#redacted asmr fanfics

[aggro-my-beloved]

Prom? (Shaw Pack x Listeners Imagine)

note: I just made an A03 to post my works on as well, please feel free to follow and interact with my stuff there if that's more comfortable for you! (@aggro_my_beloved)--I also realize it's not prom season, but I never got to go to mine and am simply coping. TLDR: let me live :)

pairings: miloxdarlin' (non-canon), asherxarden (non-canon), davidxasher? (non-canon) davidxangel, miloxsweetheart, samxdarlin', asherxbabe

warning(s): mentions of childhood trauma, gambling addictions, alcohol addictions, sex addictions, an overall depiction of a horrible father.

summary: The pack reminisces about Dahlia High's prom night, and Marie may have overshared a little too much about hers.

word count: 2.2k

estimated read time: 10.5 mins

2010

Marie drew back to admire her son, donning a crooked cotton tie, his father’s black leather loafers scuffed to hell and loose on his feet, as well as a toothy smile. The improvisations of his wear are minor faults, hardly noticeable to the naked eye with thanks to his mother’s stitchwork. The three-piece suit tunic that once hung to his lower thighs, and pants that skirted the floor now fit him like he was born in it. 

“Look how handsome you are,” Marie clasped her hands and guided them to shield her face. It may hide her gummy smile but does little for her eyes prickling with tears. 

“Ma, please don’t cry.” Milo’s plea proved fruitless, as the interlocked fingers separated to wipe desperately at the dark circles beneath her eyes. Perhaps it was the endless nights the woman spent hunching over a sewing machine or the number of times Mrs. Chen, who owned the dry cleaner on 3rd, sent the old suit through the cycle. The stench of cigarette smoke was seemingly embedded into the fabric no matter what she tried. “Like bad tattoo, Miss Greer—it cannot be undone!” 

Milo didn’t mind the lingering smell, for he’s had years of training his nose not to curl in the backseat for fear of his dad’s scornful gaze clocking him in the rearview mirror. One particular coughing fit from his younger years resulted in the boy being sent to his room for being disrespectful—but he heard his father explaining to his mother amidst his tramping down the hall that the glaze over his eyes and reddening cheeks was “simply hay fever.” 

He hoped that, for the sake of his date, he could mask the smell with enough cologne to go somewhat undetected.

 

“You don’t think Dad will be upset about his clothes missing, do ya?” Milo’s nervous chuckle hangs in the air.

“When he waltzes in the door from this week’s business trip, I doubt he’ll be awake enough to notice.” Marie’s copious euphemisms for Colm and his dangerous compulsions did not go unnoticed by Milo at age seven. The ten years added to his belt only gave him time to decode them. Awake really means sober. Business trips are in reference to casinos, bars, or brothels—a very flexible term, to the boy’s surprise. He wants to applaud the front he’d seen through like glass since childhood.

 

“Besides,” her hand occupies itself with the navy tie, still askew, and aligns the windsor to perch evenly below his folded collar, “this is your night. You deserve to feel special, and so does this date of yours.”

 

Milo scoffs, fighting his eyes not to roll up to the popcorn ceiling. Facing his mother’s curiosity was no harder than the water stain from the upstairs neighbor’s dishwasher.

 

“How’d I know this would come up?” 

“Come on, I’m your mother. I deserve to know who my little boy’s become so smitten for.” 

“You’ll see them one day, ma. Patience is a virtue, after all.” It’s Marie’s turn to scoff and turn her cheek.

“Please, I only said that to get you to wait till Christmas for your Xbox.” She eyes the clock on the wall, reading six-thirty. 

“You said the gang would be here to pick you up by now, right?” Milo also cocks his head to see the time. 

“With Ash driving, they’ll be lucky to make it here alive.” His mother’s eyes are boring into his instantly, with furrowed brows and a frown to complement them. 

“What was that?” 

“Nothing.” Another nervous chuckle filled the space before it was cut off by a gasp. Milo’s hands pat around his jacket pockets, eyes flying around the room frantically. “Shit, I forgot-“

“No, you didn’t.” Marie shuffles to Milo’s desk, opening a lower compartment where she’d stowed away his boutonnière and his date’s corsage. “I figured this would be a spot you never check. You said their favorite color is—“

“Yes, yes oh this is perfect! Thank you, ma.” Milo leans forward to kiss her cheek and envelope her petite body into a hug. 

“Still don’t know this person’s name, don’t you think that’s kinda odd?” A series of knocks resound on the front door, cueing Milo to sigh and extend an offer he knew his mother couldn’t refuse. 

“Would you like to meet them, ma?” 

Marie raced him down the hall before he could finish his question. There’s an untimed beating in his chest that he can’t stop. Is it from the excitement of tonight, or who he’d be spending it with? 

“Hi there, I’m M-“ 

“Hey, Mrs. Greer.” The figure lowered their head to the ground and dug the toe of their shoe into the concrete outside. Their hair appeared silky to the touch, skin looking just as soft as it glistened in the setting sun. The jewel tone of their wear complemented their complexion—comparable to a god(dess), their aura was all beauty and grace. 

“Tank?!” Marie gasps. “Oh my gosh, please don’t tell Milo I called you that. He isn’t supposed to know I still eavesdrop on his conversations. You know what, let’s pretend this conversation never happened.” 

“What never happened?” Milo tried not to choke on the cologne he’d spritzed on himself before dashing to find his mother. 

Marie and Tank exchange a knowing look and suspicious smiles. They reply in unison, “Nothing.” 

He squints his eyes, emitting a skeptical hum. “Already keeping secrets from me, huh?” He folds his arms defensively. “I expect this from you, but you…” His finger wags back and forth from his date to his mother.

“Consider it a trust exercise, babe.” Tank steps inside fully to clutch Milo’s hand with a shy smile. 

“Babe,” Marie whispers, “so that means…you two?” 

“Oh c’mon Mrs. G, it was only a matter of time.” Blonde, spiked hair, and sunglasses peek around the corner of the door, and Asher’s dazzling smile introduces itself to the three. “Who knows, maybe there will come a day you realize what you’ve been looking for has been here that whole time.” He lifted the sunglasses to shoot Marie a wink. 

“Oh god, please ignore him. He’s on his third redbull and feeling extra bold.” Tank explains with a shake of her head. “Keep dreaming, Asher.” They add.

“And feel free to not wake up.” Milo chides, urging the two to giggle. “You look good, by the way.” He and Tank lock eyes.

“Thanks,” their eyes flicker up and down to take in their date. They add in a low voice, “You’re not so bad yourself.” 

“You don��t have a date, Asher?” Inquires Marie. Silence falls between the three teens before they’re all laughing wildly at the parent’s cluelessness. 

“What’s so funny? Asher’s…” The boy’s eyes grow big, awaiting Marie’s words of flattery and reassurance. His ego deflates when she starts over. “He could have a date if he wanted to.” 

“He does.” Milo squeaks through his laughter. “Well, in a way.” 

“If you can call it that.” A low, rough voice disrupted everyone’s laughter as David marched into the room. 

“David. Oh! Wait, you two…huh, strangely that makes more sense than I thought.” Marie hums, shrugging her shoulders.

“What?”

“Huh?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“I’m confused.”

Marie opens and closes her mouth, unsure of how to respond. “Wait, you two aren’t...?”

“I’m going with Arden. She and I agreed that if we couldn’t find dates by this weekend, we would go together.” 

“Pity date.” Tank coughs into their elbow. 

“Where is Arden? Is she hiding back there?” Marie cranes her neck for a better angle at the apartment’s threshold.

“Waiting in the car with Chrissy and Amanda. And it’s still a date.” Asher argues, sparing a glance towards his fellow pack member. “That’s more than big guy over here can say.” Asher juts a thumb toward David’s looming body in the back. 

“Awe, David, why aren’t you going with anybody?” Growing a few inches this past summer (in several places) along with enough facial hair for a 5 o’clock shadow promised David enough street cred for a few romantic ventures. His pack mates went as far as placing bets on which of their peers would win their friend over enough to accompany him to the dance but were all left in shock as he turned every choice of theirs down. Marie’s question didn’t faze David. He’d explained it a million times to his friends and father this past week. 

“Going stag. It’s just a personal choice.” The mom snorts at this.

“I remember when I went to my senior prom. It was the same night your father and I got together. Nobody had asked me, and he was planning to “go stag” as well. A couple of drinks of punch and one slow dance later, we were in the locker rooms just—“Four pairs of eyes were on Marie now, who realized she’d gotten too caught up in reminiscing. 

“Uh, forget about it. The end’s not that important.” She waves off with darkening cheeks and a sheepish smile.

“I think it’s kind of interesting. I bet the songs and outfits were so much different years ago.” Tank interjects with a smile. 

“Yeah, how long ago was your prom, Ma?” Adds Milo, who takes the opportunity to snake his arm around Tank’s waist. They sidle up closer to him as a result.

“How old are you?” 

_________________________________________

Present Day

“I can’t believe how long ago that was.” The four friends peer down at the photo of them gussied up and taken by Marie. Asher was still in his sunglasses and throwing up a "rock on" sign with his tongue out, David had his arms crossed and was rolling his eyes at the ridiculous pose. Tank and Milo stood back to back, finger guns held under their chins and against their chests with goofy smiles. Fourteen years of the developed picture left it with sun spots and wrinkled corners, but the memories of that night still felt new to each of them. 

“We look sick as hell!” Asher nods. “Well, except David. He just looked sick of us.” 

“Some things never change.” Angel pipes up, daring to bring a finger to the corner of their mate’s mouth and lift it. 

“I think it was just you that he was sick of, Ash. There’s only so much pop music this stick-in-the-mud can handle.” Tank points. 

“Hey, it wasn’t my idea to play Taylor Swift the whole car ride there! You’re pointing fingers at the wrong guy.” Asher raises his hands defensively. 

“Well, it wasn’t me either. Only Amanda and Arden listened to her.” 

“Didn’t Christian request the DJ to play Paper Rings at our wedding?” Babe tilts their head in wonder, breaking their concentration away from the photo. 

“I’d love to see you in that getup now, darlin’.” Sam chuckles against Tank’s ear.

“You’ll have to dig in my closet for it. I’m not even sure I still own that.” They laugh to themselves, suddenly nostalgic for their high school days. 

“I have a question: whatever happened between you two?” Sweetheart inquires, looking between the past couple. There wasn’t a trace of jealousy in their voice, their aura, just pure curiosity. 

“I think it was just a summer fling. By the time graduation came around, neither of us felt that mate connection with each other. So what was the point of pursuing it, you know?” Tank nods along to Milo’s brief explanation as if they were mentally checking off every word. 

“Ooh, ooh! Remember how good the punch was?” Ash interrupts. 

“I’m surprised you remember. You had half the bowl.” Says Milo. 

“So?” Asher replies. The three all choke back laughter. 

“The shit was practically jungle juice! I could taste seven different liquors from one sip. And I’m pretty sure David escorted you to the locker rooms 'cause you were about to hurl.” Tank says. 

“The locker rooms, huh? Did you two happen to share a dance…one of the slow variety?” Milo quirks an eyebrow. 

“...it’s a possibility,” David mumbles with a scowl. Everybody on the couch begins giggling mischievously. “Wasn’t my fault the little shit wouldn’t let me drive him home because Hey There Delilah started playing. Anyway, it was barely a slow dance, he was just leaning on me the whole time whining about how nauseous he felt.”

“Hope y’all left room for Jesus in that gym,” Babe smirks. 

“I think I also shared a slow dance with uh…Kathy Boone? No, Karly B–”

“Karly Brown! As in our classmate in the third period, Karly Brown? So, you technically went to prom with Karly Brown?” Tank leans forward on the loveseat occupied by them and Sam, who’s now invested in his mate’s eager tone. 

"Two slow dances with two different people? On the same night? You little slut!" Angel hisses teasingly. 

"I can't believe I got Karly Brown's sloppy seconds," Asher whines. I thought what we had was special, Davey!" The alpha chooses to ignore their pestering in favor of Tank's question. 

“In a way, I g-guess.” David shrugs. “Why?”

“You two owe me twenty bucks!” They declare. "Suck it!" 

[cyanbugremix]

Glasses - Stories of the Shaw Pack

Characters: Angel/David

CW: None; Fluff

Written in December 2023

Summary: David keeps getting headaches and Angel suggests he gets glasses

Can be found ✨here on Ao3✨, written by moi (cyan_bug37 on Ao3)

~~~~

Angel heard the growl from David’s office. Being curious they stopped putting the dishes away to go see what was wrong with their mate. They briskly walked as another series of annoyed muttering filled the house.

“Davey?” Angel knocked on the doorframe. “Are you okay?”

David swiveled his office chair around, rubbing his forehead. Angel came closer, wondering if he somehow hurt his head.

“I’m fine, Angel,” David grumbled.

“Why are you grumbling then?”

“My head hurts.”

Angel confusedly frowned, “Again?”

David got up from his chair, rubbing in between his eyebrows. He walked toward the kitchen.

Angel picked at their nails and followed. What could be causing these headaches? They come and go. . . and it seems it only really happens when he’s. . .

“I have an idea of what might be causing your headaches.”

“What?” David sighed as he opened a cabinet, still fixated on finding ibuprofen for his headache. He grabbed out a bottle and squinted to read it.

“You need glasses.”

There was a long silence as David paused. He moved again to open the bottle but still didn’t reply. He looked to see how many he needed to take, but the pain worsened and he scrunched up his eyes.

“Angel, can you tell me how many I can take?” Angel took the bottle out of his hands, and poured out the correct amount. David quickly swallowed them and put the bottle back.

“This is just proving the point,” Angel continued.

David scoffed. “I don’t need glasses.”

“Yet you can’t read what the pill bottle says, and you can’t look at your computer screen or notes without forming a headache.” Angel leaned back onto the counter.

David leveled his gaze with them, “It only has happened a few times.”

“This week,” Angel added. “And this happened last week, as well.”

David rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna go back to work.”

Angel dejectedly sighed at his response. While David was good at making sure he was healthy, he rarely accepted things that meant he wasn’t at his top performance. They followed him again.

“David.”

This caused him to freeze. They never called him that.

“Go see the eye-doctor. Please? For me?” Angel got close enough to put a hand on his arm. He scanned their face before nodding.

“Okay.”

- - -

The next week, David had set up an appointment with the optometrist. He didn’t want to believe that he needed glasses. He was as healthy as he could be. He made sure he exercised, ate the right food and vitamins, and he could still see things just fine. How could he need glasses? Would his mother have needed glasses? He didn’t remember his dad having any. He was a shifter, weren’t they supposed to have the best eyesight?

David made a note to try out shifting later to see if he still had good eyesight in that form.

His appointment came and went, and to his annoyance, he needed reading glasses. He picked out the frames at the end of the session, and was told they would send him his pair in the mail later that week.

Angel kept pestering about his appointment later that day. They immediately went out to find him in the kitchen, only taking a moment to take off their shoes at the entry, and asked what the doctor said. He had told them that they were right.

“I’m glad I could help,” They smiled. David counted the seconds, already knowing what his mate was going to ask next.

“What frames are you getting?”

David crossed his arms, “Not telling.”

“What?! But I suggested that you should go to the doctor in the first place,” Angel exclaimed, wrapping their arms around his middle. “Don’t I get to know what my stunning mate will look like?”

David’s face heated up at the sudden dramatic display. “It’ll be a surprise for you.”

“But I don’t like surprises.”

“You’ll have to like this one.”

Angel groaned into his chest. David chuckled and placed a kiss onto the top of their head. He held them for a moment longer before suggesting they start working on dinner.

The whole time, Angel kept getting distracted by imagining and guessing what frames he got. Were they rectangular? Circular? Both? Did he get a fun color? Probably not. Black? Golden? Silver?

“Can you at least tell me what vibe you give off when wearing them?” Angel wondered.

“Vibe?”

“Yeah! Like are you stoic, more than you already are? Does it make you look preppy? Do you look like a professor? Does it make you look like an old man?”

David laughed. “You’ll see. They’ll be here by the end of the week.”

- - -

Saturday came and Angel practically squealed when they grabbed the box out of the mailbox. They raced back inside.

“Oh Davey~” They sang. “Look what came in the mail!”

Angel went into his office, and brought it to his desk where David was sitting.

David pursed his lips as he opened the cardboard box. His eyes settled on the contents within. His glasses came in a boring, black case, with a free sample of cleaning solution. He opened up the case and took out the glasses.

He undid them carefully, as the unfamiliarity of the glasses made him wary of holding them. He looked over at Angel, who nodded encouragingly.

David placed them on his face. The rest of the world was blurry, but he could see his papers without feeling like his eyes were straining.

“Do they work well?” Angel quietly asked him.

“Of course, they work well. I went to the optometrist for them.”

Angel smiled, “No, I mean, do you like them?”

David turned to look at Angel, finding that their face was too blurry for his liking. “Yeah. What do you think of them?”

“I think you look handsome and intelligent,” Angel replied. David slid them down to the end of his nose, so he could see the rest of the world normally.

“Now you look like a hot college professor,” Angel laughed.

“You’re such a perv,” David commented. “Come here.”

David led their face down to his and gently kissed them.

Angel carded a hand through his hair before leaning to kiss his forehead. “I’m glad you won’t be having so many headaches anymore.”

David hummed in agreement, and turned to go back to his work. Angel began to walk away, but changed their mind.

Angel grabbed their phone out of their hoodie pocket.

“Hey, Davey? Look.”

David turned confused. Angel quickly took photos before giggling a “thank you” and running away.

David dragged a hand down his face thinking of all the trouble they could be causing. He gave a small smile before focusing on the spreadsheet again. Moments later, David’s phone started ringing. Asher. He swiped open the call.

“Nice glasses, big guy!”

He immediately hung up.

~~~~

As always, I have no ownership or rights to these characters, stories, or franchises. I write this to appreciate the content Redacted ASMR/audio makes. Anything I write is not official in their stories, other than using moments from the original story line. I make no profit from this.

Please don't steal.

[tommytomatoe]

imagine growing up, always feeling out of place, having this hole in your chest that you can’t fill so you do whatever to distract yourself from it. some of these distractions are impulsive, some are just plain stupid, but they always end up getting you in a lot of trouble with friends and family. you can’t voice your frustration with words, so you turn to violence because it’s a universal language. you speak with your fists and never your tongue and soon you find yourself surrounded by evil people because that's what you think you deserve. your friends call you tank. indestructible, a war machine, and you can’t blame them for seeing you this way because that’s the only way you know how to act. it’s all you’ve known. 

then he comes along, and while covered in blood with an anger in your eyes so palpable he could taste, he looks at you and calls you darlin’. it was sarcastic at first, but the way it made your heart feel was so foreign you thought it must be from the blood loss. the more you see him, and the more he sees you, to your surprise, he keeps calling you that, darlin’. all traces of sarcasm gone, it becomes sincere. you became his darlin’, and before you knew it, he became your mate. 

[aimedis]

STILL MAD AT ME, SWEETHEART? - MILO GREER/SWEETHEART

i said i'd write a fanfic from @stupd000 's post milo “you still mad at me?” greer sooo here it is. this is more of a drabble though 😭

(this one's for you @annahxredaxted 🫵)

cw - aftermath of an argument, snippet of the argument as well, tooth-rotting fluff, milo being milo

wc - 0.5k

Sweetheart rouses back to the waking world to the feeling of a hand cupping their cheek. Their eyes squeeze together before they flutter open slightly to see Milo standing in front of them.

"Sweetheart... hey," He whispers, an ever-present smile on his face.

They hum, closing their eyes again, "Good morning.."

Milo grins even wider, "Good morning. Sleep well?"

Sweetheart makes a noncommittal noise and they shift away from the edge of the bed, patting the pillow Milo would've been sleeping on had he not been on an overnight security gig.

Milo doesn't hesitate to slide into bed with his mate, having already changed into pyjamas. He doesn't move to hold onto them as he usually would, trying to tread carefully after last night's argument.

Milo sighs into the phone, "Listen to me, Sweetheart, it's literally not that big of a deal."

Sweetheart's voice comes in frustrated, "Yes it is, asshole. You always do this."

Milo scoffs, "No, it's not and I do not."

Sweetheart groans, "Yes it is. And you always say you don't."

"I do not!"

"You do! You don't have to cover for everyone all the time."

"Damn hypocrite. Seriously, do you hear yourself speak sometimes?"

They huff, "This isn't fucking about me, Milo. I'm just asking you to relax. This is the fifth time."

He raises an eyebrow, "And when I tell you to do the same thing, I'm in the wrong?"

"That's different-"

Milo laughs humorlessly, "It's fucking not, Sweetheart, and you know it. Stop acting high and mighty and go to sleep already," He raises his voice slightly against his better judgement, "You're being so difficult."

Sweetheart goes quiet for a moment on the other line.

Asher gives Milo a worried look, going to open his mouth when Milo waves him off.

"You're so damn annoying, Milo, you know that?" Sweetheart grumbles.

Milo sighs again, "Yeah, I know, you too. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

They breathe a hollow laugh, "I know. I don't wanna fight on the phone. Come home safely, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

However, Sweetheart reaches over to wrap their arms around him, their eyes still closed.

"You're so damn far.." They pout.

Milo hums, a smile still playing on his lips as he wraps his arms around their waist, "My bad, baby. You still mad at me?"

Sweetheart opens their eyes to look at their mate.

He looks beautiful, as he always does. The sun that filters through the curtains settles on his face and reflects off his eyes, making him look angelic. And his hair is messy from how he continuously runs his hands through it when he doesn't sleep enough. Even with the subtle bags under his eyes, he looks gorgeous. As much as Milo loves getting dressed up to the nines, Sweetheart has a special appreciation for a less put-together Milo. A Milo that's a little more comfortable breaking down and being vulnerable. A Milo that only they get to see.

"Furious..." they whisper even as they get lost in his eyes.

Still, Milo laughs, leaning forward to kiss their forehead, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Just keep your ass in bed," Sweetheart says as they snuggle closer to him, pressing their face into his chest.

"Ohhh yeah?" He smirks, "What are we gonna do in bed, huh-?"

"Go to sleep, Greer."

━━━━━━━━━━━━

blah blah milo sweetheart asher mention eyeroll eyeroll kiss innuendo sweetheart baby milo werewolf cuddles greer mwah mwah i love you sleep and post

[azzyangelfish]

Leather Jacket (Angel/David)

By: azzyangelfish

Description: Angel goes to put on their new leather jacket…at least they thought they grabbed their’s…

“Angel, you’re going to be freezing if you don’t put a jacket on.”

“But Davey it’s June it’s finneee.”

“Angel. Go put on a jacket please. Didn’t you get the leather jacket the other day so that we could ‘match’?” Davey asked with a slight grumble, trying to hide the fact that them buying a leather jacket so they could match him was actually really cute. Angel’s eyes lit up as their signature shit-eating grin appeared on their face. “If you wear yours I’ll wear the jacket!”

David sighed, performatively, feigning annoyance as he grabbed his leather jacket from its hook by the door. Angel dashed to the bedroom and rummaged through the closet to find their leather jacket.

Soon enough they found the jacket, and despite having only purchased it the other day, felt rather comfortable and didn’t have that same ‘new clothes’ feel. Regardless, Angel thrust their arms through the arm holes and the jacket fit like a glove. Running back to meet David in the foyer they still had their signature grin plastered on their face. Practically tackling David in a hug when they saw him.

“Ok now I’m wearing a jacket! Now can we go you grump?” They teased. David huffed, nose buried in their hair before pulling back.

“Hey, I’m jot a grump for wanting my mate to be warm you menace. But yes, we can go-“ David stopped midway through his sentence as he properly got a good look at his mate…more particularly what they were wearing. His eyes widened in confusion at first, and Angel cocked their head to the side curiously. “Hm? What’s wrong Davey?” They asked confused, their face no longer dawning their signature grin, now taking on a soft but concerned expression. David barely registered what they were saying as he had predator-like tunnel vision honed in on their jacket.

Or rather, Gabe’s jacket.

See Angel thought they had grabbed their new leather jacket from the closet. When in fact they had actually grabbed Gabe’s old leather jacket that was hanging out in the front of the closet.

David’s stare morphed from one of confusion to one of pure sadness. David rarely ever had puppy-dog eyes, but the old, stale scent of Gabe still lingering on the jacket, now mixed with his mate’s scent was enough for his eyes to go soft and wide. Angel met David’s stare with a soft but hesitant expression, finally catching a glimpse of themselves in foyer mirror.

They looked confused as the jacket they were wearing definitely wasn’t their’s and it looked identical to the one that David was wearing but it couldn’t be because he was wearing it so who’s…oh.

Oh no.

Angel looked up at David and blinked owlishly, “This…this isn’t my jacket is it?” They mumbled out and met David’s stare. The alpha shook his head stiffly while staring at his mate with wide, sad eyes. Angel stared back at David and the pair stared at each other in complete silence for several seconds.

Angel started to quietly slip the jacket off and hung it on the hook behind David. They put another jacket on and David blinked himself back to reality. He quietly pulled Angel into his arms, and held them for a moment. They hugged him back and the pair of mates just quietly held each other.

“I’m sorry David…” Angel mumbled quietly against David’s chest, prompting him to tilt their chin up with his finger. When they finally met his gaze, Angel saw that the eyes they were met with were soft and no longer filled with grief. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Angel, you didn’t make a mistake. You have nothing to apologize for.” David leaned down and softly kissed Angel. Angel smiled gently and held David’s body close against theirs.

They didn’t end up going on that walk, but in all honesty, it felt better to just hold each other. Gabe’s jacket nestled between the two of them as David explained the story behind each and every scuff and worn patch on the jacket.

@angelfiedyaz

[dominimoonbeam]

Anything

Another mugging fic!

David&Babe

tw: mugging, light angst, friendship developing, pack feels, pack dynamics

Anything

They hadn’t called him.

He’d gotten a call from the Department about an incident with one of his pack. He’d rolled his eyes at first and nodded, waiting for another report about some conflict Darlin or Chrissy had gotten into. It wasn’t that the others weren’t possibilities, it was just that Milo would have told him before the Department and Asher was out of town.

But then they dropped a name he’d never heard the Department mention to him before, not since he confirmed them being in his pack. His heart squeezed in his chest. Mugged? What the fuck did they mean mugged?

“Where are they?” He was already out the door, keys in hand.

“What?”

“Where?”

“Oh, um. It looks like they checked themself out of the hospital after making a statement to the unempowered authorities… It doesn’t look like they broke covert although the report does suggest the assailant was empowered…”

David felt sick, teeth too long and hand shaking around his keys. It was too much information at once, all tossed out carelessly by this desk clerk on the phone like none of it even mattered. Hospital. They had been taken to the hospital? What the fuck had happened? And who had mugged them? And why, in the hell, did this asshole think David gave any fucks about covert?

“How injured were they?” he interrupted. They’d been taken to a hospital, but they seem to have left on their own. David wanted to find comfort in that detail but he couldn’t, because he knew for a fact that Babe could and would push through pain and illness. They would sooner walk home with a broken leg than ask someone for help and risk being a burden.

Fuck! Now he was worried they were walking around on a broken leg.

“Um… It looks like they were treated for some cuts and scrapes. There’s a note about a possible concussion but the doctor didn’t seem overly worried.” And the empowered clerk on the phone didn’t sound worried either.

“Cuts?”

“And scrapes.”

David ground his teeth. “What makes you say the assailant was probably empowered?”

“Oh. There’s a note about them being bitten. They kept their story pretty vague though,” he sounded pleased and then huffed a smile. “The unempowered doctors gave them antibiotics in case of an infection.”

David hung up. He had to. If he didn’t, he would somehow kill this person through the phone. He immediately dialed another number, sliding into the driver’s seat of his truck. He put the phone on the dash and started the engine. It didn’t take Milo long to answer. “Boss?”

David hesitated just when he was about to speak. Babe was pack but they were human and they were so private.

“David?” Milo was louder, closer to his phone and focused with concern.

“I’m going to need your help, but I need you and Stealth to keep it quite.” It never even occurred to him to ask Milo to keep anything from his partner.

“There was an incident with Babe. I’m headed to their apartment now. I need you to find out everything you can from the department.” He took a turn and pulled into an alley beside their building, not caring if he was in a loading zone.

“Yeah. On it. Are they okay?”

“I don’t know,” he said without thinking and froze just as he was getting out of his truck.

He didn’t know.

His instincts raged, his wolf rolling under his skin. He didn’t know. A member of his pack—the most important person in the world to his best friend—and he had no idea.

“I’ll get back to you.” He hung up and used Asher’s spare key to get into the building. He couldn’t wait for the lift, taking the stairs two at a time. It wasn’t until he was in the hall that he knew something was wrong, something other than everything else wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it until he was at their apartment door.

He knocked, but already his stomach was twisting because his senses told him they weren’t there. Not only was their apartment empty, but their scent was so faint in the hallway that he knew they hadn’t been there in hours, probably not since they left for work that morning, definitely not with any cuts.

Cuts.

Bites.

His skin crawled and he wanted to growl and whine at the same time. He needed to see them. He needed to know how bad this was and do everything he could to fix it.

He scrolled his phone numbers and tried to call them. It went immediately to voicemail.

“Fuck,” he pushed the heel of his palm against his temple. Did they even have their phone? Where would they be?

He could have the pack find them. If they fanned out, they’d have them in no time. But then he would be making this moment, this day—their day—pack public. And he didn’t know yet if that was okay with them.

Asher hadn’t called him yet. Which meant, either they were on the phone with him right now, or he didn’t know yet.

David needed eyes on Babe. He needed to be able to tell Asher he was looking at them and that they were okay, or he would lose his mind.

He tried to think up places Babe would go on his way down the stairs.

Where would he go if he was unempowered and recently attacked by a vampire? They’d called it a mugging. Had the biter really robbed them? He flipped his keys against his palm but stopped one step toward his car. The hospital wasn’t far from here. Even on foot, even slowed by injury, they would have been there by now. So, if they didn’t go home, where did they go?

He called Angel to ask if Babe had come to their place. No. Angel had questions, but David promised to explain soon and they promised to call if they heard from Babe until then.

His phone rang almost as soon as he hung up.

Milo.

David answered.

“Are they okay?”

“I don’t know,” he ground out again. “They aren’t at their apartment.”

“What?”

David looked up and down the street. It was getting dark. “Was their phone stolen?”

“No. It was broken. They were on their way home from work, just got off the subway—”

David pivoted, looking in the direction of their stop.

“In their statement to the cops, they called their attacker a biter at first—said he cornered them before they could get out of the underground station and took their jacket and their bag. They didn’t have any money or cards on them so they must have left the hospital on foot. They can’t have gotten far.”

“Did they have their keys?” David started walking toward the subway station.

Milo was moving on his side too. “It didn’t sound like it.”

If David was in Babe’s shoes, he would just want to go home. He would want to be in his own space with the door locked. But if they didn’t have their keys, they couldn’t get home. They could, of course, call him. He had the spare. But he wasn’t sure they would even if they had their phone.

He descended the steps into the subway.

“I can start at the hospital and track them.”

“Are you at the hospital now?”

“I’m on my way.”

“Good.” David hung up just as the call would have cut out anyway. The air was colder underground, the lights yellow and the hallways echoing with the hum of a passing train. The afterwork crowd had thinned out and it wasn’t quite late enough for the party crowds.

He hopped the entrance and shivered when he inhaled their scent.

He wasn’t sure he’d be able to explain how relieved he felt when he saw them standing there on the platform. They looked awful. Their pants were dirty and their shirt bloodstained and torn. He’d never seen them even mussed let alone a complete mess before. One hand clutched at the bandage around their wrist, squeezing as they frowned and stared, seeming to scrutinize the tracks.

For one horrific second he thought they were going to jump. They kept cutting glances up and down the tracks and shifting their weight where they stood at the edge.

“Babe.”

They jumped and spun around too fast.

He closed the distance and caught their hands in both of his to tug them that one step forward, away from the edge.

They stared up at him, one eye blood-red where it should be white and their cheekbone bruised in dark purple clouds. Their jaw was scraped up like they’d landed on the ground, matching their scabbed palms in his hands. “What are you doing?” David asked, trying so hard to keep his voice low and soft—trying not to growl or yell because of the fear that had built in his chest from the moment he heard their name on that call.

“Oh,” they exhaled and their shoulders dropped. They looked down at themself and flushed. “Sorry. It’s been a bad night. I was mugged but it’s fine.”

They didn’t know he knew about that. “It doesn’t look fine.”

They turned toward the tracks again. “I kicked my keys when he went for them and they went down there… If he got my keys he could be at my place and if he didn’t, well, I need them.” Their voice was tinny, carefully logical but fragile in that desperation.

David nodded, still holding onto their hands and very gently drawing them another step away from the tracks. “I’ll look.”

Babe exhaled hard and shook their head, wincing at a pain in their body and stopping short in the gesture. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find them. You’ve probably got someplace to be.”

David stared at them. Was it shock or did they really think he was just passing by? He folded their hands inside of his. This was the first time he’d ever touched Babe. Pack was very physical but David had never been good at building those relationships. With other wolves, it was easier. It was simpler. With the non-shifters in the pack, it had always been so much harder. He knew now that he’d made a mistake when he thought that was okay—that he didn’t need to build on those bonds as well. Babe was looking at him like a work associate being nice to them on a rough day. It was polite but unexpected and certainly unnecessary. They expected nothing from him.

“I don’t have anywhere to be. I came here looking for you,” he said, their hand spasming in his.

They looked down at their joined hands for the first time, as if just now registering the contact. And then their eyes widened and their face shot up to seek his gaze again. Their words rushed out of them. “I didn’t break covert.”

It was a gut punch.

They pulled their hands out of his and took a step back, chin pressing high as they tried to stand taller. “I would have let you know after… After I got home. I just…” They looked over their shoulder at the tracks and their lost keys again, frowning.

David nodded. First problem first. He could do that.

He stepped around them and up to the edge of the platform, eyeing the shadows until he spotted the bundle of keys on a ring. He jumped down.

“Be careful!” Babe rushed to the edge.

David could hear the trains and knew exactly how long he had. He snagged the keys, pocketed them, and jumped back up onto the platform. He was just turning them toward the exit when Milo came down the steps, slowing and stopping at the sight of them.

“Hey,” he said to Babe, gaze flicking over the state of them.

David heard the way the other wolf’s pulse quickened, the edges of rage tucked behind his teeth.

Babe sighed, shoulders drooping as they started up the stairs. “I guess this is a thing now.”

Milo frowned and turned to follow them. “How was this not going to be?”

David shot him a warning look but Babe didn’t wither under the badgering tone. They sighed again, a little groan of annoyance now. They were slow on the steps but neither shifter was going to rush them.

“I mean, I figured I could go home and clean up before it had to be public knowledge that I got mugged. Asher is going to be—” They stopped and swung around.

Both shifters stopped, arms out to stabilize them if they were falling over.

“Does he know? He’s going to panic and think I died.”

David blinked at the rush of words. He shook his head. “Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first.” He really just wanted to see them—to be able to tell his best friend that they were in one piece and breathing.

Babe sagged in relief, nodding, almost slumping into the railing with the weight of it. “Good. Good. Just, let me clean up and I’ll video call him. That’ll be better.”

David wasn’t sure it would be, but he nodded.

Babe started the upward march again. David had never realized how many fucking steps their were until he watched this human drag themself up each one. He could swear he could hear Milo’s teeth grinding on the effort not to pick them up—the same as his.

“Do you know who it was?” David asked, trying to distract all of them while getting a little information.

“What?”

“The biter,” Milo helped.

Babe jerked a little, free hand flying to the bandage on their wrist. “I’m not going to turn am I?”

Milo laughed.

David groaned. “No. Asher really needs to take you to those classes…”

They exhaled tired relief. “Never saw him before. He cornered me and tossed me around. Bit my wrist and then laughed. He wanted my stuff, my phone, my keys, and my wallet.” They swallowed, looking up at the last stretch of steps.

David squeezed his fists until his fingers popped to resist scooping them up.

They continued to walk. “But my phone was busted from his initial attack and the keys I’d kicked. The next train was coming in. He took all my cards though and said…” Babe stopped then they reached the sidewalk atop the steps. They took a deep breath.

“Said what?” David asked.

They opened their eyes and looked at him, not seeming to know what he was talking about at first.

“What did the vampire say?”

A shudder rocked them when they remembered and it was like watching a person remember to be afraid. “Oh.”

“Babe?”

They looked up the street toward their building. “He said he’d see me later.”

Milo growled low in his chest and David felt relieved at the sound if only because it was the echo of the one he was holding back.

Babe looked at them both. “He didn’t mean it though, right? I mean, that’s just something someone would say to scare. There’s no reason for him to bother with me again.”

David frowned. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

Babe nodded like he was agreeing with them, relieved and started down the sidewalk.

David tipped his head toward Milo, who hadn’t moved a muscle. “Find him,” David growled. “Get Darlin to help you and hunt him down. I want him in pieces in a box by morning.”

Milo nodded once and was gone.

David joined Babe, close at their side but not quite touching, always ready to catch them or buffer anyone else out of their way. It was one of the longest walks of his life but they both sagged in relief when they reached their apartment door. For a second Babe thought they’d lost their keys again, until David pulled them from his pocket and unlocked the door.

“You don’t have to stay,” they said when they were inside.

He shut and locked the door. The lock was just for them. Nothing was getting past him.

Babe let out a little laugh. “I’m going to clean up, okay? I’ll call Ash after that. Just… Just wait, okay?”

David nodded and stayed in the living room when they headed down the hall to their bathroom.

He kept his senses focused on their breathing, hearing it even through the shut door and the spray of the shower. It took everything he had not to move when they started crying. They needed that moment alone and he wasn’t going to take it from them. He was going to pretend he hadn’t listened, even if he was, even if he had to just in case they passed out.

He texted Angel to let them know that he had found Babe, everything was okay, but he’d be over at Asher and Babe’s for a while.

-

Babe tried not to cry. Really they did. It was stupid. It wouldn’t help anything. Oh god but it had been such a bad night. They’d been so scared and then so embarrassed and now they were a mess and they’d have to call Asher and he’d feel terrible and the whole pack knew and it was going to be a big deal and how could they even convince anyone it wasn’t when their face looked like that!

They stripped down and bunched all their clothes into a tight ball, cramming them down into the trash and then tying off the plastic bag and throwing it into the corner. They felt like a mess. They felt out of control and like everyone was looking. It made their skin hurt.

They showered, trying not to wallow and take too long because they knew David would still be out there. Poor guy was stuck having to sit in their living room, thinking they were falling apart. If they could show him they were fine he’d probably feel okay to leave.

They cried some more in the shower, hoping to get the last of it out. They cleaned up, dressed in some soft sweats and a hoodie with long sleeves. Their palms throbbed, the scrapes deep and matching the ones on their jaw. It was going to look even worse tomorrow. And their eye… they could barely look at it, the white gone red.

When it was as good as it was going to get, they marched back down the hall to their living room. David wasn’t there. Their heart lurched but just as soon as they’d started to panic that they were all alone, they found him in the kitchen. He had the fridge open but had stopped to stare back at them. “I forgot that living with Ash, there’s never any leftovers.”

They exhaled, letting some of the strain in their chest go with that breath. “Yeah. I can make you—”

He shot them a look that was between outrage and shock. “I’ll make us something. What do you want?”

“Oh. You don’t have to.”

“French toast, right?”

Babe stared at him, the sleeves of Asher’s hoodie bunched up in their palms, pressing into those scrapes. “What?”

“When we do pack get togethers overnight and make waffles or pancakes in the morning… Ash always asks for French toast,” he said as he pulled the eggs and milk out and then found a loaf of bread. “He never used to ask for French toast. He has a whole thing about pancakes being superior to all other breakfast options. He started asking for French toast when you joined.”

Babe felt heat rush their face and something ease in their heart. They sank into one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter, nodding. “Yeah.” They loved French toast.

David nodded and then took out of phone and waved it over his shoulder. “Do you want to call or do you want me to?”

Tears stung their eyes. It was stupid. Everything was fine and they just needed to let Ash know that.

They held out their hand and David passed them the phone.

It wasn’t hard to find his number and it only rang a couple times before that voice they’d been missing so much picked up.

“Hey buddy. What’s up?” Asher sing-songed, thinking it was David calling.

He was on some trip to meet and get to know other packs on the continent, a gathering out in the wilderness to build relationships. Baby sighed.

The levity was gone from his voice. “Babe? What are you doing on David’s phone?”

How the hell were they supposed to say this? “Everything is okay. Everyone is okay. I just… My phone is broken.” True but not all of it. They closed their eyes. “I got mugged in the subway and my phone got broken. David had to walk me home.” Nope, not quite. “There was a police report and I had to go to the hospital, but I’m okay and I didn’t break covert or anything.”

The pause seemed long even if it was only seconds. “Oh Baabe,” he said so gently that their heart melted. “I’m so sorry. You’re sure you’re okay? That must have been so scary.”

They exhaled so much relief, dropping their head forward onto their folded arm on the counter. Thank god he hadn’t freaked out. They weren’t sure they could handle that right now. They just wanted normal. “It was but I’m okay.”

“You’re home now?”

They nodded and then remembered they had to actually say it. “Yeah.”

“You’re so fucking tough, Baabe. I’ll be there in the morning.”

They sat up, dragging a breath. “You don’t have to—”

“You know I’m coming home. Really, you’re giving me an excuse to do exactly what I want, which is to come back to you. So just hang tight, okay? Order delivery or something, sleep in, and I’ll be there when you wake up, okay?”

Babe hummed something close to a yes.

“David’s there?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I talk to him? I’ll be home soon, okay? I love you so much, Baabe.”

“I love you too,” they said and then held out the phone.

David took it and held it to his ear.

-

David turned back toward the eggs.

“Who?” There was no smile or light-heartedness to Asher’s voice now.

“Milo’s on it.”

“How bad is it?”

“Not bad.” He couldn’t give him details without Babe overhearing. “I’ll text you.”

“Broken bones?”

“No,” he was fast to answer that.

“Unempowered?”

“No.”

Asher growled.

“Milo’s on it,” David reminded. “I’ll have it for you when you get here.”

“David…” Asher started, human voice shuddering with the effort to stay in that form when probably his whole wolf was trying to shift out and run.

“Anything,” he said.

“Just… stay with them until I get there? They’re tough but…”

David nodded. He’d never intended to go anywhere. “We’re making French toast. We’ll be here when you get back to town.”

Asher grunted and hung up. It wasn’t like him to be short on words but David understood.

Babe had their head in their arms again. “You don’t have to stay,” they said as soon as he started cracking eggs. “I’m probably just going to sleep.”

“Great. Then I can pick what we’re watching.”

Babe lifted their head and looked at him before relenting with a nod. “Sure. You’re a good friend. Asher’s lucky to have you,” they said, voice quiet with the soft compliment.

It made his chest swell but his brow pinch. “You’re pack, Babe. Yes, you’re Asher’s mate, but you’re also pack.” He sighed. “You should have called me from the hospital, not because this was some sort of trouble you needed to report but because you needed help.”

“I didn’t.”

“You could have used help,” he reworded for them and felt the echo of his words in words spoken to him by Asher in the past. “You could have called any of us. You don’t have to call me if you don’t want to, but Milo or—”

“My phone was broken.”

“There are phones in the hospital. You know you could have called… and I know why you didn’t. But you don’t need to need us to call us. It’s okay to just want us to show up.”

They pressed their lips, thinking about it.

He cracked another egg. “And stop worrying about covert.”

They looked up. “But you worry about covert—”

“Yeah. It’s my job to worry about it on behalf of the pack. You don’t need to give a shit about it. When someone hurts you, all bets are off, and I will handle everything else.”

Babe blinked at him and then finally asked. “The vampire isn’t going to come back for me, is he?”

David huffed, looking for the cinnamon on the shelf. “No. You don’t ever need to worry about that.”

Babe sighed and nodded. “Thanks.”

“Any time.”

[us3rnam3-r3dact3d]

remembering again the full extent of what forever is

Ao3 | 3.6k Words | William's POV

TW: Blood and injury, angst, hurt no comfort, self deprication and hatred, intimidation and threats of harm/death.

“Solaire.” David Shaw’s voice was steady on the other end of the line, even as William heard the not so muffled sounds of rowdy wolves in the background. “This is a courtesy call. Doesn’t have to be anything more.”

"Alpha Shaw," William replied, "what can I do for you?"

“I just kicked the shit out of one of yours.”

_

Alexis makes another play for Sam after finding out he is leaving the House of Solaire. David intercepts. William cleans up his mess, fifteen years late.

William Solaire is not a kind man.

William had a cellphone, but he rarely ever used it. It was mostly for the purpose of reaching his few, non-clan contacts. His most common calls were to the Department, hour long affairs of waiting on hold, talking in circles, and nearly pulling his hair out trying to get even the simplest things done. 

So, when he heard the insistent buzz of his phone somewhere in his office while taking his morning (evening) coffee, he was surprised. Most people didn’t call him. He had clan members who vetted and handled most communication coming in to him, sorting out what was pointless, what could be handled by lower ranking members of the House, and what actually needed to go to him. There were only a few people who had his direct phone number. His progeny, both of whom were avoiding him. Samuel, who was avoiding him even more than Vincent and Alexis were.  Porter, who would only call if he were in a situation he truly couldn’t get himself out of, which was unlikely, seeing as he was in Skyside for a short vacation after the business at the Summit. 

He had fumbled with his coffee, opening every drawer in his desk before finally finding it under a stack of file folders on the bottom right. He huffed and answered the call just as it was about to be sent to voicemail. 

“Solaire.” David Shaw’s voice was steady on the other end of the line, even as William heard the not so muffled sounds of rowdy wolves in the background. Will didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of this particular outcome. Most likely because he and Shaw rarely if ever communicated directly. Their territory agreements were initially set in place by Shaw’s father, whom William had known professionally for many years before his death. It was out of respect for Gabriel Shaw that William made no move to encroach on Shaw territory after he died. It would have been too easy. Such a young alpha, so inexperienced, and riddled with grief. He had instead allowed David Shaw the time to grow into an alpha in his own right, subsisting off of more than just his father’s memory. It was a wise investment. The Shaws were a valuable ally to have, even if that allyship was becoming tenuous due to his actions at the summit. They were valuable, but fatally mortal. Shaw and his pack were not built to understand William’s thoughts and actions. He thought that a kindness of sorts. “This is a courtesy call. Doesn’t have to be anything more.” 

“Alpha Shaw.” William spoke to David Shaw with respect, just as he had his father, just as he did during their first meeting. Even that broken, snappy young man had always been called ‘Alpha’ in William’s presence. “What can I do for you?” He checked his watch, a beautiful, green faced thing that Vincent had bought for him. He had forgotten that. He blinked and refocused. It was nearing midnight. Too late for the Shaws to be incredibly active. 

“I just kicked the shit out of one of yours.” 

While they didn’t speak frequently, William had had his fair share of conversations with Shaw over the years. He had never heard him speak like this, or indeed sound so angry, so outraged. 

Will’s cold heart seized in his chest. 

“Samuel?” William breathed, but felt foolish as soon as the name left his lips. Shaw audibly scoffed. Of course not. For one thing, Samuel was no longer a member of his clan. For another, he was the mate of one of Shaw’s wolves. If he did anything to hurt his mate, William could see Shaw protecting his own over Samuel, but from what he knew about the man, Shaw wasn’t the punishment type. 

“No.” Shaw snapped. “Alexis.” 

“Ah.” William sighed. That pounding of fear and pain in his chest from an hour or so prior. Alexis got into trouble often, and his connection to her pain had distanced over the last fifty years. It certainly wasn’t as present as Vincent’s still was, as the echoes of his own progeny’s emotions were. Betrayal, sweet and cloying, still sat heavily in his throat. “That, I will admit, makes more sense.” 

“She’s drunk.” Shaw replied. “At least… Sam says she’s drunk. I don’t know how it works for vampires.” 

“It’s possible.” William confirmed. “She must have fed from another vampire.” 

“Yeah.” Shaw ground out. “She certainly did. She stepped foot on my territory. I’m entitled to defend it and my pack.” 

“Absolutely.” William said. He ran his hand over his face and fought not to sigh straight into the phone’s receiver. Stupid. She was now his only heir and she was encroaching on tenuous ally’s territory. She would be the death of him. 

“If you’d like to collect her, I’m looking right at her. Or I can hand her over to D.U.M.P..” 

“I’ll be there momentarily.” 

The Shaw den was well known to him. He had never been inside himself, but most of Dahlia was split between their two groups in terms of territory. The den was familiar to him as he was sure Wonder World was familiar to David. He carried a healthy level of suspicion and respect about the place, just like he did the people who inhabited it. Power respects power. Like calls to like. 

He knocked. It felt silly to knock. He entered every room with the certainty of his presence. He rarely had occasion to knock, but it would most likely be uncouth to appear inside of the den unannounced when they’d been attacked by someone bearing his blood mere hours earlier. Shaw’s Beta answered. He’d met the man once before, but was embarrassed to say that he couldn’t remember his name. The wolf grinned and stepped aside, ushering him in. 

“She’s healing already.” The Beta reported. “I’m sure she’ll be good by sunrise, given how much blood Sammy says she must have drunk.” 

It was uncomfortable to hear the endearment on the wolf’s lips. He shook off the instinct to demand respect for his Duke. Samuel wasn’t his Duke anymore. 

“I have no doubt that she’ll recover.” William smiled politely. The Beta had a casual air about him, but William could feel the raised hackles of every wolf they passed on the way to the Alpha’s office. It wasn’t an unusual sensation for William. He was, more often than not, the most powerful being in any room.

They rounded a corner to a small corridor of open offices, and Will spotted Samuel on a plush leather couch, bent over his knees and taking exaggerated breaths. His mate was sat next to him, blood dried over their mouth, rubbing small circles into Samuel’s back. 

Will moved before he even thought. He was knelt before Samuel in an instant, searching for his eyes. He heard the heart rate of every wolf in the room pick up. The Beta stilled and held out a hand. Everyone froze. The only sounds were the hammering of half a dozen hearts and the snarls and growls of Sam’s mate, startled into a defensive position by his sudden movement. 

William didn’t touch. He knew that this wolf’s claim to Samuel was more powerful, more sacred than any he’d ever had. Still, seeing him shake, struggle to breathe, made Will’s throat tight. 

“Samuel,” he said softly. Sam didn’t look up. He could see better from this vantage point. Samuel’s knuckles were bloody but long healed over. There was a mess of red on the side of his neck. 

Alexis had bitten him. 

William felt anger boil in his stomach like acid. He hadn’t felt like this in fifteen years, since the night he’d carried a shaking newborn from Alexis’s house. 

“Oh my boy,” he said softly. He looked up to Sam’s mate, who was swallowing growls and trying not to flash teeth. He could smell Alexis’s- his- blood on them. He shook his head. “I am so sorry. I will deal with her.” 

“You should have already dealt with her.” Samuel’s mate sneered. Sam stiffened. “She fucking bit him.” 

Will didn’t reply to the disrespect. He owed them this. He owed Samuel this moment. He wouldn’t let his damned pride take that from him. 

He stood, let his hand grace over Sam’s hair as his mate’s growls subsided. 

He knocked gently, unnaturally on the Alpha’s office door. 

Shaw was sat at his desk, his face and hair splattered with blood, inspecting his battered knuckles as he stared down Alexis. She was sat across from him in one of the plush, maroon chairs for visitors. William could almost convince himself that she was having a civil meeting, sitting politely with her back to him. As he stepped closer, though, he could see the strange tilt to her head, he could hear her ragged breathing. 

“Solaire.” Shaw nodded, his face grave. He indicated lazily towards Alexis. “She’s fucked up but she’ll live.” 

William rounded the chair and got a good look at Alexis. Most of the minor damage had healed, leaving behind smudges and splatters of blood and dirt where there were once cuts and scrapes. The worst of it, though, was still healing. Someone, most likely Samuel’s mate, had taken a bite out of her neck and shoulder. The meat of her shoulder was oozing blood down her front, staining her torn dress from blood red to black. Her throat was pried open like a clam, the pearl of her exposed trachea fluttering as it tried to maintain its structure. Her blackened eyes were hazy as they glared back at Shaw. Her arms twitched, her inch long, sharpened nails digging into the crushed velvet arm of the chair. Will imagined that, if she had the strength, she’d be biting for anything with a pulse, Shaw included. One of her hands jerked towards him as he came into her line of sight. He took it gently in his own. 

“Your kindness does not go unnoticed.” William replied to Shaw. “And it will not be forgotten. If I may, what exactly happened?” David nodded slowly and ran his fingers through his hair, which had begun to go stiff with blood. 

“Sam was attending a pack meeting.” He said after a moment. “That’s his right. His mate is a member of this pack, so he is too. Your progeny-“ he sneered as he looked at her, “-invited herself. My Beta and I met her at the door and barred her from stepping foot in our den. She was… unsteady. Sam asked for privacy and stepped out to take care of it. His mate followed. By the time I smelled blood she was already on the ground. It took three of us to get my wolf off of her.” 

Alexis coughed and squeezed his hand, her lips curling up in disgust or anger. William couldn’t keep his attention on her face for very long. He didn’t know if it was the echoes of her pain or his own that filled him up when he did. 

“I apologize for my clan’s intrusion on your territory.” 

“And-“ Shaw raised his hand, his face twisting, as though apologizing for the interruption. “-and the intrusion on my pack. Sam is the mate of one of my wolves. That makes him a full fledged member of this pack.” 

William’s brow furrowed. He was well acquainted with vampires’ sometimes antiquated ideas about shifters and other mortal empowered races. The idea that a vampire would lower themself so much as to identify as part of a pack above their own Clan of origin was shameful to many older beings like himself. He couldn’t help the shiver of prideful objection that tried to overtake him. It was his blood in Samuel’s veins. That part of him screamed to draw him back, to collect him away from harm, to have him and understand him and protect him in a way that Shaw never could in his last fifty-odd years on this earth. 

But that was the same instinct that screamed in Alexis to cross territory lines. That was the same instinct inside of her that turned Sam, even when he begged her not to. That possession before love, before respect, before care. That ugly part of her that William punished so readily came from him. 

So he swallowed it down like blood in his throat. Hot and bitter and unkind. Samuel did not belong to him.

“I want to be very clear to you, William.” Shaw continued, his voice teetering on the edge of control. William imagined that it was only the mutual respect the two of them had cultivated that kept Shaw from losing his grasp in decorum entirely at this point. “Sam is mine. He is a member of my pack. He belongs to his mate. And he belongs to me. She touched what is mine . Sam asked me to keep her alive, so I did. But if he had allowed it, I would have killed her, regardless of any allyship.”

“You openly admit your willingness to kill my progeny?” William asked. His voice was purposefully blank of anything that would give away his position on this issue. Shaw was treading on dangerous ground. Many kings had killed for less.

“Yes.” Shaw replied easily, as though he were unaware that that word alone could be the punctuation on his life. Shaw knew it. William could see it in those dark, steady eyes. “In order to make this next part stick in her brain.” Those dark eyes shifted to Alexis, who was struggling to sit up properly in her chair. Her neck was fluttering closed, healing slowly. “If you come onto my territory again, if you hurt a member of my pack, if you so much as look at Sam in a way that displeases me, I won’t take his wishes into consideration. He wants you left alive out of some sense of Maker loyalty? That’s fine. But I won’t let the opinions of a single pack member revoke my right to protect what is mine. Do that shit again, and you’ll meet your end between my teeth. Do you understand?” 

Alexis bared her bloody teeth, gasping down air and blood. 

“He’s mine.” She gasped, voice ragged and popping. “In a way he can never be yours. When you’re dead and gone, he and I will still be here. And when I’m ruling monarch of the House of Solaire, I’ll do what I please with him.” 

Silence rang through the room. William swore he could see Shaw’s teeth grow and sharpen in his mouth. Heat bubbled up in his own chest. Shame burned through him in a way it never had before. 

Will’s hand snaked to the back of Alexis’ neck, cradled her nape in a gentle hold. He had made the decision before she even finished talking. 

“Alexis will never have her invocation rights returned to her.” William said softly. Two sets of predator’s eyes snapped to him. “I will give my own ability to invoke her to Vincent.” 

“ Vincent ?” Alexis screached, jerking under his hand. He held fast, his nails digging into the tender flesh. 

“He is a closer ally to the Shaw pack than he is to me, now.” A rueful smile curled around his elongated fangs. “Should something happen to me and Alexis become monarch of the House, someone outside of her control will hold her invocation rights. Vincent is a kind man, and will not abuse that ability over her. And he loves Sam. More and better than I was ever capable of.” William cut his gaze to Shaw. “Is this satisfactory?” Shaw stared him down, unblinking, and unafraid of a trance or threat. It was rare for another empowered person to meet his eye. He supposed that was why he had always liked Shaw so much. He was unafraid of William’s power, but not ignorant of it. 

“That’s a big thing to give up.” Shaw sighed, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “I find it hard to believe that you would hand over any power, let alone something so… useful.” His lips curled around the word with disgust. Shaw was far from the first mortal to find invocations distasteful. Wolves. They so valued their freedom, their democracy. Short sighted, fast fading, mortal creatures. William had seen Shaw’s father pass through life in the blink of an eye. Shaw would do the same. Already, his brow was creased with premature worry lines. The quiet, twenty-year-old Beta had become the intimidating, thirty-year-old Alpha would become an old man would become a body in the ground. He aged, and he would die. He could not protect Sam, not in any meaningful way. In the long run, it would fall to William. This was the least he could do for Sam, who he had failed in so many ways, so many times. 

“I care for Sam more than I value this power.” He admitted softly. “And… I am more ashamed of my progeny’s actions than words can describe.” He folded his hand over his chest and bowed his head. William had not bowed to anyone in centuries, not since his Maker had forced him to. William knew with a frightful certainty when his Maker’s blood had adorned his body like a brand new, tailored suit that he would bow to no one ever again. And yet here he was, his head inclined, his back bending under the weight of his progeny’s actions, his actions. Shaw sucked in a breath as Alexis jerked. He knew how rare this was. “I beg the forgiveness of your pack and its Alpha.” Shaw bristled under the formality. 

“Yeah well…” he huffed. “Get her off of my land and keep her off.” 

“Happily.” 

Shaw left the office to move Samuel away before William and Alexis made their leave. Sam didn’t deserve to hear her screeching as she spat venom into Will’s face, into the face of his only ally left in this town. WillIan’s gaze froze her in her spot even as she craned to catch sight of Samuel through the door as Shaw left. The shadow of Shaw’s imposing figure blocked his pack from their view. 

“I think,” William said softly, his voice stilling Alexis’ frantic movements, “that it is time to reorder my Court.” 

Alexis finally fell into silence. She blinked up at him owlishly, her blackened eyes brimming with… something. Anger, perhaps. Or grief. 

“What?” She breathed. He brushed his knuckles against her throat and let what little magic he could externalize flow into her. His magic knew hers, had known hers for fifty years now, as well as it knew himself. It was his blood in her veins, afterall. Everything that she was he had been, he was. 

Her wounds closed over slowly. She winced at the sting of his magic, rarely ever used to heal. Samuel would have made easy work of those injuries. William wondered if someone had stopped him from healing her. He doubted that Sam would have let an injury lie unless under direct order from his mate or his Alpha. 

He was so good. And it was Alexis’s blood in him. It was William’s.  

“You do not want to rule a House.” He replied. “Not truly. You want power over those around you. And you want the freedom to do what you please. But you cannot have both. To carry power over others is to be tied to them, to belong to them. That is something you have never understood.” 

“Will-“

“It would be a kindness, I think,” he said, “to save you from the burden of the crown.” He bent to lift her up into his arms, cradled her head until it rested, limply, against his shoulder. She spasmed for a moment but eventually gave in to his hold. He was reminded of a night decades ago, holding a slight, bloody thing in his arms in the woods outside of his territory. She fought his every touch, his every kindness. He remembered, even then, even in the dying tilt of her, the hunger that rang through every bone. That was there before him, but it was so familiar she might have inherited it. Perhaps that was why he had turned her. Perhaps that was why he had allowed her to live after what she did to Samuel. Perhaps that was why she had remained on his court, in his line of succession. 

No more. William Solaire was not a kind man, least of all to himself. The parts of him that had bled for Alexis stopped here, in this room, in an unfamiliar office in the territory of the only ally he had left, an ally he might have strengthened or lost tonight. 

“You are my progeny.” He said softly, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head through her blood-matted hair. “I will care for you for the rest of your life.” He closed his eyes to his next words, let them wash over her unobserved. He owed her this, at least this. “But if you touch Samuel again, Shaw won’t have to kill you. I will do it myself.” 

He carried her home, tucked into his arms and weeping. He prayed that, come morning, his progeny would still be his, that the ache in his chest- her chest- would ease. He prayed that, one day, he would pay back all that he owed. 

For all of his riches, he doubted he would ever wrap his hands around enough. That, William thought, had always been his problem.

[sheawritesstuff]

Meeting the Alpha

[Gabriel Shaw and David x Angel]

[Meet the parents Fluff - 1391 words]

[Little bit of a twist ending ;p enjoy]

“Alright, Angel. How are you feeling? You ready?” David asked, putting the car in park. Angel fidgeted nervously in their seat and stared out the window. Their attention darted rapidly between the big, rustic house in front of them and their own shaking hands. 

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Their voice was uncharacteristically quiet and almost shaky. “What if I fuck it up? Davey I- “ David cut them off with a gentle grip of their hand. They finally turned to look at him, mouth tugged down in a frown. He held their hand firmly and took a dramatically slow, deep breath. They followed suit, filling their lungs with air and breathing out their worry. 

“He’s going to love you, Angel. I promise,” David said, soft and genuine. “It’s going to be ok, it’s just my dad.” Angel nodded, still breathing deeply. They squeezed their boyfriend’s hand and forced a smile. 

“I think I’m ready now.” They said it more to themself than to him. David kissed them once before the two of them hefted themselves up and out of the car. The wolf came to their side and looped their arms together, keeping them nice and close. They walked together to the front door, waited a moment for a few more deep breaths, and David knocked firmly on the thick wooden door. 

A moment later the door opened, revealing the man of the hour. If Angel thought David was big, Gabe was gigantic. He was at least three inches taller and almost as wide as his son, but not quite as muscular. Angel stared up at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly.

“Well hey! You must be the little Angel I’ve heard so much about,” Gabe declared. He spread his arms, a bright smile plastered across his face, then paused. “Wait, can I- do… do you do hugs?” He pulled his arms back toward his body awkwardly as he questioned the forwardness of his action. 

Angel giggled at him and opened their arms too. They nestled against his chest in a firm, familiar hug. They both sighed, relaxing in their shared embrace as the mutual nervousness faded. They pulled away and found David standing off to the side, arms folded across his chest. 

“Aw, Davey, are you feeling left out? C’mere baby,” Angel teased, approaching him arms first. David groaned, but hugged them back, running his hand over their back. Gabe took the opportunity to ruffle David’s hair, wasting the agonizing half-hour he put into perfecting it. The beta scrunched his eyebrows together and huffed at his father. 

“I did not come here to be ambushed,” he complained, pushing his mate away from him. He turned back toward the door, quickly trying to tidy up his hair. “Are you gonna let us in or not, old man?” David’s grin gave away the fact his dismay was all for show. Gabe rolled his eyes, still smiling wide. He motioned toward the door with both arms and bowed slightly. 

“After you, Davey,” Gabe remarked, stepping inside behind them and closing the door. David mirrored his elder and rolled his eyes. The trio entered the front room of the house together. Angel openly gawked at the gorgeous childhood home of their lover. 

“Dinner is on the table if you two are ready.” 

The dining table was huge, stretching about as far as one end of Angel’s apartment to the other. It was bare, though, save for three neatly arranged placemats on one end with a variety of dishes scattered around them. David led his mate to their seat and pulled the chair out for them. He sat across from them, leaving the head of the table empty for the alpha. 

“Wow.” Angel stared at the feast in front of them. “It looks amazing, Gabe.” 

“It’s crazy, huh. Some people cook and eat actual food,” David joked as he scooped a spoonful of potatoes onto his plate. Gabe half-heartedly swatted at the back of his son’s head. 

“Be nice. You weren’t always the healthiest eater either, y’know.” The older wolf turned to Angel with a smile. “You would not believe how hard it was to convince this boy to eat his vegetables. When he was still a tiny little thing he-”  David covered his face with his hands and groaned. The tips of his ears were bright red as he listened to the retelling of his childhood stubbornness. 

“-and he wouldn’t even look at anything green unless I bribed him with some sort of treat until he was damn near 15,” Gabe laughed and glanced toward the man sitting next to him. David still had his head bowed down in embarrassment, but he had uncovered in face in the interest of actually eating his dinner. “Your mama would be so proud of you,” Gabe said softly. 

David perked his head up and stared at his father, surprise clear on his face. Gabe smiled at him and patted his shoulder with a nod. He turned back to Angel with the same kind grin. “She would love you too, Angel. You’re sweet like she was. I think you two would’ve gotten along well.” His voice was quiet and filled with a fond nostalgia. “You picked well, David.

David stopped eating for a moment, just pushing the food around on his plate as he searched for the right words. He looked across the table and met his partner’s eyes for a moment. He smiled back at them and sighed. 

“Yeah, I did, didn’t I.” 

The rest of the evening was filled with good food, laughter, and a plethora of embarrassing childhood stories. As the couple finished their food, Gabe stood to take their plates to the kitchen. Angel peered across the table with a smile painted on their face. 

“I think he likes me,” they sighed. David laughed and pushed himself up from the table. He came around to the other side and draped himself over the top of their chair. A kiss to the top of the head accompanied a soft squeeze to their shoulders. 

“He loves you, Angel. Just like I said he would.” He tilted their head up and kissed their forehead. “But I’m afraid if we don’t leave soon he’ll end up liking you more than me. And we can’t have that, can we?” They giggled and shook their head. He pulled their chair out to give them room to stand as Gabe reentered the dining room. 

“You two heading out?” David nodded and replaced the chair.

“It was really great getting to meet you, Gabe,” Angel piped up. Gabe smiled down at them. His smile had been almost permanently painted on his face since they arrived, but it never seemed any less genuine. 

“It was lovely meeting you too, Angel. Don’t be a stranger, ok?” He leaned down to hug them again and they happily returned it. He patted them on the back as he pulled away. David hugged him too, but it lingered a little longer as he reveled in the moment. 

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, David. Drive safe, alright?” David nodded as he turned to open the door. 

“Always.”

Gabe stood on the porch as he watched them get back into their car. Angel let out a long, low sigh as they sat down. David turned the key with a hum and turned to face his mate. They smiled at him before waving out the window as they pulled out of the driveway. They leaned across the seat to plant a quick kiss to David’s cheek-

The feeling of gentle kisses scattered across David’s face pulled him back to reality. His eyes opened just enough to peer up at his mate on top of him, waking him up “the romantic way”. He smiled softly as the warmth of sleep ebbed away. Angel kissed the tip of his nose and pulled away just enough to make proper eye contact. 

“Good morning, Davey,” they said, voice still hoarse from sleep. “Did you have a good dream?” David tucked their hair behind their ear and smiled as his core thrummed solid in his chest. He stared up at them, admiring the beauty before him for a long, silent moment. 

“Yes, I did.” He pressed a soft kiss to their lips. “I had a very good dream, Angel.” 

[gremlin-writes-angst]

I love hate reading my own angst and being like

"Who would write such evil things"

Me, I would

[venuslove-28]

he's a tease sorry

[copsecore]

LITERALLY A FUCKING TRAVESTY

[aggro-my-beloved]

David and Darlin’ are the type to take walks during pack solstice parties and talk shit about other attendees like siblings and cousins do at thanksgiving. Passing a cigarette back and forth, possibly sneaking a bottle of something on the way out of the door. Sam and Angel have since been invited to these secret outings due to mate/in-law association, and encourage them to spill tea with the ingredients no more than a block away.

and that’s how you headcanon people.

[cyanbugremix]

Sick Vampire - Stories of the Shaw Pack

Characters: Darlin'(Tank)/Sam, Vincent, Marie

CW: None; Fluff

Written August 2023

Summary: Sam gets sick and Darlin' is there to take care of him.

Can be found ✨here on Ao3✨, written by moi (cyan_bug37 on Ao3)

~~~~

Sam rarely got sick. Honestly it was a surprise that vampires could even get sick at all. Yet here he was, his head muddy and heavy, his nose making it hard to breathe, and standing up made him dizzy. One of his occasional coughs would ring out in the silent home. He had felt this way for awhile, but he honestly couldn’t remember what day it was.

“Google doesn’t say anything about vampires getting sick,” Darlin’ walked in with a warmed up mug. “Maybe we should call Vincent?”

Sam leaned forehead into his hands, his head too heavy to keep looking up. Darlin’s warm hands settled onto the nape of his neck, and stroked all the way down to his shoulders. Darlin’ was starting to get worried, as this was the third day Sam didn’t seem to be getting any better. They couldn’t tell if he had a fever, his temperature was not accurately reading on the thermometer, and honestly, Darlin’ couldn’t tell if his temperature actually changed.

“Sure,” Sam slurred, the effort of talking felt too difficult to do.

Darlin’ grabbed his hands and carefully placed the mug in them. His hands were shaking. Luckily they had put a straw in there, seeing as lifting the mug was a great effort. Sam took a sip of the drink and closed his eyes.

“I’m gonna be back in a second,” Darlin’ kissed his temple. “Just keep drinking the tea.”

Darlin’ slowly got up and grabbed their phone from the kitchen. Clicking on Vincent’s contact they held the phone up to their ear.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Vincent. This is Tank. Uh, Sam is sick. He’s not doing too hot, and I– I don’t know what to do? I figured I would call you before I tried calling a healer in my pack. Do vampires get sick?”

“Woah. Okay. How sick is he?”

Darlin’ bit their lip before responding, “He’s gotten worse from the first day. He can barely stand up without possibly fainting. And he seems to have a headache and he keeps talking to a minimum. He doesn’t seem very hungry either, I mean, vampires don’t eat much in general, but his appetite is unusual.”

“How long has he been like this?”

“Three days,” Darlin’ replied.

“I remember William saying that vampires can get sick sometimes if they drink bad blood–”

“He could be poisoned?!” Darlin’ panicked.

“Nononono. Not– no. It’s more like picking up a bug from school when you were a kid. Bad blood is a terrible term for this– He’ll be fine. Considering that I haven’t ever seen Sam sick before, this could be his first time exposed to the bug. I got sick like that once. You just have to wait it out.”

Darlin’ exhaled.

“I would suggest the usual when someone is sick, to just let them rest. I’d also call your healer if you want to double check. Make sure he gets something to drink from in a few days, if he’s still sick.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll text you if William suggests anything else. Don’t worry. He’ll be fine,” Vincent replied.

“I appreciate it, Vincent,” Darlin’ said.

“No problem! I hope he feels better soon!” Vincent said his farewell.

Darlin’ decided to call Marie next. Even though they didn’t know if Marie knew how to cure vampires, it still wouldn’t hurt. “Hi, Marie,” Darlin’ said as soon as they heard the phone pick up.

“Hi kiddo, what’s wrong?”

“Sam is sick,” Darlin began, and then proceeded to list off his symptoms that they told Vincent. “Do you know anything to help him feel better?”

“It's quite interesting that a vampire can get sick. I can’t say that I know anything about it though. I never really dealt with vampires much. I could come over today and see if I can do anything about it,” Marie suggested.

“That would be good. Thank you,” Darlin’ agreed.

“Sounds good. I’ll come by this afternoon.”

With that, the calls were done, and Darlin’ took a deep breath.

Then Sam called their name. Darlin’ quickly walked back into the living room. Sam had sat the mug down on the coffee table and was resting on his hand.

“Hey, how are you feeling,” Darlin’ brushed the hair out of his face. They sat down next to him, still with a hand on his forehead.

“Stop. . checkin’. . . for a fev’r, Darlin’,” Sam said, leaning down to place his head on his mate’s shoulder.

“I don’t think you can tell me what to do. You’re the sick one, who can barely even sit up,” Darlin’ retorted. Sam grumbled but stayed flopped over onto his mate.

“M’head hurts,” Sam then said.

“I know, baby,” Darlin’ stroked his hair. “I know.”

Sam harshly inhaled. “M’sorry.”

Darlin’ frowned, “For what?”

“Bein’ sick. I’m supposed to be takin’ care of you.”

Darlin’ couldn’t help but smile. “You’re my mate. I take care of you when you need it. Just like you take care of me, whether I’m upset, or sick, or bleeding out, or even all at once. I'd do the same for you, because I love you.”

They wrapped their arms around Sam, gently rubbing circles on his back. They stayed like that, while Sam heavily breathed and sniffed a couple times. He mumbled a thank you at some point.

“I called Marie,” Darlin’ quietly said. “She’s gonna come over and check you out this afternoon.”

Sam tapped his fingers twice on Darlin’. Ok.

“You should sleep,” Darlin’ added. They patted his back and he moved to lay back down. Except he dragged Darlin’ down onto him as well. “Sam. You have to let me go.”

“No. . . lay with me,” Sam peeked an eye open. Darlin’ looked into his red eyes and noted the dark circles under them.

“Ok.” They laid their head back down and lifted their legs up to lay between Sam’s. “This alright?”

Sam hummed, “Yes.”

Really they should be working on lunch, or dinner. They didn’t really like cooking, but they knew that home made foods were good for fighting colds, and it also gave them incentive to eat, which pleased Sam. Yet they also hadn’t slept with him in awhile, preferring to take naps in the nearby arm chair and then getting up again to make sure he was okay before worrying about taking care of him again. It was nice to finally be in his arms.

"Y'take such good care of me," Sam mumbled. His grip barely tightened around Darlin'.

Between Sam’s sighs and breathing— no matter how harsh they sounded— and the lack of sleep they accumulated, Darlin’ closed their eyes, sleep eventually taking over them as they comfortably laid in their lover’s arms.

~~~~

As always, I have no ownership or rights to these characters, stories, or franchises. I write this to appreciate the content Redacted ASMR/audio makes. Anything I write is not official in their stories, other than using moments from the original story line. I make no profit from this.

Please don't steal.

[tumbletaker]

Guy: You’re cute when you’re angry. Honey: Then I’m about to get really, fucking adorable.

[definitelynuwonhere]

“My Angel”

Wanted to get back into writing, so I’m pushing through writer drought. I wanted to explore the “origins” of how Angel got their pet name (well, main pet name)

I couldn’t get it to work with a scene between Angel and David though, so I tried a different path

Enjoy the sweet brotherly moment 👍

———

Asher can’t believe how many times he’d seen David smile these past few months.

Snickering at his phone? Humming while he cooked? Chuckling at his jokes instead of his usual grunt and eye roll!? Who is this man?!

He knew it was because he was seeing someone, but David’s been out with people before, but there was something about this one that just, reignited something in him.

And for the first time since Gabe died, it felt like the David he’d known since they were kids, was back.

David sat across him, chuckling away at his screen, the subtle glint in his eye and smirk that tugged on his lips every time they texted back with another snarky quip.

"I know you said they’re human but your mate has got some kind of magic.”

David gave a hearty laugh, shaking his head at his ridiculousness. He glanced back at his phone, his eyes hovering over their mates name on the screen as a soft smile formed on his lips.

The beta smiled, happy for his best friend’s new found source of happiness.

“They really make you happy huh?”

The alpha nodded, leaning back against the couch,

“Yep.”

“Curious though, why Angel?”

He asked, tilting his head and looking an amused smirk.

“I dunno. Just felt right.”

He replied, a soft smile lingering on his lips as he stared at their mate’s name on his phone.

———

“This is it big guy! You’re getting married tomorrow! How’re ya feeling?”

He excitedly asked, taking a seat on one of the deck chairs, drinking as they took in the scenery of David’s backyard.

The alpha snickered, reaching forward to grab his drink and taking a sip, “Excited, Nervous, Terrified”

He replied, placing the glass back down as he leaned back against the chair, letting out a comfortable sigh.

“But I love them and I can’t wait.”

He said, smiling, something they’d gotten so used to seeing but still feels refreshing every time.

“You know,” He started, his finger tracing the rim of his glass. “I think I finally have an answer to your question about the Angel pet name.”

Asher’s eyes grew in surprise, he took a sip of his drink, giving him a nod to continue.

“I guess, I started calling them Angel because, in a way, they saved me.”

He continued, his expression falling into a soft smile as he reminisced about the past 4 years.

“They challenge me, get me out of my comfort zone in ways that I don’t know to this day.”

He chuckled, a smile lingering on his lips as he stared out into his backyard. Taking in the sight of the place he and his mate called ‘home’ the strings of lights thar gave the perfect ambience, the throw pillows on the lounge chairs they had crocheted, and the flowers that surrounded the place the two of them had planted, it made his heart swell.

“They carried me out of the darkness that came with losing dad and becoming alpha. They were my guiding light; my Angel.”

He said, turning to see his best friend weeping, moved by the sentiment behind the name.

Wiping off his face, he looked at his best friend with pride, through his puffy eyes.

“I’m very happy for you, bud”

His words genuine and full of love, he leaned forward wrapping his arms around the larger man.

“Thanks, Ash.”

[bazpire]

Rainy days and warm arms.

Cw: nudity, suggestive, fluff, like pure domestic bliss, Lasko goes into 1 (one) rant, neutral pronouns for dear.

Taglist: @professionallyyappin @jamieeeeee33333

The weather was awful. Dear never really understood that. People would say that and associate it with rain, but truly, they'd never met anyone who actually thought rain or cold days were awful. Bothersome, maybe, but everyone needed some from time to time.

As they sat in front of the window in only their robe listening to the pitter patter of the drops hitting the glass, the sound of keys turning invaded their ears, and Lasko entered the room. A smile crept up on their lips before even turning around to see him, recognising his steps, his smell, his core. They would always recognise when he entered the room.

"Hi, love." They finally leaned their head enough to meet his gaze, and what they found left them breathless. He was soaking wet, no glasses on, with a goofy smile looking at them like they hung the moon and the stars in the sky. "Wha- Lasko, darling, what happened? Are you okay?" They quickly got up, looking around their home for towels.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, t-that or-or well, i mean, this." He looked down at himself as if he forgot everything except their presence. That would've made their heart swell if they weren't worried about him catching a cold. "I- I don't know..." his face got beat red, and he averted their eyes. Quickly, they found a couple towels, leaving two on the couch and bringing the other two to him.

"You should probably take your clothes off." They whispered to him, pressing the towel to his head.

"Huh!?" He asked, looking at them with wide eyes. They just smiled, and quickly enough he became even redder (if that was even possible) "o-Oh, my clothes, r-right, they're all wet and s-soaked, I'm dirtying your floor too, shit, I mean, s-sorry, I'm sorry, I'll take them off right now." He quickly began to undress. They stepped back, leaving the towels by his side.

"I'll go prepare you a bath, is that okay?" They asked gently, looking back at him in his underwear. He looked so flustered. They wanted to kiss him until he couldn't think enough to feel any kind of embarrassment.

"Y-yeah, of course, t-thank you." He smiled, making their heart borderline burst in their chest. They loved his smile.

Quickly, they got everything prepared, the water warm, and they even lit some candles and incense. Maybe it was a bit over the top, but they just wanted to take care of him.

Once they were back on the living room, they found Lasko still by the door, covered with the towels. "What are you doing there, love? Come on in." They softly pulled him in, sitting him down on the couch.

"I didn't wanna m-make more of a mess than I already did." He whispered, looking ashamed. They crouched on the floor, looking for his eyes.

"Hey... I don't care about that. We can clean it up. A mess is just a mess. I care about you being comfortable." Lasko looked at them with that lovely gaze again, like they hung the moon and stars in the sky. Truly, they wanted to blush and squeal, but they took a deep breath in and kissed his exposed knee. "So why were you out in the rain, love?"

Again, his eyes shifted to shame and embarrassment, this time, they reached for his hand and rubbed the back of it with their thumb.

"I- um... I wanted to c-come over, I don't know why, honestly, I just suddenly felt this sudden need of coming over and I would've told you before hand and I know its so rude that I just come on over without invitation or even t-telling you about it but it's like I just needed to be in your presence and it's not like a-anything was wrong! Like I wasn't, I mean I'm not in a sad mood or anything, i wasn't sad but I was missing you and I know i could've called but it was like the rain was saying your name and I wanted to be with you and, and I didn't think about calling in the moment which is so dumb because my phone was right there b-but nope, i just got up and came straight over without even getting an umbrella which thinking it over of course it's dumb for various reasons and- and I'm sorry. For m-making a mess and coming over unprompted." It was like he finally remembered to breathe.

He was everything they wanted to see at all times.

The rosed, just a bit, to kiss his forehead.

"You can come over anytime you want, Lasko. You don't need to let me know you're coming over. You just do it, and my door will be open for you. That's why you have a key."

He blushed even harder, looking like he was about to go into another rant, but they took a deep breath. As much as they loved to listen to him, the water was getting cold.

"You ready to take that bath now, love?" They asked softly, standing up and still holding his hand.

"Y-yeah! I'd - I'd love that. " he smiled while getting up with them and letting them guide him to the bathroom. Once there, he gasped, looking at the dim-litted bath, the nice smells hitting his nostrils and almost immediately relaxing him before even getting in the bath.

He heard the door close and turned around, seeing them looking at him with a small smile and their eyes filled with love and care.

God, they had him in the palm of their hand.

"O-oh? You're, ejem, you're staying?" He asked, feeling himself go red. His blood had gone to his head so many times in such a short amount of time that he was surprised he didn't pass out earlier.

Their smile grew and stepped closer to him. "I'd like to... if you want me to."

"Of- of course! I mean, sure, um, yes, absolutely, I'd love that." Lasko hit himself mentally for answering so eagerly, but the reply made them look all the more happy, and they giggled.

He loved the sound of their giggle.

They got rid of their robe, and that was about it.

Lasko blushed and looked away. "You were naked the whole time!?"

"Yes, hun." They giggled, bending over and testing the water. It was nice, warm, hopefully not too hot. They felt his eyes on them. They liked feeling his eyes on them. "Enjoying the view, love?"

"I- uh, I- I'm sorry, I mean, of course I do, but I'm-I'm sorry for staring, I didn't mean to, I was just..." Dear turned around, holding his gaze with a playful smirk on their lips. "Yeah, I was e-enjoying the view."

They chuckled, throwing their head back and then leaning forward. "Why don't you let me enjoy the view of you as well, Lasko?" They tilted their head, looking down at his towel covered body.

"O-oh! Yeah, right." He laughed as he took them off. "I- I didn't even realise I still had them on. They're very comfortable."

They nodded and tilted their head towards the bath. Lasko quickly moved, getting inside and immediately relaxing when the warm water enveloped him.

"Is it alright?" They asked, and he couldn't stop himself before replying - "it's perfect. You're perfect."

Even in the dim lighting, he could see the faint red decorating their cheeks, making his heart race. They giggled and stepped inside, turning around and sitting down, their back against his chest. "Is this okay, love?" They whispered, resting their head on his shoulder.

"O-of course it is," he stroked their arms up and down, turning his head and kissing their temple. "My dearest."