#ofc the face in the moon has been changed to the travelers

[imorphemi]

Dear fellow traveler, underneath the moon

[animated-antagonist]

Qibli has a terrible arc

HEAR ME OUT.

Before you attack me for this, I genuinely don’t care if you like or hate him. I never loved him, but he wasn’t as bad as moon. Sometimes he’s funny, I like his interactions with winter, but I never really cared about him. But the way his mind was described in moon rising made me excited for his pov in book 10.

Then I read it and realized that he’s a boring, whiny, obsessive character who I was immediately sick of.

Darkness of dragons as a whole is a fucking mess from start to finish. And because I have nothing better to do right now, im going to explain why.

This is all my opinion, and it is based on story structure and character arc guidelines and stuff that I have learned recently. Feel free to disagree. Qibli is a decent character with his charm and humour, but he has the worst character arc out of all wof books. Yes that includes the hive queen and dragonslayer.

 Ok so first, what I like about qibli: like two things: his relationship with winter, and his sense of humour. I like his playful banter with the shiny ice dragon prince. It’s entertaining. And he does have the occasional joke that manages to somewhat amuse me.

 Literally everything else about him is awful. So let’s talk about that.

 Memorable characters are driven by three main things: desire, fear, and misbelief.

 Winter’s misbelief is that his life’s worth is determined by a ranking on a wall and what his tribe thinks of him. This also results in him believing that working with others and expressing love and trust are signs of weakness. He’s afraid of being a disappointment to his tribe because he’s experienced that feeling in his past already, and never wants to face it again. And yet … he does want more. He’s more open and caring than the rest of his family, and in the two backstory scenes we get, it’s clear he’s far more willing to bend the rules to be even a little more free.

 Peril’s misbelief is that she’s too dangerous to make her own decisions. Therefore, she’s instantly loyal to anyone who expresses a hint of interest or affection to her. This leads to her being easy to manipulate, and Scarlet does just that. She’s afraid of displeasing the people she’s loyal to, but she does want to be free. But her backstory and eight years of living by Scarlet’s orders and not having a single thought of her own has lead her to subconsciously believe that she constantly has to have someone make all her choices for her. She doesn’t go after Scarlet for her own benefit, it never crosses her mind once. She’s doing it because she knows it will make Clay happy, and not herself.

 Turtle always wanted to be a hero. That’s literally in the book blurb. But the Snapper incident in his backstory makes him doubt that he will ever be anything more than just another SeaWing prince. Thanks to his mother’s stories, he believes that in order to be a real hero, he has to do great, epic things like slaying whole armies by himself. He wants to be a hero, but his misbelief and fear of being noticed get in the way of his wants.

 And they all grow and overcome their fears and misbeliefs. Winter realizes that his friends would never hurt him the same way his family would. He realizes that it’s okay to love and be loved, to trust and be trusted. He goes back to his friends because he knows that, even if they can be annoying some times, it’s so much better than having his worth determined by a family and tribe that never approved of him and probably never will. Peril discovers that her misbelief is leading her to make the wrong decisions. Her growth is so strong that she can take off an animus touched object. She knows she’s right. She can make her own choices, and she’s done letting others use her as a toy. Turtle saves his sister, not by taking down an army, but by tossing her his enchanted stick to keep her hidden from Darkstalker. In doing that, he’s proven that he’s evolved and changed as a character. They all still have doubts at times, but that’s normal. These three characters have some of the best arcs I’ve ever seen.

 Now back to Qibli.

 His family told him he was worthless and couldn’t do anything as an ordinary dragon. This sparked the misbelief that he has to have power, or in this world animus magic, to have worth. He’s afraid of being worthless, and wants to feel valuable. That’s a great setup for a great character. Qibli could have, and should have, been one of the best wof characters of all time.

 But no he fucking sucks.

 I’m going to focus on him as a character here. The Vulture stuff is boring as hell and I don’t care to talk about it. The whole book is shit and I will never read it again, so let’s continue.

 Again, Qibli is set up to be an excellent character. When he goes to find Ostrich, he brings with him Anemone’s bracelets, which makes perfect sense. He doesn’t want to be powerless, so of course he’s going to bring that magic, that power, with him. More setup that goes no where, because when he uses them, he doesn’t even face consequences.

 Pausing here because I hate it so much.

 CONSEQUENCES ARE WHAT MAKE CHARACTERS GROW. If they face ZERO consequences for their actions, they won’t LEARN anything. Qibli using the bracelets works for his character, but I just cannot believe that Thorn would just let him walk away after burying the ENTIRE FUCKING KINGDOM in sand. I hate it so much. Qibli just getting a free pass and facing no consequences is so bad. He doesn’t even express that much remorse or guilt. That could work for a negative character arc (which I genuinely would have preferred from Qibli but I’ll get to that later) but for a positive arc? The magic and power he craves so deeply just got his entire kingdom buried. He should have so much more internal conflict now, because the thing he wants so badly just did more harm than good.

 Okay. Next part. This one isnt’ really related to his character arc, just more of him being a kinda jerk for a few seconds. Winter expresses great concern over travelling over Darkstalker’s teeth, and Qibli just teases him about it. Winter has known about Darkstalker’s malice his whole life, was brainwashed by him, and is truly terrified of him. If Qibli had teased him about anything else I wouldn’t have an issue, but Winter was scared for his life in this moment and Qibli just completely ignores it. Or maybe I’m wrong I haven’t touched the book in years because I hate it that much.

 Back to his ‘arc’.

 Wait no this is an issue I have with the book: the cliffhanger of book 9 was Turtle losing his animus magic and they just kinda fixed it in two seconds here. It’s very upsetting and kinda comical that they fixed it so effortlessly lmao.

 Back to Qibli.

 Uh nothing happens for a while. Just boring Moonbli WHICH, might I add, is the worst wof ship (excluding problematic ones ofc). They have zero chemistry and honestly I find Qibli a bit obsessive. He always thinks ‘what would Moon do’ or ‘will Moon love me if I do this?’ which yeah it ties into his ‘I want to be loved and have value’ motivation but it still feels a bit excessive and annoying at times. Pair that with his constant nagging about how ‘oh no if only I had that gosh darn scroll!’ or ‘how can moon ever choose meeee when she has winterrrr’. Moon described his mind to be fast and full of commotion, but we never see any of that in this book. It’s just constant whining and complaining.

 Then he goes another step further and blames Winter for getting angry at Moon for??? being friends with the dragon who just tried to murder his whole tribe???? Moon’s a fucking idiot for continuing to be friends with Darkstalker after everyone keeps telling her how bad he is. KINKAJOU, HER SUPPOSED BEST FRIEND, tells her all about what Darkstalker did to Turtle, and Moon’s just okay with it??? And then when Winter confronts her about still trusting Darkstalker after everything he’s done not just to the IceWings, but her friends as well, that Darkstalker brainwashed Winter and he’s not okay with it, Qibli calls him self-righteous for exploding with fury. What else do you expect?? This moment killed all three ships for me. It was an unnecessary event that’s only purpose was to give Tui a reason to make Moonbli canon instead of Winterwatcher.

 Onto the climax (which by the way is like the only semi decent part of this whole book). Qibli again uses his power to save the day. SERIOUSLY??? Ok fine it makes sense because this book has zero structure whatsoever. Qibli doesn’t have to make the impossible choice at the end of act one. He doesn’t face a goal shift at the midpoint. He doesn’t look a disaster right in the face. You cannot convince me that he’s changed at all over the course of this book.

 Because he doesn’t. He uses magic at the climax and boom everything is fixed. I like the concept of the empathy spell but it just doesn’t fit with this kind of character arc, unless it comes before the dark moment and fits into the supposed victory plot-point (thinking again now I think it sort of does but I’m too lazy to go change things so deal with it).

 And then oh no we get the temptation plot point! This is often my favourite plot point in stories that have it because we get to see the protagonist drop their misbelief and refuse the offer because they’ve changed! Reading this and thinking, oh wow he’s going to refuse it because he’s gone through a super dynamic character journey and arc!’ … then realizing no he’s not, because Tui forgot to include that and now makes Qibli refuse the offer for completely different reasons.

 See in a book with a good character arc, the character will refuse this offer because they’ve outgrown it. They no longer see value in it because they now have something greater to live for. I like this plot point much more than darkest moment if I’m being honest. So Darkstalker offers Qibli all he’s ever wanted: animus magic. Will Qibli accept, or decline? And why?

 He declines. But not for the right reasons.

 Qibli doesn’t refuse Darkstalker’s offer because he’s changed or grown. He doesn’t refuse it because he now sees no value in this because he’s seen happiness anywhere else. He refuses because he knows he can’t trust Darkstalker.

 … wow.

 i hate this book so much istg

 If Qibli had gone through a dynamic arc, he would have refused for better reasons.

 It’s just so disappointing. He has no reason to refuse that other than the fact that Darkstalker is untrustworthy. Holy shit.

 I take character arcs and story structure very seriously, and Qibli is just AWFUL when it comes to this.

 After three books that had such epic, emotional character arcs, DoD feels like a downgrade. And that’s why I think Qibli is a terrible character.

 But hey you know what COULD have worked?? Giving Qibli a NEGATIVE arc instead!

 I know he’s Darkstalker’s foil. That’s cool I don’t care. GIVE HIM A NEGATIVE ARC!! I would have LOVED IT SO MUCH MORE if Qibli accepted Darkstalker’s offer and arc 3 was all about all the other protagonists coming together to stop him and Darkstalker. That would have made a much better third arc. And you can bring in the other tribes if you want to I don’t care just find a way to make it work.

 It would have made so much more sense and fit the story so much more if Qibli accepted Darkstalker’s offer and became an evil animus alongside him. It also could have given Moonbli more time and chemistry! I still would have shipped Winterwatcher because well, Winter, but I probably wouldn’t hate Moonbli if this was the way the story went. Or maybe Qinter could be a thing. Imagine like a really emotional moment where Qibli is about to kill Winter and Winter just talks to him or something idk something romantic and sad. Would be great because there’s zero mlm rep in wof.

 Fuck it I’m gonna make an au about this.

 Yeeah that’s my rant over. I don’t hate Qibli as a character and I think he had so much potential but the way the story is written, I honestly thought he would have a negative arc instead. Wow I really want that au now I can’t stop thinking about it haha. But yeah Qibli is charismatic at times and a bit fun but his arc is terrible. Moon had a better arc than Qibli. MOON.

Sorry if this came off as aggressive at times I just wanted to voice my opinion. If you like him, that’s cool! I just don’t. He’s not one of my favourites although he could have been. Missed potential in my opinion. This is a very long rant so if you’re still reading this … thanks lol.

 Have a good day/night. Im gonna make that au now lmao.

[ahtsumu]

cOuNtRy BoY i LoVe YoUuU–– miya atsumu.

GENERAL HEADCANONS

☆ y’know that kid everyone hates but all the parents love? that’s miya atsumu for you

he’s such a mama’s boy ugh

she’ll see him with mud all over his jeans and be like “miya atsumu! what’d i tell you ‘bout goin’ muddin’!?” and he’s like “sorry ma! just got too excited”

and what’s she gonna do? nothing. absolutely nothing. she just laughs and shake her head because atsumu’s boyish charm is adorable

osamu hates this !!! they’re always competing for mama miya’s heart LOL

☆ says “mornin’ ma'am how’s your day been so far” to the gas station lady and then roasts the life out of his friends

anyone older than 30 adores atsumu to death and anyone his age thinks he’s the annoying dumb hot guy LMAO

☆ plays quarterback on the football team and he’s damn good at what he does !! he’s taken the team to nationals three times already and he’s hoping to end senior year with a first place trophy

☆ teachers also love him to death bc he’s such a sweet-talker and asking questions as if he actually cares about differential equations and antiderivatives but nooo LOL bby’s just trying to make the GPA cut for travelling

it’s a 2.2

☆ on days without practice he’ll hang out around the school parking lot with the Gang™, leaning against his pick-up truck and blasting music from his car speakers to look “cool”

rlly he’s just wasting his time and even his friends think it’s stupid asf like omg no one is looking. atsumu how r u not embarrassed

☆ drives stick shift and thinks he’s hot shit 😭😭😭 he’s not wrong it is hot tho

☆ plays country trap around the boys

when “old town road” first dropped lil nas x was on repeat for 2 months

atsumu has a playlist of EVERY SINGLE REMIX and he’s like “they’re differENT juSt liSTen!!!”

out of all of the boys he has the WORST taste in country music it’s deadass just lil nas x, florida georgia line, luke combs, and morgan wallen

sometimes he’ll spice it up with a little luke bryan but that’s pushing it 😭

his guilty pleasure is that one farmer song by lil tracy and lil uzi vert 

do not trust him with the aux

someone come collect him pls

☆ atsumu’s favourite southern meal undoubtedly has meat in it–– ribs, fried chicken, pulled pork, you name it

but he’s weak for peach cobbler and a side of vanilla ice cream for dessert bc homeboy’s got a massive sweet tooth

☆ he may be helpful in helping out with farmwork but this boy cannot fish to save his life

he has a picture of him holding a MASSIVE trout on his instagram and tinder (which he downloaded illegally for his ego lmfao) but really osamu caught it for dinner one night while camping and atsumu stole it for a 30 second photo

☆ owns camouflage but ironically ! 

whips it out on days he thinks suna might pull up in camo

why? no one knows. it cracks him up tho LMFAO

☆ atsumu actually dresses quite well–– his style is the typical southern prep: 

a pair of jeans/shorts and a crisp button-up paired with double monks

loves a good leather belt

his favourite leather is BROWN leather, thank you very much !

☆ owns cowboy boots and he’s so proud of them

they’re steel-toed and decorated by a simple stitch pattern but it gets all the city folks fawning over him so it’s his most prized possession

HE USES THEM TO IMPRESS CITY FOLK LOL he’s like “howdy” and they’re like 😍🤤😍🤤😍🤤

flirts by asking if they’d like to see his horse i––

☆ like his twin, atsumu is undoubtedly great with animals

dogs love him !! like they’re just naturally attracted to him plus he gets so smiley and happy around them

he was probably a golden retriever in a past life lmfaoo

he’s a phenomenal horse-rider too

he rides the horses out at night bc he just loves the wind in his face,,, like a dog

where he differs from osamu is that he hates the actual work of taking care of an animal lmao

☆ works a summer job at six flags because he loves going on rides for free he’s so cute ugh

DATING HEADCANONS

☆ aside from football atsumu also starts the inarizaki high school slam poetry club, which is, coincidentally, also just the entire football team 

listen it’s rlly cute how the slam poetry club was founded ok don’t laugh

after developing a massive crush on you, atsumu realises that he’s got too much of a meathead reputation to stand a chance LOL so he goes out of his way seem more “intellectual”

basically he’s like “i’m gonna venture into poetry bc girls love sensitive guys” and convinces the entire football team to host slam poetry nights in hopes you’ll show up at the shows

he starts leaving little poems in your locker and it’s like rupi kaur shit 😭

“you’re the brightest rose

in this garden

and you 

don’t 

even

know.

---a.m.”

☆ anyway you don’t even show up to the slam nights (you have ✨taste✨) but you do show up to his games!

☆ and eventually he works up the courage to actually ask you out and ofc you say yes bc he does it in such a cute way ugh

he stops you in the parking lot after a game and goes like “hey, uh, yer in my econ class and all yer comments are always so funny and..” and he’s just word-vomiting and eventually he gets to the point where he’s like “anyway i was wonderin’ if yer free friday night?”

☆ your first date is actually at an empty field near school

you’re just talking and getting to know each other better in the back of his pick-up truck under a bright moon, covered in blankets, each of you cradling a hot mug of cider

it’s kinda chilly but atsumu is literally a furnace

and atsumu just opens up the notes app on his phone and he reads you six poems and they’re all like 4 lines with weird enjambment HAHAHA

“you look. 

just like the moon. 

---a.m.”

most of his lines are actually plagiarised from popular country songs and you definitely recognise them but he just looks so darn cute awh you can’t rlly call him out rn (but you definitely do later in your relationship)

around two hours into the date he’s like “actually i’m the president of the slam poetry club” and you’re like “oh that’s cool!” (no it’s not omg ur praying he doesn’t start slamming right then and there bc you’ve heard rumours of what horrors the club has produced)

☆ if you like driving be prepared to Not Drive once you start dating atsumu (... or at least drive Less Frequently… unless you cut him a deal of some sort...)

he LOVES picking you up for school and this is the only time he’ll change the music playing in his car !!

he puts on the little playlist he made just for you and it’s got songs like:

cruise by florida georgia line (he literally always runs up to you and randomly sings “baby you a song” 😭)

burnin’ it down by jason aldean

play it again by luke bryan

but your song is “our song” by taylor swift ugh he knows every single line and he’s been dreaming of having a relationship like the one she describes ever since it dropped

ps: he’s actually the world’s biggest swiftie and thinks her earliest albums were the best

he got osamu on board too LMAO they go to her concerts whenever she visits their state. now you do too!!

☆ always drives with one hand on your thigh bc he’s just like that 🥰

☆ tried to learn how to play the guitar to serenade you but it was a miserable fail (he just can’t do the barre chords bc they’re so hard and what for !!)

☆ he’s such a good line-dancer tho

he’ll take you out to dance and it’s just such a vibe to see him smiling under lights, spinning you around at the barn dance with the goofiest smile on his face

☆ any time you guys fight or argue he’ll head out to the pasture behind his house and brood under the moon in the back of his pick-up truck LOL he’s so dramatic but it’s so cute!!

[sillyrabbit81]

The Pull

Summary: Alternative Universe. Vampire Henry. Henry, Crown Prince of the Vampires is avoiding his responsibilities because of his mother's fate. When Henry finds his mate, the circumstances are eerily similar to his mother's. Rather than risking his mate's life, Henry chooses to run, but can he run from his fate?

Pairing: Henry x OFC

Word Count: approx 2.4k

Warnings: mention of death, mention of abortion (although it didn't happen), and swearing

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 3

Chapter Two

Rowena POV

"David, I can't wear this!" I complained on the phone. I held up the dress again. "It's just too much, too revealing."

It was a simple white silk floor-length skirt, but the top of the dress was two long vertical pieces of silk, barely wide enough to cover my breasts, which crossed at the back before wrapping around my waist and tied in a bow on my lower back. There was no way I could wear a bra. It would only take a slight wrong move, and there would be an embarrassing nipple slip.

"Yes, you can," my brother said. "Lawrence had it made for you to wear as a gift. He wants to meet you and make a good impression." Lawrence was David's partner, they had been together for over a year, but I was yet to met him. Lawrence and David seemed to travel together an awful lot, so it had been challenging to find time for us to get together.

"Have you seen it?" I asked.

"Of course," David replied. I was surprised. David was my older brother and had always been a little protective of me, especially since our parents died when I was 15 and he was 20. Maybe he had finally let that go considering I was now 26.

"You know I'd never wear something like that. It's gorgeous, but it's too revealing for me."

"Rowena, it's Halloween. It's an excuse for excess." I rolled my eyes. For David, being a day that ended in 'y' was an excuse for excess.

"Why does your boyfriend want to see me in this?" It just seemed over the top for a party. I gathered that Lawrence was wealthy, but still, it's just a Halloween party.

"Because he wants you to fit in. Honestly, you'll stick out less wearing that than anything else. Besides, no one knows you there, and you'll have a mask. Just pretend you're someone else."

I grumbled. "What time did Lawrence say the stylist was coming?"

Although I couldn't see him, I could hear David's victorious smile through the phone. "At six pm. The driver will be there at eight."

"That seems late, David," I said. "I won't arrive until nearly nine."

"I know, but that is Lawrence's style."

"Promise you won't leave me alone." I wasn't afraid of being alone at parties usually but by the sounds of this one, the dress and the fact that I was having my hair and makeup done professionally made it feel like a big deal.

"Lawrence and I will take good care of you," David promised.

I said my goodbyes and hung up the phone.

Feeling only a little more confident after the phone call, I jumped in the shower, washed my hair, and shaved my legs for the first time in weeks. I put on a robe and slippers and went up to the main house to see Charlie since I had half an hour to kill before the stylist arrived.

Charlie was staying there tonight with Alice while I went out. He had his own room and often slept there now that he was getting older and wanted space from me. Charlie and I mostly ate our meals up at the house and just kept basics in our two-bedroom flat above the old stables.

Charlie and Alice were sitting together at the dining table, playing with a random assortment of lego pieces. "Hey, Mum. I made this for you." Charlie handed me a flower made from the blocks. He was such a sweetheart of a boy.

"Awww, thanks, Babybear. I love it." I kissed the top of his head and sat with them.

"I thought you had to get ready for tonight," Alice asked.

"I have an hour," I replied.

"You're still going, aren't you?" Alice asked. She seemed more eager for me to go than I was. Alice was Charlie's paternal grandmother. Charlie's dad, Alex, had been my boyfriend when I was 17. Despite being on the pill, I fell pregnant, and Alex tried to pressure me into an abortion and refused to be a part of his life. Alice had been horrified by the way Alex had treated me. In an unexpected turn of events, she had stepped in to help raise Charlie. Charlie rarely saw Alex, but Alice saw that we both wanted nothing. The woman was a saint.

"Yeah," I said reluctantly.

"It'll be good for you," Alice said, squeezing my hand.

"I know." I sighed.

"Charlie, go get Nanny a glass of water, please. My throat is feeling dry," Alice said. She had something to say to me outside of Charlie's ears. Being a kind and helpful kid, Charlie immediately got up and went to get her one. He made me so proud.

As soon as he left the room, Alice said, "Rowena, don't feel guilty getting out there again."

"How can you say that?" I asked. I had tried dating a few times over the years. It always ended disastrously. Always my fault too. I had developed severe commitment issues.

"Charlie is my grandson, and I want his mother to be happy. Not lonely and depressed. It would be best if you had a life beyond Charlie. I've been telling you that for years."

Charlie came back with a book, and Alice read to him. As mothers often are, I was struck by how handsome my little boy was. His blonde sun-bleached hair and deep brown eyes were framed by a face that had lost nearly all of its childhood fat. At nine years old, he was almost as tall as me already, and he would probably take after his father in that regard. In fact, his eyes were the only thing that came from my side of the family as they were the same colour as David's and my Dad's. Charlie looked so much like his father, sometimes it hurts to look at him.

Kissing him again, on the cheek this time, I said goodbye to Charlie, told him to be a good boy for Nanny and went back to our flat above the garage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I arrived at Lawrence's house not long after the sun had set. House was probably too humble a word to describe it. It was a borderline castle. I had thought Alice's family was wealthy, but this was another level. It was like something out of the Great Gatsby.

The car drove around the circular driveway and pulled up near the front door. A valet opened the car door, and he escorted me into the house, where he told my name to a butler who asked me to follow him.

Looking around the room, I was grateful to David for insisting I wear the dress. Everybody was dressed like it was a Hollywood awards show, and I mean everybody. Not to mention they all looked like actors or models. I had never in my life been around so many beautiful people. And I don't mean just beautiful because they were thin. There were people of all shapes and sizes, but everyone moved with grace and ethereal ease. They seemed so other.

This was crazy. Who the hell was my brother mixed up with? This whole night must have cost a fortune. Beyond a fortune! All for a Halloween party?

I was led from room to room, the house full of beautiful creatures. More than that, the house was decorated in a way that would put Versailles to shame. The decadence of the furnishings was lush and rich. Every piece seemed to be a precious antique but shone like it was brand new. Gold leaf decorated the cornices, and priceless framed artworks, tapestries and mirrors filled every wall. Even the wooden floor was an intricate parquetry design that appears to have taken years to lay.

At first, I thought I imagined it, but I noticed that everybody stared at me as I moved through each room. I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Did I look so different from everyone else? I supposed I did, but the eyes following me made me thankful for the mask.

After what seemed like hours but couldn't have been, I was taken to a large hall and presented. Yes, presented. What the fuck?

My escort stopped outside the room and spoke to a man standing just inside the door. The man rapped his cane on the floor three times and thundered, "Rowena, sister of David, Inamorato of Duke Lawrence." An eerie silence fell as every face turned to me. Some even bowed their heads. What on earth was going on?

"Rowena!" David was at my side, clutching my hands to his chest. "I've missed you so." He leaned over and kissed both my cheeks. Everybody in the room seemed to return to normal, and sounds of chatter resumed. David was wearing a mask and wore an elegant dark grey suit. He looked so different. David has always been handsome, but he looked so unlike his usual self, and I couldn't pinpoint the difference. I didn't even have the words to describe the change. I know it had been months since we had seen each other, but it wasn't that he had lost weight or gained muscle. What I could see of his face was inconsistent with my memories of him. Then I saw his eyes.

"David, what the..." David cut me off and embraced me. His smell was mouth-watering, and I wondered what cologne he was wearing. He had never smelt like that before.

"Come, meet Lawrence!" David exclaimed, gripping my hand tightly. Maybe he had put on muscle because he was stronger than I remembered.

David lead me further into the room. I followed, but my head was spinning. Why did everything look so beautiful but feel so... unreal?

"Lawrence, my love, this is Rowena," David said.

The man who sat before me took my breath away. I had no word to describe him other than impressive. He wasn't tall or large, but he seemed to take up all the space in the room as if by looking at him, your eyes couldn't see anything else. His skin was like a midnight sky lit up by the moon, which seemed to reflect the light as it was so smooth, flawless and radiant. His hair bounced with large curls, and although it was dark too, it seemed to shine with its own light.

As Lawrence stood, his movements were so polished they almost had a serpentine grace. His white lace mask framed his eyes, black with a red rim around the pupil, just like David's. Lawrence came towards me, and I was captivated, struck immobile by the force of his presence. Then all of a sudden, the fear left me as though it was never there. I sucked in air, not realising I hadn't taken a breath since I laid eyes on him.

Lawrence grasped my hands to his chest, just like my brother had. "Oh David, she is lovely, isn't she?" He lifted my hands to his lips and kissed both of them before lifting my arms wide and inspecting me. "She does look luscious in this dress. I do have excellent taste, do I not?"

I looked to David, who was beaming proudly like he had passed a test by bringing me here and meeting Lawrence's approval. Stunned, I looked again at David's smile. Something was wrong with it.

Lawrence was still talking, "You were right that she would be a hard one to crack. She seems to see many things others don't. Including you, by the way." David laughed at Lawrence's observation.

I tried to speak, to ask again what was going on, but nothing came out. I kept trying to breathe but I felt suffocated. The more I tried, the less air seemed to come in.

David grabbed my shoulders and caught my gaze. His voice was solid and musical, and the force of his words almost made me fall. "Rowena, it's alright. You can breathe." And all at once, I could.

"This dress is too tight." I managed to say.

"Nonsense," Lawrence said dismissively, "it's perfect. He is going to love it."

"He?" I questioned.

Lawrence sighed and glanced at David. They looked at each other for a few moments, then David took me by the arm and led me to a cluster of sofas. "Come, sister, sit with me and let's catch up."

Even the way he spoke seemed to change. It can't have been that long since I'd seen him. I thought back and realised I hadn't seen him in about two years. We occasionally spoke on the phone, but years had passed since I had physically seen him.

Lawrence left us mingled around the room, which I saw now was a ballroom. Some people danced, some drank wine, and others socialised. Something was wrong with all of it, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

David started to talk to me, asked me about little Charlie. I went to get my phone to show him some pictures and realised I must have left my bag in the limo. Before I could tell David that, he said, "never mind, the driver works for Lawrence. He has it. You can get it before you leave."

How did he know where I had left my phone? This was too much. "David, what's going on? There's something wrong here. This place is... off."

I suddenly felt bewildered, like I couldn't concentrate on anything. I felt a curious pull towards the back of the hall. I stood and looked back and started to walk towards the doors. It was like I was trapped in a gravitational pull towards... something. Without warning, a spontaneous feeling of arousal hit me, and my body was on fire. I let out an audible moan. I felt a desperate call come from between my legs to ease the rapidly growing craving. And not just by anyone, by Him. Wait, who was Him?

David held my arm and tried to lead me back, but I wouldn't allow it. I struggled for him to let me go. David was about to say something when another announcement was made, "The Crown Prince, Henry, Son of Alfred, King of all Sanguisuge."

I looked first to David to question what on earth that meant when I caught sight of the Prince.

It's Him.

I felt like I was falling, plummeting to the ground. The floor rushed to meet me, and my vision went dark.

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 3

@henryobsessed

[moonlightjeno]

ten things and then some | l.j

𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 :: jeno x reader 𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕞 :: based on the poem from 10 things i hate about you if you haven’t watched it fo yourself a favor and go watch the movie bc it’s a m a z i n g. ty 𝕨𝕔 :: 15.5k this is the longest thing i’ve ever written wow. 𝕒/𝕟 :: y’all jeno fits the concept to this p e r f e c t l y, and no i am not being biased :) and a massive massive thank you to @smoljh​ for helping me and giving me feedback, you’re the sweetest. and ofc to my soulmate girl yk i love you to the moon and back, and i hope you enjoy this piece @mangotexts​ ( truly the best hype woman anyone could ask for ).

everything in bold is part of the poem, from “10 things i hate about you”

I hate the way you talk to me,

Sweetheart. love. angel. The words that spin from his mouth every time you hear him talk to you, made you aggravated. It was a constant stream of words that had begun as a prick of annoyance. Every time, he opened his mouth, looking at you with his dark brown eyes. 

“Earth to y/n” the snapping of fingers disrupts your train of thought, eyes glancing back to the dark-haired boy on the other side of the school grounds, before landing back on your friend. 

“What?” the words slip from your mouth with disinterest, a lack of concern for whatever your friend had been rambling on about for the past five minutes. The small amount of conversation you’d registered was she’d been talking about a party that johnny suh, school alumni, and constant talk around school grounds were throwing as a “welcome to the end of high school”. Though as parties went, you were almost sure that it would encompass school graduates, seniors, and the occasional sophomores and freshmen that would manage to sneak their way in, eyes glittering with excitement as they entered their first high school party. 

“Are you coming?” her words were drawn out as if she’d ask you five times before, she might have, and it was only now that you had finally heard the question. The question slightly baffles you, because everyone in school knew you didn’t go to parties since freshman year. 

“Uh, no. you know what i think of parties, they’re a waste. An excuse for seniors to think they're above everyone else, as they tell off the younger students that they’ve deemed aren’t ‘cool’ or mature enough, while the freshman walks around with some sort of desperate hope in their eyes as if the world will drastically change if they show up at a senior party. Someone should tell them” you say, looking past your friend whose excited smile has dimmed to a small frown, eyes slightly annoyed, something that doesn’t surprise you at this point. It isn’t a secret what you think of parties either, even if you are best friends with the queen of parties herself. You stop yourself before your eyes have a change of drifting to the brown-haired boy with a leather jacket that tends to sit by the foot of the football field, whom you can’t seem to find, probably smoking the thought is bitter and places a scowl on your face before you look back at your friend,  “nothing changes''.

“Just once, one time is all i ask of you” the pleas that come from your friend make you focus on her, her hair is loose ruffled by the light wind that has blown over the course of your conversation. It’s almost enough for you to agree to go to the stupid party, when you see her glance towards mark lee, the boy she’s been crushing on for as long as you’ve known her. It hadn’t surprised you, that she’d fallen for him, when you saw him. The boy who made most girls swoon, but who had somehow managed to beat all the stereotypes of “hot” because mark was also talented, more than you’d like to admit when it came to music, he’d helped you a couple of times when you’d been stuck on a composition, always a smile on his face. so when she glanced towards him, the glittering in her eyes and rose tainted cheeks as mark looked back, flashing a small smile, you couldn’t help but give in. 

“I’m going to regret this,” you say, the words a mix of a grunt and an exasperated sigh, but your friend is almost jumping up and down, giving you a quick hug and promising that you wouldn’t regret it, not at all, you’d have the greatest time before she was turning around a skip in her step. A smile graces your face at your friend’s happiness, and it remains there unfaltering until you hear “hello love”

Brown hair made its way into your view, as jeno’s face presented itself in front of you, a cocky smile grazing his features that made your smile falter and eventually turn into a scowl.

“What” the word isn’t a question, more like a complaint as you try to turn around and head in the opposite direction, away from jeno and his sweet words. But his voice trails behind you only a couple of steps away before he’s next to you leather jacket glaring against the end of the summer sun, and you wonder only for a second how he isn’t passing out from the heat. 

“Oh come on angel, a lil smile wouldn’t kill you” his words are filled with a tone you can only describe as intolerable, making you slightly gag.

“A smile wouldn’t kill me, but i might kill you” you smile at him, a grin adorning your features, “luv” the words that left your mouth are meant to push jeno away and have him leave you alone, but the boy is persistent and though his smirk falters slightly at the glare you give him, the grin is up and running again as he stops in front of you. 

“And then who would you have to glare and fight with luv?” the moment the words leave his mouth he turns away, proud of his line. The dumbass, you think, insults quickly forming in your head and ready to be thrown out towards him but your phone pings, and you thumb it open. The message “see you at the party angel” makes your blood boil slightly, but you can’t hide the way your cheeks slightly turn red and the smile that slowly grazes your face before you make a vulgar gesture to the sweet mouthed boy, and turn away.

As much as you hated to admit, you looked forward to the party only just slightly more than you did five minutes ago, the small nicknames swarming around your head. 

And the way you cut your hair.

The too-loud music and blinding lights that could be heard and seen from multiple blocks away, and you almost stopped in your tracks, ready to turn around and head back home. But a pull from your friend as she squealed in excitement at maybe having a chance with mark managed to keep your feet moving towards the flashing lights. 

Strong alcohol, tequila, or vodka is something you’re hoping they have at the party so that you can attempt to get away from the sex-craved teenagers that are lined up against the walls, pushing against each other. Just walking into the house, and the stench of cigarettes, weed, and sweat floats through the air almost enough to make you gag, as your nose scrunches up at the sight and smell. 

Drinks are set far too far from the entrance of the house, the kitchen seems to be miles away not close enough for your liking until you finally reach it. Johnny, black-haired slicked back, the sunflower tattoo on his forearm a stark contrast to the leather jacket he wears and it makes you smile just slightly at the different personalities the dark-haired boy has.  Yet you can’t deny his loud and extravagant personality as he talks from person to person whether senior or freshman, making drinks, even if some of the spillover the sides, you sit by one of the stools ready to get a mixed drink of whatever the alumni is able to concoct before getting the courage and energy to head back into the party and socialize with people you really have no interest in socializing. 

In the short minute that it takes johnny to get your drink, the lemon drink shot with a strong tequila is set in front of you just as your friend has left you with the only warning being a sharp look, as she smiled to a brown-haired boy that you can only presume to be Mark, by the way, her face flushes, and she takes a swig from the drink in her hand before leaving you, and you yell a sharp “go get em” before gulping down the liquid inside the red solo cup. 

Alcohol you’d forgotten burned down your throat, it’s lingering sharp and bitter taste leaving a tang in your mouth as it traveled down your mouth. You forget that the effect of the drink doesn’t come into effect a little later, where you are jumping up and down on the table, dancing from side to side as the music pumps through your blood and body. You won’t be able to tell that it’s the alcohol that you’d sworn you wouldn’t drink unless surrounded by friends, but most definitely not in a social gathering, that makes you jump from table to table and grab other’s next you as you dance with them. Hair slightly plastered to your face from the sweat, and though you’re dancing your words are slightly fuzzy from the multiple drinks you’d had from random tables you’d pass by.

A sharp tug and pull gets you off the current table and you begin to complain, wanting to continue to let loose to the rhythm of some constant beat song that sounds all too vaguely familiar to your ears, but the arms that are wrapped around you feel oddly warm and comfortable and the protest die slightly on your lips as you turn around to see who’s holding onto you. 

Dark brown hair, almost black frames the boy’s face perfectly and you want to run your fingers through it. Some sense of longing for love and being loved passes through you, and now you’ve realized how drunk you truly are as you push down the emotions of attraction to the boy in front of your face showing only the traces of what would be a smile if he wasn’t so concerned for your safety. 

“y/n?” the boy asks, and you’re still in a light haze of alcohol that buzzes through your skin and blood making everything fuzzy that you can’t quite picture whose face it is in front of you, whose voice that is soft and gentle towards you and sounds so familiar, to which you only manage to nod your head slightly hair falling in front of your eyes as you smile. It’s small, fluttering, and the boy in front of you smiles too, as he repeats your name, and then the words that leave his mouth make him click into place. 

“y/n? Luv? How much have you had?” The word luv, makes you push away from the strong arms that hold you, the classic leather jacket that tends to adorn his body has somehow managed to be wrapped around you, and you realize that you are no longer inside the house with loud music. Instead the music and flashing lights have been replaced by trees and twinkling lights that flash in the dark sky and the distant background of loud music that is too low for your ears to register anything more than a constant drone. Your smile has been replaced by a scowl, and you grunt at the jacket you’re wearing, hating to admit that it’s warm and comforting. You try to speak, the words a slur before you hurl, holding onto your stomach as the content of your lunch and too much alcohol are spilled on the grass floor in front of you. 

The acid from your stomach burns your tongue, a bitter taste seems to linger even as you chug down the water that jeno offers you, a small smile gracing his features. And you blame the alcohol, but you smile back at him, and can’t think that maybe he isn’t as bad as you thought he was. You can’t shake the feeling of his hand wrapped around your waist, another holding up your hair as you hurled, and coughed no mocking grin or satisfactory smirk making their way onto his face. Instead a small smile was present, his dark hair that you finally admitted to yourself, made him look hot, was tousled and messy by the wind and it looked cute. 

You blame the day’s events and the words that were thrown at you at the beginning of the party making you head straight to the intoxicating drinks. You blame the chemicals that are still in your system, as you sit on the grass dragging jeno to sit next to you, hand intertwined with his. The grass that is cool against your touch, making your skin feel less hot, less sticky, and more conscious. You blame the alcohol and everything it changes in your core, for letting you lean your head against jeno’s shoulder, as his arm wraps around your shoulders pulling you in only slightly, scared to scare you away. You most definitely blame the alcohol as the words that fall from your mouth as you hold onto jeno’s calloused hand. 

“I like it” the words are a mumble, whispered into the night air, and it causes jeno to turn just slightly his lips almost touching the crown of your head, “like what?” he whispers back, and you can almost swear a small kiss is placed on the crown of your head. 

           “Luv” 

I hate the way you drive my car.

It seems that the stars want you to hate jeno more than you already do, as he half carries you half drags you to your parked car. The moon shines on the car surfaces mixing in with the dull yellow lights from the evenly spaced streetlights. You wished that you could walk straight, but you still stumble a little, your steps not sturdy until jeno has placed his arm around your waist lifting you up, that you manage to walk to the old vintage car that is parked under one of the dimmed out streetlights. 

The sequence of opening the door and you get inside the car occurs in a slight blur, but you find yourself on the passenger seat, head resting against the cool window that makes you jump slightly from the contact. It isn’t until you turn your head as the engine roars to life underneath you that you see jeno by the wheel, adjusting the rear view mirrors to his height and gripping the steering wheel. 

Time seemed to stop as you lay in the grass, head tucked in between jeno’s shoulder and his head. It stopped when the last words that had left your mouth had made jeno’s smile widen and his eyes match the moon that shone brightly above the two of you. The droning music has stopped, flashing lights no longer as constant as they were when you had first dragged jeno into the cool grass. In that position did you two lay for hours, a comfortable understanding and silence settling between the two of you until your breaths became constant and your eyes had begun to droop threatening to close that jeno shook you lightly. The only response he got was a small humm that you were still awake, as he pulled you up and started to make your way to the car. Something that seemed almost impossible as jeno had absolutely no idea where the fuck your car was and you didn’t seem to quite remember in your hald drunken half sober very much about to fall asleep state.

Jeno could have almost jumped from joy when he’d seen your eyes brighten up at the sight of a beat-up old red mustang, and you pointed towards it. The moment he had opened the passenger door you had climbed inside curling up next to the door like a cat, and he couldn’t help but think that you were adorable, even when you snapped at him for taking your keys. It was a different side of you that he’d never seen, and he doubted many people did see. One where you weren’t putting on a sort of facade of hating everything around you, but instead you let your eyes relax holding a sort of brightness and glow jeno hadn’t seen before but now couldn’t stop himself from looking at. Stop, jeno scolded himself as he turned to look at the road, car roaring to life.  

“Nu-uh” you grunted at seeing jeno aggressively change gears, “stop being so aggressive,” you say as you sit up. The smile that adorned jeno’s face turns into a grin, as he continues to aggressively switch gears as he turns the corner, and you regret ever thinking he was kind. 

“My car doesn’t deserve this” you grunt out, and jeno chuckles looking at you from the side, and he loosens his grip slightly on the gear stick. 

“You mean my presence? I’m gonna have to agree, sweetheart” you’re not sure if it’s the light trace of chemicals that still surround your brain, or if you’ve really wanted to do this for a while but you don’t stop your fist as it punches jeno in the arm. 

“The fuck” leaves jeno’s lips, as he rubs his arm where you’d hit him and you do a little dance on your seat, “don’t hurt my car dumbass” is your only answer before you continue to laugh at the face of confusion and mocked hurt that jeno fakes. 

Your laugh rings around the car, and echoes through the street, as the windows at some point where rolled down. The way jeno looks confused makes you laugh harder, and he turns just slightly, his eyes narrow and eyebrows slightly scrunches, and he looks like a confused dog. Alcohol might have made you hit him, but you can’t fathom why you would be laughing at jeno, no not at him but with him as his laugh has joined yours as he drives the car down the street. The ridiculousness of the night catches up with, making you hold onto your stomach as jeno parks into your driveway smile never faltering. 

From the way, both of your eyes shine from joy and amusement one could almost swear that the two of you were friends, almost lovers by the way jeno looked at you. But no one was looking at two in the morning, and no one can be there to tell you that the way you two look at each other is in a new way. No gazes filled with mocked sympathy or non-wanted flirtatious remarks, instead, you two seem to gaze into each other’s eyes for what seems too long if it weren’t that neither of you seemed to mind. 

And because you are still slightly tipsy, and the stars and moon make jeno look like some sort of angel as his hair is illuminated by a white light, that lights up his face making his eyes a warmer brown that they usually are that you think about opening up yourself to him. Maybe he isn’t as bad as you think, maybe just maybe the nicknames he gives you make you feel a flutter because he could be someone to trust. 

Possibilities for the maybes and wants to fill your head, and you don’t realize your eyes have fluttered shut and you are leaning in only slightly a sway towards where jeno is until you feel his hand on your shoulder stopping you, a pitiful gaze grazes his features and you are almost sure you want to go crawl in a hole. Instead, you push him back, opening the car door and slamming it behind you, chin held up as you walk back towards your house, the water in your eyes threatening to spill. But you manage to make it, as you walk into your house, and slam the door behind you the words “maybe not now” replaying in your head, because why the fuck would he actually like you. 

You don’t notice when you go to sleep music blasting from your headphones that you’ve wrapped yourself in the leather jacket that smells slightly of cat and boy, the lingering stench of cigarettes and fire from the jacket given to you by the boy who had managed to hold your heart for only a second. 

 I hate it when you stare. 

              in and out. Your breaths match the classes metronome, a constant beat to keep your breaths even and focused on whatever the teacher is saying, which happens to be the importance of pentatonic scales when composing a new song. He drones on about the way modern pop music isn’t really music and that the same fours chords and rhythmic patterns are used over and over again with a slight variety to them. You would have looked around the class, taking in the beautiful instruments that are set on display around the class, most of them hanging on hooks and nicks that cause the brass instruments to gleam in the classroom light. Admiring the way the guitars were filed neatly, basses next to them and the small ukuleles that the school's “hipsters” would pretend to play every so often at the talent shows. Some of the guitars and ukuleles were decorated by the art classes, the flowers blooming from one end to the other making it impossible to tell the difference between where the original brandished wood begins and ends. It almost seems at times like the flowers in full bloom are consuming the wood, taking away its air and nutrients that then allow the students to play melodica tunes without the professor yelling at them to tune their instruments. You would be admiring the piano that lay at the front of the class where your professor is currently pacing back and forth, his hands waving in grandiose gestures that make you cough an attempt to hide the rising laughter in your throat. The piano that you’d heard most of the students in the class play and almost lull everyone to tears or sleep depending on who it was, as the keys would rise and fall with each stroke. 

Admire. Stare at the instrument you longed to strum and let out the bundle of emotions that were piled up in your stomach, taught and knotted together waiting to be untang;ed by the strum and finger pattern of the acoustic guitar. That’s what you would be doing if you weren’t slightly interested in the way that your professor was taking down and criticizing modern day music which you could only nod your head too, agreeing with most of his points. The rest of your class seemed to be disgusted, their faces shriveling and eyes rolling to the back of their heads. 

“Well yeah, music today doesn’t, well shouldn’t really constitute for “real” music. It shouldn’t be dictated by a constant talk of sex and the drugs, what about the power in music? The way that it is in itself a universal language?” you speak out of turn, your arm coming down slightly aching from having to hold it up for so long with no acknowledgment. The moment you speak you can almost feel the class sigh and grunt, their heads dropping slightly. 

“Now miss y/n” his voice is grainy and unpleasant, but you nod, eyes defiant at whatever critique will come your way even if you just agreed with your professors point of view, “did i ask for your opinion on the universal language and power it has on your feelings” 

“Well no but-”

            “No buts” you want to roll your eyes and flip him off, and decide to do both as you sigh, “not like you’d understand what that is” you mumble loud enough for your the boy at your right to hear you and his mouth falls slightly open, and you roll your eyes flipping him off as he turns around facing the scribbled blackboard.  

You can feel eyes staring at you, analyzing the way you bite onto the top of your pen or how you doodle across the margin of your paper, random notes and lyrics that pop into your head as your professor drones on and on about the theory of music. It’s a pity you think that it’s those eyes that make you want to stand up and hit someone, those eyes that seem to want to dig a whole through your brain are what cause the feeling of uneasiness in your stomach every-time you turn around. 

in and out. The metronome beeps constant again, and you loosen the grip on your pencil. Turning around slowly before locking gaze with jeno, who seems startled, you turned around and looked at him in the first place. Replaced is the mocking grin by a sheepish smile, and you can almost swear there’s a speck of guilt in his brown eyes as he looks at you with a small pleading look until you flip him off, mouthing the words “fuck you” into the air. But he seems to register them as he breaks the contact, eyes darkening and head bowing down just slightly, making a small smile graces your features. 

Tick tick tick - ring. The bell goes off and you can’t seem to get up and out of your seat quick enough, following pursuit of the other students that have already packed and are counting down the seconds until class is over. You’re almost at the door, fingers stretching to reach the handle when you feel a light tap on your shoulder, a brush of your hair to the side, as you swirl around. You bite down the curse that is about to slip through your lips as your professor stands in front of you an amused smile on his face as he tells you that even though you’re an exemplary student you should tone down on the whole “power to the people” role you hold and you have to stop yourself from turning around and walking away. “Uh sure…” you are ready to leave, feet beginning to turn but your professor isn’t done and he holds you back telling you about the inconveniences of being a teacher at this day and age and you wonder what the man had wanted to be if not a teacher but the question and pity are quickly erased when he tells you that you about the end of the year assignment, “a project of sorts” he drawls, one hand stroking the light beard that sticks in odd patchy places around his face. “that will test what you’ve learned this year” you say nothing, waiting for what the punch the goal of the assignment is, “a song based off shakespeare’s sonnets” 

You don’t have time to clap and jump from joy at the assignment and thank your professor before the fire alarm goes off and you are walking towards the football field. You don’t have the time to register the way people are looking at you, the way jeno is staring at you with a goofy smile and hopeful eyes as the intro chords play to i.f.l.y  by bazzi and he gazes towards the crows that has gathered around him, eyes finding yours. 

I hate your big dumb combat boots,

The clunk of boots against the aluminium causes the bleachers to shake slightly, a vibration of clashing echoing through the field as it mixes in with jeno’s voice. The dark haired boy that scares the school away on most days bounces along from one side of the bleachers to the other. 

You can feel the warmth spread to your cheeks, the heat spreading through your body and you shake your head slightly at whatever is going because you truly aren’t quite sure. The only thing you know is that it seems to be the whole school’s eyes are darting from you to jeno, who can’t seem to take his eyes off even as he jumps from one row of bleachers to the next the microphone on his hand a he raps along to the lyrics to the song. Lyrics that sound as familiar as a midnight drive and cooling moonlit fields. 

*

The way he conveys the words and raps is not something you hadn’t heard before, you’d heard him speak his poems to you that late night in the midst of summer heat when you had been in a need of escape from the world that surrounded you. The summer heat had been too much, too suffocating that in a whim you’d driven to the highest point in the city. City skyline had been laid before you, the hues of the city changing as the sun slowly dipped itself over the buildings, and it seemed to want to disappear like you did. Slowly, leaving a mark in the world as it reached past the buildings and water that lay far beyond the city, stretching it’s red flames that would slowly flicker and turn into different hues of pink and purple. It was mesmerizing, a way to get away as the sun went down and the moon shone brighter than the city lights, no amount of light pollution that littered the air enough to you were in your own world. Your mind travelled to that safe and peaceful place that would only come out when you were surrounded by the twinkle of stars that seemed to flicker hope, while the moon remained a constant reminder of the light in the darkness. That is until the crunch of leaves behind you, a sign of the coming autumn disturbed you from your silent peace.

Moonlight shone on black boots, the combat boots seemed to dull the moonlight, taking away all it’s light by absorbing it as it crunched the leaves underneath them and stopped in front of you. Eyes landed on a hooded figure, their black hoodie being slightly too big, as it drooped over their frame, reaching slightly past their hip, where you could see the tears in the boys jeans, and you hated to admit that the outfit wasn’t bad. The boy’s face wasn’t visible from the shadows caused by the moonlight, but it wasn’t that it mattered as you went back to looking at the city below you, waiting for the boy in front of you to sit down next to you. It would have normally bothered you to be disturbed in what you had claimed to be your “spot” but maybe it was the way the boy held his head down, or the way the stars shone and illuminated portions of his face, maybe it was just that there was a mutual understanding between the two people that had seeked comfort in the middle of the night underneath the stars. For whatever the reason, you stayed next to each other not touching, not leaning against each other but there was a sense of comfort by each other’s presence and a mutual knowledge of what each wanted. The silence was one of comfort, a blanket that seemed to surround the field that two of you sat in, and when the boy with the worn out combat boots began to speak, a light melody and rhythm to his words all you could do was nod along and enjoy the melodic and soothing sound of his voice. His words shocked you, reaching somewhere inside of you that seemed to be dormant for a long long time. 

“Summer’s been lonely, time seems wasted and passing.  But when the stars shine, and the sun goes, Summer becomes a lil less lonely Little less wasted Because when i'm with you  Time’s gonna stop” 

You couldn’t help but feel drawn to the warm voice that rapped next to, as he talked about lost time and love that seems to be a long lasting one that makes you feel like you’re gonna burst from everything that you feel for them only for them to leave in a quick second. And though you don’t know the boy next to you, you don't know his story, you don’t know why he decided on this very day much like you too climb to the top of the hill and admire the busy world from afar, you know the melody. The song that follows his heart, it’s something out of a movie you think, the way the two of you met, lost souls finding themselves by watching everything around them fade into the dark. You don’t know each other but you do, you know the way his song goes and it’s an understanding beyond words beyond actions as the two of you sit next to each other, hours passed midnight a boy with combat boots that crunch through leaves and a voice with thoughts that seem to connect to everything around you, and you. A lost soul with music in heart, that sways and calms down in the brightening moon of the night, as you give each other mutual company in a field of moonlit flowers, and blinking concrete. 

*

Jeno has made his way down the bleachers, his cheeks are red and you can’t help but feel amused and honored. Because as much as he annoys you and makes you want to hit something you can’t deny the way your heart flutters when he smiles at you as he is doing right now, steps bringing you closer and closer to you, his warned out combat boots make you laugh because you’d never seen him wear anything else. You can feel the anger fade away from the week, anger at him for embarrassing you, anger for not feeling loved like you wanted to be loved, but there was a sort of bond that was formed when the school's resident bad boy decides to sing a love song to someone he’s hurt and cares for. There’s something vulnerable by the way he looks at you, a light in his eyes and embarrassment and all of a sudden he’s in front of you. Faces only centimeters away, his breaths fanning your face slightly, their heavy and uneven but he’s smiling tune slightly off-key as he sings the last verse. 

“So I guess what i'm saying” the mic is lowered, and the space between the two becomes your own world. No longer are aware of the hundreds of teenagers surrounding you, some of the whistling others video taping. 

“I guess what i'm saying” you hum back, smiles adorning both of your faces, 

“I fucking love you”

And the way you read my mind.

It seemed as if the world had suddenly shifted. No longer where you are grounded on earth, goals set to go to the other side of the world away from your family, instead you feel alleviated. Where the ground used to be now there was air, a lightness to your movements and words that weren’t there before. It isn’t that the world suddenly changed, the clouds didn’t suddenly become more bright, the world didn’t suddenly become a bright ball of colors and sunshine. 

Falling for someone was based upon the little moments spent together. The way the world seemed to feel a little less heavy, a little less lonely when brown eyes would meet yours, greeting you with a lopsided smile. You had read in books that falling was like falling asleep, slowly and then so quickly that you didn’t even notice the way your heart would take skips when hand touched hand, calloused fingers from constant strumming of a guitar, grazing yours. They say it’s supposed to be too fast for you to notice, as if you were in a dream state that you had fallen into and slowly when your heart is shattered or turned over do you wake up from the dream-like state wishing you had stayed in it. In your opinion falling was neither of those, and it was both. 

Falling was being dragged out of an arena, filled with a whole school student body, where laughter trailed behind you as the boy with worn out combat boots took you to the place you first met. It was the way his eyes would light up their dark brown becoming a lighter color, almost matching his honey colored hair when the sun would hit him from behind, when he looked at you while you talked about the project you were working on. Falling seemed to be the way that the first sentences after the boy sang bazzi’s confession song was a banter over why the song was chosen, you two debating which of his songs was better, an ongoing debate whether smile or i.f.l.y was a better show of emotion. The argument lasted the whole car ride, you drove and it hadn’t taken much convincing after you threatened to keep his leather jacket, that you had shoved back at him only previously that morning. It was only a matter of seconds after that conversation, that jeno pride smile on his face opened the passenger's seat to the beat up mustang and let you slightly, well more like lecture him on how to be gentle on the old car. If jeno would have been tested on the way that your hands would flit back and forth, moving from side to side and up and down making grand gestures and soft ones in order to justify and further prove your point, jeno was sure he would ace the test. But if it came to what you were talking about, how he shouldn’t force the car to change gears or how one button should be pressed before the other he would have passed, he loved hearing you talk passionately about anything and as much as he loved to get on your nerves to see you get flustered cheeks growing slightly red, but would have failed on purpose just for you to smack him in the arm. The punch, which he would never admit kinda hurt the first time you’d hit him what seemed like ages ago, but was really only a season ago, had softened and felt now more like a “you’re stupid but i don’t mind it”, it made him smile. Banter that flitted back and forth between the two of you, constant little arguments that weren’t truly arguments but more of a facade at the emotions and hidden feelings that grew between the two of you. 

The coming winter air was sharp against your ungloved hand, making you shake it up and down, which only caused jeno to look at you with a confused look. 

“You know luv” the nickname no longer made your blood boil, and you’d finally admitted to yourself that it made you feel warm, “there are pockets for a reason” he put his own hands in the stitched pockets of his leather jacket for emphasis, and you huffed. 

“And then how would i be able to carry this?” you lifted your hand, the what had been hot chocolate was now cold all thanks to the new barista at the cafe, jungwoo you think his name was. Your fingers that had seeped up all the warmth they could get from the previously steaming cup of hot chocolate were now pink at the ends, the cold biting into them, and you slightly shook from the cold air you hadn’t been ready for these type of temperature when jeno had sent you a message this morning, the contact “soft bad boy” appearing repeatedly in your phone, with the vague instructions to get ready to go out in the span of fifteen minutes, he’s been by your door in fifteen minutes leading you to your car where he opened the driver's seat for you as he headed into the passenger. It had taken you arriving at the snow covered school to realize where jeno was taking you, and when you had realized it was the school protests were coming. Questions such as “jeno? It’s winter break, why the fuck are we in school?” and “fuck it’s cold”, or jeno’s favorite which you were almost sure he would forever tease you about, “my hands weren’t made for this” you’d been talking about the numbing of feeling in your thumbs when you had been holding the chocolate, keys, phone and wallet in your hands because your jeans had been made without proper pockets. Fuck the patriarchy you hat thought. Jeno has heard the whole situation out of context, and has made it his life goal to tease you on and on about your small hands. It was torture. 

“You could ask for help?” his little bow almost made you laugh, but you rolled your eyes pride getting in front of his help

“And hear you brag about how you don’t feel the cold” you sigh, changing the drink from one hand to the next letting the pocket in your hoodie heat up your hand slightly, “no thank you”. The next thing you know though, is jeno’s jacket is placed around your shoulders, their warmth heating up your bones, and his hands are wrapped around yours, “no, i’d just do this” his voice is next to you, breath stirring the hairs at your ears, warmth sweeps through your body, by the contact his skin makes with yours, and for a second you want to turn around and kiss him. You want to know what it’s like to kiss his lips that seem so soft, want to know what it feels like to wrap your arms around his neck while you kiss him, and play with the black strands of hair at the back of his neck. The feeling doesn’t leave as much as you try to push it away, as jeno holds your hands and drags you towards the school gate, and into the music room.

Falling is about the invisible things. Falling is noticing the way he can read your mind like no one else can, falling is making dumb jokes at each other smiles on both of your faces, it is the way you seem to have conversations about what you want from the world at two am and still poke fun at each other in a passing by through school. Falling you think you finally understand, isn’t singing i.f.l.y by bazzi in front of the whole student body because you don’t want someone to be mad at you, no. falling is the way from summer to fall to winter you get to know each other, until your hearts seem to be in-sync with each other, as jeno who fiddles with the rings on his fingers tells you to sit down on a chair in the music room. It is the way he picks up the guitar your breath catches on everytime you see it, the flowers swallowing and making the wood more vibrant than it was, and looks at you in the eyes. Falling is how his hands tremble slightly when he begins to strum the guitar, and his husky voice fills the empty room, as he sings about the way you make him feel less alone, and part of the universe.

But there’s a thing about falling, there’s the way that you can feel your eyes tear up when he finishes a goofy smile plastered on his face, the last g chord ringing throughout the room and into the hallways. When you fall, you can never tell when the bottom hits, you can never be prepared for the way the ground lurches before you, a slap in the face, right as you let go of the moon boy in front of you breaths still a little uneven from the shared kiss, which made a star fall seem small. Once that rock bottom is hit, the world falls back into place and you aren’t held at freefall, when you hear the “click” and whoops and yells from the hallway and you try to ignore the invasion trying to take in the boy in front of you, until your phone dings and then so does his. A new text message from an unknown contact, with a photo image attached,

“Turns out the bad boy took the bet after all, and y/n isn’t as cold hearted as they seem”

I hate you so much it makes me sick;

Crashing, falling and burning. Emotions that seem to curse through you days, a weeks later after the text is sent, the one that follows is worse. 

“Turns out, jeno was being paid all along to make cold-hearted y/n to fall for him. If you don't trust us, ask him” you knew the message was a taunt, a test to see if you would break but you’d plummeted down down down, and the way jeno’s eyes had shuttered and the light was no longer the way gave you the answer you wanted. 

A breaking point is what they call you’ve heard when one can no longer hold in the anger or sadness or any sort of emotion that seems to be too much. The breaking point that causes one to lose control over their actions, or thoughts because things you thought to be true, are flipped on their side, and the worst part is you wanted yourself not fall for the boy with the easy smile that shone like the moon, and sweet words that made your blood boil and melt all at once. 

Sick, that’s how you felt when you pushed him away, leather jacket dropping with a heavy thud onto the wooden floor. A twisting and turning of emotions rammed through you, anger coming out strong as you shoved him away again before walking out of the room, leaving jeno mouth wide open as if he’d wanted to say something, hands clenching and unclenching as if he’d grabbed onto to you or hadn’t let you check your phone it would change the world worked. The light that had shone in his eyes left, it seemed to be squashed out by the water that threatened to escape because it was true, he had been paid. It isn’t something that made him particularly, it wasn’t that he wasn’t intrigued by you, from the night you two first met all those months ago under the moonlight. 

Payment, green paper that would be slipped into his hand by haechan, a fellow senior he barely knew apart from the school’s biggest flirt accompanied by na jaemin, he did wonder at times how they weren’t at each other’s throats most of the time, but substantially he truly didn’t care. It didn’t matter to him the more he got to know you, the more he held your hand and felt the way his heart would swell and at times skip a beat or two, maybe even three if you looked at him with light in your eyes, laughter ringing in his ears from a joke he had said. 

The first time he’d been offered the paper, fifty bucks to see if the cold hearted bitch that everyone seemed to fear was capable of giving her heart to someone, he had denied because as much as the world thought of him as a cold hearted human being he truly just didn’t want to be bothered or be torn apart from his music and dance.  The second time haechan offered, he accepted on a whim. There had been a sort of argument in music class, you leading the conversation against something he couldn’t quite remember but he remembered you taking down student after student, a defiant look in your eyes as you gave point after point on what you believed was right. He had accepted, because seeing you standing on top of your chair, passion driving you away from the textbook and to speak clearly voice ringing through the room, made him wonder if it was even possible and if he gave up with what he thought was to be your overly cold demour then at least he's earned some money and the freshman that had walked up to him that morning telling him about the plan they’d set up would work. The plan chenle, a boy who was taller than him, but a freshman nonetheless broke it down in simple steps, it was entertaining to say the least, the way he discussed how he would get his new found jisung to go out with your sister, but that would only be possible if you would date. If he wanted to lie to himself, he would say that he accepted the deal because he wanted to help the kids out, but he was never one to not follow the truth. But now, his hands feel cold and empty, lips still feeling the ghost of yours against his, and he remembers a quote he read not long ago on the story of how the sun died everyday in order to let the moon live at night. 

Jeno is sure that he should be the sun that should die, not because the sun was where the world gravitated towards but because you were the moon. The moon that seemed to hold him together and stand by him even after the lies that are spun about his background at school so when you walk out the door, and he sees the tear’s shining beneath the classroom lights he knows he’s lost. If only you knew that he had stopped taking any sort of money the moment he caught feelings, if you only knew the money that he’d earned had gone to help his fostered cats that hung out by his house every now and then. But even if you did now it didn’t make him any better than Haechan who had sent out the text message, informing the world about the stupidities and decisions he made and had regretted two weeks later when you had scolded him about how to drive your car. 

Sick. From your stomach to your head a loud and never ending thump went on and on like the metronome in the music room all those weeks ago. The headache seemed mocking of your developed feelings for jeno, and you could feel your heart twist into itself, as you went over the events of the last few months. What was real, what was done as an act, you didn;t know but you hated it. You hated the way he made you feel, hated the way one text one yes or luv had led you into this snowball and fall that had hit harder than you’d ever wanted it. You hated him so much, it made you sick. 

It even makes me rhyme.

Melodies follow structured patterns, like the rhythm to a song and the lyrics that accompany it, never missing a beat a simple dun dun dun that tends to lead people into a dance like trance. Yet that was the problem with melodies, it was the way that they held onto certain chords, following the same stroke of keys the same vocal riff or bass slap that would drive you insane but would also drive modern days love songs whether they dealt with the infatuation that was love or the consequences of that love which lead to the inevitable heartbreak all followed the same sort of patterns and lines. 

Rhyming, that’s what you did as you recited the end of the year Shakespeare inspired song. A mixture of words with similar sounding words with the same syllables, like car and stare or hate and fate a juxtaposition between the two. Rhymes where everything you tended to avoid, the stereotypical and overused notes digging into your brain, playing and replaying over and over but you didn’t care anymore, as you recited the scribbled lines on the old piece of notebook paper. Some of the yellow had faded from the drops of tears that had dropped weeks ago, as your mind thought of jeno, his smile no longer the same comfort it held when he drove you out to the beach and led you late at night to admire the stars and watch the sunset. Some of the blue ink bleeding through, making smudges across the paper you were to run in, the doodles that had been scratched and re-drawn only to be scratched and drawn in different shapes the notes written down almost everywhere except in the five bar staff that was supposed to hold the notes. 

The shaky breath you let out helps you calm down as you look out into the pinned up pictures of the bedroom wall and the view that gives out to the dying sun set out in the horizon making space for the ever present and shining moon in the blue now purple and lilac sky. Hands grip at the paper, making it crinkle slightly at the force being used, and you read halfway through the lines you can’t fully get through before tears begin to spring up at your eyes. 

I hate it, i hate the way you’re always right.  I hate it when you lie. 

The words feel raw, and posion, vile seems to rise up at your throat the further you go down, and thought the tears don’t fall heavily they steam. A dashing race down your cheeks and back into the yellow notebook paper, as if they were being recycled. The words on the page breaking you, the emotions a sway of everything they say you aren’t, written by you to the boy who shared his heart and then stole it taking it far far away. Salty water drops onto the paper, until they dry up and then they fall again the next time you read them, and you read them and fix them and read them again rhymes embedded into your brain until the tears no longer fall and the paper is no longer in crinkles. 

I hate it when you make me laugh,

The memory flits back to you when you are met with brown eyes on the first day back from winter break. The air is no longer sharp and threatening to cut into you, but nevertheless you wear your sweater, hoodie slightly up, headphones popped into both ears. You didn't realize the figure in front of you, until you’d bumped into the halfway through a new invented dance move you had decided to create as you bopped and moved to the music that surged through your headphones. The toppling into one another was fast, rushed almost as you collided against each other, a stutter back from both of you before you saw who exactly you had crashed into. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, you should have realized who the boy was from the worn out combat boots that had been dyed black again, and the leather jacket that had a couple of new patches adorning it’s sleeves. 

“Sorry” jeno murmurs, but you don’t hear music still flooding in, and you are too focused on the way his eyes shift from your face to your hoodie, and then back to your face not being able to look straight at you, it causes you to scoff. Of course he was able go behind my back, get paid to play with me, and when he gets caught he can’t even look me in the eye, the thoughts are slightly disappointing but not surprising - boys you had learned tended to follow patterns. It isn’t until jeno shifts his focus entirely from you, brown eyes darkening that you are intrigued by the change emotion, guilt and a sort of plead to apologize is wiped from his face and you soon realize the purple haired boy, who couldn’t help himself from laughing at your situation, calling more students to him that had set jeno off. 

“If it isn’t the schools biggest joke” haechan’s voice is mocking, and you truly don’t know why the rest of the student body is laughing with him, when there isn’t anything humorous, sadly this is what you expect from the school by this point, it happened in ninth grade there was nothing to say it wouldn’t happen again. You think about ignoring his comments, there truly was no use getting involved, haechan just wanted a reaction, that is until he flaunted his money around, the constant taunt of how you had been manipulated thanks to the douchebag in front of you not leaving your mind for a second and you’d had enough. Haechan or his group of friends couldn’t have stopped you even if they tried, as you walked up to him, hood down, the rings on your fingers shining in the morning sun, as you punched him. 

“Bitch!” his voice broke as the word escaped his lips, blood beginning to swell on the side of his face, “i have a photoshoot tomorrow” you punched again in response, this time his lip was cut, and you snickered. 

“Hmmmm” you hummed looking at the boy’s eyes, they held anger and a hint of mist that threatened to escape and not being the schools ‘perfect’ boy, “guess they’ll have to find someone else, you know someone that’s actually, how do i say this in the nicest way possible” placing a hand on your chin you pretend to think about it before a grin spreads on your face, “nevermind there isn’t a nice way because you don’t deserve shit. rot in hell fucker” the last word is almost a yell as you’ve turned around and have walked away from the scene, a shit eating grin on your face, at the look of defeat Haechan held. 

It isn’t the way Haechan looks at you with disgust, no that gives you some sense of pride by taking him on, it’s the way jeno’s eyes are filled with pride and warmth. A plea to hear him out at least just once, and as much as you try to deny it his eyes take you back to hot chocolates on random days, snowball fights late at night and random drives through the city to calm you down, music blasted through the stereo of your old car. Memories of him being next to you, arms around yours holding onto you as if you would disappear if he didn’t hold on tight enough. Memories that as much as you wished wouldn’t flood up every time you saw him did and though you kept telling yourself that it was just an act, you can’t help but think that maybe just maybe not all of it was an act. The hope you hold close to your heart, is what leads you to be stuck back in the place that the mess started, stuck inside the music room yet again, jeno hand centimeters away from yours which just gets you to sit far far away from him. 

“So…” he starts, fiddling with the bracelets that adorn his wrists.

“So…you gonna say something or can i go because i have class to attend to” the words come out harsh, as your annoyance slightly rises, mixed in with being emotionally exhausted you really weren’t here to sit around the boy who had played with you. 

“The cafeteira is having french fries today” the second the words leave jeno’s lips he regrets them, because how stupid is he to start an apology by talking about food, when he looks at you he sees you laughing. Laughing so hard that he manages to walk closer to you so that you are only a couple of feet away from each other, but it isn’t a laugh that fills up the room. Your laugh is dry and humourless, empty and broken, it reminds him of the way one laughs when they have nothing to lose and have given up all hope.

“You know” you start, willing the tears to not fall, your voice to not break because just being in the room with him feels like too much, like one wrong step and the glue that has tapped your heart back together might diffuse into thin air, “for a second, a short second i thought you were gonna say something meaningful” the words are like poison, as you spit them out wanting them to strike and hurt the black haired boy with the perfectly chiseled face to hurt as much as you do, as you begin to head out of the room, the tears threatening to spill again. You’re about to reach the door before you hear your name being called, and you wouldn’t have stopped if it weren’t for the desperation that was laced with his words. If it weren’t for the words that followed your name, “Summer’s been lonely, time seems wasted and passing” the lyrics, the way they roll off his tongue as if he’s heard them a million times catch your breath and make you turn around. 

“Stop” you hold your hand out in emphasis, trying to calm your beating heart down, trying to stop the idea that this boy, the one that held your heart and broke it is the same boy that made you feel at peace in a day of chaos, on a midsummer night. But he tries again to talk, a small smile on the ghost of his lips and you have the urge to laugh and smile at him. 

“Just stop” you almost plead, and jeno takes a deep breath, waiting for you to continue, “stop because dam you have no right to sing that. You had no right, no right at all to make me laugh like no one else that day and day’s after, you had no right”  

Even worse when you make me cry.

Jeno has never been one to convey emotions with words. It was never, his forte as people call it, but in the music room that felt stuffed and almost suffocating he reached for words. Any word that might be sufficient, no, not sufficient, words that would convey his truth. Somehow, some way to get rid of that look of disgust, anger and defeat in your eyes that made his heart ache. He can feel you pull farther and farther away even if you are only a couple of feet away from, a couple of inches until if he held his arm out he could catch your hand in his. There was some part of him that thought the moment you two shared what seemed to be years ago, would help, would stop your eyes from shining every-time a light would hit them, the tears he knew you were holding back, because you weren’t one to cry in front of others threatening to spill.  In response, he could feel his heart ache for longer, his hands clam up, eyes look at yours pleadingly. 

“I know” his voice is defeated, almost as broken as you feel and the way it still manages to pull at your heart makes you look up at him, willing if only for one second, or to prove yourself that you can listen to him. The pause seems to make the room feel slightly more bearable, less stuffy, a little less suffocating, because two words are more than just an acknowledgement at the past but also at the present and the recent fuck ups. You hear more than see jeno take another shaky breath before he opens his mouth, closes it and opens again, a hand squeezing his eyes shut before he begins. 

“I know” the words are repeated again, and you aren’t sure what to make of them but he isn’t done, “i fucked up” you scoff, and jeno has a faint smile, “i know that anything that i say will seriously not make up for anything i did because no one in there right mind would ever accept to what i did. No one who knows you, would ever even consider agreeing to being paid to approach you. No one, because being around you, getting to know you is a gift itself. And yes i did agree at the beginning, it’s a long story” the words become clustered, a mumble and you want to leave again, because they feel like an excuse, 

“A long story, that still ended with you winning right?” the words snap from you before you stop them, and jeno is left wordless for a second before his eyes focus in again, mind running at a million, “yes?”

“No. no, i mean no” the sound that escapes from his lips confuses you, it’s a grunt and a sigh but he looks exhausted, “this isn’t going well”

“You think?” The question is more of a fact but that doesn’t stop jeno’s lips twitching slightly upwards, and you're mirroring his. Banter is good? I guess jeno thinks. 

“What i mean” he starts again for the uptenth time, “is that the moment i saw you smile, the moment i got to know you, not the cold exterior you present the moment you laughed at something stupid i said, because for some odd reason you seem to find my jokes funny when no one else does. The moment you... i saw you, eyes dazed as they looked at the sky i knew that the whole thing was stupid. And i stopped it, i promised i stopped taking money from haechan the second i knew you because you didn’t deserve that. Does that make me any less of a shitty person? No it really doesn’t” he stops for a second, catching his breath and you're trying your best to not let the tears drop to not scream or yell or hit him over and over again, but he makes it so hard. So fucking hard when his voice and eyes seem to convey everything you need to hear, everything you want to hear, but then the word money is said and you remember what he did and you can feel yourself recoil back, but not before a silent tear slips. 

“It doesn’t make me a better person if i had stopped the moment i had accepted the deal because I considered it. But y/n the way I feel about you, the way you manage to center me and be the single thing that keeps me afloat in this hell hole. The way that being next you whether it’s holding your hand that tends to be cold because you hate wearing gloves in winter and rather let them freeze'' another smile, and another tear slips making its way down your cheek, “can make me so happy and completely infatuated to the point i don’t know what to do with myself. It is the way I can feel your body next to mine hours after you’ve gone home from one of our random late night drives, or the way you steal my jacket and then i can feel you with me even when you are in class. It’s the way the stars and moon seemed to align that summer day, when we were both lost and found each other in the same lyrics, the same words and melody that sang to us. So yes, i was so stupid, so dam stupid for ever thinking i could be anything other than a stranger to you, and accepting that. But I can feel the way my heart seems to forget how to beat, anytime you look at me, and you smile, and unlike what the world wants us to believe. You aren’t my sun, or my stars. You are the center of the universe that i stand for, the moon that no matter how much i tried to get away from continues to rise and remain even on the never ending days, because i didn’t mean it all those months ago in the bleachers when i just wanted you to stop being mad at me for being the dumb ass i am, and i will never be the best when it comes to words and emotions luv, but i mean it now. I truly truly am sorry, and -” his voice breaks, and his hands shake, a tear slips from his eyes and you can see it’s reflection by the light. 

“St…” you take a breath, the word not leaving your throat, your breaths are shaky and jeno tries to reach out to you, tries to wipe away the silent flow of tears that continues to stream down your face, “stop”. The word finally manage to leave your lips, harsher than you wanted them too but it stops jeno from grabbing your hand, from taking away the warmth of his hand against your cheek, his eyes that had begun to light up slightly to be shut down again, as if someone had doused water on him. 

“Luv…” the moment the words leave his lips you know you have to leave, because if he does say those words, the ones you know you’ve been dreading to hear because you feel the same way. Because you have fallen and though you have hit rock bottom, and have been smacked back into reality your heart has never stopped reaching towards his. It doesn’t help, when his eyes look at yours with love, and you want to forgive him, you want everything to be okay, and in order for that to happen you can’t break down in front of him. Slowly do you shake your head, arms wrapping around your body as if they could provide some type of warmth, and heat up your bones, give warmth back into your eyes the way they do when you look at jeno. Which is why you don’t look at him, why you turn away leaving his arm outstretched and hanging. You can feel his eyes trail you, as you open the door the noise of the outside world rushing into the room, startling you for a second, but jeno doesn’t seem to hear it. The only thing he can focus on is you leaving, your footstep getting farther away, and his world becoming a little darker, more grey. The last thing he sees is your - well what used to be his - grey hoodie, the marking of sharpie that have been used to doodle on the piece of clothing one late night, flashing before the wooden door closes shut, surrounding him in a lonely silence again. 

I hate it when you’re not around,

The world seems to mock you for falling for lee jeno. The black haired boy seemed to follow you everywhere you went no matter how far away you tried to get away from the memories that plagued you. Days had passed since the world had yet again seemed to shift on its axis, and you had seen jeno less and less, but that didn’t stop your mind from making you remember his laugh anytime you heard a bad joke. 

No longer did brown eyes meet yours right after school ended in the cafe next to school, you weren’t greeted by the easy smile, that turned eyes into moons, or called the obnoxious pet names of angel and luv that used to make you want to punch a wall, only for you to find the words to be missing from your everyday life. Moments when the radio would play the song about summer and hazy love would worm their way into your heart, and it was like he was there. Smiling at you, his hand intertwined with yours as you drove your car to the top of the mountain where you first met, and just when the chorus would hit the two of you would belt out the song at the top of your lungs. It was only when the song ended, the melody fading into the back and replaced by the rapid voices of an ad for some car dealership you really didn’t care for, that you would look to find an empty seat beside you. No boy with a leather jacket, and combat boots that might have been propped up on the dashboard much to your protests, instead the seats were either empty and cold with no presence or soul in them, and the car would suddenly feel small and distant. 

Other times, the pang of not hearing his laughter diffuse into the air, over your clumsy self either tripping over words or almost falling over due to there being a small rock in the sidewalk. The problem wasn’t that you didn’t have friends. Your best friend, the same one that had dragged you into that party all those months ago, would never miss a beat to be with you, to take you out for a random karaoke night or a late night drive on her car. It wasn’t that you didn’t love them, you loved how they would always make time for the small nuisance you would bother them about, even if it was just to tell them about a new meme you’d found but the way their presence would fill only a small space in your heart made it hard. Especially because you would see how happy they were anytime they talked about Mark, the stories of their lazy dates filled your heart with happiness and joy. It had become a habit to prioritize other’s happiness above your own, and soon it became a habit to prioritize getting jeno out of your memories out of the place in your heart he had seemed to crawl into and not leave. 

Memories you come to realize are fleeting, and unpredictable. They are made from what one process to be from the emotions they feel in the current moment that the memory is being stored into your brain. The thing about memories, it’s a thing that they don’t tell you in 12th grade biology class. School or teachers don’t teach you about the different emotions and images that memories bring along with them. The figments that surround every memory you have for the past year seem to somehow always lead back to jeno. He comes when you think about your favorite drink, hot chocolate, and the drink transports you back to jeno bringing you hot chocolate late at night after long after hour practices. His black hair makes a presence, when you think about the essay you had to turn in a week ago, you don’t remember much of the project but your brain, against your conscious will remembers the way jeno’s hair felt through your fingers as you played with his hair one late afternoon. The threads come together slowly, on a random day, in which the sun seems to almost be desperate to stay on the earth’s surface, as it turns the buildings around it into purple hues. It almost seems like it’s gasping for air, and as the purple slowly turns into pink and lastly disappears beyond the horizon it’s last breath taken and long gone you realize something. Like the sun, and the threads that are tied together in order to form memories, in order to form the segments of life that when pieces together form a picture that lets one create the story of a person or a setting, jeno seems to form in front of you. You sit on top of the mountain where you first met, but this time you are alone, the skyline displayed out in front of you. The trees have lost their leaves and some of them even still have some white specks of snow in them, that with one push of wind would make the tremble and shiver, letting go of the white covering. 

Jeno is next to you, his hand only a mere centimeter from yours, but you continue to look at the sky, the buildings that go on for as long as you can see. His memory, the way you rest your head on his shoulder and he listens and listens no judgement ever from his eyes, only support and encouragement to let you choose what will make you happy. A memory that repeats over and over again, but that isn’t your favorite memory from jeno. The last memory that forms in your head, after the roadtrips, to sweet make out sessions that led you two to leave whatever homework you had to work on for another time, or the sweet messages left at your phone that would bring a smile to your face even if he just texted you about the weather, to then get a back hug as he called you angel. 

Your favorite memory was the day you had been on the exact same spot you where now, except jeno had been next to you, breathing a little harder than normal he had just shown you a dance routine he’s been working on for as long as you could remember. His eyes didn’t shine like they usually did, they didn’t take in the light around him, and his face didn’t have traces of a grin that you had grown so used too. Instead he pushed you away, dark roots from his bleached hair he had decided to try out for the month had begun to show and you could see the stress that seemed to suffocate him. This was a different side of jeno, a side you hadn't seen, one that you tried to approach with a joke, only to be quickly shut down. A small argument over school and life had formed, in which you two had gone from being right next to each other to being feet apart, a scowl on your face, the same one that jeno bore. It was this memory that was your favorite because it had been the first time you had truly seen jeno be vulnerable, it had been the first time from the weeks you had gotten to know each other that you felt that the walls on walls he built around himself, the walls you built around yourself had been torn down. There had been no shared kisses, no shared moments in which one hadn’t jokingly filtered with the other until the first droplet fell down jeno’s face. The only reason you had seen it was because the sun, punctual as always, had descended flickers of light reflecting in his face. It was a small action but enough that there was some part that managed to push aside your pride and you approached him, arms wrapping around his waist. The memory makes you remember that it took him a second to wrap his arms around you, but in that moment, it seemed as only for a second in which you could provide some support for the boy in front of you, then he could give you the support you needed. Threads of the memory are vague, movements in which you can’t fully pinpoint what happened in between or later, in which you know that at one point music had begun to make its way up the mountain from one of the daily parties the teens would throw, but you two held onto each other. The song, isn’t one you can seem to recall, but it wasn’t one that people slow dance too, it wasn’t one in which you are supposed to hold onto the boy in front of you arms around his neck, as his eyes looked into yours, smiles grazing both of your features as your foreheads touched, a small kiss placed on your forehead. Moonlight cascading the both of you, pushing away the shadows that surrounded you both. 

It was any memory that you had in which jeno took part, in which you could feel him next to you, that was your favorite. Memories, you remember reading somewhere are your subconscious telling you something, it is the way the body and mind admit what you are too scared to take in for yourself. Memories of jeno next to you, and then not are what make you realize how much you hate not having the black haired boy, with the overly kind personality next to you. 

And the fact you didn’t call.

Days turn into months, as the winter snow leaves the tree’s branches leaving them barren. Only for the spring rain and occasional sun to let the leaves and flowers begin to spring back up again. Teachers are at the point in the year whether they aren’t quite sure if they want to give everyone in the class a pass just so they don’t have to hear the constant complaining on the amount of assignments a student has due by tomorrow, or if they’ll give more work, more assessments as a sort of payback for the hardships they’ve had to endure throughout the year.  

You are in music class, your professor going over the final assessments guidelines one last time before they are presented at the start of class tomorrow. The weight of the written sonnet feels heavy, and though the physical copy of the assignment is types out neatly somewhere in your computer, the original draft that you had begun to draft all those months ago is crumpled up in your jacket pocket, a constant reminder of everything you want and everything that you feel you can’t have. 

If you close your eyes just for a second you can see yourself back in your room, until the space changes and you are no longer in your room but are at the school’s roof. The warm spring breeze tangling your hair, and making the page in front of you flutter. You didn’t need the paper, the lyrics to the musical sonnet that had been shakespeare inspired seemed to be embedded into your brain so that when you weren’t thinking about the thousands of words you still had to write when it came to the labs for biology class, or the analysis of catcher in the rye for english class, the words would replay in your head over and over. The soft melody accompanying them. Humming to the song had become a habit, one that had developed like how one realizes that they bit ethier lip, or thumbs when they are stressed or bored. A habit that once you realize it’s there you can’t help but notice it every time you do it. The notebook paper continues to rustle, and you fold it and place it into the pocket of the black jean jacket, taking a deep breath as you do so. Unlike summer nights and winter afternoons, spring doesn't feel suffocating when the sun is out, because the clouds do a job of covering the sun before it burns your skin. The wind dies down, and you begin to humm to the sonnet, the words so familiar you were almost sure if your memory was to be taken, those words would remain embedded, and make their way back up because they were an acceptance of everything you were and everything you felt. 

The final bell has rang, and you can see the swarm of teenage bodies rush out of the school, some go directly to the bus stop in groups, others head to the grass fields that make up most of the school's building. You don’t think much about where others go, don’t dwell much if they get home safely or if their parents will pick them up. Dwelling too much on thoughts a feeling never helped anybody, it’s a mantra that has been drilled into you and almost every other teenager and young adult in this lifetime as movies and books tell you to focus on the present never on the future and most definitely not in the future. Yet you wonder if these books written by great authors that make you question the world around you, or movies that seem to transcend time if the authors themselves that preach about not dwelling too much on one moment if they themselves spent too much time focusing on the sound of their love’s laughter, or the way their nose would scrunch up a reaction to the world around them anytime they found something amusing. You wonder if the person or memory they were told or did think about so much that it caused them heartache had the ability to make them write the poems you had written. So you try to not dwell on the people, no larger than your thumb as they rush from one side of the campus to another, because if you thought about him, it, for too long the memories would rush back in. Instead you look down, the light vertigo causing you to snap back into some realm of reality. 

 Sitting down on the roof’s edge, legs dangling off the edge you continue to hum and sing to the melody that plays in your heart, confession to yourself, a confession to the dark haired boy that captured your heart. The tears seem to swell up over and over as you reach the bridge, and they stream silently, down your face. They run down landing on your hands, on the ripped jeans and doodle converse. Your mind drifts to the memories connected with the lyrics and the fact that as much as you wanted to not want to hear jeno’s voice especially after you had pushed him away, you couldn’t get rid of the way he knew you. He knew you better than at times you almost thought you knew yourself, it was a nuisance the way your heart would skip beats months after everything went down, how it would still accelerate when you two would make eye contact because he had apologized and you don’t know if it was because you had never felt this way before, or because you two kept meeting underneath the moonlight the same song that seemed to connect the two of in one string of fate that you had forgiven him. But forgiveness didn’t mean forgetting, it didn’t mean that you had wished he’d called and you hate him - or lack thereof to do so - when days passed and the beep boop ba a compilation of random noises jeno would make whenever he was confused, and your ringtone for him didn’t disturb you. 

Your voice breaks slightly as the melody in your head falls, fading into a non-existent background. The sun had begun to fall, but you don’t notice, eyes closed as you take in the world around you. Notes ending, song and the hum of love never confessed, never expressed, stolen by the wind. And that’s the thing about having your eyes closed, oblivious to the world and the people around you, because you don’t hear the opening and closing of the slightly rusted door. You don’t notice the boy with a leather jacket, hair almost covering his eyes that are filled with so much love but confusion by the words that leave your mouth. It’s the thing about the wind, that it takes a message and delivers it to whom it wants you unlike a phone call that is directed at who you choose. The wind is a free spirit, and it doesn’t travel far. To be more exact it travels the short span of a mere seconds, a mere feet to jeno whose mouth has fallen at the sound of your voice so raw and pure. It is the wind that calls him to you, the wind that makes him take slow steps to you. 

Wind, a warm breeze in the coming summer air, love that you don’t realize you have, you need until it’s wrapping its arms around you.

                         But mostly i hate the way i don’t hate you.

The moment you feel arms wrapping around you still. Every bone in your body stops moving, your legs stop swinging and your voice catches in your throat. It isn’t until you spot the small cassette tattoo on the wrist of the arms wrapped around you that you breathe again and push yourself back, a curse escaping your lips. Laughter rings in your ears as jeno holds you up from where you sit, and turns you around so that you face him. You begin to push him away, on instinct from weeks of telling yourself that you wanted nothing to do with the boy in front of you. That the way his eyes dimmed, and lips curved down by the light gesture of pushing him away didn’t affect you. It was a mantra, push him away, don’t get hurt, a mantra produced by a time of hurt and fear for being broken again. Something that you had come to realize though in the past week, the past day, past couple of minutes when someone’s arms had warped around you and you had wished it had been jeno, that the heart and the mind don’t always coincide. 

It is when you look up again, and jeno is already looking at you, hair illuminated by the descending sun, as it casted flames dancing across his features, and lighting up his eyes, that you smile. Some sort of smile that repairs something in jeno, because his eyes seem to be filled with hope again and he opens his mouth ready to speak, ready to tell you everything he wanted to say again, mostly to apologize but when he opens his mouth the words seem to be caught in his throat. Stuck, as if there was some force pulling them back, not letting them escape and reach you. Mouth opens and closes again, and it’s the sound of your voice as you call to him, and say something he can’t quite process, blocked by the noise that doesn’t leave his head that he can finally speak again. 

“June 21” those weren’t supposed to be the words that lef this mouth, and your confused look didn’t give him any confidence to continue whatever the hell he was gonna do, which at this point he truly didn’t know because this was supposed to be an apology but he had already apologized. Jeno decided to do his best, and try again, “that was the day we met. The day you helped me finish composing this beautiful song that helped me get into music school. The day where the second i heard you singing off the words i threw out into the open air hoping for someone to grab onto, you did, and my heart seemed to begin it’s freefall” a small smile graced your features, as you remembered the day, not knowing how much life would change. The small smile is all jeno needed to continue, gaining confidence even as happiness filled every inch of you, tears that you promised you wouldn’t shed in front of him steamed but not from sadness or anger this time. This time they were from a place of loss and happiness to the boy whose eyes conveyed so much more than the words he spoke, whose hand had come up to your cheek wiping away the spare tears that would come down. Ever so gentle and full, always him. 

“It was something I didn't think was possible, you know? Coming to this new school, everyone had come up with their own ideas of who i was, because of stories they had heard, only to find you. Headstrong as ever, always standing by whatever you believe even some like pluto is still a planet” you both laugh, it’s a quick one, more like a chuckle but it’s filled with joy, at the memory. “You who didn’t care what the world thought, only that if you put your mind to it you would get it done. I never meant to fall in love with you, never meant to make you cry because of something that shouldn’t have ever happened, I never meant to get you too hate me the way you probably do” his eyes softened, and he pulled away ever so slightly, “but here I am. And i now i most definitely don’t deserve it but y/n, i can’t deny it because since i first heard your voice that late night i think i fell for you, and it has been a constant free fall from there. So when i say it now, i mean it i fucking love you” the end was more of a ramble, a long list of words that made your heart flip and expand in your chest, making your smile grow and you could see the doubt in his eyes, you could see him retreat back into himself, he completely let you go when you spoke up again, “you want to know what i hate the most?” you didn’t wait for a response before speaking again, grabbing his hands in yours, and you willed him to look at you. 

“I hate the way that I don't hate you” you take a step closer to him, your faces so close the sun casting glows on you both. Two shadows becoming one behind you as the sun set, as one confessed to another the way they felt. “Because i don’t hate you, jeno. In fact it’s the opposite, because hate is not even close, not a tiny bit in resemblance to what i feel you for you,

Not even close, Not even a little bit,  Not even at all.” 

adfghjk and it’s finally done !!! i had so so so much fun writing this piece and seriously hope you guys enjoyed it !! im such a sucker for jeno and this movie in general lol. i struggled w the ending so i hope it came out well :) n e ways,,, please please tell me your thoughts on it, what you liked? what you didn’t like? things i could improve on. much love to you all !!

masterlist

[cloveroctobers]

BLAKE JOLLEY —

IG info/bio: @/jollyblke | 8.4k followers | Activist | I’m here to save the world, it’s my right. & You should care about your environment too, get active. If not? Leave. Visit: theindigenousmovement.com

22 (23) years old

From Kensington, England

Choctaw nation & proud

Visits Oklahoma every other summer...sometimes it’s every few years

Majority of her family lives there on a reservation

She’s made a name for herself in the town for speaking up for the missing and m*rdered women of her community & how they continue to sweep that shit under the rug

Call it what it is, genocide

Has been arrested & charged a few times

Has a sense of dread when she goes back but also a form of happiness since her mom, some of her sibs, and other family members are there

Has 7 siblings

4 boys, 3 girls

Chelsea found that so facisinating!

I feel like there’s two sides to Blake? Either she’s rooting for you or she’s shitting you, there’s no in between

Willing to communicate & have intellectual conversations

Has to be in the mood to socialize, sometimes she just prefers NOT to talk since that requires energy

Always tired, doesn’t sleep much, probably has insomnia a little bit

Was on the debate team in secondary

Either you like her or you hate her, either way that’s a you problem

Kinda a loner, keeps to herself—always feeling like people should be doing more with their time on this earth

But she also understands that there are moments where you need to chill/relax/ have fun or take some time out for yourself

Donates to woman’s shelters often

Attends & organizes protests

Minimal makeup: mascara, nude blush, moisturizer mixed with sunscreen, a lip tint & she’s on her way

Knows how to ride a bull but will only do so if she’s back in Oklahoma

Knows how to work a g*n & is licensed to carry but prefers not to

Enjoys cliff diving & swimming as a form of exercise (not counting the hr long protests she travels to & attends)

Will do leg exercises more than anything at home, does not have a gym membership & will never get one

Favorite color is in the tropical blue shades: turquoise & aqua

Her home is her personal sanctuary, where she feels the most safe & allowed to be herself. Doesn’t invite anyone over to mess with the energy she has there, afraid that they’ll ruin that. She’ll meet you somewhere but one thing you’re not going to do is come into her space

Always has kale & quinoa in her flat

Has a chronic stomach condition

She’s a very blunt person & many don’t take that lightly, she doesn’t sugarcoat anything

Doesn’t have much experience in the love department

A few have tried but she either ignores them or tells them straight up that she’s not interested, always was focused on her school work & other things

That’s why she’s single

Now that she’s in her early twenties she feels like that she needs to experience love

She feels like she wants it? However a part of her isn’t sure if it’s something that she truly needs?

Possibly aromantic?

so when she met henrik, she immediately felt platonic energy with him & didn’t mind exploring it but also found noah quite aesthetically attractive?

Henrik fit into her lifestyle nicely outside of the villa, it was nice having someone else to talk to & spend time with. She wasn’t sure how she was meant to feel when he asked her to be his gf inside & outside the villa but she agreed so why not?

Her mother felt like she shouldn’t analyze the boy as if he was some sort of experiment, Blake did like watching experimental movies/documentaries based on true events or reading about them but she truly did not feel like that’s what she was doing with henrik

They had their differences ofc, henrik was more easy going/chill when it came to things whereas Blake observed before she attacked. If It don’t sit right with her, she’s gonna say some shit

She was the one to call it quits with henrik after almost two years passed

She was not heartbroken over it but she did realize how things changed now that he was no longer in her life

Loves clothing that have slits in them or v-necks

Loves going to flower shops since they remind her of her mom

I feel like she smells like cherries & cashmere musk

Adores sunsets, that’s the time of day where she feels most at ease

Interested in photography & is currently exploring what is her best subject to shoot...her activism helps

she hopes to have her own biography made about her one day

learning to gradually let her walls down but it’s extremely hard to do with the negative energy the world brings

Is cordial with mc...after some years have passed and they and their significant other always feel the need to have meet ups once a year where they invite EVERYONE somewhere else

Blake feels like they still have ties with the production company of love island but that’s not her business

Unless her services are truly required and the $ is right or if Elisa decides to drag her then she’s not going

Being on reality tv was not her main purpose

She hated the superficial and trying hard, things should just be natural

She’s above love island now & she doesn’t need to see henrik or Lucas OR single Noah every year

Her profile is filled with activism and how people can get involved

Along with a good dump of her face, she knew she was pretty but she didn’t need to use that to her advantage there was, “more to life than shallowness”

She barely remembers the other girls she entered the villa with. she thinks one or two tried to reach out to her in her dms but she ignored them

Is indifferent towards Shannon & jo

she gets jo confused with lily from season 3 when they both pop up on her explore feed. Again she doesn’t know why insta feels the need to show her other people’s lives if she’s not following them in the first place?

Doesn’t follow people back unless she’s got a strong platonic connection with you

Has lunch & dinner dates with her dad since he resides in England as well

She believes her parents marriage is a reflection on her non-existent/small percentage of relationships

They live in two different countries and they’ve been married for 15 years & still seem to be in love...hey whatever works! It works for Dolly Parton & her husband although they live in the same house? I think

On the outside it seems like she has a cold heart and many around her have told her mainly her sibs but she doesn’t believe that’s completely true

She has feelings!

If she was truly cold hearted, she wouldn’t have any remorse for the bad she’s done or wouldn’t be fighting for those who deserve it right?

Cap sun + Scorpio moon + sag rising

Thinks Mena Massoud, Rami Malek, Ben Hardy, Rahul Kohli, Kurt Cobain, Manish Dayal, Janel Parrish, Charles Melton, Manny Jacinto, Miguel Gomez, & Clayton Cardenas are all nice to look at

Listens to: Yuna, Aly & AJ, Pip Millett, Jaz Kris, Sinhead Harnett, Iyamah, James Vickery, Maluma, Kanye West, emotional oranges, & Jimmie allen

Anthem? Hope Tala — All My girls like to fight

[keanureevesisbae]

“The road to our forever” - Chapter 6

Summary: John and Darcie are planning their wedding, but it comes with certain ups and downs.

John Wick x OFC Darcie

Word count: 4.4k 

Warnings: Smut

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

It’s Valentines Day and I have been up since three. Not because I’m nervous, not because I’m scared of what can happen this day, but more because I’m really hot and bothered. Last year when it was Valentines Day, John was super romantic and took me out on the most fantastic date of all time, very fancy, very chic. Afterwards, he drove us back to the apartment and we spend the entire night making love.

This is will be a little different, since we’re going on a double date. Raye and Aurelio are going out for the first time, but Raye wants us there, since I have a history with her and John has one with Aurelio.

I mean, I want to go out with them, I really do, but I need John and I kind of need him now.

John wraps his arm around my waist as he places his head on my chest. ‘Why are you awake, sweetheart?’ he asks in a groggy voice.

Sometimes I wonder if that man ever sleeps, because when I’m awake in the middle of the night, he is already awake or wakes up within a few minutes. I always feel slightly guilty, but he insists that it’s okay and if I’m ever awake again, I should just wake him up.

I have yet to do it, but maybe one day, when I’m desperate enough.

‘Can’t seem to fall asleep anymore.’

‘Right,’ he whispers, placing a kiss on my neck.

I could just ask him for sex and knowing John, he’ll rip off both of our pajamas instantly. Still I have issues with initiating, though it’s going better and I do take more initiative.

‘Tell me what’s on your mind, baby,’ he whispers.

‘Can,’—part of me already regrets this, but I’m really horny and I desperately need him, or I’ll lose my mind—‘can we have sex?’

John turns around, so he can switch on the light on his side of the bed. He looks at me a little better. ‘Did you just ask me for sex?’ He seems amused, with his raised eyebrow and the smirk on his face.

‘I did,’ I admit. I hate that I’m going to marry this man, but I still blush like crazy around him. ‘You know what, forget it.’

‘No, no, no,’ John says, placing his hand in the dip of my waist, leaning over to kiss me on my lips. ‘How badly do you want it, sweetheart?’

‘Really badly.’

‘Well,’ he says with a smirk, ‘whatever my fiancée wants, whatever my fiancée gets.’ His hand travels down, past the waistband of my pajamas.

I have little to no patience, because I pull apart from him and get undressed in no time. I tug on his shirt and accompanied with a chuckle, John’s sheds himself from his shirt and boxers. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this,’ he notes.

I wrap my fingers around his semi hard shaft, my thumb toying around his tip, causing him to hiss. ‘You don’t like it?’ I ask, already feeling a bit turned down.

John scoffs. ‘I fucking love it, baby.’ His fingers are tangled through my hair and he pulls me against his lips, his tongue exploring my mouth. I feel his wet kisses travel down from my lips, to my jaw to my neck. He lets his tongue swirl around my sensitive nipple and I bite my lip to prevent myself from waking up the entire building.

He pushes me on my back, his kisses traveling down even more. He spreads my legs. ‘God, so wet already, baby,’ he says, pressing a kiss on my inner thigh.

John wraps his arms around my upper legs, pushing down my hips so I can’t buck them up. He lets his tongue slide between my folds. If I wasn’t this horny right now, I’d be embarrassed about how wet I sound. I bring my hands to his hair and tug his longish locks, pulling him even closer to my aching center. ‘John, please, I need you,’ I groan out and he looks up, causing me to whine. ‘Come on.’

John pushes himself up and leans over to kiss me, his beard covered in my juices. I taste myself on his wet lips. ‘Never knew you could be this needy,’ he tells me, his calloused hand placed on the side of my face.

‘I need you now, John, don’t tease.’

He smiles and leans over to my nightstand, to grab a condom, but before he can open the package, I place my hand on his. ‘Don’t,’ I say to him.

John’s eyes widen as he visibly gulps. ‘Don’t?’ he repeats.

‘Mhm.’ I pull the package from his fingers and let it drop the floor. ‘The reason I always wanted to have sex with both a condom and me being on birth control, was because I really didn’t want to get pregnant, but right now… I feel like we can be a little less uptight about it and with we, I actually mean me.’

‘Are you sure? Because I don’t want you to regret this.’

‘I won’t regret this,’ I tell him. ‘I want you to eventually become the father of our kids. Besides, I’m still on birth control and stay on that for awhile. The chances that I get pregnant now are very very minimal.’

He slams his lips against mine, his kiss a lot more passionate than the previous ones. ‘God, baby, I can’t believe this is truly happening.’

I smile, as I reach between us and bring his hard cock to my entrance.

‘I might not last long,’ he admits.

‘I don’t care,’ I whisper. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too, baby.’ He slowly sinks inside of me, while he holds my hands tightly in his and keeps them above my head. He grunts as he is balls deep inside of me. I never get used to how big he is, how much he stretches me out, but adding the feeling of him without the condom, feeling every vein on his shaft…

‘Are you okay?’ he whispers, as a whimper leaves my lips.

‘I am.’

His thrusts start slow, like usual, but I can’t stand it anymore. ‘Faster, John,’ I encourage him. ‘Please.’

John pulls out, before he slams back inside of me. He is never this rough, he is always making sure I’m okay, that I’m not in pain. But this is the John I know that is deep down there. Like usual he is in charge, but right now his thrusts are hard and rough. He pins me down to the bed, making sure I can’t escape. His hairs are falling in front of his eyes.

I bite my lip to prevent me from moaning, but right now, I can’t keep quiet anymore. Every time he slams back inside of me, a strangled cry leaves my lips.

My walls start to clench around him. ‘John…’

‘I know, sweetheart, you’re close. I’m close too.’

I wrap my legs tightly around his hips, as I start to quiver underneath his broad body, my toes curling in the process. He buries his face in my neck, while I buck up my hips to meet his thrusts. His rough and steady thrusts turn sloppy, as he spurts his thick creamy cum deep inside me. His lips fall on mine, as his grip on my hands starts to falter.

He places his head on the valley of my breasts, as he tries to regulate his breathing. ‘Are you okay?’ I chuckle, wrapping my arms around him.

‘That was fucking hot,’ he says against my skin. ‘You know that we’re going to have sex every second we possibly can, right?’

I can’t help but laugh a little louder. ‘I’d figured.’

John looks up. ‘So, you’re absolutely sure you want to have sex without a condom nowadays?’

I nod. ‘Yes, I do.’

‘If you don’t mind me asking: when are you going to stop taking the pill? Or have you not given it a thought yet? I mean, I don’t want to rush you.’

I shake my head. ‘No, no… I thought about it. I think I just want to enjoy married life with you a little bit more, but maybe around Christmas or New Years, I can stop to take the pill. Usually people don’t get pregnant right away, so I probably won’t conceive right there and then, but maybe somewhere next year, you and I might be expecting.’

Are those tears in his eyes?

‘John, baby, are you okay? Is the idea of me being pregnant that terrible that it makes you cry?’

‘No, sweetheart,’ he quickly says, his voice cracking. ‘I just can’t believe this is truly happening. We’ve talked about it, sure, but I kept thinking that maybe you’d change your mind about me and that you didn’t want this kind of future with me. But now we are having sex without a condom and you’ve been thinking about when you’re going to stop to take the pill, so we can get pregnant. I realize that I’m getting myself a family that I always wanted.’

Now I have to cry too. ‘That’s too sweet,’ I manage to choke out. ‘God, I love you.’

‘I love you too, Darcie.’ He gives me a kiss and carefully pulls out of me. He tells me to stay put and I hear him warming a washing cloth. He walks back in and spreads my legs. He licks his bottom lip, clearly admiring his work, causing me to laugh. Like John is snapped back into reality, because he quickly cleans up between my legs and gets back into bed, engulfing me in a tight hug. ‘Have you been thinking about names?’ he asks.

‘Still thinking about Livia Wick,’ I admit.

He nods. ‘You know, I always wondered: do you have a middle name?’

I turn on my stomach and place my chin on his chest, so I can look at him. ‘I do, actually. It’s Ryujin.’

‘That’s Korean right?’

‘Yes, it is. Though here in the US it’s my middle name, I usually use that name when I’m in Korea. When my grandmother had friends over, I actually introduced myself as Moon Ryujin.’

‘I never knew that,’ he says with a smile. ‘Do you want to give our kids a Korean name?’

I shrug. ‘I don’t know. It’s just that I feel so American. There is always a part of me that wants to reconnect a bit more with my roots, but… I don’t know. What about you? You want to give your official name to our kids?’

‘Official name?’ John asks.

‘Your official name is Jonathan, right?’

He clears his throat. ‘Well, I legally changed it to Jonathan Wick.’

‘Oh,’ I say. I know about his past as an orphan, but never what his real name was. I thought that Jonathan was his real name and he never stated otherwise.

‘The reason I never told you, is because I don’t want to be reminded of that part of my life.’

‘I understand,’ I tell him and I do. I know that talking about his past is difficult for him, hence the reason I never ask, since I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable. ‘But do you want to tell me your real name?’

He nods. ‘Jardani Jovonovich.’

‘And if I understand correctly, you don’t want to pass that name onto our kids? Or something in that direction?’

John shakes his head. ‘No, absolutely not,’ he clarifies. ‘I don’t want to be reminded of that time. Ever.’

‘I get it,’ I say. I place a kiss on his chest and decide to put this subject to the side. ‘So if we have a daughter, we’re calling her Livia Wick?’

Thankfully he smiles again and the worried and pained look in his eyes almost disappears. ‘And a middle name, if we can think about one.’

‘Maybe,’ I say, ‘we can give her Angel as a middle name. Though it’s my last name, I think it fits. Livia Angel Wick.’

He nods. ‘That sounds like music to my ears,’ he says. He places his large hand in the small of my back. ‘And if we have a son?’

‘I always wanted to call my son something along the lines of Samuel or Lucas.’

‘I like Samuel,’ John says. ‘Samuel Wick, sounds good.’

‘You want to give him Jonathan as their middle name? Samuel Jonathan Wick?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Would you mind if we, for example, only had daughters or only had sons?’

He shakes his head. ‘I just want kids with you,’ he says. ‘Doesn’t matter to me. I’d love them with all my heart. You?’

‘Well,’ I say, ‘I can see you as a dad of both. As a dad with sons, who would run around in the yard and be total idiots together. But I can also see you as a dad who joins the tea parties of his daughters.’

John smiles. ‘I’d love every second of it.’

‘Are you planning on telling them about your past?’

I can see in his eyes that this question hurts him. I already open my mouth to say that he doesn’t need to answer it, but he simply shakes his head. ‘I need to think about those things,’ he tells me, ‘and it’s better to do that when you’re not pregnant yet, because as soon as you are expecting, I’m going to think about the fastest route to the hospital for when you go into labor.’

The corners of my mouth curl up in a small smile. He is such a sweetheart.

John thinks about it and then says: ‘No, I’m not going to tell them. I never wanted to tell you about it and our kids shouldn’t know about it either.’

I nod. ‘Are you going to teach them how to fight?’

John shrugs. ‘I mean, self defense is always good. But I don’t know if I want to teach them myself.’

‘Right,’ I say and I decide from his facial expressions, I shouldn’t continue to pry. ‘Don’t you worry about a thing. You’re going to be an excellent father. If there is someone who needs to doubt their parental skills, it’s definitely going to be me.’

John frowns. ‘And why on earth do you think that?’

‘You have the qualities of a great parent. You stay calm in any situation, you love with all your heart and clearly you have more life experience than me. I’m easily panicked, indecisive and flabbergasted like that. I bet I’m going to be that overprotective mother that teachers are going to hate. I mean, I’m constantly worried about Tiki and Oreo already.’

‘Are you serious?’ John asks, his eyebrows raised. ‘You are kidding right?’

‘No, John, I’m actually serious.’

‘Sweetheart,’ he sighs, ‘you are going to be a fantastic mother. You have more patience than anyone I’ve ever known, you are the kindest woman and you too love with all your heart. The little kids who visit your cafe, already want to hug you, even if they barely know you and don’t get me started on how you are with teenagers. You are such a great influence on people. Darcie, you’re going to be a great mother and remember: all parents make mistakes, so we’ll make them too.’

‘That was sweet,’ I admit, causing him to chuckle. ‘You really think that?’

‘Of course I mean that and I promise you, I’m going to be there every step of the way with you. We are in this together, remember that.’

‘Oh my God,’ I say, ‘I’m a nightmare on my period already, imagine if I’m pregnant.’

‘Well, have I handled a period situation other than amazing?’ he jokingly asks. I slap him across his chest. ‘You know, we’re going to be the Wick family.’

How have I not realized that? ‘I’m the luckiest woman on earth.’

‘I think I’m the luckiest man on earth,’ he says. ‘I can’t believe on Valentines Day, we are talking about kids and I got to cum inside you.’

‘John… Do you need to say it like that?’

‘Of course,’ he laughs, ‘but only to you.’

I hide my face, but hearing him laugh, I can’t help but chuckle too. ‘I hate you, mister Wick,’ I tell him.

‘You don’t, you love me.’ He gives me a long kiss on my forehead and whispers: ‘Happy Valentines Day, sweetheart.’

⟢⟡⟣

I think it’s the sweetest thing that Aurelio and John are hanging out today. Aurelio and Raye have been non stop texting since they met, but their first date is on Valentines Day and she insisted on having me there. This morning, John received a text from Aurelio, asking him to go shop for something nice to wear tonight. I nearly threw John out of my cafe, because I desperately want him to hang out with a friend.

Since we’re short on kitchen staff again, Raye is helping out in the kitchen, while I keep an eye out on Tina, Ellie, Greg and Roger, who are sitting at John’s table. I already send him a picture of them. The guys have really gone out of their ways to look decent and the girls look absolutely beautiful. ‘To their happily ever after’ I typed with the picture, because I truly hope these kids will stay together forever. Maybe that’s a little too hopeful, but I can dream about it right?

When there are no customers at the counter and I’m cleaning up the tables a bit or doing the dishes, my mind keeps wandering off. I think about our wedding date (July 9th), about our venue (a nice outdoor wedding), but also about our talk this early morning. It’s all becoming real right now.

We’re going to have kids. We’re going to become parents.

I see that the chocolates are going fast at the table of the teenagers and I decide to give them a little more, since I’m in a loving mood and they are just the cutest. With a small plate filled with chocolates in different flavors, I walk up to their table and they all look up with a smile. ‘Hi, miss Angel,’ they say in unison.

‘Is everything going well? Do you feel the magic of sitting at John’s table already?’

‘Of course,’ Roger answers. ‘Where is mister Wick by the way? Is he mad that we’re sitting at his table?’

At first I think he is serious, but by the look in his eyes, Roger is dead serious. ‘No, he is out with a friend. The same guy who was here a few days ago.’

‘The one miss Clarke flirted with?’ Greg asks.

‘Mhm.’

‘Raye has her date tonight with him, right?’ Ellie asks.

I nod. ‘Double date, actually. She insisted on John and I joining. She’s working in the kitchen now, getting nervous for tonight.’

‘Miss Clarke is nervous?’ Tina chuckles. ‘Since when is she nervous?’

‘Since she really likes this guy,’ I say with a smile. ‘So, fingers crossed that tonight’ll go well. Wait, before I forget.’ I reach into the pocket of my apron and pull out four envelopes. I wrote their names on each of their envelopes. ‘If you want to invite your parents as well, please tell me or John, okay?’

‘The wedding invitations,’ Ellie squeals. ‘Oh my God, they are so beautiful. July 9th, that’s a Saturday!’

‘This is going to be so fantastic,’ Roger says. ‘I can’t wait.’

‘Glad you guys are excited. I’ll leave you guys to it. If there is anything, please tell me.’

‘Will do, miss Angel.’

⟢⟡⟣

Since Aurelio had to do something back at the chop shop real quick, Raye, John and I are already seated at the restaurant, where John made reservations for us. ‘I never thought I would’ve lived long enough to see Raye this nervous for a date.’

She looks over at me, nearly staring me to death. ‘Not funny.’

‘It’s just Aurelio,’ John adds, intertwining his fingers with mine on the table. ‘According to him, you’ve been talking non stop after he left the cafe and he told me that he really liked you.’

‘True,’ she says, ‘but I’m just really nervous. He is not like any other guy I’ve ever talked to. He has this certain air around him. Like… He is mature, you know?’

‘Maybe, we should have a sign, for when you want us gone,’ I suggest. ‘Or if you want to get the fuck out of here, because you don’t like him—’

‘I really like this guy,’ Raye interrupts me. ‘I want to stay. If I want you two gone, I’ll just say so.’

‘That’s true,’ I say to John. ‘Back in college, she was hanging out in my dorm room with some guy and she kicked me out of my own room, so she could have sex with him.’

‘You keep on surprising me, Raye, you know that?’ John says.

‘It’s a specialty of mine, mister Mustang.’ She holds up her wine glass, but then her eyes widen. ‘Oh my God, he is here. He looks so handsome. On scale of one to ten of how badly I need a new pair of panties, I think this is a level twenty situation.’

John looks to the side, sending me a confused look, before standing up to greet Aurelio. I stand up as well, look to Raye, who has a blush on her cheeks. Oh God, she really likes him. I give Aurelio a hug and watch how he holds Raye’s hands into his, who pulled herself together faster than I would’ve figured she would.

‘You look beautiful,’ Aurelio says to Raye, before he presses a kiss on her cheek.

I mean, it’s no lie. She does look exceptionally beautiful. Raye is wearing a lovely tight red dress, with long lace sleeves. She paired the dress with the Prada shoes John and I got her for Christmas. ‘Well, you look quite handsome yourself.’ It surprises me that she somehow kept the new pair of panties comment to herself.

Aurelio helps her to take a seat and sits right next to her. ‘Leave it up to John Wick to get us the best tables on Valentines Day,’ Aurelio laughs.

It feels weird to see John this friendly with someone else who has been part of his life outside me. It’s not that I’m jealous or anything, but I’m happy to see John slowly rebuilding his life, with parts from his past and parts from now. I can’t help to give him a squeeze in his hand, showing him non verbally how proud I am of him.

Time flies by. Raye shares tons of embarrassing stories, mainly about me, but that’s okay. She is clearly impressing Aurelio and if that means embarrassing me in the process, I’ll take it. John wants to marry me anyways, so I’m good.

‘One time, Jennie, Darcie and I went out back in college,’ Raye says, placing her utensils neatly on her plate, ‘and Jennie went home with someone, leaving me to hang out with Darcie. Miss Prude over there, was drinking like crazy, never saw her like that. This really handsome guy comes over and I blink with my eyes, to totally seeing her make out with him and she gives him a lap dance.’

‘Raye, enough,’ I say, but why aren’t I surprised that she doesn’t stop?

‘So for months her nickname was Miss Lap Dance, because the clip went viral and somehow someone recognized her from the footage.’

‘I never knew this,’ John says. ‘I thought you were such a well behaved lady in college.’

‘I was,’ I say, ‘but I made one slip up. Honest to God, this was the only time I did something like that.’

‘Not true,’ Raye says.

‘Not true?’ John and I say at the same time.

Aurelio leans back in his chair, while he has a smile on his face, watching Raye keep on tapping more stories about me. ‘Tell us about it,’ he even encourages her.

‘Eric once did certain things to you underneath the table when we had dinner.’

My eyes widen. ‘You knew?’

‘Of course I knew,’ she laughs. ‘The rest didn’t, but I notice everything.’

I hide my face in my hands. ‘Oh my God, this is terrible.’

This situation is terrible, but hearing John nearly choking in his laughter, is making this ten times worse.

‘Don’t you dare laugh,’ I tell him. ‘This is so embarrassing.’

‘Look, she’s blushing,’ Raye laughs.

Thankfully John pays for dinner and Raye decides to make her Valentines Day date last a bit longer, because she suggests that Aurelio drives her home. She hugs John and I smile as Aurelio gives me a kiss on my hand. ‘Thank you for inviting me to your cafe,’ he says. ‘I’m really happy.’

‘Well, I’m happy to give Raye to you,’ I say. ‘After being friends with her for nearly fifteen years, Jennie and I need a break every now and then.’

‘I heard that,’ Raye says.

‘I’m just totally sorry that you might’ve gotten the wrong image of me.’

He shakes his head. ‘No, I know that Raye is quite something herself.’

I can’t help but laugh, feeling a little bit better already.

Raye pulls me in a hug. ‘Thank you for tonight.’

‘I’m always willing to be the laughing stock of the evening.’

She gives me a kiss on my cheek. ‘Knew it.’

When John and I are in the car, it’s pretty silent. I stare at my hands. ‘There is nothing you need to be embarrassed about, sweetheart,’ he says.

‘My friend told you on Valentines Day in front of your friend that Eric fingered me underneath a table. I have every right to be embarrassed.’

He holds onto my hand. ‘It’s honestly not that bad.’

I look up. ‘Really?’

‘Really,’ he chuckles. ‘This won’t change the way I think about you. You had a relationship with that idiot for awhile, of course you did those kinds of things. I do have one question, though.’

‘Do I want to know?’

He smiles. ‘Why haven’t you given me a lap dance, like ever? I mean, I’m your fiancée after all.’

‘John!’ I yell. ‘You are unbelievable.’

John’s laugh fills the car.

I cross my arms in front of my chest.

‘Don’t be mad, baby,’ he laughs, ‘I’m just messing with you.’

‘Oh, really?’ I ask. ‘Because I was thinking about what song I was going to perform during my lap dance I was going to give you, since it’s Valentines Day after all… But since you’re just messing with me…’

‘You little tease.’ John places his hand on my leg, giving me a sweet squeeze. ‘What songs were you thinking of?’

Taglist: @toomanystoriessolittletime​ // @flhorah​ // @allie1804-fan​ // @cynic-spirit​ // @raven-black102​

[wincestreversebang]

Master Post for 2020

That is a wrap, folks! Here is the Master Post for 2020!!! Title: I Never Knew Artist: ncdover1285 Author: midnightsilver Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: drinking Summary: How can you know a person better than you know yourself but never know this? A drunken realization with a little help from a friend. (aka: ‘of course you two love each other, shut up and kiss already’) Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: Untouchable for Life Artist: angeltortured Author: sintari Other Pairing(if applicable): Sam Winchester/Jessica Moore, briefly mentioned Dean Winchester/OFC Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Sex Work, Angst (see more at AO3), Jess Positive Summary: When Stanford student Sam is desperate for rent money, his girlfriend Jess suggests he turn to camming. As his uneasy relationship with sex work progresses, Sam's "Top Fan," the lurker Impala67, leaves him conflicted.... and something else. Art: Ao3 Story: Ao3 Title: Call of the Wolf Artist: tx_devilorangel Author: ncdover1285 Rating: PG-13 Warnings/Spoilers: N/A Summary: Something is terrorizing a small town in South Dakota. Sets of siblings seem to disappear into the woods and never be seen again. What is being seen is a huge wolf that is lurking in the woods. Sam and Dean go to investigate. Will they figure out what is happening in this small town, or will they be another set of siblings that simply disappear? Art: Live Journal | Ao3 Story: Ao3 Title: a sad fact of modern life Artist: emmatheslayer Author: thelegendofwinchester Rating: G Warnings/Spoilers: N/A Summary: The boys make a YouTube channel with the intention to easily be able to spread knowledge to new hunters and help them out. It goes downhill within minutes, but that’s not always a bad thing. Art: Live Journal Story: Ao3 Title: Cock Tails Artist: ncdover1285 Author: angeltortured Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: drunk sex Summary: Sam gets drunk off of phallic-shaped drinks at a gay bar. Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: Strap Your Hands 'Cross my Engines (Don't Mind Me, You Usually Don't) Artist: midnightsilver​ Author: nevergettingoverwincest Other Pairing(if applicable): Sam/Dean/Impala Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: N/A Summary: “Hold your horses,” the witch called when Dean pounded on her door. Sam and Baby were behind him, Baby craning her neck to look in one of the cottage’s windows. The door scraped open and the witch poked her head out. “Back already? Who’s this?” she added, looking at Baby. “This is my car,” Dean said, flatly. Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: Darkness And Light Artist: shealynn88 Author: ncdover1285 Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Incest, M/M Summary: Sam and Dean are cursed and they are sent on separate journeys to figure out how to break the curse. Finding out that they may just get exactly what they have been longing for is definitely a bonus. Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: Burn for You Artist: darklittleheart96 Author: storyspinner70 Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Dom/sub, Alpha Dean, Alpha Sam, Unusual ABO Dynamics, Possessive Dean Winchester, Dom Dean Winchester, Sub Sam Winchester, Bondage, Top Dean, Bottom Sam Summary: No one was surprised when both Winchester boys became alphas. The surprise came when Sam figured out that, while he might be happy to be an alpha, the only place eh really wanted to be was on his knees for his brother. Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: Trust Me Artist: ncdover1285 Author: amypond45 Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Time travel, Humor, angst, Sam POV Summary: Stanford Sam travels back in time to the week after he left for college to show Dean how much he loves him. Art: Tumblr Story: Live Journal | Ao3 Title: Spellbound Artist: tx_devilorangel Author: theydraggedmeinowianintleaving Rating: PG-13 Warnings/Spoilers: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Past Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester, Canon Compliant, Up til season 3, not entirely canon compliant though, Dean Winchester Dies, Dean Winchester is saved from Hell, No Apocalypse, Angel Castiel (Supernatural), the angels are good guys, or at least neutral, Jealous Sam Winchester, Castiel & Dean Winchester Friendship, endgame wincest, Dean's crossroads deal, John Winchester Dies, implied wet dreams, Canon-Typical Violence, Sam Winchester Dies, but only for ten seconds, implied soulmates Summary: Sam had always known they were outsiders; hadn’t needed the oh so helpful input from any Harry, Dick or Jane to realize as much when tv had already told him. Or maybe he hadn’t always known; had once been young (and perhaps innocent) enough to not know any better. However, he’d learned; from blurry images on tiny tv-screens whenever their dad found it necessary to rent a motel room for the three of them. On the screen everybody lived in houses rather than an old car driving from one end of the country and then back again over and over and over. Kids didn’t know how to use a gun – Sam might not yet be the marksman his brother was, but he knew how to use every single one in their dad’s arsenal; which was another thing the people on tv didn’t have: a goddamn arsenal of weapons. Art: Live Journal | Ao3 Story: Ao3 Title: The Human Trap Artist: bluefire986 Author: storyspinner70 Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Biker Dean and Sam, Violence, Aftermath of torture, Hurt Dean, Protective Sam, Revenge Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester were new to being the power behind The Knights of Hell biker gang, but they weren't new to the violence and pain that went along with it. They were working for a better future, but that was going to take muscle and brain and a lot of blood. Nothing worthwhile ever changed in a single day, but when Dean doesn't come back from a simple gun drop, The Knights worry that nothing will ever be the same again. Art: Live Journal | Ao3 Story: Ao3 Title: There Will Be Peace When You Are Done/I'll Come Back To You Artist: angeltortured Author: specialgentrin Rating: PG-13 Warnings/Spoilers: Major Character Death, Season 15 AU Summary: This is it. The final battle against Chuck Shurley. Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: No Retreat, No Surrender Artist: bluefire986 Author: smalltrolven Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: N/A Summary: After everything with Chuck is over, Sam and Dean move up to Rufus’ cabin in Montana, to finally retire. After the hunting life they’ve led, they know there’s plenty of people and monsters left out there that have a score to settle. All the monsters forgotten, memories avoided and choices made in the past make what happens next even worse. Art: Live Journal | Ao3 Story: Live Journal | Ao3 Title: Box Up My Heart Artist: txdora Author: levisqueaks Rating: PG-13 Warnings/Spoilers: N/A Summary: Moving in with Sam had been perfect. They were living the life at Stanford with the world and their futures spread before them for the taking. But sometimes Sam was swallowed up in pain, whiskey, and knives instead of sweet dreams. One day Jessica stumbles across a secret Sam had been hiding for years and the darkness that takes over him begins to make sense. Especially when they get an unexpected late-night visitor and she witnesses a secret kiss. Art: Live Journal | Ao3 Story: Ao3 Title: A Little Sugar Artist: emberthrace Author: hit_the_books Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Canon-Typical Violence, Dubious Consent, Season 2, Recreational Drug Use, Explicit Sexual Content (see story for full tags) Summary: People are dying bloodily in Red Bluff, California, and no one knows how. The only leads? A strange substance that may or may not be a narcotic and hints of sulfur, and the rumor that a local outlaw motorcycle gang may be involved. Heading out to Northern California on the hunt, Dean and Sam are going to discover feelings they've been hiding from each other for a long time. Art: Live Journal Story: Ao3 Title: Payphone Symphony Artist: emmatheslayer Author: levisqueaks Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Barely Legal, Wincest, Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, Older Sam Winchester, Younger Dean Winchester, Pining, Deception, Phone Sex, Dirty Talk, Sam Winchester is basically Dean’s Dad, Mechanic!Dean, Age Difference, Phone Sex Operator Summary: Sam Winchester never claimed to be a righteous man but he hoped that his good deeds could someday outweigh the sin in his heart. After all, what 35 year old man, who practically raised their younger brother fell in love with them? Sam finds a mysterious bill that sets off alarms. But when he overhears Dean greeting a caller using a known sex phone company’s name, Sam is tossed into a whirling sea of intrigue, deception, and longing. Can Sam redeem himself? Or will becoming Dean’s most loyal customer only drag him closer to hell? Art: Live Journal Story: Ao3 Title: Under a Blue Moon Artist: emberthrace Author: amypond45 Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: dubcon Summary: While hunting a lycanthrope, Dean gets bit. Sam figures out a cure, but he knows Dean won’t like it. Art: Live Journal Story: Live Journal | Ao3 Title: Spinning On That Dizzy Edge Artist: angeltortured Author: ratflavored Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Rough Oral Summary: Sam’s tearing himself apart to finish the trials, so Dean forces them to have a night to relax in what he considers the bunker. But there's things going on behind Sam's poker face that Dean can't quite figure out. Most of the time, Dean can let that sort of thing slide, but when he's loose with whiskey and mulling over memories, it's a lot harder. What does Sam want from him? Booze, memories, and cards make for a dangerous combo. Art: Twitter Story: Ao3 Title: Titans Remembered Artist: midnightsilver Author: klove0511 Rating: PG-13 Warnings/Spoilers: Brief, non-graphic attempted bestiality; referenced animal sacrifice, hurt Dean Summary: Following a string of missing people and livestock mutilations, Sam and Dean stumble on a case where the monster has a personal beef with them. When Dean gets himself in trouble trying to do everything himself, Sam must come to the rescue and remind him that they're better as a team. Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 | Tumblr Title: Wish Not Change Artist: kelios Author: smalltrolven Rating: R Warnings/Spoilers: spoilers for season 15 Summary: There’s a picture that Dean has in his wallet. It’s of the two of them, even though it’s not really them, but it’s still the stuff that wishes are made of. It takes a journey to New Orleans and back, a new case opened and closed, and wishes made and granted, for that wish to maybe come true. Art: Live Journal Story: Live Journal | Ao3 Title: Free Bird Artist: darklittleheart96 Author: merenwen76 Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: ExSlave!Dean, Hunter!Sam, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non, NSFW Art Summary: Written for the following prompt: Non-brothers AU, Sam (35 or older) is one of the best hunter, whose whole life has changed the day he rescued terrified and abused slave named Dean, who within the law is now Sam's slave... Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: The Boy Who Would be King Artist: sarasaurussex Author: annie46 Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: NSFW art, character death Summary: Without a soul Sam can be what he was always meant to be - King of Hell. He doesn't need Dean, or does he? Dean only wants to save Sam, or does he actually want more? Art: Tumblr Story: Live Journal | Ao3 Title: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes Us Stronger Artist: shealynn88 Author: ncdover1285 Other Pairing(if applicable): Dean Winchester/ others (mentioned), Sam Winchester/ Others (mentioned) Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Dark, M/M, Unknown Incest, Dark Winchesters Summary: Sam and Dean grew up in different ways, but seem to have quite a bit in common. Both finding their way to a life of killing and lies. It’s almost as if something is keeping one from killing the other though when they take the other as a mark. Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: Moral Insanity Artist: midnightsilver Author: levisqueaks Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: Crack, This Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, Dean Winchester Wears Panties, Cowboy Sam Winchester, The Boys Film a Porno Summary: When Dean got down to it, this was all Sammy’s fault. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but when Sam convinces Dean they should make money by filming porn rather than credit card scams, the brothers end up a little too close to the fire. Why did he feel like he was walking to the gallows? He loved porn. He was a fine curator of porn. Had been since his first skin mag at 13. So why was the thought of being behind the camera so nerve wracking? Once Dean’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness beyond the wall separating them from the storefront he found the director circling Sam. Like a shark. This guy was a shark. Or maybe a vampire? He was some sort of deadly with teeth that wanted to eat his kid brother alive. What the hell had they gotten themselves in to? Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: The Hawk and the Wolf Artist: kelios Author: fledhyris Rating: PG-13 Warnings/Spoilers: N/A Summary: Two brothers, cursed for loving one another a little too closely, wander as knights errant, together yet forever apart. Their luck turns when Dean encounters a young thief, Garth, running from Winchester Cathedral with a stolen book. They have just one chance to meet the conditions for the spell to be lifted; will they win their hearts’ desire or be doomed to live out the rest of their lives under a cruel enchantment? Art: Live Journal Story: Ao3 Title: stumbling over universes Artist: kuwlshadow Author: embersdevine Rating: PG-13 Warnings/Spoilers: Some sexual content Summary: Sam and Dean find themselves in another world. Again. But someone finds them and it sort of changes everything. Art: Tumblr Story: Ao3 Title: Titanium (With You On the Edge of Every Tomorrow) Artist: darklittleheart Author: abeautifullie3 Other Pairing(if applicable): (all minor or passing mentions) Charlie/Eileen. Jody/Donna. Cesar/Jesse. OFC/OMC. Rating: NC-17 Warnings/Spoilers: (full list at author’s LJ or AO3, here be the biggies) Spoilers through entire aired series…just to be safe. Semi-AU. Canon Divergence. A/B/O. Mpreg. Alpha!Dean. Alpha-to-Omega!Sam. A Few Instances of Gore. Graphic OC Deaths. Death of Not-A-Fucking-Lead Character. Graphic Deaths of Minors (not Sam and Dean's). Show Level Violence. Profanity. Graphic Sex. BDSM: A Bit of B…With Some D&S…No S&M. Pregnancy!Kink. Lactation!Kink. Pregnant!Sex. To Be Safe: Graphic Births. Kid!fic. Kinda-sorta Curtain!Fic. Kinda-sorta Fix-It!Fic. Angst. A Bit of Schmoop To Sooth. Summary: All the sigils, all the wards. All the hoodoo and white magic. All of the mystical safeguards they had in place, and yet there was one thing none of it could protect them from... Humans. Against the odds, Dean and Sam have built a life together aside from Hunting. With the help of a curse-turned-gift, they’ve even made their own family. Now, Sam eight months pregnant with his and Dean’s daughter, it’s all being threatened when Dean and their five-year-old son, Jameson, are abducted. It's perfectly executed. As if the kidnapper knows personal details about Sam and Dean's lives. Has knowledge – and access – to the bunker. Has been to their home. It's because she does and has. She's been training with them for over two years. Moved up in the ranks to both helper and friend. Hell, she's watched after Jameson for them. She's been biding her time. Now it’s Dean’s turn to bide his time, take care of his son as best he can while being held prisoner, keep them alive until Sam can rescue them. Which, if there is anything Dean knows for sure…Sam will save them. The weeks passing, stress taking its toll on Sam’s heavily pregnant body, with what little Sam and his people have to go on, what they’ve been able to piece together, he knows it’s up to him to find and rescue his brother and son from a sadistic psychopath who may be right in their midst. Semi-AU from season 6 finale. Some canon stuffs after that still happened. A helluva bunch didn’t…or played out differently. No time for significant “world building”, and not a primary focus, but this is A/B/O. Art: Tumblr Story: Live Journal | Ao3

[mrsalwayswrite]

The Difference Between Champagne and Rum Part 4 (Alfie Solomons x OFC)

Thank you everyone for your patience with this. Finally!! Here is the next part! I am not sure when I will have Part 5 & 6 done but I promise they are already plotted out...just got to write them. So this takes place in Season 2, so we get to see our beloved Alfie in his gangster glory. 

Warnings: Swearing, some racial slurs, mild sexual content, nothing major

Words: 10k 

The Difference Between Champagne and Rum

Part 4- Chance Encounters and Necessary Libations 

~1922~

“Fuckin’ Italians.” Alfie Solomons muttered as he pushed through the door of Darby Sabini’s club in London. The obnoxious mixture of perfume, cologne and cigarette smoke assailed his senses making his throat close up. For the briefest of moments his mind returned to the smoke-filled, blood-saturated fields in France, with that nauseating smell making his throat constantly feel like it would rather seal itself closed than force more of the poisonous air into his lungs. Bombs going off. Piss running through the trench, mixing with the fresh blood. Men, boys really, screaming for God or their mothers…or crying out for death. Quickly Alfie shook his head before the memories could escape the locked box in his mind that was reserved for them. No, he had a different kind of pain in the ass to deal with currently.

He moved just off to the side of the main entrance, eyeing the swarms of men with slicked-back hair, women in flapper dresses and pearls, and the workers hovering in the shadows waiting to assist the guests. Realistically, the pause was also to give his hip a moment’s respite before he had to pretend the pain radiating like a flare out of his right hip was nothing. He would rather suffer then give Sabini one hint of weakness. The man was a shark, sniffing blood in the water and attacking anything weaker than himself. He scanned the place, noting the gaudy décor, bold colors and the aura of alcohol and lust infused in the air seeking to corrupt the mind with every breath. This was definitely Sabini’s place. Alfie sent a silent prayer heavenward that he never had to cross this threshold again. This place was certainly far from kosher. After he left, he might have to repent of sins he had not even committed just to cleanse himself of the stench of this place. 

“Fuckin’ hip.” He rubbed a hand over it for a moment before straightening. The sooner he met with Sabini, the sooner he could leave. “Let’s get this shit done.”

Black hat on, long black coat hanging off his wide shoulders, scowl on his face- he stepped out of the shadows and moved forward. The guests parted before him, like Moses parting the Red Sea. Not that he minded, he actually got a thrill out of seeing people’s reaction when in his presence. He could be the personification of intimidating when he chose to be. His cane tapped on the floor with each step, only taking some of his weight. It could be its own added force of intimidation. A solid strike with it had taught many people it could be used for more than just a handicap.

“Mr. Solomons!” One of Sabini’s men finally approached him. The pinstripe suit, slicked back hair and thin moustache were enough of a giveaway before the man even opened his mouth to speak in his thick accent. “Mr. Sabini informed me to meet you at the entrance.”

“Yeah? Kinda hard to do that when you got your fuckin’ tongue down that girl’s throat, eh?” Alfie pointed at a girl walking by in a cream-colored dress, attempting to adjust it back into place. “Where is Sabini? He said to meet him here.”

The man attempted to wipe the lipstick off his lips, causing some to smear on his cheek, never mind the few spots on his neck he seemed oblivious too. “Mr. Sabini had an important family meeting come up. Once that is finished, he would meet with you. It should not take long.”

Alfie grumbled, rubbing a hand over his mouth and jaw, his beard prickling the skin. The idea of waiting for Sabini sounded awfully boring and insulting. Yet he needed to have this meeting. If for nothing else then confirmation that his new alliance with those gypsies was still worth his time.

Somehow the man seemed to sense Alfie’s decision to stay and gestured for him to follow. They passed the dance floor, nearby tables being used for both alcohol and snow, and the band at the head of the room. There was a slightly elevated section that the wop led him too. Only a handful of others sat at the tables, too focused on their own conversations and drinks to pay any attention to Alfie.

“I’ll inform Mr. Sabini of your arrival, he will be out soon.” The man gestured to a table in which Alfie took a seat. “All drinks are on the house.”

Alfie watched the man scurry off before ordering a whiskey when a server approached. If Sabini had not shown his ugly face before Alfie finished his drink, he would leave. Fuck this waiting-power game Sabini was playing. The truce between the two of them wavered like a flickering flame, some moments stronger than others but this newest insult was too much. He was affecting Alfie’s business and that was something the Jewish gangster would not tolerate.

His thoughts turned to his schedule for tomorrow and what needed to get done. Ollie had been harping on him to get a secretary with how business and paperwork had been expanding and piling up. Each time Ollie tried to bring it up, Alfie’s glare would shut him down. He did not need nor want someone else sticking their nose in his books and affairs.

About halfway through his whiskey he heard footsteps approach from behind. They were not Sabini’s usual cocky stride. No, they were light and with a clip from high heels. Alfie internally rolled his eyes. He wondered if Sabini sent a whore to distract him, he would not put it past the arrogant wop to try that.

“Is this seat taken?”

Her soft, sweet voice swept over him, causing him to tighten his fingers around his glass. His plan to be rude or ignore her flew out of the window. Her voice was a siren’s call, a lingering song from his past that he had never truly forgotten.

The chair across from his slid out and she gracefully settled herself. Light caught and danced off all the silver beads on her sleeveless gray flapper dress. Long gray gloves covered her hands that held a flute of champagne. His eyes traced up her form to her red, plump lips and delicate features to stare into her hypnotic gaze with gemstone eyes. The biggest change was her shortened hair, a bob now, very fitting with the current style apparently but a part of him lamented the loss of her long, sleek, blonde hair.

The air froze between them. Time and space no longer mattered. Their eyes beheld one another as if a magnetic force refused to let them escape. Trapped in this disbelieving look. Trapped in this moment. Yet there was nowhere else Alfie would rather be. Even after all this time, even after all the shit he had seen and survived, even though it had years since he last saw her…she was still the most beautiful woman to him. He doubted that was something that would ever change.

“It is you.” She breathed out as if momentarily in awe.

“Angel?”

A small smile tilted her lips up. “Damn. Alfie Solomons in the flesh. This must be my lucky day.”

A sound between a snort and a laugh emerged from his own mouth but never once did his eyes come off of her…not did hers leave his. A bubble of silence encased them but it never felt uncomfortable. They just stared at one another as if seeing the moon for the first time. His mind struggled to convince itself that the woman sitting before him was the very same woman he had pinned after for so long. Eight years had passed since he last laid eyes on her. Eight years in which he went to war and returned to expand his empire and reputation. The year before the war ended, her letters stopped. One of the only sources of light and joy in that fucking war ceased and it hit him harder than the bomb blast that sent him to the hospital. All his hopes, dreams and promises of reuniting with her ended then. Yet here she sat in front of him now.

His brain finally decided to start functioning again and he asked the first thing that came to mind. “What are you doin’ here? Your last letter said you was in America.”

She tensed minutely, barely anyone would notice but his eyes were trained on her and did not miss her reaction. After taking a quick sip of her champagne, she answered him. “I have been. I am currently traveling for business.”

“Business?”

“Mmm…I am not sure if you have heard but over in America, this awful law was passed and now alcohol is illegal. Apparently, it is the root of all evil, if you listen to some of the old women.”

“And where does business come in?”

She shrugged casually, peering over the dance floor for a moment. “There are some people willing to pay for alcohol, especially those with money…they just lack the connections to grant them this great evil.”

“So that s’where you come in. You’re a supplier of an illegal substance.”

“I prefer to think of it as a supplier of the finer things in life and good times.”

He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. Even after all these years, she still continued to surprise him. “So what you sayin’, yeah, s’you still a trouble maker.”

“My dear Alfie,” she gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her chest in mock horror, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Yeah, yeah, you s’fuckin’ angel. What are you doin’ at this club?”

She rolled her eyes, glancing around quickly. “My business partner and I were supposed to meet with Mr. Sabini but we have been waiting over an hour already.”

“Why the fuck you meetin’ with the likes of him?” He narrowed his eyes at her. Something within him roared in anger at the idea of her meeting with scum like Sabini.

“My partner thinks he has connections we could use. I disagree. With what I have heard, he is not a man to trust easily.”

“Yeah, you s’right, love. Stay well away from ‘im. What kind of connections you lookin’ for? Maybe I can help.”

“I actually planned on calling on you next week. Between us, your reputation may have…frightened my partner. He does not want to utilize your resources. He says you are too volatile and unpredictable.”

“Fuck ‘im too.”

She laughed shamelessly, eyes crinkling as she tilted her head back.

Heaven above, that sound was like music to his ears. He could not help as his own lips turned up at her amusement.  Every fiber in his body demanded he snatch her up and leave with her, never let her out of his sight again, beg her to smile and laugh for him because he had forgotten how it warmed him from the inside out. Although, if he somehow doubted that she would approve of his idea of kidnapping her. That idea made his smile broaden slightly. They both may have changed since they last saw one another but he doubted her independent streak had abated much.

“Come to me bakery tomorrow. Yeah, I’ll show you me bread and give you some names to check out.”

“I would like that.”

“Right! S’settled!” He clapped his hands together loudly, drawing the attention of the few other patrons sitting nearby. “Stop by in the mornin’. Mmm…yeah. I’ll have Mrs. Liebgott in the front expectin’ you.”

“If I may be so bold…” She gestured to his hands. Curious, he nodded and watched as she changed seats to sit next to him. Hesitantly she pulled his left hand closer and seemed to be examining it.

“S’you a gypsy now? Gonna read me palm for me fortune?”

A small smile appeared, the only indicator that she heard his tease. Now so close, her scent taunted him. That same lavender scent, even after all these years, still hung around her like a pleasant aura. As subtly as possible, he inhaled deeply, wishing to permanently brand his nostrils with her scent. Fucking hell, what was happening to him? He was starting to sound like some kind of miscreant stalker.

“Is that…from the necklace I gave you?”

He glanced down to see her finger gently touching one of his rings. “Yeah, the chain got damaged during…” he swallowed thickly, “…during a fuckin’ blast. Kept it in me pocket until I got back to London. Eventually had the gold melted from the chain to form the ring and had the star put on it.”

He wondered what she thought of it. The star was no longer perfect like when she had given it to him. There were dings and scratches on its surface. One of the star’s spikes was dramatically shorter than the others. Yet it still was the same star and same gold, just now a thick gold band encasing the simple gold northern star.

“I can’t… I am surprised you kept it.”

Unsure if those were really tears in her eyes or just a reflection off the club lights, he placed his other hand over hers. Her hands were now sandwiched between his.

“Course I kept it. It was the company’s fuckin’ good luck charm, given to me by me angel, yeah? Why the hell would I get rid of it?”

A genuine smile appeared as she squeezed his hand. “I am glad it brought you luck. From what your reputation says, even the devil himself could not have taken you down, Mr. Solomons.”

“Fuckin’ hell, he tried a few times. I had a promise to keep though. An angel told me I wasn’t allowed to die.”

“You certainly are a man of your word.”

“Mmm…yeah, yeah. That s’me.” His thoughts seemed to move sluggishly when he realized how close they were. Hands clasped between the two of them, bodies leaning forward. It felt surreal. She was truly here…in the flesh. All he wanted to do was pull her into his lap, wrap his arms around her and never let her go. Yet it had been eight years. He had changed, and he suspected she had too. Did she still want him like he wanted her? Could she? Or was this all a dream sent to torment him?

A voice destroyed their peaceful moment. A figure coming to stand near them. “Sarah, I think it’s time we leave.”

“Of course, Hector.” Sarah squeezed Alfie’s hands one last time before releasing him and standing up.

Alfie stared at the man who helped Sarah slip on her fur-lined coat. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the man kept his hand on her lower back.

“Who is your friend here?” The man asked, his American accent easily recognizable. His blue eyes peered through his thin-rimmed spectacles, an intelligence there that was undeniable.

“Yes, my apologies. Hector, this is Alfie Solomons. Alfie, this is Hector Richardson, my business partner.”

Hector nodded slightly. “You seem to know each other well for how long you were talking.”

“We s’old friends, yeah. Haven’t seen her in years.” Alfie said, drumming his fingers on his cane.

“Old friends.” Hector repeated slowly. “Well pleasure to meet you, Mr. Solomons, but as I stated earlier, Sarah and I need to leave.”

Alfie grumbled, an unintelligent consent, wishing for this Hector to find himself at the bottom of the Thames. He did not like the look of him. He could not be much older than himself but this American carried himself like somehow Alife had insulted his mother. He had a handsome enough face, minus the slightly hooked nose and thin lips pursed in annoyance. What bothered Alfie the most was the possessive touch he had on Sarah. The idea to do some digging into this- Hector Richardson- sounded worthwhile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Angel?”

“Yes, I promise.” She winked at him, furthering the scowl on Hector’s face. The two walked away, getting lost in the midst of the crowded club.

Her heady scent of lavender lingered behind like a pleasant memory. The feel of her hands in his brought a warmth to his soul that had been cold for a long time. In all reality, he knew he was overreacting to her reappearance. It had been eight years since he last seen her and truthfully at any moment she could vanish once again. Yet the irrational piece of his brain he usually silenced chirped that it felt like a missing piece was back in his life.

Grumbling to himself, he rubbed his hand over his mouth and jaw, thoughts now turning to tomorrow and their meeting. He could not help but smirk at the knowledge that she was getting into the illegal liquor business. Even after all these years, the girl who should have been a princess and high above the rest of the peasants was still rolling in the mud with them. Even if she still carried a dignity and grace about her that made others turn heads and take notice. She may be in the mud with the peasants but she was a queen, no one could deny that.

“Mr. Solomons.”

Alfie turned to the wop from earlier who approached, now cleansed of lipstick.

“Mr. Sabini can see you now.”

Quickly Alfie slammed the rest of his whiskey back, that familiar burn bringing him back to the present and this god-forsaken meeting.

“A’right, lets get this done, mate.”

 *****

-The next day-

 “So you see sir…that’s…that’s what ‘appened. Just an accident.” The young man stood quaking under Alfie’s gaze, eyes darting around as if any of the other bakers would step in and help him.

Alfie grunted, turning to stare at the large spill of rum soaking into the floor. All he could see was money wasted, laying on the ground. Sure the other lads had managed to save most of the rum in the broken barrel but that did not alleviate one of the newest bakers from learning to be careful with the goods. Normally the foreman on the floor would be dealing with this mess but unfortunately Ishmael was out checking a new batch of cane sugar from Jamaica before bringing it back to the bakery. So that left dealing with this imbecile to the boss.

“Clean this fuckin’ mess up.” He demanded, paused a moment to see the young man nod erratically then turned to head back to this office. The shit that needed to get done today kept piling up without any signs of a reprieve in the future for him. This was something he really did not need to happen today. A shipment was supposed to go out tonight that he wanted to look over once more then there was that pub owner he needed to address for his late payments along with…

“I’m sorry, sir… I won’t spill no more rum. Thank you, sir…”

Before the young man finished uttering his sentence, Alfie turned around to tower over the lad. He glared, summoning all his repressed anger and intimidation, then poured it like hot oil over the lad.

“May I remind you…that the distinction between bread and rum, yeah…IS NOT DISCUSSED!” Alfie ended roaring into the quivering lad’s face. “GET IT THROUGH THAT THICK SKULL OR I’LL FUCKIN’ CRACK IT OPEN!” Without waiting for a response, he turned and started towards his office. If the smell of piss was any indicator, he guessed he would not have any troubles again with that one.

Back in his office, he slammed the door shut, startling Cyril from his nap on his bed on the floor. The bull mastiff looked up at his master before laying his head back on his front paws, watching the muttering man, unaffected by his foul mood.

Shuffling around his cluttered desk, Alfie checked his pocket watch and groaned. It was only 9am and already he wished for the day to be over. He dropped down onto his seat to stare at the paperwork before him. It was an unending pile that he seemed unable to escape no matter the number of late nights or early mornings. Slipping his halfmoon spectacles on, he started again on the notice he had been reading earlier. Someone must have dropped it by late last night. It was from one of the police officers on his payroll, saying how they were getting a new captain and a few new recruits with a list of names. Alfie made a mental note to have the captain checked out, see if he could be of use before Sabini got to him.

A gentle knocking brought Alfie out of his thoughts but kept his eyes glued to the paper before him. “Oi! What s’want, Ollie?”

The creaking of his door alerted him to Ollie’s entrance.

“This better be good, yeah, or you can just fuck right off now.”

“Would you prefer for me to come another time?”

The teasing, sweet, feminine voice had Alfie almost giving himself whiplash with how fast his head jerked up. Ollie stood just inside the office, keeping the door open, meanwhile Sarah stood in the doorway looking like a vision as usual, a mischievous smirk on her lips.

“I like the spectacles by the way. They make you look…scholarly.”

Alfie snorted, taking the glasses off before rising. “Fuckin’ hell, love. I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“I said I would. I always follow through with my promises.” She stepped further in, her heels clicking on the wood paneled floor. “I can come back another day if you are busy.”

“No, no. S’fine.”

“Ollie,” she turned back to smile at the man, “perhaps that pot of tea and scones would be beneficial right now.” She started to peel her fur-lined coat off, the same from the prior night if Alfie was not mistaken. Ollie immediately jumped to her aid, taking her coat and hanging it up on the hooks near the door. Sometimes Alfie wondered at the true intelligence of his assistant but the lad was certainly raised well in how to treat female guests. Probably due to his mother who was a tyrant when she wanted to be but would tear down governments for anyone she cared for.

“Of course, Mrs. Bondurant. Anything else I can do, Alfie?”

“No, just that.” He leaned on the edge of his desk, running a hand over his mouth and jaw. “Then we aren’t to be disturbed, yeah? When Ishmael returns, he can leave the papers with you for now.”

“Yes, sir.” Ollie gave one quick nod, his shaggy hair shaking with the movement before closing the door behind him.

“Mrs. Bondurant, eh? You married?”

She smiled slyly before taking time to look over his office. “Would it change things if I was?”

“Well that means I’ve been having inappropriate thoughts about a married woman, yeah, very inappropriate.” He watched her, wishing he could read her mind. He wondered what she thought of his office. It was cluttered with bookshelves and files. A fireplace sat abandoned in one corner, only used on the rarest of occasions in the dead of winter. There were a map London on one wall and a couple drawings from an local artist he admired. He also did not mind admiring her in the cream calf-length skirt and plum blouse, a very sophisticated and modern look. She looked ready to take on the world, especially in those heels that made her legs look like a divine treat but were sharp enough to stab someone with. He wondered if she wore them because of how they looked or as a weapon. Probably with her, both reasons.

Slowly, she moved from where she had been admiring a drawing to stand before him. “And if I am not? If I am simply Sarah?”

“You ain’t never been just Sarah to me.”

Her lips twitched as her eyes trailed over his face and eyes, reading and weighing out his words. One of her hands came up to brush through his bristly beard, her thumb rubbing across the scar just above his jaw.

“France.” He answered her unspoken question. “Shrapnel from a bomb.”

“I heard you were made a captain.”

“Not noteworthy, love.”

“I disagree, I like the sound of Captain Solomons.”

There was that teasing, mischievous look back in her gemstone eyes that he remembered so well. Standing so close, even in her heels, her eyes were level with his chin. A strange realization that so much had changed since they last saw one another except for this. She was still the perfect height in his opinion. Her hand on his cheek, he drew his own hand over her cheekbone before running through her shortened hair.

“Why you cut your hair?”

“Are you not aware? It is the latest fashion.” She batted her eyelashes and pouted her lips, the perfect image of a spoiled aristocrat.

He chuckled, running his hand through more slowly this time. At least it did not feel full of product like some women wore their hair. “Sure it is. Never guessed you’d be one to follow the rules.”

“Maybe I will grow it back out. It does help me not to stand out.”

“Love, you are a beautiful angel. Anyone who don’t see that is a fuckin’ fool.”

“I see you still have that charmer’s tongue and honeyed words.”

“I am a man of many talents.”

“Mmm…I seem to recall a few of those talents, especially involving that tongue of yours.”

“Only a few? S’shame, yeah, gonna need to fix that, yeah.” His hands landed on her hips, holding her close. Their gazes remained locked, a heat spilling out between them to fill the air. This teasing, flirtatious banter they so easily fell into felt different this time. Maybe it was because they were different people now. Maybe it was because the time spent apart. Yet Alfie guessed it was because they no longer were hindered by her family and his limited time before the war. No, now they were free. He hoped.  

“Please tell me you s’unmarried, I don’t need to be fightin’ no angry husband later.”

“Afraid you will lose?”

“No, Angel, its cos if I kiss you, I ain’t lettin’ you go again, damn your husband.”

“How do I know you are not married?”

“Been too busy.” He dragged his lips over the shell of her ear, loving the way her hands gripped the front of his shirt like a safety line. “Now answer me question, love.”

“No, I am not married.”

“Mmm…good, good.”

“What now, Captain Solomons?” One of her hands reached down to gently cup his growing erection. “I thought I was here to talk business and see your bakery.”

He suppressed a groan, trying to keep his thoughts in line. It was hard to think beyond this bubble of lust they were creating. The lock on the office door had been replaced lately, so being disturbed was not an issue. There was nowhere to lay her down though. If memory served him correctly, she did not mind being pinned against a wall (although his hip may protest). He wondered how she would feel about utilizing his desk. It was very sturdy. His hands slipped down to cup her ass, pulling her closer as he lightly kissed a trail down her neck. “It ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

And of course that was the moment Ollie chose to reenter with the tray of tea and biscuits. Opening the door, his eyes fixated on the two, his mouth gaping slightly. In all honesty, he probably did not expect to see his boss caressing this strange woman as one of her hands cupped his cock, her other tangled in his hair, pulling his head closer. That would give anyone a shock.

“Ah, um…I can come…”

“That is alright, Ollie.” Sarah stepped away from Alfie, somehow disentangling herself with ease and speed that astounded him. Probably did not help all the blood had rushed from his brain down to his cock. “Tea sounds delightful. I have been missing a good pot of English tea. Soothes the soul.” She peeked over her shoulder at Alfie, who had a scowl on his face. “Business before pleasure, sweetheart.”

Ollie almost dropped the tray on Alfie’s desk with that last comment.

Grumbling, Alfie tried to subtly adjust himself and get his mind off the feeling of how good her body felt under his hands. God, it was like the best wet dream and a nightmare simultaneously; having her so close and ready, yet then it being ripped away suddenly.

“Oh? And who is this handsome boy?”

Alfie straightened, fear coursing through him. So lost in her he had forgotten about the dog. “Sarah, wait-“

It was too late, she knelt down on the other side of Alfie’s desk near Cyril’s bed. Even Ollie momentarily looked horrified. Alfie expected to hear a cry or a growl, yet the immediate sound that greeted him was her cooing and a tail thumping. Coming around to the other side of his desk, shocked did not even begin to describe how he felt at the scene before him. There lay his massive dog that had torn men to shreds in protection of Alfie, who normally disliked strangers and even then was choosy about who he let touch him….now lay on his back, legs sprawled, tongue lolling as he got his belly and chest scratched. Sarah knelt on the floor, facing him, her voice low and cooing at him like he was the sweetest puppy. It would have been comical if Alfie could wrap his head around what his eyes were seeing. Exchanging a look with Ollie only mirrored his own surprise.

“Didn’t know you s’dog person.”

She looked back at Alfie, the widest, genuine smile on her face he had ever seen. “I love dogs. They are the most loyal companions and great for cuddling.”

“Mmm…” Alfie muttered, rubbing a hand over his face and jaw. He watched a second longer, transfixed by the sight in front of him. Glancing to his side, he suddenly remembered Ollie standing there, who now was staring at her with a dreamy look. “Oi! Keep those eyes in your head, boy. Now fuck off!”

He did not have to be asked twice, most likely knowing Alfie was pissed at him already for interrupting…whatever was happening before he arrived with the tray. Ollie stumbled an apology, along with a parting before scurrying out of the office, closing the door behind him.

“Are you always so harsh with him?”

“Didn’t like ‘im starin’ at you.” He reached a hand out to help her back to her feet, much to Cyril’s dismay. Rolling her eyes, she allowed him to pull her to her feet. Before he could get his hands fully back on her, she evaded him to glide over to the tray.

“Now, tell me the tale of how Alfie Solomons became a distiller of rum and owner of such a fine bakery. I must confess I tried one of those honeyed scones with Mrs. Liebgott, who is a delight herself, and it was delectable. I may have to come back just for that.” Sarah poured herself a cup of tea while she spoke then sat to blow gently on the steaming liquid. At her last comment, a soft whine came from around the side of Alfie’s desk. “Precious boy, I will come back and see you too. Oh! What is his name?”

“Cyril.” Alfie shook his head at the strangeness of this encounter, but then again, when had him and Sarah ever met like normal people. He rounded his desk to sit in his seat, shuffling some papers out of the way to not spill tea on. “Why you askin’ ‘bout me business?”

“Curiosity…perhaps I am impressed and am trying to see how the young man I once knew with bloody fists has now become such a successful businessman.”

“You forgot to mention dangerous gangster.”

“You would not be the first of those I have encountered.”

He squinted his eyes at her, disliking that comment. Gangsters were not to be trusted. Who else around here besides Sabini had she ‘encountered’? Had she somehow met the Shelbys? The fuckin’ Russians? Why could she not stay out of trouble?

As if reading his thoughts, she waved a hand dismissively. “In America. Apparently it is a growing trend. Now, I am still waiting for my story.”

“A’right. First,” he pointed a finger at her, “where this ‘Mrs. Bondurant’ business start? Then you’ll get your fuckin’ story.”

Several silent moments passed, her holding her tea cup against her lips as she stared off to the side. Softly, just above a whisper, she finally spoke. “My father disowned me, said I was a disgrace to our family name. I never fit into the mold that he wanted.  Do not look at me with that pity, it truthfully was not a surprise to anyone. Once he realized I refused to be married off to benefit his business and position, he no longer had a need for me. Besides, he had my brother who was beginning to follow in his footsteps. So I went back to stay with some distant family in America…”

“That’s why your letters came from there. The men thought I had me an American sweetheart.”

She chuckled. “I remember you mentioning that. Ishmael wrote me a letter about how you got into a fight when one of the men called me a ‘whore’ or something. Still defending my honor even in the middle of a war.”

“Fuckin’ hell…he did?”

She nodded slowly, smile growing on her face.

Grumbling about useless friends under his breath, he motioned for her to continue her story.

“I traveled around some, New York City, Chicago, Charleston. I have some cousins who got into the liquor business of distribution to places willing to pay for the stuff even though it is illegal now. Apparently I have a good mind for business and numbers so they convinced me to help them.”

“That man last night…”

“He is a distant cousin, a business partner. Him and his brother are the ones I work with.”

He shook his head, secretly pleased the man was not a suitor. “Why the fuck he so possessive of you?”

“We have had a few encounters with gangsters who…who wanted me to be part of the deal. They have become a bit protective of me since. And also his wife is one of my good friends. Before we left to come here, she told him if anything happened to me, she would cut his cock off.”

He laughed, not expecting that.

“He has a valid reason to be afraid. You do not mess with Southern women, they are usually sweet and kind but they can be brutal if they want too. Anyway, after an…incident, I had to lay low for a while. Hector had me stay with some friends in Virginia who are moonshiners. Actually one of them reminded me of you. It was uncanny. His name was Forrest Bondurant. I guess at one point while I was resting, some men came to the house asking questions about me. Forrest told them I was his wife…and it just stuck. It certainly kept the men in the area from trying anything. It is not like I wanted to go by Sarah Byron anymore.”

“Mmm…what was this incident?”

She shook her head. “No, I answered your question. Now I get my story.”

Fiddling with the rings on his hands, he found himself pouring out about life after the war. Only two women in his life had been able to boss him around, his mum and the angel staring at him with eyes of interest and affection. He talked about how coming back he noticed how many men could not get work, their families forced onto the streets. Plus while he was gone, his mother started to get sick. Without proper care, because she could not afford it, she began to deteriorate. Seeing this, he began to figure out ways to make money to pay for her care. Thus the rum business began. He still had all his prior connections, memories of how everything worked and now the man power to make it a business. The idea of the bakery had actually been inspired by his mum who complained that he always came home smelling of molasses and rum. He managed to afford her the best care until she passed two years ago. Now his life consisted of his business. He still “ran” Camden, giving protection to those willing to pay for it and trying to keep the wops off his turf. He dabbled with races some but that was more Sabini’s territory. With the growing popularity of his nephew, he was thinking about getting into boxing matches more instead of it just being recreational. He was unsure how long he spoke for, her asking questions along the way. The tea and scones were long gone. Cyril had gotten up at some point and sat next to Sarah, laying his head on her knee so she could pet him absent-mindedly as she listened to Alfie.

Dramatically, the office door opened. Ishmael entered, a surprised and smug look on his face.

“What the fuck, mate?” Alfie demanded.

Ishmael glanced at his boss and friend before turning back to Sarah. His eyes scanned over her like she was a new species he had discovered. “Damn, Ollie was right.”

“Ishmael?” Her eyebrows rose as her mind seemed to connect his face to her memories.

“Yeah, love. It’s me. What you doin’ here?”

“Just talking history and business.”

Ishmael leaned against Alfie’s desk, ignoring the glare being sent his way by Alfie, focusing on her. “You comin’ down to the floor to see the bakery? I’d give you a tour.”

“Oi! You got somethin’ important cos if not then fuck off, yeah?”

“Seein’ the lovely woman who holds me friend’s heart is important.” Ishmael winked at Sarah before looking over his shoulder at Alfie, a shit-eating grin on his face. “And I came to tell you that one of our lads got in a fight with one of them Pikey boys and now that big fella, the red-head, is demandin’ to speak to you.”

“Fuck.” Alfie groaned, rolling his eyes skyward. He needed all the patience to deal with that particular man, who was good at his job but just continued to rub Alfie the wrong way constantly. Looking over at Sarah, he could read the amusement and understanding in her eyes. “Love, I’m sorry…”

“It is fine, Alfie. I am sure I have taken up more than enough of your time today. You do have a business to run.” She stood up, brushing out her skirt.

“Have dinner with me tonight.”

“What?”

He rose, coming around the desk to stand before her. A sudden desperation in him that he could not let her leave without knowing he would see her again soon. “Lemme take you out tonight. I’ll pick you up at eight. I still didn’t hear none of your time in America and we never talked business.”

She paused a moment, eyes scanning his face. “I would like that.”

“Mmm…good, yeah, good.” Before she could grab it, he reached over and snagged her coat, helping her into it. “Ollie! In ‘ere!”

Ollie stepped in, seeming to have been waiting just outside the door. Probably expecting to get chewed out for letting Ishmael in.

“Good. Take Mrs. Bondurant to the hotel she is staying. Use me car, yeah, have David drive you.”

“Alfie…” She started to argue, hand placed on his chest.

“No, that’s an order, yeah?”

She cupped his cheek, before pressing her lips to it. “Of course, Captain. See you tonight.”

He mumbled something unintelligent, brain suddenly on hiatus with the feeling of her lips on his skin.

Giving a brief smile to Ishmael, she followed Ollie down the walkway, looking like a goddess amongst the dim and dusty bakery.

Alfie shook his head, dragging his eyes away from the door to Ishmael to ask him a question. His foreman and friend just stared at him smirking. “What?”

“Gonna propose proper this time?”

“Ah, fuck off.”

Ishmael laughed, pushing off Alfie’s desk. “Bout time you married and started having a house full of babies. Me wife is sick of making dinners for you all the time.”

“I’m just waitin’ for you to finally die then Ruth knows I’ll marry her right after your ass is buried in the ground. ‘sides, your ankle biters like me more.”

“Well you be waitin’ around a while…don’t plan on dying yet.”

“Good, good. I need you still, you fuckin’ bastard. Now let’s go crack some heads, yeah? Cyril, c’mon boy.”

Ishmael clapped a hand to Alfie’s shoulder quick before walking out of the office. Straightening the rings on his fingers, he allowed his boss persona to rise to the surface. Alone with Ishmael, they could joke but out in the bakery, he was the boss you did not fuck with or your blood spilled on the ground. Cyril at his side, he strode out of his office, wanting to deal with this mess as quickly as possible. He had a pile of things he needed to do still but nothing would stop him from seeing his angel tonight. He cracked his knuckles. Like she said, first business then pleasure.

 *****

Unfortunately business took longer than Alfie wanted. It was closer to nine that evening when his car pulled up in front of the hotel Sarah was staying at. A nice place with brick walls, banners and an attendant at the door to greet guests and provide information. Alfie let his driver go home claiming to need the drive to clear his head, when truthfully he just did not want to be around anyone. That afternoon had been exhausting from dealing with the Pikeys working in his bakery (damn Shelby for convincing him this was a good idea) and then trying to catch up on paperwork. Parking the car on the side of the street, he hopped out, almost getting hit by an erratic driver before heading towards the hotel.

“How can I be of service, sir?” The attendant politely asked when Alfie approached the double doors.

“Um, lookin’ for a friend. She s’stayin’ here.”

The attendant glanced him up and down quickly as if assessing Alfie’s worth of being allowed through his doors. Before Alfie could give him a piece of his mind, the man spoke up. “Would you, by chance, be a Mister Solomons?”

“Um…yeah.”

“Ah. A Mrs. Bondurant said she would be waiting for you at the bar, sir.”

Grumbling to himself, he nodded to the man before slipping past the double doors and heading off to the bar area on the right. His eyes shrewdly scanned over the patrons before landing on her. What should of brought elation only caused a shot of fiery anger to course dangerously through him. Sitting next to her at the bar was a man who was much too close and much too focused on her in Alfie’s opinion. He was fully turned facing her, holding a glass of amber liquid in one hand and the other draped across the back of her chair.

Sarah was only turned slightly towards him but one of her hands were carefully holding a wine glass and the other a lit cigarette. Her dress was a deep red, V-necked so her cleavage peeked out enticingly, and two strands of pearls hanging over her chest with black heels that were sharp. She looked positively beautiful and sinful at the same time.

The man brought his face closer to hers, whispering something before leaning back and chuckling about whatever it was. Sarah laughed along but it seemed fake to Alfie. To his growing rage, he witnessed the man place a hand on her thigh as he continued talking casually.

Without warning, Alfie stormed over and practically yanked the man out of his seat, causing him to spill his drink all over the counter. “Keep your fuckin’ hands and eyes off ‘er, yeah? Or I’ll cut ‘em off. Got it?” He growled into the man’s face.

“What the fuck?” The man scrambled to stand up straight, made impossible by the way Alfie was gripping the man’s suit jacket. His own voice rising to meet Alfie’s anger. “We were just talking. Who the fuck do you think you are? Get your bloody hands off me.”

Permission granted and uncaring of the amount of stares he was receiving, he pulled the man upright to get into his face. “I’m Alfie Solomons, that’s who the fuck I am.”

Alfie watched the lightbulb go off in the man’s eyes as his name sunk into his thick skull. Where there had been irritation and rising fury, now was doused away with the realization of who held him and pure fear at the unknown of Alfie’s actions.

“Good, good. Anymore questions? No? Then fuck off, mate.” He released the man, who stumbled back before righting himself. He opened his mouth as if to say something but with Alfie’s pointed glare, he clamped it shut and briskly walked away without even looking at Sarah.

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, Alfie turned back to Sarah. She had not moved, a single eyebrow raised as she took a sip of her wine.

“You look like you need a drink.”

He chuckled darkly. “More than one.”

Taking the man’s seat, he plopped down and ran a hand over his eyes. He signaled for a whiskey from the bartender, who quickly cleaned up the spilled drink. “Sorry, ‘m late, love, I had some unforeseen business…”

“Was that necessary?”

He stopped at her abrupt interruption. Turning slightly to face her, he eyed her. “What?”

Pursing her lips, she took a drag off her cigarette before speaking, the smoke dancing out of her lips and floating above her head. “Was it necessary to come after William like that?”

“William, eh? You two s’friends?”

“No, I just met him.”

“Then pardon me but what the fuck is the problem then? You didn’t seem to enjoy none of how close he was to you or was I readin’ that wrong? You tryin’ for his attention? Hopin’ to fuck him?”

With that, she turned to face him, emerald eyes glowing with unbridled rage. “You listen, Alfie Solomons,” she spat out, keeping her voice low but no less deadly. “I can talk to, spend time with and fuck whomever I want. I am not some innocent posh girl you need to protect anymore. Nor am I yours in any way. I am my own and I can do whatever the hell I want. If that affects us then you can be on your way and do not expect to hear from me. Am I making myself clear?”

Alfie’s own anger rose up instinctively. No one had talked to him like that in years and he remembered how much he hated it. His own blue eyes met her emerald, flames practically flickering between them with the surrounding air thick with tension. He did not flinch nor look away when the bartender hesitantly slide his drink in front of him. This battle of wills between them, staring purposefully into her heated gaze made him notice something. There was a darkness that lingered in the edges of those beautiful, gemstone eyes he had always loved so much that had not been there the times prior they had met. No, this was something new and it broke his heart. It was the same darkness that lingered in himself, in returned soldiers, in people who had seen far too much violence and their minds could not forget. She was haunted, just like him. Whatever anger he held crumbled like dust at this realization. All he could think of was pulling her into his arms to protect her from her own pain. What had happened since he had last seen her those eight years ago?

“A’right, love, a’right. You s’right. Just don’t want to see you hurt, yeah?”

After a long pause, he could see the tension drain from her posture. Slowly, she brought a hand up to cup his cheek, her thumb rubbing over his scar. “Why do you still care? Why are you still looking out for me?”

“Cos you s’me angel. You deserve it.”

A hint of tears glistened in her eyes as she held his gaze once again, but with a very different emotion this time.

“Now, it’s been a fuckin’ long day after you left. Me temper may have gotten the best of me. Here we are and this mornin’ you promised to tell me your story…mmm…so…”

“Is that so?” She chuckled, pulling her hand back to grasp her glass, and there was that twinkle in her eye that meant trouble. “Perhaps I want to see if you will beg for it?”

He leaned forward, invading her space intimately, as he whispered in her ear. “There is only one reason I would beg…and we will both be naked before that happens.” Returning to an upright position, he witnessed her pupils dilated slightly and lick her lips subconsciously. A jolt of desire shot through him at her action.

“An interesting proposal, Mr. Solomons. There is one thing I have heard that I am most curious about.”

“Mmm?”

“Some new friends I have made informed me that at the Paradise you regularly pay more for blonde company.” She smirked, lifting the cigarette to her lips again.

“Fuckin’ hell, what are you doin’ at a whorehouse?”

“I told you, I thoroughly research those who I may be doing business with.”

“You s’still trouble, Miss Sarah. Fuck…what you learn ‘bout Sabini?”

Shaking her head, she laughed making a smile appear on his own face. The prior tension between them fully gone.

“When you start smokin’?” Not that it bothered him terribly. During the war, he had become used to the smell. It was one of the few ways a soldier could attempt to relax while in the trenches. He never acquired the taste for it personally, much to the amusement of some of his men.

She shrugged, “I cannot rightly say. It just happened.”

He nodded, taking a sip of the whiskey. Not terrible stuff, surprisingly. Opening his mouth to tease her about it, the words died on his tongue as a different voice called out to her.  

“Sarah? Sarah Byron, is that you?”

The tightening of her hand around her glass was the only give away of emotions. Gracefully she turned to face the man now standing behind her. Alfie’s ire returned, especially with the look this man was giving her. In his crisp suit, cropped hair and smug smile, he looked the part of an arrogant aristocrat. He practically smelled of money from family inheritance.

“Yes…Joseph?”

He smiled broadly, eyes trailing over her body. Quickly he took that last step forward, plucked her hand and kissed the back of it. “My dear Sarah, it is a true pleasure to see you. I do believe your beauty has only grown since I last saw you. Unfortunately I have a brief meeting I must attend now but after, could I take you out for a drink or food? There is a splendid restaurant not far from here my driver could take us.  It has been far too long since we were able to talk without any preconceived notions and expectations.”

“Sorry, mate, she s’busy tonight.”

For the first time, the man turned his focus on Alfie. Meeting his narrowed eyes, all Alfie could think of was a serpent.

“Oh? Is she? And who are you?”

“Alfie Solomons.”

The man’s eyebrows rose. “The gangster?” He looked back at Sarah. “Fascinating company you keep, my dear.”

“And who the fuck are you?” Everything in Alfie screamed at him to stand up and have this bastard’s face meet his fist…repeatedly.

“I am Joseph Coventry, Earl of Lancashire.” Keeping his sly gaze on Sarah, he pulled the single red rose out of his suit jacket’s pocket. He held it out for her, who took it somewhat reluctantly as he spoke again. “Truly a shame I must leave but I will call on you soon. Have a pleasant evening, Lady Sarah.” After a quick peck on her knuckles this time, he headed towards a far table already containing three men dressed similarly and with an air of high class.

“What the…”

Ignoring Alfie, she turned to the bartender. “Whiskey, a whole bottle, yes that one will do. Two glasses. Put it on my tab, please.” Snatching the glass bottle and glasses, she stabbed her cigarette out and left it on the ashtray before she got up and started towards the nearby stairs.

Alfie stared at the men a moment longer…this Joseph Coventry…an arrogant bastard if he had ever met one. It might be prudent to ask around about him. Alfie could usually get a good read on people, those that were trustworthy or not. Everything about this prick made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his hand to unconsciously twitch to grab the pistol under his jacket. There was something there…something dangerous and deadly just under the surface…and the man had his eyes on Sarah. No, Alfie would not tolerate that.

After taking that moment to memorize Coventry’s face, he followed after Sarah up the stairs. He had a few new questions for her and with her purchase of a whole whiskey bottle, he was unsure how much longer she would be sober for. Although the idea of seeing her drunk did amuse him slightly, he wondered if she would be the angry type or the giggly, excessively talking type. Personally he hoped for the cuddly type but he would never take advantage of a drunk woman. He may be a low life gangster with too much blood on his hands but he did have some morals.

He quickly caught up to her on the second floor as she opened the door to room number 16. Without a word or a look back at him, she walked through and into the hotel room, leaving the door wide open. He followed, closing and locking the door behind him before scanning the place. The room certainly had an upscale feel with its floral wallpaper, wood accents and gaudy still life paintings. There were only two other doors, one he guessed led to the washroom and the other to the bedroom. His focus though turned to the woman who had collapsed onto the couch, her high heels kicked to the side, and pouring two fingers worth of whiskey. Within moments after pouring it, she slammed it down and poured another. So many questions resided on his lips but he kept them closed. Moving around the room, he tossed his coat onto a nearby wingback chair and joined her on the couch. He sat on the opposite end, allowing her space. To his surprise, she poured him a glass and wordlessly handed it to him. After pouring herself another glass, she leaned back and closed her eyes. He could not help his wandering gaze, eyes drifting to those sleek legs with more skin exposed as her dress had ridden up with her unladylike posture, and the swell of her breast, straining against her dress.

“Do you remember…” she stopped, licking her lips as of to encourage the words to come out, “…last time we saw each other. I told you I was back because I was supposed to be getting married.”

“Yeah.” Then it clicked and his eyes widened momentarily. “That…that bastard? That s’who?”

She took a tentative sip of her drink this time, still leaning back and keeping her eyes closed.

“Fuck, love, think you dodged a bullet with that one.”

A snort escaped her but it was her eyes opening and turning to look at him that caused him to finally relax.

“Tell me, Sarah.”

And so she did. He could tell she glossed over much of her story and skipped certain parts entirely. Yet he let her talk, sharing about her past eight years and things she had done. He sat mesmerized by her and her story. After the “insult” perceived by her father, he disowned her, kicking her out of the house no matter her mother begging for him to reconsider. More determined than ever to prove herself and to never let a man control her, she got on a boat and traveled back to her mother’s distant family in America. Finally America decided to join the Great War and many men were sent over to Europe. During this time she became more involved in that family’s business and proved herself to be an asset. Once the war was over, she continued with the work but settled more behind the scenes. Prohibition happened which only proved to make business a challenge she thrived in. Her brother died in France during the war and with the grief of losing her son and disownment of her daughter, her mother fell into a deep depression and eventually died. Her father died last year, the only reason she felt confident in returning to London after all this time.

Somehow during her retelling, their postures changed. Alfie had shifted to sit closer to her, feet still planted on the ground and a glass in his hand. Sarah laid stretched out on the couch, her legs over his lap with her head on the arm rest and a glass in her hand. Together, they were slowly working through the whiskey bottle while she spoke. His hand skimmed up and down her legs, the feeling of her stockings and skin under his hand was intoxicating.

When her story ended, he asked something that had been gnawing on him for years. “Why did your letters to me stop?”

She threw back the rest of her glass, turning to look at the large window they faced. “I did something stupid and got thrown in jail for a short time before family could get me out. The sheriff was not a fan of me.”

Something about the way she tensed and refused to look at him made him wonder what happened to her while in jail. Nothing good. The thought of this sheriff laying a hand on her made his blood boil and he wondered if the man was still alive so he could kill him himself. Slowly and painfully.

Reaching a hand over, he gripped her free hand and entwined their fingers. There was nothing he could say or do to take away the pain no matter how much he wanted to. He changed the subject, hoping to bring her out of the solemnness that she was wallowing in. “How long until you head back?”

“Two weeks? A month? Depends on if we decide to go to France and meet some connections there.”

“That s’it?”

He could not disguise the sadness nor longing in his voice. Emerald eyes turned to meet his, mirroring his emotions. Slowly she sat up, setting her glass down before placing one hand on his shoulder and another on his cheek.

“I will not leave unannounced. I can promise you that.”

“Is it selfish for me to want all your time while you’re here?”

She smirked, dragging her thumb across his lower lip. “Something particular in mind to occupy our time?”

“I’m sure I can get creative.”

“Promises, promises, Captain Solomons.”

In a heated rush, his lips claimed hers. Whatever slow building fire that burned between them suddenly turned into an inferno and Alfie swore he felt like his blood was aflame. Unexpectedly  she moved to straddle him, hands tugging on the buttons on his shirt. His own hands fumbled between cupping her ass and undoing the buttons on her dress. He sipped on the sweet ambrosia that was her mouth, drowning in the taste of her tongue and the heat between her legs over his straining cock. It was heaven. It was torment. There was one thing he knew, he could not stop. Whatever self-control he had flew out the window once their lips touched. He was fully under her control and had no intentions of going anywhere else. In one last draw of strength, he pulled away to meet her lust filled eyes. They had been drinking and he did not want her to regret this come morning.

“Angel, you sure?”

Slowly, she blinked as if awakening from a fog. Then she pulled off his lap to stand before him. A piece of him died when she turned and started to walk away. Did she regret this? Had he pushed her too far? They were certainly different people and with everything she had shared tonight, perhaps this was not what she wanted.

His breath caught in this throat, hope and fear warring within him when she stopped at the bedroom door. Meeting his gaze, she reached back and undid the last few buttons on her dress. It slipped down to pool at her bare feet, leaving her standing there in a sheer shift that left nothing to the imagination. She looked like both the angel he called her and sin wrapped up in a body that begged to be worshipped and ravished until she could not move. His blonde, green-eyed siren regarded him, a smile growing on her lips as he stared.

“Coming, soldier?” Turning around she strolled into the darkness in her bedroom, the slip coming off and dropping onto the floor like a trail for him to follow.

He did not think he had ever scrambled off a couch so fast. His shirt fell onto her dress on the floor, symbolic of their owners just a few feet away.

The rest of the night was spent in a haze of lust, laughter and contentment. Neither brought up the new scars scattered along both of their bodies. Pleasure was the purpose of the night. Something they certainly succeeded at if how sore they both were come morning was any indicator.

 *****

-The next day-

 Alfie sat at his desk, massaging his sore hip. He had been forced to use his cane more than he cared for today but thinking of the prior night and the reason why…completely worth it.

A knocking on his door had him looking up. “Come in.”

One of his men came in, a fellow soldier from France and now a baker, when he was not needed as protection on the streets.

“John, good, good. C’mere.”

John shut the door behind him and took the indicated seat, the chair creaking slightly under the weight. John was a large man, muscular and thick with a bushy beard and watchful eyes. Although Alfie would never tell him out loud, John was one of the few he trusted most that worked for him and found him indispensable. But Alfie did not want to boost the man’s ego more than it was.

“I got a task for your lads.” Alfie rubbed his hand over his jaw and mouth for a moment before continuing, damn the consequences. “There’s someone I need your lads to keep an eye on for me. A Mrs. Sarah Bondurant. Don’t let ‘er know, yeah. Just report who she s’been meetin’ with and make sure no one harms her.”

“This the woman who came by yesterday?”

Alfie raised a single eyebrow.

John shrugged. “Ishmael been talkin’.”

“Fuckin’ hell, that ugly bastard. Yeah, yeah, it is. Think you can do it?”

“Course.”

“One last thing. See what you can find out about a Joseph Coventry.”

“The earl?” John asked, clearly surprised.

“Yeah, I gots me a bad feelin’ ‘bout him.”

“Yes, boss. I’ll stop by in two days. Should have somethin’ by then.”

“Good, good. Thanks, John.”

After John left, Alfie toyed with the gold star ring on his left hand, lost in thought. After hearing everything from Sarah and seeing some of her scars, it only increased his desire to protect her. She would certainly be livid with him if she knew he had men looking out for her. He both loved and hated that independent streak in her. For now though, he needed to focus on work. He had managed that morning to draw a promise to see her again tonight, and this time he planned to take her out proper…maybe go back to his place after? He smiled at the thought of her writhing beneath his sheets. Maybe they should just go straight to his house?

A loud bang sounded from outside his door drew his attention back to the present and a scowl formed on his face. No rest for the wicked.

“Oi! The fuck is goin’ on out there?!”

[fluffyvillain]

The Bond

Chapter: 1/?

Summary: "You will feel overwhelmed when you meet your soulmate," that's what everyone said. "Indescribable warmth will wash over you, you will feel his and he will feel your euphoria. From that moment on, you will share emotions with each other, you won't even need to speak," that's how it's supposed to be.

Well, that turned out to be only partially true in Mila's case - she watched Henry walk in with a beautiful girl on his arm, not even acknowledging her existence and all of her senses heightened, she became filled with joy, every fiber in her being started vibrating, but all she felt coming from the other side was a feeling of peace and contentment.

Pairing: Henry Cavill/OFC

Warnings: Well, some smut right away

A/N: I decided to give it a shot, why not? It’s also posted on AO3.

20 YEARS EARLIER

 7 year old Mila set on a hardwood floor in front of a glass wall in the middle of the night, watching lightnings pierce through the night sky one after the other.

"What are we going to do, James?" Mila's aunt looked at her husband pleadingly.

"Nothing, Rose, you know the therapist said that this is her way of coping."

"But, it's been two years since..." Rose always tried avoiding mentioning the accident in which her sister and brother in law lost their lives, leaving Mila in their care. It was too painful, it was so painful that their mother's heart couldn't handle it and her death followed shortly after.

"Yes, but she's been blocking us out less frequently and I'd rather she blocked us than her having night terrors."

Rose walked over to Mila, kissing her forehead, moving loose strands of hair behind her ears. "Let's go to bed, love." No answer, not even a flinch. "It's cold, you are going to get sick."

James had watched his wife for a while as she tried to get Mila to react before he went to take a blanked and a pillow. He put the pillow next to Mila and the blanket around her back. "You can sleep here tonight if you want to, honey."

He helped his wife get up and he kissed away her tears, feeling her sadness deep inside him, wishing he could do something to take it away. "Maybe we should move back to our place, I think it will be good for the both of you. You won't be surrounded with so many memories."

"We have nothing to lose." She embraced her husband. "Do you know how much I love you, James?"

"I can feel it, the Moon of my life."

10 YEARS EARLIER

 "Is there anything new, my child?" Warm smile with teeth barely showing was the most prominent feature of Mila's grandfather's face.

Mila knew what her grandpa was referring to and she knew he was teasing her, but to her it was a very serious subject. "No, gramps. How long do I have to wait? Some of the kids in school already found their soulmates."

"You can't force it and you shouldn't put your life on hold while waiting. You should meet people, travel, enjoy life."

"Which reminds me, can I live alone?" Mila's eyes twinkled with hope.

"Not before you start University next year, then all decisions, but all responsibilities will be on you." He took her hand across the table. "Do you have any problems with your aunt and uncle?"

"I don't, but, even though I know that they don't see me as such, I feel like I'm a burden to them, especially now when kids started school."

"They'd be offended if they knew you told me that."

"And that's why you won't tell them anything. Can you take me on a tour around the hotel again?" Mila loved coming here, she wanted to know every single detail about every hotel her grandfather owned. She  came to the one where the headquarter was most often, so she really enjoyed this opportunity, visiting this downtown New York one. Her grandfather made an empire from scratch with many sacrifices, patience, devotion and a lot of risk.

"I have 30 minutes before my next meeting, so let's go." Robert chose to show his granddaughter everything that has changed since her last visit and he ended the tour on the rooftop, Mila's favorite place. "You know, one day, all of this will be yours. You will continue my legacy."

"I'm sure aunt Rose and the twins will continue it too."

"Your aunt is not interested in this the slightest and if the twins take after their parents, they will be even less interested. Of course, they will have a steady income from here, but nothing more. You are the one who cares, you have my drive for success in this business and, most importantly, you love it. You will run it, but you have to start from zero, as if you weren't my granddaughter."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, gramps."

6 MONTHS EARLIER

 The twins barely even spoke to Mila after dinner, both of them were watching a basketball game, while their mother sipped wine with Mila. "I can't believe it's been a year since you went to Hawaii."

"Me neither, I absolutely loved it there and I loved working at front desk." Mila relaxed in a chair, swirling the wine.

"So, there's only one department left before you take the place as a CEO."

"I tried to talk my way out of it, but it was in vain. I'm completely hopeless when it comes to F&B sector, I mean serving especially. I can barely remember an order. Plus, this will be mostly banquets involved, I'm going to suffer for the next 6 months. Seriously, waiters are tough people." Her caps and ankles started hurting at just the thought of her previous job as a waitress.

"It will be over in no time and I'm sure you will be an even better manager than my father. Will you be working at the downtown hotel the whole 6 months?"

"Yes, I want to slowly get accustomed to everything. I mean, it's not like they are just going to leave me as a CEO to manage all by myself, but still... And, this way I will get to see if there's a need for change anywhere."

PRESENT TIME

 Henry left the bathroom with only a towel on and Elaine looked at the mirror reflecting him as if she saw him for the first time. She loved his body, his heart and his soul. "I wonder how much somebody is ready to pay just to have dinner with you, darling." She got up, walking to her partner, only dressed in a black bra and thong.

"We'll find out tonight. Since it's for charity, I hope a lot." He slammed his body against hers, grabbing her ass with both hands.

"Not now, we don't have time for this." He moved one of his hands to between her legs, rubbing her gently.

"Are you sure?" He moved her panties, slipping one finger inside her, while he continued to rub her with his thumb.

Instead of answering, she removed his towel, letting it drop to the floor. She grabbed his already semi-hard shaft, pumping in gently, until he was fully erect. Her pants became quicker as Henry's movements became faster. As she was getting close to ecstasy, she selfishly let go of Henry, throwing her head back as he held her firmly. "I love it when you come for me, but let's do it together." He guided her to a wall, loving that she was almost his height, so he didn't have to lift her up. It was enough to hook one of her legs over his hip to enter her slowly, keeping her panties to the side until he was inside her completely. He latched his lips on her throat as his movement soon fell out of rhythm, signaling he was close to reaching his peak and Elaine's nails digging in his shoulder blades showed that she was close too. A few more thrusts and she was screaming Henry's name, a few more and he filled her up. As their breathing was coming to normal speed, he kissed every par of her body he could reach. "Elaine, I love you so much. Fuck soulmates, I could never love someone as much as I love you."

"So, it's your last day, Mila. I can't believe I won't be seeing those blue eyes of yours anymore." Martha and Mila took a little break before guests started arriving.

"Who said that?" Mila tried to tame one lock of her brown hair that kept falling out of her bun while looking in the mirror.

"You said you weren't going to work here from tomorrow. Did you change your mind? Or... Wait, wait, there's a rumor that a new CEO will be appointed next week. Do you know him? Are you just changing the department?"

"I have a feeling that it will be a she and I sort of am." Mila straightened Martha's collar a bit. "Let's go."

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Going Through Motions {10}

Title: Going Through Motions {10}

Steve Rogers X Reader OFC Korral “Korri” Evans

Warning: Plot, Cursing, Angst, Violence, Slow Burn

Word Count: 2.5K

Summary: You and Steve had a hot, passionate, and wild romance seven years ago when you worked with the Avengers. It was the best year of your life; you’d never felt the things you’d felt in all your life. Then out of nowhere, Steve just ended things—in a letter. A heartbreaking letter, then the world deemed him a criminal, and he disappeared. Now, you’ve moved on and have gotten engaged to rich man Marc Spector. Tony brings you back to work with the newly rebuilt Avengers that is still led by Captain America who is definitely done asking for permission and not looking for forgiveness. Or is he?

Note: So, for this fic, we are going to alter the MCU timeline a bit. This takes place after Civil War, but Infinity War has not happened yet. Steve is off the grid for seven years before he comes back. {I know that’s a long time, but let me rock please} Also, I’m going to be introing/adding in Moon Knight (Marc Spector) in just because I feel like it and I want to start exploring other Marvel characters and of course I will twist him to serve my purposes.

**Loosely Edited/Proofread

~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Steve- 

Eight hours. It had been eight hours since you were unconscious. Eight hours since you’d injected yourself with the Hydrolomed. Eight hours since you’d subsequently signed your death certificate. He was still in shock, still fuming, but even though he was shocked and angry, he didn’t expect any less from you. You always wanted to save people; it was one of the reasons he fell in love with you. You were selfless—now to a fault. He’d been working hard to stave away the emotion that wanted attention—terror. He was terrified of what this meant. 

Tony and Bruce jumped right into action to get you through every scan that still worked at the compound. When that wasn’t enough, the quinjet was fired up, and you were brought to Stark Towers where they’d been working for the last six hours trying to assess the situation and get their hands on every piece of research from Zemo and anyone who ever came in contact with this virus. While they worked, he never left your side. How could he? 

“Have you slept?” 

The sound of Buck’s voice made him look away from you for the first time in hours. Stretching his muscles, he sighed out.  

“Of course not, that was a stupid question.” Bucky sat on the other side of your bed in the empty chair and looked at you. 

“I thought you were going to lay low and rest,” he said. Bucky smiled, shrugged, then rubbed his stubbled jaw. 

“I’ve rested long enough. Plus, I got wind of something I thought you should know,” Bucky explained. 

His eyes went right back to you. After seven years, he knew he’d never get over you. He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost you now—again. 

“We’re gonna figure this out, Steve,” Bucky assured. He wasn’t so sure. From his encounters with Zemo back in his early Captain America days, he knew just what to expect, knew the types of sinister weapons he and his counterparts had the power to cook up. He knew the destruction that they always left behind. Pinching his nose bridge, he felt the pressure and tension from the added stress of worrying about you. He knew he couldn’t let anything happen to you. 

 “Damn it! I should have taken it from her and injected myself.” 

“You know she would have never let you take it. You two are just so disgustingly protective of each other. She took it because she knew you would have. She didn’t give you the opportunity.” 

“She’s so rash all the time. She doesn’t ever stop and think before she does something. God damn it!” He bolted up and paced the floor of the medical room.

 “Calm down.” 

“Calm down? Buck, it’s Korri! My Korri—my—world! How do I calm down?” 

He was possibly one of the strongest if not the strongest man in the world, and right now, he felt the like weakest. He felt defeated. Bucky crossed the room to him and rested his metal arm on his shoulder.  

“I know buddy. I know just what she means to you. I know how much you gave up for me, and if I could go back and change things, I would. I would have never let you leave her. I can’t imagine the world of hurt you’re in right now, but we gotta be strong for her. Remember what we used to say when we were kids?” 

He scoffed because he did remember. They were two boys running around Brooklyn, causing trouble and eating hard candies. “It ain’t over till it’s over,” he said. Bucky patted his back and nodded then pulled him in for a hug. 

“It sure ain’t over Steve.” 

He looked at the watch on his wrist that he’d started after you passed out. It was now nine hours. They were slowly running out of time. 

Another hour found him alone with you before he was called out over a development Tony and Bruce wanted him to see. Reluctantly he hurried down to the briefing room to hear what they had to say. Everyone was crowded in the room. 

“What’s so important?” 

“Is she awake?” 

“No, still out.” 

“Well, all the preliminary scans and screens are back,” Tony informed. 

“And?” 

Neither of the men spoke. They just looked between each other, neither wanting to speak. He was quickly getting annoyed with them. He was already at the end of his patience.  

“Someone speak!” 

Well, Zemo’s research looks to be correct--the pieces we have. Her blood shows no sign of being infected, she is not infected. Right now, the virus seems to be in an incubation period. Her body is assessing the new substance and is working its own defense. This defense will eventually break down and allow the virus to travel throughout her body. Slowly it will take hold of her organs and turn her into a—walking, talking death chamber. Anything or anyone she touches or breathes on will contract it, Bruce theorized.” 

“How long?” 

“It’s difficult to say, but we’re going to guess and say six days just like the research says,” Tony finished.  

“So, she’s going to die.” 

Again, everyone was quiet. 

“I’m not giving up Steve,” Nat stepped forward to put her hand on his shoulder.

 “None of us are giving up,” Tony confirmed. 

He looked around the room at the faces of everyone he’d spent the last several years with. They all looked saddened but also determined. When his eyes landed on Ava, even she looked remorseful. 

“What’d I miss?” The sound of your voice at the door brought everyone’s eyes.  

“You shouldn’t be up,” he began as he took steps to you. You held your hands out. 

“Stay back. None of you come any closer. You heard Zemo’s research. I don’t want to hurt any of you.” 

“Korri, it’s fine. You’re fine. We have a few days before we’re there,” Sam informed.  

“He’s right. Plus, I don’t give a shit anyway,” he said. After a few seconds, your eyes left him and moved to where he knew Ava was. 

“Who’re you?” 

They all looked to Ava, who gave a lackluster wave. “Name’s Ava.” 

“Where you from Ava?” 

“Not important.” 

Wanda and Nat stepped to her, no doubt ready to beat an answer out of her. 

“Like hell it isn’t. We just watched a man we were supposed to trust, betray us, and beat the shit out of us. We don’t know you from a hole in the wall. What’s to say you won’t do the same?” Wanda’s hands were glowing, ready to strike. Ava went on guard and began phasing in and out of solidity and glitching like a video game, making the lights flicker. 

“Everyone cool it. Relax. She’s cool,” he vouched. 

“How do you know, Steve?” 

He sighed and decided to go the cautious route. “Ava has helped me, Sam and Buck, out with a few rouge missions before.” 

“Not to mention, I swooped in here and saved your asses,” Ava shouted. 

Wanda stood down as Nat put her batons back into place. “Look, I know we’re all reeling from what just happened, but it’s not the time to attack each other.” He looked back to the doorway, but you were gone. He sighed again. 

“Cap is right. We have bigger problems. We need to find the rest of Zemo’s research ASAP and find a way to slow the virus in Korri. Needless to say, now that the virus is in human play, Johnson and Marc will come for her,” Tony announced. 

“Let them try, they’ll have to get through me,” he said before he walked out the door to find you.  

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

-Korral- 

As you walked along the ledge of the roof, you closed your eyes and used your senses. Everywhere there was noise. Manhattan was the noisiest place you’d ever been. There was constant honking, talking, shouting, the hum of electricity was everywhere, not to mention the sounds of water. The place was downright sensory overload, but you loved it. Often times being at the upstate compound felt disconcerting because of how quiet it was—well, it did without Steve. 

 You opened your eyes and looked down at the city you’d lived for the last seven years. You’d walked those streets hundreds of times, taken the yellow taxis, done so many things there considered New Yorker. You grew up here, and it showed in your attitude and resilience. Resilience you had to tap into now. 

You were nothing but an assignment, a means to an end—this end. 

Closing your eyes, you went over the events of the last few hours. Slowly you went over the chaos at the compound. Words mumbled and jumbled together as they echoed in your head. You were probably still feeling the after-effects of Marc’s powers. He’d actually used his powers on you. You began to wonder how many times he’d done it. Then you recollected the truth.  

“It was all a lie. I never meant anything. He played me.” 

You didn’t know how to feel or what to think. Your instincts were shit. You’d misread him this entire time. You were so lost in your thoughts and distress you didn’t realize anyone coming behind you. 

“Thinking of jumping?” 

When you looked back, there he was, Captain fucking America.  

“You’ve been fucking good ol’ Captain America—behind my back.”  

You almost laughed out loud. You must have been going crazy because none of this was funny. 

“I probably should. Eliminate myself from the equation before I really do irreparable damage.”  

You stuck your foot off of the ledge tempted to do it. If you killed yourself before the virus in you became lethal, then you could have foiled whatever Marc and Tilda were planning by making the virus unusable. It was a small price to pay for the safety of humankind. Right?  

Steve must have sensed your thought because before you knew it, you were in his arms as he moved you from the ledge. Anger rose in you, and you fought against him, making him put you down. When he did, you walked across the roof away from him. 

“God, Korri, why would you do something so stupid!?” 

You spun to him and looked at him with all the anger you felt. “Excuse me?!” 

“Injecting yourself with a virus that is meant to kill. A virus that has not been studied by anyone but a psychopath from Hydra. My god, this has to go down as the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” Steve ranted. Every word he spoke, you found yourself getting angrier and angrier. How dare he call you stupid and dumb? 

“Listen you blonde asshole don’t call me stupid!” 

“Really, name calling?” 

“When you act like an asshole, you get called an asshole. Don’t wanna be called an asshole, well don’t act like an asshole, Steve!” 

He looked angry as he turned his back to you. He paced back and forth, an action you mirrored. 

“Plus, if I’m so dumb and stupid, why were you thinking of doing the same thing. The only thing is I beat you to it.”  

Steve stopped and looked at you. You knew he would have done the same damn thing. If he’d gotten the canister instead, he would have done it in a heartbeat. He knew you knew it. Steve closed his eyes, pinched his nose bridge, and sighed out as he walked to the ledge to stare at the blue sky. 

When he began, his voice was soft, raw. “God, Korri, do you have any idea what you’ve done?” 

You didn’t bother answering, you knew it was rhetorical. Instead, you walked to the ledge as well and stood beside him, but not too close. 

“I took the virus off the table for them.” 

“And pulled my heart from my chest in the same breath.” Again, Steve sighed. You chanced a look at him and saw the worry on his face. 

“I did what had to be done, the same thing you would have done, the same thing Nat, Wanda, or Sam would have done. Whatever it takes. Right?” 

“You should have let me do it.” 

“The world needs Captain America; it doesn’t need me.” 

Steve was to you, pulling you to look at him in the blink of an eye. Your body pressed to his, and that was all it took for your heart to thud against your chest like you’d just run a marathon. Marc never had that effect.

“I need you Korri--me. Fuck what the world needs. What about what I need? I’m tired of giving them and everyone what they need, I want to take what I need. I need you.” 

The emotion in his voice broke your heart, and the tears in his eyes ruined you. 

 “You’re the one who told me sacrifice the needs of the few for the many.” 

“Fuck the many. Seven years Korri. Seven. I missed seven years and now--.” The words strangled in his throat, and he dropped his head. You’d only seen him discouraged once before when he spoke about Bucky and losing him.  

“Now you have six days to say goodbye.” Steve roughly pulled away from you and walked across the roof. 

Your words sunk in. He would have to say goodbye. You were going to die. You were going to die.  

“This whole time Marc was lying to me. He preyed on me, used me, and I didn’t see it at all. I was blind, but I don’t know how. It wasn’t by love or a sense of passion, or the sex. He was gorgeous but, it wasn’t beauty, I was blinded by my sheer stupidity.” 

“You’re not stupid Korri.” 

“You just called me dumb and stupid.” 

“With injecting yourself with an old lethal virus, yes, but with that, you’re not.” 

You stared down over the ledge and tried to piece together just how you’d been duped. Several minutes passed in silence. 

“Was what he said—true?” His words were hesitant, reluctant even. 

“What, that he’d had his fingers between my thighs?” You looked at him, but he couldn’t look at you. You thought it was funny, he had no problem looking at you before, or touching you, making love to you, tasting you. Now he was struggling. “Yes. It’s true.” 

You thought to explain the context of it but decided against it. If he wanted to believe you were some slut, then fine. Steve didn’t speak again, and neither did you. After almost five minutes, you turned from the skyline and walked back to the door leading inside. 

“Goodbye, Steve.” 

You touched the doorknob but stopped when you heard his voice. 

“Korri, I’m not going to let you die. I promise it, and I never break my promises to you. I’ve only made one before, and I still love you, forever until time and space collide.” 

You actually felt your heart shake, and you were thankful your back was turned because he would have seen the effect his words had. As you walked in, you tried to shake it and remind yourself. Six days.  

~~~~~~~~~~

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[springday-aus]

Tuxedo Mask!AU with Seokjin

moodboard link

Group: BTS

Member: Kim Seokjin

Genre: fluff, romance

Type: Bulletpoint AU 

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: I’ve been binge watching Sailor Moon and became a weeb for this entire au idea........... 

Tuxedo Mask is a known superhero around Asia

he goes around, saving people with his roses and lecturing people about right and wrong

(he’s lowkey known to be kind of preachy lol)

but goddamn

he is attractive, even with a mask covering a portion of his face

I mean, he’s tall and he’s got those broad shoulders that could land a whole ass plane

and the suit

goddamn the fucking suit y’all

it showcases those long legs, the shoulders, and that small waist

and the amount of times the villain attacking the city will be like

Damn, who are you???

it happens nearly every time and it’s hilarious

bc like Sailor Moon would be fighting and he’d appear for backup and the villain will be like 👀 hold the fuck up

speaking of which

people think he and Sailor Moon are in love

but it’s really just a partnership thing at most 

it works, especially since she needs the additional help

(plus she’s like 13??? 14??? years old and that is very gross for them to be…….. involved)

he gets along well with the other sailor guardians too

you know…….. as well as he, a grown ass adult, can with a bunch of middle schoolers

he often helps Mercury with her homework

Jupiter and him like to swap recipes to try out 

Mars helps him often with his luck at the temple

and he often sees Venus at the gym, practicing her volleyball

anyways

other than the sailor guardians, no one really knows his true identity

unless a villain found out, in which they would be destroyed after...

Tuxedo Mask is also Kim Seokjin, a model citizen from Korea

(well, most of the time)

honestly, he didn’t really think he would be getting away with this whole secret identity thing

it’s been like five years since his first transformation and he has yet to get legitimately caught

he can’t remember much from the first time he changed 

but there was a massive headache and a gust of wind and then…

poof, Tuxedo Mask was born

he thought the costume change was nice

but he also thought it was stupid

like who was he going to fool???

apparently, everyone

who knew the power of a mask?

(no wonder no one has discovered Superman yet) 

anyways

he really likes this whole secret identity thing because when he walks around after saving the say...... 

it kind of feeds his ego bc half of it is about how handsome and heroic and just he is

and he likes hearing a third party describe how he was during the whole fight 

it makes him sound a lot cooler than what he was actually doing 

(which is beating the villain down with his stick and poking them with his roses)

while he could have liked a more normal life, this whole double life is kind of nice

because he gets to help others when they need it

and by the end of the day, that’s all that matters to him 

anyways, other than the whole transformations

Seokjin is just an average guy

and he likes the way things are, even with the craziness his second life leads him into 

so where do you come in?

you came into his life when you walked out of your local grocery store

and into him 

okay, not exactly into him 

but you…. basically witness him transforming back to Seokjin in the alleyway 

the thing is tho 

he doesn’t notice you 

at least not at first 

but when he looks up and walks out of the alley…….. 

Seokjin: “how much did you see?” 

You: “all of it” 

Seokjin: shiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttt 

yeah…... it was all very awkward for both you and him 

you’re just a civilian…….. 

so what does he do know? 

on the other hand, you will admit he’s just as handsome as people say he is 

with and without the mask 

you understood his appeal

Seokjin: “uhhhh, so do you think you could like, not say anything about this?” 

You: “I figured you wouldn’t want me to say anything” 

Seokjin: “.....are you a villain? monster? trying to take over the world???” 

You: “even if I was, would I really even tell you?” 

Seokjin: “probably not, right?” 

You: “right” 

you both kind of stand there, rocking on your toes, not really knowing what to do next 

You: “well, I’m going to leave now bc I have ice cream and it’s melting” 

Seokjin: “do you need help carrying those?” 

he gestures towards your groceries and you have to say no 

bc even tho he’s technically a superhero person, he’s still a stranger

and who knows what he’ll do, considering the fact that you just found out his secret identity 

You: “no, thanks—I’m good, have fun saving people or whatever” 

and you walk off towards your apartment 

Seokjin just kind of watches you leave 

he can’t really do anything so…….. 

at the end of the day, he’s laying in his bed, feeling apprehensive 

even tho you don’t know his name, you know his face 

(and lbr, he’s got a face no one can forget) 

he feels indebted to you and he……. is not a fan of it 

somehow he wants to make it up to you

that doesn’t mean he does anything drastic but 

he’s a bit more on the lookout for you and any issues you might have 

nothing happens for a bit 

and you almost forget that you found out about Tuxedo Mask’s identity 

until you are attacked by a monster 

ah yes, the day had some that some monster had some absurd reasoning 

it said something about energy and some grandiose speech and you weren’t really paying attention bc you were fucking terrified 

next thing you knew, everything went black 

Seokjin managed to catch you before you fell 

Sailor Moon and the other sailor guardians came and fought off the monster while Seokjin took you away from the scene

they all do their thing and then the energy is restored into your body 

when you wake up, you’re in an unfamiliar place and Seokjin is right beside you 

Seokjin: “oh, you’re up—are you feeling okay?” 

You: “yeah, I’m fine, I’m still a little tired tho.. what happened?” 

Seokjin explains that some monster tried to take your energy for an evil plan, you knocked out cold, the energy was restored when the monster was destroyed, etc. etc. 

and then he took you back here bc he didn’t know where you lived and didn’t want to leave you in the park 

you know he’s just a stranger, but he also did kind of save your life 

(more or less bc the sailor guardians kind of did most of the work but still) 

so you rest there for a bit 

he lets you chill and makes you food and all that good stuff 

y’all have a lil moment together 

it’s a good time 

and it’s like you’re in your own little bubble away from the world

you even take this as an opportunity to ask him the questions others can’t 

he tells you how he can tell someone’s in trouble 

the powers he has (even tho it seems like Tuxedo Mask doesn’t have any) 

and he also clarifies the relationship with Sailor Moon……………. 

it’s nice for him bc he finally has someone else he can talk to about this 

he obviously can’t tell any of his friends 

and the sailor guardians are literally like 14 year old girls 

it’s nice to unload this to someone else 

and it’s a bonus that you’re cute 

after a couple of hours, you’re sure that you’re feeling better 

so you basically set up to leave 

but before you do………….. Seokjin asks for your number………… 

Seokjin: “we should do this again sometime” 

You: “like a date?” 

Seokjin: “like a date” 

dating Tuxedo Mask!Seokjin is just like dating Seokjin 

I’m talking the fun cooking dates, the bad jokes 

all the good stuff

it’s only every once in a while, he’ll have to abruptly leave a date to save someone 

while you are upset sometimes, you understand 

it doesn’t happen often tho—he tries very hard not to do that often bc he feels really bad 

on the bright side, he does make it up to you immediately afterwards 

there was one time he showed up at your place and he forgot to transform back 

so you woke up and he was just there… in his suit 

the moonlight hit him and he looked……… ethereal 

anyways 

Seokjin is very goofy, like in general 

and that’s a good thing bc it’s what makes your dates so fun 

every once in awhile he gets serious 

it’s during the late nights when it’s just you, him, and the tv

you would talk and 

for a couple of moments, that’s when you see his inner Tuxedo Mask coming out 

he talks about justice and doing what’s right, for yourself or the better of society 

it’s endearing as to how he gets about making the world a better place and all that good stuff 

he may not have chosen the life, but he doesn’t mind it 

speaking of which, you got to meet the sailor guardians (unintentionally of course) 

they insisted on meeting you and you kind of put two and two together 

bc you should be heavily concerned if your boyfriend is hanging out with middle schoolers and they aren’t related in some form 

anyways it was super cute 

they all get along with you super well and keep you up to date with things 

like if they have to go on a dangerous mission 

or travel to another dimension 

and things to look out for 

ofc Seokjin keeps you updated on that sort of thing, but he also doesn’t want to worry you so 

it’s cute 

moving on 

Seokjin in general is just a cute boyfriend 

he’s very domestic and a part of you melts everytime you see him in his lil apron 

whenever he’s with kids 

another part melts 

you just keep melting bc he’s absolutely adorable and he just tries so hard to make you happy and support your dreams just like you support him 

**cue him blowing kisses at you**

I just love Seokjin okay

[saiilorstars]

Masterlist of all my Stories

This post is no longer being updated as ALL of my OCs can now be found here!

Bonus: Music Playlist for each OC!

LAW & ORDER: SVU

1. Montserrat Novak 

1. Dare To Forget Me 

Pairing: Rafael Barba x OFC Story Summary: Detective Montserrat Novak originally planned to transfer to SVU but mysteriously withdrew her papers. Nine months later, Olivia pulls her profile when Montserrat becomes a material witness to a case. From there, Montserrat can't really get away from SVU. Now she finds herself dealing with a Detectives & an ADA whom she seems to have a talent at pulling all his right strings.

2. Try Again (One-Shot)

Pairing: Rafael Barba x OFC

THE FLASH:

1. Belén Palayta/the Azalea

1. It Had To Be You

Pairing: Barry Allen x OFC  Story summary: Her focus has always been to graduate & stabilize her job - no where in there did that include becoming a metahuman. Left with a side Belén fears, she tries to make a life with Star Labs & Barry Allen. Despite the darkness, the secrets & the fear driving she & Barry apart, it never lasts...because in the end: "There can never be another. It had to be you," they say to each other.

2. Rise Up

Story Summary: Zoom is coming for the Flash so there’s no time to waste. Along with Zoom comes his terrible band of metas to terrorize Central City. While the Azalea makes her return to the city, she unknowingly marks herself as the target of another dangerous hunt. Together, Belén & Barry must work with STAR Labs to prevent their Earth from falling as Earth 2 did. It is time to rise up.

3. It’s So You -- AU/Companion story for Belén/Barry

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW:

1. Graciela Haynez/the Jinx

1. Redemption

Pairing: Rip Hunter x OFC Story summary: Graciela Haynez made her peace when Rip Hunter walked out of her life—she was at the top of the chain reigning as the infamous Jinx after all. Years later when Rip disappears, the Legends bring Graciela to the Waverider to find him thanks to a letter the Captain himself wrote asking for her presence. Graciela knows that the letter was written in a time before everything fell out between them but it’s urgent to find Rip before the Legion does. Graciela wants to believe she’s become a better version of herself but as she leads the Legends & fights the Legion, she finds herself questioned. Is she still the Jinx—a mantle that has passed down from generation to generation with the promise to keep the fear instilled in others—or has the mantle die with her when she decided to switch sides?

DOCTOR WHO:

1. Minerva Souza: The Monsoon Seasons

1. Next Stop, Everywhere

Pairing: 10th Doctor x OFC

Story Summary: She's clever, and he likes it. It's a good thing she likes him too. So are they on the same page? She and he, in the TARDIS, next stop everywhere? *First of the Monsoon Seasons*

2. Star-Crossed

Story Summary: Minerva & the Doctor are now together and ready for their next set of adventures with Donna Noble! However, things get complicated when secrets of Minerva’s family are revealed and Minerva is forced into a certain process. How will Minerva & the Doctor react when they figure out the ultimate secret of the Moontsays? What will Minerva become in the end?

2. Renata/Gala: The Home Saga

1. The Beginning of Everything

Pairing: 10th Doctor x OFC

Story summary: While hiding from the Family, Martha Jones and the 10th Doctor (currently John Smith) come across a particular woman who does not want anything to do with them. In fact, Martha would go as far as to say that Renata Cartwright hates them, more so the Doctor. After the Family is gone and the Doctor returns, he comes face to face with a woman who wants nothing to do with him…almost as if she knew him. And she outright refuses to travel with him. 

2. Metamorphosis

Story Summary: Renata has survived her illness and regenerated. With everything seemingly put behind them, she & the new Doctor decide to give themselves a chance but will they last? What with newcomer Amy Pond, Dr. Song lurking by - claiming things from the future - and Renata’s belief in her inability to change for the better, things might not be looking so great for her and the Doctor. *2nd in the Home Saga.

A. The Home Collection -- AU/One Shot Companion story

3. Avalon Reynolds: The Fairy Tale Memoirs 

1. Stars Dance

Pairing: 11th Doctor x OFC

Story Summary: The Doctor knows she’s not the most typical companion but she’s the one who needs him most. Avalon Reynolds has grown up knowing the Doctor’s stories all her life. Although she’s troublesome, she has a heart of gold that the Doctor cannot deny. He brings her, Amy Pond and Lena Reynolds into the TARDIS. But in doing so, he starts setting the seeds for the biggest stories of his lives.

2. Falling in Temptation

Story Summary: It’s not time to fall in love. In fact, the Doctor thinks it should be forbidden being who he is and what he attracts from the galaxies. He’s dangerous (though Avalon knows it and likes it). However, Avalon is sought out by the Silence and knowing that she will suffer in the end, the Doctor intends on doing what he has to, to keep her safe…even if breaks his hearts.

A. Fairy Tale Memoirs -- AU/One Shot Companion Story

MARVEL:

1. Seren Soul (Steve x OC)

1. Illuminated (One-shot series)

Summary: Now that Steve made his choice to fight against his own team, he has to live with the consequences even if it means leaving behind the one person he couldn’t possibly forget about. Seren Soul isn’t a woman he can easily forget. He just never has the right words, much less the bravery he needs, to tell her everything. It’s then Seren who starts a dance of caution with him, after they’re forced to separate, in an attempt to figure out what those words he couldn’t say to her were.

2. Chloe Winters (Bucky x OC)

Princess (One-Shot series)

Summary: Steve asks his new friend to help his best friend Bucky deal through all the memories Hydra has left behind in his head. It's just that Bucky doesn't see how she's going to be able to do that...

2. Part 2: Charms

--Summary: Bucky struggles to avoid Chloe and put those wrong feelings to rest. Meanwhile, Chloe is still under the idea that she’s done something so wrong that Bucky won’t see her anymore.

3. Part 3: March

--Summary: As time passes, whatever is happening between Chloe and Bucky seems to solidify. During a birthday party, 2 very different thoughts come to each of their minds. Chloe wonders when exactly is Bucky’s birthday while Bucky wonders when, oh when, will he get to dance with Chloe?

CRIMINAL MINDS:

Aitana Serrano (Spencer x OC)

Tell Me Something (one-shot)

The Demise of Dainty (one-shot)

Planning is Everything (one-shot)

THE ORIGINALS:

1. Maleny Rowan: The Girl in the Forest Series

1. The Girl in the Forest

Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x Female OC Story Summary: The girl in the forest Klaus Mikaelson once knew disappeared without leaving a trace, leaving him heartbroken. Now in New Orleans with an unborn child on the way, he meets a woman claiming to be that girl of the forest; the precise one he once loved. Though in a new body, Mal still piques his interest & more. Can the two reunite and solve the curse before she disappears once more? 

SAILOR MOON (CRYSTAL)

1. Azula Keena

1. Reign from the Shadows

Pairings: Eventual OC x OC, Usagi x Mamoru

Story Summary: Usagi Tsukino chose to forget her life as Sailor Moon after dealing with the Dark Kingdom. However, after the future is threatened by the Black Moon Clan and the past is met by a dangerous Shadow entity calling herself Senka, Sailor Moon must be brought back into action. With their space-enthralled friend, Azula Keena, and the four Shadow Sailor Guardians, Sailor Moon and her Sailor Guardians endeavor to stop all forces of evil and find the Shadow Princess before it’s too late.

HARRY POTTER:

1. Romina Oswell (Draco x OC)

Thoughts of Dreamers (One shot)

Summary: During a sleepless night, thoughts and plans of the future are discussed in a world where they don't seem possible anymore, at least not the way they had originally intended.

BATWOMAN:

1. Right To Survive

Characters: Original Female Character, Alice, Kate Kane, Mary Hamilton Summary: Rosalind “Dawne” Coleman was dying last time she remembered, but now she finds herself in the world of Batwoman where she now has to survive Alice’s plans for Gotham City.

PANDORA:

1. A Taste (One shot) || Ralen x Original Female Character

Batch 1 of Upcoming OCs

Batch 2 of Upcoming OCs

Batch 3 of Upcoming OCs

[sheepyships-archive]

what if you.....answered all of them......for tsuki 😳 — @cringyalienships

t...tsukishima?? oh my fuckin god ofc scout you know me so well. thank you for sending an ask! @cringyalienships (gonna be answering w my self-inserts/ocs bc they’re basically me just look not like me shhdgsj-)

strawberry: before getting together, how did your F/O realize they had a crush on you? How did they act around you once they realized they were head over heels?

uhh, well, it’s tsukishima, it was probably something that built up that he tried to repress it and brush it off like it was nothing, but when he couldn’t and he realized it was romantic feelings, he was probably like, “fuck my life.” and he couldn’t bring himself to hate aika for it, because she was just being herself and doesn’t have control over his feelings. as much as he wanted to avoid her, or be cold to her, he also couldn’t bring himself to do that either(he believed that he didn’t deserve her(BRUH), but even though he thought that, he wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt her to make her avoid him), so he just continued on with life, but eased up with teasing her than with others, and even joked with aika to try and get closer. he just waited to see any signs of her feeling the same way. (LET KEI TSUKISHIMA BE SOFT 2020 I WILL FIGHT ON THAT)

rose petal: what traditions do you and your F/O share? 

for holidays, they definitely celebrate halloween together, aka: aika forces tsukishima to wear a costume while saying “i got this for you with my money, you have to wear it” and he just groans and puts it on reluctantly while complaining. but usually they go to a store and buy a bunch of candy instead of going house to house(they both agreed that it's better if they just went and bought candy than walking around for two hours). occasionally they will hang out with some of the others. just normal traditions between them are probably doing things like listening to music together, or talking about music or suggesting/showing music and bands to each other(this happens a lot more than they like to admit), and this can go on for HOURS.

cherry vanilla: how does your F/O show their affection for you?

they both show it in small ways in public by helping with schoolwork/studies, sharing earbuds, even just looking at each other, they don’t want a bunch of people to flock around them just to ask about their relationship, so they aren’t super affectionate. but when they are alone, they act like they’ve been touch-starved for their entire lives, and are basically holding onto or resting on the other at every moment, and a lot of the time they nap or spend the night at each other’s houses. but, whenever either of them get hurt, whether they’re in public or not, they will immediately go to them and patch them up/help them feel better the best they can(whenever tsukishima’s hands get injured while playing volleyball, she’ll kiss the spots that hurt, and tsukishima will kiss the callouses on aika’s hands from playing guitar, or any other injuries or scars). 

coconut mango: what mementos do you and your F/O treasure? 

they definitely cherish letters/origami crafts they give each other(aika makes origami gifts for tsukishima, tsukishima writes letters, i don’t make the rules). but the one they both treasure the most is a small dinosaur plushie that aika was able to get at an arcade, which she secretly bought with the arcade tickets that she won. as they were leaving she looked at tsuki and said, in the most serious tone she could muster, “i have to admit something to you.” at first this kinda freaked him out at first until she took out the dinosaur plushie with a huge grin, that earns her a glare and a elbow jab to the shoulder which made her laugh. aika always brings it to tsukishima’s house with her and he teases her about it.

nectarine: do you and your F/O live together? If so, what does your living space look like?

while they don’t live together at the moment, they definitely plan on living in a small apartment and aika has more experience in getting an apartment and living in one. they kinda just knew their plans without ever talking about it, and when aika does mention it to him, he just says, “i mean, it doesn’t need to be a mansion or a big house, we don’t need a whole lot. i definitely don’t, just you... and your snake.” aika falls in love for a second time, but also smacks his chest and is like, “YOU JUST WANT ME FOR MY SNAKE!!!” which makes them both laugh.

pineapple: what toppings does your f/o like on their pizza? what about you?

tsukishima is the basic bitch who would only like plain cheese on his pizza(i can’t say much though), and that’s it, he thinks it’s too much of a hassle to ask for extra shit on his pizza. aika likes those burger pizzas, where they have burger shit on a pizza, she is in love with it and tsukishima definitely makes fun of her for it and they get into small debates about which is better.

lemon sorbet: does your F/O get jealous easily?

i don’t see tsukishima getting jealous easily, and if he does, it’s rare. he knows that aika is SUPER loyal to him and their relationship, and would probably insult someone if they tried to get her to break up with tsukishima or if they began to flirt with her(something she definitely adopted while being with tsuki), and he’d never do it to her either and doesn’t see the point in doing it when he has a girlfriend who he cherishes a lot. they are both head over heels for each other.  

key lime: how would you describe your self-ship’s aesthetic?

tsukishima literally IS the smart cocky kid aesthetic, blonde bitch boy, but with the glasses. now aika is literally an emo but also a chaotic mom friend, but she also has a pinch of pastel goth. both together they probably have the intimidating “we look like nerds, but we could beat you up, and we will depending on the situation.” but they’re also super chill so they won’t unless it’s necessary(aika will throw hands for tsuki if you push her to that point, so don’t test her).

pistachio: when was the last time that you or your F/O cried during a movie?

one night aika probably brings over the land before time(my childhood movie it is so good) and forces tsukishima to watch it, and after some convincing they do. at the hella sad scene at the start(if you know you know), as they’re watching it aika starts to tear up, and buries her face into tsuki’s shoulder to hide it, but her crying was a mix of the scene being sad, and it reminding her of past shit that happened. tsukishima realizes she’s crying and before he thinks about teasing her, he realizes that it’s not just because of the movie and just hugs her instead while pausing the movie, waiting for her to calm down. but after she does, he teases her jokingly to try and make her laugh, it works, of course. (you can see where the angst side of me came out)

matcha: what kind of gifts does your F/O give you? Are they always buying you little presents or do they invest only in larger items for birthdays or holidays?

they’re never really buy gifts unless it’s a special occasion, but most of the time they’ll make playlists for each other since they both like music, and like i said before, aika gives me the vibes that she would make origami-themed things and break into tsuki’s locker and leave them there, or she’ll just leave them on his desk, or in his room, etc. OH AND AND!! whenever the earbuds/headphones they have break, they definitely end up with a new pair by the end of the day with a note that says ‘try not to break these ones, love you. <3′.

blue moon: is your F/O very routine-oriented or do they like to go with the flow? How routine-oriented are you?

tsukishima is semi-routine-oriented, go to school, go to volleyball club, go home, study, listen to music, sometimes it’ll change depending on what happens or what is occurring in the future. he probably doesn’t mean to do it on purpose and doesn’t stress over a schedule, it’s just what comes to him naturally.  with aika, she just goes with the flow, she used to be more heavily routine-oriented in middle school because she was more popular then and felt pressured to be “perfect”, and went through life on a schedule. but after meeting the people she hangs out with in highschool(aka monti), she fell out of it and began to just, not really care?

cotton candy: post the last picture of your F/O that you saved! 

i don’t think y’all realize how much i love this and how many times i have this picture and the gif saved, it’s not healthy.

teaberry: where would you like to travel with your F/O someday? 

honestly, they probably try to look up museums to go to that are more based around dinosaurs and dinosaur fossils, where they are, how much it would cost to go there, etc. they want to make sure everything is perfect if they do ever travel anywhere. but honestly, even if everything went wrong, they would both probably think it was perfect anyways because they’re together.

raspberry swirl: how does your F/O cheer you up when you are feeling down?

usually whenever aika is feeling down out in public, even if they’re in the same room, tsukishima will shoot her a text with a link to a song he found with a text that reads: ‘reminded me of you, i hope you know that i’m here if you need someone to talk to. i love you.’ after sending it, he watches her reaction and relaxes when he sees her smile and look at him. but in private, he’ll hug her from behind and hold her, letting her do what she needs to do to feel better, whether it’s crying, sitting there in his arms, hugging him back, etc. after awhile he’ll start to kiss her face, shoulders, hands while mumbling ‘i love you’ after every kiss. then afterwards he’ll say, “this stays between us.” and this makes aika almost cry laughing.

red velvet: what is your favorite food to bake with your F/O? 

they for sure make cookies together, specifically chocolate chip cookies, they both agree that chocolate chip is the best and make them together. usually, it’s tsukishima doing most of the cooking because aika is goofing off, or gettng distracted by her friends, and she will definitely steal cookie dough and be sneaky about it, but tsukishima catches her EVERYTIME, even when he’s not looking he just knows, and can sense it. but when they finish, they are super good and aika always praises him about it. aika also definitely makes tsukishima dino-themed treats and food in general, which makes tsukishima glare at her and say, “y’know i like other things, right?” and aika just shrugs and comments, “dinosaurs and reptiles remind me of you, sooooo...”

OH MY FUCKING GOD IM SORRY THIS IS SO LONG AND TOOK ME SO LONG TO TYPE UP I GOT VERY DETAILED AND LIKE MULTIPLE TIMES I HAD TO STOP AND CALM DOWN BC I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS DUDE LIKE JWJWHRFJHWERJ???? ANYWAYS I HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!

[xietyflix]

Warm Tats| 01

⇢ Pairing: Jimin x Reader

⇢Genre: Werewolf Au, tattooist Jimin

“I never felt like this before.” “Is that a good or a bad thing?” “Good because it makes me want to fuck you senseless.” “Oh.”

⇢ warnings: mentions of blood and future smut.

⇢ omg!! I didn’t think people would like it!

Warm tat ⇢ I’m going to create the links when I have time💀 also someone explain wtf is a tag list😭😭

@bluemooncnblue & @hoodmeup will make a better tag list later💀

Warm Tats CH: 00 01 02

******************************************

It’s been a week, a week since your visit and a week of what Jin said.

“Your like Rose and I! You should be happy Jimin, and that face your giving me is not excitement. It’s giving me… it's more a ‘I'll kill you’ type of face.” Jin said as Jimin set down his sandwich wrapper.

“Cause I’m going to kill you if you don’t shut up.” Jimin said getting up.

“Okay okay calm down, I won’t say a damn word.” Jin spoke holding his hands up in surrender.

Bullshit Jin didn’t keep his word now Jimin had to deal with Jungkook and Taehyung’s endless teasing.

The bell rang signaling that Jimin was going to have his first customer of the day. He dropped his sketchbook on his table before walking out front.

“What can I hel- Jackson?” Jimin froze when he saw Jackson standing there.

“I came back because of the pictures.” Jackson says gesturing the tattoo Jimin gave him last week.

“Oh right, follow me,” Jimin says leading Jackson towards the photo room.

“Did you treat it like I told you.” Jimin says as Jackson takes off his shirt to reveal his back tattoo.

“Why do you always question me?” Jackson said turning around.

“Cause your dumb and dumb people do dumb things.” Jimin says setting up the camera.

“Just take your damn photos.” Jackson huffed causing Jimin to laugh.

After the 30 minutes of taking pictures with Jackson Jimin expected you to be the next one for you photos but it was his next client for ink.

Jimin was gonna admit he was kinda disappointed, he missed your scent roaming around in his shop.

Yet he was left disappointed. Jimin just finished with another client which he was alone for the next hour, he spent that time sketching new ideas.

He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket indicating he has a call coming through. Not caring who it was he answered.

“Hello.” Jimin answered.

“Hey Jimin it’s Jin.”

“What’s up?” Jimin spoke putting down his pencil as he sits back in his chair.

“Not much what you think about we all go out to a diner for dinner, I don’t feel like cooking.” Jin spoke.

“I honestly don’t care.” Jimin spoke as he began spinning in his chair.

“SEE I TOLD YOU HE DIDN'T CARE!” Jimin winced as he heard Kook in the background.

“Jin let me see the phone.” Tae spoke and suddenly there was shuffling and growling that caused Jimin to roll his eyes in annoyance.

“Jimin how’s the shop?” Tae spoke as Jin cursed at him in the back.

“It’s good Tae, What do you want?” Jimin spoke and he heard the bell from the front jingle.

“Coming!” Jimin says getting up and walking to the front.

“I wanted to know if you seen ______ yet?” Tae teases.

“If I see her or no-“ Jimin stopped in the middle of his sentence once the smell of honey and lavender reached his nose.

“Jimin are you there?” Tae says and Jimin just ends the call before walking out to see you.

“Hey Jimin, am I interrupting something?” You spoke and Jimin cleared his throat.

“N-No you didn’t. How are you?” Jimin says as you put your hat on his table.

“I’m doing good, and you?” You spoke looking down at your feet. Only if you could feel what your doing to him, they way you act so innocent in front of him.

“Likewise.” Jimin spoke gesturing towards the back you followed close behind.

“What have you been doing for the past week, if you don’t mind me asking.” Jimin says as you walk into his photo room.

“Oh umm, I was just working and hanging out with friends. What about you?” You answered putting your bag down.

“Just working on some sketches. That’s pretty much it.” Jimin says turning on the lights.

“You can take off your shirt and stand against the wall.” Jimin ordered and You obeyed.

“So your an alpha?” You winced a little bit as you asked which caused Jimin to laugh.

“Last I checked I was an alpha, and still am one. Why?” Jimin says turning in the camera.

“What are the perks about being an alpha?” You said twiddling with your hands.

“That’s an interesting question.” Jimin says trying to make eye contact with you but you seem to avoid it.

“Perks about being an alpha is we don’t take shit from no one and… literally that’s it.” Jimin says walking up to you.

“That’s it?” You spoke as Jimin fixed your pose. His warm hands brushed across you cold skin causing you to shiver. Which didn’t go unnoticed by Jimin.

“Yeah pretty much.” Jimin says backing away making you miss his body heat.

“Stay like that for a bit.” He spoke causing you to nod.

“Don’t you switch during full moon.” You asked curiously.

“Switch?” Jimin chuckled.

“You know what I mean Jimin.” You whined which caused Jimin to tilt his head.

“I literally don’t know what type of switch you are talking about.” Jimin lies as he snap a few photos.

“Oh come on! You know When you… when you... I don’t know the word!” You whined causing Jimin to laugh more.

“Your too cute, the word you are looking for is shift or transform there’s so many words out there ______.” Jimin says and you could feel warmth travel to your cheeks.

“Does it hurt?” You asked and he paused for a moment.

“No not if your in control, Not everyone gets to change.” Jimin says switching the light.

“Why?” You asked watching him carefully.

“Your curious aren’t you?” Jimin smirked.

“Sorry.” You said standing out of your position.

“Don’t be sorry, least your asking me instead of google or Wikipedia.” Jimin says causing you to laugh.

“But Yeah, most don’t change because they have someone to keep them grounded..” Jimin began.

“If you have someone to ground you, no need to worry about the full moon, if your not grounded a few full moons from now your gonna be stuck like that.” Jimin says putting the camera down.

“Did your pack found their one to keep them grounded?” You asked putting your shirt on.

“Everyone found someone, Jin , Hoseok , Tae and Jungkook found someone I’m just the last one.” Jimin says turning around to face you.

Before you could reply a loud voice echoed through the shop.

“JIMIN!” A voice echoed causing Jimin to sigh in frustration.

“It smells like heaven in here.” Another spoke and it cause your heart to quicken.

“You don’t have anything to worry about. It’s just Jungkook and Taehyung.” Jimin grumbled before walking out mumbling a ‘hold on’ before he left.

Once he left you heard a bunch of curse words leaving Jimin's mouth causing You to smile.

Your eyes scanned the room before landing on a sketchbook. You walked towards it flipping the pages looking at his art until you see his recent drawing.

You took a sticky note and began to right your digits and a little message on it before sticking it on the sketchbook.

You grabbed your bag and headed towards the front.

“We could eat dinner once I’m finished,” Jimin says blocking the path. You see a head poked around Jimin smirking.

“You're done if she’s leaving.” One says and Jimin turns around.

“_____ your leaving?” Jimin says trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

“Yeah sorry I have work, and my best guess your friends are hungry.” You said.

“I’m Jungkook and he’s Taehyung, and can I just say you smell wonderful.” Jungkook introduce which ended with a slap on the back of the head by Jimin.

“Thank you? Nice to meet you guys, Jimin I’ll see you around Yeah?” You said grabbing your hat off the counter.

“W-Well can I have your number,” Jimin spoke causing you to raise a brow.

“So I can send you the pictures.” Jimin quickly rushed causing the two wolves behind him to laugh.

“You already have it.” You spoke walking towards the door.

“I do?” Jimin says confused.

“Yeah, it’s in your sketchbook, see you later.” You spoke before leaving Jimin confused.

Jimin walked towards the back with two wolves hot on his trail. He spots his sketchbook and began flipping through to find a note on his recent drawing.

Thank you for the tattoo!

one of these days you should draw me :)

Finish this convo another day??

____ cell

xxx-xxx-xxxx

“So are you gonna just stand there and not text her?” Jungkook says crossing his arms.

“Beat it Kook.”

unknown |9:40 pm

hey it’s Jimin

You smiled at the message and began to type your reply.

You |9:41 pm

it seems like you got my message.

Jimin |9:41 pm

yeah and I’m taking you up

on that drawing offer.

You looked at the message with a big smile and looked at the time to see that your shift is over in 5 minutes.

You |9:43 pm

Are you really?

Jimin doesn’t seem to answer the message right away which cause you to put your phone in your pocket and you to clean before you clock out.

“Kim I’m leaving!” You shouted waiting for a response.

“Goodnight ____!” She says and you left and you felt a sudden buzz in your jeans.

Jimin | 10:59 pm

Ofc! if that means I get to see

Your beautiful face again I’m down.

Hanging around you is better than hanging with my pack

You | 10:02 pm

Don’t lie

Jimin | 10:03 pm

Who said that was a lie?

[hpwipfest-blog]

Masterpost HP WIP Fest, part 1

Hello dear fest participants and exited readers. I hereby give you the first masterpost of the HP WIP Fest, announcing all WIP’s that have entered so far. As it is a long list, I have put it under a cut, with the WIP’s that are already on ao3 first in case you want to start reading already. 

If you signed up for the fest but do not see your WIP in this list, this is probably because I do not yet have a title for your work. In that case, please email me the title so I can include you in the next masterpost.

I hope all the participants find lots of inspiration to finish in the upcoming weeks, and to our early readers, enjoy these wonderful WIP’s!

#1

Skin Deep by @loganaa-fic

Pairing: Drarry

When Harry accepts a job at Dean's tattoo parlor, he never expected that Draco Malfoy would show up, looking for a tattoo. But then again, since when did Malfoy do what was expected?

#2

The Boy Who Killed God by @sirius-black-killed-god

Pairing: Wolfstar

Sirius Black has a secret. Well, no, that's not true. Sirius Black has many secrets. His wand is dying, his parents more or less want to kill him, and there's the small matter of the cursed TOUJOURS PUR tattoo right above his heart, that he's had since he turned eight years old. Sirius Black is no stranger to secrets.

Then, Remus Lupin walks into his life.

Thus, begins a whole new history - one of darkness, of magic, of bravery, of family - as four boys set out to unwind the endings so many others have written for them.

This is the story of the Marauders at Hogwarts and afterwards, and all the love that lies between.

This is Year One.

#3

Apparently by justanotherloser

Pairing: Drarry

Father says apparently I feel too much.

Mother says apparently my mask needs to hide more of my emotions.

The Dark Lord says apparently I'm too weak.

Blaise says apparently I hate too often, and Pansy says I apparently need to let go.

I never get to make choices with them. Not with my family, not with my life, not with my house.

Apparently I can only choose who I hate, and I can't even get that right.

Apparently I love Harry Potter.

#4

Are You Here To Finish Me Off, Sweetheart? by @geekmom13

Pairing: Antonin Dolohov/Hermione Granger

Antonin gets held by the order for the secret he keeps and Hermione is put in charge of him. They end up relying on each other more than anyone had expected.

#5

Children of war by @the-purple-black

Pairing: Bellatrix Lestrange/Rodolphus Lestrange

A promise made by Bellatrix to the Dark Lord seemed unimportant at the time, though years later it seems her loyalty must be put to the test.

#6

Fixed Point by @frumpologist

Pairing: Dramione

Draco and Hermione are Time Unspeakables who travel through time to stop anachronists from using illegal time travel to change the course of history.

Their adventures lead them through the whole of history and the unwritten expanse of the future. Hermione learns about the History of Magic and Draco learns about science, Muggles, and falling in love.

However, there are fixed points in time, events so important that they cannot be altered. Hermione Granger’s tragic life as an Unspeakable is one of those points, and nothing Draco can do will change the path they’re forced to follow.

#7

Not In Love (Letters) by @drarryangels

Pairing: Drarry

It's eighth year at Hogwarts, and Harry is unsurprisingly beyond miserable. Ron isn't coming back for his last year of school, Hermione is suddenly best friends with Pansy Parkinson, and Draco Malfoy won't stop ignoring him. Even all the House unity is going too splendidly to be exciting. Truthfully, Harry wishes he had never come back at all. That is, until he starts receiving letters from an anonymous sender.

#8

Sequel to Palo Alto by @nachodiablo

Pairing: Wolfstar

Modern AU set in Northern California. It's been four years since Sirius and Remus got their shit together. James and Lily aren't doing too shabby, either. Things are going great. Sure, James still hasn't gotten any of his business ideas off the ground quite yet. And yeah, Lily's still not ready to move in with James, even though she spends every night at his place. And okay, Remus might be starting to freak a little about whether his PhD is going to land him in some no-name wasteland town for a job. And fine, Sirius has stalled out a bit since he left work to pursue his dreams of... well, to find a dream to pursue. Regardless. Things are great. Very chill. That is, until a family tragedy brings an adorable bundle of responsibility into their lives.

#9

The End Is Just The Beginning by @the-fifth-marauder

Pairing: Drarry

When Draco decided to join the Auror forces, he knew life would be made hell for him by just about everyone in the Ministry. Yet never did Draco think he would be condemned to a fate like this.

Or

The one where Draco gets the second chance he never knew he wanted. Before he realized that 'Happy Endings' just aren't for his destiny. Or were they?

#10

New Beginnings by @kaarina-riddle

Pairing: Dramione

Hermione comes home to find her husband in a compromising position on the kitchen table and wants to get away from everything, the perfect job opportunity as a professor of Charms at Hogwarts is offered and she takes it. Only to find that there's a surprise Draco Malfoy old school nemesis is the new DADA professor what will happen?

#11

A Girl Worth Fighting For by @saintdionysus

Pairing: Hermione Draco, Hermione/Theo

Due to the events of War, The Ministry of Magic has ordered students to repeat their final year, despite being legal wizarding age and completion of OWLs. Hermione Granger and Blaise Zabini form a friendship as head boy and head girl and find a way to use their authority to challenge the Ministry. Along the way, she finds herself caught between two unexpected love interests, while Blaise plays referee between his two friends.

#12

The Promise by @tofadeawayagain

Pairing: Drastoria, Dramione

When Astoria Malfoy learns she is dying, she asks Hermione Granger to take care of her husband Draco. It's not until the following New Year's Eve that he starts to let her. A tale about the seasons of grief, friendship and love, and moving on after a devastating loss.

#13

All the Stupid Things in Between: A Gryffindor and Slytherin Love Story by ForeverEvan

Pairing: Fred Weasley/OFC

Evangeline "Evan" Carter, the illegitimate daughter of Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, is moved from Ilvermorny to Hogwarts at the beginning of the 4th Year. She is facing the task of hiding her true identity while falling for a boy from the wrong family. Evan must rely on her brother and her teacher to navigate the dangerous world of being the daughter of a Death Eater and a killer.

#14

Prowler by @goldie-writes-things

Pairing: Harry/Hermione

Harry and Hermione thought winning the war was the hard part. They had no idea how difficult surviving it would be. Newly engaged Lord Potter and Lady Black must navigate the murky waters of parenthood while rebuilding their lives. But when their world starts crashing down around them they are faced with a startling question: What wouldn’t you do for your child?

#15

Stressed Teen to Yes Queen by @drarryandharry

Pairing: Drarry

The fab five sort out post war Harry. That’s it. That’s the summary.

#16

Shockwave by maraudersaffair

Pairing: Drarry

When Harry fled Britain he had no idea murder and Draco fucking Malfoy would follow. Now in Las Vegas, he’s faced with a vampire mystery and a Malfoy who refuses to tell him the truth.

Veelas and vampires! Yay!

#17

Destiny Intertwined by @vinoamore

Pairing: Hermione/Dolohov

In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the DFFandCabalChristmasFest collection.

Prompt: A marriage law is passed just before the Christmas holidays. Hermione is matched with a former Death Eater, Antonin Dolohov...and Hermione is furious. "Why is this happening?!" she demanded. "He tried to kill me!"

#18

The Seven Year Witch by @thelastlynx

Pairing: Dramione

A boy and a girl have been meeting, coincidentally, for seven summers. While they pretty much hate each other most of the year, for those little moments in July or August they manage to see one another in a different light. But will that be quite enough to bring them together?

#19

Distant Stars by @of-stars-and-moon

Pairing: Wolfstar, Jily

(The story of Sirius Black, a Slytherin student as he finds friendship and love from someone he never expected)

'The memory was still so new and clear, feeling like it was yesterday but an eternity away at the same time.

In first year, Sirius would have never ever imagined that on his last day at Hogwarts, he would be lying on a roof, holding hands with Remus and listening to James and Peter.'

#20

A Home For Christmas by @motherbookerao3

Pairing: Drarry

High on a barely legal pain potion, Harry accidentally ends up adopting a child with Draco Malfoy.

#21

The Noble and Most Ancient Guide to Vice and Virtues by grimyoufuck

Pairing: Wolfstar

Toujours Pur; the words had been branded into Sirius' subconscious from a young age. It was a motto he'd never been able to live up to, even when he had tried. But now? Now, he was going to escape his mother's scathing words and his father's ambivalent silence to travel the continent with his best friend, and nothing was going to stop him. His mother was determined to keep the bloodline pure, and uphold the name of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Sirius was determined to do the opposite.

When Sirius Black journeys to France to begin the first leg of his European tour with best friend James Potter, he'd expected a holiday of booze and boys. What he hadn't expected, much less wanted, was an educational trip, including nights out at the opera. But when a particular cast member catches Sirius' eye, he wonders if some good old fashioned fun could be obtained after all.

#22

Serendipity by @mrsren96

Pairing: Harry/Hermione

Like any girl, Hermione has dreamed of her future nuptials, at least once or twice. So far it's not going so well. There's a marriage law, and well, Harry Potter to deal with.

#23

Avignon by bittercape

Pairing: Gen

Voldemort is dead, and Wizarding Britain is controlled by the totalitarian Umbridge Ministry. The resistance, mainly centered around our heroes from the books (with some additions and some changes), is working against overpowering odds to overthrow the government. Think a reversed French revolution meets Cold War-era Berlin. With magic.

#24

A Bond Beyond The Vast Wave by @mangopassionfruity

Pairing: Sirius/Lucius, James/Lily, Lily/Severus

Sirius was a many things, rebellious, lazy, a prankster, troublemaker, lady's man, irresponsible, carefree. Or that is what he likes to appear as. And why break that image he's crafted for himself? Even if it'd make his life easier, especially with his hidden relationship with a certain Malfoy heir.

But things backfire and it leads to making decisions that change his way of life.

#25

Though My Mind Could Think (I Still Was a Mad Man) by Cassiara

Pairing: Drarry

After the war is over Harry thinks it's finally his turn to rest after years of pretending he's fine, and just waiting for the day he isn't needed anymore. He tries to kill himself, but of all people, Malfoy saves him. Harry realises that if he has the courage to die, he should also have the courage to live.

Ultimately this is a story about recovery, but it's also about all the things you sometimes have to go through to get there.

This is a rewrite of my fic "Favourite Scar".

#26

Explosions in the heart by @hp-rbiim

Pairing: Drarry

It's back to Hogwarts and Malfoy is annoying as ever.

Unpublished WIP’s

#27

Time is gone (thought i'd have something more to say) by Thestias

Pairing: Fremione

After the battle of hogwarts, the dead number in the hundreds; the loss of the brightest witch of their age hits hard, and for one wizard, his desperation to fix what had been broken sends him travelling back in time in a frantic attempt to save her. angst, fluff and angst, time travel, alternate universe - canon divergence, slow burn

#28

Encounters by @pottercrew

Pairing: Drarry

Harry is finding it difficult to keep his relationship with Draco apart from his relationships with Malfoy. What if he no longer wants to? Kink negotiation, anal sex, blow jobs, hard sex, bondage, voyeurism, sex club.

#29

The Side Of The Angels by @hiddenhibernian

“Focus,” Hermione told herself, forcing her breathing to slow down. “What's the worst that can happen?”

 Bad question. Her heart was hammering so hard it drowned out the buzz from the bar on the other side of the door to the cleaning cupboard she unceremoniously had been bundled into. The bar was the Hag's Head, and it was usually a friendly place for the Order of the Phoenix. They were still fighting, five years after the fall of Harry Potter, but Aberforth had turned against them... It didn't bear thinking about. 

Then the door opened.

#30

Not Gryffindor…? by Dracomalfoyy_youlittleshit

Harry gets sorted into Slytherin, finding an unlikely friendship in Draco Malfoy. Basically a retell of Harry Potter but with Harry in Slytherin.

#31

A Lotus In The Mud by @kaokumasparkle

Pairing: Drarry

Harry always had problems with common sense, everyone knows this. And now that he's sick with Hanahaki over a certain slytherin blonde, it looks like he may never get the chance to learn. Possible tags: mutual pining, angst with a happy ending, parseltongue Harry, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Hogwarts 8th year, Hermione just wants ONE year where Harry doesn't almost die, jealous Draco, protective Harry, Forbidden Forest adventures, minor mentions of blood

#32

It’s A Kind Of Magic by ive_beenfound

Pairing: Drarry

It's 8th year and the war has been hard on everyone. And having a future to think about and look forward to is terrifying Warnings/Tags: 10 year time jump, difficult conversations about lgbtq and war, harry being oblivious, draco being a shite, potentially triggering conversations about family.

#33

Flirting With Chaos by @alexandrao

Pairing: Dramionarry (Draco x Hermione x Harry) 

The Ministry of Magic passes a marriage law, forcing all those above the age of 17 to be married. Hermione, furious with the law, is paired not to one wizard, but two! Determined to change the law, she flirts with the line that could send her relationship into complete and total chaos.

#34

Friendship, Football, and Fireworks by @LegendaryWrighter

Pairing: Deamus

One lazy Sunday morning, Seamus finds Dean going through some old sketchbooks and joins him in reminiscing on several memories. 

#35

The Winder Of My Life by @nuclearnik

Pairing: Dramione

Hermione's special bond with her Snippets of Hermione's life as she grows up raised by a single mother. When Hermione is an adult, their bond grows to include Draco, who accepts him as long as he loves and cares for her daughter. As her mother's health declines, Hermione has hard truths to face and a supportive husband who is smitten by her mother.