rin shrugged but took her shot before smiling up at a still standing Sesshomaru. “Why are you still standing grumpy? Come sit with me.” She said, patting the empty seat beside her. She heard him sigh before he moved next to her. “You can’t be annoyed with me, it's my birthday.” She sang as he sat, his hand moving to rest on her knee.

Sesshomaru grunted next to her and she pulled his head down to kiss his cheek. Two shots later Rin stood to open the door for her friends, almost tripping when she finally stood with a sang ‘I told you so’ coming from Sango seated in the arm chair. She opened the door and her friends shuffled in, pushing her to get her shoes on so they could get to the club before they started charging a cover.

By the time they were walking Rin already felt more than a little wobbly in her high heels, her hand clutching Sesshomaru’s arm to make sure she stayed upright. Sango and Inuyasha were laughing and shoving each other in front of her, looking like siblings taking jabs at one another. Her friends were walking beside her, chatting with her and trying to bring a silent Sesshomaru into the conversation with them.

As they entered the club the strobe lights were going and she could feel the bass in her feet as she moved. Sango pulled her from Sesshomaru and dragged her straight to the bar, buying her three more shots before Sesshomaru pulled her away. She’d turned to him with unfocused eyes and a dazed smile and dragged him to the floor, somewhat shocked when he danced with her, his hips moving against her and his head bowed to kiss her neck as she moved.

She leaned back and tilted her head to give him better access and he’d groaned before leaving a harsh nip on her shoulder causing her to shudder in his arms. She was lost in the moment before she heard a wolf whistle from the side and her bleary eyes opened to see Inuyasha bent over laughing at the edge of the dance floor. She laughed along with him before turning in Sesshomaru’s arms and pulling him down by the hair to kiss him hard on the mouth. He pulled her closer to deepen the kiss before she pulled back and pecked his nose.

She stepped away from him and pulled him back to Inuyasha and Sango who had saddled up at the bar and were taking shots together. “Have you guys seen my friends?” Rin asked, looking around the bar to find the three girls they’d come with. Inuyasha nodded and pointed behind them to the dance floor.

“Once they realized I wasn’t going to fuck them they went to find someone else to.” He said, taking the last shot in front of him on the bar. Sango snorted but shook her head, “Think so highly of yourself.” She sneered before slapping Inuyasha up the back of his head. “What do you say Rin, you want another shot?” Sango said, gesturing to the empty glasses on the table.

Rin shook her head and felt herself stumble a little before she was caught by hard arms. “No thanks. Is it bad that I’m too drunk, I think?” She slurred, noticing the room continued to spin even though she knew she was standing still. Sango laughed but shook her head and Inuyasha snorted. “Only a month with Sesshomaru and she topped out at an hour in a club.” Sesshomaru hummed behind her and she turned to smile up at him.

“Let's go home.” She said and he looked back at Inuyasha for a moment before turning back to her and nodding. She smiled brightly at him before turning and racing as fast as she could on her heels out of the building. She’d only made it a couple steps out before she felt herself hauled up in Sesshomaru’s arms.

“Don’t run from a predator, Rin.” He spoke harshly in her ear and she felt a strong shiver go through her body. She nodded in his hold and he moved her around her to fix her against his back before pulling her legs up around his waist and beginning to walk them back to her apartment.

Rin giggled from his back, swinging her legs around his hips. “Tonight was fun, right Sess? Sango can really throw ‘em back!” She said, continuing to swing her legs, her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders. He didn’t respond but she felt a tension in his shoulders. She pushed his hair to the side before leaning up to place a kiss against his neck. He sighed and adjusted his hold on her thighs, continued their walk to her apartment.

“Thank you for coming with me, I know you hate loud noises.” She said and she felt the tension in his shoulders relax. He hummed in response and she nuzzled her head against his shoulder. They continued their walk in silence until he reached her building and finally her door. “Will you run?” He stated and Rin giggled but shook her head and she felt him lower her to the floor and shift her to the front door. She reached her hand back to take her keys from Sesshomaru and unlocked the door before stepping in.

She looked back to see Sesshomaru hadn’t moved. “Why you still outside?” She asked, her voice a little lower than expected and he shook his head. “You can sleep over tonight Sess, it's been a whole month.” She said, reaching her hand out to grab his arm and pulling him slightly. He shook his head again and pulled her hand from his arm before bringing it to her mouth laying a kiss on it. “You are drunk.” He said and she looked at him in confusion.

“Do you not want to have sex with me? I know I’ve made you wait but I’m ready now.” She said, and tears brimmed in her eyes. His eyes widened and she heard a small whine in his throat before he walked through her door and pulled her into his arms. She sniffled against his chest and looked up at him with watery eyes.

“You are very drunk, Rin.” He said again and she nodded in understanding, stumbling to the couch to pull her heels off and throwing her legs up on the sofa. “Can you please stay?” She whimpered and she heard him sigh before he nodded at her causing a squeal of glee to rip from her throat.

She pulled herself up from the couch and bounced over to him, dragging him by the arm to her bedroom and pushing him down onto her queen bed. “I don’t know if you’re going to fit on my bed.” She said with a giggle, throwing her arms away from herself to show how long he was. He hummed in response and she turned to show him her back.

“Can you get the zipper for me?” She said, shifting backwards until her hips were shoved between his knees. “Rin.” She heard him say sternly but his hands still moved to lower the zipper down her back. She giggled in front of him and pushed the dress off her body, showing she wore no bra and a very skimpy pair of lace boyshorts. She glanced over her naked shoulder to appraise him, his eyes were deep amber and he was staring at the exposed skin of her back.

“I sleep best in my underwear, don’t you?” She said lightly, seeing his eyes flicker up to meet her own before he gave a small nod and removed his shirt. She sent him a demure smile before stepping forward and allowing him to remove his pants but he simply moved quickly past her and out of the room. “Sess, where are you going?!” She yelled into the empty room.

Sesshomaru returned with a glass full of water and an unopened water bottle. He set the bottle on her nightstand before turning to face her, his eyes flickering down to her exposed chest, the deep amber color remaining. “Drink.” He said, handing her the glass in his hand. She sighed and chugged the glass before staring at him. He nodded and handed her the other bottle but she shook her head and placed it back on the end table.

“I’m fine Sess, I promise. I probably won’t even have a hangover in the morning.” She said, trailing her fingers over his chest, relishing in the feeling of gooseflesh under her finger tips. “Don’t you want me?” She whispered, pushing her hands down to thumb the button of his jeans.

“Yes.” he whispered but he stilled her hands and moved them back to his already exposed skin. “Drink.” he said, and Rin looked into his darkened eyes to see promise. She sighed but nodded in understanding and pulled herself onto the bed before grabbing the water and sitting back against her headboard. She felt herself be moved slightly and his button up was draped over her, swallowing her form and covering her chest down to right above her knee. She huffed at him but he didn’t seem apologetic and his eyes had lightened considerably.

“Can’t control yourself when I’m naked, huh?” Rin said with a tease and Sesshomaru hummed in agreement, “You are well endowed.” he said simply, before pulling himself up to sit on the bed in front of her.

Rin flushed and took a small sip of her water bottle before appraising the impassive man in front of her. He seemed to be taking in her room, studying the small aspect of her life he hadn’t experienced before. His eyes lingered on the photo of her and Jaken on her bedside table and swept over her rejected dresses for the evening in a pile next to her closet.

“Tell me your dreams, Sesshomaru.” She said, feeling the final haze of alcohol falling away. His eyes moved from her room to look at her, darkening again slightly before staring deeply into her eyes. “I don’t dream.” He said, but he didn’t look away, her indicator that he was willing to discuss the topic more.

“Because you don’t sleep or because you’ve already accomplished everything?” Rin asked, taking another sip from the bottle in her hand. He was silent for a few moments and Rin assumed he wouldn’t speak again until his eyes moved down to her body before moving up to meet her eyes once more. “I would like pups.”

Rin felt herself flush a little and glanced away from his intense look. “That's like having kids, right? You’ve never wanted them before?” She asked and she saw him shake his head slightly. She let out a breath and laughed, “You think you’re going to like me for long enough?” She teased and she looked back up to see the intense look had not left his eyes. He nodded and she felt a shiver go down her back.

“So you’ve never been with someone long enough to have kids, but you think you want them with me? What’s so special? Is it my endowments?” She asked teasingly, drinking again from the bottle in her hands. She could see a ghost of a smile on his lips but he shook his head.

“Your scent is most pleasing.” He said and Rin shrugged her shoulders. “Well no babies anytime soon mister, I’m on birth control.” She said sternly and the ghost of a smile on his lips turned into a real one. Her eyes widened and she smiled brightly at him, finishing her bottle of water before chucking the bottle on the ground and launching herself into his lap. She kissed him hard on the mouth before pulling back suddenly, the smile on her face lighting up the room. “You just smiled.”

His eyes looked light and warm and he looked down at her now perched in his lap. “Only for you, Rin.” He said and although his voice held no inflection Rin could feel the importance of the statement. She giggled before hopping off the bed and leaving the room, using the restroom quickly before rushing back to the room and pushing his shirt off her body, kicking it to land in her own pile of discarded clothing.

His eyes widened a fraction as he took in her body and she saw him shift against his seat on the end of her bed. She prowled closer to him before stopping right in front of his face and placing her hands firmly against his chest and pushing him to lay back. “I’m feeling much more sober and I wore my cute undies for you.” She said, moving to straddle him and feeling his erection press against her, confined in his pants. “Don’t you want me?” She whispered before leaning forward to claim his mouth in a searing kiss.

His hands flew up to tangle in her hair, adjusting her head to allow him to push his tongue past her lips. She met his tongue with her own, pushing her hips down to grind against him through their clothing. He pulled her back and stared up at her with his eyes dark and his breathing just slightly heavier than normal. “I do not have a condom.” He said, but his hips pushed up against her own to match her motions. She whimpered and pushed her own hips down harder. “I told you I’m on birth control. Please don’t make me beg.” She whimpered and she heard a growl come from his chest.

She suddenly found herself flipped and Sesshomaru was staring down at her, the passionate look in his eyes piercing her. “We do not need to rush, Rin.” He said, but his hips had taken over her grinding and he seemed to be breathing in deeply, his nostrils flaring. She moaned but placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back slightly. He immediately backed off her and stood from her bed. She pulled herself up before plucking her knees under her and looking at him with glazed eyes.

“What is your title?” She asked and she saw him take a deep breath, his chest rising and holding slightly. “Lord Sesshomaru.” He whispered and she pulled her hands on the top of her thigh, making sure to push her breasts together and further up, noticing his eyes had immediately left her face to watch the motion.

His eyes slid back to her face and she pouted at him. “Please fuck me Lord Sesshomaru, I’ve kept you waiting long enough.” She said softly, her eyes locking on his own. She saw a wild look flash across his face before she was once again on her back and her mouth was being plundered by his tongue. She adjusted her legs to wrap around his hips and noticed his jeans had somehow disappeared.

She threw her hands around his neck locking him against her mouth and pulled lightly on the hair at the base of his neck causing him to pull back with a groan and move his kisses to her neck. “You are drunk.” He said again but his lips continued kissing her neck, stopping to leave teasing licks and small bites as he moved.

She groaned and shook her head, pulling him back slightly but stopping him from pulling away again. “I was planning this for tonight. I’ve had water, I want this, please take me.” She whimpered and she saw him nod slightly before his lips descended on her again. When she pulled against the hair on his neck again he didn’t move back, instead tilting his head to deepen their kiss.

He pulled away and Rin groaned before feeling herself lifted and moved to lay with her head at the headboard. Sesshomaru moved quickly back to hover over her, his intense eyes staring into her own. The slight tension at the brow, his nostrils flared and his eyes looking unbridled and wild as he stared down at her. “You are sure?” He asked once more and Rin nodded before reaching up to bring a hand to his cheek. “I do have one request.” She said and he nodded immediately, his eyes completely fixated on her face as he nuzzled into her cheek.

“You don’t have to speak but I want to hear you.” She whispered and he growled before leaning down and capturing her lips again. She adjusted her hands to grab his hair and pull him closer, feeling his body move to brush against her own. He groaned into her mouth before abandoning her lips to move down her shoulder again, leaving harsh nips against the skin before kissing away the sting.

Rin moved her hands down to wiggle herself out of her last piece of clothing before moving her hands to his own boxer briefs and pushing down slightly as well. His mouth never stopped its motions but his hand came down and ripped the offended material from his body before he settled more fully against her.

Rin gasped at the contact and her eyes widened slightly.

No fucking way that’s going to fit.

He seemed to sense her tensing and whined into her shoulder, only leaving kisses along her collar bone. When she didn’t move he pushed back to look down at her. Rin looked up at the clear question in his eyes. “I will stop.” He said and began moving back. “No!” Rin yelled and locked her arms around his shoulders, refusing to let him move.

“Nothings wrong, you’re just very...proportional.” She said, a flush covering her face. He looked at her and his eyes widened slightly before looking down between them at himself and then back to her. His eyes looked tensed and he seemed to be trying to create more space between them. Rin held fast and he shook his head.

“Your first time will not be when you’re drunk Rin.” He said firmly, pulling her arms from his neck and pushing back once more. Rin gaped at him like a fish before she burst out laughing. He didn’t move back any further but continued to look down at her with a blank stare.

Once she’d calmed from her giggles she looked up to see the still tense furrow in his brow and his eye looking worried. “I’m not a virgin Sess, you’re just very big. I guess I never realized.” She said with a giggle, moving her arms back to wrap around his neck and pulling his head down to whisper into his ear.

“As long as you’re fine with a 2 to 1 ratio I think I’ll be fine.” She whispered before tracing her tongue along the point of his ear. He groaned and pushed his hips back flush against her own, his hands bracing against each side of her head. She continued to nibble on his ear and revealed in the gasps she heard from him before he pulled back, his eyes once again dark amber and he stared down at her like she was prey.

He moved down her body mouth immediately connecting with her nipple, causing her back to arch a moan to rip through her. His hand had moved from next to head to grab the neglected twin, brushing his finger over the nipple and testing the weight in his hand. “Fucking perfect.” She heard him growl as he switched tactics, his mouth replacing his hand and his moving to run his claws gently against her sides. She arched against his mouth, her hands coming down to grab his hair and push his head against her.

She heard him growl against her chest before he scraped his fangs against her nipple and she panted out his name as she bucked underneath him. His hand had abandoned its tracing to move towards the apex of her thighs, rubbing her sex before slipping a finger inside. She heard him groan and abandon her chest to move back up and plant a searing kiss against her lips. She pulled her hands up to hold his face close as his finger began pumping in and out of her.

She pulled back as a moan bubbled up in her throat and opened her eyes to meet him. He looked almost feral, the deep color in his eyes staring down at her. Unbridled passion, passion and that soft look she couldn’t identify staring back at her. Her eyes snapped closed when his hand adjusted to move against her clit as well. She bucked her hips and his mouth attached to her neck once again leaving harsh bites along her skin.

“What do you need?” He whispered into her ear and she groaned and her hips flexed up again. “Faster.” She gasped and his speed immediately increased, the fingers inside her moved quickly and crooking inside of her and the thumb against her clit pushing harder in tighter circles. She gasped his name like a mantra, her hips moving with his hand to prolong the feeling and bring her closer to the edge. He groaned into her ear, “Cum.” He growled out and Rin’s hips lifted into the air and her back arched high. His fingers slowed but the pressure on her clit continued, extending the feelings rushing through her body.

As her back slowly relaxed against the bed she saw him pull his hand away and lick his fingers clean, whimpering slightly as if he was just given the best dessert in the world. He moved to settle himself between her thighs and grabbed her leg to hike up over his waist. He looked down to her and she shot him back a blissful smile, moving her own hand down to grasp his length and line him up to her center.

His hissed at the contact before sliding himself in slowly. It was like she was being stretched to full capacity. She noticed there was no pain, and she experimentally bucked her hips up, causing him to push flush against her. She heard him groan and looked up to his eyes half lidded, staring down at her and his hand seemed to flex against her thigh as he held it up against him. He leaned forward to press a kiss against her lips before slowly pulling out and pushing back in.

Rin gasped and her head fell back as he continued his slow pace against her. She felt him continue to move, the same slow gentle thrusts and she opened her eyes to look up at him. He looked so in control, his lips held in a tight line, his eyes hard and focused as his hips moved slowly against her.

She threw her other leg up around his waist and pulled him forward to catch himself with his arms around her head. She bucked and grinded under him and she noticed he had stopped moving all together, his eyes closed and his lips parted letting small gasps escape him.

“I’m not going to break Sess. You can fuck me like you want to.” She whispered, continuing to push against him. He groaned and shook his head. His slow pace continued, pushing down to meet her upwards thrust, grinding against her when she stopped moving but refused to move faster. She felt herself coming closer, but she wanted more. She wanted the wild look she’d seen in his eyes reflected in his motions.

“Can I be on top?” She whispered and she saw his eyes snap open, the wild look returning before he lay down more fully against her and rolled her until she was perched in his lap. Rin sat up against his chest and moved experimentally over him. She knew her thighs would scream at her in the morning but she was going to get a hard fuck out of him if it killed her.

She moved her legs to her sides before raising herself slightly and crashing down hard against him. The reaction was almost instantaneous. He groaned and his hands came to grab her hips, pulling her closer to him as he grinded up against her. She smirked before repeating the motion seeing his eye closed tightly and his lips pulled back in a snarl. She pushed herself hard down on him and grinded against him, before leaning forward to whisper in his ear. “I can’t move very quickly in this position, do you think you could help me?” She said teasingly and his eyes snapped open.

She felt her hips be shifted and pulled down hard against him and she threw her head back in a moan. She heard him groan below her before she was no longer the one moving them. He was simply bouncing her up and down on his shaft, pushing his hips up to meet hers as she fell and grinding them together before repeating the motion again. She felt closer, but she needed more. She whispered his name and felt him hit harder against her.

“Do you need more control, Sesshomaru? Do you want to control me?” She said, pulling his hands from her hips to fix them to her breasts and continuing the pace he’d set as she bounced. He growled below her and his hands gripped her breasts before moving over them to pinch her nipples between his fingers. She moaned and nodded in understanding, “If you want more, you can flip us. But I want you to fuck me.” She growled out and before she could even squeal in surprise she was flipped back to her and he had one of her legs thrown up to his shoulder.

His pace was fast and brutal. Rin gasped in pleasure and tried to buck back but was stilled by a hand on her hip. She looked up with bleary eyes and saw his eyes were hard, the feral look staring down at her as he moved hard and fast within her. “Mine.” She heard him snarl and she nodded her head in agreement.

He growled again above her and felt the hand on her hip move to rub roughly against her clit. She gasped and she pulled her hand up to grab her ankle and pull her leg further back. She moaned in abandon, gasping out his name as he snarled above her. There was no stoicism on his face, but also few words. Just intense passion and want shown on every inch of his body.

She felt her climax coming and released her leg to fall back against his shoulder before moving her fingers to pull at her chest. Whimpered and arching as the pounding and rough touches brought her over the edge. She yelled his name as she came, his pounding more frantic as he finally pushed a few more erratic thrusts against her before his hips stilled.

She heard him gasping for air before he moved her leg from his shoulder to rest around his hip and pulled himself away before moving next to her and drawing her close. She was moved to lay on his chest and although his breathing had returned to normal, she could feel his heart beating erratically in his chest.

“That was a great birthday present.” She panted out, still trying to catch her breath. She felt him humm above her as his hands moved down and over her body. “You were made for me.” He whispered and she let a small smile pass her lips as she nodded against his chest in agreement.

“I think I might love you.” She said quietly. He didn’t respond, just snuggling her closer to his chest and letting out a soft purr to calm her.

She sighed and pulled herself up to look down and give him a sweet kiss. She saw his eyes had returned to their normal gold color and held the soft emotion once more. She giggled and moved her head back to his neck to whisper to him. “How many hickies am I going to have to cover up for thanksgiving?” She asked teasingly and he tensed below her before pulling back to look over her neck and chest.

She could feel him wince slightly before his eyes moved back to meet her own. “Many.” He said, his hands now moving lightly over her shoulder and neck. “Is that bad?” He asked, his hands continuing to trace.

Rin shook her head and moved back to snuggle into his chest. “No, just means I get proof that I had you. Maybe the more you see the less likely you’ll be to leave.” She joked and she felt a grumble purr in response.

“I will never leave.” He said factually. She sighed in contentment before pulling away from him and looking down at him.

“Are you in a talking mood?” She asked teasingly and he nodded. She noticed, he looked completely boneless, there was no tension around his eyes, his mouth was relaxed and parted slightly, and his eyes were soft and calm.

“So tell me about the pups you want and why with me?” She said, laying down and tracing patterns on his chest. She felt a grumble in his chest and she noticed it felt almost like a silent chuckle.

“I want many. All girls.” He said, running his fingers through her hair. She poked him in the chest to continue and he let out a sigh. “My mother insists on a male heir, I would like to avoid it in spite.” He said and Rin felt her own giggle bubble up in her chest.

“Can you control that as a demon?” She asked and she felt him shake his head. “It is a matter of wills.” He said and she once again felt the silent chuckles in his chest.

“Why me?” She asked quietly and she felt him move slightly away from her. She panicked before she found herself flat on her back with him leaning over her. “You were made for me.” He said, his statement sounding again like a fact, unable to be refuted and above all else completely true.

She snorted at him with a roll of her eyes. “You’ve known me for a month and this is the first time we’ve even been in the same bed together. How do you know for sure?” She teased and she saw the small smile once again pass his face.

“I am positive.” He said, leaning down to seal his statement with a kiss.

[howdidthisevenhappenanyway]

happy wash your fucking water bottle wednesday

[justjessame]

Avery Emerson Clay: What If the Fish Picks A Different Hook?

Anti-climatic. That’s what sharing an elevator with Max was because it wasn’t as if our staff could do anything to hold him or show our hand. Max wasn’t actually wanted for anything. He was something of an enigma. The entire fucking point was to get Max to grab my ass, and instead he just rode the elevator and acted polite.

I told my three earbuddies, and they pulled the video, confirmed that Max was my elevator buddy, and then we - well we went back to the same shit different day. Literally. Wash, rinse, repeat.

If it worked once, then clearly we should be able to net his ass again, right?

I had doubts, but who was I in this mess? Bait, remember, that’s who I was in this mess. The worm on the hook.

My first tingling, niggling feeling of something being terribly wrong came Wednesday morning. Rose had a schedule she kept almost religiously. In fact, I couldn’t remember a time she missed one of her scheduled days, she’d never taken a sick day. I was having my breakfast, with my shorts and another one of the many ridiculous shirts in place on the off chance that Max decided to pop up on my extra jogging trips, when I glanced at the clock.

“Dad,” he was flipping through the paper, his breakfast almost crumbs forgotten on his plate and his cup had been refreshed by Jake as he grabbed another cup for himself, so I got a grunt to let me know he heard me. “It’s almost ten.” Another grunt, but I saw his eyes shift to the top of the paper and then they met mine. “Did you run Rose through the same op shit that you ran me through?” I felt sick, Rose, OUR Rose at the mercy of Max - who looked like a pansy but this asshole had killed children without a hint of indecision. She’d been given self-defense classes, everyone tangentially involved with our family was, but Rose was ROSE.

Clay came into the kitchen to grab another cup of coffee and he picked up on the tension immediately. “What?” My eyes wandered back to the clock and so did his, and somehow he knew. “Where’s Rose?”

On the upside, I didn’t have to go jogging. On the downside, Rose was missing.

Mom and I had called her cell phone with the result that we both managed to get her voicemail, which did nothing to soothe either of our nerves. Clay and Dad, while clearly the more tactical and hardass of the family, were doing a better job of hiding their worry under a heavy layer of stoicism, but as Clays we knew a layer of shit when we saw it. They were as worried as we were, and while Jake worked to track Rose’s cell phone, Clay had another computer working with one of his programs hacking into the traffic cameras between her house and ours.

Nothing. That’s what we were finding as the minutes ticked down into hours. And I was getting more and more anxious. As my anxiety ratcheted, so did my energy level and Mom sensed it as easily as Clay had the tension when he walked into the kitchen.

“Avery, let’s go to the gym.” I shot her a look that I hope she understood meant I was less than receptive to the idea of leaving while they were in the middle of searching for Rose, but she shook her head and her lips were thin enough to cut paper. “Now.”

I was practically vibrating as we walked out of the library, where Clay and Dad had set up the search. I hadn’t noticed that Aisha, Cougar, and Pooch weren’t around, but Mom offered that they were actually on foot and in Cougar’s case, I thought, in perches, taking a look around to try to pick up Rose’s tracks. She was telling me, as she led me to the gym, that everyone was doing their best to find her. Rose was a priority, but I needed to calm the fuck down.

In the gym, she sighed as Rose’s choice hit our ears. Instead of changing it, I stiffened my spine and wrapped my hands. “You can change it,” but I shook my head.

Crappy, emo chick shit would have to do because Rose had been the last person in the gym. Kicking off my shoes, I stepped onto the mat where a new dummy had been put in the place of the one I’d destroyed. Staring into the unseeing face, I visualized the dark hair, the smug face and the linen suit and then I went to work.

Mom only stopped me when she thought I needed hydration, or when she thought my hand wraps might need changed. Aside from that, she let me beat the stuffing, literally, out of dummy number two. Since Jake was busy and she knew that I would rather he stay that way while Rose was missing, she kept me company.

“Here,” she stepped up and handed me another bottle of water, smiling because I was pacing myself much better than the last time I handed the dummy its ass. “Are you feeling less -” she considered how to follow up, but shook her head. “Well?”

I was out of breath, a well earned sweat coating me and saturating what would have been my jogging clothes, and I didn’t feel as on edge as I had when we left the others to come into the gym. The music that was playing was starting to annoy me, which was a good sign too. I nodded and stepped off the mat, happy to see that the dummy was still standing, even if it was a little worse for the wear.

Taking a long pull from the bottle she handed me, I gratefully took the towel she offered next. “Thanks, Mom.” We walked to the bench where I’d kicked off my shoes before hitting the mat. Sitting down, I stared at the tiny flecks of dummy dust that were dancing in the artificial light of the gym while Rose’s craptastic music continued to assault our ears. “It should be me.” I felt it gnawing at my insides, the fear that Max - a man who looked like he wouldn’t tie his own fucking shoelaces could be hurting ROSE of all people. “I was pissed at everyone for even thinking of making me do it, but it SHOULD BE ME.”

“Hey,” I turned to look into what I knew everyone would say was a mirror of my future. My mom, the older ME. “Don’t do that, Avery. Don’t blame yourself for something that a monster does.” I stared at her, wondering how she managed to get over what happened to her during her fateful Spring Break. “No one decides what bad men do, but bad men. Even if your father and brother think they’re incredibly smart and better at the game.” She fidgeted with her bracelets and I glanced down, seeing the faint lines that were still visible after so many years. When I looked back up a smirk had found a home on her lips. “People think I wear them because they’re sentimental, because your father gave them to me when he rescued me.” He did, I knew the story like I knew all the others. “He gave them to me so I could hide the open wounds that the wire they bound me in cut into me. Even with the bandages, I felt self conscious.”

I bit my lip, wondering if Rose was going to need her own bracelets. “What if we don’t -”

“Don’t do that either, Avery Emerson.” My eyes were burning and I was fighting the tears. “Don’t give up before we even get started.” She sounded as firm as she had when she cut Dad off during his attitude with Jake over dinner. “We’ll find Rose. We will, and I almost feel sorry for this Max.” I stared at her in disbelief. “What? I can have compassion for a monster who has fucked up so massively as to have brought down the wrath of the Clay family by attacking one of our own.”

I sat up straighter, she was right. Max didn’t know who the fuck he was messing with, and taking Rose was a bridge too far.

“There’s my girl,” Mom smiled. “Now, go get a shower and redress. We’ll make lunch and see where we are in the search.” She helped me off the bench and clucked me under my chin. “Remember Avery, Clays aren’t quitters.”

I nodded. Grabbing my shoes, I kissed her cheek on my way out. I grinned when I noticed that she was kicking her own shoes off as I was leaving.

[witchychanel]

Reborn

Reborn

chapter one: The Mistake

Word Count: 1,4k

Characters: Reader x Grant , briefly (Adam, Cassie, Phoebe, Melissa, Zane, Indiana x Luke)

Warnings: Angst, Language and Character Death ⚠ Trigger Warning ⚠ Physical and Verbal assault and Sexual Assault ⚠

This chapter takes place at the end of The Secret Circle, which is a TV show, you can watch it on CW seed.

I changed a few things, Phoebe Tonkin's character in the TSC is now named Phoebe Sertori, and Will in H20:JAD I'm using the actors really name Luke along with Indiana Evans aka Bella in the show is now Indiana Hartley

Set in 2010 between April-June

Italics: text messages

••• *TSC Spoilers but you kinda have to read*

Cassie is not going to be your sister, she is now your cousin.

This Starts off when you walk into the abandoned house and see John, Cassie’s dad trying to kill her right after you find out your uncle Charles killed Cassie's Mom •••

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

"He killed Cassie's mom" you said to yourself over and over again, here you are in your prom dress,on the day that was supposed to be special has you in tears and in shock and as tears filled your eyes as you ran out of the house. You thanked God that Bo was at her friend's house. That she wasn't here to learn what her father has done. That she didn't have to witness her father going insane thinking the ghost of Amelia was there trying to kill him.

You wish you never found your mom's book of shadows, you wish you never even found out that you're a witch to begin with. 

As you are walking down the street you're eyes foggy with tears, a car pulls up behind you. You don't pay any attention to it until you hear your name being called and it's Grant.

He comes up and asks you if your alright and you break down in his arms

You wake up hours later in Grant's car he says that your phone has been ringing for hours. You have 20 missed calls from the circle, most of them are from Cassie.. 

Cassie: Where are you??

Cassie: John lied to us!!

Cassie: He's trying to take our powers!! 

You ask Grant to drop you off at the Boat House where your car is located.

You drive as fast as you can towards the woods, when you get there you park the car and start running into woods, towards the abandoned house.

You hear struggling coming from inside and see John using the power of the crystal skull to kill Cassie. 

You grabbed something heavy and hit him over the head. He dropped the skull Cassie grabbed the skull and pointed it at him, you put your hands on her's and helped her. Once he was dead you grabbed a witch cruet to finish him off proper. So that his magic won't linger. 

You guys dug a hole and put his body in. Then you both went your separate ways.

The Next Morning 

You call Grant to tell him that you want to leave with him. What you didn't know leaving with him was going to be a huge mistake..

You put your bags in his car and drive to Cassie's house where the rest of the circle are currently at. You tell them all that you are leaving town with Grant.

 "Y/N, please we need you" Cassie says "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Adam asked "It's better than being here, I'm just tired of everything" you responded 

"Just take care, okay" Melissa says. You nod and give your goodbyes to everyone. 

Once you get into his car you notice a symbol pop up on your hand, you have no idea what to make of it and so you brush it off and leave Chance Harbor with Grant.

Few Weeks Later 

You feel bad, you haven't told Grant what you are. "How the fuck should I tell him what I am and who I am" you think to yourself. As you stare into the massive ocean. You are pulled out of your thoughts when you feel a hand on your back. “My father… he’s dead” is all he says before he drives the boat back to its spot.

 You glance at Grant, he's been silent ever since he got the phone call. He talks about his mom almost all the time but he told you that he had a bad relationship with his dad. 

••••••••• Two Weeks Later ••••••••••

Grant has been coming home late from work, you hated it but at the same time you didn't mind because you were able to teleport to L.A. to tape Victorious and to school. You told Grant that you got a job at Rikki's. You were already friends with so many of them because well you’re a mermaid. 

As you pull your car into the driveway coming home from Vasilisa’s house, you notice Grant's car parked in the driveway. 

You walk in through the front door and Grant is sitting on a chair with a bottle of whiskey. "Where the hell have you been" he asked "working" you replied "liar" is all he said "excuse me?" you asked "you heard me" he got up and walked straight towards you.  

"Where the fuck have you been" he said with nothing but rage.

 "I bet you were fucking Zane" you looked at him speechless and in shock. "Or I bet you we're fucking Luke" he said as he slapping you so hard you fell.

 "No I wasn't I swear" you said as your eyes spilled tears.

 "Get Out" Grant said,

 "what" is all you asked 

"Get out, I don't want a cheater, under my roof, I don't want a slut here" he said as he kicked you in the stomach. You would've fought back of fuck even killed him, but you we're week you haven't drank any blood in months. You ran out of the house and got into your car, and drove to Indiana's house because it was closer. Once you arrived there your wounds were gone, you grabbed the water bottle you had next to you and washed your face. You chuckled to yourself as you thought being a hybrid has its perks. 

'Because if you seen h20 you know, when they touch water they turn into Mermaids'

You walked up to her front door and knocked

"Y/N, are you alright" Indiana asked as she brought you in, more tears spilled out of your eyes "Grant… he kicked me out, he accused me of cheating" you say as you look around and notice she and Luke we're on a date. "You guys seem busy, I'll show myself out" "none since, you are staying here" Luke said as Indi nodded. You smiled and said thank you.

••••••••••• The Next Morning ••••••••••••

Indiana & Luke are having breakfast and they hear a knock at the door. When Luke opens it up they see Grant. "Is Y/N here??" Grant asked "You don't need to answer that" he said as he looks at your car. 

"What are you doing here? " You said feeling numb, "I want to talk and apologize about last night" Grant said. 

You looked at Luke and Indiana and then at the floor and said okay and walked outside.

"Listen Y/N, I'm sorry I hit you and I'm sorry for all the names I called you, I promise you I will never ever do it again" You looked at him and said “promise” and he said yes. 

But of course he lied. He did it again and again but you can never get proof because being a vampire especially two types you heal quickly.

On the last you and him were together he comes home drunk and high and he's all touchy and gabby you say no and push him off and he calls you a "prude". "I'm not a prude, I just don't want my first time to be when you are drunk" you reply. He laughs and says "it's okay, I already had sex with a girl at the bar, all I want is to see your big ass tits" he says as he pushes you on the bed. You're in complete shock you don't even realize he is trying to get your shirt off. 

You snapped back to reality and say "you fucked someone else" pushing him off of you once again "oh honey, the girls at bars are horny, willing to fuck behind dumpster unlike you, I’ve been fucking around for a few days now, all you do is suck my dick when I just want to fuck" he said as he rips your shirt off then the bra and puts your nipple into his mouth. You keep telling him no stop, but he won't give, so you grabbed the lamp and hit him over the head. 

Once he is knocked out you push him off of you and pack all of your clothes. You get into your car and drive away. Not to Indiana's house, or Rikki's or Lissas but to the airport. 

You asked the lady if there are any flights back to the states she responds with yes and gives you connecting flights back to San Diego, California. You get your tickets, and you call Ian and tell him you are going back home, that you will explain everything. You wished that Ian lived in Cali let alone daygo but he lives in Chicago. You call your dad but he doesn't pick up so you leave a message saying you should be there on Wednesday night. 

Once you reach your street, you feel so much happiness being home. You put your earbuds on and walk towards the apparent that your dad, sister and brother live in but then everything goes dark…. 

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Heyyy it’s Athena, this is my first chapter. I promise I’ll get better

[lonestarbabe]

Holding Out For a Hero

Chapter 4: I’m Fine (AO3)

Marjan is worried about T.K. and enlists the help of Carlos to make sure T.K. is okay. Things heat up between T.K. and Carlos... but in an angry way... for now. Carlos learns more about T.K. while T.K. starts to think that Carlos may actually care.

T.K.

It was a Wednesday, but T.K. didn’t know which one. He only knew that the pool cleaner had been outside earlier. The pool cleaner came on Wednesdays, so it had to be Wednesday. He was almost positive it was March but coming up with the month took a few seconds too long as alcohol and Oxy muted his mind. “Maybe you should slow down a little,” Marjan suggested, looking at T.K. with her usual disapproving look. If T.K. knew she’d planned on coming over, he would have saved the drugs and alcohol for later in the evening. Marjan didn’t consume either, and while she didn’t mind being around people who were drinking or maybe even smoking some weed, she wasn’t shy about telling him why he should avoid those things. She thinks I’m an addict, but I’m just having fun. As much fun as a miserable person can have, at least.

“Don’t be a kill joy Marjan.” She always wants to spoil my fun. Some best friend she is. I don’t need her to look after me, no matter what she thinks. Between her, Judd, and the new bodyguard, I’ll never get a moment to myself.

“Slow down,” Marjan told him again, pulling the bottle of vodka from his hand and putting it out of his reach. “I know you already had pills, and you shouldn’t be mixing that crap together.”

“Okay, Doctor Marwani.”

“I’m a first responder. I know a thing or two about these things, but of course, teen heartthrob T.K. Strand doesn’t like to listen to rules. It’s not cute to be a bad boy anymore.” She sounded annoyed, but her eyes were terrified. Look what I do to everyone around me. I put them through shit, and I act like an asshole, even though I’d give them literally anything they asked.

“You’re such a rule follower. Are all firefighters as boring as you?” T.K. lamented. “You can’t get anywhere if you go slow. Did Michael Phelps ever slow down?” T.K. added, grabbing a new bottle and watching amber liquid fill his glass. He took the shot of tequila just to prove a point. Stings more than vodka, and I kind of like it.

“No, he didn’t, and now you see him sitting in an empty pool in those Better Help commercials. Do you want that to be you?” Yeah, sitting in an empty pool might be pretty fun, but you can’t drown in it. Unless you find something other than water to drown yourself in. Wouldn’t it be funny to drown at the bottom of an empty pool?

“That’s because he stopped swimming. He let his feelings catch up with him. If you don’t ever stop, nothing can ever catch up to you. That’s why I gotta keep going.”

“Everyone has to stop eventually, T.K. People get old and slow. They can’t win races forever. You just better hope that you’re the one who makes that decision and that it isn’t the universe that steps in and slows you down.”

“Give me too much time to stop and think, and I’ll go crazy. There’s nothing that you, Judd, or any hot bodyguard can do about it.”

“Hot bodyguard? Don’t tell me it’s another Mr. Clean.” Oh, yes, the Mr. Cleans. So many bodyguards he’d had were bald and had an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Clean. He figured Judd just thought those guys looked responsible. Mr. Cleans were attractive, sometimes, but in a one-night stand kind of way. Let ‘em use you and then clean you away with their magic erasers.

T.K. shook his head. “This one isn’t just hot in an ironic way. He’s an ex-cop.” T.K. had done a quick— two-hour— internet search into Carlos. Carlos kept a pretty low profile, but T.K. had learned enough about him to guess how he ticked. He also knew that he had an ex-boyfriend, so he at least liked men.

“And you say that you don’t have a type.”

“He’s an ex-cop.”

“Still. Once a cop, always a cop.”

“I don’t care what he was or what he is. I’m just saying he’s hot. He hates fun just like you, but he’s hot.”

“Don’t harass him, Tyler Kennedy.”

“Don’t call me Tyler Kennedy, Marjan Marwani.”

“Marwani isn’t even my middle name.”

He stuck his tongue out at her. “Whatever. It’s not like I’m going to seduce him, anyway. I don’t do the chasing. People chase me.”

She looked at him like he was full of shit. “I’ve watched you chase plenty of guys. You practically mauled that big one last week.”

“Fucks, not dates. It’s different.”

“Yeah, because all you care about is having fun, I get it. T.K. Strand can never take anything further than a fuck,” she replied sarcastically. She doesn’t believe a single word of my bullshit, and that’s something I love and hate about her.

“I choose not to. Dates don’t like hanging out with party boys.”

“The issue is that party boys refuse to stay sober.”

“I’m sober a lot. Far too much for my liking, actually,” T.K. quipped.

“Yeah, I know. That’s exactly my point. You know, I rescue idiots like you every day. People who think they’re just having fun when they’re not having fun at all. They hate what they’re doing. They’re just being dangerous and stupid for no other reason than having a gap they need to fill.”

“I’m not dangerous. I’m really safe when I take anything. I don’t run heavy machinery when I’m high— not even my can opener. I’m careful, Marjan.”

She laughed. “Yeah that damn automatic can opener Judd got you could decapitate a person if they got their head too close.” Her face returned to concerned. “But don’t distract me with the Strand charm. I’m serious, T.K. I’m not worried about you getting other people hurt. I know you wouldn’t get in a car or endanger other people intentionally, but shit still happens. You’re going to do something to yourself that you can’t take back.”

“Maybe I’ll get a Better Help commercial out of it,” he said with a grin. When I’m washed up and the crowds stop coming to my shows, I’ll be one of those celebrities who has to resort to paid testimonials. I’ll suffer the horrifying ordeal of being known, forgotten, and known again as a relic from a time that had almost been erased from people’s memories. The voice from a song they used to love (or hate).

She punched him in the arm. “If you don’t shut up…” but she couldn’t help the smile that was on her face. “You look at the world so differently than I do.”

“Yeah, that’s for sure. Why are we even friends? I was trying to date a firefighter, not become best friends with his coworker.”

“Bob was forty-five with a wife and kids. You had to know it was never happening” Bob had a great dad bod.

“Why should that have stopped me?”

Marjan crossed her arms. “Your daddy issues are showing.”

“I don’t have daddy issues,” T.K. protested. My dad died a long time ago, and I’m totally over it. It’s not like he left me. He just left and never came back. He hugged me goodbye, went to work, and then just like that, he was gone. It wasn’t fair, but it was nothing he did. He died a hero, and now, there’s no hero left to save me. Not that I need one. I’m fine. Great even. I hate my life, but I’m surrounded by wonderful things. I would be happy if I wasn’t such a dreadful person.

“Your father was a firefighter and you wanted to date a firefighter old enough to be your father. Sounds like daddy issues to me.”

“You don’t get it because you don’t have daddy issues. I wasn’t interested because he was old or a firefighter. It was because he was hot… and looked nothing like my father for your information.”

“I’m just saying you never really dealt with your dad’s death.”

“It’s been two decades! Of course, I dealt with it. Mom made me go to therapy.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t take therapy seriously.”

“It only lasted a couple weeks before I threw a fit and convinced mom it did more harm than good.”

“See, you need to actually address your issues, T.K.”

“When did you get your psychology degree, anyway?”

“First, you tell me I’m not a doctor, and now you tell me I’m not a psychologist. You’re getting very predictable, Teek. And very defensive on top of that.”

“That’s not fair. I can’t say I’m not defensive without being defensive!”

“Sucks to be a loser.” Marjan made it her goal in life to win at everything.

“We all can’t be good at everything like you, Miss Has Gone Viral Eight Times.”

“It was only six, and I don’t think you stop going viral… ever. I always see your annoying face wherever I go— in magazines at grocery stores or billboards. I went on a date once with this girl, and when I went home with her, she had a big poster of you over her bed. Really killed the mood.”

“Any of the guys you dated have a poster of me?”

“One had a bobblehead.”

T.K. cringed. “That’s worse than a poster.”

“How? The poster is a lot bigger. I could shove the bobblehead in a drawer.”

“It’s unofficial merch,” T.K. explained.

“Oh, yes, the dreaded unofficial merch. How will you ever live without your cut of the money? You could have two Porsches by now if only you sold bobbleheads.” He didn’t mention that he could buy more than two Porsches if he wanted because he was sure she already knew that.

“The Barbie doll was nightmare enough. It looked like they glued feathers on my head.”

“I still have that doll. Just for when I need a good laugh.”

Marjan uncrossed her legs and got up to go to the kitchen.  “While I wish I could stay to talk, I have a shift in an hour, so I have to go. The captain doesn’t like my attitude as it is, which means being late would take me from his bad list to his firing list.” She shrugged. “It’s not my fault that I’m allergic to poor leadership.”

“That’s one hell of an allergy, Marj,” he shook his head at her. “If you’re trying to leave, the door isn’t in the kitchen. My mind is a little warped right now, but even I know that.”

Marjan put a water glass next to T.K. “I don’t want you to die. The hangover is probably unavoidable. But hydrate.”

“Why do you have to go? I thought your next shift wasn’t until Friday.”

“It is Friday. Hence why I have to go.” She told him impatiently. “Do you pay attention at all?”

“No, the pool cleaner came today. It’s Wednesday.”

“The pool cleaner comes on Thursdays, T.K. He came yesterday.” He checked his phone and saw that yes, it was Friday. Oof wonder where the time went.

“Fuck. Why does the week need seven days?”

“That’s it. I’m calling Judd.”

“He’s in Texas with Grace. I’m fine, Marwani. Go to work. Billy the Bully isn’t going to wait.” She sighed, looking torn about leaving him, but T.K. wasn’t going to be the reason Marjan got in trouble. Just because I can’t keep my shit together doesn’t mean I should drag everyone down into my miserable life.”

“I’m calling your new bodyguard.”

“No, you’re not.” He didn’t want the only times that Carlos saw him to be when he was indisposed. Carlos probably already hated him, and T.K., as much as he hated bodyguards, did not want to start again with a new bodyguard. If this didn’t work, Judd would probably call in a drill sergeant. Anyone but Carlos.

“I am. Maybe he can come sit with you for a while.”

“No way. You can’t call him on his day off.”

“There aren’t a lot of options right now. If he says no, he says no.” She’s so persistent. She won’t take no for an answer. Not with me, not with Carlos. “He might not be busy. He’s new to town, so he probably hasn’t made a lot of friends yet.”

“I’m not letting a hot guy see me in sweatpants and a hoodie.”

“That’s like your uniform.”

“Yeah, but it’s not for people who haven’t seen the shit show. I don’t want him to think I’m a slob.”

“Oh, so you care about his opinion? Give me his number. You know I won’t leave until you do.” She waited not so patiently for a response. “I guess I could ask Judd. Interrupt his nice trip with his wife, but you won’t make me do that, will you?” Friends are the worst.

“No, do not bother anyone. I’ll give you the number.” He sighed, fumbling for his phone. You’re a real psycho, you know that?” Marjan swiped the phone from his hands before he could even unlock it. She punched in the code. I really need to change that. “He’s listed under—”

“Hot Body Bodyguard, yeah, I got it.” She chuckled. “You’re so obvious.”

“Delete his number from your phone when you’re done.” He didn’t want Marjan talking to Carlos on the regular. That would be a disaster.

“Do you even know me?” Marjan laughed. “I still have Aaron’s number. This one isn’t going anywhere. I may delete Aaron’s though. I think it’s time.”

“Aaron?” He didn’t know who the hell that was. Was he somebody I slept with? One of Marjan’s exes?

“Mr. Clean #3.” Oh, him. He wasn’t so bad, but not at all personable. Hated the very idea of fun. Treated me like a toddler. Slightly attractive.

“Don’t remind me. He was awful.” T.K. groaned. He flipped his hand in the air to wave her away. “Go to work already.”

“Yeah, okay.” She finished up a couple of texts and stuck her phone in her purse. “I’ll see you later. Probably tomorrow, so don’t get drunk before five. No drugs either. I want you clear headed. I have boy issues to talk about.”

“I don’t get wasted every night, but okay. Cannot wait for your boy issues.”

Marjan smiled. “Good.” Before heading out the door, she turned to give him one last look. “Seriously, dude, be careful. I’d be really pissed if something happened to you.” Marjan always started throwing in “dude” when her emotions were getting the best of her.

“You’re the one who dives into fires for a living.”

“Yeah, but I do it with equipment. You dive into fires just to see if they’ll burn you.” She doesn’t understand that sometimes the burn feels better the numbness.

Carlos

Carlos’ plans were interrupted by a series of three pings on his phone. He picked his phone up, immediately having a bad feeling when he saw an unknown number. He was used to calls from unfamiliar numbers, but texts were rarer.

You need to get to T.K.’s house.

This is Marjan by the way. Marjan Marwani.

I’m T.K.’s best friend (reluctantly).

As he read the messages, Carlos stood from his couch, beginning to pace across his floor as his brows scrunched in consternation. This was not how he saw his day off going. T.K. better not be dead. I’m not going to lose that idiot if I can help it. I told Judd I’d protect him, and I don’t plan on backing down on my promise no matter how irritating T.K. can be.

What? Why? Is something wrong?

Carlos had just settled in from going to the store and was about to call his mom before cracking open a beer and watching TV. He was a worrier, so he couldn’t help thinking that something truly awful had happened. It can’t be that bad if T.K.’s friend is making jokes, Carlos reassured himself, but the chance that things might not be okay twisted Carlos’ stomach. I’m not going to let some bratty popstar ruin my evening. He’s probably just drunk and looking to do something stupid. I don’t need to deal with this.

Is it an emergency?

I’m not on duty, so I can’t just go over there if he doesn’t want me to.

Carlos had a bad feeling that his curiosity and worry would get the best of him, and he’d end up at T.K.’s mansion that was far too large for just one person. T.K. was difficult, but there was also something infectious about him. You couldn’t help but root for him or worry that he might not be okay.

He’s drunk and high. He shouldn’t be alone.

Please, just stay with him. He hates being alone.

I would but my boss is an asshole.

Please. Judd is away, and there’s no one else to call. He doesn’t have a lot of real friends.

He doesn’t even like me.

There was a thirty-minute delay before another text came in, and Carlos sat in suspense, worrying about all the things that can happen in thirty minutes.

Sorry. I was going to work. He likes you fine, and even if he didn’t, he’ll let you in because I told him to.

You’ve got blackmail on him or something? I barely know him, but I know T.K. doesn’t like being told what to do.

What you need to know about T.K. is that he doesn’t give a damn about himself, but he’d throw himself in a fire after taking a bath in gasoline to make sure the people he loves aren’t hurt.

Well, damn, he couldn’t argue that. Couldn’t say no to someone who clearly loved her friend so much. Couldn’t say no to T.K.

It would send the wrong message to spend his time off with T.K., but he hated the thought of T.K. overdosing or going out to find assholes to hang out with. He hated the thought of T.K. hooking up with some man who would take advantage of him. T.K. was a pain in the ass, but he was also a national treasure. Fangirls would never forgive Carlos if he let something happen to T.K. (He would never forgive himself.) This job is getting too messy. For whatever reason, I’m already too far in. Captivated by those green eyes and that lopsided smiled. I need distance because T.K. Strand is doing his best not to stay alive, and getting too close will set me up for a world or hurt.

He sighed, grabbing his keys from the hook by his door and heading out to his car. He sent Marjan a quick text.

Fine, I’m going over.

Good. I have to go. My bad boss is calling.

Keep him safe.

Carlos wasn’t sure if that last part was a best friend’s threat or a desperate plea, but either way, he didn’t want to screw this assignment up. I’ll keep him safe. But he couldn’t make promises because he couldn’t save T.K. from himself no matter how much he wanted to.

I’ll do my best.

Putting his car into gear, Carlos back out and zoomed down the highway until he got to a mansion set apart from the other houses. He wouldn’t admit to anyone how much over the speed limit he had gone. If he’d had sirens, he would have used them. Fuck T.K. for being such an endearing jackass.

He entered the code at the gate and haphazardly parked his car in the first place he could find. It wasn’t like him to be so impulsive. He liked order and control, and any lack of those things made him antsy, but he didn’t even notice that his car was 1 inch into the grass. He rushed up to the door, thoughts of T.K. being hurt or dead rising into a heart-pounding climax. What if I’m too late? What if I was too slow? What if I’m powerless to save him? What if I fail at this job?

The tension dropped from Carlos’ shoulders as he heard the deadbolt click open and saw T.K.’s head when the door swung open and Carlos was instantly relieved to see that T.K. wasn’t unconscious on the floor. In fact, T.K. mostly seemed fine.

T.K. gave a long, exaggerated sigh, and Carlos felt his breath momentarily constrict again. He looked good. Anyone with eyes could see that, but Carlos had self-control. He didn’t act like an animal just because he spotted a pretty person. He’s a ten, but he’s also off limits. He’s narcissistic and obnoxious. Maybe a little sweet, but he’s not good for me. He’s danger, and I had enough of that when I was a cop. I flew too close too the sun, but this guy, he’s flying in the center of the sun.

For someone who was supposedly in danger, T.K. looked like he had complete command over his situation. He wore a hot pink and baby blue striped button down with black skinny jeans that hugged his lean legs in ways Carlos didn’t allow himself to think about too much. He averted his eyes, being sure to look at T.K.’s face, which was just as overwhelming. Carlos noticed T.K.’s eyes were bloodshot with deep bags underneath. A person can hide under clothes, but the eyes, those emerald eyes, always tell the truth.

T.K. looked markedly too nice for a night in, looking and smelling like he was about to go on a date. Freshly misted cologne hitting Carlos’ nose— vanilla, cinnamon, and sandalwood. There was an underlying bitterness to his scent—cloves— but it was just enough to offset what would be otherwise cloying. “Are you okay?” Carlos finally asked.

“Yeah, but I have a little alcohol and Marjan thinks I’ve gone off the deep end.” That’s a can of worms that I am not even going to begin to unpack. “I’m obviously fine.”

“Fine or not, I’m here now. Might be nice to have a little company.” The more Carlos looked at T.K., the less fine he seemed to be. He didn’t seem as outwardly wasted as when they first met, but T.K.’s uncontrollable smile and aimless eyes told Carlos all he needed to know. The blissed-out look was chillingly familiar to him, so much so that he had the instinct to get in his car and speed away, but his sense of duty was too strong, and even as his past chased him, Carlos couldn’t look away from T.K. Maybe things can be different than they were with Taylor. Maybe not, but how can I in good conscience give up before I try? “I’m here,” Carlos reiterated. And I’m not going anywhere.

“I see that.” T.K. gave him a once over, licking his lips. “And you look very good doing it.” He’s just a flirt. I can’t let it get to my head. I have to protect him. Not fuck him. T.K.’s words were dripping with forced pleasantness, and Carlos couldn’t quite figure out what T.K. was really feeling beyond the happy highness. Silence fell between them.

T.K. bit his lip, looking down a little. The mood shifted. “I know you don’t want to be here. Don’t worry, Judd will pay you for your babysitting.” Carlos wanted to argue that he wasn’t here for the money or insist that he did care, but the air between him and T.K. had turned so suddenly sour that words swirled in his head with nothing to ground them into cohesive sentences. The smell of cloves was trapped in his nose and he tried to search for the vanilla and cinnamon, warm and pleasantly biting. “I’m sure Marjan will report back to him when he gets back from his trip. He’ll fret over me because it would be such a shame if I died and couldn’t make him any more money.” T.K. cracked a mechanical grin that clashed with the bitter tone in his voice. “He’d probably be relieved not to have me bothering him.” He’s got it all wrong, but I can’t tell him that. I barely even know him.

Carlos wanted to shake T.K. and tell him that Judd would be devastated if something happened to him, but he knew if he was too sincere, T.K. would retreat into the safety of humor and lightheartedness. He would become the happy and carefree T.K. that substances created to hide the sorrow. I have to learn to roll with his jokes and self-deprecation, even hearing it horrifies me. “I’ve heard that posthumous sales aren’t half bad. The initial spike… might be something to consider,” Carlos replied wryly. When there was more silence, Carlos wondered if he’d made a fatal misstep. Maybe I don’t have as good of a grasp on the situation as I thought. What if I’m losing him?

A flash of shock came over T.K.’s face before his lips upturned slightly and his head tilted to the side with curiosity. “You really busting my balls right now?”

Carlos kept the impassive look on his face, forcing his lips not to turn up. “I suppose I am.”

T.K. shook his head, the dark cloud lifting from his features just a little. Back to carefree T.K., and Carlos wasn’t sure if it was for the best or the worse. I can’t tell if he’s genuinely happy. “I can’t believe that of all the bodyguards in the bodyguard factory, you’re the one they sent me.” Back to joking, the cold tone dissipated in the early evening air.

“And I can’t believe that of all the popstars in the popstar factory, you’re the one I got sent to,” Carlos countered. He could keep up with banter if he needed to. He could even throw in some harmless flirting if it helped get through to T.K., but he couldn’t cross any lines beyond that. I know all about how crossing one line can lead to crossing more. I need boundaries if this is going to work. I must be careful for T.K.’s sake and mine.

“Rockstar,” T.K. corrected.

“You don’t sing rock music, popstar,” Carlos reminded him.

“It’s a—”

“State of mind. I know. Now, are you going to let me in? Or do I have to stand out here all evening fighting with you about the definition of a rockstar?”

T.K.’s head tilted again, this time in thought. “I don’t think I have much of a choice. Marjan will kill me if I make you stand on the porch,” T.K. answered, opening the door wider and leading Carlos into the living room. The stench of alcohol immediately hit Carlos’ nose and bottles were sprawled on a chair.

“That’s a lot of bottles,” Carlos commented.

“Some of them are old.” Some, not all. Not even most. Some. “It’s funny because sometimes when it’s dark, there’s so many of them there that it almost looks like a person sitting in the chair. I’ve gotten startled a couple times by it. Sometimes, though, it’s nice not to feel alone.” The honesty of the words struck Carlos. He’s got so many demons I haven’t even seen yet. He opened his mouth but quickly closed it again in the absence of having a meaningful response.  T.K. caught on to what he had said and backtracked. “I didn’t mean that seriously, you know. It was just a joke. I mean, there’s always people around me. Celebrities can’t escape people. I’m not really lonely.” The only people who feel the need to insist they are not lonely are the ones who are, in fact, lonely.

Carlos forced a laugh. “Right, a joke. You tell a lot of those.”

“Maybe. It’s more fun that way. I’m really funny when I’m not sober, so funny that people think I’m serious. It makes me a man of mystery I guess.” Oh yes, a mystery I’m afraid to investigate but desperate to know.

“Speaking of not sober, how much alcohol did you have?” He wanted a grasp on how bad the situation was.

“I’m fine.” Carlos had been a cop. He was used to dodgy answers, but they still frustrated the hell out of him. He’s testing me. Trying to see if he can make me mad. I won’t let him. I have to be patient and keep my temper in check.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Fewer than all the bottles on that chair.” T.K. added, “A lot fewer. I’m not trying to die tonight.” Tonight, that’s what I’m worried about. What about the other nights?

“How much?” Carlos asked with his no nonsense cop voice. It’s been a while since I’ve used that.

T.K. looked unimpressed at the question. “Several shots. I didn’t even have a full bottle of tequila. But shots are just bad if you only do one, so you have to keep going until you feel something. By the time the first one kicks in, you realize that the rest will be by shortly to hit you with a fucking hammer.” Carlos fought the headache that T.K.’s drunken logic was creating. He rubbed a hand across his temple, wiping the sweat and stress from his brow. He forced his facial features to relax. I need to keep those emotions in their place or else I won’t be able to understand what he’s saying. I have to listen.

“Pills?”

T.K. shrugged, looking at his hands cagily, which gave Carlos a pretty good idea of what he was dealing with. An addict who will try getting high on pretty much anything.

“T.K., I need to know.” He wasn’t quite sure what he’d do with the information, but it seemed like something he should know in case anything happened.

T.K.’s voice was quiet, and Carlos barely heard it over the murmuring of the central air working hard to cool the huge house. “Some Oxy. My favorite.” Carlos would put that piece of information into the T.K. file that he was compiling in his head, all the things that might come in handy someday when the inevitably awful stuff happened.

Yawning, T.K. plopped down onto the couch, and Carlos went to the kitchen and grabbed a recycling bin. He began loading the empty bottles into it. “You don’t have to do that,” T.K. protested. “It’s not your job.”

“I know, but it doesn’t help you to keep these here,” and to be honest, they were driving Carlos a little crazy.

“Why are you so nice?” It sounded like an accusation, skeptical and angry.

“I’m not.” I’m just bad at sitting around helplessly. I need something to keep me busy, and I hate looking at all those bottles and seeing him like this. “I like to keep my hands busy.”

T.K. winked, a sloppy wink. “I can think of a better use for those hands.” Oh, no. He did not just go there.

Carlos panicked. His jaw clenching. “Do not do that.”

“Do what?” T.K. asked as if he was completely innocent.

“Hit on me.”

“You weren’t supposed to be so hot.” Shut him up. Shut him up!

“I’m not hot. I’m just a guy, okay? Just a normal guy.”

“Normal, yeah, okay. Did you know that I’m really good with my mouth? I mean more than singing and stuff. I put enough junk in it to know how to use it.” T.K.’s eyes filled with hunger. He’s not thinking clearly. He doesn’t actually want me. He’s just horny. Carlos felt like putting his fingers in his ears and screaming “la, la, la, la, la.”

“Stop it. You’re not thinking clearly.”

“But if it was sober? Would you be interested?” He’s so desperate to be wanted. He doesn’t even care who wants him.

“It would still be a no.”

“Why? Aren’t I attractive?” Oh yes, far too attractive for your own good.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m your bodyguard. I can’t be blurring those lines.”

T.K. raised his eyebrows. “The more you know my body, the better you can guard it.”

“I said no. You can respect that, can’t you?” Carlos’ voice was agitated. His anger radiated through the room and spread to T.K.

“I don’t force anything on anyone,” T.K.’s voice was sharp. “I wouldn’t want to fuck someone with a stick up his ass anyways.”

“You don’t get to be an asshole just because things don’t go your way. Maybe try facing your feelings instead of getting mad and acting like a diva when any semblance of a bad feeling enters your mind.” So much for containing my temper.

“Wow, Mr. Nice Guy does have a backbone, after all.”

“I know what you’re doing.”

“Being an asshole?”

“You’re trying to see how many buttons you can push before I get up, leave, and never come back.”

T.K.’s face fell. “Why does everyone think they have fucking psychology degrees?”

“What?” What in the world is he talking about?

T.K. didn’t explain. “You don’t have to stay. I don’t care either way. I’m happy enough alone. Just leave me alone.”

“I don’t have to leave.” He took a breath. It’d been a long time since he had tried to handle someone so self-defeating and so scared to let anyone get too close. “I don’t want to leave.” Part of him wanted to run for the hills and stop the attachment he was feeling for T.K. Like T.K., Carlos was scared of letting anyone get too close. He was scared of knowing people too well, which was why he’d planned on spending his Friday alone. But I don’t want to be alone.

“You should want to leave.”

“But I don’t want to.” If only I could get it through his thick skull that some people just want him around. They don’t care if he is a singer or famous or a party boy. They just want to have him. Judd, Marjan, even me. We want him to be the person he’s happiest being and not this person who can’t stand to look himself in the mirror or the person who never shows the real him because he’s afraid no one will like it.

“What made you so stubborn?” T.K. paused to think. “Or should I say who?” Don’t think about Taylor. Now’s not the time. No need to make unnecessary comparisons.

Carlos crossed his arms as if it would help him keep all the feelings rushing through his body contained. “I was born a week late and put my mom through eight hours of labor. I was born stubborn.”

“Yeah, well, I was born a good person. Now, I’m a piece of shit, so how we come into this world doesn’t have much to do with how we go out.” Hopefully, we won’t be going out any time soon. Hopefully, he doesn’t want to.

“What do you like most about yourself?” Carlos asked, and it felt abrupt, but he had wanted to catch T.K. off guard.

“Why does it matter?” T.K. was already defensive, and the question made him more resistant.

“No questions, just tell me.”

“Oh, bossy. I like it,” T.K. said more biting than flirty.

“Favorite part of yourself?” Carlos pushed.

T.K. was quiet for a few moments. His tone softened. “Hard choice there’s so much to like,” he tried to act confident, but Carlos could hear his voice cracking. “but I guess the thing people like most about me is that I’m fun, the life of the party.” Is that all he’s got?

“Why is it that you love to talk about yourself until I actually ask you to tell me something about yourself and then all you can talk about is what other people think.”

“Here’s the thing, Carlos. Contrary to popular opinion, I’m not that interesting. I’m not that deep either. I’m just a vapid popstar who people like to think they know.” It sounded like defeat, and Carlos didn’t think the word popstar could ever sound so sad.

“You know what,” Carlos concluded. “Maybe you’re a rockstar after all.” T.K. looked up from his hands, eyes looking hopeful. Then, to make it sound less serious Carlos added, “Rockstar is a state of mind, after all.”

T.K. grinned at the inside joke, perking up a bit and letting a tentative grin appear on his face. “But I do play pop music,” he said. “So, maybe I’d rather be a popstar.” His eyes lingered on Carlos, “That stays between us, though.”

“Okay, popstar,” Carlos said clapping T.K. on the shoulder, and T.K.’s eyes flickered with something Carlos couldn’t quite make out. There’s so much to learn about T.K. Strand, so much that even his most devoted fans have even discovered. There’s a good person in there beneath all the layers of bravado. You don’t even have to dig that far to find them, but I want to bring that person out. I want to show him that there’s a place for the T.K. who can be happy.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Witness : 29

Dispossessed

Character(s): dark!Bucky, dark!Steve, too

Masterlist

Warnings: this is a dark!fic, it contains non/dubious-consent elements. Some violence as well at the beginning. It goes without (and with) that this is 18+.

In this chapter: just usual Bucky.

Summary: Things starts moving too fast for the reader.

Notes: Alright, since you all asked so nicely, you get two series today (part 3 of Happy Together was posted earlier). So here you guys go. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Some interesting plot so forgive the lack of smut but I hope you have fun with it. <3

Please, reblog and or reply with your thoughts!! I’ll see you in the next one. :)

The distant melody of your alarm rang in your head. Slowly the haze began to clear as you felt yourself ascending. A warmth on your shoulder, your name uttered next to your ear. “Y/N, wake up. Come on.” Your eyes shot open and you looked up in the dim, Bucky sat next to you on his large bed. He was still naked, as were you, and by the wrinkle of the sheet and duvet next to you, you could guess that he had slept next to you. You couldn’t even remember falling asleep and assumed that you had passed out during your nocturnal activities and been shuffled aside thereafter.

“What?” You croaked, reaching up to touch your forehead. You were sore all over. Every inch of you was screaming with the weight of the night before. “Grrmph.” You grumbled as Bucky helped you to a sitting position.

“You have to work,” Bucky said, his face clearing through your vision. “I went by your apartment and grabbed some clothes after you nodded off.” You shrugged his hand away from your shoulder, “You should get washed up.”

“I...should,” You agreed dumbly. You turned slowly, groaning as your legs thrummed. You bent forward and held your head. “Goddamnit.” You could still feel the layer of sweat and cum clinging to your skin. Bucky moved to sit next to you, his hand on the small of your back.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” He asked in a low voice, “Hmm, take your body and leave everything else?”

“Fuck you,” You sat straight, your head spinning, “You’re disgusting.”

“You like it,” He smirked, “Just a touch and your soaking wet.”

“Where’s your shower?” You stood, holding in another grunt. You crossed your arms over your bare chest.

“This way,” He rose and squeezed your ass as he passed, heading for the door.

You sighed as you watched his naked ass disappear through the doorway and followed him reluctantly. The faster you showered, the sooner you’d be gone. He opened the second door along the hallway and waved you inside. He watched you intently as you neared and entered ahead of you. He closed the door and pressed himself against you as he guided you towards the large shower, a sliding glass door already open and waiting. He was hard again and you shuddered.

He parted from you and stepped away, reaching into the shower to crank the faucet on. The water sprayed down, steam rising around the downpour and you yearned for its hot embrace. You almost forgot about Bucky for the promise of cleansing. You were disappointed however as he entered the shower, realizing you would not be left alone. You rolled your eyes and dropped your head a second before kicking yourself into action. He beckoned you in ahead of him, right under the waterfall, and you couldn’t help the breath of relief that escaped you.

You found the soap upon the shelf, reaching for it even though it smelled of thick sandalwood. You squeezed some into your hand and Bucky reached over your shoulder to steal the bottle. You heard the bottle deflate and inflate, the lid flipped shut as he hovered it beside you, waiting for you to replace it. You set it back on the shelf and began to scrub yourself with just your hands and nails, content enough to do that. When you lathered your hair with some of his shampoo, he helped the process, his erection poking you in the back as his fingers played with your hair.

“If we weren’t running against the clock…” He purred, turning you so that your head was under the stream and he began to rinse the shampoo from your hair, guiding the bubbles down the strands. “You were very good last night but it will be a while before I can trust you.”

“I know,” You said grimly. “I think I’m done.” You gesture to your hair, “May I?” You gestured to the shower door.

He grinned, his hand tracing the line of your clavicle before he pulled away. “Go ahead,” He stepped back and slid open the door, “I’ll be out shortly. Your clothes are on the sofa in the bedroom.”

You grabbed a towel from the rack as the door slid closed behind you. You walked back to the bedroom as you dried yourself off, wrapping the towel around your head. You dressed, realizing he had refrained from grabbing panties for you. You couldn’t help but think it deliberate. You pulled on the knee-length pencil skirt and retrieved your bra from the floor. You buttoned the pale blue blouse while you searched for your tights. Great, there was run right up the length of the left leg. Well, the fall weather would not be kind to your bare legs.

Your rubbed dry your hair and brushed it out in front of the mirror hung on the wall. You looked decent considering, though your eyes were dark with fatigue. You heard footsteps and Bucky followed, a towel at his waist as he opened his dresser and searched for clothes. “Could you throw on a pot of coffee?” He asked over his shoulder, “Machine’s along the counter right beneath the microwave.”

“Uh, sure,” You hid your scowl. It was odd. You hated when he spoke to you like this. When he pretended that this was normal relationship. You turned and left the room, opting to focus on brewing caffeine as much for your own sake as his. You could be annoyed with him later.

After Bucky had dropped you off at work, you spent the day trying to keep yourself awake at your desk. Pepper was halfway down your throat about a booking at some venue or another and you were trying to find a caterer who did bacon-wrapped shrimp for Tony’s birthday. You suspected you’d not be invited nor partake in the delicious-sounding appetizer. Either way, it distracted you from memories of the night before.

When the day was over, you yawned and departed for you own car. You were almost elated to drive yourself and dared to be hopeful that your night would be quiet. You stopped by the liquor store, a bottle of wine paid for, and headed to your building. You dropped your bag and kicked off your shoes as you entered your apartment and dragged your feet over to the couch before flopping on it. You uncorked the wine bottle and drank straight from the neck as you flipped on the television. Every hour passed and your stomach fluttered as Bucky made no appearance and your phone remained entirely inert. You fell asleep when the bottle had barely a gulp left to it, deep into alcohol-laced splendour.

Wednesday. Middle of the week, halfway to the weekend though for you it Saturday was rarely a day of rest. After spending your night in a drunken stupour, you felt just as poorly rested as the night before. Your work didn’t help as your eyes drooped and you sucked back your third cup of coffee. The caffeine fueled your lingering paranoia. You wondered at Bucky and Steve’s absence since Monday night. It wasn’t peculiar, they weren’t there every day, but you still felt uneasy.

You drove home in silence. No radio, just the engine and your own thoughts bouncing around. You didn’t speed, patiently waiting at stop lights as you glanced around the busy New York streets. You were feeling wistful. As if mourning your past once and for all. You were so tired, so worn out, it was all sinking it. You didn’t know if you longed for those lonely, boring nights, but the life you lived now made it seem a distant dream.

As you pulled up to your building, you stopped short. A large moving truck sat centre and blocked most of the spots, empty or otherwise. You huffed and parked your car on the street, tiredly grabbing your purse and heading for the salvation of your apartment. The stairs seemed too steep to climb and you were nearly out of breath as you reached the top. Your door was wide open. The hairs on the back of your head stood up and you entered cautiously. You could hear hangers sliding along a metal bar as you entered, the noise of someone rummaging through your closet coming from the bedroom.

Your clothes were stacked on your bed and Bucky was tossing more on the pile. You stared at him and gaped, the rest of your room stripped of all but the furnishings. No…

“What the fuck?” You hissed.

“Finally,” Bucky set more blouses atop the mound, “Start putting these in boxes,” He ordered, merrily continuing his work.

“Woah, woah, woah, what are you doing?” You crossed your arms, your purse sagging annoyingly down to your elbow.

“Moving,” He said as if it was a perfectly acceptable explanation.

“Jesus,” You dropped your purse and grabbed a handful of hangers, moving to return them to the closet. Bucky stopped you, his hand on yours as he backed you away from the folding door.

“I was thinking about it,” He took the clothes from you, tossing them without looking on top of the rest. “It’s a hassle having to run over here to get you clothes. In fact, I’ve wasted a lot of time driving back and forth across this city. So I figured it would be easier if you just stayed at my place. Less expensive, too. No rent for you.”

“I’m not doing that,” You growled, “You’re fucking insane.”

He scoffed before carrying on. “And since you’ve shown me how I can’t trust you, it would be all the better to keep an eye on you.” He leaned down, lowering his voice as he spoke in your ear, “Keep you nice and close so you can’t go sneaking around.”

“I won’t go,” You snarled, trying to back away but he latched onto your arms and held you in place.

“Fine, but you won’t have much longer before you have nowhere to go if you do,” He smirked, his expression startling, “I already gave your notice. You’re out at month’s end and the landlord’s set to auction off all your furniture. Proceeds are yours, of course.”

“You’re fucking kidding?” You sputtered angrily, trapped in his clutches.

“When do I fucking joke?” He released you with a shove and turned back to the closet, pausing to bark over his shoulder, “Well, get to work. We still have a lot to go.”

+

tags:  @they-call-me-le @holylulusworld  @petit-funsize @ladyofmyst @kellyn1604 @thelostallycat @grayxswan @collette04 @butteryoptimisticpeanut @buckycaptspideypool @blackpantherimagines @lilithhellfire @captainfreecandyvan @spaghettirogers @phoenix21love @sathlens @iheartsebastianstan @bethanyzed @breezy1415 @alexakeyloveloki @beautiful-and-strange @momc95

[camillemontespan]

lost stars [AU. drake, camille, olivia & leo] [part one: coconut]

@jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @pug-bitch @moonlightgem7 @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @dcbbw @katedrakeohd @be-still-my-aching-heart @pedudley @emceesynonymroll @iplaydrake @notoriouscs

So I started writing this a few days ago and I was going to hold off on posting but I’ve found that writing is a good distraction so here we go.  

For new readers, this is an AU. In my usual fics, Drake and Camille (MC) are a couple but I thought I would switch this up for fun. 

I’m aware that I’m setting Drake and Camille up to be potentially disliked. I know there’s a few people who love Olivia, so I’m not going to try and make this a total ‘Olivia is a victim’ fic. 

As someone who’s parents divorced due to an affair, I don’t condone this sort of thing at all. This fic is going to be more of an emotional affair rather than physical, so it’ll be more in depth and less Drake and Camille sneaking around. 

This will be a short series. Hope you enjoy.

Warnings: NSFW and angst. Not much fluff yet. 

Double Date  here if you want to read the fic that inspired this. 

                                    **************************************

Are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark? -Lost Stars, Adam Levine

                               Camille sat on the bed, knees up to her chest, chewing her bottom lip. Her mind was awash with worry and regret; she had kissed Leo’s friend Drake last night and she had been unable to stop thinking about it. Her night had been sleepless, she had tossed and turned while Leo snored gently beside her. 

‘Hey beautiful!’ Leo said cheerily, coming into the bedroom after his shower. ‘You looked sound asleep when I woke up so thought I’d leave you be.’

Camille hadn’t been sound asleep; she had been wide awake but had kept her eyes closed when she heard Leo wake up. She didn’t want to face him just yet after kissing someone who wasn’t him. 

Leo towel dried his blonde hair then turned to look at her. He rubbed the towel against his back, shaking his body at her, trying to look sexy/goofy at the same time. It worked. Camille smiled and Leo looked relieved that she was smiling at least. 

He cast the towel down to the floor and strolled towards her, naked. 

Camille’s eyes ran over his body. He was all golden; golden hair, golden skin. His shoulders were broad and his chest span wide. Years of hiking up mountains had defined his muscles and abs. He looked like he had stepped off the front cover of Men’s Health. 

Despite kissing Drake last night, Camille still felt a stirring in her core as she watched him advance on her. Leo always managed to get her in the mood; it was one of his talents. 

‘I think you’re wearing too much,’ he told her, raising an eyebrow at her thin negligee. Camille blushed and pulled it off. Leo studied her and pulled at her ankles, dragging her across the bed towards him. Still standing, he took her legs and wrapped them around his waist. His length was positioned at her entrance.

Gently, he guided himself into her and Camille let out a throaty gasp. 

‘You like that, baby?’ Leo asked. 

Camille nodded.

She closed her eyes. 

Drake’s face flashed up in her mind. 

As Leo proceeded to thrust into her, Camille focused on Drake’s image, keeping it close. She imagined him fucking her like this, dominant, controlled, sweat trickling down his chest. She imagined licking his chest.

While Leo moved inside her, Camille thought of Drake. And she liked it. When the orgasm ripped through her body, she still liked it. 

                *****************************************************************

Drake woke up in bed alone. Groaning, he dragged himself out and stumbled through to the open plan living room/kitchen where he could hear the TV and sounds coming from the kitchen.

Olivia was standing at the kitchen counter chopping bananas to add to her fruit box. She was dressed in LuluLemon gym gear, her leggings tight against her skin, showing the curve of her ass.

Drake moved towards her and kissed her neck. 'Morning babe.'

Olivia turned and kissed him on the cheek. 'Hey. Did you manage to get Leo home okay last night?'

Drake nodded. 'Yeah, he was hammered. No idea how Camille thought she could carry him up the stairs herself, he was useless.'

'Mm,' Olivia said. 'It was good of you to help her. So glad you don't get drunk like that anymore. God, poor Camille.'

'I think she can handle it,' Drake told her, helping himself to coffee. Olivia shrugged and added some blueberries to her box. 'She didn't seem happy with him last night. So obvious. Leo has no idea. We were talking outside and he just kept going on about how amazing she is, how she works too hard, blah blah blah.. Meanwhile, she's sat at the table with a sour expression on her face.'

'It's not really our business, Liv,' Drake told her. 'I'm sure they're fine.'

He knew for a fact that Leo and Camille were not fine. She had told him so herself, but he wasn't going to let Olivia know that.

'You both seemed cosy,' Olivia said casually, leaning against the counter. 'Chatting away when we came back from our cigarette break.'

Drake shrugged. 'We had to find some way to make conversation otherwise it would have been awkward.'

He cast his eyes away and focused on drinking his coffee. He ignored Olivia who kept her eyes on him, before she sighed. 'I'm off to kickboxing. See you tonight. Oh, remember you got an AA meeting on Wednesday night. It’s written on the calendar.’ 

Drake nodded. ‘I know babe. Thank you.’

She leaned up and kissed him deeply, catching Drake off guard. When they parted, she whispered, 'I love you, Drake.'

Drake smiled. 'I love you too.'

                              **********************************************

‘Good morning friend!’

Drake nearly knocked over his cup of coffee when Leo entered the office. Drake turned to him and Leo stopped. 

‘Well, you look like shit.’

‘Thanks Leo. I always appreciate your support,’ Drake replied dryly. He rubbed his eyes. Leo was right though; Drake did look like shit. He hadn’t slept well last night and the chat with Olivia this morning had made him nervous.

Leo settled down opposite him and screwed a sheet of paper into a ball and threw it at him. Drake rolled his eyes. ‘You’re awfully chirpy today. More than usual.’

‘Let’s say I had a nice morning..’ Leo said, winking. 

Drake knew what that meant. Clearly, Camille had ignored their kiss and gave Leo some morning sex. He tried to push down the jealousy he felt; Camille wasn’t his. Camille was with Leo and quite rightly, sleeping with him. 

‘So you still up for coming to mine on Saturday? Drinks and watch the football?’ Leo asked. 

‘Yeah, sure,’ Drake said, scrolling down his computer screen. 

‘It was good to meet Olivia last night,’ Leo told him. ‘She’s a firecracker.’

‘Yeah, she’s something,’ Drake replied, despondent. 

He loved Olivia, he did. When they had first got together, he loved how fierce she was, how she was independent and confident. She was so sexy. They had met at a bar. Drake had worked up the courage to talk to this tall, feline redhead wearing a black leather jacket and stiletto boots.  ‘Hi, I’m Drake,’ he had said. Her eyes had roamed up and down his body before meeting his gaze. ‘I know you are,’ she smirked and Drake felt a flutter in his stomach. 

Her response had been a good line. Now, whenever they flirted, she would say it and Drake would pull her into him, kissing her neck, wanting more of her. 

‘Yo, Drake. Drake!’ 

Drake blinked to see Leo snapping his fingers at him. ‘Sorry, I’m not with it this morning.’

‘You better be.  Kiara wants to see us.’

‘Aw man, really?’ Drake groaned. Leo sighed and stood up. ‘I know she’s the mega bitch boss from hell,’ Leo said,  ‘but just think about what she’s wearing underneath her power suit.’ 

                           ************************************************

That Saturday, Drake arrived at Leo's carrying a box of beer. Leo brought him through to the living room where the football was on the TV and a bowl of nachos wad sat on the coffee table.

The two men settled down on the sofa, digging into the box of beer. 'So how's Olivia?' Leo asked. Drake was about to respond when he was interrupted.

'Leo, can you please stop using my body wash, I've had to use yours and now I smell of charcoal -'

Drake looked over his shoulder to see Camille standing by the door wrapped in a fluffy white towel. Her hair was damp from the shower and her shoulders gleamed from the water. Her eyes caught his and she blushed, tightening the towel around her more. Drake reddened.

'But I like smelling of coconut!' Leo protested. Camille sighed. 'So do I!'

Drake cleared his throat and drank another sip of beer. Camille padded across the floor and reached out for a bottle. 'Hey Drake,' she greeted him as she leaned down. Drake averted his eyes. She may smell of charcoal but she was centimeters away from him wearing only a towel.

'Where are you heading tonight with Hana?' Leo asked.

'Geisha Bar,' she told him. 'You guys are more than welcome to join us later if you want?'

Leo looked at Drake. 'Up for it?'

Drake shrugged, non-committal. 'Yeah, sure.'

Camille smiled and went to leave the room. Leo stood up quickly and took her by the arm. 'Hey,' he said softly. 'Sorry about the body wash.'

He leaned down and kissed her, cupping the back of her head with his hand. Drake kept his eyes studiously on the TV.

Stop it. You're being a dick and a first class creep.  You have a girlfriend who you love. Think about Olivia in a towel.

Leo flopped down on the sofa beside Drake and grinned at him. 'Right, football time!'

                             **********************************************

Camille hadn't meant to walk out in front of Drake wearing only a towel. She hadn't heard the door buzz, so when she came into the living room ranting about stupid shower gel, she hadn't expected to see Drake sat on her sofa, his eyes staring at her towel clad body and his face slowly turning scarlet.

She had gone through to the bedroom and began to get dressed, thinking about Drake while he sat watching football in the other room.

Camille didn't know Drake though. She knew that. They had gotten on well on the double date and had kissed, quite passionately really, but she didn't know him.

Sure, talking to Drake one on one had been refreshing. For the first time in weeks, she felt like she had been listened to and understood. He had been interested in what she had to say. From their conversation, she knew he felt like she did. Like he was letting down his girlfriend, much like Camille felt she always let down Leo. She knew that Drake shared her insecurities.

But he had a girlfriend. That was all she actually needed to know.

Camille also had Leo.

She had been thinking about breaking up with him for some time but she could never work up the courage to do it. He was always so happy and easygoing and his smile was always so genuine. How could she make him unhappy because of her?

                         **********************************************

Drake and Leo ended up at Geisha Bar. Leo texted Camille to find out where in the club she was with Hana.

The music was pulsing and the club glowed under the pink and purple lights. It was packed. Drake wasn't keen on clubs usually- he always felt awkward dancing, the music wasn't his taste and the drinks were overpriced. Give him a dive bar any day.

He spotted Camille and Hana dancing together, holding each others hands in the air and singing along. Drake watched Camille swing her hips as she danced, her bodycon dress hugging her slender figure. Leo pulled her into a cuddle then gave Hana a kiss on the cheek. Drake raised his hand in greeting. 'I'm going to get a drink,' he shouted over the music.

He began to make his way to the bar. He waited to catch the bartenders attention when he felt someone tug his elbow. He turned and came face to face with Camille.

'What do you want to drink?' he asked her. She leaned up so he could hear her. 'Martini please!'

Drake ordered the drinks then turned back to her. 'Do you smell.. Charcoal?' he asked, pretending to look confused. Camille rolled her eyes. 'Ugh I was a bitch to him, wasn't I?'

Drake chuckled. 'Coconut does smell better than charcoal to be fair. You were within your rights. But hey, mens shower gel sets you up for the day.'

'I do feel ready to tackle mountains and exert my masculine energy,' Camille quipped. Drake smiled to himself then handed her her drink.

Her eyes met his over the rim of her glass. Drake found he couldn't tear his gaze away. There was something about this woman that made his breath catch. The way her eyes bore into his, intense, was enough to make him want to always have her attention. The way her mouth quirked up at the corner so it looked like she was always smiling made him want to lean closer. When she reached up to tuck a lock of her dark hair behind her ear, Drake wanted to reach out and take her hand.

Stop it.

Camille couldn't stop watching him. He was all dark, cast in shadow. Something about him pulled her in and wouldn't let her go. As she took another sip of her drink, she watched as Drake bit his lower lip. He ran a hand through his hair and Camille felt a stirring in her core. An ache that needed healed. A heat that needed cooled.

Stop it.

They were interrupted by a man tapping Camille on the shoulder. 'Hey babe,' he said. 'Can I get you a drink?'

Camille shook her head. 'I've already got one,' she told him, raising her glass, 'but thank you anyway.'

She turned back to Drake and smiled at him. 'So how was the football?' she asked him. 'Really good!' Drake said. 'It wasn't the Texans playing so I could just relax and enjoy without screaming at the TV.'

'Of course you support the Texans!' Camille laughed. Drake grinned. 'Lone Star state, Camille.'

'I've actually got tickets to see the Giants play next month,' Camille told him. Drake stared at her. 'You watch football?'

Camille winked at him. 'Die hard fan.'

'Um, excuse me, but I actually do think I should buy you a drink.'

It was the random man again. Drake looked at him. He was tall, blonde, preppy. Looked like he had the name Nate. Looked like he had an ivy league education and shit dollar bills into a gold plated toilet. He was wearing chinos.

Drake hated chinos.

'I told you, I've got one,' Camille replied.

'Not one from me,' Chino Guy responded arrogantly. 'Come on, you're beautiful, let me buy you a drink.'

'I don't want you to waste your money,' Camille said, staring at him. Chino Guy laughed. 'Babe, I work on Wall Street, I can afford drinks for everyone in this bar.'

Drake wrinkled his nose. Chino Guy was a bragger.

'Then I don't want you to waste your precious time,' Camille told him coldly. Her patience was wearing thin.

'Look, babe -'

'Stop calling me babe,' Camille interrupted, an edge to her voice.

Chino Guy smirked. 'Fine but only if you let me buy you a drink.'

Drake saw Camille clenching the bar and knew this was enough. He stepped forward. 'Can you just stop calling her babe and trying to force her to have a drink? She clearly doesn't want to.'

Chino Guy stared at Drake. 'How about you mind your own fucking business?'

'She's with me,' Drake told him, drawing himself up to his full height of 6 foot 4 inches.

'Bullshit,' Chino Guy spat. Drake drew closer to Camille, placing his hand on her lower back. 'Dude, abandon the possessive thing. It's not attractive. She's told you numerous times that she doesn't want a drink.'

Chino Guy moved closer to Drake, pushing Camille to the side. Drake's eyes flashed. 'Don't you touch her.'

'Drake, its okay,' Camille said quietly. 'Let's just go.'

 Chino Guy pulled at her elbow. 'No babe, I think we should get to know each other, clear up this misunderstanding!' Chino Guy protested. Camille shook her head. 'Please just leave us alone.'

Chino Guy stared at her. 'Fine. Arrogant bitch -'

Drake's fist connected with his face. Camille screamed and Chino Guy fell to the floor. Everyone around them at the bar turned to stare. 'Fucking apologise to her,' Drake ground out, leaning down so Chino Guy could hear.

Chino Guy stood up shakily. His eye bore into Drake's. 'Don't fucking touch me again.' He shoved Drake in the chest.

'Guys, please just stop,' Camille begged. She grabbed Drake's arm when she saw him about to land another punch and looked up at him, her eyes wide. 'Drake, he isn't worth it. Please.'

Drake's eyes flicked from Chino Guy to Camille. 'Fine, Camille. I'm sorry.'

Chino Guy smirked. 'What a pussy.' He lunged forward and caught Drake in the jaw. The people around them gasped and Camille caught Drake before he could fall to the ground.

'Camille? Drake!'

Leo and Hana had found them. Leo's eyes were wide when he took in the scene and he looked at Chino Guy. 'Why the fuck are you hitting my friend?'

Chino Guy smirked. 'He deserved it.'

Leo looked at Camille and drew her in close. 'Are you okay sweetie?

Chino Guy looked from Drake to Camille to Leo.

'Hold up. She's your girlfriend?'

Leo nodded. 'Yeah. Can you kindly fuck off?'

Chino Guy laughed harshly and pointed at Drake. 'This guy - your friend - likes your girlfriend. I'd be careful if I were you.'

Glaring at Drake and Camille, he turned and sloped off. Leo wrapped his arm around Camille and looked at Drake. 'You okay man?'

'Yeah, I'm fine,' Drake assured him, 'It was just a suckerpunch.'

'What even happened?' Hana asked, her eyes wide.

'He kept hassling Camille,' Drake told her simply. Leo sighed. 'Thanks for sticking up for her, Drake.'

Drake smiled weakly. 'She could hold her own, I was just in her corner.'

He kept his eyes away from Camille, who was watching him nervously. Leo hadn't mentioned the comment Chino Guy had made about Drake liking Leo's girlfriend. Maybe he had forgotten or just brushed it off.

But Camille had heard.

                                         *************************************

Drake got home at 2am. He felt grubby and achy so decided to have a quick shower to freshen up. As the water ran down his body, he thought back to the events of the night.

As he shampooed his hair, his eyes caught a glimpse of his bath towel hanging up.

Camille in a towel.

Drake felt himself instantly turn hard.

He tried to ignore it. He needed to. He had a girlfriend. He loved his girlfriend. But the thought of Camille in a towel, her hair damp, her shoulders glistening from the water..

Before Drake realised what he was doing, he had wrapped his hand around his length and began to pump hard. Closing his eyes, he focused on her face in his mind. 

‘Are you getting off in the shower?’

Drake jumped and opened his eyes to see Olivia standing in the bathroom, staring at him. ‘Uhh...’

Smirking, she pulled her negligee off and slid her thong down to the ground. Drake stared at his naked girlfriend who slunk towards him. She joined him under the water and replaced his hand with hers. She began to slide her hand along him.

‘Who were you thinking about?’ she purred. 

‘You,’ Drake croaked out. Olivia pumped harder and Drake groaned. He studied her face. He had to replace the image of Camille. His eyes roamed Olivia’s body, which resembled alabaster stone.   His eyes explored her breasts, her hips, her tiny waist. She was beautiful. Drake leaned down to kiss her and Olivia reciprocated, her tongue twisting around his. 

Drake reached down to pick her up. Olivia wrapped her legs around him and he pushed her up against the wet tile. ‘Liv..’ he murmured, his mouth finding her breasts. Olivia leaned her head against the tile and gasped as he entered her.

‘Fuck me hard, Drake,’ she whispered. 

‘I was going to.’

‘Do it now.’

Drake proceeded to drive into her, feeling her tighten around him. Olivia’s fingernails raked against his back, drawing blood. Drake didn’t care. He wanted to feel something. He wanted to feel her. Anything to get thoughts of Camille out of his head. 

‘Harder,’ she groaned.

Drake’s movements became deeper. He could feel every inch of Olivia. 

This was how it was supposed to be. 

‘Tell me you want me,’ she ordered.

‘I want you.’

‘Tell me I’m the only one for you.’

‘You’re the only one for me.’ 

[aidaronan]

Back to Bucky

Drabble challenge. Anon requested this prompt with Stucky. I’m also going to dedicate this to @stevergrsno aka noxlunate. Happy birthday, you! 24. “It’s six o’clock in the morning, you’re not having vodka.”

After DC, Bucky comes and goes like a shitty bus line. Steve knows he’ll show up again eventually, but the schedule is so erratic and unpredictable that there’s no point in even trying to keep up with it.  Steve doesn’t care, of course. He’ll take it over the alternatives. And every time Bucky comes, it’s with a few recovered memories and a couple dozen questions Steve is more than happy to answer.  On a random Wednesday morning in September, Steve finds Bucky rooting around in his kitchen and immediately texts Sam to let him know he won’t make their daily jog.  “Hey, Buck.”  There’s no visible reaction other than a small jerk of Bucky’s head. When he finally emerges from the cabinets, it’s with a box of cherry Pop Tarts and a bottle of Moskovskaya. Steve, a person who neither drinks nor eats Pop Tarts, has a couple of questions. But he can worry about those later.

“That’s quite the breakfast,” he says instead, watching Bucky hop up onto the countertop.  Bucky shrugs and rips open a silver package, shoving half a Pop Tart in his mouth. Bottle held tight between his thighs, he undoes the lid with metal fingers and moves to take a drink.  “Buck, it’s six o’clock in the morning. You’re not having vodka.”  “Kinda seems like I am,” he says, taking a big swig. “I remembered something. Well, lots of somethings.”  “Oh.” Steve doesn’t know what else to say. Bucky’s memories can be everything from a baseball game they listened to as kids to a gruesome triple murder in Guam.  “I can’t believe...” He shakes his head and shoves the rest of the Pop Tart into his mouth, washing it down with more vodka. “Steve, you huge asshole.”  “Which thing am I a huge asshole for?” Steve asks. Because his memory is as sharp as Bucky’s knives and he knows “asshole” is a term of endearment Bucky used on him quite a lot. “Honestly, where do I fucking start?” He takes a bite out of the other Pop Tart, swigging vodka like water. Steve tries not to grimace at what he imagines that all tastes like together. “God, Stevie, you absolute goddamned punk.”  Steve’s knees almost buckle at that. Would probably crumple like aluminum foil if he wasn’t what he is. It’s such a simple thing, but Bucky calling him “Stevie” means that another piece of the old Bucky has put itself right in his torn up brain.  Every time Bucky pops into his life, he’s reminded just a little bit of how lucky he is to have him back. Even if he hates how it happened so much that the fury burns white hot. Even if Bucky is transient and fleeting.  “I went to the Smithsonian when you were in the hospital,” Bucky says. “After...” He waves his hand in the air before pulling out another package of so-called pastries. “Yeah, I know.” SHIELD had been in shambles, but that didn’t mean Nat didn’t have her eyes open. She’d handed Steve a flash drive full of security footage a few days later with no explanation as to how she got it, and he’d spent weeks stalking his own exhibit until Bucky blew in through the apartment window one night and sat himself on Steve’s couch like it was no big deal.  “Lot of things history doesn’t know about us, huh?” Bucky asks.   “You could say that.”  “You could’ve corrected them,” Bucky says. “And you could’ve told me. Best friends.”  “We were best friends. Too, also. But I thought about it a few times, especially when people came sniffing around trying to get Captain America to voice his support for traditional family values and all that.” Steve finally pulls up a stool and sits down at the counter. “But then it didn’t feel fair to your memory to take that choice away from you.”  “Unbelievable.” Bucky offers him half a Pop Tart and Steve decides to give them another try. He takes one bite and registers the sickly sweet taste before handing it back. Bucky pushes it between his lips and licks crumbs off his fingers.  “What did you remember?” Steve asks.  “We were, what? Seventeen. Or I was. You...”  “Sixteen.” Steve nods. “Our first kiss, right?”  “Yeah. You had on one of my old shirts Ma gave you when it didn’t fit me anymore, and I couldn’t get over it. I ever tell you that?” Bucky asks, and Steve shakes his head. “Wanted you longer. Off and on for years. I tried so hard not to, Stevie. God, I did.”  “I know Buck. We both tried.” Steve had prayed until his knees were bruised, had felt the guilt settle in his stomach heavy and thick. But no deity or force in the universe had ever taken his love for Bucky from him, and he’d eventually decided that if it was wrong, really and truly perverse like everyone said, that his prayers would’ve been answered. Either that or no one was listening, and if no one was listening, then it didn’t really matter at all who his fucked up little heart beat for. 

“Almost went crazy trying,” Steve adds. 

“Me too, Stevie. But then you walked into my Ma’s house in my shirt and I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew I was gonna finally do it, second I saw you that day. I was determined that somehow-”  Bucky shakes his head and pulls on the vodka again. And if he could get drunk any more than Steve could, Steve might be more concerned. Bucky’s still stone cold sober after half a bottle though. Steve would know. He knows good and well what a drunk Bucky Barnes looks like.  “Then I ruined it,” Steve says, smiling.  “You kissed me,” Bucky says. “Spent all afternoon formulating my genius plan to have you dart up quick as a shooting star, plant one on me, and go back to doodling. Punk.” 

Steve smiles softly. He’d been so scared, so scared Bucky would never speak to him again. That drawing had turned out like shit, the always-sharp line of Bucky’s jaw uneven and ragged under his trembling hand.  “You wouldn’t sit still. You never did even though you asked me to draw you all the time,” Steve says. “I had to stun you so i could finish. Desperate times.”  “I remember France too,” Bucky says. “In the woods. When we were ‘scouting ahead.’”  Steve flushes. “Oh.”  “Yeah, oh.”  “Do you remember...” Steve scrubs a hand over his face. He doesn’t want to push. That’s the thing Sam always tells him, that Steve is like a hurricane when he sets his mind to something, and Bucky doesn’t need a storm right now. “My birthday. 1937. Yeah, Stevie, I remember,” Bucky says, looking down at the tile. “I remember how you smelled. How you tasted. How you sounded when you said my name, so quiet because the walls were like goddamn newspaper. I remember all of it.”  “Does it feel like a long time ago for you?” Steve asks. “Because for me, it’s...”  “It’s hard to explain how it feels,” Bucky says. “It’s like I went to sleep next to you and the boys and had a really long nightmare, but then I woke up and-”  “Everything was different.” Steve sighs. “Yeah, I know. That part of it anyway, I know.”  “They don’t arrest people like us anymore.”  “They don’t, not here anyway.”  “You told me months ago that if I ever wanted to, I could stay.”  Steve perks up, tries not to let himself hope too hard even though his heart is straining with the effort.  “You still can,” Steve says.  “I wondered at first, why you? I couldn’t understand why you were the one who pulled me back, out of everyone. I thought it was just because I knew you, because we were friends, but then I remembered Howard.”  Steve doesn’t frown, but he wants to.  “I went to the exhibit trying to make sense of it, accepted that you were my best friend, that maybe there were more memories and that’s why you could do it when he couldn’t. More years to draw on, you know, and maybe that really did help. But I loved you. I loved you so goddamn much that they had to torture me for decades to take you out of me, and even then they still couldn’t do it.”  “You gotta know I loved you too,” Steve says.  “Might’ve figured that one out after you told me for the 50th time,” Bucky says. “Or when you came after me in Azzano all by yourself. When you’d pat me down after every mission just to be sure nothing hurt.”  “You’d pat me down too.”  “You never watched your goddamn left side. And your shield is the size of one of Ma’s nice china plates. I shot you. I shot you on that helicarrier in DC because you keep trying to hide behind a fucking thimble.”  Bucky sets the empty Pop Tarts box down next to him and takes another drink.  “I still love you,” Steve says. “You gotta know that too.”  “I’m not the same guy,” Bucky says. “Your Bucky, he’s up here, but there’s a lot of other shit too.”  “I know,” Steve says. “But we’ve done this before.”  Another sip. The sound of vodka sloshing within the confines of the glass bottle. Bucky glances at him, questioning.  “You were different in the war too. After the rescue.” Steve shrugs.  Bucky laughs. “Yeah, so were you pal.”  Steve can’t argue with that. He cracks a smile. “Really though, Buck, I’ve loved every version of you I’ve ever met. I’m not gonna stop now.” Steve looks down, threading his fingers together on the stool between his thighs. “If you don’t want me like that anymore, I won’t push you. You have a home here whether we share a bed or not. You’re still my best friend; they got that right. But if you do want me, don’t think I won’t take you. You’re not the only one who’s not the same.”  The vodka bottle finds its way to the countertop with a dull clink. Bucky’s fingers linger, drumming on the neck again. Tink-tink-tink.  “I wasn’t lying,” Bucky says. “It really did take them decades to wipe you out of my head. They’d pack me out on a mission, and I’d see something that reminded me of you and snap back.” Tink-tink-tink.  “It’s something I’ve tried to tell myself over and over, that I killed a lot of folks for Hydra, but I killed a lot more of those bastards in the years they had me. Sum total, you know.”  “It’s a good way to look at it,” Steve says. “It’s proof of who you always were underneath what they made you be.”  Tink-tink-tink. Silence. Bucky shifts on the granite and looks at him.  “I still love you too,” he says. “Everything’s a mess up there, but even so. Feels like I always have.”  Steve breathes in, deep and even, and nods.  “What do you wanna do about it?”  He’s surprised when Bucky reaches out his right hand, offering it to him. They’re not at the best angle for it, but Steve takes it anyway, cupping it between both of his palms. He softly presses his lips to the veins and tendons along the back.  “It’s gonna be glacial,” Bucky says. “Like asshole-crashes-his-plane-into-the-arctic-because-he-can’t-live-without-me glacial. It’s not that I don’t want you, because I do. I’ve already had a million thoughts about you and me and all the furniture in this room. Hell, I woke up this morning wanting you which is why I even came here. Wanna kiss you too. Wanna wake up with your hair tickling my nose like we used to. It’s just that I don’t trust me yet.”  Steve ignores the small jolt of heat that runs through his body, pushes back all the selfish questions he’d like to ask.  “I’ve got time,” he says instead. “Besides, I’m used to that too. Before the war, before-” Steve gestures at his body.  They’d made love, the first time on Bucky’s birthday, but more after. It was always once in a blue moon though. Sometimes the blood flow in Steve’s body just outright refused to cooperate. Sometimes Bucky would take a kiss from sweet to hot and Steve’s lungs would seize up, and he’d end up on the floor pressed against Bucky while he reminded him how to breathe. Shit, sometimes they were just too scared someone would hear them. And on top of that, Steve was sick all the time, too sick to do anything but shiver in Bucky’s arms.  Bucky turns his hand over, shifting on the countertop so he can wind his fingers around Steve’s properly. They sit like that for what could be minutes or hours or lifetimes, and it’s okay. If it’s all he can ever give Steve again, it’ll be okay.  “I’ll go get my stuff,” Bucky finally says, letting go and screwing the cap back on the vodka. He puts it away in the freezer instead of the cabinet.  “You need any help?”  “I don’t got a lot. Won’t be long this time. An hour, maybe.”  “Can I-” Steve holds his arms open, a quiet invitation that Bucky’s more than welcome to refuse. Bucky stares at him for a moment, metal fingers twitching by his side.  “Okay, but you gotta- just be still.” Bucky steps forward slowly, pressing himself up against Steve bit by bit and wrapping his arms around him. From here, Steve can smell him, and God he still smells like Bucky. Even under the notes of modern soap and laundry detergent. Steve forces his muscles and bones to stay right where they are even though all he wants to do is pull Bucky closer and closer until they melt into one being. It’s a relief when Bucky finally says, “Okay Stevie, you can put your arms around me. I’m ready.”  Steve does, gently settling his hands under Bucky’s shoulder blades. He feels Bucky stiffen a bit and then relax. Slowly, with no sudden movements, he presses his nose into Bucky’s neck and inhales. For the first time since he woke up in the SHIELD field office in New York, he feels like he’s actually home.  Bucky comes back a half hour later as promised and throws his duffle into the closet in the former guest room. They spend the rest of the day reminiscing and eating take out. It’s easier than either of them thought it would be.  “You really should tell them,” Bucky says days later. They’re on opposite ends of the couch, reading, legs tangled in between them. “About us, about you. Could mean a lot to a lot of people.”  “Okay.” Steve doesn’t hesitate to pull his phone out of his pocket and send a text.  A week later, he’s sitting in a coffee shop with Gabby Jones, the openly transgender editor-in-chief of the New York Sentinel. She also happens to be Gabe’s granddaughter, and they talk for an hour about the man she remembers before they even get into why they’re really there.  “Pepper said you have a story to tell.” She takes a sip from a fresh latte. “Where would you like to start, Steve?”  The answer is as easy as it ever was.  “With Bucky. Everything always goes back to Bucky.”  ______ | Buy me a ko-fi | Commission a story |