#i sat through an entire dinner without pulling out my phone

[whatsk-poppinhomies]

Pairing : Boyfriend!Bangchan x F!Reader TW : slight angst ; short but sweet and fluffy at the end ; Word Count : 1.3k Request : @kurolils : I just want something really really angsty w chan. so just maybe like, he's supper stressed and snaps at the reader and yk something very angsty, but obviously with a fluffy ending A/N : THIS TOOK FOREVER TO GET TO AND I'M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WAIT BUT I"M WRITING IT NOW!!! HIHIHI!!!

Preparing for a world tour, as exciting as it seems, was probably just as stressful, if not more stressful than working on an album, at least for Chan it was. He had to work on remembering all of the dances for the entire setlist, he had to think of what he’d say to all the STAYS, he had to remember all the lyrics to all the songs. There was so much to do, and it felt like there wasn’t enough time to get it all done. 

The date of his departure for the first international part of the tour was quickly closing in, and of course, management was still against you going with him considering the news hadn’t broken yet that the two of you were dating. That was the hardest part of leaving for tours. He was leaving you behind, and while you were an absolute champ about it on the surface, he could read right through you and tell that you were upset. 

That’s why he tried to spend as much time with you as possible before he had to leave, that’s what he usually did. He wasn’t sure why things felt more stressful than usual this time around, he wasn’t sure why it felt like the clock was working against him this entire time. All he did know was that there was so much to get done, and he didn’t need any distractions, he didn’t need anyone getting in his way. 

“Still working, huh?” You said from the doorway, your hands shoved into the pockets of one of Chans oversized hoodies. He hummed in response, his eyes not even glancing up from the laptop screen as he sat at his desk. His headphones were on, but at least he had one ear uncovered so he could hear you. “I know you have to leave in a couple days… I was just wondering if you wanted to watch a movie with me or something? I really miss you already and… Just wanted to spend some time with you-” 

“Shut up.” Chan mumbled, and your lips quickly pulled into a thin line, your eyes dropping to the ground, both embarrassed and upset from those two simple words. “As if I don’t have enough on my plate, now I’m expected to stop everything I’m doing to coddle you because you’re going to miss me. I mean… good god, Y/N, grow up. I’m not always going to be here, get used to watching movies by yourself. Damn.” He huffed before adjusting his headphones so that both ears were covered. 

You didn’t even know what to say, you didn’t have anything to say anyway, you were trying not to cry, so you kept your head low and turned around, shutting the door behind you as you made your way to the couch. It’s not like you hadn’t seen Chan stressed before, it’s just that most of the time you were the one that would get him out of his funk. Now it seemed like you were the one stressing him out even more. 

The rest of the day went by without any sort of interaction between the two of you. He’d leave the room to go to the bathroom or grab something to eat or drink, and then he’d quickly retreat back to his desk. You spent the evening sitting on the couch watching movies by yourself and scrolling through your phone to try to keep your mind off of what had happened. 

You had made dinner, and not even the smell of a home-cooked meal had pulled him out from the bedroom, so you made enough for yourself before saving the leftovers in the fridge and eating all alone at the table. You made sure to clean it all before heading to the bathroom and washing up before going to bed. You thought that maybe at some point he would come out and apologize or something, but he didn’t. If it weren’t for the sound of keyboard typing and his mouse clicking rapidly it would feel like he wasn’t there at all. 

The bed didn’t feel as empty as most people would assume it would feel, but that’s only because Chan rarely joined you in bed before you dozed off. The only difference is that this time you wondered if he’d join you at all. Would you feel the bed shift with his weight as he finally got under the covers at the crack of dawn or would he opt to sleep on the couch instead? 

Your mind was full of thoughts, some good, some bad, most of them were bad though, and these were the thoughts that filled your subconscious, the thoughts that fueled your dreams tonight. He was getting tired of you. He thought you were annoying. You were a burden to him. All of these negative emotions played out in the most realistic scenarios in your dreams, and they felt so real in fact, that when you woke up, you couldn’t stop yourself from crying. The emotions were overwhelming, that feeling of being unwanted by the only person you wanted was devastating. 

You didn’t know how late it was or how early it was, and you had been sleeping so deeply that you hadn’t even felt Chan come into the room and get into the bed. “Baby, what’s wrong?” He whispered, having not even fallen asleep yet when you jumped up. Your sniffles were quiet, but in the silence of the room they sounded so loud. 

“You don’t love me anymore…” Your whisper was choked out, and the sob that followed was heartbreaking for him to hear. He knew that he had been quite harsh and honestly, rather heartless when he had spoken to you earlier. That’s why he had kept his distance for the remainder of the day. He thought that that was what you’d needed, but he had been horribly wrong. “I’m… I’m annoying… and distracting…” 

“Shh… baby, no…” Chan cooed, sitting up in the bed beside you and wrapping his arm around you to pull you against his side. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier, I was just stressed… I’ve got so much to do and… I shouldn’t take that out on you. It’s not your fault.” He used his other hand to turn on the lamp on the nightstand, and when he did he could see the tears flowing freely down your cheeks. “I’m an asshole, aren’t I?” 

You weakly nodded your head before resting it against his shoulder. “I don’t like watching movies by myself. That’s our thing… It was really lonely without you.” You mumbled, fiddling with the tag that hung off the blanket. “Am I too clingy? Do you want me to leave you alone?” You asked, and your body tensed up just enough for him to notice. You didn’t want to hear the answer, you were scared of it. 

“Of course not! You cling to me just the right amount.” He joked, and he couldn’t help but chuckle when you looked up at him with unamused eyes and a slight pout on your lips. “I love that you always want me around, it makes me feel loved. I don’t ever want you to leave me alone, because I don’t like watching movies by myself either. I’m not mad at you, I never was, and I never could be. So let’s get some sleep, I’ll have Changbin and Ji handle the rest of the setlist for the tour, and we can have a date day, the whole day tomorrow. You get my undivided attention. You deserve it.” His finger slid under your chin to tilt your head up, pressing his lips to yours, just long enough to have you melting against him and your mind clearing of any and every thought. “And just so you know… I already miss you too… And I miss you way more.”

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[kooktrash]

guys my age | jeon jungkook DRABBLE 18+

➣ pairings: dilf jk x female college student!y/n [she/her]

➣ genre/au: dilf au, best friends father, smut, age gap [38 & 21] flush

warnings: 2k words. smüt. pool smüt [ oral f & m receiving]

You know absolutely nothing about law, especially not the kind Jungkook works with. As a litigator his clientele consists mostly of large businesses filing copyright lawsuits, tax fraud, etc. it’s probably the most boring form of law but he gets paid big bucks for it.

You understood his work and how busy he could be so of course some weekends he still had to work. It kind of sucks when you come see him but you also understand it and try to stay out of his way when his case partner is over.

“Babe!” Jungkook called out from his office.

“Yeah?” You shouted back from the living room where you’ve been on your phone and watching TV. You’ve been lounging around pretty much all of Saturday in just a tiny pair of Jungkook’s plaid boxers and a short top looking like the definition of comfort.

“What are you thinking about for dinner?” He asked, walking into the entrance way of the living room with Namjoon right behind him. You assumed they were done for the weekend. You shrugged, resting your head on the back cushion of the couch as you looked at them two.

“Not hungry.”

Namjoon looked at Jungkook who just looked at him back, “I’ll get these filed and ready for Monday.”

“Alright,” Jungkook said walking Namjoon toward the door but stopped at the couch to be next to you as he watched his partner head the rest of the way toward the door.

“Bye Y/n,” Namjoon said with a clear of his throat, “Sorry for taking up so much time.”

You just waved goodbye and turned your attention back to the TV. Jungkook looked down at you waiting for you to say something, “You’re not hungry?”

“Not really,” you said looking down at your phone lazily.

He released a small sigh as he rounded the couch and sat down next to you. Without a word he picked you up and pulled you onto his lap despite your little whine in protest at being babied.

“You mad at me?”

He knows he works a lot and he just feels so bad. Last time he was able to drive to you for a few days but this time he begged you to come here for the weekend. Then he gets this huge workload that had to be done by Monday so he wasn’t even able to take you out yesterday or today.

Jieun’s mom cheated on him because he was always busy with work and he’s worried. He’s still scared that he’ll drive you away because of work and he doesn’t want that.

You laughed softly, running your fingers through his hair, “No? I’m just not hungry.”

“You sure?” He asked, “Sorry, I know I asked you to come this weekend and then I got all this work that had to be done and I’ve basically wasted your entire Saturday having you locked in here all day.”

You didn’t say anything, hand under his chin as you tilted his head up and placed your lips on his gently. He kissed back immediately letting his tongue swipe along your bottom lip deepening the kiss as you shifted on his lap.

Jungkook brought his hands down to your hips, moving you enough for you to get the hint and straddle him, “You’re always so sweet.”

“Liar,” you smiled into the kiss as he held you pressed against his chest.

“For the most part,” he chuckled, “Plus you taste sweet.”

“Mm, do I?” You asked, looking down at him. You did. Everything about you was sweet to him.

In the beginning you came off strong and eager and very lust driven. That’s what your relationship consisted of at first, just a lot of sex, sex, and sex. Then one day he asked if you wanted to go out for dinner after you left for school, he offered to drive down and the two of you spent an entire day in the city. After that you would call him in the evening, ask how work went, offer to drive down and see him for the weekend but you two still tried keeping it downlow.

When Jieun found out it put a stop to what the two of you did out of guilt until one day Jieun snapped at him and said, ‘Jeez you were a lot nicer when I knew you were hooking up with Y/n!’

Why’d she say that? Because she used his credit card to book a flight to Tokyo with Yoongi. So really, that was her weird way of saying that he needs to date someone so he can relax and it just so happened to be her friend. She still gets grossed out when she sees you two kids but she also feels awful for blaming him for the divorce and Y/n’s her best friend so she got over it pretty quickly. Soon the two of you were officially dating, doing grocery runs, shopping together, going on real dates and all of it. You never blamed him for having to work or not call because he would do little things to make up for it like deliver food to your place, maybe some flowers to your new job—a traditional dating man, you always said. Nobody had ever gotten you flowers and that was just so ridiculous to him that not a single one of your previous boyfriends ever even thought to do that!

Anyway, back to the point, you’re the sweetest little minx he’s ever met.

“What about swimming and then drinks?” You asked now that he was deep in thought, “Before it gets cold.”

He sighed, “You can live in the water, can’t you?”

“Well…” you stared off in thought, “I’m just thinking about how we’ve never had sex in the pool before.”

“You’re gonna be the death of me, y’know? A premature death,” he said as he held you tightly and used his big strong arms to stand up with you in his arms, “Let’s go.”

You were both sexual beings despite Jungkook’s three or four years of celibacy. Even when he was with his ex wife he never felt satiated so it’s no surprise that when you came along the two of you were very intimate. You were always so eager and ready and though he loved your sweet side when he would catch you fast asleep on FaceTime while he worked away in his office, he loved your needy side too.

He was gripping the edge of the pool tightly so he wouldn't float away and angled his head to one side in an attempt to deepen the kiss the two of you have been sharing since you got in the water. He wouldn’t be surprised at all if he ever got a complaint from his neighbors from how often he’s fucked you on the poolside. He let the hand that had been cupping your cheek slide down to your neck then toward the hem of your bottoms. Your tongue poked against his and he parted his lips even more to allow you in.

He skimmed over your bottom until his hand touched the soft skin of your thigh where he pinched lightly and wrapped it around his waist. You lifted your other leg on your own essentially straddling his waist in the water as he pushed you against the wall for more support.

Needing to catch a breath, you began to pull back feeling Jungkook follow your movements to keep kissing. You nipped at his bottom lip as you separated, making him groan.

His hands were on your hips now looking down at your swollen glossy lips panting, "You have no idea the things you make me want to do with you.”

He was huffing out of breath pressing himself closer against your body making sure to keep your legs wrapped around him. He lowered his mouth to your neck placing soft kisses up your jugular.

"Yeah? Do tell, Mr. Jeon," you licked your lips smiling at the old term you gave him.

His eyes rolled back as you kissed down his jaw toward the back of his ear. He let out a breathy laugh at the tingle over his sensitive spot. His hands caressed your thighs and back making you grind against him a little, "Again with that? I thought I’ve taught you better.”

“You like it,” you teased. You felt his hand slide under the hand of your underwear, thumb pushing into the bone of your hip tracing it toward your butt. You slipped your tongue out pulling back once more to catch your breath. He looked devilish.

The messy, wet, black hair. The lip piercing he currently swiped his tongue over. The bob of his Adam's Apple as he gulped. The rough feel of his fingers inching toward your core as neither one of you pulled away from the intense eye contact.

Just like that, his middle finger was running over your clit lightly. Your lips drew open in a small gasp and he took the opportunity to go in for a tongue kiss. His brows scrunched together swallowing your moan as your hips bucked into his hand.

His hand toyed with the slick against your heat using it to his aid as he let his middle finger push between your folds.

His mouth formed an 'O' shape against yours at the first feel of your hand over his growing member. The briefs did very little to stand against your hand as you placed your palm over him. The water made it easier for him to carry you without getting tired but it almost numbed your touch—but you wanted pool sex and who was he to say no?

You struggled to tug his briefs down barely getting them under his member to let it peak out as his hand relentlessly rubbed against your clit. You finally slipped your hand over his member, relishing in the size of him as your palm ran over his tip.

The water made it hard to feel everything clearly but as you ran your fingertip along his tip you could definitely feel some sort of substance coming out.

His head dropped down against your shoulder as his hand sped up its ministrations using his free hand to guide your hips further along. His nails dug into the soft flesh of your hip.

"Fuck," he groaned feeling your hand stroke his member. Your nail ran along the thick vein underneath and thumb swiped along his slit. "Feels good," he mumbled against your neck, lips brushing against you as he relished in the feeling.

He could feel you getting close too from the way your walls tightened around his middle finger and it made him want to stretch you further. He let his ring finger toy with your entrance before sinking in feeling some constriction before you relaxed around him.

It didn't take much longer for his hips to stutter as they bucked into your fist and he had to grope at your waist to keep you from falling out of his grasp. His knees were going weak as he used one to keep you up against the wall.

"Jungkook," you moaned lightly, feeling his palm press harder against your clit bringing you closer and closer to your high, "I—I'm close."

"Mmm," he bit his lip, "Let go, pretty baby."

Your legs trembled, one hooking around him tighter pressing him further against you as you grinded against his hand. All it took was the whisper of your name so close to your ear, "Y/n, I love you.”

You nearly froze and got a second he wondered if it was wrong for him to say that. This was still new, he might’ve scared you off but that’s how he felt right now.

“I love you too,” you said in a whisper as your hand drew toward his base massaging his scrotum in your grip and at once, you both released in each other's hands kissing deeply as he mumbled it again against your lips.

::.

TOO MANY OF YALL HAVE ASKED FOR A CONTINUATION SO HERE IT IS BUT SOFTER

Ask GMA Jungkook and Y/n? SEND IN INBOX

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[sunwoowrites]

Dense.

Y/n x Bang Chan

Fem!reader

angst.

TW- mention of food.

part 2

"Chris" you called out for the hundred time opening the door to the bedroom. "can you please come and eat dinner, you've been at it for hours on end." He groaned and turned his swivel chair round to look at you. His face scrunched in annoyance and his fingers massaging his temples.

"I. said. that. I'm. not. hungry. y/n." he said as if it were the worst thing to reply to you. "Chris, you have to eat, how many times must I tell you that. You need food in your system. What you're doing, its unhealthy." He removed his headphones chucking them onto his table causing you to flinch.

"Exactly y/n." He said losing every ounce of patience. "How many fucking times are you going to tell me that. If you told me before and I gave you an answer couldn't you just take a hint goddammit. It's like you're so fucking dense nothing gets through that thick skull of yours. Y/n. Do you have to be up my ass the entire day I'm at home?....and you wonder why I'm at the studio so often. "

He huffed out the last bit but you heard him loud and clear. His words were like daggers to your heart. Your grip on the door handle loosened and you stepped back. Without thinking you shut the room door, grabbing your purse and your keys. You looked at the dinner table that you had set hours ealier for dinner. Now cold. You sighed. "I'll get out of your ass. You dickhead." you mumbled leaving your shared apartment, your heart heavy as tears threatened to fall. A lump in your throat and a heavy weight on your heart.

Hours later Chris sighed, standing up to make a cup of coffee. He opened the room door. The apartment filled with silence. Chris frowned. He walked to the kitchen, stopping when he saw the table. Food set out neatly into plates. His favourite home cooked meal. Cold. He looked around the lounge. Where did you go? Keys gone. Coat gone. He immediately went to check the bathroom. Then the spare bedroom. Gone.

Panic began to rise in him. He looked at the clock. 2:55 am. He went back into the bedroom, grabbing his phone repeatedly calling you. His hands shook. No. no. no. Surely you didn't take him that seriously. Right? He inhaled and exhaled trying to stay calm. She'll be fine. She's going to be okay. Everything's okay Chris.

He was scared. He didn't mean it. He really didn't mean it. Your presence didn't annoy him. In fact without you there he wouldn't be able to function really. Yes he stays at the studio for long periods of time. But the pictures of you that he stuck to his computer is what comforts him. When he has too much work to do and when he feels like his drowning. The spare bottle of perfume, your perfume that he keeps in his backpack. The scent that reminds him of you, thats what keeps him grounded.

He sniffled. What if you didn't come back. And it was all his fault. He couldn't hold his tongue. He just had to ruin everything. I hurt her. "The number you have dailed is not available please try-" He groaned. "Please please please" He chanted as he texted you. "I'm so sorry." He cried.

The door opened and you walked in, throwing your keys in the dish. You sighed. Chris ran out of the room and pulled you into a hug. "Y/n. Y/n. Y/n." He cried. You pushed yourself out of his hold. "The fuck Chris." He flinched and sniffled. "I'm so so so fucking sorry." You sighed. "As you should be." You mumbled walking to your bedroom. "Y/n please can we talk." You paused turning around. "Please give me space. We can talk in the morning. I don't wanna see you right now." Your throat tightened and you bit your lip holding in your tears.

You walked into the room closing the door behind you. Chris sat down at the table, shoulders slumped and tasted some of the food. Tears rolling down his cheeks. Its delicious. He choked out a sob. Sniffling and eating quietly. I didn't mean to hurt you. I promise I'll be better. I need to be better. I need to be better for her. I can't lose you y/n.

[roosterforme]

The Deployment Diaries Part 22 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You've been putting all of your energy into helping Bradley recover, but sometimes you need his help even more.

Warnings: Smut, angst, fluff and swearing

Length: 4300 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots! Check my masterlist for the reading order!

The following week, you came home late from work, and walked into the bedroom to find Bradley laying in bed reading with Tramp's head on his stomach. 

"Hey, Sweetheart. How was your day?"

You huffed and started removing your uniform, piece by piece, unpinning everything from your shirt. "Shitty, thanks for asking. And it's late, and I'm starving, and you could have at least started dinner, you know?"

Bradley froze. He knew you were going to be late, because you had texted him. He grabbed his phone as he sat up, the muscles around his ribs still pulling a bit as he did so. 

You stormed around the room, changing into some shorts as he opened his message thread with you. "My text never sent to you. I already took care of dinner, Baby Girl. I ordered from that place with the spicy chicken you like. Figured you deserve something better than whatever I would make without supervision. Should be here soon." 

You paused and looked at him as you pulled on a shirt. "Oh. Okay. Well thanks."

The doorbell rang, and Bradley brought the food into the dining room. You settled into your seat with your plate of dinner, and Bradley brought you one of the many bottles of hot sauce just in case. When he sat down and you started eating, he patted his thigh. 

You looked like you were going to tell him no, but you stood and slid into his lap with your plate of food. 

"That's better," he whispered, kissing your cheek. 

"I'm sorry I was short with you, Roo. I am exhausted, and I have to give a presentation to a bunch of admirals from Lemoore tomorrow. It's for funding our research, and I barely have any time to prepare." 

"I can help you," he promised as he ate. "After dinner, why don't you relax in the bath while I clean up, and then I'll help you the rest of the night until you feel ready."

"Yeah. Okay," you agreed. And an hour later, you were wearing his UVA shirt with a pair of his underwear, your hair in a bun on top of your head, and pacing slowly around the living room. 

"Our projections for upgraded safety protocols show a twenty seven percent improvement in the ability of the Super Hornet pilot to communicate with the tower. This is not insignificant, based on the last several updates. That information is provided on page thirty of the handout, and you can see that the-"

Bradley put his hand up to interrupt. "It's actually on page thirty one, Sweetheart."

"Shit," you muttered, standing with your hands on your hips. "I knew that."

"Of course you knew that, but you seem very nervous."

You threw your hands up in the air. "Of course I'm nervous, Bradley! The entire purpose of this is to get more funding to keep you safe!" 

He smiled at you. "I love you, but you've got to remove me from this equation while you're doing the presentation. Don't think about me or Nat or Jake. Just think about some random pilot in Lemoore that you're trying to make sure has updated software. Okay?"

You sighed and stretched your arms, getting yourself ready to start over again. And when you did, your presentation went much better. You ran through it two more times flawlessly, and Bradley pulled you down to his lap. "That was perfect, Sweetheart. You'll knock them flat on their asses with your well researched information that I can barely understand."

You laughed as he stood with you in his arms. "You shouldn't be lifting me yet!" you screeched, scrambling out of his grasp. "That's naughty! I'll tell your doctor!" 

Bradley laughed and led you to the bedroom. "Let's practice your presentation once more, but this time I'll make it fun for you. And then you'll be relaxed for tomorrow." 

He undressed you slowly, running his thumbs along the undersides of your breasts before stripping off his own clothing and laying back against the pillows. "Climb up here, Baby Girl, and get to work," he rasped, rubbing his thigh right next to his hard dick.

You moaned as you crawled up the bed, kissing the spot he had been rubbing before getting into position and sinking down around his length. You moaned a little bit, and Bradley gently smacked your ass as he said, "Go ahead and get started, Lieutenant."

"Our projections for upgraded safety protocols show... oh God, Roo!" you whined as he pumped up into you.

But then he froze when you got off course. "Keep going, Lieutenant. You keep going and then I'll keep going." Bradley watched you bite your lip and try to fight for control. 

"Okay, okay," you groaned. "Show a twenty seven percent improvement in the ability of the Super Hornet pilot to communicate with the tower. Oh God, you feel so good."

Bradley chuckled. "Is that part of the presentation?"

"It is now," you whined, because he had stopped thrusting again. You tried to bounce on him a bit, but he grabbed your hips and stilled your movement. You whimpered, but he just shook his head. 

"Um, this information is not insignificant," you moaned in pleasure as he started moving again. "It's based on research that is provided for you on page thirty one of the handout."

You tossed your head back as Bradley fucked up into you harder and harder. His ribs were aching now, but he didn't want to stop. 

"You're doing so well, Lieutenant. Keep going."

"The models are based on calculations that we have been collecting for the past year, and I am fucking awesome, thanks for listening to my presentation," you said, your voice getting louder as Bradley laughed and flipped you onto your back. 

"The admirals are going to love that closing statement," he grunted, putting both of your legs over his shoulders and grabbing your thighs. He kissed your legs as he pushed himself inside you once more. 

You giggled until Bradley pushed your knees back to your shoulders and slammed into you. He was practically folding you in half. 

"Roo!" you moaned, but he fucked you at a steady pace that soon had you whining and crying out. He loved it when he got you like this; you were unable to even form real words as his skin slapped against yours. 

"Baby Girl, you're so sweet," he told you as he fucked you harder until you were gasping for air, his weight pushing down on you. You grabbed his hair and pulled him down to kiss you as you came, moaning against his mouth. 

"Your presentation is going to be so good. I wish I could watch you in action," he told you, still chasing his own finish. 

"If you're a good boy, maybe I'll practice it one more time wearing one of my calendar outfits."

"Fuck. Yes." Bradley chanted as he came inside you. 

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

Your presentation went well enough that your lab was granted a huge amount of money to continue with research. Commander Bickel took you and your colleagues out for the fanciest lunch you had ever eaten in your life, and you were keeping your fingers crossed that you'd see a promotion soon as well. 

Bradley had been celebrating with you for the last few days, even opening a bottle of champagne one evening. 

He finally got most of the remaining stitches removed, and his face was looking mostly bruise free by this point. "I'm starting to look okay again," he remarked, looking in the bathroom mirror as you both got ready for a night at the Hard Deck. 

You rolled your eyes. "Seriously, Roo. You looked handsome to me even with the bruising. If you looked any better right now, I wouldn't be able to take you out in public. Can't wait to see how many times you get hit on tonight," you said sarcastically. 

Bradley chuckled as he buttoned his shirt. "You know, you're one to talk, Sweetheart. You get cornered in conversation with some random guy every time we go to the bar."

"It's usually one of my coworkers!" 

Bradley gave you a bland look. "That guy who was trying to get you to meet him in the parking lot to check out his Harley? That was one of your coworkers?"

It took you a second to recall what he was talking about, but then you doubled over laughing as you were trying to finish your makeup. "No, that guy was just very, very drunk."

"Yeah, well. I rest my case."

The Hard Deck was packed by the time you and Bradley arrived, and you were once again thankful that the aviators seemed to have their own little area. 

"Rooster, you look great!" Phoenix said, pulling him into a hug. She handed him her brand new bottle of beer, saying, "I can go get another. Have this one."

You butted in. "Just one drink! He's still on medication!" But he was already taking a sip and winking at you. "I'm serious, Bradley. Just one."

"Okay, Baby Girl," he told you before he kissed you on the forehead. 

You followed Nat up to the bar to get yourself a drink too, and you both ended up chatting with Coyote who had finally returned from deployment. His had been much longer than Bradley's but far less action packed. You must have been up there for a while, because when you returned to the pool table, Bradley was cracking up at something Bob was saying, and he had a glass of what looked like whiskey in his hand. 

"Who got him another drink?" you asked accusingly. You instantly knew it was Jake by the way he wouldn't meet your eyes.

"Seriously?" you asked, stopping an inch in front of him. "He's taking a prescription for his injuries! The last thing I need is a sloppy Rooster. Are you going to come take care of him in the middle of the night when he's a fucking wreck and like singing show tunes at the piano or something?!"

Jake burst out laughing. "We tried to tell you the piano was a bad idea, Angel. Plus this is fair retaliation for what you two made me walk in on in the rec room!"

You just cradled your face in your hand. You should have known you'd be hearing about that again. "I told you guys, one drink! No more!"

"That's only his third. He'll be fine. He's just playing pool. Here, throw some darts with me."

You turned your back for a few minutes, just long enough to lose to Jake. Then when you went to check on your boyfriend, you found him with another half empty beer bottle in his hand. His cheeks were rosy and his eyes were a little unfocused as he sipped the drink. 

"Hey, Baby Girl! You're so pretty, come here." He finished the beer and reached out with grabby hands. 

"Oh, Lord," you muttered as he grabbed your waist and pulled you against him.

"I love you, you're so pretty. I could look at you all day long." Bradley's words were a little slurred, and his smile was so goofy. You had to grab his hands and put them at his sides when he started reaching for the bottom of your shirt.

He started kissing your neck and pulled his hands free to play with your hair as Payback said, "It's not even eleven o'clock yet. How much did he drink?"

"Too much, apparently," you replied, trying to get Bradley to sit on the empty stool next to Fanboy. "This is why I tried to tell you guys he could only have one drink. I just knew he would get like this."

Bradley stumbled into the seat and unbuttoned his Hawaiian shirt. "Hot in here," he mumbled, handing the shirt to you. "Thanks, Sweetheart."

You slipped his shirt on over your tee so you wouldn't lose it, because you were pretty sure it was one that had belonged to his dad, and then you just shrugged helplessly at him sitting there in his tank. "What am I going to do with you now, Bradley?"

"You're gonna love me," he told you with a grin.

"It was a rhetorical question," you muttered. "Stay here. I'm going to get him some water," you told Fanboy who nodded before offering some pool tips to Bob. 

You turned to check on Bradley from the bar, and at least he was right where you left him. But the bar was crowded, and it seemed like everyone you knew was trying to chat with you. By the time you had a glass of water and were on your way back to the pool table, he was practically shirtless with another woman chatting him up, and he was giving her puppy eyes.

"Jesus, maybe I should just let her deal with him," you muttered to Phoenix who looked like she was ready to fight someone if needed.

"You've just gotta meet my girlfriend. Her name is Sweetheart and she's so pretty," he rambled to the other girl. "That's her!" Bradley announced when he saw you. 

"Um, hi," the other woman muttered. "Sorry," she added before swiftly making her exit.

"That woman asked for my phone number," he said, reaching for you again. "I told her no."

You sighed. "Fanboy! I asked you to watch him for like five minutes!"

"Sorry! Hey, you wanna play pool with me?" Fanboy asked, handing you a pool cue. 

"No, I'm trying to get this one to drink some freaking water!"

Bradley downed the entire glass of water when you pressed it to his lips. "I love you," he said loudly. "I'm going to take care of you forever. That's all I wanna do. Love you and take care of you. And fuck you."

"Shhh," you scolded, taking the glass before he could drop it. "That's enough, Roo."

Fanboy, Bob and Jake stopped playing pool to shake their heads and laugh. "I am so sorry I let him have that bourbon, Angel," Jake told you with a rotten grin on his face.

You tried to keep Bradley from pawing at you, but it wasn't working. "Aww, Sweetheart. I'll take such good care of you, like I always do."

"Okay, Bradley. How about you try to stand up," you said trying to coax him to his feet, but he just went rambling on as he stood.

He kissed your lips and cupped your cheeks with both hands. His eyes were so loving and sincere as he told you quite loudly, "I'm gonna put a baby in you, Sweetheart. I'm gonna get you so pregnant. Fuck you every day when you stop taking the pill."

"Someone please kill me," you mumbled, trying to put your hand over his mouth as the guys all started hooting.

"Oh my God," muttered Phoenix, silently gagging and dropping her pool cue. 

"I almost did it already, and we weren't even trying," he added, pulling your hands away from his face. "But I'd love to keep trying. Give you a ring first, so you know I'm serious." He was grabbing you by the waist again, and now Payback was catcalling you both. 

"Bradley, my love?" you asked him, and his eyes met yours in trustworthy affection. "If you don't shut up, I'm going to leave you here for the night."

"Let's go home and get in bed," he murmured against your neck. 

You looked to your left and saw Jake and Bob. "You and you, help me get him to the car. Now."

You watched the guys hoist your boyfriend into the front seat of the Bronco while he told them in some detail about how many kids he hoped to have with you. Once he was buckled in and the door was closed, Jake mussed up your hair and laughed hysterically. 

"Oh, Angel. You have the patience of a saint."

Payback was trying not to laugh before he burst into giggles. "Twelve kids, huh?" 

You groaned and walked to the driver's side, saying, "Thanks a lot guys," over your shoulder.

You started the engine and Bradley gazed at you longingly. 

"If you throw up in here, it's your own fault. I told you one drink!"

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

Bradley woke up with a throbbing headache. He wanted to open his eyes, but his body was telling him he would throw up if he did, so he just opened them a crack.

"What the hell?" He could barely move. It seemed like he had slept all night on the bathroom floor. Although he was wrapped in a blanket and resting on a pillow, he could feel the cold, hard floor tiles digging into his shoulder and hip.

He tried to sit up, but immediately flopped back down onto the pillow. His ribs were aching. How did he have a hangover? What did he do last night?

"Oh, good. You're awake."

He could hear you, but he didn't want to open his eyes again.

"Sweetheart? What happened?"

You laughed sardonically, and Bradley felt you step over his body to get to the sink vanity. 

"I told you not to have more than one drink, but you didn't listen to me. And I'm so mad at Jake for buying you bourbon."

Bradley sat up gingerly and opened his eyes. "Why did I sleep in here?"

You shook your head at him. "Because you barely made it to the toilet before you started throwing up. And then you held Tramp up to your face and told him, and I quote, 'Let me sleep in the bathroom so my wife doesn't get mad' end quote."

Bradley opened his mouth to speak, but he just sat on the floor staring up at you.

"So, you are either already married, or you are under the impression that you've married me or Tramp."

Then he started to remember the previous night at the Hard Deck. Talking about making babies and engagement rings. He was panicking, suddenly convinced he had asked you to marry him while cross-faded on bourbon and pain killers. 

"I can tell by the look on your face that you're remembering some of what you said at the bar."

Bradley met your eyes and whispered, "Yes. Oh my god, how badly did I embarrass you?"

Your face broke out into a smile as you knelt on the floor next to him and kissed his cheek. "I'm not embarrassed, but maybe you should be. You told the guys you want to pump me full of babies! I thought Phoenix was going to cry!"

Bradley groaned and kissed your neck. "I'm not embarrassed about that, Baby Girl. I'd tell you that shit sober. I'd say it in front of the guys, too."

"I know you would," you whispered, running the tip of your nose along his scarred cheek. "Come on. I need you to get up and make sure your dress whites fit for your promotion banquet later this week."

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

Bradley got undressed to try on his uniform while you were making dinner. After drinking about a gallon of water plus a few cups of coffee, his head was throbbing much less. As he walked in front of the full length mirror, he paused to examine himself. He'd been avoiding his own reflection as frequently as possible since he came home injured, and this was exactly why.

His left arm was absolutely covered in random pink scars. They would probably fade over time, just as the ones on his face and neck had, but these ones looked fresh and angry. He ran his right hand over the uneven skin and grimaced. Because on top of the scars, he had lost a lot of his muscle definition.  

Gone were his abs, only to be replaced by a little bit of pudge around his midsection. His biceps were nowhere near the size they had been, and now his shoulders looked lacking as well. Just a few short weeks of being banned from physical activity to help him heal, and now he would be spending months getting back to where he had been. 

Sighing, he pulled out his uniform and started to dress. The shirt wasn't as tight across his chest as it used to be. The jacket and pants were a little loose as well. "Shit," he mumbled as he buttoned the jacket and looked in the mirror straight on. 

You were literally a goddess, the most charming and lovely woman he had ever met. All you had to do was look at Bradley, and he was ready to take you to bed. Your body was perfection, all smooth skin and gorgeous features. He could look at you all day and never tire of the view. You deserved the best of everything in his mind. But he was so flawed, and now it was even worse.

"Dinner is just about ready, Roo... oh, my god!" You stopped in the doorway and stared at him. You were so pretty, your hair down, framing your face, wearing one of his shirts and his gym shorts. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, shifting nervously. "Is the fit noticeably bad?" He looked down at his uniform and then back at you.

You slowly shook your head. "You look so good," you whispered in a dreamy voice that made him shiver. 

Somehow you always made him feel sexy. He knew there was something about him that women liked. He got hit on occasionally at the Hard Deck, and he'd never had a hard time finding women who wanted to fuck him. But you always seemed to make him feel like he almost perhaps deserved you. 

"Well, I guess I look better in the uniform than out of it now," he remarked, checking himself in the mirror again. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" you asked him barely above a whisper as you walked over to him and ran your hands up and down his white uniform sleeves. 

Bradley watched you chew on your bottom lip as he said, "Just, you know... my arm looks totally fucked, and I no longer have abs."

"I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time understanding what you're saying right now," you whispered. "Are you trying to tell me my boyfriend isn't gorgeous?" 

Bradley opened his mouth to speak, but you were already inside his jacket and working on the buttons of his shirt. Your lips met his neck in an open mouthed kiss that ended in a moan, and your fingers were now rubbing his chest hair. 

"Um, I can't remember what I was about to say," he groaned as your hand trailed to the front of his white pants. 

"You're hot, Bradley," you told him, licking his neck scar. "And you always will be."

"I'm glad you think so, Baby Girl," he whispered as you got your hand inside his pants. 

You finished undressing him, and it felt so fucking natural. You had already seen his arm with the stitches removed, and you'd seen his soft middle. Maybe it wasn't all as bad as he imagined?

"You're hot. And I'm far from the only one who thinks so. You literally got hit on last night in your tank," you told him as you lowered his pants. Bradley had no recollection of that, but he supposed it must have happened if you said it did. 

"Besides, you told me last night at the bar that all you want to do is love me and take care of me," you told him as you draped his dress whites over the dresser and guided him to bed. "Sure, you were wasted at the time, but that's all I want to do for you, too."

Bradley let you run your fingers down his left arm, and you left a trail of kisses there as well. "Looks ugly," he mumbled. 

"You're perfect, Roo. And I know you wouldn't complain if I had scars."

"Fuck no, I wouldn't care, Sweetheart," Bradley said, and then smirked as you pushed him down on his back on the bed. "You kind of tricked me into agreeing with you."

"Yes, I did, because I'm right," you said with a grin. "I love your body all the time, especially right now, because you came back home to me."

Bradley pulled you down on top of him with a bubble of laughter. "Fine. I look good. We'll be the hottest couple at the promotion ceremony." 

"You're damn right we will be!" you agreed. Bradley worked his hands into the back of the waistband of the shorts and guided them down your hips. He watched you wiggle out of your underwear before you settled against him, straddling his midsection. He groaned and tossed his head back against the pillows while you rubbed your pussy along the scant trail of hair below his belly button. "So hot," you moaned, and Bradley looked up to see the wetness you were leaving on his skin.

"Fuck, fuck!" he gasped, his hands were on your hips, guiding you to grind harder against him. He watched you pull his tee shirt off followed by your bra. "So fucking pretty."

You leaned down to kiss his lips, muttering, "So are you," as you rubbed yourself all over him. When you finally guided him inside you, whining as you took his length, Bradley was seeing stars. 

You rode him so well, one hand grabbing his left arm, and the other planted gently on his belly where he was still slick with your wetness. Bradley watched your hungry gaze on his body as you got off on his dick, and of course he was right there with you.

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

Thanks for reading! Next up is Bradley's promotion ceremony. Just three chapters left in this series!

PART 23

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[harlowcomehome]

Implantation day:

Series link!

You had given Jack a lot to think about, and although he had been focused and ready for this new life change for a while, your questions had got in his head.

The next day after dinner Yasmeen met Jack at the agency and they both had taken care of all the necessary paperwork.

Implantation day was scheduled and around the corner and this process was officially going to start.

Jack was focused on making some new music and had taken that opportunity to coop himself up in the studio.

Urban noticed the immediate change in him, wondering why his focus shifted so much in only a matter of days.

After a week, he showed up at Jacks house unannounced, something he did fairly often, and decided to join him in the studio.

Jack was fully distracted until he heard the light knocking against the studio door, he recognized the shadow immediately unlocking it and letting Urban inside.

“Hey!” They greeted one another, Urban brought pizza as a peace offering for the heavy conversation he was sure to have with him.

“Haven’t heard from you in a minute. You good?” Urban sat on the couch, pushing the pizza box toward Jack.

“Yeah! I’m just in album mode” he responded as overly enthusiastic as he could.

Urban typically saw through all of that façade, so he wasn’t even sure why he tried to cover up his real feelings.

“What’s going on? You’ve been acting weird since that dinner.”

“How’d you know about the dinner?” Jack groaned, taking a slice from the box.

“Clay, he told me everything, since you wouldn’t answer my calls.”

Jack felt ashamed, he didn’t mean to push Urban away, he just truthfully had been ignoring everyone’s calls.

“Did he tell you about Yasmeen’s sister?” He angrily took a bite out of the pizza, clearly starving considering he couldn’t recall the last time he had eaten a real meal.

“He told me how she busted your balls all night. Who cares!”

“I do. What if she’s asking me all the right questions? What made me think I could do this? Once implantation day comes, I can’t change my mind Urb.”

“Jack- calm down” Urban let out a soft laugh, his eyes tracing over Jack's nervous demeanor.

Jack was sat across from him, in the studio chair. His leg violently bouncing, sweat forming in his hairline, he had eye bags for days and his curls were a flat dirty mess.

“It’s not that I’ve changed my mind, I know I want to have this child but can I do it alone? Is this something crazy to plan without a partner?”

“You won’t raise this kid alone. You have your parents, me, Alessandra, Clay, Naomi, and everyone else. You know we always take care of each other. We’ve been over this.”

Jack continued to eat his pizza, the two sat in a comfortable silence for a while.

“Remember when Alessandra was pregnant the first time? You read all those books with me about being a dad?” Urban laughed, remembering how scared shitless he was.

“Yeah because you didn’t want to “miss any of the important stuff”” Jack did finger air quotes making them both laugh out loud.

“I’m just saying. You won’t do this alone. I got you. Plus I have both a son and a daughter so I have knowledge on both” Urban knew Jack just needed a push, but that his mind was made up.

Jack laughed at the last part before he sat back in his chair, pulling his phone out and checking the date and time.

“Implantation day is on Wednesday” he swallowed, counting the days.

“Do you get to be there?”

“Yasmeen told me I could come if I wanted to but it feels kind of invasive.”

“I mean, it is your child we’re talking about” Urban shrugged.

Three days later.

Jack woke up feeling overwhelmingly nauseous, wondering if he was somehow experiencing placebo pregnancy symptoms.

When Jack arrived at the facility he was discreetly ushered to Yasmeen’s room, greeted by her sister and Yasmeen’s partner who also had to sign an NDA.

The entire day felt like a blur, Jack remembered being told to hold Yasmeen’s hand and pretty much blacking out after that.

The results wouldn’t be known for almost two weeks and if the implantation didn’t take, they’d try again.

Jack vaguely remembered a joke being told about Yasmeen being fertile but couldn’t remember much, since he sprinted to the nearest bathroom to vomit.

Two light knocks echoed against the bathroom door as Jack gathered himself to open the door.

You stood there grasping a cold water bottle and some crackers from the nearest vending machine.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay” you spoke quietly not wanting to draw more attention to you both.

“Fine, I’m fine” Jack ran a hand through his curls.“Just nerves.”

You handed him the items you were holding, and before he could reject them you spoke.

“Please? You’re pale and it’s my way of saying I’m sorry about the other night” Your words came out jumbled together but he got the gist.

“I’m just this color” he joked, taking the items from you as he walked out of the bathroom.

You giggled at his joke, taking this as an opening.

“I had no reason to grill you that hard that night at dinner and I’m sorry.”

“They were valid questions. I get it” he smiled as you both walked side by side to the parking lot.

“So we’re fine?” You awkwardly laughed, hoping to be in his good graces.

“We’re perfect” Jack laughed unlocking his car. He looked around for your car wondering where it was.

“I’m right there” you pointed to a row down.

“Do you want me to walk with you?”

You were taken aback by his sudden kindness, not wanting to push any buttons.

“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll be seeing more of you though, right?” You weren’t sure why you said that exactly but it was too late.

“That’s the plan” Jack smirked as he got in his car.

[metallicaislife]

Overworked

Requested by: @dallysnecklace

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 1,610

Warnings: Feelings of self-doubt, depressive behavior, anxiety

“Hey babe! It’s me, Kirk. You rushed off after the photoshoot today so I wanted to check in with you since I didn’t get to talk to you after. Maybe we could get dinner and hang out. Call me back, love you. Bye.” The machine beeped after playing the message. I deleted it.

I just got home from one of my other photography gigs. I primarily work for Metallica, but I take pictures for other bands as well. It can get a little hectic, and honestly I’m starting to feel burnt out. I don’t know if I can keep up with the rigorous schedule I’ve been keeping. Feeling absolutely empty I decided I wouldn’t call Kirk back. I laid in bed, not even having the energy to change my clothes. Photography is my entire life, what if I’m not cut out for it though? There are so many others who would kill for the job I have, and here I am not able to manage it. What an absolute failure. I began crying as I spiraled.

I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep until the phone started ringing. I looked at my alarm clock, it was 2PM. I must have slept through the night and well into the next day. I didn’t bother getting up to answer it. 

“I’m not available right now, leave a message and I’ll get back to you.” 

“Hey, it’s me, Kirk, again. You didn’t get back to me last night. What are you up to today? The guys and I are getting ready to go out to eat. Do you want to come with us? Please call me back, even if you don’t want to go. I just want to hear your voice and know you’re okay. All right, love you, bye.” Kirk’s voice came over the voicemail machine. 

I sighed and curled up further beneath my blankets. The beeping of the machine indicating I had a message was bothering me, so I forced myself to get up. I deleted the message and took the phone off the receiver. I made myself take a shower then curled up in my bed again drifting off into a dreamless sleep. 

-

“Hey Peter, have you heard from Y/N?” I asked as I approached our manager. He looked up from his paper. 

“No, she isn’t scheduled for another shoot with you guys until next week.” He replied and turned his attention back to his paperwork. 

“Oh, okay, thank you.” I said and sulked away. 

Since I met Y/N, we didn’t go long periods of time without talking to one another. I haven’t seen or heard from her since our last photoshoot. When I try calling, it gives the busy tone now and I’m getting worried, but if she doesn’t want to see me, I don’t want to bother her. 

I ran into the house to avoid getting drenched by the rain. Cliff was with Lars and James in the living room. 

“Hey.” I greeted them and sat on the couch. 

“Where is Y/N?” Lars asked. 

“I don’t know, I haven’t been able to get a hold of her for the past couple days.” I said folding my arms feeling uneasy. 

“Still?” Cliff asked, a worried expression on his face. 

“Yeah.” I sighed. 

“I wonder what’s going on.” James said thoughtfully. 

“She knows she can come to us if there is something wrong.” Lars added. 

“We should go out and look for her.” Cliff suggested. 

My heart warmed seeing my friends band together, worried about my girlfriend. 

“I’ll go to her place, but you guys really don’t have to go out.” I said standing up to get my jacket. 

“Of course we do, she’s one of us.” James said. 

Just as I was going to open the door, there was a soft knock. I flung it open and my heart broke. 

Y/N stood in front of me. She was drenched from head to toe. Her eyes were red and puffy. 

“Are you okay?” I asked her. Her bottom lip wobbled as fresh tears fell down her cheeks. I reached out, pulling her into my arms. 

“Stop, I don’t want to get you wet.” She wailed. 

“I don’t care.” I said holding her tightly. She continued to cry. The guys stood around, they looked sad at the sight. 

“My mom’s making dinner tonight. Let’s go.” Cliff said. James and Lars followed him out, closing the door. I know they were relieved to see her, but I was grateful they were giving us space. I continued holding her until her sobs softened. I pulled away and grabbed her hand taking her to my room. I handed her some clothes to change into. 

“Go take a hot shower. I don’t want you to catch a cold.” I told her, she nodded and started off for the bathroom. She paused and turned back to me. 

“Will you hold me after?” She asked, her voice was croaky.. I stepped closer to her and kissed her forehead. 

“Of course.” I said. She went into the bathroom, closing the door. 

I went to the kitchen and made her a cup of herbal tea. She didn’t take too long and I met her in my bedroom. She handed me her clothes and I put them in the washing machine. She sipped on her tea as she sat on the edge of my bed. Her eyes still rimmed red. She placed the cup on my bedside table and scooted back on the bed. I laid next to her pulling her into my arms. 

“Where were you?” I asked petting her hair. 

“Home.” She replied softly. 

“What’s going on? I was really worried about you.” I asked rubbing soft circles on her back. 

“I’m sorry I disappeared. I’ve been so overwhelmed with work, I feel so burnt out. I didn’t want to disappoint you because you’re not just my boyfriend, you’re also my client.” She said, I gave her a squeeze.

“Girlfriend first, photographer second, okay? What’s overwhelming?” She buried her face in my chest. 

“It’s not you guys at all, that’s my favorite part.” She whispered, then pulled away to look up at me. “It’s rushing from gig to gig, worried I’ll be late. I think I’ve overbooked myself.” She said, “but if I don’t have the work, I don’t get paid and I can’t afford to cut back.” Her brow furrowed. I rubbed the lines in between her eyebrows. 

“What can I do to help relieve your stress?” I asked her. She thought for a few minutes. 

“I really don’t know.” She shrugged, looking a bit frustrated. 

“Well, what if we talk to Peter? See about making you Metallica exclusive. Then you don’t have to worry about the other gigs.” I offered. 

“What if I just wasn’t meant for this kind of work.” She said, tears filled her eyes. I wiped them as they fell.

“You have to do what’s best for you. And whatever that is, I’ll support you. I know the guys will too. We don’t have to figure it out right now.” I told her, bringing her back into my embrace. She nuzzled her face in my chest. 

“Can I just spend the next couple days with you and the guys?” She asked. 

“Of course.” I said and kissed the top of her head. She drifted off to sleep, I did as well soon after comforted by her breathing and steady heartbeat. 

-

As I came to, I was really toasty. Wrapped in a cocoon of blankets and Kirk’s arms. He was snoring softly. I carefully got out of bed not waking him up. I went to the bathroom then made my way to the living room unable to sleep anymore. Cliff was sitting on the couch, he looked up and smiled, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

“There’s our girl.” He stood up putting his cigarette in the ashtray, and opened his arms. I wrapped my arms around his middle as he engulfed me in a hug. We sat on the couch. Lars wandered in and without any words hugged my head. I laughed, and pushed him back a bit so I could stand and give him a proper hug. 

“Saving the best for last?” James grinned as he came in. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” I teased as he gave me a bear hug. Kirk came sprinting in. 

“Oh good, you’re still here.” He said putting his hand over his heart. I frowned. I feel bad I had made him feel that way. I hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of my head. 

I sat on the couch in between Cliff and Kirk. 

“I’m sorry I went radio silent for a few days. Next time if I need space, I’ll give you a heads up.” I said looking down at my hands. Kirk reached over and interlocked his fingers with mine. 

“As long as you’re safe, that’s all we care about.” Lars said. 

“Are you okay?” James asked. 

I relayed to them what I told Kirk last night. 

“All I have to say is I appreciate you letting me be me in your photos.” Cliff said. I laughed knowing he was a photographer's nightmare since he hated posing properly for pictures. “But you have to do what’s best for you. You’ve always got us in your corner.” He said. Tears pricked my eyes, they weren’t the ones of sadness and frustration I’d been shedding over the past few days. My heart was warm knowing I had a loving boyfriend and sweet friends who truly cared about me. 

No matter what I decided, I knew they’d have my back

Thank you for reading! Feel free to request or chat :)

-Isa

[jaimebluesq]

Dage prompt! Modern AU, NHS brings JC home officially as his boyfriend. Dage likes him, he's clearly dependable and obviously in love with NHS. But he's still gonna make him sweat a little (and then maybe buy him a beer).

Thank you for the prompt! Always love a protective Da-ge. I hope you enjoy!

~ ~ ~

Nie Mingjue had been in the laundry room when his brother came through the front door – without knocking, as usual – and the first he heard from his brother’s new boyfriend was a string of curse words whispered sharply. Nie Mingjue had been a step away from running to the kitchen to get his most impressive meat cleaver... but when he poked his head into the hallway, he paused at what he actually saw. A tall young man (but not as tall as Nie Mingjue) was helping Nie Huaisang out of his jacket, even holding his hand out expectantly to take a hat and scarf, and when the curses restarted, Nie Mingjue discovered that they were about how Nie Huaisang had ‘forgotten’ his gloves again.

Something Nie Mingjue had reminded his brother about his entire life.

When Nie Mingjue came out to greet them, he was properly introduced to Jiang Cheng. The young man made a quick bow – proper, respectful – and though he looked a little nervous, he was not overly fearful.

So far so good – he was already a sight better than Nie Huaisang’s last three significant others.

Over dinner, he found out Jiang Cheng was a veterinarian – good money, loved animals – and had met Nie Huaisang when his pet budgie had fallen sick (it had been a minor infection, and the bird had survived to twitter again). When Nie Mingjue asked his brother about what he’d been doing lately, Nie Huaisang began to talk about a painting he’d been working on, and Jiang Cheng immediately pulled out his phone to bring up a photo of it – supportive of Nie Huaisang’s hobbies, proud of his work. And when Nie Mingjue started teasing his brother about never going to the gym, at first Jiang Cheng had joined in – apparently he’d been trying to get Nie Huaisang to join him for a yoga class – but the moment Nie Huaisang looked genuinely affected by their teasing, Jiang Cheng stopped, took his boyfriend’s hand, and changed the subject.

For once, Nie Huaisang had brought home a date that Nie Mingjue was hard pressed to find fault with.

But that didn’t mean Jiang Cheng was completely off the hook.

After dinner was finished, Nie Huaisang pulled Jiang Cheng up to help clear the table of dishes. As they began filling the sink with water, Nie Huaisang announced he needed to make a stop in the men’s room – and then he looked meaningfully, and warningly, at Nie Mingjue. He shrugged innocently at his baby brother, then waved him off. The moment Nie Huaisang was out of sight, however, Nie Mingjue stood up and walked over to the fridge.

“You don’t mind if I do some prep for tomorrow’s dinner while you work on the dishes, do you?” he asked Jiang Cheng as he took out a rack of ribs he’d pulled out to defrost that morning.

“Of course not,” Jiang Cheng replied, gently sliding dishes into the soapy water. “Let me know if I’m in your way, or if I can help.”

“I will.” He opened a drawer and pulled out his favourite meat cleaver – it sat in his hand like an extension of his arm. He placed the rack just so, then brought the cleaver down with a bang to separate a mass of bone and cartilage.

Jiang Cheng jumped at the noise and looked over; his hand paused mid-way to reaching for a scrubber.

Nie Mingjue was gratified to see a slight shake in the hand.

“Did my Didi mention how our parents died when we were really young?” he asked ‘casually’ as he noisily chopped to separate the meat between two ribs. Jiang Cheng nodded; his throat bobbed. “For all these years, we’ve been each other’s only family.” Another rib separated. “Sure he’s my baby brother, but I practically raised him, too. That means something, don’t you think?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“And A-Sang hasn’t always had the best taste in partners.” He chopped through another mass of cartilage. “There was this one little asshole he dated in secondary school. Thought he could pressure him into doing something he wasn’t ready for.” He sliced out several more ribs with strength and efficiency. “Sure, I’m lucky the little brat never pressed charges – I think he claimed that a bear attacked him – but even if he had, it would have been worth it. Because nobody – and I mean nobody – hurts my Didi and lives to tell about it.”

He slammed the cleaver down into the butcher block so hard that it stuck into the wood. Nie Mingjue let it go and reached for a nearby cloth to wipe his hands off. He looked up at Jiang Cheng, who had yet to look away from the knife, and tilted his chin, waiting for a response.

“Da-ge, what are you doing?”

Nie Mingjue looked to the kitchen door where his brother had just returned to glare at him.

“A-Cheng, did he try to scare you? He acts tough, but he’s just a big teddy bear.” Nie Huaisang walked over to the sink and affectionately bumped his hip into Jiang Cheng’s, then picked up a towel.

It had been ages since Nie Mingjue had watched his brother help with the dishes without half an hour of cajoling and a bribe or two.

“It’s all right,” Jiang Cheng replied, giving Nie Mingjue a nod. “Nothing worse than anything I’ve said to A-Jie’s boyfriends.”

Nie Huaisang lifted an eyebrow in his boyfriend’s direction. “You threatened to make Jin Zixuan a eunuch and feed his balls to the neighbour’s dog.”

Jiang Cheng scrubbed at a plate with a satisfied grin. “And I’d do it again.”

Nie Huaisang rolled his eyes and took the plate from his boyfriend to dry.

Nie Mingjue watched them, a fond smile on his face.

Okay, Didi – this one’s all right.

[elvenlia]

Endeavor x reader

Her mind felt like it was ready to explode with everything she had just witnessed on the television screen. Endeavors oldest son, which everyone believed to have long passed, was actually the villian Dabi. And he announced it for the entire world to hear.

Her heart broke, for many reasons. For Shoto who witnessed it first hand, for Dabi - Touya for the years of built up pain and anguish and for Endeavor ...

Y/n had long since grown a bond with the Pro hero, having worked as his personal assistant from the age of 21 until now at 27. Six years of dealing with that stubborn, brash man.

Over the years she's learned to read him, read between the lines of his harsh words and lack of emotion. Once past those obnoxious barriers, he wasn't all that bad. At least not to her.

They had an odd dynamic, most thought. She was boisterous, outgoing, confident and kind. Where as he was rude, hard and emotionally inept.

She would tease him and laugh, while others would scurry away at the sight of a glare pointed their way. She wasn't afraid of him, nor intimidated.

He was her boss, she respected him of course, but she never let him treat her as if she was less than or below him. She would go toe to toe with him in any argument, never backing down.

She had even developed a bond with his family, against his will of course, at first. Though something he'd never say out loud was he was secretly grateful to her for that. She could be there for them in places he couldn't, hasn't.

Which brought y/n to where she was now, dropping everything to hop in her car and set herself on the way to Endeavor's office. She knew that's where he'd be after this whole disaster took place.

Just as she pulled onto the main road a phone call came through on her cell. Quickly she answered it, it was him.

" Hey, Enji I'm- "

" I need you .. "

" I know, I'm already on my way. I'll be there soon, okay? "

The only reply y/n got was silence on the other end before he hung up the phone. The way his voice cracked as he spoke only made her heart ache more for him.

Endeavor was know for being a bad father, that much was a fact. He was hardly a capable parent and let his greed and desire cloud his intentions when it came to his kids. Though in the past year or so he has been trying to do better, be better for them.

Y/n had stayed many hours over at the office listening to him speak about his children, so compassionate not one of them would believe even if they heard it come from his own mouth. Though she did, she believed him.

After grabbing some dinner for the man, y/n quickly entered the office building heading straight for Endeavors office and entering without a knock. They were the only two there.

"Okay, I texted Fuyumi and had dinner sent to your home for the kids. So their dinner is taken care of for tonight, they don't need to worry. And I brought you some tonkatsu, incase your hungry. "

Y/n spoke as she entered the office, setting the bag in front of the dazed man on his desk. Sliding her phone into her bag she hopped up onto the corner of his desk beside him, as she so commonly did. Though usually in work attire and not sweatpants but that didn't matter right now.

" How are you feeling, Enji? "

She asked softly, reaching a hand out to grasp his shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze which pulled him from his daze to finally notice she was there.

She was able to now get a better look at his face, the way his bottom lip trimbled mixed with the splotches of dried blood caked around his face and in his hair made her want to cry for the man.

She had never seen him look so absolutely defeated.

The look didn't suit him. She'd take his harsh glares and scowls any day.

" He's my own son and I never - "

He slammed a fist down on to the desk beside where she was sat near her thigh. Gritting his teeth so hard she could hear them scraping together as tears started to well in the corners of his eyes.

" You couldn't have known, Enji. He doesn't resemble ... he's different now. "

" He's been alive this whole time! I thought - I thought .. "

" I know, I know ..."

She shushed him as she pulled him into a tight embrace, rubbing soft circles into his back. This was the first time he'd ever allowed her to be this close to him, to show this type of vulnerability in front of her.

" It's all my fault ... I ruined him . "

She wished she had sweet comforting words to whisper softly to him, but she didn't. He was right, he did Touya very wrong and she wouldn't lie to him in sake of making the blow easier for him.

So she chose to stay quiet and allow him to weep, mumbling out incoherent words into her shoulder as she held him close.

After sometime of him staying buried in her shoulder he finally pulled away, now only a numb look reflected in his eyes.

" Let me take you home. "

She broke the silence, taking his hand in her much smaller one and giving it a gentle tug as to gesture him to follow her. She had also grabbed the bag of untouched food in her other hand as she lead the man out of his office building. Locking up as she went.

The car ride was quite, almost deafeningly quite. She had only ever drove him a handful of times, when his driver was unavailable, but everytime he'd nearly go into a fit over her driving skills. Though tonight it seemed he didn't care.

It was nearing midnight, she was hoping she wouldn't wake anyone as she dropped the man off at his home. Taking him inside, she sat him in the kitchen at the table, plating his food and once again sitting it in front of him.

" Eat, it'll make you feel better. "

She left the hero to his vices as she wondered into the living room, peeking around to see if anyone remained up. And to her surprise, a figure was sat before the fireplace, the fire long having died down.

" Sho? "

Y/n softly called to the boy, leaning over the couch to place a gentle touch to his shoulder.

" Y/n - .. "

His voice broke as he placed his hand over hers, his touch trembling.

" Oh Sho - I'm so sorry. "

She bit her lip to contain her own emotions which brewed dangerously in the pit of her stomach. Wrapping her arms around the boys shoulders from behind she gave him a tight squeeze, holding him in silence for a moment like she had done for his father.

" You should head to bed Sho, it's late and you deserve some sleep. "

He offered a sullen nod before sulking off down the hall.

Hearing footsteps coming up beside her, her attention was grabbed by arms engulfing her into a tight embrace, once again. She had noticed he had cleaned himself up and changed out of his hero costume finally.

She held Endeavor for the second time that night.

" Thank you for being here for my family and myself.. "

His once strong voice now dimmed and lower.

" You don't need to thank me, Enji. "

He shook his head slowly in reply, letting a moment pass by before speaking again.

" Please stay with me tonight? "

His question was so quiet, only meant for her ears as she took in his words. Softly she nodded, pulling away slightly from his embrace.

" I'll stay. "

It seems it wouldn't be the last time she'd be holding Endeavor close that night.

[steddieas-shegoes]

if you're still accepting requests, what about t4t lesbian steddie? them having their First Ever Girls' Night together, maybe they're not even dating yet bc they don't want to risk the friendship with like. the one other person in The Whole World (small town indiana) who gets them. much pining and trans joy ensues.

-stevieharringtonwifeguy (it's a sideblog so i can't send an ask from there, but if you do end up doing something with this please tag me, not sure how anonymous asks work with notifications)

AHHH THIS ONE MADE ME NERVOUS. For one, and I know it makes no fucking sense because I have never lived the experience of a gay man, but I have never lived the experience of a trans person and for some reason my brain was like, you don't get to write this experience. But then I said, these are fictional characters, that you write even more fictional things about, and what the hell is the harm in trying to write an authentic small town t4t lesbian experience for these two. So @stevieharringtonwifeguy I really hope I did this justice, and that the wait was worth it. I also admit part of the reason I've been so incredibly nervous was that I haven't read more than a handful of ficlets with t4t Steddie, but after this I would LOVE some recommendations for more. Thank you so much for sending this! - Mickala ❤️

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

“Oh. Okay. Well, that’s okay. Em and I can still have fun,” Stevie said, voice only slightly shaky despite her sudden nerves.

“Sorry, I swear if I didn’t have a fever, I’d still be there,” Robin said over the phone.

“Feel better, Robs.”

Stevie hung up with her best friend, letting out a sigh and leaning her head against the table.

“Everything okay, Stevie?” Em asked from the doorway.

It was supposed to be girls night, Em’s first with Robin and Stevie, and now Robin was stuck in bed with the flu.

Not a great start.

Stevie and Em had spent hardly any time alone since Robin first introduced them. It wasn’t for any particular reason, it’s just that Stevie was really cautious about who she got close to, and it seemed Em was the same way.

But now they were having an entire night alone. Together. Alone.

Did she say alone yet? No one else would be there.

This was only a big deal because she had the biggest, most ridiculous crush on Em.

How could she not? She was fucking beautiful, and fun, and kind, and entertaining, and perfect.

It may be more than a crush.

But Em wasn’t into women, or at least that's what Robin said.

That she’d asked her out once after band practice senior year and Em said that she didn’t date girls.

So Stevie had to let it go the best she could and just try to welcome her to the group.

“It’s okay. Robin’s sick. Can’t come,” Stevie said against her arm.

“Oh. Do you want me to go?”

“What?” Stevie sat up, eyes wide and sad.

“You just seemed like you might not wanna do it anymore without her?”

“No! That’s not it. I’m just a little bummed, but we can still have fun,” Stevie tried changing her tone so it was full of more excitement.

“Oh. Good,” Em smiled at her shyly.

Em wasn’t usually very shy around Robin. Others, sure, but never when Robin was around.

Their plans tonight were pretty simple: paint nails, watch movies, eat candy, sleep.

But Robin was supposed to be bringing the candy, so Stevie was gonna have to improvise a bit.

She stood up from the table and walked to her cabinets, her mostly empty cabinets, and started rummaging through. There had to be some kind of decent snacks.

“I could run to the store and grab something?” Em offered as she watched Stevie push things around in her cabinets, clearly struggling to find a decent snack.

“We could make an actual dinner? I have spaghetti,” Stevie hesitantly suggested.

Em smiled and nodded.

“I love spaghetti.”

Stevie smiled and pulled out a pot to fill with water. She set it on the stove to boil and then searched for the jar of sauce she knew was in the cabinet by the fridge.

“Shit. Where is it?”

“I can help,” Em said, coming up behind Stevie and placing her hand on her back.

Stevie tried to cover the shiver that ran down her back, but couldn’t quite manage it.

“Are you cold?” Em asked, concern in her voice and on her face.

“No! I’m okay. I’ll get some of the other stuff I need if you wanna look for the sauce. It’s uh, red?”

Em smirked.

“I’ll do my best.”

They continued on their separate tasks, until Em finally let out a loud “ah-ha!” and held up the jar of sauce.

She brought it over to Stevie, proud smile lighting up her face.

She was so beautiful, Stevie let herself bask in it for a moment. She couldn’t help it with the way Em just glowed.

Em cleared her throat, giving Stevie a nervous smile.

“Okay?” She asked.

“Oh! Yes. Thank you for finding this,” Stevie rushed to say, grabbing the jar from her and turning back to the pot she’d grabbed to heat the sauce and add her secret ingredients.

She could feel Em watching her, and instead of making her nervous like it should, it made her want to show off.

Stevie was a great cook, though she never did it unless it was for the kids she babysits or Robin.

“Do you want any help? I don’t wanna get in the way,” Em said, her face slightly pink.

Stevie didn’t need help, she could handle it easily, but having Em help her cook sounded like the kind of domestic fantasy she’d been picturing for almost a year now.

“Sure. You wanna add the pasta to the water first and then I’ll have you stir the sauce for a second?”

Em quickly followed her instructions as Stevie measured out some honey, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper to add to the sauce.

“Can I ask you something kind of…well, really personal? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Em said nervously.

“Sure,” Stevie responded with a comforting smile.

She was used to personal questions from the kids. They meant well, and they were just curious, but sometimes they asked the wildest shit.

“How did you pick your name?”

Stevie didn’t expect that one. Not because she’d never been asked about it before, but because her name was so close to her birth name, most people just assumed she didn’t put much thought into it.

“I actually picked it because of a boy I spent most of my time with at summer camp when I was little. We were inseparable there, did everything together. I told him that sometimes I didn’t really feel like a boy, and that I knew I liked girls, but didn’t know why I wanted to be one sometimes. He started calling me Stevie and it just stuck. He was my best friend there for years until he just stopped coming. The next summer I ended up starting my transition and it just made sense to go by Stevie.”

Em was quiet. She stirred the ingredients into the sauce as Stevie spoke, not commenting when she was done.

“I don’t know what happened to him. Nobody at the camp knew.”

Em turned to Stevie with a frown.

“Nobody knew because Wayne made sure it was a secret. Even told the school that I was his niece he never knew about and his nephew had moved back home.”

Stevie’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Wayne was Eddie’s uncle…”

“Yeah…”

Em and Stevie stared at each other, until it dawned on Stevie what she was saying.

“Oh my god. It was you.”

The realization made Stevie let out a sob.

“I cried for a week straight the summer you didn’t show. They almost sent me home,” Stevie said, resisting the urge to throw herself at Em. She’d missed their friendship for years. “The counselor in my cabin tried calling Wayne even to find out where you were.”

Em’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“I’m sorry. I knew how to contact you, but I got scared. I didn’t want you to think I was doing anything to like, compete with you? I dunno. It’s stupid now. No one, especially not you, would think that,” Em rambled.

Stevie put down the dishes she was pulling from the cabinet and turned to Em.

“When I told my parents I was a lesbian, they asked about ‘that boy from camp’ and asked why I had to be trans and gay, like either of those things are a choice. I’m trying to imagine what the hell they would say about ‘that girl from camp.’”

“Well, she didn’t know she was a girl yet at camp. Not really.”

“But she was, whether she knew it or not.”

They were staring at each other, blush on both their cheeks.

“You wanna go pick a movie?” Stevie finally asked, trying to get a second of space so she could process everything.

“Sure.”

The moment Em left the kitchen, Stevie let out a shaky breath.

Everything made sense. The way she was drawn to Em so quickly, the way that even with her shyness, they got along so well. The way her wide eyes seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place them now that she wore mascara and eyeliner.

Stevie had loved Em before she was Em, it only made sense she loved her now.

She could hear Em turning on Netflix, the volume of the tv just loud enough to hear the opening notes on the welcome screen.

She drained the pasta, and placed some on the plates she’d just gotten down. She added a couple scoops of the sauce on top and sprinkled some Parmesan cheese over it all.

She brought the plates to the living room and smiled when she saw Em getting comfortable on the sofa.

“Your dinner, your majesty,” Stevie said dramatically, handing over the plate.

“Why thank you, chef,” Em replied just as dramatically.

Stevie sat down on the couch next to her, mixing the sauce around on the plate to evenly coat the noodles.

“I’m glad you got to be who you always felt like you were, Stevie,” Em said quietly. “I’m sorry I disappeared.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I get it. I’m glad you get to be Em now.”

“Yeah, me too.”

They smiled at each other fondly, then turned back to the movie and ate their dinner in silence.

It was 13 Going On 30, which had been one of Stevie’s favorites on movie night at camp.

Em remembered.

But Stevie couldn’t possibly say anything about it, it would give her feelings away in a second.

When they were both done eating, Em took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them and Stevie went to the bathroom to grab her nail polish collection.

But the mood had shifted a bit when they both made it back to the couch.

“I’m pretty tired,” Em sighed, curling up against the pillow on the end of the couch.

“I could paint your nails for you if you want? You can rest,” Stevie offered.

It may have been slightly selfish to offer at this point, but she would take what she could get.

Em gave her a soft smile and nodded.

“What color?” Stevie asked as she held out the basket.

“Surprise me. I trust you,” Em said as her eyes closed and she moved her hands out so Stevie had access to her nails.

“Oh. Okay.”

Stevie watched her for a moment, the way she relaxed into the couch, completely trusting Stevie to pick a color, paint her nails, and let her sleep.

Stevie found a dark red, nearly maroon, that she’d only used once and decided she didn’t like it with her skin tone, but knew it would work for Em.

She got started, focusing intently on making sure she didn’t get any on her skin, and going through two coats and a clear coat to make sure it stays fresh for at least a few days.

She leaned over to start gently blowing on them so they would dry faster.

When she looked up, Em’s eyes were open and she was giving her a sleepy smile.

“Thanks, Stevie,” Em whispered.

“Like the color?”

“Mhm. ‘S pretty, like you,” Em said before closing her eyes again.

What.

“What?”

Stevie couldn’t pull away or look away or stop her thoughts from racing.

Em didn’t date girls, that’s what she’d told Robin.

Then again, that was two years ago, when they were still in high school.

And maybe she’d said it to protect herself.

Hawkins wasn’t exactly a queer friendly space, that’s why Stevie had to be extremely careful during her transition, and why Em and Wayne had probably just straight up lied about hers.

But still.

Stevie gently placed Em’s hands down against the couch, hoping she wouldn’t move too much since they were still slightly wet.

She got up and ran to her room, furiously texting Robin.

Robin wasn’t answering but that didn’t stop her from sending a million texts.

She was damn close to a panic attack when she heard shuffling in the hall.

“Stevie? You awake?” Em asked outside her door.

“Uh, yeah. Come in!”

No! Stupid! You’re having a fucking crisis, don’t tell her to come in!

But she was in the room already, tired but concerned when she saw the way Stevie was rocking back and forth on her bed.

“What’s wrong?” Em asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Nothing. Just kind of tired.”

“You look strung out.”

“I’m fine.”

“Stevie-“ Em cut herself off with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry you found out like this. I should’ve told you earlier.”

“No, I get it. It’s okay. It’s not up to anyone but you who to tell and when, ya know? It’s your story, you’re the author, if you don’t wanna write it for others, then don’t.”

Em was smirking.

“That is word for word what Robin told me when I came out to her.”

Shit. Yeah, she’d given her that speech, too.

“You know, she asked me on a date once,” Em continued, scooting closer to Stevie in bed.

“I know.”

“I turned her down.”

“Yeah. You said you didn’t date girls.”

“That’s not what I said.”

Stevie watched as Em reached a hand out to cover Stevie’s knee.

“I said that I didn’t date girls who I couldn’t completely relate to,” Em said with a small smile. “You know what I mean?”

Stevie felt her body relax.

Em only dated trans women. It made sense.

“So like…”

“Stevie, I’ve been so fucking in love with you for so long, I don’t even think any other woman would have a chance in hell.”

Oh.

Okay.

“Can I kiss you?” Stevie managed to ask, despite her nerves and shock at the turn of events.

“Thought you’d never ask, sweetheart.”

When Stevie leaned in to kiss her, she knew this was one of those life altering moments, one of those events that happens and your entire life plan course corrects to completely revolve around this person, this thing happening.

When their lips met, Stevie knew she’d waited for this.

That anyone else she’d managed to kiss over the years couldn’t even be put on the same list as Em. That no matter what happened with them long term, she would never love anyone quite like she loved Em.

And with the way Em smiled into the kiss that neither of them wanted to pull away from, she seemed to think the same.

[dreamypqulson]

— young and beautiful

requested by @favoriteredhead: I would love if you could write something about billie or delia? Maybe them being jealous or insecure. Just some angst/comfort with happy ending. But you don't have to write that. I would just love something fluff with delia or billie if that's possible. <3

pairing: cordelia goode x reader

word count: 1400

Cordelia Goode was not the type of woman that you would perceive to be jealous. She was protective, sure, perhaps even overprotective. But someone could not look at her and call her a jealous woman. Nevertheless, she proved them all wrong. Or, particularly you.

It was a night out. A date. A dinner date.

Cordelia had been locked in her office the entire week, bombarded with calls from the warlocks, applications from girls and women who believe they have special abilities. She was stressed. Is stressed.

She needed you; her stress relief.

She needed to see your smile, and the crinkle of your nose when you do so. She wanted to hear all about your day over her favorite dish and forget about the pains from her head to her legs due to slouching and stressing over her desk all week.

"I missed this Delia. I haven't seen that smile all week, my love. You need to start giving yourself a break," You said, eventually concluding the dinner but not yet the evening you would have with her.

"I know, I know. I missed you too, honey. But it's just been—"

"And here's your check," The waiter, who had been staring at you the entire dinner, interrupted Cordelia. It made you extremely furious; the way he winked at you and spoke as if your girlfriend wasn't even in front of you. But there was no need or use to go off of him.

"My phone numbers on the check. Don't be shy, baby," he said, sensually. And then he walked off. He was lucky; he would've seen your dinner come back up if he said another word.

You turned to Cordelia, expecting to laugh it off with her. It was always hilarious to the both of you. When men would flirt; because it was quite obvious that neither of you were interested. Yet they never seemed to catch on.

But Cordelia didn't laugh, didn't grin, or even smirk. She didn't look too pleased, to say the least. Wouldn't even look at you. "Delia, what's wrong?" You reached your hand across the table, but she pulled hers away before flesh could touch.

"Delia?," you asked once more, however, your voice only came out as a mere whisper.

"Just— Let's go." She placed some cash onto the table. You always argued who was paying, but this time, you were honestly too afraid to even speak.

She got up and left without even waiting for you. Eventually you caught up right as she got into the drivers seat of the car. She slammed her door to convey her anger.

You gave her time to cool off in the silence as she drove, and then you finally spoke once she parked in the driveway, "Cordelia, can you talk to me please? What's wrong?"

You held her arm from a moment, but she was so caught up with frustration that she didn't even relax under your touch. "Can we just go in? Please," she said, not conveying an ounce of her usual softness.

Cordelia didn't give you any time to catch up. By the time you got out of the car, she had already walked through the front door. Walking as fast as she always did when she was angry, with her arms crossed to her chest.

You stood there, for a moment, before you went in. Puzzled. Trying to figure out what went wrong. You weren't angry with her behavior; You were concerned that there was something going on that you were unaware about. Something that clearly flew right over your head.

You walked inside the academy. Some of the girls sat in the living room; Zoe, Madison, Queenie. Their faces told you that Cordelia might've been sharp with them as well. "What's her problem," Madison asks. She looks offended at Cordelia's existence alone.

"I don't know. Did she say something to you's?"

"No. The bitch just stormed right in without even saying hi. And then slammed her bedroom door shut."

You glared at Madison. Cordelia didn't deserve to be called a bitch, but that was just how Madison expressed herself. You headed towards the stairs, "I'll go check on her. Sorry, guys."

You could feel Madison's eyes roll but you continued up the staircase. Eventually, when you were at the bedroom door that you shared with your girlfriend, you knocked three times to get her attention. To give her some time to get herself together, opposed to just letting yourself in.

She didn't answer. Another knock too and the hallways still echoed with silence. And so, you took a deep breath and entered. There was nothing out of the ordinary besides Cordelia face down on the bed. Her back heavily risen and fell, harshly.

"Delia?" You asked, to your own dismay, it was yet again, a scream of silence. Nevertheless, her sobs filled the room, attacking your own heart with pain. You walked towards the bed, sat on the edge of it. "Honey, what's wrong?"

It wasn't the first time tonight that you've asked that, but most certainly the first that she hadn't gotten crossed with you over it.

Her sobs still echoed the obnoxiously huge bedroom. Eyes puffy red, cheeks soaked along with dents from the outlines of her pillow, she looked at you from the corner of her eye. "It's foolish," she says, "just forget it."

"It's not foolish if it's upsetting you. Clearly something is wrong, my love." You push away some blonde hair, however, her face is still buried in the pillow, hiding from whatever shame she's feeling. "Please talk to me." You speak in a mere whisper, hoping to pull on her heart strings.

It works. Her body slowly flips over so she's faced towards the ceiling. She won't look you in the eye. She's angry with you, there's no other explanation. "If it's that guy from the restaurant, I very much do not want to get with him. You know that."

"I know that! But it— It's just—" Cordelia stopped herself, scoffing. She covered her face with her hands. You removed them, gently squeezed them. She finally met your gaze. "I'm just so old. I'm holding you back."

"Cordelia," You said, stern, however, ever so gentle. You moved closer, still holding her hands in your lap. "Cordelia Goode, don't you talk like that. You are not old. You are not holding me back. I love you. I want you. Even if you were old, if you were one hundred years old, that wouldn't matter to me, Cordelia, I love you."

"I am. You should be able to go out with these young, beautiful women. I— I—" Her lower lip trembled, tears bouncing off. She tugged her hand back to her sides and turned her back to you.

"I do go out with a young, beautiful woman." You laid down behind her, resting an arm around her slim waist. "You are gorgeous, Delia. And it's so crazy that you think you're old. You're not."

You kissed right behind her ear, slow and sensual. Her cries died down as her heartbeat sped up. Her breath hitched. "I don't want anyone else. You are mine, honey. I'm yours forever."

She turned around again. Slow; to keep you waiting and aching to see her face that you desired for. She cuddled close into you, face buried on your chest. You threaded your hands into her soft blonde hair, gently messaging her scalp. "I love you," you say, lips pressed against her forehead.

"Prove it," she says, demeanor completely different from just a moment ago. Her breath was heavier. She caught you off guard, you completely ceased your actions.

She was challenging you.

"Mm I can do that," you whisper, lips so close to her ear that they brush against her. You sneak your hand under her blouse and lightly messaged the soft skin on her rib cage. She gasped at the sudden, cold contact. "Only if you say you love me, pretty girl"

"I love you so much," she said strongly through a breath. It wasn't the first time she'd said it, but each time felt as warm as a summer sun at golden hour. She lit a spark inside of you each time. You leaned back down, missed her lips but kissed her jaw instead, and it was the last time she would doubt your love for her.

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[thedummysdummy]

Snow Bunnies

The rich scent of coffee and fresh-baked bread pulled the girl from her deep sleep to a bleary consciousness. Through her squinted eyes, she glanced around the hotel room to locate the source of the wonderful smell. When they fell on the familiar form of Victor, memories of last night came rushing back in a warm wave. 

He was relaxing casually in the armchair by the window wearing a smart turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. His left foot relaxed over his right knee while he sipped coffee and scrolled through his phone. A lock of damp, freshly-showered hair was plastered to his forehead and his features were soft. Her movement must have alerted Victor; he looked up from his phone and she thought she caught just a glimmer of a smile. “Ah. I see you’re finally awake. Come drink your coffee before it gets any colder.” 

Victor gestured to a white paper cup with a black lid and the bright coffee shop logo on the side. The girl rubbed her eyes and sat up, yawned, and wandered over to the little table to sit in the other chair. She glanced at her phone screen to check the time and scowled. “Finally? It’s only 6AM! Just because you’re still on Loveland time doesn’t mean I am…” Yet she still picked up her cup and took a cautious sip of the liquid. Finding it to be perfect drinking temperature, she took a much larger swallow. “You never did tell me what time our flight home is. Do I need to hurry up and pack?” 

“3pm on Friday.” Victor took a sip of his coffee and smirked at the girl’s befuddled expression. 

“Is the storm really expected to last that long? I better call Anna and make sure she knows I’ll be out for a few more days…” The girl reached for her phone, but Victor snatched it away. “Hey!” 

Victor chuckled and set the phone just out of her reach. “No, dummy. We’re now on vacation. Obviously I already told your company that you’ll be accompanying me on a trip and made all of the arrangements. Your assignment is to smile, enjoy yourself, and stay by my side.” He patted her on the top of the head, finished the last of his coffee, and lifted himself out of the chair. “Finish up and get dressed. Our breakfast reservations are in an hour.” 

The girl rolled her eyes dramatically, but quickly drank her coffee and wrapped her arms around Victor’s waist. “I told you that dinner a couple of weeks ago was extra, but showing up with a three day vacation because you couldn’t wait twelve more hours? You’re ridiculous, Mr. CEO.” 

“Ridiculous, am I? Well, how about I move the due date of your next report up to Friday so you have to spend your entire vacation in the hotel while I go out and enjoy myself?” The incredulous look on the girl’s face caused Victor to laugh, a full laugh which seemed a bit dusty from disuse. He kissed the tip of her nose and gave her a squeeze. She immediately softened and rested her forehead on his chest for a moment before pulling some clean clothing from her suitcase and disappearing into the bathroom for a shower. 

Victor watched her go, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight, but just a single wooden door between them was more tolerable than thousands of miles. A dissatisfied frown settled over his face and he settled back into the chair to continue answering emails while the sound of the shower filled the room. 

Meanwhile in the bathroom, the girl slipped her hand past the curtain and turned on the water to allow it to warm up without even looking inside. She glanced at herself in the mirror and grimaced; her hair was an absolute disaster, but Victor hadn’t said a single thing! Her cheeks puffed in irritation, but deflated immediately when she pulled open the shower curtain and found sets of soaps which she most certainly had not put there herself. 

She stepped inside and picked up the bottles one by one, opening the lids and sniffing them gently. There seemed to be three sets, each consisting of a shampoo, conditioner, and body wash; the scents were pear and jasmine, rose and citrus, and vanilla sugar. “Just couldn’t choose, hm?” she murmured, a grin spreading across her face. 

The jasmine called to her the most and filled the shower with its sweet fragrance, the steam allowing it to linger more strongly than air alone. Knowing that it had come from Victor caused the girl to feel as if she were being surrounded on all sides by his warm embrace, and every muscle in her body relaxed with pleasure. Torn between hurrying to return to Victor’s side and lingering in the relaxing water, she compromised with an extra couple of minutes before turning off the shower and stepping out onto the soft bath mat. 

She reached for the towel on the counter and was surprised when something small fell out of it and landed on the floor. It was a little box, which she sat on the counter and stared at while drying herself. Curiosity plagued her, but she managed to put it off until her clothes were on and her hair was brushed. 

“Now what could possibly be in you?” she murmured as she picked up the little box and slid it out of the cardboard sleeve. The lid flipped up with a little pressure and revealed a teardrop pendant on a silver chain which glittered in the fluorescent lighting. A smile and a giggle further lit up the room as she lifted the necklace from the box and examined it. Within the clear crystal pendant was a delicate red rose, fully encased and floating like a flower frozen in ice. 

She unclasped the chain and put it around her neck, admiring the result in the mirror. It caught the light in such an appealing way! Warmth spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, filling every crevice which might have gone cold in their two week separation. And yet, a small flicker of guilt tempered the heat around her heart: Victor’s gifts were still in Loveland beneath the tree in his living room. 

The scented steam followed the girl out into the main room and Victor looked up with a hint of a smile. “You liked the jasmine, then? I’ll remember that for the future.” He stood up from his chair and went to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and burying his face in her hair. A delicate kiss warmed her forehead and Victor leaned back to examine her face with warmth rolling in his eyes like summer clouds. “I see you found your necklace, as well. Do you like it?”

She nodded and buried her face in Victor’s chest. “I love it! But…all of your presents are still in Loveland so I can’t spoil you back until we get home.” 

Victor chuckled and cupped her chin, lifting it until their eyes met. “Dummy,” he breathed, his voice practically dripping with tenderness. “I don’t need gifts. I have you and that is plenty. Now let’s hurry up. I wouldn’t want you to starve to death on Christmas.” He brushed their lips before releasing her and pointing to her shoes near the door. 

~

In the back seat of the cab, Victor’s arm draped around the girl who cuddled up against his side. She yawned widely and snuggled in, her head resting on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heart soaked into her bones and removed every remaining trace of stress from her muscles. Victor rested his chin on the top of her head and ran his fingers over her knuckles and watched the snow-covered scenery fly by. Buildings grew farther and farther apart, making way to vast fields of uninterrupted white. Yesterday’s storm had blown itself out, but left the world swaddled in a pure and fluffy blanket. 

They eventually pulled up to a quaint cabin amidst the drifted snow, its chimney releasing a lazy tendril of smoke into the clear blue sky. A few other cars stood in the lot with piles of snow frosting their tops like steel cupcakes and drifts up to their doors. Victor gently shook the girl, who groaned as her eyes flickered open. “Come on, wake up. We have arrived.” He unbuckled her seatbelt and his own, opened the door, and chuckled as he moved away and the girl nearly fell over. 

“Hey…” she mumbled, taking his hand and sliding toward the door. Victor patiently waited for her to get her balance, thanked the cab driver, and led his girl toward the door of the lodge. Opening it resulted in a pleasant blast of warmth on their faces and the pair hurried inside out of the cold. They found themselves in a rustic-themed room with carved wooden benches lining the windowed walls. Multiple fireplaces crackled here and there around the large, open space. On the far side of the room was an arched entryway leading into the rest of the lodge. 

Victor headed for that entryway, which opened into a small hallway. To the left was a ski rental shop, and to the right was a cozy cafe. The couple veered right and went directly to the hostess who smiled. “Do you have a reservation?” 

“Yes, it should be under Victor.” 

She glanced at her list and nodded. “Ah, just on time! We have eggs benedict and french toast this morning. The list of side dishes will be at your table. It’s just over there.” She pointed to an empty table in the corner, to which Victor headed after nodding. 

He settled the girl into her seat and sat down across from her, picking up the menu to examine the add on options. The girl followed suit, peeking around her menu from time to time in an attempt to catch glimpses of Victor without being caught. Obviously he knew, but pretended not to notice as the corner of his lip curled up in amusement. 

Their breakfast soon arrived and the pair ate quietly, simply content to be in one another’s presence. The small table allowed their knees to rest next to each other, casually brushing as they shifted in their seats. “So, you didn’t bring me all the way out here just for breakfast, did you?” the girl asked, slightly narrowing her eyes at Victor. He laughed and shook his head. 

“The dummy is quite observant today. No, we’re not just here for breakfast. I thought we might as well do some skiing while we’re here. I booked an instructor for an hour, then we have use of the slopes for the rest of the day.” He seemed quite proud of himself despite the look of concern which clouded the girl’s face. “And don’t worry. I rented the equipment as well, including coats and gloves.” 

“Great,” she replied, not sounding entirely convinced. 

Victor simply chuckled and finished his breakfast. As soon as the girl had as well, they made their way to the other side of the lodge to pick up their gear. All the proper sized items had already been set aside and they dressed quickly in the dressing room at the rear of the gear shop. It also held lockers where they put their regular shoes before sliding their feet into the ski boots. 

“These are really awkward to walk in,” the girl complained. The solid boots did force her ankles into an angle which required bending her knees to walk. However, it only took a few passes of the dressing room for her to get used to the stride. Victor merely nodded and tightly laced his own boots before grabbing his skis and poles and locking their locker. He took her hand in his free one and led her to the back door of the lodge, which opened up to a snow covered space with trails leading to the lifts winding through it. 

They were met at the door by a smiling young man. “Are you Mr. Victor? Great! Come with me. I’m going to be your instructor for today. Come over to this bench here and get your skis attached. We’ll start your lesson by learning to walk with the skis on.” 

A nervous sigh slipped from the girl’s lips as she set the skis on the ground and stepped into them. They snapped securely to the boots and seemed sturdy enough…she experimentally shifted her foot back and forth to get a feel for the ski. Victor casually slid around the area, seemingly already rather comfortable with the long strips attached to his feet. Of course he already knows how to ski, she grumbled beneath her breath. 

“Alright you two, let’s go this way. Our practice slopes are over here.” The instructor took off across the open snow, followed by Victor. The girl trailed along behind, slowly getting her balance as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Despite her initial reluctance, this was…rather fun, actually. 

At least on flat ground. The instructor led them to a little tiny slope, only fifteen feet long and about six feet high. Once they stood at the top, he gestured to the incline. “So what you’re going to do is make a wedge with the front of your skis. That is going to slow you down and allow you to get a feel for your balance while going down the hill. Keep your center of gravity forward and center to go straight. To turn, you will shift your weight left or right and slightly turn the skis in the direction you want to go. Let’s practice going straight a few times, okay?” 

Both Victor and the girl nodded. Victor looked expectantly at her and she shook her head. “Nope, you go first!” she insisted, partially hoping that she would get to see Victor fall flat on his butt. However, her hopes were dashed when he easily pushed himself over the edge of the incline and reached the bottom with no problems. 

“That didn’t seem that hard…” The girl stood at the top of the little slope and looked down to where Victor waited for her with a smirk on his face. She leaned forward a couple of times, but lost her courage and frowned. How was she ever going to go down an actual hill if she couldn’t even force herself to attempt this little pile of snow? 

Victor caught her eyes and held out his hand. “Come on, dummy. I’m right here. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” 

With his words like a fire in her belly, the girl nodded and allowed herself to slip over the edge. All she wanted was to be by Victor’s side, and before she knew it she was safely at the bottom of the hill. “There you go. It seems you do have the courage after all.” 

Together the couple returned to the top of the practice slope and the girl slid down another half dozen times, slowly getting a feel for how her weight positioning affected her trajectory. Both Victor and the instructor smiled at her and nodded. “Alright! I think you two are ready to try a real hill. Let’s go to the lift and see how you do.” 

He led them toward the dangling seats which were slowly lifting other skiers to the top of the hill. It was straight, flat, and presented very few challenges. Exactly what one would expect of a bunny hill. The instructor took the first lift, standing on the little platform as the chair came around the corner and scooped him up. “See you at the top!” he called with a wave. 

Victor positioned the girl next to him in wait for the next lift, which wasn’t far behind their instructor. The girl squeaked a little as it knocked her knees out from beneath her, but Victor’s steady hand ensured she safely settled into the seat. He kissed her on the cheek and looked down at the people below, chuckling as clouds of snow here and there announced beginners who had eaten powder. “Are you having fun?” he asked, his dark eyes meeting hers. She thought for a moment before nodding, which caused him to chuckle. “It’s alright to admit to me that you are nervous. It is perfectly normal to be nervous about something new, but the important part is that you push forward and do it anyway. That’s how you improve.” 

He gave her hand a squeeze as they reached the top of the hill and dropped out of the lift. The instructor stood waiting and he waved. “Are you ready? Let’s do this! Remember, wedge to slow down, knees together, shift your weight to steer, and have fun!” He pushed off and casually began sliding down the hill, weaving back and forth as he made his descent. Victor waited for the girl to gather her courage and press forward, following just behind her. His eyes only left her form to ensure he didn’t run into anything; if she were to fall, he would immediately be at her side to help her up. 

But she didn’t fall. She safely reached the bottom of the hill and threw her hands in the air with a triumphant shout. “Victor!! Did you see that!! I didn’t fall even one time!” 

Victor nodded and wrapped his arms around her, his breath hot on her rosy cheeks. “Yes, you did very well. Shall we go again?” The girl nodded enthusiastically, and Victor gave her one last squeeze. The instructor bid them goodbye and, after giving him their thanks, the pair stepped onto the platform again to wait for their next chair. 

Again and again they skied down the hill, the girl growing more and more confident with every run. Once or twice she took a tumble and received a face full of powder, but Victor was right there to lift her up and get her back on her feet. By the time they were finished, every muscle in her body ached, but she still had a wide grin on her face. 

“There’s one thing you forgot that I asked for,” the girl commented as they trudged back toward the lodge. Victor glanced at her out of the side of his eye, but made no effort to ask what she was referring to. As they reached the covered porch along the lodge wall, Victor set down his skis and ski poles. The girl set hers down as well, watching with her head tilted as Victor stepped out into the snow. 

He reached down and gathered a small pile of snow, carefully shaping it in his hands. “I didn’t forget anything. Now get over here and help me make these silly snow bunnies that you so desperately wanted.” 

The girl laughed and jumped to join him, rolling her little snowball around until the size pleased her. From there she carved out little feet and a tail, a nose and eyes. The ears she shaped separately and attached, smoothing the joint until it disappeared. She took a step back to examine her handiwork, only to see that Victor had made one twice as detailed. 

“You show-off,” she teased, grabbing his hand and pulling his arms around herself. “You just have to be extra in everything you do, don’t you? But that’s okay. Because I like it.” She looked up with her big eyes and kissed the bottom of Victor’s chin. 

Victor couldn’t help giving her an extra squeeze before the pair of them returned to the warmth of the lodge, finally the heat on their skin matching the heat in their hearts.

[strayseouls]

Baking Disaster

✦ Pairings: Felix x Reader

✦ Genre: Soft, Fluff

✦ Word Count: 947

✦ Warnings: None

✦ Notes: Written at 2am, sorry if it’s sloppy

You and your boyfriend’s anniversary was today and you needed to do something for him. You wanted to be a good significant other and surprise him with something he wouldn’t clearly expect. You sat in thought for a bit before the idea clicked into your mind. Since your boyfriend loved to bake, you decided to bake for him. Though, the only thing you were quite afraid of was the fact you never had any experience with baking. You’ve never baked in your entire lifetime, actually. Which was the reason why you were slightly scared.

Felix was out buying a few things, so you took this chance as an opportunity to get started. You searched online for good baking recipes and came along with brownies and cookies. Since Felix liked brownies, you decide to bake some for him, but in a special way. You figured it would be cute to shape them as a heart. 

After scrolling through the recipes for a while, you then soon started to bake. You baked the brownies first and followed the instructions slowly, making sure you don’t screw up. Once you put the brownies in the oven, you then made your way to start baking cookies. You re-acted the same scene you did with the brownies, following the instructions slowly. Once the cookies were finished, you popped them into the oven as well. 

You sat on your phone until the brownies and cookies were finished baking. You checked your boyfriend’s location to see if he was coming home, but luckily he wasn’t near home yet, which gave you even more time to prepare. Just a few days ago, you ordered pretty balloons and it came in the mail just in time. You didn’t want to go out and buy balloons from a normal store because Felix would’ve saw them, so, you just ordered them online without telling. 

You set up the balloons and grabbed a flower pot you secretly hid in your room and placed them nicely on the table. Just then, the brownies and cookies were done and you quickly took them out of the oven, and also placed them on the table. 

You checked Felix’s location and noticed he was coming home, meaning you had to shape the brownies fast. You shaped the brownies you had just baked into nice hearts, and set them onto a new, nice clean plate. There was no time to try them, however. Since your boyfriend was just around the corner, you just had to act normal and then hit him with the big surprise. 

You saw his car pull up into the driveway and this was also your cue to head to the living room. 

“Babe! I’m home.” Felix calls out while opening the front door. You welcomed him with a short hug and suddenly put your attention towards the bags he was holding.

“What’d you get?” You ask with a bright smile on your face. Felix also put his attention to the bags he was holding also. 

“Ah, I just got a few things for you, babe. I’ll show you soon when dinner hits, alright?” He says as he pats your head gently. 

“Hm, okay. I have a surprise for you!” You exclaim. You grabbed the bags from Felix’s hand and placed them down on the couch and soon grabbed his hand and made him follow you towards the kitchen. 

“Surprise babe! This is what I was doing when you were gone.” 

Felix had a shocked, surprised face plastered on him. He smiled as he saw your small decor on the table. “This is amazing, did you bake these yourself?” He asks as he looks at the brownies and cookies.

“Yup! I tried my very best. I hope they taste good.” You reply nervously, knowing you haven’t got the time to try a small piece. 

“I bet they taste great! I’ll do a taste test for you.” Felix smiles as he sits down. He grabbed a piece of the heart shaped brownie first and took a bite out of it.

You were closely observing his face, hoping to see a good reaction and a comment, ‘It taste good!’

However, the brownies to Felix didn’t seem to taste very good. But, he didn’t show on his face how bad it was. Instead, he said, “Wow babe, you did a good job!” Which made you smile.

He then took a bite of the cookie, and gained the same reaction he had in his mind. Let’s just say, it didn’t really taste that great. 

“Mhm! I’m proud of you.” He says, clearly slightly disgusted but did a good job of hiding that fact, but not for long.

“I wanna try it! I didn’t get to try it yet since you were already around the corner.” And that being said, you took a brownie, but just as you were about to bite into it, Felix stopped you.

“Ah, babe. Didn’t you bake these for me?” He tried to stall, but it didn’t end up working.

“I did! But I just want a bite.” Before he could say anything or stop you again, you took a bite and immediately showed a face of disgust and immediately spit it out. 

“Babe! This is disgusting! How could you eat this?” You say with a tone of disappointment in your voice. 

Felix just laughed, “I’ll eat anything you make me, even if it’s disgusting.” 

You pouted and were upset since you took time into baking these and followed the instructions top to bottom. What went wrong? 

“It’s alright babe, I’m just glad you made me at least something. Plus. this decor is really cute! Don’t be upset.” Felix says as he kissed your hand to make you feel better.   

[marvel-snape-writes]

Okay okay @ineffablehusbands3000 heres the beginning of the Tony/Pepper smut…

Its set where the Avengers are away and Tony and Pep have to resort to other ways to try and satisfy one another…

18+ smut.

I’m turning in for the night,” Tony announced as he stood up from the table, pushing his chair in, “See you all in the morning.”

“Night, Tony.” Natasha smiled, waving from her seat next in between Bruce and Clint.

“It’s a little early for you, isn’t it?” Stephen teased, looking up at him.

“I’m gonna phone Pep and, uh… yeah,” Tony shrugged before gesturing toward Thor’s slumped body collapsed into the large armchair next to the couches in the room, “Cap has already gone and I don’t want to end up trying to out drink you like someone else.”

“Any excuse.” Bruce laughed, playfully shaking his head.

“Banner, I’m sure if we were away from Nat you’d be wanting to do the same.” Tony shrugged, watching in amusement as Bruce’s cheeks grew red before walking out of the large living room and toward the corridor.

This was the first ‘downtime’ they’d had since this current mission. Tony and Stephen had both bickered over who got the biggest room at this particular hub and, much to Tony’s annoyance, Stephen had won.

He sat on the end of his bed and kicked his shoes off before laying down and pulling his phone out of his pocket. His thumbs dialled Pepper’s number out of habit even faster than the thought itself and he held it to his ear.

“Hello, stranger.” Pepper’s voice beamed down the phone after a mere two seconds of ringing.

“Hey, baby,” Tony was already smiling, “How are you doing?”

“I’m good, thank you. How are you?” Pepper spoke in a chirpy tone.

“I’m glad to hear, sweetheart,” He continued to speak without answering her question, “How’s business?”

“Business is missing you.” Pepper replied.

“And is my… mistress missing me?” Tony’s lips curved into a smirk.

“Tony, call me that again and I’ll end the call.” Pepper pretended to sound offended.

“Hey, how do you know I meant you?” Tony tried not to laugh, continuing to taunt her down the phone.

“Tony!” Pepper scoffed, evidently trying to hold back her laughter, “Why did you call me, just to wind me up over the phone?”

“Because I miss you, baby,” Tony pursed his lips, “Is that such a crime?”

“Anything else?” Pepper asked, letting out a small laugh through her nose when he paused, “You never told me how you are.”

“Hmm… tired.” Tony rubbed his eyes as he spoke.

“Just tired?” Pepper replied.

“M’hm…” Tony cleared his throat, rubbing his face with his free hand so that it would make his following words come out slightly muffled, “Tired and horny.”

“You shouldn’t have time to be horny, Tony.” Pepper tried to sound unphased.

“There’s always time to be horny, Pep,” Tony pouted his lips as he spoke, going completely silent for a moment before speaking quietly again, “Help me…”

“From a million miles away?” Pepper laughed down the phone, “I know you’re capable of some pretty incredible technology, but I’m not entirely sure how that would work.”

“Just… give me a little something to get me going.” Tony swallowed hard, now resting his free hand against his lower stomach.

“And what if someone walks into your room?” Pepper asked.

“It won’t be the worst thing they’ve caught me doing,” Tony half laughed, “I remember when I used to say that about you… and look at us now.”

“Tony…” Pepper’s tone changed, almost as of surprised at his comment.

“Yeah, baby?” Tony smirked to himself, lightly tracing his fingertips back and forth over his belt line, “Alright, alright, will you help me think of something else, then?”

“I’ll help.” Pepper agreed.

“Okay, so… have you got anything planned for dinner when I get home?” Tony asked, clearing his throat, “Have you got a good spread in mind?”

“Don’t I always put on a good spread for you, hm?” Pepper spoke in a lower tone this time, almost able to hear the smirk in her voice, “I know how much you love it when things are spread for you, Tony… Like, I don’t know… thighs?”

“P—Pep, this is not helping me take it off my mind…” Tony let out a shaky breath, his fingertips dying to push themselves under the waistband of his pants.

“I said I’d help, baby…” Pepper spoke softly, “Not that I’d take it off your mind…”

“W—Wait…” Tony inhaled sharply, laying his hand flat on his stomach now, “Pepper, are you seriously…”

“Giving you what you want?” Pepper let out a seductive giggle, “Don’t act so surprised, Tony. There’s little else your ‘mistress’ can do from a million miles away.”

“Are you sure, baby?” Tony placed his hand over the crotch of his pants, “The, uh, business isn’t in need of its leader?”

“Not for the next three minutes, it isn’t.” Pepper teased.

“Pepper, i’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” Tony frowned, letting out a small huff.

“All I’m saying is that you most likely won’t need my services long.” Pepper’s smirk was heard in her voice.

“Is that right?” Tony played with the zipper on his pants, “What makes you say that, Miss ‘Only Needs To Feel My Hands On Her Waist To Crumble’?”

“Because I know what gets you, Mr Stark.” Pepper responded in a smug tone.

“Oh, yeah?” Tony dramatically scoffed, trying to pretend that her taunting wasn’t turning him on even more, “You really think so?”

“Yeah,” Pepper responded, “I really think so.”

“Yeah?” Tony’s lip twitched, lightly pressing his palm into his crotch, “Then, let’s go, baby.”

“What is it that you miss the most, hm?” Pepper asked.

“Being able to kiss you whenever I want,” Tony responded, unzipping his trousers, “Have you there to touch,” He pushed his hand into the front of his trousers and over his crotch, “The list is endless…”

“Don’t be so prude, Tony…” Pepper’s voice sounded a little stern this time, “Tell me properly.”

I already have a sort of plan of where i want this to go and it involves him maybe getting interrupted by Stephen… but anyway, I’ve har this in my drafts for MONTHS — hope you enjoyed!

[erabundus]

@monogatcri &&. said... A long drawn out day, riddled with tears and conversations he'd rather forget. Upon returning home, however, he'd managed to pull his emotions completely down, forgoing any thoughts about how he's blocked by Kazuha -- forcing himself to be jovial for the others. It's after dinner (it'd gone by a in blur ; he barely registered that he'd eaten, maybe he'd barely eaten anything), once Diluc had left to shower, he'd sat beside Ren, arms lacing around the younger to pull him into an embrace, it's loose enough to pull free from yet firm enough... Conveying three things, he hopes through this: he's here for him, there's no need to speak about emotions that aren't easy, and you're free to leave this moment any time.

he's  sitting  on  the  edge  of  his  bed,  still  flicking  through  his  phone.  the  streamer  is  nothing  if  not  meticulous.  he's  blocked  kazuha  —  no,  he's  blocked  ██████  on  every  single  platform  he  can  possibly  think  of.  closed  every  chat  without  the  possibility  of  reopening  them.  the  mug  he  (  begrudgingly  )  declared  a  cherished  gift  now  sits  in  so  many  shattered  pieces  on  the  kitchen  table  in  their  once-shared  apartment;  he  placed  it  there  deliberately  when  diluc  took  him  to  get  his  things.  he  isn't  sure  when  ██████  will  be  home  to  see  it,  but  considering  the  other  also  BLOCKED  HIM  and  ren  has  no  interest  in  going  through  shikanoin,  it  seemed  like  an  effective  enough  message.  a  metaphor  for  their  entire  relationship  —  something  that  was  once  treasured,  now  reduced  to  painful  shards. he cut his fingers picking them out of the grass, and somehow that feels equally symbolic; it's done nothing but cause him PAIN.

he's  clearing  out  the  last  of  their  pictures  now.  it's  taken  quite  some  time  —  there's  an  entire  (  ill-fated  )  vacation's  worth  of  photos  to  delete,  along  with  months  and  months  of  images  that  make  him  feel  sick  to  his  stomach.  it  was  fine  during  his  stream;  slipping  into  wanderer's  headspace  is  as  effortless  as  putting  on  a  comfortable  set  of  clothes  —  and  wanderer  (  though  he  may  flirt  with  the  occasional  donor  )  has  always  been  SINGLE  as  far  as  anyone  is  concerned.  he's  arrogant,  witty  and  unempathetic  to  the  point  of  sheer  comedy.  ren  only  wishes  he  could  live  in  that  persona  permanently.  the  moment  the  camera  turned  off,  he  could  already  feel  what  feeble  scraps  of  NORMALCY  he  managed  to  claw  for  himself  slipping  through  his  clumsy  fingers.

they're  both  smiling  together  in  this  one.  it's  funny;  he  can't  remember  the  CONTEXT  at  all ...  but  he  can  remember  every  single  word  of  ██████'s  last  message.

a  flicker  of  white  hot  anger  briefly  cuts  through  the  artificial  apathy  he's  been  trying  to  smother  himself  in.  i  don't  have  a  job  where  i  can  simply  decide  when  i  work  or  not ...  my  work  is  also  my  therapy  in  a  sense.  bastard.  there  he  goes,  DEVALUING  his  career  again.  does  he  have  the  slightest  clue  they  took  equal  amounts  of  time  away  from  their  jobs?  does  he  realize  ren  didn't  necessarily  have  to  —  that  he  could  have  just  as  easily  continued  streaming  from  niwa's  place  but  deliberately  chose  NOT  TO  just  to  be  there  when  he  needed  him?  that his job is his own way of coping? of  course  not.  of  course  he  doesn't.  and  isn't  that  so  funny  —  that  ren's  feelings  were  born  out  of  the twisted  DELUSION  ██████  actually  cared  about  him,  when  he's  done  nothing  but  act  selfishly  (  hurt  him,  hurt  everyone  )  all  along?

it's  not  supposed  to  feel  like  this,  is  it?  he finds himself wondering that often these days. he  wishes  he  never  met  him  —  but  the  best  ren  can  do  is  try  to  pretend.

he's  so  caught  up  in  what  he's  doing,  he  doesn't  even  register  that  niwa  is  there  before  he's  already  being  pulled  into  an  embrace.  the  streamer  blinks,  thumb  swiftly  jabbing  the  yes  prompt  to  delete  the  picture  —  hoping  the  older  hasn't  glimpsed  the  screen  before  he  does.  ❝  good ...  evening?  ❞  ren  ventures.  the  greeting  sounds  a  bit  more  UNCERTAIN  than  he  ordinarily  would  like.  he  thinks  it's  evening,  but  he  isn't  entirely  sure;  time  is  always  a  bit  unruly  when  one  runs  on  a  sleep schedule  as  warped  as  his.  (  something  so  shaky  even  labeling  it  as  such  is  incredibly  generous.  )  ❝  i'd say the  stream  was  a  SUCCESS ...  i  appreciate  you  letting  me  work  from  here.  ❞  work.  because  it  is  work, despite what some people might assume to the CONTRARY.

❝ how was your day?  ❞ perfectly normal, he hopes. there's no reason for it not to be.

[afairmaiden]

The Others (Part 2)

For the Inklings Challenge (@inklings-challenge).

[link to part 1]

Monday, continued

“Do you think... there’s a café open?”

The question came from Nikki, the same girl who had spoken earlier to ask if there were people outside the city. We had learned that she was the youngest among us, just eighteen, and we couldn’t help feeling somewhat protective of her.

We looked at her, and then to each other, and almost in unison, we all pulled out our phones to check the time. It was nearly midnight. With the exception of a few bathroom breaks, and dinner, which had been served across the hall, we had been in the same room since we arrived that morning. We hadn’t even seen our rooms yet.

Gina and the other woman, Skye Harris, had left shortly after the display, telling us to enjoy ourselves, but be ready to report back at eight for our first actual day of training. They hadn’t said we couldn’t explore the rest of the building, but I think we all felt a bit nervous about venturing out for the first time.

A guy named Zay spoke up. “I don’t know. It’s kinda late, isn’t it?”

“Maybe... things are open later here? I mean, we are in the Inner Circle.”

More silence. It hadn’t taken long to discover that we all came from fairly similar backgrounds, mostly factory workers and lab techs on the largely-abandoned outer ring of the city, the youngest residents of dying buildings probably slated for demolition soon. It was a dark thought, one that no one there would have dared to speak aloud, but in that moment I wondered if they too had thought how strange it was to speak of inequality as a thing from ancient times.

But, wasn’t it though? After all, we were here now, weren’t we?

“Alright,” Zay said decisively, “no sense in just standing around. Let’s go see.”

With that, he turned and made for the elevator, and a moment later, we watched as he pulled up the building directory on the screen. We found there were a number of shops and restaurants on floors one through five, offices on six through ten, a full cafeteria on the eleventh floor, followed by a gym, then more offices, and apartments from the twenty-fifth floor up until you hit the hydroponics and aquaculture labs. Both the gym and the cafeteria appeared to be open around the clock, so we all packed in and headed down.

We found the cafeteria bright, white, and open, with two levels, a small stone fountain in the center, and potted plants everywhere. It appeared to be almost fully automated, with over twenty stations offering everything from pizza, burgers, and fries, to specialty coffee, to more high-end cuisine. It was also surprisingly busy as dozens of people, mostly dressed in business casual, were still milling about or sitting, mostly alone or in pairs, at tables or benches, grabbing a late meal.

We must have looked somewhat conspicuous, sticking as close together as we were, but no one seemed to notice. We got our food and ate quickly, feeling out of place, then headed back to the elevator without much conversation, only saying goodnight before going our separate ways.

I found my room without any trouble and actually gasped as I opened the door. First, it was huge, practically a suite, at least twice the size of my old room, with its own bathroom and kitchenette. Second, it was beautiful, the walls shifting from dusty lilac to soft pink, with a thick peachy-pink carpet and matching bedspread and large, fluffy pillows, and sparkling fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. On the wall was a large screen which at first looked like a window, but the view it offered was impossible – a perfectly clear night sky over twin mountains with a lake below and a hint of the sunset in the valley, all entirely unobstructed by buildings. For a long time I just sat on the bed and stared, utterly transfixed by it all, until finally exhaustion took over and I fell into a deep sleep.

Tuesday

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of my alarm blaring at 7:45, leaving me just enough time to throw on the first outfit I pulled out of my bag, brush my teeth, and run a comb through my hair before running out the door and into the elevator, where I found others looking equally bleary eyed and frazzled. Of course, the moment we caught sight of each other, we immediately brightened up, and by the time the doors opened in the training room, one would have thought we were all just radiating with the light of the universe.

We were greeted by Gina and Skye, who looked vaguely amused but generally pleased by our effort, only mentioning that they hoped we found our rooms adequately stocked with everything necessary for a healthy breakfast, and to please inform management if we needed anything.

We began the day with a brief meditation, followed by a series of stretches and simple exercises that gradually increased in intensity and seemed designed to work every muscle in our bodies. The mission, Skye informed us, was still a few months away, but we would need to get busy if we were going to be ready in time.

After a couple hours, we were allowed to go back to our rooms to shower and grab an early lunch. I know I wasn’t the only one who would have liked a nap as well, but Skye assured us our next session would be far less strenuous.

An hour later, we reconvened, feeling sore but looking fresh, and found the room comfortably darkened. We were directed to lie down, close our eyes, and listen.

At first, there was silence. I waited, expecting to hear Gina or Skye begin once everyone had settled in, but minutes passed, and there was nothing. I thought about sneaking a quick glance around the room when I heard a faint shuffling nearby, immediately followed by Gina’s voice, “All eyes closed, please. We are listening.”

I imagined that I heard the echoes of her words in the silence that followed. Time seemed to drag on. I felt myself drifting off, and I’m not entirely sure that I didn’t fall asleep once or twice. It was at one of these times that I thought I heard someone calling my name. I raised my head and looked around, wondering if I had imagined it. I caught Gina’s eye, but she only smiled and nodded. I closed my eyes again.

More time passed. Now I know I fell asleep. I thought I heard the others call out or mumble something occasionally, but none of it made sense.

Twenty-seven. Green. Northwest.

Finally, I thought I heard Gina’s voice whispering to me.

“What was your mother’s occupation?”

“Uh... accountant?”

I opened my eyes and looked around, suddenly embarrassed to have answered aloud to what I was sure was only a dream, especially what I saw Gina at the far end of the room. Again, I caught her eye. This time, she smiled broadly, then clapped her hands and announced, “Thank you, that will be all for today. I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow.”

We got up, all looking somewhat confused by the experience and not sure what to make of it, but no one said anything until the elevator doors shut.

“Did you hear her?”

Wednesday

“Our lesson yesterday was on listening. Today, we will focus on sensing.”

There was no mistaking it now. We all heard Gina’s voice, but not her voice, as she stood before us, in full light, her lips never moving.

The morning had gone much the same as the previous day, aside from the fact that we’d all woken up earlier, eaten a full breakfast, and taken extra time to stretch our sore muscles. We had repeated the same exercises, taking things just a little slower than the day before, then gone to lunch. Now we had just returned for our second session, and in an instant, all the confusion and ambiguity from the previous day vanished.

If I could sense anything in that moment, it was fear. It was strange. The Lightbringers’ abilities had always been something of a mystery. We’d all known, or at least felt, that there had to be more to it than simple sleight of hand and pyrotechnics, and now that the evidence was plain before us, it felt as though she were offering to us a choice between terror and awe. Awe, I decided, was the obvious choice, the safe choice, the light choice, but I could tell some of the others weren’t so easily convinced.

Suddenly, the lights went out, leaving us in total darkness. I felt the tension in the air as I guessed what everyone was thinking – that wasn’t planned – but after a moment, we heard Gina, serene as ever, begin, “Now—”

She directed us to spread out, as quietly as possible, and try not to bump into anyone, but try to feel who and what was around us. It was a slow start as we all stood frozen in place for a minute or two, trying to get our bearings.

I tried to picture where everyone had been – I knew Zay and Nikki, and a handful of other people who stood out. There was Cass from next door, and Trev from across the hall, Kari with the short bleach blonde hair, and Aiden with the tattoos. We were hardly friends, but as I thought about what little I knew about them, their characteristics, their mannerisms, they seemed to come into focus, until I felt almost certain I could guess where they were from the faint sounds of their footsteps or their breathing or something else that wasn’t quite a sound, but more of a feeling.

The others were harder. Fortunately, there weren’t too many of them. We had lost a couple of people immediately after orientation, and a few more after Tuesday’s session. No one knew what had happened to them, and we knew better than to ask. Now we were down to fifteen.

Without names or faces I could attach to them, half the group seemed hidden in a sort of haze, and all I got as I slowly made my way through the room was the occasional feeling that I needed to stop before I ran into someone or something. Gina assured us this was fine for our first try, and encouraged us to keep moving, until we had successfully navigated the room ten times, at which point we were once again dismissed.

We were halfway up the stairs when the lights came back on.

Thursday

“So far, our lessons have focused largely on the passive – listening, sensing, receiving. This will be important if you come into the presence of the Others. We must show them honor by demonstrating openness and receptivity to their communications. But now we’re going to step out and be a little more active.”

Twelve of us sat in a circle on the floor while Gina stood in the middle holding a small box, which she offered to each of us in turn. When my turn came, I pulled out what appeared to be a beaded necklace with a small reddish-black stone in the center. It looked normal enough at first, but as I turned it over, it seemed to give off a faint glow, and I thought I could feel it vibrating slightly.

“For as long as humans have existed, we have been seeking to advance beyond our limitations,” said Gina. “What you have here is the latest step in that journey. There will come a time when you won’t need them any longer, but for now they will help amplify your natural ability to connect. They’ve already been activated, and once they’ve had a chance to synchronize with your particular frequencies, you should be ready to send your first transmissions.”

It took a minute for everyone to connect, and then we began by sort of pinging each other. This proved to be somewhat irritating and highly impractical as a method of actual communication, as it was impossible to know where they were coming from, but after a while, we progressed to speaking, then whispering, then broadcasting. By the time we were dismissed for the evening, we had even managed to project simple images.

A few minutes later, I had just gotten back to my room and fallen back onto my bed when I felt a faint ping. I waited and listened, trying to discern who it was before sending back a Hello?

Bree? Zay. Busy?

The words were clear, if somewhat distant. I sighed and wondered if there was a way to block calls. Skye had been right; the sessions weren’t strenuous by any means, but I felt tired afterwards all the same, and right now I really just wanted to sleep, or at least stare at the window-screen until I dozed off. Still, I realized this might be a test. We hadn’t all hung out since the first night, and rejecting an invitation now could be considered antisocial behavior, which was certainly not walking in light.

I sighed again before taking a deep breath and trying to project as much brightness into my words as possible.

No. What are you doing?

We met the rest of the group a little after five, grabbed some coffee and a quick bite to eat in the cafeteria, then went down to the lower levels to check out what was happening. The shops were pretty nice, but fairly out of our price range, or so we assumed until Cass, almost as a joke, checked her balance and found that a significant sign-on bonus had been deposited to her account earlier in the week. Naturally, we felt inclined to celebrate our good fortune, which led us to one of the nicer restaurants in the building. The sign at the door said the interior had been modeled after photos from a famous early twentieth-century cruise ship, and screens around the room displayed peaceful ocean waves under a clear, starry sky.

We were fairly well matched for most of the night, until Nikki’s partner started to overdo it a bit with the drinks and decided to head back to his room early before he embarrassed himself, at which point she promptly turned her attention to Zay. Under different circumstances, I might have resented the intrusion, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was some sort of test, and that I couldn’t allow myself to get distracted by emotions. I was mildly irritated by her seemingly boundless energy, and it came as a relief when Kari mentioned she was getting a little tired, and the others agreed that we’d better get to bed early. Fortunately, we made it back to our rooms without incident a little after nine, at which point I immediately crashed.

Friday

Again, we lay silently in darkness, and again, I was trying not to fall asleep. It was increasingly difficult as Gina instructed us to picture our rooms.

“Think of the color of the walls, the floor, the bed. Do you see it?”

I could almost feel it.

“Picture yourselves there now. Look at the furniture, the decorations. Open the drawers and see what’s inside. Do you see it?”

We all affirmed that we did, and I could almost hear her smile as she said, “Good. Now you are ready to step out. You may—you must—step outside of yourselves, step beyond the limits that formerly bound you. You have already seen that they are not real. They, too, are mere illusions, lies of the darkness from ages past.”

As she spoke, I saw it. What exactly it was, I couldn’t say. It was beyond words. But I understood. I also saw my room and everything in it. I stepped into the hall, listened, sensed what was around me. I returned to myself and saw the light dancing around me as if in celebration.

***

Months passed, and we put our gifts to good use. We did, in fact, begin working, not just at the preserve, acquainting ourselves with the local wildlife and conducting tours, but regularly visiting all the watchtowers posted around the city, taking turns leading the meditations there. These lighthouses on land, we were told, had protected the city from its beginning, and while we were not yet true Lightbringers, advancement would come in time, and eventually we would be able to put on full displays of our own.

Finally, the seasons began to turn, the weather grew cold, and toward the end of October, we were told that the time had come.

There was little warning, and fewer details. Thursday, we got the notice to pack our bags and be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. No mention of exactly when, or what we’d need, or how long we should expect to be gone, so I simply repacked both bags and set them by the door.

Sunday, Zay woke me up a little after four, pounding on the door and yelling that we had to go now. I’d just thrown on my jacket and grabbed my backpack when I noticed my suitcase was missing. I opened the door to tell him I needed a couple minutes to find it, but he had apparently gotten more information because he said it was fine and I wouldn’t need it as he grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hall and into the elevator, where the rest of the group was already waiting, along with half a dozen uniformed individuals I didn’t recognize. The doors seemed to shut faster than usual and for a moment I thought we were falling as we seemed to be hurtling to ground level, but the others seemed unbothered by the speed, and a moment later, the doors behind us unexpectedly opened, revealing not the subway station, but a brightly lit parking garage where a convoy of vehicles was waiting to take us.

We took the tunnel east and surfaced just past the fence marking the boundary between the new city and the old city. The buildings here were smaller, the tallest of them less than half the size of the newer ones, and the roads were twice as wide.

When they said the Dead Zone started exactly a hundred and one miles from the city limits, I thought we’d be there in a couple hours at most, but it quickly became clear that it would take much longer. It took half an hour just to get past the ruins of the old city, and then the road, which was already badly broken up, full of deep holes and debris, went only a short distance before disappearing altogether.

From there we followed what may have been a road once, but two centuries of disuse had clearly taken its toll. What was left of the pavement had been pushed to the sides, creating a sort of wall, now barely visible because of all the grass that had grown up. We moved slowly, the first vehicle scanning for unseen obstacles or threats, and occasionally had to stop to remove a tree that had fallen across the road.

The preserve had been well managed, orderly, beautiful. This was chaos. Everything looked dull, dead or dying, in shades of brown and gray, even the sky dark with clouds. On the rare occasions when the sun broke through, its light seemed to have a strange quality I couldn’t quite describe –not enough, yet somehow too much – and the weather was all over the place. Within a few hours, it had shifted from brisk and cool to unusually warm and uncomfortably humid.

We stopped around noon at a small clearing just over the ridge of a mountain. I thought I should have been able to see something, or at least feel something ahead, but there was nothing. I searched my bag in vain for some food before realizing what little I had thought to pack had been in my suitcase. All I could find was a bottle of water. I sipped it cautiously until it was time to move again.

We stopped again a little after four in a spot where the road seemed to end in a loop. By now the sky was nearly black and the humidity stifling, and I was less careful about conserving water.

After stretching our legs, we were ordered to spread out and start advancing east. We hadn’t gone more than half an hour when I lost sight of the others.

I tentatively tried to connect, and though I couldn’t see anything, I felt the others’ presence. Slowly, however, they began to fade, and with them, all the sound around me seemed to die. I continued walking a little further, then froze as I realized I couldn’t hear my own steps.

I felt a moment of panic, then closed my eyes and tried to collect myself, taking deep breaths and forcing myself to focus on light thoughts, telling myself I was safe and well and peaceful and in perfect harmony with the universe, but as minutes passed, my thoughts only grew more confused, until I struggled to remember what I was supposed to be doing.

Suddenly I heard the sound of branches breaking and saw a flash of light behind me. Without thinking, I broke out into a sprint. I ran blindly, having just enough awareness of my surroundings to avoid running into a tree, and as the sounds and flashes continued and seemed to draw closer, and my connection wavered and finally broke, leaving me blind, there was no doubt in my mind that I was being pursued, chased by someone or something directly into the heart of the Dead Zone. Still, I kept running, until my lungs were screaming from the exertion and my legs refused to go any further. Then amidst the flashes I saw the ground directly ahead of me end in a sudden drop, and moments later found myself sliding down a few feet into some sort of ditch or large hole.

I pressed my body into the wall as hard as I could and struggled to catch my breath, unable to hear anything over the pounding in my ears. For a moment, it seemed that everything had stopped, but I couldn’t stop shaking. I knew the light was dangerous, but the darkness offered no comfort.

A minute passed, and as my eyes adjusted slightly, I realized I wasn’t alone.

“Nikki?”

She met my eyes in shock from where she was huddled about ten feet away, and then her expression shifted and she looked away.

“Sorry,” she breathed.

There was a flash of light, and then everything went dark.

[link to part 3]

[starlightsoulwriting]

Ghost-Blood//Revenant: 9

Khonshu, Marc Spector, Steven Grant x Fem!Reader, with a side of Frienemy Harrow

AO3

other chapters

Rating: PG-13/T, for cursing and later violence

Warnings: None

Summary: A milestone for you and Steven proves angst-inducing for Marc.

You waited sat outside Steven’s apartment door for approximately 1 hour and 42 minutes, waiting for him to get off shift and usher you inside with a worried look, having received the rushed text you’d sent him in the cab and absolutely fussing over you as soon as you came into view, barely giving you enough time to set your vegetables on the counter before you were swept up in the whirlwind of his concern.

“Oh dearie me, you should’ve gone home, what were you thinking falling asleep outside my apartment like that, in your condition?” He held your upper arms softly, not even having put his messenger bag up yet, as he looked you up and down for signs of damage. “Sarah called and told me you’d been taken to A&E, but I couldn’t find out where you were, and you weren’t answering your phone, and- “ His entire frame slumped as he lost steam all at once, and he pulled you in for a delicate hug, his form draping over yours in a comforting embrace.

You could only hold him back, not afraid to squash him harder than he did you - you’d noticed he liked the pressure.

Your response seemed to get him over himself, because he pulled you in tighter, burying head into your neck. “Please tell me you’re gonna be alright?” He said it like it was a question, but you nodded all the same.

“I’m alright now, baby,” You ran a hand through his pretty dark hair and kissed the top of his head. “Even if my feet are sore.”

“Then what are we doing, standing around like this?” That sure got his attention quickly, shooting back to look at you with upturned eyebrows, hands going back to your shoulders and shoving you gently toward his couch. “You go ahead and get settled, I’ll find something comfortable for you to wear.”

You let Steven dote on you without push back, accepting the Colombia sweater he’d stolen back onto your form, now smelling of the organic rosemary and lavender scented washing detergent he used, along with a pair of sleep shorts that Steven claimed never fit him quite right anyway. They had wonky elastic, and hung off you in a weird way, but at this point you were beyond complaining. They were soft though.

You spent a quiet night in, ordering some dinner for delivery and watching one of your comfort movies on the TV, curling into his side and reveling in just how warm he was, head dropping to his shoulder the more tired you got. Somehow, despite spending the last two days fading in and out of consciousness you were still exhausted. Whatever toll this whole thing exacted on you physically, it took a lot out of you, and it would probably be a few more days at least before you felt like yourself again.

You know, if you ever felt like yourself again.

Before you knew it, your eyes drifted shut, and by the time Steven shook you awake, it was dark outside. You groaned harshly at the disturbance and curled against him tighter.

“Aw, love, don’t be like that.” He sounded half-way to laughing at you but you were too groggy to care. “It's getting late, you should go home and get some real rest.”

You just closed your eyes tighter. “Wanna stay here, sleep next to you.”

You felt him stop breathing, the hand on your shoulder tightening slightly.

“You’d hardly get any sleep, the way I am, staying up late and all.”

“Sleep deprivation makes sleepwalking worse, you know.” You opened your eyes and gave him a narrow look. “If I could drag you to the doctor you’d know that.”

“I- well,” He spluttered, apparently not ready to have this conversation turn back on him. “I told you, I’m working up to it.”

“Hmm-hm.” You hummed, smiling softly and ducking back into your spot. “I just wanna hold you tonight, baby. Don’t wanna be alone.”

He let out a slow breath. “I just don’t wanna scare you off, with the sleepwalking. Or wake you up somehow.”

“I promise, even if I wake up to find you staring into the corner like something out of Blair Witch, you’re not gonna scare me off.” You kissed the closet part of his skin your lips could find, in the hollow of his throat, causing him to let out the tiniest, softest squeak that you only heard because you were so close to him. “And I already have multiple nightmares a night. At this rate, I’ll probably sleep better with you next to me.”

“Oh,” some of the tension he held loosened its grip on him, and he moved his hand to rub at the back of your neck, voice brimming with barely restrained emotion. “As long as you don’t mind, then I’d like that.”

You opened your eyes and sat up just to see him on the verge of tears.

“Oh, sweetheart,” You cupped his cheek, and he leaned into it as he closed his eyes before kissing your palm. “I’m sorry. I can go home if you’re not ready for this, I promise I’ll be fine -”

“No!” The word burst from his lips so fast even he looked surprised that he’d said it. “I. Well, I want you to stay, I just wasn't sure if…”

You swallowed thickly, so overcome with affection (and I dare say, love) for the man in front of you that it would have knocked you off your feet had you not already been sitting. “If…?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never had a real relationship before.” He shrugged, looking away from you and instead focusing his gaze on Gus, somewhere over your shoulder. “It’s scary. I don’t want to mess this up, you know?”

“Hey,” You pressed your forehead against his before meeting his lips in a slow but emotional kiss, holding him against you as if you could communicate all the depths of your feelings overflowing through your chest all at once. When you parted, his eyes were glassy, but he looked at you as if you hung the stars in the sky. “I may have nightmares, but I don’t scare easy. And I don’t plan on running off anytime soon, okay?”

“I love you.”

You froze. For a half second, the moment lasted for a lifetime as you watched a kaleidoscope of fear and affection and love, apparently, flicker across Steven’s face - before you dove back into his lips, clutching at the back of his head and pulling him as close to you as you could.

“I.” You pulled back, just to peck down his cheek and jaw, punctuating your words with tiny kisses that made him squirm. “Love. You. Too. Steven. Grant.”

You pulled back and leveled him with a giddy smile, before you were knocked back against the armrest of the couch with the force of his response, hand curling around the nape of your neck as he pressed his mouth to yours.

…That night, surrounded by the arms of the man that you love (and only slightly tangled in his ankle cuff), you think you slept the best you ever had, and Steven only stirred enough to wake you once.

…

Marc woke up to the full moon lighting up Steven’s apartment, and you in his arms.

His breath hitched, but he didn’t dare move you from where your head laid on his chest, a sense of guilt clawing up his throat, because surely, if you knew it wasn’t Steven you were laying on at the moment, you would slap him.

But, oh, he didn’t want to wake you. So instead of getting up to assuage his own conscience, he brushed hair off of your forehead, and rubbed the tips of his fingers over that spot on your temple you’d told Steven always ached, smiling slightly as you relaxed a fraction more, even as worry consumed him.

Khonshu wouldn’t react well to this new development given his unusual protectiveness over you, no doubt - and if you kept sleeping over he’d have to find a way to slip out without you noticing, which would absolutely be difficult. But the bird seemed to be silent for now.

But those were problems for Future Marc. Present Marc was more preoccupied over what left you in the hospital for two days, and so in need of comfort you’d sat in Steven’s grimy apartment hallway for almost two hours.

Because you hadn’t told Steven what happened. Or, moreover, had skillfully avoided telling him what happened by deflecting and minimizing. It had worked on his alter.

It had not worked on him.

“What's going on with you, doll?” He said softly to himself, staring at the ceiling rather than your pretty face and adorable nose and - “I gotta keep you safe for Steven, you know? Can’t do that if you don’t talk to him.”

He wouldn’t admit he cared, too. He couldn’t.

It would be too much to admit at the moment, when you were so desperately far from his reach and so beautifully close at the same time. Too much too admit when his emotions were so frayed already, between still worrying about Layla every moment he fronted, to trying to find out what was happening with the Ammit cult, to trying to suppress the pangs of jealousy that welled up when you kissed Steven like your life depended on it, even though it sent self-loathing lancing through him. Both for wanting someone that wasn’t his, and for the fact that he was growing too fond of you for someone still in love with his wife.

Naturally, you only responded to his brooding with a tiny snore.

And even that was cute.

Marc closed his eyes and let his head thunk on the pillow with a whumph.

He was fucked.

A/n: hot off the press with little to no editing, but hope you like it. Also if you want to have made love to steven that's a viable interpretation of this chapter but that's not how I'm viewing it. Go wild though. *gives steven a kiss**gives steven a kiss**gives steven a kiss**gives steven a - Also Marc knows what polyamory is he's just to depressed to think he can make a polycule work. And you know what? As it stands now, he's right. The key is communication and all, and there is little to no communicating happening right now. Have to put in some real work before that's an option my boy.