#like immediately I felt my spine straighten and my shoulders go back

[dinosnaurnuggets]

Ok ok ok I am SO EXCITED!!!!! I bought myself a corset for the first time and immediately tried it on and I LOVE IT!!! AAAHHHHH!!!!

[dlrvuio]

unexpected

genre - fake dating, first kiss, player!heeseung x gn!reader

warnings - kissing

"You sure you wanna do this?"

You never thought that fake dating Lee Heeseung, a jerk, a heartthrob, a player, basically just a sucky guy to be dating, would lead up to this — to you in his arms, flustered, just because your best friend felt suspicious with your guys’ 'relationship.'

“OH MY GOSH Y/NIEE!! HUBBY OVER THERE!! STARING HELLOOO.” Your bsf whispered so quietly. You looked at her with a blank face, confused on what to reply to that, shrugging a ‘what?’ instead. She stayed silent with a disbelief look on their face. “Um... go say hi? Wave? Smile? Do couple things?” She kept their jaw open until you disgustingly said no, linking arms with them to look the opposite way from Heeseung and his group.

“You know, you should kiss him.” Turning your head in speed; scrunching your face, giving all your power to not yell at such a cafe. You quickly changed your expressions, body language still so uncomfortable, you realized you can’t blow your cover. “I... I will... um.” You scratched your temple, slowly turning your head at Heeseung. His eyes already lingering on yours. Walking up to him as soon as his friends went to the counter to wait for their order while he stayed leaning on the post near their table, looking anywhere but him.

“Hey...” You acted natural. He looked up from his phone, seeing you exaggerate your smile, making him look behind you and see your friend not even hide her stares. He straightened his posture and continued the conversation. “Hey, I thought you were gonna study?” He asked, cold.

“Oh... yeah, we just took a break...” Stepping closer to him after answering, looking at your surroundings, making sure you wouldn’t make a fool of yourself in front of more than two people. Heeseung immediately got what you were trying to do but still had a confused expression. Pressing his hand on your lower back, spine and body stiffening up with goosebumps as you reached for his neck, wrapping your arms around him.

“You... you don’t have to...” Slowly taking your arms off of him. “Um, she just wanted us to—” You stayed staring at his neck, perfect eye level, lips trying to make any words come out, not a sound to be heard, as you stayed dumbfounded at his action of kissing your forehead, attempted to shut you up. And also to make you flustered.

“You sure you wanna do this?” He leaned down closer to your face, holding eye contact with your wondering eyes as he held your cheek after gently and so carefully pushing a strand of hair away from your eyes. You now rested your hands on his broad shoulders, nodding slowly. A but unsure. Leading to a smirk on the boys lips in front of you as he pressed his hand on your back, holding you closer, leaning in to link his lips onto yours.

Taking a few seconds to comprehend what just happened, you gripped the cloth of his plaid flannel before quickly closing your eyes and kissing him back. Leaning heads opposite of each other, butterflies quickly making their way around your whole body as you felt his thumb stroke your temples. Now tiptoeing, hoping to get more from the heartthrob jerk, he smirked, deepening the kiss, not caring about having an audience.

Out of sight, out of mind.

2023 | please do not copy, repost, or claim my work

reblogs, likes, and comments are appreciated

[strniohoeee]

Alternate ending to hidden in the shadows or a part 5 PLEAAAASEEEEE (anonymous request)

Hidden In The Shadows- Alternate Ending

Pairing: Matt Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: After a year of no sign of Matt, Y/N has given up. While working on a paper for a publisher she feels eyes on her…. Is her paranoia justified or no?✉️

Warnings⚠️: NONE, I’m rusty asf so don’t judge me this is pure trash🫶🏽😋

Song for imagine: West End Girls- Pet Shop Boys

Sometimes you’re better off dead

There’s a gun in your hand and it’s

Pointing at your head

You think you’re mad, too unstable

Sitting at the cafe I peered out the window as my fingers stopped abruptly. My thoughts suddenly come to a halt, struggling to form another sentence.

“I think I’ve been going at this for too long” I mumble to myself as I wiggle my fingers, bringing them up to my face and rubbing my eyes roughly

My old professor had asked me to edit and add to my writings on everything that had taken place. He was trying to bring my work to a highly reputable publishing company. However, everything I could have ever written was in these papers.

I was stressing myself out horribly because I was trying to make something out of nothing. Hitting save I pinched the bridge of my nose as I closed out my Google Docs tab. Shaking my leg anxiously I bit my lip.

A daunting thought gnawing at me. What if I just searched up Matt’s name? I mean I would have some form of closure right?

Opening the safari tab I felt a chill run down my spine as I felt like eyes were on me. I just assumed it was my guilty and paranoid conscience. Shaking the feeling off I googled Matt’s name and address.

To my surprise I saw one news article about this small town. Looking off my shoulders slyly, I opened the article. My eyes glanced over the title rapidly.

“Pleasant Town natives car found burned and body missing”

My heart sank immediately. Scrolling down I read the full article. Coming to find out that Matt’s car had been found burnt and crushed a week after I fled. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief? But also a sense of anxiety?

I mean glad that he might’ve gotten away, but also anxious thinking of the what ifs? Like what if he was killed?

Staring off into space as I looked out the window I suddenly felt eyes on me again. Straightening my posture I happened to glance down at my now dark laptop screen.

My eyes furrowed as I saw a man in the back of the cafe looking at me through the reflection on the screen. My eyes widened a bit and I rapidly turned around.

I Wished I hadn’t because there was no one sitting at that back table. And I now look like a paranoid psycho infront of all these people. Sighing I let my shoulders slouch shaking my head I shut my laptop

As I packed my things up I happened to look out the window and I made eye contact with that same mysterious person again.

Shoveling everything into my backpack I grabbed everything in a rush. Looking up to see the person tilting their hat down and turning around to walk away.

Rushing out the cafe I squinted my eyes as the cold air hit my eyes. The wind whipping my hair into my eyes as I flung my backpack over my shoulders.

Rushing to run across the street just barely avoiding getting hit by cars. Sticking my hand out in a sincere tone I jumped onto the next street.

Following hot on their tail I was speed walking. Roughly pulling the hair from in front of my eyes. We turned on a corner and it happened to only be us two.

This person having a major advantage over me, I began to jog slightly

“HEY!” I yelled out but to no avail

Something about this person seemed so familiar, and I was started to get scared

“HEY! I’m not trying to seem like a stalker, but I think I know you from somewhere” I yelled out and still this person tilted their head and kept walking

Rolling my eyes I began to walk faster and was able to grab their shoulder

“I SAID HEY” I replied firmly as I gripped their shoulder roughly

Stopping in my tracks abruptly, my voice caught in my throat. My eyes stinging from the wind, tears threatening to fall out

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be looking at him again….

“Matt?” I said squinting my eyes and tilting my head

His eyes softening as he looked around

“This wasn’t supposed to happen” he said grabbing me shoving us into a corner

“What the fuck happened to you? I thought you died? No contact for a year?” I said angry and saddened

“What else was I supposed to do? I had a target on my back and you had one on your head” he replied sinking into his coat a little more

“Matthew I was so fucking worried about you” I said as I pulled him in for a hug

“I was worried about you too, that’s why I’ve been keeping my distance” he said

“For how long?” I replied

“For a year” he said shamefully

“A year?” I screeched out

“Listen I had to watch you from a distance I didn’t know how safe it was for me to immediately come to you” he stated

“I’m just so glad you’re safe” I replied shaking my head in shock

“I always keep my eyes open for anyone who might come back from our past” Matt says to me as he pulls me in for another hug

“I can only imagine how tiring that gets for you” I said to him

“A little bit, but I’m used to it” he replied

That night we went back to my apartment and Matt went over exactly how he fled. His perfect elaborate scheme that surprisingly everyone believed.

The fear I dealt with since leaving was indescribable. Many nights I’d wake up in a cold sweat thinking I had been found and that I was about to be killed.

But to know Matt had been keeping an eye on me for a year made me feel better. I’m not sure what I’d do without Matt. Our bond was inseparable and since he came back I knew I had to protect him at all costs because he was no longer

Hidden in the shadows….

The End

Yall this was shit bc I’m rusty AF, but also I didn’t really want to end this fanfic on a happy note LMFAOOO. But anyways I love yall dearly for all the continued support. My requests are closed as I got 12 requests (oh yeah baby). THANK YOUUU AND ILYYY🥺🖤🖤🖤

-J💅🏽

[waterdeep-weavemoss]

Home

@iamwalkingdead1 @lanafofana @boufsy @aryancunin @lewdisescariot

@orangekittyenergy @netherese0rb @vespaer77 @theletteraesc @sorceresssundries I swear I tried to keep him in line. Oh well... enjoy. Gale x F!Tav, teeny bit of spice.

'So what's the wish he'll make it come true...' - Miracle Aligner, The Last Shadow Puppets

He was pacing, one hand raking through his hair, the other clamped between his teeth as he gnawed at his fingers anxiously. His gaze was fixed on his booted feet, brow furrowed. ‘Gale, things will be fine.’ Tav watched in amusement as he went back and forth until he finally stopped before her and looked up, meeting her gaze. Her stomach swooped just as it had all that time ago when she realised the man she’d rescued was handsome in exactly the way that made her knees go a little wobbly; he removed his hand from his mouth, straightened his spine a little and summoned a twinkle back to his eye. ‘Of course they will,’ he said lowly. ‘You’re only meeting my mother, after all.’ ‘Is she truly that formidable?’ Tav cocked her head, brows drawing together. ‘You act like she’ll eat me alive or something.’ ‘Don’t be silly,’ he said. ‘She’ll love you.’ ‘Then why are you so nervous?’ He blinked slowly, a habit he’d picked up from Tara no doubt. ‘Oh, nothing.’ With that, he finally swept up to the front door, rapping his knuckles smartly against it. Turning and grinning at her, he gestured Tav forward and grabbed her hand. Mere moments later, the door swung open of its own accord and Gale pulled them inside, kicking it shut. ‘You better not be abusing that door again, child!’ came a voice from the top of the stairs. ‘Oh of course not mother! Wouldn’t dream of it.’ Gale smirked impishly down at Tav, who felt a little like she oughtn’t be here. ‘Relax,’ he murmured, nudging her with his shoulder. After what felt like an eternity, a woman floated into view. She descended the spiral stairs gracefully, stopped and narrowed her eyes before pulling her son into a crushing hug. Far from flailing like Tav expected him to, he hugged her back just as fiercely and kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Hi, Mum.’

‘It’s been too long, son,’ she murmured into his chest.

‘I know,’ he said, his voice catching a little. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘And who’s this?’ she said as they broke apart, eyeing Tav critically.

‘I’m Tav,’ she said quickly, holding out a hand for the older woman to shake. She didn’t know why she did it; nerves or a momentary lapse in social judgement perhaps, but she didn’t expect to be pulled into a hug too. ‘Good to meet you,’ she said shyly when she was let go.

‘Tav, this is my mother, Morena Dekarios. And she-‘

‘He doesn’t shut up about you, you know.’

‘Mother!’ Gale’s ears went pink. ‘That’s-‘

‘And you’ve been chewing your fingers again. I hope this girl has domesticated you somewhat.’ Tav blushed. ‘Come, I imagine you’re both starving. It’s such a long journey from Baldur’s Gate.’ Off she went, drawing them forward in her wake. Now that Tav was feeling a little less nervous, she noted the mosaicked floor in shades of pearl and pale blue with the occasional shock of gold, the fineries of the ebony staircase as it twisted upwards, the cascades of wisteria and devil’s ivy.

‘This place is beautiful,’ she whispered.

‘Hmm.’ Gale squeezed her hand. ‘Gods, I can’t wait to just be alone with you.’ He gave her a sly little smile and went on, the perfect picture of composure. Tav wondered if there was a bat trapped in her throat, fighting to get out.

‘Come in, make yourself at home,’ said Morena, pulling Tav from Gale’s grasp and fussing over her. ‘Good gods, you’re a rake girl. Don’t tell me he hasn’t been cooking for you.’

‘I assure you I have,’ said Gale, a tiny edge in his voice. ‘In fact I volunteered to be camp cook immediately. It’s not my fault she runs headlong into trouble without proper nourishment.’

Tav shot him a venomous look. Oh, I’ll get you back for that, she thought. ‘I had a lot on my mind,’ she said instead. ‘And, well… in it. I admit food was the last thing I was thinking of, I was a little preoccupied with saving the world.’

‘Well, now you can think about food,’ said Morena firmly. ‘I assume you’ll be staying for a while?’

‘Oh, a few weeks at least,’ said Gale breezily. ‘Don’t you worry. I’ll take over the cooking, I promise. It’s been such a long time we’ve been without the comforts of home.’ They sat down together, sharing plates of delicious roasted meats and fish, vegetables cooked to perfection, crusty bread and good olive oil.

‘Good,’ said Morena, satisfied. ‘Can’t have you gallivanting off on another adventure so soon leaving me to worry.’ She paused, sucked her bottom lip into her mouth in thought and then said, ‘and that bitch goddess, is she gone?’

Tav burst out laughing as Gale’s mouth fell open. It was a rare treat to see him so wrong-footed. ‘Well… yes, as it happens,’ he said, recovering. ‘I had no idea you thought of her like that.’

‘She took my son from me,’ Morena growled. Tav was suddenly struck by their similarity. ‘I tried, Gale. But she would not hear my prayers, would not take her claws from you. So what did it?’

‘The Crown of Karsus,’ he said, going on to explain everything. ‘And love, I suppose.’ He leaned over to kiss Tav sweetly on the cheek. ‘Tav gave me something to live for.’

Morena’s deep brown eyes flashed with hurt, but she cleared her throat and then it was gone again. ‘Good. Now, my darling boy, I have plenty to be going on with, why don’t you get settled? I have a meeting at the academy in a few, and then down to the Sea Ward to stop by the Temple of Beauty. You behave while I’m gone, you hear?’

‘Of course,’ said Gale lightly, surreptitiously running his knuckles up Tav’s spine. She suppressed a shiver. In moments the two of them were alone as Morena swept from her home, out into the vastness of the City of Splendours.

‘Well, she’s lovely,’ tried Tav. She stood up, gesturing to all the empty plates. ‘You wash I’ll dry?’ She wanted to be helpful, to pleasantly surprise her potential mother-in-law when she returned, but Gale’s smirk was nothing short of devilish as he reached out a hand and caught her by the waist.

‘I don’t think so,’ he said, pulling her into his lap and pressing his lips to her neck. ‘Will you not indulge my sweet tooth?’

‘Damn it, Gale-‘

‘Hmm?’  He hummed against her skin, sending delicious shivers through her. ‘Say the word and I’ll let you go. Promise.’

‘She said she hoped I’d domesticated you,’ she admonished. It was only half-hearted. She felt his teeth as he grinned against her skin. ‘Clearly I failed.’

‘You never even tried,’ he shot back, grasping the back of her neck, deft fingers kneading at her tense muscles. His other hand drifted to her hip. ‘Still haven’t heard a ‘no’, love.’

‘I certainly did.’ She pouted, squealing as he drew her lip into his mouth and bit gently. ‘Oi!’

‘Use your words.’

‘I don’t want you to stop,’ she said. ‘But I’m also getting you back for that comment earlier. What do you mean me going headlong into danger? What about you?’

‘I’ve made no secret of it,’ he said lightly. ‘How thrilling danger can be.’ He dug his fingers into her hip to pull her attention back as she rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t even think about it,’ he said sharply. ‘You can’t pretend to be the goody two shoes, Tav. You’re not so boring as all that, even if you do pretend you’ve never sinned in your life.’

‘I do not,’ she said indignantly, flushing pink. ‘And you’d do well to remember that, Gale Dekarios.’

‘Gods,’ he rasped. ‘Say my name again.’

‘If I do, will you promise to behave? At least help me do the dishes, Gale.’

He shook his head and crushed their lips together. ‘Oh, come on,’ he purred. ‘Live a little. She won’t be back for a few hours yet…’

[fieldofdaisiies]

Modern AU - Azriel worries there are too many constrasts between him and Eris, but he would never address it, not wanting to hurt his boyfriend. Obviously Eris notices and they... for @azrisweek | azrisweek masterlist | read on ao3 | no warnings

“Are you ready, my love?” Eris‘ voice is laden with impatience when it reaches Azriel through the bathroom door. 

Azriel presses his lips in a thin line.

He technically is ready. But also not. Appearance wise he has been ready for nearly an hour, mentality wise…not. This is not for him. This whole rich people get together isn’t for him, has never been and he feels nervousness bloom rapidly in his chest at the thought of it.

“Five minut—,” he calls back, but is interrupted when the door opens behind him (damn him for accepting the no-lock bathroom doors). 

The door hits the wall with a silent thump, and Eris, wearing a perfectly tailored suit, is revealed, his appearance absolutely immaculate. Azriel nearly gasps, would have done so under different circumstances. If he wasn’t so…stressed and uncomfortable at this moment.

Eris steps forward and leans against the doorframe, gives his boyfriend a once-over, then smiles. “I would say you are very ready, my love.” He wants to walk up to Azriel and softly smack his backside, but when he sees the look on his lover‘s face, he immediately stops himself.

“Tell me what’s going on.” No question, an order. He doesn’t like dancing around topics — any sort of problems or issues or discomforts should be addressed immediately.

“Nothing,” Azriel mumbles silently, not able to meet Eris‘ gaze through the mirror. His eyes are lowered to the sink he has his hands braced on. His scarred and ugly hands, marred forever from an accident in his childhood. A shudder courses down his spine.

“I won’t leave this bathroom until you tell me.”

“But the department dinner, we can’t be late,” Azriel grumbles.

Eris snorts, and shakes his head, his arms curling around Azriel’s waist, his body flush against his lovers. “Tell me.”

Azriel straightens a little when he leans into his boyfriend’s hold, his own hands sliding over Eris‘ lower arms. “Do you really want to bring me? Wouldn’t you like to be seen with someone more…someone who is better?”

“Better?” Eris repeats, tone tinged with disbelief.

“Yes.”

“Better at what?”

Azriel frowns. “Just better than me!”

“Better than my stunning and marvellous boyfriend?”

Azriel wants to hum and accept the compliment, but he can’t, not right now. Not when doubts gnaw so heavily on his heart he finds it even hard to breathe.

“Someone who fits in better than I do.”

“Why wouldn’t you fit in?” Eris rests his chin atop Azriel’s shoulder. “You are there with me. As my partner, my plus one. I won’t leave your side all evening, there is nothing to worry about.”

But there is so much to worry about, Azriel thinks and closes his eyes. 

Last time when he joined Eris for one of these fancy dinners, he felt immensely ashamed. There were at least three forks and two spoons and only God knows how many knives around his plate and he had no idea which one to use for what. Eris explained the table customs to him, not minding at all that Azriel didn’t know, but for Azriel it was still an awkward situation. One he doesn’t want to repeat. But one he has been replaying in his mind many times.

Because Azriel often finds himself wondering if he truly fits into Eris‘ world. He wasn’t born into a rich family like Eris. His mother was a single parent and while growing up they only ever had the bare minimum. 

Eris has always had a different life — he has always known what fortune meant, growing up as the prime minister’s son and now working as a renowned doctor. How and why he chose to be someone like him, still often surprises Azriel.

“Hm?” Eris asks, not yet having received an answer from his boyfriend.

“Just my usual doubts,” Azriel answers. He has to smile a little when lips brush the side of his neck, sending wrong signals to a southern part of his body. Eris just knows which levers to push inside of his boyfriend to distract him from his bad thoughts. Most of the time it truly works wonders, but other times…other times he needs more than that.

Either them talking for hours, or Eris holding Azriel throughout the whole night, kissing his hair, gently rubbing his back with his warm hand. 

But there isn’t time for any of these things now. They need to leave.

“Don‘t worry, I‘m happy to be your plus one tonight.”

The simply lie is needed because he doesn’t want Eris to be sad. He wants Eris to enjoy this dinner and he wants to be a good boyfriend. Eris’ should have the life he deserves, because Azriel knows that growing up —despite never having to worry about money— wasn’t easy for Eris either and if there is one thing Eris now truly deserves then it is happiness.

“You know I always worry, Azriel,” Eris mumbles. “Especially when it comes to you and your happiness. I want you to be—”

“I know.” Azriel forces a smile onto his lips and finally meets Eris‘ gaze through the mirror. “We‘ll talk when we get home.”

———————

His hands have turned so sweaty that the champagne glass nearly slides out of his palm, and a buzzing sound borne from nervousness starts in his ears. Carefully, Azriel places the glass on one of the cocktail tables, and glances around him, hoping to make out his boyfriend in the bustling crowd of all of Eris‘ coworkers.

Where the hell is he? Azriel asks himself. Eris had promised him to stay with him all night, but then he went to the restroom and hasn’t returned since. He is probably talking to someone… Azriel ponders and absentmindedly rubs his palm over his jaw.

While Eris is kind of a social butterfly at such gatherings, Azriel would always love to just morph into the wall or disappear completely — they contrast like night and day.

Maybe I’m really not the right one for someone like Eris? They are similar in many aspects, but also as different as cats and dogs in many other ways. In too many ways. What if they won’t work out in the end?

Azriel loves Eris more than anything, more than his own life. He  knows the sentiment is returned. But what if in the end, they find out that their differences are too big to truly lead a life together?

Azriel shakes his head, and is brought back to the moment when someone bumps into his shoulder. A short woman with black hair whom he knows as Doctor Amren. He only knows about her from stories that Eris told him — apparently she looks much younger than she actually is, and is dating one of the doctors in training, Varian.

Eris, although he always tries to deny it, loves gossip. Just like Azriel. The corners of his mouth lift the tiniest bit. He would also never admit it, so at least this is something they have in common (among other things, of course). 

Despite that small comfort, the doubts won’t leave Azriel. After checking once more to see if he can find Eris somewhere in the crowd, but still not catching sight of him, he knows he doesn’t want to stay here.

He needs a moment for himself. And since this place is filled with people, he knows he needs to get out. There are three options: restroom, balcony or the elevator. The elevator sounds like the least rational and so does the balcony where everyone can see him and maybe get the idea to walk out to him and talk to him. So restroom is his only hope to find solace there and catch a moment to calm his mind.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Azriel?” He can hear Eris outside the door, and decides that it is quite silly to stay hidden here and let his boyfriend keep on searching. So he does the only thing he considers rational and mature. 

“I‘m here,” he says matter-of-factly, feeling stupid the moment the words leave him. Of course, he is here.

“Can I come in?”

Azriel doesn’t answer him, only turns the key and wordlessly opens the door. His shoulders are slightly drooped, the corners of his mouth downturned.

“I‘m sorry for leaving you alone.”

“I had to relieve myself.”

Eris shoots Azriel an incredulous look, not one bit buying that poor lie. “I have been looking for you for at least fifteen minutes, my love.”

Azriel shrugs a shoulder, somehow at a loss for words now that he feels an immense amount of shame creep in again.

He is an adult and not a little child, but with how he is behaving now he definitely resembles a little five year old boy more than a 35 year old man.

“Let me show you something.” Eris uncrosses his arms and reaches out his hand. 

Reluctantly, Azriel agrees, glad that Eris changed the topic. He follows after his boyfriend, his hand sliding into his Eris‘, and slowly and with a lack of motivation he is trailing after Eris until they are outside on one of the large glass balconies. The cool night air embraces him like a cloak and Azriel inhales a deep breath, letting the crisp air cool his racing mind and heavy heart.

He doesn’t really know why they are out here, but he likes it. The thick windows drown out most of the noises — the chatters and music— from the inside and there are no people here.

He glances around, trying to figure out what Eris wanted to show him or if he just wanted to bring him out here for Azriel to relax? There is nothing. Only skyscrapers surrounding them, so Azriel guesses it is the latter option.

“What did you want to show me?” he asks nevertheless.

“Nothing.” Eris shrugs a casual shoulder, then also reaches for Azriel’s other hand, taking it into his and brushing his thumb over the back of Azriel’s. “I only wanted to talk to you. And for you to tell me what is going on.”

Azriel lowers his chin to his chest and suddenly feels even more ashamed and disappointed in himself — in the end he really managed to ruin the evening for Eris. Again…

“Our earlier conversation is still on my mind.”

“Oh, Azriel,” Eris begins to chuckle. “I told you that there would not be a single person that I would rather have here with me than you. You are perfect and amazing, and I love you. And I love having you here. I love having you here with me.”

“That’s not the problem, Eris.” Azriel’s gaze drops to their intertwined hands, his large, scarred hands in Eris pale and neatly manicured ones. Eris‘ are slimmer, softer, his fingers long and boney and his caress always tender. Not like his own which is somehow…brutish, he thinks.

“I don’t fit into your world, Eris,” Azriel answers wistfully. “This,” —he removes one hand from Eris‘ hold to tug at the collar of his tux— “isn’t me. This doesn’t fit me. I look absolutely silly and—”

“Beautiful.” A sad smile appears on Eris‘ lips. “But I understand, and I am sorry.”

Azriel’s eyes open wide, and he flashes Eris an incredulous look. “Wait! Why are you sorry? I just ruined your perfect evening with dinner and—”

“I‘m sorry for forcing you to come with me when you clearly feel uncomfortable. I should have asked, should have noticed earlier that you don’t like these sorts of things. And honestly…the only perfect thing about this dinner is spending time with you.”

“That‘s not true.”

“It is.” Eris hums, and then pecks his boyfriend’s lips. “It really is. I don’t care much about this dinner either. But I care about you, and spending time with you — time you enjoy as well.” His lips coast to the corner of Azriel’s mouth. “Let’s get out of here, and get McDonald‘s?”

“My beloved doctor, you always say it is unhealthy!” Azriel laughs. “And you don’t like—”

“It is unhealthy, but if it means that we are sitting in my car together for hours, talking and eating, in an empty fast food restaurant parking lot, then I love it.”

“Talking and eating?” Azriel cocks a brow, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Rounding it off with sex on the backseat?” Eris grins. “The perfect evening.”

“What will you tell your co-workers?”

“That we are going home. I don’t need to give them a reason.” His hand cradles Azriel‘s cheek and he kisses him softly. “But I can also tell them that my boyfriend has some issues with one of his southern body parts,” —Eris pushes against Azriel to make him aware of exactly which body part he is talking about— “and he desperately wants me to take a look at it.” 

“You are impossible,” Azriel laughs, but is now the one to kiss the other. “I love you.”

——————

“You remember your birthday party?” Eris shoves two fries into his mouth and leans his head against the headrest, looking at Azriel while chewing happily.

“I was quite drunk so you might need to help me a bit,” Azriel chuckles, reaching over to Eris to wipe a droplet of ketchup from the corner of Eris‘ mouth. “What are you getting at?”

“I know exactly how you felt this evening.” Eris curls his fingers around Azriel’s hand before he can pull it back and kisses his knuckles. “I also felt out of place. You, Cass and Rhys and their wives were dancing and partying all night and I asked myself the whole time what I was actually doing there — I don’t like drinking, I don’t like that sort of music, smoking or dancing like this.”

The corners of Azriel’s mouth drop just like his shoulders.

Eris attaches his lips to the back of his boyfriend’s hand again. “But I know why I was there. Because of you. Because I love you, because you are my boyfriend and in a relationship there are always two people and you may not like everything the other likes, but that is alright. It adds variety to the relationship and teaches you that you can and should adapt from time to time.”

Their gazes meet and Eris says in a soft and affectionate tone, “I don’t want you to feel bad for what happened this evening.” 

Azriel presses his lips in a thin line, grinding his teeth hard. “I wanted you to have a good evening.”

“This evening is perfect, Azriel.” The doctor smiles. “And I know we may contrast in a few ways, but that is alright. We love each other, and you despite not wanting to go, coming with me to this dinner proved this to me once more.”

“Don’t you think we contrast too much?”

Eris vehemently shakes his head. “No,” he says. “It would be boring if we were the exact same and liked the exact same things. Relationships and love are all about complementing each other. Sometimes this means doing things for the other you may not like yourself but because you love the other it is alright and acceptable. Making small sacrifices is fine and okay. Of course we shouldn’t completely transform ourselves into a version where we are no longer true to ourselves, but small changes, adaptations…they are alright.”

He pauses for a moment and draws in a deep breath, shoulders and chest lifting, then falling with a loud sigh.

“I love you, Azriel, and nothing will ever change that just because you may not enjoy all the same things I do.”

“I love you,” Azriel whispers, his voice tinged with affection. “And I think…you are right.”

“You think?” Eris raises a brow, a playful smirk on his lips.

“I know you are right because my smart and deadly handsome boyfriend is always right!” Azriel‘s laughter fills the inside of the car and Eris joins in, chest warming and relief seeping into his heart. It is good that they talked. Talking to Eris always helps — already helped at a time where they weren’t even dating yet. 

“Everything’s alright between us?” Azriel asks a little sheepishly, nervous despite the former lightness of the conversation.

Eris smiles behind the napkin he is dabbing his face with. “It is.”

“The evening was really alright?”

“Almost perfect.” Eris grins, tossing the napkin into the bag and a crease appears on Azriel’s forehead. He raises a brow. “Almost?”

The grin turns into a smirk, and playfully flashes in Eris‘ amber eyes. “Get in the back seat.”

general Azris tag list (please let me know if you want to be added/removed): @azrielsbabyg @lady-riel @moonlightazriel @aayo-whatt @brekkershadowsinger @ladyelain @banasheefan56 @a-frog-with-a-laptop @ofduskanddreams @acourtofladydeath @secret-third-thing @born-to-riot @chunkypossum

thank you so much @chunkypossum & @queercontrarian for beta reading💛

[neverchecking]

Day 11: Sensory Deprivation- First

It's super short but I don't have a reason for that so sucks for you guys /lh

Smut so Minors Do Not Interact. If I find out a minor has interacted with my blog, I will block you.. Thank you!

Smut CW: Sensory deprivation, my poor characterization of First :(

This is Day eleven of My Kinktober so be sure to come back and check out the other days! Friendly Reminder that all of my smut is tagged 'Cindersins' including this, but this will also be tagged as 'Cinder's happy halloween' along with the run of the mill smut tags.

Kinktober Masterlist <<< Day 10>>>Day 12

The feeling of the cloth against his eyelids was…new. Unique in a way he hadn’t experienced before in a manner that didn’t involve imminent harm to himself or his person. It had his sense on high alert as every little sound nicked his now improved hearing. The very scarf he had once held dear now the cause of his limited eyesight. 

Everything was dark, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t see. He just couldn’t do it with his eyes. He could see the way your fingertips dragged along his skin, the tone of your skin clashing against his own fair one as the delicate pads ran over every goosebump.  He could see the way you leaned in close, breath fanning against the crimson fabric wrapped around his head. 

He didn’t need his eyes to see because his sense had been amplified tenfold.

It felt like his nerves had been lit on fire. Like cotton had been pulled from his ears and blinders had finally fallen, freeing him from a world so dulled he had no idea there was such vibrancy to be had. 

It was almost overstimulating with how much it all was. More so when he felt your delicate fingers wrap around the shaft of his cock. It was more constricting than he thought plausible and he could only wonder for a fleeting second what it would feel like to be enveloped by everything that was purely you. You didn’t let him dwell on it however, thumb crushing over the weeping head of his cock, spreading the leaking precum down his shaft before letting go completely. It cooled quickly and he felt his skin riddle itself in goosebumps at the feeling of it. 

It was addicting. 

First let out a shaky breath through his teeth before straightening his spine. He was a knight, he had to act like it. 

Your chuckle made warm breath brush against his ear and in an act he previously thought forbidden, he whimpered. It shuddered in his throat and his shoulders shook because of it before he settled. But you had grappled onto that sound and you were going to run with it. 

Your hand returned to his cock, gently tugging it and making him positively shatter in a shaking and trembling heap. 

His hands fell to the bed beneath him, fingers clutching onto the fabric. He could feel the sheet strain in his grip before he pulled his hand free, instead threading his fingers into his hair. His scalp burned at the pull, but it was no near the rush of pure ecstasy  that ran through him in jolts of pure lightning, Every muscle simultaneously tightened and went lax as strings of cum seared wherever they landed on his own skin that your hand didn’t immediately cover. 

“Told you, you’d look good in red, First.”

[justporo]

A Night of Fake Smiles and Hidden Lies

Hi, uhm - I don't really now how to start. I am currently writing a long fic in which Astarion and Tav get invited to a ball. It's been going for a while and I thought (very selfishly and self-indulgently) how about I promote it a little since so many new people have joined. It's a still ongoing story. I'd say it's a very chaotic mix of sweet, fluffy, spicy even sometimes and some darker tones in between. I really pour my heart and soul into this project and try to challenge myself! But maybe it's better to just give you some sneak peeks (from like every other chapter)? I'd be super happy if you were interested to check it out! Thanks to @megschaef98 for suggesting some of your fave parts, ily!

To the chapterlist!

You looked at the invitation in his slender hands. Two golden lines framed the card and under a decorative print stood in elegant cursive writing: “His Lordship Lord De Grodt requests the pleasure of the Company of Lord Astarion Ancunín & Tav to a Ball at Herrenfordt Castle on October 5th, 1493 DR after dusk.” “They really only just wrote ‘Tav’? Should I be insulted?” “You don’t have a last name?”, Astarion asked while looking up from the card. “No, Astarion, I grew up on the streets, because my parents abandoned me – I’m only Tav, always have been”, you answered, only a tad of bitterness in your voice. “Well, my love, you could always just take mine”, the vampire replied smugly and grinned at you. “Weird way to propose”, you muttered under your breath but then immediately said before Astarion could react: “So what do you make of this?”

(Prologue)

So, you finally strode over and took in the garment: It was a striking deep blue that became lighter and a wonderful shade of purple up to lavender further down the skirt – impressively similar to the colours the sky turned when the sun set. It had a high collar that didn’t fully close around the neck in the front, so it allowed for a deep neckline that almost looked like a four-pointed star and long flowy sleeves that from the elbows down became cascading trains of fabric. The bodice was decorated with embroidered bigger four-point stars and smaller sparkles in silver and a few shiny stones. From the slender belt around the waistline down it became a luscious silken skirt that was carefully draped with few more star decorations that became fewer the more the colours lightened. It was quite frankly stunning. Regal and elegant, but not overly flamboyant which would have been something you would have never felt comfortable to wear. And the most important thing: no corset. You wouldn’t have believed it, but you were actually excited to put this garment on.

(Chapter 2)

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.

(Chapter 4)

“So sweet, my dear darling, almost as sweet as you”, he whispered hauntingly while you felt drips from the delicious fruit run over your fingers and hand and waves of arousal ran through your body. Then he leaned in again, taking the rest of the strawberry out of your hand, his soft lips closing around your fingers, sucking for a short moment and his tongue flicking over your fingers. Astarion’s sparkling ruby eyes were still on you, patiently observing your reaction, one eyebrow twitching playfully. Your lips parted slightly and your eyes widened as the vampire then lifted your hand up farther and just licked the remaining strawberry juice off the palm of your hand, his fingers steadily around your wrist.

(Chapter 6)

The demon gave a low and rumbly chuckle. “I see”, he had said and with a snap his admirers had returned to roam his body with their hands. “But if you ever change your mind…” He had left the sentence unfinished, his gaze again boring into you until you felt almost stripped naked in front of him and Astarion had protectively placed his hand on your shoulder and quickly led you out of the room. So now you stood in the back of another dimly lit room and listened to this poet theatrically presenting some of his poems: “The moaning and the groaning, The sighing and the sobbing, Are quieted now, With that horrible throbbing.” He enunciated every word carefully, his tone and conduct underlining the meaning of his words – it was quite a thing to watch and listen to. People sat and stood around the artist in a half circle, the performance area marked by some small cold, bright mage lights that were the only light source in this room. The sharp illumination from below then made the performance of the poet even more ghostly. Astarion and you were both leaning against the wall in the back, observing the show in companiable silence.

(Chapter 7)

CHAPTERLIST | READ ON AO3 | MASTERLIST

[immajustvibehere]

Arthur having a bath with reader?

It pays.

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x fem!reader

oneshot: fluffy and suggestive

Summary: You walk in on Arthur taking a bath at the hotel. Being all wet and cold from the storm outside, you decide to join him in the tub. Maybe this is the best opportunity you get admit your feelings for each other.

2700 words, 15 minutes reading time

The knock on the door was frenetic and you didn't even wait for an answer before you barged in.

"Y/N?!", Arthur almost chocked on his words, anxiously skidding around in the bathtub. You noticed him sinking a bit lower under the surface of the water, shoulders slouching and Adam’s apple bobbing with a big gulp of surprise.

You sure were a sight to behold. Soaked and shivering from head to toe, you had stormed into the Saints hotel’s bathroom. That there was a proper storm outside was no secret. The windows were rattling and the whole building creaking. Rain pelted against the windows and walls. Your feeble presence was a shocking reminder that some people were crazy enough to leave their shelter in such a weather.

As if Arthur remembered that he’s supposed to be this big, brave man; he straightened his back, his chest now emerging from under the milky water and the bubbles. You had seen him shirtless a couple of times, when he had been working in the summer’s heat or when he decided that there was too much blood on his shirt to just hand to the girls to wash. Nevertheless, it was always around other people and – most importantly – he had always worn pants. Arthur cleared his throat and asked:

"What the hell are ya doin here?"

"Dutch send me-", you were still catching your breath while your wet clothes made a puddle on the floor.

"Dutch? Why? Something happened?", Arthur's eyes roamed your face, suddenly anxious to find out his gun is needed immediately.

"No...he – well… he was talking with Micah. Something about an important lead. And Micah wanted me to fetch you immediately. So Dutch....Dutch send me", you sighed.

You both looked at each other. You felt somewhat helpless and frustrated. Riding through a storm wasn’t the most leisurely afternoon activity. Your chest heaved under your soaked clothes that were sticking to you like a second skin. Arthur, on the other hand, looked confused. He tilted his head, considering you.

"An important lead? Sounds like that can wait, at least 'til I've finished my bath. I just got in", Arthur said.

"Yeah..."

"Ya sure Micah wasn't pulling yer leg? Sending you out to ride in a god damn storm?", Arthur leant back in the tub, suddenly more confident around you, when he saw you weren’t in a teasing mood.

"He...probably did...", you admitted. It made you sick, accepting this. On one hand, you hadn’t wanted to talk back to Dutch because you had already had a rather horrible day and in a discussion, you would have surely got the short end of the stick. You hadn’t been in the right state for being shamed and accused of laziness or disloyalty. But also - on the other hand - you had jumped at the opportunity to go and fetch Arthur.

A violent shiver ran down your spine. Cold water dripped from your head down your back, and even though the room had been heated feverishly with a big fire spitting in the fireplace, the wet clothes cooled you down extremely.

"Do you mind me staying? I'd just warm up for five minutes...", you asked.

"Sure", Arthur eyed you as you walked towards the fireplace.

That you got out of your jacket and shirt got him by surprise though. You heard the water in the tub splashing when you peeled the clothes off your skin. They'd never dry in a couple of minutes, but it was still better to be out of them.

"You can get into the tub if ya want. Yer freezing, you need it more than I do", Arthur offered in a soft voice.

You slowly turned around. Arthur sat upright, his arms on the edge, ready to leave if you accepted his offer. It melted your heart.

"I thought you just got in?", you asked warmly, with an underlying teasing tone, as you got closer.

By instinct, Arthur sank down again, checking if the foam covered enough of him. You two had been dancing around for the last couple of months. It wasn't even the case that one of you were oblivious to the fact. You had been flirting relentlessly, showed care and affection for one another - and yet, neither of you had openly admitted that you wanted more. It couldn't be for the fear of rejection because you both knew what you wanted. Maybe Arthur was held back by a weird lack of confidence. How stupid you were to make the mistake of liking him!, he would think. He was dangerous, old, ugly and unlovable. Not nearly good enough to be adored by someone like you. For you, it was a mixture of being afraid of commitment, the threatening idea of it not working out or others making fun of you because of the comical look the couple of you would be. Could you even handle Arthur? Or more importantly, could he handle you? With all your bodily imperfections and weird quirks that you thought rendered you undeserving of his sometimes very pure and simple love.

Those thoughts were always present. When the two of you sat down for a morning coffee, there were those looks that you gave each other, full of love and affection - but what if…?

"I thought you just got in there?"

He felt caught. Of course, he did just say so. And he wouldn't get out for an important lead, but for you, he would.  

"Yes, but-"

"How about I just join you in there?", you suggested, a cheeky grin forming.

"I-...What?", Arthur stuttered. Looking for words. Still, he tried to maintain the upper hand: "sure if you don't mind sharing a bathtub with a filthy outlaw."

You smiled. For a second you thought he might refuse.

"Look away, will you?", you begged. And he listened. Awkwardly looking to the other side of the room while you got out of your clothes. He tried his best to look the other way when you got into the tub, however, he had to admit to himself that it wasn’t entirely impossible to not see you at least in the corner of his eye. He thought he might lose it completely when you gave a silent moan and hum of appreciation for the hot water. Only when you had settled in opposite of him, hugging your knees in front of your body, he dared to look at you again. His cheeks as flushed as yours.

"That's … amazin", you admitted. It was a relief to feel your limbs warm up.

"Can imagine...", Arthur mumbled. You gave him a cheeky smile.

"Not a big talker, all of a sudden?", you teased.

"Naked small talk ain't that easy", Arthur huffed.

"Oh", you mocked, "so you never take a deluxe bath then?"

"Well...sometimes", Arthur defended himself in an offended voice.

"That's a lot of naked small talk, isn't it?"

"Sure, but I'll never see those women again! And they aren’t naked", Arthur fought back.

"So it's a problem that I'm naked?", you asked with raised eyebrows. You knew you had him.

"Problem? No, darling", Arthur chuckled warmly.

He knew you were bad at keeping a relaxed complexion when he called you pet names. He had observed your reaction to them almost immediately and from henceforward had only used them sporadically, being well aware that their use had an effect on you. And this remained true, because now you gulped and quickly avoided his gaze before you collected yourself for another witty remark.

"You won't call for a deluxe bath now, will you? If ya want I can give you a scrub and for the money you buy me a whiskey later", you suggested. Arthur looked unsure, self-consciousness quickly taking over his thoughts. He loved and trusted you, but he was outright embarrassed, knowing damn well a few spots were mud and dried blood blemished his skin.

"Come on...I'll just do your back", you offered with a kind smile.

Arthur sighed and handed the sponge to you. "M'okay", he agreed, carefully turning around in the bathtub. Water spilled over the edge of the bathtub, but neither of you cared really. "That's not one of yer tricks, is it?", Arthur asked anxiously. You had a history of playing small pranks on each other, so it wasn't a surprise he would assume something like that.

"What am I supposed to do?", you chuckled.

"I dunno? Drown me?", Arthur guessed.

"Mhhh", you grinned, "Now you're giving me some ideas..."

You thought about it for a second before you decided against drowning him. Mainly because he was ten times stronger than you and would turn the tables before you could do as much as dip his head under water. You smiled at the thought of naked wrestling in the bathtub. But you started to scrub Arthur's back with the sponge, casting it aside after a few moments to lightly massage his back with your hands. Arthur stiffened when your bare hands touched his skin. You felt the tense muscles in his shoulders when your hands tried to knead the tension away. Absentmindedly, you traced some of his scars on the back with your finger, which had Arthur twitching of the tickle. Your eyes fell on his hair. The tips were wet and clung to his neck. It looked funny and adorable at the same time. You enjoyed it quite a bit that you could stare and smile at Arthur’s handsomeness without him mocking you.

"Want me to wash your hair too?", you asked.

"Y/n ya really don't have to-"

"Oh, but I want. I've only got good feedback from my hair washing skills", you claimed.

"Who was the judge of that?", Arthur asked incredulous.

"Remember Jimmy?"

"Yer dog?", Arthur laughed.

"Sure. He always loved it when I washed him. Couldn't get enough", you said.

" If your only ever customer was a dog, I'm not sure your skills will suffice for-", you interrupted Arthur by pouring a jug of water over his head, wetting his hair and shutting him up in the process. You couldn’t help but laugh when Arthur had to spit out some of the water that had got into his mouth and wipe across his face.

"Have some trust, mister", you mocked.

"I'm startin' to think yer don't deserve to be paid with whiskey after", Arthur shook his head slightly, but him slowly starting to relax suggested that he indeed did enjoy your head massage.

"Maybe your right. I'm enjoying this way too much to demand any payment", you stated. Quickly and silently adding a "I mean, the annoying-you-part of course..."

"'Course...", Arthur mumbled in agreement. In reality, you were happy to be so intimate with Arthur. Finally. The way he gently pressed his head into your hands when you rubbed the soap in. He tried his best to stay decent, always adjusting his position and shuffling an inch away when he felt your breasts touching his back. But when, for the fourth time in a row, you pressed your upper body against his back 'as to reach his hair better', he stayed that way, only turning his head ever so slightly to watch you in the corner of his eye.

In a low voice and with red cheeks he finally said: "Yer teasin' me, girl?"

"Sure am", you poutingly admitted.

Arthur hadn't expected this answer. Normally, you'd just deny it and grin stupidly, he didn't expect it to be any different now. He lowered his head a bit and with a sigh and in a gravelly voice said: "There's only so much teasin' a poor fella like me can take."

You poured another jug of water over Arthur's head, this time more careful to not let it run over his face, but still efficiently washing out the soap.

You sighed. Then secretly grinned before trying to speak monotonously: "For my taste, you take a bit too much, Arthur."

He wanted to turn around. See your expression to check if this was as close to a confession as it would get today, but in this very moment you stood up to get out of the bathtub. Arthur caught a glimpse, but quickly averted his gaze again.

"What's that s'pposed to mean?", he asked while staring down the water in front of him, trying his best to ignore the fact that you were walking through the room butt naked to retrieve one of the towels that were provided on a chair. You feared your heart would break out of your chest any second now. You desperately searched for a way to play the conversation back to him. Lord, you didn't have the strength to actually say it. He'd tease you forever that you were the first to give in. And yet...you couldn't handle it being put off any longer. You feared that if nothing happend now, this would be the last moment for a long time of having had some intimate contact with Arthur. Your body still tickled from the feeling of leaning against his back.

Quickly, you dried yourself and tied the towel under your arms around your body. It was warm from lying near the fireplace and it felt cosy around your waist and torso. Then you took another towel, walking up to Arthur and handing it to him. When he finally looked up from the water to take the towel, you pressed a kiss against his temple.

"Thank you", you mumbled, feeling the blood rush to your cheeks yet again.

"For what?", Arthur asked so softly, you barely recognised his voice. His eyes were glued to your lips, regretting fiercely that they hadn't settled for another spot to kiss him.

"For trusting me", you smiled slightly. Arthur wasn't someone who trusted easily. And even being friends (and a little bit more) for years now, it was still special that he let you wash him. But the man scrunched his nose, his eyes shortly checking yours. His look conveyed that he was a bit offended of the idea that he wouldn't trust you with anything less but his god damn useless life.

"Yer drivin' me crazy woman...", Arthur shook his head. And then, suddenly, he stood up and with a big step left the tub. He didn't regard for one second that water was spilling everywhere - again. He even barely minded the towel, holding it in place in front of his private parts, covering something of which you frankly wouldn't have shied away to take a peek. And while you made a step back to not be drowned in the gush of bathwater, Arthur made haste to close the gap between you again. His free hand finding a place to rest on your cheek and pulling you into a kiss.

One could argue that months of teasing and dancing around each other took a toll on the man, because when the first kiss ended and you bated your eyes open, you already found Arthur's blue eyes staring you down intently. He was quick to close them again and go in for another deep kiss. At first a bit awkwardly, you remembered that you had two free hands, which now found their way to Arthur's shoulders where they rested shortly. Until you couldn't resist entangling them into his wet hair and pulling him deeper into the kiss.

After you broke from each other to catch your breath, Arthur rested his forehead against yours. With a smile on your face, you balanced on your toes, trying to make it easier for the big man. You found yourself feeling a new sort of comfortable around him. So you took a deep breath before you carefully pronounced:

"Arthur Morgan. I think I really like you a lot."

Arthur chuckled lowly, his hand wandering from your cheek to the small of your back, pushing you closer to him.

"You don't say, sweetheart. I couldn’t tell...", Arthur whispered.

You pinched his side, which made him twitch lightly and his towel shift just an inch.

"Do you think Micah's lead can wait until tomorrow", you asked while tracing Arthur's biceps with your finger.

Arthur laughed and peppered your face with small kisses: "It has to. I still gotta pay you, remember?"

"It's not gonna be whiskey, is it?", you chuckled. Arthur chuckled too, now planting a line of kisses down your neck and mumbling the sweetest "No".

[undreaming-fanfiction]

With This Ring (1)

Also posting here if you want to avoid Ao3 for some reason :) A Corpse Bride Steddie AU you didn't know you needed. Steddie Big Bang 2023 - project 202, brought to you by myself and two wonderful artists, @yellowsweater-bluevest and @mcdadarts.

"So...a big day tomorrow?" 

Steve didn't even look up from the piano. He just chuckled, a mixture of bitterness and amusement that felt like his personal brand, a perfect description of his life. His fingers were moving over the keyboard in natural, long practiced strokes. "Something like that," he said. 

He noticed movement on his left as Robin walked to the window to check the blinds, to make sure they shielded her and Steve from any and all unwanted attention. It didn't matter that the only thing they could see were the woods around Robin's house, Hawkins had eyes everywhere. 

The shuffling finally quieted down and Robin leaned against Steve, patting his shoulder. “You’ve really improved, you know that? You’re much better than me now and the hesitation you had a few months back is gone. I don’t give praise just to anyone, but you should be proud.” She smelled like dried flowers and Steve huffed out a quiet laugh. Just like Robin to act all tough and snarky but keep all the flowers that she was given. 

“Thanks. Both for the praise and for letting me practice here.” He didn’t add that she might as well have been the only person who appreciated his playing, who saw how much it meant to him. Or that if his father knew about his hobby, he would have likely smashed the piano to pieces and if one or two of Steve’s fingers happened to be collateral damage, well. Two birds, one stone. Instead, he slowly brought his hands into a coda and stilled his fingers, let the melody linger in the air for a bit longer. “When is she coming?” 

Robin checked her watch and blushed, much to Steve’s amusement. “Any minute now.” 

“You know you have nothing to be nervous about, right?” When she didn’t respond, he nudged her side one, two times, until she wheezed and grasped his fingers. “It’s not like you have that stupid rehearsal tomorrow. And everything will go,” he straightened his spine, adopting a stern expression very closely mimicking his father, “according to plan.” 

That finally made her chuckle and relax. “And what a plan that is! Fantastic, magnificent, absolutely riveting. And if someone decides to show up, we’ll just finalize the details-”

The bell rang, stopping her rambling. Robin immediately left his side, almost skipping to the door as Steve watched her go, trying to fix her hair in the process. He felt a strange pull in his heart – he used to think it was jealousy, but now he finally knew what it was. Yearning. Seeing someone so happy, he thought that maybe one day, when all of this was over, maybe then- 

Once they made sure the door was closed, Nancy greeted Robin with a gentle peck on her lips and made her way into the living room. “Hi Steve. Ready for the big day?”

He laughed as he squeezed her hand in greeting. “Oh, absolutely, can’t wait to practice my vows and see both our families rejoice at the flawless performance.” 

“Steve, your sarcasm is showing.” Nancy rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed the pretend annoyance. 

“Oh, is it? Sorry.” His fingers returned to the keyboard, grazing their surface. “Anyway, you have a date to get to and I’m here to provide an alibi. Would you like your favorite song to kick it off?” 

Before Nancy could react, Robin gently moved her to the side, hands on her hips, and cleared her throat. “Sure she wants to hear it. We’ve been practicing all day for the big occasion, right, Steve?” 

His laughter gradually faded into the well-known melody and he found himself humming along as Robin sang with all the dramatics and passion she could muster:

“Thanks a bunch, but I'm not getting married

Go have lunch, 'cause I'm not getting married

You've been grand, but I'm not getting married

Don't just stand there, I'm not getting married

And don't tell Steve, but I'm not getting married today”

Steve Harrington’s life was perfect, that’s what everyone kept telling him. 

“The perfect house”, they scoffed as they peered into his living room, seeing the pristine carpets, the shiny displays of expensive statuettes and framed pictures. Of course they could afford housekeeping, of course they had the prettiest flowers in their garden – planted, watered and maintained in their perfection by a professional gardener. Of course Mrs. Harrington never allowed something as mundane and dirty as soil near her manicured nails. That was the image she always portrayed, even if Steve sometimes saw her watching the wilting leaves, her fingers reaching out before quickly withdrawing. 

“The perfect family”, they muttered as they observed the Harringtons leaving for yet another gala, another social function that allowed them to flaunt their wealth, their status. They were a sight to behold - the patriarch of the family, Richard Harrington, with his strong jaw, cold eyes and practiced booming laughter, the trophy wife, Mary Harrington, and her platinum blonde hair in stiff locks, the most expensive jewelry and effortless mingling...and Steve. The golden child Steve Harrington, the boy who could easily charm and entertain, who enchanted many a heart in his high school years, the boy who excelled in sports and took a junior position in his father’s company after school to prove himself. Perfectly respectful, maybe a bit of a rascal, but boys will be boys, they said. 

“The perfect future,” they spat out as they saw Steve leaving his father’s office, that charming smile plastered on his face, oblivious to the worries of common people. How far would anyone else have gotten if they had private sessions with Mr. Harrington, explaining to them the intricacies of their business? But of course, the boy did not understand how lucky he was. 

It was only natural for the perfect boy, now a young man, to have a perfect wife too. And how fortunate that there was a family in their town of Hawkins that fit the Harrington criteria – a traditional father, on the right side of the political spectrum, of course, a housewife with just enough brains to be charming but not too much, not to overshadow her older husband, and three kids. Not all of them agreeable, but the eldest daughter was bright, polite and while she was a bit too ambitious for Mr. Harrington’s liking, time and family focus would fix that small problem. Mr. Harrington believed that all problems have solutions.

Steve tried to follow the plan. He and Nancy Wheeler went to school together and it only seemed right that they eventually started dating, a studious, presentable girl and a popular jock. They did it all, romantic dates, parties – but not too many, just enough to remain the golden couple, family dinners and grand plans for their future...that is, until they broke up. 

He should have seen it coming. Their relationship had been on the rocks ever since Nancy’s best friend Barb accidentally slipped and drowned in the Harrington family pool during one of those rare parties. He’d tried to be there for Nancy, begged her to tell him what she needed, but as time dragged on, it became obvious that she didn’t know what would ease her pain. She was only sure of one thing - it wasn’t him. 

It was fine. He was hurt, of course, he blamed himself, tried to fix whatever was wrong with him, but in the end accepted it – he had to, especially after he skipped the second period and saw Nancy in an empty classroom, lips glued to a girl from his class, the passion so foreign, so different from what she used to be like with him. And even though the pain would not go away, not fully, the fear in their eyes and the instant jolt that made them leave each other’s arms, it made him understand. He just smiled at them and mentioned an empty service bathroom that would perhaps be safer, more discreet. 

It should have ended there – Steve informing his parents of their break-up, losing his first love but gaining two friendships at once. It seemed like a good trade to him, better than he thought he’d have. Perhaps he would meet another girl one day, one his father would approve of. But when Richard Harrington scoffed and said, “as if love had anything to do with marriage”, something cold settled in Steve’s stomach, something that felt awfully a lot like helplessness. His father decided what was best for him, without knowing him at all, his life a mere extension of the Harrington legacy.

Months of pleading led nowhere, and so did the reasoning, bargaining...Richard Harrington wouldn’t budge, and neither would Ted Wheeler. It would have been better for Steve to just leave, to live his own life elsewhere, but...

But Nancy had a bright future ahead of her. She was his friend and so was Robin, the second half of his soul he’d never known he was missing. So he made a deal with himself – he would stall the wedding, give just enough to keep his father if not happy, then at least satisfied, and give Nancy enough time to reach her eighteenth birthday, secretly apply for college just like Robin and Nancy and once the two of them were out, safe and out of reach of the town’s and their families’ bigotry, he would focus on himself. Maybe he’d move out and disappear, just like the girls would. Or he’d stay and face the music, living his own life to spite his father. 

So many options, so little time. 

And that was why he was currently at the piano, his fingers moving as if they had a mind of their own, producing melodies that felt like a second nature to him, the familiarity equally sweet and painful. He might have lost the first love of his life, but along with gaining a soulmate and a good friend, he’d rediscovered a part of himself that he’d never thought he would ever dare to pursue again – music. 

Ever since he was little, Steve Harrington had loved music. From the sweet tone of his mother’s voice singing him to sleep, before the golden cage trapped her in more ways than one, to gentle strumming of a guitar coming from the woods, from kids that were free in ways he would never taste. He would never be allowed to join a band, that would tarnish his reputation, that and the one of his family, to stoop to being a public spectacle. But they couldn’t always control him, the school became his refuge, long before his King Steve persona, long before he had his heart broken and glued back together. The school was a place where he could be himself, at least partially. It was ironic, the building most of his peers hated became his favorite spot in Hawkins. And in it, the musical room and a piano, a beautiful instrument that could weave any emotion into its tones – melancholy, love, hope. It was complex and perfect for Steve. 

Complex and perfect…just like the boy that he saw once at the piano. It didn’t matter that he was wearing shabby clothes, too big for him, that he had the ugliest buzzcut and that there was a fresh bruise on his cheek. His long and gangly limbs hardly fit on the small stool in front of the piano, but Steve couldn’t stop watching his hands, the thin and elegant fingers flowing like water. 

Steve was mesmerized. He could have watched the boy play for hours, letting those beautiful tones wash over him, but then he took a breath that was too deep, too audible, and the boy froze. He looked like a cornered animal, jumping up to distance himself from the piano and knocking his knee on the bottom of the keyboard. And Steve hated himself for laughing, he really did, but he just couldn’t understand how someone could go from graceful to a ragdoll in two seconds. As the boy mumbled nervous apologies and rubbed his knee, Steve stopped him, taking a step closer. 

“That was amazing. Really, really amazing. Could you maybe…could you show me? The basics? If you’re not busy.”

It turned out that the boy’s name was Eddie and he wasn’t busy. He had plenty of time between classes, during lunch breaks. Being the new kid, and the new poor kid from a trailer park on top of that…that was a death sentence in Hawkins Middle School. Steve had learned so much about Eddie during their lessons – he would bring lunch, they’d eat together in the music room and chat about anything and everything. Eddie told him how he moved in with his uncle Wayne, how he felt like a burden and never wanted him to worry so he hid his bruises and kept out of harm’s way, kept out of sight and out of trouble. He said his mom used to play a lot in bars when he was a kid, took him with her and taught him whenever she could, staying longer and longer, maybe hoping that if they stayed past midnight, his father would get bored, turn to whatever alcohol he managed to steal that day and fall asleep before they got back. It didn’t always work, but hey, it was worth a shot. And Eddie was a fast learner. 

But he never had to hide from Wayne Munson, and if Steve had ever experienced warmth and understanding, it was from Eddie and his uncle. The man seemed older than he was, balding and with a face full of lines, but underneath his gruff exterior was a heart of pure gold. They didn’t have much, but he always prepared a quick meal for Steve and Eddie when they got too immersed in their dreams of music and grand future. He’d pat Steve’s shoulder and ask him about school, likes and dislikes, his goals and dreams. 

Eddie had dreams too, he wanted to leave Hawkins and play music, no matter what the form would be. Not just covers too, but his own songs and tunes. He loved all kinds of instruments, guitar mostly, but piano had always been his comfort. He played snippets of melodies for Steve that he composed himself, often asking for Steve’s feedback, for his ideas. Whenever that happened, Steve’s chest tightened and he felt a strange fluttering. Someone found him worthy of voicing his opinion. Someone asked him for it. For the first time in his life, he felt heard. He felt like a separate person from his family, from the expectations. In that music room, it wasn’t Steve Harrington, the golden boy of the Harrington family, and Eddie Munson, the neglected trailer trash. They were just Steve and Eddie, bonded over their love for music. 

And then it ended, like all good things do. 

Steve stopped seeing Eddie and they passed each other in the hallways of the Hawkins High, all blatant disregard and secret glances. Eddie’s hair had grown long and wild, he became loud and unapologetic. His instrument of choice became a guitar, he got held back once while Steve graduated. They moved in separate circles now, Steve focusing on sports and finding a part-time job, Eddie fully embracing being the town freak and then eventually leaving, disappearing one day without saying a word to anyone. Just as it was always meant to be, that’s what his father used to say.

Steve Harrington never meant to play the piano again, although he longed for the ghost of the touch of smooth and cool keys. He’d locked those desires deep inside himself, burying them along with the one friendship that used to mean everything. 

Until Robin Buckley came along. 

Robin’s family was fond of music and proud of it. Their collection of instruments was enormous and the first time Steve visited her house with Nancy under the pretense of meeting his girlfriend’s best friend, well, new best friend after Barb Holland had met her tragic fate, Steve found himself staring at their piano. The shard in his heart came loose and the longing was too much, too dangerous. 

But Robin saw him, of course she did. She gently took his hand and led him to the piano, sitting him down. “Are you going to be okay by yourself here?” she asked him and maybe the gentle press of his fingers against the keys was enough of an answer. The window next to the piano led into the woods outside of Hawkins and so did Robin’s, with plaid curtains that protected their exploring kisses and touches from unwanted eyes, all that while Steve found himself again in the familiar melodies and the memory of a boy with a buzzcut. 

In the quiet of the Buckley house, all three of them could be themselves.

Please see the beautiful art for this chapter by Moon Arin HERE!

Chapter 2

[isles-queen]

A Christmas Gift

Back from yet another hiatus!

I will be quite honest that I have no idea who's in anymore (fortunately seems like Seguin's a classic), so please, please, please send requests!

In my inbox, I do have oldies that are of Seguin, Tom Wilson, Morgan Rielly, Roman Josi, Auston Matthews, Michael Latta, Jason Demers, Johnny Gaudreau, Henrik Zetterberg, Andre Burakovsky, Aaron Ekblad, some AHL players, etcetera. Again, I have no clue who's in/fans are interested in anymore! So let me know either through inbox or messages!

——————

Request:

Would you please write one where Tyler Seguin's wife is a hot mess, forgot some key ingredients, and is making a mess of most of the dishes for the first Christmas dinner she's cooking for Tyler and his family. Tyler doesn't care and is very sweet about everything. In the end they figure out her forgetfulness and temporary insanity is because she's pregnant.

——————

"Breathe in ... and out... In... and out." Tyler straightened in his stance and narrowed his eyes at you, feigning annoyance. This man only knew how to annoy, not to be annoyed, so his eyes gleamed with playfulness. "I see no breaths coming in or out of you when you're glaring at me like that."

With your knuckles turning white from gripping the edge of the counter, not feigning annoyance, you chided, "Because you chanting 'in and out' for the past two minutes isn't going to breathe life back into the ham I left burning in the oven."

His eyebrows shot up instantly, and he retorted, "Well, I sure hope not. That'd be one terrifying zombie pig, in my opinion."

"Tyler," you groaned, head dropping between your outstretched arms in defeat. You stared at the floor below, where out of the corner, you spot a splatter of mashed potatoes from the bowl you managed to knock over earlier that distracted you from pulling out the ham in the first place.

When Tyler's rested his hand on your back, you felt at the tip of your tongue the urge to snap at him to not touch you right now, but there was a reason this man married you not too long ago: He knew you better than yourself (or at least close enough).

He gently moved his hand up your back and over to your left shoulder then slipped his other hand to your right shoulder and began to give your back a small massage. For the years of massaging sore or tense muscles, whether for injury or anger, for himself and teammates, Tyler learned which muscles and pressure points were needed to help relax a person.

A sigh involuntarily escaped your lips, and you found yourself straightening into a standing position. You melted into his hands that consumed your body, yet were surprisingly (but also not) delicate along your skin.

You bit your lower lip to hold back a smile when his lips grazed the lower part of your neck that met your back before moving left to where your neck met your shoulder and finally up your neck to right below your ear. His breath tickled the sensitive skin over there, and a shiver ran down your spine.

"Ty," you murmured, any sort of anger or frustration as lost as the cinnamon sticks you misplaced for the mulled wine. "This isn't exactly the time or place for this."

Tyler's hands slipped away from your shoulders and down to wrap around your waist, drawing you against his toned body where you can faintly feel his muscles underneath his buttoned flannel long-sleeve pajama top. His family tended to love wearing matching flannel pajamas for Christmas, which you were not left out of the tradition by wearing your matching flannel sweatshirt.

Not deigning you a verbal response, Tyler instead nibbled on your earlobe and squeezed you a bit tighter against his --

"Do you need help in there?"

You jumped at the sound of Tyler's mom and immediately sent an elbow into his hard stomach. Even though he gave a loud "oof," you knew better than anyone that an elbow from you was nothing compared to an elbow from a 190-plus-pound hockey player. He chuckled, as he loosened his grip on you.

"Behave, sir!" you scolded, narrowing your eyes at him but this time feigning annoyance like he did to you earlier.

He raised his hands in defense, struggling to maintain an innocent pout when he clearly wanted to burst laughing. "I've been a good boy this year, Santa, I swear!"

You snorted. "More like a naughty boy, if I'm not mistaken."

His pout turned into a sinister, seductive smirk, as he immediately wrapped his arms around you again and pulled you into his chest, your hands resting on his pecs. "If that's what you prefer," he purred, capturing your lips with his in a painfully slow, sensual kiss.

You couldn't resist this kiss and found yourself standing on the tip of your toes, wrapping your arms around his neck, and drawing him closer.

"Tyler Paul Seguin!" Tyler instantly groaned and pulled his head away, leaving you now pouting for more, even though you should've been the one to stop him from tempting you. "Stop distracting your wife please!"

"Yeah, Tyler Paul Seguin," you echoed with a playful push to his chest, though he unsurprisingly didn't budge. "Stop dis--" A wave of nausea hit you, and you immediately clasped your hand over your mouth, as a rapid tingling sensation climbed up your throat.

With a step back, Tyler popped out a hip and slapped his hands on both his hips. "Now that's just rude. My kisses aren't that gro--" Before he could finish that word, you bolted out of the kitchen and into the hallway bathroom where you ran past his sister, Candace, who watched you in alarm.

"Are you okay?" Candace asked, automatically following you into the bathroom and catching your hair before it was caught in the crossfire of your vomit.

Unable to respond, you focused your attention on puking into the toilet. You vaguely heard Tyler calling out your name and felt his hands on your back again.

"What's going on?" either his sister or mother asked in the background of you hurling up your guts while Tyler's deep, concerned voice responded, "Not sure. Y/N's been like nearly every day for the past week."

"Every day?" whomever asked, and Tyler provided confirmation. A muffled "I'll be back" was the last thing you heard of their conversation.

By the time your stomach calmed and you successfully flushed the toilet without feeling an urge to throw up again, you rested your back against Tyler's legs, as he sat against the lip of the bathtub. You closed your eyes while he switched from massaging your shoulders into rubbing gentle circles behind your ears.

When you opened your eyes again, you found a white stick with a white screen and a blue tab shoved before your face. You absentmindedly accepted it and kept holding it in front of you before you processed what you were holding.

Eyes growing like saucers, you immediately sat up and away from Tyler, only to turn around and meet his dark brown eyes that were just as wide as yours. Smiles creeping on both of your faces, you uttered at the same time, "No way."

[soulnb42]

Times Like These (part 6)

AO3

Part 6

Beatrice slowed her pace then came to a stop when Ava caught up with her. Ava immediately bent over, holding her knees, her lungs were burning with the exertion, so much so she was practically wheezing.

“I think… I prefer when… you kick my butt,” Ava stated, still trying to catch her breath. “Never… thought I’d say that… and mean it…”

Beatrice laughed softly. She had made them run at a steady pace through an uneven terrain across the wood for almost an hour. She had meant for it to be a warm up, but seeing how it had taken the wind out of Ava, she made a mental note to add a little more cardio in their daily training routine.

Ava was still heaving when she straightened up. She looked at Beatrice incredulously. “I’m pretty sure… I’ve lost a lung back there,” she pointed a thumb over her shoulder. “And you’re… not even winded…” she rolled her eyes. “…figures.”

Beatrice stretched a bit then just sat down and enjoyed the scenery. They had reached a lake; the view was quite stunning with the mountains in the background. Ava dropped on the floor next to her, she was still breathing heavily but her lungs were no longer on fire.

“Do you want to talk about last night?”

Beatrice’s question took her by surprise. She felt a shiver run down her spine at the memory of her nightmare and shook her head vehemently. “Not really, no.”

“Okay,” Beatrice nodded. “I’m here if you ever change your mind.”

Ava nodded to acknowledge the offer but didn’t say anything else.

They remained quiet for a long time. Beatrice looked at Ava and she could see the dark cloud hovering above her head. So far, she had let Ava on her own devices, but today she knew she would push her to talk. They needed to get to the core of what was bothering her.

Last night, when she was watching over Ava after her nightmare, she had an epiphany. Well, not so much an epiphany than a reminder. The Halo was tied to Ava’s emotions. So, she had put herself in Ava’s shoes and it occurred to her that Ava was afraid and maybe she didn’t want to fight.

It was easy to forget that Ava had not been prepared for the Halo. Every bearer before her had been trained beforehand, they had accepted the assignment willingly. Mother Superion had been ready, Shannon had been ready, and even if things hadn’t gone according to plan

Ava…had been thrown into a brand-new world, a world that expected her to fight and die for it.

It was unfair. She had been given another life only for it to come with insane caveats.

Then Beatrice had remembered the note Ava had left behind that time she had run away from the OCS: I want to live.

It was that simple.

Beatrice had thought long and hard, in the end she came to a decision that went against everything she was standing for, but one that was at least fair to Ava, consequences be damned.

“This is a nice place,” Beatrice mused aloud. “The décor is beautiful, it’s quiet and peaceful, people are nice… you could have a good life here.”

She felt Ava’s gaze on her, but kept on watching the scenery. “I could tell the others you’ve escaped my watch, while making sure they never find you,” she shrugged.

Ava stared at Beatrice, when their eyes met, she scrutinized her face for a long moment. Was Beatrice serious?  Would she really do that?

Beatrice looked at her with her usual benevolent soft grin, and just like that Ava knew, that yes, she meant it. Beatrice would lie for her and give her a chance at another life.

Ava nodded before looking away.

It was a tempting offer, an illusory one, but tempting still. She knew from experience that ‘simple’ and ‘normal’ were no longer an option for her, at least as long as the Halo was embedded in her back.

The way she saw it, there were three options. One, trying to get rejected by the Halo and potentially go back to being dead; two, fighting Adriel and most likely dying; or three, hiding and pretending the world wasn’t burning around her. Option three came with another caveat: she’d be on her own; sure Beatrice would be there but only from afar. If that was the price of ‘normal’ then she didn’t want it. Not to mention that Adriel would eventually find her and would most likely kill her because she wouldn’t have had any training whatsoever.

So… pestilence, cholera or plague, those were her options.

“You don’t owe anything to anyone,” Beatrice added as if reading her mind.

Ava closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. “I kind of do though. If it wasn’t for me, Adriel would still be locked in a tomb,” she muttered.

She didn’t know Adriel’s agenda, but something told her that hugs and cuddles were not on it. She couldn’t bear the idea of more people getting hurt because of her.

“It’s kind of my mess to clean up.”

“Our mess,” Beatrice corrected her.

“Right…” Ava snorted dejectedly 

“We are a team, Ava,” Beatrice said firmly. “Whatever burden you carry, you don’t have to do it alone, you can lean on me.”

There was something overwhelming reassuring to know that she had Beatrice by her side, that she was her ride or die team mate. Somehow, she doubted she would have felt as safe with anyone else.

“You can trust me.”

“I trust you!” Ava exclaimed.

“Then talk to me,” Beatrice prompted her gently.

Ava sighed heavily. She didn’t want to admit what had been weighing heavily on her mind, but Beatrice was right, they were a team. More importantly, at the moment and who knows for how long, they only had each other; that meant she couldn’t keep shutting Beatrice out.

“I’m useless…” she admitted in a mumble.

She felt Beatrice’s gaze on her but refused to meet her eyes.

Beatrice was truly confused and didn’t get where Ava was coming from with that statement.

“We are a team and I’m supposed to be the leader… but I can’t pull my own weight.”

Sensing that there was much more to unpack, Beatrice remained silent, patiently waiting for Ava to get it all out.

“We had to leave the others behind, because I couldn’t pull my own weight,” Ava continued “We’ve been here for 10 days and if it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be sleeping under a bridge because I can’t pull my own weight!” the more she spoke the more agitated Ava got, her voice growing louder.

“I can’t…” she grunted in frustration. “But you… you know what to do, you always know what to do… I mean… within two days you… stocked the apartment with everything we may need on a day-to-day basis… you’d scouted the place for training space… put down a training program… Geez… you even secured us a job at the local bar…”

She pulled aggressively at some blades of grass and threw them away. “I couldn’t have done any of that… because I don’t know any of that stuff… so far, all I do is waiting on you for directives and sucking hard at training!”

She shook her head. “How am I supposed to lead when I can’t even do the simplest things?”

Beatrice was no stranger to pressure. Holding herself to the highest standards was her MO, but Ava was taking that to another level. If she was honest, had she been in Ava’s shoes she didn’t think she would have cope half as well as Ava had. Clearly Ava wasn’t giving herself any credit.

“Ava…” Beatrice didn’t really know where to start. She rubbed a hand over her forehead. After a second, she decided to tackle every point from the easiest to the hardest. “I’ve lived on my own and had to find a job before the OCS… however brief those periods in my life were, I’ve had the opportunities to face those situations and therefore learn, but rest assured I was as clueless as you before that.”

She paused to give Ava a moment to take her words in.

After a minute she continued. “You were in car crash when you were seven, spent over a decade being paralyzed, you died… then you were revived by the Halo and thrown into a world where you were forced to fight literal demons…” she held a finger out for every instance she enumerated. “I think we can agree on the fact that all of this did not leave that many opportunities to learn about mundane stuff,” Beatrice pointed out. “To be honest, you have faired pretty well, all things considered, so cut yourself some slack.”

Beatrice’s perspective on things did make sense, Ava thought.

“You suck at training… well yeah, but then again that is the point of training. You suck now, so you won’t suck on the field. You may suck but you’re putting the work and that’s all that matters,” she sensed Ava’s protest coming but cut her off. “You do, always have. Case in point, you went from getting stuck in walls to crossing twenty feet of concrete and more. Do you have a lot to learn? Yes, but we’re just getting started our new regimen, so again, cut yourself some slack.”

Beatrice took a deep breath as she launched onto the last point. She understood Ava’s guilt over what had happened in the Vatican, she felt it as well. Unlike Ava though, she knew that their escape had been the only viable option.

“You did pull your weight in the Vatican. The mission went belly-up but it wasn’t because of you. You did what you were supposed to.”

They were all mislead and betrayed by Father Vincent, he was the only one to know what they were walking into.

“We left because…”

“It was the best of our options,” Beatrice finished. “We are warriors not kamikazes. That means we don’t engage in a conflict without a complete understanding of our odds. That night, we were outnumbered, under geared and more importantly we were not prepared for such a fight.”

“If Shannon had been there…” Ava tried to insist once more but was cut off again.

“The outcome would have been the same. We might have fought 5 minutes more but in the end, we’d have retreated to ensure her safety,” Beatrice countered firmly.

Ava sighed in resignation. She was hearing Beatrice but it was hard to accept.

“I’m not saying that to make you feel better Ava. It’s the truth, plain and simple.”

“Okay…” Ava finally conceded. “I just wish, there had been another way,” she added in a whisper.

“I know, so do I.”

They fell into silence again. Contemplating the scenery.

Ava watched her hand caressing the grass, she closed her eyes to focus on the sensation. It didn’t matter how much time had passed since she had recovered all of her senses. The fact that she could just feel never ceased to amaze her. Every single day she was grateful at the simple fact that she could experience everything through her senses.

“I’m scared,” she finally confessed to Beatrice.

She didn’t specify anything because her fear was encompassing so much. She was terrified of being alone, of being paralyzed again, of losing sensation in her body, of dying…

“So am I,” Beatrice replied.

Ava looked at Beatrice in surprise. Beatrice always seemed unphased by anything, so strong and confident, like she could take on the whole world by herself. To have her admit that she was scared, was… unnerving. It was oddly comforting at the same time.

“I hate not knowing what’s coming next… not having a real sense of direction.”

“Yeah, that definitely sucks.”

“The only way I know how to cope is to focus on what we can control,” Beatrice continued. “From my experience dwelling on the rest is just feeding our fears and making things worse.”

Ava chuckled. “There you go… knowing what to do, yet again,” she teased with a smirk which made Beatrice rolled her eyes. She leaned in to bum her shoulder with Beatrice’s and both started to laugh a little.

For the first time since the start of there exile, the tension was lifted. As much as Ava hated to admit it, that talk they’d just had made her feel a bit better.

“Thank you,” she said.

The words seemed inadequate, not merely enough. Ava didn’t have the words to express how grateful she was. Beatrice had assuaged some of her fears; she had given her a new perspective on things; more than that she had given her a choice. So far, she had been the only one to do so. Sure, all of her choices sucked, but it was nice to at least give her the option to decide of her fate in the end.

Sure, she was still afraid of what was to come but knowing that Beatrice felt the same and was there with her made her feel a tad better.

“Yeah… just… thank you,” she repeated.

Somehow, Ava knew Beatrice understood all the unsaid behind her words. “Sure,” Beatrice nodded with that soft grin of hers.

Ava looked away at the mountains again, she was feeling much too vulnerable and needing to get her emotions back in check.

“Do you mind if we stay here for a while?”

“Not at all,” she saw Beatrice shake her head from the corner of her eye.

“Cool,” she acquiesced before lying down completely.

She took a deep breath then released it. She looked at the clouds and tried to relax. She focused on the smell of grass and nature, on the soft breeze caressing her skin, on the sound of nature and the lake.

For a little while, she was going to pretend that life was simple, no Halo, no demons, no exile; just her enjoying a quiet moment in the middle of nature with a friend.

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

Thanks for reading

[robthegoodfellow]

NSFW snippet from next chapter of Upside-Down (which I swear is coming soonish). Just the product of my wondering whether it’d be possible for them to work out together without it immediately detouring to a different equally valid form of exercise.

He’d returned to the castle that evening and found Harrington working out in the makeshift home gym set up in the garage. Been at it a while, given the shifting shine of his skin, muscles bunching on his back, his arms, as he huffed through a set of dumbbell pushups, pulling each weight to his pec, one at a time, whenever he straightened.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” Billy said, smarmy, when Harrington glanced over, sweaty strands of brown plastered to his brow. He panted a laugh, kept going.

Hands on hips, Billy assessed the many tantalizing directions he could take the scene before him: Harrington shirtless, wearing gym shorts with nothing underneath, if the line of his dick cradled in red mesh was anything to go by. Some running shoes, feet spread for stability.

Strolling to Harrington’s side, he dropped to a crouch, ghosted fingertips down the slick spine to watch him twitch. “How many you shooting for?”

The chuckle had an edge—Harrington fully knew what was coming. “Ten more.”

“Wanna make it harder?” Billy asked, tracing over the clenched ass, down his thigh.

“Already there, bud,” Harrington said, strained, and Billy checked, cupped his stiffy through the shorts while the hand on his thigh smoothed back up, snuck under the mesh where the skin was pale and soft. Harrington bit off a whine, a shaky descent on the rep.

Billy tugged on the fabric from inside, pulled it snug against his dick on the ascent. “Want to, though?”

Harrington hadn’t finished wheezing a slew of yeahs when Billy rubbed him firm, root to tip, and the left dumbbell wavered upward. Quested with his hand under the shorts to grip a rigid asscheek, and the right weight likewise bobbled.

Sometimes, Billy reflected, he felt kinda evil in a shitty way, and then there were times he was evil in a purely sexy way. Like Catwoman.

Clinging to control, gasping a bit, Harrington lowered, and Billy abandoned the asscheek in favor of tracing past his taint, his balls, to adjust his tortured, throbbing cock—position it, with the help of his hand on the outside, so that the crown peeked from the waistband, tucked against his trembling stomach. Right where Billy could brush the flushed wet, back and forth.

“How many left?” he asked, hushed, as Harrington pushed up with an audible squeak, arms extended.

The answer, through gritted teeth: “Seven.”

Billy hummed, kept rubbing the head while the other hand returned whence it came, thumb swiping a wide arc to his tight crack. Spoke before the dumbbells could rise, complete the rep. “Spread your feet more.” Repeated more until his cheeks were adequately parted, and Billy skated the pad of his thumb to the clenched whorl of skin.

Steady stream of fucks accompanied the lift of the left weight, the right. Billy pressed on his hole, testing, and Harrington grunted, lowered again—like Billy was the one pushing him down.

Still quiet: “Can you relax for me, babe?”

Harrington was gulping air, fine tremors racing under slick skin. Billy quit rubbing his dick, but left his hand there, almost propping him up, and that was when he felt it—this flutter where Billy was lightly pressing, so he pressed more, crooked at the knuckle. Sank in.

Sank in way easier than expected.

“Having fun earlier?” Barely a question, more an observation, and Harrington shifted, pushed back on the intrusion, begging for more. “Ah-ah,” Billy scolded, even as he fed him the rest of his thumb. “That’s not proper form.”

Groaning, Harrington brought his hips back into alignment, straight as an arrow from shoulder to ankle—then completed the next rep, clenching around Billy like a vise.

“Five more.” Tried to make it encouraging as he resumed his feather-light torment of Harrington’s crown, smearing precome on his belly. “Do it and I’ll suck you.”

Harrington chuckled, thready. “I do this, you fuck me.”

Through sheer force of will, Billy did not rip his shorts off then and there. “Or that.”

[mimisempai]

The only one who gives me what I need

Summary

After a hard day, all Greg needs is some cuddles and Mycroft is always happy to provide.

Notes

Mystrade Monday  1.0  #36 - “Can we just watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch?”

@mystradepromptsandscenarios

On AO3

Rating G - 567 words

Greg closed the door of their apartment behind him and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Home at last. 

Trouble at work had piled up and made this day a living hell. But now he could put it all behind him. 

After hanging up his coat and taking off his shoes, Greg went straight to the living room where Mycroft was waiting for him, reading by the dim light of the small lamp beside the sofa.

Greg planted a light kiss on his lover's lips before dropping down beside him. He immediately rested his head on Mycroft's shoulder and sighed, "I'm exhausted."

Mycroft gently brushed Greg's hair back before putting his arm around his shoulder and pulling him to his chest.

"Would you like to go straight to bed?" asked Mycroft.

Greg shook his head, "I need to clear my head first."

Mycroft nodded, and after pressing a kiss to Greg's hair, he asked gently, "What would you like to do then?" 

Greg thought and suggested, "Can we just watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch?"

Mycroft nodded, then replied as he straightened up, "Go and make yourself comfortable, choose the movie and in the meantime I'll make us some tea."

He got up and headed for the kitchen.

Greg watched him go for a few moments before getting up to change into something more comfortable. Mycroft really was the ideal, thoughtful partner. He thought back to the evenings when his ex-wife hadn't understood his need to stay at home and dragged him out to restaurants and other party venues without caring what Greg needed. He was so lucky to have someone like Mycroft in his life now. Life had given him another chance and he would do anything not to ruin it. 

When Greg returned to the living room, Mycroft was lying on the sofa with his arms outstretched. That was all Greg needed at that moment.

He turned on the television and chose to let whatever was on at the time, after all, it didn't matter what they were going to watch.

Greg slid against Mycroft, between his arms, their legs intertwined. Mycroft pulled the blanket that was lying on the sofa over them, wrapping them in it before leaning down to plant a kiss on the nape of Greg's neck, making his lover hum with contentment.

Mycroft wrapped his arms around him, closing them over his stomach before whispering in his ear, "What did you decide to watch?"

Greg leaned into the embrace, resting his hands on Mycroft's, intertwining their fingers before answering with a slight chuckle, "Nothing special, the way I see it, I don't think I'll last more than twenty minutes before I fall asleep."

Mycroft's soft laugh against his ear sent a shiver down Greg's spine as he replied, "I won't be far behind you."

Greg nuzzled his head under Mycroft's chin and looked at the TV screen, not really seeing what was on.

They didn't speak. They didn't need to.

Mycroft didn't force Greg to talk about his day.

He would do so when he felt the need.

And in the end, it took Greg only five minutes before sleep claimed him.

He didn't see the loving expression on Mycroft's face as he watched his sleeping lover.

He didn't feel his lips press against his hair one last time.

He didn't hear his voice whisper, "Good night, my love."

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Mystrade masterlist here

Mystrade Monday 1.0 : here

[nagisadelune]

Promise Rings Chapter 8

(Definitely not edited)

Previous: Promise Rings Chapter 7

And we're back! The work has died down momentarily, so I can put some more writing on the internet (huhu). Anyways, I think it's time for another chapter of Promise Rings because I'm pretty sure I haven't posted another chapter in a hot second, so oops...

Anyways, new chapter with new adventures! I hope you like this one!

⭐⭐⭐

Age: 15

I could only close my eyes from the pain in my back as I tried to hold back my tears. I tried to control my breath to make the pain settle down, but the pain didn’t go away. It’s too painful to ignore.

“Oi, is everything o-” I heard the door swinging open and the sound of footsteps stopping. I willed myself to look at the guest at my door to see Tobio watching my figure closely. For a moment, he stared at me before carefully placing himself beside me on the bed. “Is it your shoulder?” he whispered as he checked my condition. I nodded, hesitating whether I wanted to tell him how I really felt.

“I’m not really sure why they hurt,” I muttered as his fingers carefully grazed over my shirt to check for any abnormalities. His fingers suddenly stopped on a spot between my shoulder blade and the spine, and I froze as he started to feel around the area.

“Karin-chan, what did you do during PE yesterday?” he questioned as he grabbed my shoulders to spin around.

“We did some water polo stuff like throwing the ball to a person-” I started, and I watched his face morph into an annoyed expression. “Wait, are you saying that I threw my shoulder out from that?” I questioned.

“Did you stretch properly because it feels more like you might have tore a muscle?” he shot back at him, and I slowly lowered my gaze. Well, he caught me, and I could feel his hard gaze on my head. “Karin-chan, I thought I told you to always stretch before PE,” he scolded me, and I started playing with my hands. He sighed, making me look at him. “Well, since you should get that checked out,” he started again, “what do you want to do? I’m not letting you go outside because, knowing you, you would want to do something active, but you need to let your shoulder heal properly if it’s what I think it is.” I pouted, trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

“Movie?” I questioned, looking outside the door to see the TV not being used at all. He shrugged, accepting the idea.

“I know your legs are fine, but can you get up?” Tobio questioned, knowing that I often used my arms to boost myself up from sitting. I carefully tried to get up but felt some pain from slouching. He carefully placed his arm around my waist to give me some support. With the extra support, I managed to straighten my posture but continued clinging onto him. Slowly, he guided me over to the couch before letting me go and walking towards the TV. “Which one?” he questioned as his hands picked through the long line of movies nearby.

“Ponyo,” I immediately answered. He chuckled at my answer as he picked it out of the group.

“Why am I not surprised?” I heard him mutter, and I started to feel tired holding the good posture for so long. Once he started playing the movie, he sat down beside me, and I rested my head against his shoulder. “Does it feel okay?” he questioned as his eyes ran up and down my body to check for any issues.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I responded as he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it over our legs. “It feels like only my back needs to be straight, so I can still move my head,” I described as I felt his arm across my back. He nodded as he patted my head slightly. He turned towards the movie, and we quieted down in order to relive the story again.

Age: 16

Silence filled the room as we sat in silence and worked. While this was a rare occurrence, I definitely took advantage of it and worked on whatever I could while Tobio was occupied. While I stared at the essay that was due in a couple days, my eyes seemed to skim over the words quickly, my finger following the words.

“Karin-chan,” Tobio called for me from the bed. At first, I could barely hear it as I focused on the essay. From the corner of my eye, I notice Tobio pull up a chair and sit in it. “Karin-chan,” he called again, poking my cheek for my attention.

“Hm,” I barely hummed as I began revising a sentence, making my words more concise. I was too in the zone to specifically figure out what he needed.

“I’m tired of working,” he complained, trying to rest his head on the back of the chair. Although we’ve only been hanging out for a few hours, we have been only working on homework since he came in. I paused my work to look at him briefly.

“Tobio-kun, we need to finish our work,” I reminded him as I glared at him before returning my attention back to the screen to continue revising. I hear him huff and try to call my attention again. I proceeded to ignore him to make it clear that we were supposed to be working and not chatting. Considering that we were nearing the end of the school year, we needed to keep up our efforts to finish with high grades. From beside me, I hear him complaining about the workload as I neared the end of the essay.

For the final time, he called out with a pout, “Karin-chan.” I decided to give in and expected to glare at him. However, he surprised me with his face a few centimeters away from me. I froze in my spot as I tried to process what was happening. For all I knew, I could feel my heart beat out of my chest and the blood flooding my cheeks. “Can we take a break please?” Trying to calm myself down, I could only bring myself to nod, and I took my hands off the keyboard. I watched his eyes light up as he noticed my actions, springing up from his chair. He reached into his bag and immediately grabbed out the volleyball.

“Practice?” I questioned him, a bit confused. He nodded, his energy through the roof. I sighed and stood up from my desk and followed him into the backyard for some practice.

~~~

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the day. As soon as the teacher finished class, I quickly packed my bag and plugged one earbud into my ear, listening to a playlist that Karin made. She insisted that I listened to these songs in order to get used to listening to English. Today was one of the rare days that practice was canceled, and I was going to walk home with her. I quickly walked through the hallways, getting to the exit to catch up with her. At the gate of the school, I noticed Karin-chan with earbuds in, texting on her phone.

“Karin-chan!” I called out from a few meters away. The song changed, and a few guitar strums played in my ear before the lyrics started.

Do you hear me? I’m talking to you. She seemed to move in slow motion as she pulled out an earbud and turned towards me. Her hair seemed to perfectly fly over her shoulder as her eyes met with mine. I never noticed how big her eyes were in comparison with some of the other girls in the school.

Across the water, across the deep blue ocean. Her paler skin contrasted her dark eyes and hair. Her nose came to a soft point, and her pink lips were slightly open as she stared at me. Even from a distance, I could notice her soft gaze on mine. Her head seemed to tilt as she noticed me just standing there.

Under the open sky. Oh my, baby I’m trying. The school uniform seemed to fit her body perfectly: her skirt didn’t seem too long, and the black blazer that matched her eyes sat comfortably around her shoulders. Her slender fingers seemed to lightly hold the earbud as the wind seemed to blow through the area, making her hair fly with the flow.

Boy, I hear you in my dreams. She pulled the other earbud out of her ear before she started coiling the wire around her phone. Carefully, she placed her phone into her bag before she tucked a few strands behind her hair.

I feel your whisper across the sea. As she approached me, she seemed to radiate maturity from just her walk. I felt my heartbeat against my chest as I watched my childhood best friend started running towards me.

I keep you with me in my heart. The pounds of my heart matched her feet hitting the ground as her hand raised up to make sure I knew she was there. I watched a bright smile grow on her face as her eyes crinkled to the point she couldn’t see much. I smiled back at her as time seemed to keep slowing down.

You make it easier when life gets hard. She suddenly leaped to stop her momentum, making her land in front of me. However, the momentum she built up was a bit too much, causing her to stumble forward slightly. Immediately, my hands went out to catch her, one holding onto her wrist and the other landing in between her shoulders. Her hands landed on my shoulder and chest, and she looked up at me with an innocent aura. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. Was Karin always this pretty?

“Hey, Tobio-kun!” she greeted me as I helped her stand up on her own feet. She smoothed down her skirt before asking, “Ready to go?” I could only nod as she hooked her arm with mine and started dragging me off of campus. I looked down at her, and something in my heart swelled.

I’m lucky I’m in love with my best friend. 

~~~

I watched the ball float through the air before curling down towards me. I quickly shifted my feet and quickly set the ball to Michimiya-san, our captain. I watched her hand quickly slam the ball into the court, scoring a point. The whistle was blown, and we looked at the score: set 2, 25-23; we won our first practice match of the season.

“Aw yeah!” Watabe-san cheered as we jumped around. We began high-fiving each other before we lined up for the end of the match. While we lined up to give our thanks to the cheering section, my eyes caught Tobio’s figure in the stands. I noticed him staring at me, and I gave him a small smile before I bowed with the rest of the team. When I looked up to find Tobio again, I noticed that he disappeared from his spot in the crowd, making me confused. Turning around, I sulked over to grab my stuff, giving myself the small signal out of habit. Looking up, I spotted Tobio standing by himself by the entrance. When he noticed me looking at him, he waved me over, and I rushed over to him.

When I ran over to him, I jumped to hug him, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around my waist as he muttered into my ear, “Congrats, Karin-chan.” 

Smiling widely, I whispered, “Thank you, Tobio-kun.” I rested my head on my shoulder, snuggling my face into the crook of his neck as I found Tobio not resisting the skinship before I felt some eyes on my back. Turning around towards the crowd behind us, I saw the team staring at us, and I quickly scrambled out of Tobio’s grasp and stood on the floor.

“Get a room you two!” Michimiya-san yelled from the bags. The entire team laughed at our antics as my cheeks started to redden.

“You would’ve done the same with Sawamura-san, Michimiya-san!” I yelled back at her. Even from a distance, I could tell that Michimiya-san’s cheeks were turning red and burning up. She quickly turned around and continued packing up her bag, appearing extremely flustered. From behind me, I heard Tobio chuckle as he rested his elbow on my head, leaning onto me.

“You weren’t kidding when you said that Michimiya-san really likes Daichi-san,” Tobio admitted, whispering into my ear. Laughing a little, I nodded slightly. I felt his hand move from my head to my shoulders. I felt my cheeks heat up a little from the contact. “Anyways,” Tobio started again, “you ready to go get some food?” Looking over at me, I looked back at him and nodded, trying to cover up how shy I was getting. He released his arm off of my shoulders before I ran over to the team to grab my bag.

“So you’re going on a date with Kageyama-kun, Yamaji-chan?” Watabe-san questioned with her teasing tone. Aside from my cheeks, I felt the heat in my ears as I comprehended the word “date.”

“I-It’s not a date!” I refuted, my voice a little too loud. I realized I caught the attention of some people including Tobio, and I flashed everyone an awkward smile before looking down, trying to hide my face. Around me, I heard the girls giggle along with the coaches.

“Now, now,” Aihara-san caught the team’s attention, “let’s give Yamaji-chan some breathing room before she gets too hot and flustered around Kageyama-kun.” She giggles as she teases me more. Feeling somewhat betrayed, I finished fixing my bag before giving my farewells to the girls.

As I walked further away from the group, Megumi loudly called out, “Have fun on your date, Care Bear!” Her loud voice echoed against the spacious area of the gym, scaring me for a moment. Turning my head to glare at her, I notice all the girls giggling at my reaction. Before I could say anything in response, I felt something warm grabbing my wrist to turn me around before feeling Tobio’s arm around my shoulders. In the background, I could hear all the girls squealing, and as much as I wanted to turn around, Tobio forced me to keep looking forward. With the weight of his arm, I felt myself leaning forward with the extra weight sitting on my shoulders.

As we were walking out the gym into the golden hour of the day, Tobio’s arm fell off my shoulders as we began walking home. After all the comments from the team, there was no way I could face him right now; I betted my cheeks were extremely red right now. My eyes were lowered to the ground, trying to avoid any sort of awkward moment with Tobio. I felt something warm in my right hand, causing me to look up.

“Oi, I know that you’re thinking about the match, but you can’t get lost,” he responded as he placed our hands into his hoodie pocket. Nodding, I let him cling onto my hand as we walked down the sidewalk, enjoying the last sunlight beams of the day. “Oh yeah,” he started again, “what’s up?” 

Laughing at how he just remembered our routine, I responded, “There are some things that I could work on, but that’s just because it’s been awhile since my shoulder injury.” He nodded in response as we continued our way down the street. “Oh right!” I suddenly remembered. Turning his head towards me for a moment, he gave me some affirmation that he was listening. “Someone confessed to me earlier today,” I nervously chuckled a little. Over the past year at Karasuno, a few guys had confessed, but I wanted to try dating while I was still young. I felt his hand slightly twitch against mine before squeezing it a little tighter.

After a moment or two of silence, he finally whispered, “Did you accept?” Gulping for a second, I nodded; I had accepted fully knowing that I had no chance with Tobio even if I tried. The guy just loves volleyball so much, and this guy was kind of cute. Plus, holding hands and hugging is normal between friends, right? Honestly, I can’t just wait for him to fall for me anyways. “Well,” his voice began trailing off, “congrats, Karin-chan.”

“Thanks,” I whispered as I felt his hand release mine. I slipped my hand out of his pocket as we continued walking in silence. The atmosphere was almost suffocating even though we breathed in the clean air.

“So who is it?” Tobio questioned, finally breaking the silence.

“Just a classmate,” I responded quietly. I didn’t bother telling him who exactly it was, knowing that he could care less. Feeling his radiating anger, I closed my mouth, and we continued walking in silence. How come he was so quiet from this? Jealous.

⭐⭐⭐

Okay, I think this is a good stopping place for this chapter. I know that this chapter is shorter than normal, but I guess it is what it is. Anyways, I hope that you liked this chapter, and see you in the next one!

Next: Promise Rings Chapter 9

[opalesense]

oh my god Your 'a sight to behold' work was mhmfmmsmamzx, i love it. im sosososoossosoo curious as to what graphic details you have in mind 😏

lose control

zhongli, childe, diluc, kaeya & f!reader (NSFW)

3.5k words • ~22 min. read

summary: a part two to this where the boys are unable to fight their urges when they see you helplessly stuck in a wall.

warnings: slight dubcon, choking, cunnilingus, facefucking, a bit of zhongli favoritism oops!

notes: omg hehehe thank youu i’m so glad you liked it <3 i wrote it at 2AM and was so surprised it turned out decently well for my fuzzy brain HAHA anyway as for the graphic details... i only left them out originally because i wasn’t sure if anon wanted straight up full nsfw or not >////< but since you asked you shall receive... <3

zhongli

 Zhongli effortlessly took the rocks off of you, waiting and watching your slight movements for a few moments before your eyes finally fluttered open. A throbbing pain in your temple sent one of your hands to gently massage it, making you wince quietly in pain. “Zhongli...”

 “This is the result of carelessness and insufficient planning,” he crossed his arms and studied your curves as he calmly scolded you. “Next time, let me take the lead.”

 As you laid there massaging your head, his eyes traced up and down your body, fixating on the way your legs were helplessly spread in front of him, parted in such a way that he knew he would fit perfectly if he sat between them. Following that train of thought, he uncrossed his arms and slowly climbed on the bed of rocks, letting his body hover over you and supporting his weight with a hand planted above your head.

 His free hand crept up your shirt, pulling it up in the process. The way he suddenly exposed your torso made you gasp and simultaneously wince again from the sudden movements. You weakly placed a hand on his forearm, initially in instinctual protest but then relaxing as you knew this was not just some stranger from the outside, but a man you trusted. “Z-Zhongli, what are you-“

 “Checking for injuries, of course,” he lied with a coy smile which made you softly giggle. His hand slowly caressed your bare hips and waist, noticing the way your skin formed goosebumps at his touch. You watched as his gloved fingers hovered over your bruises and scrapes, making their way up your torso then finally pulling your bra up to reveal your breasts. You swore you could hear the hunger in his low growl as his eyes were desperately fixated on your half naked body.

 “Zhongli, at least take me home first–“ you attempted to speak up but he interrupted you by wrapping his hand around your throat, applying pressure while his knee wedged itself in the empty spot between your legs. As you choked, you finally got a good look at his face. The amicable yet stoic expression Zhongli usually had was replaced with something more sinister, more lustful. With heavily breaths and shaky hands, you could sense he was getting needier by the second.

 “Right now?” you managed to whisper as you stared into his glowing amber eyes. Unable to form coherent words now, all he could do was press his forehead against yours and let his lips quiver as he fought the thoughts that flooded his mind. He knew he shouldn’t do this. He knew he should help you get home and ensure that your wellbeing is secured. A war raged on inside his head, the logical side of him trying to fight his urges, but he knew he couldn’t uphold this for long. His body couldn’t help but latch onto yours, grinding against you in desperation. You two didn’t need to say much to each other to know when Zhongli was craving you like this. Looking down at his knee slowly rubbing against you, you already knew what was going to happen. From the sight of you so vulnerable under him, your legs spread out in a perfect position for him to take you, all he wanted to do in this moment was chase his release. And yes, he needed to do it now.

 You tilted your chin up to plant a sweet kiss on his lips, slightly catching him off guard. He let go of your throat as he gave you another short kiss back, letting out what sounded like a whimper once he pulled his face away. You sighed contently as you glanced down at his growing bulge. “Well, make it quick, okay? Then we can continue this at home–“

 Immediately after hearing your approval, Zhongli wasted no time to lean down and wrap his lips on one of your nipples, immediately biting and sucking, causing you to arch your back and gasp at the sensation. He simultaneously freed his already hardened cock from his pants, slowly pumping it with his hand and letting out a low groan, sending vibrations to your nipple. You whimpered in pleasure, instinctively trying to pin your knees together in an attempt at modesty which only squeezed him closer to you.

 He let go of your nipple and lifted himself up, now standing in front of you and slowly pumping his cock as he looked down at the sight of your lewd position. “Please tell me if this is too much,” he managed to tell you before he lifted one hand towards a boulder and crushed it into a peculiar shape with one swift movement.

 Before you could process why he was now hovering the large rock over your body, you felt the earth rumble below you and push you upwards, straightening your spine as if you were laying on a table. Your legs began to dangle off the edge of the newly made platform as he locked you in place with the boulder he had shaped, which you noticed had a space carved into it only large enough for your waist to be pinned down. It was all adding up now as he grabbed both of your legs and pulled you closer to him, ensuring that you couldn’t escape his cleverly built trap.

 Lifting your knees over his shoulders and pulling your underwear to the side, you felt his erection prod your slick entrance before he slowly pushed himself inside of your cunt, groaning in pleasure as he grabbed ahold of your thighs for stability. He began to rock his hips back and forth immediately, leaving you breathlessly moaning at the little time you had to adjust to his size.

 “Only you make me feel this way,” he muttered as his grip on your thighs tightened. He leaned forward to pound into you at a better angle, his hips slamming into yours with each powerful thrust. “Only you can make me lose control of myself so easily...”

childe

 “...I’m sure I can make all the pain go away and replace it with pleasure instead.”

Childe’s words echoed in your head as he yanked your underwear down and firmly gripped your ass, spreading your folds apart and making you shiver at the sudden exposure. You tried to wiggle your way out of the pile of rocks in protest, but that only pushed you further into his grasp, making him laugh at your pathetic attempt to escape. You didn’t want to admit that this was slowly turning you on, but looking down at the damp stain in your underwear, Childe knew regardless.

 “You make it so easy for me,” he traced a finger over your already wet folds, eliciting a whimper from your throat. “You make it so easy for me to conquer you and remind you that you’re mine to play with.”

 Even though you weren’t eager to get toyed around with, given the current circumstances of being completely locked in with nowhere to go, you weren’t completely opposed either. You couldn’t help but mewl at the feeling of Childe suddenly pushing one gloved finger inside of your trembling cunt, slowly curling his digit to massage your walls. “At least... take me home first...” you whined cutely, he thought.

 “Why should I when you’re already enjoying yourself here?” he pulled his finger out momentarily only to push back in with two fingers, “Look how wet you are when we’ve only just begun...”

 Childe could hardly contain himself either, but he didn’t want to verbally admit it. If only you could see how hard he was getting by the second just by staring at your vulnerable holes and the way your underwear hung around your knees, or the tiny squirming of your legs when he pushed the right spots inside you. If only you could see the way his eyebrows knitted together, breath stuttering as he fantasized about railing you into next year in this position, fucking you into the wall for hours until you cried for him to stop.

 But for now, he decided he’d show you some mercy and make it quick. As he used his free hand to unbuckle his pants and unsheath his cock, he was determined to hear your screams echo around the walls of the cavern first before letting you go. “Hold still for me, okay? It’s not like you can go anywhere, anyway,” he chuckled then pulled his fingers out to grip your ass and position himself behind you, “I’ll make you feel so good...”

 “Childe, wait–!” was all you could say before moaning in ecstacy as he began to drive his cock into your aching hole, each inch pushing apart your walls so deliciously that he couldn’t help but moan too. He stayed still for a moment, bottomed out inside of you, head pressed up against the rocks as he relished in the feeling of you clamping around his cock. But before you could relax and bask in the delightful feeling of being stuffed full, he squeezed your ass with both hands and began pounding into you with no second thought.

 Whatever pain you might have had before was surely gone by his penetration alone. He knew how good he was screwing you by the way you whimpered out his name in between moans, or the way you subtly pressed up against him with the limited movement you had, matching his rhythm. “You better pray that I don’t lose control and fuck you here until the sun rises,” he said with a dubious smirk that you wish you could’ve seen, “But I bet you would like that, wouldn’t you?”

diluc

 To say Diluc was nervous as his eyes were pinned on your thighs rubbing together was an understatement. He could feel himself getting more aroused by the second, staring at your underwear and noticing a subtle wet stain that had developed beforehand. Your words were completely drowned out in his mind. All he could focus on was resisting his urges and maintaining his composure like a true gentleman.

 But surely a gentleman could be a little self indulgent now and then, right? Especially since you were tempting him so badly wiggling around like that, he couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing this to him on purpose.

 He took a few steps closer to the wall and adjusted his gloves before reaching into his coat pocket for a hair tie. “Could you repeat that again for me, dear?” he tilted his head as he gathered his long strands into a ponytail, never taking his eyes off of your glistening skin.

 You happily obliged, listening to him kneel down behind you, assuming he was just picking up another rock. “I was just saying how – Diluc?”

 Your assumption couldn’t possibly be more wrong. He interrupted you by pulling your underwear down to your thighs, licking his lips as his hungry gaze traced your wet folds, imagining what your face must look like by how he took you by surprise. His grip on your thighs tightened as he fantasized about you, the straps of your underwear still wrapped around his fingers to keep his hands on you no matter how much you squirmed underneath him.

 He leaned down to press a sweet kiss on your clit, eliciting a gasp from you in response. Smirking, he stuck out his tongue and began slowly tracing the wet muscle around your folds, savoring your taste and savoring the sweet moans you gave him at the same time. “Keep making those pretty sounds, my love,” he whispered, his hot breath against your cunt driving you crazy.

 His slow and sensual kisses on your cunt was only the start of his feast. Each kiss was accompanied with small circles he rubbed into your thighs with his thumbs and low periodic groans that sent vibrations through his tongue, making you whimper in ecstacy. But as much as he loved taking things slow and steady, he wanted to hear you cry out his name. He wanted to see how far he could take you to the edge by his control alone. He wanted to make those pretty legs tremble violently under his touch.

 In one swift motion, he began to prod his tongue against your entrance, stretching your folds by drawing circles with his eager muscle. If only the rocks weren’t holding you down along with his hands pressing your thighs into place, you surely would have been thrashing around at the way he teased you with his tongue alone. Slowly, he began to extend his tongue into you more, inching his face closer to your aching hole and stopping once his nose met your skin. The sensation of his tongue gently quivering inside you made you melt, even more so when he started to fuck you at a steady pace with his mouth, eyes fluttering closed as he relished in your taste.

 Soon, his movements started to reflect how hungry he really was for you. He bobbed his head steadily, stifling his moans so he could listen to yours. He took one hand off of your thigh to gently rub your clit with his thumb, still fucking you with his tongue and making you subtly rock your hips back and forth to match his rhythm. It hadn’t even been very long since he laid his hands on you, but your body couldn’t help but react to how worked up he was making you.

 And of course, he would notice these reactions. Your shaky rhythm against his was an indicator to hold you down firmly and quicken his pace, and surely enough, the heat in your core was starting to build up. You buried your head in the rocks, flustered and blushing more than you ever had before. “D-Diluc...! More... more, please!”

 When he pulled his tongue out, you figured he was just going to be mean to you and deny your orgasm but you were pleasantly mistaken. To your surprise, after a moment of rustling as he took one of his gloves off, he pushed two fingers inside of your needy hole and began to hit your sweet spot immediately as he fingered you, almost as if he had memorized what makes you cry out in pleasure. His eager lips began to suck on your clit as well, his heart set on making you cum on his fingers.

 Soon enough, you couldn’t contain it anymore. Your legs quivered as you reached your peak, your mewling and whining sadly muffled by the rocks but loud enough for him to hear you clearly enough. The sound of his name being echoed throughout the cavern as your orgasm exploded on his bare fingers was enough to make his cock throb. With heavy, warm breaths, he pulled his face and fingers away from you to let you calm down from your climax, his face flushed red and nose shining from your wetness. “So beautiful... I can never get enough of you, [Y/N].”

 You whined as he slowly let go of your thigh after giving you one last kiss on your sensitive clit. He licked his lips once more, lapping up all your wetness and wiping the excess that had dribbled down on his chin with his sleeve. With a chuckle, he stood up and placed his hands back on your ass, squeezing your curves and pressing his hips against yours. His clothed bulge fit so perfectly between your cheeks, snuggling comfortably in your wetness to leave a stain on his pants. He grinded himself into you even more at the sight of this, teasing you just for the fun of it. “Don’t worry love, we’re not going anywhere just yet...”

kaeya

 “Now that I think about it, I do deserve a prize for saving you, don’t I?”

 Kaeya’s hands travelled from massaging your scalp to scaling up your jaw, one thumb tracing your bottom lip gently asking to let him in. You pouted stubbornly, losing your patience – you had been stuck here for a while and wanted to get out, after all. “Quit running–“

 But alas, he used this moment to stick his thumb inside your mouth, letting the pad of his finger massage your tongue. He let out a hum of satisfaction as your eyes softened, slowly submitting to his touch. “You’re being awfully defiant to the one person who can get you out of here. I ought to teach that naughty mouth of yours a lesson while I claim my prize, hm?”

 This man never knows when to shut up, a voice in your head complained. But admittedly, the way he stared at your mouth so longingly had your core light up a tiny bit. You whined in response at first, looking down (or up?) at his thumb disappearing inside your mouth then deciding it would be best to comply. With a small hum you opened your mouth wider, letting your tongue stick out as your eyes darted to meet his. He grinned contently, pulling his thumb out of your mouth to pull his cock out of his pants. No matter how many times you’ve seen his length, you never understood how he managed to fit himself inside you.

 “Good girl,” he tucked his hand under your neck to offer support as he pressed his tip against your awaiting tongue. He started rocking his hips slightly just to tease you, grinning evilly as he stared down at your eyes. “You’re so cute like this. So vulnerable and eager to please whenever I want you...”

 He began to slowly push himself into your mouth, letting out a groan of relief as he buried himself inch by inch. You sputtered a bit at first, not completely used to his length just yet, but secretly he loved whenever you choked on his cock. He let you ride out your choking a bit more as he nearly bottomed out, watching as your throat slowly relaxed around his bulge.

 His other free hand found its way on your cheek, caressing it as he started to rock his hips back and forth very slowly, basking in the feeling of your throat clamped around his cock. “Such a good girl, making me feel so good whenever I want... You’re doing very well, sweetheart,” he quietly praised, opting to listen to your muffled whimpering whenever he pushed in.

 A bit of restlessness started to kick in after awhile of fucking your mouth so slowly, and with a naughty smirk, Kaeya took both hands to grip both sides of your head. He started to thrust into your mouth at a quicker pace, occasionally pulling out to give you a breath of air only to bury himself in your throat again. He found himself unable to contain his moans at this point, letting his sweet, raspy praises for you ring through your ears. Your legs started to twitch in excitement the more he praised you for being so obedient and good for him that despite your initial defiance, you hoped he would take care of your needs later.

 Your thoughts were interrupted by his fingers running across your scalp then suddenly taking a tight grip on your head as he fucked your brains out quite literally. He began to get lost in the feeling, ignoring your pleas for air as you tapped his thigh repeatedly through tears. Even when he snapped back to his senses for a moment to pull out, he whined desperately as he quickly pushed himself back in, wanting to chase his orgasm so badly using your mouth.

 “S-So good for me... I’m gonna...! F-Fuck, no..!” Kaeya quickly and quite nervously pulled himself out of you, leaving you immediately coughing and gagging in your own spit and his precum. He grunted in frustration, leaving you confused and concerned as you continued to choke for air. He suddenly tucked his cock back into his pants haphazardly and went straight back to work on getting the rocks off of you.

 “W-What was that all about? Are you waiting until we get home or something?” your voice was clearly defeated as you watched him work. He only glanced back at you for a moment before chuckling and pulling one specific rock out of the pile to send the rest tumbling down, finally revealing your trembling body, exposed in all of its glory. You gasped in a mixture of relief and excitement as he hungrily climbed on top of you and pulled you towards him so your head wouldn’t hang off the edge anymore. You giggled at how disheveled and horny he evidently was, his movements ragged and needy. Who could blame him for looking so desperate when he was staring up and down your vulnerable body, waiting to devour you like a hungry beast?

 His hands worked with urgency as he ripped your underwear off and unsheathed his cock again, manhandling your hips to meet his. You gasped as he quickly pushed himself inside of your cunt and began pounding into you mercilessly, not letting you adjust to his size since you were already so aroused for him anyway. Your cute whimpers and gasps made him even more feral, and it was at this point that he decided to lean down and whisper the answer to your question earlier.

 “Sorry, sweetheart. I can’t just wait until we get home, I need to be inside you right now...”

[sergeantxrogers]

| missed you |

Summary: When Bucky finally got home, you realized you had missed each other more than you thought. 

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader (post TFATWS)

Word count: 3.6k

Warnings: Smut!!!, swearing, choking, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, y’all), spit kink maybe?, praise, dog tags- they deserve a warning all on their own

___________________________

The clock always seemed to go twice as slow if you were waiting for something. Or someone. Each minute felt like 10, and each hour felt like 5. 

You glanced at your phone, waiting for any new messages, but all you saw was the one you had gotten a couple hours ago.

Bucky: I just landed. On my way back.

6:38 p.m.

The clock above your TV in the living room read 8:40, and a frustrated sigh left your body. Bucky had been away too long, in your completely humble opinion, and New York had never seemed farther from Chicago than tonight. 

The growing anxiety you felt when he was in Europe, with Zemo, had reached it’s peak when you watched the events in New York happen live on the news. All your worries melted from your mind and body when he finally answered his phone and you heard his voice telling you he was alright. 

When Bucky had first told you he was moving to Chicago, claiming “the people were better” (or whatever bullshit reason he had pulled out of his ass), you thought it would be easier on your nervous heart. You were wrong, obviously. The whole ordeal just gave you more reasons to be worried and afraid.

Lost in your thoughts, with your legs kicked up on the coffee table, you hadn’t heard the front door open and shut, and hadn’t noticed the heavy footsteps walking down the hall, and hadn’t recognized the dark figure at the doorway, until he called your name. 

Your eyes widened when you saw him, your body immediately jumping up from the couch. He dropped his duffle bag on the ground by his feet and opened his arms, and you ran into them like your life depended on it.

Bucky’s arms tightened around your waist and he buried his face in the crook of your neck, his warm breath fanning your skin. Your arms made their way around his neck, and he lifted you off the floor a few inches, squeezing you.

“Okay, okay, Buck!” you said through a strained laugh.

“You’re gonna kill me,” you breathed.

He hummed into your neck, placing a kiss to it before pulling his head back. His hands held your cheeks, and a smile played on his lips. His eyes were tired. Tired, but relieved.

“I missed you,” he whispered, as if it was a secret.

Your hands gripped his wrists and held on, squeezing once as you said:

“I missed you more."

“I highly doubt that, baby,” he insisted, “Ya know how annoying it is to be surrounded by men all the time?”

Your smile dropped and you gave him a pointed look, and he laughed at your incredulous face.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But Bucky, I’m always surrounded by men- I get it,” he chuckled. You shook your head, trying to keep the smile that was threatening to appear from showing. 

Bucky let out a happy sigh and his eyes took in every inch of your body standing before him. 

“I could kiss you right now,” he said quietly.

You lifted your hands to his jaw, angling his head up to make eye contact with him.

“Then why don’t you?”

And that was all it took for him to surge forward, soft lips meeting yours, and you sighed into the kiss. Your hands went up to the back of his head, fingers tangling in his hair, as his tongue swiped across your bottom lip, and you opened your mouth to let him in, almost ritually. His hands travelled from your face to your waist, then to your hips, pulling you closer to him, if that was even possible. 

His lips left yours and started leaving wet, heavy kisses on your jaw, then down your neck, and your eyes closed. You let out a short sigh when you felt his lips meet the skin above your collarbone, biting at the skin and claiming your body as his own. One of his hands left your hip, but quickly came down in a short, light slap on your ass, and you knew him well enough to know what that meant. Jump.

So you did, trusting him to catch your legs when they wrapped around his waist, and he did, holding you against him with a strong hold on your thighs. 

Your hands held you steady, gripping onto his shoulders. Bucky moved his kisses from your collarbone to the base of your throat, and you threw your head back, fingers digging into his jacket. He placed three sweet kisses up the column of your throat, before meeting your own lips again. 

“Buck,” you breathed into the kiss, hands tugging at his hair. He just hummed, hands rubbing the back of your thighs, and your legs tightened reflexively around him. 

“Couch,” you managed to get out before his metal hand came up to hold the back of your head, and before you knew it, you were on your back on the large couch you had decided to splurge on a while back exactly for this reason. 

Bucky hovered above you, in between your legs, the hand that was on the back of your head now resting against your neck. No pressure, it was just enough for you to be aware it was there, and your heart started racing faster. 

Bucky straightened himself, on his knees in front of you, and you watched him take his jacket off, pulling his shirt over his head too.

Your hand reflexively reached out to touch him, but he grabbed your wrist and pushed it back, into the couch next to your head. You felt the familiar heat growing deep in your stomach when he dropped his head down to kiss you again, the metal of his dog tags cold against your neck. 

Your brows furrowed and your hips pressed higher into his, but he moved away from you as soon as you made contact. You couldn’t help the whine that escaped your lips when he pulled his lips away, the air around you feeling colder without him on top of you. An amused smile tugged the corners of his lips and he raised his eyebrows at you. 

“You know, babe, I don’t think this is fair,” he teased, and you gave him a confused look, to which he answered by giving a slight tug on your cotton shorts.

“You still have all your clothes on,” he stated simply, and as soon as the words left his mouth, he pulled the shorts down your legs as fast as humanly possible. A chill ran down your spine and another wave of heat washed over the pit of your stomach when he pulled his body back, dropping lower so his head was level with your clothed pussy. You lifted your head to get a better look at him, heavily breathing dangerously close to where you needed him and you groaned inwardly, tangling your fingers in his hair in an attempt to bring his face closer. Keeping his head in place, Bucky faked a pout at you, hands running along the insides of your thighs. You tried closing them, out of habit, but he kept them in place.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he cooed, tracing his nose along your thigh, lips teasing the edge of your panties. 

You whimpered as your hips writhed underneath him, his eyes watching you intently.

“Use your words, honey, c’mon,” he said softly, tracing a finger down your slit, still covered in your panties, and your eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sudden contact. 

“Wanna tell Bucky what’s got your panties so wet, baby?” he teased, and you met his eyes again right in the moment when he pressed a kiss to where he knew your clit was. Your hips bucked into his touch, but his metal arm held you in place.

“Bucky, please-,” you let out breathlessly, eyes screwed shut at the feeling of him running his nose up and down your pussy, so close yet so far from where you were burning for him. 

“Please what? All you gotta do is ask, baby,” he spoke against your core, and you pulled even tighter on his hair.

“Please, please touch me, please,” you begged through a desperate whine, and as soon as you did, he hummed against you and pulled your soaked panties to the side, the cool air meeting your hot pussy sending goosebumps down your legs.

Your back arched and a moan left your lips when Bucky swiped a long, slow lick from your entrance to your clit. He took his sweet time, watching you throw your head back into the couch when he sucked on your clit. You felt him smile against you and you panted slightly, opening your eyes to see him buried between your folds, eating you out like he was starved. You supposed he was, after spending that much time away from you. He quickened the pace of his licks, alternating between lapping at your entrance and teasing your clit, and you preened when his fingers gripped your hips. You knew they would leave bruises, dangerously pressed into your skin and bones, but all you could focus on and care about now was Bucky humming against your pussy and his beard scratching your inner thighs. 

His hands went up from your hips to your waist, and your hand found one of his, gripping it tightly. Your legs wound tightly around his head, he felt his jeans getting tighter by the minute, and it took everything in him not to grind into the couch with every whine and plead that left your lips. 

You felt the familiar coil tighten in your belly, and you dug your nails into Bucky’s hand.

“B-Buck-,” you breathed, and he nodded in between your legs. The hand that you weren’t holding disappeared from your waist, and you didn’t have time to miss the warm contact before you felt one of his thick fingers draw slowly into you. He pulled it out and back in once, before you fell apart. You arched your back and moaned his name out, hands shooting down to push his head closer to you. You writhed underneath him as your orgasm washed over you, and he placed soft kisses on your clit as you rode it out, eventually your legs falling limp on his shoulders and back. 

“Baby...,” you called for him, too spent to open your eyes just yet, and you felt him come up to you again, kissing you. You groaned softly at the taste of yourself on his swollen lips, your hands running across his shoulders and back. 

A deep breath left his lips when they left yours, eyes meeting yours, and you knew he wasn’t done with you yet.

Bucky’s head dropped down to press a long kiss on your neck, his hands pushing your shirt up your stomach and over your breasts. His lips made their way from your neck to your boob, kissing the area right above your bra softly before nipping at it, eliciting a yelp from you. You felt him smirk against your skin and he kissed further down your stomach, cold metal of his dog tags trailing down your torso, before he pulled your panties down your legs completely. 

“God,” he muttered, lips pressed to your right hip.

“I fucking missed-” a kiss to your stomach.

“This fucking body-” a kiss to your ribcage.

“So much-” a kiss to your chest. 

You were at a loss for words, instead focused on the hard outline in his jeans, pressing insistently at your inner thigh. Kitten-licks to your neck, fingers tracing your sides, he wanted to take his sweet time with you.

You, on the other hand, weren’t as patient, hands making their way down his bare stomach and fumbling with his belt buckle. Finally unbuckling it, and unbuttoning his pants, you teased your fingers under the hem of his boxer briefs, bringing them around to his sides, raking your nails up his back and soon your hands came back to his messy hair. 

“Bucky please,” you moaned, hips pushing up to his to find any sort of relief, and he chuckled.

“What is it, baby? What do you need?” he quipped, almost sarcastically, and you bit your bottom lip.

His thumb came up to pull it from your teeth, tracing it over your lip then down your chin, pulling your mouth open. You watched with desperate eyes as a strand of spit left from between his lips, falling onto your tongue, and a needy whine sounded from the back of your throat when he forced your mouth closed again. 

“Swallow,” he demanded quietly with furrowed brows, leaving no room to argue, so you did. 

In the blink of an eye, Bucky grabbed your hips and flipped you over on your stomach, pulling them so you were ass-up in front of him. Your heart jumped at the fast action and you arched your back, pushing your butt towards him. His hard cock, still in his tight boxers, met your pussy and you knew there would be a wet spot on them. A low groan left Bucky’s lips, and you felt his hand wrap itself around your throat, pulling you up against his torso. 

“You think it’s funny to tease me, baby?” he muttered into your ear, and you gave no answer.

The hand around your throat tightened its hold and his other hand grabbed a fistful of your hair, and your head was pulled down to rest on his shoulder 

“I asked you something,” he whispered, lips moving against your ear in close proximity. 

“I do,” you answered simply, and you felt him tense behind you. Gotcha.

Without saying anything else, Bucky let go of your neck and your hair, and your body dropped in front of him to the position it was in before. You heard a shuffle behind you and before you even realized he took his boxers off, you felt him. 

Teasing you with the head of his cock, Bucky leaned over your body, and from where your head was laying on the end of the couch you saw his metal hand next to you, holding himself steady. You couldn’t help pushing your ass into him more, but he pushed it back and gave you a low chuckle. 

“No, no baby, we’re doin’ it my way.”

Without warning, his flesh hand landed in a sharp spank on your ass, and a greedy whine escaped your lips. He massaged the area that was already starting to burn deliciously, and he leaned down to press a kiss between your shoulder blades.

“Please, Bucky-,” you stammered, squeezing your eyes shut when he pushed the tip of his cock inside you. 

“What? Please what?” he asked lowly. Letting out a frustrated huff, your hand reached forward, searching for anything to hold onto, and wrapped around his vibranium wrist next to your head. 

“C’mon, princess, use your words,” he teased. You hated how unaffected he seemed, and hated how little it took for you to turn into putty in his hands.

“Buck- Bucky, please fuck me,” sighing out the last few words when he pushed himself into you slow and steady as soon as you said his name. 

You felt him bottom out, and buried your face in the couch cushion under you, never being able to get used to the size of him. Your pussy clenched around him involuntarily, and he groaned deeply when you whimpered.

“Please,” you wanted to say, but it came out no louder than a soft whisper, “Please move.”

Bucky let out a low fuck at your begging, pushing the side of your head into the couch and pulling out, before pushing himself back in. A moan left your body at the burning stretch in your lower abdomen, and he took that a sign to move faster. So he did. 

Sometimes, when Bucky fucked you, he fucked you hard, and fast, leaving bruises on your hips, hand prints on your ass and hickeys on your thighs where only he could see them. Other times, he fucked you deep and slow, whispering words of affection in your ears that sent you over the edge. He knew how to send you spiraling, knew what buttons to push and how to push them. This time, Bucky fucked you like he missed you, because he did. With every hard, steady thrust of his hips, a soft, whiney moan escaped your parted lips, and you couldn’t form words. 

His hand on your head kept it from moving, and you couldn’t form a coherent thought as you stared, eyes heavy lidded and mouth open, at his hand next to your head. Your fingers tightened their grip around his wrist, moving up slightly to grab his arm, and you gasped when the hand on your head moved to push your back down even more than you thought was possible, causing it to arch more and him to hit new angles. 

“B... ,” you couldn’t even call out his name as he drilled into you, whispering into your ear words that you just barely registered, something along the lines of “my baby’s doing so good” and “pussy made just for me”. 

A wave of something hot washed over your body, and all of a sudden you were hyperaware of the slight sheen of sweat that covered your body, underneath your shirt, and the heavy breaths leaving Bucky’s mouth.

He pressed your back even harder, ruthlessly pumping into your pussy like it would run away from him. 

“My sweet baby,” he groaned through his thrusts, dropping to place a kiss to the back of your neck, and you whined at the simple touch.

“So- so good, Bucky,” you managed to stutter, and he hummed in affirmation against your neck.

You felt your stomach tighten, signaling the wave that was about to wash over you. After hearing the urgent, desperate moan that came from you, Bucky’s hand moved to your hip, gripping it harshly. 

“Buck, I’m gonna-,” you warned him, and he reached his hand around under you. All it took was three rubs to your clit for you to fall apart underneath him. 

Letting out his name in a prolonged, loud, almost embarrassingly pornographic moan, the coil in your stomach snapped and your legs went numb. You arched your back, pushing your ass hard against his hips, and your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Your hand gripping his arm went limp, dropping to hang over the side of the couch. A few tears fell over your lashline, without you realizing you had even teared up, and then your whole body relaxed in his hold. 

Bucky’s thrusts, in the meantime, had slowed, becoming sloppier, and the heat from his cum pouring into you was almost comforting in a way, spreading warmth through your already sore lower abdomen. 

“Shit, doll,” he hissed through clenched teeth, letting out a deep sigh as he dropped his body onto yours, and you let out a small grunt accompanied by a lazy giggle when he started peppering the side of your face with kisses, moving strands of hair from your sweaty forehead. 

“You were so good for me, baby...” he whispered into your ear between kisses, and all you could do was nod, eyes drooping tiredly.

Eventually, he pulled himself out of you carefully, and you whimpered at the sore burn between your legs from your thighs being stretched so much for so long, not to mention his hips snapping into yours at a bruising rate. You laid face down on the couch, spent and tired with your eyes closed, hearing Bucky walk away behind you. He came back after a few moments, floor creaking underneath him, and you slightly jerked with a start when you felt something cool against your legs, before realizing he was wiping the aftermath between them, presumably with a towel. You honestly couldn’t tell, you were too tired to focus on anything but the sound of Bucky’s steady breathing behind you. 

He walked away again, coming back quicker this time, and you cracked one eye open just enough to see him walking towards you in his boxers again, carrying a pair of your panties in his hand. A tired, dopey smile graced your face when you felt his hands pull your panties up your legs softly, and you pushed your hips up slightly to help him put them on. Goosebumps attacked your bare skin when he pressed his lips to the tender skin of your ass where it had been slapped, and you sighed.

“Buck,” you muttered, half of your face smushed against the couch, muffling your voice. 

“Yes, bubba?” he asked behind you, thumbs rubbing the backs of your thighs.

“Lay with me a bit?” you asked.

And you had asked him so prettily, so sweetly, he couldn’t bear to say no. So he laid beside you, pulling you into him by your waist, carting his fingers through your hair. 

“That was great,” you muffled against the couch sleepily, “Missed you.”

Bucky chuckled at your tone and buried his nose into your neck. 

“I missed you more.”

“Not possible,” you drawled, but you were too drained to pull any sort of sarcasm or playfulness through the remark. You felt his soft lips on your neck, hot air blowing through his nose against your jaw, and you let out a yawn.

“Sleep.”

You whined softly, not wanting to fall asleep when he had just gotten home, wanting to spend as much time as you could with him, but you felt his fingers smooth out the crease above your furrowed brows, relaxing your face.

“I’ll be right here when you wake up, I promise.”