#i was worried it wouldn’t turn out how i invisioned it but i love it

[moonskandi]

new aro cuff :D

(insp under cut)

x from pinterest

[finelinefae]

tongue-tied

synopsis: y/n has a stutter and harry likes to hear her talk

word count: 3.1k

contains: fluff, highschool romance, harry's a football player, popular boy x shy girl, brief mentions of bullying

a/n: happy soft girl Sunday !! I wasn’t planning on posting just because I posted the second part of the aviator a little later than I was meant to but I could resist putting this one out <3

. . .

“E-excuse me!” Y/N weaved her way through the mass exodus of students heading in the opposite direction to the lunch hall. She had tried to leave class a few minutes before the lunch bell to avoid the large groups of people but she had been so invested in writing her essay, she’d lost complete track of time. 

She was running as fast as she possibly could to get to the library, knowing the person waiting for her wouldn’t get too impatient but she didn’t want to waste a second of their lunch break not being with him. Her bag slipped from her shoulder, her braids flying behind her and her knee-high socks falling down her calves. 

Y/N barely registered the people around her, wondering where she could be going in such a rush, until her face collided with soft, grey fabric. Before she could even get embarrassed and profusely have to apologise for bumping into them, long arms snaked around her, hands clasping behind her back. She caught a whiff of his woody cologne and the floral fragranced detergent his mum always used to wash his school uniform.

“There y’ are, Dove.” He murmured, “I was starting to get worried.”

Y/N looked up and settled on those familiar green eyes she loved so much. She relaxed into his embrace, “Harry,” She sighed. 

Harry and Y/N had been dating since they were fourteen. If it weren’t for the fact that their parents all worked together at the local hospital, they probably would never have met at all, although Harry liked to believe they were fated to be together so they would have ended up meeting each other some way or another. 

Harry had always been popular at school. For one, he was on the football team which instantly made him a name within their year group. He was also very handsome for his age. Girls would whisper and giggle whenever he passed by in the hallways even those from the lower years. Despite the fact they had just turned seventeen, Harry could honestly pass for an almost twenty-year-old with how tall and mature he was. 

Y/N was the complete opposite. When it came to her social life she was shy and not often one to make friends easily. She was part of the arithmetic club and had made a few friends there and in some of her other classes. She liked to keep to herself and struggled to talk in class not only because she was quiet but also because she had a particularly bad stutter. 

It had developed when she started High School. She had been to multiple speech therapists to help her get rid of it and although it wasn’t as bad as it used to be, it still never failed to make her life all the more difficult than it already was.

A lot of the other kids liked to pick on her for it too. Whenever teachers picked on her in class and she’d reply, the rest of the class would start snickering, whispering in each other’s ears. She wanted to be invisible to everyone but it was her stutter that made her stand out.

When Harry’s family would come over to Y/N’s house for dinner, her parents would often force them to go off together whilst the adults spoke in the dining room. She remembered the first time she invited him into her room and how embarrassed she was when he saw all her comic books lying on the floor that she had forgotten to put away. But it eventually became the seed of their relationship, the common ground that allowed them to bond. 

Soon Harry was inviting Y/N to his football games and up to his room every other weekend when she’d come over with her parents. They’d exchange comic books and talk about their favourite characters. Y/N was always apologising for her stutter whenever she’d ramble on for too long but Harry never cared, he loved hearing her talk. 

Their first kiss was on her bed whilst their parents were in the room below them. Harry was the one to initiate it and Y/N hadn’t been expecting it so it was slightly awkward at first but then she got used to it and eventually all she ever wanted to do was kiss him. Every weekend, whether at her place or his, all they did was sneak around and kiss each other, giggling and falling in love all at the same time. 

Now, three years later, things were still the same except they were older now and more in love than they were yesterday. 

Wherever you looked, Harry was there, and Y/N was never too far behind. Students had grown accustomed to their relationship, and the bullying Y/N endured wasn't as severe as it used to be. Even teachers couldn't help but be enamoured with their young love — how fortunate it was to find love at such a young age. 

Things were great, everything was great and Y/N had hoped she could finish her last year of High School on a high note. That was until she entered her English class on a Friday afternoon when the teacher announced it was time for their presentations which would go towards their final grade. 

“I can’t Harry!” Y/N cried into her pillow after school, Harry was sitting on the end of her bed with his back against the wall as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. 

“I know Dove,” He comforted her, already knowing the reason she was so upset over it.

“Everyone’s going to l-laugh at me,” She could already picture herself standing up in front of her class and everyone pointing and laughing at her. 

Harry sighed, “Dove,” He shook her gently, “Will y’ look at me?” 

Y/N hesitated before turning her head so her cheek lay against the pillow. Harry smiled and lay on his side in the spot next to her, their faces inches apart, “There’s m’ pretty girl,” He cooed, his heart hurting at the tears on her cheeks. He cupped her cheek in his big hand and wiped some of those tears away with his thumb. 

“I-It’s not fair,” She huffed, “Why’d I have to have this stupid stutter.” 

“Hey,” He frowned, “Enough of that hmm? Everything about you is beautiful, y’ know I love to hear y’ talk. Could sit here for hours and just listen.” 

“But you’re d-different,” She whined, shuffling closer to him so she could hide her face in his grey jumper. Her stutter was rarely ever that bad in front of Harry which was why he was the easiest person she could talk to. 

Harry laughed breathily, his hand going to her hair to play with the strands, “Would it help if I helped you a little?” 

“How?” Y/N asked, her words muffled by his jumper.

“We could practise in the library at lunch, y’ could read me a few things and it might help your stutter.”  He thought.

Y/N’s head looked up to his face where she could count every mole and freckle on his nose and cheeks. She couldn’t help but pucker her lips to kiss his jawline, “That’d be nice,” She murmured. 

“Yeah?” He smiled, kissing the top of her head in return, “I only want to help you so if you don’t enjoy it or you’d rather practise alone then y’ can tell me,” 

She shook her head, “N-No, I want to do that with you. I’d like it very much.” 

So it became a daily occurrence, five days a week during lunch hours when Harry didn’t have practice, they’d sit in the library and Harry would pick out a book for them to read. They started with simple YA books with less complicated words. 

“Good job, Dove!” Harry cheered every time Y/N finished a chapter. 

“Wait I’m not done,” She huffed and then said the last line just for Harry to cheer for her again just as proudly as the first time. 

Now that the day of her presentation was getting closer, they had finally made their way onto Classical novels which Y/N had come to despise. 

They walked with their hands intertwined to the library after Y/N had bumped into him in the hallway. It was natural as they stepped into the library and headed straight to their table in the corner hidden away by two tall bookshelves. 

Y/N placed her bag under the chair whilst Harry unzipped his to pull out the book they were currently reading. It was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, even looking at the front cover made Y/N’s stomach turn. 

“A-Are you sure we can’t go back to YA books?” Y/N huffed, taking the book and opening it up to the chapter they were last on. 

Harry laughed, “But you’re doing so well, Dovey.” 

“I-it’s hard though and the w-words are so tiny.” She pouts, Harry can’t help but lean forward and kiss her. 

“C’mon, jus’ a few pages and then I can show y’ something I got for you.” He tried to persuade her, knowing the surprise would be enough to win her over.

“Fine,” She sighs dramatically. 

She read for five pages, Harry listening intently to every word. His eyes focused on her lips as she spoke, stumbling over a few words here and there. He tried to hold back from smiling so much with how concentrated she was on each letter of every word. He thought it was adorable how her eyebrows creased and her hands gripped the book. 

Eventually, she had enough, placing the book down on the table and closing it shut. “Good job baby!” He cheered, pressing multiple kisses to her cheek, “M so proud of you.” 

Y/N giggled, “Thank you, Harry.” 

Harry smiled and reached into the pocket of his blazer for the surprise he had promised her. Y/N looked down and saw a small, black pouch in his hand. He gave it to her, her fingers carefully pulling on the ribbon before pulling out the small item inside. 

“It’s an anxiety ring,” Harry explained as she held the silver ring in the palm of her hand. He picked it up and slid it on his pinkie finger to show her, “Y’ can twist this band whenever you feel nervous, thought y’ could wear it on the day of your speech.” 

He passed it back to her, Y/N narrowing her eyes to look at the spinning band which had a small inscription written on it, ‘i love the way you speak almost as much as i love you, your harry.’ 

Y/N’s eyes watered, unable to come up with the right words to say how much she adored it as well as the boy sitting in front of her. Instead, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Thank you,” She murmured, “I love it. I love you.” 

Harry softened even more from her embrace, “I love you more, Dove,” He whispered. 

Y/N pulled away enough to kiss his lips, she was thankful for the privacy they had in the back of the library since she was never that good with public displays of affection and all she wanted to do now was kiss him because she was so grateful for him being there all the time. 

It wasn’t long before the day of her presentation. After school, Y/N had been working on a short essay. She was going to speak to the class about her favourite comic books and why she loved them so much. She had recited the words out loud to herself and Harry and even her parents, that she could probably speak it off by heart. 

Harry and Y/N stood outside the school. Her English class wasn’t until the third period but she knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate in her morning classes until the presentation was over. Harry was wearing his football uniform because he had a game against another school in the morning. Y/N had been with him after school as he practised for it, wearing his coat as she wrote out her speech on a notepad. 

They stood side by side facing the school building as if it was some kind of beast they had to tackle, “O-okay,” She huffed, “I can do this,” 

Harry looked down at her smiling and then reached for her hand, “You can do this,” He squeezed her fingers in encouragement. 

“Good l-luck with your game today,” She grinned, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. 

“Thank you, baby,” He spoke softly, “Y’ can tell me all about your presentation and how well it went afterwards.”

“Okay Harry,” She nodded, completely determined despite how nervous she was. She had spent weeks preparing, she couldn’t let fear get the best of her. 

“Good luck kiss?” Harry grinned, cheekily. 

Y/N playfully rolled her eyes and craned her neck to kiss his lips. Harry held her face in his hands, unable to pull away from her even when she tried to, “I love you,” He murmured against her lips.

“I love you too.” She sighed, blissfully. 

When third period came around, Y/N stood outside her English classroom, counting to five in her head. She clutched onto the piece of paper where her speech was written out in gelled ink, spinning the ring Harry had gifted her on her finger. With a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped foot into her classroom. 

. . .

Harry could hardly concentrate during the football match but he was trying his best. His team were two points ahead and it wouldn’t be long before the game was over. Since it was the morning and the game was mostly practice for the two schools competing, there wasn’t a huge audience watching them. 

He was glancing down at his watch every few minutes when he was supposed to have his eye on the ball, checking to see whether third period was about to start. All he could think about was his little dove and how nervous she was when they stepped into school this morning. 

She had been working so hard on reading things out, even stopping in shops when they went to town together to read the labels on the backs of food containers. He fully believed in her and her ability to speak in front of the class even when she didn’t and it killed him not being able to watch her do it. 

So when the whistle finally blew marking the end of the game, Harry ignored the celebrations with his team after they won the match and ran across the field through the entrance of the school. He raced up the steps, his football boots clicking against the crowd. He knew he probably didn’t smell the best and his knees were muddy from falling over but he didn’t have much time to think about it as he searched for Y/N’s English classroom. 

“Y/N?” He heard the teacher’s voice call her name as he approached. 

“A-Already? O-Oh, O-okay.” He could hear her nerves just by listening to her speak. 

Harry was about to knock on the door but he hesitated, wondering if it would worsen her nerves if he was in the classroom watching her. He knew how much of a big deal this moment was for Y/N and he didn’t want to intervene or make a spectacle of the moment especially since he wasn’t in her class. 

He lowered his hand and instead pressed his ear up to the door. 

“H-Hello,” Y/N started, “My name is Y-Y/N and today I will be sharing with you m-my love for comic books,” Harry’s heart ached as her voice came out quietly. 

“C’mon Dove,” He whispered, wanting her to do well. 

Y/N cleared her throat and let out a shaky exhale, “A-As you can probably tell, I-I am not all that good at speaking. I s-stumble over letters and sometimes even have to replace words with o-others because my mouth t-turns into mash potato and I can’t seem to get t-the words out.” People chuckled and Harry’s heart began to beat against his chest, “T-That is why I love comic books so much because of the l-lack of words. Instead, there are pictures,” Y/N continued, her voice gaining strength the more that she spoke, “T-They tell stories without the need for p-perfect sentences or flawless speech.” 

Y/N continued her speech and Harry spent the entire presentation with his ear pressed up against the door. He ignored the looks of teachers and other students walking past as a huge grin spread across his cheeks the more Y/N spoke in front of the class. 

By the time she had finished, it fell silent before the class responded with a round of applause, “Brilliant work, Y/N,” Her teacher said. 

Y/N felt like she was floating on a cloud as she left her English classroom. Even if her speech wasn’t perfect, she had done it and gotten through it all in one piece. As she stepped out, two arms snaked around her waist and lifted her off the ground, “Harry!” Y/N giggled as he spun her around.

“M so proud of you, Dove.” He kissed her softly, lowering her to the ground but refusing to move his hands from her waist. 

“I-I can’t believe I did it, Harry!” Y/N almost squealed. 

“Heard every word, y’ did so good, M so proud of you.” He rambled, unable to cease his admiration for her. 

“You heard?” Y/N’s eyebrows creased, her lips pouting slightly. 

“I ran here as fast as I could and stood outside to listen to you,” Harry explained, “Y did perfect, honestly, the best speech I’ve ever heard.”

“You really ran h-here to listen?” Y/N asked, still in disbelief.

“I did,” Harry smiled, “It was all I could think about when I was on the field.”

“Did you win?” Y/N asked. 

Harry pulled her flush against him, “You already know I did baby,” He smirked, kissing her. Y/N smiled against his lips.

“Let’s go out tonight,” Harry murmured, “To celebrate.”

“And do w-what?” Y/N wondered, even though the idea of spending any time with Harry was always her favourite. 

“Maybe go to the bowling alley and get dinner after,” He shrugs.

“O-oh and maybe we can stop at the comic book store on the way home!” Y/N said, excitedly. 

“Course m’love,” Harry’s smile widened the more she spoke, “We can do whatever you want as long as I get to hear you talk.” 

Y/N grinned broadly as Harry interlaced his hands with hers, feeling the cool metal of her ring against his skin. Together, they walked hand in hand down the hallway, Y/N unable to stop talking the entire time, while Harry hung onto her every word.

[popquizhot-shot]

Father Mine- 2. Miguel O’Hara x teen!spider!reader

Just note- this and father mine aren’t in the canon of Miguel’s and mini Miguel’s story line<3 also this is absolute crap and I’m so sorry it has a lot more plot and less of Miguel and mini Miguel interaction. Though whatever they do have is pain. (ALSO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE I LOVE ALL OF YOU) please comment and reblog if you liked it :DD

Warnings: angst. FATHER MINE PART 1 Part 3

“Where is she?” He asks Jess.

“She didn’t follow.” Is what the woman replies and that’s that.

A spark of worry shoots through him but he ignores it. Now is not the time to worry about anything but the anomaly.

He scans his surroundings and tries to look for wherever the kid may be.

A part of his mind still screams he’s just a kid.

That weak thinking, letting things slide mindset was ahat got Gabriella killed. It was what killed an entire universe. He couldn’t let more people be killed for the sake of the life of one man.

“Split up. Look for him.” He orders Ben and Jess and they leave promptly.

Not now. Not now. He’d check up on you after.

——————

“Miles!” You whisper-shout at the boy.

He almost shouts but you cover his mouth with your hand, “you’re in the wrong universe, you’re on earth-42.” His eyes widen, “I’m here to help you.”

“Why should I trust you?” His eyes narrow at you.

“I don’t know.” You look down, “But I’m asking you to trust me anyways.”

After a beat of silence he talks, “how did you know I was in the wrong universe?”

“You were bit by a spider that was from here. It’s venom altered your dna to this universe. And the go home machine scanned your dna, which was this universes and sent you here, I’m running out of breath and I can hear your mom from this univers walking here so let’s please just go.” You pull him out through the window just as the door opens and Rio steps in.

You and Miles drop down into an abandoned alleyway, and you hide a wince because of the pain in your leg. He turns invisible and you open a portal. Just as he walks through, Ben comes into view and sees you.

“Mini Miguel! You’re here! You know your dad was pretty worried you didn’t show! I’ll tell him you’re here wait- I” you web his mouth and eyes and as he flails about you launch yourself upwards and unhook his watch.

“I’m sorry, Ben.” You apologise to his mumbling form as his hands thrash around to remove the webs.

You jump into the portal and it closes.

“We’re in Miguel’s APARTMENT?” Miles’s all but shrieks and you wince.

“Jeez, bro. Don’t worry. He won’t look here.” You hand him a bottle of water from the minibar.

He drinks it all in one go and breathes deeply. You calm him down, “this is just for a few hours. Then I’ll shift you to your own universe.”

“Why not now?” He asks.

“You need to eat, and you’ll be fine. No one’s going to be named Captain tonight right? You can’t help anyone if you’re half dead.”

He clenches his jaw and sits down as you go to the kitchen and get a leftover pizza from the fridge. It was from that family night you had with Miguel and Lyla the day before Miles’s arrival.

You head to the living room after heating his food and his eyes are transfixed on a photo frame in his hand.

It’s a photo of you and him that Lyla had managed to sneak and Jess had printed for your birthday.

“He seems nice. When he’s not trying to kill me.” The boy scoffs.

You don’t answer, just handing him his food.

He eats in silence and you take the time to clean the house. Even if you did hate him just a bit, it didn’t mean he deserved to live in a messy house because he was too busy working.

“You really love him, huh?” Miles piped up and you look up from fluffing a cushion.

“Hmm.” You hum in response, “I don’t know.”

“If you didn’t you wouldn’t be here fluffing up his cushions and cleaning his home. Or should I say your home as well.” He raises an eyebrow.

You throw the cushion, “his home. Come on, we need to get to his office so I know what universe you’re from.”

He follows you to the window and has to swallow a gasp when you walk through it and float like you’re walking on air.

You chuckle, “it’s an illusion, sort of like that Indiana Jones movie.”

“The thing with the grail?” His voice is shaky as his foot comes to rest onto the platform connecting the window to the opposite balcony.

“Yeah, I got it made to fuck with Miguel.”

He huffs out a laugh, “I bet he would have freaked out?”

“You have no idea.” You smile a little at the memory as you jump of the platform and land lightly on the terrace.

Every few minutes you usher Miles into the few dark alleyways in the futuristic city of Nueva York to use the hidden pathways that are used by the underground thug gangs that you had managed to sniff out.

It takes about half an hour to reach the tower, and Miles turns invisible, “you couldn’t have done that before?” You raise an eyebrow.

He just looks sheepish and you try not to roll your eyes, “come on.”

He follows you through the entire area, sees them all wave and smile at you as you walk to where spider-byte may be.

——-

“Ben, come in.” Miguel speaks, “Ben!”

With a groan, he phones Lyla. She picks up immediately and her voice is frantic, “you need to get back. Now.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s Miles.” She informs him, “mini you is with him.”

His eyes widen under the mask and without a word he opens a portal to go home, “Jess. We’re going back to base.”

————————

“1610. Earth 1610.” You recite as you make a portal.

As soon as it opens, the door to the room swings open.

It’s a sort of déjà vu if you think about it.

The same room, the same scenario. But this time it’s you he’s after.

Your blood runs cold and you push Miles inside, “save your dad.” Are the last words you say to him as the portal closes in time just as Miguel pounces through air.

He looks at you and you freeze. His eyes are red and his fangs are out.

As he stands to his feet, your breathing becomes uneven.

Fuck you’re panicking. And it’s weird, because you’ve faced evil villains before. You’ve fought people that make Miguel look like a shortie.

So.. why the fuck are you so scared? Or were you always just a coward?

“You’re hurt.” He says in an eerily calm voice.

“Why-why do you care?” You huff out and his eyebrows furrow.

“What do you mean?” He raises his hand and you flinch. You notice the way his eyes widen and the hurt that floods the pools of his eyes.

He takes another step forward and you back away, “Stay the fuck away from me.” Your hand shoots forward. Only widening the chasm between the both of you.

“What. Happened? Who hurt you? Was it Miles? Did he force you to help him?” He snarls.

You stare at him dumbfounded, “Who hurt me? Are you serious?”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

You scoff, “I helped him of my own accord.”

It’s then that he takes a deep breath and a step back.

“That’s right. I helped him get away!”

“….how could you do this to us? To me?” He points to himself.

“What are you going to do now? Try and kill me like you did him?”

“I would never. I am your father-”

“You are a selfish monster.” You say and his breath hitches. The look on his face breaks your own heart and all you want to do is hug him.

“Don’t say that.” He points at you, “you don’t mean it.”

“I meant every damn word.” You scowl and reply, “you are not my father. I am not your daughter.”

He schools the hurt on his face, “So be it.” He webs your watch and breaks it into tiny pieces in a matter of moments, “it’s cute that you thought you could one up me. Really.” He chuckles, “You are relieved of your duties effective immediately. You will never be allowed into Earth-928 or any other dimension hereafter.”

He webs you closer to him as he opens a portal into some obscure universe, one you’ve never heard of, and just before he pushes you in, you glimpse the tears in his eyes, your own running down your cheek as you scream profanities at him.

The last thing you see is his face before you’re thrown into complete darkness.

[webslingingslasher]

what’s peters body count?🫣

boyfriend!frat!peter 🤭

‘what’s your body count?’

peter freezes, he’s not opposed to the previous partners talk when it comes to being safe and healthy. but the number thing… he doesn’t see how it’s useful.

‘don’t worry, i have all the clean screenings.’ he tries to swerve around the question, you won’t let him. ‘no, i get that. we’ve talked about it before. but, how many people have you hooked up with?’

peter knows the frat boy stereotype, he may have even played into it for a little while. but he doesn’t want you to see him like that, he doesn’t want you to think of him as a womanizer or pig.

‘um,’ he wants to say a different number than the one in his head, he wants to preserve what you think of him. ‘does it matter?’

you tap your fingertips over his ribcage, ‘i guess not. i’m just curious.’ peter’s tracing circles around your shoulder, ‘cool.’

you wait, it seems like he took your response as an opportunity to stay silent. something about his hesitance makes you feel icky.

‘not gonna share?’ peter thought your answer meant the conversation was over, apparently not. ‘is there a reason you’re asking?’

you pat his skin, giving him a second notice before sitting up. ‘not really, but now you’re being all coy, i want to know.’

‘yeah, but i’m your boyfriend now. it shouldn’t matter.’ your eyebrows furrow. ‘it doesn’t. but hiding it makes it matter.’

‘i’m not hiding anything.’ except he is.

‘you are. i want to know. right now.’ peter’s looking off to the side, you can see through his invisible wall, he’s embarrassed. ‘peter, i’m not gonna judge you or anything. i’m just curious.’

‘you are. you totally are and i don’t want you to see me as different. i was a different person before i met you, and who i was before shouldn’t matter now.’

you nibble on your bottom lip, ‘it’s either really low or really high based on what you’re giving me.’ peter’s silent, you’re thinking it’s on the higher side.

‘more than ten?’

more silence. ‘more than fifteen?’

you don't know how high to go. ‘twenty five?’

‘lower, but not by much.’

you stare at him. peter stares back. he’s expecting you to drop your face and turn away, call him a manwhore and spit in his face. he’s not expecting the sweeping grin that takes place.

‘is that why you’re so good in bed? hefty experience?’

‘i wouldn’t know, you’re the only one i ever put effort into.’

you bat your eyes at him, a pout takes over while you try to calm the urge of attacking him with kisses. insecurity flushes over you, ‘were they... were they all just one night stands?' there it is, that's what peter was waiting for.

your actual name is said, drawn out like you were playing a dangerous game. 'it's just that, i mean, am i enough for you?' peter feels his chest tighten, if he could, he'd take back every night he ever spent with a girl that wasn't you.

'why would you ask me that?' you feel hidden in peter's arms, they're around you and there's a kiss on your forehead. 'of course you're enough for me. you're more than enough, you always have been.'

'i don't think i can compete with that many girls and-'

'you're not. there is no competition, and there never was.' you shake your head, 'liar. you were still hooking up with other girls when we started hooking up.'

you're a little shocked by peter's rough hold, you're staring up at him with wide eyes when he talks down to you. 'is that what you think? have you always thought that?'

it's not what you think, it's what you know. 'you said-' peter cuts you off, 'i said bullshit. i talked to other girls, maybe flirted a little, but i never had sex with anyone else. trust me, i wouldn't fuck up like that.'

peter was right, there was no competition. because you won first and only place the second you stepped foot into his bedroom. 'wait, does that make me the competition? like, if we break up i'm the standard for you?'

'i mean... yeah, i kind of love you a whole lot.' this time, you don't hold back on your attack of kisses. 'i made you change your rules. i win.'

peter disagrees. 'no, i won.'

[nicksbestie]

i love your work sm! can you write a johnnie fic where he had a long day and the reader is cuddling with him and telling him how proud they are of him. i just feel like johnnie needs to hear it 🫶🏼 thank you!!

thank you SO SO SO much!! i absolutely can <3 I loved this prompt!!

my reqs are now closed but please come chat about jake and johnnie with me whenever!!

Tired

warnings : mentions of mental health and negativity, feelings of depression and sadness

word count : 811

pairing : johnnie guilbert/reader (romantic)

enjoy!!! <3

Content creation could take a lot out of a person, especially when they were already struggling with their mental health. Despite the fact that it could be more flexible than a more average job, it can still provide the same, if not more, amounts of stress. Once you start a career like that, especially when it gains following and attention, you have a large internet presence, and people on the internet can be so incredibly cruel. People are more confident than ever when they are hiding behind the safety of a screen, unlikely to be revealed, and that shows in any career with a majorly online platform. 

This wasn’t to say that there weren’t a lot of positives to having a more internet focused career, like the flexible hours, and sometimes the pay is even better than any other job, if your following is big enough. And most of the time, the positives are enough to keep you going through the negative portions. However, sometimes those negative portions feel like they’re going to be the end of your career. Johnnie had been growing a large internet presence for years now, and had seen or gone through just about everything there was to see or go through. But that didn’t mean that it affected him any less, and sometimes, the fact that he had seen it before caused it to affect him more. 

Today was one of those bad days, where the negative parts had gotten to be way too much. You weren’t aware of this quite yet, due to the fact that you weren’t home yet. You were on the way home, and had no idea that Johnnie’s work day had not gone as planned. His stream had ended abruptly, you knew that, and way before it was scheduled to end, but you had chalked it up to some technical mishap or something of the sort, as that difficulty did happen every once in a while. It wasn’t often, but you knew that it wouldn’t be too out of the norm, and it wouldn’t have raised many alarm bells with his fanbase. So, you weren’t worried at all, thinking you had no reason to be as you pulled into your garage, walking into the house and calling out that you were home. 

You did become a little confused when you got no response. Johnnie always called back to you, regardless of whether he was working or not. You always came home at nearly exactly the same time, and he knew that, so whatever he had or was playing, he always had the volume down low enough so he could hear when you came in and began talking to him. Due to this, you went looking for him, gently knocking on his bedroom door when you realized it was locked. He had a key above his bedroom door, in case of any emergency, but you would never open it without his permission. You respected his privacy, and because of that, you spoke through the door, asking if he, or you, could open the door. 

Once you received his affirmation that you could open it, you reached up to grab the key from the top of the doorway, and easily unlocked the door. Walking in, your heart felt like it was breaking. The room was as dark as possible, the shades on the windows closed tightly, no lights on, not even his monitors. Your boyfriend was nearly invisible, seemingly attempting to hide under his blankets, his back to you, completely ignoring the fact that you had just walked in. You sat down on the side of the bed, softly pulling the covers back and resting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Baby, what’s going on?” 

He didn’t turn to look at you, simply shrugging. 

“Nothing. I’m fine.” 

You stayed silent for a minute, laying down next to him and throwing the covers back over you both. 

“You’re clearly not fine. But if you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to. Do you want a hug?” 

He immediately turned over, letting you wrap your arms around him, and your heart broke into even more pieces when you saw the tear tracks staining his makeup free cheeks. He hid his face once he realized that you had noticed how it looked, refusing to speak, and just letting you hold him. You had absolutely no problems staying there as long as he needed you to be there, and it ended up being a couple of hours. You were hugging him, reminding him that he was loved, and that you were proud of him. You were sure that he would be back to his normal self soon, but you were more than happy to help him carry the emotional weight while he was struggling. After all, that’s what you do for the people you love.

[thebestofoneshots]

Gilded Constellations | (wolfstar x reader)

Series Masterlist | Previous episode

Pairing: Wolfstar x Reader Word Count: 8.2 K Warnings: None Prompt: It's a snow day! This IS a Wolfstar x reader fic, but it's incredibly slow burn. They won't start all dating each other until we're very deep into the story, but I promise the long wait will be worth it. Proofread by lovely: @aremuslupinsimp

THIS CHAPTER CAN ALSO BE READ AS A ONESHOT

Chapter 35: Chill of Desire

Tuesday, December, 14th, 1976

“It’s snowing!” you heard Mary squeal, her excited tone waking you up instantly, and causing you to smile as you looked through the window. Mary had propped the window open and extended her hand as she stared outside.

It wasn’t only snowing then, in fact, it had been snowing all night, all the towers, the fields and the valley were covered by a thick layer of snow. The trees stood tall, their branches delicately coated, creating a magical-looking scene, more magical than Hogwarts already was, anyway. 

You had the view of the forest from your window, and you could see the Whomping Willow shaking off the layers of snow that had fallen over him at night, which made you smile, the memory of the devious night having been replaced by so many cuddles with the boys that the looking at the Willow was not as stressful as it had been at some point, you didn’t think of how Remus had gotten hurt by it, but rather you thought of how you had kissed Sirius under it. And how you might be going to meet Moony later that month, as Vixen this time around. 

The courtyards and pathways were like winding paths through a snowy maze, and the usually bustling grounds were hushed under the soft blanket of snow, you could see a few students outside enjoying the white fields –especially the younger ones– you still had hours before you had to get to class, you realised when you eyed the small cuckoo clock your mom had given you at the beginning of the year.  It wasn’t even time for you to go on your morning flight yet, but you thought perhaps it would be a good idea to skip flying in favour of playing in the snow, even if it was just for a day, you were sure you’d be able to convince James if you managed to recruit Remus and Sirius first. 

The world outside seemed to have taken a pause, wrapped in the serene beauty of winter, with barely a few students playing in the snow and trying to get from one spot of the castle to the other without making much noise. Of course, that wouldn’t last long, not as long as you could help it. You stood up and changed into something warm, putting on Remus’ sweater. You had taken the habit of wearing a lot more often since you wanted to test a theory that had cemented itself in your brain since the day of the Slytherin sweater incident. 

Once you were ready you turned to the girls “Come outside in like…” You pondered for a second, 5 minutes to wake up Sirius, another 5 for the two of you to convince Remus to join your shenanigans. Like 10 minutes to convince Prongs and about 4 for them all to get ready. Peter would be coming the minute you convinced Potter, so you didn’t worry much about that, “30 minutes,” you said, adding a few minutes to spare  “It’ll be fun.” 

“How fun?” Lily asked, a look of worry on her face that made you laugh. 

“It’s a snow day Lils, it’ll be brilliant, I promise!” you said with a smile plastered on your face as you put on a pair of boots and disappeared from their sight. Returning just a second later to take the invisibility cloak you had borrowed from James the previous night. You had it on a ball, and neither of the girls asked about it since they had assumed it was just a blanket you borrowed from Sirius or something. The minute you stepped out, you turned over a corner and put it on, walking straight towards the boy’s dormitories. 

Once outside their door you took a deep breath and leaned your ear close to the door, just wanting to make sure they were all still asleep. Which, as you predicted, they had been. You smiled and used your wand to open their door with a tweak on the classic “alohomora” that Remus has taught you. 

They had charmed their door, obviously, they had, but Remus –who often left his keys since he rushed in the mornings– had found a way around their own charm and taught it to you since you had been sneaking in to cuddle him and Padfoot, as Vixen of course. It hadn’t been every day, but you had all agreed that you’d have to do it a lot more often closer to the moon, to make sure the smell of the pack was well rubbed. 

You thought you already smelled like them enough, but neither of them seemed convinced. Or rather, neither of them wanted to stop cuddling each other, and you didn’t either. Padfoot was fluffy and Remus was always warm, which was especially nice on colder nights, the kind that were already much more common because of the time of the year you were in. And, sometimes, rather often, Sirius would turn back into himself and cuddle both you and Remus, only to turn back into Pads in the morning. If either Pete or James knew, they didn’t say a thing. Remus had always been asleep, or at least pretended, so neither you nor Sirius noticed, and you, who would lay half a top of Remus half a top of Sirius who had now learned exactly how to pet you, weren’t about to complain either. 

Once inside you looked at the boys and opened one of the windows with a swish of your wand, bringing a small blizzard inside the room and leaning in over Sirius’ bed, letting the snow fall slowly over his delicate features. He had his mouth slightly parted, and his hair sprawled all around him. He was the loveliest thing to look at; he looked like a princess, like Snow White, you thought, especially when a small snowflake got stuck on his thick black lashes. No wonder Prince Charming wanted to kiss the girl awake. You too felt tempted to kiss him.

“Sirius,” you whispered. 

He groaned, and you whispered his name again, giving in and giving him the kiss you wanted, a quick peck over one of his eyes, feeling how the snowflake over his lash melted away with the warmth of your mouth. He opened his eyes and looked at you, and then around, there was snow all over, coating you, himself and his bed as you leaned over him with a sneaky little smile on your face. The smile that oh so clearly stated, you were up to something. 

You were looking at him in such a way that he forced himself to clear his throat, trying to think of anything other than his morning discomfort. On days like this, he would get a shower and release himself of those thoughts, and something else. But clearly, that wasn’t an option at that particular moment, let alone with you leaning on top of him like that. You licked your lips and he almost cursed. 

“Sirius,” you said again “It’s snowing!” 

“I can tell Starshine,” he said as he picked a small snowflake that had gotten stuck in your hair, watching it dissolve in his fingers before he turned back to you. Well done, Sirius, she hasn’t noticed, he applauded for himself. 

You smiled and leaned in closer to him, his breath hitched in his throat, you had no fucking idea what you were doing to him. You leaned enough to whisper in his ear. “Help me convince Prongs to play in the snow instead of practice.” 

He almost frowned, turning to get a better look at you. “You’ve never had a snow day?” 

“I’ve had…” you said, “but never with you.” 

He sighed at your words but turned to you with a warm smile. “Fine, let’s go,” He said as he sat on the bed, still thinking of ways to get rid of his problem, his covers falling discreetly over it. If only there was a spell for that. 

“No, first we must convince Remus.” 

“Remus, why?” 

“If Remus is in, there’s no way Prongs will  say no, even if we’re skipping practice.” 

Sirius seemed to be processing what you said but nodded. “Go ahead, I’ll go change,” he said, motioning for you to move as he leaned over to find his shirt “bet he’ll like it if you wake him up with snow too,” he said with a devious smile and you rolled your eyes, giving him a soft peck in the mouth before walking over to Remus, bringing the small blizzard along with you. 

Had it been a few weeks ago, you might have been hesitant to do exactly what you were about to do, but you had climbed onto Remus’ bed so often in the past few days, either for cuddling as Vixen or just for chilling, that it was almost more natural than it was to climb onto your own. It was like climbing onto Sirius’ bed even, although, lately the two of you spend a lot more time on Remus’ bed than his own, because of the scent thing.

You leaned over and watched the small snowflakes fall over Remus’ face, he looked just as handsome as Sirius had. Or perhaps, the way to describe Sirius correctly would be ethereal, Remus was handsome. 

“Hey Rem,” you said softly, placing his hand over his shoulder. This time around, you decided to be softer, and more careful, not forgetting that one time he had pinned you on his bed. He stirred, brows furrowed lightly and nose almost imperceptibly scrunched up. 

“Sirius?”  he asked, not opening his eyes, you smelled like Sirius, and you and him. Your scents had been so mixed at this point, he just assumed it was Sirius since it would make more sense for it to be him, especially to be bothering him so early in the morning, not that he minded, not as long as it was him.

“Try again,” you said with a smile. 

Remus hummed content, “Little Witch.” 

You eyed him cautiously, his eyes were still closed and you leaned a little closer, shaking his shoulder lightly. Then he all but grabbed you by the waist and pushed you to him, Remus was still way too asleep to process what he was doing, and you fell over his torso as he tightened his grip. When Sirius walked out of the bathroom he spotted the two of you and thought it was the most adorable thing he’d seen, even if you had a small frown as you tried to fight your way out of the werewolf’s grip. But Remus was way too fucking strong. 

You huffed and turned to Sirius “Mind a little help?” you mouthed, he smirked in response. In seconds he turned into Padfoot and walked over to the two of you, leaning his head into yours for a second before jumping so his paws were on the bed and then, he leaned over and started licking Remus’ face. 

You barely managed to see Remus scrunch his face before he opened his eyes, looking rather startled. First, there was snow; second, Sirius had woken him by licking his fucking face; and third, you were laying horizontally across his torso, your head tilting slightly to the side with a rather amused expression, and he was holding you there. 

“What the fuck?” 

“You’re very grabby in the mornings,” Sirius said, now back in his human form and staring at Remus with his face laid over his crossed arms, which were leaning on the same spot Padfoot’s paws had been on, smile plastered on his lips.

 Fucking hell he looks adorable, Remus thought. 

And so did you, calmly lying there as you waited for him to loosen his grip. You didn’t mind waiting all that much either, Remus was comfortable. And then Sirius turned to you, placing one of his hands over your hair and letting it gently slide out, causing your head to turn towards the two of them in his action “Look at the poor thing, waiting there patiently for you to let her go Moony.”

You frowned, condescending. You were about to argue, but there was something about the way both boys looked at you that also made you want to shut up, as if you didn’t want to break whatever spell had been cast over the three. And it wasn’t the first time either. You blinked a couple of times. “Poor thing my ass,” you managed to say to Sirius, even if you let him play with your hair still. 

Remus almost reached to do the same, his hand twitched, but you didn’t notice, you had closed your eyes as Sirius continued to play with your hair. Looking rather content in the position. A small spark of rage came to Remus and he tightened his grip around you, only for a second until he realised that he was way out of line and let you go. You didn’t move, just enjoyed Sirius’ hand for a few more seconds and Remus wished he could be the one to make you feel like that. Eventually, you took a deep breath and opened your eyes again, biting your lip as you looked at Remus “It’s snowing.” 

He looked around and raised his eyebrows at you, his face clearly stating “no shit Sherlock”. 

“Starshine here wants to go play out there in the snow with us,” Sirius said. 

You were about to swat him for being so haughty with you, but you realised by the way the corner in his mouth lifted forward, he was just doing it to piss you off. You didn’t even realise the way Remus had gulped with how intensely you were glaring at Sirius. 

“Or we could just stay and cuddle,” you said with a sneaky little smile, you knew Sirius was already eager to go out there and play with the snow. Two people could play his little game. But both boys liked the idea just as much as the prospect of going out in the snow with you. 

“Let’s go,” Remus said as he patted you on the leg casually, a signal for you to get off him. If Sirius noticed his gesture, he didn’t seem to care much that he had done it, and you didn’t seem to notice either. It was almost as if the three of you had special concessions with each other that wouldn’t be allowed to many others. For example, Sirius would surely be pissed if you had been cuddling Tom, or even Peter, but with Remus, he didn’t seem to mind, heck he even encouraged it sometimes. Not that any of the three noticed these little things, but some people did. 

“Get changed,” You told Rem with a bit of a smile, “We’ll go wake James.” 

Remus nodded and both you and Sirius stood up. You walked over to James’ bed, and Sirius was about to jump over him to wake him up with a thud, but you stopped him, bringing in your small blizzard over his friend. Sirius smiled and took his wand out, making more snow come inside, and having relatively strong –and cold– winds blow over Prongs. 

Neither of you was being half as gentle as you had been with Remus, was it because you knew Moony’s short temper or… something else? Perhaps it was part of those special concessions you allowed one another. 

James started to shiver, pulling his covers higher up only for Sirius to slide them down again with a swish of your wand. Only then did you realise Prongs had been shirtless under the covers. You gasped silently at the sight, covering your mouth and staring. Prongs was fucking ripped, not as much as Remus but certainly ripped. You did not remember him being so fit back when you had been him.

Sirius nudged you with his shoulder when he noticed you were staring “Stop ogling him, will you?” he said slightly annoyed, he tried to hide it, and it slipped pass you. 

You shook your head, still amazed. “Do you have a camera? Lily should know.” 

Ah… so that’s why she’s staring at Prongs, fair enough, Sirius thought. He stared too, also thinking that while Prongs was ripped, Remus was much better. The snow became thicker around Prongs as Sirius’ thoughts focused on his other friend, the wind became even stronger, blowing on James’ hair, and making it even messier than usual. You were about to tell Sirius to hold back a little when James woke up, sitting on his bed fast and in panic. 

“Wakey-wakey Rudolf!” You said with a smile. 

Remus, who was just stepping out of the bedroom, looked at the two of you, wicked smiles on your faces while James stared, almost horrified, and he smiled. His two naughty little crushes. He wondered if you’d reach in to cuddle him and Sirius tonight, he wanted you to do it, he wanted you to do it really bad. 

“What in the bIoody–“ 

You were about to speak, but Sirius stole your line “It’s snowing!” 

“It’s freezing, that's what is!” he said as he pulled the covers, but you took them from him and dangled them in the air. 

“No-uh Prongs, it’s time to get up!” He gave you a reproachful look, “Come on! It’s a snow day, we must play in the snow a little before it melts away… and class starts.” 

The blizzard you and Sirius had caused was already dissipating, leaving the beds of the boys, and their floor, just a little slippery. But James peered to the window. “I highly doubt the snow’s gonna melt away anytime soon, luv… Besides, what about flying?” 

“No flying today mate,” Remus intervened from behind the two, gently placing his hands on both yours and Sirius’ shoulders, “It’s snow day, and the first one of the season.” 

“But…” 

You sighed. “Lily will be there,” you added. 

James’ eyes pretty much beamed after you said that and he ran up to his trunk, throwing a pillow towards Peter’s bed who woke up completely confused, “Why am I being attacked?” he asked with a frown. 

“It’s a snow day Pete, we’re all coming out to play!” You said excitedly, Peter blinked as if wondering why the hell you were in his room before remembering you had been over more often than not lately, and because of his idea, that is.

“Morning Vix,” he said politely. “Fancy seeing you here,” he added as a joke.

“Oh.. piss off and change before you start teasing us all over again,” Sirius responded.

And he had been teasing you rather often. Since you started cuddling Remus together, he wouldn’t stop with the canine jokes. Either Puppy cuddles, lovable howlers, or whatever the hell came into his mind at that moment. He found it hilarious that the three of you were so close and that the three of you were a variant of the canine family. Something about being meant to be or whatever. 

Peter just snickered and walked into the bathroom with clothes in hand, James didn’t even care, he straight up turned around and took off his pants right there in front of you, which had Sirius pull you to look at him and Remus cover your eyes with his hands. You laughed at their silly reactions. “Yo, Rem, when I said I would let you blindfold me, I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.” 

“Sly little fox, promising things without meaning them, are we?” He teased. 

You laughed again, letting your head shake. Remus was eyeing Sirius then, and Sirius returned the stare, the two of them stayed like that, almost frozen as they looked at each other, your laughter almost fading into the background as Sirius turned his gaze towards Remus’ diverted smile. Remus has a pretty smile, pretty like Starshine’s, he thought. 

“Is he done?” You asked, pulling on Moony’s hand to try and see a little bit better. That broke their trance and the two of them turned back to look at you, Sirius’ eyes flickering to your lips for a second, thinking he might actually be going insane. 

“Yeah, I’m done,” James said as he leaned over and placed an arm around your shoulders. “Why are we hogging Vixen?” 

“She came to wake us up with a fucking snowfall, now she must suffer,” Remus said as if it were the most natural thing. You nudged him lightly, about to say something when Peter stepped out, several layers of sweaters over him. 

You smiled “You get cold easy, Wormy?” 

“He’s got no tolerance,” James said, “and he always forgets the warming spell.”

“I could help you with it,” you offered.

“Thanks,” he said with a genuine smile, “but I’ve come prepared,” he added as he pulled a small piece of parchment from the pocket of his coat, showing it off in between his index and ring finger. “Annie gave it to me and charmed it so I wouldn’t lose it,” he explained, “It always reappears in my pockets now.” 

“What? That’s brilliant!” you said reaching for the parchment and taking it from Peter’s hand for a second, looking at the symbols in the back. Remus approached you from behind to take a look.

 “It’s complicated magic,” he said. 

“It looks like an altered version of Homunculus,” Sirius said, he too had approached you and stared at the back of the small paper. 

“Mixed with a clinging spell and a respawn one,” you added perplexed, “It’s incredible…” you said breathily, disbelief lacing your tone.

“Indeed.” Peter proudly raised his head. “Annie is insanely clever.” 

You smiled and gave the paper back to him, before frowning and turning to the boys. “Do you guys think the Homunculus charm could help with the map?” you asked with a frown. 

Remus bit his lip as he thought about it and then turned to you, “Vixen, that’s it! If we take the homunculus cham and somehow connect it to Hogwarts Magic–” 

“And then bind it to the core of the map then… we could have absolutely every single student, teacher and visitor to the castle tagged at once!” 

Remus nodded, “No more sneaking charms in their robes and backpacks! Fucking hell, we’ve cracked it!” 

You and Remus were staring at each other with such sheer excitement over it, so hyped up that the boy almost reached out to kiss you, managing to stop, and clenched his fist by his side. 

“Nerds,” Peter teased, dragging out the e slightly. 

“But hot ones,” Sirius added inadvertently, giving a small shrug as he did.

Remus turned to Sirius with a frown, but you just placed your hand over one of his shoulders and nodded. “Indeed we are,” you said and sent a wink his way. You then spun on your heel back to the rest of the marauders “Shall we? The girls must be waiting for us by now,” you said, standing on your toes to look over Sirius’ shoulders, at the clock. 

 A few seconds later, and due to James’ idea, you were all running down the stairs and through the halls, in an attempt to get to the orchards as fast as possible. 

“Do not run in the halls!” you heard a couple of scandalised paintings scream, and you just giggled as Sirius threw a silencing spell their way. The portraits looking at him enraged as you all kept running. By the time you reached the doors to the grounds, you were all panting, cheeks burning and grinning like fools.

You were bent down trying to catch your breath when you felt a snowball that came from the outside straight to your face. The boys gasped and started laughing as you dusted off the remnants of snow and looked up and tried to spot where it had come from. You continued to scan the field, only to find Lily Evans, smiling and waving at you with the most guilty expression you had ever seen in a person. 

Now it was your turn to gasp. “That’s what you get for waking us all up early,” She shouted from a few metres in the distance. 

“Mary woke us up!” You argued, “I only made arrangements.” 

“No, no,” James said, a wicked smile on his face. “You did wake us up early,” he added as he pointed at all the marauders. “And with a fucking blizzard,” the boy was already walking towards the redhead, “I say it’s time for payback.” 

You were about to say something when you received another snowball in the face, you looked at the boy with an expression of absolute betrayal as the leftover snow fell over your coat. “James Potter you little shit!” you said. He gave you a daring look in return. And you scoffed amused. Then you leaned down and made a small ball, packing the snow gently before throwing it his way. James easily veered out of the way, which you should have expected, since he was so used to dodging bludgers. 

“That all you got? You’d make a terrible beater, luv!” he teased, taking the ball Lily gave him and launching it your way, this time around you managed to dodge, but the ball fell right on the side of Sirius’ head. 

“Prongs, my hair!” he whined. Both you and Remus snickered, the taller boy was now the one passing you a snowball, allowing his hand to linger just for a second too long, as he did, not that anyone noticed, Sirius was too busy taking snow out of his hair and Peter had run off somewhere earlier. You smiled and brought the ball up to your face.

Using what you learned from charms to perform a small, wandless spell, over the projectile, you smiled wickedly and threw it his way again. James dodged to the side but the snowball turned with him and landed square on his face. You laughed as James looked at you with absolute shock, trying to remember if you had –at any point– taken your wand out. When he realised you hadn’t, he was half impressed, and just as he was pushing his glasses back on his face, he received another ball on the side of his head, his hair getting filled with snow as he gasped. 

Sirius –who had thrown the ball– was waving at him with a smile. Until seconds later he too received a snowball on his face, a laugh from Marlene as she nudged Mary echoed in the distance. 

Remus was about to pass you another snowball when he too got hit, square on his chest –the lucky bastard– by none other than Beth Doxon. She smiled, her bright red hair being covered by a warm Gryffindor cap. “Come on Professor Lupin! Stop passing balls and start throwing them!” she taunted, Remus took the ball in his hands and threw it her way. 

“Kind of fits you,” you said with a smile as you leaned down for another ball and moved it to your mouth to charm it again, “Professor Lupin, it’s got a ring to it.” 

“I much prefer the sound of Professor Moony,” Sirius teased from behind, “encapsulates his personality better.”

“Sod off, Pads!” Remus said, also crouching down to get more snowballs, when he stood up, and another ball came your way, you quickly moved behind him. He turned to you in disbelief. “What am I? Your human shield?” he asked, just as a snowball fell on the side of his face. 

“And an effective one, isn’t he Kit?” 

“Very,” you responded with a light giggle. “It’s about his broad shoulders,” you said as you placed both hands on them, Remus tensed, looking at Sirius, thinking he might be angry, or jealous, or something. But neither of those things happened, instead, he joined your praising. 

“And he’s tall too,” Sirius added, walking right behind you, and placing his hands over your shoulders, really close to your neck, in fact, close enough so his cold fingers crashed against your warm skin, which caused you to hiss and step away from him, crashing onto Remus. 

“Shit Sirius!” You complained as you attempted to tighten the scarf around your neck “You’re cold as fuck.” 

“But you warm my heart baby,” he teased, an overly gooey tone in his voice as he extended his hands towards you again, you knew exactly what he was about to do and you scurried out of his grasp and ran towards the snow, even if you got a few snowballs thrown your way as you tried to cross the field. You found a statue and with a quick confringo, melted the snow at the top to make a dent and take cover.

You quickly made a ball from the snow at your side and threw it on Sirius’ hair, leaning your head just enough time for him to notice it had been you. He eyed you, diverted and then you felt a snowball hit the back of your head, you turned around just enough to find Remus with another snowball in his hand.  

“Scoot over, will you?” He said as he leaned down, as if ready to enter your improvised trench. 

“No, you threw a snowball in my head,” you responded, feigning annoyance. 

Remus chuckled and placed one of his legs inside your trench either way, “And you used me as your shield, we’re even.” 

You shook your head in amusement but scooted over either way. Remus swished his wand and suddenly a pile of snowballs appeared behind you. You smiled and took your own wand out, whispering the same locating spell over all of them. Remus raised his eyebrow at you as if he was impressed, and you shot him a wink as you took a ball and leaned over to throw it towards Lily, meanwhile, Remus was throwing some Beth’s way. 

“You’ve abandoned me for a sexy werewolf I see,” Sirius whispered in your ear, he had apparated just behind the two of you. He had been practising since your last class when Professor Dumbledore allowed you all to try doing it for the first time by yourselves, and he was insufferably good at it. 

“The werewolf doesn’t want to bury his freezing cold hands on my neck,” you said –if only you knew where he wanted to bury them– without even turning to look at your boyfriend, if you had, you’d probably go soft at the sight of his eyes. He often got what he wanted from you with just a look, and he fucking knew it all too well. Not that you didn’t have the same effect on him, hence, you two were absolutely chaotic together. 

Your small trench was barely enough for the three of you to fit in together, and it’s not that either of you was a stranger to touching each other, but Remus was feeling the heat rise up to his cheeks as your shoulders brushed against his, but much more worse when his back brushed against Sirius’ smaller chest. It was like the Halloween party all over again, but this time Remus didn’t want to run away. 

Well, perhaps a part of him did, but the rest of him, the part that had thoroughly enjoyed cuddling Vixen and Padfoot, wanted to do the exact same to you and Sirius. He wanted the two of you to be his, to slather you with his scent so much that the entire world knew who you belonged to. 

Of course, that was ridiculous, Remus knew, but he was hungry, Moony was hungry, the problem is he didn’t want food, he wanted his two best friends. 

A nudge in his stomach pulled him out of his thoughts. “Mind teaching me how to make so many balls at once Professor Lupin?” 

“It’s Professor Moony,” Sirius insisted, he had to duck as a ball flew towards his head in that instant. 

You rolled your eyes “Rem?” 

He was still a little shaken by the thought, almost hazy with how thrilled being so close to the two of you made him feel. “Yeah sure, just… whisper pila nix,” he said as he showed you what he did. “It’s a simple swish and curl.” 

You did as told and in seconds there was another pile of snowballs ready for you to use. Sirius looked at Remus surprised. “You’re a great teacher mate,” he said, “should try helping her with transfiguration.” 

You groaned at that “You know I’m a lost cause,” you said as you ducked, the small ball falling straight on Sirius’ face. He tugged your hair lightly “Oi, what was that for?” you complained, turning to look up at him.

“So you warn me next time.” 

You looked at him amused, and grabbed some snow from the side of your trench, “Hey Puppy, there’s a snowball coming your way,” he looked around, as if trying to find the offender, only to receive one right from where you were crouching. 

He turned to look back at you shocked and smiled as he shook his head, “Oh you little Minx!” he said as he bit his lip, “I was letting you go scot-free earlier.” 

“Not my fault you didn’t see the ball,” you said, unconsciously etching closer to Remus. 

“Aww darling…” Sirius said as he crouched next to you, and pulled you into a hug. 

“Sirius, what– what are you, fuck…” you said springing up from the spot you were on, his hand –his freezing cold hand– that he had slipped under both your shirt and sweater had landed on your bare back. You stood behind Remus again, using him to shield yourself from Sirius. “Treason!” you said dramatically. 

“You don’t want another hug from your boyfriend?” he asked with a playful pout. 

You shook your head, still feeling the cold of his hand. If the snow fight was still going, neither of you was paying too much attention to it. Let alone Remus, who was really struggling not to let the feeling of you pressed against his back get the best of him. Only made worse by the way Sirius’ wrapped his arms around him and pressed himself to the boy as he tried to reach you either way.

Do they not fucking know about personal space?, he thought. But of course, you didn’t, not when the two of you had been cuddling him every other night. Needless to say, it was different for him, he was just cuddling two fluffy animals when he fell asleep –except in those rare occasions Sirius would turn back– meanwhile, both you and Sirius were just cuddling good old Remus. This wasn’t any closer to him than you’d been already. 

Remus didn’t speak, he was holding his breath. Sirius kept fucking pressing against him and you kept squirming behind his back. The golden specks of his eyes were so golden they looked like a different colour altogether, more like Moony’s than his own. The chocolaty brown shifting into dangerous and shimmering aureate. 

“Moony! Moony help!” you called out in between laughs.

“Don’t you dare, Moons!” Sirius warned. 

Sirius pressed harder as you tried to squirm away and it was enough for him to feel bIood run south. He had to stop this before either of you noticed what was happening to him, so he turned around and grabbed both of your shoulders, digging his hands in between your necks and the back of your heads, enough force to get your attention, but not enough to hurt either of the two. 

Sirius seemed to be shocked at how much warmer Remus’ hands were in comparison to his, to yours. You were not, you knew Remus tended to run on the warmer side. Hence, cuddling him on cold nights was so useful. “Enough,” he said, flashing his golden eyes at the two of you, the colour slowly sinking back into brown as the two of you looked at him as if his eyes had been those of a basilisk instead of his own, frozen. 

And then, you eyed Sirius, a small smirk playing on the corner of your lips as you sank your hands back in the snow. He smirked in return, sinking his hands as well. By the time Remus noticed your intentions, your hands –icy and freezing– were on his neck and Sirius had slid his hand under Remus’ shirt. 

Merlin knew who had been more startled after that. You, who had tumbled as you pulled on Remus and had him fall on top of you. Remus who had been shocked at the way Sirius had gone straight for his stomach –which in truth, had been a lot more shocking than the cold– and had his breath hitch in his throat. Or Sirius Black, who was only now contemplating his actions, realizing how awkward it must have been for his friend, and having a mini panic attack over the fact that digging his hands under Remus’ sweater felt as fucking thrilling as it did. 

Remus was a lot less soft and a lot more firm than you were. And he adored your softness, but fuck, Remus’ harder frame felt impious under his hands. It felt lurid, licentious, beguiling… and it placed some rather salacious thoughts in his head. 

Thoughts that… would be worthy of a muggle rock star. Of Freddie and Bowie, and perhaps even Elton. But Sirius was not– he wasn’t because if he had been… he’d know, right?

As you still had Remus pulled by the neck, you received yet another ball on the head, the leftover even splashing onto Remus whose head was so close to you that you could smell his hair, and then, you started laughing. So hard that you weren’t even feeling the cold against your back, the snow slowly sinking in your robes and soaking them. 

Sirius was the next one to laugh, taking his hands off of Remus’ stomach and letting himself fall next to the two of you as he continued to cackle. And lastly, Remus joined, you still hadn’t let go of his neck, almost using it as a personal heater at that point, he didn’t seem to mind, and eventually he just sort of relaxed into you, if you felt the shift in weight as he let go, you didn’t seem to mind at all either. 

“Well, well, well, would you look at the love puppies all cosied up while we continue the snowball fight.” 

Sirius grabbed a snowball from the side and threw it his way without even looking, and since they all had the missile spell it landed straight onto Peter’s face. “Shut it Wormtail,” he said, borderline rudely. 

While Sirius had never minded being called “Love Puppy” or whatever other joke Peter came up with, that was before he started doubting himself about whatever the hell was happening to him whenever he spotted Remus. Especially after exactly what he was feeling after he placed his hands under the other boy’s shirt, especially because it had been so fucking similar to the feeling he got when he did it to you. 

“We’re off for breakfast. You are not planning to stay all tangled in your little love trench, are you?” Peter asked again, whipping his face off the snow and paying no mind to Sirius and how rude he’d been. 

“We might be,” you joked, your hands had unconsciously travelled to Remus’ head after he laid down and you were now toying with his hair. He had silky hair, a little thicker in comparison to Sirius’ curls. Remus hummed in agreement, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the way your hands felt on his scalp. If Sirius thought it was weird, it had been his fault he ended up on top of you anyway. A part of him was telling him how bad of an argument that was, but it was easy enough to ignore it when Sirius didn’t seem to mind, and your hands felt heavenly. 

“Suit yourselves, I heard there was going to be an assortment of Christmas pies today,” he said with a shrug. 

Your head snapped his way. “Christmas pies, you said?” you asked, eyes shining and mouth watering at the thought. Your soft touch on Remus’ head switched to an unintended pull of his hair as you turned.

“Ouch!” He complained. 

You winced, “Sorry Rem,” you said, not even turning to him as you patted him on the shoulder and wriggled your way out of the sandwich he had trapped you in with the snow. He tried not to look disappointed as he stood back on the small trench. By then you were already standing outside of it, and looking at Peter as if you wanted him to elaborate. 

“The elves mentioned something,” he said simply. “Apple, pecan, peach, chocolate, some savoury ones too I assume.”

If you were a cartoon, you’d be drooling. “Well boys, pleasure messing with you and all that, but it’s pie time,” you said as you turned to walk behind Peter and the rest. 

“Who’s the traitor now?” Sirius shouted with a smile. 

“I’ll save you boys a seat,” was your only reply as you started sprinting towards the Great Hall, determined to be among the first to arrive so you could choose from the assortment of pies available. 

The boys caught up with you as you were taking a seat, already having walked through the length of the table and picked out the pies that you’d be eating. When they sat down, Remus at one side of you and Sirius purposely taking the other side to keep some distance from himself and the source of his thoughts. You picked two pies from your plate and placed them in front of each of the boys. 

“What’s this?” Remus asked as he picked it up. 

You were about to give a bite to one of the tarts you’d picked and said “Pie,” with a shrug, taking a bite right after and moaning at how good it was. 

Sirius’ whose head had already been messy that day, had to adjust his pants uncomfortably. First, you woke him up and he couldn’t complete his morning routine, then there was the whole confusing thing whatever the hell was going on in his brain when he was close to Moony and lastly, you moaning shamelessly as you ate. 

“No shit Sherlock,” Remus said as he pushed you lightly, shoving you against Sirius whose breath hitched as you laid your cheek on his shoulder and pressed a light kiss. “I mean, what’s it made of?” You sat straight and pushed Remus in return. 

“Try it, I know you’ll like it!” you said with a smile and gave another bite to yours. He gave you a distrusting look. “Oh come on, Moony! I wouldn’t give you something you don’t like! You’d get all pissy and Pissy Moony is no fun.” 

“Pissy Moony?” he asked, almost offended. “You have a term for that?” 

You left your pie on the table and raised his up to his mouth. “Sirius told me about it,” you said, “Now eat up, I promise you’ll like it.” 

He gave you one last side eye and then gave it a bite, missing your hands the moment you brought them back to your plate to take a bite of yours. 

“Cherries and chocolate,” Remus said with a smile as he turned to you. “I love it. How did you know?” 

You shrugged, “I’m just that brilliant.” 

“Will you also mouth-feed your boyfriend or is that only reserved for dear Moony?” Sirius flirted, trying to regain some sort of control of the dire situation he found himself in. 

Sirius didn’t mean anything by it, but the way he’d said “your boyfriend” straight up felt like a jab on Remus’ heart. Sirius was right, the two of you were dating and he seemed to be intruding more and more lately. But then again, the only times Sirius seemed upset about how close you all were, were when he was teasing. 

You rolled your eyes, but decided to take his pie in your hands either way “Close your eyes,” you instructed. Sirius gave you a weary look but did as told. “Try and guess what it is, deal?” you asked as you leaned it closer to his mouth. He leaned enough to give it a bite and then turned to you surprised “Is that…? Does it have firewhiskey?” 

You smiled and pulled out a small bottle from your pocket, “Thought you’d like something a little different,” you said with a smile “peaches and firewhiskey.” Sirius took the pie from your hands, his discomfort almost fading in the background as he took a look at the pie you’d given him. 

“But how?” 

You shrugged “Added the firewhiskey and then did a small warming spell so it cooked a bit. I’m sure it would be better if they were cooked together from the start but I thought you’d appreciate a little spice…”

“I do, wanna taste it?” he asked as he passed it over, you gave it a small bite and all but moaned again, even closing your eyes and letting your head fall back just a little, exposing your neck to both boys, who could barely keep their eyes away from it, especially Remus. “Fuck I’m an incredible cook, Moons taste this out too!” you said as you, for the second time that day, shove a pie close to his face. When he gave a bite he couldn’t help but taste both you and Sirius in it. It really was fucking delicious. 

He nodded as Sirius leaned over you to take the pie from Moony, their hands brushing against each other and giving both boys an electric-like feel, not because of actual electrical shock, but rather because of what they felt for each other. Sirius reclined back on his seat and placed his hand on your leg, seeking the hem of your skirt before sliding it over your skin. 

Same fucking feeling. 

You looked at his hand and nudged him lightly, he gave you a flirty wink in return that made you laugh and Remus tried to avert his gaze from both Sirius’ hand and the way your skirt had ridden up a good deal. 

You gave another bite of your pie and turned to Remus, as casually as you could muster –even if you were a bit nervous to ask, which you shouldn’t be because he was your friend– “Wanna come to Slughorn’s Christmas Party with me?”  No better time than now, right?

Remus wasn’t so sure about that, he almost choked on his own pie, he wiped his mouth with the back of his sweater before turning to yours with a frown “I’m sorry, what?” 

Sirius started drawing circles on your leg, the way your skirt moved with each of his strokes didn’t escape Remus’ nervous gaze on you. “The Christmas Party from the Slug Club, I’m supposed to bring someone with me” –you tilted your face with a smile– “Want to come?” 

Remus turned to Sirius, giving him a look, the other boy just shrugged with a nod but that wasn’t enough. “What about Sirius? Your boyfriend?” The words almost hurt to say. 

“He doesn't want to come,” you said. “Right, Siri?” 

“That’s more your kind of nerd stuff,” he said after he nodded, and pointed at the two of you. 

“Slughorn has never invited me, he doesn’t want me there,” he said, not sure if he was supposed to feel dejected because you were his second choice or fucking delighted because you’d want to take him and not Sirius, thought he had to remind himself that you probably did want to take Sirius. 

Remus didn’t stop to think that you would have, had you actually wanted to, easily convinced Sirius to come along. Let alone, would he have imagined that you had asked Sirius if you could take him instead. 

“That’s exactly why I want to take you”– you said as you placed his hands around his arm– “I want to show that old snake how freakin’ clever my best friend is. You deserved an invitation much more than I did anyway.” Remus gave you a reproachful look when he heard the last thing. “You’re coming, yeah? It’s always fun to prove the snakes how wrong they are with you.” 

Sirius smiled. “Come on mate, don’t make her beg,” Sirius said, flicking his finger on your thigh and letting them rest closer to the inner side, still at a prudent distance, and while you did feel the shift, you played it cool and tried not to even look. “Girl might end up taking Pete if you reject her,” he teased. 

You elbowed him softly, not because you didn’t want to take Peter, but because he was implying it would be such a terrible choice.  Of course, you’d much rather take Remus or even some of your other friends, like Tom or Minho (he was already invited) but that was because you were pretty certain Annie Doxon would hex you if you took her boyfriend. James was going with Lily, so he was completely out of the question. 

“Okay,” Remus said with a shrug, trying to seem as natural as possible. “I’ll come but… what about the date though, you know near the end of December it’s the…” 

“Moon’s on the 22nd, party is on the 21st. I know it’s just a day before and I’ll totally get it if you’re not feeling up for it by then. I wouldn’t want to make you into a Pissy Moony.” 

He pushed you with his shoulder again, “Sod off!” he said jokingly and both you and Sirius started to laugh.

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

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A/N: Some people were asking for a snow day chapter, and this felt about the perfect time for it. Love playing in the snow with the boys &lt;3 Upon some requests, we have a DISCORD server now and you can all join in and chat about marauders and/or GC with other lovely people. If you wanna discuss a new oneshot or even the new chapters of GC this is your place to go. The announcement for it is here and I'll leave links to it on a reblog of this post ad in the comments.

Read more Marauders Fiction

[bb-eilish]

Keep eating

pairing; yeonjun x sick!gnreader

warnings; neck kissing, teasing, nothing serious, fluff, suggestive stuff, groping,

summary; simply being touched by yeonjun has you needy even if you are sick.

A/n; i thought this was a cute idea, enjoy!!

“Here, Y/n. This should help with your fever.” He gently sets a bowl of cold seaweed soup on your nightstand. It smells delicious.

“Thank you, Yeonnie.” He offers a soft smile before crawling into the spot next to you. “Of course, eat up.” With a huff you push yourself into a sitting position and reach for the bowl, it’s cold against your calves as your pants have risen a bit from the crisscross-applesauce position you’re in. The first taste is borderline addicting, it always surprises you when Yeonjun makes such good food. Why can’t he cook every meal?

There’s not much that could distract you at the moment, but your boyfriend absentmindedly playing with the waistband of your pajama pants while scrolling on his phone is one of them. The touch has you remembering how long it’s been since you’ve both been intimate last, 2 whole weeks because of the stupid flu. Usually the simple touches wouldn’t have gotten to you, but you can’t help but yearn to feel him again.

Yeonjun seems to have noticed how you froze, spoon in mid air as you stare off into space. “Y/n?” He calls, the hand on your waistband moves to the top of your thigh and rubs in soothing motions, it only seems to worsen your current state. Before it ends up spilling all over you and your sheets, you move the bowl back to its original place on the furniture beside you and turn to Yeonjun. He raises an eyebrow at you and chuckles when you dive into his arms, your head snuggly fitting against his neck as you breathe him in.

“What’s the matter?” You can tell he’s worried and a part of you feels guilty for causing it, but at the moment you’re not able to think very clearly. His scent surrounds you and you wish to forgo the stuffy clothing you both are wearing. “Just missed you…” You trail off, nosing the expanse of his neck. Your hands drift down to the hem of his shirt and feel up the skin beneath it greedily. He’s warm and the ache between your thighs only becomes worse.

Yeonjun’s confused until the hand under his shirt digs its nails into his torso and drags you impossibly closer. He breathes out a laugh before speaking, “Y/n, you’re sick.” You let out a whine and dig your face further into his neck, nonverbally answering him.

“Y/n…” His voice cracks when you begin leaving rushed kisses under his ear, his hands grip your waist—ready to push you away at any given moment, but he doesn’t. He can’t deny how much he’s missed you, so his rational thinking is a little delayed. Especially when the hand under his shirt trails down to the waistband of the sweatpants he’s wearing and dips a finger or two teasingly beneath it.

It’s like there’s an angel and a devil on either one of his shoulders and they’re continuously arguing over what he should do next. The invisible devil seems to have won when his hands on your waist move down to get a good grip on your ass, the action has a needy whine bubbling against his neck from your mouth.

“Fuck, missed you too.” You smile in victory as he rolls you both over. Yeonjun leans down to kiss you but freezes, you sniffle for a second and it has him pulling away from you. The way your mouth is slightly open because you can’t breathe through your nose, the way your eyes are slightly red and glassy, …the way you’re still sick. His eyes soften and he sighs, he leans back down, planting a loving kiss to your warm temple before laying next to you again.

“Keep eating, Sweetie.” He mumbles.

“What? B-but, Junnie. I need you.” You look at him incredulously with a pout staining your lips. He simply brushes away strands of hair that fell in front of your eyes before he repeats himself softly. “Keep eating.”

[bettyfrommars]

v a c a n c y

Eddie x afab!Reader

This is a short snippet of a world I've been thinking about for a while, loosely inspired by the film Equilibrium where feeling is a crime punishable by death, but also by my fascination with abandoned places, wastelands, and the idea that, even though love sets us up for pain and grief, life is not worth living without it. I hope to expand on it eventually. Hint: this might also be interwoven with my nightmare Eddie.

wc: 1.3k

18+MDNI, dystopian au

This is rough, I just spit out this scene because I needed this Eddie to cheer me up.

The sting of the frosty air bit your cheeks when you stepped out of the motel room you shared with your aunt Ramona.  Wiggling the knob to make sure it was locked, you zipped up your coat, and then checked to make sure it was locked one more time for good measure. 

Nearby, someone whistled to get your attention.

You snapped a look across the way to find that the newest resident of the Grove Motel was out in the parking space in front of his room working on his van. He waved a wrench in the air at you.  “She needs tender loving care when it’s cold outside,” he shouted, possibly unaware of the noise ordinance for loud voices on the premises.  

You wondered if perhaps he had mistaken you for someone else, so you adjusted the bag on your shoulder, turned your back on him, and kept going.  

The steel of the wrench clinked to the cement, and then, at a jog, he caught up to you, and extended the spread out fingers of his hand for you to see.  “What do you think?”

He was referring to the new skull ring he wore, and was about to tell you a story about how a Hell’s Angel traded it for a six pack, but you were fixated on something else.  

“You’re not supposed to do that,” you gestured to the chipped, black polish on his short fingernails, not to mention the jewelry adornments he so proudly wore. “If they catch you, you’ll get a fine.” 

“Fuck ‘em,” he put a cigarette to his lips, lit the end with a metal zippo from his pocket, and then clapped the lighter shut, keeping the coffin nail in the corner of his mouth as he spoke.  “They can put me in jail, wouldn’t be the first time.”

You came to a full halt on the pavement then, unnerved by his unique and utterly idiotic nonchalance. His gaudy rings, the flash on his vest over his leather jacket, his long hair, everything.  Hell, you could very well get a fine for just associating with him.  “They banish people too, you know? To the Outer Limits, I bet you wouldn’t be so cocky then?”

He puffed a laugh out his nose and leaned in, his voice a murmur that melted into a purr. “Well, then, you don’t know shit about me, sweetheart.”

You dodged to the side to avoid him, marching ahead with brutal determination.

“Hey, hey, hey, please wait,” he jumped in front of  you, waving his arms. “I’m sorry okay? Just...wait,” and then his hands were up, palms out to mime the invisible wall between you.

Your gaze lingered on the dead tufts of grass around the sidewalk, but then cautiously rose to his brown orbs rimmed in gold.

“My name’s Eddie,” he bobbed forward before bouncing back on the balls of his feet.  “I’ve been seeing you around for a couple weeks and thought maybe I’d introduce myself.”

“I know who you are,” you swallowed.  “You moved into Curtis and Janey’s old place. They were friends of mine.”

“Oh shit, that’s right.  He was taken away, wasn’t he? By those rent-a-cops with the cowboy hats.”

You nodded, working your jaw.  “Curtis and his wife, they were always holding hands and kissing and…” a part of  you worried you’d get in trouble just for speaking the words. “...being really affectionate with each other.”

Eddie gave an exaggerated grimace.  “Yikes, that sound like some hardcore stuff.”

“Don’t make fun,” you inclined your head.  “This is serious.”

He broke into a chuckle, biting his lip.  “I can tell that you think it is.”

You kept walking, only to have him take backwards steps to keep pace with you, wallet chain bouncing with each jolly movement.  “So, what’s your name?”

“You’re not from around here, I can tell,” you let him know, mumbling your name so it was almost inaudible.

“What gave it away?” 

“Do they not have laws against feelings and self-expression where you’re from?”

“No, they do,” he spun on his heel to face the same direction as you.  “I guess I just don’t care about their rules.”

You came to another abrupt stop to gape at his casual smile.  You’d never met anyone like him before, and it made you curious almost as much as it infuriated you.  He appeared to welcome your assessment of him with matched intensity, rolling his bottom lip through his teeth a few times.  

“I have to get to work,” you stepped from the curb, gnashing your teeth.

“Are you taking the bus?” 

“No genius,” you spat over your shoulder.  “I’m waiting for my limousine to pick me up at the curb.”

At that, Eddie guffawed with laughter and sprang up next to you, shuffling in little hop-steps.  “You had me worried there for a second.  I thought maybe you were dead inside like the rest of them.”

“I’m plenty dead inside,” you muttered, thinking it was time to take your pills again, the medication that kept you from feeling anything and sucked any and all joy out of life.

“Do you want a ride?” He exhaled toward the sky, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.  “I know a guy with a van who has some time to kill.”

“No thank you,” was your quick and curt response.  

“Suit yourself,” he flicked the butt into the street just as an old, rusted Plymouth cruised by with a huge dent in the door.  “But if you ever need like, milk or sugar, you know where to find me.”

“I won’t.”

A few yards from the bus stop, he called your name, and you spun around to face him, brow creased with irritation.  

“Was that Led Zeppelin I heard coming from your place the other day or was I dreaming?”  

You froze, panic flushing arctic ice through your veins.  

The enjoyment of music was absolutely forbidden in your territory, and the only thing on the radio were news and religious stations.  You’d kept your dad’s old cassette player and a shoebox full of tapes hidden in the wall behind your dresser for years.  It was a secret you’d kept so long, you were always very careful about when you listened and how loud.

You were shaking your head, moving your jaw, but no words could come out.  He would tell on you, and then the Troopers would come and ransack your room and take the only thing of your father’s you had left.

“Please don’t,” you took cautious steps, searching his face.  “I can’t, I won’t listen anymore, but please don’t tell anyone. I’m begging  you.”

Eddie frowned and grinned at the same time, confused.  “I would never—” and then he realized you were actually freaking out, and his tone got very soft.  “Hey, listen, it’ll be our secret, alright? I like to listen to music too.”

You looked around, worried that the aluminum skeletons in the junkyard next door had ears. You believed him, you had to.  You’d been caught and you were at his mercy. 

“I was just going to say we need to get you some headphones.” He bucked his chin and gave a proud wink, “I know a guy.”

[amica-aenigmata-naboo]

Never Afraid Again

Astarion x Y/N - drabble - 798 WC

Masterlist

Warnings: heavy mention of SA, hurt/comfort, Astarion being a sweetie, def not trauma dumping

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At first, Astarion just thought you were amazing with boundaries. Every time he tried to entice you into his bedroll you politely declined. Astarion felt frustrated initially but when he truly felt feelings towards you, he seemed to mind less and less. But now, as time went on, he grew…. Antsy. You had never touched him outside of hugging him when he confessed or innocent touches like holding hands, soft pecks here and there. He wracked his brain but couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t touch him intimately. Astarions thoughts were interrupted when you walked into his tent giving him a small smile.

“Everything ok?” You asked, looking at Astarions scrunched up face.

“Darling… can I… do you…” he trailed off, laughing breathily. What he wanted to ask sounded ridiculous. 

You grew slightly worried, moving to sit with him, you tentatively took his hands. You traced over them, drawing invisible patterns into them. “What is it? You can tell me anything.” You encouraged him. 

“Do you… find me… attractive? Physically, I mean…” Astarion grumbled out. 

You laughed, cheeks flushing a bit before you realized he was being dead serious. “What? Darling, you are the most beautiful creature I ever beheld.” You said, tucking white curls behind his ears. 

Astarion’s lips twitched up momentarily, “Then… how come you never touch me? You always seem so… distant when it comes to touch. And of course I’d never want to force you… I’m just curious I guess?”

You nodded, understanding none of this was coming from a place of malice, just curiosity. Truth be told, you knew this conversation was going to be had at some point. You retracted your hands, taking a few deep breaths before speaking. Your hands picked at each other, trying to calm your erratic heart. Astarion had never seen you like this, you had been together for a year and he had never questioned this matter, and now, he is unsure if he should have brought it up at all. 

“A few months before we met… I was at The Blushing Mermaid with a few friends, we were celebrating ones new apprenticeship. Something was wrong with my drink so I went to the alley for some fresh air… I didn’t… I didn’t see them, I didn’t know anyone followed me…” your voice hitched, you cleared your throat before continuing. “They… took liberties… they forced me… I didn’t want to… Lucretious found me, she kept me safe in the circus until, well, until the nautiloid.” You quickly wiped the tear away that spilled unceremoniously. You couldn’t look Astarion in the eyes, you didn’t want to see the pity or disgust or anything. 

Astarion’s mind was brewing with violent fantasies of what he could do to your attacker. Everything made sense now. Why you jumped whenever he walked up behind you, why you were so on edge in Baldur’s Gate, why you never sought out intimate touch. 

“Darling,” he spoke, in hopes of getting your eyes to meet his. You cautiously flicked your eyes to his, only for a moment. “What happened to you wasn’t your fault. It was a vile, wretched thing that never should have happened and I’m… I’m so sorry it did my love.” He spoke softly, slowly opening his hand to you, giving you the choice to take it or reject it. You took his hand and pulled yourself into him for a hug. He shifted you so you sat in his lap, your head in the crook of his neck. You let it out, all of it. You wept for what felt like ages. Your hands fisted Astarions shirt tightly, tears fell onto the fabric. Astarion held you tightly, kissing your head and whispering affirmations to you. 

When your breathing mellowed out and your sobs turned into random mewls, only then did Astarion pull away to look at you. “You never have to be afraid like that again… I’ll always be here for you, with you…” he delicately kissed your cheek, “We never have to do anything you don’t want to do.” 

For the first time since you walked into the tent that night, you smiled at him. It was a small smile but a smile no less. “I want to… do things with you… it’ll just take time. When it happened, I felt like somebody ripped all my skin off. It takes time to grow back. But when I am ready… I want to do those things with you.” Astarion smiled back at you. His eyes had never been so soft and round. He truly loved you, and whatever you needed he would be there for you. 

You tentatively took his face in your hands, kissing him softly. He held your wrists, kissing them both when you two separated. “Love you.” You said, blushing. 

“Love you most.” He said back as you snuggled yourself into him.

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Naboo's Note:

Hello everyone! A bit of a heavier piece but it felt good to write. If you or someone you know has been SA'd and would like help please reach out to +1 202-501-4444 this is a world wide SA crisis line operating 24/7. You aren't alone in this. In writing news - I'm going to post another fic or two today. As always - thank you for the likes, comments, reblogs, and requests. Ilysm, talk soon xoxoxoxo

[pitchsidestories]

invisible string II Lucy Bronze x Reader

a/n: based off this request.

"Time, curious time Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see? And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me?"

~ Taylor Swift, invisible string

barcelona women masterlist I word count: 3264

North Carolina, 2009

To be honest the first time Lucy Bronze stepped into your life was not ideal. For countless reasons. One of them was how you two met back in 2009 in North Carolina. Both of you were foreign students playing for the University’s soccer team. So naturally the changing room was the place of your first meeting.

As the captain of the team, you asked every teammate to introduce themselves at the start of the fresh semester: “And you’re?”  “Lucy. Lucy Bronze.”, the dark-haired woman replied while eating. In slight disgust you wrinkled your nose. To yourself you thought who talks when there’s still food in their mouth you asked yourself, but you chose to say out loud:” Pleasure.” “Want a piece?”, the English defender asked with a smile which usually won everyone over even the toughest opponents. Slowly you shook your head:“ No, thanks, training is about to start.”

The truth was you lost your appetite since your girlfriend broke up with you over your phone a few days ago. To be fair Spain and North Carolina was far apart from each other, but you had hoped your love was strong enough to handle this. It turned out you were very wrong about that. Meanwhile Lucy shrugged her shoulders nonchalant:” Fine then.”

In the evening you tried to cook for yourself while equally trying not to cry into your dinner. Someone was standing right behind you, so you turned around to see who it was: “Oh hello Lucia.” “Pretty sure I introduced myself as Lucy. Not Lucia.”, the English woman frowned. Confused you gave her a closer look: “Yes but why don’t you use your Portuguese name then it’s on the squad list?” “Mierda!”,you cursed as you realized you burnt your food while talking to the defender. Worried Lucy asked: “Because I’m English. Do you need help?” “No, maybe I do need a little bit of help. Sorry, I’m not in a good mood lately. My girlfriend back at home in Spain said she could not do this long distance thing but it’s only a year. Nevermind. God, I’m a mess.”, you opened up, not knowing exactly why you did it in front of someone who was still almost a stranger. Maybe that made it easier to talk about it.

The brunette smiled empathetically:” So heartbroken, huh?” “Yes.”, you nodded. With a grin the taller woman demanded in a bossy tone:” I know what helps with that. Move over. I’ll make you some food.”“That’s thank you.”, she took you by surprise with that small act of kindness. “Don’t worry about it.”

Curiously you asked:“ Do you like North Carolina so far?” “Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”, she responded to with a grin while staying equally focused on the cooking part. You couldn’t help but to gush about your surroundings:” I agree. It’s crazy that women’s football here is more popular than men’s football, right? Feels like there’s still so much to do back home in Europe.” “Yes, you’re probably right about that.”, Lucy agreed while she secretly found your passion for change inspiring as she too felt like it was about damn time.

Suddenly you changed the topic, wanting to know more about the English woman in front of you: “Can I ask you something? What made you choose defending?” “I just love stopping people from scoring. Always did. When I played with boys, they always underestimated me. They thought I wouldn’t tackle them.”, the brunette replied, visibly amused by that memory of her childhood. “But you proved them wrong.”, you concluded. The defender laughed while she was reminiscing on her past: “I did. I made a few of them cry.”  “Oh, really?”, you giggled. The English woman could still see your red eyes from the crying a few minutes ago:”Yeah, but they did cry a lot uglier than you.” “I thought pretty crying doesn’t exist.” “Apparently it does. Here, eat that.”, Lucy demanded.

As you took the first bite you closed your eyes because it tasted simply delicious:” Oh my god, this is really good. Where did you learn to cook like that?” “My mum taught me.”, the dark-haired woman answered proudly. Still with your eyes shut you remarked: “She taught you well.” “Took a long time until I perfected cooking like her.”, the defender confessed with a smile.

Now you opened your eyes again and gave her an sincere look:“Thanks though for the cooking and the talking Lucy. I really needed this tonight.”  “No, worries. I had to cook anyway.”, your teammate shrugged it off.  

Lucy did enjoy cooking for you although she did not think any further on that because you were clearly in an heartbroken state and she was just happy to focus on football for now and the possible friendship that would evolve from here.

Lyon 2017/18

When you joined Olympique Lyon a year ago, you immediately felt like home in this team. Today, the new signings were supposed to be introduced to the squad and you were determined to make them feel the same way.

You ran into Wendie Renard on your way to the pitch who looked down at you with a smirk; “The newest signing says she knows you, so I thought maybe you could show her around.“ “What? Who is it?“, you asked confused. But the tall defender did not even need to answer. Over her shoulder you could see a familiar face walking towards you. “Lucy? How long has it been? Seven years since North Carolina?“ Without thinking you threw yourself into the arms of your former best friend. Lucy hugged you tight and smiled; “Surprise.“ Slowly, you let go and shook your head in disbelief; “Oh wow. You’re here. I can’t believe it. But can you even speak french?“ Lucy grimaced as if you had personally offended her with that question; “Of course I speak french. I’m well prepared.“ “Really?“. You raised an eyebrow at her which Lucy only answered with a tired smile; “Don’t underestimate me.“ “We’ll see how well you do in training. They refuse to speak english.“, you kept teasing, your arms folded across your chest. But Lucy remained confident; “Not a problem for me.“ “If you say so. Come on, I’ll give you the tour.“, you decided and took a few steps away from Lucy.

The English defender immediately kept up with you; “Alright, I’ll follow you.“ As you walked side by side across the training grounds, you could not stop yourself from looking at Lucys face. It’s been a long time since you have last seen her and those seven years have done something to her. Or has she always looked that good and you just never noticed it? But that smile was definitely still the same.

As you two stepped into the empty gym, you opened your arms in a welcoming gesture; “Welcome to the best club in Europe.“ “It will be even better now.“, Lucy replied self-assured, letting her gaze wander around the room. You acknowledged her answer with an eye roll; “You did not change at all.“

“But you did?”, the defender mocked you. “Yes.” She took a long look at you before saying: “I don’t believe that.” “I’m not the sad, heartbroken young adult anymore.”, you told her. Amused your new old teammate began: “But apart from that.” In her eyes you’ve always been beautiful, and this has not changed over the years you’ve spent apart. Her gaze became a bit too intense for your liking, so you tried to get back into swing with your tour:” So these are the changing rooms.” “They’re quite nice.”, the brunette admitted while taking the view in. Smiling you promised her: ”Wait until you see the other rooms, they are way more exciting.” “Oh yeah?”, Lucy smirked and led you back to the changing room. Dazzled you looked at her:” Yes but Luce that’s not the way!” “Oh yes, it’s. Close your eyes.”, the English woman commanded. Still confused you ask her: ”Why?” “Just do it.”, the defender replied, her voice slightly impatient. A sigh escaped your lips while you closed your eyes in anticipation of what you did not know exactly:“ Okay Fine.” “Good, don’t’ move.”, the brunette said, sounding quite satisfied now. Her tone made you laugh and question what she was doing behind your closed eyes: “I promise I won’t.” “Okay, open them again.”

“What did you do?”, you stared at her slowly realizing what she has been up to. Your teammate couldn’t help but grin cheekily: “I stole your locker.”  “Rude, I’ll change that back.”, you scoffed.  Laughing Lucy hold you from doing what you announced: “Stop, it’s mine now.” “No, I’ve been here longer than you.”, you started pouting. She threw an innocent look at you: “I thought the newest singing gets to pick.” “You’ll regret that, Bronzy.”, you jokingly warned her before continuing showing her around.

It was matchday and Ada Hegerberg who became one of your closest friends in the team whistled at the sight of you sitting on Lucy’s lap:” Oh look we’ve two new lovebirds.” “What? No, I’m just sitting on my usual place.”, you corrected her and yet your cheeks still turned red at the Norwegian’s comment.

With a smug smile, Lucy tilted her head up at you; “Actually, your place is over there. This is mine now.“ “No, it’s always been hers.“, Ada sided with you. You held up your head in Adas direction; “See!“ But Lucy shook her head vehemently; “Nope. I picked it when I came here.“ You gasped about the fact that she would consider stealing your locker as picking one. “I won’t move.“, you declared stubbornly. The English defender shrugged; “Then we will sit here for a long time.“ Wendie was already impatiently bouncing on her feet, waiting for the game to start; “Come on, you silly girls.“ Seeing your captain ready and focused made you finally give in. Slowly you stood up from Lucys lap; “Coming.“ “Yeah, let’s kick some asses.“, she laughed as she followed you outside.

This game was important and everyone on the field knew it. You played in the midfield, Lucy behind you to your right. Immediately, it felt like back in the US. You knew exactly where Lucy was moving without seeing her and she could read your body language so well that every pass to you was timed perfectly. It still was a hard-fought game, but Ada managed to put the ball behind the keeper, scoring the only goal of the night and winning you the game.

As you walked around the pitch, high-fiving your team mates after the final whistle, Ada stopped you. Her gaze wandered from you to Lucy who stood close by, joking with Wendie; “Your connection is remarkable… It feels like you’re connected by some invisible string. Are you two…?“ Before she could even finish her question, you burst into laughter; „Lucy and me? Oh no.“ “Oh, you’re not?“ “No. We just know each other for a long time.“, you explained, feeling your cheeks flush. Gratefully, you noticed Wendie walking towards you and nudging Ada; „Leave the children alone, Ada.“ Rolling your eyes, you reminded her; “We’re not children anymore.“ “We’re even older than Ada.“, Lucy chimed in. “Exactly.“ Your captain shook her head with a long sigh; “Still children if you two don’t see what’s in front of you.“ “I See a successful season in front of us.“, Lucy replied, gracefully ignoring what Wendie had hinted at. “Oh yes. It will be golden.“, you smiled. The English defender grinned back at you; “With many trophies.“

It turned out that she was right with her prophecy after all. You did win the league but even more importantly you did become the winner of the women’s champions league. What a glorious night in Kiev. Olympique Lyon won 4:1 against Vfl Wolfsburg.  

As the referee ended the game you beamingly jumped into Lucy’s arms: “We’re the champions of Europe, Lucy!” “I told you.”, the brunette shouted back equally happy. On your team’s side it was pure happiness, on the other side the german team was devastated. Ecstatically you whispered into your friend’s ear: “We won.” “Yeah, we’re the best.”, the defender nodded proudly.

In that special moment under the night sky, you suddenly felt brave enough to do something which you normally would not have done, because you’d have feared the possible consequences afterwards: “Close your eyes. How does that win feel?” “Amazing. For a lack of better words.”, she told you, still with a huge grin on her face which encompassed all the feelings for which the English woman did not find the words yet. Before you could overthink anymore of it you kissed her while Lucys eyes were still shut down. Surprised the brunette replied to the kiss, first cautiously than more passionately. But Ada interrupted the two of you as she called your name. Your cheeks still red from what just happened you told the blonde: “I’m on my way, Ada!” “Wait..what?”, the defender found her voice again and looked dazzled at you. Shyness overcame you: “I’m sorry, I don’t know how-“ “Oh. It’s fine. Happens to the best of us, right.”, Lucy tried to shrug it off. Nervously you agreed: “Right.” Meanwhile Ada took your hand to lead you to your celebrating teammates.

Wendie who watched you two from afar asked the confused English woman: “Lucy, what was that?” “Why are you asking me? She did that.”, Lucy countered. The French woman glanced at her curiously: “And how did it made you feel?” “It just happened in the excitement. It’s fine.”, Lucy answered. Although her heart felt heavy saying these words. A small smile appeared on Wendie’s lips as she observed: “You look disappointed though.” “I’m not.”, her teammate grumbled. Trying it with a more cheerful tone she added: “Let’s go celebrate with the other ones.”

After a few glasses of champagne, you noticed that Lucy was sitting alone: “Lucy? Why did you stop celebrating?” “Huh? Oh. Just wanted a break.”, the brunette explained. Hurt you commented:” You’re trying to avoid me, right.” “No, I don’t.”, she said stubbornly. “Lucy.”  “It’s fine. Really.”, the defender told you. The silence between you two became unbearable so you offered her:“I can leave if you prefer that.”

“No.“, Lucy answered curtly. Confused, you repeated; “No?“ “No, stay.“, she clarified, still not looking at you. You sat down next to her with a sigh; “If you want that.“ “I do.“ As the silence threatened to get too big once again, you gathered your courage and steered the conversation to the obvious topic; “The kiss…“ But Lucy interrupted you before you could finish; “I know. It was an accident. Don’t worry about it.“ She was finally looking at you. Your breath hitched involuntarily. As you spoke, you could feel your jaw tense: “No, it was not an accident. I was just a coward.“ “What do you mean?“, Lucy frowned, equally surprised about the confidence in your voice. “I wanted to kiss you since the start of the season but it always felt like the wrong time… at least that’s what I told myself.“, you admitted.

You had no idea how Lucy would react, but did not expect her features softening as she asked; “Wait. You did?“ “Yeah.“, you confirmed, looking down at the ground. Upon Lucys quiet laugh, you immediately had to look up again. “Shit. You should have done that much earlier then.“ Lightly, you tilted your head; “But what if you didn’t feel the same way and I’d have ruined everything?“ “But I do. So you missed your chance to do it earlier.“, Lucy grinned. “So…?“, you struggled to put your thoughts into words. Amused, Lucy repeated; “So?“ “Was it too late to tell you that?“, you asked carefully. Gently, Lucy slipped her hand into yours; “No, it was the absolute perfect time.“ “Would you give us a try then?“ The defender nodded; “I’d want nothing more.“

There were so many emotions that you could not process at this moment. But there was one thing, you knew you wanted to do; “Can I kiss you again? This time with open eyes?“ “You can kiss me all you want.“, Lucy laughed, tilting her head towards you and waited. You leaned forward, pressing your lips on hers. Her hand rested on your thigh as she deepened the kiss. When you broke apart, she grinned; “I could get used to that.“ “Me too.“, you agreed before Lucy pulled you back into another, longer kiss.

Barcelona 2023

“Hello Aitana and Lucy.”, Sarina Wiegmant greeted the two Barcelona players with a big smile. Only a couple of minutes earlier she has been in a deep talk with their club head coach. Surprised the defender looked at the Dutch woman: ”Coach?” “Oh I was watching you and Keira tonight.”, for a moment the England coach stopped in astonishment than she added, Wait, who’s that?” “Lucy’s wife.”, Aitana answered grinning. Amused Lucy took your hand in hers:” Thanks, Aitana. Yes, that’s my wife.” “I did not knew you had one!”, Sarina gazed startled at the two of you. The defender laughed: “Surprise. I do.” “Why was not she at the World Cup?”, the blonde asked noisily. Her player replied winking: “She’s Spanish.” “That was one reason, the other one is still carried around by Mapi.”, you added grinning. Playfully your wife gasped out loud:” Oh no, don’t tell her!” “No, tell me.”, the Dutch woman demanded. With a sigh Lucy turned to one of your closest friends since childhood:” Wait. Mapi!” “Oh do you want your little girl back?”, the Spanish defender asked smiling innocently, while holding your baby in her arms.

As Mapi mentioned the news, Sarina’s mouth went wide open:“Little girl?” “Yes, she needs to get to know Sarina.”, your wife nodded. Eyerolling the Spanish defender gave the brunette her daughter back:“Fine but she won’t play for England when her time comes the Spanish federation might have changed for the better.” “You don’t actually believe that, do you? She’ll play for England.”, the English woman decided. “Okay but let her at least play for Barcelona.” “We’ll see about that.”, your wife answered.

Meanwhile Sarina cooed over your little girl:” Hello little one, nice to meet you. Don’t listen to those adults talking about your future.” “We’re just making sure, she’ll have a good career.”, Lucy defended her position.  Softly her coach looked from your daughter to her: “I know but let her be a child first.” “Don’t worry, we’re just joking. No one’s pushing her into something she doesn’t want to.”, the brunette reassured the Dutch woman. “True, we’re making sure of that.”, you continued. “Very well. So where did you two met?”, Sarina changed the topic. A dreamy look appeared on the defenders face:“A long time ago. We were both playing in the US for North Carolina.” “Really? I played there too. A long time ago.”, the blonde replied amused by that coincidence. “There’s no way, Sarina.”, Lucy chuckled.  “But it was a long time before you. I think we might have had the same coach though.” A sound of disbelief came from your lips:” Did you had Dorrance too.” “I did.”, Sarina told you.  Almost admiring the defender concluded:“So did Lotte and Alessia, that man taught football generations after generations.” “Who would have thought that.”, you said. “Not me but it’s kinda cool.”, Lucy admitted.

You looked at her and Sarina as you remarked: “It’s like we’re all connected through invisible strings. Somehow we all ended up together at some point in time and place.”

[blayresmuses]

invisible string

summary: you recklessly put your betrothal to aemond at risk but he proves he’s willing to have you anyway, no matter what.

warnings: it’s a little bit risqué, ‘whore’ is used

you’re dancing when aemond finds you, a tipsy bundle of buzzing nerves so clearly out of place he releases a dark chuckle. relief loosens him as he watches you, he’d searched all night, a dizzying unusual sense of worry taking over him as he prowled the streets.

you’d gotten out of the castle somehow and whilst he admires your nerve he hates how it made him feel, not knowing where you were, if you were safe - it had driven him crazy. yet here you are, in a brothel of all places clearly having the time of your life.

the men are only gaping at you, thank the gods but he can see the hunger in their eyes as they watch you spin to the music, your hair free and wild down your back as your dress moved loosely at your feet. ‘beautiful, isn’t she?’ aemond turned to find a man by his side, scruffy and balding. he looked at him in disgust, a burning rage sliding it’s way through his senses as the man looked upon you. he didn’t deserve it, didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you.

in the blink of an eye his dagger was out, pointing into the man’s back. ‘hold your tongue,’ aemond warned. ‘or i’ll have it out.’

it drew your attention, your eyes curious then angry in the space of a second as you came to a standstill. aemond shoved the man to the side, giving you a sly grin that made you shiver. your brain was slow from the wine and you hesitated a second before turning and running. you can feel him at the back of you, an eerie presence.

you’re nearly at the entrance when you feel it - his breath on your neck, his arm around your torso. he drags you, a show of his brute force, into an empty room before cornering you against the door. his jaw is locked and he looks away, as if he needs to calm down. ‘aemond-‘ you begin, the taste of regret starting to take hold. you hate the way you want to touch him, how you want to calm him when two hours ago you wanted to ruin the betrothal altogether.

‘what were you thinking?’ he snapped at you, his restraint snapping. rough fingers take your jaw as he lowers down to your height, butterflies swarm in your stomach at the close proximity. ‘did you let someone touch you?’

‘why would it matter to you if i did?’ you answer back, wincing when his fingers press in deeper to the soft skin of your cheek. your chest brushes against his, breaths mingling together. of course you saved your innocence for him, it was hard not to when every other man that came close to you made your skin crawl. only aemond could have you so on edge by doing nothing at all.

‘don’t think i won’t tear that dress off of you and find out for myself.’ your forehead fell against his and his fingers slipped into your hair, caressing gently even though his eye was a fiery storm. you should have fell into it, told the truth and apologised but you couldn’t - you enjoyed the cat and mouse too much.

‘someone else already did,’ you murmured, widening your eyes innocently. ‘it was better than i could have imagined, better than what you would have given me. now why don’t you run back to your mother and tell her the betrothal is finished?’

there’s a long tense pause. you consider the fact that this could be the last time your this close to him and it surprises you how sad it makes you feel. subconsciously you inch forward, burying yourself closer into him until your lips are a hairs breath away from each other. you love how you feel when you’re around him, how excited he makes you feel, how far he pushes your boundaries. it’s challenging and thrilling and you wonder what was going through your head to make you want to ruin it.

‘you wouldn’t be the first whore i’ve fucked,’ aemond murmurs softly, playing with a stray lock of your hair. he’s calm but your not stupid, you can see the fire in his eye, he’s seething underneath. he doesn’t believe you, you’re flushed and a bit sweaty but he knows deep down you haven’t been ruined by someone else, you’re still completely his - as you should be.

you want to be embarrassed - he’d just insulted your honour - but the words have sunk their claws into you, have you in a lust filled daze as you gaze up at your possible soon to be husband, mouth parted as you take a shuddering breath.

‘believe me when i say this Y/N. broken in or no, i will have you but whichever side of me you get depends completely on your next choice.’ aemond backs off, leaving you feeling strangely hollow. he lifts your fingers, brushing his lips against the skin there and you lean against the wall for support. ‘stay here or come with me, it’s up to you.’

he walks out of the door, confidence pouring from him as if he knows already you’ll follow like the obedient little wife you should be. son of a bitch, you think before following behind, still unsure wether you’ll be leaving or not.

[collectivecloseness]

1) hey. You know i love you, right? & 45) how can someone as perfect as you, like someone like me? For Steve/reader please. With Steve then reader saying it

Prompts: 1) hey. You know i love you, right? & 45) how can someone as perfect as you, like someone like me?

(Notes: anon i got your follow up requesting alluring to the reader having depression as well, so tw for depression mention)

Steve Harrington x reader

You stood quietly on the sidewalk, swinging back and forth with your feet on the edge of the curb, as your boyfriend said bye to a group of his highschool friends. Specifically, a few guys he was on the basketball team with, and their girlfriends, who’d all bumped into Steve’s as he closed up family video, with his arm around your waist, ready to take you back to his for an evening of ‘borrowed’ movies and good popcorn.

But then his old teammates ran into him, all on their way to some club that didn’t care if people were one or two years south of being allowed to enter, and Steve had been swooped up into a conversation with them. You didn’t mind it, and he still kept his hands warmly around your waist the entire time. Until you’d given him a small smile, and politely stepped away in the middle of the conversation, so he wouldn’t ask. Until the girls started drooling over Steve Harrington again.

Apart from one of the couples who’d been dating since Sophomore, you’d never seen any of the girls with these particular guys before, in fact you were certain two of them had swapped boys, so it didn’t surprise you they were absolutely fine batting their eyes at Steve. Who by all accounts, even if he’d lost his king status, was still highly wanted.

Steve soon wrapped up bro hugging his former teammates, and as they all cheered goodbye to him, maybe a pre party or two in, Steve wrapped his arm over your shoulders, and finished their rallying cry for Hawkins High back between cupped hands, apologising quickly to you, still with a grin on his face as you flinched away from his loud cheer in your ears. Only smiling a little up at him for that though. That you could smile playfully about. The thoughts in your head were more damaging.

“Okay! Shall we get moving?” Steve clapped his hands together, grabbing his keys back from his pocket and swirling them around his fingers, as you both walked to his car.

Inside you turned the radio up, before you’d even done your seatbelt. To which Steve just smiled at you, singing lowly along to the lyrics he knew, and a few he was definitely misunderstanding, as he mindlessly bopped his hands on his steering wheel.

You were glad for the distraction. At least it meant you didn’t have to talk. You saw those girls, a few of whom rumours had spread Steve had dated before, well known, popular, dazzling, all dressed up, make up and hair amazing, bright smiles glimmering at Stevie. And you saw how animated he got when his old clique came rolling up, how pumped he was to be hanging out with them like it was old times, even if it was only for ten minutes.

Like Robin, who occasionally snarked Steve over this fact, he hadn’t really noticed you in his high school days.

It wasn’t anything malicious, and it wasn’t like you were invisible either. You just didn’t really connect until Steve started working at family video, which was fine! You hadn’t paid Steve more attention than a regular classmate, and than understanding his status as king, either. And then with Vecna, you two became even closer.

But it still sometimes worried you. A cold, sludgy feeling creeping from your stomach, up through your chest and throat like bile, that you weren’t good enough for Steve. And that, horribly, one day, he’d know it too. Which is why, even though Steve knew about your depression, and had glimpses into your self-doubts, you hadn’t exactly told him this point blank. For fear as soon as you said the words, he’d take a step back, and see it for the first time clearly himself.

Steve quickly pulled up to his home, and you two got out of the car together. Steve quickly making his way to your side, humming the rest of the Madonna song lost with the cars engine, as he placed his hand on the small of your back, leading you up his pathway. You loved how often he touched you, even at simple times, Steve always liked to be touching you.

Steve turning his head to you now however, made you try to fight back a grimace, because you could tell what was going through his head.

“Hey. You’ve been pretty quiet the entire ride.” Steve lightly begun, his hand sliding further along your back as he walked you to your front door.

“Really? Sorry. Hadn’t noticed.” You quickly covered up, melting just a little when Steve breathed out a laugh through his nose, and you could feel his lips smiling as he kissed your head. “Don’t need to apologise. Just saying.”

You squeezed his waist with your own hand holding onto him for a few seconds, unceremoniously dropping simply as Steve had got the door open. Holding it for you as you came in, double locking the door with the bolt he’d put in after his first experience with the upside down, before kicking his shoes off in tandem with you, throwing his vest onto the coat rack.

Steve sighed loudly, wiping his hands over his face, before stopping in front of you. Pressing both hands to your waist as he leaned over and pecked a few kisses to the centre of your head. “Mmh. Food now?” He asked, to which you only nodded. Loving Steve’s loving gestures, but also feeling bad in yourself about him holding your waist

He soon let go, looking like he wanted nothing more than to collapse into the couch, which you did yourself, but walking over to the wall his phone was on, and scouring through the neat pile of take out menus. “I’m thinking pizza, we can get it from the place you like this time. Sound good babe?” He smiled over at you, batting the menu against his hand and the leather of his watch.

You didn’t jump up with the fact that Steve always bitched about ordering pizza from his much preferred restaurant usually, and you didn’t turn around with a smile, you didn’t even say yes. You just threw a thumbs up behind your back, and your eyes scoured for the tv remote without moving your body. Fuck this would seem more natural if you just switched on the tv right then. But maybe Steve wouldn’t notice.

Big no.

Steve dropped the menu and walked over to you, sitting down on the sofa cushion closest to you, and tried to snatch your eyesight.

You just couldn’t do it.

“Hey? Is everything okay hun?”

“Mmhm.”

Fuck. You were doing a shitty job. But you couldn’t help it. You felt grey. Like just your whole body was grey. And cold. And disgusting. As much as you desperately wanted to act like everything was normal, you just didn’t have it in you. You couldn’t even look at Steve, and you didn’t even really know why! God everything felt awful right now, just because some of Steve’s old friends had to remind you all of the reasons you thought you didn’t deserve Steve. Not that they were buried deep anyway. You always thought it was true. And God Steve was leaning closer to look at you and you just wanted the earth to swallow you whole right now so you could avoid this!

“I love you.”

That was all Steve said. And while the spike through your heart this time was a nice one, rather than a jagged painful one, it still felt wrong. Like Steve saying that was just wrong. Not that you didn’t believe him, you knew he was a true guy. But it made you feel worse, even less capable of looking at him. No matter how hopeful and genuine his tone was then.

You just turned your head away, your body inching in on itself, the sofa shuffling in the quiet of the room. And oh, if you could have seen yourself, you knew that would set alarm bells off in Steve, it would in anyone. And you didn’t see Steve’s face dropping.

“Hey. You know I love you, right?” Steve was concerned, confused. He shuffled closer to you, knees on top of your curled up thighs, his warm hand hovering over the space between where your back was arched away from him, and the sofa, before deciding to place it there. Angling his head as much as possible to try and get you to look at him, with his eyebrows scrunched sadly, and his deep brown eyes troubled.

You didn’t turn back at him, you didn’t even look at him. Steve could just hear you breathing louder now, breaths flowing from your mouth.

“Baby you know I love you?”

Steve was worried. He tried to smooth his face just a little, wanting to be the strong one for you, but letting his concern for you prevail clearly, even if you weren’t looking at him now. He half wanted to grasp your chin and tilt you to look at him, his hand certainly brushed against your cheek enough for his movements to flutter there. But instead Steve changed course, easily jumping from his seat on the sofa, and landing right in front of your feet. Resting his hands on your knee, head level with yours, and always bobbing, following you, just a bit under you, silently pleading for you to look at him. He had half a mind to jump onto the end of the sofa in front of you and squeeze in with you, if he didn’t worry about crowding you and making things worse. Steve just wanted you to talk to him.

And he got what he wanted. His pink lips dropping wider as you finally turned your head to him, and he saw your watery eyes. His hand immediately shot to your cheek again, his thumb rubbing your apple as you cried, his face miserable as he watched you sniffle, desperate to be close to you, to fix this.

“But... why?”

Your head felt too full, too fuzzy with unnerving thoughts to really untangle this web. You just wish someone could do it all for you. Without wanting to put that pressure on Steve. You kept your face in his hand, but you didn’t move far into it. But now your eyes couldn’t move off of Steve’s, and you found it a similar problem. Because you couldn’t stand to see how sad you were making him.

“Why what baby?” Steve asked caring, rubbing your cheek with one hand, always shifting on his legs, and periodically squeezing your hand with his other.

“How- how can someone as perfect as you, like someone like me?” You forlorned.

Steve’s eyes widened in shock, a little glossy themselves now, and he grasped your hand tighter, his thumb quickly wiping away any tears that fell. “Hey y/n how could you think that? I love you. You know that. Why would you think that sweetheart?”

“Because I s-saw your friends. I saw how well those girls look after themselves, how liked they are, and I know the girls you used to date back in highschool-“

“Baby that was highschool.” Steve interrupted, but you just squeezed his hand back.

“I don’t... I don’t...” you were scared to say it. You didn’t want him to think it, you didn’t want to shatter the illusion, you didn’t want Steve to see you that way, you didn’t want Steve to think of you like that, you couldn’t have Steve look at you like that!

“Don’t what y/n?”

Fuck it. Your heart was beating too fast. “I don’t look like them! I don’t look like someone you’d date, I don’t act like people as cool as your friends, I’m not as cool as them, I’m not as cool as you! I’m not anything. I’m not anything compared to all that. I just... you could do so much better, and I’m so so scared that you’ll realise that and leave me and I’m sorry for keeping you away when you deserve better but I love you and I don’t want to-“

A large sob overtook you, and your eyes widened for a second as you realised everything you’d just said in the second your body forced you to breathe. And you collapsed your face into your knees, your hands covering your face, as you sobbed into your legs. Distraught with what you’d just said.

The whole time Steve rubbed your back. Shushing you, but you couldn’t hear it. Not over your own sobs. You dreaded to see his face, to see him thinking over what you just said. And when you eventually had to look up, Steve was going to see your face at arguably its worst. Heated, eyes red, blotchy, swollen, hair a mess, nose runny. You didn’t want to look up, you didn’t want to face Steve, you couldn’t lose him.

Even if sometimes it felt like you were selfish for keeping him. Because you were so sure he could do better than you.

Steve kept holding your hand, the one hiding the side of your face, but the one he hadn’t let go of the whole time. And he kept it as he moved, no longer in front of you. Something you were aware of, so much it subconsciously stifled your cries a little, because you were trying to listen to where Steve was moving, too afraid to look up. But then you felt him right by your side again. And before you knew it, Steve was moving you over onto his lap, without any resistance from you, and you cried as your face was placed against his chest. A fresh wave of sobs overtaking you as Steve cradled you to his chest, his strong arms scooping you up comfortably onto his lap, as he held you. Rocking you. Gently, warmly, lovingly. You didn’t even hide your face with your hands, you didn’t have to.

You just cried into Steve’s chest, able to smell him from your nostril that wasn’t blocked, and able to feel him all around you. Able to relax because his chin was tucked into your hair, so at least one of your fears was quashed, he couldn’t look at you like that. Your sobs quiet, but hiccuping into Steve, letting your boyfriend hold you, and letting him comfort you.

“Baby...”

This was it. Your sobs stopped in your throat like sick, silent as you waited to hear what he had to say in that careful tone.

“...you know I know you’re beautiful right?”

A steady breath left you. Just looking up at him. His face upset, but warm. His hand lovingly stroking over your face, getting those hair strands away from your sticky cheeks, his other hand soothing on your back.

“You know I can tell how gorgeous you are. I see it everyday.”

You slowly tried to hide in Steve’s chest, but his hand warmly spread from your cheek across your neck, and it made you roll it in how good it felt, head lolling flatly onto Steve’s chest. Smushed, you were sure, but way too comfortable for you to move. Especially when your wet eyes and heated form made you feel so sleepy. Especially when Steve made you feel safe enough to doze on.

You sniffled, uncaring and not self conscious about it, as you snuggled into Steve’s torso, because he had such a way of holding you so comfortably. “You’re just saying that.”

“Uhhh no.” Steve responded, in an almost bitchy voice, which usually got you to laugh when he was like that. Instead, you just looked up at him with eyes that looked so big, glossy under him like this.

“Babe, you’re a hottie. Do I not say that enough? Dustin makes vomiting faces at me all the time when you’re not looking when I say it.”

Okay he got a giggle out of you there. Your heart still thumped though, uncertainty making it’s home in your brain as it always did. Luckily Steve Harrington was an expert at speeches.

“You’re a smoke show. Suuuuper charismatic. You are the quintessential apple of my eye.” He kissed your head, then again because he couldn’t resist, and he saw your hand reaching up, lightly playing with the shirt gripped to his chest.

“I mean, you remember that night I didn’t want to take you to Robin’s party because I swore someone was going to steal you away, and then you suggested I wear something as hot as you were so that way you didn’t stand out.”

A small giggle slipped past your lips. And Steve’s fingers waggled slightly into your waist, making you dodge away and quickly grab his hand, although not caring that he was touching your waist anymore. You just brought his hand back up to between his chest and yours, and played with it. Listening to Steve as you just looked at his hand, watching his fingers go as you toyed with them.

“I’m still terrified of someone scooping you up. Away from me.”

Now you looked up at Steve. Your cheek was pressed into his chest, and even though he was smiling at you, his eyes were flickering down like yours had been earlier. A hint of hurt betrayed in them. “You know.... you know I- I struggle with my own self doubts too. You help me with them all the time.”

Steve only had to lift his stolen hand, to be able to kiss the knuckles on all of yours. His eyes flickering to you with some playfulness, but soul still there. “And I’d be a bit of a shitty boyfriend if I didn’t know your own personal demons too, since you help me with mine all the time. And I know you know it’s brave to do so, and I hope you’d know that I’d never be upset with you for having them, like I’d leave you or something. Because I’m not gonna magically think it’s true just because you say something that’s frankly absurd about yourself.”

You just looked at Steve awed. Your heart still, your whole body and mind at ease. The storm was over, and you were just enamoured with Steve. Just taking in everything he had to say, as he held you. Tears dry and itchy at your eyes, only to be pushed away like Steve had magically known of it the second you felt the discomfort. He never let you feel even the slightest of that.

“And considering how I’ve seen you fight literal demons, I’m sure you look just as hot battling mental trauma than with blood splatter and sweat all over you.”

You laughed loudly this time. Feeling proud in yourself that you got Steve to smile again too, laughing along with you. As his hands cupped your face, feeling your laughter in your cheeks, and swatting away any loose strands of hair, watching you laugh like you were the most beautiful sight in the world.

Yeah. You leaned your head against Steve, looking up at him with nothing but love in your eyes, and seeing it reflected right back at you, before having your face brought up for a kiss. You’d get through this with him. It had to be easier than actual demons, after all.

[justporo]

Words like daggers

A Night of Fake Smiles and Hidden Lies: Part 5

Author's Note: Firstly, don't worry. This part was already finished some time ago. I'm really trying to keep my promise to take my time with things, but I'm SO proud of this part, so you're getting it now and I will just update the fic how I feel like it after this. Also this part is pretty long so next chapter might take a couple more days so I can catch up.

Astarion and Tav finally enter the ball which is a show of blatant excess. Conversations are had, introductions are made and by the end champagne is splashed in peoples' faces and Astarion unknowingly lets out the most vicious of mockeries. Please enjoy!

Song: Camille Saint-Saëns – Danse Macabre Pairing: Astarion/Fem!Tav (You) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Lots of swearing, soft mention of SA, people just being dicks...

CHAPTER LIST | PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER

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Slowly, the two of you made your way down the stairs to the ginormous ballroom.

Dim golden light from giant chandeliers, candles and mage lights everywhere set the atmosphere: warm, inviting, enticing and a bit gloomy; with the promise of darker corners where the light wouldn’t reach.

On the far end to one side of what could only be described as a hall was almost a full orchestra playing and the dancing was already in full swing – the middle of the room wholly reserved for couples twirling and turning. Enchanting melodies filled the room and sometimes the heavenly voice of an elven singer in front of the orchestra, precariously clothed in a white dress, drifted through the crowd.

Opposite the staircase tall windows and doors led outside where more people were standing with a view of the gardens of Herrenfordt Castle in the moonlight. A view so vast, you could see the hilly greens of the estate, then further below and seemingly an eternity away the twinkling lights of the city and the almost invisible in the darkness of the night: the river Chionthar.

And on the other side from the orchestra, you could see huge and widely thrown open doors that led to other rooms and other parts of the mansion. Quite a lot of the guests seemed to disappear into these other rooms but only few seemed to come back, mostly servants were coming from there – carrying trays loaded with more drinks and some with canapés on them. Yet the main ballroom didn’t seem to empty out anytime soon.

All around people were standing as couples or smaller groups: chatting, slandering, laughing, drinking the champagne or eating the food being offered by the many servants passing through the crowd with huge silver trays. Some seemed to be well in their cups already, staggering or sloshing their drinks while talking and gesticulating animatedly. Some couples already seemed very handsy as well – hands wandering deeper from backs to more insolent regions, décolletages emphasised with a carefully placed hand or arched back, spines straightened and shoulders rolled back to look taller and more intimidating.

Gold, diamonds and pearls seemed to be everywhere you looked. Everything and everyone was sparkling in their finery and giving off the aura of careless excess and frivolous debauchery.

Jewels shone from daunting cleavages, signet rings clanked on chalices, flamboyant headpieces swung around during coquettish laughter, deep red lips left stains on crystal glasses and silk shone like liquid in the dim lighting.

An impressive display of languid ignorance and luxurious degeneracy. And it was more than impressive even – it was intimidating.

You gulped as you let your eyes wander over the scenery and the crowd.

“Chin up, my love, we have a right to be here as much as everybody else. And also, you’re the second most beautiful person in this room, my heart”, you heard Astarion joke beside you. You gave him a look from the side as you indeed lifted your head up some more and straightened your back.

Astarion though didn’t look nervous at all. He wholly looked as if he belonged, his face now a display of arrogant boredom. And more than that even: he well looked like he could be the owner and host of all of this.

“You really have a way with backhanded compliments, you know that?”, you replied and looked down at the crowd again. Even more heads were turned towards you now, observing you as you made your entrance to this ball – and accordingly to the high society of Baldur’s Gate. But at least the pale elf at your side had managed to take the edge of your fear in that moment.

“Tell me I’m wrong, love”, Astarion replied and you could see him grin at you when you threw him another glance. “How could I?” And to that the vampire replied with a genuine smile.

As you descended the last couple of steps you could already see a young, male and pretty broad shouldered servant approach you with a tray full of broad rimmed crystal glasses filled with what you assumed must be this champagne people kept talking about – not that you ever tried it.

The servant came closer, an easy and polite smile on his lips. Seemingly, the dress code for the servants from here on out was much more casual: uniforms for men and women consisting of black pants, vests and loose white shirts which for most were only very lazily laced at the top.

“Ah, time for another lesson, my love: when someone hands you a glass of champagne: never decline!”, Astarion whispered to you as the server offered you the tray and you each carefully grabbed a glass. The server with long and loose black hair and slightly greyish skin – you were sure there must be drow in his ancestry - gave you a small wink then turned around to other guests.

You were surprised for a second and looked at Astarion who simply raised his eyebrows: “I told you, you looked incredible.” You shook your head with furrowed brows and took a sip of the sparkling champagne. As you drank you noticed how almost all faces that had previously been watching you had now turned around again. Obviously, the interest had merely been in watching you being presented like a piece of morsel on a silver platter – no one actually had any interest in getting to know you.

The champagne filled your mouth and surprised you with its taste: prickly and sharp but also with a rich sweetness that filled you and warmly eased its way down your throat. You were surprised to say you liked it.

While you drank you let your eyes wander of the crowd and found it quite diverse, but not as diverse as you were used to from your city: many humans and half-elves were present which wasn’t a surprise because they made up a large portion of the city’s overall population. Proportionally many elves were guests even which also wasn’t surprising because many were nobles and mostly represented in the Upper City. Even some tieflings or dragonborns were to be seen but rarely any dwarves, halflings or other races. Which confirmed what you had feared: while the city was generally pretty diverse and inclusive, the high society was elitist and only open too few. The champagne in your mouth tasted suddenly a bit like bile as you thought about that.

But your critical thoughts were soon interrupted by your soulmate. “Oh, what a fine drop. Dear, dear, I wouldn’t be surprised if this champagne wasn’t only older than you, my sweet, but also older than me”, Astarion said after he had taken some sips too. “This must unimaginably expensive”, he continued and let his gaze wander to you just as you had just downed the rest of your glass.

“Tav!”, he shrieked, his voice immediately several octaves higher as you blushed and realised that you had probably gulped down more money’s worth than you had paid for alcoholic beverages so far in your life. “But you said to never decline champagne”, you answered remorsefully. “Yes, decline, I didn’t tell you to down it like a pint of lukewarm beer tasting like piss”, the vampire hissed at you, but you already saw the servant from before approach again, throwing you a wicked smile and letting you swap out your empty glass for a new filled one. You thanked the server with a smile as he winked at you a second time and left again.

“And stop flirting with the staff!”, Astarion spat albeit you could hear that he was only teasing. Still, you were dangerously tempted to stomp on his foot: “I didn’t do anything! You told me to drink the champagne and suddenly I’m doing it all wrong or what? And you dragged me here all dolled up as if you wanted to show me off!” Your tone was half mad, half joking.

The vampire didn’t reply but pulled you in with a smirk by putting one arm around your waist and pulling you to his chest before he said in a tone that wasn’t remorseful at all: “I mean you’re not wrong. Maybe a bit of ‘showing you off’ was part of my plan for the night. Mostly though it was how much I could dress you up to my personal liking.” He grinned seductively at you, his lip darting out to lick over his lips and for a moment you forgot you were in public. You let yourself be kissed by the elf with open lips, your free hand digging into his doublet as the mood turned from your playful bickering to something other.

At least in the back of your mind a voice reminded you that you were very much publicly making out with Astarion. But then you remembered how you already had seen some couples very obviously sneak away to darker and deeper corners of the castle. If you were putting on a show for someone you were at least sure to blend right in with the crowd.

“And by any means, darling”, Astarion whispered to you as he broke the kiss but kept staring at your lips “keep drinking as much champagne as you like. You know people say it’s an aphrodisiac, right?” You blushed but couldn’t reply as the vampire pressed his lips to you again, one of his fangs shortly grazing your bottom lip and making you shiver.

“I’m not carrying you home though when you pass out”, he whispered when he broke the kiss again. You made a face at him although your head was still spinning from the kiss – also you were absolutely sure that he would carry you home if the need arose.

“I’m not carrying you home either, Astarion, just so were both on the same page here”, you replied and stuck your tongue out at him, then turned around. The vampire softly placed his free hand on the small of your back and softly lead you around the enormous ballroom.

You made to walk around the room for a little while, each just sipping on your champagne – Astarion now stealing naughty looks at you whenever you lifted your glass to your lips. Your partner had taken up some of his commentary from earlier as you walked around the room. Pointing out some people he knew and what their dirty laundry was as you kept drinking. Meanwhile the music and the dancing continued. Couples of all combinations entered and danced, those who left looked giddy and flushed. You were actually starting to feel excited to join them later on but for that you felt you had need of a few more glasses of champagne.

And as you were on your third and Astarion on his second glass you were suddenly approached with a subtle cough from the side as you were passing an open door that led outside.

As you looked over you saw a slender half-elf man with dodgy eyes looking at you. When you found his gaze, he cheerfully said: “Ah, you must be Lord and Lady Ancunín! Would you do us all the honours of maybe joining us for a while?”

He motioned towards a small group of people: a beautiful young tiefling woman just as slender as him but with incredibly sad eyes and blue skin that seemed to be his wife, another couple, human, consisting of a man with a bushy beard who seemed way too buff for his doublet and a woman with a dangerously deep neckline and several strands of pearls around her neck who was holding a very furry, small dog, and finally another seemingly a bit older half-elf woman with an incredibly tasteless headpiece with feathers.

You quickly looked at Astarion who looked at you and shrugged before he softly put his hand on your back again to lead you towards the strange little group.

Astarion softly whispered to you: “Remember, if you don’t feel comfortable just elbow them ‘on accident’”- he air quoted, lifting his hand from your back shortly – “and watch what happens before you leave.” You grimaced at him but felt thankful for his quip, nonetheless.

The slender one who had talked to you first introduced everyone while nervously running his hands through is sleeked back hair. You listened to all the fancy long names and titles and immediately forgot them again. But you were sure it didn’t matter anyway.

“Oh my, Lord Ancunín, how have you been hiding for so long from society, hm?”, the lady with the dog said and made eyes at your soulmate while letting one hand wander the rim of her deep cleavage, so obviously not hiding her interest in Astarion. Meanwhile, the dog on her other arm started to snarl and bark at the vampire excessively. The vampire rolled his tongue in his mouth and took a drink of his champagne as his eyes followed her hand riskily wander the outline of her breasts. You immediately felt anger rise up in you at her audacity. The grip on your glass tightened and you were sure your face must’ve immediately slipped.

You saw how Astarion’s nose softly wrinkled in disgust. His eyes jumped back to the lady and bored into her: “I haven’t exactly been hiding from society, I’ve just been otherwise occupied.”

You knew he was playing at being under Cazador’s thumb but dog lady obviously mistook his words. “Shame, really! If I had met you earlier, I would have eaten you right up, my dear”, she replied, chuckled and patted Astarion on the arm – the vampire’s nose scrunched up even more and you felt him tense beside you. He smoothly stepped out of her reach, she let her hand lay on the bare skin of her chest again and kept batting her eyelashes at him. The grip on your glass of champagne tightened even more as you felt like you had entered a den of wolves.

The rest of their little group giggled softly, obviously used to her insolent behaviour. Only the tiefling lady with the sad eyes kept simply drinking from her chalice and looking out longingly at the gardens bathed in silver moonlight.

You suddenly felt the urge to grab Astarion’s hand, so you did. You squeezed his hand reassuringly. He squeezed back a bit and lifted it up shortly to press a kiss to your fingers with a short glance towards you under the judgemental eyes of the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, the dog kept barking at the vampire. “Pomme de terre! Will you be silent for once!”, dog lady shrieked at her puppy and then shook him to silence him, much to your shock and disgust.

Astarion who had just then been taking another sip practically snorted into his glass. He lifted his chin and said with a vicious gleam in his eyes: “Vous avez nommer cet chien ‘pomme de terre’? Vraiment?” Your head turned towards him, brows furrowing – you hadn’t understood a single word of what he’d been saying.

But neither had anyone of the small group of nobles. The broad-shouldered husband of the one addressed simply coughed and emptied his drink. The rest threw each other looks that clearly stated their opinions about the two of you: scum.

“Vous êtes plus stupide que je l’imaginais, bravo!”, Astarion continued as he received only questioning looks in response again and took a deep swig of his champagne with a maliciously mocking grin. The dog kept barking and growling as the group threw each other confused looks once more. The owner of the dog looked definitely displeased by what she at least interpreted correctly as mockery at her expense.

As the silence dragged on, Astarion leaned over to you and quickly whispered to explain: “She called her dog ‘potato’ in another common tongue I am sure she does not know a single word off.”

Then he grinned at you, you grinned back. Of course, he’d be the one to know something like this and be able to call her out on it. You had to be honest: you loved it when Astarion showed off his vast knowledge, especially if it were others on the receiving end.

And you didn’t feel as intimidated anymore: they might think you were beneath them, but you knew they were beneath you – at least in terms of character.

Dog lady looked both of you up and down in a very judgemental way. Her husband motioned towards one of the servants, grabbing two glasses – one for himself and one for his wife who didn’t even look at him while taking the drink from him – and then patting the young man carrying the tray on the chest in thanks. Then silence spread again after Astarion’s mockery. Solely the dog kept barking and started to get on your nerves a little – but who could blame the creature with its bad luck in ownership.

Then suddenly a murmur started to rise through the crowd, especially inside, making everyone’s heads turn. At the top of the stairs stood a tall, blond man, elegantly dressed raising a glass towards the people who clapped and cheered. So, this was probably your mysterious host Lord De Grodt. You grabbed Astarion by his sleeve, but he was occupied with something else.

Astarion used the moment of commotion to bare his teeth and hiss at the dog who immediately stopped barking. He started to whimper and squirm in his owner’s arms, desperate to get away from what had revealed himself as the much bigger predator until the rude lady finally set him down and he could hide behind her skirts.

By the time Astarion had turned around the host had already disappeared again somewhere atop the gallery. The vampire looked quizzically at you but you just waved it off for the moment – you were already occupied enough with the nobles right in front of you.

The group started to talk again but explicitly left you out of the conversation now. Obviously, Astarion’s taunting had moved you down enormously on their list of interests – or rather him. It almost felt like you had been invisible for them from the start; not counting the very first mention.

The lady with the ugly feather headpiece started to talk about how her estate’s upkeep in Neverwinter just kept rising because personnel was just so expensive. She kept waving her hands around and you noticed she was wearing excessively big rings that were just as ugly as her hat.

You threw Astarion a glance who kept staring at the pretentious nobles and weren’t completely sure how to interpret his facial expression. You would have liked to leave but then again… You had overcome more mortal perils than you could tell, you surely wouldn’t shy away from some arrogant assholes. So you took another big sip of champagne and lifted your chin up while you let your free hand wander up Astarion’s back until it laid on his shoulder. He absent-mindedly covered it with his own as he kept staring at the others – his demeanour almost as if he were a cat focusing on the prey in front of him.

The lady with the feather headpiece noticed your gesture and looked at your joint hands on Astarion’s shoulder for a moment. Then her eyes suddenly jumped to yours with a glint in them you couldn’t quite place.

She spoke in a sudden outburst that halted all other conversation: “And so you must be the lord’s…”, she said and gave you a look that immediately gave you the feeling of being naked before her. You couldn’t help but feel intimidated yet again and stayed silent.

“I mean, I would have said wife because you were introduced as Lord and Lady but I didn’t see a ring on either of your hands and nowadays people would bring the staff they’re sleeping with.” She gave an absolutely over the top sort of laugh that made your hairs stand on end. The others joined in with mocking laughter: dog lady lifted her hand to cover her mouth and gave you a mean look. Even the tiefling gave a condescending snarl as you could feel yourself turn a deep shade of red. And you really didn’t like how it seemed the attention had now shifted to you.

“Yes, I mean, can you remember when Lord Levlon brought his ex-wife’s maid when she already had a huge belly? Nobody believed that had happened before the divorce!”, the skittish guy who had first spoken to you said and cackled.

“But don’t worry, my love, seems your beau still seems to be fairly interested in you – even though let’s see how long. Don’t take it personal but you don’t seem to be of the same standing as everyone else”, said feather hat. Your gaze snapped to hers as you felt you lost grip on the situation. They all suddenly seemed to close in on you.

“Men are so quickly captivated by a pair of young and perky breasts until they realise there’s no brain to go with the tits”, dog lady continued and placed her hand on her cleavage again and arched an eyebrow at you while smirking – as if that were the case for her.

“But do not be worried. If your lover here gets you knocked up, he’ll probably pay generous amounts of gold to keep you quiet and the child hidden”, skittish guy said with a vicious grin at you.

Astarion stared at everyone, his fingers over yours squeezing them as he was fuming with rage, almost hurting you.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say anything but rather that he didn’t trust himself to not rip them up in front of all the other guests if he dared so much as move a single finger. His brows were drawn together so much in anger, the wrinkle between them seemed impossibly deep.

“They always pay to cover up their shame”, beard guy said and downed the rest of his champagne in one go and waved for the young male servant again.

“It’s always the same, honestly”, dog lady sighed theatrically “the most beautiful ones only tend to think with their cock and the tacky little sluts seize the oppor-“

“STOP TALKING TO US LIKE THAT, BITCH!”, you screamed in a sudden outburst, burning with rage and before you could think better of it you threw the rest of your champagne in the face of this wretched woman. She gasped but was obviously dumbfounded by your short circuit reaction.

You knew your face must be fire red. You didn’t shout loud enough to raise your voice above the rest of the party, but people around surely started to raise eyebrows, turn their gaze and shake their heads.

“My, would you listen to the mouth on that thing”, the tiefling woman said with an incredibly disgusted face. The first thing she said since you had been standing there and it was to mock you. That finally made Astarion snap out of his blind rage enough to react.

The vampire downed the rest of his champagne then set down the crystal glass down so hard it cracked on the tray of the servant who had just come over and now awkwardly stood beside him and beard guy as the drama unfolded. The vampire let go of your fingers and your hand fell weakly to your side again.

“Oh, you should better fucking listen, indeed, darling”, he growled. “Because that’s quite the attitude for someone whose husband fucks a woman so tasteless, she wears dresses her tits almost fall out of”, Astarion continued and let his gaze wander to dog lady whose mouth immediately formed a surprised O.

The tiefling woman stared at Astarion in shock as her skittish husband became somehow even more skittish and started to open and close his mouth soundlessly like a fish and helplessly flailing his arms – confirming Astarion’s words without having to speak.

“Oh, you hadn’t known yet? Pity, maybe if you stopped staring off into the distance you would have noticed how they kept looking at each other and licked their lips”, the vampire went on with a huge and unfriendly grin now splitting his face. Then his gaze went back to the dog woman.

Meanwhile, your jaw almost dropped as you kept listening to him. More people around you started to turn around, some gasped as you had certainly become a centre of attention now. Murmurs rose around you.

“I wonder why though you felt like you needed to downgrade yourself so much. Ah, but maybe it’s because your husband so obviously has a thing for the male servers here and keeps making them uncomfortable with his gazes and touches”, Astarion snarled. The servant beside him gasped and then quickly turned on his heel and left.

The group was dead silent now. Only feather hat was snickering nastily. But then the vampire’s gaze fell on her: “Oh and don’t think you’ll leave as the gracious one here. The estate you pretend you’re owning in Neverwinter? It has been knocked down for decades. Maybe do better research if you’re only pretending to be rich. And get better replica rings, a blind person could tell you these are fake, dear.”

Now everyone was silent, you could only stare at your soulmate who had absolutely verbally decimated this group of pretentious nobles. But there was one final blow to be dealt.

“None of you seem to have a brain to go with anything, really – except for how much you all deserve each other’s vile company. Ah, and maybe some gold and a title that once meant something – but watch how quickly that turns to dust when you miserably rot alone”, Astarion finished with a hiss and cocked an eyebrow at the round before he gave a vicious version of his best signature smirk.

They simply stared at him as he then gave a curt but elegant bow and turned to you: “My sweet, beautiful, smart and wonderful darling, would you like to leave now? I fear we’ll only get dumber if we stay here.” He offered you his hand which you gratefully took and smiled at his compliments.

You both turned around to go back inside.

“You BITCH”, you heard as you walked away – followed by a loud smack and different screams of pain, shock and anger. More shouts and smacking sounds followed; you could hear the dog barking again. Seemingly a fight had broken out.

You didn’t look back, you just threw Astarion a glance who smiled at you wickedly. A mirroring smile slowly crept onto your face as you kept looking at your partner in crime.

“That was so much better than just elbowing them”, you said to Astarion as your wicked grin grew broader.

Tags: @aurasyn @margoteve @usuallyunlikelyfox @hollowmasque @worryknotdear

[spiderlandry]

Spider — ethan landry

Description: You worry Ethan for a moment, until he realizes it’s not that serious.

Pairing: Spider-Man!Ethan Landry x GN!Reader (no use of y/n)

Warnings: mentions of spiders but no actual description, mentions of kidnapping but no actual kidnapping, ethan is just an overthinker, use of ‘babe’ as pet name like three times, not proofread

Word Count: 688

Author’s Note: this is for all spider haters i hate spiders so bad. yes it’s in my url yes i hate spiders

The events of the past week made Ethan giddy, practically bouncing on his feet every time he was around you. He asked you out last week, and the dating stage had been progressing nicely despite his Spider-Man duties. He no longer had to worry about bothering you whenever he landed on your fire escape bruised and wounded as your best friend, because on your third date (which was interrupted by a giant green lizard—not cool), you told him that no matter what happened, you will always fix him up. It was the closest thing he’d gotten to a declaration of love, even if it was just the third date.

Long story short: It was a great week.

And here he was, cooking both of you dinner with a recipe he practiced the day before as to make sure he wouldn’t fuck it up, and you were getting something from your bedroom when—

A shriek—your shriek—reached his ears.

He dropped the wooden spoon on the floor, unable to think about cleaning the mess up later because what if somehow, some way, one of his enemies found out his identity and tracked him to you? And—oh god—you left your bedroom window open to let in the breeze, what if you were taken?

The door almost broke from its hinges at his entrance, and his eyes fell on your figure in the center of the room. He ran over to you, checking for any injuries, hugging you as close to him as possible because his web-shooters were back in the other room and he was an idiot for not thinking to bring it.

“What—what is it?” He tightened his hold on you while he looked around the room, not seeing any threat but he’d be a liar if the thought of an invisible nemesis didn’t cross his mind. “Are you okay?”

You nuzzled your head into the crook of his neck, letting out a too-quiet mumble, too quiet even for his spider senses to hear.

“You’re gonna have to say it louder, babe. I can’t hear you.” Where the hell did babe come from?

“There’s a spider—and—and it’s gone, and I don’t know where it went and—“

The biggest weight on his chest had just been lifted. “You scared me,” He breathed out, pulling back to see your worried face turn into bewilderment.

“Ethan!” You lightly slapped his chest. “This is serious, what if it crawls on me while I sleep?!”

He laughed, much to your distress. “Babe, it’s just a spider. It can’t do that much damage.”

“I’m scared.” You whispered, and he pulled you back into an embrace.

The rumble of his laughter did make you feel better, though.

“Okay, how about this,” he rubbed your back in comfort. “We’ll eat here, then go back to my place, and you can sleep there. Is that okay? I can take the couch.”

“But there’s gonna be another spider there.” You rebutted.

“What—I’ll make sure—“ He stammered, until he realized. “Oh, you’re real funny.”

You pulled back just a tad to see his grin, mirroring yours. “I can’t believe you forgot.”

“I thought you were in danger.”

“I’m sorry, babe.” You enunciated the ‘babe’ which wasn’t lost on him. “When did we call each other that?”

“I—I didn’t—It just came out, okay?” He shrugged, hands intertwined behind your back. “Do you not want me to?”

“Well,” you pretended to think about it. “Since you’re my spider, I guess it’s okay.”

His heart fluttered at the possessive word, my. He was yours.

“You don’t have to take the couch,” you whispered, inching closer to him.

“I’m not letting you sleep on the couch,” he shook his head.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what—oh,” He gaped like a fish out of water. He searched your eyes for any jokes, to find none. “Oh.”

You hummed, nodding. “Is that okay?”

“More than okay.”

[aakariiiii]

Hey💖

I have an request here (if u have time)

So the story is about

(Sanzu or mitsuya x y/n) ur choice

We are Emma sister so being her sister is a blessing but sometimes a curse like ,we are always her shadow, how she is prettier than us, how everyone prefers her more than us and how we liked draken first but draken ended up liking Emma this made us insecure about our self , so like I want how the make us feel good about our self and we are good in our own way

(Sorry for grammar error and sorry if its confusing)

hihihihiiii!!!!

I’m so sorry if this is extremely late, i took an unexpected break because of exams and bc a family member passed away :( but i’m okay now and I’ll try to be active again

also, to whoever requested this im sorry thats so late ugh im so mad at myself…but anyway i dont feel like this is good enough but here goes nothing

i hope you enjoy it (even tho its not that good) n im sosososos sorry again <3

____________________________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

“What’s wrong?”

Hands on your thigh, worry laced Miitsuya’s voice when he found you sitting on a pavement in the middle of nowhere, tears cascading down your cheeks.

Startled was understatement. You tried in vain to rub at your cheeks in an attempt to hide the peppered trail of tears, but that was of no use as more tears were relentlessly flowing out of your eyes, betraying your attempt to conceal your distress.

Stupid eyes!

Mitsuya’s eyes narrowed at you with worry.

“Is there someone I’m gonna have to beat up?” He asked sternly.

“N—no! It’s nothing, Taka! Don’t worry about it!” you stuttered, feeling utterly exposed before the person you'd recently begun to admire, tangled in a web of unspoken emotions.

____________________________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

y/n’s POV

I stutter, foot in mouth in front of the guy I recently caught feelings for. Well, obviously after moving on from Draken, the reason being that Emma likes him too. And he clearly likes her back, but who wouldn’t? Her happy demeanor would charm the unfeeling, her soft features would make anyone develop heart eyes. And then there was I, the less attractive, less important Sano sibling who’s been constantly devoured by Emma’s shadow.

Don’t get me wrong, Mikey is a great brother to me, he’s just…emotionally unavailable.

“Then why are you crying?” Mistsuya asks, softness caressing his voice as he moves to sit next to me instead of in front of me, a gesture of quiet support.

I hesitated, torn between sharing my feelings and shielding them. But his eyes were inviting me to confound in them, promising me to find solace within their depth. Pale, yet captivating. I could see myself swimming in them, in a sea filled with tranquility.

I turn my head again, facing front and look at the ground.

“I—I’m fed up, Taka. I’ve been living in Emma’s shadow for almost my whole life, and I get it, she’s pretty and pretty people are obviously…more favored. She’s just very charming and—I’m —I’m just the less important, invisible Sano sibling. I—I’m trying so hard to just break free…but it’s so hard!” I open up, tears flowing down my flushed cheeks again.

Mitsuya was silent. But his silence was comforting, it told me, in an unspoken whisper, to continue.

“I—I really don’t know what to do, Taka! I’m r—really—really trying! And I—“

I choked on my words, interrupted by Mitsuya shifting to kneel in front of me, meeting my eyes at eye level

His gaze spoke volumes—love, care, and a sense of belonging.

He grabbed a lock of my hair, gently twirling it around his finger and started speaking, his words laden with sincerity.

“Who said that you aren’t pretty, y/n? I think you’re absolutely gorgeous, hell, I find you prettier than Emma!” He grins as he releases the lock of hair and reaches up to my cherry-like cheeks, the pad of his thumb wiping my tears away, making my heart skip a beat. Or two.

“You don’t have to be like Emma, y/n, being you is what makes you stand out the most. I can reassure you that you’re liked as much as Emma is by everyone around you, yeah?” He smiles as he stand up up once more, stretching his hand out to me.

His gestures alleviated my burdens, and I grasped his hand as he pulled me up.

It was unexpected, very unexpected actually, but as soon as i stood up, his arms wrapped around my torso, embracing me with an infinite amount of warmness as clang on to him, wanting to melt into him as I’ve never felt so at peace before. I don’t want to ever leave his embrace.

The wind softly hummed as we stood, in the middle of nowhere, clinging onto each other. He pulled away, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah—thank you Taka,” I smiled at him.

“Of course, now let’s go get some ice cream—I’m starving!” He whined jokingly as he guided me to his motorcycle, handing me a helmet.

And with that, the both of us were dashing against the wind, as my hand were tightly wrapped around his torso.

“S-slow down, Taka!” I yelled, scared for my life.

A chuckle came out of his mouth as he sped up.

“Whatever you say, m’lady!”

____________________________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

[impala-dreamer]

Tourniquet - Chapter Three

A Supernatural Dean x Reader Series Told Backwards

~Y/N has been by Dean’s side through his worst days, always there if he needs her, forever just a call away. Love is impossible to fight and more impossible to live with. Just a side character in his epic life, Y/N would give anything just to give Dean a moment’s peace.~

Please see MASTERLIST for full info/warnings/chapter links.

Impala-Dreamer’s Masterlist  ~  Patreon  ~ Published Works

Regarding Us

“It was kind of nice, in a horrible, slowly dying kinda way.” 

Dean bent his left arm and chucked it behind his head. The pillow adapted to the new position and sank perfectly around his hand. He was staring off again, eyes dancing around the cracked motel room ceiling, but Y/N knew he wasn’t counting faults in the plaster. He was watching memories replay in his head, trying to clarify all the hazy details so he could relay them to her. 

He took his time and she let him. She lay on the other pillow; her nakedness covered by the thin, scratchy white sheet. They’d been lying in bed for hours, days maybe; she couldn’t see the clock or care to look. An occasional knock at the door brought them food, and judging by the amount of empty beer bottles and burger wrappers, they were almost through the weekend. Y/N didn’t worry about the time because she didn’t want it to end. Once she looked at the clock, she’d know the time and exactly how much they had left. 

“Nice? It sounds terrifying.” 

Dean turned his eyes from the ceiling to her and Y/N felt that familiar heat rush through her. No matter what filthy act they’d just performed, nothing made her heart more full, her body more ready than the way he looked at her. Thick lashes over perfect green; crinkles around the eyes and freckles that appeared darker the closer you were. 

He shrugged a bit. “I mean, it was. Sort of. It’s hard to explain because I don’t really remember. But it was nice at first to forget some… aspects of our life.”

Y/N sighed and rolled to him, propping herself up on an elbow. “I can see that. Must have been nice not to know there are things out there waiting to kill you, or that if you went on vacation, the world might end.” 

She was serious, but he laughed gently. 

“Yeah. That.” 

“Well, as much as it sucks… I’m glad you remembered. And, ya know, didn’t die.” 

Dean licked his forever chapped lips and rolled toward her, mirroring her pose. He looked her over, drew a finger across her collarbone and down her right shoulder. He traced invisible letters on her skin and she shivered at his touch. 

“Cold?” 

She bit her lip and shook her head. “Nope.” 

“Good.” 

Leaving her arm, Dean gripped the sheet and whipped it away. It hung in the air for a moment like a parachute and then danced to the carpet. 

“Good?” she laughed, gasping when the air conditioner hit her bare flesh. 

Dean hummed affirmatively and placed his hand on her hip as he leaned in. 

His kiss was hot as ever, as if his lips were warmed just for her. His tongue was thick and wet, always hungry, always hunting inside of her. 

He pushed, she rolled. He scraped, she clawed. He moaned, she lost her mind. 

There was something so perfect when they were together that Y/N almost couldn’t stand it. It was as if she was getting everything her soul ever wanted, needed, but she knew it wouldn’t last. It never would. It never could. He’d get his fill, ease his hurt a little bit and then be gone. Monday morning she would check out alone, drive back to the east coast and see what horrors awaited her there. 

“I don’t want you to leave,” she said suddenly. 

Her voice broke through the panting heat and Dean froze, hovering above her. His big arms flexed; his concentration broke. He blinked down at her and his jaw dropped. 

“Y/N/N, I-” 

She closed her eyes, embarrassment and hurt stabbing behind her eyes. “It’s OK,” she choked out. “I know. I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t know,” he sighed. He dropped his chin to his chest and pulled in a slow breath. 

Y/N’s stomach churned. She touched her hand to his cheek and he looked up again. 

She swallowed down a shaky sob. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-” 

He turned his head, pressed his lips to her palm. “You know I can’t stay. You know I… The fucking world could end. Again! Please don’t ask me to stay with you. You can’t do that.” 

Rejection burned in her gut and Y/N pushed at his chest, moving him away. He pulled out and rolled onto his side of the mattress. 

“Y/N/N, come on-” 

She was up and gone before he could settle against the pillow, rifling through a pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. 

“Y/N, don’t…” 

She tossed the sheet back onto the bed and it floated down into a messy heap at his feet. 

“You can’t just-” 

She pulled her jeans on and stood, staring at him. “I can’t what?” 

Dean’s shoulders curled inward, and he held open his hands, unsure of what to say. 

“You can’t go.” 

She laughed bitterly and clasped her bra. “But you can, right?” 

A big hand scraped down a darkly stubbled cheek. “That’s not what I mean and you know it.” 

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a mess of gray plaid from the floor. “Oh, I know exactly what you mean.” 

The door slammed. The chain clinked. Sunlight came and went. 

She didn’t go anywhere. There was nowhere to go. 

The pool was closed, but she hopped the fence and took up residence on one of the loungers. The April evening was chilly and she regretted leaving her jacket. She also regretted accidentally picking up Dean’s flannel when she stormed out because his smell was everywhere. She wrapped her arms around herself and sat there, legs and patience stretched out. 

She had no right to ask him to stay, but she couldn’t keep doing this. 

Over the last two years, they’d been upping their time together exponentially. A set phone call once a week, a plan to meet somewhere, always a text. Every morning, a text. Beyond the blood and broken bones and unrequited love, it had been nearly perfect. They made sure their maps crossed more than not, and always answered the phone. 

Maybe she’d taken it the wrong way, read too much into things.

She couldn’t help it. She was made for him, she knew she was. Sure, there was never a prophecy about her; her name wasn’t chiseled onto an ancient tablet lost somewhere to time. No angel had ever come down from Heaven to tell her she was important, needed, but she knew. She knew in the way he always reached for her, always leaned into her touch, kissed her with such desperation and need. 

“I didn’t mean to piss you off.” 

She didn’t flinch when he appeared in the corner of her vision, didn’t even look up. She kept her gaze on the sunset reflecting off of the overly chlorinated water.

“Come on, Y/N/N. I’m sorry.” 

Y/N sighed and cleared her throat. “It’s fine.”

Dean shook his head and sat down beside her. He set his arms on his knees, leaning close. “It’s not fine. I don’t know why I get so…”

“Angry?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“I didn’t ask you to fucking quit your life and run away with me, Dean. I asked you-”

“To stay,” he finished for her, a little harsher than she would have. “You asked me to stay with you.”

“For the week,” she defended. 

His eyes narrowed. “That’s not what you asked and you know it.” 

Her arms unfolded, her tongue clicked. She turned to face him, eyes blazing with pain and years of pent up questions. 

“So?” 

Dean startled. “So?” 

“Yeah. So what?” She set her feet down between his and claimed her ground. “You think it’s against the rules or something for me to ask that? News flash, Dean. There are no rules between us. Never have been.” 

He stumbled. “It’s not about rules.” 

“Then what���s it about? Because for some reason the thought of being with me is so offensive to you that you felt the need to yell at me while you were still inside of me.” 

The sky darkened with his face. Tiny dimples popped above his pursed lips, his eyes dropped. 

“I’m not… offended by you. I just can’t do what you’re asking. It’s impossible.” 

“Wow.” She leaned back, not wanting to be so close to the man that was once again breaking her heart. “Being with me is impossible. Cool. So cool, Dean. Thanks for clearing that up.” 

Frustrated, he rubbed at the back of his neck and exhaled heavily through his nose. “You know that it’s impossible. You know that I can’t just quit and run off into the sunset with you. There are things I need to do. Things that only I can do.”

She scoffed. “Here we go again…”

“You think I like this?” 

“Doesn’t sound like you hate it.” 

He sat back and laughed under his breath, shocked and annoyed. “I hate every fucking second of this. I have never been able to live the life that I want. Since I was four years old, I’ve been pushed and pulled by shit that I can’t even understand half the time. I’ve been beaten and scarred. Hell, I’ve died more times that I can fucking count. You think I like this life? You think I enjoy spending every single minute with my brother just to keep him alive? You think I enjoy waking up every fucking morning wondering what’s gonna try to kill us that day? Or if I take the wrong turn off the highway, the fucking world will end? I’ve got Lucifer’s unborn kid in the wind. Asshole English dudes running around in my business. My mother is alive again. I was locked up for three months. Should I go on?” 

Y/N bit her tongue and shook her head. “No.” 

“No,” he echoed. “Of course not. No one wants to listen to my shit.” 

Anger rose higher and she clenched her jaw, keeping a scream inside. “Fuck you for saying that. I have listened to every goddamn word for the last thirty years, Dean. I have been there every step of the way, part of your life as much as you wanted me to be. Don’t you dare tell me I don’t know what you’ve been through because I have been the one to continually patch you up.” 

He buckled. “I know.” 

“So why don’t I ever get some of that Dean Winchester magic? When do I get some consideration? When do we get to have the life we deserve? When do we get to push it all away and leave the danger and pain behind and just be happy? Every turn of the fucking Earth depends on you but…When is it our turn!”

She was shaking and he grabbed her hands, pulled them across the empty space. She tumbled into his arms and they held each other as the sun disappeared behind the mountain. 

“I wish I knew what to do,” she whispered. “I wish I knew how to make everything better.” 

He kissed her forehead. “Me too.”

The wind began to blow and their bodies chilled under the moon. It was time to go, but neither wanted to move. There were so many things they never said, so many words left to hang in the air, unplucked, unspoken. 

“I’m freezing,” she said finally. She stood and took his hand, tugging him to his feet. “Let’s go in.” 

He sighed. “Yeah. OK.” 

“And maybe you can tell me all about how you killed Hitler.” 

His face brightened. “Oh my god, did I not tell you about that? Fuck. I killed Hitler!” 

His laugh was beautiful and Y/N smiled. He would be OK. 

So would she. 

Tourniquet Tags:

@prettyinplaid94 @winharry @muhahaha303   @cookiechipdough @ladysparkles78

2024 Forever Tags (Always Open! Send an Ask!)

@babysimpala @beardburnsupersoldiers @chenshemesh1 @cosicas-cuquis @deans-baby-momma @deanwinchesterswitch @feelmyroarrrr @foxyjwls007 @hobby27 @impalaspixie @jackles010378 @kazsrm67 @k-slla @leigh70 @lyarr24 @nancymcl @peachy-vans @pizzagirlxnsfwx @rachiem4-blog @sexyvixen7 @the-wounded-healer05  

Written for @jacklesversebingo "a story told backwards"