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starcrossedxwriter · 3 months

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Wicked Fantasies Part 11.2 (MBJ x Black OC)

A/N: Long awaited and well over due. This is basically chapter 12 but it really connects to 11.1. Nothing to say except enjoy!

“Michael, stop messing with the fuckin’ cuff links!” Alex called over to him from her spot on the couch. “I thought you weren’t nervous??”

Michael cut his eyes toward his agent before forcing his fingers away from the gold cufflinks near his wrist. That had been his original claim when he arrived at his suite to get ready, proudly boosting that he did not feel nervous at all. And some part of him had believed that was true. But as makeup ended and he got dressed, the nerves started to settle in. Tonight was no longer some distant potential achievement. It was here and now. And his shoulders were starting to feel the weight of that pressure. He tried his best to remain excited and upbeat but there were some ticks he simply couldn’t hide.

“Ha ha. I’m just… you know, already ready for it to be over. Gotta sit through 100 fuckin’ awards before they get to mine. Just gonna be a long night.”

“Whatever you say,” she muttered, her face scrunching up at her phone for a minute.

“Somethin’ wrong?” his antenna going up immediately, anxiety that something had already gone wrong seeping into his confident facade. “Fuck… You think we should’ve gone with the other suit, don’t you??”

“Nigga… they’re both black tuxes, calm down. No one’s ever looked at you to be the pillar of fashion. You look great, that’s all that matters. Just taking care of some last minute details, boring shit you wouldn’t be interested in.”

Michael knew not to press any farther as she immediately changed the subject, standing up and starting to walk over to him. He watched as she studied the time on her phone screen for a moment as his stylist’s assistant slid on the tailored jacket for his suite.

“Can someone check on his mom? Jason went to check out the space and it’s ready for photos. We gotta start in 10 though if we want to make it to the carpet.”

“I’ll go.”

He was thankful his mom agreed to accompany him on such a momentous occasion, she was the only date he could fathom taking as the woman he wanted was unavailable.

Raven.

Some fantasy that she would call or text him good luck drove him to check his phone every 20 minutes or so, praying for anything that signaled that she thought of him as he did her. She tortured his every waking thought, even after agreeing to give her the space she desperately wanted and needed. But his soul did not want space, his soul wanted their better half, the person who made all of this worth something.

He shook his head for a moment and forced her to the back of his brain, where he knew she would only stay for a short while. No more than 10 minutes would go by before someone or something reminded him of her. But when he thought of her too long, the sparse stitches holding those wounds together tore open and blood flowed earnestly from them. And such emotional agony would not stand on the biggest night of his career. So he forced a smile onto his face and thoughts of a love he would likely never have again behind the barriers around his heart and knocked on the door to his mother’s room.

However, he was not prepared to find her still clad in the lounging set Raven and he had bought her for Christmas, completely unprepared to attend the biggest night in Hollywood.

“Ma, what’s wrong? We gotta leave soon. Why aren’t you dressed?”

“Well I didn’t want to worry you while you were getting ready but I’m just not feeling well. I don’t think I can make it all evening. I’m sorry, baby.”

Michael’s face fell ever so slightly at the disappointment, though he tried his hardest to hide it. It was not his mother’s fault that she was not feeling well and even he knew the rest of the day would be tiresome and exhausting for even those in good spirits. So he did not want her trying to suffer through on his account. However, he would not pretend that it did not sting, to know that he would not have anyone there to support him, hold his hand. That he would spend tonight… completely alone.

Her renewed apologies made him fix his face immediately, knowing that she likely already felt badly for canceling on him. He had no interest in making her feel any worse.

“I really am sorry, baby. But I wasn’t the date you wanted to take anyway,” she chuckled, her eyes filled with sympathy.

Those makeshift barriers dissolved into nothing stronger than paper at her words. And as flimsy as they originally were, they were all he had to hold onto to get through tonight.

“Don’t apologize, ma. Really no big deal at all. You should rest. And you know you’re always my favorite date. Besides, your love is the reason I’m here. You’ll always be my #1,” he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. When her eyes, unsurprisingly, filled with tears, Michael chuckled a bit. “Don’t cry on me. Alex will kill me for messin’ up this makeup.”

She took a tissue and whisked away the pools of tears in her eyes before adjusting his bowtie.

“You know how proud I am of you? How lucky I am to be your mom? I thank God for you, your sister, and your brother every day. And all I’ve ever wanted for each of you is to live out your dreams and be happy. No matter what you do or who you’re with. Just that. Tonight you’re seeing God’s manifestation of your dreams and win or lose, I couldn’t be prouder of you. But even I know, only one person could make you truly happy tonight. That facade might fool the world but not me. I saw how happy she made you, Bakari. How she turned my scared little boy into a brave and vulnerable man without even trying. I may have gotten you here but her love and adoration and the love you have for her will keep you here. Will help you reach dreams I couldn’t even comprehend for you. And that’s a woman I’ll happily step into the #2 spot for any day.”

“Thanks ma… but I don’t think she wants that spot anymore… wants me anymore. Hell, I don’t even know where she is in the world.” The resigned smile on his face and the humorless laugh could not hide the depths of his sadness as he recalled the message he received from David letting him know that Raven boarded a flight to only God knows where. He had failed and even tonight could not take his mind off the 101 ways he failed the love of his life. “I screwed up. Gotta accept the consequences. I wanna be the man you raised and the man she thought she fell in love with. Even if I don’t get to be that for her.”

“Give it time, Bakari. You know what I always reminded you three. Everything meant for you will come to you or find its way back to you. God never denies what he ordained as yours, sweetheart. Something to remember for more than one reason tonight.”

There was a certain mischievous glint in her eyes that did not match the typical motherly tone in her voice. “More than one reason” stuck out in his brain.

What the fuck does that even mean?

“What do you me-?” he started to ask when his mother cut him off.

“Oh gosh, you know I didn’t even notice the time? You should go, dear. Don’t wanna get in trouble with that Alex, do we?”

Realizing that it was almost showtime forced his confusion right out of his brain as he forced himself to focus on the moment, his moment.

“Nah we don’t. She’s terrifyin’,” he admitted. “How about you lay down and rest for a while and Allen can take you home when you feel better? Or you can enjoy the suite for the night? Totally up to you.”

“Thank you, baby. I’ll hang out here, let the traffic clear a bit then head to your sister’s. Everyone’s watching there. You look amazing. Can’t wait to see you shine tonight ”

“Thanks, ma. Aight, I should head down to take pictures. Love you.”

He squeezed her hand before she turned around and closed the door of her room behind her.

He walked back to where his team was waiting. The lack of noise and hustle and bustle in the space caught him off guard as he expected to return to the same chaotic space with his team racing around him. However, only Alex stood waiting on him.

“Where’d everybody go?”

“Oh I sent them all downstairs. Figured you wouldn’t mind a couple minutes of peace before the longest night of your life.”

And that was why, of everyone on his team, Alex was one of the few that stood the test of time. She knew him, truly knew him and what he needed.

“Thanks.” He paused as he studied her. “You good?”

Alex had been in the wings of every major career moment in Michael’s life and she typically brought an air of assurance and confidence that put Michael at ease. She was a staple calming force that kept his own anxiety in check. However, tonight? Everything about her seemed off, distracted and anxious in a way that made his empath sensors go haywire. She seemed utterly engrossed in her own phone, which was not unlike Alex but typically she cued Michael in, if nothing else. But tonight, she offered him no insight.

“Yea… just a big night. Want to make sure everything’s perfect,” she muttered. “Come on… Jason says they’re ready for us.”

Michael did not need to be the smartest person in the room to immediately recognize that she was hiding something from him. He knew he would never get it out of her as she was the world’s most secure vault for secrets. And there was a part of him that did not even want to know for fear that it would scare him into skipping the night altogether. What if she already found out that he lost? If anyone in his orbit was part of some dark Hollywood back channel, Alex would be it. Or something happened to Raven and she did not want him to lose his shit right before the event. Because they both knew he would drop all of this in a heartbeat for her. Foolish? Perhaps but that was how he knew he had found true love, his soul mate. Because nothing in this life was as important as her and he would drop all of it to rush to her side if she asked. But she would never ask, because she did not consider herself worthy of sacrifices, which only served as fuel to spend everyday proving to her that she was.

Why did he even try not to think of her? Somehow, every thought was merely the first step down a path that led right to Raven’s doorstep.

He trailed slightly behind Alex as she led him to the elevator. However, before she hit the button, she stopped.

“Oh shoot. I need to stop by my suite. Forgot somethin. It’s just down the hall, it’ll take two minutes. Got a gift for you for your big night. A little good luck charm.”

“Alex, you know you didn’t need to get me shit.” And he truly meant that. He was just grateful to have Alex in his corner, her presence and commitment to his career was a gift in and of itself. “And send me the bill for your suite. Would’ve just gotten it for you.”

“Nah, it’s all good. It was last minute and I only got it for convenience, really.” She used her key to open the door and held it open so Michael could walk inside.

However, as she opened the door, her usual resting bitch face (Alex’s words, not his) turned into a bright grin, one that she clearly tried desperately to minimize but couldn’t. And while Michael had expected flowers or a gift basket or even a bottle of his favorite rum, now he wondered if the gift was something far bigger than that. What he did not expect, when he turned the corner into her suite’s sitting area, was to find Raven awkwardly fidgeting with her gown as Jason made last-minute adjustments.

“Wha…” His words died in his throat as she turned to face him, his stride stumbling backward in shock as he drank her in.

He could have stood there and stared at her for the rest of the night and it would not have been enough time. Several lifetimes filled with millions of minutes and seconds would hardly scratch the surface of how much time he needed to simply consume her presence, to refill the parts of his soul that had depleted without her.

Beautiful was a gross understatement for her. She was stunning, a goddess plucked from the heavens and placed among lesser men. Michael did not think he had ever laid eyes on a more radiant human being. But it was not her stunning beauty that caused tears to spring to his eyes. It was the look of renewed hope in hers, the smallest flame reignited after it had been utterly extinguished the last time he laid eyes on her. And fuck, that could’ve ended him right then and there. To see hope and light in her again, to see the Raven he had fallen so deeply for, she was all consuming.

She had not even said a word yet but the impact of her choice to be there, to show up for him and choose him after everything conveyed a love words would not be sufficient enough to. The silence stretched on as he studied all the things that had made him fall in love. The soft expectant smile painted on her face as she stared at him that only solidified that she was willing and ready to rebuild with him. The anxious way her eyes glanced down at her own dress and her hands fidgeted that told him she was searching for his confirmation that he still wanted her here or that she looked beautiful, that reminded him of her awkwardness and endless humility that made him fall in love with her in the first place. The way her eyes, the most expressive aspect of her, somehow told him everything he needed to know without uttering a word.

“I-I hope this is ok?” she asked quietly as she broke the silence and expectant tension that blanketed Alex’s suite, snapping Michael out of his speechless trance. “Admittedly, I only gave Alex and Jason like 24 hours notice. So our options were kind of limited b-but they said it would compliment yours a-and likely get me on a best dressed list, which d-doesn’t really matter but could be nice? I dunno though… think I’ve had enough publicity for a lifetime,” she laughed anxiously. “But I don’t know what’s appropriate to wear to the Oscars with the 2023 Best Actor and they do. But I know this probably isn’t what you envisioned when you invited me in January. But don’t blame them. It’s definitely my fault. Lost weight so my measurements weren’t quite right and the time thing. Honestly, give them a raise… well I can’t tell you what to do with your money. But you should…” she glanced over Michael’s shoulder at Alex who was staring at her with a look that simply said, ‘speed the reunion up, sis.’ So Raven cut herself off, her last rambling words falling off. “Consider it…”

“You… you came?”

“I heard you needed a date?”

Michael rarely experienced true speechlessness, the right words rarely eluded him. He usually always knew what to say. His brain was on the verge of explosion with all the things he desperately wanted to say, his deepest proclamations of regret and love sat on his tongue but he just did not know where to start, could not find the place to start.

Meanwhile, Raven had an entire soliloquy of how she was ready to forgive and move forward because she loved him planned out in her mind. But every painstakingly chosen word evaporated from her mind as she looked at him, as she stared at the man her soul had come to recognize as her safest place to be. The one place that did not demand she provide her most perfect words or anything from her at all. It simply demanded, insisted, that she just be.

And now, the words that sprung to her mind were not perfect at all. They were raw, they were broken… they were her vulnerabilities, her fear, her pain, and they were her hope. Her wildest fantasies and her dreams. And she was no longer afraid to express them loudly here. Because he was the one place where she could.

“You remember when I woke up in the hospital and the first thing I said to you was apologizing for not being the girl you wanted? For not being good enough? A-and you told me not to compare myself to h-her… or anyone else. B-”

“Because you’re one of a kind,” Michael finished simply.

“That was one of the nicest things a man… anyone had said to me in so long,” she admitted, her head bowing slightly. “And I didn’t believe it. I wanted to be loved by you so badly, Michael. B-But I couldn’t believe a man like you would ever think I was enough because I wasn’t enough for anyone. I wasn’t right for anyone. A-And I had internalized this narrative that I didn’t deserve love o-or to be happy. That I just deserved some second-rate, half life filled with disregard and pain because other people told me so. A-And when we s-started dating, I finally started to believe that all that hope had been worth something? That maybe I deserved something… better? A-And w-when I saw her, my heart immediately felt like… you were finally admitting it. I wasn’t enough for you either.”

Every punch and injury he sustained playing Adonis Creed paled in comparison to that. He did not know if it was possible to feel worse about what he had done.

“Rae… baby, you gotta know that-“

She held up her hand to stop him, Michael immediately falling silent.

“I know… at the time though? It felt like God confirming everything everyone w-who knew me ever said, t-the fuel for that voice in my head that told me I would never b-be enough, w-was right. And all the ways you showed me I was enough, all the ways you showed up for me… didn’t seem real anymore. And that broke me. So I left, gave you the out I thought everyone who knew me wanted. T-this nuisance out of their lives. But you… you didn’t leave.”

Michael could hear the pure perplexity in her voice, as if the competing voices in her head could not square why he kept reaching out, kept showing up even as she pushed him away.

“Because I love you.”

“Because you love me.” Raven repeated it but Michael could hear it, the recognition that his words were the truth.

“I… um. I don’t believe I deserve you,” Raven said simply. “But for the first time, I know that I want more than whatever life in the shadows I thought I had to have. I know that I don’t want to push away love a-and happiness anymore. A-and I don’t want to push you away anymore. B-Because you are love, safety, comfort… happiness. I want to believe I deserve better? I want… to believe I deserve you. Because when I’m with you…”

Raven let out a shaky exhale that felt like her body starting to expel all those tormenting thoughts she internalized as she finally admitted out loud that this love was everything she always wanted.

“When I’m with you, all I feel is joy. A joy so pure that only something hand crafted by God himself could feel so good. You’re every fantasy I dreamed of but never thought I could have. Since the moment I fell off that damn table like a clumsy fucking idiot, you’ve been my safest place, you’ve been home, and you’ve been one of the few people in my life who’ve loved me unapologetically and loudly.”

She finally closed the space between them, putting herself within arm’s length of him.

“And I owe you an apology for… letting my exhaustion and pent up pain blind me to all the ways you’ve loved me loudly since the day we met. Regardless of how tired a-and exhausted I am from falling and crashing into the rocks, you were always worth climbing back up that mountain. You were always worth a second chance. And I should’ve recognized that far earlier.”

A pressure valve Michael did not even know had formed in his body released at her words. It felt like being able to take a deep breath again.

“So I’m here and I’m still hurt a-and exhausted but I’m ready to do something different, ready to run toward the cliff and take the leap and fall again. And I want to do that with you… If I’m not too late?”

Michael did not even command his legs to move as her confirmation hit his ears. Before either of them could utter another word, she was in his arms. A sweet giggle erupted as he pulled her unexpectedly toward him and crashed his lips against hers. And the peace that brought was unparalleled.

Raven could have melted against him, her soul at ease for the first time in too long as he held her tightly.

The rest of their small audience melted away as their hearts and souls sought to reclaim their other half, their kiss spelling out every ache and pain their brief separation caused. His lips felt so familiar, so much like home, that it almost hurt. Every second in his arms felt as if it mended the fissures of Raven’s heart one by one, stitching her back together intentionally and with such care that it made her want to sob.

Her own foolishness baffled her. How could she have denied herself this? This ethereal, otherworldly type of love. She would never find something comparable with another living soul. Because this insanely perfect man in front of her was it for her. She had never had a real family but in his arms, she could see one and it was everything she had ever dreamed for herself. The emotions of finally accepting, even in objective disbelief, his love for her hit her in waves that gently crashed over her one by one. But she was not overwhelmed like before, drowning beneath them as she fought for air.

This was serenity, gentle waves blanketing her in warmth and care. Such care that it was painful to pull away to catch her own breath.

Was breathing really a necessity right now?? She demanded of herself as his touch set off heat and flames of desire as he touched her. Weeks and weeks of deprivation meant she needed this more than she could describe, needed the physical representation of his love. His touch, his kiss, his devotion to her needs.

She did not even look away from him but her next words were for the pair awkwardly lingering in the room, long forgotten.

“We need 10 minutes.”

Alex groaned, breaking the sexual tension in the room with her annoyance, though she acquiesced far faster than Raven expected. Though she suspected his longtime agent could see a losing battle from a mile away.

“Fine but you really only get 10 minutes. Fuckin’ Oscars not a goddamn industry party. Can’t just roll in whenever we feel like it. And I swear to God… if you fuck on my bed or fuck up your outfits and make up, I’ll spend the rest of my life breaking you two up again.”

And with that, she grabbed Jason by his sleeve and marched out of the suite, leaving the two of them alone. Raven did not even wait for the click of the door to launch herself back into his arms, her fingers working faster than her mind could direct to undress him.

If anyone could see them, she imagined their movements were feral, so frenzied with their carnal instincts that it looked purely chaotic. Raven’s dress was in a crumble at her feet, his suit jacket was somewhere Raven could not even see. Her fingers rushed to undo the buttons of his shirt before abandoning the task for his pants.

“Fuck, why are there so many buttons??” She came up for air long enough to moan in frustration as Alex’s warning rang out in her head.

Only ten minutes. How was that enough time? That was not even a fraction of the time she required to do all the things her brain demanded she do to feel all of him and ensure he felt all of her too.

“Fuck I missed you,” he uttered between kisses as he tried to take her incredibly tight but effective spanx off.

She prayed Alex’s threat was a joke because she did not need a mirror to know her makeup would indeed need more than a light retouch. His kisses were unyielding, sloppy and utterly unrestrained. Their need for each other simply fed off the others and she knew neither would be satiated in ten minutes.

We need to stop, she thought. It was the biggest night of his career. She should stop so he could focus on that, right?

But she couldn’t, didn’t want to.

“I need you,” she whimpered, her desire to be filled far louder than the time clock in her head.

And her voice was so needy that Michael, whose self-control was hanging by a thread, almost gave in.

The only thing that gave him the strength to stop them before neither of them would be able to stop was the knowledge that she deserved more than a 10-minute quickie. She deserved to be devoured with every ounce of his being devoted to and focused on her. No interruptions, no distractions. She was a goddess to be worshiped with every stroke in her heat and that was not a process that could be rushed.

“Baby, baby, baby,” he gently cradled her neck, forcing her to slow down and look at him. His resolve was tested at the lust in her eyes, how her entire body was suddenly flushed with heat. “Fuck…” the words were agony to push out but necessary. “I want you so bad. But not like this.”

Raven, still a work in progress, could not stop the immediate intrusive thought that he did not want her, that she had misread everything. Michael could see it, how her eyes flashed with that fear and insecurity. He would never not want her, he would happily remind her of that every day if necessary. But he knew himself too well. Once he found himself trapped inside her, he would not be able to stop himself. And he wanted to take his time.

“It’s not you. It’s never you,” he brushed her hair behind her ear. “I just… I want more for this than a 10-minute quickie in a hotel room that isn’t even ours. You deserve more.”

Her heart swelled at his words, realizing that he was not even thinking about the clock. He was merely thinking about her. That forced her to calm down a bit, her lust still red hot and flowing but the logical part of her brain was taking control again.

The slight pout on her face made him chuckle and pull her in for another kiss. It was deeper and more sensual, a quiet plea to trust that he would always give her what she needed. Even if not in the exact timing her body desired it.

“Every moment with you counts and I’m not lettin’ anymore pass that I don’t treat you like you deserve. Trust me, I’ll give you what you need, baby girl. It’ll be worth the wait.”

Raven knew he was right. Despite the persistent ache in her core, she knew she could wait for what he planned. It would be far better than a rushed reunion on a couch anyway.

“I trust you. Just make sure your team knows to clear your very packed schedule for the next couple days,” she teased as she stole one last kiss before she tried to put some distance between them. Her body still wanted him desperately and while she trusted him, she was not sure she trusted herself.

But Michael merely pulled her back in and held onto her tighter.

“Oh the world ain’t gon’ see me or you for more than a couple days. I’m all yours.” He winked at her before helping her get her dress back on and his own suit back on. Once he opened the door to let Alex back in, both of them looked exactly as the two had left them, not a hair out of place. Save Raven’s lipstick, which was completely gone.

“Damn… three minutes? Knew you couldn’t be worth the hype,” Alex immediately said as she breezed back into the suite, utterly unbothered by the idea that the two might have fucked just moments prior.

“You always got jokes.”

Alex immediately fired off last-minute directions to the makeup team to fix Raven’s before they prepared for photos and to leave. Though Raven had endured the tedious process of getting ready for awards and premieres before, today was the most hectic yet. But she was not panicked because she stuck close to Michael, who was the picture of ease and calm. He was the eye of this hurricane, the small world that was him purely at ease even when he should not be.

“You nervous?” she asked as the photographer directed her to perch on Michael’s knee before going to switch out the lens on his camera.

He offered her the most sincere smile, his eyes glimmering with all the love and adoration he felt toward her.

“Nah. Why would I be? I already got the most important thing I needed today. Tonight’ll just be a cherry on top.”

***

Raven was beginning to wonder if her return had turned Michael’s hands into magnets. He barely let her go since they walked out of Alex’s suite. She could not help but laugh when Michael only allowed the photographer two minutes of individual photos before he pulled Raven back into his arms. It was not as if she minded one bit, she had so missed this, missed his touch. It was addicting.

“You stare at me any harder, I’m gonna combust,” she joked as they sat in the back of his limo, Raven leaning into his side as she had done so many times before. .

“My bad, my bad. I’m just fuckin’ shocked you’re here.” He weaved his fingers among hers, bringing her hand into his lips. “You know I’m gonna spend everyday making all this shit up to you, right?”

“I know and I also know it’s unnecessary. I won’t lie, I’m still hurt and confused by what happened. But I know we can fix it. I don’t need you to feel guilty for the rest of our relationship either.”

“The rest of our lives,” he softly corrected with a playful shove to her shoulder that made her giggle. Fuck he missed that sound, missed her smile.

“The rest of our lives,” she repeated. “I just need you to love me. That’s it.”

“That’s a given, baby girl.”

She leaned over and pecked him softly on the lips before settling back in his arms.

“So… Can I read your speech?” she asked sweetly, knowing there was a terribly crumbled piece of paper stuffed into his jacket pocket.

“Nope.”

Raven immediately pouted, putting on the playful sad puppy eyes that always got to him.

“Those ain’t gon’ work today, baby. But only cause I can’t show you a speech I don’t have.”

Raven’s eyebrows creased in confusion, immediately assuming that his lack of a prepared speech meant he did not think he would win. How could he think such a thing?

“Michael… You know you’re gonna win. And you’ve scripted all the others. Why didn’t you write one for tonight? I can jot you something down real quick?” she immediately started to look around as if her cell-phone-sized clutch was big enough to secretly contain a pen and paper. “Allen!” She leaned toward the front. “Do you have any paper? Spare receipt?”

“Baby, BABY!” Michael called, gripping her hips to guide her back to her seat and calm her panic. “I didn’t say I didn’t write one,” he clarified. “I said I don’t have it. I just realized that… the scripted speeches are not what I want tonight. Need a different direction. So I gave the speech to Alex before we left.”

Though Raven could guess the reason for a sudden need for a new direction in the 11th hour. But she still found herself asking anyway. “Any reason for this different direction?”

“Just think I should speak from the heart if I win, you know? Like I did in that interview. If I get to go on that stage tonight, wanna do it as the man I’ve become. Dunno if I have your way with words, though. Not nervous about losing but I’m nervous about fuckin’ up up there, not sayin’ the right thing, you know? Or everyone hating it?”

Raven’s eyes softened a bit, always appreciating this vulnerable side of him. She knew how difficult and painful it had been to reveal that side to her and to the world. But she knew he was better for it.

“You don’t need my way with words, baby. You just need yours and yours is poetic, it’s kind a-and loving and true. That isn’t a new direction o-or a new man, Michael. It’s just you. Every moment I’ve known you, that’s just you. You just let me see it and I’m so grateful for it. And you’ve let the world see glimpses of it in the last few months a-and if the response is any indication, the world is grateful too. You’re not nervous about saying the wrong thing. Going out there without the armor you’ve built to protect yourself is just scary. But it’s worth it. You taught me that. Don’t think about the right or wrong words. Just what you want to say about this moment. Whatever words you have will be right.”

“Feel like you got more poetic on me since January.”

Raven chuckled and shook her head. “Still only minimally poetic… and I can’t take credit for that one.” But she stopped herself before she said more. Now did not feel like the best moment to drop emotional bombs.

“We’re here, Mr. Jordan. About three cars in front of us,” Allen called out from the front seat.

He glanced at Raven, her eyes suddenly swimming with panic that he could tell she desperately wanted to swallow. He could almost see the realization hit her like a wall. She was about to walk out into the public eye for the first time in months at Hollywood’s most significant night of the year. And Michaell had been so elated to have her back that he had not considered how emotionally overwhelming that had to be.

Raven was determined to hide it as best and long as she could. Tonight was all about Michael and his career. And she had accepted being in the public eye when she decided to go back to him. She knew it would be difficult but he was worth it. They were worth the sacrifice. But her brain assaulted her with every possible name she would be called, the headlines that would materialize tomorrow. And all of that would reflect poorly on him. What if she ruined his life… again?

“Hey, hey, Rae. Baby girl. Look at me,” his hands gently framed her face to force her eyes to him. “Don’t worry about them. It’s just you and me, aight? Tonight’s ours. The first night of the rest of our lives, showing up 100% in our truth. None of this other shit matters. So just focus on me. I won’t let you go, I promise.”

“Just you and me,” she repeated, nodding slightly.

And with that, he opened the limo door, standing tall as crowds shouted his name and the chaotic sounds of the carpet filled their ears.

First night of the rest of our lives. And she was ready.

***

Though she had not been to many award shows with Michael thus far, she learned one key thing. They were just as boring as they looked on tv except when you were the date of a popular nominee, you did not have the luxury of letting that boredom show.

Will my jaw ever recover, she wondered as it ached from smiling through three hours of devastatingly mediocre jokes and long-winded speeches. At least the carpet was exciting and thrilling, as daunting as it was. In fact, the carpet was actually fun for the first time.

The chaotic jungle was its usual frantic chaotic place, not any different than she expected. But perhaps it merely felt different because she and Michael were so different from who they were the last time they were out together. They had stripped themselves bare and had shed their armor. They were standing decidedly in their truth and the immense love they shared. And that felt like a new world.

And she noticed so much more than her self-pitied colored glasses allowed her to see. Every protective touch, every studious glance to ensure she was still smiling and well, the well-timed playful remarks or jokes he whispered in her ear right when her nerves started to encroach, every gentle kiss that still held his endless passion for her. She finally saw it all and felt it. And it was everything.

Michael straightened up next to her, pulling Raven out of her own daydreams. Robert Downey Jr. made his way to the middle of the stage, an envelope labeled Best Actor printed boldly across it.

She tightened her grip on Michael’s hand. She had a good feeling about this.

“A leading man is more than an attractive face, though I’m sure every woman would agree that all five men in this category have that quality in common as well. But what they also have in common is vulnerability, empathy, and the courage to search for the humanity and depth of their characters to embody their wants, their fears, their grief, their sorrow boldly and bravely. These five performances are exemplary and remind us all just what a leading man is. Here are the nominees for Best Actor in a Motion Picture.”

The room dimmed ever so slightly as the reel started to play, the seconds that passed felt more like hours as they watched snippets of each performance. Michael’s was last, Raven’s free hand gently rubbing his arm as she felt his nerves finally kick in. She was impressed he only felt them now, she would have been an utter mess all evening.

“And the winner is…” the Marvel actor did a little fist pump that immediately gave the winner away, deafening applause almost drowning out his name. “Michael B. Jordan, Waves.”

Michael’s head fell into his hand for a moment, genuine shock coursing through him. He had convinced himself that he would not win to minimize the disappointment. But he had not really considered how it would feel to actually win? To actually receive this honor. And it was more than he could have hoped it would be.

Raven pulled him into her arms as they stood, tears swimming in her eyes.

“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered before he kissed her.

He honestly would have been fine to simply revel in this moment in her arms but he knew the clock was ticking on his speech.

He finally let her go and jogged up the stairs, giving RDJ a hug before stepping in front of the mic. The entire theater was still on their feet applauding and cheering as he stared out into the crowd.

“Wow. Thank you so much for this. As a kid from New Jersey, you just don't really ever expect your dreams to take off like this, to end up in a place like this. This is just… more than I could’ve ever dreamed for myself. So thank you. There are a million people for me to thank and not enough time before they play me off. My family and friends, my team and manager, the cast and crew who poured their hearts and souls into this film… Without all of you, I wouldn’t have made it here tonight and I’m grateful for your constant support.”

He glanced down at the trophy in his hand before continuing. “Umm… But there’s one person I do want to thank though and that is the love of my life, Raven Turner. When I look at you, all I can think of is how rewarding it is to be loved by you, to be chosen by you. That makes every day feel like I’ve just won an Oscar. I feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to love you, to stand in your light, and to live everyday working to be the man worthy of your love. Getting to share this moment with you goes beyond anything I could’ve imagined. Thank you for seeing me for all that I am and loving me for it. Thank you for falling with me, baby and I hope I make every day of our lives together worth it.”

She knew that the tears that streamed down her face were not attractive or good for the camera that was surely about to pan to her but she could not have hoped to care.

“I love you,” she mouthed though she doubted he could even see her from up there.

“I love you. Thank you!” He held the statue up in his hand before turning and walking off stage, his standing ovation renewing.

***

Michael wanted to laugh at how Raven stretched her body like an adorable kitten after sleeping like the literal dead for most of the daylight hours. He did not blame her, they did not stumble back into his house until after 4 am. Once the show ended, the pair bounced from after party to after party drinking, smoking, and dancing the night away. He had not had that much fun at industry events and parties in so long. And it had been so much fun that he was *almost* sad it was over, a perfect final night of an insane run in his career.

But then he remembered that closing that chapter meant he could focus his attention on the perfect and hopelessly exhausted woman rousing in his arms. They could heal without the distractions of events and the public eye. They could build their lives together officially. The joy of that instinctively caused him to pull her into his chest, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

“Mornin’ baby,” he whispered, his gruff voice filling her ears as Raven slowly opened her eyes.

Peace and contentment gently glided through her frame like a light summer’s breeze, easing all the aches and pains she had felt before. She had missed this… falling asleep snuggled in his arms, wrapped lovingly and tightly in his scent. She would have been inclined not to move until she caught a glimpse of the time on his iPad.

She let out a soft gasp as she tried to shoot up, shocked at how late she slept. However, his tight grip stopped her from lifting much beyond her head and chest.

“You gotta let me go, baby. We should get up. It’s almost 3 pm… sorry, don’t even know how I slept that fucking late. I know you got shit to do.”

“We had a late night and there ain’t shit to do today. And if there had been, I would’ve told you. Rest.”

She used the back of her hand to rub her eyes as she glanced at him, studying how his eyes returned to a script on his iPad that was highlighted to death. She merely rolled her eyes. Of course he would be working right after the biggest night of his career.

“How long have you been up?”

“Since 11 or so?” he shrugged. “Figured I’d relax and read some scripts my team pulled for Outliers. Been so crazy, they’ve just been piling up. Grabbed a snack bout an hour ago and made you some tea but it’s definitely cold. I can make you more if you want.”

“Why didn’t you wake me??”

He merely shrugged with his unbothered charm, his hand gently rubbing her back, which lulled her into laying her head down on his chest again despite her brain’s alarm bells to get up.

How am I so tired?? She wondered as her eyes threatened to fall shut again. All her body wanted to do was fall asleep in his arms.

“When you didn’t even move when I got up, it seemed like you needed the rest. And still do.”

“I’m good.”

“Those bags under your eyes say otherwise.”

“I know you ain’t talking…” she offered back, glancing pointedly at the equally stark dark circles under his eyes.

“Touche. But no actor gets enough sleep. Early call times, global press tours, events and after parties. It’s the name of the game. You haven’t been taking care of yourself?” His annotation was that of a question but they both knew the answer. “How much sleep you been getting since we-” Michael stopped himself, the words he held back still hanging heavily in the air. There was still so much they still had to discuss, wounds that were still unhealed and unresolved.

While Michael thought Raven was always stunning, he could not ignore the obvious toll the events of late had taken on his girl. He thought it had just been emotional but he had not seen her long enough to notice the physical strain his actions had caused too. And while she had told him not to feel guilty, he did. So he was not going to wake her up or bother her when it was clear she required a reset. And while he would always adore her for rallying for him last night, today was a new day. And she deserved to be catered to and have someone take care of her for a change.

“Couple hours a night… Between the break up and the paparazzi during the first couple weeks… and then all the shit on social media, I was just on edge 24/7, my brain couldn’t shut off long enough to sleep… or sleep well. I had some old sleeping pills I used some nights when I was desperate but… it was hard not to think about everything over and over and over again. And then wallow in it.”

“You stopped eating too? You lost weight.”

Raven chuckled. “You know most men wouldn’t have a problem with their girlfriend losing a couple pounds. Wasn’t like I didn’t need to.”

“You’re fuckin’ sexy at any weight but I gotta problem with anything that means you ain’t taking care of yourself. Especially when it’s my fault.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose and it’s no one’s fault. I just… didn’t really have an appetite a lot. But that’s starting to come back. I’m fine, Michael. Truly. We’re still celebrating you, can’t end that early just to fuss over little ole me.”

Michael knew she wanted him to pretend he believed her for the sake of not discussing this right now. But what was the point in that? He would not pretend he had not been terrified for her. That he was not still terrified at how all of this had worn her down. And he knew it was not just what he did, it had just been the final straw in a life-long list of painful experiences. But one thing Raven had always had when he looked at her was hope, even if the flame was as small as a dying candle. There was always an air about her that let him know she genuinely believed things would get better one day.

But when he saw her at her apartment, the night at that bar? That was gone, completely extinguished. Her eyes, his favorite part of her, held nothing but sorrow. He would not be able to live with himself if he ever saw that look in her eyes again.

“You aren’t fine, Rae. I know that shit. And I’m allowed to worry about you. I mean shit, how you looked after that video was bad enough. Then the bar?? Not gon’ forget that shit happened just cause we’re back together. And I’m not gon’ pretend you’re fine when you aren’t either. You’re not gonna keep sweeping your needs under the rug. We can lay here all day and sleep if that’s what you need.”

“You have better things to do, Mr. Academy Award Winner then watch me sleep. I can take care of myself.”

“What if I like watching you sleep??”

“Then that would be kinda endearing and… kinda creepy?” she mused. “But mostly endearing.” Not that she would ever admit it but she enjoyed watching him sleep too.

“Well I might be creepy then,” he admitted. He did genuinely love watching her sleep, when she was in his arms, there was just a rare peace about her that he loved to see. “The outside world has gotten too much of me lately. Now, the only thing I wanna do is take care of you. Not cause you can’t do that shit yourself but because you shouldn’t have to. Everyone needs to be taken care of and I’m not letting the next 30 years go by without you knowing what that feels like. Now you’re gonna feel it. Every single day. Rest, Raven.”

His words tumbled through her brain as she stared at him for a moment, her eyes brimming with tears. She was exhausted and not just physically. But of carrying the weight of every problem on her shoulders, of being alone in crafting solutions. She was so often consumed by pure survival and it had made her resourceful and smart. There was not a problem that life threw at her that Raven had not figured out a way through. She was stuck in survivor mode 24/7. But the problem with survival is that it was an all-consuming task. There’s no opportunity… no room to rest. And no one to take on the burdens for her so she could.

“I just haven’t h-had anyone… who cared enough to worry… in a long time, no one willing to share the load,” she offered simply, sniffling lightly. “Until you hired David… I didn’t think you cared what happened to me after we… I ended things.”

“I did. I do.” His hand gently cupped her cheek, his thumb whisking away the tears that slowly fell. “Fuck, I thought about you every minute of the damn day, Rae. You had me over here losing my damn mind. I care… I love you so much, it fucking killed me. And scared me. And I deserved it, to worry and stress and flip shit because I fucked up… I hurt you.”

“You did. But it wasn’t just you. Life’s been shit before and I could always, you know, keep going? It was just the final blow to the little bit of hope I had? And I just didn’t see the point in getting back up again. That was my best… the bare minimum needed to keep breathing. The heartache… I knew I could get over that eventually. One day in the far fucking future, I could… would force myself to get over you. Or just accept that I could never have you. It was the ache of losing hope that killed me. It was like my soul ached? And there were moments, like the night of your premiere, that I just thought that would never heal?”

“So you got wasted? To forget?”

She chuckled. “Alcohol is a great temporary solution. When you’re that low… shit gets desperate,” she admitted. “Anything to numb the pain for a short while. But it always comes back.”

“How often?”

“Rarely and that was the worst night, I promise. Honestly, wasn’t sure I’d ever want to touch alcohol again after that.”

“And now? How do you feel?”

“The wounds in my heart still need mending but every second back with you has healed parts of my soul. I’m… not ok,” she admitted, Michael immediately empathizing with how difficult it was for her to say those words. “You’re right… it doesn’t just go away. But I will be ok.”

He nodded. “I know you will be. I’m gonna make sure of it. Raven… look, I know this shit is scary, giving up control when you’ve been the one driving for so long, the one responsible for everything for so long. But I’m here, I’m not going anywhere and I’m not gonna let go again. It’s safe to let someone else behind the wheel for a while. Rest for me, baby girl. Please.

As if she was light as a feather, he shifted her so her body laid on top of his chest, his strong arms anchoring her in that spot. She buried her face in the nape of his neck, breathing in the perfect scent that her heart recognized as him.

Even as her body resumed its pliant posture in his arms, Raven realized she did not want rest. No, she wanted to feel him in the very depths of her. She knew they had to talk, knew there were conversations to be had. But fuck, she could not wait. She wanted to revel in this moment, of finally being with someone who genuinely loved her and cared. And she needed to feel it on a cellular level.

Raven forced herself to sit up, quickly straddling his hips and giving him a quick but tantalizing grind against him. That turned his frown into a mischievous grin, though she could still see the concern in his eyes.

“This is the opposite of rest, baby girl.”

“I’ll rest as long as you want after. I need you.”

“We still got a lot to talk about, Rae. I just don’t want you to get caught up in the moment ‘n not really want this yet. ‘N I…” Raven should have been put off the pure animalistic look simmering in his eyes. But instead it just made the desire grow stronger, long tentacles stretching out to every pleasure zone in her body. Demanding he touch, bite, slap, caress… literally do anything to satiate her. “I’m not sure what you need, what we both need.”

Her palms cupped his face, guiding his eyes to hers. “Then don’t be sure. I love that you take care of me, Michael. But taking care of me isn’t having the perfect thing to say or do for me. Sometimes, it’s just being you and figuring it out as we go. I know I need you. And that’s what I want, to feel every part of you… whatever you have to give me. And everything we need to talk about will still be here when you’re done with me.”

And with her permission, the reins holding him back evaporated and he pounced. Raven was on her back before she could blink, Michael capturing her lips, reminding her of the dominance she missed. And desperately craved it.

“Tell me what you need, baby,” he whispered in her ear.

“Everything. All of you.”

Michael would happily oblige. He licked his lips as he stared down at her. Where would he even start?

Some part of him wanted to render her utterly immobile as he usually did. But a more significant part of him just wanted to savor her. Wanted to feel everything she had to offer and bask in having her back with him. And while he loved the fast-paced dominant sex they were used to, it did not always allow for that. And he knew in his heart that they both needed more than fast and furious today.

His hands gently ran up the smooth skin of her thighs, gathering the oversized t-shirt on her frame in his hands and sliding it off. Her nipples pebbled slightly at the cold air against her warm skin.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful. You know that shit right?” he asked as he pressed soft kisses against her neck.

“Y-yes,” she whispered, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as he sucked on a particularly sensitive spot before moving down to her collarbone.

“You know how much I love you? What I’d do for you?” he continued a slow but intentional path down her body, lingering on her chest as he engulfed each of her nipples between his lips. He took his time there, remembering how much she enjoyed nipple play. His mind called back to the numerous times he put clamps on them. His tongue licked her nipples, Raven whimpering and squirming beneath his hot mouth.

Soon, they would reacquaint themselves with those roles, he thought. If she was up for it.

Her body was ablaze as his lips and tongue found their home on every inch of her skin he could get to. Down he trekked, only slowing when he got to the paradise between her thighs. He knew her inner thighs were a weak spot, something he learned long long ago. He knew it was the teasing that got to her, being so close to where she needed pleasure the most but not exactly there yet.

“Fuck I missed this,” he whispered. “Those little moans you make, how I make you squirm and beg and plead. The taste of you on my tongue.”

“Michael… please,” she whimpered. “I need…” the words were lost on her, her brain was no longer in the decision-making business. Her body, the pleasure sensors that lived beneath the surface of her skin guided every feeling, every filthy thought, every base desire and need. “C-Can’t wait.”

He lifted his head from between her thighs, his breath teasing her core with heat that turned her into putty in his hands. She could not wait, she needed to be connected to him. To feel their bodies become one again in the most intimate and carnal way.

“You trust me, baby?”

“With my life,” she answered truthfully.

While his actions had shaken that trust, when it boiled down to it, she would never trust her body with anyone as she did with Michael. She was his and he had never harmed her or made her regret handing over the reins to her pleasure to him. He had proven himself worthy of it tenfold.

“Then trust that Imma take care of you, princess. Always.”

Princess… fuck was it possible for her heart to literally explode? Or for her to be anymore wet than she already was?

His poor sheets, she mused.

He resituated her legs on his shoulders and grinned up at her as he continued nipping at her inner thighs, Raven’s soft moans only spurring him on. She was already a mess… a delicious, delectable mess to be sure, her juices glistening and begging him to lick, suck… devour her.

“Fuck… all this for me, baby?” he smiled as his kisses and bites grew closer and closer to where she desired, where she needed his touch the most.

“Y-yes…” Her body had missed him more than she realized.

“I missed you.” And with that short statement, devour her, he did.

Bliss.

Ecstasy.

Fucking nirvana.

He made her feel all of it with one masterful flick of his tongue against her bud, her back arching off his mattress and a guttural moan rising from her belly. He proved within minutes that he had not forgotten, forgotten what buttons to push, what spots to focus his attention, how she liked to be pleasured.

He did not let up or come up for air as his mouth savored every inch of her that he could, spelling out his adoration and love for her - not with his words - but with his tongue and his two fingers buried in her heat. There was a sensual pace to it that she was not used to with him. Typically, sex was deliciously punishing and unyielding. It was rooted in his care and gentleness for her but the pace left no time to breathe. Not that she minded.

But today? He took particular care, the march up to her peak was tantalizingly slow but perfect all the same. There was no rush between them, despite Raven’s original desire to fit almost 2 months of lost time into this one moment. But Michael understood that they had time. There was no invisible clock, nothing rushing them. He could savor the little gasps of pleasure when he sucked her clit gently, the way her legs clamped around his head when she was close, how her pussy clenched around his fingers as he increased his speed to exactly where she liked, how her hips rocked to meet every thrust.

Every plea, every moan, every scream for more. He wanted to hear all of it. And he wanted her to savor the feeling of being taken care of, because she would need to learn to get used to it. He could do this every day, more than once a day to be honest.

“So… close,” her moans grew louder and louder as he took her to the edge of the cliff of pleasure.

She allowed herself to fall as she felt the pleasure in her belly snap. Her mouth simply remained agape with a breathless scream on her lips as she fell into the depths of ecstasy. The crash didn’t feel like one at all, but a soft landing as he continued his ministrations against her clit, drawing out her orgasm for as long as he could. And it was pure bliss, warm waves of pleasure continuing to crash over her until he finally extracted himself from between her legs.

“That was…” Being at a loss for words was commonplace when they fucked. But Michael understood as he pressed his lips to hers, allowing her to taste herself briefly.

“Fuck!” she cried out as he immediately started to sheathe himself inside her, a welcomed surprise. She tried to hide it as her face screwed for a split second, her body becoming reacquainted with his girth and size. The stretch he provided today in particular, given their stint apart, was a short-lived sting of pain that managed to take her breath away.

He immediately stilled.

“Talk to me, Rae. You good?”

Her eyes were still shut tight as she waited for a moment for her to get used to him again. So she merely nodded.

“Words, baby.”

“Y-Yea I’m good. J-just been a minute a-and you surprised me.” She let out a content sigh as pain gave way to mind numbing pleasure, giving him the directive to move. “A-and t-that’s not… fair,” she moaned. “W-wanted… to taste… you too.” She wanted to force her lips into a playful pout but the only facial expressions her muscles could conjure up were those of passion and pleasure.

“Next time, princess.” He sucked on the soft skin of her neck as he drove into her.

Raven could only see the darkness of the back of her head as her eyes rolled back with every rock forward of his hips, sending his dick right into her g-spot. His thrusts were relentless, Raven’s nails digging into his back as she held onto him for dear life.

“Fuck… I-I love you,” she panted, unable to form any other real sentences worth anything. That was all that needed to be said in her mind.

“Say it again,” he demanded, gently biting her neck as her declaration of love only spurred him on. He grabbed her legs and pulled her ankles to his shoulders.

“I love… FUCK! Fuckkkkk, j-just like that!” She cried out, abandoning the words originally on her lips for completely incoherent ramblings of a woman who was being split into two but loved every single second of it.

Did he just kill me?? Am I dead?? Because this no longer felt of this world? No human being should be allowed to experience this sort of pleasure. Or be able to give it… was the man above her even human?

“You feel so good, baby. You like how I’m fuckin’ this pussy??”

“Yes! Yes! Fuck I love it so much. Don’t stop, please don’t stop!”

Stopping?? An utterly foreign concept to him at that moment. And he did not. Raven barely could breath as Michael moved her into position after position, fucking her into oblivion.

Tears sprang to her eyes as he fucked her from behind, his teeth biting gently into the skin of her neck.

“Where you want it, princess??” he demanded as he felt himself getting close.

“Cum inside me,” she gasped, not wanting their union to end any sooner than it needed to. This was as close as they could get and for some part of her, it still was not close enough.

More, more, more, her soul seemed to demand. More of him.

“Don’t say that shit to me if you don’t mean it?” he warned, those few words causing a fever to settle over him, his hips snapping forward into her ass with a force that jolted her further into his mattress.

“Please, baby,” she whined desperately, unable to find any other words to assure him that was what she wanted.

Euphoric was the only word that came to mind as he pulled her flush to his chest and emptied his cum inside her.

“Thank you, thank you,” she panted, her pussy clenching around him as he pumped in and out of her slowly.

Michael gently let her body fall into the mattress, Raven’s eyes already starting to flutter closed as he went to grab a warm towel. Another whimper escaped her lips as he cleaned her up.

“That was… whew. I missed you.”

Michael did not bother putting his own clothes back on but instead slid into bed with her, cuddling her body against his.

Of course now, sleep was not something Rave could avoid, her body spent as it always was after their time together.

“ Give me an hour and then my legs will work again. And then I’m taking over,” she muttered as she yawned.

He merely laughed and nodded, pressing his lips to her forehead.

“Wouldn’t bet on it. I only made you cum four times.”

Raven lifted her head to look at him incrediously. “Only four??? I can’t feel my legs, babe.” Her jaw dropped at the slight frown creasing his lips. “Oh my God… you’re actually upset,” she laughed. “You’re insane.”

“I have a reputation to uphold, babe. Six minimum every time.”

“If you wanna kill me, just say so,” she joked.

“Just tryin’ to put you to sleep without a fight,” he offered with a smile. “I give it five minutes before you’re out like a light.”

“Very mischievous but effective.”

Raven did not understand how she could even require more sleep, even after a palty (as Michael would complain) four orgasms. But he had accomplished his goal, her entire body was boneless and pliant in his hands. Everything in her told her she was finally home and safe to let go of everything else for the first time in her life. So she welcomed the coming rest, allowing her eyes to drift closed. However, before she fully gave in, she whispered.

“You should rest too… you’ve been going and going since the top of the year. You’ve earned it too.”

“Deal.”

The life of an actor was defined by sleep deprivation so Michael had learned the important trait of falling asleep literally anywhere and anytime. Because his body was on his press tour schedule, he had felt wide awake after a few hours of rest this morning. But he knew if he closed his eyes for 5 minutes, he would pass out again.

“I love you,” he offered quietly as he shifted them both so he was laying down again.

“Not as much… as I love you,” she mumbled back as her eyes fluttered closed.

Tag list: @readinghere2023 @blackerthings @prettyisasprettydoes1306 @physicxal @purplehairgawdess @miyuhpapayuh @rueruesclues @geemamii @certifiedlesbianbaddie @pipsqueak-98 @nyifly22 @destinio1 @twocentaur @gopaperless @musicisme333 @majesticbrown @roguekiki @taurusqueen83 @mysteryuz @miamormilan @itsknor-thedeep @naj-ay444 @mads-grace4 @nayaesworld @kholdkill @msniaimani @nccu-rnc @apenasumlug4r @dezzy154 @munchsa

***

A/N: Whew ok y'all do not know how much I agonized over this chapter LOL but our babies are backkkkkk and we have maybe two chapters left and an epilogue. Thanks so much for sticking by my slow writing ass. Drop a comment and let me know what you thought!

#black writers #michael b jordan #michael b jordan x oc #mbjordanedit #black panther #michael b jordan fanfic #michael b jordan x reader #creed 3 #adonis creed #creed iii #fic: wicked fantasies

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ellieluvr420 · 7 months

Text

Friends? Never. Pt.6 (Ellie Williams x reader)

SYNOPSIS: You and Ellie had been bitter enemies for years now but before that you were best friends. You had always planned to be roommates one day but when that becomes a reality the situation isn't exactly how you both imagined it.

Sorry this is a shorter chapter and a lot of speech but I felt like you guys needed to see this because I think it is just too cute

"Leave me alone."

"No Ellie, I need to change your bandages."

"No fuck off I'm sleeping."

"Well you're obviously fucking not. Stop being such a baby."

"Hey I am a wounded hero right now okay? You should be nice to me."

"A hero would not be being this much of a pussy about having their bandages changed."

"Ughhhhhhhh." She groans and throws her head back which is about the best temper tantrum she can throw as a result of the throbbing pains all over her body.

"I'm gonna start with the one on your stomach okay." You explain gently as you lift her top to expose the bandages wrapped around her torso. She had been grazed by a bullet shot by one of her team as they were trying to shoot the clicker that had grabbed hold of her and there was a large bruise painting her back purple and blue from where she had been slammed down onto the floor so hard as she had explained. You had seen all the wounds multiple times now as you've changed her bandages throughout the past night and day but the sight of them still never failed to make you feel nauseous. Your lower lip had wobbled and the familiar lump in your throat had returned when you inspected them for the first time and you still have to push the same feelings down now. "This is gonna sting okay, I'm sorry." You warn her before pouring alcohol over the graze wound. She hissed and writhed a little while calling you multiple names under her breath but you could tell she was forcing herself to stay as still as possible to make it easy for you. "You know the drill." She groans and turns on her uninjured side so that you can rub the ointment Maria had dropped round over the bruise on her back. The small whine she let out as your hand soothed over the bruise made your stomach drop but it also caused a heat to grow between your legs that you huffed at, now was not the time but your body disagreed with you. You take your time wrapping fresh bandages round her and then gently guide her to lay back once again.

"How about we do the other ones in ten minutes?" You sigh at her with a displeased look on your face until she squeezes your arm. "Please, just let me catch my breath okay?"

You had been so focused on making sure the wounds were clean and dressed that you hadn't noticed the blatant pain turning her face grey. "Yeah, of course. Just relax." Ellie had never been weak, so seeing her in such agony made your heart clench for her. You sat at her bedside while she laid staring at the ceiling taking as deep breaths in and out as the pain in her torso would let her. You watched as the colour returned to her face slightly until her bright but tired eyes turned to you as she offered a little nod signalling she was ready to go again.

You focused on her face this time, repeating the same steps of cleaning the cuts with alcohol and rubbing ointment onto the bruises as carefully as possible. You trace your finger over the jagged edges of the large cut over her cheekbone and sigh. "Are you sure you don't want me to stitch this? This is going to be a bad scar." You pout at her a little.

"No I'm good, let's keep the stitches for the life threatening injuries yeah? Besides girls think scars are hot so this will give me game." She smirks and immediately winces at the sudden movement as you roll your eyes.

"Oh do they now?"

"Yeah 100 percent, you can't tell me you're not getting hot looking at me right now." She eyes you knowingly and you scowl.

"I can and I am. I think it would be way hotter if you let me stitch it up because it's still bleeding Ellie it's been almost a full 24 hours since you got it. Can't have you passing out on me from blood loss can we?"

"How about we let me pass out from blood loss and then you stitch me up?" She gives you puppy eyes and you shake your head in disagreement. "Fine, you can stitch me up but you better do a good job."

"Are you kidding I'm a pro." You say as you're already running over to the medical bag Maria had dropped over with the ointment to grab the needle and thread. You walk back over to Ellie as she eyes you with a grumpy expression. "Promise I'll be quick." You offer a small smile but she just looks back up to the ceiling bracing herself for what was coming next.

"Ow, fucker." She mutters as the needles pierces her skin for the last time before you tie off the stitch with a triumphant smile. You let out a shaky breath you hadn't realised you were holding and her eyes snap to yours.

"Were you nervous? You stuck a needle in my face while you were nervous?"

"No I just didn't want to breathe in your face. I had some pickles with my lunch."

"Ew you're so gross but I can literally see your hands shaking right now you liar!" You put away the thread and leave the needle on the side to deal with later as you walk back over to her with a small handheld mirror.

"Fine I was nervous but look how much better that looks hm." She runs a finger over the stitches and hands the mirror back to you.

"Thank you." She forces out under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh don't be a dick." You laugh as you sit back down by her bedside.

"Another ten minutes?"

"Yeah, please." She smiles as you both remain quiet letting her gather herself for the wounds you had to tend to on her arms and legs. There was a large gash up her thigh that you had already stitched yesterday and smaller cuts and bruises littering the rest of her legs. Her arms were okay, only minor injuries here and there but there was one cut on the back of her arm that she hadn't let you see yet, she had insisted that it was just easier for her to deal with that one because of the placement and because it was gross and after a heated argument last night you had given in and let her have her way.

She nodded at you once again and you repeated the process on her legs and arms until you got to the bandage covering the mysterious cut. You steadily started reaching to unwrap it until her free hand grabbed your wrist so hard it hurt and her knuckles went white as she pulled your hand away with a scowl on her face.

"Are you actually being serious Ellie? I've tended to all of your wounds and stitched two of them, why won't you just let me see it?"

"I already told you so just mind your fucking business." At her words you stood from your position kneeling over her with a dark look in your eyes.

"Mind my fucking business? Watch your fucking mouth." You spit at her as her face contorts into an expression that was a mixture of guilt and fear. "I've stayed by your bedside since I dragged your ass home. I've fed you, I've treated you, I've done everything for you and you tell me to mind my business. This is my business! This became my business when you didn't come home when you said you would last night and I had a heart attack thinking you were dead."

"You say that like its my fucking fault."

"It's not your fault Ellie but you're being a prick right now. Show me what's under the fucking bandage."

"No." She huffs and looks away from you and back up to the ceiling until you grab her chin and angle her face towards yours that was a picture of rage and awfully close to hers.

"Show. Me. The. Cut. Or I will walk out right now and leave you to deal with all of this yourself." There is nothing on your face that says you aren't being dead serious right now so she sighs and nods defeatedly.

"Okay fine. But I need to tell you something first, can you please sit down." Your tongue pokes at the inside of your cheek as you contemplate for a moment before sitting down on the chair you had spent the past 24 hours perched on. "Please don't freak out."

"I'm not going to, just spit it out."

"Okay." She holds out her tattooed arm to you and your eyebrow raises. "See this scar under here. That is a chemical burn I gave to myself."

"Okay?"

"I gave myself the chemical burn to cover what was underneath. When I was 14 I was bitten by a runner before Joel found me and took me in, nothing happened, obviously, because... I'm immune."

Your first instinct is to laugh but the look of pleading and desperation in her eyes tells you she's serious and your face drops. "You're immune?"

"Yeah, I was bitten when I was 14 and like I said, nothing happened okay? So please don't freak out." She holds her arm out to you for you to unwrap the bandage and as you do you gasp quietly at the sight of the bite mark. The skin around it was raised and there were pulses of purple running under the skin as well as small blisters and scabs, the bite mark itself was red and raised and as you go to run a hand over it she slaps it away. "Put gloves on."

"Oh come on, touching it isn't going to infect me."

"I don't care, put them on anyway." You roll your eyes and go back over to the bag to retrieve a pair of gloves that you snap on before racing back to her and taking her arm in your hands gently.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Joel, obviously, Maria and Tommy do too but that's it so you can't tell anyone, please." She looks panicked as if she's expecting you to run out of the house and organise a witch hunt against her but you don't. You stay frozen staring at the bite mark running your fingers over the bumpy surface as gently as possible.

"I'm not going to tell anyone Ellie, don't worry. What have you been doing to it so far?" She's taken back by your calmness but she gulps and presses on.

"Nothing really, it will heal over with time, I've just been cleaning it and rebandaging it."

"Okay." You immediately grab the alcohol and hold it up to her so she knows to brace herself before you pour it over the wound generously then rebandage it and place her arm down softly. Neither of you say anything at first, you just hold eye contact until you clear your throat. "How were you bit the first time?"

She tells the story of her and Riley and you hang onto every word, eventually the conversation moves from her getting bitten to Joel taking her in and their journey across the country. You're so enthralled by her words you don't notice when she stops speaking to just look at your stunned expression. "Are you freaking out?"

"No no I'm fine, it's just... a lot." She chuckles and nods in agreement before grabbing your hand.

"I'm sorry for being a dick, most people would see the bite mark and shoot me without a second thought."

"Yeah well I'm not most people."

"No you're not." A comfortable silence falls over the both of you as your hand remains in hers until she grimaces.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah yeah I'm fine but you've been sitting on that chair for way too long, surely you're in pain."

"I'm good."

"Just come sit on the bed at least."

"No you need to rest."

"I can rest with you sitting on the bed, come on." She clumsily shifts herself over on the bed to make room for you to reluctantly sit next to her, you sit down so softly she feels like she's a bomb that's about to go off and she can't stop the chuckle that leaves her lips watching you tiptoe around her.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, just that Jesse told me when he came over earlier that you went off at him just before we got back. The image makes me laugh." It wasn't entirely a lie but it wasn't entirely the truth.

"Oh he told you that?" You sound ashamed as you avoid eye contact.

"Yeah he said he was actually really scared you were gonna kill him in that moment. I'm impressed." You smile and she smiles at the sight as you turn to look at her once again.

"He was actually scared? Good. I was going to kill him."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to kill you and you weren't there so he was the next best thing."

"See there you go again, you do realise I didn't tell the horde to come attack us right?"

"Well I don't know you could've been fucking around and attracted them to you."

"Says the girl that ran off on me the other day for apples."

"Oh whatever." You go to stand but she places a hand around your wrist willing you to stay put.

"Seriously though, what was going on with you yesterday?"

"You said you would come home at five. And you didn't."

"Careful it's actually starting to sound like you care about me."

"Ellie I do fucking care about you. I was seconds away from fleeing to come find you myself. I thought you were dead and I felt like I was dying. You keep joking about it but you don't realise how lucky you are. I just got you back you can't leave me again." Your voice was laced with desperation as it cracked and trembled.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm fine okay, I'm sorry I scared you."

"Please don't ever do that again."

"I won't." She runs her hand closest to you down your cheek before cupping it gently and pulling you towards her until your lips meet in a slow, passionate kiss that causes butterflies to erupt not just in your stomach but all over your body. She licks at your bottom lip with her tongue which prompts you to open your mouth and let her muscle slip inside. Your body feels like its on fire as you gently hold her face with both hands and deepen the kiss, pushing back against her tongue with yours as they dance with each other. You kiss until you both need to pull away for air and the string of spit that connects your lips sends your heartbeat straight to your core.

"I forgot you said you had eaten pickles for lunch." She scrunches her face in fake disgust as you gasp at her. "I'm kidding, relax... I like pickles." She laughs at the scowl you were wearing as she pulls you back in to kiss again this time running her free hand up your side and squeezing at your waist. Her hand attempts to snake its way under your top but you pull away and tut at her.

"As much as I would love to, you need to rest."

"Oh come on, I'm fine." She goes to sit up but winces and groans as she accepts defeat not daring to look at your smug face. "You're literally giving me blue balls right now."

"You'll live. You also don't have balls."

"Spiritually I do." You scoff at her and roll your eyes before running a hand through her tangled hair until the knots stop you in your tracks.

"We need to brush your hair, it's a mess."

"No."

"Don't argue with me, we're doing it." You say sternly enough that she doesn't think to object again, simply turning away from you so you had access to the majority of her hair. You grab her brush that you had to search for on the floor and return to her on the bed. Starting from the bottom you work all the knots out until its soft and tangle-free. "You know it wouldn't get so knotted if you let me braid it." You almost sing out at her.

"If I say no are you going to do it anyway?"

"Yeah probably."

"Fine go on then, whatever." You squeal and go up on your knees to get a better angle, you had underestimated how difficult it would be to do a braid on someone lying down but as you look down at the french braid that barely touched the back of her neck your heart swelled. She rolled onto her back to look at your excited face and she almost isn't slightly annoyed at you for putting a braid in her hair.

You gazed down at Ellie taking in just how cute she looked with her hair pulled back into the braid, the grumpy look on her face only making her look cuter.

"You're so horrible to me."

"Shut up or I won't feed you tonight." She gasps.

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me." A cocky grin appears on your face as you brush a stray hair that had already fallen out of the braid away from her face. You peck her lips sweetly and smile into the kiss, savouring the bubble you had around yourselves before it bursts and brings you back down to Earth.

tags: @emiliabby @readbydayana @radioheadfan699

#ellie the last of us #ellie tlou #ellie williams #ellie williams the last of us #ellie x reader #tlou ellie #ellie williams angst #ellie williams fanfic #ellie williams fluff #ellie williams imagine #ellie williams tlou #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x you #ellie x fem reader #ellie x you

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kkanabel · 10 days

Text

caffeine addiction ❃ from the start ❃ chapter 15 ❃ finale

bakugou katsuki x reader / coffee shop!au + fashion?au

directory/m.list

⇦ previous chapter | END

words: ~5.2k

T/W: nsfw, minors dni, yucky under the cut at the very end, gushing/squirting, fingering, porn with SO MUCH plot, bakugou being bakugou

You and Bakugou stood in the back of Kindeki, both of you watching as the last stitch of the final dress was finished. It was surreal to think that all the months of stress, frustration, and late nights had culminated in this. You both exchanged a glance, a small smile tugging at your lips. There was pride in Bakugou's eyes—pride for you, for himself, for the line you'd created together.

After packing up, the both of you headed to the runway show. The energy of the crowd buzzed around you as models strutted down the catwalk, the clothes flowing and sparkling under the lights, reflecting the effort and artistry you'd both poured into them. The world finally got to see what you had built together.

As the final model left the runway, the lights dimmed, and silence fell over the crowd. The announcer’s voice boomed, calling for the designers to take the stage. You glanced at Bakugou nervously, but he was already moving toward you, extending his hand. Without hesitation, you slipped your hand into his. Together, you walked onto the runway, and as the lights brightened, the applause became deafening. You bowed, fingers still tightly intertwined with his, and for a brief moment, it felt like you two were the only people in the room.

A few hours later, the congratulatory dinner was a flurry of smiles and laughter, drinks clinking together in celebration. Takumi, Mitsuki, and Masaru sat around the table, proud smiles on their faces as they admired the success of the line. You both had made it—photos of the show were plastered across tabloids and magazines, calling you two creative geniuses.

Bakugou’s mom smirked at him. "You really showed us, huh? You barely told us about this, and now you're all over the damn news!"

Bakugou only grumbled, his face flushed slightly from the praise. "Tch, whatever. It’s not that big a deal."

Takumi raised her glass. "To (Y/N) and Bakugou, the dynamic duo! You both have done something incredible here," she grinned widely, “I’m so proud of my baby niece.”

Laughter filled the table as they continued reminiscing, flipping through photos of the show, the models, and—of course—that moment on stage when you and Bakugou bowed together, hand in hand. The image had gone viral again– more speculation about your relationship. But when the two of you had toiled so much together for this line, it was only right to bow together, hands locked.

As the night wore on, the room thinned out. Your aunt was chatting with Bakugou's parents, and you were scrolling through the congratulations on social media, cheeks warm from the praise and alcohol. Bakugou, however, had barely spoken for the past hour. He nursed his drink quietly, eyes glancing over at you more frequently than usual.

He couldn’t take it anymore.

When the last of the guests finally left, Bakugou stood from the table, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Hey… walk with me.”

You blinked up at him, confused but nodding. The two of you left the restaurant together, the night air cool against your skin as you made your way down the quiet street. Bakugou shoved his hands in his pockets, his face tense, like he was fighting something inside of him. He avoided eye contact.

"So, you wanna grab dinner tomorrow? Just us. You know, to celebrate," he asked, voice rough but casual.

You smiled, feeling relieved. "Sure! We totally deserve it after everything we went through, huh?"

The next day, the air felt crisp and cool, the breeze gentle as it tugged at the edges of your clothes. Autumn was beginning to make itself known—leaves were just starting to fall, swirling lazily in the wind, but the temperature hadn’t dropped too much yet. It was the kind of weather that felt refreshing, comfortable, not quite the bitter cold of winter.

Bakugou waited outside your apartment, leaning casually against the railing, his posture deceptively relaxed while holding two cups. When you stepped out, his gaze immediately met yours. He was dressed in one of the pieces from your line, a sleek black button-up. The sharp lapels echoed the pointed arches, with intricate gold and glass embroidery that twisted up the sleeves before tapering off at the top. The embroidery was your handiwork—done with precision and care—and it gleamed subtly in the dimming light of the evening. He paired it with simple black slacks that clung to his thighs and a nice watch that added to the understated elegance of his outfit.

You, too, were wearing a button-up from the same collection, though yours had silver embroidery that caught the light when you moved. You had draped it off one shoulder, giving it a casual yet fashionable edge, and paired it with a miniskirt from Masaki's last season—the show when this all started.

The entire ensemble felt cohesive, like you two were meant to match.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice low and steady as always. You nodded, falling into step beside him as you both began the short walk to the restaurant.

Bakugou handed you a to-go cup with a smirk on his face. The steam from the drink curled in the cool autumn air, bringing with it a warm, familiar scent. You raised an eyebrow as you took it from him, glancing up at him in mild surprise.

“A pumpkin spice latte?” you asked, an incredulous lilt in your voice.

“My pumpkin spice latte,” he corrected, his smirk deepening. “None of that basic stuff. Taste it first.”

You brought the cup to your lips, the warmth immediately spreading through your hands as the rich, spiced aroma hit you. The first sip was smooth and velvety, the creaminess of the milk blending perfectly with the pumpkin flavor, but there was something more. A hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, and the faintest touch of cardamom—subtle but distinctive, the kind of flavor that lingered pleasantly on your tongue. The espresso gave it a slight bitterness that balanced the sweetness just right.

“Wow,” you murmured, taking another sip. “This is… really good. You actually like pumpkin spice?”

Bakugou shrugged, walking beside you with his own cup in hand. “It’s not bad when you don’t overload it with syrup.”

You let out a soft laugh. “Figures you’d have a strong opinion on pumpkin spice.”

He glanced over at you, his eyes flickering to your outfit before he spoke again. “You look good tonight, by the way.”

The compliment caught you off guard. He wasn’t one to toss out words like that casually. You glanced down at your clothes, feeling a little self-conscious but also oddly pleased. The button-up from your fashion line hung off your shoulder in just the right way, and the miniskirt from Masaki’s collection felt like a bold choice, but you liked it.

“Thanks,” you said, looking back at him with a smile. “You don’t look so bad yourself, you know. That embroidery on your shirt really suits you.”

Bakugou gave a low chuckle, his gaze sliding back to the road ahead. “Yeah? Maybe it’s just ‘cause you made it.”

“Duh,” pride nipped at your face but you still felt a warm flush rise in your cheeks. You quickly sipped from your cup to hide it.

As you walked, the two of you fell into an easy rhythm, sipping your drinks between bouts of light banter. The breeze carried the scent of fallen leaves and distant street food stalls, mingling with the comforting spice of your lattes. You couldn’t help but glance at Bakugou again, noticing the way the embroidered details of his shirt caught the fading sunlight, the golden thread glinting just slightly. He wore the sharp lines and subtle elegance of the piece like it was made for him—and it was.

“This embroidery took forever, you know,” you teased, brushing your fingers against his sleeve.

“I know,” he replied, his voice softer, more thoughtful. “I saw you working on it.”

That simple acknowledgment sent a flutter through your chest. You smiled, taking another sip of the latte and savoring the warmth, both from the drink and from Bakugou’s quiet praise.

The rest of the walk was filled with comfortable conversation, the air between you light despite the growing tension neither of you had fully acknowledged yet. You couldn’t deny it—the night already felt different, special in a way you hadn’t quite expected.

The upscale place Bakugou had reserved was one that usually had a waiting list a mile long. But when he’d called a week ago and mentioned his name, they had been more than happy to move things around. The reservation was set, and tonight was the night. The anticipation lingered in the air as you walked down the quiet streets, the soft rustling of leaves underfoot.

As you strolled, you couldn’t help but let your mind drift to all the things Bakugou had done for you over the past months. The big gestures—like staying up with you during those long nights, or how he’d taken over the sewing when you were overwhelmed—and the little ones, too, like how he’d bring you coffee just the way you liked it or let you wear his sweaters and hoodies when you were cold without a second thought. You smiled softly to yourself, feeling a sense of warmth bloom in your chest.

The restaurant was impressive, with sleek interiors and a warm, ambient glow that set the tone for an intimate evening. You and Bakugou were seated quickly, the waitstaff clearly eager to please. As you settled into your seat, you admired how comfortable Bakugou looked in such a fancy setting. His handsome features stood out under the soft lighting, his jawline sharp when he turned to speak with the waiter, his voice carrying that confidence he always seemed to exude.

The restaurant was everything Bakugou had promised—upscale but (mostly) not pretentious, with an intimate ambiance. You’d been talking about the runway show and the mountain of attention that followed, but the conversation shifted when you started musing aloud about your career.

“I just can’t help but feel like I didn’t do this on my own,” you said, swirling your drink absentmindedly. “I mean, if it weren’t for my aunt, I wouldn’t have even had a platform to launch from. It feels like... I’m just riding on her coattails.”

Bakugou's eyes narrowed, but not in annoyance—more like he was carefully considering what to say. He set his drink down, leaning in a little as his voice took on that low, gruff tone you were used to hearing when he wanted you to really listen.

“So what if Takumi gave you a start?” he said, holding your gaze. “Everyone in this business gets a leg up from someone. Hell, I wouldn’t be where I am without my parents. The fact that you didn’t build the whole thing from scratch doesn’t take away from what you’re doing now.”

You looked at him, feeling the familiar tension in your chest—the weight of the expectations you’d placed on yourself. “But it still feels like I’m not doing enough. Like... I have to prove that I can do it alone.”

He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “You don’t have to prove anything. You’re already doing it. Yeah, Takumi gave you a road to start on, but you’re the one driving. And look at where you are now—hell, look at the stuff you’ve created. You’re not just following someone else’s path. You’re paving your own.”

You blinked at him, letting his words sink in. It wasn’t something you hadn’t thought about before, but hearing it from Bakugou—someone who’d grown up with fashion icons for parents—made it feel different. More real.

“Think about it,” he continued, voice steady. “There are a ton of people who just ride the wave of whatever their parents or mentors built for them. They don’t push it any further—they just stay comfortable, do what’s expected. But you and me?” He paused, red eyes intense as they met yours. “We’re different. You’ve taken what Takumi gave you and pushed it further. You’re creating things she wouldn’t even think of. That’s you, not her.”

You looked down at the table, fiddling with the edge of your napkin, his words slowly settling in. He wasn’t wrong. You had pushed yourself, and your designs were nothing like what your aunt had done. But it was hard to shake the feeling that you weren’t standing on your own feet yet.

“And as for needing help?” Bakugou added, his tone softening just slightly. “Everyone needs help sometimes. You don’t have to do everything alone to prove something. If anything, learning how to use the resources you’ve got—that’s smart. That’s what makes the difference between people who fizzle out and people who go somewhere.”

You glanced back up at him, a small smile tugging at your lips. “You really think I can pave my own way?”

He snorted. “I don’t think. I know. You’re already doing it.”

The confidence in his voice, the way he looked at you like it was the most obvious thing in the world—it made something in you settle. Maybe you didn’t have to fight so hard to prove you could stand alone. Maybe it was okay to accept the help that came your way, as long as you kept pushing forward.

"Thanks, Katsuki," you murmured, feeling a warmth settle into your chest that had nothing to do with the restaurant's ambient lighting.

He shrugged like it was nothing, but the way his eyes lingered on yours for just a second longer told you it wasn’t. You watched him for a moment, mesmerized by how effortlessly he carried himself, and your thoughts wandered again.

How lucky would I be to have someone like him as my future husband?

Your gaze lingered on his profile, admiring the sharp lines of his face, the intensity in his eyes even when he wasn’t looking at you. The way he treated you, with quiet care and unwavering support, made your heart swell. It was hard not to think about the future when you had someone like Bakugou in your life.

The thought slipped out of your mouth before you could stop it.

“I can only hope that my future boyfriend treats me the way you do,” you said with a soft smile, eyes flickering up to meet his.

For a second, the air seemed to still. Bakugou’s eyes widened, just barely, and his posture stiffened. He didn’t respond right away, and when he did, it was with a tight-lipped nod. “Yeah,” he muttered, his voice more rough than usual.

Bakugou froze. His grip on the glass tightened, his knuckles turning white. You didn’t notice. But Bakugou’s thoughts were running wild.

Future boyfriend?

He thought this was a date. He thought…

He had finally made a move. But here you were, treating it like just another dinner between coworkers. The words hit him hard, and for the rest of the night, he barely spoke. He couldn’t. His heart was pounding, frustration building with every second that passed.

You noticed the shift in his demeanor—how he seemed quieter all of a sudden, his responses shorter, more clipped than before. But you didn’t think too much of it, continuing the conversation, unaware of the storm brewing inside of him. Every time you smiled at him, every casual comment you made, Bakugou felt the weight of your words crushing him.

Future boyfriend.

The thought gnawed at him, each passing minute pulling him deeper into his frustration. The idea of some other dude going out to dinner with you like this—the idea of you smiling up at the mystery man made his chest burn.

You didn’t even see this as a date. To you, it was just another celebratory dinner. You thought it was casual, something friends or coworkers would do after a job well done. But to Bakugou, this was supposed to be something more.

Dinner passed, and soon you were walking home, the cool breeze nipping at your skin as you strolled beside him. The silence between you wasn’t uncomfortable, but it felt heavy with unspoken thoughts. You were rambling about your roommate, who had just returned from a trip, unaware of the tension rising beside you.

When you were a few blocks from your apartment, Bakugou suddenly stopped walking, standing still on the sidewalk. You paused, turning to face him.

“What’s up?” you asked, concerned by the serious look on his face.

He stared at you for a long moment, his jaw clenched tight. His heart pounded in his chest, the words on the tip of his tongue. He couldn’t hold them in anymore—he finally snapped.

“You know I’m in love with you, right?”

The words hung in the air between you, raw and unfiltered. Bakugou didn’t look away this time—his gaze was locked on yours, his face pained, vulnerable in a way you had never seen before.

“I’ve been in love with you from the fucking start.”

Your breath caught in your throat. His voice was strained, the weight of everything he had been bottling up spilling out in those few sentences. Trying to process what he had just said, you stared at him, the weight of his confession hitting you like a ton of bricks. His face was twisted in agony, his usual bravado gone. He turned his face away from you, unable to keep watching the dumbfounded look on your face. You couldn’t speak, couldn’t move—until you did.

Your hands started moving on their own. His eyes were wide as you reached up, cupping his face in your hands, turned his head to you, and pulled him down into a kiss before you even realized. It was desperate and rough, filled with all the emotions neither of you had realized were simmering beneath the surface. When you pulled away, you were both breathless, your lips tingling from the force of it.

He watched your eyelashes flutter in the dim lighting of the streetlights, hair blowing slightly in the breeze.

Bakugou’s voice was low, gravelly, as he leaned in closer. “We’re going to my place. I’m calling a fucking taxi.”

He could barely keep his hands off you as he fumbled for his phone, the weight of everything that had been unsaid finally crashing down around you both. Your hands wrapped around his neck as you peppered kisses down his throat, hearing him take in a sharp breath before taking the call. You couldn’t even register what you were doing—his scent made you dizzy and your heart flutter. The taxi ride to Bakugou's studio apartment was a blur of anticipation and unspoken tension.

The moment the car door slammed shut behind you, his hands found yours, interlocking firmly. His grip was a silent declaration of intent, and your body responded with a thrill of excitement that shot straight to your core. In the elevator, his lips and hands traveled up and down your body.

You didn't bother with the lights. The moon's glow from the large windows cast long shadows across the room, highlighting the stark contrast of his broad, muscular form against the black bed sheets. His crimson eyes never left yours as he approached, a hunger in them that was unmistakable.

With a gentle urgency, you both began to peel away the layers of fabric that separated your skin and his. Your hands trembled as they glided over his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his body beneath the material. His arms, as solid as the steel beams that supported the city's skyscrapers, wrapped around you, lifting you off the floor. He laid you down on the bed, his body hovering above, a wall of heat and want. His scent of burnt sugar and coffee enveloped you as you laid atop his bed, the air thick with desire.

He whispered against your skin, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this," his breath hot and sweet as he placed soft, wet kisses along your neckline. His hands found the clasp of your bra, deftly unhooking it, the fabric giving way to reveal the soft swell of your breasts. His eyes grew darker, his gaze lingering, as if memorizing every inch of you.

You felt his weight shift as he moved down to kiss your neck down to the top of your chest, his tongue swirling around your now-exposed skin. His mouth was a promise of what was to come, leaving a trail of fire down to your cleavage. You couldn't help but whimper as you arched into him, craving more of his touch, his taste.

With a playful smirk, his eyes zeroed in on your peaked nipples. He took one in his mouth, playing with it with his tongue, flicking and teasing until it was a tight bud. You gasped, your eyes squeezing shut, the sensation of his warm, wet tongue rubbing circles onto you sending a shiver down your spine. His hand traveled down to the hem of your skirt, inching it up your thighs, the fabric brushing against your sensitive skin.

You felt your breath hitch as his teeth grazed over your tender flesh, the pleasure sharp and shooting right to your core. He suckled hard on the side of your breast, leaving a dark mark behind. You could feel your heart racing, your body begging for more.

He moved to the other side, giving it the same treatment, leaving you panting and writhing beneath him. His teeth grazed the skin, not breaking the surface, but the promise was there—a promise that made you quiver. His other hand slipped over the wet fabric of your panties as he muttered something about “Makin’ you mine…”

“Wait wha-” Before you could manage out any words, he cut you off– you gripped the bed sheets, your knuckles turning white, as he began to rub circles around your clit, the pressure building with every stroke. He somehow knew exactly how to touch you, how to make you squirm and beg. His mouth moved away from your breasts, leaving them sensitive and wanting to find yours again. His kiss was demanding, his tongue dancing with yours as his hand worked its magic between your legs.

The room was filled with the sound of your moans and the rustling of fabric as he removed your skirt completely, leaving you in just your black lace panties. He kissed down your body, his teeth scraping against the lace, his tongue darting out to taste the skin beneath. His breath was hot and erratic, matching the rhythm of your own.

His devilish smirk reappeared. “This lace looks familiar,” he ribbed, running a stripe of his tongue over your clothed lips.

Heat rose up your neck, causing you to overheat more than you already were. “T-There was an extra strip of fabric, and I-”

Bakugou scoffed, entertained. “It looks nice,” he says, taking a moment to admire the lace clinging to your body. “It’d be a shame to take them off.”

And then, finally, he slid your panties to the side and took your clit into his mouth. The sensation was overwhelming, your body bowing off the bed as pleasure shot through you like a lightning bolt. You moaned, your hips bucking up to meet his face, his hands firmly holding your hips in place. Your hands shot straight to the nape of his neck, tugging at his hair for any sort of purchase.

You were lost in a haze of sensation, his touch everywhere, his mouth on you, his hands in your hair, his breath in your ear, whispering dirty, sweet nothings that made you wetter, made you need him more. The world outside had ceased to exist. There was only you, and there was only him.

As he played with your nipples, rolling them between his thumbs and forefingers, you felt the beginnings of an orgasm coil tightly in your belly. You could feel your muscles tense, the pressure building until it was all you could think about. And when he inserted two fingers into you, you instantly came apart in his arms, your body shaking with the force of it.

Bakugou pulled away, smiling up at you, a smug look on his face that made your heart flutter and your face heat up. “Already? I’ve barely even started,” he smirked at you. With his fingers still inside of you, he moved up to kiss you again, the taste of your own arousal mixing with the taste of him.

His fingers thrusted in and out of your wetness for a moment until he curled his fingers up, sending a jolt of electricity up your spine. To your chagrin, a loud squeal came out of you when he did this. Noticing your reaction, his shit-eating grin only got wider and wider before he started abusing that spot pressing up at it over and over again, making you scream.

He watched your face, the way your cheeks heated up and your mouth hanging open in pleasure, and he smirked. "So wet for me," he murmured, his voice a dark caress in your ear. "You're going to drench my hand." And just as he said it, your body responded, gushing around his fingers, making him chuckle in triumph.

Bakugou pulled back to look at you, his eyes dark and hooded with desire. "You're so fucking hot when you come," he said, his voice thick with lust. He held up his glistening digits, and you couldn't help but whine at the sight of your arousal coating them. He brought them to his mouth and licked them clean, his eyes never leaving yours. "So delicious," he added with a wink, and your cheeks burned with embarrassment and desire.

The smug look on his face only served to make you want him more. You reached out, grabbing fistfuls of his shoulders, and pulled him back down to you. "Please," you breathed, your voice shaky with need. "Just put it in..."

Bakugou's smirk grew wolfish as he obeyed, pumping at his girthy length while his fingers retreated from your warmth only to be replaced by something much larger. You gasped as he pushed into you, inch by inch, filling you up until you thought you couldn't take anymore. His cock was thick and hard, stretching you in the most delicious way possible. He paused, giving you a moment to adjust, before starting to move.

With every thrust, the pressure built again, the movement of his cock against your sensitive walls sending sparks through your body. You could feel your orgasm building, a storm on the horizon, growing stronger with every beat of your racing heart. You wrapped your legs around his waist, urging him deeper, your nails digging into his back.

He groaned, the sound low and animalistic, and picked up the pace. His hips pistoned into you, the slap of skin on skin echoing in the quiet room. His teeth found your neck, biting down just hard enough to make you cry out. The pain mixed with pleasure, creating a heady cocktail that had you spiraling out of control as the tip of his cock rubbed at all of the right places. You could feel the storm inside you approaching, the thunder of your pulse in your ears, the lightning of sensation in your veins.

“Harder,” you begged with a strained voice.

“You’re going to regret asking for that,” Bakugou managed, his thrusts becoming more powerful, more demanding. He pounded into you, his cock hitting that perfect spot with every drive, making you see stars behind your closed eyelids. His fingers dug into the curve of your ass as an anchor as he thrust himself into you. Your nails scraped down his back, leaving red lines in their wake, but he only growled, the slight pain fueling his need for more. Your breasts bounced with every impact, your nipples pebbled and sensitive, begging for his mouth again.

The bed frame creaked in protest under the onslaught of your passion, the headboard thumping against the wall in a steady rhythm that matched the pounding in your chest. You were lost in the feel of him, the taste of him, the scent of him—everything about him consumed you. Your orgasm was close, so close, you could almost touch it.

“I’m gonna come,” you gasped, your voice tight with need.

“Cum for me, Princess,” he said, his voice strained. He leaned down, capturing your mouth in a bruising kiss, swallowing your moans. His thumb found your clit again, and he circled it roughly, driving you closer to the edge.

Finally, when you thought you couldn’t take it anymore, he picked up the pace even more, driving into you with a ferocity that had you clawing at the sheets. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as you came apart for him one last time.

Bakugou’s movements grew erratic, his breathing ragged, as he felt his own climax approaching. He buried his face in the crook of your neck, biting down hard as he came deep inside of you, his warmth filling you up with his tip pressed against your cervix, making you shiver. He groaned out your name, the sound guttural and raw.

You lay there, panting and trembling, as he pulled out, his cock still twitching with the aftershocks of his orgasm. He collapsed beside you, his arm wrapping around your waist, pulling you into the warmth of his embrace.

For a moment, there was silence. Just the sound of your heavy breathing and the distant murmur of the city outside. Then, with a sigh, Bakugou leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “You’re mine now,” he whispered, his voice still rough from passion.

You looked up at him, your eyes glazed with satisfaction, and nodded. You didn’t need to say it back—you both knew it was true. Your bodies were entwined, your hearts racing in sync. This was it. The moment you had both been waiting for, the moment everything changed.

He rolled over, placing you on top of him, and you straddled him, feeling his cock, now softening, pressing against your thigh. You leaned down to kiss him again, your lips swollen from the passionate affair. His arms wrapped around you, holding you tight as if he never wanted to let you go.

“Fuck, that was amazing,” he murmured against your mouth. His eyes searched yours, looking for confirmation, for reassurance that this was real. You smiled, a soft, genuine smile, and kissed him again, deeper, slower, savoring the taste of him.

As your kisses grew more gentle, your bodies began to relax, the tension of the day, the tension of the months of unspoken love, finally dissipating. You laid your head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, letting the warmth of his body seep into yours.

“Thank you for waiting for me,” you whispered, feeling a little guilty that it took you this long to realize his feelings.

Bakugou’s hand stroked your hair, his thumb tracing the shell of your ear. “I’d wait forever for you,” he said, his voice earnest. “You’re worth it, every fucking second of it.”

The two of you lay there, basking in the afterglow of your passion, the moon casting its glow over your intertwined forms. This was the start of something new, something completely unexplored, and you were ready to face it together.

a/n: IT'S THE END!!! OHHHH MY LAWD it's been such a wild ride. thank you so much for reading & an extra special thank you to the reposts and comments-- they mean so much more to me than y'all know. i hope you enjoyed the series!

as always, stay safe & hydrated, and stay tuned for more bakugou~

also, let me know if y'all want some sort of epilogue-- and if so, what do you want to be in it? just their daily lives? their WEDDING? let me know in the comments :>

(oh yeah. as usual, not beta-read. lmk if there are any typos/inconsistencies. thanks!)

taglist: @takoyakitakii, @itzjustj-1000

directory/m.list

⇦ previous chapter | END (maybe)

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helluvagyal · 3 months

Text

Synopsis: just some general headcanons about my favorite demon. Part 1/3, relationship headcanons coming next.

Content: general headcanons, mentions of cannibalism.

A/N: My first piece of writing for the fandom and I had to start with my murder baby. Enjoy, let me know what you think please. Don't forget to reblog! Banner and dividers by me.

— shoutout to @hellvcifer for getting me into it. Please read and reblog their work it's amazing!

Alastor is like that weird elusive sinner that you rarely see and when he does show up, it’s during drama or when he needs something.

Count on him to show out and throw hands (hooves?) for his people though.

Alastor always has a story to tell and the hotel residents’ favorites are definitely about his life before he ended up in hell.

He’s usually very tight lipped about those but if you catch him while he's making dinner, he'll turn into a chatterbox—especially if he's already got sherry or rye in him.

When he's cooking alone, that's his favorite time for contemplation and/or Hell domination.

His ever present smile has gone soft at the corners, his voice has lost its warped and static edge as he hums along to his radio, moving around the kitchen as if floating.

On the nights when it's his turn to cook, he definitely helps Niffty with the clean up after.

He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth but when those cravings kick in, it's with a vengeance.

Gingerbread cookies are his go to snack to pair with blood infused lemon tea as well as blood orange tea.

Demon ladyfingers sprinkled with powdered sugar and paired with blood infused black tea is an afternoon time favorite.

There was one week where he ate nothing but beignets, bananas foster and sweet potato pie for breakfast.

Alastor has a thirst for knowledge, prides himself on finding out everything he can, even if it's only to satisfy a mere curiosity.

He's a fashion snob. He never did care much for it when he was topside, only making sure he looked his best.

But since being in Hell, he's found himself with quite the eye and knack for Hellish threads. I mean, come on. I know ya'll saw his red bottoms!

He goes shopping with Angel occasionally, resolutely ignoring (or snickering at) how the shopkeeper cowers in fear when he asks if a powder blue fleece scarf he saw came in blood red.

With being a fashion snob, it paved the way for his stitcher's thumb.

Now, he's no expert like Rosie but she taught him a thing or two when he'd have the patience for it.

He's patched up knife holes in Niffty's dresses, sewn up tears in Angel’s sweaters and even hemmed one of Vaggie's skirts.

He'll dedicate two nights a week–if he's not busy with hotel duties–to sitting in front of his bayou and stitching or sewing.

He can play instruments; learned the sax and trumpet topside and mastered the piano down below.

Alastor actually likes the peace that comes with doing menial tasks. Instead of snapping his fingers to have the dishes washed and put away or to have his books dusted, he will do it if he has the extra time.

Getting dressed for the day is something he always does on his own, from ironing his pristine suits to shining his dress shoes.

Alastor does in fact sleep, however, he's trained himself to go long periods without needing to. He sleeps best after a feeding.

When using his abilities on particular prey, it acts as a health bar of sorts. So the stronger the prey, along with the extent of damage, determines his healing time and energy output.

Alastor is one of the many sinners who have had issues in the past coming to terms with their newly acquired anatomy.

The antlers have grown on him and so have the ears as it helps when he's flicking through frequencies.

Alastor absolutely abhors his tail, tried cutting it off but it just grew right back, bushier too.

He could never control the wretched thing, hates that it would give away his moods with a twitch or a tuck.

When he first discovered that it rapidly swishes from side to side when he's upset, he immediately went out to hunt, feeling like he had to go out and prove something.

He's started going to bed last, or at least retiring to his room when all the residents are asleep. Secretly likes to ensure the others are safe and sound.

Alastor is a huge fan of games, board, tile and card games to be specific. Yes, he's competitive but he enjoys the relaxing and occasionally heated atmosphere it provides.

For board games, he loves Scrabble (topside), Game of the World (topside), Clue (down below), and Pictionary (down below). If you value your life, please do not poke fun at his drawings in Pictionary, he gets testy.

For tile games, he loves Dominoes. His mother was the one who taught him how to play–as with most of the other games–one night when the power was out and he couldn’t listen to his radio programs or get some work done.

For card games, he likes Oh Hell, The Donkey card game and Make-A-Million.

If you couldn't tell, he prefers games where he can show off his smarts and be stimulated.

He despises Chess, Beggar-my-neighbor and Bingo.

Bonding/group sessions have grown on him, he won't admit it though. He's come to look forward to them, especially the night-time rituals, but please do not ask him to join movie night, he already put up with camping in the garden.

He's stellar at giving advice but is absolute shit at taking them sometimes, especially if he doesn't agree with it but knows it's rational

He will never tell you what you want to hear unless it's beneficial to him. Count on him to tell you what you need to hear, especially if you personally sought him out to get something off your mind.

If you aren't Rosie (and occasionally the residents), he would prefer not to prolong conversations unless he knows he's going to gain valuable information, be entertained or stimulated.

It's no secret that he has a soft spot for Niffty, his shadow does too; you can find them playing together sometimes with Alastor occasionally keeping a watchful eye.

He takes his title of 'King Roach' very seriously.

If you want some quiet time in the hotel, just seek out Alastor. If your social battery is running low but you don't necessarily want to be alone, either him or Husk would be your best bet.

If you've been invited to his room or his study to have a nightcap and a gab session, you're one of his most tolerable companions.

For the love of all that is bad and sinful, PLEASE do not ask about going up to his radio tower, especially during a broadcast; it's best if you just let him invite you.

However, he does allow Niffty up there to assist his shadow with cleaning the space.

If Alastor had a middle name, it would be Petty. It's also no secret that he's into mischief making. He and Angel got a kick out of the Prank Wars as a bonding exercise. They make a scary good team

He can dish out but he cannot take it. Don't even bother trying to get even with him because then everyone will have to hear about “the terrible slight on my honor”.

He's very chivalrous, even if his ways of showing it can be a bit twisted.

#hazbin hotel x reader #alastor x reader #hazbin alastor x reader #hazbin hotel alastor x reader #hazbin alastor x you #hazbin hotel x you #alastor headcanons #（ ☣︎ ）— anthology!

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starogeorgina · 1 year

Text

Violent delights

Warnings: Mentions of blood, swearing, smut (hand jobs)

Pairings: Jacaerys Velaryon x oc

1.07

Late in the night, your sons are fast asleep, tucked into the large bed at the top of the room, while your daughters both stare at your husband with curiosity in their eyes while the maester stitches his arm. While you were focused on Aegon hurting your younger brother, you were clueless to Aemond picking up a knife from the table, which Jace snatched from his hands, causing the deep cut in his arm.

The moment the maester leaves the room, you place soft kisses over Jacaerys face, ignoring the sting in your bottom lip as you do. “I am so sorry; if I had just ignored Aegon, none of this would have happened. I should have known better than to even entertain what he was asking.”

“But now our uncles have shown their true colors, and because of their actions, we can tell we made the right decision by keeping the greens at arm’s length.”

Noticing Rhaenys bottom lip quivering, you kneel down to offer her a hug, but she shakes her, backing away from you. Her lilac eyes moved between your lip and Jace’s arm; she seemed frightened by you both. Lucerys picks her up, and immediately she buries her face into her neck, mumbling something you couldn’t hear.

Jacaerys sees the hurt on your face and sighs. “Reni, what’s wrong?”

She murmurs something that only her uncle can hear. Luke strokes her hair gently, quietly saying, “She’s scared of the blood.”

The cut on your lip had already started to scab, and both Jace’s arms had blood on them. The angle that he punched Aegon in caused his knuckles to burst, and his other arm would most likely have a nasty scar left behind. The thing that hurt most was seeing your little girl so frightened, especially when all you wanted was to hold your children close. You get two damp cloths and give one to Jace, then use the other to clean your face.

Aemma leans her elbows onto the table before dropping her face into her hands. “Kepa?”

“What is it, my darling?”

“Who’s Aegon?”

You hear the hitch in Jace’s breath but cut in before he can respond. “Right, it’s time for bed; off you go.”

Aemma pouts as she drags her feet walking towards the bed, and she climbs in next to Aethan. Knowing it was going to be impossible for you and Jace to fit in beside four children and Luke in the bed, you grab two pillows, handing one to Jace and keeping the second for yourself to sleep on one of the chairs for a couple of hours until it was time to leave.

Daylight couldn’t come quick enough.

—

Groaning, you sit upright, cringing as your bones creak from sleeping in such an awkward position. The first thing you see is Jace sitting across from you, talking quietly to your newborn, holding him close to his bare chest. You note that Lucerys and your other four children are no longer in the room; since your husband was calm, you didn’t assume anything was wrong.

Noticing your awake Jace smiles, he kisses the baby's head, whispering, “Look who’s awake, Daemon, do you want to say good morning to Muña?”

You sit beside him and take Daemon into your arms. “My precious boy,” you say, kissing the tip of his nose and Jace on the cheek. “Where are the rest of the children?”

“Breaking fast in our mothers quarters You were sound asleep, so I thought it best to leave you be, but I did bring you back some almonds before they were demolished by Gaemon.”

He motions to the small bowl sitting on the table in the center of the room. You were never hungry in the mornings but always tried to eat a small amount so you’d have enough energy. “Thank you, husband, but I think I will get dressed first, so do not keep everyone waiting.”

Daemon’s eye closes over as you reach the cot at the foot of the bed. Gently, you place him down before stepping back to remove your nightgown. In hindsight, you should have woken up early to bathe before, but the antics of the night before and Daemon crying throughout the night had taken a toll on you. Three times you left the room during the night to feed your newborn to spare Lucerys from feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable if he woke up and saw you breastfeeding.

Feeling eyes on you, you look over your shoulder to see Jace staring at you, his brown eyes practically glued to your bare backside. Grinning, you turn around, giving him a full view of you. “It’s far too soon for that, dear husband.”

“I know,” he gulps down. His gaze lingers on you as you put your small cloth on, and when you wince in pain as the fabric of your lilac dress brushes against your sensitive chest, Jace clears his throat. “I asked Clara to bring ice water; I put a couple of napkins in it for you.”

You kiss him on the cheek as you walk by; the cold compress would do wonders for reducing the swelling in the breast. You place the wet clothes underneath the soft linen corset before pulling your dress the full way up. “Can you tie this at the back for me?”

Jacaerys fingers shake as he laces up the back of your dress, which was unusual. “Is something wrong?”

He lets out a sigh while tying a small bow with the loose strands of fabric. Jace steps back. “I need to say something.”

Immediately, you feel guilty, as if you’ve done something to cause the pain on your husband's face. “Jace, what is it?”

“I know I always said I’d never be the type of father or husband who tells his family what to do, but I should never have let you or our children come here.” He takes a deep breath as red blotches start to cover his neck and chest. “I put you in harm's way.”

“Stop; none of this is your fault. The only people to blame are Aegon and Aemond; if they weren’t brutes, then none of this would have happened.”

Tears build in his eyes. “How long do you think it will be until my legitimacy is brought into question? Because as soon as that happens, our children will be as well.”

“Oh Jacaerys,” you cup his face. “I wish I knew, but there’s no way to tell what the greens will do.”

“I don’t know how you survived living here alone.”

You kiss his cheek and say, “I believe the gods put me through it all so I can have the family that I do now.”

“I don’t know how to protect you from them; they are so malicious. What if now that Aegon and Alicent have seen Aemma, they want her back?”

“Then all hell will break loose,” you say, pressing your forehead against Jace’s. “Alicent isn’t a fool; she knows what would happen if they tried to take one of our children from us.”

“Does Aegon?”

You had no clear answer for your husband. “I hope so.”

—

Sitting on the soft gray rug covering the center of your son's nursery, you cradle Daemon closer to you, kissing his head while doing your best not to laugh as your children and brother continue to debate between two dragon names to pick from, which was highly amusing. When Daemon’s egg began to crack, you were stunned, given that your son was still a newborn. You sent for the children to be temporarily removed from their lessons so they could witness a dragon hatching since none of them had seen it before. When the egg cracked, a beautiful dragon with light blue scales crawled out. It was so tiny, you didn’t think you’d ever seen a dragon so small.

You had asked if any of them would like to help pick a name since Daemon couldn’t do it himself. The children had gone back and forth on Gaelithox, Aegarax, and Trixon. But you knew the Maester would become irritated if they didn’t return to their lessons soon. “Have you decided on a name?”

“Aegarax,” Gaemon says. “But only if you and Jace like it too.”

You hum in agreement, “It sounds like the perfect name.”

It seemed fitting that your brother chose a name that belonged to one of the gods of Old Valyria when both his mother and father's dragons were named after the gods as well. Aegarax was the God of all creatures that walk, run, swim, or fly. The creator of the first dragon

“When will you take us flying on Viserion again, muña?”

You smile at Avery, ruffling his silver hair. “Soon, my sweetling, I promise.”

One of your favorite things to do was take your children riding on dragons. It was a great bonding experience, and it also meant they would have experience for when they rode their own dragons some day.

You smile at Clara, who is patiently waiting on the other side of the room to escort the children. “Right, you lot, time to go back to your classes before they send out a search party.”

—

You frown, hearing Jace cursing in pain as the warm water spills from the tube as you enter your bed chamber. “Fuck!” He hisses, and as you walk further into the room, you see him attempting to clean around the stitches in his arm. “Gods! Fuc-”

“Jacaerys?” Your voice startles him, causing Jace to throw the cloth back into the water. You chuckle lightly, “Let me help my love.”

You crouch down beside him, picking up the cloth, and rinse it off before scrubbing his back. Jace’s body softened slightly at your touch, but his back and shoulders were still tense. You move to the side and begin gently cleaning his arm; even though Jace was perfectly capable of doing it himself, you enjoyed the intimacy of it.

You watch amused as his Adam’s apple bobs back and forth, his dark eyes blown wide with lust when water splashes onto your swollen chest. You kiss his bruised knuckle before moving. You gently start rubbing at his chest. Smirking, you kiss the back of his neck.

“Lyarra,” he says in a warning tone.

“Yes, my prince?” You lower your hand to the bottom of his stomach while continuing to pepper his neck with gentle kisses, an action that always turns him on. “My husband, my-”

He cuts you off by crashing his lips against your own. “I promise in five weeks time you won’t be leaving this room. I will take you in every position possible, and won’t stop until you are screaming in pleasure.”

“Hmm, I'll hold you to that,” you giggle. Jace was a man of honor and always followed through on his promises, so you knew when you were eventually able to lay with him again that you wouldn’t be leaving your chambers for days.

As you deepened the kiss, Jace untied the laces at the front of your dress, pulling the fabric down until your breasts spilled from it. He holds back on groping them, instead delicately running his fingers over them so as not to hurt you. Jace groans when you take his hard dick in your hand and begin to stroke him, quickly taking up your actions. He grips your hair with one hand, holding your face in place as he kisses you.

It doesn’t take Jace long to come undone, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck as he climaxes into your hand. After a few moments he kisses your cheek, “you look really beautiful; you always do.”

You blush at the compliment, “Thank you.”

“I mean it; you really are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Inside and out, I’m truly lucky to have you.”

“Avy jorrāelan.”

“Avy jorrāelan tolī.”

—

“Dracarys!”

Aethan squeals when Viserion burns the dead horse lying in front of him, burning its corpse before devouring it. Avery watched in awe. Out of all your children, he was the most fascinated by dragons. He loved nothing more than going with his grandsire Daemon to search for dragon eggs. Aemma and Rhaenys remained in their lessons, but since your sons finished sooner, you decided to take them dragon riding with you.

In the distance, you could see Jace and Lucerys training, but you could tell Luke was struggling to keep up with his older brother.

Hearing a loud roar, you look up to the clouded sky. You pull your sons closer to you while trying to locate the sound of flapping wings from above, and then finally, you see the red queen, Meleys, fly into view. You smile, happy that your grandmother was visiting Dragonstone.

Avy jorrāelan - I love you

Avy jorrāelan tolī - I love you too

Muña - mother

#house of the dragon #Jacaerys Velaryon x you #house of the dragon fanfiction #violent delights #house of the dragon fanfic #house of the dragon smut #jacaerys velaryon/you #jacaerys velaryon smut #jacaerys velaryon fanfiction #jacaerys velaryon fanfic #Jace Velaryon smut #jace velaryon x you #jace velaryon #Jacaerys Velaryon x oc #Jacaerys Velaryon/oc #Jacaerys Velaryon x fem oc #Jace Velaryon x oc #jacaerys velaryon

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teenage-mutant-ninja-freak · 5 months

Note

I just love your Mob turtles and their headcanons! I was wondering how each turtle would act with a medic crush. Maybe someone that works for the Mob as a lower leveled nurse that catches their eye after they need to be treated by them. How would they meet again? Who would move their crushes position up in the Mob to get closer? And who would just bash their head in again to see their crush to get treated? Love the headcanons your write and keep up the amazing work! ✨

This is really interesting, thank you for this!

DISCLAIMER!!! Because they're all evil pieces of shit, this will not be cute. it's gonna be scary and abusive (esp Donnie's one) so viewer discretion is advised

Mob! Leo

you first treat him for a stab wound, it was a bad night at one of his clubs. Some guy got too handsy with one of the dancers, Leo intervened, the guy smashed a bottle....

he got stabbed just beneath the ribs, although the other guy was put in a medically induced coma when Leo was done with him sooo... A small stab was nothing by comparison

He's sat, slumped down, in the doorway of the living room, enter: you

his body guards (as useless as they normally are) called you straight away. the pay is pretty damn good if you say so yourself, being on the mob boys retainer has its perks.

you're got your kit with you, all your medical supplies.

"sir" you start "We need to head to the kitchen, I need a flat surface to examine you" you were polite, but clear.

Leo stands without so much as a grunt even though it's got to hurt

lies down on the kitchen table

you talk him through every step you need to take, starting with "I'm going to need to cut the shirt off, I'm sorry"

he doesn't care, it's ruined anyway

when you're done, he's surprised "I didn't even feel the stitches"

"I have a gentle touch" you wink and then instantly regret winking at your boss, it shows because you're blushing

he smiles too. 'He's got such a handsome face' you think and then you can't make eye contact

you almost shove the painkillers at him in your efforts to leave

the next time there's an incident, it's your day off, but he asked for you specifically and you can't exactly say no...

after that, it's you every time and the "incidents" are getting more frequent and less severe

you're at the house almost every 2 days

it gets to the point where a band-aid would suffice for the injury

but he's started sending you home with gifts, now

fancy chocolates, a bottle of wine, gift cards to high end shops ect

it's getting obvious why it's always you he calls

until, one night, it all comes to a head

he accidentally sliced his finger cooking and it will need stitches, but there are 2 place settings at the table and he asks you to stay for dinner after you patch him up

a hour in, and a little wine drunk, you blurt out "You know you could've just asked me out, there was no need to maim yourself to get my attention" you instantly regret this

he just chuckles

"Wish you'd told me sooner, I was deciding which one of my fingers I needed the least"

Mob! Raph

Oh he's so accident prone

will never admit it, but he really is

you're one of his newest hires and were excited at the chance to get some hands on experience since leaving med school

boy does he give you some

his first call is because he was shot right in the thigh

it almost hit a major artery

even you were panicked

you kept asking "is this ok? It doesn't hurt too much right?"

but he had to to keep face and even when he'd wince he'd command "Keep going!"

you weren't exactly dressed for the occasion, you were wearing what was once a baby blue crop top (now red) and and shorts and your mid-drift was showing

Raph seemed to notice this a lot

and when the bleeding had stopped you'd got him stitched up, he put an arm around your waist and told you how great of a job you did

it got you a little flustered

eventually, at some team meeting (you did not know there would be team meetings and neither did the other medics but Raph treated this like it's always happened) he announces you as head medic

this comes with more pay, but more responsibility

you're on call 24/7 basically

you get his personal phone number and a "don't be araif to call if you need anything, the phone works both ways"

this kind of earns you the cold shoulder from Donatello who was usually the one who fixed up Raph

everything was going great as was pretty professional until-

one night the phone rings, it's Raph, and he's clearly drunk

words slurring, talking real slow and basically humming down the line

he asks you to come over and if you "have a nurses outfit"

you ask who's hurt

"It's me, I'm so *fake cough* ill... I could use a little TLC..."

you're a medic, not a call girl so you hang up

the next time you see him he's a weird mix or embarrassed and pissed off

like he knows he shouldn't have done it but he's angry you wouldn't fuck him

it's one of his guys who's been beat up, needs a few eyebrow stitches

Raph is too close, really in your personal space as you're trying to work

when you're done he walks you to the door and, through gritted teeth, says "I'm glad my little.... Indiscretion the other night hasn't made you unprofessional"

"That's a weird way of saying sorry" you reply in the sweetest tone you can muster

he glares

"...I'm....I'm sorry"

you smile until he pulls you in by the wrist

"Don't get cocky now!" he hisses "Remember who pays your bills"

you lean in and whisper "It's funny that you asked, because I do have a nurse outfit. Only men who respect me and my boundaries get to see it" you say that last part more forcefully as you pull away from his grip

after that it's a pretty clear game of cat and mouse between you two

Mob! Mikey

It's been crystal clear since day 1 that he wants you

stroking your hair while you're trying to assess him, rubbing up close to you, giving you pay rise after pay rise...

you try not to be alone with him

but one day, and you're surprised because it's only like 1pm, you get a call

Mikey had a chunk bitten out of his neck and needs urgent attention

you're pretty used to all the weird and wonderful injuries he acquires and when you're done seeing to him, you realise it's now only you two in the room

he gets up and clicks his neck

"That's one thing I love about you, you know" he had a habit of starting sentences like you'd been talking this entire time even when you hadn't "You don't ask questions. It's a lovely quality in a girl" the space between you is getting smaller

"it's not my job to ask questions" you say timidly

he's closing in still "I like that attitude"

your back is to a set of drawers now

he's right in front of you

I think the lidocaine is wearing off, this is starting to hurt" he gestures at his neck "Can you kiss it better?"

your heart is racing and you're not sure if it's because this is threatening or because he's shirtless and you haven't taken you eyes off his abs for too long now

He laughs and puts his hands up

"Hey, just joking!" he begins to back away

you turn to leave and right as you grab the door handle he calls

"But, sweetheart, you ever feel like having a crazy night. You know who to call, no strings attached" and winks

after that, and extra 2k is put in your account under the reference "for your discretion"

lingerie is sent to your apartment as well as flowers

the next time you need to go see him, he asks if you're wearing it

you blush and look away, he just grins at you

eventually he throws a huge party that you're invited to, he never leaves your side

you drink a little too much to cope with the circumstance and before you know it you wake up from a black out in the back of his car just as it pulls up to your apartment

he walks you in, you're still unsteady on your feet, and kisses you at the door

"angel, you should be more careful" he does not elaborate before leaving

you hand in your notice which is only mailed back to you with "nice try" written on it

Mikey always gets his way, one way or another

Mob! Donnie

He's a very hot and cold man

he'll smile and talk to you one day, then you don't exist the next

you can't get a feel for him at all

he's never been inappropriate or rude just... cold and distant

it's normally you he calls, you know this because the other medics are pissed off that they don't have an "in" with him

you did ask why, once

he just said you give the neatest stitches

it had been a while since you'd seen him

his brothers and he just had a big court case so they were laying pretty low

it had been nice, something about him made you feel things

a mix of unsettled and like you had to prove yourself as worthy

you needed a drink

hat night you come home, your phone died at the bar and you're a little tipsy

only to find your door broken in

you walk in

was that a wise move? no.

waiting inside, leaning against a doorway, is Donnie

you can smell blood but can;t see it in the half light

the he grabs you

you freeze, his arms are around you and his face is in your hair, gently smelling it

something trickles onto your face and you wipe it away to find it's blood

"If- if you're hurt... J-just let me grab my supplies"

he lets go

you turn on every light you pass, something about being in the dark with him just isn't right

when you come back he's gone

the next time he needs you, you do get a call

he got into a fight with Mikey, bottled straight over the head

you found out because Raph is still laughing about it when you get there

Donnie is seething

when his brothers leave, all of them including Donnie a little drunk, he pushes you against a wall and gets in close

you can feel his breath on your neck

"You know, Mikey hired on of those topless maids last week. Cleaned his car, tits fully out. How much would it cost me for you to take this off" he pings your bra strap

you're so insulted

he was a man of medicine too and he was treating you like you're something who can be bought

as if he reads your mind he says "Everyone has a price"

"I don't know" you try to sound less scared than you are, let the anger shine through "how much does a new set of balls cost? Because if you don't back off you're gonna need them"

he laughs harshly

then his hand is around your throat

"Was that a threat?"

his thumb strokes your cheek

he leans in, his nose pressed against yours "I like a woman with guts but, if you're not very careful, I'll take them out and keep them in a jar"

"Was that a threat?" you retort

"No, I'm flirting with you"

sooner or later, you know he'll have you

Him and his brothers aren't the type to back down from anything

so the next time you treat him, when he pulls you onto his lap, you kiss him, make it your choice to go through with it

#the mob! boys #the mob boys #mob! boys #mob boys #mob! au #mob au #mob! donnie #mob donnie #mob! mikey #mob mikey #mob! leo #mob leo #mob! raph #mob raph #medic #medic crush #mob! x reader #mob x reader

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babydollmarauders · 2 years

Text

DRUNK — LUKE HUGHES

luke hughes x fem!reader

FAITHLYNN’S 500 CELLY!

🌷: "How drunk was I?" & "Just get home as soon as possible, okay?!" with Luke

notes: this takes place when Luke plays for the Devils!

“what about this color?” my friend, Olivia asks me, stepping out of her closet and holding up a purple dress. i was currently sprawled on her bed at eleven thirty at night, helping her choose an outfit for date tomorrow night.

my original plan for tonight was to cuddle up with my boyfriend and eat copious amounts of cheesecake while discussing our summer plans, but then he informed me that a few guys from his team were coming over for a guys night. so instead of being the sole girl at guys night, i brought my cheesecake over to Olivia’s and she supplied wine for a girls night.

“it gives me Taylor Swift ‘Speak Now’ vibes.” i tell her. “i love it!”

“that’s what i was thinking too!” she exclaims. she lays it out on the foot of the bed and ventures back in her closet to find shoes, coming back out with a pair of white strappy heels. “thoughts?”

“if he’s not drooling as soon as he sees you, then there’s something seriously wrong with him.” i’m about to open my mouth to speak again but my phone cuts me off, ringing in my pocket. i pull it out and look at the screen, Jack’s contact photo displayed as he calls. i press accept and hold the phone to my ear.

“hey, we have a little bit of an issue.” he speaks before i can even get out a word out, his sentence coming out rushed.

“what kind of issue? and how little is ‘little’?” i ask, sitting up in the bed. Olivia throws me a concerned glance and i hold up one finger, letting her know to give me a minute.

“Luke is at the hospital.” it comes out as more of a question than a statement, Jack’s pitch getting higher at the end.

“what the hell do you mean he’s at the hospital? why? what happened?” i question, standing up from the bed and leaving the room, Olivia following me out.

“we were just messing around! we were wrestling, and the guys started betting on which one of us would win, and then we started getting competitive, and one thing led to another and we may have broken a vase and then Luke sliced his arm. he’s currently finishing up getting stitches.”

“oh my god, Jack! what the hell?” i exclaim. i make it to the front door, slipping my shoes back on and grabbing my purse.

“he’s fine! i swear! we’ll probably be leaving any minute now. just get home as soon as possible, okay?!" i nod, forgetting he can’t see me.

“yeah. alright, i’m leaving now.” i say. we say hurried goodbyes and i hang up before looking over at Olivia. “i gotta go. Luke is getting stitches.”

her eyes go wide and she nods.

“yeah! yeah, go!” she tells me, pushing me out the door. “i’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“let me know how your date goes!” i call out as i rush out to my car. pulling the door open, i slip inside and shove the key in the ignition. i drive home as quick as possible without breaking any laws, because right now is probably the worst time to be pulled over. pulling into the parking garage, i park and make my way up to Luke and i’s apartment as fast as possible, making it back just a few moments before Luke and Jack walk in.

“baby!” Luke shouts when he sees me. despite his left forearm being wrapped in bandaging, he still seems highly intoxicated.

“hi, sweetheart.” i let him wrap his arms around my waist, leaning down to press a kiss on my lips. “how you feeling?”

“i’m fine!” he exclaims. “never been better! i missed you though.”

i glance over at Jack, who turns his eyes wide and shakes his head at me while mouthing “he’s so drunk”. i nod and turn my focus back to my clingy boyfriend.

“c’mon baby, let’s get you to bed.” i tell him. he pouts but throws a goodbye nod to his brother. “you go ahead and go to the room, i’ll be there in a sec.”

Luke pads down the hall and when i hear the bedroom door shut, i look over at Jack.

“thank you for calling me. i appreciate you letting me know.” i say, wrapping my arms around him in a hug.

“of course. he kept asking for you, ya know?” he chuckles as i pull away. “well, i’m gonna get going and let you deal with him now. i’ll see you tomorrow.”

i wave goodbye as he leaves out the front door, before locking it and making my way to Luke and i’s bedroom. i open the door to find Luke stripped down to his underwear, face down on his side of the bed, fast asleep. laughing to myself, i change into my pajamas, brush my teeth, and settle into bed beside him, turning off the bedside lamp. i wrap an arm around his waist and go to sleep.

“no. mom, i’m fine. it was just a couple stitches” i wake to the sound of Luke’s voice, opening my eyes to find him still laying next to me with his phone pressed to his ear. “yeah, we’ll see you guys next week. love you too, bye.”

“was that your mom?” my voice is laced with sleep and he looks over at me, smiling.

“yeah. i guess Jack told her i got hurt last night, so she called to make sure i was alright.” he tells me. rolling his eyes, he speaks again- “and then she was asking if we were still coming to the lake house since i’m ‘injured’.”

i laugh and hug his waist.

“how are you feeling?” i ask him.

“i’m fine. it’s sore, but i’ll live. my hangover is worse.” he says. “i can’t believe i had to get stitches. like, how drunk was i?”

“oh baby, you were plastered.”

#faithlynn’s 500 celly!#luke hughes #luke hughes x reader #luke hughes blurb #luke hughes imagine #faithlynn’s writings <3

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storiesbyrhi · 1 year

Text

TO BREAK A COVENANT Eddie Munson x Reader 8,877 words

Warnings: horror, body horror, blood, gore, horror genre imagery, nightmares, self-inflicted cutting injuries (not as a result of mental illness/distress though), angst, death, this is a sad story.

Synopsis: Eddie came back from the Upside Down, but it's not through with him yet. A short horror story that will hurt. It will bleed and feed and rip you apart.

Author’s Note: There was exposition I was going to write into the story, but I feel like it messed with the atmosphere. So, quick recap: Eddie lives, helps save the day, and is publicly exonerated. Vecna was vanquished; El closed the gate. Wayne is staying with a family friend since the trailer got rest in peace’d.

He was back from that place. Eddie had returned from the Upside Down, but barely. His breath was a death rattle. His skin pale and clammy. His blood on the wrong side of his skin. He was back from that place, but he was still closer to the afterlife than this one.

For two days he sweated through the thick canvas of the triage tent’s cloth cot. The stitches were hastily sewn, pulling his wounds together in ways that would guarantee painful scar tissue. Eddie’s body seemed to cope better without an IV of fluids and antibiotics. Doctors were too busy with the immense task of saving Hawkins to think twice. If the town freak didn’t want the help, so be it.

On day three you took him home. Well, not home. You took Eddie to Steve Harrington’s pool house. It had a bed and a bathroom and that was enough. King Steve wasn’t exactly a friend but he felt like safety. He’d been the one to drag Eddie out of hell. He’d been the one to sit down and try to explain everything to you, even if Dustin did a better job.

All night you held Eddie. He didn’t speak. His beautiful eyes didn’t sparkle. He’d stopped sweating, crying, shaking. You were terrified to fall asleep, the image of waking up to a cold and lifeless Eddie haunted you. Of course, you were exhausted, and the Sandman took you before midnight had struck.

In the morning, day four, Eddie was up before you.

“Baby,” you gasped, immediately crawling to where he was sitting with his back against the wall the bed was pushed up against. When you took his face in your hands his skin didn’t feel any warmer. His gaze focused on you though, and he smiled. “Hi,”

“Hi sweetheart,” he croaked.

You let out a deep breath and felt the sting of tears. “I thought-”

“Come ‘ere,” he interrupted.

You carefully got as close to him as possible without pressing against his wounds. Eddie’s hands settled on your hips and pulled you closer. His legs were stretched out in front of him and you were straddling his thighs.

“This doesn’t hurt?”

“Doesn’t hurt,” he mumbled. He was lying, but not in the way you suspected. It wasn’t the bites and stitches. It was something deeper. It was bad. Not poison bad. No infection bad. Something else. Something otherworldly. Something Eddie was desperately trying to ignore. And you, you were his perfect distraction.

“I love you,” you told him.

“I love you too,” Eddie whispered.

The food he tried to eat came back up. He couldn’t warm up, no matter how many blankets you piled on top of him. And, he was cagey about letting you help change the dressings on his injuries. Eddie went into the bathroom alone, returning after too long, looking pathologically dismayed.

However, each day was a fresh covenant. With who, you didn’t know. A god or the capital-G God. A teenage superhero named Eleven. Some other force. Whoever. Whatever. Each day was a promise to them that you would look after Eddie and love him harder than you ever had before.

As dawn broke on day five, the sound of a crow’s lonely caw woke you. Loud. Shrill. Reverberating through you. You sat up and tried to see through the room. When your eyes couldn’t focus, you realised it wasn’t darkness blinding you, but a silent snowfall of dark particles. Itty bitty flecks of dust and evil.

“No, no, no!” You scrambled around in the bed, searching for Eddie with your hands. The sheets were cold and you were alone. “Eddie?!” The silence hurt your ears as if it was blocking them through physical force. “EDDIE?!”

Stepping out the bed, your feet found a sticky, wet floor. Like it was quicksand, it pulled you down as you tried to move. “EDDIE?!” you cried out.

You got to the door of the pool house, hands shaking as you struggled with the lock. Ripping the door open, you propelled your weight forward, only to hit what felt like a wall. “Eddie!” Throwing your arms around him, you immediately felt his stillness. You let go and looked at him. Suddenly, you weren’t sure it was Eddie.

The whites of his eyes were completely gone. Somehow though, you knew the blackness was watching you. His nose was bleeding. Then, the noise.

It came from somewhere deep in him. A crackling groan. Low, pained. Muffled at first, until Eddie’s lips peeled apart and the sound found air. Wider and wider. Louder and louder. Eddie’s mouth split, a Dahlia grin amplifying the groan until it was all you could hear.

You tried to move but the quicksand floor glued you in place. Instead, you sobbed. When you felt hands wrap around you from behind, you screamed.

“Hey! Hey, hey! Sweetheart. Babe. Stop, stop. It’s me!” Eddie was shaking you from your sleep, his arms around you. “It’s a nightmare. Just a nightmare. Come ‘ere.”

You were heaving, the fear still coursing through your veins. Tears rolled down your face and you frantically looked around the room.

“Just a nightmare,” Eddie repeated.

The relief hit you all at once and you choked on it, coughing and letting Eddie hold you. He rocked you gently, kissing the top of your head. “S’okay. I got you.”

It took all day to shake the nightmare. You kept checking your toes weren’t sinking into the floor and the air for soot.

“It’s done,” Eddie reminded you again and again. “We’re safe.”

When night came and Eddie had gone another day without eating, you began to understand it wasn’t the threat of Vecna or the Upside Down that was unnerving you. It was Eddie. No food. Hardly any water. Long showers. Easy movement. His recovery was swift and miraculous and entirely unsettling.

You told yourself you should be grateful. This is what you had begged for. Prayed for. What you would have sold your soul for. Eddie, back in your arms, alive. The image of the black eyes from your nightmare wouldn’t leave your mind though. Nor, the sound.

If you dreamt that night, it was forgotten as soon as you woke up.

For three long seconds, you thought he was dead. Eddie’s face was void of emotion; his head lax on the pillow. Then he blinked slowly and his eyebrows pulled together in a miserable expression.

“Eddie?” you whispered. It was still early. Dark. Your body was heavy with sleep. “What’s…?”

He looked like he was going to cry. “Something’s wrong.” His voice matched your whisper.

You reached out and cupped his cheek in your palm. He was still so cold.

Eddie hated the look on your face. One part love, one part pity. That’s how he saw it. He loved you more than he’d loved anything in his entire life. More than music. Art. Books. He didn’t give himself the hypothetical ultimatum, but if he had to choose between you or Wayne, he’d choose you. So, telling you the truth was agony. “I need you to go,”

“Go where?” you asked innocently.

“Away. From me. Now.”

Confusion had always looked too cute on you.

You were trying to process the instructions but quite simply, couldn’t. When your head began to shake, Eddie swallowed. His throat was sandpaper dry.

“Something bad is happening to me. You gotta go. Go in the house, get Steve. ‘Kay? Tell him somethin’ is happening,”

“Eddie, wait, what do you mean? Slow down for a sec and talk to me.”

You went to get closer to him, but he had a tight grip on your wrist. It wasn’t suddenly. It was instantly. He moved faster than light.

“I… I don’t… think you’re safe,” Eddie warned through gritted teeth. He needed you to be smarter than this. He needed you to put it all together so he didn’t have to spell it out.

“Safe? From what? Ed-”

“I can smell your blood.”

Your breath caught and held. Eddie’s brown eyes seemed impossibly dark. Yours glimmered with dread. Still, to break a covenant was to curse yourself. You wouldn’t abandon him. He knew that.

“I can’t eat. Can’t drink. Hardly sleep… Sleepin’ less each day.” Eddie’s voice was shaky. His words calculated and concise. “I’m stronger than I should be,”

“Maybe we should go to a hospital and-”

“Look.” He lifted his shirt. His wounds were healed. The scars looked decades old and not nearly as terrible as they medically should have been.

When your eyes flicked back up to his face you realised how tense Eddie was holding himself. He was holding himself back.

“I’m… I’m so thirsty… Feels like… Like I’m fuckin’ turning to dust from the inside out… And I- I can smell your blood. Like… breakfast in fucking bed.”

You blinked hard. The imagery was unnecessary. Evil. But Eddie, your Eddie, wouldn’t hurt you. He couldn’t. He’d die before he could.

Unless, of course, he already had.

“Eddie, you’re not turning into a v-”

“Baby, I know how it sounds,” he growled.

No, no, no. Stupid. This is… Stupid.

It was a fair enough thing to tell yourself. It may have been stupid but… it was also Hawkins. Storybooks had been coming to life annually since 1953.

“Let me help,”

“No. Go,”

“What if-”

“Go!”

Eddie had never yelled at you before. It echoed in your heart and sent you tumbling out of bed and skittering along the floor. At the door, you stood halfway in and out of the pool house, looking back at Eddie. The smallest of nods from him and you were running.

Steve’s parents weren’t home. They had evacuated Hawkins when Vecna opened the ground up. Nobody commented on that to Steve. You made it through to the kitchen before stopping. What would Steve do?

Presumably, call the others. The Party. And, what could they do? Would they try to treat Eddie? Could that make it worse? What if Eleven was still being watched? What if the government, or whoever, learned about Eddie? What if they took him from you? Experimented on him? Hurt him?

Before you had time to second guess your decision, you were pulling a coffee mug from the cupboard and holding your arm over it. The knife in your hand was clean. Shiny. Reflective.

Stupid.

The cut hurt more than you expected, but you reminded yourself of what Eddie had been through. The blood dripped out slowly from your inner forearm, just below the elbow. You tried to angle your arm best you could, opening and closing your fist to pump the blood better.

You felt him.

Behind you.

Eddie had smelt your blood from where he was clinging to the last of his self-control. His six days of pretending this wasn’t happening forgotten. He’d followed the scent, the doors you had flew through on your way in left open.

He pressed his chest into your back. It was almost familiar, save for the lack of his warm arms embracing you and his chin resting on your shoulder. No, ‘Hi there, sweetheart,’ or ‘How’s my baby doing?’

You refused to let yourself be scared.

Eddie could smell that in you too.

The blood continued to fill the cup. A shot glass’ worth. Then two. Three. Then, a coffee mug warm and ready.

“Let me look after you,” you whispered.

Eddie’s hand appeared next to you as he slowly reached around and took the mug from the kitchen bench. When the weight of him pressed to you lessened, you turned to face him.

All his edges looked blurry, like he was in a perpetual state of vibration. His shoulders were hunched in and his head hung. Eddie had the mug held between his hands. You noticed, for the first time, that his fingernails had changed. They used to be thin, short, and bitten. Now, they were almost an inch long, pointed but not sharp. As if starving for a week had upped the keratin production in his body, all his nails were grossly thick.

“Drink it.”

That was it. Something snapped in him and he poured your blood straight down his throat. You watched as he tried to lick the mug clean, then use his fingers to get every last drop.

When he looked at you, you saw the change. The golden brown was gone from his eyes, replaced with black rimmed in red. His muscles stretched out, unknotting, and feeling brand new. Eddie stood tall, the neutral expression on his face only lasting for a brief moment before he frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

Panic, maybe. Or was it fear you were reading in his features? Or pain?

Eddie coughed, his hands at his mouth out of human habit. Something had been coughed out though. Blood. You thought it was yours, coming back up, but then he coughed again, sending more splattering onto the kitchen floor.

You looked down and saw that the red was dotted with white. Morbid curiosity had you immediately drop to your knees to inspect. If it came from Eddie, it didn’t really revolt you. As soon as you picked a white dot up you knew what it was. You looked back up at Eddie as he continued to cough, more blood and teeth spilling from his mouth.

You stood up at the same time noise from upstairs froze you and Eddie in place.

“Fuck. Fuck. Go back to the pool house. I’ll clean this. Go!”

In the blink of an eye, Eddie was gone and you were pocketing his blood wet teeth. Moving frantically, you grabbed anything with the ability to absorb and mopped up the gore. You heard Steve on the stairs as you threw the tea towels, oven mitts, dishcloths, and paper towel out the door, just out of view.

“Hey,” Steve greeted. He was in sweatpants and nothing else, serving as a point of comparison to Eddie.

Where Eddie was ghost white, Steve was tanned warmth. Where Eddie was healed angry scars, Steve was bandaged and bleeding. Where Eddie was in need of saving, Steve was human resilience, turning on the coffee machine and yawning.

“How’s he today?”

“Still sleeping,” you lied too quickly.

Steve didn’t know you well enough to gauge if you were being weird. And, if he thought you were, that was probably just your personality. It made sense to him that Eddie’s girlfriend would be, at least, a little bit freaky.

“Did you need something? Thought I’d do some laundry today if you guys wanna change sheets or whatever,”

“Oh, um, yeah. I mean, no. No, it’s okay. I can do it. You’re already doing more than enough.”

Steve snorted. “I’m really not… I kind of owe him, you know? We all do. Says he’s not a hero, but…” Steve shrugged. “Whatever.”

You watched Steve brew a weirdly specific cup of coffee. Almost scientific in his precision, he mixed half and half with an extra dash of cream into the coffee, then one heaped teaspoon of white sugar. He was not done. Half a teaspoon of brown sugar was added last. He seemed very pleased with himself.

“That’s just… milk and sugar,” you observed.

Steve looked into his mug in an eerily similar way to how Eddie had minutes before. “Yeah… So, ah, you good? Don’t need anything?”

Shaking your head, you offered a small smile. Your arms were folded tightly across your chest, simultaneously applying pressure to the cut and concealing its existence from Steve.

“Okay… Well, I’m gonna pick up Robin in a couple hours and head over to the school. So, if you need me to grab anything while we’re out, let me know.”

You nodded. He was vaguely suspicious, but ultimately none the wiser, retreating upstairs into his bedroom.

Working quickly, you put anything blood stained into a garbage bag and walked it out to the bins. The kitchen was wiped down and you made yourself a cup of tea. Your stomach flipped when you took a sip. You poured the rest down the sink before making your way back to the pool house.

Following the trail of blood and teeth, you found Eddie curled up behind the Harrington Pool Bar. He had his hands clamped over his mouth.

“Eddie,” you said gently and you knelt in front of him, placing your hands on his knees.

He looked at you. The brown would never return to his eyes, but for now, the red was gone too. Whatever was happening to him was happening fast. You’d counted the teeth in your pocket and the ones on the pool house floor. There were enough to know there were none left in his mouth.

“Are you still bleeding? Let me see,” you asked.

It didn’t matter if he was, you certainly were still bleeding. Eddie’s gaze flicked to your arm, to where the cut was crusting over but still weeping. You understood.

“Okay. Let me just-” And you got up and left him. In the bathroom you rinsed your arm and bandaged it excessively. You pulled a hoodie on before returning to Eddie.

With his hands still obscuring his mouth, Eddie spoke. “New… ones…” His voice was different. It reminded you of the time he dressed up as an orc for Halloween, wearing a set of plastic teeth that made his speech hard to understand.

There were no tears forming in Eddie’s eyes, yet his energy was undoubtedly one of sorrow. He made a whining sound and shook his head as you took his wrists to try to move his hands from his face.

“Eddie. Eddie, look at me… I will love you no matter what, okay? I love you.” You leaned forward and kissed his forehead in benediction.

Eddie’s hands dropped into his lap and his jaw unclenched. He opened his mouth just enough for you to see his new teeth. Perfect, sharp, and deadly. Designed to pierce flesh. They weren’t like anything you’d seen before. They had the uniformity of a shark. The impressive canines of a wolf. But the layout stayed consistent with a human, no gaps between each tooth.

Undeniably monstrous, but not repulsive. At least, not to you.

You kissed Eddie’s forehead again, then the tip of his nose, then his mouth. “We can do this. You’ll be okay… I’ve got you,”

“You gotta go,”

“Eddie, I already-”

“The thirst. It’s… It’s all I can think about. I don’t wanna hurt you,”

“You won’t. We’re going to figure it out. Figure out how much blood you need to survive,”

“Feels like I’m dying,” he whispered.

“Okay, so you need more. Here.”

You had only unwrapped a single layer of the bandage before Eddie struck.

On his knees and elbows, with your arm held in a vice grip, Eddie was drinking from your cut. His mouth was suctioned to your skin, the tips of his teeth pressing in enough to bruise but not puncture. Eyes screwed shut and noise drowned out by the loud beat of your heart, Eddie was lost for a moment.

You had been pushed flat to the ground, so remained there while you sorted through the sensation. The cut stung a little but otherwise, it didn’t hurt to have him latched onto you like a leech. There was no point in lying to yourself about the fear. You were terrified but the love outweighed the terror. And, there was a covenant to uphold.

Slowly, you brought yourself up into a sitting position. Eddie bristled at your touch, so you dropped your free arm in your lap and waited. When you felt woozy, you spoke again. “Eddie, you have to stop now.” You didn’t think asking politely would actually work, but you would be amiss not to at least try.

With your back to Harrington Pool Bar, you raised a leg and kicked Eddie in the side of his ribcage with as much speed and force as you could muster. It wouldn’t have been enough to knock him from you, but the speed caught him by surprise and he let go of you.

You snatched your arm back and held it close to your chest. “Eddie!”

He licked the last of your blood from his lips. The red was back in his eyes. A small rumble of a growl escaped from deep within him.

“It’s me.”

You held eye contact until Eddie nodded, pursing his lips together.

“You shouldn’t have done that,”

“I didn’t know how to make you stop,”

“No. Not the kick. You shouldn’t have let me… do… that.”

The morning sunshine was beginning to peek over the neighbor’s fence. As Eddie shifted on the spot, his hand landed in a patch of light. He looked down at it.

“Does it burn?” you asked.

“No, but it… I don’t know. Pins and needles.” He moved his hand then stood. Eddie looked down at you, holding a hand to your cut and losing the battle of trying to look composed. “I… I can’t help you up,” he said in a pained voice. Normal Eddie would have offered a hand and pulled you up. He would have hugged you close to him and spun you around. “I can’t… touch you,” Eddie tried to explain.

Getting to your feet was easy but lonely. “I’ll go clean up.”

you ran the cut under the bathroom tap for a while then re-bandaged it. You had to lean against the basin, your sense of balance still a little thrown.

When you emerged, Eddie had closed all the curtains of the pool house and returned to bed. His black eyes watched you walk over and get into bed with him. He shook his head again.

“I mean it. You need to go. The others will figure out what to do.”

If you hadn’t been there watching the change happen, you would have been shocked at the thing in the bed opposite you. The others… You would have to convince them he was Eddie, and not a monster wearing his skin.

“I’m scared to leave you again,” you told him. Glistening tears welled up in your eyes. You both felt it, the lack of action. Normal Eddie would have you in his arms by now. “Can I come closer?”

Your small squeaky voice broke Eddie’s heart. He gave in and made room for you. You burrowed in, head pressed into his chest, arms curled between you and him. It was cold but at the very least, he still smelt like himself.

“One more day, okay? That’s if nothing else changes.”

It wasn’t a negotiation, so you accepted his offer with a nod of the head.

All day you stayed in bed. No music. No television. No conversation. You hardly moved at all. Eddie held you all the way up to dusk.

“You need to eat,” he said. He’d not felt hunger pains himself, so he’d almost forgotten about food entirely. But he could hear the houses around him settling in for the night. Dinners being prepared and families reuniting. Eddie could hear entire conversations as though they were playing out in the pool house.

“I will,” you mumbled into him.

Eddie let you stay until he heard Steve’s car. “Steve’s home. Robin’s here too,” he said. “They’ve got burgers. You need to go out there, so they don’t come in here,"

"How do you know all that?"

"I can hear... uh, everything... Go eat."

The threat of other people being involved in… whatever this was… was enough to get you unfurling your body from his. You told him you loved him and that you would be back, and Eddie told you what you needed to hear.

He tracked your footsteps around the pool and into the house. Through the kitchen and into the lounge room. You sat next to Robin and lied about Eddie. You told them he was asleep and that you’d take his food to him later. A videotape was produced and the movie began.

Without you right next to him, Eddie felt slightly more peaceful. His mind let him think of things other than how satisfying it would feel to drink you dry. The peace was short lived when Eddie tried to scratch his back. At first, he thought it was an itch, then he shot up when it felt more like something moving in the bed. There was nothing there that he could see, but then he felt the tickling again.

He was at the bathroom mirror, relieved to see himself there. He turned around to inspect his back. “What the fuck?!” under his breath and a string of no no no in his mind. Next to each shoulder blade were deep, dark bruises. But not bruises, because bruises aren’t meant to move.

Eddie watched in horror as from the center of each black patch, a bump grew into a mound as big as his shoulder blades. From the mounds, something was trying to break free. Eddie could feel the pressure, like a pimple that needed to be popped or a rotten limb that needed to be severed. Whatever they were, they couldn’t free themselves from his back.

He started to mutter and haphazardly look through the bathroom cabinet for something to help. At first, it was painkillers, but then it was a blade. “Fuckin… Come on, come on… Please… Jesus fucking… Christ.” He sped through the pool house until he found a small paring knife in the bar.

In the bathroom, Eddie positioned himself with his back to the mirror and did his best to look over his shoulder. He tried to hold the knife steady, but there was no way for him to achieve his goal safely or precisely. He dropped the knife in the sink and crouched on the floor, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Eddie tuned in to you. The sound of you hungrily eating, laughing at Robin’s jokes despite the guilt it made you feel. He listened to you tell Steve to continue to keep Dustin and the other kids away, for now. “He doesn’t want them to see him like this, you know?” you explained.

Eddie blindly reached for the knife, grasping it, and bringing it to the floor with him. He took a deep breath, registered that he hadn’t been breathing in days, swallowed the thought, then began to slash at his back as deeply as he could.

His cold blood followed his spine down his back and formed a puddle. The pain was so white hot that if he still possessed the ability to, Eddie would have thrown up. He was so close though, he could feel it. A few more slashes and he’d done it. The pressure was gone and something slipped from him.

Eddie quickly stood up, holding the sink to not slip in all the blood. He turned and looked at the wreckage. He had to focus hard, almost squint, to make them out. At first, they looked like bones protruding from him. Then, they flexed and uncurled. Eddie let out a laugh. They were the most pathetic set of wings he’d ever seen.

Eddie’s head hung over the sink. He closed his eyes and tried the breathing thing again. While he could inhale, fill his lungs, and exhale, Eddie found he didn’t need to. A thought crossed his mind and he had no self-control left to offer rationality.

He filled the sink with water and plunged his face into it. For a while, he just stayed there, silently holding his breath underwater. Then, he purposefully breathed in. He could do it. Breathing water was like breathing thick, sticky air. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation, but it didn’t hurt and it certainly didn’t kill him.

“Well, fuck,” he said amused as he stood straight, shaking the water from his face and hair like a dog. He looked up at his reflection again and froze.

The wings had grown. He could see the tips of them, whereas before they were as small as a common brown bat’s. At least he didn’t feel them grow. Little mercies, Eddie thought.

The back door of the house slammed shut. There was not even close to enough time to do anything about the murder scene of a bathroom. Eddie just waited, ready to calm you.

You appeared at the threshold of the bathroom, your eyes wide and mouth agape. Eddie listened to your breathing fasten. You looked him up and down, searching for injury, before your gaze settled just beyond him. He figured you could see the wings.

“I had to… cut… them free,” he said, not sure what the exact words were for a process he’d just discovered. “I felt something. Under my skin. There were these, ah, these lumps. They moved and…” Eddie ran out of words, both the exact and inexact.

“Show me.”

Deep down, Eddie thought this might be the thing to send you screaming out the door. Instead, you took a step closer, your bare feet touching the red puddle. Eddie tried to move to you and turn, but his wings got stuck. He looked over at the mirror.

Again, the wings had grown. They still resembled bat wings, but sharper and sicker looking, and bigger. A lot bigger. If he stretched them out, they’d reach longer than his arms by a couple feet at least.

“Come out here,” you said softly, taking Eddie’s hands and pulling him out into the main space of the pool room. Bloody footprints were left in your wake.

Eddie stood on the spot as you circled him. You looked closely at where the wings sprouted from his skin. There were no open wounds or signs that Eddie’s knife had assisted at all. Besides the telltale blood, it would have been like the wings had always been there.

“Can you… control them? Like, move them?”

“I… I don’t know.” Eddie spread his wings, unfolding them with ease. “Yeah… It’s like… another set of arms…” He brought them back in, let them settle as small as possible behind him.

“Okay,” you said.

“Okay,” Eddie echoed.

When you tried to clean the mess, Eddie wouldn’t let you. He could move so quickly that all the blood was gone in literally a blink. He’d washed it off himself too, clean sweatpants on. Then, he stood at the end of the bed. You had gotten in, curled up with a pillow hugged tightly to your chest.

“Maybe… Maybe we go tell them now. While Robin’s here,”

“What?!” you demanded, sitting up. “You said one more night! You promised!”

“Technically, I said ‘day’ and-”

“Eddie! You promised!” You could feel how severe the frown on your face was. Eddie’s face read as surprised. “What?”

“Nothing. I just… I didn’t think you’d want to… You know…”

You watched to scream at him. You wanted to be bitchy and ask what part of ‘I love you’ was he not understanding? You wanted to tell him that if the roles were reversed, he’d have no problems loving you as you fell to pieces only to reform as a monster.

“Get in the bed, Eddie.”

Eddie smiled, wide and happy. It was a very Eddie smile, despite the teeth. He climbed over to you and laid on his stomach, angled back a little. He watched you reach out and touch his wings with tentative hands.

“Almost tickles,” he whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, just on that part… The bone part feels like if you were touchin’ my arm or something, I guess.”

You nodded and kept exploring. You wedged his mouth open to inspect his teeth. You held his hand and tried to guess if your nail file would be strong enough to declaw him.

“Do you still want to eat me?” you asked suddenly, looking up at him with doe eyes.

The hesitation told you the answer, but you were glad when Eddie told the truth anyway. “Yes. But… It’s not as… urgent now,”

“Maybe we can deal with this. We could move somewhere far away. Out in the woods. Grow our own food for me. And you can hunt animals or something. Do you think animal blood would be okay?”

Eddie smiled sadly. “I don’t know, sweetheart. Worth a shot.”

Like the rest of him, Eddie’s wings were icy, but when you were cocooned in them, all wrapped up, your body temperature warmed you both. You fell asleep, still exhausted and emotionally wrecked. At some point during the night, it occurred to Eddie that he didn’t feel tired. It wasn’t that he was too anxious or wired to sleep. The need for it was entirely gone. He knew, somehow, that he’d never sleep again.

Seven days. Seven days had passed in a blur of blood and fear and devotion.

Eddie watched you mumble in your sleep. You were having another nightmare. He wanted to wake you up but Wayne used to say nightmares were where you battled your demons. Eddie hoped it wasn’t him you were up against.

When you woke, sweat sticking hair to the base of your neck, you looked more tired than when you went to bed. There were shadows under your eyes and you drank the pool house out of water, finding three water bottles to drain.

“I’m gonna go in and fill these up,” you said.

As soon as you were gone, Eddie was back in front of the mirror. He looked at his torso at the strange red line that had bloomed overnight. It was just below his belly button and about a 3 Musketeers bar long. Not exactly scar-like, more as if someone draw a perfectly straight line in red marker on him a couple of days earlier, and it hadn’t quite faded. For as long as it didn’t hurt, Eddie was going to ignore it.

“Robin slept over last night,”

“Yeah. I heard,” Eddie replied, coming out of the bathroom to sit on the bed.

You put your bottles of water on the bar and sat down next to him. “Well, I was thinking maybe we just start with them. Telling them, I mean. I don’t think everyone needs to know… At least not straight away,”

“Yeah, I guess… Guess that’s smart. No need to traumatise everyone all at once.”

You rolled your head to look at him, chin on his shoulder. He was still your Eddie. You sighed and stood up, pulling him with you.

“It’s going to be okay,” you said for what felt like the hundredth time.

Eddie nodded but his heart wasn’t in it. He held your hands and pressed his forehead to yours, forming a steeple of your bodies. “I love you,”

“I love you too.”

It was time.

When you left Eddie and went back into the house, Robin and Steve were in the kitchen fighting over the last of the half and half.

“You don’t understand, I can’t just use milk and cream!”

“It’s exactly what you can use because that’s exactly what half and half is, Steve!” You liked how Robin pronounced his name with the additional letter Es in the middle. “Tell him,” she ordered at you, pointing at Steve.

“I don’t want to be involved in… whatever this is,”

“Why can’t you just have tea? You have tea sometimes. Today can be a tea day. Plenty of tea!”

As tempting as it was to let them fight it out, you no longer felt that time was on Eddie’s side. You picked up a butter knife and glass from the drying rack and tapped out a sound to get their attention. When both their heads turned to you, twin confused expressions on their faces, you awkwardly put the knife and glass down.

“Do you… have an announcement?” Robin asked.

Steve nudged her with his elbow. He had felt this coming. There was something wrong about how you and Eddie had been holed up in the pool house for a week. You’d taken hardly any food but produced a weird amount of trash. He braced himself for whatever you were going to say.

“Something’s wrong with Eddie,” you told them quietly.

Robin imagined sadness. She had the images of Eddie in the Upside Down. His wounds. His pain. She imagined him hurting and scared and ostracised by the town. She imagined you meant he wasn’t eating and was disappearing into himself.

Steve imagined disease. Demobat bites getting infected. Something bad from the Upside Down in Eddie’s blood. No cure. No relief. A death sentence.

“What do you mean?” Steve asked.

“Whatever happened to him… is changing him…” You could hear your voice and were annoyed. Too vague. Too spacey. You hated when a film’s protagonists finally got to explain everything, only to fuck it all up. You were fucking it all up.

“Changing how?” Robin prompted.

“He’s a vampire,” you spat out.

Robin almost laughed. She narrowed her eyes at you, then looked to Steve, then back at you. “What?”

“Didn’t we think Vecna was a vampire before we-” Steve tried.

“No. Nobody thought that,” Robin clarified.

“But the bats-”

“They weren’t actually bats though. We just kind of call them that because they looked like Earth bats but they were actually some other thing entirely…”

Steve rubbed the bridge of his nose and Robin turned back to you. Before she could ask, you offered the information.

“All his teeth fell out and he got new super sharp ones straight away. His fingernails are claws. His eyes aren’t the same. He can’t eat or drink anything except blood. And he has wings.”

She couldn’t help it. Robin laughed. Steve could tell it was one of her nervous laughs; the kind of laugh designed to fill in the silence left by shock or confusion or some other uncomfortable experience she was desperately trying to avoid.

“This can’t be happening,” Robin said, walking from the room only to turn around and walk immediately back in. She opened and closed the refrigerator then squatted on the ground, holding her head.

“Is he dangerous?” Steve asked. Where’s my nail bat?

“Um… No. I mean, I don’t know. Probably. Not right now,”

“What does that mean?”

You’d not expected to be understood, but you had settled on the expectation of kindness. Instead, you felt interrogated and judged. “He keeps changing. More things keep changing. The wings only happened yesterday. And he hasn’t hurt me at all. But… We don’t know… We don’t know what happening to him.”

Steve was hard to gauge. He looked almost… annoyed… Annoyed but at something low stakes. It was like you’d told him you forgot to pick up milk and now he can’t have cereal. Or all his good underwear were in the wash.

“Look, I’m just gonna ask, because we don’t know each other very well. And Eddie is new to all this stuff. I just… You’re not fucking with us, right?” He knew you weren’t. He knew before he asked and he knew as soon as he did and you looked like a kicked puppy. But he was floundering and imagining Eddie latched onto your neck like in all the horror movies he rented out.

“We need to call Nancy!” Robin declared, standing and reaching out for the phone attached to the kitchen wall.

Steve grabbed it from her hands. “No! No, no, we can… We can handle this. It’s fine… Didn’t need Nancy to handle the Russians, did we? We can do this. Scoops Troupe, you know?”

“I think Dustin and Erica would argue they are also part of Scoops Troupe,”

“Fuck. Okay. Stobin, then, right?”

That got her. She nodded at him and he nodded at her. They turned to you in unison.

“Show us.”

Their levity was reassuring. It didn’t wane when they followed you into the pool house. You sat on the sidelines as Steve and Robin were introduced to the new Eddie. They looked worried, but they snapped into their problem solving monster hunting roles quickly.

Eddie wasn’t so convinced, but he remembered how he felt when they found him in Rick’s boat shed. He wasn’t convinced then either. Yet, they had come back for him with Honeycomb and hope. They looked after him. They kept him as safe as they could. It was because of them that he survived and was exonerated. He had to trust them, even if their pulses were racing and they smelt like fear.

It was mid-morning when Steve and Robin got in the car to go find Nancy and Jonathan. From there, they would make a decision about who else needed to be involved. Eddie didn’t like the idea, but Hopper’s name was floated as a possibility.

When he couldn’t hear the car anymore, Eddie looked over at you.

“They’re a lot,” you said.

“Yeah… Buckley’s pretty much what I thought, but Steve’s…”

“Yeah,” you agreed. “Way less of an asshole than he used to be,”

“Way less.”

You smiled and walked to Eddie. “How do you feel?” you asked him.

His head tilted to the side. “Weeeeeellllllll, I don’t feel anything moving abnormally in me…”

“So, maybe that’s it for the changes?” you dared to say out loud.

Eddie nodded, looking down at his body. The red line was longer, reaching hip bone to hip bone. He bit his tongue and moved to the bed. “What do we do while we wait?” he asked. He’d adapted to his new teeth well; his voice was almost entirely his own again.

“You sound like you have something in mind,” you replied as you followed him under the covers. You reached out to manually wrap a wing around you. “I think I like these,” you confessed.

“Kinda metal?”

“Very metal…”

You missed his brown eyes, but he was still beautiful in a Lovecraftian sort of way. “I want to kiss you,” you told him. “Do you think-”

“No. Can’t risk it,” he stated.

“What if you keep your mouth closed, like before?”

Eddie was known to be insanely stubborn, but equally known to give in to you. He crumbled like a house of cards.

You pressed your lips against his, let your noses bump together. One hand held his face and the other threaded through his hair. For a moment you could pretend everything was normal.

The morning slipped by thanks to channel surfing and the tiny piece of solace brought by the knowledge Hawkins’ best Demogorgon-fighting makeshift-weapon-wielding motley crew were coming to the rescue.

After your lunch of mac and cheese and Eddie’s of half a glass of your blood, the phone rang. Eddie was inside the house before you could stand. You ran to catch up.

“Let me talk to them,” you demanded, coming into the kitchen and holding out your hand.

Steve was mid-update when you took over. “Steve, start again. Please.”

He huffed but obeyed. “Nancy and Jonathan said we need to call in the big guns,”

“Hopper?”

“Yeah. And Joyce. She’s smart. They’re going to get them and bring them over,”

“Okay… Where are you now? What are you doing?”

Steve hesitated. “Uh, well, after the girls-”

You and Eddie both heard Robin snort at the phrase ‘the girls,’ like she, Nancy, and Joyce could so easily be put into the same category.

“-the smartest person we know is Henderson,”

“No! Come on, man!” Eddie yelled.

“He’s the one that always knows about… you know… Vampires and hive minds and shit. It would be dumb to not include him, right?”

Eddie looked pissed. He loved Dustin. Adored the kid. But he was just that – a kid. You, on the other hand, would sacrifice what was left of Dustin’s innocence if it meant saving Eddie.

“Okay,” you answered.

“Alright.” Steve sounded relieved there was no fight. “How’s everything there? No new… body parts?”

You looked at Eddie, who shook his head. The line was still growing longer, but Eddie had hiked his sweatpants up a little higher to hide it. You’d not spied anything different.

“So, more waiting,” Eddie concluded when you hung the phone up.

“Yeah. But, it's good news, right? He didn't sound freaked out. We’re going to figure it out.”

Eddie walked at a human pace back to the pool house with you. He wondered how you weren’t getting cabin fever. A week in the tiny room and you didn’t show any signs of needing a change of scenery. Inside, he watched you go through the stack of VHS tapes next to the television, looking for something worthwhile.

The bed was beginning to feel more like a nest, curving around him like home. He was glad to be back there. Eddie was thinking about pillows when he felt the ache in his gut. It was just a mild sort of cramping feeling and he mistook it for anxiety or anticipation.

Gremlins played on the screen, your comfort movie, and you got into bed with Eddie. He let you close, let your warmth take some of the chill he felt. The aching got worse and spread to his lower back. He wasn’t sure if painkillers would work on him anymore, but it was worth a shot. As Eddie went to move, he saw that you’d fallen asleep. You had always been prone to a late afternoon catnap. He slid out without disturbing you and went in search of anything to dull the ache.

You had lasted until around the time Billy tries to report the wayward gremlins to the police. Rolling into a dream, you found yourself in the woods behind the school. Eddie was sitting on one side of the table that sat out there. Chrissy Cunningham was on the other side. When you tried to walk to them, your boots were unable to move.

Their conversation was pulled from your memories; the things Eddie told you coming back now. “Do you ever feel like you’re losing your mind?” she asked.“Do you have anything stronger?”

It needed to stop. Eddie needed to get up and walk away from her. You screamed as loud as you could but it was like they were in a bubble. Dropping to the ground, you pulled your feet from your shoes, freeing yourself. You ran to the table, stepping on stones and branches as you went. When you slammed into the table, both Eddie and Chrissy were frozen.

“Hey!” you yelled, waving your hands in front of their faces. “Hey! Eddie!” Nothing. You pushed Chrissy gently, but at your touch, she burst.

Blood and organs, flesh and bone exploded all over you and the table. You shook on the spot, terrified and in shock. Eyes glossed over with tears, you turned to Eddie but he was gone.

“Eddie?!” you shrieked, spitting a chunk of Chrissy’s skin from your mouth.

Then you heard it.

Chewing. Slurping.

Step by step, you went around to the other side of the table to find Eddie kneeling on the ground, picking up pieces of Chrissy to eat. He was swallowing bits too big and you watched as they made horrific shapes when they squeezed down his esophagus. Eddie pushed his face into the dirt to lick up small pools of blood. He licked the legs of the old table and the leaves painted red.

“Eddie?” you whimpered.

His focus snapped to you. The blacks of his eyes crimson rimmed. His teeth razor sharp. He stood up, unsteady, grabbing the table for balance. Eddie rolled his shoulders back and unfolded his great wings, spiney and menacing.

When he got to you, he slowly took your wrist in his hand. He lifted your arm up and with brutal ease, snapped it. He pulled, twisted, and threw your hand, wrist, and half your forearm behind him, leaving a freely bleeding stump to drink from. All you could do was watch as he held your arm like it was a coffee mug and bury his face into the severed end of it.

There was no use in crying, so you just stood there until your body crumpled in on itself and everything faded to black.

The next time you opened your eyes, you were awake in the pool house and the sun was setting over Hawkins’ nicest neighbourhood. You sat up and looked around. “Eddie?”

No answer.

The door was open, so you figured Eddie had gone inside. Maybe the phone had rung or he wanted to get you more water. Laying back down, you listened to the sound of the small town, the only home you’d ever known. The buzz of cicadas. Cars in the distance. Normal voices talking about normal things, even then, with the 'earthquake' only a week in their past. The soundscape was benign and it made you smile.

After a couple of minutes, you swung your legs over the side of the bed and looked around. The chair was the first thing you noticed. There were two chairs that didn’t fit around the dining room table inside, so lived out in the pool house. One was knocked over. You frowned and stood.

Halfway to it, you slipped and went crashing to the ground, yelping in pain as your tailbone hit the floor. “Fuck!” You stayed curled on the floor for a moment, waiting for the presentation of other injuries. When it was just the bruised ass, you pushed yourself up to a sitting position.

Slippery. The word popped into your head as you brushed your hands against each other. You let out a strange, strangled sound best described as a whine. Blood. Blood was all over the floor. On all fours you scrambled to the bathroom. The carnage was everywhere.

“Eddie?!” you screamed desperately. Getting to your feet, you ran from the pool house, avoiding the slip n’ slide of blood. “EDDIE! ED-”

Choking on a gasp, you lost the ability to speak. To scream. To make any noise. You stood next to the pool, the warm concrete beneath your feet making your toes tingle. Suddenly, you could hear your heart in your ears. The ocean too. The vacuum of space. Roaring. Unstoppable. Infinite.

Eddie was splayed out on the ground, face down. Blood had seeped into the concrete and trickled into the pool, slowly turning it a shade of romance novel pink. He wasn’t moving but his face was angled away from you, so you couldn’t be sure if he was…

No.

Your entire body shook violently and threatened to overthrow your leadership any second, but you took a step closer Eddie and then another. It took multiple visual trips over his body to make sense of what you were seeing.

Something had hurt him. Something had pulled him apart. It’s the only thing that could explain it. The only thing that could account for how his torso was ripped away from his pelvis and legs. But then, he moved.

You froze in abject terror as Eddie’s arm suddenly jerked to life and reached out in front of him, pulling him along the concrete. The top half of Eddie’s body crawled forward, the last strings of veins and tendons snapping and dissolving as he seemingly pulled himself in two, no shadowy figure from the Upside Down to blame.

Eddie’s intestines dragged along behind him, like strings of cans on a newlywed’s car. Your breathing was coming in rapid small puffs and your eyes could not get any wider. The horror was so all-consuming, so visceral that you lost control and urine ran down your leg.

Eddie’s bottom portion laid at your feet, not moving at all. You looked over at the rest of him, halfway around the pool. Eddie came to a brief pause, only for his wings to spread and take over. They flapped, lifting him up from the concrete. Eddie’s spine hung from him, his intestines too, but nothing was falling out of him.

He turned to you, the look on his face so unfamiliar and so pained that it was hard to see Eddie in there at all. But he was there; a quickly fading shadow of the Eddie you knew. The Eddie who fed the trailer park cats and watched over freshmen and learned guitar chords by ear and loved so deeply he often gave himself headaches. That Eddie. Your Eddie. He was alive and staring at you, his eyes communicating in a silent scream, a resolute message to, by death or freedom, please, please, baby, please, break a covenant.

II.

The manananggal;

A mythical creature with its origin in Philippine folklore, considered to be a form of evil spirit. With fangs and bat-like wings, it has a vampiric appearance but is able to separate its upper torso from its lower body. The manananggal is a monster, hunting victims by night and favouring babies, newlyweds, and people who are pregnant, in love, or sleeping soundly.

It owes its name to the Tagalog word ‘tanggal’ meaning ‘to remove/separate.’ Tanggal translates literally to ‘remover/separator.’ Contextually, it translates to ‘one who separates itself.’

The manananggal can be vanquished by stopping the two halves from reuniting. When it is out on the hunt, find the lower torso where it sleeps. Cover with salt and/or garlic to prevent reconnection. Without its other half, the manananggal will perish in the morning sunlight.

End Note: I feel like happy endings are kind of my thing. Believe me when I tell you I was entirely devastated when the ending of this story revealed itself to me and it was not warm sunshine. I am really developing a love for writing horror though, so I’d absolutely adore to hear your feedback on this piece!

A huge thank you to my girlies; this fic was workshopped with the help of @pastel-pillows @hellfirehottie420 @word-wytch @courtingchaos @jo-harrington @chestylarouxx @somnambulic-thing and @fracturedarkness.

❤︎

Sources: Wikipedia, Mythus (Myth and Folklore Wiki), Cryptidz (Cryptid Wiki), Ancient Origins, and a Medium.com article. Art: Gian Bernal. Title: I recently read a novel called To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames and the phrase stuck with me. The plot of the book has zero relation to this story, I just borrowed the title.

❤︎

All Eddie Taglist: @solomons-finest-rum @ruinedbythehobbit @sweetpeapod @thorfemmes @corrodedhawkins @grungegrrrl @lilzabob @averagemisfit03 @ches-86 @ilovecupcakesandtea @onehotgreasymechanic @hazydespair @mel-the-fangirl @eddies-hid3out @siren-lungs @aheadfullofsteverogers @hiscrimsonangel

#Mine #Eddie Munson #Eddie Munson x You #Eddie Munson x Reader #Eddie Munson/You #Eddie Munson/Reader

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moonlightazriel · 1 year

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Forget me Not /// Azriel X F!Reader

Summary: They loved each other more than words could describe, but they were star-crossed lovers and their fate was doomed, especially when their worst nightmare came true. But is their love strong enough to survive this nightmare and can their souls one day be truly united?

Warnings: Smut, torture and death!

Word Count: 3,5K

Notes: The collaboration no one asked for but everyone needed ahahahaahahah Happy to introduce the first part of the fic @fieldofdaisiies and I wrote together. She's an amazing writer and making this fic with her is an honor. Love u baby and thanks for doing this with me, our baby was finally born.

Read part 2 here

His soft lips touched the hot skin of her collarbone, kissing as his hands gently unlaced her plain dress, she held his hair, her lips parted as soft gasps left her, her breath uneven as his cold fingers brushed down her spine.

The space was limited and he was entirely pressed against her, his member touching her clothed core, she moved, trying to get some friction between them, to soothe the aching sensation on the apex of her thighs.

“Where is the prince?” The feminine voice outside, too close, alerted her, she gently pushed him away, his eyelids half closed as he lost himself in her.

“They are searching for you.” She whispered and he sighed, rolling his eyes.

“I’m so sorry my beloved, I must go now.” She nodded, avoiding his eyes, she hated when he had to leave. His index finger lifted her chin, and he kissed her again, his breath tasted like mint. “I love you dearly.”

“I love you too, my prince.” He turned around, opening the door, and leaving her there. She closed her dress, used to this now, and waited a few minutes before leaving the tiny room to tend to her obligations.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

“Have you heard?” She turned her head to see the blonde servant by her side gossiping with a friend, she turned back to the potatoes she was peeling for the royal family supper. “The royal family is hosting a ball in a week so Prince Azriel chooses his bride.”

Her eyes went wide but she kept quiet, the knife sliding from her shaking finger and cutting her palm, she cursed under her breath and dropped everything, rushing to the healer's wing. She mumbled a couple of words to explain what happened as the healer started to clean and stitch the wound.

“Be careful with that, or the stitches might rip and it will scar.” The healer said, dismissing her.

She wandered around the castle, heading back to the kitchen to finish and then serve the meal. The queen was near the kitchen, talking with the chef about the ball, and how she wanted everything to be done. She was a terrifying person, the kind of person that truly enjoyed another’s suffering.

“Your majesty.” She bowed as she passed, the woman not even acknowledging her as she did so, thankfully she didn’t see Y/N shaking with fear.

The only truly born with good in their heart was Azriel, the younger prince, her Azriel, the man she decided to give everything she was, the man she would love forever, even if they could never be together outside tiny rooms and late hours at night. Her heart ached with the thought that he would have to get married, she wanted to run away with him, to a land where he being a prince and she being a servant didn’t matter, all that counted was that they loved each other.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

“What happened to your hand, my love?” Azriel asked, seeing the stitches tying her skin back together, the skin around it was red and swollen.

“Just an accident working in the kitchen today.” she said, not quite looking at him, she had been avoiding his eyes ever since he sneaked up to her modest chambers in the servant’s wing, thankfully the castle was big enough to accommodate all the servants without the need of sharing rooms with others, so they had the privacy of her chambers to meet every night.

“What happened?” His hand brushed her cheek, his index finger lifting her chin so she would look at him, her eyes were shining with unshed tears. “Don’t cry darling, talk to me.” He begged, his thumb wiping the stubborn tear that rolled down her cheek.

“How much time do we have left?” she asked, her tongue licking the salty tears from her pink plush lips.

“I can stay the whole night my dear.” She stepped backward, her hands held his, removing them from her face, she sat on the edge of the bed.

“That is not what i meant.” He looked at her confused, eyebrows furrowed. “How long do we have until you’re married?” His throat went dry, his father had spoken to him that morning, saying that he needed to marry a princess soon to strengthen their alliances. His mind had been scheming ever since, plans to run away with her, he didn’t want to get married to a complete stranger, he wanted to be able to make Y/N his wife, have her carrying his children, being by his side forever.

“I don’t want to get married, to anyone but you. And I don’t care what my father says, let’s go, somewhere far away from here.” She blinked, the tears still wetting her pretty face. “Come with me, we deserve to be happy.” He kneeled in front of her. “Let’s start again in a new land, marry me Y/N Y/L. That’s all I want.”

“Are you serious?” He nodded. “I want that so much that it hurts.” She threw herself into his arms, inhaling the smell of the fancy soap he used. He pulled her closer, hands roaming down her back, he started to kiss her neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses along her collarbone. “Make me yours one more time.” She breathed against his hair and he got up, lying her gently on the mattress.

His hands were agile as he unlaced the front of her white nightgown, her skin smelled like roses, one of the few things the king made sure of was the servants always smelled great, so they provided scented soaps and perfumes for them. The thin fabric was soon discarded by the side of her bed, alongside his clothes.

He kissed her warm skin until he reached her breasts, one of them was cupped in his hand, the nipple trapped between his thumb and index finger, he pressed it, making her softly moan at the sensation, the other he kissed and circulated the nipple with his tongue, moving it up and down, she arched her back, and tried to rub her core against the knee he had in between her legs.

She was desperate for any type of relief, she pressed her lips together as his tongue left her breasts and he started to lick down her belly, his right hand spread her legs open his finger spreading the wetness there, rubbing a circle to the bundle of nerves there, making her jump slightly, she wasn’t able to control the moan that left her lips as his warm tongue reached where she wanted him, he drew circles with his tongue, earning more breathy moans from her, her hands grabbed the prince’s inky black hair, involuntarily pressing his face against her.

He was hungry for her, had been ever since he met her, so his tongue licked her like he was a starved man, he loved to hear her ragged breath, loved how she couldn’t control her body, neither the little whimpers that came from her mouth the closer she got to her orgasm. She squirmed underneath him, he grabbed her waist, pressing her down onto the bed, stopping all the movement as she went through her orgasm, he could feel her body spasm as he overstimulated her.

She pulled his hair, forcing him to stop, his chin was glistening with her juices, the sight of him like this almost making her cum again. He laid on top of her again, kissing her deeply, making her taste herself on his tongue. He adjusted himself to her slick entry, easily sliding inside her, all the way, their breaths in synchrony as he started to move, a slow pace as her walls were still sensitive from moments before.

Just when she started to move her own hips, wanting more, he started to move faster, their bodies covered in sweat, as he made love to her, he was getting closer and closer to his own release, the bedframe hit the stone wall, while the sound of skin slapping skin filled the whole room, she moaned, encouraging him to go faster. His dream was to be free to make her scream his name, she never did, afraid that this would get them both in trouble, so for now he was okay with her screaming nonsense in the air.

He moaned against her neck as he released himself inside her, feeling her walls clench around him as she had her second release right after him. He got out of her, collapsing by her side, pulling her closer, her head rested on his chest, hearing the soft sound of his heartbeats when he spoke again.

“Give me a few days, and we will be far away from here. My love for you is bigger than the universe.” She looked at him.

“The universe?” He looked at her, her hair was glued to her forehead and her cheeks were red from the effort.

“Yes, this earth is not big enough to measure how much I love you.” He saw her eyes filling with tears once more that night.

“I love you Azriel, with all I am.” She kissed his chest, feeling the sleep wash over her body, making her close her eyes, a smile on her lips as she fell asleep with him still holding her close.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

“AGAIN?” The woman yelled, pacing around the room, her fingers were shaking with rage, that damned bastard, he wouldn’t stop until he ruined his family’s name. It wasn’t enough that the King had the nerve to make his mistress’ baby a prince, the boy was trying his best to ruin everything.

“What should we do, mother?” Marvin, the oldest asked, he had a couple of ideas in mind, what he could do to that bastard.

“Since the little princeling won’t learn, maybe that whore will, do whatever you want to her.” She said, dismissing her sons, her blood boiled inside her veins, she needed to get rid of him.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

Meet me in my chambers tonight.- Azriel

She read the note he slipped into her pocket again, his fancy handwriting, it wasn’t often that she got to go to his private room, always choosing to meet in her’s or in a more secluded place, but she dismissed the weird feeling in her belly and how heavy her chest felt.

She rubbed the soap on her skin one more time, scrubbing it until it was pink from the pressure, she always wanted to look her best to him, so she brushed her hair and dressed in her best dress, a green one, with a square neckline, it wasn’t much since the servants didn’t make enough to afford luxury dresses but it was the prettiest one she owned.

She walked in the dark, only the moonlight illuminating the way to his chambers, she took a deep breath, fixing her dress before she knocked on his door, but the knock never happened as someone held her from behind, pressing their large hand over her mouth, her whole body went still, she was in panic, not thinking straight, so she didn’t resist as they took her through the holloways and down the stairs, to one of the cells in the basement.

Everything smelled like dust, and the temperature dropped significantly as they tied her to a chair, her mind raced as she tried to distinguish the two hooded figures, one of the males was taller than the other, and the one on the left was holding a torch.

“Please, let me out.” She cried, the fat tears streamed down her face, she was shaking in fear. The taller male approached, removing his hood, she gasped in surprise when Prince Marvin stood in front of her.

“Don’t cry princess.” He said, his voice laced with disgust as he rubbed her cheek harshly, wiping the tears from her face. “It will be quick, for us.” He smirked, the devilish smile on his face made her body go limp, she would die and there was nothing she could do.

The second man, Prince Elijah, approached, unlacing the rope from around her wrists and forcing her arms forward, he made her sit on her knees, with her hands extended to him, he slowly undressed her, leaving her bare in front of them, claiming that a nice dress like that shouldn’t be ruined by a whore like her.

Her mind was numb, to the point that she wasn’t even registering the pain in her back as Marvin used all his strength to whip her back, the warm blood was everything she was feeling, even the tears had stopped as she accepted her fate, not able to fight back for her life, she closed her eyes, thinking about him.

Her skin was torn apart, big cuts on top of each other, and the cold breeze stung, making her whole naked body shiver. Elijah approached her, dropping a liquid in her hands, the smell of alcohol filled her senses and she started to panic again.

They were going to burn her, alive. She started to move her head, looking desperate when she heard the two men laugh, they were evil, sadists, they were having fun with her being tortured.

“That is what you get…” Marvin said, lighting a match, and holding it close to her hands. “For thinking you’re good enough to lay your filthy hands on royalty.” And he dropped the match.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

The music from the orchestra was nice, the melody traveled through the room, capturing the hearts of those who listened to it, she moved her feet, soothing the urge to dance, to join those on the dancefloor, she held the tray filled with fancy drinks as she walked around the room, people would pick drinks without even looking at the small woman serving them, yet she felt observed, a pair of hazel eyes watched her all night long, Prince Azriel was the youngest son of the King, she blushed under his attentive gaze.

Some flashes of reality mixed with the dream she was stuck on, she could hear people calling her name, things falling, but the music, the melody from the day she met him called her attention, snatching her back to the dreamland, where she revived all those moments by his side, where she loved him and he loved her back, with all the intensity of their love.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

“What happened?” He demanded again, frustratedly running his fingers through his hair.

“We found her like this in the gardens.” One of the servants said, avoiding the Prince’s gaze, he was almost crying as he saw her, her forehead covered in sweat, her hands, her beautiful hands, burned, the skin had fallen in some points, and in other parts it was like the skin angrily patched itself together, in a way to remind her what she went through. Her back was also destroyed, he was disgusted with the cruelty, the servants did the best they could.

She was supposed to meet him two days ago, and he also hadn’t seen her around the castle anymore, when he went to her chambers he found her lying there, destroyed. He had a gut feeling telling him that it was all his fault if it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t be like this now, so he didn’t care anymore, he stood by her side all day, missing all of his obligations, she was the only thing that mattered to him. They were able to manage her fever, but she hadn’t awake yet, and he got more worried as the days passed, he couldn’t lose her, he wouldn’t survive.

She only woke up two weeks later, everything was painful, she adjusted her eyes to the sunlight that entered from her window, her whole body was in pain, she looked down, at her hands, remembering how they glowed as the flames burned her skin, she couldn’t stop the disgusted scream that ripped through her lips, she looked awful. The tears came, making her eyes burn, the door was open and someone got in.

“Hey love, it’s me.” Azriel spoke, holding her face. “Breath, please.” He asked and she did as he asked, taking her time to calm down, she could see him now, his worried and tired eyes, like he haven’t been sleeping properly in days. “You’re awake.” He said, she lifted her hands, just to quickly lower them back to their original position, she couldn’t touch him, he must think she looked like a monster now.

“What are you doing here, they will catch you.” She said, what would his family do to him?

“They know i’m here, they cannot make me leave.” He slowly pulled her in for a hug. “I thought i had lost you.” He went to kiss her but she turned her head to the side.

“Thank you for taking care of me Prince Azriel.” He rose an eyebrow, looking confused. “But you can’t stop pretending now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you find me disgusting, I look horrible, deformed.” She looked at her hands, feeling the urge to cry again.

“You look just as beautiful as the first time I saw you, scarred or not, nothing can change that.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Everything is ready if you still want to run away with me.”

“Really?” She looked at him, hope shining in her big eyes.

“We can go tomorrow night.” She nodded, inclining her head until she connected their lips, he smiled as they parted. “We’re going after our happiness, my love.”

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

With the care they have given to her, the skin on her back had closed, leaving ugly scars behind, her hands were healing still, it was painful to move but at least she could still close her fingers, for a miracle the mobility was still there. Her colleagues helped her bath and dress, the wagon Azriel had paid to take them out of the castle was ready with a few things and a lot of money from his personal business.

“Thank you all for helping me, I'm forever in debt with all of you.” She thanked the females in her room, they carefully hugged her, wishing her a better life. Azriel was waiting for her in the wagon, a smile across his lips as they climbed in, they were going to the nearest port, get a ship to the other side of the country, and never be bothered again by his family, he asked if she remembered who had harmed her but she pretended to have forgotten if he went after justice who knows what they could do to him.

The wagon suddenly got to a stop, and Azriel swallowed dryly, someone yelled outside, and the two tensed. The door was yanked open, and Marvin was on the other side, a sword pointed to them, Azriel looked at him.

“Get out.” He demanded. “NOW!” They did as they were told, the memories of what happened in that cell made her dizzy, and the tears gathered in the corner of her eyes once more.

“What is this Marvin?” The man didn’t answer, still making them walk to the front of the wagon where guards stood, Elijah was there too, mounted on a horse, and in the middle was the Queen, an evil smirk as she looked them up and down.

“You dumb whore.” She said bitterly. “What my sons did wasn’t enough to stop you, greedy bitch?” Azriel looked at his brothers and then at the scars on the hands of his lover, realization washed over him and he turned around, his fist connecting with Marvin’s cheek, making his head fly in the other direction, giving him enough time for Azriel to grab Y/N and try to rush. “Not so fast.”

More guards appeared from behind the wagon, pointing their swords at the couple.

“I’m fucking tired of dealing with you, you bastard. It’s a shame that Prince Azriel was killed during a robbery. So sad.” She laughed, waving her hand in the air, the woosh was quick, but Y/N was quicker, her body protecting Azriel as the arrow pierced her heart, she choked on blood and Azriel screamed in agony.

“Please, please love, stay with me. I won't survive without you.” He said, she lifted her hand, the scarred skin caressing his cheek one more time, her eyes widened with terror and Azriel felt someone grabbing his hair, and the cold blade on his neck.

“I love you, My prince.” She breathed. He looked down, not caring about the sharp blade on his neck, the blood was already pouring from the wound.

“I love you and i will find you, in another life. We will have the happiness we deserve. Promise me you will wait for me.” She smiled, her teeth stained red from the blood.

“I-i-i p-pro-prom..” She didn’t have the time to finish, as her head fell limply in his lap, the smile still adorning her beautiful face as he watched her die. The tears fell from his eyes, and he closed them, seeing her one last time, she would be waiting for him, and he wouldn’t stop searching for her. Marvin moved the sword, slitting his throat open, his body fell, with her still on top of him. In his last breath he knew he would see her again.

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radiant-reid · 2 years

Text

What Christmas Means To Me

Check out the song with the same title !!

Summary: The Reids discuss all the things that are Christmas-y and important to them while being really in love with each other. a/n: this is the first part of my Christmas/winter theme collection, more to come <3

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader (fluff, omg so much fluff)

Content Warning: nothing

Word Count: 1.4k

Masterlist | Navigation

"She's finally asleep!" Spencer exclaims, although the excitement is in his tone, not in his volume. He slides the door across the tracks, sealing the living room off, as quietly as he speaks.

Y/n left her husband to deal with Mabel and her bedtime issues. If it wasn't a glass of water that she needed, then it was to go to the bathroom or have another book read to her. She adores all three of her kids, of course, but it could, occasionally, be challenging. Thankfully, Spencer has always been the Patron Saint of patience.

"Ah, I love you." She says, holding out her arms wide to hug him. She's dressed in a sweater that matches his and a pair of pajama shorts with a mistletoe pattern on them.

Spencer reaches her in two steps, keeping his arms low so he can pick her up enough to spin her around while she melts into his chest, her head on his shoulder.

"I love you." He coos. "And I love this place." He says, pulling away from her to look at the house.

It's the perfect place to spend Christmas: at their own home. Outside, it's cold, much colder than usual. There's a light blanket of snow coating the ground and more snowflakes that they can see falling through the bay window.

It's warm inside, though, the fireplace lit. There's no other light besides that, a few low-burning candles and the Christmas lights on their tree. They all let out a perfect warm glow, rather than the bright type of light that you get from LEDs. It makes everything look so much more romantic.

They decorate every year, and it's always over the top. On the sides of the fireplace are stockings overflowing with presents with the names Beatrice, Mabel, and Chester stitched onto them. Y/n brought them out of hiding while Spencer was tussling a 4-year-old into bed.

Under the tree is another impressive pile, although some of those ones are to be unwrapped tomorrow morning when the whole BAU family comes for Christmas lunch. Likely, there will be even more brought around from everyone, and even more likely, the most from Auntie Penelope.

"We went over the top, didn't we?" Spencer voices what she's thinking.

"When don't we?" She asks rhetorically with a giggle. "I made hot chocolate if you're not too tired."

He shakes his head. "Never too tired to sit up with you, baby." He assures her.

It's true. The amount of long nights they've had, most after becoming parents, is extraordinary. Even if he'd been out on a case, as soon as he was back at home, if a newborn baby needed to be fed, a toddler had a bad dream, or someone forgot to do their homework, Spencer would abandon sleeping to offer her support.

She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to the kitchen to get their reindeer mugs. He's sitting on the window seat when she returns, back resting against the wall, and an arm outstretched for her to join him.

She does, placing the mugs on the part of the window seat not covered by the cushion closest to the window. She rests her back against his chest, legs stretched out but not nearly as long as his. To stare at him, she turns her head to the side. He keeps one arm around her back while he uses the other to hold his hot chocolate, which might be more marshmallows and cream than liquid.

Spencer would be pretty under harsh, fluorescent light, but he's stunning with soft light illuminating his features. It's been a decade, and he's still perfect, like nothing has changed, except maybe his hair. His curls, even though recently cut, are growing out.

"I love you more and more each day, you know?" He tells her after a while of admiring how stunning his wife is.

"Getting sappy on me, Reid?" Y/n jokes, still flattered by his compliments.

He chuckles, breath fanning her face. "Ten years, four months, five days..." He pauses to look at his watch. "Nineteen hours and eight minutes."

"I married such a loser." She complains while beaming.

"Mrs. Reid." He warns lightheartedly. "Don't make me put you on my naughty list."

She smacks his chest as both of them laugh. "You wouldn't dare."

He puts his mug down next to him where it won't spill and pushes a few strands of hair out of her vision. "Not when you make a killer hot chocolate." He assures her.

Y/n pats his chest. "Now I know we said no gifts..." She trails off, smirking. "But I got you something."

Spencer scoffs before chuckling. "Baby, you have done that for seven years. I'm not surprised anymore." He reminds her. "We could always just reevaluate the rule."

"Nope." She shakes her head, moving off him, and opening up the drawer below the seat. When she produces a neatly wrapped gift, Spencer also has one in his hands. Y/n deduces the gift in his hands is probably jewelry, either a necklace or a bracelet, based on the box's shape. "It's not Christmas yet, though." She pouts, more eager to see his reaction to his gift than to get her own.

"I won't tell if you don't." He says mischievously.

She swaps gifts with him. "Deal."

"You first." Spencer insists.

She pulls the wrapping paper off excitedly before opening the- as rightly suspected- jewelry box. It is gorgeous. Easily the most stunning piece of new jewelry she's ever seen. It's the most perfect tennis bracelet, equip with enough diamonds to outshine a polished case of jewels.

"Holy shit! Thank you." She says in awe. "This is stunning, and I don't want to know how much that cost you." It had to be in the high four figures.

He shakes his head, taking it from her hand, so he can delicately put it on her wrist. "Money comes in and out, and it'll never be as valuable as seeing that smile."

She grins again with a blush. "Keep that in mind when you open yours."

He's suspicious of what that means as he opens his, sliding the lid off the watch box. Her eyes light up after seeing his light up at the expensive, shining watch.

"Wow." He remarks, admiring it. "You did not have to go all out and buy me a Rolex, but thank you."

"You're welcome, handsome." She says, taking it from him to put on his wrist like he had just done for her. It definitely belongs on his wrist, of all the wrists in the world. His old one was nice, but it had been chipped over its long lifespan. "Now I can stare at your hands for longer." She jokes, playing with his fingers.

He laughs at her fondly. "You're always welcome to do that."

"I really love this." She says, admiring her own wrist. "But Christmas means more to me than presents."

He nods in agreement, not misinterpreting her statement of ungratefulness. "Christmas means love to me. You, the most gorgeous, talented person I know. Our wonderful kids, the whole extended BAU family, and everyone else's love."

"It means being happy to me. Like that feeling when you can't stop smiling, even if it hurts." He knows that feeling every time he looks at her. "And kids not going to bed so they can see Santa, Christmas lights on houses, carol singers, Christmas songs, family, a big meal snow, oh, and Christmas movies."

"There's one more thing." He realizes with a cheeky smirk. She hums, waiting for him to continue. "That." He points upwards to where there's a piece of mistletoe hanging over them. "Christmas means lots of kisses, too."

She giggles lightly. "So smooth."

"Thanks." He replies quickly before closing the gap of a few inches between their lips. Their lips attach in a well-practiced, languished kiss. It's not something they get to share often with their busy lives, and it only makes it more special.

Both of them have matching grins when they pull back. "We should go to bed," Y/n suggests with a yawn.

"Agreed." He nods. "We're going have to be up at 5am anyway."

"I'll make the coffee and hot chocolate, you make breakfast." She offers, like it's not what they do every time.

He leans in for one more kiss. "Always."

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