#rouge's heart chapter 3

[dracarialove]

📄 F it, I'm posting my finished fics here, too 📄

*Check the 'rouge's heart' tag if you haven't read previous chapters

[Chapter 3: Comfort]

Rouge felt exhausted by the time she unlocked her front door, dragging her feet on the way to the couch, where she flopped forward to lie on the thick cushions. Despite her fatigue, the bat's mind was bustling with concern about how she was going to handle the coming few days.

She knew she had to return Knuckles' stuff, but didn't think she could face him yet. He still had a key to the house – and part of her was surprised that he hadn't come by and waited for her – so she needed to jump on a solution soon.

She pushed herself up and rubbed the back of her neck while walking to the kitchen. Rouge absolutely dreaded the idea of looking at her phone; no doubt the echidna had called her while she was out, but she had the thought to call Blaze and get her opinion.

She picked up the cell from its spot on the counter and tapped once, the purple rectangle lighting up and showing a list of missed notifications. The woman cringed when she saw her lock screen – a selfie of herself and Knuckles on vacation.

Just as she expected, there were numerous texts and calls from the cheater himself, some calm and some begging. Between the blips that she quickly swiped away, she spotted a single missed call from Blaze.

Rouge's mood brightened as she opened the notification and called her friend back, listening to the ring as she leaned against the counter. For a moment, she thought the cat wouldn't answer, but then heard the ring being interrupted by brief shuffling.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Blaze!" Rouge greeted. "I saw you called – how's it going?"

"Things are good, I had just called to see how you were doing."

The bat sighed. "Yeah... well... not that great, to be honest."

Blaze's tone turned to concern. "What? Why?" When Rouge didn't answer right away, she added, "What's wrong?"

"It's probably better if I talk about it in person. I know it's dark out already, but do you think you could visit... just for an hour?"

"Oh, yeah," answered the cat with no hesitation. "Of course, I'll be there soon."

"Thanks."

After they said a quick goodbye, Rouge hung up and brought her phone into the living room where she sat on the couch again. A heavy sigh escaped her, feeling a pang of sorrow in her chest when her gaze fell on her ex-fiancé's watch sitting on the end table.

It took ten minutes for Blaze to arrive, the headlights of her purple Jaguar splashing golden light through Rouge's living room window. The bat jumped up, watching her friend park next to her Corvette as she went to open the front door.

When they greeted each other, Rouge stepped forward for a hug; something Blaze didn't expect from her, but reciprocated nonetheless. They went inside and the bat offered her a drink, but the cat declined, just wanting to know what was going on – and why Knuckles' car wasn't in the driveway.

"I left him today," admitted the heartbroken woman as they sat on the sofa. Blaze gasped quietly and Rouge felt a prickle behind her eyes where tears threatened to form. "I caught him cheating."

Her friend scoffed, disgusted. "Seriously? What an idiot!"

"I know," Rouge agreed, looking down at her glove where the ring used to be. "I have to figure out what I'm going to do with his stuff."

"What do you mean?" Blaze crossed one leg over the other. "Just throw it all out."

"On the lawn?" the bat asked, chuckling a little.

Her confidant shrugged, a smile forming across her muzzle. "Yeah. Or..."

The cat snapped her fingers and a spark of orange fire flicked upwards before disappearing. Rouge shook her head, still smiling. "No, I shouldn't. I mean, as much as I would love to, it wouldn't be a good idea."

"Well, then, I think he should have to come get his things himself," Blaze told her, crossing her arms. "You get your key back and he can feel guilty while he hauls it all out."

Rouge hesitated and the lavender feline continued. "I can hang out here until he leaves. That way you won't be alone with him."

"Would you really be cool with that?"

"Yeah," she responded, shrugging again. "We could do it tomorrow; I haven't got anything planned."

The bat relaxed. "I really appreciate it. I don't know what I'd do if I had to face him myself. He blew up my phone while I was gone."

She picked up her cell and unlocked the screen while Blaze shook her head, disapproving of Knuckles' behavior. They went through the texts together, Rouge feeling more secure seeing them with a friend by her side; the echidna had attempted to talk his way out of what'd happened, explaining in unnecessary detail and unknowingly contradicting his own story.

Rouge felt herself getting angry again as she went through them. When she got to the end of the messages, she let Blaze give her advice on how she should word her demand for him to pick up his things the next day.

"Give him a time limit, or else his shit will be thrown out and he'll have to pick it up from the lawn," she suggested sternly.

The bat smiled again, confidently hitting send when her response had been perfected. Then she put the phone on silent and turned to Blaze. "Thank you for being here."

"No problem, Rouge," the fire princess replied softly. "Whenever you need me, just call."

They both stood from the couch and Rouge walked with her to the door.

Blaze said, "I'll be back tomorrow. And if something urgent happens before then, again – call me."

The jewel hunter nodded, bidding her farewell and making sure she got out of the driveway safely before locking the door for the night. Then, she went upstairs and immediately retrieved all of her jewelry from their boxes, placing the priceless accessories in her safe to avoid a theft from her untrustworthy ex.

When the safe was secure, Rouge changed into a light blue silk nightgown and brushed her teeth before settling in for bed. Lying in the dark underneath red satin sheets, the young woman felt sorrow creep back into her, and quietly cried a few tears until she managed to fall asleep.

***

Rouge unintentionally slept in, waking up in the early afternoon when the hot sun began beaming through her sheer curtains. She threw one hand across her face when the light shifted over her eyes, slowly working up the strength to get out of bed.

Squinting as her eyes adjusted to the brightness, the bat looked over at her nightstand where she'd let her phone charge while she slept. It was still on silent, so she hadn't heard when Knuckles replied to her message; it was timestamped at a few hours after hers, but he'd simply said "Ok."

So, he was accepting that their relationship was over. A part of Rouge was grateful – maybe this meant that he wouldn't try to win her back when he came by to pick up his things. Another part of her was still sad, still heartbroken that her year-long relationship had plunged down the drain in one evening.

The first thing she did, before leaving her comfortable mattress, was change her lock screen to one of a generic stock photo depicting simple blue patterns. She opened the gallery and looked through her pictures, hundreds of them flicking by as she scrolled to the bottom.

She went through and slowly deleted any photo that included Knuckles, a pit growing in her stomach as she erased memories that were now tainted by the betrayal. Questions lingered in her mind while her teal eyes scanned each image: Just how long had he been seeing Julie-Su? Since he first got the job? Or did he pursue her later?

Rouge sighed, tears welling in her eyes again, her finger shaking over the screen – so she stopped, clenched her eyes shut, and drew in a deep breath to keep from crying.

'I'm tired of crying...' her conscience whispered. 'Let's do something else.'

There were plenty more pictures to delete, but she accepted that she couldn't deal with seeing so many images of his face; his handsome, smiling face that had been hiding the despicable secret. Rouge slipped out from under her sheets and entered the master bathroom to start her morning routine, soon getting dressed and heading downstairs for breakfast.

She decided to treat herself, cooking a stack of chocolate chip pancakes so she could offer some to Blaze later. With a smooth blend of coffee brewing, she sat at the kitchen table and flipped through a magazine to pass the time.

***

Blaze showed up about an hour later, lightly knocking on Rouge's front door and quickly being let in. She accepted Rouge's offer of pancakes and coffee, the pair chatting for a while until they heard the deep bass of Knuckles' car radio bumping down the street.

Rouge's heart dropped to her stomach; Blaze, noticing her stressed expression, offered to answer the door. The bat remained in the kitchen while her friend waited for the echidna to pull into the driveway, hearing a creak when Blaze opened the door.

"Knuckles," the cat greeted coldly, glaring at him as he approached the entrance.

He stopped, his expression subdued. "Oh, Blaze. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Expect the unexpected," she replied, turning to allow him room to enter. "Don't drag your big feet."

His eyebrows furrowed a bit at her insult, stepping inside and suddenly being stopped again. Blaze held out her hand and ordered, "Rouge's key."

Violet eyes stared at her for a few seconds, the redhead not wanting to relinquish his only copy. But he soon complied, dropping it into her palm and continuing into the living room.

"Where's Rouge?" he asked.

The bat's ears perked at the mention of her name, her heartbeat quickening, but the cat answered cryptically. "She left with a friend, so she's somewhere in town – it's none of your business where, exactly."

Her snarky reply sparked a bit of jealousy within him, the echidna immediately assuming that his ex had already found another man. He clenched his fist, but ultimately kept his composure as he grabbed his wristwatch from the end table.

Knuckles knew that Blaze was not to be threatened, and he didn't exactly have the energy to fight, so he calmly climbed the stairs to retrieve his belongings. Rouge was relieved that he was smart enough not to push further, and took the key when her friend brought it to her.

Blaze gave her a reassuring smile before returning to stand by the stairs, watching while Knuckles repeatedly carried items from the upstairs to his car. She kept an eye out for anything that looked like it belonged to Rouge, but the knucklehead was at least intelligent enough not to take anything that wasn't his.

Having neglected to bring boxes, it took him countless trips back and forth to get everything, wasting a chunk of the afternoon. It was obvious he had planned to drag it out, intending to give himself time to talk with Rouge. But, thinking that she was in town, he instead endured silent burning gazes from Blaze as he passed her. When he'd retrieved the last of his possessions, he lingered in the doorway and turned to the princess.

"Tell Rouge I'm sorry," he said, following it up despite Blaze rolling her eyes. "Even if she doesn't forgive me. Just tell her."

"Mhm," responded the cat, defiance permeating from her blank expression.

She closed the door directly behind him as he stepped out, audibly locking it again and visibly watching through the front window while he backed his car out onto the street. Blaze returned to the kitchen once the BMW was out of sight, Rouge standing from her seat.

"Thank you," the bat blurted before her friend could speak.

"Anytime. Hey, would you want to go somewhere for dinner with Silver and me? Later tonight, we could get drinks and get you out of this place for a while."

The suggestion caused a memory to rush forward in Rouge's mind – the promise she'd made to the hedgehog from the coffee shop.

A smile crept across her glossy lips. "I can't, actually. I just remembered I have somewhere to be."

Blaze recognized her coy expression, lowering one eyebrow in a display of intrigue. "Oh? Where's that?"

"Tell you what," the bat started, "how about we go out tomorrow night and I'll tell you about it?"

The cat flashed her sharp canines in a supportive grin. "Sure! It better be something good if I'm having to wait for it."

"Well, you know my plans are always good," Rouge chuckled, Blaze conceding to the claim with a nod.

They headed to the front door and walked out together, Rouge relocking it and approaching her car. Blaze opened her driver's side door and said, "So I'll see you tomorrow. Let's just say around dinner time; you can show up whenever and we'll head out then."

"Sounds good to me," the bat replied happily, then ducked under her car's roof to slide behind the wheel.

Blaze pulled out before her and drove down the street in the same direction that Knuckles had taken. And when Rouge sped down the opposite way, she was finally able to smile effortlessly.

[itsphoenix0724]

Hold Me Gently (Azriel x Reader)

Summary: Azriel knew exactly what he signed up for when he became the court's spymaster, but sometimes everything gets too much for him to handle.

Warnings: Smut, angsty, negative thoughts about oneself, some dark stuff mentally

Word count: 1.6k

Bonus Chapter!

A/N: Hi loves! I'm excited to put this out for you guys I've been working on it for kind of a hot minute. Please read the tags carefully. I hope you all enjoy it, and as always constructive criticism is welcome. Plus I've got a special surprise coming in December that I may announce later this week so keep a look out. <3

Azriel swore sometimes he could still hear the screams that echoed off the stone walls of the Hewn City rattle around in his brain for days. Rhys had been clear this time. 

Get the information through whatever means necessary, no matter what. 

So that’s exactly what he had done, and it had taken hours. He sent Rhys a message with the information and winnowed directly into your bedroom. He knew you were downstairs in the kitchen because he had sent his shadows earlier to watch you, but he couldn’t bear to have you look at him right now. To have you look at him like he was the most amazing thing in the universe when you had no idea what horrors he committed just an hour earlier. Azriel hides his shame from the portrait of his mating ceremony, turning away from even your painted adoration. He is not the smiling male in that picture. He is not the male who deserves to put his blood-stained hands around your waist. He doesn’t deserve any of it. Not your kindness, not your comfort, not your kiss, or your smile. Not when he spent half the day ripping a man apart. 

Maybe that male had a mate waiting at home too. 

He sneaks carefully into the bathroom, turning the bathtub's faucet to boiling and letting the tub fill. Az peels off his leathers layer by layer, and they hit the clean white tile with a sickeningly wet sound, none of the blood is his. As he watches the red slowly seep onto the floor he knows that the tile’s just another thing he’s ruined. 

He wishes he could peel his skin off as well. 

Azriel sinks slowly into the tub, letting the sting of the hot water work every muscle. He wanted to erase everything, to let the water cleanse away his disgusting actions. His shadows send a whisper of you humming quietly from the kitchen and he almost bursts into tears. How had the cauldron given him someone someone so gentle? How did you wake up in their bed every day and not know you slept next to a monster? Az sinks under the surface, unable to bear the rushing in his head, and doesn’t come back up until his lungs are screaming for air. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You knew something was wrong when your mate didn’t immediately come to see you after returning from his mission. You had heard the faucet start to run while chopping vegetables for dinner, and you assumed Az was quickly rinsing off before he joined you. After half an hour had passed you started to become concerned. You knew your mate, and even though he never told you specifics, he sometimes needed time after his return from the Hewn City. You silently creep up the stairs of your home, avoiding all the creaking floorboards that might tip Azriel off. You swing open the bedroom door, but he is nowhere to be found the only evidence of him is a trail of blood that sends your heart into overdrive. You follow it to your bathroom door, now more worried about his safety than anything. The bond beating in your chest is dark, and it has been since Az left your bed this morning. Throwing open the door you’re met with a wall of crushing darkness. You fight through the swirling blackness, trying to call Azriel’s name, but you can’t see two feet in front of you. A rouge shadow comes to circle your wrist dragging you to your mate’s hunched form in the bathtub, base instinct takes over as you climb into the water hissing as the burning water scalds your thighs. “Azriel,” You call his name, taking his head in your hands. His hazel eyes seem unfocused like he’s looking through you than at you. “Az,”  you rush out again. “Are you bleeding? Are you hurt?” You tilt his head this way and that way before scanning the rest of his body. You shake him at the shoulders trying to get him to see you. Finally, as if Az just realized you were there, he looks at you. 

“The blood isn’t mine.” is all he says before his head thumps back against the porcelain as if it’s too heavy to hold on his own. Your shoulders sag in relief. “You shouldn’t be in here. Go back downstairs I’ll be there in a minute.” He runs the wet silk of your nightgown in between his fingers. You have no intention of leaving this bathtub until you figure out what's wrong with your mate.

“What’s happened?” You push running your fingers through the threads of his inky black hair. “Did the mission not go well?” Azriel scoffs, looking unbothered, but you can see the muscles in his throat tightening with effort to keep something hidden. You try to pull at the bond again, begging him to lower the obsidian shields he builds around himself, his hands shake with the effort of keeping them impenetrable. He still avoids your eyes, yet you try again refusing to yield. “Sweetheart…” you whisper softly and the Shadowsinger cracks before you. His walls rush down and crash against you like a tsunami, the wave of self-hatred that he had been holding in barrels against you with enough force to bring down the mountains. Silver lines his hazel eyes and your heart almost cracks in two. Wrapping your arms around Azriel you cradle him to your body, his hands tighten around your waist seeming torn between pulling you closer and pushing you away. His shoulders shake with the force of his sobs and all you can do is keep stroking his hair and make soothing sounds, trying to calm him down enough to speak. Az takes a shuddering breath, but the tears still stream down his face. You chase them away with the pads of your fingers. 

 “I do not deserve you,” he grinds out, voice rusty from the tears. You rub soothing circles into the joints of his shoulders and it makes Azriel want to throw up. “I am the monster mothers warn their children about at night. I’ve committed horrors that should make you run away in terror” You shake your head with feverance. 

“I would never run from you Azriel. There is nothing too dark or too ugly that would make me love you any less. I promise you I can handle it.” Azriel does nothing but collapse back against you shaking his head back and forth. “Just talk to me please.” He takes a deep inhale, trying to calm his racing heart. 

“I bled a male dry today. Rhys needed information, and he was harder to break than anticipated.” It’s all the information Az is willing to give. You have to stamp down the fury rising in your own chest. Both at Rhysand for putting your mate through this and at the Hewn City itself. 

You’d tear this court apart brick by brick for making Azriel feel like he’s less than deserving of his life. 

You’ll have to talk with Rhys later because for now, your focus is Az and Az alone. You refuse to allow him to continue to carry on like this, cursing yourself for not realizing the effects of this position wearing on him sooner. 

“Look at me.” You pull his jaw towards you, forcing him to meet your eyes “There is no universe where you are not deserving of happiness. You have a job to do, and I understood that when I accepted this bond. I do not fear you, I do not balk from you, and I do not love you any less because of that.” The bond sings with light as the weight finally starts to leave your mate's shoulders. Golden eyes study you intensely before he hauls you against him in one fluid motion and crashes his lips to yours. He tastes like burning whiskey, and kisses you so fiercely you’re afraid your lips might bruise. You hold him together the best you can, afraid that if you let him go he will shatter into pieces before you. “Are you sure you want this right now?” You ask, you’ll give Az whatever he needs, and if he needs a distraction from his head then you’re happy to provide it to him. He nods, leaning down to press his lips to your collarbone. You run your hands along his back grinding yourself into him, and pour love and devotion down your side of the bond to him. His hardness presses against you as he nudges aside the scraps of lace before sheathing himself into the hilt. You let Azriel take what he needs, fucking you on his length, rocking you back and forth. He’s hitting the spot inside you that makes you see stars with such force water sloshes over the edge of the tub, washing away the blood from Azriel’s leathers. You run your hands along the edge of his wing and he roars, one hand almost cracking the porcelain of the bathtub. He changes his pace to pure brutality, using you like no more than a toy. Your thighs shake with the effort to keep yourself upright. He’s ruthless in the way he moves like a hungry predator finally tearing into its kill. Your orgasm tears through you with blinding energy, and you unravel faster than you’d like to admit, but Az always manages to have that effect on you. He loses himself soon after you, tumbling over the edge with so much force he rips the bottom of your nightgown into ribbons. You stare at each other for a long moment, relishing in the afterglow and grateful for the hot water in the tub. 

“I’m sorry for ripping your nightgown,” Azriel rumbles and you laugh a beautiful golden sound. 

“You can buy me a new one later,” you promise, “but for now let me wash your hair.” 

[kentopedia]

⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖ 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 ... ft. sanji

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒, 𝟏𝟖𝟗𝟗 . . .

they call you the sparkling diamond, a courtesan and star performer at the moulin rouge. when the cabaret falls on the cusp of bankruptcy, it’s up to you to seduce a wealthy duke, in order to fund your next production. but things go awry when you begin to fall for an impoverished writer.

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. f!reader, moulin rouge au, courtesan!reader x writer!sanji, background relationships, romance, prostitution, arranged marriage, love triangles, secret relationships, burlesque club, alcohol / smoking, brief suicidal ideation, heartbreak, tragedy, spoilers for moulin rouge (obviously), mostly suggestive, but one explicit scene, individual chapters will have additional warnings <3

𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ˚₊ · »-♡→ ongoing, currently at 12k words, writing pt 2 !

ᡣ𐭩 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈 . . . the french are glad to die for love (8.7k words)

after a night performing, you meet with the duke, but he's not anything like you'd been expecting.

ᡣ𐭩 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐈 . . . yours are the sweetest eyes i've ever seen

there's a new hope for the moulin rouge, but your budding romance may prove to be a problem.

ᡣ𐭩 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐈𝐈 . . . i can't help loving you

though your heart might be set on another, the duke is still determined to make you his.

ᡣ𐭩 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐕 . . . every day i love you more and more

try as you might, the duke is far too clever for your romance with sanji to remain a secret.

ᡣ𐭩 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐕 . . . why does my heart cry?

you're certain death would be a kindness compared to heartbreak.

ᡣ𐭩 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐕𝐈 . . . until my dying day

the opening night of the show has arrived, and you can no longer run from all your troubles.

𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, ₊˚⊹♡

i'm very nervous about posting this, but i hope at least one person will enjoy >< i've put a lot of time and effort into this so far, so i will force myself to post

i'm not too far into one piece so sorry if the characterization is not the best </3 LOL

you do not need to be familiar with the movie/stage adaptation to read this ! it will follow the storyline with some slight deviations, and most of the dialogue will be my own, rather than following the script.

heart banner from @/cafekitsune

please comment if you would like to be tagged in upcoming parts!

[donna-rinascimentale]

i just KNOW den den tumblr would go hard

3 notes

🪝🔁 jolie-rouger reblogged westendgirl

🪝 jolie-rouger

ok i know we went through this months ago but i just found out overflowing sasaki has my birth month on the sexy pirate calendar this year and i just—

listen if having a pirate kink is wrong i don’t wanna be right LOL

🎠 westendgirl Follow

Please delete this. In my country, everyone knows someone who was killed by pirates. It breaks my heart that I can’t browse safely without people like you making light of my trauma.

🪝 jolie-rouger

aren’t you the marine who got called out for spending work money on a PX5

#no but i was like. where have i heard that name before #and i snoogle it and see that’s THE westendgirl #never leaving this website. #rouge speaks

24 notes

🤖🔁 codepunk reblogged uminosora

❄️ uminosora Follow

hey im laine/stealth. 22 they/he. grand line (south side).

yes, this is a sora fanblog. i want to make it clear that i do NOT condone irl marines. AMAB. yes even your marine dad or sister or grandpa

minors dni im not a babysitter

i have an electrical engineering apprenticeship so PLEASE PLEASE talk to me about it ill love you forever

i’m an artist! i post my work under #my art !!

if we are mutuals please tw injections, wasps, and tra/fal/gar la/w (individually or with my catchall #laine don’t look or #stealth don’t look)

extended byf/dni under the cut

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Keep reading

#laine.txt #intro #sora warrior of the sea #umi no senshi sora #artists on tumblr

4 notes

👒 fuckyeahmugiwaras Follow

© FOR MUGI

XX0531 ♥

#MONKEY D LUFFY #STRAW HATS #STRAW HAT PIRATES #LUFFY #HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SUCH A LITTLE GUY #A FACE TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD. TOO PURE. #ADMIN BARTO #ALSO BY THE WAY MOD HEBI IS TAKING A SMALL HIATUS. WILL EXPLAIN IN A LONGER POST

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The new CRIMINAL S/S 20XX collection is here.

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🍤 lia-writes Follow

SOOOO sorry for the slow updates guys! I live near the Newgate protests and my house got molotoved so I lost internet access for a few weeks BUT I’ve been writing the next chapter down on paper & just transferred it so here it is!!

Lift Me Away - Roku x Reader - Chapter 3

You find yourself trembling, not knowing what struck you. The man’s arms envelop you gently, knowing his strength, his presence otherworldly. He feels too perfect to be human—and yet he’s warm and he exhausts, the way he’s exhausted protecting you. He tilts you upright, careful of your weak knees, and looks you in the eye.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Keep reading

#monkey ball #monkey ball roku #roku x reader #reader insert #female reader #fem reader #roku x fem reader

54 notes

🃏 meadowoftheroad Follow

“i don’t find sea kings cute” ok??? sometimes a little baby has 18 rows of teeth

#sea king mention #meadow rambles #i just want to take them home is that weird?? #little noodles #1k #5k #10k #50k

73,878 notes

🌁🔁 vanillacrypt reblogged 4kari

♾️ rokusbreastimplants Follow

daily reminder that it’s okay not to engage with what’s on the news lately. breathe. you’re not a bad person for feeling overwhelmed; you’ll be alright. if you’ve been scrolling for too long, go get up and take a walk/have a glass of water. the internet isn’t going anywhere; your mental health comes first.

🌁 vanillacrypt

wise words from rokusbreastimplants

12,443 notes

🎀 nanayagi Follow

#soul king #brook #soul king brook #soul brother #soul sister #soul king fandom

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🪃🔁  criminaldildo reblogged bone2beasoulsister

👤  dressrosan-dreamgirl-deactivated20xx0714

I usually don’t like to delve into drama, but I can’t stay silent any longer. Mod Hebi of @fuckyeahmugiwaras is an EXTREMELY predatory individual. I will not be disclosing any of my sources, for my safety and theirs, as she has an irl documented history of hostility towards her critics.

To start, Mod Hebi is inappropriately fond of Straw Hat Luffy (who she met irl when she was in her 30s and he was 17). I’ve been told she’s tried to flirt with him on several occasions, given him large gifts, and tried to guilt him into choosing time with her over his female crewmates.

Literally kicks kittens??? I shit you not they say they’ve seen her straight up BARRELING kittens across the floor.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Keep reading

🦴  bone2beasoulsister  Follow

i believe it. the way she never updated about anyone else, only luffy, and left admin barto to do all the hard work… it was always off to me.

🪃  criminaldildo  Follow

where is this coming from??

yeahhh not going along with this until there’s ACTUAL proof. mod hebi is very much a solo stan but. kicking kittens… how are we supposed to take these cartoon villain allegations seriously 💀💀

🪃  criminaldildo  Follow

of course. deactivating when people question them.

#i know we stan criminals here but can we as a fandom please express some critical thinking for ONCE

8,385 notes

🏺🔁  00tsugi reblogged mad-gadfly

🎑  take-me-to-sea  Follow

scheduling my lobotomy at doskoi panda

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🌁🔁  vanillacrypt reblogged sailingacademic

🛳️  marines  Follow

Pursue truth. Fight for justice.

Do you have what it takes to join the Marines? Learn more at gonavy.🐌.

👒  fuckyeahmugiwaras  Follow

K

🕊️  mad-gadfly  Follow

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ppl in the “pirate fandom” who only orbit “safe” pirates like cavendish or boa hancock are WEAK. buddy if you saw the pirates i want to fuck you’d hurl.

#pirate fandom #pirates #if he’s eaten a fruit in the last week i do not want him

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💫🔁  sunsetsoveralabasta reblogged

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some homeless guy on horseback gave me a nice looking apple… im hungry and curious.

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hoptal

#in my defense the horse was very cute

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[grimoireofhayley]

Of Friends and Horror

Stu Macher x Fem!Reader x Billy Loomis

WARNINGS: Graphic content, Smut (MINORS DNI), Language, Talks of SA, Cheating, Obsessiveness, Gore, 18+ Content, Stalking, Possessiveness, Dirty talk, Religion talk, Suppressed Mental Health problems (I.e., reader has some issues that she isn't aware of)

Word Count: 1k

Tag List: @ev3ningrain @nerdytif @fanfic-enjoyer123 @darkenwolfie @juda-the-simp @colsons-baker @junnniiieee07 @octaviablakeslove

A/n: I'm sorry for another short chapter, but hopefully the detail makes up for the somewhat shortness, haha. My kids are finally at their dad's and now I am able to publish chapters all weekend. I would like to thank each and everyone of you for taking your time to read, heart, comment and reblog. It makes me so unbelievably happy! So, thank you! <3

All chapter links! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

OF&H Masterlist

Chapter 8

Gale Weathers was quick to show up at your house, her neon-yellow skirt flapping behind her and her cheeks rouge from almost tripping out of her work van.

“Jesus! The camera, hurry!” She snapped at her cameraman, who seemed to be struggling to hold the object on his shoulder.

“My name isn’t Jesus..” He trailed, Gale only ignored him as she flattened her outfit and picked up speed, almost jogging towards the police car you were in.

She ducked down, trying to catch a glimpse of your face, the car now in drive, “(Y/n), is that you in there?” She shouted, tapping frantically at the window.

You flipped her off, annoyed that she was here, fortunately, Burke sensed your aggravation and noticed Gale; he pressed on the gas and the vehicle picked up speed down the driveway.

“Excuse me…” Gale shouted at your friend, “Was that (Y/n) they took away?” She asked, walking after Tatum.

“I am not talking to you right now…” Tatum scorned, trying to ignore Gale’s constant questioning.

“What happened to her?”

“None of your damn business!” Tatum yelled, storming up to her car.

“I heard something about a mask, a costume of some sort, is that true?” The brunette followed Tatum, once again tapping at a car’s window.

“Can you tell me anything, anything at all?”

“Yeah, you are an absolute pain in the ass!”

Tatum sped off, causing Gale to move away.

“Leave both Sid and (Y/n) alone!”

Gale scoffed, pinching the bridge of her nose, anger flashing across her orbs.

“Where is she going?” Her cameraman suddenly popped up behind her.

Gale gave him a sour look as she grabbed his wrist, her voice changing octave. “Look, Kenny.” She started, looking up at the bigger-taller man. “I know you’re about 50 pounds overweight, but when I say “hurry,”” She raised her tone, pointing a finger at him. “Please interpret that as “move your fat, tub-of-lard ass now!”” She groaned, ripping her mic away from his hand.

--

You hurried into the police station, your shoes squeaking off the cleanliness of the ground, you spotted Sidney in the distance causing you to stop in your tracks.

She looked at you, eyes wide and pink from crying, another Officer’s jacket draped over her, assuming to comfort her from the traumatic event that happened around the same time yours did.

You mouthed at her, narrowing your eyes, your brows almost fusing together at the angry face you made, “How could you?”

Her mouth twitched, not sure how to respond, she slouched deeper into the chair, trying to avoid your death stare.

Sidney placed her hand on her forehead, leaning into her touch, closing her eyes. Stress and sadness eating up her thoughts.

You bit the inside of your cheek, not furthering the intimidation you had on her.

You frowned, looking into a window across from you where Billy sat inside; staring at Sidney with hurt printed on his features, he didn’t acknowledge that you were there yet.

Shaking your head in disappointment, you strolled towards the room.

“Let me ask you this. What’re you doing with a cellular telephone, son?” Officer Brinks asked, not registering that you were there.

“Everyone has one, Officer.” You stated, leaning up against the doorframe, Billy and his father looked at you, somewhat shocked that you were here.

“Miss--”

“(Y/n).” You butted in, introducing yourself, pushing yourself off of the frame, heading towards your friend.

“I came as quickly as I could, Billy.” You smiled warmly at him, placing a small hand on his shoulder, the action caused a faint blush to spread across his cheeks.

“May I?” You asked, nodding towards the empty chair.

Officer Brinks sighed, knowing full well that you were not leaving.

“Please…” He motioned for you to sit, which you gladly accepted. “Why aren’t you with Sheriff Burke?” He crossed his arms, leaning against his chestnut-coloured desk.

“I’ll answer that when it is my turn.” You smirked, “Right now, please, go ahead, continue with your accusation.” You pointed towards Billy, leaning into your chair.

“Very well.” Brinks mumbled, looking from you to Billy.

“I did not make those calls, I swear.” Billy groaned, a brown piece of hair falling in front of his face.

“Check the phone bill, for Christ’s sake.” His father interjected. “Call Vital Phone Comp. They got records of every number dialed.”

“Gee, thanks Hank, we’re on top of it.” Brinks gripped the edge of his desk.

You glared at the officer, listening intently.

“What were you doing over at Sidney’s house tonight?”

“I wanted to see her, that’s all.” Billy folded his hands together.

“And last night? Sidney said you crawled through her window last night, too.”

“You went out last night?” Hank suddenly said, you rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, I was watching TV and got bored, okay? I decided to go out for a drive.” He stated plainly.

“Did you happen to drive by Casey Becker’s house?”

Billy dismissed the question, “No. No, I didn’t.”

“Alright, that’s enough..” You intervened, standing up. “He came to my house after Sidney’s. He’s no killer.” You snipped, “Sidney lives at least 7-10 minutes away from me, where Casey’s place is 15 to 20 minutes away from me.” You sighed, “ There’s not a chance in hell he could’ve killed both Casey and Steve and still manage to get to my place in that time frame. Clearly there’s two of them, but Billy is not one.”

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[overrboarrd]

roman reigns x rogue [oc]

word count : 3.3k

warnings: mentions of alcohol and smoking, vulgar language, suggestive content

a/n: tell a friend to tell a friend…she’s baaack! the first chapter is relatively the same, i just did a few minor changes. i also realized i wanted to switch it from a self-insert to an original character for story purposes. if you’ve read the first version, welcome back! and to those who are new to me, i hope you enjoy! <3

CHAPTER ONE: ACQUAINTED

There was a sea of them.

Loosely unbuttoned Brioni suits.

Platinum Audemar Piguets that glistened underneath scarlet lights.

A nauseating deluge of Creed Aventus and Tom Ford cologne circulated through the atmosphere. VIXENS. The neon sign above the stage so boldly revealed what the clients were there to spend ‘hard earned’ money on. Some were fresh blood, possibly there to have a brief escape from their mundane lives. Or more frequently, engaged men grieving their final taste of true freedom, surrounded by friends that solemnly swore to never reveal the infidelities of the night. The most lucrative men, however, were few and far between. They would enter through the tall obsidian doors, eyes roaming through the crowd for one woman. Until then, they’d saunter to a concealed section towards the back of the club. Twenty dollar bills would fall to the floor, while two to three hand picked dancers kept the charitable donors entertained as they waited.

She took one last look over her body. Heart-shaped lips rubbed against each other, their deep red color contrasting against her golden brown skin. Her hands ran through wavy crimson extensions, making sure they were secured properly to her head. Swarovski crystals embellished black patent leather that barely covered the most intimate parts of her body. A deep sigh escaped her lips, while a guttural, nagging voice played in the back of her mind.

‘I will not tolerate a whore for hire as my daughter.’

‘You will not be a part of this family.’

She shook her head, gathering her thoughts as she walked up to the closed curtain. A millisecond later, the announcer’s gruff voice boomed into the microphone.

“Gentleman, I introduce you to our main event of the evening. La charmante et mystérieuse dame en Rouge!”

Applause erupted from the crowd as the main lights dimmed, a single spotlight highlighted where the large fabric started to divide. Slowed music with hints of echoes and reverb flooded the speakers. Whistles traveled randomly throughout the club as she made her way to the center of the stage, her hands delicately grabbing the silver pole. She walked languidly in a circle, eyes meeting familiar faces. Many of her high paying regulars were there. Their lustful eyes roamed the sparkling garment that adorned her. She relinquished control to the music that pulsated through her veins, her back pressing against the cold metal as she inched to the floor, legs spread and chest perched. Her routine was the same almost every night; The main stage dance, which differed slightly depending on the night, the walk through the crowd, and then the final walk back to the stage. She always managed to keep the same three marks: dance for a group near the stage, give a quick lap dance to one of her regulars near the middle, then tease one of the moguls at the section in the back, just to keep the boss happy and well paid.

Each move was executed flawlessly. Jaws fell to the floor, pockets emptied by the second. Her fingers caressed the shoulder of an eager gentleman who quickly began to tremble underneath her touch. A smirk spread across her face as she made her way to the back section, shoulders high while her heart raced in anticipation.

Inhale. Exhale. Fifteen thousand. Almost halfway there. Her chest tightened with every step, the goal within reach, but each bill felt heavier than the last. It wasn't just about the money. It was everything—her studio, her family, the fear that her soul might get lost in the atmosphere of Vixen’s before she could make it out. The internal encouragement barely soothed her nerves, while her heels clacked across the black floor to the relaxed tempo of the music.

Three unfamiliar figures lounged against the corner leather couch.

Two gazes lingered on her attire as she arrived in the middle of their section.

One clenched jaw almost went unnoticed.

An unwavering pair of dilated pupils stared at her as her hands traveled down the front of her body, slowly making their way to the floor. Her derrière emulated ocean waves while she held her ankles. Two of the men, twins from what she observed, were in fitted black crew necks, with black slacks to match. If it wasn’t for the stark difference in their hairstyles, she wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart. The duo followed the club’s protocol, grinning while throwing a few bills and keeping their hands to themselves. Their companion, however, wasn’t as enthusiastic. His hair was slicked back into a neat bun, all 42 muscles in his face were relaxed, perfectly unreadable. His hands clasped together, thumb running over the 24 karat gold band that wrapped around his index finger, posture still somewhat upright.

It threw her off, to say the least.

Her brows furrowed in confusion, shifting her attention to the stoic man. Her stomach knotted as she met his gaze. There was something about him—an authority, a quiet confidence that clashed violently with the sleaze surrounding him. It wasn’t just his size or his looks; it was the intensity behind his stillness, as if he could see right through her, past the dance, past the act. She walked around the small table in the middle of the section to stand directly in front of him. His eyes never left hers. Not when her palms pressed against his shoulders, cleavage spilling over the shiny black leather as she straddled his muscular thighs. Not when she slid a perfectly manicured finger underneath the thin straps on her shoulder, causing it to cascade down her arms. His composed expression did cease to exist, however, when the garment almost completely revealed her breasts. Large tawny hands flew to her chest, unintentionally cupping the soft mounds as he held the fabric against her.

“Get up.” His deep voice commanded firmly, carrying loud enough for the tables nearest to them to hear.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she blinked, body frozen in place, completely taken aback. Her eyes scanned the crowd for security. The four men, gargantuan in their own right, didn’t dare move from their positions against the wall. ‘No touching the dancers.’ The sign posted near the entrance was as clear as day. It was then she became acutely aware of her audience’s eyes still on her. The heart that raced in anticipation only a few minutes earlier now pounded in embarrassment. Small trembling hands pushed the stranger’s rather large ones away from her, pulling the bustier to its correct position. Her eyes met his again. Stunned. She swung her legs over his, quickly removing herself from his lap, hoping their small scene wasn’t too noticeable. As she turned to leave, a tight grip wrapped around her wrist. A thick wad of hundred dollar bills, folded neatly in a blue rubber band, was placed in her hand. She threw a hardened glare the man’s way as she left their section, trying to disregard the flames that blazed throughout her body.

Though she did her best to perform the remainder of her set unfazed, the crowd’s energy was drastically different than before. Multiple stares alternated between her place on the broad stage and the dim area where she once was. A few clients left before she finished. The other dancers whispered amongst themselves while she briskly walked backstage towards the locker room, barely making it through the door before a forceful yank pulled her back.

“What the hell was that?” A hoarse voice breathed down her neck, the acrid stench of cigarette smoke permeated her nostrils. She turned her face up in disgust before snatching her arm away from the gaunt man.

“Oh I’m sorry Vince, did my dance mess up your deal? ” She huffed sarcastically, taking a few steps to create some distance between them, leaning against the blotchy wall in the narrow hallway.

“That was hardly a dance.” His chapped lips formed into a scowl.

Her shoulders shrugged carelessly. “No one told you to watch me like a hawk.” She bickered. “Besides, your sugar daddy told me to get off of him. Wasn’t my fault.” Another small knot formed in her stomach as the stranger’s smooth voice replayed in her head. His firm touch still lingered on her skin. “How important is this one, anyway?” She inquired before thinking. Vince never shared too much about his investors, all she knew was that a few of them would randomly show up at the club during the week. Vince would call herself and about four of the best dancers into his office to let them know that major clients were there, and that they needed to give them their utmost attention. Whatever they said, went, with no questions asked.

“His name is Roman Reigns. Just know that he could pay us very well.” Vince curtly answered, sparing whatever details about his arrangement with the extremely reticent man. She mindlessly toyed with the stack of money in her hand while Vince’s nonsense about the ‘importance of the elite clientele’ went in one ear and out the other. Wasting the little breath that he truly needed to save.

Long, grimy fingers snatched the roll of bills from her grasp. “Since you blatantly ruined what would’ve been the biggest investment for the club this year, I’ll take this for my troubles.” A smug smile spread across his face, and before she could protest, Vince’s hunched back turned towards her. Leaving her beyond infuriated and at least a thousand dollars short.

The longer Mr. Reigns and company resided in the back of the club, the more spectators decided to end their festivities early. None of her regulars requested their usual private dances, and almost all of her earnings came from hammered guests who’d try disputing their drunken splurges with their bank first thing in the morning. She did her best to secure new clients and avoid the trio for the remainder of the night, to both of which she had no avail. After admitting defeat to regaining the money Vince graciously took from her, she took her final trip of the night to the locker room. It was almost empty, most of the other girls left once they got done performing. The highlight of the job, or the club really, was that no one’s shift needed to be longer than a few hours. Especially if they were highly esteemed. Fortunately, she was. Unfortunately, it had seemed some of her rapport was ruined due to her encounter with Roman.

Misplaced lipsticks and bobby pins were scattered everywhere while she sat at the extended vanity. She stuffed the gray duffle bag with drugstore makeup, heels, and her jewelry that she began to take off until the repulsive smell of nicotine surrounded her again. The sound of a flicked lighter pierced her ears, a small, soft yellow glow appeared in the reflection of the mirror.

“What now?”

“Go put your heels back on. You got a private dance in ten.”

Her body swiveled in the metal chair, confusion etched on her face. “All of my regulars left.”

Vince’s pull from the cigarette was unnecessarily drawn out. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth where he exhaled the virulent smoke.

“Roman would like to see you. Alone.”

————

It was supposed to be like every other night.

Go to the club. Get on stage. Get the money. Go home.

How she ended up in a completely new outfit, on the way to perform for the same man who ruined her entire routine earlier, was beyond her. After Vince barged in the locker room informing her of the last minute encore, he advised her to change and reminded her to do whatever Roman wished. The last thing she wanted to do was possibly ruin his deal again and lose more money, so she reluctantly obliged. Her attire this time was much simpler. No crystals or embellishments, or anything to bring any more attention to herself. ‘Ironic.’ She thought. Chills crept up her spine as she walked closer towards the private suites. When she tried to do her job, he wouldn’t let her. ‘So why the hell does he want to see me now?’ Her mind scanned over an imaginary list that yielded no answer.

Two knocks.

She exhaled a shaky breath. Then she entered.

He was already seated on the red channeled loveseat, a glass of scotch, neat, sat on the small table beside him. And like their first encounter earlier, his eyes latched onto hers. The music, reminiscent of a classic Janet Jackson song played through the overhead speaker. She stood still for a moment, afraid to make another wrong move. Terrified, to risk the job that allowed her to achieve her dream. An internal ‘pull yourself together’ spoke softly, before she decided to proceed with her routine.

She took a few slow steps forward, easily finding a pace to complement the music. Her petite hands caressed every curve of her body as she walked, with slim fingers that glided down the valley between her breasts and around to her wide hips. It was then Roman’s eyes followed the trail her fingers left. He sat up and leaned slightly leaned forward, his elbows rested on his thighs as she inched closer to him. Her short path from the door ended right in front of him, and his brown eyes worked their way up her body before meeting hers again. He reclined back into the couch, legs spread wide. A wordless gesture inviting her to stand between them that she hesitantly accepted. Her body continued to flow with the music without touching him- given his abrupt reaction from earlier.

She took the liberty to disrupt the silence between them.

“So, what brings you here tonight?”

“Small talk?” His voice was quiet, playing smoothly in her ear, but the tension in it was hard to miss. “This place isn’t for that.” He paused, just long enough for her to see something flicker in his eyes—regret, hesitation, something that didn’t quite match the ruthless image he was trying to project.

Her involuntary grimace from his harshness caused him to tense.

“Needed the distraction.” He offered a short answer.

She nodded silently in response. Her eyes lowered, avoiding his prolonged gaze.

He watched as she continued to maneuver effortlessly, her body perfectly aligned, head held high. Her arms extended gracefully outward, fingers delicately splayed on the back of the couch as she circled him. He felt a rush of adrenaline and a heightened awareness of his own senses-some which he hadn’t felt in years. Each of her movements flowed seamlessly into the next, like a river meandering through a serene landscape. The rapid beat of his heart betrayed his usual unmoved demeanor, struck by her grace and skill. She was mesmerizing, and he found himself admiring her physical prowess and the confidence she exuded, as if she was absorbing the music into her very being.

Her legs carried her around the room with purpose, each step, each turn taking her to a new part of the space. She sunk to the floor, her legs extended in a perfect split once she resumed her place in front of him. After ascending from the floor into a poised stance, she allowed herself to fully take him in; staring at his darkened eyes, trailing over his full lips down to his thick beard. Her teeth captured her bottom lip as her eyes moved to his broad shoulders and muscular arms that barely fit in the black long sleeved shirt. Her proximity and the scent of her perfume almost completely overwhelmed him.

Roman picked up the chilled glass, raising it to his lips and taking a slow sip, seeking refuge from the palpable tension between them before meeting her gaze again.

“How badly do you need this job?”

Her head jerked slightly before tilting to one side, brows knitting together and lips turning downward. “What the fuck is your problem?” She was absolutely over it. Vince and every single one of his arrogant, entitled clients could go to the trenches of hell for all she cared. As much as she loved the fast money, she wouldn’t continue to tolerate the disrespect.

“You seem to think you own this place,” her voice stayed calm, but her eyes flashed with anger. “And maybe you will. But don’t act like you own me.”

A scoff escaped Roman’s full lips and his brows raised.

“You should be thanking me for the payday. I know your other clients are only giving you spare change.”

“What payday? You haven’t dropped a dime since you’ve been in here.” She argued.

“The money I put in your hand.” He stated matter-of-factly. “That definitely wasn’t for the show you put on earlier. If that’s what you want to call it.”

It took everything in her not to smack the smug look off of his handsome face. “The money that Vince took due to the show that you ruined, mind you.” Her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head, her legs carrying her away from him. “Who even comes to a strip club if they don’t want to be touched.” Her big eyes bore through his as she stood next to the door.

Roman rose from his position on the couch. His heavy feet stormed over to her and he looked down as his statuesque form towered over her.

“Vince did what?”

Her eyes widened as she mentally slapped herself for letting her anger get the best of her. As much as she couldn’t stand the man, the last thing she wanted to do was jeopardize Vixens, especially for the other women. She shook her head, grabbing the door handle. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Here.” He reached out to grab her wrist again to stop her from leaving, and she felt the, presently unwanted, warmth engulf her body. Roman reached in his pocket, pulling out his wallet.

Incautiously, she reached out to stop him, her palm brushing the top of his hand. She retracted it almost immediately after noticing his nostrils flare.

“Don’t tell Vince I gave this back to you.” He commanded, pushing past her and walking out of the suite.

Her pupils followed him as he left, eyes wide, and unblinking as she processed his words. What was he doing? First, he humiliated her, and now this? Her fingers tightened around the cash while her red lips formed a perfect 'O', looking down at the even thicker bundle of money he placed in her hand.

————

‘Vince has lost his mind.’ Roman shot a text to the twins, informing them of his location before he stormed into Vince’s office, catching the son of a bitch with his legs propped on his desk and counting the money that he more than likely shorted from his dancers.

The slimeball shot up from his seat, fumbling to put up the loose bills.

“Mr. Reigns-” He clapped nervously. “Please come in, have a seat.”

“I’ll stand.” Roman snipped.

Vince’s jaw clenched. “How was the rest of your evening? I take it that my Vixens treated you and your companions well?” His eyes looked past Roman’s shoulders to Jimmy and Jey as they stood in the doorway.

His Vixens. Roman restrained himself from rolling his eyes at the dense man. “More or less.” He decided to keep the conversation with Rogue to himself. "Are you ready to talk business?” A single brow raised as he glared at him.

An eager nod came from Vince. He walked to the door, shutting and locking it after the twins fully entered the office.

“Although I have a few propositions to make-” Roman’s gaze lingered on the pile of bills Vince had tried to hide. He didn’t care about the money, but the way Vince treated his girls, especially Rogue—it mattered now. “We have a deal,” Roman said, his voice hard as stone, but his mind was already elsewhere. This was only the beginning.

[mermaidgirl30]

✨Crimson Tango: A Dance of Diamonds and Revenge Chapter 3: How Wonderful Life Is While You’re In the World✨

Series Masterlist

A/N: I hope you are enjoying our Moulin Rouge au that me and @mountainsandmayhem have created! Cheers to another chapter and please let us know how you liked it ❤️

Chapter Summary: Your feelings for Joel are growing faster than you imagined, but you have to deal with Terrance. The man you can’t stand to be alone with. Will Joel be able to save you or will you have to suffer alone while he watches helplessly?

Pairing: Joel x fem! reader

Rating: Explicit (18+ Only)

Word Count: 10.2k

Chapter Tags: Reader buys a new dress, mutual pining, feelings, smut, oral receiving (fem), secret date, angst, desire, longing, Joel teaches reader guitar, reader shows Joel how to dance, reader is a sex worker who’s put in a position from Terrance and his friends that involves nonconsensual touching so please read at your own risk

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

Even though you’ve calmed down a bit, you practically stomp back to your room as your high heels dig deep into the floor. You’re feeling every single emotion that you can possibly feel right now. Obviously mad after the screaming match with your uncle, but also sad and scared about what you have to do with Terrance. Not scared in the way most would be, that some man they don’t know is about to own you and your body completely, but scared to lose Joel. That kiss is still burning on your lips and your body is aching for more of him. Worst of all, you’re scared for your heart. Your poor battered heart. You’ve ignored it for years, and right when you open it up it’s about to be absolutely obliterated.

When you open your bedroom door, you see Joel under your sink replacing the pipes. This might be your only chance to be alone with him again. A little voice inside your head tells you to be selfish, just this once. So you listen.

You saunter over to him and hover above him, one foot on each side of his body as you smirk down at him flirtatiously.

He turns his head slightly and smiles warmly as he sees you standing above him. “Whatcha doin’ up there, darlin’?” Joel asks, grunting as he tightens the pipes.

You slowly lower your knees to the ground, hiking the skirt of your dress up as you sink down to hover right above his lap. “I wasn’t expecting you,” you say seductively.

He glances out at you as his eyebrow raises high on his forehead. “I can’t, in good conscience, have you in a room without working water, baby.”

“It’s the middle of the night,” you giggle, “where did you even get the parts or -” You cock your head slightly to be able to see his face and wave your hand around under the sink.

His hand lightly circles your wrist and he moves it out from the cabinet chuckling slightly. “I’m working here, baby girl. There’s an empty room down the hall. I took them from there, and I’ll replace them tomorrow.”

You're silent for a while as you straighten your neck to look at the edge of your countertop. The bitter biting feeling floods your thoughts as no one has ever treated you like this, gone out of their way to fix something for you. But Joel does. He’s probably exhausted, but he’s here, happy to be here in fact, fixing something for you, so you can have basic comforts. Pushing his own comfort of sleep aside for you.

He puts the wrench down gently on the ground, keeping his eyes fixed on the pipes above him. “Everything okay out there?” he asks as he continues tightening the loose pipes.

You shouldn’t be doing this. You can’t be with him, but fuck you need him. You know he’d treat you properly, but you also know that as of tomorrow you belong to fucking Terrance. You bite your lip nervously and decide you can’t go the rest of your life not having this moment with Joel. He can’t possibly feel the same way you do, it’s illogical of you to say that you’re in love with a man you don’t even know yet. Joel seems level headed, he’ll just think he got a night like you give to everyone else. You wouldn’t even be surprised if he tried to pay you after.

You swirl your hips, just grazing against his hardening cock as you moan at the thought of having him. “Yes,” you whisper.

He sucks in a breath and moves his hands to your thighs as you feel his calloused fingers brush lightly over your exposed legs. “Careful, baby girl.”

You grind down harder, hands falling to the bottom of his shirt as you slide your fingers up along his soft, warm skin. You say his name with a moan. Joel lifts you slightly and slides his body down between your thighs.

“No,” you whine, already missing the feeling of his bulge pressing against your needy center.

Joel continues sliding down until his face is in line with your pussy. He looks up at you, his lust filled eyes blowing out as they meet yours.

Fuck, he’s beautiful.

“Don’t whine, darlin’. I got you, if that’s what you want.”

“Please, Joel.” It comes out airy and breathy, much needier than you intended. Your breaths are coming in rapidly as you cup one of your breasts in your hands, desperate for any sort of touch you can get.

Joel traces a thick finger up your inner thigh slowly as your body writhes with anticipation. “Sshhh, sweet girl. Relax.”

“I can’t,” you whine, your body twitching with every little touch he gives you. “Please Joel, I need you.”

Joel moves your skirt out of the way, his fingers finding the center of your wet panties, lightly tracing up and down your slit. The fabric is soaked and his touch is causing more slick to build between your thighs. Joel is growing painfully hard, the zipper of his work pants pressing into his cock that’s already fully hard for you. Joel Miller is a lover though, and that’s exactly what he plans to do. To love you, to show you just how a man should treat someone as beautiful as you.

“Relax,” he says with encouragement. “You can do it. Take a deep breath, baby.”

He continues his ministrations, adding just a bit more pressure as he slides his thumb against your aching clit. You cry out with a plea and then follow along with what he says. You close your eyes and take a slow, deep inhale, releasing your breath as everything seems to go quiet around you. You don’t have a single thought or any emotion, there’s nothing in this room aside from you and Joel but thick tension that sits in the air. As the trembling in your body slows, you soften around him, letting out a deep moan that seems to set you on fire.

“That’s my girl,” Joel praises.

You smile a look down at him, just able to see his blown out pupils from in between your thighs. You take another breath while holding his gaze, seeing his amber eyes start to glaze over into deep black pits. You’ve never been looked at quite like that before. It’s not lust, it’s something much, much more. You return the look at him, biting the inside of your cheek to stop a smile from breaking the surface.

“Darlin’?” Joel asks, his voice deeper now, more sensual.

“Yeah?”

“Grab onto the edge of the sink with both your hands.”

You keep eye contact, raising one eyebrow before reaching up and wrapping both hands around the sink. The steel of the sink is cold, it only helps draw you deeper into the heat of Joel’s body, his mouth just a hair away from your clothed core. Your panties are soaked through with your arousal after he teased you with his finger.

“Good girl,” he growls. The heat of his breath hits your clit and you cry out just a little, hips bucking towards his face as your clit drags against the edge of his hooked nose, causing you to cry out again in awe. You manage to regain your composure, Joel’s thumb hooking your panties and pulling them to the side hurriedly. “So gorgeous, baby. You tell me if you want me to stop, got it?”

“Oh my God, Yes. Yes, just please - please, I need it.”

“I’m gonna give it to ya, darlin’. Hold on tight,” he instructs with a deep growl.

Joel dives in like you’re his oxygen and he’s fucking drowning in your air. He has always liked doing this, making women feel good with his experienced tongue. It feels sensual and intimate to get to see someone like this, to have them trust him like this. But with you, he really fucking loves it. The feel and taste of your sweet arousal on his tongue is euphoric to him, angelic. If he was on death row, he’d ask for this for his very last meal.

You cry out loudly as his tongue expertly teases your clit, alternating between tight circles with the tip of his tongue to long, flat licks. Your arousal leaks down his throat, and he swallows you down eagerly as he tastes the honey-like flavor hit his tastebuds. He moans loudly as he licks and licks, sending warm sparks up your lower regions.

“Joel, Joel, Joel,” you repeat his name over and over like a holy prayer, and your orgasm builds faster than you thought possible. He pulls away for a second, bringing two thick fingers up to your wet folds as he slides them back and forth slowly. He moves them up and down teasingly, coating his fingers with your sweet juices.

“Can I put my fingers inside of you, baby girl?” His voice is full of lust. Hot, hungry, needy.

“Yes,” you say quickly, “yes, please, Mr. Miller.”

“Let me hear you say it,” he instructs, his deep breath coming out scratchy and so fucking hot.

You bite your bottom lip as you taste your cherry flavored chapstick. You’re good at teasing men, doing things for them, but not for you. And now Joel wants you tell him what you want, and it shouldn’t be so fucking hard.

“You can do it, just say the words.” His fingers are still lazily running along you, slowly teasing as he makes more slick run down your center.

“I - I want…” your cheeks flush and you throw your head back in mere frustration. Why the fuck can’t you just ask for what you want? Why was that so difficult for you?

Joel can sense your frustration, or perhaps discomfort with the situation. He stops what he’s doing and softly says, “Hey, look at me, baby.” When you look down his face is soft, big brown eyes staring up at you. “You don’t have to say it if it makes you uncomfortable. I’m sorry if I pushed you, but you don’t have to hold back from me. Anything you want, ask. Ask and I’ll do it.”

You swallow hard. You’re in love, so very out of this world in love, and this is your only chance to do something about it. You can’t spend the rest of your life with Terrance regretting not saying a few simple words. You have to do this. Say it.

Your eyes dance around Joel’s face before you whisper, “I want your fingers, please. I need them inside of me.”

Joel lets out a deep moan and growls, fuuuuuuck.

He latches his mouth to your clit again, gently pushing his index finger into the sensitive entrance of your needy pussy as you writhe in pleasure. He pushes his fingertips slowly in and out a few times before pushing it all the way in, hooking his fingers up into that spongy area that sends you gasping for breath. You moan loudly, one hand falling from the sink to grab his tousled curls. The second you make contact with his head everything stops - his fingers are gone, mouth pulled off your clit with a loud pop.

“No!” you cry, needing him to continue as your insides ache for him.

“I said to grab onto the edge of the sink with both hands,” he demands, his eyes narrowing up at you.

You shakily move your hands back to the sink.

“Be my good girl and keep them there, understand?” The lust filling his eyes and deep gravel in his voice are almost enough to make you come.

“Yes,” you coo, leaning forward to get closer to his mouth.

“You let go, and I’ll stop.”

Your back arches more, trying desperately to get the attention that you think you might die without. Joel moves in again, lapping at your clit before sliding two fingers all the way inside you. You're tight and warm around his fingers and he has to remind himself to slow down, be gentle with you. He wants you to savor it just as much as he wants to savor you.

He curls his fingers inside you and he feels your pussy flutter slightly, he knows you're close. You squeeze your eyes tightly, gripping the edge of the sink like it’s the only thing keeping you alive.

“There she goes,” he says, “let me see it, baby.”

Your moans turn desperate, but you aren’t sure what you’re more desperate for. If you come he’s going to stop, you aren’t sure if you want him to stop, but fuck do you need to come. Your walls start to flutter around Joel’s fingers again, feeling that warm sensation building in your spine.

“Show me,” he praises, “be my good girl.”

That’s what does it, the sparks in your belly radiate out to every limb. The waves of pleasure weaken all your muscles. You feel your arms giving out, but there’s no way you’re going to let go of that sink. Screams and moans fill your room, “F-fuck, Joel. Oh, fuck.”

He praises you as you shamelessly grind your hips down onto his face. “You’re so fucking perfect. Take it, baby girl.”

Before the pleasure becomes overstimulating, Joel slows his fingers inside you and pulls his tongue away from your swollen bundle of nerves. He works his fingers slowly, placing an occasional light kiss to your pussy and slowly you start to come back down to earth.

You’re trying to catch your breath as Joel slides out from under you and then scoops you up into his arms. You wrap your arms around his neck, breathing him in as he walks you towards your bed. He places you down gently, one of his big hands coming to cup behind your head until it lands softly on your pillow, and he covers you with a soft fleece blanket. No one has ever tucked you in before, at least not that you can remember. A simple act, filled with so much love and tenderness. You reach out for Joels hand, and he doesn’t hesitate to grab onto you.

“Stay,” you whisper, suddenly desperate for his warmth.

“I’ll get fired, darlin’,” he whispers sadly, sitting down on the edge of your bed carefully. You roll onto your side and move close to him, reaching one of your arms out as you grab onto his wrist.

“Stay,” you repeat again, your eyelids starting to become heavier as the weight of your orgasm takes its toll on you.

He places a light kiss on your temple and whispers gently, “I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

You melt into his kiss, lips tasting like coffee and sunshine. “Will you come back tomorrow?”

He brushes your hair back, and one finger trails down the bridge of your nose lightly. You close your eyes, a little smile lifting your lips. “I would love that, baby girl. You can teach me how to use that pottery wheel.”

A small ‘okay’ leaves your lips as he kisses your forehead again. “Go to sleep, my love.” And so you do, drifting off to sleep with the brush of his calloused fingers running along your upper arm and his smooth lips trailing kisses against your cheekbone.

You wake up to sunshine on your skin and the feeling of fresh slick between your legs. Dreams of Joel invaded your sleep last night, and all you could think of was his warm tongue sliding up and down your drenched center. You blush at the images that paint your mind and look over to the other side of your bed. You frown when you realize Joel isn’t here, but he did stay till you fell asleep. You wish he could’ve stayed the entire night, holding you in his strong arms, drinking up his mahogany scent that haunts your memories. You want him here, need him here, but he said he couldn’t stay. He said he’d be fired.

Why would he be fired? Your uncle said you could have anything. And you want Joel. You want him. He couldn’t be fired, he wouldn’t be. Unless…. unless your uncle gave him strict orders that he couldn’t touch the dancers, that he couldn’t touch you. Would your uncle really do that? You’re starting to realize he would.

A light knock on the door shakes you out of bed, and you pull on a long pink robe and tie it in a tight bow. You pace over to your large door and open it up to find your uncle leaning up against the doorway with a huge grin on his face. He barges right in and brushes past your shoulder as you close the door behind him and turn his direction.

“Today’s the day, petal!” he almost yells as his green eyes beam down at you with a stupid grin that takes over his wrinkled features.

“Today’s the day?” you ask confused, then suddenly realize what he’s so jolly about.

“Terrance! Remember? He’s going to be here this evening, and he expects to see you,” he replies, eyes gazing into yours as you nearly revolt against his wishes.

“Oh, right…” you say quietly as the weight of his words settle in on you. Maybe when you’re eighteen, you can join them. The words make you sick, make you want to push him in the chest and tell him no. You want to scream, throw your lit up lamp across the room and watch the glass shatter into a million pieces, but you can’t. You can’t.

Your uncle places his hand under your chin and lifts your eyes up to his. “Now, now. Don’t be like that, petal. He’s paying us well. The Moulin Rouge is saved. We don’t have to worry anymore,” he encourages as he smiles down at you with enthusiasm spilling over his tongue.

He’s paying us well. The words sound like long nails running down a rusted chalkboard, filling the room with a deafening noise as you cringe at the words. He was not the one being sold to Terrance, you were. You were the one that had to entertain this man for God knows how long. It was you that had to pretend, not your uncle.

“He’ll be here around 7:00pm sharp. I want you down there no later than that, understand?” he asks as he looks over you slowly, making sure you don’t make a fuss.

“I’ll be there, uncle. If I must,” you say with a slight huff, trying to keep your spirits up for him.

“Here,” he hands you a crisp one hundred dollar bill and places it in your hand as the material crinkles together under your touch. “Go buy yourself something nice. Maybe a pretty dress for Terrance. His favorite color is red.” He places a light kiss to your forehead then pads off to the door, leaving the room feeling hollow and empty as his footsteps trail down the hallway. You stand there gawking at his vacant shadow.

Go buy yourself something nice? His favorite color is red? Who the fuck does he think he is?

The words make you feel cheap, the money makes you feel used, dirty. You don’t want the money. You want to run out of the room and throw it back at him, make him regret ever selling you to a rich prick who only wants you for your body. You don’t want to fucking do this anymore! But what choice do you have? The deal had already been made…

You throw your hand out and hit the wall hard as pain radiates down your arm like fire running through your nerves. You wince and shake it out, letting the pain simmer away as you walk into your lit up pink bathroom and run the shower water, staring at yourself in the mirror until your face is lost in fog. How poetic, you think to yourself.

You peel off your robe and let it land in a heap on the floor, stepping into the heat as you let the scalding water cascade down your porcelain skin, washing away the scent of regret and anger. You lather the shampoo through your long locks, run the citrus soap over the entirety of your body until it drowns you, rinsing it off as you watch it run down the drain in swirling colors brighter than your own future.

After sulking in the shower for nearly half an hour, you dry your body off with a fleece towel and throw on a soft pretty flamingo colored dress. You dry and curl your hair, applying red lipstick to your soft lips and mascara to your long lashes.

You take a second to look at yourself in the mirror, examining every feature as you see sadness in the soft glow of your eyes, holding back tears as you hold your chin up and wipe away a distant tear. Time for you to take a walk.

You close up your room as you shove the hundred dollar bill into your scarlet purse, feeling dirty for even having it in your grasp. You shake your head and walk down the lit up halls of the Moulin Rouge, passing some dancers as you saunter out the front doors and into the sunlight.

You let the glow of the sun warm your cold soul, let it fill you with ease as you walk down the crowded streets to one of your favorite dress shops. As soon as you step in, you’re met with a busy seamstress and a batch of dresses that hang loosely over manicans and display on long hangers.

“Anything I can help you find, miss?” the petite blonde asks as you enter the store.

“Just looking around for the moment,” you say as you gaze around at all the colorful, fancy dresses.

“Just let me know if you need anything,” she says as she turns back to the cash register.

You pace around the room, trailing your hand on various types of fabrics as you circle the large shop. The colors go from deep purples to ombré to bright shades of yellow. Almost any color you can imagine fills the room, giving you a ton to choose from. It’s almost overwhelming.

You see a long, luxurious dress that sits in the middle of the room. It’s a deep crimson color, one that Terrance would probably kill to see you in. You roll your eyes and walk past it, you’re not getting that one.

You look through the rack of dresses, assessing each one as none of them stick out at you. You’re about to give up when you turn and see a deep blue colored dress that sits displayed behind a hidden curtain. You pull it back and gasp at the beautiful dress that seems to call your name.

The dress is as blue as the depths of the sea, the fabric of the skirt reaching the floor as a long slit divides the left corner of the dress, leaving an opening to show off your long legs in. It’s sleeveless, and the material making up the low cut front shimmers against the glistening sun. It’s absolutely perfect. You think Joel might love this, might run his fingers up the slit to feel the smooth skin of your leg, might lose his voice while he mulls over how it fits your curves, might want to rip it off you so he can see what’s underneath…

Without another thought you take the dress to the counter, taking out what feels like hush money and pay for the dress. The dressmaker wraps it in a nice box for you, and you grab the handle and step out into the sunshine. You know you should go back, but the walk here helped clear your mind and you aren’t ready to go back and face your future quite yet. You spin the opposite direction of the Moulin Rouge and come face to face with the one man you want nothing more than to be with. Joel.

“Hi,” he says, blushing slightly.

You bite your cheek to stop from smiling, he’s so fucking beautiful that it almost hurts. “Hi.”

“Whatcha got there?” he asks, nodding towards the box in your arms.

“Oh no no, the Sparkling Diamond never reveals her secrets,” you smirk, curling your red lips up into a playful smile.

“I’ll tell you a secret of mine if you let me peek in that box.”

You stare at him for a second contemplating. Joel Miller is definitely flirting with you.

“You go first,” you say with a giggle.

He steps into you, placing his large palm on the small of your back, his lips close to your ear and whispers, “You were beautiful coming apart on my tongue last night.”

You feel your cheeks and chest redden at his confession, and your clit twitches with the memory of how he felt lapping at your center. You’ve had all sorts of sexual experiences before, but he seemed to know exactly where to touch you without any help. That was the first time in a long time that you didn’t feel like you were going to have to fake an orgasm.

He steps back and taps the box, and you generously open it a little as his eyes widen. “Wow, that's, wow.”

You smile to yourself triumphantly. He’s already speechless, and it’s still in the box. “What are you doing here?”

“I just live right over there,” he says as he points to an old brick building. “I was running some errands before my shift tonight.”

“You’re coming to see me after, right?” you ask shyly, fluttering your long eyelashes up at him. He seems to melt at the weight of your eyes.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, darlin’,” he replies, lowering his voice and adds, “especially if you’re going to be in that fucking dress.”

You gasp at his words. That fucking dress. “Guess you’re going to have to come find me to find out then,” you wink, flashing him your best smile. He smiles back, and it sends warmth flooding through your lower regions.

“You busy now? I could show you my place, if you’d like,” he says shyly, running a hand through his tousled curls as crimson flashes across his cheeks.

He’s so fucking beautiful.

You flick your eyes up to the tall brick building and contemplate your options. You want to, you really want to, but you can’t. You need to get back to the Moulin Rouge and get ready to meet your awful date.

You sigh and shake your head sadly. “I’d love to, Joel. I really would, but I have to get back. I have a busy day.” You see his Adam’s Apple bob up and down, and you want so badly to run your fingers through his hair and press your lips up against his. Sooth him over. Not here though. Not where your uncle or Terrance could see.

“Another time then?” Joel asks with a hopeful glance your way.

You nod in response. “Another time.”

He grazes his hand against yours and discreetly entwines his fingers with yours. It feels so good, so safe, so right. You can’t wait till the night is over, until you can be in Joel’s arms again. That’s where you belong, where you want to be.

You slowly squeeze his hand and then let go, letting your fingers fall to your side against your silky dress. “I need to go. I’ll see you tonight, handsome.”

“Tonight,” he promises. With that you turn and go back to your demise, to the Moulin Rouge.

Joel arrives at the burlesque twenty minutes before his shift. He sneaks in the back door and tucks his guitar away in the maintenance closet and then goes to find Edward. He finds him at the front, in the same pressed, crisp suit from last night. He’s greeting men with enthusiastic handshakes and seems happier overall tonight.

“Joel!” He calls from across the hall, “great to see you, son.”

Joel gives him a tight lipped smile, stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading over to Edward. The men who turned their noses up to him the other night glare sideways at him. He still can’t believe that he’s considered the scum in this place.

“We are using the VIP area tonight after the Sparkling Diamond performs. It hasn’t been used in a while. Can you go up there and check the lighting, make sure the tables and chairs are set up? Also need someone to help the bartender bring up everything.”

His throat tightens at the thought of you having to be up in that room with some of these men. He replies through gritted teeth, “Of course, sir.”

He wanders up one of the spiral staircases off the main dance floor, men clamouring around trying to get the best seat before the girls come out for them to grab at. The VIP area overlooks the burlesque, there’s a private booth along the back with a curtain that the guests can draw closed. Bile rises in his throat at the thought of you being back there, but he knows what you do for work, and even though he knows that he’s madly and wildly in love with you. But it doesn’t mean that you feel the same way. You invited him over tonight, you sat on his lap last night, so he’ll take this at your speed and maybe one day he can get you out of here.

The two tables along the shiny black railing have chairs tipped up on them, so he flips them and places them on the ground neatly. He tests to make sure the tables aren’t wobbly before moving over to the private bar and picking up a knocked over stool.

“Are there any thirsty gents out there tonight?” Edward’s voice booms over the burlesque. Men cheer and whoop in anticipation. “Get ready boys, a little teaser with the Diamonds before your - err umm - the Sparkling Diamond comes out.”

A bartender comes up with a big box full of glasses and alcohol. “Thanks umm…”

“Joel,” he says.

The bartender reaches out his hand and they shake. “Pierre. Thanks for this. Terrance is gonna be up here soon though so you better go.”

“Yeah, the light above the booth is out so I’m gonna change that.”

Pierre laughs to himself, “I wouldn’t bother man. I’m sure whatever woman he takes in there will want it to be dark.”

Terrance, who the fuck is Terrance?

Joel heads down to the main hall when he hears there’s an issue in one of the bathrooms. He sighs and then races off to assess the damage.

You slip the silky blue dress over your body and then slide your feet into sparkly high heeled shoes. The bedazzled strap of the shoe goes up your strong calf, and even though you’re nervous and shaky at the thought of being alone with Terrance in the VIP area tonight, you’ve never felt stronger or sexier than you do in this look. Joel’s flirtations from earlier wash over you and make heat rise in your cheeks. As long as you’re wearing that fucking dress.

You’re not looking forward to Joel seeing you with him tonight. Maybe you should have told him, but you’re just not ready for your time with him to be up yet. Just the thought of not getting him to your room again feels like someone is clamping clothespins along your insides as pain starts burning there.

You slide on some red lipstick and flick your eyeliner out in black sharp lines. As soon as you put the eyeliner down you hear your uncle’s booming voice on the microphone, asking the men to call you to the stage. You take one last look at yourself in the mirror, but you don’t recognize yourself anymore. This painted woman, not even a name or a face on the other side of that curtain. But in your room with Joel, you’re his person. Someone he wants to cherish and care for. You’d do anything for him to feel the same way and take you away from here. Maybe one day he would.

The band starts your music slowly and you act almost robotic as you take the stage, a puppet on a tight string where the men call all the shots. You practically disassociate, letting muscle memory take over as you start to move. It brings you to the stage, pulling you into the bright lights of the large room as the men stand and wait. You point and flirt, spin and tease the men with the long slit up your leg, exposing soft skin that the men practically claw at. You bend and push your cleavage together towards the faceless men in the audience, hating that you have to do this night after night.

After your music ends, your uncle comes out with the other Diamonds. “This little petal is spoken for tonight, gents,” he calls. They groan as their hopes and dreams of getting alone time with you fly out the window. You can’t believe there was a time when that made you feel good about yourself, now it makes you feel cheap and used. “But I have some lonely Diamonds that could use some polishing, if you know what I mean,” he says with a wink as the men cheer at his announcement, already reaching for the other dancers.

Your uncle leads you off the lit up stage and pushes you towards the spiral staircase. “Make him happy, petal.” You groan as you climb the winding staircase, dreading what you know is about to come.

You didn’t look up during your performance once, not that you would have been able to see with the bright lights shining in your eyes, but when you reach the balcony you’re shocked to see Terrance with five of his friends. They whistle and catcall as you appear, and you feel hot bile rise in your throat.

“There you are. Gents, this is my girl. Give them a little spin,” he says with a greasy grin. You spin slowly, one of the men grabbing at your ass when your back is to them. You cringe at the unwelcome hands as they claw at your dress.

“Hey, hands off,” Terrance growls. For a second you’re grateful for him, until he opens his mouth again. “Unless you wanna pay me for her.”

His small, cold hand wraps around your wrist and he pulls you over to sit on his lap. His leg is bony and uncomfortable, but he pins you to him. The men order more bourbon and talk while your mind wanders to Joel. He doesn’t have bony legs, no. They’re thick and muscular, filling out his work jeans nicely. You find your eyes scanning the Moulin Rouge looking for him. You need to see him, you need that reminder of what you have to live for.

That dreadful feeling hits you again, weighing you down as cold air floods your insides. You don’t want to do this anymore.

After what feels like hours, you finally see Joel coming out of the men’s bathroom with his metal toolbox in hand. You look away from him, scared that your gaze might somehow attract his, and you can’t bear the chance of seeing any sort of hurt in his eyes that you might be causing him right now.

The men around you have gotten increasingly more drunk and sloppy, hands reaching for you clumsily. Terrance’s hand roams up the bodice of your dress, and your stomach clenches as you feel a heavy weight in your chest start to burn. He grazes your breast slightly before pushing your hair out of the way and places a wet, slobbery kiss to the back of your shoulder. You swallow hard, fighting the urge to retch.

“So, we can pay you then?” One of them asks Terrance. They’re talking like you’re not even here, like you’re mute and unable to do anything of your own free will.

“I don’t like to share what’s mine, but look at her.” His hand comes back to your breast and squeezes hard, making you bite down on your tongue as you taste blood run down the back of your throat.

“Let me see her, decide if I want to get out my checkbook or not,” another one says raspily.

Terrance tries to lift you up off him. You stand begrudgingly as he shoves you towards his friend. The other man gropes at your waist and pulls you roughly into him. You stumble, ripping the skirt of your dress as you fall into his lap. You let out a little squeal at the impact, the slit of your dress falling open to expose your upper thigh.

“I think she likes it,” he laughs, one of his hands grabbing a lock of your hair as he takes a strong whiff of your citrus shampoo. The other lands on your soft milky thigh as he adds, “You definitely picked the best whore in the house, Terrance.” Whore. The word makes you tense up and makes you feel completely disgusting. He goes to cup your breast and slowly slides the top of the dress down, exposing your breast completely as he kneads at it while the other men howl like wild dogs.

You feel the sting of tears in your eyes, feel one roll coldly down your cheek as it splashes against the wooden floor. Terrance just sits there, marveling at your body as he watches his friend ravish your bare skin. You try to get up, but he holds you down. “Where do you think you’re going, gorgeous? We paid for you, don’t think you’re going anywhere else tonight,” he smirks, his lips running hastily down your neck as you cringe away from him.

“Alright now, that’s enough. Give her back now,” Terrance demands as he yanks you off his friend and sits you back in his lap. Now it’s his turn to pry his cold hands over your body.

He slides his hand up to cup your exposed breast, softly kissing your earlobe while his wet mustache tickles your skin. One of his other friends bends down and picks up your leg where the torn slit sits, running his hand up your exposed thigh. A second friend grabs your other leg, parting your thighs and exposing your lacy panties. You freeze, there’s no stopping it, this is what you must do to save the Moulin Rouge, so you just sit there and take it, letting another hot tear run down your face as it lands with a splash on your ruined blue dress.

Maybe when you’re eighteen you can join them.

The room seems to blur as your wet eyes gaze at the ceiling, looking anywhere but at the men that take and take and take from you without any say from you.

Joel… Save me…

Joel's eyes scan the crowded room, looking past flirtatious dancers as they flock around handsy men in expensive suits. When he doesn’t find you anywhere on the dance floor, he lifts his eyes slowly to the balcony, praying he won’t see you in that dark booth. His gaze stops cold as he sees just what’s happening. You are in the booth and there are six men feasting their eyes and hands on you, devouring you up as they take and take and take from you without any remorse on their sly faces.

He sees the way you close your eyes and look away, sees the hot tears that roll down your face as they paint the front of your dress wet. Something in the depths of his stomach snaps. Pure red hot rage blinds him as he drops the heavy toolbox on the ground, grabbing the hammer and clutching it tightly in his fist like a drawn weapon. He squeezes the metal handle as he flares his nostrils and clenches his jaw, snarling his teeth so tight that he swears he’s about to break them. He’s going to fucking kill every single man up there that has their grimy hands on you. He’s going to destroy every last one of them.

He takes one step forward and feels a hand pull him back into the shadows. He turns around as fast as lightning and finds one of the dancers shaking her head at him. “Leave it alone, Joel. Do not go up there and bother them,” she warns with red matte lips and purple eyeshadow that cakes over green eyes.

“What do you mean don’t go up there? Look at her, she’s crying and looks like she wants to die!” he yells, anger seething him as he looks back up to see your eyes open, staring at him as if you’re screaming for him to come save you.

He parts his lips and furrows his eyebrows together, watching the man who’s beneath you kiss down your neck with a sloppy tongue while his other hand kneads your exposed breast. It makes Joel sick, makes his hand tighten around the hammer that much more as he takes another heavy step forward.

The dancer stops him once again. “You don’t want to do that, Joel. That’s Terrance.”

Terrance. Ah. That’s who that fucking is. He wants to murder Terrance slowly and painfully, make him suffer for everything he’s done to his girl.

“Who the fuck is Terrance?” Joel growls as his teeth gnash together.

“Terrance is filthy rich. A powerful man you don’t want to cross. He’s given this place a lot of money, invested a ton in the Sparkling Diamond. Do not fuck this up, Joel. Leave it alone. Leave her alone,” she warns.

Leave her alone? He can’t, he won’t.

“Fuck that, I’m going to make him pay,” he growls.

“Joel!” She says his name loud and firm, digging her long nails into the skin of his wrist. He has no choice but to turn and look at her.

“Look, I can see what’s going on. I see the way you look at her. I saw the smile on your face last night when I caught you leaving her room. You need to be more careful. You’re not supposed to be seeing her, remember? If Edward were to find out you’d be…”

He cuts her off before she can finish her sentence. “What, fired? Don’t you think I know that? Do you think I don’t think about that every fucking minute of the day? But you know what? I don’t care anymore. Because I… fuck, I think I fucking love her.”

The words hang heavily between them before he continues. “No, I know I do. I love her, and if you want to tell Edward then be my guest. I’ll somehow manage without the job, but I can’t manage without her.” He points up to the balcony to make a strong statement and watches as you keep your eyes fixed on him. You need him. You need him.

“Joel…” the dancer says quietly. “I’m not going to tell Edward. She’s basically a daughter to me, and I hate what’s happening up there just as much as you. Just please, be careful. Watch your back and don’t get yourself caught. I’d hate to see what would happen if you did,” she says sadly, eyes gazing back up at you as Joel’s eyes follow.

They watch together as you get torn to shreds, your beautiful dress absolutely ruined by those starving pigs. Joel can’t remember ever being this angry, so very angry. He feels hot lava run through his veins, feels his lip quiver as he watches defenseless. He can’t save you right now and that alone kills him the most.

You nod slowly at him, eyes still wet with tears, but you tug a small smile on your face and mouth ‘it’s okay’ to him. But it’s not okay, it’s just fucking not.

His hand clenches around the base of the hammer, and he has to steady himself as he feels anger, sadness, and helplessness wash over him. He can’t do anything right now which makes him feel like he’s fucking drowning underwater. He hates this, hates you having to sit there and take it. He can’t watch anymore. It’s too much, this is too much. He bends over and picks up the heavy toolbox again and takes one more glance in your direction, eyes locking for a few seconds before he turns the opposite way and heads down the hall.

“I can’t watch this anymore, just tell me when it’s over,” he sighs as he leaves the dancer’s side and trudges down the dim lit hall, away from the men that paw you like starving animals. He can’t do this. He can’t do this. Not when he loves you so goddamn much. It kills him, this kills him. So he decides to go drown himself in work just so he won’t have to see it anymore, won’t have to see your pleading eyes as they stare at him helplessly, begging him to rescue you.

You sigh when you see Joel disappear down the hall, almost cry out his name as they continue to bleed you dry. You need him. You need him.

Come save me, Joel. Come back, come back.

Another hot tear falls and splashes to the floor as you turn your head back to the men as they have their fun with you. This isn’t worth the money, this isn’t worth anything. You’d rather be standing out on the streets than be ravished by disgusting men. You’d rather be with Joel in your room, getting lost in his velvety lips and soft brown eyes. After this you would, after this he’d be yours. You just had to hold on a little longer, give these men what they desired most, which was you. You just hoped Joel still wanted you after seeing you like this…

“More bourbon!” Terrance calls to the bartender as he watches his friends do vile things to your partially naked body.

“Sorry, sir, but we appear to be out.” The bartender says sheepishly.

The men groan, one of them saying, “Let’s go then gents.” Terrance and his disgusting friends grumble about the horrible service and leave you laying there, exposed and raw on the seating of the dark booth. Your body is slick with your own nervous sweat, as well as the clammy sweat of those men's hands and only God knows what else.

“Come on, kid.” The bartender says, helping you up and wrapping you in a silky red table cloth. “Let me take you to Edward.”

“No,” you breathe out, shaking your head quickly. He's just as responsible for this as Terrance. You want to be alone or with Joel, not around money starved pigs. “I’ll get myself to my room, thanks.”

You walk quietly across the balcony, feeling like your legs will give out at any minute. You place your shaky hand against the stair rail and descend the curvy staircase. You see the men downstairs staring up at you, feel their eyes devour you as they see you wrapped in the red tablecloth. You know what they think of you, know what they’d like to do to you as well. You just gulp down a whimpered breath and continue on to your room, ignoring every catcall and question thrown your way. You just want to be alone, to be away from all this loud madness. You want Joel, need him like you need air to breathe.

When you open your heavy door, Joel is already there. Sitting at the small bistro kitchen table, elbows propped against the edge with his head resting heavily in his hands. You swallow loudly and clear your throat carefully. “I’m sorry,” you apologize quietly, fidgeting with the red tablecloth that wraps around your shoulders.

Joel’s head whips up fast, tears running down his face as his wide eyes lock on yours. “How? Why? I - I thought you weren’t… I didn’t know you were entertaining other men.” He looks so sad. So very sad, and it nearly shatters your heart into pieces.

“It’s complicated,” you say as you stare at the floor, tightening the table cloth around your body a little more.

“Don’t do that, don’t shut yourself off to me.” Joel gets up and walks over to you slowly, lifting your chin to meet his gaze. Your mascara is smudged, lipstick stained across your chin, and you’re sure your hair is a mess. “I’m not blaming you, just please tell me how this happened?”

You wet your lips nervously as he continues staring at you intently. It’s almost overwhelming when he’s looking at you the way he is now. All soft and concerned. The wet trails down his cheeks feel like a hot stake to your heart. “Edward sold me,” you whisper sadly.

“What?” he gasps, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“He sold me,” you repeat as shame crosses your face.

“Why would he do that? Why!” His voice is angry, hurt. He doesn’t understand, so you’ll have to tell him everything.

As you tell Joel everything that happened the other night he leads you to your kitchen, pushing back a chair as he sits you down slowly. He crouches in front of you, rubbing his warm palms over your chilled skin, and it feels good. So good.

“That’s,” he breathes out in disbelief, “that’s awful. I’m so sorry, baby. You don’t deserve this, being treated like this by your boss.”

“My uncle,” you correct, eyes dancing along his concerned face.

“What?” this time it’s not a gasp, it’s anger. Pure wretched anger. “Edward is your uncle? Your uncle sold you? Your own family, someone who is supposed to protect you, sold you!” he asks angrily, eyes darkening as his nostrils flare uncontrollably.

He stands and starts pacing around your room, clenching his fists beside him as he can barely keep the anger in any longer. He’s going to fucking murder him, too.

“Please calm down, Joel.”

“Calm down? Calm down! This is vile. Cruel. Abhorrent. This is, there’s no words for what this is!” He’s raising his voice, and you start to feel yourself putting up your walls again as you jump onto the defense.

“Why did you even come here tonight if you’re just going to yell at me?” you ask shakily, standing up and dropping the table cloth to the floor as you expose your torn blue dress. The skirt of your dress is almost fully detached from the bottom of your hips and wet patches of spilled bourbon stick uncomfortably against your skin. His eyes widen as he takes in the torn dress, eyes turning to sadness as he sees the beautiful material ripped to shreds.

“I’m not yelling at you. I’m just,” he pauses, running his hand over his patchy scruff in frustration, the other falling to his side defeatedly. “I think I’m - well I…” He stops his sentence and drags his eyes over your ruined dress. “Baby, your dress…” he says quietly, eyebrows knitting together in full concern.

You lower your eyes and run your hands over the torn material of silk, see the way the sparkly material hangs like a ripped up washrag. This was your favorite dress, too…

“I know, I know. They just couldn’t help themselves, could they?” Your eyes flash up to his, and you see sorrow in them as soft brown eyes search yours carefully.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. You sure did look beautiful in it, too. So very beautiful. My Sparkling Diamond…”

Both his hands fall to his hips as you walk over to him. You need to know what he was about to say before he changed the subject. Save me, tell me you love me, you think to yourself. “What were you going to say to me, Joel? You stopped your sentence,” you coo, eyes flicking up to his softly. Finish what you were going to say.

“Nothing. It’s not your fault, I don’t want to make you feel that way.”

“This can be our space, Joel. What happened tonight is part of my job, but I can endure all of that if it means that we get this. Can you?”

He looks at you carefully, weighing his options. But it doesn’t take him long before he pulls you into his arms, one hand landing on your lower back as the other cradles the back of your skull. You relax into his touch, sinking all your weight into him. You you can endure anything as long as it brings you back here. To Joel. To the man that you are sure loves you just as much as you love him, even if neither of you have dared to say the words yet. You know. This is it for you, Terrance or not, this is where you belong.

“Yes, darlin’. Even if it kills me to see it, I’ll always be here for you.” He presses his lips to the top of your head. “Go take a shower, baby. I’ll be right here waiting. I brought my guitar if you want to play?” he asks with hope in his large brown eyes.

You smile into his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist tighter. “I don’t really know how. I only managed to learn a little…” you say quietly.

He laughs a little and pulls back to look into your eyes. “You have a guitar in the corner of your room,” he chuckles softly.

“I know,” you say, laughing back at him, “I want to learn more. Will you teach me?”

He lowers his head to press his lips gently to yours. “Go shower and I’ll teach ya.”

“Alright.” You brush past his hand and feel the warm heat inside you as you walk away towards your lit up bathroom with beads of pearls strewn across your wide mirror. You turn back to see him watching you, and you smile shyly as you close the door and disappear from his view.

You unzip your torn to shreds dress and let it fall in a heap on the ground, climbing into the shower as you let the warm heat rinse away the taste of regret on your sweaty skin. You take the dusty pink washcloth and soak your skin with vanilla soap. Making sure to scrub off every inch of bourbon and dirty fingerprints that those nasty men had left on you.

You watch the dirt fall down the drain, feel your skin come back to life as the clean skin seems to glow. This is how you’re supposed to feel, not like how you felt up there on the balcony with those savages. You felt used, like a dirty ragdoll that they could do whatever they wanted with you, but you wouldn’t let them do it again. You’d rather ruin your chances with Terrance and watch the Moulin Rouge fall apart than be back up in that dark booth again where no one could save you. Where your silent screams couldn’t be heard.

When you finish with your shower, you cut off the water and dry off quickly, wrapping a pink silky robe around yourself as you comb through your curls and put on fresh red lipstick. You pucker your lips together and spray a dash of sweet smelling perfume on your neck. As you take one more look at yourself, you pull the sliding doors open and walk back into the room to find Joel sitting on the window seat by the open balcony strumming along softly on his guitar.

You watch the way his thick fingers graze gently along each string, watch him hum to the beat of the song he plays quietly. He looks so good, so beautiful sitting there in the moonlight with his tousled curls falling gently over his eyes. You think you see heaven in those soft brown eyes of his, think you see the man you want to spend forever with.

When you pad across the wooden floors, he looks up slowly and smiles at you as his lips curl into an infectious grin. “There’s my girl. C’mere.” He curls his index finger toward him and coaxes you to follow. You do so without hesitation.

When you make it over to him, he puts his guitar to the side and spreads his thighs to make room for you. As you turn around, he pulls you up against his broad chest and places the guitar in your hands, hooking his arms around you as he puts his hands gently over yours and guides them to the strings. Your breath hitches at the contact.

“Is this okay, baby?” he asks. You nod your head before he continues. “Let me take you through all the basic chords, then I can show you a simple song or two.”

He grazes his calloused fingers over yours and slowly takes you through each cord, careful to explain each note and how to be gentle with it. It doesn’t take you long to pick up on what he shows you and takes less time to actually teach you the first song.

“Alright, go slow,” he instructs, keeping his hands on yours as he talks you through the notes. “Yeah, just like that. There ya go. Doin’ so good, sweetheart. You’re a natural,” he praises as he brushes his lips against your jawline, dragging it down slowly as he places a gentle kiss against your cheek. You about melt at the sweetness of it all, of him.

“You really think I’m doing good?” you ask with a giggle, feeling his right hand trace lines up and down your right arm as you continue to strum along the taut strings.

“Think you’re doin’ amazing, darlin’. Such a good little guitar player,” he praises as he places another kiss to your jawline. You nearly fall apart every time he praises you, kissing you like you’re the sweetest thing he’s ever planted his lips on.

When the song ends, he places the guitar to the side and wraps his arms around your waist as he entwines his fingers with yours. He makes an assessment of the bright walls that are covered with pink wallpaper and jewels and looks down to take in the soft pink robe that’s latched around you.

“You sure do love pink, don’t ya?” he asks with a soft chuckle that sounds like music to your ears.

“Mhm,” you hum as you lean against his broad chest and melt into his touch.

“That your favorite color?” he asks gently.

“How could you tell?” you ask with a playful smirk.

“Lucky guess,” he laughs as he grins down at you with soft brown eyes.

“And yours? What’s your favorite color?” you ask as you turn to face out the window, looking upon the lit up city as it sits below your view.

“Blue. Not just any blue. A deep navy blue, like the color of your dress. That’s my favorite color, the one you picked out at the dress shop. Thought I was having a heart attack seein’ ya in it tonight. You looked beautiful, just like a rare precious diamond. But you are a diamond, aren’t ya? You’re the rarest Sparkling Diamond I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he breathes out quietly as he trails a finger along your jawline, gently pushing a curl behind your ear as you turn around to face him.

You look up into his eyes and all you see are warm flecks of sunlight that shine down upon you, sinking into your eyes as you let your arms hook around the back of his neck. You think you see love in his eyes, and you’re sure he sees it there in yours, too.

“Joel Miller, you’re the sweetest man I’ve ever met. The most handsome, kind, and gentle man I ever laid eyes on. You know that?” you ask with a smile as he cups your chin and raises your face to his, just inches from his lips.

“Yeah? You think so?” he asks with the corners of his mouth curling up into the prettiest smile you’ve ever seen.

“Mhm,” you nod as your fingers wind around the curls on the nape of his neck.

“Does that mean you’re mine?” he asks quietly as he traces his thumb against your lower lip, making butterflies flit down in the pit of your stomach.

“I’m all yours,” you answer. And that’s all the answer he needs as he falls into your lips and kisses you deeply as his fingers curl around your long locks and his other hand pulls you tight to his chest. He tastes like heaven, smells like his acoustic guitar, all woodsy and mahogany. And you think you want to stay right here in his arms forever.

“Good, I’m yours, too. Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you again.” The two of you sit quietly, tangled into one another, almost as if you’re trying to become one. “So? You gonna teach me something now?”

You giggle into his skin, contemplating what you should show him. You don’t have any clay, but you planned to pick some up tomorrow on your day off. “Hmmm, we will have to get up if you want me to teach you something.”

He loosens his grip on you, wrapping his hands around your waist and helps lift you up. You spin gracefully towards him and grab his hands, tugging him up to his feet. He looks at you with one eyebrow raised as you place one of his large palms on the small of your back, your hand trailing up his strong forearm and bicep before finding a home on his shoulder. You place your other hand in his and hold it out to the side of your body.

“What are we doin’ here, sweet girl?” Joel asks, slightly nervous that you’re about to see him make a fool of himself.

You smile up at him, stepping in so close that your breasts are pressed up against his broad chest. “I feel sexiest when I’m doing the waltz.”

Joel feels his stomach drop. “You’re gonna be the death of me, you know that right?” You giggle a little as he adds, “But anything for you, always anything for you.”

“I promise it’s easy, the tempo is slow-slow-quick-quick, you repeat it twice in the shape of a box.” Joel looks at you like you’re speaking a different language, confusion furrowing in his brows and you can’t stop the smile that lights up your face. “Just follow me.”

Joel can’t tear his eyes off you, trying to follow but bumps into you and presses his toes against yours instead. You carry out a loud laugh. “Joel, look at your feet until you get the hang of it.”

“Can’t,” he says, “you’re too pretty.”

You stop moving your feet and look up at him. “Kiss me then.”

His lips come down to yours gently and he brings the hand he’s holding to rest on his shoulder, sliding his hand down to your waist gently as he hooks his arms around you tightly. You hum into his kiss as he starts to sway from side to side. He might not be able to waltz but this feels better, so much better.

You break the kiss hesitantly and look back up into honey colored eyes. “Please, stay the night. The club is closed tomorrow, Edward is leaving for the day. Please, Joel?”

He kisses you again slowly as his lips graze softly against yours. “I can’t say no when you say please like that, darlin’.”

You kiss him again, curving your lips up into a tight smile as his lips mould against yours. “Then it’s settled then, tonight you’re mine.”

“Tonight I’m yours,” he whispers back as his forehead leans against yours and his fingers entwine around yours.

Minutes later you’re tucked snuggly under the fuzzy fleece blanket, laying against Joel’s chest as he wraps his arms around you and combs his fingers through your smooth locks. You sink into his space, feel yourself get lost in his savory scent as your fingers trail up and down his inner arm as you trace each vein like they’re the map to his heart.

You could stay here forever in his arms, get lost in each other as you both breathe each other in again and again and again. This is where you belong, in Joel’s arms. This is right. This is home.

You let your eyes fall closed as he continues to soothe you to sleep with his warm touches and gentle kisses. “Goodnight, sweet girl. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

You let his words bring you peace as you feel yourself fade off into the dark. The last thing you remember is him kissing the top of your head and whispering words you can’t quite make out.

Home. He’s home.

[callsignthirsty]

Chapter 3: Behind the Door

Pairing: Tom "Iceman" Kazansky x F!Reader x Ron "Slider" Kerner Summary: Interrupting Iceman. Word Count: 4100 Warnings: Smut, bets and wagers, semi-public sex, fingering Chapter: 3/4 Minors DNI Previous Chapter

Slider's head whips around, shoulders drawn tight toward his ears as the crash of the door startles you both.

"Kerner!"

The split-second of terror subsides with that voice.

Ice.

Slider grunts, stubbornly diving back between your thighs. A man on a mission.

"I know you're up here, and I'm giving you to the count of three."

"No," you whimper, hips rocking against Slider's fingers, urging them to work faster. "Don't stop."

"One."

Instead of responding, Slider's breath ghosts over your clit as he presses two fingers into your cunt, curling them to pinpoint your sweet spot and hurtle you toward the edge.

The click of Ice's shoes is loud as he stalks toward you. "Two."

"So good," Slider hums against your slick skin. You squeeze your eyes closed, keening at the praise. "Almost there, baby."

Sli hisses as fingers fist in his short hair and yank him from between your legs.

"Three."

You whimper at the sudden loss of stimulation and the pour of cool night air over heated skin.

Slider has the audacity to flash Ice a smug smile. "Oh," he says as if he hadn't known the two of you were no longer alone. "Hey, Ice."

Pale eyes narrow as if asking Slider if that's the game they're going to play, then Ice pulls a tissue from his pocket and holds it to his RIO. "You've got lipstick on your face."

Slider's tongue peeks out to lick his lips. "That's not the only thing on my face."

Ice doesn't dignify him with a response, only releasing Slider when he stands and steps back to give you enough space for Ice to resettle you—steadying you on your own two feet and smoothing wrinkled velvet before procuring another tissue to help clean up the rouge smudged beyond the bounds of your lips.

Once you're deemed presentable, Ice descends the steps with his hand wrapped around your wrist, guiding you with an insistent tug that makes you feel more like an insolent child than his date. You want to stamp your feet as Ice assures you that he only needs to talk to a couple more officers he wants to speak with before you can get out of there.

Between the forced separation through staggered travel to D.C. and the night's two encounters—both of which had taken you to the very edge before leaving you high and dry—you're at your limit. So, to say you aren't paying attention to the conversation is an understatement. How are you supposed to pay attention to anything when you're oscillating between the jitters of unsated arousal and lightly filtered frustration?

Because who the hell does he think he is—do they think they are—to draw you into their little macho pissing contest? It's a wonder Iceman and Slider can both fit into the cockpit with their egos so blown out of proportion.

What should it matter in the end? They know you're going home with both of them.

Not that you get to say any of this. Instead, you're left to stew with empty eyes, a pinched smile, and a clenched fist at Ice's side as he makes a good impression on a commander. You're scraping the barrel with each half-hearted laugh at the officer's dull jokes, the Brut in your glass swirling between your fingers untouched. Each shift of your legs brings you closer to angry tears as the spit between them turns tacky, the microabrasions from Slider's stubble smarts reminding you of your lack of undergarment and the dissatisfied, borderline painful feeling of emptiness.

But it'll be a cold day in hell before you let any tears fall. You have your own pride to manage, and besides, no one wants to mingle with the serviceman whose date's eyes burn a tear-stung red.

"How much longer?" you ask Ice once the commander leaves.

Ice gives you an assessing look, eyebrows pulled down, and his head lightly tilted. You can't tell if he feels bad about what he's putting you through or is confused by your shortness of tone. "Impatient?"

You scoff, barely repressing the urge to cross your arms. Instead, you take a sip of your Brut, nose wrinkling as it bursts bitter across your tongue. "Whatever," you huff, done with the conversation and resigning yourself to more of the same. Ice had said there were "a couple" officers he wanted to talk with, after all.

Ice draws a deep breath in through his nose; lips pursed as he looks up to the ceiling. You know he's looking for the right words. You're still determining what those words would be. You know for a fact he won't find them painted on the ceiling.

Lucky for you—because you're not done being upset with him yet—Ice can't pinpoint what he's looking for before you're interrupted.

"Woah!" a familiar blonde excuses, bumbling into Ice and nearly spilling his beer on matching whites. "Sorry about that, still got my sea le– oh! Ice, hey!" Excuse dropped as a beamish grin overtakes Wolfman's face, cheeks tinged pink with drink.

"Wolf," you giggle as Wolf pulls you into a better mood with a friendly hug. It's hard to be all doom and gloom when Wolf's involved; he's a veritable ray of sunshine. "Where's 'Wood?"

"Pfft," he snorts. "Where's anyone? I mean, 'Wood's somewhere with his girl, but one minute I'm with Sli and Chip, the next Sli's gone and Chip's found himself a pretty little thing to dance with." He shrugs, not looking too plussed about his situation.

"I'll dance with you, Wolfie," you jump to offer. "Ice is being boring anyway."

Ice frowns. Wolf laughs. "Who am I to say no to a lady?" he asks, pulling you into an off-kilter twirl. "Don't worry, Ice, she's in good hands!" he calls over his shoulder as you practically drag him toward the dancefloor.

What Wolfman lacks in prowess, he makes up for in enthusiasm. By the time Hollywood and his fiancée find the two of you on the dancefloor—not a surprise since 'Wood and Wolf are practically connected at the hip—you're a little breathless from trying to keep up.

It's a good time, but you can only be so distracted, and it's only a matter of time before you begin scanning the crowd. Either you'll find Slider, or he'll find you, but you'll be damned if he doesn't finish what he started.

You know Ice has people he wants to impress and a ladder he's trying to climb, but shouldn't you be at the top of his list? With this thought at the helm, it isn't long before you spot a head of brown curls that towers above the rest. You rock onto your tiptoes to feed Wolf a lie—bathroom—and push through the crowd alone.

Except as you get closer, it becomes glaringly apparent that this tall brunet is not Slider.

You scowl at no one in particular when you come up empty-handed.

As you decide to keep searching until you find Slider—and, ultimately, relief—someone grabs you from behind.

You whirl around, ready to smack the person's hands off of you.

It's Pete.

You smack him anyway.

"Ow!" Pete yelps, more from surprise than pain. You didn't hit him that hard. "What the hell?!"

"Pete Mitchell, who do you think you are grabbing a lady–"

"You're hardly a lady."

"–from behind like that. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Pete disarms you with a light pinch to your side that has you clamping your arms against your sides to protect against further tickling. "Where're Tweedledee and Tweedledum? Didn't think I'd catch you without one or the other."

You suppress a roll of your eyes. "Who knows."

"Sooo," Pete drawls a bit awkwardly, "does this have anything to do with the weirdness going on between the three of you?"

"Oh my god. You know," you groan, unable to stop yourself from hiding your face in your hands. How embarrassing.

"I don't know-know," Pete's quick to correct, "and I don't want to. But I know something's up."

This isn't something you're delving into with your brother. "It's nothing. Forget it."

"Doesn't seem like nothing if you're avoiding them."

"Like you're avoiding Penny's dad?" you snark back. Deflecting. "I'm surprised you decided to stick around."

"He's old. It's probably past his bedtime," Pete says confidently, a smile tugging at his lips. "The night's mine."

"Whatever will you do with this newfound freedom?" you tease.

Pete gives a half-shrug, surveying the room. "I'm sure some poor officer brought his daughter so she could meet the love of her life."

You don't bother holding in a mocking laugh. "And that's you?"

"No." Pete makes a face. "But I can be her something for the night."

"Ew," you grunt because you so do not want to get into that with your brother. "I need a drink."

A hand catches your elbow as you turn. "Going somewhere?"

You refuse to look as you shake Ice's hand off and continue walking.

"So you're going to ignore me." It's a statement.

"Don't you have other people to talk to?"

Ice reaches for your elbow again, turning you so he can meet your eyes with his own. "I want to talk to you."

"That's my cue," Pete mumbles as he slinks into the crowd, presumably to find trouble.

Neither you nor Ice move, and your stomach roils as his jaw sets, his Adam's apple bobbing. "You're mad at me."

Part of you wants to tell him off. Instead, you shake your head. "I'm not mad. I'm frustrated."

"Okay," Ice says, with a curt nod, his shoulders—which had been bunched—rolling back as he becomes more sure of himself. "I can work with that."

Something about the way he says it rankles you, and you sneer. Earlier, you'd been all aboard hanging off Ice's arm, but now you're wound tight enough to burst, and all you want to do is take a hot bath. And now that he's made you this way, you're something that needs to be dealt with.

"Let's grab some fresh air," Ice says, loud enough to settle any eavesdroppers as he leads you toward the outdoor courtyard with a gentle but commanding grasp on your elbow.

But you pass by the turn for the courtyard.

"Where are you taking me?" The smell of cigar smoke thins as you walk along less-traveled hallways.

"I'm taking care of it," he says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world and continues to drag you after him.

Venturing further from the intended party spaces, the lights dim. You doubt the venue means for you to be down here.

Instead of voicing these thoughts, you scoff. "Helpful."

Making sure you're alone, Ice pulls you down a deserted hallway. "You're frustrated. I have people to talk to," he says slowly, sparing you a glance.

You frown. There goes Ice, talking about other people. Again.

He beelines for two unassuming doors, reaching out to the first, but its handle jiggles. Catches. Locked.

"I'm taking care of it."

Before you can challenge that assertion, Ice steps to the side and grabs the handle to the second door, marked STAFF ONLY.

It clicks.

Ice pushes you inside, following close behind.

The light coming through the foot of the door isn't enough to tell you where you are. But the clinical, electric-orange antiseptic smell of cleaning supplies invading your nose, singeing the hairs, is more than enough to give it away.

When you cross your arms over your chest, something falls to the ground with a wooden clack! "By dragging me into a janitor's closet?"

"Well, you said you'd be good for me, but that didn't last long."

You reach for where the handle must be, but Ice anticipates your moodiness and moves to intercept, deflecting your hand. "But the bet was that Slider couldn't get you off." His breath fans your face as he leans in, so you tilt your head away to avoid his lips. Stubborn. Undeterred, he kisses the long line of your neck, and the ghost of soft lips has you holding back a gasp. "So I'm taking care of it."

"What if it doesn't want to be taken care of?"

Sharp teeth are a shock beneath the hinge of your jaw. "Don't be a brat."

A strangled moan trips past your lips as he catches you off guard.

You don't have to see Ice to know he's smirking. "Noted." Then his hand is cupping your breast. "So, are you going to let me take care of you or not?"

You're not proud of how quickly you crumble, but it's like a switch flips. You hope Ice is okay with the whiplash because after an entire night of teasing, you're desperate for relief. "Please," you whimper, pushing yourself further into his orbit. You want so bad it hurts.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I've got you." Ice captures your lips in a heated kiss—nipping at your bottom lip so you hiss and open up for him. He knows what you need, and he's (apparently) going to give it to you.

Your fingers, clumsy in their haste, scramble for Ice's belt, but he brushes them aside. "This is about you. I'll get mine later," he says, tilting your head to the side so he can track wet kisses up to the spot just below your ear, electricity sparking down your spine as teeth tug at the lobe. "When I lay you out on my bed."

A high-pitched, excited moan is your answer, interrupted by Ice's fingers over your lips. "You've gotta be quiet," he purrs, voice low in your ear. "Wouldn't want anyone to hear us."

"Then kiss me." He does. And as you breathe in deep, the whole situation makes you feel like you're back in high school: shelving digging into your lower back like you're sneaking around, trading uncoordinated kisses in the janitor's closet with David Hodges until your brother finds you and rips poor David away for an ass-beating. But infinitely better.

Ice's lips are familiar. Urgent and addictive against your own as he swallows your whimper—nothing like David.

Ice pinches your fat bottom lip between his teeth before releasing it with a slick smack. You suck in a sharp breath, lashes fluttering open to look up at the shadow of him in the dark. "So pretty," he growls, fabric rustling as he hastily cuffs the sleeve of his jacket and pushes it up to his elbow to keep it safe from what he has planned.

Handfuls of velvet are bunched around your waist so you can spread your legs more freely, and Ice can slot his hand between them.

Threading your fingers through his hair, you return his lips to yours. You both groan from the kiss—you from the relief of his hands on you, the promise of a sweet release; him from how wet and needy you are (Slider's work, really, but Ice seems keen to reap the benefits).

When you break apart to gasp for air, Ice husks, "I'd get my mouth on you." And it conjures the image of Slider's wicked brown eyes looking up at you from between your legs, your cunt throbs. God, you want that. "Too bad I can't smell like pussy while I'm talking to the brass." But he allows himself the indulgence of a single taste, bringing fingers slick with your arousal to his lips.

You shake your head, unsure if his eyes have adjusted enough to see you. "Unprofessional," you agree, dizzy as his fingers plunge back into your heat. The heel of his palm grinds deliciously against your clit, his fingers working with the frantic cant of your hips as you chase a high that's walking the line of pain in its evasion of you. A steady, unignorable ache.

Ice drags his nails over the dense fabric covering your tits, your nipples pebbling at the faux cool sensation. "Tell me what you need," he whispers against your lips.

Relief is so close the air is thick with it. It tastes like Lysol. You stutter out a breath, and it morphs into a quiet whine. "Just like that," you mewl. "Keep touching me like that."

"Yeah?" Ice teases, a third finger sneaking into you and zeroing in on your sweet spot, thumb coming up to rub circles into your clit. What little light there is in the closet glints off the sharp point of his teeth as his lips part. "You're going to cum on my fingers," he declares, and your heart skips a beat when it jumps into your throat. "Then, you're going to go back to being my good, pretty girlfriend while I talk business," he presses a teasing kiss to the corner of your lips, and you can't contain a needy, lilting whine, "and no one will know you needed to cum on my fingers just to make it through the night."

"Oh god," you sob, nails digging into the starched fabric of Ice's jacket. You're right there. Liquid flames lick at your core, your tummy tied in knots and thighs jumpy as Ice speeds up his fingers, a muffled squelch each time his fingers bottom out, knuckles pressed tight to your cunt.

The two of you are so distracted that you don't hear the frantic footsteps until they're almost on top of you.

Ice jerks his fingers from you, yanking your dress back into place at the same time as he steps between you and the door to the closet, blocking you from whoever's about to fling the door open.

But it doesn't stop your eyes from meeting your brother's over his shoulder.

Pete slams the door shut.

Silence. Then: "You still dressed?"

Posture going rigid, Ice shoots the door a barbed look. "Maverick–" Pete shushes him through the door. He must be pressed up against the wood. Ice gives in but doesn't give up, continuing with a more hushed, "–what the hell?"

A pause. "That's not a no," your brother mulls. "Scoot over. I'm coming in."

"No!" You and Ice hiss simultaneously, but Pete is already squeezing himself into the closet with the two of you, pressed tight against Ice's back as he shuts the door firmly but with as much care as he gives his Kawasaki.

"Look," Pete whispers, and maybe his hands would be up in a placating manner if there were enough room, "I either hide in here with you two or hack it out there with Admiral Benjamin."

Without the distraction of each other, you and Ice hear far more measured footsteps hesitate at the far end of the hall before heading in your direction.

"I like your chances," Ice bites. "Leave."

Pete jostles all three of you as he turns to get into Ice's face as much as he can, given the confines of the closet. A shelf creaks, but nothing falls. "Well, it won't look good on you either," he whispers furiously. "Huh? Ice-cold, no mistakes, making out with your date in a closet like you're at junior pr–" Ice slaps a hand over his mouth, and the three of you fall deathly still.

The tension thickens until the footsteps pass you by.

No one dares to let out a quiet, adrenaline-shaken breath, even when the footsteps sound like they must have reached the other end of the hallway. Pete does, however, allow his shoulders to sag in relief.

Then, the footsteps pause.

They grow closer—louder—once more. This time, the muffled chaf of dress shoes on the carpet sounds like it's purposefully approaching the closet. Each step ratchets the tension up exponentially. You hold still, certain that if you shift your weight, something on the open shelving will give away your location. Ice, still shielding you from the door, brings a hand up to pet the back of your neck; the cool metal of his Academy ring—grounding any other time—sends a nervous trickle down your spine.

Benjamin is obviously after Pete, but how bad will it look that the two of you are in the closet with him?

There's a mechanical squeal of metal catching, handle turning, getting stuck. Jiggle. A grunt as he encounters the locking mechanism of the next door over.

Two shadows block the ambient light at the bottom of the door.

Well, you pinch your eyes closed. This will be embarrassing.

"Admiral Benjamin," someone calls from further away.

"Ah," the response comes uncomfortably close to your door. "Lieutenant…?"

"Kerner, sir." Slider. "I was with Lieutenant Kazansky earlier. Did you ever find Mitchell?

Two quick raps on the door. Pete flinches. "I believe I have." And Admiral Benjamin sounds smug.

The statement hangs in the air.

"In a closet, sir?" You can see the skeptical raise of Slider's brow in your mind's eye.

The shadow shifts. "I'm sure he came this way."

"Well, I just saw his RIO headed toward the taxis." A pause. "He's a slippery little shit. If he was here, he's long gone by now."

"Hm." Admiral Benjamin doesn't move, but from the sound of things, neither does Slider. "Well, Lieutenant. Really good stuff on the Enterprise."

Slider thanks him as the shadows disappear from the doorway and footsteps hurry off on a Goose chase.

When you're sure the admiral has left the vicinity—thankfully not asking Slider why he decided to stick around—Pete stumbles out of the closet with all the grace of a baby giraffe but none of the height. "Aw, Kerner," he teases with a dopey grin, "you do like me."

Slider snorts. "Don't thank me yet. The Geese are waiting for a taxi."

Pete's chin falls to his chest, and he mumbles a "goddammit" before hurrying to see if he can avoid Admiral Benjamin by sneaking through the courtyard.

"They're not the only ones," Slider tells Ice, nodding in the general direction of what remains of the Ball's attendees. "If you want to talk to anyone else, now's the time."

But as you practically tremble between them, Ice looks at you—really looks at you—and his features soften. He cups your shoulder, offering but not pulling you into his side. "I think I've networked enough for one night," he declares, tone light. His thumb rubbing back and forth, soothing.

Then those gray-blue eyes are on you, and his lips stretch into a slow, soft smile. "No one I can't talk with some other time."

"You sure?" Slider asks. Then, hushed, "I can take care of her while you finish up."

There is quite literally nothing you want less. The venue is clearly cursed, and you don't plan on sticking around long enough to find out what other ways you can get caught or edged tonight. 

"The bet's off," Ice states before you can say 'no,' and your heart flutters. If Ice wasn't going to stick around for one last round of shoulder-rubbing, then winning was only a matter of getting you in a taxi.

For his part, Slider doesn't seem as shocked as you are by Ice's declaration.

Ice feathers a kiss to your temple before you can second-guess his decision. It's the most relaxed you've seen him all evening. "Let's get you a taxi."

"Wait." Slider pushes off the wall. He procures a key from his pocket and presses it into Ice's hand. "Holiday Inn. K Street. Leave in 10 minutes."

Ice fiddles with the thick plastic of the keychain but pays it no real mind.

"Don't give me that look," Slider boos.

Ice licks his lips. "You know our rooms were comped, right?" It's a perk of being summoned to the event, you're sure.

Slider takes a half step forward, the three of you the closest you've been all night. From this distance, Ice has to look up ever so slightly to meet Slider's cocky gaze. "You want to what?" he asks, voice going deep and quiet enough no one else could hear if they happened by you. "Pile into a single room at the same hotel everyone else is staying at?" He motions between the three of you. "How's that going to work?"

Some like to write Slider off as all muscle, no brain. But it's his job to see things others don't—things Ice doesn't. He knew they couldn't take you back to their fancy hotel rooms even before he came to the event tonight. The safest solution had been to shell out for a lesser room somewhere you were less likely to turn heads.

"She isn't exactly known for being quiet," Sli stresses.

Ice ponders the key for long seconds before he pockets it with a nod.

Slider smirks. "That's what I thought."

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for a fic...

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1. I'm kind of in the mood for jiang free wangxian fics, where the the extent of jiangs involvement in the plot are just brief mentions / For ITMF, a longer canonverse wangxian fic that doesn't heavily feature Jiang Cheng on page. Canon divergence is very welcome but not mandatory.

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2. hi! do you have any fics where lwj struggles with his sadism? canonverse please and bonus points if they are E rated ;) @chellsky

still waters by piggybo (E, 3k, WangXian, Consensual Kink, Light Sadism, Light Masochism, Outdoor Sex, Painful Sex, Spit As Lube, Kink Discovery, Light Bondage, Internal Conflict, CQL!verse, Post-Canon, not as explicit as the tags make it sound, but still pretty explicit)

bb!Sadist by Betty (T, 3k, WangXian, Non-Sexual Kink, Sadism, Modern AU) not canon but a good read cause it's abt the Struggle

💖 Magical Marriage Ribbons series by starandrea (M, 1M, WIP, wangxian, ongoing, animal transformations, weddings) in the Magical Marriage Ribbons series, Teen!Wangxian continuously need to discuss around LWJ's reluctance to admit what he wants sexually in earlier parts that's very lovely!

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3. Hii!!! Im back for another ITMF! I've been seeing a lot of art of spider-man aus for wangxian and I was wondering if you knew of any fics with either one or both of them having spider-man powers? Thanks so much! @loveshinesbrightly

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4. hiiiii it's me again for the next ITMF I was reading a fiction and lqr said that : "He could definitely picture an alternate reality wherein he didn’t overhear their conversation, and Wangji ended up impulsively withdrawing his entire trust fund to elope cross-country with Wei Wuxian and start a new life together - all to avoid having to face the disapproval of their families." do you know any story where it actually happens ????? thanks✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ @ihaveasoftspotfora-yuan

keep your electric eye on me, babe by ilip13 (M, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, Fluff, Falling In Love) is mostly a meet-cute fic but does involve lwj running off with wwx at the end

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5. Hey, I'm looking for some Daemon AU fics. @the-dolphin-queen

🧡 like speaking to my heart by SnowshadowAO3 (T, 613k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Daemons, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Some people live!, additional warnings in specific chapters, if you don't know what daemons are that's ok because I explain it in the author's note, also by slow burn I VERY much mean slow burn)

Daemons and Sentient Swords Comp

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6. hi! i was wondering if you knew of any mafia au fics? 💖

🧡 Rule Number One: Never get attached. by KizuKatana (E, 130k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O, Criminal underworld AU, Fluff and angst, Crime boss LWJ, Rouge criminal genius WWX, Explicit Sex)

Miscalculated Misreckoning by LadyVamp (E, 5k, WangXian, Modern AU, Organized Crime, Attempted Kidnapping, Murder Husbands, Blood and Violence, Violent Sex, Married WangXian, BAMF LWJ, BAMF WWX, YLLZ WWX, Hair-pulling, Office Sex, Desk Sex, Dark LWJ, Protective LWJ, Dark WWX, Partners in Crime, Gun Violence, Gun Kink, Crime Syndicate Qíshān Wēn Sect, Arranged Marriage, Crime Lord LWJ, Crime Lord WWX)

of demons and the good they bring by mimi123meg (M, 1k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mob, Crime Boss LWJ, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, BAMF JC, Slight Violence, not too graphic, but definitely there, Established Relationship)

Take Some Advice Paesano by FeelsForBreakfast (M, 8k, wangxian, modern, mob au, mafia the 🤡 version, humor, mistaken identity, getting together)

You & Me Baby, We'll Eclipse The Sun Series by 2501987 (M/E, 130k, WangXian, XiCheng, MIND THE TAGS, Modern AU, Mafia, Murder husbands, Torture, Possessive Behavior, Blood and Violence, Older JC, Younger WWX, Hurt/Comfort, Dark)

The Damage You Do by stiricide (E, 87k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, Dom/Sub, Dark LWJ, Mobster LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Sex Worker WWX, Sugar Baby WWX, WWX adopts LSZ, Dubious Consent, each chapter has sex tag notes on it, BDSM, Sounding, Panic Attacks, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Due Process by Kytrin, Mslead (E, 279k, WangXian, XiSangCheng, ZhuiLingZhen, Modern AU, Canon-Typical Violence, Foxxian, dragonji, Genderfluid WWX, Wwx identifies as male, Organized Crime, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, mentions of child abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Found Family, Reincarnation)

Naughty Kitty Go Meow Meow: An Urban Romance From The City of Dragons by Hinu (E, 160k, WangXian, NieLan, RuoXian, Modern AU, Mafia, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Dragon LWJ, Cat Hybrid WWX, Porn with Plot, Organized Crime, Pole dancing, Possessive LWJ, WWX has a Vulva, Omegas have a vagina, GNC WWX, Good Person WZL, Dark LWJ, Sexual harassment, Non-Consensual Bondage, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Eventual Fluff)

Beautiful Nightmare (Sweet Dreams) by Cy_an_Blue (E, 79k, WangXian, Modern AU, explicit depictions of torture, explicit depictions of violence, Dark LWJ, Possessive LWJ, Crime Boss LWJ, Mafia AU, Kidnapping, Stockholm Syndrome, (Kinda but not really), Implied Sexual Content, Sexual Harassment, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Not by WangXian, Dubious Consent, Age Difference, Kid Fic, Heavy/Dark Themes, Cheating, not wangxian, 365 days (2020) inspired, Angst with a Happy Ending, Falling In Love, Past QingXian, Minor LWJ/Other(s), Homophobic Language, Derogatory Language)

To Protect My Family I'll Give You Anything by stiricide (E, 4k, WangXian, Modern AU, Alpha WWX, Omega LWJ, Bottom LWJ, Gangsters, Gangbang, Fisting, Public Sex, Public Humiliation, Knotting, Mating Bites, Happy Ending, Dark LWJ, Dark WWX, Spanking, Dubious Consent, Top WWX, Threats of Violence, but not between wangxian)

there is a mafia au comp !!

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7. A) In the mood for wen Ning and Wei Ying being close

B) Is there any wangxian book which is like omniscient reader's viewpoint? Fusion or similar. I just plain and simple love it to the end of the world. @whateverweilanlovechild​

7A)

Truth Will Out (when caught on video) - End_OTW_Racism! by KizuKatana (E, 63k, wangxian, WN & WWX & WQ, graphic depictions of violence, modern cultivation, canon divergence, YZY abuses WWX , caught on camera, partial core removal, WWX kicked out of Jiang sect, livestreamer WWX, meet ugly, dual cultivation, smut, no war, WIP) 

All Things Belong by kuroi_atropos (M, 65k, WRH & WWX, wangxian, WN & WWX, Wen WWX, abuse, whipping, manipulations, smart WWX, possessive behavior, implied/Referenced rape/non-con, past rape/non-con, WIP)

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8. ITMF superhero wangxian!! i’m not too particular on the context, be it only one of them, or both of them, or hero/villain. the more explicit the better, though 🌝

mission report by bosbie (T, 13k, WangXian, Modern AU, Superheroes/Superpowers, Fluff, Humor, First Meetings, Falling In Love, Getting Together)

a wild heart to tame mine by theroyalsavage (G, 10k, WangXian, Superheroes/Superpowers, Strangers to Lovers, bookshop owner lwj/superhero wwx, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Wangxian-typical tenderness)

Tired of the Sunset by julomaiboulomai (M, 55k, WangXian, NieLan, Modern AU, Superheroes/Superpowers, Identity Porn, Secret Identity, Parent-Child Relationship, Grief/Mourning, Canonical Character Death, Also Canonical 'He Gets Better', Unreliable Narrator, superhero fights, Major Character Injury, Major Character Undeath, Slow Burn, But also somehow, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, JC-LWJ Mutual Hate Society, Domestic Fluff, Co-Parenting, Making Out, well slowish burn, Fade to Black, Brief mentions of suicide, Angst with a Happy Ending, Art Embedded)

🧡 Of Ghosts and Heroes by The Silverfish (ZephyrAndTheSilverfish) (T, 51k, AS & WWX, AS/YH, WangXian, BNHA/MHA Crossover, Dimension Travel, POV Outsider, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Angst) Sort of? It's a crossover with bnha and I think a few mdzs characters become heroes in it

Free Wifi for Heroes by JJSparrow (E, 50k, WangXian, XuanLi, Modern AU, Pro Heroes (MHA), Switching, Engineer!WWX, Hero!LWJ, CEO!WWX, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Inventor!WWX, Top/Bottom Switch WangXian, Explicit Sexual Content, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff and Smut, First Kiss, First Time)

~*~

9. Hi, thanks for doing these recs!

For the next itmf, I'd like wangxian in the Cloud Recesses Study Arc, kinda like Stunted, Starving Juvenility. Preferably long, like 50k+, but any length is fine!

Thank you! @moonlightflora-101​

Silenced With A Kiss by NinjaKK (E, 88k, wangxian, cloud recesses study arc, flirting, fluff, teen romance, happy ending, secret relationship, falling in love, first kiss, first dates, inventor WWX, genius WWX, protective WWX; protective LWJ, happy ending, ripple effect, first time, fluff & smut, supportive LWJ, BAMF WWX, WIP)

The initial parts of 💖 Magical Marriage Ribbons series by starandrea (M, 1M, WIP, wangxian, ongoing, animal transformations, weddings, link in #2) also fits for 9, I think

O, What Learning Is! by Comfect (T, 60k, WangXian, XiCheng, Canon Divergence, No Fall of Lotus Pier, No Golden Core Transfer, Fix-It, Butterfly Effect, Fluff, Cultivation Theory, Cultivation Sect Politics, JZX Lives, JYL Lives, WWX-Typical Obliviousness, Unreliable Narrator WWX, The Undeniable Romance of Quests, Good Student WWX (for a given value of good student), Canon-typical treatment of children, Bad Parent YZY, Bad Parent JFM, Good Uncle LQR)

Three changes. by orange_crushed (M, 18k, WangXian, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Comedy, Fade to Black, Mild Sexual Content, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot No War AU, Falling In Love, Non-Graphic Violence, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Sparring, Harm to Animals, Don't Worry The Animal is Fine Wangji Makes Sure of That, Developing Friendships, teenagers in love, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Blood, First Time)

Unstoppable by Netrixie (T, 149k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Unreliable Narrator, Slow Burn, Minor OC's, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Wolf-shifter WWX, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, Fix-It, Shapeshifters, Sunshot Campaign)

In Walls of Glass by Comfect (T, 43k, WangXian, XiCheng, Good Uncle LQR, Teacher LQR, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Yet Another Butterfly Effect Fix-It, JC friendly, Family Feels, Demonic Cultivation, Cultivation Theory, Tagged CQL not MDZS, POV LQR)

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10. Hello! ITMF where WWX is super duper Mary Sue. I just read “The Darkness Before Dawn” by PsycheStellata707, and I loved how WWX was just the most beautiful, the most powerful, the most smart, the most loved, the richest, the super bamf. It was indulgent and fun. Any other fics like this?

leave all your love and your longing behind by ScarlettStorm (E, 143k, WangXian, Modern AU, no magic, Meet-Ugly, Panic Attacks, autistic lwj, neurodivergent wwx, the neighborhood asshole dog, if you’ve met one then you know, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, Happy Ending, for everyone including the   asshole dog, Eventual Smut, switch rights, Sex Toys, horny yearning, Masturbation) (link in #14)

🧡 Rule Number One: Never get attached. by KizuKatana (E, 130k, WangXian, Modern AU, A/B/O, Criminal underworld AU, Fluff and angst, Crime boss LWJ, Rouge criminal genius WWX, Explicit Sex) (link in #6)

Whatever you do by apathyinreverie (T, 8k, WangXian, somewhat darker cultivation world, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, BAMF LXC, not Jiang friendly, YZY Bashing, wwx is appreciated, genius wwx, everyone is a little darker in this, except for wwx, Fluff, Possessive LWJ, Fix-It)

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11. Hi hi, hope everything is going well :) Sorry if this has been asked before, but for either ITMF or Fic Finder are there any good fics with Yunmeng trio shenanigans/slice of life?

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12. hello! sorry to bother you, but theres any new wangxian fic with mpreg? especially (only) pregnant wei wuxian, please and thanks! 💖🙏🏽

--

Hello, can you suggest any fluffy wangxian fic where wei Wuxian is pregnant. Would love it if it is long. Thank you 😊😊 @mayavsworld​

In which Lan Qiren eavesdrops and gets a new nephew (and grandnephew) out of it by h0peless_oblivion (M, 64k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Mpreg, Teen Pregnancy, Shotgun Wedding, Good Uncle LQR, Madam Yu's A+ Parenting, Fluff and Angst, Family Feels, Unspecified Setting, Probably ooc, WWX Has ADHD, A-Yuan is Wangxian's son, Pregnant WWX, Humor, non-graphic birth, Family Drama, The Lans love wwx, Male Lactation, Mild Smut in later chapters, wangxian's canonical breeding kink, Tooth-Rotting Fluff) it's marked as a WIP but the main story is over the rest are sides stories

My Heart is a Cavern of Longing, Please come home? by LadyVamp (E, 28k, WangXian, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Omega WWX, Alpha LWJ, Bitch WWX, Forced Marriage, Accidental Baby Acquisition, YLLZ WWX, Oblivious WWX, Módào Zǔshī & The Untamed Combination, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Forced Bonding, Forced Pregnancy, Depressed WWX, Sex In A Cave, Uncontrolled heats, JZX Lives, Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Pining LWJ, Pining WWX, Child LJY, LJY is WangXian's son, Unplanned Pregnancy, Pregnant WWX, Mpreg)

Bonded Fate by Missty0foxx (E, 19k, WangXian, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Canon Divergence, Dubious Consent, Mating, Mating Bites, Knotting, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Angst with a Happy Ending, Self-Lubrication, LWJ Has a Big Dick, Teenage WangXian, Time Skips, Mpreg, Caring LWJ, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Pregnant Sex, Pregnant WWX, Mating Cycles/In Heat, WangXian Have a Breeding Kink, LWJ Has a Biting Kink)

The Beautiful and the Damned by Anonymous (M, 15k, WangXian, Wingfic, Immortal LWJ, Demon WWX, Mpreg, Pregnant WWX, Wing Kink, Human JC, mmortal LXC, Immortal LSZ, Immortal LJY, Crow WWX, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, WangXian Are LSZ's Parents, Gambling, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Spanking, CNC and Dubcon elements, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Unplanned Pregnancy)

Pregxian & Pregji Comp

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13. Hey guys hope all is well , I’m in the mood for a fix with bodyguard Lan Zhan just out here protecting wei ying idk if anything like this exists but I’m intrigued.

Thank you for all your hard work x @red-spacekitten

Bodyguard king by 74243 (E, 8k, Female WangXian, Modern AU, Idol WWX, Bodyguard LWJ, Female NHS, Platonic D/s, Loss of Virginity)

lightning in a bottle by nighimpossible (E, 12k, WangXian, Modern AU, Bodyguard LWJ, Scientist WWX, Mutual Pining, Blow Jobs, (light) Rope Bondage, Kitchen Sex, Anal Fingering)

~*~

14. Itmf for fics where LWJ has friends!! Who teases him!! And are there for him!! I've often seen Mianmian with him and I've enjoyed those fics alot!! Preferably canonverse but modern au's are fun too!!

❤️ save a sword, ride a socialist by sysrae (E, 33k, wangxian, modern w magic, college/university au, fake/pretend relationship, single parent WWX, homophobia, light angst w/ happy ending, idiots to lovers, fluff) is really good

leave all your love and your longing behind by ScarlettStorm (E, 143k, WangXian, Modern AU, no magic, Meet-Ugly, Panic Attacks, autistic lwj, neurodivergent wwx, the neighborhood asshole dog, if you’ve met one then you know, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, Happy Ending, for everyone including the   asshole dog, Eventual Smut, switch rights, Sex Toys, horny yearning, Masturbation) Scarlett storm does a great job of showing lan zhan with actual friends and a support system , however this one in particular is great !

mating rituals by detectorist (E, 16k, WangXian, XuanLi, JZX & LWJ, Modern AU, College/University, Humour, Pining, Getting Together, Idiots in Love)

correspondence of two fools madly in love by serenedebeautea (G, 2k, WangXian, XuanLi, LWJ & JZX)

forget-me-not by mellowflicker (E, 31k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, Sugar Daddy WWX, Sugar Baby LWJ, Professor WWX, Student LWJ, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Secret Relationship, Age Difference, Hurt/Comfort, Chronic Pain, JZX & LWJ Friendship, Family Issues, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiāngs)

Orchids in Lotus Pier by Vamillepudding (G, 21k, WangXian, JC & LWJ, Canon Divergence, Romantic Comedy, Mutual Pining, Protective JC, Friends to Lovers, Misunderstandings)

~*~

15. Hi there! Hope you day is going good!!! I need your help to find me a(lot) fan fiction with dragon lan wangji/human wei wuxian please 🙇‍♀️🥺 @mahamhere

Coil Tightly by Thunderstruck (Blueyed_Impala) (T, 50k, WangXian, Dragon LWJ, Shifters, Modern with Magic, WWX is oblivious to magic, Slow Burn, Fluff, Attempt at Humor, References to Animal Abuse but the animal is LWJ, Hurt/Comfort, WWX Has Self-Esteem Issues, WWX has abandonment issues, Possessive LWJ, Clueless Flirting, OC Lan disciples for plot reasons)

These Mortal Treasures by ChilianXianzi (T, 9k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fantasy, Dragon LWJ, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Possessive LWJ, Domestic Fluff, implied eggpreg, The Cultivation World's canonical fuckery, eggyuan!, Gift Giving)

Love at first bite by luckymoonly (M, 14k, WangXian, NieLan, Modern setting with dragons, Falling In Love, NMJ and JYL own a bakery together, Interspecies Romance, Crossdressing, Everyone lives in the same building, First Time, Fluff and Humor, Mpreg, LWJ's canonical big dick, Horny lwj, Smut, LXC and LWJ are dragon princes, Lingerie, Dating, Medium Burn, Possessive LWJ)

wind and rain by hauntedotamatone (E, 15k, WangXian, Dragon LWJ, Porn With Plot, Size Difference, Mildly Dubious Consent, Spit As Lube, Fairy Tale Elements, Double Penetration in One Hole, Rough Sex, Biting, Curse Breaking, Teratophilia, Fuck Or Die, but not for who you'd think, Meet-Ugly, Rimming, Past physical abuse, consensual and sane but not 100 percent safe, Non-Human Genitalia, Come as Lube, Multiple Orgasms, Overstimulation, Copious Amounts of Come)

Jaws of the Dragon by celerydragon (Not Rated, 7k, WangXian, dubcon, Exhibitionism, Nonconsensual Exhibitionism, Bestiality, Belly Bulge, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Breeding Kink, dragonji, LWJHas a Big Dick, lwj can transform into a human)

other earths and skies by binghecarer (T, 53k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, (but not in the typical way?), Slow Burn, Canon-Typical Scars and Injuries, Curses, Hurt/Comfort)

fell by you by Vrishchika (E, 44k, Dragon LWJ, Fantasy, Explicit Smut in Last Chapter, Pining, POV LWJ, Canon Divergence, Immortals, Deities, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragon WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending)

this river runs to you Series by aubreyli, sundiscus (T/E, 66k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mutual Pining, Dragons, Literal Sleeping Together, Tender wound tending, First Time, Oral Sex, Coming Untouched, Porn with Feelings, Established Relationship) 

Making Mouths at Dragons by athena_crikey (E, 10k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mpreg, baby fever, near PWP, Dragon sex, also human sex, Rimming, Size Kink, Egg Laying, Family, Feel-good, hints of self-worth issues, Dragon LWJ)

~*~

16. hello!! for the next itmf, any fanfics where they elaborate on wei changze and/or cangse sanren? secret families, they survive, even pre canon, just some wei family feels. thank youu <33

I Will Call You By Name by DisasterMages (T, 73k, WangXian, WWX raised by XXC, Canon Divergence, Family Feels) does ´I will call you by name’ by DisasterMages count they’re a few flashbacks about them

tall as the mountains that sheltered us by thelastdboy (M, 4k, CSSR/WCZ, CSSR & WWX & WCZ, wangxian, canon divergence, CSSR & WCZ live, crack treated seriously, childhood friends to lovers, genius WWX, inventor WWX, bg character death, happy ending, WCZ pov) wcz & cssr are saved by the lan.

The Long Winding Road Home by Admiranda (T, 12k, CSSR/WCZ, wangxian, time travel, post-canon, not JC friendly, fluff, family reunion, mocking LQR to his face, mocking JC to his face, wild rumours) wcz & cssr return after 30 years trapped.

Silver (Bloodshot) Eyes by GeminiWillow (T, 15k, WangXian, WCZ & WWX, WCZ & JL, Not Jiāng Chéng Friendly, JC Bashing, YZY Bashing, Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect Bashing, BAMF WCZ, Ghost WCZ, JC Canon Characteristics, Mentions of WWX's Canonical Child Abuse, Child JL, JL Needs a Hug, Revenge) vengeful ghost wcz torments jc during the timeskip. jiang bashing.

The Wei of family by HikariNoHimeWriter (E, 46k, WangXian, WCZ/CSSR, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, CSSR and WCZ Live, Rogue Cultivator WWX, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Male omega with vagina, Vaginal Fingering, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Vaginal Sex, First Time, Falling In Love, some violence, Genius WWX, WWX Has ADHD, CSSR Has ADHD, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Eventual Smut, Love Confessions, Mating Bond, WangXian Elope, Kinda, Not JC Friendly, not yzy friendly, Mpreg) omega wwx grows up with his family and finds love

a burden of figs by spookykingdomstarlight (T, 16k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, CSSR and WCZ Live, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Breaking Up & Making Up, Getting Back Together, Hurt/Comfort, Injured WWX, caretaker LWJ, Mutual Pining) rogue cultivator wwx dating to breakup to makeup.

somehow, someway, we all get to someday by Stratisphyre (T, 75k, WangXian, CSSR/LQR/WCZ, MDM Lan/OFC, Canon Divergence, Role Reversal, Canon-Typical Violence, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Parenthood, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Threesome - F/M/M, Family Feels, Not JFM Friendly, Not Lan Sect Friendly, past emotional abuse, Demisexual Character, Inclusive discussions of reproductive rights) jfm & yzy die on a nighthunt and wcz & cssr run the jiang as regents for jc.

~*~

17. Hi!! ITMF for submissive LWJ with a praise kink. Whether he's top or bottom doesn't matter.

Shatter All Barriers by YunmengLotus (E, 11k, WangXian, Modern AU, Painplay, Light Dom/sub, very brief subdrop, Praise Kink, Wax Play, Temperature Play, Sex Toys, Communication, light blood play (really light but there is blood), BDSM, Intercrural Sex, thigh fucking, Non-Penetrative Sex, Coming Untouched, Piercings, Needles, Sub LWJ, dom WWX, kind of, Getting Together, piercer wwx)

Maybe You're the Reason by Clearpearls (E, 67k, WangXian, College/University, Phone Sex, slight D/s, Secret Identity, Praise Kink, Phone Sex Operator WWX, slight internalized sexual repression, Fluff, Light Angst, Dirty Talk, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Slow Burn, Sub LWJ, Bottom LWJ, Vibrators, Aftercare, Introspection)

old wounds by BloodRedCarnation (E, 23k, WangXianYu, Established WangXian, PWP, Kink Negotiation, Switch WangXian, Age Difference, Power Dynamics, Threesome, healing through sex, Breathplay, Light exhibitionism kink, Praise Kink, Dom/sub, Virgin MXY, Post-Canon, Fix-It of Sorts, Double Penetration)

Caffeine, Small Talk by mistergoblin (E, 144k, WangXian, Modern AU, Friends With Benefits, Enemies to Lovers, or more accurately: frenemies to fuck, buddies to lovers, Angst and Fluff and Smut, touch-starved lwj, Slow Burn, high levels of sexual tension, Misunderstandings, Getting to Know Each Other, Switching, Bottom LWJ, bottom WWX, slight D/s, Happy Ending, side yanqing, lwj's patented horny grip, Sub LWJ)

Here Comes The Heat (Before We Meet) by mistergoblin (E, 15k, WangXian, Fluff and Smut, Getting Together, D/s elements, Sub LWJ, Bottom LWJ, but they switch wbk, Collars, Praise Kink, Rough Sex, Spanking, Explicit Consent)

a new kind of silence by deliciousblizzardshark (E, 11k, WangXian, Modern AU, Autistic LWJ, Communication Disorder, Trans LWJ, Protective WWX, Pregnant LWJ, Panic Attacks, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Getting Together, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Soft WangXian, POV WWX)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[whenlostinthedarkness]

Afterglow: Chapter 3 - Pink Light

Lead Singer!Reader x Lead Guitarist!Ellie Williams

Summary: After a night of infidelity, you have to face Ellie..except she wants nothing to do with you.

Warnings: Lots of angst, arguing, and mentions of infidelity.

WC: 3.6k

A/N: This is much later than I would've liked...sorry about that. Hope you enjoy this chapter as it dives into the complexities of things.

Series Masterlist

Shades of pink cover your eyes like a haze covers a road. The visibility in front of you is non-existent as you squint in an attempt to gain some sort of sight of what is causing this large warm hue in front of you, yet nothing comes into view.

Unexpectedly, the pink begins to change. It’s darkening right before your eyes. You can feel your heart’s beat pick up as you watch the colors drastically change without a clear cause, at least not one that you could see.

Now, the fog in front of you is a deep rouge red with highlights of black swirling around like smoke. Naturally, you feel as though something terrible is happening.

And maybe it is.

Maybe it isn’t.

That was the biggest and scariest part of it all - it was unpredictable and out of your control.

All of a sudden there’s movement that feels like an earthquake, yet you remain still. Then began the banging, ringing like cymbals clashing together directly next to your ears. You feel the need to cover them as you groan while twisting your body out of discomfort.

Then something begins to change.

Everything starts to blur together as your dream starts to be taken over by reality. You stretch out your legs as far as they can go as the disorientation begins to leave your body, yet the dark and anxious emotions still linger. 

You now become physically aware that you are waking up from a dream that is quickly fading out of your memory the more you gain consciousness. And that noise you were hearing in your dream isn’t entirely a dream after all, it’s someone banging on a door.

Quickly, you begin to realize your surroundings are one that you had briefly forgotten about, yet now are crystal clear as images of you and Ellie last night begin to flip through your brain.

The touches, the kisses, the raw intimacy - all of it.

As your eyes finally feel comfortable to fully open, you catch sight of the side table set next to your head. The dark wood contains items that aren’t yours- a watch, some rings, and a cellphone that’s lazily left uncharged, even though the cable is mere inches away from the device. 

Everything begins to come back to reality as you twist your neck to peer over your shoulder to get a view of what, or rather who, you knew would be behind you.

Ellie is peacefully sleeping on her side as the white comforter hangs around her hips, leaving her chest bare for you to take in just as you had last night. However, the realization that someone is banging on your door becomes that much more clear as you hear it for the first time since awakening from your oddly symbolic dream.

You mumble a swear word as you stand up much too fast for your body to fully process or even fathom what you are supposed to do next. 

Who is at the door? It could just be housekeeping…but why would housekeeping be pounding on your door so aggressively.

“Wake the fuck up already!” Dina says as her fist pounds on the door for the umpteenth time as she tries to wake up both of you.

The second Dina got back to the hotel last night and realized that you & Ellie were sharing a room..she was hesitant and nervous on both of your behalfs. Knocking on your door was a double win in her book - 1). She could wake you both up for the breakfast meeting that the tour manager wanted to hold with all of you, and 2). She could ensure that the both of you were..well, to be honest, she wasn’t entirely sure why she wanted to check up on both of you in the morning. Maybe it was for her own anxiety since she knew both of your past histories so well. Maybe it was to make sure that you and Ellie were indeed sharing a suite all fine and dandy as friends and band mates would.

With neither you or Ellie answering the door, Dina could feel the anxiety start to consume her thoughts, thus making her not give up on her quest to get one of you to answer the door.

“I’m not going to stop until you wake up”, Dina yelled through the door as her fist never let up on the door. 

You knew she was true to her word and wouldn’t forfeit her fight until she got her way or found someone to make her get her way. This made your feet rush along the carpet as you picked up your scattered clothes from the floor, which seemed to get Ellie’s attention as you heard the crunch of the comforter moving.

“Ellie”, you whispered as you tried your best to not let Dina know that you were awake and hiding from her while you tried to map out a plan of how to conceal last night's affairs.

“Ellie!” you half whispered, half yelled, as your hand came to slap down on Ellie’s sock clad foot that hung out of the comforter.

Ellie groaned and snuck her foot under the blanket as she returned to silence.

She always did sleep through everything, but now wasn’t the time. 

The longer Dina went on, the closer she would get to running off to Annalise to get the key & barge in on both of you. Sparing Dina the evidence from last night was the least you could do to an unsuspecting victim like her who would then have to deal with..whatever the fuck the outcome of this would be.

“Get up,” you said as your hands tore off the comforter from Ellie’s naked body, something you somehow forgot was stowed away behind a mere few inches of fabric.

“The fuck”, Ellie’s rough voice spoke as her hand reached out to grab at a blanket that was no longer there for her to wrap herself back up in.

“Dina is here.”

This seemed to break Ellie out of her sleepy state as she shot up to a sitting position. Her eyes first went to your naked body as you continued walking around and attempting to tidy up the thrown clothes, then to her own as she looked down at her vulnerable state. 

Without a word, Ellie shot up from the bed and got herself dressed in sweats & the white tank top that you’d taken off of her last night.

She tried her best to smooth down her hair and do anything to conceal what happened the night prior, except you were still naked, which would surely give a lot of things away.

Ellie nods as she mouths the word ‘Bathroom’ in hopes to get you on board with her plan. Thankfully, you were quick to catch on as you moved to enclose yourself in the bathroom and turn the shower on to use as an excuse for not answering the door.

“This is your final warning before I break down the door”, Dina lies as her final attempt before she would have to go find Annalise. Thankfully she only had to give one last knock before Ellie would open  the door.

“What the hell Ellie!”

“I should be saying the same thing to you!” Ellie grumbles as Dina walks into the suite, “What do you want?”

“Annalise wants to have a group breakfast with us so we can go over today's schedule for the album signing.” Dina says all of this as she looks around the room, examining anything that might seem odd or out of place. She is relieved to not yet see anything that would have her questioning something.

“Really? You’re knocking like that over some fucking breakfast?”

Dina rolls her eyes at her bandmate as she continues to walk until she gets to the couch-the same couch where last night's events began.

 “And I wanted to make sure you guys are okay.”

Ellie feels the nerves and the guilt and the anxiety rush over her as she tries her best to put on a facial expression that’s full of cool and calm. “Why wouldn’t we be.”

Dina chuckles as she watches Ellie lean her hip against the couch, “I mean, sharing a hotel room with your ex girlfriend seems like a good cause for concern.”

“Everythings fine,” Ellie shrugs as she folds her arms across her chest, even though everything is not fine. Everything about last night was the furthest thing from morally okay.

Dina’s hearing these words come off of Ellie’s tongue, yet the avoidance is clear in Ellie’s body language and short answers. She wants to give her friend the benefit of the doubt that she is indeed being factual; she really wants to, so she does her best to convince herself.

Meanwhile, you’re in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the bathtub as you gently rock yourself back and forth. 

Why did you let this happen? How could you so easily succumb to something so horrendous as having sex with someone who not only was your ex, but was also in a relationship with someone that you knew, someone you enjoyed, someone you knew was good to Ellie. Yet, you were selfish. You wanted her last night and it didn’t make it easy that she wanted you just as much and was agreeing, basically begging, for everything that happened last night to happen.

But you knew you couldn’t hide out in this bathroom for the rest of eternity, so you turned off the shower and started to put on the clothes you had quickly picked up while on your rushed cleaning spree.

As the background noise of the shower went away and turned into a hair dryer that she knew you were only using as a way to sell your story, Ellie felt herself tense up. 

This morning, neither of you could discuss or really think about what you both had done the night before…but now that things were slower, the topic was bound to come up. Unless, someone chose to ignore it.

Once you did the finishing touches on your look of the day, you let out a deep sigh as you opened the bathroom door.

It was so silent that you almost thought that Dina & Ellie had left, but then you saw the pair standing next to one another in the living room - Dina with eyes on you & Ellie with her head tilted down so she wouldn't have to look at you.

“Morning babe,” Dina nodded as she greeted you.

“Morning”, You spoke with soft words and a tentative smile.

Silence began to cover the space as you made your way around the room, attempting to collect all of your essentials for the day.

“Sooo,” Dina dragged, “I was just telling Ellie that Annalise wants all of us to have breakfast together so we can go over the schedule for today.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose as you tried to recall the day's agenda that was told you a couple days ago, “What’s happening today again?”

“The vinyl signing at that record store.”

You nodded as you let your eyes linger over Ellie who was still not allowing herself to look up at you. Dina could sense something was going on based on the way Ellie had taken to giving the silent treatment to everyone in the room.

“Am I missing something?”

Ellie shot her head up immediately, forcing her eyes to look into yours.

“Nothings wrong.”

Dina looked with pinched eyes between the two of you, finding amusement and suspicion in the way Ellie was quick to respond and gain the need to converse again. But she still wasn’t fully convinced.

Her eyes moved to yours as Dina silently asked you the question she had just spoken out loud - you nodded in response, yet your face said that you were anything but normal feeling, but Dina decided not to press too hard.

“Alright..shall we go then?”

You and Ellie agreed with nods as you made your way to the front door. Ellie grabbed a blue flannel shirt to jazz up her casual attire so that she was slightly more presentable to the world as she followed behind Dina.

Meanwhile, Dina tried to not let her eyes linger for too long on the bed closest to the main door of the hotel room that was left as if it hadn’t been slept in the night before. It looked so untouched that one would think it hadn’t been touched since the hotel staff prepped it yesterday.

Again, Dina told herself that it wasn’t her business. Maybe she was thinking too hard into all of this. Maybe there was a simple explanation for the untouched bed, the weird energy between you and Ellie, and the fact that she had to knock on the door for a solid 5 minutes before either one of you responded.

Maybe it was all explainable in a way that didn’t involve you and Ellie doing something that would truly fuck up both of your lives. Dina wanted to stay positive, one way of doing that was leaving well enough alone.

—-

The walk to Annalise’s suite, just down the hall, felt agonizingly slow and painful. Thankfully, Dina was acting as a physical divider between you and Ellie so neither of you had to deal with the obvious friction going on between the both of you.

“There they are!” Annalise was cheerful; too fucking cheerful for 9 in the morning. Especially when it was after a night like you had.

You put both of your hands up in a lazy, non enthusiastic jazz hands motion. “Here we are.”

Jesse was already seated at the table as he looked at Dina first, then to you, then to Ellie. 

His expression was clearly evident, which made you wonder what he & Dina had been talking about once they figured that you & Ellie were sharing a hotel room.

Naturally, you took the closest free chair you could find that was set at the large table in the communal space of the 4 star suite. Various fruits and pastries and other breakfast food and drink items lingered in the middle of the table; you opted just for a cup of coffee. 

Annalise tinged a piece of silverware against her glass of orange juice which made each of you remove your attention from eating or drinking or serving food onto your plates, and up to her.

Your tour manager went on to explain the contents of the day: getting our belongings out of the hotel once this meeting was over, heading to the regular blacked out SUV which will take us and the rest of the band to the record store where you all will spend the next 2 hours signing a signature on a record that was your prized piece of work.

Lastly, you would have to pretend like absolutely nothing was wrong for the entire day..maybe even the entirety of the week, month, and so on.

Annalise glanced at her watch once she’d gotten through the primary part of the breakfast. 

“Alright, is everyone clear on the game plan for today?”

You, Dina, & Jesse all nodded as Annalise scanned each of your reactions - her eyes paused on Ellie who was busy disassociating on an unknown object set on the table.

“Ellie?”

Her head perked up as her eyes blinked quickly. Ellie straightened her posture as she nodded at a question that she couldn’t even remember being asked, but thought it best to just nod and agree.

Annalise's eyes lingered on Ellie, then dragged along to you as she tried to read both of your expression and body languages, and any other clues into what was to blame for the obvious difference in energy between the group.

“Feel free to take your time and finish your food since the signing isn’t until this afternoon.” Annalise spoke all of this with a smile that was nervous. She watched Ellie push the food along her plate with a fork, then to you holding the branded coffee mug in your palm as you kept your eyes down - something felt really wrong.

Just as she was ready to pull either you or Ellie aside for a one on one, Annalise’s phone grabbed her attention away as she walked into another part of the suite and answered with a friendly ‘hello’.

“I’m gonna head back and pack,” Ellie said as she stood up from the table and sat her white napkin down on top of her plate of primarily uneaten food.

You cautiously turned your head to look in Ellie’s direction, but immediately it felt like a mistake as your eyes met with a burning feeling that you could almost physically feel.

Ellie quickly walked off without another word and you felt the need to chase after her.

“I'm gonna pack up too. I’ll catch you guys later, yeah?”

Both Dina & Jesse nodded as they watched you up until the moment you walked out of the door and into the hallway.

“What the fuck was that?” Jesse asked with wide eyes. Sadly, Dina couldn’t give him an answer because she herself didn’t quite know what to think of you and Ellie this morning. The only thing she did have was her suspicions that were becoming harder and harder to brush off.

—

Ellie’s hunched demeanor sulked against the red hued wallpaper, making the hallway seem like something out of a cinematographic masterpiece.

But your eyes couldn’t admire for too long because now you were both alone and, by the way Ellie was acting during the first hour of your day, you weren’t sure she would be wanting to be alone with you anytime soon.

“Ellie,” You called after her as your legs began to fast walk the distance between the both of you.

She didn’t even have to look behind her. Silently, Ellie picked up her walking pace as she ignored your voice as it yelled for her down the hallway like a tornado siren buzzing right in her ear.

“Ellie c’mon we have to talk about this!” Somehow you had caught up with her pace which allowed the tip of your fingers to make brief contact with the back of Ellie’s shoulder; it felt like a hot iron branding her skin. 

Suddenly, your front was running right into Ellie’s back as she abruptly stopped in her tracks with anger running through her.

With a red tinted face, she turned around with tensed facial features. “What do you want”

Her voice was so cold and so empty that you found it hard to find your words now. Your eyes avoided any contact with her, meanwhile she stared at you so intently that you could feel her eyes creating burning circles on your face.

Ellie was mad. So fucking mad, but she wasn’t sure with who - Herself or you?

“You want to talk, so let’s fucking talk then since this is so important to you.”

Suddenly, a nearby door opened as a stranger exited their hotel room with squinted eyes towards the both of you. Out of habitual manners, you and Ellie both moved aside from your previous stance to let the stranger walk by.

“Can we talk somewhere less public please”, you said with a voice much lower than when you were yelling for Ellie moments ago.

This made Ellie furious. You seemed so desperate to talk just a moment ago as your voice wandered through the halls, yet now you were shy? Now you wanted privacy? 

Ellie shook her head as she rolled her eyes. “Make up your mind.”

“What the fuck is your problem.”

“My problem?”, Ellie said with darkened amusement, “you want to know what my fucking problem is?” 

She repeated her words as her feet aimlessly fidgeted like a child who couldn’t stand still to save its life. Her lips were tucked in towards each other as she mumbled various noises and words under her breath that you couldn’t fully make out - what you did know was that she was angry, but now, so were you.

“Fine, let’s just never talk about it ever again then.” 

You moved around Ellie as you took the lead in continuing to walk back down the hallway.

This time it was Ellie’s turn to yell. 

“You wanna fucking talk?”

You paused, hearing her footsteps come closer and closer as tears began to teeter dangerously along the waterline of your eyes. 

Once Ellie got close enough to you, she could see the reddened cheeks and water droplets that left marks on your face. This made her pause and breathe - in..and then out, until she was composed enough to not be solely fueled by anger and frustration.

You found yourself mimicking Ellie’s chest rising and falling; you too breathed in…and then out, until the both of you were both looking straight into the others eyes.

“Then let’s talk,” Ellie spoke with a gentle tone as she fought the urge to reach out and wrap her arms around you in comfort. 

[dracarialove]

📄 Posting my finished fics here, too 📄

*Check the 'shadow's heart' tag if you haven't read chapter 1

[Chapter 3: Confliction]

Pulling up to the home Silver and Blaze shared, their dark-furred guest parked his Viper behind the platinum-painted Camaro and made eye contact with the lavender cat sitting in the bay window.

She hopped down from the cushioned seat while he stepped out of his car, then greeted him at the door with a surprisingly wide smile on her white muzzle.

"This has been such a long time coming," she claimed as he walked in.

"A long time?" The edge of his lip curled into a small, perplexed smile. "We've only been together for two years."

"Yes, but I can see how happy Rouge is when she's with you." Blaze led him to the living room beyond the foyer, where they sat on a gray triple-wide couch. "I'm surprised you waited to snap her up as long as you have."

One black eyebrow lowered and his slightly amused smile remained as he tilted his head at her comment. "And what about you and Silver? You two have been dating much longer than us and just got engaged a couple months ago."

The princess stiffened a bit and Shadow caught a streak of pink touching her cheeks. "Well... w-we wanted to wait! With the renovations and all... anyway-" Her expression turned determined, gold eyes locking to his. "Today is about you, and how you're going to offer Rouge your heart for the foreseeable future."

The Ultimate Lifeform chuckled lightly. "I didn't know you had this romantic side to you, Blaze. I always thought Silver was the mushy one."

"Appreciation of true love isn't exclusive to one half of the relationship, my friend. But, speaking of..."

She turned towards the back of the sofa, facing the open archway that led to the rest of the house, and raised one hand beside her mouth. "Silver! Shadow is here!"

"Oh, coming!" echoed the excited tone of the futuristic hedgehog, moments before he rushed into their living room. He was smiling wider than Blaze, and his eyes immediately darted to their guest. "So, you're finally proposing?"

Shadow scratched awkwardly behind his ear. "Uh, yeah... finally."

Before he could say anything else, Silver plopped himself down on the open couch space between them and planted one hand on his friend's shoulder, giving it a compassionate squeeze. "Congratulations, man! How are you gonna do it?"

"Uhhh..." Shadow hesitated, feeling a little overwhelmed. Silver let go of him, which allowed him some relief, but the optimistic hedgehog had given him multiple things to address in an instant – it was a bit overbearing, even though he meant well.

Blaze diverted her fiancé's attention, patting his knee with a gloved palm. "I don't think we're there just yet. There needs to be a ring first."

"Also," Shadow added, "she has to say 'yes' before you can congratulate me."

Silver looked at him as if he'd said something unbelievable. "Of course she'll say yes. She said yes to Knux, and he-"

The young man cut his own sentence short when Blaze's fingers tightened on his knee, warning him not to continue the thought. He cleared his throat, embarrassment on his face. Shadow was reminded that he still had to talk to his girlfriend about the previous run-in with Knuckles.

Silver spoke again, "Well... point is, you're great; and I know Rouge loves you a lot."

His words lit a bit of a fire in the Ultimate Lifeform again, and a warm smile drew across Shadow's muzzle. "Thank you for the confidence. Now..." He retrieved his cell phone and began pulling up his earlier search results. "... to find a worthy ring."

***

"I think a gold band would be best; Rouge does like flashy jewelry."

"Oh, but what about this icy-white one? It's so pretty, imagine how that'll sparkle! And the shape is cool!"

"Well, Shadow will certainly want a gold band to fit his style, so it's a good idea for the bride's ring to match."

"But that's the wedding ring! The engagement ring is supposed to be cute and shimmery!"

"Silver, just because that's what you got for me doesn't mean it's what Rouge would like."

Shadow was scratching behind his ear again in discomfort, staring down at the phone and listening to his friends debate the choices. His eyes wandered over to Blaze's left hand, to the glimmering aquamarine stone sitting atop a polished platinum band. It was a good choice for her, but something like that wouldn't be quite right for Rouge.

"I agree with Blaze," he spoke, looking up at their faces and ending their tame squabble. "The more obviously it shines, the better."

Silver pouted a little and Blaze smiled softly while Shadow continued, "But, to Silver's credit, I do think a curvy design would be nice."

"Wow," Blaze chimed, "look at you, making your own vision. And the stone? If I know my best friend, she'd be predictably smitten with a high-carat diamond."

"Hmm..." pondered Shadow, looking back down and idly rubbing an index finger above his lip.

"Wouldn't the gold overshadow a diamond?" Silver asked, genuinely curious.

"Perhaps, but-"

"Not to cut you off, Blaze," interrupted Shadow, "but I do have an idea. Rouge has told me her favorite gems in the world are the Chaos Emeralds. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to use one, as difficult as they are to find... but what do you think of a regular emerald?"

Silver gasped, his smile wide. "With diamonds lining the band!"

"Ooh," the cat cooed. "I actually think that's a great idea! You could get it shaped like a Chaos Emerald, I'm sure she'd love that. Green goes very well with gold."

"And it'll bring out her eyes," Shadow added, more comfortable and smiling down at his phone while searching for emerald rings.

The white hedgehog put his right hand to his heart, his expression softening into a display of deep affection for his friend's rare optimistic mood. "This is so sweet." He looked at Blaze and his free hand grabbed hers. "It makes me want to propose to you all over again."

His fiancée blushed and tensed her shoulders towards her cheeks, trying to subdue her smile. "Silver! Please, not in front of a guest..."

But she didn't need to worry about Shadow noticing her embarrassment. He was engrossed in the thought of Rouge gasping and grinning at his choice for the symbol of his intent. The pieces finally fit together in his head – the perfect ring for a perfect woman.

Silver gave Blaze a quick kiss on the cheek while Shadow wasn't looking, then stood from the couch. "Think I'll make some fried rice – get a good lunch going. You want some, Shadow? Or something else?"

Red eyes flicked up at him briefly. "Sure, that's fine."

"Cool!" The futuristic hedgehog strolled back through the nearby archway, starting to whistle a tune once he left the room. The remaining two sat in silence for a moment. Then, just before the lack of conversation got awkward, Shadow's phone rang. It was the jewel hunter herself, prompting him to stand.

"I'll take this outside," he told Blaze, who nodded and also left the sofa to seek out her cooking beau while the dark hedgehog walked out the front door.

He answered with a lighter tone than his usual deep timbre. "Hey, love."

"Hi, baby!" Her mature voice sounded elated, but longing. He understood, as he was longing for her, too. "God, it's so good to hear your voice after listening to Tower bark orders all morning."

Shadow chuckled. "He's being insufferable again, is he?"

"Always. You know he badgered me again last night about you joining G.U.N? So annoying."

"Hm. Well, with you on their team, they shouldn't need my help." He leaned back against the side of the house, bending his free arm under the other to support it.

He heard Rouge sigh and closed his eyes to picture her. She said, "I know, I'm great."

Her confidence made him chuckle and she continued, "Although, I can say these missions would be a lot more fun with you around. But don't worry, I told Tower you had better things to do than take orders from the government."

"Like... take orders from you, boss?" Shadow countered, a smirk bending his voice into a teasing tone.

The ivory bat scoffed playfully; he could tell she was grinning. "Well, yes! You can't tell me you'd rather have an old, stern, unfunny man for a superior."

"You are right, I can't. It would be a lie to pretend that I don't enjoy working for a beautiful, charming, enchanting woman... even if she is a little materialistic."

"How dare you," she bantered, still speaking with a smile. "Just for that, you'd better have a stunning new accessory for me when I get back!"

Shadow laughed, tickled by the serendipity that Rouge was unaware of. She thought she was being funny, but the jewel-loving spy had no idea that she was actually going to get her wish. When his laugh subsided, he opened his eyes and looked up at the clear sky.

He said thoughtfully, "I miss you."

He half-expected a witty quip to keep the joke going – something like, "After only one day? You must be obsessed!" – but Rouge's tone softened and she replied, "I miss you, too."

"How's the mission going?"

"It's okay. A bit boring. So far, we're just doing surveillance. But, on the up-side, I've been learning some interesting things about sea life since we picked up some books from this old laboratory nearby. What I found most fascinating was this section about one particular species; did you know there's such a thing as an immortal jellyfish?"

The Ultimate Lifeform's brows raised at the mention of immortality, and his smile slackened. "No, I didn't. That's curious."

"I almost found it unbelievable at first! But it's true, the little guys can reverse their life cycle if they want – or, something like that, I haven't gotten to finish reading it, yet."

"Wow... that must've been surprising to see." Shadow masked the unease that crept into his heart at the thought of a creature that could live forever. It was too similar to his own biology, and – uncomfortably – made him think about his long lifespan too much for his liking.

"Yeah," Rouge spoke, calm because she didn't know the introspection she'd just sparked, "I'm not usually into science, but that kind of stuff is cool. Plus, anything's better than listening to Topaz complain about the way I work."

"Ha, yeah... I bet." He took a breath as his lean turned into a slump. In his head, he was thinking, 'You might not consider it cool if you knew you were living with an immortal... and what that truly means.'

"Sooo," her voice dragged, "how are things on your end?"

"Well... up and down, I suppose." Shadow pushed off the wall and stepped forward to sit down on the concrete stoop. "The casino is doing well, although it was very crowded last night."

"Aw, sorry I couldn't be there, hun. Bane helped you hold things down though, right?"

"Yeah, we got through it..." One hand slinked across the back of his neck and he rubbed it in discomfort. He remembered his encounter with Knuckles again, and knew he couldn't put off telling her about it. "But we had an... unpleasant visitor last night."

"Oh no, who?"

Shadow sighed. "Knuckles."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, long enough for the dark hedgehog to get a sinking feeling in his stomach. Then his lover asked with a hint of disgust, "Why? What did he want?"

Shadow's answer escaped a growing sneer, "He was demanding to speak with you. Babbling about apologizing... after two fucking years."

His eyes rolled, black brows furrowing at the memory. Rouge's tone sounded softer when she spoke again. "Shadow... don't concern yourself with him. Especially if it's going to ruin your mood."

Fingers pinched the midsection of his closed eyes and he shook away the frustration. Then the bat added, "When I get back, we'll do something nice. A date night – how's that sound?"

Shadow nodded even though she couldn't see it. "I'd like that. Hopefully your mission doesn't run long."

"I'm crossing my fingers as we speak. Talk to you later?"

"Whenever you have time. You know I'll always answer."

"I won't make you wait if I can help it." The smile in her voice returned when she mimicked a kiss through the phone. "Love you!"

"Love you, too."

They hung up and Shadow felt troubled that he couldn't form a smile like Rouge could. There were two big problems hanging over him now; conflicts he wouldn't be able to shake through sheer force of will.

But, irritating as it was that his girlfriend's ex wanted back in her life, the other issue was even more daunting: the Ultimate Lifeform's immortality, which would pale her lifespan as the years went on, and – dreadfully possibly – her desire to stay with him, as well.

[liliumsabyss]

In The Small Moments

Part 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4, Pt 5,

Kaz Brekker x Gn Reader

Summary: Moulin Rouge/Satine Inspired!Reader and Kaz go undercover at a ball only for things to go terribly wrong.

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48845809/chapters/123220936

Word Count: 5.16K

Tw: Angst and Fluff, Swearing, Mentions of Sex, Mentions of Sex Work, No Smut, Mentions of Death, Forced Marriage, Manipulation, PTSD, reader called handsome but could be interrupted as in the old timey gender neutral way, maybe OOC Kaz Brekker, and Pekka Rollins

A/n: This is inspired by Moulin Rouge the musical both adaptations and the place. I imagine the characters to be more like 25 in this.

Early in the morning of Ketterdam fog hung over the streets, while most towns would be asleep, Ketterdam never slept. There was always laughing from a bar, hushed whispers from allies, the drunken shouts of yells, screams of a not so lucky passerbye, honey sweet calls from brothels, that was the barrel, that was the life you knew. You were awake at your desk running through the plans that a certain man had given you. The certain man who was feared by many, he had created numerous enemies yet remained in power, that man being the bastard of the Barrel, Kaz Brekker. And unfortunately for you the man your heart belonged to. You hadn’t quite been a dregger or a crow more like a person of select skills for even selector hire or in other words you sometimes applied these skills but only for Kaz Brekker. Not to say you didn’t get along with the crows, in fact you got along amazingly. They quite enjoyed your “refreshing” presence as they stated, the best term to explain your relation would be friends of some sort.

Otherwise you worked as a bartender and occasional waiter when it got crowded in the Crow Club. It wasn't anything much, however you always noticed a few extra gold coins that appeared in your pocket on payday. Many days after the Crow Club closed for the night or at that point what had been very early morning, it lay empty, Kaz’s companions off somewhere leaving the two of you in amicable silence as he slowly sipped on the strongest liquor on the shelf while you did whatever cleaning up needed to be done, many of times conversations would eventually spur. And then he found out about your particular skill set slowly once on a busy night you were waiting tables when a customer was getting a little too handsy with you after you repeatedly told him to stop Kaz was about to intervene only to see you grab the customers arm twisting it behind his body and smashing his head into the hard wooden edge of the gambling table breaking his nose. Most of the crowd at the table turned stunned, you quickly dropped the stuff off, gave a quick bow in apologies as you left, Kaz stood slightly impressed. Another time you had forgotten your key to open the club before the sun had even come up, you squatted down so you were eye level with the lock, quickly you rummaged through the pockets of your heavy woollen coat finding a random thin hooped earring you picked up on the street and a paperclip you quickly unbent the paperclip and pulled the thin hool straight as well little did you know Kaz was approaching when he spotted you crouched at the door however he saw you pull out the two random objects to his own confusion as you pushed them into the locks fiddling with the tumblers till you heard a click, you stood up and to the others shock opened the door, and then walked in. The third time he was talking to Jesper after the crow club had closed for the night and not bothering to care whether you were there. Jesper was discussing how the Landercrofts, a very wealthy family that were the head of one of the gangs, were having their annual ball in which the crows were planning to rob their vault during the party. Jesper had gotten his hands on false invitations and was stating how the dress code was black and white when you spoke up stating that the dress code this year was red, the black and white dress code was a rumour to set apart who had gotten invited and who was sneaking in. When Kaz and Jesper inquired into where you had gotten that information you explained how your connections made you quite knowledgeable of the barrel and many drunks let things slip. And the fourth time, was when you were carrying a glass from a table once the club was closed when you tripped the glass shattering at your feet Kaz who was by you when you tripped at the same time as you quickly belt down to pick up the glass out of an instinct. You both immediately reached for the largest piece when your hand brushed against his glove and he flinched only he really didn't. It was a slight twinge but less than usual so he tried it out again prying the glass out of your hands and once again he was a little nerved but better than he had with pretty much anyone else. So Kaz could only see one thing to do with your talents and would hire you on the occasion he saw fit which was becoming more and more often. Tonight was the ball that the crows had prepared for months for and the one in which you provided consistent information for, Kaz only saw it fit as you would be one of the ones to directly infiltrate the ball.

Hours passed by as you ran through the plans over and over again before you knew it, it was evening just a few hours before the ball. You frantically got ready scolding yourself for being so careless with watching the time. You grabbed the blood red outfit that laid on your bed for the past day delivered personally by Kaz. The brunette male had also delivered the red mask that was decorated in black markings intricately painted and sculpted; mixed with the outfit there was no way that Kaz paid for it just for you for this one event, someone had to owe him a debt for this. You quickly got yourself ready like you had used to, it had been a long time since you wore anything like this and you were glad for it. A sharp knock came from your door as you scrambled stuffing any possible tools you’d need into various hidden pockets. Opening the old door which let out an unpleasant creak revealed Kaz in a black and red suit to match your outfit.

“ Good your ready we need to go” Kaz let out curtly which was not what he wanted to say yet it was all that he could let out in the cold streets of Ketterdam where anyone could hear anything and take things the wrong way but for what he was going to say they surely would have took it the correct way. You gave a swift nod, looking behind him to see a black horse drawn carriage, Nina and Jesper at the driver's seat waiting impatiently for you two to climb into the back.

“ I thought Inej and Jesper were also supposed to be going in with us?” You questioned, confused at Inej’s lack of presence and Jesper at the reins in a not ball ready outfit.

“ They will be going in just not with, now if we want to be on time we must move.” Kaz responded as he turned walking away climbing into the back of the carriage you followed in tow closing the door as you entered.

Sitting on the plush cushions you ran your hand against the seat and the wooden sill that elegantly framed the window, you breathed in the stale air of the carriage the feeling, the smell had all been so familiar to all those days and nights it was honestly shocking you could forget it for this long. Kaz eyed you silently, watching your face twinge in familiarity however that look was soon gone in your eyes and an eerie tint of hatred flickered. For the rest of the ride you just peered out the window mindlessly. The lights from the mansion shimmered as you approached in your carriage many other carriages also appeared to be dropping guests off. The carriage slowly stopped to a stuttering halt pausing as the carriage rocked slightly giving away that either Jesper or Nina had gotten off their seats. The carriage door swung open, Nina holding it wide open. You put the mask on quickly looking over to Kaz who had done the same, his mask being black decorated with red instead, the inverse of yours. The man swiftly climbed out of the carriage waiting with his hand outreached ready to help you out of it as the carriage hobbled. Nina eyed the two of you in surprise as you took his hand carefully stepping down the wobbling carriage, lights poured carefully out of the manor barley illuminating the pathways that led to the large doors that were cracked and every so often would open letting light flood onto the party goers entering the masquerade. Kaz left his elbow out as you tucked your arm into it carefully so as not to look suspicious to other attendees. The brunette male held the invitations in his opposite hand, grasping them tightly. Stiffly walking up to the doors large men who had large swords sheathed in leather at their sides; ready to be pulled out against any threat to the people of the manor. The guards had displeased faces as they stood tall, intimidating, snatching invitations out of the hands of masked figures. Shortly You and Kaz stood before a guard who stood with her arms crossed and the corner of her lips pulled into a tight frown. Kaz stared at her equal in expression for a long couple of seconds before swiftly putting his arm up the two pale beige invitations decorated in gold swirls with hints of red trickled on them the women to the invitations inspecting them carefully front and back before taking out a wooden plank the split into two three quarters of the way she wedged one of the invitations between the the slit in the plank harshly squeezing it together giving it back to Kaz’s outstretched hand revealing it to have a red seal marking the paper, the guard did the same to the other begrudgingly knocking on the large painted metal and wood doors causing them to slowly open. You and the stiff brunette behind you slipped through into the manor. Laughter and music filled the air swirling around the stuffy air of the large ballroom, gowns splaying out from being turned by their suit and gown clad partners. Standing at the top of the marble stairs looking down upon the people down below, the shoulder that pressed against you that was tensed loosened slightly with a relieved breath. Turning your head to look at Kaz he slanted his head to you in return giving a sharp nod before you both took equally swift steps toward the stairs before descending into the madness of the ballroom. Kaz took a step away from the stairs and away from you his red gloved hand offering his hand with his other arm plastered behind him only then did you noticed the absence of his cane, you gave him a confused look to which he took a step to you whispering below his breath.

“ We cannot afford to look suspicious.” Kaz said lowly pulling up the leg of his suit revealing a slight gleam of metal which appeared to be a brace only letting it fall quickly before taking a step back to once again offer his hand. People whirled around behind him but you could only see him under the warm chandelier light that illuminated the marble floor and sparkling cloth.

“ Of course” You replied fondly to both the gesture and his comment, gently taking his hand taking several steps out onto the floor before turning toward each other. The song that had been playing had finished partners taking a step back bowing or curtsying to the other. The music picked up again with a medium pace waltz, guests flocking toward each other for the dance.

“ Do you want to lead or shall I?” The brunette in front of you commented fidgeting stiffly once again.

“ Eh doesn’t matter to me, dealer's choice.” You shrugged in response figuring that while Kaz offered he probably only knew one of those options if even considering his aversion toward contact. Kaz took a step closer lifting your hand which still lightly remained in his to his shoulders which he set on his ridged boney shoulder his hand reached for your side placing it gently and you grabbed his other hand raising it up holding it slightly below your shoulder as well as out. Kaz moved his foot toward yours, yours moving back in response to the waltzing causing a game of call and response in your movements. Your partner moved his head closer to the side of yours leaning in his mouth by your ear, you could feel a hot breath tickling your ear making a slight tinge of fluster.

“ We need to distract the Landercrofts, Alinda Landercroft and Jerad Landercoft are over by there by the fourth column from the window,” Kaz whispered carefully stopping midway to turn you a subtle gesture you understood, getting a flash of the pale couple in their 50’s, Alinda Landercoft wore a deep red chiffon and miniver gown that was adorned with ruffles while Jerad Landercroft wore a black suit with a red suit vest that matched the same shade of red of his wife, a large top hat stood on his head causing his short grey hair to sprawl out.

“ Their son Devlin is over there succumbing to his seduction activities.” The brunette gestured with his head to the blonde haired male around your age. He was surrounded by a couple of people of all genders who were fawning over him, him just giving a lazy suggestive smile to each of them. He wore a loose black top that cut low into his chest, a red vest tightened to his figure and black dress pants that were tight around his waist leaving little to the imagination a seemingly common theme with his outfit.

“ Once this song ends we should make discussion with Alinda Landercroft and her husband, their son seems busy enough.” Kaz said vaguely referring to his flirting where now a short haired person in a dress that had a very low bust and corset that pushed their chest up, rubbed said chest against his arm as you groaned in disgust.

And as the song ended the two of you briskly walked toward the older-ish couple who were laughing as you approached. You stopped before the couple you and Kaz bowing your heads slightly as the Landercroft’s looked at you in curiosity.

“ Hello Mr. Landercroft, Mrs. Landercroft,-” Kaz started as you internally sighed at his bluntness that was going to get you guys caught before you decided to interrupt him.

“ Mr Landercroft, Mrs Landercroft! Truly this gala is lovely, every year you never fail to impress me or my husband!” You exclaim in delight to them touching Kaz’s arm affectionately at the term “husband” as the brunette give you a wild slightly disturbed look at your behaviour to which you just gave him a slight unnoticeable jab to the ribs.

“ Oh well thank you my dear! But may I be reminded of who you are? My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be.” Mrs. Landercroft said jokingly as you all(except for Kaz) let out a slight chuckle at her statement.

“ Of course don’t worry I get it, I am (F/n) Casspian and this is my wonderful husband Kazmere Casspian. Between you and me he’s not much of a talker unless it comes down to business.” You tell them fake whispering the last part to Mrs. Landercroft in which she responded with a hearty laugh as Kaz rolled his eyes in response but slightly thankful you’d be handling the small talk especially with how much of a natural you were at this.

“ Same with mine dear!” She laughed out as her husband grumbled beside her as you joined her laughter faking it.

“ Now what did you say you did again?” She “asked” or in the world of the rich she was demanding you explain how you got into the party as people these rich rarely personally invite people more so often leaving it to trusted members of the household to invite people of popularity, opportunity, or influence.

“ The Casspians own that metal company. I believe I recently heard about it from an associate, I hear that it's becoming very influential.” Mr. Landercroft spoke up in a very “knowledgeable” tone which would have been knowledgeable except for the fact that none of it was true nor was it planted information just the older man trying to show off. Both you and and the brunette next to you turned your heads slightly making eye contact with a look of confusion at what bullshit this man was spewing to which you both just shrugged your shoulders slightly turning your attention back to the couple.

“ Yes and we were hoping to establish some sort of arrangement between our company and yours.” The brunette says to the elderly couple to which both looked shocked to see him speaking however you internally smiled smug at the distraction this provided the others who should be close to the vault in the eastern wing of the manor.

“ That would be great, son!” Mr. Landercroft said walking over clapping Kaz on the back was quite hard as Kaz flinched away from the contact, inching closer to you pressing tightly against your arm as you felt his arm trembling slightly against yours. You carefully snaked your hand towards his tightly clenched fist nudging it with your pinky in a silent ask. His hand slacked open in response as your hand slid into his carefully rubbing circles onto the back of his hand as his shaking slowly started to decrease as the older man in front of you ran his mouth off about his company.

“ Well son why don’t we all head to my office to hash out the details.” Mr. Landercroft stated hearty as he laughed, putting out his arm for his wife. You looked as Kaz grimacing when the others were not looking, pointing your head towards Devlin who was still wrapped up “entertaining” the people around him. The brunette nodded in understanding at your subtle gesture.

“ Mr Landercroft I would love to join however I must leave my husband up to this, an old acquaintance of mine appears to be here and I’ve never been good at business.” You speak in fake regret towards the couple furrowing your eyebrows together and letting out a tight lipped smile. The couple nodded in understanding of your statement. You turned to Kaz one of your hands still holding his slightly trembling one, you carefully grabbed his other hand with your free one looking at him for any resistance to which you received none you gently raised both his towards each other raising them to your mouth as you bowed your head maintaining eye contact with him lightly brushing your lips against his gloved hands the thick cotton rough under your lips as you placed a soft kiss on them. Kaz's eyes only widened slightly as the corners of his lips threatened to twitch into a warm small smile so faintly you may not have even realised nothing like his manic and greedy smile but a smile that held whatever pieces of his heart had been left. And so you let him go which caused a faint tug at your own heart as you watched him leave with the couple, your eyes trailing him as much as you could before he completely disappeared through the crowd. You turned back to the people whirling in endless mindless circles in lavish gowns and suits. This is the life they know and for most of them all they’ve known but it was also a life you knew, you knew it in the twisted behind closed doors way. And so you skimmed the crowd following it all the way to the blonde man who leaned in close to one of the people that was crowded around him a inch distance from their face with a smirk on his. You made up your mind and decided you would distract him yourself to avoid suspicion of just standing in the open unmoving, unamused. So you walk up to the male swaying your hips slightly, an innocent smile that holds a slight suggestiveness undertone to it cringing internally. The blonde's eyes turned wide for a second before his entire face turned into a smirk as he stopped leaning against the pillar standing straight up, his arms still crossed.

“ Well hello,” Devlin stated seductively(?), more like an attempt to be seductive to which you internally groaned with disgust. But regardless of how cringe worthy it felt you went along with it looking way in fake flusteredness.

“ Hello,” You replied meekly, crying internally at how awful the situation was. The blonde just continued to smirk as he took a step towards you.

“ Well what caused you to wander over here love.” The man replied teasingly and unfortunately for him horribly unattractive. And so your fake waltz began with your “subtle flirting” and his prowling responses. Many of the people who had been fawning over him had walked away with their noses high in the air, scoffing, at your presence it certainly hadn’t been the first time you experienced this but hopefully would be the last. And so your little dance began with slight touches, suggestive innocent sentences, and so on, all part of your careful scheme of distraction. And oh how you dreaded it weaving a web around the playboy who only expected you to be an innocent party-goer who had been entranced by him not a thief who took the role upon themself to protect the man and friends they had come to adore.

“ Well darling how about we head to somewhere more private.” The blonde said his voice dropping as he pressed his mouth against your ear, you having to clench your fingernails into your palm to resist the urge to push him away. But of course you had a role to play and so you’d play it. Your lips turned into a slight pout as you spoke up.

“ Well could we have one dance…first?” You trailed off hugging his arm, an obnoxious move but one that charmed him and most likely only his lips turned into a gentle smile.

“ Why of course.” He responded lightly as he reached his out for yours ready for you to grasp it. You of course did as the two of you walked out into the centre which had just concluded the previous dance, some couples fled to the side, some stayed and some joined. All on the floor stayed perfectly still as they were in their spots until the musicians started to play. It was a medium paced dance and one you knew well. You sighed in relief at the fact you knew the dance and one that you knew well but not only that the dance was one in which you switched partners for a large portion of it in the middle meaning you could get a break from Devlin, what a relief that would be. Your whirling and steps began him sweeping you through the other couples narrowly missing one another, Devlin holding you to him as tight as he possibly could. You on the other hand were mentally counting down the seconds till you would get to switch partners. Then finally what felt like forever you spun away only to be caught by what you’d hoped was anyone better than him. You were wrong. The man in front of you had his hair gelled matching his thick beard and moustache, his eyes stared coldly into you, a smirk upon his lips. You knew the man, you knew him very well and you hated him, you hated him for yourself, for the people he’s hurt, and for Kaz. But there he was in front of you smirking your dance partner, any sliver of hope you’d had. He didn't recognize you went out the window when you came face to face with him.

“ Rollins.” You spat at him, your face seething with anger.

“ (Y/n)” He responded back with that stupid greedy smirk on his face causing you to roll your eyes.

“ You are looking as great as ever, tell me have you taken a visit back yet since your little runaway stunt.” He commented, the words rolling off his tongue in a fake syrupy sweetness. You gritted your teeth together as you stared at his cold gaze with one equally of coldness, possibly even more.

“ Do not even speak of that to me.” You hissed at him hating how one of his hands rested on your waist and the other touching your hand, but most of all you hated how you had to continue this charade with the man, the man that the person you cared for had despised.

“ Oh you mean the Red Windmill or Ryker Knox because both are missing their shining diamond terribly,” He started your face twisting briefly into horror before going back to being enraged “ You know nobody would have ever thought you would have run away from the man much less to the bastard of the barrel.”

“ What are you talking about?” You state sharply trying to feign ignorance in masking your terror that you might’ve put a larger target on Kaz’s back.

“ Oh you know what I’m talking about, I know you quite fancy that bastard but what would dear old Ryker say about that…” He trailed off getting closer, his voice dropping lowly.

“ If you dare do something-” You began to threaten before he clicked his tongue interrupting you.

“ Well for starters I could order my men to go capture them right now don’t think I don’t know about your little heist,” he interrupted now finally so close he was whispering in your ear as you shuddered in fear at the fact you knew why all the guards looked vaguely familiar they had been Rollins in disguise of course they had, “ or you could listen to me and your dear bastard and his group of misfits will go free unharmed, accomplishing their heist, and you won’t be dragged back to Knox.”

“ What do you want?” You said out of your clenched teeth to him terrified at his threat. You couldn’t let them be caught if you could’ve done something to avoid it and you certainly wouldn't, no you couldn’t allow yourself to be dragged back to that awful awful man. You would allow yourself to take your very last breath before you’d ever go back to him willingly or unwilling. Pekka only smirked in response from the little you had seen of him pulling away from your ear for a slight moment before leaning back.

“ To leave with me. You are to leave with me and work for me,” He started as you raised your eyebrow at why he’d possibly want you, you could offer up a decent set of skills but none he needed unless it had to do with your prior “occupation” in which you’d rather die however if thats what would save your friends and your livelihood so be it. But then the man continued, “ And when you do so, when the bastard comes for you, you will tell him no, you will reject the boy and you will break his heart.”

“ Is there anything else?” You let out monotonous, staring ahead blankly ignoring the man's disgustingly hot breath against your ear before pulling away doing the turn the dance required only to slam back into him. You hadn’t questioned his condition, you knew Kaz wouldn’t come for you, and you couldn’t even blame him for it how could you, it wasn’t going to break his heart that the bartender who had some extra abilities would end up going with Pekka Rollins his enemy sure it would piss him off in terms of loyalty but break his heart no, no it wouldn’t. But of course you couldn’t fathom how much it actually would, how would you when the only time the man would let his heart bleed for you was in the moments you’d blink and for those split milliseconds his gaze would soften when it wandered to you, or when the early hours of the morning when even the crows of Ketterdam slept but he’d be the only person up his mind drifting to you so quietly, or in crowded rooms when he could pick out your voice out , out of the many drinking it in memorising it ever so thoroughly, or maybe it was when he’d watch you clean the club late at night after closing and he‘d get to indulge at letting your name roll off his tongue not having to fear the world hearing, so yes how would you know when he loved you in the quiet moments, moments of time no one in the world could detect in his terror of someone finding out. And yet he failed.

“ All you will need to do is sit there and look handsome, with the possibility of obtaining information.” He responded back his voice slick with victory his words slithering like a snake into your ear but it wasn’t words of temptation he whispered it was venom it was the venom of the life you could not live it was the venom that would kill your livelihood, kill your soul, and ultimately kill you. But it wasn’t a choice it was a sword and a vial of poison it was death for you either way one would be slow and painful, guilt, shame, and hatred would be one or the other where only you would suffer completely it would take a bit of time to kick in but only you would be harmed without having to worry about the others. And so your choice was made you acting as your own executioner.

“ I will do it, but only if you agree that they will go successfully with the heist and you will not do anything to them directly or indirectly.” You said firmly making your final stand refusing to let any loopholes get through for your effort.

“ Fine, I agree. Let us go.” he said, grabbing your wrist harshly, twisting it a little bit as he dragged you to the door as you attempted to keep looking back a few times desperately as a final last hope that one of the crows may be there but of course this was reality they were not. And so you were dragged out into the dark night by the monster who was to cage you once again. The stars and sky of Ketterdam had never looked as cold and dull as they did tonight but you attempted to ignored them as you got into the dark carriage not caring to look around just staring blankly into the void of the night, the lights of the manor disappearing behind you and the weight of what you had just agreed to started consuming you into the void of the night.

[gavroche-le-moineau]

La mort de Gavroche / Gavroche’s death

Oh it's here, the chapter that breaks my heart to pieces every time. If you haven't heard it before I highly encourage listening to the Original French Concept Album version of Gavroche's death. In my opinion, it is by far the saddest and most impactful version. Below you'll find my translation of the lyrics with annotations. The PDF can be found here: La Mort de Gavroche translation

Gavroche Cette fois, Javert, t’arrêteras plus personne La mort t’a coffré à perpétuité J’espère qu’là-haut, on s’ra pas dans l’même cachot Sur terre déjà, on n’était pas du même combat¹

Gavroche This time, Javert, you’ll no longer be arresting anyone Death has locked you up for good I hope up there, we won’t be in the same dungeon On earth already, we weren’t in the same fight¹

NOTES 1. “du même combat” literally means “of the same fight” but I believe this is using “même combat!” which is an expression of solidarity meaning “we’re on the same side.” I kept the translation in the lyrics more literal since “to be in the same fight” in English can also convey the idea of solidarity.

Courfeyrac Sacré Gavroche, t’as toujours l’mot pour rire² C’est pas la parlotte³ qui te f’ra guérir Marius Ah les salauds, ils ont tiré sur un enfant Ils ont, sans savoir, abattu le printemps Quel dieu cruel s’abreuve du sang des innocents Et combien faudra-t-il pleurer d’combattants?

Courfeyrac Blasted Gavroche, you always have something funny to say² It’s not the gift of the gab³ that will heal you Marius Ah the bastards, they’ve shot at a kid They have, without knowing, shot down spring What cruel god drinks the blood of innocents And how many fighters will we have to cry over?

NOTES 2. “avoir le mot pour rire” is an expression that literally means “always have the word for laughing / a laugh” and is translated as “to make jokes, be funny.”

3. “la parlotte” means “chitchat, chatter, chinwag, talking shop, etc.” I decided to translate it as “the gift of the gab” because that felt like a more appropriate term given the previous line which implies that Gavroche is good at always making jokes.

Gavroche Notre drapeau était par terre Rouge de honte et bleu sali Moi, j’ai bondi blanc⁴ de colère “Allons, enfants de la patrie”⁵

Gavroche Our flag was on the ground Red with shame and dirtied blue Me, I leapt up, white⁴ with anger “Allons, enfants de la patrie”⁵

NOTES 4. “Rouge de honte … blanc de colère” This sequence uses expressions that incorporate the colors of the French flag (blue, white, red). “Rouge de honte” means “red with shame,” as in “blushing with shame” or a “flush of shame” but can also simply be translated as “ashamed.” I haven’t been able to figure out if “bleu sali” is an expression or is simply referring to the dirtied blue of the flag on the ground. “Blanc de colère” is, as in English, “white with anger.”

5. “Allons, enfants de la patrie!” is a reference to the first line of the Marseillaise, the national anthem of France. It means “Let’s go, children of the fatherland/motherland!”

Un mec m’a vu, qui m’a crié : “Qui vive!”⁶ J’ai dit : "Révolution française" Ça lui a pas plu ma franchise M’a mis un pruneau⁷ dans la fraise⁸ C’est comme ça, on gagne pas à chaque fois

A guy saw me, shouted at me “Who lives?”⁶ I said : “The French revolution” That didn’t please him, my frankness, Put a slug⁷ in my face⁸ It’s like that, you don’t win every time

NOTES 6. “Qui vive!” is an expression that literally means “who lives?” but is translated as “who goes there?” Just like the English expression, it has same the context of someone on watch or in a military environment asking an unknown person to identify themselves. However, I chose to keep the literal translation in the lyrics because it ties the pun in the response together. The response is “Révolution française (the French Revolution),” because a common refrain is “Vive la revolution française!” literally, “Live the French revolution!”

7. “pruneau” is argot (slang). The word “pruneau” means “prune” but it was used as slang for a bullet.

8. “fraise” is another argot word. This time the word for “strawberry” means “face / mug.”

Donnez, donnez⁹, ma casquette aux copains C’est tout c’que j’ai et j’en n’ai plus besoin Je suis tombé par terre, C’est la faute à Voltaire¹⁰ Le nez dans le ruisseau, C’est la faute à...

Give, give⁹, my cap to my friends It’s all I have, and I don’t need it anymore I fell to the ground It’s the fault of Voltaire¹⁰ Nose in the gutter, It’s the fault of…

NOTES 9. “Donnez, donnez” is a callback to the refrain used in Gavroche’s introductory song on the Original Concept Album (the equivalent of Look Down).

10. “C’est la faute à Voltaire” – I would have preferred to translate these lines as “It’s Voltaire’s/Rousseau’s fault” but I kept the French wording of “It’s the fault of Voltaire/Rousseau” so that the final line cuts off in the same manner.

As usual, corrections and commentaries are welcome!

[milkytheholy1]

Sonic The Hedgehog Masterlist

Sonic The Hedgehog

Trapped - Sonic x GN Reader

"Hoohoohoooo! Try getting around that, you overgrown pineapple!" A small explosion erupted in the town square, shaking the small table and wobbling your burger. Looking back in fear you could make out a moustachioed man in the smoke, floating in some sort of device. His glare was aimed at a blue hedgehog, the smoke surrounded him; he appeared unharmed.

Part 2

Tails 'Miles' Prowler

Slow Dance With You - Tails x Female Reader

I set this in the Boom Universe in case it was unclear, hope you enjoy and like always requests are always open!

Shadow The Hedgehog

Training - Shadow x Female Reader

You'd been at GUN for a few weeks now. Your missions were going well, you'd made plenty of new friends and enemies and you've learned countless new moves from your new partners. Currently, those new partners are beating your ass at a basic training session, but that is why they are the professionals.

Mission report - Shadow x GN Reader

"Mission report" you simply replied, Shadow stepped out of well the shadows his arms crossed over his broadened chest "For last weeks mission? Shouldn't you have finished that by now?". You slumped in your chair a sigh escaping your lips, team dark watching you intensely "It's just taking longer than expected". Rouge glanced at your desk observing all the junk food wrappers and books "Longer than expected huh?" she questioned raising her eyebrow; you refused to answer.

Protector - Shadow x GN Reader

"You have to keep moving, unless you want to get caught?" His snide comment sent shivers down your spine. With a growl, you picked up the pace, with the ebony hedgehog following closely behind you. This had all been an exercise, the grand training mission of training missions. 

The infection - Shadow x GN Reader

Just as you were snooping around the whole facility went dark, shutting off the computer with it. You growled, smashing a fist against the monitor "Damn you! Damn you to hell!" you cursed out. A wavering static flooded your hearing before a voice called out to you, "(Y/N), we're picking up some energy readings coming your way. Looks like you've been spotted, sweetheart." Rouge mused.

Warming up to you - Shadow x GN Reader

Okay, so I got a few responses saying to keep it as parts instead of one big thing, and surprise I've decided to turn this into a small, small series. So expect a few more chapters to come out soon. Hope you enjoy!

Part 2

Part 3

Gone - Shadow x Female Reader

Blood dribbled from your lips, you've probably swallowed a few teeth during this fight too. Your knuckles were grazed and bleeding, ankles sore and muscles aching. It wasn't meant to end like this and yet you knew deep down in your heart, that this was the only outcome.

Before you - Shadow x GN Reader

With what's going on in the world I just wanted to quickly write something to help make people feel less stressed out and scared, even if that feeling lasts for just a second. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I just wrote this very quickly.

Fitness Regime - Shadow x Female Reader

Reader who likes to flirt with him a lot? 

[lady-de-mon-coeur]

Lady in red

Chapter 5. You're loved, you're needed

AO3

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Summary: Adrien continues his investigation and gets a self-esteem boost.

A/N: Took me forever to finish this chapter. I hope you are still there and enjoy reading.

After making sure Plagg was peacefully snoring on his tiny cat pillow, Adrien pulled out the crumpled piece of paper he still carried around in his pocket.

He unfolded it and skimmed the list he's been compiling for a couple of weeks now, adding new stuff to it every now and then.

Some of this stuff happened recently; some was from months ago, now having acquired a whole new meaning for Adrien's restless brain.

8. Marinette talking to her purse right after entering the elevator at the Montparnasse Tower. Then she acted in an extremely weird way, asking someone via phone to send help. Rena Rouge came to our rescue shortly after.

(Adrien didn't know how to feel about this. It might be just Marinette being Marinette.)

9. Ladybug confirmed that the Valentine card was sent by her. Besides, it has to come from someone who goes to my school, since it was written in the form of a response to the poem I wrote but ended up throwing in the trash bin.

(He smirked and put a red exclamation mark next to this point.).

10. Ladybug was absent the other day, having sent another ladybug miraculous holder in place of her. I found out that Marinette had left for London the same day.

(That was the most suspicious point on his list; there was no denying it. He couldn’t help but notice the growing complicity between Marinette and Alya. They had always been thick as thieves, but recently their friendship acquired a whole new level of intimacy. They constantly discussed something with each other in hushed voices, not letting others be part of the conversation.)

11. Ladybug told me the other day that she dreamt of becoming a knitting fairy as a child.

(He knew this one was too far-fetched, but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to cross it out. Something was telling him that being a knitting fairy was such a Marinette-ish thing to dream of, with her passion for crafting all sorts of hand-made things. He smiled to himself as he imagined Marinette with a pair of transparent fairy wings, dressed in a home-knit dress.).

12. Marinette’s whole family was akumatized recently, and Ladybug let it slip that the akuma must have been at home (at Dupain-Cheng's, as she immediately corrected herself).

(He added this point a few days ago. Not too much of a giveaway, but still suspicious enough.).

Adrien sighed and shoved the list back in his pocket.

It was still too soon to jump to conclusions.

Besides, obsessively documenting every fact that (for the most part indirectly) somewhat confirmed his theory started consuming too much of his mental energy.

During patrols and akuma attacks, he found himself more and more often observing Ladybug instead of focusing on the job. It needed to stop.

After all, didn't he say to himself the day of their first mission that whoever she was behind the mask, he loved that girl?

And now she needed him like never before.

There were also things he didn't come around to writing down, but he always kept them in mind anyway.

Ladybug being such a kind and supportive person, just like Marinette was.

Marinette being brave and passionate, just like his lady.

Marinette telling him he looked pretty in the Project Oxygen ad. No, he didn't mishear. She actually said that. His face still flushed at the thought that Marinette found him pretty.

The way his heart fluttered as he watched Marinette wave her hands and overall act so goofily while talking to her friends. He could barely resist the tenderness that threatened to consume him.

You need to be honest with yourself, Adrien. Why do you so desperately need Marinette to be Ladybug?

Adrien thought he already knew the answer, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit it, not even to himself. Not yet.

===

"You need to get your head out of the clouds, Marinette," said Tikki in her usual high-pitched voice, knowing fully well that her words were most likely destined to fall on deaf ears. "It's not a secret that you're prone to letting your guard down when you're with Adrien."

"I need to stay focused only when it's an akuma attack. He's my boyfriend, after all. Why can't a girl indulge herself in being honest with her boyfriend?" whined Marinette.

"Because to him, you're not just some random girl he's never met in his everyday life. You're his classmate, for God's sake! You can do or say something that might give away your identity if you're not careful enough."

"Ugh, stop it, Tikki!" said Marinette with a big yawn. “Gosh, there are tons of girls like me in Paris. Who would suspect Marinette, a normal girl with a normal life?”

Tikki sighed. It was harder than she thought. She couldn't just tell her wielder that an extremely panicked Plagg pulled her aside today at school and that according to him (as he revealed to her in very incoherent sentences), his wielder was already highly suspicious of Ladybug's identity.

All she could do was pray for Adrien to drop this investigation.

She watched in silent resignation Marinette put aside her school belongings and get ready for bed.

===

Adrien, mon amour. You deserve your girlfriend to trust you. You deserve unconditional love. And that's what I'm going to give you. I want to give my whole self to you, Ladybug was talking to herself as she headed to her boyfriend’s house.

She found Adrien sitting at his computer, browsing the Ladyblog's main page.

He turned around upon hearing her arrive, a warm, genuine smile lighting up his face.

Ladybug threw her arms around his neck, burying her nose into the crook of his neck.

"I missed you, Adrien," she said, and she really meant it. Although she saw him today at school, she couldn't just come up to him and kiss him senseless, no matter how much she wanted to.

No, Tikki doesn't understand that feeling. The pining. The longing. The yearning. The urge to cherish your loved one and treasure every moment together. Kwamis never fall in love, so there was nothing Marinette could do.

"I've been reading your interview on the Ladyblog", he said softly, drawing circles on her palm with his thumb. Ladybug loved those small acts of love of his. They had such a soothing effect on her.

"Really? What do you think?"

"You do so much for Paris, sacrificing your time and energy. I think you could use some friendly support, Ladybug", said Adrien, looking at her with such admiration that her heart skipped a bit.

"So do you," she said, smoothing Adrien's hair lovingly. "You deserve the world, Adrien. You give your whole self to the people around you. You should get just as much love in return."

"Nice try, Ladybug, but my father would disagree with you. He thinks I'm a failure. I have always thought I was unlovable. How can you love me when I'm such a loser?"

"Why would you think something like that about yourself?" gasped Ladybug.

Adrien shrugged.

"Maybe because it's true. Whatever I do is not enough to make my father so much as to have breakfast with me. Whatever I do to make people around me love me and need me, they end up brushing me aside, forgetting about my very existence. I try to be funny, but my jokes end up being humiliating. One of my friends called me out for being a people-pleaser. But I've never known how not to be one since I'm such a waste of space."

Ladybug didn't interrupt him. She watched him with her eyes as wide as saucers while he was speaking.

Up until now, she had seen just glimpses of how Adrien felt about himself. What he was telling her now was a shocking revelation. She was beating herself up for failing to see how low self-esteem this boy, so happy on the outside, seemed to have.

When he finally stopped, his gaze scrutinising the toes of his sneakers, Ladybug surprised him by squeezing him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Mon Adrien," she whispered in his ear. "Mon amour, I promise you, I'm begging you to believe that you're absolutely not a waste of space. You're the kindest boy I've ever met in my life. You have a heart of gold. You're needed. You're loved. I promise you this. Do you believe me?”

He nodded hesitantly and buried his face in her hair, clutching at her for dear life.

===

Adrien didn't know why he was telling her all of this, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He felt that he must get it all off his chest. He still cringed internally for showing his vulnerability, but for nothing in the world would he take it back.

After Ladybug was gone, he tried to collect himself.

His lady was truly amazing. He was the luckiest guy to have such a fantastic person in his life. A person who came to his rescue just in time to save him from spiralling when he happened to be at his lowest, despite having been traumatised herself.

He didn't want to let go of her. She felt like home.

There was this warm comfort feeling radiating from her, which made him feel safe and cared for when it all came crashing down around him.

No need to be performative. No need to earn love.

If he only knew who she was. He would spend every waking moment by her side, thriving on her love and support. If she turned out to be Marinette, it'd be everything he could ever wish for.

That's when it hit him. He's been busy searching for insignificant details that proved nothing, while the clue might lurk elsewhere.

It was obvious how much Ladybug loved him. Her love for him was literally tangible.

If Adrien wanted to prove his theory, he should be searching for proof that Marinette was in love with him, too.

But how? It was easier said than done.

Because if Marinette truly was in love with him, she was a good actress. He couldn’t help but applaud her skills in concealing her feelings.

Thus, another dead end?

“Mission impossible,” Adrien murmured under his breath.

“What did you say, kid?” Plagg asked, interrupting his cheese feast—he'd said he needed to eat a great amount of camembert to recover from the sickness caused by all the corny talking he'd been forced to witness.

“Nothing,” Adrien said with a defeated sigh.

===

Except there was a way he might get another proof for his theory.

Another indirect one, of course, but at this point Adrien couldn’t care less, as long as the proof aligned with his theory.

After all, the only direct proof he could ever get would be seeing Ladybug's transformation or detransformation firsthand.

But in order to get this proof, Adrien will have to touch a raw nerve. He prayed inwardly that Luka would forgive him.

===

"May I ask you something?” Adrien asked after having cleared his throat nervously. “Why did you and Marinette break up?"

It was another run-of-the-mill Kitty Section rehearsal, Adrien playing keyboards as a special guest star, and he used a short break to have a word with Luka in the cabin.

The way Luka stiffened at the question didn't escape his attention. He even eyed Adrien for a moment, as if pondering how much he could reveal.

"We… uhm… didn't get to spend much time together… She was always too busy." He said eventually.

"I was just surprised when I heard the news." Adrien explained in an apologetic tone. "I thought you two made such a wholesome couple."

"Maybe we did, but anyway, we weren't meant to last long, since the love I had for Marinette was always one-sided."

Despite having other things on his mind, Adrien couldn’t help but feel bad for Luka.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to get too personal." Adrien mumbled, his face flushing. He hated himself for his forced indiscretion. "It's just that you both mean so much to me, and I'd hate to see you miserable.".

"Don't you worry about me," Luka, usually very nice, suddenly said rather dryly. I'll be fine, and so will Marinette."

Luka gave him a short nod as he walked by towards the exit.

Adrien mentally gave himself a slap on the face. Did he go too far with his questions? He'll have to apologize to Luka. He didn't even learn anything new.

Wait, what did he say? His feelings for Marinette were one-sided? Does this mean what I think it means?

"Well, well, well, someone's jealous," a familiar saccharine voice said, interrupting Adrien's train of thought.

"How did you get here, Lila?" Adrien asked without even trying to conceal his annoyance.

"I told Rose the other day that I was a huge fan of Kitty Section, and she was so sweet that she granted me permission to attend their next rehearsal." Lila answered in her usual undisturbed tone, taking a seat next to him. "I hope you don't mind that I overheard your conversation with Luka. You're so lucky to have me, because I can provide some more information about the subject you're interested in."

"If you came here to badmouth Marinette, don't waste your time; I'm not buying your lies." Adrien said harshly.

"I'm not going to badmouth anyone; I just want to avert another heartbreak. Oh la la, poor Luka. Marinette broke his heart in such a cruel way. She was constantly absent from their dates, leaving Luka all alone for hours and then finding the lamest excuses imaginable. But the most heinous thing about their relationship was that the poor guitar boy had always been her second choice. Marinette was in love with someone else."

"Was she? In love with whom?" Adrien found himself asking. He mentally gave himself another slap on the face, but it was too late.

"Ask Marinette if you really want to know," Lila answered in a sing-song voice, a wicked grin on her face. "It's not my secret to tell. I just want you to know that Marinette is not good girlfriend material. If you want a perfect date, it's right here next to you."

Adrien stood up abruptly and turned his back to her in disgust. Lila's poisonous talk ruined his mood entirely.

However, her words somehow planted a seed of doubt in his head. Because, as infuriating as they were, some of them fitted perfectly with his theory, as if they were tailored specifically for the puzzle Adrien tried so desperately to put together.

===

The next day was tough for Adrien. He couldn’t make it when another akuma attack occurred due to a press conference his father had obligated Adrien to cover for him at.

“Maybe Ladybug doesn't need Chat Noir all that much,” he said to himself, watching magical ladybugs swarms do their usual job of getting Paris back to normal. “She seems to be doing perfectly fine with all the other heroes having her back.”

He was getting home a little bitter, thinking about everything Ladybug told him the other day, when his self-esteem dropped, as it did every once in a while. About needing him and wanting him around.

Was it all a lie? Or was the traumatic experience she'd mentioned at fault for leaving him behind?

Did she really need him, as Adrien or Chat Noir?

===

She probably did, though. Why else would there be 14 missed calls and several voice messages from her on his catphone, telling him to meet her at the top of the Eiffel Tower?

However, the poor cat didn't know whether he should be looking forward to meeting her. Chances are that his today's absence was the last straw, and now Ladybug was going to take his miraculous away.

And if so… what then?

Okay, calm down, matou. It's too soon to panic. Perhaps everything will turn out just fine.

He gulped painfully, but a lump blocking his throat didn't go away.

===

He found her standing with her back turned to him, leaning on the railing. No matter how hard Chat Noir tried to read her body's language, he couldn’t decipher whether she was angry or just stargazing.

His heart made it all the way up and was now thumping in his throat. Sucking in a deep breath, he meowed softly to let her know he was there.

He started making lame excuses, trying to explain his absence earlier that day without revealing too much personal information, but Ladybug interrupted him.

“I've been thinking about it a lot lately, Chaton, and now I think you were right, after all,” she started, still not looking at him.

Chat Noir looked at her, puzzled, not sure what she was getting at with all of this.

His ignorance didn't last long, though. Ladybug turned abruptly, and he found himself face to face with her. Her eyes were full of determination.

“We should reveal our secret identities to each other.”

[teahatts]

ok some things about the au that i'm writing while trying to figure out the next chapter

i'm going to rebranded it from "ymmhtc" to "fall away au" since the title of the fic changed a while back and i finally figured out a tag for it

amy lives on her own and owns her own cafe (as we know from the infamous Rose Cafe that Silver and Shadow work at)

the only person who Amy really trusted whole heartedly to work alongside her when her cafe was starting up was Shadow. not to say everyone else wasn't a help, they all were! they all chipped in and assisted her in getting her footing, but Shadow was someone she knew she could seriously rely on once customers started brewing in.

Shadow in turn was the only person to really work for Amy bc 1. he would not eat food without paying excessively (cough cough SONIC KNUCKLES cough cough) 2.) he actually knew how to take care of plants without killing them instantly, & 3.) he likes coffee and hanging out with Amy

Silver can't cook for shit, blame it on the environment he grew up in. he will both undercook and overcook his food at the same time in spotty places it's actually impressive. he's honestly happy as long as whatever he makes is at least halfway edible

Sonic and Tails live together more on the outer parts of Mobius City, near the open fields and the loops. Sonic can run to his heart's content and Tails doesn't have to worry about another lawsuit for blowing up the next door building (dont ask, tails will avoid questioning while Sonic just awkwardly looks off to the side)

Rouge, Shadow, and Omega all live together (they are a family your honor and i will not seperate them Sega can rip them out of my cold dead hands-)

they all live on top of the bar that Rouge owns

there's a back entrance that they also can enter from so any of the kids don't have to go through the bar to get to them

Amy's cafe has been open for almost 3 years, with her 3rd year anniversary coming up! (i'll incorporate it into a chapter

Shadow babysits Cream sometimes and takes her to the park

it's really funny seeing this dude decked in black leather and shades and this dead face holding hands with a girl who is basically the embodiment of Joy as he buys her ice cream

team chaotix all live together as well and they live closer to Vanilla and Cream and Amy as well (they all live somewhat close to each other

looking at this, i really do have to go back and draw out blue prints for Mobius City alongside everyone's houses. i feel like it'll be really fun.

here's the fic if anyone wants to give it a read!