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ike-garden2024 · 5 months ago

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⇒ The Record Keeper and New Beginnings ⇐

Here’s the standalone fic I wrote as a fun way to introduce my upcoming Ikemen Revolution story. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it!

Word Count: 2971 Content Warning: Some self aware characters Series: Ikemen Revolution POV: 3rd Person Summary: Blanc gathers everyone to share some important, exciting, and scary news to the rest of the cast. Oliver ends up with many questions and Blanc gives him answers he doesn’t have time to process.

As another day comes to an end, warm hues of red and orange color the sky as the sun takes its final gaze upon the city. It’s noisy but comforting all the same.

Tick. Tock. “Oh my, it’s getting rather late indeed. I wonder if everything is ready…” Despite his words, steam continued to pool from the hot teacup sitting in his hands, his glasses falling victim to it as he brought it near his lips. The peaceful moment comes to an end as someone angrily opens the door.

“You dumb rabbit! Why are you still here?! Everyone is waiting for you!” A child storms in with more annoyance than his little body can handle.

Blanc softly chuckles, “Yes, you’re right, Oliver. My apologies, I simply couldn’t help it… It’s a lovely sight. "

"What are you going on about this time?” Oliver questions as he begins to walk towards the window.

A soft, distant look settles into Blanc’s eyes, “Nothing… I was simply admiring our lovely home.” He sets the teacup down and begins to walk towards the door, “Let’s get going, there’s important news to share, so we mustn’t keep them waiting.”

Oliver quickly glances out the window, “admiring cradle?...” he mutters to himself before following the man out to the hallway.

“You made sure to invite everyone?” Blanc says in an inquisitive tone.

This not being the first time he hears the question, Oliver deeply sighs before answering, “Is old age finally starting to take effect?”

Deciding not to respond, Blanc laughs at his friend’s words; they never lose their edge. A sense of comfort settles into the air as their exchange feels as old as time.

As they continue to make their way down the hall, Blanc asks, “Have you ever wondered what Cradle will be like in the future?”

Oliver hesitates before quietly responding, “Of course I have… but wondering is pointless. I know I’ll see it eventually.” Blanc simply hums with a smile; there’s no need to say more as both are aware of Oliver’s unique situation that kept him forever young.

Blanc speeds up his pace before turning to Oliver. He winks at his friend as he points out the window, “Don’t look so down, it’s just about that time of day.”

Before Oliver has a chance to respond, a blinding light flashes and now in place of where Oliver the child stood, was a tall, dark-haired man. “Finally,” he says in an exasperated tone, “let’s get this over with.”

He begins to walk away. Now an adult, Oliver’s strides are much longer, reducing the amount of time it would take them to get to the meeting hall.

Several muffled voices could be heard through the door, some excited while others seemed bored. They had no idea why they were all summoned; the invitation mysteriously said:

“This is ridiculous. Why have we all been summoned? They’re wasting our King’s time.” Jonah’s irritated tone made it clear he didn’t appreciate Blanc and Oliver’s plans.

“Come now, aren’t you excited for what’s to come? A new journey sounds fascinating.” Edgar countered Jonah’s words, clearly amused by the entire set-up.

“The only journey I want to take is the one to meet the bottom of a bottle,” Kyle mutters to himself as he rubs his eyes.

Unfortunately, his comment does not go unheard. “You won’t perish from one alcohol-free night,” Jonah remarks.

“Withdrawal symptoms can vary,” Kyle shrugs lazily in response. Both Lancelot and Zero ignore their chatter, choosing to quietly wait against the wall.

“He should leave…” Luka mumbles under his breath. Too bad for him. Seth has good hearing.

“Ahaha! Now, Luka, no one wants to receive severe punishment.” Seth beams at Luka, earning a slight pout from him.

“He complains too much,” Luka retorts, but this time, Sirius is quick to respond. “Can’t say that I blame him this time. The hosts are late.”

Both Seth and Luka glance at each other with a thoughtful look. It did seem strange that Blanc and Oliver were late. Usually, for any formal meeting, Blanc was always the first one there, waiting for everyone else to arrive. For him to be late meant that something must be keeping him.

The Black Army members continue to exchange looks, having a silent conversation until finally Fenrir asks, “What are we thinking, Boss?” He turns to look at Ray, who hasn’t made a single comment.

Ray was unreadable as usual, and instead of answering Fenrir, he began to scan the entire room; his eyes stopping at each group. Alice was laughing with Loki and Harr, Dean and Mousse in serious conversation, the Red Army chatting, and a few others, but beyond that, there were more. While not visible, Ray could feel there were eyes watching the room from a distance. Finally, his eyes met Lancelot; this alone was enough for both to realize they had noticed the same thing.

“Our sincerest apologies for the wait,” Blanc says in a loud voice, making sure everyone can hear him as he walks into the room, Oliver following behind him.

“Please gather around and come forward,” Blanc continues. “There’s something important we must discuss.” He softly smiles in an attempt to ease the tension in the room.

“There are a few missing,” Oliver whispers to Blanc. “Not missing, you just can’t see them,” Blanc reassures him. He’s not wrong. Just outside the windows of the room, those who were summoned from the Magic Tower quietly watched the events unfold.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I summoned you all.” Blanc pauses and takes a look at everyone before continuing, “It’s time for something new. To put it simply, we’ll be part of a new story.” Everyone looks at him in shock, including Oliver, not fully understanding what he was talking about.

“I’m sure that’s confusing. Let me explain.” Blanc says as he pulls out his record book. “We are all characters in a story. And every now and then, people who enjoy our story will make their own creations that include us. Someone has recently decided to write a story about us. This means we will be leaving here and entering the world they created for us.” He finally finishes his explanation, but it only raises more questions.

Quiet remarks and growing concern were heard, slowly getting louder, but Lancelot silences the room with one word, “enough.” They all turn to him seeking guidance.

Lancelot turns to Ray, who nods at him once, a signal to keep going. “White Rabbit, are your words true?” Lancelot questions Blanc.

“Yes,” he begins to answer. “Nothing I said was a lie,” he finishes.

“This is difficult to accept as a fact,” Lancelot squints suspiciously as he moves the conversation forward. “What you’re claiming is impossible.” Immediately, Blanc counters, “Is it?” He smiles.

“We live in a world full of magic, you know. It’s what separates us from the land of reason…” He begins to scribble something in his book of records. “There are many different kinds of magic…” A blue light begins to shine from within the book. “I ask that you all keep an open mind. The impossible can be quite fun… wouldn’t you agree, Alice?”

Blanc turns to look at the only person in the room who had experienced what different worlds are like. Alice’s eyes slightly widened. “Oh, well I… it does seem possible-”

Jonah cuts her off. “How does any of this seem possible??” Lancelot places a hand on Jonah’s shoulder and looks at Alice, urging her to continue.

“If someone had told me about Cradle back when I was in the land of reason, I wouldn’t have believed them… but I’ve fallen from the sky and seen so much magic here… it’s hard for me not to consider what Blanc says as truth.” She smiles. “I’m excited to see what Blanc is talking about!”

“Thank you, my dear sweet Alice,” Blanc pats her head affectionately. “However, I’m afraid I must inform you that you will not be an active character in the story.” Her eyes widened at this.

“WHAAAAT!?!” Seth screams as he hugs Alice. “What kind of horrible story are you sending us to!?!” His arms further tighten around Alice.

Blanc laughs. “I assure you, the story is wonderful. There will be new people for you to meet.”

This doesn’t reassure Seth at all, or anyone else for that matter, but Alice speaks up with a smile. “That’s okay. I know you’ll all be okay and happy wherever you go. So… please enjoy the new world for me! I’ll come haunt you if you don’t,” she laughs lightly. It’s obvious she wants to ease everyone’s worry, and it somewhat works. Seth finally releases her, and everyone begins to look at Alice sadly.

“It’s time to say goodbye, everyone,” Blanc warns as he finalizes what he’s written in his book of records. Many tears are shed; some don’t want to let go after hugging Alice. They say their goodbyes, sharing silly memories to make each other laugh.

Despite the emotional scene going on, Blanc had a calm, warm expression on his face; Oliver, who had been silent and off to the side the entire time, took notice of this and found it odd. With his focus completely on Blanc, he failed to notice Alice approaching him to offer nice words and a hug.

Soon everyone gets back in line, forming a semicircle around Blanc, whose book of records was glowing slightly. “I will recite the final lines as I write them. The spell of new beginnings will then activate.”

The book of records began to glow brightly and float in the air. Glitter like sparkles began to float everywhere, attaching itself to everyone, causing a fading effect. Everyone slowly began to disappear. Confusion could be found on every face in the room as each person tried to reach out towards their friends, but there was no point.

Lancelot, Ray, and Harr remained as calm as they could in an attempt to offer reassurance to those around them. Loki desperately tried to hold Harr, but his hands ran right through his body. He began to cry helplessly on the floor. Seeing this, Alice couldn’t hold herself any longer. Deep down, she was incredibly terrified of what was to come. As silent tears streamed down her face, Ray and Lancelot stood before her, smiling. In return, she smiled at them. Mustering all the final courage she could find, she walked towards Blanc, taking a position where she could see everyone one last time.

Finally, she politely bowed towards everyone, “Thank you for everything. You’re all so wonderful…” She lifted her head. “I love you all.” She smiled before fully disappearing into the air, sparkles falling towards the ground.

No one knew what to say or do. There’s nothing they can do except watch each other disappear. Jonah walks towards Luka, who began to cry when Alice disappeared. The brothers look at each other. There are so many words they want to say, but time didn’t allow for it. Making a decision, Jonah smiles at Luka, “My dear sweet Luka,” he affectionately says as he reaches out towards his brother before vanishing like Alice. Almost immediately after, Luka is gone as well.

Seth sits beside his sister, who was trying to remain calm by talking about random things, but her body was shaking from fear and anxiety. Unable to do anything, he simply smiled and followed her lead. Not long after, they disappear together. One by one, each person vanishes, leaving a trail of glitter fallen on the ground.

Only Ray and Lancelot remain in the end. They walk towards Blanc, who wasn’t surrounded by the magical light. Ray begins to speak, “No one else seemed to notice but…”

“Why are you and Oliver the only ones who aren’t covered in magic?” Lancelot finishes Ray’s question.

Blanc hums, “I have a stop to make before joining the rest of you. Oliver will be assisting me.” He turns to smile at Oliver. The two leaders nod, accepting his reasoning.

“We’ll be looking for you when everything is settled.” Ray makes arrangements. Again, Blanc hums and nods as he watches the Kings disappear.

“My assistance?” Oliver questions Blanc, who is now writing something new in the record book.

“I only need to pick up a new book from the library. We’ll be joining them after,” Blanc assures him as a blinding light flashes.

Affected by the bright flash, Oliver rubs his eyes, trying to gain his vision back. When he finally does, he’s met with a white room full of what seemed like endless columns of books.

“What is this place?” Oliver questions.

“It’s the records library. It holds everything,” Blanc responds as he walks towards a column.

“This is where you keep all of Cradle’s records?” Oliver follows behind Blanc so he doesn’t get lost.

“Not quite. This place holds much more than just Cradle’s records,” Blanc begins to explain. “This is where all the worlds are collected. I mentioned before that we'll be going to a new world. This is where the records of that world will go. See, we’re part of a storyline created by a bird—”

“A bird?” Oliver cuts off Blanc with an annoyed look on his face.

“A clever name, isn’t it?… These storylines that they create are enjoyed by many people all around the world. These people are inspired and create their own works of art based on our stories, creating different worlds and timelines,” Blanc finishes his explanation as he finds the book he’s looking for.

Oliver doesn’t fully believe Blanc but is unable to fully call all of this a lie. He feels strange, almost like déjà vu. However, he can’t remember ever being in the library before.

“You always feel the same, Oliver,” Blanc chuckles. “Yes, you’ve been here before, and… we’ve had this same conversation many, many times.” Blanc looks around the library as if to show Oliver the amount.

“Why don’t I remember anything?” Oliver asks as he holds his head.

“We’re not supposed to remember any of it,” Blanc whispers sadly. “Whenever a new world begins, there is a reset here in the main storyline. Everyone disappeared right now, but by dawn tomorrow, everything will be back to normal, and everyone will go about their lives as usual. We who “disappear” are transferred over to the new world, our current memories wiped, making space for all new memories to be placed.” Blanc looks at Oliver, trying to gauge his reaction this time.

“Why do you remember everything?” Oliver’s questions continue.

“I don’t, it’s just that when I reset here in Cradle, I always find the library and all the worlds… I find out by reading the records. But I will not remember anything once we get to the new world.” Blanc finishes explaining.

“What exactly is the point of telling everyone they’re going to a new world before casting the spell?” Oliver still has questions.

“A courtesy of mine,” it’s a simple answer but it reflects the respect Blanc holds for everyone.

“Would you like to see her?” Blanc asks, already knowing what the next question is. “She’s lovely,” Blanc comments as he conjures up a cloud of light.

Oliver’s eyes widen at what he sees. It’s a young woman with long, deep brown hair, busy with something on the table in front of her. The girl looks up and turns to her left as though someone had called her. Before the image disappears, Oliver catches a glimpse of her warm smile and welcoming eyes.

“That was ▧▨▧▨ , She’s going to ▧▨▧▨, it’s always exciting to ▧▨▧▨” Oliver can’t fully make out what Blanc is saying. “Oh dear, it seems our time is up… that’s alright, I ▧▨▧▨ so things should ▧▨▧▨”

“Wait, what?” Oliver says, confused. He can’t hear Blanc completely. That’s when he notices that they’re both starting to disappear.

Oliver looks up at Blanc and he’s met with a reassuring smile. “We’ll meet again, my dear friend…”

A bright light flashes one final time, and the pair disappear along with the new record book.

The library is once again empty yet full of life.

“Ver-… liver-… Oliver…” Oliver opens his eyes, the sun shining through the window. Blanc is calling him, “It’s getting rather late. Your store opens soon, doesn’t it?” Blanc says as he opens the curtain more.

Oliver sits up with a confused look on his face, “Rabbit…?” Oliver questions as he holds his head almost in pain.

Blanc turns to him, “Are you feeling alright?”

Oliver closes his eyes and rubs his temples, “I’m fine. I just had a strange dream… I was about to tell you something, but I can’t remember…”

Blanc smiles softly and he begins to walk out the door, “I’m flattered you think of me even in your dreams.”

“Wait,” Oliver stops him. “What’s today’s date?”

Blanc looks at him curiously before answering, “January 6, 2025. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Oliver responds lazily as he gets up to look out the window. “I forgot the date is all…”

Blanc hums before leaving the room, already thinking of a tea that would help his little friend with his headache.

Oliver quietly continues to gaze out the window in a daze, taking in the sight of Cradle...

Hikari's note: Wahhhhhhhh thanks so much for being here! Admittedly I’m nervous as hell because this is my first time sharing a creation of mine, but it’s okay 😂 I’m so excited to share this project with everyone. For some of you, IkeRev might not be a series you’re interested in and I get it, the series is discontinued. But for me, that’s exactly what sparked this story idea (& my love for Rev of course). So if you’ve decided to give it a chance, I hope that you’ll enjoy the story that will come with my OC. The purpose of this standalone fic is mainly to kick off the debut of my OC and her story. I'd also like to give special thanks to @ragyragd0ll @missaengg @william-rex! They've been super helpful throughout this whole process and I don't think I would've gotten as far as I have without their support. Since it’s my first time fully flushing out a story please expect many mistakes and mid level writing 😅 I hope to improve as I continue writing. Thank you for your support & patience!

< Teal Playing Cards Dividers made by @/thecutestgrotto >

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roosterbox · 1 year ago

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Hey.

Psst. Hey. Hey!

Guess what?

It’s a special day today. How special, you might ask?

Oh, only the birthday of a certain @a-forger-and-a-point-man ! Woohoo!

Happy birthday ❤️❤️❤️

Also I wrote you a thing. Sorry if it’s sloppy - I had to do very quick work on it before the writer’s block kicked back in, lol. I think it came out pretty alright.

Tags: fluff, schmoop, baked goods? More like baked bads, love is stored in the attempt not the end result, nonbinary Eames using they/them pronouns, light references to future sexytimes, a single line of a hint of Eames wearing lingerie

———

Arthur comes home to the dulcet tones of metal crashing and muffled cursing. In any other circumstance, such a thing would have him drawing his gun, but he decides to trust his instincts on this one. Said instincts are telling him to remain calm. That everything is fine. Not normal necessarily, but fine. So his gun remains holstered at his hip as he makes his way inside.

He finds the cause in relatively short order. His kitchen, very recently completely remodeled, has seen better days. Various bowls and mixers lie strewn about on the counter. Cabinets are seemingly opened hither and thither arbitrarily. As if someone hadn’t been quite sure what they were looking for, or where, and they couldn’t be bothered to close anything behind them. His nostrils flare at the faintly scorched aroma of something being baked for a bit too long.

It didn’t take much to figure out what it was.

In the center of this disaster area stood Eames. Lovely, flour-covered Eames, currently locked in intense concentration as they put the finishing frosting touches on a cake set on the kitchen’s cleanest counter. They’re focusing so hard on their task, tongue slightly poking out and everything, that they have yet to notice Arthur’s arrival. There’s a metal cooling rack on the floor at their feet, which was undoubtedly the clanging sound from earlier. Eames was even wearing the silly apron Arthur had gifted them a few years prior. (“I saw it and thought of you,” he had said, presenting his partner with the frilly, pink gingham monstrosity. “I love it,” Eames responded, in a way that was equal parts in on the joke and completely sincere.) Seeing them in it now, Arthur finds himself loving it too.

He clears his throat.

Eames startles, jumping back a little. An extra dollop of cool blue frosting drips out of their piping bag onto the cake.

“Darling! You’re uh-“ Eames looks a little nervous. “-home early.”

“And you’ve been busy.” He makes a show of looking at the clutter surrounding them. “What have you been doing?”

His partner blushed. “Oh you know. Things.” They say this, playing coy as if there isn’t a whole frosted cake sitting right there in the open.

“Things.” Arthur steps further into the kitchen. He toys with the idea of feigning ignorance a bit more, but it’s been a long day. So instead, he shifts his attention to the cake-shaped elephant in the room. “‘Things,’ I presume?”

“Oh, this?” Eames chuckles awkwardly. It fizzles out too quickly though. “… yeah.”

They’re so uncharacteristically nervous that it’s starting to worry him. Generally, Eames’ confidence knows absolutely no bounds, even when they’re doing something they’ve never attempted before. If Eames was nervous enough for it to be this obvious…

Arthur gestures at the cake. “For me?”

Eames meets his gaze, worrying their plush lower lip between their teeth. “For you,” they confirm. “Happy birthday, my love.”

All at once, Arthur’s heart feels warm. If it hadn’t been for Kyle and Sophie at work pitching in to buy him lunch, he might have forgotten what day it was himself. It was nothing special, he might have argued. No one cares much about turning 38, after all. It’s not a big milestone like 30 or 40.

Eames, however, never forgot anything. Especially anything about Arthur.

Eames also, interestingly enough, doesn’t bake much. The lingering smell of burning leads Arthur to the one obvious conclusion about the cake between them… and the source of Eames’ nerves.

He smiles. “You didn't need to-“

Eames shakes their head. “I wanted to. Needed an excuse to stretch my legs in here, after all.”

“Mmhmm. And did stretching your legs have to involve opening all these cabinets?” He tries to keep his tone light. He’s not actually mad or put out at all, not with the evidence of Eames’ love and care sitting right in front of him.

From the grin Eames flashes, he was successful. “I wasn’t sure where you moved things to since last time.”

A likely story. Arthur gently closes the cupboard nearest to him, moving closer to Eames and his cake. Now he’s near enough to observe (and try not to giggle over) the fact that apron Eames is wearing seems to have simultaneously done its job (it’s covered in flour and frosting) and not done its job (there are patches of floured handprints on Eames pants, and half-disappearing on their shirt underneath the covering). And there’s a big dusty splotch on their face. Arthur reaches over and runs a finger through it, the tip coming away white.

“Get a bit lost in your work, did you?”

Eames shrugs. “Only a bit.” They look down at the cake, and seem to remember something. “Oh! Hold on!”

They lean over to reach into the drawer beside them. Full of various knick-knacks, Arthur knows. After a moment, they pull back with a candle in their hand. It was a big, bulky 2, the sort one might use for a child’s birthday cake. Arthur raises an eyebrow.

Eames shrugs again. “Best I could do.” They set the wax number into the frosting securely (it leans back a bit far, but seems steady) before lighting the wick.

They smile at Arthur, but do not sing. That’s another thing that Eames has always remembered - how much Arthur actually hates that damn birthday song. “Make a wish!”

Arthur considers only briefly before blowing out the flame.

“What did you- wait, don’t tell me,” Eames pulls him a little closer and gives his lips a quick peck. “You want it to come true, after all.”

Arthur, who as always had wished for many more years spent right here, just like this, with the love of his life, hums in agreement. They kiss again, this one a bit more heated, before Eames gestures behind Arthur. There are plates and cutlery sitting there, waiting to be used.

“Let’s dig into your cake,” they say, reaching back to untie their apron, though there is a slight reluctance in their eyes.

It turns out to be more than a little burnt. And dry. And the flavors of the sponge cake clashes a bit with the frosting. But even so, Arthur compliments Eames’ work. He tells them he loves it, and means it. “Better than any store bought cake,” he says.

“Don’t kid a kidder, love.” Eames looks away, biting their lip again. “We both know how shit I am at baking.”

“Maybe so,” Arthur wipes his mouth. “But I’m not kidding. I do love it - promise.” He covers Eames’ hand with his own.

Eames smirks. “Gonna give me a line about how it’s the thought that counts?”

“Nothing so obvious.” Arthur takes one last bite, leaving nothing but crumbs behind on his plate. “You made it. You tried. And I appreciate everything you’ve done for me today.” His eyes flit around briefly. “Even if you did leave a mess in your wake.”

“Eh, I’ll clean it up later.” Arthur opens his mouth to protest, but Eames continues. “Right now, I’m more eager to let you open your present.”

Arthur perks up. “Present?” He looks around.

“Yep. Present.” Eames’ smile is bold, and more than a little lascivious. “But you’ll have to follow me to get that one.” They incline their head towards the bedroom.

This earns them another eyebrow raise. “Oh? And what is this mysterious gift?” Arthur lets himself be pulled up and towards the adjacent room. “Can I get a hint?”

“So impatient,” Eames rolls their eyes. “But…” they take Arthur’s hand and draw him closer, resting it against the small of their back. Slowly, they let his fingers drift below the waistband of their trousers, where they know he’ll feel the smooth silk hiding underneath.

Arthur’s eyes widen. And darken with the thinnest veil of lust. He dips forward for a kiss, but Eames pulls away.

“Come on,” they say, dragging him forward again. Forward and into their bedroom before kicking the door closed behind them.

Turns out, Eames enjoys Arthur’s birthday present almost as much as Arthur does.

#inception #dreamhusbands #arthur x eames #my writing #my stuff #writing is hard #dedicated to you #aforgerandapointman #my tumblr waifu #happy birthday #I hope your day is as least half as wonderful as you are #❤️❤️❤️

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thewarriorspecial · 2 years ago

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Dress Up (CH2 - Different Light)

*Archive Edition* Previously only linked to AO3, full work now available under the cut.

Read on AO3

Rating: Explicit | Guy Gardner/Kyle Rayner, Hal Jordan, John Stewart

Additional Tags (All chapters listed): Established Relationship, hand wavy timeline, Lace Panties, Spanking, Lingerie, Oral Sex, Angst, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Character dealing with/avoiding their PTSD, Rimming, Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood, Bloody Kisses, Polyamory

The last outfit worked out so well, Kyle decides to to try another. He decides to pop into Warrior’s on a busy night and hang out just out of Guy’s reach. He's starting to be honest with himself about the reason he craves these distractions.

Kyle walked into Warriors and it was packed. Guy’s first thought was thank God, finally some help. The second was being annoyed that Kyle had the nerve to strut in here all dressed up, looking that good when Guy didn’t have a free hand to do anything about it. He threw the towel he was holding over his shoulder and stared his lover down.

Kyle was rocking his Hot Topic chic, and on anyone else it would probably look stupid. He had stolen Guy’s Warrior jacket and slung it over his favorite Nine Inch Nails shirt. He had on his Way Too Tight jeans and knee-high, lace-up boots. He’d done the thing with his hair that made it look sex-wrecked on purpose. He had on eyeliner too which made his cat eyes even more enticing. He dropped himself onto a bar stool, tossing his hair and licking his teeth.

“Whadda ya think ya doin’?”

“Visiting.” Kyle lifted himself onto the bar, rummaging through the bottles until he found what he wanted. He sat back, opening the bottle and taking a long pull without grimacing. Kyle was the only person Guy had ever met who had the same vices, for better or worse. “Wanna watch me make this bottle disappear?” Kyle flattened his tongue and ran it up the neck of the bottle.

“Cut it out. It ain’t cute. M’already gettin’ killed ‘ere.” Guy snatched the bottle away, taking a swig. He was already about 3 shots away from his Baltimore accent becoming unintelligible. When Guy was drunk he sounded like he was trying to talk around a mouthful of marbles, overcompensating by steamrolling the vowels. “How ‘bout a lil’ help, sweetheart?”

“Stress relief?” Kyle fisted the bottle neck suggestively.

“Kyle,” Guy sighed, one irritated syllable.

“I thought you liked taking your clothes off of me,” Kyle pouted.

“Kyle.” Two syllables now, a warning. “Ya hide from me, ya throw yaself at me. What’s going on with—“

“I’ll help you,” Kyle said, hopping over the bar. As he bent to grab glasses he rubbed his backside against Guy’s groin, “As long as you promise to help me later.” He started mixing drinks and running orders so Guy could run the kitchen. He could feel Guy’s eyes on him through the night as the hours dragged on.

They found a brief moment of respite. The customers were well into their drinks and conversations. The ticket printer had finally stopped screeching out orders for the moment. Guy leaned on the prep counter, breathing a little heavy but he had that satisfied smile on his face—a real one. This kind of work takes him back, keeps him humble.

Kyle held his arms out. “Hey stranger,” he said as Guy gave him a tight embrace.

“Ay yaself.”

Guy was relieved to finally get a chance to touch Kyle. Having him so close yet so far away was torture. He leaned back and took a languid look at his lovely partner.

“See something you like?”

“Yeah, everything.” Guy looked at the timers and tried to plan a way to drag his partner behind the walk-in without neglecting the friers. He rubbed Kyle’s back idly and his hands wandered under the hem of Kyle’s shirt. Instead of warm skin his fingers skidded over ribbons and straps and…lace. “What’s all this? This for me?”

Kyle put his arms around Guy’s neck, stroking his hair, “Who else?”

Someone hotter, Guy doesn’t say. He tilts his head, leaning into Kyle’s touch. He lets his lips part as an invitation but Kyle doesn’t rise up on his toes to kiss him anymore. So he studies Kyle’s face instead. There was a slight tremor in his breath but his gaze was steady. Guy could look into those green eyes forever. They’re a little dilated even in the florescent light of the kitchen. He’s horny, maybe a little nervous. If Guy wasn’t so drunk and insecure at this point he would’ve bent Kyle over the prep table already. He ran his hands over Kyle’s hips, giving his ass a gentle squeeze. He still hoped for the kiss he was too apprehensive to take for himself.

“Ah, ah,” Kyle tutted, removing the rogue hands, “That’s for later.”

“Aw, c’mon. Lemme see,” Guy tugged at the shirt again and Kyle smacked his hands.

“Oh, I will. Let’s finish this shift so you can take me home,” Kyle smiled. He looked over his shoulder and added, “Bring cash.”

Guy slid Dukes of Hazard style over the counter and manned the stove with renewed fervor.

They spent the flight home wrapped around each other, the path from the bar to their balcony memorized. Seeing them floating by, oblivious to the comings and goings of Oa, was a familiar sight by now. They landed and Guy pushed Kyle though the balcony door as Kyle shedded the jacket and threw it over the couch.

“So what’s the occasion?” Guy asked, still trying to get his hands at whatever Kyle was hiding under his clothes.

“Did you bring the money?”

“Baby I got ya money, don’cha worry,” Guy sang as he pulled stacks of rubber-banded bills out of his uniform vest.

“Good,” Kyle’s eyes went wide at the fistful of cash Guy produced. “I hope you have enough for me.”

“What’s mine is yours, baby, you know that. What do ya need this much money for?”

“I wanna play a game. I’m gonna try and run you broke. And, I wanna see how sleazy you can really be.”

“Well, ya got the right Guy for that,” Guy pointed at himself with both thumbs, “Ya not gonna murder me are ya, Jigsaw?”

“Go get changed,” Kyle said, slapping Guy’s ass as he headed to his old-bedroom-now-studio. “Unless you pick up strippers in your GL duds.”

“Pick up str—Oh!” Guy cackled and rubbed his hands together, “This is gonna be fun.”

Guy strutted to their bedroom and hit the light. The room was awash in deep red, which Guy perceived as low light with heavy contrast. A construct couch and stripper pole glittered in the dim light. A stereo sat on the dresser softly playing music that was mostly bass. Two glasses, a bucket of ice, and a few liquor bottles sat next to the stereo. Kyle had really put the details into this one. He either did his research or had actually taken himself to a strip joint.

Guy walked to the back of the room and dug about 15 years deep into the closet. Sleazy, he could do sleazy. He ran circles around sleazy while he fucked its sisters—raunchy, cheap, and trashy. Thankful he was such a pack rat, he shuffled through hideous clashing colors, leopard print, and mink. He got caught up with some of his old favorites, tossing a feather boa around his neck and a pimp hat on his head. He found a handheld Brick Breaker game and a canister of Pogs too. There really was way too much stuff in here.

He found himself torn between the Jackie Treehorn getup or the white t-shirt and jeans from when he and Kyle first met. He ended up deciding on the simple jeans and t-shirt because it would be so disarming. Sleaze was in intention. Sleaze was in the heart. After he changed, he poured himself a drink and man-spread on the couch.

On the other side of the wall, Kyle paced in his studio. Guy was right—he was running hot and cold. They went from normal to nothing to struggling to routine and now he was freaking out. He missed the beginning when everything was easy, when routine was comfort. He needed distance from what had happened. If he got lost in his thoughts, he’d remember. It all came rushing to the front of his mind so fast. Only the sound of his own blood pumping in the dead silence of space. The metallic burning smell like the aftershock of a firework that permeated the vast emptiness between the stars. And all the blood. Guy’s blood, floating from his body like ribbons underwater. No sound. Only one heartbeat. No other sound.

He leaned back to crack his back and took a deep breath. If he could find a way to talk about it, Guy would be right there with a hug and a joke but he just…couldn’t. He didn’t want to take the medicine, it made his mind crawl. It numbed everything, not just the pain.

I can do this, he thought. We’re gonna have fun. This will be fun and everything will feel normal and then we can talk. I will talk to him. Later. I will.

Kyle smoothed his hands over his shirt, thinking about the way Guy had been looking at him all night. He was gonna lose his mind when he saw what was underneath. No one had ever looked at him with that bare, pure desire. Not that openly. It made him feel anxious and heated all at once and he craved it. It made him insatiable. He felt undone.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror that sat atop his old dresser. He felt pretty confidant and liked how he looked. He wouldn’t say he was beautiful or gorgeous or any of the things Guy seemed to see. You really couldn’t toss a beachball in SoCal without hitting like, eight dudes that looked exactly like me, he thought. Kyle was just an art geek. Guy was a football star—tall and broad with those big blue eyes and a bright smile. Cut like a Greek statue to boot. He was honest and brave, gentle with children and animals, and spoke like a poet when you got him alone.

Kyle smiled at himself. It was just Guy in there. On his worst behavior by request. Get in there and have some fun.

When Kyle entered he was still dressed, sadly. He acknowledged Guy with a quick glance and a small upturn of his lips. In the intense light he looked like one of his own charcoal drawings come to life. He walked over to the stereo and put on Head Like A Hole. He strode confidently to the pole and with his back to Guy, began to sway to the beat, shooting heated glances over his shoulder.

Guy couldn’t decide if Kyle was just nervous or if he genuinely had no plan. Or rhythm. He hid his smile behind his drink and threw a few ones at Kyle to encourage him. Seeing the money, Kyle put his back against the pole and slid down to his knees. He crawled towards the crumpled bills, picking them up and stuffing them in his pants. He looked Guy up and down again, struggling to suppress a warm smile. He bit his lip, trying to hold the disinterested, mysterious persona.

Setting down his drink, Guy pulled out a five. He held it up and wagged his eyebrows. He set the bill on his knee, inviting Kyle to come and get it. Kyle crawled to Guy’s lap, slowly sliding his hands up Guy’s legs and grabbing the bill as he went.

“Let’s see some skin, sweetheart,” Guy leered as Kyle stood up.

“Let’s see some money,” Kyle’s voice was low and breathy. Guy brandished another five, sitting up and sliding it down Kyle’s chest. He slid his hands under Kyle’s t-shirt, hooking his fingers in the top of Kyle’s jeans. As he shoved the bill in, he popped the button at the top of Kyle’s fly.

Kyle bit his lip and tried not to shiver. More industrial rock flowed from the stereo. He swayed to the beat again, sliding his hands over his stomach, gradually showing more and more as he raised his shirt up.

“Ya look good, baby,” Guy murmured as he snapped the band on a stack of tens, “Let’s see those tits.” He started to whip bills at Kyle with a practiced flick of the wrist.

Kyle quickly worked his shirt off, spinning it over his head and flinging it into the darkness. He let the money rain over him. Guy already had him feeling dirty and he loved it. Underneath his shirt, Kyle had been hiding lacy lingerie. A fitted, lace crop-top with heart cutouts on the front and back covered his pecs. At his waist was the top of a matching lace garter that disappeared underneath his pants.

Guy let out a low whistle, “Take it off, gorgeous.”

With the sound of velcro separating, Kyle pulled the pants apart at the outside seams, pulling them out of the tops of his boots and revealing the rest of his black lace secret. The garter belt held up thigh high stockings that disappeared into the boots, and it rested atop a lace g-string. Everything had tiny heart cutouts that matched the crop top. The outfit was soft and feminine in appearance but well made to fit and support a man’s body. Guy licked his lips in stunned silence. What was it Smart Robin had called this feeling? Bi-panic?

Kyle turned and walked towards the pole. With one hand on the pole, he made a leisurely circle, then hooked his knee on it a did a little spin. Guy showered him with much appreciative whistling and money throwing. Kyle wondered how much was on the floor. It was too dark to really see. Seeing Guy’s enthusiasm, he did a slow fan kick and another spin. He heard Guy muttering curses and saw him adjust himself in his pants. Kyle leapt halfway up the pole and used the momentum to turn himself upside-down for a few turns. When he dismounted he dropped into a split. He smiled at Guy’s rapt, open-mouthed expression.

Kyle decided he needed a little break and walked over to the dresser, leaning and pouring himself a drink. Guy got up to follow him.

“What’s ya name, sweetness?” Guy rumbled when he finally looked up from Kyle’s chest. He sidled up close enough that Kyle could feel his body heat.

“Uh,” Shit. Kyle hadn’t thought of a cool stripper name. He wasn’t really sure that they were going to talk, “Sugar,” he said quickly, riffing off of Guy’s pet name and feeling stupid.

“Is that because you taste so good?” Guy chuckled darkly. Kyle could feel the heat rushing to his face and was glad for the dim lighting. “How ‘bout I buy you a drink?”

“Sure.”

“Ya new?”

“Yeah. Just started.”

“I can tell,” Guy said, making Kyle frown. “Nah, don’t worry, hon. It’s ok. You don’t have to be good when you’re this hot.”

“I do just fine,” Kyle said, irritated.

“Sure, baby. You’ll get there. I don’t usually go for the newbies, but I’ll make an exception for you. How much for a private dance?”

Kyle’s jaw tensed. I’ll show him. “Fifty,” he spat.

“Cheap. Works for me,” Guy said and Kyle bristled. Guy reached behind his back, producing another stack of bills from his waistband. He laid one down next to Kyle’s glass. Then he counted five more of them out, folded them over, and slid them down Kyle’s thigh and into the top of his stocking. “Play something nice and slow for us, yeah?”

Kyle was white-knuckling the edge of their makeshift bar, equal parts furious and aroused. Goddam that man. Guy flopped back onto the couch, smirking and patting his lap. Kyle glared for a moment more, then turned to the stereo and set up a few songs.

Bass filled the room and Kyle approached, swaying and unhurried. Guy’s eyes had begun to glow softly in the dim room. He looked dangerous and it made Kyle’s heart pound. “No touching,” Kyle hissed as he took Guy’s wrists and planted his hands off to the sides of his lap.

“Ya say that now,” Guy said and Kyle glared. “You’ll give it up. They all do. Do you know who I am?” Guy’s eyes glowed more brightly. “Climb on up into Warrior’s lap, Sugar.” Guy knew how weak Kyle still was for that memory.

Kyle resisted the urge to clap his hand over his customer’s mouth; that thing was a lethal weapon. He dragged one leg over Guy’s lap and leaned on his shoulders to lift himself into a comfortable seat.

Having Guy’s full, wanton attention was more unnerving than he could’ve imagined. He wondered what it was like to have that much confidence; an ego so big he’d have to move into outer space to have enough breathing room. It was hot though, being the center of attention for a man who only did what he wanted, how he wanted, if he wanted.

He ran his hands through Guy’s hair, softly grazing his fingertips down his neck, over his shoulders, down his chest. He leaned back, placing his palms on Guy’s knees to balance. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the beat of the music as he rolled his hips into Guy’s lap. He could easily feel Guy’s rapidly growing erection through the thin fabric of his lingerie. He dug his fingers into the muscle of Guy’s enormous thighs, conscious of how far open his own knees were spread to straddle his big man’s lap. Guy’s body was about seventy percent shoulders and forty percent thighs. Kyle sighed to himself as he pictured his big sex machine naked.

Kyle loved their size difference, how Guy could make him feel small and surrounded. Between that and Guys big meaty hands it felt like he was living his guilty pleasure yaoi manga fantasies. Do not laugh about yaoi hands right now, Rayner. Get your head in the game, Kyle thought as he pressed his lips together to suppress a smile. He blew out a shaky breath as he fought off thoughts of giant green construct hands.

“Breathin’ heavy for me already?” Guy’s voice brought Kyle back to the moment. Kyle’s eyes opened and he took in the faintly glowing tattoos that had appeared on Guy’s—Warrior’s—face and arms. Kyle’s pulse raced. His crush on Guy the moment they met had been immediate and overwhelming. Images of Guy shirtless and later tattooed had filled his dreams and fantasies since then.

Kyle was suddenly aware of Guys hands traveling lightly up his ribs, thumbs brushing so gently against his nipples making him jump.

“Hey!” Kyle gasped, “No touching!”

“If you say so.” Guy held up his hands in mock surrender before returning them to his sides.

Kyle wanted that touch and it killed him to enforce the rules of their game. How the fuck was Guy not out of money yet? On cue, Guy pulled another bill from his pocket. He dragged it down Kyle’s abs and over the lacy panties, making lazy circles around Kyle’s bulge. Kyle groaned as he realized Guy had completely flipped the power balance and that was perfectly fine with him. Guy brazenly began rubbing Kyle’s cock over the underwear with nothing but the bill separating them.

“N-no touching,” Kyle breathed as he leaned into Guy’s big, warm hand. Guy’s fingers were creeping around the edges of the panties, teasing Kyle’s shaft and sending his blood thrumming in his ears.

“You’re right. Rules are rules,” Guy said, tucking the money into Kyle’s garter belt, “And I don’t want either of us getting kicked out.” He pulled another bill out of his pocket, trailing the movement over Kyle’s thigh making him shiver. Biting the bill between his teeth he asked, “How ‘bout a kiss instead?”

“Keep your hands down,” Kyle desperately tried to put any kind of authority in his voice. He leaned forward, putting his hands on Guy’s shoulders again. Their chests pressed together as he leaned in. He brushed their lips together as he ducked in close to take the bill from Guy’s mouth with his own.

Guy’s hand clenched suddenly in Kyle’s hair. Kyle let out a startled sound, dropping the bill and Guy smashed their mouths together in a rough kiss. Kyle’s body clamped down around Guy’s as he kissed back savagely.

“Wait, hey!” Kyle hissed, shoving his arms between them and clamping a hand over Guy’s mouth. “No touching, goddamnit!” He could feel Guy’s laugh rumble into his palm. Guy grabbed two greedy handfuls of Kyle’s ass and Kyle’s hands flew to his wrists to stop him.

“Ya want me kid, I can feel it,” Guy said.

“Still costs extra.”

“Name ya price.”

“You can’t afford it.”

“Bet. I’d sell my soul for you, hell, I’ll sell my fucking bar for you, baby.”

“A thousand,” Kyle panted, “A thousand and I’ll let you take me home.”

“Done.” Guy reached into the back of his waistband again and Kyle began digging behind his shoulders, trying to pull his shirt up and see where he was hiding all this money. Guy’s hand wrapped around the back of Kyle’s head and he shoved a banded stack of cash into Kyle’s mouth. Kyle made an indignant sound, and then another as he was hauled over Guy’s shoulder. Guy slapped Kyle’s vulnerable ass as he stood up. Kyle banged his fists playfully against Guy’s back as he grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like fucking barbarian.

Guy dumped Kyle unceremoniously in the center of the room. “Get on ya knees, slut,” he growled as he unzipped his jeans.

Kyle opened his mouth to say something angry and was immediately distracted by Guy pulling his thick cock out. Kyle bit his lip as he stared, his retort and the rack of cash both forgotten.

“C’mere,” Guy said softly this time. Kyle crawled towards him until he was at Guy’s feet. He ran his hands up Guy’s legs as he rose up on his knees. He tugged Guy’s jeans down, focused on the prize in front of him. “Look at me,” Guy whispered, fingers trailing under Kyle’s chin.

Kyle looked up into Guy’s desperate gray-blue eyes. He took Guy’s length in his hand and gave it a long, slow lick from bottom to top. He loved blowing Guy. It was the one thing he could do where Guy would be selfish and just take. He locked eyes with Guy and proceeded to give him a thousand dollar blowjob.

They laid tangled together naked, quietly panting into each other’s skin. Kyle’s legs ached from riding Guy’s big body so enthusiastically. He ran his fingers idly through the soft hair on Guy’s belly. He looked up at Guy’s chin from where he was tucked against the bigger man’s side. Guy’s arm was flung over his face and his whole body was sticky with sweat.

“We didn’t even make it to the bed this time,” Kyle laughed.

Guy moved his arm to look down and smile, “I’ve always wanted to fuck on a pile of money.”

“Where did all that money come from, anyways?”

“Well…okay, don’t get mad. Cuz lemme tell ya, I really mean I’d sell the whole bar for you to hit me with the Hyuk Guk 9000.”

“The what?” Kyle chortled.

“The Super Sucker. The Gaginator. That thing you do where you’re sucking and swallowing at the same time.”

Kyle buried his face in Guy’s chest as he laughed hysterically.

“So, yeah. No disrespect to the master here. But this,” Guy reached behind his back, pretending to dig in his ass, “This is just…Monopoly money.” He let a fistful of bills rain down. Kyle put his hand out to catch a few and then they just, disappeared.

“Oh, you jerk! You dickhead!”

“You wanted sleazy.” Guy shrugged.

“That’s fucked.”

“Exactly. Ow!” Guy chuckled as Kyle punched him in the arm. “Hey. Hey. You’re worth every penny of the real thing. Sorry your man’s a broke chud.”

“You’re not a chud,” Kyle smiled. “I just can’t believe I let you neg me and rip me off. You get me so distracted,” he said, pushing himself up to straddle Guy again.

Guy clicked his tongue and looked away.

“I mean it,” Kyle said grabbing Guy’s chin, bringing his gaze back. Kyle ran his hands up and down Guy’s big shoulders and biceps. “You’re a beast. You’re insanely hot. I get so worked up just looking at you.”

Guy looked away again, smiling this time, “Thank you,” he said softly. He grabbed Kyle’s hips, feeling his body responding again already. “So, you gonna tell me what all this is about?”

“What do you mean?” Kyle asked, smile faltering.

“Look, all this has been really hot and really fun. I’m here for it anytime you want it, especially when you wanna get freaky.”

“So? What’s the problem then?”

“Baby,” Guy ran his thumbs along Kyle’s hipbones, “You barely let me touch you for months.”

Kyle sighed and started to stand up.

“No.” Guy held him firmly in place. “Don’t run from me, I’m not gonna push. I just wanna know when you’re gonna talk to me.”

“Not yet,” Kyle whispered, laying his hands over the vicious scar on Guy’s abdomen, “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Okay.” Guy let that hang in the quiet for a span. “C’mere,” he bade, gently tugging Kyle to lay at his side again. Kyle went willingly, tucking himself into his spot, resting his head over Guy’s heart. “You hear that?” Guy asked, gently pressing Kyle’s head into his chest. “That’s yours.”

“I can’t lose anyone else, Guy. I can’t lose you. I can’t. I’m digging two holes this time.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Nothing’s gonna take me from you.” Guy kissed the top of Kyle’s head and he squeezed him close. “Nothing.”

#*myfic #guykyle

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spoilertv · 7 months ago

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#SpoilerTV

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roostertuftart · 2 years ago

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I saw someone say the other day that style would never work because Kyle needs someone that challenges him and

1. Idk where you got the idea Stan doesn’t challenge Kyle because oh boy does he

2. Also like. Idk? Challenge him how? Fight with him? It’s fine if you like kyman or whatever but Kyle is a really insecure character who CRAVES having people stand by him and support him. If anything, having Stan support him more (and vice versa Kyle supporting Stan) is what their relationship needs to work, not someone who’s gonna fight with Kyle and give him a hard time constantly/leave him to fend for himself more

#this isn’t an anti Stan post that’s why I included that Kyle needs to too don’t take it like that Ty #sp style #south park meta #kinda #South Park #kyle broflovski #stan marsh #also this isn’t to say Kyle doesn’t need to be challenged I think he would like someone he can have friendly debates #and disagreements with #but idk I just don’t like when ppl try to act like Stan is this perfect puppy who never ever goes against Kyle #Stan’s more like a stubborn old dog with judgey eyes who nips sometimes #or that Kyle LIKES being countered on everything and doesn’t what someone to be way more supportive of him #this also isn’t an anti kyman post but it was from someone saying kyman good style bad so yknow #felt worth mentioning cartman in comparison

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ragingbookdragon · 4 years ago

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Batsis & Green Lantern, Sittin’ In A Tree. K-I-S-S-I-N–Wait, Is That Our Sister? PT. 2

Kyle Rayner x Batsis One-Shot

Word Count: 3.3K Warnings: NSFW (Slightly), Explicit Language Tags: @starflyer-104

Author's Note: Hi I finished this! Enjoy! -Thorne

**********************************************************************

Oddly enough, she didn’t make Kyle do anything other than design the first month he was at Wayne Manor. And she was true to her word. He had an entire room to himself, and the room was as big as his whole apartment, bigger if he was honest; and that wasn’t all—he had every instrument an artist could ever want, even some of the newest drawing tablets and pens that hadn’t even come out yet. Limited edition first pick that only someone like her could get her hands on by merely flashing that pretty smile and her last name of “Wayne”. It was a graphic artists dream come alive, and Kyle was afraid that he was going to wake up from it that he never once tried to pinch himself to see if it was a dream or not.

Surprisingly enough though, (Y/N) was being awfully nice to him too. She’d taken him shopping a bunch of times, a whole new wardrobe and even thrown in a new phone and laptop. Of course, Kyle wasn’t a fool and immediately confronted her about using her purchases to hold it over him. That was the one instance in which she wasn’t awfully nice because she sucker-punched him and told him to never call her a manipulator ever again. That she had never once used a purchase to force someone into something—she was a bitch but she wasn’t that kind of bitch.

He even questioned Jason about it once they got back to the manor and his friend cackled at the nice shiner he’d received. (Y/N) doesn’t buy things for people to make them do what she wants. She buys things for people because that’s how she shows she’s fond of them. Honestly, if she buys you what you want, especially if you ask for it, that’s how you know she thinks you’re a friend of hers. Just let her spoil you for a while, Rayner. You’ll miss it when you have to go back to NYC.

Kyle relented then, instead of fighting her on paying for everything, he watched her. Watched her when he asked for something. Just for a split second she’d get a look of honest surprise in her eyes before that smirk crossed her lips and she’d toss it in the basket before picking up her own needs. He found it almost endearing, the way she acted, like she wasn’t expecting him to ask for anything. And Kyle especially liked that look in her eyes. It made his heart beat a little faster when she gazed at him with those big eyes.

And while he did love that look, it only lasted for one month. Hell had come to the manor, and Kyle was smack in the middle of it.

***

“Good morning family!” she greeted cheerfully, placing her hands on Kyle’s shoulders. She received various replies, some happy, some tired, and Kyle gave his own.

“Morning, (Y/N). You seem happy.” He cut into the buttery waffle and started bringing the fork to his mouth when she grabbed his hand and gently but firmly, took the utensil into her mouth. Kyle couldn’t help but go slack jawed as she chewed and swallowed, offering him a smirk.

“I’m sorry,” she purred. “Did you want that?” His mouth opened and closed, and she pushed the plate forward, replacing it with a tall smoothie shaker that was a bright, sickly green.

“Uh…” he started, looking between the shaker and her. “What’s that?”

(Y/N) nodded at it. “That’s your breakfast for this morning.” She flipped the cap open. “It’s got spinach, kale, bananas, vanilla flavored protein powder, pineapple, mint leaves and spirulina.” She grinned. “It’s got all the protein and greens you need for the start of this wonderful day.”

“I don’t even know what spirulina is.” Kyle remarked.

“Blue-green algae super-food.” (Y/N) nodded at it. “From now on you’re going to drink smoothies every morning and then we’re going to weight train and run every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”

Her family started snickering around the table and Kyle swallowed thickly daring to ask, “And Tuesdays and Thursdays?”

She grinned wickedly at him. “Combat, Rayner.” Handing him the shake, she quipped, “Drink up me hearties.”

“Yo ho.” Kyle whimpered when he sniffed it and gagged.

***

“C’mon weakling,” she nagged. “You’ve barely gotten through the second set. Don’t tell me you’re already tired.”

Kyle groaned as he pushed the weighted bar up, holding it for a second before letting it fall. “I told you I can bench press one-hundred. You put one-twenty on this bar,” he griped through gritted teeth.

(Y/N) smirked. “Feel that pain though? It’s weakness leaving your body.” She grabbed the bar with one hand, pulling it up and onto the hold; she grinned as Kyle panted, chest heaving up and down with every sharp intake of breath.

“I—don’t know—how you do this—everyday.” He gasped and she snorted.

“No pain, no gain, Rayner.” She walked around him, and Kyle was too weak to keep his eyes off her as she did. “Oh, I can’t wait for tomorrow,” she cooed, throwing a leg over his hips, lowering onto his thighs.

Kyle’s throat tightened and he gazed at her as she leaned forward, propping her elbows on his chest, staring into his eyes. “Pretty close there,” he panted and (Y/N) smiled.

“Closer the better in my opinion.” Her eyes narrowed bemusedly. “From here I can get a good view of your form.” She pulled away. “You’re using your lower back to push strength into your arms. This time, use your chest and shoulders. Deep breath when you push up, breathe out when you lower, okay?”

He nodded, grabbing the bar again. “What set now?”

“Three. Five reps.” (Y/N) pressed a hand to his abdomen. “Core muscles tight. Glutes tight. Keep the stability and use your upper body muscles alright?”

“Got it.” He said, pulling the bar off and she felt his pelvis start to push upwards and she splayed her fingers.

“Chest, Kyle. Not your hips.” He grunted, trying harder, and she put all her weight onto his hips, keeping them pressed down to the bench. It showed in his form as he improved almost instantaneously. “Nice job,” she murmured. “Keep going.”

He got to the fifth rep, starting to go up, when she purred, “Your arms are very strong, Kyle. I wonder just how strong.”

Something in her voice made his heart stutter and he forgot momentarily what he was doing. The bar shifted downwards, and he gasped as it came down at him; (Y/N) reached out, quick as lightning and grabbed it with both hands, standing from his legs to put the bar back.

She looked down at him, concern in her eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he breathed. “Sorry…lost my grip.” (Y/N) nodded and shimmied away, holding out a hand to him. “Thanks,” he said, letting her pull him up.

“Take five and go get some water, alright?”

He wanted to shake his head, tell her no, that he could keep going, but he thought against it and started for the water fountain in the corner. As he bent over, he happened to look back at her, seeing her bent over, stretching her legs. Heat pooled low in his gut, and he groaned, turning his eyes away.

“Jesus Christ,” he hissed. “Get a grip.”

“Let’s go, Rayner!” she called out behind him. “We’ve got two miles to run!”

Kyle let his head hand and he groaned again.

***

Compared to the day before, getting his ass kicked wasn’t as bad as it had seemed. That being said, (Y/N) wasn’t pulling her punches with him and he hadn’t managed to lay a single hit on her an hour in.

He gasped as she dropped him onto his back and he laid flat, gazing at the ceiling before him; she leaned over him, a cocky smirk on her face. “Need a break?”

“I’m not a novice in hand to hand. I trained with J’onn J’onnz for a while.” He countered with a glare and surprisingly, she nodded, rather impressed.

“I can tell in your form. You counter like he does.” (Y/N) bent down and gently swept away the sweaty hair from his forehead. “You’re learning pretty quick though, if I do say so myself.”

Kyle’s face lit up. “Really? You think—”

“But I can see that it takes you getting your ass handed to you over and over again before the lesson sinks in.”

His face pinched and he griped, “I should’ve seen that coming.”

(Y/N) snorted and patted his head, mocking, “You’re learning.” She smiled. “Now get up. You’ve rested long enough.”

“UGHHH!” he groaned, climbing to his feet.

***

On the third month and final month of the project, Kyle noticed a major improvement in himself. Not only had he lost a few of those extra pounds from snacking, toning all over his body, he’d also managed to expand his stamina a great deal. (Y/N) had congratulated him when he managed to run the various miles without even breaking a sweat.

The designs had come in well too, and Kyle honestly had more money than he knew what to do with. Well, rent and utilities were his most prominent factor, but even then, the money he’d have left over would last him a long time. He almost felt sad when they got to the final week of the project, no longer needing drawings, he was mostly there to make sure the designs were made correctly and with good materials.

(Y/N)’d even given him one of the first sets they produced and even if he was used to seeing his drawings published, it was another thing to see his name on the tag with it. It made him giddy, and he didn’t know how to rope that in with the continued nagging in the back of his brain. That it was all ending in a week. No more breakfast being made, no more laundry done, no more seeing his friends all the time and patrolling with them…and no more (Y/N) constantly.

When he thought about that, Kyle’s chest started to tighten, heart starting to hurt a lot more than he wanted to admit. And he knew why—somewhere along the lines of (Y/N)’s continual ass-kicking and training, he’d fallen in love with her. With her crude attitude and cocky smirks, her proud demeanor and skill, her beauty and the occasional kindness she showed to people, but most importantly, the love she showed for her family.

Most people saw an arrogant bitch who could school people six ways from Sunday both verbally and physically, but what they didn’t see, was the care she paid to those she loved most. To Dick’s anger issues, to Jason’s frequent regrets, to Tim’s consistent depression, to Cassandra’s ever-evolving education, to Damian’s rapid growth, to her father’s hurting soul—she cared so deeply for them, would give anything for them, even her life if it meant. And that made Kyle want to fall at her feet and worship her.

That this beautiful woman who allowed people to talk about her and never cared to correct, was the greatest woman alive, the most loving, the most caring. And she was hard, she was, but her love was tough and those that received it, her siblings and her closest friends, they knew she loved them completely. Kyle knew she cared for him. He only hoped that she wanted more.

***

The production party had been held in France and Kyle had never seen so many elites in one spot that he wasn’t sure how to even drink from his champagne chute correctly. Luckily, (Y/N) had stayed with him all night, tucking herself in his side and covering when he faltered in front of someone who didn’t speak English. And God, there was something very sexy about the way her lips moved when she spoke fluent French.

The party lasted well into the night and by the time they got back to the penthouse, he was dead on his feet. The siblings had dispersed to their rooms and (Y/N) stayed up a bit to speak with Alfred and Bruce over the phone. Kyle lingered around the kitchen with her and when she hung up, she sighed heavily, pulling out the dangling golden earrings and removing the chunky diamond necklace that probably costed more than Kyle did.

Her eyes met his and she smiled tiredly. “Did you have fun tonight?”

“I did,” he said happily. “It was…interesting to see what your life is like.” He chuckled. “Well, your day life that is.”

(Y/N) huffed a laugh and he wandered around the island, daring enough to reach up and grab her shoulders, digging his thumbs into her muscles. She groaned and hung her head a bit.

“Feel good?” he questioned, and she nodded.

“I don’t typically wear heels unless it’s for a party and I remember why.” Sighing, she pulled away from his arms and he just barely managed to keep the sadness from crossing his face as she turned. “What about you? Are you okay?”

Kyle shrugged. “Feel like I could sleep for a few days straight, but isn’t that how we all work?”

(Y/N) snorted, then sighed wistfully. “I almost don’t want this night to end.”

“How come?” he asked, and she met his gaze.

“I like seeing you flounder like a fish in front of socialites.” He rolled his eyes and she laughed, shoving him lightly. “I’m joking.” She rested her hand on his shoulder. “It’s been fun having around the manor. I know Dick and Jason have enjoyed hanging out with you.” She smiled and pulled away. “You should come back around after tomorrow.”

(Y/N) bypassed him and started towards her room when he spun and called her. “(Y/N).” she stopped and looked at him, waiting, expecting, and Kyle decided to lay his cards to her, letting her decide. “Spend the night with me.”

For a moment, she was surprised, honest to God surprised, then she smiled sweetly, something he wasn’t really used to, and she murmured, “Come with me.”

And Kyle barely managed to keep himself from tripping over his own feet as he hurried after her.

***

“Shut the door behind you,” she said, and he knew that just from the tone of her voice that she was the one who held the power—not that he cared, all he wanted was her. He felt his heart lurch as the door closed and she motioned him to come behind her. “Mind unzipping me?”

Kyle swallowed thickly as he reached up and grasped the gold zipper, gently tugging it down to where it stopped just above her rear. He also happened to notice that she wasn’t wearing any undergarments and he cursed under his breath. “Fuck, (Y/N).”

She grinned and with one hand undid the buttons behind her neck, then reached back, pulling his hands until his palms were pressed to her bare skin. “Be a dear and slip my dress off for me, hmm?” she leaned back into his hands. “Shouldn’t be too hard now.”

Before Kyle knew what he was doing, his hands were moving underneath the fabric of her dress, around her waist and up her chest, gently grabbing at the flesh of her breasts. (Y/N) gasped, a sound so saccharine in his ears, and leaned her head back on his shoulder.

“Kyle,” she whispered and with his pointer fingers, circled her nipples. Another gasp escaped her as she arched into his touch and she turned her head to the underside of his jaw, sucking the skin at his neck.

“(Y/N),” he groaned, rubbing up against her rear. “Baby...”

She was pushing away from him then, much to his dismay and she spun around, grasping at his suit. “Take your clothes off. All of them. Now.”

All that commanding she was doing was shooting straight to his cock and he obeyed immediately, not even caring about the dress shirt as he ripped it open, the buttons scattering across the carpet. He’d just gotten to his belt when he saw (Y/N) pull down her dress and he almost collapsed on his weak knees when her body came into full view.

For three whole months he’d been slowly driven insane by her tight clothes, guiltily imagining what she looked like underneath during the night, more often than not, relieving the urge.

She smirked and walked up to him, digging her fingers into the top of his pants and turned, pulling him along. They reached the beg and she yanked, sending him backwards onto the bed with a grunt, and then she was climbing atop him.

“I thought you wanted—” he gasped when she grabbed him through his pants. “I thought you wanted me to be naked.”

(Y/N) winked and squeezed him. “I changed my mind.” Leaning close, she let her lips hover above his. “I wanna see how needy I can get you.”

Kyle glared at her and surged forward, sealing her lips in a kiss before he wrapped an arm around her waist, tipping them over. She groaned into their kiss and wrapped her legs around waist. He let his free hand roam her body, caressing her side, squeezing her hip, slipping beneath her leg to grab at the flesh of her thigh. Each grasp, each pinch, each touch had her gasping and Kyle rocked against her, moaning under his breath.

Her fingers busied themselves with his belt and when she got it open, she unbuttoned his pants, and pushed them down a bit. Kyle pulled back to help but the second his hands left her body, he knew he made a mistake because she locked her ankles and placed her hands on his shoulders, shoving back. His back hit the bed and she was on top of him again, this time pinning his hands beside his head.

“Bad boy,” she admonished. “You weren’t supposed to move.”

“Sorry,” he retorted, but he wasn’t. Not in the slightest. “Couldn’t help myself.” He accentuated his point with a deep roll of his hips, and she grip briefly weakened as she ground herself down on him.

“You’re going to help yourself.” She warned, eyes devouring him where he lay. “Every movement is fifteen minutes added to how long I’m going to tease you.”

Kyle grinned. “Yes ma’am.”

(Y/N) matched his grin and before he could even see her move, she had a pillow from the top of the bed placed on his chest, long side up, enough to cover her from sight.

“What are you—” The door opened, and he tipped his head back on the mattress, seeing Dick and Jason gaping at them from the doorway.

For a solid moment, they all stared at one another, too shocked to say a word, then Dick and Jason were letting out the girliest screams Kyle had ever heard them make and they slammed the door shut.

(Y/N) sighed heavily and pressed her face into the pillow. “Lovely. Now we’re going to be all over the group chats.”

Kyle blinked, looking up at her. “You think so?”

“I know so.” She looked at him. “I knew I should’ve booked a penthouse across from this one.” (Y/N) started crawling off him when he reached out and grabbed her hips, keeping her in place; she cocked a brow. “Really? Your mood’s not killed?”

A flash of green appeared in her vision, then the door locked, and he smirked at her. “Nothing can kill my mood for you.” He squeezed her tightly. “Is yours?”

“Not in the slightest.” She reached down and traced the smirk on his lips. “Do me a favor though.”

“Anything,” Kyle agreed, and she grinned wickedly.

“Call me ma’am again.”

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justlightlysedated · 4 years ago

Note

For the kisses prompts - #22 for Malex please 🧡

And thank you so much for finding the planetary alinement sequel fic for me 🧡🧡🧡

22. kisses in the rain

Alex is on the phone with Forrest, who calls him periodically every couple of days to talk about what he's doing, and Alex usually pays attention, or pretends to pay attention, but today he can't stop looking out of the window, at the rolling clouds, lighting up with flashes of lightning, the thunder rolls loudly, shaking the very vibrations of his house.

He watches the next flash of lightning and counts the seconds between it and the loud thunder.

Still a few minutes away, he thinks.

He's startled out of his thoughts by a loud knock on his door, and he hears Forrest, sounding a little pissed off, like he's been trying to get his attention but Alex isn't responding.

He picks the phone up, takes it off speaker, and puts it to his ear, mouth open to speak, but then the banging on the door sounds again, and Isobel Evans' voice, of all people sounds out, loud enough that it would have probably been picked up by the speaker.

"Alex! I know you're in there. I don't care if you're balls deep in that Nazi obsessed blue haired twink, we need to talk!"

"I have to go," Alex says, and hangs the phone up on Forrest asking him what's going on, and winces slightly, before he shrugs and drops his phone back on the counter.

He gets up from the couch, reaching for his crutch, since he hadn't been expecting any visitors, and starts to make his way to the door.

Isobel, of course, doesn't have the decency to let him open the door. She opens his locked door, practically blasting it off its hinges and she stalks into the house, eyes finding Alex immediately.

"Where is he?" She demands, stalking forward, one hand aloft, eyes sharp, like she's getting ready to pry the information out of his head if he doesn't answer fast enough.

"Who?" Alex asks, because he's well versed in Isobel enough to know that if she was talking about Forrest it would be in a mocking tone, not one that is tinged with desperation.

"Michael," she says in an obvious tone, and just hearing his name makes Alex's heartbeat spike. "He's been missing for days, and he only did that whenever he was holed up with you."

Alex shakes his head, feeling anxiety and worry bleed into him, "I haven't seen Michael since he walked out of Pony during my set, making it very clear what he thought about my song."

Isobel gives him an incredulous look, but Alex isn't sure what part of his statement she's having trouble believing.

"Over the last year the most contact we've had was text messages when he needed information, so if he's fucked off somewhere it definitely wasn't with me."

Isobel shakes her head, and she looks more irritated than anything, "God save me from my fucking oblivious brothers."

She turns to look back at Alex, "Max is dying. His new heart is failing, and he's known the whole time, and just let us know a few weeks ago. Michael isn't taking it well, and I thought that he'd come to you, but I'm guessing he knows about the Nazi obsessed blue haired twink that periodically warms your bed-"

"He has a name, you know?" Alex says, interrupting her, but Isobel continues speaking like he hadn't spoken.

"-which would explain his dive into the negative spectrum of emotions when he had been feeling pretty hopeful and anticipating your arrival."

Alex blinks at her, feeling confused, "He was hopeful?"

Isobel shakes her head at him, "But I was wrong. I'm wasting my time, because he'd never come here after a rejection."

"Rejecti-?" Alex starts to ask, feeling even more lost than before, but Isobel just turns around and heads back out of his house without even a wave of goodbye.

The slamming of the door coincides with a rumble of thunder, making Alex jump a little.

He hears his phone ringing back where he left it, and he knows that it's going to be Forrest.

A small part of him wants him to go back and answer the phone and explain about ex sort of sisters-in-law who don't know how to wait for someone to open the door, but there is an increasingly louder part of him that is yelling at him that he knows exactly where Michael is, that instead of offering his sort of boyfriend, sort of not boyfriend, any explanations, he should go and demand one from Michael instead.

Alex nods his head sharply and then turns to head to his room. If he's going out into that storm that's brewing, he's going to need to prepare himself.

Alex finds Michael at their spot off the Desert View dirt road that leads from town to Fosters Ranch. The truck is hardly visible to the road, but Alex knows exactly where it is.

Alex doesn't pay too much attention as he carefully parks his car next to the truck, and he turns off the car without looking to make sure that Michael was there.

He clenches his hands around the steering wheel and breathes in deeply, and then breathes out slowly.

And then he shakes his head and tells himself to stop being nervous or scared or whatever he was being right now, it was just Michael.

Alex lets go of the steering wheel, and gets out of the car, closing the door with a slam that gets swallowed up by the thunder that sounds immediately after the flash of lightning.

Alex breathes in deeply and closes his eyes at the smell of ozone filling the air.

Alex loves thunderstorms and when it rains so hard the smell of it permeates everything. It makes him sad and melancholy, but also fills him with a mellow sort of happiness.

It's Michael, in a scent that Alex can find anywhere. It's not as good as the real thing, but it helped whenever Alex faltered during the last year.

He looks at the truck, searching for Michael, staring into the cab of the truck, and jumping a little when he finds him sitting on the tailgate.

He looks like he hasn't moved in a while, and he doesn't even twitch when the thunder crashes again.

Alex takes him in for a moment. His face is being covered by his hat, but his clothes looked nicer than anything that Alex has ever seen him wear. Even in the dim light, he can tell that his jeans have no holes, and the sweater he's wearing actually looks soft, and like it actually fits him.

It makes something warm and fuzzy curl in the pit of his stomach, that Michael is doing good, that he's happy and well. Well, he's not really happy right now, if Isobel is to be believed, but from the small, unasked for updates that Kyle gives him whenever they meet up for beers, he knows that Michael hasn't been miserable or drinking like a fish or getting into bar fights or dating anyone.

Alex shakes his head to get rid of the last thought, because he knows better than to hope for anything. If the last three years, since he came back to Roswell the first time have taught him anything, it was that Michael was over him, and Alex just needed to get over it.

Which was much easier said than done.

Alex had thought that he had been making steps towards that, but he could feel the tips of his fingers tingling just from proximity.

Maybe this was a mistake.

As soon as he thinks the words, Michael turns and looks at him. His lips are parted like he was going to speak, and then he seems to realize that Alex was the one standing there, and not Isobel or Max.

Their eyes lock, and Alex feels his heart skip several beats, before it starts racing, matching his quickening breaths.

Lightning flashes and thunder crashes as they look at each other, and Alex has a feeling like something mystical, something alien is about to happen.

Alex walks closer to the truck and Michael doesn't move or say anything, just continues to stare at him, eyes too big, like he's not sure that Alex is real.

Alex sits down next to him and the truck moving up and down with Alex's weight is what snaps Michael's gaze away from him.

"Hi," Alex says, and his voice comes out breathless and quivering, but he pushes forward anyway. "It's good to see you."

"What are you doing here, Alex?" Michael asks, the question falling out of his mouth almost as soon as Alex finishes speaking.

"Isobel came to see me," he says, and Michael scoffs, looking at Alex and quickly away. "She said you were missing, and she thought you were at my place, and it wasn't until she left that I realized I knew exactly where you were."

Michael shakes his head, scoffing again, as he turns to give Alex a sardonic look.

"That doesn't answer the question. What did Isobel let slip 'accidentally' that made you come all the way over here, when you haven't bothered with a hello since you've been back?"

Alex bristles immediately at the implications in his tone, getting defensive, "I don't owe you anything, Guerin."

"I'm not expecting anything from you, Manes," Michael drawls, a mean smirk on his mouth.

Alex scoffs, "Really? Because it sure seems like you were expecting something."

Michael looks away at that, but Alex is just gearing up.

"Which is the part of all of this that is confusing me. I understand you coming out here and wanting to be alone because your brother is dying, again," Michael flinches at the words, and Alex wants to reach out and comfort him somehow, but instead he keeps talking.

"What I don't understand is you being hopeful about us and taking me being with someone else as a rejection. Michael, you were the one who ended things between us. You pushed me away and reminded me at every turn that while I wasn't like my family, I also wasn't what you wanted."

Michael is looking at him now, eyes wet with tears, brow furrowed, and he's shaking his head a little, like Alex is speaking about something that he doesn't understand.

He doesn't say anything in the lull of Alex's flow of speech, so Alex keeps talking.

"I am sorry, you know," he says. "About the song. I wasn't expecting you to be there when I was performing it. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"What?" Michael asks, sounding disbelieving, and he fully turns, tilting his head up a little so that he can see Alex's face clearly. "Why would you think that I was uncomfortable?"

"You walked in while I was in the middle of singing, and you left the second you realized exactly what the song was about. In conjunction with the fact that you'd just gotten your heart broken, I know you weren't walking into the bar expecting a declaration of love, and I'm sorry that I-"

"Alex," Michael says in a low voice, lowering his head just a little. "Stop apologizing."

Alex opens his mouth to speak, but stops when Michael reaches up and takes his hat off, tossing it to the side and ruffling a hand through his hair.

Without the hat, it's almost like a strip of armor that Michael had been wearing has come off, and he looks at Alex intently, "That's not why I left."

"Oh," Alex says, deflating. "Then why did you leave?"

Michael huffs out a humorless laugh, looking away.

"I thought I was doing what was best for us at the time. Maria had just broken up with me, and while I wasn't ready to jump into a relationship with you, I wanted things that I knew were selfish. And then I saw that Nazi obsessed blue haire-"

"So she got that from you?" Alex interrupts him, giving Michael an exasperated look.

Michael just shrugs unrepentant.

"I saw him there, watching you sing, and I just, I didn't think that in that moment, if given the choice, you'd pick me, not after everything that happened. So I left, because I wanted to give you the space to heal and to date whoever you wanted. But then I heard you were coming back home, and I don't know, I guess I couldn't stop myself from hoping that you were coming back for me."

Alex just stares at him, eyes wide, feeling like someone just turned his entire world upside down. He swallows hard, not really knowing how to respond.

"Michael, I-"

But Michael shakes his head, getting to his feet and standing in front of Alex.

"You don't owe me anything, remember?"

Alex just shuts his eyes, and inhales deeply.

After a couple of seconds where Michael just keeps staring at him, and the storm brews ever closer, thunder so loud and near that it reverberates through Alex's bones, he speaks again.

"I was ready, you know," he says, trying really hard to sound casual and failing. Alex opens his eyes to stare at him, but Michael is looking up at the sky, the flashes of lightning caught in his eyes.

"Or I thought that I was,” he continues, shaking his head and then looking back at Alex and jumping when he sees that Alex is looking at him. “I even went to meet you at the bus stop.”

“So that was you?” Alex proclaims, jumping down from the tailgate.

Michael looks embarrassed, cheeks flushed red, and it reminds him so much of the Michael that he fell in love with that he loses his breath for a moment.

“You noticed huh?” Michael says, making a face.

“I swore that I saw you through the bus window, but when I actually looked there was no one there, so I thought I just imagined it.”

“Well, when I saw your boyfriend there, I made myself scarce,” Michael says, a bitter tone to his voice, but he looks apologetic, so at least he’s self aware enough to know that he has nothing to actually be bitter about.

“Not my boyfriend,” Alex says automatically, and Michael just stares at him a bit incredulously.

Alex rolls his eyes and scoffs, “Like you’ve never had a booty call, Guerin.”

Michael raises both eyebrows at that, and gives Alex a mock shocked look, “I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

But he ruins the effect by smirking, and Alex can’t help it, he bursts out into laughter, the tension of the last couple of minutes draining out of him.

He’d thought maybe things between them would just be weird and stilted and painful, but so far it hasn’t felt anything like that. It felt easy.

Alex stops laughing and just grins at Michael, who is just staring at him with a look that Alex is very familiar with.

Alex’s smile dims a little as he continues to stare at Michael who breathes in deeply like he’s steeling himself for something.

“So, not your boyfriend, huh?” he says, taking a step forward.

Alex inhales sharply at the words, and licks his lips, shaking his head.

“So, if I kissed you right now, what would you do?”

Alex exhales a small disbelieving breath, his pulse racing and fingers tingling. Michael has never asked to kiss him before. He’s always just done it like he’s afraid that Alex will tell him no if he dares to ask.

Michael looks away, probably thinking that Alex meant that as a no, so Alex takes a step forward, and Michael freezes, eyes snapping back towards Alex.

“Why don’t you do it, and find out?”

Michael moves forward like he thinks that Alex is going to change his mind at any second, fingers pressed to Alex’s face as he tilts his head to the side and presses his mouth to Alex’s.

The move makes them stagger backwards a little, but Alex hardly notices as he pushes his fingers into Michael’s hair and holds on tight, keeping him close as he kisses him back.

The storm breaks at the same time, and the rain falls hard and cold, pelting them and soaking them almost immediately, but neither Alex or Michael care as they continue to kiss.

Michael digs his fingers harder into Alex’s jaw and kisses him harder, parting his lips and licking at Alex’s mouth. Alex wraps his arms around Michael’s shoulder, pulling himself in closer and opening his mouth to Michael’s.

Michael kisses him deep and just a little bit desperate, and Alex loses himself in it, thinking, this, this, this.

This is what he’s been missing. This is what’s always missing. Michael kisses him like Alex was created specifically for Michael to kiss. And Alex can’t help but surrender to the touch.

After what feels like forever and not long enough, Michael pulls away, panting heavily.

Alex blinks rapidly a few times, before he realizes that his vision is blurry because of the rain that is pouring down on top of them.

He looks up at the sky as lightning lights up the clouds and thunder rumbles, and he closes his eyes breathing in deep. Michael drops his forehead to Alex’s cheek, pressing his face along the side of Alex’s face and just breathing.

Alex just tightens his hold on Michael and breathes with him.

#malexprompts2021 #this one came out longer than i was expecting #but oh well #im not tagging this as a cheating fic cause 🌳lex isnt exclusive which means alex can kiss whomever he wants #hope you like this!!#and sorry for the delay!!!

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lsobelevans · 4 years ago

Text

Horror tropes? In my Roswell, New mexico? It’s more likely than you think!

In this essay I will...

...be mentioning a few horror/thriller movies and while nothing explicitly gory or scary will be shown in this post, those movies definitely contain scenes and themes that can be disturbing/scary/triggering, do your researches if you’ve got doubts!

...be focusing on the Maria and Alex road-trip, from the moment the car breaks down to the last scene with Travis’ twin. I’m probably going to be led to briefly mention the other scenes that are intertwined with this arc (the echo date and the Planet 7 Kyle and Isobel scene, as well as the marlex car drive when I feel like it is relevant).

...be approaching specific themes that are used in the scenes that compose this little arc and also more general ones like sound, editing, cinematography and color.

... be reaching a lot. I do not think everything I will be mentioning is 100% thought-out and voluntary (although you never know). But I’m a firm believer that in filmmaking, yes even inside a CW show, the symbolism comes through subconsciously. So like, maybe they didn’t mean to use corn field as a mark for transition, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that this symbolism works with the story they’re telling and for the journey the characters are in that moment. Additionally, lighting, decor and costumes are always a choice, just like the camera doesn’t position itself randomly, someone’s behind and thinking of the composition of shots that, even if it’s in a basic way, has meaning.

... be starting chronologically but I’ll also make jumps backward and forward, grasping on themes when they come up. Ok, then, let’s dive in!

This episode references and uses a lot of the iconic mechanisms of the horror movie genre. Alex and Maria’s comfortable road trip atmosphere, open hearted conversation in the car, breaks at the same time as the car itself breaks. The camera, steady so far, the shots following a well known pattern of shot/counter-shot, becomes more unpredictable and shakier and suddenly we’re out of the car, and bam, large shot.

From the moment they’re out of the car, you won’t be able to see the horizon. Maria and Alex are stuck in a corn field, and they’re stuck in the frame.

Then poof, Travis appears out of nowhere, accompanied with a pang of music, frightening us and them. Well, more exactly, it cuts on a shot that we’ve seen before without Travis, now with Travis, which gives us the appearing out of nowhere effect.

Alex says it best.

Well now they’re stuck with a strange guy with an axe, and in a corn field 😬

Hey, have you seen he’s got an axe??? or do you need a close-up???

Okay, this scene ends there. So, let’s take a break and talk about cornfields. There’s many examples of horror movies making use of a field of corn as a location, famously Children of the Corn (1984), Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1995) Signs (2002), that last one also involving, you guessed it, aliens.

Screenshots from the Signs trailer.

Corn fields are strongly associated with rurality, especially rural America. More largely, they can represent renewal, fertility or abundance. In the contrary, they can be seen as a very ominous location due to their immensity, a labyrinth in which you can’t see very far away and from which you’ll have trouble coming out.

Although I’m pretty sure Maria’s chase in the cornfield is more of a reference to The Shining (1980) it reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies Tom à la ferme (2013), in which Tom is basically held hostage in rural Canada. The corn field chase is a turning point, the last of Tom's attempts to escape.

Cornfields apparently also often imply scarecrows, which are inherently scary in my opinion but we’ll talk about it more later.

The next scene takes place inside of Travis' cabin.

The lighting here is pretty low, the light coming from a few small sources, creating a lot of shadows. The main color is a greenish/yellow which can be associated with nature and earth, rurality, dirty, suffocating. If we look at it, the color scheme of the entire road trip is very much following this pattern of browns/yellows/greens because of the cornfield and the color of the characters costumes (the exception being Maria’s truck which is a bright red). In opposition, the scenes that are intertwined are either blue and orange for Max and Liz or a lot of pink/blues/purples for Isobel and Kyle in planet 7 (bi bi bi).

The cabin is messy, supposedly reflecting the state of the owner’s mind. We get a nice close-up on meat + a knife and all of the creepy skins on the walls. Also, it’s noticeable that from this moment on, the camera is shakier, we experience different angles too.

We are given many visual clues that something is wrong.

I’m gonna pass on the sound of the sound of the cow parodying a werewolf + the vampire diaries inside joke.

Btw, if the fact that Travis names his cows -- that he skins for a living -- like human women isn’t enough for you to think mmmm. we are in danger. Well, don’t worry. The cw spells it out for you!!

We know Alex! We got contextual clues!

Right after this, Alex and Maria make another direct reference to being in a horror movie situation.

ALEX: This is why I don’t like horror films. The gay guy always dies first.

MARIA: ????

ALEX: Or... second. Okay, that’s fair. That look, that’s fair.

I think this bit is interesting, because not only does it denounce an horror movie cliché (the black person of the cast dies first, the queer person is second) but also in this situation I believe it can be see as kind of a callout on the fandom’s behavior that i’m not gonna spell out for you but yeah. Fellow queer people, don’t forget you’re not the only one who is sometimes badly/unfairly represented.

Moving on. In the next scene, Alex is searching the cabin for clues, and we are also given some about Travis.

Either he has a twin brother or he’s got a framed picture of himself on his wall. Oh, and he’s military.

Then Travis startles Alex and plays a little bit of banjo, which is a good excuse to stop and talk about music. The show uses a lot of diegetic music aka music that is present in the universe of the story, that the characters can also hear. It justify the use of said music and it ties the audio with the picture.

The banjo already is heard at the very beginning of the arc during a cut from the planet 7 scene to the road trip scene. We get a few notes that indicate a change of scenery and that helps smooth up the transition, and I’m pretty sure it was also supposed to be diegetic music coming from Maria’s radio. The banjo, like the corn field, is super linked with rurality and rural America (again!)

Another reference of the banjo in horror/thriller would be Deliverance (1972).

youtube

I can’t not think of this movie when I hear banjo unfortunately.

The way Travis plays, aggressively bad, and while singing I Think We’re Alone Now, is supposed to make you think about that scene in The Umbrella Academy be quite unsettling, another point for isolation horror.

So sweet of Travis to attack Alex with a guitar, and then a smol knife, and not with the axe <3.

Then we’ve got a traveling zoom-in (or equivalent I’m not sure it isn’t a steady-cam here but the effect is the same) on Maria. This kind of effect can feel a little bit over-the-top and dramatic, in a old genre movie kind of way. It is usually used to bring the audience in, make it feel like you’re evolving in the same universe as the characters (here you’re walking toward Maria). In a scene where you should feel scared, it can be a mean to make you feel more engaged, as well as underlining Maria’s expression, her fear. In my opinion, this is also a way to tell you that from now on, Maria is the main character of this arc, the one that you will be following after the commercial break (that occurs right after) and making it more suspenseful.

The scene after the break is the start of the corn-field chase. Travis steps out of the cabin, the cuts are faster, many close-shots, some even out of focus, that accelerate the rhythm, and a long fade-in of a new song: a modern, electronic song (Kim Petra’s Close You Eyes) completely in opposition with the acoustic banjo and with the atmosphere of the scene, which makes it strange and makes you think oh, what a weird choice! (at least it did for me lol). The lyrics, however, go very well with the scene.

I feel it coming on You've got nowhere to run There's no way you'll make it out alive

Yep.

We find out right after that the music is in fact diegetic but for Isobel and Kyle, it’s another use of music to ease a transition between 2 scenes that are different in every possible way.

Now, the corn-field chase. As I mentioned before, I believe it’s a direct reference to The Shining’s ending chase scene where Jack Torrance chases his son Danny through a vegetal labyrinth with an axe.

From the shots to the lighting (from behind or on the side, making the characters look like silhouettes) both scenes are very similar. Also, Travis is styled like Jack Nicholson ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Oh look, Michael’s here to save the day!

Oh well, guess not.

Yeah, in this scene, and like we’ve been shown before, Maria is going to be the one that saves everyone. The racist cliché of the black character dying first in a horror movie is reversed, Maria is the last one standing. The scarecrow (that looked conveniently a lot like Maria) is supposed to play in favor of the bad guy, it’s a scary element, creating confusion and unease, but here the character decides to basically take it into her own hands and bend the rules. This character says i’m not that archetype, and she’s going to be using the horror movie tools against itself.

Lastly, the final horror movie recurring theme that I’m going to talk about is the twin/the double.

Yes, twins is a spooky tool used in horror movie because their similarities make them unsettling, uncanny.

There’s also the idea that if one were to replace the other, you wouldn’t be able to tell. The impostor is a very scary concept that Roswell has also dealt with before.

I can’t be the only one that has been traumatized by that halloween special of the Simpsons where Bart has an evil twin...

It’s the last twist of the arc, there is a bad!Travis and a good!Travis. The bad one kept the other locked-up somewhere and had taken his place.

It’s particularly interesting for Roswell that has a history with twins/doppelgänger, and that since the original show. It is a clear instance of in-world foreshadowing here! (howdy)

My conclusion about all this is that the people who worked on 2x06 had a great time building the episode and it shows, while also making it enjoyable to watch and yeah, we love to see it!

#roswellmarchformeta2021 #rnmmarchformeta2021 #meta #or whatever this is ahah #tw violence #i'm so sorry i'm late for this ;___;#mine*

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heyitsani · 4 years ago

Text

When the Dark of the Night Comes Alive

Word Count: 9214

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Zombies? But you don’t really see them except one part

Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson, Roy Harper/Koriand’r

Summary: It's been three years since the world went to hell and zombies became a thing of reality and not just fiction. While out on a supply run with his usual crew, Jason picks up a stray that will change the course of everything.

Notes: This was supposed to be for JayDick Week, but life happened and I wasn't able to finish it. It's still technically not finished since there's an epilogue coming. But I wanted to post those two separately. So here is the main part of the story. Enjoy!

Also, I did next to no editing on this. I'll go back and clean it up. So sorry for any mistakes.

You can also read it on AO3 here

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

“Jayjay,” the familiar voice rasped. “Jayjay you need to remember, okay? Don’t forget.”

“Don’t forget what, Mama?”

“Don’t forget that the cure is in the blood. Don’t forget. The angels, they said it. They said you would know. You would do it. Don’t forget.”

“I don’t understand, Mama.”

“Don’t forget, Jayjay. The cure is in the blood.”

“Boss,” a firm, but quiet voice broke through the hazy dreamlike memory, a hand on his shoulder shaking him awake. Blinking up, Jason let his eyes adjust to the dark room enough to see one of his men leaning over him. Since it was still night, that meant something had happened or was happening.

Sitting up, he ran a hand over his face. “What is it?” Kyle gave him a curious look before he straightened and glanced over his shoulder. “Rayner, the fuck is it?”

“Someone’s in the house.” That snapped Jason to full alert and he immediately stood to his feet, quietly grabbing his gun that was sitting next to his sleeping bag. “We didn’t engage, they’re in the kitchen.” Which meant they were probably hungry. Not surprising given the state of the world the past few years, but it was still a dangerous headspace to be in. Desperate enough and you would probably easily kill the first person who had food to steal.

He was curious how the person had managed to slip pass their watch, but that was a question for another time. First, he had to deal with whoever it was that had stumbled upon the exact house he and his crew were staying in for the night. Which meant he was walking down the stairs, trying to make no noise to give away the fact that someone else was in the house.

He gave a nod to Rose, who was crouched behind a chair in the living room, watching whoever it was with her gun in hand. And whoever it was had no qualms about being quiet because Jason could hear the person shoving things around as they searched.

With a careful click, Jason pulled the safety off his gun but keeping the barrel pointed at the ground, glancing around the corner to see the back of what looked like a man from the short cut hair in the back and the cut of his body hidden beneath the black leather jacket and dark jeans. From what he could see, Jason couldn’t make out any weapons and for that he was glad. He didn’t particularly enjoy fighting with those who were not infected.

“Show me your hands,” he growled, raising the gun to aim at the man who was crouched near the ground as he dug through a cabinet. “Now,” he ordered when the person made no attempt to move. There was a huff followed by two hands raising in the air, both empty. “Stand up and turn around slowly.” With a grace that Jason wasn’t sure he had ever seen before, he watched the figure ease themselves upright and spin slowly, as requested. And then Jason was face to face with the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

And he wished that were an exaggeration.

But the hair that was cut short in the back, hung in the man’s eyes in the front. Eyes that even in the dark, Jason could tell were a startling blue. Cheekbones that would probably cut glass, and miles upon miles of golden skin. And though the leather jacket added bulk to his form it didn’t take away from the lean, strong line of his body beneath it. It had been a long time since Jason had felt so attracted to someone right off the bat, but damn if he didn’t want to lower his gun just on the man’s looks alone.

“Who are you?” Jason asked instead of following his instincts. He had people to protect.

“Name’s Dick.” Jason waited for more, but when nothing else came he gave an annoyed sigh.

Dropping the gun down to his side, he clicked the safety back on but didn’t tuck it away like he would have if the threat were eliminated. He watched Dick regard his motions curiously, head tilting to the side. And though Jason dropped his weapon, Dick kept his hands up almost in appeasement. But something told Jason he didn’t exactly need a weapon to take down a man. “What are you doing here, Dick? Are there others with you?”

“I’d like to think it’s pretty obvious what I was doing,” the man said with raised eyebrows. “And as for the other question, just me. Been just me for a while now.” With narrowed eyes, Jason looked him over and wondered why he didn’t look worse for the wear then. He looked almost…healthy. It wasn’t how solos usually looked when they came across them.

“Suspect, Boss,” Kyle muttered behind him and Jason just grunted. He got what the man was implying, it was suspicious. But something told Jason to trust Dick. Something deep in his core said it was okay, just this once, to follow his gut. Not that his gut had ever been wrong in the past.

“At ease,” he called out to the three others in various places behind him. Tucking the gun into the back of his pants, he relaxed his shoulders and watched Dick carefully lower his arms. But the fact that he hadn’t dropped eye contact with Jason put the man at ease. He wasn’t looking for others to jump in and help him. Rarely did pairs or groups mean good people. Jason had never had luck with anyone riding in pairs or more. “I’m Jason,” he said, moving forward and holding out a hand. Dick took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake, Jason tried not to think about the power he could feel in the grip. Instead, he released it and turned to the others. “That’s Kyle, Biz, and Rose. Don’t let her name fool you, she’ll lay you out in a heartbeat.”

Dick gave the others a nod, eyes lingering on Rose curiously and Jason resisted the urge to sigh. Men always thought they stood a chance with her and then they realized that she was too big a handful for them. For once, he had been hoping to come across a man who didn’t look at Rose that way. He glanced over at Rose to see her watching him just as carefully.

“I know your father,” Dick said suddenly, and Jason whipped his head to look back at him, finding him still looking at Rose. Jason felt himself frowning as he turned to look at Rose again and found her standing there with wide eyes. Her reaction was curious enough but the fact that a supposed stranger had a connection to one of his crew, that was suspicious.

“Like I said…” Kyle spoke up before heading back up the stairs to most likely resume his watch from the second story window that looked out onto the street below.

Rose didn’t move for a moment and Jason took a step toward her but then she was brushing past him and heading over to the newcomer. Jason kept his distance as he watched the pair whisper to one another. He was tempted to move closer and try and catch some of the conversation, but he knew better than to push something Rose didn’t want to talk about. All he knew was her father and her were estranged and that he was “dead to her”.

He wondered what kind of relationship Dick had had with someone Rose so thoroughly hated.

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

“So, Kyle said the stray you picked up should have a spotter.” Jason looked up from his work to see his best friend Roy walking into the lab. “Said he didn’t trust the situation that brought him to us. And said you went about it in a way that wasn’t normal for you. He also mentioned that he knows Rose’s dad, who none of us know anything about except that he’s bad news.”

“Oh, is that all Kyle said?”

Roy let out a snort and Jason just rolled his eyes. “I told him to fuck off and that you’ve never put this camp at risk.” Jason just shrugged, because what could he say? Roy was right. He wouldn’t risk the people they were charged with keeping safe. Not even for a pretty face. “But want to tell me why he thinks you’re thinking with your dick and not your head?”

“Cause I turned him down for a quick fuck the night before Dick stumbled into the same house as us and he’s pissed,” Jason admitted. Pulling his glasses off, he rubbed at the bridge of his nose and sat down on the stool behind him. “And I don’t want to hear it,” he said, pointing his glasses at Roy. Who held both his hands up in a placating motion, despite the amused twinkle in his eye. “Fuck you.”

“Oh, come on,” Roy laughed, leaning both his arms onto the counter where Jason had various vials and a few microscopes out. “I’m not that big of a dick to rub your face in the fact that I was right about him being a clingy bastard who doesn’t understand the no strings attached rules.”

“Fucking shit, Harper. Just couldn’t resist, could you?”

“Nope.” Roy laughed and Jason shook his head, letting out a chuckle of his own. “But seriously, he’s acting like a jealous ex-lover and that means he picked up on something.”

Jason put his glasses back on and pointedly didn’t respond, leaning back to look at the slides on the scope in front of him before jotting down some notes in his notebook.

“Jay.”

“Fuck off.”

“He is definitely a good-looking man.” Jason continued to ignore him despite knowing he was playing right into Roy’s hand. “And helpful. Kory said he immediately jumped in to help with some of the new buildings and asked around to see how he could help the others.” Jason only grunted in response. He liked knowing the man wanted to pull his own weight without having to be asked to do it. “He also asked if he could be on the crew that goes out to scavenge next.” That was curious, enough so that Jason actually looked over at Roy. “Strange for someone to want to go out so soon, huh? Of course, it was only after hearing that you were the one who always lead those ventures.”

“Got a point here, Harper? I’m working on something for your wife, and I doubt she’d appreciate me taking longer because of you.”

Roy just laughed.

“Seriously, Roy. What are you implying here?”

“Just that maybe you should get out of the lab and take a walk around the East Bend. Might find something a bit more enticing than…Rayner.” And though the implication was heavy, Roy didn’t wait around to make sure Jason understood. He simply turned and headed back out the way he came, leaving Jason to wonder what the fuck he was thinking making Roy his best friend.

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

“Supplies are good boss,” Kyle commented as he and Biz presented the checklists they were tasked with every week to make sure each division of the compound had enough to get them through the next month. Though it was overly cautious, Jason liked the men to check every two weeks to be sure everyone had what they needed. In the beginning there had been too many times when their supplies had run out and they had desperately gone on supply runs that had ended in someone’s death or near-death. They had come a long way in the three years they had been in this location.

But still Jason liked to be sure they didn’t get in a bad spot again. “What about Kory? Did she say she needed any supplies for the upcoming frosts? It’s getting to be that time of year and she needs to protect the plants on the West rooftop.”

“I can answer that,” a voice sounded near the entrance of his lab and Jason couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Dick filling his doorway. “Roy is currently helping reenforce the plant beds, but he and I have been building greenhouse structures to erect around them before the frosts actually hit. We should have them done in the next day or so.” The man walked further into the room and Jason ignored the way Kyle seemed to tense up next to him as he did.

Dick didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe he just didn’t care. Whatever it was, Jason wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Instead he took the paper that Dick held out to him. “What’s this?”

“A list from Kory. She said you’d know what to do with it.” Jason furrowed his brow as he unfolded the paper and read Kory’s elegant handwriting. Fertilizer. Yeah, he definitely knew what she needed. He knew he had everything, but he was running low on a few things. And that meant a supply run in the next couple of weeks.

“Thanks Dick,” Jason gave the man a nod as he folded up the paper again and looked over at Kyle, who was watching Dick with narrowed eyes. Jason could see Biz regarding the interaction curiously, but knew the man would keep his thoughts to himself for the time being. “Rayner, we’re going to need to do a run in the next two weeks. You and Rose can plan out the route while Dick, Biz and I get the packs together.” That snapped Kyle’s attention away from Dick. And though Jason knew exactly what the man was thinking, he simply raised an eyebrow as a challenge.

“Sure thing. You’re the boss,” Kyle grumbled before grabbing the lists in front of his and heading toward the door. Jason sighed at the sight of Dick jerking when Kyle bumped into him on his way past, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

But it was Dick’s reaction that was curious. The man watched Kyle go with a thoughtful look on his face before turning back to smile at Jason. “I could help him and Rose, if you like? Show them where I was before I found you all. There had been a few pods of infected that had infested some of the surrounding cities and towns.” And though Jason thought that was smart, he knew better than to antagonize Kyle that way.

“Nah, Biz and I could use the help. Packing for five is more complicated than packing for four. We’ll get started tomorrow. It’ll take Kyle and Rose a few days to get the plan worked out and I have a few projects to finish before we head out.” He waved the paper from Kory as proof. Dick seemed to take it all in stride, nodding and glancing around the lab.

“I’ll head back out then. Biz, Roy and I could use some muscle,” Dick smiled at the large man and Biz chuckled before clapping Jason on the back and heading toward the door. “See you later, Jay,” Dick called out over his shoulder as they headed out, sending a smirk to the man before walking out.

Remaining in his spot at the table, Jason sighed and shook his head. He wasn’t sure bringing Dick along on a supply run that Kyle was on was a good idea but he had to admit that he wanted the newest addition to join them. He had been enjoying the time he had been spending getting to know the raven haired man. The way it seemed like everything was a brand new experience and how he found joy in the simplest of things. It was a refreshing take on life, one Jason hadn’t seen in a very long time. And though Kyle was still trying his cards, Jason had to admit that his sights had settled on Dick and didn’t seem to want to stray.

Which made things a lot more complicated than Jason wanted to admit. The casual thing with Kyle had brought a mess to his feet. But he didn’t want casual with Dick. No, there was just something about the man that had him wanting to stay up late talking about the stupidest of things. Or laughing over more coffee with sleep-mused hair and wrinkles clothes.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had wanted that with someone. It should have worried or frightened him, but it just made him hopeful.

“Eh Boss!” Jason sighed at the sound of someone calling for him from outside and pushed the thoughts of Dick away so he could handle whatever it was that he was needed for.

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

Jason watched from a distance as Dick and Rose spoke to each other near one of the more abandoned areas of the compound. It had been a complete accident that he had stumbled across them, having just gone out for a walk around the perimeter for some fresh air after having been cooped up in the lab for the past couple of hours. It was late afternoon and the majority of the citizens of the compound were finishing up their daily tasks and preparing for dinner.

But Dick and Rose were clearly in a serious conversation.

And that made Jason wonder if this had something to do with Rose’s father. He hadn’t gotten the chance to bring it up to the woman when they had met up to discuss the next trip beyond the walls earlier. But he had planned on it before they had packed to leave. Because it the curiosity was killing him.

And he wanted to know more about something Rose always kept so close to her chest. No one knew anything about her family. Or her past before the virus. No one except Dick.

“Jason!” Dick turned, smiling brightly at him. Jason narrowed his eyes slightly and looked between the pair before raising a brow at Rose. He rolled his eyes when she shut her features down and went blank. The universal Rose sign that she wasn’t saying shit. “Enjoying some fresh air? Rose and I were just talking about the possibility of setting up a training ground out here. I saw Roy has some weapons that people might benefit in learning.”

Closing the distance between him and the two of them, Jason looked out over the open field. He had always assumed they would expand the gardens out here when they outgrew the rooftops Kory had established. But he could see the idea having merit. “I mean, you can ask him. It’s his specialty. He worked security before the outbreak and his adoptive father was big on the bow.”

Rose gave a grunt before Jason watched her and Dick exchange a look he couldn’t decipher and she turned to leave without saying anything to either of them.

“Is that really what you two were discussing?”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“Not even close,” he said. “I just know Rose well enough to know she plays her cards pretty close to the chest. And the fact that you know her dad takes a little of that power away from her.” Jason watched Dick’s face darken slightly, his smile turning to a frown as the shadow passed over his features. “So, he’s really that bad.”

Dick pursed his lips and looked out into the distance, looking like he was considering how to answer that. “He is…he has caused a lot of harm. But the harm he caused was…” Dick paused and Jason wondered if he was about to be lied to. “It was how it was supposed to happen.” Jason frowned. How the hell was harm ever supposed to be what should happen? “It is hard to explain, but Rose is right to hate her father.”

“You know that makes absolutely no sense, right?” Dick hummed and turned, starting to walk back toward the main part of the compound. Jason took a moment to study the man before hurrying to join him.

“It is not my story to tell.” He wanted to growl in frustration. He just couldn’t understand why people couldn’t just say the truth and be done with it. “I will tell you my own experiences with Slade have been uncomfortable and ones I would very much like to forget ever happened. At his core, he has the potential to be a good man, but he has been corrupted and it has changed the man Rose knew into the man I know.”

And even though Dick didn’t say what he meant by the word “uncomfortable”, Jason had a pretty good idea what it meant. And it made his blood boil.

“I won’t push,” Jason promised as they made their way back into the center of the community, “but if you need to talk…” He saw Dick look at him out of the corner of his eye but kept his forward and allowed the man his emotional space.

“You are an extraordinary man, Jason Todd. You are a gift to this world.”

Furrowing his brow at the odd choice in wording, Jason looked over at Dick and found him looking skyward. The image he presented, head back with his raven hair having fallen out of his eyes and golden skin practically glowing under the late afternoon sun, Jason would have sworn he was angelic.

“Dick!” A voice from somewhere called out for the man, pulling both their attentions.

“Hey Tim,” Dick smiled before looking over to Jason. “I’ll see you at dinner, I’m sure.” Nodding his head in response, he watched Dick walk away to talk to the young man who had called for him. He observed Dick throw an arm around Tim’s shoulders and lead him away, chatting animatedly. Such a contrast to how he had been speaking with Rose just moments ago.

But Jason knew when he wasn’t going to get his way. So he told himself to drop it and headed back to his lab to get a bit more work in before the call for dinner.

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

“Have you ever tried drawing the blood of an infected?” Dick asked as he sat down across from Jason with his plate of food. It was such a random question, but something about it made him pause. Something familiar about it. Dick must have assumed his silence was confusion and waved a hand. “I mean, do you know what the disease looks like when you see it on a molecular level? Kory said you’re the resident expert on this sort of thing.”

Straightening up in his chair, Jason furrowed his brow. “It is and I have. I have samples of it in the lab. Something about what you said…” It was one of those moments where something was right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t figure out what it was for the life of him.

But there was definitely something he was supposed to be remembering that lined up with this.

“Wow, I can’t tell you the last time I had pasta and meatballs,” Dick muttered, taking another bite of his food. When Jason looked at him, the man had a spot of sauce at the corner of his mouth and without pausing to think of how epically awkward he would make things, he reached across the table and thumbed the sauce away. It wasn’t until his thumb was in his mouth that he noticed Dick’s eyes had gone wide and a faint blush had spread across his cheeks.

“Uh…sorry.” Jason gave a shrug and ducked his head in embarrassment, cursing himself for not thinking.

He only looked up when Dick cleared his throat and reached for his drink. “So…the blood.” Jason nodded as he watched Dick drink his water, ignoring what the sight of the man’s Adam’s apple bobbing did to his stomach. Or lower regions. “Have you ever isolated the virus?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ve got some slides. The thing is,” Jason latched onto the subject like air, “it needs a host. None of the cells have survived for long without blood to latch onto. It was one of the first things I tried to do. If I could isolate it then I could reverse it, right?” Dick leaned forward and nodded, listening more intently than anyone outside of Kory ever did. “But it dies too quickly to do it.”

He watched Dick’s eyes narrow and brows merge together, almost as if he was suspicious of something. But then the look smoothed out and he looked back down at his plate to fork another bite. “Well, have you ever tried to attach it to fresh blood? Like draw a vial of your own and see how the virus latches on? I’m not a scientist, but maybe it has more to do with blocking the progress than reversing the damage.”

The cure is in the blood, Jayjay.

Jason’s hand froze with his own fork halfway to his mouth when the voice of his mother filled his mind. For years he listened to her drug induced rambling about some cure and how the blood was important. He made promise after promise to never forget because the angels had told her that he needed to know that. That he specifically had needed to know the cure is in the blood. But why did Dick’s idea make him remember that?

“Jason?” Looking across the table at Dick, he found the man frowning in concern. “You okay? Did I step on your toes? I really don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s just something someone said once. Ignore me.”

Pushing to his feet, Jason shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I…” He glanced around the room for a head of fiery red curls, zeroing in on them at the far end of the room. “I need to go. Thanks, Dick!” He grabbed his plate and quickly handed it over to one of the people on kitchen duty for the day before rushing over to Kory. “I need you in the lab,” he breathed out, sending Roy an apologetic look for interrupting their dinner. The man just frowned, and Kory stood without questioning the request.

“I’ll take care of it, Babe,” Roy said when Kory went to pick up her tray. Jason started heading out as they said their goodbyes, knowing Kory would catch up with him.

“What is it that you need?” She asked when she appeared next to him just as he was heading outside. He shook his head, not sure if he even knew the answer to that.

Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of crumpled paper and a pen he kept with him at all times, and tried to write as he walked. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Dick just said something to me and I’m not even sure what it means. But I know it means something.” He scribbled a formula down and passed it over to Kory, who looked at it before looking back to him with a raised brow. “I know! I know it looks crazy, but maybe…”

He scratched the back of his neck as they walked, thinking of drawing his own blood and some of Kory’s to do a side by side. Maybe watching the virus latch to different samples at the same time would reveal something. But something inside him told him it had to be his own blood.

The cure is in the blood, Jayjay.

He knew his mother had told him that on multiple occasions, but how could she have known about all of this? She had died so many years before he had even decided to pursue biology as his field of study. There’s no way she could have. It didn’t make sense.

“I know your idea face when I see it, Jason,” Kory interrupted his thoughts. “You are rarely wrong when an idea hits you. Do not smother it because you don’t yet understand it. I trust your instincts. Whatever you need.”

“Thanks, Kor. This one is going to be a dozey.”

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

“Hope I’m not interrupting,” a familiar voice broke through his writing, pulling his attention from the calculations to see Dick walking into his lab. Jason couldn’t help but smile at the man as he made his way over, hands in his pockets and glancing around at all the various equipment Jason had out to run the most recent round of experiments. “It’s been a few days since I’ve seen you, so I thought I’d check and make sure you’re still being fed and watered appropriately as humans need to survive.”

Snorting out a laugh, Jason set his pencil down and removed his glasses. “Kory and Roy both make sure I get my three-square meals a day and stay hydrated. Though, I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to take over a shift or two.” Dick paused for a moment before continuing to close the distance between them, stopping on the opposite side of the desk Jason was currently using. Jason watched his eyes scan over the pages spread out over the desk, head tilting as he paused to read one in particular before moving onto the next. “Do you understand any of it?” He asked curiously.

Dick hummed and shook his head before leaning a hip against the desk. “I am not a person of science,” he admitted. Jason had a feeling that was the case, given the way Dick had presented him with the idea. As if it had been someone else’s and his imagination had just run with it. But he had been right. Or mostly right, at least. “The human mind is an incredible place, isn’t it? A mass of tissue and electricity running the show.”

Jason let out a surprised laugh. “That’s….that’s definitely one way to describe it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone put it so plainly.”

“But at the base that’s all a human is, isn’t it? Ruled by a mess of electrical currents up here,” Dick tapped his temple and flicked his eyebrow upward. Jason supposed he was right and gave a nod. It was curious when you tried to think about it, but he doubted anyone would ever really know how a human really functions at their core.

“Have you had success then?”

Looking down at his papers for a moment before looking back to Dick, Jason nodded. “Yes, but not in the way you’re probably thinking. There’s something in my own blood that seems to repel the virus. But when I drew Kory and Roy’s blood, the reaction wasn’t the same.” Jason shifted through his papers to find the ones where the findings were noted. “There is something within my own blood that seems to fight the virus. An enzyme maybe? I’m not sure. But if I can figure it out, I can try to reproduce it. And if I can reproduce it…”

“You can mass produce it.”

“Exactly!” Jason smiled, giddy at the prospect. “A cure. It could be a cure. Not for those who have already turned but for those who have been bitten? It could prevent them from turning. It could be a miracle.”

The smile on Dick’s face looked almost relieved and Jason wanted to question him about it, but then there was that fondness that had become so familiar in his gaze and Jason couldn’t help the blush that spread across his cheeks.

“I suppose I should leave you to it then,” Dick spoke softly, his fingers tapping the papers in front of Jason. “You have a race to save.” Jason laughed and shook his head, the hope bubbling up inside of him at the prospect of being able to do this for humanity. “You’re a gift, Jason Todd. Don’t ever forget that.” And though Dick had said those words a few times before, they seemed to have a different meaning this time. Almost like Dick had known this would be the outcome all along. But the man was gone before he could bother to ask him about that comment.

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

“How do you test it? Do we just have someone get bitten and then see if it works?” Roy asked as he zipped up Jason’s bag for the supply run that was leaving in a few minutes. Jason had been slacking on his pack but thankfully Roy had noticed and taken care of it, since Jason’s mind was obviously elsewhere.

With a shrug, Jason took the pack. “I have no clue. It works on the blood samples. The virus is completely gone on infected blood. But unless someone just happens to get bitten, I won’t have a human test subject for a while.”

“But it works on the samples?”

“Completely gone, Roy,” Jason confirmed. He pulled the pack onto his back and walked with his best friend over to where Rose, Biz, Kyle and Dick were waiting for him. “Like a fucking miracle. I almost want to get myself bitten to see it work in a human body. But from the samples, I’m not even sure the virus would work on me at all.”

“And it’s not fucking worth putting you at risk.” Jason knew Roy was right. Just the four people waiting for him a few paces away were enough of a reason. But they weren’t the only reason. Too many people counted on him for various things. And he didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to lose what little family he had managed to patch together.

And he didn’t want to never get the chance to shoot his shot with Dick. Not that he had any plans on that account, but eventually. Once his mind wasn’t over occupied with this cure.

“Ready to go, Boss?” Kyle called out, looking at him impatiently. Jason rolled his eyes and gave a wave of his hand.

“Take care of them all while I’m gone.” Roy gave Jason a nod before they exchanged their customary hug.

Jason had fallen in step next to Dick when Roy called out, “Don’t get too distracted out there, Jay! You know what I mean.” When Jason turned and threw a glare at the man, he wasn’t surprised to see Roy laughing. So Jason simply threw a middle finger up at him and turned back around.

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

“Dick! Oh god.” Jason went running the moment Kyle took out the last of the zombies surrounding him and Dick, who was now on his knees with a hand pressed to the junction of neck and shoulder. He had been too far away from the other man when they had ended up surrounded thanks to a backfire on the car Dick and Kyle were attempting to get running. Too far away to stop the zombie from sneaking up on the two men and taking a bite out of Dick’s shoulder.

Falling to his own knees, Jason looked at Dick with wide eyes. For having been bitten, the man looked far too calm. If anything, he just seemed annoyed. “Dick?” Jason rasped, reaching out to pull his hand away from the wound so he could see if it actually broke skin or not. Crimson red told him all he needed to know. “Fuck. Fuck! We have to go now. Can this drive?!” He looked desperately up at Kyle who had his eyes locked on the wound.

“Boss?”

“Kyle! Can the car get us back to the compound?”

“Yeah….but….”

Jason ignored whatever it was the other man was going to say and turned back to Dick, tearing a sleeve off his shirt and folding it up to press against the wound. “You gotta keep pressure on it. We’ll get you back home, to the lab. The cure works. I know it does. We’ll get it in you in time.” He grabbed Dick’s hand and pressed it back over the wound to hold the cloth down.

Dick looked at him with furrowed brows and tilted his head and the sigh made something clench in Jason’s chest. That weird confusion that Dick always seemed to have whenever something normal seemed to happen. “I’ll be fine.” Now it was Jason’s turn to be confused.

“You were bitten Dick. It broke the skin; we have to get you back. Come on,” he ordered, pushing to his feet and tugging Dick up with him. “Get the others,” Jason told Kyle who looked like he was about to argue with him. But Jason just growled out, “Now.” And the other man gave a curt nod before running off to collect Rose and Biz. “It takes at least a few hours for the fever to show up but we won’t be back to the compound before morning if we drive through the night. So you just…you gotta hold on, okay?”

“I promise I’ll be fine, Jay,” Dick spoke softly, his gaze taking an amused look to it. And damnit if Jason didn’t hate how not seriously he was taking this situation. “I promise.”

“You will be because we’ll get you back to the lab in time.” Dick smiled at that and sighed, leaving Jason to wonder what the hell was wrong with the man. This wasn’t a joke. This wasn’t something they could just brush aside and yet he was acting like he wasn’t hours away from becoming one of them.

Like Jason wasn’t hours away from losing yet another person he loved.

“Boss,” Kyle’s voice broke through his internal panic. Turning to see the man standing a few feet away with Biz and Rose right behind him, Jason raised a brow. “Gotta talk to you real quick. They’ll get the car packed.” Jason huffed a breath out through his nose and followed the other man, glancing back at Dick to see Rose taking a look at the bite and speaking lowly to the man. Once they seemed to be out of earshot, Kyle stopped and turned to face Jason. And Jason did not like the look on his face. “We can’t take him with us. You know we don’t have enough time even if we had enough gas to get us through the night.”

“No.”

Kyle sighed and looked over Jason’s shoulder before looking back to him. “Jason, I know you don’t want to hear this. I know you want to save him. But what are we supposed to do when he turns in the middle of the drive? What then?”

“I’m not leaving him, Rayner. I can save him. I know I can. I have the cure. We’re wasting time discussing this. Let’s go. Now.” And despite knowing Kyle had a good point, he knew he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t leave Dick behind to become one of them. And he couldn’t kill him before the bite took just to put him out of his misery. Shaking his head, he turned and walked back to the car where Rose and Biz had already taken up two of the seats and Dick was leaning against the outside.

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

Dragging Dick into his lab and shoving him down onto the exam table, Jason rushed around and gathered the supplies he needed to administer the injection. He didn’t know how Dick hadn’t developed the fever yet, but he wasn’t going to waste any time. Dumping everything on the table next to Dick, he tugged the leather jacket off Dick and pushed the sleeve of his gray shirt up.

“Jason, stop,” Dick spoke softly, ducking his head down but Jason ignored him. “Jay. Stop.” His voice took on a firmer tone and it was enough to cause Jason to pause and look up at him. “I’m fine. I don’t need this. Don’t waste it.”

Jaw dropping, Jason stood frozen with an empty syringe in hand ready to draw Dick’s blood before he injected the cure so he could have a sample before and after. “You are not fine! Why are you not taking this seriously?!”

He watched Dick sigh and moved back when Dick nudged at him so he could get off the table. Without dropping eye contact, Dick tugged the collar of his shirt away from where the bite was and revealed skin only blemished with dried blood.

But no bite.

“What?” Jason dropped the syringe and lunged forward to examine the skin more closely. “How is this possible? There was a bite here! We all saw it!” Kyle had told him to leave Dick behind for crying out loud. Looking back to Dick’s face, Jason shook his head. “This is not possible.”

“It is.”

“No, it isn’t. No one is immune! No one! We would have heard about it.” Dick frowned and Jason watched as he tugged his shirt off, revealing far more golden skin than anyone should have ever been allowed to have. And if the circumstances had been different, Jason would be thanking the powers that be for this display of a man. But he was freaking out. “Dick-what-?” He watched Dick move around the table and reveal his back, which was covered in the most beautiful wing tattoo Jason had ever seen. Brilliant white wings, so vibrant Jason wasn’t sure how the artist had managed to make it stand out so vividly on his golden complexion, that looked as though they had been dipped in blue dye at the tips and the color had crept up the feathers to fade into the white. And somehow the wings were drawn in such a way that they almost seemed to flutter with Dick’s muscle movements.

Then Dick’s long fingers were brushing up the back of his neck where three symbols were drawn and he was muttering words in a language Jason had never heard but thought felt right. But before he could dive into why that might have been, he was stepping back and grabbing the table behind him as a flash of white seemed to center from Dick and a pair of wings that matched the tattoo were springing forth from the man’s back. Jason gasped at the sight of the massive wings that spread out wide, as if stretching, and then relaxed as Dick turned to face him again.

“This is why.”

But Jason still didn’t understand. All he knew was that Dick suddenly had wings and Jason was questioning his sanity even more. Maybe he had been the one who had been bitten. Maybe he was losing his mind after all this time. But he could feel his heartbeat in his ears and that was enough to tell him this was really happening. “What are you?” He managed to gasp.

“I am Seraph.”

“You’re an angel?” Jason questioned, mind trying to grasp what was happening here. “Of course you are.” He thought about all the things that had happened since he had met Dick in that kitchen all those months ago. “So much is making sense right now.”

Dick tilted his head to the side and watched Jason as he processed. Jason ignored the man for a moment, stepping away from the table he had been clinging to so he could pace and process. The weird comments, acting as though he had never done common activities, or eaten certain foods. So much of it made so much more sense.

“Jason,” Dick’s voice called to him and Jason paused his pacing, frowning at the almost melodic sound of the man’s voice now. Looking over at Dick, Jason let his eyes trail over the expanse of the large wings behind him, from just brushing the floor with the blue feathers to standing high above his head in stark white.

But the sound of a door banging open stopped him from saying anything, pulling both of their attentions to Rose rushing through the door. “Oh!” She paused, eyes wide as she looked at Dick.

“Rose,” Jason stepped forward to keep her from rushing out of there because he got the feeling that Dick didn’t necessarily want everyone to know what exactly he was.

“So you told him. I told you you wouldn’t be able to keep it hidden much longer.” Stopping mid stride, Jason looked from Rose to Dick and then back again. Turning to look at Jason, Rose shrugged a shoulder and gathered up her hair, turning to show him the back of her neck. The symbols there were similar to the ones on Dick’s and Jason felt his world bottom out again. “I’m not Seraph, but I am Nephilim,” she explained as she dropped her hair and turned back to face him. “And so are you.”

He heard Dick sigh behind him, but Jason felt frozen again. He was what? She was what?

“I hadn’t gotten to that yet,” Dick murmured and appeared next to Jason. Allowing himself to be turned, Jason looked into the sapphire eyes he thought he had known so well. “What Rose is so tactlessly telling you, is that your father was like me. Just as her own father is Seraph as well. That is how I know him. He was close to my ranks before he fell.”

Rose’s snort was telling. “He didn’t fall. He plummeted.”

“Wait, my father?” Jason thought of the man he had known. The drunk who beat his mother until Jason was old enough to pull the man’s attention from her to himself. He remembered waiting each night for him to come home and lay into him. Until one night he stopped coming home. And neither he nor his mother ever knew what happened to Willis Todd.

“Willis was not of my ranks but was tempted to fall by a very bewitching demon. He promised him power and wealth. But gave him neither,” Dick told Jason, placing both his hands on his shoulders. “We are not meant to sire children with mortals because the transfer of power can have detrimental effects on the human who carries the child. Your mother was addicted to drugs, was she not?” Jason nodded. “That was how she drowned out the voices. The ones who whispered about your destiny. Rose’s mother…”

“She died of cancer.” Glancing over at her, Jason tried to read her expression but wasn’t sure what it said. The woman was so good at keeping her emotions to herself, he always failed to really grasp what she was thinking.

Looking back to Dick, Jason furrowed his brows as he tried to comprehend what was being told to him. “I don’t have the symbols,” was what his brain decided to spit out instead. Dick smiled and he could hear Rose chuckle next to him. “What?”

“They are not something Nephilim are born with on the surface. You have to bring them forth,” Dick explained. “The creator gives them to their Seraph, but only a Seraph can show a Nephilim how to bring their own forth.”

“Wait. What do you mean my destiny?” Jason demanded, mind finally grasping onto that piece of information.

He watched Dick sigh and send a look to Rose that had her rolling her eyes and leaving without a word. Or sound. Jason made a mental note to ask her about that skill. “It’s time we have a very serious talk, Jason. Shall we go somewhere we won’t be interrupted again?”

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

“So let me get this straight,” Jason said, pacing the length of his room as Dick sat leaning against the headboard of his bed. “Rose’s dad is the one responsible for the virus? The creator told all of you that one would need to fall and release the virus in order to save humanity?”

“In the broadest of terms, yes.”

“How is killing us like this, saving us?”

“Your planet was dying. It would not survive much more in way of population. Your atmosphere had begun to crumble, and drastic measures were needed.” Jason scowled at that. How could Dick just be so blasé about the death of billions of people? He’s not human, a part of his mind reminded him. But even though he only had Rose to compare to, Dick seemed more human than Rose. “Some of us were against the idea. That there had to be another way, but Slade volunteered before the discussions could go further.”

Shaking his head, Jason paced the length of the room one more time before dropping down in the chair at his desk. “This is a lot.” Dick nodded but remained silent and Jason was thankful. Because even though he was glad Dick was answering his questions, he didn’t want the man to try and sway his opinion into the positive side of things just yet. He needed to examine the situation from all angles. He needed to see all possible outcomes to this before he came to a conclusion. “Was it part of the creator’s plan for you to find me?”

“No.”

Jason waited for more, but when he was met with nothing but silence, he looked at Dick with a raised eyebrow. But the man, angel whatever, seemed to miss what he was silently asking him to expand upon and it just made Jason sigh. Almost in fondness. Almost.

“If it was not in their plan, why are you here?”

“I broke ranks because humanity has suffered more than enough, and you are the cure to that suffering.” He watched Dick sit up and look at him seriously, almost uncomfortably so. “I have watched you for years, since before the outbreak. I knew of you long before you were even born. I have been tasked with protecting humanity for centuries because our creator is not the “God” so many believe in. They are kind, loving, and they do not require worship or devotion. But they also want you to have the will to choose what path you take.

“You are a good species at the core, despite those who have been whispered to by the demons of the world. You would have come across the answer for the cure on your own, but it would have been a few years from now after having lost far too many and those closest.” Jason’s mind flashed to Roy and Kory, knowing that’s exactly who Dick was referring to. Deep in his soul, he knew it was them. And he couldn’t help but feel so incredibly grateful that Dick had gone against his kind to prevent that. “You have lost enough. Everyone has lost enough.”

Taking in the words, Jason dropped down into his desk chair with a sigh. It was a heavy weight, knowing that he had been the key to fixing this all along and that if Dick hadn’t prompted the idea that day in the mess hall then he would have taken a while longer to figure it all out. He could have saved millions but he was supposed to have allowed countless more die before he made the sure. Dick allowed that. Dick disobeyed his orders because he didn’t want anymore suffering, he didn’t want Jason to endure anymore suffering.

Dick had chosen him over his own kind. “Will you be punished?”

“Perhaps,” Dick shrugged. “But perhaps mercy shall be gifted to me because I wanted mercy for mankind.”

Jason didn’t like the idea that Dick could be harmed because he had chosen kindness over indifference. He didn’t know what it meant to be Seraph and how it impacted basic human emotions and instincts, but he knew Dick. And he knew Dick loved people. The way he laughed with Tim while they discussed various topics. The way he worked with Kory in the gardens, singing soft songs in a language Jason now knew to be angelic. The way he walked side by side with Roy and discussed the best way to protect those within their gates and walls. People he was now invested in just as much as the rest of them.

“And if you aren’t granted mercy?”

There was silence and Jason watched Dick sit there, eyes narrowed and a furrowed brow marring the beauty of the angel. “Then I suppose I will be left to walk the earth among the people of this planet and protect you from within your ranks.” The lines smoothed out on his face and Dick gave him a smile that was brittle, but honest. “I do not feel my duty will change should the creator choose to remove me from my service to them. I will still wish to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It is all I have known.”

“You will always be welcome here,” Jason offered without pausing to think about it. If he thought about it, he would never say it and regret would burn bright. “With me.”

He tried not to fidget under the intense gaze that Dick turned on him, but it was difficult. The depths of the sapphire eyes spoke volumes and while Jason loved to look at them, the intensity made him a bit nervous. “Despite the lies?”

“I don’t appreciate the lies, but I understand them. Well,” he let out a chuckle, “as best as my human mind can.”

Dick’s smile was almost blinding.

“Your mind can understand much more than even you will ever know.” The blush that colored Jason’s cheeks was no something he was proud of, but he knew it was something he couldn’t exactly control. “You are a gift. Don’t ever let anyone try to tell you differently, Jason Todd.” He had gotten used to hearing Dick use those words in his regards, but now he supposed he finally understood exactly what it was he meant. He was a gift, or his blood was.

“What happens now?” Jason asked curiously, watching Dick lean back against the headboard again. Jason let his eyes trail over the other man, enjoying the sight of him so comfortable in Jason’s space. It felt right. It looked right.

But the look on Dick’s face pulled him out of those fuzzy thoughts. “I need to go.”

“What?”

“Now that you have uncovered the cure, I need to return to my ranks. I need to face my punishment, if there is to be one.”

But Jason didn’t want him to leave. Not when he still hadn’t gotten around to making any kind of move. Could he really just let Dick walk out of his life, potentially for good, without even trying? Did Dick even have any interest in him? Was he just seeing things that he wanted to be there.

“I would like to stay though. I would abandon my ranks for good, if I could convince myself it was the right thing.” Dick’s gaze turned to Jason and he found himself getting lost in the intensity of the sapphire eyes. Intensity that told Jason he wasn’t alone. He wasn’t imagining things and he wasn’t the only one who wanted. “I will return though. If you’ll have me.”

Nodding, Jason tried to say something in response, but he couldn’t form the right words. Not when those eyes were still looking at him like that. Not when his heart was pounding so loudly in his chest that he was certain it would either burst from within or Dick would point out how loud it was.

“I will be gone before morning, but I will be back.”

And Jason hoped that Dick wasn’t just telling him that to make him feel better. He really hoped it.

#jaydick #jason todd #dick grayson #roy harper #koriand'r #kyle rayner #rose wilson #slade wilson #tim drake #jaydick zombie au #angels/demons

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babyloontrash · 5 years ago

Text

Eleven (C.H.)

Summary: Friends with benefits type of situation with Cal. He’s kind of an ass but he pounds you good and that’s what matters in fics like these.

Warning: SMUT

Words: 4,7k

His head was pounding softly when he finally opened his eyes. One short glance to his bedside table told him it was already ten o’clock and he couldn’t stop the curse from falling from his lips. Rubbing his face, he turned to the other side and looked at the girl lying beside him.

The eye make-up she had been wearing was nothing more than just a smudge, and her dark hair was all over her face. When his eyes moved lower, he could see the marks his lips and teeth had left on the pale soft skin on her neck and chest. A tiny smirk appeared on his face when he thought back to the way she had moaned when he was making them and how wet her core had been under his fingers. There were faint bruises on her hips from his hands when he had held her still.

Last night was a success.

Carefully, he reached out his hand to brush some of her hair away from her face. His lips had already parted as he was about to talk to her, but he froze for a second, realising that her name had somehow slipped out of his mind.

“Hey…,” he finally said in the end while he lightly stroked her cheek. “Wake up.”

She murmured something towards him in response, keeping her eyes closed still. Calum sighed quietly to himself before talking to her yet again, trying to awaken her. Her chest looked incredible when she suddenly reached her arms out and went for a stretch. It caught him by surprise when she suddenly rolled over and set herself down right on the top of him. She kissed his chest while her hips moved slowly against him.

“How about you wake me up properly, huh?” She suggested to him in a sleepy voice as she looked up to his face. “Then we can go get something to eat because I am absolutely starving after last night.”

He just stared at her, taking quite a long time to consider this offer. The right answer to it was supposed to be rather obvious, and yet…

“You need to leave.”

This was clearly not the type of awakening she had been hoping for, but it seemed to work out just as well. Maybe even better. She was now staring at him with her eyes opened wide while propping herself up on his chest.

“Wait… Are you being serious right now?”

“Mhhm.”

Her nails dug into his chest and somehow, in this instance he found this way less pleasurable than he had done during the night. Finally, she got off from the top of him, making him hiss out in pain once more.

“You are such an ass.”

“Okay.” He nodded, sitting himself up on the bed so he was now leaning against the headboard.

“Okay? That’s all you are going to say?” He heard the disbelief in her voice when she said that and wondered what kind of reaction, she had expected from him. If this was her opinion of him, that was all right, she was entitled to have one. He would not argue with her.

“The shirt is over there,” Calum said eventually, pointing towards the place by the door where her t-shirt was lying on the bag with his football gear. Instead of thanking him, the girl just scoffed before going to get it. He might have been an ass, but she was not with the best manners either. His guess was that she would leave this part out though when telling about this to her friends. To be honest, he didn’t really understand what was all the dramatical sighing, stumping around and sending him offended looks about.

They have met yesterday. It was obvious what was the whole interaction leading to and no matter how hard he had tried; he couldn’t think of anything that could have given her the idea that this would be anything more than a one-night stand.

“I suppose you don’t really care about my number, do you?”

If he really was such an ass as she claimed him to be, he would have laughed right then, but he didn’t. Did she really need to ask that? Chewing on his lip to stop himself from chuckling, Calum slowly shook his head. “Not really,” he admitted.

“Sorry,” he then quickly tried to add but it most probably got drowned in the shower of names she was addressing him with to herself. About a minute later, she was gone with a loud slam of the door and instead of being overflown with guilt, Calum was just very much relieved that she had finally left.

When he later met up with his friends at a party, one of them was throwing, they were all quite eager to hear about how his night had gone, considering that he had left them in the pub without saying a single word. He had been there on the bar stool one second, chatting the girl up with his usual ‘let me fuck you up’ look and when they had wanted to check how he was holding up, the pair had already gone.

Calum was never one to keep his bedroom adventures for himself. After all, what guy wouldn’t enjoy being patted on his shoulder for what a man he was. If the number of girls one had slept with was the true indicator of their worth was another thing he better decided not to dive into though. At the time being, he was happy with everything as it was. No need for any changes whatsoever.

“You know, if she hadn’t started with the let’s go for breakfast together thing, there’s a big chance I would have given in,” Calum admitted with a shrug taking a long drag from his cigarette. He felt the need to defend himself after Luke called him an idiot for passing on the opportunity of a good morning sex.

“Take a girl out for a meal after you spent a night with her, and you will not get rid of her. Isn’t that right, Ash?” His friend flipped him off for mocking him like this, even though that there could have been no doubts about that he was happy in the relationship he had gotten himself into by basically a complete accident.

“Laugh at me all you want. I’m just here waiting for the time when some girl loses her shit and kicks your ass.”

“Or her boyfriend,” Michael chirped in, making everyone except Calum laugh. “I’ll never forget how Kyle dragged you out of that pub in front of everyone. You had a big-ass black eye already forming up by the time you had realised what was going on… I’m telling you. It’s just a matter of time before you end up sleeping with someone you shouldn’t have and paying for it.”

“The mistake was on her part. Not mine. Who the fuck comes up to their boyfriend crying and tells them about how they had just gotten dumped?”

“Who have you left crying again? Please, don’t tell me it was Kelly from English lit. The last time you screwed her over I had to pay for it by making the analysis all by myself because she wouldn’t stop bawling her eyes out.” The girl who just joined them sat up on the kitchen counter right beside to where he was standing and Calum couldn’t help but let his head hang down low, rubbing the bridge of his nose. She would never forgive him for this one.

“I’ve already apologised to you for this.”

“I don’t need you to apologise. I need you to stop fucking people I know, darling,” she informed him simply with a sweet smile.

“I don’t think you knew this one,” Luke was the one to bring her peace and she could let out a relieved sigh.

“Good. Thank you.” She nudged Calum lightly with her foot, and he flashed her a tiny smile.

“Anything for you.”

She always laughed at him when he said this, assuring him that there was no need for him to try to sweet talk her, but the truth was that he meant these words more than anything. She and what they had together was incredibly precious to him. He would be damned for even risking losing something like this. Risking to lose her.

She knew how he was, and she adored him exactly that way. Accepted him with his flaws and all. Never even suggested that he should change anything about the way he lived. And he did the same thing for her.

“Keep that mind because I might need your help,” she told him. “There’s a guy over the- No! Don’t look. Not now, at least!” She quickly stopped him when he was turning his head in the direction she was carefully pointing at with her thumb. “We’ve been talking over texts for a while. He seemed fun over the phone, but I’m not sure I’m still feeling it. I’m giving him an hour. If things don’t get better and I am still bored out of my mind – you step in.”

Ashton chuckled from few meters away. “And how is he supposed to know, if you are enjoying yourself?”

“It’s easy. If I am not, I’ll have the same expression I wear when listening to you.”

Calum choked on his beer a little and then nodded his head in agreement when she gave him a pressing look. “Of course. I’ll come and save you when necessary.”

When he had agreed to this, however, he couldn’t have known that one of the most beautiful girls at the party would strike up a conversation with him. Conversation, which was getting partly disturbed by him constantly searching for his dear friend in the crowd.

“Are you looking for someone?” The girl asked, not leaving his darting eyes without a comment anymore.

“No,” Calum told her with a grin, casually shrugging his shoulders and then paid extra attention to the beauty in front of him. It lasted only for a moment, and he soon began to squirm. “Well, yeah, I am actually,” he eventually admitted. “My friend. She asked me to keep an eye out on her. She’s here with a guy she doesn’t know too well.”

It was a truthful explanation, but the girl didn’t seem too convinced and eventually moved on to someone else, who wasn’t examining the crowd for some other girl. He didn’t get to be annoyed and disappointed for too long, though. Within just a few minutes, his phone buzzed in his pocket with a message from her.

We’re on the roof. Thought he was bringing me here to make out, but he won’t shut up about stars. Come to help asap.

Was it bad that he laughed and wanted to leave her there suffering for a bit longer as a payback for ruining his possible lay? Maybe. But he was an ass, and so he didn’t feel bad about leaving her there for a few more minutes.

The door leading to the roof creaked loudly when he opened them. However, the guy didn’t seem to be bothered by it a single bit. His hand remained pointing up towards the sky with his head tilted back, while his date was sitting down on the concrete, chipping on her nail polish. She had been right. She looked the same way she did when Ashton started with one of his never-ending rants.

“Here you are!” Calum finally spoke out, making the pair turn their heads towards him. A relieved look appeared on her face, while the guy’s chin dropped slightly.

“Hey! Calum!” She spoke out, pretending to be surprised to see him there. He made a mental note to tease her later about her acting skills.

“Hi.” He waved a little and then shook his head. “I didn’t mean you though.” He shrugged and looked at the guy. “Billy is looking for you. Told me you should meet him in the kitchen.”

“Billy?” The guy looked absolutely confused and Calum had to try hard to keep it together. “I don’t think I know any-.” Calum cut him off.

“I don’t know, man. He told me to find you and looked pretty upset.”

“Oh… Okay,” the guy eventually nodded, remaining to look rather puzzled. “I’ll be right back,” he assured her before rushing towards the exit.

The two stayed quiet until the door shut closed behind him. “Who the fuck is Billy?” She asked, but he just shrugged while walking closer.

“Dunno. You said you wanted to make out on a roof. I can help,” he offered nonchalantly, making her laugh. She said nothing to that and just pulled him in for a kiss.

This was not an unexplored territory for them. There was a big difference between a simple fun, lust and love, and they were both very good at not overstepping these lines.

His kisses were leaving her weak in her knees, and he was breathless every time she pulled away. They had spent countless nights tangled in the sheets together, moaning each other’s names into the dark. There were no romantic feelings involved, but their bond was still more special than anything either of them had ever experience. They could be unconditionally themselves and didn’t have to worry about anything.

“You owe me, by the way,” he muttered out after their lips separated.

“What for?” She asked and wiped some of her lipstick away from his skin.

“I could’ve been leaving with a ten tonight. I had to drop her because of you.” Looking at him, it was very difficult to not burst out laughing, but somehow, she managed.

“Well, I am incredibly sorry.” She nodded her head. “Your sacrifice is deeply appreciated.”

Calum smirked a little. “I don’t need you to apologise. I need you to make up for that, darling.” Seeing her roll her eyes in a playful annoyance made his smirk turn into a genuine grin.

“You are an ass.”

“So I’ve been told,” Calum admitted casually, making her roll her eyes yet again.

She leaned closer to him, kissing the smirk that pissed her off away from his face.

“How about you tell me what you would do the ten you wanted to bring to your dorm?” She whispered after a moment and he smiled against her lips.

“I think I’d prefer to show your, actually.” He gave her a peck before stepping away and grabbing her hand.

Together they left the roof, eager to leave this place as quickly as possible. They were just rushing down the stairs when someone called them in the hallway. That someone being her rather disappointing date, who stared at Calum rather annoyed because there was no Billy waiting for him.

She hit Calum’s side with her elbow when he started to laugh as soon as they left the apartment building. “He was boring, but he didn’t deserve that.”

“He didn’t deserve you,” he objected, rubbing his ribs while they walked on the empty, quiet street. Luckily enough, Ashton lived close to the campus so the journey wouldn’t take them longer than ten minutes.

“Quit it,” she shut his argument immediately.

“That’s the ‘ten treatment’. I’m nice and polite, I pay compliments…”

“So the ‘ten treatment’ comprises lying and pretending you are something you are not?”

He took a second to think about it and then nodded. “Basically.”

“I’m sure your mom’s proud.”

“She is. Because she doesn’t know about any of this. And she is never going.”

She laughed. “I had a feeling that that’s how this works.”

Calum gestured his hands in the air, stopping her from saying anything. “Enough about me, though…. You look absolutely stunning tonight. I could hardly take my eyes off you back in there.” His voice was usually slow and calming, but the tone he used right now really got to her. And when a corner of his mouth moved up in this cute half-smile while his eyes quickly looked away, almost as if he was ashamed, she was honestly kind of stunned.

“Damn. You really are good.”

He chuckled and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. “The best,” he said somewhat smugly before placing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

They walked peacefully together; him stopping her to steal a kiss or two everyone once and then. Once they finally stood in front of the dorm, he let her pull away from him so he could fish for the key card to let them in.

It all happened so quickly; she honestly didn’t even get much of a chance to wrap her mind around it. One moment he had his hand on the small of her back while holding the door open for her and the next one, he had her pressed against the wall.

He was inches away from kissing her, and she was so damn eager for him to just do it. His hand roamed over her ass and squeezed it roughly over the jeans. He dipped his hand down to the crook of her neck and placed one wet kiss right there before looking up to her face somewhat sheepishly. “You are going to make me so happy tonight.”

It was a matter of seconds during which his expression changed into a more serious one, and she could see the hunger in his eyes. She knew that look well enough.

She tilted her head ever so slightly, inviting him to come kiss her again. Calum took up on that, teasing her with his tongue before finally giving in after hearing her annoyed hums. The automatic light in the entrance hall had already turned off, but it was the last thing the two seemed to care about. They were way too lost in the taste of one another and nothing could make them pull away. Nothing except urge to get even closer to each other. Even through all the layers of clothing, she could feel him getting harder and the anticipation to touch his naked body was driving her wild. Both of them were out of breath when they pulled away, and he wouldn’t take his hands off of her for a single moment while they were heading towards his room. They would definitely make it there much faster if they could only keep their hands to themselves.

Where would be the fun in that though, right?

As they stopped in the middle of the hall yet again, Calum’s warm hand sneaked under her shirt and traced her breast covered with her bra. He smirked into their kiss when he found her hard nipple poking through the fabric. “Someone’s excited,” he muttered in a shaky breath.

“You have no idea.”

He locked his eyes on his face while she grabbed his hand and guided to the hem of her jeans. With a swift movement, she undid the button and led him under the lace of her panties. Right there and then Calum realised that bringing her with him was undoubtedly the best thing he could have done. She shivered as his fingers slowly brushed over her soft skin and her clit. He got a good idea about her eagerness soon enough when he felt how wet she was. The way his body reacted to this discovery was almost painful. As if she could read his mind, she reached towards him and stroked his throbbing cock through his jeans. His jaw tensed with him trying to keep his composure and not say a single word.

This was not the right place to be something like this.

And yet he still slid his finger between her folds and then spreading the wetness around her clitoris before giving it few circular rubs. It made her gasp. Quickly, he raised his other hand up and placed it to her mouth as a reminder to not make a sound. She gave him a light nod, letting him know she understands that she must remain quiet. However, it proved to be more difficult than not with his skilled fingers picking up their pace and pressing against her much harder. A quiet whimper slipped out of her mouth, making him glare at her warningly.

“Do that again and I will not let you cum tonight,” he whispered to her ear while his thigh made her step her legs further apart. She was digging her fingers to his hips, rather closing her eyes when she felt his fingers moving closer to her entrance. When he pushed two of them inside, she didn’t dare to even breathe for a second. She expected him to pull them out again, but they curled inside her, repeatedly pressing against the spot which made her head spin. She was just a moment away from coming all over his hand when suddenly the lights in the whole corridor turned on. The light burned against her eyelids and caused her to open her eyes. The guy could not have picked the worst timing to go to the bathroom.

Calum didn’t hesitate for even just a second to position himself better so the intruder couldn’t see anything he was not supposed to. A thing he did not do however was pulling his fingers from inside her. They continued to move inside her as if they could not get exposed any second, and she wasn’t sure if she loved him or hated him for it. Probably both. His whole hand was now pressing against her mouth since her rapid breathing and shaky legs gave it away that the high was within a reach.

Seeing her like this, feeling her shake and squirm under his touch was way too intoxicating for him to stop now. He was dying to have her come apart for him. And so, when she did just a second later it took all the strength, he had to stop himself from coming inside his pants.

Finally, bathroom door finally closed behind that guy and they both gasped for a breath at the same time. Calum smiled at her as he took a step back and licked off the glistening juice from his fingers before he motioned for her. “Come.”

She wanted to punch him. Seriously. But she quickly closed the button on her jeans again and followed him into his room, which was only a few meters away.

“I can’t believe you’ve done that,” she once they got inside.

“I did nothing. You are the who came all over my hand while some random guy walked past you,” Calum said with a grin. When he noticed that she was not grinning back at him though, he stepped closed and kissed her lips softly. “You are not really mad, are you?” He wondered quietly.

She wanted to say yes just to make him feel a bit bad for what he had done, but the truth was that she wasn’t, not really, and so she gently shook her head at him.

“See.” A bright smile appeared on his face once again. “I know you are kinky. That’s why I like you so much.”

She rolled her eyes at him and nudged him with her his as she moved past him. “Get naked, you dumbass.”

He didn’t need to be asked twice to do this. His jeans were painfully tight now, and he couldn’t wait to get rid of them. By the time he finally got disposed of all the clothing just like she had asked him, she was already sitting on the bed in nothing but her panties. One time he had mentioned how much he enjoys taking the panties off. She had laughed at him when he had said that it is like unwrapping a present, you wouldn’t want someone else to do that for you either. It made him smile.

When he got onto the bed, he pushed her to lie back. Gently, he made her to rise her hips up so he could take the lacy underwear off. He took his time, taking in the sight in front of him as the tips of his fingers glazed over her skin. He let the panties fall to floor and abruptly tugged her hips closer to him. He was about to reach out for a condom, but she was already handing one to him. He put it on easily and after that he could finally do what he had been yearning for. There was no need for them to rush this. His cock pushed inside her slowly, and he cursed at the heavenly feeling that washed over him. He kept her legs spread open in the air as he rocked his hips forward and back, looking for the best pace for them. As his moves became faster, the sound of their groans and moans echoed through the room. He loved how she wasn’t ashamed of touching herself when he fucked her. With one of her hands working her clit and the other pinching one of her nipples, she looked absolutely perfect. Calum shifted his body for a bit and set her feet on the mattress. He wanted to kiss her, trace his tongue all over her breast, which kept moving up and down in a mesmerising motion because of his thrusts. She smiled at him when his face got closer to herself and watched him take one of her nipples into his mouth. Her body moved against his, her hips buckling up to meet him forward just so she could feel him insider her a bit longer. He was making her see stars, and she was going back and forth between squeezing his bedsheet and gripping his shoulders. It was put to a stop by him when he suddenly took her wrists into his hands and put them above her head.

Not because he didn’t enjoy being touched by her, god no, he loved the feeling of her hands. But he also loved to see her battle with herself, struggle to keep her arms up and not to move. Especially when the excitement was taking over. She never lasted long, but she always at least tried, which was honestly somewhat endearing.

There was nothing that would rile her up more than this, and so sharing his thoughts was exactly what he went with.

“You’re cute,” Calum said as he moved his mouth to her other breast. Her lips that had been previously forming a perfect ‘o’ now shut together and before he knew it her hands had shot up to grip on his hair, making him hiss quietly as she made his head tilt back.

She made him change the position, determined to ride him so she could show him how ‘cute’ she truly was. He would have to be a complete dumb ass to complain. He was more than willing to let her have her way and as soon as she sunk down on him, he was burying his head back into the pillows. She always went all on in, taking him deep inside her and then just rolling her hips around. This time was no different.

He had tried, he really did, but with everything that had happened, the image of her reaching her climax in the middle of that corridor still fresh on his mind, he couldn’t fight it much longer. Not if she would not take it easier on him.

“Babe…,” his voice was hoarse, knowing him as well as she did, she had to know what he was planning on saying.

She did not seem to care though, and by the way she smiled at him, he had a feeling this was a revenge for earlier. Since he had not given her a chance to hold it together before, she would not give him one either.

When he burst into the condom inside her, he decided to think of it as her loss more than anything else. By being petty, she had just ruined her chances to have even more fun.

But man, was he wrong. She touched herself in front of him over and over again. No matter how exhausted and drained he was feeling, she somehow got him hard a few more times by putting on such a show.

The sun was already coming up when both of their heads hit the pillow with the plan to go to sleep. Calum was slowly drifting off when she spoke out.

“What’s my number, anyway?” Her voice sounded playful, but she was genuinely curious.

He took a second to think about it before answering. “Eleven,” he finally decided.

“And what do those get?”

“I take them out for breakfast. Now go to sleep.”

#calum hood #calum 5sos #calum hood smut #5sos smut #5sos fic #5 seconds of summer smut #5 seconds of summer fic #calum hood one shot #calum hood fic #5sos one shot

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kyle-valenti · 4 years ago

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highschool milucho au drabble for @laufire

Lunch period arrives what feels like all too late after a hectic morning where Michael Guerin had punched Wyatt Long in the face for Maria. While she still thought he was an idiot for having done it, she downs a brownie for sustenance and brings Rosa along outside with her to go check on him. Unsurprisingly he was in the spot she had expected, clearly having ditched at least one class prior, and Rosa skipped over to him and roughly grabbed his hand to check on the bruise. Rosa scoffed, putting her hand to her chest with what was only half-kidding offense. “You fought him without me there? En serio? How dare you!”

Sitting up a little more against the metal bleacher column he had been leaning against, Michael gave a casual shrug. There’s still a smirk on his face as he does so. “Can’t help it if you’re always late to wake up, Ortecho.”

“He was dumb.” Maria said, a scolding look on her face that didn’t quite match her eyes. Both sat down without caring about chairs, Rosa too lazy and Maria liking to feel the earth underneath her. The shade provided overhead was just enough and while the teachers usually checked underneath here, the school was luckily short staffed due to a field trip. Also lucky was the lack of campus security in a small town.

“No, he was right.” Rosa huffed. “Fuck Wyatt Long.”

“Thank you,” said Michael, turning to Maria with a smug look in response. Maria rolled her eyes, but Rosa still looked angry and displeased at the idea of Wyatt Long being within feet of Maria, because she continued, “Are you gonna hate me if I run over and slap him?”

“Yes!” Maria exclaimed. “Stop with the violence, you two! He’s not worth it.”

Rosa made a disgruntled sound, muttering, “Pacifist.”

“I am a lover, yes.” Maria replied with a teasing tone; one that Michael couldn’t help but use to flirt with a sultry, “Tell me more.”

She hit his arm and although the other girl rolled her eyes, Rosa was still distinctly smiling as Michael winked Maria’s way.

“Gross, stop.” She huffed, no meanness in her voice. “Even Kyle Valenti thinks we’re dating.”

“Kyle?” Rosa laughed. “Kyle’s not remotely observant enough to think that.”

Michael made a noise at that. “He was just being an ass because I commented on how he was clearly in love with Alex Manes.”

Maria glared now. “Be nice to my favorite gay and the clearly repressed football jock.”

“Here I thought you were about to pick a favorite bi.” Michael joked.

“Why would she?” Rosa challenged with a smirk. “I’m right here.”

“Right,” Michael drawled sarcastically. “Just because you two have sleepovers--,”

“Oh my god, you two.” Maria snapped, but that was the wrong decision because the two mischievous partners-in-crime looked at her with sudden interest. Michael was the first to pounce. “We making you uncomfortable, Deluca?”

He’s all but grinning, not even hiding behind a smirk, eyes alive. Even Rosa is clearly amused and holding onto laughter.

“Why the hell did everyone have to go on that museum trip?” Maria huffed, trying to ignore both of them and the feelings that rose up when the direct attention of two people who hated the world but liked her was suddenly her way. She definitely needed more friends, or at least less nerdy ones. “I need Liz.”

“You’d really use my baby sister to get out of flirting?” Rosa asked, letting out the laughter now.

Maria could feel her cheeks heat and she folded her arms stubbornly. “I’m about to use Kyle to get out of this. Luckily I have tests to study for.”

“What test?” Rosa replied, one eyebrow arched. “We have all the same classes.”

“And you suddenly pay attention?”

Rosa gave in with a playfully exasperated expression. “Okay, okay, mi vida; we’ll stop.” Then, amending as she looked conspiratorially at Michael, she said, “Well. I’ll stop.”

“I’ll try.” Michael shrugged, pretending to look as thought it would be heavy work. “I have considerably less self-control.”

Quirking her head, Rosa retorted. “Challenge accepted.”

Michael raised his eyebrows in response, before laughing. “Yeah okay.”

“Why am I always babysitting you two?” Maria sighed. “Please, tell me.”

“You’re the one who brought the pot brownies to school.” Rosa pointed out.

She couldn’t say much to that. Home had been stressful with her mother’s sudden memory lapses when it came to finances and worrying about colleges after SAT scores was even more anxiety inducing. If she was rich and privileged like Isobel Evans, maybe she could afford some xanax, but in the meantime her anxiety attacks would have to be treated herbally. Childishly, she pointed at Michael. “He’s the one who brought the flask.”

Definitely unapologetic, he shrugged. “Less teachers, more fun.”

“Fun?” Rosa asked. “We haven’t had fun in a while.”

“True.” Michael added, lighting up even further. Maria groaned. “Is this another ‘steal the principal’s desk’ situation?”

“No, but that was fun.” Rosa said thoughtfully. “We should have more… teenage fun. We have the drugs, the alcohol, now--,”

“I am not having sex under the Roswell High bleachers!”

Rosa gasped before laughing awkwardly, and Michael’s grin took an even brighter turn. “Wow, Deluca, I see where your mind’s really at.” Then he turned to Rosa, who noticeably looked pinker, and paused. Slowly, he inquired. “Do you want me to go?”

“No.” Rosa replied. It wasn’t like she and Maria belonged to each other, true, but something about the mischievous Michael Guerin staying around after Maria’s slip seemed to create palpable tension. Fumbling, the beautiful brunette added, “I mean we’ve all kissed before forever ago, right? Why don’t you pick your favorite bi, Maria.”

“I’m not sure choosing favorites qualifies as fun.” She retorted, trying not to withdraw into herself. She was safe with them, she knew that, but it still felt dangerous somehow. She looked at Michael. “No sudden objections?”

Michael scoffed. “You actually think I’m going to object to being kissed by two hot girls? I’m only human, Deluca.”

Biting her lip after rolling her eyes, Maria tried not to think about how attractive her last name was every time he said it, because that was such a ridiculous thing to find attractive. Rosa had picked up on the habit, although used it far more rarely, and now she was stuck in between them.

“We don’t have to--,” Rosa began. Shaking her head, Maria came to an abrupt decision. “You decide who goes first.”

“Ladies first.” Michael declared congenially.

When Rosa turned to Maria she looked hesitant and unsure. Charged moments weren’t exactly new to them, but they didn’t exactly kiss outside of spin-the-bottle or seven-minutes-in-heaven games. Any heterosexual excuse to be made, somewhere between Rosa’s Catholicism and Maria’s fear of being vulnerable to someone.

Only two seconds pass before the hesitation is over and then Rosa’s lips are soft and inviting like Maria remembered, tasting of cinnamon gum and tajin mango suckers. It’s an addictive flavor, especially with the flood of emotions it foretells every time. At first it’s closer to chaste than not, given the company, but like many times before it deepens until they hear Michael shift and quickly break apart.

Maria expects some dumbass comment about not needing to stop for his sake, but either he’s too turned on to make it or he simply knows better for the moment. Shockingly, it seems like the second choice with the almost exposed look he has on his face now. For whatever reason, maybe because of his general outward mask, she had thought that while she’d be safe this would still be a fun game to him and not something where his eyes would be soft and his body language almost nervous.

More than anything else, that makes her choose to kiss him first.

With Michael she can only taste the cheap whiskey he’s been drinking all afternoon, but his skin smells like desert rain, and it’s quite possibly the most confusing contradiction for him she could ever conceive. The shape of his lips might be a contrast to Rosa’s but he still uses them quite well and by the time she pulls back out of mindfulness for Rosa, she’s breathless yet again.

“Obviously I’m not actually choosing.” Maria said primly, trying to cover the fact that she had to clear her throat.

“Well I feel used.” Michael teased, but a miracle had happened because it looked like he was blushing too. Michael Guerin. Blushing.

Rosa made an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “As if you’re not getting off to this tonight.”

“Rosa!” Maria snapped, actual hurt rising. It was silly to be upset about offhand humor from either of these two, she knew that. They both felt more than they would ever let on and jokes and sarcasm were their defense for almost everything. Rosa went to apologize, but the overwhelming feeling in her chest was too much. “Don’t. I’m just—I’m going to go sober up.”

They both called after her, but she ignored them both.

“I should really avoid weed, huh?” Rosa deadpanned sadly.

He raised his flask. “I can’t say anything. You gonna follow her?”

“You?” she asked without an answer.

“You’re her best friend.” Michael countered, and while it wasn’t technically sexist she still narrowed her eyes at the ‘you’re both girls’ vibe it gave off. Either way, it was still a painful statement and she muttered, “Yeah. Friend.” Michael went to say something—either an apology or a lecture—but Rosa shook her head. “I’ll give her a head start. You should check on her later too, though.”

Michael scoffed. “Come on, Rosa, she doesn’t want me. I’m just a guy she can use to pretend she’s straighter than she is.”

“Ay, you’re dumb.”

“And if she did want both of us?” Michael demanded, turning things back into their normalcy of confrontation and stubbornness.

“At least you’re not ugly.”

That seemed to take the wind out of his sails at least, but he did give her a look. “Glowing endorsement, Ortecho.”

She smirked. “And I guess you know how to kiss for a white boy.”

“That I’ll take.” He replied, chuckling despite himself and looking annoyed about it.

Rosa gave him a two finger salute as she got up to go after Maria.

#michael x maria x rosa #milucho #milucho fic #milucho au #rnm #My fic #drabbles #mutuals

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spine-buster · 5 years ago

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The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for all the love. Black Lives Matter. I stand with those who are actively dismantling racist attitudes, behaviours, and systems, and want to remind you that you are always welcome on my blog.

October 31st, 2019

Aberdeen Bloom was dressing up.

Her hair, long and wavy and a bit frizzy on its own (thanks dad) was now teased, crimped, and made purposely frizzy. She outfitted herself in a blazer embroidered with poppies, leaves, and other floral insignia, a pair of 1970s style black pants, and a ridiculously ruffled shirt. She looked over at Kasha, whose own hair was curled and crimped then teased, a pair of skin tight light wash jeans, a plain tank top, and a Japanese cherry blossom-printed kimono-style cardigan left loose but tied around her waist.

They were Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. And they were going to the Leafs’ Halloween party willingly dressed like this.

The purchase of the exact replica blazer embroidered with the poppies was probably one of the most ludicrous purchases Aberdeen had made in her life, but she now had a Halloween costume for life. It wasn’t exactly her parents’ proudest moment, but they made explicitly clear growing up that any money she made was her money and she was free to do with it whatever she wanted. Did that mean buy an exact replica Jimmy Page blazer? Probably not. But Aberdeen didn’t hear it that way. All she had to do for the rest of her life was find a friend or partner (or three friends or partners) to be the rest of the band. That proved harder than she thought.

“I can’t believe you’re bringing me to a party with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Kasha said as she layered some mascara onto her lashes in front of the full-length mirror in her room.

“I can’t believe you agreed,” Aberdeen said, applying her own mascara as she sat on the floor in front of the same mirror.

“Hey, I only agreed for an hour,” Kasha reminded her. “Then Evan’s picking me up and we’re going to his friend’s house party.”

Aberdeen didn’t want to think about the fact that Kasha would have to leave her alone with the Leafs after only an hour. She should be thankful that Kasha was coming in the first place. “What does Evan think of your costume?”

Kasha chuckled slightly. “He dressed up as John Bonham. Fake moustache and everything.”

Aberdeen swooned. “That boy is in love with you,” she said. Kasha stayed silent. “But why doesn’t anybody ever want to be John Paul Jones?”

“Oh, one of his friends is being John Paul Jones.”

Aberdeen almost poked her eye out with her mascara wand. “Okay, can I come to your party instead? You guys obviously need a guitarist.”

“Um, no. It’s not every day that someone gets invited to a Leafs party,” Kasha said, a devilish look on her face. “Besides, I bet Will is looking forward to seeing you.”

Now Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “Stop.”

“No way. Do you know what he’s dressing up as?”

“No idea.”

“Maybe he’ll dress up as John Paul Jones. He’s definitely got the hair for it.”

Aberdeen laughed. “I don’t think he even knows who Led Zeppelin is.”

“I barely know who Led Zeppelin is,” Kasha quipped, making Aberdeen laugh. “The only reason I know is because of you and your dad.”

“And thank God for that.”

***

“Aberdeen! You made it!” Travis Dermott greeted her at the door dressed up in a unicorn onesie. He didn’t move to hug her but he gave her a very obvious up-down to take in her costume. “Are you supposed to be the seventies?” he asked.

“Jimmy Page,” she pointed at herself, then moved to point to Kasha, “and Robert Plant. From Led Zeppelin.”

“Well, rock on baby,” he smiled. “And this is…?”

“This is Kasha, my roommate. Kasha, this is Travis Dermott.”

He led them further inside the venue, The Burroughes, before introducing them to his girlfriend, Kat, dressed in a matching unicorn onesie. Zach Hyman came up to them as well, introducing his wife Alannah. They were dressed up as characters from Stranger Things, which Kasha got a kick out of. Morgan and Bee came to say hi too – Bee was dressed up like Bruce Springsteen, and Morgan as Courtney Cox from the ‘Dancing in the Dark’ music video. Aberdeen got a kick out of that.

“Where’s Jason?” she asked Morgan as he led them to the bar, looking around for him. He was the one who invited her to be here, after all. She thought he’d be running up to her to say hello.

“Jason’s trick-or-treating with his kids. Where else would he be?”

Her face dropped. That little bastard. He invited her to the Halloween party and then didn’t even bother to show up. She thought for sure he’d take delight in watching her squirm the whole night and interact awkwardly with the team. “Oh, that’s nice. He was the one who invited me.”

Morgan smiled. “He was the messenger,” he said, almost underneath his breath. She saw Bee try to discreetly elbow him.

“What does that mean?”

“What are you ladies having to drink?” Bee asked, changing the subject completely. “Everything’s on the house.”

Aberdeen ordered a gin and tonic while Kasha ordered a Tom Collins. A few more of the guys and their girlfriends came up to say hi, confused by their costumes until she explained them. Their costumes were much cuter, much more couple-y, like Alex Kerfoot and his girlfriend, who dressed up as Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat, or Mitch Marner and his girlfriend Steph, who dressed up as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo. Even Nic Petan and Frederick Gauthier dressed up as Holmes and Watson. Bee soon started chatting up with Kasha, which left Aberdeen sipping on her drink and vulnerable to Auston Matthews seeing her approaching her.

“I must say, I think you’re the only person in the world who would get invited to the Leafs’ Halloween party and not dress up in something provocative,” Auston said, a drink already in his hand.

She knew Auston was Auston, but she still rolled her eyes. “I work with you people. We have to see each other tomorrow.”

“And you’re not trying to impress anybody?”

“No!” It was the most ridiculous notion in the world. Most of them were married or in long-term relationships. Plus, she was an employee. Did he not read the MLSE Employee Handbook? “In case you forgot I work for Brendan Shanahan. You know, the president?”

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes playfully at her. “What are you supposed to be, anyway?”

“I’m Jimmy Page,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It should have been, since he was dressed up as Freddie Mercury. She assumed he would know his rock stars if he dressed up like Freddie Mercury.

“Who’s that?”

“Led Zep—you know what, never mind,” she shook her head, trying not to laugh. “Maybe I should have dressed up like Justin Bieber. Then you’d know.”

“Is there something going on between you and Willy?” he asked suddenly.

Aberdeen practically spit out her drink. Was he already drunk? “No,” she said firmly. “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” Auston shrugged his shoulders. “He’s always just kinda looking at you. And when Kappy hit you in the face with the soccer ball…he was so red afterwards from being so angry I thought he was gonna murder Kappy.”

Aberdeen got defensive. She couldn’t help it. “Well, there’s nothing going on. I don’t know why you would even think that.”

“I think he’s got the hots for you,” he tried to provoke her.

“Oh, shut it, Auston,” she said. “You’re just trying to get a rise out of me. I’m just trying to do my job here. What Willy does or does not feel is none of my business.”

As if on cue, William appeared behind Auston, dressed as Batman. So stereotypical. She wondered who was his Robin. For a brief second, she wondered if he brought a girl. “What’s none of your business?” he asked, throwing an arm around Auston but looking directly at her.

“What Kyle Dubas’s coffee order is,” Aberdeen thought on her feet, answering quickly. “He’s got Peter for that. Although I think he’s partial to a latte.”

She could see William giving her an up-down and briefly got self-conscious. “Are you a rock star or something?”

“Jimmy Page.”

“Who’s that?”

Aberdeen rolled her eyes as Auston laughed out loud, turning to walk away to find someone better to talk to. She felt a rush of blood flood her cheeks as William continued to look at her. Kasha was still talking with Bee, and she wished to God either one of them would pull her into their conversation. But they didn’t. So she was stuck with William. “Who’s your Robin?”

“Would have liked it to be you, but it’s Rasmus,” he said. It made her head spin. “Who’s your…I don’t know, partner?”

“Kasha, my roommate,” she pointed quickly to her. “She’s Robert Plant. The lead singer.”

“You got my texts that day, right?” he asked, changing the subject quickly like Auston had.

She gulped. “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you text me back?”

“Did I have to?” she asked.

William shrugged his shoulders. “Would have been nice.”

“How’d you even get my number?” she asked.

He smiled. “Don’t worry about it.” He looked down at her drink. “Cucumber mule?”

“Gin and tonic.”

“Ah, that’s right,” he smiled. “You’re more of a gin girl, right minskatt?”

Her heart fluttered in her chest at those words. My treasure. My treasure. She’d told Kasha about it and Kasha almost teared up. “Don’t call me that.”

“Don’t call you that?”

“At least not here. Not in front of everybody.”

“So I can call you that when we’re alone?” he countered.

He was really dead set on making her heart fluttered out of her chest. “When are we ever alone?” she asked, looking around the room at the team that surrounded them.

“We can find time,” he said. “At least I will.”

“Aberdeeeeeeeeen!” she finally heard Kasha’s voice call out her name, tugging on the elbow of her blazer. “Aberdeen, you have to see how cute Bee’s cat Bruce is! Oh my God, he and Minerva can be best friends!” When Kasha noticed Aberdeen wasn’t moving, too busy staring at William still, she looked at him. He looked just as she remembered him from that night in June. Blonde hair, blue eyes. A total dreamboat. A total hottie. What she should have done is pat Aberdeen on the back for landing him. “Hi, I’m Kasha,” she extended her hand to shake his. “I’m Aberdeen’s roommate and best friend.”

“Nice to meet you Kasha,” he shook her hand, taking his eyes off Aberdeen momentarily. “So, roommates, huh?”

“Mhm,” Kasha looked at him knowingly.

“Here’s Bruce!” Bee intervened, bringing her phone up to Aberdeen’s face. “Kasha tells me you have a grey ragdoll? That is adorable.”

***

Kasha was too good a girl to break her promise to Evan, so over an hour into the party, she told Aberdeen he was here and she had to leave. They had spent the first half of their time talking to William, who wouldn’t leave Aberdeen’s side, and the second half talking to Bee, Aryne, and Alannah. But even when it was just the girls laughing and giggling, ordering drink after drink, whenever Aberdeen’s eyes left any of the women’s, she found William somewhere in the room staring at her.

As Kasha hugged Aberdeen goodbye, Kasha held her in place to whisper in her ear. “Okay, but listen. He’s so sweet. And he said he wants you, Aberdeen.” When she pulled away, her eyes flashed and she nodded slightly, signalling that William was probably coming back.

“Kasha, don’t leave.”

“Evan’s waiting.”

“Kasha, if he’s coming, please don’t leave.”

“Leaving so soon?” Aberdeen heard William’s voice asked as he saw the two girls hugging.

“My boyfriend is here to pick me up. I’m going to another party,” she informed him.

“Boyfriend? Auston’s gonna be heartbroken,” he smiled as he hugged her goodbye.

“Tell Auston there’s no way he’s getting near her,” Aberdeen said immediately, skeeving at the thought of Auston hooking up with Kasha. Kasha would never, but still. There was only one fuck up that was going to hook up with a Maple Leaf, and that was Aberdeen.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you sometime soon,” William said to Kasha as they let go of their hug. Kasha raised her eyebrows at Aberdeen when she heard William’s words before turning on her heels and walking through the door.

When Aberdeen turned around, she saw Kasperi and his girlfriend Saylor, dressed as what looked like the twins from The Shining, approaching her and William. For a guy who apparently wanted alone time with her, tonight or otherwise, it looked like William wasn’t going to get it. “You must be Aberdeen,” Saylor said, smiling at her. “I’m Saylor.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Aberdeen shook her hand politely, but smiled awkwardly.

Saylor grabbed her hand, leading her towards the bar. “We have so much to talk about.”

“We do?”

“Did you know my boyfriend and Will used to be roommates? Oh my God, it was a disaster.”

Saylor liked to talk. Aberdeen didn’t know whether to chalk it up to the fact that she was a bit drunk or that she just had a lot of information and gossip to tell, but she did about 95% of the talking throughout their “conversation”. Aberdeen would nod her head and laugh along at the stories Saylor would tell, but at the end of the day, they were just stories Kasperi told her of when he and Will lived together when they were like, nineteen. She wasn’t around then, and so these were just second-hand accounts.

It was 12:30 in the morning before Saylor stopped talking, and Aberdeen was finally able to realize she was tired and wanted to go home. Everybody was quick to take the group picture, and when they finished, she began saying goodbye to everybody. John and Aryne first, then Morgan and Bee, and then she saw that William was watching her give goodbye hugs and waves.

He made a beeline towards her, like if he didn’t get to her quick enough, she would disappear into thin air. “Are you leaving?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m exhausted. Listening to Saylor took a lot out of me.”

“Can I walk you home?” William asked, his tone hinting on the side of desperate.

“Unnecessary.”

“Why not?”

“It’s only a twenty minute walk away,” Aberdeen explained.

“Are you joking? All the more reason,” he defied her.

“Will.”

“It’s late at night, it’s dark, and there are drunk people everywhere from Halloween parties—”

“—William—”

“—Who knows if one of them will scare you or throw up on you or God knows what on the way home…I wouldn’t feel right knowing you’re out there walking alone and—”

“If I say yes will you shut up?”

William smiled. Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.”

They left the The Burroughes rather inconspicuously, beginning their walk along Queen Street. If it was any other night, of course, they would have looked ridiculous – Robert Plant and Batman walking along the street together – but tonight nobody even gave them a second look. William kept looking over at her, though. The only pair of eyes on her.

“So, you and Kasperi used to live together?” she asked, trying not to feel awkward with his eyes on her as they walked down the street.

“Yeah,” William nodded his head. “He’s actually one of my best friends because of it.”

“Does he know?”

“No,” he answered automatically, shaking his head. “The only person that knows is my brother. I told you I wouldn’t tell anybody on the team. I don’t break my promises.” He was so soft spoken that Aberdeen felt bad for insinuating she wanted him to shut up not even five minutes ago. “Do any of your friends know?”

“Well, Kasha knows. She is my roommate,” she said, suddenly nervous. “And I told my sister Siena.”

“Are you guys close?” he asked.

Aberdeen nodded. “Kasha’s one of my best friends but Siena is my sister and my best friend. She’s the person I’m closest with in the whole world,” Aberdeen explained. “I know I can tell her anything. And I mean anything.”

“Sounds like me and my brother,” William smiled slightly. “He’s the person I trust most in the world.”

“Yeah. That’s Siena for me too.”

There was a moment of silence between them before William spoke up again. “I mean what I say, you know. I’m not going to tell a soul.”

“I believe you, Will,” she said, well, because she did. When she really thought about it, he gave her no reason to think otherwise. If he wanted to be vindictive, he would have told the entire team already, maybe even spoke to Brendan about it. But he didn’t.

“Why do you call me Will?” he asked.

“That’s how you introduced yourself to me,” she said.

“But you hear everyone else calls me Willy.”

“So? You introduced yourself to me as Will.”

He smiled at her again. “I like it. I like it a lot.”

She blushed again. She wished they had taken the streetcar because she didn’t want keep blushing in front of him because of his cute, stupid, adorable, dumb one-liners that made her swoon and his cute, stupid, adorable, dumb smile that made her swoon even harder. “So your brother. What does he do?” she asked.

“He plays hockey too.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he giggled. He thought she would have googled him by now. “He plays for Chicago.”

“That’s pretty cool. And then? I remember Kasperi mentioning in Newfoundland there’s three others or something?”

“There’s three girls after us,” he explained, loving that she remembered that from all the way back in September. “And my older half-sister before me. So it’s Michelle, me, Alex, Jacqueline, Stephanie, and Daniella.”

“Oh my God, there’s six of you?” she asked. William nodded. “God bless your parents,” she said, causing him to giggle again.

There was another moment of silence. Aberdeen didn’t know if it was her or William that had slowed down the walking pace, but she noticed. She wasn’t going as fast as she usually did. God, it was probably him. He clearly wanted to spend time with her. He left his entire team to walk her home (in a Batman costume) and now he wanted to elongate the experience as much as possible, regardless of how ridiculous they looked. He wanted to spend time with her. He found time and got her alone, like he said he would.

“Has Ethan done anything else I should yell at him for?” William suddenly asked, taking Aberdeen away from her thoughts.

“No no, don’t worry about it,” she said, shaking her head. He’d made some comments here and there, but again, she wasn’t going to let William know about it. The most annoying was that he kept referring to her as Girl Friday instead of her name.

“I told Mike about it, thinking that he’d say something to Brendan,” he explained. “He decided not to. But I can go to him if you want.”

“It’s fine Will, don’t worry,” she continued to shake her head. The absolute last thing she wanted to do was cause a ruckus with an established member of staff. “I know I’m like, the rookie around the office, and he’s just trying to test me. I get it.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Will said strongly. “He still shouldn’t be doing that. Rookie or not.”

Aberdeen bit her lip. Clearly Will had a protective side that she hadn’t seen yet, and was only getting a small glimpse of now. “Did you get hazed when you joined the team?” she asked.

“If you count paying for an entire team’s meals and bar tab, then yeah. But that’s the extent of it nowadays. Harmless stuff,” he said. “Anything worse is just bullshit. Plus the media would pick up on it and it would become a shitshow.”

“Brendan tells me the media in Toronto is ridiculous,” she said.

“They are.”

He didn’t say anything else. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe something had happened to him in the past and that’s why he didn’t like them. She didn’t really read about what they said about the team – she left that to Brendan. When she got home from work, she didn’t really want to think about work. She never googled articles about the team or anything like that. She wanted to keep that portion of her life separate from the one she lived outside of work.

She changed the subject, bringing it back to hockey and playing with Alex as they continued their walk home. He was much more upbeat talking about his close relationships with his siblings, particularly Alex. The endearing smile on his face couldn’t be missed – he clearly loved his family. When she spoke about Siena and Camden, there was a similar endearing smile on her face, too – one that William wished would never fade. He heard about the shenanigans she and Siena would get into as young kids, and she even recounted the day she went to the hospital to see Camden for the first time. She and Siena had to end up sharing a room so the baby could get his own.

Sometimes, their hands would brush against each other’s, and William would feel a jolt of electricity surging through his body.

They stopped outside her condo building. His smile was still on his face, as was hers. Their walk was nice. Their talk was really nice. Aberdeen held her breath. She didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. She looked him in the eye, and suddenly, her word vomit got the best of her. “You don’t regret that night, do you?” she asked before she even thought about what she was saying, or its implications.

“God no,” William said in less than a millisecond. The notion was absurd to him. “No. Never. Why would you even ask that, minskatt?”

She couldn’t think for a moment because he said that name. Again. “I don’t know…I just…”

He purposely reached forward slightly to brush his fingers against hers, like he was going to hold her hand. He could hear the breath hitch in her throat. “Don’t ever think that again,” he told her.

Aberdeen didn’t say anything. She couldn’t say anything. All she could do was look into his eyes. She was doing that a lot lately, apparently.

Then he moved closer.

And closer.

And looked down at her lips.

And licked his.

And then he leaned forward.

“Will…” she whispered, moving back slightly. He looked her in the eye. “We can’t, Will.”

He bit his lip, sighing. “I’m sorry. I know. Fuck, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“You just…I can’t help myself sometimes when I’m around you,” he confessed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what you think it means,” he said, cocking his head to the side.

Aberdeen could only handle so much of William making her heart flutter in one night. She felt like she was going to develop heart palpitations if she stayed any longer. “I’m gonna go upstairs.”

“Aberdeen…” he said longingly.

“Goodnight,” she said, turning away from him.

“Aberdeeeeeeen…”

“Goodnight Willy,” she said as she looked at him over her shoulder, walking into her condo building.

William stood outside, watching until she disappeared down the hallway towards the elevators. He brought his fingers up to his lips, rubbing them gently as he chuckled to himself, turning on his heels as he walked down the street.

#william nylander #william nylander imagine #william nylander fic #william nylander fan fic #toronto maple leafs #toronto maple leafs imagine #toronto maple leafs fic #toronto maple leafs fan fic #nhl #nhl imagine #nhl fic #nhl fan fic #hockey #hockey imagine #hockey fic #hockey fan fic #the president wears prada series

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aewriting · 5 years ago

Link

So, I was innocently doing some Duolingo this morning when I started getting flooded with past-tense declarations of love. Which made me think of Malex, naturally. And this quick, cracky, fluffy little fic was born.

Words: 2187

Relationships: Brief Forlex, Endgame Malex

Warning for brief mention of homophobia, Duolingo frustration

***

“What the actual hell?”

“Alex?”

Alex looks up from his phone. Forrest is standing at his kitchen counter, frowning slightly at him. “Everything okay?”

Alex rubs tiredly at his face, puts his phone to the side. “Yeah, fine. It’s just… have you ever used Duolingo?”

Forrest snorts a little. “I mean, yeah, a little bit. Why?”

Alex shakes his head slightly, looks away. “It’s, it’s nothing. Stupid.” He pauses. “I’ve been brushing up on my Spanish. It used to be a lot better, but with being away all these years, not using it…” He shrugs. “Figured I’d download Duolingo, start working through it, you know?”

Forrest’s brow is furrowed. “Don’t you have a bunch of friends that speak Spanish, though? Liz, her cousin?” He smiles a little, then. “Kyle? The doctor?” He raises an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t mind watching you and Dr. Kyle speaking Spanish to each other, you know?”

Alex fixes him with a look. “Yeah, they all speak it, it’s just… I dunno, I want to have at least the basics down before I go to them for help. I feel like once I have a good base again, I’ll ask one of them to do some practice with me.” He shakes his head. “I don’t even know what I want to get out of this, just figured it’s better than, like, mindless scrolling, you know?”

Forrest cocks his head to the side. “Sure.” He’s opening the fridge. “Want anything in your coffee?”

Alex’s mouth twitches a little. This is… far from his first morning after, with Forrest. He’s taken his coffee black. Every time. And yet, every time, Forrest offers him sugar, cream. He can’t decide if he’s just trying to be a good host or if he really doesn’t remember. “I’m good, thanks,” he says politely.

“Okay,” Forrest says with a smile and a wink. He’s in a t-shirt and boxers, barefoot, as he brings the two steaming mugs over to the couch where Alex is sitting. Places Alex’s on the coffee table and sits down next to Alex. Close enough to touch.

“So what did Duo do to piss you off?” he asks, smirking.

Alex laughs a little, rolls his eyes.

“Come on, that’s not the face of a man who’s happy with an owl.”

Alex grabs for his mug, takes a sip. It’s good. They’re good, right? Like, Forrest is nice. And trying. “It’s just, I’m learning tenses now. And I can’t figure out why in the world they choose the verbs they do. Like at a beginning level, you know?”

Forrest is looking amused. “Can you give an example?”

Alex sighs. “Like… love. I swear I have had about five questions all in a row about love. Amor. Did… did you love me? Me amaste? Then, Sí, te amé. Um, mucho.” Alex swallows, suddenly a little uncomfortable. “Like, it’s just, just kind of bullshitty, you know? Like, who needs to say that right away, in Spanish?” He glances around him, holds up his mug. “Like, be useful! Teach me how to say ‘I finished my coffee,’ you know?”

Forrest is looking at him a little oddly, then looks away. Blows on his coffee to cool it. “I have to imagine that a decent percentage of people use an app like that to… I dunno, impress someone? Someone they like?”

Alex looks at him quizzically. “You think?” He shakes his head. “I dunno, I would think it would be more for work. Travel. Even just, like, keeping your brain sharp, you know?”

Forrest eyes him. “I learned German for a guy.”

Alex scoffs. “Of course you did.”

“I mean, it was for a guy and my research,” Forrest says playfully, nudging at Alex with his shoulder.

“Multitasking,” Alex says wryly.

“You know it,” Forrest says with a small smile, which disappears quickly. “You… you ever actually said it to someone?”

Alex looks at him, confused.

“In, in English, I mean,” Forrest clarifies, but Alex is still looking at him blankly. “Ever said I love you?” Forrest swallows, a little nervous. “I mean, this is not a pressure thing – these are early days, I know that. But… but I know you were pretty closed off, when we met. Just made me wonder if you ever had something serious? With someone?”

Alex’s jaw is tight as he responds. “I’ve never said I love you.”

***

“Oh, fuck you, Duo,” Alex mutters, clicking off the phone and putting it face down on the table.

“Who’s Duo?” Rosa asks, suddenly right in front of Alex’s booth. “And what did he do to you?”

Alex laughs at that. “It’s an app. Teaches you different languages. Makes it like a little game.”

Rosa quirks an eyebrow. “And what language are you learning, Alejandro?”

Alex chuckles. “Spanish.”

“Ahhh,” Rosa says, sliding next to him in the booth. “Por qué? Un hombre?” she asks suggestively.

“No!” Alex exclaims. “Why does everyone think that? No, I just wanted to try to get back some of the Spanish I lost over the years. I mean, I’m living in New Mexico now, and I’m embarrassed by how much I’ve forgotten.” Rosa’s just looking at him, eating one of his French fries. “Seriously, why does everyone think I’m doing this for a guy?”

“Um, because you and Forrest broke up, and now you’re back on the market?”

Alex’s mouth drops open. “How did you know that?”

“Small town,” Rosa says, popping another fry in her mouth. “I hear things.”

Alex shakes his head a little. “Well,” he says, eager to change the topic. “I think even Duo thinks I’m doing this for… certain reasons.”

Rosa’s face twists a little. “Okay, who the hell is Duo?”

Alex picks up the phone, unlocks it. Frowns as he looks at the screen.

“’The man has curly hair,’” Rosa reads, grabbing the phone from Alex. “Okay…” she says, giving Alex a sidelong glance.

Alex snatches the phone back from her. “Here,” he says shortly. “You just need to do a few, get them right, then…” He quickly presses some buttons, holds up the phone. “Here. This is Duo. He’s this little green owl, and he’s supposed to, like, encourage you, but sometimes if you go a few days without practicing he just ends up, like, harassing you.”

“Great work! Let’s make this a bit harder!’” Rosa reads with fake enthusiasm as she looks at the screen. “Harder, eh? That how you like it, Alejandro?”

“Rosa,” Alex warns, half-heartedly.

She grabs the phone again. “I wanna do one.”

“You speak Spanish already.”

“Oooh, matching!” she exclaims. “Montar… well that’s easy. To ride.” She sets the phone to the side, fixes Alex with a suggestive look. “Alejandro, seriously, what have you told Duo here?”

“Shut up.”

***

“What the hell?” Alex mutters, rereading the sentence. The screen is a little hard to see in the bright sun.

“Something wrong?” Michael asks, closer than Alex realized. “Besides your brake pads, that is.”

Alex sighs, pockets the phone. “Yeah, about those.”

“It’ll be about an hour still. Want to wait for it?”

Alex glances around the junkyard. No one’s here, the weather’s pleasant. “I’ll wait.”

“Okay,” Michael says, turning and making his way toward Alex’s car. A part of Alex hopes he’ll turn back around and… what? Visit? Shoot the shit? With a sigh, Alex takes the phone out again. “I’ve never had a cat that speaks,” he mutters. “Yo… nunca…he… tenido…”

“You should’ve brought this in earlier.”

Alex clicks off the phone again, rolls his eyes a bit. “Yes. Thank you, Michael.”

Michael raises his hands in faux surrender. “Hey, I’m just saying.” He sighs a little. “Glad you brought it in.” He looks like he’s about to turn around again, but instead he squints at Alex. At the phone. “Who you texting?”

Alex narrows his eyes, looks at Michael. Michael, who seems awkward, suddenly. Alex watches as he runs his hand through his curls, shrugs a little. “Nevermind, none of my – “

“It’s Duolingo,” Alex says.

Michael sticks out his lip a little, and Alex has to look away quickly. “That the app that teaches you different languages?”

“Yeah,” Alex says. “I’ve been trying to improve my Spanish.”

“Ahh,” Michael says, like he knows something Alex doesn’t. “Certainly can’t hurt. ‘Round these parts.”

“What?”

Michael shrugs. “You know. Lots of people here speak it. And you’re here for a while, right? Till you get out?” he says, slight edge of bitterness to his voice, the way there always is whenever Alex’s military service gets mentioned.

“This whole thing just started out of embarrassment, actually,” Alex says, and Michael looks at him, confused. “I knew way more Spanish back in school than I know now. Like, I remember the good stuff – curse words, things like that,” he says with a smile. “But it’s like my brain completely blocked out all the grammar rules.” He shrugs. “But sometimes they put together the most bizarre questions. Like this one,” he says, clicking on the phone and bringing up the half-finished item. “I’ve never had a cat that speaks.”

Michael barks out a laugh. “Who the fuck has?” he asks. Then grins. “Yo nunca he tenido un gato que habla.”

“What?” Alex laughs. “I didn’t know you knew Spanish!”

Michael shrugs. “I’m not, like, fluent, in it.”

“You were able to just translate some nonsense sentence off the top of your head,” Alex says skeptically.

“Okay,” Michael says. “I have a good memory, you know that. Picked up a lot when I was working at Foster Ranch, right out of high school. I definitely know how to tell you to fix a fence, ride a horse, that kind of thing.”

“Montar,” Alex murmurs, remembering his chat with Rosa.

Michael looks at him a little strangely. “Yeah.” He looks for a moment like he might say more, but doesn’t. Exhales loudly and gestures to the car. “Well, I better get back to it,” he says.

“Yeah, of course, don’t want to delay you or anything.”

“Yeah,” Michael says. Grins. “Just give a shout if you get stumped.”

***

(One month later. The Wild Pony.)

“Dúo surfea muy bien.”

“Duo surfs very well,” Michael translates. “Because of fucking course he does.”

“You seriously know a lot of Spanish. You’re not even looking at the screen.” Alex hits continue. Freezes. “I’ll just do this one,” he says hastily, pushing buttons.

“Too tough?”

Alex looks at the screen. Te quiero. “Yeah,” he says with a thin smile. “Too tough.”

***

(Two months later. Crashdown.)

“Podemos usar Internet en cualquier lugar.”

Michael’s eyes narrow. “We can use the Internet anywhere,” he translates. “Easy. Hit me again.”

“Okay,” Alex says, bringing up the next screen and reading the Spanish quickly. “Siempre te he amado.”

He looks at Michael questioningly… Michael, who looks stricken.

“Michael?” Alex asks, frowning.

Michael chuckles a little. “Um, I‘ve always loved you. That’s what it says, siempre te he amado.”

Alex looks down at the little word options at the bottom of the screen. Fuck. That’s definitely the answer, but he doesn’t punch it in. Not yet. Keeps looking at Michael. They… they’ve been dancing around each other, around this, for months. Years, really, if he’s being honest.

“Siempre te he amado,” he repeats quietly. Swallows. “It’s the truth,” he says finally.

“Es la verdad,” Michael mumbles, still looking away. “Next?”

Alex puts the phone down. “No, Michael. No. I mean… I mean, yes, I guess it is la verdad, like that’s the Spanish for it, but… but I was trying to, to say…”

Michael has gone very still now, is just looking at Alex. “What, Alex?” he breathes. “What were you trying to say?”

“I’ve always loved you, Michael. That… that’s the truth.”

“You, you being serious right now, Alex?”

Alex nods his head quickly. “Yes, Michael. This isn’t… isn’t Duolingo Spanish, right now. This is me. And you. God,” he says, feeling the flush creep across his face. “We have enough trouble just being straight with each other in English.”

A slow grin starts spreading across Michael’s face. “If you really think about it, we’ve never been straight with each other.”

And Alex can’t help his own smile, either. “Definitely not.”

“Not at all,” Michael says, sobering a bit.

“We’ve worked so hard,” Alex says softly. “At, at building something between us. Something new. Like, a real friendship.”

“That’s what you said you wanted,” Michael says, a little edge to his voice.

“That and more, Michael,” Alex says. “I want more. If, if you do, too.”

“I do,” Michael says, biting his lip. He looks down at their shared booth, looks back up. “I’ve always loved you, too, Alex. Still do.”

The phone emits a little ding, and Alex looks down.

It’s Duo. Waving.

“Perfect timing,” Michael says wryly. “What does that little fucker want?”

“Wants to tell us ‘Great work!’,” Alex reads. “’Let’s make this a bit harder!’” He laughs a little, at that, looks at Michael, and shrugs. “Ready if you are?” he says, a question in his voice.

Michael smiles at him, big and genuine. “Well if Duo says so, let’s give it a go.”

#my fic #duolingo made me do it #malex #forlex #rosa ortecho #roswell nm

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atlafan · 5 years ago

Text

Take it Slow - Part Seventy-One

a/n: okay this is my first shot at a harry:y/n fic, and it will be multiple parts. y/n had a bad experience with an ex over a year ago, and finally accepts her coworker and good friend Niall’s invitation to go on a blind date with his friend Harry.

Warnings: Fluff and smut.

Masterpost (all previous parts can be found in the masterpost)

“Harry!” You call for him from the bathroom. Saturday morning, the day of your house warming party. “Harry Edward Styles!”

He comes running in from the kitchen, almost slipping since he had socks on his feet. You were looking at yourself in the mirror.

“What? What is it?”

“You just haaaaad to fuck my neck up last night, right? You couldn’t have taken your fucking rings off?”

“I didn’t hear you complaining while I was doin’ it.” He says with a smirk.

“Couldn’t exactly talk, could I?”

“I never choke you hard enough that you can’t speak, come on.” He steps into the bathroom to look at the bruises on your neck. “Shit.”

“See!” You groan. “I wouldn’t care, but it’s too hot to wear a scarf, and you know, my entire fucking family is coming later. I can put some makeup on, but it’ll only help so much.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No…” You look at him. “Ugh, why do we have to be into such hard shit, why can’t we just like do it and be dainty?” Harry starts laughing.

“Wouldn’t be very satisfying would it?” He gives your bum a smack and leaves you in the bathroom.

You sigh heavily and go out to the kitchen where Harry was making banana pancakes. You sit up on the counter next to him. You were only wearing one of his white t-shirts and a pair of his black boxers.

“You should get dressed.” He says as he flips a pancake.

“Why’s that?”

“Because you look too sexy in my clothes and I’m gonna have to fuck you, and we just don’t have the time. We have to eat, get dressed, and then go to the store to pick up all the food we ordered for the party.” He looks you up and down. “So go change.”

“Harry…you’re standing there in a pair of boxers, and you’re telling me I need to change?”

“You have more self control than I do.” He flips another pancake.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” He gets all the pancakes onto a plate and turns the stove off.You hop off from the counter and stand in front of him.

“See, I really don’t think I do. I think you have way more self control than I do.” You start palming him through his boxers.

“We really don’t have time.”

“Oh honey, I only need five minutes.”

You kneel in front of him and tug his boxers down slightly. You don’t waste anytime licking up and down his shaft. He grips the handle on the oven when you wrap your lips around his tip and suckle on it. You grip his thighs and take him deeper down your throat.

“Ah!” He moans. “Y/N.”

You swallow and he bucks his hips forward. You bob up and down on him quickly. You groan against him and cradle his balls.

“Fuck!”

He comes in your mouth, and you take all of it. You swallow with him in your mouth, and suck on him still.”

“Please.” He breathes.

You come off him and stand up. You wipe the corners of your mouth and reach around him to grab a pancake, biting into it.

“Mm, so good Harry, you’re such a good cook.” His mouth hangs open. “Well don’t just stand there, we need to eat, get dressed, and then go pick up all the food.”

Buster was being such a good boy while you and Harry ran around getting everything together. People would start showing up in an hour or so. You were in the bathroom pressing concealer to your neck.

“Okay, how’s it look? I think with my hair down it should be fine.”

“I don’t think anyone will notice, especially since you look so cute.”

You were wearing a cute light blue sundress with small white polka dots. Harry was wearing a pair of pastel purple slacks with a white shirt tucked in. Top buttons undone so you could just see the top of his butterfly tattoo.

“God, you look handsome.”

“You don’t think I should button up a bit?”

“No the whole outfit works better this way. And your pearls look so nice with it too.”

You both walk out to the living room and wait for people to show up.

Niall and Sarah came over first so you’d have a buffer. The boys were talking about their upcoming trip while the two of you were outside on the balcony.

“I’m gonna say it, Harry looks really hot.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” You both giggle. “He had his glasses on earlier with the entire ensemble, and oh my god, he looked like a really sexy teacher or something.”

“What is it about a man in glasses? I love when Niall wears his.”

“Hey babe?” Harry says coming out to you both.

“Yeah?”

“Erica and her boyfriend just got here.”

“Oh! Okay.” You stand up and Sarah follows you in.

You greet the two of them and start showing them around. Buster follows close next to you. Your mom and Bridget show up next, followed by your Aunt and Uncle. Kyle, Lora, and Michael are the last of your family to show up. Mariah and Rachel, Louis and Eleanor, and a few other friends all show up around the same time.

Your great uncle, his wife, and your cousins all show up as well. It was definitely a packed house. You were having a great time showing everyone around, and grateful that Buster was being so well behaved.

Erica can’t help but keep squinting at your neck. She could tell you had makeup on, but she couldn’t really understand why you would need it on your neck. She comes over closer to you to join the conversation you were in, just so she could get a better look.

“I got it for him in Aruba, isn’t it beautiful.” You were showing Louis and Eleanor the sunflower ring you had gotten for Harry.

Erica’s eyebrows raise when she looks at Harry’s rings, and then your neck. She walks away and goes to talk with Kyle. Most of the people were in the living area and balcony. Many of the kids around were playing with Buster.

“Harry, could you grab me another seltzer from the fridge?” You ask him.

“Sure! Be right back.”

There weren’t any people in the kitchen, so Erica and Kyle follow Harry in. He jumps when he sees them behind him.

“Um, hey, you guys havin’ fun?”

“Yeah, it’s a great party.” She squints at him.

“Can, I get either of you anything? The coolers should be full of drinks, Y/N just wanted hers in here.”

“Harry, we need to ask you something.” Kyle says, stepping closer to him.

“Sure, anythin’.”

“Are you hurting our sister?” Erica asks.

“What?” He looks at the two of them in complete shock. “No, why would either of you think that?”

“She has makeup all over her neck, and the spots look like where your rings would be.”

“Listen, uh-“

You walk into the kitchen.

“Babe, what’s…what’s going on in here?” You walk over to the fridge and grab your seltzer. You crack it open and take a sip.

“They asked me if I’ve been hurtin’ you cause your sister saw the makeup on your neck.” Your cheeks heat up.

“Oh my god.” You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Are you two stupid? Why would we invite you all hear if he was abusing me?”

“I’ve read before that people who have been abused in the past tend to-“

“Erica, I’m gonna stop you right there.” Harry says. “I am not, and would never hurt your sister in any way.”

“Then why’s her neck look like that?” Kyle asks. You more your hair to over it more.

“Are you sure you wanna know the answer to that?” You ask with red cheeks.

“What possible other explanation could there be?” Erica asks.

“Harry, leave the room, I can’t tell them with you standing here.”

“Oh my god.” He says and leaves through the other door. You take a deep breath.

“Sometimes…when we’re intimate…Harry and I…lightly…choke each other.”

“What?!” They say in unison.

“It doesn’t happen all the time, just sometimes. And we do it to each other, he doesn’t always do it to me. It just sort of happened last night, and he forgot to take his rings off so it looks worse than it is. It doesn’t hurt, I promise.”

“Who are you?!” Erica asks. “You like that sort of thing?”

“It’s really not that weird, a lot of people do it.” Harry comes back in to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, this is such a weird conversation. I don’t think we need to explain what goes on between us. Like she said, no one’s gettin’ hurt.”

“It doesn’t trigger you?” She asks.

“No.” You look over at Kyle who looks like he’s trying not to laugh. You both burst out laughing.

“You know what, I don’t care what the fuck you two do.” Kyle says. “Just glad you’re not beating on my sister.” Kyle says and walks out of the kitchen.

“I’m gonna go see if anyone needs anything.” Harry says and leaves again.

“You know, you could’ve just asked me instead of confronting him.”

“I panicked! I feel like I don’t even know you sometimes.” She sighs.

“Erica, we’re two very different people. I’m sure there are things you do with your boyfriend…”

“How does that even come up? Like, hey babe let’s try choking each other.” You can’t help but giggle.

“It’s a heat of the moment type of thing. We talk through it, make sure the other is okay.”

“And you do it to him too?”

“Yup.”

“Jesus.”

“We like what we like, and that’s okay.” You put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t like it? Don’t have someone choke you.” She rolls her eyes at you and you both laugh.

Luckily, that was the only hitch in the party. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. There was plenty of food, and plenty to drink. Eventually your family starts to trickle out and it ends up just being the core eight of you. You were all sitting on the floor in a circle.

“Hey! Let’s play truth or dare or something.” Sarah suggests.

“Do we have a bottle to use?” Rachel asks.

“A bottle?” Louis asks.

“Yeah, it keeps it fair. Put it in the middle and spin it.”

“I’ll grab one of the empty wine bottles.” You say, getting up to grab one from the kitchen.

“We did this at kickbacks all the time in school.” Sarah explains. You come back with the bottle and place it in the middle.

“Everyone have a drink?” You ask. “Good, this game’s more fun when you’re drunk…sorry El.”

“No worries, totally don’t mind bein’ sober.”

“Okay everyone, let’s keep it lighthearted.” Rachel says. “Fun truths only. And we play a little differently. It’s not really a dare. If you choose not to answer the question, you have to take a sip of your drink, or a shot.”

“We do have a bottle of tequila.” Harry says. “Should I just get that and we can take turns swiggin’ from it?”

“Think that’s brilliant, mate.” Louis says. Harry gets up and gets the alcohol.

“Y/N, you spin first.” Mariah says.

You tip the bottle on its side and spin it, it lands on Rachel and you smile.

“Okay, Rach, tell the story of your first kiss.” She raises her middle finger to you.

“Fine. I was twelve, it was at summer camp, and it was with a boy named Joel. We both had braces and they got locked together, so we had to walk all the way to the medical tent like idiots, and wait for the nurse to try to figure out how to get us unstuck.” The group laughs.

“When was your first kiss with a girl?” Niall asks.

“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s not your turn yet.” She says with a smirk. She spins the bottle and it lands on Louis. “Hmmm.” She taps her chin to think of something. Harry leans over to her and whispers in her ear.

“Oi! No helpin’.”

Rachel giggles and Harry leans back to his spot.

“Louis, where is your most embarrassing tattoo located?”

Louis flips off Harry and takes a swig of the tequila. Louis spins the bottle and it lands on Sarah.

“Did you hook up with Niall the night you met?” Her jaw drops.

“That’s no secret, of course I did.” She looks at him. “Couldn’t resist.” She looks back at everyone else. “He was so charming, and such a good dancer.”

She spins the bottle and it lands on you.

“Alright, there’s a question I’ve been dying to ask since I got here.” She giggles. “What’s with all the makeup on your neck?”

You look at Harry, then the bottle of tequila. You grab it and take a swig. You were not having this conversation again. The group makes a noise and everyone laughs. You spin the bottle and it lands on Niall.

“Have you ever ripped your pants in public?”

“You suck.” He groans. “Yes, at last year’s work holiday party, I ripped my pants on the dance floor.” Everyone laughs. “I dropped it low and my pants split.” Harry bursts out laughing. “Least my pants didn’t rip so bad that my underwear ripped too and my dick popped out.” Harry shuts up immediately and Louis starts laughing.

“I’m sorry, what?” You ask.

“S’not my turn.”

Niall takes the bottle and points it towards Harry.

“Elaborate.”

“Cheatin’.”

“Tell the story.”

“Oh my god, we were havin’ a party, was it undergrad or grad?” He looks at Louis.

“I can’t fuckin’ remember.” He laughs.

“Right, well, I was wearin’ a tight pair of black jeans and I opted to go commando, don’t ask me why, so no my boxer’s didn’t rip. I think I squatted and my pants ripped open and everything just fell out.” He starts laughing. “It was pretty funny, I’m just glad we were at our own place so I could change.”

“Did everyone see?”

“Just Lou and Niall.” Harry takes the bottle and spins it. It lands on Mariah.

“Oh god.”

“Did you ever have sex in the office at Plant Geo?” She glares at him and takes a swig of the tequila.

“You’re evil.”

As the rounds go on, everyone, besides Eleanor, gets pretty drunk. The bottle lands on you again.

“Okay,” Rachel asks. “Talk about your first kiss.” You scrunch your nose.

“I was fourteen, and it was at the freshman/sophomore semi. I was nervous all night because it was also my first date. I asked him to go with me through a note.” You laugh. “It was during Stairway to Heaven, naturally. I remember we both looked each other, smiled, and Erica had told me before we left that I should never let a boy shove his tongue down my throat, so when I looked right before we made eye-contact and saw the tip of his tongue peak out, I made sure my lips were super tight. It was essentially a lip touch.” You laugh again. “And that was it, and we kept dancing.”

“That’s so cute!” Harry slurs.

“Can we just tell cute stories and take turns drinking the tequila?” Rachel asks.

“Oh, I think that’s a great idea.”

Everyone else tells the story of their first kiss, and then it gets to Harry.

“Took her out to this park, and we went behind a tree. It was pretty steamy.” Everyone laughs.

When it starts to get really late, everyone decides to call it a night. Louis and Eleanor were staying over with you guys.

“So.” You hiccup. “Everything you should need is in the bathroom. Help yourself to anything in the fridge if you get hungry, and we’ll see you in the morning. Oh, Buster shouldn’t bother you either, he usually stays in his bed all night.”

“Thanks again.” Eleanor says. “Goodnight.”

“Night, mate.” Harry says to Louis.

“Night.” He smiles.

The two of you go into your room. You wash your face and neck. The bruises were starting to fade. You get into bed with him, and kiss for a bit. He moves his leg between yours.

“Harry.” You whisper.

“What?”

“We have guests.”

“And?”

“We can’t.”

“C’mon, I’ve been dyin’ to get in there all day. They won’t hear anythin’.”

“I don’t like having to be quiet.”

“Y/N.” He whines.

“Okay fine, but we have to stay on our sides the bed won’t creak as much.”

You flip over so your back is against his chest. He slips in effortlessly.

“You’re such a little liar, you were already wet.” He says into your ear.

“You looked so sexy today, I’m sure I’ve been wet for a while.”

He starts to rock in and out of you, his hand rubbing your clit and his other on your breast, twisting your piercing. You gasp and bite down on your palm.

“You feel so fuckin’ good.” He says into your ear, and you feel tears prick at your eyes from the pleasure. “Always so tight and wet f’me.” You groan as he drive in deeper. “Ever been so wet for someone before?” You groan your response. “Use your words, babe.”

“No, never. Only, fuck, only you.”

You start panting and push back against him, you cup your mouth over your hand as you come and his release comes shortly after. You feel his breath on the back of your neck as his breathing slows back down.

The next morning Harry gets up to take Buster out. Louis was in the kitchen making himself a coffee.

“Hey mate, sleep well?” Harry asks coming back with Buster.

“Yeah, bed’s super comfy. El’s still sleepin’.”

“So is Y/N, she’s real tired.” Harry winks at him.

“You slept with her while we were in the next room?”

“Uh…yeah?”

“Must be nice.”

“You and El aren’t…”

“Not in a while. She’s felt…not so attractive now that her bump’s growing. Everything else is growin’ too so she just feels gross. I think she looks fantastic, but she’s super emotional from the hormones.”

“Aw man, that sucks. I’m sorry.”

“She rarely let’s me touch her. I’m hopin’ once she levels out a bit she’ll feel more up to it.”

“I thought pregnant women were like always horny.”

“So did I…” He laughs. “Maybe that’ll come in the third trimester.”

“I’ll prey for you.” He makes himself a cup of coffee. “There was like two weeks once where Y/N went without doin’ it and I thought I was going to explode.”

“Two weeks? Try two months and then talk to me.”

“Two months?!”

“Shhh, do you wanna wake them up?”

“Sorry, two months?”

“Yeah, I told yeh, she’s not feelin’ great. I’ve tried everything. She’s just starting to let me cuddle her again. I’m not pushin’ it.”

“I literally don’t know how I would survive.”

“How you’d survive what?” You say coming into the kitchen with your robe on and some pj’s underneath. “Morning, Lou.”

“Mornin’, love.” You smile at each other and you go to make yourself some coffee.

“Where’s my baby?”

“I’m-“

“There he is, good morning Buster.” You rub his tummy as your coffee brews. “So, what would you need to survive?”

“Nothin’.” Harry smiles at you and kisses the top of you head.

“Where’s El?”

“Sleepin’ still…she’s been really tired lately. I’m actually gonna bring her tea into her.” He walks out of the kitchen and back to the guest room.

“This is so nice for you two, three weekends in a row you get to hang out.”

“Yeah, it’s great. I’m glad they stayed with us.”

“Me too.” You yawn. You warp your arms around his waist. “You okay?”

“Yeah, perfectly fine.” He smiles.

Harry was not fine. He was suddenly terrified. He needed the camping’ trip stat. Two entire months of no contact? What if that happened to him and you when you get pregnant? Had he spent most of his adult life romanticizing the entire thing?

#take it slow #harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles x y/n #harry styles y/n #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff fic #harry styles smut fic #harry styles fic #sorry for posting so late fam

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