#i need her to be here to help me before the spark gets lit and i'm the one dealing with the fire

[kiiiiiim]

Trying to get my boss to realize that no, I don't need her to hire more people withno experience for me to train, I need. My boss. To be at work.

[weasleyreidstyles]

Serendipity; Invisible String

series masterlist

i was going to include this in chapter seventeen to break up the angst a bit...but then i thought i'd just do it as its own separate piece so that they have a chance to explore their love without there being as much (because i couldn't help myself) angst overshadowing this pivotal moment for meadow and matty....there is also an important (not very subtle) easter egg regarding the storyline that will be delved into in a later chapter....anyway this takes place between chapter 16 & 17 xxx

warning: 18+ content, fingering, piv, soft smut, declarations of loooove!!

~∞~

After the Order members had left, with plans of meeting privately to discuss Professor Dumbledore's funeral and what they were supposed to do in the wake of the harrowing battle, Madam Pomfrey had made her way over to you to check on the wounds that littered your abdomen, and with a flick of her wand, they became faint lines of jagged silver as they scarred over. Shortly after that, she'd declared you okay and insisted that you get some rest in a proper bed. It was probably also to make space for the students, part of Dumbledore's Army, who had also been injured in the battle.

You and Mattheo left shortly after that, but not before Ron came up to you and wrapped you in a hug, tears leaking from his dull blue eyes. No words were needed, you knew what his actions meant. You held him tighter, even as his parents beckoned him to his brother's bed.

The castle halls are eerily silent as you walk hand in hand with Mattheo. Even the portraits don't stir at the harsh glow of his lit wand, as if they were grieving for the loss of Dumbledore in their own way. The two of you are the only disturbance in the still atmosphere, your soft breathes and light footsteps echoing loudly on the stone floor.

Neither of you had wanted to venture near the Astronomy tower again, afraid that the sight of the now spotless hallways would spark harsh reminders of the bloodshed and carnage that had swept through them like a petulant disease only hours before. So wordlessly, Mattheo had begun leading you towards the dungeons, his body heat sheltering you from the chilly bite in the air.

The Slytherin common room was mysteriously desolate when you entered behind him. Not a soul to be found under the dim glow of the Black Lake's murky waters; only the sound of the crackling fire in the hearth and the gentle ripple of the current against the windows could be heard over your mingling breathes.

"Where is everyone?" You ask, cringing instantly as your voice becomes agonisingly loud in the silence, despite your words being spoken with quiet cadence.

"In bed I assume, or gone." Mattheo responded with a low rasp. "It wouldn't surprise me if news has already spread and parents are collecting their children to return home."

You respond with a soft "oh", as you follow him up the stairs to his dorm.

"Draco's gone." He continued as he unlocked the dark oak door leading to his dorm. "So are Blaise and Pansy. Enzo and Theo are still here, but they'll leave soon too."

"Why didn't you tell me anything before? I deserved to know that my friendships started out as a means to an end." You ask him as you enter his room. He's silent as he observes you from the threshold, brows creased in thought.

"I would've told you eventually. There was never a good enough time though. And it wasn't a means to an end, love." Your about to retort but he continues as if you hadn't opened your mouth to speak. "It felt like the right thing to do, to tell you when I did."

"To gain The Order's trust?" You ask, running a hand through your hair.

"Exactly. Though I doubt it's done much to sway them."

"What happens now?" You ask hesitantly, reaching and squeezing his hand.

Mattheo gently guides you to where his bed sits in the corner of his room, allowing you to find a comfortable position before he finds his own one behind you. He pulls your back to rest snugly against his chest, cradling your body to his own with strong, protecting arms as your heartbeats synced as one.

"I don't know, darling. But we'll face it together." He says as he presses a soft kiss to the crown of your head. The two of you rest in stagnant silence, unsure of what tonight's happenings meant for the world as you knew it.

~∞~

A little while later, you turn to face him, restless anxiety clawing at your insides. Mattheo's curly, deep brunette hair has fallen haphazardly across his forehead and his onyx eyes, framed by glorious lashes, shine bright, despite all that they had witnessed in the past few hours. He has a soft smile painting his face as he admires you in tandem, although you can see his poorly hidden concern for you reflecting behind the tenderness. Each breath you take, he mirrors and your racing heart slows to a relaxing lull in your ears. Unhurriedly, you bring a hand up to his face and brush the loose curls away from his eyes, a tender look overtaking your fatigue.

"I meant what I said in the ward." He mumbles, voice betraying how exhausted he was, too.

"Yeah?" You ask, your smile widening imperceptibly. You fingers caress his face with featherlight strokes as you trace the freckles and scars that are scattered across his cheeks. Your eyes are now alight with teasing mischief as if daring him to say the words aloud, all sense of tiredness having left your face in the wake of it.

"Yes, Meadow." He responds with a quiet snicker as he pokes your side. His eyes glow with serene happiness as he watches you squirm and giggle, watches the despondency leave your pretty face. "Did you ever take me for a liar, sweetheart?"

"No." You say breathlessly as he continues to stroke at your trouser covered hips. "Never."

I want to hear you say it. You implore wordlessly. Please.

He kisses you then. It's not hard and rough and passionate like his caresses always are. Instead, it's soft and slow and entirely all consuming, like the very first time, but infinitely better. Every emotion he's ever felt for you coarses through your veins as his tongue clashes against your's.

"I love you." He says breathless and low against your lips. You kiss him with a newfound fervour, pouring your every thought and every emotion, intertwining your soul with his. Your magic practically explodes around you, casting a warm indigo glow about the dorm room, illuminating his features; guiding shadows in a dance across his face.

He looks at you in awe as you both admire the way his own magic seems to tangle seemlessly with it. Whorls of indigo and silver flicker in pretty patterns that seem to pour out around you like a smattering of a million tiny stars.

My incredible, smart girl. He tells you with a wide smile on his face as he looks at you, admiringly. You flush under his intense stare.

You undress each other with practiced fluidity until you are both blissfully nude; no barriers separating you from the other, all vulnerabilities splayed out in the open. He rolls on top of you and presses your hands above your head with one of his as his other trails lightly down your stomach, tracing the new lines of scars which seem to twinkle under the faux starlight. He presses soft kisses to the marred skin, words of love and adoration melting into you as he presses away the new insecurities without even trying.

He eventually works one finger, and then two inside you as his thumb strokes idle patterns against your clit. You mewl at his practiced ministrations as he fingers you, slow and rough, in the way he knows you love, despite never having said it out loud before.

The noises you make bring a delighted smirk to his pretty lips and he speeds up his movements almost unnoticeably to bring you close to release; teasing you through one orgasm before letting a second rush through you, all while drinking in every sound; every expression that you let overcome your flushed face.

It feels like an eternity later that he finally sheathes himself inside you, every ridge of his cock brushing sensually against your most sensitive spots as he sets a leisurely pace – starting slowly before he finds a particular rhythm that has the both of you moaning in unison. His arms are braced at either side of your head, careful not to snag on your hair which is haphazardly fanning out on the pillow beneath your head. The muscles in his biceps flex with every push and pull of his body, his core tense with the exertion of making you feel like you're walking on clouds.

Your own hands are on a journey of their own, travelling along the defined muscles of his abdomen and across his strong hips, until a particularly deep thrust from Mattheo causes you to claw at the soft skin of his back, willing him to come closer to you. The scars that litter his skin are blissfully joined by marks of your making, marks that he wishes could stay there forever in place of the others.

Where he's left love bites on your skin, you eagerly return the favour as best as you're able. Leaving deep purple marks across his chest and clavicle with your kiss-swollen lips that happily migrate from his body to his own lips as much as possible.

"I love you." You whisper against him and he lets out a barely restrained groan as he thrusts even harder into you at your admission. Satisfaction thrummed through his veins at the whiny sound you let out in response.

"Say that again." He says, pressing hard kisses to your chest, leaving more delicious marks in his wake.

"I love you, Mattheo Riddle." You repeat, a moan catching in your throat as you begin to reach your peak for a third time. "You have my whole heart. Break it. Crush it. Decimate it. Do what you must, but please know that it's yours. It will always be yours. I love you."

The both of you are pushed over the edge at that, clinging to eachother's bodies, which are slick with sweat. The euphoria causes your intertwining magic to surge around you again, and you both feel how it sparks at your very souls, the feeling never ceasing, only growing as you allow your love to manifest and flourish like its very own entity.

Neither of you want the intoxicating feeling to end, content in basking in the sensation, if only to prolong the immense amount of love that radiates from your magical cores.

"I love you, darling." He mumbles into the skin of your shoulder, exhausted and spent, breathing in the scent of you; the soft floral hint of your perfume that seems to linger despite the raging battle you'd been in and the musky scent of the sweat that clings to your skin.

You press a kiss to his own shoulder as his body flops to land beside your's on top of ruffled emerald sheets. Your interwoven magic still permeates the air, seemingly in no hurry to dissipate any time soon and you can feel it, along with Mattheo's deep in your chest. By the look on his face, he's feeling its affects too.

"That was–" You mumble with a breathless giggle, fingers trailing patterns across his marked skin.

"All consuming." He agrees with a lethargic chuckle of his own before he's pulling your body into his again, magically rearranging the sheets so that the two of you are modestly covered.

"Can you feel something-" You start, but are unable to put this new sensation into words as he gazes down at you with soft eyes. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Different? Like my magic isn't entirely my own anymore?" He wonders aloud and you find that he's voiced your exact feelings.

"Yeah. Precisely like that, actually." You say. "It's like I've unconsciously absorbed your magic again. I'm sorry-"

His lips against your's prevent your apology from fully forming and he's looking at you with such a tender expression that makes you melt.

"I'm not sure it is your siphoning, love. It's different. I can feel your's too." He says with lightly furrowed brows.

"How strange." You mumble, a yawn escaping your lips. Mattheo manoeuvres you so that you're practically chest to chest as he lies on his back, letting your aching nipples brush against his strong pecks as he wraps his arms around you.

You breathe out a content sigh that causes a shudder to rush through him as it ghosts over the sensitive skin of his neck. The impact of your shared love and intertwining cores feels like a supernova swirling inside you.

The fate of the wizarding world, and your own fate, is a haze of unknown territory, but you were entirely certain of one thing; Mattheo held your heart in his hands, and he had no intention of ever letting it go.

~∞~

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@whatsupb18

[brittanymoura]

her smile

azriel x reader

summary: Y/N is having a rough time, Azriel doesn’t know how to help her... until he does (angst, friends to lovers, Archeron!reader).

word count: 3k

warnings: grief, despair

a/n: I swear I have not abandoned ‘the heir & the emissary’. I’ve been going through some personal stuff lately and haven’t had it in me to write lately until this idea sparked my inspiration. I’ll be getting back to that story soon.

————

The corners of his mouth ticked up as he looked around the room and saw nothing but smiles. It was a cold night in Velaris and the inner circle was gathered at the townhouse enjoying a relaxing night together, filled with liquor and laughter. It had become increasingly rare that everyone was able to get together like this.

“I can’t believe Y/N’s finally coming home tomorrow. Definitely wasn’t expecting her mission to keep her away for so long.” Mor stated, gaining the rooms full attention.

“It’ll be awesome to have her back, it’s been a bit lonely without my partner in crime. I’m excited.” Cassian exclaimed, “though probably not quite as excited as Az.” A smirk overtook his face as he turned toward his brother.

Azriel scoffed, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, but was ultimately unable to keep the smile from spreading across his face.

He had missed her terribly. He missed her infectious laughter, her shining eyes and the way she never failed to make him feel seen. But most of all, he missed her bright smile. The one she saved just for him. The kind of smile that lit up a room and always reached her eyes. It never failed to make his heart flutter. From the moment he met her, the eldest Archeron sister had whittled her way into his heart and had quickly become his closest confidant. The two had become inseparable and the way she so easily slipped into the empty spaces of his life, making him finally feel whole, never ceased to amaze him. Despite the trauma she had suffered, she always remained the bright sunshine capable of lighting up his dark world.

“Yes, well none of us expected the clean up efforts to go on for quite so long,” Rhys handed a freshly filled glass to Azriel as he took a seat on the couch beside him, pulling Feyre into his lap. “When I originally asked her to lend her gifts to aid those in need, I only thought she’d be gone a few weeks. Certainly not a few months.”

Before anyone else could speak on the topic, the air seemed to ripple around them and Lucien stepped out of nothingness. He wore an uncharacteristically grim expression and his hair seemed disheveled, as though he has been nervously running his fingers through it. Azriel was immediately on edge.

“I’m glad you’re all here because I need to talk to you,” he stated.

“Lucien. What brings you here tonight? I thought you were meant to be picking up Y/N?” Rhys raised one brown in question.

“That’s what I need to talk to you about. She’s-” Lucien set out a long sigh. He turned to the cabinet and pulled out a glass, quickly popping open the nearest bottle and filling the it. “She’s… well I’m not really sure how to explain it.”

“Okay, you seem stressed. Take a breath and then tell us what has you so bothered. Is Y/N okay?” Feyre sat up in Rhys’ lap, the tension of the room beginning to escalate. Her oldest sister has always been her anchor, keeping her grounded. Through thick and thin, any problem Feyre had she always knew Y/N would be there to help her through it. For as close as Nesta and Elain had been, her and Y/N had been thick as thieves.

“Physically? Yes. Mentally? Not even close.” Lucien exhaled and his shouldered sagged.

Azriel sat up straighter, his shadows beginning to move around him in an agitated fashion. His heart rate picked up and sweat started to gather on his palms. “What do you mean?” He asked, voice rougher than usual.

“I had gone there tonight with the intention of helping her gather her belongings and prepare for the trip home but I barely even made it through the door when the head healer pulled me aside. She said Y/N’s healing had some… unforeseen side effects. Essentially, from what she could gather, every time Y/N uses her energy to heal, she absorbs the energy of those around her to create a balance. In normal circumstances this would probably be fine but doing it in the healers tents of an old battle field… well she’s been surrounded by nothing by grief and death all these months. She’s been taking it all in and now…” His sentence trailed off. He ran is hands through his hair, staring down at his feet.

“And now?” Cassian asked. The room was so quiet even a human could hear a pin drop.

“She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t laugh. She doesn’t really do much of anything but stare off into nothing. And her eyes, Gods, her eyes. They’re so lifeless, it’s like an empty shell of who she was.” Lucien felt a shiver run through him at the thought of her eyes, the way she had looked at him when he saw her for the first time. “I’m going back tomorrow morning to pick her up, but I had to let you all know so you aren’t shocked when you see her.”

Azriel froze, back stiff and eyes wide. His shadows were moving in a frenzy around him. His grip tightened on the glass he was holding as his knuckles turned white. That couldn’t be right.

Nobody spoke, the room a silent stillness. No one knew what to say.

————

The inner circle gathered around the dining room table. A low rumble of conversation consumed them, much more tame than what would usually be expected at a family dinner. The tension could be cut with a knife. Each member sat rigidly in their seat, unsure of what to expect upon her arrival.

Suddenly the sound of the front door opening could be heard reverberating through the house and the soft sound of footsteps followed in its wake. Azriel took a deep breath as his eyes connected with Mor who sat directly across from him. She gave him a tight-lipped smile. His heart was racing and sweat was beading on the back of his neck. His shadows were restless too, swarming him in a fit of nervousness.

Lucien appeared first, a small smile gracing his lips. “Hello everyone,” he stated as he sat down in the empty seat beside Elain. As he sat down, everyone’s eyes moved the body which had been previously hidden behind him. And there she was.

Y/N’s stood in the dining room entry way, straight as a board with her hands clasped behind her back. Her frame appeared thinner than he remembered and even her hair seemed to lack its usual liveliness. But in the end, it was her eyes that caused his heart to clench. They were empty and unseeing, as though she were staring through them.

He stood from his seat, the silent tension beginning to get to him. Nobody spoke. He pulled out the empty seat next to him and the sound caused her head to turn in his direction. Their gazes met and for moment, they simply stared at each other. Then she began to move as she swiftly and silently she settled into the seat beside him. Still, no words were spoken.

“We’re so happy you’re home!” Feyre exclaimed, allowing a large smile to spread across her face. Y/N turned her head in Feyre’s direction but said nothing. No smile graced her lips, no light sparked in her eyes.

Nothing.

“Remember us? Your sisters. You’re not even going to say ‘hello’ to us?” Nesta spoke up, irritation beginning to creep up her spine.

Nothing.

“I missed you Sunshine,” Cassian tried his hand. A warm smile upon his face as he looked at her. “Turns out, these losers aren’t nearly as fun to prank without you there to assist me.”

Nothing.

Azriel simply stared at her. His eyes were locked onto the side of her head as his heart began to fill with dread. His stomach felt as though it had been filled with lead. He reach out and grabbed her hand beneath the table as it sat in her lap.

Please. He begged. Please react. Do something, anything. He prayed to any Gods that may be listening.

Still, nothing.

Cassian looked across the table to his brother and winced. Through all the trials and tribulations they had faced, he had never seen Azriel look as distressed as he did now. His body was stiff with tension and even his shadows were pulled in tight. A pained expression adorned his face and his eyes were wide with horror, tears gathering along his lower lashes. He would not take his eyes off her. Despite all attempts, Y/N remained unmoving, blankly staring at the wooden table before her. All the while, Az steadfastly refused to let go of her hand. He had no idea if she even knew he was there but he hoped that maybe, in some small way, he was providing her some comfort.

————

And that’s how the weeks carried on. No emotions, no speech. Y/N remained as she was, floating through each day like a ghost.

The inner circle got to work.

Each person took turns to dig through archives and books looking for any sign of how to fix it. Rhys reached out to Helion in the hope that maybe, somewhere among his massive library, they would find a solution.

Azriel spent every waking moment he could either sitting beside her and speaking in soft tones or scouring countless books. There had to be an answer, if only he could find it.

Come to my office. Azriel heard his brothers voice in his mind and he let out a small sigh, shutting the book before him. Another waste.

Upon entering Rhys’ office he found both his brothers already seated. They each gave him a small smile as he took a seat beside them. Rhys leaned forward with his arms on his desk and his fingers crossed before him.

“I spoke with Helion about the situation and he believes he understands what is happening. Though we have yet to find a solution.”

Azriel stared across the desk at his brother, silently prompting him to continue.

“He believes that she’s burnt out much of her ability to heal and replaced that empty well with death, despair and grief. It had become such a common occurrence for her, that her body no longer registers those things as separate emotions. Essentially her baseline has been reprogrammed to those feelings.”

“So, she’s feeling grief and despair in a never-ending loop at all moments of the day? To the extent that it’s become her new normal?” Azriel spoke in a voice softer, sadder, than either Rhys or Cassian had ever heard before.

Rhys let out a small sigh, “essentially yes. We don’t have a set solution yet but Helion believes that if we can find a way to help her expel those emotions and surround her with comfort, we may be able to reverse it.”

Azriel’s eyes clenched tightly shut and his head dropped low, supported by his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. He hunched over as his shoulders began to shake violently. Both Cassian and Rhys shot up from their seats and made their way over to their brother. They crouched down beside him on either side and brought comforting hands up to his back.

“She’s always been there for me. When I’m feeling lost and alone she’s alway been able to pull me out of that darkness. This time she needs me and I can’t even help her. I don’t know how to fix this,” Azriel sobbed. “I can feel her withering away. Help me. Please. I don’t know what to do for her.”

His brothers locked eyes over his back and they shared a sad look. They had never heard Azriel beg before, had never heard him plead for help. Not like this.

“We’ll find a way to help her. I promise you, we will not stop until we find a way to make it right,” Rhys swore to him.

————

Surrounding her with love and support was the first plan set in motion. Even still, there was no progress. Mor took her shopping, Nesta brought her to spend time with Gwyn and Emerie. Even Elain tried to get her to garden alongside her. Nothing worked. She sat in silence, eyes blank.

The whole inner circle had once again gathered at the townhouse for another night in. Y/N was settled on the couch with her back pressed against the armrest and her knees pulled up to her chest. Her head was leaning against the back of the couch as she stared silently out the front window. The others were scattered around the living room, some taking part in a rowdy card game and others chatting quietly but Azriel couldn’t focus on anything but her. His eyes never strayed from her form, hoping against all odds that somehow she would respond to anything.

Rhys was sat next to him on the couch adjacent to the one Y/N sat upon. He leaned his head closer to his brother to hear him speak.

“I’m sending Amren to Day court tomorrow in the hopes she can go through some more of the books in the library there. Hopefully we get some good news soon.” Azriel nodded slowly; he wasn’t hopeful. He took another sip of his drink, and allowed himself a moment of calm. A moment to relax. And then it happened.

His shadows exploded out of him at the first sign of his hold on them loosening. He’d been keeping them so tightly wound in an effort to not startle her that as soon as his hold on them slackened they shot out towards her. His shadows swarmed her, covering Y/N completely and sheltering her from the world. He stood up quickly, ready to pull them back into him and apologize for their behavior. Before he could make a move though, he heard a small noise. Everyone went silent.

There it was again. A small, wet noise. A sniffle. Then, a hand shot out from the thick darkness, fingers making a grabbing motion.

“Azriel?” That voice. He knew that voice. His whole body froze, shock taking over him. “Azriel, please.” He moved with swiftness, reaching into the darkness and scooping her up, sitting on the couch and pulling her into his lap. He felt her thin fingers latch onto his shirt, holding on as though he were the only thing tethering her to this world. And then she began to sob. Loud, keening wails escaped her as she buried her face into his neck.

Nobody moved for fear of ruining this moment. It was what she needed, to expel these emotions.

“I-I want to go home,” she pleaded and she had barely even finished her request when they were swallowed up by darkness and carried off into the night.

A moment of silence passed over the group before Mor spoke up. “Where is he taking her? This is her home, she lives here.”

Cassian let out a huff, a little smile resting on his lips. “They’re in his room. She always used to call it home. I’m not sure how I seem to be the only who’s ever noticed but she basically lived in there with him.”

“What? Since when?” Feyre asked.

“For a long time. She always called this the townhouse or just ‘the house’ but his room, she always referred to it as home. From almost the beginning she started staying in there. They’d stay up late into the night talking. And then, slowly, her stuff just started migrating in there. If you don’t believe me, go look in her room. It’s barren.” Cassian smiled, widely this time. It thrilled him to know he’d been the only one observant enough to pick up on this fact.

“Do you think they’re like, together? Is that why he’s been taking this so hard? I just thought they were really close friends.” Feyre asked again, brows furrowing.

“Honestly, darling… I’m pretty positive they’re mates.” Feyre gasped.

“He told you that?!”

“No, not directly… but he didn’t have too. He was upset about the situation the other night and he said he could feel her withering away. I don’t think he even realized he said it, but he told us he could feel her.” And at that, smiles spread across each of their faces. Finally, they thought, the two people who deserved that kind of never ending, all-encompassing love, more than anyone were finally receiving it.

————

Azriel and Y/N reemerged in his bedroom. Silence surrounding them and only the sound of her short gasping breaths filling the space. He kept her tucked against him as he sat back on his bed against the headrest. She sat sideways between his legs, one of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other buried in her hair. He kept her head pressed close to him, his lips against her forehead.

“I’m here, love. I’m here for you.” He murmured against her skin, his eyes falling shut as salty tears ran down his cheeks and dripped off his chin into her hair. This was how they spent the remainder of their night; wrapped up in each other. They clung to each other as though the world might tear them apart at any moment.

“Thank you for being with me. I could hear you there with me, feel you with me, everyday. Not just when you were sitting with me but all the time. I can always feel you, and it helped more than I can ever truly tell you.” She whispered to him. She pulled back from where she had been tucked into the crook of his neck to look at him and felt a hard pull in her chest. And then a resounding snap.

Azriel gasped audibly as he stared down at her, wide eyed. A grin took over his face and he tucked her gently back against him. “I’m so happy I could help you in any small way like you’ve always done for me. And I will continue to be here for you, to love and cherish you always. For however long and any way you’ll have me.” She pulled back from him once more.

And then she smiled at him. Big and bright and stunningly beautiful. She was smiling at him once again.

[chrissfawn]

pillow talk

pairing ;; chris sturniolo x fem!reader

warnings ;; lowercase intended and pet names , its all fluff:3

word count ;; 671

a/n ;; ANYTHING FOR AN A+ IS AT 81 NOTES!! also this will be a bit short, just wanted to finish the day with a small little fic for u guys 🫶 also my requests are open!! sometimes idk what to write so if u guys want me to write smth ill gladly do it <3

pink: you

orange: chris

. . . .

“can you go get me some water baby?” i asked my boyfriend as i turn off the sink from washing my face. “yeah of course.” he answered with a nod. he left the bathroom and went up the stairs to go get a bottle of water for me.

i sighed softly as i opened my skincare bag, grabbing my serum and moisturizer. i twirl the tiny bottle and squeezed the sticky liquid on my cheeks and forehead. i rubbed the serum into my skin gently before i opened the moisturizer. i dipped my pointer finger into the container and spread it onto my face.

once i was finished with my skincare, i left the bathroom and went back into chris’ room. i grabbed the lighter and sparked the vanilla cookie scented candle lit. i smiled gently when the scent immediately began to fill the air. i laid into chris’ bed, my head against his pillow as i waited for him to come back from the kitchen. the candle basically being the only source of light in the room.

soon enough i heard the door open. i turned my head and smiled at chris softly. “alright i got your water.” the brunette boy said as he placed the bottle of water in my hands. “took ya long enough.” i giggle, sitting up and putting a pillow in my lap then clicking open the water bottle. “i was helping matt with something.” he said, laying down on his stomach next to me. i rolled my eyes with a sarcastic nod.

“how was your day with aaliyah?” chris asked while reaching out to hold my hand. “it was alot of fun! we went to gamestop because she wanted to get another twd game since her old cd broke.” i spoke softly, my thumb rubbing his hand. “and then we went to wingstop for lunch, ohh! i also bought you the plushie you wanted.” i continued to ramble about my day. chris’ eyes twinkled and a small smile smeared on his face once i mentioned the plushie. “awh really? is it the bunny one?” he asked me, hugging the pillow underneath him. i nodded as my other hand went down to play around with his loose curls. “mhm! it gets here tomorrow i think.” i claimed.

chris hummed quietly as i started to play with his hair, “you wanna go out for breakfast tomorrow?” he asked me softly, melting into my touch. “always.” i smile as i adjust the way i was laying down. i placed the water bottle on the nightstand and turned back to chris. “can we go to barnes n nobles too? i need to pick up the third book of a good girls guide to murder.” i whispered, noticing chris seemed like he was falling asleep. my arms wrapped around shoulders while his arms circled around my waist. “mhm.” he mumbled quietly as he quickly got comfortable into my touch.

the room stayed quiet for a few more minutes until chris started to yap about something. “did you know baby elephants can’t control their trunks?” he mumbled in a tired tone. i smile softly, “i did know that, did you know that otters hold each other’s hand while they fall asleep so they don’t drift apart?” i asked. i could hear chris let out a small giggle. “they are kinda like us.” he muttered. i snickered quietly. “they are, aren’t they?” i was speaking in a calming voice now since chris was now basically half asleep. he let out a small hum of agreement. “i love you” he whispered, his eyes opening and looking up at me. i couldn’t help but let out a small downward smile. “i love you too c.” i whispered back while i pecked his forehead gently. the brunette boy shut his eyes and he hid his face into my neck. “g’night princess.” he uttered into my skin. “goodnight sweet boy.” i breathed as i rested my chin on the top of his head and shut my eyes.

a/n part 2 ;; this was sm fun to write , goodnight babes <3

taglist: @cheetahmadi @mattsluttywaist

[weldingmetal]

How do you think cybertronians would react to our mouths? The fact that the mouth can easily bite and rip off your or someone else's pinky finger with such ease, almost like biting into a carrot. The brain only stops you from doing so.

So like I think in this scenario it’s not the fact that they have mouths that freaked them out, it’s the fact of what they do with said mouths as well as teeth.

Unlike Cybertronians human eat and chew where they mostly drink. Humans teeth are made to tear into flesh. Just predicons had sharp teeth to eat living mechanisms we have canines to eat meat.

Although that isn’t to say that bots teeth can’t be sharp. I believe if they ate non refined energon in its crystal form their denta would get sharp. I mean look a TFP Megatron. We know that he loved his space crack- I mean dark energon. So I wouldn’t doubt that centuries of eating the stuff would make his mouth look like a piranha.

But sharp teeth/denta for bots isn’t normal.

I can imagine how visceral it would be for a bot to watch a human or animal tear into meat or eat and chew things that should be to hard for soft organics.

So imagine a bot’s reaction to a humans mouth and teeth at work.

Here is a blurb of a possible reaction.

________________________________________

Bulkhead tired to think of a way out of this.

It was supposed to be a simple mission. It was supposed to be practically nothing. Now he’s tied up, can’t move or sever his binds, and he still doesn’t know where Miko went.

He let her wonder off and now who knows where she-

“Bulkhead!”

As if Primus himself heard him he heard his charges voice.

“Bulkhead where are you we have to-“

She turned the corner to find Bulkhead. Tied up in some kind of cable.

“I’m sorry Miko, I was ambushed. I would get us the frag out of here but…I’m a little tied up.”

He says looking down at his binds. Miko runs up to him.

“You gotta try Bulk, the decepticons were after me back there. I lost them but they could come any second!”

“I wish I could Miko. But there are to many loops in my binds around me to break free. I would be able to if I could break just a few of them, maybe if you can find somethi-!”

Then deep in the cave stomping peds could be heard. Miko was full on panicking. She ran up to her bot. Her friend. She tugged and tugged. She knew everything would be okay if she could just break a few.

“It’s no use Miko! I’ll be fine you need to go! Please Miko, run and hide!”

Miko looked up at the bot, her bot, in fear. She looked towards the impending doom before back to Bulkhead and his pleading look.

Something in her snapped.

Her face lit up in anger and she screamed-

“NO!”

She bit down on the cable, electric sparks lighting up around the corners of her mouth as she tugged and bit and thrashed her head back and forth like a wild animal until the cable broke.

She went for another

*crunch zzzt snap*

“I’m.”

*crunch zzzt snap*

“Not.”

*crunch zzzt snap”

”Leaving you.”

*crunch zzzt snap*

“Behind!”

Bulkhead with all his might flexed and pulled and stood and broke his binds just as the vehicons rounded the corner. He picked Miko up and dashed out of the cave dodging blasts aimed at him.

He looked down at Miko and gasped. The corners of her mouth were burned and bloodied. Her jaw was snapping and seizing no doubt from the electric current she continued to bite…for his sake.

As he left the cave and was able to get a signal to comlink and ask for a ground bridge he was wracked with heavy and thick guilt.

He was supposed to be the strong one. He stopped thinking when he heard Miko groan and speak.

“G-guess I s-saved you this time h-huh Bulkhead?”

Bulkhead thought he would cry, in fact he was almost certain he was tearing up. Despite everything Miko, his sparkling charge was still smiling.

As he ran into base he yelled for Ratchet, to do something anything to help Miko.

June and eventually Fowler was called. June bandaged Miko’s mouth and said that she probably won’t have any lasting scars and if she did they would fade.

After the kids were sent home the bots rightfully demanded to know what happened.

Bulkhead explained everything, even the way Miko seemed to go feral.

After that bots went to bed with deep unease in their tanks.

How could something so small have a bite that hard, and still undoubtedly be sentient.

Bulkhead didn’t recharge that night.

Who could blame him with the image of mostly innocent Miko desperately and frantically tore into the cable like a feral animal. All because he wasn’t strong enough.

[seokjinsonlyone]

build a bridge

pairing: yoongi x f! reader

summary: “God, sometimes I’m happy when you go off on me because at least then I know what you’re thinking.”

genre: co-parents to lovers; angst; fluff

rating: pg

warnings: brief mention of general/postpartum depression other than that it’s just the fact that yoongi’s a DAD!!!! CERTIFIED DILF!!!!!!

wc: 3.2k

You heard a muffled, “Guess who’s here?” then the sound of small footsteps pattering towards the door. After a few more seconds of shuffling it opened and your daughter all but flung herself on you. 

“Mama!” 

“Luna!” You opened your arms wide, expecting the tackle she always greets you with when you pick her up from her father’s. You pepper kisses all across her cheeks, heart melting at the way she giggles in your embrace. “Hey, baby. Did you have a good time with daddy?”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around your neck, snuggling into you further.

“I missed you.”

She pulled back, lightly grasping your cheeks and pressing her own mildly slobbery kisses to your face. “I missed you.”

Before you could get overly emotional, her father cleared his throat reminding you two that you weren’t alone. You plastered a fake smile on your lips. “Hey Yoongi.”

He nodded back at you, lips pressed in a straight line.

“Do you have her stuff ready to go?”

“Uhhh… just about. Time got away from us a little bit. You want to step inside while I finish packing her up?” he asked, gesturing for you to come in.

You couldn’t help the sigh that escaped your lips as you entered his house. You don’t understand why he couldn’t just have her things ready to go. Whenever it was his turn to pick her up, you always had everything ready and waiting for him. Your goodbyes may have been a little long and drawn out, but once he was able to pry you two apart it was quick and easy. “Luna, baby, why don’t you show me some of your toys while daddy gets the rest of your stuff?” you suggested, setting her down and letting her guide you into the living room.

Her eyes lit up at the request, light bulb going off in her little toddler brain, rushing to the corner to find whatever item your statement sparked. 

It was then that you noticed her outfit. You rolled your eyes at the shirt he donned your daughter in—bright pink, with sparkly gold lettering reading “Daddy’s Little Girl.” It was gaudy and definitely not something you bought for her, but she looked cute anyway. She always did. She had half of your DNA, why wouldn’t she? You shook it off. You know he only did things like that to get under your skin, as if he needed to put in any extra effort for that. 

Your eyes roamed around the room, inspecting the interior. A nice sleek, modern yet homey design only interrupted by the sight of dolls and cars spread over the floor. He had good taste. You paused looking over the mantle where he had a few photos displayed. Your eyebrows shot to your forehead, realizing that the one stationed in the very middle was of you and your daughter from when she was about two months old and just started smiling. Your lips were pressed to her cheek and she had a big, toothless baby grin that was nearly identical to your own spread across her face. You knew the photo well seeing as it’d been your lockscreen pretty much ever since he snapped it. 

Your inspection was cut short by your daughter calling out to you. “Look at my tabby, mama!”

“Huh?” Your brows furrowed in confusion. Your daughter’s speech was pretty good. And what she lacked in vocabulary and pronunciation you usually made up for on account of you being fluent in Luna, but you’d never heard her speak of a ‘tabby’ before. All confusion was cleared up, however, when you turned around and saw the tablet in her hands. You were already irritated, but now you were pissed.

“My tabby.”

“Oh wow,” you said, feigning enthusiasm. “When’d you get this?”

“Daddy got it for me,” she replied. That didn’t really answer the question, but you didn’t think she would. As a three year old, her concept of time was all but nonexistent. He must’ve just gotten it for her, though or you would’ve heard about it long ago. One thing your child did was talk. She began flipping through the apps, showing you each one, and you wanted to give her your full attention. You really did, but inside you were seething.

Yoongi came out holding both of her bags just in time to feel your wrath. You stood abruptly cutting Luna off. “Really, Yoongi? A tablet?”

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me. You know I didn’t want her having one of these. Not at this age.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” you snapped back. “You know what? Never mind,” You snatched her bags from his hand ready to just leave. You could feel yourself getting worked up by the second and you did not want to traumatize your child by having her watch her parents argue in front of her. “Come on, Luna. Put that down, it's time to go.”

“I bring my tabby with me.”

You stooped down to her level. “No. You’re leaving it here. Go put it back. It’s time to go home.”

You had to refrain from rolling your eyes as hers filled with tears and soon after she burst into sobs. You counted to five in your head, willing yourself to exercise the last bit of patience you had. “Miss Luna,” you said sternly, forcing her attention to you. “We’ve talked about this. Babies cry because they don’t know how to talk. But, you know how to talk. Are you a baby or a big girl?”

“A- a big girl,” she sniffled, sobs dying down a bit.

“Okay. So you need to calm down. Come on. Take some deep breaths with me. In,” you inhaled deeply, “and out,” you exhaled. You did it a few more times, Luna following suit until she was calm again. You wiped the tears from under her eyes. “Now talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“I want my tabby,” she pouted, looking like she was about to get teary again.

“You know that you have some toys that stay at mama’s house and some toys that stay at daddy’s house. The tablet stays at daddy’s house. You can’t bring it with you.”

“It’s fine. Just let her take it,” Yoongi piped up.

You turned to him with fire in your eyes. “Can I talk to you in the kitchen?” He sighed, slumping his way to the area, while you brought your attention back to your child. “Luna. Go put your dolls and your cars back where they belong, then you can play with the tablet until mama finishes talking to daddy, okay?”

She nodded, happy to have reached some sort of middle ground, and did as you said, and you all but stomped into the kitchen. “I hate it when you do that,” you fired immediately. 

He rubbed his hand down his face, looking like he was already over it. “What did I do now?”

“Yoongi,” you stressed, “I’m sitting over here telling her that she can’t bring it with her, and then you telling her that she can. How does that make me look? Who is she supposed to decide who to listen to? What are you gonna do when she doesn’t listen to either one of us? Stop undermining my authority.”

“I’m not trying to undermine your authority, but you’re making a big deal out of nothing. I don’t see why you’re so against the tablet in the first place.”

“She’s only three, Yoongi! What does she need to be on the internet for? There is so much out there that she absolutely does not need to be exposed to. And on top of that she doesn’t need the constant stimulation. You know she already has a predisposition to ADHD. Do you even monitor her when she’s using it?”

“She’s only three, __! Of course I monitor her. And for the record. I hate when you do that.”

“Me?” You pointed back at yourself, raising your eyebrows incredulously. “What did I do?”

He leaned back against the cabinets and ran his hand through his hair, trying to maintain his calm exterior but you’ve obviously ticked him off. “You bottle everything up! I know that in your head Luna is just your daughter, but I’m sorry she’s not! She’s mine, too. I’ve mentioned getting her one of those things several times, and the only thing you’ve ever said was ‘I don’t think that’s a great idea,’ and then you would switch subjects. I respect you as her mother, but I’m not just going to blindly accept everything you say. How was I supposed to know you felt this way about it if you never told me? I can’t read your mind, __. And, you always do this. God, sometimes I’m happy when you go off on me because at least then I know what you’re thinking.”

The anger dissipated from your body with every sentence he spoke and by the time he finished speaking, your lips began to wobble. Yoongi watched as your eyes slowly filled with tears and the only thing he could think of before they broke loose was how eerily similar to your daughter you looked. The same expression having crossed her face not ten minutes ago. He sighed, pulling you into his chest much in the same manner that he would do her as well. 

You allowed yourself the comfort of his touch for all of thirty seconds before stepping back and wiping at your eyes, ridding them of the few tears that slipped out. You turned around peeking past the wall, making sure your daughter was still occupied. She was. Dolls successfully put away as you told her, while she sat tapping away on the tablet.

Unfortunately there weren’t many other things you could do to stall for time. You had no other option but to turn around and face the truth. “You’re right,” you conceded, ripping the band aid off. You weren’t lying when you said you didn’t want to argue with him, but you were just so passionate about anything concerning your daughter that you let your emotions get the best of you more often than not.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry, and I’m not just trying to win an argument, you know?”

You nodded, bottom lip tucked between your teeth, even though you didn’t know, not really.

“Can we sit?”

You nodded again, taking the seat adjacent to him.

“___, you know I don’t do things to intentionally piss you off, right?”

“Except when you put her in shirts that say ‘Daddy’s Little Girl,’” you pointed out, trying to lighten the mood. You hadn’t had a heart to heart with him in god knows how long. Hadn’t been in this proximity to him in even longer.

He rolled his eyes in return. “Well, yeah. That’s like the one thing. I like the way your eye twitches whenever you notice it.”

You breathed out a laugh. “My eye does not twitch.”

“It does. Your eye twitches, you stare for like two minutes, then give me one of those exasperated sighs. But, that’s not what we’re talking about. I’m being serious.”

“Look,” you exhaled shakily, “I’m sorry for snapping at you and for not communicating effectively. I–“

“I already told you I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. I just– I really hate the way our relationship is now. When Luna was first born, we agreed that we would do this together. Now I feel like I can’t even talk to you anymore. The only reason I even got her the thing was because I felt bad for her.”

“Why?”

“She was, like, inconsolable a couple days ago because she wanted you so bad. Poor thing cried herself to sleep and everything. The next day she was still sad, so I took her to the store, and we picked it out. That was the only thing that got her to stop crying over you.”

“Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve came and gotten her.”

“I didn’t want my time cut short, and I didn’t want you to think that I couldn’t handle her,” he admitted softly. “I want you to trust me with her.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Yoongi,” you called with your stern voice and waited until he made eye contact with you. “You’re her father. Of course I trust you with her. If I didn’t, I would’ve taken you to court and you’d be seeing her every other weekend at best. I know I can be overbearing, but it’s only because I’m scared,” you replied, slipping out a confession of your own. 

He reached out, covering your hand with his own. “Scared of what?”

“Everything? I’ve spent the last three years terrified. She’s my whole world. I don’t know what I would do without her. I wish you would’ve called me when she was throwing her tantrum because all I do when she’s away from me is worry and wonder and wait until I can see her again.”

He tutted. “See. This is what I mean. Luna wanted you. You wanted her. I wanted to call you, but I didn’t. Because of what?”

“Because of me.” You felt yourself getting worked up again, tear ducts beginning to well up. “You said it yourself. I bottle everything up. I push people away. I pushed you away, and we were supposed to be in this together. All I want for our daughter is for her to have the best life possible, yet I’m the one ruining it.”

“Hey, now. Cut the crap,” he deadpanned, cutting your spiral session short and scooting closer to you. “You’re not ruining anything. You’re the best mother that–“

“Mama?” you hear a little voice call, followed by small footsteps pitter pattering, and a few seconds later your daughter came rounding around the corner.

You quickly swiped at your eyes. “Yeah, baby?”

She handed her tablet to Yoongi, before turning back to you, lifting her hands up so you could hold her. She gripped your face in her little hands. “You sad?”

“Yeah, mommy’s a little sad,” you answered honestly. You always tried to treat her like a human. You wanted her to know it was okay to show emotions, and that you were human just like everyone else. You weren’t a superhero, just someone who loved her very very much. 

She pressed big, sloppy kisses on each of your cheeks then laid her head down on you, putting you in a position very similar to when you first entered the door, except then you wanted nothing more than to leave and now you found your brain cycling through reasons you should stay. “Feel better now?”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you very much.”

At your confirmation, she wriggled out of your lap and into Yoongi’s reclaiming the device and continuing her game. Your heart melted as you looked at them, really looked at them together for the first time in a while. She really was a good mixture of you both. Your face shape and lips, curl pattern at least a standard deviation looser than your own but flowing wild and free nonetheless, his cute button nose and crescent shaped eyes. She was absolutely adorable, they were adorable together. You sighed heavily, suddenly nostalgic over all the time you missed together. “I’m sorry. It really is all my fault.”

“I told you to cut it out,” he said seriously, eyes focused on whatever your daughter was doing.

“No, really, Yoongi. I wasn’t okay for a long time after she was born.” He grimaced, likely remembering the time period after your daughter was born. Postpartum depression transitioned into general depression and for a while you found yourself just floating through life, unable to find a balance between being a human and being a mother. It was rough. He tried to help you so many times but more often than not he just bore the brunt of your emotional instability. “By the time I finally got some help, there was so much time and space between us. I just… I had to go.”

He squeezed Luna a little tighter. “I wished you didn’t. I hope you know that.”

You bit your lip. “I do. You tried to get me to stay, but my mind was already made up.” You weren’t quite sure if it was the right decision, but you know that you definitely feel more stable now than you did then. Although today had been proving that your road to recovery had not been fully traveled. 

“What about now?”

“What do you mean?”

He locked his eyes on yours. “Is your mind still made up? Because I love you.” Your breath hitched. “I’ve loved you for a really long time, and I think my biggest regret out of everything was not telling you that sooner.”

“Yoongi I-I…” You were at a complete loss for words.

“I know there’s a ton of time and space between us, but I’ll build a bridge and we can walk across it together.”

You wished Luna was in your arms at that moment. She was your excuse, your scapegoat. Whenever you felt uncomfortable or vulnerable you’d just hug her to you and give her all your attention until whatever it was went away. You suppose it’s a good thing she’s not seeing as it was that mentality that got you here in the first place. You had to stand on your own two feet now. Easier said than done. Your mouth opened and closed a few more times, still no words being formed. 

“Baby, go play in your room for a bit,” Yoongi told your daughter, then placed her on the ground, keeping hold of the tablet. She reached for it, but he held it at bay.

“Daddy,” she whined.

“Nuh-uh. I think we’ve had enough playtime on this today. Room. Now.”

He ticked his head to the side and she stomped away, rolling her little eyes, which would be a topic of discussion sooner rather than later. For now though, you focused on trying to process the fact that Yoongi was in love with you.

“C’mere.”

You stood wide-eyed and allowed him to pull you into his lap. You were stock still as he wrapped his arms around your middle and pressed his face into your neck simply breathing you in. “Yoongi…”

“Shhh… Just let me hold you for a little.” And he did. Until you completely relaxed into his embrace. It was a lot. It’d been nearly two years since you were this intimate with him and anybody else for that matter. “You don’t have to say anything. I don’t want to take more than you’re willing to give.”

You sighed. “You’re a good man, Yoongi. A great father. I care about you, but you deserve more than I have to offer.”

“I don’t want any more than that. The only thing I want is a chance. Let me be there for you. Not just because you’re the mother of my daughter but because you’re you, and I love you.” You inhaled sharply at his admission once again. He smiled into your neck. “Will you let me be there for you? Can you do that?”

It was nerve wracking to open your heart up again, but honestly you weren’t sure if you ever took it back from him in the first place; so, you shakily brought your hands up to cover his that were around your waist, interlocking your fingers together. “I can do that.”

[ughthatimagineblog]

yawn and reach

this was such a fun request it literally occupied my brain for the last 72 hours. tytyty anon!!!! summary: 'video game joel in jackson would be so awkward w reader. imagine they go see a movie for the first time in years and he does that thing w reader where he itches his nose to smoothly put it over reader’s shoulder' - requested by anon rating: 18+ warnings: lightly implied smut but no real smut at the end, cursing, age difference (reader is about 30-32 and joel is 54-56), tried to be as neutral as possible but i did write this with a feminine reader in mind. word count: 6.07k

Being in Jackson meant having clean water, a warm bed, guaranteed food, but best of all; electricity. The dam in town, monitored and worke on by the gracious townsfolk who took you in, keeps the water your bathe in warm and lights on all around the city at night. You’d forgotten the luxury of seeing so much in the dark.

Having been a young age when the outbreak began, the memories of what life before infected were blurred. Muddy water. Clear only in brief moments of light, smells, feelings and fleeting just as fast. Your mother, who also survived- or rather helped you survive- helped fill in the gaps on occasion and you were grateful for the life you clung to, even if it meant wandering in the dark for months at a time, unsure of where your next meal would come from. From youth to now, you and your mom watched out for each other. Now, you were part of a community that would take care of both of you. You both return the favor.

Being in a QZ meant enforced curfews and the military breathing down your back. Not allowed out, barely anyone allowed in. Escaping was easy enough. Surviving your way all the way to Jackson was not. Now, you and your mother roam freely at night and almost any other time if you aren’t on patrol. Music from bars pour out into the string lit streets. During the day, children play and learn. Hundreds of people found refuge here, and you now joined their numbers. You’d even met a few people you’ve become close enough with to say you’re friends.

Sometimes you get put on patrol with Dina, Jesse or Ellie, and while they’re both several years your junior, they entertain you, they respect your authority, and they also remind you of being that age, so you don’t mind. You spend some free time at the bar or help out in some of the kitchens from time to time and have grown close with a few others, all in varying ages. Joel, who you met through Ellie, being one of them.

Joel. Always brief with his words. Always to the point. Ellie would complain about him on patrol from time to time, but she would balance it out with credit to the man in the same breath.

“He’s always trying so hard. I just don’t know how to make it work now…” She trailed off on a ride home from the nearby abandoned town. It was your last stop and it was beginning to get dark. You’d given her a small nod of understanding in response. She huffed out a sigh. “I know he cares and stuff, but sometimes I need my space. I mean-” She paused to look at you, reasoning with her own conflictions. “I just would like one night out of the house. Or the garage, I guess. He’s done a lot for me… and I want him to know that I see that.”

You thought for a moment. “Maybe spend some intentional time with him. That way, when you want that night away, it will be earned and he won’t put so much pressure on it.” You suggested. She made a face off indecision but nodded anyway. “I think you’re right.” Was all she’d said on the matter the rest of the ride back.

Secretly, you admired the man. He was maybe ten years older, but you got along like you’d known each other for ages. You liked the energy the kids like Ellie brought to your days, but if they were your spark, Joel was your peace. You didn’t feel pressured to have to entertain, or keep him on the right path, or make sure he was being observant. Joel was a seasoned veteran when it came to survival and you felt an ease with him you couldn’t with anyone else. Because no one else could protect you like Joel could. No one other than the mother who helped a child survive the outbreak. And even that was highly lucky.

You were put on patrol just twice with Joel. Both times were eventful in wildly different ways. The first was in a positive way, you both found a new stash of medical supplies- an urgent care facility that’d gone unnoticed due to the decay of the lettering outside of the building signaling any kind of benefit to looting. Half of it was also caved in so you and Joel both worked to sort through the rubble that’d gone ignored for so many years. You’d both decided to check it out on a whim, and were very grateful you did.

The second time went a little differently. It was summer and the sun was beating down on the both of you like you’d never experienced before. Dehydrated and exhausted, Joel suggested stopping by the creek bed where you were to cool off in the water. Not a moment after relief began to set in, you were caught off guard when a small group of infected decided to jump both of you. In the calamity of racing back to your things, you’d slipped on a rock and fell so hard on your head you got a concussion. It rendered you unconscious and the only reason you were still breathing the next day is because of Joel.

You remembered the cold feeling of air rushing over your head wound, blood slowing, but still pouring out. Eyesight fading in and out, and when it was in, it was blurry. Unclear images of Joel fighting off the infected while keeping your body strictly behind him flash in and out of your memory. He’d patched up your head as best as possible and hoisted you onto his horse with him, tying your horse’s reins to his saddle horn to ride with the both of you back to safety.

He’d been muttering to himself the whole ride, all the way until you were passed off to the medical staff. Very faint sounds, from what you could remember, but you also knew to attribute that to the concussion. It was a fade out from being handed off, to waking up being carried further from Joel, the last image being of him staring after you as he grew smaller and smaller.

From that day forward, you two have been close. I guess saving someone’s life really does bring two people together. Your mother was fond of him as well. And not just because he saved your life- although you did figure that played a large part- but because of his manners, his honor. She’d mentioned how polite he was to you one day and, it wasn’t that you hadn’t noticed, but you hadn’t seen how deliberate it was. Holding doors open for you, fully listening when you spoke, considering your likes and dislikes. If he was behaving this way specifically for you, you couldn’t tell, but you did take note. 

When you’d complimented him on such things, he- in his own Joel way- laughed in your face. Really, it was more of a scoff, but nonetheless it was just as dismissive. “‘M not polite, darlin’, I just treat people how I wanna be treated.” He answered plainly, but there was a hint of knowing in his eyes.

You began to keep an eye on these things he does that he brushes off and you found that, while yes, he does open doors for others and he is an excellent listener, he doesn’t listen to anyone else the way he listens to you. Undivided attention. When you speak, you’re all he sees. He’s holding onto every word of yours like if he doesn’t he’ll fall down. Even when you’re talking about nothing. When he holds doors for others, he looks relaxed and at ease, but guarded. With you, his shoulders soften and he’s often watching your every move as you walk by. He’s more awkward with you. Part of it is his own ambiguity in navigating getting close with others, but part of it is something else, and to assume it’s you would be highly narcissistic. Or so you tell yourself. 

Meanwhile, Joel can barely contain himself. His time in Jackson had been peaceful, and had allowed him to grow comfortable. With Ellie safe and enjoying life, he’d forgotten what it meant to have room to care about anyone else. She’d been his priority for so long. Now that he met you… Just thinking about you made his stomach turn with butterflies. He felt juvenile.

It took him a week to discover your existence. Three months to patrol with you for the first time, and another three for the second time. Every patrol in between was filled with thoughts of you. Hope that you’d be paired with him again. After the second time with you, he was enamored. Your intelligence captivated him. You’d researched so much. Both about this new life and the life before the infected. You had stories on stories to tell of you and your mom, some of which were his favorite to hear. Joel knew better to pry whenever you’d get to a particularly hard memory in your stories. He’d often ask a question about a different part to get your mind off of whatever had you troubled, and even though you knew what he was doing every time, you let him. It was nice. Sweet. Two words most would not use to describe Joel. You would. And you’d said so.

That almost knocked Joel on his feet. When you told him you thought he was polite, and sweet. It made his heart nearly leap out of his chest. Feeling slightly guilty for laughing in pure shock at a fairly innocent compliment-turned-question, he’d given a finite and brief answer. You hadn’t complimented him since. Worried about rejection, you’d avoided doing so.

Finding himself thinking about why you hadn’t done so tipped Joel off to his growing, deeper, feelings for you. It bothered him, and under any other circumstance- anyone else- he wouldn’t care. Wouldn’t have crossed his mind. Much like many other interactions with others in the town. They weren’t on his mind like you were. But he also worried he was too old for you. He thought about what you’d think of Ellie who was essentially his own kid. His past was a heavy burden to carry, as well. He’d killed so many, watched so many die, and the thoughts of those deaths weighed on him heavily. 

The last thing he wanted was for you to shoulder any of it. Joel knew that the first time he saw you laugh. He wouldn’t do a thing to compromise your happiness if he could help it.

Weeks later, you both were busy on your respective duties that would be ending sooner rather than later. It was the first Friday of the month, and the first Friday meant movie night. The electricity in Jackson was powerful and a few months prior, Dina and Jesse returned with a projector, VHS tape player and some VHS copies of several different movies. The town would not stop talking about it for a month afterwards. Aside from new medicine, food or healthy helping hands, this was the best news they’d received all year.

Movie nights became a regular, monthly tradition. Those not on shifts for the night would gather and watch different movies. There would be a vote beforehand on what would be played and the announcement would go out a week in advance so people could plan to be there. If you couldn’t make it due to a shift, you were sure to be scheduled in time to make it the next month and so on. It was a huge morale boost for everyone. Dina and Jesse have not stopped bragging about it being their find because of it.

Hanging up your apron, you made your way to the washrooms where you cleaned up after working every shift here. Your neighbor, a girl of similar age who got put on the same duty as you today, met you by the sink. “Are you coming tonight?” They inquired. You smiled and nodded. “Movie day. Never missing that.” You assured, scrubbing the smell of garlic off your fingers. No amount of soap would be enough.

“I bet Joel will be happy to hear that.” They wiggled your eyebrows at you. You rolled your eyes. “I’m sure he will. He’s my friend.” You assured. “Uh-huh.” They responded in an unconvincing tone. “Hey, all I know is, he’s bringing Ellie, but we all know where she wants to be. Maybe you can get some one-on-one time with him?” They suggested. You paused at this before reaching for one of the towels to dry your now-clean hands.

It was a good point. You recalled your conversation with Ellie from a few days prior. How she really was looking for an excuse to be out of Joel’s earshot for one night. You weighed your options. It wasn’t like you to blatantly ask someone to hang out, especially not Joel, and especially not under the current circumstances. It also wasn’t likely to get him to let Ellie go anywhere he wasn’t familiar. Maybe you could get Joel away from Ellie?

It was clear you liked Joel. You loved him, really. It was quite easy once you got to know him. If you asked him to see the movie with you, and you specifically, you weren’t sure how he’d react. You were confident he’d say yes, but to what degree?

Realizing you were overthinking something that was probably just all in your head anyways, you snapped back to reality to find your neighbor staring at your zoned-out expression, smirking. “You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” They asked, mouth agape in joyful surprise. You felt heat in your face and quickly dismissed them, pushing past the doorway.

“I’m thinking about going to see the movie later and nothing else!” You shouted over your shoulder, leaving your colleague and emerging to the main cafeteria. Turning on your heel, you were about to reach for your keys and bag that had been strewn on one of the tables when your face instantly collided with leather.

Stumbling back, and almost on your ass, you began to curse, “What the fu-” You began to say, but the feeling of two strong arms steadying you and the familiar face in front of you cut all sound in your throat short. Joel stood before you, the smell of pine filling your nose as he stood there looking as patient and understanding as ever in light of your fumble. “Didn’t mean to startle you.” He sheepishly apologized as you quickly regained your bearings. His accent was deep, thick. It made your heart flutter. The adrenaline of being caught off guard had not yet worn off. “No, oh my gosh,” You breathily laughed out. “You’re fine. I was just about to leave is all.” You smiled up at him, brushing some hair that had fallen into your eyes out of your face.

“Going to the movie tonight, I hear?” He asked, eyes darting to the hallway you just came from. If your neighbor was still here, they did not make it apparent. You silently thanked whatever was out there that they left. You didn’t need them making fun of your attraction to him to his face but behind your back. Your eyes darted from Joel nervously, remembering the conversation between your neighbor. Surely if they noticed your attraction, he would too.

“Uh, yeah, weirdly enough, I was on my way to you with a similar question, but you’re back from patrol early.” You grabbed your things off the table you went for earlier and turned back to see Joel’s look of amusement and curiosity. His eyebrows raised, a slight smirk on his lips that silently mouthed ‘Oh?’. Those lips. You forced yourself to look at his forehead.

Your heart was beating in your chest so hard you worried he could hear it in the pause. “Would you like to go with me?” You blurted out. It felt silly coming out. Like you were in high school, asking someone to the prom. But under different context. A non-romantic context. Because that’s what Joel would want, right? He doesn’t have the time or energy to deal with some romantic drama, you reasoned.

Joel’s face became unreadable. His mouth slightly opened as if he were going to say something, but closed again as he decided on something else. “Together?” He clarified. You ignored the way your heart sank. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I have some wine at my place, I thought maybe we could have a glass before we go. But if you have other plans…”

“I don’t.”

His response was quick. Joel saw the way your face fell at his initial response, and he quickly realized why. You thought he was uninterested in going with you personally. Something that couldn’t be further from the truth. Joel wanted nothing more than to go with you. Jesus, he had the opportunity to take a girl on a movie date. He couldn’t remember the last time that happened. 20 Years was probably something like it. More.

His reaction was purely shock. Not distaste. He was shocked you wanted to go together. That you wanted to go with him. Be seen in association with him on purpose and not in a group setting. It was more intimate than he’d been with anyone recently. 

“I’d love to go with you.” He clarified, realizing he’d only been staring at you since his response to having other plans. “Ellie can have the house to herself for a bit.” You reasoned with a smile meant to hide your giddy emotions and while Joel gave a short reaction at the idea of his kid-now adult- being home alone, he let it go just as easily, too distracted with thoughts of his movie date with you.

Deciding both of you needed a shower before the movie, you split up and went to your respective houses to shower and get ready. It was merely an hour and a half before the knock came at your door.

Swinging it open to reveal Joel, groomed and standing off to the side of your doorway. In one of his hands was a bouquet. Your eyes shot open and you pretended not to notice he got groomed and brought flowers to go somewhere with you. “Where did you find these?” You excitedly reached through the doorway to take them from him, immediately pressing your nose to the petals. It was a well done bouquet of wildflowers. You’d seen them growing several times on some of the patrol routes and found them beautiful everytime. Joel just happened to notice.

“I pulled a few strings.” He laughed, watching your face as you examined them carefully. He could stare at you for hours. You didn’t have to know the exact townsperson Joel bribed to get him those flowers ASAP and you certainly didn’t have to know the extra rations it took for him to keep quiet about it. Joel making an emergency request for flowers? Unheard of. And it will stay that way too.

“I don’t know what to say.” You said, breathless from inhaling the scents in front of you. “Maybe a ‘Thank you’, ‘Please come in’, ‘I have wine’.” Joel teased. You rolled your eyes and cleared the path for him to enter.

He was quick to follow you to your kitchen where you grabbed two glasses and filled them just under halfway. You both silently toast to each other and take a sip. The wine is sweet, but has a slightly bitter taste that lingers. And then, there was that silence. It slipped over both of you like a comforting fog. Both of you comforted each other just by being near one another. You were in sync in these moments and it felt like having a dance partner. Someone to anticipate your moves and flow with them. Being around Joel was as easy as breathing. He didn’t complicate things. In the silence his eyes were like weights on you and with every sip of your wine you felt his gaze follow your lips.

“Why did you ask me to come with you?” Joel asked, cutting through your beloved easy silence like an arrow slicing the air. You froze, not quite sure yourself. That wasn’t true, though. You were sure why you wanted him to come, but terrified of what that would mean. You scrambled for any other logical reason. A favor for Ellie? Personal interest?

“And it’s not to get me away from Ellie for a little while. She knows how to do that on her own…” He commented and you felt the heaviness at the end of his sentence. Crap. He knew you. That wasn’t his point right now. “You can bullshit everyone else, but not me, darlin’.” His southern drawl was accentuated in that nickname and it was enough to cover the nervousness in his voice. The nickname that flooded your mind constantly. The nickname that made you melt.

Finding any alternative to telling Joel your true feelings, you lied. “I didn’t want to be alone. Going alone to the movies alone is kinda lame anyways and my mom wasn’t feeling up to it.”

Joel made an ‘ah’ expression and looked away in thought. He wasn’t buying it, but it was something you clearly didn’t want to be addressed, so he dropped it for you. That doesn’t mean the real reason wasn’t swimming around his mind. Occasionally, he saw the way you looked at him. He knew you respected him and thought fondly of him. Just how fondly, he was unsure. While he hoped there was more, he couldn’t help but worry what you’d think of him. What you’d think of what he’d done to get there. What he’d done, he thought, in a way, to get to you.

“We’d better get going soon if we want to make it across town in time for it to start.” Joel commented with a clearing of his throat, taking a final swig of the wine, now long gone in both your glasses. Nodding, you quickly finished your glass and rushed to put the flowers in a spot you wouldn't forget about, meeting Joel by the door when you were done. 

Twisting the key in the lock of your front door, you went to step down but felt a hand gently touch your back. Turning to Joel you saw his arm stretched out, but bent slightly. You looked at him in confusion.

“Oh c’mon…” He said, gesturing to his arm. “You know what to do.” He urged. Your blank expression answered his assumption with a resounding negative. Feeling a little ridiculous, not because of your confusion but because his own effort in sending signals were going unnoticed. He came up to you, grabbed your hand and looped it through his already-positioned arm. You smiled and said “Oh!” out loud, finally realizing what he’d been trying to do.

“Well aren’t you a gentleman.” You commented as you walked arm in arm to the gathering area the town held movie nights at, trying to ignore the way you were touching him. It wasn’t like you hadn’t before, but you’d repressed the way it made you feel before. It was beginning to be hard to hide it. Joel smiled slightly and shook his head. “Im telling you, I-”

“I know, I know, you just treat people how they want to be treated.” You finished for him. He stopped mid sentence and laughed to himself. “So you do listen.” His voice was gravelly but soft. Music to your ears. “Only when it’s you talking.”

Your response came out flirtier than you intended, the feeling overcoming both of you instantly. Despite ducking your head, avoiding his gaze, Joel felt his heart soar. “I’m a lucky man then.” It was your heart’s turn to flutter. Joel, once again plans to save the moment of being inquired upon further, noting your embarrassment. “How’s that?” You reply, desperate for every word. “I was able to get the most stubborn and independent person to actually listen. I don’t think any man has done so in history before.” Joel joked, a dramatic air to his tone, soaking every word.

You laughed at his jab and shoved his arm in response. “Yeah if you’re lucky for anything it’s because I tolerate your ass giving me a hard time.” He chuckled in response. “Now that is true.” His voice got quiet as you both approached the viewing area together. Finding a small section of grass that wasn't occupied, you and Joel grabbed one of the many chairs set out for people to use and you both sat together.

They were playing Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. A classic. Made before even Joel was born, but highly enjoyed in his childhood. He was looking forward to this movie when he heard it was the choice for the month. He was more excited about watching it with you, now. Your eyes fixated on the screen and as the movie began, everyone’s hushed voices and children's laughter all simmered to a pure silent crowd.

The movie played on like normal, maybe a glitch in the picture here and there but nothing too bad to break the feeling that comes with watching a movie. The ‘illusion’, some people call it. You’re laughing at a quip from Han to Leia when Joel subtly looks over to you. You’re too busy watching the movie to notice, but he can’t help but stare. Your eyes as they take in every moment possible, not wanting to miss out on a minute. Your lips are curved into a smile as you watch and Joel allows himself to wonder how they’d feel on him.

He notices a piece of your hair has fallen into your face and just before the thought of moving it converts to an action, you move to look up at him. Feeling panicked, he moves to scratch his nose and yawn. He stretches slowly and you look forward once more, unalarmed at first of his fidgeting. He was an older man after all. He was probably already getting stiff sitting still.

Joel’s stretch turns into an awkward hand on the back of your chair. This gets your attention. You can see his knuckles peeking over your shoulder and you wonder if the proximity was intentional. Inside, Joel is burning and tense. How could he be so stupid? The yawn and reach? Really? Did someone give him an ‘Oldest Tricks in the Book’ book?

Through his peripheral vision, he looks down to you, searching for any reason to give you any wanted space. He finds none. You’re content and still watching the movie. For the most part. In reality, your mind is reeling just as much as his.

Deciding to be a little more brave, Joel goes to rest his hand against your shoulder. Touching. He was touching you in a comforting way. Between this and walking arm in arm, just the slight contact makes him light headed. It’s been so long since he’s ‘made moves’ on anyone. He’s wracked with nerves and mostly stressed he’s lost his touch. That to you, he’s some cringe-y, single dad.

You feel his thumb starts to move against your shoulder in soft, slow, circles. Despite the motion’s intention to relax, you notice how tense he is. Looking down, his other hand is a fist, fidgeting with the hem of his flannel and you can see he’s watching the movie but every so often his eyes are darting around and down to you. It dawns on you just then that he is trying to make a move.

A mischievous smile spreads on your lips. If Joel was going to be subtle and innocent about his advancements towards you, you were ready to make this as easy on him as possible. After all, the man has been through hell and does deserve a win. Your mind ran a million miles an hour just picturing what might come next. Your attraction to him was at least somewhat reciprocated. It made thinking straight hard, but you knew you had to find some way to show him that he is more than welcome to be more comfortable with you.

You grin to yourself, knowing your plan is in place and you’re too excited to think of previous insecurities of his attraction to you. His sweaty palms and arm on your shoulder proved enough. Sighing lightly, you also feign fatigue, and carefully rest your head on Joel's shoulder.

You feel his upper torso tense and then relax as he processes what you’ve done. Feeling yourself move a bit to get more comfortable, he takes the opportunity to relax his own muscles, recognizing just how stiff they were beginning to get, and he moves his arm to fully drape over you and pull you in. His muscles loosening underneath you is your sign to move an arm over to rest on his leg.

His muscles were taught underneath his jeans. You felt the sweat on his palms, but it didn’t bother you. It actually made you smile. Joel Miller. A tough Texan who rarely let others in was a nervous wreck trying to get close to you. You stifled a giggle and adjusted yourself to be slightly more pressed into his body, almost crossing your leg with his.

Joel could hardly breathe. You were playing into it. It crossed his mind that maybe you’re being nice and don’t want to reject him. But he also noticed your hand on his thigh and how you sometimes would trace shapes or squeeze it lovingly there. It made him feel like a teenager, and he was basking in every second he got to feel his hand on your waist.

The only reason you both noticed the movie ended was when others began to stand up, grab their seats and the floodlights that lit the area came on. It made both of you jump a bit but no one rushed to untangle themselves from the other. He looked over to you, who began to slowly get up from where you were, cool air running over what had once been covered in warmth on his side. He tried to ignore the emptiness he felt without you being next to him so close, having grown accustomed to it for a couple hours.

“So…” You trailed off, not really sure what to say. Your anxiety was through the roof. Both of you weren’t sure if you should address what just happened, or go back to business as usual. Joel spoke before you could. “Let me walk you home.” He quickly insisted, standing and holding a hand to you. You smiled and took it, feeling a bit nervous. You knew if you didn’t address it immediately, it would definitely happen later. You hoped when he got to your door.

The walk home was quiet for the most part. A few comments on the movie, Joel told you a part he’s loved since he was young. You noted how nice it is to be able to do this despite the world’s circumstances. He agreed.

You’d just turned onto your street when Joel spoke again. “Can we talk?” He stopped mid step. It was a rare moment of bravery from him you wrote off as uncharacteristic. Startled by the abruptness, you stopped as well, disconnecting from his hand but not wanting to.

He watched as your arm fell back to your side. With a strong huff of air, he covered his mouth in stress. “I don’t know how to say this.” He said, honestly. You dreaded the worst. He’s going to tell you he doesn’t want this- or anything more. This wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t going to go home with you.

“Start with the first word.” You suggested, hoping you’d spark anything to get him to spit out what he was trying to say faster. Like a bandaid, you wanted the end of this to be quick and easy.

“You.” Joel said, clearly having more but working through how to put it. You gave him pause to gather his thoughts. “Y’know, you’re always on my mind but we don’t talk and then today you ask me to see the movies, but it’s just because you don’t want to go alone…” He begins to ramble. “Which I know is bullshit because you don’t mind going places by yourself.” Your breath hitches in your throat. He’s seen you this whole time. Why has he not said anything? Done anything?

“And then you spend half the damn movie basically in my lap and darlin’”- That nickname. “I am trying to be as respectful as possible but you just look so beautiful all the damn time and after tonight I don’t know if you feel the same, but I-I need to know. So I know what I can and can’t say to you. Say the word and I promise I’ll never touch you in that way.”

Dumbfounded, you just looked at him, mouth slightly open. It was the most Joel had ever said at one time to you, ever. He never vented. He spoke but in small bits and it was straightforward. He knew what to say. He always knew what to say. But around you he didn’t.

That one small fact had you lightheaded. And then his words dawned on you. Say the word and I promise I’ll never touch you in that way.

“No!” You blurted out. “I mean, I want you to touch me.” You cringed at how awkward it came out. “I mean…” A laugh from yourself blurted out at how hard this really was to put into words. “What do you want to say to me?” Settling on that, you looked into his eyes and found them pouring into yours. He’d smiled and chuckled in relief at your nervousness, giving him enough of an answer. Stepping forward, he traced the side of your face with a calloused finger, stopping after moving hair behind your ear. It gave you chills.

“I want to say,” He paused, looping a hand around your waist. “That I’ve been waiting to get you in my arms since we first met.” His words were enough to make the coldest person alive melt. “And you’re the only one who has got me wrapped around their finger like you.” His low voice rumbled in your chest as he closed some of the distance between you. He paused. Searching your eyes for any kind of resistance, hesitation… regret. He found none.

“I was going to say the same thing.” You grinned, closing any space between the both of you. His lips were rough on yours, his beard prickling the edges of your cheeks. Your fingers found their way into his hair and you sank into his grasp.

Joel felt like this was who he was supposed to be kissing. Who’s skin he was meant to be touching. His heart was thundering in his chest. He’d been falling for you for so long, he forgot the possibility that you’d possibly feel the same and settled on the idea you were better off without him. He knew now, under your grip which was soft but commanding all at once, you were just as deep in pining after him in return.

In reality, you kissed like that under the low street lighting for three minutes. It felt like an hour. Pulling away felt like diving underwater, far away from oxygen. Barely a foot apart and yet it felt so far.

“Do you want to come inside when we get back?” You asked, breathless. He chuckled, lips curving into a smile to match your own. “I want nothing more, sweetheart.” Joel’s gravelly tone lulled. It was rich with care and lust. Damn that voice. The voice that would drift you to sleep that night, whispering sweet praises under sheets you’d only slept in alone prior. It felt nice to have his breath on your neck, his bare legs tangled with yours, his soft skin on yours until morning. Ellie got the privacy she needed, and Joel got the night he deserved.

You’d worry about what to tell your mother some other time.

thank you guys for reading! hope you enjoyed. this has been my first official fully finished fic since returning to tumblr! i appreciate everyone's support :))

[jarofstyles]

Reaper 9

Reaper is a dark story with dark and mature subject matter. 18+ NSFW

Helloooooo we think you'll really enjoy this chapter. Reaper's got love goggles on.

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wc: 9.8k

warnings: fluffy chapter <3, alluding to smuty things, intimate conversations

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Harry was in a mood.

Y/N could tell from his one word responses over text and his grumpy voice over the phone.

He was not happy to have Bunny back at culinary school. It would have been so much easier if she was in his sight, but he got a call in today from the shop that required his attention.

He had been putting off wrapping this woman’s car for too long, he hated himself for being a man of his word sometimes. But duty calls. The admin work had been piling up and as much as he wanted to stay tucked away in this happy space he needed to visit the shop.

“Come on, we can’t let him think he got to us. It’s class, he won’t pull anything in public. Plus, I really don’t want to miss the cream puffs lesson.” He remembered her pout. The way she blinked before telling him he needed to trust his own brothers.

She was right. If he expected her to trust them he should trust them as well. It was just different with her. Reluctantly he sent Bunny off to classes with Viper on watch and Kid playing pretend student outside the door of the classroom.

It still didn’t make him feel much better, leaving her in the hands of others while he drove to the shop.

Harry didn’t like that it had happened this way. Of course, he knew that things always had the potential to backfire- but he had hoped that this guy would see that Y/N was with him and perhaps fuck off. It was to coax him out, yeah, but they’d never anticipated that he would have the smarts to gain access to Harry’s building. Nor the audacity.

Apparently, the true psycho had a lot of it.

He had been watching the clock carefully as he waited for the time to get closer to their check in. He waited every hour on the hour for her little emoji to be texted to him, his nerves getting to him all day.

Truthfully, Harry had been thinking a lot about the note. He didn’t give a fuck if the guy was after him. That was something that he didn’t mind. He’s had people come after him more than once and they’d probably do it again. He cared about Bunny and her safety. He could protect himself. She couldn’t. Not fully.

H: you good?

H: ???

Harry sent the question mark after, a spark of nerves in his belly plugging up when he knew she was supposed to be out of class now and still hadn’t answered him. Paranoia didn’t suit him well and yet, here he was.

“Okay little rabbit, you go in there first. He’s probably sweating bullets.” Viper chuckled as he helped Bunny off his bike. Kid was scoping the area already, but these ends of the city were safe. Most people would never think to come out here, it’s why Harry set up shop. It was quiet and hidden. No one would think twice about a mechanic shop in a more residential part of the city.

Y/N was excited to see him after a long day, especially at his shop. It had been years since she had been able to watch him work, it used to be one of her favorite activities. Granted, it was usually in a hot sweaty garage and her brother was there, but this? This was a new sight.

He was so focused, working out the air pockets in the wrap to the sounds of Ozzy Osborne. He hummed along to the tune, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his wrist before going to check his phone again.

Where could she be?

“Looking for me?” Bunny decided to end his misery, wrapping her arms around him from behind and shoving her face into his sweaty back. She loved his smell, completely disregarding his protests about wanting to feel fresh for her.

Harry stiffened for a moment, but his body lit up in tiny sparks as he saw familiar rings on the hands wrapped around him. Her face rubbed against his shirt, making him wince. He knew he was sweaty, the towel on the side proving that, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Took too long t’answer me.” He grumbled, turning himself around and feeling her chin test on his chest as she looked at him. Her pretty, long eyelashes and the sparkle from the shimmery makeup she always put on the end of her nose, soft lips looking like the most inviting little berries. He couldn’t stay too angry with her when she looked up at him like she was over the moon just to see him.

“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again. Promise.” She purred, stretching up to lock their lips together, her hand curling over the nape of his neck. He was shocked by her audacity but melted into it, quickly taking control of the kiss as he reached to hold her chin, tugging it slightly down so he could taste inside of her mouth. He was both oblivious and uncaring of the other men in the garage, lifting his free hand to give them the middle finger as he heard hoots and whistles.

“Can’t fix everything with those bunny eyes and hot little kisses.” He turned them from view, hand coming down for a little swat against her ass. She jumped with a squeak, the little burn making her smile. He handled her rough, sure, but with care. He’d never hurt her.

“I can try.”

Y/N felt relieved to be in his presence again, she didn’t even care about the hoots and whistles. If anything she felt proud to be the girl Reaper had on his arm.

“Okay love birds,” Viper called from behind them. “I’m going to head back, got a couple of things I need to do. If you need Kid to stick around and watch the outside, he can. He’s really been on this case so use him for anything you need.” The man had always been proud of his son, he had good morals despite the evils he witnessed as a kid. He was incredibly smart, picked up on everything. There was no one Viper trusted more than his own flesh and blood.

Bunny wiped her bottom lip off with her thumb, looking up between Harry and Viper as the two decided on the plans. She had fully zoned out, taking the time to admire the shop. It seemed exactly like something Harry would own. Simple, but full of necessary tools. Black on black, hints of red and white. It wasn’t all about aesthetics for him, but she could tell he liked the way the place was decorated. He seemed at home here.

“See you later, little rabbit. Behave!” Viper’s goodbye pulled her from her thoughts, looking back up at her… well. She wasn’t sure what to call him.

“How was your class?”

She had made it back to him in one piece. That itself was a relief, seeing her secure and happy. He’d never really brought her inside the garage before. She’s come before with Sterling and was outside, she’d gone in the lobby to use the bathroom, but she hadn’t been around in quite a while.

“Good. Easy. I’ve got cream puffs in a cooler in the truck.” She chirped, swiveling her head around to the car he was working on. It was half wrapped in a hot neon pink and while Y/N was 100% a pink girl… this shade was highlighter quality.

“Is this the big deal car?” She asked, raising a brow as she walked closer to it. A sports car, not something Harry cared too much about. His legs were too long for this model as it was.

“Yep. She’s paying double to have it done today. I’m halfway through.” He patted the top. It was probably good that Bunny was here, Kid outside. Otherwise, he was pretty convinced the woman would try and jump his bones. “The woman was real insistent I was the only one who worked on the car.” The panties left in the backseat looked to be for him but he had used a wrench to shove them under the seat. Not his problem.

Bunny raised her brows and nodded slowly, fully understanding the game of this woman. She had money and presumably thought Harry was in need of it, but also thought he was in need of her pussy. Frankly, Y/N wasn’t impressed, but she trusted Harry and knew that there was nothing this woman could really do to him.

Y/N never thought of herself as the jealous type, but the thought of this woman trying to hit on Harry enraged her. She knew the way these types of women were and while she was a girls girl, in this case? That was null and void.

“How long do you think it will take? I don’t want to be a distraction.” She knew the quicker he got it done the quicker they could be snuggled up comfortably in their new bedroom. “Is it okay if I look around? I’ll come back when I get bored.” Bunny knew she’d just sit there drooling over him if she stayed in the shop. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to control herself, she could barely keep her hands off him as is.

“Mmm,” Harry gave her a questioning look before deciding it was safe. He wanted to give her freedom where he could. Besides, the shop was probably the safest place for her to be. No one had been here before. “Go ahead, baby, just shout if you need me.” He knew he would hear her even over the music.

Y/N was snooping around. She was nosy, but she came by it honestly. She could see awards they’d won for their garage, photos of a stoic Harry and Sterling accepting them- and some of them smiling with their bikes a few years ago.

Her heart hurt seeing her brother smiling. Since their dad passed away, he hadn’t been the same. His long time girlfriend left him and his father was dead, he felt so much and expressed so little. It was partially why she had transferred back. She was homesick and she hadn’t wanted to leave her mother alone. Their mother and father had a very odd relationship, but she had been devastated. Bunny didn’t want to leave her all by herself when she was already missing home at the school a few hours north, so she made the decision to come back and finish her degree at the community college.

Sterling had been very happy to have her back but he didn’t stick around too long. Harry had been keeping watch for a long time since then but she knew that her brother cared. It did feel a little like abandonment but she also cursed her empathetic heart, knowing he must have felt like he failed now that she knew the true reason her father passed away.

Sterling was a great big brother. And whenever he came back- he was going to be pissed as shit that she was with Harry. It wasn’t fake anymore- at least not on her end. Bunny was pretty confident Harry couldn’t fake the level of intimacy and chemistry they had, but they’d figure that out later. She was just happy to have him now.

She left the office and grabbed a water bottle for him from the fridge in the break room, walking back out to see him working under a car. His hair was tied up and he had some grease near his eyebrow, his shirt wet with sweat… and god, she felt it straight between her thighs.

Y/N was an appreciator of a lot of different types of people, but the pure sex that oozed off of him right now was making her want to drool.

She walked closer to the car, hoping the sound of her shoes against the concrete floors would get his attention. The last thing she wanted was to spook him while he was under a car, no matter how securely it was raised off the ground.

“I brought you water,” Y/N cooed, taking a look at the car that was seemingly flawless. “The wrap looks great, what are you doing under there?” Bunny was curious. She knew enough things about cars to help her if she ever got stranded out on the highway but never did she need to use those skills. Harry or Sterling were always a call away.

Harry could tell by the look on her face she was starting to get impatient but he wanted to make sure he got all of this out of the way.

“Nearly done, pretty girl.” Harry reached for the cold water bottle. “Know you wanna get going, but she’s going to be here to pick up this car any minute and I want to make sure she doesn’t call me up again this week asking to fix something else…. These cars aren’t practical at all, don’t know why people buy them.” Harry certainly didn’t have the time or patients for a car like this. It was one very expensive hobby.

“Why aren’t they practical? Aren’t they just meant to be sports cars?” Bunny leaned against the standing toolbox as Harry sat up, the sliding board coming with him as he wiped away some of the sweat.

Yummy.

“Yeah, they’re supposed t’be cars you take out for an occasion. At least when they’re built like this. She uses it as a daily car and they’re not built for that. Some sports cars can deal with it but not this one.” It was one of his least favorite models as it was, and the woman was on his ass trying to get with him.

“Oh.” Bunny scrunched her nose. “I’m no expert in cars, but you’ve told her that I’m assuming?” She took a drink of her own water bottle trying to quench the thirst she felt for Harry in this moment. She suddenly got the thing that girls said, seeing a man doing his job… a manly job, it did things to her. Down and dirty, messy hands and shirt. Damn.

She couldn’t blame women for drooling after him if they saw him here. All inked and toned and his hair long and pretty. That didn’t mean she liked it. “I think she’s gonna be here in a minute. Can y’go to my desk and grab her invoice for me?” He was enjoying her staring at him quite a bit, but he knew if she didn’t walk away for a bit he would be doing some not so appropriate things.

“Yeah, sure.” Y/N nodded and cleared her throat a bit before making her way back to the office she had just come from. She tried to fix it up for him a bit, organize some things so he wouldn’t feel overwhelmed walking in there. She knew she would have.

Having put the invoice at the top of the pile, she made her way back to the garage as she read over the name.

“Regina Devington?” She read out loud, ready to laugh at the ridiculousness of the name until a high pitched voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes?” The woman turned to face her, already standing too close to Harry for Bunny’s liking. Clad in a fur coat, Y/N wondered if she realized she was in Vegas. Surely the heat outside would suggest it wasn’t fur coat weather, but it seemed she loved attention of any kind. Hence the bright pink sports car.

Bunny didn’t feel so bad about hating on her now, everything she had learned about her in the past hour had been more than enough justification.

“I’ve got your invoice.” She was quick on her feet, handing it over to her and gently nudging Harry’s arm to slide herself underneath it. Her body leaned against his, not minding the sweat in the slightest as she wrapped her arm around his back.

It was obvious it spooked the woman, a bit of a displeased tinge coming to her face as she watched Harry relax with Bunny looking up at him. It made her arch a brow, looking between them and then back up at the man’s face.

“Who is this? I’ve never seen this employee around.” A false smile covered her lips as she had a hard time hiding her distaste. She had been after Harry for a while, so seeing a girl snuggled up to him wasn’t ideal.

“S’my girlfriend, Bunny.” He said easily, running his hand over her side with his face softening just a bit at the mention of his girl.

“Girlfriend?” Regina was surprised. Last time she’d visited Harry he didn’t mention anything about seeing someone.

“It’s nice to meet you! I don’t come around the shop often, but I love the new wrap on your car— pink’s my favorite color too.” Bunny smiled at her, figuring the best way to crush her spirit was with kindness. She wasn’t lying, she did think pink was cool. She would personally never do that shade, but it was still cool.

Regina’s fake smile curdled, giving her a curt smile in response to the compliment. The idea of the two of them getting together since she last saw him made her blood boil.

“Thought Reaper didn’t do relationships?” Regina repeated his words back to him, tilting her head a bit at him.

“I didn’t. Not until her.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, not minding staking a claim in front of her. He would do it in front of anyone. Bunny didn’t seem to mind, shooting one of her smiles at the woman that was almost a bit smug. “The right woman can tame any man.”

His words were fond, not at all hiding the fact he was fond of her. Anyone else may think he was laying it on thick but it was a moment he allowed the veil of indifference to lift. Maybe it would get her to fuck off- but it did feel nice to have someone see Bunny outside of the MC life.

“Well… I wouldn’t call you tame.” Bunny giggled, knowing damn well what she was doing. She wasn’t afraid to flaunt a bit in front of the woman, knowing that she had been gagging for Harry. He was hers. The jealousy in her stomach was quelled with his squeeze to her hip, a little laugh escaping him.

He quite liked Bunny’s subtle jealousy. It was hot.

Regina’s mouth dropped open slightly, surprisingly keeping in the scoff that threatened to creep out. She couldn’t imagine how that worked, the girl wasn’t at all how she imagined his type to be.

“Is it ready though?” She interrupted their cutesy moment, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. Regina hadn’t felt rejection like this in a very long time, it would take a while for her ego to recover. “Here’s the cash.”

Y/N hadn’t seen that much cash before. The wad of bills in Harry’s palm made her eyes widen. Who carried that much on them? There were too many questions running through her head while Harry handed Regina the keys.

Bunny stood there watching Harry lower the car down from the lift, glancing over at Regina to see she was tapping her foot on the floor. Anxious? Angry? How interesting.

Harry could feel the tension bubbling between the woman who thought she had a chance and the only woman who ever did.

It was comical in a way, but he felt a tad bit guilty for enjoying Bunny stake a claim the way she did. In a sense, he felt like her jealousy and her need to prove Harry was hers was more hope towards this being a long term thing. He wasn’t necessarily a catch, in his eyes. He had been prepared to be alone the rest of his life because the shit he was wrapped up in was dangerous, he had anger issues and what he thought was an allergy to commitment besides to the club.

Seeing her be a bit catty, even if her version of it was just being a bit smug? It made him feel… desired. A warm flush under his skin made him giddy, lowering the car completely and letting the woman take a look.

He had to fight back a smile when Bunny returned to his side, pressing a kiss to his lips before he handed her the cash. “Can y’put this in the office while I give her a rundown on what I did? Just get the right change, don’t worry about the coins. Round up.”

Regina waited until Bunny was past the doors into the hallway before approaching Harry again.

“Never thought that was your type, wouldn’t you prefer someone who is more your speed?”

Harry couldn’t believe this woman was still on it, his brows lifting at the nerve. He would never hit a woman, never, but he could still use his words. He didn’t mind losing a customer who was going to belittle his Bunny.

“Listen, Regina. I’m not interested.” Harry’s tone was pointed. “While I appreciate you comin’ here to get your car fixed, coming in here every week isn’t going to get you laid.” Harry kept his eyes on hers so she got the point. “Now, if you’d like to hear what I’ve done on it…” He trailed off, watching the rage fill the woman’s eyes.

“I’ve got your change!” Bunny called as she pushed through the doors, not liking the distance between them.

Her brows raised before she all but shoved the envelope with her receipt and her change into her hands, placing herself as a barrier in between Harry and the woman. Harry had looked a bit pissed off and the woman too, but more so hurt. She didn’t know why but she knew his jaw was clenched.

“Have a nice night.” She said, tilting her head to the side as she turned around and effectively dismissed her. “Now… what are we doing for dinner?” Her hand reached up to his face, thumb rubbing some of the grease from the brow.

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle, ignoring the slam of the car door and the shitty little sports car peeling back out of the garage. Y/N was possessive and it felt nice to not be the only one who felt a bit aggressive when other people looked at her. “You’re cute.” He murmured, placing a hand on her waist to squeeze it. “Adorable, really. You’re the chef. Y’can let me know what we’re eating.”

“Well I wanted to suggest we get some take out or go somewhere if you wanna… for a change.” She felt a bit shy asking him, but she wanted to do something for him. Take him to a place in town that she loved, a place he probably wouldn’t go without invitation.

Bunny’s hands rested flat against his chest, gently toying with the distressed fabric of the top. It was one he wore often, his favorite shirt to work in. Something about the way the fabric let him breathe, the way it sat on his shoulders perfectly worn in. It had a few holes and was covered in grease and oil stains but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Besides, I know you’d rather be at your place rather than the clubhouse…” She knew he felt on edge there, even though he knew it was the safest place. The memories there haunted him, she could tell he wasn’t fully relaxed. “So maybe going out would be fun.”

His chest buzzed under the fabric, her heated hands soothing a bit of the ache he had felt being away from her today. He had been turning into a goddamn sap, a paranoid freak constantly checking his phone and not letting them crank the music in the garage until it was confirmed by Kid that they’d left the school. He wasn’t weak for many things at all, but Bunny seemed to hold more power in her small fingers than he did in his body when it came to his self control.

“Hm… that is true.” He also didn’t want the rest of them sniffing around the food. Usually, he wouldn’t have assumed but Bunny had been so excited about cooking for him before, adamant it wasn’t a problem so he had fallen into that routine the last few weeks.

A break for her? He was all for it. Though he doubted anything they could get was anything close to her caliber of food.

“Why don’t we take a bit of a drive out… go into Vegas and grab something overpriced.” He suggested. “A buffet or… a nice place.” It would still be too much money but he got flutters in his stomach at the idea of taking her on what could be considered a date.

He felt guilty that he hadn’t been able to take her on a proper one thus far but with the prevailing conditions, he knew it would be hard. If they had someone tail them into Vegas, though, they should be fine. It wasn’t more than 40 minutes out.

Bunny’s eyes lit up at the idea. It was even better than what she had originally planned. An evening out on the strip with her lover? What more could she ask for?

“Yeah? You want to?” She almost couldn’t believe it, an actual date. Not that she didn’t love their nights in, but being out and about with him was a feeling she couldn’t quite describe. It first showed it’s head when they’d gone to the Silver Spoon for breakfast, again when he kissed her in the parking lot, and again at the mall. It was special.

“Of course I want to.” Harry’s voice was quiet, a gentle smile appearing on his face as he tucked a few pieces of hair behind her ears. “Let me clean up here a little bit and we’ll go back and get ready yeah? You can pick the place. Anywhere you want.”

There had been so many places Bunny had wanted to go, she wasn’t sure how she would narrow it down. Of course, Vic & Anthony’s steakhouse was the first to come to mind. Harry did love a good steak.

—

The wind felt so good on her face. Driving down the freeway, she clung to Harry’s back. His bike weaves through traffic, aware of the fact that they’d definitely lost their tail but they’d meet up again in the city. He wanted to treat her to the real experience and perks of taking a bike. Being able to move through traffic and the wind cooling her from the setting desert sun.

Harry was effortless in the way he drove. It was something else she found attractive about him. His hand signals as he turned and the thrum of the bike under her thighs, she pressed a kiss to the back of his cut. He wouldn’t feel it, but she felt good doing it. The worn leather was cool under her lips, but she felt grounded even with them flying through, Harry’s radio blasting while they made their moves.

Her helmet wasn’t one of the full coverage ones like Harry’s that helped dust stay from his eyes, her helmet opting to let wind blow over her face and sunglasses hiding her eyes.

His gloved hand rested over her smaller one that held herself to him and squeezed twice- his way of asking if she was good. Y/N felt the warm and fuzzies at the wordless communication, squeezing herself back against him to confirm she was okay. They were almost into the city and he was feeling nerves rising in his stomach as he realized they were most definitely on a date, but neither of them said the actual word.

The bright lights intensified as they approached the strip, the razzle dazzle of Vegas never failed to disappoint Bunny. She had good memories in the city, despite how touristy it was, there were places that even she as a local could feel like a tourist in her own town.

She’d never been here with Harry. There was something so intimate about being with him here. It’s like the two of them weren’t meant to be there at the same time, but yet here they were. No one was staring at them while they walked down the street holding hands, in fact, they only looked surprised to see a man with a cut in such a fancy establishment.

Harry could tell Bunny was excited to be out. She had a little wiggle in her step almost as if she was ready to hop. It was cute, he thought- smiling at her, endeared. His thumb rubbed over the back of her hand, as they approached the hostess. He let Bunny take the lead on this one.

“Hi! We have a table reserved under Styles, please.” She chirped, bouncing on the balls of her feet before settling back down.

To anyone else, the sight of them together was a bit comical. His surly, cold face and dark demeanor paired with the bubbly sweetness of the lighthearted girl next to him, it was a complete contrast and seemed to be out of a book. It was real, though, her pink top made out of a slight shimmery material and his mostly black smoothed over his body.

“Uh- yes! Yes, this way please.” Usually, the man’s heavy biker boots wouldn’t be deemed as acceptable attire but the hostess didn’t want to risk pissing him off. She doubted anyone would.

Harry gave her the soothing, soft touches while she followed behind the hostess, her hair bouncing as she had taken it out of the temporary ponytail she needed to ride. She was so excited and her visible happiness went straight to his gut. That unfamiliar taffy pink, softly pulled apart feeling becomes more and more recognizable as her.

“Here you are,“ The table was in a more private area of the restaurant, a covered room just for them. “Enjoy your dinner.” The hostess spoke with a smile, welcoming the two tails hesitantly as they came to stand guard.

Bunny was in awe as she looked around. She’d always wondered what it would be like to eat here, but never did she imagine she’d be here with Harry.

Though he had never taken a woman out for dinner, he wasn’t a complete idiot, his hand immediately going to pull out the chair for her while she looked around.

“Do you like it?” He asked, his voice sounded almost shy. Sure, he didn’t fit in here but he wanted nothing but the best for his Bunny. He wanted it to be perfect. After all, this was their first date.

As fond as he was of their first breakfast date at the Silver Spoon, the nerves he had now told him that this was far more important than any other dinner he’s ever had. His heartbeat picked up a bit, watching as Bunny took her place in her chair. He smelled wonderful, looked even better, he was starting to think he should have put on a suit for once. No— he was thinking too much.

He didn’t know how to do all of this shit. But he wanted to learn for her.

Every other part of his life was murky and dark and for the time he got to spend with her, it was bright. Softened. Sweet. He wanted her to feel the same way with him, even if he wasn’t sure how to express it properly.

His old normal used to be fucking people over the hood of cars, dark alley’s, bathrooms, he didn’t really care if he was getting his dick wet. He had enjoyed sex mainly for pleasure.

Now he wanted to impress Y/N. Do the flowers and hearts and shit. She was the only one he realistically thought he would ever want to do the mushy shit with. Now seeing it happen in real time, he felt a nerve budge up in his stomach.

“I do! It’s perfect, Harry.” She said softly, bringing his hand to her face to kiss the back of it before he made his way to his seat. “I haven’t gone out to a good dinner in forever. Since dad was alive, I think. And never a good date.”

This had Harry blushing. He tried his best to look away but he knew she had caught him smiling to himself with reddened cheeks.

Y/N was in the same boat, smiling so hard her cheeks started to hurt as she looked down at the menu to give him a brief moment to collect himself. It was sweet. She had no idea how he was feeling about this date until now.

“Order anything you’d like, can even order something for me to be honest— I think you know your way around these menus better than I do.” Harry was a bit overwhelmed by the selections and fancy names of things. “Like what the fuck does confit mean?”

Bunny snorted a little at his pronunciation, scrunching her nose before responding.

“It means it’s cooked slowly in liquid over a long period of time. I’m sure it’s good, but I’m thinking…” She trailed off scanning the menu, “We could get a bunch of stuff to share? So we can try everything that looks good.”

It was then that Harry let Bunny go off on a little tangent, explaining every dish and how it would be prepared so he could see if he liked the flavor and texture of things. None of it really mattered to him, but listening to her go on was too adorable and he didn’t have the heart to stop her.

Seeing her be passionate was incredible. She was just really, really lovely and Harry felt that fondness seeping into his bones. Resting his chin on his folded hands, he listened to every little word, smiling slightly as she told him about her experiences cooking some of this stuff and others that she wanted to learn to do better.

His little chef.

In this situation it was easy to forget that when they left they were going back to the clubhouse. That some sicko was after her. A sicko that didn’t even feel remotely threatened that a man like the Reaper was her boyfriend. Even if it had been fake in the beginning it obviously wasn’t now. The guy was crazy.

He didn’t let himself dwell on the anger that settled like a rock in his gut. Instead he was attentive to her talking, listening to each word that fell from her cherry mouth.

The food came and Harry was genuinely stumped. He usually ate quick easy meals, noodles, take out, baked potatoes and steak. Filling and easy. The grill was his best friend.

All of this looked Intimidating.

“You’re gonna have t’walk me through this shit, babe. Dunno what half of this is.”

“Okay I know it looks odd because it’s plated in a different way, but you’ve had all this before.” Bunny giggled, “So this is a  Porterhouse steak. It’s big so I figured that would be enough for us both, but just in case you wanted more I also got a Wagyu because it’s meant to be the best steak in the world— don’t eat it with sauce! It’s perfect on its own.” Y/N pointed to the two steaks on the table. “I know you like potatoes so I got two kinds, this is basically mashed and the other is whole potatoes roasted in lots of yummy butter and herbs.”

“Then I also got us vegetables. Asparagus, broccoli, carrots… oh! The Lobster Mac and cheese. I’m not sure how you feel about seafood but you gotta try.” Y/N was practically bouncing in her seat. “And the crab legs. That’s everything I think… if we are still hungry we can always get more.”

The bill would be incredibly large but Harry wasn’t shy about spending money on Bunny. He always reminded her of the fact. She was under the mentality of wanting to go big since he had likely never been to a dinner like this and she wanted him to have nothing but the best.

“Dig in baby.”

The food was really fucking good.

But what was better, was seeing Y/N do a little dance each time she took a bite of something she liked. Her little hum, sometimes a moan. Sweet little thing she was, she would gush about it and tell Harry to try a bite immediately.

Being the man he was, he did exactly as she asked and nodded in agreement. The food was decadent and cooked very well. He was a fan of nearly all of it but the crab legs. He was pretty sure it was mostly mental, though.

“Sorry. M’not eating the thing out of the shell. It feels weird. Cannibalistic.”

“That is insane, H.” Bunny gave him a scrunched nose, shaking her head. “Don’t say that while I’m in the middle of eating one.”

“Can’t help it. I like the lobster Mac n’Cheese though.” At least that was already out of the shell.

“Okay, if I crack it open for you and put it on your plate will you try it?” She asked sweetly, tilting her head at him. Bunny batted her eyelashes, hoping that the look she was giving him would be enough to convince him. “If you like the lobster you’ll like the crab too. It’s sweet.”

It was surprising to her that he wasn’t a fan of cracking the legs open and eating them, for some reason that sounded like something reaper would be a fan of. It seemed the reaper had a soft spot for helpless crustaceans.

“Here, just close your eyes. I’ll feed you the perfect bite.” She waited for him to close his eyes before dipping the meat into some melted butter, getting a roasted potato to follow. With ease, she guided it into his mouth, using her thumb to wipe off the dripping sauce and pushed it against his lips.

It was good, yes. But he couldn’t help but feel an aversion considering it had been a brain work now. He did, however, like how she fed him. Her thumb brushed against his lip.

“Don’t like the crab, but I like when ya touch me.” He rasped, smirking at her as he opened his eyes, he grabbed a drink of his water before he scooted a bit closer to her, eyes locked on her face.

“Gorgeous fucking girl. It’s ridiculous.” He said under his breath. The dim light of the restaurant was annoying because he couldn’t see her all the way properly, but he found that any light would make him dip his toe a bit deeper into uncharted waters for her.

Bunny’s cheeks warmed, thankful he couldn’t fully see it. “I think you’re lying.” She teased, brushing her hand over his wrist. “But you’re a big baby. You don’t have t’eat it if you don’t want to.”

This man smashed skulls but he didn’t like opening up a crab leg. An enigma, that’s what he was.

————-

After stuffing themselves full of the most indulgent meal, it was time to make their way back to the clubhouse. While Y/N worked to convince Harry to get some dessert, it didn’t take that much. He had wanted to delay going back there for as long as possible.

Here in the city things felt different, their minds completely free. The two of them focused on nothing but one another just the way Harry liked it. The sweet flavors settled in his stomach as he revved his engine, signaling to their trailers that they were ready to head back.

It was peaceful on the open road back into their town. The stars were bright in the sky, the moon shining down on them as they began to see the glow of him in the distance. Harry didn’t want this evening's softness to end, her grip around his waist reminding him of the even softer girl clung against him.

He wanted to give her the most romantic evening he could, but there wasn’t much else he could do here in the club house.

Sometimes he felt bad about it. He felt guilt. A lot of feelings he wallowed in, wanting to be better, to provide more and make her happier. He was sort of fucked in some ways, though.

Would he have even gone after her if the stalker hadn’t come for her? He wasn’t sure. He did know that the whole idea, the whole concept of going after his best friend’s younger sister was fucked. But it hadn’t always made him feel hesitant. The one thing that did was the fact he lived so dangerously.

Now that she had no choice but to live in it, he felt like that barrier had been shattered. The walls remain laid out like shards of glass that he occasionally stepped on and winced at, the knowledge that she was now in a spot she never really should have been being a blessing and a curse.

As much of a complete dick as Harry knew himself to be, he never wanted her in this life. He wasn’t going to be selfish before this. Now, though? He knew he could keep her safe. He would die for her. She meant the entire world to him.

It hadn’t been a long time in the grand scheme of things, and he knew that perhaps time was limited, but he wanted to keep going. He wanted to keep her as long as she would let him in this darker side of life, his one ray of sunshine keeping him warm. He could only hope he did the same for her.

“D’ya want to watch a movie on my laptop?” He asked quietly as he stripped off his shirt, scratching right above the waistline of his pants. The inked skin caught her attention as usual. “I know riding can make y’tired.”

“Mmm sure,” Bunny’s eyes trailed up his body. It seemed she was still hungry for something else, eyes flickering to catch his stare once again. It didn’t match her intensity the way she expected it, but she decided to carry on nonetheless.

Making sure the door was locked, Bunny made her way over to him, turning around and pushing her hair to the side for him to take the dress off of her.

“Could you help me with this, baby?” She asked sweetly, letting her bum stick out just a little bit. Harry noticed. How could he not? What was more out of character for him was the fact that he wasn’t so focused on it, but rather, how beautiful she was.

Harry didn’t spend much time fully in the moment, but right now he was following his gut. His nimble fingers moved to button and unzip the dress, revealing slivers of lace Harry had not seen before. The evening was definitely special to her, he gathered that much.

There was no need to rush, no need to grab and be harsh. It was his sweet Bunny, the one that deserved to be loved on. He was always the one saying that, he figured he should give it a try.

“Look how pretty you are.” He sighed, knuckle rubbing over the side of her stomach. “Pretty girl. You looked perfect tonight.” His whole face was fond, locked away in this room allowing a slight tinge of the vulnerability to show on his face. He was so fond of her it was ridiculous.

Harry didn’t know how to form solid bonds much with women. His mother had been too worried about other things and her next fix and his aunt had taken him solely based off of duty, too worried about her own children to care too much about anything other than Harry’s very bare minimal needs being met. He knew it hindered his view on most.

He was fond of her mother and her since they met because they’d been the first real warm feminine figures in his life. Helping him get over that bitterness. But Y/N, his soft little Bunny, that bond had shifted to something romantic.

It scared him as much as it excited him. He’s never had a want to be tender with someone in his whole life. Now that their situation has shifted into what definitely was more than make believe, he was trying to figure out how to treat her. To follow instincts of things he suddenly wanted to do.

While yes, he always wanted to fuck her, tonight felt a bit more intimate than just another rough romp in bed. Their sex had always been full of passion but he felt like maybe they needed a night to just be.

“C’mere.’” He pulled her towards him and knocked his fingers against her chin to tilt it up, meeting her eyes. “There she is. Sweet little Bunny. Y’had fun, yeah?” He asked again. “I just… never did anything like that before. Want to make sure you liked it.”

“Of course I did.” Bunny could feel the tightness of her wide smile, thinking back to the meal they shared and how much she enjoyed his presence. The look on his face every time he took a bite, watching him decide how he felt about the flavor for a split second before the bliss hit.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else.” Bunny really meant that. It was always a fantasy for her to have gone out to a fancy expensive dinner with a future partner, but never had she expected it to be fulfilled by Harry.

It was like a dream come true, though it was better than she could have imagined. Bunny couldn’t quite explain herself in words, her hands itching to be on him and feel more of him.

She just wanted to feel physically close, already missing the feeling of having him inside of her. Sex had always been the easiest way for her to communicate her feelings, it helped that it was their common language.

“Good.” He murmured. “I’ve never done that type of shit before. Gone to a fancy place or made a reservation.” His admission wasn’t exactly a shock, but his slight shyness was.

Harry was a rock. Unshakable and steady, even if sometimes his anger made him a bit of a firecracker. For her, he had always been the one person she never thought of getting nervous or unsure. He carried himself in such a strong, postured way, that seeing this little hint of something else was even more interesting.

“You did a fantastic job.” Her voice was soft, stroking her hands over his warm shoulders. “I don’t need to go to fancy dinners all the time, but I like that you thought of it. That you asked me.” It was something she had always secretly dreamt of but never thought would come into fruition.

It wasn’t like he turned into a Prince Charming overnight. He had told 3 people to fuck off while they were in Vegas, he didn’t have the most amazing table manners, but in this night he really felt like he was hers.

“I just…” he licked his bottom lip, a bit of worry flashing over his eyes. “I want t’make sure you’re happy. I know things are fucked right now. I do. But you deserve the best shit. I’m not always sure how to give it to you but I’m trying.”

“I promise you…. I’m the happiest I’ve been in a while.” Bunny was telling the truth. There wasn’t much going on in her life since she started culinary school. Sure, the usual things like going out with her friends and movie nights with her mom, but nothing quite like the deep love she had found with Harry.

She couldn’t even blame it on the situation at hand, she was positive if she had spent any more time with him that eventually, she’d win him over. Of course, this wasn’t the most ideal situation, but somehow, it was proving to be a defining moment in her life. Maybe it was trauma bonding, but honestly, Harry had always been her rock. It was a shame that this is what it took to get them here.

Her hand moved up against his skin, finding its way against his neck. The dress she was wearing had slipped right off of her body in the process, now standing on her toes.

“Just like having you here, with me…” Her voice was quiet, sultry as she leaned in to seal their lips in a kiss. It was tender, different from their usual passion fueled kisses. It had Bunny’s stomach fluttering. The intimacy of it all was getting her excited. She couldn’t get close enough to him.

Harry was pleased. More than so.

His hand curled around her waist, bringing her soft body close to her own. He relished in the feel of her plushy lips against his, tasting the remnants of the dessert wine. She was so sweet, a soft little dreamy sigh leaving her mouth against his own.

His fingers brushed over her cheek as he pulled back, a private smile given to her before pressing a wet peck to her nose. “C’mon. Come lay with me.”

There were rowdy noises coming from downstairs, but he was stuck in the sounds of her. A little giggle as she moved down on the bed and surprised him, getting on top of him and physically placing his hands on her ass.

He wouldn’t complain. He would make out with her until the sun came up, squeezing her ass before moving up to her back. Stroking the smooth skin with his fingertips, a soothing rhythm that had her breaking out in chills.

Something about his touch felt different and it left Bunny unable to fully relax as she tried to decipher why he wasn’t giving into any of her leads. Normally, he would have given in by now, between the dress, the kiss, and the hands on her ass.

The kiss felt nice, his touch even more so, but it wasn’t something she was used to. His fingertips brushed against her as if she was porcelain, gripping her hips just enough to steady them before placing his hands against the span of her thighs.

Bunny’s kisses left Harry feeling breathless, pulling away momentarily just to get a look at her in this state. His eyes fluttered open and scanned over her face, admiring all the features he’d committed to memory by this point. It wasn’t until his eyes landed back on her that his brows furrowed. She looked confused.

“Everything okay?” He asked cautiously, worried he’d managed to mess something up in the past few moments.

“Do you….” She tilted her head, looking a little nervous. “Do you not want me tonight?”

She winced as soon as she said it. Of course that wasn’t exactly what she meant but usually he was ripping her clothes off. Pinning her down. She was used to feeling desired by him with his roughness and insatiability. He was being so gentle and tender tonight, almost like he was trying to ignore the way she tried to kiss him harder.

“I always want you.” He said, sitting up on his elbow. His brows worried together, squeezing her hip with his other hand that kept contact on her skin. “But I just wanted t’be soft with you tonight.  Always a bit rough with you and I love it… love making you a wreck but I kinda jus’ want to make you feel appreciated.” He tried to explain. “I haven’t really done anything like this before with anyone. I wanted to see how it could be. Got the craving to just be nice to you.” His honesty made her blink.

Why did it kind of feel like a rejection?

“So you don’t want to have sex?” Her head tilted like a sad puppy, the confusion on her face making him upset.

“I always do. But we do it every night and I dunno… I just kind of wanted to cuddle n’ kiss.” He felt his cheeks flush a bit. “Is that okay?”

“Oh, yeah of course… sorry.” Bunny felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her as she crawled to move beside him. Suddenly she felt really naked, the vulnerability was something she wasn’t very used to. It was easy for her to hide behind sex, it wasn’t often she was able to just be the sweetheart she was when no one was around.

This was all new for her too. She felt like she should have told him that her previous boyfriends never really wanted to just lay and cuddle with her. The last thing she wanted was to get him angry and worked up when he was so soft and pliable for once. She was sure to an extent, he knew.

Bunny pulled the blanket up over her chest a bit, resting on her side  so she could face him while he stayed on his back. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, hoping he wasn’t upset with her. She already felt a strange tug in her heart, staying quiet while her hand moved to hold his under the covers.

“Hey…” He whispered, turning to her. “Hey, look at me. Give me your eyes.” He gently commanded, looking down at her face. Where that had made her upset, he couldn’t fully pinpoint. But it has. “That didnt mean get off of me. Didn’t mean I wanted to stop kissing on you.” He kept his tone soft, turning fully to face her again as he tried to get a feel on it.

“Can you tell me why you’re upset? Or embarrassed?” He tucked a bit of hair away from her face, looking quietly as he examined her. Bunny felt a bit unnerved, like he could read her thoughts from this point of view.

“It’s new for me. Doing this sort of stuff- well, even wanting to. S’not that I don’t want to have sex with you. I love our sex. It’s so hot, and I’ve never had such a good time with someone. It’s just…” He paused, tracing over the curve of her cheek. “I feel like all the world has been beating on you lately. You get treated with sharp words and you’re jumpy, someone’s following you around, you’re surrounded by dark shit and then I go and fuck you unti you’re brainless. I know it’s good and like I said- I love it. But I think for all the softness you give me, you give everyone, you should get some of that shit in return. You get me?”

Bunny’s eyes kept blinking, trying not to let the floodgates of emotion break as his words began to chip away at the walls she’d spent a long time trying to build. She should have expected he’d see through it, he always had. The softness he was showing her brought tears to her eyes.

“It’s new for me too, ya know?” She kept her voice quiet, closing her eyes for a moment to try and collect herself. “It’s just… you make me forget everything that’s going on, that I can just focus on you and not have to think at all.” Y/N took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. “Never had that before, I feel safe like this with you…”

It was even hard for her to pinpoint why she felt so embarrassed. It’s not like she thought he didn’t want to fuck her, but something about how she’d built it up in her head expecting to completely detach for the rest of the evening had been something she looked forward to. Was it healthy? Probably not.

“I’m pretty good at showing my feelings with cooking and all that but sex has always been the main one… It’s not that I don’t want to be soft with you, I guess I just didn’t expect that you’d want that now, I was thinking of something else… think it’s why I’m embarrassed.”

“Well… is it okay? That I want that sort of thing with you?”

That insecurity built in his brain went alert. He didn’t think he was misunderstanding her, but sometimes he knew he could be blind. He was very eager with her now that he had felt a shift but he could dial it back if he really tried.

“No! No, no.” She shook her head, placing her hand over his and leaning into his palm. “I do like it. I want it. But I guess in my last few relationships I kind of felt like I didn’t really… deserve it?” She didn’t know if that was exactly it but that’s the best she could vocalize. “I stopped hoping for it, I guess. Sex was what people use to communicate that sort of stuff so I’m used to that. It feels like I’m doing something wrong. Not really giving you back the attention you deserve.”

Harry frowned. This wasn’t what he wanted to hear. His jaw clenched slightly as he tried to let go of his anger for the past people who have treated her so poorly, people who were on his damn list.

“I understand to a degree. Feel like that. I used to use sex as a release. Just… do it and it’s over. Don’t get me wrong, Bunny- look at me.” He grabbed her eyes with his own. “I love our sex. I love the messy, the dirty, your whines and the roughness. But that isn’t the only way to be. It shouldn’t be.” He shook his head, exhaling sharply. “I would beat anyone’s ass- I am going to beat their asses- for using you like that. I may call you my fucktoy, but trust me when I saw I think of you as a hell of a lot more.”

Though his words were comforting to hear, the ugly feeling of embarrassment was still present in her body. Her eyes stayed locked on his, allowing herself to believe him even though that within itself was scary. She had admitted to herself she was in love with him not too long ago, the idea he might feel the same way had her mind reeling.

Bunny moved even closer to him, aching to feel more of his comfort. She was feeling shy, but still mustered up the courage to kiss him in the sweetest and most appreciative way she knew how. She wanted to say the words but it was too soon, she’d save them for another time, but for now the kiss was just right.

Her hand moved to cup his cheek as she pulled away, staying close to his face just to show him she wasn’t going to hide anymore.

“I really mean it when I say that I like being with you, Harry. In any way and every way.”

[astroels]

Dream girl

E. Williams x Reader

Sum: leaving a party with a pretty auburn headed girl and smoking with her, just having a good time.

wc: 1.5k

Fluff, making out

a/n: thought abt this last night and thought it was a cute idea

It was never a good idea to leave a party with a stranger, but the eye contact made with the lonely girl across the room sparked an understanding. It only strengthened when she walked towards you with a shy smile, asking you if you'd want to go elsewhere with her. You said yes, not only because she seemed like a sweetie, but you needed the company. The party was getting lonely, just babysitting your full cup while standing in a corner waiting for your friends to leave. Besides, it wasn't often you got to meet someone who made you feel comforted on meeting basis.

You sat next to the pretty girl in the back of her run down truck under the stars. You didn't know this would be "elsewhere," but it wasn't bad. She didn't speak much as she drove to this field, only small talk here and there over the music she played to fill the silence. Now that you were finally sat and comfortable, you decided it was time to actually talk.

You looked towards the girl, adjusting the blanket you shared at an awkward distance. "Is it too late to ask for a name?" The girl looked back at you curiously. "Maybe. could be a killer afterall." Her tone seemed to be a playful one. You chuckled awkwardly hoping she was joking. "If you are, please make it quick and put me out of my misery." You touched your heart to add exaggeration. She gave a light hearted chuckle and bit her bottom lip. "Ellie." She didn't strike you as an Ellie, but it fit her. "Pretty name for a pretty face." The words came out of your mouth naturally without double thinking it. The way Ellie's face gave a shocked expression made it less embarrassing. You could almost see the way she reddened with the moonlight.

When you told her your name, she complimented it. Everytime you shared eye contact, it made you want to melt, she felt intense in the most comforting way possible. Even though you felt okay with this girl, anxiety still knotted your stomach, it wasn't everyday you met someone and spent time alone with them automatically. Your thoughts were interrupted by Ellie's voice. "Uhm, do you smoke?" She glanced at you while pulling out a pre-rolled joint from her hoodie. Her features looked so soft when she looked at you, her eyes practically seducing you. You smoked, not without a friend, but you guess Ellie could count as a friend. "Yeah, I do." You smiled after replying. "Great, okay here." She passed you the joint, reaching into her jeans for the lighter.

She lit the joint as it layed between your fingers. It somehow felt wrong for you to take the first drag, so you spoke up. "You take the first one, Ellie." Her name sounding foreign to your tongue as it rolled out. She scooted closer towards you; the warmth that radiated off her body was just a couple of centimeters away. "Uhuh, you go ahead." Her words sounded like a whisper so close to your ear. They tempted you to turn her way, to look for something more, but you settled on just looking forward. You made a noise of agreement and took the first drag, coughing a little after. "Mm, y'got baby lungs." She chuckled at her own teasing. Her comment made you feel small but confident in a way to counter it. Turning your head to face her, you spoke. "Not always." You stared at her eyes for a second, watching hers bat up from your lips.

"Here." You held the joint to her lips, not allowing her to grab it. She hesitated before accepting the babying. "What're you doing?" Her voice came out in a low raspy tone as she licked her lips. " 'm helping you out." You said innocently, smiling. She hummed in agreement, accepting the help in taking a drag. You took another drag once the smoke of Ellie's had disappeared into the air. You both shared the joint, talking about interests, getting unconsciously closer physically. She learned about your interests that you fixated on, your classes, favorites, almost everything was talked about that night.

"Mmm what about instruments, play any?" The awkwardness had faded and turned into comfort in each other's presence. "Hmmm," You laid your head on her shoulder wondering if you should tell her about the guitar you'd gotten. It's totally lame to have one and not know a single thing about it right? Oh well, the you didn't have much train of thought left after Ellie put out the joint. "Got a guitar, dunno how to play it though." You felt Ellie's laugh vibrate from her shoulder. "Does that not count?" You looked up at her. "Not quite." You scoffed jokingly. "Yeah, well what do you play then?" You felt her stare down at you. "Guitar actually-- could teach you if you'd like." Your heart lit up at the thought she wanted to hangout again after tonight. "For sure." You were certain she could feel the way you grinned childishly. "I'll give you my number before we leave, pretty girl."

Your head shot up, looking at her in uncertainty if you heard correctly. "Pretty girl?" You questioned, checking to see if she meant it or it was a casual pet name. "You're really pretty y'know." She said it in a raspy whisper that made your heart flutter, feeling it knot into your stomach. You felt Ellie's hand come up to your face, laying on your cheek. Her hands felt clampy as if they'd been sweating, but you weren't going to mention it. "You are too," was all that came out lowly. As the words left your lips, you felt her other arm, with a beautifully done tattoo you might add, snake around your back. At first, it was just closeness that consumed both of you, basking in the warmth. But soon you were straddling her thighs as both your faces inched closer to each other, discarding the blanket that once covered you.

Ellie's eyes looked hazy with pink tones; it made her all the more attractive. You saw Ellie scan from your eyes to your lips to back to your eyes. Even in the silence, there was a mutual understanding of what's to come. You grabbed Ellie's face and pulled her in, locking your lips with hers. She held a grip on your curve that sat above your ass. Her lips were so soft and plump, you were glad they felt as good as they looked against yours. Soon, Ellie's energy switched into a more dominant one, biting the bottom of your lip for access. Her tongue felt slick against yours as you moaned in pleasure. When she pulled away, her lips looked swollen to match her dreamy eyes. She soon went after your neck instead. She left sloppy kisses near your ear, teasing with licks here and there. The noises she pulled from you only increased her ego to keep on going. As she got lower to your collarbone, she increased the time she spent, sucking to leave marks on display that she was there.

She made her way back up to plant a final kiss on your lips. She then moved past your face to rest her head on your shoulder, pulling you into a semi hug. With your face so close to her neck, you decided to tease her. "Ellie--" you whispered near her ear. You felt her body shudder at your voice. You planted kisses along her neck, experimenting with different ways to see what drew noise. Your softly bit her neck while kissing, and she let out a shaky whimper, something you hadn't heard from her before. You did it again which let her release a breathless moan. You enjoyed that you could do this to her. Not surprised she was into biting, you pulled away so you could face her. "That's interesting," you purred in teasement. Ellie stuttered while trying to find a response and hide the red that covered her face.

With no words to say to your comment, she let out an awkward laugh. "I like you," You couldn't tell if it was a confession or question, but you took it as the one that pleased you most. She rubbed her hand up and down your back in soothing motions. Your smile reached your eyes without you wanting it too. "I like you too, Ellie." You planted a kiss on her and got off. "Now take me home please." You demanded while tilting your head and smiling to make the remark lighthearted.

Once you reached your apartment complex, you waved goodbye to Ellie; She stayed parked near the entrance, you assumed it was to make sure you made it in safe. You looked into your pocket to find your keycard, but instead you were met with a paper.

"Call me :) (307) xxxx-xxx"

You looked back to Ellie, she winked and like that she was gone. She was the girl you'd dreamed of.

[k4zushi]

[ 03 ] SINCE WHEN WAS THIS HERE..

status : unedited, written 01/03/24 ☆ word count : 0.7k

CYNO’S POV ⟡ CAMPUS THEATER

in all honesty, cyno wasn’t planning on showing up. things like dancing and acting really weren’t his forte and yet, by some miracle, he found himself standing outside the main entrance to the theater.

to say he was confused was an understatement, heck he wasn't even aware of the school’s theater until now! he was too preoccupied with his studies so he had never explored the school campus. to him, he only really needed to know the bare minimum of where his lectures were being held.

cyno took in a deep breath before opening the door to a dimly lit theater.

it took his eyes a bit to adjust but when he did he saw a handful of students walking up and down the isles along with a familiar brunette woman stationed at the front of the stage giving out orders to students.

everyone already seemed to know where to go and that added to his confusion. it also made him even feel out of place because he didn’t want to be the only one awkwardly standing around.

he knew ms lisa as she was one of his teachers back in highschool and thought about asking her for help until he remembered how busy she looked talking to other students. he also recognized some of the people in the theater but he didn’t really deem himself close enough to them for him to randomly spark a conversation and so he was ultimately left to ponder his own thoughts.

the poor boy questioned his entire existence at that moment and even debated walking right back out of the theater until someone approached him, effectively breaking him out of his pessimistic thought process.

"hey!! potential actor? straight ahead, backstage to your left” the person said in a friendly tone that made cyno do a double take.

he blinked twice before focusing on the person standing in front of him.

they had a smile painted across their face, their eyes focused on his. despite the lights in a theater casting dark shadows across the both of your faces, cyno could still tell that the person in front of him was extremely attractive. their elated personality made him nervous but luckily he knew a fair share of eccentric people in his life.

"ah.. thank you," he said, mustering up the best smile he could.

"mhm,, goodluck with auditions!! " they replied, flashing a quick smile of their own before turning on their heel and walking off.

‘i was going to ask for their name but i guess not..’

he frowned a bit but decided it wasn't that big of a deal and he could always get it later.

cyno made his way down the isle and up the stairs to the back of the stage where he saw even more students huddled.

scanning the small crowd he picked out familiar blonde hair that was disappearing and reappearing among the sea of heads. the grey haired boy weaved his way through the other students until his eyes landed on a pair of faces he knew all too well.

"albedo. alhaitham." he nodded as a greeting.

the two scholars turned around to see cyno walking up to them. albedo’s eyes slightly widened in recognition before he responded with a greeting of his own.

"ah cyno. hello to you too."

"i wasn't really expecting to see you here” alhaitham spoke, eyeing the shorter guy next to him.

"to be honest, i wasn’t planning on coming here either” cyno huffed out a small sigh, crossing his arms across his chest.

"impulsive last minute decision?" albedo questioned before chuckling softly.

"hm," cyno paused. "i guess you could say that"

“while you’re here, could you humor me and help me go over some lines?” the blonde reached for a small packet of paper, before handing it to him.

“sure, which ones?” he took the packet from albedo flipping through the stapled pages.

albedo pointed at part that had highlighted lines. “just these, read the ones in blue. also alhaitham has to leave soon since tech aren’t needed until later rehersals”

“speaking of which, i’ll be taking my leave. i have a couple assignments to complete” said alhaitham as he closed the book he had been reading. he said a curt goodbye and then walked off leaving the two to recite lines.

prev ︴masterlist ︴next

AUTHOR NOTES : moving my a/n down here bc i can type more :3!! anyways cyno is vv silly so here are my personal hcs for this fic <33

☆ he isn’t really a fan of emojis so instead he uses kaomojis, emoticons, ( both were collei’s influence, everyone say thank you collei >u< ), and cat reaction images

☆ LOVEEESSSS CATS!! this is just me projecting bc cats are cute and he’s cute so why not

☆ mf is not neurotypical LOLLL this is also me projecting but i think it fits him🙏 i’m not sure if i’m going to ever explicitly say that he’s autistic in this fic but just know that he is ( so is y/n and alhaitham bc neurospicy ppl attract other neurospicy ppl, that’s a fact )

☆ scara has one sided beef w/ cyno. their entire relationship is scara dunking on him while cyno has zero clue that they’re on “bad terms” bc scara acts like this w/ pretty much everyone

— TAGLIST : @ioveaether @otomegame-oneshots @ashyiiy @mafuyuslover @yuminako @ell1e2010

[lacyscabinet]

Write the most heart wenching Natalie one shot you possibly could ever write

Showcase your writing abilities 👀

No proper plot just make it super angsty... maybe reader dies in the end🙂

A/n: HI ANON ARE YOU OKAY? 😭 anyway, thank you so much for your request, hope you enjoy :) let me know if it's painful enough LMAOOO

Tw: sickness, reader dies!

The wilderness dance

Months and months had passed since the crash and yet, Natalie still didn't seem to forget about any single detail of that day, maybe it was her trauma or maybe she simply had way too much time to think. There wasn't much to do there other than trying to find food for the group out in the woods, making her way through the biting winds and frigid cold alongside Travis, their shared breaths visible in the icy air.

As the snow deepened, so did the challenges of survival. Natalie's days were spent navigating the treacherous woods, a dance of life and death with each hunt. Travis wasn't the best lately, too focused on finding Javi and forcing her to search and search for someone who, she thought, was already gone.

And just when she thought things couldn't get worse another silent struggle unfolded within the cabin. You, a soul caught in the icy grip of illness, grew weaker with each passing day. The others, sheltered beneath the same roof, watched as the flame of their vitality flickered in the cold winds of misfortune.

One evening, after a particularly long and exhausting hunt, Natalie and Travis walked back to the old wooden cabin. The wind blew on her cheeks making them sting, and as she reached for her neck to raise her scarf above her lips in an attempt to block out the cold, she noticed some leaves dancing around carried by the breeze, floating in the air almost trying to indicate her the way to the cabin, luring her in.

As she opened the rusty door, the other girls immediately looked in her direction, their eyes clouded with a mixture of sorrow and unspoken concern.

"Natalie, we need to talk," Lottie said softly from her spot in front of the crackling fire, her voice hesitant.

Natalie's heart pounded as she got closer to her, scared of what she was going to say.

"What's going on?" Natalie's voice trembled with a mix of anticipation and fear.

"It's about y/n" Lottie began, her eyes darting to the ground before meeting Natalie's gaze. "She has been getting worse... much worse."

A heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the distant howl of the wind singing a melody for the leaves to dance to.

Without waiting for more, Natalie's instincts kicked in. She rushed past Lottie and the others, her heart racing, as if her very steps could hasten her arrival at the attic where you lay.

The room, dimly lit by a feeble lantern and a small fire the girls lit up for you to keep you warm.

"Nat," you whispered weakly as soon as you recognized her footsteps on the cracking floor, your voice a fragile, punctuated by fits of coughing that echoed through the small space.

Natalie knelt beside you, her eyes moist with a mix of worry and love. "I'm here," she whispered, taking your trembling hand in hers.

"I always feel better around you" you confessed, a faint smile playing on your chapped lips between labored breaths and coughs that grew more and more pronounced by the second, each one a painful reminder of your fragile state. Natalie stroked your hair and placed a cloth drenched in cold water on your forehead, trying to cool down your fever, knowing deep down that it wasn't helping much.

Natalie struggled to hold back tears, she had to be strong, but looking at you right now felt like staring at a ghost and she couldn't handle that.

She stood by your side for hours, just holding your hand and occasionally kissing your forehead, until, she saw the light in your tired eyes dim gradually to the point where even the smallest spark was gone.

"Promise me, Nat, you'll keep going" you murmured, eyes locking with hers for one last time.

Natalie looked down at you, tears streaming down her face "Don't say that" she almost begged, trying to pretend everything was going to be alright.

In your final moments together, the room seemed to hold its breath, as if the very air mourned the impending loss. Your frail hand clung to Natalie's, gaze pleading for a future you could no longer share.

With a final, raspy whisper, your breath faded away, leaving Natalie alone in the attic. The room, once a sanctuary, now echoed with the haunting silence of a love that had defied the frigid embrace of destiny. The wilderness, indifferent to your personal tragedy, continued its relentless dance with winter, leaving behind only the echoes of a love now lost to the unforgiving cold.

[imkillerbae]

Tagging: @sadcowboahthe2nd

Part 1 Here

Requests: OPEN

Weak (Part 2, Finale) (Valorant Yoru x Fem!Reader)

Yoru sat on his bed, arms leaning on his knees. He brooded as he sharpened his knife, the friction sending sparks around the dimly lit room. He blasted Japanese rap music on the speakers, trying to keep himself occupied.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about you.

He knew how it felt to burst out in anger and say things you don’t mean, so he kept convincing himself that you didn’t really feel that way about him; that you saw him as more than just an asshole. But he couldn’t blame you. He hurt you by lying just to save himself from being teased about you. He knew damn well you were out of his league, and if Phoenix knew, he’d never hear the end of it.

Was lying really worth hurting you? No, and he regrets it deeply.

He sighs. I hope her head is cool once she comes back. I need to explain myself. But his thoughts were stopped by a loud banging outside his room. He scrambles to turn off the music. “What do you want?” He yells back, rolling his eyes.

“Y/N! She’s hurt! She’s—it’s serious! Please you have to—” He hears KJ scream frantically behind the door, and his eyes widened. He springs to his feet, dropping his knife on the floor. Without a second thought, he opens the door and grabs KJ’s shoulders. “Where,” he asked sternly, and KJ winces. “T-they’re taking her to the ICU, she’s in an u-unstable state,” she replies, but he was already running to the infirmary.

Hearing how panicked KJ was, a million nightmares played in his head. Sage wasn’t here, which heightened his anxiety. What if you die? And Sage couldn’t bring you back? What if you suffer so much, you gain amnesia? What if you turn into something like Omen?

He shook his head. He won’t let that happen. He’d tear a hole in the whole dimensional fabric of the universe before he lets that happen.

As he saw the room you were held in, he bangs on the door. “Open the FUCKING DOOR!” He yells, kicking it with so much force, it groaned but stood firm. Phoenix ran and tried to hold him back. “Stop man! You’ll break the door!” He warns, holding his best mate’s arms back. “Kuso, doke!” He thrashes violently, trying to elbow Phoenix’s face. Viper looked back from the window, and she could tell that Yoru won’t relent until he was let in.

She instead opens the door and gets out of the sterile room, glaring at Yoru. Yoru returns the look, pushing Phoenix off him. “What the fuck did you do to her.” Yoru growls, grabbing the doctor by her coat, but she doesn’t squirm. “Nothing that isn’t helpful. You can’t enter the room.” She orders, but his grip doesn’t loosen. Behind them, Phoenix watches closely, making sure Yoru didn’t do anything too rash. A few agents also arrive, and a few gasps were emitted as they saw you through the glass.

Yoru watches you writhe on the bed, your limbs secured on the metal bars. You were screaming, face stained with tears of pain. Several markings on your body pulsed in the color red with every movement you made. His eyes were wide and his mouth hangs open, shocked and scared. He looks back at Viper with fury.

“Tell me what’s going on. NOW.” He demands, and Viper holds on to his wrist, trying to tear him off her. Phoenix intervenes, trying to break the two up but he’s shoved aside by Yoru. “Her body was exposed to Radianite residue for too long when she investigated one of the mission’s points of interest. We didn’t anticipate the reserves still active in the mineshaft.” She explains, dusting herself.

“At the moment, there’s no cure. Not even Sage would be able to help her. Y/N’s not radiant, which makes the situation much worse. This could be fatal.” Hearing this, Yoru’s blood boiled. “No cure? What do you mean no cure?! Why didn’t you discuss this in the risk management?! YOU SENT HER ON A SUICIDE MISSION.” He screams at her face, and Phoenix was almost fed up with Yoru’s behavior. He understood how much he cared about you but this wasn’t helping anyone.

“Man, lay off. Y/N’s not the only one affected here. Harbor and Viper are also fatigued. Doc is trying her best to keep Y/N alive right now,” Phoenix warns, squeezing Yoru’s shoulder with force. “Y/N’s body is fighting the effects right now. All we can do is hope she overcomes it, and that Sage arrives here on time. She may at least try to relieve some of her pain.”  Viper adds, but Yoru did not relent.

“And what if she doesn’t? What then? You send her off into a mission you weren’t prepared for and now you just hope she lives?!” Yoru clenches his fist, but before he could grab Viper again, Phoenix threw him a punch in the face, knocking him down. “I told you man! Lay off! You’re acting crazy!” He rubs his fist on his white jacket, watching Yoru get up on his feet. He’d never seen Yoru this angry. In blind rage, Yoru charges at Phoenix, but before he could, Viper injects him with a sleeping drug on his neck.

The last thing he sees is you, on your hospital bed, sweating and in pain. His heart drops. He wanted to be there, to hold your hand. “Y/N…” he whispers your name, but you do not hear it.

--

The next time he wakes up, he couldn’t move properly. Adjusting his view, he sees a gray wall. He was laying on his side. When he was about to wipe on his eyes, he couldn’t. Huh? Where the hell am I? Pulling at his arms, he realized he was handcuffed. He sprung upward, looking around. It was a small room, only furnished with a rickety bed, a single faucet and what he assumed was another room for a lavatory. On the other side was a door that had a large rectangular window on it.

Am I in a jail cell?

“Hey!” He yells, banging on the door with his shoulders. He tries to kick it down but doesn’t do much damage, still dizzy from the drug. He peers out the window, and sees a familiar mop of brown hair. It was Phoenix on the other side. “Phoenix, open the fucking door!” He orders, slamming his whole weight on the door.

“Can’t man. I know you’re worried about her. So are we. But fucking up Viper’s work won’t help anyone, especially Y/N.” Phoenix reasons quietly, crossing his arms. He feels his best friend’s anger through the door, and he felt guilty for punching him. But it had to be done, unless he wanted Yoru to do something he’d regret for the rest of his life.

“I can’t just wait for her to rot in there! Open the door!” Yoru persisted. His voice was starting to waver. “And what would you do? What would you even do there? Hassle the doc?” Phoenix replies angrily, facing the window.

“Damn it, I’d take her pain and turn it into mine if I could!” He shouts back angrily with a last bang on the door with his back. “Fuck, I… I can’t just wait here while she suffers. I can’t.” He croaks, slowly sitting down against the door. He then remembered how in pain you were. His heart clenched. He cared about you more than he let himself show.

“All I know is that I want to be with her right now. That’s all I ask,” he begged.

Phoenix listens as Yoru sulked there. Fuck, now he wants to open the door. Yoru hears Phoenix leave him, his footsteps fading into obscurity. He sat there, tugging on his binds occasionally. How crazy you got him right now. He thought about your last conversation. Another lie: he did care. He cared about you a lot. He loved you so much.

How he wished that you left with your last conversation being how much he loved you instead of an argument over his mistake.

“Kiritani.” He hears a familiar voice call, and he springs to his feet. His eyes met Viper’s through the window. “Please, let me see her.” He asks breathlessly. Viper stares emptily at him before nodding. “Tell me honestly, how come her situation elicits such a strong reaction from you? Is there anything I should be aware of?” She asks as the door slowly opens.

Yoru gulps, but he smiles faintly. “I’m her boyfriend. It’s my job to worry.” Phoenix’s eyes widened. Viper only nods again. She didn’t remember the last time she worried about someone as hard as he did. She respected it.

As soon as the door was opened for him, he rushed to you. He didn’t know why but you looked gaunt, and it had only been hours. You were sweating but visibly conscious, your eyes glazed open. “Y/N,” he almost yelps, kneeling down cupping your face. The rest of the protocol watched from the window as you stir. “Ryo…?” You croaked, trying to look for him, but you could only see his blurry face. “I’m here Y/N, I’m so sorry.” He grits his teeth in frustration. It pained him to see you so weak.

He reaches for your hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “We found that having pure radianite around her siphons the effects of the decay. Problem is, it turns the radianite into residue, so it’s circular feedback. Killjoy made a radianite filter in house. It seems to alleviate some of the pain. She just has to endure.” Viper explains bluntly, pulling the gloves off her hands. “Don’t approach the filter. I don’t want another patient. That’s Sage’s job.” She adds before moving to the monitors.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry for what I said earlier. I do care, I care about you more than I care about anything else. I’m sorry for denying you whenever they asked. I’m not ashamed of you, in fact, you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a while.” He confessed, not caring if Viper was there to hear. You look at him sadly. He was disheveled.

“I’m just scared that if they knew that we’re together, they’ll tell you that I’m bad news. They’ll tell you that I’m not a good boyfriend, tell you that I don’t deserve you. I’m not deaf Y/N, I know what they say about me. I’m scared that you’ll change your mind.” He chokes on his words as he held on to you. “I love you and I will never be ashamed to call you mine. So please, please, fight the decay.” He begged, a stray tear rolling down his cheek.

It pained your throat to speak but instead you smile. So that’s all it was huh? You wanted to tell him that no one would say anything bad about him, and if they did, it didn’t matter. You knew him well, and knew that behind that tough exterior was someone who just wants to be accepted. Someone who wants to be loved.

You instead smile, tears rolling down your eyes. I love you too, you thought.

“There’s something happening to her vitals. What are you doing?” Viper suddenly asks as she monitors all the data in the screen. She gives Yoru an intense stare. “I’m not doing anything,” he replies angrily, wiping the tear away. “Her vitals are improving. Strange,” Viper says casually. “It seems that your radiant energy is better at siphoning the decay than radianite itself. How about we test this theory,” she sighs.

The doors open and she lets everyone inside, even those who weren’t radiant. “Y/N, we’re here. Get better soon okay?” Jett smiles, holding her arms. Phoenix stands next to Yoru, rubbing his shoulder. “You better recover soon, your boyfriend is losing his mind over you. I punched him in the face.” He chuckles, and Yoru hits him in the stomach, shooing him away.

“Is that so?” You manage to croak out, chuckling lightly. With that, Viper looks at the monitors again. “I see. It seems like the theory is true. You’re all cancelling the circular feedback loop. Y/N’s vitals are improving rapidly. Can you sit up?” Viper requests, and you try. Yoru helps you, smiling. “It still hurts but not as bad as before.” You could now say full sentences. You look at Yoru and smile widely.

“I love you,” you finally say, and he closes the gap with a kiss, his hands holding your head close, keeping you steady. Your hands weakly reach for his cheeks, caressing his soft skin. The rest watch with wide eyes. “I’ll never deny you again. I promise.” He says breathlessly, embracing you.

“There goes a new couple in the protocol. Any thoughts Brimmy?” Phoenix asks, and Brimstone sighs. “Just don’t let me catch you doing shit outside your rooms. That’s all I ask.” He groans. Viper on the other hand stood there, leaning back on the door, watching everyone. Seeing you both together warmed her cold heart somehow.

[smolmakerel]

Sam turned over on the couch, burying her face into the throw pillow beneath her head. She could faintly hear Danny speaking to her from the kitchen as he stumbled and hissed.

"Don't hurt yourself," Tara called out.

Danny didn't answer.

Sam was pissed, but any energy she had to put into being pissed off evaporated. Her exhaustion weighed on her shoulders like thousands of bricks.

Sam shook her head and sat up. Her arm cast shot out to catch herself when she wobbled and threatened to fall off the couch.

Tara watched her struggle with sad eyes. "Sam, you're not getting better."

"I don't need to get better," Sam whispered to her sister. "I have to take care of you. Don't you understand that?"

"By killing yourself in the process?" Tara stood up in anger. Her hands grasped at the air in frustration, face twisting. "You can't help me, Sam. Help yourself for once. Please."

Sam looked away with the clenching of her jaw showing her frustration.

"Help me help you. I love you! Te amo mucho, Sam, but you stopped going to therapy -"

"They never help," Sam weakly said.

"- and you're wallowing in guilt. It was an accident and there's nothing you can do about it now," Tara said. Her eyes closed, shoulders relaxed, and she sighed. "You promised me you'd keep going."

"B-But I can't - I'll stop -!"

"Sam?"

Sam frantically stood up and ushered for Tara to return to her room. Danny watched the movement with sadness and didn't react to the slamming of Tara's door. He never reacted, not anymore. It was like Tara wasn't one of his priorities like she used to be.

He walked over and sat down on the couch, placing a fresh plate of eggs and toast on the coffee table.

"Sam... you should sit down," Danny told her and she hesitantly sat, hugging the throw pillow to her chest. "I know things haven't been the same since what happened, but you know I'm always here for you."

Sam huffed. "You don't have to be. You could leave, get out while you still can."

"And leave you all alone? Sometimes I think you want me to leave." Danny smiled without humor. When he noticed the blankness of Sam's face, he furrowed his eyebrows. "Have you been going to therapy?"

Shame lit a torch to Sam's face. Leave it to Tara to accidentally tell Danny about Sam's terrible adventures in therapy. And here she thought the two would never speak again.

She studied his face and saw nothing but concern for her. Her eyes drifted up to his hairline where the cut on his forehead was just beginning to heal. The stitches would dissolve soon. Her eyes drifted to the left where she was blinded.

Sam quickly snapped her vision back front and shuddered a sigh. Her thigh was gently grabbed for her own reassurance.

"No use for therapy," Sam spat. "I don't need licensed professionals telling me how I fucked up."

"Sam -"

"Can you just - Please leave."

"Sam, please, this isn't what -"

"Thanks for breakfast," Sam droned on, losing the spark of energy she once had, "but I want to be alone."

Danny nodded. He stood and left a thoughtful kiss to the top of Sam's head before leaving. The front door closed, and Sam slumped.

She stared down at the cast on her arm, tracing the words and the drawings of multiple cartoonish penises.

"You had to push him away, didn't you?"

Sam put her face in her hand. "You know I had to. He -"

"- was being too nice, but he's pushy sometimes about your health. I know, Sam, I know better than you think I do."

Sam twitched.

"Sam, come on! I know better than you think I do! Just once without a Ghostface threat, please!"

"Fine fine! Let me -"

"Sam!"

"Don't tell me that. Don't you dare tell me that!" Sam yelled at Tara. The guilt immediately hit her in the chest, but Tara didn't appear fazed at all. She didn't react anymore. Both her and Danny have been acting weird.

"Go to therapy. You promised me that you'd keep going."

"That was before -"

"I know," Tara interrupted her again, voice soft. "I know."

Sam nodded and looked down. "I'll go. For you." Her stiff words did little to change Tara's facial expression. "I still have Wren's number, so I don't have to search for another therapist."

Tara nodded. "Good."

"And please change your clothes, you've been in that same outfit for days now," Sam teased her.

Tara only quirked her lip and began to go back to her room. Panic sparked in Sam's chest.

"Wait!" Tara stopped. She didn't turn around. "Can - Give me a hug first?"

Tara glanced back at Sam and smiled. Her eyes showed nothing. "Good night, Sam."

Sam breathed shakily as she plopped down so she was laying on the couch. She wiped at her wet eyes. It seemed like she wasn't ready to quit crying yet.

■■■■■

"Sam! Long time no see! Come in, come in!"

Sam shuffled into her therapist's office. She wished she could've taken Tara with her for support, but Tara never wanted to leave the apartment anymore.

"Sorry I haven't been by in a couple weeks," Sam apologized with a smile. It was crooked and awkward, but Wren wasn't disturbed by it. "Life, you know?"

Wren nodded. "I understand. Would you like to sit by the window today?"

Sam looked nervously at the window. The bright sun was shining through, but all Sam could see was -

"Sam, come on, open your eyes!"

She flinched.

Wren didn't comment when Sam took them to the seating away from the window. Usually Sam enjoyed the fresh rays of light warming her up, but now all it brought was dread.

"So," Wren started with a smile, "how's life been treating you?"

Sam shrugged. "I mean, it's been hard. I hit my head, broke my arm. You would've thought I was invincible with how many Ghostfaces I've dealt with."

"Five now, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Sam shifted in her seat. "Tara shouldn't have had to deal with either of them. I'll make sure she won't have to even hear about the next one."

"What makes you so sure there'll be a next Ghostface?" Wren asked to which Sam snorted.

"They always come back. I'm kind of used to it already."

Wren scribbled something down on his notepad while Sam drummed on her fingers on her leg. Words burned in her throat. This was for Tara. She had to do this for -

"I was in an accident a few weeks ago."

Wren looked up, surprise coloring his face. It was one of the first times Sam brought something up that didn't have anything to do with Woodsboro, Ghostface, or Tara.

"I um, I was driving us back to the apartment and we just. You know how accidents work."

"And did everyone get out okay?"

"Yeah. We're all fine." Sam picked at her cast.

We're all fine.

■■■■■

"Sam - Sam, stop, you're drunk."

Sam shook her head at Danny's words. She pushed him back to lay on his mattress and climbed on top of him.

"'M not drunk, jus' a lil tipsy," Sam slurred.

Danny sighed. "Sam -"

"Danny..." She grabbed his hand and dragged it to the hem of her shirt. His breath hitched at the way she easily guided his hand up to her bra. "You make me feel so good, I jus' wanna be happy."

"Sam, I want you too." He pulled his hand away and sat up, dragging Sam further onto his lap. "I want you so much, but you're drunk and I won't do that to you."

Sam's face twisted in anger. Her flushed cheeks became hotter from the embarrassing dismissal of her failed seduction attempt.

"But Wren told me - he told me to find a way to be happy! Sex makes me happy!" Sam's bottom lip wobbled. Her emotions switched from anger to immense sadness. "Do you not love me anymore, is that why you won't fuck me?"

Danny pressed a chaste kiss to her neck and hugged her. "I do love you, princess."

"Then why won't you make me happy..?"

"This isn't something sex can fix. You're hurting and looking for a way to fix it, but, Sam," Danny said, pulling back to stare into Sam's glossy eyes, "I promise this isn't the way to do it."

Sam began to cry. Loud and trembling sobs fell from her as Danny swept her up and wiped her tears away as best he could. She was apologizing, begging to be forgiven. She wasn't a monster, she wouldn't force Danny to have sex with her. Danny shushed her, he forgave her. He was the good one between the two of them. Sam didn't know why Danny was still there when all she did was destroy everything she loved.

"Te amo mucho... I'm sorry... I love you..."

"I love you, too. I forgive you, it's okay."

Sam wasn't talking to Danny.

■■■■■

Sam anxiously stared at Tara's closed door. It wasn't opening, Tara wasn't going to come out for game night. She even invited Kirby so the two of them could team up and pick on Gale who she also invited.

"Okay... Okay! 4 words!"

Sam drew her attention to Chad and Mindy who were continuing the game with the others. Mindy was holding up 4 fingers and shaking her head at Chad's words. She waved her hand and enunciated the 4.

Chad snapped his fingers. "Oh! Oh, I know!"

Mindy groaned.

"4 words!"

Gale gave Chad a look of disappointment. "Kids these days are unbelievably stupid."

Mindy nodded to Chad's dismay.

Danny noticed Sam's attention being drawn back to Tara's door. He leaned over and squeezed her knee. "You gonna join us?" Danny whispered in her ear.

"In a minute," she muttered. "Tara hasn't even come out to say hi."

"... Maybe she's tired. We should let her rest."

He was right - Sam knew he was right - but it was her protective instincts kicking into overdrive. Maybe she should just go check on her.

As she stood up, Mindy groaned. "Seriously, we only got one in a minute?!"

"It's not my fault you suck at the game, Minds."

"Chad, I swear I'll kick you from being my partner!"

"And replace me with who? Kirby?"

"Sorry, you two," Kirby said, relaxing into her arm chair with a smirk, "I'm already taken."

"You can have her." Gale eyed Kirby up and down with distaste. Kirby looked offended.

"Sam, maybe we should go next," Danny suggested as he stood up next to Sam. Sam worriedly eyed the door again, but Danny grabbed her uninjured hand and gave her a mischievous grin. "We can take the win easily. What do you say?"

Sam licked her lips. "I don't know how Tara would feel if we played without her."

Danny's grin shrunk to a soft lift of the corner of his mouth. "I won't tell her if you don't."

Sam's eyes slid to the door. She could sense Danny's concern for her, but all she could think about was how alone Tara must be. She could knock on the door and invite her, then she could linger in the room if Tara said no. Tara always laughed whenever Sam dramatically flopped next to her to cheer her up for game night.

But maybe she wanted to be alone. For now.

■■■■■

"Where have you been?!" Sam screamed at Tara when she finally appeared from her room for the first time in a week. She couldn't be guilty for screaming because she cared. "You haven't called, you haven't texted! What if you needed me and I wasn't there?!"

Tara watched Sam pace in front of her. She was still in that same outfit despite Sam asking her to change. Her eyes were still blank, and they made Sam slightly uncomfortable with how closely they followed her.

"You know I don't need you anymore," Tara claimed. "And you know it, too. Why do you keep doing this to yourself, Sam?"

Sam squeezed her eyes shut.

"I don't need you. You need me."

"Stop it. Tara, please -"

"It wasn't your fault. I know what you've been telling your therapist and even Danny - about what happened being because of what you did - but you need to stop. It's time."

Sam squeezed her hands into fists. Her fingers bunched awkwardly on her cast.

"I-I can't - stop -"

"You need to move on. You can't help me anymore."

"Tara..!"

"You want proof? I know where it is. You told nobody else where it was - nobody - but I want you to look under your bed."

Fear rose in Sam's chest. She knew what was under there. She tried to deny it.

"I-I can't! Tara, please, don't do this! Let me have this a little longer, please!"

Nothing.

"Tara?"

Nothing.

"T-Tara..?"

Nothing.

■■■■■

Sam and Danny stared down at the box in silence. Sam's throat was thick, and her eyes were dead.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Danny asked hesitantly.

Sam nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak.

Nodding to himself, Danny slowly reached into the box and pulled out the carefully tended to urn. He unwrapped it and gave it to Sam.

Sam stared at the urn in her hands. It was light. Sam knew it would be.

"I'm still not ready to say goodbye yet," Sam choked out.

Danny squatted down by the couch. He searched for the right words to say. "It doesn't have to be goodbye. It can be... see you later."

Sam passed her thumb over her favorite picture of Tara. It was one she took with her when she ran off after her 18th birthday. Tara was 10 in this picture and wearing Sam's old clothes. She was smiling, big and wide, and posing for the flash of the camera. She remembered this birthday as clear as day.

Tara had begged Sam to take her somewhere fun for her birthday - a happy birthday for once. Despite her angst, Sam couldn't say no. They had ice cream and went to the zoo. Tara bragged about how she wanted to go to a bigger zoo when she was older and work with the animals. She had a soft spot for snakes for whatever reason. Sam laughed it off and took her home so Sam could get high and spend the rest of Tara's birthday in bed.

She was ashamed that she did that for the last few birthdays Tara had.

"She was so young." Sam's throat was burning with held back emotion. The urn shook in her hands. "She didn't deserve that. I should've been more careful."

Danny shushed her. "Wasn't your fault, remember? That guy was drunk."

Sam growled as she remembered stumbling from the car. Danny had received the least injuries, only a small concussion and some bruising. He went to Tara first before immediately going to Sam to pull her away from the upside-down car.

Sam had a broken arm and a concussion. She was still healing in a cast, and her headache sometimes comes back in her grief. She had to lay down on the dirty New York street in shock as many different responders got the her.

Tara...

Sam never actually saw what happened to Tara, but Danny said it was bad. She didn't suffer, that's what the doctors told her.

Sam stood. She walked around the coffee table and to the TV stand. She placed down the urn and turned it, deeming it the perfect spot.

Danny came up behind her and hugged her. All Sam could think of was Tara doing that with her.

But Tara was gone now.

Sam broke down and allowed herself to be put back together by Danny. Some of the pieces were missing, some she'd never get back, but she could find a way to fill the space.

That's what Tara would want.

[cheynovak]

From Russia with love

Bucky Barnes x F/Reader (Y/N)   

Warnings: 18+, Smut, Angst, aggression,  

Side note: English isn’t my first language.    

*Does not follow The MCU storyline!* 

--------------------------------- 

Bucky and Steve are tracking down remnants of Hydra in Russia. Who are trying to recreate the winter soldier program. Bucky asks the help of an old friend and ex winter soldier, Y/N. Who he fought with before she found a way to get out.

But will she be willing to help? And how will Bucky react to seeing not only the first female winter soldier but also his trainee.

--------------------------------- 

In the dimly lit safe house in Moscow, Bucky sat with Sam, Natasha, and Steve, discussing their next move. Their mission was critical: infiltrate a clandestine facility run by remnants of Hydra trying to recreate the old soviet program that had created Bucky and others like him. 

As they deliberated their plan of action, Bucky who sat in the corner of the room spoke up, his voice heavy with memories of his own past. "I might know someone who can help us," he said quietly, catching the attention of the others. 

"Who?" Natasha inquired, her green eyes reflecting both curiosity and caution. 

Bucky hesitated for a moment before replying, "Another Winter Soldier who managed to escape once, a long time ago. Before the once were created in 1991." Sam arched an eyebrow. "Another Winter Soldier? How come we've never heard of her before?" 

"She was kept hidden, we trained together and sometimes send on missions." Bucky explained. "But she was different. One time when she had the opportunity, she stole her own programming details and she fled." 

Steve nodded thoughtfully. "If she's willing to help, she could provide invaluable insight into Hydra's operations." With their plan set, the team set off. Along the way, Bucky remembered fragments of memories about Y/N, her determination, her strength, and her unwavering spirit. 

Finally, they arrived at a remote safehouse nestled in the heart of the Russian wilderness. “Let me go in alone.” Bucky said, he approached the door with a mixture of apprehension and hope, unsure of what to expect. The door creaked open, revealing a figure standing in the shadows. A small lamp in the corner of the room showed the silhouette of a woman, with piercing eyes he recognised her. 

Y/N's heart raced as she stood face to face with Bucky Barnes, the first Winter Soldier, the man she had once feared above all others yet worked with countless times. Memories flooded her mind. "So, this is how it ends," she whispered, her voice tinged with resignation. 

Without hesitation, Y/N lunged forward, her movements fuelled by fear and desperation. Bucky's eyes widened in shock as Y/N's fists rained down upon him, each blow a representation of a lifetime of pain and suffering.  

Driven by instinct, Bucky fought back, his movements measured and precise as he sought to defend himself without causing harm. But Y/N's attacks were relentless, her fury unchecked as she unleashed a torrent of pent-up rage and anguish.  

Bucky and Y/N fell out of the window into the freezing cold snow. Amidst the chaos, Sam, Natasha, and Steve rushed forward, but finally, with a decisive motion, Bucky managed to pin her to the ground with a firm yet gentle grip.  

As she looked into his eyes, she saw not the Winter Soldier, but a wounded soul in need of redemption. "I'm not here to hurt you, Y/N," Bucky pleaded, his voice filled with sincerity. "Please, you have to trust me."  

With a heavy sigh, her body going limp beneath Bucky's touch as she surrendered to the inevitability of their shared destiny. As the chaos of the confrontation between Y/N and Bucky unfolded, Natasha's keen eyes scanning the scene with concern. 

Natasha's gaze locked onto Y/N, and a flicker of recognition sparked within her. She remembered the countless hours they had spent together, training relentlessly in the shadows of the KGB's training facility. 

With a determined stride, Natasha stepped forward, her movements fluid and purposeful as she approached Y/N. "Y/N," she said softly. "It's me – Natasha. Do you remember? "The weight of shame and regret pressed down upon her.  

"I'm sorry," Y/N murmured, her voice barely a whisper as she averted her gaze. "I don't...” Natasha's brow furrowed, her keen eyes searching Y/N's face for any sign of recognition. But Y/N's mask of indifference remained firmly in place, concealing the turmoil raging beneath the surface. 

"Are you sure?" Natasha pressed gently, her voice tinged with empathy. "We trained together at the KGB. You were my mentor." Y/N flinched at the reminder, the memories of her former life threatening to overwhelm her fragile composure. "I'm sorry," she repeated. 

"Why are you here, James?" Y/N asked, shifting eyes from Natacha to him. "I, we, need your help." Bucky continued, his voice tinged with urgency. "There are descendants of Hydra who are trying to revive their twisted experiments, to create more super soldiers. We can't let that happen." 

It took a second but Y/N, her response was hesitant, a reluctance born from the scars of her past and the fear of once again being dragged back into the shadows. "I can't, I've spent so long trying to get free, to forget. I can't go back there." 

Bucky's expression fell, disappointment flickering in his eyes, but he understood the weight of Y/N's decision. "I won't force you," he said softly, his voice tinged with regret. "But if you change your mind, we could use your help." 

"Y/N, I've heard a lot about you these days," Steve began, his voice warm with admiration. "You've faced unimaginable challenges running from hydra, breaking free from the KGB, and yet here you are, still living. We could use your help." 

“I’m sure those words mean a lot, to a lot of people Cap. Unfortunately, you were never my hero.” Steve's brow furrowed in confusion. "Growing up, I believed in heroes, in the ideals of justice and righteousness," she explained, her voice tinged with bitterness. "But then this happened.” her arms gesturing to herself. 

“No mission will ever redeem what I did.” With a solemn nod, Steve stepped back, his respect for Y/N evident in the way he held himself. "I understand," he said quietly. 

And as they parted ways, Y/n got consumed by her own thoughts and doubts. Deciding to set out to track down Bucky and the rest of the team. Determination, Hydra will not hurt, create, more people like them. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of searching, Y/N caught sight of Bucky and the others. "James," Y/N called out, her voice echoing in the stillness of the night. "I'll help." Bucky's gaze met hers, a flicker of surprise crossing his features before giving way to relief. "Y/N," he exclaimed, his voice filled with gratitude. "I'm glad you're here." 

In the dimly lit room where Steve and Y/N sat going over their invasion plan, the air was thick with tension and anticipation. Steve's eyes were focused intently on the maps spread out before them, his brow furrowed in concentration as he outlined their strategy with meticulous detail to Y/N. 

Bucky kept his eyes on Y/N from a crossed the room. "So, Bucky," Sam began, his tone casual yet probing. "Did you ever... you know... sleep with Y/N?" 

Bucky's brow furrowed in confusion at the unexpected question, his expression a mixture of surprise and discomfort. "What? No," he replied firmly, his voice tinged with annoyance. 

Natasha arched an eyebrow, her gaze shrewd as she studied Bucky's reaction. "Are you sure about that?" she pressed, her tone betraying her scepticism. Bucky's jaw tensed, his patience wearing thin as he met Natasha's piercing gaze. "Yes, I'm sure," he insisted, his voice clipped. "Y/N and I fought side by side, but that's as far as it goes." He rose to his feet to leave the room.  

With their plan meticulously laid out, Steve, Y/N, Bucky, Sam, and Natasha stormed the compound with precision and determination. Each member of the team moved with practiced efficiency, their movements fluid and coordinated as they faced down Hydra's descendants. 

Bullets flew and explosions rocked the air as they fought their way through wave after wave of Hydra agents, their unwavering resolve pushing them ever forward. Steve led one team with Y/N at his side, their synergy undeniable as they cleared rooms and neutralized threats with expert precision. Meanwhile, Bucky, Sam, and Natasha formed the other team. 

In the end, victory was theirs, won through blood, sweat, and sacrifice. The compound lay in ruins behind them, but amidst the rubble, a sense of triumph burned bright in their hearts. 

Bucky approached Y/N, his expression earnest yet tentative. With a deep breath, he spoke. "Y/N, I know this may not be what you had in mind, but... why don't you come back to the states with us," Bucky began, his gaze unwavering as he met her eyes. "You've proven yourself time and time again, and I believe you deserve a chance at a new beginning." 

Y/N's heart skipped a beat at Bucky's words, her mind racing with a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. The thought of leaving behind the shadows of her past filled her with both apprehension and hope, but deep down, she knew that she couldn't. "I... I don't know, James," Y/N replied, her voice wavering. "There's so much I still need to reconcile, so much I still need to come to terms with." 

"But you don't have to face it alone. We'll be there for you every step of the way, no matter what." Steve added. With a nod of determination, she met Bucky's gaze, her decision made. "Okay," she said quietly, her voice filled with resolve. "I'll come with you." 

-- 

As months passed and Y/N integrated into her new life at the Avengers compound, she found herself forming strong bonds with her newfound teammates, particularly Steve. Their shared experiences and mutual respect for one another's skills fostered a deep camaraderie between them. 

Meanwhile, Bucky couldn't help but notice the growing closeness between Y/N and Steve. Though he was genuinely happy to see Y/N fitting in and forming connections, a twinge of jealousy whenever he observed his best friend with his former colleague.  

One evening, as the team gathered for a training session in the compound's gym, Bucky found himself watching Y/N and Steve spar, their movements synchronized and fluid. A surge of jealousy washed over him as he observed the easy vibe between them, the laughter and shared banter echoing true the air. 

Unable to contain his emotions any longer, Bucky excused himself from the training session, his footsteps heavy as he retreated to the solitude of his quarters. Alone with his thoughts, he grappled with the unsettling realization that he harboured feelings for Y/N.  

As the days turned into weeks, Bucky found himself withdrawing from Y/N, his heart heavy with a sense of longing and regret. He couldn't bear to see them together, to witness the bond they shared knowing that he could never compete. Even though he would want nothing more than to see his friend move on from the pain he had since Peggy died. 

Sensing Bucky's distance and noticing the subtle changes in his behaviour, Y/N couldn't help but feel concerned. She had grown accustomed to his presence and valued their friendship, so seeing him withdraw was disconcerting. Approaching him one afternoon in the Avengers compound. 

He was after all the only person she know for a long, long time. All thought she knew the winter soldier and not Bucky. Still, she felt he was her first friend. 

Y/N walked into his room, gently placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder, her expression soft with concern. "Hey, Buck," she began, her voice gentle yet determined. "Is everything okay? You seem... different lately." For a moment, he hesitated, unsure of how to articulate the turmoil raging within him. 

"Seeing you and Steve getting along so well, it's... it's been hard for me." 

Y/N's heart ached at Bucky's confession, her own feelings of empathy and compassion flooding through her. "James," she said softly, her voice tinged with understanding. "I value our friendship more than anything. I just like the fact that Steve gets us. Gets the struggle we have been through.”  

“He’s a friend. Nothing more.” she added not knowing this was what Bucky was asking, but needing to make sure he knew she had no feelings for his best friend. 

As Bucky and Y/N sat together, their conversation drifted to memories of their time together, the battles they had fought. Y/N seemed to be the only person he was able to talk to about his past. Knowing she won’t pity or judge him. 

"Do you remember that mission in Berlin 1963?" Bucky asked, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Y/N nodded "How could I forget?" she replied, "That was the mission where we pretended to be a couple to infiltrate the enemy's household as their neighbours." 

” You got out short after.” Bucky remembers. “Only to join the KGB’s black widow’s program.” she signs “Training killers. Not much better.” Bucky hesitated for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest. "And... do you remember... the kiss?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.  

Y/N's eyes widened in surprise at Bucky's question, her cheeks flushing with colour as the memory flooded back to her. "Yes," she admitted, her voice barely audible. "I remember everything, even when we were programmed.” 

"Natasha and Sam... they thought that we... at least once... slept together." 

Y/N's eyes widened in surprise at Bucky's revelation, her mind reeling with disbelief. "What? We've never... ""I know, I too remember everything. " He admitted quietly. "But I couldn't help but wonder... if maybe there was something more between us that night in Berlin." 

Y/N's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, the air between them crackled with unspoken tension, the weight of their shared history hanging heavy in the air. Y/N asked Bucky if he wanted more from the night in Berlin than just the kiss.  

"I often wondered why I kissed you, I wanted to believe that the kiss meant something more. That even though Hydra had me brainwashed, there was still a part me that had control over my feelings.” 

"Bucky," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath, "I had no idea." 

Bucky nodded, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips as she reached out to cup his cheek, her touch gentle and reassuring. "You were my first kiss since 1941." He admits shy.  

"And the last... since." He looked in her eyes.  

With a gentle smile and a heart filled with tenderness, Y/N closed the distance between them, her movements guided by an unspoken understanding and a shared longing. As their lips met in a tender embrace, a surge of warmth spread through Bucky's chest. 

“Why don't you show me what you wanted that night.” Y/N's whispered words hung in the air, a gentle invitation laced with desire and vulnerability. With a trembling hand, Bucky cupped Y/N's cheek, his thumb tracing the curve of her jawline as he gazed into her eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation.  

Closing the distance between them once more, Bucky leaned in, his lips meeting Y/N's in a tender kiss that ignited a firestorm of passion between them. Their kiss was an exploration, a dance of lips and tongues that spoke volumes without the need for words. It was a promise of things to come, a declaration of their newfound connection and the depths of their desire. 

Y/N’s gaze flickered to his bionic arm, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. With a playful glint in his eye, he reached out, his fingers curling around Y/N's wrist as he guided her to the bed, hovering over her. "Care to explore the possibilities?" he murmured, his voice low and enticing as he pressed a soft kiss to Y/N's lips. 

Y/N's pulse quickened at the suggestion, her curiosity piqued as she traced the intricate patterns of the metal with her fingertips. “What do you have in mind Sergeant Barnes?” 

As Bucky's bionic finger gently wrapped around Y/N's neck, a jolt of electricity surged through her body, sending a shiver down her spine. She gasped softly, her eyes widening with a mixture of surprise and arousal as she felt the cool metal against her skin. 

Bucky's touch was firm yet tender, his gaze locked with hers as he leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear. "You trust me?" he whispered. She nodded.  

In response, Y/N reached for the hem of Bucky's shirt, her fingers grazing the warm skin beneath as she peeled the fabric away, revealing the sculpted contours of his chest. Y/N's gaze lingered on the flesh and metal where Bucky's bionic arm seamlessly joined his shoulder.  

Her fingers tracing the scar. There was a raw beauty in the contrast between the warmth of his skin and the cool gleam of the metal, a physical manifestation of the complexities that made up Bucky Barnes. 

Bucky's breath caught in his throat at the sensation, his eyes locking with Y/N's in a silent exchange of understanding and acceptance. Bucky reached out, his fingers tangling in Y/N's hair as he drew her closer “How are we doing this Y/N? Soft or rough?”  

With a hunger that matched his, she met his gaze with a steely determination, her voice low and husky as she whispered, "Rough, Bucky. I want it rough." They abandoned themselves to the raw intensity of their desires, their movements fuelled by a primal need for release. 

Their kisses became bruising, their touches demanding as they explored each other. In that moment, there was no room for hesitation or restraint. Just as Bucky ripped the rest of their clothing to shreds, they hear the door.  

Startled, they turned to see Sam standing in the doorway, his expression a mixture of shock and disbelief. “Oh, I’m sorry...I'll... I'll give you two some privacy," Sam walked out. As the intensity of the moment faded, Bucky couldn't shake the feeling of embarrassment. 

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice tinged with self-doubt as he avoided Y/N's gaze, unable to meet her eyes. "I didn't mean to... let myself go like that." He left his room, leaving Y/N lying on his bed. Wondering why he just took off like that.  

In the days that followed the unexpected interruption, a tension lingered in the air between Bucky, Y/N, and Sam. Each interaction felt tinged with a subtle awkwardness, as if they were all tiptoeing around the elephant in the room. 

Sam cleared his throat, "Hey, guys," he began, his voice tinged with sincerity. "I just wanted to apologize for walking in on you the other day. I didn't mean to intrude." 

Bucky and Y/N exchanged a glance, Y/N spoke up with a small smile. 

"Actually, Sam," she said, her voice filled with warmth. "I think it was a good thing you walked in when you did. It prevented someone from making a big mistake.” Her eyes glanced at Bucky. 

Bucky's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Y/N's words. As Y/N slipped out of the room, leaving Bucky and Sam behind, a sense of confusion settled over the two men. "Buck, did I say something wrong?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed with concern. Bucky shook his head. 

As Bucky approached Y/N's room, his footsteps heavy with the weight of his emotions, he hesitated at the threshold, unsure of how to proceed. But before he could gather the courage to knock, he caught a conversation between Y/N and Natasha.  

"...sex with Bucky?" Y/N's voice trailed off “I've... I've fantasized about him. Years ago, when we were still working together. I later realised I was fantasizing, in that moment I was programmed. But the other day ... when he took control. Fuck everything came back." 

Bucky's heart skipped a beat at Y/N's confession, he had never dared to entertain such thoughts, never allowed himself to imagine that Y/N might feel the same way about him.  

Later that night. 

Bucky found himself standing outside Y/N's door once more, his heart pounding with anticipation. The door opened, revealing Y/N standing before him. 

With a primal intensity burning within him, Bucky seized Y/N's hand and pulled her into the room, his movements fuelled by a hunger that left them both breathless. Without a word, he pushed her onto the bed, his eyes ablaze with desire as he hovered over her.  

Bucky's hands moved with purpose as he reached for the hem of Y/N's shirt, his touch sending shivers of anticipation coursing through her body. With a slow, deliberate motion, he pulled the fabric over her head, revealing the soft curves of her body beneath. 

"You like it when I take control?" he murmured, his voice thick with desire. "You want me to make you scream my name, to leave you trembling and begging for more." Y/N's breath hitched at Bucky's words, her body responding to his commanding tone with a surge of arousal that left her trembling with anticipation, she nodded eagerly. 

"You want me to take you hard, don't you?" he growled, his breath hot against her skin. "To make you mine in every way possible." Her voice trembling with anticipation. 

"I want to feel you," she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. "All of you. Every inch of your body against mine." 

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Bucky's hands trailed lower, teasingly tracing the curves of Y/N's body until they reached the hem of her panties. With a slow, deliberate motion, he hooked his fingers into the fabric and began to slide them down, his touch sending shivers of anticipation coursing through her. 

Y/N's breath caught in her throat as Bucky's hands explored the soft skin of her thighs, his touch igniting a firestorm of desire that left her trembling with need. With a playful grin, he teased her, tracing circles along her inner thighs before slowly moving closer to her centre. As Bucky's fingers danced tantalizingly close to her most sensitive areas. 

"Please, Bucky," she whimpered, her fingers clawing at the sheets beneath her as she arched into his touch. "Don't stop. I need you... I need more." Bucky's eyes darkened with desire as he listened to Y/N's pleas, his own need for her burning hotter than ever before.  

"You're so beautiful like this," he growled, his breath hot against her skin. "I love the way you moan for me, the way you beg for more." With a primal growl, Bucky pressed himself against Y/N. With one swift motion, he surged forward, his hips meeting hers in a powerful thrust that sent shockwaves of ecstasy coursing through them both. 

Y/N gasped as Bucky's body collided with hers, the force of his movement driving her wild with desire. With a low moan, she wrapped her legs around him, drawing him closer as she surrendered herself completely to the dizzying whirlwind of sensation. 

Bucky's movements grew more intense, his desire burning hotter with each passing moment. As he plunged deeper into Y/N, a surge of raw passion coursed through him, blurring the line between pleasure and pain. 

Y/N's cries of pleasure filled the room as Bucky's relentless onslaught sent waves of sensation crashing over her, her body trembling with the overwhelming rush of pleasure. With every thrust, she felt herself teetering on the brink, her need for release growing more urgent with each passing moment. 

As waves of pleasure washed over her, Y/N's cries of ecstasy filled the room, her body trembling with the overwhelming rush of sensation. But even as she reached the peak of pleasure, Bucky showed no signs of slowing down, his movements growing more relentless with each passing moment. 

With a gasp, Y/N pleaded with him, her voice thick with need. "Bucky, please," she whimpered, her fingers clawing at his back. "I can't... I need a moment." With a husky voice, Bucky encouraged Y/N, "You can do it, Doll. I’m not done yet."  

Bucky turned Y/N onto her stomach, as she surrendered herself to his command, Bucky's hands roamed over Y/N's exposed skin, tracing every curve and contour with a possessiveness. His hand grabbed her behind feeling how his metal hand hit her flesh.  

"You're going to lie down and do exactly what I say," he murmured, his voice thick with desire. "You're going to let me take control.” He hit her ass. With a primal growl, Bucky surrendered himself completely to the fiery passion that burned within him, thrusting himself into Y/N with an intensity that bordered on ferocity. 

As Bucky pushed deeper, Y/N felt herself stretched to her limits, the sensation both exhilarating and intense. With each thrust, she surrendered to the overwhelming pleasure of being completely filled by him, her body responding eagerly to his primal dominance.  

Bucky's relentless assault pushed her to new heights of ecstasy, with each powerful movement, she felt herself teetering on the edge, her need for release growing more urgent with each passing moment. 

With a primal instinct driving him, Bucky's metal arm wrapped around Y/N's neck, his touch both possessive and commanding. The pressure was firm but not suffocating, a gesture of dominance that sent a thrill coursing through Y/N's body. 

Feeling the strength of Bucky's grip, Y/N gasped, her breath catching in her throat as she surrendered to his control. As their passion reached its peak, both Bucky and Y/N surrendered completely to the overwhelming rush of sensation that consumed them.  

As the intensity of their passion began to subside, Bucky released his grip on Y/N's neck, dropping himself next to her. With concern in his eyes, he gently caressed her cheek. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, his voice filled with genuine concern. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" 

Y/N smiled up at him, her eyes filled with warmth and affection. "No, Buck, I'm okay," she reassured him, reaching up to place a comforting hand on his arm. "You didn't hurt me. That was... incredible." Relief flooded Bucky's features as he let out a sigh, his tension melting away at her words. "I'm glad," he murmured. 

Bucky's voice was hesitant. "Um," he began, his eyes searching hers for reassurance. "Was this... I mean, was it just a one-time thing? Or... do you want it to be more?" Y/N's heart skipped a beat at Bucky's question, the vulnerability in his expression, the complete opposite of the man who fucked her minutes ago.  

She reached out, gently cupping his cheek as she met his gaze with a reassuring smile. "This doesn't have to be a one-time thing," she replied softly, her voice filled with sincerity. "If you want more, if you want us to explore this... whatever it is between us, then I'm all in." 

--

Please feel free to like, share or comment. Make sure you check out my masterlist.    

[enden-agolor]

Hey enden! I just wanted to reach out as I know these are hard times for you. I’ve been wanting to say something and give you some support, but I have never known what to say, so I’m just gonna wing it.

First off, I would like to preface by saying you are an incredibly humble artist and writer. You carry great talent, yet you seem to almost expect people to not notice that. Never forget your talent, and that even something you spill out at 2am will most definitely be praised. You inspire me to create, I have been in a art and writing slump for so long. I got caught up in life and lost the love for it. You’ve lit that spark in me once more and want to get me creating, and most definitely writing, in honor of you!! That’s amazing man. You have some real special talent, and the mcsm fandom alongside others are seriously so so lucky to have you.

Second, I send nothing but love and support to you and your boyfriend. I know everything will work out just as you guys need it to. If she doesn’t get her karma legally, she most definitely will another way. I know you guys are so strong and will pull through with flying colors!! Death of a loved one is never ever easy, and the worst always happens to the best people. Know that none of what happened is your fault, don’t let guilt consume you, and both of you take care of and love yourselves. You guys seriously deserve it.

Lastly, on a less dreary note, I would like to ask if you had any fan fiction prompts for Jesskas? I want to write so bad, but I cannot come up with a proper idea that is really interesting and solid, yanno? I want to write something long, that I can really pour my heart out into. So if you had any tips or story prompts, it would seriously be appreciated, and you of course would get a huge shoutout, as you would with or without helping me since you are such a huge inspiration to me.

Best of wishes Enden!!

This may be a long response, so here-

First off, I suppose you are right when you say I don't really expect people to enjoy the content I create. It's not an easy concept for me to grasp. I have a lot of trouble seeing how people can like my stuff so much, or god even say I'm their favorite mcsm artist when there's so many others out there that carry so much more skill with colors and backgrounds and such. I know I'm not supposed to compare myself to others, but it is an incredibly hard habit to end. It's why I'm so shocked when I see actual fanart of my aus, or god even my writing. I cannot go back and read me own works for the life of me because I just cringe so bad at it, so when people say it's good I really just have to trust them and believe it.

All I could ever dream to do is inspire people to create and grow with their own imagination, so hearing that my stuff has done that sort of thing for you (and others who have told me the same) it brings me so much joy, but it truly is entirely hard to believe that it's me and not someone else being the one to do that. I don't know, but I am very honored to hear this from you. It only inspires me to push myself further and I don't know. Maybe some day I can push my imposter syndrome aside and really get a firm grasp on my full potential and be proud of it.

And thank you for the love and support towards our situation... As the days go by I fear more and more that that woman will get to keep her dog and nothing will come out of this other than we just have to move past it. So I hope you're right when you say she'll get her karma some other way. I've never in my life wished something bad to happen to someone. Not like this... So if karma does catch her, let it be as devastating to her as it was to us.

Now, real life shenanigans aside, we can get to the jesskas stuff 😏

For fanfic prompts, I always suggest exploring canon before getting into anything truly ambitious. If there's a certain scene in the game you'd like to further explore and add on to- do it! Like I've always wanted to write a fic that gets into a deep emotional moment between Jesse and Lukas after Jesse rescues Lukas and Petra from the Nether during episode 8 and they all enter the player dorms for the night. Just those off screen moments where you can take the characters and add more to the story is easy and fun in itself. I always like to look deep into the emotional aspect of it all, and really dive into how the characters might be feeling after a situation and how that gentle moment alone together could bring them closer. What I already mentioned being a good example because it's directly after PAMA, Jesse having to watch Lukas and Petra(or Ivor) die, and so on. There's a LOT of feelings to explore there. If that's something you'd want to try and tackle, go for it!! But if there's another scene from the game that really sticks out to you that you feel could be so much more, go for that too. It's good to start small and practice how you want to write the characters. Only reason I started a huge fic like Recovery straight away was because I'd been rping jesskas for like a year and a half already and was confident I knew how to write the characters and I wanted to do more for the little community by writing a nice big fic.

And again, it's Minecraft. There's a whole world to explore and put these two right in the middle of it. Think up certain scenarios you like and add on to it! Like if there's a certain scene you really want to do, build to it. Give the characters a goal and put obstacles in the way so you can really flesh them out on the way to that goal. What made them want to go there? How do they get there? What do they do when they get there? How do they communicate with others that might also be there? And how differently do they treat eachother compared to how they treat the others? Those are all things you really want to know ahead of time. Also pay attention to the scenery. Really look into the visuals your mind creates and do your best to get into the details about it all. There's a lot to get into with writing, and the best part about it is you're in complete control, so go crazy with your imagination, especially since it's Minecraft. It could be entirely self indulgent, or even something out of your comfort zone. No matter what it is, it's still growth and it's still progress to being a better writer. Just make sure you're having fun.

Also, thanks for taking the time to send this ask. I appreciate you 🩷

[rewrittenreality]

Code Words

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Word Count: 1,325

Warnings: Kidnapping, mentions of possible torture, angst that turns into fluff

Summary: You are taken hostage. In a video sent to the team, something is revealed that changes everything.

A/n: In this universe, Jack hasn’t been born yet and Hailey isn’t his mom. Hotch was also never married to Hailey in this universe. I also want to thank the lovely @momentaryescape​ for taking part in helping me with this writing.

Aaron looked at his watch. 2 p.m. You had been gone checking out this lead for hours. It should have taken you an hour or two at most. You hadn’t called or texted him, which was unusual for you. Something wasn’t right, he could feel it.

Hotch was snapped out of his thoughts when Emily came into his office. “Any word from Y/n?” Emily asked, clearly worried. Hotch shook his head, staring straight ahead. He was messing with his wedding ring, something he did when he was nervous or worried. “Maybe she just got caught up with the lead. We’ll find her, Hotch.” Prentiss said as she sat down. 

Aaron’s phone began to ring and he scrambled to pick it up. “Y/n.” He mumbled, a small sigh of relief leaving his mouth. He answered the phone, but before he could say anything you spoke. “Aaron.” You barely said in a whisper. Hotch’s heart dropped when he heard you. He knew that quietness in your voice. He knew it meant you were in trouble.

“Y/n? Y/n, where are you? Are you okay?” Hotch asked, knowing you weren’t okay but he needed to hear it from you. “I-I’m okay, Aaron.” You started, your voice still barely audible. “I tripped walking Charlie. Just a rolled ankle, I’ll be alright.” You continued, speaking a little louder. 

Hotch looked at Emily, silently signaling to go get the rest of the team. Emily got up, quickly, and left to get the others.

You had used your code. The sentence the two of you had come up with in case the other was kidnapped or in danger. It wasn’t anything obvious but it was something that would alert each other about the situation. Hotch knew you were being held hostage somewhere and he knew he needed to act fast. 

Suddenly, the call dropped and all Hotch could hear was beeping on the other end of the phone. Hotch slammed his hand on his desk as Emily came back into his office with the others. “Hotch, what’s going on?” Morgan questioned, leaning against the doorframe. “Y/n’s in trouble.” Hotch said, looking up at everyone.

—-------------------------------------------------

Garcia ran into the round table room with her laptop. “Sir, it’s Y/n. Whoever has her sent us a video.” She said in a panic. “Did you watch it?” Aaron asked as he stood up. “No, Sir. I ran here as soon as I got the message.” Penelope informed him, typing as fast as she could to get the video up on the big screen. Aaron stayed standing as she pressed play, preparing himself for what he was about to see.

The video showed you, tied up, in the middle of a dimly lit room. Shuffling could be heard behind the camera as if someone was moving things around. Aaron watched as a figure came into frame with something in his hands. It was jumper cables. Penelope shut her eyes as the figure got ready to do the worst to you. “No. No please. Don’t!” You begged, trying to get free. Aaron fought to keep his eyes on the screen as you began pleading and begging more. 

Sparks could be seen coming off of the jumper cables getting closer and closer to your skin. “NO! NO PLEASE! I’M HAVING A BABY! PLEASE!” You screamed, tears beginning to run down your face. Suddenly, the jumper cables were dropped to the ground. The figure in the video turned towards the camera, his face covered by a mask. You could be heard sobbing behind him as he reached for the camera. 

The video ended, leaving everyone in silence and shock. Hotch sat down, still trying to process what he just heard. “Hotch…” Morgan started. “Can you track it?” Hotch cut Morgan off, looking at Penelope. “Sir?” Penelope asked. “Can you track where the video came from?” Hotch questioned again, leaning forward in his chair. Penelope nodded and got to work.

Hotch got up and left the round table room, stopping outside of his office. The only thing his mind could think of was what you had said. You were having a baby. You were pregnant. He was going to be a father. How long had you known? When were you going to tell him? His mind was racing with worries and questions. 

Aaron jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Rossi standing in front of him. “We know she’s alive, Aaron. We know he won’t hurt her like that now that he knows.” Rossi said, trying to comfort Aaron to his best ability. “But what if he does? What if he hurts her and…the baby?” Aaron asked, tears welling up in his eyes. “Hotch, you saw how he reacted to what Y/n said. He won’t harm them. I’m sure of it.” Rossi reassured him. 

“Hotch, we found her.” Morgan ran up to Hotch and Rossi. “Let’s go get your wife, Aaron.” Rossi said, giving Hotch a small smile. 

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

The team approached the house you were suspected to be in. They had managed to find small details that together helped locate you. Morgan had taken the front with Rossi and Hotch while Emily, Reid, and JJ went around back. They announced themselves before kicking the door in. Making their way through the house, they had restrained the offender and cleared every floor. Floor by floor they looked for you before finding a door to what they assumed was a basement. Working to open it, they finally made it inside finding you curled up in the cold damp room.

“Y/n!” Aaron called to you as he holstered his gun and ran over. He noticed the various cuts and bruises on your face and arms, fearing the worst of what had been done to you. Aaron knelt down beside your shivering body, gently placing his hand on your cheek. “Y/n? Honey, it's me, it's Aaron. Come on baby, look at me. We got you, you’re gonna be okay.” He said softly, trying to get you to open your eyes.

You slowly opened your eyes, looking around for Aaron. “I’m here, Honey. I’m right here.” Aaron gave you a soft smile. “A-Aaron.” You whimpered, looking up at him as tears stained your face. “I’ve got you, Sweetheart.” He whispered, slowly and gently sitting you up. His heart shattered when he heard the weak cry that left your lips. Aaron pulled you close, resting his chin on top of your head.

“I’m sorry, Aaron. I’m so sorry.” You cried into his chest. “About what, Baby?” Aaron asked. “I-I was going to tell you. About the baby. I just found out and I was going to tell you when I got back from the lead. B-but I was grabbed. I’m so sorry, Aaron.” You sobbed, looking him in the eyes. Aaron gently held your face in his large hands, scanning your face before speaking. “There is absolutely no reason for you to be apologizing, Y/n. All that matters is that you are safe. You and the baby.” He said, running his thumbs over your cheeks.

“I love you, Sweetheart. I love you so much.” Aaron whispered, kissing you sweetly. “I love you, Aaron.” You rested your forehead against his, letting out a little laugh when he kissed your nose. “Now let’s get you out of here, Honey. Make sure you’re okay.” Aaron smiled, picking you up to carry you to the medics. 

Once the medics got you into the ambulance, Hotch sat down next to you and gently placed his hand on your stomach. He smiled that big smile that you loved so much. He now knew that his entire world was going to change for the better. It would now consist of you, his wife, and your child. His heart swelled with joy at the thought. He was going to be a father and he couldn’t be happier.