#i might do a few oneshots here and there for these two idiots as they strike me

[secret-smut-sideblog]

Distances Mended (Part 6)

18+ hurt/comfort, blood drinking, oral (f!), face sitting, blood play/letting, doggy style, overall feral sex, admissions of love, tenderness

Astarion X F! Plus Sized Tav, Set After The Pale Elf

listening to: De Selby (Part 2) - Hozier, Without You, Without Them - boygenius

-

"Please, I want to forget, just for a moment." He tangled his hands into her hips, buried his face in his forearm.

Heart pounding painfully she stared down at him. The blood dried in his clothes. The hand that had hours ago been white knuckled around the dagger. Sinking again and again into that vile chest, feral in fury. The gut wrenching wails from his throat as he sank to his knees.

The inn she had practically carried him to, renting a room that he was now bowed against her in.

She kneeled down to him, took his cheek so soft into her palm. Tried to catch his eyes in hers. "Astarion.."

He almost flinched, his face crumbling. Watery eyes meeting hers, pleading. "I cant take it. I need you, need to feel something. To feel you." He whispered, grabbing onto her again. "Please.."

Her eyebrows drew together in concern but she couldn't deny him. Not when he was like this. Not when she saw the agony in his eyes.

"Take what you need from me. I'm yours."

He kissed her desperately, hands cupping the back of her head, fingers tangled in hair. Tears dropped down onto the skin of her chest.

She poured all her tenderness into him. Fingers tracing his jaw. Legs wrapping secure around the small of his back. Hand warm on his chest. Spelled her love on his tongue.

Swift but shaking fingers undoing her blouse. Assisting him she pulled it over her head. "Come here to me," she said softly, pulling him to her neck. "Take your fill."

He sank into her, hands gripping her back. The slight sting bringing her up to the surface. Hands in his hair, softly stroking. He moaned into her, regaining some strength. His hand taking hers, leading it to his thigh. Urging.

Through the ache of her heart a heat was spreading.

Yes, she could help him lose himself. If just for a moment.

She ran her nails lightly over the fabric covering his thigh. Hand in his hair tugging gently. Felt him nod into her, keep going.

That heady haze fell over her. Lips finding that delicious place under his ear where his jaw began, suckling and nipping at it. He shuddered against her, tongue still lapping her up greedily. Hands reaching down to grip her ass.

Her hands wandered hot up his chest, down his back, on the outer side of his hips. Always obsessed with how he felt, like cool water. A river running into her.

She slid her knee between them, him lifting naturally as she pushed, straddling her thigh. He ground into her hip, sending a throb through her. She bit into his shoulder, much harder than she meant to.

He groaned roughly, something overcoming him. Rising off her neck he slid down onto his back, eyes burning, gripping her thighs and pulling her hard up to him. Now straddling over him, over his upturned face.

Oh Gods, yes. She reached to begin pulling off her thin leggings. His mouth came up to meet her and ripped into the fabric, his fangs tearing. She moaned deep in her throat, a ferocity in her tightening pelvis.

Hands gripping her hips he pulled her exposed core down to him. Mouth already ravaging and insistent. She buckled into him, head thrown back. Rhythmic little gasps moving her with the motion of his hungry mouth.

A madness was overtaking her, the pressure and pulsing of his velvet tongue making her shake. Trying to not clench her thighs around his sharp ears.

Made the mistake of looking down at him. His eyes were on her, dark, blown out. An inferno.

She leaned back, hand stabilizing herself on his stomach, giving him room. His mouth moved even further into her. Pulling her thighs again with a disgruntled groan, a demand, so she was almost flush to him. Growling into her quivering shape.

Her eyes screwed shut, the renewed pressure twice as strong, slurping and suckling. A high keening as she finally relented, her thighs coming together around him, hips grinding into his face.

He nodded fervently into her, hands urging her ass even closer.

She rode into him, wishing she had a headboard to grip onto. Her eyes searching for something, anything to ground her.

Caught a glint in arms reach and a mad idea for a madwoman overcame her. In one swift motion she grabbed the dagger and dragged it along the flesh of her pelvis. Right above the sweet torment of his mouth.

His eyes widened as the wound opened, dripping her blood directly down into the fold of his mouth. Watched his eyes roll back into his head.

The sting brought her small clarity, but the storm was about to hit. The fervent of his mouth hit a fever pitch. Blood pooling with the slick of her that now coated his jaw. Arms hooking around her thighs, immobilizing her. Fingers snaring down into her flesh.

She strangled out a cry, hand clenching into his hair. Stars threatening the corners of her eyes. Thighs shaking. Wanted to beg him to stop. Wanted to beg him to never ever stop.

He mercifully released her with a growl and slipped out from under her, coming up behind her. Quick as a shadow.

His hand caught her breast, her neck, pulling her up to his chest. She fell back against him gratefully, the back of her head resting in the curve of his shoulder.

His fingers ran all over her, the touch worship. As if she was a sculpture he was carving out of marble. Something holy.

She sighed into the curl of his hair. Reaching up to cup the nape of his neck.

His lips met her forearm, a nuzzling kiss there. Leaving the bloody smear of his lips.

Fingers met the blood trail on her hips, a deep shudder running through him. Echoing into her back.

He pushed down flat between her shoulder blades, urging her onto her belly, his other pulling her hips to his.

Heard the hitch in his breathing at the sight of her like this.

With a groan deep in his chest he gathered her blood in his pale fingers and smeared it messy up her slit. She gasped into her arm, the degeneracy of it. Gods below, her sanity was slipping.

His hands bracing against her ass he slowly entered her, hips gradually meeting her flesh. She bit into her arm, hips bucking at the devine torture of him finally buried inside her. Could feel herself clenching, a little whimper out of his perfect lips.

"I'm- I" she tried to warn, a shaking already starting in her core.

Took another handful of her blood and smeared it up her ass, breath heavy at the sight, rolling his hips into her. She was a mewling mess against the cool wood floor, the thrust of his hips hitching her back and forth. Felt like her knees were about to give out. Sensing this, he stabilized her hips with his arm, wrapping strong around her.

Turned her head to look at him. His eyes crazed, mouth dropped slightly open. Dark blood and creamy slick all over him, all over her backside. His eyes darted to hers, small pants leaving his lips. Oh Gods she couldn't take it.

"Yes, let go. Release to me." He urged, taking a handful of her hair. "I'll follow." Hand reaching around to rub hard circles into her clit.

Wave after viscous wave struck her. Thrashing her against the cool stone of his body. A garbled cry erupting from her very core. Her walls a vice grip around his length.

He groaned loud, fingers gripping painfully into the flesh of her hips. Stuttering, the might of her pull dragging him to his end. His smothered voice, his cry so sweet to her ears.

Exhausted they collapsed onto the floor. She pressed her fingers to above her navel, trying to slow herself.

Looked over at him, his gasping breaths, his limbs rubber. All smeared with her. He was the most beautiful sight.

Without thought she scooped him up in her arms, carrying him up to the bed.

He looked at her reverently, pulling her onto his chest. "You're such a strange and wonderful thing." He murmured into her hair, already fading. Barely audible, "My favorite."

She suddenly felt like crying. As he slipped blissfully to sleep she held him.

If the Gods wouldn't allow him relief from his torment she would hunt them down, one by one.

"And what have you been so diligently working on sweet girl?" He kissed the side of her neck sleepily.

Startled by his waking, she made to close the journal she had been so intently scribbling in. Fast pale fingers stopped the pages meeting completely, chuckling into the crook of her neck.

"You're the worst," She whispered, hearing the smile in her voice. Her fingers reaching back to pinch him lightly.

"Well.. I had meant to be farther along before I gave this to you. But I guess it's pretty close.." She let it fall open, handing the small book to him.

He stared down at the drawings, a series of portraits. Recognizing the clothes, the mannerisms.

"...Is this me?" He whispered, throat closing.

"I tried my best to capture your likeness, but you're a enigma it seem- Oh.."

Her fingers so gently traced under his eyes. "Oh, my star filled sky." Tone so soft, so filled with tenderness.

"I love you.." It left him before he realized what he was saying, surprising himself. Knew it to be deeply irrevocably true.

She bit her lip and smiled. Her eyes glistening. "Oh thank the Gods, you've caught up with me." Held his tear stained face in both hands, "Astarion, I have been in love with you for months. I have been waiting an eternity." She laughed, eyes so filled with joy.

He was speechless. His heart straining with so many emotions, crashing over eachother. The one that settled on top was a wonderful ache in his chest. It left him spinning, giddy.

Took her into his arms. "That was a very stupid thing for you to do. Fall for the likes of me." Heard her laugh in his ear.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't have it any other way. You're quite lovely, did you know that?"

Now he laughed, a sob catching in his throat. She kissed him over and over.

They laid back together, breaths slow between them, a fluid they both drank. Limbs tangled, rapturous in the most perfect silence. Intertwined. Rain tapping it's lullaby just for them against the warmth of the window.

~ ~ ~

[linkemon]

Mayhem (Noctis Lucis Caelum x Reader) [Soulmate AU]

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

"ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴘᴀʀʀɪɴɢ ʀᴇꜱᴜʟᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪꜱᴇ. ꜱʜᴇ ʀᴏʟʟᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ʜᴇʀ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴠᴇ, ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴀʀᴍ. ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ʟɪɴᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ ᴀɴ ᴏʀɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ 'ꜰᴀʀᴇᴡᴇʟʟ'."

ɴᴏᴛᴇꜱ: ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ:

ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ ʀᴇɢᴀʀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇ.

ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ꜱᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴀᴜ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ (ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ɴᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ) ᴀʀᴇ ɢɪꜰᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜱᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ.

ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅʟʏ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ ɪɴ ᴇɴɢʟɪꜱʜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ. ɪ ᴛʀʏ ᴍʏ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ᴀɴʏ ᴛɪᴘꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅ.

— You lost! Show it! — Gladio shouted right next to [Reader's] ear.

— You cheated — she gasped, clutching the wooden sword.

— All's fair in love and war!

— We're not at war, we're just doing training exercises — the little girl replied.

She wasn't happy with the sparring result but she kept her promise. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing the tattoo on her forearm. The black line formed an ornately written "Farewell"

— I was hoping for something better.

— Do not get smart up. You don't have the skill yourself yet.

— It won't be easy to find a soulmate with something like that. I hope my skill will be better.

The girl didn't want to admit it but she was thinking exactly the same thing. Many people were given simpler instructions. She has always dreamed of a timer or a red thread. They didn't require much attention. Meanwhile, she was given a word that anyone could have said to her.

— Maybe I'll hear my soulmate say goodbye to someone? Or will this be a slogan describing our entire relationship? You know... we'll be such a nice couple that we won't want to be apart?

***

[Reader] stared at the three friends who had come to the training ground. She was glad Noctis wasn't with them.

She thought no one would come here in the middle of the night. She had been able to avoid meetings over the past few days but it seemed like that wasn't the case this time.

— I don't want to talk to you.

She swung her sword, practicing the sequence.

— Listen, you can just sit here for me but he doesn't want to go anywhere without you...

Gladiolus didn't finish his sentence because Prompto kicked him in the ankle with all his might.

— How can you say such things to a girl? — Prompto was outraged. — Sorry, I have to send a text message quickly. — He took out his phone.

Ignis looked at the other two and sighed. He adjusted his glasses. He felt the need to do this whenever he got irritated.

— Why are you avoiding the prince?

— Damn it! We all know why. We are not making idiots of ourselves.

King's Shield was tired. He wanted to put the whole trip behind him. Altissia was far from Insomnia. They had a long journey ahead of them and he felt like he was babysitting Noctis instead of preparing for it.

The prince insisted that he wanted to see [Reader] at his wedding to Lunafreya. He proposed it to her and she awkwardly excused herself and they haven't seen each other since.

— Wait... so we know why she's avoiding him? — Prompto frowned in concentration.

It took him a few seconds to understand what Gladiolus was talking about.

— Aaah... That's what you mean... — He tapped his forehead lightly.

— Let's end this circus. You're coming with us. Even the king said it was a great idea.

— He didn't give me an order.

[Reader] knew she was arguing like a little child but she had a hard time hiding her reluctance.

— Stop being so selfish! — Gladio knocked the training sword out of her hand.

He did it easily. He surpassed her in terms of physical strength. Not to mention his skills were next level.

He froze the moment he saw her face. The moonlight helped him see tears in the corners of his eyes. She turned her head to wipe them gently.

He felt guilty.

They had been friends since childhood.

— Damn it! — He pinched the bridge of his nose. — I'm sorry, okay? I'm just... fed up with it.

Ignis didn't say anything. He looked at him reprimandingly and Gladio realized that he was in for a good sermon. Ignis took an embroidered handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the girl. She accepted it gratefully.

— It's not your fault... none of you... Let's be honest, neither is it Noctis's fault. But so what? Should I be a bridesmaid at a wedding I don't want to see? Watch someone I've been in love with for so many years get married? Congratulate my rival with whom I never stood a chance? I want Noctis to be happy but... that doesn't mean I have to watch it all.

The girl felt all the emotions she had been carrying since the announcement of the engagement slipping away. Grief gripped her heart and the words stuck in her throat. Her fingers tightened around Ignis's handkerchief. There was a deafening silence, broken only by the night chirping of crickets.

The friends looked towards the entrance. She followed their gaze.

He stood there.

— We'll leave you two alone — Prompto suggested.

He hoped [Reader] wouldn't find out that he was the one who notified Noctis via text message. Otherwise he would be in big trouble.

— I think we need to talk — said the prince.

— You didn't overhear everything? — she asked bitterly.

Blue eyes stared at her intensely.

— I want you to tell me about it properly now.

— NO. — She sat down on the stone wall. — Do you know why? Because it doesn't make sense. I won't change anything.

— You know...

— I know! You are responsible for Lucis... And you will be king one day... And you love Lunafreya... And we need this marriage...

Noctis looked at the brightly shining moon above his head.

It was as if in its light he could no longer hide anything.

He felt he had failed as a friend.

He knew for a long time. He just never wanted to let that thought come to the fore. It was easier to push it to the bottom of his mind and tell himself it was just a delusion. He was afraid to face a feeling he didn't reciprocate.

— [Reader], if you had told me earlier...

She felt a pang in her chest. He had no soulmate skill. Fate didn't decide for him. He chose Luna of his own free will.

— I wouldn't change anything. You love each other and I want you to be happy but please — she took a deep breath — don't make me go there. My heart can't bear it.

In her imagination she saw a beautiful bride. Blond curls were tied up in a high bun and the white dress rustled with every step. The Oracle held a bouquet of her favorite blue flowers as she looked for her fiancé.

Her fingers gripped the stone tightly.

He could give an order if he wanted.

— Then stay... but promise me our friendship won't end like this.

The prince felt that the thread that had connected them for a long time was breaking. He wanted desperately to save it, even though he felt it was over. All the years they spent together were gone.

— I promise that I will come after the wedding, together with your father, when I get myself together a bit. — She headed towards the exit.

— Farewell — he said with a slight smile.

She glanced briefly at the tattoo that had been with her for many years.

She didn't answer him.

***

— What is it about? — Noctis asked.

Ignis entered the room with a newspaper in his hand.

— Read it.

The Fall of Insomnia , said the headline. Gladiolus read it aloud, feeling growing anxiety.

— Is this some joke?

The prince wanted to tear out the newspaper and make sure he had heard correctly.

— There was an attack. The Imperial army has occupied the capital — Gladio continued. — The Treaty Room flashed brightly. Explosions were also heard. When the smoke cleared, the king was found... dead. — Gladio looked up.

— No... But... Wedding... Altissia...

— I know. That was the plan but... all the headlines in town can't be wrong.

Ignis looked at Noctis with regret. There was no way there could be a mistake.

The boy felt his heart beating fast and a cold sweat break out on him.

— Liars! — he shouted. — We have to check that.

— Shall we turn back? — Prompto assured.

— Yes.

***

— Betrayal! Protect His Majesty!

[Reader] managed to kill three opponents before she fell to the ground. Lights flashed all around and a loud explosion deprived her of hearing.

She put her fingers to her chest in surprise. A red, sticky liquid flowed from the deep wound. She tried to make a sound but was interrupted by darkness.

***

— Maybe these will be the last words you hear from him? He'll see you and decide it's time to say goodbye or something — he laughed.

— Gladio, I'm going to kill you!

— I'd like to see you try — said the new, short, dark-haired boy.

He poked his head out from behind one of the pillars and curiously walked to the middle of the training ground.

— I think it's time for me to introduce you to the spoiled prince. Noctis Lucis Caelum and his titles that I don't feel like listing...

[george-weasleys-girl]

Enemy Mine - Chapter 7

Warnings: a few curse words

~•~

Y/N winced, watching the pink handprint blossom across Fred's cheek. Of course, she couldn't blame Angie. She would've slapped the shit out of him, too.

"How dare you fucking use me like that!" Angie raged.

"I didn't use you!" Fred held a hand to his burning cheek.

"Bullshit!" She yelled. "I really was just your consolation prize all along, wasn't I?"

"No, you were never - " Fred began, but Angelina shut him down.

"So, tell me, Fred," she stepped closer to him. "We're you trying to make Y/N jealous, or was I just a placeholder until either Y/N gave in or someone better came along?"

~•~

Forgotten completely by the embattled pair in the middle of her living room, Y/N exhaled a shaky breath, stood and made her way outside, to the little bench in the furthest corner of her backyard. Breaking up someone's relationship was never one of her life goals. And yet, here she was, doing just that.

At least Angelina didn't blame her.

"I'm so sorry, Angie," Y/N had said. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Angie shook her head. "None of this is your fault. This is all on Fred."

"Maybe," Y/N shrugged. "I just can't help but think that if I wasn't in the picture - "

"No," Angie cut her off. "Fred would be an idiotic asshole with or without you in the picture."

Y/N had only nodded in response. She appreciated Angie's vote of confidence, but it wasn't nearly enough to quell the ever-present guilt burning in her chest.

~•~

The back door swung open, startling Y/N from her thoughts. Fred walked toward her, his footsteps falling heavy and slow on the grass.

"Is Angie ok?" She asked.

"She will be," was all he offered. "Are the two of you friends now?"

"I'm not really sure, honestly. We're at least not enemies."

"That's good." Fred nodded. "Can we talk?"

"Probably should," she sighed and scooted over to give him room on the bench.

~•~

"What exactly did you think would happen?" Y/N asked. "That you'd confess your love, and I would leap blithely into your arms?"

"I don't know." Fred shrugged. "Maybe."

Y/N closed her eyes, massaging her aching temples. "That's not how this works. This isn't a fucking movie, Fred."

He shifted his gaze downward. "You hate me, don't you?"

"No, I don't hate you," Y/N sighed. "Not anymore, anyway."

"And how do you feel now?" He raised his eyes to meet hers.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know how I feel. I just know I can't forget the last several years."

"No, I don't suppose so," he mummered.

"I'm sorry, Fred. I really am."

"It's ok. I'm the one who fucked up and I've got to learn to live with it." He shrugged and gave her a half smile, before turning away again.

Y/N watched him as he curled in on himself. She'd never seen Fred like this, as if he was trying to crawl inside himself. Trying to hide himself away. She had no doubt that if he were alone, his cheeks would be wet with tears.

A dull ache formed in the center of her heart. They might have been enemies, but she wasn't so cold and jaded as to revel in his pain.

"Hey, umm," she spoke before she could change her mind. "Maybe we could we could try the whole friendship thing again."

A one-sided grin appeared on his face. "Fred Weasley is being friend-zoned," he chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"No. That's not what I - " Y/N sputtered. "I just thought - "

"It's alright, love," he smiled. "I'll take whatever you're willing to give me. And, maybe in time, I can prove myself worthy."

Y/N gave him a small, tentative smile. "Maybe."

~•~

@milivanili99 @fancy-pantaloons @turvi @zvummyummy @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @georgie-weasley @nighttimemoonlover @jsjcue @wzrd-wheezes @fredweasleyyyyy @hufflepuffie @alexistonks @anvaaryn @lastwandastan @samshifts @asuperconfusedgirl @superduckmilkshake @mysticsheepsoul @gemofthenight @1lellykins @junerprsh @sierraluvz @wolfkill16 @smallsweetvanillabean @costheticbabe @thatonepersonwhocantwrite @charmedfandomgal @loveosewood @hanne-montana @rhunew @greenapplegrass @lizzytrees @spididerman @igncrantbliss @28cnn @saintlike05 @millies0bsimp @yeah3459 @leeknows-wife @pandoraneverland @wickedsandwich08 @bai-wuxiangs-mask @c-yberstar @soosheee @ivvees-blog @withered-rxse @maddiedinosaur @astahsvea @impossibelle

[tailsbeth-writes]

Espresso martini, Henry and Liam. Hehehehe

I may write more about this in a Oneshot, it's actually given me some fun ideas! 😇

Henry will admit he's a little nervous as they walk to the bar. He might be clinging to Alex's hand like it's a life raft when they see Liam wave them over. Alex is grinning like the Cheshire cat though and it makes Henry's heart fuzzy.

‘ACD, bain of my life, how are ya?’ Liam drawls as he and Alex hug, slapping each other's backs. Henry can't help but think about them doing this as teenagers, after a lacrosse game. Match? Oh, mere details Henry can't bring himself to be bothered by.

They slide into the booth and Alex goes to order Henry's usual gin and tonic at the bar when he stops him.

‘Actually, make it an espresso martini. It's a special occasion, no?’ Henry cocks his brow because he knows it will drive Alex crazy, and by the way Alex bites his lip, it's working.

‘Make it two, I'm on vacation!’ Liam chirps in. Henry smiles at him and back at Alex who rolls his eyes and heads to the bar. Liam settles into the usual small talk with Henry, who is thankful when Liam gets into a long story about his flight to New York. They don't know each other super well, but Henry has managed much worse situations. If he can deal with a high tea with the Austrian ambassador who obsessed over clownfish, then this is nothing. When Alex comes back, he's got the two cocktails but is lacking a third drink.

‘I am so sorry but I need to run out. Work emergency, I would tell them to shove it but that would be six months do-’

‘Go, I'm here for a week dude. We'll catch up another night.’ Liam interrupts with a nonchalant shrug. Alex looks to Henry, who is playing with the anxiety ring June bought him to replace the signet ring.

‘Can you entertain Liam for this evening, baby?’

Henry takes a sip of his martini, he knows this is Alex’s polite way of saying ‘You can go home, it's okay.’

‘We’ll be fine, love. Go save the world or whatever it is you do all day.’ He teases before sliding out and giving him a parting kiss. Alex calls out a quick ‘be good’ with some finger guns and high tails it out the bar.

‘I forget how embarrassing he can be… how do you do it Henry?’

Henry barks a laugh and holds up his glass to toast.

‘To Alex Claremont-Diaz, the most idiotic man with the biggest heart.’

Liam clinks his glass with him and they gulp the deep brown cocktails.

‘He hasn't changed. Did he ever tell you about the time he brought the wrong underwear for after training?’

‘Tell. Me. Everything.’

*Several espresso martinis later*

Alex ❤️

almost home

did you get back okay?

Come drink with us!

Still at Martie’s.

Baby, its almost midnight

Dont you have a call at 8am?

Pez says

it's ok

Ok?

Oh Henry how many have you had

only a few

The bartender gave us some free shots

Lovely chap

Coming to pick you up sweetheart 😂

Hows Liam?

But you've got me Alex

We're married darling.

You don't need to pick me up

So silly ❤️❤️❤️

Oh youre so gone

Liam is calling Spencer

He's going to propose when he arrives on Wednesday

How romantic!!

Wait he told you that?

Yeah

He told me lots

I know all about your 'straight' boy days

I am never letting you two drink alone again

[humanitys-strongest-bamf]

hey kat, you have a bunch of papers due for school, why don't you use your energy to write that?

me: nah, i'll write more levi fluff instead and choose not to suffer

Your Promise | Canonverse Oneshot

✧ word count ➼ 1.7k ✧ notes ➼ canonverse, night before the retake of shinganshina, protective!levi, levi and reader a childhood friends that grew up together, idiots in love

As you sat and watched the fight, leaning against your arm on the table, you were ripped out of your thoughts when someone's hand gently touched your shoulder. You looked up to see Levi standing over you.

“Come outside with me. It’s getting too damn noisy in here.”

You got up, chugged the rest of your beer, and placed your hands in your pockets as you followed him closely.

The both of you turned the corner into a small alleyway. It was just wide enough for the two of you to sit facing each other. You looked up at the sky, breathing in the fresh, cool air.

"You should let them celebrate," you said with a small smile. "Some might not live to see home again."

“Yeah,” Levi responded. “This is going to be a pretty big fight. Whoever’s pulling the strings from the outside will likely be waiting for us.”

“Well, guess we’ll just have to surprise them before they surprise us and-”

"_____," he spoke suddenly, cutting you off.

You immediately stopped talking and looked over at him with a frown, knowing what he was going to say.

“I think you should stay-”

"I'm not staying behind," you said sternly.

He responded with an irritated look, as if he was surprised that you were fighting this.

"Yes, you are."

You shook your head in disbelief at the fact that you were even having this conversation.

“Are you talking to me as a friend or as a Captain? I don’t mind having another insubordination charge.”

Levi frowned further as you brought up your fight from a few weeks ago, as if it was just a constant reminder of the excuse he made to keep you in the city.

"You're too reckless. You always charge into the battlefield without knowing what's even happening. You disregard your own life on the basis of needless curiosity," he began to list his reasoning off, watching you as you got increasingly frustrated at everything he was saying. Yet, he continued. “You always act without thinking. You-”

"Can you please stop spitting out all the things that I do wrong on the battlefield?!" you responded in a frustrated tone. “How the hell am I supposed to improve on any of that if you won’t even let me fight?”

“You can listen to me.”

You looked away from him, irritated because you knew that he was right.

“Every order that I give you is to protect you on the battlefield when things go wrong and you’re shit at following them,” he said bluntly.

You tapped your finger on your knee as you contemplated what he was trying to say.

"I'm sorry. I just hate the idea that I'm being left behind," you said quietly, not being able to deny it. "Or forgotten."

He looked at you without responding, being able to share that same feeling, although it hasn't been something that he had felt since his childhood when he was still living in the Underground.

"Does it distract you?" you finally asked.

“Does what distract me?”

“Me being on the battlefield?”

He scoffed. “Only when you don’t listen to me. It’s exhausting as fuck always having to be on the lookout for whatever stupid shit you’ll do next.”

He immediately regretted saying that as he saw a hurt look appear on your face, not wanting to get into a fight he couldn't recover from the night before a decisive battle.

"I promise I'll listen to you this time if you let me come," you whispered.

Levi sighed as he tried to generate in his head all of the reasons why you shouldn't come with—but he already knew that he wouldn’t be able to actually say no.

“Fine,” he said with a groan, “but I’ll hold you to that promise.”

You gave him a small grin.

"Plus..." you began before trailing off.

“Plus what?”

“You kind of need me out there to save our troops. It’d be selfish of you to keep me behind.”

"Tch," Levi said with an irritated look on his face as he looked away, knowing that you were right.

"Hey," you said as you pushed on him a little to get his attention. "Thank you for caring.”

"Hah?" he said as he looked back over at you.

You shrugged. “You’re always looking out for me, although it can get annoying as fuck sometimes.”

He gave you a blank look. "You don't make it easy."

"I promise I will this time," you said with a smile.

He tried to return it, but found that he wasn't able to. The only thing that was on his mind as he looked at you was the presence of a certain tightness around his chest as he imagined even the thought of losing you. He had seen too many people die too quickly, and he wasn’t sure how much room he had left in his heart to grieve.

Hearing you begin to stand drew him out of his thoughts and he quickly followed suit. Before you were able to get far, he gently grabbed your arm.

"_____, wait."

You stopped and glanced at him. You had noticed that his grip on you was gentler compared to what it usually was, particularly when it came to how he was when he was worried about you on the battlefield.

“Yes?”

He had an unreadable expression on his face, as if he was deep in thought. Although you had known and been around him for over 10 years at this point, you couldn't quite pinpoint what was going on through his head. You felt that his grip on you was gentle, but firm at the same time.

You tilted your head as you watched him. He looked paralyzed as if he just realized something was horribly wrong and that he had to fix it at this very moment. He had spent the past few weeks on the run from the city, desperately trying to make sure that you would be okay, yet he still had the agitating feeling that there was more that he needed to do.

“What is it, Levi?”

He looked at you, a heavy feeling appearing in his chest as you made eye contact again. He desperately wanted to shove that feeling away, but also let that pressure out at the same time. Levi Ackermann, “Humanity’s Strongest Soldier”, hero of Paradis, was stuck, paralyzed with fear over not knowing what to do.

After what felt like forever, he opened his mouth again.

“You should head home and get some rest,” he said, choosing to shove it away. “I’ll clean up after the rookies. It’s going to be a long day.” 

You looked at him, giving a small, half-hearted smile. It was clear that you were expecting more, but was also quite unsure of your own feelings yourself. Levi had been by your side since the very beginning, and has always been there to rescue you in difficult situations. He was, undoubtedly, the one person in your life that has pulled through and watched out for you, no matter how difficult things were.

You slowly pulled away, heading in the direction of your temporary apartment in the district.

"Goodnight," you said softly. "Levi."

"Night," he responded quietly, watching you walk away and listening to your fading footsteps.

Levi stood there quietly, gazing at you until you faded into the distance.

A relationship of any sort was never something that crossed through Levi Ackermann’s mind, especially when it came to romantic ones. This was the case even before he joined the scouts, but became especially more so once he did. With every death that he was forced to witness, the further that typical happy ending seemed to get. Seeing that enough times made it so that having a relationship, especially a romantic one, was the last thing he wanted to do.

He told himself that he was done with any sort of attachments. Forming any new ones was out of the picture. Strengthening any old ones was out of the picture. It was too emotionally exhausting for him to get attached, grow to have hope, only to have it ripped away from him the minute he let his guard down.

Even so, it did not explain his behavior when it came to you. If he really believed that he was bound to lose you, then his behavior behind protecting you made little to no sense. If he wanted to protect you from all harm, then he was at least exercising some power in keeping you around.

He always told himself that your relationship was nothing more than what had formed all those years ago, when that annoying 15-year-old brat came charging through his door, bringing a gang of thugs with her. He taught you how to fight and how to use mobility gear and did eventually grow to see you as a younger sibling that didn't know any better. That was what he attributed his reasoning to. Any time he panicked for your safety or scolded you for being reckless or dreaded bringing you along on a dangerous expedition, that's what he told himself. He was protecting you because that's what big brothers do—but was that really the reason?

Ever since he almost lost you, his mind had been frazzled. His mind was plagued with doubt for why he even came to the surface from the Underground in the first place. You were in no way related by blood, and even he was able to recognize that the way needed you to be around him could not just be explained by a “close brother-sister bond”. 

He sighed and placed his hands in his pockets, slowly making his way back to the cafeteria. He did say that he would clean up after the rookies, although he was slowly starting to regret that now.

Relationships had never, ever been in the picture for Levi Ackermann. The thought never even crossed his mind—until now.

A/N: i really need to stop procrastinating on school by writing levi drabbles. you guys can also clearly see that i have a problem with overprotective!levi uwu. i also wanted to space these out but i got excited from writing this so here you go

[siriannatan]

The Cons of Being a Beta - ScfWhimmy part 2

I just might be oneshot Sonic or Flash today. By popular request the follow up to that one ABO fic I wrote ages ago.

Something was off.

Scott's heat was coming up. That was obvious. He was clinger, wanted to stay longer in bed. Stole Jimmy's clothes more than usually but also fWhip's... Which he usually never did in his hormone addled state. And he cuddle s to fWhip more eagerly than before any of his heats before.

Jimmy was acting out too. Growled when someone catcalled fWhip at the grocery store when they were stocking up for being stuck at home. Would be restless when fWhip would not cuddle with him and Scott on the couch in favour of grabbing popcorn or pizza they ordered. Instead jumping in on that himself after gently passing Scott off to fWhip.

This was all off. Usually the days leading up to heat Jimmy didn't want to leave Scott's side. But now he was more than willing to leave him and fWhip alone together. And Scott didn't get restless with no Jimmy around. Instead now he wrapped himself in one of the alpha's hoodie's and was cuddled up to fWhip. Dozing off as they watched something random, waiting for Jimmy to come back with takeout from Scott's favourite place. They unfortunately did not deliver but fortunately did takeout.

"You're rather calm with no Jimmy around," fWhip noted. He was at all not complaining at all the attention. Instead he was mentally getting ready for the aftermath of the heat to be worse than ever.

"Got you here... Safe..." Scott yawned and cuddle duo closer, Jimmy's hoodie almost sliding off his shoulder. fWhip just hummed and tried to focus on sharks.

He could not help but think a bit further back. It wasn't just this past week that they behaved unusually. And clingy... "You would tell me if you two were up to something?" He asked, remembering all the times Scott and Jimmy cuddled him totally unprompted. All the small gifts. All the mating techniques they pulled out on him last few weeks.

"Why would we?" Scott's smiled that one smile he used to get out of trouble with Jimmy. fWhip instantly knew something was up but just nodded. No need to prod at Scott. He'd just grill Jimmy once Scott's safely tucked into bed.

For now he relaxed and watched sharks until Jimmy stumbled in with dinner and a box of one dozen doughnuts. fWhip would get up to help but Scott's sleepy grip on him was too strong.

Once the dinner was eaten and Scott safely curled up in bed fWhip gently pulled at Jimmy's sleeve. "Can we talk first for a second?" He asked hoping really hard he was not imagining things. Jimmy of course agreed and once they were on the couch loosely hugged fWhip. "Were you two secretly courting me for some reason since Scott's last heat?" fWhip let out in one breath and tightly shut his eyes. He was ready to sleep on the couch for being a moron.

"You noticed... Well... I guess I should explain," Jimmy's sheepish response had fWhip's eyes snapping open. "When we realised our own damn physiology was hurting you we looked into what we can do and found this book that said that properly courting a beta can help balance out relationships or something along those lines. It was of course not meant for relationships like ours but we decided to try since we hated how okay you seemed to be with being pushed..." Jimmy rambled on and on and would probably for much longer if fWhip didn't shut him up with a kiss.

"You idiots should have told me," he grinned and kissed Jimmy again. Longer this time.

"Why are you guys kissing without me?" They almost jumped off the couch when Scott walked in. "You took to long getting in the bed with me," he pouted and both of them instantly jumped to getting ready.

Completely forgetting what they were rolling until after Scott's heat. When Scott was completely unwilling to let either of them out the bed but fWhip managed to bribe him into letting Jimmy make them breakfast with promises of more cuddles.

[staarshines]

You. 6/3: Protective You is Cute || P.D.

| You. Masterlist | Note that this can be read as a oneshot; just ignore the first and last parts.

Warnings: cursing. baby argument but the idiots to lovers type yk. there’s no plot here i just needed to write it to get a feel for how to write again after a few years. cheers

Word Count: >1k

Poe decides to snoop around in your datapad and discovers a folder called “You”. Upon opening it and reading through the entries, memories are brought back and he discovers something he was never supposed to know about.

A/N: has it been years since i’ve updated? yeah. am i going to annoy you all again? yeah. is jess going to be the only one to read this? yeah.

I’m currently traveling to my first solo mission right now. Listen. I don’t know why I’m journaling this, but I am (that seems to be a common theme). Maybe it’s because hyperdrive star streaks have started reminding me of you, maybe it’s because when you ran your thumb over my cheek it felt different. I’m probably just insane. I don’t know. If you’re reading this, then I’m not. Reason 1A I wrote this entry: the next time you go protective on me, I might just kiss you. Reason 1B I wrote this entry: do that thing again with your thumb and my cheek, and I might profess my love to you right then and there.

You’re excitedly talking to Rey and Finn, turning your nerves into extroversion—like you always did, of course.

Poe, on the other hand, isn’t as excited as you are.

He’s practically seething from afar—the three of you had noticed.

“Ten credits he’s upset he’s not going with you,” Rey says out of nowhere. You stop trying to discreetly read Poe’s body language and tear your eyes from him to her, tilting your head.

“Ten credits he’s jealous,” Finn counters, and Rey and Finn shake hands.

“It’s something more than that. He seems worried,” you mumble, still trying to read his stance. Being able to read other’s body language and even microchanges in their tone resulted from your childhood trauma and years of throwing yourself into dangerous situations on various planets—a gift you had found from life’s rather big ‘fuck you’s’ along the way.

“And you’re worried that he’s worried. Force connection,” Rey says, flashing a cheeky smile and pointing to the both of you, making you grab her hand and put it down.

“You’ll say anything nowadays to get me with him,” you tell her, leaning back against your X-Wing. Finn just pulls his lips out into a line, raising his eyebrows.

“Rey’s right. Force connection.” You scoff.

“Then you two can talk about yours while I go figure out what’s on the flyboy’s mind,” you drop that bomb on the two of them, particularly Rey, walking Poe’s way. He tilts his head while you walk towards him, arms crossed in more of a way of comforting himself than being closed off.

“Hi,” you whisper, unsure of why it felt like the right thing to do in the moment. Maybe it was because when you were around him, you felt like the rest of the world melted away into nothing.

But that was a topic you’d address when you came back from Lwhekk.

You just keep running away from it, didn’t you?

“Hey.”

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re going in alone. Without backup. And without comms.” It had started to be like this with you two. Blunt, straight to the point. It was an unspoken agreement to cut the bullshit and just tell each other what was going on.

Except for when it came to you being in love with him, of course. A rule you’d made for yourself.

What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, right?

“But I have years of tactical combat skills. And I know how to handle myself.”

“Doesn’t change any of that.”

“Poe, I can handle myself.”

“But can you handle First Order respondents?” he snaps back, making you look up to the sky littered with clouds and sigh. “You’ve been here less than a month.”

“Are you questioning Leia’s judgement or my capabilities?” He cocks an eyebrow.

This had gone from zero to whatever speed Han Solo did the Kessel Run at in approximately seven seconds.

“I’m not questioning anything.”

“Well then there’s something you’re not saying, Dameron.” He glances up at you, and you can read everything from his eyes.

He just wanted reassurance that you would be okay. That you would come back to him.

Of course.

After Shara, he’s bound to freak out like this whenever anyone goes out on a mission, but he was just showing it to you.

“Poe.” You cup his head in your hands, trying to watch for his reaction. He practically relaxes into you, and suddenly you feel a lot like a bitch for starting an argument. “I will be fine. I promise. No way I’m going to get kidnapped by the Order after being here a month. You know my ego is way too big for that.” He gives you a half smile and you frown, ruffling his curls before drawing your arms back to your sides. “You can’t stop me from going, you know.”

“But can I come with?” You roll your eyes, failing at hiding a smile. “Fine. Just know that I’ll tear apart the galaxy if you go missing.” You scrunch your nose, trying to keep yourself from laughing.

“You’d tear the fabric of reality trying to find me?”

“I would.” The seriousness in his voice catches you off guard. If you had an ounce less of self control, you would’ve pressed your lips to his.

Maker, you had to figure something out before you fucked this whole friendship up.

“Know that I would do the same thing.” His eyes soften, and your heart flutters.

Stars. Did you just admit that?

“But also know that Rey will stab you with her lightsaber if you annoy her as a locum for me.” His lips curl upwards in a genuine smile this time and he pulls you into one last hug, running a thumb over your cheekbone when you finally pull back. “Don’t be stupid, flyboy.”

“Stay safe, darling.”

He notes the last sentence you wrote in that entry, filing that piece of information away for later and hurriedly opening the next entry, immediately grinning because he knows exactly what it’s about.

Masterlist

all taglists are open! send me a message (also send me a message if you wanna be removed bc ik it’s been years) <3

permanent: @becausewhyknotme, @browneyedhimbo, @theladyoffangorn, @officialtonystarkprotectionsquad, @justmebeingtheweirdmeiam, @fantasticcopeaglepasta, @talk-geek-to-me, @letsmellowjello, @thescarletknight2014, @bbluespiritzuko, @brooklynsmorales, @poe-djarin, @marvelinsanity, @softly-sad, @yourbucky084, @mcolbz14, @arkofblake, @agentsimmonsfitz, @beyoncesdragon, @falconsams, @agentshortstacc, @darthkruge, @kelieah, @jyns–ersos

sw: @kittyofalltrades, @m1rkw00dpr1ncess, @propertyofdindjarin, @coldbreadbouquetworld, @melvls, @thedevilwearsbeskar

mr dameron the loml: @poe-damnnn-eron, @lapilark, @peterhollandkait, @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol, @twomoonstwosuns, @lady-sloan, @poes-stardust, @legamelo, @xremember-me-notx, @djarinscyare, @yourbucky084, @agents-assemble, @daydreamerinadazedworld, @darthadeline, @roserrys, @fandom-addict-aesthetics, @generousrunawaydonut

story taglist! @dameronsgalaxygal, @pretty-stupid-but-not-thatstupid, @cloud-leader, @rae-rae-patcha, @eternallyvenus, @lanatheawesome, @multifandomlife22, @jerusomeeno, @hasrct-ay, @slut-for-bumblebees, @kaitlynw011, @lonelydarlings, @remmysbounty, @swiftiewetjet, @ajeff855​, @smiithys​

[misscarnivalofcarnage]

This is Gotham, after all

Characters: Y/N & Jerome Valeska

Type: Angst

Word Count: 5.1k

⚠️ TW: (Sexual-) Abuse

I haven't written oneshots in years, so criticism is greatly appreciated :)

The rain had stopped by mid-afternoon, and at a quarter past five, as Jerome crossed the threshold of the trailer to plop himself down on the leatherette-covered bench, the clouds began to break before nightfall.

He glanced out the window and watched all the circus idiots tippling down the square with an umbrella under their arms, as if fearing that another storm was lurking just behind them.

Jerome sighed bitterly. The view felt more repulsive than usual, and with that he drew the curtains to spare himself from it.

Thus, with the exception of the little amount of sunlight that sneaked through the window edges into the room, he sat in gloom. It would be enough light for him to see his own hands in front of his face though. If he were to do that.

The dirty dishes, that have accumulated in the sink over the past few days now, met Jerome's gaze and now remembering it, he decided to take care of them. Later. Now he would just sit on this bench as long as he could. Staring down at his hands whilst enjoying the adrenaline that was still coursing through his veins. Perhaps he'd do so until dark, or dawn even.

Waiting and see how things take their turn.

Knock!

The knocking (which, mind you, had something forceful. As if whoever was standing outside on circus grounds was trying to fist-break the door open) interrupted the suffocating silence that had spread through the musty trailer and made him jump.

All at once his muscles tensed. Jerome's hands clenched into fists while his bent forwarded shoulders stiffened further. The sight might remind one of an angry middle-aged drunk holding on to a bar, as if expecting someone to come and drag them away.

"Hello!" said a muffled, familiar voice from outside.

As soon as he heard the knock, he remembered something. Or rather, he remembered someone. But presumably, under certain circumstances, you forget dates - especially under his.

Knock! Knock!

Jerome pulled his nose up and briefly brushed his index finger under his nostrils just before finally getting up for the sake of opening this goddam door.

It was a cold Fall; extremely cold, indeed. October like mid-january, the almost painful temperatures made his breath visible when he cleaned the by flies surrounded elephant dung out of the stall this morning.

"Sup, Toots!", said Y/N happily. She stood in front of the trailer and smiled up from below.

Jerome responded by gifting her a playful smile.

"Well, well, well, look, what do we have here?" he grinned. He held out his hand to her and smiling, she took it.

He stepped aside and bowed, allowing her to go first. He noted with satisfaction the pleasant smell on her. Indeed, she smelled good. She always does.

Unlike the inside of the trailer, of course. His mother never went outside to smoke her Marlboro Red's; by now, one stinky odor had bitten into the trailer like a tick, and there was no way they're gettin' it out of there.

Yet Jerome tried it anyway.

On numerous occasions he had tried to let in some clean air by leaving the door half open on it's hinges, hoping it'd finally stop smelling like cigarettes and like sex (which was much much worse, in his opinion) in this goddamn trailer.

Y/N smelled it anyway, already the moment she set foot in. Probably even before that.

"You sure she won't come back any soon?" she asked skeptically.

His mother had, of course, forbidden him to meet girls, let alone talk to them. It never went into details, however Lila was scared he might make the same mistake she did by accidentally impregnating some random teen-slut.

Cause' that's what they all were. Little sluts just waiting for poor losers like him to spread their legs for.

(Just like she was)

That was one of the two reasons why Y/N never payed Jerome a visit. The other one wasn't a complexity that could give anyone a headache either; Lila was a bitter, hateful woman. Wronging her was like giving her big, bulging scar, built on a foundation of hatred and aggrievement.

Y/N was no exception, of course. She had made a mess of things with Lila the first time they met.

The circus has freshly arrived in Gotham, when Y/N clashed with Lila during the break between the two parts of the show, by accidentally running into her as Lila was about to set Jerome straight after the altercation with the Wayne family.

The argument was fairly brief yet very heated. The upsetness in Y/N was outstanding; too great for either tears or anger.

"Oh, don't you break your pretty head about her," Jerome stroked his hand gently over Y/N's waist and smiled as he said so.

"You should sit down," he adviced.

"Yeah...," Y/N responded, before she looked at the white table in front of them. It was all empty and clean. Looking at it made her think of all the possible scenarios that might have taken place for the past 18 years of his life.

She felt a wave of sadness. It were moments like these (as mundane as they were) that felt like a kick in her stomach, that made her realize again how much of a misery his life was.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She was now very aware of the eyes that were fixated on her.

"Yeah, sure," she sat down on the semi-comfortable bench and put her hands on her lap, just as Jerome had done before. Her eyes began to wander around the trailer as she tapped her fingertips on her thighs.

"So"

"So?"

"What now?" she asked.

Jerome shrugged his shoulders. He began to stare around as well and for a few seconds there was a comfortable silence.

"Ah! I know," he said and gave her a charming, Jerome-esque smile.

His grin grew as he placed his hands flat on the table for support. He leaned over and gave Y/N an unusually gentle kiss on the cheek.

"No," said Y/N, pushing him back a little with the same gentleness.

"Why?" he whispered. Y/N would realize that he was just playing dumb. The answer to his question was more foolproof than any children's book someone could find in a library. He knew the reason why she wouldn't let him kiss her, just as he knew she saw through him at that very moment.

Y/N rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean. Bad enough if she catches me with you, but if she catches us here...", Y/N replied. Her eyes were back on Jerome, who started to giggle as he perked up at the words "making out".

"I mean it"

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Jerome grinned. Y/N had almost smiled back, yet another thought crossed her mind that exacerbated her concerns quickly.

"What if she comes home battened down? With a guy?"

"Yeez, Y/N. Forget about her for a second."

"But-"

"Y/N," he interrupted her with a sharp undertone.

"Forget about her for a damn second."

"Okay..", Y/N nodded and looked down at her hands. Jerome backed away and took his seat again.

He took the same pose as before; his back a little uneven, his hands in his pockets and his eyes wandering around the area as if it was his first time there.

Y/N felt an uneasy tension in the air and so she fixed her gaze back on her boyfriend. She opened her mouth, but made no sound.

Jerome pulled up his nose again - like he had a vexatious cold - and grabbed a stack of cards from the wall shelf above him.

"What are you doing?", Y/N had asked. A Part of her was glad that he was doing something to break the silence, the other feared that he was taking the stack to practice one of his newer magic-tricks while completely blanking her out.

"Ever played Rome before?" he asked, looking into her eyes again.

"Once...twice...maybe? I know the rules."

"Goody," Y/N noticed the shift from tension to glee in his voice as he said this. The change in mood rubbed off on her a bit. She relaxed a little.

Jerome began to slide the cards through his fingers to mix them up just as Y/N watched him curiously.

When he finished, he began to divide the cards among themselves. Everyone got thirteen each, and he put the remaining pile in the middle of the table. He took the top card from the pile, and placed it upside down next to it.

"I dealt the cards, you start. Let's see what you've got in this pretty hand of yours" he said as he scanned the row of cards in his hand.

"Okey Dokey," Y/N replied and took a card from the deck: four diamonds.

She looked through her cards. The best chance for her would've been a joker or a queen of hearts in order to lay a row from 7 to king of hearts. She decided to put this one on the smaller deck for Jerome.

"So... how's circus life like?" she asked. They did have a conversation or two about Haly's circus before, of course, but now being in the action made her curious again.

(That and because most of Jerome's stories took place inside the trailer, not around it. Nevertheless, Y/N knew a horror story or two from outside that could make any Dark Coper's greasy hair stand on end)

"Schrecklich"

"Why?" Y/N asked. She didn't expected anything else. Jerome didn't think much of the circus. He had let her know several times.

"It's disgusting here. It smells like elephant poo and people treat you like you don't matter. Everyone lives out their gross lifestyles...every night when I look outside the window I can see some bozo snorting coke through his nose", he said. "I mean, the other hardcore junkie don't make a show of themselves like that. They do their crack inside their trailers, while guys like Grayson smoke their weed outside," Jerome took a short break, "I remember when I was twelve, I sat at breakfast with some fella who injected himself with some kind of substance that my mom told me was insulin because he had diabetes."

Y/N didn't say anything. She decided to wait until he continued talking, because once he started, he made damn sure to not stop too soon.

But this time he didn't. Not right away. He remained silent and something in his facial expression changed, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Can I tell you ..something...?" he asked, looking up. Jerome's eyes were a little wide and didn't blink. He looked scary, and in that second, Y/N was afraid of him.

However, she nodded anyway.

"The night before went like any other in which my mother pursued her passion. Drinking, boning, smoking...you name it, until they decided to take a little break. However, this time was different than usual," he looked back down at his lap, not daring to look up again.

"My mother stayed in bed and lit a cigarette while he got up and walked back and forth the trailer for a few minutes. He was shaking and sweating, and the way he walked through the trailer scared me. With each step in my direction, my heart pounded louder and louder as I continued to pretend to sleep. The pacing back and forth went on for a few minutes until he suddenly stopped in front of my bed and got down on his knees. He first grabbed my shoulder, and then slid his hand along my hip to my middle. He leaned in my ear, and whispered, "Aren't cha a pretty boy?"", his voice getting softer and softer until it was no more than a whisper. A stark nausea spread through Y/N's stomach, as if she could throw up.

"And then... he touched me. I cried and called for my mother, but she stayed in bed and did nothing. Like... always, actually," Jerome inhaled sharply, and finally looked up at Y/N again.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Hm, too bad". Jerome took a card from the deck and put the drawn card on the other one.

He slammed his card on the table.

"Damnit! I was hoping for a joker!" he said, pouting.

Y/N still didn't move. She looked at him in disbelief.

"Come on, it's your turn, Y/N!" he chuckled.

"U-Uhm," she stuttered and looked at the two stacks laid side by side. He had just put down a Queen of Hearts.

"Y/N, pick a card already! It's really not that hard," he rolled his eyes playfully. Finally, she took the card and laid her row down.

"Oho, looks like you got a head start!" he smiled almost proudly.

"This is horrible..I'm so so sorry."

"Oh come on, Y/N. You still have a few cards left in your hand...I can still catch up with you!", he winks.

"That's not what I mean and you know it!", Y/N replied, placing her cards upside down on the table.

Jerome rolled his eyes.

"Not everything here was horrible, if that makes you feel any better," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's not what it sounds like"

"When I was a kid, my mother could be endurable when she wanted to"

"Yeah? How?"

Jerome frowned and looked at the ceiling. He seemed to actually think about it.

"Sometimes she would read me something before bed and give me a goodnight-kissie," he admitted. "Or she purposely cooked things she knew I liked. Or get me something from the candy stand.... but we're really talking about sometimes, you know, sometimes. And that only went on until I was ten. Then she turned into a full blown nutcase", Jerome didn't like to remember the life with his mother. Neither how it was before his 11th birthday, nor after. Cause' it was almost the same. Only was it the absence of mommy's boy that turned her into a bigger monster than before,

"Being locked in this trailer with her surely didn't help, huh?", Y/N said.

Jerome's face changed to something almost angry. Y/N sensed she had hit a nerve, and if she would have looked under the table she would a noticed that he clenched his fists.

"Don't get me started. This thing is tight. And small. You feel everything, every movement. Every step. My whore of a mother doesn't make it any better with her banging around. Cannot sleep a wink here sometimes, ya know?"

"Speaking of sleeping...where do you sleep?" asked Y/N, looking around.

The lack of a second bed in his trailer had struck Y/N right after she smelled it.

She had already wondered where he had slept and just assumed they have lived in a trailer back then that had a second bed. As here was only one, at the other end of the trailer. And that was Lilas.

"Right here," he answered.

"Hm?'

"You can turn the table into a bed. You lower the platform, put the little mattress thingies on it so that it becomes one surface with the two seats, then you put bedding on it."

"You're kidding me."

"Did ya think I sleep in the same bed my mother and her dates do?"

"No idea, that's why I asked", Y/N responded. She indeed had no idea, and even if the idea of it was hardcore, she would have brought it.

"Have you ever crashed in a trailer? Camped? Anything at all?", he asked curiously.

Y/N did in fact camp before. The summer she was fourteen, she was dragged by her mother to one of those camps for Christians (though neither she nor her mother had any special bond to God) The experience was bad - whether it was from the day a boy named Billy Cobbie tried to finger her while swimming in a local lake, or when she caught poison ivy while peeing in the woods.

"I spent a summer in a shitty Christian camp, not worth mentioning," she answered his question.

"O no, tell me about this shitty camp."

"There isn't much to say about the camp. The only exciting thing I did besides praying to our Lord and Savior was playing with the other kids. Ya know, truth or dare and stuff like that."

Jerome nodded. He remembered these type of games; he had played them himself with some other circus kids back when he was younger (and still liked them to a certain extent).

That was a few years ago in the fall. There circus had traditionally stopped in Gotham, and it was a warm October day with little wind. He was sitting with the Grayson siblings and a few other kids inside the awning, which was attached to the main tent with the ring.

It was John Grayson, then a kid with lots of acne, who turned to him and dared him to sneak into his uncle's diner to steal a snickerdoodle.

Thus they set out; Jerome as a thief with Grayson as his witness.

Jerome entered the diner as Uncle Zach was busy in the kitchen, cleaning the stove.

He rarely spend time in said diner, yet often enough to know that meant coast was clear as uncle Zach was usually deep enough into his work that he wouldn't notice Jerome sneaking into the storage to grab one or two snickerdoodle's, so he did.

Jerome quickly searched through the shelves until he finally found the box of Snickerdoodle's on the bottom row among the variety of pastries. He grabbed two pieces and put the box back into place.

The unfamiliar feeling of success was shattered shortly after as he heard the ominous sound of a clearing throat behind his back, revealing that the air would be thick real soon.

Almost rigid with fear, Jerome slowly turned and recognized the menacing figure of his uncle glaring at him angrily.

"What the hell are you doing?" Uncle Zach had asked and reached for Jerome's wrist.

"I- uh," he had stammered until he felt a jolt as he was pulled toward the fryer.

His feet skittered across the wooden floor in protest as he tried to avoid the inevitable while his desperate attempt remained putative. Tears formed in his eyes, as he was pulled closer and closer towards the threatening fryer.

His uncle tightened the grip around his hand as he dipped his nephew's hand into the heated, liquid fat.

The moment Jerome's hand entered the crackling 350-degree oil, he met a level of misery that he had not known before.

Every millimeter of his flesh transformed into one gigantic burn, causing his hand to not be able to catch a break when his uncle put the hand of his screaming nephew's hand out of his hell.

On the way back to the circus, neither Jerome nor Grayson spoke. There was an uncomfortable silence between them, which wasn't to be broken until they finally reached the awning.

"Jerome!!!!" Lila yelled from afar. She was just coming out of the trailer and crushed the cigarette that was just hanging in her mouth on the bottom half of her croc and threw it into the grass.

"Come over here!!!"

With that, the little boy trotted over to his mother like a whipped dog, catching a hard cuff to the head when he reached her. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the trailer where the rest of the punishment for stealing from his uncle awaited him.

"Ya know when I was a ki-", he was interrupted by a strong knock on the door.

He looked over his shoulder, then back at Y/N, apparently recognizing what she was thinking.

"Don't worry, she never knocks," he assured and his relaxed aura made Y/N actually believe it.

"If you say so," she replied and squinted over the door.

"Will you check?"

Jerome nodded and reached for his coat on a hook, as there was another knock.

"Some folks really have no patience, eh?", he grinned in a playfully irritated voice. Y/N chuckled.

"Just go"

Jerome strolled leisurely over to the door, but turned to Y/N one last time before finally opening it.

"Wait here like a good girl, will ya?" he asked.

Y/N opened her mouth again, but was interrupted by the sound of door being opened.

"G.C.P.D, can we speak to Lila?"

"Why? What's happend?, he frowned as he got out of the trailer, closing the door behind him.

Y/N was all alone now. It was suddenly very quiet, and she couldn't tell if she perceived the silence as pleasant or oppressive.

She took a few deep breaths through her nose, consciously noticing the unpleasant smell she had sensed the moment she entered the trailer. She could smell cigarettes and a note of sweat, the rest would remain a mystery to her.

After a minute or two, Y/N noticed an ashtray on the countertop and as if automatically moved towards it to look in.

("I mean, look at that," Jerome said, rolling up his right sleeve to reveal his cigarette burn. "This one she gave me after she found out I ditched my chores.")

Y/N turned around with the ashtray in her hand, scanning her surroundings.

The kitchen, dining area, living room, and bedroom were all in one spot, as was common in a home on wheels.

The kitchen was plain as the rest of the furnishings, yet quite clean for that apart from the bit of unwashed dishes.

Y/N noticed a lack of decorations or photos, which appeared to be the reason why the inside of the trailer looked somewhat lifeless and uninhabited, if it weren't for the bit of chaos.

She looked to her right down the short hallway (if you could even considerate it as such), over to Lila's bed.

As expected, it wasn't made, and Y/N found herself looking in the comforter cover for stains. Apart from a little ash here and there, she found nothing. At least nothing that had been in a testicle before.

"Thank god", Y/N whispered and glanced up. Above the bed were small closets that were mounted on the ceiling along the room. Most of them were open.

Lila's share of the cabinets was the one at the headboard, along the side of the bed. Apart from her extravagant work clothes, there were normal tops and pants in her wardrobes as well. Y/N assumed it to be her everyday wear.

The meager variety disappointed her a little; she had hoped for something more than clothes and a few playgirl-magazines from the closets of a nymphomaniac.

She shook her head a little and turned aside to turn her attention to Jerome's open cabinets.

As expected, Y/N didn't find much more than she thought she would. No dramatic circus clothes, just a few t-shirts, some hoodies and three or four pants. However, Y/N found a magazine in his closet as well (but it wasn't a porno, at least not at first sight. God knows what was hiding between the sheets), but a stinkin' normal X-Men comic.

"I wonder if that's the only thing he has?," Y/N thought to herself as she saw the booklet stored among the mixed clothes. She would ask him later - no, she wouldn't.

Jerome didn't need to know she was snooping (Though she kept her fingers to herself, she was just looking around). Besides, she didn't want to add more salt to the wound.

With that she sat back down at her seat, ending the tour of what was none of her business.

Y/N took the remaining stack of cards from the table, and drew a random card.

She was about to turn it over to look at it when someone yanked open the door, causing her breath to stop in a gasp.

She feared that everything she had been worrying about for the past few hours was now becoming a reality, and in that split second of uncertainty, she was glad that she was no longer standing at the edge of the bed, staring into Lila's drawers.

Hastily, she turned her head to the door and expected Lila to grab her by the wrist to unceremoniously kick her out of the trailer.

But to her surprise, it wasn't Lila.

It was Jerome. And he was crying.

After slamming the door, he trotted back to his seat and buried the pale face of his in his hands.

Y/N dropped the joker card and scurried past the table to take him in her arms.

Obviously welcoming the gesture, he buried his face in her chest and started sobbing like a castle dog.

"What happened?" asked Y/N.

Jerome answered in a sob and buried his face deeper down into her chest.

Confused and helpless, Y/N looked around as if anything around her could help understanding the situation.

"Please, tell me what happened," Y/N said, almost desperately. "Please...

"My...my..my", he stammered. He seemed to have reached the pesky state of crying, in which he could hardly breathe through all the sobbing and weeping. He also had a little snot running out of his nose.

Y/N stroked first his cheek and then his hair in an attempt to reassure him.

"Come on, it's okay"

"My mother... she's dead!" he looked up at her, and for the first time Y/N noticed the striking similarity between his crying and an eerie grin, in which each sob - each inch he raised the itching corners of his mouth - the more did his tear-stained face twisted into a grimace that sent a brief shiver down Y/N's spine.

"Had he always cried like that?", she wondered, as he buried his face back into her body.

"...I don't know what happened. She was just ...lying...there..all bloody," Y/N could barely understood a word that came out of his open mouth.

She pressed him tighter against her and kissed the top of his head. Yet, the feeling of discomfort didn't let her go by any means.

"She was a cruel mother to you," Y/N rested her head on his, however he pulled his head back and looked into her eyes with an expression of disbelief.

"You don't get it, Y/N. She was cruel, yeah, but she could've changed and we could've become a real family. Yeah, maybe, someday. But now it's too late for that," he said in an almost angry tone, while not taking his eyes off her. However, the angry expression on his face abruptly changed back to an ugly cry and he pushed his face back to where it was before.

Y/N began to stroke his head, stopping only when his blubbering was interrupted by a stifled yawn.

"Maybe you should try to get some rest. I'm sure tomorrow will be a busy day", suggested Y/N.

Jerome didn't answer that.

(Too busy crying his heart out)

So she took him by the hand and led him over to Lila's bed. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have asked him sleep there, and the thought of the Ash stamps and everything that had happened in that bed over the last few years sent a cold shiver down her spine, however, the bed appeared to be the best and quickest solution in the moment.

"Lie down," she asked.

Reluctantly, he lay down and waited for Y/N to join him. She climbed over him and lay next to him, clinging to Jerome from behind.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and after doing so, she leaned her head on the crook of his neck, kissing it as well.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

Jerome didn't answer that either, just took her hand and put it on his cheek.

Y/N felt some last tears running down his face until his silent sobs were nothing more than a steady breathing. He fell asleep.

Unlike Y/N, who was staying awake. She drew small circles on his skin with her finger, but turned on her back and stared at the ceiling after what felt like hours.

"Actually", she thought, "it was only a matter of time that she would be found killed. I mean, every day a different guy for years, it was indeed only a matter of-"

"or was it...maybe..? No," Y/N forced the thought into the back of her mind. And looking at this devasted heap of misery that was sleeping in her arms, she was ashamed of herself that such a thing even occurred to her.

"Some Hook-Up must have grown tired of her, …yeah…or she banged a husband and his wife took revenge on the slut who fucked him. I mean, that happens all the time, right?

"I guess only god knows how obvious or twisted that, what actually happened at the end of the day, was"

"This is Gotham, after all."

@mwissinf

[beauleifu]

Hihi Beau!! :D O was wondering if I could request a fluff (with lil bit o angst) of Strong Spider x a protective reader? The big guy gets picked on often but doesn't put up much of a fight, reader- however, is more than willing to stick up for the gentle giant :]]

YO HEY of cOURSE, anything for you dude!

sosorry i couldn'tfind a gif for Strong Spider THEY NEED TO MAKE SOME

Referring to Strong Spider as Goliath in this one cause im pretty sure that might be his actual name hope thats okay? Anyways hope you enjoy its like, roughly 1.4k oneshot, HAVE A GOOD DAY/NIGHT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GOLIATH X READER

Lego Monkie Kid

Context: Goliath. Large, intimidating, and mild-mannered. How could anyone pick on this sweet cinnamon bun? You're baffled as the events of today totally crush your assumptions, but you just have to make sure nothing gets taken personally.

TW: Language, mild injury

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

"Where the hell are you two going?"

You flash Huntsman a warning glare as you stuff whatever you need in your bag; wallet, phone, license, the whole shebang. "Out. We're just going . . . out."

"Ha! The Queen ain't gonna be happy about you wanderin' off," Huntsman snickers, but he doesn't sound worried about what fate has in store for you. In fact, the cocky spider demon seems to enjoy the thought of you getting in trouble.

"It's not like I'd get anything productive done here with you nagigng."

"You can't get shit done anyways."

"Like hell!"

Loud, thunking footsteps reach your ears. Someone's been listening.

"Uh . . . guys? If Huntsman wants to come with us, (Y/N), I wouldn't mind," Goliath offers awkwardly, sending a trying smile your way.

Ah, well, your soul lifts at the sight of him.

"Nah, Huntsman would rather die."

Said asshole scoffs, an offended gurgle sounding in his throat. "I'm not goin' on some shitty field trip to the mall. Especially not with you goons."

"The feeling is mutual," you scoff, backing up a few steps.

He eyes you piercingly. "You're actually going? What if I tell the Queen, huh?"

"Go ahead!" You retort.

"Fine! Suffer!"

"Uh- actually, I wouldn't do that," Goliath pipes up, finger raised in objection. "We're just going shopping, Huntsman."

The assassin glares at the larger spider, to which you immediately bristle at. "Pfft, I never asked for your opinion, big guy. You just make sure they don't do anything stupid, otherwise the Queen will have my hide, because she always blames me for the shit you pull off," Huntsman growls, eyes flashing. "Got that?"

Goliath puffs a sigh. "Yeah, all right."

"Over my dead body," you mutter under your breath as the idiot stalks off. You're grateful none of Goliath's other spider friends are nearby, or they, too, would have something to say about your trip.

You're pissed at Huntsman for going off on Goliath as well, and you're irked that it might put a damper on your day.

Swiftly, you turn to face the giant. "So! Ready?"

"Oh! Yeah, guess so. . . ." He says bashfully, smiling and rubbing the back of his neck. Some of the anger fades at the look, and you're suddenly smiling like an idiot.

"You're adorable."

***

So you lied.

Ah, well. Huntsman doesn't deserve the truth, anyways.

You and Goliath actually had plans to visit the botanical gardens today, and the Spider Queen is well aware of this. Sure, you had to beg for your life as well as her permission, but it should be worth it.

Even if some things don't go as planned.

"Those are pretty," you say, pointing at a particular patch of lotus flowers resting atop a shiny pond. "And so cute!"

"Yeah, it's pretty small," Huntsman says, smiling distractedly.

You follow his gaze.

It appears that your beloved companion is watching a family in the distance. They're currently observing a large patch of garden work - they should be admiring the different colors and species flowing effortlessly together to create a parade of entertainment. But . . . no. It doesn't seem so.

The family keeps glancing Goliath's way.

That doesn't sit well with you. Especially with the looks they're giving the cinnamon roll; contempt, hate, judgement. Disgust, even.

It disgusts you.

Ever since spider demons were officially accepted into society (at the expense of a LOT of rules and plenty of legislations being passed, regarding the restriction of their taste for human flesh. Yeah, it still gives you anxiety just thinking about the paperwork), people have had nothing else to talk about. You notice that most of the topics centered around spider demons aren't very friendly.

To witness it in person as you catch the hushed mumbling, to see their hateful eyes pass over Goliath's large figure, well . . .

A fire is set ablaze in your chest.

You glance back at Goliath, eyes narrowing at his features. He won't look at you; instead, his eyes are dully fixed on the plants you two walk past. A small frown is plastered to his face.

One of the children suddenly speak up. "Mama, what's that??"

The mother quickly hushes the kid and ushers them away. "Don't worry about it. Just one of those monsters you read up in books. But don't worry, he's not-"

"Not what?"

The family promptly stops, all heads simultaneously turning. Your gaze is as cold as ice.

"Sorry?" The mother asks, looking uncomfortable.

Goliath suddenly lays a hand on your shoulder. You blink, head tilting so you can meet his eyes. His own are gentle, full of sadness and understanding. "We shouldn't cause a problem, (Y/N). Let's just go home."

Wha-

He wants to bail?

The fury you feel at the family's blatant disrespect cannot be compared to, cannot be put out.

But Goliath's large hand suddenly takes yours, his grip light as he tugs you away from the group across the pond. A light breeze blows past, disturbing the mother's hair which had been over her eyes.

You see the look on her face now. Disgust.

"Let's go visit a different section, honey," her significant other murmurs, pushing the stroller further down the path. "If you don't like the spider-"

"Yeah, let's go. Pray the universe sets that thing on fire, kay?"

Her partner snorts. "Oh?"

"Fucking monster. Why the hell did the government let them into society, anyways? It just sickens me."

You stare.

The world is suddenly a blur.

You're running. Clearing the pond in two quick leaps, water splashing all over your clothes, legs, and arms. The woman has no time to react. You raise your arms high, high over your head, and bring them down on her shoulders, forcing her to lose her balance and stumble.

Eyes wild and glaring, you brandish a haughty middle finger down at her; she merely looks back with an astonished expression, chest heaving.

"Fuck you," you snap. "Fuck you!"

She swallows, completely confused and yet - defeated. Victory.

Oh, wait.

You forgot to note her partner, who's the devil in disguise as they tap lightly on your shoulder. Fuck.

***

"That was so worth it."

Goliath casts his arms out. "No it wasn't - you were seriously hurt! Since when did that make attacking a stranger worth it??"

You roll your eyes fondly, keeping your head still as Syntax assess the damage done to your face. Both adults had done a number with their fists, but you'd made sure to give them a hell of a time (curses and fists galore).

Funny, Goliath was the one to keep the children away.

What lessons did they learn, hmm?

"Goliath, chill. I'm fine," you say, closing your eyes under Syntax's instructions. The scientist asked zero questions, knowing perfectly well he'd get all his answers through Goliath's frantic explanation.

"Sure," the gentle giant huffs, regarding you defeatedly. He still looks enormous despite sitting down at the edge of the couch.

You frown. "Aww, don't be like that."

"Oh - yeah. Okay. I just . . . why did you get so mad?" He wonders.

Syntax catches your eye and deadpans. "If I may offer a guess; they don't use their brain before acting out. I'm fairly certain you've got one hell of an impulsive human on your hands, Goliath."

You huff. "Thanks, tech nerd."

"Just doing my job."

"Passing biased judgement isn't your job and you know it. Anyways." You ignore Syntax's irritable glance and open your eyes to face your spider demon. Brow furrowing, you lock eyes with Goliath and sigh; "They said some pretty awful things about you. I'm surprised you didn't say anything, like, didn't that all make you feel mad?"

Goliath blinks patiently. "Oh, sure. I just handle things differently."

"Thank God," Syntax mutters.

Huffing, you push the scientist aside, having assumed you're all fixed up (not before getting a sour complaint from the tech savvy). Hopping off the couch, you join Goliath on the floor.

"I just want you to know that what they say doesn't matter. Never will. You're not a monster."

As Syntax exits the room, Goliath lowers his gaze and nods.

"I know."

Pausing, you take his hand in yours (you're unable to fit his in both of yours combined, but it's honestly adorable). Tracing fond patterns into the purple skin, you smile up at him. "Good. 'Cause you're amazing and they're all gonna see that one day."

"Ehh . . . I wouldn't bet on it," Goliath says awkwardly.

You wink mischievously. "Ha! You know it's too late for that, dude."

"What's too late?"

Both of you glance over to find Huntsman walking past with the Spider Queen hot on his tail. He doesn't look too happy (to be fair, he never does), and regards you with a judgmental glare.

You shrug. "Nothing. It doesn't apply to you."

Goliath takes a second to realize what you mean, and when he does, he stares in astonishment. "(Y/N)!"

"Whaaaat?"

The Spider Queen breaks into an amused smile, eyebrows lifting. "Oh, was that a jest? Pretty sure it just flew right over Huntsman's head."

You nod respectfully. "Ah. Pity."

She snorts a laugh, and you turn back to Goliath. Score.

Today's been just swell.

[spaceyaceface]

Sebastian Sallow x F!Reader WIP

I’m much too excited about this fic, I needed to put a part of it out there to share that excitement! Here’s quick excerpt under the cut. It’s a fake dating au where both the reader and Sebastian are too big of idiots to realize they’re in love. I’m already well over 5k words and still have two pages of outline I haven’t written yet... if you’d like to be tagged in the finished oneshot in a few days, let me know!

Ominis and Sebastian walked side by side back to the Slytherin common room. Y/N had departed a while before them, needing to catch up on a bit of her homework. 

“Seems like an interesting plan the two of you have conceived,” Ominis said. 

“Interesting indeed. Though I do have to say, it was pretty much just Y/N who conceived it,” Sebastian replied easily. 

“I do have to say, it’ll be… fascinating to see the two of you pretend to be a couple.” Ominis sounded thoughtful.

Sebastian frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, if I’m honest, there’s been times I thought the two of you might have something between you.” Ominis tilted his head to face Sebastian a little bit more. “Never certain of it, though. Should I have been certain of it?”

His frown deepened. “Are you trying to say that one of us has feelings for the other?”

Ominis shrugged. “More or less. Any truth to that?”

Sebastian found himself thinking about the thought of that. Truth be told, he hadn’t done much of it before. He enjoyed spending time with Y/N, of course. It was always fun to throw her off by saying something unexpected. What was more was how well she did the same thing back. It kept him on his toes, always letting him expect the unexpected. She was talented, too, of course. He’d never forget that first duel they had, nor the ones they fought side by side in afterwards. She was an incredible witch. Beautiful, too, though that was common knowledge among most of the students in their year. It was just a fact. A statement. Y/N was beautiful, talented, funny, and exciting. Sebastian knew all of these things–-that didn’t mean he liked her, did it? 

He realized there had been a bit too much of a pause after Ominis’s question. He quickly spat out the conclusion he had drawn to. “No, Ominis. She’s my best friend, right beside you. I haven’t felt that way, and I seriously doubt she’d ever feel that way towards me. Purely platonic.”

Ominis nodded, seeming like he expected as much. “Figured. Was just curious if this whole arrangement would bring anything out of the two of you. Perhaps it’s for the best—if the two of you really did start courting, I have a feeling the very walls of Hogwarts would have their days numbered.”

“Are you saying we’d be an awful couple?” 

“Awful, or perfect together. I don’t think the castle would stand a chance at your mayhem in either case.” 

Sebastian chuckled before changing the subject. What he had told Ominis had been true… hadn’t it? She was his best friend. They were nothing more; never had been, and never would be. 

So why was he so glad Ominis couldn’t see how flushed he’d gotten at the thought?

[areweevercameraready]

snippet two :>

A/N: me: oh no, AO3 is getting DDoS'ed :( and i just finished a chapter of beliefs so I can post another chapter! damn me: me: wait i can post another human chapter

anyways, please stay off AO3 for the time being and here's a post with more information, but they're facing extreme server overloading and opening AO3 pages makes it harder apparently. i don't know, i'm a communicator, not a programmer, so i'm just passing along what i know.

anywho! here's another snippet of the human au i'd been writing. if you would like to read the first part, here is the first snippet, which also has some more background on the au. check here for descriptions of the human au.

this is likely to be the last of this big story i'll be posting. i might post some of the oneshots i have in this au, as i have a few that are sorta unrelated to the plot that i'm comfortable with posting, but...well. we'll see. i finished chapter 13 of more than beliefs so i've 1) begun writing chapter 14 finally and 2) might post chapter 11 soon :D not having anything to do with my life right now is good for catching up on sleep debt and writing fanfiction! yipee!

i hope you enjoy!

Words: 7,265

WARNINGS: having a panic attack and being sad, not much more i don't think but if there is, let me know and i'll make note of it!

(in lieu of a diving image, please take this human au meme LOL)

“So. Bartender. Your name’s Eric, right? That’s what Marl’ said.”

“Mhm,” Eric hummed. 

“Thanks for driving them home. Marlowe would’ve flipped tomorrow if he woke up and realized he’d left the car somewhere else. He’s gonna flip either way, though, since the idiot teaches tomorrow morning,” David snickered a little, leaning against the car door in a casual manner. 

At the very least, the flippance was making it more evident that David wasn’t, like. Mad at him. Or something. Eric nodded again before remembering that David was now driving. “Uh. Yeah. Would have been a kinda problem.”

“Mm,” David hummed. After a few beats of silence, he added. “You got anything to do tomorrow?”

Tomorrow? Why was he asking? “I, uh, have work at four. At the bar. Other than that, no,” because truthfully, he was only scheduled five days a week at the restaurant.

He tried to get his shifts at the restaurant and his shifts at the bar to not line up, but five days a week at both jobs meant there wasn’t ever a chance of that happening. When he did need a full day off, though, for parent-teacher conferences especially now that Gavin was going to school, he managed to get the exact days precisely. Which was probably because he was so punctual and dependable. Which was what he tried to be. But sometimes, he worried that wouldn’t be enough, so he always clocked the days he’d need two months in advance. 

Tomorrow was just a lucky day though, to just have one job and not both. Often they stacked. Sometimes they didn’t. 

“Wanna meet up for lunch?” David’s proposition cut through Eric’s tangential thoughts. 

He turned to David again now, a slight frown on his lips, before asking, “For lunch?” as if he hadn’t heard properly. 

David nodded. “Yep. My treat, for bringing my boys home safe,” he shot Eric another grin. “Also you like, haven’t at all told me where the fuck to go. I’m assuming it’s closer to downtown but unless you just wanna keep driving in circles….”

Fuck. Eric looked out the window for real now, trying to figure out where they were. It was the highway going into town. “You’re going to want to take the Concord exit,” he said. 

“Okay,” David said. “But, yeah. Lunch.”

“Lunch,” Eric repeated, quickly averting his eyes back to the dashboard. “You and me and lunch?”

He didn’t really want to look directly at David, but just in case David like. Grabbed him. Or something. Eric wanted to see him in his peripheral. He saw David shrug. 

“I mean, yeah. You ever been to Lucy’s on Main? Such a great diner, I used to go with an old girlfriend every night almost,” David pulled off the exit. 

“Right. And then left at the, uh….fourth light.”

“Gotcha. Lunch. At Lucy’s on Main?” 

Lucy’s on Main wasn’t the fanciest place, but Eric had only been once, and that was for Gavin’s fourth birthday. He liked their theming, even though it wasn’t an actual children’s diner or anything, and Eric was never one to deny his brother when he asked for something achievable. 

If he could, he’d get Gavin the world. Snatch it right out of God’s hand

Going there with a stranger, though….if David wasn’t dating like, at least two other people, Eric would be worried this was a flirt attempt. And he wasn’t really in the mood to be romantic. He kinda wanted therapy first? And he hadn’t thought about romance in a while, not since his boyfriend in high school. Now he was an adult with responsibilities, he couldn’t just ditch school and smoke weed by the train station with Schmidt. 

This was just some guy being thankful, though, right? And he wasn’t doing anything tomorrow….and the idea of food, especially free food, was pretty enticing. A guaranteed meal would be nice. And at this point, he didn’t think this was going to be a trap. He knew Lucy’s on Main. He wasn’t...this was awkward, but it wasn’t like he was going to get mugged or anything.

The silence dragged, just a bit, and David sighed. “If you wanna say no, you can. I just know this’ probably way outta your ways, and you seem like you’re not gonna kill me and steal my car, so it’d be nice to hang out once and say thanks.” David sounded tired, too. 

Though that explanation was pretty straight forward. Eric nodded slowly in something like understanding. If David was worried Eric was going to be mugging him, and Eric was worried that David was going to be mugging him….well, he could just be saying this to get his guard down. Eric knew he consistently looked like his guard was up, more often willing to fight than he wasn’t, but maybe that was off-putting here. Maybe he was the scary one, here. 

Ah, the mom friend override. 

“No, I, uh. That’d be cool,” Eric said, then cleared his throat and continued. “Thanks for the offer. Would noon work?” 

“Yeah, sure,” David smiled as he took the turn onto Concord Avenue. “Meet you there?”

“Sure,” Eric said. “You can pull over anywhere on this block.”

He gestured out the window. His building was maybe two blocks down, but, well. He didn’t want to take this dude all the way to his apartment. 

Did he?

No, no he didn’t. Also, his days of one night stands were like, two years long gone. Eric wasn’t about to bring a whole adult (WITH TWO BOYFRIENDS, MIND YOU, AT LEAST TWO) to his tiny apartment at almost four in the morning with his kid brother sleeping in the same bedroom. Like, sure as fuck that wasn’t happening. Regardless of how pretty David looked in the moonlight. 

Yeah, he was tired as fuck if he was just going to start mentally waxing poetic about how pretty these boys were. Eric looked around at the car, out the window, then back at David. Who was watching him with a smile ever so slight, almost knowing, almost cocky. 

“What, you want a goodnight’s kiss too?” he joked. 

Eric snorted, shaking his head. “Nah, I’m just….” Confused. 

This was all so much, in one night. 

He had a hundred fuckin’ dollars in his pocket? 

And David’s boyfriend’s phone number? This dude just drove him home, too, for nothing, and was going to take him out to lunch tomorrow? 

“This’ a lot more social interaction in one day than I get most months,” Eric joked, almost confessed really, and shrugged. “It’s also four in the morning.”

“Huh, would you look at that,” David looked at the clock and pulled a face, as if he’d just noticed the time. 

Wouldn’t that be a riot? What the fuck was he doing awake, even? Eric snorted, hiding his eyes behind a hand as he laughed. “Stop no, it’s too-it’s too early for this,” he said between laughs as David began to chuckle a little himself. 

“Damn right. You head home, get to bed, and make sure you’re up at at LEAST noon!” David waved at Eric as he got out of the car, into the night air. 

It nipped at his nose, much colder than he thought it’d be. Granted, he thought he’d still be warm from the bar, too. Eric turned around, waving at David as he whipped a completely not-legal U-turn in the middle of the road, then headed back where he came. It looked like David was going to wait until Eric got into a building, which was kind of nice of him, but once Eric stood still and waved, he hit the reverse. Which was also fair. And also part of Eric’s plan. 

He didn’t exactly….Now okay, tomorrow morning this was all going to register as flirting. Eric was going to take off his shirts and lay down in his bed and watch Gavin sleep for maybe fifteen minutes before passing out himself out of just exhaustion while wearing his bartending slacks and without actually being beneath his pillows. He was going to not think about the implications behind the three men’s actions until tomorrow morning, while making breakfast, and he was going to be quiet enough in thought for Gavin to ask if he’d done something wrong while they were on their drive to school. 

“No, Gav, you’re fine. Peachy, actually, sweet pea,” Eric said, while he and Gavin waited at a stop light. 

Gavin was supposed to hold the motorcycle’s safety restraints while they drove, but more often than not he ended up holding Eric. He had his own safety jacket and belt buckles, which Eric installed as soon as he found out they were a thing. He’d gotten the bike before he’d gotten Gavin, and he wasn’t giving the bike away. 

“What’re you sad about?” the kid asked. 

The light was still red, so Eric leaned one arm back and gave Gavin one of their bike hugs. Positioning was always awful, but Gavin knew the drill, so he snuggled his helmeted head beneath Eric’s arm for a moment and hugged him tighter. 

Now, though, how to like. Explain this to the four year old.

“A friend asked to go to lunch together today,” was what Eric landed on.

Gavin gasped, excitement filling his voice in a way that almost made Eric feel bad. “A friend?! Yay!”

“Yeah, a friend. I’ve got those,” Eric joked. 

“Daddy’s got one friend,” Gavin said with his own snicker, and Eric laughed, too. 

“Daddy’s got more than one friend,” he said, and for a moment, thinking about the phone number written on the bill at home, he meant it. 

Gavin seemed happy with that explanation and with those jokes, and Eric was as happy as he’d let himself be. He dropped Gavin off and promised to pick him up later, told him to have a good day, that he loved him. 

Kid’s school got out at 1:38, which would be a fair reason to leave lunch, if it got like. Unbearably awkward. Which was a real possibility, if you asked Eric. Wasn’t last night awkward enough? This dude really saw Eric at his normal messiest states at four in the morning and decided that the best decision was to spend even more time with him. Granted, he was in his pajamas last night, and he seemed pretty out of it, too. It might be nice to have a real conversation outside of being ground into dust levels of tired.

Also, it wasn’t Eric’s worst, and he thought he’d held it together pretty well considering the outlandish circumstances. In nearly any other case, he would have gone running for the hills at the mention of having lunch alone together with a stranger, or even being handed a bill with a fucking phone number on it. He’d been hit on at the bar before; everyone likes the stoic type bartender, until he starts rejecting advances. Then he gets the drink thrown on him and slurs thrown his way, which like, really? The owner’s queer and they think it’s going to be okay to say slurs? Idiots. Eric knew it was a situation better than that kind of shit, but he didn’t know what made him say yes to these advances. Something about the genuine-ness of it all, maybe. 

And these like. Were definitely advances. There were no ifs, ands, or buts. He didn’t process it fully last night, but now that the lunch date was starring him in the face, he could see it for what it was: a date. 

Three people, though. That was three extra people to disappoint. And, if he really thought about it, Eric didn’t know if he could, like….handle that. On an emotional level but also on an anxiety level. 

Still, to not show up to lunch and flake would be rude, and he may be a coward but he was anything but rude. 

Eric took some time between dropping off Gavin and heading to the date to prepare. He had tried while putting his hair up, a looser ponytail rather than the pinned bun he had for either of his jobs. Usually, he’d’ve preferred to keep it down, but. Well. It got everywhere. It was kinda scraggly, probably 90% split ends. Good to have it out of the way.

He threw on a quick t-shirt, a pair of black jeans, and his regular leather jacket. If this was really just lunch, then it was a one and done kind of situation. Not much else for him to do, other than lay down and try to nap for an hour before heading out.

Lucy’s on Main was fairly crowded for lunch on a weekday, in Eric’s opinion. People were waiting outside when he got there. And he didn’t see David waiting amongst them, so he put his own name down for a table and went to go stand outside. There was a couple sitting on the bus stop bench, though. Smoking. It’d been a few years since he managed to kick his nicotine addiction, but he wasn’t exactly fond of the scent of smoke anymore, so after a moment of taking in the wind and hyping himself up to talk to a stranger, a whole ass stranger, he went back in. 

And that was when he heard a “YO! ERIC!”

Eric jumped, turning around towards the inside of the diner. Most of the tables were filled, and one had a guy with his arms up, waving him down. Literally. Waving him down.

“HEY!” David called out. 

Eric saw him crack a smile as he recognized him, as Eric waved back just a little. They were turning heads a bit. Just a bit. 

He told the host that he was with “that guy” and made his way over, sliding into the seat opposite David. And he tried to kind of avoid looking at him, because being yelled at across a public space was never something Eric was too fond of. As soon as he sat down, though, David waved in his face. 

“‘Sup, Harley,” David said. “Nice bike.”

“Thanks.” Eric looked up, briefly, then froze. And looked up again.

David’s hair was down, though it’d been brushed and was pinned back with a bobby pin or two. He was wearing a puffy varsity jacket and a t-shirt underneath, the varsity jacket covered in patches that seemed to be hand-sewn on. There was a pin, too, on the jacket’s collar, with the inclusive rainbow. Cute. His glasses were cute, too, framing his face in a way that made his smile look a bit wider as he also looked over eric.

He….Well. In last night’s dark, he hadn’t really caught what David actually looked like. He was smaller than Eric but they had similar styles almost. There was something comforting casual about David’s posture, though, and in the way he leaned back against the booth’s seat. 

Surrounded by hot men. Eric turned away as the waitress came over, hoping he wasn’t blushing as much as he thought he was, and ordered himself a plate of fries. Before she left, David interrupted.

“Nah, you can order more, dude. I’m paying,” he reached over and motioned towards the waitress. “Get a milkshake at least, Lucy’s shakes’re the fucking best.”

Now, Eric didn’t really want to be wasting someone else’s money, and the plate of fries was definitely more than he’d been planning on having today. But David was watching him. And Eric couldn’t really say no. Not when he was being watched like this. A burger did sound good, too, but….

God, he didn’t want to make David spend money on him. Eric stuffed his hands into his pockets slowly, playing with the edge of his phone’s case. “Can I, uh. Can I get a chocolate shake, too?” he asked. 

“M’kay,” the waitress said with a knowing smile. 

“And make his fries the bigger size! I’ll steal some,” David grinned at the waitress, who chuckled at his antics but wrote down the change. 

And then she left. 

Eric leaned back in the seat, and he didn’t really know what to feel. In a weird way, it was good that David just started to converse, then and there.

“Like I said, cool bike. What kind is it?” he said, as if he knew of it. 

“Uh,” oh, jeez, the bike. “It’s a 2005 Night Train.”

“Sheesh, a Night Train! And she’s still running? Do you do your own maintenance?” 

“I, uh. Yeah. Yeah, I do. Maintenance and modifications.”

And that got him talking. Which, like. Was hard. On standard, getting him to converse was hard. But then David mentioned his old bike, how he used to have a 2002 Softail Deuce, how he always found it hard to maintain. Well, ‘course it’s hard to maintain if you don’t keep checking on it, especially after not riding it for a bit. Eric installed the second seat and had to buy her new brakes, just in case and to help with smoother rides. 

He talked about how he kept his parts and mechanical tools in a case in his apartment. Usually he’d keep it stuffed under the coffee table, better than leaving it out in the garage. 

David said it was cool, that he knew enough to maintain the bike himself. Yeah, Eric just liked keeping up with it and making sure he knew enough about it. He didn’t know any mechanics in the area well enough to trust them to actually take care of it as well as he could. Plus, if anything went wrong, he’d know what the situation was. He liked knowing that. 

It was nice, to talk to someone about these things. Eric didn’t notice his tension easing up with David. It was almost natural.

David mentioned having a bike. What did he do with it? He had to get rid of it, he didn’t take good enough care of it. Sold it to someone before he moved out here. He’s originally from Michigan but relocated for work, since it’s better to be near a lot of galleries. Selling the bike helped pay for life after college. 

What did he work in? Art. He worked most in oils, something like a modern impressionist kind of painting. The big one was sculpting. He liked to chisel, but marble was kind of hard to come by. He’d gotten into wood carving, though, since the house was nearby a forest. He’d take down a tree somewhere on their property, replant a few saplings, then bring it in pieces into his workshop to carve. It was in the basement, but they’d set up a ventilation system well enough. He did like painting realism sometimes, as a hobby, though.

Eric didn’t know anything about art. He would love to see his works, one day. 

Well you could swing by. I don’t think anyone’d be home to mind. If you wanna hang out some more.

“Who’s home?” Eric asked then, almost confused. 

David blinked at him a few times, trying to process what was confusing, before realization entered his face and he snapped his fingers. “Shit, yeah. I’m supposed to….yeah. So, uh. Me and the boys wanted to get to know you more. ‘S why Princey and Marl’ were at your bar.”

“Oh.” What? Who the fuck are the boys? “Who’re the boys?”

“You’re gay, right? Just want to clear that up, ‘cause this is about to be so fuckin’ awkward if you’re straight.” David sipped his milkshake expectantly while Eric made a face, and before Eric even answered, David snickered. “Sorry, dumb question, you don’t need to be gay to like, get this. I dunno if anyone told you directly, but Phillip and Marlowe and I, and Cadence, and another dude you haven’t met named Draco, we’re all in a relationship. Poly, gay, all that. We’re all in a relationship.

“And like, we aren’t gonna reel you into a relationship with all of us. Cadence just said you were nice, so’d Marlowe and Phillip,” David put his hands up—Eric’s face must have been some kind of slack jawed, but he was more trying to decipher what David was saying than paying attention to himself. “We thought it’d be cool to meet you. Well. I thought it’d be cool. Like, as friends and stuff. And like, we move like a pack. I don’t wanna speak for the others on what they’re thinking, but I just wanted to make sure you knew like, this isn’t a date, not for me. But like, I dunno. You’ve got everyone’s interest now.

“So if you’re like, wondering why a bunch of randos’re meeting up with you out of nowhere, it’s because you seem cool and we all share one braincell that befriends people at the same time. We all wanna meet you. I dunno what everyone’s specific desires are past that, I just kinda wanna get to know you, but I think we could be friends. That’d be cool.” David leaned back, indicating the end of his explanation, and picked up his almost empty milkshake to sip from as Eric digested all of that new information.

“Oh. Okay,” Eric’s voice sounded hollow, even to himself. 

Was that like getting stalked? Was he just getting stalked now, but a frat house of gay dudes? Was that what was happening? He didn’t know. His ears were kind of ringing a little as he tried to process that. 

So he’d run into a gaggle of dudes who wanted to be his friend. All of them? They’d talked about him—of course they’d talked about him.

One of them was fucking famous? Eric didn’t know what being friends with a famous person was like, but he didn’t want cameras in his face all the time if that’s what it meant. 

Was he even good enough for that? Eric wouldn’t have considered himself friendship material for any regular person, not to mention multiple people at once, one of whom was famous.

He had a lot of concerns, off the bat. 

“It’s kinda a lot to explain. Mostly, we’re just gonna be annoying, since you seem cool and we wanna be friends. If that’s okay,” David said. “That okay?”

What would they want out of him? He didn’t have money. He barely had a personality, if you asked him. There wasn’t anything really to gain from being his friend. 

Why the fuck were these people interested in him? 

Eric barely heard him. He just. Starred. For a moment.

That was when Eric became acutely aware of where they were. Of who he was talking to. That this was...well, it was a casual conversation, but a proposition to come home. He had to—he checked his phone, it was 1:10, holy fuck. He had to pick up Gavin soon. Like, now even. He had to go. 

He had to go.

He just had to. 

“Okay. I,” what was he doing here, what did they want out of him? There was no way— “I need to go.”

David raised his eyebrows but said nothing of it. His smile faded. “Okay. Go ahead, I’m handling the bill,” his voice was a lot more gentle now, as if the fervor he’d spoken with earlier had been sapped out of his bones. 

Eric almost missed it. 

He’d been lulled into a false sense of security, out of talking about fucking motorcycles and art. He stood, one fast motion that is more abrupt than he should be, and turned down the hall. He could apologize. David seemed nice. So did Phillip. Marlowe. Cadence maybe even. It might be nice, to talk to some more people, to get to know them. 

Gavin had said earlier that he had a friend. He could stick his neck out there. Reach out to people. He had a phone number. He could turn around and talk to David right now. 

David had looked real sad when Eric left.

Instead, he walked down the hall and out the door. He tried his best to breathe evenly, because panic driving the bike was never smart, and in doing so he just. Swallowed. His feelings. 

Eric took a big gulp of air, actually, and grabbed his bike’s helmet. Already, he was just zoning out. He was going to go pick up Gavin! Then, he was gonna make sure the kid was doing his homework. And then he had a shift at the bar. 

What would they even say about Gavin? 

He revved the bike’s engine and pulled out of the parking lot without looking back. 

His brain was static empty by the time he pulled into the parking lot at Gavin’s school, a whole ten minutes early. He didn’t have to leave that fast. But he couldn’t just stay there. What would he do? Go back and talk to David? Face that kind of unknown? He...he couldn’t. He’d stormed out like something was wrong, and wouldn’t David be mad for that? He didn’t know him much anyways. He didn’t owe him anything, either. 

If only he could convince the guilt weighing in his stomach the same thing. 

When the school bell rang, Eric perked up, taking Gavin’s helmet out from where it gets hooked and clipped onto the back seat. He drummed his fingers against the top. 

His kid came bursting out from around the portables, running around to where Eric usually parked. Gavin threw his arms up in the air when he saw Eric, so Eric threw his arms up as well. He climbed off the bike and squatted down, holding his arms open enough for Gavin to launch himself into a hug. 

They did this just about every day and Eric didn’t see himself ever getting tired of it. Gavin snuggled his face against Eric’s shoulder and shouted “HI THIEF!”

“Hey, kiddo,” Eric said with a sigh. The nickname was a dour one, but it was hard to train Gavin out of it. He’d gotten upset about enough things, today, and he was waiting until they got home to do something about the rising panic he was literally just barely tamping down. 

He helped Gavin onto the motorcycle’s seat, strapping him in while he asked how school had gone. It was a Thursday. Gavin had math tests on Thursday, which he loved. They were doing fifty in a minute with addition, which the teacher said Gavin was really good at. Better than reading time, since he was bad at focusing. The teacher suggested he get Gavin checked for reading disorders or attention disorders. But Eric didn’t have the money for something like that. 

Still, it was nice hearing Gavin talk about how happy he was to finish the fifty. He was the first one done. “You’re such a smarty pants,” Eric joked, patting his hand on Gavin’s helmet once he got it strapped on. 

“Mm,” Gavin frowned at that one, then shrugged. “Not really. I just like the numbers.”

“You’re good at the numbers, too,” Eric reminded him as he sat himself back down, too. “What homework do you have tonight?”

“Wait wait, but I wanted to know,” Gavin grabbed Eric’s sides, balling his hands up around him. “How did lunch go?”

Lunch. 

Gavin was asking about. About how lunch went. Eric was really glad he wasn’t looking at him, because there’s no way he could have hidden how much his face fucking fell at the question. 

“It, uh. Went alright.” Eric put his own helmet on, not turning around to see Gavin. “I’ve got work tonight, so I’m going to cook dinner when we get home, and you’ve gotta do your homework. Okay?” 

He didn’t want to talk to his four year old brother, of all people, about that travesty of a date. It wasn’t even a date. It fucking felt like a date. 

He didn’t want to hang out with anyone. He didn’t even want to have to talk to any of them, not if they were going to all pile up on him and what if anyone ever started taking offense to him? He didn’t want to join their group. And he probably wasn’t even good enough for it. 

He didn’t want to think about how he’d walked out on David.

Shut the fuck up about it, Eric. You’ve gotta go for a bit of a drive. Then you get to panic about this.

“Okay,” Gavin’s voice was quiet, a little sad. Probably because Eric wasn’t answering his question. Usually Eric gave him an explanation before a nonanswer. But he didn’t need to. And Gavin wouldn’t understand. Eric could think of a thousand reasons why not to talk to Gavin about that. 

“It’s fine,” Eric said, as if he could comfort Gavin with that harsh statement. And he revved his engine before he could hear Gavin’s response, if any.

The drive was quick. Some kinda force must have been on Eric’s side because every light was coming up green. He parked the bike in his unit’s garage and Gavin hopped off fast, beating Eric to the door, and disappeared inside. 

Usually that was a surefire sign the kid was upset, but at the moment, Eric couldn’t really find it in himself to care. Nor fault him, really. Eric was on edge, was being pretty unreasonable. 

On the flip side, he had to make dinner. It was 2 p.m. and he had to be at work at 4, so he had to leave at 3:30, and he had to make sure Gavin was doing homework. A conversation like this could take hours. He didn’t have that kind of time. And he’d have to understand himself why this was all happening. Why he was doing this. What was so terrifying. 

Eric didn’t have the time nor the energy to confront that. So he wasn’t going to. 

Quietly, he trudged into the kitchen, jumping when the door to the bedroom slams closed. Gavin, most likely. He usually did his homework in the kitchen, but, well…

Eric slung his jacket over one of the kitchen chairs and went to work cooking. It was always a tossup, leaving Gavin home alone. He was a smart kid. Eric told him not to touch the stove or the oven or touch any of the knives on their stand, and Gavin had never done anything like that. Eric also would punch in his phone number on the landline phone and colored in the “call” button with green sharpie. If anything happened, Gavin knew to just hit the green button. That’d call Eric, and he could always get home within ten minutes. If anything super bad happened, Gavin knew to hide in the closet. All of the neighbors on their floor had been asked, please, to call him if something happened to the building or his unit. 

That was the best he could do, really. He didn’t have the money nor knew anyone well enough to let them watch Gavin. Once, he tried to leave Gavin with the neighbors, but he’d somehow escaped their apartment and gone back to Eric’s. The kid was attached, the neighbor had explained. And Eric didn’t really want anyone watching him in their apartment, when he wouldn’t be there. 

Sometimes, the kid will do the dishes for him. Once, Eric was pretty sure Gavin cut his hand while trying to wash a knife, but Gavin said a bully got his arm caught on a door hinge in a fight. That was a specific enough lie that worried Eric that maybe both had happened. Poor kid had to deal with living with him, bullies on top of that?

He made pasta with some marinara sauce. It was a solid batch, and if Gavin didn’t finish it, then Eric would have some. He’d already eaten more than enough at lunch, though. And he was used to being hungry by now. 

He stared at the cooking pasta with a blank expression. 

Once dinner was ready, Eric checked the clock. Twenty minutes before he had to leave. Which was pretty standard for him, save for how he now had to go into the room where Gavin was hiding so he could change. He wasn’t about to go out in what he’d consider his nice clothes, to a bar where he could get thrown up on.

He stopped in front of the door. And took a breath. 

“Dinner’s ready whenever you want it, Gav,” Eric said, voice soft as he also knocked on the door. “Can I come in? I’ve gotta get changed to go to work.”

“Sure,” came the soft reply.

Eric braced himself internally, pursing his lips a bit as he pushed open the door and peeked in. Gavin was curled up in his bed, backpack and shoes kicked off on the ground besides it. The blanket was pulled over his head, probably curled up into a ball under the sheets. 

He could just throw off his clothes and change real fast. But Eric only got his shirt off before Gavin’s head popped out. 

“Did your lunch make you sad?” he asked. 

The question made Eric freeze. Part of him wanted to turn around, growl at the child to shut the fuck up and stop asking. It would be easier, to be cruel. But he could never...he didn’t want to be his parents, and when the kid was worried about him? That kind of idiot’d do that. 

“A little,” Eric responded, trying to swallow the guilt that arose when he was reminded of how sad David had looked, how his smile had disappeared in the instant Eric stood up. 

“Does Thief not have any more friends?” 

Eric put on a black t-shirt and started taking off his jeans. “My name isn’t Thief, baby,” he tried to keep his tone level.

Gavin wilted a little. He hated it when Eric reminded him, but Eric hated that name, and it was going to be better to train Gavin out of it now rather than later. “Sorry, Daddy. But did your friend make you sad?”

He sighed. Persistent fucking kid. 

Too good for Eric, always worried about him. Sometimes, Eric wondered if Gavin got that from him, too. Always just a little too worried for it to be healthy.

He heard Gavin flinch back into the sheets, so he turned back around. Gently, Eric scooped Gavin up, blankets and sheets and all, and kissed his forehead. “A little,” he answered. “He was a new friend. I don’t think he meant to make me sad.”

“Okay.” Gavin snuggled a little more into Eric’s arms, and he felt Gavin hold onto his shirt. “Did you make him sad?”

Heh. “A little. We were both a little sad,” Eric gave him a squeeze, rocking slowly. “It’s okay, though. Sometimes you make yourself sad. Sometimes other people get sad. Being sad is okay. It’s—”

“It’s about what you do after you’re sad,” Gavin finished. Probably excited he remembered it. Kid’s always been bad at focusing, anyway. 

It’s something Eric’s told him before, quite a few times. He wished he could hide his panic and depression and honest despair from Gavin, but in a two room apartment? He didn’t want to leave the kid alone in the apartment, too. As little as he could. Gavin had seen him panic and Eric had pulled himself together to stop Gavin from worrying too much. The three year old kid had too big of a heart in him for Eric to keep making him sad, too. And now he was four. 

“Yep, you’ve got it. Smart baby.” Eric lifted him as Gavin reached his arms up, giving him a tight hug around his neck and shoulders. 

Gavin’s arm went around his head at that weird angle, where it was the only place where his arms could feasibly wrap around. “Are you gonna make it better?”

“I’m gonna try.” 

That seemed to be good enough for Gavin, because he gave Eric a kiss on the forehead, too, and then made a motion to go down. So Eric set him back down on the bed, ruffled his hair, and went back to changing his pants. 

“I set up dinner on the table, it’s noodles.” He always tried to get the ones that looked like sea shells, because Gavin thought they were fun. “After dinner, you can leave your plate on the kitchen counter and do homework at the table. I’ll be back before bed time, okay?”

Shift was supposed to be shorter today; he’d be off at 9, and it wasn’t like it was that long of a walk.

“Okay!” Gavin waved his hands. “Have fun! I love you!”

Eric, clothes changed and keys in hand, waved back. “I love you too!” 

He closed the door to the apartment, locked it from the outside, and hurried down the stairs. “I’m gonna try,” he mumbled again, quiet to himself.

The phone number. 

Eric still had the bill in his other pants’ pocket. He never took it out. 

It’d been a while since he, like. Had friends. And had to socialize. 

David likely told all of them that Eric had just walked out on him. He didn’t know what they thought of him. 

But he had to try. Right? 

At the very least, Phillip had seemed nice. Phillip had seemed like he knew what Eric’s anxiety looked like. And maybe that’d be….

Eric could try. There wasn’t a harm in that. 

Work went smoothly, both works. No one went too crazy at the bar and Eric left when the next shift lead came, just in time to catch Gavin brushing his teeth before bed. He’d managed to tuck the kid in, clean the kitchen, and even managed to fall asleep at a reasonable time. When he woke up, he took Gavin to school, then immediately went to his second job. Things were going well and, when he dropped off Gavin, the kid had wished him good luck in calling his friend.

Eric held onto that until his lunch break at his other job. During lunch break, he went across the street to a coffee shop, ordered a dirty chai, and took his phone out. He’d taken a photo of the bill’s phone number, wasn’t about to wave a hundred dollar bill around in public, but the picture was good enough. 

Here goes...well. Nothing, really. Everything. And nothing. 

Just call the damn number.

His finger hit the call button before he could think any more about it, and he waited. 

It took two rings for Phillip to pick up. 

“Hello?” he asked. 

“Hi.” 

That was when Eric realized he had no fucking idea what he was going to say. What, was he calling to say sorry? This was Phillip’s number, not David’s. Did he want to hang out with Phillip? What do adults do when they quote hang out unquote. He didn’t want to do anything that’d involve money too much, he wasn’t able to pay for a dinner or something. Did he even want to meet up with him, in person? And he had so many questions about the arrangement, of the what, five men in a relationship thing. Did all of them want to talk to him? Why? 

“Oh, Eric. Hello! I ha-I hadn’t expected you to call,” Phillip laughed a little, a sound that eased the tension off his shoulders. “Are you...What did you want to ta-to talk about?”

His voice sounded light. That was good. He didn’t sound mad. 

“I, uh. I just wanted to….” 

There was a pause. So Eric just took another sip of his coffee and said, quickly, “Did you want to go to a museum? Or hang out or something?” 

A museum. 

Eric hadn’t been to a single museum in the whole fucking city. 

What the fuck was he thinking. 

Phillip must have either pitied him or was picking up what he was trying to suggest, because that was when he responded, “Oh! If you want to-to walk around and ta-talk, we could go to the-the university’s botanical gardens.” 

Botanical gardens? And walking around might be nice. Eric’s never been to the gardens. To be honest, he didn’t know they existed, and also didn’t go to the city’s university. It was a little farther away from the downtown and it wasn’t like he got an education past high school level anyway. 

He’d always wanted to go into mechanics, what with working on the bike and all. It just never worked out. 

Flowers seemed nice. 

“Sure! That, uh, I’ve never been but that sounds nice,” he said.

“They are qui-quite pleasant,” Phillip hummed quietly, then added. “If you don’t mind, would it be alright if I exte-ex-ex-if I invited Cadence as well?”

Cadence. Cadence, the famous one?

“Is he, uh….is he allowed to like….” Eric, frankly, had no idea what protocol was around famous people. “Sure?”

Phillip chuckled quietly, just quiet enough for the phone to pick it up, and said, “He’s definitely allowed to be in publi-public, if that’s your worry. Being famous doesn’t make it illegal to be in places. He’d wanted to see you again, but, well. Bars are cro-cro-crowded. If you want, I won’t.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Sure. I’d, uh. That’s cool.” 

Why did he sound like an awkward teen? Why did this sound like asking someone out to prom? Eric was going to lose his mind. 

Thankfully and graciously, Phillip seemed to understand his plight. David must have spread the word of him being an anxious mess because, to some extent, Phillip was planning this date for him.

Not a date. Just hanging out. Still weird for him, but markedly less weird.

“When’s the next weekday you’re free?” Phillip asked. 

It wasn’t that hard of a question. “Monday,” Eric responded.

He didn’t have either job. Well, that was a lie, but he was picking up another late shift at the bar. He didn’t have to be there until eleven. 

“Great. Monday at ten?” 

“Works for me,” Eric said. 

Phillip hummed in approval. 

Eric almost wanted to ask about David. If Phillip heard. Things had been going well, for the most part, until David explained the polycule situation. And something about that had just made Eric’s chest seize. 

That was so many people to disappoint. They’d discussed him. Eric never liked being the point of discussion, for any people. So the idea that this group of people who were all dating had talked about him to the point that the others wanted to meet him was surreal. 

Plus, he couldn’t help but be wary of the insinuation that they just wanted to be friends with him. Phillip was very regal, pretty and polished. Cadence was so fucking handsome it was unfair. David had been handsome as well, beautiful in a casual way. Eric was too fucking gay for this. He hadn’t seen Marlowe in much other than lowlight, and while the dude was drunk, but even then Eric could tell the dude was adorable. It was un-fucking-fair.

There was a….worry, deeper down. That while they might not want him in a romantic way, he’s just going to be a nervous gay wreck the whole time. 

“See you then, then, Eric,” Phillip’s voice held something of a smirk, and then he hung up. 

Eric lowered the phone, starred at the call screen for a moment or two before things began to click on his head. He was going to hang out with Phillip. And Cadence. 

They didn’t hate him. 

That was a good start.

[i-need-entertainment]

Zap's 600 event: OPEN

Message From the Author:

Hello hello, and thank you for dropping into this event. To start I would like to say thank you to all of you for putting up with me for this long LOL, it's been over a year since I last tried to do an event, but for 600?! I'd really love to do one. This January will mark my second year on tumblr and that's a pretty crazy thing. A special thank you to my wonderful mutuals (even tho some of you are bullies *cough* Qui and Zoe) who have been with me through thick and thin and are just the sweetest people😭 So allow me to say thank you by doing the thing I do best, writing.

- zap

EVENT RULES:

- SFW only - General request rules apply - I would prefer no more than 1 prompt per ask, but if 2 really speak to you? Go for it, i'll do my best to deliver - Only for followers- that being said, if you find this in the tags and wanna follow then send a request? Go ahead! you'll find no judgement from me, welcome :)

I like to think I'm a pretty laid back person, and I'm not very strict on this blog at all so please respect my rules, they are in place for a reason!

How this works...

- Choose a character from this lovely list - Choose 1-2 prompts from below! As you can see, I am a huge enemies to lovers fan so that had a lot of influence on these prompts. - Is there a song you're very fond of? Tell me! I love music and including it in my writing. Who knows? It might just inspire the oneshot I write for you... - Lastly, let me know if you'd like fluff, angst, both and/or an AU. I am down for any AU, I've only written a few but they're fun. ex. "Washio + #6 + Glimpse of Us by Joji + fluff + flower shop au"

Prompts:

“Provoke you? That doesn’t sound like me.”

“You love me? Here I thought you were just dumb- but if you love me that makes you an idiot.”

“Nope- don’t say it. I already wanted to punch you, don't make me want to kill you.”

“And I thought you were too stuck up to pick a petty fight with a ‘nobody’  like me, but here we are.”

“I didn’t leave because I hated you– I left because I thought you hated me!” “Well that was really stupid because I’ve been in love with you for 5 years!”

“...please tell me you’re playing dumb…please tell me their flirting did not go right over your head!”

“Why did you think I flirted with you so much?!” “Wha- I thought you did that with everybody!”

“This…we- we can’t do this…y/n..” “Do what-” “Us Y/n! We can’t do us!

“I wouldn’t say that they hate me-” “I would. I would say that I hate you.”

“Ah..so you two used to know each other?” “Uhm…yeah something like that.” “‘Something like that?’ Really? Cause I would say I know a lot about you.”

“Oh butt out- no one asked for your opinion.” “And no one asked you to do something so reckless, yet you so graciously did it anyway.”

“Kiss me.” “What- no. Absolutely not. Not after that-” “I saw you glance at my lips 4 different times- just kiss me already.”

“We can’t go out there now! What are they going to think when they see- this?!” “Does it matter? Either way we have to leave eventually, and the longer we stay holed up in here, the worse it looks.”

“You- that was my first kiss…you stole my first kiss!” ‘What do you want me to do? Give it back?!” “I- yeah, I think I do..” “My pleasure.”

*mutuals can send in as many asks as they want, that's your present for dealing with my chaos <3*

[girlwithwolftatoo]

I was thinking of a oneshot where the reader is an avatar of a goddess who was khonshu's lover and the reader has a crush on Marc/Steven and is helping him on this adventure until Harold captures her and Moon Knight goes to save her and finds her drugged because it's the only way Harold can control the goddess. (the reader is a tiny woman ^^)

Sorry for the delay! This request is one of my favorites and I wanted it to do it nice.

So, first of all, I did some research and the only consort referred to Khonshu is Hathor, and since Yatzil has her, I made a little twist for the plot. I hope you like it!

The Moon is a Silver Claw

Pairing: Steven Grant x f!Reader (sort of Marc Spector x f!Reader at the end)

Tags: Friendship, falling in love, danger. Tw: drowning.

"You do see it?" groaned Steven, huddled against a wall. He still wore the dapper-looking white suit he had mistakenly summoned some time before. Over his shoulder, Khonshu cocked his beak so he could look at the little woman standing in front of the terrified man.

"Why… yes," her eyes went for brief seconds to the bird's skull, self-consciously.

"How is that possible? No one else sees it, no one else but me has seen it, only I hear it…"

"Steven, shut up," Khonshu warned him.

"But…!" protested the alluded one. The girl knelt in front of Steven, seeking to reassure him. She sensed in him a deep distress, and it grieved her, he was a sweet and kind guy.

"Steven…listen to me" she requested, lowering her voice. The big puppy dog eyes burned her heart, and she could feel a kind of purr in her chest "Can I…can I put my hands on your shoulders?" When Steven nodded, she gently held him.

"What are you doing, you nosy little girl?" growled Khonshu, tilting his beak at her. The young woman was not daunted, however.

"Can you really see it?" asked Steven between stammers. The girl nodded. "How?"

What was the point of lying to him?

"It's just that…" the girl's eyes went back to the Moon god, wondering what consequences that encounter might bring "I'm also the avatar of a goddess."

"What?" jumped Steven and Khonshu at the same time.

"How… Who…?" asked the man.

She had barely peeled her lips away when a whisper filled the wind. The three of them turned their heads toward the end of the alley, where what looked like a white sandstorm out of nowhere rolled until, behind it, a figure almost as tall as Khonshu appeared. In the backlight it appeared more human-like, at least from neck to knees, for then a pair of feline paws that made not the slightest sound approached. Two large green eyes gleamed in the darkness, and a cat-like face looked first at the humans and then, at the bird, which looked uncomfortable.

"You!"

"It's good to see you too," replied the newcomer, in a low, gravelly voice, polite and rhythmic. Steven's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Steven…" the girl raised a hand in the direction of the goddess, who was sporting beautiful bright blue eyeliner on the gigantic eyes and a pair of gold earrings in the pointed ears "May I introduce you to Bastet."

                                                              …

"I don't want you to go see her!"

Steven was pacing up and down the room, finishing getting ready. He had picked out his newest, cleanest clothes and was going over a small notebook where he had written down a few things so he wouldn't forget the day's itinerary.

"Alright, first we'll go to the Natural History Museum… Then we'll have something to eat… Then a walk around Kensington…"

"Marc, take the body! I don't want this idiot to set foot out of here!" growled Khonshu.

Walking past his mirror, Steven saw the other's reflection, which looked neutral.

"Well… I don't see why he can't go on a date. She's cute and seems nice" replied Marc.

"She's Bastet's avatar! Nothing good can come out of that… feline!"

"What's your problem?" protested Steven "Do you have a thing for her? Did she stand you up or something?"

"Me?" if Khonshu had had feathers he would have fluffed them to show his indignation "Let's see, how do you explain it to a mere, dumb mortal? Solar goddesses are not worthy of my trust."

"She's not exactly a solar goddess, she's the… goddess of joy and home."

"And you know she was once the eye of Ra?"

"And what's that got?" asked Marc. Steven was finishing pouring food into Gus II's tank.

"Well, it sounds to me like you're really into violence, so I'm sure she and you would get along just fine" he replied, disinterested in the god's concerns.

"That's not all, she's insane and dangerous, even the other gods know what she's like, ruthless, emotional…"

"But I'm not dating her but her avatar, am I not?" Steven raised his eyebrows in Khonshu's direction, and after getting hold of his wallet he walked out without devoting another thought to him.

                                                                ...

"He's a bit of a fool… his avatar, I mean" Bastet remained placidly lying down Turkish style as her avatar finished undressing. "I can't imagine why Khonshu chose him, he doesn't look like the type to swat a fly…" realizing the girl wasn't paying attention to her, she dissolved into thin air and reappeared next to her "That smile… You've been wearing it all day, you're not telling me you're falling in love with Stefan?"

"Steven" she corrected her "And…" she shrugged. A smile appeared on Bastet's mouth.

"I see" she purred "He's attractive, I won't deny it, though he has a head full of sweet goofs" Her head tilted to the young woman's left ear "I bet anything you want he makes up for his awkwardness with manliness"

"What do you say?" the girl's cheeks flushed.

"Well, haven't you heard what they say? Intellectuals have a lot to offer below the waist."

"It's a joke, isn't it?"

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it."

"Sorry, are you in… rutting period or something?" growled the girl.

"I'm the goddess of sexuality" Bastet reminded her, amused "And you're young and beautiful, and I can see that this… Steven has feelings for you."

"Well how cute but… do you mean it?" seeing that her goddess only smiled, she bowed her head "I… I don't know, we have many differences, age for example… He must think I'm a little girl."

"Then show him that you are a woman. And if Khonshu tries to interfere, don't worry…" claws of colossal size and that looked like they were made of gold appeared on Bastet's left paw "I've always wanted to pluck him."

The young woman laughed, not knowing if Bastet was serious or not.

"By the way, why do you two get along so badly?"

"My dear, men don't tolerate competition, much less when the one challenging them is their own father…"

                                                                   …

Steven looked, anxiously, at the time on his watch. Almost an hour had passed, and there was no sign of his date anywhere. Dejected, he ducked his head, and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the steak knife. Marc watched him from there, chagrined.

"Steven… I think we'd better go," he advised him gently.

"Something must have happened…maybe she was running late" he replied, waving his phone. He had sent a few texts and tried to call, to no avail.

"You don't have to do this to yourself."

"You said…you said everything was fine" Steven whispered, tilting his head to look at the knife. Marc sighed and shook his head, he regretted what happened, up until then everything seemed to be going smoothly and Steven was about to ask the girl to formalize, and now seeing him there, sitting alone with the night behind him, really made him feel bad. Maybe his instinct was wrong?

Then, they saw it. It happened in a matter of seconds, but it was so clear that everyone in the restaurant, the street, and even the cars, turned their heads and pointed to the strange occurrence. The sky had turned red, and the sun, which had begun to set, had an unusual, impossible shape, like a diamond.

"What the bloody…?" growled Steven, getting to his feet. The wind ruffled his hair and then, a now familiar voice called out to him:

"Marc! Something's happened" Khonshu was leaning like a bird of prey over the edge of the railing that divided the restaurant's terrace.

"What?"

A long, bandaged finger pointed to the horizon, while the strange red sky still glowed.

"It's a sign from Bastet - something's wrong, it could be a calling for help."

Steven instinctively grabbed for the knife, Marc was also upset. They both thought the same thing.

"Steven…" began Marc, but Marc repeated:

"I know. I know. Please hurry."

Red sky was greeted with a weak smile from Arthur. He leered at the girl who had been subdued, unable to keep her head up for long. The man turned his back to the sky and confronted her.

"The goddess Bastet has not always loved mankind" he commented almost as if to himself "When she was the eye of Ra, she did terrible things in the name of her father, blood covered the Earth, and dripped from her claws… Such was her slaughter that the gods had to soothe her… with wine and beer, until she could no longer stand and slept for a long time."

One eye in the young woman's face was normal, the other, bright green with a slit pupil, was the only one that managed to half-focus on Ammit's despicable avatar. Arthur stepped closer, leaning down to hold her face.

"You've had too much to drink, dear girl…and I've added a few extra ingredients so you can sleep. It is not your fault any of this, Bastet has been most unfair in choosing someone so young and innocent to represent her, but rest assured that you will not suffer from Ammit's judgment for her."

The girl's upper lip lifted, and a hoarse voice burst from within her:

"You will be condemned for this… I will cut off… the head of your goddess… with my claws…"

"No need to make threats" Arthur touched the tip of her nose playfully with his forefinger "I give you one last chance, leave this poor girl, destroy all her memories of you, and I will let her go now."

For all response, Bastet hissed and let out a low, menacing growl. After that last effort, her avatar's head hung, almost unconscious, still held by Arthur's henchmen. The man sighed, looking condescending.

"It's a pity we couldn't understand each other. You know what to do" he added, turning to his men.

                                                            …

At first, Marc feared they might not be able to locate her, however, before the sky returned to normal, Khonshu pointed out a curious detail, and it was the sun's rays that, from their odd angle, illuminated a handful of stars that seemed to mark a course. Moon Knight moved forward as fast as he could, following the moon god's directions.

"How is it that she could use the stars?" asked Marc as he left a couple more buildings behind.

"Bastet was not always a solar goddess" explained Khonshu "Long ago, before our father ordered her to fight the humans, she lived in the house of night with Thoth and me."

Moon Knight nearly skidded on one of the rooftops.

"Your father, you and Bastet are siblings?"

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the god cocked his head to one side, avoiding his view.

"We've arrived," he announced in a weaker voice than usual.

He had no trouble entering the building, which was small and barely a couple of stories high. He was met with the usual resistance, but he hurriedly disentangled himself from them, sheltered by the gloom that surrounded them. At the end of the corridor he noticed a flash of blue, and the faint but familiar smell of chlorine.

He found he was in an indoor pool, all alone because of the hour. Or rather, alone except for a man he knew and loathed.

"You!" growled Marc. Arthur cocked his head to one side.

"How interesting, I wasn't expecting your visit precisely here. Since when did Khonshu care about others?" the older man asked, leaning on his cane.

"Where is she?"

"Who, the girl or the goddess?" Arthur didn't seem the least bit concerned "Bastet is impressive, isn't she? I didn't have the pleasure of seeing her in person, she hid inside her unfortunate slave, but that made things easier."

"I'm not going to ask you again" Moon Knight advanced with a pair of crescent moons in his hands, ready to strike "Where is she?"

"Ah!" the servant of Ammit looked amused "So that's what this is all about… Tell me, who of all your selves loves her the most? Or does she have a single favorite? Have you told her about how your mind and spirit are just broken pieces?"

"That's enough!" squawked Khonshu, and a crescent cut through the air in Arthur's direction. The man barely had time to avoid it, but almost instantly a second crescent flew past him, wounding his arm.

"Tell me where she is!" demanded Marc. Arthur had bent down, holding his wounded arm, and saw his rival advance towards him and hold him without any consideration "Arthur!"

The man's eyes darted to the pool. Marc did the same, and that was when he noticed, in one of the corners of the still, illuminated waters, a figure beneath the surface, small and hunched. He felt dizzy, and after throwing Arthur against the wall he jumped into the water.

It didn't take him long to reach the girl, who had her hands cuffed behind her back and had been chained to the bottom of the pool. Marc felt panic, he couldn't tell how long she had been down there but he didn't plan to stop to think about it, and he grabbed another crescent to cut the chain. It took him a few strokes, but at last the links gave way and, without thinking twice, he held the body of his dear friend and began the ascent, for the pool must have been at least three meters deep in that area.

Then he noticed that, above their heads, the light disappeared. Arthur, staggering, had reached the lever to place the cover, and it slid right over the pool, leaving only a few inches between the water and the surface. Marc kicked, seeking to beat the race to the cover, but it was getting harder and harder, and when he was sure he could get his head out, he found the hard shell brushing against his hair, forcing him to keep swimming.

At last his free hand clung to the edge, and he made an effort to lift the girl and himself out of the water, yet a couple of shots struck the pool, and he saw that Arthur, cowering on the floor, was doing his best to prevent him from ascending.

"It is not I who takes your lives!" exclaimed the man, heedless of the drops of blood soaking his shirt "It is your gods, who have led you astray!"

Marc watched, in despair, as the deck beat them to the race. He had managed to take another breath of air before diving to escape the bullets, but it wasn't enough. His head was beginning to feel very light and a deep ache in his lungs, and he kept thinking about the state of the poor young woman hanging limp (he didn't want to think "lifeless," the idea was too horrifying) from his arm. The deck met the end of the pool, and Marc reached for a crescent to break the shell, but his strokes had become clumsy. He pressed his partner's body against himself in desperation, clawing without much success at the barrier that kept him from the precious air.

"Steven…" he thought with his last glimpses of consciousness, consumed by lack of oxygen "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

He looked for a moment at the girl's face, gripped by infinite pain. He had not been able to save her, it was possible that he could not even save himself, he had brought a dreadful death on another innocent, and this time, the guilt would end up consuming him until the last second of the life that escaped him.

Then, he noticed something moving in the water next to him. It was hard to make it out in the watery darkness, but he felt the thing move past his face, large, heavy, and lean against the deck. Golden claws dug into the shell, making huge scratches in it, and then the paw repeated the gesture, twice, three times, and Marc could see behind the young woman's head a feline face that seemed absent.

Something trembled on the surface, and Bastet's paw retracted, and the goddess disappeared from his sight. Then something long and sharp pierced the shield, plunging into it about thirty centimeters from Marc's head. The sharp object came out and went in again, pulling at the deck until it made a large hole in it in a few seconds, and a ghostly hand entered the water, pulling Moon Knight by the neck of the cape.

The first breath of air was a wonderful sensation that Marc treasured. He coughed and spat out a splash of water as he was dragged from the deck to solid ground, and saw that Khonshu was the one who had pulled him out. The bird looked obfuscated.

"You love to make me irritated, don't you?" he said. The man dropped to all fours, still dizzy.

"Thank you," he gasped. He looked to his side and remembered then that his companion was still not awake, and pounced on her.

He turned her over, and with another of his half moons cut the handcuffs and hurriedly maneuvered to force her to spit out all the water she might have swallowed. He noticed that as he squeezed her abdomen a good amount of water came out of her mouth and nose, and when he was satisfied he laid her on her back, patting her face.

"Wake up, wake up, please!" he called her name, startled, and brought his ear to her lips and then, to her chest. He wasn't sure but her heart still seemed to be beating. The mask disappeared from his face, and he began to give her artificial respiration, more and more worried, "Please… Please wake up, I know you can…"

He breathed all the air he had in his lungs into her and looked at her chest. It was still still.

"Fuck… wake up!"

Finally, he heard a gurgle, and the girl coughed with all her might, still spitting up more water. She looked disoriented and her body shuddered. Marc let out a groan of relief.

"You're okay!" he hugged her against himself, leaving her only room to breathe. Slowly the brown eyes managed to focus on him, blinking slowly.

"It is not possible to subdue a goddess except by foul trickery" Khonshu commented. "Arthur escaped."

Marc wasn't really paying attention to him, he was looking at the dazed and sweet face of the young girl with whom Steven had spent wonderful days. He was always on the lookout, from time to time he was able to catch a glimpse and was touched by the relationship between the two, despite the constant complaints of the Moon god, who insisted that a servant of Bastet was not to be trusted; he was wrong, fortunately, he was sure to see in those eyes the most sincere appreciation he had seen in a long time.

"You…" she gasped, raising a hand to bring it to Marc's face "You're not Steven…"

The man was stunned. He looked at Khonshu, but the latter shrugged.

"How… why do you say that?" he asked.

"I don't know… it's just that your eyes…" again, she blinked "I think I suspected it… that there was something else inside you…"

Marc ducked his head.

"What's your name?"

The man swallowed, he would have a lot of explaining to do, and Steven… how would Steven take that?

"I'm Marc Spector" he answered in a breathy whisper.

"Marc" she whispered back, then smiled. Standing not far from them, the two gods watched them, Bastet held kindly by Khonshu.

[imagineimpact]

Could i request Diluc angst oneshot where reader and him get into a big disagreement or argument where Diluc makes them cry and feel really bad about themself so they go and end up hanging out with Kaeya a bit much cause he offered to cheer reader up and Diluc won't apologize. until he see's his s/o hanging out with Kaeya

I actually wrote 2 different versions of the ending for this, but this is the one I decided to go with! If you want the more angsty version do let me know.

Anyway,

Harsh Words

Diluc x Reader

Screaming. Yelling that could be heard throughout the Dawn Winery residence late into the night, heard only by the maids, the night security, and perhaps a late worker or two.

And of course, by the two individuals who held the voices.

It was rather unusual for the two of you to be at odds; and, on the occasion in which you were, it wasn’t nearly to this degree.

But the two of you were outright screaming at each other. It wasn’t even about one thing anymore - it was everything. Whatever you had been arguing about had reached the point of irrelevance; It never should have reached this point and you knew that, but you were under fire and you couldn’t stop.

All you knew was that this was Diluc’s fault, and that you couldn’t take this kind of argument.

“If you just thought about your actions for once-”

You cut him off, “Oh don’t try me with that, you’re the one treating me like I’m an idiot and trying to control my-”

“If you had just listened for once and been less of a selfish bitch then I wouldn’t have to!”

His words had cut far deeper than either of you had expected, and you physically recoiled at the words, a sudden wave washing over you which forced tears from your eyes. The truth in his words was irrelevant - It felt true, even if it wasn’t.

You turn away from him. In spite of your state, he makes no move toward you. None, not even to give you the slightest feel of any comfort. You knew - he wanted the words to cut through you.

You go to the door and slip on your shoes, leaving the room as fast as you humanly could.

You can’t take this anymore.

But you don’t make it past the front door. As if by telepathy, Diluc has two of his night security waiting by the door in a stance showing you that they’re ready to make sure you don’t leave. They block your path, silent in their menace. When you turn around, only then do you notice Adelinde and Hille quietly staring at you. Diluc’s footsteps down the stairs are a slow horror, an even pace which served to only emphasize that feeling of dread; Very easily, this felt like the perfect time to be murdered.

The drawl of footsteps approach, yet cease a few meters away - he’s far too distant to do anything himself. His eyes lock on yours, quietly assessing you.

“Diluc, let me leave.” You hiss through streaming tears. You nearly choke on the tension in the air.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment. His eyes don’t show any expression, show any remorse or guilt, or even happiness. Truly, there is nothing in his eyes.

“Let me make myself clear: You are not leaving this premises in the middle of the night. Do you understand me?”

“Not even slightly.”

Silence. His eyes flicker, the way they do when he sees an abyss mage, or when Kaeya makes a comment that goes a little too far - pure anger.

“Adelinde, fix up the guest room.”

“No need. I’ll be leaving now.” You scoff.

Diluc tilts his head, peering over you and towards his security as if to say ‘don’t you fucking dare let them through’.

Then another look, and you feel yourself being pushed into the house again, the slam of the doors behind you.

A wave of anger washes over you, and you can’t help the excess of tears that fall, harder now than they had been before.

Diluc holds his ground, staring at you silently. You shake your head and look away, not sure what to do with yourself. Their staring puts you in pure disarray.

“Adelinde.”

“Yes, sorry.” She mutters, bowing and taking her leave in the direction of the guest bedroom in order to prepare it for you.

When she’s gone, you shake your head. “I’m not going to be sleeping.”

“Then stay in your room. I don’t care.” He huffs, turning away and wandering back up the stairs, his footsteps seeming less menacing now.

The argument was done.

Your eyes catch a light outside the window, seeming to exist a far distance away. Maybe it was the fire of a hilichurl camp.

What time was it? Surely the sun would be up soon anyway.

Fine. You would leave then, no matter what.

When you got to your room, you actually did manage to sleep. Not nearly enough; An hour was nothing in the long run, but it was still just slightly enough to not feel entirely exhausted.

Still, the sun was up when you arose, and you lay in the bed, uncertain as to what would happen when you left the room.

If Diluc wasn’t going to apologise, you wanted nothing to do with him.

So, after a little while of resting, it was a surprise to hear a knock at the door. You were summoned to breakfast. Nearly the entire time, you and Diluc sat across from each other - an oddity indeed considering he would always insist that he wanted you seated beside him - this time, however, you were as far from his as possible within the confines of the seated table. The usually empty seat felt hard beneath you, not softened by an everyday presence. Your usual seat to his right - where your plate had been placed before you had taken it to where you were now - was empty.

Neither of you could look into each other’s eyes. The silence, broken only by the light clinks of cutlery, felt burdenous.

You expected him to say something, anything really. You could barely eat the food on your breakfast plate, and without any words, you didn’t feel all too comfortable anyway. You let out a quiet sigh and stood up, tucking in your chair and lifting your plate to take it back to the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Diluc’s voice was quiet but the harshness in it was unmistakable.

“I’m not hungry.” You looked down at the plate in your hands. “I’m going to Mondstadt.”

Diluc stood up suddenly, pushing back his chair and stepping close to you. The sudden movement caused you to shutter slightly, and he pulled back a bit. Still, he tore the plate from your hands and placed it on the table. “When you return, be ready to have a serious conversation.”

Oh.

You opened your mouth to speak, but then huffed and turned away. “Right. I’ll look forward to getting yelled at again.”

Diluc scoffed, “Stop acting like a petulant child.”

“I’m not doing this right now, Diluc.” Your feet are moving before you can even think about it. This time, as you approached the door, no one was there to stop you. You left with no present company to watch over you, and you knew that today was going to be a long, long day.

——

Mondstadt thrives with life, as per usual. Because of how bright and pleasant the place is, any spec of gloom is extremely obvious on a day like this.

You took to the adventurers guild to take some commissions. Maybe killing some hilichurls or slimes would take your mind off of it all, or maybe just delivering some needed materials to someone.

The entire time you had been speaking to Katheryn, you felt eyes watching you, but you didn’t want to make it obvious you knew. Alas, it was only moments later that you startled at the feeling of a hand on your shoulder.

“No need to be so surprised.” The familiar voice chuckles beside you.

“Good morning, Kaeya.” You let out a soft sigh, the exhaustion of the day before wearing into you. You thanked Katheryn and turned your attention to Kaeya. His eyebrows twitched and his expression shifted as he studied you.

“What happened?” He asks rather blatantly, eyes clouding over. “Was it Diluc?”

You took a deep breath. “Wanna join me for commissions?”

Kaeya scans your eyes. “As long as you tell me what’s wrong.”

“Come on.” You nod, wandering out of Mondstadt with him.

The slowly falling night brought you back to Mondstadt. You agreed to go to the tavern with Kaeya, a subtle kind of thank you for spending time with you today. It wasn’t like you were doing anything else anyway.

The tavern was already busy before you got there, people crowding around for a nights drink. You subconsciously step towards Kaeya as if shading yourself away from the crowded atmosphere and he is wary of your proximity. He draws you to his side, a friendly notion, and steps inside before you.

Charles waves at you both from behind the counter. Kaeya quickly orders a round of drinks and takes you to a table away from the bar.

“Hey, look who’s been dragged in.” Rosaria wanders over, quietly making soft chatter with you. It wasn’t unusual for the two of you to spend some time together.

Kaeya eventually wanders away, grabbing your drinks and bringing them back over.

Time seemed to dwindle away, the mindless chatter with your friends giving you more than ample distraction from anything else that might have been happening.

“Master Diluc! Didn’t expect to see you here today.” Charles’ voice rings out.

Of course, that wasn’t going to last long.

You lift your head slightly, tensing up. Diluc is scanning the room, twisting his wrist lightly as he speaks quietly to Charles; The words miss you. You freeze as your eyes lock. For just a moment you’re caught in that discerning gaze before he nods at you and turns back to talk to Charles. Kaeya draws your attention back away, and you slip back into your conversation, not wanting to deal with anything else.

“I’ll get another round.” Rosaria gets up and makes her way through the tavern, leaning over the bar and making another order for the table.

“How many are we on?” You ask, already flushed from the… how many glasses had you even had?

“Five.” Kaeya laughs, leaning on your shoulder. “But now that the killjoy’s here, he’ll stop us from having our well-earned fun.”

“I heard that.” Diluc scoffed, passing by you.

“Good.” Kaeya wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you closer to him, more out of a delicate affection than anything else. Diluc’s eyes narrow at his brother, who just laughs in response.

“Get your hands off of-“

“Oh don’t worry, brother. I would never keep them somewhere they don’t want to be.” Kaeya mocks. “You, on the other hand, can’t say the same.” Even with his words, he loosens his hold on you and leans back a bit.

Rosaria returns with your round, greeting Diluc casually as she slips back into her seat. Your pissed off boyfriend wanders away back to his work.

It clicks in your hazy mind that the only reason he’s here is likely because you are. You laugh at the thought, then clink your tankard to the group and drink.

—

As the evening wears down, many people in the bar until it’s pretty much only your group and a few others left there. Diluc lets out a soft sigh as he watches you, trying to soften that jealous pounding of his heart. He takes a sip of his own drink - apple cider, of course. He could never slam back drinks the way that your group currently were. Where had the hours gone?

Oh, no. How many drinks had you had? Whatever was next, he swore to himself that he would make sure that it was watered down. At this rate, you were pretty much welcoming alcohol poisoning with open arms.

Kaeya, wobbly as ever, decides to be the one to approach the bar this time (mostly because Rosaria was leaning against the table, head folded into her arms as she groaned). Diluc shook his head. “No, no. The three of you will drink this whole tavern dry if I don’t stop you.”

“Oh, I’m not here to get any more.” He leans on the countertop. “I just want to know what the hell you did.” Kaeya motions over to you. You’re just giggling at Rosaria’s complaining, leaning over and patting her on the head.

“I’m not talking to you about this.” Diluc leans back, crossing his arms stubbornly.

“Suit yourself.” He straights up. “I should probably get her out of here before you say something stupid.”

“I’m not going to be saying anything stupid.” Diluc shakes his head, looking over the list of all the drinks you’ve had this evening. “You’re all wasted.”

“And yet, you haven’t said last call.”

Seemingly to spite him, DIluc immediately does. He signals over to Charles to round up the remaining people. He knew to leave you last.

Kaeya’s laugh is enough to haunt him. “You make this right, Diluc.” He runs his finger over the counter. “Otherwise I will.”

“Get out of my sight.”

The cavalry captain laughs again, then wanders over to your table. He practically drags Rosaria back up, but she pushes away from him and made her own way to the counter - always a good spirit, she paid for her own portion of drinks and left. Being a nun, she probably didn’t need to use the money elsewhere.

Kaeya was two steps away from just carrying you out the door, but through his drunk mind he finds the clarity to understand just how absolutely inappropriate that would be to do, especially in front of Diluc. Alas, you lean on his shoulder as he assists your steps.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Diluc’s voice calls out, as if to stop you both.

“Usual billing.” Kaeya calls back.

“No, no.” You both look back at him. He shifts on his feet, eyes locking with yours. “I’ll be damned if you go home with him.”

“Then damned you are.” You roll your eyes, turning away.

He calls your name softly. “Step away from him. Come here.”

You take a deep breath. “I am so glad I don’t have to remember any of this.”

Diluc places a glass of water in front of you. “Drink this. You wreak of alcohol.”

“And you wreak of your hatred.” You sit down in front of him, knowing that it wasn’t about to get better.

Diluc’s eyes flicker up to Kaeya. “Get out.”

“Not happening.”

“Kaeya, this doesn’t concern you.”

“Their safety is more than enough concern.”

“It’s alright, Kaeya, just wait outside.” You pipe in, not wanting even more stress.

Kaeya agrees, quietly slipping out the door. Charles is told to escort him away, an act which may have varying success.

Either way, you sat in front of Diluc, not sure what exactly to say to him.

“I’m tired, Diluc. I’m tired of this. I can’t put up with-“

“I’m sorry.” He blurts out, interrupting you. “Please, hear me out.”

“I’m not going to remember-“

“Then I’ll tell you again when you will.” He leans over the counter, not wanting to be apart from you. He calls your name again, as if to hold your attention, “Can we talk about this?”

“I think we talked about this already.” You groan. “Yesterday, plenty of yelling. The Maids and guards can confirm.”

Diluc takes a long breath out. You lift the glass of water and take an even longer sip.

Maybe the barrier of the counter between you made you feel better. But, as tears sprung to your eyes, you felt so, so much worse.

“Do you hate me?” You ask, your voice squeaking. “Do you want to break up with me.”

“No, Y/N.” He reaches for your hands, but you had pushed your stool too far away from him beforehand that he couldn’t. He circles around the bar and gently grabs both of your hands, soft enough in his hold for you to be able to pull away. “Don’t ever say that. I love you.”

“Then, why?” You sob, turning your face away from him, hands still in his. “Why did you yell at me? Why wouldn’t you talk to me this morning?”

“I…“ Diluc stops himself, taking a deep breath. “I was angry. We were both angry.” He shifts, pulling out a stool and sitting in front of you. “I wasn’t acting rationally.”

“When you said you wanted to talk this morning, what were you going to say?”

Diluc hesitates, gripping your hands just a little bit harder. “I was going to ask… I was going to ask if you were happy.” He admitted, quietly. “But I can’t do that. I can’t put you through that.”

You tug him toward you, pulling his hands close to your face. “Why would you say that? I love you.” You sob into his soft skin.

He takes his hands away from your gently, slipping them around your waist and pulling you close to him, into his lap. He tightens his grip. “I’m sorry.” He repeats. “I’m so sorry. I never want you to cry.” He feels his heartbeat heavily in his chest, a distraught washing over him. “Don’t ever destroy yourself like this again.” He runs a hand over your back.

You don’t say anything. You’re way too drunk for many more coherent thoughts to pass your lips. You lift your head and plant a soft kiss on his cheek, and he softly kisses your forehead, pulling you back to his chest so that you don’t try to kiss him anymore - He wasn’t about to let that happen, you were far too drunk.

Diluc was ashamed of his thoughts. His guilt, rising only when he saw you in the present company of his brother, showing affection and finding comfort anywhere except for him. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, nor to you, but as you cried into his shoulder, he couldn’t help the wave of disappointment in himself that washed over. Why could he never be there for the people who needed him most?

“Come on, finish your water, let’s get you home.” He insists, though he holds you tightly still until you stir.

You take the water, sipping it with a slight indignance. He would have to apologize to you again in the morning, but he would do anything to get you to trust him again.

(Part 2 here)

[scarisd3ad]

𝗙𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴? || 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝘅 𝗳𝗲𝗺!𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿!𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝘁 𝟮

Pt 1 told ya I’d make a part two probably gonna make this a full length fanfic like red where it starts at season one. I might also make oneshots with Michele, liv, Steve, hopper, and el! Let me know if that would be somthing you guys would want!

Part one! Masterlist! Request box!

Steve and I had been ‘dating’ for a week and a half, everything had been going good. Everyone believed we were dating.

I sat on Steve’s lap at our normal lunch table, Liv, and Michele sat in front of us. I had a lunch tray in front of me that I never really bothered to touch so Steve would pick off of it from time to time. “Mick what’d you get on the math test?” I asked “a, c my dads gonna beat my ass! what about you?” she groaned as she popped a cherry tomato into her mouth.

“B” I replied “shit you’ve gotta tutor me hopper” she said. I rolled my eyes, I hated being called by my last name. Everyone called my dad by our last name I wanted to be my own person not just chief Jim hoppers daughter.

“You comin over tonight?” I asked turning my head back a bit to make eye contact with Steve. “Mhm” he nodded. El had taken a liking to Steve, most of the time when Steve came over he sat in front of the tv with el explaining the cartoons that were playing on the tv. “Ooo..he’s coming over?” Michele asked wiggling her eyebrows mockingly “shut up mick you’re so dirty minded” I scoffed “oh come on, it’s not like you two aren’t all over each other here” she said rolling her eyes. “You’re an idiot mick” I replied.

Steve pulled up to my house both of us getting out. I dug around in my pocket until I found my house key. I unlocked the front door and opened it. As the door slowly opened I could see El sitting in front of the tv. As the door creaked her head snapped towards us. “Y/n!” She exclaimed.

She must’ve gotten rather bored while dad was at work and I was at a school. Steve and I both walked into the house. Steve walked over to the couch and sat down with el while I went into our room to drop my bag. I walked back into the living room to see Steve explaining a tv show to el.

“Yeah the cat chases the mouse but he never catches the mouse” Steve explained “isn’t that kind of…stupid?” El asked “yeah kinda but I entertains kids” Steve replied. I fell back onto the couch beside Steve. His arm instantly wrapped around my shoulder. “We don’t have to pretend here” I whispered, he shook his head and kept his arm around me.

“Y/n?” El asked turning her head towards me “Hm?” I hummed “I’m hungry” she replied. I nodded and instantly got up. Steve trailed behind me like a lost puppy. “Steve you don’t gotta follow me everywhere” I laughed “I wanna help” he replied. “Making a couple egos don’t take much help” I giggled as I grabbed the box out of the freezer and walked over to the counter.

Steves arms wrapped around my waiste making my eyes widen and my face to flush. Why was he making this so hard! He was all over me at school and now he’s all over me at my house, in the privacy of my own house! It’s not like el cared she doesn’t even know the basics of a relationship let alone what people do in a romantic one.

“Steve? Why are you doing this?” I asked pulling a few waffles out of the box and putting them in the toaster. “Doing what?” He asked I could feel the smirk on his lips against my neck. “No one’s here we don’t have to pretend” I said my cheeks flushing red. “What if I don’t want to pretend anymore?” His voice low in almost a whisper tone.

“W..what do you mean?” I stuttered. He quickly turned me around towards him “I don’t want to pretend anymore y/n/n. I’m in love with you” he said trying to press his lips to mine. I quickly pushed him away. What was he doing? He’s going to ruin all his chances of getting back with Nancy! His eyebrows furrowed together, a frown now also on his face.

“What is it baby? Do you not like me like that?” He asked I shook my head “no, no I do I really do…but what..what about Nancy I thought..I thought you wanted to be with her” I said quietly. He placed his hand on my cheek caressing it “I did but I think I’ve found something a bit better” he said smiling sweetly down at me. “Really?” I asked my cheeks flushing red, “yeah, can I kiss you?” He asked.

I nodded and he dove down pressing a long passionate kiss onto my lips. The sound of the waffles popping up in the toaster. We both pulled away, Steve groaned as I turned around and grabbed up the waffles and placing them on a plate. “El!” I shouted, I grabbed Steve’s hand as I walked back into the living room.

I handed El her plate, her eyes never leaving the tv. “Steve and I are going in the room okay” i said leading Steve into El and I’s room. I stood at the door contemplating if I was going to follow the rules. Fuck it, he wasn’t home yet he wouldn’t be home for a good amount of time. I shut the door all the way before turning back around towards Steve. He smiled as he pulled me back into a kiss. I parted the kiss “so are we actually together?” I asked he smiled “do you wanna be my girlfriend?” He asked, his hand on my cheek caressing it.

“Yes” I said quietly, he smiled before pulled me back into a kiss. Steve pulled me down onto my bed, sitting me on his lap. His lips slowly trailed down to my neck where he sucked and bit until he was satisfied.

My fingers raked through his hair. “I love you” he moaned into my neck. We quickly pulled apart when we heard my dads car pull up. “Shit!” I muttered as I quickly got off of Steve lap examining my neck. “Steve!” I shouted as I ran my fingers over the very obvious hickey on my neck.

“Just do this…” he said fixing my hair just enough to hide the hickey. “Y/n?!” I head the front door open, “let’s go let’s go” I grabbed his hand and quickly walked out of my room. “Why was the door closed?” He asked his eyebrows furrowed together “I..um it must’ve closed on its own…own..sorry” I stammered. “Mkay..” dad raised his eyebrows as he looked both Steve and I up and down.

“What is he doing here?” Dad asked, “I..we were doing homework” I said fidgeting with Steve’s hand. “Okay well Um keep the door open” he said as he slumped down onto the couch next to el. “How was your day kid?” He asked El as she simply shrugged and stuffed a ego into her mouth. Dad sighed as he ran his hands through his hair.

“God dammit” he groaned. Steve led me back into my room, I made sure to leave the door open atleast three inches. Steve pulled me down onto my bed again. He pressed his lips to mine again. The kiss slowly got more heated. His hands ran up my shirt, letting his hand rest on my boob “hey!” My dad shouted making Steve and I quickly jump apart. “Leave, you need to leave!” My dad shouted as he flung open the door. “Dad..it wasn’t what it was looked like” I said my face turning a bright red. My dad just caught me making out with my boyfriend, who wouldn’t be embarrassed.

“No! Fuck this shit, get out of my house!” Steve nodded quickly before running out. “Grounded you are grounded do you understand that?!” My dad shouted “dad! This is unfair!” I cried out “you’re grounded! Do you understand that, that means no, phone!” He grabbed up the phone that sat on my bedside table unplugging it. “No tv, you come straight home after school, and you’re not aloud to see him anymore!” He shouted.

“I hate you! You’re ruining my life!” I shouted as I tried pushing him out of the room. “No, no! We’re gonna talk about this!” He said stopping me from pushing him out of the room. “No! I don’t want to talk to you! You’re an asshole, I hate you!” I said tears welling up in my eyes.

“I hate you! I hate you! Get out!” I cried, his face softened as he saw me crying. He started to back up, I never really cried. I think the last times I genuinely cried was when Sara died, and when mom left. He quickly backed off leaving to go back to his spot on the couch. “Dammit!” I heard him shout then somthing thud as it hit the floor. I fell down onto my bed broken sobs falling from my lips. Somehow I fell asleep, when I woke up El was already in bed and it was dark out. I slowly got up and started towards my door, when I heard my dad speaking to someone on the phone I cracked the door open just enough to see him.

“She hates me now” he sighed “I just it hasn’t been the same since you know Sara, and her mom leaving. I don’t know…I just don’t wanna ruin our relationship” he said a sob falling from his lips “I just fuck don’t want her to hate me. She’s all I have left I can’t lose her too” he cried.

“Yeah..yeah I’ll try. I’ll talk to you later Joyce” he said before hanging up the phone. He sighed as he walked back over to the couch and sat back down. “God dammit” he mumbled, “dad?” I said as I walked out of the room. His head snapped back towards me, I sat down next to him. He was upset because of me, it was all my fault.

“I’m sorry dad” I mumbled I mumbled leaning into his side as tears welled up into my eyes. His arm wrapped around my shoulder pulling me closer to him. He silently sobbed as I leaned into his chest also crying. “I love you so much you know that right?” He said pressing a kiss on top of my head “I love you too” I replied.

“I know you’re a teenager now and you want more freedom, I know I can be a little overbearing at times, I’m sorry” he said. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, you’re all I have left I don’t want you to see your all torn up because of a boy” he added. I grabbed his hand “we’ve gone through to much to let a teenage boy tear us apart” i said “yeah we have” dad sighed. “Soo..am I still grounded?” I asked praying I wasn’t. Dad rolled his eyes and chuckled “no you aren’t” I sighed relieved I was suppose to go to micks for a sleepover on Friday and I couldn’t miss it again.

“Can I still see Steve?” I asked, “yes…but you’re not aloud at his house alone” I nodded. “I love you dad” I said leaning my jeans onto his shoulder “I love you too y/n/n”

I woke up the next day and everything was back to normal, I could hear the sizzle of the pan in the kitchen. El was still asleep well until my alarm clock started to scream at me to wake up. Her eyes slowly blinked open. After a few seconds of her just laying there she sat up. “Halloween?” She asked I nodded “Yep today’s Halloween” I laughed. She slowly stood up and sat on my bed. “You and hop were mad at each other last night?” She asked I nodded “yeah but we figured it out” I replied.

I sat at the kitchen table, watching dad cook breakfast. “She’s just a kid” I sighed leaning back into my chair “yes I know that but shes different y/n” he replied flipping the French toast in the pan. I watched as el snuck up behind him a sheet over her head. “Oh Jesus!” He jumped as he turned his head back “ghost” she said “yeah I see that” he said grabbing the pan up and setting it on the counter.

“Halloween”

“Sure isss” he said placing a piece of French toast on each plate. “But right now it’s breakfast. Okay?” He said placing the pan, and spatula in the sink. “Come on let’s eat” he grabbed up three plates. “They wouldn’t see me” she said. Dads eyebrows furrowed together “who wouldn’t see you?” He asked as he started towards the table “the bad men” she replied “what are you talking about?” He asked as he placed each plate on the table.

“Trick..or..treat” the poor girl just wanted to be a normal kid “you wanna go trick or treating?” They both stayed silent for a few seconds before he shook his head “you know the rules” he said as he stood up. “Yes but..” he grabbed her by her shoulder trying to get her to the table “yes so you know the answer” he said.

“No..but..I..they wouldn’t see me”

“Hey! I don’t care!” He kneeled down in front of her “I don’t care” his two hands placed on her shoulders. “Alright? You go out there ghost or not it’s a risk we don’t take risks, alright? They’re stupid. And?” He said taking both hands off her shoulders “we are not stupid” she spat. If you wanted my opinion I think he’s too harsh on her.

She was barely twelve and lived in a lab her whole life, she just wanted to see the world, and when she did she got tooken right back up and was now stuck in a stupid old cabin. “Exactly now you take that off and sit down and eat” he said before walking back over to they table. “You’re foods getting cold” he said, she ripped the cloth off before sitting down a frown on her face. I felt bad for her. Dad poured a bit of syrup on his and her food.

He sighed letting his head sit in his hands. “Alright look, how bout I get off early tonight and I buy us a bunch of candy and we can sit around and get fat, and we can watch a scary movie together” he sighed. “How’s that for a compromise?” He asked, het eyebrows knitted together in confusion “co..compromise?” She asked “c..o..m promise..compromise” she just stared at him “how bout that’s your word for the day? Yeah? It’s something like it’s kids in between it’s like halfway happy” he explained.

“By five one five?” She asked “five fifteen” he corrected “yeah sure” he nodded. “Promise?” He leaned closer setting his elbows on the table (which my mom always hated) “yes….I promise” he said quietly “halfway happy” she said shrugging her shoulders before digging into her food. He leaned his hand over before ruffling her short hair making her giggle. “Eat y/n” he said, I shook my head, “come on y/n you’ve gotta eat something honey” he said softly. I wasn’t normally hungry in the morning, well i wasn’t normally hungry at all but that was something we could get into another day.

“I’m not hungry” I mumbled. “Can I have it?” El asked I was about to nod when dad said “no, y/n did you eat any last night?” I shook my head “come on y/n/n you’ve gotta eat something, just one bit hun” he said. I groaned before cutting a tiny sliver off and popping it into my mouth.

“I’ll drive you” dad said grabbing up his keys before walking out the door. “Lock the door” dad said as we walked out the door. We both got into his car and he started it up “here” he placed a few bills into my hand “buy something for lunch please you need to eat” he said I nodded. Mom always said boys only like skinny girl I guess I always kinda took that to heart.

We pulled up to the school, “bye honey I love you” he said as I stared to get out of the car “I love you too dad” I said as I walked up to the school. I waited till dads car drove off before walking up to mick. “Here” I said handing her the money “thanks!” She smiled. Mick always took the money no questions asked that’s what I liked about her she didn’t worry much about me. “Let’s go! I heard harrington’s looking for you” she said wrapping her arm around my shoulder as we walking into the building. We both walked up to my locker where we saw Steve waiting. His eyes lit up when he saw me “I was so worried!” He said wrapping his arms around me. I giggled as he pressed a kiss to my lips this time it was real not just because everyone was here.

[wonlouvre]

hello!! can i request a fwb!wonwoo + angst to fluff 🥺 thank u

start | j. ww.

pairing: race car driver wonwoo x g.n. reader genre: fluff, angst if you squint, also 18+ (some sexual themes, mentions) warnings: couple’s arrangement is FWB, but nothing explicit, accident, injury mentions of sex (please tell me if i missed anything!) word count: 1.5k+ (i have no regrets)

💌: hi anon! thank you so much for requesting <3 this is not as explicitly fwb and angsty and i’m so sorry :((( i hope you still like it tho! i actually thought of developing this into a oneshot someday-ish. who knows? tell me what you think!

It’s no secret that you frequent Jeon Wonwoo’s office a lot. It’s also no secret that something bloomed the first time you introduced yourself to him after he won the race hosted by his very own racing track. You’re interested in cars as much as you are interested in the youngest owner of the most coveted luxurious cars in the world. You own yourself a few. Some you have purchased from him and some he has given himself for free in exchange for the special arrangement that the two of you have.

The attraction was quick but it took quite a while for the two of you to give in. Being professional business partners and all. But along the way, the two of you reached an agreement. An agreement that you thought would only last for about two months tops and yet here you are, eight months later, still running to his arms. You know Wonwoo is no different. 

“Hi Woozi. How’s my favorite racer doing?” You greet Wonwoo’s friend lounging outside the closed doors of the office you’re supposed to be visiting.

“If you’re here to visit your man, there’s a line,” Woozi deadpans as he boringly flips through the magazine with his fingers. “I’m supposed to be practicing with Wonwoo right now but he seems to be caught with something, someone that isn’t you.”

You didn’t fail to catch Woozi’s disdain and that only makes you giggle. You sit on the opposite side of the center table, placing your Prada purse beside your hip as you cross your legs. You feign ignorance on his “your man” remark but the term “someone” fuels your jealousy. Of course, you will never admit that to him. 

“It’s an admirer,” you say and grab yourself a magazine to skim through. Might as well entertain yourself if you’re indeed going to wait. It’s unbelievable. You keep in mind to avenge your wasted time in the bedroom with Wonwoo. “Been doing a lot of visiting on behalf of they’re old father who has no single interest in race cars.” 

Woozi frowns at the information. “How do you know that?”

You look up from the latest issue of racer weekly and blink up at him before pursing your lips. “I saw their car parked in my supposed parking spot. Plus, they send an awful lot of gifts that Wonwoo just gives away to his staff. Gifts are a normal exchange between potential business partners, but it’s not when said business partner always leaves love notes.”

“And, you’re not bothered at all?” Woozi finally asks the question you know he’s been dying to ask. 

You smirk and return the magazine to the table. Then, you pick your bag up as you stand to your feet. “Of course I am bothered. I could be with Wonwoo right now, at this moment, but they’re holding me up and I don’t like that.”

You fix your hair and skirt before strutting to the huge doors and opening them without knocking. Wonwoo is not surprised to see you but you can tell he’s relieved with the way he’s smiling at you. On the other hand, his visitor doesn’t appreciate you barging in like that. They’re resentment is pretty obvious with how they’re glaring at you. 

But it doesn’t matter. They don’t matter as you walk to the man you’re here for. 

“Woozi is waiting for you,” you cheekily say before rounding straight to his executive table to give his cheek a smooch, your red lipstick leaving a mark. You gingerly wipe it with your thumb while he just keeps smiling, looking up to you. “I wanted to stop by to invite you for lunch, but it looks like you’re busy.”

Wonwoo shakes his head and holds your hip and stands up from his chair. “No, I’m good. They’re just about to leave.”

The other person in the room panics. “But I wasn’t done explaining—.”

“My team will review your proposal and we’ll get back to you if they deem it beneficial for our company,” Wonwoo bids farewell and holds your hand to his. “My assistant will escort you outside. Thank you for your time.”

Wonwoo didn’t give them the chance to say anything else because he’s already leading you outside to meet Woozi who’s been waiting for him. You also didn’t have the chance to say your goodbyes to them because the toned arm around your waist and deep voice against your ear is enough to distract you. 

“They were cute,” you make a point to mention the culprit behind your stolen parking spot when you finally get the chance to sit down at Wonwoo’s favorite restaurant. “I think this is the third time I saw them at your office this week.”

Wonwoo gives your orders to the waiter without the need to ask what you fancy because he already knows. When the order is set, he returns his attention to you and flashes his signature smile that makes your legs grow weak. “Why? Are you jealous?”

“No, no,” you’re quick to answer before sipping on the lukewarm water you requested. “Just annoyed that during the three times I saw them, they have also taken it upon themselves to just park at my spot.” 

Wonwoo chuckles and opens his palms on the table, seeking your hand to hold halfway. You roll your eyes, but you don’t hesitate to grant him access to your ring clad hand (the ring was a gift from him and you haven’t taken it off ever since you received it). His phone suddenly dings! and you know it’s Woozi grilling him for not keeping to his end and practicing with him. 

You let Wonwoo cater to his friend’s needs all the while letting his other hand caress yours, his fingers digging on the silver band once in a while. Your heart and mind can’t help but get confused about where you stand with him because of gestures like this. 

At some point, you’re supposed to end this, right? Whatever this may be. But the real question is, do you want to end this with Wonwoo? This happiness, this warmth, this comfort, this lov—.

You step on the brakes before you could continue and blink away the daze you were stuck on for a moment. Wonwoo must have noticed you flinch because he drops his phone back on the table, eyes full of concern directed towards you.

“Are you okay?”

You force a smile. “Never better.”

It’s not less than three days later when you receive a call from Wonwoo’s assistant, voice frantically shaking as they inform you about what happened. 

To your horror, Wonwoo got injured in an accident while performing practice laps with his friends. 

You own race cars but you never thought you would be driving one beyond your usual speed limit because the stupid boy you’re in love with got in an accident. There, you admit it. You’re in love with Jeon Wonwoo not only because of his stroke game, abs, broad shoulders and deep voice among many perfect features of his.

You’re in love with him because he makes today's you look forward to tomorrow’s him. 

You try to calm your heart that’s been beating so fast because of the adrenaline and anger that’s coursing through your blood right now. Wonwoo better make sure he’s not badly injured, otherwise you would throw your hands at him yourself. 

A cut on his forehead, lips and nose. 

And a dislocated shoulder as cherry on top. 

You couldn’t mask your disappointment when you saw Wonwoo getting checked on for the last time by the doctor in charge. You grimace when you hear him groan as they place the sling on him. What do you even do with this boy?

When everyone else is gone and it’s only the two of you left, your disappointment and anger vanishes the moment he calls you.

“Hi baby.”

Your tense shoulder loosens and your legs quickly run towards him (carefully). 

“I hope you know that I hate you right now,” you say without meaning them anyway. 

Wonwoo has the energy to giggle and tug at your hand to sit beside him. He leans his head near your chest, a habit he’s been doing whenever he wants you to coddle him. Carefully and gently, you hold his head and caress his greasy locks. You’re sure it’s going to be a struggle to help him shower in the coming days. 

“Did you see your parking spot?” Wonwoo suddenly mumbles. 

“Why are you bringing that up now?” You frown. 

“I put your plate number on the wall so that no one can take the spot.” 

“Wonwoo!” 

“Baby,” he whines. “Not so loud.”

“Why would you do that?” You hiss. 

“Because I love you?” Wonwoo answers, his soft kitten eyes gazing up at you. 

You gulp and look away, trying not to smile at what he just said. 

“I was supposed to make a romantic confession over the weekend,” Wonwoo says, making you look back at him. “We’re gonna have to postpone, I guess.”

“You’re an idiot,” you whisper before pressing your lips against his smiling ones. “But, I love you too.”

“Does that mean you’ll be staying over my place until this shoulder is back to normal?” Wonwoo pleads, lips moving against yours. 

Your eyes glimmer with mischief. “Yes and that also means no sex until then.”

“Wait, what? No!”

There’s still a lot of talking to do and a lot of changes to happen. But for now, you’re just glad that today’s Wonwoo is alright.